Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-02

from the palace in disguise. When She
returned she had what she went out for
the dread thing was on her. in her and
about her. Let my beauty perish was
her meditation. If I can but make him
suffer from this, And the King Of
France calling on her constantly. was
bound to take IT up. by kissing her hand
or by eating a peach which she had
pared. Yet note, it was no poison from
a bottle. of which she could be accused
of purposely administering Also, it wa
slow.
The first signs of the disease scared
him. 1T is nothing" smiled the Belle
Ferronniere. IT is nothing" echoed the
frightened doctors. and they ordered
baths. Later the king never appeared
without gloves. The quantity of drugs
he took was awful. In time his face came
TO be made up with fesh-coiored patches.
For eight years the proud king dragged
himself. in pain and disgust. through the
royal routine Courtiers kept a respect
full distance. Palace servants buried his
discarded clothes and linen. Surrounded
by sham devotion. he was a pariah in
his own court. One person only dared
to take his hand-the beautiful woman
whom he had wronged. and who risked
nothing-for she had the poison. When
its ravages showed on her the king burst
into tears. What. YOU. too he cried
Had | not done you enough farm?' He
was mistaken.
Now the Belle Ferronniere disappears
from view: but one stormy afternoon at
Rambouillet, when Francis was at his
last extremity. a lady came to see him
What passed no one knows. but finally
the king was heard to give a great cry.
fastening, his doctors found him dead.
He has had a shock" the lady said and
it was obvious. White-faced and robed
in black. they let her pass. Nobody cared
much. all rejoiced around the young new
king. What had she told the old king?
She remains mysterious to this day. Yet
no historic character Is more authentic.
Ask any Frenchman, and he will tell you
that the Belle Ferronniere-whose real
name was Ferron-is the portrait nova
days labeled as that of Lucrezia Crivelli
an Italian woman who was never in
France. The true portrait Of the Belle
Ferronniere-that of the ancient cata-
logues and still today entitled formerly
known as lis the tragic profile by Leo
nardo, which hangs across. the hall,
Somber enigma.
All Leonardo's works are mysterious
and subject to astonishing adventures.
There are 1900 authentic Rubens There
are 400 authentic Rembrandts. There
are 200 authentic Titians. But of Leo
nardo da Vinci there exist only a dozen
paintings.
The Louvre possesses half of them
which helps to give their fabulous value.
Leonardo was not only a painter. he was
sculptor. engineer, architect, naturalist.
musician, chemist and aviator. In his
paintings. which were a pastime he ac-
cumulated prodigious researches, and it
was this activity which worked againsI
them. Pope Julius III ordered a portrait
from him, and Leonardo began by study
ing new varnish. Good, said the
Pope, he is commencing at the wrong
end. l shall never have it,
The Belle F'erronnere remained $50
years hidden in the Golden room at
Fontainebeau beside the Mona Lisa
from the reign of Francis l TO that OF
noticed by Buckingham. the famous Eng
lish ambassador. Visiting the chateau
with Rubens, he expressed a desire to
purchase the painting. Perhaps he OK
pected d gift; but the French king found
the suggestion indiscreet and had both
portraits locked up in closet. Louis
XIII knew better how to defend his pic
Yet he allowed Leonardos "Leda' to
be sacrificed. The delightful picture
shook the moral scruples of Surinten-
dent Sublet de Meyers. who started to
burn it. He was stopped by a cour-
ageous young maid of honor. who drag
ged the scorched canvas from the crate
where Sublet threw II.
The new women Of the Renaissance
Leda was Diane de Poitiers-often stirred
up such admiration and devotion in their
sisters of later day. But see how in two
different generations the simple needs of
he Eeart cried cut e2oNe culture. fash
ion, "a, and e.eS4Et society, even When