Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-07-12
A HOME IN VENICE.
~ EMBELLISHMENTS IDEAL Aaoos
" THE CITY or CANALS.

~ ehoLlsHMANs IDEAL Aaooe
W THE CITY or CANALS
: Venetian Palace. It's Trs..y,. :.
.n' Personal intsrest--A r., =, NJ
nsny ornaments, Pictures. Root. -.
bits Of Rare Bric-a-Br.e.
or, when some five and twenty wear, 400
or nenry Layard resolved To ,oaLs p
n' UNSET; and for the treasures Of art
wn'cn ne had gathered from the for,
winds OF heaven, home in yenice I.
.ound, fortunately enough, that the r.,
sor Cssa) Capello was Just at the var,
moment at his disposal. II had haen ~.
ABODE for several years OF an Enol;sh
man who had just died, and who had
lei1 Mr.. Malcolm, then well Known
among the English residents and NOV
tne'r doyen, his executor. A friendsb;r
mad long existed between Mr.. Malcoi,p
ana slr Henry Layard, born Of similar.
ny OF taste. which has ripened vii,
many years Of neighborhood and inter.
course.
II was thus that the Ca Capello came
INTO the hands Of Sir Henry Layar,l and
from that day it has been his home
Hither IN the intervals Of his ministerial
duties, his missions and his visits tn b;s
English kinsfoik, be has returned with
ever growing zest and affection. Here
ne mas surrounded himself with a f;ne
Eorary. noble collection Of pictures
ana bronzes, marbles and mosaics. tar
estries. ancient furniture and bric-a>
brac. relics Of the past, the spoils Of a
long and varied career. Here. too. in
tne year 1863. he brought his wife.
daughter OF the late Sir John Guest.
1t IS barely possible to reach the Ca
Capeiio on foot. You may cross ths
Rlalto and bear toward the left through
and across series Of tortuous and intri-
cate cali. but the two handsome gon.
doias, reposing on the broad bosom OF
the canal at the door Of Ca Capello.
which has every right to be called the
'front.'. suggest to the callers the only
rational method Of entrance. II has
been said that the house is not one Of
the largest; its aspect, however, is I'M.
doubleday one of the most attractive in
the most beautiful highway in the world
THE HOUSE.
The two sides of the house, one in the
Rio di San Polo, the principal. with the
porch on the Grand canal, give scope for
. display OF color which elsewhere might
suggest garishness. but which in Venice,
par excellence the city Of many colors,
Is natural and pleasing. As your gon-
dola reaches the broad fight of steps be-
hind the tall green pail, you cannot fail
to notice that every window sill bears
its burden Of flowers after our English
fashion, and that the portico is veritable
floral bower, with a conservatory owe,
it, in which, beside the greenery, an i'm
mense Venetian glass chandelier IL .
most striking object. 1t is a mass Of
vine with depending black grapes, great
creeping convolvuluses, canariensis and
white jessamin, all struggling for life
apparently. with no inconsiderable de-
gree of success. on the trellis work
which supports them.
As is common in Italian private resi-
dences. what we ordinarily describe at
home as the ground floor is given up to
the servants and the domestic Offices OF
the establishment A broad staircase
on the left of the entrance, on either
side of which. fixed in the wall, is frag-
ment of sculpture from Nineveh. leads
into hall of noble proportions which
divides the house itself into two une-
quail parts. Here some of the larger
pieces of furniture, such as the cabi-
nets, are to be found; and here, too, a
pair of admirable three-quarter length
portraits of Sir Henry and Lady Lay
ard, painted in Madrid by Palmaroli,
head of the Spanish academy at Rome,
face each other. Another portrait of
Sir Henry Layard challenges an even
closer inspection-that, namely, by Lud-
wig Passini, which was shown in the ex-
hibition of the Royal academy. Large
reception rooms give out on either side
of the hall, and. like it, all are foored
with terrazza, material which to its
great beauty adds the advantage of be-
ing absolutely uninhammable.
TASTEFUL FURNISHINGS.
The dining room and the drawing
rooms are filed, but not crowded, with
beautiful works of art, including mas
terpieces of such painters as Gentle
Bellini, Bonafazio, Sebastian del Piombo
and many other famous Italian masters.
Nor are the exquisite and delightful
productions of the furnaces and work
rooms of Murano forgotten. OF the
modern Venetian glassblowing proc
esses, Sir Henry is most indisputably
the founder, and some of the most per-
feet specimens of this beautiful art are,
as it is fitting, to be seen in his house
as well as some beautiful inlay work,
and the admirable woodwork by Biraghi,
who executed the famous double stair
case in walnut wood for Lord VIM
borne, at Canford. under Sir Henry
directions.
Sir Henry's own sanctum is on the
upper floor of the Casa Here are
records and memorials of more per
sonal kind than were noticed in the
lower reception room, and among
them the Englishman does not fail to
notice the framed certificate on iiluml,
mated yellum, headed "Challis, Mayor,
which sets forth the bestowal of the
honorary freedom of the city of Lon
don upon Austen Henry Layard- Here
too. are some noble bronze figures,
PORTFOLIOS, huge volumes bound in vel
ium and gold, and host OF books
nearly all, it may be remarked, of quite
modern Neutrality-suspicious. with the
Iotast periodicals.. 1t is characteristic