The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-27
ROMANCE Or KICHElANGel0.
Eis Life Song and HoDsiess Love for Wit
toria Coionna.


Eis Life Song and HoDeiess Love for VT
toria Coionna-
From ths Collector and Art Critic
1t has been observed that. OF all those
who cultivate the sciences and arts
painters live longest, enjoy better health
and are least subject to mental alienation
and brain diseases. This good fortune Is
attributed to the counterbalancing effecl
of the work of head and hand. producing
a sort Of harmony throughout the mora
! as Well as the physical being. However
true this may be, no class of men and
women have experienced in their lives
so much of event, variety, and misfor-
. tune in the domain of love as these SELF
same painters. Illustrating in art what
TheOphie Gautier declared to be true In
| pOesy-that at the bottom Of all poetic
/ vocation lies love for a woman" The
/ divine passion" more potent than ambi-
| ton. seems destined for all time 10 be
I the grand arbiter of destinies. David
/ sinned for loves s3kel Sapphe
[ died for it, LeonOra was the
| song of Tasso! the memory of Petrarch
( is never separated from that of Laura:
I the beautiful Alexandra inspired AristO-
| tie; and the celestial name of Beatrice il
| Eliminates the pages of Dante. But how
! ever sOrroWful may have been the loves
| of poets, there is no sadder love story
| On record than that of MicheIangelo.
| no love-life fuller of despair. although
hls great, rugged soul, his austere na-
ture, and his immense genius would seem
10 lift him far above the storm of human
| passion ard the weakness of heart-needs.
Love came to him but once, and that
late in life, for he was fifty-one years Old
when he made the acquaintance of Wit
| torla Colonna, She was a woman of high
and loyal character. of noble birth. and
crowned with the laurels of poesvI She
I$d married, at seventeen, Francois
d Avalos, Marquis de Pescara, a young
| and brilliant military officer. who died
from the effect of wounds. leaving her a
WIDOW at that age said to be so danger
Gus IN women-thirty-three She had
IuoilZeG her husband. and her love re-
malned for him after his death as deem
and ardent as before. She felt that havI
ing been his wife once she was his yife
always, and nothing ever induced her for
ono moment to swerve from her high
After the death of Francois d,Ava1oe
she wrote a.Series of poems cOmmemOIa-
i've OF MS heroic deeds. These fp1I into
the hands of Michelangelo, and made
eucn an impression upon him that he
IL tICl ~ iIib JuliUf, IUll of
pathy for her grief and of admiration TO
her poems. She replied i'm glowing terms
Oh admiration for his genius in ari This
was the beginning of their mutual ac2
qudlHtdnce' and of his love. The CORE
spondence continued, but Vittoria cor
stantly refused TO allow him to visit bat
ana IL was not until ten years later tbat
she consented to receive his hOmaee ~
person. "o0 IN
She had come to Rome. and vas s.o,
T-if i.
ragon. The follies of youth as well ~, ~
Tduldnt horizon, We're over for hotb 80 e.
the one they had ever existed Knr in y ,bis fis
iIoue, porn so late in life. the great artist
hoped Tor a joy and a commandment
which would enrich and ejaddan thp
downward way. He was not a. Iovabie
man In the common sense of Iowa ablaneSS
ne was awkward and cold in the presence
oI women, ana his tongue was not clever
10 express the great depth and tender
ness of his soul. His face had never ra
covered from the Disagreement prOdUced
by the blow given by TOrrigiano Rut
love, beautltying usliness. and throwing
charms over thousand defects. wrouohf
no miracles for MichelangelO, His hero
Inc was too tne and high, too closely we'd
ded 10 an absent but ever present friend
TO be seduced by his worship.
Despalrlng at length of winning her for
MS Wlte, ne resolved to be philosophic and
adore her from afar. But at times the did
love and old ardOr Of his passion WoulG
leap up like rebellion i'm his heart. and
break down his strength. One day whpr
his agony of soul seemed to have reached
climax no longer Supportabe he fell
on his knees. and like the Psalmist. cried
out. Il cry to Thee, O my God, il is Thee
alone whom invoke against my blind and
vain passion" II was then he wrote
Was there ever such a fate-to give love
worship, devotion, and fidelity for the dis
dains Of grief and a continual deathT
st. Peter, Moses" and The Last
Judgment show MichelangelO's ge-
MUS, but the sonnets he wrote to Vittoria
Of that epoch describes her as being one
of the most illustTiOUs women Of Italy
and Europe, chaste, beautiful, spirituelle,
and learned.
one day after she had come to Rome to
live she consented 10 pay the artist a
visit, in the little house he had built at
the foot of Mount CayallO. IL was red
letter day for Micheangelo, and no di-
yinity descended from heaven could have
been received with greater distinction
After that visit a friendly degree Of init
macy was established. Their COnVersa-
ton was never allowed to rest upon any
tonic less sublime than religious art and
the high beneyolence Of life.
IL was at this time that the artist nade
for and submitted TO Vittoria the designs
for his Christ on the Cross" THE Dead
Christ on the Knees Of His Mother" and
Jesus at the Well OF the Samaritan
N oman. ne sent tllFl44 ~ lAfL Will Il IL
net. In which he spoke Of her imme..se
goodness" his too feeble talent" and his
despair that his fragile and perishab.e
work would never equal the divine grace
that shed around her
II WIS quite natural that he should
wish 10 paint her portrait 10 make he.
statue. 10 league 10 posterity the beau,y
Of the woman he wOrshiped. Nothing
could be more touching than the sonnet
he addressed 10 her IN which ne pleaded
for this rrfNiiHy.-'sz0 that ia = fhOETE1 " -
years after our departure from this word,
one may see how beautiful thou vert
how much / loved thee. and that I was
rot mad in loving thee" How Nittoria
COlOnna ever resisted such an appeal Il
difficult 20 understand But sne did, ney-
erthelesS. and devoted herself 10 the aSv-
lum she had founded for young girls. Her
health was always delicate, and she died
al Lns age OF nITy-seVen.
During her short illness Michelangelo
never left the house where che lay dying
he was kreeling n her bedside -Enen the
supreme moment came-supreme Tor both,
Tor she had CEASED to live. and he, for
tne hrst time Turing devotion OF more
than lH-nty years, dared press his lbs
10 the brow OF the woman he idoIlze,I
All tn love Of bis life sIrged about Ms
heart IN uncOntrollabls grief and. winding
his arms about the lifciess body. ne show
cred kisses upon her brow. her eyes. her
n~lT, her hands, and, With a great heart
tqTsting sob. went out OF the room
iNdf1 4AttF. Hnen lhe memory Of VT
ioria ColCHAs had become a soft and sub-
duea souvenir. Aichelaugelo wa asked
why b. had never married. The question
vas iGty put and appropriately answered.
nave Rad one wife toe many" he re-
pHeo' VIE Who has always Der-e-
cuted ne: II ls my art. and my works ar
my children" His srand but sad ufr nm
isned Al eishty-eight years Nhen he pasz-
81, let Us hope, 20 a land where love has
10 contradictions and where hts great
lEaFt al last found Tlehasf saffzgsrtFio,
TO Throw Good Man.x A..