The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-20
AMAZING AND AMUSING.
Pierpont Morgan's Rembrandt Group
on View in the Lenox Library.

New York Journal)
J. Pierpont Morgan's collection of 15S
etchings by Rembrandt is exhibited in
the Lenox library. Their condition is
in many cases amazing The portrait
of Jan Six, for instance, that Seymour
Haden has described as "one of the
finest impressions" is doubtless with
out an equivalent.
Seymour Haden is timid. The figure
of the burgomaster reading at the win
dow, his long hair and thin face in the
sun, his legs in the dark, has not else
where lines as acute.
The Three Trees have an atmos-
phere, transparency of foliage, a del
icacy of tints that may not be found
easily in the other examples of the work
that museums have.
The Blind Fiddler is in the first
state, before the plate was retouched;
the Hog is in the first state: the
"OniOn Woman" Wrinkled and colored
by age with reflections of her baskets
contents, is a startling rarity; the
| Christ Healing the Sick" which is the
hundred guilder print Of collectors, is
dazzling with light.
]. Pierpont Morgan is not wealthy
enough. if he counted on wealth only.
to collect them. He had to be a tact
full art lover and to have a great deal
of luck.
Rembrandt's etehings do not let them
selves be gathered by force of money
alone. Wilhelm F. Bode, director of
money that he needs for Rembrandts
etchings, but not all the etchings by
Rembrandt that ne needs.
Many are in this collection formed
| by . Pierpont Morgan. The exhibition
/ is invaluable, because it is an exhibit
ton of beautiful works of art. This is
sufficient to captivate the interest of
artists, but the librarian with his point
| of view of librarian has other rea-
\ sons to say that the exhibition is in
valuable.
| 1t is amusing. There are images of
men and women of another age. profess
sors, merchants. housewives, great Ia
| dies, beggarS, thieves. There are de-
| lightful landscapes.
There are ancient costumes. It is in
! structive. The artist reflects in his
work not his mind only, but the mind
! of his epoch. The divine history of
| Christianity he tells as ii impressed the
old, old Netherland.
| It is a technical lesson. The i'm
preston of the "St. Francis Praying
is the finest in existence. Here one
| sees masterpiece in its most effective
| aspect. How Rembrandt's needle
traced matches and cross matches and
how he expected them to appear on pa
per, one may divine is this example of
| st. Francis Praying"
| The collection gives a lesson in philos-
| ophy. The portraits that have names
are of artists, writers, men of learning.
| They are portraits of Rembrandt him
| SELF of Copperol, of Six, of other per-
sons who were not of much consequence
| when they were alive, because they
| were not people of wealth.
| Rembrandt etched them because they
| were interesting to him as an artist,
because their features would make fine
images or because they were unknown
and unappreciated great persons. He
took pains to tell who they were be-
cause they were unknown.
The etched portraits of wealthy per-
sons who had no other reasons 20 be
etched than that they were wealthy,
and could pay for their etched portraits
and We're famous as men of wealth, are
nameless. He did not have to tell their
names.
Well, nobody knows now who they
were. They are catalogued as a "Man
with a Mazetin Cap a Man with a
Divided Fur Cap a Man with Short
Beard and Embroidered Coat" d Man
with Long White Beard and Fur
Cap
One of Mr.. Morgan's friends said TO
him one day: IF 1 were you, having
so many great portraits by Rembrandt,
/ would take great pains to spend much
money to discover who the unknown
personages among them We're"
/ Mr.. Morgan replied: What is the use
of discovering who they were? They
were only men of wealth.
They were only subjects of Rem
brandt's art as an etcher.
The exhibitions at the Lenox library
are of the greatest Importance. The
New York free public library will have
a catalogue of prints. New YoTk's
grandchildren will not have much tv0u-
bic to learn how their ancestors pic
tured the heroes of legends, the great
men of history and those that achis, I'd
their mission in this world without
celebrity.
New York's grandchildren Will have
only to go to the public library's print
room.