Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/200

170 eyes of the average visitor. The usual pedestal is apt to be clumsy if made large enough to be thoroughly steady. Such busts as those of the XVII and XVIII centuries which show more of the figure must, of course, be placed upon a regular base. In this case it is possible to have the width of the base somewhat less than the width of the shoulders of the cast provided that the cast is arranged with the usual small round base below. (See Marie Antoinette, by Lecomte; Lafayette, by Houdon, etc.) When it comes to such casts as the large half-figure of St. Anne from Rheims, which is more than life size, it must be raised higher from the floor, and in this case, unless the pedestal is kept as small as possible, it will look ill-proportioned. The same thing that has been said about design of pedestals elsewhere holds true here. The lines should be as simple as possible. There is no objection to the use of plain pine wood painted, which is often quite as effective as a much more expensive stock. No lumber that has not been well seasoned should be used in pedestals. Casters should be provided in all bases so that the casts can be readily moved about for purposes of cleaning or for instruction. In the Albertinum in Dresden, casts are frequently moved into the lecture room for use in illustrating a course of talks on the history of art.