The New York herald., 1871-11-22
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.
A Complimentary Notice by the Secretary Of the
Late Emperor Napoleon's Minister Of
Fine Arts-Ihe Splendid Colleo-
tions Made In Europe

Fine Artg-Ihe Splendid Collec.
tions Made in Europe.
contains under the head OF "Essais ct Notices. q
long account OF the foundation and organization OF
our metropolitan Museum OF Art" II - signed by
Ernest Chesneau until lately the secretary OF count
NeuWekerke, the Emperor's Minister OF Fine Arts
and long wel-known writer upon art Nearly
naif the article Is taken w Interesting account
OF the valuable collection OF pictures formed in
Europe year ago for the museum.
"Opinlon in Europe In regard to museums OF art
occupies" says Mr.. Chesneau. 1.-TWO different points
Of view. There are those who would admit only
CHEFS U8uure: bus worEmen, ON the other hand,
artists. historians philosophers. insist lnat every
museum, according to its resources, should present
more or less complete history OF This view IL
he'd by the mana ,ers Of the New YorK Museum
They admit that It would be chlmerical to hope for
many pictures bv the great masters 0 the Italian
schools AL the Raphaels. for instance, thar exist,
are known and catal0gued, and ara neld bg those
who will not let them 60. once IN century. perhaps
an unexpected opportunity. well improved. will
give to the New York Muselm something OF lnis
class. But for the present It's Ambition must be
limited to forming. BY means OF such specimens as
are Obtainabe. OF the lesser Well OF the greater
Is the suricient aud only reasonable programme.
Every work Of an artist OF any prominence Is ad-
misslolc on the one condition ABSOLUTELY essential
under the circumstances, that the authenticity OF
the picture should De lndsputable and capable OF
being satisfactorily demonstrated.
In making these acquisitions the committee are
assisted by Q man OF rare penetration IN those
matters. No picture has been accepted for the
Museum without the appreciation OF N. Etlenne Le
whose name aided so powerfully the sales cele-
brated among amateurs OF the Van Brieuen and
Salamanca galleries. the Museum OF Brussels
had larger income It would be astonishing that
the Metropolitan Museum of Art should have been
allowed to take away from Brussels itself pictures
OF such great importance 1.-The Return from
Egypt" by Rubens, engraved BY B0lswert, picture
ali the moro precious In that 1t s the only Rubens
saved nom the burning or the Church Of the Jesuit
Is large picture. the figures OF life size, u great
beauty and in perfect condition. The important
Gaspard dc Crayer's "Diogenes and Alexander" is
an immense picture, the same that the city OF Gnenr
presented 70 the Empress Josephine. ard which
long ornamented one OF the saloons OF Manalson.
This picture OF De Crayer once belonged To the COL
lection Ruoenpre, as also did one OF the most mag
niicenr pictures Of the New York collection, "Tne
Triumph or Bacchus," by Jordaens. The other Jor-
daens OF the New York collection Is The "Iniant ST.
John Baptist Visiting lne Infant Jesus" THIS be-
longed to the famous Abbey Of Aberv0de most OF
the pictures OF which arc now in the ptnakotheK OF
Munich.
The Museum Of New YORK possess already l74
pictures, ali OF high quality, OF known origin, ana
with their papers In order We wnl not enulnerate
them; 1t will be sufficient to mention few. In the
nrst rank two pictures by Guardi, which yield In
importance only TO the Guardi's OF the Marquis 0f
Hertfords gallery; noble study by Greuzo for the
head OF tnat young girl who arrests the arm or the
father In the sPatcrual Maledcton OF the Louvre;n
q gigantic picture OF Huysmans, Of Mechlin, taken
from castle OF the Marquis OF Hastings whom
the Derby ruined at twenty-six years OF age; and
sketch BY Frans Halls OF . meeting OF the Gardes
Bourgeoises the occasion OF the peace or Mu
Another Frans Halls, marvel or viyor and SKILL Is
the portrait Of Hilie Bobbe Van HARLEM. bauad
on Hile Bobbe was going the rounds OF Flan lers.
Halls illustrated two couplets o. it-0ne In sketch
IN the Suermondt Gallery, at Aix-la- Cnapele,
representing the old woman with her hands upon
her beloved beer can; the picture OF the New York
collection represents her aItcr having many times
emptieo ia chez dguure Of clever portraiture.
there are many morespictures tnat deserve longer
mention than we can give them. "The Serzng Of
the Golden Fleece" BY Abraham DlepinDack. the
pupil OF Rubens. an immense picture. upon winch
worked another friend OF Ruoens, the landscape
painter Wildens; "Tne Descent from the Crossn by
Roger Van Der Heyden. that Identical canvass
which is wanting In the series Of the Passion in
the museum Of Brussels; 'The Ad0ration 6f the
Magi," BY . pupil OF the Van EycKs, Gerard Van
Der Meire most rare and valuable picture in per.
feet preservation; 'sThe Day After the Wedding"
by the younger Tenlers engraved by Lebas; lies
Mounns" and la Coiline. two pictures by "vevetn
Brueghe, which once belonged TO Rubens, afterwards
the Due de Prasin and TO the expert LIE Brun who
n nv for n
gallery We cannot pass In silence picture like the
superb Head Of Christ, Dy Thierry Bouts, nor the
precious example Of Adrian De vries, painter OF
whom only three other pictures, dated and signed,
are known to exist-those Of Gotha Weimar and
Rotterdam; nor the 'Solomon Ruysdael," from the
collection OF Macmillan l., OF Bavaria. II we
should make study OF the works belonging to
the metropolitan Museum Of Art we should have to
speak OF the rare good fortune whlcn has brought
together collection OF pictures In which
ore found the names. besides those men,
toned above, Of velssquez Lucas Cranacn,
Van Dyck, Isaac and Adrian Van 0stade,
Jean and Andri Both TerDurg, Mieris,
Hobbema, Jan Steen. Van Der Helst, Snydcrs,
Poussin, LIE Main, Greuze, Ttep0lo and Sir Joshua
Reynolds. BY far the greater number OF the
pictures in the collection have belonged to galleries
well known In their time to the art world Of
Europe-to the collections Of Louis Fould Castel
psrco On. de Lorraine, de JULY; OF the Cardinal de
PollRnac, Of the Grand Duke Of Mecklenburg, OF
the Marquis Maison, Of the Marquis dAllgre and Of
the Duchess de Berri; OF Edward Emerson, Msckin-
tosh, Lord Shaftesbury, LORD Hastings, Cardinal
Fesch ana Cardinal Rubempr6.
The authorities OF the New York Museum have
begun to form an interesting collection OF all the
engravngs made at dinerent epochs OF the pictures
IN its possession. Those that have not been en-
graved are to be reproduced now, either by the
BURN or the etching needle M. Jules Jacquemart
the author Of the admirable etchings oftne precious
In the Louvre forming tha pIatea OF M Bartat