Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-06-24
HE MAKING OF A STATUE.
The Science of Mechanics Pressed
Into the Service of Art.

The Science of Mechanics Pressed
Into the Service of Art.
When we look upon finished marble
statue, says an expert, we rarely think
of the time and labor that have been
expended upon it. First, q model must
be made; but even preliminary to this
The sculptor puts his ideas in the form
of rough sketch" in clay or wax, ac-
,ording to the delicacy required. Here
The main points are rapidly nodded i'll,
md some. idea is obtained of how the
statue will look when it is finished. A
passing thought, an idea, is in this way
fixed, and is more carefully worked up
in the model. As rule, the first model
is small, and is of clay or wax, and
at first consists of nucleus of tow or
some such material, on which the clay
Is laid. Bit by bit it is built up, until
by trimming and adding, flattening and
rounding off, the figure comes to as
sumo its proper proportions, The rough
outlines of the sketch" are developed,
new ideas are added, others are altered,
md by degrees the realization of the
sculptor's thoughts begins to appear
in the clay.
In the actual manipulation great care
must be taken that the clay is of the
proper consistence and possesses the
requisite amount of moisture, otherwise
it may become dry and crack. A still
more serious accident is where the clay
crumbles to pieces. In this way the
labor of months may in few minutes
vanish into a mass of debris, an eN-
perience which many sculptors have
had. To guard against this the clay
must from time to time be moistened,
md when work is finished for the day
the model must be carefully covered
with damp cloths. In this way acci-
dents may be prevented. When large
models have to be made, extra precnu-
tons must be taken against drying.
The nucleus must be made strong, of
iron rods along the lines where there
is least support, as in the case of out
stretched arms or legs, and the rods
must be properly fixed in a stable basis.
At first the figures are modelled nude.
and full regard is paid to all the an
atomical details. The drapery is added
afterward, from studies arranged on
clay figures.
When the model is finished according
to the taste of the sculptor second
one is made of the exact size intended
for the final piece of work. Where the
statue is to be made of bronze the full
sized model is an absolute necessity, as
the casting in bronze is made from the
model, and it reproduces the latter in
every detail. Where the statue is to
be Of marble the final model need noo
necessarily be full size, and many,
sculptors prefer working from small,
highly-fnished models. Uusally, how
ever, a full-sized model is made in clay.
The sculptor can still alter or modify
his original design, bringing certain
features into greater prominence, sub
DUNG others. When the model is fin
ished a cast of it is taken in plaster,
and this latter is used as the final
model, and with it as guide the block
Of marble is carved by skilled work.
men. This is an art which has beer.
carried to high degree Of perfection
in Italy, and the worlinen Of Carrara
are famous. The sculptor makes his
model in clay and takes aplaster cast,
and then sends it to the works in Car
rara, where it is chiseled and then re-
turned to him for the final touches.
After the choice of. a suitable block
of stone, q most important piece of
work has to be done. namely, the mark
ing OF certain points on the plaster cast
and the determination of similar points
in the marble. Various methods and
instruments have been recommended
for this purpose. In practice divided
frame is used, and the exact distance
OF certain marked points on the plaster
east is accurately measured. Fixed
points on the stone are marked, and
from these the other points are meas
ured with instruments, and the depth
to which the stone must be cut or
drilled is determined with great ac-
curacy. In this way all prominent
points are marked out, and holes are
drilled to the required depth and the
intervening marble chiseled away, at
first roughly, then with greater and
greater care, till the marble begins to
assume its finished shape. In the
larger sculpture works one man does
the marking, another the rough chisel-
ing, another the fine work. Finally a
stage is reached when it again passes
into the hands of the sculptor himself.
aId he it is who puts the lines Of genius
into it with his fine instruments. AL
though the workers in Carrara are
clever, they seldom are gifted enough
to supply therfnishing touches which
give the characteristics of the great
Gculptors themselves.-N. Y. Tribune.
Strange obstinacy of Mexican.
One evening as the express train of the
Mexican Central was approaching Mex
leo city, the engineer observed an Indian
shepherd. lying on the track. The en-
gineer whistlcd five or six times, but
the man would not get up, and it was
impossible to stop the engine in time.
The pilot of the locomotive struck the
head of the PROSTATE man and rolled
him down an embanl1nent. When the
train was stopped and the conductor
ard some of the passengers alightcd to
look to the man, it was found that,
though he had suffered rather severe
scalp wound, he was not dangerously
injured. He was able to sit up while
his head was bound with his wife's
retozo. Some of the passengers wanted
to bring in the Indian to be attended to
at one of the police stations of the city,
but he absolutely refused, and getting
up he walked without difficulty with
his wife to neighhoring hacienda,
where he is employed He would give