Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects, and Curiosities of Art (Vol. 3 of 3)
AUTHOR OF A BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE FINE ARTS.
NEW YORK: R. WORTHINGTON, Publisher, 770 Broadway.
COPYRIGHT, S. SPOONER, 1853. Reëntered, G. B., 1880.
Champollion, the famous explorer of Egyptian antiquities, holds the following language at the end of his fifteenth letter, dated at Thebes. It is evident to me, as it must be to all who have thoroughly examined Egypt or have an accurate knowledge of the Egyptian monuments existing in Europe, that the arts commenced in Greece by a servile imitation of the arts in Egypt, much more advanced than is vulgarly believed, at the period when the Egyptian colonies came in contact with the savage inhabitants of Attica or the Peloponnesus. Without Egypt, Greece would probably never have become the classical land of the fine arts. Such is my entire belief on this great problem. I write these lines almost in the presence of bas-reliefs which the Egyptians executed, with the most elegant delicacy of workmanship, seventeen hundred years before the Christian era. What were the Greeks then doing?
The sculptures of the monument of El Asaffif are ascertained to be more than three thousand five hundred years old.
Thebes, an ancient city and capital of Egypt, and the oldest city in the world, was situated in Upper Egypt, on both sides of the Nile, about two hundred and sixty miles south of Cairo. Thebes is the city of a hundred gates, the theme and admiration of ancient poets and historians, and the wonder of travelers— that venerable city, in the language of Dr. Pocoke, the date of whose destruction is older than the foundation of other cities, and the extent of whose ruins, and the immensity of whose colossal fragments still offer so many astonishing objects, that one is riveted to the spot, unable to decide whither to direct the step, or fix the attention. These ruins extend about eight miles along the Nile, from each bank to the sides of the enclosing mountains, and describe a circuit of twenty-seven miles. The most remarkable objects on the eastern side are the temples of Carnac and Luxor; and on the western side are the Memnonium or palace of Memnon, two colossal statues, the sepulchres of the kings, and the temple of Medinet Abu. The glory of Thebes belongs to a period prior to the commencement of authentic history. It is recorded only in the dim lights of poetry and tradition, which might be suspected of fable, did not such mighty witnesses remain to attest their truth. Strabo and Diodorus Siculus described Thebes under the name of Diospolis (the city of God), and gave such magnificent descriptions of its monuments as caused the fidelity of those writers to be called in question, till the observations of modern travelers proved their accounts to have fallen short of the reality. At the time of the Persian invasion under Cambyses, Memphis had supplanted Thebes; and the Ptolemys afterwards removed the seat of empire to Alexandria. At present, its site presents only a few scattered villages, consisting of miserable cottages built in the courts of the temples. The ancient structures, however, remain in a state of wonderful preservation. Almost the whole extent of eight miles along the river is covered with magnificent portals, obelisks decorated with most beautiful sculptures, forests of columns, and long avenues of sphynxes and colossal statues. The most remarkable monuments, the ruins of which remain, are the temples of Carnac, Luxor, the Memnonium or temple of Memnon, and the temple of Medinet Abu. The tomb of Osymandyas, the temple of Iris, the Labyrinth, and the Catacombs lie on the western side of the Nile. In the interior of the mountains which rise behind these monuments, are found objects less imposing and magnificent indeed, but not less interesting—the tombs of the kings of Thebes. Several of these were opened by Belzoni, and were found in great preservation, with mummies in the sarcophagi, as well as dispersed through the chambers.
Shearjashub Spooner
ANECDOTES
OF
PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS
Sculptors and Architects,
CURIOSITIES OF ART.
S. SPOONER, M. D.,
CONTENTS.
ANECDOTES
OF
PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS.
EGYPTIAN ART.
ANCIENT THEBES.
THE TEMPLE OF CARNAC.
TEMPLE OF LUXOR.
THE STATUES OF MEMNON.
HELIOPOLIS.
MEMPHIS.
LAKE MOERIS.
THE COLOSSAL SPHINX.
THE LABYRINTH OF EGYPT
THE CATACOMBS OF EGYPT.
THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT.
PERILOUS ASCENT OF THE PYRAMID OF CEPHREN.
EGYPTIAN OBELISKS.
REMOVAL OF AN OBELISK BY FONTANA.
REMOVAL OF AN OBELISK FROM THEBES TO PARIS.
CARBURI'S BASE FOR THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF PETER THE GREAT.
COMPARATIVE SKILL OF THE ANCIENTS AND MODERNS IN MECHANICS.
THE BRITANNIA TUBULAR RAILWAY BRIDGE.
THE TUBES.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TUBES.
FLOATING OF THE TUBES.
RAISING THE TUBES
GLORY OF ANCIENT ROME.
THE CAPITOL.
MODERN ROME.
THEODORIC THE GREAT, AND HIS LOVE OF THE FINE ARTS.
ARCHIMEDES.
THE TRIALS OF GENIUS.
BRUNELLESCHI'S ENTHUSIASM.
BRUNELLESCHI AND DONATELLO.
DONATELLO.
DONATELLO AND THE MERCHANT.
DONATELLO AND HIS KINSMAN.
DEATH OF DONATELLO.
DONATELLO AND MICHAEL ANGELO COMPARED.
SOFONISBA ANGUISCIOLA'S EARLY DISTINCTION.
SOFONISBA'S VISIT TO SPAIN.
SOFONISBA'S MARRIAGES.
SOFONISBA'S RESIDENCE AT GENOA, AND HER INTERCOURSE WITH VANDYCK.
CARRIERA ROSALBA.
ROSALBA'S MODESTY.
ROSALBA'S KNOWLEDGE OF TEMPERS.
ELIZABETH SIRANI.
DEATH OF ELIZABETH SIRANI.
RACHEL RUYSCH.
SIR ANTHONY VANDYCK.
VANDYCK'S VISIT TO ITALY.
VANDYCK'S RETURN TO ANTWERP.
VANDYCK'S VISIT TO ENGLAND.
WILLIAM VAN DE VELDE, THE ELDER.
VAN DE VELDE AND CHARLES II.
WILLIAM VAN DE VELDE THE YOUNGER.
THE YOUNGER VAN DE VELDE'S WORKS.
NICHOLAS POUSSIN.
POUSSIN'S FIRST CELEBRITY.
POUSSIN'S FIRST VISIT TO ROME.
POUSSIN'S DISTRESS AT ROME.
POUSSIN'S SUCCESS AT ROME.
POUSSIN'S INVITATION TO PARIS.
SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS' CRITIQUE ON POUSSIN.
POUSSIN'S VIEWS OF HIS ART.
POUSSIN'S WORKS.
MARINO AND POUSSIN.
POUSSIN ROMANIZED.
POUSSIN'S HABITS OF STUDY.
POUSSIN'S OLD AGE.
POUSSIN'S LAST WORK AND DEATH.
POUSSIN'S IDEAS OF PAINTING.
POUSSIN AND THE NOBLEMAN.
POUSSIN AND MENGS.
POUSSIN AND DOMENICHINO.
POUSSIN AND SALVATOR ROSA.
POUSSIN, ANGELO, AND RAFFAELLE COMPARED.
REMBRANDT.
REMBRANDT'S WORKS.
REMBRANDT AS AN ENGRAVER.
ANECDOTE OF SCHWARTS.
JACQUES CALLOT.
CALLOT'S PATRIOTISM.
INGENUITY OF ARTISTS.
A HINT TO JEWELERS.
CURIOUS PAINTINGS.
THE OLDEST OIL PAINTING EXTANT.
CURIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HARPIES.
ADRIAN BROWER.
BROWER, THE DUKE D'AREMBERG, AND RUBENS.
DEATH OF BROWER.
BROWER'S WORKS.
ROSA DA TIVOLI.
ROSA DA TIVOLI'S WORKS.
ROSA DA TIVOLI'S FACILITY OF EXECUTION.
ROSA DA TIVOLI'S HABITS.
LUCA CAMBIASO'S FACILITY IN PAINTING.
CAMBIASO'S WORKS IN SPAIN.
CAMBIASO'S ARTISTIC MERITS.
RARITY OF FEMALE PORTRAITS IN SPAIN.
MURILLO'S PICTURES IN SPANISH AMERICA.
MURILLO'S "VIRGIN OF THE NAPKIN."
ANECDOTE OF AN ALTAR-PIECE BY MURILLO.
MURILLO AND HIS SLAVE GOMEZ.
AN ARTIST'S LOVE ROMANCE.
ESTEBAN MARCH'S STRANGE METHOD OF STUDY.
MARCH'S ADVENTURE OF THE FISH FRIED IN LINSEED OIL.
A PAINTER'S REBUKE.
A PAINTER'S RETORT COURTEOUS.
ARDEMANS AND BOCANEGRA—A TRIAL OF SKILL.
A PAINTER'S ARTIFICE TO "KEEP UP APPEARANCES."
A GOOD-NATURED CRITICISM.
ALONSO CANO AND THE INTENDANT OF THE BISHOP OF MALAGA.
CANO'S LOVE OF SCULPTURE.
CASTILLO'S SARCASM ON ALFARO.
TORRES' IMITATIONS OF CARAVAGGIO.
PANTOJA AND THE EAGLE.
THE PAINTER METHODIUS AND THE KING OF BULGARIA.
JOHN C. VERMEYEN AND CHARLES V.
BLAS DE PRADO AND THE EMPEROR OF MOROCCO.
DON JUAN CARRENO
CARRENO'S COPY OF TITIAN'S ST. MARGARET.
CARRENO'S ABSTRACTION OF MIND.
ANECDOTE OF CESPEDES' LAST SUPPER.
ZUCCARO'S COMPLIMENT TO CESPEDES.
DONA BARBARA MARIA DE HUEVA.
THE MIRACULOUS PICTURE OF THE VIRGIN.
THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER.
THE SAGRO CATINO, OR EMERALD DISH.
"THE PAINTER OF FLORENCE."
LEGEND OF THE PAINTER-FRIAR, THE DEVIL AND THE VIRGIN.
GERARD DOUW.
DOUW'S STYLE.
DOUW'S METHOD OF PAINTING.
DOUW'S WORKS.
ALBERT DURER.
DURER'S WORKS AS A PAINTER.
DURER'S WORKS AS AN ENGRAVER.
DURER'S FAME AND DEATH.
DURER'S HABITS AND LITERARY WORKS.
LUDOLPH BACKHUYSEN.
JOHN BAPTIST WEENIX, THE ELDER.
WEENIX'S FACILITY OF HAND.
JOHN BAPTIST WEENIX, THE YOUNGER.
JAN STEEN.
JAN STEEN'S WORKS.
KUGLER'S CRITIQUE ON THE WORKS OF JAN STEEN.
FROLICS OF MIERIS AND JAN STEEN.
SIR ANTHONY MORE.
SIR ANTHONY MORE AND PHILIP II.
MORE'S SUCCESS AND WORKS.
PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF A PAINTER.
ANECDOTE OF JOHN DE MABUSE.
CAPUGNANO AND LIONELLO SPADA.
MICHAEL ANGELO DA CARAVAGGIO—HIS QUARRELSOME DISPOSITION.
JACOPO AMICONI.
PAINTING THE DEAD.
TADDEO ZUCCARO.
ZUCCARO'S RESENTMENT.
ROYAL CRITICISM.
PIETRO DA CORTONA.
"KNOW THYSELF."
BENVENUTO CELLINI.
FRACANZANI AND SALVATOR ROSA.
POPE URBAN VIII. AND BERNINI.
EMULATION AND RIVALRY IN THE FINE ARTS.
THE NOTTE OF CORREGGIO.
THE DRESDEN GALLERY.
PAINTING AMONG THE EGYPTIANS.
PAINTING AMONG THE GREEKS.
NUMISMATICS.
RESTORING ANCIENT EDIFICES.
NAPOLEON'S LOVE OF ART.
NAPOLEON'S WORKS AT PARIS.
THE NAPOLEON MEDALS.
THE ELEPHANT FOUNTAIN.
INTERESTING DRAWINGS.
SEVRES CHINA.
DISMANTLING OF THE LOUVRE.
REMOVAL OF THE VENETIAN HORSES FROM PARIS.
REMOVAL OF THE STATUE OF NAPOLEON FROM THE PLACE VENDOME.
THE MUSEE FRANCAIS AND THE MUSEE ROYAL.
BOYDELL'S SHAKSPEARE GALLERY.
BRIEF SKETCH OF A PLAN FOR AN AMERICAN NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART.