Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-07-13
WONDERLAND.
lly's Exhibit in the Manufac.
. lures Building.
e THREE PRINCIPAL FEATURES

W."
as of Sunny Italy Excel In the Art OF
Carving In Wood, Sculpture I'm Marble
nd the Making of Laces-Original i'm
Design, Bold and Ingenious in Execu-
fon-Poerly Paid Artists.
sVoRLD's FAIR, July IS. - [Special.l -
where in this exposition are the crowds
ECKER than in the Italian section of the
asnufactures building. Here the sons OF
5hny Italy have created a veritable won,
fland. Though Italy was the last of the
3leat foreign nations to decide to make a
Aowing at this fair, her exhibit is one OF
VIE most interesting to be found within
Is grounds. Practically all she has &c
Ntplay is displayed in this one spot, and
t're she has only half enough space for a
Upper showing of the surprising number
I'd variety of articles which she has sent.
tere is no other place in the building
acre the lack of sufficient room is SO
{ infully apparent. The Italians have
an compelled to pile their stuff together
the best shape they can, and to make
~ most of a belated bargain. Hence we
~ here the odd effect of exhibits and Wis
bra so run and mixed together that the
binder is people do not destroy half the
Fares while on their sightseeing rounds
I ft Is easy to see that the Italians excel
n other peoples in three great arts-those
carving in wood, sculpture in marble
making laces. On these three fea-
Tres of their display alone they could
1nfidently rest their claims, though OF
urse they have many things besides, to
low. Some Of their wood carvings are
aazing. There is nothing else like them
the world. What other artists are able
y do In marbis c. bronze the Italians
one show in wood. The only people, SO
N as l have been able to see, who can
val them in their carvings are the Japa-
zee, and the handiwork of these wonder
~ Orientals we shall consider In a future
tier. OF hundreds Of specimens of this
allan art I can pause TO mention but q
NV. Here In a beautiful desk, carved on
fery square inch Of It's surface In appro-
late figures, and with four little Cupids
ftting on the top. One Ia singing from a
Eusic book, another reading from q ledg-
= third holding his pen listlessly and
aiming his head ON his hand in WEAKNESS
som the days work, while the fourth il
sadly making ready TO quit the Office.
his splendid piece, duty paid, IL only ESQ,
fot much more than one would pay for q
aavy pressed desk Of similar sixe made in
ala county. When me considers the
~ anxrnt ~ vurwk 49,
awnings he will understand the patience
q the workmen who made IL. and the
mall wages which they must receive for
aeir toll II evidenced by the price 1t
sfhich the article IL sold. In fact, the
hole Italian exhibit speaks eloquently OF
atient, artistic work poorly paid.
Here 10 q most elaborate carved cabinet
lAom Milan. Il il enormous in size, splen-
i'd In workmanship looked at purely
rom the joiner's standpoint, and IL be.
des a marvel Of carving f-cm top to bot
pm. How many years work were put in
pom 1t n can only guess. The price 10
My $1,000. A Venetian bed Of dark wood
Ike mahogany, simply superb, is only $500,
md the wonder In how IL could be made
md sold in this country for thrice that
Inn. Here are some vases In light-colored
rood, which may be either Italian ash or
slaple. One is somewhat like the famous
bore vase in bronze, in that it has BAG.
hante for its topic, the swelling vase with
ines and flowers, and cupids struggling
D reach the top, lifting one another up,
srisking toward the summit of their ex.
tied ambition. It has not as much detail
. he bronze vase, but is strong and i'm.
~ressiye in the few figures which it has:
esides, you must remember this was cut
sut of solid wood, not fashioned in plastic
lay.
4 With sheir art in carving one would
oppose the Italians to be proficient in
lu~rniture. They are. For beauty and
workmanship / think the Italian furniture
lxcels that OF France and Germany. 1t is
amply indescribable. Take, for example,
he room fitted up as a reproduction of
he bed cham Der of the Queen of Italy. II
J a dream. II all the work to be seen in
4 had been paid at our American wages /
are say the { ct of the apartment would
Jun above 500. 900.
\ The Italians are not only patient and
left, but decidedly original in design.
they are bold and ingenious. For in
tance, IN old wood carver from Venice
shows US q combination of two figures in
sne, back to back, which he so places in
'front.' of a mirror that the observer sees
wo figures each distinct from the other.
pne Is Marguerite and the other ephisto-
pheles. In another example of this sort a
country girl has run away from her par.
snts to visit her lover in the city. While
pair are parading the streets the par.
snts suddenly appear. The girl suggests
10 her lover that he stand behind her, and
she partly covers him with the drapery OF
per skirts. In front you see the demure
ACE Of the girl, behind the alarmed vet
c-ountenance ofthe secreted lover.
These trick pieces are very effective.
The Italians have caught the electric
.pirit. They make some dazzling cleo
OF wood, often colored with bronze
br gold or black. Very successful are their
Ebony figures. Philippians and Moors with
lips and golden headdress. There
IS nothing the Italian carver cannot do
With a piece of wood and q chisei.
The most fascinating part of the Italian
exhibit are tx marbles. OF course If you
want to see the finest examples of Italian
sculpture you will have to 60 TO the Fine
Arts palace. There the sons of Italy show
heir most ambitious pieces. But nothing
their section OF the fiue arts, or any
section, can equal what they have
here in taeir commercial display in gcn-
aine hullan interest and in exprassiyeness