The Portland daily press., 1897-03-02
TIE WALLACE COLLECTION,
What the Great Gift to the English
People Is.

People Is.
Valued at Between 100000 and Ss 900
900, and Said to Be the Finest Private
| Collection Ever Made.-How 1t Was
| Got Together.-Lady Wallace's Single
| Condition,
New York Sum-
The news that the art collection of Sir
Richard Wallace, K. G. b.. had been re-
qusathed by Lady Wallace to thesEnglish
nation has interested the .artsscommunity,
both dealers and amateurs, who from the
time of the announcement of her death
have. been on the lookout to learn the
disposition she had made of the notable
aggregation Of art treasures, the greater
part of which were got together by her
husbands father, the fourth Marquis OF
Hartford of peculiar history. The value
of the collection has been estimated at
from 81. 900, 900 to $1,000, 900, and the
dealers eyes have snapped as they
thought of sale beside which, the big
Morgan sale, which amounted to 81, 0OO,
900, would appear almost insignificant.
The fact that prior to bis death half a
dozengyears ago Sir Richard Wallace had
| sought to perpetuate the collection, by
having 1t pass into the possession of the
country, under conditions which the
Government could not accept, made 1t
seem not unlikely that it would come
| bat Richard Ysann trad
that the @ government continue the collec-
ton in the house where it was and that
each separate piece should remain in. the
position it then occupied. AS the build
ing stood on leased grond, acceptance by
the Government was out Of the question.
since it would have placed the exchequer
at the mercy Of the owners of the land.
1t was reported that Sir Richard did
| not greatly like the refusal. He left the
collectionsat the disposition of his widow
and hence the wondering as to what she
would do with IT, 1t Is said that her
nameswss stricken from the Queen g visit
ing list long ago, and under the ciroum,
stances her action in bequeathing the arr
works.to the country appears in strong
or light. Moreover she was the daughter
of French. armyso fHcer, and collection
had been made principally in France. Her
husband. however, had been made
baronet by Queena Victoria. although he
was of sinister descent. The baronetcy
| became extinct at his death. Lady Wal
lace was in her 18th year when she died
at her London home, Hartford House.
Manchester square, where the collection
is. She was Julie Amelia Charlotte
Castelnau, daughter of III. Bernard Cas-
telnau. She was married to Richard
Wallacesin 1870, when Che was 50 years
old. He WAS the naturalGson OF Richard,
the. fourth Marquisa of Hartford, and
IVES born when his father was.lS years
old, His father, on his deathson Aug.
rs. 1870, bequeathed to him all Of the
Hartford fortune that could be al1enated
This amounted to 5, 600, 600 pounds, and
| included. the art collections that the Mar
ouis had spent large part of his life
and taken great delight intmaking.
The Marquis lived the greater part of
his life in France and was something of
a recluse, although he had reputation
| for the gayeties that sometimes continue
long after youth is past. He had extern
siye aestates in Ireland. He became
known in Paris as freqUenter of auo-
lions. Scarce one went BY of any note
withoutsshis attendance. He was free
bidder and did not hesitate. to pay big
prices for anything he wanted. He
wanted only fine things, but he wanted
them in many lines. He collected paint
inas, miniatures, water colors, furniture,
armor costumes, silvsr. articles of vertu
that had an interest in rarity, age or as
ISOLATION. He would kpay thousands Of
dollars for l:ttle desk Of Marie Antoi
nette's. and it was pretty well known
when he set out to get something he
wanted. He had great deal of Louis
XVI furniture and various reminders of
Marie Antoinette.
Samuel P Avery Of this city, who saw
his collection for the first time thirty
years.aao, says.that a feature OF 1t which
he especially noticed at that time was
Marouis's .bedroom. The walls Of the
bedroom were completely covered with
exc uisite miniature portraits, some OF
them in frames set richly with. diamonds
Mr. Avery was in Paris In that year,
1867. in an official or representative ca
pacity, sshaving gone over to the Exposi-
tion in charge of the American exhibit
in art. Having known of the Marquis's
haunting of auction rooms and of his
yari ed collections. he took the opportun-
fty to address the collector and ask the
privilege of view Of his acquisitions.
The MARQUIS was at bis seat, the Chateau
of Bagatelle, which Mr.. Avery remem-
bers as Just out Of the city-it.is in the
Bots de Boulogne, and Of more recent
years has been pointed out to travellers
driving about the city-and was ill of
the govt. He sent reply advising Mr..
Avery of his incapacipy, but directing
MIN to his city residence, whore. he said,
Mr.. Avery, upon pressnting-his introduce
ton. would receive every attention and
the freedom of the place Mr.. Avery
found his house over a tailor shop in the
Bouley ard des Italiens. He was shown
through the rooms, literally numbered
with some of the finest paintings of the
Oldest artists and with beautifully
wrought silver pieces. gorgeous costumes
the miniatures in their resplendent
| frames, ancient armor. and handsome
| furpiture from the last of the monnrchies
before the Revolution.
The paintings included some fine ex-
amples of the old Dutch artists and
some Greuzes to be remembered. The
pictures were nearly all of the older
painters, Meissonier being the notable
exception. Some very fine works, of
E.