Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06

standard of quality by restrictingNIhe space
for exhibits. The juries which are 10 pass
on paintings from the United States viii
probably meet during November next, and
It Is expected that there will be both an
eastern and western jury. one to convene
in New York and the other in Chicago.
The space for sculptural exhibits has not
yet been assigned. The permanent organi-
cation of the department of fine arts is
now complete, and Mr.. John b. Cauldwel
of New York has been appointed director,
with Mr.. Charles NJ. Kurtz of st. Louis as
assistant director.
While in many individual cases the pic
lures by local artists which were sold at
Sloans on Wednesday brought ridiculously
low sums, the prices for the whole colec-
ton aggregating about 81 300, and, as in
expensive frames We're the rule, some of
the artists will receive a tolerably sub
stantial return for their productions. Only
a few things reached the $50 mark, and
some were Knocked down for only a few
dollars more than the value of the frame
and canvas. There were a number of can
vases which did not deserve to bring any
higher prices, so plainly were the words
pot boiler" written all over them, but
most of the pictures were seriously studied
and worthy of a better fate. In fact, the
collection was much higher in quality than
had first been anticipated, and afforded col
lectors many good opportunities for acquir-
ing representative works by Washington
artists. 1t is doubtful whether auctions of
this kind are of real benefit to the artists
When a purchaser can go to the auction
room and get fairly important canvas for
SO or $50 he will not go to the artists
studio and pay two or three times much
for painting of the same degree of merit;
and thus the sacrifice prices at auction
he sea % of Urhip fn.a, lint.
may wish to maintain in his studio. More
over, there is a great temptation to dash
off canvaSeS with undue haste simply for
the auction. Max Weyl contributed largely
to the collection sold, and while he entered
many canvaSes which did him no credit,
his best works brought better prices than
the average. Both Hobart Nichols and
Spencer Nichols We're represented by good
productions, and Samuel Hodgkins, who
proposed and planned the sale. had several
artistic little subjects Ed. Sieberts work
was satisfying, as always, and Carl Weller,
Lucten Powell r. LeGrand Johnston and
jules Dieudonne were among the other To-
cal artists represented.
* >,
On Monday an interesting collection of
water colors will be PLACED on view at
Sloan's, which will include WORKS by Paul
de Longpre, F. F. English, Edwin Lama
sure, J. l.. q. Ferris Carl Weber and other
clever artists whose names are familiar TO
many.
x *
During the three days of the Meudonca
sale in New York a total of S7324T was
realized, and of this sum the pictures
brought S49.S59. Some of the pictures
owned by the former Brazilian minister
were sold for fairly large prices: the Mag
dalene by Muri.lo brought $4,JJO; a good
example of Corot brought $4,000, and the
Turner, Nelson's Funeral Car" which has
been exhibited more than once in Washing
ton, brought $500. There was also brisk
bidding on some f the portraits by early
English masters, but there was so much
doubt about the genuineneSS of many of
The pictures that they went for almost
nothing. For example, a work attributed
to George Morland went for So 30, an al
legged Cuyp for $3.50, a head by Rubens for
$40, Turner for $40, and the much-talked
about Spanish Prince" attributed to We
Iasquez, sold for 500. The sale has raised
much heated discussion in New York and
the best Informed judges have not hesitat-
cd to pronounce many of the pictures aDso-
Lutte forgeries.
Miss Margaret Stotlemeyer has now on
view at Everett's several miniat lures which