New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-11
Nv ROYAL CORTIssOZ.
CFrom Art and Common Sense.
THE ROkEBY VENUS.


THE ROkEsY VENUS.
Doubts vainly cast upon the authentici-
" Of great picture ordinarily receive at
the hands of the historian no more con-
sideration than is implied in the scant
courtesy of a brief footnote. Yet there
are occasions on which It seems legiti-
mate to record at greater length some.
particularly salient instance Of critical
error. Il is perhaps worth while to set
down here the remarkable case Of Mr..
lanes Greig and the Venus with the
Mirror" better known as the Rokeby
Venus. 1t was in the early summer 81
1910 that cable dispatches from LONDON
reported how Mr. Greig, the art crltlc OIL
The Morning Post" had attempted CIR
cumstantially TO deprive Nelasquez OF the
credit of having painted the renowned
nude in the National Gallery. Twice pre-
viously he had demonstrated his acute
ness i'm penetrating 10 the source OF All
old picture. Upon a painting ascTioed 10
Rembrandt in one Of the winter eNhiDl-
tons al Burlington House he had discov-
cred the signature of ferdinand Boil ana
he had shown that work in the ssltlhs
Collection. given TO PETER de Hoosh. was
really signed by Samuel van Hoogstrae-
ten.
Since these disclosures Of ms had peeh
accepted as conclusive il was not unnatu-
raj to pay him some attention when he
advanced the hypothesis that inc
Venus" long believed to be by Nelas-
ouez. bore the cipher OF Juan bautls'd
Del Mazo. the son-in-iaw OF the court
painter of Philip ". His claim was that
he had found in the lower left-hand cor
ner OF the picture, about Twelve lhc"es
under the left foot Of the reclining nsure'
a signature which. as he reproduced IL III
THE Morning Post clearly reVealeu
only "B" and an M. The clpher
suggested rather than actually eNhloi,eu
the full initials of Mazo. Against th's
claim Sir Charles Holroyd. the director
Of the National Gallery 'hlmseH an ar
isO. set the fact that after idhlhb OH inc
glass he had obtained certificate from
eight experts that there was no sigma
ture visible. Nevertheless. the a1a'r
made a prodigious sensation pro"'o'''7
foods Of argument in the press ever
where. and so il seems, a. nave sa'u'
Interesting 10 return 10 the subject an
TO examine into the history and CHARACTER
OF the picture.
II is related by Beruete 10 the peru"
following the second Of the paihler wv
Italian Journeys. the period OF the "e'
curry and Argos" the Mars and several
other NEUROLOGICAL subjects prouuoeu
toward the end Of his career. These III
Guided a Psyche and cupid An "Apoho
and Narsvas" and Venus and Adons'
which adorned the Hall Of Mirrors III the
A1cazar at Madrid and were destroyed
! ny. fire in 1884 Traversng the history o.
! the Venus with the Mirror berue'e
| says:
THE first mention made OF II IL bN Ion
| Antonio POM in his 'Viaje de tspaha'
published in 1915. wherein he describes ''e
paintings in the house Of the DUKE VI
Alba. Don Pedro de Madrazo' in an ar
| tlcle published in the Ilustracion tsp"-
| nola Americana November :, lS'4' pre-
sumes that Venus with the Mirror Is
none other than 'Psiquis Cupido, Whlch
appears in the inventory OF the year i'So
Of the Royal Alcazar. and adds that ow-
ing ia the fire in the Alcazar i'm 1874, II
| must have been removed TO the house OF
| the Duke Of Alba. Professor JUST, ana
| Curtis. in agreement with Madrazo, as
| crbed the same origin 10 the picture
which admitted as being correct in the
French edition OF my book.
| Recently ! have been able TO determine
| tho true origin and clear up the con-
| fusion existing between this picture ana
| that OF 'Psiquis Cupido,' the subJect
| and measurement Of which are different
from those of the Venus with the NIT
ror' The latter figures in the nventorea
| Of the collections Of Don Gaspar Mendez
| dc Uaro son of the famous Don LUIS
| MondeZ de llaro Marquis OF Carpio ana
| Iclichc. minister and favorite OF Phllip
| " from the time Of the fall of his uncle
| ,ho conde-Duque de Olivares. in 1913. The
| Inventories were made. one I'm Rome, in
1889 and another in Naples. in 1858. III
those Inventories there appears the pct
urc Of the Venus mentioned In the foi-
loving terms a life-size Venus rechn-
ing nude and a child. holding mirror
g., which she sees herself. The picture of
| the Venus Is an original OF Don Diego
| Volaeouoz. The picture OF the venus
therefore. did not belong 10 the Aicazai
| palace. ne Madrazo thought. but to the
Mondoz de lIaro family
"By the marriage OF Dopa Catalina az
| Hare Y Guzman. daughter OF Don Gas
mar. with the Duke Of Alba, IN JOSH inc
property OF the Hare family reverted &c
The House Of Alba. and with II the picture
NJ the Venus Of Nclasqucz. I'm lsps. A.
the death Of the renowned Duchess o
AHA whose portrait was 50 often painted
a.. GOV. a, th. court ~ Charles ". b.