New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-01
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS.
EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.
srrpPLE ESeRAvISGs PRINTED IN coLoRs-AN-
INDUCEMENTS FOR THE MoSTH-A MISS
ING PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON


DISCOVERED.
The exhibition of eighteenth century prints which
will occupy the Wunderch gallery during the present
month goes far to prove that at one time England was
easily In the front rank In the production OF shpp
engnvings printed In colors II brings forward about
200 of the portraits and fancy subjects reproduced by
Dartolozzi, Earlom. Ogborne. Heating. Tomkins,
SchiavOnetu and others, in London, over hundrn
ago. cy continental ma sters have the WORKS
Of these men been surpassed. The French. because
their national characteristics Of freedom and vvacity
have been extraordinarily developed, have been able
to preserve those characteristics In art that
Is arcey less arbitrary than line engraving and they
have thus an advantage in one direction. ther
colleagues across the water. Yet while stipple work
permits Nvacty of treatment II do without 1t and
suffer no great detriment 1t rather encourages the
patience and slowness which have often stamped
other departments OF English art with unfortunate
impress. For in the history Of art defect was
metamorphosed into q virtue when Bartolozz came
to Lopdon In 1894 and founded his school, The
thing that more however. than their careful.
straightforward workmanship. makes Bartolosz and his
followers charming is their perfect appreciation OF the
hghbred strain existing In the works they set them
selves 10 translate. They had thorough sympathy
for that winning courtncss in English life which made
Van Dyck. the prince VI painters, when he VISITED
England painter Of princes and with Reynolds and
Romney. in following his traditions. made the very
cornerstone of their school of porratue. This feel
ing the elegance distinction In their originals
sheds the bloom Of refinement over all tho work of the
English engravers. Whatever that work may lack It is
unimpeachaby sincere and wholesome.
The engrsvines after Angelica Kaufman offer
case in point No artist did than she did to pro-
vide for the charge that the engrsvings OF her
time insipd. she was fond OF composing Dig
things in little Beauty Governed by Reason and Re
warded by Merit Penelope Taking Down the Bow OF
Ulysses or "Ths Birth of Shakespeare Her ex
ecutive ability was 20 the task she
undertook. She nttlc fitted to endow her charac-
ters with strength and dignity and the engravers who
copied her designs could but appear to share her
weakness But the artists sincerity saved her. ana
saved her transators. Her figures may be lfeless,
but they very delicate and graceful and in the soft
outlines Of the engrsvngs 1t Is impossible not TO enjoy
them The examples inst mentioned only three out OF
considerable number after her at the Wunderlich Gal
Iery Nearly all are printed In the dark brownsh RED
which was the tint most commonly used. one plate,
Ceres" engraved by Barto,zz Is good Illustration OF
Of the most curously attracted styles OF coiorhS
with several tns 1t recalls the prints cOored by chu
hand, of which Charles Lamb speaks afectionatey
being oldfashioned yet very pretty In effect ms
old fashion I'd prttncss which distinguishes much OF
tho work In coors Is full OF charm 1t comes out al
mirably in the two large I" Lost Child plates after
Miss Spsbury, done by Place. under the direction OF
Schiav0netti In the breezy Fisher Boy AFTER BarAer
by Gaugan and In the slightest coarse but brilliant
Power OF Love- after Pellegrni. BY Vendramini.
But the plates in which the art OF printing with coors
reaches its finest stage far from being old fashioned
on the contrary they could hardly be cqualled to-day
In subtlety and decacy One OF the rarcst proofs IN
the present collection is OF Ogbones engraving after
Romneys portrait OF Mrs Jordan in the character OF
the Country Girl The scale Of color runs through three
or four notes ony but those are lmpd In quality and
exquisely harmonized /
Hung with the portrait of Mrs. Jordan are two rare
proofs of Bartolzzs plates after the heads represent
ine GTragedy- and Comedy which SIR Joshua paint
ed from Lady Hamilton. They printed In browns
relieved by touches OF rosy color in the faces. BY
their strength and dececy they demonstrate that Bar
olozz deservedly the model cnsraver OF his tme
Few OF the works by other which are shown mere
he Mrs. Jordan" is at the head of the few have the
mastery quality which abdes in the best Of his plates
such as the portraits Of Lady smyhe and the Countess
OF Harrington. after Sir Joshua. In engravings like
these BartOlozz reprodnces tho manner OF his originals
with praiseworthy fidelity, but with his own sure and
unmistsksble touch He has moro force and decisive
ness than any of his followers have His c3lors are
suave pure the manipulation Of the press has been
faltless and old they the plates retain crisp.
fresh character Fashion the stppe engavers their
vogue and fason is marked upon their works 1t is not
unlikely that fashion will take them up again now. for
there nothing pretter for decorative purposes than
these refined colored prints They minor works,
but they are no less OF beauty, and in
they are worthy OF association with the high achieve
ments Of reproductive etching They growing rnrer
every year. the great collectors pay more and moro
attention to them. Uncoored proofs are much easier
70 find than colored ones The proofs Of the Laetitia
plates In the Wunderch collection would be doubled in
value were they colored The wunderich exhibition
Includes number OF plates especially interesting as
rsiies Two OF these are Towards plate aferReynoldss
md fha ont al trait
of Marie Antoinette, BY Roger, after Rossline lie
.uedos Mention should be made Of the two or three
specimens Of gaudy French work and Of the portrait OF
BartDlozzi painted by Reynolds and engraved by
Macuardt
This is the first month of the to activity
widespread among the galleries Local exhibitions
4. ably Increase In number The stippe engravings
At the Wunderlch Gallery, noted above, begin the list
II attractions. Tomorrow night the Metropolitan Mu
scum of Art inaugurates It's semi-annual exhibit
ton with a reception, and Tuesday the public
will be admitted to the building On Tuesday also
Mr. BrennaI's coors at the Keppel Gallery give
place to q collection Of works In the same medium
By various American artists. on Thursday the Union
.eague Club may be expected to hold its
monthly meeting and TO display collection of pictures
% invited guests during the three following days The
all exhibition Of OIL paintings at the Academy Of
Design opens on the ODD. The New-York water-Color
Tub announces that pictures for its second annual
dbition will be received at the Fifth Avenue Art
galleries on Saturday and Monday, November II and
% between the hours Of 10 and p. NJ, and
hat the exhibition will be opened the 3oIh Blanks
II application, which may be Obtalned from H. Il.
nell secretary, No. 116 West Forty -irstst., New
York must be In not later than November Is.
30 sales of importance have yet been publicly placed
ppm the calendar for the month except that Of the
Tercschagin collection which begins on the 18th.
Apropos Of the Metropolitan Museum, 1t is officially
enec that The Board y Estimate at is last meeting
and Natural History lpen sundays: This amount
the that which the Board OF Estimate voted
asst year. and the YER before. for opening the two
nuseums two evening, in the week. IL Is not an ad-
itunsl allowance End IL leaves the museums Just
shere tHey befors the meeting In the matter Of
eepinR open on sundays. For the lAst three wears
! has been optional with the museums 70 open In the
yenlngs or on sundays. The evenings selected.
H.. xas raLsr nd he