Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-08-07
THE PORTLAND VASE.
A Masterpiece That Long Puzzled the Ar
tiUuarians of EurODe.

A Masterpiece That Long Pazzled the An.
tiquarians of Europe.
The workmanship of the vase and
the material of which it is composed
long exercised the ingenuity of some Of
the greatest antiquarians in Europe.
Breval believed it to be chalcedony !;
Bartoli, Montfaucon and others. sar-
donyx; Count Fezi, amethyst; De la
Chausse and Nilsson, agate, while
Venuti decided that it was paste.
Wedgwood's examination of the vase
proved the last opinion to be the correct
one. A layer of white glass had been
fused on dark blue body, the exquisite
figures being afterward produced in this
layer by cutting down to the blue by
the gem engraver, after the manner Of
real canoes. Wedgwood also discovered
that the vase had at some time bee,-
broken and repaired. 1t was his opinion
that the head which formed the bottom
of the vase was piece of some other
work that had been cut down and in
serted in the place Of the original bot
tom, which had probably been destroyed
at the time the vase itself was broken.
By the autumn of 1889 Wedgwood,
after MANY failures, had succeeded in
his arduous undertaking, and the first
perfect copy, made in the famous jasper
ware. was finished. Several more copies
were subsequently made, though the
exact number does not seem at all GER
tain. These were of various degrees of
perfection and varied in size and color
Originally sold at from 80 to so guineas
each, according to excellence of finish,
time has, of course, considerably en-
HANGED their value, and some years ago,
at the sale Of the Martineau collection,
one sold for e294.
In 1910 the Duke of Portland placed
the vase in the British museum, where
some IS years afterward it was wantonly
broken to atoms by q drunken visitor.
After being skillfully repaired it was
placed for additional safety with the
gems.
Authorities are by no means agreed
as to the subject of the bas-relief, though
various explanations have been offered
According to the museum catalogue,
the composition represents on the OBJ
verse Thetis consenting to be the bride
of Paleus in the presence of Poseidon
and Eros; on the reverse, Peleus and
Thetis on Mount Pelion, and on the
bottom of the vase (now detached) a
youthful bust of Paris.-Good Words.
Absentminded.
It is said that the extempore playing
Of the great Beethoven was marvellous,
but he was entirely without the GOODNESS
and self possession required by per-
former who wishes to render written
compositions with accuracy and finish.
The same fault was found with his
conducting the orchestra; even before
his deafness he often confused the play
ers by his sudden gestures.
At one time he was playing one Of his
own beautiful concertos for piano and
orchestra. During long passage by the
orchestra, while the piano was silent,
be forgot his position and fancying him.
self conductor for the moment he threw
out his arms at certain chord. knock
ing both the candles off the piano.
They were picked up, but when the
passage was repeated and the loud chord
required he forgot himself again, and the
accident happened for the second time.
The audience, in spite Of their great
admiration and respect for the master
musician, were convulsed with merri-
ment, which so disguised Beethoven
that several strings of the unoffending
piano suffered the consequences of his
irritation. which expended itself in a
prodigious humping of the keys
Youth Companion.