Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-05-16

his possession Tor one day, made tht
famous sale Of il to NJ. Chauchard for
$3.50, 900 This Was the first time
great painter had seen with his own eyes
such triumph OF his art Those whe
have approached most closely his SUCCESS
were Munkaczy, with his Christ before
Plate which sold for 800, 900; Mille,,
with his "Angelus. for which S120, ,00C
was paid, aud Musilio, with his aAscen-
SON" Sl3o. 900.
In the work behind his great artistic
and financial success Meissonier followed
closely the suggestion of the German
pyoverh. Klein Preis ohne Fleiss." An
experience of Menzel and Pietsch in his
studio in 1867 illustrates the infinite
painstasing with which all his great pic
lures were painted "1S07," or the
'Cuirassiers Of Friedland" was >unfin-
ished on his easel. In reponse to q com
ment from one of his visitors Meissionei
explained the nature of the vork
hc had done in order to be
ahlc TO do il "The way Of the curas-
NleFs 10 the enemy, he said, ''lay over q
field Of grain, still colored with the tints
of June green. Infantry had already
marched over the field and had trodden
down the blades. To get this effect
perfect before my eyes had field near
my house in the country planted to rye
in the fall. In the following May, when
the blades had taken on about the size
ana the color which would be character
istic OF a. grain field in East Prussia on
June Ia, the day of the battle, l had
troop Of infantry, placed at my disposal
by the commander of neighborlng
garrison, march over it diagonally. After
the field had been thus prepared, made
four large and minutelv exact studies OF
nature from it, These studies | utilized
in the picture before you. | also made
use Of company of cuirassiers from the
Poissy post for the purpose OF studying
the effects produced by their movement.
Day after day they stormed by my house
in the widest haste, swinging their
swords and shouting, 'Vive Empercur. !"
! Thus. without the aid of instantaneous
photography, now &C. indispensable TO
the painter d such scenes, Messoniel
was cnablcd to study and represent the
of the full charge.
Meissonier, the Great, was Of dwarfish
stature. lie had large, powerful, bony
head, with wide forehead and bushy
eyebrows. Down over his breast flowed
a long white beard, the pride Of his
heart He imagined that it helped him
look larger and stateler than he was
This idea was drop of comfort in his
cup of mourning over his dwariishness
1t gave him Il little consolation in his
everlasting regret that he was not man
OF martial figure, for, with all his phe-
nomena successes. Meissonicr dreamed
half OF bis days of the impossible ambi-
ton to be big To make himself look
more manly and robust he frequently en-
cased his dlnihutivc legs in huge cavalry
boots He -pyinked daily before the
mirror, and was never weary of compar-
ing himself with ether small men 10 show
that he was really not 80 very little. To
the end he conhded in his friends the
pangs he ever suffered on account OF hi,
under size. Occasionally, but only oc
casonaly, did Meissonior find the de-
sired consolation he sought from his &C.
quainlanccs- One afternoon, as .ht
! Sculptor Dubois entered his studio
Mcssonier exclaimed ioy'ully:
What do yon think The corn doc
tor was just here, and what DO you sup
pose he saysf A foot grcnadier can
not get any bigger corns than mine. -
N<u York Sun.