One Female Figure.
This artistic tableau is a living representation of the bust of
Proserpine by Powers. The head is ideal, and we may conceive it as
embodying our great sculptor's conception of female beauty in repose.
The wreath of leaves and flowers which encircles it, alludes, perhaps
remotely, to the legend, familiar in the poets, of the field
Of Enna, where Proserpine, gathering flowers,
Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis
Was gathered.
The learned Germans, who regard the whole Grecian mythology as
personifying natural phenomena, interpret the legend as follows:
Proserpine who is carried off to the lower world is the seed corn,
that, for a time, is buried in the ground. Proserpine who returns to
her mother is the corn which rises again to support mankind. The lady
who takes the part of Proserpine should be quite handsome, with fine,
regular features, a high forehead, and a good form. Her dress should
be pure white, and cut extremely low at the neck; the hair should be
brushed back from the forehead, done up neatly behind, allowing five
or six curls to hang loosely in the neck, and a braid of hair should
be worn across the front of the head. No ornaments of any kind should
be worn.
The machinery of this tableau is arranged as follows: The revolving
beam that is described in the tableau of the Flower Vase is to be used
in this piece. The beam is placed in the centre of the stage, on the
top of which is a wooden pedestal, three and a half feet high by
seventeen inches in diameter on the inside. This pedestal should be
made in two parts, having hinges, and a hook, to fasten them together.
It must have a cap and base, and be covered with white cloth, over
which fasten white tarleton muslin. The bottom of it should be six
inches in thickness, with a square mortise in the centre, to allow the
top of the beam to enter. The lady who personates Proserpine is to
stand inside of this pedestal, and, as the space is quite small, it
will be necessary to wear few under skirts. A frame should be
manufactured of wire, and covered with white cloth and white muslin,
and should be made to fit the back and breast of the figure, allowing
room for the arms to be folded inside of it. This is to be made at the
top in the same shape as the dress worn by the lady, and should reach
to the waist of the person, fitting tightly, and from the waist be
made to flare off in scroll form so as to rest on the top of the
pedestal. By looking at a bust, one will easily understand the shape
of the frame. It must be made in two pieces, and fastened at the sides
with tape strings; around the top of the frame put a small wreath of
white leaves and flowers. The lady must take her position inside of
the pedestal which has been placed on the top of the shaft; hook it
firmly together, and pack cloth between the lady and the inside of the
pedestal, for the purpose of keeping the body from moving from one
side to the other. Then place the front and back wire frames in their
position, and fasten them firmly. See that the arms are folded out of
sight, and the hair arranged properly. The eyes should be cast upward
slightly, and when once fixed in position, they should not be moved.
The face and neck should be made as white as possible; the expression
of the countenance calm and serene. The fairies and the crimson
curtain used in the tableau of the Dancing Girl can be used in this
piece. A side view should be given of the statue before it revolves.
In the second view, the pedestal must slowly revolve, while a
plaintive air is played on the melodeon. This tableau has been
admired by many, and will repay any one for the trouble of producing
it.