New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-11
ART EXHIBITIONS
The Collection of the Late Baron
SDeck Uon Sternburg.

Assembled in the American Art Galleries. where
they will be sold on the afternoons of January 3D.
IA. Is and l6 there some eight hundred objects
of art collected by the late Baron Speck Won Stern
burg. He came Of old German family, and there
some interesting souvenirs of that fact in the
exhibition. but the material here offered is very
largely OF Oriental origin. Diplomatic duties car
red him to the East. and in the course of his
travels there he appears to have very freely in
dulged the tastes of the connoisseur accommodating
especially rich array porcelains. These include
superb examples of blue and white and some
equally fine decorated pieces The familiar single
color objects OF the collectors zeal are absent
those miracles OF sang. de 6Guf, peachblow, tur-
Quoise and on, in which the East has expressed
some OF the purest phases of its artistic genius
To make up for the omission however, this amateur
brought together the finest body of celadon gazes
ever seen in New YORK. 1t would be difficult TO
overestimate thequet charm of these noble platters
of which there are between forty and fifty
posed Like the ridescent productions Of the Moors
in similar form, they illustrate the potter's art in
a vein of dignihed simplicity. The peony lotus and
other decorative motives employed handled with
the utmost reserve. Stress is laid, above all,
pure rich surface, fat surface would call it
In the field of painting The green tint OF this
glaze has, indeed. something of the beauty which
belongs to certain masterpieces of the brush. A
celsdon plate, like one of maolica meant for use
well for decoration. There ought 10 be lively
competition for Baron Speck Sternburg's speci-
mems.
fine blue and white plates, but they notably
strong in other forms A keen collector will par
ticularly observe the beautiful hawthorn jar CNo.
SD and the kindred pieces which support it in the
same case. Very handsome, too, is the pilgrim
bottle vase (No. 276) of citron yellow glaze. and
good match for this in excellence is the black
hawthorn (No. 800. in which the soft delicate
quality OF blue and white is exchanged for a kind
OF powerful brilfiance- II may be noted In passing
that. while there is many salient object in this
OF exhibition man outcta piac
like the last vase mentioned, the important thing
Is the admirable average throughout. There is
little that is negligible. The same may be said
where the rugs, velvets and embroideries are con-
cerned The rugs from Chinese and Indian
looms They range from small but choice bits of
Color, such as the beautiful fragment with dark
oiue ground (No $50, to three prodigious modern
rugs made in the prison at Agra (Nos ST. -57S and
ofs), trio of truly Oriental gorgeousness AS for
the hansings brought together in the uppermost
ROOM they fairly rejoice the eye with their mag
innocence and exquisiteness. They come from
Chinese palaces vouminous shnmering fabrics of
sensous hue, that set the mind Kubla Khan and
the stately pleasure dome that he decreed. 1t is
interesting TO trace the artistic cunning OF the East
IN these brave achievements of the needle. Set
within broad and complicated border there will
be a field OF solid color silk or cloth and on
that glowing ground Chinese characters are dis
played in clean cut gold, or even more planeent
oiack sunptuous it all is, to the point of barbaric
lavishness, but the bottom you recognize the
Workings OF a law of design, formula of artistic
discipline.
Perhaps the most interesting Of all the evidence
Of this sort to be found in the exhibition is the
vast screen which is set up in the entrance gal
lery (No. $3.50, marvel of seventeenth century
craftsmanship. The twelve panels bear a curious
picture Of the Summer Palace at Peking inclosed
within an deliberately designed border. The picture
is. Of course, not composition that phrase is
understood in our Western world: il is rather a
mosaic of episodes; but it perfectly fuls it's pur-
pose; 1t makes the screen unit of gay color and
amusing decoration With this heroical screen
there should also be signazed the palace tables and
CABINETS. and especially the imperial throne chair
(No oS4), a monumental but curiouSiy~ graceful
AFFAIR in red lacquer, still provided with its fine
cushion OF yellow satin brocade In quaint contrast
to this relic of eighteenth century Dotentate and
TO the rest of the orientalia the objects out of
Germany, the old linen tapestries in white and male
blue and the early drinking cups other articles
in silver from Nuremberg and Augsburg which re-
call the familiar inventions of Durer and Holbein
There IS much else of the Old World charm
in its extremely miscellaneous collection There are
rocco mirrors and sconces; there is a mighty
treasure chest dating from the sixteenth century IN
Germany Nc. 49,: there is a quantity Of pictur-
esque jewelry from Syria; there are bideousIv fas-
European furniture and there are even eight or ten
samplers. The pictures form the smallest possibie
group-a portrait of Washington. an ANONYMOUS
aHegory or rather grewSome nature, and divert
ing series or prints illustrating the teaching in an
eighteenth century riding school, and these are of
no great moment. But the bulk Of the collection is
very interesting indeed Its dispersal should attract
connoisseurs Of every shade of prediction. R c.