The Portland daily press., 1888-04-28
SIXTY YEARS a MODEL.
a Beauty Who Has Posed to the Ro-
man Artists for More Than Half a
Century.

lAmerican Magazine.l
There may still be occasionally seen in the
streets of Rome venerable woman now
over so years of age, whose career is worth
remembering, not only for the services she
has rendered to art and artists. but as an ex-
ample of nobility and purity of character in
an humble walk Of life. The world does not
know her, for she belongs to a generation
that is no longer here, and the hurrying
crowd of today passes the bent figure with
perhaps momentary diseernment OF some
hint of beauty lingering in her wrinkled
face, but all unknowing Of the qualities hid
den beneath, which, during long and pa
tient history, have shed a light as lustrous in
human kindness as that from many more
potent place. 1t as at the age Of Is that
she began to pose as model. At 10 she
married good for nothing fellow. 1t was
finally necessary for safety to leave him,
though even then she was able to escape
from his opportunities only by the interven-
ton of artist friends, who, approaching her
faithfulness Of service and unusual qualities,
took legal steps to free her from his annoy
ances. The years that followed were of
comparative peace, but full OF events exhib-
and unostentatious charity of this humble
woman, who, now developed into full ma
turity and perfection of form, was constant
ly under engagement, working to the limit
Of her strength: During these long decades
of labor, reserving for herself ONLY modest
support, she family divided her earnings
with the poor and suffering and outcast of
her sex, lamenting only the limit of her abil-
ity to enlarge the helping hand. Mole than
once she abandoned her engagements to
ttaaa rfe
friends knew not of his illness; and she sat,
the faithful and only attendant. watching
the Pickering spark Of life as it passed
away.
Not celebrated painter or sculptor has
visited Rome for more than half a century
for whom Minnicuccia has net posed Her
face looks out from many a sacred canvas,
and her figure stands In marble as the type
of beauty in many of the great galleries and
private collections of the world. She has
figured throughout the whole range OF bibli-
cal, classical and Hydrologic characters; but
whether as Venus or saint-whether in
merely physical or in the higher range of
ideal Observation-Disclosures is ever present
something that speaks to the beh0lder of a
purity Of soule such as even the most mater
ialistic of artists could not fail in measure
to express. In the churches OF Rome she
frequently appears as tine Madonna, or
among the innumerable angels that float In
their vaulted ceilings.
Possibly one of the best likenesses Of Min
icuecia exists in the well-known painting of
judith and Holofornes," which now hangs
in the Louvre at Paris. 1t was thought at
the time Of its execution to be so character
istic in this respect that for many years af-
terward she was greeted by her acquaint-
"Giuditta." Probably Vernet sought in this
picture TO idealize the head, though in fact
without improvement on the original, for his
art was neither creative nor imaginative;
but it is certain that the exquisite beauty of
the arms and the graceful pose of the head
and neck are more due to his lovely model
than to the painter himself. Among the
other distinguished artists for whom she
many times posed, and whom she has long
outlived, were Thorwaldsen, Crawford, Glib
son, Ingres, Flandrin, Delaroche, Fraccasni,
Fortuny and Madaazze, the elder For this
last she did triple duty, appearing as each
of the three Marys in his picture Of THE
Return from the Sepulchre."
Eminent as she was in a lowly profession,
she was more so in the deeds which she per-
formed that others might be saved from the
bitterness of misfortune and want. Holding
a sure and lofty conception Of virtue, she
passed through long years in a profession
full of temptations blameless and without
even the suspicion of stain upon her char
acter And vet she had no word of reproOf
for the fallen Of her sex. To them her kind
ness was melted out without reserve, for she
was many times their companion when
woman needs only woman, and full often
her exertions found places for children who
knew not their fathers.
To-day she is the inmate of a home pro-
cured for her long since by artist friends
who have passed away. She is poor and I'M
known, and really unable to work, though
still, that she may keep scanty wardrobe
from too serious tatters, occasionally posing
as model where the type of gentle old
age is needed. At other times she sits at
her window, which looks out over the Cam
pagna toward the blue of the Alban noun
tains, folding her almost shapeless hands in
her lap, in silent hope for the day Of depar-
ture to 4 land and crown that await none
more deservedly than her. These are weary
days to her. and almost her last words after
recounting some incidents of her life were:
'Oh, signore, Ia vita g troppo lunga; ,sono
motto stanca TO-" (Ah, sir, life is too long;
am very tired.