The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-03-20

found pictures, and knew intuitively
what were worth buying. He became
deeply interested in the collection and
spent his fortune in purchasing pic
lures The first exhibition of them was
held in Florence, where there was an
opportunity to compare them with the
other works of the same great masters,
and curatOrs and art critics testified to
the genuineness of the painting. The
collection was then brought to this
country, and was exhibited in New
York Cor two or three years. 1t was
first offered for sale to the Boston Mu-
scum Of Fine Arts, but was not pur-
chased. By this time Mr.. Jarvis was
reduced to poverty, and Yale college
lent him twenty thousand dollars on
his collection for three years. At the
end of that time, the interest not hav-
ing been paid, it was again offered for
sale, the only stipulation the college
making that it should be bought as a
whole, as the interest of the collection
would be greatly impaired if it were
scattered, and to assure itself that it's
loan of twenty thousand dollars would
be paid. The sale of the collection was
advertised all over the country, but
only twenty or thirty persons attended
the sale, and there were no bidders eX-
cept the college, which offered five hun
bred dollars in addition to it's loan.
There were very few people in the
country who understood the value OF
the collection, and one of the few was
the late Professor E. E. Salisbury, of
Yale to whose influence it was largely
due that Yale college, out of her then
scanty treasury lin 1860 bought the en-
tire collection.
The most important and valuable part
of the whole collection is at ones right
hand as one enters. The long panel
marked in the catalogue is the earliest
form of the cross, the Y shaped cross.
1t is divided into three compartments,
one above the other. There are only
three such paintings existing, and the
date is not later than the tenth century.
The background is gold, as representing;
the most beautiful and richest thing the
painter could possibly conceive. NO: 4
in the catalogue is scenes from the Life:
of Christ and the Life Of st. John. 1t
seems archaic and almost grotesque to
the uninstructed eyes. but it is a Won
derful piece of work, intense in action
and deeply tragic. The costumes are
not of the times when the artist lived,
but what he imagined the actual dress
was at the time portrayed. One Of the
figures has a robe indicated merely by
lines of gold for the drapery. 1t is
highly conventional, but beautiful in its
meaning. These early pictures, the first
to be made after the Christian world
recovered from the barbarities perpe-
trated by the iconoclasts and the fol-
lowers Of Leo, the Isaurian, were paint
ed on wood, in "distemper," that is, the
colors were mixed with white lead and
glue. Some of them were painted with
wax, heated, as a medium, This is
called 'eucaustic." This had the adj
vantage of soaking into the wood, MAX
ing transparent coloring. A thousand
years has had it's effect upon it, dulling
some colors and intensifying others, but
they are curious specimens of early
Italian painting.
The collection as a whole is the most
compact and concise exhibit of italian
shoes the beginning of the awakening of
the human mind at the end of the me-
diaeval period. 1t is a consistent pro-
gress from the earliest stages to the
highest development of art.
The Annunciation one Of the next
pictures, is a most beautiful thing.
Hung in any parlor it would crowd out
almost everythin else in the way of So
called art. It could endure nothing
common or unclean in it's vicinity.
! The frames were very frequently de-
signed for the pictures, and with them
| form harmonious whole. The great
altar piece, on the west wall of the gal
| lery, is almost like fresco work, and
| it's harmony of color makes it one Of the
most beautiful paintings in the collec-
ton. .....
| There are one or two Cirnahues, a
Grotto, and one of about thirty Gior-
gianes known to exist. The authentic
! ity of every Giorgione in existence has
been called in question, but this bears
| the tests as we'll as any.
The Basticelli, on the east wall, is one
of the finest known. Mr.. Jarves bought
! LnlS Sixty years dSo, UeluIe bdlllteiii
| was much thought of. Ruskin had not
then written of Botticelli, but Mr..
Jarves knew a beautiful painting when
he saw one. It's symbolism, its serenity
and repose are it's chief charm.
So the traditions went on. The col
oring at first was simple. Red and
black, black and gold. Then the color
| ing grew intense, like Titian's. Then
naturalism began to pervade art, which
at first it elevated, and then degraded.
Professor Niemeyer spoke of the Won
! derful transparency Of the sky in the
Temptation of st. Jerome. No painter
to-day could paint more beautiful
sky. The picture of SanSebastian he
paused to praise and then spoke of the
painter who developed the law of per-
spective, making more of the tesselated
pavement in a picture than of the hui
man figure.
! In conclusion Professor Niemeyer
said what he wished was to give a few
hints to his auditors that they might
study the examples of Italian art for
themselves and increase their own hap
piness by seeing the beauties which
surrounded them on every side. His
| hearers were 10th to leave the room on
the conclusion of the lecture, and many
remained, enjoying the familiar paint
| ings far more than ever before, after
| hearing their beauties explained nv SO