better adapted for sculpture, no work could be expressed in a more perfect manner, and the whole bears a touching aspect of grace, melancholy, and mystery. Some experienced matrons have objected to the manner in which the children are lying, as being somewhat dangerous for them, and one which no fond mother of the present day would think of adopting. It should, however, in justice to the artist be remembered that this is the first cradle, and that Eve's experience was necessarily somewhat limited. A fine spirited group of the "Chase," and a beautiful and charming work, "Modesty and Love," also by M. Debay, will not pass unnoticed. "Cupid Captive" is one of the most poetically conceived groups in the court. Look at the quiet assumption of power in the beautiful Psyche, the young Cupid is held in gentle captivity by the foot and a single finger; see the unwillingness with which the little god of love submits to the bondage of his lovely and graceful captor. The design is graceful and delicate in the extreme, and the whole of the lines harmonize together in most elegant form. It is the production of M. Fraikin of Brussels, a sculptor who possesses as great a reputation among his fellow artists in Belgium as with amateurs and the public in general. Venus with the Doves" is another exquisite work by the same artist, and the principal figure affords admirable evidence of his great ability and success in giving to female figures great beauty of form, and lifelike expression. L'amour au berceau," or "Cupid in his cradle,' Psyche," and a "Roman peasant woman,' are works also by M. Fraikin, which will appeal to the sympathies of visitors of all 66 ages. 66 دو دو Malibran."-The statue of this celebrated vocalist, from her tomb at Lacken, near Brussels, was designed by M. Geefs. The feet of the figure appear to be just parting from earth, the robes scem already to have begun to float in air, and the soul-beaming face of the ascending Malibran is suffused with a radiant expression of screnity and beatific pleasure. The original statue in the churchyard of Lacken is protected by a building something in the form of a light summer house; and the monument, lighted by a glazed roof, is seen through the iron grating of the door. "Venus disarming Cupid" is one of the most admirable of the works of Pradier, the most successful of French sculptors. His statue of Phryne, the exquisite impersonation of a degraded woman, beautiful but fallen, received from the jurors of the late Great Exhibition the award of a council medal. The same beauty of feature, subtle refinement of form, and graceful attitude which distinguished Phryne, prevail, to a great extent, in the principal figure of the present group. Cyparis" and "Cupid taking a Butterfly from a Rose," by M. Chaudet; "Eurydice," by M. Manteuil; "Venus at the Bath," by M. Allegrini; "Innocence," by M. M. Ramey, fils; "Modesty," by M. Cartelier; a fine figure of a Mower" with his scythe, by. 66 M. Guilliome; and a "Dancing Fawn," by M. Fontaine, are each and all admirable specimens of the works of some of the best of modern French sculptors. 99 66 وو Of Italian casts, a large proportion are from the works of the celebrated Canova. A "Sleeping Lion," a " Weeping Magdalen," a charming Vase, a splendid group of "Mars and Venus," a Venus "The Three Graces,' leaving the Bath," 'Terpsichore,' Venus and Adonis," and "Paris," whose love for the beauteous Helen caused the Trojan war, were some of the happiest and most successful of the works executed by this great sculptor, and they are worthy of comparison with any of the most famous works of antiquity. "The Dying Ishmael."-Though a painful subject, is undoubtedly one of great talent, and reflects great credit upon M. Strazza, The original of this cast, shown in the Great Exhibition, attracted a more than ordinary share of attention. There is a cast of a fine figure of a "Mendicant," by the same sculptor. "The First Step."-This beautiful specimen of picturesque sculpture will not fail to receive very general admiration. The graceful and natural incident so charmingly represented, awakens at once all the pleasing sympathies of human nature; while in an artistic point of view the manner in which the difficulties of depicting successfully an every-day costume, in a material universally employed for classic forms, have been overcome, can only be fully appreciated by those who are aware of the serious obstacles with which Pietro Magin, the sculptor of this work, had to contend. M. Magin is still very young, and the present work may be looked upon as the artist's "First Step"-certainly full of promise, and in Milan both the work and the talented artist are exceedingly popular. A small figure of a child sewing is treated in the same successful manner by this rising artist; and in the figure of David M. Magin has also achieved another success. Among the other Italian works deserving of notice, are a "Hunter with his Horn," by Vetty, of Rome; Charity" and Prayer," by Bartolini; "The Prodigal Son," by Sangiorgio; a Greek statue, by Rosettí; and "Melpomene," by Rinaldi. 66 THE HISTORICAL PORTRAIT GALLERY. From the productions of the principal artists of England, Germany, France, and Italy, the visitor will proceed to examine a fine collection-the first ever attempted to be made in this country-of the busts and statues of the most famous and illustrious persons of all ages and all nations. Germany has its Walhalla for 66 noble Germans, France has a splendid collection of national portraits and busts; but, in this country, no collection of the sort has yet been attempted. The Crystal Palace is a realization, to a great extent, of the New Atlantis" of Lord Bacon-of "Solomon's House, or the College of the Six Days' Work," described as the noblest foundation that ever existed on earth, and "the lanthorn of that Utopian commonwealth. It was described as founded for the obtaining of knowledge, and "the enlarging of the bounds of human empire to the effecting of all things possible." Solomon's House possessed, like the Crystal Palace, its high towers, its cascades, its engines, its gardens, parks, and enclosures of all kinds, for all sorts of birds and beasts. But it contained also " a long and fair gallery filled with the statues and portraits of all great inventors and worthy men, for the people of the New Atlantis paid great honour to inventors, and upon every invention of value they erected a statue, and gave a liberal reward to the inventor." Wise and happy people! How many illustrious men, who in this country have had the misfortune to be possessed of an inventive mind, would have sailed to those shores with the productions of their inventive genius, rather than have lived in penury, or have died in wretchedness in their native land! The worthies of ancient times have been pointed out in the vicinity of the courts devoted to the illustration of Greek and Roman art. The great men of mediæval and later times could not, however, conveniently be arranged in proximity to the architectural courts, and they are, therefore, arranged around the large transept in the vicinity of the Modern Sculpture Courts. Passing from the French and Italian Sculpture Courts, the visitor is at once introduced to the illustrious men of France and Italy. We will commence with FRANCE. Among the royal personages whose busts or statues appear in this gallery, taking them in chronological order, are Francis the First, the great patron of art and literature, the companion of Erasmus, the patron of Cellini, and the friend who received the last dying breath of Leonardo da Vinci. He succeeded Louis XII., 1515, and died in 1547. Next in chronological order is Henry II., son of Francis 1., born in 1518, succeeded to the throne, 1547, and died, 1559, of a wound accidentally received at a tournament. Charles IX., second son of Henry II., ascended the throne, 1560, when eleven years of age, and died, 1573, aged 24. Henry III., third son of Henry II., born at Fontainbleau, 1551, became king of France, 1573. He was assassinated at St. Cloud, by Jacques Clement, a fanatical Dominican monk. With Henry III. ceased the Valois dynasty. Henry IV., son of the Queen of Navarre, was born 1553, he became King of Navarre, 1572, and after a long siege of Paris was acknowledged King of France 1594. He was assassinated by Ravaillac, 1610. Next, in order of time, is Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip of Spain, born 1602; married at 13 years of age to Louis XIII. of France, and died in the 62nd year of her age. Louis XIV., whose reign was remarkable alike for its splendour and prodigality, became King of France in 1648, when five years of age. He died 1715, aged 77. Louis XV., the great grandson of Louis XIV., was born 1710, commenced his reign 1723, and died 1764: Madame Du Barry, celebrated mistress of Louis XIV., born 1744, and was executed by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris, 1793. Marie Antoinette, the beautiful queen of Louis XVI., daughter of Francis, Emperor of Germany, and Maria Theresa of Austria, was born at Vienna, 1755, married the Dauphin, grandson of Louis XV., 1774. Beheaded on the 16th Oct. 1793, at 38 years of age, during the French Revolution. Napoleon Buonaparte, born at Ajaccio, in Corsica, Aug. 15, 1769; First Consul of France, Aug. 2, 1802; Emperor of France, Dec. 2, 1804; abdicated in favour of his son, April 4, 1814; escaped from Elba, Feb. 26, 1815; defeated at Waterloo, June 18, 1815; surrendered himself to the British, July 15, 1815; landed at St. Helena, Oct. 16, 1815. Died, May 5, 1821, and his body was removed to the Invalides, at Paris, Dec. 15, 1840. The more celebrated statesmen and ministers of France include The marshals, great generals, and admirals of France are represented by the illustrious Bayard, without fear and without reproach, who died in 1524; and Admiral Coligny, who was shot at the massacre of St. Bartholomew, in 1572. |