Page:A tribute to W. W. Corcoran, of Washington City (IA tributetowwcorco00boul).pdf/51

 with Grecian caps, and the wainscoting, doors, &c., of black walnut. The grand picture gallery above is also at the rear of the edifice, and is 45 feet wide by 96 feet 4 inches long. The skylight produces a beautiful effect upon the paintings, and can be regulated as to quantity, and at night 285 gas jets suddenly flash into brilliancy by means of electricity. The cornices and ceilings of the galleries are ornamented with panels and mouldings, to represent American foliage. The octagon room, with skylight, is appropriated to the Greek Slave, by Powers. The walls are covered with a rich crimson to enhance the purity of the marble, and afford a decided contrast. The other rooms on this floor are of fine proportions, and connect with each other so as to form an unbroken passage. The books or registers of the gallery, are very complete in their several uses, and will furnish the names of visitors, of artists, and their works on exhibition, and of paintings belonging to the gallery, the contributors, &c. The crowning specimen of sculpture is the Greek Slave, and now its value seems to increase tenfold, in that the hand that fashioned it is as cold and pulseless as the marble. The beauty of the following stanzas by Robert S. Chilton, will doubtless lend a new interest to the faultless stone, and invest it with life that else were not thought of in its mute repose: