The San Francisco call., 1903-01-08
HUNDRED
DOLLARS FOR A
$28, 900 STATUE

with naugbt for consolation but the
recollection OF a. time when it created
worldwide sensation in art circles tne
beautiful figure Of est. Michael anu Au
offer" droops dismally in the warer0oH
of = Boston dealer in antiques, koopnnAH
of Reacon street once this huge narOAe
statue was sold for S2S, 900 to a purchaser
who took 1t proudly to New York, Where
he was the envy and the admiration OF
every art lover in the country. DlVes'Cu
of its glory as the story or the STATUS
origin faded from the minds OF men, tAS
fine neure was put up for auction IN bOS-
ton recently and. to the disgust OA 80 80
auct1Oneer, attracted blo OF onlS So
and had eventually to be knocheU . GO"-.
for the absurGly small sum or S'VV- FtOnI
S2S COO 10 S7OOI No wonder the ngure seeHlS
To shrink and NOPE in the Boston ware
room with such a story attaching 10 IL
Could the statue speak. il would De aOls
to tell Of the sensation II cduSeu II -
when. in 1863 1t was placed on eNlilDl '-oii
before being delivered 10 its purchaser
Many distinguished persons III INOii-o
went TO see the figure. and among Ihehl
the Pope. After admiring its beauty IOs
some time and noting the wnlteness OA
the marble his Holiness 1ocoseH 1e
marked to his companions, IN A1dlleaH'
The devil is not so black as nc HAS
been painted"
Ii was in 1865 that Gardner Brewer or
Boston, wealthy merchant VINO IoFSu
beautiful works of art, especially soup
lures. asked Tadolini 10 model an alle-
gorical figure of St. Michael and Lucuei.
After long study by the sculptor or the
subject, the model was completed anu
then the work OF reproducing ii In mar
bic was begun. A block of the hnesl
stone was procured and skilled carverS
went 10 work.
In the meantime Tadolini modelled the
pedestal, hardly less important IN TINS
case than the huge figure which sur
mounted it. In three years the whole ere
alton was completed and then before De
ing shipped 10 America 1t was placed on
exhibition in Rome where TadOhm nVeu
and worked to win the applause OF ali
who saw 1t.
Professor +. FranzOni, the eminent IL
allan critic, thus described the work:
This statue unites in itself all the quar-
tiles which constitute complete specl-
men of the sculptor's art, namely "A
profound philosophy in the intensely dia-
bolical expression which he has given 10
satan, and which properly belongs to the
enemy OF God and man; and the cOnsum-
mate knowledge Of nature displayed in
the Appropriateness of the arrangement
and the charming passagiO of the sep
arate parts. His execution is at once
skilfully elaborate, delicate and clear. We
think ii may be said with strict truth
that the spirit of the pit never could be
better expressed than in this work OF
TadOhni."
Upon the arrival Of the figure In Boston
it was placed in the great hall Of the
Gardner Brewer mansion. where il stood
until sold recently and was carted away
by the new owner. Gardner Brewer so
loved to see statuary about him that he
filled his beautiful home with fine eX-
amples Of it and gave generously OF hrs
wealth to the city Of Boston fOrV the
adOrnment of its parks and squares The
magnificent fountain in the Public Gar
/ den was his gift, and all about the city
are drinking fountains for men and ami
/ mails, built from a fund which he gave
/ TO the city for that purpose.
In the later years of Brewers life com
I paratively few people saw the st Nj
/ chael and LUcffer." Brewer wrote will
/ bequeathing it TO the State, but was too
\ weak to sign the document. Thus il came
\ that the existence Of the work was al
most forgotten, and when it became nee
essary to dispose Of the Brewer treasures
I to settle up the estate only three bidders
/ for the figure appeared, every one
dealer in antiques.