The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1894-02-22
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ARMS .0F. THE.vENsjs s..

ARMS. OF. THE AZ ENLS..
re. eset gsss v--~--rs ga aasss
AN ENeIsHsseutPToRs SOLUTION
/ aassal or THE MYsTER4. !. -
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John Belis Tbiss. aThas s,.s 500 sssd q. * ahs
YSss thbhithsGter afesisiSs q = Flying
sGseit Goadess: cohfsrrigg aofi6rs-sA
q. idbisn5 In Art. . !, -.
S.sAny number of attanpts 'haYe been
maze tofsstores to- hef6riginaI sperfeE
ton the Venus of Metts,, who has. stood
in arlnless beauty for the admiration of
the thousands of art lovers:&ho visit the
Louvre. but the original designtis as
pr6b1 emaFcaL still as the meaning of
the monster that guards the pyramids,
and SO accustomed have people become
to the Venus as itremerged fssm the
ruins of the.Melos ampk theater. that no
SCULPTOR has yet'be9h ables to effect a
restoration which satis6sssthe 'sefise
thus cultivated JohnaRell,.aIfsEng-
fish SCULPTOR has made the :fateR resto-
ration, 8. -..:2 - n.
Asshorhentigia::a ippsasS II nsStat rec
ords Of art: there is no knowing what
parsonage or deity the So called ,XeslS
may have zen, intended to'repfesent:l
She has, -pee1 ep5atleH a. epHs .Yictrix,
and one Of her lost hands is ssfipposed.to
have held tas appie, the award of Parts;
while another speculation has bssn.that
she formed part of a gtSdp with Mars,
According to another idea, she repre-
sented a 4ea nEmph, the special protect
ing Nerefd M the isle. By'son1e she has
been said to be a Nemesis. in connection.
possibiy:with.fhe Atheniah massacre of
the islanders, about the time'of the Pei
oponnesian war. By others, she ha :
been adopted as Nike or Victory.
Others have assigned to hers.the names
of Sappho, Phryne or a mouEning.Elec-
ira, while yet another version has been
that she vas Tyre playing muse. The
most general idea, however, has been
that she was AN Aphrodite. or .Vents,
which il. highly probable from the az
most uniY4rsal,s6rship of that goddess
throughout the coasts and rislands, of
the Egean archipelago, and it has been
suggested that she had harp in:her left
hand while she played on it with her.
right, which, Shs: position of "the~ torso
and the remains Of the arms admit of.
But the most favored and at the same
time the least dignitied of the. floating
speculations is that shs>is coquettishly
holding and looking in a mirrsr. : The
argument in favor of this is that. a
bronze statuette has been discoYered. in
Pempeii which much resembles it; and
it is holding and gazing in mirror.
To very many archeol ngists this last
seems the most probable solution of its
mystery. Certainly the pose is appro-
pirate; certainly the demitoileted con-
dition is in accordance with the theory.
too. But Mr.. Bell is incapable of enter
tanning this notion of its . motivo, land
having addressed his thoughts to some
mission that seemed to him more wor-
thy he has decided that great goddess
cenferring honors is more in keeping,
with the dignity Of the sculpture,
Though small, the island.of Melos
must at one tin&:have'beeh very popu-
leus. It was famous for it's catacombs,
famous for it's cxclppean ramparts and
for its huge. amphitheater. Itwas In
the ruins of this last, in cave grotto,
that tho figure which from the Paris
Louvre charms the world was found
hr. Bell thinks its original situation
was in the amphitheater; that it posed.
as the genius loci Of the structure. aud
that at some time of tcommotien 1t was
removed to the grotto tor protection
and copcealments - ...z-g gre
HMethinks see her there he says,
s'insthe vast amphitheater throngcd
wit6adorer Of the great. goddess, the
central object at some high festival.
Under this aspect what species of
motive is open to us foF the restoration
tof this noble work consenant with its
grand form and majestic presence2 She
stands with the utmost firmness and
dignity, and benign smile is on her.
face as she Slightly bends forward. The
principal fractures Indicate, that her
left arm and hand was raised and her
right advanced before her. The alnphi.
Stheater IN which assume her to have
stood was no doubt the accepted site
for the hQldsng of high public festivals
and for the bestowal of the insular
honors for public services and. fer liter
allure, philosophy, poetry, music ana
the drama, and for victories in athletic
games, which formed so integral a part
in the culture of the Greek race.. From
the boyeeonsiderations has sprung my
conception of what it is possible she
may have rel resented and the mode in
which the, lost arms and hands may
have ksep held and employed. +"
In pursuance of this conception Mr..
Bell has INFESTED his attempt atrestQra-
ton with the character o., a great god =
dess conferriIrg henors I" One haid be-
.sstQRs,a: wredlh Of glory: the other holds
one, in reserve and there you have
Venus Denatrix. Magazine of Art, =
-, Staple Diet. - -