New-York tribune., 1906-04-21
ART EXHIBITIONS.
The Pictures Collected By the Late
Joseph Jefferson.

Galleries. an exhibition OF seventy-four paintings
collected by the late Joseph Jefferson They are
70 be sold at Mendelssohn Hall next Friday even
ing The artistic predictions OF the celebrated
actor were well known. He painted landscapes
himself and he loved 20 be surrounded by good
works by old and modern masters II needed tnis
exhibition to show fortunate he was IN gratiry-
&,q his taste In this small but choice collection
there are pictures for which there ought 20 oe
.nirited bidding at the sale next week
Consptcuous in the group OF old masters is the
PORTRAIT of Petronsna Buys" by Rembrandt. a
very good illustration Of that period In wnich the
artist was Just emerging from the rather tight
method of hts earlier years into the breadth OF his
prime The climax OF the thoroughly synthetic
nhass OF his art is stin be reached. and IN the
neintng Of the str run the touch Is close and not
particularly elastic. But the handling or the race
is mastery; made 10 feel the oony structure
through modelling that Is as free as II IS true'
This portrait has pendants dating from the
sever+eenth century graceful rather than robust
examples Of Macs but the rest OF the old pictures
are nearly all from English sources. Those by
lawrence are the most interesting. HIS portrait
=, Canova," painted with a lightly loaded fluent
br,,sh Is In his surest vein OF craftsmanship and
IL shows him. too in mood OF perfect apprecia-
tion Of masculine pfcturesQueness The large can
vas Of THE Angersten Children" though less
polished performance, fs on the other hano' very
vigorously painted with little OF the sickness so
often noticeable In Lawrence. That deploraole tran
~ his comes TO the surface in hopelessly pretty
form in the small "Bacchante" None or the three
paintings given to Reynolds IS OF high order or
merit The Portrait OF Himself" IN middle Ire.
"a onlv a fair not fine, example; and the other
nortratt showing him IN old age. Is excessively
moor J-ninteresting too Is the small study. The
Death of Dido" Save for certain dryness IN the
technique the Portrait of Richard Brtnsley Sher-
,dan" by Gainshorough, is an engaging oit and
altogether charming Is Harlow's Portrait OF
KembIe" This practically ends the list OF cid
naintings for while there pleasing meIowness
OF tone in the Portrait of Young Girl. which
Is 'attributed' Cireuze. there Is no really I'M
pressive quality in this. in the Portrait OF Mira
heau" which the catalogue gives without reserva-
t,on 70 the same painter Neither is there much 70
he said for the landscape which the catalogue
wisely does no more than attribute 10 Constable
The only ming item OF interest in this section
of the show Is the lurd 'BullAght by Goya
Mr. Jefrerson's modern pictures reveal him as
connoisseur Of the works of particularly be-
quilting school. the Dutch He had a profound ad-
rniraton for Mauve and his fellows. but enthusiasm
never warped his Judgment. The examples or the
school in his collection sngula-ly even in quail
itv and some of them reach rare standard OF
excellence The two large paintings by Mauve are
superb. The more famous OF these, The Return
of the Flock is of those exceptional studies
of animals in which the realistic treatment or nat
ure is accompanied by such distinction of style
that the effect gained is one of positive poetic
beauty. The other large canvas. The Loggers." Is
even more brilliant piece of painting. The theme
Is of the SirNleSt nature. Peasants at work with
their horses gave the artist his models. But he
took this ordinary material. and. setting II in
cold but lovely landscape. painted il with
thority and feeling which lift the whole work to
a lofty plane With these two masterpieces there
are shown eight nine smaller works and studies
by Mauve. The entire group Is admirably repre-
sentative OF the painter. His compatriots Israels
Rcmmers. Neuhuys Jacob Marls IN Miss WaIy
Noes are all likewise present in good fOrio and in
fact this sale is of more importance regards the
modern Dutch school than any which has been held
In New York for q long time.
Mr jefferson formed a delightful group of Barbi-
zon pictures acquiring specimtn OF COrot Dau-
bisny Diaz and Troyon. which all authentic
and beautiful and he had the same luck with works
by three or four other Freuchmen. The academic
Couture appears in mood OF uncommonly at
traCtive picture squeness in The Fugitive" and
Vollon is his best in his large Still Life" an
enhancing study OF metal glass. porcelain. flowers
and fruits. The big Van Marcke. with its vigorous
modelling OF form and its abundance OF fat color
is extraordinarily handsome example OF this
painter And so the collection goes along lines OF
merit which we find sogaehow very exhilaratnz
The old masters may all be OF the highest
value. The Morland and the Hoppner for example
may fall short OF what would like them 10 he,
Hut some of the old pictures like the Rembrandt
command. We have shown. a good deal OF re-
spect and the illustrations OF modern art-not only