Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-04

built in 1865. This was given by the
duke and duchess to the people of Genoa
for a city hall and Is now occupied by
the officials Of the municipality The COM
mon council meets in the great ballroom,
the mayors cabinet in the state dining
room. and the courtyard. surrounded by
collonades of marble. is usually filed with
politicians goesiping and arguing with
each other.
Museum and Gallery.
The Palaxzo Rosso OF Red Palace. built
In 1864, and the ancestral home Of the
Duchess of Galleria, was given to the
city as museum and picture gallery,
with all its contents. which include IL
brary Of between 5000 and 10000 vol
umes, mostly of old and obsolete books.
and some OF the finest pictures in Italy.
There are dozen or more Van Dycks;
several portraits of Velesquez. a long
other old masters. which are open to the
public daily and are visited by thou
sands Of tourists.
The original collection bequeathed by
the Duchess Of Galleria has been increas-
ed by the addition of other collections, all
Of them legacies to the city. for many rich
people in Genoa have followed the ex-
ample Of the Galleria family. No COM
munity in the world can furnish better
examples of public spirit and benevolence
and its charitable institutions have been
Handsomely endowed.
Before her death the duchess founded
the Hospital Of st. Andrew the Apostle,
which is one of the most extensive com
Portable and best kept in Europe, being
under the control OF the medical associa-
ton. Of the city. Patients who are able
to do SO are expected to pay the usual
fees for rooms, attendance and treatment
Others who are unable to pay are taken
care Of without charge. And the income
Of the institution is Increased by the
members Of an association, who each con-
tribute i've francs month to its treas
ury. The membership of this association
includes several thousand people. Their
donations aggregate quite a generous
fund.
Statue. of the Countess.
fine statue of the Countess Of Gal
leria was erected in the garden of the
hospital by public subscription in 1898.
A figure of bronze represents this admir-
able woman sitting in her favorite chair.
At her left is an old cripple. resting his
head upon his right hand and holding
cr,Itch with his left. On the right is
bronze figure Of sympathy supporting a
ragged mother with a babe in her arms.
The inscription reads as follows:
Maria Brignole- Sale di Ferrari, Ouch
essa di Galleria, who In her munificent
reward Every sufferer will bless, and a
grateful country will admire"
There is a statue of the Duke OF Gale
ria fronting the entrance to the harbor.
in 1897 and represents the three bronze
figures of liberality, enterprise and
genius doing reverence to the noble form
of the benefactor Of Genoa. A portrait in
bas relief and the coat OF arms OF his
family are on the pedestal.
The ancient DalQcoG OF the rich CenOeSe
merchants looked more like fortresses
than mansions, with their heavy lines.
their enormous dimensions. walls four
and five feet thick and windows guarded
Nearly all OF them surround courts with
stately fights of stairs, collonades and
fountains and a few of them have gar
dens attached. The rooms are very large,
the ceilings are from eighteen to thirty
feet in height, the floors are Of tile or
marble, the ceilings are decorated by
famous artists and the walls are hung
with costly pictures of the old masters.
Liberal Patrons Of Art.
Although Genoa was never a center of
art and never had an art school or a
school of music like every other town In
Italy, her merchant princes were the
most liberal OF patrons. Rubens. Van
Dyck, VelasQuez, Rembrandt and other
famous painters came to Genoa frequently
and often spent years at time with
commissions to paint the portraits Of the
wives and families. There are probably
more portraits by those and other artists
OF great fame In Genoa today than IN any
OF the private homes Of any other city.
In ono collection, for example. are nine
teen family portraits "a. 81. by van y. nysk Co., IN
inc to the same family. and they are sell
dom seen except by the friends and MEM
bers OF their households. Only few
months ago four portraits Of Genoese
1000 in New York. ]. Pierpont Nor
ran bought one, II. C. Frick another. Mrs.
c. p. Huntington third. and have
forgotten who took the fourth. These
portraits came from tho walls Of q single
room In one Of many private palaces,
which are seldom entered except by tho
owners, and from this you can Judge Of
what may DO lett.