The record-union., 1898-06-12

"estimable" or his respectable Emily"
(Which she certainly was not) was
fright.
There always stands in the foyer of
the Coincide Franchise Houdin'S bust
of Voltaire, and singularly effective is
1T. The passing loungers, who brought
with them the remembrances of the
high comedy dialogue, as Madeleine
Brohan or de Launay once idealized
their parts, have looked at that bust
of Voltaire, wrinkled and saturnlne,
and it has acted somehow as a killjoy.
Laughter was invariably hushed. The
presence of Voltaire Seemed to haunt
that foyer
RARE VIOLINS.
If at the late sale of violins in Lon
don there We're no historic fiddles, al
least there were some instruments Of
merit-that is, so far as the names OF
the makers go. Among the best in
struments were the following: A Gre
mona violin, f97; an Italian violin, la
beled Andreas Guarnerius, f45; violon-
cello by Fendt, ED; violin by Guadag-
mini, 1856; an Italian violin venetian
schooD, f35; violoncello by Joseph Roc
co of Turin 1880, f32; violin by Carlo
Tononi, $40; another by Joannes Bap-
tista Guadagnini of Parma, 1162, t12o;
another by Pietro Guarnerius (Cremo-
nensis fecit Mantuae, sub titulo 5.
Theresaie, ammo 17O1), ESQ; an Italian
violin by Gabrielli, EDS; another by
V. Panormo, Palmero, 1865, f2O; an
italian violoncello, f4O; violin by
Cappa, ESQ, and another by Cappa,
f105; another by F. 3. Vuillaume
(maggini copy, f27 los; another by
Giovanni Battista Gabrielli, Florence,
1766, f37; violin by Joseph Gagliano,
$50 los; German violin (Tourte school,
EGO, and a violoncello by Georges Cha
not, Paris. 1S43 (Guarnerius modeD,
f23 los.
POLYCHROMATIC SCULPTURE.
Adams bust of Miss Julia Marlowe,
with paint on the plaster, and his ideal
bust of lady, in terra Gotta, with tints
of dress and hair and eyes burned in,
raise very important questions as to
polychromatic sculpture and the use Of
terra Gotta in a large way, not only
for architecture, but for sculpture in
connection with architecture. The ter
ra Gotta bust has been fired in the
usual way, and a smooth, glittering
surface has been obtained. But, fol-
lowing up an idea of William c. Hall
of the Perth Amboy Terra Gotta. Works
the sculptor has used the sandblast
here end there, to give a soft, unre-
| fiecting surface, thus changing the ef-
feet of the surface in a surprising way.
This idea may be carried out in archi-
tectural terra cottas, where very large
surfaces are shown. Were they to be
| left hard, smooth and glittering, the
| effect might be disagreeable, or at any
| rate much inferior to more grainy,
| non-glittering surface. Or one part of
| a given piece might be roughened by
the sandblast, leaving others smooth.
But for the present the experiments
are being tried on small pieces. Espe-
cially in statuettes for the decoration
| of gardens, a matter which has always
| occupied the best minds of the National
Sculpture Society, would it seem that
| terra Gotta, from its imperviousness to
/ the weather, is an ideal material. The
| Perth Amboy kilns have been called
upon for the rows of columns in the
| Vanderbilt gallery for the splendidly
glazed vases and flower pots which
stand here and there and for delicate
| pieces of statuary like the Adams
| bust.
MADRIGALS.
| A book Of madrigals in honor Of
| Queen Victoria is in course of prepara-
ton by number Of English writers.
Among them are Austin Dobson and
| Robert Bridges. The work is to be
| on an Elizabethan model, and the
verses are to be set to music. Sir Ar
thur Sullivan is among the composers
| engaged.
ANTHONY HOPE.
DR.. Richard Burton, who is deliver
ing a series Of lectures at the Johns
| Hopkins University upon the Modern
! Novel," said in an interview on An
thony Hope: "He is a novelist who is
likely to do great deal Of strong work
yet-and work of a welcome kind-if
he do not let popularity push him to
write too much and too fast
DAUDET
If Alphonse Daudet brought anything
new into fiction, says "The Athenaeum''
Gondon), it is "the particular variety
of his humor, a Southern blend, which
seems to unite American humor with
Irish humor" ''Tartarin." this critic
goes on to say, should be compared
with the work of Mark Twain and
with the work of Carleton"
RUSKIN
friend of Ruskin says the great
critic still takes his daily walks. sees
his personal friends, and spends much
time in reading. He directs his own
business. but is obliged to decline cor
respondence, and cannot reply to the
many letters which still come asking
for his intervention in pl1blic matters