The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-08-06
MfSGEfbANY.
THE sOULT PICTURES.

1 The "0rld has scarcely yet got over its as
tonishmeht at the accounts Of the lale Marshal
Soults pictures in Paris, the immense extent
OF the collection, and the prodigioUs prices
which some of them brought We do not re-
collect the number sol ID Iut the salg occupied
three entire days and the amount realized
was s40o, ,IO9 frances, OF about half million
dollars, One Of the paintings, THE Concep-
aon Of the Virgin, BY Murillo, il will be re-
membered, was bought for the French Gov
eminent for $50 900 francs--nearly hundred
and twenty thousand dollars. Another, the
st. Peter in Prison, brought l5l 900 francs.
Inc great question, with some readers, Is how
Marshal Soult solder Of fortune ever man
aged to make so vast and valuable collection,
embracing the principal treasures of the Span |
lsh school of art. The mystery is easily SOL !
we'd, They were some of the ''spoils Of vlc- |
tory picked up, in the Bonaparte style by /
S0ult during his Spanish Campaigns, more
particularly the conquest of AndalHsia, and at
the capture Of Seville. They were, IN TACT,
plundered chiefly from the converts OF that
city by the Marshal. who like most Of the
great Napoleon's generals, knew how to en-.
neh himself, when the opportunity offered,
ana was not scrupulOus as " the means. The
toloWlng which we cut from a late number Of
the London -4theRRam gives some sprlghty |
ana Instructive "reminiscences on the subject |
NJ. Soult reached Seville with the catal-
0gue OF Cean Bermudez in one hand and a
double-edged sword in the other. His visit
was made to the convent Of San Francisco IN
whose smaller cloister were preserved the Gu
tire series Of pictures painted in l645, the first
exhibitions Of Murillo's powers and the har-
bngers OF his fame. These he carried Off at
one feel sWoop. One alOne--lot 66-fetched
lOoUOO francs the sale His next visit was
the Carldad, the eXtramural hospital founded
by Manara, who gave occupation to his friend
Murillo during the period of his greatest
powers, about 1879 OF the eight magnifi-
cent paintings, NJ Soult, whose charity begau
at home, conveyed away five. With one
he brlbed Napoleon and the Louvre, and fom
ne retained for his own use. MurillO was pald
for these works of four years the then eDor.
nous price Of 7S,ll5 reals,---about GSOO =
This should be mentioned, as his " Grace - !!
generally supposed to have realized abov,
E20,O00 by the sale Of three only of them tg
the Duke of SOutherland and Mr.. TOmlin.--
The only one left on his hands, lot "a in the
Catalogue OF the recent sale " st Peter in
Prison, was knocked down the other day to
the Emperor OF Russia for ISL 900 francs.
The Marshal "a good Judge did not fail on
reaching Seville to attend the Cathedral and
after particular request to be favored with a
view. was profoundly struck with the religious
sentiment displayed iu "The Birth Of the lir-
Gin, "a picture rightly considered by the
chapter among the most precious OF their re-
lies For it must be remGm bered, that in the
Marolatry of Spain, Audalusia-the land OF
the Santisslma-takes precedence; and her
Immaculate Conception is the WatchwOrd OF |
Seville. The canons and rObed priests duly |
estimated the piety Of the invader, felt they |
could not do less than send the picture to the
master OF thirty legions-whO lived Just con-
yenlently over the way in the Archbishop
palace This is the picture DOT 81 that was
sold on the last day OF the sale for 10 900
francs. 1t was by the same attendance at the
Cathedral that the Marshal obtained lot 6O-
The flight into Egypt, which fetched only |
5l,OUO francs. These companion pictures, ac |
cofdlng to Mr.. Ford, in his Hand book,
were at first concealed by the Chapter from
his Grace; who, informed by traitor OF their
existence, sent to beg them as present-hint-
ing, says Toreno, in his history, that ii they
were denied, he would take them by force.
Cone day, when NJ. Soult was showing his
gallery at Paris tn Col. Gurwnods he stopped
opposite one Of his pair, and said value
that picture very much 1t saved the lives OF
two iuestimable persons. An aid-de-camp
whispered in our couutryman's ar-' He
threatened to have them both shot unless they
gave 1t up.
We cannot go into detail Of the multitudi-
nous minor successful operations Of his GRACE
of Dalmatia, in his artiStiCal campaigns. Suf-
flee it to say, that his many fine Zurbaraus
were removed in double quick march from
the HerCenariOS deSealsOS to head quarters
One lot alone of them-No. 22-fetched at the
sale l9, 600 francs.