The Portland daily press., 1878-05-25
ART, MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
Gossip and Gleanings.

On the 30th inst, the centennial anniversary
of Voltaire's death, "zaire'' will be played at
the Apollo Theatre in Rome, with Salvni in the
chief role.
ShaBesreare's s'Winter's Tale" has inst been
as a genuine fairy tale, with most wonderful
completeness of scenery, and to the great
acceptation of the public.
Two Madonnas by Raphael are to be sold in
London June /; they are part of the late Hugh
Monro's collection of old masters. The history
of neither is clearly traceable to the painters
own day, but there is no doubt as to their gen.
uineness. One is the Virgin with the cande-
lebra, and when first described hung in the
Borghese palace at Rome together with the
"Kutombment,' and the portrait of Caesar Bor-
gia; the other is the "Virgin with the Legend
it once belonged to Charles and was said to
have descended to him from Henry VIII. The
National CO lection contains no Madonna and
child by Raphael, while almost every great con-
tinental gallery has one or more and the nation
is expected to remedy the defect by buying one
or both of these pictures. 1t is curious fact
that the English papers in giving vast
amount of detail aboar the history of these
paintings do not contain a word in praise or
even in description of them as works of art.
A notable work of art at the Paris EXPOSE
ton will be Bunyan shield, made after two
years of diligent labor by M. Morel-Ladeuil,
the artist by whom the famous Milton Shield
was prod2eed. The Bunyan Shield is the same
size as the Milton, and like the latter is COM
posed of five plates of beaten silver, mounted
in iron. The ceutral plate represents the COM
bat between Christian and Apollyon, immedi-
ately beneath which is figure Of John Bun
yam, sleeping. The two lower plates represent
the Valley Of the Shadow OF Death, thronged
with hideous shapes, willis the upper medal
lions represent the road to the Celestial City,
passing through glorious throng OF seraphim
and cherubim, elders with golden crowns and
virgins with their harps. Beneath these silver
bearing devices emDlematic of the three Chris
tian virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity. Ihe
surfaces of iron between the medailions are
further ornamented with arabesques, here and
there richly inlaid with gold.
The New York Staats-Zsitung speaks thus
of Jerome Hopkins aud his new opera or oper-
eta ''Dumb Love-" jerome Hopkins is man
who as an American believes only in American
products He thinks that as the Germans
have their German opera, the French
their French opera, and the Italians
their italian opera, SO the Americans should
have their American national opera
He ascribes our lack of an American or national
opera (leaving out the burnt-cork opera) to the
fact that the public and the press ought to pro.
test earnestly against such American works;
for really the burut-cork operas so hideous to
Jerome Hopkins are much more agreeable and
amusing. The audience present looked az the
affair with good nature, laughed and made poor
jokes about Hopkins national opera. In
spite of all this, however it Is greatly to Dc re-
&I.o a,,nI, xuifh a
| should be able to squeeze himself into pubic
| notorety as representative OF American com
| posers. The press as a whole treat such musl,
| cal excesses much too lightly. Inc muslcai
critics have pushed him back into somewnaI
narrow bounds, but just so surely as newisprlng
brings out its snowdrops and vlolets SO surely
| will a new Hopkns.Opera dawn upon the
| world. But it is to be hoped that next time he
will choose some better material than farce
upon which to embroider his Italan-Irish.
| American music. Speaking OF this same
"Dumb Love" the N. Y Evening Post says
"The success of the evening was undoubtedly
made by Mr.. Schultz who was too Ill to ap
peal"
The specimens of his art which Castellani
the great Roman ieweller, will send to Paris
consist of small glass case a yard square
divided into four compartments; of helmet il
aluminium and goo, and a votive crown
Church and State stand side by side repre-
sented by the kings helmet and the ornameI
for church. The helmet was begun yea
ago for Victor Emmanuel, and every workman
in the establishment has made some part OIL IL
The form is that of the Greek helmet, tn'
most elegant and convenient, and the body il
made of aluminium, which is ilsnter 'nan s'i
vef. The ornaments are all Oh nue. eo.u' eA
qusitely wrought into various symooiic iorms
A crown of oak leaves modelled alter tn
ancient patterns found 10 the tS%os ., wal
tb. star of Italy and the cross of the honse Q
savoy; father back is tue Roman eagle, sbCu S
} three inches high. The crest is OF gold, bu
: although it is beautiful jewel it Is almos