The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-19 00:00:00

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THE NATI9NAL GALLERY.

The Royal Commissioners have presented their reporton
the site of the National Gallery. The report has not yet
been made actually public, but, as its general tenour
notorious, there can be no harm in anticipating by a few
days the conclo'sions of a document which are everybodfs
secret. The Commissioners rocomrnend that the National
Galleiy shall be left where it is. This was the. chief
at issue. Dr. Haman was,
we believe, the only dissentient
in favour of the more courtly theory which woula have
removed tlae Gallery to South Kensington. When this
question was mooted some time back--just before Lord
Eleho obtained the commis ion—we argued as strongly is
we could in support of the view which the Commission has
adopted. The only point which could admit of a moment's
doubt was as to whether or no the pictures were injuri-
ously affected by the locality of the present Gallery. itig
could have been shown that, apart from defective ventila-
tion, from the imperfect construction of the rooms, frtina
injurious processes employed in the cleaning of the pictures,
there was really some injurious principle in the Loudon
atmosphere which was more or less slowly destroying
these great works of art, no doubt the conclusion was in-
evitable io favour of removal. But when it was considered
that immediately opposite the National Gallery stands
Northumberland-house' and that the pictures in Northern-
berland-houae have not become deteriorated in cone, gnaws
of their position, although they have remained there fer a
much longer period than the national pictures on the other
side of the square, a very strong presumption arose that it
was not the general London atmosphere whieh was in fault.
It is very true that the pictures in Northumberland-
house have not been exposed to the same severe trials as
the pictures in the National Gallery. The walls against
which they are hung have not been visited daily by thon-
sands of visitors ; they have not, consequently. been
moistened with the concentrated exhalations of human,
breath ; they have not been exposed to constant vicissi-
tudes of temperature which would act upon the varnish,
and so let in mischief upon the picture. All this may be
freely admitted, but the fair inference would be, not that
the London atmosphere cannot be disarmed of its terrors,
hut that the arrangement of the rooms at the National
Gallery is faulty in conception and defective in execution.
This we believe to be the truth of the matter. Were the
rooms in which they are hung properly ventilated and
maintained at an even temperature the national pictures
would suffer very little damage, if any, from the London
smoke. Any one who visits the Gallery, mnst be well
,aware that the contrary of all this is the case. The per.
fading smell is almost as offensive as the nu-Saliaesn odour
which need to reign in the old Reading-room of the Mu-
seum. Now, that Which affects the human- senses in so
very unpleasant and painful a manner can scarcely be other-
wise than injurious to the pictures as soon as the mischief
is let in through the cracks in the glazed surface. Apart
from these general considerations of common sense, we
believe that competent persona who have been charged with
the office of instituting chemical experiments upon the
matter have arrived at the conclusion that any deleterious
principle which may exist in the London atmosphere can-
not make its way through the coat of varnish as long as
this coat can be maintained uncracked. We take it, then,
as a legitimate conclusion that if a Titian or a Randle
receives any damage at Charing-cross it is our own fault.
This question, then, of the immunity of the pictures from
necessary damage being disposed of, we have to consider
the fittest situation for a National Gallery on general
grounds ; and there can, we think, be no doubt that Tra-
falgar-square presents the very best situation in London
for the purpose. We can to a certain extent sympathize
with the views of those who would have transferred the
site of the Gallery to Kensington gardens, convertinf
Kensington Palace into a fitting temple for the receptio
of these glorious pictures. It is a rich man's notion, ant
for a rich man by no means a bad notion. Undoubtedl•
for all persons who had time enough on their bands
would have been well that the pictures had been remov,
from Trafalgar-square and placed among the solemn c
trees of-Kensington-gardens. The lounge would have b
far more agreeable. Even as far as the more occupied
humbler classes are concerned, they would have one
twice in their lives enjoyed a run to the National Gr
• • "

[ PRIOR 4D. STAMPED 51) .]

at Kensington, as they now enjoy their rare visits t.
Crystal Palace. When there their enjoynient
been more perfect, and there are many considerat
be urged in favour of this view. These considerati,

howe-ver. overbalanced by the weight of argument
other side. A mere romantic enhancement of the gr
tion which dilettanti and occasional visitors might i
from the leafy avenues with which the Gallery mig.
surrounded is surely as nothing when set against the
that ten people would visit the Gallery at Charing-cr
for one who could afford time or muster vigour to ma
his way up to Kensington. It is a most important matt
that the Gallery should stand in the most central spot
London, and finch, for the purposes contemplate i, Trafalgar-
square undoubtedly is. It is, no doubt, a great mortifica-
tion to our national pride that the National Gallery should
wear so repulsive an aspect from the outside. Never was
there an opportunity so completels thrown away. The
site is one of the very finest in any European town. The
building erected upon it, therefore, should form an appro-
priate termination to that street which should, and, no
doubt, will in time, be a most stately one. With West-
minster Abbey and the Parliament Houses at ins end, and
the National Gallery at the other, with Whitehall and the
Public Offices in esse and posse as connecting links, we surely
here have the elements of an architectural result which
should reflect credit on the nation. What is to be done
with the present building? If all the rooms were taken
for national purposes, and the Academy were removed
elsewhere, as far as internal accommodation is concerned
we might work on for a time • but the building itself will
never be other than a discredit to the nation. Take it
from what point you will, it is an eyesore.
Meanwhile, what is to be done about the Turner pic-
tures ? Where are they to be placed ? We are just now
virtually imposing upon the illustrious dead. The con-
dition of his bequest to the nation was that a gallery
should be built by the nation for the reception of his
works. The works we have accepted, but we have not
built the gallery. Why should England not have some-
thing at the least as fine as the Museum at Berlin for the
display, not only of our older art treasures, but of the
works of our native artists? Were such a building in
existence we firmly believe that in a few years England
woul
Thedsurna Essexibvheryitin nowcontinentaloin p
capital in
at
Manchester
in her pictorial
i
ct orial
wealth.
constitutes excellent evidence of the enormous mass of pic-
tures of the very hi ;hest class actually in the country.
There is, however, little or no inducement at present to
offer gifts or make bequests to the nation. Nowhere
would the pictures be so ill-shown—nowhere would they
be so likely to receive injury as whim incorporated with
the National Collection. Still, despite of all these disad-
vantages, the names of Angerstein and Vernon as collectors,
and of Turner as an artist, are there to show what men
would do under more favourable.eircurnstances. Hitherto
we have been as beggars craving for alms, and grudging
the cost of the wallet.—Times.

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