The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-12
THE ART MUSEUM COLLECTION.
Decorative Objects on Exhibition and
Sale ut the Music Hall Rooms.

It is pleasant stroll these bright spring
days to the Music Hall Building and yet
more so to saunter through the rooms
where the Art Museum Association have
gathered from almost the ends Of the earth
rare, beautiful and curious objects for the
inspection Of the public interested in
aesthetic development in our midst The
various articles, pictures, vases, pots,
plaques busts, tapestry, jewelry. furniture
needlework, lace, bric-a-brac and what-not
are invariably more or lessinteresting, some
exquisitely beautiful and all suggestive OF
the great end aimed at by those who have
labored so long in gathering these articles
for public inspection. ...
| The ultimate object is, OF course, mu-
scum and school Of industrial art, of which
the germ is here already formed and slowly
crystalizing into being. These various ar
ticles can scarcely be called museum and
yet the time has been when the great col
lecuons of London, Paris, Berlin, Naples
and the other famous museums of Europe
were even less than we see here. The
classes In modelling. drawing, water color
and needlework are comparatively In their
infancy, and yet all these possess promise
of great and successful future before
them. All the work shown by pupils is
not the best ever done in this country, and
yet there are some examples by our own
citizens that bear names that can scarcely
fail to be associated with high develop
ment of art in this country in future
years.
There are, of course, things here that are
only curious as there are in any collection.
large or small, and still not few that in
trnscaly are extremely beautiful. Our
visit last week was too briet to inspect
everything, but we were struck with sew
eral exquisite productions. Among these
were vases by Mrs. Keenan,; one in particu-
lar. of antique form with blue corn flow
ers, that impressed US as particularly
pretty.
lent, although the specimens shown, with
one or two exceptions, were not his best
work. ...t t- .g.
Mrs. George Ward Nichols exhibits a vase
| in blue and gold, ornamented with crane
| in relieve, that betrays great strength and
boldness of execution Mrs. Nichols shows
a fine feeling in her work generally that
is however, not so happy in another large
vase with fish.
Miss Mclaughlin has pair of pretty
plates with landscapes, pair of vases with
heads not 60 pleasing but really exquisite
little blue and gold glaze stone china vase,
but none of her really superb specimens.
such as shown at the Exposition, were seen
at the hall. Benefits under glaze faience,
of which there were several specimens,
were good as nearly all of BENEFITS work
of this kind is. But two of the vases
shown were such as our resident artists
will do we'll to initiate.
DR.. Howe loans the collection a superb
Satsuma punch bowl.
The Society of Industry, of Monticello,
have a beautiful piece of pottery orna-
mented with a wreath of wild roses in re-
lievo and superb piece of work. This is
donated by Duhme.
Mrs. w. P. Hurlburt shows a couple OF
small vases with sculptured ornamental
tions In relieve. One of these is delicate
and pretty, the other impressed us as less
successful t.
| A plate with birds and apple blossoms,
with no name attached, was exquisitely
beautiful.
Mr.. Mersman has charming bust of a
child, infantile and pretty.
Mr.. Rettig's little water color of daisies
oats. grasses and clover heads is the pretti.
WOIh W . nave Seeu lIOill Ills uduu, anu
is in every respect charming. % t.
Miss Raymond's peach blossoms is also
delicate and beautiful.
A black walnut stand, to which we see no
name attached, is really piece OF fur
niture to treasure in household, and we
hope 10 see more such.
Some of the needlework on linen i'm.
pressed us as altogether excellent. Here is a
| department where the cultivated house wife
+ may perform some OF the most useful of
labor, at the same time that she is satisfy
ing her sesthetic instincts by rendering
commonplace things beautiful as works OF
art. ~
r Mrs. LeBoutillier Mcconnell loans the
= Association an interesting collection oil
bric-a-brac. that is some of it in the highest
degree curious We do not doubt that the
ladies will find among the most interesting
! of these some rare old Honiton and Valen.
! ciennes lace of the most elaborate yellow
} and costly description.
Some Chinese funeral cards are doubtless
/ very lugubrious, but We were too hurried
!. to stop and decipher them. These were
1 presented by Mr.. Bailey, our Consul tc
n China.
!. There is, in addition, quite extensive
t collection Of pictures, of which we are un
h able to speak at length to-day. The room.
# are the Art Galleries in the south wing Of
the Music Hall, and the public will be wei
come, we presume. to visit them any day
. without cost, and Mrs. Lord in charge, will
y be glad to answer all inquiries or name the
: prices of whatever among the curious col
= lection of articles are for sale.
\ We respectfully suggest that our citizen,
= ought to exercise more thorough interes
= in this imr ortant institution.
o