New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-02
ART EXHIBITIONS.
Works By Old Masters and Modern
american Artists.

DOWdeSWeH L. J..
sold auction Mendessohn Hall on the evenings
of Thursday and Friday April and g. The cata-
logue 161 numbers. and embraces divers cell
ebrated This is not to say that the collec-
ton is OF celebrated canvases-there is indeed
great quantity Of mediocre material on the walls
but the proportion here of work that is interesting
no matter what its origin may have been is larger
than in most gatherings of the sort For example
there full length portrait in the entrance gal
lery. one Marie Louise of Orleans. by Claudio
Coelo. which is very charming IN its courtly way;
II is not masterpiece: it is, the contrary. only
one more specimen Of a rather mechanical kind or
portrature. but II remains stately performance
It has a good companion in the large Portrait OF
Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond very
reasonably attributed in the catalogue to the school
of Van Dyck. On the same wall hangs mert-
torious portrait of Lord Mayor of London by
Copley and opposite is placed one OF the best pct-
ures in the show. THE Market Cart" excellent
illustration of Gansborough a landscape painter
The two huge portraits by Allan Ramsay which
flank this. portraits of George III and Queen Caro-
line. seated in regal spendor. make an imposing
pair nerveless in style but with certain superficial
gorseousness about them that makes Its due erect
There are several interesting portraits smaller
scale in this The Miss Franks by Sir
Joshua is delicate oval pure in color and showing
very persuasively the qualities Of his more re-
served manner There is also a fine Lawrence. the
Portrait Of Miss Storr" and may mention as
favorable two other portraits by this artist that are
upstairs the Colonel F. Mountjoy Martin" and
the Young Cricketer" The last mentioned canvas
IS especially agreeable.
OF the other British masters the one who IS per-
hans best represented is Hoppner. whose Miss
Kelvin is a capital bit of painting. not on his
highest plane. but sufficiently characteristic never
theless Among the four Lelys there is only one
the Portrait of the Countess of Carlisle" which
arrests attention and that is OF little consequences
The two Knellers both poor. and so are the
two Dobsons The Portrait Of Sir Joshua Reyn-
olds.' by Northcote. has none OF the vitality OF
an original study: 1t seems. rather. weak copy
of that portrait which the master painted OF HIM
self in spectacles in 17ss and often repeated Out
Of the seven paintings attributed to Canaletto
there is but one the Canal San Marco" No $50.
which invites appreciative comment. The italian
contingent is in fact unmpressive throughout.
We find no convincing qualities IN the two reg-
ious COMPOSITIONS given respectively TO Rafraellino
del Carlo and Sea1o. and the Portrait which
is "ascrbed to Giovanni Boltrafio' Is too hard
In drawing and at too cold and too opaque In
the flesh tints really suggest the Manese paint
er. The Portrait of italian Nob!eman' is a
fairly striking work. but there IS obvious reason
why It should have been "ascribed 20 Moretto"
since that fine figure in the artistic annals of
Brescia used an altogether holder sweep OF the
brush than is disclosed by this painting. We miss
likewise in the ''Bacchante." attributed TO Jor-
daens. the the bold modelling and the thor
oughly masculine style characteristic OF that artist
This head is much too suavely executed to be as
signed to the robustious Fleming. Equally disap-
pointing perhaps even a shade less plausible. is
the small Cavalier given to Frans Halls. The
Only works from the Low Countries here that are
at all inspiriting are Jan Versproncks "Mynheer
Ten Eyck"; the largo landscape by Everdingen.
Royal Hunting Lodge-the Hague" and tho land
scape by Egbert van Drelst though tho decorative
portraits by Ravesteyn. Honthorst. Moreelse and
De Baen leave a toleraby good impression
None OF the French pictures are OF great value.
The Portrait Of Prince Christian OF Bavaria" at
tributed to Largilliere. though fair example OF
old French portraiture in the general handling Of
the subject IS cheap In color. The Portrait Of
Marie Leczinska" cataloEued as by Marianne Loir.
IS a copy Of the masterpiece by Natter az Yer
saiiles and Mile. Ledouxs AT the window" is n
feeble imitation of Baiser Envoye." by Greuze.
IN the collection OF Alfred de Rothschild Better
than any these pretentious canvases Is the quiet
smoothly painted Lady Playing Harp" by Dan
loux There is an excellent Ribera in the show.
Aaron and His Rod" and may mention also
among the better old masters the handsomely
painted Venus Adonis'' Of jacques Blanchard.
The modern pictures include a large religious sub
feet by the late Sir Edward Burne-Jones. well
conceived figure study. which IL spoiled by stiff
drawing and poor color charming. nude by Mr..
Dewlng The -Sorceress. painted twenty-five years
ago: a first rate French landscape by Thaulow and
good pictures by Ter Meulen. q. II. Bogert. Clays
and Melting. There is. finally. lot Of miscel-
laneous stuff that is neither very good nor very
bad. The collection whole is but mildly in
teresting
made up of forty three pictures. all by Americans.
from the collection OF Mr.. Samuel T. Shaw. 1t re-
introduces a number OF old friends; for many of
these paintings have shown in tho exhibitions
OF the Society of American Artists and have been
purchased out OF the Shaw Fund. Here is Mr..
Parse's Might and Waning Day; here is Mr..
Metcalrs Gloucester Harbor.' here is the late
Theodore Robinson's I'm the SUM-" and on
through a long list Some OF the old prize winning
pictures have decidedly lost their glamour. but it
is interesting to observe that most OF them
well. and would justify to-day repetition of the
honor they have received In the past Robinsons
prize picture is accompanied by six other
works Of his, all of them clever, all OF them re-
minders Of the serious loss suffered by American
art when he died The bulk of the work exhibited
familiar require renewed description here.
1t is sufficient say that the show is bright and
entertaining.
At the Montross Gallery a group OF old pictures
by T. W. Dewing, John La Fargo, A. p. Ryder, A.
Schilling Abbot II. Thayer. d. W. Tryon and
Horatio Walker is on view. 1t is uneven in in
terest. Mr.. Dewing's Portrait Sketch" is poetic
In feeling and beautiful in color. Among Mr.. La
Farges eight designs note one master
ly little painting. the Water Lily: water color,
Christ and the Magdalen." with delightful quality
In It. recalling the sweetness OF old Italian
fine landscape. Crater" but the other pieces
are not Of the same engaging significance. Only
two of Mr.. Ryder's romantic pictures the Land
scape" and AN Oriental Camp serve to show
that this painter triumph over the obstinacy
of pigment; the remaining work Is too heavy in
handling to excite admiration. Both of Mr.. Schill-
ings night pieces good, disclosing delicate
timent and being very well executed. The single
canvas sent by Mr.. Thayer. the portrait of a boy,
has his usual distinguished style, but wants beauty
of color Mr.. Walkers Girl Feeding Turkeys is
a sound realistic study. admirable in atmosphere.
L.. -f..I