Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-12
A R T N ES.

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| Because picture is old 1t Is not neces-
sarily valuable. and because 1t is ascribed
to a famous painter 1t does not follow
that it must be a great work of art. In
| fact so commonly is the reverse true that
art collectors have become skeptical, and
really excellent paintings fail to attract
even passing attention. In the possession
of Mr.. John B. N. Berry Of this city there
are at the present time three old pictures
which for their intrinsic merit are well
deserving of note Two of these were pro-
cured by Rembrandt Peale in Europe
about 1907, brought to this country few
years later and placed in his museum In
Baltimore. In 1857, when his collection
was dispersed, they were purchased by
Mr.. Berry's father. OF these one Is a
painting by Paul Bril- of a scene in the
legendary drama of William Tell and
the other is a picture of Christ and the
Doctors" attributed, but with almost GER
tain inaccuracy. to Leonardo da Vinci.
| The first, according to the late Brantz
| Mayer, who for a number of years was
intimately connected with Peale's mu-
scum was originally In one of the great
galleries of Europe, either Dresden or
Munich and was carried to Paris by Ma
| poleon'S army as spoils of war. Whether
| this be so or not, 1t has at some time been
rudely cut out from it's frame, and, though
| rebacked, still shows the mark along Its
| margin of rude and hasty handling. 1t Is
| a large canvas. and at a glance appears
| to be merely landscape. 10 the right
| are the Alps and a Swiss lake; to the left
tall trees u forest pass; in the middle
| distance a castle, and in the immediate
| foreground secluded hollow" shut in
by rocks and foliage. Upon close exam
ination 1t is found, however, that all this
| is but the setting for dramatic scene.
On high pole, held high aloft, is Cess
| ler's hated cap, to which the peasants
| were hidden to make obeisance; near by
| is William Tell leveling his arrow; to the
right is his son, boldly erect. with the
| apple on his head. while to the left are
Gessler and his train. The figures are ex-
ceedIngy small. but nicely painted. In
| style the work accords with that OF the
early Flemish school, which was the first
to introduce landscape painting. 1t is for
NAL. unrealistic and to an extent conven-
tionai, but decorative and more than clev-
erly rendered. While Unconditional. it Is
thoroughly intelligent. the work Of one
| who had studied diligently and produced
by rule. The composition is perfectly bal
| anced, the colors are carefully combined,
nothing is misplaced and each detail has
been carefully considered Paul Bril- was
born in Antwerp in 1854, and though he
spent much of his life In Rome, succeed
Vatican, he retained to the end his affil-
iation with the Flemish school. He was
in fact, one of the first If not the first
landscape painter, maker of tradition
And leaving artistic merit aside, this pic
ture still has interest, for it antedates by
at least century and half Schiller's
version Of civilian Tell" and reverts un-
doubtedly to the original source of the
legend, the white Book of Sarnen,"
written about 147O from oral trad ton.
1s<r1.t htc fpfs, t.,
still in fair state of preservation.
The second canvas also Is more than
commonly interesting. Christ. the lad is
seen seated to the left, with His arm up
raised and His finger pointing toward
heaven, awaiting. 1t would seem, an an
swer from the three bearded doctors"
who, with heads close together. are Won
deringly searching the Scriptures" Very
different is this in composition from the
traditional pictures of the same great
scene. and much more reverent is it's rem
dering than many. There is no halo about
the head of Christ, but none is needed;
the face, while youthful is beautiful In
refinement and exalted expression. Who
ever the painter may have been, he was
master. for not only is the drawing
good and the coloring skillful, but the
tones are nicely modulated More than
the landscape, 1t has suffered from dust
and time, but the canvas is unbroken and
mas most fortunately, escaped "restora-
ton"
The third painting is a group of three
female heads. ascribed to Baroccio
though possibly by a lesser painter. Ad-
mlrably preserved and charming In color
inns picture Is rich in decorative quality
and peculiarly interesting on account OF
its unusual play of light and shade. 1t is
rather broadly and simply painted, and
the composition not altogether explaining
user gives reason for belief that it may
have been originally produced as q study
AS piece of marketable property the
name of painter may prove a valuable
asset, but as a pleasure-giving work of
art 1t is, after all, of very small conse-
quence.
Few of the local artists have had
buster or more profitable summer than
Mr.. Max Weyl, who, after closing his
studio in the Corcoran building, went to
farm near Gaithersburg, Nd where
near at hand was much oantable ma
terial. and where also he could work
without interruption. Given the right en-
vironment and the painter can make the
picture. There are few perfect compost
tons in nature, but the advantage that
the artist has over the art-photographer
Is that If tree or stream Is not in the
right place he can move it. Doubtless
Mr.. Weyl occasionally takes such liber-
ties with nature. but he does SO less fire.
quently than others, and his pictures are
not only painted, as a rule, out of doors
but are veracious statements. He has a
keen appreciation for the beauties of ma
ture, and chooses his subjects wisely
One of the most pleasing of all those he
has brought home with him is mid
summer landscape showing broad
stretch of pasture land term. mated by
woods and broken by a scattered group OF
tall trees. The sky is partly clouded sun
shine and shadow interrupt the monotony
of the acknowledging green; and the eve is
| led pleasantly away from the foreground.
While broadly painted, it possesses certain
| tender qualities, and though naturalistic
is exceed ,ngly pictorial. In strong con-
trast, but no less notable, is picture of
| the full moon rising, before the sun has
set, beyond a brown, bare hillside down
which little rivulet has cut a narrow
| ditch. Bald and grave, the outlook is spa
cious and not unimpress:ve. The sky is
hazy. the air mist-ladened, and the mix