Infant Jesus," by the Sirani, which is much admired; several other works
of hers are in her native city. "The Death of Abel" is in the Gallery of
Turin; the "Charity," in the Sciarra Palace in Rome; "Cupids" and a
picture of "Martha and Mary," in the Vienna Gallery; an "Infant Jesus"
and a picture called "A Subject after Guido" are in the Hermitage at
Petersburg.
Her composition was graceful and refined, her drawing good, her color
fresh and sweet, with a resemblance to Guido Reni in the half tones. She
was especially happy in the heads of the Madonna and the Magdalene,
imparting to them an expression of exalted tenderness.
Her paintings on copper and her etchings were most attractive; indeed,
all her works revealed the innate grace and refinement of her nature.
Aside from her art the Sirani was a most interesting woman. She was very
beautiful in person, and the sweetness of her temper made her a favorite
with her friends, while her charming voice and fine musical talent added
to her many attractions. Her admirers have also commended her taste in
dress, which was very simple, and have even praised her moderation in
eating! She was skilled in domestic matters and accustomed to rise at
dawn to attend to her household affairs, not permitting her art to
interfere with the more homely duties of her life. One writer says that
"her devoted filial affection, her feminine grace, and the artless
benignity of her manners rounded out a character regarded as an ideal of
perfection by her friends."
It may be that her tragic fate caused an exaggerated estimate to be made
of her both as a woman and an artist. The actual cause of her death is
unknown. There have been many theories concerning it. It was very
generally believed that she was poisoned, although neither the reason for
the crime nor the name of its perpetrator was known.
By some she was believed to have been sacrificed to the same professional
jealousy that destroyed Domenichino; others accepted the theory that a
princely lover who had made unworthy proposals to her, which she had
scorned, had revenged himself by her murder. At length a servant, Lucia
Tolomelli, who had been a long time in the Sirani family, was suspected
of having poisoned her young mistress, was arrested, tried, and banished.
But after a time the father of Elisabetta, finding no convincing reason
to believe her guilty, obtained her pardon.
Whatever may have been the cause of the artist's death, the effect upon
her native city was overwhelming and the day of her burial was one of
general mourning, the ceremony being attended with great pomp. She was
buried beside Guido Reni, in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, in the
magnificent Church of the Dominicans.
Poets and orators vied with each other in sounding her praises, and a
book called "Il Penello Lagrimato," published at Bologna soon after her
death, is a collection of orations, sonnets, odes, epitaphs, and
anagrams, in Latin and Italian, setting forth the love which her native
city bore to this beautiful woman, and rehearsing again and again her
charms and her virtues.
In the Ercolani Gallery there is a picture of Elisabetta painting a
portrait of her father. It is said that she also painted a portrait of
herself looking up with a spiritual expression, which is in a private
collection and seen by few people.
<b>SMITH, JESSIE WILLCOX.</b> Mary Smith prize, Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts, 1903. Member of the Plastic Club and a fellow of the Academy,
Philadelphia. Born in Philadelphia, where she was a pupil of the Academy;
also studied under Thomas Eakins, Thomas P. Anschutz, and Howard Pyle.
Miss Smith is essentially an illustrator and her work is seen in all the
leading American magazines. "The Child's Calendar" is the work of this
artist.
<b>SONREL, MLLE. E.</b> Honorable mention, Paris, 1893; third-class medal,
1895; bronze medal, Paris Exposition, 1900. At the Salon des Artistes
Français, 1902, she exhibited "Sybille" and "Monica"; in 1903, "The Dance
of Terpsichore" and "Princesse Lointaine."
[_No reply to circular_.]
<b>SPANÒ, MARIA.</b> Silver medal, Naples, 1859, for a picture of a
"Contadina of Sorrento." Born in Naples, 1843. Pupil of her father,
Raffaele Spanò, under whose direction she made a thorough study of figure
painting, the results of which are evident in her excellent portraits and
historical subjects. She has also been greatly interested in landscape
painting, in which she has been successful. "A Confidence" was bought by
the Gallery at Capodimonte, and two of her pictures were acquired by the
Provincial Council of Naples--a "Contadina," life size, and a "Country
Farmyard." One of her best pictures is "Bice at the Castle of Rosate."
<b>SPILIMBERG, IRENE DI.</b> Born in Udina, 1540. Her family was of German
origin and exalted position. She was educated in Venice with great care
and all the advantages that wealth could command. She was much in the
society of learned men, which she preferred before that of the world of
fashion.
Titian was her roaster in painting. Lanzi and Rudolfi praised her as an
artist, and her fame now rests on the testimony of those who saw her
works rather than on the pictures themselves, some of which are said to
be in private collections in Italy. Titian painted her portrait as a
tribute to her beauty; Tasso celebrated her intellectual charm in a
sonnet, and yet she was but nineteen years old when she died.
Twenty years later a collection of orations and poems was published, all
of which set forth her attractions and acquirements, and emphasized the
sadness of her early death and the loss that the world had suffered
thereby. When one remembers how soon after death those who have done a
life work are forgotten, such a memorial to one so young is worthy of
note.
<b>SPURR, GERTRUDE E.</b> Associate member of Royal Canadian Academy and
member of the Ontario Society of Arts. Born in Scarborough, England.
Pupil of the Lambeth Art School in drawing, of E. H. Holder in painting,
in England; also of George B. Bridgman in New York. This artist usually
paints small pictures of rural scenery in England and Wales--little stone
cottages, bridges, river and mountain scenes. "Castle Rock, North Devon,"
was exhibited at Buffalo, and is owned by Herbert Mason, Esq., of
Toronto. "A Peep at Snowdon" and "Dutch Farm Door, Ontario," are in
Montreal collections. Her works have been exhibited in London at the
Royal Society of British Artists and the Society of Lady Artists, and
have been sold from these exhibitions.
I quote from the _Queen_, in reference to one of Miss Spurr's London
exhibitions: "We know of no more favorite sketching-ground in N. Wales
for the artist than Bettws-y-coed. Every yard of that most picturesque
district has been painted and sketched over and over again. The artist in
this instance reproduces some of the very primitive cottages in which the
natives of the principality sojourn. The play of light on the modest
dwelling-places is an effective element in the cleverly rendered drawing
now in the Society of Artists' Exhibition. Miss Spurr, the daughter of a
Scarboro lawyer, commenced her art studies with Mr. E. H. Holder, in the
winter painting dead birds, fruit, and other natural objects, and in
summer spending her time on the coast or in the woods or about Rievaulx
Abbey. Any remaining time to be filled up was occupied by attending the
Scarboro School of Art under the instruction of Mr. Strange. In a local
sketching club Miss Spurr distinguished herself and gained several
prizes, and she has at length taken up her abode in the metropolis, where
she has attended the Lambeth Schools, studying diligently both from casts
and life."
<b>STACEY, ANNA L.</b> Honorable mention at Exhibition of Chicago Artists,
1900; Young Fortnightly Club prize, 1902; Martin B. Cahn prize,
Exhibition at Art Institute, Chicago, 1902. Member of Chicago Society of
Artists. Born in Glasgow, Missouri.
Pupil of Art Institute in Chicago. Paints portraits, figure subjects, and
landscapes. The Cahn prize was awarded to the "Village at Twilight."
"Florence" is owned by the Klio Club; "Trophies of the Fields," by the
Union League Club, Chicago.
Recently Miss Stacey has painted a number of successful portraits.
<b>STADING, EVELINA.</b> Born in Stockholm. 1803-1829. She was a pupil of
Fahlcrantz for a time in her native city, and then went to Dresden, where
she made a thorough study and some excellent copies of the works of
Ruisdael. In 1827 she went to Rome, making studies in Volzburg and the
Tyrol _en route_. She painted views in Switzerland and Italy, and two of
her landscapes are in the gallery in Christiania.
<b>STANLEY, LADY DOROTHY.</b> Member of the Ladies' Athenaeum Club. Born in
London. Pupil of Sir Edward Poynter--then Mr. Poynter--and of M. Legros,
at Slade School, University College, London; also of Carolus Duran and
Henner in Paris.
Lady Stanley has exhibited at the Royal Academy, the new Gallery, at the
English provincial exhibitions, and at the Salon, Paris.
Her picture, "His First Offence," is in the Tate National Gallery; "Leap
Frog," in the National Gallery of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Other pictures
of hers are "A Water Nymph," "The Bathers," etc., which are in private
galleries. "Leap Frog" was in the Academy exhibition, 1903.
<b>STEBBINS, EMMA.</b> 1815-1882. Born in New York. As an amateur artist
Miss Stebbins made a mark by her work in black and white and her pictures
in oils. After a time she decided to devote herself to sculpture. In
Rome she studied this art and made her first success with a statuette of
"Joseph." This was followed by "Columbus" and "Satan Descending to tempt
Mankind." For Central Park, New York, she executed a large fountain, the
subject being "The Angel of the Waters."
<b>STEPHENS, MRS. ALICE BARBER.</b> Mary Smith prize, 1890. Pupil of the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and of the Julian Academy, Paris. An
illustrator whose favorite subjects are those of every-day home life--the
baby, the little child, the grandmother in cap and spectacles, etc.
[_No reply to circular_.]
<b>STEVENS, EDITH BARRETTO.</b> Two scholarships and a prize of one hundred
dollars from the Art Students' League, of which she is a member. Born in
Houston, Virginia, in 1878. Studied at Art Students' League and under
Daniel C. French and George Gray Barnard.
Miss Stevens mentions as her principal works "A Candlestick Representing
a Girl Asleep under a Poppy," "Figure of Spring," and the "Spirit of
Flame."
Miss Stevens is one of the women sculptors who have been selected to
share in the decoration of the buildings for the St. Louis Exposition.
She is to make two reclining figures on the pediment over the main
entrance to the Liberal Arts Building. She has in her studio two
reclining figures which will probably serve to fulfil this commission.
Miss Stevens is modest about her work and does not care to talk much
about this important commission, even suggesting that her design may not
be accepted; if she is successful it will certainly be an unusual honor
for a woman at her age, whose artistic career covers less than five
years.
<b>STEVENS, MARY.</b> Bronze medal at the Crystal Palace. Member of the
Dudley Gallery, London. Born at Liverpool. Pupil of William Kerry and of
her husband, Albert Stevens, in England, and of the Julian Academy,
Paris.
Mrs. Stevens' pictures were well considered when she exhibited a variety
of subjects; of late, however, she has made a specialty of pictures of
gardens, and has painted in many famous English and French gardens, among
others, those of Holland House, Warwick Castle, and St. Anne's, Dublin.
In France, the gardens of the Duchesse de Dino and the Countess Foucher
de Careil.
Mrs. Stevens--several of whose works are owned in America--has
commissions to paint in some American gardens and intends to execute them
in 1904.
<b>STILLMAN, MARIE SPARTALI.</b> Pupil of Ford Madox Brown. This artist
first exhibited in public at the Dudley Gallery, London, in 1867, a
picture called "Lady Pray's Desire." In 1870 she exhibited at the Royal
Academy, "Saint Barbara" and "The Mystic Tryst." In 1873 she exhibited
"The Finding of Sir Lancelot Disguised as a Fool" and "Sir Tristram and
La Belle Isolde," both in water-colors. Of these, a writer in the _Art
Journal_ said: "Mrs. Stillman has brought imagination to her work. These
vistas of garden landscape are conceived in the true spirit of romantic
luxuriance, when the beauty of each separate flower was a delight. The
figures, too, have a grace that belongs properly to art, and which has
been well fitted to pictorial expression. The least satisfactory part of
these clever drawings is their color. There is an evident feeling of
harmony, but the effect is confused and the prevailing tones are
uncomfortably warm."
W. M. Rossetti wrote: "Miss Spartali has a fine power of fusing the
emotion of her subject into its color and of giving aspiration to both;
beyond what is actually achieved one sees a reaching toward something
ulterior. As one pauses before her work, a film in that or in the mind
lifts or seems meant to lift, and a subtler essence from within the
picture quickens the sense. In short, Miss Spartali, having a keen
perception of the poetry which resides in beauty and in the means of art
for embodying beauty, succeeds in infusing that perception into the
spectator of her handiwork."
[_No reply to circular_.]
<b>STOCKS, MINNA.</b> Born in Scheverin, 1846. Pupil of Schloepke in
Scheverin, Stiffeck in Berlin, E. Bosch in Düsseldorf, and J. Bauck in
Munich. Her "Lake of Scheverin" is in the Museum of her native city.
Her artistic reputation rests largely on her pictures of animals. She
exhibits at the Expositions of the Society of Women Artists, Berlin, and
among her pictures seen there is "A Journey through Africa," which
represents kittens playing with a map of that country. It was attractive
and was praised for its artistic merit. In fact, her puppies and kittens
are most excellent results--have been called masterpieces--of the most
intimate and intelligent study of nature.
Among her works are "A Quartet of Cats," "The Hostile Brothers," and "The
Outcast."
<b>STOKES, MARIANNA.</b> Honorable mention at Paris Salon, 1884; gold medal
in Munich, 1890; medal at Chicago in 1893. Member of the Society of
Painters in Tempera. Born in Graz-Styria. Pupil of Professor W. von
Lindenschmit in Munich, of M. Dagnan Bouveret and M. Courtois in Paris.
Her picture, "A Parting," is in the Liverpool Gallery; "Childhood's
Wonder," in the Nottingham Gallery; "Aucassin and Nicolette," in the
Pittsburg Gallery, etc.
Mrs. Stokes writes me that she has taken great interest in the revival of
tempera painting in recent years. In reviewing the exhibition in the New
Gallery, London, the _Spectator_ of May 2, 1903, speaks of the portraits
by Mrs. Stokes as charming, and adds: "They are influenced by the
primitive painters, but in the right way. That is, the painter has used a
formal and unrealistic style, but without any sacrifice of artistic
freedom." Of a portrait of a child the same writer says: "It would be
difficult to imagine a happier portrait of a little child,... and in it
may be seen how the artist has used her freedom; for although she has
preserved a primitive simplicity, the sky, sea, and windmill have modern
qualities of atmosphere. The picture is very subtle in drawing and color,
and the sympathy for child-life is perfect, seen as it is both in the
hands and in the eyes.
"Another portrait by the same artist is hung on a marble pillar at the
top of the stairs leading up to the balcony. The admirable qualities of
decoration are well shown by the way it is hung.... Is a fine piece of
strong and satisfactory color, but the decorative aspect in no way takes
precedence of the portraiture. We think of the man first and the picture
afterward."
At the Academy, in 1903, Mrs. Stokes exhibited a portrait of J. Westlake,
Esq., K.C.
<b>STORER, MRS. MARIA LONGWORTH.</b> Gold medal at Paris Exposition, 1900.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pupil of the Cincinnati Art School, which her
father, Joseph Longworth, endowed with three hundred thousand dollars.
After working four years, making experiments in clay decoration at the
Dallas White Ware Pottery, Mrs. Storer, "who had the enthusiasm of the
artistic temperament coupled with fixity of purpose and financial
resources,... had the courage to open a Pottery which she called
Rookwood, the name of her father's place on the hills beyond. This was in
1880."
Nine years later this pottery had become self-supporting, and Mrs. Storer
then dissolved her personal association with it, leaving it in charge of
Mr. William Watts Taylor, who had collaborated with her during six years.
At the Paris Exposition Mrs. Storer exhibited about twenty pieces of
pottery mounted in bronze--all her own work. It was an exquisite
exhibition, and I was proud that it was the work of one of my
countrywomen.
In 1897 Mr. Storer was appointed United States minister to Belgium, and
Mrs. Storer took a Japanese artist, Asano, to Brussels, to instruct her
in bronze work. Two years later Mr. Storer's mission was changed to
Spain, and there Mrs. Storer continued, under Asano's guidance, her work
in bronze, some of the results being seen in the mounting of her pottery.
At present Mr. Storer is our Ambassador to Austria, and Mrs. Storer
writes me that she hopes to continue her work in bronze in Vienna.
In the summer of 1903 Mrs. Storer was in Colorado Springs, where she was
much interested in the pottery made by Mr. Van Briggle. She became one of
the directors of the Van Briggle Pottery Company, and encouraged the
undertaking most heartily.
<b>STUMM, MAUD.</b> Born in Cleveland, Ohio. Pupil of Art Students' League
under Kenyon Cox and Siddons Mowbray, and of Oliver Merson in Paris,
where her painting was also criticised and approved by Whistler. Her
earliest work was flower painting, in which she gained an enviable
reputation.
In Paris she began the study of figure painting, and her exhibition at
the Salon was favorably received, the purity and brilliancy of her
coloring being especially commended.
Several of Miss Stumm's pictures are well known by reproductions. Among
these is the "Mother and Child," the original of which is owned by Mr.
Patterson, of the Chicago _Tribune_. Her calendars, too, are artistic and
popular; some of these have reached a sale of nearly half a million.
A series of studies of Sarah Bernhardt, in pastel, and a portrait of
Julia Marlowe are among her works in this medium. Many of her figure
subjects, such as "A Venetian Matron" and "A Violinist," are portraits,
not studies from professional models.
This artist has painted an unusual variety of subjects, but is ambitious
in still another department of painting--decorative art--in which she
believes she could succeed.
Her works are seen in the exhibitions of the Society of American Artists
and of the American Water-Color Society.
<b>SWOBODA, JOSEPHINE.</b> Born in Vienna, 1861. Pupil of Laufberger and I.
V. Berger. This portrait artist has been successful and numbers among her
subjects the Princess Henry of Prussia, the late Queen of England, whose
portrait she painted at Balmoral in 1893, the Minister Bauhaus, and
several members of the royal house of Austria. The portrait of Queen
Victoria was exhibited at the Water-Color Club, Vienna.
She also paints charming miniatures. Her pictures are in both oil and
water-colors, and are praised by the critics of the exhibitions in which
they are seen.
<b>SWOPE, MRS. KATE.</b> Honorable mention at National Academy of Design,
1888; honorable mention and gold medal, Southern Art League, 1895;
highest award, Louisville Art League, 1897. Member of Louisville Art
League. Born in Louisville, Kentucky. Pupil of Edgar Ward and M. Flagg in
New York, and later of B. R. Fitz.
Mrs. Swope devotes herself almost entirely to sacred subjects. The
pictures that have been awarded medals are Madonnas. She prefers to paint
her pictures out of doors and in the sunlight, which results in her
working in a high key and, as she writes, "in tender, opalescent color."
One of her medal pictures is the "Head of a Madonna," out of doors, in a
hazy, blue shadow, against a background of grapevine foliage. The head is
draped in white; the eyes are cast down upon the beholder. A sun spot
kisses the white draperies on the shoulder. It is a young, girlish face,
but the head is suggestive of great exaltation.
A second picture which received an award was a "Madonna and Child," out
of doors. The figure is half life size. Dressed in white, the Madonna is
stretched at full length upon the grass. Raised on one arm, she gazes
into the face of the infant Christ Child.
Mrs. Swope has had success in pastel, in which, not long since, she
exhibited a "Mother and Child," which was much admired. The mother--in an
arbor--held the child up and reverently kissed the cheek. It was called
"Love," and was exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Mrs. Swope's most ambitious work--five by three feet in size--represents
an allegorical subject and is called "Revelation."
<b>SUES, MLLE. LEA.</b> Three silver medals from the School of Arts,
Geneva; diploma of honor at the National Swiss Exposition, 1896. Member
of l'Athénée, Geneva. Born at Genoa and studied there under Professors
Gillet, Poggy, and Castan.
This artist paints landscapes, Swiss subjects principally. Her pictures
of Mont Blanc and Chamounix are popular and have been readily sold. They
are in private collections in several countries, and when exhibited have
been praised in German and French as well as in Swiss publications.
<b>SYAMOUR, MME. MARGUERITE.</b> Honorable mention, 1887; bronze medal at
Exposition at Lyons. Born at Bréry, 1861. Pupil of Mercié. Her principal
works are a plaster statue, "New France," 1886, in the Museum of
Issoudun; a statue of Voltaire; a plaster statue, "Life"; a plaster
group, the "Last Farewells"; a statue of "Diana," in the Museum of
Amiens; a great number of portrait busts, among them those of Jules
Grévy, Flammarion, J. Claretie, etc.
At the Salon, Artistes Français, 1902, this artist exhibited a "Portrait
of M. G. L.," and in 1904 "A Vision" and "La Dame aux Camelias."
<b>TAYLOR, ELIZABETH V.</b> Sears prize, Boston Art Museum; bronze medal,
Nashville Exposition, 1897. Member of the Copley Society, Boston. Pupil
of E. C. Tarbell and Joseph de Camp in the School of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston.
This artist paints portraits in miniature and in life size. Her works are
numerous and have been seen in many exhibitions.
<b>THAULOW, MME. ALEXANDRA.</b> Wife of the great Scandinavian painter.
This lady is an artist in bookbinding and her work is much admired. A
writer, H. F., says, in the _Studio_, December, 1903: "When the
exhibition of bookbinding was held some time ago at the Musée Galliera,
Madame Thaulow's showcase attracted attention by its variety and its
grace. The charm of these bindings lies in the fact that they have none
of the massive heaviness of so many productions of this kind. One should
be able to handle a book with ease, and not be forced to rest content
with beholding it displaying its beauties behind glass or on the library
shelf; and Madame Thaulow understood this perfectly when she executed the
bindings now reproduced here. But these bindings are interesting not only
from the standpoint of their utility and intelligent application; their
ornamentation delights one by its graceful interpretation of Nature,
rendered with a very special sense of decoration; moreover, the coloring
of these mosaics of leather is restrained and fresh, and the hollyhocks
and the hortensias, the bunches of mistletoe and the poppies, which form
some of her favorite _motifs_, go to make up a delicious symphony."