The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-09
PRAXITELES on CANVAS.
DIRECTOR CARL BRANDT'S NEW
PAINTING FINISHED.

fair Academy-The Work q Compan-
ion Piece to ApeIlss, and to be Placed
in the Eastern Frieze Of the Gal
lery-A Sketch of the Picture and
the Subject - The Academy's New
Collection to be Ready for Exhibition
Early in February.
Director Brandt Of the Telfair Academy
of Arts and Sciences has completed his
painting, Praxiteles, and it is now on ex-
hibition in the picture gallery.
The painting is in imitation Of the
Gobelin tapestry, and is intended for the
panel in the eastern frieze of the gallery
over the main entrance. It is heroic size,
| the canvas being about ten feet
high by five feet across, and rep
resents Praxiteles in his studio
resting from his work upon the famous
statue, Aphrodite, and contemplating his
model the beautiful Phryne. The latter,
h owever, is not shown in the painting.
| Prexiteles is seated by the side Of the statue;
in his right hand is his mallet, and in the left,
which is resting across the back Of his chair,
a chiseL At the base of the statue, upon
the unfinished block, is a rose, love token
brought him by the beautiful Athenian.
THE PLAN OF THE PICTURE.
The picture is not one Of great detail
| The studio in which the sculptor is at work
| is evidently a porch of his house, and a
| curtain is stretched between the columns TO
shade him from the sun. Upon pedestal
in the left of the picture is a Grecian vase
| from cast in the statuary hall. The
sculptor is a man Of middle age with
bearded face. The coloring of the
picture is made more brilliant than that Of
| Apelles, which Director Brandt painted in
| 1883 for the western panel of the frieZe,
because it will be- when in position, in a
lesser light.
| Praxiteles was a famous Greek sculptor of
the fourth century, and was born about
| 100 years after Phidias. How long he
| lived is not known, but his career was a
long one, and is unparalleled in pro-
ductiveness and in the variety of creations.
| Praxlteles excelled more particularly in
marble, and thence acquired his chief
celebrity.
| PRAXITELES' MASTERPIECE.
His statue of Aphrodite, known as the
| Venus of Cnidus, the goddess of love and
| beauty, antiquity seems to have recognized
as his masterpiece. The statue made the
| city of Cnidus famous, and people focked
from all over the then known world to
view the beautiful marble goddess. She
stood in u shrine surrounded by shade
| trees. The statue was seen in its
beauty about $50, A. D., but it persisted,
and all that remains are the feeble echoes
Of its grace, to be gathered from its effigy
| on Cnldlan coin, and a few marbles,
which fall far short of inspiring such rapt-
urous descriptions as those of the ancients
who saw the original, but which suggest its
beauty.
The artist, according to a very pretty
| story, made two statues of the goddess, and
| offered them both for SALE one was repre-
scented with drapery, and for this reason
was preferred by the people of Cos, who
had the choice: the second was offered them
at the same price, but. on the grounds of
propriety and modesty, they thought fit to
choose the other. Upon this the Cnidians pur-
chased the rejected statue, and immensely
superior has it always been held in general
estimation.
THE GLORY OF cN1DUs.
At later period, King Nicomedes was
anxious to purchase this statue of the
Cnidians, and made them an offer to pay
off the whole Of their public debt which
was very large. They preferred, however,
to submit to any extremity rather than
part with it; and with good reason, for by
this statue Praxiteles has perpetuated
the glory of Cnidus. The little
temple in which it was placed was open on
all sides, so that the beauties of the statue
admitted Of being seen from every point of
view, an arrangement which was favored
by the goddess herself, it is generally be-
heved. There are numerous epigrams in
reference TO this statue in the Greek An
thologY, the most striking line in any of
which is the pentameter:
"Alas where has Praxiteles me naked seenY'
Pausanias says, among other things of
Praxiteles, that he made Satyr on which
he prided himself very much, and when
Phryne once asked which was the finest of
his works, they say that he offered to give
1t to her like lover, but would not say
which he thought his finest work. A
servant of Phryne at this moment ran up,
and said that most of Praxiteles' works were
destroyed by sudden fire that had seized
the building where they were, but
that they were not all burned. Praxitele,
rushed out of doors, crying that he had
nothing to show for all his labor, if the
flames had consumed his Satyr and Cupid.
Phryne then babe HIM stay and be of good
cheer, for he had suffered no loss; it was
only her artitice to make him confess which
were his finest works She then selected
the Cupid.
SPLENDID WORK.
In his picture of the famous sculptor
Director Brandt has created a worl,
which, as tapestry imitation, excels any
that he has ever undertaken. The picture
| ID temporarily urdpeu III VelVeL, ana Is II
the northeastern corner of the gallery
opposite that Of Apelles where it is seen tC
far better advantage than it will be seer
when it has been placed in the frieze
Two studies in oil, one of Apelles, and the
other of Praxiteles, on the eastern wall Of
the gallery to the left of the entrance, give
a splendid conception of the artists work
The finer shades and coloring are brought
out, and the expression and treatment
which will. to certain extent, be lost when
the pictures are in the frieze, make
the studies more interesting than the larger
paintings.
ICTINUs, THE DIRECTORS NEXT WORK.
Director Brandt has completed a sketch
OF lctinus for a similar painting to be
placed in the north panel of the frieze
and is about to begin a sketcL
OF Albert Durer for the south
panel The north panel will be filled first
The paintings of the tapestry on the north
wall are representative of architecture
Ictinus was the builder of the Parthenon
which Phidias planned, and his picture will
be fit subject for the panel.
Director Brandt is now at work restoring
the cartoon drawing by Otto, representing
The Defense of Strasburg against the
Hungarians," which he purchased in Munich
last summer. The picture is about ten feet
square. 1t has been mounted and is now
being retoouohed preparatory to being