New-York tribune., 1921-12-25

truth, great amount of history to re-
late, and the technical aspects of the
subject are fairly circumscribed. Mr..
Bolton contents himself with a concise
foreword, and then settles down to
business, compiling list of all the
miniatures he has been able to trace
and ranging their painters in alpha
betical orde-. The dates and other BIZ
ographical data he has to record are
briefly set down. Occasionally he is
anecdotic, but only when the story he
has to tell is really opposite and IL
Illuminating. His purpose is to convey
information and to omit all rhetorical
fourishes. He makes a substantial ad-
dition to the apparatus of American
art history.
"Pots and Pans" a book written by
Mr.. Arthur Edwin Bye and published
by the Princeton University Press, has
the special Write of covering ground
hitherto neglected. 1t traverses the
painting of still life from the time of
the old masters down to the artists of
our own day (The book is dedicated to
Emil Carlsen). The material is rich
There is something odd in the cir
cumstance that no one has systema-
tized it before. Mr.. Bye covers the field
with exemplary industry, beginning
quite properly with the Low Countries,
surveying the Spanish contribution in
which the bodegones of Velasquez are
so gloriously conspicuous, exhaustive-
ly enumerating the French masters and
giving a fairly comprehensive account
of the modern schools. Oriental eX-
amples are also included There is
sufficient quantity of historical and
biographical matter.
The authors critical contribution is
not of great weight. He speaks with
appreciation, it is true, OF Chardins
brushwork, modelling and color, but
the detachment of the master, as to his
subjects, from the prevailing taste of
his period, evidently puzzles him and
he calls Chardn zone of the enigmas
enigma when you consider his tech
nique. In that he is akin to Watteau
and to the whole drift of French paint
ing. In other words he is one Of the
outstanding types of French craftsman
ship. The temperament that drew him
away from the courtlness of the EIGHT
eenth century may be a bit discon-
certlng. AS an artist, pure and sim
pie, he is one of the perfect embodi
ments of French tradition. The uncer-
tainty Of Mr.. Bye's touch comes out
again when he reaches Carlsen ard
makes the statement that that painter
has lifted his art to height it has
never reached before" Carlson has
done some extraordinarily good paint
ing, but it is the grossest kind of a
mistake thus to characterize his per-
formances. To exalt him above Char
din is merely foolish. The incident
is typical of Mr.. Bye But as an or
derry compilation, convenient as
sembling of painters who take on a
new interest through association with
one another, the book is serviceable
and welcome. The Illustrations are
good.
Mr.. Fred W. Burgess has written a
useful book for the Home Connoisseur
Series, published in this country by
f. P. Dutton & Co. In Silver: Pewter.
Sheffield Plate" he addresses himself
not so much to the specialist as to the
layman who wants facts and guidance
on which to base modest excursions.
The origins of the different subjects
are traversed, there are notes on the
more famous craftsmen, the charac-
terstics Of the great periods are de-
scribed, and then the different forms
are dealt with, ecclesiastical plate.
spoons, tankards, salt cellars and SO
on There are four score illustrations,
good half tones from museum pieces,
Mr. Burgess is full of sound advice and
what is almost as important--he