Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-02-10
MAZE OF ART WORK.
6ewiIdering Display of Rare Paint
inQs Is on Exhibition at Florence.

FLOREN CE, Dec. 9.-(William T.
Curtis in the Chicago Herald Record
Florence owes Its greatest art gal
leries and museums to the wicked
Medicfs. and treasures they contain
are Incompatible In varietyand num-
Der. There are sixteen examples OF
Raphael in the Pitti collection alone,
and in the gallery Of the uffizi one
~ can walk several miles between walls
that are covered with priceless gems
and under ceilings that are frescoed
by the most famous masters of the
brush. 1t has always been a dis
puted question whether person can
get too much of a good thing, and ad-
vocates of the affirmative can find
abundant evidence here When a
stranger enters the Uffizi gallery and
climbs the long stairways to the top
of the building he does not realize
the task he has before him, but
after a while, when his legs begin to
get weary and his brain begins to
whirl and his memory has become
overloaded so that he will have night
mares of pictures for week, he in
quires the way out. The attendant
tells him there is no exit except at
the place he entered and that he
must return by the route he came,
which is mile or two long. or he
must keep on going until he reaches
the entrance to the Pitt gallery
which is situated somewhere in the
suburbs of the city
The two great galleries are connect
ed by what seems to be interminable
tunnel. 1t crosses the river. pene-
trates monasteries. churches. busi-
ness blocks and private houses. and
the entire distance is lined with por-
traits of the Medici family and
prominent characters in Italian his
tory. There is string of popes
about half mile long. There is no
society for the prevention of cruelty
to animals in Florence. but some good
Samaritan has placed benches along
this tunnel. where tired people can
sit down and wish they had never
come. and wonder how much further
they will have to walk before they
con get out of the scrape. You have
lost your interest in pictures long ago.
1t is no longer the study of art that
engages your mind. but a question of
physical endurance I suppose peo-
pie have died from exhaustion in the
Florentine art galleries. and that their
names are included in the long list
Of martyrs identified with this city.
but the authorities have been careful
not to let the facts leak out. The
guide book tells you that this long
passage was suggested by a similar
arrangement in the palace Of Priam.
King of Troy. and was adopted so that
the Inhabitants Of either palace could
escape through the other when It be-
came necessary. as 1t often did.
One of the most interesting depart
ments is collection Of portraits of
artists. 638 in number. Most Of them
were painted by the subjects them
selves. and they go back to early days
The latest addition is the likeness of
Zorn. the Swedish painter, who is well
known in Chicago, but the only Amer
ican in the collection is the late Geo.
P. A. Healy, formerly of Chicago
There are no paintings or pieces of
sculpture by American artists in any
of the public galleries OF Florence al
though some of the most famous of
modern times have lived here. The
studio Of Hiram Powers is still occu-
pied by his son. Longworth, who Is
making busts of the late Senator Saw
yer Of Wisconsin and Mr. Clark of
Oshkosh for the public library of that
city Some of Mr.. Healy's family
still 1.-Two here h,,f bia cop ond uropd
son are artists In Rome. Mrs Launt
Thompson. widow of the sculptor of
that name and sister of Bishop
Potter Of New York, resides here and
has two daughters. The eldest Miss
Marietta, has inherited much OF her
fathers talent and has done some
clever amateur work.
A. r. Harnish, the sculptor who has
some important bronzes in Fairmount
rark, Philadelphia. and made the sta
tue Of John C. Calhoun at Charleston.
has recently furnished sketches for
the memorial building to the late Gar
siner G. Hubbard at Washington,
Shich is soon to be erected by the
National Geographical Society. Mr..
Harnish is connected with the great
establishment Of Bardini, the largest
dealer in antiquities in the world.
Larkin G. Mead, who is perhaps the
most prominent and successful Amer
lean artist in Florence, has Just com
pleted group in marble for the Stan
ford university. II represents the
late Senator Stanford and his son, who
died in childhood, with Mrs. Stanford
kneeling before them The design
was suggested by the lady herself and
the group is to occupy a conspicuous
place in the central quadrangle of
Stanford university. Mr.. Mead also
has completed Titanic figure in
granite symbolizing the Mississippi
riyer-the Father of Waters-which
suggests Michael Angeles Moses and
is intended for the st. Louis exposi-
tion.
Chevalier TTentonove. a naturaiz-
American citizen, who mas studios in
WaHhinptnp and Elorapca and Laapo