Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-13
ART NOTES

Eaght hundred and forty persons visited
the Corcoran Gallery during the day and even
ing of Thursday. The evening attendance
during the season has not however boon as
large ~ IL was supposed 10 would be-
A painting by Mr.. W. v. Birney, formerly
OF this city, was one OF three sold on the OPEN
ing night OF the recent exhibition OF the Brook
lyn Academy OF Fine Arts Mr.. Birney has
York.
There Ia. unfortunately, no prospect that
the present duty OF 80 per cent on works OF art
imported into this country,-a measure earn
estly protested against by those whom IL was
ent Congress.
MIR. waggaman was not n buyer Mt the
great Morgan sale OF paintings ina New York
last week, as &c was supposed he would be,
though he was an Interested witness OF its
eitng scenes each evening. While there, how
10y Troyon. which those who have seen n pr,
nounce very fine.
An art exhibition which will doubtless ex-
cite considerable interest is that OF a collection
OF paintings by the modern French Impress
sionists,'' which will be opened I'm New York
early In April IL will consist of nearly three
hundred works. They have already arrived.
ana viii be shown at the galleries OF the Ameri-
can Art Association. on Madison Square.
If the pictures OF Washington from his
Sketches, which lately appeared in one of the
Illustrated London weeklies, are fair exam
pies OF the efforts OF Mr. Randolph Caidicott
sse Engiish artist who recently died in Florida
AZ can DE said that the cause OF illustrative art
uid mol lose very greatly by his death. They
, IAN ABOUT every quality necessary 10 good
work OF their class.
- The Corcoran Medal, which is presented "a,
the copyist who shows the greatest progress I'm
drawing from casts in the Gallery during each
year, has been awarded for 1855 90 Miss Mary
". arner, OF Detroit. The committee of seleS.
tion, composed OF three prominent New Work
artists, who did not know the names of any
Oh the Competitors, spoke In high terms OF the
Work OF Miss A. A Newton, Miss l.. Miller ana
Miss Anna n. Moore of this city but decided
that, on the whole. that OF Miss Warner was
ingly been forwarded TO her. Miss Wsrner !. =
niece OF Chit Justice w ate. There were in an
| OF them ladies.
| The prediction ventured I'm this column at
the time OF the dedication of the Luther statue.
| that Its location here would probably lead 10
the placing in the national CAPITAL of statues Of
.eaaing representatives OF other religious de-
nominations seems in a fair way TO be verified
AT no distant day. At the Methodist conference
held In Baltimore during the present week sters
TIE STAR, for the erection here OF a statue or
monument In honor of John Wesley the
founder of Methodism. 1t is, OF course too
| early as yet 10 afford any precise innrmaiion
on The subject, but IL is quite safe To saw that
the project will eventually be carried out The
| preliminary measures are in excellent hands
| The catalogue of the DHuyvetter collection
OF paintings now on view at the Scott Art
| gallery tWillard HalD contains names that do
not often come before those who attend WASH
ingIon picture sale, and the average of the pic
| lures viii also be found somewhat higher than
| they are accustomed 10 see in our auction
| rooms. In so many canvases as are gathered
there Is necessarily wide range in merit as well
| as subject, and while there are some pictures
| OF comparatively little value there are MANY
| Others OF excellent qualities. Thus between
| the TWO extremes pretty much every taste can
ps gratifed; The sale. IL will be observed. be-
rfl..r AIM
time The collection is on free exhibition.
! Mr.. Thomas Moran is hardly holding his
OLD position as an artist in public esteem ifthe
result OF the sale OF his pictures lately held in
| New York can be regarded as an Indication
| II was made for the purpose OF clearing out his
| studio, for a prolonged sojourn i'm Euroue and in
| Guided some fifty oil paintings and about third
as many water color drawings. Among them
were many of bis characteristic pictures of Colo
| RADIO, Utah and Arizona scenery, and the collec-
| ton included also his large painting Ponce de
| Leon in Florida, 1872" which was exhibited
| here some years ago. This picture brought only
| SS,oVo, which, II we remember correctly, is
less tlan one-lourfh OF the price then asked for
| IL, while the whole collection produced only
ABOUT sl2:5oO. or an average of less Ihsn 500
| Tor each picture sold. Fer the Two landscapes
| by Mr.. Moran in the Capitoi il in understood
] that the sum of $4,000 was paid.
THE Wood-iatherers," by Corot, the single
painting bought by the Corcoran Gallery at the
Morgan sale I'm New York last week. has been
received and placed In position on the east wall
OF the main gallery Of that institution Natur-
ally 1t attracts much attention,-largely, of
! course, on account OF the name aud style of the
artist, and partly, no doubt, from the fact that
III Is the most costly work OF art in the colec-
ton. Its title is somewhat misleading, since IL
Is likely TO create the impression that the paint
| ing belongs TO the class known as fgure-pieces-
whereas 1t is a very simple landscape, treated
| In broad and simple manner, with but three
modest hgures-one OF them on horseback
| introduced apparently as incidental ac-
cessories, and merely to give a human
| interest to the canvas. IL does not show
| In the same degree that some OF Corot's paint.
| ings do, the silyery shimmering light OF early
| morning, in the representation of which he had
no superior, II an equal. and it also wholly lacks
| the presence OF water, which he sometimes re-
produced SO cbarmingfy; but il is a noble and
dignified work OF art, which would honor and
| adorn any collection OF paintings. Save in the
| two features just referred 10, IL is an example
| OF Corot's best efforts and, size and everything
| considered, il is doubtful W whether the Gallery
would ever be able to get one OF his pictures bet
| Ter suited Tor Its purposes. As TO its artistic
merits and intrinsic value there are likely 10 be
| widely differing opinions.
| While the sale of the Morgan paintings I'm
New York last week probably satisfied the de-
mands of very wealthy buyers who wanted
only pictures of the highest price, IL apparently
served TO whet the appetite of those OF moder-
ate means who could content themselves with
works OF a less expensive character. This was
shown by the sale of the collection of Mr.. Hazel.
tine, Philadelphia dealer, which took place i'm
| day evenings of this week Mr. Hazeitines cata.
logue was quite an imposing one both a. TO
| numbers and artists. II included about 2oO
! works, in oil and water colors, and contained
such names as de Melville, Troyon, Alma-
Tadema, Coroi, Daz, Nibert Rico, pl-irf
Rousseau, Berne-Bellecour. IIem DetaflIe'
Fortuny, Jacque, Dupre Icicbre. Peralta Bon,
| nat, Moreau, Daubigi and Breton. NatilraiIr
| many Of these brought god priccs though
nothing touched any thing like the eA = .1aganL
figures obtained at the Morgan sale. al al. ng an
Afternoon Ride" by Meissonier, commanded
! $1,000. A "Trumpeter," by de Neuville.
! brought 81, 100, and sixty Others went for over
$1,000 EACH ranging from that figure up -
| $3.50, which was paid for a cattle piece by
Van Marcke. The average for the whole lot
was about 1913, which il must ne admitted
was very fair. Al the Morgan sale OF 24o num-
| bers, which produced an aggregate of Sss5. 800,
the average was nearly So, 1Oo- the lowest price
/ Tor which any picture sold being sl25, and the
highest as all the world knows, S45, 800. This
| sum is the highest price ever brought by any
painting In this country at auction, although
there are several owned in private galleries Tor
which q higher price was paid at private sale.
| Government Clerks and the Public
Schools"