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executed by Mr. G. A. Stevens, a gentleman whose long studies in Italy have made him fully acquainted with the details, remarkable in all the Raffaelesque frescoes, and that facility of handling" by which alone successful reproductions of such work can be obtained. Beneath this ceiling is placed a copy of the chef d'œuvre of the sculptures of Benvenuto Cellini,—the head of Perseus, a work the casting of which was attended with so much difficulty and vexation as nearly to have cost the life of the artist; and Cellini narrates in his memoirs, how his patron calling upon him shortly after the completion of the statue, and requiring him to commence some other work, the pious and overjoyed artist shed tears of joy, and, kissing the hem of his excellency's garment, said to him, "My most noble lord, liberal patron of the arts, and of those that cultivate them, I beg it as a favour of your excellency, that you would_give_me_leave to retire for a week to return thanks to the Supreme Being, for I know how hard I have worked, and am sensible that my faith has prevailed with God to grant me this assistance. On account of this and every other miraculous succour afforded me by the Divine power, I propose going on a pilgrimage for a week to express my acknowledgments to the Eternal Being who ever assists those who sincerely call upon him." The only cast which was ever allowed to be taken of this extraordinary work of art, was one, the permission for which was granted by the Grand Duke of Tuscany to the Duke of Sutherland, under whose directions a fac-simile was taken. This fac-simile was completed with the greatest care, and finished by the most careful and closest comparison with the original statue. By the kind permission of his Grace the cast in this court has been taken.

In front of the vestibule is placed the charming monument of the Madonna della Scarpa, from the chapel of Sanzeno, adjoining the baptistry in the Cathedral of St. Mark at Venice. This statue is considered as the finest of existing Venetian bronzes, excepting, perhaps, the beautiful doors of Sansovino placed in the choir of the same cathedral, and the copy of which has already been noticed.

MEDIEVAL FINE ART COURT.

NEXT in order to the Italian or latest revival of antique art, is an open court abutting on the great transept, which is occupied by the chefs d'œuvres of the works of Christian art, from its earliest to its latest development. On the opposite side of the nave, in a corresponding part of the building, is a similar court, occupied by some of the finest works of ancient and pagan art. These beautiful works of all times and all ages are placed amidst a fine collection of orange trees, purchased by the directors in Paris, and the combination of statuary with these graceful and beautiful trees, presents a striking resemblance to the style of decoration adopted in the gardens of the Tuilleries, the pleasing effect of which cannot have escaped the notice of all persons who have visited Paris. At the smaller angles of the nave and transept, cool and refreshing ices will be obtained by the visitor, who by this time will probably feel in a condition to be grateful to the considerate attention of the directors in thus providing the means of recruiting exhausted nature.

The most ancient of the works which occupy a place in the chefs d'œuvres court of Christian art are some curious Irish antiquities. Among these are a stone cross from the market place of Tuam, erected by Turlogh O'Connor, King of Ireland, and Edam O'Hoisin, Comharha of St. Jarlath, in the beginning of the twelfth century. There are four inscriptions on the cross, two on the base and two on the shaft, soliciting the prayers of the faithful for the founder and the artist of the cross. By its side is another richly and elaborately carved cross from Monasterboice, the seat of a ruined abbey, about four miles from Drogheda; and a small circular stone cross, from Kilerispeen, near Kilkenny, which tradition states was erected in memory of Neill Callan, one of the early kings of the country, who was drowned in one of the neighbouring rivers while humanely endeavouring to rescue one of his humbler followers from a watery grave.

There is also a cast from the celebrated brass pillar which originally stood in the court of the Cathedral of Hildershein. It is ornamented with not less than twenty-nine groups in relief, representing various incidents in the life of Christ, which wind round the column in a spiral manner, similar to the decorations on the famous monuments of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius at Rome. The capital of the column has unfortunately been destroyed. Bishop Bernward, who lived in the eleventh century, was one of the most munificent patrons of the Church, and with excellent taste he devoted himself to the decoration of the ecclesiastical edifices of the time. The curious bronze doors of Hildershein

shown in the Byzantine court, were an instance of his liberality and good taste, and they are almost the earliest instance of bronze doors with decorated panels, those previously constructed consisting of plain panels without any figures whatever. The good Bishop Bernward was in the habit of working himself upon many of the objects of decoration, and there is still preserved in the Church of St. Mary at Hildershein, a fine gold cross richly ornamented by him with filagree work and precious stones; there are also two very fine lamps, the inscription upon which shows that they were the work of some of the pupils of the artloving prelate. About this period, the desire to ornament the churches was very prevalent among the heads of the Church, and Archbishop Willigis showed his interest in such matters by presenting to the church of St. Mary, in addition to a vast quantity of gold and silver vessels and rich tapestry, an immense crucifix, the cross of which was entirely overlaid with gold plates; and the figure, also in gold, was so formed that the different limbs could be separated; the eyes were of large carbuncles, and the cavity of the body, larger than life size, was used to contain the holy relics. The weight of the gold in this work was not less than 600 lbs. One of the columns from the Doge's Palace at Venice, is an admirable representation of the style of Byzantine art which prevailed in the early part of the Christian era. The early style of monumental art in this country, is illustrated by the beautiful tomb of Bishop Bridport, from Salisbury-the finest specimen of early English work in this country. There is in this compartment a cast of the exquisite monument known as that of the "Lady Abbess,' from the cathedral of Chichester. It was of this work that the great sculptor Flaxman expressed the opinion, that he should be highly gratified if he could look upon any of his own works with the same degree of satisfaction as that with which he looked upon the principal figure in this group. A tomb of one of the priests of the Percy family is also placed in this collection. The tomb of Abbot Wakeman, from Tewkesbury, is an interesting specimen of the perpendicular style of Gothic art. Two colossal figures of the Virgin, from the cathedral of Chartres in France, are fine specimens of medieval sculpture; and the large figures of St. Philip and St. Andrew, from the gateway of the Bishop's Palace at Peterborough, are the finest specimens we possess of English art applied to sculpture. There are in this court also fine specimens of the Renaissance works of England, France, Germany, and Italy.

THE GREAT TRANSEPT.

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On the opposite side of the nave, in the court of ancient art, the principal figure is the splendid group of the Farnese Bull, and several of the finest of Grecian sculptures. Conspicuous in the nave, is the work known as the Lantern of Demosthenes," or

the choragic monument of Lysicrates. Mr. Henry Cook, in some interesting accounts of the present state of the monuments of Greece, published a short time since in the Art Journal, has the following remarks upon this work of art :

"A proof of the varied character of the Athenian architectural intellect, may be found in the exquisite model, the Lantern of Demosthenes, or, as it is more properly called, the choragic monument of Lysicrates. It is, in common with the greater number of Grecian remains, of Pentelic marble. By whomsoever conceived, designed, or executed, this must have been a labour of love; and the result is such as might be anticipated from the consequent development of the highest powers of one to whom a people like the Athenians would entrust the task of doing honour to those who had paid to their native land a similar tribute. It is small, and formed of a few immense masses; the roof is one entire block; the temple or monument itself is circular, and is formed of six slabs of pure white marble, the joints of which are concealed by an equal number of beautiful Corinthian columns, partly imbedded into, and partly projecting from them. These have been fitted with such exactness, that before the 'fretting hand of time and change' had done its work, the whole must have appeared as if cut from one solid mass. Thanks to chance, we have this single example left, of a class of buildings once so numerous, that they formed an entire street." Its protection was due to the erection over it of an hospice, which alone saved it from the ruin of its companions. The removal of this structure has permitted this exquisite result of intellect and refined taste to be once more exhibited to the admiring gaze of travellers.

Placed by the side of this monument of Greek art are the famous Montecavello horses, by many persons supposed to represent the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, the sons of Jupiter and Leda. These two famous brothers cleared the Hellespont and the neighbouring seas from pirates, for which good service they were always esteemed the best friends of navigation. Castor distinguished himself greatly in the management of horses, and Pollux, after having slain Amycus in combat, was promoted to the honour of the god and patron of boxing and wrestling. In the expedition in search of the "golden fleece,” and during a violent tempest, two flames of fire were seen to play around the heads of the twin brothers, the storm immediately ceased, and the sea became calm; and the sailors of the present day look with interest upon the twin fires which tell of fair and foul weather. A curious arrangement was made by Jupiter at the request of Pollux, that Castor, who had been killed, should share his immortality, under which the fond brothers alternately lived and died every day; and their fraternal love was rewarded by Jove by making them constellations in heaven, under the name of "Gemini," which stars never appear together, but each alternately rises and sets. Rumours were freouently spread that Castor and Pollux had made their appearance

to the Roman armies, and at the head of the conquering legions had furiously attacked the enemy. White lambs were the offerings usually made to these deities, who were represented riding side by side, mounted on white steeds, armed with spears, their heads covered with a kind of bonnet, on the top of which glittered a radiant star.

There is, near the transept, a colossal equestrian figure of Bartolomeo Coleoni, a soldier of fortune. He was born in the year 1400, and died in 1475. His career may be appropriately told in the following amusing lines:

"Listen, gentles, while I tell,

How this knight in fortune fell.
Lands nor vineyards had he none,
Jousts and war his living won:
Well on horseback could he prance,
Boldly could he break a lance;
Well he knew each warlike use.
But there came a time of truce,
Peaceful was the land around,
Nowhere heard a trumpet sound:
Rust the shield and faulchion hid,
Joust and tourney were forbid;
All his means of living gone,
Ermine mantle he had none;
And in pawn had long been laid,
Cap and mantle of brocade;
Harness rich, and charger stout,
All were eat and drunken out."

Beneath the noble arched roof of the transept are also placed the equestrian figures of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and other objects of interest. The exact height of this noble roof, from the spot on which the visitor stands is 176 feet 7 inches, including the open louvre work at the top. The highest point of the arch which spans the area is 168 feet 7 inches; the radius of the roof is 60 feet, and it springs from a height of 108 feet 7 inches. The length included within the building is 360 feet, which is extended at the park front a further distance of 24 feet, by an open corridor. The highest point of the transept roof in the gardenfront, measured from the ground, is 200 feet 2 inches, the height of the basement floor being 23 feet 7 inches.

THE NORTH NAVE.

The visitor will, passing along the north nave, have an opportunity of witnessing the series of façades of the different courts, with the arrangement of the statues and flowers in the front, a

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