River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-12-12
Shakspeare's Portrait.

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Steinway Hall by Mr.. William Page, a
well-known artist, on the genuineness
of the German mask of Shakespeare.
He had ON easels before the audience
two large copies of the mask, one rem
dering faithfully its presentappearance
and one in which injuries and deface-
ments are obliterated. There we're also
exhibited copies of the other accepted
representations of the man, the Chan
dos portrait, which was painted from
life, the Droeshout print, the same to
whose accuracy Ben Johnston testities
in the 1923 folio of Shakspeare's works
and the bust over the poets tomb in
the church at Stratford, winch Mr..
Page believes TO have been made from
the mask but by poor artist. Mr..
Pages own portrait of the dramatist.
which is the result of careful study of
all these, was also placed III view of
the audience.
Alter giving an account OF how
twelve photographs of the mask, pre-
senting strongly the various different
points, Tell into his possession, the
lecturer proceeded to give his reasons
for believing that it was really taken
from the face of the dead Shakespeare
The cast, which was discovered in the
private museum of the Won Kestelstadt
family, of Hesse Darmstadt, is of plas-
ter, but according to Mr. Page that
originally taken must have been of wax.
According to his theory, waxen efhgy
was made and laid in state for exinb-
ltion in Stratford after the body was
buried, and this was seen by a Count
Won kesselstadt, who had the face
copied for himself. Some twenty
years after he mad a small picture of
the original scene of the body lying in
state painted under his own direction.
This is the original of the picture
enormously designated the death
Bed of Shakespeare. The internal
evidence OF the authenticity of the
mask the lecturer believed to be very
strong. In the first place, it includes
all the strange points oil the three other
representations, at those points which
ale III accordance with nature, and are
harmOniously combined, as they would
have been in the lace of the man from
which the artist succeeded in getting
some OF the truth, while in other parts
he failed. 1t has the full and expan-
siye forehead OF them all, the prominent
chin OF the Droeshout etching, and the
wide and prominent cheek bones of the
Chandos painting. 1t moreover salts
lies the mind and presents face which
no man could invent in any of its parts,
or in their combination, and which we
instinctiyely feel may have belonged to
the foremost man of this world A
curious bit of evidence, which was
dwelt on with great emphasis, is the
existence of two small scars over the
right eyebrow. Mr. Page who has
never seen the original mask, but de.
riyes his notion of il altogether from
photographs and descriptions, is
thoroughly convinced on the subject of
these scars, though others who have
seen the mask think they are but i'm
PROJECTIONS IN the cast. Mr.. Page sup
ports his own view by ingenious argu-
ments drawn from the Chandos por-
trait and supposed reference to the
scar in one of Sbakspeare's sonnets.
The portrait was at one time "restor
ed and patched up by an Indifferent
artist, and what was regarded as its
imperfections obliterated. Years after
ward the Arundel Society had the new
paint removed in order that the original
might be restored, and then these scars
appeared, showing that they we're put
in by the first artist, who had worked
from the living subject. The allusion
which the lecturer finds TO these marks
is the 18TH sonnet:
"Your love and pity doth the impression I'LL
| Which vulgar scandal stamped upon my brow,
| For what care who calls me we'll or i'll,
| So you're ore green my bad, my good allow 2"
Stronger than all other evidence of
authenticity, Mr.. Page regards the
perfect representation of the idea of
the man in this mask. He finds in it
Z" A combination and form indeed,
Where every god did seem 10 set her seal,
To give the world assurance of a man."
The lecturer made no reference to his
own work in reproducing the portrait
of the living man from the cast of the
dead face, and such hints as could be
got from the Chandos portrait, the
Droeshout print, and the Stratford
bust, but the result was exhibited on
the platform, and many went up to OBJ
tain a closer view after the lecture was
over. 1t is noble representation o.
the immortal bard, but much ideal
lied. The expression, which is mainly
drawn from the artists own conception
to fill the forms and outlines furnished
by the mask, is one of superabun.
dance of sensibility. 1t lacks strength
end massive composure, and seems
filled to overlooking with the tender.
ness, not to say weakness, of human