Memorial To Giuseppe Venzano, Campo Santo.

The Figure Of Religion, In Genoa's Campo Santo.

Nothing is easier (and alas! more common) than to make flippant criticisms upon mortuary monuments, unmindful of the aching hearts which they were reared to comfort; and many frivolous visitors, whose hands have never touched the sculptor's clay, and whose young lives have never yet been darkened by bereavement, will pass along these corridors, apparently intent on nothing save the pointing out of what they do not like. I heard here once contemptuous remarks about these works of art from those who had for years, to my certain knowledge, left the graves of their own parents in America without a headstone. At all events, the technical skill displayed here is astonishing, and I believe that any one, prepared to see, as usual, in every gallery of art some objects which offend him, but ready likewise to enjoy what really is of excellence, will find here much that is both beautiful and noble. Certainly nowhere else in the world have I beheld so much variety and originality in the portrayal of the sentiments of sorrow, hope, and constancy. Here it may be the figure of a widow turning sadly from her husband's tomb; or there the life-size statue of a monk engaged in reading prayers; but both are wonderful examples of the sculptor's skill. Yonder, upon a grand sarcophagus of sombre marble, sits the colossal form of Father Time, his folded arms, bowed head, and introspective look suggesting contemplation of the deeper mysteries of eternity. It is a masterpiece by Saccomanno, some of whose works within this Campo Santo I have rarely seen surpassed in modern sculpture.

A Corridor In The Campo Santo.

Another most impressive group is that of the Virgin Mother and her Child, enthroned within an alcove of dark marble the former looking down with love and tenderness upon her babe, whose little hand already stretches forth in benediction. Not far from this, the monument of the Da Passano family especially attracted my attention by the beauty of the scene portrayed. The theme is a familiar one, but ah, how exquisitely it is treated! Relieved against a background of green, waving foliage, nothing except the dazzling whiteness of the marble here suggests the chill of death. Nor is there any hint of fear or trace of sickness visible in the fair, young girl, beside whose couch a youthful figure, symbolizing Faith, stands pointing heavenward. Beautiful also in its sweet submissiveness is the attitude of her who is about to die. Partially rising from her couch, she reaches forth to take without reluctance from the heavenly visitor the symbol of her consolation and her strength, the Cross. The sculptured representation of what we all would fain believe, this group is not depressing but consoling in its solemn lesson. Yet few whose fate had been to lose a lovely daughter, blossoming info womanhood, could look upon it without tears.

The Virgin And Child.

The Figure Of Father Time.

In one of these cool, shaded corridors, beside a marble shaft which marks the burial place of a belovèd wife, stands the pathetic figure of a man who leans against the tomb, his features partly covered by his hand. This is the type of monument that many criticize. They say it is too realistic, too prosaic - this statue of a common man, in ordinary clothes, without a trace of ideality in form or feature. But on the other hand, the genuine simplicity of his unstudied attitude and humble dress make this a veritable portraiture of life; while in that natural concealment of his face is shown a pitiful repression of his outward grief, which finds a ready sympathy in every manly heart.

One of the most elaborate and original designs within this Campo Santo is that of the family Montanara. Precisely what the sculptor here intended to express is not entirely clear to me. Perhaps his wish was to portray, above the tomb of one who may have been a convert from Judaism to Christianity, the subordination of the older faith, - here symbolized by the Seven-branched Golden Candlestick, - to the later dispensation, typified by a stately crucifix carved above it on the wall. Or it may merely signify the tireless devotion of that filial piety, found in all religions, tenderly ministrant and ever young. The proof of triumph over suffering is also present; for lying near the candlestick, en-wreathed in flowers, is the victor's palm. To me, at least, this was suggestive of the lamp of Memory, kept forever burning by a. loving child, above the grave, - Death's temporary conquest, - and beneath the Cross, - the emblem of Death's Conqueror.