The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-28
-------------- -
A Noted Artists SURROUNDINGS.
GLIMPSE or THE BEAUTIFUL HOUSE AND
sTUDlf OF ALMA-TADEMA. va

A Noted Artists SURROUNDINGS.
A GLIMPSE or (rHE BEAUTIFUL HOUSE AND
sTuDlf OF ALMA-TADExA.
Mr.. Joseph Ijptton thus writes In Hdr-
per's Magazine for November: - Among
the notable at homes OF London are the
Tuesdays at iSr. -Tadema's, Town.
shend House. near the North Gate, Re-
gents Park. cshere the artists afniable
wife charminpiy presides over house
which Is uniq,e In Its repetition OF many
of the bits Of detail which are so lovingly
rendered in thu painters best works. The
livht in this quarter OF London and at
Hampstead fall earlier upon the many north
windows cons ructed to receive II, ana
dwells longer IN its gentle merging into
night than at Eensiugton. The Regents
park and st. ..ohn's Wood district have
always been fayorite localities both for art
and literary. wtrkers. One recalls among
the famous residents Of this neiehborhood
Landseer, Douglas JerroId. George Eliot,
Tom Hood. shirley Brooks, Hepworth
Dixon, besides many distinguished vocal
ISIS. notably MRe. Titiens and Mr.. Santley.
Mr.. Alma-Tadtma takes great delight IN
the furnishing! and ornamentation OF his
house. An Culinary aud somewhat CON-
monplace Loneon residence, he has con-
verted ii into \ perfect art-gem, every Bit
OF il a study ard an example OF his great
knowledge, h. love OF antiquities, and
his cultivated taste. He has en-
tirely transformed the interior. even
10 reconstructiSg the starcases, and build
Ing into one Of the rooms grained roof to
suit his furnishing. This is what he calls
the Panel ROOM, or, as his friends have
christened IT, .she Burgomaster's Room
perfect little Dutch interior, windows.
panellng, seat', floor Jugs, AID all with a
sofa upon viii q you fell inclined to sit and
dream OF the uSys OF Van Tromp and the
Dutch battles 'or freedom, OF the grand
old burgomast RS and their robust wives,
and OF Hollanfs triumphs over sea and
wind, that are ,even greater than her glo-
ri0us struggle, against Spain. One steps
! from his room lpresenty into others rs FAR
away i'm sentiment and character from the
Dutch Us PerIa u from the Hague, or
Venice from Mexico. IL would be
| impossible in she space OF this paper to
even indicat' the artistic treasures,
apart from the novel furniture and decOra-
| tons which ar. crowded into Townshend
House, and fot time one feels that they
are crowded, lut this impression goes as
one examines be house leisurey. What
ever the STYLE c. decoration that character
ICES any particular room, it is carried out
with knowle. ge OF its best textures, and
with the same patience and devotion to
truth which TIE artist puts into his pic
lures, be his subject an Egyptian theme OF
three thousand years ago, an audience n
Agrippa's. or Renaissance Of Marathon.
" Artist friends have not unfrequently
noticed with surprise rs they look a second
time on some york in progress that the
artist has panied out some elaborate Incl
dent OF life or color with which he was
dissatisfied. H. is never content to doubt;
| his work mus be correct and true from his
own standpoint. or it does not leave his
studio. lie Laws his plans for one OF those
remarkable stJdies OF the ancient life OF
Greece or Roile or Pompeil or Egypt,
which are the celight OF students OF history
as well as art ;onnoisSedrs, with the care
fitness OF the designer OF ship or the
architect OF ps.ace. There is not detail OF
marble. brick. or wood in his pictures,
either rs to its purpose, use, color, weight,
that he cannot explain to you, Just Is he
also can the texture and quality OF the
dresses. the character and offices OF hispeO-
pie. His stress are, in his mind, as IA
miiar to him 81 Regent and Bond streets;
his wharYeS, ard stores, and boats are bet
ter known TO h.m possibly than their nine
teenth-centurN successors.
You might lose Mr. Alma-Tadcma'
studio in one q the big studios in the same
way that Americans often say you might
drop England into one OF their lakes or
lose it in one o. their forests-a character
istic suggestion. OF comparisons Of size. 1t
is a small square room with IA bay-window
to the north, AID the easels fixed right i'm
the light, in TIL very eye Of day. The light
is never too strong for Tadema. You
may inspect his details with 4
glass, and ftd them clear and def
mite. and though he paints his marble
without relle jiOns you can see the
very grain Of f. and feel sure that il you
broke it you WOuld see the crystalline
sparkle OF the fragments. After passing
llp a staircase which Is decorated with
iluted dado Of Some soft material OF a dull
hue. above which hang photograph. OF
many Of the al. lists works, you enter the
studio. On ytur left is a white marble
counter or ber III; on your right a bay-win-
] dow rising uppl several minor panels, be-
meath which is convenient and pretty set
tee. Fronting YOU are the easels. The wall
beyond is fileG with shelves and drawers
packed with d'aperies and artistic proper
Ties. On the o.her wall are few pictures,
and on a pede ital bust OF Mrs. Tadema.
The room is decorated in Pompeiian de-
signs i'm reds and ycllows, the floor is in
laid and polish, d, and the entire surround
ings are quite o. keeping with his work.
- man OF lledium height, broad shout
ders. light-bICwn hair. large eyes and
mouth, Alma.Ildema is II type OF the stur-
d. Netherlands, from whom he sprang,
p and he may wei find in his adopted coun-
try a congenia' brotherhood He is natu-
rallied Engli>fman, and regards himself
rs an English PAINTER. His wife is Eng
fish, the hOnorl he most prize are English,
and he is one II the most popular OF the
Royal Academ Plans. not only among his
colleagues, bu in the art schools OF Bur
| lington House !
Lord BeacOnsiieid's Younger Days.
| n;erool; vac essentially warm. n ab