SEASON CLOSES TUESDAY

Evening Star, Issue 22363, 12 June 1936, Page 10

SEASON CLOSES TUESDAY

TITANIA'S PALACE EXHIBIT OPEN TO-NIGHT

No opportunity is being lost by the organisers of Titania’s Palace, that superb artistic treasure in miniature, to , assure that Dunedin’s contribution to the crippled children’s fund is on a favourable basis with the amounts collected in northern cities. From an early hour to-day collectors were on the streets, and the public response to this appeal for a worthy object had been very encouraging up to mid-day. Th» final opportunity of viewing the palace at night before its season definitely ends on Tuesday will be this evening, arrangements having been made to have the display open in the millinery salon of Messrs Arthur Barnett Ltd. until 9 o’clock. In Palmerston North about 10,000 persons saw the show, in Auckland the attendance aggregated 18,000,- and in Wellington, although the exhibition lasted a week less, about the -same number saw it as in Auckland. Christchurch yielded the greatest crowd to date, 21,000 viewing the palace. From here the exhibition will go to Invercargill. These will be the only cities visited in the South Island, and it will then go straight back to Auckland, from where it will be taken to Canada.

A feature of the palace is the electric light installation, which is the smallest in the history of the industry. Every room is, lit by electricity, and some of the fittings are remarkable examples of delicate and artistic workmanship. A room that commands admiration is the dining room, the central feature of which is a tiny table, 200 years old. bearing a unique dinner service of glass of a similar age. The table is of walnut veneer, obtained from the case of an ancient clock. The room itself is surrounded by a high dado of gold canvas, above which there is a broad band of pale grey wall. On this hand there are nine exquisite landscape paintings, chiefly snow scenes, by Claes Molinaer, who painted about the middle of the seventeenth century, The fireplace is made of Connemara marble crowned by a bronze hood, on which is modelled St. George and the dragon. The floor is inlaid with Strips of satin walnut. From the detail and miniature perfection assembled in this room alone it can readily be understood why the palace has commanded such admiration from its enthralled New Zealand audiences.