Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-29
y. G. Gallery
Has Famous
Motto Work
Trojan Horse Is
In Collection of
Corcoran
Bv Leila Mechlin.

but probably comparatively few are
aware that a painting of this famous
animal" is to be found in the Cor
coran Gallery Of Art. The painter
was Henri Paul Motto, pupil OF
Gerome. and the canvas is dated
1874, the year prior to the great
Paris Exposition Of 1875, when the
memory Of the Franco-Prussian War
was still vivid in French minds. 1t
was one of quite number OF paint
ings purchased, presumably from
that exposition, by w. T. Walters,
art connoisseur and collector OF
Baltimore, at the request OF his
friend, w. w. Corcoran of this city.
for the gallery which he had
founded here. And in almost every
instance, excellent choice was made.
The story of the Trojan horse"
is told by Virgil in his "Aeneid," but
the tale is said to be borrowed from
Arctinos of Miletus, one of the Cyc-
lie poets, who related it in the
wooden Horse and the Burning OF
Troy" The huge image OF a horse
made of wood, hollow and capable of
being easily moved, was constructed
by Ulysses and Diomedes, leaders
of the Greeks in the war against
Troy for the purpose of secretlng
soldiers of their army and getting
them within the border OF the enemy
country. The Trojans were told
that it was an offering by the Greeks
to the sea-god to insure a safe pas
sage home, but that the blessings
would pass from the Greeks to the
Trojans if the horse were placed
within the city walls of Troy. The
credulous Trojans believed the tale.
and. according to Virgil, even helped
to drag the huge creature into their
city, unaware of those hiding there
in who. after nightfall, came out,
killed the sentinels, opened the gates
to the Greek army and so led to the
downfall of Troy, the city being
fired, the citizens, in large numbers,
killed-not, as today, by falling
bombs. but by the sword. This
story, which goes back to the days
of antiquity. has its modern paral-
lei. The stratagem employed has
been used again and again in slight
ly different forms. In the 18th cen
fury A. D., Abu Obeidah thus ended
the siege of Arrestan, in Syria, in
which instance, however, packing
boxes took the place of the horse"
The capture of Sark was effected in
similar manner, the medium OF
transportation being coffin. Final
", we are told, there was once an
enchanted horse, made of wood, with
two pegs; by turning one, the horse
rose in the air. as our alrplaneS do
today, and by turning the other 1t
descended and landed, wherever the
rider desired, not unlike the para
chute troop carriers of the present
time. Surely. there is nothing new
under the sun!
Form of Speech.
This is equally true of the art of
painting. 1t differs vastly in char
acter from age to age. but not in
purpose. Essentially, it is Ian
guage-a universal language-visual
and therefore commonly compre-
hensible, registering what the eye
sees or the imagination pictures,
It may tell story or it may trans
NIT emotions. To be worthwhile. the
story must be worth telling and the
emotions sincere. But, still, it is a
form of speech.
The painting of The Trojan
Horse" in the Corcoran Gallery is a
vivid presentation and one which,
once seen, is not easily forgotten. 1t
is night, but there is sufficient light
for the huge horse to cast sha-
dow on the high wall near which it
stands, also for the observer to see
the warriors descending from its
back by means of rope ladder and
stealthily creeping doGn the stair
way leading to the heart of the city.
In the foreground, to the right, is
the body of one of the slain sentin-
els. Above, in the heavens, certain
stars look down calmly upon the
scene OF treachery. In the center OF
the composition, the wooden horse
looms large and statuesque, Obvious
". this is an illustrative painting;
but technically, it is extremely well
rendered and subjectively OF con-
tinuing interest,
The Franco-Prussian War took
place in 1901. so at the time the
Trojan Horse was painted, the
artists of Paris were still war
minded. Another and perhaps more
striking evidence of this fact may
be found in Detailles painting OF
THE Passing Regiment" dated
1878, shown in the Paris Exposition
End then in an exhibition in Brus-
sells from which it was purchased Tor
the Corcoran Gallery. Detallle was,
1t Is said, a favorite pupil OF Mes
sonnier, but his manner of painting
was never so meticulous as that OF
his master. In his early EOS when
the Franco-Prussian War broke out.
he was called to the colors ana
served throughout hostllltles as
secretary first to Gen. Payol and
later to Gen. Appert. IL was Cilu'
that he attained flrst-hand know
ledge of warfare. which later en-
abled him to become the foremost
military painter in France. II not
in all Europe. Among the hrst-llne
officers in The Passing Regiment
Detaille has painted himself, In
this work, therefore, we have pic
torial representation Of an hlstori-
cal event and a portrait OF the artist
War Was Popular.
There was much similarity be-
tween the Franco-Prussian War and
the recent conflict between France
and Germany. Lessons which should
have been learned then seem to
have been forgotten. The picture
of THE Passing Regiment brings
them back. Then, as OF late, France
was comparatively unprepared, and
unaware of the fact; the French
army was encircled; Sedan fell;
then Paris; Alsace and Lorraine
were lost: but in the beginning the
war was popular with the French
49, ~1riv,,ay,tc noccinC