The sun., 1916-12-24

"Nollekens was also renowned for
his parsimony.' says the encyclopedia
In n sentence which might stand as
text for the work cited in the next
following sentence: Consult curious
but unfairly prejudiced biography OF
fbyl Smith. London 1929. new ed.
1894" The Nollekens Is Joseph. the
portrait sculptor OF the eighteenth
century In London. and the Smith Is
John Thomas. keeper OF the prints
and drawings in the British Museum.
Smiths hodgepodgc Of a book. edited
and annotated by wnrREp WHIrrES.
Is now republished by the John Lane
Company. The editor calls II "the
most candid biography in the Ian
guage." and the superlative adjective
is Of a fitness less questionable than
that Of the noun. 4 grab bag: open
anywhere and you fish up an anecdote
or a bit Of art philosophy by Curator
Smith. Mr.. Written says:
Yet Indignation at all this frankness
hardly bolts up IKE n seyser. THIS IL be-
cause neither S~ollekensf. character nor
Smiths phical art II sufficiently i'm
portant 70 set US on doctrine and reproof.
/, smith Is at least open: he does not hint
"a HlDTS IMAM nc Gin " mus III WI
feelings. tNollekens did not keep his prom
ise to remember smith In his Will II Is
dinicult 10 become angry with a man when
In the turning OF ever. page one becomes
Interested and amused.
One night. as they we're about 70
leave the English coffee house In
Rome. James Barry. the portrait
painter. exchanged hats with Nolle-
D>- Tha 0alDtars. hat xrnu arn
affair. edged with lace; the s%culptor's
was not only plain but shabby. Next
morning. on returning the borrowed
headgear. Barry was asked what had
been his purpose In %effecting the ex-
change. oh say he. ito tell you
the truth. my dear Joey. I fully ex-
pected assassination last night. and I
was to have been known by my laced
hat" A villainous transaction. Smith
calls Il; but 1t IL not unlikely that the
plot was mythical. and the whole
thing a hoax cleverly fitted to the
we'll known traits OF Mr.. Nollekens.
NoIlekens. who'd a passion for saw
Ing the shillings. was not too fnical.
according to Smith. to indulge II
through the devices Of the smuggler.
All his plaster busts being hollow. says
the blographer. he stuffed them full
Of silk stockings. gloves. laces and
such like fineries. and then spread
an outside coating OF plaster Mt the
back. 10 that the busts had the ap-
pearance OF solid casts. II recollect
his pointing to the cast OF Sterne,
and observing to the late Lord Mans
field. There. do you know. that busto.
my lord. held my lace rufles that
went to court in when / came from
Rome"
in 1777 Nollekens modelled in clay
a bust OF DR.. Johnson: II was never
carried out in marble. The Grea,
Bear was displeased at the manner
in which the head had been loaded
with hair. but the sculptor insisted
on II, as It made tho subject look
more like an ancient poet" An Irish
begsar sat for the hair: none other
says Written, than the George White
who sat for Sir Joshua Reynolds
"Ugolino." Johnson, acknowledging
N~ollekens's ability in his art. yet could
not avoid observing to Boswell once
as they were examining the bust IL
his studio: 1T Is amazing what igno.
rance OF certain points one sometimes
finds in men OF eminence." Though
as Smith comments, from want oil
knowing the sculptor. n visitor, wher
viewing his studio. was heard to say
What a mind the man must have from
whom all these emanated.'"
Poor old Nollekens! He seems Ia
have been. for all his eccentricities, q
pretty good sort. His b~iographer i'm,