Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-17
A RT NOTES.

The latest addition to the collection of
paintings belonging to the CorcOran Gallery
is an interesting portrait of General Grant,
painted by Mr.. A. Muller Ury-the gift of
Mr.. jefferson Seligman of the well-known
New York banking house of ]. &. w. Selig-
man & Co. The new acquisition is of life
size, three-quarter length, and represents
the general in full uniform, standing in a
field, with glass and map in hand, as If
overlooking a battlefield, and is said to
have been highly praised by members OF
the family, who regard it as perhaps the
best picture of the great soldier ever paint
ed. It is. of course. highly priced by the
institution to which it has been presented,
and its value to it Is heightened by the evil
dence thus afforded that public-spirited citi-
zens in other localities are coming to re-
gard a gallery at the national capital as
the most appropriate repository for great
works Of art, ard especially for those of a
character in which all the American people
have common pride and interest
+
The art event in New York last week was
the sale of the Blakeslee-F ischhof coIlec-
ton of EARLY English. Dutch and Flemish
Masters" which took place at Chickering
Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Notwithstanding the array of attractive
names in the catalog, prices generally ruled
low, and it was noticeable that there were
no museums or galleries present as bidders.
One of the largest buyers was Representa-
tive Sprague of Massachusetts, whose resi-
dence in this city is 1900 Rhode Island ave-
nue.. and with whose fine collection of paint
ings many Washingtonians are already ia
miliar The canvases obtained by him and
the prices paid therefor were as follows:
Virgin and Child, by Giulio Romano. 500:
PIerrot Before the Police Court, by Couture,
$3.50; ST. Peter by Rubens. $1.3J0; La Fem
me au Chat, by Couture, 800; A Spanish
Nobleman, by Claudio Coello. 500; Lady
Frances Give by Francis Cotes $3.50: Por-
trait of Henrietta Maria. Queen of Charles
l, by Van Dyck, $1,1OO; Portrait of Mile.
Of Susannah Randolph of Chester, Va, by
John Singleton Copley, $4,000: Portrait of
Lord Campbell. Chief Justice of England,
by Sir Martin Shee, $500; Portrait of Mrs.
Walcot by Richard Cosway, s625; A Realist
Qn black and white), by Couture, S110; Ma
donna and Child. by Robert L. Newman,
s119: Portrait of Nobleman, by Tintoret-
to. $3.50; The Guitar Player. by Jan Botti,
$525; An Apostle. by Rubens, s1,35O: Land
scape. by Gainsborough, I.s50. MI.
Sprague's purchases aggregated SO, $50 and,
except $4,000 paid for Van Dyck's Duke
de Nieubourg." bought by Mr.. c. H. Tyson,
the $1,000 he gave for the Copley portrait.
was the highest figure reached at the sale.
-.
comparison of the prices obtained at
the Blakeslee-Fischhof sale with those
| brought at the Evans sale few weeks be-
fore makes a showing that should be by
no means discouraging to American artists
and those interested in the development and
patronage of American art. At the first
named sale the average amount realized,
taking large and small and important and
| minor canvases together was a trifie over
$50 each, whereas at the latter the average
was fraction less than 5000. Now, consider
ing the fad just at present prevailing in this
country for the acquisition of early Eng
lish and Dutch masters" and bearing in
| mind also that the Blakeslee- Fischhof cata-
log contained such names as Van Dyck,
Rubens. Gainsborough. Matsys, Cuyp, Etty,
Pourbus. Mytiens, Hogarth. Reynolds. Law
renee. Frans Halls. Beechy. Leiy. Opie,
Ferd Boil. Mulready. Jan Steeu, Raehurn,
Couture, Isabey, Greuze and others hardly
less distinguished, 1t must be admitted that
the Americans held their own reB..::kably
well. The foreign average was kept higher,
too, 1T should be remembered. by the fact
that one painting (the Van Dyck) in the
last sale brought the round sum Of $4,000.
and another canvas sold for $1,000. each of
which sums was considerably more than
was realized for any single canvas in the
Evans American collection: and, signifi-
cantly enough. the last named amount was
paid for a picture by Copley, a self-taught
American artist. In the latter sale the
highest price reached was $1,000. which was
paid by Mr.. George A. Hearn for an Adj
rondack landscape by A. H. Wyant.
4 +
In connection with the foregoing para
graphs, It may be added that at the noted
Clarke sale of American paintings, which
| took place year ago. the average was
| somewhat greater than In the Evans sale.
| In that case 1t was a fraction over S632-
the highest figure produced for any one
| canvas being $10.15O which was paid for
George Inness' Gray Lowery Day." bought
| by Mr.. Henry Samson. This sum, 1t will
| be observed. is $50 greater than the price
! paid for the much-admired Van Dyck sold
last week. Which. again. does not speak
badly for the appreciation of works of
American artists by American buyers.
| It will be pleasant news for our local
| artists and those Interested in art In a
| general way. as well. to hear that the tr,,s-
| tees Of the Corcoran Gallery have taken
| steps to at once put. the fine hemicycIc
room in condition to be used for thu n,,r.