New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-28

are no vertical streaks, no blush mists over
Illuminated objects, no vagares Of light and
'oloT' as m his closing series of pictures. This
huge canvas contains sea and air--the sea dash
ing and rolling with steel gray crests far and
wac ana the air transparent under a clear sky
and illumined with diffused radiance Two YES
sels each crowded with passengers, are in the
centre; but the human interest is slight in COM
parlson with the glory of light and the beauty
OF the water painting. When the visitor can
force himself TO :urn away from this splendid
pageant of the sea and sky there are narvels
of portraiture on the three remaining walls. The
Gainsborough opposite is Anne Duncombe, tall
and stately if not handsome and arrayed in
brilliant blue draperies. Romneys tall ladies in
white with touches of blue are Sarah Rodbard
ana Lady Beauchamp, each with a queenIy air
OF distinction; and loveler in face and suggest
ing superior graces of mind and manner is Mrs
Carmichael Smyth. The best Reynolds is the
famous Fortune Tellers," with two Marlbor-
ough children, but the "Angerstein Children is
almost as characteristic an example of his art
There are three Hoppners of the highest excel
lence. each perfect in modelling and drawing
ana exquisite in color and tone. Lady Mary
GrenVille cannot, perhaps, rival Miss Pollak in
refinement and draughtsmanship but The Set
ting Sun" with the three Godsan children, sur
an admirable Lawrence group-Countess Grey
ana her two daughters. and there is fine Rae
purn-Mrs. Ross. One must not pass by I'M
noticed the Gainsborough landscape the Bon
lnston sea piece the Morland allegory and the
oeHghttul Crome; nor can one deny himself
The privilege of another long. lingering glance
at the Turner; but when at last the door is
reached it is with an invigorating sense of hav-
ing passed an hour with the masters of English
portraiture
In the three rooms Of the New Gallery, where
the Society of Portrait Painters has a collection
or 100 works, there are few evidences of the
grand style. If Mr.. Whistler sometimes paints
Ike the old masters he has lacked inspiration
in The Little CardinaT'-a familiar study IT.
garnet and gold. Mr. Watts has painted Jo-
achim' the violin player. with brilliancy and
force the dreamy face being finely shaped by
the light, and the figure emerging strongly from
the dull red background; but this is not his best
art, although it is superior to the crude Carl
baldi or the Countess Somers in front of a cur
tain OF Spanish leather. The circuit of the West
Room will be made without the discovery Of
single stately figure. There is much evidence
of matching colors in costumes and of business
in the arrangement of curtains and In the or
deriRg Of artificial backgrounds: but there are
few signs of either distinction or brilliance of
style Mr. John Lavery crowns Lady dam
Hamilton with black picture hat; but in her
gray gown family differentiated in tone from
the steel gray background, she is not one of
Romneys romantic danes. More refined is his
art in the Girl in White with flowers to match
her gown and faint touch of blue in her hat;
but it is the embodiment Of dellcacy without
distinction. Mr.. Guthrie imparts vitality and
strength to the face of Mr.. James Mylne, and
7 nv hill
brushwork to retrieve the confused scheme
OF his portrait OF Mr. Care Melchers; but
the remaining portraits of men lack dig
nifty and force. Even Mr.. Gabriel Nico-
let fails 10 make Sir Horace Rumbold a strik-
ing figure. and Mr.. Herman G. Herkomer's por-
trait of Admiral Seymour in front of red cur
tain and pillar is old fashioned without being
strong. Mrs Herkomer, as her husband paints
her. is easily the handsomest woman on the
walls. and her black gown with white lace is
we'll painted; but as she bends forward with
eager. intent face the pose is theatrical and not
in the manner Of the English masters. Mr..
Jacks Study in Brown" introduces a pretty
girl with black picture hat; but it lacks the
stately grace Of the old school Of portraiture;
and Mr.. J. j. Shannon's dark-haired Lady Ulrica
Duncombe. in black gown and white lace, with
a red rose TO match her full lips is a different
figure from Gainsborough's Anne Duncombe at
Agnew's
In the North Room Mr.. J. J. Shannon makes a
close approach TO the old manner of painting
children with unaffected simplicity and direct
ness. The golden haired boy in a brown coat
over white DRESS WITH a brown ribbon at the
waist legs bare and an orange in hand, is a be-
wildering little figure; and the chair and red
curtain are arranged without studied artifce,
and the color scheme is worked out naturally
and unobtrusively. 1t has the naTveness Of
childhood, for which one looks in vain in the
pink and yellow parade of three generations in
Carolus Duran's big canvas opposite, EN-
Famille" That work may have been effective
at the Salon. but it seems garish and vulgar
here. Mr.. Melton Fisher has a picturesque
portrait OF Mr.. Frederick Harrison, the
actor manager. the Comte de Can
dale; Mr. Collier has several typical Eng
lish women on canvas one of whom has
apparently arranged the details OF the back
ground herself for Empire chair has been
J. H Lorimer has brilliantly painted portrait
of Mrs. Somervllle. Mr.. Mancini has theatre
cal picture OF boy, in which high lights are
enhanced by the extraordinary expedient OF
mailing bits of silver foil TO the canvas among
Jumps of paint Mile. Therese Schwartzes por-
trait Of Paul KRUGER lacks suggestion Of grim
humor, and by coarseness of technique over
emphasizes stolid heaviness of character; yet in
many respects it is a strong, straightforward
bit Of work Otherwise the walls in the North
Room are lined with fashion plates and conven-
tionaI decorative arrangements of curtains and
draperies, without artistic modelling of figures
and faces of sympathetic treatment Of character.
In the South Room there is only one noticeably
strong picture among scores of minor works.
This is Sir George Reds portrait of Sir Bartle
Frere in court dress fine in line. effective in