The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-23


be delight ii once only ". could
snIo into a candle-lit room. where. to
'he SOFT music OF harpsichord and VOL
bcllcs ana sallants exchanged COM
p!iments delicate ana keen as rapicr
I thrusts. all the while treading with
sweet dignity the steps of a lovely
dance.
J GIFTS no AHT .sD MANTEGNA.
/ feoontly municomt gifts TO arr. the
aesthetic handmaidcn of education.
nave become hardly less frequent Than
nave been such gifts TO education it.
self As n recipient OF these the
Mctropn!it0n Museum OF Art. i'm New
/ York city, has been exceedingly ana
| siGhally fortunate. In addition to be-
! Ing about TO become tito abiding place
OF the magnificent Morgan collection.
now on the other side OF the lNtlrntic.
( 1T is lcgatce TO 5000 under the
/ VIII OF the late Joseph Pulitzer. Dur
ms tho past year il has received ST.
ooS.o9O on account of the legacy OF
SOM = Kennedy plus large amount
already paid over by the executors. and
i42,52o from the Frederick ucw.ll
estate. The city contributes 5000, 900
per annum towards it's running ex-
penses. and few days ago it was an
: nounccd that one of It's modest. un-
assuming contributing members had
donated to it loo shares Of certain
stock valued at 81 100000
matter OF especial interest in CON
necton with the museums becoming
the homo OF the Morgan collection is
that Mr.. Morgan IS supposed to be the
purchaser of the Andrea ManteEna
Madonna and Child" which brought
S1i7,5oo at tho late sale in Hamburg
OF the Weber private collection. it Is
assumed that this picture will also PC
placed In the New YORK Museum TO
the institution and to American art
lovers. its value Will he greatly en-
HANGED by reason of the TACT that there
are Few examples OF Muntegna (born
1881. died l6oo) in this country. Tho
subject WAS Il favorite with the artist
Vasan mentions and describes several
Alantegnn Our Lady and Child" com
positions, ono OF which n foot note in
the late Basthneld and Hopkins edition
of that authority on painters, edited
and annotated i'll the light OF modern
discoveries" speaks OF as having been
lost. The Weber picture is possibly
this one.
MantegnA was .ost prolific and
versatile in his productions. and Is
thus ranked by the editors ana ammo
'tators or Nasarl referred &c: I'm
mediately after the five or six great
est names In the history OF Italian
art comes tina tor Andrea Mantcgna.
tic stands ut the head of the group of
secondary painters when counted
GMrlandajo, Botticelli, and Filipino,
Bcilin, S!gnorelli and Perugino among
it's members. or his style and versatil-
ity the editors and annotators. ampli-
fying Vasari. say:
His name brings with it the mem
ory OF a LOFTY and intensely character
ized style, OF figures of legionaries
long and lean as North American In
dinns, Roman IN their costume,
medieval in their sharp. dry siIhou-
cite; of saints. hard and meagre, but
statuesquely meagre; of figures stern
fined in the deiicacy OF their outline
OF realistic Mantuan mobiles Impressive
IN their ugliness; OF stately Madonnas;
OF charming boy angels dying or hold
Ing up fcstoons OF flowers and fruits;
OF delicate. youthful figures with long
curling hair and crtnklcd drapery.
where every tiny fold is finished as If
i'll miniature; of oanvases allied with
long lines of cnptives, with chariots
loaded with treasure; with skylines
broken by standards and trophies, with
nrmored ltgionUries. curvetting horses
elephants with jowelcd frontlcts and
with statues towering above the
crowd; OF professions where the magni-
iiccnt vulSarity OF ancient Rome and
the confused lavishness OF an ANTIQUE
triumph are subdued TO measured
harmonies and sculptural lines"
In eense. Mantcsna was school
unto himself. lie dehed many OF tho
art traditions OF his day Another
critical reference to his style and
methods is: Briefly, 1t is perhaps best
explained by the term Elasticity. His
figures seem not paint on canvas, but
carved marble or nodded bronze. or
all the painters OF the Renaissance he
was most alive 10 The beauty of round
cd form. as distinct from outline"
( Despite the fact that he did not lack
appreciation and wealthy and lnnu-
entail patronage, Mantegna died in
poverty. owing to an extravagant, not
to say pronigate life
----=----=--=-=-
The tailors demand slender men this
year II butter and eggs continue in
the. rarity or THAR nro.o,t ht, ~,