New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-28
]. P. MORGAN'S RIVAL
Russian Croscn Com petes scith
Him IN 4rt Purchases.

J. Pierpont Morgan has one great rival
and competitor in the acquisition of the
great trea sures of art that come INTO the
market. 1t is competitor of whom little
or nothing is ever heard, and yet who has
managed to accumulate such an extraor-
binary collection of masterpieces as to rem
der that OF Mr.. Morgan inffnitesinal by
comparison. From an artistic point Of view
this is TO be deplored For. whereas the
Morgan acquisitions are usually placed on
exhibition at the Metropolitan Art Museum
in New York at the South kensington
Museum in London, or else can be seen.
after certain formalities have been OBJ
served, at his house in London or at his
wonderful library building in New York
the treasures purchased by his great rival
are wholly lost TO the public and even to
the majority of art lovers.
The competitor in question is the Crown
Of Russia, and Nicholas II is pursuing the
policy Of his predecessors in purchasing
virtually regardless Of cost, anything OF
really exceptional value in the shape Of old
masters and statuary. The larger part or
the paintings indeed the finest of the lot.
adorn the walls of the Hermitage Palace, at
ST. Petersburg. The contents Of this beau
tiful palace. specially designed for the dis
play Of art treasures, are virtually unknown
10 art experts and art lovers For the pal
ace is extremely difficult of access, and to
obtain adnittance 70 the Hermitage requires
the exercise of even more influence and
favor than presenta ton at the court OF ST.
Petersburg
Il owes It's name to the fact that 1t was
first built as a retreat by Catherine the
Great. to which she could retire in order TO
surround herself with literary and artistic
friends and the most artistic surroundings,
much in the same way Frederick the
Great al Sans-Souci; in one word. sort OF
Temple OF the Muses. such as the Hermit
age Of Jean Jacques Rousseau Mont
ruoTency. She formed there the nucleus of
the present collection Of pictures by pur-
chasing the world famed gallery of the
great Saxon statesman, Count Bruehl. al
Dresden: the equally celebrated Walpole
collection. and that Of the Berlin art ex-
pert and dealer Kotskowsky, who had
gathered together a magnificent collec-
ton Of paintings of the Italian, Spanish.
Flemish and French schools. at the instance
and at the order OF Frederick the Great.
who. owing TO his heavy expenses in con-
nection with the Seven Years War. found
IL impossible to take them over and left
them on the dealers hands.
When Alexander I entered Paris at the
head Of the allied forces after the battle
OF Leipsic. in 1914, his first care was TO
place himself in communication with En-
press Josephine. whom he knew TO be in
stra1tened circumstances, and TO offer her
2 suitable sum of money in return for the
art treasures with which her home at
MaImaison was then filed. He also had
a number Of his agents engaged, without
an instants delay. in purchasing. at ride
ulously low prices. all the most famous
and generals Of Napoleon had brought
back from Germany, Italy, Austria. Spain.
Portugal and the Netherlands in the
shape Of plumber The generals, fearing
that they would under any circumstances
he compelled TO disgorge their treasures,
the loot of national museums. Of churches,
converts, cathedrals and public and pri-
vate galleries, were only TOO glad to get
some money in return for the surrender,
and IN this way Alexander may be said 10
have acquired for the Hermitage what
was undou btedly the pick of all the mas
1erpieces OF pictorial art that had been
carried of TO Paris as plumber during the
NapoIeonic era
In order to convey fdes Of the rich
ness Of the Hermitage. I would mention
that II had no less than twenty-five of the
finest Murillos in existence, three Of the
RaphaeIs known. Vanjyke is represented
by thirty-two paintings. and Rubens by
no less than fifty Nicholas I, Alexander
II and III, and now Nicholas II. have all
followed in the footsteps of Catherine the
Great and Alexander THAT is 10 say,
purchasing, regardless OF cost. the finest
masterpieces that come on the market,
and 70 Nicholas I belongs the credit OF
having reconstructed the Hermitage Pa
ace in such a magnificent fashion that IL
would be worth travelling all across the
world 10 see, even If there were not
single painting on its walls OF bit OF
statuary in its galleries. The metal work
IS Of extraordinary beauty and richness,
while the Iapis lazuIi, malachite and those
ether semi-precioUs stones Of Russia have
been used with the most artistic profu-
sion. especially the agate, which is worked
and carved n an altogether exquisite man
ner.