New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-16
MACKAY VS.. MEISSONlER
uur ARTISTS STORY OF THE FAMoOo
49, nIeApREI.

QtAkhEsb.
100, 49,, c'',,,prsro~nrNr OF THE TRlRunII
tFRoN The ht"' PARIS. February ~
Ihad a long conversation tins ~, Nackav
xeissonier about the portrait oil MIS- ;ctod
Those friends of that lady who a''"' -" - fceI
and veteran painter woui" nav " ,%'.,,od 20 bis
ashamed of their spite II 'heN "I ,a.or1ov at his
$50. % ,b. affair left nv caro- YESTERDAY ."
'els''" " ,oId thc concierge that on his Ie'"'n
nous -, to-dav I should call upon INN net"e'h
ii 81 s,x-the period Of the ai'cInVo"
'n''' t;cb he receives on Fridays N"eu
arrived there was line W
carriages before the door. anu toU" e
an the studio number OF famous 'tt P'u'
x.bo were inspecting picture at whicn Nv
,,occd The subject is Francis l. being k''ig",' 'u
H. 6eld of battle by the CheVallel Day "iu "
.bero are more than hundred horses oro"sn' NV
:, uost of the preparatory Studies "eio u'"T ~
po;ss, where Messouier has well-stoc%ed stances
-, Tho bor.e-trainine establishment OF ms
friends the Duke of Albufera and baron >en1''%
u, This n,ctnre has not yet got beyond the DiacA
"a b,tc stage 1t will not be so large as the one
I'D lv Sir Richard Wallace, ana uiu-
,notnlv sold to the late A. l. So
ort If New:York. The French army "hon
went under Francis 10 invade it''! g.
essentially cavalry force. II was maui "f .ho
the greater part of hOrsemen. Nearly an VI 49,:
military scenes of MeissOner give one 'ie ~
of lulls in a storm. In "lSl4, IN "h''" mn r.
leon advances over o snow-cofteu pa, pa+.Ins
.tafi behind him, one feels tha' inc uou % - Ia
haa on for heep with him, but that hent elor,h no
III y. orainst him. His luck has turned ana III
-. I'm oenius art ssnd taxing glamour
Ill ho If no avail This idea Is conveyed "lon
astonishing power in "1S14." In " Inc hhle"'ins
NJ FraucisI" kindred sentiment Is eApIcS'o"'
The coming event at Pavia casts its shadow oeiore
al. .a T,Yy
Messonier knowing that l represented lhk
TuEl.NE left the group OF gentlemen "hon '"i
rounded the picture, and after talking 10 me ioi
lii called his nephew, Adolphe and told him 10
show me whatever there was VI in'010''
saen The person answering to the name was d
vouno slight dark-eyed Frenchman. with some
tbi,c IN his physloanony which indicated Lyons
origin found him an intelligent, oDhghg
and noite cicerone. He showed me quaint
ties Of studies of horses on small
wooden panels. They were sketches ana higniy
erisbod norraits of studs that were 10 be brought
into military pictures. white Syrian morse was
deliberately done from no less than elght dineieu'
points of view. This animal Is the one vi
which Napoleon is represented IN 1914" ueni"'
has been defined as patience" by oli isaac No" 'o
Other, would rather term it intuition. But IL can
hevc ma STAYING power. and will fail TO do great
things If it has not behind it steady VIII tha'
ro,s,rains IL 10 pod on patiently. This truth IS
rsxer more apparent To me than when see III
studio or in exhibition OF ske'chcs
and designs how II Is that great
painters. TO produce pictures worthy OF them'
toll in preparing materials for their comDosltioh.
when Meissoner has got each horse and rider well
ON panel he assigns the place they are 70 occupy
detnitively
NV attention was called to a beautiful thing
which he did sixteen years ago for himself ana
means never to part with. 1t representa- Iady ana
Gentleman in carnival time in lOggla OF Venetian
palace. laughing down at brightly illuminated
scene from which light is reflected IN their faces
and in some of the architectural ccessories near
them The delicate play of expression In the Sig
morals phvsiognomy and the technical skill III the
fine touches render this one OF the most Vainaoie
of Meissonier's pictures He beheld her IN passing
fell in love with her, never saw hcr again.
but her face was well in his head that on return
ing to his hotel he made little portrait of her. IL
nlsases him 70 fancy that he has secured TO her
ANONYMOUS immortality, and that people VIII dc
hereafter tormented with curiosity about her
which IL not 70 be satisfied. When the siGnora was
done tbe SigDor who is not well IN view, and
the accessories were brought in. Once IN whlle
MeisSonier returns TO add something TO TINS pc
ture to which he has not yet attxei his signature
Whenever he signs thing he rarely touches IL
again The lady placing taper before shrine In
ayenetian church was also done for himself, ana
be means never to part with it. There IS clause
In his will leaving il and seven other paintings
done con dhore and some studies of horses, to the
Louvre.
A. was looking as the "TapeT-hghtlng
IN Church" Meissonier himself came mp TO
me and after directing his nephew to 60
70 some newcomers showed a disposition TO
enter into conversation while doing me the honoIs
of hs studio. He pointed out a drawing OF
Nanoleon witnessing charge of cuirassiers. 1t Is
the original design OF the painting now owned by
MIR. Stewart. of New-York This brought the mas
ter 70 talk of his American friend, and of American
patronage of French art He spoke in the most
genial spirit and apparently felt every word he
said The conversation then came around 70 the
Observation-Disclosures" scandal. He confessed
himself hurt at the way III which Mrs.
Mackav's friends had acted toward him. The
whole affair had been brought TO a close aud he
thought burned, when the Clarion, the G0uiofS and
some American journalists connected with those
paper, disinterred it. Every morning he was sent
an account of the affair which had been written by
SOM of them Bnt they might go till they were
tired. What vexed the artist in their attacks was
reiterated assertion that Mrs. Mackays wOmanhOod
was not respected by him. Nothing more cal
culated to afront one who pridcd himself upon DO
Ing a son of Old Gaul. According to the master he
had not only been polite to the lady but G9y Pctits
SONS. He gave orders that whenever she came to
Sit her carriage should not he kept in the
street but driven into the court
yard behind his house, and he went
downstairs himself to receive her. He
had the calorifere regulated TO produce only the
degree of heat that reigns in her mansion, and he
resorted to all kinds of little articles not to let her
suffer from tedium when she was with him.
MISSIONER never makes, himself, price All the
business relations with his clients carried on
through his agent, NJ. Georges Petit This. he
said he Intuated to III. Maekay, when that gen
tlenan asked HIM 10 do his wife's portrait With
regard to prices be to some extent makes the rich
DAY foI those who are not wealthy. lie did Victor