Evening star., 1935-03-17
BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.

BY ROBERT CRAWFORD.
Can it be that Mr.. Morgan wishes
to shake the dust of this rich, loamy
American soil from off his feet and
betake himself to England for life?
All this selling of pictures and price
less art objects in the past few
months and now the sale Of the
famous Morgan collection of minia-
lures which is to take place in Lon
don shortly, sets one to Speculatlng.
This collection, which has taken both
himself and his father a lifetime to
assemble, rivals the one owned by the
English royal family at Windsor
Castle, and other great collections
in that country and on the continent.
The art of miniature painting is
exquisite, intriguing, romantic and
mirrors the fashions and foibles Of
the different periods in which it was
so prolific Samuel Pepys called It
painting in little" and had his wife's
miniature painted by Samuel Cooper,
considered the greatest of all English
miniaturists of his time. and the
"Van Dyck of Miniature"-he was a
student of the great Flemish Master
of Antwerp. Italy and England. He
painted Cromwell, the poet Milton
who was not above the vanity OF a
miniature-JameS. Duke of Monmouth;
Charles II, in all the magnif1cance
of his curls and lace, and the court
favorites.
It seems a bit difficult to think of
Hans Holbein. as painter of these
exquisite little portraits, but after all,
the author of that lugubrious picture.
''The Dance of DEATH" may have
been needed for a likeness OF Henry
VIII, the gay monarch, whose por-
traits he did There may be some
examples of Cooper's work in Charles
ton, S. c. At one time the South was
particularly rich in miniatures, some
dating back to the seventeenth CEN
tury and coming on down through
Peale, Trumbull, Malbone and Fraser
of the eighteenth century. BY the
way there is now going on an ex-
hibition of American work in Charles
ton
Here's one for Senator Arthur H
Vandenberg of Michigan, whose hobby
seems to be writing and quoting Alex
ander Hamilton: Mr. J. p Morgan has
lately given-Mr. Morgan seems to be
giving away everything he cannot sell
to the Harvard Business School Ii
brary at Cambridge, Mass. receipt
book of the first George Washington
administration, drawing attention to
the national financial crisis faced by
the Secretly of the Treasury, Alexan-
der Hamilton.
This book is made up of stubbs
retained by the United States Loan
Office at New York in the issuance
of United States Treasury certificates
to individuals in exchange for OBJ
legations of the States assumed by
the new Federal Government under
the funding act of August 4. 1870.
This book of stubs is said to be the
only item of its kind not in the
archives of the United States Gov
ernment.
Washington has gone art-minded
with a vengeance, SO from March "a,
until some time in May, there Is to
be a perfect orgy of American art
including local talent exhibitions in
the several large department stores,
which are sponsored by the division
Of art, District of Columbia Fedora
ton of Women's Clubs, and the
spirit of Greater Washington.
The great show will be the Four
teenth Biennial Exhibition of Con-
temporary American Oil Paintings Of
the Corcoran Gallery of Art. begin
ming March "a and running through
to May S. There will be a showing
of $50 paintings and the w. A. Clark
prizes will amount to something like
$4,000. Money is needed even where
divine genius is concerned. Mr..
Andrew w. Melons magnificent gift
to the Capital has aroused much en-
thusiasm and pride in Washington
as growing art center.
Mr.. c. Powell Minnigerode, direc-
tor of the Corcoran Galleries, with
his usual keen interest and whole
hearted cooperation, has added four
exhibition rooms to the space which
he has formerly allotted for the
notable show Four of the finest
galleries in the western part of the
building, adjoining the Clark wing,
have been set aside, in addition to the
galleries which have been reserved for
the pictures in the main building on
the second floor. Just think what a
lot this rearrangement of art must
mean to the director of the Corcoran,
when one realizes that beautiful
Venuses. grotesque Satyrs, muscular