New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-11-15
THE MASK or SHAKESPEARE.
LECTURE BY WILLIAM PAGE.

LECTURE BY WILLIAM PAGE.
AUTHENTICITY or THE GERMAN NAsK-TTs REsTORA-
TON.
The growing interest of artists and lovers of art
in the question Of the authenticity of the Ger
man Mask OF Shakespeare led number OF gen.
tlemen prominent in art circles to invite
the well-known lecturer and artist. William
Page to express before his friends and the admirers
of the great dranatist and poet his views upon the
subject. The acceptance of the invitation by Mr..
Page was prompt, and his well known eDthu-
sasm in favor of the authenticity Of the Mask.
and the assurance from his own lips in accept
ing the invitation that it Exactly jumped
with his bumOr" 10 present the proof Of his thoory
attracted last evening to Stenway Hall an audience
possessed very naturally Of refined and intellectual
tastes and thoroughly appreciative of the spirit of
the argument if not in entire accord with the posi-
ton taken. The lecture Itself. the main points OF
which will be found below, was made douby
interesting by means of the illustrations
which the lecturer had provided, and which COM
prised the three existing records OF the Shakes
pearean face, known to.bo authentic-the ChaDdoo
portrait, the DrOeshoat etching. and the Stanford
bust, and in rddtion two enlarged masks, made by
Mr.. Page, representing the most literal rcpfoduc-
ton of the original face itself as given in the
plaster east known as the German mask.
THE LECTURE
LADIRS AND GENTLEMEN: 7 propose TO waive the
usual formsIy being introduced. and shall simply
introduce myself "a william Page. tAppiauseI Before
beginning I would desire TO state that tho masks
before you not asy degree WORKS OF
fancy or drawn from my idea OF what the
face ought 10 DO or might be. but only the
most literal reproduction OF what have the power OF
making OF theOrcna face itself given m the plaster
cast know the German Mask, ana am not aware
OF having taken any more liberty Of deviation THAN L
should have taken had the himself sat before me
for his portrait would soy that it is not work OF
maginson for every portrait must be suoh restored
the muatons 10 the best OF my ability as IL was be-
fore they took place. and hero present you with bro
ken and restored one The Importance which attach
TO this question OF the authenticity OF the cast said to
have been taken of the Of the immortal man. Shakes
pesre let me hope ~ not too greatly macnied or over
estimated but that It WILL after due investigation ap-
near to you IA 10 does TO worthy OF very grave CON
sideration. well Oh cahuu Neruicl sccoruinB W
the evidence before Us
=, ,,o 1879 was comm ssioned 10 paint portrait
q, w,sn, shakespeare from the records existing and
known to he authentic, and which then summed up as
only three viz the DrOeshout etching or enlargement
OF IT, the Chandos portrait, and the strat-
ford bust There had been some talk OF
the possible authenticity OF mask from
"~'"
face Of the man himself. Two photographs from this
very cast both taken in England while in the British
Museum, came into my possession and with
the sight Of these began my acquaintance win
the mask With their aid 1 very soon
began to model in clay face hoping thereby TO learn as
advanced what its claims to DO received as gen
nine Very soon after. this added four more photo
graphic views OF tho same mask, oil OF them
more or less sunken IN drapcry, ard
nTartO nf ha
but they all revealed the great mutations OF the cast In
many difereut parts aud the hard usage which tho
plaster had undergone and which could not fail to make
IL difficult for the unsklcd in such matters to judge
fairly Of the original face itself from such evidence as IL
proceeded now tho moro earnestly with the model.
with deepening impression OF the genuhehesS Oh Iuo
mask RON wnich ths phqt9sfahns "SSfe t frier1
four photographs Of a small sl1 anu lmpeliossHy
s S ~ n va as OF the MASK and then
indeed making IL only possible TO feai1o tle c'npcLo
in aS Of r 09s morn se nor 5n doS IN
drapery, together with auother one, "n,on 4
ago. completed the twelve different views Of tho face
WITHIN few days / nave seen tho thistdeheh. aho
twelfth ono was OF largo SIZE ana Oh np toi,
mutilated parts and filling mp she IMPRESSION 30
as to give the most casual observer as goo ,a
an idea OF the possible. IL Is now lObs Ime
since my model proceeded far as to swallow updhe
nature found In the authentic records Oh MS ce
that the real face was the direct source OF
the two pictures and that the cast after Ge sai
ford bust And now we add to tue history Of creation
very third part Of knowledge Of the man SNAKE,
A. it grew day after day and year after
year. for something over haI1 oen.uIg my my
better known works are believed to DO BY tine common
consent OF the growing nteligence Oh Iae iss .oo
iikenesses furnished there is no wonder that there
we're people found VINO even doubted tno eAstonSo vi
tue Shakespeare ~ the producer OF the wOhueru
works which bear his name for IL is well known tha.
the human race, general thing Dears tno sa,hp VI
tne power OF man wnoiwears go n conaa the whole
history OF his life, though In language winch 10" I'd"
read. -,
on the other hand, the mask from the face OF the
dead bard orcbly reminds OF that passage III hslo'
descriptive OF thAface OF his own tather:
See What grace sestel on th' olow
Hyperion s-ths trout Of JoTe himsrhl
station hkelhs herald Mefcurg,
New hgbel On heiTen ksilg hin.
A combination and a FORM indeed,
Where every Tod DID seem to 81 MS 'e'i'
When had well exaniued the photographs OF the
mask and become fully OF the opinion thaShe race from
which 1t had been taken was marked by an nusnteu
the right eyebrow, forming two Impressions
Que above the other, inalcatihs "a "G Tuaa
beneath, according to the testimony Of expert physi
cians. knew mt once tnat II TIC lace HeTo onaAo
peare there must be found somewhere some notice OF
inc existence OF such m ar for pronounced Is me
scar no observant person eonlaeyer neP % atan ~,
raneous writer's. looked IN vain TO nnu IL MS PHIs
Tho lecturer here described the character OF tne scar
very mnutey, this evidence depehdeu 90 mucn Vi
the authenticity of the mask.
So far az then knew the fact OF the scar was not
known and had never come down 70 us In any shape:
The sraiord bust no evidence Oh IL JUG
print dad not express ~, teither ulI
the Cbandos portrait ayow IT, where
then could expect TO nnd r9roiu -, VI
any Mark the sequei When the London Historical ca
National Portrait Gallery got possession Oh .he
picture known as tho ChandOs portrait tho
trustees, knowing that since 10 was nrst
painted IL had been renewed. that u, palhIea owe,
and menied Thought have the modern paint cleaned
on and thereby to get an original portrait rs doao trom
the man himself; and though 1t lett tho pssuao pus