New-York tribune., 1885-03-02
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
THE WEEK IN ART CIRCLES.
CLOSE OF THE wATER-COLOR ExHTBITioN-NoTEs
OF PICTURES NEW AND OLD.

The amount of theksales at the water-cOl0
exhibition which closed Saturday is given as owe
$4,000, at catalogue prices. This would seem Il
indicate that the tide turned. The exhibitions
1882 ,s3 and 's4 showed the steady decrease In th
sales The exhibition Just closed however. exceeds Las
years receipts Dy 000 and the sales are Leary equa
to these of $780, In that year OYER $4,000 wer'
received for waer-coors. In 1881 the sales amounted
to 1872 OOO in 1882 $33OOO 1888 to $4,000. and
in 1884 to $4,000 at catalogue In 1882 the
most prosperous year IN the history of the society," the
sales Of etchings alone amounted $4,000 This yeaI
the receipts aside these from the sale OF water
| coors about the same as last year. over 1900
water-coor and 800 Etching Club catalogues have been
sold at the door, together with abOnt 10000 single and
600 tickets On the whole the results are CON
sidered extremely encouraging. Some OF the water
coors sold since the last time of writing arc Autumn
j. f. Cropsey, 1925; Afternoon" r. c. Minor $75;
Stormy Day." f. A. Silva, 800; "Dories," +. X. NJ
Rehn 800; Study OF Willows" G. ii. Smillie, $50;
"Iilian," NJ. B. o. Fowler, $50; Half Afraid" H. +.
Shore $751; over the Hi, G. II. smillie, $50; Court
Yard" Walter Paris, S55; An Old Pensioner" O. W..
Conant $I25; Purity" c. Williamson, $40; Sketch
W. H. Gibson, $40; twilight" s. X. Burlegh, $75;
The Fading Woods" Henry Farrer 5000; Still Life
L. c. Earle, $75; by the Sound" j. W. Pattson, S9o;
"An Evening Shower" F. A. Silva. 800; "spanish
Contrabandista" Walter Saterlee, 800; Yarmouth
Flshwife," Edward Moran, $500; "Reminiscences"
r. W. Van Boskerck, $75; Scattered Leaves" c. II.
Roses" Helen L. Roby $40; November Skies" g. Ii.
McCord, sos; Old Bake House." G. H. smlle. $175;
"On the Hudson" G. NJ. Clark. $125; and Anthony
Van Corlear," 4. de Thulstrup, $3.50.
The exhibition Of paintings at the American Art Gal
leres Will close tomorrow, in order that the upper
galleries may cleared for the reception Of the seney
collection The oriental embroideres viii remain upon
exhibition In Gallery A for the present.
Any newspaper mention OF an old master is sure 10
arouse confident owners OF authentic" Van Dycks,
Murillos Rembrandts Raphaels The first notice OF
The Glider" which appeared In THE TRIBUNE was
followed within rwenyfour hours by letter from an
owner OF "a genuine Re mbrandt. Only the other day
Dir. Jules Oehme who presides the gallery OF
Messrs Knoeder tS Co., staggered by the appear
ance OF an old master" valued by its sangune owner
at 100000 the picture met with no more favor-
able reception than did two Rembrandts which some
time since were presented for Mr. Oehme's inspection
Referring to this subject local expert says Every
week almost every day somebody comes to us with an
old picture which is cherished masterpiece These
people hear bow the value OF some wei-known painting
ike The Glider has Increased with its and they
think that every picture which Is old must be valuable
As matter OF fact, there great many old pictures
in this country. Something like generation ago there
was an auctoneer In this city named Levy whose sole
business was the selling OF old pictures. They were
brought In sailing vessels, and To economic space
the canyascs neither framed nor even mounted on
trechers but packed closely together one on top OF
another ike many hides The pictures were not even
stretched when they placed exhibition but the
canvases we're simply tackled up on the walls OF the
gallery and every Saturday night regularly the
auctioncer held sale II profitable business, for
the supply abundant on the other side that the
paintings very little Many Of these pictures were
undoubtedly old. or course copying has been going on
during all the long time since the great schools OF art
Aourished In Europe ard plenty Of inconsequential
pict uaufel under the influence or famous
schoo 40 that there abundance Of more or less
ancient rubbish draw from. Ii Is common thing TO
nnd these pictures carefully preserved and highly
valued. Tho Bonaparte sale at BOrdentown put INTO
circulation a number Of old pictures which were Kept In
various families and the and grandsons place even
"A greater value upon these paintings than did the
original purchasers They that the pictures must
he great works they from the Bonaparte
collection. which reality was not very good one
passage OF time TRANSFORMS copies into originals IN
the Of the owners and gives venerable and
dingy paintings copper wood panels an added
value, which unlucklly lie fictitious. The number OF
pictures held to DO authentic old masters in this
country Is surprisingly large"
In one of the old wooden houses which stood few
years since at Lcxingon-a and Thirty seventh-st,
there hung large painting called The Confluence OF
scpio" which the had inherited together with
the belief that his picture was genuine Rubens."
But the world o: art refused into mourning when
the picture destroyed In warehouse ire. There
Is still In this city large painting OF" The Fagellation,"
with not unntoresting history which Is attributed TO
Murillo. Not very long ago 1t was announced that a
Connecticut shoemaker had uncarthed "a Rembrandt,
and tho spaper accounts at the time credited him
with the possession OF various other old masters.
few weeks since stated that well-known artist,
who has proved his ability TO handle the pen as well
as the brush believed himself to be the discoverer OF
" n genuine Clauie Lorraine" resident OF Kansas
sent to this city time two small panel paint
ah.I .fa tiah hnrk
color and without any other salient char for
only very close scrutiny could detect vague meaning
less figures underneath the glaze. They were good
specimens richly colOred toned wood but tho
considered them precious examples of Old Dutch
masters; and although their Identification was i'm
possibe he valued them at price double that which
undobted examples Teniers thee elder and Terburg
have recently brought IN the Paris market recent
number The chicago Tribune contains an account or
Raphael owned in that city, which the owner Keeps
In vault and he Is said TO have refused an offer OF
$50 600 for tho work" Other romantic elements OF Il
tale are that the picture painted when Raphael
Sas only nineteen years DID," and that 1t was stolen
from the Vatican 1850" Under these circumstances
IL 1. not strange painting does not meet with
the favor OF all art critics who have seen It,
The frontispiece OF the March Art Amater is repro
anction by a photo-engraying process OF Wai,ners |
etching after Rembrandts painting The Glider me
chnrocer and expression Of the face are fairly well
preserved but the sofness and transparency OF the
shadows have given place to more crude contrast oi
White and bark. However, this reproduction VIII |
attract considerable attention at the present time Con
rernng the recent history OF the original the editor
writes picture brought no more than oOoo francs
81 OOO-at the Slater sale In lsO2 In 1856 IL was
owned by Partisan dealer who asked 10000 francs Tor
IL N was I'm the sale OF Nine. Chayagnacs collection IN
June 1864; but can find no record OF what pr9snt
I'm NAV 1863 II sold to Nine de Morny for loo,ooo
S3 900 so appears that In twenty years
il has increased In value about 80 per cent ana irom the
neginnine of the century over 1000 per cent
Another paragraph In My Note Book" contains tho |
roiowing reference to tho Seney sale: "The sale has
been delayed account OF hard times anu ID tle IN
erin have been quietly going on ny which
Ihe Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington will probably
,coYire considerable number or pictures. subject or
o,rse IN omen compel ottion In the auction The
ropcornn trustees have three years accumulated Income
Ln srcnd-a mntter OF about Sl0O.oOV-.Whch was 10 |