The Wilmingtonian. (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?, 1884-05-17


1--WE seldom meet with one who is more
active, more earnest, or efficient. He has
enthusiasm tempered by GOODNESS. He has
an iudomitable will, engages in enterprises
with determination to succeed, and his
ambition and strength increase with the
multiplicity of difficulties. He dwells with
patience and persistency on whatever he
undertakes, and whatever he undertakes is
done thoroughly and well. HIS immense
perceptive organs give him great powers of
observation. He reads men like a book and
is well calculated to exert a commanding
mtlueuceamong men,"
No man could be in company with John
Sartain for five minutes without en- !orsing
the tribute thus paid by Professor Fow-
Ter.
Of worldly honors our artist has had no
mean share. He was Chief Director of the
Art Bureau IN the Centennial Exhibition. In
his relations with foreign governments, Incl
dent to the Nork Of organization and admis-
sion of exhibits, he earned the esteem of all
the foreign representatives with whom he
ated an officer (Chevalier) Of the Eques-
urian Order of the Crown of Italy,and wears
the crown jewel of Knighthoud of the Court
of Lusignan, given him by Marie de Lusignan.
the fair claimant to the visionary throne q
Cyprus and Asia Minor. Mr.. Sartain has a
box full of orders and decorations conferred
by the crowned heads of Europe, but none
of these does he value so much as the writ
ten tribute of esteem from the Municipality
of Urbno, the birthplace of Raffaelle. II
is as folows:-
MUNICIPALITY OF URBINo, Protocol NJ. 1903.
tennial of Raffaelle.
DEAR SIR-.t has afforded great satisfac-
ton to me, and also to my entire city, that
| enjoyed the envied fortune of being the
birthplace of Raffaele Sanzio, to hear of the
solemn honurs paid to the memory of thai
great genius by the celebrated School of
Design for Women.
| | therefore present you in the name of the
public our warmest thanks, learning how
much We are indebted to you in conn, ction
with that extended commemoration. And
l am more and more pleased to perceive that
the worship of the genius of art is not con
fined " thin national frontier boundaries,
but that it expands along with the light OF
widening civilization, and is the natural out
flow of all cultured souls. 1t is great sat
isfaction to me, my dear sir to tender you
my particular respect. j. PALMA, Mayor.
UrJiRo Italy, June 10, 1888.
Hon. SIG. CAyALIERE, JOHN SARTAIN,
vicepresident Philadelphia School of Design
for Women.
The inspect ion of these objects was con
Quoted in the artists library, beautifully
furnished apal tine MT free from any suspicion
of Ustheicism or gim-crackery. Everything
bespoke tue ant: the air was redolent of iU
On the VIA Is hung pictures without price
though the discerning eye might easily
recognise that many Of them were virtually
unpurchasable by money. One wsri.iaS d
onna by Ghirlandaio, the maStc .nae
Angelo; a second was a u aster piece of c. d
Leslie; a third bea,.uiful water color stud,
by j. b. Pay'r;a fourth a genuine JOIN
Marley: and so on. There was but on,
I transcendent genius unrepresented in til,
place: it was Oscar Wilde, at the mention o
whose name Mrs arta in shrugged his sho III
ders with scomlul PITY.
From the library to the Studio was a nat
ural transition. Mr.. Saitains studio is
magnificent apartment in which every par
is, as it wele, an unconscious accessory Il
the building up of ideas and the development
of inspiration. Busts, torsos and statue
from the antique supplied all the require
ments of the student of the human from
divine. Among the casts was plain unpre
tending looking piece of plaster, which evel
an alien could not but regard with venera
alton, seeing that it was the imperishabl
record of the lineaments of George Wash
ing ton. This, said MIR. Sartain, with par
donable pride, 'is one of the few first impress
sions from the original cast. l believe
was the second cast that was made"
The plaster indeed, told its story only to
well. The massive features were hushe
in the Stiffness and the peace of death; I'll
storm of the fatal laryngits had spent it
force; the death-agony was past; nothing
but peace reigned there now.
"When the grave was opened, long afte
his death''-contnued Mr.. Sartain---'th
features were as perfect as you see ther
here. A friend stopped down to kiss til
? brow, but even as he did so slight breGz
swept over, and the features all crumble
away in an instant"
1t was difficult to remove the eye from til
contemplation of that noble face, but tim
: was fitting by, and there was much yet t
see. Mr.. Sartain brought ont his sketc
book. There were scores of studies flor
nature and the living model-all bearin
internal evidence of honest consideration
; work, without the slightest suggestion {
meretricious sketchiness or affectation. Yo
bethink yourself of Michael Angeles answe
to the students who found him at 70 year
of age patiently sketchingin the Colosseum
Il yet go to school" said the giant anon
Artists, that may learn to draw" Ev
IDENTIFY Mr.. Saltain does not neglect to go t
school if the ever-accumulqting testimony {
his sketch book and portfolios is to b
taken into consideration.
In concluding this sketch of Philadelphia
great engraver and honored citizen we ma
I quote little from Melville Phillips in Terra
: SJtings where he says of Mr.. Sartain:-