The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-08-30
The nowaoin Collection of rnia.,ugs.

by PROFESSOR j. u. sEwALL.
The Hon. James BowdoiD, son of Gov.
Bowdoin, of Massachusetts, closing his SER
vices as minister of the United States, at the
court of Madrid, in December, 1905, removed
to Paris, and resided for three years. During
this time he made a collection Of paintings,
ninety-one in number, which he brought to
the United States in 1900. At his death in
1911, they were left by his will to Bowoin
College, Brunswick, Me-, which had been
named for his father, and Of which he had
been the benefactor For many years the
college bad no room in which they could be
properly exhibited, and even now the wing
of the beautiful building, the chapel, in which
they are hung, is poorly lighted, and other
wise.l-adapted for their exhibition. Many
of them also were very dingy, and in need of
restoration, so much so, that it was difficult
to tell what they were and whether they were
really worth the labor and expense. AT the
suggestion of Hon. II. G. Winthrop and 9TH
ers, in 1850, a part were put into the hands
Of ID. Chase, and part in the hands of G..
Howarth, of Boston, for restoration, and ON
being hung in their place, the college first be-
came aware Of the value OF the collection it
possessed.
Unfortunately no proper catalogue came
with the pictures, whether because Mr. Bow
doin never had one made or because it was
lost, is not known. But in the catalogue
which did come, it is claimed that most of the
pictures are genuine works of masters. And
when it is remembered that the ner:ca in
Europe at that time was one of great disturb
ance, when kings were fleeing from their CAP
| itals, and mobiles were following in their train .
| it is at once seen TO be probable thing that
| genuine pictures could be obtained. There
are many pictures in European galleries, which
from this cause, have strange history of
wanderines and changes to tell, e. g., "Leds
and the Swan in the gallery at Berlin.
The following are the most noteworthy OF
the collection: No. 2, "The Equipment OF
Cupid" This is Titian's, a duplicate or a
copy. The catalogue says it came from the
Grand Dukes palace, Eat Florence. Ifso, it is
an original. The same picture is to be seen
in the Borghese Palace, at Rome, called in
Murray, '.Ihree Graces;" in Baedeker, "Cu.
pil Equipped by Venus" by Titan, and de-
scribed by Kusler, Vol. 2, p. AS, as 'some-
what hammered and assimilating to the style
of Paul Veronese," yet remarkable for the
cheerful and nai.ete which pervades it." No
3. "The Continuance of Seipio." Gilbert
| Stuart, who visited the collection TO copy two
| of his own pictures which il contains, jeff
/ erson aud Madison, thought this an origin al
| or first rate copy from Nicholas Poussin.
| The exact companion OF it, at any rate,
in subject, peculiar treatment and color
| ing, and even size, is 'The Death of Germani-
| GUS" in the Barberini Palace, Rome, by Mich
olas Poussin. No. II, Surgeon and Pa
| tient," is in the style of Brouwer, Flemish
School, and thought to be by him (born al
Harlem, 1S0S, died at Antwerp, 164l.) No
10 is landscape, bearing the name OF Berg
hem, nicholas 1624-16S3) No. 10 is Goth
| ic interior lighted by candles, strongly resem
bling the work OF the Van Steenwycks OIL
Pieter Meets. No. 21, Poultry, bears the
name of Hondekoter, (Ulrict 1636-1G95) No
| 25, "Women at the Sepulchre" is by Simon
Vouet, pupil of Caravaggio. No. 30, ArtiL
lery, is marked in pencil on the back "P
WOuvermanns." 1t is a picture in his style
and subject. No. 33. the catalogue calls "ThC
Governor OF Gibraltar an original by Van
dyke" 1t can hardly be doubted that it is q
| genuine Van Dyck, and that it is duplicate
| portrait of the Jean de Montfort, in the Tri
buna OF the Uffizzi gallery, Florence. No
| 46, "St. Simeon with tho Child Jesus" This
| noble picture, the most striking of the collec-
| ton, is Rubens, thought by Stuart be an
| original. 1t is either duplicate or fine copy
| of the St. Simeon aud Child Jesus, by Rubens
| i'm the Cathedral at Antwerp. No. So, "PeteI
| delivered from Prison. A masterpiece with
| no clue as yet to its author. There is de-
| liverance of Peter from prison, in the Berlin
| gallery by Honthorst, similar to this in color
| ing, but inferior in conception and treatment.
| No. 5S, "Venus Receiving Presents from
| Ceres" Another Rubens, copy probably, but
well done. No. GA. Sea Piece, marked "Wlie.
ger, Peintre, Hollandais," original doubtless
Wleger flourished 1635-lG50. Waagen says
of him e :460) "His pictures excel in keeping
and aerial perspective, and his execution has
the utmost freedom and soltness." No. GO
Landscape, by Breenberg, 1920 1868. No
20, Cattle. Copied from Paul Potter, by
Michael Carre.-Ihe Art Rerie,o for Septem
/ bor