The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-07

ticty. which may be traced back to the time when they were limned from the features of their glorious original, with as few loop holes for error to creep through as truths strongest dungeon may boast.
 Thirty-three in number were the clas- sified beauties of Helen; of Cleopatra, John Sartain, who has studied her, and who by virtue of his immortal etchings, reproduced from the original plate, is en- titled to speak as connoisseur of her appearance, declares that her charms were less in beauty of form or feature than in exquisite manners and captivating heartiness and freedom.'
 In his magnificent study of "Cleopatra Receiving her Death from the Bite of an Asp" made from the tablet which was discovered in the ruins of Hadrian's villa, and is believed to be the picture painted for the Emperor Augustus to adorn his triumph, MT. Sartain by no means embodies lis own conception of the original. The history of this DOT trait from the encaustic painting, now in possession of the Baron de Benneval. at Sorrento. near Naples, is unusually val uable. The tablet of slate on which a most cunning artificer of the ancient world has done in glowing colors in wax and rosin, the face and bust of that ancient worlds most wonderful woman. IS III UldHy ways lne l1lOSI SdtlSldttOiy of the famous antiques. It has, besides, the advantage of having been found in the ruins of that same splendid country house of Hadrian, which gave to a world that had waited nearly 200 years for it the Venus de Msdici.
 So unique and vivid a piece of ancient art as the Encaustc Cleopatra, deserves a comprehensive survey of it's beauties, it's peculiarities, it's history since discov- ery and ifs present cI1StodN If is and has been so pronounced by the first arch eologist of the time one of the only two known pictures of the kind, called by the ancients tablet pictures, and dis tingushed from mural or wall paintings. The other is the picture in encaustic of "The Mi f Corona" on an Oriental slate a~ mp near Centenja in 1732. The m wned on a curious world complete one piece. The Cleopatra although the etching shows no fractional lines, was, when found in sixteen pieces. As the best authenticated, and in every way most remarkable. historic portrait of Egypt's royal sorceress, and, at the same time, as the one most widely diverging in facial detail from the vulgar idea of that woman whose name and charm must live as long as there are women to envy her the Encaustic Cleo patra deserves analysis. In the color of the eyes and hair, the contour of the features, the pose. the jewels, the cos tune. the expression, it Is the worlds most faithful index to all that the Witch of the Ptolemies looked and was
 As there are no modern conceptions of Cleopatra worth considering as such, save when they are replicas of the en- caustc and other classic models. the cult of Egypt's Queen can be no better traced and developed than by critical glance at the idiosyncrasies of this master piece.
 It is not only permissible, but proper to use again the language of John Sar- tain who was selected from the contem- porary worlds finest artistic spirits to re- produce it in etching, and some of whose intimate friends have seen the memorial he prepared of this labor of love in which he said "It represents Cleopatra receiv- ing her death from the bite of an asp, and of course cannot be claimed that it is portrait from life, as it was obviously painted subsequent to her most tragic end. It was discovered by Micheli; the well known antiquary, under the celia of the Temple of Serapis at Hadrian's villa. There exist data that furnish a reasona- ble approach to a connected history.
 When found it was in sixteen frag- ments. which, on being laid together. showed that scarcely any part of it was missing. The disjointed pieces were taken