The Gallery of Patriots. The visitor may now return to the Vestibule and ascend the stairs leading into the foyer on the floor above. which, with the adjacent N. corridor, constitutes the Gallery of Patriots. This collection will eventually consist of twenty-one portrait busts in marble. each of which is a contribution from one of the twenty-one Republics. The pedestals on which they rest are plain square pilasters of dark reddish-brown Languedoc marble, which is also used for the wall bases and door trims. Of the twenty-one busts, sixteen are already in place, the United States being temporarily represented by a plaster copy of Houdon's Washington which occupies the central point in the foyer, facing the Hall of the Americas. The other busts already in place are as follows, beginning with the N. aisle: 1. Dessalines (Normil Ulysse Charles, sculptor), presented by Haiti; 2. Martí, presented by Cuba; 3. Barrios, presented by Guatemala; 4. Unanue, presented by Peru; 5. Sucre, presented by Bolivia; 6. Bolivar (Rudolph Evans. sculptor). presented by Venezuela; 7. San Martin (Herbert Adams, sculptor), presented by Argentine Republic; 8. O'Higgins, presented by Chile; 9 Artigas (J. Belloni, sculptor), presented by Uruguay; 10. Jaurez, presented by Mexico; 11. Bonifacio (Charpentier, sculptor), presented by Brazil; 12. Herrera (Chester Beach, sculptor), presented by Panama; 13. Mora (Juan R. Bonill, sculptor), presented by Costa Rica; 14. Morazán, presented by Honduras; 15. Delgardo (Ferraris, scuptor), presented by Salvador. Opening from the foyer, on the W., is the. Hall of the Americas, the chief show room of the building. It measures 100 x 65 ft., and is finished throughout in white, the only touches of color being the purple and gold of the furniture and the gilded bronze of the chandeliers. The vaulted ceiling, barrel-arched like the foyer and great Vestibule, is supported by twenty-four fluted Corinthian columns. The side columns are free and grouped in pairs inclosing side aisles; the end columns are engaged. The five W. windows, corresponding to the five entrances from the foyer, have colored borders, consisting of the arms and other symbols of the American Republics (Nicola D'Ascenzo, artist). At each end of the Hall of the Americas is a smaller hall, originally designed respectively for the Governing Board Room, and the Committee or Dining Room. The latter (reached from the foyer), has been re-christened the Columbus Room, and contains the nucleus of a collection of Columbus relics. They consist mainly of early woodcuts and engravings, facsimile reproductions of ancient maps and photographs of historic spots associated with the great Genoese. *The Governing Board Room. This room is closed to the public; but visitors may obtain a fairly satisfactory view through the entrance on the E. The color scheme is brown and gold, the wall covering being a dull ellow brocade, up to the gilded bronze frieze. The chairs and oval table (20 x 9 ft.), are Dominican mahogany. On each chair are carved the name and coat-of-arms of one of the Republics. The most noteworthy single feature of this room is the Bronze Frieze, consisting of four panels illustrating the chief events in the early history of the new world. They were modeled by Sally James Farnum (Mrs. Paulding Farnum), of New York, and have a uniform height of 2 ft. 9 in.; the length of the side and end panels being respectively 25 ft. and 9 ft. 6 in. South Wall. South American panel (L. to R.): 1. Pizarro's ruthless conquest of the peace-loving, sun-worshipping Incas; 2. Simon Bolívar, the Liberator of South America, leading his dismounted cavalry across the Andes; 3. San Martin and O'Higgins meeting at the Battle of Chacabuco, 1817. Separating these historic scenes, and framed within torsion columns are two familiar types of South America: on L., the Llama driver, wrapped in his poncho; on R., the gaucho or roving cowboy of the pampas, with his bolas in his hand. West Wall. North American panel: Champlain negotiating with the Indian chiefs. North Wall. Mexican and Central American panel (L. to R.): 1. Cortez and the Aztecs (note especially the invader's native wife, Marina, walking beside his war horse and preceded by the sinister figure of the Grand Inquisitor; 2. The landing of Columbus; 3. Balboa discovering the Pacific. Dividing_these scenes, and framed by reproductions of the famous Stela of Copan, are two symbolic figures: L., Indian figure_of_Goddess of Plenty, representing Agricultural Wealth; 2. on R., Indian toiling in mine, representing Mineral Wealth. East Wall. Brazilian panel: Dom Joâo, King of Portugal, landing at Rio de Janeiro, commemorating the transference, in 1808, of the Portuguese seat of government to the New World. I. on Behind the main building, at the extreme western limit of the attractive formal garden, is the Pan American Annex, erected in 1912 (Kelsey and Crét, architects), its dimensions and position being in part dictated by the desire to shut from sight certain unsightly factory buildings. It is used for extra offices, exhibits and storage purposes. Its interest to visitors centres in its triple-arched loggia, which is said to be the most beautiful attempt of its kind to re-embody in modern construction the aboriginal art of Latin-America. Here, in both high and low relief, in bright and in dull colors, fragments of this early American art taken from Palanque, Copan, Quirigua, Mitla and Chichen Itza have been brought together and faithfully reproduced, affording a glimpse of the highly developed civilization which flourished. in southern America before the coming of Columbus, Cortez and Pizarro. The splendor of Chichen-Itza, the Holy city of early Mexican civilization, has supplied the greater part of the design. The general form of the composition is taken from its famous monastery. huge monster's head in the centre is copied from the Iglesia or church, and the two standing figures on either side of the jaws are from the Temple of the Jaguars, while the smaller panels, of various forms and colors have been taken from a large number of beautifully sculptured façades and crumbling temples. The The large figure facing the pool in front of the Annex is a reproduction of a famous stone carving known as the "Sad Indian" and regarded as one of the most precious relics of the Aztec period. Within the Pan-American grounds is the site of the historic cottage of Davy Burnes, one of the four original owners of the land com prising the city of Washington. This cottage, the oldest house in Washington (which survived to the end of the 19th century) was once the rendezvous of General Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Here the poet Tom Moore was once a guest, and the little room from which he could look out upon the Potomac, was always afterward called "Tom Moore's Room. Later, when Davy's beautiful daughter, Marcia, married General John P. Van Ness, in 1802, the latter built, close by the Burnes' cottage, what was then considered "the grandest mansion in the country, designed by Latrobe. There is a tradition that the conspirators who planned the assassination of President Lincoln originally intended to capture him alive and imprison him in the wine-vaults of this house. After standing for nearly a century, the old house finally made way for the Pan-American Building. The Van Ness stable, however, situated in the rear of the house, was renovated and occupied as the residence of the Superintendent of the new building. When Mr. Carnegie gave $100,000 for beautifying the grounds, and it was decided to erect the Pan-American Annex, which occupies the site of the stable, it became necessary to move the latter, which may now be seen in the extreme N.W. cor. of the grounds, at 18th and C Sts. II. The Corcoran Art Gallery **The Corcoran Gallery of Art (Pl. II-C5) occupies the eastern half of the triangular block bounded by New York Ave., 17th and E Sts., with its main façade and entrance on the 17th St. side facing the Executive Grounds (p. 122). The present (and second) edifice was completed in 1897, and is of the Neo-Grecian order of architecture, the materials employed being white Georgia marble, on a basement of Milford pink granite (Ernest Flagg, architect). Numerous windows pierce the wall of the lower story, giving light to the galleries of statuary; the second story, however, of the main central section rises in a solid white wall, broken only by a series of openwork marble panels near the cornices, introduced for ventilating purposes. Just above these panels is a narrow frieze bearing in Roman letters the names of certain famous painters and sculptors of ancient and modern times. Above the cornice, which is richly carved, the glass roof slopes up to a cresting of bronze, surmounted at each end of the building by a winged griffin. The prevailing severity of the design is relieved at the northern or New York Ave. end, by the semi-circular extension, containing the offices and studios of the Corcoran School of Art (p. 184), an auditorium, and a gallery for occasional special exhibits. The latter connects with the main picture galleries on the second floor. History. THE CORCORAN GALLERY of Art, originally situated at the cor. of 17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., was the gift of the late William Wilson Corcoran to the public, by deed dated May 10th, 1869. By the terms of this deed the Gallery was "to be used solely for the purpose of encouraging American genius in the production and preservation of works pertaining to the Fine Arts and kindred objects," the only condition attached being that it shall be open free to visitors on at least two days in the week. Mr. Corcoran's purpose to found a public art gallery was not accomplished until fifteen years after its inception. The erection of the original art gallery was begun in 1859, from designs by James Renwick, best known as architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City (see Rider's New York, p. 199). But before its completion in 1861 the Civil War had broken out, and the building was occupied by the United States Quartermaster-General's Department, which remained there until 1869. On the 10th of May in that year, Mr. Corcoran placed the building in the hands of a board of nine trustees for the purposes above named. His private collection of pictures and statuary constituted the nucleus of the exhibits. The museum was finally thrown open to the public in 1874. As early as 1891 the growth of the art collections and also of the Free School of Art which meanwhile had been established, made new and more spacious quarters necessary. The present site was acquired and a number of prominent architects were invited to submit plans. Mr. Flagg's plans having been accepted, the corner-stone of the building was laid in 1894, and three years later, on Feb. 22, 1897, the gallery was formally opened for a private view. Over three thousand invitations were issued, the guests including the President and Mrs. Cleveland, the members of the Cabinet and their wives, foreign Ambassadors and Ministers, and many other distinguished personages. The Gallery is open to the public as follows: on Mondays from 12 M. to 4.30 P.M.; on other week-days, from 9 A.M. to 4.30 P.M.; on Sundays, from 1.30 to 4.30 P.M.; on holidays, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. (excepting Christmas and July 4th, when it is closed). Admission is free on all days, excepting Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when a fee of 25c. is charged, unless these days chance to fall upon a holiday. The following publications are on sale at the desk to L. of entrance: "Illustrated Catalogue of the Paintings," 75c.; "Illustrated Catalogue of the Casts, Marbles and Bronzes," 25c.; "Handbook of the Paintings and Sculptures" (no illustrations), 25c. Photographs of the principal works of art contained in the collection may also be obtained here. R. of entrance is a cloak room where articles may be checked. Note on W. wall of alcove a bronze tablet recording the history of the Corcoran Gallery. On Before entering, the visitor should note, on R. and L. of steps, two colossal bronze lions, cast, from moulds of Canova's lions, which guard the tomb of Clement XIII in St. Peter's Rome. A few broad, low steps within the entrance bring the visitor at once into the CENTRAL ATRIUM, the largest hall in the building, 170 ft. long by 50 ft. wide, the ceiling of which is supported by forty fluted monolith columns of Indiana limestone. Two large light-wells in the ceiling admit a gently diffused light from the glass roof of the upper story. This atrium together with side galleries Nos. 6, 7 and 8 (see plan, p. 173), contains the museum's well chosen collection of casts from masterpieces of classic and Renaissance sculpture. |