Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-13
ART NOTES.

The project OF . building for q school OF
architecture is mooted at Chicago, with medals
for competitions among young architects and
travelling scholarships.
Queen Victoria has added another tribute to
the memory Of her faithful servitor, John
Brown, by the erection Of his statue in bronze,
Of colossal size, on the grounds At BAlmoral
Inc work was executed by Sir Edward Boehm,
who seems to be fairly entitled to the designa-
ton OF sculptor In ordinary to the queen.
-Miss Hortense Bertssux Alexander, daughter
OF the late Edward F. Alexander, who is now a
student at the Georgetown Academy, will
shortly 60 to Europe to complete her art edu-
cation. She has recently finished a study Of
roses, in oil, which is much admired. and con-
sidered to give great promise of future sue
cess.
The New York Art Students League issue.
a schedule Of classes and lectures for the sea-
Son 1889 which begins October and ends
May 81. The league is managed by board of
control elected annually, a majority being
workers in the classes. The league was q sue
cess from the start, but it has never before had
such good quarters and received instruction
from so many artists of established fame.
Dagnan-B ouveret's painting, "Bretonnes
an Pardon" which took the medal Of honor in
this years Salon, has been bought by Swiss
collector for 5000. Although more pleasing
In subject, 1t does not rank as q work OF art
with I'm Accident" by the same artist in Mr..
Walters gallery in Baltimore. Neither did it
cost SO much, 1t may be added. The price
asked for the latter canvas when it came TO this
country was $4,000, and il is likely that Mr..
walters did not get it for much less.
The award Of q medal Of honor by the
Paris exposition to Mr.. John s. Sargent is an
honor to American art in name only. Although
OF American parentage, Mr.. Sargent is in every
respect French artist. He was born in Flor
ence, Italy, and has scarcely spent any time in
tnis country SINCE his boyhood. He WAS a
pupil OF Carolus Duran, and at first painted
Ike MS master, but has within ten years be-
come one OF the most noted OF Partisan painters,
and is distinctly recognized as a representative
of the modern French school.
Six small and insignificant sketches by Sew
mour, illustrative Of scenes in "Pickwick,"
were recently sold in London to Mr.. Bernard
Quaritch for $4,000. They were pasted in a
child's scrap book and were valued at about
S3OO. English papers explain this surprising
price by saying that there was American COM
petition which Mr.. Quaritch was determined to
beat. The American in question is believed to
be Mr.. George w. Childs of the Philadelphia
Ledger, who was not only great friend and
admirer Of Dickens, but has quite a collection
Of original manuscripts and other memorials of
the famous novelist.
The expectation that the Corcoran Gallery
might be enriched by the addition of some
thing more than Rousseau's Farm in the
Wood" from the Secretan sale has not been
realized. This was the only painting bought
by the representatives Of the institution. who
attended the sale, as has heretofore been
stated IN The STAR, chiefly in the hope of Sc
curing the "Angelus." Though not large. the
Rousseau purchased ranks with the artists
best canvases, and it will form a valuable ac-
cession to the Gallery. 1t is 155Sx26 in size,
and cost SI2.1s0,--a pretty round sum, even in
these days Of high prices
1t is announced that Mrs. Amelia Rives
Chanler is about to abandon literature for art
The reason she assigns for the change is that "a
large number of people untitled by education
10 comprehend the tine points of an authors
work. A picture on the other hand, attracts
attention only from those competent to pass
upon Its merits" Whether Mrs Rives will
make as much Of a sensation in art as she did
In literature remains to be seen; but if she
chooses to adopt the same methods the means
are at hand. Many persons have painted pic
lures which were open 10 the same line of crit
icisms that were made upon The Quick or the
Dead"
While Millet's "Angelus." sold in Paris on
the LIST inst, brought the highest price yet
paid for picture painted during this century,
other canvases in the Secretan collection
brought higher figures per square inch. This
basis OF course affords no reliable standard of
values; still, in paintings Of a high class the
element OF size always enters largely into &C.
count. Measured by this test, then Neis-
soniers Wears Wine" brought a much higher
price, proportionately, than the famous MilIet
1t Is only ~ x6 In size, and brought $4,000. or
. little over 1867 per square inch; whereas the
.,Angelus, ZA12515 in size, produced less
than the third OF that rate, or a fraction less
than S205 per inch. But, keeping this standard
OF valuation still in view another little piece
by Melssonler, sold at the same time, undoubt-
edly brought the highest price ever paid for
any painting. This was a round medallion on
wood, containing two minute figures entitled
The story OF the Siege of Berg-op-Zoom." 1t
Is only Ia in diameter, or a little larger than
silver dollar, and brought the amazing sum
OF "a, 020. or triie over 81. 600 per square
| inch OF superficial area. The same space might
be covered with diamonds and hardly bring
more.
MIR. Thomas E. waggaman of this city is
now regarded by dealers on both sides of the
Atlantic as one Of the most liberal and intelli-
gent collectors in the market of both paintings
and ceramics, and his collection of each is
already quite large, and rapidly increasing in
proportions and Importance He has been A
Keen bidder at most of the recent sales in this
mission to his representative in Paris to attend
| the late Secretan sale there, but so far IA adj
vlsed up to the present time nothing was Sc
cured for his gallery from that collection. He
| has however bought three paintings out of
| the Salon, and three out of the Exposi-
| ton Unlverselle, now open in Paris and he ex-
poets them here III time to place them on his
walls this fall. The artists, subjects and di-
meuslons are follows: Harpignies,
Maratimes. from Antibes" 4sx63; Davis,-"Sol-
| ltude, 37x75; Bakhuysen,-"The Watering
Place, S0x36; Jameson,-"Prayer for the
Fleet" 4Sx5O; Termeulen,-.Flock on the
Downs" 30x40; Dupre,-'The Harvest" 20x26.
These artists all stand among the very first in
their respective special fields, and as Mr. Wag-
gaman's correspondent says that each canvas is
an excellentexample Of the painters best work,
| 1t need not be said that the new acquisitions
will make an attractive addition to his already
extensive and valuable collection.
- II any evidence were needed at this late day
to show that America is the great market of
| the world for modern art, and especially for
| art Of the French school. it is abundantly fur
| nished by the sale Of the Secretan collection.
which recently took place in Paris. But for the
| presence of American bidders, that event would
| have been n dull and spiritless affair, and had
| 1t not been for the competition between the
| Corcoran Gallery Of this city and the American
Art Association of New York the probability is
| that the French government would have been
able to secure the coveted ''Angelus'' for one
third the price it was finally compelled to paw
principal works that remain on the
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