New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-19
ART EXHIBITIONS.
The Loan Collection of old and
Modern Portraits.


Ia,ce Careful scrutiny Of the collection which
embraces nearly four hundred paintings. draw
snrs NINA ttIres etchinrs and bronze reilets' o'S
closes the fact that this is. indeed. the -
show OF the kind ever held in NeW-forA.
v-+e collectors have risen generously 70 INC
casion. sending in several cases "orAs
-. -. hs.hs--o been publicly shown III
America The dealers have also Zee" -
-. ~ u-isbes OF The committees OF lasiheh
- --.s-.s eo--red 10 supervise the affair, max
- .s.,s,seut contributions and onerlng
-. ,,-se- the auspices Of the lnternationa
-, AIS Association. For the display OF the
.bBnsant material secured every aVailaole
-,o-n az. the three floors occupied BY the An1erl-
-sn Art Association has been pressed into ser
vice. with the result tat there is no crowoins
.-,vhe-e Everything Of importance has been
well hung and. in fact, the collection as a whole
Is arranged 70 good advantage. The exhibition
IS certain 70 be popular. for il has been or
esrized with taste and common sense, and we
are sure that the public VIII not fail 10 support
N enterprise 50 well carried out in such good
cause.
The large entrance gallery has been made
positively imposing through the concentration
n Z; OF a number OF The finest old masters pro
durable on this side Of the Atlantic Reports
o. purchases made abroad in this field by
American collectors are frequent enough. yet
they have hardly prepared Us TO expect such a
group OF masterpieces as is assembled in this
room Mr.. whftney's Van Dyok, the William
Vfniers Ticsount Grandson is one Of the
Flemish masters unqUalidedly great canvases.
great IN its technical authority and its brilliant
though restrained color scheme. but great.
above al. IN its effortless fusion Of technical
clements with an ideal Of expression. Van
Dyck survives. Of course. chiefly because he
knew how TO paint. bat his rank among the
~rf0 Of
style. on the felicity with which he portrayed
his noble models putting into every touch Of his
brush the supreme elegance which marked their
carriage and demeanor He knew gentleman
when he saw him, and he painted like one IN
canrzses like the Grandson he erected one
q the great standards IN portraiture Another
example Of him here presented. the full length
q a lady. lent by AIr. Twoubly. is not so re-
splendent a work. but in its quieter key il IS
be-s1v less charming The men Of genius in
-ha English school OF the eighteenth century
WIN revived his courtly tradition. and developed
= with so much strength and individuality. are
al -epresented in this exhibition The eight sly
.Joshuas are not by any means all OF equal
zslue but one Of them at least. the Colonel
Cussrnake-" lent by Mr.. W X Vanderbilt Is
g superb example. and two very characteristic
portraits figuring in the group are the Laugh
Sc Girl lent by Mr.. LaTan. and the An
s-o- Clz-lLs collection. Gainsborough IS pres
81 en- fne form. The Mrs. Elliot" lent by
~ u x Vanderbilt is one Of his most brill
sar- productions. showing all his luency in the
brush work and al his luminosity IN the color.
es-e~iarv where the tawuy robe is concerned
- T5esrn lends the charming Lady Sheffield.
souvenir q Gainsbo-ough IN his daintiest.
most lyrical vein. and lastly We have the Mrs
Graham" lent by Mr.. Glaenzer. worrhily com
Tle-inC trio q rare interest Among the i've
PoTnevs there is one glorious example the
Anne. Countess Of Clare" lent BY Senator
Clark who also sends a fne Portrait OF
Ladv.- bv Hoppner The latter artist is rep
resented by half dozen other paintings, the
best n which is the Lady Burlington and
Child" lent by AIr. Bacon The ten Lawrences
make a dazzling array. the chief members OF
the group being the beautiful. golden Mrs.
wellesley" lent by Mr.. Altman; the Charity.
lent by M FFollins. and the too sleek. but still
brilliant "AIarchioness Of HEREFORD" lent by
NJ. James Henry Smith Raeburn makes a
pleasant but not at all remarkable appearance
n the show. More interesting among the eX-
er7plars Of eighteenth century art are such
Americans as Gilbert Stuart and John Trum-
bull. whose portraits here. chiefly from the col
lection OF Colonel William Jay. are not only
ad-1f-a be for their intrinsic merits. for their
sound technique and elevated style. but are in
teresting as recalling 10 Us. in an apt moment.
t. qualities or which the American school was
founded
Returning to the Continental masters. ~Ue find
q rival TO Van Dycks Grandson" in Rem
brandt's STANDARD Bearer lent by Mr.. George
: Could There are other good specimens Of
the great Dutchman here. notably Mr.. Ber-
winds Portrait Of a Man but it is a the
STANDARD Bearer that ne is. on this occasion.
most triunphaitly himself The color scheme is
one Of the most beautiful IN the whole range of
his art-sornbre. almost dull. but with a quality
that places the canvas in the highest rank II is
TIRE true Rembrandt. also. that we feel in the
powerful brushwork and in the significance Of
the portrait as q study OF character. Il is worth
while We may add. 70 compare this with the
Grandson" and 20 observe the essential har-
r1lony between two masters OF totally different
teuperarnents- Van Dyck paints q nobleman
with a noble brush: Rembrandt's strength is
IKE that OF his sitter. rugged. and with some
thing Of everyday human nature in 1t. But in
both portraits We have realized the aim OF all
artistic genius-pure beauty. There is not much
10 be- said for the single portrait by velasquez
ehoup-it Is far from Illustrating the Spaniard
.r his erest estate-and the Italian school is in
10 better case. The earlier Frenchmen. on the
c--e- hand. give q very interesting account Of
-re-,sel,ez. beginning with Clouet in the engag-
s-r rfrIe uarel portrait OF Charles de France"
lert bv Nr. Hearn. and coming down 70 Louis
David fn The Delightful Girl IN White, lent by
n T1l-ars- Rtlel L.argilifere, Natter. Mignaro
DroUats. Greuze and LatoUr are al represented
and though we have seen finer examples OF
Hearty every one Of these painters than are no"
shown. none OF them fails 70 bring something
attractive into the gallery-something OF that
formal grace and decorative elegance Tor which