The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-02-02

the age which, with its head center in the Vatican
al Rome, was manfes,ing itself not only in Italy.
but in Spain. Germany, and other countries where
the Latin Church held sway.
Q. What were their great works and where pre-
served?
The powerful Medici family, with its representa-
tives in the pspal chair, were the great patrons OF
art in the 18th Century, and the Vatican or PaPa
Palace, and ST. Peters at Rome adjoining, and
especially the Sistine and Pauline Chapeis, are
monuments to their enterprise as they are the
monuments of the painters and scuptors and archi-
tec,s who designed aud decorated them. The
Milan. Florence, and Venice Caihedrals are no less
celebrated. In these great churchly edihces are
immortalized the works of Moscaccio, the founder
of the pictorial school of ART who discarded con-
ventional types and painted directly from life. the
greatest painter before Raphael; Fra Angelica
whose paintings reflect such deeply sweet religious
sentiment; Philippe Lippi, the pioneer naturaiis'ic
artist the first to find inspiration outside of re-
sous themes and to find in everyday life sub
jecls for the artists thought; Antonio Pollajuolo
first to study the dead subject as an object of de-
sign; Ghrlando master of the inspired Michael
Angelo; Leonardo de yinc first to excel in COM
position and color, who is familiar TO the whoie
world through his celebrated " Last Supper y; An
drea del Sarto. Perugino, Tintoretto Titan. Cor
reggie and others scarcely less famous products
OF the age; Raphael Buonarretto, whose virgins
alone says De Quincy, would, il collected ana de-
scrhed, give the history of his life and greatest OF
ALL that inspired poet painter sculptor and archi-
tect-that fatherless child of humanity linked with
the dvne-NIichael Angelo, who lowered SO high
above all the minds of the ages that he looked
the border land of time and drew his charac
tiers direct from the types of the upper world.
Rapbael's Immaculate Conception" Michael
Angeles Last Judgment" and De Vincis Last
Supper" are among the marvels of the ages
Not only at Rome, but in the cathedrals and
chapels of Florence and Milan are splendid speci-
mems of the works of the great painters and sculp-
tors Of the period. In France, the Netherlands
and Spain art was reaching excellence.
In Nuremburg Albert Durer. born 147l. was the
first to push engraving to its highest perfection.
He it is of whom Longfellow wrote SO sweetly In
his poem on the quaint old city:
Here. when art was still religion, with simple,
reverent heart,
Lived and labored Albrecht Durer, the evangelist
of art
Hence in silence and in sorrow, toiling still with
busy hand,
Like emgrant he wandered, seeking for the
better land
Emgravt is the inscription on the tombstone
where he lies;
Dead he is not.-but departed.-for the artist
never dies.
Did Columbus have his portrait painted
while living; and if so, by whom?
With such inspired painters, both in Spain and
Italy it may be wondered who painted the por-
traits OF Columbus, which have grown so numerous
of late. Was il Leonardo de Vinci or Raphael?
Was ii Titan, Corrcgio. Perugini? By what
name is he known among the immoras?
ii
were soaring too high in the heavens among the
seraphim and cherubim ard the habitants of the
seventh sphere to paint an individual wild as TO
think the world was pearshaped, ms Columbus did,
who made maps and experimental with COM
passes and had been pirate Oh the Mediterranean,
even though all navigators were pirates in those
days.
NO PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS.
Ia truth, Columbus never sat for his portrait, and
it 20 years after his death before lis picture
was painted from memory, by an artist who had
seen him in middle life. This is the portrait
Ina the picture of Columbus and his first sight
ing land But this highly dealized hero does not
correspond with the account of Columbus given by
his biogrepher, Fernando, who says his father had
a hooked nose and white eyes; or with that Of
another writer, who says his hair yed, and that
he had pimples on his face. But whether these
things be true not. OF this are sure that the
United States has made stately combination of
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and
says it is Christopher Columbus So let ii be;
reflex of brighter and better age.
J. Where is St. Peters, and who were its decora-
tors?
81. Peters, the great Roman Cathedral. was
founded in 1850 the site of an oratory built by
Anacietus, Bishop OF Rome, in the year 60 1t is
built the site where the Apostle Peter
buried after his crucifixion, and dedicated ia
l625. lis years later. Forty-three Popes reigned
during the time it was building.
The basiiies OF ST. Peters is surpassed by no
other cathedral in antiquity and splendor, and In
magnitude it has equal. The great dome
designed by Michael Angelo; hight from the pave
ment TO the base of the lantern 405 feet; TO the top
of the cross 44S feet. The circumference of the
pillars which support the dome is 253 feet. The
church itself is 63 feet long and 1867 feet wide.
The ground plan is that of the Latin cross Both
Raphael and Michael Angelo were employed in It's
construction, and the plans of Michael Angelo
were carried out long after his death.
GENERAL PRIZE PAPER.
Capturing Locomotive " has been awarded
to Marie II. Oliver for paper the inventions of