[Illustration: NEPTUNE, FROM THE FOUNTAIN.]
Of all these pavilions the West, or Main Entrance, Pavilion, is
by far the largest as well as by far the most ornate. It is one
hundred and forty feet long, or almost a third the total length of
the building, and about seven feet higher than either of the other
five pavilions. At either end it is itself projected, or pavilioned.
The Main Entrance is through a porch of three arches, on the main
library floor. The approaches are extensive and imposing. A flight of
steps, constructed of granite from Troy, New Hampshire, ascends from
either side to a central landing, laid with flags of red Missouri
granite. Thence the stairway leads in a single flight to the Entrance
Porch, with space underneath for a _porte cochère_ in front of the
doors admitting to the basement. The central landing just spoken of
is protected by a high retaining wall which forms the background
for a splendid fountain by Mr. Roland Hinton Perry, ornamented with
a profusion of allegorical figures in bronze--the chief figure
representing Neptune enthroned in front of a grotto of the sea.
The posts of the granite railing of the steps support elaborate
bronze candelabra, bearing clusters of electric lamps for
illumination at night. The spandrels of the Entrance Porch--the
approximately triangular spaces flanking the three arches--are
ornamented with female figures sculptured in high relief in granite,
representing _Literature_, _Science_, and _Art_. They were modelled
by Mr. Bela L. Pratt. Above the main windows of the library floor is
a series of smaller, circular windows, which serve as a background
for a series of granite busts (the pedestals of which rest in the
pediments below) of men eminent in literature. There are nine in
all, seven along the front, and one at each end of the pavilion.
They are flanked by boldly sculptured figures of children, reclining
upon the sloping pediments, or, alternately, by massive garlands
of fruits. The keystones of the circular windows each support the
standing figure of a winged cherub, or genius, all sculptured from
a single design, and introduced as the accentuating feature of a
frieze of foliated ornament extending along the three sides of the
pavilion. Like the garlands and figures on the pediments, they were
modelled by Mr. William Boyd. At either end of the attic story Mr.
Boyd’s hand appears again in the sculptural embellishment of the
little porch--as one may perhaps call it--which looks out upon the
balcony formed by the granite railing. The rounded pediment contains
a group in granite consisting of the American eagle flanked by two
seated children. Each pediment is supported on the shoulders of two
conventional Atlases--“Atlantides” is the technical name--figures of
gigantic strength, so called because in the Greek and Roman mythology
Atlas was fabled as a giant supporting the vault of heaven by his
unaided strength.
[Illustration: RUSSIAN SLAV. BLONDE EUROPEAN. BRUNETTE EUROPEAN.]
A more particular description is required of the fountain, the
ethnological heads, the series of busts in the portico of the
Entrance Pavilion, and the spandrel figures ornamenting the Entrance
Porch.
=Mr. Hinton Perry’s Fountain.=--Of Mr. Perry’s fountain, it may
be said at once that it is the most lavishly ornamental of any in
the country. It occupies a semicircular basin fifty feet broad,
containing a dozen bronze figures disposed to represent a scene--so
one may take it--in the court of Neptune, the classic god of the
sea. The granite wall of the terrace against which the fountain is
placed contains three deep niches, in the spandrels of which are four
dolphins sculptured in relief from models by Mr. Albert Weinert. The
niches themselves are treated with an evident suggestion of a grotto
worn by the sea, with a hint, also, at the formation of stalactites
by the constant dripping of water. In front of the central niche
Neptune is seated in a majestic attitude on a bank of rocks. He is
represented as an old man with a long flowing beard, but the lines
of his naked figure indicate the energy and great muscular strength
befitting the Ruler of the Deep. The figure is of colossal size;
it would be, that is, if standing, about twelve feet in height. On
either side of the bank lolls a figure of Triton, one of the minor
sea-gods, blowing a conch shell to summon the water-deities to the
throne of their sovereign. In front of each of the niches at the side
is a sea-nymph triumphantly bestriding an infuriated sea-horse, his
ears laid back and his fish’s tail writhing with anger on account
of a jet of water constantly thrown against his head. The basin is
crossed and re-crossed by similar jets, which furnish the whole flow
of water, and proceed from the mouths of sea-monsters in various
places throughout the fountain. There are seven of them in all. The
first is a serpent just showing itself above the water in front of
the bank on which Neptune is seated. Higher up, to the right and
left, two gigantic frogs lurk in crevices of the rocks; and floating
along the outer edge of the basin are four huge Florida turtles,
their heads raised a little above the water and their long fins
making as if swimming.
[Illustration: MODERN GREEK. PERSIAN. CIRCASSIAN.]
[Illustration: HINDOO. HUNGARIAN. SEMITE.]
=The Ethnological Heads.=--The ethnological heads ornamenting
the keystones of the first-story pavilion windows offer as
interesting material for study as any of the decorations of the
Library. The series is unique in that it is the first instance of
a comprehensive attempt to make ethnological science contribute to
the architectural decoration of an important public building. It was
at first proposed to employ a more conventional kind of ornament,
such as the familiar Gorgons’ heads so often found in connection
with Renaissance architecture. The present idea was carried out
with the assistance of Professor Otis T. Mason, the Curator of the
Department of Ethnology in the National Museum for the last twelve
years. The heads, thirty-three in number, are about a foot and a
half in height, and were modelled, some by Mr. Boyd and others by
Mr. Henry J. Ellicott, after data accumulated by Professor Mason as
the result of some six months’ special study of the ethnological
collections in the possession of the National Museum--which contains,
indeed, practically all the material (books, photographs, carefully
verified measurements) necessary for such an undertaking. The large
collection of authentic, life-size models, chiefly of savage and
barbarous peoples, which the visitor may see in its exhibition halls,
is the most extensive in the country, and many of the heads on the
Library keystones are taken directly from these.
[Illustration: ARAB. TURK. MODERN EGYPTIAN.]
Taking into consideration the difficulty of obtaining the
more delicate differentiation of the features in a medium so
unsatisfactory, from its coarseness of texture, as granite, the
result of Professor Mason’s work is one of the most scientifically
accurate series of racial models ever made. Still another difficulty,
it may be added, lay in the fact that each head had to be made to fit
the keystone. Besides the necessity of uniform size, the architect
demanded also, as far as possible, a generally uniform shape, which
it was often very hard to give and still preserve the correct
proportions of the racial type. The face had to be more or less in
line with the block it ornamented, and, especially, the top of the
head had to follow, at least roughly, a certain specified curve.
This last point was met either by using or not using a head-dress,
whichever best met the difficulty. In one case the problem was
a little puzzling--that of the Plains Indian, with his upright
circlet of eagle’s feathers, which were bound to exceed the line,
if accurately copied. The difficulty was frankly met by laying the
feathers down nearly flat upon the head.
[Illustration: ABYSSINIAN. MALAY. POLYNESIAN.]
In preparing the models, accuracy was the chief thing considered.
Any attempt at dramatic or picturesque effect, except what was
natural to the type portrayed, was felt to be out of place. Each
head was subjected to the strict test of measurement--such as the
ratio of breadth to length and height, and the distance between the
eyes and between the cheek bones--this being the most valuable
criterion of racial differences. All portraiture was avoided, both
as being somewhat invidious and unscientifically personal, and, more
especially, because no one man can ever exemplify all the average
physical characteristics of his race. On the other hand, the heads
were never permitted to become merely ideal. It will be noticed that
all are those of men in the prime of life.
[Illustration: AUSTRALIAN. NEGRITO. ZULU.]
The list of the races, beginning at the north end of the Entrance
Pavilion, and thence continuing south and round the building to the
Northwest Pavilion, is as follows, each head being numbered for
convenience in following the order in which they occur: 1, Russian
Slav; 2, Blonde European; 3, Brunette European; 4, Modern Greek; 5,
Persian (Iranian); 6, Circassian; 7, Hindoo; 8, Hungarian (Magyar);
9, Semite, or Jew; 10, Arab (Bedouin); 11, Turk; 12, Modern Egyptian
(Hamite); 13, Abyssinian; 14, Malay; 15, Polynesian; 16, Australian;
17, Negrito (from Indian Archipelago); 18, Zulu (Bantu); 19, Papuan
(New Guinea); 20, Soudan Negro; 21, Akka (Dwarf African Negro); 22,
Fuegian; 23, Botocudo (from South America); 24, Pueblo Indian (as
the Zuñis of New Mexico); 25, Esquimaux; 26, Plains Indian (Sioux,
Cheyenne, Comanche); 27, Samoyede (Finnish inhabitant of Northern
Russia); 28, Corean; 29, Japanese; 30, Aino (from Northern Japan);
31, Burmese; 32, Thibetan; 33, Chinese.
[Illustration: PAPUAN. SOUDAN NEGRO. AKKA.]
It will be seen that the various races are grouped so far as
possible according to kinship. There is not, however, space--and
this is hardly the place--in which to explain the many points which
might be brought up in connection with this interesting series of
heads. For such information the reader is referred to any good
text-book on ethnology.[3] One or two special details, however,
may properly be mentioned. The selection of the Pueblo Indian, for
example, was a second choice. Professor Mason would have preferred
one of the ancient Peruvian Incas, but no satisfactory portrait
could be found to work on. The Thibetan is a Buddhist priest, as
indicated by his elaborate turban. The Chinese belongs to the
learned, or Mandarin class. The Russian with his fur cap is the
typical Slavic peasant. The Blonde European is of the educated German
type, dolichocephalic, or long-headed; the Brunette European is
the Roman type, brachycephalic, or broad-headed. The architect has
introduced a Greek fret on the turban of the Greek to symbolize the
importance of ancient Greek art. The Egyptian is the typical Cairo
camel-driver. The Corean wears the dress and hat of the courtier,
and the Turk also is depicted as a member of the upper classes.
The Hungarian wears the astrachan or lambswool cap of the peasant.
Many of the heads of savage or barbarous races are shown with their
peculiar ornaments--the Malay with his earrings, the Papuan with his
nose-plug, the Botocudo with studs of wood in his ears and lower lip,
and the Esquimaux with the labret or lip-plug of walrus ivory. The
face of the Polynesian, finally, is delicately incised with lines,
copied from a specimen of Maori (New Zealand) tattooing.
[Illustration: FUEGIAN. BOTOCUDO. PUEBLO INDIAN.]
[Illustration: ESQUIMAUX. PLAINS INDIAN. SAMOYEDE.]
=The Portico Busts.=--The list of the men commemorated by the nine
busts in the portico is as follows: Demosthenes, Emerson, Irving,
Goethe, Franklin, Macaulay, Hawthorne, Scott, and Dante. The
_Demosthenes_, _Scott_, and _Dante_ were modelled by Mr. Herbert
Adams; the _Emerson_, _Irving_, and _Hawthorne_ by Mr. J. Scott
Hartley; and the _Goethe_, _Franklin_, and _Macaulay_ by Mr. F.
Wellington Ruckstuhl. The reader will see that so far as possible
with an odd number, the work of each sculptor is, so to say, in
balance--Mr. Ruckstuhl’s in the centre, flanked by Mr. Hartley’s,
and Mr. Adams’s at either end--thus avoiding any possible confusion
of style, and giving the artist all the advantage which comes from a
symmetrical disposition of his productions. There is, as a matter of
fact, very little diversity in the present series. Each bust is of
uniform height--about three feet, not reckoning the pedestal--with
a uniform background. The statue of Franklin, coming in the centre,
has, intentionally, a certain effect of pre-eminence. The sculptor
conceived him “as one of the greatest men of this country, and as a
writer and philosopher the patriarch, and therefore aimed to make him
dominate the rest.” A word should be said regarding the background of
the busts--the glass enclosed in the framing of the circular windows.
The effect, as always of a window, is dark, as granite would not have
been, thus throwing the busts, which are of the same material as the
walls, into sharp, strong relief.
[Illustration: COREAN. JAPANESE. AINO.]
[Illustration: BURMESE. THIBETAN. CHINESE.]
=Mr. Pratt’s Spandrel Figures.=--The beautiful spandrel figures
of the Entrance Porch modelled by Mr. Bela L. Pratt are six in
number.[4] All are about life-size, and are shown leaning gracefully
against the curve of the arches. After what has been said of the
intractability of granite as a medium for any but the bolder
sorts of sculpture, it is not out of place to call attention to
the exceptional delicacy and refinement with which these figures
have been chiselled. They represent, as has been said, _Literature_
(the left hand arch), _Science_ (in the centre), and _Art_ (to
the right). In the background of each spandrel the sculptor has
introduced a branch of walnut, oak, laurel, or maple leaves. Of the
figures themselves, the two to the left stand respectively for the
contemplative and the productive sides of Literature--reflection and
composition. The one is writing upon a tablet, although for a moment
she turns aside as if in search of the fitting phrase; while the
other, at the right, with a hood over her head and a book held idly
in her hand, gazes out dreamily into the distance. Of the figures of
Science, the first holds the torch of knowledge, and the second, with
the celestial globe encircled by the signs of the zodiac in her arm,
looks upward, as if to observe the courses of the stars. Here, also,
it will be seen that something of the same distinction as in the
first arch is drawn between the abstract and the practical. In the
third group, the figure to the left represents Sculpture, and that to
the right, Painting. The latter busies herself with the palette and
brush. Sculpture, with a mallet in her hand, is studying a block of
marble in which she has already blocked out the head and features of
a bust--that of the poet Dante.