The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-06
A PICTURE OF DURER.
DIRECTOR BRANDT's NEXT WORK
FOR TIE TELFAIR ACADEMY.

Iu6 OF0hb ATslSt - An interesting
Collection Of Relics from Durer's
House-Mr. Hrandt's New Picture
for the Gallery-His Opinion of the
Fail Of Babylon.
Director Carl L. Brandt Of the TeIfair
Academy Of Arts and Sciences has returned
from his vacation, a portion of which he
spent in Europe and the remainder at his
summer home on the Hudson.
Director Brandt's visit to Europe was for
the purpose Of visiting Nuremberg and the
art centers of Germany, and obtaining
sketches and studies preliminary to painting
the last of his four works for the panels in
the frieze Of the picture gallery, that OF the
famous artist Albrecht Durer.
The three pictures which the director has
painted, which are now in the gal
lery aud will be placed in the frieze as soon
as the Durer picture IS fiaished, are
Apelles, Praxiteles and Ictinus.
These, with the Durer, will fill
the four panels on the walls and will COM
plete the friezo around the gallery. The en-
tire wall except the panels is already
filled by the magnificent gobelin tapes .ry,
one OF the first works purchased for the
academy.
IN DURER's NATIVE CITY.
Director Brandt, after visiting Berlin and
Munich, spent some time in N nuremberg in
| Durer's house. now in charge OF
the society of artists. by whom it
| is preserved with reli yious care,
and in which are many relics of the great
| painter, in the very room in which Durer
painted. Hee brought back with him, as
material to aid him in painting the portrait
Of the artist, among other things
q table and chair made in
duplicate of that in Durer's room. and in
which he sat and worked. The chair and
table are Of dark oak heavily carved and
upholstered in leather. Both are ecclesi
astical in style. The chair is after what is
known as the Luther style, and is an
artistic aud at the same time comfortable
piece Of furniture.
DURER's TABLE.
The table is heavy oaken piece. Instead
of drawers the top slides aside and under
meath is a receptacle for papers. On one
s and pencils P Pn the i0r center oru'nf is
a secret opening into a larger receptacle
below where the artist kept mis- drawings.
The table and chair we're made in Nurem-
berg under Mr.. Brandt's direction, and are
counterpart of those in the Durer house.
Mr.. Brandt also secured
cast of the bronA statue
Of Durer by the famous sculptor Rauch, in
Nuremberg. 1t is q statuette about eighteen
inches high, aud represents the artist stand~
ing, with a leaf of laurel aud onk in his
hand and wearing the peculiar mantle in
which his portraits picture him. From
this statuette Mr.. Brandt will paint the
style OF the cloak which Durer wore.
SKETCHES OF THE GREAT ARTIST.
He also obtained photographs and
sketches Of the picture of Durer in the
museum Of arts in Vienna, from which
Rauch made the statue aud which was
painted by Durer himself as part of his
great religious picture. Besides these Mr.
B andt brought back two small
paintings on glass of Durer's last
works and which are generally esteemed
his grandest the pictures of the four apos-
ties, John and Peter and Mark and Paul,
which he presented to the city council of
Nuremberg.
Another Durer relic which Mr.. Brandt got
is fac simile copy Of the famous prayer
book of Macmillan l., volume decorated
by Durer's own hand with marginal arab
esques of an inexhaustibly quaint and vari-
GUS invention. All Of these things relating to
Durer Mr.. Brandt has at present in the
gallery and will form part of the acade-
mys collection after being used in the pre-
paration OF the study for the picture which
he will paint.
TO BE READY FOR THE SPRING EXHIBITION.
He will begin at once and will have 1t
ready for the annual spring exhibition.
One of the aids IN his work is a photo
graph from Mr.. Brandt's own portrait of
Judge Samuel Nelson of the United States
supreme court, painted In 1864 for the New
York Bar Association and now in the as
sociation's rooms. The portrait represents
Judge Nelson seated and making his decision
in the famous Hiawatha case. The
forehead, nose and upper part
of Judge Nelson's face bear strong re-
semblance to those of Durer. There are
but three paintings of Durer extant which
are available for the purposes sought by
Mr.. Brandt. One is in the pu lie gallery in
Florence, one in the Pinakothek at Munich,
and the other is the Vienna picture.
A NEW PICTURE FOR THE ACADEMY.
The director visited the Paris salons and
the galleries at Berlin, Munich and else.
where, but saw no important pictures for
sale within reach OF the academy except
one large picture at the Berlin exposition,
which he purchased, and which will
arrive in a few weeks and
will be placed in the gallery along with the
Won Brandt, the Story and the Kaulbach
pictures. It's character will not be made
known until it arrives There were many
magnificent pictures at the expositions,
but they we're not for sale.
LA MOHTE DE BABYLONE."
Mr.. Brandt saw the celebrated painting.
LA Morte de Babylone.n by the French
artist, Rochegrosse, concerning which SO
much has been said in view of the proba-
biliry of its seizure upon its arrival in this
country, whittier it is to be brought by the
government authorities, as an immoral
picture.
LA Morte de Babylone" was exhibited in
the Paris salon last spring, where it excited
only favorable comment. Thousands of
Americans saw It there and admired it. Ii
is az unusually large painting, being about
twenty feet high. 1t contains number of
figures, which, in the original. are life size.
The scene represents the court of Belshazzar
in state of stupor after a night of revelry.
| Toe figures of the women are nearly all
nude. but the one objection is said to be
based rather on the postures than on the
| nudity.
The picture, Mr.. Brandt said, is not one
which he would admit to the Telfair gal
/ lery, although it is famous work, on ac-
| count of its character. He does not regard
| it as proper picture for exhibition. He
once had an opportunity to purchase one of
| Rochegrosse's pictures, but declined it on
| account of the subject He considers
| Rochegrosse a great artist, but his subjects
are Objectionable.
NOT IN FAVOR OF FREE DAY
| Mr.. Brandt is deeply interested in the
| movement to establish a free day at the
ks.L.