,,pierre ,,grassou ,by ,honore ,de ,balzac ,translated by ,katharine ,prescott ,wormeley ,dedication ,to ,the ,lieutenant-,colonel of ,artillery1 ,periollas1 ,as a ,testimony of the ,affectionate ,esteem of the ,author1 ,de ,balzac ,,pierre ,,grassou ,whenever you have gone to take a serious look at the exhibition of works of sculpture and painting1 such as it has been since the revolution of #ahcj1 have you not been seized by a sense of uneasiness1 weariness1 sadness1 at the sight of those long and over-crowded galleries8 ,since #ahcj1 the true ,salon no longer exists4 ,the ,louvre has again been taken by assault1--this time by a populace of artists who have maintained themselves in it4 ,in other days1 when the ,salon presented only the choicest works of art1 it conferred the highest honor on the creations there exhibited4 ,among the two hundred selected paintings1 the public could still choose3 a crown was awarded to the masterpiece by hands unseen4 ,eager1 impassioned discussions arose about some picture4 ,the abuse showered on ,delacroix1 on ,ingres1 contributed no less to their fame than the praises and fanaticism of their adherents4 ,to-day1 neither the crowd nor the criticism grows impassioned about the products of that bazaar4 ,forced to make the selection for itself1 which in former days the examining jury made for it1 the attention of the public is soon wearied and the exhibition closes4 ,before the year #ahag the pictures admitted never went beyond the first two columns of the long gallery of the old masters2 but in that year1 to the great astonishment of the public1 they filled the whole space4 ,historical1 high-art1 genre paintings1 easel pictures1 landscapes1 flowers1 animals1 and water-colors1--these eight specialties could surely not offer more than twenty pictures in one year worthy of the eyes of the public1 which1 indeed1 cannot give its attention to a greater number of such works4 ,the more the number of artists increases1 the more careful and exacting the jury of admission ought to be4 ,the true character of the ,salon was lost as soon as it spread along the galleries4 ,the ,salon should have remained within fixed limits of inflexible proportions1 where each distinct specialty could show its masterpieces only4 ,an experience of ten years has shown the excellence of the former institution4 ,now1 instead of a tournament1 we have a mob2 instead of a noble exhibition1 we have a tumultuous bazaar2 instead of a choice selection we have a chaotic mass4 ,what is the result8 ,a great artist is swamped4 ,decamps' ,turkish ,cafe1 ,children at a ,fountain1 ,joseph1 and ,the ,torture1 would have redounded far more to his credit if the four pictures had been exhibited in the great ,salon with the hundred good pictures of that year1 than his twenty pictures could1 among three thousand others1 jumbled together in six galleries4 ,by some strange contradiction1 ever since the doors are open to every one there has been much talk of unknown and unrecognized genius4 ,when1 twelve years earlier1 ,ingres' ,courtesan1 and that of ,sigalon1 the ,medusa of ,gericault1 the ,massacre of ,scio by ,delacroix1 the ,baptism of ,henri ,,iv4 by ,eugene ,deveria1 admitted by celebrated artists accused of jealousy1 showed the world1 in spite of the denials of criticism1 that young and vigorous palettes existed1 no such complaint was made4 ,now1 when the veriest dauber of canvas can send in his work1 the whole talk is of genius neglected6 ,where judgment no longer exists1 there is no longer anything judged4 ,but whatever artists may be doing now1 they will come back in time to the examination and selection which presents their works to the admiration of the crowd for whom they work4 ,without selection by the ,academy there will be no ,salon1 and without the ,salon art may perish4 ,ever since the catalogue has grown into a book1 many names have appeared in it which still remain in their native obscurity1 in spite of the ten or a dozen pictures attached to them4 ,among these names perhaps the most unknown to fame is that of an artist named ,pierre ,grassou1 coming from ,fougeres1 and called simply ,fougeres among his brother-artists1 who1 at the present moment holds a place1 as the saying is1 in the sun1 and who suggested the rather bitter reflections by which this sketch of his life is introduced1--reflections that are applicable to many other individuals of the tribe of artists4 ,in #ahcb1 ,fougeres lived in the rue de ,navarin1 on the fourth floor of one of those tall1 narrow houses which resemble the obelisk of ,luxor1 and possess an alley1 a dark little stairway with dangerous turnings1 three windows only on each floor1 and1 within the building1 a courtyard1 or1 to speak more correctly1 a square pit or well4 ,above the three or four rooms occupied by ,grassou of ,fougeres was his studio1 looking over to ,montmartre4 ,this studio was painted in brick-color1 for a background2 the floor was tinted brown and well frotted2 each chair was furnished with a bit of carpet bound round the edges2 the sofa1 simple enough1 was clean as that in the bedroom of some worthy bourgeoise4 ,all these things denoted the tidy ways of a small mind and the thrift of a poor man4 ,a bureau was there1 in which to put away the studio implements1 a table for breakfast1 a sideboard1 a secretary2 in short1 all the articles necessary to a painter1 neatly arranged and very clean4 ,the stove participated in this ,dutch cleanliness1 which was all the more visible because the pure and little changing light from the north flooded with its cold clear beams the vast apartment4 ,fougeres1 being merely a genre painter1 does not need the immense machinery and outfit which ruin historical painters2 he has never recognized within himself sufficient faculty to attempt high-art1 and he therefore clings to easel painting4 ,at the beginning of the month of ,december of that year1 a season at which the bourgeois of ,paris conceive1 periodically1 the burlesque idea of perpetuating their forms and figures already too bulky in themselves1 ,pierre ,grassou1 who had risen early1 prepared his palette1 and lighted his stove1 was eating a roll steeped in milk1 and waiting till the frost on his windows had melted sufficiently to let the full light in4 ,the weather was fine and dry4 ,at this moment the artist1 who ate his bread with that patient1 resigned air that tells so much1 heard and recognized the step of a man who had upon his life the influence such men have on the lives of nearly all artists1--the step of ,elie ,magus1 a picture-dealer1 a usurer in canvas4 ,the next moment ,elie ,magus entered and found the painter in the act of beginning his work in the tidy studio4 ,how are you1 old rascal8 said the painter4 ,fougeres had the cross of the ,legion of honor1 and ,elie ,magus bought his pictures at two and three hundred francs apiece1 so he gave himself the airs of a fine artist4 ,business is very bad1 replied ,elie4 ,you artists have such pretensions6 ,you talk of two hundred francs when you haven't put six sous' worth of color on a canvas4 ,however1 you are a good fellow1 ,i'll say that4 ,you are steady2 and ,i've come to put a good bit of business in your way4 ,timeo ,danaos et dona ferentes1 said ,fougeres4 ,do you know ,latin8 ,no4 ,well1 it means that the ,greeks never proposed a good bit of business to the ,trojans without getting their fair share of it4 ,in the olden time they used to say1 ',take my horse4' ,now we say1 ',take my bear4' ,well1 what do you want1 ,ulysses-,lagingeole-,elie ,magus8 ,these words will give an idea of the mildness and wit with which ,fougeres employed what painters call studio fun4 ,well1 ,i don't deny that you are to paint me two pictures for nothing4 ,oh6 oh6 ,i'll leave you to do it1 or not2 ,i don't ask it4 ,but you're an honest man4 ,come1 out with it6 ,well1 ,i'm prepared to bring you a father1 mother1 and only daughter4 ,all for me8 ,yes--they want their portraits taken4 ,these bourgeois--they are crazy about art--have never dared to enter a studio4 ,the girl has a 'dot' of a hundred thousand francs4 ,you can paint all three1--perhaps they'll turn out family portraits4 ,and with that the old ,dutch log of wood who passed for a man and who was called ,elie ,magus1 interrupted himself to laugh an uncanny laugh which frightened the painter4 ,he fancied he heard ,mephistopheles talking marriage4 ,portraits bring five hundred francs apiece1 went on ,elie2 so you can very well afford to paint me three pictures4 ,true for you6 cried ,fougeres1 gleefully4 ,and if you marry the girl1 you won't forget me4 ,marry6 ,i8 cried ,pierre ,grassou1--,i1 who have a habit of sleeping alone2 and get up at cock-crow1 and all my life arranged-- ,one hundred thousand francs1 said ,magus1 and a quiet girl1 full of golden tones1 as you call 'em1 like a ,titian4 ,what class of people are they8 ,retired merchants2 just now in love with art2 have a country-house at ,ville d',avray1 and ten or twelve thousand francs a year4 ,what business did they do8 ,bottles4 ,now don't say that word2 it makes me think of corks and sets my teeth on edge4 ,am ,i to bring them8 ,three portraits--,i could put them in the ,salon2 ,i might go in for portrait-painting4 ,well1 yes6 ,old ,elie descended the staircase to go in search of the ,vervelle family4 ,to know to what extend this proposition would act upon the painter1 and what effect would be produced upon him by the ,sieur and ,dame ,vervelle1 adorned by their only daughter1 it is necessary to cast an eye on the anterior life of ,pierre ,grassou of ,fougeres4 ,when a pupil1 ,fougeres had studied drawing with ,servin1 who was thought a great draughtsman in academic circles4 ,after that he went to ,schinner's1 to learn the secrets of the powerful and magnificent color which distinguishes that master4 ,master and scholars were all discreet2 at any rate ,pierre discovered none of their secrets4 ,from there he went to ,sommervieux' atelier1 to acquire that portion of the art of painting which is called composition1 but composition was shy and distant to him4 ,then he tried to snatch from ,decamps and ,granet the mystery of their interior effects4 ,the two masters were not robbed4 ,finally ,fougeres ended his education with ,duval-,lecamus4 ,during these studied and these different transformations ,fougeres' habits and ways of life were tranquil and moral to a degree that furnished matter of jesting to the various ateliers where he sojourned2 but everywhere he disarmed his comrades by his modesty and by the patience and gentleness of a lamblike nature4 ,the masters1 however1 had no sympathy for the good lad2 masters prefer bright fellows1 eccentric spirits1 droll or fiery1 or else gloomy and deeply reflective1 which argue future talent4 ,everything about ,pierre ,grassou smacked of mediocrity4 ,his nickname ,fougeres 7that of the painter in the play of ,the ,eglantine7 was the source of much teasing2 but1 by force of circumstances1 he accepted the name of the town in which he had first seen light4 ,grassou of ,fougeres resembled his name4 ,plump and of medium height1 he had a dull complexion1 brown eyes1 black hair1 a turned-up nose1 rather wide mouth1 and long ears4 ,his gentle1 passive1 and resigned air gave a certain relief to these leading features of a physiognomy that was full of health1 but wanting in action4 ,this young man1 born to be a virtuous bourgeois1 having left his native place and come to ,paris to be clerk with a color-merchant 7formerly of ,mayenne and a distant connection of the ,orgemonts7 made himself a painter simply by the fact of an obstinacy which constitutes the ,breton character4 ,what he suffered1 the manner in which he lived during those years of study1 ,god only knows4 ,he suffered as much as great men suffer when they are hounded by poverty and hunted like wild beasts by the pack of commonplace minds and by troops of vanities athirst for vengeance4 ,as soon as he thought himself able to fly on his own wings1 ,fougeres took a studio in the upper part of the rue des ,martyrs1 where he began to delve his way4 ,he made his first appearance in #ahai4 ,the first picture he presented to the jury of the ,exhibition at the ,louvre represented a village wedding rather laboriously copied from ,greuze's picture4 ,it was rejected4 ,when ,fougeres heard of the fatal decision1 he did not fall into one of those fits of epileptic self-love to which strong natures give themselves up1 and which sometimes end in challenges sent to the director or the secretary of the ,museum1 or even by threats of assassination4 ,fougeres quietly fetched his canvas1 wrapped it in a handkerchief1 and brought it home1 vowing in his heart that he would still make himself a great painter4 ,he placed his picture on the easel1 and went to one of his former masters1 a man of immense talent1--to ,schinner1 a kind and patient artist1 whose triumph at that year's ,salon was complete4 ,fougeres asked him to come and criticise the rejected work4 ,the great painter left everything and went at once4 ,when poor ,fougeres had placed the work before him ,schinner1 after a glance1 pressed ,fougeres' hand4 ,you are a fine fellow1 he said2 you've a heart of gold1 and ,i must not deceive you4 ,listen2 you are fulfilling all the promises you made in the studios4 ,when you find such things as that at the tip of your brush1 my good ,fougeres1 you had better leave colors with ,brullon1 and not take the canvas of others4 ,go home early1 put on your cotton night-cap1 and be in bed by nine o'clock4 ,the next morning early go to some government office1 ask for a place1 and give up art4 ,my dear friend1 said ,fougeres1 my picture is already condemned2 it is not a verdict that ,i want of you1 but the cause of that verdict4 ,well--you paint gray and sombre2 you see nature being a crape veil2 your drawing is heavy1 pasty2 your composition is a medley of ,greuze1 who only redeemed his defects by the qualities which you lack4 ,while detailing these faults of the picture ,schinner saw on ,fougeres' face so deep an expression of sadness that he carried him off to dinner and tried to console him4 ,the next morning at seven o'clock ,fougeres was at his easel working over the rejected picture2 he warmed the colors2 he made the corrections suggested by ,schinner1 he touched up his figures4 ,then1 disgusted with such patching1 he carried the picture to ,elie ,magus4 ,elie ,magus1 a sort of ,dutch-,flemish-,belgian1 had three reasons for being what he became1--rich and avaricious4 ,coming last from ,bordeaux1 he was just starting in ,paris1 selling old pictures and living on the boulevard ,bonne-,nouvelle4 ,fougeres1 who relied on his palette to go to the baker's1 bravely ate bread and nuts1 or bread and milk1 or bread and cherries1 or bread and cheese1 according to the seasons4 ,elie ,magus1 to whom ,pierre offered his first picture1 eyed it for some time and then gave him fifteen francs4 ,with fifteen francs a year coming in1 and a thousand francs for expenses1 said ,fougeres1 smiling1 a man will go fast and far4 ,elie ,magus made a gesture2 he bit his thumbs1 thinking that he might have had that picture for five francs4 ,for several days ,pierre walked down from the rue des ,martyrs and stationed himself at the corner of the boulevard opposite to ,elie's shop1 whence his eye could rest upon his picture1 which did not obtain any notice from the eyes of the passers along the street4 ,at the end of a week the picture disappeared2 ,fougeres walked slowly up and approached the dealer's shop in a lounging manner4 ,the ,jew was at his door4 ,well1 ,i see you have sold my picture4 ,no1 here it is1 said ,magus2 ,i've framed it1 to show it to some one who fancies he knows about painting4 ,fougeres had not the heart to return to the boulevard4 ,he set about another picture1 and spent two months upon it1--eating mouse's meals and working like a galley-slave4 ,one evening he went to the boulevard1 his feet leading him fatefully to the dealer's shop4 ,his picture was not to be seen4 ,i've sold your picture1 said ,elie ,magus1 seeing him4 ,for how much8 ,i got back what ,i gave and a small interest4 ,make me some ,flemish interiors1 a lesson of anatomy1 landscapes1 and such like1 and ,i'll buy them of you1 said ,elie4 ,fougeres would fain have taken old ,magus in his arms2 he regarded him as a father4 ,he went home with joy in his heart2 the great painter ,schinner was mistaken after all6 ,in that immense city of ,paris there were some hearts that beat in unison with ,pierre's2 his talent was understood and appreciated4 ,the poor fellow of twenty-seven had the innocence of a lad of sixteen4 ,another man1 one of those distrustful1 surly artists1 would have noticed the diabolical look on ,elie's face and seen the twitching of the hairs of his beard1 the irony of his moustache1 and the movement of his shoulders which betrayed the satisfaction of ,walter ,scott's ,jew in swindling a ,christian4 ,fougeres marched along the boulevard in a state of joy which gave to his honest face an expression of pride4 ,he was like a schoolboy protecting a woman4 ,he met ,joseph ,bridau1 one of his comrades1 and one of those eccentric geniuses destined to fame and sorrow4 ,joseph ,bridau1 who had1 to use his own expression1 a few sous in his pocket1 took ,fougeres to the ,opera4 ,but ,fougeres didn't see the ballet1 didn't hear the music2 he was imagining pictures1 he was painting4 ,he left ,joseph in the middle of the evening1 and ran home to make sketches by lamp-light4 ,he invented thirty pictures1 all reminiscence1 and felt himself a man of genius4 ,the next day he bought colors1 and canvases of various dimensions2 he piled up bread and cheese on his table1 he filled a water-pot with water1 he laid in a provision of wood for his stove2 then1 to use a studio expression1 he dug at his pictures4 ,he hired several models and ,magus lent him stuffs4 ,after two months' seclusion the ,breton had finished four pictures4 ,again he asked counsel of ,schinner1 this time adding ,bridau to the invitation4 ,the two painters saw in three of these pictures a servile imitation of ,dutch landscapes and interiors by ,metzu1 in the fourth a copy of ,rembrandt's ,lesson of ,anatomy4 ,still imitating6 said ,schinner4 ,ah6 ,fougeres can't manage to be original4 ,you ought to do something else than painting1 said ,bridau4 ,what8 asked ,fougeres4 ,fling yourself into literature4 ,fougeres lowered his head like a sheep when it rains4 ,then he asked and obtained certain useful advice1 and retouched his pictures before taking them to ,elie ,magus4 ,elie paid him twenty-five francs apiece4 ,at that price of course ,fougeres earned nothing2 neither did he lose1 thanks to his sober living4 ,he made a few excursions to the boulevard to see what became of his pictures1 and there he underwent a singular hallucination4 ,his neat1 clean paintings1 hard as tin and shiny as porcelain1 were covered with a sort of mist2 they looked like old daubs4 ,magus was out1 and ,pierre could obtain no information on this phenomenon4 ,he fancied something was wrong with his eyes4 ,the painter went back to his studio and made more pictures4 ,after seven years of continued toil ,fougeres managed to compose and execute quite passable work4 ,he did as well as any artist of the second class4 ,elie bought and sold all the paintings of the poor ,breton1 who earned laboriously about two thousand francs a year while he spent but twelve hundred4 ,at the ,exhibition of #ahbi1 ,leon de ,lora1 ,schinner1 and ,bridau1 who all three occupied a great position and were1 in fact1 at the head of the art movement1 were filled with pity for the perseverance and the poverty of their old friend2 and they caused to be admitted into the grand salon of the ,exhibition1 a picture by ,fougeres4 ,this picture1 powerful in interest but derived from ,vigneron as to sentiment and from ,dubufe's first manner as to execution1 represented a young man in prison1 whose hair was being cut around the nape of the neck4 ,on one side was a priest1 on the other two women1 one old1 one young1 in tears4 ,a sheriff's clerk was reading aloud a document4 ,on a wretched table was a meal1 untouched4 ,the light came in through the bars of a window near the ceiling4 ,it was a picture fit to make the bourgeois shudder1 and the bourgeois shuddered4 ,fougeres had simply been inspired by the masterpiece of ,gerard ,douw2 he had turned the group of the ,dropsical ,woman toward the window1 instead of presenting it full front4 ,the condemned man was substituted for the dying woman--same pallor1 same glance1 same appeal to ,god4 ,instead of the ,dutch doctor1 he had painted the cold1 official figure of the sheriff's clerk attired in black2 but he had added an old woman to the young one of ,gerard ,douw4 ,the cruelly simple and good-humored face of the executioner completed and dominated the group4 ,this plagiarism1 very cleverly disguised1 was not discovered4 ,the catalogue contained the following3-- #eaj4 ,grassou de ,fougeres 7,pierre71 rue de ,navarin1 #b4 ,death-toilet of a ,chouan1 condemned to execution in #ahji4 ,though wholly second-rate1 the picture had immense success1 for it recalled the affair of the chauffeurs1 of ,mortagne4 ,a crowd collected every day before the now fashionable canvas2 even ,charles ,x4 paused to look at it4 ,madame1 being told of the patient life of the poor ,breton1 became enthusiastic over him4 ,the ,duc d',orleans asked the price of the picture4 ,the clergy told ,madame la ,dauphine that the subject was suggestive of good thoughts2 and there was1 in truth1 a most satisfying religious tone about it4 ,monseigneur the ,dauphin admired the dust on the stone-floor1--a huge blunder1 by the way1 for ,fougeres had painted greenish tones suggestive of mildew along the base of the walls4 ,madame finally bought the picture for a thousand francs1 and the ,dauphin ordered another like it4 ,charles ,x4 gave the cross of the ,legion of honor to this son of a peasant who had fought for the royal cause in #agii4 7,joseph ,bridau1 the great painter1 was not yet decorated47 ,the minister of the ,interior ordered two church pictures of ,fougeres4 ,this ,salon of #ahbi was to ,pierre ,grassou his whole fortune1 fame1 future1 and life4 ,be original1 invent1 and you die by inches2 copy1 imitate1 and you'll live4 ,after this discovery of a gold mine1 ,grassou de ,fougeres obtained his benefit of the fatal principle to which society owes the wretched mediocrities to whom are intrusted in these days the election of leaders in all social classes2 who proceed1 naturally1 to elect themselves and who wage a bitter war against all true talent4 ,the principle of election applied indiscriminately is false1 and ,france will some day abandon it4 ,nevertheless the modesty1 simplicity1 and genuine surprise of the good and gentle ,fougeres silenced all envy and all recriminations4 ,besides1 he had on his side all of his clan who had succeeded1 and all who expected to succeed4 ,some persons1 touched by the persistent energy of a man whom nothing had discouraged1 talked of ,domenichino and said3-- ,perseverance in the arts should be rewarded4 ,grassou hasn't stolen his successes2 he has delved for ten years1 the poor dear man6 ,that exclamation of poor dear man6 counted for half in the support and the congratulations which the painter received4 ,pity sets up mediocrities as envy pulls down great talents1 and in equal numbers4 ,the newspapers1 it is true1 did not spare criticism1 but the chevalier ,fougeres digested them as he had digested the counsel of his friends1 with angelic patience4 ,possessing1 by this time1 fifteen thousand francs1 laboriously earned1 he furnished an apartment and studio in the rue de ,navarin1 and painted the picture ordered by ,monseigneur the ,dauphin1 also the two church pictures1 and delivered them at the time agreed on1 with a punctuality that was very discomforting to the exchequer of the ministry1 accustomed to a different course of action4 ,but--admire the good fortune of men who are methodical--if ,grassou1 belated with his work1 had been caught by the revolution of ,july he would not have got his money4 ,by the time he was thirty-seven ,fougeres had manufactured for ,elie ,magus some two hundred pictures1 all of them utterly unknown1 by the help of which he had attained to that satisfying manner1 that point of execution before which the true artist shrugs his shoulders and the bourgeoisie worships4 ,fougeres was dear to friends for rectitude of ideas1 for steadiness of sentiment1 absolute kindliness1 and great loyalty2 though they had no esteem for his palette1 they loved the man who held it4 ,what a misfortune it is that ,fougeres has the vice of painting6 said his comrades4 ,but for all this1 ,grassou gave excellent counsel1 like those feuilletonists incapable of writing a book who know very well where a book is wanting4 ,there was this difference1 however1 between literary critics and ,fougeres2 he was eminently sensitive to beauties2 he felt them1 he acknowledged them1 and his advice was instinct with a spirit of justice that made the justness of his remarks acceptable4 ,after the revolution of ,july1 ,fougeres sent about ten pictures a year to the ,salon1 of which the jury admitted four or five4 ,he lived with the most rigid economy1 his household being managed solely by an old charwoman4 ,for all amusement he visited his friends1 he went to see works of art1 he allowed himself a few little trips about ,france1 and he planned to go to ,switzerland in search of inspiration4 ,this detestable artist was an excellent citizen2 he mounted guard duly1 went to reviews1 and paid his rent and provision-bills with bourgeois punctuality4 ,having lived all his life in toil and poverty1 he had never had the time to love4 ,poor and a bachelor1 until now he did not desire to complicate his simple life4 ,incapable of devising any means of increasing his little fortune1 he carried1 every three months1 to his notary1 ,cardot1 his quarterly earnings and economies4 ,when the notary had received about three thousand francs he invested them in some first mortgage1 the interest of which he drew himself and added to the quarterly payments made to him by ,fougeres4 ,the painter was awaiting the fortunate moment when his property thus laid by would give him the imposing income of two thousand francs1 to allow himself the otium cum dignitate of the artist and paint pictures2 but oh6 what pictures6 true pictures6 each a finished picture6 chouette1 ,koxnoff1 chocnosoff6 ,his future1 his dreams of happiness1 the superlative of his hopes--do you know what it was8 ,to enter the ,institute and obtain the grade of officer of the ,legion of honor2 to side down beside ,schinner and ,leon de ,lora1 to reach the ,academy before ,bridau1 to wear a rosette in his buttonhole6 ,what a dream6 ,it is only commonplace men who think of everything4 ,hearing the sound of several steps on the staircase1 ,fougeres rubbed up his hair1 buttoned his jacket of bottle-green velveteen1 and was not a little amazed to see1 entering his doorway1 a simpleton face vulgarly called in studio slang a melon4 ,this fruit surmounted a pumpkin1 clothed in blue cloth adorned with a bunch of tintinnabulating baubles4 ,the melon puffed like a walrus2 the pumpkin advanced on turnips1 improperly called legs4 ,a true painter would have turned the little bottle-vendor off at once1 assuring him that he didn't paint vegetables4 ,this painter looked at his client without a smile1 for ,monsieur ,vervelle wore a three-thousand-franc diamond in the bosom of his shirt4 ,fougeres glanced at ,magus and said3 ,there's fat in it6 using a slang term then much in vogue in the studios4 ,hearing those words ,monsieur ,vervelle frowned4 ,the worthy bourgeois drew after him another complication of vegetables in the persons of his wife and daughter4 ,the wife had a fine veneer of mahogany on her face1 and in figure she resembled a cocoa-nut1 surmounted by a head and tied in around the waist4 ,she pivoted on her legs1 which were tap-rooted1 and her gown was yellow with black stripes4 ,she proudly exhibited unutterable mittens on a puffy pair of hands2 the plumes of a first-class funeral floated on an over-flowing bonnet2 laces adorned her shoulders1 as round behind as they were before2 consequently1 the spherical form of the cocoa-nut was perfect4 ,her feet1 of a kind that painters call abatis1 rose above the varnished leather of the shoes in a swelling that was some inches high4 ,how the feet were ever got into the shoes1 no one knows4 ,following these vegetable parents was a young asparagus1 who presented a tiny head with smoothly banded hair of the yellow-carroty tone that a ,roman adores1 long1 stringy arms1 a fairly white skin with reddish spots upon it1 large innocent eyes1 and white lashes1 scarcely any brows1 a leghorn bonnet bound with white satin and adorned with two honest bows of the same satin1 hands virtuously red1 and the feet of her mother4 ,the faces of these three beings wore1 as they looked round the studio1 an air of happiness which bespoke in them a respectable enthusiasm for ,art4 ,so it is you1 monsieur1 who are going to take our likenesses8 said the father1 assuming a jaunty air4 ,yes1 monsieur1 replied ,grassou4 ,vervelle1 he has the cross6 whispered the wife to the husband while the painter's back was turned4 ,should ,i be likely to have our portraits painted by an artist who wasn't decorated8 returned the former bottle-dealer4 ,elie ,magus here bowed to the ,vervelle family and went away4 ,grassou accompanied him to the landing4 ,there's no one but you who would fish up such whales4 ,one hundred thousand francs of 'dot'6 ,yes1 but what a family6 ,three hundred thousand francs of expectations1 a house in the rue ,boucherat1 and a country-house at ,ville d',avray6 ,bottles and corks6 bottles and corks6 said the painter2 they set my teeth on edge4 ,safe from want for the rest of your days1 said ,elie ,magus as he departed4 ,that idea entered the head of ,pierre ,grassou as the daylight had burst into his garret that morning4 ,while he posed the father of the young person1 he thought the bottle-dealer had a good countenance1 and he admired the face full of violent tones4 ,the mother and daughter hovered about the easel1 marvelling at all his preparations2 they evidently thought him a demigod4 ,this visible admiration pleased ,fougeres4 ,the golden calf threw upon the family its fantastic reflections4 ,you must earn lots of money2 but of course you don't spend it as you get it1 said the mother4 ,no1 madame1 replied the painter2 ,i don't spend it2 ,i have not the means to amuse myself4 ,my notary invests my money2 he knows what ,i have2 as soon as ,i have taken him the money ,i never think of it again4 ,i've always been told1 cried old ,vervelle1 that artists were baskets with holes in them4 ,who is your notary--if it is not indiscreet to ask8 said ,madame ,vervelle4 ,a good fellow1 all round1 replied ,grassou4 ,his name is ,cardot4 ,well1 well6 if that isn't a joke6 exclaimed ,vervelle4 ,cardot is our notary too4 ,take care6 don't move1 said the painter4 ,do pray hold still1 ,antenor1 said the wife4 ,if you move about you'll make monsieur miss2 you should just see him working1 and then you'd understand4 ,oh6 why didn't you have me taught the arts8 said ,mademoiselle ,vervelle to her parents4 ,virginie1 said her mother1 a young person ought not to learn certain things4 ,when you are married--well1 till then1 keep quiet4 ,during this first sitting the ,vervelle family became almost intimate with the worthy artist4 ,they were to come again two days later4 ,as they went away the father told ,virginie to walk in front2 but in spite of this separation1 she overheard the following words1 which naturally awakened her curiosity4 ,decorated--thirty-seven years old--an artist who gets orders--puts his money with our notary4 ,we'll consult ,cardot4 ,hein6 ,madame de ,fougeres6 not a bad name--doesn't look like a bad man either6 ,one might prefer a merchant2 but before a merchant retires from business one can never know what one's daughter may come to2 whereas an economical artist--and then you know we love ,art--,well1 we'll see6 ,while the ,vervelle family discussed ,pierre ,grassou1 ,pierre ,grassou discussed in his own mind the ,vervelle family4 ,he found it impossible to stay peacefully in his studio1 so he took a walk on the boulevard1 and looked at all the red-haired women who passed him4 ,he made a series of the oddest reasonings to himself3 gold was the handsomest of metals2 a tawny yellow represented gold2 the ,romans were fond of red-haired women1 and he turned ,roman1 etc4 ,after two years of marriage what man would ever care about the color of his wife's hair8 ,beauty fades1--but ugliness remains6 ,money is one-half of all happiness4 ,that night when he went to bed the painter had come to think ,virginie ,vervelle charming4 ,when the three ,vervelles arrived on the day of the second sitting the artist received them with smiles4 ,the rascal had shaved and put on clean linen2 he had also arranged his hair in a pleasing manner1 and chosen a very becoming pair of trousers and red leather slippers with pointed toes4 ,the family replied with smiles as flattering as those of the artist4 ,virginie became the color of her hair1 lowered her eyes1 and turned aside her head to look at the sketches4 ,pierre ,grassou thought these little affectations charming1 ,virginie had such grace2 happily she didn't look like her father or her mother2 but whom did she look like8 ,during this sitting there were little skirmishes between the family and the painter1 who had the audacity to call pere ,vervelle witty4 ,this flattery brought the family on the double-quick to the heart of the artist2 he gave a drawing to the daughter1 and a sketch to the mother4 ,what6 for nothing8 they said4 ,pierre ,grassou could not help smiling4 ,you shouldn't give away your pictures in that way2 they are money1 said old ,vervelle4 ,at the third sitting pere ,vervelle mentioned a fine gallery of pictures which he had in his country-house at ,ville d',avray--,rubens1 ,gerard ,douw1 ,mieris1 ,terburg1 ,rembrandt1 ,titian1 ,paul ,potter1 etc4 ,monsieur ,vervelle has been very extravagant1 said ,madame ,vervelle1 ostentatiously4 ,he has over one hundred thousand francs' worth of pictures4 ,i love ,art1 said the former bottle-dealer4 ,when ,madame ,vervelle's portrait was begun that of her husband was nearly finished1 and the enthusiasm of the family knew no bounds4 ,the notary had spoken in the highest praise of the painter4 ,pierre ,grassou was1 he said1 one of the most honest fellows on earth2 he had laid by thirty-six thousand francs2 his days of poverty were over2 he now saved about ten thousand francs a year and capitalized the interest2 in short1 he was incapable of making a woman unhappy4 ,this last remark had enormous weight in the scales4 ,vervelle's friends now heard of nothing but the celebrated painter ,fougeres4 ,the day on which ,fougeres began the portrait of ,mademoiselle ,virginie1 he was virtually son-in-law to the ,vervelle family4 ,the three ,vervelles bloomed out in this studio1 which they were now accustomed to consider as one of their residences2 there was to them an inexplicable attraction in this clean1 neat1 pretty1 and artistic abode4 ,abyssus abyssum1 the commonplace attracts the commonplace4 ,toward the end of the sitting the stairway shook1 the door was violently thrust open by ,joseph ,bridau2 he came like a whirlwind1 his hair flying4 ,he showed his grand haggard face as he looked about him1 casting everywhere the lightning of his glance2 then he walked round the whole studio1 and returned abruptly to ,grassou1 pulling his coat together over the gastric region1 and endeavouring1 but in vain1 to button it1 the button mould having escaped from its capsule of cloth4 ,wood is dear1 he said to ,grassou4 ,ah6 ,the ,british are after me 7slang term for creditors7 ,gracious6 do you paint such things as that8 ,hold your tongue6 ,ah6 to be sure1 yes4 ,the ,vervelle family1 extremely shocked by this extraordinary apparition1 passed from its ordinary red to a cherry-red1 two shades deeper4 ,brings in1 hey8 continued ,joseph4 ,any shot in your locker8 ,how much do you want8 ,five hundred4 ,i've got one of those bull-dog dealers after me1 and if the fellow once gets his teeth in he won't let go while there's a bit of me left4 ,what a crew6 ,i'll write you a line for my notary4 ,have you got a notary8 ,yes4 ,that explains to me why you still make cheeks with pink tones like a perfumer's sign4 ,grassou could not help coloring1 for ,virginie was sitting4 ,take ,nature as you find her1 said the great painter1 going on with his lecture4 ,mademoiselle is red-haired4 ,well1 is that a sin8 ,all things are magnificent in painting4 ,put some vermillion on your palette1 and warm up those cheeks2 touch in those little brown spots2 come1 butter it well in4 ,do you pretend to have more sense than ,nature8 ,look here1 said ,fougeres1 take my place while ,i go and write that note4 ,vervelle rolled to the table and whispered in ,grassou's ear3-- ,won't that country lout spoilt it8 ,if he would only paint the portrait of your ,virginie it would be worth a thousand times more than mine1 replied ,fougeres1 vehemently4 ,hearing that reply the bourgeois beat a quiet retreat to his wife1 who was stupefied by the invasion of this ferocious animal1 and very uneasy at his co-operation in her daughter's portrait4 ,here1 follow these indications1 said ,bridau1 returning the palette1 and taking the note4 ,i won't thank you4 ,i can go back now to d',arthez' chateau1 where ,i am doing a dining-room1 and ,leon de ,lora the tops of the doors--masterpieces6 ,come and see us4 ,and off he went without taking leave1 having had enough of looking at ,virginie4 ,who is that man8 asked ,madame ,vervelle4 ,a great artist1 answered ,grassou4 ,there was silence for a moment4 ,are you quite sure1 said ,virginie1 that he has done no harm to my portrait8 ,he frightened me4 ,he has only done it good1 replied ,grassou4 ,well1 if he is a great artist1 ,i prefer a great artist like you1 said ,madame ,vervelle4 ,the ways of genius had ruffled up these orderly bourgeois4 ,the phase of autumn so pleasantly named ,saint ,martin's summer was just beginning4 ,with the timidity of a neophyte in presence of a man of genius1 ,vervelle risked giving ,fougeres an invitation to come out to his country-house on the following ,sunday4 ,he knew1 he said1 how little attraction a plain bourgeois family could offer to an artist4 ,you artists1 he continued1 want emotions1 great scenes1 and witty talk2 but you'll find good wines1 and ,i rely on my collection of pictures to compensate an artist like you for the bore of dining with mere merchants4 ,this form of idolatry1 which stroked his innocent self-love1 was charming to our poor ,pierre ,grassou1 so little accustomed to such compliments4 ,the honest artist1 that atrocious mediocrity1 that heart of gold1 that loyal soul1 that stupid draughtsman1 that worthy fellow1 decorated by royalty itself with the ,legion of honor1 put himself under arms to go out to ,ville d',avray and enjoy the last fine days of the year4 ,the painter went modestly by public conveyance1 and he could not but admire the beautiful villa of the bottle-dealer1 standing in a park of five acres at the summit of ,ville d',avray1 commanding a noble view of the landscape4 ,marry ,virginie1 and have that beautiful villa some day for his own6 ,he was received by the ,vervelles with an enthusiasm1 a joy1 a kindliness1 a frank bourgeois absurdity which confounded him4 ,it was indeed a day of triumph4 ,the prospective son-in-law was marched about the grounds on the nankeen-colored paths1 all raked as they should be for the steps of so great a man4 ,the trees themselves looked brushed and combed1 and the lawns had just been mown4 ,the pure country air wafted to the nostrils a most enticing smell of cooking4 ,all things about the mansion seemed to say3 ,we have a great artist among us4 ,little old ,vervelle himself rolled like an apple through his park1 the daughter meandered like an eel1 the mother followed with dignified step4 ,these three beings never let go for one moment of ,pierre ,grassou for seven hours4 ,after dinner1 the length of which equalled its magnificence1 ,monsieur and ,madame ,vervelle reached the moment of their grand theatrical effect1--the opening of the picture gallery illuminated by lamps1 the reflections of which were managed with the utmost care4 ,three neighbours1 also retired merchants1 an old uncle 7from whom were expectations71 an elderly ,demoiselle ,vervelle1 and a number of other guests invited to be present at this ovation to a great artist followed ,grassou into the picture gallery1 all curious to hear his opinion of the famous collection of pere ,vervelle1 who was fond of oppressing them with the fabulous value of his paintings4 ,the bottle-merchant seemed to have the idea of competing with ,king ,louis-,philippe and the galleries of ,versailles4 ,the pictures1 magnificently framed1 each bore labels on which was read in black letters on a gold ground3 ,rubens ,dance of fauns and nymphs ,rembrandt ,interior of a dissecting room4 ,the physician van ,tromp instructing his pupils4 ,in all1 there were one hundred and fifty pictures1 varnished and dusted4 ,some were covered with green baize curtains which were not undrawn in presence of young ladies4 ,pierre ,grassou stood with arms pendent1 gaping mouth1 and no word upon his lips as he recognized half his own pictures in these works of art4 ,he was ,rubens1 he was ,rembrandt1 ,mieris1 ,metzu1 ,paul ,potter1 ,gerard ,douw6 ,he was twenty great masters all by himself4 ,what is the matter8 ,you've turned pale6 ,daughter1 a glass of water6 quick6 cried ,madame ,vervelle4 ,the painter took pere ,vervelle by the button of his coat and led him to a corner on pretence of looking at a ,murillo4 ,spanish pictures were then the rage4 ,you bought your pictures from ,elie ,magus8 ,yes1 all originals4 ,between ourselves1 tell me what he made you pay for those ,i shall point out to you4 ,together they walked round the gallery4 ,the guests were amazed at the gravity in which the artist proceeded1 in company with the host1 to examine each picture4 ,three thousand francs1 said ,vervelle in a whisper1 as they reached the last1 but ,i tell everybody forty thousand4 ,forty thousand for a ,titian6 said the artist1 aloud4 ,why1 it is nothing at all6 ,didn't ,i tell you1 said ,vervelle1 that ,i had three hundred thousand francs' worth of pictures8 ,i painted those pictures1 said ,pierre ,grassou in ,vervelle's ear1 and ,i sold them one by one to ,elie ,magus for less than ten thousand francs the whole lot4 ,prove it to me1 said the bottle-dealer1 and ,i double my daughter's 'dot1' for if it is so1 you are ,rubens1 ,rembrandt1 ,titian1 ,gerard ,douw6 ,and ,magus is a famous picture-dealer6 said the painter1 who now saw the meaning of the misty and aged look imparted to his pictures in ,elie's shop1 and the utility of the subjects the picture-dealer had required of him4 ,far from losing the esteem of his admiring bottle-merchant1 ,monsieur de ,fougeres 7for so the family persisted in calling ,pierre ,grassou7 advanced so much that when the portraits were finished he presented them gratuitously to his father-in-law1 his mother-in-law and his wife4 ,at the present day1 ,pierre ,grassou1 who never misses exhibiting at the ,salon1 passes in bourgeois regions for a fine portrait-painter4 ,he earns some twenty thousand francs a year and spoils a thousand francs' worth of canvas4 ,his wife has six thousand francs a year in dowry1 and he lives with his father-in-law4 ,the ,vervelles and the ,grassous1 who agree delightfully1 keep a carriage1 and are the happiest people on earth4 ,pierre ,grassou never emerges from the bourgeois circle1 in which he is considered one of the greatest artists of the period4 ,not a family portrait is painted between the barrier du ,trone and the rue du ,temple that is not done by this great painter2 none of them costs less than five hundred francs4 ,the great reason which the bourgeois families have for employing him is this3-- ,say what you will of him1 he lays by twenty thousand francs a year with his notary4 ,as ,grassou took a creditable part on the occasion of the riots of ,may #abth he was appointed an officer of the ,legion of honor4 ,he is a major in the ,national ,guard4 ,the ,museum of ,versailles felt it incumbent to order a battle-piece of so excellent a citizen1 who thereupon walked about ,paris to meet his old comrades and have the happiness of saying to them3-- ,the ,king has given me an order for the ,museum of ,versailles4 ,madame de ,fougeres adores her husband1 to whom she has presented two children4 ,this painter1 a good father and a good husband1 is unable to eradicate from his heart a fatal thought1 namely1 that artists laugh at his work2 that his name is a term of contempt in the studios2 and that the feuilletons take no notice of his pictures4 ,but he still works on2 he aims for the ,academy1 where1 undoubtedly1 he will enter4 ,and--oh6 vengeance which dilates his heart6--he buys the pictures of celebrated artists who are pinched for means1 and he substitutes these true works of arts that are not his own for the wretched daubs in the collection at ,ville d',avray4 ,there are many mediocrities more aggressive and more mischievous than that of ,pierre ,grassou1 who is1 moreover1 anonymously benevolent and truly obliging4 ,,addendum ,the following personages appear in other stories of the ,human ,comedy4 ,bridau1 ,joseph ,the ,purse ,a ,bachelor's ,establishment ,a ,distinguished ,provincial at ,paris ,a ,start in ,life ,modeste ,mignon ,another ,study of ,woman ,letters of ,two ,brides ,cousin ,betty ,the ,member for ,arcis ,cardot 7,parisian notary7 ,the ,muse of the ,department ,a ,man of ,business ,jealousies of a ,country ,town ,the ,middle ,classes ,cousin ,pons ,grassou1 ,pierre ,a ,bachelor's ,establishment ,cousin ,betty ,the ,middle ,classes ,cousin ,pons ,lora1 ,leon de ,the ,unconscious ,humorists ,a ,bachelor's ,establishment ,a ,start in ,life ,honorine ,cousin ,betty ,beatrix ,magus1 ,elie ,the ,vendetta ,a ,marriage ,settlement ,a ,bachelor's ,establishment ,cousin ,pons ,schinner1 ,hippolyte ,the ,purse ,a ,bachelor's ,establishment ,a ,start in ,life ,albert ,savarus ,the ,government ,clerks ,modeste ,mignon ,the ,imaginary ,mistress ,the ,unconscious ,humorists