, 1873-07-20

tnro at tho first An1o Of Prince Domidofr q ban
Donate collection III 1868. It s stated that tho
british oovornmont was tho rival bidder of tho
relative md legatoo, sir Richard Wallace, graoo-
fully presented 1t to tho nation, stating that he
know Il 8 to have boon tho Marquis tntontion to
do 30. II ho had lived.
Tho extraordinary generosity which has been
displayed Of lato years by individuals ali over
europe IN gifts and logacies Of valuable OBJ
{cots to public colleotlons-in. tho froo ex-
hibltion Of their privato, ga1lorios, and III tho
of art-is In England again most enlightened
and conspicuous Tho Immunity OF TINT nation
from foreign invasion, tho long peace which has
lasted With few trtling Interruptions for moro
incroaso Of wealth IN privatoha11tls hnvo enabled
tho amatoura Of tlat country to amass creator
treasures Of ths sort than c1ist nnywhere elso
and sculpture, but Of that multitude Of small
objects in Which tho value Of q precious material
Is enhanced By tho still moro precious skill Of
tho artist, there are ysst aconmrlatlona in
charm aud Tho pride Of EnglIah lilo. And
thoao exquisite things arc not kept imprisoned
in secluded chambers, uko tho beauties Of o
harem, to 30 aeon BY nobody but their owners.
lovers Of art and sro frequently aont also to tho
South Kenatngton Museum, whero they. romain
for many months to DO viewed grotisby the poor
est workman or apprentice: They might hayo
rios, besides tho shoopsbnnkB and Vornon oolloo-
| tlonu and tho Bkotchea by Turner which had boon
boqueathod to tho Government, tho fino old plo-.
turos Of Lord Elcho. and tho best works belonging
horough'a famous Bluo Boy and Reynolds Bid
donB. II may be montonod, also, ae proof Of
tho extent and variety of tho objects on view at
| South Kenaington at that time, that they in
fans most Of thom lcnt for tho purpose by the
| Queen, tho Empress OF Trance, and other dis
| tineuishod ladies. Theso fans came from all
] nations. and somo Of them wero hundreds Of
torical associations. Three or four had belong-
| cd to Mario .Antoinotte, ono to Queen
| Ammo, ono had boon mentioned In Madame
do eovigues lettorH, ono had boen presented
present owner. Many Of them wero exquisite
works Of art. Ono waB designed BY Agoatino
Cnracci, another by Philippe do Champagne,
another by Lancrot, another By Fragonard, and
Roqueplan, Lani. Hcdouin. and Gayarni: It
would bo tedious to enumerato tue extraordinary
private collections which have boen lent within
Q few yoarB to swoll tho artistic wealth acoumu-
Of Matolica, capo di Monte, palisay ware, Dree-
den, Sevrea, and other variotioa dear to COL
| loctors Iowelry remarkable for historical
associations, for tho intrinsic worth Of tho
quaintncse and :, y, like tho PEASANT orna-
/ mentB contributed - AIrs Morrison singular
carvings IN ivory c.. 40 precious uetals strange
asBomb!agos Of ancient miniatures, snutf-bo1es,
and 1ond0nnicres costly displays OF lnooB and
church onbroideries; curious specimens OF sill
yer plAte Of glnsa, Of sadd1cry, Of arms and nr-
NOR, Of musical Instruments; in short, Of nil
that apparatus Of public and social lfo which iB
shaped or decorated by the hands Of nrt.
| Perhaps tho most striking example that can bo
offorcd OF the profuso liberality With which Eng
1ismcn buy works Of art 40 we'll as tho generosity
| with which thoy display thom to the public, is
tho collection Of tho lato Lord Hertford, which
orativo furniture, alid oEnor objects, aud witch
was lately shown by bis lcgatee, Sir Richard
Wallaco. ut tho Dcthnal Groom branch of tho
South Konsington Museum FREQ Oh throo days
s tic D T." sd da M behnal deen e s sp
outlying district IN tho oastern part of London,
inhabited generally by very poor people. A
gentleman who is employed By the Government e,
writer that the market value Of tho
Hortford collection waa not loss than
two millions Of pounds Bterlng,-ten millions of
| dollars in gold.
Tho prices which have been paid for pictures
OF l1te ycars III Europe Ar0 surprising beyond nl1
calculation, and it is well to enunoEato some OF
them, as they hare an important bearing upon
any discussion relating to tho condition and
sum paid for tho Terburg 1T tho first San Donate
Balo Inns already been mentioned. Twenty-threo
pictures wero diaposed Of ut that auction IN 1868
Of these the next in price to tho Terburg was a
VAN osate osR fsr set r. hoe tHsny
| three brought total Of S271 900, averaging
/ nearly $4,000 each. In February, 1870, thero
was much larger sale of works from San Do
nato, at which some Of tho prices were equally
| extraordinary. Tho highest-priced picture on
! this occasion wau the Drokon Eggs, by Greuzo,
which aold for 525,200; then Delaroche's Lady
Jane Grey and AIRY echcffer'e Francesca di
Rimini for s22, 600 and $2o, 600 sespectiyoly. AZ
n n =
year, picture by Leopold Robert Was Knocked
down ut $4,000; and at tho porolro aalo in
March, 1879, a landscape by Hobbema at about
the same prico. But tho most c1trayaagant rates
number Of works sold, were paid at tho auction
Of the collection of hlr. Joseph elliott, Of Bir-
mnghanl, III April and May Of last year. A
landscGspee b., Turner, called Walton Bridge,
by feet inch. brought $40, $50 In gold and a
water-color by tho same artist called Bambor-
ough Castlc, and measuring only 20 inches by
destroyed in five minutes by q Englo upark Of
fire or O few drops Of water,-b brought 5l6.535;
that iB 10 soy, nearly thirty dollars for every
square inch OF ita surface,-a larger incroase Of
any cheap material: Tho total proceeds Of thiu
aalo amounted to 1885,, EOS in gold!
Those prices wero all paid TOR the works Of
artists who are no longer living: Equally
enormous sums aro paid every day for the pro-
lucalons ot painters upon "nose regulations
Death Aas not yot set his seal. A gu.all Spanish
subject by Aladrazo was sold ia London, III May,
1879. for $4,000; and the works Of Yillegas, an
other Spanish artist living i'll Romo, command
nearly Tho samo pricos. a single fsguro of
Girl Feeding Geese, by Knaus on 4 canvas
thirty inches high, brought about $1,000. Many
artists who arc not known In this country, such
us Baut!ry, 0abat, Cogniet, Donnat, and Gloyre,
now anll their works at excessively high rates;
and Millet, who will be mentioned presently,
parted with little picture OF Ills, called L'Ail-
yelus IL. Soir, for $4,000. The works Of Potion
kofon, Hungarian living nt Vienna, bring asmuch
by tho SQUARE inch rs MoisBioniors. Gambart
paid Holman Hunt for the picture mud copy
right Of Christ In tho Temple moro than S25 600.
a Gcromo was sold about q year since to 'hlr.
Fox Of Manchester, for $4,000, and now it
would bring S20,o QUO. 1'his artists last work,
1laaart Ia Lo]a ~ % QQl -EoItnn,,,a Gt,anicl