The Irish standard., 1888-07-28
IRISH GRAVES IN ENGLAND.
BY MICHAEL MAcDONAGH.
DANIEL MACLIsE, R. A.

J. 1t is interesting to note how the out
cf-the-way places are oftentimes lndi-
/. rectly affected for good or evil by events
that may have happened years ago, and
III distant lands. The results of an &C
tion or event may be infnite-they may
affect all ages, all places, and all persons
Cork has an excellent School of Art
which has been the fountainhead o1
much Of the remarkable literary and ar
tistic life which distinguishes that Cit,
over every other centre in Ireland. The
strangest part OF the history OF the schoo
is, that for it Cork is indebted, in the
first place, to the part the British had IL
ths overthrow OF the first Napoleon, ant
in che second to the want of an appreci
alton of art in George ", Of England
After the battle of Waterloo Pope Piu'
YII.-~who Was then the occupant OF the
Pepal chair-~bethought him in wha
Way he would best show his gratitude te
the English nation for clipping the claws
OF the great French eagle Cwho had nc
zoore respect for the universal Church
thar ior petty kingdom), and for CON
tining the bird, out Of the way Of doing
harm, IN the lonely Island ofSt. Helena.
a. present Of collection of casts from
all the celebrated marbles of antiquity
then Ia Rome was what the Pontif con-
sidered would best suit SO mighty a
mother of art AS England; and, IN order
that the casts might be perfect in every
way, Canova, the great sculptor, was
directed to superintend their prepara-
tlon. These magnificent presents ar
rived in Loudon in 1913. The Prince
Regent afterwards George IV), to
whom they had been sent, allowed them
to remain for months at the Custom
l{uase without caring what became Of
them, and when at last he did Eethink
him that he was at least H1lpo]1tic in
showing such i7isrespect to The gift Of the
Pope. lie had the cast removed to Carle-
ton Palace, and in a tent in the grounds
exhibited them FOR 81 long tlme, He
Shen offered them uo The Royal Academy.
but tbe5 body refs,sed to accept them,
What to do with this "white elephant
from the Vatican nov sorely troubled
$he Prince Regent. He did not want his
gardens at Carleton Palace spoiled with
such lumber as collection OF casts Of
She most famous sSatuary in the world;
and his Royal Highness squi,ned at the
idea just as bitterly as did the present
Prince ci Wales when the natio11 made
him present OF Wellington's hideous
funeral car, and planted it right in front
of the drawingrooms of Marlborough
House, to perpetuallyremind him of the
,,u,,laasant fact that in the midst OF life
we are in death. There was some ex-
cuso for tho Prince OF Wales. for tie
funeral car is most potent inspirer of
gloomy thoughts, so sonbre-looEing is
1t, an1 ugly. 1t is now in the midst Of
appropriate surroundings, down among
the dead in The dark crypt OF St Paul's
Cathedral. BUD we can we'll excuse, and
indeed rejoice over, the barrenness Of ap-
z,rsciation OF art which characterised the
Prince Regent, as it benefited ireland.
The Earl Of L1stowel OF that day asked
She Prince for the casts for Cork. They
were gladly given to the Earl, and in
1922 the Academy for the Study of the
Arts was, through the agency of the
casts, opened in the city on the Lee.
Casts OF the Apollo Belv1dere, the
I.aocoon, the Dying Gladiator, aud the
Medic1 Venus ere among the collection,
and latentartistic talents and synlpathies
have been aroused in many minds by
their inspection.
It was to this school of art, thus
founded, that Daniel Maclise owed not
only his early training but much of his
later success as g. painter. Mr.. s. C. !
rYall mentions, in his 'tMemoirs Of Great !
Men and Women that early in 1922,
while in Cork, he paid q visit to the
schools, and observed a handsome, in
telhgent-lool1iug boy. drawing from one
of The casts. It entered Into converse
tion with him." continues Mr.. Hall,
:'eza1nined his work, and remarked. 'MT
little friend, if you work hard and think,
you will be great man one of these
days.'' The lad was Maclise.
But let us begin at the beginning.
Daniel Maclise was born il Cork on
January 25th, 1911. So the artist was
wont to say himself, but the registry OF
Jhe Presbyterian Church in Cork shows
that he, or some other Daniel Maclise,
was born 2nd February, 1905. He was
of mingled Scotch and Irish descent,
and was therefore, as indeed his works
show q thorough Celt 4 few words
about his ancestors will be interesting. I,
[J1s rran1fa tbar was z Scotch High.