Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-15
Art Notes
by ELIZABETH wAGGONER


In the recent death of Sir William
Quiller Orchardson, r.. A.. Great Brit
ain suffers the loss of one of its veteran
painters, "Scotland's Gainsborough,'
as he was called His artistic career
was begun in Edinburgh, where he
swept all before him. In the early six
ties he went to London, but it was not
until 1881 that he blazed into fame with
his fine Napoleon on the Bellerophon.
To paint that picture the artist went
down to Portsmouth, where he made
studies on board the old Victory-a
similar type of ship to the Bellerophon.
Entering the Trustees academy under
Robert Scott Lauder. at the age OF 10,
he had among his fellow pupils one Oh
the greatest landscape painters Scot
land has produced, William M'Taggart,
who died a few weeks ago.
An English critic. in writing of the
work OF Orchardson, speaks OF ms ms
quite exceptional capacity to unite the
dramatic and the pictorial, to weave
into pictures of tapestry-like retleence
of color historical or domestic incl
dents" The triumph of Orchardson IN
portraiture are of a very different kind
from those of some of our great paint
ers of a later period. Reticently ana
reverently, with utmost refinement ana
subtlety, he as it were, wooed the es-
| Sential mood OF MS sitter ONTO the
canvas.
Living to the age of 75 years, many
! Of the portraits most expressive of his
genius were painted within the last ten
years, notably that of Sir Samuel
Montague. When first attacked with
his fatal malady he was engaged on a
portrait of Lord Blyth for the forth
coming Academy exhibition, and II was
with great reluctance he had to give up
his work and take to his bed. So anX3
! ious. however, was he to finish the
picture that he insisted on rising for
that purpose, and had just succeeded
in accomplishing his task when he was
again Frustrated.
1t is a matter of interest to .connois-
seurs in art that some of the finest
| tapestries in existence are, to find a
place in the beautiful California home
| of Henry e, Huntington, in library
| especially designed as setting Tor
them. The history of these tapestries
is most interesting one. AT the m
| stance of King Louis XIV a wonderIul
series of tapestries was designed py
Boucher and executed at the Gobelin
works. five panels in each series and
the five sets of these presented to the
| AMBASSADORS at the French court from
| FIVE of the great countries of Europe.
| One Of these sets came to the duke OF
Somerset, then ambassador from Great
| Britain. and this, the only one or tne
five intact today, finally found 1ts way
to America through one of the great
| New York dealers, and from there lnto
one of southern California's palatlal
homes. The other sets have in the
course of time been broken up ana
scattered over the world, and the pan
! els even divided into sections to add 10
the glory of many a rare collection, ana
this famous set remaining as Whole
adds to the list of old world treasures
that have found permanent nome oii
this side of the water.
The last meeting of the Palette clup
for this season, and most satisfactory
one. was held at the School of Art ana
Design on Monday evening. Ihe SUD
iect for the month, Departures
brought out good number of sketches
in pen and ink, pencil ana color' the
one creating the greatest interest pc
inc a large sheet of cartoons depicting
the girls of the life class. Excellent de-
signs for stained glass windows were
shown by Carl Willenberg, decorative
designs by M. Kado, and number OF
effective posters. Recreation was
chosen as the subject for summer
sketches to be submitted at the October
meeting. A musical program and re-
freshments on the roof garden COM
pleted a most enjoyable evening"
At the meeting of the California Art
club. held at the San Pedro studio OF
Ralph Hocine on the evening of May q
it was decided to continue the regular
meetings of the club on the hrst sat
nidav evening of each month through
ont tho summer.