Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



223 



number of the Musical Times, Mr. \V. H. Grattan 

 Flood, the writer of the centenary notice, tells us 

 something of the adventurous career of Wallace. 

 Wearving of Dublin musical life, he went to .\ustralia 

 in 1835, and for some months retired into the bush 

 and took to sheep-raising. In 1840-1 he was in New 

 Vork, and in 1841-2 in Mexico. Returning to London 

 in 1845, his opera " Maritana " was produced at 

 Urury Lane. Another operatic success was " Lurline " 

 (i860). In the years intervening between the com- 

 position of these two works the spirit of adventure 

 had taken him again to America. Finally, he died 

 in France in 1865. " Maritana " is still performed by 

 provincial ojiera companies, and it shows no diminution 

 of popularity after close on seventy years. 



COLUMBUS IN STATUARY. 



In the .New World nearly every country has testified 

 in recognition of the deed of Columbus by the erection 

 of some character of monument. The Pan-American 

 devotes an article to describing these monuments, 

 noted for e.xcellence of design and sumptuousness of 

 execution. Perhaps the most striking is the statue 

 which is now placed in the President's palace, Habana. 

 It is an artistic piece of work. Next in effect is 

 \'allmitjana"s sculpture depicting Columbus in chains. 

 It is to be regretted that this beautiful work is only 

 a clay model. The representation is that of Columbus 

 in his old age. He is seated on a coil of rope on the 

 deck of the ship which is carrying him to Spain. He 

 reclines against a capstan, his fettered hands held 

 before him. The artist has caught a striking expression 

 of resignation combined with melancholy. The work 

 is a masterpiece of sentiment and expression. 



There is no contemporaneous painting or likeness 

 I \iant. The accepted likeness of the admiral is after 

 being an idealistic conception. The few descriptions 

 of the personal appearance of the admiral which we 

 have from those who knew him well tell us " he was 

 a man o( sturdy stature, rather above the average 

 height, ol a very ruddy complexion, with freckles and 

 red hair when he was young. The latter soon turned 

 white, which was also the colour of his beard." Beards 

 were the fashion of his day in Spain, and it is easy to 

 believe that .sailors wore them for protection. 



The representations which we see to-day of Columi)us 

 .in nearly all be traced back to an engraving called 

 I he I'aulus Jovius cut, which was made from a painting 

 that has been lost. Kven the lost painting was not 

 an oriijinal likeness, for it was painted on what the 

 lawyers call " hearsay evidence." Hut as it was 

 executed some time in the early years of the sixteenth 

 century the features may be taken as fairly correct. 

 In this cut Columbus is drawn without a beard, thus 

 he is always clean-shaven in clFigy. 



In Washington on June 8th there was erected a 

 Columbus memorial for which Congress voted $100,000. 

 it is the joint work of Lorado Taft and Daniel 11. 

 Uurnham. The design is a combination of fountain. 



shaft and statue. The fountain is semicircular, 

 70ft. wide and 65ft. from front to rear. The balustrade 

 which iialf encircles it bears the efligy of a heroic lion 

 at either extremity. The salient feature of the 

 memorial is a splendid stone shaft surmounted by a 

 globe. Before this shaft, which rises in the centre of 

 the fountain circle, is a statue of Columbus. The 

 admiral stands at the prow of his ship, his eyes fi.xed 

 for the first time on the world of which he had so- 

 long dreamed. The artist has tried to show in the 

 expression all the surging thoughts that must have 

 filled the breast of the discoverer at that prophetic 

 moment. The figure-head of the vessel which is shown 

 as carrying the navigator is an allegorical portrayal 

 of the spirit of Discovery. The bow of the ship is 

 cleaving the water in the great basin of the fountain 

 — a pretty, artistic conception. The globe which 

 surmounts the shaft indicates the contribution the 

 disco\ery of Columbus was to the science of geography. 

 The globe is supported by four massive eagles with 

 outstretched wings. Upon it, in high relief, are cut: 

 out the topographical features of the New World. 

 At either side of the shaft there appear figures por- 

 traying the sculptor's conception of representative 

 types of the New and Old World. The figure of an 

 .American Indian, energetic in pose, one hand reaching 

 over his shoulder and grasping an arrow- from a quiver, 

 represents the New World, while the statue of a 

 patriarchal Caucasian, of heroic proportions and 

 thoughtful mien, typifies the Old World. On the- 

 face at the rear of the shaft is placed a medallion 

 representing Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. 



The following figures relative to the statue should 

 be of interest. The great marble lions, guarding the 

 memorial, weigh i5,ooolb. each, equivalent to 7 tons 

 of coal. The statue of Columbus is 16ft. high, weighs 

 44,ooolb. ; and the marble group that .surmounts the 

 whole weighs not less than 39 tons ; while each of the 

 supporting eagles weighs 6 tons. 



"TIIK RAFFAELLE OF 

 SCULPTURE." 



In the Architectural Review for July Mr. J. Edgcumbe 

 Stalcy has an interesting article on Luca Delia Robbia 

 (1400-1482) and his work. It was in 1430 that Luca. 

 Delia Robbia began his series of Madonnas, and it is 

 said that he did the " .Mother and Child " no fewer 

 than thirty-one times. Each one is described as a 

 remarkable example of inventive manipulation, both 

 as regards modelling in clay anil enamelling in paint. 

 ']"he " Mertello Madonna " is regarded in hlorence lus 

 one of his best examples. It has iieen said that l.uca's 

 nephew, .Andrea, added the dove and the hands of the 

 Father. .Mr. .Mian Marquand, of Princeton Cniversity, 

 calls attention to four works by Luca Delia Robbia 

 which seem to have escaped the notice of historians 

 of art. Writing in the American fournai of Archtrology 

 for June, he explains that two of the four are in Nync- 

 head church, '(Vellington, Somerset, and two are in 



