New-York tribune., 1876-11-25
TILE JOHNSTON COLLECTION
TIE BEST PICTURES.


TRIBUNE consequence of which in this case
are hardly less public than private MISFORTUNE Mr.
John Taylor Johnston has decided 10 sell at auction MS
entire collection Of paintings, water-coor drawings
sketches. miniatures, together with the marbles oy
| Palmer Vel2, and Story.
have said this ia not q" fee grief due to single
breast IL is public loss Mr. Johnston is, as far as we
know singular in this among our New-fork collectors
that he has always acted If he felt himself less the
oher than the steward Of his treasures For several
years he has made practice OF admitting the puDhc 10
his gallery the merely formal condition OF the pres
entaon OF a card which could had for the asking by
any respectable citizen either of Mr. Johnston himself or
| OF the gentleman who was intrusted by nun
with the distribution Of the cards OF admission; !;
and when the project OF Loan Exhibition OF Pictures
was mooted he OF the first who responded offer
ing TO place his whole collection at the disposal OF tine
committee having the matter in charge Little did any OF
us think that these pictures would return 20 the
| pleasant gallery from which they were taken aud
which to those who knew it, had long been one Of the
chief attractions of our city. But, 80 IT Is;
| Thanked be Fortune and her false wheel
That estate ensureth TO be well.
Yet ono consolation even enyous Fortune cannot take
away from the Of these pictures, the consolation
OF having generously shared his enjoyment OF them
with his fellow citizens while we in our turn cannot DC
deprived OF honorable pride in knowing that man
who in the midst OF absorbing affairs not merely OF Dus
ness but Of charities found made time to give the
most active and energetic attention to the interests OF
art Is q citizen OF NewYork OF what Mr. Johnston mas
done for himself in all these busy years there may In
time be nothing left, but the benefits he has conferred
upon others are substantial monument, and the DEBT
| We owe him Will never be forgotten.
Mr. Johnstons entire collection OF works OF art VIII be
sold at the auction at Chckcrng Hall the 10TH goth,
and 22d OF December and the sale VIII bo absolute As
nothing whatever win be- reserved, so nothing VIII b.
bid in or withdrawn. Many pieces could Do doubt have
been well disposed Of at private sale but the owner has
M
determining that the public at large should
have the benefit OF free competition. The
Catalogue contains 323 numbers, and OF these,
tho collection exhibited at the Metropolitan Mu-
scum during the last Summer only included
95 and many the others, nearly a the watercolors
sketches aud miniatures were never seen by strangers
visiting his house since they distributed about the
private rooms. The public will be surprised not so
much at the extent ~ the collection At s general eI
celIence. This not ccaring-out sale Of rubbish ana
outgrown purchases 1t Is the forced sacrifice oi pckeu
collection which as 1t stands to-day would MAKE If 1t
could be bought entire, most valuable nucleus Tor
representative gallery Of modern art
The pictures belong for the most part 70 foreign
schools although there are many OF them-and these
among the bost-thc works OF American artists OF the
foreign pictures, Mucr's THE koilcal OF the Last
Victim. OF the Rign NJ Terror Gerome's "D-sh OF
Cesar Turner'S "slaye Ship" Brion's Brittany
Peasants at Prayer" Holman Hunts Isabella and the
Pot OF Basil" M,issoncr's "sodiers at Cards" The
Two Confcss0fs" OF ZHmacois, THE Old Beau OF
Louis Knaus, sir Joshua Reynodss "Iheophiia
Palmer" Edouarj Fr6re's Indnstry"-are perhaps
the most important though there Is no doubt
something OF personal preference in such selec-
ton and every one vii. add to II from his own
particular Ings. The exceptions rare IN which an
artist named ~ this catalogue is represented by wotk
which does not show some Of the qualities thai haVo
given him name, and in the great majority OF cases the
pcur- are as good examples Of their painters as could
al. IA q Ff4 AFfsr
can pictures Here the lt includes many pieces which
i'm brtier times We should insist should be
purchased for tho public and placed IN some
soc Of mu-.ums Here are Churchs "Npearn,
HI, best work .Hd the that made his reputation aud
Keep, ali Here are Coles four pictures called the
Voyage OF Ilfr" which sbundantiy illustrate that
artists work. and winch have always been groat favor
i-s with the American public. Colo played no inconsd-
erablc part in development OF the art OF painting In
America sud apart from tbs pleasure these pictures
give people In general, they deserve place IN our
museum A. Ctpai Representatives OF the Wy ol tlnA-
ing and OF the way of woug OF chief pioneer of the
arts Ia this region. They contain All his
exeeilences and all his defecta ar
list 4 greater name than either Church or
Coc-Wa.hlustou Ai-pu--is here in Ie form oi TWO
pictures spa1uo. the Vision VI te Bloody Hand
and his portrait the latter one OF e D-at pieces ot
portrait painting ever made Ia America. Here too
are Wnslow oner's Prisoners from tue Front" Last
man Johnson's Flddling lis way" Boughton's
! Christmas in England" aud Nclntces November
D.ys"-a 0f them not only irsrs,c examples OF tAer
artistic, but excellent pictaros by wnomsOcHcr painted
Besides these principal pieces there are choice p"uc-
tous Of wcsi, TrumDu stuart Elliott, Clifford. Hart, j.
C. Brown CJlman, ". T. richards and indeed OF almost
ali tbe lines that IN any way distns sushed IA the
ranks OF our own men.
Tuelrgop pieces 0i tli- collection VIII naturally and
fairly command the most attention. yet We shall bospeiS
confederation for not fow among tho smaller works,
some Of which remarkably interesting and valuable
The original sketch, thirteen inches by nineteen, oi
Delacroixs Dante and Virgil crossing the syN IS t.
our mind one OF the most valuable OF All Mr. Jchnsons
rietures ~ we were have but one, this Is that one,
and though perhaps few wOuId dispute It's possession
with u.s. yet mind holds To is choice Fe" modern
pictures Of the ideal sort have made more VIVA
and enduring impression upon us than tho original
great picture in tine Luxembourg, DelacrOiNs eAH
ddurre and the original sketch Tor this BY his own
hand seems 10 US a thing OF peculiar value, the more
when one sees how much OF ths fire OF the finished
work is n this first conception OF H. Dci"rochee
"Nymph Bathing Is also small picture OF much grace
of invention and OF nigh finish. VITA the important
execution OF the masters reduction Of bis own emi-
eyce," which was here exhibition, this present
uieture AMI another small work, Mary Magdaen Land
ing AZ MarseIles" are the only examples Of DcdrOche IN
his country far knowledge extends. and OF the
two this much the compter and much the more char
acteristic The small Bon. amin West is good specimen
Of man In whom we always take an interest, no
matter how strongly criticism may dispute his claim TO
high rank as an artist West is always, or almost
always better In his small pictures than in his large
ones and even il 1t not his qualities are Of such
thin substance that nothing gained by spreading them
ont over great sGrface. This specimen small piece
OF bread well Duttercd.
Among these small pictures, too, the specimens OF Cha
vet and Fichel not be lightly passed over They
are as well worth study in their way the Messonies,
Ifzfg are Of aA