New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-14
THE MORGAN PICTURES
A Group of Masterpieces,
Mostly Portraits.
THE "COLONNA" RAPHAEL
An Exciting Foretaste OF What
Is to Come to the
Museum.

,,,,sour, Of Art which has for some time
reer set apart for special loan exhibit
IONS thirty pictures belonging TO Mr.. ).
pferpopt Morgan have been placed on
,.roc. These are the works, announced III
am Illustrated article in The Tribune on
sandal. December 10. which until recently
,,,,c nearly all hanging in the owner
D ,ndon house They form, so 10 say 'he
advance guard of that immense colIec-
zion NJ paintings and other works oil ART
o.hIcb &c ultimately to find its home IN
,ho museum. only awaiting to that emu
,ro c,,npletion OF the new wing, ana they
-. 1ro O vivid sense of what the coun-
-. I'm owe TO Mr. Morgan when II is
tbne enriched From certain point OF
,.iDc.. the present exhibition is not to be
s,,re unite as empowering as 1t might
,ove reen made, In view of the collector $
,eso,Irces. Portraits predominant. and the
masters represented in this category are
nostIv OF the eighteenth century British
and French schools, which is one way OF
saving that the walls are fun OF light
decorative motives. But there are few
pielcs that strike a weighuer note. and
since everything in tine room is in its
kind, of high quality. the general effect
Is sufficiently impressive
The painting that for various reasons
is to be regarded as out-topping all the
rest is the famous Raphael the Ma
donna of SAINT Antonio" which is also
known as the "Colonna' Madonna, from
its having been at one time in the pos
session of the great Roman family OF that
name. We have already traversed the
history of this altar piece, originally
pajntcd for a body Of Perugian nuns and
no. started upon its travels among dll-
ferent collectors until more than a nun
drcd and fifty years after it was HANDED
10 IT'S first owners. They, By the way,
when they were seeking permission to sell
II in order TO pay their debts. explained
also that the surface in some parts was
taking away" and in later times the
psnel has suffered other vicissitudes'
The life Of Raphael published by Grove
and Cavalcasclle in 1852 makes alusion
IN clcanings and retouchings, whence
worn and washed-out appearance
Nevertheless the Madonna OF SAINT
Antonio" remains a glorious example Oh
Italian religious art. 1t is true hu-
scum" picture large in scale and grandly
composed. It's special value for us lies
in lust this monumental character thal
il possesses. in its Illustration or great
historic style. Criticism long ago TOOK
account Of the fact that when Raphael
paiutcd il he was at the parting OF the
vavs spurred by the example OF Leo
rardc and the Florentine school TO enlarge
49, 8 rnrnatiC and Inn
mobile tradition which he had followed IN
tho studio Of his Umbrian master MS
biocraphers have pointed out how ne eh-
pelieuCod his awakening while the pct
IRE was i'm progress, too late TO bulId II
ID anew from top to bottom. But II was
not too late for him to breathe into u
large and noble quality Significant OF
his growing genius
II is work Of quietly rich color. the
somlrc drift of which is lightened by the
sLv in the background. But II is not for
its color that ono fingers before the pict-
me IL Is for the majestic design the
6De line tina: II contains, and the breadth
and dignity belonging TO its forms. From
II ,bere cxbalcs. too. the tender sentiment
NJ q master who for all his courtliness
and W0Tl0lA W iSlblll lioN ~
rar,. depth Of feeling. Here. in short,
Is = great painting to show the student
nov. i'm the characteristic triumphs OF
the Renaissance. classical and merely
human traits met and were fused. VIC
uo,,Id Law stress upon iris instructive as
meet of the matter. for Raphael, so often
bearded with indifference, II not posi-
lively condemned, by the young painter
betwattled over Mauet say, is precisely
the type to bring him TO his senses. 1t
vas not a mere Academcian who pro
duced the Madonna Of SAINT Antonio.
Making due allowances for all the mu-
tations through which craftsmanship
modelling and the treatment Of pigment
Of surface. have passed, We arc bound IN
the presence Of this work 10 dof our hats
10 a great painter.
On the opposite wall hangs the only
other Italian painting in the room, FIJI
ippo Llppi. which. it appears. is one or
Mr.. Morgans latest acquisitions. II comes
from the family Of the Alessandri in Flor
once. for one Of whose ancestors IT was
painted. The portraits Of this gentleman
and his two sons are included in the COM
position. which is dominated by st. Law
renee. accompanied by st. Cosmo and st.
Damjan. Two other saints are painted in
subsidiary panels which are shown in sep
arate and smaller frames. The painting
* we'll preserved and shows In their per-
fiction Hpprs firm craftsmanship and
uire color. To compare this with the
RaphaeI. we may note In passing. is to
beiybten ones sense Of the power eXer-
Used hv the greater master. II is 10 APP
preciate the more. too, perhaps, Lippi
naIvetf and the simple charm of his plas-
tic. almost dry, manner. incidentally. we
return 10 appreciation of what Mr.. Nor
gan is doing for U.S. In it's different way
this. like the Raphael is the kind Of cd
master needed in an American public gal
lerv. II is a thing of beauty and 1t has It's
important historical significance, contrib
ltjpg TO our knowledge OF school. There
Is but a single further souvenir OF the
South. but that is a gem. the "lnfanta" Of
Velasouez. 1t is a masterpiece In the
painting OF blacks. and the connoisseur OF
technique will note also the handling Of
the light embroidery on the little lady
dark dress, the touches of rose and the
exquisitely manipulated tones In the
blonde hair. The Young Man who has
never got hack from Paris" that familiar
type I'm studios all over the world, need
not. after all, be unhappy II he simply
cannot draw any inspiration from the
Raphael He can always turn to the
Nelasquez and there drink deep Of another