Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-09-08
HE FOUND THE VENUS.
Death Of "a Man Once Famous, but
Long since Almost Forgotten.

The recent death on the Island OF Melos
of NJ Henri Brest says the London Stand
ard recalls the fact that his name many
years ago was a celebrated one on account
Of its connection with the statue of
Venus. now one of the greatest treasures
i'm the Louvre Museum. and brings 10
mind some interesting souvenirs con-
nected with that statue. IL was, indeed.
NJ. Henri Brest who discovered the won
derful statue just after IL had been I'M
earthed by a peasant in the Island OF
Milo. and who bought 1t of him for
mere song I'm 1890. He soon sold it to NJ.
de Marcelus, through whom it reached
the Louvre.
The wonderful statue remained undis-
turbed In the gallery Of the Louvre, of
which II was the principal ornament, till
the FTanco-Prussian war Din 1870, when
the means of preserving 1t against the
possible pillage of the Germans caused
great anxiety to the Curators. Few,
probably, are aware that the Venus OF
Milo was on that occasion placed In an
immense sort Of padded oak coffin, and
buried mysteriously in a great trench
made to receive it I'm the courtyard of
the Prefecture of Police. This was done
in the middle of the night in the presence
of very few witnesses. with the object
OF keeping the hiding place of the statue
perfectly secret.
IT was thought by the officials of the
Louvre that the statue was i'm perfect
safety. but their anxiety for the fate of
the treasure was, revived, after the sigma
ture Of peace, By the outbreak OF the
Commune and the setting fire to the
Prefecture Of Police, and 10 the Palais
de Justice opposite. Fortunately, how
ever, when that Instruction had been
put down the curators Of the Louvre, on
once more unearthing the statue, found
it had suffered no deterioration. The in
scription on the pedestal Of the statue in
the Louvre does not even mention the
name of NJ. Henri Brest. 1t relates
simply that It was bought by NJ. de Mar
cellus for the Marquis de Riviere, the
French Ambassador who presented it to
King Louis XVIII. in 1921.
The Pall-Mall Gazette says that the
peasant who found the statue had no
idea that he had dug up what has since
proved to be the most remunerative efiigy
Of a goddess that the world has ever
known. VI. Brest, having a pretty shrewd
notion of her value, asked the peasant
proprietor of the soil how much. The
peasant proprietor could not understand
a marble woman without arms, but this.
instead Of inducing him. as 1t would now
adays to ask an exorbitant price merely
decided him TO sell his Venus for a song,
and NJ. Brest took her gleefully to Paris.
There all sorts Of attempts, by all sorts
OF eminent hands, were made TO restore
TO her her missing members, but, as she
persisted in looking ever so much better
without arms than with them, the sa-
wants ultimately decided that she must
have been built that way, and that way
she must be left.
AS is well known, this unarmed Venus
has proved an immense commercial sue
cess. Millions of copies of her have been
made and sold. She has adorned the viz
tuoso's gallery, the middle-class drawing
room. and the clearinghouse back parlor
She has descended in bronze TO the pro-
sale uses Of a paper-weight. She has ac-
auired a pile for many perpatetic
Italian image-seller.
But all NJ. Brest got out OF her was
the academic palm. No doubt, If he had
lived a bit longer-he was only l02-his
button-hole would have lowered with the
red ribbon. Only the other day. on the
very spot where he had found his Venus,
the end found him. 'Sic nos non nobis!'