Italian; and yet others-Casella, Castelnuovo-are not even Italian, but rather what may be called "internationally modern.'

It will have been noted that three of the greatest of Italian exponents of the Lied-Santoliquido, Davico, and Castelnuovo, the two younger men especially-have shown a fancy for setting lyrics of the slenderest dimensions. One of them, Castelnuovo, has realized how purely lyrical is most of the folk-poetry of his own country and of Spain. The other two have found suitable material in the tankas of Japan and in the quatrains of the Nearer East. It may be remarked that their Orientalism has not much in common with the Orientalism of Ravel and other French composers. That it is particularly Eastern I venture to doubt. It seems to have been rather the brevity than the Orientalism of these poems that has appealed to the composers; and there may be significance in the fact. It is at least worthy of note how high a place these brief snatches of song occupy among the general output of those Italian composers who have essayed the Lied.

I

A SPURIOUS MOZART PORTRAIT

By WILLIAM BARCLAY SQUIRE

N September, 1921, it was my privilege to read, at the International Art Congress held that month at Paris, a short paper on the subject of Musical Iconography. My object was, if possible, to draw attention to the need there exists of a comprehensive catalogue of the paintings and drawings of musicians which are scattered in the public and private collections of Europe and America.

The task of preparing such a catalogue would be more than could be executed by any one individual, and my paper suggested that much preliminary work might be accomplished if lists were drawn up in various countries by a body of workers, in accordance with a general scheme to be settled upon by a small International Committee, the material so collected to be eventually incorporated in a general catalogue of portraits of musicians. the course of my address, I mentioned incidentally what had already been accomplished, but, so far as I know, the only two musicians whose portraits have been described with any approach to completeness and scientific method are Handel and Mozart.

In

With regard to the former, much still remains to be done; for, though his authentic portraits are fairly well known and available for reference, pictures supposed to represent him are constantly turning up in sale-rooms and private collections. In England, at least, it seems to be a tradition that any eighteenth-century portrait of a man in a big wig-especially if he is sufficiently disagreeable looking—must represent Handel. To draw up a list of these doubtful portraits would not be very difficult, and with such authentic pictures as the Kyte and the Hudson portraits available for comparison and reference, their authenticity might once for all be set at rest.

With Mozart, the matter is somewhat different, for the subject of his portraits has been dealt with admirably by the late Emil Vogel, in the Jahrbuch, year 1899, of the Peters Library at Leipzig; by Mr. Edward Speyer in the Burlington Magazine for March, 1916, and again in the MUSICAL QUARTERLY for April, 1919; and (in less satisfactory fashion) by Herr Arthur Schurig,

in an appendix to his edition of Leopold Mozart's "Reise-Aufzeichnungen" (Dresden, 1920). To these excellent articles there is not much to be added, but they all mention various pictures claiming to be portraits of Mozart, of which, though they are generally referred to as spurious or at least doubtful, it would be satisfactory to have further details. As to one of these-a picture which has been for some years in my own possession-I propose to offer some particulars and suggestions.

Dr. Vogel, in the article above referred to, writes thus about it, comparing it to the portrait called Mozart and attributed to Pompeo Battoni which formerly belonged successively to John Ella and to G. B. Davy, and in 1916 was the property of Mrs. Mackintosh, of Keillom Castle, N. S.:

Here must be mentioned an oil-painting, not indeed signed, but in colouring and technique strongly recalling the style of Battoni.1 Its date is in all probability the same [as that of Mrs. Mackintosh's picture], since it also represents a musician aged about fourteen and a half. The shape of the head is oval, and the features, setting their idealization aside, agree entirely with those of the above-mentioned portrait of Mozart by Battoni. The thickly curling long hair is also powdered greyish white, the beautiful eyes are brown, as in the genuine Battoni picture. The coat is very dark, but the vest is of gold brocade with red flowers and blue lining. A black ribbon is tied around the neck; below it is a long white cravat. In the slightly-raised right hand is a roll of music.

Dr. Vogel's description, as may be seen by comparing it with the reproduction (Fig. 1) in these pages, is on the whole accurate, though curiously enough he omits to mention the presence of a harp in the background-a very important feature in the picture, and one not likely to appear in a portrait of Mozart, though it gives a clue to the possible identification of the young musician represented. That the picture cannot be Mozart is generally admitted. As a child, Mozart's face was broad, with full cheeks, delicately-shaped mouth, blue eyes and curiously-shaped ears. The most authentic portrait of him in his early years is the oil-painting now preserved in the Mozart-Museum at Salzburg (see Fig. 2), representing him in the gala-suit given by the Empress Maria Theresa. The painter is unknown, but it must have been executed towards the end of 1762, when Mozart was nearly seven. As he grew older his nose became more prominent, and his eyes in later life became more grey than blue. So-called

1A recent opportunity I have had of examining some portraits by Battoni makes me very doubtful as to whether the picture is by him. The smooth oily finish of Battoni's work is absent, and the brilliance of the brush-work makes me now inclined to think that it must have been painted by some French artist.