Year: 1875

LETTER FROM T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE.
THE SANDERS AGAINST AMERICAN ARTISTS IN
TTALY-THE RECENT LIBEL SUIT AT FLORENCE


CoMPLExlTY OF THE QUESTION INvoLvED-THE
ARTISTS vINDICATED.


IRON REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TuBUsE]


ROME Nov. 1.-THE result of a criminal trial
which has just taken place at Florence, makes it
necessary for to call the attention of the readers
of TIE TRIBUNE to a subject of personal nature
which might otherwise have been LETT to the oblivion
to which il would have been agreeable To con-
sign it, The accusations which were brought some
time ago against large number of American scup-
tors residing in Florence and in Rome viii not, how
ever have been forgotten and ii is essential to the
honor of the American name in Europe, TO American
art and to the world of art lovers and purchasers i'll
America that the last phase of this matter in which
it has just eliminated should be correctly known
among your readers. Rumors more or less obscure
of such accusations had been heard for some time,
but had excited little attention in Italy, where the
absurdity Of them was well known to most Of those
who heard them. Bat in the Spring of last year
some letters in the columns of of your
contemporaries contained specific charges against
some of the best known and most highly
esteemed American artists in Italy, which it was
absolutely necessary to take notice Of Mr. W. w.
Story and Miss Hosmer, among others, were the
objects of these charges They were, briefly, to the
effect that these artists impostors and charla
tans that they not in reality the creators of
the works which had gained for them reputation
and emOlument; that they were in fact incapable of
producing such works, which were in truth and
reality the work of the Italian subordinates who
were employed in their studios. In the case of the
two artists named all such malignant nonsense
might have been well left to the appreciation which
the good Of the public would not have failed
to form of it. Nevertheless, many who were made
indignant at the calumniOus nature of such accusa-
tions spoke out loudly and las it was think, felt
at the time in England and in Italy as well as IN
Amerca) efcaciously on the subject. But there
were other and younger artists, especially at Flor
ence, from which city the accusations primarily
emanated, who naturally had less assurance that
these calumnies might not very seriously injure
them.


Those who have ever visited sculptor's studio,
and who are familiar with the methods by which
the works sent out thence produced, will compre-
hend at once that the accusations IN question were
Of peculiarly insidious character, and from their
nature difficult to be satisfactorily dealt with. No
scuptor-in these days at least attempts to hew by
his own unaided hands his statue from the marble
block. Whether and to what degree the medieval
scuptors did so seems to be question very diihcut
TO be decided. Modern artists indeed working with
pen, brush, and chsel, have represented to US MI
chael Angelo chisel and mallet in hand, attacking
the wide block of marble fresh from the quarry.
But if such representations reproduce real fact,
one but say that the great artist was cutting
blocks with razorn-was expendng on labor that
might have been equally well done by very in
feior hand the time and the energy that might have
been so much better employed. But let the ancient
practice have been as it may, modern economy of
time, of life, and of brain-power has made it an
universal practice for sculptor to avail
himself of the assistance of skilled but
merely mechanical labor in the production
of statuafy. IL would not be difficult, but
it would take space and time, and trouble your
readers needessly to draw with some exactness the
line which separates that which true artist in
marble does and ought to do with his own hand,
from that which may properly and judiciousy be
intrIIsted to a subordinate. 1t Will be sufficient to
say-what indeed will occur to every reader-that
all that relates to tho conception OF the statue ana
the artistic by which this conception is to be
communicated to the minds of those who see 1t,
must be the work of the artist exclusively lie may
avail himself in short of the hands but not of the
IMAGINATION or creative mental power of another.
But the universal practice in this respect of the
scuptors at Florence and at Rome has brought into
existence race of workmen who, to very high
degree of skill in the manipulation OF the marble,
add no small amount of yeritable artistic talent.
They are men of whom 1t is not primd fdce absurd
ity to say that this or that one among them may
have produced this or that work Of high art. The
fact therefore, that such has not been the case in
the instances in which it has been charged can only
beproved by the assertion of the artist himself, by
the observation Of those who have been in the habit
of visiting his studio aud watching the progress
of his works. land it is 10 be remarked that 1t Is
the habit of the country that studios should be
open to such visitors, and by the certainty that
man who was capable of himself producing fine
artistic work would not be content 70 remain IN the
position of a workman, receiving JourneyInans
wages To this may he added, was very re-
markably shown in the trial. which has just come
TO a conclusions the testimony of the persons so en-
poyed themselves.


OF course 10 Italian court could take any oogn-
zance OF aught that an American had written IN an
American journal. But Mr. Stephen Weston iiealy
had written series of letters in paper called the
Jourisfe which is printed and published in Italy,
containing reiterated repetitons of the calumnies


for such the result of the trial gives the right to
call them) complained of. And he thus became
amenable to Italian law. Among those most yio-
lenty attacked was Mr.. Connolly of Florence a young
SCULPTOR of much talent, several Of whose works
have already marked MIN as decidedly rising man,
but who seems to have felt that he was still too
young man to treat such accusations against his
honor as a man and his fame an artist with the
contempt that well beftted older men. So he
brought an action against his defamer for calumny
And the result of the trial just brought to con-
cluson at Florence has unquestionably placed tho
whole body of his fellow-arists under an obligation
to him.


The Italian law in case Of this kind does not al
low the defender to plead justification. 1t is no
answer. therefore, to say that the injurious asser
tions nut forward are true. But Mr.. Connolly and