France surpasses all modern nations in awarding monumental honours to
her illustrious sons. The feeling which prompts the grateful act is more
akin to noble patriotism than to the littleness of personal display. The
magnificent illustration of the national disposition at Versailles
commands our respect by the important historical interest which it
creates, and by the instruction and benefit which it confers upon the
world.
The buildings of all the great institutions of France are adorned with
portrait statues and busts of the men who have earned distinction in
connexion with them. “The Institute,” which corresponds to our Royal
Society, has its statues of philosophers and scientific men. The Mazarin
Library possesses a collection of those most distinguished in
literature, generally. The Théâtre Français has an exceedingly
interesting gallery of dramatists and theatrical celebrities, which is
only feebly reflected in the collection--valuable in some respects--of
theatrical portraits at the Garrick Club in London, which we owe chiefly
to the late Mr. Charles Mathews, the comedian.
The collection of the Théâtre Français is composed of statues and busts
representing the greatest dramatic writers and the most celebrated
comedians of the French stage, of pictures of actors or of paintings
having reference to the dramatic art. The library is rich in autograph
manuscripts, and in the letters of nearly all the authors who have
illustrated the French stage. It contains also the registers and account
books of the several theatrical administrations, without a single
interruption, from the 24th of October, 1658--the date of Molière’s
first representation in Paris--down to the present time.
The collection of statues and busts dates from only the last century,
when the sculptor Caffieri laid its foundation. He proposed to the
actors, in 1773, to present to their green-room the bust of his friend
Alexis Piron, the poet (see No. 231 in our collection)--who had died a
few months before--on the condition that he should be allowed free
entrance to the theatre for the rest of his life. It appears, from the
letter of Caffieri, preserved in the library of the theatre, that the
usual price of his marble busts was £120, and that the right of entrance
to the theatre for life was fixed by the comedians at the same sum. The
proposition was accepted, and Caffieri continued for some time to
present busts to the theatre upon the same terms--that is to say, for
every bust the right of an entreé for one of his relatives or friends.
Other sculptors followed the example of Caffieri. The practice still
continues, and the collection is yearly augmented, not only by this
means, but also by the frequent gifts of the Minister of the Interior,
and by the still larger donations of private individuals.
The collection of paintings dates as far back as the death of the
tragedian Lekain. His comrades, to honour his memory, decided that his
likeness should be hung in their green-room. Later came the portrait of
Baron, and afterwards that of Mademoiselle Duclos by Largillière, a
celebrated portrait painter of the time of Louis XIV. This portrait of
Mdlle. Duclos is a masterpiece. At the present moment, in consequence of
the frequent additions to this triple collection, there is not space
enough in the interior of the theatre properly to display it; and it is
proposed to transport it to a more commodious receptacle, and to give to
the _réunion_ of all these treasures of the drama the name of the
Molière Museum. The busts, which we are enabled to exhibit in the
Crystal Palace, form only a small selection from the gallery of the
Théâtre Français.
The Louvre, which in Paris corresponds to our British Museum, National
Gallery, and Hampton Court combined, has long been one of the world’s
great treasuries of history and art. Resting upon ancient walls, founded
certainly as far back as the 9th century--when it was a strong fortress
in the midst of a forest--the Louvre has been gradually changing its
form and appearance since the time of Philippe Auguste. In 1527, Francis
I., with the aid of the architect Pierre Lescot, entirely remodelled it,
and gave to it the character of splendour and vastness which has ever
since attached to this great national structure. All succeeding
kings--Charles, Henri, Louis, whatever the name--have done something to
uphold its magnificence. In addition to the other numberless works of
art contained in the Louvre there are some 300 antique portrait busts
and statues, and an immense collection of rare cameos and medals,
amongst which are many valuable portraits of antiquity, and about 200
statues and busts of great men of modern time, half of these being
representations of military men, with some admirals, and about 50
portraits of sculptors and painters.
The Palace of Versailles is entirely devoted to the illustration of the
glory of France. Here, in addition to many pictures, representing the
great military achievements of the French, there are saloons filled with
statues and busts of the kings, princes, marshals, and admirals, and
portraits of nearly every great man of the country from the time of
Clovis the First and Clotilde, a king and queen of the 5th century, down
to Louis Philippe of our own time. There are more than 600 statues,
busts and medallions, many of them fine works of art, and all possessing
the very highest interest. A considerable portion being duplicates of
works at the Louvre or Tuileries. In such an extensive series there are,
as may be supposed, many arbitrary portraits executed to complete a
series, but though not taken from the life, they have for the most part
been derived from trustworthy authority. There are also upwards of 600
memorial tablets in bronze, placed in the Gallery of Battles, inscribed
with the names of all officers killed or wounded in the service of the
country, beginning with Prince Robert le Fort, Comte d’Outre-Maine,
killed at the combat of Brissarthe, in 866, and ending with the heroes
of Waterloo.
The Historical Gallery at Versailles contains portrait busts and statues
by 146 different sculptors of France, commencing with Germain Pilon and
Jean Goujon, who flourished in the middle of the 16th century.
From all these great collections our Portrait Gallery has been enriched,
as the Catalogue will show.
As works of art the French portraits cannot be placed in the highest
rank. The style, as in French works of ideal sculpture, is rather
picturesque, than antique and severe; and few of the portraits are free
from a certain affectation of attitude or assumed expression of
countenance, for which it may readily be conceived, the artist, rather
than the subject, is to blame. It is rare to find a French bust treated
with the seriousness and intensity of the antique, or with the
unaffected naturalness of the best busts of the English school: too many
indeed verge upon the common and fatal error of portraiture--caricature.
We must, however, take these portraits as the characteristic works of
the country to which they belong; all of them bear the stamp of
truthfulness, if some should be found tainted with exaggeration. Many
are models in the art of marble portraiture. Those of Madame Dubarry
(No. 235), and Marie Antoinette (No. 310), are especially beautiful;
that of Gaston de Foix (No. 258) is also a very noble portrait; and the
bust of Thomas Corneille (No. 222), is one of the finest productions of
the school. The heads are generally rather larger than life: and the
visitor cannot fail to remark the exceeding care bestowed upon the wigs
and elaborate embroidery of the time.
(_The French Portraits commence immediately behind the Statue of Admiral
Duquesne, in the Great Transept._)
ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS.