The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-16
Art, Music and the Drama.

Handel, the composer, had harpsichord,
every chord of which, by incessant practice,
was followed like the bowl of spoon.
Tennysons new drama, "Queen Mary"
is to be brought out next winter at the Ly-
ceum, with Mr.. Irving and Miss Bateman
MRS Crowe) in the two leading parts. Ar
rangements for this purpose have already been
made between Mr.. Tennyson and Mrs Bate
man, who is now lessee and manager of the
theatre to which her late husband gave so ex-
ceptionabe and honorable reputation.
Encores have undergone change within the
last few years. The demand for an encore used
to mean that the audience wished to hear The
music again. Now. through the vanity OF the
performers, it means that the singer is to be
heard again. hut not the music. Some other
piece is given by the performer, and the wishes
of the audience are quite ignored. AT the
same time, it often happens that the listeners
do not care to hear her, but it. 1t is the music
they wshito hear repeated. They wish also TO
hear the singer, and if she were wise she
would not substitute something else, but would
crafty both desires by repeating part or the
whole of the piece first presented. Then they
would hear her and the music too.
A New York correspondent writes, "One of
the leading features in the avenue is Mr..
John Taylor Johnston's residence, corner of
Ninth street, 1t is a marble palace, whose
porch every Thursday is thronged with visitors
to his picture gallery Mr.. Johnston's gallery
contains number of gems, the principal OF
which is Turner-the only one which has
ever has been exhibited in New York. Mr.
7 E., al, ;st l,,,f h
is never opened to any but the circle OF his
friends. Mr.. Johnson's Turner is three feet
square and cost trfe over $4,000 per square
foot 1t is called 1.-THE Slave Ship" the vessel
being in storm and the slaves thrown over
board. 1t is a chaos Of brilliant colors, and
looks like the work of a lunatic artist who was
endeavoring to illustrate the vagaries OF some
bewidering dream. Mr.. Johnston's gallery
contains wide variety of elegant pictures and
its entire value is not less than 100000"
In the atrium of a small house in Pompeii
has been found wooden casket, and In this
casket were contained two Lares, two Pena-
ties, figures of Isis and Anubis, all four Of
bronze, and Penates Of silver. There were
found, moreover, winged Harpocrates, small
but very precious on account of its extremely
fine work; silver spoon, and some carnelians,
and an amber vase, besides other vases of
glass. The excavation was still more remark
able for the discovery of little figure of Venus
in marble, small amphora of Greek glass ard
terra-cotta, representing woman lying on
couch, colored, and of very fine work. The
amphora is of colored glass, and is marked
with tortuous and undulating lines. In Greek
tombs it is said to be common, but not so in
Pompei, and hence it is concluded that it was
not for daily use, but was retained as pre-
cious object of art.
A painting by Paul Veronese, which is pro-
nounced "a complete and admirable specimen
of the master,' is on view in the galleries Of
the Athenaum in Boston. The subject is the
marriage of st. Catherine. A crimson-brown
tinct colors all the shadows. and filters along
the outlines of the personages of the painting,
uniting, by this glowing color of the dark oak
leaf in autumn or the purple beech of summer,
the splendors and rich hues of the picture into
general harmonious whole. In the middle
of the canvas sits the Madonna, a true Vene-
tian woman, whose look is mild, but her fea-
lures, her nose, her lips, and the contours of
her throat and her hands are firm and almost
Greek in their perfection of form. Folds of
rich dress form the background on which re-
poses the little Jesus. Not the texture Of a
peach or a rose is so beautiful as fine human
flesh, and certainly nobody but Titan, per-
haps, ever painted any more delightful to look
upon from its color and its soft roundness than
the lovely limbs of this splendid child. The
most deliberately painted figure, and evidently
the one over which the artist labored most is
st. Catherine, a mature dame with reddish
hair, stout and full-featured, painted from the
same model Velonese used in one of the prin-
cipal women in the Marriage of Cana" The
hands of st. Catherine are depicted with the
perfect modelling so usually delightful in the
works of the old masters, who painted fingers
and finger. tips, the knuckles and the contours
of the wrists, as carefully as if they formed the
chief interest of the picture. The saint is at.
tired in dress of stiff Powered brocade, with
the skirt plated around the waist, and
square, low-necked bodice. Lace and jewels
decorate the figure of this stately Venetian,
gold coronet is on her head, and her features
are composed and proud. At the left side of
the painting is the figure of an angel playing
on viol; another angel stands beside the Vir-
gin, and little cherub entangled in folds of
drapery hovers in the air-one of those delight
full creatures in misty light and shade, but of
color full enough to fade into chalkiness every
real object seen under our own cool daylight.
We should add that this fine description is
from Appletons' Journal.