El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-06-06
Angelo Lived For Art
His One and Only Love Affair Came
When He Was Past GO and Mt the
Top Of His Profession.
D lIadIson G. Peter.

NJ ICHAEL ANGELO was born
IVs March 6. 1875, or, according TO
4 some authorities, 1474, as the
Florentines reckon from the incarna-
ton Of Christ rather than his birth.
When he was two years old he was
entrusted to the care Of q stone ma
sons wife on his fathers estate. three
miles from Florence II was here
amidst picturesque surroundings that
his first work was done The lads
father was determined that his boy
should not become an artist and when
a candle was denied he spent whole
nights copying drawings b. moon
light
why do you lead such a solitary
life2" Angelo was asked. TO which he
replied ARR is a Jealous mistress; she
requires the whole man" He was
tremendous toiler- He studied anatomy
even more than the physicians Of his
day. He drew his figures and skele-
tons. added muscles, fat and skin sue
cessively, and then draped them. he
had no tine for social intercourse un-
til late in life. During his seven years
labor az the Sistine chapel, he refused
70 meet anyone, even at his own house
When three score and ten years were
passed and he had long attained the
highest triumphs OF his art, he said
Yet I am learning
Pictures Were His Children.
A friend once said 10 him. 1T Is
pity that you have not married. that
you might have children TO inherit the
fruits OF your toll" The master re-
Piled 4 have only too much Of a wife
IN my art, and she has given me trou-
bic enough. As to my children, they
are the works I shall leave"
1t was in the twilight Of his life
that he met the only woman he ever
loved; beloved by all Of his country
men, sought after by rulers of the
world. the love and friendship Of a
woman gave him greater happiness
than all Of his trtumphs; she even in
spired him to write sOnnets. This wO-
man, who was destined 10 change the
morOse and taciturn man, was NittOria
ColOnna, the daughter Of FabriziO CO.
lOnna and the widow Of Marchese de
Pescara, the two highest mobiles and
generals of their time. Vittoria lost
her husband in battle soon after their
marriage; the young bride, broken
hearted at her Bereavement turned to
literature as a means or distracting
cessful; T. A TrOlope tells US that
copies were as eagerly sought for
as the novel Of the season at a 18th
century circulating library.
Much s ought After.
Wherever she went society did her
homage: monarchs, men Of letters and
even her own sex were charmed by her
brilliancy, tact and graciOusness. She
met the artist in 1886. when he was
81 and she was 46: man OF such ma
ture years usually falls in love with
a young woman, but Signora COlOnna
had the rare charm TO attract a man
who haw few friends and cared moth
ing for women: yet he loved her with
all the passion Of a youth Of %.
This stern man whom none could
master was as clay in the hands Of the
woman he loved, although She ruled
him 2 z every clever woman rules the
man she lOves-she appeared to see
only his good qualities. and II she
thought he possessed any bad ones she
failed TO mention them. The lovers
spent every Sunday together. having
around them the friends they liked
best
Was at Death Bed.
When political reasons made &c nee
essary for Nittoria TO leave Rome and
go to the Convent of st. Catherine at
Niterbo- her lover wrote hdr daily
until the time Of her death in l54 Z.
Michael Angelo was with her when
she died. His pupil. Coudivi tells US,
remember to have heard him say that
he grieved nothing so much as that
when he went TO see her pass from
this life. After her death he fire.
quently stood trembling and as If in
sensible" He wrote several sOnnets
to her memory. It seems strange he
did not marry the woman who meant
so much in his life, but he was past
the half century mark and may not
have cared to assume the responsible
ties Of marriage
Angelo made himself immortal in
three different occupations. his fame
rests mainly upon his dome Of St Pc
ter as an architect upon his Moses"
as q sculptor, and upon his Last