The Russellville Democrat., 1893-11-09

[ 1 Mrs. Brooks hss transferred sn ideal of this ! beautiful woman to marble, probably the finest piece of marble cutting sxta1t Mr. 1 Green, Mrs. Brooks son in- law, who puts | all her works in marble, has succeeded in 1 cutting 'Normz2 with 2 delicaey of touch l and finish and fneness of tone that can never be equaled. The priestess js represented singing the ''Casti- deya." She stands upon a figure l typifying the earth, which rests upon a music scroll The leaves of the oak are strewn about her, and at her feet lies the sickle which she has been using in the rites of her faith.
 Diana" is g transparent relief and is an idealized portrait of the lovely daughter of | ". Jennings Demorest. It represents a child of eleven summers upon g silver 1 crescent, the symbol of Diana, her golden ringlsts streaming in the zephyrs which fan her cheek. Such a sweet face IS seldom seen in life. Below it are the following lines by Mrs. Brooks, who is poet as well as sculptor:
 Diana, at the dawn Of day, When she was very young, Went spriugtng through the milky way, The tiny stars among,
 And this the joyous roundeiay
 Betrayed her silver tongue:
 'Afar, afar, shines love's fair star. will not near it float. ''
 So 3Oyousty she earoied CD, Nor did ehe pause to note, That silently love's quiet star, Had nestled at her throat. The Victoria Regia,D exhibited in the Arkansas building during the World Fair, is an idealized bust of Queen Victoria at 1 the age of eight, and was finished in Florence, before the royal party It takes it's name from beauteous lily, native of South America, named in hoaor of the queen when she was still Princess Alex sndria.
 "Love's Dream was designed as con servatory fountain and was exhibited dur ing the fair in the rotunda of the Missouri building. It represents 6 young girl ris- ing from shell and covered with a glory of clinging hair, and lovely lilies. Water drips over the side of the shell upon the base below, which is supported by three dolphins ridden by sprites. A cupid has alighte9 on the bosom of the maiden, who glances down upon it with smile parting her lips. In one hand the sprite grasps a bow and arrow, while with the other he presses her heart, awaken ing her from her dream to the reality of love.
 A profile in relief of George Eliot was pronounced by Henry Irving, the eminent English actor who has thrilled the world with his Shyloek and his Becket, as the best portrait of the great author in exist. ence. Cyrus W. Field also spoke highly of it.
 While in Florence she modelled heroic bust of Gen. Grant. She owns the only death mask of Geu. Grant in existence, and the writer saw and compared it with the illustration Of another reputed death mask in the possession of the Grant family which appeared in recent issue of liar pers Weekly. The contrast was plainly apparent, for while the latter shows the rounded contour and the full lines which belong to life, the death mask owned by Mrs. Brooks shows the sunken cheeks, the the receaing chin, and the hard lines which result from death after long suffer ing. Every feature is perfect in delin- cation. Bishop Newman desired Mrs. Brooks to make the mask, but she arrived too late and it was taken by a young sculptor, who committed suicide soon after. Mime. Demorest, the admiring patron of our sculptor, secured the mask and took it to Florence in her own personal effects and presented it to Mrs Brooks for the express purpose of using it in model ing her bust of Grant.
 A bust of Wm Macy and one of Thurlow Weed, modelled in New York, were strong portraiturea of these great men and were widely praised Mrs. Brooks, who was in timately acquainted with them, succeeded in transferring their respective peculiarities to marble in a marvellous degree of perfec- ton.
 VIA WORD ABOUT HER METHODS
 Mrs. Brooks is the only sculptor who ever modelled in oleaginous sub stances, if we may except Canoya, who modelled in butter when very young but discarded it for clay because persuaded to do by his friends. 1t is superior to elsy or wax in many ways, being more plastic and more easily handled.
 Many people suppose that the butter models are perishAbls, but while this may be 90 the idea is not wholly lost. The butter itself may be kept on ice for years, but the better way is to transfer it to bronze or marble. The method of doing this is in- teresting. Plaster of paris is poured over every part of the model. and when this is hardened the butter is remove as far as possible with the hand, and afterwards hot water is poured in to remove the remainder. This leaves the model already oiled, and into it another solution of plaster is poured The outside is then cracked off in the usual way, leaving perfect east of the original model in imperishable form.
 It required but one day to east the Van derbilt group, while if the model had been in clay it would have been necessary to cast it in at least two hundred sections. Thus may be seen the advantage of model ing in oleaginous substances, which Mrs. Brooks has fully covered by patent
 Another invention patented by Mrs. Brooks is that of galvanic plastic, or the taking of a bronze east immediately from the butter model, which is placed in the battery and the bronze deposited evenly upon it's surface This could not be done with clay
 From the cast the idea is transferred to marble by Mir. Walter Green, son-in.law of Mrs. Brooks, who isa copyist of more than ordinary genius. The art of marble cut ting and that of modelling are distinct, and it is said that no sculptor with the exception of Michael An gelo, ever finished his own work Mir. Green is the only American who ever went to Florence and cut marble He has the happy faculty of catching the sentiment of the sculptor and making it appear on the cold stone. IL is a mistaken idea that Mrs. Brooks does anything in marble, which she never touches except for certain anatomaiea eHiscta.