Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-09
miscellaneous 8eaaina.
WORLDS GREATEST ART THIEF

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ture Galleries.
The Italian who stole the Mona
Lisa" from the Louvre in Paris, and
was caught with the goods the other
day, announced to the police that he
stole Leonardo da Vinci's great paint
! ing ito revenge the thievings Of Ma
J poleon."
Probably he was only offering q
rather unique excuse for his crime,
but at least it was interesting. And
the excuse was not wholly without
foundation, either. Whatever may
have actuated the Italian, Napoleon
committed enough outrages against
art to justify some vengeance.
For the first Emperor Of the French
was about the most perniciously ac-
tive little art collector who ever raw
aged the picture gallery. The activi-
ties Of the late ]. Pierpont Morgan
pale into insignificance when compar-
ed with the wholesale acquisitions Of
Napoleon. Mr.. Morgan used a large
bore bank roll in bringing his prey to
earth, whereas Napoleon adopted the
much simpler expedient Of collecting
art treasures at the point Of mus
ket. And he did very thorough and
complete job Of 1t. About the only
thing he failed to send back to Paris
was the W. k. Sphinx. You can see him
in the picture which goes with this
piece contemplating the Sphinx with
sentiments of loathing ebcause it was
too big to be transported comfortably.
General Bonaparte's collecting ac-
tivities began in 1897 when he invad-
ed Italy as general for the French
directory-which, you will remember,
was species of incompetent govern
ment, and not book containing name
and addresses.
1t has been the custom Of generals,
from Hannibal on down, when they
reached the summit Of the Alps to
pause, thrust one hand into the bosom
of the coat, and, sweeping the land
scape with the other, point out to the
faithful followers that beyond the Alps
lies Italy. High school students have
followed the practice, and 1t is now
generally conceded that Italy really
does lie beyond the Alps. Napoleon,
however, varied the programme a bit.
After calling attention to the we'll
known geographic fact Of the location
Of Italy, he said to his army:
fad hn1
naked! your government owes you
much and gives nothing; your valor
and endurance do you honor, but bring
you neither profit nor glory. I am
about to lead you into the most fertile
plains in the world. You will find there
great cities and rich provinces You
will find there glory and riches. Will
your courage fail you?"
In other words, Napoleon invited the
boys to help themselves when they
reached Italy, and the boys were not
slow to avail themselves Of the sug-
gestion. And their chief set them a
pointed example. Every town in Italy
which opened its gates to the French
was looted. Pictures were torn from
galleries, statues pried from their pc
destals, libraries and museums raw
ished wholesale. Everything was
packed into carts and sent back to
Paris, except the trinkets which SOL
diers and officers succeeded in holding
out.
The directory sent to the general
word that nothing should be left in
Italy which our political situation al
lows us to carry off and which may be
useful to u.s." AT Napoleons request
4 commission of French artists was
sent to Italy to decide what it would
be most desirable to steal. This seems
like a superfiuous formality, as Napo-
leon stole practically everything. The
number Of stolen statues and paint
ings in the Louvre in 1914, before Ma
poleon had been defeated for the last
time at Waterloo and the allies had
undertaken the work Of restoration,
is appalling.
John Scott, an Englishman who Wis
tied Paris in 1915, mentions, among
many other less widely known art
treasures, the Venus de Medici," the
Dying Gladiator" the "Laocoon,"
"Trajan," the Apollo Belvidere," the
'Discobolus," eight of the finest Ra-
phael pictures, IS pictures by Perugi-
no, Coregios, Guidos and the works Of
dozen different artists.
And there were the manuscripts Of
Galileo in his own handwriting, the
portfolio of the works Of Leonardo da
Vinci, the manuscripts Of the History
Of the Popes," manuscript Of Virgil
which had belonged to Petrarch and
bore notes in Petrarch's handwriting,
and hundreds Of other literary treas
ures.
Egyptian tombs were robbed Of
mummies, Spanish abbeys were rob-
bed of paintings and tapestries innu-
merable. Everything was sent to
Paris. Nor did the north Of Europe
escape. The best artistic treasures Of
the Netherlands made their way
across the French border; Paul Pot
ters famous picture, THE Bull" was
only one Of many paintings that Ma
poleon stole. Perhaps the most out
rageous Of his thefts was taking the
famous bronze horses from st. Marks
in Venice. Napoleon robbed Venice
blind, but the theft Of these horses.
the work of the Greek Lysippus, was
regarded as a crowning outrage. Ma
poleon equipped them with gilt har-
ness and attached them to a tawdry-
chariot Of victory which he caused to
be made, and set the outfit on top Of a
| triumphal arch erected in his own
honor opposite the Tuileries. 1t was
his plan to place statue of himself
in the car Of victory when he should
return from triumphs in Russia, and,
indeed, the statue was made, but ow-
ing to the unforeseen annoyance Of
being decisively defeated in Russia,
was never set up.
In Spain one French officer decided
to do his Christmas looting early and
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