AN ORDEAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20964, 1 March 1930, Page 22

AN ORDEAL.

SCULPTURING THE POPE. ? VATICAN SPLENDOURS. A GREAT PERSONALITY. I ope Pins XI paid me the great honour of selecting me out of over 300 sculptors, gathered together in Rome 1 , l ;?n. 1 parts of the world, to make the oincinl bust of the living head of the Catholic Church (writes Francis Cogne in the Sydney Sun). As soon as this ns decided, all doois in the Vatican were open to me. ami 1 was given every facility to got the atmosphere of the palace iii yihich the Holy lather lives his eartlilv life.

In this way I was able to attune my mmd to the Pope s wonderfully ideal anil spiritual expression which I have endeavoured to put into my bust of him. 11 was my privilege to sec all the art treasures of. the Vatican. 1 was allowed ir'l , llllcon,riara,:i!o 1 l llcon, r iara,:i!o masterpieces ot -Michelangelo, examine his fescues closely, and oven see his models and sketches, which arc not shown to the public. I was permitted to attend service in the Sistino Chapel, where the lope sajMass in solitude every morn* mg.

On a hot day in July. 1022, I presented myself at 4 p.m. at the bronze door of the Vatican to begin work on the bust pt Ins Holiness. The gigantic Swiss guards, all well over Oft high, who had often seen me before at the Vatican and know me as a habitue, let me in-without question, but ns soon a.s I entered the courtyard the Papal gendarmes asked for my permit. My explanation ns to the object of my presence did not satisfy them, and they took mo to the commandant. who, having already received his instructions. ordered his men to show me in, and I was conducted to an immense hall where tho audiences arc usually given. J

Here, a priest asked for mv credentmls, and a few minutes later a Vatican Official in a pink surplice made his appearance and signalled to me to follow him. I did so, on tiptoe, and was conducted through a small chapel generally used for tho Pontiff’s private devotions and up a corkscrew staircase, used as a rule by the Holy Father only, and was handed over to another clerical official, also in a pink surplice, but having purple embroideries.

My new guide mentioned in conversation that the room in which we stood was the one in which Pope Lee XIII died. A door opened noiselessly, and another official, in biack, with a white chain round his neck, made his appearance, and motioned to me to bring my implements into the next room—a marvellously beautiful place with a throne, over which was a richly-ornamented Raldac-chmo or canopy. A marble statue of Saint Cecilia stood on a pedestal. and on the walls was a portait of tho Pope. My guide pulled a window curtain aside, and I realised that this was the studio in which I was to work. A DOMINATING PERSONALITY.

Next came an official of still higher rank (“How many more?” I asked myself), and inquired if I was ready to begin, at the same time intimating that the sitting was not expected to last more than 10 minutes. I asked him about the etiquette to be observed with the Holy Father—what I should say, and whether I was expected to go on njy knees. The chamberlain explained the very simple observances required, and f wa ited. The minutes passed, and the r with all the ceremonial I had gone through before reaching the inner sanctum, was to make me very nervous. At last a door on the left opened, and, coming in from a hall of immense length, which I believe was a library, I saw the Holy Father. He was dressed entirely in white, with small white buttons, his eyes half closed behind thick glasses. I promptly forgot all my intructions and fell on my knees, my sight failing me for the moment and my heart beating very fast. As if in a dream I hoard the Pope give me hia blessing in a few Latin words. I got up to begin my work, but my hands were trembling so much that I put everything upsidedown. His Holiness looked on at my clumsy operations in patience for a while, and then said with good-natured reverity:

“ I think you had better try to calm yourself, as we shall lose time if you arc nervous.”

This encouraged me, and I ventured to ask his Holiness if he would repeat the gesture ho made when giving his benediction, as I would like to record the attitude in marble for posterity; but the Holy Father declined to pose in this attitude.

“All I can do,” he said, "is to give you my benediction again, so that you can observe my actions." Then the Pope gave me his benediction twice, and I was allowed to take a photograph of him. He then asked me if I was ready to begin, and I replied that I must first take some measurements which were indispensable for accuracy. His Holiness sat down, I made some hurried sketches. of him, and then proceeded to measure his head with an instrument. In the course of this operation I several times touched the Pope’s head, not only with the points of the instrument, but with my fingers—a circumstance which seemed to horrify the chamberlain in attendance; but his Holiness merely watched my proceedings attentively and remarked: “If you want to know what sized hat' I take, I can tell you. It is 06 centimetres.” In the meantime the chamberlain was looking through the book of sketches and photographs I had brought with me. Seeing seme photographs of my statue of Marshal Lyautey, he handed them to the Pope. “THE MAN OF MOROCCO.” “ LTiomme du Marco!” (the man of Morocco) his Holiness exclaimed, “It is a good likeness, and you were quite right not to omit that small detail which belongs to the personality of this great soldier—the cigarette between his fingers.” Speaking to his chamberlain, the Pope added: “What a strange thing! Lyautey smokes cigarettes day and night, and yet his brain remains perfectly, clear, and he does excellent w T ork.” ' When the chamberlain showed the Pope some photographs of the bust of Mgr. Ceretti, Papal Nuncio to France, his Holiness remarked: “This is Ceretti to the life, although 1 think that In reality lie is even more serene and smiling.” In the meantime I had finished my sketching. The Pope looked at the drawings, and dismissed me with his benediction, reminding fne that I was to come again next day. Thus ended the first sitting. Next day the Pope was again wearing his long white flannel robe, with a wide collar completely covering his broad shoulders. He also wore a heavy gold necklace, to which was attached a cross studded with amethysts and brilliants. His smooth cheeks, high forehead, and smiling lips radiated goodness and benevolence He carries hi s head slightly to tknfht. M’hilc I was modelling him, I thought of what was saicl about him by Mgr. Ceretti when the latter was in niv studio.

.Pi 1 !? he said, “is goodness itself. Ho knows nearly every living language. He spent 40 years in the Vatican Library studying manuscripts day and night. He has acquired a mass of knowledge, such as very few men possess ” At the close of the third sitting, his Holiness thanked me for my efforts, and dismissed mo, and once more I went through the series of great and splendid halls that form the residence of the hmhmindod and simple-living head of the church. Everything about his surroundings is gigantic. The guards arc all very tall inon, of about 6ft Oin, anti cvorvtliiii"’ else is on tile same scale. '