New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-26
ART EXHIBITIONS
Mr.. Hearn's Old worries and
Modern British Pictures.

I which lasts through the week and VIII
be accessible next Sunday also. is not
only one Of the best ever arranged by the
club but has a distinctly fresh and inter
csting character. Everything displayed
! in IT has been lent by Mr.. George A.
IIcarn. who has drawn upon his coliec-
/ ton for works in two categorics that are
none too frequently illustrated In our
| local galleries lie lends a remarkable
number Of ancient European fvories. ana
with them thirty canvascs OF the modern
I'm eases but others arc distributed over
the walls and among the paintings. with
/ a happy decorative effect. Decidedly, the
show has a clearly marked character.
! Ia the history of sculpture ivory has
/ always played necessarily modest but
still distinguished part. 1t is a charming
/ medium. possessing as it docs fine text
B urc and a dclicacy Of tone which only
gains under the passage of time. rho
material calls for very authoritative and
very honest treatment. Tho craftsman
may permit himself extreme reiincm"nts
working out incredibly minute details. tut
he must ever be careful 10 avoid forcing
/ the note. In our own day some curious
experiments have been made with ivory.
! especially in Paris. From time to time
We have encountered in the Salon there
pieces in which the effort has been made
! 10 combine ivory with other Materials
/ gold. bronze. and so on. and To adj
/ touches Of color 10 its simple mellowneSs.
These attempts have their piquant II not
positive bizarre attraction. but on the
whole they seem 10 violate the genius, II
We may so describe II, of a substance that
| needs no adventtious enhancement. Mr..
IIearn is an exacting connosseur, and his
collection is delightfully."- free from these
meretricious types of sculpture In ivory.
| The comparatively few instances In which
gold and jewels appear among his treas
| urcs serve but to recall the good taste
and reserve with which tho old masters
occasionally added hints of color TO their
works in ivory.
The ancient tradition in this sphere OF
art has been consistently a scuptural
tradition. though IL has included deccrd-
tive elements. There has been something
| d bout II subtly analogous to those princl-
! pies which governed the making Of classl-
/ cal coins and Renaissance medals. That
7 is 10 say. the worker In ivory has been
confined TO pretty small scale but has
generally strivcn 10 follow the broad
! spirit of plastic art. He has been
modellcr. caring for the niceties Of ,orm
and seeking TO synthesiZe them in large
manner. Far back in old Roman times
YOU find the consular diptychs. which are
( among the most famous OF ivory sculpt-
urcs, designed in style not unworthy CT
the great marble recfs OF the period.
! Figures. accessories and the animals
which were sometimes introduced are
naturally little huddled together. the
artists field being 80 very small. but
somehow in the long run the sculptor
gets the right simplicity, the right bold
ness. II is this simple breadth whi;h
chiefly characterzes the earlier examples
in Mr. Hearn's collection. The medieval
craftsman was all for straightforward !.
emotional expression Witness the Ma
donnas, saints and religious subjects gen
orally in this exhibition. and notably the
Last supper IN very high relief ne
poignant feeling embodied in these sculpt-
urcs IS the more impressive when one
closely scrutlnizcs the means employed !.
the directncss and the quietude wI.h
which form and draperies are modelled.
The treatment Of the draperies Is partic-
ularly 10 be noted Ii Is there that /; IL
80 easy 10 be restless. 10 multiply mean
ingless lines. The masters Ia ivory, at
least in the age OF faith, were too SIN
ccrely occupied with the devotional mo-
tive TO tease their designs out of sheer
virtuosty, and they had altogether too
fine an artistic sense 10 indulge In deco
rative redundsncics Later. with TIE
Renaissance. pride OF skill would not
down. Mr. Hearn has many pieces Nhich. ,
lacking the old force Of religious zeal. APP /
peal 10 US instead-and sometimes per-
suasively. IL must be confcssed-1n /
grounds Of pictorial vividness and techni- /
cal brilliance
The salient exhibit In this regard Is the
prodicious chariot OF sixteenth century
French orlein-French. though. as IL
happens. this is a souvenir OF the over !
wecning vanity Of the Emperor Maxi /
milan We know his weakness for the
artistic celebration OF his individuality
and achievements principally from the
engravings by DGror. Here In this ivory
We have A less familiar Triumph" dedi /
, Gated 10 his fame. The monarch and his
spouse are seated In an ornate car be
meath rich canopy Macmillan holding
the emblcms OF his state, both the sceptre
and the globe. Beneath them in the car, !
i'm rows of three sit other figures. among
them n herald uplifting the imperial
standard Then come the horses. four OF
them gorgeously caparisoned, and guided
NV two esqrires The whole affair Is
little more than six feet long, an amazing
tour de force. for in spite Of It's scale 1t
"hsngs together" like a thing done III one
niece and composed accordingly, with
certain artless unity. There is here. by |
the wav. an amusing little light on the
tricks that can and can not be played with
the medium Working in the round. as
I'm this "'rriumph." the sculptor may pur-
sue almost any complexities OF design.
rho ivory relief. on the other hand. suf-
fore IL Il is carried too far Allusion was
made lust now to the pictorial vividness'
that CROPS out in the show. II Is. we
rencat. not unattractivc. and yet II de-
noies a spirit inferior to that which pro-
ducod the early religious statuettes. The
or,is, thinks more Of his clcVerneSs than
Of his idea Glance. for example AT the
nanel representing "1he Arrival OF Marie
LA Nedici at Marselles.' skilfully
carved p,euento OF the big canvas by Ru- !