An Artist's Experiences with Some Distinguished Men.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 358, 10 April 1889, Page 3

An Artist's Experiences with Some Distinguished Men.

AN artist who has painted portraits of Mr Gladstone, the Pope, Cardinal Howard, and the-General of the Jesuits (Father Ander" ledy), and who is engaged on one of Sir R. Owen, may take to himself the flattering pride that ho has had distinguished sitters. Mr Thaddeus has had his success. He gives an interesting account of the sitters, and how they suited him artistically. From Mr Gladstone he had five sittings in Italy, and he stood as erect as a rock on all the five occasions. Mr Thaddeus never had such a charming sitter in all his life. •He is simply the most fascinating man that ever posed to me. He quite magnetised me by the wonderful charm of his presence, and the astonishing flow of his conversation. We talked of art for the most part, and you would have thought he had spent his whole life in the Btudy of painting. I was as a child in his hands, and yet with it all he is the most attractable of all sitter?.' But the Pope was almost as good a sitter foui years ago. His Holiness was voluble and charming, and when the young artist, who had not grown a moustache, entered his room to begin work, he exclaimed, ' My child, and it is you, is it ?' and during the sitting looked at him in a wondering manner. The General of the Jesuits was very pleasant and very nice, and the artist regards the opportunity to paint his portrait as a wonderful privilege. But he tells a droll story about Cardinal Howard. The Cardinal is most amiable, but nervous, and it is impossible to get him to keep his head still for five minutes. The nervousness and shifting of the head ,at length begat nervousness and impatience in the artist, and in a moment - of exasperation he says, * he threw his palette at the Cardinal's head.' His Eminence was alarmed, but continued \the sitting. The artist found that his portrait was wretched, and he ultimately pub his knife through the canvas.' vi '