New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-25
Art Masterpieces Shown
for the Benefit of the
SecourS National.
JNLATE BENJAMIN
ALTMAN'S OLD HOME
Great Dutch and English Por-
traits, Souvenirs of Italy, and
Works by Famous Frenchmeu.
BY ROYAL CORTISSOZ.

Sseours National, do not know Il, but.
incidentally, they are promoting the
interests OF the American art lover.
The exhibition which was opened yes
,srday for their benefit. at the house
% the late Benjamin Altman. is one Of
those extraordinary affairs which
,prr up only once in a decade, a per-
Iect shower Of artistic meteors. We
hsve had some brilliant shows OF the
IND IN recent years, shows of old mas
terpieces lent by private collectors,
but these have almost always been de-
voted 10 some particular school. Dutch,
French. Spanish or English, as the case
might be- on this occasion the COM
rittee has had the delightful idea of
drawing uDon whatever school would
Weld a gloriously beautiful picture.
The result is another Salon Care, 81
lind of little Louvre. and We shall be
surprised II the public does not flock
10 il In thousands. Every one, no
dorbt. IS interested 10 see the inside
Of the Altman house. and while the
Galleries contain none of its old treas
s~cs their walls are really no less
Gorgeous than when they bore the
paintings INV e'seN '''N'NN 80 $3.50
noItan Museum.
There are ffty-nine numbers in the
catalogue. One is affixed 10 a piece of
sculpturc, the MADAME dc Rohan" OF
CaFcri. q bust ideally chosen Tor the
,icke u occUrics. This eighteenth cen
,rrv master carried over into his pc
rioi something of me larger gesture
vbich belonged 10 an earlier school.
liz had the elegance Of ClOdion or a
psiou. and. in a work like this.
crsnder ststeliness. The marble holds
lis own WIKI q courtly arrogance amid
he many different traditions here
;uvstratcd. Least aggressive OF all the
latter. vet somehow more subtly be
ouiliug tkan any Of them, Is that OF
he Italian Renaissance, represented IN
siorularlv we'll balanced group. The
yricue devotional spirit Of the South
is manifested in two fascinating pet
yros. the sketch for The CruclrN-
ion.'" by Nantegna, which within its
almost negligible dimensions contains
world Of feeling. 10 say nothlng OF
the magic Of design and style. and
yerv lovely "Nadonna,' by boltraino:
Il IS good TO see souvenir OF one OF
the most charming Of those MlianeSe
zines rorriShed on the Leonardesque
IDEAL Though II does not reveal BOZ
RATIO 81 his finest. though II IS little
.,I5 u.bore he is wont 70 be suffused
u.itb delicate fervor, a tender IRA
GRANGE, the presence OF much OF MS
quality IS unmistakable.
OF the three Italian portraits the
ono bv Polsone secures the Sallence OF
rich. warmly handsome thing but inc
com o. the group is the celebrated
Sot.;cejE The "Giuliano de Medici.' Its
rcrsoral interest is not to be ignored
II is nro5ablv the most authoritative
rs.r.irc we have Of the assasslnated
T'or,rtire. But the exact relation
va.,b +. bears 10 his biography Is
matter subordinate TO its purely artls-
Oh, ralue That is the value OF BOTH
telTs uncomfortable line. Of his rare
eff for the fusion of design ana char
actcr.zation IN a faultlessly slmpllhec
impression. Decidedly we think OF the
Louvre. Of the UfZi. and OF otner
great European galleries when We come
upon this precious panel mere re-
main in the Italian wing OF the eNhl-
lition two fine Guards, one OF when
flo Iuce View Along the Adriatlc
Coast" is PERHAPS the most luminous
and the most modern work by the
eighteenth century Venetian which we
lave ever seen. 1t is amusing. by the
way. 70 cop.rara II with the big Turner
an the opposite wall. the golden "har-
hour Of Dicppe." The Englishman, too
knew lot about difused light. But
how heavv-handed he was beside the
Italian. and how deficient in mere
charm
The British school, 10 be sure. as 1t
IS here represented. is altogether
school Of portraiture. The Turner
makes lbs due effect and so, likewise:
docs tho massive "IIadlcigh Castle OF
Constable. but neither of these ad-
mirable works is so expressive OF me
artistic Genius Of England at its zenith
as are the canvases of Reynolds ana
his circle These sumptuous portraits
form differing exhibition by them
selves. There are two Sir Joshuas, the
"Ladv Smith and Children" which
stands for his most mundane and, per
haps. most conventional mood, and the
EXQUISITE Miss Jacobs in which he
seems rather 10 be using all his ski
in the expression Of pensive sentl-
mer., 10 be painting not for the satls-
faction Of sitter. but just 70 please
mself Only one Gainsborough APP
PEARS. That is the Charles Frederick
abel a triumph in which he showed
that he could give 10 the portrait OF
man a grace like that disclosed IN
his portraits of women and detract
nothing from its strong dignity. Rom
uey, Hoppncr, Raeburn and Beechey
are all shown on a worthy plane. Inc
British masters. in short, are given
their full significance. Their great
prototype. Van Dyck, dominates one
end Of the long gallery at the very top
Of his prncely swagger. The Duke OF
buckingham" 90 is a court full length
Of resplendent character. The rehned
drawing, like the reds and yellOws IN
the color scheme, denotes moment OF
restraint in his art. His virtuosity Is
kept well in hand. But one feels the
power there, the easy command OF 2
tonsummate technique. II is lavlshed
upon Economically attractive figure.
Tins is a good instance Of Van Dyck
ART IN making a portrait a picture.
That art as Rembrandt practised IT,.
transmogrifying it by his greater &c
MUS, is supcrbly affirmed in "The
Sayaut,' also known as "A Scholar with
Bust of Homer" Where Van Dyck
allurcs US through the note of galliard
beauty IN his Duke Of Buckingham,
the Dutch master eXcrts a deeper spell
through his penetration to a deeper
humanity We know nothing Of the
exact purpose which he may have had
N view when he painted this old man.
The latter may have been only cas-
ual model. The classical bust may
have been nothing more than 4 studio
property. But in mis- profoundly imagi-
native way Rembrandt invests his
theme with the power Of haunting
thought, an obscure but valid emotion.
Zee him, again, working the same
strange spell in The Jewish Student"
work poignantly pathetic. There is
ore OF his stndies Of blooming Young