New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-26
STATUE GRATING.
FRANCE BUSY SCREENING LoUBET HEADS
on FAURE sHOULDERs-OTHER
INSTANCES OF CHANGING
COI'NTENANCES


OUNTENANCES.
Frances frequent change Of government our
ing the present century has resulted in the es-
Establishment Of a new branch OF art. which may
no described as statue grating. That Is to say
e. consists in the removal Of the original heaus
Of statuary and the substitution of other heaus
I, their places. President Faure's death the
other day has led to strong revival OF this IN
d,,s,ry I'm France The official residence OF each
rrovincial Governor as well as Of his deputy
nrefects the various postofiices throughout the
land the Council Chamber OF the municipality
Of every city. town and village in one Woru
every Government office. is adorned VIII" ~
Of the President OF the RepuDic Ior 'he "
being. only. as the Chief Magistrates oi
succeed one another more rapidly 'hah prov iu'
for bv the constitution, which mas ehao'eu ~
their term Of office should last seven Se"'9' '
noode or the busts are SO constructed as to be
removable and at the time or president rau''
death his head in plaster OF paris, terra-oo''a'
bronze porcelain and marble looked down upO"
one from shoulders that had originaiIy i've"
modelled to represent President Grevy ana freS-
ident Theirs
To-day the modellers are busy reproducing
the homelv features OF President louoe'' anu
ne soon as their task has been completed the
- -, President Faure vile be unscrewed
from all the busts and statues OF the Chiei
MAGISTRATE in all the public offices and Duld-
,,gs throughout France and her colonies anu
~ bod oc Father Ioubette will he grated on
the socket I'm their place. Some curious devices
bove hean resorted TO in this connection slnCe
tho esto enlistment of the republic In lN'o mus
Of the time Of the downfall Of President Ihiers'
who was a civilian. much difficulty was expert
enced in securing sufficient nunoer ol O"H'
Of his successor. Marshal MacMahoh' WHO va"
a military man. until, by an uneXpec'eu p'''0
Of good fortune a store OF busts OF NHPo
III in the uniform Of general was dls'o>e''
With all possible expedition the ousts "c'' W
,.o,od o,d the honest round head OF Mac
Nahon substituted for the features OF '""'
Inflated Emperor. And when "reNS' !"
turn. succeeded MacMahon after the Ia''e'
unexpected withdrawal from Office one WAS
likely to see the lawyer-like and eminently
civilian face Of Grtvy peering down at one from
a collar and shoulders that represented the uni
form OF a marshal of France.
This art OF statue grating is by means
confined to the busts of the Presidents Of the
French Republic \ large number OF other
statues. both in Paris and in the provinces. bear
other heads on their shoulders than those which
were originally placed there by the artist.
Probably the best-knOwn cases Of this statue
grating are to be found in the Cour d'Honneur
Of the Palace Of Versailles. The statues which
now bear the names of Marshals Mortler. Mas
sena, Jourdan and Lannes on the pedestals
originally carried on their shoulders the heads
of General Iassalle. OF General Espagne and or
a. couple OF other military leaders of minor fame
and celebrity. 1t appears that the children Of
General Espagne happened to be visiting Yer
sailles at the time when the process OF statue
grating was in progress and came upon the
sculptor Latte when he was I'm the act OF de-
CAPTIVATING the statue OF the revered parent.
one Of the women Of the party tainted on the
spot and it is needless 10 add that a great out
cry was raised about the subject. without. how
ever preventing the accomplishment OF the act
StiH more peculiar are the viclssitudes Of the
bust that figures on the facade OF the east side
Of the Louvre at Paris just over the Colonnade.
The bust originally represented King Louis
NV But when Napoleon became Emperor at
the beginning OF the century his Minister OF
Fine Arts ordered that it should be transformed
into a bust % the Emperor which the sculptor
by way Of economy effected 10y cutting short
the flowing wig and altering the nose from an
acuiline 10 A straight one. When King Louis
XVIII came back TO the Tuileries the bust was
restored to resemble Louis XIV. and during the
~
Waterloo it was again changed TO represent
| Napoieon After the Punishment of the En-
| peror to St Helena there was yet another
| alteration and from that time forth until six
| wears ago the bust was left without further
change until attention was called thereto by the
| fact that the dampn ,ss had loosened the cement
that attached 10 the bust the flowing VIZ and
| Tie BourbOnan lump to the bridge OF the nose.
| The bust was accordingly taken in hand. and to-
| day it represents no longer the first Napoleon'
nor Louis XIV. but Madame la Republique"
Nor is this art Of statue grating confined to
France. Thus. in the parish church of Var
mouth in the Isle Of Wight there stands over
| the tomb OF Admiral Sir Robert Holmes a
statue Of which the head only is that Of the
| Admiral The latter captured at sea French
| vessel which conveying from Leghorn TO
| Marsees on the way TO Paris statue or KING
| Louis XIV OF which all save the head had been
| completed. il being the object OF the sculptor
| to model the head from the royal living subject
at Paris SIR Robert cOolly appropriated the
| statue and caused an English sculptor TO place
the marble representation Of his own head upon
the trunk. In the recent restoration OF some
Of the entrances and facades Of the old English
! cathcdrals the sculptured heads Of the deans
| and canons then in Office have been placed by
| those intrusted with the work OF restoration
| upon the headess statues Of saints and kings
| OF Olden days.
The art has been extended to paintings
! and engravings. and one Of the Dest-known
| cases I'm point is 10 nbarts celebrated engrsv-
! inFs Of Van Dycks grand equestrian portrait
| OF King Charles l. The first plate was com
| pleted before the execution of the unfortunate
King After his death Lombart, with view
| Of currying favor. obliterated the head Of
| Charles from the plate, and substituted that OF
Oliver Cromwell In his stead although II Is
| needless 20 say that Van Dyck. the painter.
never painted any equestrian portrait Of Crom-
| we'll 4 number Of engravings were struck of
| by Iombart showing the Van Dyck picture of
| Charles | with the head OF the great Protector
figuring on the shoulders OF the Inflated King.
| and. Of course. these engravings are highly
| priced by collectors. On the restoration and
| advent to the throne OF King Charles H. he once
more altered his plate. obiterated the head OF
Cromwell! and restored that OF Charles |.
Those collectors who are anxious to find means
| Of distinguishing between the proofs struck off
| from the Lombart plate before the execution