The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-09
MUSEUM GETS RARE
CHINESE SCULPTURES
Stone Statue Of the Goodies
kOuan Yin a Sensation
in Paris Last Year.
ITALIAN ART ACQUIRE
Important Additions of Nh,
Renaissance Period
Now on View.

The Metropolitan Museum OF Ar, h,,
just received some valuable additions .
pecially In the departments Of Italia,
Renaissance and Chinese sculptures. I,
the latter field. which was until a 70,
years ago but little known the lnstltutIo,
has acquired two remarkably fine spec,
mems. Edward Robinson, director OF IN.
museum, said yesterday that IL wa, IN,
plan OF the institution to keep up wifi
the discoveries in this field OF art and thai
new specimens would be acquired es the,
became available.
The more important of the two Chimes
sculptures Ii a stone statue OF the goddess
kouan Yin, which last year was one al
the sensations OF the Exposition OF As,a,,s
Arts In the Museum Cernuschl in parl.
This statue came out Of one of the Long.
men caves and belongs to a group q,
sculptures most important in tho deve.
opment of the art In China They were
executed between 523 and g75 and rem.
| resent the height Of Chinese art unde,
Buddhist influence.
Grace and monumental style" DR.. Val.
statue. have seldom been so well com,
bined In stone figure" French authorl
ties have agreed that few statues OF a,cn
Importance have come out Of China.
Specimen of Buddhist Sculpture.
The second Chinese sculpture recenty
! acquired is head OF Bodhisattva. 1t 4,
regarded as expressive In IA high degree
or the harmony and mysticism the seren.
lily and majesty 80 characteristic OF Bud.
dhst sculpture Numero heads of this
kind have recently been exported from
the caves OF China from which they wer,
excavated, but none Is regarded as equal
10 this as specimen OF Chinese sculp-
ture II dates from the sixth century.
The most important addition to the art
OF the Italian Renaissance Is the Pieta. by
Benedetto da Ma5ano, which IL the las,
specimen of his art said to have been In
private possession. This is by one of the
great masters OF the Quattrocento for pa
Majano is, with Mino da Fiesolo. the las,
of the famous Florentine scuiptors of the
| fifteenth century.
The motive Of this terra Gotta group OF
three figures Is thought to suggest one OF
the first great sculptures of Michael An
gelo. the Pieta at ST. Peters In Rome. a
composition which came only a few years
after that OF Benedetto who died In 1877.
1t Is believed that Michael Angelo might
have been affected by this work of his
predecessor In composing the Pieta in
rome. AT this period the Pieta was a
form or composition to which many sculu-
tors turned. 1t has been suggested that
Savonarola was one OF the frst to fashion
these figures Of the Virgin. the saints and
the figure OF Christ. Della Rob3ia mod
eiled In clay several times a four figured
group or the Pieta. The colors OF the
group shown yesterday In the museum are
fresh and vivid
Renaissance Art Acquired.
Two other works OF Renaissance All
recently acquired by the museum are a
relief by Agostino di Duccio, who has
peen compared by his admirers To Botti
CELL, although there are others who feel
that his freedom OF line borders on eccen-
tricity, This is the result OF his search
Tor harmony In design rather than for
correctness Of dra wing. Although he has
oeen considered by some experts to have
been the result Of the principles of Iuca
della Itobbia. the authorities OF the Met
ropoIitan Museum prefer to think that he
descends from Donatello.
II has not been easy to explain tic
subject OF the relief in the museum but
| II appears to represent the return of
Christ to His mother after He had been
with the elders In the temple. The four
ngures represent the Virgin clasping the
hand OF the youth, who wears n nimbus
ana can only be taken for the figure ot
the infant Christ. Two angels. classical
| In the manner OF their composition stand
either side NJ ha
two central figures are enclosed by a
wreath. The whole effect is beautifully
decorative. The relief Is OF the same
period az the "Pleta OF Da Majano"
eassone or chest, rare In that the
painting IL still left In the panel. Is
another acquisition for the department Of
the Italian Renaissance. 1t ia Florentine
and dates from the late fifteenth or early
| sixteenth century. II usually happens
that the painted panels from these chests
are removed and framed. and several Of
these hang now among the early Italian
pictures In the museum.
The panel on the present cassone repre-
sents the Siege OF Trebizond by the Sui
tan Mohammsd IL. The date OF this vas
presumably about 1851, as In that year
| the city fell captive TO the Turks. The
cassons n believed to have been at one
time the property OF the Seroxzi family, al
| though the family arms do not appear on
| II. The cassone Ii lined no far as the top
and back 20 with an imitation OF the
pomegranate pattern, SO common In the
| Florentine tapestry OF the Renaissance,
ON the two side panels are eagles hold
ing ribbons In their beaks This cassone
dates from 1875. II If regarded as one
of the finest specimens OF the Florent!ne
| school,
Rare Oriental Accessiona.
Arong the Oriental accessions Is a COY
lection OF eighty Japanese tsuba, or sword
| guards, presented by Mrs Adrian Joline
| which contain some rare specimens OF this
] lind IL IaI az