New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-11
ART EXHIBITIONS
Tho voIuminous Collection of the
Late Robert Hoe.

Lsnh
"hi." on n superficial examination
Gsn'.- ,ass Of material seems to form
this ~ dsfving exploration. and. indeed
= ;s impossible TO expose IN TINS piace
- ,ban a few passages IN the maze
l'O orsn such a multitude OF objects as
H., gathered together necessarily ia!ls
''N no sort Of order. and after a little
n'. ~. ore perceives clearly enough Just
W.. W. the points that have the richer In
re They belong 20 the sphere OF
=. t,..,,,,nsfin. Mr. Hoe assembled a num-
:. -ictures. and some of them are good.
~ he main he sought miscellaneous
bY' - art when he was not seeking
80 hooks which are by and by TO be
s,,oosed Of in an auction OF their own. IL
.,,,avs little tempting 10 glance a the
..ralitv behind collection OF any~sort
80 looks for revealing signs in the
a. exhibition. They are there, but
40 somewhat disconcerting. We
.',y ,,a+ Mr.. Hoe was a hook lover. We
A"O" &c narrowly define his taste in the
00''.o If his art treasures. You may
pIes -. surmising that he had special
-. Cor this or that school or type
you end Win the NOhNiN'io'i 'iio' OIL ""N
a., ,ba, came 10 his net. In the inclusive
- - his predictions he recalls some Of
-. ,,-elsss old British collectors. like
~vathek' Bedford.
~, the other hand. there is no nistaking
-.-,.ir 6elds Of connoisseurship in which
80 enthusiasm was unhagging, and in
-'h;.b his luck was exceptional For the
-. significant souvenirs of his judg-
=, &C a collector one may go straight
- .ne porcelains and enameis. The former
...tA a deeply interesting department of
,ss show. The pieces Of blue and white
ere very numerous. and they are Of a high
d.eree Of excellence in more instances than
snace permits us 10 particularize. There
sr. ranv fine decorated pieces, and among
,bs single color glazes there are specimens
~ TURQUOISE. sang-de-bpuf, coral red.
oaladon and various Fellows as well as
.r,arb group OF white porcelains, which
viu strongly begulle the amateur, but IL
is the extensive array q blue and white
on which we are most inclined TO pause.
AS for the enamels il is pity that they
could not be set forth in separate exhibit
lion The Oriental section embraces
rreat quantity Of Ming ana work Of later
ns-.ods. through which one pursues little
miracles Of decorative design, Of that quiet
and truly heavenly blue which is character
istic Of the art, and Of that consummate
workmanship OF which the Chinese mas
,srs Of cloisonne alone seem 10 have pos
sessed the secret Yet these Oriental pieces.
which have a large room 10 themselves. do
not by any means exhaust the subject In
the large upper gallery there are a number
Of beautiful enamels Of French origin. and
there is even Z curious and striking speci-
men Of old Italian craftsmanship. a charm
ing COPY Of one of Gozzolis frescos in the
Riccardi The group of Limoges is. TO be
sure. Of very exceptional interest Pieces
Ike The Ann rotation" (No. $3.50. at
,rbuted TO Jean Penicaud the younger, are
Of very great value. Among the specimens
Of Champleve enamel there is one gorgeous
piece. Christ on the Cross" (No. 1850
Ct the thirteenth century. II is a perfect
Illustration Of the sort Of thing that arrests
the plodder through this wilderness and
makes it hard for him TO 20 on with a
survey Of the coliection as a whole.
After the porcelains and enames one
turns most appreciatively to the old work
in metal, especially in silver The historic
periods are abundanuy represented. Again
We despair Of noting details, but here and
there pieces crop Up that insist upon being
sgnalized, pieces like the sixteenth cen
turv great cup (No 1772) the amazing
French silver reliquary 90. 1879 and the
several other bits Of ecclesiastical art that
are shown in the same case. incidentally
IL may be remarked that the collection
contains more than one object having an
historical and personal significance. For
example the large presentation bowl Of
lockwood with silver mountings (No.
1850. is said TO have been given by Charles
to the Duke Of Buckingham. one Of the
inkstands, an eighteenth century English
piece, Is a peculiar find for the man of
letters with theatrical predictions. En-
srayed on the bottom OF the drawer is this
Inscription. The gift Of Lord Byron to
bis esteemed friend. Edmund Kean, in rec
ignition 81 his brilliant success on the night
O. Nav the lst'' OF similar desk furniture
and Of triAes 10 be worn the list is endless.
The watches snuff boxes and fans are full
q interest, and. bv the way. apropos Of the
snuf boxes. which are often beautifully
decorated. there is a fairly large collection
q miniatures, including notable examples
G. French and English art. With these we
would mention. too. the group of half a
Dozen old French and Italian Illuminated
manuscripts. the charming page from les
Fort7cSSes de la Fol" Go. 2l55). and the
North Italian Resurrection" (No. 2459)
being especially important The drawings
are not very impressive. but occasionally
hey command friendly attention. as in the
case OF the alesorical subject by Prudhon,
L Amour Vainqueur" CNo. 322S). The
PRINTS ere similarly mixed. There are i'm
Pess!ons Of Durer Rembrandt. Whistler
ana some others for which exacting COL
.sctors will doubtless compete but there
are many more which. If undenably good.
are stil not quite OF the utmost brilliance.
me pint sale. We should say. ought TO
pFo'lne a precious opportunity for the ANA
'eur who wants beautiful things and is
content 20 get them Just outside that mar
row domain in which the giants OF the
auction room struggle for unique gems 1t
IS collection through which il is good TO
browse
30 with all the scattered. miscellaneous
sections Of the exhibition. those sections
!" which YOU find netsukes and fades. fine
oio bits Of German pottery. antique clocks
sho other pieces Of furniture. tapestries
'Ho rugs. One is not aware of master
pieces as one goes slowly through the
angie but over and over again one is de-
NsAted by some authentic relic Of early
.Aa thoroughly artistic craftsmanship.
mere Is. perhaps, nothing at all that one
.l'sAt want which could not be found
acre Tor instance. in a little case by
~ense!ves are two superb pieces Of
"eagwood. one Of the busts Of Pope and
~, We OF his reproductions Of the Portland
Se on which the cataioguer quite just