New-York tribune., 1907-06-06
BASEMENT TREASURES.
metropolitan Kno5cs Little Yet of
MOrgan'S Latest Gift.

Great quantities Of unknown treasures are packed
away in the basement of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. The Museum officials know that they have
the entire collection of decorative of Georges
Hoentschel. the Paris architect but that is nearly
all OF what 1t consists they have only general
knowledge, for the exhaustive detailed catalogue
prepared by VI. Hoentschel has not yet arrived and
the only information Of the hundreds of objects in
the collection is contained in small books of
photographs from Paris, with the barest sort of
general information.
No announcement of this latest great gift and
loan by J. Pierpont Morgan to the Museum to
nave been made until detailed account of the
collection could be made, but the report Of the
acquisition of the collection by Mr. Morgan became
public last month, although the published state
ments contained several material errors. The col
lection illustrates French decorative art of the
Gothic and eighteenth century periods. Mr. Nor
gan purchased the collection In 1906. Soon after
ward he gave all the eighteenth century objects to
the Museum, and announced that he would deposit
the entire Gothic collection in the Museum for
hdehnlte period Since that time packing case
after packing case has been arriving until 964
cases now lie unopened in the basement. Just what
Is IN them Will remain unknown until the arrival
In about fortnight. of the full catalogue. At Mr..
Morgan's suggestion. this vast collection will form
the nucleus of still greater collection of European
in a section of the Museum building designed and
constructed especially for It, the excavation for
Wi1ich Is already under way In this the objects
VIII DO placed on the wall with sufficiently generous
spacing 10 permit hanging other things between
80 % 'tIe -Hustuul addS 10 the collection
among the specimens of woodwork in the eight
teith century collection are not only the gaTands,
ieStoons and other individual ornaments which
were we're attached to walls, but brackets, frames,
screens, pedestals baustTades chairs tables doors
ana oVerdoors and panels of all sizes and shapes.
showing imitation bookcases, on which We're placed
{uSl the backs OF books decorative literary effect
historic old chateaus. but until the arrival of the
catalogue the Museum cannot say from which ones
WIN certainty. There are also many ormolu OBJ
The Gothic section is more serious in spirit and
% eCc'5jSsuc WORK has prominent place in It There
carved; large carved stone mantelpiece eight
PAIRS OF stone columns and many pieces of scupt-
uIG IN various materials. There also several
me photographs sent from Paris. similar in char
@ acler TO those given to the Museum by Mr.. Morgan
Another addition TO the Museum in the last
month was bronze replica of Robins bitterly dis
CCuSsed ~ Age dAiran" the gift of Mrs. John w.
cihpSon NJ Rodin himself directed the making Of
the copy and himself put on the patina. This
statue is the one which the foreign critics refused
TO believe other than a cast from the living
figure, and for Ionc months tho question v+ae
fought out until NJ Robins work was indicated.
Just what the sculptor meant to express in the
thins which sorely puzzled the Museum staff and
lhose 20 Whom the statue exhibited yesterday
was the Jagged aperture just above and 10 the
@ @IioilI OF ule Ieft temple 1t looks like the deep
wound OF heavy sword or axe, but its symbolism
was unexplainable by the Museum stan.
An important new picture is The CharpentIer
tamliy, by Renoir which acquired through
the Catharine Lorilard Wolfe fund huge can
vas vas acquired by purchase is Albert Bierstadt's
scum regards with great satisfaction. When this
picture was sold to James McHenry. OF London
scum fun list of which with the loans is in
me bulletin TO he issued to-day. include objects
cannon OF the seyenteenth centuryshnd a beautiful
specimen or CarTickmacross cut work lace.