The New York herald., 1870-01-18
FINE ARTS.


been more ngnally illustrated tnan BY tne late Mr..
Thomas Thompson, wealthy Bost0nan, who left
the Trimountain city about ten ago. account
ofsome cause Of complaint which he had, or fancied
that he had. against the municipal authorities.
Never returning to Boston, he died In New York in
the spring OF the present year. Originally educated
to be q clergyman. he preached single sermon, and
retired from the profession in disgust. Thencefor-
ward he devoted his leisure and great wealth to
the purchase Of pictures in this country and
in Europe. In 1851 ne lost BY the burning
OF Trement Temple nne art collection which
had cost him upwards OF $4,000. But this
misfortune, instead Of extinguishlng, Unnamed his
passion for pictures. He at once set about gather
Ing new collection. This became In half . dozen
years, larger than the which he lost, and until
he Lett Boston in disgust he was continually adding
TO IT, SO that at his death he left the largest coec-
ton OF OIL paintings ever formed in the United
States But he kept these paintings hidden away In
piles ana covered with dust in several rooms over
an old store near Boylston Market. No eye was
permitted to see thom until in November last Mr..
Young, OF the Fine Arts Department, IN the Boston
Athen@um, was appointed by the widow and execu-
trix OF Mr.. Thompson TO examine and catalogue
them. They nave now been brought TO New York to
be exhibited and sold Boston having forfeited
the chance OF retaining the collection as the nu-
cleus Of immense public art gallery according TO
what said to have been the original intention OF
Mr. Thompson. 1t comprises, indeed, not o few
'.fe-sze nudes.n which, Of course. Boston prudery
would nave rejected with holy horror except as
decorations Of the many mysterious barrooms &C.
cessble only to the initiated by side DOORS hidden
behind screens in the rear OF the ruit storesn tna
thanks TO the pronlbitory liquor law abound at the
Hub. These '.nudes,i however, are but small ele-
ment in the bewildering variety OF the Thompson
collection.
Mr.. Thompson would seem to have purchased pic
lures with different views. The first was to be-
come the possessor OF undoubtedly nne
pictures. The second was to assist young
and struggling artists. II was with the
latter view that he bought the earlier land
scapes Of Bierstadr and Of Griggs. OF these there
are more than sixty in the collection. Berstadrs
works viii, of course, command at least success
OF curiosity and sell well while those Of Griggs will
stand nowhere.
But Mr.. Thompson's patronage OF youthful as
prants counts for little In his plan OF extended
encouragement TO art. II was manlfestly his am
btion to organize vast gallery for the future Nor
can We deny that he evinced both sagaclous taste
and thorough critical perception OF what would be
wanted II he died TOO early to succeed CON-
pletely In achieving so noble purpose we can only
regret it, Let 1t sufics to know that he.w0rked
with this object in view. 50 rare Is such an am
bton at the present day, in this or any other coun
try, that were Mr.. Thompson alive we should DO
inclined to offer him crown OF laurel.
The collection which he has left consists OF about
eighteen hundred csnvases. OF these some eight
hundred require no CRITICISM Some six hundred
are very good and at least four hundred literally
the finest pictures Of their class which we have seen
In America. when We mention tnat there are two
Rubens, three Jordaens, three xtttys m Annibsl
Oaracci and Ludovico Caracoi, Greuzs, Turner.
q Jauues Stella m undoubted Reynolds, . Law
renee Bordone, m Earl, Diaz, Fragonard,
two Copleys. . Peter Van Blpmen, two or three
Knslsrs, q couple Of Lslys, two Angelica Kauf-
manns Pietro C0rt0na, . copy Of 'Tittan,n By
Sully; two copies BY Jackson, the English scade-
mician; an Opie, . Romney curious and authentic
portrait OF the 'Prince Of Wales" George W.,
and Mrs. Pits Herbert" By Hamilton; . nne
crayon portrait BY Elliott two excellent Cropseys,
good Vanloo, two genuine Honthorsrs, Do Witt,
Campbell, two Bartolome0 Scaidones, and many
other familiar and distinguished names, more than
we have time or patience to enumsrate, our readers
will entertain no doubt that the collection Is worthy
Of special attention.
One OF the Bartolomeo Schidones, eThe Triumph
Of Gaatea" is . nobler and grandsr specimen of
the Italian school than has been seen thus Cont.
nent for long time The flesh u painted with a
roundness and pulpy freshness rarely equalled,
while the heads are even more fresh ana startingly
alive. There Ii zaufaly. which is an
exquisite picture, full OF force and, snguarly
enough. Of refinement. There is . delicious but
unfinished portralt by Sir Thomas Lawrence
the 'painter who pleases everybody" az Southey
used TO say. There is "The Discovery OF Caisto,"
by Rubens Ut is signed by him). which is OF the
freest and most nucnt pictures BY the great Flem-
f1n Mp W,rhf RCceO fcv nfaNl l,v
ing called "The Sleeping Beauty which is entihed
in color to high commend0tion. Conrad Roepel offers
splendid "Flower Piece, with Lady and Child"
and-but what is the use OF catsloguing tediously
even few Of the prominent pictures in this extra
ordinary colleconf II Is enough to say that after
careful examination OF but 1.-THE OF this
large and Notwithstanding its many inferior
works. this magnificent collection, we are not sur
prsed at the sensation among connoisseurs In
Europe ana In the principal cities OF the
United States In view Of Its approaching exhibition
and sale at the galleries OF Messrs. Leeds & Miner
on Broadway. The exhibition Will open next
Monday January "a Tho sale viii begin on
Monday February T. and Is expected to continue for
eight or ton days. Judging from the demand for
catalogues there viii DO no lack OF purchasers. so
much has been said about the pictures, and so de-
servcdy have they awakened public curiosity, that
well as buyers, may be anticipated. A bona rae
Rubens, positive Reynolds, an indubitabc Etty and
q genuine copy BY Sully OF Ttians venus--so say
nothing Of the two Angelica Kaurmanns the wie-
mar. the Jordaen and other nne works by many OF
the greatest masters Of the last four centuriesars
attractions rarely offered ut public sale.
Whether the sale may produce what may be con-
sidered sum total commensurate with the merits
OF the collection may, perhaps, be questionable.
Eighteen hundred pictures OF which nearly one-haf
are OF very high order, are great number to bring
at once under the auctoneer's hammer. Whatever
our apprehensions may be, let us nope that enough
cirtuosi may be present to justify Mrs. Thompson
oering the pictures for sale and that the proceeds
may realize her reasonable expectation. There are
at least 400 works in the collection which might we
tempt speculation with an eye to the European
market; but 1t would be pity TO let them 60 abroad
when there are so many that would rohly adorn prt
vasc dwellings or puplic institutions IN our own
cnuntrv