Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-07

the guardian spirit of the arts and tw G
Kneeling .F1orentines-seem singulariy
unrelated. not only to one another. but
to their setting as WE'LL but the central
winged figure is rarely beautiful III
every respect, and is obviously tn"
same young woman who appears in
Mr.. Thayer's Virgin Enthroned.'
"Caritas," and many other of his pro-
auctions of the last few years.
OF the panel by Mr.. Cox (of which
some mention was made in the columns
of the Evening Post at the time Of its
completiom, it is gratifying to say
that, in its place. the work is vastly
improved in color. and shows greater
technical knowledge perhaps than
either of the three tympana now com
pleted-the fourth one C'Athens'),
which Mr.. La Fargo has been commits
stoned to execute, being still a blank
space.
The most prominent tympanum--
that facing the main entrance-is &C.
cupied by Mr.. Vedder's Rome" 4
scholarly work. full Of significance for
those who will pause long enough 10
search for it. The composition Of the
f,saee y Natprs3; ,.Ehoqsat',' The
and~thQlines and symbols, whose value
few understand so well as Mr.. Vedder,
are fascinatingly suggestive; but, in
coIor; the decoration has not much
more value than an enlarged old steel
engraving. Of which one is curi0usly
reminded. The four tympana, lighted
from the dome above, are semi-circular.
with a radius of Is feet, and are placed
in the sculpture gallery. which contains
several antique reproductions.
! The, Bowdoin collection, bequeathed
go the college by the Hon. James Bow
''dofn, son of Gov. James Bowdoin of
Massachusetts, is installed in a gallery
~ itself, and consists of about It's oil
paintings and perhaps as many more
framed drawings. Many of the former
are copies after famous masters. or
of their schools, yet others are by un-
known artists, while few are more or
less accurately attributed to such mas
tiers, great and little, as Nicholas
Poussin, Rubens. Van Dyck. Berghe,n,
Wouvermanns. and Hondecoeter. The
numerous portraits of various men,
bers Of the Bowdoin family, Of more
historic than artistic interest, are by
the American painters, Robert Feke.
John Singleton Copley. Gilbert Stuart,
and others. BY the last-named there
is an excellent portrait of James Mad
ison, and another of Thomas Jefferson,
both Of excessively rosy hue, but quite
modern in feeling.
The Sophia Walker Gallery contains
an excellent landscape at Vile d'Avray,
by Corot, goat and sheep scene by
TrOyon, which collectors would COM
pete for. sketch of a peasant woman
by Millet, q fair river scene by
Daubigny, and characteristic exam
pie by each of the American painters
Foxcroft Cole, Winslow Homer, Hop
kinsOn Smith, J. Appleton Brown, and
Miss Ellen Robbins. There are also In
this room small but choice collection
Of curios. a spirited wax model Of a
young man leading horse, by Barge,
and few bits of antique sculpture
and pottery. Disposed about the gal
lery in cases and upon the walls are a
number of rare old pieces of arms and
armors, some few bits of metal work,
q half-a-dozen pieces of antique furni-
ture Of historic interest, and at least
one rather handsome piece of Flemish
tapestry. In the centre Of the ea0l