New-York tribune., 1905-12-25
THE IRVING RELICS.
n FuH Dress Stage Rehearsal at
Christie's for a Fe1o Natinees.
London. December q

London, December O.
Sir Henry Irving was too busy a man to bs
an orderly and systematic collector. The pict-
ures, books, bronzes and theatrical relics to bs
auctioned off at Christie's before Christmas were
the decorative setting of his home life in Lon
don Some had been bought by him; others vera
theatrical properties used In stage productions.
more were presented to him by friends in recog-
milton of his pre-enninence as an actor He uaa
| not a noisy Snowman in his chambers and was
| never in the habit of talking about his coIlec-
| tion when his friends were with him. Probably
he valued the ouriosties less from personal in
terest in them as a collector than from associa-
tions with those who had shown their affection
and good feeling by giving them TO him Tbers
was Edmund Keans green silk purse which
was found in the actors pocket without sbu
| ling in it. Irving would toy with # absent
mindedIy in his hand while he told how hi.
friend Robert Browning mad received it from
John Foster. and had sent IT to him with cord
ial letter because he seemed to be the only on.
who ought to have it. There was Garricks gold
| ring-a precious souvenir; but what Irving
liked to remember was Edwin Booths affection
in bestowing it as a proof of gratitude for
splendid courtesies in England to rival Edwin
Forests silver shoe buckles were trifes by
themselves; but Irving valued them because
| John McCulloch had given them to him In Phil
adelphia. So was It also with Lord Byrons Cir
cassan dagger, which Edmund Kean and Ellen
Tree had each in turn possessed: Eugene
Aram's lamp from RossettFs house: Macreadv.s
snuff box and shoe buckles; Garrick's malacca
cane. snuff box and stool: Kemble's Maltese
cross watch case, presentation vase and leather
boots the knife brandished by Edmund Kean in
quest of the pound of flesh: and the snuff boxes
OF Grimaldi and Charles Fechter. These were
all gifts from friends whom Irving loved Yet
they were also relics Of masters of acting on tha
English stage What a Christmas masque OF
tragedy and comedy there would be If those who
had worn the paste jewels and cleaning swords
or had taken snuff between the acts from the
silver or mulberry boxes We're to come trooping
into Christie's and to turn the dry voiced auc-
tioneer out of his box
All these curiosities will have a value for
Irvings friends because he liked to have them
in his rooms; and his own stage properties are
not likely to fall behind the older souvenirs in
the bidding. Among these are the swords car
ried when he was playing Richard III and Mac
beth, the Star of the Garter and silver spurs
worn when he enacting the part OF Charles
I; Benedick's Albanian cloak, coat and doublet;
Rfchelieus Venetian lace surplice and paste
cross, Peters fintlock pistol, Corporal Brew
ster's Waterloo medal and ribbon Hamlets
fencing foils. the dagger of Mephistopheles, Car
Arthurs cloak of royal purple designed by
Burne-Jones. the gilt metal breastplate Of Cori-
olanus and DR.. Primrose's snuff box. Pict-
uresque reminders are these of the glories of the
Lyceun stage. but to those knowing Irving
well the objects on which his eyes constantly
rested in his own home are more deeply inter
esting. Exposed to curious gaze at Christis's
is the carved ivory Flemish crUcifx which hung
on his bedroom wall; and from the same room
have been brought ornaments fancisd by him.
such as a Chinese green Jade bowl, Persian
fafence bottle, a bust of Napoleon as First Con-
sui, and pair of candelabra, bedside Chip
pendale table and a carved oak chair of the time
of Charles II. The dining room and library fur
niture and ornaments are also here; a Sheraton
mahogany sideboard; an eighteenth century
writing desk; sat:nwood tables, chairs and cabi-
nets; Chfppendale settees; Empire Directors
and Old English clocks; score of bronze stat
uettes and busts with the original statue OF
Irving as Hamlet, by Onsow Tord: silver and
porcelain screens and pipes mirrors and rugs,
miniatures and drawings. portraits and books.
Irving's stage life was exposed to a binding
glare Of publicity, but when he crossed Picca-
dilly he could find shelter in a rubbish palace Of
his and revel in the companionship of his
books and theatrical relics Privacy is now at
an end wheu Christie's is thronged with sight
a-brac. and when the auctioneer is clearing his
throat for three days recitatfve Next lot
what is bid for it?" with tap Of the rnalet to
emphasize every successive sale.
The library reveals not merely the wide range
Of Irvings taste and the intimacy of his rela-
tions with men of letters. but also the thorough
ness of his preparation for the production of i'm
portant works There are many handsome edi-
tions and presentation copies with authors au-
tographs. One Of the most su:nptuous is Fors-
ter's Life of Charles Dickens" bound in brown
Ievant morocco and extended TO eight volumes.
with more than two hundred portraits three
hundred autograph letters and many drawings.
illustrations and playbills There are splendidly
illustrated memorials of Garrick Edmund Kean
and Macready supplemented with hundreds OF
portraits. engravings. playbills and autograph
letters There are complete editions Of AriOsto.
Goethe Milton, Dante Tennyson. Henry Ward
Beecher and Stevenson and scores OF volumes
bearing upon the principal works produced at
the Lyceun Theatre. either in historical details
architecture or costume. With this cumulativs
evidence of the panstaking researches and Ia
bors Of the great actor in staging plays. one
wonders what Mr.. Bernard Shaw could have
meant when I'm the course of his Vienna dia-
tribe. he wrote: His 0rving's) scholarship and
his connoisseurship in art and literature were
equally imaginary" Under the heading OF
Shakespeariana there are scores Of entries, many
of them of unique interest. There is q rare copy
OF "Othello" printed for William Leak between
the two Temple gates in 1853; there Is Edmund
Keans copy Of the same play interleaved ana
corrected from the prompt book; there are
Macreadys version of Richard III" and Ham
let" with stage directions; Charles keans