The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-02-01
FINE Art.
The Thompson Pictures.

The Thompson Pictures.
The interest felt in the sale Of tho Thompson
collection q pictures Is both very great and very
general. The number OF works collected by this
gentleman has been placed a. two thousand, but this
includes Autographs, engrlvnrs, and a few meEzo-
tint-, the total number OF paintings being probably
seventeen hundred.
Mr. Thompson, though untoubcd'Sa lover Of art,
was by no means JujIcous buyer, and his collee-
tion is perhaps the most miscellaneous gathered
together nne copy will be found besile an au-
tlentc Originate artistic piece surrounI ei by half
a dozen daubs OF the worst description Here q
landscape not At for tea board will be cheek by
joNl with an old master for which thousands OF dol
lars must have been pald beneath the boa will he
an oi1 podridd OF nude poriraits Of uniistngushcd
individuals, and small cabinet pieces OF the most In.
dubl,able ment-sketchcs probably for parts OF
larger pictures. or ideas jottei down on canvas 10
the full flush OF Inspiration by famous men. But the
exgencies OF the case did not permit sufficiently
thorough Investigation OF these and accordingly in
the catalogue the arust is repeatedly recorded as
unknown.
We have said that the collection Is strkingly mis-
ccllaneous, but In one particular It is unique. In the
enormous number OF nude figures tIis has paral-
lel-some OF them Of Questionable merit, others the
Hncst copies OF the finest masters OF antiquity. TIE
celebrated Titan Venus Is so admirable 4 copy a. to
dcrful manner; and were II not for the careless
painting OF some details, roses In her hand ana lap
dog on n couch, IL would require remarkable expert
to Dc eide on ITS autlenucity IL was purchased
otiliuHl 10y Mr.. Flagg for the collector, for the
sum OF tsigo, and Thompson was delighted with his
purchase But II lad been in his possession scarcely
a fortnight before he showed II to Italian gentle
man travelling In America The sPnor admired
this and complimCntei that, shuddcrcd over the
Bicrstadts, and went into rapturcs over the Wimar,
but he said nothing about the Venus. Old rhomp-
son annoyed.
"Thcrel' said he, bringing him right before It.
"Nhat do you think OF MS Titan ~
Your Titan A., sl5nor; zat ess too gootl"
noes N vain made linn att. MT to moderate. Your
Titan zat ees one copy; 70 Titan ces in &c Barber.
Thompson's pride took tho alarm; ne wrote TO
Flagg, and intimaed IN pretty plain terms that he
Gated his wrath, and invited him To him.
Which, n Thompson lived IN Boston, and never went
to see anybody, and Flagg lived IN Connecticut, was
an evasion OF the question
This correspondence affords some insi yh: into the
manner In winch the pictures were accumulated.
| THOMPSON, besides buying everything that was
brought to him. employcl Flasg and q London cN-
pert 10 purchase for hin In Europe Flag mas TO
have possessed more enthusiasm than judgment ard
| to have purchased, principally on thu stron- uf
| the names. THIS VIII account for the dpuhtn. Ca
raccis the bad JordWns, and tie by means duuhi-
| lul Rubcus of the collection. The other man pos
sessed excellent knowledge, and from linn came the
| charming ltte cabinet pieces which tho Hpprecla-
| tive eye will discover along the walls. There are
two pieces, for example, by DUN 1uhn; there
cr by La Naiere, one Or two attributed to Boucher,
I
| hundred, for whit h nrObiby ten times TIC amount
| could be realized IN Europe.
| TIE Ian Escapes are the weakest feature. Among
tho iorlyouc contributed by Bicrsalt there Is not
| one which VIII repay glance. Ihcj are not only
among the worst but they nrc the very worst OF tho
| collection. Nothing VIII tend To euricl the memory
| Of MIR Thomson 80 much as the constant kindness
and patronage he shoNcrcd upon this artist In the
days OF his o5scurity. liz must have been penc-
taung observer 10 have discovered ANY talent In the
artist, for no one jragng. from TIE work. init.
edrAn discover one spark ufc3puci cV.n al the most
mo loltc kind. We would adv lsc aU.b !tious painters
! now stru glpP with oNscurty 10 purchase one of
these Uhcy viii sell Tor three -four dollars IcCcl
| and TO hang II nm IN The studio with tie motto
! underneath " AHch 10 SOaO pifoTa"
1t Is soothing to AnCucau vanity to discover that
| the picture wWch pcasts the most universally il
from an American haud, one indeed too carly closed
| IN death. Charles Nmar, the author of Attack
| on an Emiguut Train was q NiseuuIlan, born and
educated IN It. LOUIS, but holding a din luma itum
Dusseldorf, where he studied 'r several wears. lis
pointing, though erroneous In many parts In tWiug,
l. "a ull If V-or OF hc aud action that u arrest, m
| flhbN tie observer. The muscular sayagoH aud
their rec attack, the plunginS he rscs the desperate
| resistance OF the men, the ANXIOUS dread OF tue
| women, IN combine to make q scene Of unusual m.
| tcrest There Is no lay dummy business here Tho
forms are nervous with lie, instinct with motion;
tue grouping Il energetic, the faces full of expires
| SION And the wild background, showing u a. long
Inc of white utcd WI IONS and tue MELANCHOLY Silent
desert with the tranquil sky above, are in tine con-
trast to the Foreground with us struggling forms of
hate and fear It's sad dreary grlssis and thc human
crumblng bones lhat tell II what has been and what
| IL to he. Almost LknpWn to the great Am,ric'n
public tins Wimar had u genius thai would have
| electrified the world hli he hyod, but he dicd
young leaving some halt dozen excellent pictures
TO show what America lost at lIs death. one Of thc
best of thrse, :" The C"puye Charger II somewhere
| In New York city.
The sale Of this collection win not take place until
| the 9Th day Of the next month, so mat n'n who Ia
tend to Iurchasc have amIle time 10 cyamm'. We
| believe that the hulk Oi the rrtur's Will Wc from
the smaller pcturc7, Mhlcu, though unnamed n Ia.
] catalogue. bear In themselves NC STAMP ol -onlIo.