The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-15
Art, Music and the Drama.

Madame Christine Nilsson sang recently
for the benefit of the Westminster School for
Nurses in London, and the proceeds are esti-
mated at about 1880. She sang for the same
object last year, when a similar amount was
raised.
The Liverpool Art Club last year added much
the knowledge of Oriental art by their jap
anese exhibition. This year they appear in an
exhibition of embroidery. Among the contri-
buttons are several examples of Persian en-
broidery in gold spangles and twisted thread,
and there are many pieces of ecclesiastical
embroidery of great interest, among which
may be particularized a velvet cope, made at
Florence by order of Henry VII, and which he
bequeathed by will to the abbey of Westmins-
ter. of "clothe of gold tissue wrought with
our badges of rede roses and poorteoleys,'
which he says he caused to be made at "For:
ence in Itaiie.''
Gaberiel Max, a German artist, is said to
have produced painting with most extra
ordinary characteristic. 1t is representation
of the face of the Saviour. At distance the
eyes appear to be closed, but as one advances
they seem to open gradually until they -5Sen1
upon the spectator mournful and pathetic
gaze. This remains until theSs issitor gets quite
close q The painting when they are again
closed.
A new opera bouffe by Johann Strauss,
"Queen indigo" has taken the Parisians by
storm in the Renaissance theatre. E. K.
says of it in the Boston Journal: "The music
is seductive, penetrating and well sustained:
the story is trivial and badly wrought out. Old
L,J Cd NIT
beauties, dies, leaving his queen in charge of
the throne. The queen decides to bring
the proud beauties to the auction, block.
Against this the aforesaid beauties are prepar-
ing to revolt, when some warlike neighbors
invade Queen Indigo's realms, and, as her
army of men is routed, she is obliged to arm
the women. She puts the harem in the field
under the leadership of one Fantasca' who not
only wins victory but obtains from the queen,
as a reward for her military services, the hand
and heart of certain Janio, on whom Mrs.
Indigo had herself had designs, but whom she
gives up rather than have fuss. The gay and
reckless Alphonsine who has the role of Queen
Indigo has rather a difficult task :,
In the third act the well known
Blue Danube waltz is sung. With Strauss as
leader on the first night, you can imagine the
effect produced. Albert Wolff tells that Rich
ard Wagner said, one day: ''There is more
music in one of Strauss waltzes than in some
whole opera by the "makers" of the mo-
ment.'"
The largest, and, in some respects, the best
picture ever painted by Rossetti is called
'Dante's Dream on the Day of the Death of
Beatrice, 9th June, 1900" The wonderful
scene in Dante's ''Vita Nuova" where, after
many omens, he is led by Love to the place
where Beatrice Portinari lies dead, is rendered
by the artist taking place in a house of
Dreams The glowing centre of the picture is
formed by Love, in this picture rose red as to
costume, and the color even deepened little
in his long folded wings This passionate color
is caught up and intensified by the peoples
with which the floor of the Chamber of Dreams
is strewn, and by artful touches the glowing
hues Of Love are made to environ the entire
picture until they find exaltation in two birds
which are seen flying in two stair cases on
either side of the couch of Beatrice-the one
stairway leading upward, the other downward.
Love grasps with one hand the hand of Dante,
whom he leads, and stretches forward to i'm
print kiss on the lips of the dead lady. In
descrbably calm, pure and lovely is the face
OF Beatrice, on her couch, recessed against
wall. She appears to be just falling back in
death, as if she had awaited the last kiss of
Love. This is eartb's parting benson, and
peace now overspreads her countenance. AS if
by accident Loves arrow is pointed at the
dreamer's-at Dante's-heart, and bound about
the arrow is bunch of apple blossoms-blos-
SONS plucked before fruit, love contaminated
in death. With wonderful art has the artist
portrayed Dante, who stands in mystical sleep.
CONSCIOUS dreamer-every feature impressed
with that divine depth of sorrow, whose only
expression is silence. Indeed, one might say,
looking at this great work, that an artist has
for once succeeded in painting ''Silence." The
sceneis pervaded by a stiffness which We feel
DO voice breaks. With closed lips, and faces
quiet in their pain the two ladies stand at the
hea and foot of the couch of death, holding
aloft the pail, which is full of May bloom.
These tw ladies, clad in green, look with COM
passionate expression on the dreamer, who has
come to take his last look at their lady. In
their eyes is the sadness that is deep but not
hopeless Through the open roof are seen, on
the one side, bells tolling for the dead. and be-
world of "Reality'-the city of Florence
which, as Dante says, "sat solitary for his
lady's death. Overall are seen angels floating
upward, as in his dream, shaving little cloud
in front of them"-a cloud to which the artist
has given some semblance of the beatifed Bea-
trice.-M. ID. Conaody.