Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects and Curiosities of Art (Vol. 3 of 3) by S. Spooner (best ebook reader under 100 TXT) 📖

In the cabinet of the

Grand Duke of Tuscany is a set of twelve medals of Antonius Pius, each

with one of the signs of the Zodiac on the reverse, and part of another

set, eight in number with as many of the labors of Hercules.

 

 

 

 

RESTORING ANCIENT EDIFICES.

 

 

As in comparative anatomy it is easy, from a single bone, to designate

and describe the animal to which it belonged, so in architecture it is

easy to restore, by a few fragments, any ancient building. In

consequence of the known simplicity and regularity of most antique

edifices, the task of restoration, by means of drawings and models, is

much less difficult than might be supposed. The ground work, or some

sufficient parts of it, commonly extant, shows the length and breadth of

the building, with the positions of the walls, doors and columns. A

single column, or part of a column, whether standing or fallen, with a

fragment of the entablature, furnishes data from which the remainder of

the colonnade and the height of the edifice can be made out. A single

stone from the cornice of the pediment, is sufficient to give the angle

of inclination, and consequently the height of the roof. In this way the

structure of many beautiful edifices has been accurately determined,

when in so ruinous a state as scarcely to have left one stone upon

another.

 

 

 

 

NAPOLEON'S LOVE OF ART.

 

 

Napoleon was not only a true lover of art, but an excellent connoisseur.

He did more to elevate the arts and sciences in France than all the

monarchs together who had preceded him. It was a part of his policy to

honor and reward every man of genius, no matter what his origin, and

thus to develop the intellect of his country. He foresaw the advantage

of making Paris the great centre of art; therefore he did not hesitate

to transport from the countries he conquered, the most renowned and

valuable works of ancient and modern times. "Paris is Rome; Paris is now

the great centre of art," said he to Canova in 1810, when that great

sculptor visited Paris at his command, and whom he endeavored to

persuade to permanently remain in his service. West, after his return to

England from Paris, where he had had several interviews with Bonaparte,

expressed his admiration of the man in such warm terms as offended the

officials of the government, and caused such opposition, that he deemed

it proper to resign the President's chair in the Royal Academy. The

truth is, it was not the conqueror, as the English pretended, but his

exalted ideas of the arts, and of their value to a country, which

captivated West, whose peaceful tenets led him to abhor war and

devastation.

 

Napoleon's enlightened policy is also seen in those stupendous works

published by the French government, as the _Description de l'Egypte, ou

Recueil des Observationes et des Recherches pendant l'Expedition de

l'Armée Français_, 25 vols. in elephant folio. This work corresponds in

grandeur of its proportions to the edifices and monuments which it

describes. Everything that zeal in the cause of science, combined with

the most extensive knowledge, had been able to collect in a land

abounding in monuments of every kind, and in the rarest curiosities, is

described and illustrated in this work by a committee of savans

appointed for the purpose. It contains more than 900 engravings, and

3000 illustrative sketches. The Musée Français, and the Musée Royal,

containing 522 plates, after the gems of the world, are not less grand

and magnificent, and far more valuable contributions to art. These will

be described in a subsequent page. Such was Napoleon; deprive him of

every other glory, his love of art, and what he did for its promotion,

and the adornment of his country, would immortalize his name.

 

Napoleon delighted to spend some of his leisure moments in contemplating

the master pieces of art which he had gathered in the Louvre, and that

he might go there when he pleased, without parade, he had a private

gallery constructed leading to that edifice from the Tuilleries. (See

Spooner's Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, and Architects,

articles West, David, Denon, Canova, etc., and vol i., page

8, of this work.)

 

 

 

 

NAPOLEON'S WORKS AT PARIS.

 

 

"The emperor was, most indisputably, the monarch who contributed in the

greatest degree to the embellishment of Paris. How many establishments

originated under his reign! nevertheless, on beholding them, the

observer has but a faint idea of all he achieved; since every principal

city of the empire witnessed alike the effects of his munificence and

grandeur of mind; the streets were widened, roads constructed and canals

cut; even the smallest towns experienced improvements, the result of

that expanded genius which was daily manifested. I shall, therefore,

content myself by placing before the reader a mere sketch of the works

achieved at Paris; for were it requisite to give a catalogue of all the

monuments erected during his reign, throughout the French empire, a

series of volumes would be required to commemorate those multifarious

labors."--_Ireland_.

 

 

_Palaces._

 

The Louvre was completely restored, which a succession of French

monarchs had not been able to accomplish. The Palace of the Luxembourg

equally embellished throughout, as well in the interior as the exterior,

and its gardens replanted. The Exchange founded. The Palace of the

University reconstructed, as well as the Gallery uniting the Palace of

the Tuilleries to that of the Louvre.

 

 

_Fountains._

 

The situation of the Fountain of the Innocents changed, and the whole

reërected; that of Saint Sulpicius; of the Four Nations; of Desaix in

the Place Dauphine; of Gros-Caillon; of the Quay de L'Ecole; of the

Bridge of Saint Eustatius; of the Rue Ceusder; of the Rue Popincourt; of

the Chateau D'Eau; of the Square of the Chatelet; of the Place Notre

Dame; of the Temple; and of the Elephant, in the Place of the Bastille.

 

 

_Acqueducts._

 

The subterranean acqueducts were constructed, which convey the water of

the Canal de L'Ourcq throughout the different quarters of Paris, from

whence a vast number of small fountains distribute them in every

direction, to refresh the streets during the summer season, and to

cleanse them in the winter; these same channels being also formed to

receive the waters which flow from the gutters in the streets.

 

 

_Markets._

 

That of the Innocents, the largest in Paris; the Jacobins, where

formerly stood the monastery of that name, and during the heat of the

revolution, the club so called; the Valley for the sale of Poultry; the

Market of Saint Joseph; the Halle for the sale of Wines; the Market of

Saint Martin; that of Saint Germain, and of Saint Jacques-la-Boucherie.

 

_Slaughter Houses._

 

Those of the Deux Moulins; of the Invalids; of Popincourt; of Miromeuil,

and of Les Martyrs.

 

As the killing of animals, for the consumption of Paris, within the

confines of the city, was deemed not only unwholesome, but very

disgusting, these buildings were erected by order of Napoleon, and have

proved of the greatest utility. The edifices are very spacious,

containing all the requisites for the purpose intended, and being also

placed in different directions and without the barriers of the city, the

eyes of the inhabitants are no longer disgusted by beholding those

torrents of blood which formerly inundated the streets, and which, in

the summer season, produced an effluvia not only disgusting to the

smell, but highly detrimental to the health of the population of the

city.

 

 

_Watering Places for Animals._

 

That of the School of Medicine, a superb marble structure, together with

the Abreuvoir of the Rue L'Egout, Saint Germain.

 

 

_Public Granary, or Halle du Blé._

 

Necessity gave rise to the noble plan of this stupendous fabric, the

idea of which was taken from the people of antiquity.

 

 

_Boulevard._

 

That called Bourdon was formed, occupying the environs of the spot where

the Bastille stood.

 

_Bridges._

 

Those of the Arts; of the City; of Austerlitz; and of Jena.

 

 

_Triumphal Arches._

 

The Carousel; the Etoile; and the Arch of Louis XIV., restored.

 

 

_Quays._

 

Those of Napoleon; of Flowers; of Morland; and of Caténat.

 

 

_The Column of Austerlitz._

 

Situated in the centre of the Place Vendôme, formed of the brass

produced from the cannon which were taken from the Austrians during the

memorable campaign of 1805.

 

 

_Place de Victoires._

 

In the middle of this square was erected a colossal bronze statue of the

gallant General Desaix, who nobly fell at the battle of Marengo, when

leading to the charge a body of cavalry, which decided the fate of that

desperate conflict; this tribute, however, to the memory of the brave,

was removed by order of the Bourbons, on their first restoration.

 

 

_Squares._

 

In the middle of the Place Royale a fine basin has been constructed,

from whence plays a magnificent piece of water; the Squares of the

Apport de Paris; of the Rotunda; and of Rivoli.

 

 

_The Pantheon._

 

The pillars supporting the vast dome of this lofty pile, which had long

threatened the overthrow of the structure were replaced, and the

tottering foundations rendered perfect and solid.

 

 

_The Hotel Dieu._

 

The whole façade of this immense Hospital was reconstructed.

 

 

_The Canal de L'Ourcq._

 

This grand undertaking was rendered navigable, and the basin, sluices,

&c. completely finished.

 

 

 

 

THE NAPOLEON MEDALS.

 

 

Of the numerous means employed to commemorate the achievements of

Napoleon, the public buildings and monuments of France bear ample

witness. Indeed, Bonaparte's name and fame are so engrafted with the

arts and literature of France, that it would be impossible for the

government to erase the estimation in which he is held by the French

people.

 

_A series of medals in bronze_, nearly one hundred and thirty in number,

struck at different epochs of his career, exist, each in celebration of

the prowess of the French army, or of some great act of his government:

a victory, a successful expedition, the conquest of a nation, the

establishment of a new state, the elevation of some of his family, or

his own personal aggrandizement.

 

The medal commemorative of the _battle of Marengo_ bears, on one side, a

large bunch of keys, environed by two laurel branches; and, on the

reverse, Bonaparte, as a winged genius, standing on a dismounted cannon

to which four horses are attached upon the summit of Mount St. Bernard,

urges their rapid speed, with a laurel branch in one hand, whilst he

directs the reins with the other.

 

That on the _peace of Luneville_ is two inches and a quarter in

diameter, with the head of the first consul in uncommonly bold relief;

the device, as mentioned in another place, is the sun arising in

splendor upon that part of the globe which represents France, and which

is overshadowed by laurels, whilst a cloud descends and obscures Great

Britain.

 

The commencement of hostilities by England, after the _peace of Amiens_,

is designated by the English leopard tearing a scroll, with the

inscription, _Le Traité d'Amiens Rompu par l'Angleterre en Mai de l'An_

1803; on the reverse, a winged female figure in breathless haste forcing

on a horse at full speed, and holding a laurel crown, inscribed,

_L'Hanovre occupé var l'Armée Francaise en Juin de l'An_ 1803; and

beneath, _Frappée avec l'Argent des Mines d'Hanovre, l'An 4 de

Bonaparte_.

 

His medal, on assuming the purple, has his portrait, _Napoleon

Empereur_, by Andrieu, who executed nearly all the portraits on his

medals; on the reverse, he is in his imperial robes, elevated by two

figures, one armed, inscribed, _Le Senat et le Peuple_.

 

The _battle of Austerlitz_ has, on the reverse, simply a thunderbolt,

with a small figure of Napoleon, enrobed and enthroned on the upper end

of the shaft of the thunder.

 

In 1804, he struck a medal with a Herculean figure on the reverse,

confining the head of the English leopard between his knees, whilst

preparing a cord to strangle him, inscribed _En l'An XII. 2000 barques

sont construites_;--this was in condemnation of the invasion and

conquest of England.

 

The reverse of the medal on the _battle of Jena_ represents Napoleon on

an eagle in the clouds, as warring with giants on the earth, whom he

blasts with thunderbolts.

 

The medal on the _Confederation of the Rhine_ has, for its reverse,

numerous warriors in ancient armor, swearing with their right hands on

an altar, formed of an immense fasces, with the imperial eagle

projecting from it.

 

Not the least characteristic of the series is a medal, with the usual

head _Napoleon Emp. et Roi_, on the exergue, with this remarkable

reverse, a throne, with the imperial robes over the back and across the

sceptre, which is in the chair; before the throne is a table, with

several crowns, differing in shape and dignity, and some sceptres with

them lying upon it; three crowns are on the ground, one broken and two

upside down; an eagle with a fasces hovers in the air; the inscription

is, _Souverainetés donnés_ M.DCCCVI.

 

The reverses of the last four in succession, struck during the reign of

Napoleon, are, 1. The _Wolga_, rising with astonishment from his bed at

the sight of the French eagle; 2. A representation of _la Bataille de la

Moskowa, 7 Septembre, 1812_; 3. _A view of Moscow_, with the French flag

flying on the Kremlin, and an ensign of the