Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-10
ART NOTES.

To Mrs. Laura Swing Kemeys, the wife
OF the eminent animal sculptor. has been
awarded the commission for series Of
small sculptures which is to adorn the
handsome new building now in course OF
construction in the National Park. This
structure Is intended for the accommodate
ton OF small mammals, and the purpose
OF the sculptures Is to convey this signifi-
canoe and to add to the beauty and interest
OF the building. They will therefore repre-
sent small animals, but in order to accord
with the architectural design they will at
the same time be somewhat conventional
lied. They are to be nine in number, re-
produced from three models, and are to be
used as finales to the ridge poles on the
main building and It's wings. The first OF
the series, a lynx, Mrs. Kemeys has al
ready sketched, and from 1t the character
and merit of theSothers may be adjudged
For the sake of solidity and form she has
pictured the familiar little animal sitting
bolt upright; his launches close to the
ground, his forelegs straight and rigid, his
head on a line with his body. The pointed
ears and spreading tufts of whiskers she
has used with good effect in the conven-
tionaliZation of her scheme, but she has III
every instance kept within the bounds or
anatomical correctness. There Is, indeed,
in the figure much that Is lifetke and real,
the structure of the beast has been well
discovered and his long, plant muscles
have been nicely felt out. In this, as In all
Mrs. Kemeys' work. the decorative element
( is most pronounced. 1t Is first decoration
and then portrait of lynx ana TINS Is
well. Mrs. Kemeys has to her credit IN
the past quite little sculpture MADE 1or
Ntlitarian purposes, and some admlraple
sketches of animals made in clay from nv
! ing models, so that she now comes 'huo
prominence with ample testimony OF apil-
fly and not without sufhcient apprentice
ship She has an individual way of sewing
things, which, combined with capacity Ior
-diligent endeavor, assures not only success
in the present undertaking. but promises
greater accomplishments in the future.
x x
The announcement Of the death of Mr.
John Moser, the father of the well-knoWn
local painter, James Henry Moser, and
himself an architect of more than common
eminence which occurred in Atlanta Ca,
last Saturday, has been received with great
regret in local art circles. The late Mr..
Moser was born near Heidelburg, Germany,
seventy-two years ago, and came to this
country in 1S4S. He became a fellow of
the American Institute of Architects and
rose to considerable prominence, both In
this country and abroad, through a competi-
tive design, made for the institute, setting
forth plan for its home building, which
embodied in itself all the known orders of
architecture. He member of several
of the foreign, aStute architectural organ1-
cations, and for a number of years was
employed an expert designer in the Of
flee of the supervising architect. In his
youth he did some not unworthy painting in
the old-School, German fashion. and to his
careful training and good judgment his son
now attributes much of his own success.
Until quite recently he made his home in
this city, and exhibited at all times lively
interest In the artists and their work.
x
1t is reported that the management Of
the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is con-
sidering. with other propositions, the de-
STABILITY of establishing, in the new build
ing, room or department for the exclusive
exhibition of colonial arts and crafts. This,
it would seem, were a bit of surprising fore
thought. AS a rule those things which are
near at hand are forgotten until the stran-
ger comes to claim them and American
handiwork has, until very recently, met with
scanty appreciation. The suggestion seems
to have been derived from a practical dem
onstration made by the Connecticut branch
Of the Daughters of the Revolution in the
furnishings and establishment of the his
toric Oliver Ellsworth house at Windsor
1t is here in the one-time home of Washing
tons chief justice. with a genuine colonial
setting, that the beauty of the old cabinet
work, pewter, china. linen and handmade
textiles has been discovered. ALL perhaps,
were not made on this side of the Atlantic.
out many were, and the simplicity and taste
which marked their formation as well as
their selection, might in this day be well
emulated.
A prominent advocate of the Paris court
10 hos 6ro
Tor an office whose function shall be that
OF authent1cating works Of art. According
to this scheme every work Of art is to be
registered by its maker and successive pur
chasers at the public office, and its history
and whereabouts made a matter Of record.
The fees. for of course there are fees. are
to be percentage of the selling price. and
are to go largely to the artists or their
families. This will not only insure the gen
the artist shareholder, as 1t were. in his
own work. This sounds Utopian, but It
| should not be impossible
The need Of some such reform bureau was
demonstrated a winter or SO ago by the sig
nlfcant utterances Of a well-known out-of-
town picture dealer when visiting this CITY
with choice collection of foreign paintings
which he desired to dispose Of at private
sale. Pointing to a Millet, for which he
asked $4,000, he produced the original bill
of sale, for the satisfaction of possible
purchaser, which represented a transfer of
about 20O francs-and later, referring to
the with which Corot was initiated
and spurious works passed, he was heard
to unblushingly declare that he himself had
sold a million dollars worth of that popu-
lar masters pictures. And he is only one!
But so it goes. There is, however, another
side of the question, for it may with some
justice be argued that the painter like any
other business man, got originally his price
for his canvas; and, referring to the second
proposition, that if a man buys a work of
art merely on account of the name on the
corner and obtains worthless imitation he
gets what he deserves.
In Italy cry has been raised against the
practice Of removing works of art from
their original homes, the places for which
they were created, and placing them In
public museums The case in point is a
lunette bas-relief by Luca della Robia, rep
resenting the Virgin and Child, which for