Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-14
[)R FOREIGN LETTER
onrp RUSSELL SIGHTSEEING IN
e BEAUTIFUL FLORENCE.
rers IN Abundance Some Notable
samples Of Painting and Sculpture.
| Ancient Armor.

VIC arrived IN ff0rcpce III V'ho ioi
the holidays and tried to make our
sslyes as comfortable as possible con-
sidetine VIC were far from home and in
n country where the houses refuse 10
Get thoroughly warmed. Our parlor
was large with that lsrecness and empty
with that emptiness only to be found
in Italy. The wood fire burned on the
the hearth certainly. but it looked
small-on kind Of inversc.ratio plan
and needed a neld-glass 10 see it from
the other end Of the room with any sort
effectiveness. We shisered freely, and
il was only after considerable amount
Of this exertion that we succeeded 10
warming ourselves and raising our
spirits. We afterwards changed our
apartment and had n parlor less grand
IN Italian eyes, and fortunately less
gloomy and PenetratinGly cold. The
ted Of the Arno was very low when we
arrived, but after few days it rained
heavily, which caused the river to rise
so high that in spite of being told 1t
was impossible we were afraid the river
would overflow its banks. Just OPP
posite our hotel there is weir, over
which the water rusheS with a con-
tinuous roar that sometimes becomes
exasperating. BY going out on the
balcony and looking up stream
We can see the three bridges
that cross the river mean the heart
OF the town. The farthest off is the
Ponte Necchio, whose double row Of
shops, doomed shortly to be taken
down, is not the least picturesque part
OF the scene. The three bridges cut
the river and throw shadows across it
IN the broad sunlight. The tall houses
or the opposite side contribute an
Irregular line Of reflection, so that
whether the Arno is thick with yellow
mud or comparatively clear, flowing
quietly or tearing along over the
shallow weir. there is always a
variety Of tiats on il. Then Cam
panile's church-dOmes, loggie-house
sOofs Of every height and sloping
at every angle. are on the skyline,
and what we lack in warmth and
comfort we can make up on beauty.
And then some days are magnificent, a
soft blue and silyery sky and a genial
sun, and every one refuses to believe in
the treacherous side of the winter eli
mate Of Florence.
FLOWERS ~ ABUNDANCE.
The flowers grow in abundance un-
der il and are fresher AID purer than
in most places. and keep their good
looks longer, too. Notwithstanding
our steady sightseeing last year, we
find after all, that it was very super
fetal wien the quantity Of notable
things 10 be seen is taken into account.
The Pitt. the most regal picture-gal-
lery in the wor' ! should think, ad-
IONS the roya' residence Of the same
name, and is q a level with the state
rooms, and Oh occasions Of court cere-
mony is used for additional reception
rooms for the guests. 1t would
not be easy for any king OF
queen TO assemble greater living
celebrities than there are portraits
of such. both men and women, on the
walls. Nor could they surpass them
in appearance with respect to beauty,
grace. or dignity. Just now we have
been studying the portraits and trying
to decide whether these Characteristic
Individuals were 1attered tremendously
by the painters, or really had that i'm
preSsiyeneSs about them. Or did the
painter catch their accumulated charac-
ter at glance, as it were, and fix 1t on
the canvas forever.
A MASTERPIECE.
\ masterpiece of portraiture is Pope
Julius IL. as an old man. lie is
seated on q high-backed chair witt
his hands on the arms Of it, anC
his keen eye and determines
face make the spectator feel thai
be is accustomed to rule. Then another
Pope, Leo ". heavy-lOoking man
whose appearance is redeemed by thai
aggressive personality that fascinate:
and almost commands by its owl
weight. Not far away are the refine
and aristocratic but sad looking Charles
|. Of England and his Queen, painted
by Van Dyck. Cardinal lnghirami, by
Raphael, is perhaps as striking as any
He is writing, and, doubling what Il
saw, has raised his compact, MASSIVE
head in thought, perplexed indeed, bu
byn means approaching bewildermcnt
His plump hands, wonderfully painted
show strong indications OF power
Beside the portraits there are end
less other pictures, among them hu
merous madonnas headed for true, pur
beauty, by Madonna della Segginola-
well onown by copies and prints. /
is round picture, in which the Ma
donna is seated in a chair with the in
FAINT Christ on her knee and John thu
Baptist at her side. 1t is admired fol-
the softly-loying expression of the youn
mother and the truth to nature of tn
children, and except for the glorie
round the heads it is Of a thorough.
mundane and charming type.
EXTERIOR ROOMS.
This gallery contains SIX large room
OF pictures Of the highest class an
several others of only slightly inferio
interest. We walked through the pas
sage connecting the Pitt with tn
Ufdgi gallery on the other side of tn
Arno. 1t is lined with hundreds
portraits Of well-known people, kings
queens, popes, princes, and rulers
republics, most Of them badly painted
but studied for periods Of costume
and for history. Following tn
portraits are engravings Of differer
nations. In the Uhigi gallery tn
arrangement is not the same as
the Pitt, for all the best pictures al
collected in one room-the Tribune, o.
tagonsl in shape. These pictures forr
a group representative Of the chl'
painters and surpasses most other
Of the same size in artistic value. Tn
domed ceiling of the Tribune has
painted background studded thlckl
with mo,her-of.pearl shells, and 1t
lighted from the top. Professional
copy and re-copy the pictures in tn
room. and their easels take up so muc