New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-07
BIG GIFT TO CITY.
Yerkes Art Collection to Become
Public Property Eventually.


queathed his 5th-ave. home, with all It's ART
treasures to his wife on the condition that she'
on or before her death, should hand it over 10
the city of New-York Among these treasures
are paintings, statuary, bronzes and rugs WHICH
MI Yerkes had been collecting almost regard
less of their cost for the last twenty years, ana
which, with the building that houses them are
estimated as worth S5,O00,Oo0.
Londoners who have heard Of the munihcen'
gift of Mr. Yerkes say that he found his in
spiration for it in the Wallace Art Collection at
the English capital They sax that on Vlsltlng
the Wallace galleries for the first thne' ne
learned more than ever before how intensely lle
public is interested in art. He found these gal
leries even more crowded than the Natlohal
Museum The Wallace collection was oequeatheu
70 London by the widow of Sir Richard Wallace
and put under the control of trustees appolhIeu
by the Grown. In the same way said Mr.
yerkes 81 shall remember the people OF the
cfty of New-York and of America" And so MI
Yerkes did in his will, providing eventually that
his home shall become public museum allh
ated to a certain degree with the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. 1t shall be under the control OF
FIVE trustees four of them to be appointed py the
Metropolitan Museum, the fifth being the Mayor
of New-York City
So quietly. almost secretly did Mr.. Yerkes
gather together his art treasures that few out
side of intimate friends realize how numerous
and costly they are The collection includes
more than a hundred works, chiefly OF early
English Flemish and Dutch schools, as well as
paintings by modern French artists
great Van Dyck dominates the chief gallery
being hung in the centre at one end OF the room
1t is of the Due de Neuburgh, and represents
his lordship standing, cloaked in huge mantle,
with a great mastiff by his side. The picture
was bought by Mr. Yerkes from the Blakesee
Galleries as were also "A Burgomeister, by
Ferdinand Boil, representative of early Dutch
portraiture and a massive Troyon called The
Great Ok"
The Barbizon collection of the Yerkes gal
leres is especially far reaching, for it Includes
besides paintings by Troyon, masterpieces from
the brush of Corot and Daubigny. There are
also works representative of the skill of Della
croix and Deschamps.
Among the paintings which Mr.. Yerkes him
self cherished with special fondness were his
Rembrandts. Among these was THE Portrait
of an officer" probably Jors de Caulery, con-
spicuous for his ford complexion his thick,
bushy dark hair, and small, pointed dark
beard The officer wore buff jerkin and steel
gorget with gayly colored neck cloth above it.
Another Rembrandt THE Entertainment OF
Jupiter and Mercury by Philemon and Baucis."
It is a night scene and represents Jupiter and
Mercury seated at a table in a large, barnlike
structure. Jupiter has a long white beard, and
reddish garment. Mercury is arrayed
I'm yeIlowish-red tunc. The old couple, who
are their hosts, kneel before them, offering
goose To the left in the background a fire
burns on an open hearth, while a lamp, con-
cealed by Mercurys body, helps also to illu
inmate the scene. Another Rembrandt is entitled
"a Rabbi" and depicts Hebrew sage, seated,
and looking the spectator in the eye. The feat
ures are contracted, in thought, and reflect
not only the scholarly intellect of the Jew, but
his forcefulness or what he himself with a
tain racial pride, sometimes calls his '+resistless
ness"
The Yerkes galleries also contain four Turn
ers. one Of them a tempest off the English coast,
In which a ship in distress is displaying blue
rockets There are also works by Rubens, Jacob
Ruysdael Frans Halls, Berger, Ostade Brouwer,
Dou ana Denner.
Some Of the rugs which cover the floor Of the
galleries cost as much the paintings on the
walls Many Of them were designed for Euro
pean cathedrals their colorings and designs
being for the most part Byzantine, Raphaelesque
and Gothic. A few are woven of gold silver
and silk. Some depict fighting animals, Others
represent hunting scenes. One carpet is a fac
simile of famous ArderbiI carpet in the
South Kensington Museum, London 1t hangs
on the north wall of the third gallery The
carpets which the floor of this gallery
came from an old church in Spain. There are
about thirty rugs and carpets in the Yerkes
textile collection and it's value is estimated to