The sun., 1902-02-23

but Infinitely attractive In It's pure womanh-
ness. am most poor woman and
stranger she has begun her pleading as
woman. wife and mother. relying on the
pitifulness OF her case; presently she will
bride up and fling hot sccusatio at my
Lord CARDINAL finally gathering her queenly
self-possession round her, she will refuse
to plead before the court and will appeal
unto the Pope. Meanwhile she plays the
true and humble wife piteous In her
meek, fragile womanhood; the contrast Of
her abasement, 80 unstudied and spon-
taneous. with the ceremonial pomp OF her
judges. giving TO the latter an indescribable
sordidness.
Surely Mr.. Abbey did well to seize for
representation this intermediate move
ment in the scene. He has gained thereby
our human sympathy for a subject which
might easily have been too complicated
with highly strung emotions to be i'm
medately intelligible. And 1t is one OF
the merits Of this picture that its appeal
Is not impressive but immediate. There
volved in IL. though the same does not OBJ
trude Itself. II In never n primary motive.
but relegated into At subordnaton to the
central theme. creating for the latter an
environment, that we accept as suitable,
before we gradually become conscious OF
the causes of its reasonablenes. Such
balance OF relation comes from that ability
which Mr.. Abbey Possesses OF putting
back his imagination as well as his intellect
into the past; so that the latter becomes to
being he lives and feels: feeling as the
people Of the period may be expected to
have felt. and another reason is his tactful
modesty, and use the word with thought
OF Its real meaning, which Is something
choicer than moderation. He might have
attempted a more heroic note, pitched II
to ths extreme possibility Of the scene.
But here, az In other pictures. he avoids
a mere tour de force; and draws us AZ much
by persuasion as by strengthi by the
strength, In fact. Of what he holds In re-
serve,
There Is a similar modesty In the color
scheme. First Of all ls simple directness in
the contrast Of the Cardinals red robes
with the Queens white costume, sharply
defining the main issues OF the composition.
The two are brought into pictorial unity
by the passages Of black. deep blue, Colds.
browns and diversities Of the hues, deli
cate or rich. Individually these passag
present beautiful qualities Of color and skill
OF craftsmanship; passages which must
have given vast satisfaction to the artist
as they do to ourselves. and yet kept In
proper reserve. There Is no prodigality
Of color, scr rcely even sumptuousness, in
stead, wholly serious scheme, that does
not degenerate into merely clever rem
dering Of millinery, but serves to dignity
the fine conception OF the subject; as an
incident Of high statecraft, as well as Of
human passion and suffering.
These are not the days Of historic painting
In American and English art. and Mr.. Abbey
has been drawn to II by no example OF
fashion, but through the ripening OF his
early love OF Elizabethan literature. That
was a spontaneous love and, as IL has ma
tured II has lost nothing Of the old gracious
ness and simple sweetness Of motive. This
picture Is Of the grand order. yet stil
imprcgnated with the fragrance OF his
early drawings.