New-York tribune., 1910-01-09

and not distributed over the various sectlohs'
hut kent all together according to the V"'i''o
specjalties of my exhibits. Ana as i'
noras nv prints and drawings, which ieaVe
70 tbe nation I desire that the trustees vi 'e
pr;tish Museum shall select any that they oeei'
worthy of being added to the natIonaI coiiec
tions" We reproduce from the illustrate"
London News a portrait of Mr.. Sailing IL -
pleasant to have this souvenir OF the pefso
itv of so admirable lover of the arts ine
dispatches confirm. by the way, the nope VIC
expressed last week that DIR. Ludwig Moiio
collection would also be preserved intact as :"
public possession in England Never were 'heie
two mere splendid windfalls.
DIR RoCes wax bust is still the subject OF
comment here and there, but in general It Is
being dismissed bore. The last touch OF
absurtty given TO the episode when the
inquest upon the wax Flora at Berlin dis
closed inside the bust two square yards OK
material resembling old-fashioned British
quilts" 1t would be a boon for everybody
concerned, and especially for Dr. Bode, if this
Lucas-LeOnardo masterpiece could be neatly
wrapped up in the mid-Nictorian bed covering
aforesaid and consigned to oblivion Some good
will have been served if criticism not only that
which is made in Germany but that which
takes itself too seriously anywhere. is hence
forth restrained from assuming pontificaI airs.
Apropos of the pitfalls which lie in wait for the
mortal who relies too firmly upon internal evil
dence' our readers will recall that one of the
first of the historic instances cited when the
bust loomed upon the world that of
Bistianini. His story has long been known,
but the chief episode in it is retod concisely
by Miss May EIIsdale in THE London Spectator
that must quote her letter:
In view of the present discussion concerning the
Leonardo bust. il may be interesting your read
as related in Signora Rossetti Agresti's admi-
rabe Life of Giovanni Costa. the great Italian
painter. 1t was during costas stay in Florence
In 1863 that he and his friend and brother artist.
Crlstlano Banti unearthed a colored terra Gotta
bust in dirty little charcoal shop in BOrgo OgniS-
work of one of the great artists of the otattro-
cento. and after careful examination Costa and
tf4Oo,. The bust removed TO Banti's studio,
| ence went 10 see it, Dupre perhaps the greatest
sculptor of modern Italy. was enthusiastic about
fifteenth century art and opined that it might be
an early work Of MichelangelO or of I-uca della
equally enthusiastic, were all the artists
or the municipality of Florence should buy il to
preserve it to Italy the Director the Galleries
for tie Original @ 600 francs here SEEMS ~ 5e n
been consiierabie hesitation en- the part Of the
authorities and the matter hung fire until Costas
quence of certain rumors that his ears
costa went straight to the man who was reported
and asked il lie indeed responsible for it
| BaStianln admitted that he and full.
particulars of its execution. Satisfied To the
real authenticity of the bust Costa published in
| the papers declaration the the
bust OF Sfvonarola which artists and conroisseurs
alike had thought to be one of the finest works of
the fifteenth century known lie
work of BaStiaaini of Ffesoie. 'The INST re-
mained as the recognized work irj In
the sculpture Gallery OF ~. Marks until 1883
when the Director and Committee Floren-
tine Museums not having decided to purchase it,