The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-02-24
A Marvellous Picture.

The materialists who acknowledge no
other agencies in the universe than force
and matter, and have no conception of
the subtle influences, the finer agents
that operate upon humanity, will find 1t
difficult to account for the fact that the
artist NJ. Nicaise de Keyser, director of
the academy of arts at Antwerp, painted
a picture of the celebrated composer,
Won Weber Gas he was found lying back
dead among the cushions, with his hands
upon the keys of the piano), which was
pronounced perfect likeness of the COM
poser even by his son, although the artist
had never beheld Won Weber, and never
seen any portrait of him, and the face of
the picture was, therefore, purely ideal
conception.
NJ. Keysef thus POLITICALLY describes
the way in which he came to paint the
picture:
The idea haunted me-the thought
of the great Poet-bOdy found dead with
the light streaming over its face like a
new baptism, and the sweet swan song
dying away under its hands! l wanted
to paint the scene as felt it. But had
no portrait of Won Weber. / searched
everywhere but could find none. l read
the descriptions of his death, and dreamed
over his music, and brooded upon the
great rhythmical soul until l worked its
clements into the face you see there.
But / knew not whether to be satisfied
or not.
cat last, one day, Moscheles, the di-
rector of the conservatory of Leipsic,
came into my studio and saw the pic
/ ture. lie stood before it a while in
| silence, and then burst into tears. He
/ had seen Won Weber after death lying
among the cushions in the morning
! light! He could not stay. He went
| home But the next day he came again
and put into my hand Les DerneiTs'
| Moments de Weber, the memories that
had rushed over him while he stood look
ing at my picture. 1t was all there-the
/ dark restlessness of the night-the sud
| den thought of what was to cOme-the
wild flashes and bursts of melody that
swept through the great sOul-faint, far
off echoes of Der Frischutz and Robin
DIES Bots the old strength of genius
leaping up in despair-the fierce agony
and hOrrOr-the clinging, desperate hold
on the Seen-the wild dread and shudder
before the approaching Unseen-then the
last sweet, sad, dying thought, and the
soul and its utteTanCe rise heavenward
together.
Inc lame GI Tic picture NGllG dDIOdN
through Moscheles, and just at that time
a monument to Won Weber was incourse
of erection in Dresden. The Princess
L wrote to ask me if I could persuade
the owner to allow my picture, then in
other hands, to be exhibited in Dresden
to help on the subscription fund. 1t went
thither, and there it was seen by Max
Won Weber, the composers son. He
wrote me a very fattering letter, and
told me that the resemblance TO his father
was perfect, and in proof of that sent me
the mask taken after the death of Won
Weber, saying that 1 had earned the
right to be its possessor. Mon DieU,' ]
said, if had only known of the exist
ence Of that mask befOre!"
Does not this point strongly to the
electic chain wherewith we are darkly
bound ?' Charlotte Adams, who saw the
picture and the mask, and pronounced
the likeness d" wonderfully perfect" anC
from whose conversation with the arts
we have taken the above description
. comments upon the strange resemblance
and says that it is not singular when w
, remember that through all the curren
of our lives run the electric harmonic
of the universe. The divine likeness O
all humanity shows as one through al
. earthly FORMS