The morning call., 1893-05-19

hung on the walls and decorated the vari-
Gus rooms, though many of them would
grace the very best collection; not because
of the sweet music of the Hungarian Or
chestra and the brilliant lights from the
costly chandeliers, bu; because all Of these
were housed in walls that are of them
selves magnificent
The same gathering and the same
pictures would have shown anywhere, bat
nowhere so brilliantly as in the rooms of
the Hopkins Art lns stitute.
1t was like ola times last evening, and
those who had attended receptions there
when the builder OF that palace lived must
have had the old scenes vividly recalled as
thev strolled through the grand hallway.
The lights shnne from the windows of
that mansion last evening, and there was
scene within that has not been duplicated
for many years. Carriages drew up before
the doors OF the palatial building last
evening. richly attired ladies, accompanied
by gentlemen In full dress, passed up those
broad granite steps and were ushered into
the gay scene. And these things have not
occurred before for years.
At 8 O'Clock the members and the ladies
began TO arrive. In an hour the house was
comfortably filled. Everybody stopped to
see the pictures In the main hall frs, but
the best of these. the frescoes and paint
ings on the wall by Taver2Ier and Tojetti
could only be seen from the galleries Oh
the second floor.
Still there are many things here worth
stopping to see. many things that one
could not pass by hurriedly. Of these
Mathews picnic scene and the landscapes
of Keith easily lead. The flowers of Miss
Mccormick ard Miss Chittenden were
greatly admired and not few were struck
by Coulter's storm on the Bay"
Perhaps the schooner-rgged scow in the
foreground of this canvas is not as good as
Coulter can do, but the muddy waters of
an ebb tide lashed into white caps by
north wind are true to nature.
A wild flower canvas, "NeaOphyllerni
Penax," by Ludovici is worth looking al
more than once. There were a host of
other good thinge. most of which have al
ready been mentioned, and all of which
could not be done credit in the compass of
anewspaper article.
Those who followed the catalogue in
their peregriDatlons visited the Moorish
room after the main gallery Here are
some excellent busts and carvings by Ru-
pert Schmid, Felix Peano and Nellie Nc
Cormick. The portrait bust OF Professor
LIE COnte by Schmid was admired and
spoken OF as very true and lifelike. The
Chinese carvings are very ornamental and
add greatly to the ensemble of the whole
room.
In the drawiDg-room there is the great
canvass of the great Russian artist. Even
those who did not like the subject were
struck with the wonderful realism OF the
WoIh. Oiie oHOuiu see LIIS picture size by
side with its mates, the Russian execution
by hanging. the Mexican scene of death
by shooting and the crucifixion. Like
"The Blowing From the Guns" on exhibi-
.tion here, all the pictures are life size, and
seen together, one realizes that VeFestch-
agin is more than an artist, and that his
terrible pictures have purpose besid that
of art.
But it really seems too bad to put such a
large canvas in this room, to cover up one
entire wall that is a work of art in itself.
The silken tapestries or the walls in this
room are beautiful.
VerestehaglD's smaller canvas, Russian
Soldiers in the Snow" is overshaduwed
by his big picture, but those who studied