Читать книгу The Palace and Park - Edward Winslow Forbes - Страница 31

It is preferable, in order not to overlook any of the important objects which are stored in the several Transepts, to examine each Transept completely, as we enter it on our interesting tour, and after passing round both ends to resume our walk in the Nave, advancing up toward the north end of the Palace on the left-hand side, and returning down the right-hand or garden side. Turning then to the left, we proceed round this Transept, from left to right, noticing on our course the statues and other objects which are placed in the open space at each end. The first conspicuous one of these which we find is, a cast of the well-known equestrian statue of Charles I., from the original at Charing Cross. It was designed and executed, in 1633, by Hubert Le Sueur, a French sculptor, pupil of the celebrated John of Bologna, but was not at the time raised on its intended site. During the civil wars, the Parliament, wanting men more than statues, sold it to John Rivet, a brazier, living in Holborn; by whom it was kept concealed until the restoration of Charles II., when it returned again into the hands of the government, and was finally erected at Charing Cross in 1674. The pedestal is a work of the celebrated sculptor, Grinling Gibbons.

Beyond the statue of Charles I. in the central line, is placed that of James II. by Grinling Gibbons, cast from the original now in the court at the back of Whitehall. It is an excellent example of a portrait-statue treated in the classical style; and affords us a proof of the higher reach of Gibbons’s genius; whose well-earned reputation in the seventeenth century, we may remark, rested more especially on his works in ornamental carving, of which the exquisitely cut fruits, flowers, wreaths, and other ornaments on the façade of St. Paul’s, London, are examples.

Between these two Royal Statues is a Mosaic picture of the Ruins of Pæstum, executed in modern Roman Mosaic, every shade and tint being composed of separate pieces of vitreous material; and in front of the statue of James, a model of a Chinese Junk carved in ivory, which is lent to the Crystal Palace Company by Her Majesty.

A selection from the best productions of various English sculptors surrounds this portion of the Transept. At the angle is a colossal statue of Peel by Marochetti, and between this and the Screen of Kings and Queens in the nave is the statue of the great Earl of Chatham (449), forming a portion of his monument in Westminster Abbey. It was executed by J. Bacon, R.A., a contemporary sculptor, who was celebrated for the truth and vigour of his portraits. Bacon should also be mentioned with honour, as one of the first native artists who founded the English school of sculpture in the last half of the 18th century. Amongst the statues in the Transept itself, we would notice Macdonald’s excellent compositions of Ulysses recognised by his Dog (48), and Andromeda (47); the very gracefully designed figure of a Bather (36), by Lawlor; and a group of Boys Contending for a Prize, with some other statues by the same artist.

The statues on the north side of this end of the Transept are by Spence and Theed; amongst them will be remarked the Highland Mary (58), and the statue of Flora (59), both by Spence; Narcissus at the Fountain (60), and Psyche (61), by Theed.

At the junction of the Transept and the Nave is placed the colossal statue of Dr. Johnson, from his monument at St. Paul’s, the first that was erected in that Cathedral. This portrait-statue, as well as that of Chatham, is by Bacon; but composed, as will be remarked, on a diametrically opposite principle; the great writer being half clad in a classic toga, whilst the great statesman is brought more vividly to our minds by being represented in the costume of his period and his order.

We now cross over to that junction of the Transept and Nave, which is marked by a colossal statue of Lessing, the great German writer; a noble and dignified portrait-statue by Rietschel of Dresden.

In this portion of the Transept are several works of the English School of Sculpture, amongst which may be particularly remarked a statue of Shakspeare (407), by John Bell; the Maid of Saragossa (6b), a very picturesque and vigorous ideal figure of a heroine who has also inspired the pencil of Wilkie; the Dorothea (5a), so well known to the public by small copies in Parian marble; a graceful statue of Andromeda (7), and Jane Shore (6a). All these specimens of Bell’s talents are on the north side of this part of the Transept. Opposite to them, or close by, will be found the Mercury (55), a Dancing Girl (50), by Calder Marshall, R.A.; the First Whisper of Love (49), Zephyr and Aurora (52), and an excellent portrait-statue of Geoffrey Chaucer (53), the father of the school of English Poetry, also by Marshall. Nearer the Nave is an ideal statue of Shakspeare by Roubilliac, cast from the original, still preserved in the vestibule of the British Museum. The colossal statue at the angle is that of William Huskisson (462), the first statesman to pioneer the way to free trade. It is a noble work in the classic style, by Gibson. Along the centre of the Transept are placed the Eagle Slayer (6), by Bell, a work remarkable for its vigorous treatment; the well-known and graceful composition, also by Bell, of Una and the Lion; and the fine monument erected by the good citizens of Frankfort to the memory of the first printers, Gutenberg, Faust, and Schœffer. The central statue represents Gutenberg, who rests with an arm on the shoulder of each of his fellow-workmen. The original is by Baron Launitz of Frankfort, and is a creditable instance of the public spirit, which does not, after the lapse of centuries, forget the originators of The Press—that mighty power, which performs at this day so grand a part in the governance and for the benefit of the civilised world, and by means of which the reader studies this record. On the right of the Gutenberg monument is a stately equestrian statue of Francis I. by Clesinger of Paris. The countenance is strikingly like the authentic portraits of the king, and well exemplifies the character of the man. In a corresponding position on the other side is Marochetti’s statue of Richard Cœur de Lion, calling to mind a curious contrast in the chivalry of the two kings.

Having now regained the Nave, we proceed along in front of the Pompeian Court, where will be found various works mostly illustrative of modern German sculpture; amongst which we notice a group of Minerva protecting a Warrior (162), by Blaeser, of Berlin; also a charming little composition, by Brugger, of a Centaur instructing the young Achilles (164). The original model of a Nymph, with an Urn (167), by Dannecker, executed as a fountain at Stuttgard. An allegorical figure of Medicine (171), by Hahnel of Dresden. A Violin Player, by Steinhauser (201*). Two seated statues, in the Greek style, of Thucydides and Homer (176), by Mayer. A statue of a Magdalen (261), by Wagner. A very spirited group of a Hunter defending his family against a Panther (264), by Widnmann of Munich. A statue of Hector (166), by Dannecker. Next to this is a pretty statue of Diana (270), by G. G. Wolff, and near it Telephus suckled by a Hind (266), with several other beautiful examples. The statue of a Hunter (263) is a chef-d’œuvre by Wittich. Opposite the Stationery Court are excellent life-size statues of stags (193*), by Professor Rauch, of Berlin, excellent examples of that difficult branch of the sculptor’s art—the study of animal nature; and near these, Debay’s exquisite group of the First Cradle (96), and a magnificent vase by Drake (169), with Thorwaldsen’s beautiful Venus (217) and Aurora (18), by John Gibson, R.A. The fine statues of Victory (184 to 188), by Professor Rauch, are characteristic examples of that great sculptor’s style, and of the successful variety of treatment in five designs for one and the same subject. And the statue of a Nymph holding a Basket of Fruits and Flowers (160), by Professor Drake, is a picturesque example of the “Romantic” school of sculpture. We now approach the Great Transept, before entering which we will turn to the left and explore the open Court which is formed at this point by the angle of the Transept with the Nave.