New-York tribune., 1905-01-25
ART EXHIBITIONS.
The Waggaman Collection of On
entalia and Paintings.

The objects of art and the paintings collected by
Mr.. Thomas p waggaman. of Washington. which
exhibition at the American Art Gal
leries form interesting if not imposing body of
work The catalogue runs to about 5000 numbers
Barely hundred pictures are shown. The rest of
the long list is taken up with Eastern porcelains.
lacquers. bronzes, jades screens. prints and
Nowhere does the collection leave the impression OF
special enthusiasm Mr.. Waggaman has not cul-
tivated, fancy a particular bypath of
nosseurship with particular devotion. He seems,
rather, to have bought the mood has moved
him. with the result that in the crowded galleries
Of the American Art Association there are q good
many commonplace pieces But this collector has
undoubtedly had Judgment well as good
fortune. and again and again attention is attracted
by specimen Of the Oriental potter's or metal
workers skill which shines with a fine distinction
among objects of good but not remarkable char
aCter
Take. for example the piece Of soft paste Fen
Ting ware which Is catalogued as The Famous
Ostrich Egg Vase" (No. S4s). Captain Brnkley
who once owned it. called it absolutely unique"
He might have added that it is a production OF
great beauty. which possesses in its we'll modelled
surfaces and in it's charming tone a character more
engaging. perhaps. than that of many a more brill
liant vase. 1t Is. indeed where pieces like this are
concerned that Mr., Waggaman's collection is most
interesting. The globular Jar showing mottIed
green glaze (No. g79 a ravshing bit of color and
the lovelier for bearing a more OF less unconven-
tional accent. The oviform Cochin Chinese Jar
(No. $780, an affair of amber yellow cracked glaze
with splashes Of olive green, is another original
type. and We may mention also the tall oviform
vase CNo. IO4S OF dark brown glaze with an
exquisite tea green 'soufie.' In these and I'm
divers other pieces have the ceramic art Of the
orient In ono OF its most beguiling phases. free,
even audacious with kind Of inventive fervor
breaking through the noble traditions Of the an
cient craft. Mr.. waggaman was never better ad-
vised than when he made the little excursions away
from the beaten track which these characerfu Jars
and vases commemorate. But he had good luck
too along more familiar lines OF collecting Several
of his black hawthorn pieces CNos $40 s5s and
s7s) superb. The white lacework vase CSo s4)
is fine specimen and it Is worthiIy surrounded
by pieces OF similar character. The single color
porcelains are uneven in quality a number OF pieces
which are not at all inspiriting being shown but
in of the cases where especially the unotted red
oviform jar (No. 1042) is placed there is distinctly
choice group, and in another case there is a t,1r-
quoise bottle shaped vase CNo. 1O69 which is com
pletely bewitehing in its tone. This last it may
be added. has some equally beautiful companions OF
the same romantic tint
In passing from one salient exhibit 20 another
among the porcelains. is conscious as we have
indicated. OF variations the level OF the colec-
uon- The average declines from the star exhibits
so gradually that the change is hardly noticed and
then there VIII be sharp fall to the plane OF some
positively humdrum performance. It would be fas-
einating TO go through the cases in detail for II
this is not an assemblage OF masterpieces, like the
LANA coHectons Tot example, neither is 10 one or
those purely commercial miscellanies such
have too often encountered in recent years. Care
fully sifted. In fact. the Waggaman porcelains
would make a notable array Obviously, however.
1t Is impossible to sift them IN this place without
exhausting a great deal OF space. and after indi-
eating the peculiarly diversified character OF the
collection II is sufficient 70 note In the foregoing
paragraph the objects of special significance, There
distinguished items In the department OF
jades. and there quite a number OF fine brOnzes.
The lacquers. though in some instances admirable.
not the whole OF great Importance. SINH
larry. the netsukes pouches. inros and ivOries and
swords are TO be looked at with close discrimina-
ton The collection OF screens and color prints
taIns much that Is valuable. The sale OF all the
Orientalia save the prints. kakemonos and screens
begins to-day at 2s0 o'clock and continues at the
same hour every afternoon until February s. The
exceptions we have named will be Monday and
Tuesday evenings. January 30 and 81 There re-
main the European paintings and water cOlors.
which win be sold at Mendelssohn Hall on Friday
evening, January "a.
In collecting his pictures Mr. waggaman appears
10 have had at least one strong preference. That
was for the artists OF the modern Dutch school,