Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-20
THE PICTURE MARKET
Busy Times in the City Of
Gotham.
MANY EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
Valuable Collections to Be Disposed
Of at Auction.
THE HEBER BISHOP SALE
The Eighty-First Display Of the Ma
tional Academy of Design a
Creditable One.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

NEW YORK, January 10. 1906
These are busy times In the picture mar
ket. Exhibition after exhibition pass In
rapid succession through the dealers gall
leries. and more than one valuable collec-
ton is to be disposed Of In the auction
room. Interest centers now in the Heber
Bishop sale, which begins tonight and will
be continued daily for week. Its catalogue
numbers 1907 items, and comprises the en-
tire collection - save the wonderful jades
given to the Metropolitan Museum-which
was got together by the late Heber r.
Bishop of this city. There are paintings,
porcelains, carvings, lacquers, armour
hangings, rugs, bronzes and books In almost
endless variety, and all in their selection
show. in measure. Individual thought.
The galleries of the American Art Assocfa-
ton have been turned into veritable mu-
scum, and to grasp at all the value of the
collection one must have fund of special
lied knowledge. The oriental art objects,
which comprise the largest section of the
exhibit are by far the most important The
paintings while to degree interesting, are
more or less commonplace. They belong
principally to the school of decade ago
and are narrative rather than merely pic
torial The majority are foreign-German,
french and Spanish-and show popular sub
jects. One of peculiar interest represents a
Roman Triumph" and was painted by
earle Vernee in 1889. in which year he was
elected to the French Academy Another
curious in theme, is THE Last Hours of a
Condemned Man." which is the work of
Munkacsy. Gabriel Max is represented by
a faithful Interpretation of the Raising of
Jairus' Daughter" and Joseph Israels (who.
by the way, with Augustus ST. Gaudeus,
has Just been made member of the Royal
Academy by an early, though character
istic canvas picturing a little lad carrying
his sister pick-a-pack through the water
mic hoo
by knaus six De Neuvilles and two De-
tables worthy of attention. But, when all
IS said, none calls forth the interest or de-
serves the consideration bestowed upon the
oriental objects in the adjoining galleries.
These measure up to a higher standard
The second gallery Is filled with ceramics
and recalls the Waggaman collection which
Just year ago occupied the same cases
Frequently it is mentioned by visitors and
though dispersed twelve months ago it still
seems to remain intact, unit of standard
Inc prices which single specimens brought
are quoted as preeedents and the value of
a large part of the present collection Is esti-
mated on this basis
The blue and whites" In this collection
are most numerous and interesting. One
extraordinarily fine example IS an ovoid-
formed vase belonging to the Yung-ching
era, which Mr.. Bishop purchased from the
Brayton Ives collection in 1871 for some
thing like 500, but which it Is thought will
now bring twice If not three times that
amount. The lacduers are also very inter-
esting and important. more unusual indeed
II Is thought. than the ceramics. Many Of
these show not only exquisite color but
wonderful workmanship, the keenest appre-
citation of decorative design and craft of the
highest order. But so large and varied is
the collection that ii is impossble to treat
or 1t in few words. The catalogue in its
brief form is volume too cumbersome and
bulky to be conveniently carried. From all
parts OF the country collectors have come to
attend the sale. and for days, in spite of
50-cent admission fee, the galleries nave
been well filed with interesting visitors.
From Canada has come Sir William Van
Horne. and from equally distant places
otner Weli-known connoiSSeurs.
<
The eighty-first annual exhibition of the
National Academy of Design, which for a
month has been occupying the Fine Arts
Galleries, closes tomorrow. In many ways
1t is the best exhibit this time honored or
ganization has held for many years. There
are still poor canvases included and
not a few of them, but there are more good
ones, and the general makeup is on a
higher plane than heretofore. The trend
seems to be toward more artistic expression
toward broader significance and free in
depreciation. There iS abundant oppor-
tunity to note this progress, or to discover
1t by comparison, because the old men who
are still painting in the old way are repre-
scented. well as the new who are
pressing into untried fields. The figure
work, with a few exceptions is disappoint-
ing and falls behind the productions OF the
landscape painters. Sargents portrait of
William Thorne, A. N. A, is, usual, a
brilliant piece of technique, but for force.
vfgor and conviction Irving Wiles' likeness
Of Henry Wolf, the well-known wood en-
graver, presses it close for merits.
Walter Florians portrait of j. Campbell
Phillips Is also admirable, and George w.
Maynards portrait of himself is set forth
with almost startling realism. most
charming genre, a little girl at table read
ing has been contributed by Mr. Wiles and
found ready purchaser, and both Robert
Vornof's portrait study of lady In Cos
tune and Hugo Ballin's Mother and
Child" to which the Clarke prize was
awarded, show uncommon pictorial quail
ties and decorative feeling. But there are
a score Of exceptions! iandscapes-outdoor
pictures full of air. light, sentiment and
real significance-not copies of nature, but
genuine interpretations. Leonard Ochtman
sends one, w. L. Lathrop another, Char
lotte s. Conan, Walter Shfrlaw, Ballard
Williams, Clark G. voorhees,. and Bruce
Crane all make along this line notable con-
tributions. Everett Warner of Washing
ton is represented by snow picture of ex-
ceIlent quality, entitled Winter in New
Hampshire" Lorenzo J. Hatch, one time
a student of the~Washingtor Art League.
contributes two landscapes, which have
been well placed in the Vanderbilt gallery.
wherein also Miss Juliet Thompson's IN
terestiug portrait of Miss Elizabeth Davis
has been Displayed Among the sculpture
in this main exhibition room Is spirited
little sketch made by Gutzon Borglum OF
James Smithson. through whose benefcence
the Smithsonian Institution found incep-
ton It pictures him a slight wiry man,
thoughtful yet a trife eccentric. He Is
seated in a low-back chair, alert yet con-
ternplatfve. It is far removed from the
stereotyped portrait statue. and still 1t
sets forth in no small measure the person
atty and character of the man whom 1t
portrays. Mr.. Borgium's Horses of Do
medes," powerful bronze. and his charac-
ter study Of Ruskin have also been given
a place in this exhibition
Mr. Borglum has charge Of all the sculp-
ture work for the Cathedral Of st. John the
Divine which is being built by the Episco-
pal diocese of New York ON Morningside
Heights adjacent to the Columbia College
property. The Belmont Chapel, which now
has It's walls finished, has been converted
into studio. or atelier, and there every
day, under Mr.. Borgiums direction, four
sculptors are working upon the ecclesiastf-
cal statues which viii some time In the
future adorn its walls. Much study goes
with this work and also careful modelling
No special tradition Is being followed, but
a type. brought into conformity with the
prevailing style OF architecture. is being
used. The modelling, casting and carving