The News Journal 09/20/2013 Page : B05

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BREAKING DOWNAMC SERIES“Breaking Bad” writer Moira Walley-Becket says Walt’s angryphone call to Skyler on last Sunday’s episode shouldn’t bemisunderstood. “I would hope that people got that it was anabsolute ploy on Walt’s part.” Just two episodes remain.FRIDAYLIFE

B5News tips: 324-2884 or features@delawareonline.com FRIDAY, SEPT. 20, 2013

WHAT’S NEW

» HOTEL DU PONT

Meetingmag names citysite Best of East property

Meeting Focus magazine has namedWilmington’s Hotel du Pont Best of theEast property in the Eastern UnitedStates and Eastern Canada for 2013.

Readers were asked to choose theirfavorite properties based on the guestrooms, amenities, quality of meetingspace, service, food and beverage.Fewer than 50 properties from theentire Eastern region of the U.S. andCanada were selected for the competi-tion.

The honor comes as the hotel marksits centennial. hoteldupont.com

» SAVE THE DATE

Chefs’ Beach Brunch setfor Oct. 6 in Dewey Beach

Meals OnWheels Delaware will hostthe 11th Annual Celebrity Chefs’ BeachBrunch Oct. 6 at the Rusty Rudder inDewey Beach.

Chefs from the hottest restaurants atthe beach competed Thursday at CampRehoboth in first round of the competi-tion to see who moves on to the finalround. The event includes food sam-plings, a silent auction and wine andspirits.

$75. Proceeds benefit Meals onWheels. 656-3257. mealsonwheelsde.org/bb.

»MENTORING

AmeriCorps YouthAmbassador slots open

Repeated studies show when chil-dren work with mentors, their gradesimprove while behavioral problemsoften become more manageable.Therefore, connecting mentors withkids can be personally rewarding.

Connecting Generations' Ameri-Corps Youth Ambassador positions arenow available in New Castle County toserve just this purpose. 656-2122; applyonline at www.connectinggenerations.org.

» BROADWAY BOUND

Police member pens newmusical ‘The Last Ship’

Singer-songwriter Sting’s newmu-sical “The Last Ship” will sail onto aBroadway stage after a stop in Chicago.

Producers said Thursday the show –inspired by Sting’s memories of growingup in a shipbuilding community innortheast England – will appear onBroadway in the fall of 2014 once itmakes its world premiere next summerat Chicago’s Bank of America Theatre.

The musical has a story by “Red”playwright John Logan and “Next toNormal” writer Brian Yorkey. It will bedirected by Joe Mantello, who helmed“Wicked” and have choreography bySteven Hoggett, who staged “Once.”

Window to the soul, center of the storm,the eye twinkles, feasts and roves.

“There’s something so intimateabout looking directly into someone’s eye,”admits Catherine Dann Roeber, curatorial fel-low at the Winterthur Museum.

It’s no surprise, then, that late 18th- and early19th-century English nobility memorialized theeye in custom tokens exchanged between clan-destine lovers.

Opening Saturday in Winterthur’s East Gal-lery, “The Look of Love: EyeMiniatures fromthe Skier Collection” features nearly 100 hand-painted miniature portraits of individual eyesensconced in brooches, rings, chokers, pen-dants, and even toothpick cases.

Fittingly, the sentimental pieces, used to wooa long-lost lover or commemorate a deceasedrelative, rarely betray the identity of the artist,the wearer or the subject. Deeply personal andenchanting, the miniatures experienced theirheyday in England from1790 to 1830. Onlyabout 1,000 remain in circulation today, victimsof the harsh sun’s rays, buried in family trunksor taken to the grave with their owners.

One of the world’s largest collections belongsto a Birmingham, Ala., ophthalmologist, DavidSkier, and his wife, Nan. The Skiers launchedtheir collection in 1993 at a Boston antique show.They came across a tiny watercolor eye portraitfrom1790 on a diamond-and-blue enamel ring.

Nan began wearing the delicate ring (carefulnot to wash her hands with it on), and the coupleacquired new pieces several times a year. Theynow own an estimated 120 items.

First exhibited at the BirminghamMuseumof Art last year, the collection was displayed atthe Georgia Museum of Art before moving toWinterthur, where it will stay until Jan. 5. Afterthat, it will head to the Minneapolis Institute ofArts.

The Skiers, both in their 60s, hope to one dayexhibit the works in England, but must firstnegotiate international trade restrictions gov-erning parts of endangered species.

Originally painted on vellum, the eye por-traits transitioned to thin sheets of ivory at the

CUSTOM TOKENS

The collection on display atWinterthur belongs to anAlabama ophthalmologist,David Skier, and his wife, Nan.PHOTOS COURTESY OF WINTERTHUR

Sightfor

soreeyesWinterthur

exhibition tracesforbidden love

throughminiature eye

portraits

ByMargie FishmanThe News Journal

See EYES, Page B9

Someone recently told Ed Shee-ran he created his own genre. Hismusic, the person said, is the kindthat “womenwill buy ice creamand cry to.”

His audience at the Universityof Delaware onWednesday nightscreamed in support of that classi-fication.

“I feel that’s a good place to be,”Sheeran conceded. “For the nexttwo hours, you’ll be the gospelchoir of Delaware.”

TheGrammy-nominated BritheadlinedUD’s fall show at the

ed stroking someone on the shoul-der rather than punching them inthe back of the head – it’s happenedat a gig before, he said.

During “Wayfaring Stranger,”Sheeran built a series of beatstrack by track using a loop pedalthat recorded live and played be-hind him. After amoment at thebeats’ peak, he took each trackaway and ended a cappella withoutthemic, just projecting to the ador-ing crowdwhile standing atop anamp.

Sheeran’s debut album, “+,” wasreleased in 2011, but it took

Bob Carpenter Center, organizedby the Student Centers Program-ming Advisory Board – a big getfor the group considering Sheeranhas a pair of shows slated forMadi-son Square Garden this fall.

Sheeran’s Delaware gospelchoir was given somany opportu-nities to take part in his songs –snapping, clapping or singing –that when he asked for a “universalshhh,” they listened.

He only requested one song beperformedwith complete silence:the American folk song “Wayfar-ing Stranger.”

While teaching the audiencehow to stay quiet, Sheeran suggest-

CONCERT REVIEW

Sheeran asks UD crowd to be his ‘choir’By Ashley BarnasThe News Journal

Ed Sheeranperforms "GiveMe Love" at hisWednesdayconcert at UD.ASHLEY BARNAS/

THE NEWS

JOURNAL

See SHEERAN, Page B8

The News Journal 09/20/2013 Page : B09

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direction of Royal minia-turists beginning in theearly 18th century. Theivory offered a fragile,luminescent quality.

“When you isolate theeye, you don’t get a senseof that person’s entireface,” says Nan Skier.“What you get overall is asense of love. These peo-ple were loved by some-one and this is a tangiblerepresentation.”

The first practitionersof “lover’s-eye jewelry”supposedly hailed fromFrance. But the art formgained a robust aris-tocratic following inEngland after the youngPrince of Wales commis-sioned an eye portrait tocourt his forbidden love.

In 1784, the 21-year-oldprince (who later becameGeorge IV), becamehooked onMaria Fitz-herbert, a twice-widowedCatholic six years hissenior who was decidedlyoff-limits.

Still, he doggedlypursued her, even stag-ing a suicide attempt. Sheresponded by fleeing thecontinent. He respondedby proposing marriage(for a second time), notwith an engagement ringbut with his unwaveringgaze tucked inside aparcel.

That swoon-worthygesture was enough towin Fitzherbert’s heart.The couple wed in a se-cret ceremony and shelater returned the favorby giving him her owneye portrait on a pin.

Their scandalous loveaffair inspired an upper-crust fad that persistedfor five decades.

Meanwhile, portraitminiatures – typicallybusts – had been aroundsince the 15th century,used to mark importantlife-cycle events, such asmarriage, according toElle Shushan, one of theleading experts on the artform. Shushan, who livesin Philadelphia, will de-liver a free lecture atWinterthur on Oct. 22 onthe history of hypnotic

eye portraits.Because eye minia-

tures are much rarerthan traditional portraitminiatures, Shushan sellsas many as she can lo-cate. She counts 50 cli-ents around the world,including the Skiers, and

commissions scouts inEngland to keep an eyeout for the prized eyes.

The teensy eyes nevergained a following in theU.S., she says, despite theefforts of 18th-centuryAmerican miniaturistEdward GreeneMalbone.Shushan partly attributesthis to the creepinessfactor.

“Lots of people justfind it ugly, disjointed, a‘where’s the rest of it?’situation,” she says.

The only eye minia-ture owned byWinter-thur is on display in thefirst-floor metals gallery.Dating to about 1829, it issurrounded by a goldsnake on a brooch de-vouring its own tail. Theancient symbol was acommonmotif in mourn-ing jewelry of the lateGeorgian and early Vic-torian periods.

Other eyes promi-nently featured in theaubergine-bathed exhibi-tion space are beady,batty, droopy, etherealand sly in pear, circular,oval and rectangularshapes. It’s difficult todifferentiate between thesexes, unless a ringlet orbushy eyebrow happensto enter the frame.

The materials usedare highly symbolic, withdiamonds representingpurity, topaz believed toprevent melancholy, andcoral – oddly enough –intended to protect thewearer from the evil eye.

Positioned on sumptu-ous brooches with lace-like pearl details or gold-en scallop shells repre-senting eternal life, theeyes also pop up onpatchboxes. These con-tainers were used tocarry bits of gummedblack silk taffeta to cre-ate the illusion of beautymarks or cover smallpoxscars.

One eye decorates anetui case, used to carrysuch unromantic items astweezers, ear picks andsealing wax. A secretcompartment reveals alock of hair in the shapeof a four-leaf clover.

An 1882 leather walletboasts an eye watercolor,

a pair of initials and aportrait of a hand. Aninscription reads: “MyDarling’s Sunshine.”

Many of the pieces areno larger than a quarter,making it easy for acheating husband to tuckone inside his coat lapel.

“Chances are, the wifehad an eye, too,” Shushansays. “You didn’t marryfor love in those years.”

For visitors who wanta closer look at the items,the museumwill loan outiPads loaded with a spe-cially designed app thatmagnifies each piece andprovides informativetext. The reverse side ofone gold pendant, forinstance, features atombstone, mausoleumand eternal flame inmother-of-pearl. A $35companion catalog isavailable online and atthe museum shop.

A couple items in theexhibition can be tracedto celebrated miniatur-ists of the day, such asGeorge Engleheart andRichard Cosway, whowas responsible for theprince’s eye offering.

A few identities areincluded among the anon-ymous eyes. Amongthem is SarahWorters,commemorated on abrooch from1836, aftershe died one week follow-ing the birth of herdaughter. An 1808 ring isassociated with well-known novelist AnnaMaria Bennett, who alsoserved as housekeeper/mistress of an Englishadmiral.

A related exhibitionroom, organized byWin-terthur, features contem-porary examples of eyeportraits, including real-ist drawings that re-semble photos and anInstagram image of Jus-tin Bieber’s eye tattoo.The pop star recently gota tattoo of his mother’seye on his elbow crease.

As for the Skiers, whoalso collect early 20th-century American artand Georgian and Victo-rian tea caddies, theyhave no plans to commis-sion portraits of theirown eyes. They saythey’re only interested inauthentic pieces. Copiesabound, with forgersripping out eyes frommagazines and attachingthem to antique settings.

Is there any modern-day equivalent to thissweeping romantic ges-ture? Shushan and theSkiers don’t think so.Roeber, of Winterthur,suggests monograms andsilhouette drawings.There’s also the mail-order mug with aslapped-on digital photo.

“In the era of sexting,”Shushan says, “we’re justnot that romantic any-more.”

Contact Margie Fishman at 324-2882or mfishman@delawareonline.com.

Eyes: Art form once popular in EuropeContinued from Page B5

Eye miniatures never gained a following in the U.S. Elle Shushan, one of the leadingexperts on the art form, says it could be because of their creepy factor.ROBERT CRAIG/THE NEWS JOURNAL

IF YOU GOWHAT: “The Look of Love:Eye Miniatures from theSkier Collection” at Win-terthur

WHEN: Saturday throughJan. 5, 2014. Museumhours are Tues.-Sun., 10a.m.-5 p.m. “Lust andLove: The Eye Miniaturewith Elle Shushan” lectureto be held Oct. 22 at 4:30p.m. in the rotunda.

WHERE:WinterthurMuseum, 5105 KennettPike, Greenville

TICKETS: Exhibition in-cluded in price of admis-sion: Adults, $18; studentsand seniors, $16; childrenages 2-11, $5

FORMORE INFORMA-TION: 888-4600;winterthur.org

See a photo gallery and videofeaturing more of the itemson display at Winterthur.

An ivory ring casket (circa 1790-1800), with a velvetinterior, is included in the exhibition. COURTESY OF WINTERTHUR

Catherine Dann Roeberholds an iPad, which willgive guests a close-up look.ROBERT CRAIG/THE NEWS JOURNAL

Dexter Morgan’s life seemed well-ordered atfirst glance, including the serial killer thing. Thatturned out to be unsustainable.

As “Dexter” reaches its finale, to air on Show-time Sunday at 9 p.m., the character portrayed byactor Michael C. Hall is no longer strictly ruled bythe code set down by his adoptive father uponnoticing his son craved killing.

Dexter was told only to murder people who areproven killers themselves and likely to kill again,and to thoroughly cover his tracks. The narrativedevice made it possible for viewers to tolerate,even like, someone who did reprehensible things.

“He’s so far from anything I experienced him tobe at the beginning,” Hall said over lunch, a fewweeks after filming the 96th and final episode ofthe series that began in 2006.

“He’s the same character, but he’s in many waysa different person,” Hall said. “He had successful-ly compartmentalized efficient killing and con-vinced himself that he is, in fact, incapable of au-thentic human emotion when we first met him. Butthat all falls apart, slowly but surely.”

Without the writers providing challenges, “Dex-ter” ran the risk of becoming an unimaginativemurder-of-the-week procedural. Dexter’s bound-aries were most severely tested at the end of thefourth season when his wife, Rita, was killed and inthe sixth season when his half-sister, Debra (reallife ex-wife Jennifer Carpenter), saw him knifingsomeone in the chest.

“I’ve always thought that it was more interest-ing to challenge the audience’s affection for thecharacter and to move him into choppy waters,”Hall said.

He can appreciate people who say they like hiswork in “Dexter.” People who say they like Dexteris something else entirely, although Hall has histheories about those fans.

“We live in a world where we have an increas-ing sense that we’re not in control ... and Dexter, inhis micro way, controls his universe and that isvery appealing to some people,” he said. “We allhave a sense of injustice in the world, and Dexteris certainly exacting some form of justice withinthe confines of his own.”

Of course, he said, “maybe it’s not that deep.Maybe people have murderous impulses they don’tact upon and enjoy watching somebody who getsaway with it.”

“Dexter” is going out strong. Ratings are higherduring the current eighth and last season thanthey’ve ever been. That’s a familiar pattern formany critically acclaimed cable series that seetheir audiences grow as new fans discover thestories and binge on themwhile the show is onhiatus.

The series was pivotal to Showtime’s devel-opment, said Matthew Blank, the network’s chiefexecutive.

“It really felt like this is what Showtime shouldbe,” he said. “Homeland” and “Ray Donovan”might not have existed without its example.

Showtime will look for ways to keep the charac-ter alive even after “Dexter” ends, Blank said. Hewasn’t clear on how that would happen.

Hall, 42, is measured in how he makes sure tosay nothing revealing in advance about the finale(“Some people will be happy with it, some peoplewill be troubled by it,” he said. “Perhaps somepeople will be a combination of those things.”)

He will miss certain things about playing Dex-ter. The character was decisive and didn’t hesitateto take action, even at times of extreme stress andeven when that action was morally questionable.He’s looking forward to portraying people whoseemotions are not stunted or buried.

Extreme emotional control was similarly a hall-mark of David Fisher, the sexually conflicted fu-neral director that Hall played in the early 2000son HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”

That’s two distinctive, Emmy-nominated rolesin two critically and commercially successful se-ries. Hall understands that’s unusual; many actorswould be satisfied with one even if they have toslog through their share of failures.

Many fellow actors and friends told Hall he wasmaking a mistake when he took the role of Dexter.A show about a serial killer? Who’d want to watchthat?

“I’ve certainly had the thought that I should quitwhile I was well ahead,” he said. “When ‘Six FeetUnder’ ended, I imagined I would never do anothertelevision series, just because I thought it would beimpossible that I would be so lucky that I wouldfind something as successful. I’ve learned never tosay never.”

Projects that aren’t open-ended like a TV seriesare interesting to him now. He was very activeonstage before joining “Six Feet Under.” He’sfilmed roles in two movies that aren’t big stretchesfrom past characters: a manipulative, gay janitorwho gets murdered in “Kill Your Darlings” and aman who shoots and kills an intruder in “Cold inJuly.”

Hall jokes that he can’t seem to get away fromdead bodies, professionally speaking.

“I don’t think I’m anybody’s first thought whenit comes to romantic comedy,” he said. “That mightbe a door I’ll have to do some kicking to breakdown.”

Michael C. Hallready to saygoodbyeto ‘Dexter’By David BauderAssociated Press

Michael C. Hall appears at the premiere of "Kill YourDarlings" Sept. 10. In the film, he plays a manipulativejanitor who gets murdered. CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP

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