The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-10
A COSTLY PICTURE.
The Raphael Which the British Govern
ment Is Asked to Buy for S35O.OOO.

The Raphael Which the British Govern
ment Is Asked to Buy for S35O.OOO.
Pail alalr Gazette.
Seventy thousand pounds is a stupendous
price to pay for one picture. 1t is equivalent to
about 81 000, 900 halfpennies, so that if we dis
tribute the burden OF the price proposed to be given
for the Blenheim Raphael over the whole of the
population of the United Kingdom it would re
guire that each man, woman and child that
breaths within the limits Of the British islands
should individually have to pay one halfpenny
in order to accumulate this unique and unheard-
Of price. No picture that ever yet sold
fetched half the sum. Is then, the article worth
the money! And is it worth our while to buy lts
That is the question for the British public andlt
representatives, and there is much to be said on
both sides. The world OF art is unanimous in
favor of the purchase The picture is not only
by Raphael, but it was painted by him at a time
when his productions were most interesting,
end it is pretty certain that no specimen OF
painting from his hand when his genius was
emerging from the trammels of Perugine into
the freedom of his best period will ever be 90
tainable again. On the other hand, is it wise
that government which processes economy
should set tho example of giving wild price
like thisf Even though the opposition in Parlia-
should be unsuccessful is there not
danger that economists will be
so much disguised by this extreme price that
they will be driven into sort of general opnosi-
ton to voting money for the purchase of any old
masters at all! Moreover, the sober taxpayer Is
perhaps not best pleased at the idea of pouring
all this money into the Golfers of the Duke of
Marlborough. But this is speculation; 1T is
pity the picture cannot be exhibited before
purchase, so that the nation may not buy
1'pie in poke" for to say the truth there is
, not much general confidence in the judgment
of our art advisers. AS we cannot see the pict-
ure ourselves, let US note the purport of what is
said about it in the famous German art guide.
uax, -hcn1 tha1o fc had
as being of surprising interest and beauty
Born in 1883 just 400 years ago, Raphael Santi
was only seventeen years Old when he first
painted any independent works which can still
De identified as such. These are entirely in the
style of his master, Perugino, but with more ex-
preston. In 1904, when he was just of age, he
painted the famous Marriage of the Virgin so
well-known in England by copies and engravings,
and to all travellers in Italy who visit the Brera
mt Milan. where it hangs, Everybody remem-
bers the circular temple behind and above the
wedding group and the sutton in front, dandy
of the period, who is represented STOPPING to
break his barren wand, while the chosen Joseph,
with his right hand puts a ring on the brides
finger aud holds in his left his more favored
wand, which, according to the legend. has bios
somed into lilly. In the autumn of the year III
which Raphael painted this picture he went to
Florence. There he came under new influences.
Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo are
known to have been there in 1905, anu it was
doubtless under the new influence of their exam
ale and the examples of their schools that the
young artist emancipated himself from the
Limitations of the school of Perugino and came
Tnder the spell of the Florentires. The
Blenheim picture ia one of the few
know examples in which this transition stage
may be studied. 1t represents Mother and
Child on throne, st. Nicholas of Bari on one
Eide and Baptist on the other Though the pic
ture is only eight feet high, the beholder on
looking at it undergoes the illusion frequently
noticed in the of works of the rarest
,cellence and imagines that the figures are of the
size of life. If there is any trouble in getting
the money voted to pay for this chef d'oeuvre it
should be exhibited before the vote is taken in
one of the Hobbies of the House of Commons.
Meantime beautiful line engraving of it by l..
Gruner may be seen at the rooms of the Bur
lington Fine Arts Club and is,iwe imagine, easily
Dbtainable.