New-York tribune., 1884-02-27
THE WALTERS COLLECTIONS
GENERAL. SURVEY OF THEIR CONTENTS


BALTIMORE, Nd, Feb. 24.-There are COZ
iectors and collectors. One amateur nAo u" W
late Mr. Faes, Of Philadelphia accnmulate'
oil paintings and walkingstieks. porcelains an'
pipes modern bronzes and antique fishing tackle III
vast and heterogeneous array Another atlgues hsel
with efforts TO keep UP with the changing phases o.
popular fancy. now worshipping Royal Worcester OF
Drsien ware then captivated by the somewhat faded
charms OF early prints which in turn deserted for the
glowing beauty OF Japanese lscquers or the delicate
paste and peerless lustre of Chinese porceans coec
tor may be seed shaken by the breeze OF passing
crazes He who gathers oil paintings may regard hi:
gallery as a eonservaory,-a fashionable adjunct to
fashionable hOuse-and I'LL 1t the house is decorated
by liberal commissions to professional dealers,
Plenty Of rare and wonderful objects there
are in American collections, as is occasionally
shown by loan exhibitions, but the true
oogaoscc,,d, the collectors whose collecting is
done with educated and steady purpose, to whom
their collections the breath OF their nOstris have
as yet made but a scany showing upon American soil
Yet they exist and The TRIBUNE, always prompt to
recognize artistic achievement, wi think permit me
TO illustrate collecting fine art by the results attained
In the galleries of Mr.. W. I. Walters.
THE COLLECTOR AND HIS WORK.
Ihave mentioned familiar TO connOisseurs abroad
as well in this country. Unlike his brother virtuos'
titled or untitled the wealth of whose private collections
Is now and then brought TO light in some Continental
capital or publicly shown In London on such oc-
c.sons as the winter exhibitions OF paintings py the
old masters the recent exhibition OF Sir Joshua Rey
nodss works. Mr. walterss life has not been absorbed in
diettantsm He has been and is man OF affairs, not
man elegant leisure Educated TO one OF the most prac
teal Of cangs that of engineer concerned with the
most practical and engrossng forms of business the
building aud management Of railroads the architect OF
his own fortunes. Mr. Walters's innate appreciation OF
and sincere love for art dates not from the later days Of
his great successes but from the very beginning OF
~ fla pirif
which mouds the life of great artist to form the
character of the true collector.
With Mr.. Walters, collecting has been a
serious thing frem the first. He began
nearly forty years ago. The first five dollars that
he ever earned he spent for picture He entered upon
process OF sclfeducaOn with seriousness and earnest
ness which in tins busy commercial age have too few
cOunteIparts. Frequent visits, together with long
residence abroad enabled him TO study nearly every
accessible collection in Europe from which he had any
fhng 10 learn He has attended all the universal expOs
fions for the last twenty-five yearsthat at Vienna in
1873 in official capacity 1t was at the London expo
sition of 1862 that phase of art was revealed to
the student collector in the japanese
hib!t Of Sir Rutherford Alcock-the first Of the
kind ever made in a foreign country Recogniz-
ing the force and charm Of japanese art, so
many others in this country have done since the Centen-
nial Exhibition Of 1876 Mr.. Walters then included
japanese art objects in his collections Since his depart
has had the satisfaction OF seeing other amateurs stmu
lated into forming collections by his example The edu
caona influence Of the beautiful examples Of porceains,
Japanese metal work. iron carvings and acquers here
presented, it is impossible to estimate
Fer these galleries are not kept rlgdly closed to the
public On Wednesdays during the next two months
they are opened for a small admission fee for the
benefit of the Baltimore Poor Association, and
on Friday and Saturday next they viii be
open under the auspices of the Decorative Art
Society And collecting in this is not matter Of
eelfsh pleasure hut means of direct improvement 10
artists ana site handicrafsmen japanese motives
now in decoration and the finer workmen in
establishments like Tianys long since endeaVored TO
learn the secrets Of ART IN tins 6% peaceful 6dI aT
of the leaders His finely chosen collection or paintings
try. But there is nothing In America TO be compared
with his departments OF Oriental art.
GLIMPSE OF THE TREASURES.
No hint of this afforded by the exterior Of the plain
oashioned house under the shadow OF the Washington
monument Spacious and substantial, It has the air OF
pef1nanenee peculiar to the houses of Mt VernOnpace
and nothing more Tie large parlors contain brOnzes
cases Of rare old silver and groups of Royal Worcester
Dresden and sevre which elsewhere would be counted
noteworthy. There is dainty chamber fitted up in blue
with furniture and walhangings OF the time Of Marie
Anoinette There another furnished in the old Dutch
STYLE with arichly-earved cabinet delightful writing
other upper contains bronzes and watercoors by
Barye Who among French artists in bronze what
Rosa Bonheur among painters Rare French and
bronzes catch the eye In the paneed dinngroom. But
these like BuePons before dinner are only to whet the
appetite for the coming feast
WARES FROM THE ORIENT.
The first gallery at the Of the house is lined and
nearly filed with Of pOrcelans. On the walls hang
kasomines with colors as soft and beautiful of
the Persian rugs upon the floor. In the centre upon
stand of wood and brass bronze eight feet
high with dragons wrtng its sides toward the figure
of daimio on the top The slight ebony framework Of
these great presents no interference with the sper
did effect of the pOreeains within. Here are fash
toned under the famous Ming dynasty, 13GS1G49 others
Of the eay eighteenth century showing in their decora
lions the effect Of European Influences here is stately
array OF blue ana white ware, with the so-caled
hawthorn really plum BLOSSOM decoration, and near by
is e vase ~ g1e sck o naon a 70 %c @ Sn
pattern reappeas have no time now to dwell upon the
solu oOioIS, NV na yeoD d tnecolor or ',,d ~
one hundred and nfty examples OF eeg-shell paeeain
each selected by Mr. Walters or by his SON. nherts
his cultivated tastes and fine Judgment for it is worth
X hile 10 bear mind that tins Is not dealers collection
every object the result of the ripe experience Of The
Japanese as well as Chinese arr finds place in this
gallery There is a case Of genuine satsuna whose |
are most people only through limitations There
400 japanese porce ans and poereS ana the whole
over 500 years Nothing be said of the drawers
filed with Chinese facOns and japanese snow guards,
covered bridge extending alley from this first
10 the picture gallery are scores OF bro9zes eud-
ing several by Saymin and GcrOsa, among which is little
roup OF the most exquisite porceains in the collection,
xaupes OF the bulOcks blood, peach-bOw and coral
pssE In the picture gallery are four large
aiming royal acquers and rows OF drawers filled with
letsukes, ivory carvings and inros.
Let me sum up the Oriental department. There 200
,ronzes 200 objects Of gold, silver iron and cop
)er: swords, 800 sword guards and 400 other app
nces the sword 500 ivory carvings and 500 acquers
Illustrating the history OF lacquer work for 700
ears. With the pOrceains and few miscellaneous |
eces the Oriental department contains 400 Objects
h0scn IN the language Of the collector TO char
ctersc examples Of the beautiful rather than Of the
merely curious"
THE GALLERY OF PAINTINGS
The $50 oil paintings represent similarly Intelligent
nd catholic process Of Sc ectiOn The collector Judge
as had il IN mind to illustrate the art history OF
.o .ort,rv ny examDlee Of men xyhose in.