New-York tribune., 1917-12-18
Morgan Gives
Art Treasures
To Museum
Collection of 5000 Works
Greater Than Any Be-
slowed by Father

A gift Of more than three thousand
works Of art of great value, by J. P.
Morgan. 70 the Metropolitan Museum
Of Art was announced yesterday after
noon at the December meeting Of the
trustees. At this meeting also Elihu
Root was elected first vice-president in
place Of the late Joseph II. Choate.
The collection just acquired forms
the largest single group of Morgan
gifts to the museum. The importance
Of the gift lies in the high quality Of
its contents. as it includes many of the
most valuable things the late J. P.
Morgan, ST.. collected. Chief among
these are the Byzantine and other
medisval enamels and worries, includ
ing the marvellous Svenigorodskoi and
Hoentschel collections, each unriyallcd
in its field.
Clears Up Misconception
The announcement of the gift by
Edward Robinson, the director, read as
follows:
AT the December meeting of the
trustees of the Metropolitan Museum
Of Art this afternoon Mr.. j. p. Morgan
announced his gift TO the museum of
every work Of art he has now on loan
there. with the single exception Of the
bronze figure of Eros from Boscoreale,
which was exhibited in the Boscoreale
room for several years, and has re-
Gently been lent again for the opening
OF the new galleries Of classical art.
"Since the closing Of the exhibition
Of the so-called Morgan collection
there has been a general impression
that Mr.. Morgan had withdrawn every
thing lent by his father and himself
except the things given by him last
wear. Those who share that impression
will be surprised to learn that the
present gift consists Of upward Of
three thousand objects, in addition to
the famous Greau collection of ancient
glass and pottery, which is mentioned
scparately because the 4,5OO items 1T
contains are mainly fragments, and
might be thought TO swell the number
unduly.
"Great as is the size Of this gift, its
importance lies much more in the high
quality Of its contents, for 1t includes
many of the most valuable things that
Mr.. Morgan. sr., collected, and that
made his collection unique among the
distinguished collections Of the world.
Chief among these arc the Byzantine
and medieval enamels and worries, in
Guiding the marvellous Svenigorodskoi
and Hoentschel collections, each unri-
vailed i'm it's field, with others gathered
from varied sources, and forming to-
rether an assemblagc which easily
nuts our museum ahead of all others
in material Of this character These
we're exhibited in the first two rooms
of the Morgan collection, and those
ybo remember that exhibition will
learn with pleasure that, with the cX-
ception OF the tapestries and the Greek
and Roman bronzes, practically every
thing shown in the two rooms IS thus
permanently secured for the city.
"The paintings included in the gift
number thirty, among which are
Wctsu's Visit to the Nursery by
many considered his masterpiece; Van
der Weyden's 'Annunciation, eight
decorative panels by Hubert Robert
Tom Rings triptych representing
Christ blessing, surrounded by the 40
nor and his family; Rubens's sketch oi
St. Theresa. Van Eyck's head OF BeeHet
and 2 charming group by Longhi'
Memorial to His Father
"In making this gift one object Of
Mr.. Morgan is to perpetuate the mem
orv ~ his father as a collector, an ann
With which the trustees OF the museum
arc heartily in sympathy. They there
fore voted at this afternoons meeting
~. tbc section Of the building de-
,ofcd 10 European decorative arts
a'bicb Is already largely occupied by
Morgan gifts. shall hereafter De oes,g,
nsted As the Pierpont Morgan wing ana
tbat ali the objects included IN tne
nresent gift which belong appropriately
p';,b tbe material now IN IT shall DC
hromcbt together there. Mr.. Morgan
baying agreed that the others shall re
main in the departments wherc they
are. .o,s;derablc
roorrangement OF the lower floor OF the
wing. so that it probably wlli DC ses
crai months before we shall be IN po-
sition 10 enable the public to appte'
ciste the magnitude OF tins accession
to the museums collections