New-York tribune., 1918-01-09

uneven in his performances. but this
particular canvas represents one OF his
!uckiest hits in the manner Of Fortuny.
1t is an intensely modern thing to put
beside, saw. d Constable or a Teniers;
the virtuosity in it then appears very
light and frivolous. Yet it holds It's
own in Mr.. Hcrmann's ensemble, for it
is a thoroughly good piece of certain
kind Of legitimate craftsmanship. In
this it is characteristic of the whole
collection. The sale in the grand ball
room at the Plaza next Tuesday even
inc ought to excite lively bidding. We
have not hitherto seen this season so
rich an array of worthy, likable paint
ings.
The modern school is not by any
means confined to the technical slelght
of hand whien we have just cited. Inc
Farbizon group is we'll represented;
there are some admirable specimens OF
Israels and other Dutchrnen, anu one
or two of our own mon, 1nness and
George Bogert, appear in good form.
Still. it is through the older pictures
that the collection makes perhaps its
most persuasive appeal. The eighteenth
century Englishmen make dellghtful
little company by themselyes. One OF
the two Constables, "rhe Pond" gives
The freshest possible impression Of his
robust naturalsm; it is his most spon-
taneous, personal vein. The Moriand,
"On the Coast, Isle of Wight" is Il
little gem, the simplest oil horizontal
compositions, softly cleaning in its
color. and deli,ately luminous. Nor
lands landscapes are sometimes trlt1c
too "fat'," as though they had suffered
an infusion of the broad bucolic senti-
ment belonging to his scenes from rus
tic life This painting is IS dIstin-
guished as a Corot. Barker of batn,
George Willcock and John Russell are
members of the British contingent
present Their works pass muster, but
when we come to the remaining man
in the group, Old Crome, we have to
offer him special salute. THE Por-
ling.on Oak" we'll remembered from
its appearance in the Marquand collcc-
ton fifteen years ago, is a glorious
portrayal of tree forms, and full Of old
English sylvan sentiment into the bar
gain. A great picture, this, llustrat-
inc the earlier British landscape school
in it's. raciest--and statcicst-mood.
The greatest name amongst Mr.. Her
mann's old masters, Rembrandt, is rep
resented by picture which we would
like to see purchased fer the Metro
politan Museum, though its intrinsic
ugliness makes it almost repellent. It
is an ugliness Of color, chiefly, and then
of stubborn pigment handled with little
Of the magic which Rembrandt was
later to employ. But the historical in
terest of the work is of rare order
This juvenile production, one OF the
earliest. if not the very earliest, known
paintings by the master academic IN de-
sign and hard in execution, neverthe
less discloses the germ of his great
ness. The note Of style is there, still
muffed by the immaturity of an ar
lists pupilage, but unmistakable just
the same. AS a document in his biog,,
raphy this charactersticall ScripturaI
subject, "The Prophet Balaam and the
Angel" belongs in ii public museum
and nowhere else.
The Dutch pictures otherwise arc not
only representative, but, in most cases,
charming. The landscapes by Van der
Neer, Wynants, Van Goycn and Ruis-
dael the Italian harbor scene by Van
dc Velde, the bits of genre by Teniers,
Steen and Gerard Dou, are all capital
things. Some other masters Of the