n 1843, and a pupil of Piloty) secured a wide renown through his
painting of "The Living Torches of Nero." From a long list of notable
pictures by Siemiradski, we select for mention "Phryne at Eleusis,"
"The Sword Dance," and "The Cremation of a Russian Chieftain in the
Tenth Century."

Twenty years from the time at which Siemiradski has painted Chopin, the
great pianist lay on his death-bed in Paris. "His sister never left
him for a moment. His dearest friend and pupil, Gutmann, was also now
constantly with him, and both friend and sister felt that the end was
not far off. On the 15th of October, his friend, the Comtesse Delphine
Potocka, arrived in Paris, having hastened from Nice, where she was at
the time, directly she heard of the master's illness. No sooner was he
made aware of her presence than he implored her to sing to him." Says
Liszt; "Who could have ventured to oppose his wish? The piano was
rolled to the door of his chamber, while with sobs in her voice and
tears streaming down her cheeks his gifted countrywoman sang. She sang
the famous 'Canticle to the Virgin,' which, it is said, once saved the
life of Stradella. 'How beautiful it is!' he exclaimed. 'My God, how
very beautiful! Again, again!' Though overwhelmed with emotion, the
countess had the noble courage to comply with the last wish of a friend
and compatriot. She again took a seat at the piano, and sang a hymn
from Marcello. Chopin now feeling worse, everybody was seized with
fright; by a spontaneous impulse all who were present threw themselves
upon their knees--no one ventured to speak; the sacred silence was only
broken by the voice of the singer floating, like a melody from heaven,
above the sighs and sobs which formed its mournful earth
accompaniment." Since the publication of Professor Niecks's biography,
considerable doubt must be felt as to the accuracy of Liszt's statement
touching upon what the lady sang; for he states that "Gutmann
positively asserted that she sang a psalm by Marcello, and an air by
Pergolesi, while Franchomme insisted on her having sung an air from
Bellini's 'Beatrice di Tenda,' and that only once, and nothing else."
We know that both the authors of these statements were present, whereas
Liszt was not; but while that leaves no doubt as to the incorrectness
of the abbe in this particular, it does not help us in deciding between
the relative statements of the two witnesses. This, of course, is
impossible, a