Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-18
3MYsrERY$,oT 4 LOST MOON.

1 .
SO much tonmyrotisrn from our modern
authors-now has decidedly novel mat
| ter to discuss. NJ. Gerome, the celebrated
| painter, recently Instituted suit against
NJ. Brandus. the equally celebrated New
1 York picture dealer. That in itself Is no
/ thing remarkable. Tor there is no telling
whom the .litigious Itch may affect, but
/ the plaintiffs grievance IS certainly an
unusual one. He alleges that his famous
| Salon picture "a Court Prom enade in
the Gardens Of Versailles" which the
defendant owns. has been tempered with
and altered. Originally the painting was
noted for the effect Of light produced by
the. setting sun and rising moon therein
depicted, but now-horror OF horrors!
some vandal has eliminated the moon
and substituted resplendent sunshine for
| the suggestion OF twilight. This aiters-
! ton in the cfaiaroscuro-that's the word
isn't It, o cultivated reader? 7shocks
| things worse Is that the mysterious arti4
fcer of sunshine did his work well-yea.
| so skilfully that one. can see he was ex-
pecting the shortage. in coal and aimed to
create as much warmth as possible.
Monsieur Brandus advised the queru-
ct him, and with Thou anst.not-say
did-it air, disclaimed all knowledge Of the
alteration. So positive and convincing
were his denials that the suit was with
drawn. Then It was boldly limited that
| the act OF vandalism-If so it really is
was attributable either directly or In
directly TO certain Mr. George M. Ty-
ner, resident Of T1o1yoke. Mass Ger
tain 1t Is that the Bay State man pur-
chased the picture in 1896 and brought it
to this crude land Of ours. Two years
ago. Monsieur .Brandus purchased the
painting and carried it back to France.
1t was atff1rst alleged that the Massa-
chusetts man was eccentric. and that he
caused several pictures In his collection
to be modified. Runor. that monster
huge in size which expands by circu-
lation. then unbIushingly heaped other
abuses on Mr.. Tyner. It declared that
either because OF his puritanical ideas
Or the chilly weather in his State. he
equipped several OF his nudes. with gar
ments calculated to save them from ex-
posure. 4 beautiful Psyche by Della
croix, according to report, Jared even
worse. That divinity, when first created,
travelled without her wardrobe. Mr.. Ty-
ner, SO the gossips declared. had her
embellished with a tailor-made gown and
picture hat. But all this strange fiction
likewise has been knocked in the head.
Mr.. Tyner AYERS that he didn't monkey
| with the missing moon. And with great
indignation he repudiates the suggestion
that he dressed UP the Psyche IN fin de
steele haDilir1ents. ! In fact he never
owned a picture by Delacroix.
Artists are naturally much interested
in the pictorial lunar mystery described.
Besides holding themselves responsible
for the sartorial eauipments-or more
frequently for the lack OF sartorial equip
ments--of the ladies they create. and for
the meteorological conditions suggested by
their landscapes, they feel that their per-
sonal pride IS at stake. When they pro-
1910 a lily Iiipl4 III Lie &.dlLOSGllST, LueS
don't want Tom, Dick. and Harry sup
plying her with dry goods. And what's
more. they don't want their moons pill
fereG.
But precedent is. rather against the VEL
vet-coated knights OF the brush and
palette Nearly all OF the more classical
marbles. scores OF paintings. and goodly
proportion OF the Vatican frescoes have
| in some way been tempered with. The
Apollo Belvidere, that poem Of grace IN
stone, f1ourishes an unsight1y hand which
was supplied long after the discovery OF
the statue. Several arms, not to men ton
other deficits. were supplied for the
LAGOON group, and some very charm
ing Venuses have been built up from
time-stained torsos found underground.
Il you know nothing about art, however,
and some one points out to you such ad-
ditions as those mentioned. it is always
good form to swear they have marred the.
statue or picture: You can even gai,
respect by tearing your hair with grief
on learning that Venus has been
equipped with the four limbs so neces-
q E--l !
sary fol. every day use. and with 2, head
for her pretty neck.
There 1s-if the confession must be
made good deal OF Wagnerian music
| mysteriopsness IN art and art criticism,
and when you don 'taknow anything about
the subject at least look wise when 1t is.
discussed. And above all. things. don,
n,urmur at the5picture Oily yourself which
your newspaper prints. AS for the miss
ing moon Of the Gerome painting, We feel
sure it will be found. The reporters are
now after It.
Now" says the Valley vlrginian, that
there is so much ta TX In the papers about
.aadidates for the various offices, from
United States senator down We want to
,sk what IS the matter with Honorable
Edward Echols for one OF these offices.
either OF which he could fill with ability
md Distinction :
Nothing Is the matter with him. He is
al right.
IsTHMIAN CANAL QUESTION.
The people are getting pretty tired Of