The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-03
THE LOUVRE CHANGES.
4 ARECLASSIFICATION OF PICTURES IN FR1NCE'S F.A AMOUS GALLEhIES

4 ARECLASSIFIC4TION OF PICTUEEa
 IN FRANCE'S FAMOUS GALLERIES
 Where to Find Old FavOrites-Cerfain
 Schools ofPatnters to be Br ought Into
 Groups-Ono Room to be Devoted to
 the Works of Rubens aud Rts Pupils.
 When English visitors to the forth-
 coming Paris Exhibition seek to renew
 pleasant acquaintance with their olo
 friends in the Louvre, the wonderful
 central museum of France, they VIII be
 at first strangely puzzled. The huge
 Salle des Etats, which projects over the
 gardens of the Carrousel, has been dl-
 vided into two large top-lighted gal
 leries, two high Yestibules and fourteen
 cabinets, in the style of those of Dresden
 and Munich, these last being lighted by
 windows looking upon the quay and the
 gardens. One of the two large gal
 leries thus made aviiabe will contain
 the whole History of Marie de Medi-
 cis," painted by Rubens and his pupils
 for the Luxembourg; the other will be
 devoted to the Flemish masters gene
 rally-to Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens,
 Gaepar de Crayer and the rest.
 PLAN OF REARRANGEMEN
 The great innovation will, however.
 be the chasing. Of the unsurpassed col
 lection of Rembrandts by themselves in
 two of the new cabinets. In this par
 tcular the example of Berlin has been | followed. Three more cabinets will be
 devoted to the small pictures of the
 Flemish school, Four more will be set
 aside for the French and Dutch pictures of the Salle Lacaze, the collection hith-
 erto contained in which will thue be cut
 in two Then again the architectural | divisions which exist already in the | Long Gallery will be utilized so as to ! group certain schools strictly by them selves. One wil, for instance, be accord- ed to the German, another to the Eng
 fish school. Other panels, or wall spaces will show the Raphaels, the Titians, the works of Paolo Veronese and his school as much ae possible by themselves. The two great galleries, containing, respect lively the French works of the seven- teenth and eighteenth centuries, will remain as they are, with the important exception that the "Triumphs of Alex ander," by Lebrun, will be moved into the square gallery where there has of late years been brought together, in imitation of theUfizi, Painters Gal lery; that is, q collection of the DOT traits of notable painters done by them selves or by brother artists. To this mixed but interesting group of pictures, galleries on the second floor will now be allotted.
 GAIN IN THE CHANGES,
 It will be seen that these radical changes constitute practically re- hanging and new classification of the vastest and, in some respects, the greatest collection of pictures in the world. only the ballery which now shows the Italian works of the Trecento | and Quattrocento will be spared. There ! can be little doubt that the student the lover of great pictures who looks upon them as something beyond furniture | and decoration of the higher order will | gain enormously by such q change If . only 1t be inteligently worked out If | the reclassificaton be managed with [ taste and discretion, there can be little doubt, too, that the decorative aspect . of the Louvre's matchless galleries will be improved also. The only question open for discussion is whether it is or not wise to keep the great masters en- tireiy by themselves; that is to say, to reserve Rembrandt for the company of Rembrandt alone: to keep each great Venetian apart, instead of allowing him to consort, not, indeed, with all the centuries and all the schools, but, at any rate with his fellows. It would appear that even the new "Salone Ve- lasquez' at the Prado is not above criti- cism as to it's general effect, while the Rembrandt room at the Berlin Museum errrs in the direction of and lack of immediate sen suoue qualification to the eye,
 HOUSECLIIANING.
 The Museum of the Luxembourg is not behind it's eldest sister, the Louvre, { in energy There is little doubt that it will, so far as may be racticable make l a new toilette for tn eehbXoitiiherMu a ne wtolIette for the exhibition, or, at any rate, strive to freshen up the old one. An exhibition has been arranged In it's galleries of the splendid series of $ lIdNlnSS bS I uN IS ut 1lit WiIlth l has lately been presented by his family, I and this is so copious that 1t serves to ( Illustrate in a chronological sequence ( -he life work of the most august among modern painters. This display takes the place of that original Autographs by t M Fantin-L -Latour and will in turn be ' succeeded by an interesting show of s drawings and etchngs byM. Alphonse l Iegros, who has--thanlSs, in measure, ( o the energy aud taste of the directors ( ,f the Luxembourg. M. Benedite- l 'ather suddenly became the fashion I again with French connoiseurs, after like two decades of unmert- / d neglect.
 ST. GATIDENS HONORED. t The Luxembourg has also, within the T asst few months, secured some perma- t lent additions of interest. Among these E Ire the more than life-siZe bronze stat le of an angel by the American scup- or St Gaudens, the author of many inc works, of which almost the only