Evening star., 1912-11-24

certain exfolations or scrapings of the
left-arm fra gments, running straight up
on to the shoulder OF the statue anu anu
found also on the back of the hand
fragment, which show that these diHer
ent parts formed one with the shouloef
and these straight scratches could only
have been made. all following the salle
direction. when the left arm was entlre.
one would say that violent blow OF
fall, after scratching the arm along It's en-
tire length. fractured its JOINT with lne
shoulder. and separated them. he adas.
also. THE fracture of the wrist Is
clean-cut-which indicates that the lett
arm by fall of the statue or other vlo-
lence became detached at the JOINT feli
and broke Finally. he has an am
biguous passage, where he insinuates
that missing pieces of the arms ought
to have existed land perhaps do stili
exist''-this on the arrival of Venus IN
Paris, in 1870.
Years passed The secret, whatever it's
nature, was kept; and the only discus
sion was that perennial one of the crit
les. guessing at and arguing about the
original position of the arms" Yet whis-
pers, and strange Ones were fitting. In
1854 NJ Charles Lenormant, famous
classical archeologist published in the
Correspondent an article on the Venus
Il have always believed that, from the
beginning to better accredit a produc-
ton which is its own best proofs, they
designedly caused to disappear acces-
sories which might derange the ideas tnat
they had just conquered a chef d'oeuvre
of the grand epoch of Greek art. Thus.
besides the arms they suppressed the
debris of an inscription
They" may mean the French ambas-
sador and NJ Marcellus, though it might
II Nj.
Marcelus, still alive in 1854 Indignantly
took up the insinuation in the Revue
Contemporaries; but. even to defend
himself against alleged vandalism and a
slur on his honor. he did not breathe "A
word concerning any fight on the beach
And Lieut. Matterer seems to have a
like suspicion that the arms were broken
deliberately-ether on the French snip
carrying Venus to Paris, or, on arrival
at the Louvre.
Both Matterer and d'Crville. YOU re-
member had seen Venus intact and Der
feet. when old Yorgos showed her t.
them, first of ali Europeans on the island
But neither formed l1@~. % the conquer
ing expedition: neither saw the fight on
the beach. Matterer certainly heard
whispers of it in the he, navy; a. darviiie
and this is astonishing-both seem to in.
sinuate like the old archeologist Lenor-
mant that the arms were broken delib
erately.
= x
Matterer began to grow uneasy as the
wears passed. yet he was a naval officer
with a horror of ''butting in holy
G dread of criticising authorities. Finally
enraged to see the critics dispute end
lessly on 1.-The position Of Venus arms
there were quantities of ridiculous suppo-
: sitions-he resolved to tell them just that
f one thing, very simply. he who had ac-
tually seen them with his eyes! He
wrote three notices in all-one for the
Archives de Tart Francais.' one con-
+ fided secretly to the curator of the Touion
: Museum and a third. here reproduced,
g now the property of Jean Aicard of the
. French Academy.
Thus, Matterer drew. rough sketch
of Venus as she stood in her niche walled
e up 1000 years. and as he saw her. IL
S shows the right arm sustaining her gfr-
: die. and the left raised and crooked
). holding an apple. In his short text below
the sketch he recites a manuscript OF
d'Urville. his companion, describing now
n they discovered her in Yorgos possession
i then himself describes the statue anu
the position of the arms as he actually
n saw them. And he adds, simply: For
Y the rest they the armsD nave been mu-
: tilated the one and the other.
e point a period. and that is all.
t This was in 1872. In 1853 Matterer
$ wrote another article, this time revealing