New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-05
IMPERIAL ARRAY
OF OLD TEXTILES
Sale of Clarke Collection Begins
at the American Art
Galleries.
Rr ROYAL CORTISSOZ.

The cataloguer's life is not merry
one. Imagine the WEAKNESS in writing
"No. 3l7, three kitchen chairs" or "No.
GA, portrait of man; artist I'M
known" One needs soul of iron TO
so through years and years Of this
sort Of thing But for the elect of the
craft there are other sensations. The
rose grower who was not a poet would
surely become one by the time he had
made his first catalogue. And we have
no compassion, but, on the contrary,
only envy for the man who has sew
enteenth century Spanish banner to
deal with and can describe IL thus;
Dark red velvet with a purplish wine
color trend and soft lustre, supporting
an armorial shield on which a castle
and a lion and other devices appear
applied and worked In silk, silver and
gold within a wreath Of gold lace. Gold
GALLON border Of she'll or fan pattern
and three gold tassels" Lucky Mr.
Dana II. Carroll! lie writes the cata-
lOgue Of the T. B. Clarke collection OF
textiles and platters, the sale Of which
begins at the American Art Galleries
this afternoon and continues through
the rest Of the week; and there Is
scarce one Of the 742 pieces which does
not invite him 20 similar fights. Who
would not be a catalOguer?
10 is an enhancing exhibition. The
Astounding color in it, upon which Mr..
Carroll naturally lays stress, IS the
more potent in effect because 1t car
ries the patina of age. In another OF
those descriptions, from which, to be
sure, it is constant temptation to
quote, there is a rather precious" but
nevertheless exact, allusion TO "reti-
cent green-blue." 1t 1t is the reticence
of color subdued by time, by wear and
tear, by endless contact with clouds OF
incense and the dust in ancient sacris-
ties. FOR it is mostly from the treas
uries of the Church that these relies
have been drawn, "resplendent in gold
and emerald" or carrying a spray IN
green and pink, touched with gold.
/ Chasubles, copes and chalice cloths,
dalmatics and banners, portfolios and
cartouches they all bring back the
glamour Of great cathedrals and, by the
same token, Of little, obscure churches
In some Of the neglected hill towns OF
Italy, well off the beaten track, where
the worshippers in the ancient church
were but a handful Of peasants, we
have seen the priests at the altar as
grandly robed as their brethren In
Rome. Wherever the rule of st. Feter
/ has extended the chests and wardrooes
I in the sacristy have been packed with
rich velvets and richer embroiderles.
I Not in either painting or sculpture has
the decorative genius of the Latin races
been more devoutly or more consumate-
~ expressed.
Mr.. Clarke's aptitude as q collector
amounts TO a gift. He assemblies amaZ-
ing quantities Of things, and in some
equally amazing way he contrives TO
have them all beautiful We will not
make the smallest pretence Of travers-
ing his textiles in detail. There are
TENS in the collection no doubt upon
which il is good TO linger, like that
Spanish banner no. 1917 which we
have already mentioned, but there are
too many Of them. Il is enough TO say
that from the fifteenth century to the
eighteenth all the schools pour across
the walls a flood Of glowing texture.
F Intersperscd amongst the textiles are
Italian. Spanish and Oriental platters,
reinforcing the mass of color and
bringing into the ensemble the note OF
more formal design, Of a craftsmanship
occasionally taking a pictorial and even
plastic turn. Mr.. Carroll speaks OF
his plates and yelvets as making a
collection of "wall pictures that are
not canvas paintings or drawings" II
4 is n happy phrase. One gets here all
the sensuous charm of art with none
Of the implications that 90 with Sub,
iect." Beauty alone makes its appeal
in and for itself, the beauty that giuts
tions for the curious in such matters
and the platters especially have some
thing to say to the student Of the in
dividual traits Of Renaissance bottegas
But the great point about the objects
/ in this exhibition Is just that they are
glorously fair to look upon. To attend
the sale will be 10 feast on gorgeous
ness-and TO be horribly tempted