Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-07
PHILIP MARTINY.

A great feature of the Pan-American exposition at Buffalo, N. Y.. will be the sculptural adornments of the principal buildings and the many groups of beau tiful figures upon the fountains and colonades, In the courts and plaZas and in other parts of the exposition grounds. Already several carloads of this sculpture have been completed and sent to Buffalo, to be placed in po- sition upon and about the build ings of this magnificent creation of the brains of architects, Sculptors, artists and other men of genius. The Sculp- tors engaged in the production of these artistic features of the exposition are all men and women of national repute
 Among them is Philip AIartiny who Is modelling many of the figures which are to be reproduced in staff for the decoration of the great electric tower and other prominent features of the exposition grounds.
 MT Martiny has had an interesting career. He is by birth an Alsatian. but has spent the greater part of his boyhood In France. At the age of 15 he commenced seriously to study his profession. becoming an apprentice in the studio of a sculptor named Dock, also an AlSatian resident of France. From the beginning MT Martiny's bent was decorative and architectural sculp- ture. When MT Martiny came to America In the early sos, his work in modelling and wood carving immediate ly attracted attention and obtained for him numerous commissions, among which was one for large part of the decorative work in the Vanderbilt homes. In 1885, when Frederic Mac Monnies for Augustus St Gauden's studio to establish his own, Martiny succeeded him as St Gauden's assist ant. From assistant he became col laborator. the medal commemorating the celebration in New York of the hundredth anniversary of Washing tons inauguration as first president of the United States being the product of their joint efforts.
 Gratifying as this was at the time, during the last ten years MT Martiny has won fame through his individual work, and now ranks among the first American Sculptors. At the world s fair in Chicago the colossal "Victory'' which surmounted the art palace was the work of MT Nartiny, as were also the figures of Painting" Music y
 "Sculpture'' and "Architecture," which
 marked the division of the north end facades of the same building. Exam pies of NIartiny's work which remain permanently at Chicago are the figures for spandrels for arches of the art in | stitute. Perhaps the work through i which he is best known to aH Ameri- | cans is the grand staircase in the con- l gressional library at Washington. An interesting bit of history con. | neeted with Martiny's famous statue | of Victory" which is memorial tc I New Jersey regiment. and stands ir | front of the City hall in Jersey City
 runs as follows: A political clique ol l self-constituted critics objected to the l figure of woman, although that fig ure was the embodiment of victory | commemorating military yalor-theil | idea being that the only design suita
 ble for such statue was the conven tional soldier at parade rest, set upoI 1 shaft. The politicians even tried te l ennforce their ideas by causing an in l junction to be issued restraining tho l committee from accepting MT Mar l tiny's design, and the affair was car 1 ried into the courts. It is a satisfac tion to say that in this case politics l was not permitted to rule art, tht ] judge upholding the decision in NJ Martiny's favor, declaring his desigr
 the most artistic and appropriate of | fered. E5,