The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-04-04
ARMS OF THE VENUS,
AN ENGLisH scuLPToR's SOLUTION
oF THE MYSTERY.

yehn ssii rhiaks THAT she stood In the
vass Amphitheater At Meios Typifying
akeas Goadess Conssrring Honors-A
Prshlem In Art.
| Any nainber of attempts have been
made 50 restore to her original perfec- |
tion the Venus of Melos, who has stood |
In arfAless beauty for the admiration of |
the thousands of art lovArs who visit the |
Louvre, but the original design Is as
Il problematical still as the meaning OF
the monster that guards the pyramids,
and III accustomed have people become
to TIE Venus as 1t emerged from the
i ruins of the Melos amphitheater that no
lscnipfors has yet been able to effect a
resfuration which satisfies the sense
thus cultivated. John Bell, an Eng
iish sculptor. has made the latest resto-
ration.
As no mention appears in ancient rec
ords Of art, there is no knowing what
parsonage or deity the so called Venus
may have been intended to represent.
She has been entitled Venus Victrix,
arsl one of her lost hands is supposed to
have held the apple, the award of Paris,
white another speculation has been that
sie formed part of group with Mars.
According to another idea. she repre-
sented a sea nymph, the special protect
ing Eereid OF the isle. BY some she has
been said TO be Nemesis. in connection
possibly with the Athenian massacre of
the Islanders, about the time of the Pei
oponnesian war. BY others she has
been adopted as Nike or Victory.
| Others have assigned to her the names
OF Sappho, Phryne or a mourning Elec-
ira, while yet another version has been
that she was Tyre playing muse. The
most general idea, however, has been
that she was an Aphrodite or Venus,
which is highly probable from the al
mosk universal worship OF that goddess
throughout the coasts and islands of
the Egean archipelago, and it has been
suggested that she mad harp in her left
hand while she played on 1t with her
right, which the position of the torso
ana the remains of the arms admit of.
But the most favored and at the same
time the least dignified of the floating
speculations Is that she ID coquettishly
holding and looking in mirror. The
axnument I'M favor of this is that .
bt0u2e statnette has been discovered In
PouipeM which much resembles 1t, and
it N holding and gazing In mirror.
III very many archRologists this last
uasf Is the most probable solution or il
mystery. Certainly the pose Is appro1
nriate certainly the demitoileted con.
dition liz ii accordance with the theory
too. But Mr.. Bell Is incapable Of enter,
tanning this notion OF its motive, " and
having addressed his thoughts TO some
mission that seemed to him more wQr.
thy he. has decided that great GOODIES;
confsrring honors is more in keeping
with the dignity Of the sculpture. i
Though small, the island of Melos
must at one time have been very popu,
lous. 1t was famous for its catacombs
10 famous for its cyclopean ramparts and
!. | for it's hinge amphitheater. 1t was il
10 the ruins Of this last, in q cave grotto
3f that the figure which from the Paris
'e Louvre charms the world was found
" Mr.. Bell thinks its original situation
il was in the arnphitheater; that it poset
lel as the gsnius loci of the structure, ant
ID that at some time of commotion it wa
re- removed to the grotto for protection
r. and concealmenf a#
"Methinks / see her there, he says
of "in the vast amphitheater thronget
O. with adorers OF the great goddess, tn
ls central object at some high festival.
ef Under this aspect what species o
is motive is open. to us for the restoration
d of thin noble work consonant with il
grand for id majestic presence? Sh
stands the utmost firmness an,
dignity. i benign smile is on be
face as SLY lightly bends forward. Th
principal fractures indicate that he
left arm and hand was raised and he
10 right advanced before her. The amphi
" theater in which assume her TO hay
10 stood was no doubt the accepted sit
10 for the holding Of high public festival
D. and for the bestowal of the insula
honors for public services and for htei
atuIe, philosophy, poetry, music an
the drama, and for victories in athleti
u games, which formed SO integral pal
ne In the Cnlture of the Greek race. Fror
s- the above considerations has sprung IN
ht conception Of what it is possible sh
an may have represented and the mode |
~ which the lost arms and hands ma
ID have been held and employed. ~
~ In pursuance of this conception MI
Bell has invested his attempt atrestors
tion with the character of great got
desc comforting honors. One hand b
~ slows 4 wreath at glory the other hole
- one iii reserve and there you have
- Venus Denatrix. ---M Magazine OK Art.
at So sss...,. I. ~ M vatchmalxine.
en vssh - - q -. -. ... II, ~.