The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16

stands there in plaster A picture onl, | Is to be seen of his statue of Nidia, tn, l blind girl of Pompeii, of which Morett
 has made seventeen copies. This worl was made by the artist straight iron | the marble, with no clay or plastel moslel. Direct from the young girl whs was selected as model was the artists conception hewn from stone and It Is regarded as one of his best works tJn. til Siegfried it was perhaps his great. est masterpiece,
 Meretti's chasf stone cutter. san An- tonic, has been. with him for twenty years. All of the cutters are Italians and for their use a huge storing og spa ghetti and Italian wine is kept. These form their main food and drlnk
 AEOretti's ideal KEosts.
 From the studio to the new home just completed, 6ignor MOretti's guests are sure to SO and in 1t the master Is an ideal hest. On the occasion of tho visit in question Mrs, 1fnretti. who had spent the sumnleF NaEths had not returned home. soHo cry tende, r1ercies of the man of the house this special party was fortunate In being left, as the absence of the mistress was unavoidable. Meretti ls first and above all a sculptor secondly. he IS a must elan, and thirdly, he is an artist ln the culinary line: a eonnoisseur. an epicure, and a bon vivant all rolled into one delightful result. So under his direct supervision, with what seemed an army of assistants whom he Kept busy, the lunch was prepared while his guests were also pressed into service as de- lighted "helpers." Helpers who, how ever esuId never hope to "ieafh the trade" as this artist ia bound by no sst rules. There was spaghetti In the real italian waS, with vafiations; there was Italian chicken dellciously tooth some. and there was an Italian dish of tomtoes and eggs indescribahly lus- eiens. Camenbert cheese. over slices of apples. and Italian wines all through, completed this luncheon with the great artist who Is close friend of Hunt Remington, Caruso, Emperor Frances Joseph, of whenn hes has made three busts now in the kings galleries. of Llszt, a bust of whom he has done from life. A luncheon with the artist who for several years was the idol of the four hundred and the ldolized of the artistic circles Of New York. He has so much of the boy In his make up that one would not be surprised to discover him in a game of marbles, the product of his quarry.
 SigFoF Morettl was intended-by others-=-to be a priest, but became an opera singer in his early manhood. and was successful His first role was in Russian, and he delights h telling that he knew nothing of the language, and had to master it in five weeks and learn the part. After that he played leading roles in Italian. Hungarian, French, German, Spanish and Russian operas.
 At a house party last summer, given by Hon. and Mrs, Cecil Browne of Talladega, Slgnor Moretti was honored guest, and the Joy of his fellow guests were his songs in the evenings. Ills repertoire seems unlimited, and he sings with the soul of one who loves to sing snatehes from Pagliacci, from Die Koenigin Won Saba, from La Toscao from Lucia al Lammermoor, and many more, During his stage career, he was In the habit of modelling in clay. There was a force bending him toward what has become his life work. though he did not devote himself to sculpture until after he had ended his operatic career.
 Reared In Florence.
 This artist, who has come from his native land to make America his home, has an interesting history. He was born In Siena. Within the artistic at mosphere of Florence, the foremost city of Tuscany. he spent most of his young manhood. He is 8 great nephew of Car dinal Morstti, the distinguished patron and connoisseuf of art, whose fame shed lustre on the Moretti name. At 19 years of age Giuseppi Moretti had