Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-01

ton that somewhere and still undis-
covered there exists a tenth.
1t has taken 271 years, nearly three
centuries, to confirm the statement in
Rubens' own inventory, and the old
tapestry that confirms 1t is in the Mn-
scum of Fine Arts Moreover, these two
tapestries are the only antique FIcn1-
ish tapestries known to be woven
from the Rubens designs outside of the
five in the Brussels Museum. Those
five came into the possession of the
museum in 1875. Before that almost
the only knowledge that such a series
of tapestries existed was based upon
tile inventory. DR. iVaIentfnef, who has
made a special study of this subject,
confided his conclusions to Gustav
Kobbe, who thereupon contributed an
interesting history of the tapestries to
Town and Country for Nov. Is. From
this paper we condense the history of
the series which follows. -
Six painted panels by Rubens on
wood. about 1876, are owned by Lord
Barrymore. The other four original
designs by Rubens, from the set
of ten, have disappeared. The
small oil sketches were given by
duce on a larger scale, and these
studio engagements have turned up
from time to time. Six of them be-
longed to a noble Spanish family, and
by inheritance came into the possess
sion of the Duchess de Pastrano Two
of them she gave to the museum at
Pau, France; two were bought by the
dealer Faculty: and two were stilf in
ha.. H., l..I a
to a sisterhood for a convent. The
Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin, now
owns the studio copy of the Death OF
Achilles" DR. John E. Stillwell of New
York owns that of Achilles Being
Dipped in the Styx by Thetis," and
the studio copy of '.Brfseis Being Re
stored to Achilles is in the possession
of Mrs. Jacob Fl. Schiff. In their order
the six Barrymore panels represent
Achilles Dipped in the Styx by
Thetis," 1.-The Instruction of Achilles
by Chiron," "Thetis Receiving Arms of
Achilles From Vulcan" THE Anger
of Achilles Against Agamemnen.'
The Death of Hector and THE
Death of Achilles"
The two tapestries acquired by Mr..
White, and now on exhibition in the
Museum of Fine Arts, represent re-
spectively 'Thetis Presenting Achilles
in the Temple" and "Achilles's Anger
against Agamemnon." These tapes
tries bear the marks of the Van Leef-
dael and Van der Stricken studios in
Brussels. where they We're woven late
in the first half or early in the second
half of the seventeenth century. The
"Thetis Presenting Achilles in the
Temple evidently opens the series,
and is one of the two subjects that
have for so many years been missing.
This piece is thirteen feet and seven
inches high and fifteen feet and four
inches wide. priest in a rich robe
and attended by two acolytes, each
bearing flaming lamp, is. about to
sacrifice lamb on the altar. To the
right stand Ihetis and Achilles. The
mother carries vase which she offers,
together with pile of vases and other
objects in the foreground as gifts to
the divinities. There Is a plinth, the
earyatides representing Minerva and
Hercules. TO whom the child is dedica-
ted. The cornice consists of cherubs,
festoons of flowers and fruits, and a
eartouehe with Latin inscription.
The eoloring is ricn in yellows,
browns, blues and reds, and there is a
quantity of silver in the weaving. The
colors, instead of fading, have been
mellowed by age.
In the other piece, 1.-THE Anger of
Achilles Against Agamemnon," AchiI-
les, on the right, is about to draw his
sword against Agamemnon, who has
taken from him his favorite female
captive, Briseis. But Pallas, well aware
OF The disaster that might follow in
the wake of an encounter between
Achilles and the king, cautions him
to forbear, while Nestor Restraints Ag-
amemnon, who, enraged, is about TO
rise from his throne. The caryatides
Symbolic the horrors of the Trojan
war. THE lion, lying we'll forward on
the plinth, may represent power under
control" suggests Mr.. Kobbe, 'or Ru-
bens may be barking back to Achilles's
youth, when Chiron fed him on the
entrails of lions and the narrows of
wild bears and boars" Should the
tenth subject in THE History of Achil-
les be discovered, this romaunt of old
tapestry Will have reached an appro-
pirate finales. What will it be in the
story of this most romantic of heroes,
who preferred early death with glory
To long life without it-AchilIes cir
cling the walls of Troy with Heetor's
body dragging behind his chariot. or
the hero himself being borne, after
death, to the Islands of the Biessed?"
Boston Transcript.