New-York tribune., 1872-04-10
FINE ARTS-MUSIO.
FINE ARTS.
"TuE SLAVE SHIP" BY J. NJ. w. TURNER.
We think IL can hardly fail to give both sur


some u,asurc 10 urderstsnd why he IS the reatesto
learn that tho "9layo Ship" his masterpiece, snd
for tho last 30 years the most splendid and cher"
ished ornament Of Mr.. RuskD's house, has be-
como tho property Of an American. Tnat the
wealthy owner of this famous picture would ever con-
sent part with IT during his lifetime was something
at al probable. but that ho should sell 1t to an Amer
ca 10 como to America likely as that MI Hao-
stone would pay the Alabama claims out OF hiS own
rocket For some time past Mr.. Ruskn mas p' no w
p0runity slip say unbandsome things of F1elca anu
Americans. Many EDgishrDen have done e2calen'J J."
.bis wov but Mr. Ruskin has exceed them all In Iettr
the Twelfth Of his Fors Clavigea, on page a. there
tart passage about US that "0W" p'
disageeable II not so dro IL wonid OF courS'
be very geeabe reading to rgbtminded man IL IL
were true but 1t the sDapJudTnent OF writer VINO
cares In general, much to be epigramInatc ana
smart than TO be truthful and charitable But, beside
that he hates and despiscs America, and 80 might be
thought most unlikely TO send US MS greaest uPsSuc'
we heard some years that Mr Ruskn had declared
he would be party to any Work OF turner's iea"Hg
England Some Of us remember how certain American,
having come into possession Of few very fine draw
inos by Turner received letter from Mr..
Ruskin asking him TO sell tham 10 MIN ior
this very reason, that be wanted all turner's WorKn
remain in England; whereupon this American. Win
rude hunor that shocked some ne nerves. replied thai nc
could not think Of selling bis drawings and thatt would
hardly be worth WHILE all Turner's work would be
coming over OF these days. This was not very
welbred but IL like truer prophecy to-day than
did when It written.
Thus we have the Slave Ship" here in America To-
day, safely LOGGED in stately quarters, and In trusD
hards where the and honor Of it, ~ odd years
OF life thus far. will be continued and whero we may
safely promise fair Judgment and as sincere Eohe'b
adnrlng ever it had In England
1t has been sold, we surInise, because Mr. Ruskn
wan ted money help bis new scheme OF foundi0ga
Utopia in England but it not the first time II has been
offered for sale In 1862 having need TO raise money for
particular purpose, RusEn sent to Chrstes auc-
ton room a number Of pictures and water-eoor draw
ngs mostly by Turner but at the sale those first put up
by fetched prices much higher than had
been expected that several of the works were withdrawn.
and among them the Slave Ship" 1t was thus de-
scrbed page of the sale-catalOgue 'Lot 80, j. III.
w. Turner, X. A., The Slaye-Shp; exhibited IN ls4o
Bought By Mr. Ruskin out Of Turner's gallery ana sthl
in perfect state, having been always protected Doth fom
damp and dust and cleaned An uncngraVed PIC
Ire carving copyright" In Modern Painters, Vol l.,
page 1875 motel there allusion 10 It's condition
After saying that it bitterly grcves him to have to limit
the perfection of Turner'S works TO the time OF tDer
first appearing the walls Of the Royal Academy.
but that the fact indeed picture OF Turner'S 10
ever in perfection month after it IS painted. Rnshn
goes on to assert believe that in measure teSo
results are unavoidable but that they are not
necessary the extent in which they sonnet mes taKo
place proved by the comparative safety of some even
Of the more brilliant works Thus the 'Old Temerairc'
is mainly safe IN color aud quite nrn Whle t4e Vdlos
and her Nurse the ghost OF what it was; tho
SLAYER shows cracks though it Is dulled in some of
tie darker passages, while The Wahala and several
Of the recent 'Vcnces' cracked in the Royal
Academy"
1t is satisfactory to be ab,o to say that this important
picture has suffered In the slightest degree from ts
voyage across the Atlantic. The size OF the
which il Is panied 4x3 feet 1t is in the frame
probably which 1t when first exhibited, and coz
by thick pateslass This seems TO have been al
the protection tine picture has enjoyed, aud 1t has nos
been sufficient 10 keep from getting eoody share Of
London and dust its surface while the glass;
having been kept of The canvas by pad, has stuck
closely two places tear Off the paint
The itself is very thin and poor and hes appsr
entity never protected al the back at all FiBaly
we are congratulate ourselves that It's hong journey
tho plate a IS did not break there nine ehances
il would, in which the picture would have
been cut into shreds 1t would have beea better to
sent plat=-glass separate box, IL IL thought
worth while 10 send il a, all.
There many alDfionS and references % this picture
in the five volumes OF Modern Painters" In one place
it Is described at length and, If ada few details,
words can give r better notion of the than Mr..
Ruskin's but think the nobes sea that Turner
has ever painted, and, so, the noDIest Ger
tainly ever painted by man, is that Of the Slave
Ship tie chef Academy picture OF tho Exhibition
Of 1910. 1t is a the Atlantic after prolonged
storm the partially lued aud the torn AMI
streaming TainclOuds moving in scarlet lines TO lose
themselves in The hollow OF the night The whole
of included in the picture divided into two
ridges Of swell, not high, nor local. but
low broad heavng of the whole ocean, like the lifting OF
its bosom by deopdrawn breath after the torture OF tia
Storm Between these two ridges the fire or the sunset
falls along the trough Of the sea, dyeing IL with
awful but glorious light the intense and urd splendor
which burns Ike gold and bathes like blood Along this
GoYy path and valley, the tossing by which The
swell Of the sea is resessy divided, lift themselves IN
dark indefinite fantastic FORMS each casting faint and
CHASTITY shadow behind it along the ilumined foam
They do rise everywhere, but three or four to-
gether in wild groups, htfuily and furiously, as
tho undersrength OF the swell C0mpeis or
permits them; leaving between them uagcherous
spaces of level and whrling water now lighted With
and lampke fire, now flashing back the gold OF
tho declining sum- fearfully dyed from above with
the undistn guishabe images OF the burning clouds
which fall upon them in flashes Of crimson anu scarlet,
and give to the reckless the added motion Of their
fiery flying. Purple and blue the iurid shadows OF
the hollow breakers cast upon the mist of the night
| which gathers cold and low advancing Ike tho
shadow of death upon the guilty ship (she is
Is inoumhered with corpses IL abors amidst tho
lightning of tho its thin masS written upon sky
in lines of blood, girded with condemnation that fear
full hue which signs the sky with and mixes ts
flaming flood with the sunlight, aud far along ths
desoate heave OF the sepuchra incaraadnes tho
| multidnous sea-"
In another place yo. ". n. l6, Eng. ed) Nr. Ruskia
draws an interesting illustration from this picture and
companiesit with engraving from OF his
tifuy executed drawings: There character about
these lower rainclcuds partly affecting all their
necton with the upper SKY. which have been
able to account for; that which, before noted. Ars
tophanes fastened for their distinctive char