New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-02
BLAKESLEE PICTURES
ON EXHIBITION
Final Sale Of the Late Art Deal
er's NoluminOus Stock.
nv ROYAL CORTISSOZ.

The collection Of nearly five hundred
paintings yesterday placed IN eHnIoi
lion AT the American Art Galleries
forms the last section OF the stoc.
accumulated By the late Theron d.
Blakeslee. Il Is 70 be sold IN i've IN
stalments. The first OF these wih be
disposed OF at the Plaza neAt Noncay
evening. Then the auction VIII con-
tinue. where the pictures are now
shown. on the evenings OF M2rch 3,
3. 9 and 10. There are some 2 od
things in the rather heterogeneous Iol'
things that make their fairly persua-
sive appeal regardless OF t1eir origin.
The fact invites some reflections on
tho diverse meanings attaching 20 that
well worn designation, IAN Nd master.
For many persons there Il something
talismanic about those three wo:ds.
An old master, they think, Is picture
necessarily having certain value. II,
under the test OF the auction room, u
proves to have next 20 no value az ali,
they wonder if II is not forgery.
That does not follow. The great Euro
pean galleries, the Louvre. the Uihzi
and so or. contain quantities of neSlI-
Chile old masters. They are the fot-
sam and ietsam Of time. the works OF
old copyists and journcymen, some
times the works Of famous painters
who in hours Of fatigue produced
stupid stuff. utterly unworthy OF them
selves. Whistler's refusal 20 believe
that there ever was period in hlch
mankind was all for art and the world
well lost. period in which master
pieces grew like mushrooms, had az
least one bit OF reason behind IT,.
There never was a period IN when
genius alone hourished and the medi-
ocrity was unknown.
Mediocrity has always existed, and
prospered, even IN the golden ages OF
painting. That is what accounts FOR
the myr!ads Of poor pictures that are 20
be seen in the museums abroad, and, II
may be added. for other myrlads OF
pretty good ones. Especially in times
dominated By formula Of one sort or
another is il natural for the painter OF
ordinary talent 20 edge his way into
the company of better men. A manner
is easily initiated Let brilliant court
painter produce q portrait IN his fash
ionable style and there are scores Of
outsiders 10 echo him. II IN succeed
ing generations their works are labelled
with his name you viii find in many
cases that the vanity OF ownership has
had something 20 do with II, or the
ignorance of a cataloguer. OF course,
all this has nothing to do with the fiat
dishonesty which 80 often plays IT'S
surreptitious part in the world OF pict-
ures: IL does not exclude the possibi.i-
ties Of the fake" But it has its moral
for the amateur. Let him not succumb
to a picture because il is old; it may
be old and worthless. But let him nor
recoil from u as worthless because II
is not a masterpiece; II may be fair
piece Of journeyman's work, and, in It's
way, worth having.
IL is in some such mood as this that
we have trayersed the present exhibi-
ton. There are 50 many paintings in
il which are in no wise important. bu,
which have certain decorative value,
portraits like Zucchero's Princess"
(No So. or like the Lady" No. li6),
blithely given 20 Nicholas billiard. The
latter is a delightful biz Of pictorial
embroidery. Il would make a cheerful
spot on the wall. SO u is with scores
Of these souvenirs OF the English
French. Spanish and Flemish schools Of
portraiturc. and with the many minor
Illustrations Of the early Italian tradi-
tion IN religious art. Their authorship
is beside the point. They have, any
way. their mild interest. And some
times. "a in the case Of Honthorsts
Musician" mo. "a or in that Of John