New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-20
.pTAT THE LENOX LIBRARY.
,,rNrNCs AND SCULPTURES.

r,ba naiptings anu sculptures pteseheSu W
.uhlc ny Mr. James LenoX, ana piaeea III 'Ne oui'd
te NV aim TO contain the Library, also his gift and
me- O'- , nv his name were exhibited for the first
n,s week The collection consists OF 1856 pictures
marbles or the etures, less than 40 are by
can painters. and only three ont OF the 10 pieces
o. rlptrrc are by Americans. 80 that the gallery con
=" ,,,,,alv Of foreign works. It Is TO be remarked,
49, that almost all the principal pictures not
H.,, On, English and that among the English we
So tho numerous specimens Of the late Charles II.
- who though born of American parents, passed
a,tive LIE in England, where he happened to be
bora -, l., It'll, A., ,,
nu, Is the finest public picture gallery in America.
"a. I,rve and lofty apartment, specially designed for
r,ose 10 which It devoted and yet il is not large
rrh 70 show advantage all the pictures 1t contains
mach lofer than needed TO be, but the wall space
NOT provcd sufficient TO enable AL the pictures to be
INC where they can be comfortably seen. Many of
h and these among the smallest are hung far above
level Of the eye. and might as well not have been
br,g AZ all. that would be particularly
trcated by having them hung lower, but that ia not
,rouestion II they worth hanging at all, they
noun certainly have been hung where they could be
sern II they not worth hanging where they could
hs seen they shOnld not have been hung at all.
without the slightest wish 10 look githorse in the
ph We are bound by duty to the public to declare
bet the collection of pictures which Mr. LenN has pre-
pte 10 the citizens OF NcwYork Is very disappoln
zone THIS not Mr.. Lenoxs fault. 1t is his nsfor
en- II IL no secret that these pictures we'll the
hok which arc be united with them fl the generous
su of Mr. Leuox have been shut NJ from al eomnuni-
a,,ou not merely with the general public but with that
0eet norton Of the public that might have been sup
sed fitted by taste and education 10 profit by aequaiht
snee with them. For twenty years or more 1t has been
known TO all NewYork. and to all America interested in
s,eh matters, Mr.. LenOx the owner OF TaEnid
cent and costly collection Of books, ana OF many vau
HE pictures Scholars, amateurs connOssclrs men and
women % culture and rn euen have earnestly desired
70 see books nd turos-to share however, lightly
te owners enjoyment OF his treasures. But IN VAIN
Unless Il may have been the fortune OF his most intimate
friends all access to them has been r.idy denied and to
all ntents and purposes the LenO collections so far a.
any good they have been dong all these years IN forming
the public taste helping the education, might
as well have been il existence We are not question:
g Mr. Lenoxs right shut people out of his OWN house
LEGALLY his right DO so is unqu-sonah'e, bat we say
samsforune that his p"rsisently polite refusal to let
people see his books and pictures naturally piqed public
curiosity and in the OF the pictures gave rise to The
most exravagant reports to their extreme value and
rarity And now that at Last after long waiting, they
are hung where all the world, by taking trouble enough
and going far enough, them it is not surprising
they found 10 be much less valuable than report
had set them forth
It's no addition to the public pleasure TO discover that
in the thirty or forty that have sd by since MI
Lelox first bought his most important pictures Time has
been slowly but surely destroying their beauty The
two Sir Joshua Reynolds bought in 1s45 may have been
III good condition when they were bought, but one OF
them the Miss Kitty Fisher Is utterly gone the other
the srea one, Mrs Ellington 10 Saint Cecilia Is faded
and war and only the ghost OF what 1t was As evidences
Of what Sir Joshua painter, they are nearly
worthless MI Johnstons Sir Joshua was pale and
faded but It worth both these two put together
The Turner's. too, once fine specimens OF the
master The Scene on the French Coast" painted in
1885, bought in 1850, was once beautiful picture Uut
though s tracCaO,e in their loneliness its
c0urs have been changed chemically by sunlight gas,
and exposure all dcleteriOus influences that II Is
cureless ruin. The Fngals Cave" is in better cOndi-
ton The GainsbOrough and the Constable are IN
good case az least the GansborOugh may be said TO be
So but the Constable is on the way to ruin though not
nearly SO far advanced the Reynolds and the Turner
But neither Of them Is hrstrate specimen of It's author
though the GlinsborOugh s good picture By this
painter as We have in this country.
Ieslfes reputation will gain nothing whatever by
the pictures from his hand exhibited here. They are
childish and weak beyond all We knew Of Leslie
sincerely sorry TO see them hung here to mis-
represent him. Not one OF these pictures shows hls
peculiar talent for what may be called "sentee comedy
IN pa nug; they all subjects calling for the power
10 represent deep religious earnestuess intense feel
IL sort and Leslie mad not the least artistic
power in his direction. He eIninenty good man,
aeucerc Christian gentleman but ms genius as an artist
led him naturally In other directions. These portraits
are painted with forcing of his disposition and the
poverty Of his treatment leaves at fun leisure TO Tt
mark upon the crudiJy of his coioraw beyond cOncep
u0n.
There are several stnars reasonably goodhe head Of
Mrs Robert Morris. unfinished Like the vellknown
washingtons being the best, and there are two good
Coneys one the portrait of Lady Wentworth. picture
Of what must have very pretty woman, but II has
faded in the lights COpeys pictures would sometimes
DO and il unsatisfactory painting. There is apor-
trait by Trumbun which visa were hung lower :; 1t
looks ike good picture, and TrumbnPs ability TO paint
a good portrait is not denied slight sketches by
Wikie a good Pigs" by Morand some unrnport2nt
aud unintcres:ing sketches by Landseer and number
Of small works and copies by unknown and hteknown
names nearly exhaust the catalogue OF European names
The Of vernet and Delaroche are attached to pic
lures that have no value IN themselves and that derive
but little from their association with their authors
The American pictures ncude Mr.. Church's 80 oto
paxi" valuable study Of a famous mountain, but with
out interest as q picture q number OF Indifferent
eanyases sned by George L. Brown, Albert Bicrstadt.
Thomas Cole a. B. Durand, and Rembrandt Peae, and
pictures by Gilbert stuart Newton which do that
promising man of talent less than justice. We might
speak with severity Of tie pictures admitted to
this noble rooID-the a" Head Of Washington" by Rem
brandt Pea copied to order :" the Grown OF Scot
land Oh a Cushion" by SIR David Wikie THE First
Grandcbnd" by Carl Hubner; the "Chromo-lithOgraph
Of Church's Niagara retOuched by the artist" the
Portrait DAVID arricS" by Robert Edge Pine, and
the Portrait OF Ram Dolol Day, copy alter Thomas
Hickey and who was Thomas Hickey
In the hal which the picture gallery opens there
are few pieces Of sculpture, among them pretty
piece" Tie Babes ia tie Wood by Thomas Crawford,
and conical, absurdy eOmcal " La PenserOSa which
Invaluable as speci8en OF the late Mr. Powers utter
inability 10 conceive a poetic subject; Certainly the
sods I'D make HIM poeca and nothing IN bis tram
ms helped hin make MP for what the gods denied him
Many dgure-hcad to a ship has more life and grace
Aft-r, % "A AZ