The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-31
ART COURSE ENDS
Mrs. Burbank Delivers Her
Final Lecture

Mrs. III. G. Burbank gave the last lee
ture Of the course on Italian art yester-
day afternoon at the Central high
schools. Owing to the serious illness
OF her husband, Mrs. Burbank has been
obliged to discontinue the course to the
great regret of those who have been
fortunate to hear her. Her subject yes
terday was the sculpture of the fif-
teenth century, especially tomb sculp-
ture, which reached its highest perfec-
ton during that period. After giving a
long list of Italian artists of the time,
Mrs. Burbank said:
I'm the works of all these men, in the
old field of tombs portrait busts, re-
liefs, etc., such epithets as delicate,
dainty, exquisite, delicious spring con-
stantly to the lips. Such refinement Of
conception, such prodigality of decora-
ton, such craftsmanship, such tech
n1que, carries the one who loves and
knows to the land of hearts desire and
opens such a realm of beauty to his
homesick soul that for a moment he
forgets the dreary hideousness Of the
ordinary machine made works of art
which surround his every day walk
and life and make it one long night
mare of suffering. In this
distinguished group the two Rosselini
are characterized for much originality
and special elegance of manner. Mino
da Fiesole by a sweetness and dreami-
ness that often border close on man
nerism; Civitate by the unusual fervor
of his religious spirit, and Benedetto
da Majano for kind of general ex-
cellence which yet borders too closely
on the pictorial and the picturesque.
Benedetto's pulpit in the church of Sta
Croce in Florence is the most beautiful
of it's kind in the whole period of the
Renaissance, ranking next to those Of
the two Pisani and the last one that
know of worthy of mention in the whole
history of art.
Burial in churches for the distin-
guished dead began early in the sew
enteenth century, after Saracenic raids
had made even graves an unsafe rest
ing place. At first the simple sar-
cophagus, an area or chest, with
lid simply sculptured with the cross or
other Christian emblems was set into
the facade of the church as may be
seen in Venice to this day; or a fiat
stone or marble slab, equally simple in
it's decorations marked the spot in the
floor of the atrium or porch. 1t is said
that during the course Of the seventh
century the atrium of st. Peters ca
thedral contained SO many papal tombs
that it acquired the name of the 'por-
tico of the popes.' AS time went on the
tomb was transformed from the VeStl-
bule to the interior of the church.P
Describing the various tombs and
busts made by the masters of the pc
riod, the speaker went on to say that
the year 1900 was the landmark be-
tween the earlier and the later Re-
naissance; 'it divided the age when the
antique was taken as a guide. from the
decadence when it was taken as
master; that earlier age when nature
was interpreted in a realistic spirit and
gema and marbles were studied to
purify and elevate the taste, from the
age when ancient art was slavishly
initiated and the barriers between
painting and sculpture completely
thrown down. and just as Giacomo
della Luencia had bridged the period
between the school of Nicola and that
of Ghiberti, so Andrea Sansovino of
Arezzo showed the transition from the
earlier to the later style of the Re
naissance.'
A number of pictures Of the tombs
and other sculptures of this time were
thrown upon the screen and briefly de-
scribed by the lecturer.