warm imagination, a teeming fancy, and ardent feeling; but his whole
nature was unhinged, by the absence of conscientiousness and directing
principle. He was not only self-loving and vain, but self-engrossed. His
early life was passed in reading romances, and in the loose indulgence
of his weaknesses and passions. Yet his pen was a potent one, and, even
more than that of Voltaire, helped to bring about the Revolution in
France, and all its social blasphemies. Whilst Voltaire, with his bright
and sharpened wit, cut away the cable that held religion to its
moorings, Rousseau penetrated to the households of men, invaded their
firesides, and poisoned their hearts. His writings were new,
fascinating, and eloquent; abounding in highly-wrought descriptions of
nature, and in what seemed genuine bursts of passion. His philosophy
attributed all vices to civilization, to the existence of property, and
to the tyranny of governments. His career was as disgraceful to himself,
as his works proved detrimental to the happiness of others. He committed
frequent thefts in his youth, and behaved with infamous ingratitude
towards his benefactress, Madame de Warens, who saved him from
threatened starvation; yet was left by him to starve in later days, when
the condition in life of both had changed. With all his profound
sentiment, Rousseau was a cold-blooded and cruel man. He was a subtle,
independent, and original inquirer.
[From the bronze in the Louvre which bears the name of Houdon, 1778.
The treatment is in the antique manner. The drapery is a mantle, and
the head is bound with a fillet. This bust has an especial interest,
from its having been executed from a cast taken after death by Houdon,
who was sent for to Ermenonville immediately after the decease of
Rousseau, by M. de Girardin, with whom he lived. The original cast
still exists, and shows its genuineness by the scar on the forehead,
caused by Rousseau’s falling from his chair; an accident which gave
rise to the report that he had shot himself.]
247*. JEAN DARCET. _Chemist and Physician._
[Born at Douazit, in France, 1725. Died in Paris, 1801. Aged 76.]
Disinherited by his father for preferring the study of natural
philosophy to that of jurisprudence; but befriended by Montesquieu, who
appointed him tutor to his sons. His great discovery was the composition
of porcelain. He artificially formed from minerals, found in France, the
earth of which porcelain is made, and which exists in a natural state in
Saxony, where the law forbade its exportation. The first to extract
gelatine from bones, and soda from the sea water. Director of the
Gobelins and of the Sèvres manufactories.
[Bust to come.]
248. JEAN PIERRE DUHAMEL. _Man of Science._
[Born at Nicorps, in France, 1730. Died 1816. Aged 86.]
In 1752, Duhamel visited the mines of the Pyrenees, and of various parts
of Germany, in order to collect information, his object being to
establish a School of Mines in his own country. But he had to wait
twenty years for the realization of his idea. As soon as it was carried
out, he received the appointment of Professor of Agriculture and
Metallurgy. He was a true practical philosopher, and his inventions and
discoveries were all of the highest use in the branch of science to the
development of which his life-long exertions had been directed.
249. JOSEPH LOUIS LAGRANGE. _Astronomer._
[Born at Turin, in Italy, 1736. Died in Paris, 1813. Aged 77.]
At the age of 19, was Professor of Mathematics at the College of Turin.
Appointed successor to Euler when the latter was removed from Berlin.
Subsequently settled in Paris, where he became one of the Directors of
the Mint, and Professor in the Polytechnic school. In 1793, when all
foreigners were ordered to leave France, he was permitted to remain. His
important labours contributed largely to the advancement of mathematics
and astronomy, agitating most of the problems which Laplace subsequently
treated with such success. Delicate in health, he led a temperate life;
and in society he was reserved and contemplative. Neither great fame nor
high honour impaired his modesty. One of the Encyclopedists.
250. JEAN FRANÇOIS GALAUP DE LA PÉROUSE. _Navigator._
[Born at Albi, in France, 1741. Died about 1788.]
At an early age entered the naval service of his country, and in 1782
commanded the successful attempt to destroy the English settlement at
Hudson’s Bay: an attack in which he displayed great humanity towards the
foe. In 1785, he quitted France with two small frigates on a voyage of
discovery. He visited the coasts of Tartary, Japan, and New Holland; in
1787, he sent home one of his officers with an account of his
expedition; and in 1788, he quitted Botany Bay. No further intelligence
was ever received of him or of any of his crew. He probably perished on
one of the Vanikors islands.
250*. MARIE-JEAN-ANTOINE NICOLAS CARÉTAT, MARQUIS DE CONDORCET.
_Mathematician and Philosopher._
[Born in Picardy, France, 1743. Died at Clamart, in France, 1794. Aged
51.]
One of the original thinkers of the eighteenth century, and the
biographer of Voltaire. Cold and reserved in his manner, but his
feelings warm and enthusiastic. D’Alembert called him “a volcano covered
with snow.” Another writer has said that goodness was so sweetly
expressed in his eyes, that had he proved dishonest, he would have been
more to blame than any other man. He earned and still retains the name
of the “virtuous Condorcet.” His scientific attainments caused him to be
elected Secretary to the Academy of Sciences at an early age. His works,
which are in 21 vols., were collected by Cabanis and Garat. The work on
which his fame will rest is the _Esquisse d’un tableau Historique des
progrès de l’esprit Humain_, where, for the first time, the idea of
Progress as a law of Humanity was scientifically expounded. Condorcet
believed in the indefinite perfectibility of man as the result of this
law of progress. In 1791, inflamed with the zeal which he had helped to
kindle for liberty, and the overthrow of inveterate abuses, he became a
member of the National Assembly, but not proving violent enough for his
colleagues, was forced to secrete himself in the house of a friend.
Death being pronounced against all who should harbour proscribed
persons, Condorcet voluntarily quitted his sanctuary in disguise; but
was detected in the village of Clermont, and thrown into prison. He
swallowed poison, and was found dead on the following morning. In
action, Condorcet wanted moral courage.
[Bust to come.]
251. JACQUES ÉTIENNE MONTGOLFIER. _Aëronaut, and Inventor of Balloons._
[Born at Vidalon-lès-Annonai, in France, 1745. Died at Serrières, in
France, 1799. Aged 54.]
The son of a paper-maker. Was led by reading the philosophical writings
of Priestley to conceive the idea of employing gas, lighter than the
atmosphere, as a means of ascending through the air. His first
experiment was made at Annonai in 1783, and with such success that he
repeated it the same year in Paris, and again at Versailles before the
Court. Montgolfier was rewarded for his invention by admission to the
Academy of Sciences, the cordon of St. Michel, and a pension of 2000
livres.
251*. GASPAR MONGE. _Geometrician._
[Born at Beaunée, in France, 1746. Died in Paris, 1818. Aged 72.]
Inventor of descriptive geometry, and one of the founders of the
Polytechnic School at Paris. During the Revolution elected Minister of
Marine but soon resigning, took a personally active part in the
equipment of the army for war. Under Napoleon, visited Egypt, where his
investigations of architectural remains were incessant. His whole life
devoted to science; and his work on the history of Mathematics testifies
to his deep spirit of research. An impartial writer, but a praiser of
few.
[Bust to come.]
252. DOMINIQUE DENON. _Egyptian Traveller._
[Born at Chalons-sur-Saone, in France, 1747. Died in Paris, 1825. Aged
78.]
Brought up to the law, he neglected his profession for the fine arts.
Found favour with Louis XV. and his successor. Fulfilled several
diplomatic appointments with great success. In 1787, became a member of
the Academy of Painters. Employed by Robespierre to design the new
republican official costumes. Accompanied the French expedition to
Egypt; of which one result was his interesting and magnificent work,
published at the public expense, “Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt,
during the campaigns of General Buonaparte.” This work first brought the
wonderful remains of ancient Egyptian art distinctly before our eyes.
Subsequently appointed, by Napoleon, Director-General of Museums, and
mainly organized in Paris the admirable collection which for a time
constituted the richest treasury of art ever known in Europe. At the
Restoration, Denon lost his office, and devoted his leisure to the
arrangement of his own museum. He was an ardent lover of the fine arts,
possessed an elegant taste and liberal mind.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by M. Marin. 1827.]
252*. CLAUDE LOUIS BERTHOLLET. _Chemist._
[Born at Talloire, in Savoy, 1748. Died at Arcueil, in France, 1822.
Aged 74.]
After studying at Turin, went to Paris. There elected a member of the
Academy of Sciences, and Professor of Chemistry to the Normal and
Polytechnic Schools. During the first wars of the Revolution employed in
making gunpowder, and converting iron into steel. With Monge, the
geometrician, accompanied the French army to Italy and Egypt in order to
direct the removal of the plundered works of art. The friendship of
these two philosophers, their calmness in pursuing science amidst
danger, their courage and kindness to the soldiers, won for them the
admiration of the whole army. Berthollet discovered the bleaching
properties of chlorine, and the art of fixing the colour of dyes. Also
assisted in the establishment of a new chemical nomenclature. Generous,
disinterested, heroic; and his modesty equal to his merit.
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253. ANTOINE LAURENT DE JUSSIEU. _Botanist._
[Born at Lyons, 1748. Died in Paris, 1836. Aged 88.]
One of a celebrated family of botanists; his uncle Bernard, who died in
1777, having been one of the foremost botanists of his age. His most
famous work, founded upon his uncle’s great labours, was “The Varieties
of Plants, arranged according to their Natural Order.” His whole
scientific life was spent in an endeavour to ascertain the natural
relations of plants, and, by the aid of fresh discoveries, to justify
and complete the system he upheld.
253*. PIERRE SIMON LAPLACE. _Astronomer._
[Born at Beaumont, in France, 1749. Died in Paris, 1827. Aged 78.]
A great geometrician and physical astronomer. To him we owe the Theory
of Probabilities, and the _Nebular Hypothesis_. He also prepared the way
for the Theory of Tides. He discovered the existence of an invariable
plane in the solar system. Invented a thermometer. His great work,
_Mécanique céleste_, introduced to the English by Mrs. Somerville in her
“Mechanism of the Heavens,” is so complete that no alterations of
importance have been made by subsequent discovery.
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254. JEAN ANTOINE CHAPTAL. _Chemist._
[Born at Nogaret, in France, 1756. Died in Paris, 1832. Aged 76.]
As a chemist eminent for making the science subservient to the uses of
manufacture. In 1800, elected Minister of State. In 1802, presented to
the State a scheme for education which embodied Napoleon’s educational
measures. Curious to say, the scheme betrayed a distrust of general
education altogether, and an anxiety to train up youth in the interest
of the government. An able statesman, but in science a practical
philosopher, rather than a brilliant discoverer.
255. BERNARD GERMAIN ÉTIENNE LACÉPÈDE, COMTE DE LA VILLE SUR ILLON.
_Naturalist._
[Born at Agen, in France, 1756. Died at Epinay, in France, 1825. Aged
69.]
When young, in the army; but quitted it for the study of Natural
History. The favorite pupil of Buffon, who obtained for him the
appointment of Curator to the king, and selected him to continue his
Natural History. His works display profound research, and are elegantly
written. A courteous and kind-hearted man.
255*. ANTOINE ISAAC SILVESTRE, BARON DE SACY. _Orientalist._
[Born in Paris, 1758. Died there, 1838. Aged 80.]
One of the greatest of modern linguists, he made himself master, not
only of all the classical and modern languages of Europe, but of many of
the languages of the East. His industry was remarkable. In 1806, he was
appointed Professor of Persian. In 1810, he published an Arabic
grammar. In 1832, he was raised to the peerage, and made keeper of the
Oriental MSS. in the king’s library. De Sacy was the chief founder and
first President of the Asiatic Society in Paris, and besides extending
in his country the knowledge of every branch of Oriental literature, he
caused professorships of Chinese, Sanskrit, and Hindostani to be
established in Paris. He left behind him a magnificent library.
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256. GEORGES LÉOPOLD CHRÊTIEN FRÉDÉRIC DAGOBERT CUVIER. _Naturalist._
[Born at Montbeliard, in France, 1769. Died in Paris, 1832. Aged 63.]
At an early age displayed a taste for drawing and natural history, and
an extraordinarily retentive memory. After the Reign of Terror, invited
to Paris, where he prepared his “Tabular Arrangement of the Natural
History of Animals,” which has served as the basis for all subsequent
works on zoological classification. Shortly afterwards commenced the
formation of his celebrated collection for the study of comparative
anatomy. His greatest work, “The Animal Kingdom distributed according to
its Organization,” has been the foundation of all zoological studies
since his time. Possessed of great administrative capacity. Famous for
his discoveries among fossil animals, and by these rendered invaluable
services to geology. Was made Councillor of State, by Napoleon. In 1881,
raised to the peerage. His writings very attractive. His mind active and
enterprising, yet sound and methodical. Unlike Buffon, he considered
_system_ indispensable in the investigations of physiology. Solicitous
for the diffusion of knowledge. A good as well as great man.
Unimpeachable in all the relations of social life.
256*. JEAN LE ROND D’ALEMBERT. _Mathematician and Philosopher._
[Born in Paris, 1717. Died there, 1783. Aged 66.]
When an infant exposed in the church of Le Rond, from which he is named.
Nursed in obscurity by the wife of a glazier; educated at the College of
Mazarin. Evinced astounding precocity and a decided inclination for
mathematical studies. At the age of twenty-four gave proof of his great
mathematical knowledge, and gained admission into the Academy of
Sciences. Memorable for his connexion with the great French work
“L’Encyclopédie,” to which he contributed many articles, and its
excellent preliminary discourse. In 1772, appointed Secretary to the
French Academy. The author of many celebrated works on his favourite
science, in which he was an undoubted discoverer. He was the friend of
the Empress Catharine of Russia, and of Frederic the Great of Prussia.
In the war which in his time was carried on against the church, he took
his place by the side of his friends Diderot, Voltaire, Grimm, and
D’Holbach.
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256**. ALEXANDRE LOUIS JOSEPH, MARQUIS DE LABORDE. _Soldier, Traveller,
and Educator._
[Born in Paris, 1774. Died there, 1842. Aged 68.]
At the breaking out of the French Revolution, entered the Austrian
service, in which he remained nine years. After the treaty of Campo
Formio, revisited his native city, prosecuted the study of literature
and the arts, and attached himself to Napoleon and the Imperial family.
Then travelled through. England, Holland, and Spain; accompanied
Napoleon to the last-named country, and went with the Emperor also to
Austria in 1810. He held many important offices during Buonaparte’s
life, and formed one of the Embassy appointed to demand the hand of
Maria Louisa. After the Restoration the influence of Laborde ceased; his
usefulness, however, continued, for he took great pains to introduce
into France the Lancasterian system of education for poor children. In
1822, he was elected Deputy for Paris; and in 1830, signed, with 220
other Deputies, the protest against the ordinances of Charles X. He was
again deputy under Louis Philippe. Laborde was a traveller in the East
as well as in the West: an accomplished man, and an eloquent speaker. He
wrote many works having reference to his travels and to his educational
objects.
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256***. GAY LUSSAC. _French Chemist._
[Born 1778. Died 1850. Aged 72.]
A leading discoverer in Chemistry whilst the science was advancing with
the most rapid steps and surprising disclosures. Of a spirit exact and
large to reason out abstruse principles, subtly curious to hunt on the
track of new marvels, and patient and inventive to repeat, vary, and
heap experiments, his long life of labour might well leave a name
memorable to his own science, and to the arts which it enlightens and
aids. In 1816, he was appointed Professor of Chemistry in the
Polytechnic School. He was one of those who do not shrink from personal
peril in enlarging the domain of science. In. 1804, at the desire of the
French government, he ascended in a balloon in order to ascertain by
experiment, whether the magnetic force suffers perceptible diminution at
great elevations, and found no appreciable diminution up to the
elevation of 13,124 feet. Simple, modest, gentle, firm, open and
upright, an unchangeable friend, and a sound patriot:--he carried into
all the relations of life the ardour of truth which animated his
scientific researches.
256****. CHARLES NODIER. _Writer._
[Born at Besançon, in France, 1780. Died, 1844. Aged 64.]
One of the contributors to the “Biographie Universelle,” and an able
writer on many subjects. He published a dictionary of words which
naturally represent by their sound the action signified: and this work
became at once, by order of the government, a class-book in all the
public schools. He also wrote instructive works on flowers and insects.
In 1800, there appeared from his pen a poem called “Napoleone,” for
which he suffered imprisonment. A writer for the _Journal des Débats_
newspaper; subsequently conducted the _Quotidienne_. In 1834, a member
of the French Academy. He had great rapidity in composition, and
published many writings; amongst them several novels. As a writer his
style is pure; he was hostile to innovations in language. He has been
accused of political tergiversation: and of being, little scrupulous in
the way of pushing his interests, and forcing a reputation.
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SOLDIERS AND STATESMEN.
257. PIERRE DE TERRAIL, SEIGNEUR DE BAYARD. _Warrior._
[Born near Grenoble, in France, 1476. Died, 1524. Aged 48.]
The “_Chevalier sans peur et sans reproche_.” A true knight and
gentleman. His earliest renown won at the tourney. At the age of
eighteen, entered active service, which he did not quit until his death
in Italy, where he fell, as he desired, by the weapon of the foe on the
field of battle. Spotless in character, intrepid, generous,
self-denying, and the very soul of honour. He enjoyed the respect and
admiration of his country’s enemies, and by his own countrymen he was
idolized. After the battle of Marignan, his King, Francis I., one of the
bravest men of his age, desired to receive the order of knighthood from
the hands of Bayard. The ceremony over, Bayard addressed his sword,
vowing to regard it thenceforward as a sacred relic, never to be drawn
except against Turks, Saracens, and Moors. The body of Bayard was
embalmed by the foe and restored to the French for honourable burial, at
Grenoble.
258. GASTON DE FOIX. _Warrior._
[Born 1489. Died at Ravenna, in Italy, 1512. Aged 23.]
The nephew of Louis XII. of France. Succeeded the Duke of Longueville in
the command of the army in Italy, where his prodigies of valour and
daring exploits gained him the name of the “Thunderbolt of Italy.” He
raised the siege of Ravenna, and in his hot pursuit of the foe, was cut
down;--slaughtered in the hour of victory.
[This is one of the finest French busts. There is also a portrait of
him in the Gallery of Vienna, by Palma Vecchio.]
259. MICHEL DE L’HÔPITAL. _Chancellor of France._
[Born at Aigueperse, in France, 1505. Died at Vignay, in France, 1573.
Aged 68.]
One of the greatest magistrates of France. Educated by his father, a
surgeon, for the profession of law, at Toulouse and Padua. Entering
Parliament, he became distinguished for his judgment, learning, modesty,
and legal attainments. On the death of Francis I. nominated Ambassador
to the Council of Trent. Upon his return to France, appointed by
Marguerite de Valois, Duchesse de Berri, Private Chancellor of her
Household; and after the accession of Henry II., raised to the dignity
of Chancellor of France. Religious dissensions were now rife and bitter,
and L’Hôpital took the side of moderation and justice. It was his hand
that in 1562 drew up the edict called the “edict of January,” which gave
freedom of worship to Protestants in France. Hopeless, however, of
seeing an end to the fierce quarrels of Roman Catholics and Calvinists,
he resigned the seals of office in 1567, and retired into privacy. He
was still in obscurity when the butchery of St. Bartholomew took place.
During the massacre, Catherine de Medicis sent a body-guard to protect
the Ex-Chancellor. Being told that he was pardoned, L’Hôpital calmly
replied “that he was not aware that he had done anything demanding
either death or pardon.” The grief and horror which he experienced at
this dreadful event broke the heart of the mild and conscientious man.
His character looks all the brighter from the darkness by which he is
surrounded. His industry was equal to his great learning, and his high
sense of honour and justice corresponded to his humanity. When, in 1554,
he was made Superintendent of the Royal Finances, he restored an
exhausted treasury by his stern and resolute honesty.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by Gois, Sen.]
260. GASPARD DE COLIGNY. _Marshal and Admiral._
[Born at Chatillon-sur-Loin, in France, 1517. Died in Paris, 1572.
Aged 55.]
Greatly distinguished for his valour. The head of the Protestant party
in France, and the first victim of the horrible massacre of St.
Bartholomew.
261. PIERRE LAURENT BUIRETTE DE BELLOY. _Dramatist._[32]
[Born at St. Flour, in Auvergne, 1727. Died 1775. Aged 48.]
A writer who acquired immense popularity in his own day, but whose
death, it is said, was hastened by grief at the total failure of his
last dramatic work. His best production is “The Siege of Calais,” which,
as the third great success achieved by his pen, secured for him the gold
medal accorded by the king to authors who should have been thrice
successful on the stage. The style of Belloy is somewhat laboured and
sententious, and he indulges largely in hyperbole; but he had a happy
knowledge of stage effect. He possessed an astonishing memory; and was
the first introducer of national subjects, for representation upon the
French stage. At an early period of his life he had himself been an
actor in Russia.
[From the marble by Caffieri. On the pedestal of the bust is
inscribed--“The work of his friend, Caffieri. 1771.”]
[32] This biographical notice belongs properly to “French Poets and
Dramatists,” and has been unavoidably misplaced.
262. FRANÇOIS DE BONNE, DUC DE LESDIGUIÈRES. _Constable of France._
[Born 1543. Died 1626. Aged 83.]
When nineteen years of age, a simple archer; but, by dint of great
bravery, activity, and success, he shortly became chief of the
Protestant party in France. In 1575, appointed commander of the
Protestant army in the place of Montbrun; performed great feats of arms
in Dauphiny and Provence, and helped, more than any other soldier of his
time, to place Henry IV. upon the throne. After the death of Henry, the
religious convictions of Lesdiguières underwent a remarkable change. He
was converted to Romanism,--some say, by the persuasive powers of a
missionary; others, by the dazzling office of Lord High Constable of
France, offered on condition that he abjured his faith. It is certain
that he had a lust of power and wealth, and was unscrupulous in the
means of getting them. Yet he had great qualities. He was generous and
forgiving. He was conqueror in every battle he fought. Our own Elizabeth
was heard to say that “had there been two Lesdiguières in France, she
would have begged one from the king.” He was indeed a man after her own
great heart; for he was brave, handsome, active, full of resources, and
always successful.
263. MAXIMILIEN DE BÉTHUNE, DUC DE SULLY. _Minister of State._
[Born at Rosny, in France, 1560. Died at Villebon, in France, 1641.
Aged 82.]
The early friend and Minister of Henry IV. of France. Educated, like his
royal master, in the reformed faith, he ran in his youth great risk of
falling a victim to the terrible massacre of St. Bartholomew. Escaping
from that danger, he joined the standard of the young King of Navarre,
shared his dangers, and distinguished himself by the most daring
courage. His abilities, however, as diplomatist and financier outweighed
his bravery and impetuosity on the field. When Henry IV. ascended the
throne of France, Sully became Minister of Finance, and by dint of
skilful management and great labour he so far repaired the monetary
credit of the nation as to be able to pay off, in the course of ten
years, a heavy debt, and to leave a considerable surplus in the
treasury. Upon the accession of James II. of England, he came to this
country as ambassador, and concluded a treaty advantageous to the
interests of both nations. After the assassination of Henry IV., Sully
quietly retired to his estates, where he was frequently consulted
by Louis XIII., and where he composed his interesting “Memoirs.”
He was amazingly rich, and laden with honours. He held many
appointments--amongst others, those of Governor of Poitou, and Grand
Surveyor of France. Sully was parsimonious, although he had ever been
liberal in supplying the necessities of his royal master, when the King
of Navarre stood in need of help. He had many fine qualities: not the
least of these was his plain, blunt sincerity in all his dealings with
the king. He was a most diligent worker, rising invariably at four
o’clock in the morning to commence his daily work. He is described as
violent in temper, avaricious, and greedy of honour as well as money. He
had largely earned both by his life-long fidelity to his sovereign, and
by the lasting services rendered in the time of peace to the bankrupt
exchequer of his country. He died as he had lived--a Protestant.
[From the statue in the Institute of France, by Mouchy.]
264. CLAUDE FABRI DE PEIRESC. _Patron of Science._
[Born at Beaugensier, in France, 1580. Died 1637. Aged 57.]
A benefactor of his kind, being one of the most notable promoters and
patrons of science and literature. For a long time resident on his
native soil, then in Italy, England, and Holland, in all which countries
he collected with the greatest avidity, and at infinite pains, rare
memorials of antiquity. He encouraged and assisted men of genius
wherever he met them, and corresponded with the learned of his time in
Europe. We are indebted to him for the preservation of several ancient
manuscripts, and for our acquaintance with fragments of learning, until
his time unrecovered. He was himself an antiquary, a philologist, and an
astronomer.
[From a marble in the Louvre, copied by Claude Francin from a bust by
Caffieri. Francin died in 1773. An original work of his from the life,
is the bust of D’Alembert, at Versailles. The original of our bust,
some years ago, had the nose broken off. It has not been very
skilfully restored.]
265. ABRAHAM DUQUESNE. _Vice Admiral of France._
[Born at Dieppe, in France, 1610. Died in Paris, 1688. Aged 78.]
One of the most famous sea-captains of France. At the age of seventeen,
he already gained great distinction by his deeds against the Spaniard.
During the minority of Louis XIV. entered the navy of Sweden, and
destroyed the fleet of Christian IV. of Denmark. Returning to France,
performed illustrious service against Spain and Holland combined;
opposed Ruyter and Van Tromp, and gained important victories over both.
Ruyter he completely defeated near Messina, winning that city for the
French. In 1683, bombarded Algiers, and in 1684, humbled Genoa.
Duquesne, being a Protestant, did not receive from his royal master the
highest rank in the French navy, but he was created a Marquis, and upon
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, his was the sole name not
included in the general proscription. Louis XIV. expressed to this great
sailor his regret that he could not recompense his services as they
merited, because of his religious faith. When Duquesne repeated this to
his wife, she said, “You ought to have replied:--‘Sire, if I am a
Protestant, my services are Catholic.’” Like Nelson, Duquesne was in
private life admired for his gentleness and sterling worth.
[For an account of this statue, see Handbook of Modern Sculpture, No.
92.]
266. HENRI DE LA TOUR D’AUVERGNE, VICOMTE DE TURENNE. _Marshal of
France._
[Born at Sedan, in France, 1611. Died at Baden, 1675. Aged 64.]
The most skilful commander in Europe, at a time when the art of war was
studied with greater assiduity than at any previous period. The public
and private acts of Turenne proclaim the inherent grandeur of his mind.
He was born a Protestant, and becoming a Roman Catholic in after life,
he exhibited moderation and comprehensive liberality, not always
characteristic of the convert. He was sagacious, truthful, and virtuous.
In war energetic, brave, and full of resources; in private life pure,
kind, and disinterested. He entered upon military duty in Holland in his
13th year. After the death of Louis XIII., Mazarin and the Queen Mother
enlisted the successful soldier in their service, and conferred upon him
the Marshal’s baton. They had no cause to repent the act. He performed
great deeds in Germany, took part in the wars of the Fronde, and covered
himself with glory in every campaign. He fell whilst leading his men
into action, and his marshalled troops, paralysed by the blow, retired
without hazarding a battle. Montecucculi, the opposed commander, on
seeing the movement, exclaimed, “Turenne is dead.” Turenne was
unprepossessing in appearance: he had a fierce expression, was of the
middle height, with very broad shoulders and thick eyebrows. He was
mourned, by order of the King, as a prince of the blood royal, and
buried with kings in the Church of St. Denis. Napoleon said, at St.
Helena, that he had studied the life of Turenne, deeming his renown
exaggerated, but that he had risen from the study confirmed in his
opinion of the commander’s greatness. “The boldness of Turenne,” he
added, “increased with his experience; for he was more daring at the
close than at the outset of his career. It was the reverse with Condé,
who made so great display at starting.”
267. EDOUARD COLBERT. _Minister of State._
[Died, 1693.]
Brother of the great Jean Baptiste Colbert, who was Finance Minister of
Louis XIV. Edouard was a lieutenant-general in the army, and a member of
the government.
[From a marble in the Louvre, by Desjardins, a Dutch sculptor, born at
Breda, 1640, who died at Paris, in 1694. Desjardins attained to
eminence and became principal of the Académie in Paris. The original
is inscribed--“E. C. Marquis de Colbert, Surintendant des batimens du
Roy, agé de LXIIII. ans.”]
267*. JEAN BAPTISTE COLBERT. _Statesman and Financier._
[Born at Reims, in France, 1619. Died in Paris, 1683. Aged 64.]
It has been said that Louis XIV. would never have been so great a King
had not Colbert been so great a financier. And there is warrant for the
remark. His soul was absorbed in the work of glorifying France, and he
carried out his patriotic object by re-establishing order in the
finances of the country, from which he contended all material prosperity
flows--by a reconstruction of the whole commercial system--by adorning
the capital with great public works, and by a general encouragement of
art and literature. Some authors assert that Colbert was the son of a
draper. His mind was that of the most enlightened statesman. In early
life, Mazarin had been his patron, and when the Cardinal died, he
bequeathed his friend to the King as the best legacy he could leave him,
and he appointed him his own executor. France prospered under his hand,
which suffered no fatigue from inordinate exertion, and which
ruled,---if occasionally with a rod of iron,--with a success that has
left some of its effects visible even at the present day. He died spent
with service, having lived through intrigues and rivalries.
[This bust, which is to come, is from a marble in the Louvre, by
Michel Anguier, who died in 1686. He was the artist who executed the
sculptures of the Triumphal Arch at Paris, called the Porte St. Denis.
The costume is the court dress, with a mantle over, which is the Order
of the Holy Spirit, and the Cordon. At Versailles there is a bust also
from the life, by Coysevox, who did the kneeling statue on his tomb in
the church of St. Eustace, a copy of which is there also.]
268. LOUIS II. DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONDÉ, surnamed THE GREAT CONDÉ.
_Warrior._
[Born in Paris, 1621. Died at Fontainbleau, in France, 1686. Aged 65.]
A great soldier, daring, impetuous, valiant, brilliant in his
achievements, and, in the pursuit of victory, utterly regardless of
human life, whether in respect of himself or of others. When he first
entered the army, he served under the great Turenne, but in 1643, five
days after the accession of Louis XIV., being invested with the chief
command of the armies of Flanders and Picardy, he won the famous battle
of Rocroi, in which, with a most inadequate force, he annihilated the
veteran Spanish troops. From 1643 to 1649, he accumulated glory and
honour upon his brow. In 1650, Mazarin, alarmed by the position assumed
by the laurelled warrior during the troubles of the “Fronde,” arrested
him, and imprisoned him in the Bastille. Released after thirteen months’
confinement, Condé in revenge threw himself into the arms of Spain, and
marched against Paris; where, however, his bravery and hot indignation
could make little way against Turenne. Peace having been concluded in
1659, Condé returned to France, resumed his old allegiance, and took
part in the triumphant victories of the time. When Turenne was killed at
Salzbach, in 1675, Condé assumed the place of the deceased commander,
but only to make his last campaign; for ill-health soon compelled him to
lay down his arms for ever. He retired to his estate at Chantilly, and
passed the remainder of his days in the society and patronage of the
chief literary men of the time. He was the friend of Racine and Molière,
and an enthusiastic admirer of Corneille. Condé was a hero on the field
of battle, but there only:--as a man, proud, fierce, eager, passionate,
and ambitious. He had an eagle glance, and a spirit easily roused. After
the wont of the great world in France in those days, he became religious
in his decline.
269. HENRI FRANÇOIS D’AGUESSEAU. _Chancellor of France._
[Born at Limoges, in France, 1668. Died at Fresnes, in France, 1751.
Aged 83.]
A distinguished orator and judge, a fine scholar, a loyal citizen, and a
worthy, if in some respects, a weak man. He improved the administration
of justice in France, defended the monarchy against papal aggression,
and the people from the aggressions of the monarch. He became Chancellor
in 1717, but resolutely opposing the dangerous system of finance known
as “Law’s system,” he was deprived of the seals and banished. In 1720,
he was recalled, to counteract the disastrous effects of Law’s schemes;
but in 1722, making another stand against corruption, he was again
dismissed, by the influence of Court intrigue. Once more invited back to
office, he served his country until 1750, when he finally resigned the
Chancellorship. He was distinguished for gentleness of manner and
sweetness of disposition, as much as for love of honesty and truth. It
was said of him, that his thoughts were those of a philosopher; his
speech, that of an orator. He was conversant with many ancient and
modern languages, and he wrote Latin and other verses. His works,
chiefly legal, formed thirteen quarto volumes.
[From the marble in the Louvre.]
270. MAURICE, COMTE DE SAXE. _Marshal of France._
[Born at Dresden, in Saxony, 1696. Died at Chambord, in France, 1750.
Aged 54.]
One of the most illustrious warriors of the eighteenth century. The
natural son of Frederic Augustus II., King of Poland, and Aurora, the
celebrated Countess of Königsmarck. In 1711, he followed the King of
Poland to Stralsund; he also served in Hungary against the Turks, and
was at the siege of Belgrade. In 1720, he entered the service of France,
in which, after famous deeds of heroism, and many brilliant triumphs, he
rose to the highest rank. In 1745, he gained the battle of Fontenoy, and
by the capture of Mäestricht in 1747, he secured the peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle. Marshal Saxe was large in size, and of extraordinary
strength. He was a Lutheran.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by J. B. Pigalle, a celebrated French
sculptor of the last century, who died at Paris in 1785. The mausoleum
to the memory of Saxe, in the church of St. Thomas, at Strasbourg, was
built by him. The Marshal wears his armour, which is sculptured with
the arms of his family. The statue at Versailles is the work of M.
Rude, in 1836. Another bust, by Cartellier, treated in the Antique
style, is in the Tuileries.]
271. FRANÇOIS CHRISTOPHE KELLERMANN. _Marshal of France._
[Born at Strasbourg, in France, 1735. Died in Paris, 1820. Aged 85.]
One of Napoleon’s generals. Commanded at the battle of Valmy, 1792,
against the Duke of Brunswick, and his victory probably determined the
fate of Europe until 1815. Years afterwards it was his good fortune to
decide the issue of one of Napoleon’s greatest battles by the brilliancy
of his charge. Napoleon said “the charge was opportune.” “Opportune!”
replied Kellermann, “it has put the crown upon your head.” The Emperor
never forgave the remark. Kellermann excelled in statesman-like tact and
finesse.
272. CHARLES FRANÇOIS DUMOURIEZ. _French General._
[Born at Cambrai, in France, 1739. Died, 1823. Aged 84.]
Played a conspicuous part in the first French Revolution, changing from
one party to another. His antipathy to the extreme Republicans induced
him at last to treat with Austria for the invasion of France, but,
deserted by his army, he retired to Hamburgh and thence to England. A
friend of Lord Castlereagh and the late Duke of Kent. Enterprising,
ambitious, and capable, but inconsiderate and hasty. He wrote several
works.
273. THÉOPHILE MALO DE LA TOUR D’AUVERGNE-CORRET. _Warrior._
[Born at Cartraix, in Lower Britanny, 1743. Died at Neuburg, in
Bavaria, 1800. Aged 57.]
Styled by Napoleon “the first grenadier of France.” Entered the Spanish
army as a volunteer, and conducted himself with great bravery and
humanity at the siege of Mahon. Throughout his military life exhibited
unflinching valour and singular judgment. After the close of his
service, re-entered the army as the substitute for the son of a friend,
who had been drawn as conscript. Killed at the battle of Neuburg, he was
buried on the field, but his heart was embalmed and confided to the care
of his regiment. A hero in war, and in private life. An excellent
scholar, well versed in history, eminent as a linguist, and known as the
author of a Franco-Celtic Dictionary. As a signal distinction, the name
of La Tour D’Auvergne, after his death, was still called, in its turn,
in the muster-roll of his regiment.
[From the marble in the Tuileries. The author not known, but supposed
to be Chas. Louis Corbet.]
274. PIERRE ALEXANDRE BERTHIER. _Marshal of France._
[Born at Versailles, in France, 1753. Died at Hamburg, in Germany,
1815. Aged 62.]
The bosom friend of Napoleon, and his constant companion in his
campaigns. He received in person the Emperor’s instructions, and
forwarded them to the different generals. Performed his duties with
docility, readiness, and perfect silence, and never betrayed his
master’s secrets. As a subordinate unsurpassed, but had none of the
qualities of a commander. He proved ungrateful. On the fall of Napoleon,
he went over to the Bourbons; on Napoleon’s return from Elba he changed
again, but to be repulsed by his former chief. After Waterloo the
Bourbons refused to countenance him, whereupon he fell into melancholy
and died by his own hand.
[From the marble in the Tuileries.]
275. JEAN BAPTISTE KLEBER. _French General._
[Born at Strasbourg, in France, 1754. Assassinated at Cairo, in Egypt,
1800. Aged 46.]
At first in the Bavarian army. At the breaking out of the French
Revolution, served France in the ranks. His lofty stature, martial air,
and fearless demeanour soon insured his promotion. With Napoleon in the
Egyptian expedition. Left in command of the army in Egypt, he captured
Cairo, but was himself assassinated in that city by a native of Aleppo.
In him cool judgment and romantic bravery were combined; and his
humanity and integrity equalled his courage and coolness. Napoleon
pronounced him one of the greatest of his generals,
[From the marble in the Tuileries, by Masson. It figured in the
Exhibition of the 9th year of the Consulate, with the statement that
it was done for the Gallery of the Consuls.]
276. FRANÇOIS JOSEPH LEFEBVRE, DUC DE DANTZIC. _Marshal of France._
[Born in Alsace, 1755. Died in Paris, 1820. Aged 65.]
One of the many who at the breaking out of the French Revolution found
themselves on the lowest step of the social ladder, and in time, by
force of ability and valour, mounted to the very highest. Lefebvre was
the son of a miller, and being an orphan, was brought up in charity by a
relative. He enlisted in the Guard, and, at the time of the Revolution,
had become a sergeant. Before forty, he was General of brigade. In 1804,
Marshal of the Empire. In 1807, besieged and took Dantzic, and for the
exploit received his title. In the expedition to Russia (1812) he had
the command of the Imperial Guard. Upon the restoration of Louis XVIII,
made peer of France, but deprived of his dignity at the second
restoration, in consequence of his equivocal conduct during the hundred
days. He died in 1820, having followed twelve sons to the grave. He was
not a brilliant soldier, nor had he striking qualities of mind; but he
was intelligent, well-informed, modest, and discreet--qualities not
without their value in an officer of Napoleon’s army.
[From the marble in the Tuileries.]
277. MARIE PAUL GILBERT MOTIER, MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. _French General._
[Born at Chavagnac, in France, 1757. Died in Paris, 1834. Aged 77.]
Of noble family, but a republican and an enthusiast from his earliest
youth. He was only twenty-three years of age when he embarked secretly
for America, in order to take part in the War of Independence. Raising
and equipping a body of men at his own expense, he fought at the battles
of Brandywine and Monmouth. He was again in France in 1779, for the
purpose of concluding a treaty between that country and America;
returned ta America after accomplishing his object, and commanded
Washington’s vanguard when Lord Cornwallis surrendered in 1782. His
zeal, on behalf of America and the republican cause, knew no bounds, and
his restlessness was excessive. Many of his proposed schemes were wild
and impossible. During the French Revolution, this arch-republican was
himself obliged to fly from France, in order to save his head, and being
taken by the Austrians, was imprisoned for five years at Olmütz.
Buonaparte stipulated for his deliverance, in the treaty of Campo Formio
(1796), and obtained it, but Lafayette took no part in politics under
Napoleon, and at the Restoration publicly evinced his dislike for the
Bourbons. In 1824, he revisited America, where he was received with an
affectionate welcome, and acknowledged as one of the joint founders,
with Washington and Franklin, of American Freedom. The Revolution of
1830 saw Lafayette, for a day, Dictator of France, but he resigned that
supremacy to hand over the vacant throne to Louis Philippe. Lafayette,
with purity of intention, and elevation of principle, was the victim of
vanity, puerile simplicity, and an overweening-love of popularity. His
heart was stronger than his head: his capacity for public business not
equal to the virtues which adorned his heart. Brave and chivalrous to a
fault, he was without solid judgment. One error ran through his life: he
believed that the constitution of America might be transplanted to his
own soil; and that a throne, surrounded by republican institutions,
would be the very perfection of human government, even in France.
278. PIERRE FRANÇOIS CHARLES AUGEREAU. _Marshal of France._
[Born in Paris, 1757. Died at La Houssaye, in France, 1816. Aged 59.]
One of Napoleon’s generals, and remarkable for his recklessness and
courage. At the age of 35, in the ranks, he rose to become a General of
Division. On the fall of Napoleon, he took his army over to the
Bourbons. When Napoleon returned from Elba he shouted “_Vive
l’Empereur!_” After Waterloo, he again joined the legitimate monarch.
His avarice was unbounded: he robbed churches and private houses, and
his coarse manners contrasted strongly with the pomp of his dress and
daily life.
[From the marble in the Tuileries, by Masson.]
279. ANDRÉ MASSENA. _Marshal of France._
[Born at Nice, in Italy, 1758. Died in Paris, 1817. Aged 59.]
The French General whom Napoleon styled “The Child of Victory.” Entered
the French army as a private soldier, and in 1793 was General of
Division. Sharing in the brilliant campaigns of Napoleon, he was
distinguished by his irresistible impetuosity, clear penetration, and
military skill. In comprehensiveness of view, and in the formation of
those combinations on which the fate of battles depends, he was superior
to all his brother Marshals. He opposed Wellington in Portugal, and
conducted the admirable retreat of the French army. Personally, he was
avaricious, rapacious, cruel, and mean.
[From the marble in the Tuileries.]
279*. PIERRE CLAUDE FRANÇOIS DANNON. _Statesman and Writer._
[Born at Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1761. Died in Paris, 1840. Aged 79.]
Took an active part in the first French Revolution; but not proving
violent enough for the Jacobins, was sentenced to death. Regaining his
liberty, was appointed one of the Commissioners for drawing up the new
Constitution. Afterwards sent with others to Italy, to organize the
Roman Republic. On his return opposed the ascendancy of Napoleon, but
was subsequently made Archivist of the Empire. In 1830, restored to
offices, which he lost on the downfall of Buonaparte, and afterwards
created peer of France. Wrote much in the “Biographie Universelle,” and
in the “Histoire Littéraire.” Simple in manners, of unaffected modesty,
disinterested and benevolent.
[Bust to come.]
279**. PIERRE PAUL ROGER COLLARD. _Statesman and Philosopher._
[Born at Sourmepuis, in France, 1763. Died in Paris, 1845. Aged 82.]
At twenty called to the bar. Embraced the revolutionary principles, but
disgusted with the anarchy to which they led, withdrew to the more
peaceful pursuits of literature. Devoted himself to philosophy, and
sought to counteract the infidel tendencies of his age by a religious
spiritualism. Appointed by Napoleon Professor to the Normal School. At
the Restoration, re-entered the field of politics and made President of
the Chamber of Deputies. Retired again in 1830. Introduced into France a
system of philosophy analogous to that of Reid, the Scotch philosopher,
of whose works he recommended the study. As a politician, one of the
founders of the popular school known by the name of _Doctrinaires_,
which recognised certain principles as essential to all society, and
desired to render the actions of men conformable to them. A man of
perfect integrity. His interests never interfered with his duty, and he
left an honoured and unspotted name.
[Bust to come.]
280. LAZARE HOCHE. _French General._
[Born at Montreuil, in France, 1768. Died at Witzlar, in Prussia,
1797. Aged 29.]
Son of an ostler in the Royal stables at Versailles. First a stable boy,
then a private soldier, he commanded, at the age of 25, the army of the
Moselle! Set sail to invade Ireland with 25,000 men, but a storm
dispersed his vessels. Afterwards commanded the armies of the Sambre and
Meuse, and forced a passage across the Rhine. His brilliant career cut
short by death. In his early youth fiery and vehement; but he soon
obtained a mastery over his temper, and became grave, silent, and
thoughtful beyond his years.
[From the marble in the Tuileries by Delaistre.]
281. BESSIÈRES, JEAN BAPTISTE. _Duke of Istria. Marshal of France._
[Born in Guienne, France, 1768. Died 1813. Aged 45.]
One of the bravest, worthiest, and most faithful of Napoleon’s
lieutenants. Served in the first campaign of Italy, in the expedition to
Egypt, in the second campaign of Italy, and was created Marshal in 1804.
In the subsequent wars in Germany he displayed the highest valour,
skill, and judgment. According to the Emperor, “he was full of fire, but
never otherwise than prudent and circumspect.” In 1808, achieved victory
in Spain; afterwards greatly contributed to the success of the battle
fought at Essling; and having visited Spain a second time in 1811, he
proceeded in 1812 to Russia, at the head of the Imperial cavalry guard.
On the morning of the battle of Lützen, in 1813, he betook himself to a
narrow pass at Rippach, in order to drive out the enemy there vigorously
defending himself. He was on foot and at the head of his men. The foe
had already given way, when a shot struck him in the breast and he fell
dead. Napoleon received the news with grief, but it was kept a secret
from the army for the rest of the day. The Emperor had lost a friend,
the soldiers a companion in arms, whose character had never belied his
military deeds. He died very poor, leaving to his family nothing but his
good name. At St. Helena, Napoleon left 100,000 francs to his son. He
had not forgotten the fidelity of the father.
282. BARTHÉLÉMI CATHARINE JOUBERT. _French General._
[Born at Pont-de-Vaux, in France, 1769. Killed at Novi, in Italy,
1799. Aged 30.]
A brave soldier who, had he lived, would undoubtedly have proved not the
least eminent of the famous Marshals of the Empire. He was intended for
the bar: but at the breaking out of the Revolution, moved by his
Republican sympathies, he entered the National Guard. Subsequently
enlisted in the regular army as a common soldier, and rapidly
distinguished himself. For his admirable conduct under Kellerman, at the
Battle of Loano (1795), he was made General of Brigade upon the field.
Two years afterwards he was General of Division. In 1798, he succeeded
General Brune in the command of the army in Italy. He fell at Novi,
whilst impetuously leading on his men. He was prompt, energetic, and
fearless to a fault; he enjoyed the unbounded confidence of the
soldiers, and his private life was stainless. His countenance had a
melancholy cast--his manner was grave and silent. When he spoke it was
with blunt and soldier-like brevity. An ardent Republican. One great aim
of his life was said to be the dethronement of all the petty sovereigns
of Italy, and the substitution of one great Italian Republic.
[From the marble in the Tuileries by Boizot.]
283. LOUIS CHARLES ANTOINE DESAIX. _French General._
[Born at St. Hilaire D’Argat, in France, 1768. Killed at Marengo, in
Piedmont, 1800. Aged 32.]
A celebrated General of the French Republic. Brave, discreet, prompt,
intelligent, and energetic. Mainly contributed to Napoleon’s triumphs in
Egypt; and at Marengo, where he fell, his charge against the Austrians
contributed largely to the fate of the day. Napoleon considered Desaix
only second to himself, and said of him that “he thought only of glory;
and luxury, and even comfort he despised.” Mild yet decided in
character; and so just in his conduct as to have gained in Egypt the
name of “the Just Sultan.”
[From the marble in the Tuileries by Dejoux.]
284. JEAN LANNES, DUC DE MONTEBELLO. _Marshal of France._
[Born in Guienne, 1769. Killed at Essling, in Austria, 1809. Aged 40.]
In the first rank of Napoleon’s renowned Marshals. Of poor and humble
parents, was in early life apprenticed to a dyer. In 1792, entered the
army as a volunteer. By signal intelligence, activity, and matchless
courage, soon fought his way upward, and secured the notice of Napoleon.
Distinguished himself greatly in the first Italian campaign; accompanied
Buonaparte to Egypt; followed him again into Italy in 1800, and covered
himself with glory at Montebello in 1804, when he was created Duke. At
Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau, and Friedland; and at one and all justified the
fame his skill and intrepidity had gained. At the battle of Essling,
1809, he had the command of the centre. On the 22nd, on passing through
the lines to cheer on his men, he was struck by a cannon shot, which
took off both legs. He was borne to the Emperor, who was deeply affected
at the sight of his brave and mutilated soldier. When speaking of
Lannes, at a later period, Napoleon said that “at first his courage
carried away his mind; but by degrees his mind came more and more
abreast of his courage, and he was great when he perished. I took him,”
he added, “a pigmy: I lost him a giant.”
285. MICHEL NEY. _Marshal of France._
[Born at St. Louis, in France, 1769. Was judicially shot, in Paris,
1815. Aged 46.]
Known as “The Bravest of the Brave.” The son of poor parents. Enlisted
at the age of thirteen, and speedily fought his way up to the command of
a division. His name intimately connected with Buonaparte’s military
career. He secured the retreat of the small remnant of the grand army
after the disastrous Russian invasion, and at Waterloo he had five
horses shot under him. After the final overthrow of Napoleon in 1815,
Ney was tried and shot for his treachery to the Bourbons in joining the
Emperor on his return from Elba. A monument recently erected on the spot
where he fell has translated the act of treachery into a triumph of
patriotism. Ney was sincere, honest, blunt, and almost austere in his
manners, yet merciful to the vanquished. It is recorded to his honour
that he lived and died poor.
286. FRANÇOIS SÉVÉRIN DESGRAVIERS MARCEAU. _French General._
[Born at Chartres, in France, 1769. Killed at Hochsteinbach, in
Germany, 1796. Aged 27.]
Brave, generous, and heroic, gifted for great military achievements.
Twice narrowly escaped the guillotine; once for gallantly protecting a
beautiful woman from the brutality of the soldiers. He fell mortally
wounded in the forest of Hochsteinbach; and the armies of France and
Austria both showed honour to his memory by firing volleys of artillery
over his grave.
[From the marble in the Tuileries by Ed. Dumont.]
287. PIERRE JACQUES CAMBRONNE. _French General._
[Born at St. Sebastian, near Nantes, 1770. Died 1842. Aged 72.]
A brave, humane, and faithful soldier, who rose in virtue of his own
good deeds from the ranks, and made for himself an honoured name in the
French army. He entered that army in his twentieth year, and knew no
repose until the peace of 1815. He made one in Hoche’s unsuccessful
expedition against Ireland, fought in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and was
present at the battles of Lützen, Bautzen, Dresden, and Leipzig. Devoted
to the Emperor, he accompanied him to Elba; returned with him in 1815;
and at Waterloo was found ready as ever at his post, commanding a
division of the Old Guard. At Waterloo, as befitted this brave and
simple-minded soldier, he performed his best service. His men were
slaughtered around him, and, threatened with death himself, he was
called upon to surrender. His answer has been treasured up in the annals
of the French army: “The Guard dies, but does not surrender.” He was
taken prisoner, covered with wounds. In 1816, he was tried by a council
of war; but he had broken no oath to the Bourbons, and was acquitted.
Other generals of Napoleon have a wider fame; none can show a better
title to their renown.
[By Debay, 1816.]
288. LOUIS NICOLAS DAVOUST, PRINCE D’ECKMUHL. _Marshal of France._
[Born at Annoux, in Burgundy, 1770. Died in Paris, 1823. Aged 53.]
One of the bravest and ablest of Buonaparte’s lieutenants. Cool and
collected in danger, energetic and methodic in his plans. His troops
were always in better order than those of any other general. Served at
Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena, and Auerstadt, and successfully defended Hamburgh
against the allies. Cruel, rapacious and coarse. His extortions,
oppressions, and murders gained for him the title of the Hamburgh
Robespierre. Upon the fall of Napoleon, he retired from active life.
289. MAXIMILIEN SEBASTIEN FOY. _French General._
[Born at Ham, in Picardy, 1775. Died in Paris, 1825. Aged 50.]
Began his military career at 15. Served in the Peninsular war, and at
Waterloo received his fifteenth wound. Entered the Chamber of Deputies
after the peace, became an orator, an opponent of the reactionary
government, and one of the most popular men of his time. He died poor,
and a subscription of 40,000_l._ was raised for the relief of his
destitute family. Skilful and courageous in the field. Left an
unfinished history of the Peninsular war, which is honest, candid and
eloquent.
290. ANTOINE CHARLES LOUIS COLLINET DE LASALLE. _General of Cavalry._
[Born at Metz, in France, 1775. Killed at Wagram, in Austria, 1809.
Aged 34.]
A famous officer in the wars of Napoleon. Served with the revolutionary
army in 1793, on the Rhone and Moselle. Accompanied Kellermann as
Aide-de-Camp into Italy, and there was made prisoner. When taken before
the veteran and war-tried field-marshal Wurmser, and asked the age of
Buonaparte, he replied, “Of the age of Scipio when he conquered
Hannibal.” At a later period with Napoleon in Egypt. In 1801, in Italy,
where at the battle of Caldiero he had three horses killed under him.
His later services were unremitting, and always brilliant. He fell
mortally wounded at the battle of Wagram, July 6, 1809. On the eve of
the battle he had a singular presentiment of his coming death. He rose
in the night for the express purpose of inditing a letter to the
Emperor, praying his consideration on behalf of his wife and children.
The letter was placed the next morning in the hands of the Emperor at
the very moment when news also came of the hero’s death. A dauntless
soldier, and of spotless fidelity to his chief.
[From the marble in the Tuileries by Delaistre.]
291. CASIMIR PÉRIER. _Statesman._
[Born at Grenoble, in France, 1777. Died in Paris, 1832. Aged 55.]
First served in the army. Then entered into business, established a
banking-house, and embarked in commercial speculations, which proved
successful. Elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies. Until 1830, the
fierce opponent of government, and the chief advocate of the popular
cause. In 1831, until his death, Prime Minister of Louis Philippe; his
policy the preservation of peace, the repression of the military spirit,
and the encouragement of commerce. His public career courageous and free
from corruption.
[Medallion by Houdon.]
PRELATES AND THEOLOGIANS.
291*. GEORGES D’AMBOISE. _Cardinal and Minister of State._
[Born at Chaumont sur Loire, in France, 1460. Died at Lyons, 1510.
Aged 50.]
As Prime Minister of Louis XII. of France, acquired popularity by
reforming abuses and relieving the burdens of the subject. Acquired the
title of “Father of the People.” Also Archbishop of Rouen. When created
Cardinal, effected great reforms in some of the religious Orders.
Benevolent and charitable. Never in possession of more than one
benefice, two-thirds of which he gave to the church and to the poor.
[From the statue in the Cathedral at Rouen.]
292. CARDINAL RICHELIEU. _Minister of France._
[Born in Paris, 1585. Died there, 1642. Aged 57.]
The great Minister of Louis XIII., and the actual ruler of France during
that monarch’s reign. He was the third son of François du Plessis,
Seigneur de Richelieu, and at first destined for the army, but renounced
this career for the Church, when his elder brother gave up his
ecclesiastical dignities for a monastic life. His political career
commenced when he was appointed Secretary of State for the War and
Foreign Departments; and it was sustained on the highest eminence, by
the force of superior intelligence, unequalled craftiness, and an utter
contempt for conscientious scruples. He was now the grateful protégé of
the King, now his exacting master; now he was insidiously sowing the
seeds of distrust and dissension amongst all the members of the Royal
Family, now openly and magnanimously effecting their reconciliation.
But, subtle and unscrupulous as were the means he employed, his views
were vast, his political ideas profound, and he laboured strenuously to
give stability to the French monarchy. He was a heartless man, but a
faithful minister; jealous of interference with his control, but using
his boundless influence for the welfare of the nation. He was a right
hypocrite, affecting piety, which he never felt; he was perfidious, and
even cruel; but we look back upon his career with an enforced respect
for his skill, his strong will, and his undoubted successes. He
persecuted Protestants in France, and abated the power of the French
nobility.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by Coysevox. He wears the Cardinal’s
robe, with the Order of the Holy Spirit. Modelled from some of the
painted portraits of the time. There are two statues of him at
Versailles, one by Ramey, dated 1819, the other by Duret, 1836.]
292A. CARDINAL RICHELIEU. _Minister of France._
[A mask.]
293. CARDINAL MAZARIN. _Minister of France._
[Born at Rome, 1602. Died at Vincennes, in France, 1661. Aged 59.]
The pupil, protégé, and successor of Cardinal Richelieu, by whom he was
recommended to Louis XIII. on his death-bed, and whom he surpassed in
cunning, finesse, intrigue, and in the skill with which he turned all
his public acts to his own private advantage. His avarice was excessive,
and his coffers groaned with the wealth of the country which he ruled
and impoverished. France was indebted to him for the treaties of
Westphalia and of the Pyrenees, and these constitute his best claim to
the consideration and gratitude of the French people. Another service
must not be forgotten. He beggared the French nation, but he endeavoured
to make amends by bequeathing to Louis XIV. the sagacious Colbert, under
whose strong hand the finances of France rapidly recovered. The
character of Mazarin has been variously described. By some he is
regarded as a great Minister of State, equal to Richelieu; by others as
a man of indifferent abilities, with an inordinate share of craftiness
and diplomatic trickery. It is certain that he was deeply versed in the
knowledge of man. Louis XIV. was in leading-strings whilst Mazarin
lived, but sole and absolute monarch from the day of his Minister’s
death until the hour of his own. Mazarin founded the first public
library established in France, but he kept the young monarch who was
entrusted to his hands, in shameful ignorance of all that it concerned
the youthful prince to know.
[From the marble in the Louvre by Coysevox.]
294. BLAISE PASCAL. _Theologian and Philosopher._
[Born at Clermont-Ferrand, in France, 1623. Died in Paris, 1662. Aged
39.]
Of a genius so rare as to seem supernatural. In tender years the boy,
debarred from mathematical books, with charcoal, on the wall of a
garret, worked out for himself problems answering to nearly the first
book of Euclid--without definitions or terms,--calling a circle a round,
and a right line a score. Whilst still young, he was a discoverer in
physics. The rise of water in pumps, and of quicksilver in the
barometer, had, till his time, been ascribed by the philosophers to the
“horror of Nature for a vacuum.” He guessed that the cause was the
pressure of the atmosphere, and verified his conjecture by carrying the
barometer up a mountain. He saw, agreeably to his expectation, that as
by the ascent the pressure gradually diminished, the quicksilver as
gradually fell. He had a subtle and profound metaphysical intellect,
with great power to express abstruse thoughts clearly and precisely. His
temperament was melancholy. A singular hallucination hung by
him--without otherwise disturbing the sound use of his faculties--that
at his side a visible gulph was ever yawning. The melancholy took a
deeper hue as he advanced towards the close of his brief life. He became
religiously austere, and subjected himself to personal mortification and
trials, under which elasticity and health gave way. Yet the pious
philosopher was not without the lighter qualities of the mind. His
celebrated “Provincial Letters,” written in defence of the doctrines of
the Abbey of Port Royal, against the Jesuits, are bright with the
keenest satire. Pascal was a great mathematician, a true philosopher,
and one of the purest of men.
295. JACQUES BENIGNE BOSSUET. _Prelate of France._
[Born at Dijon, 1627. Died in Paris, 1704. Aged 77.]
According to Voltaire, the eloquence of Bossuet stands unrivalled. His
_Universal History_, published for his pupil, the son of Louis XIV.,
written to point out the influence of God animating all the changes of
historic events--an idea expressed in the noble aphorism “_l’homme
s’agite: Dieu le mène_;” (man struggles and strives: but it is God who
leads him). His sermons, funeral orations, and controversial
publications, place him in the very highest rank as a writer. According
to Eustace, who wrote the “Classical Tour,” it is the especial glory of
Bossuet to have compelled the French language “to become the vehicle of
sublimity.” In the second part of the _Universal History_, the truths of
Christianity are vindicated with a lofty eloquence that is without equal
in France. One of Bossuet’s controversial works against Protestantism,
converted Gibbon, in his younger years, to the Roman faith. On one
occasion, he was the opponent in argument of the mild Fénélon. Nothing
can be more striking than the contrast between the styles of the fiery
Bossuet and the gentler, but equally pious and learned author of
“Telemachus.” The illustrious Bossuet was buried in the Cathedral of
Meaux, of which city, his friend, Louis XIV., had appointed him Bishop.
Hence he is still popularly styled “The Eagle of Meaux.”
[From a marble in the Louvre, by A. Coysevox.]
296. FRANÇOIS DE SALIGNAC DE LAMOTTE FÉNÉLON. _Archbishop and Writer._
[Born at Perigord, 1651. Died 1715. Aged 64.]
The author of “Telemachus.” A meek, pious, wise, and gentle-hearted man
who passed through life loving all, and doing good to all. The tutor of
the Duke of Burgundy, the King’s grandson, in whose self-willed and
ungovernable temper, his influence and skilful management effected a
moral conversion. Having engaged in a religious controversy with the
celebrated Bossuet, who procured his writings to be condemned at Rome,
and subsequently incurring the displeasure of Louis XIV., was banished
by that monarch. The resignation of the archbishop caused the king to
repent of his injustice, and Fénélon was recalled. Though possessed of
high station, great talents, and sound learning, a perfect example of
humility. The style of Fénélon is melodious, translucent.
[From a marble in the Louvre, by Coysevox, and taken from the life.
The costume is that of a bishop of the time, with the Order of the
Holy Spirit round the neck; this Order was broken at the first
Revolution: the form of the cross is still apparent. The statue at
Versailles is by Felix Lecomte.]
KINGS AND QUEENS.
296*. CHARLEMAGNE or CHARLES THE GREAT. _King of the Franks and
Emperor of the West._
[Born at Saltzburg, in Bavaria, A.D. 742. Died A.D. 814. Aged 72.]
The son of Pepin, who was the first King of France of the Carlovingian
dynasty. On the death of his father, in A.D. 768, crowned with his
brother Carloman, joint King of France. On the death of Carloman in A.D.
771, became sole ruler. In 772, commenced the subjugation of the Saxons,
whom he finally overthrew. Marched into Lombardy to the aid of the Pope,
overran the country, and caused himself to be crowned King of Lombardy
in A.D. 774. Then passed into Spain to assail the Saracen power
established there, but suffered defeat at the battle of Roncesval. In
A.D. 800, crowned at Rome “Emperor of the West,” by Pope Leo III.
Engaged in ceaseless warfare throughout his reign; yet a great promoter
of learning, and the founder of several universities. Collecting
enlightened and learned men about him, he completed many national works,
advanced agriculture and the arts, and rendered himself immortal by the
wisdom of his laws, and by the influence which his magnificent labours
produced upon the destinies of mankind. He was said to be the tallest
and strongest man of his time. His habits were of the simplest, and his
frugality a pattern to the world. A steadfast friend and a devoted
father. He was buried with great pomp at Aix-la-Chapelle, and was
sincerely mourned by his subjects, who had loved him in life. Few kings
have so legitimately and nobly earned the title of “Great,” as Charles
I., King of the Franks.
[A head from the Rotonda of the Vatican. In the Louvre is a very
remarkable portrait of him in stucco; a similar one is in the Vatican
library. There is also in the Vatican a large picture of the
coronation of Charlemagne, which contains a vast number of portraits.]
296**. PHILIP III. _King of France._
[Born 1245. Died 1285. Aged 40.]
This king was surnamed “The Bold” for a reason which historians have
never been able to discover. He was a mere tool in the hands of his
Chamberlain, whom he raised to the dignity of Prime Minister, but who
eventually suffered as a common culprit on a gibbet. The king was
wholly given up to superstitious practices, and his rule was disastrous
for France. During this reign a plain gentleman, Rodolph, count of
Hapsburg, was elected Emperor of Germany, and became the founder of a
line of kings in Austria. We are reminded also that one of the most
remarkable events of this period was the momentary reunion of the Greek
and Latin Churches, in 1274, effected by Gregory X. at the second
œcumenic council of Lyons.
297. LOUIS XI. _King of France._
[Born at Bourges, in France, 1423. Died at Duplessis les Tours, 1483.
Aged 60.]
The son of Charles VII. and Mary of Anjou. The mother was one of the
most virtuous women of her age; the son proved a bad child, a bad
father, a bad husband, a bad brother, a bad friend, a bad subject, and
in all qualities of the heart, a bad king. He was a tyrant, a cheat, a
bigot; cruel, implacable in his hatred, unscrupulous in revenge, a
miser, until he had an end to accomplish, when he could prove a
prodigal; crafty, sanguinary, suspicious, and despicably mean. He
availed himself of the humbler orders to crush the power of the
nobility, and loved to surround himself at all times with the lowest
instruments for the accomplishment of his designs. Four thousand persons
are said to have fallen victims to his cruelty, and history records that
his father died of privations, self-imposed, through fear of being
poisoned by his son. Yet this concentration of vice was personally
brave, and a great promoter of letters. He introduced printing into
France, and he wrote a book of counsels for his son, which he called
“The Rose Tree of Wars.” He moreover left the royal authority
established, and France powerful. His last few years were passed in
seclusion, in suspicious alarm, and constant terror of death.
[A characteristic bust; evidently a true portrait, pourtraying the
well-known bigotry and cruelty of the man.]
298. LOUIS XII. _King of France._
[Born at Blois,in France, 1462. Died in Paris, 1515. Aged 53.]
The son of Charles, Duke of Orleans, and heir presumptive to the throne,
during the minority of Charles VIII. Disputing the Regency with the
mother of Charles VIII, he was defeated, and suffered severe
imprisonment for the space of three years. Liberated by King Charles in
person, he conceived a warm friendship for the young monarch, which was
never broken. In 1498, when Charles died without issue, Louis succeeded
to the French throne. His reign was fruitful of good to his country. He
forgave his enemies, re-established discipline and order in his army,
economized the resources of the state, and made the army of France
victorious abroad. He appointed the judges of the land for life, in
order to secure their integrity, encouraged literature and science, and
liberally rewarded men of talent. He was three times married, his last
wife being Mary, sister of Henry VIII. of England. During his reign,
Gaston de Foix fell at Ravenna, and the authority of the Pope was
suspended in France. Louis was of a frank and generous nature, and was
called “the Father of his People.”
[From the bronze half-figure in the Louvre.]
299. FRANCIS I. _King of France._
[Born at Cognac, in France, 1494. Died at Rambouillet, 1547. Aged 53.]
The son of Charles of Angoulême, and cousin-german of Louis XII. of
France, whose daughter he married, and whom he succeeded on the French
throne. A libidinous king, with many knightly qualities, and with all
the bigotry and self-absorption that characterized too many of the
despotic rulers of his time. He was a great encourager and patronizer of
letters and the fine arts: but he had no mercy towards the heretic, and,
in 1535, he forbade printing in France under pain of death. Not a
successful warrior; he was taken prisoner at Pavia, during a war with
Spain, and detained at Madrid for the space of a twelvemonth. His
meeting with our own Henry VIII. on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, in
1520, is known to every reader of history. A lustre is shed upon the
reign of this monarch in consequence of his magnificent patronage of
art, but his life otherwise presents as little for admiration as the
satyr-looking bust which no doubt faithfully records the lineaments of
the man. His passions were violent and gross: and though he received the
dignity of knighthood from the hands of a subject, yet even the sword of
a Bayard could not endow him with virtue enough to protect him from
wilful prodigality, selfish follies, and open debaucheries.
[From the bronze in the Louvre by Jean Cousin, representing the king
in complete armour, interesting as a work of the time, but far less
real as a portrait than the head 299A, which is from the celebrated
monument at St. Denis, by P. Bontemps, where the king is sculptured
lying dead, and perfectly naked.]
299A. FRANCIS I. _King of France._
300. CHARLES V. _Emperor of Germany and King of Spain._
[Born at Ghent, in Belgium, 1500. Died in Estremadura, in Spain, 1558.
Aged 58.]
The reign of this undoubtedly great monarch is chiefly remarkable for
the rivalry which, during twenty-eight years, subsisted between him and
Francis I., of France, leading to European war, and to battles of varied
fortune, Charles inherited Germany from his father, Spain from his
mother; but the Empire was boldly disputed by Francis I., and thus war
commenced. After alternate success and defeat, Charles overcame his
rival at Pavia, in 1525, and took him prisoner. Gaining his freedom the
following year, Francis allied himself with Henry VIII. of England, but
Charles V. still contrived to obtain good terms by the treaty of
Cambrai, in 1529. The wily Emperor now caused himself to be crowned
Emperor of Rome, and then engaged in a crusade against the Turks. War
again broke out with France; but this time fortune turned against
Charles, and never pronounced in his favour again. Suffering reverse
upon reverse, his army beaten by disease as much as by the enemy--he
himself forced to flee, almost alone, for safety--he was thrown into a
depth of calamity as profound, as his previous condition had been
brilliant and lofty. Resigning his crown in favour of his son Philip, he
retired to a monastery in Spain, where he closed his career. Charles was
sagacious, cool, crafty, and obstinate, with great grasp of intellect;
cruel and hypocritical, yet not without some knightly qualities. He
affected great piety, especially in his later years, but there was more
of policy than of spiritual conviction in his religious movements. One
of his first acts as king, was to convene the Diet of Worms, to which he
gave Luther a safe conduct. He treated the Protestants with cruel
harshness. No two characters could have been more opposite than those of
the Royal and Imperial rivals. Their points of difference are admirably
described by Robertson.
[From a medallion in bronze in the Louvre. Compare with Titian’s
portrait, often engraved.]
301. CHARLOTTE, or CARLOTA D’AVESNE, DUCHESS OF VALENTINO.
[Died, 1514.]
A princess less illustrious for her great beauty and mental endowments,
than for her virtue and piety. First married to Charles, Prince de
Chimey; afterwards forced by Louis XII., to marry the infamous Cæsar
Borgia, whose misfortunes she shared without participating in his vices.
302. HENRY II. _King of France._
[Born at St. Germain-en-Laye, in France, 1518. Died in Paris, 1559.
Aged 41.]
The son of Francis I. He pursued the policy of his sire, carried war
into Italy, and strenuously opposed the House of Austria under Charles
V. and Philip II. He also took arms against England, and was bitter in
his persecution of Protestants. In his reign France recovered from
England the towns of Boulogne and Calais, the latter of which England
had held for the space of 210 years. Henry II. was an average king of
the time. He was the slave of his mistress, the celebrated Diana of
Poitiers, upon whom, and upon his favourites, he lavished his wealth; he
cultivated libertinism at Court, he robbed the people, he overstepped
his legitimate rights, and he left his country largely in debt.
Historians thank Providence that it was no worse. This monarch died of
an accidental wound, in a tournament, from the hand of Montgomery, the
chief of his Scotch guards.
[From a marble in the Louvre, by Jean Goujon. A very interesting
relic, formerly part of a beautiful chimney-piece brought from the
Château de Villeroy, and now in the Louvre, the work of Germain Pilon.
No 302A is from the marble by Germain Pilon, the celebrated sculptor
of the French Renaissance. The marble is very much decayed, but the
general character of the head is preserved, as well as the costume.
The head is crowned with laurel. The mantle is ornamented with the
fleur-de-lys, and the Order is that of St. Michel. The magnificent
tomb of this king in St. Denis is by Pilon.]
302A. HENRY II. _King of France._
303. CHARLES IX. _King of France._
[Born at St. Germain, 1550. Died there, 1574. Aged 24.]
The son of Henry II. and Catherine de Medici. He was brought up under
the tutelage of his mother; and at an early age, gave promise of a good
career, exhibiting a taste for literature, princely courage, and a love
of glory. But under the influence of his pernicious mother, he became
profligate and cruel. His unenviable reign is notorious for the horrible
Massacre of St. Bartholomew, when thousands of Protestants were
deliberately murdered. Remorse for this tremendous crime followed
Charles IX. to his grave, into which he was prematurely cast by
diseases, the result of his debaucheries.
[From a marble in the Louvre, attributed to Germain Pilon. It
represents the king in his youth. The pedestal is inscribed, Carolus
IX. 1568.]
304. HENRY III. _King of France._
[Born at Fontainebleau, 1552. Died at St. Cloud, 1589. Aged 37.]
The son of Henry II. and Catherine de Medici. He acquired military fame
as Duke of Anjou, by the victories of Jarnac and Moncontoni, gained over
the Huguenots. In 1573, he was elected King of Poland; but on the death
of his brother, Charles IX. of France, he relinquished the sovereignty
of Poland for that of France. As King, his early energy and manly
courage, gave place to shameless vice and debauchery. He was surrounded
by the most unworthy favourites, who caused his reign to be designated
as “The reign of the minions.” He had had a hand in the Massacre of St.
Bartholomew; but at a later period, driven out of his own capital by a
faction, he formed an alliance with Henry of Navarre, the chief of the
Protestants, and with that prince he laid siege to Paris. He was thus
employed at the camp of St. Cloud, when he was assassinated by a monk,
named Jacques Clement. Henry III. has been described, by some
historians, as a pupil of Machiavelli, concealing a profoundly devised
plan beneath his gross immoralities, obscenities, and blasphemies. His
acts were frequently those of a madman, yet he was not without good
qualities. He was the last king of the house of Valois. It had reigned
261 years, and given 13 monarchs to France.
[From the marble in the Louvre, by Germain Pilon. Like its fellow, No.
302A, very much eaten away, as though at some time exposed to the
weather.]
305. HENRY IV. _King of France._
[Born at Pau, in France, 1553. Assassinated in Paris, 1610. Aged 57.]
Educated in the reformed religion by his mother, Jeanne d’Albret, he
became head of the Huguenot party: as such he took part in the civil
wars, which arose in the reign of Henry III., and was in consequence
excommunicated by Pope Sixtus V. Acknowledged King of France by a
portion of the French army after the death of Henry III., he took arms
against the League, vanquished its followers in several engagements, and
finally entered Paris, after professing his adherence to the Roman
Catholic faith. In the reign of Henry IV. the humane Edict of Nantes,
which gave toleration to Protestantism, was promulgated, and the
sagacious reforms of the Minister Sully, a Protestant, helped largely to
the restoration of order, and to the development of the public
resources. The arsenals were replenished, roads and canals were made,
taxation was reduced, and the industry of the people fostered. Whilst
this salutary work was going on, and Henry IV. and his. Minister were
negociating the most important treaties with the various powers of
Europe, in order to establish a general confederacy and a lasting peace,
the monarch fell by the knife of Ravaillac, a fanatic. Henry IV. was an
unfaithful husband, and unstable in his religion. He had many
mistresses, and he twice abjured his faith: but he was the author of the
edict of Nantes.
305A. HENRY IV. _King of France._
[A very elegant statuette of the time. The head beautifully
sculptured, and evidently a good portrait.]
306. MARIE DE’ MEDICI. _Queen of France._
[Born at Florence, 1573. Died at Cologne, 1642. Aged 69.]
Daughter of Francis II., Grand Duke of Tuscany; wife of Henry IV. of
France; and mother of Henrietta-Maria, the queen of Charles I. of
England. She wedded Henry IV. after he had divorced his first wife,
Margaret of Valois, and the alliance was not a happy one. Crowned the
day before the assassination of her husband, at which some of her
contemporaries more than suspected that she herself connived. But no
proof of her guilt has been forthcoming. Regent during the minority of
her son Louis XIII., she threw France into confusion by her
misgovernment, prodigality, intrigues and wilfulness. The confusion
ended in civil war. Resigning the regency when Louis XIII. attained his
majority, she took up arms against her son; but reconciliation being
made through the intervention of Richelieu, then Superintendent of her
household, she introduced that great and wily man into the counsels of
the king. Richelieu, appointed Prime-Minister, arrested his former
mistress at Compeigne, and threw her friends into the Bastile. The sun
of Mary had finally set; she became an outcast and a wanderer in Europe.
Our own Charles I. found his mother-in-law an asylum; but he himself was
soon in need of human charity, and the abased queen must needs creep to
Cologne, where she lived in obscurity and died--as travellers are still
shown--in a garret. A weak woman, with strong passions. Ambitious,
jealous, irascible. In her character, as with all men and women--even
the worst---there is one brighter spot for contemplation. She introduced
into France an enlightened and a pure taste for art. There still exist
some specimens of engraving by her hand. To her, Paris owes the Palace
of the Luxembourg, and, for her, Rubens painted a gallery still
possessed by France.
[The companion statuette to 305A.]
307. LOUIS XIII. _King of France._
[Born at Fontainebleau, 1601. Died at St. Germain, 1643. Aged 42.]
He succeeded his father Henry IV. when nine years old. In 1614, his
majority was declared: in the following year he married Anne of Austria.
His reign is chiefly remarkable for the ascendancy acquired over the
King and his government, by Cardinal Richelieu, whose policy, although
directed by personal ambition, elevated the power of France and prepared
it for the glory of the succeeding reign. Louis XIII. was surnamed “The
Just:” but the good, which he desired, he had neither firmness nor
enlightenment enough to secure. He was timid and diffident, though
scrupulous, sincere, and pious. He had a melancholy nature. Grandeur had
no seductions for him, and it could not be said that he enjoyed the
sweets of private life. His mother Richelieu caused to be banished, and
Louis suffered her to die in misery at Cologne; an unfilial act to be
attributed rather to weakness of character, and the influence of the
Cardinal, than to deliberate unkindness. He was the father of Louis XIV.
[From a fine portrait statue in bronze, by Simon Guillain of Paris,
who died in 1658. The original is in the Louvre, and a copy of it is
at Versailles: it has lost a spur and the fleur-de-lys which was at
the top of the sceptre. The King wears the royal fleur-de-lys mantle
over his armour, and the grand collar of the Order of the St. Esprit.
He holds the sceptre in one hand, and stretches out the other, as if
giving a command. There is an interesting bust at Versailles of the
same King when a boy, and no doubt from the life.]
307A. LOUIS XIII. _King of France._
[From the marble statue in the Louvre, by Guillaume Couston, a pupil
of Coysevox, who died at Paris in 1746. The King wears the royal
fleur-de-lys mantle, and on his knees offers his crown and sceptre to
the Virgin. The 15th of August, 1638, the day on which Louis XIV. was
born, was ordered to be celebrated by a solemn procession in
Nôtre-Dame; and throughout France, to this day it is kept in the
Cathedral, and called the ceremony of the Vow of Louis XIII. The
attitude chosen by the sculptor is thus explained. There are several
other examples of the same kind at Versailles; the statue of Louis
XIV. (No. 308) is one. At Versailles there is a similar statue by
Coysevox, and a bust by Warin.]
307.* ANNE OF AUSTRIA. _Queen of France._
[Born in Spain, 1602. Died in France, 1666. Aged 64.]
The daughter of Philip II. of Spain, and wife of Louis XIII. of France.
She was neglected by the King, her husband, and had no influence in
France during his lifetime. But upon his decease, the parliament
annulled his will, which had restricted the Queen’s power, and gave her
the unlimited Regency of the kingdom, and sole guardianship of her son,
Louis XIV. She appointed Cardinal Mazarin her Prime Minister, and the
alliance thus formed between a Spanish princess and an Italian priest,
gave rise in France to the civil wars of “La Fronde.” In spite of the
opposition which she encountered, she made over the sovereignty of
France unimpaired to her son when he reached his majority. Of a mild and
docile temper, religious and charitable. As a mother she was devoted to
her children, and sought to imbue them with high moral and religious
principles.
[Mask from the statue referred to in note No. 308.]
308. LOUIS XIV. _King of France._
[Born at St. Germain, 1638. Died 1715. Aged 77.]
The son of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria. He ascended the throne at
five years old--his mother being Regent during his minority--and reigned
72 years, longer than any other King of France. Until the death of
Mazarin in 1661, Louis XIV. suffered the adroit Cardinal to rule. From
that hour until his own death, no man governed but himself. This
renowned monarch survived nearly the whole of his family, and when he
died, the crown, as in his own case, came to the charge of a child--his
great grandson--then in his fifth year. The reign of Louis Quatorze was
singularly eventful within and without the realm. It embraced wars,
marked now with splendid successes, and now with formidable reverses. He
aimed at universal monarchy, and endangered his own. He sustained, in
the War of the Succession, the defence of Spain and France against
united Europe--a war in which the allies hoped to dismember France, that
did not lose a province. Under this king, the soil of France was stained
with the blood of her children in religious civil conflict; the most
industrious and the best, slaughtered for their faith, or exiled. A
magnificent Court surrounded his person--the centre to the politeness of
Europe, its stately decorum veiling great moral corruption. Jealous of
his prerogatives and of his supremacy amongst kings, Louis XIV. was
still more jealous to be thought the best bred gentleman of his time. In
this reign, the marine, the commerce, and the manufactures of France
made a vast stride. Arts, letters, and science were royally encouraged.
It is looked back upon as the Augustan age of French literature, when
the writings of Corneille, Racine, Molière, and Boileau--of Masillon,
Bossuet, Fénélon, seemed to have fixed the language. The age of Louis
XIV. was the age of glory to the French monarchy; and splendidly
dissolute, and, in many respects, hollow, as it may have been, we still
revert to its records with a fascination that never palls, and an
interest that becomes more acute the more it is gratified.
[This statue, representing Louis as a child, is from a bronze by
Guillain, which formed, with a statue of Anne of Austria, and one of
Louis XIII., a group of three, as a monument to commemorate the
building of the Pont-au-Change, begun by Louis XIII. in 1639, and
finished under Louis XIV., 1647, while Anne was Regent. The monument
was destroyed in 1787; but the statues are in the Louvre, as well as
the great bas-relief. The bust of Anne of Austria (No. 307*) is taken
from the statue.]
308A. LOUIS XIV. _King of France._
[From the marble, by Ch. Ant. Coysevox, in the Louvre and at
Versailles. The King, kneeling on a cushion where his crown is placed,
is dressed in the Royal mantle, with the Orders of the Holy Spirit and
St. Michel. There are numbered no fewer than twenty-two busts,
statues, and medallions of this favourite King at Versailles. Four are
equestrian statues in bronze; one by Martin Bogaert, called
Desjardins, and two by Louis Petitot, done in 1834. The statue in
bronze by Desjardins, which once stood in the Place des Victoires, was
destroyed in 1793. The four slaves which stood chained at the angles
of this statue were alone preserved, and are now at the Hotel des
Invalides, at Paris.]
309. LOUIS XV. _King of France._
[Born at Versailles, 1710. Died there, 1774. Aged 64.]
He succeeded his great grandfather, Louis XIV., in the fifth year of his
age. He was styled “the well beloved.” In his 34th year, on the field of
Fontenoy, he gave proof of courage. Up to the prime of manhood, he gave
equally satisfactory evidence of many good qualities of heart and head.
But indolence and vicious habits, subsequently contracted, rendered the
latter half of Louis’s reign one of the most disgraceful and profligate
that France had witnessed. The shameless proceedings which had stained
the career of his guardian, the Regent Orleans, were re-enacted in his
own vicious Court. The disasters of France abroad during this degraded
time, the destruction of her navy, the financial crisis that followed
that catastrophe, the corruptions that were eating into the very heart
of the State, and the immorality that characterized the higher classes,
were the natural forerunners of the frightful storm that burst over
France in the following reign. Louis XV., once “the well beloved,” died
execrated by his subjects, who insulted his wretched remains, as they
were passing to their last home.
309A. LOUIS XV. _King of France._
[From the marble, in the Louvre, by Guillaume Couston the son, who
died at Paris, 1777. The costume, in accordance with the fancy of the
day, is that of a Roman general, as we see in the statue of King James
II., of England, (No. 491). The King holds in his right hand a sceptre
reversed, and with his left presents a baton of a Marshal of France.
At Versailles, are several authentic busts of the time of this
monarch, besides a copy of this statue, and an equestrian statue in
bronze, by Bouchardon. The date of this work is about 1728.]
310. MARIE ANTOINETTE JOSÉPHINE JEANNE. _Queen of France._
[Born at Vienna, 1755. Guillotined 1793. Aged 38.]
The unfortunate daughter of Francis I., Emperor of Germany, and the
illustrious Maria Theresa of Austria. In 1770, before she was sixteen,
married to Louis the Dauphin, who in 1774 became King of France, under
the title of Louis XVI. At the breaking out of the French Revolution,
every public disaster was laid to her charge by the maddened people, and
after the execution of her husband, she was herself condemned to death.
On her way to the scaffold, she was for two hours reviled by a ferocious
mob; but resignation and sweetness of demeanour only could be traced on
her countenance. Her hair had been turned silvery white by her many
troubles, and a settled melancholy was stamped on her beautiful
features. After her execution, her body was immediately consumed with
quick lime. The murder of this unhappy lady was the most crimson spot in
all the bloody time of the French Revolution. She was of a playful,
happy, cheerful disposition, devoted to her family, benevolent to all.
Her purity is beyond question, her heroism perfect. In mixing in public
concerns, which she did not understand, she betrayed imprudence. In
despising etiquette she laid herself open to the worst criticisms of her
ungenerous foes; but her character shines unsullied after cruel
persecution, horrible imprisonment, and ignominious death.
[From the marble in the Louvre by Lecomte.]
311. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. _Emperor of France._
[Born at Ajaccio, in Corsica, 1768. Died at St. Helena, 1821. Aged
53.]
A soldier of fortune at the outset of his career. Lieutenant of
Artillery, 1785. First Consul of France, 1799. Emperor of France in
1804, when he was but 36 years of age. Discrowned exile, and prisoner,
1815. The military prodigy of his age. His story reads like a romance of
eastern enchantment; for he made and unmade kings at his will, and
confounding all the established conceptions and expectations of men,
asserted and won his right to fix for a time the destinies of nations.
His extreme hour of greatness was in 1813, after the fearful retreat
from Russia, when in a few months he summoned a new army to his side
from the fields of exhausted France, and alone defied, and almost
overcame, the united strength of the rest of civilized Europe. The most
ignoble period of his life is found on the barren rock of St. Helena,
when, treacherous to his former grandeur, he was afflicted and absorbed
by the worthless and passing annoyances of the moment. His career was
that of a dazzling meteor, astonishing all men in its fiery passage, but
creating little else than amazement, and admiration mingled with fear.
Not naturally cruel, he enacted cruelties. Brave in the field, he lacked
the true heroic element. He used all men for his own advancement, and
counted human life valueless, when its sacrifice might add to his
imagined glory. Superstitious, but not religious. Framed for intensest
exertion, indefatigable, impatient, irritable, untruthful, theatrical,
petty. Yet a grand lawgiver; cognisant of the wants of men, and capable
of meeting them, had his lust of ambition suffered him to provide for
the interests of his people as sedulously as for his own. His character,
a singular conflict of great virtues with small vices, and of great
vices with small virtues. The most splendid soldier since the days of
Julius Cæsar, and the idol of his army. The uncle of Napoleon III., the
present Emperor of France.
[From the marble in the Louvre by Houdon.]
311A. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. _Emperor of France._
[The colossal bust by Canova.]
311B. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. _Emperor of France._
[An ideal bust by Thorwaldsen, supported on the French eagle with palm
branches.]
311C. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. _Emperor of France._
312. LOUIS PHILIPPE. _King of the French._
[Born in Paris, 1773. Died at Claremont, in England, 1850. Aged 77.]
A monarch who ascended the throne of France on the neck of one
Revolution, and was hurled from it by the heel of another. A king who
had borne adversity bravely in his youth, yet was unequal to sustain
prosperity in his age. The most remarkable example of the proverb that
“a Bourbon learns nothing, and forgets nothing.” If any Bourbon could
prove an exception to the rule, Louis Philippe must have been the man.
He had great sagacity; he had mixed for many years with all ranks and
conditions of men. He had acutely felt the want of the means of living.
He had been forced to earn his own bread by humble day labour. He had
travelled in America, resided in England, had read much, observed more.
Yet in 1848, after a reign of 18 years, he conducted himself towards the
French nation with a blind obstinacy and wilful disregard of
consequences, worthy of a sovereign who had been suckled in the lap of
despotism, and fed for ever afterwards upon obsequious flattery, and all
the other dainty diet of a Court. Louis Philippe had many good qualities
of heart. He was beloved by his wife and children, and was a true hero
at the domestic hearth. He had also a shrewd, active, well-informed
mind. Nor did he act without a principle in his dealing with his
subjects. But unfortunately his love for his family led him into foolish
schemes for their advancement, his shrewdness overreached itself, and
his principle of action was based upon a fallacy. He imagined that he
could satisfy his people with the very husk and rind of constitutional
government, and flatter them with the conviction that they were chewing
and enjoying the kernel. Corruption was hardly greater in the days of
the Regency, than towards the untimely close of the reign of Louis
Philippe, but the rottenness under the later Orleans was veiled beneath
forms demanded by the spirit of the age, and conceded by the King in a
spirit of mock complaisance and quiet irony. Few men have had greater
opportunity than the King of the Barricades. None have so desperately
disappointed hope and baffled expectation. The history of the House of
Orleans is full of instruction for all who bear the name: but no chapter
is so fraught with momentous interest to the living chief of the House
as that which tells the extraordinary and calamitous history of Louis
Philippe.
[From the Marble, by J. E. Jones, 1845.]
312*. LOUIS NAPOLEON. _Emperor of France._
[Born 1808. Still living.]
The third Emperor of the name, and not the least remarkable of his
extraordinary race. The opinions formed of the present Emperor of France
from his earlier history, have all been belied by his subsequent career.
He has been an exile, a prisoner, a wanderer, an outcast. When he has
ceased to be an object of suspicion, it was only to become a subject for
ridicule. Of all pretenders to thrones in Europe, he has been held the
least likely to obtain, by any change of circumstances or overthrow of
dynasties, supreme dominion. When kings, in their fear, have reckoned
over the names of those from whom danger might be expected, and have
exhausted the entire list by including all possible representatives of
peril, Louis Napoleon has not been in the number. He lived for years in
London, and on the 10th of April, 1848, when special constables were
enrolled for the preservation of menaced order, he sallied forth with
his neighbours, and performed street duty with the humblest. He was so
poor in England, that his goods were sold to pay his debts. Yet at this
hour the diadem binds his brow, and his foot is firmly planted upon the
summit of power in tranquillized France, and we all pray Heaven in the
interests of humanity, civilization, and peace, to maintain it there.
Since the accession of Napoleon III., all his exertions have been
directed to the development of the material resources of his country,
and to the upholding of that good understanding amongst nations which is
essential to the continuance of social prosperity. Europe lies under
great obligations to his sagacity, and England has cause to rejoice in
his friendship. When he married, he called himself a “_parvenu_.” His
wisdom, moderation, and good faith have attached him to the heart of
public opinion more closely than though, upon an insincere brow, he had
brought to his imperial throne the stamp of a hundred kings.
[From the marble by Barre, 1853.]
312A. LOUIS NAPOLEON. _Emperor of France._
[From the marble by J. E. Jones.]
312**. EUGÉNIE MARIE GUZMAN. _Empress of France._
[Born 1826. Still living.]
The wife of Napoleon III., before her marriage with whom she was
Countess Montijo of Teba.
THE GERMAN PORTRAITS.
INTRODUCTION.
Ludwig, King of Bavaria, first conceived the idea of raising a monument
to the national glory of Germany. In the year 1807, he planned the
WALHALLA, a grand hall for the reception of the statues and
portrait-busts of celebrated Germans, borrowing the title of the
structure from the old Norse language, the name being that of the palace
into which Odin, the Scandinavian Jupiter, received the souls of the
slain heroes. The idea, however, remained undeveloped until the
important part played by the soldiers of Germany in the final overthrow
of Napoleon gave a new impulse to the great scheme of the king. In 1821,
he entrusted his architect, Leo von Klenze, with the execution of his
plan. But it was not until 1830 that the design was sufficiently matured
for building; and, after the laying of the first stone, twelve years
were occupied in consummating the work. The Walhalla was inaugurated
October 18th, 1842.
The Walhalla stands in a commanding position on the banks of the Danube,
close to the little town of Donaustauf, and not far from Regensburg. It
is a noble building of the Doric order, resembling the Parthenon of
ancient Greece, 230 feet long, 108 feet broad, and 64 feet high, having
a colonnade on every side. It is based upon a massive structure of
Cyclopean stone work formed into three terraces, and is approached by a
grand flight of steps.
The pediments at each end are filled with marble statues by Ludwig
Schwanthaler. The south, pediment, looking over the river, contains an
allegorical subject designed by Rauch, and sculptured by Schwanthaler.
Germany is here as a female figure surrounded by young warriors, who
represent the different States of Germany, presenting to her the chief
fortresses under the form of young women. The north pediment is entirely
by Schwanthaler. It represents the battle between Hermann and Varus.
The interior forms a noble highly-decorated hall in the Ionic style,
with polished marble walls and painted mouldings, the floor being also
richly inlaid with marbles. The hall is 168 feet long, 48 feet broad,
and 53 feet high. The entablature is supported by 14 Caryatides, treated
as Walkyren, the Chusers of Slaughter in the old Germanic mythology,
each being 10 feet 9 inches high. They are modelled by Schwanthaler, and
executed in marble by his pupils; the figures being painted in the
manner supposed to have been practised by the Greeks: the hair is brown,
the flesh ivory colour, the tunics are of violet colour, the upper
drapery white with red and gilt edges, and the bearskins gilt. A frieze
runs round the hall, on which is sculptured the history of the Germans,
from their origin in the mountains of the Caucasus to their baptism by
Bonifazio. This frieze is the work of Martin Wagner, a Bavarian
sculptor, living at Rome, assisted by Schopf and Pettrich. It is in
marble, and measures 3 feet 4 inches in height, by 292 feet long.
Six statues of Victory, larger than life, and sculptured by Rauch, are
arrayed round the hall. Between these are placed the busts of the great
men of Germany, in six groups, numbering, in all, 96. They begin,
chronologically, with Arminius, who repelled the Romans, and King Harry
I. (A.D. 876-936), and come down to Blucher and Schwarzenberg. The Poets
are represented from the medieval Minne and Meister-singers, down to
Goethe and Schiller. All these busts are however modern works of art,
the earliest dating from 1794.
The “Ruhmeshalle” (or “Hall of Fame”), at Munich, contains another
collection of portrait-busts of celebrated Germans. This, like the
Walhalla, was established by Ludwig, King of Bavaria, and built by the
architect Klenze. It was commenced in 1843, and completed in 1853. It is
well situated upon a hill which rises from a flat of some extent near
Munich, called after the Queen of Louis, “die Theresen-Wiese.” It is in
the Doric style of Greek architecture, 230 feet long, by 150 feet broad,
and 60 feet high, and is surrounded by 48 columns, 24 feet in height.
Within the 92 metopes are 44 figures of Victory, and 48 representations
of the principal events in the progress of Bavaria, designed and
executed by Schwanthaler. The pediments also are ornamented with statues
in marble by the same artist, personifying the provinces of the present
kingdom of Bavaria. The statue of Bavaria, a cast from the head of which
is in the Crystal Palace (See No. 205 of the Handbook of Modern
Sculpture), stands in front of the building.
Some of the German portraits enumerated in the following pages are
copies from portraits in both collections above referred to. There are
also some portrait-busts of which the originals exist in the “Royal
Museum,” and in the “Lager-Haus” at Berlin.
* * * * *
(_The German Portraits begin immediately behind the Statue of Sir Robert
Peel at the south-west angle of the Great Transept and Nave._)
ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS.
313. PETER PAUL RUBENS. _Painter._
[Born at Cologne, in Germany, 1577. Died at Antwerp, in Flanders,
1640. Aged 63.]
One of the most prolific and famous painters; not of the Flemish school
only, but of the world. His life as untroubled as his genius was grand.
Crowned heads courted him, wealth followed him, and until immediately
before his death he knew not the sorrow of sickness. He passed happily
through life, multiplying with astonishing rapidity those marvellous
pictures which have associated his name for ever with the idea of
glorious colour. He left paintings in France and in Spain, and both
countries vied with each other in loading the great artist with well
merited honours. He came to England in the reign of Charles I. as Envoy
from the Spanish court, and in England fresh dignities awaited him. As a
painter, he is memorable for the harmony, beauty, and mellow richness of
his colouring, which flings a surpassing charm over every one of his
productions. His men are always powerfully drawn and characterized with
wonderful variety; but for the graceful and ideal representation of the
more delicate sex, we have only the coarse type of his countrywomen. His
portraits are fresh, vigorous, and carefully executed. His most
celebrated work, _The Descent from the Cross_, at Antwerp, is a
wonderful creation, both for expression and feeling. In landscapes,
Rubens was also most happy. In all his works there is a luxuriance of
life and vigour and passionate expression. In person he was tall,
majestic, and extremely handsome; in temperament energetic and
enthusiastic; in his manner of living plain and moderate; in his
dealings with his brother artists, gentle and munificent as a prince.
Amongst his pupils he reckoned Vandyke, Teniers the younger, Jordaens,
and Sneyders.
[For a description of this noble statue, see No. 107, Handbook of
Modern Sculpture.]
314. GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL. _Musical Composer._
[Born at Halle, in Saxony, 1684. Died 1759. Aged 75.]
This magnificent musician, the dominant characteristics of whose genius
are grandeur, spirituality, and solemnity, was the son of a surgeon.
Having in his youth displayed a passionate love for music, and having
travelled much with the view of gaining instruction in Germany and
Italy, he went to London, at the age of twenty-six, and there composed,
by order of Queen Anne, the “Te Deum” and “Jubilate,” which, in 1714,
were performed at St. Paul’s. Subsequently became Director of the Opera,
in the Haymarket, for the production of his own works: a large
subscription, headed by George I., enabling him to open the theatre. The
scheme falling to the ground, in consequence of the quarrels of the
singers, Handel abandoned the stage, and devoted his powers to the
production of those sublime oratorios that have immortalized his name.
In 1740, he composed “Saul;” in 1741, “The Messiah;” the last a three
weeks’ work. Other great oratorios followed. In 1750, he lost his sight,
and from that time until his death he gradually declined. He was buried
with great pomp in Westminster Abbey. This mighty musician was infirm of
temper, and imperfectly educated. When roused, he was violent and
ungovernable. A singer once refused to sing one of his airs. Handel,
seizing the man in his arms, and pale with rage, threatened to throw him
out of the window if he persisted in the refusal. His countenance wore a
rough expression, though he was good-natured when not agitated. He
stands at the head of the greatest masters of music; and, as a performer
on the organ, he was without a rival.
[In the Musical Collection of the Royal Library at Berlin. The artist
is not known, but it bears many evidences of being a truthful
portrait, and is altogether a more characteristic head than the
conventional portrait by Roubiliac No. 314A.]
314A. GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL. _Musical Composer._
[From the marble by Roubiliac.]
315. JOHAN JOACHIM WINCKELMANN. _Antiquary._
[Born at Steindal, in Germany, 1717. Died at Trieste, in Austria,
1768. Aged 51.]
The son of a shoemaker, and self-educated. At thirty became a Roman
Catholic, and journeyed to Rome, where he studied the antique, and
published his celebrated. “History of Art.” At Trieste he was murdered
by a felon, for the sake of the medals conferred upon him by the Courts
of Austria and Bavaria. His investigations into the true principles and
significance of high art, more especially of antique sculpture, led the
way to the enlightened criticism of Lessing and Goethe.
[By Doel. It was placed in the Capitoline Museum at Rome, by Geo. F.
Reiffenstein.]
315*. ANTHONY RAPHAEL MENGS. _Painter._
[Born at Aussig, in Bohemia, 1728. Died at Rome, 1771. Aged 43.]
Surnamed, but without much reason, the Rafaelle of Germany. He studied
assiduously at the Vatican. Upon his return to Germany he was appointed
at Dresden painter to the King. Revisiting Rome he fell in love with a
beautiful peasant girl, and became a Roman Catholic in order to marry
her. In 1757, he commenced painting in fresco, and his works of this
kind will bear comparison with some of the best of the Italian masters.
In 1761, he was invited by Charles III. to Spain, where he painted for
the palace at Madrid, the “Apotheosis of Trajan.” This is his _chef
d’œuvre_. He died leaving scarcely sufficient to pay his funeral
expenses, and the King of Spain provided for his seven children. The
works of Mengs display correctness of drawing, vigour of colouring,
finished execution, and studied grace: but the loftier qualities of
mind, demanded by historical painting, are wanting. He was a writer on
art as well as an artist: and a generous, warm-hearted man.
[Bust to come.]
316. FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN. _Musical Composer._
[Born in Rohrau, on the frontiers of Austria and Hungary, 1732. Died
at Vienna, 1809. Aged 77.]
The son of very poor and humble parents, who cheered their poverty and
supported their labour by home music. The family concerts constituted
Haydn’s initiation into Art. He was a passionate neophyte. At the age of
thirteen, he had composed a mass, which he was unable to write
correctly. Taken into the service of the great master Porpora, he
submitted to menial drudgery in order to have the advantage of his
instruction. In 1760, he entered the better service of Prince Esterhazy,
with whom, as Court Musician, he continued for the space of twenty-five
years. During that period, some of his finest symphonies were produced.
In 1791, he went, on invitation, to London, and continued there for
thirteen years, sending forth his inimitable works, and receiving honour
on every side. In 1794, he returned to Germany, established himself in
the suburbs of Vienna, and composed the oratorio of “The Creation.” He
died in 1809, from agitation, it is said, induced by the advance upon
Vienna of the French army. Haydn is one of the greatest of modern
musicians. He set free the spirit of instrumental music, and purified
his art by the purity, simplicity, and beauty of his works. He is
remarkable for lucid melody and for his power of effective painting. His
labours were enormous and his compositions countless. He could himself
reckon up to 800 works, large and small, and there he stopped.
317. JOHANN WOLFGANG MOZART. _Musical Composer._
[Born at Salzburg in Austria, 1756. Died at Vienna, 1791. Aged 35.]
The most renowned of German musical composers. His father was a
musician, and he himself the greatest musical prodigy that ever lived.
It is alleged upon authority that at four years old, he could already
play and even compose. It is certain, that before he was eight a harvest
was in reaping by his family, who travelled over Germany to exhibit his
astounding performances. In 1764, he was in England playing before the
King and Court. In 1769, he produced an opera, being then 13 years of
age. At 15, he was in Italy, creating wonder by works which rivalled
those of the great Italian masters. Medals were struck in honour of
young Orpheus in the land of art and song. He was not 17 years old when
he could count as his productions four operas, an oratorio, two masses,
and many other compositions. Mozart grew in years, and did not suffer
the ordinary penalty of precocity. In him “the child was father to the
man.” The blossom became ripe fruit. In 1781, he produced his opera of
“Idomeneo.” Then followed the “Marriage of Figaro,” and in 1787, his
masterpiece “Don Giovanni”--a work composed in an incredibly short space
of time. Now came sickness--and the threatening of a complaint allied
too frequently to unnatural intellectual development. Symptoms of
consumption gave rise to melancholy--melancholy to inordinate
labour--inordinate labour to speedy death. Mozart had the grave already
in sight when he composed his exquisite “Requiem.” This illustrious man
was the founder of the school in which Beethoven was a faithful
disciple. His fertility of creation, the rich luxurious beauty of his
music, his purity and melody, can hardly be excelled. In all the
relations of life Mozart was blameless. He had a generous soul, and we
are pained to think so rare and so richly endowed a genius should at any
period of his career have suffered anguish from poverty and distress.
318. KARL FRIEDRICH ZELTER. _Musician._
[Born at Berlin, 1758. Died 1832. Aged 74.]
The son of a master mason, whose trade he followed. Forsaking masonry
for music, he became the pupil of Fasch, at whose death he was appointed
Director of the Royal Institute of Music, and Professor of music in the
Academy of Fine Arts at Berlin. Zelter’s works are chiefly songs and
compositions for men’s voices, without accompaniment. He also wrote on
the theory of music. He will be chiefly remembered as the friend and
correspondent of Goethe, and the early instructor of Mendelssohn.
[By Rauch, March, 1825. Modelled as a present from the sculptor to
Goethe, the friend of Zelter. The Academy of Music had it executed in
marble for their institution, Rauch again charging nothing for his
services.]
319. JOHANN GOTTFRIED SCHADOW. _Sculptor._
[Born at Berlin, 1764. Died there, 1850. Aged 86.]
The son of a poor tailor. He evinced, at an early age, a great love for
the fine arts, but he was one of many children, and there was small hope
of gratifying fine-art tastes in the needy household. Fortune brought
the youngster in contact with a sculptor, who taught him drawing, and
from that moment his destiny was fixed. Whilst receiving instruction, he
ran off with a girl to whom he was attached, married her at Vienna, and
with the consent and at the expense of his stepfather, proceeded to
Rome. There for two years he laboured hard as a sculptor, in the Vatican
and in the Capitol. In 1788, he had already advanced far enough to be
appointed Court Sculptor at Berlin. In 1822, he was made Director of the
Academy of Fine Arts in the same city. His works, numerous and of a high
order, are found in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany. He was one of the
first who opposed to the insipid and conventional idealism of the
eighteenth century, a vigorous and truthful representation of nature,
heightened by noble intellectuality. This is especially visible in his
portrait statues. He was a worthy precursor of Rauch, who is one of his
most famous followers. To his eldest son, Rudolph Schadow, also a
distinguished sculptor, belong the specimens of modern sculpture which
appear under the name of Schadow in this collection. The second son,
Wilhelm Schadow, is one of the most celebrated painters in Germany, and
President of the Academy at Düsseldorf. Both have a greater name as
artists than the father.
[By Rauch, 1811. Plaster. The original is in the studio of Rauch.]
320. ALBERT BARTHOLOMÄUS THORWALDSEN. _Sculptor._
[Born 1770. Died 1844. Aged 74.]
He was born, as he said, at Copenhagen: some say in Iceland: some at
sea, between. His father, an Icelander, was employed in carving heads
for ships in the Royal Dockyard, on which the great sculptor practised
his young hand: his mother was a priest’s daughter. He was educated, as
all the children of workmen, in the _Holm_, or dockyard, at the King’s
expense. At 11, Thorwaldsen was a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in
Copenhagen. At 17, he first secured attention, and gained the small
silver medal; at 19, the large. At 21, he won the small, at 23, the
large gold medal. His birthday he did not know, but he called it March
8th, the day of his arriving at Rome in 1796. In the Eternal City he
addicted himself to the antique. He brought introductions to Zoega the
Dane, then living at Rome, a learned and antiquarian connoisseur. Zoega
dealt kindly and hardly with the young sculptor, severely criticizing
his labours; and Thorwaldsen, under his critic’s censure, and from his
own dissatisfaction, destroyed numerous attempts. His first “Jason with
the Golden Fleece,” of the natural size, made no impression, and he
broke it in pieces. He made it again, 8¹⁄₂ feet high. It secured general
admiration, and this time he did not destroy his work. He had, however,
made up his mind to go home; his small preparation was completed; Jason
was to be sent after him; but a mistake in a passport created a day’s
delay. During the short interval, Thomas Hope, a well-known name in
England, entered the artist’s studio, and saw the “Jason.” The price was
asked. “Six hundred zecchini.” “I will give eight hundred,” answered
Thomas Hope. Thorwaldsen stopped in Rome, and now began and went on, his
mightier career. His chief works are classical subjects--some Christian,
to which he drew late in life. The most popular of all his productions
is the bas-relief of “Priam and Achilles.” In 1819, he returned to
Copenhagen, but not permanently until 1838. In Rome he was the friend of
Canova, who acknowledged his merit. His health was often very weak, and
he died suddenly at a theatre. He was simple in his manners, and
beloved. In fire and grandeur he resembled Michael Angelo. The old
Scandinavian energetic blood rolled in his veins. The family tradition
made him descended from one of those early warrior-kings: a more
glorious, innocent conqueror.
[By Rauch. Plaster. 1816. Done at Rome. A fine artist-like head. The
original is in the studio of Rauch.]
321. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN. _Musical Composer._
[Born at Bonn, in Rhenish Prussia, 1770. Died at Vienna, 1827. Aged
57.]