Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-24


pressed in the dignifed repose of the beau
tiful countenance. II is. in short, a gentle
face with that indescribable mingling of
fearlessness, modesty and dignity that in
vest the Madonnas of Correggio and of
Murillo alike with unsurpassed loneliness
and give them their greatest charm.
In the expectant attitude and face of the
figure Hope the artistic ideal has been
very nearly reached. 1t was indeed scarcely
necessary to have placed about her the en-
blematic anchor and other characteristic
insignia of the imaginative creation. One
cannot confront the speaking countenance
and fail TO understand that every Inca
ment speaks of hope. The benign ex-
preston of the figure charity" minister
ing to the little ones clustering about her,
is indicative of the thought of the creation,
and needs no other interpreter than its own
expression. The monumental background
is eXquisitely fine in construction. delicate
In execution and in perfect harmony
with the architectural effects of the
church interior. AS in nearly all
glassstained monumental windows, the
lights are strongest above and come from
| that direction. The sunlight shimmers
down upon the heads of the figures with a
tinted softness, yet brilliancy, that almost
realizes vitality in their countenances.
The colors are strong, and yet in no respect
| glaring. The blues and reds may be eriti-
clsed by some as too strong for the subject
| treated, but this is matter the debate of
which must adjust itself to differing tastes.
But it must be kept in mind that in re-
ligious themes red signifies divine love,
creative power and royalty; and blue,
truth, fidelity and heaven. 1t must
suffice TO say that the window is one
| of great beauty, in keeping with its set
| cyiv To ha int rip
intensifes the devotional atmosphere of the
| place, and is memorial to one of the most
gentle and lovable of characters, cut short
in its career at the early age of twenty
eight.
The second window is located in the
west wall of the west wing of the church.
While the first and larger window is best
viewed in morning light, the beauty of the
second is best developed when that of the
other begins TO be lost, that is, when the
sun is well in the west This west win
dow is the gift of Colonel Greed Raymond,
is in loving memory of his wife,
and bears the inscription, sin
Memoriam Cornelia Alice Raymond,
died November II, 1887" The window is
esteemed by Mr.. Mallon the masterpiece of
the works where produced, and already
named 1t is smaller than the first window.
| being about sixteen feet in hight, and
probably seven feet in width Like the
first, it is gothic in outline with high
arches and contains three panels ending
uniformly in gothic arch two-thirds the
hight, and the extensions of the lines
lnterlacing to the exterior holdings
cut the upper section into three diamond
shaped beautiful panels But the upper
sections of the three long panels are crossed
| by broken gothic arches, thus creating
| three other panels so that there are six in
all above the main ones. This gives more
OF detail in the flowing tracery than in
the first window, and augments the artistic
effect by producing a fictitious idea of size.
and one that is very helpful to the whole
! scheme of the window.
In the central panel, st. Cecilia, the
patron saint of music, whose day is the
22d of November, is discovered touching
with her fingers single bank of organ
keys, while her gaze is upward into a glori-
GUS sunlight. that bathes her face with
goid-distilled beams, bursting from clouds,
from which descend cherubic host hover
lEg over and playing and singing to the
martyr saint, their wings tinted as with
mother of-pearl, and their countenances
radiant with light and Joy. The picture is
an admirable rendering of the subject as
originally treated by Carlo Dolce, or as re-
allied in painting by Raphael, whose fam
Gus piece is at Bologna. Morretto, Gina
bue, Garofalo, Parmagianino and Domeni-
chino have all given us ideals of this pa
! tronness of music. In Carlo Dolce's pic
ture, in the Dresden Gallery, ST. Cecilia is
| depicted with dropping head, and soft. rapt
expression, as she plays upon her tradi-
tional organ. But in Raphael's picture she
estatlcslly pauses at the sound of the
angels songs, which justifes the belief that
the Raphael ideal is that OF the artist of
| the Raymond window.
st. Cecilia was a Roman lady of the third
century who, tradition has it, sang and
played with such enhancing sweetness that
the very angels came TO listen. She con-
verted her husband Valerian. and his
brother, and the three devoted themselves to
| Christianity. She is tabled as the inventor
of the organ, bat that is not to be estab-
lished as a fact. a Roman ruler desiring
to secure her wealth, accused her of Christ
| lanlty, and refusing to sacrifice to the
| gods, she was thrown into a bath filed
| with boiling water. It is tradition that
heaven preserved her from harm. and she
was ordered for behesding. The executioner
three times wounded her in the effort. She
lived three days after, preaching Christ, and
died after leaving her house to be converted
into church. Her body was placed in the
| catacombs, and was removed to The Church
of st. Cecilia when that edifice was erected
In Rome. Her coffin was opened in 1899,
and her remains found to be so wonder
fully well preserved that the graceful re-
| cumbent attitude was copied, aud by il the
statue fashioned that lies before her altar.
| There is probably no window painting
in the State in which an artist has secured
more life-like tints than in the figure referred
to in this window. There is also in the
attitude and in the expression OF the coun-
tenance spirituality and devotional 10y
and fervor that makes itself felt; a rapt
| and heavenly expression that calls for but
little play OF the Imagination to lift the
| beholder toward the same exaltation of
| feeling. Even a methodical reporter of
| the RECORD MON, who stood before the
picture on Monday and noted down the
cold details, was moved by a few moments
silent contemplation of the work into
something approaching the emotional feel
ing that the picture interprets. The apex
of the central panel is finished by glitter
ing crown, set with jewels of many colors,
while the feet of the patroness of music
| press tessellated floor of onyx that is
initiated with such nicely as almost to de-
| ceive one into belief of its reality. The
| thanking panels bear in great profusion
| designs of musical instruments, reed and
string, resting against a narrow back
| ground beautifully painted in lance, scroll,
| lozenge, diamond and foliate work and
ecclesiastical designs. The window is one
of great beauty, probably unsurpassed on
the coast for delicacy of tint and richness
of color, and is in keeping in its
design with the character of the architec-
| ture of the church, and perpetuates the
memory of lady once citizen of Sacra-
mento, and whose generous qualities of
heart won her many friends, and who
was borne away by death in the very flower
of lie, which her buoyant nature so keenly
| enjoyed.
The two windows thus inadequately
described beautify the interior of st. Paul's
and invest its light with soft. rich tints that
alone would have sufficiently adorned the
| structure. What is now needed to COM
| plete the harmony of effect is fine illumi-
mated window in the south wall of the
| church. For the windows already placed
and above outlined the church is indebted
| to the interchangeable earnestness OF its rector,
Rev. J. f. Won Herrlich, whose energy in
| church improvement made il possible for
the giyers of the memorial windows to
crafty their desire to thus testify their love
for the departed.
An Amateur Diver.
L