New-York tribune., 1907-01-28
LONDON NOTES.
old Masters and Critics Mr.
Asquith IN Luck.
London. January 70


throngs Of visitors at Burlington House 70 sea
the treasures Of their town country houses:
and in many instances they are rewarded by
having their works contemptuously condemned
as spurious attributions or feeble and made
! quate copies. Critics have become specialists
with partisan prejudices well accurats
knowledge; and they consider it a professional
duty to revise the lists and to expose the doubt
full works. If they were in general accord their
censure would be fatal to the claims Of art
collectors; but they seldom agree. and the only
Inference to be drawn from their notices is
that criticism OF old masters and especially OF
Italian or Flemish primitives. is not an exact
/ science AT Christies. the great clearing house
/ Of heirlooms and old masters, there Is final
Judgment from which there is no appeal Works
are cataIogued without responsibility on the
part OF the auctiOneer for erroneous attribu-
tions; but when the bidding ceases and the
hammer falls the standard OF values is known
decIsiveIy Raphaels. HoIbeins. Mabuses. which
are sold for a song when well informed art
dealers are IsstIess and silent at the tables. are
found out, even when they have been treasured
for generations In country houses as genuine
works. The Academy is equally irresponsible
when old masters are exhibited during the VIM
ter for public entertainment under the names by
which they are known In private coIlectonss
but. the critics pens lack the deadly power ot
/ the auctioneer's hammer at Christie's. They
make brave display sf their learning IN
showing how impossible is the Bellini, OF the
Andrea del Sarto and how obvious 1t IS from
the painting of hands toes that inferior talent
was responsible for the BotticeIi or the Raphael
Yet when their last word Is written. their 5udg-
ment is merely controversial decade may
pass and the same works will turn up again
at the Academy with the same labels.
If II be true that these Onslaughts upon the
authorship Sf works OF art deter many coll
Iectors from lending their pictures for public
exhibition. criticism Of this sort IS OF doubtful
benefit 1t is study OF names and the rightful
use of them when the best painters had their
miscalculated failures and weeks OF depression
This cannot be so important as the study OF the
characteristic merits OF works OF art without
reference 70 the genuineness Of the attributions
Names are constantly changing in the National
Gallery and IN the Louvre as directors succeed
one another There is the Portrait OF Poet-
| in the Venetian room OF the National Gallery.
| For long time 1t was known as Titan and
/ was supposed TO represent Ariosto; then 1t was
! officially labelled Palma. because there was a
portrait like It IN Padua: and recently 1t has
/ reverted 10 it's previous state as a Titan. with
| the poet unnamed. The picture has remained
/ unchanged during all these stages Of transition
and has always been worthy of critical study.
The costly work which has taken its place as
the Portrait OF AriOsto'' by Titan Is suspected
| of being the likeness OF a cOurtfer quite inno-
I cent OF an indiscretiOn like poetry; and there
i are critics who are convinced that II was one
| OF Giorgone's unfinished works which Iltan
completed. Yet the painting Of face and sleeve
remains a rnasterly example Of craftsmanship,
vrbetbe- il be poet or courtier-a composite WORK
i or a Venetian character study from single
/ hand. What was long known IS a Carpacclo'
with the DOge MOcenigO adOrins Madonna anu
Child enthroned Is now attributed by label TO
| another painter. although 1t came from one OF
| the Plague churches and was purchased from
/ ono of the Doge's descendants; but the art IS as
| GOOD as ever 1t was Libraries might be filed
| with the controversial questions Of authorship
| -oiss5 nv, the old masters IN the National Cal
| Ier,,. but the world would be little the wiser
co. ALI this lore The art itself Is OF greater
| intrinsic Importance than the names ana u'les.
| One Of the traditions Of the National Gallery
| is announcement OF requests and gir'S- Nhen
/ .o-l,a ara purchased as much acunen as the
/ r,anagement commands is employed IN crIuc@A
/ valuation. When pictures are presented tH7S
are not looked in the face. II the Rogers Ma
| donna had been lent for a winter exhibition at
| burlington House the critics would nave sha4p-
| ened their quiIs as they have done over the
| .Nfadonna del Candelabri' now hanging there
and thew would have demonstrated how tInpoS-
| sible II was that Raphael could have painted Il.
As a gift It's authorship was not questioned anu
| there were no Outcries from the CRITICS Wheh u
| was labelled a Raphael and placed in line Win
tho Carvagh Madonna St. Catherine. the Marl-
borouRh Madonna and Mr.. Morgans costly al1aF-
| niece. Possibly the primitives and old masters
borrowed from private collections ought 10 %
reca,ved with the same reticenCe. There arc
alvavs masterpieces OF undOUbted authen1lcl'S
/ NJ these shows as there are this year IN HAS
| Admiral de Ruyter. the Rembrandts, the Gains
boroughs and the Sir JOshuas; and among ths
prirnitives there is beautiful and noble art even
when the names are involved IN uncertainty
| II IS not necessary for the most cynical oo-
server TO write critically about musical corne0y'
''NeIv Nell" produced by Mr. FrOhman at 'h'
AIdvvch Theatre is a more or less distant rela-
ton of THE Belle of New York" in which Mss
Edna Nav achieved her first great triumph ON 'n'
London stage How near TO or how far 1t Is lIOiA
the original work does not matter when shs As'
self is constantly on the stage in six successive
costumes each more fascinating than the last
and when Mr. Ivan Caryu has composed music
| we'll adapted 10 her sweet but rather thin voice.
and when MIR Mcclellan has written book anu
Ivrics expressly for her benefit as TO bring OUT
| her hest points She is now a Socialist IN place
| of a Salvation Army girl. and there IS an an
archist princess playing with bombs. and there
| are evpsies shouting Back 20 the land! anu
elderly peers are beguiled into the simple me Oh
| Hampstead Heath, where even bluecOated po-
| ucernen chase butterflies. Socialism Is not. how
i ever. taken very seriously either by her or by
any of the rOIlicking players who sing OF the
| GOOD time coming''-even the millennium. 10 -
/ Nelly Nell who draws everybody after her from from