New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-24
ENGLISH P0RTRAlTURE.
Great Ladies at the Ag1ezo Gallery
The Portrait Painters ShoSc.
London. November 0.

grand affair No other autumn art sho" fiN"1'
II IN stateIfness and spiendor. This year 1Aiis
borough's Duchess Of Gloucester passes III u'-
ur,,b from the Duke of Cambridge's collection
90. ,a,ne toll at Christie's for the round sum
~ - 100 r1lineas and becomes the central nS-
,,re AZ this charity ball. This was the daughteF
n, Sir Edward Walpole. who was Countess " al
deerave and mother OF the three "aloesI@Ne
ladies' painted by Reynolds. and by her second
marriage the wife of the Duke OF Gloucester
She could hold her head high when she had mar
ried into the royal circle against the Will OF
George III. and she does in this ~onderlui
portrait. painted with impressive simplicity of
st,le II is half length with a costume OF
cuiet elegance but what modelling there is III
the lon:e shapely neck and beautiful arm ana
hand, she needs 10 be a lovely woman as Wen
a. high bred lady Of distinction TO nave Inc
Mace Of honor in this splendid reVel- Tor lhere
are handsome women about her and their cos
tunes have been ordered by great painters.
There is Reynolds's Lady Eliza beth Compton
the daughter Of an earl Of Northampton ana the
wife Of a Cavendish; and how charming she IS
Sc she stands out Of doors in q white gown en-
broidered with gold with dainty feet crossed ana
elastic 1g,Ire relaxed. Only master could nave
carried out the pose without sacrihcing dignity
and grace: but Sir Joshua was merely project
,,v the beauty of youth against tension OF line
Another Reynolds is one Of the Couhlesses OF
Northampton, with finely modelled face ana an
other is a Duchess Of Rutland, with clothes ar
ranged with some little business There are
Ronneys also beautiful in face and most be-
cor7,nglv dressed The tallest is Lady Mines.
Nth = lovely black and white costume and
fetching picture hat: and il is impossible to re-
sist the Vaccinations of the grand style of paint
ing Another is Lady Hamilton as Mirth' with
arm raised to suggest motion and with q uuil
red robe to set off the beauty of the dark halr
and sparkling eyes Daintiest and most rehheu
among these Romneys is pretty. young Eliza
beth Tighe with white cap about her dark nd"
and simple white frock 10 match it. She has
been IN the North Of Ireland all these years. but
1T last she has come up 10 London 10 WIN al
hearts by her sweetness and grace
There are two of Raeburn's ladies IN white
Mrs Sterart of Dalguise. the less Impressive
and Grace Lockhart Ross, of BalnagoWn-a TAN
stately figure with carefully panied laIu-
soape behind her: and there is fine Lawrence
Mrs Cunliffe Ohiey Last but lovelest among
these great ladies are the two Hoppners- one Is
LADY Caroline wrotlesIey daughter of one OF the
Farls of Tankervile, painted with retlcence anu
Euhtlety the face full of youthful charm, and the
costume blending tones of white, gray and pale
blue in a low key. The other is the Countess OF
Darrlev. with her little daughter-an admirable
rorrrsit which ought 20 he bought for the Ma
tjonal Gallery where there is only one hne eK-
annie of Hoppner's mastery technique. Inc
child with brown frock and bare foot Is stand
ing on o. all but falling from. her mother ;
knee and is looking UP eagerly 10 catch the
smile from the beautiful face How useful TINS
intensely human picture would be IN the great
gallery as a model. where there is so much IN
artistic and inane child painting. A third Hopp-
,ler is a group OF three Cavendsh children in
woodland scene-a pretty little girl in white
and pink dancing between two boys. Another
child picture is by Sir joshua Cavendish boy
riding q dog froC. There are two Rae
b,.rns-Sir Alexander Mackenzie. of Delvine, and
Sir William Maxwell. of Calderwood standing
beside his horse-the only men attending this
reception Of English beauties. There are also
four charming Morlands, one of Cronne's wooded
landscapes with windmille water and silvery
moonlight. and one of Gainsborough's golden
toned mountainous landscapes, as good
Claude, with distant village and flock Of
sheep by river OF these twenty-five exam
pies of English masters only one Romney's Lady
Mines has been recently exhibited, and the
naming twenty-one have not been seen in
London for over thirty years. Not more than
four or I'VE have been lent for this charity show
the others being owned or controlled by the
Agnews
It s not a long walk from the Agnew galleries
10 the New Gallery. but it is a wide reach in the
Painters includes some of the best men in the
Academy and a group of Scottish painters of
high rank. and its exhibition ought to be
fairly representative one Of the Of portrait
painting as 1t g known in England to-day. A
around the three large galleries is most dis
appointing If one be searching for work worthy
Of the noble traditions Of the English school In
the north room, for example, there only
three portraits which suggest even remotely the
influence Of the old masters. Mr. Ellis Roberts
RANTS tall. handsome English girls out of doors,
as Reynolds Gainsborough. Raeburn and
Lawrence used TO do; bur. while he brings them
well 70 the front and chooses good subjects, they
are not the stately picturesque figures of the
Agnew reception, nor DO his landscapes. painted
almost too infinitely and laboriously, have the
restful. open air effect of n Gainsborough back
ground. There are only two examples OF thor
oughiy good technique in this room. one is Mr..
J. J. Shannon's portrait OF a daughter of Mr..
Bailey. The background is simply treated and
the child is brought well forward, with a large
dog. whose face is as eager her own. As the
girls hat IS IN her hand there is glory OF light
IN her blond hair. and the browns and grays Of
her costume blend with the dogs fur. The other
example OF sound, 81 not brilliant, technique is
M. John Lavery's portrait of the Earl of Don
cughmore. 1T is not refined and decorative like
his girl with white flowers, which has been
bought for the Luxembourg and is now on ex-
nbtion ar the Leicester Gallery, but il is a
strong, well balanced work. with good modelling,
a sense Of character and fine painting OF the air
spaces Mr.. Lavery. in his instructive love Of
delicate decorative effect. is always in danger OF
losing his grip upon life and character and for
This reason his technique Is stronger when ne