The Caucasian., 1911-05-25
W|DENER'S
ART COLLECTION
lis Commercial Value Estimated
at More Than S3,OOO,OOO.
"THE MILL" LATEST ADDITION.
Rembrandvs Great Mastsrpiees, For
Which Mr.. Midsner Reesntly Paid
s5oo.ooo, Already In the Gallery at
His Home.

.sThe Mill," Rembrandt's great mas
terpiece, which P. A. B. Widener re-
Gently purchased in England for $780,
600. now hangs in its new owners gal
lery at his magnificent home near
ogontz, Pa. Undoubtedly Mr.. Wide
ner's collection of paintings is the
most extensive In America and one of
the finest and most valuable private
collections in the world. What this
magnificent gallery has cost it's owner
In mere money is known to himself.
It's commercial value has been estimat-
ed at between $8.OO0.0oO and $4,000,
600. The pictures would possibly sell
for something between these figures
under the hammer.
Mr.. Widener does not estimate them
BY the measure Of dollars. They are
his most intimate friends, part Of his
life.
A Striking cellsstien.
The significant character Of Mr..
Widener's collection Is the notable as
pect which must strike any one famil.
lar with such collections. Here in the
earlier period which It covers is Velas.
uuez in two extraordinary examples,
both of which are studies Of great
paintings. whose acquisition BIZ pri-
.vate gallery might easily have been
deemed impossible. The Raphael. those
who are best familiar with Its twin in
the National gallery in London viii be
inclined to feel, is the earlier and more
loving study. The Titan, less notable
than this. still represents that note of
mingled color and sunptuous outline
which marks the artist. The REM
brandts. apart from 'sThe Mill'' just
purchased, carry us through all the
phases Of an artist. who, equally skillz
ed in light and In mass, now empha..
sized one and now the other.
It is not merely that these Rem
brandts are characteristic. One, wo-
man, his wife, "Saskia." another q
..Standard Bearer and a third q
portrait, each illustrates the lighter
touch. the more dramatic vein and the
interpretative power Of great paint
er. Throughout there is the same com,
prehensive scope Italian art runs
through the cycle Of Mantegna, Bel
lini, Dippo signorelli Ghirlandalo, Lie
ma, Credi del Sarte. Botticeld, Moroni
and so on down to Tintoretto, Tiepo
10 and Canaletto. with that connecting
link between the portrait art of Italy
and Spain, Br0nzino. represented by q
splendid example. IN Spanish art in
the same fashion, there Is not merely
Velasquez. which were glory enough.
but Greco Of the earlier period, In a
powerful # somewhat uninteresting
example, and Murillo in . group which
recalls his more strongly painted work
at Seville and a most Characteristic
Goya.
Art Of Northern Europe.
In the art Of northern Europe there
is not only Nemling. in q noble head
full of the fresh. early power Of the
man. but both Durer and Holbein.
one by noteworthy portrait and the
other by more than one instance of
his amazing power to model face
with thin spread Of paint to a hairs
breadth.
III English art Of century ago,
which gave its impulse. most collec-
tons, even those Of importance, are
satisfied with Constable. Reynolds and
Turner. These are all here Consta-
BILE in his very best, in that discovery
of eIoudland, spread Of field and differ
eneing OF masses which began the
Fontainebleau school-but there are
also Barker. Collcolt, Crome. Gains
borough. in both landscape and por-
trait.
There are, besides, those connecting
links between Turner and Constable,
Wilson and Vincent. Roeburn. More
land. IN bis direct. rich color. and Ho-
garth. III a head which reminds Us
how great portrait palmer was lost
BY current craze FOR earicature.
French Ar.
In French art OF the past century An.
tome Watteau. more strongly painted
than his won't. strikes the early key
Constable in the English group ex-
plains much OF the developments In
France One passes from there to
those pioneers, Decampe and Della
crofx A single painter like Corot Is
carried through ali bis interpretations
of aerial tones silvery. gray. pearly and
green Aiiliet had his broader and
narrower Incidental sides. neither high.
II popular. both most admirably cho-
sen.
Daubigny runs through his mural
delight ID the green hillsides and the
calm stretch Of the 0ise be loved and
knew. The rest Of this great group
are all present. Their names are Ia
miIIar. One could name great paint
ines In this country, but where else
better related examples? As for Mo-
net. there is nowhere else. not ii the
Louvre. fneF proof Of his power
than this dead ..Toread0r. one Of the
great paintings
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