New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-17
TOPICS IN PARIS.
THE GRAND PRIZE OF THE SALON - TIN
STOURTZA FORTUNE

SIOURlIA fOhlO
rrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT THE rnrRrwI
Paris June
Yesterday was the grand prize day for the paint.
ers at the Salon, it being the one which tia
Grand Medal was adudged. The favorites wers
NJ. Pclouze NJ Harpignies NJ. BENJAMIN Constant
NJ Hebert and NJ. Maigan. the author Of a
trangely original work, " The Voice of the Toe.
SIM which he symbolizes, while he gives III,
reality OF the belfry bell, as men naked and cling
ing to the ropes in attitudes reminding one Of tia
Damned in Michael Angeles Last Judgments
ring. out pcas Of alarm. The :" Voice is figured
in a Eight from the bells mouth of shadowy femals
forms with tragical heads and dishevelled hair.
They Gy out over country thick with town,
which are given over to lames and we are to sup
pose the carnage Of an invading army. The nude
figures are too violet. But the spirit Of the whols
thing is astounding, and anatomists say the treat
ment from their special point Of view Of the men
who hang OIL 70 the bell ropes and swing hitler and
thither is not surpassed 10y anything that las been
handed down to us by the Florentine masters.
Then there is such q breath of tragedy in the whole
composition. Well, none of the favorites has
won the Grand Prize, which has been carried Of
by NJ Detaille, who painted for this Salon big
picture which he named The Dream lisa
Clever pdlullHS, DuO hVV " '''"|S~Ap'NN~' ""% ~
mixes ND realism and dreamland. We are showna
camp of soldiers, or rather soldiers wrapped up in
their rugs and asleep on moor, or at any rate
what seems in the moonlight wide plain. The
arms arc stacked and flags are stretched from stack
70 stack Sentinels pace up and down. Far Of
the military incendiary has been at work and the
moonbeams struggle through lowering sky One
must stand at some distance to see the dream,
in nIoudc that take the form NJ
trumphant army of the great Napoleon. The
standards which waved at Fleurus, Marengo and
AustcrIitz are borne by the spectral host-so spec
tral that at any moment it may be dispersed bya
moonbeam.
For nv part, I don't like this great picture
nearlv so we'll as the small military paintings BY
NJ. Detaille who preserves his manner in it. This
artist is a frstrate craftsman, with skill TO the
degree of jugglery, and gives an amplitude
and motion to his little soldiers in
little mixtures which are wanting in his big one
which the Fine Arts jury has most highly rewarded
He is not colorist and there is hardness in
his touch which is not disagreeable in lively
little subject Nobody else does the French SOL
dier TO the life with NJ. Detaille's perfection.
His military studies in which one only expects to
find summary treatment and does not look fof
color arc the best Indeed they are unrlvaned.
But as Gustave Dore, who was only craftsman In
black and white, would be painter, so NJ Detallle
scorns the neat, crisp lightly executed military
nicture in which none but himself can be his
parallel This imaginative painter also hankes
after unreality. In his apotheOSis of Thers-a
bio melodramatic painting-he also mixed up
sTmbolism and realism The Dream Is superior
70 that apotheosis But it is far from oelns
the best work in the Salon. and nearly every artss
v,ho voted TO il Grand Prize admits IN private
its inferiorty to the works Of NJ. liarplgmes NJ
Pclouze and lin many respects that OF NJ Malgnan'
which really in point of sprit-stirring powers not
withstanding the violet flesh of the nude hgufes
rises to the sublime.
Each of the above named masters had not
partisans. So, too had NJ Henner VINO SenV oil
exsanguine ST. Sebastian, from whose pody "onen
dressed like black-veiled nuns dIaw the arrows W."
which the saint has been martyred- IL Is naVufaiH
a wonderful imitation of Correggo, and hne
Wanting for gallery. At the first ballot N.
Reniamn Constant was at the head. His rlVas
TO prevent him coming in as victor at tne secona
ballot drew off some friends OF MN. Malgnan
pelouze. Hebert and Harpignies to NJ Detaile
who is only frst-rate in small military SUBJECTS
and therefore as Grand Medallist less in their way.
You see the majority of the jury wanted less 10
reward the author of the best work than 10 pre-
vent the success Of certain schools, or to holso up
higher public favorites who are on lnnowins
waves. but not yet on their crests. Inc uranu
Medal now is given by the juror to the man Oh
talent who gets least in the way OF ndlvldua'
members of the jury who, be 1t Observed are
elected liz the universal suffrages Oh the ar1lsuS
forming La Societe DIES Artistes FRANCHISES. Inc
oId iurv formed of members of the Institute had
ite nroiudiees. and kept too much IN tradltlonai
Iinos Bnt it was not convulsed with pe'ty pas
siors and was fairly free from the influence OF
clioue The sculptors have been more none III
the Use of the ballot, and have adludseo 'iio
Grand Medal for sculpture to NJ lurcah' whos'
" Blind Man and Paralytic," superb group III
the flexible style of Puget, makes him worthy VI
the highest honor.
The pending Stourtza heritage affair promises
n rich crop of scandal Without tracing the
fortune to its origin, or even gong 1urther Oa'A
than 1884, we can find the wherewl1hai ior
romance of the law courts In that year uieu
Prince Michael Stourtza, who used TO go a'ou'
Paris in an antique carriage, winch mishV INV
served as a royal one at coronation AL u
ventory was made of his wealth, Gregory nD
eldest son. who is a Rumanian Senator ana ueu'
oral WAS apprised that the total was valueu ''
thirty millions of francs, TO be dlViueu ani'"e
him and his brother Demetrius and sister frinceSS
Gortcbakof. What seemed to him astounuHs
was that none Of the debentures or other STOCK "a
the payable to bearer" kind was to De lUuu.
Nor was there any cash found IN the desA -
the deceased Yet it was certain that lhe pa
sonal estate as represented in such stock nlu''
have amounted to fifty millions of francs or 'ea
millions of dollars. Where had it all gone ".
Nobody could say. Prince Gregory went Wv
Prefecture of Police and said: Fifty millions
third of which is NINE have oeen stolen lrOli
dead man. Employ detectives to discover ~.
thieves The police detected nothing ,.~.
later the widow of the deceased Prince o'ouns.
died at Baden-Baden, where she had passed 20
in almost utter solitude, Princess 'or'cn" ~.
only now and then going to call upon ~.
When the sick.nurse was washing the body,
found il surrounded with pouch of leather msu,
to fit on like belt and part of it so arrans'.
&C to form n hustle 1t contained the mls'ips