Evening star., 1937-09-11

would for all time serve and lend dis
tinction to our Nation, his recent death
must be regarded as great loss, blot
ting out his personality. withdrawing
his guiding interest, that Of one pecu-
liarly sensitive and unusually wise.
Also the death of John Russell Pope.
the architect of the national gallery
building. which followed almost i'm
medlately upon Mr. Melons, was
additional loSS-an extraordinary CO.
incidence.
For many months Mr.. Mellon and
Mr.. Pope had been in almost constant
communication concerning the plan
for the Capital gallery. AS Mr. Pope
himself said at the hearing before the
Committee on the Library of the
House of Representatives last Febru-
airy, when the acceptance of Mr.. Mel
Ions muniflcent gift was under con-
sideration, it had all been great fun
this and the other museum planning
he had done in this country and in
England
The development Of the national
gallery Of art is in the hands Of
fully capable board Of trustees. APP
pointed with Mr.. Melons knowledge
and consent; the building OF the ma
tional gallery will be carried out by
Mr.. POpe'S longtime associates, Otto
K. Eggers and Daniel p Higgins. but
the chief figures in the great work
have passed from the scene, from
active participation in this great un-
dertaking, and more's the pity.
THE current exhibition at the Public
Library brings forcibly to mind
the superlative quality and extraordi-
nary scope of the collection, which,
assembled by Mr.. Mellon. has become
the property of the Nation. Of the
% reproductions on view (25 of paint
ings and of sculpture) 81 are in
color. Some of these reproductions
were In the Library collection even
before the originals were acquired by
Mr.. Mellon. for they are OF world
culled from recent publications and
were made by the most up-to-date
methods with Mr.. Melons consent.
Among the magazines having had this
privilege are the Ladies Home Journal.
the Art News and Fortune Magazine,
chosen perhaps as channels for reach
ing wide and diversified public. In
the present exhibition they are suit
ably mounted and well displayed.
Included in the showing are rep
resentatives in color of such famous
canvases as the Alba Madonna" by
Raphael, Madonna and Child by
Fra Angelica, REST During Flight
Into Egypt by Gerard David. Self
Portrait" by Rembrandt The School
mistress" by Chardin. The Marquess
de Pontejos" by Goya, "Lacemaker"
by Vermeer, Mrs. Davenport" by
Romney, Lady Caroline Howard" by
Reynolds and others of equal i'm
portance.
In the first OF series Of articles
on the Mellon collection written last
Winter by Royal Cortissoz for the
Herald-Tribune o. New York, later
privately printed in book form, the
following estimate was given:
1T (the Mellon collection) is OF the
loftiest distinction. Modest in scale
it contains hardly more than a hun
dred paintings, exclusive of the early
American portraits-in quality it is on
a level with the greatest European
galleries. When the beautiful build
ing designed for its reception by John
Russell Pope stands completed upon
the Mall this new national gallery will
assume the status of smaller Louvre.
or Prado or Uffizi. I mean by that
simply that 1t is rich in masterpieces:
that the key of the superlative work
of art governs the whole"
The character and quality of this
collection Mr.. Cortissoz attributes to
the rare taste and enthusiasm of the
collector and singular good fortune
in acquiring such prizes as were be
yond the dreams of collectors 40
years ago"