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TheConnoisseur 

An  Illustrated  Magazine 
For  Collectors 


Edited   by  J.  T.  Herbert   Baily 


Vol.  XXXV. 

(JANUARY    APRIL.    1913) 


LONDON 

Published    by    OTTO    LIMITED,    at   the 

Editorial    and   Advertisement   Offices   of   The   Connoisseur, 

at    Hanover    Buildings,  35-39,   Maddox   Street,    \V. 

1913 


s 


PRINTED    BY 

DEMROSE   AND   SONS   LTD. 
DERBY    AND   LONDON 


A  ifp; 


8M632 


INDEX 


ARTICLES   AND    NOTES 


1-AGE 

89 
289 
290 
266 


•Annals  of   Hampstead"    (Reviewed).       By   T.   J. 

Barratt  

Answers  to  Correspondents    ...  ...    65.   131,    191, 

(Heraldic)    66,    132.    192 
Arragon,  Chest  of  Queen   Katherine  of 
Authors. 

Gardner,  J.  Starkie.      Antique  Silver  and  Sheffield 

Plate    

Grundy,   C.   Reginald. 

Mr.  Fritz  Reiss's  Mezzotint  Portraits.     Part  III. 
Sir  Joseph  Beecharh's  Collection  at  Hampstead. 

Part  I.  

Levetus,  Amelia  S.  Dr.  Albert  Figdor's  Col- 
lection of  Dolls'  Furniture.  Part  I. 
Mason,  R.  L.  "  Cottage  and  Farmhouse  Furni- 
ture "  (Reviewed)  ... 
Penny.  W.  E.  Wynn.  Loan  Collection  of 
Eighteenth-Century  English  Glass  at  the 
Victoria  ami   Albert  Museum 

Percival,  M.     Ceramic  Trinketry 

Robinson.   H.     China  Cottages      

Spielmann.    M.    H.,    F.S.A.     "  Welbeck   Abbey" 

Miniature  of  Shakespeare   ... 
Squire.    Wm.    Barclay.     Fiirstenberg    Groups    of 

Perseus  and  Andromeda     ... 
Thomson.  \V.  G.      "  Diana  Hunting  "  Tapestries. 

belonging  to  Mr.    Kennedy   Jones... 
Turner,     W.        Floral     Painting     on     Porcelain, 

English   School 
Willoughby,   Leonard.      City   of  Cardiff.      Part   I.        17 
Beecham's.    Sir    Joseph,    Collection    at    Hampstead. 

By  C.   Reginald   Grundy °9 

"  Belmount    Hall  "    Portrait    of    Shakespeare.      By 

J.   M.   P.   Mmrhead 168 

"Belmount   Hall"    Portrait    of    Shakespeare.     Mr. 

Spielmann's  Reply    ...  ...  •■■  •••      169 

Books  Received  4^.    IQ6.    I7° 

Books  Reviewed. 

"  Adulteress  before  Christ.  The."     By  Rembrandt. 

By  Charles  Sedelmeyer 
"  Annals  of  Hampstead."     By  T.    J.    Barratt  ... 

"  Art  in  Egypt."     By  G.  Maspero  

"  Artist    in    Egypt,    An.'"     Bv    Walter    Tynda'e. 
R.l '        


199 

1  ; ; 

69 

Si 


21 1 

222 

97 


229 
1 5  5 


2/8 

S9 

I2'i 
1,1 


Books  Reviewed — continued. 

"  Austria."     Illustrated  by  Donald  Maxwell      ... 
"  Ayrshire  Idylls."     By  Neil  Munro,  LL.D. 
"  Bacon's  Essays."     Edited  by  Sydney  Humphries 
"  Ballads  Weird   and   Wonderful,"   with   twenty- 
five  Drawings  by  Vernon  Hill 

"  Eartolozzi."     Edited  by  A.  M.   Hind 

Blake's  Illustrations  to  Thornton's  "  Pastorals  of 

Virgil"  

•'  Books    that     Count."     and     other     of     Messrs. 

Black's  Annuals 
"  Byzantine  and  Romanesque  Architecture."    By 

T.   G.   Jackson,   R.A.  

"  Choffard."     By  V.  Salomons     ... 

"  Church  Bells  of  England."     Bv  H.  B.  Walters, 

M.A 

"  Cottage  and  Farmhouse  Furniture."     By  Arthur 

Hayden 
"  Cottages  and  Village  Life  of  Rural  England." 

By    P.    H.    Ditchfield,    M.A 

••  Delia  Robbias  in  America."     By  Allan  Marquand 
"  Dictionary      of      Medallists."        Vol.      V.        By 

Forrer  ... 
"  English    Fireplace    and    its    Accessories, 

By  L.   A.   Shuffrey 

"Engravings  of  William  Blake,  The"     ... 
"  Eothen."     Illustrated  by  F.  Braugwyn 
"  Epochs    of    Chinese    and    Japanese    Art. 

Ernest  F.   Fenollosa... 
Fitzwilliam    Museum,    Cambridge. 

quest  Catalogues 
"  Forged      Egyptian     Antiquities. 

Wakeling 
"  Garrards,   1721-1911" 
"  Germany."     Painted     by 
Harrison   Compton    . 
"  Greuze  and   his  Models." 
"  Historv    of    Old    Sheffield    Plate. 

Bradbury 
"  History   of   Painting   in   North   Italy,    A." 
J.   A.   Crowe  and   G.   B.   Cavalcaselle 
"  John     Halifax,     Gentleman."      Illustrated      by- 
Oswald  Moser 
"  LaCoted'Emeraude."    Painted  by  J.  Hardwicke 
Lewis  ... 


The.' 


By 


McLean    Be- 


By     T. 


T.     and     E.     C. 


By   J, 


Rivers 

'      B.-     Fn    Ik. 


By 


61 
186 
127 

130 
56 

187 

126 

1S5 
128 

129 

27 

61 
187 

147 

12S 

63 

186 

60 

130 

271, 
121. 

61 
64 

193 

'-»4 

58 

2  7" 


///(/(•  \ 


[Reviewed  nued. 

ely   and    tin'   Stuart    Portrait    Painters."     Bj 

C.   II.  Collins  Baker 55 

I  ife    in    the    West    ol    Inland."     Prawn    and 

painted  by  Jack   B.   Yeats 

"Little    Songs    oi    I  emu    Ago."     Illustrated    bj 

11.  Willebeek  Le  Man         59 

"  Masterpieces  oi  the  Sea     William  I.  Richards." 

Bj    Harrison  S.  Morris        ...         ...         ...     270 

"  Mediaeval    Figure   Sculpture   in    England."     Bj 

E.   S.   Prior,   M.A.,  and   A.  Gardner,   M.  \.     188 
Metalwork     and     Enamelling."     Bj      Herbert 

Maryon  ■••         •••         ■■■         ••■         •••       "1 

"Mornings   with    Masters    ol    Art."     By    II.    II. 

Powers  ...         ■••         ■•■         •••         ■••       56 

"Museums  and   Ruins  oi  Rome,  The"   ...         ...       63 

"Nova  Scotia."     By  Beckles  Willson     277 

Paris       \   Sketch    Book."     By   Eug.   Bejot    ...     276 
"  Poems    of    Passion    and     Pleasure."     By    Ella 

Wheeler  Wilcox        (.4.   188 

"  Portrait    Miniatures    oi    Five    Centuries."     By 

Ernest  Lemberger     ...         ...         ...         ■••     125 

"  Scottish  Heraldry  Made  Easy."      By  G.  Harvey 

Johnstone       ...         ...         •••         •  •■         ■••       rs 

"  Selec  turns  from  the  Writings  of  Lord  Dunsany  "     1 24 
"Shakespeare,  Bacon  and  the  Great  Unknown." 

Bv   Andrew  Lang      ...  ...  ...  ...      123 

"  Shu  Stoops  to  Conquer."      Illustrated   l>y  Hugh 

Thomson  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      124 

"  South   America."      Painted    by   A.   S.    Forrest...        61 
"  Staircases  and  Garden  Steps. "      By  Guy  Cadogan 

Rothery  •■•  ••■  •••  ■••  ••■      I25 

"  Story  of  Whitehall    The."      By  Austin  Brereton      129 
"  Summary    of    the    Index    to    Waagen,    A."      By 

Algernon  Graves,   F.S.A.     ...  ...  •■■     277 

"Technique     of     Painting,      The."      By     Charles 

Moreau-Vauthier       ...  ...  ...  ...        57 

"  Van    Eycks  and   Their  Art,   The."      By   W.    II. 

James  Weale  and    M.    W.    Brockwell        ...      125 

"  Wild  Life."      An    Illustrated    Monthly 277 

Bottling    Protector        41 

Cardiff,    The   City    of.      Part    I.      By   Leonard    Wil- 

loughliy  ...  ...  ...  •■■  •••        17 

Ceramic  Trinketry.      By   M.    Percival  ...  ...      222 

China  Cottages.     By  H.   Robinson   ...  ...  ...       97 

Chippendale   Settee        ...  ...  ...  ...  ...       105 

Clepsydra,   or   Water-Clock.     Bv  Maberlv   Phillips, 

F.S.A '        ...      ' 38 

Clepsydra,  or  Water-Clock,  at  Norwich  Castle      ...      266 
Colet,   Dean,   Portrait  of  ...  ...  ...  ...      21.0 

Collections. 

Beecham's,    Sir    Joseph     Pictures   at   Hampstead. 

Part    I.  69 

Eighteenth-Century  English  Olass,  at  Victoria  and 

Albert  Museum,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rees  Price's  211 
Figdor's,  Dr.  Albert,  Dolls'  Furniture.  Part  I.  81 
Reiss's,  Mr.  Fritz,  Mezzotint  Portraits.  Part  III.  1  ;; 
1  ottage  and    Farmhouse   Furniture"    (Reviewed). 

Bj     R     I  .    Mason        ij 

Current   Art    Notes        ...  ...  ...    49,    11;,    17;,    j.si 

[For  it,  ins     v,    undei    Exhibitions). 

"  Diana    Hunting  "    Tapestries,     belonging    to    Mr. 

Kennedy  Jones.      By  W.   G.  Thomson     ...      229 
Dolls'   Furniture.  Dr.   Albert  Figdor's  Collection  of, 

Vienna.      Part  I.      Bv  Amelia  S.  Levetus...        81 


PAGE 

Dublin,   Georgian    Room    in    National   Museum     ...     118 

Elizabethan    Mansion      An     Interesting  ...  ...       2;; 

English  (.lass  al  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum,  Loan 
Collection  oi  Eighteenth-Century.  By 
W.   E.   W'vnn   Pennj  ...         ...         ...     21 1 

Engravings. 

Reiss's,  Mr.   Fritz,   Mezzotint   Portraits.      Part   111.       135 

Exhibitions. 

Alma    l.idein.i    Exhibition    at    Royal    Academy    •■■       1  ,i  ; 
Ails  ami   Crafts  Exhibition  ...         ...         ...       50 

Baillie   Gallery.     Pastels   bv    J.    W.    Herald,    Oil 
Pu  tmes  by  C.  M.  Ilardie,  and  Etchings  by 
Martin   Hardie  ...         ...         ...         ...     180 

1  .ui,  ix     Galleries.     Pictures    and     Drawings    bv 

Professor  C.    J.    Holmes        ...  ...  ...      171) 

Colnaghi,  Messrs.      Modern  Drawings  and  Etchings     282 
Connell,  Messrs.   Jas.      Modern    Etchings...  ...      178 

Dowdeswell    <  lalleries. 

Drawings    by    Old    Masters    and    Paintings    by 

E.   S.   Lumsden,   A.R.E.     ...         ...         ...     110 

Etchings  by  Sir  J.  C.  Robinson,  and  Drawings 

by  Miss  Frances  Drummond  ...  ...      178 

Edinburgh. 

Arts    and    Crafts    Club,    Scottish    Gallery    and 

College  of  Art  ...  ...  ...  ...      11S 

Scottish  Gallery,  etc.        ...  ...  ...  ...      2.S4 

Society  of  Eight   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...        51 

Society  of  Scottish  Artists  ...  ...  ...      181 

Fine  Art  Society. 

Drawings  by   I.   Lynch  and   H.   L.  Norris,  and 

Etchings  by  A.   Bentley  and  others  ...      177 

Societe   Internationale  de  la   Peinture   a   l'Eau 

and  Mogul  Miniature  Paintings     ...  ...      282 

Water-Colours   of    West    Highlands    by    Finlay 
MacKinnon,  and  Modern  Miniature  Sculp- 
ture      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      1 10 

Friday  Club,  The      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      180 

Gutekunst,    Mr.      Etchings    by    Rembrandt    and 

his  Contemporaries   ...  ...  ...  ...      179 

Leicester  Galleries.      Paintings  by  Signorina  Emma 

Ciardi  and  Louis  Sargent   ...  ...  ...      181 

McLean  Galleries.     Water-Colours  by  Miss  Emily 

Patterson         ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      118 

New  English  Art  Club,  The  ...  ...  ...        49 

Pennell,  Lithographs  and  Etchings  by  Mr.  Joseph, 

and   Drawings   by  M.    B.    Huish    ...  ...      118 

Royal   Water-Colour   Society.      Landscape    Exhi- 
bition ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      119 

Society  of  Humorous  Art   ...  ...  ...  ...        51 

Wales,    National   Museum    of  ...  ...  ...      179 

Walker's  Galleries,  Messrs. 

Drawings  by  C.  Dixon.  R.I.,  and   Paintings  by 

Mary  Ethel  Hunter  and  Olive  Anderson...      117 
Water-Colours    by   Wynne   Apperley,    R.I.      ...      120 

Water-Colours    by    Miss    L.    E.    Pierce   and    R. 

Purvis  Flint    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      180 

Women's   International   Art  Club  ...  ...      281 

Vamanaka's,  Messrs..  Japanese  Swords  and  Masks      282 


Figdor's,  Dr.  Albert,  Collection  of  Dolls'  Furniture, 

Vienna.      Parti.      By  Amelia  S.  Levetus...        81 

Floral  Painting  on  Porcelain  :    English  School.      By 

W.    Turner      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      15; 

Forrer's      "  Dictionary      of      Medallists."      Vol.       V. 

(Reviewed)       ...  ...  ...  ...  ...       147 


Index 


Furniture. 

Chest  of  Queen  Katherine  of  Arragon       266 

Chippendale. 

Period  Tallboy  Chest        if>9 

Settee  105 

Figdor's,  Dr.  Albert.  Collection  of  Dolls'  Furni- 
ture.     Part    I.  81 

French  Writing  Bureau        ...  ...  ••■  •••        41 

Louis  XVI.   Table 41 

Fiirstenberg  Groups  of  Perseus  and  Andromeda.      By 

Wm.    Barclay   Squire  ...  ...  ...        14 

Glass. 

Eighteenth  -  Century  English  Glass.  A  Loan 
Collection  at  the  Victoria  and  Albert 
Museum.      By   W.    E.    Wynn    Penny  ...      211 

Gold.  Silver,  and  Plated  Ware. 

Antique  Silver  and  Sheffield  Plate 199 

"  History  of  Old  Sheffield  Plate  "   (Reviewed)     ...      193 

"  Hampstead.  Annals  of "   (Reviewed)            ...  ...  89 

Sir  Joseph  Beecham's  Collection  at...  69 

Historic  English  Potteries       ...          ...          ...  ••■  241 

Hour-Glass.   Historical              ...          ...  ••■  103 

Hvsing.   Hans.   Portrait  by      •••          •••          •■■  •••  103 


"  In  the  Sale  Room  " 


43.    109,    173,    2; 


Lead  Font  at  Syston  Church...          ...          ...          ...  267 

Leeds   Pottery.       Black  Basalt   Portrait   Medallions  21.4 

Louis  XVI.    Table 41 

Medals. 

Forrer's    "  Dictionary    ol    Medallists."      Vol.     V. 

(Reviewed)      ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  147 

Modern  Art.  The  Tendency   oi           ...          ...          •■■  175 


Notes  and   Queries 

Paperwork.  Old  English  Rolled 
Pictures. 


35,   101,   162,  261 
j8 


Beecham's.  Sir  Joseph,  Collection  at   Hampstead. 

Part  I.     '  69 

"  Belmount  Hall"  Portrait  of  Shakespeare  ...      168 


Pictures — continued. 

Portrait   by   Hans   Hysing   ...          ...          ...          ■■•  103 

Raeburn's  Portrait  of  Lady  Margaret  Maclean...  263 

"  Welbeck  Abbey  "   Miniature  of  Shakespeare    ...  3 

Plate  Notes        42,   106,   170,  i(>y 

Portrait  by  Swedish  Painter,   Hans   Hysing             ...  103 

Pottery  and   Porcelain. 

Ceramic   Tnnketry     ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  222 

China   Cottages           ...          ...          ...                       ••■  97 

Floral  Painting  on  Porcelain  :    English  School    ...  1  vl 

Fiirstenberg  Groups  of  Perseus  and  Andromeda  ...  14 

Historic  English  Potteries    ...          ...          ...          ••■  241 

Leeds  Pottery  :    Black  Basalt  Portrait  Medallions  204 

Raeburn's  Portrait  of  Lady  Margaret  Maclean      ...  263 
Reiss's,   Mr.    Fritz,   Mezzotint   Portraits.      Part   III. 

By  C.   Reginald  Grundy      135 

Royal   Visit   to   Stoke-on-Trent,    the             209 

Shakespeare,  The  "  Belmount  Hall  "   Portrait  of  16S  [69 

The    "Welbeck   Abbey"    Miniature   of  3 
"  Sheffield  Plate,  History  of  Old."      By  F.   Bradbury 

(Reviewed)'      ...          ...          ...          ■■•          ••■  19.1 

Silver  and  Sheffield  Plate.  Antique.      By  J.   Starkie 

Gardner            199 

Silver,  see  under  Gold.  Silver,   etc. 

Solon    Collection              ...          ...          •••          •••          •■■  43 

"  Stay  Busks  " J9 

Tallboy  Chest.  Chippendale  Period 169 

Tapestry. 

"  Diana  Hunting  "   Tapestries,   belonging   to    Mr. 

Kennedy   Jones           ...          ...          ■■■          ...  --<> 

"  Toddy  Lifter  "             4" 

Warship.   An   Eighteenth-Century   Miniature           ...  166 

Water-Clocks       3s  -'•'■ 

"  Welbeck    Abbey  "    or    "  Harleian  "    Miniature    of 

Shakespeare.      By  M.  H.  Spielmann.   F.S.A.  3 
Wood-Carving. 

Elizabethan  Mansion.  An  Interesting  (The  "Star" 

Hotel.    Great    Yarmouth^     ...          ...          ■■■  2;; 

Wilting    Bureau,    French            ...           ■■■           •■■           •••  41 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Account  of  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  at  Garrard's 

1735-6 

Architecture. 

Campanile,  The.      Le  Puy    ... 
S.   Maria   Maggiore-Toscanella 
Artists. 

Adam,   P.   W..   R.S.A.      Autumn    ... 
Affleck,   A.   F.     Chateau  d'Amboise 
Alma-Tadema,  Sir  L. 
Honeymoon,  The  ... 
"  Hush  !    She  Sleeps" 
Almond,   W.   D.      'Arriet 


PAGE 

13° 

187 
185 

51 

177 


A  rtists — continued. 

Anderson,   S.     Northolt,   Etching  of          281 

Bell,  Rodolphe.     Portrait  of  a  Lady  Unknown...  125 

Bennett,  S.      Shakespeare   ...          ...          ...          ■••  4 

Bentley,  A.     Cour  du  Dragon,  Paris       175 

Birch.  W.      Golder's  Green.      After  W.    Russell...  91 
Blake,  W.      Venus  dissuades  Adonis  from  Hunting. 

After  R.   Cosway       ...          ...          •••          •■•  5s 

Bock,  J.  C.      Shakespeare   ...          ...          ...          •••  7 

Bovi,  M.      Gleaner's  Child,  The.      After  R.  Westall  33 
Brookshaw,     R.      Mons.     Masson,     "The    Tennis 

Player."     After   J.   H.    Mortimer 141 


Index 


PAG] 

Artists — continued. 

I  aurent     Perseus  and   Andromeda.      Vftei 

Lemoyne        ...         ...         ...         ...         ...       14 

Constable    John    R   \ 

Abra ml  onstable  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...       72 

Golding   Constable  ...         ...         ...         ...       72 

Hampstead   Heath  ...         ...         ...         ...       74 

Salisbury  1  athedral  from  the  Bishop's  Grounds       73 

Steele's  Cottage 9  | 

>t     J     B.   C.     Wood   Gatherers,  The 227 

1  osw  a\      K. 

King  George  ill.  ol   England   ...         ...         ...     125 

Venus   dissuades    Adonis    from    Hunting.     By 

W.   Blake       .'.       59 

Cot  man,  J.  S.     Old  Mill,  The.     Alter  Rembrandt     20S 
Cousins,   S.     Ladv  Acland   and   Children.     After 

Sir  T.  Lawrence        ...         ...         ...         •■•     £3; 

1  1. iinc,   J.     Shipping  on   the  Yare  ...         ...       7s 

Dawe    P.     Oyster  Woman.  The.     Alter  11.  Mor 

land i-l" 

Dayes     E.     Visit   to  the  Grandfather,   A.     After 

J.    K.    Smith 138 

De    Wint     P.      Highgate    Ponds    from    Millfield 

Lane     ...  89 

Dickinson,  W.      Mrs.   Hartley.      Alter   ].  Nixon...      121 
Drahonet,    Dubois.      Everard    William    Bouverie, 

Colonel  R.H.G.,  1843-1853 269 

Eberlein.     Cupid  Chastised  ...  January  Covet 

Edmunds,  Mis-  V   II. 

Dons  183 

Eileen,    daughter   of    H.    Marshall.    Esq.  ...      183 

Faber.      Evelyn    Pierrepont.    Duke   of    Kingston. 

After  Kneller 90 

Falconet.  P.      Portrait  of  a  Lady 2 

Fraser,  Rose  M.     La  Reve 285 

Gainsborough.   T. 

Interior  of  a   Cottage.      By  C.   Turner...  ...      137 

Little  Cottager.  The.     By  C.  Turner 136 

Giorgione.      Portrait   of   a   Young    Man    ...  ...        57 

Green.   V. 

Lady  Caroline  Howard.      After  Sir  J.  Reynolds        23 

Miss  Sarah  Campbell  ..  ,,  2} 

Greuze.      Head    of   a   Child...  ...  ...  ...        58 

Grozer,   J. 

Morning,    or    the    Reflection.      After    W.    Ward 

Presentation   Plate,   February 

Shepherdess.    The.      After   R.   Westall 143 

Hancock.     S.  T.  Coleridge  at  the  age  of  24     ...       92 
Hastings,  T.      Richard  Wilson's  Favourite  Oak...        96 
Hvsing.  H.      Thomas.  Fourth  1  hike  of  Leeds,  when 

Earl  of  Dan  by  ...  ...  ...  ...      105 

Janinet.     LTndiscretion.     Alter  Lavreince 

I'n  st  ntation    Plate,    March 

Kano  Soshu.     Trees...          ...          ...          ...          ...  62 

Kaurfmann.    Angelica.      Shakespeare,    Portrait    of  9 
Kneller,   G. 

Evelyn     Pierrepont,     Duke    of     Kingston.      By 

Faber  ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  90 

Steele           ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  9° 

Koriusai.      Kakemono-Ye    ...          ...          ...          ■••  61 

Lavreince.      LTndiscretion.      By    Janinet 

I'n  m  ntation    Plate,    March 

Lawrence,   Sir  T.,   P.R.A. 

Ladv   Acland   and   Children.      By  S.   Cousins   ...      135 
Miss  Hartington    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      157 


PAG] 

Artists — continued. 

Lemoyne.     Perseusand  Andromeda.     By  Laurent 

Cars      ' 1  I 

Mabuse      Adoration  oi  the  Kings,  The  ...         ...  134 

Massol.     Shakespeare          ...         ...         ...         •••  4 

Mauve,  Anton.     Watering  Horses...         ...         ...  259 

Meyer,  II.      E03   with  Kitten,     After  W.  Owen...  141 

Millet,   J.    K     l.e  Semeur 189 

Morland,  ('.. 

Gipsy   Encampment,   A   ...         ...         ...         •■•  69 

Morning  ;    or,    I  he   Benevolent   Sportsman     ...  69 

Wreckers.    The        ...           ...           ...           ...           ■••  71 

Morland,   11. 

Fair  Nun   Qnmask'd.     By  J.   Wilson 139 

Oyster    Woman.    The.       By    P.    Dawe 140 

Mortimer,    J.    H.     Mons.    Masson,    "The   Tennis 

Player,"     By  R.   Brookshau          141 

Nasmyth,  P. 

Landscape  ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          •••  71' 

Landscape  with   Bridge   ...          ...          ...          ••■  77 

View  looking  towards  Harrow   ...          ...          ...  76 

Nixon,   J.      Mrs.   Hartley.      By  W.   Dickinson      ...  121 

Owen,    W.      Boy  with    Kitten.      By    II.   Meyer   ...  144 

Palma   Vecchio.      Portrait   of  a   Lady       ...          ...  56 

Raeburn,   Sir   Henry,   R.A. 

John,  Second   Marquis  of  Bute...          ...          ...  21 

Lady  Margaret  Maclean...          ...          ...          ...  263 

Mrs.   McCrae   and    Children         ...          ...          ...  107 

Mrs.    Scott   Moncrieff        219 

William    Ferguson,    of    Kilsie      ...          ...          ...  171 

Reinagle,  R.     John  Constable       ...          ...          ...  72 

Reynolds,   Sir  J. 

Lady  Caroline  Howard.      By  V.   Green            ...  23 

Miss  Sarah  Campbell.      By  V.   Green   ...          ...  23 

Richardson.      Ladv  Mary  Wortley  Montagu.      By 

C.   Watson      9° 

Rose,  R.  T.      Drawings  for  the  Book  of  Job       179,  182 

Roussel,  T.      Chelsea  Children        190 

Russell,   J.      Golder's  Green.      By  W.   Birch        ...  91 

Ruysdael,    J.   van.     Landscape      ...         ...         ...  68 

Sherlock.  W.     James  I.       ...          ...          ...          ...  7 

Sims,  Charles,  A. R.A.     Coming  of  Spring,  The...  11 

Smith,  D.  Murray.      Hammersmith,  Etching  of...  283 
Smith.  J.   R.     Visit  to  the  Grandfather,  A.     By 

E.    Dayes        13S 

Stark.    J.      Country   Lane.   A          ...          ...          ...  77 

Tischbein,    J.    F.    A.     Princess   Frederica   Sophie 

Wilhelmina     ...  ...  ••■         February  Covet 

Turnbull,   J.   A.      "  Fantasia  "        120 

Turner,    C. 

Interior  of  a  Cottage.      After  T.    Gainsborough  137 

Little  Cottager.      After  T.    Gainsborough        ...  136 

Turner,  J.   M.  W.,  R.A.     Walton  Bridges           ...  75 
Vertue,   G. 

James  I.       ...          ...          •••          •••          ■■•          ■••  '• 

Shakespeare            ...          ...          •••          ■••         ■■•  5 

Vincent,   George.     Greenwich   Hospital    ...          ...  78 

Walker,   W.   ami   J.      Shakespeare 6 

Ward,    Jas.      Wright  of  Derby.      Alter   Himself...  142 
Ward,    W. 

Choice.  The  Match  Covet 

Morning,    or    the    Reflection.     By    J.    Grozer 

Presentation    Plate,    February 


Index 


Artists — continued. 

Watson,  Caroline.     Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu. 

After   Richardson      9° 

Westall,    R. 

Gleaner's  Child,   The.      By  M.    Bovi      So 

Shepherdess.   The.      By   J.   Grozer          143 

Wilson.    Jas.     Fair    Nun    Unmask'd.     After    H. 

Morland           ...          ...          •■•          •••          •••  139 

Wright   of   Derby.      Portrait   of    Himself.      By  J. 

Ward    ...  "        142 

Bottling   Protector,   Leather 40 

Cardiff,    Arms  of           20 

City  Hall         17 

,,     Entrance  to  Council  Chamber...  22 

Lord   Mayor.  1911-12.   Portrait  of               ...  17 

1912-13 ...  17 

Plan   of,    1610              20 

Seals  of            ...          ...          •••          •••          •••  26 

View  of.  174S...          ...          ...          •••          •••  17 

Chalk  Farm  in   1825.      By  D.   T.   Egerton 95 

Clepsydra,   or  Water-Clock      38.  266 


Egypt.      "Art    in    Egypt"    (Heinemann) 
tions   from 


Illustra- 


127 


209 
144 


95 

>;; 
190 


Engravings  and  Etchings. 

Acland.    Lady,    and    Children.      By    S.    Cousins, 

after  Sir  T.  Lawrence  ...  ...  ...      135 

"Beauty"      ...  ...  Presentation  Plate.  January 

Bouverie,     Everard     William.     Colonel     R.H.G.. 

1 845-1853,   after  Dubois  Drahonet 
Boy  with  Kitten.      By  H.  Meyer,  after  W.  Owen... 
Campbell,   Miss   Sarah.       By   V.   Green,   after  Sir 

J.   Reynolds   ... 
Chalk  Farm  in   1825.     The  Trial  of  Nerves.      By 

D.  T.   Egerton 

Chateau  d'Amboise.     By  A.  F.  Affleck 

Chelsea  Children.      By  T.  Roussel 

Choice,  The.     By  and  alter  W.  Ward       March   > 
Cour  du  Dragon,   Paris.      By   A.    Bentley  ...      175 

Fair  Nun  Unmask'd.      B\    J.  Wilson,   after  Henry 

Morland  139 

Gleaner's    Child,    The.       By    M.    Bovi,    after     R. 

Westall  ...  ...  •••  •••  •••       33 

Golder's  Green.      By  W.  Birch,  after  J.  Russell...        91 

Hammersmith.      By  W.   Murray   Smith 2N3 

Hartley.  Mrs.      By  W.  Dickinson,  after  J.  Nixon      121 
Howard.    Lady    Caroline.       By    V.     Green,     after 

Sir  J.  Reynolds 
Interior    of    a    Cottage.        By    C.     Turner,    after 

T.   Gainsborough 
James   I.      By   W.   Sherlock 

By  G.   Vertue    ... 
Kakemono- Ye.      By  Koriusai 

Le  Semeur.      By   J.    F.    Millet        

Lessingham,  Mrs.,  as  "  Oriana  "   ... 

I. 'Indiscretion.      Bv   Janmet,   after   Lavreir.ee 

Presentation  Plate,   March 

Little    Cottager,    The.      By    C.    Turner,    after    T. 

Gainsborough  ...  •■•  ••■  •■■      i3'> 

Maclean,    Lady   Margaret.      By   Sir   H.    Raeburn. 

R.A.     ... '       263 

Mary   Queen   of   Scots  261 

Masson,    Mons.,    "  The   Tennis    Player."      By    R. 

Brookshaw,    after  J.   H.   Mortimer  ...      141 


23 

137 

7 

G 

GI 

I89 

92 


By  Laurent  Cars,  after 


Engravings  and  Etchings  -continued. 

Montagu,  Lady  Mary  Wortley.     By  C.   Watson 

alter   Richardson 
Morning,     or     the     Reflection.      By     J.     Grozer. 
albr  W.  Ward  Presentation  Plate,    Feb 

Northolt.     By  S.   Anderson  

Oyster    Woman,    The.      By    P.    Dawe,    alter    H. 

Morland 
Perseus  and  Andromeda 
Lemoyne 

Shakespeare.      By  S.   Bennett        

By    J.    C.    Bock         

Bv   Massol    ... 
By   G.    Vertue 

By   W.   and    J.   Walker      

Shepherdess.  The.      Bv  J.  Grozer.  alter  R.  Westall, 

R.A 

Swearing   on    the   Horns   at    Highgate      ... 

Trees.      By   Kano  Soshu 

Venus  dissuades  Adonis   from   Hunting.      By  W. 

Blake,    after   R.    Cosway 
Visit   to   the    Grandfather.      By    E.    Daves,    after 

J.   R.   Smith 

Wilson's  Favourite  Oak.  Richard.      By  T.  Hastings 
Wright  of  Derby.      By  J.  Ward,  alter  Himself  ... 


90 


1  nary 
281 


140 

14 
4 
7 
4 
5 
6 

'43 
95 

(.2 

59 

i;8 

96 

142 


Furniture. 

Adam.     Table.  Pinewood  Country-made... 

Bible  Box,   1.    1650 

Chair,   Oliver  Goldsmith's 

Chairs,   Examples   of  Cottage. 

Ladder-back,  with  rush  seats 

Lancashire  Spindle-back 

Oak  29 

Chest   of   Queen   Katherine   of   Arragon 

Chippendale    Period  Tallboy  Chest  

Settee   ... 

Clock,     Musical         

Dolls'    Furniture.   Dr.    Albert   Figdor's  Collection 
of.      Seventeen  Examples    ...  ...  & 

Dresser  and   Clock  combined  

French  Writing  Bureau       

Georgian  Room  in  National  Museum,  Dublin 

Apollo 
Ceiling  in 
Louis  XVI.      Table  with  Ormolu  Mount-, 
Sheraton  Sideboard  ... 

failles,   "  Cricket."    1700  and   175°  

Gate-leg 

Glass. 

Eighteenth-Century    English,   Loan   Collection    at 
Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  ...  21.1 

Golder's  Green  ... 
Gold,  Silver,  and  Plated  Ware. 

Anne.   Queen.      Monteith.    1705      

Cardiff,   Plate  of   City  of. 

Lady  Mayoress's  Chain  ...  

Loving  Cup 

Maces,     1608    and     1690,    and    Lord    Mayor's 
Chain  ... 

Charles  II.   Porringer  and   Cover,    1669 

Charles   II.   and   Queen   Anne  Porringers,   etc.    ... 
Coffee-pot,   Cylindrical,    1727  


29 

3° 
28 

31 
31 

.   31 
267 

17" 

liiG 

54 

1-S8 

3° 

41 

117 

11/ 
41 
46 

-7 
3° 


221 
91 


18 


19 

2CO 
205 
205 


Index 


Co   d,  Silver,  and  Plated  \\  \ki     -continued. 

i  ream  Pail,    1768     

i.",""     

1  [izabi  than. 
Chalii  e  and  Paten,   1 570.., 

Standing  Salt.   1599         

i  1   ei  w  are  Jug     1 580     

Epergne     1765 

1     Inkstand,   1721    ... 
1  .,■.  ii  ge   11. 

Fruit   Basket,   1754  

Fruit  Dish   (Reprodui  tion)  

George  ill.   Dredgers,   1775 
German   Beaker 
Goddia  ood  Cup    1 884 
James  1. 

Beaker,    [607 

i  ocoa  mil  Cup,   1611 

Steeple  Cup,   1613... 
Kettle  Stand  and   Lamp,    1742 
Sheffield  Plate,  Old. 

Argyle  in  the  form  of  a  Jug,    1800     ... 

Candlestick,    1768 

t  oach  Lamp.    t8i6 

Dish   Ring,    [787 

Inkstand.    1S04 

lamp.  The  Arganda,   1784 

Muffineers,    1786   ... 

Mustard   Pot,   1789  

Pipe-lighter,    1783 

Snuffers,    1S20 

and  Tray.   1775 

Table  Knife,  1779... 

Tea  Caddy.   1797  •  •• 

Teapot.    1828  

1/89  

Tinder  Box,   1800... 

Tobacco  Box,   1783 
Sugar  Baskets,  Pierced,   1777, 
Tankard.   Flat-topped.   1707 


77,    1775,    and    17S0. 


201 
20] 

203 
206 
[99 
20] 
203 

202 

2(»  J 

204 

60 

202 

203 

200 
204 

205 

i"7 
206 

195 
1 9<  i 
194 
196 
204 
194 
[93 
19S 
198 
198 
194 
197 

2  06 

197 

197 
20I 
205 


Hampstead,    Richard   Wilson's  Oak  

Spaniards'  Tavern 
Highgate   Ponds   from    Millfield    Lane.     By    P.    de 

Wint 

Highgate,   Swearing   on   the   Horns   at  

Iron  and  Metal  Ware. 

Firebacks,    Sussex     Sixteenth     and     Seventeenth 
Century 
Wooden  Patterns  of     ... 
Firegrate,  Eighteenth-Century        


96 
9i 

89 

95 


28 


Jewellery. 

Ceramic  Trinketry.  Examples  of  ... 
Chatelaines     ... 

Lead   Font  in  Syston   Church,  near   Bath 


222-22(1 
224 

...      268 


Medals,  etc. 

Forrer's  "Dictionary  of  Medallists,  '   Illustrations 
from. 
Ascension,  The.     By   Jacopo  Sansovino         ...      152 

Camilla  Rugeri.      By  G.   A.  Signoretti 148 

Engelken  Tols.      By  Stephens  of  Holland       ...      149 


Medals,  et<  — ,  ontinued. 

Forrer's  "  Dictionary  oi  Medallists"     continued. 

Huntington,    Mi.        H\      I.    Spun   Simson         ...  [48 

Joan  oi    \re.     By  I..  O,   Roty [4S 

Louise  de  Quferouaille.     By  J,    Roettiers        ...  151 

Lucrezia  Borgia.     By  J.  Romano        ...         ...  i;i 

Naval  Reward,    1653.      By  T.   Simon    ...          ...  [49 

Xonina  Strozzi.       By  Xiccoloili  Forzore  Spimlli  1  |.s 

Paolo  Giovio.      By    Francesco  da   Sangallo      ...  [50 

Savonarola.      By   Delia    Robbia...          ...          ...  151 

Shelley,  Sir  Richard.     By  B.   Rantwic           ...  1  19 

Viennese  Laundry-Maid.     By  A.  Scharff        ...  1  17 
Ticket  of  Admission    to   Hampstead    Long    Room 

about   1730      ...           ...           ...           ...           ...  96 

Miniatures. 

Doris.     By  Miss  \.   ll.   Edmunds...         ...  ...  [83 

Eileen,  daughter  of  H.   Marshall,   Esq.      By   Mis-. 

N.   H.   Edmunds        '  ...  [83 

George   III.    of   England.      By    R.    Cosway  ...  125 

Portrait  of  a  Lady  Unknown.     By  Rodolphe  Bell  125 

Shakespeare,  The  "  Welbeck  Abbey  "     ...  ...  3 

Victoria,  Queen,  as  a  Child            ...          ...  ...  14? 

Xapoleon's  Hour-Glass  ...  ...  ...  ...     103 

Paperwork,   Old  English  Rolled         vs 

Pictures. 

Adoration    of   the    Kings,    The.      By    Mabuse      ...  [34 

'Arriet.      By  W.    D.    Almond          ...          ...          ...  53 

Autumn.      By  P.  W.   Adam,  R.S.A 51 

Book  of  Job,  Drawings  for  the.     By  R.  T.  Rose   179,182 
Bute,     John,     Second    Marquis    of.      By    Sir    H. 

Raeburn           ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  21 

Clements,  Miss.      By  J.   J.  Masquerier      79 

Coleridge,    S.    T.      By   Hancock      92 

Colet,   Dean,    Founder  of   St.   Paul's  School 

Presentation  Plate,   April 

Coming  of  Spring,  The.      By  Charles  Sims,  A.R.A.  11 

Constable,  Abram.      By   J.   Constable       72 

Golding.          ,,              ..                ...          ...  72 

John,  at  the  age  of  22  or  23.      By   R. 
Reinagle 

Country  Lane,   A.      By  J.   Stark 77 

Drake.   Sir  Francis   ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  10 

"Fantasia."     By  J.   A.  Turnbull...                      ••■  120 

Ferguson,  William,  of  Kilsie.      By  Sir  H.  Raeburn  147 
Frederica  Sophie  Wilhelmina,  Princess.      By  J.  F. 

A.   Tischbein February    Cove) 

Gipsy  Encampment.      By  G.  Morland      ...          ...  7" 

Greenwich  Hospital.      By  G.  Vincent 

Hampstead  Heath.      By   J.   Constable      74 

Hartington,   Miss.      By  Sir  T.   Lawrence,   P.R.A.  157 

Head  of  a  Child.     Chalk  Drawing  by  Greuze   ...  58 
Highgate  Ponds  from  Millfield  Lane.      By  P.   de 

Wint 89 

Honeymoon,   The.     By  Sir  L.   Alma-Tadema    ...  115 

"  Hush!    She  Sleeps."     By  Sir  L.   Alma-Tadema  113 

La  Reve.      By  Rose  M.   Fraser      285 

Landscape.      By  J.  van  Ruysdael... 

By  P.  Nasmyth         ...          ...          ...  76 

with  Bridge.     By  P.  Nasmyth 
Leeds,   Thomas,   Fourth   Duke  of,   when   Earl   of 

Danby.     By  H.   Hysing     10; 

McCrae,  Mrs.,  and  Children.     By  Sir  H.  Raeburn  107 

Moncrieff,  Mrs.  Scott.      By  Sir  H.   Raeburn        ...  219 


Index 


PAGE 

Pictures — continued. 

Morning,   or  the  Benevolent   Sportsman.      By   G. 

Morland           ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  69 

Old  Mill,  The.     By  J.  S.  Cotman,  after  Rembrandt  208 

Portrait  of  a  Lady.      By   Falconet            ...          ...  2 

By   Palma   Vecchio            ...  56 

Young  Man.      By  Giorgione          ...  57 
Salisbury  Cathedral  from  the   Bishop*s  Grounds. 

By  J.  Constable.  R.A yi 

Shakespeare.      By  Angelica   Kauffmann  ...          ...  9 

"  Belmount  Hall  "   Portrait  of    ...  irS/ 

Shipping  on  the  Yare.      By  J.  Crome       ...          ...  78 

Steele's   Cottage.      By   J.    Constable          ...          ...  93 

View  looking  towards  Harrow.      By  P.   Nasmyth  76 

Walton  Bridges.      By  J.  M.  W.  Turner 75 

Watering  Horses.      By  Anton  Mauve        ...          ...  259 

Wood   Gatherers,  The.      By   J.   B.   C.   Corot        ...  227 

Wreckers,  The.      By  G.  Morland   ...          ...          ...  71 

Plates. 

Adoration  of  the   Kings,  The.      By  Mabuse        ...  134 
Beauty             ...          ...             Presentation  Plate.  January 

Bouverie,    Everard    William,    Col.    R.H.G.,    1845- 

1853.      After  Dubois  Drahonet      ...          ...  269 

Campbell,   Miss   Sarah.      By   V.    Green,    after   Sir 

J.   Reynolds   ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  23 

Choice,   The.      By  and   after  W.  Ward        March    Cover 

Clements,   Miss   Anna.      By    J.    J.    Masquerier    ...  79 

Colet,   Dean,   Founder  of  St.   Paul's  School 

Presentation    Plate.   April 
Coming     of     Spring,     The.      Bv     Charles     Sims, 

A.R.A.              11 

Cupid    Chastised.      By    Eberlein        ...     January  Covet 
Doris,  and  Eileen,  daughter  of  H.  Marshall.  Esq. 

By  Miss  N.  H.  Edmunds   ...          ...          ...  183 

Ferguson,  William,  of  Kilsie.      By  Sir  H.  Raeburn, 

R.A 171 

Frederica    Sophie    Wilhelmina.     Princess.     By 

J.    F.    A.   Tischbein    ...  ...  February   Core) 

Gleaner's    Child.    The.      Bv    M.     Bovi,    after    R. 

Westall            ...         '. 33 

Hartington,   Miss.      By   Sir  T.  Lawrence,   P.R.A.  147 

Hartley,  Mrs.      By  W.  Dickinson,  after  J.  Nixon  121 
Howard,  Ladv  Caroline.      By  V.  Green,  after  Sir 

J.   Reynolds 27, 

Landscape.     By  J.  van  Ruysdael...          ...          ...  68 

L'Indiscretion.      By    Janinet,   after   Lavreince 

Presentation  Plate,   Man  It 

McCrae,    Mrs.,    and     her    Children.      By    Sir    H. 

Raeburn          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  107 

Moncrieff,   Mrs.    Scott.      By   Sir   H.    Raeburn      ...  21Q 
Morning,  or  the  Reflection.      By  J.   Grozer.  after 

W.   Ward         ...  Presentation  Plate.   February 

Old  Mill,  The.      By  J.  S.  Cotman,  after  Rembrandt  208 

Portrait  of  a  Lady.     By  Falconet           ...          ...  2 

Salt-Glaze   Owl,    A.       In   the  George   Stoner  Col- 
lection...         ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  239 

Spode  China 249 

Steele's  Cottage.      By    J.    Constable          ...          ...  93 

Victoria,  Queen,  as  a  Child            ...          ...          ■••  145 

Watering  Horses.     By  Anton  Mauve     ...          ...  259 

Wedgwood  Plaque  :   "  Penelope  and  Maidens  "  ...  279 

Wood  Gatherers,  The.     By  J.   B.  C.   Corot        ...  227 
Pottery  and  Porcelain. 

Adams  Potteries,  View  of  one  of  the  first,   as  it 

appeared   in    1750      ...          ...          ...          ...  288 


256 
244.  255 


246 
248 
-4- 
2S8 


22o 
226 
226 

1  do 

2  2; 
2  2^ 

1(7-100 


->44 
242 


Pottery  and  Porcelain — continued. 
Ashworth. 

Bowl.   Mason   Ware,   Bruges 
Dinner  Plate,  Mason  Ware 
Vases.  Lustrosa  Chinese  Shapes 
Mason  Ware.  Tokio 
Buen-Retiro  Pin 
Cauldon. 

Plaque  with  View  of  Windsor  Castle  ... 

Plate  

Plate  with  View   ... 
Shakespearean   Vase 
Tea   Service 
Chelsea. 

Etui  

Figure  of  Masked   Cupid 

,,  Shakespeare     ... 

Groups 

Plate  with  Floral  Painting 
Seals  and  Charms... 
Watch-back 
China  Cottages,  Examples  of 
Copeland  (late  Spode). 
Candelabra  and  Clock 
Centrepiece 
Lamp 

Service,   Present-Day 
Three  Vases 
Doulton. 

Beakers  made  by  Royal  Command      ...  ...      2>N 

Flambe  Mottled  Vases     ...  ...  ...  ...      243 

Plate   of   Dessert   Service   made   for   late    King 

Edward  ...  ...  ...  ...  ■■■      2;<> 

Tea  Service  (Old  Leeds  Revival)  ...  ...     247 

Vase  in   Rembrandt   Ware  ...  ...  ...      _• j  \ 

Vases  with  Floral  Painting         ...  ...  ...      159 

Egyptian. 

Amulet   Rings        ...  ...  ...  ••■  ■■■      --- 

Daisy  Bead  222 

String  of  Beads     ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      22} 

Floral   Painting   on   Porcelain  :     English  School. 

Bristol  Cup  and  Saucer  ...  ...  ...  ...      154 

Chelsea   Plate        160 

Coalport   Plaque    ...  ...  ...  ...  ■••      155 

Plate        155 

Vase         [56,    i''i 

Crown  Derby   Jug  ...  ...  ...  ■■•      153 

Derby   Plaques      ...  ...  ...  ...  •■■      154 

Doulton  Vases       ...  ...  ...  •••  ■••      [59 

Worcester  Vases    ...  ...  ...  ...  1 59-161 

Fiirstenberg. 

Andromeda  Figure  ...  ...  ...  •■•        16 

Perseus  Group       ...  ...  ...  •••  ••■        15 

Leeds  Medallions       ...  ...  ...  ...         2(14.    2i>; 

Minton. 

Coffee  Set  ...  ...  ...  ...  •••  •••     2;? 

Figure,  Parian,    "  Lion  in  Love  "         ...  ...     243 

"Summer"       ...  ...  ■■■      24; 

Plates,   Sevres  Style  ...  ...  •■•  ■■•      251 

Vase,  Reproduction  of  Sevres   ...  ...  ...      253 

Vases,  Pair  of,  about  1840         ...  ...  •■■     24s 

Salt-Glaze   Owl,    A.       In   the   George   Stoner  Col- 
lection... ...  ...  •••  •••  ••■      239 


Index 


Pottery  and  Pom  i  i  UN     confinti     . 
Spode. 

China 

Pish  and    1  ti  akei     i     0-1S00 
Staffordshire   Pottery,    Examples  in.    Solon   Sale. 

Enamelled   Sail  Glaze    rea-Caddy 

Portobello   Drinking   Mug 

I  olt    Dish 

ryg  

Wedgwood. 
i  ameos       ...         ...         ...         ...         ...       -- 

Compotier,  Dessert   Plate,  and   Fruit   Basket   ■■ 
Plaque     "Apotheosis  ol   Homer" 
"  Apotheosis  of   Virgil  " 

Blind  Man's  Burl  " 

"  Hercules    in    the    Garden    ot     the 

I  [esperides  " 
"  Penelope  and   Maidens  " 
Plates     1  lure         


249 


44 
45 

I  I 

--'  I 
25  l 
-4'1 
247 
245 

241 

•7" 
251 


SCULPTUR]      \\n    si  \  1  1    \uv.  PAGI 

Aphrodite  ol    Knidos,    I  he...         ...  ...         •••       63 

Chimnej   Piece  and  Grate  .it  Stratford  House  ...     129 

t" n] >i<  1   Chastised.     B)    Eberlein      ...  January  Covei 

I >iscobolus,   Statue  oi         ...         ...  ...         •■■       63 

Silver,  see  undei   Gold,  Silver,  i  re. 

I    M'l  SI'RY. 

The  "Diana   Hunting"  Tapestries,   belonging  to 

Mr.    Kennedy  Jones...         ...         ■■•  229-234 

Toddy  Lifter,  Glass 4" 

Warship,   Eighteenth-Century  Miniature      ...  ...      166 

Watei  Clocks     39.   -''" 

Wood-Carving. 
Elizabethan  Mansion, An  Interesting  (The  "Star" 
lintel.  Great   Yarmouth). 

Detail  of  Carving 237,   238 

Nelson   Room,    I  he          235,   236 


IN    THE    SALE    ROOM 


\ RAPHS. 

\ndrc.  Major...  ...  ...  ...  •••  ■••  275 

Charles  I.     Instruction  to  R.  Fanshawe...  ...  112 

Letter  to  Earl  of  Newcastle 112 

Dickens,   (lias.     Letters  to  W.    Hcpworth  Dixon  275 
Edward     IV.      Letter    to   Chancellor    of   Charles 

the   Bold  275 

Edward    VI.     Sign-Manual 275 

Elizabeth,  Queen,  Indenture  signed  by ^-7? 

Fanshawe   Papers      Ill,  112 

Field  inf.-  Family   Papers       27; 

Henry  VIII.     I  etter  to  Madame  de  la  Ferte     ...  275 

Hyde,   Sir  Ed.      Letters       112 

Lamb.  C.     Letters  to   J.   Rickman  112 

Marlborough.   Duke  of.     Letters 275 

Mendelssohn.     "  Surrexit  Pastor "  MSS.  ...  275 

Meredith,  G.     Letters  to  Rev.  A.  and  Mrs.  Jessopp  1 1  2 

I'hilip  IT.      Letters  to  Pedro  Mendoca     275 

Raleigh.  Sir  Walter.      Letter  to  Sir  W.  Gilbert...  275 

Rubens,   P.   P.      Letter  to  Pierre  Dupuy 275 

Scott.  Sir  W.      Letters         212 

Tennyson.      Poem,  MS 275 

Wagner,  R.      Rule  Britannia.       Vutograph  Store  112 

Washington,  George...  ...  •■•  •••  •••  275 

Wolfe,    General.      Order   Book        275 

Wolsey,    Cardinal      ...  ...  •••  •••  ••■  275 

Books  and   Max'  si  ripts. 
Ackermann,   R. 

Costumes  of   the  British  Army,    1840-54  ...  274 

Costumes   ot    the   Indian   Army.    1843 -7  \ 

History   of    University    of   Oxford,    1814  ...  174 

Xe«   Serie,  ot  Costumes,   1855-58         ...  ...  274 

Anderson,    Jas.      New    Book,    etc.,    of    Free    and 

Accepted    Masons,    173S        174 

Barham,  R.   II.   D.     Martin's   Vagaries    1  s4  <      ...  174 


Books  and  Manuscripts — continued. 
Blake.  W. 

America:     a   Prophecy,    1794      •••          •••          •••  275 

Europe:    a  Prophecy.    1794        ...          •••          ••■  27; 

Blundevell.      Horsemanship   and    Art    of    Riding, 

1580-4               112 

Boileau.      CEuvres  (Lord  Byron's  Copy) m 

Browne.    H.    K.     "  Mdme.    Mantalini   introduces 

Kate  to  Miss  Knag."      (Illustrated)          ...  173 

Byron,  Lord.      Fugitive  Poems,  1806.      Pres.  Copy  m 
Cannon,  R.      Historical  Records  of  British  Army. 

1834-53             ""4 

Carlyle.  T.      Guises,  The.     MS 112 

Daves.   E. 

Series  of  Eighteen  Coloured   Costumes.      By  T. 

Hodges,   1792...          ...          ...          •••          •■•  274 

Series    of    Eighteen    different    Prints    of    Foot 

Guards.      By  T.    Kirk.    1792            274 

Dickens,  Chas. 

Nicholas  Nickleby,    1839...          ...          ...          •••  17.1 

Oliver  Twist,    1838            173 

Dighton.  D.     Lance  Exercise  in  Three  Divisions. 

1825     ...          ■-.          •••          •■■          •••          ■••  274 

Fielding.    H.      Dramatic   Works,    1755      174 

Fitzgerald. 

Omar  Khayyam,   1859 275 

Salaman  and  Absal,   185(1            ...          •••          •■•  275 

Fry,   Mr.   Herbert,   Dispersal  ot  Library 17! 

Germ,    the,    1850      ...          ...          ••■          ••■          •••  275 

Gould.    J. 

Birds  of  Great  Britain,    1S62-73            174 

Mammals  of  Australia,   1845-63 '74 

Monograph  of  the  Trpchilidae,  1849-61             ...  >74 

Green,  C.     Illustrations  for  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop  "  1    ; 

Hayes,  Michael  Angelo.     The  British  Army.  1844  274 

Hayley,  W.     Designs  to  a  Series  of  Ballads,   1802  275 


Index 


Books  and  Manuscripts — continued.  P 

Heath.  \V.      Military  Costume  of  British  Cavalry. 

182 

Hore.  J.  P.  History  of  Newmarket,  The.  1SS6... 
Hull.  E.  Costume  of  British  Army  in  1S2S  ... 
Lamb.   Chas. 

Essays  of   Elia,    £82  j 

Last   Essays  of   Elia.    1833  

Locher.      Recueil  <le  Portraits  et  Costumes  Suisses, 

1800     ... 
Lovelace.     Lucasta  Posthumc  Poems,    1659-60... 

Mahoney,   J.      Illus.  "  Battle  of  Life  " 

Mansion  and  St.   Eschauzier.      Military   Costumes 

of  British   Army,    1831-3      

Markham's  Masterpiece,    1651        

Martens.      Collection  of  Water-Colours  of  Costumes 

of   British  and    Indian   Armies 
Meredith,    G. 

Alsace-Lorraine,    MS. 

Xapoleon,   MS. 

Revolution,    The.   MS 

Milne,  late  Mr.  S.  M.  Dispersal  of  Library  ... 
Nizam    of    Ganjah,    Five   Metrical   Romances   of. 

1529-30  

Ponsonby  Collection   of   Book   Plates 

Potts.  Mr.   R.   A.     Dispersal  of  Library 

••  Robinson   Crusoe,   Mariner,"    1719  

Session  Cases,   1821-1911     

Shakespeare.      Othello,    1630  

Shelley,  P.   B. 

Cenci,  The,   1S19    ... 

Epipsychidon,    1S21 
Sporting  Magazine,   1792-1842 
Sporting  Review.   1847-1864 

Stevenson,  R.  L.      Prince  Otto,   1885         

Swinburne,   A.   C. 

Midsummer  Holiday,    18S4 

Studies  in   Song,    1SS0 

Study  of  Shakespeare,   1S80 
Symonds.  J.  A.      Renaissance  in  Italy.  1880-86... 
Thackeray.     Lucy's  Birthday,  M.S. 
Times,  The,   1828  to  present  day... 
Walton. 

Compleat  Angler,    1653   ... 

Life  of  Dr.  Sanderson,   1678 
Wilde,  O.     Six  Sonnets,  MS.,  and  Impressions  du 

Theatre 
Young.      Night   Thoughts,    1808    ... 

Engravings  and  Etchings. 
Affleck,   A.    F. 

Durham  Cathedral 

St.   Jerome 
Agar,    J. 

Lady   Heathcote.      After   Cosway 
Antonio  del  Pollaiuolo. 

Combat  of  Ten  Nude  Men  

Gladiators.  The     ... 

Appleton.   T.      Isobel.      After   Raeburn 

Barney,   J.      Charity.      By  W.   Smith        

Barney,     W.     W.       Lords    George     and     Charles 

Spencer.      After  Romney     ... 
Bartolozzi. 

Lady  Elizabeth  Foster.     After  Reynolds 

Lecture  on  Gadding.      After  J.   R.   Smith 


274 
112 

2,-4 

275 
275 

i"4 

1 1 1 
174 

2  74 

1 12 

2  74 


1 12 

2  74 

174 
1 1 1 

2  74 
174 
174 
11 1 

27^ 
275 
174 
174 
174 

174 
174 
174 
174 
1  1  2 
I II 

1 1 1 
174 

174 
275 


II 1 
II I 


-,  3 
2  7} 
1 10 
ill 


1 1 1 

2  7  3 


Alter    Sir    P. 


Snow . 


After 


Engravings  and  Etchings — continued. 

Baudouin.     Le  Coucher  de  la  Mariee.      ByMoreau 

le  Jenne 
Blooteling.     A.       Prince    Rupert. 

Lely     ...         

Bocholt,  F.  Von.      Saint  Anthony 
Boilvin.     E.       Generals     in     the 

Meissonier 
Bone,   Muirhead. 
Ayr  Beach... 
Ballantrae  Road   ... 
Building 

Chiswick  Mall         

Colonnade,  Glasgow  Exhibition... 
Demolition   of   St.    James'   Hall... 
Dunimarle  ... 
East  Blatchington... 

Ely   Yard 

Fosse.  Lincoln,  The 

Hove 

Kulross   Roofs 

Leeds 

Liberty's  Clock 

Near  Chichester     ... 

Ossett,   Yorks. 

Oxfordshire 

Prison,  Ayr 

St.  John's  Wood    ... 

Ship-builders,  Whiteinch... 

Somerset  House    ... 

Southgate.    King's  Lynn... 

Strand 
Bonnet.     Venus  and  Cupid.     After  Boucher 
Boulard,  A.      Picquet.      After  Meissonier... 
Boucher.      Venus  and   Cupid.      By  Bonnet 
Brangwyn,   F. 

Bridge  of  Sighs     ... 

Browning's  House 

Santa  Maria,   from  the  Street   ... 
Bridgwater,  H.   Scott.      Frankland   Sisters. 

J.  Hoppner     ... 
Brown,  A.      Charles  I.  with  Infant  Prince  Charles. 

Alter   Van  Dyck        

Cameron.  D.   Y. 

Illustrated   Catalogue  of  Etched   Work 

John   Knox's  House 

La   Roche    ... 

.Mai's    Work.    Stirling 

On  the  Ourthe      

Robert's  Ley's  Workshop 

Still  Waters  

Street  in  Cairo 

Yvmi 
Clint,    G.      Sir   Samuel   Hood. 
Copley,   J.   S.     Henri  Laurens. 
Cosway,   R.      Lady  Heathcote. 
Cousins,   S. 

Countess    Gower     and     Daughter. 
T.   Lawrence  ... 

Piper   and    Pair  of   Nutcrackers.      Alter   Sir   T. 
Landseer 
Dayes,  E.      Promenade  in  St.  Jameses  Park  ;    An 
Airing   in   Hyde   Park. 
and  T.  Gaugain 


After 


^73, 


2  74 
273 


1 1 1 
11 1 
in 
in 
no 
1 1 1 
1 1 1 
in 
1 1 1 
1  10 
1 1 1 
1 1 1 
1 10 
in 
no 
1 10 
in 
no 

1 10 

1 1 1 
1 10 

1 10 

1 11 

I  ID 

4" 

no 
1 10 
no 


2  74 


hei  1    W01 

k 

in 
11 1 
1  in 
in 
1  in 
1 1 1 
1 1 1 
1 10 
no 

Alter    J. 

1  luppner 

1 1 1 

By   V. 

Green   ... 

in 

By   J. 

Agar     ... 

273 

After    Sir 


Bv    F.    D.    Soiron 


Index 


PAG! 

Engravings   vnd  l  cchings— eon<inu«<i. 
De  I  aunay,  N. 

Le    :;   let-]  >oux    vnd  i  lu'en  .lit   I'Abbe.     After 

I    ,l\  1.11H  e  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...        273 

1      Petit  Joui   vnd  1  .1  Consolation  de  I' Absence. 

\u«  1  In  adeberg  and  Lavreince 273 

DequevauviUier.     L'Assemblee   .111    Concert    and 

L'Assemblee  au  Salon.      Vfter  N   Lavreince  273 
Dickinson,  W.     Richard  Barwell  and  Sun.      \ti.  1 

Reynolds        273 

Dicksce    H.     Wat<  hei   on  the  Hill           '  '  > 

Durer,   A. 

Apocalypse   anil    Life   oi    the    Virgin   and   the 

1  arge "   Passion     ...         ...         ...         •••  273 

Prodigal  Sun.  The          ...         ...         •■•         •••  273 

Virgin   with  a   Pear         ...         ...         ■•■         •••  273 

Witch,  The            273 

Earlom,  R.     Flower  Pieceand  Fruit  Piece.      Vfter 

Van  llnysnm...          ...          ...          •••          •■•  274 

Edelinck,    G.     Martin    van   den   Baugart.     After 

Rigaud             ...          ■••          •••          •■•          ••■  274 

Fitton,    Hedley 

Hevil  Castle          no 

Interior  of  Chartres  Cathedral  ...         ■■•         •••  it" 

John   Knox's  House.  Edinburgh           ...          ••■  n° 

London    Bridge      ...          ...          ...          ■■•          •••  >'" 

Portal  del  St.  Zaccaria,  Venice no 

St.    Mem,   Paris "I 

Freudeberg,    S.       Le    Petit    Jour.       By    N.    de 

Launay            ...          ...         ...         ••■          ■••  273 

Gainsborough,   T.      Lady    Sheffield.       By    S.    E. 

Wilson                ...      " "° 

Gaugain,  T..   and   F.   D.   Soiron.       An   Airing   in 
Hyde  Park,  and  Promenade  in  St.  James's 

Park.     After  E.  Dayes       273 

Goltzius,   H.      Henry   Goltzius        273 

Gott,   late  Bishop.     Dispersal   of  Collection        ...  273 
Green,   V. 

Henri   Laurens.      After   J.    S.   Copley in 

Ladies  Waldegrave.      After  Reynolds 273 

Mary,  Duchess  of  Rutland.      After  Reynolds..  274 

Miss  Sarah  Campbell.     After  Reynolds           ...  in 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  as  P.R.A.      After  Himself  274 
Greuze,    J.    B. 

Expectation.      By  C.   Turner      ...          ...          ...  in 

Nina.      By  S.   E.   Wilson no 

Had  en,  Sir  F.  S. 

Breaking  up  of  the  "Agamemnon"     ...          ...  no 

Calais  Pier no 

Haig,    Axel. 

Basilica  of  St.    Giles  at   Aries no 

Upsala  Cathedral no 

Hodges,    C.      Portrait    of    an    Old    Lady.      After 

Rembrandt m 

Hoppner,   J. 

Frankland  Sisters.     By  H.  Scott  Bridgwater  ...  in 

Lady  Charlotte  Greville.      By   J.   Young          ...  27; 

Miranda.      By  S.   E.   Wilson        no 

Mrs.  Arbuthnot.      By  S.  W.  Reynolds in 

Mrs.  Jordan  as  " Hypolita."     By  J.  Jones      ...  m 

Salad   Girl.      By   W.    Ward          n  1 

Sir  Samuel  Hood.     By  G.   Clint            n  1 

Houbraken.      Portrait    Heads         ...          ...          ...  274 

Houston,    R.      Woman   Plucking   a   Fowl.      After 

Rembrandt in 


Engravings  and  Etchings     continued. 
Jacquet,    J.     Portrait    ol    the    Sergeant.     Aftei 

Meissonier       ...         ...         ...         •••         •■■      no 

Jones,  J. 
James  Boswell  ol  Auchinleck.     Alter  Reynolds     274 
Mrs.  Jordan  as  "  Hypolita."     After  J.  Hoppnei      1  1  1 
Kneller,   Sir  G. 

Portrait  oi    Himself.      Bj    J.  Smith      274 

John    Smith.       Bj     J.    Smith  ...      274 

Landseei .   Sir  E. 

Deer  Pass.     By    l.   I  andseer     1  to 

Piper  and  a  Pan  oi  Nut  crackers.  By  Cousin-  [10 
Landseer,  T.  Deer  Pass.  After  Sir  E.  Land  seer  no 
Landshut,  Mair  von.     Saint  Anne  with  the  Virgin 

and    Child         273 

1  .avreince. 

L'Assemblee   au    Concert    and    I.'Assemblee    au 

Salon.      By   Dequevauvilln  1  ...  ...      273 

La    Consolation    de     l'Absence.        By    N.    d( 

Launay  ...         ...         ...  ...         •••     273 

Le    Billet-Doux    and    Qu'en    .lit     I'Abbe.       By 

N.   de  Launay  ...  •••  •••  •••     273 

Lawrence.   Sir  T. 

Countess  Gower  and  Daughter.      By  S.  Cousin^      275 

Lady   Julia  Peel.      By  S.   E.   Wilson     no 

Miss  Croker.  ,,  ..  no 

Le    Brun.    Mdme.     Mdme.    Le   Brim   and    Child. 

By  S.   E.  Wilson        no 

Lely.   Sir   P.      Prince  Rupert.      By   A.    Blootelin.u      277 
Leyden,    L.    Van.      Poet    Virgil    suspended    in    a 

Basket  273 

McArdell.  J.      Rembrandt's  Mother.      After  Rem- 
brandt       m 

Macbeth.      Harbour  of  Refuge.      After  F.  Walker      no 
Mantegna.   A. 

Christ  descending   into  Limbo   ... 

Combat  of  Marine  Gods  ...  ...  •••  •■■      273 

Marin,    L.      Milk-Woman    and    Woman    taking 

Coffee 

Meckenem,   I.   van. 

Christ  Disputing  with  the  Doctors 

Passion.   The  273 

Meissonier. 

Confidences.     By  H.   Vion  no 

Generals  in   the  Snow.      By   E.   Boilvin  ...      m 

Picquet.     By    A.    Boulard  no 

Portrait  of  the  Sergeant.      By    J.    Jacquet      ...      no 
Meryon. 

L'Abside  of  Notre  Dame  de  Paris        in 

St.   Etienne  du  Mont        m 

Montagna,   B.     Apollo  and   Midas 

Moreau    le    Jeune.     Le    Coucher    de    la    Mariee. 

After  Baudouin         ...  ...  ■•■  ■••     273 

Morland,   G. 

Effects  of  Earlv   Industry  and   Economy,  and 
Effects  of  Idleness   and    Dissipation.       By 

W.  Ward  -V4 

Feeding  the  Pigs  and   Return  to  Market.      By 

J.  R.   Smith ni 

Visit  to  the  Child  at  Nurse.      By  W.  Ward    ...      in 
Nielli. 

Arms  of  the  Bentivoglio  Family 

Conversion  of  S.  Paul     ...  ...         •••  •■•     273 

Three  Women  Dancing     ...  ...  ■••  ■•■      273 

Nutter,  W.      Moralist.  The.      After  J.  R.  Smith...      273 


Index 


Engravings  and  Etchings — continued.  r 

Peters,  Rev.  M.  W.     Love  in  her  Eyes  sits  Playing. 

By  J.  R.  Smith         

Raeburn. 

Boy  and  Rabbit.      By  J.  C.  Webb 

Isobel.      By   T.    Appleton 

Sir  Walter  Scott.      By  C.   Turner  

Rembrandt. 

Marriage  of  Jason  and  Creusa  ... 

Mill.  The 

Portrait  of  an   Old   Lady.      By  C.   Hodges      ... 

Rembrandt  leaning  on  a  Stone  Sill 

Rembrandt's  Mother.      By  J.  McArdell 

Woman  Plucking  a  Fowl.      By  R.   Houston    ... 
Reynolds,  Sir  J. 

Dr.   Hunter.      By  W.   Sharp        

James  Boswell,  of  Auchinleck.      By  J.   Jones... 

Ladies  Waldegrave.     By  S.   E.  Wilson 
,,  ,,  By  V.  Green 

Lady   Elizabeth   Foster.      By   Bartolozzi 

Lady  Elizabeth  Taylor. 

Lady    Hamilton    as    a    Bacchante.     By    S.    E. 
Wilson 

Lady  Smyth  and  Children.     By  S.  E.  Wilson... 

Lord  Richard   Cavendish.      By  J.   R.   Smith   ... 

Man,',   Duchess  of  Rutland.      By   V.    Green    ... 

Mask,   The.      By   Schiavonetti    ... 

Master  Hare.     By  S.  E.  Wilson 

Miss  Sarah  Campbell.      By  V.   Green   ... 

Portrait  of  Himself.      By   J.   Watson 

Proofs,    Set   of   313.      By   S.    W.    Reynolds      ... 

Richard  Barwell  and  Son.      By  W.  Dickinson... 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  P.R.A.      By  V.  Green   ... 
Reynolds,   S.   W. 

Duchess  of  Bedford 

Mrs.   Arbuthnot.      After  J.  Hoppner     ... 

Proofs.     After  Sir  J.  Reynolds... 
Rigaud.      Martin      van      den      Baugart.      By      G. 

Edclinck 
Romney,   G. 

Gower  Family.     By  J.   R.   Smith         

Lady  Hamilton  as  "  Circe."     By  S.   E.   Wilson 
"  Nature."    ,, 

Lords    George    and    Charles    Spencer.      By    W. 
Barney 

Miss  Cumberland.      By   J.    R.    Smith    ... 

Mrs.   Beresford.      By  S.   E.   Wilson        

Mrs.  Canning  and  Child.     By  S.  E.   Wilson   ... 

Mrs.  Musters.      By  S.   E.   Wilson 

Mrs.   Robinson.      By   J.   R.   Smith 
Rupert,  Prince.      Standard-Bearer,  The   ... 
St.   Aubin,  A.  de.      Au  Moins  soyes  Discret,   and 

Comptez  sur  mes  Serments... 
Schiavonetti. 

Ghost,   A.      After   R.   Westall      

Mask,   The.      After  Reynolds 
Schongauer,   M. 

Bishop's   Crozier,    A 

Death  of  the  Virgin 
Dirk  van  Staren   ... 

Nativity,   The 
Schutz  (After).     Views  on  the  Rhine 
Sharp,  W.     Dr.   Hunter.     After  Sir  J.   Reynolds 
Short,   Sir   F.      Wensleydale 


-continued 


1 10 
1 1(> 

I I  r 

273 

273 

1 1 1 

I I I 
1 1 1 

274 
27-t 
110 

273 
1 1 1 
no 

no 
no 

2  74 
2/4 
1 1 1 

1  in 
1 1 1 

2  74 
2  74 
273 
274 

I I  1 

I I I 
2  74 

274 


After   Kneller 


to     Market. 


I  1  1 

I I  1 


1  i" 
1  1  1 


1 1 1 

t  1  1 

274 
2  74 
2  74 
2  74 
2  74 
2  74 
1  1  1 


Engravings  and  Etchings- 
Smith,    J. 

Portrait  of  Sir  G.  Kneller. 
Himself. 
Smith,    J.    R. 

Feeding    the    Pigs    and     Return 

After  Morland 
Fruit   Barrow.   The.      After    H.    Walton 
Gower  Family.      After  Romney... 
Lecture  on   Gadding,   A.      By  F.    Bartolozzi   ... 
Lord    Richard    Cavendish.      Alter   Reynolds    ... 
Love  in  her  Eyes  sits  Playing.     After  Peters... 
Miss  Cumberland.     After  Romney 

Moralist,  The.      By  W.  Nutter 

Mrs.    Robinson.      After   Romney 
Painting 

Smith,   W.      Charity.      After  J.   Barney 

Soiron,    F.    D. ,    and    T.    Gaugain.      An    Airing    in 

Hyde  Park,  and  Promenade  in  St.  James's 

Park.      After  E.   Dayes 

Strange,  Sir  R.      Charles  1.      After  Van  Dyck  ... 

Tompkins,   P.   W.      Cottager  and   Villager.      After 

a  Ladv  ...  ...  ...  ...  ... 

g 
1  urner.    t . 

Expectation.      After  J.   B.   Grenze 

Sir   Walter   Scott.      After   Raeburn        

Turner,    J.    M.    W. 

"  Liber    Studiorum." 
Ben  Arthur 

Bridge  in  Middle  Distance 
Calm 

Chain  of  Alps,   from  Grenoble   In  Chamouni 
Hindoo   Worshipper 

Near   Blair   Athol  

Peat  Bog,   Scotland 
Woman  at  a  Tank 
Van  Dyck,  Sir  A. 

Charles    I.,    with    Infant    Prince    Charles 

A.   Brown 
Charles   I.      By   Sir   R.    Strange... 
Van    Huysum.      Flower    Piece    ;incl 

By    R.    Earlom 
Vion,   H.     Confidences.      After  Meissonier 
Walker,  F.      Harbour  of  Refuge.      By  Macbeth... 
Walton.      Fruit  Barrow,  The.      By  J.  R.  Smith... 
Ward,  Jas.      Summer  and  Winter.      By  W.  Ward 
Ward,  W. 

Effects  of   Early   Industry   and    Economy    ami 
Effects  of  Idleness  and  Dissipation.      After 
Morland 
Salad   Girl.      After   J. 
Soldier's    Return    and 

F.  Wheatley  ... 
Soliloquy,    The 
Summer  and   Winter. 
Visit  to  the  Child  at  Nurse. 
Watson.      L'ortrait    of    Sir     J. 

Himself 
Webb.    J.   C.      Boy   and   Rabbit.      After  Raeburn 
Westall,    R.      Ghost,    A.      By    Schiavonetti 
Wheatley,     F.      Soldier's     Return     and     Sailor's 

Return.      By   W.   Want        

Whistler,    J.    M. 

Fish    Shop,    Chelsea 
Little   Lagoon 


Bv 


Fruit    Piece. 


Hoppner 
Sailor's 


Return.      Alter 


After   J.    Ward 

After  G.  Morland 
Reynolds.      After 


2  74 
2  74 

1 1 1 

2  74 
1 1 1 

273 

2  74 
273 
1 1 1 

^i 
1 1 1 

2  74 
1 1 1 


-/  .1 
274 


1 1 1 
1 11 


274 
274 
2  74 
2  74 
2  74 
2/4 
2  74 
2  74 


2  74 
274 

2  74 
1 10 
110 
2  74 
27  i 


274 
1  1 1 


-/.■> 
1 1 1 


i  10 
1  1 1 


Index 


\\  ings  and  Etchings  tinned. 

Wilson     S     i 

ve    i  he.      \ 1 1 >  i  Sir  J.  Re)  oold  : 

■    h    raylor.      \im  Sn  J.   Re)  aolds 
i  tamilton  as  .1    Ba<  1  hante.     After  Sir  J. 
Reynolds 
Hamilton  as  "  Circe."     After  G.  Romnej 
I  ad)  Hamilton  as"  Nature."     After  G.  Romney 
Lad)    Julia   Peel.     After  Sir   r.   Lawrence 
I  -i  l\    Sheffield.     After  T.  Gainsborough 
1    id)      Sun  ili     and     Children.     Alter     Sir     J. 
Reynolds 

Madame   L<     Brun   and   Child.     After   Madame 
le    Hum 

Mastei   I  [are       \11.1  Sir  J,  Reynolds 

Miranda       tfter  J.    Hoppner     

Miss  Croker.      Vftei   Sh    I.   Lawrence 

Mis.    Beresford.      Vfter  ('..   Romney     

Mis.  Canning  and  Child.     After  G.  Romney... 

Mrs.   Musters.     After  G.   Romney 

Nina.     After  J.    B.  Greuze         

Voung,    J. 

Lad)   Charlotte  Greville.     After  Hoppner 
Zorn,    A.     Zorn   and    I  lis  Model    ... 

Furniture. 
Adam. 

Cabinet 

Suite 
\n111     Queen.     Chairs 

Charles    II.     Day-bed  

Chippendale. 

Armchair     ... 

Cabinet 

Side-table    ... 

Writing-table 
Clock,   Louis  XVI.,  by  Culiau 

Seventeenth-Century,  by  E.  East... 
Davies,  late  Sir  Horatio.      Dispersal  of  Collection 
Direct. lire  Fauteuil  ... 
Electroliers,    Cut-glass 
English  Old   Marqueterie  Cabinet... 

Work-table 
Hepplewhite  Chairs... 
James    II.      Chairs    ... 
Louis  XV.      Library  Table... 
Louis    XVI. 

Clock 

Secretaire    ... 

Settees  ...  ... 

Sheraton. 

Commode    ... 

Sideboard    ... 

Wardrobe    ... 

Pictures  and  Drawings. 

Abbey,   H.   A.      "God   save  you.   Sweet   Lady"... 
Augsburg,  School  of.      Salutation.  The     ... 
Barret.    G.     Classical   River   Scene 
Bartlett,   late  Mr.   T.     Dispersal  of  Collection    ... 

Beach,   T.     Portraits  of  Two   Young   Girls   with 
Pet  Dog  '        

Beechey,    Sir    W.      Portrait    of    H.R.H.    Princess 

Mary,  Duchess  of  Gloucester 
Black.   late  Mr.   Wm.      Dispersal  of  Collection   ... 


1  10 
1  1  n 

[10 

1 10 
1  in 
1 10 
1  in 


1 10 
i  in 
1 10 
1 10 
1  in 
1 10 
1  in 

1 10 

273 

1 1 1 


4  5 
i/"4 

45 
1 1  2 

45 
1 12 

4'' 
1/4 
174 
173 
1 12 

174 
i/"4 

45 
112 

46 
112 
174 

174 
112 

174 

112 

4'' 
174 


109 
109 
272 

45 

272 

1  in 
[09 


-7; 

llll) 


I     III 

45 
173 
45 


n«, 


Pk  irtis  ANii  Drawings — continued 
Bosboom,   J. 

1I1. hi    it) ill    ..I  .1  1  athe  Iral 

I  ransepl  oi  .1  Cathe  Iral 

Bum  her,   !•.     Le  Billet  Doux         

Houghton,    (',.    II..    K.A.      Faggot    Hearer,     I  he    ... 

BriiMi,   Bartel.     Portrail  oi  .1  Gentleman 

Buck,  A.     Misses   Fischer,    I  lie 

Burgess,  J.   B.,  K.A.     Making  Harness  in  Seville 

Canaletto,  B.     Doge's  Palace,   Venice 

Cole,   \  1c.1t     R.  \      Oxford    from    [ffley 

Collier,  T.     Denbighshire   Hills 

Collins.   W.,    R.A.     Mussel   Gatherers,    I  he 

Cooper,  T.   S.,   K.A. 
Cattle  at   Sunset    ... 
Cow,  a  Coat,  and   two  Sheep   ... 
Peasants,   Cows,   etc. 

Corot.   J.   B.   C. 

Confidences  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     272 

Hay-cart.   The       ...  ...  ...  ...  ...     272 

Cosway,   Richard.     Portrait  of  a  Lady   ...  ...     273 

Cotes,  F.,  R.A.      Portrait  of  Charles    second    Earl 

oi   Portmore  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...     271 

Cox,  D. 

Crossing  the   Bridge  ...  ...  ...  ...      272 

Crossing   Ulverston   Sands  ...  ...  ...      272 

Early  Morning  :     Bolsover  Sands         ...  ...     272 

Returning  from  Market  :     Sunset  ...  ...      272 

Setting  Sun  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      272 

View  of  the  Romney  Marshes  ...  ...  ...     272 

Culme-Seymour,   Admiral  Sir  Michael.      Dispersal 

of  Collection  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...        45 

Cuyp.    A. 

Portrait  of  a  Girl...          ...          ...          ...          ...  no 

Lady          ••■          •■•          ■••          •■•  272 

Davies,    late    Sir   Horatio    D.      Dispersal    of    Col- 
lection...         ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Davis,   H.   W.   B.,    R.A.     Wye,   The          272 

De   Heere,   Lucas.      Portrait   of   Queen   Mary      ...  272 

De  la  Tour,  Quentin.      Portrait  of  Henry  Dawkins  271 

De   Wint,    P. 

Barge,   A.    ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

On  the  Witham.  Lines.    ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

River  Witham        ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Thames  at  Richmond,  The          ...          ...          ...  272 

Diaz,  N.     In  Fontainebleau  Forest         ...          ...  27; 

Domenichino.      Portrait  of  Cardinal  Barberini   ...  109 

Downman,   J.,  A. R.A.     Portrait  of  a  Lady       •••  2^2 

East,  Sir  Alfred,  A.R.A. 

Rising  Moon,  The...          ...          ...          ...         ...  45 

Venice         ...          ...          ...          •••          •••          ••■  272 

Ellis,    late   Sir    J.    Whittaker.      Dispersal    of   Col- 
lection...         ...          ...          •••          •••          ■••  273 

English   School.      Sisters      ...          ...          ...          ...  27; 

Fielding,  Copley. 

Ben  Venue,  from  Loch  Achray...          ...          ...  272 

Grand   Canal.   Venice        ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Lake  Scene,  with  Cattle  and   Sheep      175 

Loch  Earn  and  Ben  Vorlich,   Perthshire          ...  272 

Old    Mill,    The        272 

Foster,    Birket.      Peasant   Children   and    Geese    ...  173 

Fragonard.      Cupid   with  an   arrow  sporting   near 

a  bed  of  roses            ...          ...          ...          ■•■  272 


Index 


Pictures  and  Drawings — continued. 
Frith.   W.    P. 

Glovers,    Paris.    The          ...          ...          ...          ...  45 

Village   Pastor.   The          ...          ....          ...          ...  4; 

Gainsborough,  T.      Portrait  ot  John,  Fourth  Duke 

of   Bedford      ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Gibbons,   Mr.    J.      Dispersal   of  Collection             ...  45 

Graham,  P.     Spate  on  the  Tummel.  A    ...          ...  27 2 

Graham.   T.      River  Thames,   The...          ...          ...  109 

Gregory,    E.    J..    R.A.      "Will   He   Come?"        ...  173 
Hamilton.     Gavin.      Lady     Juliana     Dawkins     as 

"  Ceres  "          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Hardy,   F.  D.      Doctor,  The            ...          ...          ...  173 

Herring,  J.  F.,  senr.      Farmyard,  A           ...          ...  45 

Highmore,  J. 

Portrait  of  Louisa  Greville,  Countess  of  Mans- 
field     ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Portrait  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Helvey        ...          ...  109 

Holbein.     Portrait  of  Thomas  Cromwell.  Earl  of 

Essex  ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  109 

Holland.   J. 

On   the   Giudecca,    Venice            ...          ...          ...  272 

Venice  from  the  Lagoon...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Hondecoeter.     Peacock,    Pheasants   and    Poultry 

in  a  Landscape          ...          ...          ...          ...  109 

Hudson,  T.      Portrait  of  George  Frederick  Handel  109 

Hunt,    W.     Mid -day   Meal,   The 272 

Israels,   J. 

Departure,   The      ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Fisher-Girl  on   the  Dunes            ...          ...          ...  272 

Fisher-Girls  on   the  Seashore      ...          ...          ...  272 

Washing  Day         ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  272 

Janssens,  C. 

Portrait  of  Viscountess  Falkland          ...          ...  272 

Portrait  of  a  Young  Girl...          ...          ...          ...  no 

Kneller,   Sir  G.      Portraits. 

Catherine  Sedley,  Countess  of  Dorchester        ...  271 

Duchess  of  Dorset           ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Sir  Charles   Sedley            ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Youth,   A   ...          ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Koek  Koek,  B.  C.     River  Scene  ...          ...          ...  109 

Koninck,  P.     Woody  Landscape  ...          ...          ...  272 

Lancret.     Mischief    ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  no 

Lane,  Mr.  J.  H.  H.  V.      Dispersal  of  Collection...  109 
Lawrence,   Sir  T. 

John   Philip   Kemble        ...          ...          ...          ...  45 

Mrs.    Harriet   Harding      ...          ...          ...          ...  109 

Le  Brun.  Mdme.  Vigee.      Portrait  of  Marie  Therese 

of  Savoy          ...          ...          ■•■          •••          •••  -7- 

Lely,  Sir  P.     Portrait  of  the  Duchess  of  Ports- 
mouth...         ...          ...          ...          ...          ...  271 

Leslie,   C.   R.,   R.A.      Chas.   Dickens  in   Character 

of  Capt.   Bobadil        ...          ...          ...          •••  45 

Linnell,    J.,  senr. 

Cornfield,    A           ...          ...          ...          •■■          ■••  45 

Young  Blood,  The           ...          ...          •••          •■•  173 

Maris,   Willem.     Meadow,  A            ...          ...          ...  272 

Meisonnier.    J.   L.    E. 

Advance  Guard   of  an   Army      ...          ...          ...  273 

Artist   Riding   at   Antibes,   The...          ...          ...  273 

Landscape,  A         ...          ...          ■•■          •■•          •••  273 

Millet.    J.    F.      Portrait   of   the   Artist's   Wife      ...  273 

Moreelse,   P.      Portrait  of  a  Lady...          ...          ...  109 

Morland,   H.      Portrait  of  Ladv  Scarsdale            ...  271 


Pictures  and  Drawings — continued. 

Mulready,  W.,  R.A.     Carpenter's  Shop,  The     ... 
Xasmyth,    1'. 

Highland   Lake  Scene 

Surrey  Landscape,   A 

Wooded    Scene   with   Figures 
Orchardson,  Sir  W.  O.,  R.A.      MacLeod's  Return 
Orpen,   W.,   A. R.A. 

On  the  Dublin  Mountains 

Study  in  Black,   A 
Ostade,    A.    van.      Interior   of   a   Tavern... 
Peters,  Rev.  M.  W.,  R.A. 

Fortune-Teller,   The 

Grief  

Lydia 

Pettie,  J..  R.A.     MacLeod   of  Dare         

Philips,    R.      A    Portrait   Group   at   Weybridge... 

Prout,   S.      Strasbourg 

Raeburn,  Sir  H.,  R.A.      Portraits. 

General    Macgregor 

Harley   Drummond,   Esq. 

William  Darnell,   Esq. 
Ravesteyn.  J.     Portrait  of  a  Gentleman... 
Rembrandt. 

Portrait  of  a  Man   holding  a  Gun 

Portrait  of  a  Youth  (attributed  to) 
Reynolds,    Sir    J.,    P.R.A. 

Charles,   Second    Earl  of  Portmore 

Lady   Juliana  Dawkins   ... 

Mrs.   James  Colyear  Dawkins     ... 

William  Charles,  Third  Earl  of  Portmore  ... 
Riviere,  Briton,  R.A.  Poacher's  Widow,  The  ... 
Romney,   G. 

Dr.   Barkley  

Head  of  Lady  Hamilton... 

Lady   in    Classical   Dress... 

Master  O'Connor  of  Castlebrook 

Mr.   and   Mrs.   Edward   Taylor   ... 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   Thomas  Heron     ... 

Russell,   J.,   R.A.      Blowing  Bubbles  

Ruysdael,   J.  van.      Waterfall,  A 

Ruysdael,  S.  van.      View  at  Nimegucn     

Rysbraek,  P.  A.      Peacocks  and  Domestic  Poultry 
Sadee,   Ph. 

Return  from  the  Fields  ... 

Waiting  for  the  Fishing-Boats  ... 
Shaver,   W,   senr.      Peasant,  with  a  White  Pony 
Smith,   late  Mr.   George.     Dispersal  of  Collection 
Southgate,  Mr.  C.  F.     Dispersal  of  Collection  ... 
Stark,    J.      Scene   in   Windsor   Great   Park 
Stone,  M.,  R.A. 

My  Lady  is  a  Widow  and  Childless      

Stealing   the   Keys 
Swan,   J.  M.,  R.A. 

Orpheus  Charming  the  Lions     ... 

Tigress  and  Cubs  at  a  Torrent... 
Teniers,   D.      Alchemist,   The  ...      •    ••• 

Thompson,  Mr.   W.   J.      Dispersal  of  Collection... 
Thorne-Waite.   R.      Dover  from  St.   Margaret'-... 
Turner,   J.   M.   W. 
Margate 
Teignmouth 


173 

173 
27; 
2/3 
109 

2/2 
272 

272 

272 

109 

109 
271 


27 1 

no 
27  I 

1 10 

271 
271 
271 
271 
173 

271 

109 

271 

109 

271 
271 


27^ 
173 
2  7  3 
173 
273 

272 
173 


109 

173 


Index 


Pictures   ind  Drawings-   continued. 
\  .in  de  Velde,  W. 

Shipping  in  a  Culm  oil  the  Coast       

Shipping    .'it     a     Jetrj     ind    Shipping     in     .1 
Breeze... 

Van  der  Weyden.     Pieta     \         

\  an   Drest,   A.     River  Scene         

Van  P\ek.     Bacchus  and   Bacchanals     

\  .m  Goyen,  J. 

Mouth  "l  .1   River  with  Sailing  Boats 

River  Scene 

Rivei    Scene,   with   Peasants,  etc 

Van   Marcke.    E,     Cattle  in  a   Meadow 

Van    Os,    J.     Fruit   anil    Flowers   on   a  Marble 

Slab     

Velasquez.     Portrait   of   Don    John    of    Austria, 

when  a  Boy  ... 
Verboeckhoven,  E.     Frightened  Flock.  The 

Walker.  F.      Coquette  and  Leezebeth       

Ward.    E.    M.,    K.A.     Defoe   receiving   back   the 

Manuscript  of  "Robinson  Crusoe" 
Watson.  C.  P.R.S.A.     Portrait  of  Lady  Sinclair 

Watts.   G.   F..   R.A.      Katie  

Woodward,  late  Mr.  W.     Dispersal  of  Collection 
Wootton,   J. 

Horses  Training  at  Newmarket 

Nobleman  and  his  Racehorses,   A 
Racing  on  Newmarket  Heath    ... 
Wright,    J.,    A.R.A.      William    Wilberforce 
Zucchero.     Portrait  of  a  Girl 
Pottery  and  Porcelain. 
Chelsea    Figure 
Chinese. 

Bottles         

Figures 
Vase 
Delft  Bowl 


ico 

273 
[09 

273 
[09 

I- 

272 

45 


109 

272 
173 

109 

45 
272 

45 
272 

272 
272 


4  5 

4  = 

174 

1 74 


Pottery  and  Porcelain— eon<»»tt«rf. 
1  Iresden. 

Figure 

Groups 
1 1,,,  hsl  Jars  and  Covers     ... 
Lane,  Mr.  J.  II.  11.  V.     Dispersal  of  Collection.., 
Lindsay,    late   Ladj    Caroline.     Dispersal  of  Col- 
lection... 
Sevres.     Egg-boiler   by   Gomery    ... 
Solon,  Mr.   L.   M.     Dispersal  oi   Collection 
Staffordshire    Pottery    (Solon   Collection). 

Cradles 
Cruet-Stand 

Dishes 

Ralph  Toft  

Drinking-Cup,  double-handled   ... 

Figures 

Jugs 

Whieldon 

Mug  and  Cover 

Posset-Pots 

Tea-Caddy 

Teapots 

Tiles  

Toby  Jug   

Tygs  

Water-Ewer 
Vienna  Group 
Worcester. 

Dessert  Service 

Dishes 

Teacup  and  Saucer 

Tea  Service 
Tapestry,  etc. 
Brussels  Panel 
Flemish  Panels 
Persian  Rug  ... 
Roxby,   late  Canon. 


Portobello  "... 


PAGE 
1  12 

45 
45 
1 12 

1  12 
1 12 

4.5 


44 
44 
43 
43 
45 
45 
44 
45 
44 
44 
44 
45 
44 
45 
44 
44 
45 


I  I 


44 


46, 
46, 


Dispersal  of  Collection 


1 12 
174 
i/"4 
112 

112 

112 

174 

46 


PORTRAIT    OF    A     LADY 

BY     P.      E.     FALCONET 

(Bv  permission  of  the  Edward  Gallery) 


January,   1913. 


The  "WelbecK  Abbey"  or  "Harleian"  Miniature  of  ShaRespeare 
The  "James  I.  Type"  By  M.  H.  Spielmann,  F.S.A. 


It  has  always  been  a  puzzle  to  Shakespearean 
commentators,  and  a  reproach  to  George  Vertue,  the 
great  though  inaccurate  engraver — to  whose  artistic 
and  personal  probity,  notwithstanding,  Horace  Wal- 
pole  over  and  over  again  bears  emphatic  witness  * — 
that  so  trusted  an  artist  should  have  imposed  upon 
the  public  a  no-likeness  of  Shakespeare,  by  merely 
adapting  the  portrait  of  another  person.  "  The  por- 
trait palmed  upon  Mr.  Pope  +  for  an  original  of 
Shakespeare,  from  which  he  had  his 
fine  plate  engraven,  is  evidently  a 
juvenile  portrait  of  King  James  I." 
These  words  of  William  Oldys,  I 
in  a  MS.  note  to  his  copy  of  Lang- 
baine's  Dramatic  Poets  (1691),  were 
Introduced  by  George  Steevens 
into  his  edition  of  Shakespeare,  and 
have  been  copied  ad  nauseam  by 
Malone,  Boaden,  and  every  other 
succeeding  commentator  of  Shake- 
speare portraits  without  any  attempt 
being  made  to  verify  the  original 
charge.  As  to  Venue's  punctilious 
honesty,  constantly  vaunted  at  the 
expense  of  Houbraken's,  I  shall 
speak  on  another  occasion,  merely 
remarking  here  on  the  readiness  with  which  succesbivt- 
writers  have  delighted  to  seize  on  and  to  repeat  de- 
preciatory criticism  without  caring  to  ascertain  how 
far  the  statement  is  truth  or  calumnv.     Here  is  a  case 


Walpole's  Anecdotes  of  Fainting  is,  of  course,  based  almost 
entirely  on  Vertue's  labours  and  research,  which  were  conducted 
with  extraordinary  conscientiousness  and  care. 

+  For  Pope's  edition  of  Shakespeare  :  London,  printed  for 
Jacob  Tonson,  6  vols.,  1723-25.  The  first  vol.  is  dated  1725  ; 
the  others  1 723.  In  the  same  edition  appears  Vertue's  engraving 
1  if  the  Stratford  bust,  on  the  shoulders  of  which  the  engraver  has 
had  the  audacity  to  place  the  Chandos  head  ! 

X  1696— 1761.     Norroy  King-of-Arms. 


XO.  I. THE  "  WELBECK  ABBEY 

MINIATURE    OF    SHAKESPEARE" 

By  permission  0/  His  Grace  i/ie  Duke  of 
Portland 


in  point.  That  Vertue  in  the  present  instance,  how- 
ever, is  not  guiltless,  will  presently  be  seen  ;  but  that 
he  did  not  work  from  a  soi-disant  portrait  of  the 
poet,  and  that  he  used  a  likeness  of  King  James,  are 
statements  demonstrably  false. 

Robert  Harley,  first  Earl  of  Oxford  (1661-1724), 
despite  the  turbulence  of  his  political  career,  formed, 
as  everyone  knows,  a  great  library,  adding  to  it  those 
collections  of  MSS.  of  Foxe,  Stow,  and  Sir  Simon 
D'Ewes,  which  afforded  him  much 
solace  during  his  incarceration  in 
the  Tower.*  When  he  died  in 
1724  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Edward  Harley,  the  second  Earl, 
some  time  after  whose  death,  in 
1 741,  the  magnificent  library,  to 
which  he  had  considerably  added, 
was  dispersed  :  the  books  went  to 
Osborne  the  bookseller  for  ,£13,000 
(being  less  than  the  cost  of  the 
bindings),  and  the  manuscripts  to 
the  nation  for  ,£10,000.  These  are 
now  among  the  treasures  of  the 
British  Museum.  When  Edward 
Harley  died  there  was  held  a 
three  days'  sale,  in  March,  1741  2, J 
when  on  the  first  day  there  was  knocked  down  for 
two  guineas  to  one  Barrett  a  portrait  of  Shakespeare, 
"  three-quarters  "  (what  we  call  nowadays  30  in.  by 
25  in.),  "by  an  artist  unknown."  %  His  collection  of 
miniatures  did  not  leave  the  family. 

In  the  possession  of  the  first  Earl,  if  Sir  George 

See  E.  S.  Roscoe,  Robert  Harley,  Earl  of  Oxford.  London, 
1902. 

t  See  Notes  and  Queries,  9th  S.V.,  April  2Sth,  1900. 

X  Whether  or  not  this  is  identical  with  the  copy  of  the  Chandos 
portrait  bequeathed  by  Edward  Capell  to  the  Library  of  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  will  be  discussed  at  a  future  time. 


Vol.  XXXV.— No.   137.— a  •> 

[Copyright  by  J.  T.  Herbert  Baily  in  the  United  States  of  America ,  May, 


1901] 


The    Connoisseur 


Xo.  III.— THE  IMITATION  BY  S.  BENNETT  OF 
VERTUE'S  PLATE,  1807  ;  SHOWING  HOW  THE 
TYPE      WAS     GRADUALLY     PROMULGATED 

Si  lull"  be  right,  had  been  the  miniature  (No.  i.)  here 
shown  ;  but  it  is  more  likely  that  it  belonged  to 
his  son,  Edward  Harley,  during  his  father's  lifetime. 
This  fine  head  was  a  favourite  with  its  owner,  who  was 
convinced  that  it  was  a  portrait  of  Shakespeare,  and, 
as  I  am  informed,*  "  Lord  Oxford  has  written  his 
name  on  the  back  of  it  ;  it  was  in  his  collection  as 
early  as  17 19,  when  it  was  framed."  That  was  about 
the  period  of  the  first  Earl's  retirement.  Whence  the 
miniature  was  first  acquired  is  not  known  ;  the  earliest 
reference  to  it  at  Welbeck  Abbey  "  occurs  on  a  bill 
of  Bernard  Lens, t  who  enclosed  it  in  its  present  pear- 
tree  frame,  stained  black,  in  May,  1719.  For  Lord 
Harley  (afterwards  second  Earl  of  Oxford),  Lens 
framed  many  miniatures,  t  and  at  his  death  they 
passed  to  his  daughter,  Margaret,  Duchess  of  Port- 
land,'' j  who  married  Henry,  the  first  Duke  and  second 


By  Mr.  Richard  \V.  Goulding,  Librarian  to  the  Duke  of 
Portland  at  Welbeck  Abbey. 

t  The  eminent  miniature-painter,  16S0-1740,  and  father  of 
the  miniature-painters  Andrew  and  Peter,  less  distinguished 
than  himself. 

X  One  of  these,  lately  in  my  hands,  is  one  of  the  miniature 
copies  of  the  Chandos  portrait  by  ( >zias  Humphrey,  R.A.  The 
history  of  this  interesting  miniature  will  be  told  in  its  proper 
place. 

j    Mr.  Richard  W.  Goulding. 


Earl.     Since  1  7.)  1   -\  thru-lore,  the  miniature  has  been 
in  the  possession  of  the  Dukes  of  Portland. 

Edward  Harley,  like  his  father,  was  the  friend  of 
eminent  men  of  letters.  Robert  Harley  counted 
Swift,  Prior,  Arbuthnot,  (Lay,  and  Pope  among  his 
intimates  ;  his  son  was  equally  the  friend  of  Pope  and 
Swift,  and  was  the  generous  and  bountiful  "  patron  " 
of  Vertueand  W.Oldys.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore, 
that  when  Pope  was  casting  about  on  behalf  of  his 
publisher,  Tonson,  for  a  portrait  to  be  engraved  lor 
the  frontispiece  to  his  edition  of  Shakespeare  (which, 
by  the  way,  reflected  so  very  little  credit  upon  him — 
little  as  "a  dull  editor,"  and  still  less  as  an  expurgator, 
as  he  presumed  to  be),  that  Harley  should  have  pressed 
upon  him  his  newly-found,  unknown,  and  unpub- 
lished miniature  ;  but  it  is  more  surprising  that  author 
and  engraver  should  accept  the  suggestion  of  theLr 
kind  and  influential  friend.*  And  what  is  still 
stranger  is  that  Oldys  should  have  turned  on  his 
patron   with  a  false   statement  as  to  the  original  of 


•  "The  Earl's  generous  and  unparalleled  encouragement  of 
my  undertakings,"  wrote  Vertue,  "  by  promoting  my  studious 
endeavours,  gave  me  great  reputation  and  advantage  over  all 
other  professors  of  the  same  art  in  England."  See  Walpole's 
Anecdotes,  vol.  Hi.,  p.  271,  1S76  edition. 


H..I.J  ,'™^t* 


W.     SHAKSPEARE. 

No.  IV. — STIPPLE  ENGRAVING  BY  MASSOL  (FOR 
GUIZOT'S  FRENCH  EDITION  OF  SHAKESPEARE 
1848),  INTRODUCING  THE  LESSER  GEORGE.  SEE 
TORTRAIT    OF    JAMES    I. 


NO.    II.— GEORGE    VERTUE'S    LINE    ENGRAVING    OF    1/2  I  FROM    THE    MINIATURE    (NO.    I.)    THEN    IN    THE 

POSSESSION     OF    EDWARD    HARLEY     (AFTERWARDS    EARL    OF    OXFORD),    AND    NOW    IN    THAT    OF    THE    DUKE    OF 
PORTLAND.    AND    FALSELY    STIGMATIZED    AS    A    PORTRAIT    OF    KING    JAMES    I. 


The   Connoisseur 


Vertue's  plate. 
Pope,  perha  ps, 
was  little  acquaint- 
ed with  the  por- 
traits of  Shake- 
speare, but  Vertue 
knew  better  :  and 
if  he  was  willing  to 
engrave  this  like- 
ness— which,  after 
all,  has  strong 
poi nt s  ni  resem- 
blance with  the 
Chandos  portrait 
several  times 
r e p r od u ced  b y 
him — it  was  prob- 
ably because  he 
hail  little  more 
faith  in  the  Chan- 
dos itself.  Other- 
wise his  act  would 
be  totally  unjusti- 
fiable. 

Sir  George 
Scharf  *  is  severe 
on  the  subject. 
"  Both  Pope  and 
Vertue,"  he  says, 
"  were  willing  to 
gratify  Lord  Ox- 
ford,  their  patron, 
by  selecting  a  por- 
trait in  his  posses- 
sion, and  which  he 
fondly  believed  to 
be  Shakespeare's. 
The  picture  which 
they  adopted  is  in 
reality  merely  the 
portrait  of  a  gentle- 
man of  the  period 
of  King  James  I., 


Vc-rtut,   .r.uA 


No.   V. — vertue's   line   ENGRAVING  OF  JAMES  I.,   with  the   lesser 

GEORGE,     1747,    FOR    RAPIN'S    (SMALLER)    HISTORY    OF    ENGLAND 
SHOWING    THE    FANCIED     RESEMBLANCE    TO    THE    WELBECK     MINIATURE 


ilia  met  ers.  It 
shows  a  burly  man 
with  a  ruddy  com- 
plexion, whose 
forehead,  though 
high,  by  no  means 
mounts  into  bald- 
ness. His  head, 
indeed,  is  well 
covered  with 
brownish-black 
hair,  and  beard 
turning  slightly 
grey,  and  with 
eyes  of  hazel- 
brown  ;  and  he 
wears  a  gold  ring 
in  his  ear.  That 
ear-ring  is  for  many 
— especially  for 
the  adherents  of 
the  Chandos  por- 
trait— the  hall- 
mark of  Shake- 
speare ;  and  for 
my  part  I  do  not 
see  why  this  minia- 
ture  likeness 
should  or  should 
not  be  accepted 
as  "the  one  and 
only  life- portrait 
of  the  poet"  any 
more  or  less  than 
a  score  of  others 
which  have  been 
published  without 
any  censure  being 
incurred  by  the  en- 
gravers. Of  course, 
there  is  no  word 
of  proof  advanced 
to  substantiate  the 


and  not  even,  as  some  have  surmised,  one  of  the 
monarch  himself.  The  engraving,  however,  is  admir- 
ably executed."  It  is  clear,  from  his  reference  to 
"  the  picture,"  that  Sir  George  had  not  himself  ex- 
amined the  original  of  Vertue's  beautiful  plate,  unless, 
indeed,  he  knew  of  the  painting  I  allude  to  further 
on.     But  this  I  doubt. 

This  miniature  measures  2  in.  by  if  in.,  in  oval- 


Sre  George  Scharf,  On  the  Principal  Portraits  of  Shake- 
speare, 1864. 


claim,  but  no  proof  is,  at  least,  as  satisfactory  as  un- 
convincing or  disprovable  evidence  with  which  most 
portraits  of  Shakespeare  have  been  bolstered  up. 

This  powerful  miniature,  then,  which  is  among  the 
striking  things  in  the  fine  collection  of  the  Duke  of 
Portland,  represents  a  man  of  strong  will  and  character 
who  lived  in  the  reign  of  James  I.  The  authorship 
of  the  little  picture  is  a  puzzle.  About  the  date  at 
which  the  sitter  lived,  judged  by  the  costume,  there  is 
no  doubt ;  but  the  style  and  technique  of  the  painting 
appear  much  more  modern.      The  draughts  nanship 


The  "Welbeck  Abbey"  or  "Har/eian"  Miniature  of  Shakespeare 


and  modelling 
are  quite  excel- 
lent, and  reveal 
to  high  advan- 
tage both  the 
vigour  anil  the 
craftsmanship  of 
the  artist.  To 
the  writer  it  has 
appeared  likely 
that  Bernat d 
Lens,  who  paint- 
ed an  important 
series  of  Harley 
portraits  in 
miniature,  may 
have  been  em- 
ployed by  the 
lirst  Earl  of  Ox- 
ford to  copy 
some  previous 
limning  or  pic- 
ture, now  lost, 
which  he  be- 
lieved to  be 
Shakespeare. 
The  explana- 
tion is  far  from 
conclusive  or  convincing, 
but  it  is  as  probable  as  any 
other  that  can  be  advanced, 
especially  when  we  recall  his 
copy  of  Cooper's  unfinished 
miniature  of  Cromwell.  This 
work,  which  is  also  at  Wel- 
beck  Abbey,  reveals  the  same 
force  and  presents  much  the 
same  texture. 

In  any  case,  George  Vertue 
made  his  engraving,  after 
consultation  with  his  patron 
and  his  editor,  Pope,  for  the 
edition  which  Jacob  Tun- 
son  was  about  to  publish.* 


*  Pope's  edition  was  issued  in 
7  vols.,  410,  in  1723-5,  and  in 
10  vols.,  duo.,  in  1728.  Jacob 
Tonson  (1656  ?-I  736)  and  his 
great-nephew,  of  the  same  name 
(d.  1767) — "the  eminent  biblio- 
polist,"  as  the  Gentleman  s  Maga- 
zine (lvii.,  p.  76)  calls  him — issued 
eight  editions  of  Shakespeare  alto- 
gether between  the  years  1709 
and  1767-S,  having  for  successive 
editors  Rowe,  Pope,  Sir  T. 
Hanmer,  Dr.  Johnson,  Steevens, 


James  i. 


No.  VI. 

MASSOL     ( 

(THIS 


Tonson,  it  is  in- 
teresting to  note, 
possessed  a  small 
portraitof  Shake- 
speare which  was 
doubtless  paint- 
ed f o  r  h  i  m,  as 
its  decorative 
symbolical  em- 
bellishments are 
more  or  less 
common  to  the 
engraved  por- 
traits of  the  poet 
issued  by  pub- 
lishers of  the 
time.  This,  in 
1827,  belonged 
to  H.  Rodd,  the 
picture-dealer  : 
Wivellt  de- 
scribes it  accur- 
ately, and  speaks 
of  it  as  "  done 
about  the  year 
1700,"  although 

THE    LINE    ENGRAVING    BY    W.    SHERLOCK    WHICH    INSPIRED 
NO.    IV.)    AND    PROVIDED    HIM    WITH     THE    LESSER]  GEORGE  'he    inscription 

PLATE    WAS    WONDERFULLY    FACSIMILIED    BY    ROMNEY)  nil    itS    frame    at 

the  Shakespeare  Memorial 
Gallery  at  Stratford-on-Avon 
(to  which  the  late  Mr.  Henry 
Graves  presented  it  in  1883, 
No.  31  in  the  Catalogue  of 
the  Gallery)  runs  thus: — 
"  The  Jacob  Tonson  Picture, 
1 735-"+    SofarasI  am  aware. 


and  Capell — a  goodly  array,  what- 
ever may  lie  said  of  the  compara- 
tive results  of  their  labours.  (War- 
burton's  edition  of  1747  has  been 
incorrectly  attributed  in  the 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography 
to  Jacob  Tonson  the  younger.  It 
was  published  by  J.  &  P.  Knapton.) 
At  the  death  sale  of  the  younger 
Tonson  in  1767,  "one  hundred 
and  forty  copies  of  Pope's  Shake- 
speare, in  six  volumes,  quarto" 
[this  is  a  mistake  —  the  quarto 
edition  was  in  seven  volumes], 
"  for  which  the  original  subscribers 
paid  six  guineas,  were  disposed  of 
at  sixteen  shillings  the  set."  (See 
Gentleman's  Magazine,  as  above.) 
This  was  the  1723-5  edition  with 
George  Vertue's  engravings. 

t  See  A.  Wivell,  An  Inquiry, 
etc.,  Supplement,  p.  29. 

X  This  is  certainly  not  ihe 
plate  done  for  Tonson 's  1735 
edition   (S  vols.,  duo.);  that  was 


Shakspeare. 


no.  viii.' — close  copy  by  j.  c  bock  of  the 

walkers'  copy  (no.  vii.)  of  vertue's  plate 

the  type  was  thus  spread  to  germany 


The   Connoisseur 


it  has  new  i   been 

ived,  and   it 

maj    be  i  on- 

jectured  that  this 

i  wh.it  forbid 
ding  and  strati; 
Semitic  head  was 
discarded  by  the 
publisher  in  favour 
of  t  he  moi  e  ro- 
mantic portrait  re- 
-  ommended  alike 
by  the  Earl  o\ 
( )xford,  Pope,  and 
Vertue. 

The    plate 

me  a  Ml  re  S  8},  in. 
h\  6  in.,  and  the 
oval  containing 
the  head  5I  in.  by 
47,  in.  (  No.  ii.  I. 
Above  is  a  wreath 
of  bay-leaves  and 
a  ribbon-scroll  in- 
scribed w  1 1. 1.1  \  M 

SH  A  K  ES  PEA  R  E  : 
a  n  d  b  e  1  o  w  a 
medallion  bearing 
the  poet's  coat-of- 
arms  with  mant- 
and  on  the 
base  which  sup- 
ports the  portrait 
the  inscription  — 
Ad  Origin  ale  111 
Tab  11 1  a  111  penes 

E   1 1  W  A  R  D  I  UM 

Dow  in  1/ 111  Har- 

LEV.    '       G.    J '(■/■/l/c\ 

Sculp,  t  7  2 1 .  Ex- 
cept for  the  head 
and  ruff,  the  plate 

greatly  resembles  Vertue's  large  Chandos  engraving 
of  1 7 19  (repeated  by  him  in  reduced  size  a  year 
or  two  later).  The  likeness,  it  must  be  owned  in 
mitigation  of  Vertue's  concession — whereby  his  crime 
may  be  said  to  shrink  to  a  mere  peccadillo  —  has 
so  much  in  common  with  a  liberal  interpretation  of 


<'.>/</<, r."<</  /'</   ''''-    :.A //<? 


the  Chandos   pic- 
ture (according  to 

the  version  of  the 
original  picture  at 
that  time  in  vogue) 
that  ma  n  y  might 
regard  it  as  repre- 
senting the  same 
man  at  an  earlier 
period  0  f  h  i  s 
career.  There  is 
a  profusion  of  hair 
on  the  top  of  the 
head  ;  the  beard 
and  moustache  are 
fuller  and  better 
groomed,  and  the 
softening  of  the 
features  in  the 
process  of  engrav- 
ing  has  brought 
the  face  into 
greater  harmony 
with  the  Chandos ; 
while  the  fact  that 
the  head  is  viewed 
almost  from  the 
front,  whereby  the 
full  shape  of  the 
nose  is  concealed, 
must  be  t a k e n 
into  consideration 
when  comparison 
is  made  between 
the  two  portraits 
— the  Chandos 
and  the  Harley. 

In  this  engrav- 
ing of  Vertue's 
after  the  Harley 
miniature  the  head 
is    enlarged    from 


JJO.     VII. — LINE     ENGRAVING,      REVERSED,      BY     THE     WALKERS     (AFTE'R 

VERTUE),  FOR  BELLAMY  AND  ROBERTS'S    EDITION  OF  SHAKESPEARE,    l/QI 

ISSUED    AS    AUTHENTIC 

1 1  in.  to  1 1  in.,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  the  figure 
is  reversed — that  it  looks  to  the  right  instead  of  to 
the  left,  owing  to  the  engraver  having  worked  direct, 
the  same  way,  from  the  miniature,  instead  of  reversing 
it  on  the  copper,  by  means  of  a  mirror,  so  that  it  might 
print  looking  to  the  left.  Fifty-four  years  later,  in  1775, 
the  portrait  was  used  as  a  frontispiece  to  Mrs.  Griffith's 
book,  The  Morality  of  Shakespeare  s  Drama  Illus- 
trated, and  again,  in  1784  (though  dated  a  year  earlier), 
now  sadly  worn,  was  published  with  S.  Ayscough's 
octavo  edition  of  Shakespeare,  issued  by  J.  Stockdale. 
In  these  cases  the  embellishments  had  all  been  cleared 


engraved  by  I>u  Guernier  after  Arlaud's  version  of  the  Chandos 
picture. 

*  Resembling,  in  all  save  the  head  and  ruff,  the  folio  plate  by 
Vertue  of  1719,  used  later,  in  1S12,  in  Boydell's  Antient  British 
Prints. 

I  "  From  the  original  picture  in  the  possession  of  Edward, 
Lord  Harley." 


The  "IVelbeck  Abbey  "  or  "Harleian  "  Miniature  of  Shakespeare 


away,  and  the 
portrait  appears 
against  a  semi- 
rusticated  wall 
of  masonry.  For 
Ayscough's  third 
edition  (2  vols., 
1807)  Stockdale 
employed  S . 
Bennett  to  copy 
Yertue's  engrav- 
ing, abandoning 
the  oval  shape 
for  the  rectangu- 
lar. Superficial  ly 
regarded,  a  very 
fair  imitation 
was  the  result ; 
but  all  the 
subtlety,  finesse, 
and  sensitive- 
ness  that  charac- 
terised Vertue's 
plate  were  gone. 
Bennett's  was 
worked  until 
it  was  b  lit  th  e 
ghost  of  its 
original  self; 
indeed,  I  have 
an  impression 
of  it  in  which 
the  hair  and 
beard  seem  in- 
tended for  very 
fair  hair,  if  not 
for  absolute 
white  (No.  iii.). 
Later  on,  in 


NO.     IX. — BY    ANGELICA    KAUFFMANN,    R.A.,    AFTER    THE    VERTUE    FLATE    OF 
1 72 1  FROM    THE    PAINTING    IN    THE    SHAKESPEARE    MEMORIAL    GALLERY, 

STRATFORD-ON-AVON,    BY    PERMISSION    OF   THE    COMMITTEE    AND    SECRETARY 


such  as  it  is,  for 
the  unfounded 
charge  against 
Vertue  of  having 
palmed  off  upon 
the  public  a  por- 
trait of  James  I., 
for  while  there 
is  no  ear-ring — 
at   least   the  ear 
it  would  deco- 
rate  is  covered 
by   one   of    the 
luxuriant   curls 
that  play   about 
the  head  and 
run    into   the 
w  e  1 1  -  g  r  o  0  med 
beard,  while   a 
cloak   is   thrown 
dashinglyaround 
the    body — from 
the  neck  dangle 
the   ribbon    and 
m  e d a  1   of  the 
Order   of  St. 
George  —  the 
Lesser  George — 
as  may  be  seen 
in    the   portraits 
of  the    monarch 
by  many  copy- 
ists,  besides 
Vertue  himself,* 
W.  Shei  lock,  etc. 
(Nos.  v.  and  vi.). 
\l  eanwhile, 
one    or    two 
plates  had  been 


1 82 1,  there  was  published  in  Paris  Guizot's  thirteen- 
volunie  edition  of  Lc  Tollman's  Shakespeare  *  (with 
profoundly  necessary  corrections  by  Madame  Guizot 
of  the  French  prose  text),  and  Ladvocat,  the  publisher, 
commissioned  Massol  to  engrave  a  frontispiece  in 
stipple  (No.  iv.).  This  is  a  very  beautiful  rendering 
of  Vertue's  plate  from  the  Duke  of  Portland's  minia- 
ture, unpardonably  brushed  up,  smartened  up,  and 
tricked  out.  The  strong,  rugged,  expressive  face  of 
the  original  has  become  that  of  a  quiet,  contemplative 
gentleman — a  rather  melancholy  beau,  as  handsome 
as  the  idealised  portraits  of  George  Villiers,  Duke  of 
Buckingham.      Here,  at  last,  is  a  belated  justification, 


engraved  facing  towards  the  left,  the  same  way  as  the 
miniature.  The  first  was  that  done  by  W.  &  J.  Walker 
for  Bellamy  and  Roberts's  eight-volume  edition  of 
Shakespeare,  issued  in  1  791  (No.  vii.).  These  engravers 
were  William  and  John  Walker,  father  and  son,  of 
Thirsk,  who  worked  in  London  and  did  much  good 
and  important  work.  The  plate  in  question  is  beauti- 
fully engraved  as  to  the  head  ;  the  oval  is  retained  and 
is  supported  by  embellishments  of  dramatic  symbols. 
On  the  base  is  engraved  "shakspeare,"  and  below, 
Engraved  by  W.  &°  J.  Walker.     Published  as  the  Act 


Originally  published  1776-1782. 


See  the  plate  for  the  smaller  edition  of  Rapin  (8vo).  A 
comparison  between  Vertue's  Harleian  Shakespeare  and  his 
'•  fames  I."  is  sufficient  to  show  that  the  general  resemblance 
between  the  two  is  merely  superficial. 


V? 


NO.    X.— PORTRAIT    OF    SIR    FRANCIS     DRAKE,    IN    THE    POSSESSION    OF    THE    LORD    SACKVILLE,    AND     REPRODUCED 

BY    HIS    COURTEOUS    PERMISSION  IT    IS    SUGGESTED    THAT    THIS    MAY    BE    THE    ORIGINAL    OF    THE    "WEI.BECK 

MINIATURE    OF    SHAKESPEARE,"    FREELY    COPIED    BY    BERNARD    LENS 


w 


o 

z  . 

5  <- 

a,  e 

m  < 

u.  w 

o  s 

o 

Z  en 

o  g 

a  ° 

X  > 

H  a 


The  "IVelbeck  Abbey"  or  "Harleian  "  Miniature  of  Shakespeare 


directs  by  Bellamy  and  Roberts,  Aug.  i.  i  789.  The  plate 
measures  6  in.  by  3!  in.  The  oval  portrait  of  it  was 
imitated  in  a  remarkable  facsimile  by  Johann  Christoph 
Bock  (for  an  eighteenth-century  German  edition  I 
have  not  vet  been  able  to  identify)  so  accurately  that, 
except  for  the  effect,  and  for  the  greater  brilliancy  in 
the  lights  which  are  more  insisted  upon,  it  might 
almost  be  taken  for  the  same  plate,  so  closely  have 
the  engraved  lines  been  followed  (No.  viii.). 

It  is  very  curious  that  Angelica  Kauffmann,  R.A., 
in  all  probability  soon  after  her  arrival  in  England  at 
about  the  age  of  twenty-four — that  is  to  say,  in  1765, 
when  the  excitement  of  the  Shakespeare  bicentenary 
had  scarcely  simmered  down — should  have  chosen Ver- 
tue's  engraving  of  Harley's  miniature,  rather  than  the 
miniature  itself,  as  the  basis  of  her  picture.  Probably 
it  was  more  accessible.  The  painting  was  her  tribute 
to  the  poet,  no  doubt ;  yet  it  has  every  appearance 
of  being  a  commission  from  a  publisher,  if  not  from 
David  Garrick,  whose  portrait  she  had  just  painted. 
Indeed,  the  charming  design  below,  as  a  predella, 
of  "  Fame  adorning  the  Tomb  of  Shakespeare,"  was 
engraved  not  only  by  Bartolozzi  but  by  others,  and 
was  published  more  than  once.  She  has  brought 
the  likeness  closer  to  the  Chandos  while,  as  was  her 
charmingly  effeminate  characteristic,  eliminating  as 
far  as  possible  all  virility  from  the  face,  and  has  intro- 
duced an  elementary  form  of  conventional  symbolism 
in  the  branches  of  palm  and  myrtle  and  in  the 
emblems  of  comedy  and  tragedy.  The  predella  she 
carried  out  on  a  larger  scale  for  the  Marquess  of 
Exeter,  and  the  picture  still,  I  believe,  hangs  at 
Burghley  House  (No.  ix.). 

Her  Shakespeare  portrait,  which  measures  40+  in. 
by  35ft  in.,  is  at  the  Shakespeare  Memorial  Gallery 
at  Stratford-on  Avon,  to  which  it  was  presented  by 
the  late  Mr.  Henry  Graves  ;  by  the  courtesy  of  the 
Committee  and  Librarian  it  is  reproduced  here. 

And  now  comes  the  strange  part  of  the  story. 
Lord  Sackville  possesses,  at  Knole,  a  life-size  portrait, 
so  nearly  resembling  in  general  arrangement  and  type 
the  picture  we  are  considering,  that  we  are  justified 
in  inquiring  into  the  connexion.  It  is  the  Knole 
portrait  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  testified  to,  among  other 
authorities,  by  Scharf  (No.  x.).       It  presents  a  type 


seen  in  several  of  the  Drake  portraits,  and  acknow- 
ledged by  Sir  L  E.  Boehm  in  the  statue  which  he 
designed  in  1883  for  Tavistock  and  Plymouth  Hoe. 
I  believe  it  to  be  a  seventeenth-century  picture,  on 
oak  panel,  about  250  years  old,  adzed,  not  planed, 
at  the  back,  and  although  the  painting  has  been 
restored  with  unnecessary  emphasis,  it  is,  in  the 
main,  a  genuine  thing.  I  assume  that  the  globe 
with  the  circumnavigator's  hand  resting  on  it — the 
hall-mark  of  many  a  Drake  portrait,  painted  and 
engraved — is  contemporaneous  work.  There  is  an 
ostentatious  wart  on  the  side  of  the  nose,  which  also 
appears  in  more  suppressed  form  in  the  Welbeck 
Abbey  miniature,  and  a  general  capacity  for  joviality 
in  the  strong  face,  buried  in  its  luxuriance  of  ruff. 
The  mass  of  the  hair,  regarded  as  a  mass,  corre- 
sponds in  shape  ;  the  balance  of  the  features,  in  the 
ensemble,  is  not  dissimilar  ;  there  are  frequently 
found  authentic  portraits  of  the  same  man  not  more 
dissimilar  than  these. 

Is  this  picture  the  original  of  the  Welbeck  minia- 
ture ? — and  can  the  miniature,  then,  be  a  portrait 
of  Drake  ?  It  is  not  impossible.  Lord  Sackville's 
picture  (which  the  owner  has  most  courteously  and 
kindly  allowed  me  to  reproduce  here)  may  not  have 
the  authority  of  Lord  Lothian's  or  Sir  F.  Fuller-Elliot- 
Drake's  or  the  Plymouth  picture  ;  probably  not  less 
than  the  Sydenham,  or  even  than  the  Rabel,  which  is 
the  foundation  of  so  many  of  the  prints  promulgated 
by  the  engravers  from  comparatively  early  times.  It 
is  an  interesting  point  to  which  further  inquiry  may 
profitably  be  devoted.  The  portrait,  it  may  be  added, 
was  shown  at  the  "  Shakespeare's  England  "  Exhibi- 
tion, but  as  a  late  contribution  it  did  not  appear  in 
the  catalogue.  It  measures  31^  in.  by  25!  in.  ;  the 
"  false  oval "  27A  in.  by  21J  in. ;  while  on  the  ribbon- 
scroll  is  inscribed  :  sK  fran5'  drake,  k'  It  may  con- 
ceivably be  that  this  ribbon-scroll  on  the  old  frame, 
the  shape  of  which  has  become  distorted  through  age, 
may  have  suggested  the  ornament  in  Yertue's  engrav- 
ing. No  student  of  seventeenth-century  engraved 
portraiture,  which  so  often  presents  widely  divergent 
versions  of  the  same  picture  in  the  different  plates 
from  it,  will  see  in  these  divergences  any  insuperable 
objection  to  the  suggestion  I   have   made. 


£  g  «* 


'^&. 


!3 


Pottery  and 

Porcelai 


Furstenberg    Groups   of    Perseus   and   Andromeda 
By    Wm.  Barclay    Squire 


Among  the  minor  porcelain  factories  ot 
nany  that  of  Furstenberg  lias  always  had  more 
patrons  in  England  than  its  rivals  at  Bayreuth, 
Hochst,  Berlin,  etc.,  probably  owing  to  the  connec- 
tion of  the  ducal  family  with  that  of  Hanover  and 
England  throughout  the  eighteenth  century.  Like 
most  of  the  other 
German  fac- 
tories,  Fiirsten- 
berg  depended 
for  its  existence 
on  the  favour  of 
.1  court.  It  was 
actually  founded 
(about  1749)  by 
Duke  Charles  of 
Brunswick  and 
his  wife  Philip- 
pine Charlotte- 
ia  sister  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great), 
and  from  the 
first  its  produc- 
tions were  more 
or  less  avowed 
imitations  of 
Dresden.    Quite 

e a  r 1 v  in  the 
annals  of  fur- 
stenberg there- 
are  records  of 
the  manufacture 
of  those  figures 
and  groups  upon 
which  the  fame 
of  the  ware,  at 
its  best  period, 
chiefly  rests. 
Busts,  sets  of 
characters    from        perseus   and   andromeda 


the  "  Commedia  dell'  Arte,"  and  porcelain  flutes 
were  produced  before  the  Seven  Years1  War,  when 
evil  days  fell  upon  Furstenberg.  In  1759  the  store 
of  gold  for  gilding  had  long  been  exhausted,  and  it 
was  only  the  fortunate  chance  of  an  Englishman's 
buying    a    dinner-service    and    paying    for    it    with 

150  gold  ducats 
that  enabled 
the  factory  to 
struggle  on. 
The  end  of  the 
war  was  followed 
by  a  period  of 
serious  rivalry 
with  Dresden, 
during  which, 
by  a  system  of 
underselling,  the 
Saxon  factory 
nearly  succeeded 
in  ruining  its 
Brunswick  imi- 
tator. About 
1770,  probably 
owing  to  the 
introduction  of 
better  methods 
of  treating  the 
local  clay,  the 
fortunes  of 
the  factory  1111- 
p  r  o  v  e  d,  a  n  d 
though  appar- 
ently the  finan- 
cial results 
remained  un- 
satisfactory, from 
1770  until  the 
death    of    Duke 

BY     LAURENT     CARS,     AFTER     LEMOYNE  ChaileS  ill    I  7  So, 

14 


Furstenberg  Groups  of  Perseus  and  Andromeda 


THE     PERSEUS     GROUP 


IN     LORD     RADNOR  S     COLLECTION 


and  for  a  few  years  later,  its  productions  reached  the 
highest  degree  of  technical  and  artistic  excellence 
that  was  ever  attained  at  Furstenberg. 

As  was  the  custom  in  most  of  the  smaller  porce- 
lain factories,  the  modellers  of  the  groups,  figures, 
and  busts  produced  at  Furstenberg  during  this 
period  can  lay  no  claim  to  be  considered  original 
artists  :  they  were  merely  clever  workmen  who 
copied  and  adapted  the  ideas  of  others.  The  names 
of  some  of  these  Furstenberg  modellers  are  known  ; 
i  he  best  of  them  were  Anton  Carl  Luplau  (who 
copied  Dresden  figures  and  groups),  Desoches  (of 
whom  more  anon),  and  Carl  Gottfried  Schubert, 
who  worked  from  1778  until  1S04.  Besides  imita- 
ting groups  of  figures,  such  as  the  Dresden  monkey 
orchestra,  modelling  portrait  busts,  and  copying 
bronzes  and  ivories  from  the  Ducal  Museum,  the 
Furstenberg  workmen  took  for  their  models  subjects 
derived    from    engravings   and   prints,    of   which   the 


factory  possessed,  according  to  an  inventory  made 
in  1770,  a  large  collection.  From  this  source 
Professor  Scherer,  of  the  Brunswick  Ducal  Museum, 
was  enabled  to  identify  (in  articles  contributed  to  the 
Kunstgewerbeblatt  for  1S91  and  1892)  among  the 
line  collection  of  Furstenberg  figures  in  his  care  a 
charming  figure  of  Cupid,  as  copied  from  E.  M. 
Falconet  (1716-1791)  ;  a  Metamorphosis  of  Dryope, 
copied  from  Moreau  le  Jeune  (1769)  ;  and  a  figure 
of  Andromeda  chained  to  the  rock,  copied  from  a 
print  by  Laurent  Cars  of  a  picture  of  Perseus  and 
Andromeda  by  J.  L.  Lemoyne.  The  Andromeda 
was  modelled  by  Desoches,  a  Frenchman,  who  first 
appeared  at  Furstenberg  in  1769,  and  worked  there 
until  1774.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the  sculptor  Pierre 
Philippe  Mignot,  who  was  in  his  turn  a  pupil  ot 
J.  L.  Lemoyne,  so  that  it  is  practically  certain  that 
the  print  ol  Lemoyne's  picture  found  its  way  to  the 
Furstenberg  workshop  through  Mignot  and  Desoches. 


IS 


The   Connoisseur 


1'lu-  present  where- 
abouts ol  the  original 
painting  is  unknown, 
but  a  reproduction  of 
the  print  (from  P. 
Mantz's    1  ■  Boh 

chtr,  Lemoyne,  el  Na- 
toire,  1880)  is  interesting 
as  showing  how  it  was 
translated  into  porce- 
lain by  Desoches. 
Professor  Scherer,  in 
tin  above-  mentioned 
article,  was  only  aware 
of  the  existence  of  the 
figure  of  Andromeda, 
but  I  am  enabled,  by 
the  courtesy  of  the  Earl 
oi  Radnor,  to  show  that 
the  French  modeller  was 
not  content  with  copy- 
ing the  plump  form  ol 
Lemoyne's  Andromeda, 
but  also,  with  consider- 
able ingenuity,  used  the 
remainder  of  the  picture 
by  p  1  a  c  i  n  g  the  flying 
figure  of  Perseus  on  his 
feet  by  the  side  of  the 
dragon,  which  he  is 
about  to  slay  with  his 
uplifted   scimitar. 

The  Perseus  group 
(which  is  in  Lord 
Radnor's  collection  at 
Longford  Castle)  thus 
forms  the  complement 
of  the  Brunswick  Andromeda,  and  from  the  shape 
of  the  bases  of  both  groups  it  is  evident  that  they 
were   intended    to    stand   side  by  side    and  form  a 


FIGURE     OF     A 

IN     THE     BRUNSWICK 


single  reproduction  of 
the  picture.  According 
to  Professor  Scherer, 
the  height  of  the  Andro- 
meda is  C285  m.,  which 
exactly  agrees  with  that 
of  the  Perseus.  When 
the  two  were  separated, 
and  the  Perseus  found 
its  way  to  England,  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  The 
first  Viscount  Folke- 
stone a  ml  h  i  s  succes- 
sors, the  first  and  second 
Earls  of  Radnor,  were 
great  art-lovers,  as  the 
magnificent  pictures,  fur- 
niture, plate  and  china 
still  preserved  at  Long- 
ford Castle  bear  witness. 
It  is  therefore  probable 
that  the  Perseus,  which 
must  have  been  pro- 
duced between  1769  and 
1774,  was  acquired  by 
the  second  Earl  (1750- 
1828),  who  succeeded 
his  father  in  1776.  To 
his  successor,  the  sixth 
Earl,  who  has  kindly 
allowed  the  Perseus 
group  to  be  photo- 
graphed for  The 
Connoisseuk,  a  n  d  to 
Professor  Scherer,  to 
whom  I  am  indebted 
for  much  of  the  infor- 
mation in  this  article,  as  well  as  for  enabling  me  to 
obtain  photographs  of  the  Andromeda,  I  beg  to 
express  my  sincere  thanks. 


NDROMEDA 
DUCAL  MUSEUM 


l6 


THE   CITY   HALL 


The  City  and  County  Borough  of   Cardiff 
Part  I.  By  Leonard  Willoughby 


One  won- 
ders how  many 
of  those  who 
know  Cardiff 
as  it  is  to-day 
are  acquainted 
with  its  long 
story.  Perhaps 
a  few  are 
aware,  though 
I  fear  the  great 
majority  are  blissfully  ignorant  of  anything  concern" 
ing  it,  beyond  the  fact  that  it  has  mighty  docks  and 
is  a  colliery  centre.      Cardiff,  as  she  is  now  called,  is 


THE  RIGHT  HON.  THE  LORD  MAYOR  OF 
CARDIFF,    1912-13  PHOTO  SARGENT 


a  corruption  of  the  words  Caer  Dydd — the  Camp  of 
Didius.  Aulius  Didius  was  he  who  planted  the 
standard  of  Rome  at  the  mouth  of  the  Taff  in 
the  first  century.  The  city  to-day  is  built  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Taff,  a  mile  above  its  junction 
with  the  estuary  of  the  Severn,  known  as  the  Bristol 
Channel.  Cardiff,  which  now  numbers  close  on  two 
hundred  thousand  souls,  has  a  history  which  goes 
back  to  very  early  days.  It  has  always  been  recog- 
nised as  the  site  of  an  important  Roman  station, 
while  tradition  even  connects  the  town  with  Carac- 
tacus  and  the  determined  resistance  of  the  Silures 
to  the  Roman  power.  Excavations  go  to  prove 
that  Cardiff  was  undoubtedly  an  early  Roman  fort, 


...... 


VIEW    OF    CARDIFF    FROM    THE    WEST,     17/: 


FROM    THE    ENGRAVING    BY    S.    AND    N.    BUCK 
17 


llic    Connoisseur 


THE     LADY     MAYORESS  S     CHAIN 

founded,  so  some  imagine,  by  Julius  Frontinus,  the 
Roman  general,  upon  his  conquest  of  Siluria,  a.d. 
75-7.  In  later  Roman  days  it  was  an  important 
coast  fort,  which,  after  their  departure,  the  Welsh 
princes  of  Glamorgan,  some  of  whom  bore  the  title 
of  king,  held  as  their  principal  seat  of  government. 
For  much  of  this  early  history  Cardiff  is  indebted 
to  the  work  of  excavation  undertaken  by  the  late 
Marquis  of  Bute,  who  then  discovered  the  massive 
Roman  wall  with  bastions,  and  the  remains  of  a  great 
Roman  gateway  with  guard-room  on  either  side.  The 
stone  fortifications  had  doubtless  subsequently  been 
buried  beneath  earth  works,  on  which  was  placed  a 
wall  enclosing  the  Roman  keep  and  mediaeval  castle. 
This  ancient  castle  has  indeed  played  an  important 
part  in  the  fortunes  of  Cardiff,  for  its  government  was 
vested  in  the  hands  of  the  lords  and  owners  of  the 


castle,  down  to  Tudor  days.  For  three  hundred  years 
the  Romans  were  in  power,  but  as  to  what  happened 
after  their  departure  history  appears  to  be  a  little 
vague.  It  is  even  uncertain  as  to  who  erected  the 
earthwork  fortifications  which  covered  the  old  Roman 
wall.  We  may  assume,  however,  that  during  the  six 
hundred  years  which  elapsed  between  the  going  of 
the  Romans  and  the  coming  of  the  Normans  that  the 
Welsh  princes  or  kings  who  ruled  in  Cardiff  fought 
against  the  incursion  of  the  Saxons  and  Danes  in 
their  turn,  as  did  the  still  earlier  inhabitants  when  the 
Romans  arrived.  This  shows  that  Cardiff  was  an 
important  place  quite  eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 
In  the  eleventh  century  Glamorgan  was  conquered 
by  the  Normans  under  Robert  Fitzhamon,  and  then 
became  a  marcher  lordship.  Jestyn  ap  Gwrgan  was 
reigning    prince  at    the    time,    and    Cardiff  was   his 


iS 


The  City  and  Comity  Borough  of  Cardiff 


1608 

capital  ;  but  Fitzhamon 
took  his  richest  lands 
for  himself  and  his  fol- 
lowers, whom  he  made 
under  -  lords,  the  lord- 
ship itself  which  he  held 
being  fief  of  the  Crown, 
and  every  manor  within 
it  was  held  immediately 
of  the  chief  lord  as  of 
his  Castle  of  Cardiff. 
Cardiff  was  the  capital 
of  the  lordship  of  Gla- 
morgan, and  the  chief 
residence  and  centre  of 


THE     FOUR     MACES 


•ytt 


I 


THE     LORD     MAYOR  S     BADGE 
19 


1608 

authority  of  its  lord,  who 
was  in  truth  little  less 
than  king.  The  king's 
writ  did  not  even  run 
in  his  territory,  and  he 
had  his  own  sheriff,  his 
chancery,  his  great  seal, 
his  courts  civil  and 
criminal,  rights  of  ad- 
miralty and  of  wreck, 
of  life  and  death,  and 
an  ambulatory  Council 
of  Parliament.  He 
had  also  jura  regalia, 
fines,oblations,  escheats, 


The    Connoisseur 


PLAN     OF     CARDIFF,      IOIO 


FROM     SPEED  S     MAP     OF     GLAMORGAN 


wardships,  marriages,  and  other  feudal  incidents. 
The  under-lords,  from  whom  he  exacted  fealty  and 
service,  built  castles  for  themselves  in  the  county, 
and  the  lords  council  met 
in  the  great  hall  of  Car- 
diff  Castle  to  discuss  the 
government  of  the  district, 
while  armed  retainers  of 
the  under-lords  kept 
watch  in  turn  over  the 
castle.  Fitzhamon's  son- 
in-law  was  his  successor, 
and  this  was  Robert  Con- 
sul, Earl  of  Gloucester,  a 
natural  son  of  Henry  I. 
Robert's  marriage  with 
the  greatest  heiress  of  her 
time  was  arranged  by  her 
father  with  Henry  I.,  who 
appears  to  have  done  the 
wooing  part.  We  are  told 
by  Mr.  John  Ballinger,  in 
his  Guide  to  Cardiff,  that 
the  lady's  answer  was  that 
she  was  being  wooed 
not  for  herself  but  for 


ARMS     OF     THE     CITY     OF     CARDIFF,      I9O7 


her  possessions,  and  that  with  such  a  heritage  she 
ought  not  to  marry  any  lover  unless  he  had  two 
names.    This  drew  from  the  king  the  promise  that 

his  son  should  be  called 
"  Robert  le  Fitz  Roy." 
On  a  further  inquiryfrom 
the  lady  as  to  the  name 
their  son  is  to  bear, 
' '  Robert,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  his  name 
shall  be,  and  is,  and  his 
heirs  likewise,"  said  the 
king — and  so  it  was.  It 
was  Robert,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  that  gave 
Cardiff  its  earliest  known 
grant  of  municipal  privi- 
leges, admitting  the  right 
of  Welshmen  of  Glamor- 
gan to  enjoytheirancient 
liberties  and  customs. 
The  earl  was  a  warrior,  a 
statesman,  and  a  scholar, 
and  he  thus  gathered 
round  h  i  m  a  brilliant 
band  of  men  of  letters. 


The  City  and  County  Borough  of  Cardiff 


To  hi  m  w a  S 
dedicated  the 
Historia  Briio- 

/mm,  the  chief 
work  of  Geof- 
frey of  Mon- 
mouth, which 
work  marked 
an  epoch  in  the 
literary  history 
of  Europe,  and 
exercised  a 
powerful  influ- 
ence. 

It  was  to 
Cardiff  Castle 
that  the  eldest 
son  of  William 
the  Conqueror 
— Curt  hose — 
after  w  as  tin  g 
his  fortune  and 
causing  cease- 
less trouble  to 
his  family,  was 
taken  prisoner 
in  I  ic6  by  the 
chaplain  of 
his  brother, 
Henry  I.  He 
was  kept  there 
the  rest  of  his 
life,  after  being 
confined  in  the 
Tower  of  London,  Devizes,  and  Bristol.  He  died 
in  1 134  at  Cardiff,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  During  the 
reign  of  the  Lords  Marches,  revolts  were  continual 
by  the  Welsh  people,  and  in  1404  one  Owain 
Glyndwr  almost  entirely  destroyed  the  town  and 
castle,  burning  everything  except  the  White  Friars 
convent,  which  he  spared,  as  he  had  an  affection  for 
the  Order. 

He  robbed  the  castle  and  set  it  in  flames,  and 
when  the  White  Friars  petitioned  him  to  return  them 
their  books  and  chalices,  which  in  their  alarm  they 
had  placed  in  the  castle  for  safety,  he  replied,  "  Where- 
fore have  ye  stored  your  goods  in  the  castle?  If  ye 
had  kept  them  in  your  house  they  had  been  safe." 
In  r492  most  of  the  houses  in  Cardiff  were  in  ruins, 
and  no  rent  was  paid,  having  remained  in  this  deplor- 
able condition  for  years  after  the  rebels  had  laid  the 
town  waste.  In  1495  tne  Power  of  the  Lords  Marches 
ceased  to  exist  after  a  period  of  reign  of  four  hundred 
years,  the  last  to  hold  office  being  Jasper,  Duke  of 


JOHN.    SECOND    MARQUIS    OF    BUTE    (I793-1S4S)  BY    SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN 


Bedford.  The 
lordship  then 
reverted  to  the 
king,  and  after- 
wards the  pro- 
perties attach- 
ing were  given 
to  Sir  William 
Herbert  in 
1547,  and  this 
included  the 
lordship  of  Car- 
diff, but  not  of 
Glamorgan.  As 
Mr.  Ballinger 
puts  it,  "  The 
days  of  feudal- 
ism were  past, 
the  vast  powers 
wielded  by 
the  Marchers 
of  Glamorgan 
disappeared." 

During  the 
reigns  of 
Elizabeth  and 
James  I.  the 
town  became 
notorious  as 
the  home  of 
pirates,  who 
preyed  upon 
shipping  in  the 
Channel  ports. 
This  brought  great  discredit  on  the  name  of  Cardiff, 
as  many  of  the  inhabitants  participated  in  the  spoils. 
By  then,  too,  the  lords  of  Cardiff,  no  longer  invested 
with  power,  lost  interest  in  the  town,  and  things 
gradually  sank  and  sank  to  a  very  low  ebb.  In  1607, 
to  make  matters  worse,  a  terrible  flood  did  enormous 
damage,  and  it  only  required  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  to  practically  complete  the  ruin. 

The  town  was  at  first  for  the  royal  cause,  but  the 
king  appears  to  have  caused  much  resentment  by  the 
appointment  of  a  governor  of  the  town  in  place  of 
the  popular  Sir  Nicholas  Kemeys.  The  king  subse- 
quently spent  a  week  in  Cardiff  with  a  view  ot 
appeasing  the  anger  of  the  inhabitants,  though  with 
but  small  success.  Within  a  month  of  his  departure 
the  town  was  captured  by  the  Parliamentarians.  A 
rally  of  the  Glamorganshire  men  in  the  royal  cause 
ensued,  and  a  march  on  Cardiff  was  effected  to 
capture  the  castle,  but  only  to  meet  with  a  rout.  So 
Cardiff  remained  in  Cromwell's  hands  till  the  end  of 


The    Connoisseur 


rsl  Civil 
War.     When, 
trou 
over 
disbanding  the 
army,theR< 
ists  in  Glamor- 
ganshire, taking 
advant  age  ol 
this,  were  quick- 
I\   u  p  in   anus 
again,  and  mat* 
ters  became  so 
i  ious  iii  South 
W ales   that 
i  Iromwell  wa  s 
thoroughly 
alarmed.     1  >es- 
patchingaforce 
of  3,000  trained 
soldiers,    they 
met  on   March 
8111,1648,8,000 
Glamorgan  ir- 
regulars a  t  St. 
Fagans,    some 
few    miles   out- 
side Cardiff. 
The  result  was 
dec  i  si  ve,  the 
Royalists    los- 
ing some  3,000 
taken  prisoners 
and  over  fifty 
officers  killed.     This  ended  the  Civil  War  in  Glamor- 
gan.    Matters  were  not  bright  during  the  middle  of 
the  seventeenth  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  ; 
but  after  this  a  change  commenced,  and  from  this 
time  forward  Cardiff  has  never  looked  back.     It  was 
to  the  discovery  of  the  fact   that  iron  ore  could  be 
melted    by    mineral    fuel    which    brought    the    iron- 
masters of  Kent  and  Sussex  to  South  Wales.     In  the 
commencement  of  the    eighteenth  century  the  iron- 
making   industry  commenced   at    Merthyr,  the    iron 
being  conveyed  to  Cardiff  on  the  backs  of  mules  for 
shipment.     For  nearly  one  hundred  years  the  iron 
trade    slowly    increased    till    about    1S00,    when    the 
development   of  coal  brought  about  that  which  was 
destined  to  make  Cardiff  the  great  city  she  now  is. 
The    population    in    1801    was    but    1,018,   while   in 
1901   it  was    164,333.     Thus  in  one  hundred  years 
the    population    increased    over    one    hundred    and 
seventy-six   fold  —  a    marvellous   growth.      The   city 
now  covers  an  area  of  S,4oS  acres,  and  is  a  municipal 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  COUNCIL  CHAMBER 


borough,  a 
county  bor- 
ough, .1  quar- 
ter sessions 
bo  rough,  and 
an  assize  town. 

In    1 905    it  was 

created  a  city 
by  His  Ma- 
jesty Kin  g 
Edward  VII., 
the  title  of  Lord 
Mayor  being 
conferred  on 
its  chief  magis- 
tral e .  The 
docks  are 
amongst  the 
finest  in  the 
United  K  ing- 
dom,  and  cover 
a n  area  of 
.207  acres,  and 
represent  a 
capital  o  I 
^8,0  00,000  ; 
while  in  respect 
of  foreign 
clearances  it  is 
the  first  port 
in  the  United 
Kingdom, 

With  this 
brief  review  of 
early  events  I  must  suffice,  and  devote  the  rest 
of  the  space  allotted  to  me  to  an  account  of  the 
treasures  contained  within  the  massive  walls  of  the 
City  Hall.  This  fine  building  was  erected  in  Cathay's 
Park,  and  cost,  together  with  the  Law  Courts, 
which  stand  close  beside  it,  about  ,£260,000.  In 
the  City  Hall  are  the  Council  Chamber,  Reception 
Hall,  Assembly  or  Banqueting  Hall,  Lord  Mayor's 
Parlour,  Deputy  Lord  Mayor's  Parlour,  Committee 
Rooms,  Rooms  for  Members  of  the  Corporation, 
Reading,  Writing,  and  Luncheon  Rooms,  Depart- 
ments for  Municipal  Officials.  It  may  be  said  of 
Cardiff  that  everything  has  been  built  up  and  remade 
within  the  last  thirty  to  forty  years,  for  the  city  was 
greatly  lacking  in  buildings  prior  to  this.  School  and 
educational  buildings  have  added  materially  to  the 
architecture,  while  the  parks  and  spaces  cover  an 
area  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-one  acres.  Its 
institutions,  with  its  Art  Gallery  and  National  Museum 
(now  being  erected  in  Cathay's  Park,  towards  which 


LADY    CAROLINE    HOWARD 
PAINTED    BY    SIR    JOSHUA    REYNOLDS 
ENGRAVED    BY    VALENTINE    GREEN 


The  City  and  County  Borough  of  Cardiff 


the   Government    is   largely  contributing),   will   make 
the  metropolis  of  Wales  well  worth  visiting. 

The  documents  relating  to  Cardiff  are  not  so  com- 
plete as  might  be,  owing  to  the  fact  that  for  so  long 
— in    fact,    to  a    hundred 
years  ago  —  the  city  was 
governed  from  the  castle, 
where  the  documents  were 
kept.       When  Cardiff  re- 
ceived  its  Charter  of  In- 
corporation as  a  municipal 
authority,    with   a    mayor, 
the  records  of  the  Cor- 
poration were   studiously 
kept.      To  these   were 
added   sundry  ancient 
charters,   previously  kept 
within  the  castle  and  other 
places.     Unfortunately, 
these  were   not    complete, 
and   thus  the  Corporation 
have  had  to  employ  outside 
assistance    in   the    work  ot 
completing  its  history  and 
records,    obtaining  the 
necessary  information  and 
facts    from  the   British 
Museum,   Record  Office, 
and  private  sources.     The 
result  has  been  the    pro- 
duction of  five  extensive 
volumes,   which  in  a  com- 
prehensive   manner  deal 
with  everything  connected 
with  the  history  of  Cardiff. 
Of  the  concrete  evidences 
which     exist,    and    the 
treasures  of  the  Corpora- 
tion in  the  shape  of  regalia 
and   plate,    I   am   able, 
through  the  courtesy  of  the 
Town   Clerk,  to  give  some 
illustrations    and    descrip- 
tion.    The  collection   is 
not  a  large  one,  though  I 
find  the  charters  consist  of 
ireven,    the    oldest    being 
that  of  Hugh  le  Despenser, 
1338.     There  is  also  an- 
other from  him,  1340  ;  one 
from  Edward    III.,    1359; 
one  from  Henry  IV.,  140 1  ; 
one  from    Edward   IV., 
1465  :   one  from  James  I.,        presented  by 


1608;  and  one  from  Edward  VII.,  1905.  Of  the 
seals  which  are  interesting,  that  of  William,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  who  held  the  lordship  of  Cardiff  1147- 
11 83,  is  well  preserved.  It  was  the  seal  of  the  lord 
of  Cardiff,  who  granted 
the  first  charter  to  Cardiff. 
The  common  seal  of  the 
borough  used  in  1684  is 
interesting,  and  is  described 
as  "on  a  pyramidical 
mount  or  cavin  of  stones, 
two  lions  rampant  com- 
batant, supporting  aloft  a 
shield  of  arms  three  chev- 
rons :  Town  of  Cardiff." 
Legend  in  ornamental 
letters,  "  S'  Commune  de 
ICerdif."  From  this  it 
would  appear  that  in  the 
fourteenth  century  the 
common  seal  of  the 
borough  was  a  modified 
copy  of  the  reverse  of  the 
seal  used  by  Richard  de 
Clare,  Earl  of  Gloucester 
and  Hertford,  who  held 
the  lordship  of  Cardiff 
1  2  3  o  -  1  2  6  2  .  A  sketch 
of  this  seal — here  illus- 
trated—  is  given  in  the 
account  of  the  progress  of 
Henry,  first  Duke  of  Beau- 
fort, through  Wales,  1684, 
as  appearing  affixed  to  the 
Deed  of  Surrender  of  the 
Town  Charter  to  the  Duke 
as  Lord  President  of  Wales. 
The  present  common  seal 
of  the  borough  was  first 
used  in  1608.  It  is  the 
Tudor  rose  with  the  legend 
"Villa  Card  if,"  beaded 
borders. 

The  Corporation  owns 
four  maces,  two  of  which 
are  short  and  two  larger 
ones.  The  small  ones  are 
the  oldest,  and  measure 
2ii  inches,  having  semi- 
globular  heads  31  inches 
in  diameter  and  2  J  inches 
in  depth,  crested  with 
circlets  of  fleur-de-lis. 
The  heads  are  divided  by 


THE  LOVING  CUP 
THE  LATE  MARQUIS  OF  BUTE  IN 


:89I 


25 


The   c  'onnoisseur 


bal  uster  strips, 
nected    together  at  the 

top  by  an  prn 
m  high  relief,  into  four 
compartments,  contain- 
ing alternately  an  n 
rai  d  sen  i]  ornament 
.unl  the  words,  ville 
cardif  T  h  e 

shafts,  divided  into  three 
lengths,  exclusive  of  the 
grips,  are  quite  plain. 
The  grips  arc  "  bulged 
and  banded.    There 

til-marks,  but  die 
date   is  probably  .  irca 
1608.     The  two  larger 
maces  are  33  |   inches 
in  length,  and  are  silver. 
On  the  Bat  plates  at  the 
topol  the  head  under  the 
arches  of  the  crowns  are  the  royal  arms  of  William 
and   Mary   within  the  garter,  and  crowned  with  sup- 
porters and  motto.      Around  the  heads,  divided  from 
each  other  by  demi-figures  and  foliage,  are  the  rose, 
thistle,  harp,  and  fleur-de-lis  severally  crowned.     The 
shafts,  which  are  divid- 
ed into  three  lengths  by 
encircling   knops,   are 
beautifully    chased   in 
double  spiral  wreaths  of 
roses,  thistles,  lilies,  and 
foliage.      Around  the 
base   of    one    is    the 
inscription,   "Cardiff 
Villa,  Ex.  Dono  Johan- 
nis   Richards,  Alder- 
man," and  on  the  other, 
"  Cardiff  Villa."      Hall- 
marks: London  1690-1. 
Maker  :     K,    in    a    shaped    shield    with    a    pellet    in 
base.       The    Lord   Mayor's    chain  of  gold,   with  the 
badge  of  gold  and  enamel,   consists   of  forty-seven 
links.     These  are  intricate  ball-and-twist  pattern,  and 
weigh    30   oz.       The    badge   measures    \\   inches  by 
3!    inches,    and    bears    on    a    shield    within  an  oval 
garter  the  borough  arms,  the  whole  surmounted  by 
a  wreath,  on  the  dexter  of  laurel  leaves  and  berries, 
and  on  the  sinister  of  oak  leaves  and  acorns.     On 
the  garter  are  the  words  "Villa  Cardif,"  and  the  badge 
is  surmounted  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  feathers.    From 


SEAL    OF    WIL1.IAM,    EARL    OF    GLOUCESTER, 
LORD    OF    CARDIFF,    I  147 


COMMON    SEALS    OF    THE    BOROUGH    OF    CARDIFF 

SEAL    OF    THE    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY    (USED    16S4) 

SEAL    NOW    IN    USE    (FIRST    USED    160S) 


tin-  bottom  of  the  badge 
hangs  a  small  oval  pen- 
dant, mi  which,  on  a 
ihield,   are   the    anus   of 

the  M  arq  uis  of  Bute. 

On  tin  back  of  the 
badge  are  engraved  the 
names  and  dates  of 
mayors  since  1867.  The 
Lady  Mayoress's  chain 
was  added  in  1897  to 
commemorate  the  Dia- 
mond Jubilee  of  Queen 
Victoria.  It  is  com- 
posed of  a  succession  of 
shields,  heraldic  roses, 
dragons,  goats,  and 
sea -horses  of  18 -carat 
gold.  The  shield,  which 
occupies  the  centre  of 
the  chain  in  front,  is 
emblazoned  in  correct  heraldic  colours  with  the  arms 
of  the  county  borough  of  Cardiff.  The  chevronels 
are  of  rubies.  The  shield  is  surmounted  by  a  mural 
crown  set  in  diamonds.  Occupying  a  similar  position 
at   the  top  of  the  chain  is  a  pair  of  leeks  in  saltire 

carrying  a  shield  bear- 
ing the  arms  of  Wales, 
also  surmounted  by  a 
mural  crown  set  with 
diamonds.  On  the  sides 
of  the  chain  are  twelve 
shields  charged  with  the 
arms  of  the  counties  of 
Wales.  These  are  all 
enamelled  in  correct 
heraldic  colours,  and 
each  is  surmounted  by 
the  Prince  of  Wales 
plume.  Each  shield  is 
supported  by  either  a  dragon  and  goat  or  a  dragon 
and  a  sea-horse.  Between  the  shield  is  an  heraldic 
rose,  the  common  seal  of  the  borough.  The  badge 
is  of  diamonds,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  portrait  in 
enamel  of  Queen  Victoria,  surmounting  which  are  the 
royal  arms  enamelled  in  colours.  On  either  side 
are  figures  typifying  poetry  and  music.  Below  are 
branches  in  diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds,  or  roses, 
thistles,  and  shamrocks,  with  the  dates  1 837-1897. 
The  link  which  joins  the  badge  to  the  chain  consists 
of  a  rose,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  diamond. 


26 


Cottage   and    Farmhouse    Furniture 


By    R.  L.  Mason 


"  Castle,  house,  cottage,"  runs  the  old 
distich,  and  the  words  not  inaptly  describe  the  trend 
of  furniture  fashions,  the  shapes  and  styles  seen  in 
the  mansions  of 
one  generation 
finding  their  way 
to  the  abodes  of 
the  farmers  and  cot- 
tagers of  the  next. 
The  wheel  of 
fashion,  however, 
is  ceaseless  in  its 
revolutions  :  cot- 
tages and  farm- 
houses are  being 
ransacked  of  their 
contents  for  the 
adornment  of 
dwellings  of  high- 
er degree;  and 
oaken  dressers, 
whose  shelves  were  once  filled  with  the  coarse  earthen- 
ware used  for  the  labourers'  beans  and  bacon,  are 
now  laden  with  delicate  china,  forming  the  centres 
of  attraction  in  many  a  suburban  drawing-room. 

Though   Cottage  and  Farmhouse  Furniture  is  the 
title  of  Mr.   Arthur  Hayden's  latest  contribution  to 


INTERIOR      OF      FARMHOUSE      PARLOUR 


the  excellent  "  Chat6  Series,''  one  suspects  that  the 
term  is  somewhat  of  a  misnomer.  The  circumstance 
of  being  born  in  a  stable  does  not  convert  one  into  a 

horse,  so  the  fact 
that  many  delight- 
ful old  articles  are 
now,  or  rather  were, 
chiefly  to  be  found 
in  cottages  and 
farmhouses,  does 
not  imply  that 
originally  they  were 
intended  for  such 
humble  dwellings. 
The  bulk  of  the  fur- 
niture described  by 
the  author  is  not  of 
later  origin  than  the 
beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century, 
while  some  of  it 
dates  back  to  the  seventeenth.  The  former  time 
synchronises  with  that  of  many  of  the  rustic  interiors 
painted  by  Morland  and  his  contemporaries.     If  the 

■   Chats  on  Cottage  and  Farmhouse  Furniture,    by  Arthur 
Ilayilen.        (T.   Fisher    Unwin.       5s.  net.) 


CRICKET  "      TABLE 


CIRCA       I75O 


CIRCA       I7OO 


27 


The    Connoisseur 


quaint  corner  cupboards, 

grandfather's  clocks,  and 
chintz-hung  windows  had 
been  among  the  usual  fur- 
niture ol  a  cottage,  these 
artists  would  hardly  have 
tailed  to  introduce  such 
picturesque  objects  in  their 
canvases  :  their  omission  to 
do  so  may  be  taken  as 
strong  evidence  that  such 
articles  were  not  among  the 
orthodox  possessions  of  a 
cottager.  H  ow  then  were 
the  cottages  of  the  period 
furnished?  The  answer  may 
be  found  in  such  paintings 
as  the  one  by  Morland, 
-.bowing  a  fashionable  lady 
paying  A  Visit  to  tlie  Child 
at  nurse.  Here  the  furniture 
shown  is  both  meagre  in 
quantity  and  poor  in  quality. 
What  there  is  of  it  appears 
home  -  made.  The  nurse — 
a  woman,  one  would  think, 
of  superior  station,  or  else 
she  would  not  be  entrusted 
with  her  charge — is   seated 

on  the  bed,  apparently  because  she  has  no  chair. 
The  bed  itself  is  a  rough  wooden  structure,  supported 
on  four  roughly-shaped  posts,  rude  and  substantial 
enough  to  support  the  stand  of  a  hay-stack,  while  a 
home-made  stool,  a  few  baskets,  and  a  single  shelf, 
high  placed  on  the  wall  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the 


OLIVER      GOLDSMITH  S      CHAIR 


children,  and  holding  a  few 
articles  of  crockery,  consti- 
tute all  the  remainder  of 
the  furniture  that  is  visible. 
Tin- cottage — or  rather  small 
farm,  for  it  boasts  of  at  least 
two  living-rooms — from 
which  the  fai  r  bu  t  Ira  i  1 
Lretitia  elopes  to  join  her 
lover  is  a  little  better  fur- 
nished; but  one  doubts 
whether  any  of  the  pieces 
portrayed  would  be  orna- 
mental enough  to  illustrate 
in  Mr.  Hayden's  volume. 

There  are,  however,  some 
interesting  objects  to  be 
found  depicted  in  the  old 
prints.  One  of  these  is  the 
hour-glass,  the  precursor  of 
the  grandfather's  clock, 
which  Wheatley  not  unfre- 
quently  introduces.  The 
same  artist,  too,  whose  cot- 
tage interiors  appear  more 
amply  furnished  than  those 
of  Morland,  being  generally 
of  a  slightly  later  date, 
occasionally  introduces  a 
warming-pan,  of  which  utensil  Mr.  Hayden  gives 
several  interesting  examples.  But  warming-pans  were 
by  no  means  indigenous  to  either  cottage  or  farm- 
house ;  their  use  was  probably  introduced  from  the 
towns,  and  in  all  likelihood  many  of  the  older 
specimens  now  picked  up  in  country  districts  have 


FIREGRATE 


EIGHTEENTH      CENTURY 


28 


Cottage   and  Farmhouse   Furniture 


drifted  there  after 
they  have  ceased 
to  be  fashionable 
in  the  former  places. 
Of  chairs,  the  ladder- 
back  with  rush  seat 
appears  to  be  the 
favourite  type.  Mr. 
Hayden  tells  us 
that  this  ladder- 
back  type  belongs 
to  the  North  of 
England,  its  "real 
home  and  place  of 
origin  " ;  but  the 
fact  that  he  also 
informs  us  that 
this  type  is  still 
to  be  found  on  the 
Continent,  and  its  constant  introduction  in  eighteenth- 
century  prints,  would  lead  one  rather  to  infer  that 
it  first  appeared  in  the  South  and  subsequently  be- 
came localised  in  the  North.  These  ladder-backed 
rush-bottomed  chairs  evidently  must  have  enjoyed  a 
long  period  of  general  popularity  with  the  poorer 
classes,  for  specimens  of  them  appear  in  almost  every 
picture  of  a  humble  interior  through  the  latter  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  heroine  of  Hogarth's 
Harlot's   Progress — painted    in    173 1 — has    one    by 


PINEWOOD      COUNTRY-MADE      ADAM      TABLE 


her  bedside  in  the 
scene  depicting  her 
arrest,  while  Mor- 
land,   Ward,   and 
Wheatley  frequently 
introduce  what   is 
practically  the  same 
type  in  their  works 
painted  from  fifty  to 
eighty  years  later. 
This  variety,  Mr. 
Hayden   tells  us, 
was  superseded  by 
the   Windsor   chair 
— so  called  from 
George    III.  order- 
ing one  for  his  own 
use  for  Windsor 
Castle.      This  held 
its  own  in  country  places  until  within  living  memory. 
One  sees  them  occasionally  introduced  in  Morland's 
pictures,  not  in  peasants'  cottages,  but  as  belonging 
to  people   of  a    better   class.       It    is  interesting   to 
remember  that  Oliver  Goldsmith's  chair,  now  in  the 
Bethnal  Green  Museum,  belongs  to  this  type,  which 
was  as  much  used  in  the  town  as  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Hayden  states  that  "  the  study  of  old  farm- 
house and  cottage  furniture  has  not  been  pursued  in 
this  country  in  so  scientific  a  manner  as  in  Sweden 


"^■ii   1  mo— -am 


OAK    CHAIR,    WITH    CRESTING 

RAIL    OF    CHARLES    II.    PERIOD 

DETAINED 


OAK    CHAIR,     WITH     ELABORATION 

IN    TURNED    LEGS    AND    UPRIGHTS    OF 

WILLIAM    AND    MARY    PERIOD    RETAINED 


OAK    CHAIR,    WITH    SUNK    SEAT 
FOR    SQUAB,    SHOWING    TRANSITION 
FROM    LATH    BACK    TO    SPLAT    BACK 


29 


The   Connoisseur 


and  Denmark,"  and  urges  that  the  authorities 
should  take  action,  before  it  is  too  late,  by 
erecting  a  series  ol  typical  farmhouses.  One 
raid  that  the  result  would  not  be  so  satis- 
factory as  in  the  northern  kingdoms.  In  the 
latter  agriculture  has  always  been  the  chief  pur- 
suit, and  consequently  the  prevailing  fashions 
in  furniture  have  been  largely  dominated  by 
prevailing  in  the  agricultural  districts. 
In  England,  on  the  other  hand,  since  civilized 
furniture  has  come  into  VOgue,  the  town  has 
dominated  the  country  ;  the  landed  gentry  have 
taken  theii  fashions  second-hand  from  London, 
and  their  tenantry  have  followed  suit.  Thus 
ili'  articles  specially  appertaining  to  country 
and  farmhouse  life  are  few  in  number,  and 
even  of  these  not  a  few  can  trace  an  urban 
ancestry.  The  spinning-wheel  is  one  of  the 
most  typical  objects  in  old  English  country  life, 


BIBLE     BOX     OF     R\RE     PATTERN,     ABOUT     165O 

but  the  spinning-wheel  was  also  in  use  anion 
great  ladies,  and  the  most  beautiful  specimens 
not  from  the  cottage,  but  the  hall.  Rush- 
light holders  were  characteristic  cottage 
utensils,  until  they  were  replaced  by 
candlesticks,  the  rushlight  being  the 
precursor  of  the  common  dip  candle, 
which  now  in  its  turn  has  been  almost 
wholly  superseded  by  wax.  The  rush- 
light was  merely  a  thin  rush  stripped  of 
its  surface,  so  that  only  the  inner  white 
pith  remained,  and  then  dipped  into 
melted  tallow  until  it  was  well  soaked  and 
coated.  It  could  not  stand  upright,  and 
had  to  be  supported  by  a  holder  arranged 
with  jaws  capable  of  clasping  it  at  any 
point.  These  holders  were  invariably 
made  of  iron,  and  are  more  interesting 
as  curiosities  than  as  ornaments.  More 
beautiful  were  the  old  sand-moulded  fire- 
backs,  which,  if  not  wholly  confined  to 
Sussex — the  great  iron-making  county  of 
England  until  well  on  in  the  seventeenth 


the 
come 


PRIMITIVE    GATE-LEG    TABLE  MADE    BY    A    LOCAL    CARPENTER 

century — are  chiefly  to  be  found  there. 
In  the  sixteenth  century  a  considerable 
number  were  made,  some  with  the  royal 
arms  and  with  the  royal  cypher,  "E.R.," 
and  bearing  dates  and  sometimes 
makers'  names.  The  earliest  type  was 
stamped  with  the  fleur-de-lys  or  with 
portions  of  twisted  cable  to  form  some 
sort  of  a  design.  A  later  pattern  is  the 
"  Royal  Oak,"  showing  an  oak  tree  sur- 
mounted with  three  crowns  and  having 
the  initials  "  C.R."  placed  below.  This  is,  of  course, 
commemorative  of  the  escape  of  Charles  II.  and  his 


UNIQUE     DRESSER      AND     CLOCK     COMBINED 
IN     THE     COLLECTION     OF     D.    A.    BEVAN,    ESQ. 


Cottage   and  Farmhouse   Furniture 


LADDER-BACK     CHAIRS     WITH      RUSH      SEATS 

concealment  in  the  oak  tree.  Later  came 
the  Dutch  influence,  resulting  in  the  intro- 
duction of  a  higher  and  narrower  type, 
with  designs  of  a  more  ornate  character, 
generally  representing  scriptural  and 
mythological  subjects.  Other  articles 
appertaining  to  the  fire  were  chimney 
cranes,  the  swing  -  arm  variety  of  which 
is  still  to  be  found  in  many  a  farmhouse 
kitchen,  and  the  now  practically  obsolete 
pot-hook  type,  which  hung  from  the  chim- 
ney by  a  chain,  a  catch,  which  might  be 
raised  or  lowered,  being  suspended  from 
its  teeth.  Cake-burners,  resembling 
thick  frying-pans,    having  lids  to  protect 


the  dough  from  the  flames,  served  as  a  primitive 
substitute  for  an  oven,  the  instrument  being  held 
over  the  smouldering  ashes  until  its  contents  were 
baked.  Kettle-trivets  are  sometimes  to  be  found 
in  cottages,  but  are  by  no  means  indigenous,  being 
commonly  in  use  in  better-class  houses  both  in 
town  and  country  until  quite  recently. 

Indigenous  articles  of  cottage  furniture  are  ex- 
tremely few,  most  of  the  desirable  pieces  of  furni- 
ture belonging  to  the  present  generation  of  cottages 
having  been  gradually  accumulated  as  they  were 
discarded  from  the  houses  of  the  wealthier  classes. 
The  village  wheelwright  might  attempt  some  of 
the  plainer  articles  of  furniture,  such  as  the  more 
primitive  types  of  table  and  the  practically  un- 
decorated  types  of  oaken  cradles,  but  one  fancies 
that  anything  of  a  more  ambitious  nature  which 
was  not  imported  from   London   would  come  from 


TYPES     OF     COTTAGE     CHAIRS     IN     OAK 


LANCASHIRE     SPINDLE-BACK     CHAIRS 


the  cabinet-makers  in  the  country  towns. 
Their  customers  were  not  so  much  tenant 
farmers,  but  provincial  merchants,  pro- 
fessional men,  and  all  but  the  larger  land- 
holders —  people  often  of  considerable 
substance,  but  who,  like  Squire  Hard- 
castle,  were  content  to  have  their  fur- 
niture "antique  but  creditable,"  and  rarely 
if  ever  paid  a  visit  to  the  metropolis. 
The  larger  country  inns — not  the  road- 
side tavern  of  the  "Three  Pigeons" 
type,  but  those  more  of  the  standing  of 
the  "Castle  Inn"  at  Marlborough — 
would  also  be  furnished  from  these  pro- 
vincial firms.  So  that  most  of  what  is 
now  popularly  termed  cottage  and  farm- 
house furniture  was  really  originally 
destined  for  abodes  of  superior  standing. 
In  Mr.  Hayden's  well-written  book  he 


The   Connoisseur 


favourite  tables  in  the  country  were  of 
gate-legged  types,  and  among  these 
may  be  found  examples  so  rudely  con- 
structed as  evidently  to  owe  their  origin 
to  a  village  carpenter.  In  some  parts 
of  the  country  distinctive  types  were 
used,  as,  for  instance,  the  "cricket" 
tables  peculiar  to  Hertfordshire, 
Bedfordshire,  Cambridge,  and  Essex, 
supposedly  so  called  because  their 
legs  were  suggestive  of  cricket  stumps. 
Possibly  the  name  originates  from  the 
earlier  variety  of  cricket,  more  com- 
monly known  as  stool-ball,  in  which  a 
small  stool  was  used  instead  of  wickets, 
the  forms  of  the  tables  being  similar  to 


SUSSEX     IRON     FIREBACK 

FIRST      HALF     OF     SIXTEENTH      CENTURY 


describes  the  styles  and  periods  of  this 
country-made  furniture  accurately  and 
in  an  instructive  manner.  Its  makers 
fashioned  their  pieces  in  a  more  solid 
and  substantial  manner  than  the  town 
craftsmen,  whose  styles  they  imitated, 
often  after  the  lapse  of  many  years. 
They  disregarded  the  fashions  for 
special  woods  shown  at  different 
epochs,  most  commonly  using  oak,  but 
otherwise  any  other  wood  that  hap- 
pened to  be  accessible,  and  thus  we 
have  such  unusual  combinations  as 
an  Adam   table   in   pine  wood.     The 


ORIGINAL     WOODEN     PATTERNS     FROM     WHICH     FIREBACKS     WERE 
MADE,     AT     ASHBURNHAM.     SUSSEX 


SUSSEX     IRON     FIREBACK 

LATE     SEVENTEENTH     CENTURY 


the  stools.  Belonging  to  an  earlier 
date  are  the  bible  boxes,  which 
first  appeared  in  the  times  of  the 
Puritans.  Many  other  curious  and 
uncommon  types  of  furniture 
might  be  mentioned,  none  perhaps 
more  unique  than  the  combination 
of  clock  and  dresser,  of  which  an 
illustration  is  given.  Readers  who 
wish  to  study  the  subject  more 
thoroughly  cannot  do  better  than 
consult  Mr.  Hayden's  handy  vol- 
ume, which,  compact,  well  written 
and  profusely  illustrated,  is  as 
good  a  guide  as  one  could  wish 
to  have. 


X 
u 


X 


OTES 


gjUERigj 


[The  Editor  invites  the  assistance  of  readers 
information  required  by  Correspondents .] 

Unidentified  Painting  (19). 
Dear  Sir, — I  enclose  herewith  photograph  for 
insertion  in  your  "  Notes  and  Queries  "  pages  of  your 
magazine.  The  original  canvas  of  this  painting 
measures  S  ft.  by  4  ft.  6  in.  It  represents  Bacchus 
and  Ariadne  on  the  island  of  Naxos,  with  accom- 
panying band  of  nymphs,  satyrs,  etc.,  including  the 
drunken  god  Silenus  seated  on  an  ass.  The  picture 
also  shows  the  golden  crown  presented  to  Ariadne  by 
Bacchus  when  she  became  his  bride.  I  am  anxious 
to  ascertain  the  name  of  the  painter  of  this  picture. 
Yours  truly,  Otto  Popper. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.  13). 
November,  191 2. 
Dear  Sir, — There  is  a  print  of  this  at  Coolmore 
(Major  J.  H.Connellan's),Thomastown,  co.  Kilkenny. 
It  has  no  title,  but  underneath  it  is  stated  that  the 
picture  was  painted  by  Frederick  Taylor,  R.W.S. 
(curious,  as  the  picture  (No.  13)  is  an  oil-painting), 


of  The  Connoisseur  who  may  be  able  to  impart  the 

and  engraved  by  H.  T.  Ryall,  historical  engraver  to 
the  Queen.  Yours  faithfully,  F.  W.  S. 

Drawings  by  Rossini. 
Dear  Sir, — I  have  lately  come  across  some 
rather  nice  architectural  etchings  of  full  size,  by 
"Rossini,  1822,"  whose  name  does  not  appear  in 
Bryan.  Can  Connoisseur  help  to  solve  problem  ? 
Italian  scenes.  Yours  faithfully,   R.  C  W. 

Unidentified  Painting  (14).  November,  191 2. 
Sir, — The  original  of  the  picture  St.  Agnes  with 
the  Lamb  is  by  Carlo  Dolci.  I  have  a  specially  fine 
copy  by  an  Italian  artist,  which  was  bought  by  my 
father  about  1S38  or  '39.  My  picture  differs  slightly 
from  that  in  The  Connoisseur.  The  face  is  far 
prettier  ;  the  lamb  is  looking  at  St.  Agnes,  and  is 
in  a  totally  different  position.  I  should  say  E.  C. 
Masters'  copy  was  not  accurate.  My  picture  is  on 
canvas,  and  is  beautiful.  C.  Hippisley. 


(19)     unidentified     painting 


35 


The   Connoisseur 


(20)     unidentified   painting 

Unidentified  Painting  (20). 

Dear    Sir,— I    am    sending   you    under   separate 

cover  a  photograph  of  a  painting  in  my  possession. 

It    was    bought   originally    in    Italy,  about  the    year 

1840,    and    brought    to    this   country,   where    it    was 

placed  in   a  private  collection.      Since  that   time  it 

has  come  into  my  possession,  and  I  am  very  anxious 

to  find   out  who   the  artist  might  be   and  who   the 

subject    is.       The  canvas   is  about    i\    by    i\    feet. 

I    will    greatly    appreciate    any    information    on    this 

subject. 

Yours  very  truly,  Edgar  Ames. 

Unidentified  Picture  (No.   13). 

November,   191 2. 

Dear    Sir, —  Amongst   the    unidentified    pictures 

given  in  your  last  issue,  there  is  one  (No.  13)  which 

is  exactly  like  one  I  had  (and  know  where  it  is  now), 

and  the  lettering  below  is  as  follows  : — 

Painted  by  Frederick  Taylor,  Member  of  the  Society  of 

Water-Colours. 
Engraved  by  H.  T.  Ryall,  Artist  to  the  Queen. 

From  ihe  original  drawing  in  his  collection 

to 

l:  njamin  Hick,  Esq.,  of  Bolton,  this  Engraving  of  the  Morning 

of  the  Chase  at  Haddon  Hall  in  the  days  of  yore  is  respectfully 

inscribed  by  the  publishers,  Henry  Grave  &  Co. 


The  size  of  the  actual  engraving  is  34  in.  by  32  in., 
with  about  4  in.  margin. 

1  recognised  the  picture  at  once.  Haddon  Hall 
is  quite  close  to  Bakewell.  The  building  is  correct, 
and  the  persons  on  the  picture  appear  to  be  making 
a  fuss  owr  a  young  lady  on  the  white  horse,  which, 
I  expect,  is  meant  for  the  famous  Dorothy  Vernon, 
daughter  of  one  of  the  Lords  of  Haddon.  You  no 
doubt  have  heard  of  the  romantic  elopement  with 
|ohn  Manners.  If  not,  1  can  send  you  a  book 
written  by  the  late  Duchess  of  Rutland  which  partly 
describes  1  bullion  in  former  days. 

1  am,  yours  truly,  J.  Smith. 

Unidentified  Painting  (21). 
Dear  Sir, — I  enclose  herewith  a  photograph 
of  an  unidentified  picture  for  insertion  in  "  Notes 
and  Queries."  The  size  of  the  canvas  in  26  in.  by 
28  in.  It  belongs  to  me,  and  it  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  my  family  more  than  150  years,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  been  painted  by  a  great  I  Hitch  artist. 
The  picture  is  very  fine  and  delicate,  the  hair  of  the 
figure  light  blond.  She  is  in  blue-black  dress,  painted 
on  dark-grey  ground.  Can  you  or  anyone  of  your 
readers  inform  me  of  the  name  of  the  painter  ? 

I  am,  faithfully  yours,  Arpad  Deak. 

Unidentified  Painting  (22). 
Dear  Sir,— Will  you  very  kindly  insert   in  The 
Connoisseur  the  photo  of  an  old  oil-painting  which 


(2l)       UNIDENTIFIED    PAINTING 


36 


Notes   and   Queries 


1  possess  ?  The  paint- 
ing was  the  property 
of  a  local  flax  mer- 
chant, and  had  been  in 
the  possession  of  his 
family  for  130  years.  It 
was  brought  from  the 
Continent.  The  canvas 
is  40  in.  by  27  in.,  and 
perhaps  some  of  your 
contributors  might  be 
able  to  identify  same. 
It  has  been  attributed 
to  Franz  Hals  by  a  local 
critic. 

I  am,  yours  respectfully, 
John  Brown. 

Unidentified 
Portrait  (i). 
September,  1912. 
1  (ear  Sir, — Re  the 
request  signed  "  M.B." 
in  connection  with  the 
unidentified  portrait 
No.  1  in  your  Septem- 
ber, 191 2,  issue,  I  wish 
to  say  that  I  believe  the 
person  represented  to  be 
no  other  than  jeanne  d'albert,  queen  of  navarre, 
and  mother  of  Henry  IV.  of  France.  The  costume  is 
that  of  the  period,  and  the  essential  features  are  very 
like  those  shown  in  the  earlier  and  probably  idealised 
engraved  portrait  in  Imbert  de  Saint  Amand's  Valois 
Court. 

Respectfully  yours, 

H.  Hager. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.   15). 

November,   19 12. 

•Sir, — From    rough    observation,    I    should   say    it 

might  be  the  work  of  Nicholas  Poussin  (French)   or 

by  one  of  his   pupils,    much   after   the    style   of  one 

I 'had.  H.  P.  R. 


Unidentified 

Painting  (14). 

November,   191 2. 

Dear  Sir, — I  am  a 
subscriber  to  The  Con- 
noisseur, and  in  reply 
to  the  enquiry  of  Miss 
Emily  C.  Masters  in  your 
November,  191 2,  issue, 
I  beg  leave  to  send  you 
the  following  announce- 
ment, which  explains 
itself: — 

Yours  truly,  Belle 
Cameron  Thom. 


"  We  beg  to  call  the 


)       UNIDENTIFIED    PAINTING 


attention  of  the  art- 
lovers  of  California  to 
this  picture  from  the 
brush  of  one  of  the 
greatest  of  Italy's  Old 
Masters.  Carlo  Dolci 
was  celebrated  for  his 
religious  paintings,  and 
St.  Agues  is  an  ex- 
quisite and  rare  example 
of  his  work.  He 
is  represented  in  the 
chief  galleries  of  the  world,  but  never  before  has  a 
painting  of  such  importance  been  placed  tor  sale  in 
Los  Angeles,  or,  in  fact,  in  California. 

"  The  picture  originally  came  to  this  country  in  the 
possession  of  a  French  gentleman,  and  passed  from 
his  hands  into  the  collection  of  a  well-known  connois- 
seur ;  there  it  remained  for  almost  fifty  years,  when  it 
again  changed  owners,  and  has  now  been  entrusted  to 
us  for  disposal. 

"  It  will  be  on  exhibition  in  our  galleries  for  a 
limited  time  only,  and  we  extend  a  cordial  invitation 
to  those  interested  to  call  and  inspect  this  valuable 
painting." 

Kanst  Art  Gallery, 

642,  South  Spring  Street,  Los  Angeles,  California. 


A  REMARKABLE  example  of  the  old    Knglish  rolled 

paperwork  described  in  the  last  October  number  of 

The    Connoisseur   is   now  to  be 

Old  English  seen    ;n    the    victoria    and    Albert 

^oIIed      ,  Museum,    the   gift   of    Mr.   W.    A. 

raperwork 

Propert.     '1  he    donor,   who    has    a 

number  of  fine  specimens  of  similar  technique,  selected 

this  as  being  the  best  in  his  collection  for  presentation 

to  the  Museum. 


'The  work,  which 
is  entirely  ot 
rolled  paper  en- 
riched with  gold 
and  colour,  is 
executed  with 
great  skill  and 
ingenuity,  and 
the  result  is 
highly  decora- 
tive. The  arms 
are  those  of 
Queen  Anne, 
and  as  an  ex- 
ample of  English 
craftsmanship  of 
the  early  eigh- 
teenth century, 
the  object  is 
one  of  consider- 
able value  and 
interest. 

Clepsydra,  or 
Water-Clock 

Mr.F.  J.  Brit- 
ten tells  us  in 
his  most  valuable 
work,  Old  Clocks 
iiiid  Watches  and 


OLD     ENGLISH     ROLLED     PAPERWORK 


their  Makers,  that  one  of  the  very  earliest  ways  of 
measuring  time  was  by  the  flow  of  water,  and  gives 
several  interesting  illustrations  of  the  various  methods 
in  which  this  was  carried  out.  We  are  also  told  that 
there  was  a  revival  of  these  instruments  in  the  early 
years  of  the  seventeenth  century.  As  the  sun-dial 
has  remained  with  us  long  after  its  use  as  a  time- 
recorder  was  necessary,  so  I  presume  the  manufacture 

of  the  water- 
clock  may  have 
lingered  in  the 
same  way. 

Th  e    c  lock 
here   illustrated 

1  recently  added 
to  my  collection. 
It     measures 

2  feet  9  inches 
in  height  and 
io  inches  across 
the  face  of  the 
dial.  The  cis- 
tern holds  about 
one  q  u  art  o  f 
water.  On  the 
top  of  the 
water  rests  the 
float.  At  the 
bottom  of  the 
cistern  (hi  dd  en 
from  view  be- 
hind the  in- 
scription plate) 
is  a  very  small 
tap,  from  which 
the  water  drips 
into  the  tank. 
As  the  water  falls 
in    the    cistern. 


Notes 


WATER-CLOCK 


FRONT     VIEW 


the  float  descends  and  causes  the  pointer  to  revolve 
round  the  dial.  The  face  of  the  dial  is  numbered  for 
twenty-four  hours,  and  on  an  outer  rim  will  be  seen 
the  signs  of  the  Zodiac.  When  the  water  has  all 
passed  from  the  cistern  to  the  tank,  the  latter  has  to 
be  unhooked,  emptied,  and  a  fresh  supply  of  water 


put  into  the  cistern.  The  diffi- 
culty is  to  adjust  the  tap  so  that 
the  water  does  not  drip  out  too 
quickly.  The  clock  goes  about 
forty  hours  without  refilling.  The 
supports  of  the  dial  are  of  oak, 
and  interlacing  scroll-work  is 
carved  on  the  face  of  the  up- 
rights. On  either  side  of  the 
supports  is  bolder  interlacing 
and  the  figure  of  a  monk.  The 
inscription   reads  :  — 

"  Tyme  is  Swift 
Dave  Cartlidge  of  ye 
Towne  of  Rutherglen,   1652." 

Maberly  Phillips,  F.S.A. 


Dr.    Fingland     sends 

some  further   information  on 

"  Stay  Busks," 
"Stay  Busks"       as  iUustrated  in 

The  Connoisseur  for  October, 
p.  117. 

Maze  Sender,    "  Le  Livre  des 
Collectionneurs,"  p.  737,  et  seq. 

Les  Buses  de  Corsage  were 
made  in  steel,  ivory,  varnished 
and  stained  woods,  silver-gilt 
covered  with  devices,  ornaments, 
allegorical  designs  engraved  in 
black,  which  served  to  support 
the  high  corsages  and  give  the 
figure  certain  advantages.  Mine. 
de  Villedieu  has  composed  upon 
the  Busk,  under  the  title  of 
"  Gallanterie,"  a  poem,  very 
clever,  printed  with  her  Carrou- 
sel de  Monsigneur  le  Dauphin, 
1672. 

"Qu'il  hereux  de  tout  costez, 
I.e  bois  leger  que  vous  portez  ; 
Et  que  son  office  admirable 
Devrait  paroitre  desirable, 
Aux  galans  les  plus  fortunez, 
(Hi 'amour  ait  jamais  couronnez ; 
D'ailleurs,  de  ce  bois  -an  merite, 
La  fortune  est  elle  petite, 
Quant  a  la  main  vous  le  tenez, 
Et  qu'  avec  lui  vous  badinez, 
Car  la  beaute  la  plus  devine, 
Avec  son  busc,  souvent  badine, 
Et  le  badinage  a  des  gouts 
Tout  a  fait  ravissants  et  doux  ; 
L'autre  bout  qui  regatde  en  bas, 
Couvre  certains  lieux   pleins  d'appas, 
Que  1'on  pent   mieux  penser  que  dire, 
Et  qu'il  fame  joliment  d'ecrire." 


WATER-CLOCK 
SIDE     VIEW 


39 


The    Connoisseur 


On  the 


GLASS     TODDY     LIFTER 

The  Collection  of  Busks  of  Mme.Jubinalde  St.  Albin. 
i.   C  •.'<•'  de  bois,  pont  d'eau,  bete  que  fuit  est  chatiee. 
(Zini,  1556.) 

2.  Fer  grave,  man  in  armour,  conducting  a  car 
drawn  by  two  lions  :  on  the  other  side  a  woman  nude, 
transfixed  with  an  arrow,  then  this  quatrain:— 

"  J'ai  de  ma  dank-  celte  grace, 
D'estre  Mir  son  sein  longuement. 
D'011   jottys  sospirer  un  araant. 
Qui  vouldrait  bien  tenir  la   plao 

3.  Triangular  Busk  in  ivory,  engraved  designs, 
thn-e  medallions  accompanied  with  mottoes.  1st, 
Two  hearts  enflammes — "L'amour  les  joint."  2nd, 
Two  hearts  transfixed  with  an  arrow — "  Elles  nous 
unit."  3rd,  A  flower  like  a  sun — "  Vous  voir,  ou 
mourn.'     1  (  ommencement  of  seventeenth  century.) 

4.  Black  Busk  of  Anne  of  Austria.      First,  device 
under  L'Amour.      "  Plus  redoutable  que  la   foudre." 
Second,  Justice— "  Equite."     Third,   under  her  por- 
trait— "  Soyez    moi    bono   sujets,   je    vous   serai 
bon  prince.    Plutot  montrer  que  perdre."    Fourth, 
"  \"ertu,  bonte,  sagesse  suivent  cette  princesse." 


Fifth,    "Si    la   loi   manque,   l'amour  pcrira. 
other  side  are  the  following  lines  : 

"  |e  5uis  ce  beau  busc  curieux, 
Aussi  chaque  ieune  amoureux, 
VIi    baise  avec  force  tendressc, 
Je  sei  3  de  divertissement, 
]  t  111:1  place  ovdinairement, 
Est  sin    le  coeut  de  ma  maitresse." 


5.   Device  on  the  Busk  of  the  Grande  Mademoiselle, 

"  Suit  que  je  v  ive  ou  que  je  meure, 
fe  \  eux  que  mon  1  01  m    •<■•"    demeun  , 
Mes  yeux  a  tous,  mon  coeur  a  vous, 
La  tendresse  el  la  foi  Mir  tout, 
Combien  je  i">il  envie  an  bonheur  qui  le  suit, 
Etendu  mollemenl  sui   ce  blanc  sein  d'ivoire, 
Partagons  entre  nous,  ->'il  le  plait  cette  gloire  ; 
In  v  Mm,    n    jour  ei  gi  sere  la  nun." 

6.  Busk,  Louis  XIII.,  a  poignard,  en  marqueterii 
de  bois  violette  et  ivoire. 

7.  Busk,  Louis  XIII,  en  vermeil,  cisele,  surmonti 
d'une  couronne  royale. 

S.  Busk,  Louis  XIII,  eighteenth  century.  Di 
musicienne,  en  ivoire,  presenting  engraved  ornament 
illustrating  music,  and  a  heart  pierced  with  an  arroi 
placed  on  a  "  bonne  foi,"  deux  mains  qui  se  tienneni 

For  want  of  a  better  name  1  call  the  little  bottl 
here  shown  a  "  Toddy  Lifter,"  for  tha 

"Toddy  really  was  its  use.      It  was  recentl 

given   me   by  a  friend  living  near  th 

borders  of  Scotland.     It  is  glass,  6  inches  high,  an 


BOTTLING     PROTECTOR 


40 


Notes 


will  hold  about  a  wine-glassful  of  liquid.  It  is  pretty 
well  known  that  when  a  Scotsman  brewed  himself  a 
"  rummer"  of  whisky  and  water,  it  was,  and  probably 
still  is,  the  custom  to  ladle  out  a  wine-glassful  of  the 
steaming  liquid,  which  was  handed  to  his  better  half 
or  other  lady  friend  as  her  portion. 

The  little  bottle  here  illustrated  obviated  the  use  of 
the  toddy  ladle.  It  has  a  very  small  hole  at  the  top, 
and  a  rather  larger  one  at  the  bottom.  When  the 
gentleman  wished  to  fill  the  lady's  glass  he  plunged 
the  bottle  into  the  rummer,  where  it  would  speedily 
fill  from  the  bottom  hole.  Then  placing  his  forefinger 
over  the  top  hole  so  as  to  exclude  the  air,  he  would 
lift  the  bottle  over  the  lady's  glass  and  remove  his 
finger,  when  the  air  pressure  would  cause  the  liquid 
to  flow  from  the  bottom  hole.  These  bottles  may 
still  be  in  use,  but  it  is  the  only  one  I  have  met  with. 
Further  information  would  be  interesting. 


The  protector  here  shown  is  made  of  very  stout 
leather,   shaped    to   cover  a  quart  bottle  up   to  the 

neck.  A  strong  iron  runs  round  the 
Bottling  bottom,  from  which  project  two  spurs. 

It  stands  9}-  inches  high,  and  the  base, 
including  the  spurs,  measures  1 1  inches.  When  draw- 
ing a  cork  the  bottle  would  be  placed  on  the  ground, 


FRENCH  WRITING   BUREAU 


LOUIS  XVI.  TABLE  WITH  ORMOLU  MOUNTS 

and  the  protector  put  over  it.  The  operator,  by 
placing  a  foot  on  each  spur,  would  be  in  an  excellent 
position  to  draw  the  most  obstinate  cork.  Should 
the  bottle  burst  during  the  operation,  the  hand  of 
the  drawer  was  fully  protected.  For  bottling  wine  or 
beer  the  bottle  would  be  put  on  a  table,  the  protector 
placed  over,  when  the  hardest  cork  could  be  driven 
home  with  perfect  safety  to  the  operator. 


Louis  XVI.  Table 

The  small  French  lady's  writing  table  illustrated  is 
of  Louis  XVI.  period,  the  ground-work  being  of  tulip- 
wood,  finely  inlaid  with  coloured  woods  in  floral 
design,  ormolu  mounts  and  banding.  Size,  iS  in.  by 
13  in. 

The  French  writing  bureau  illustrated  is  on  shaped 
legs  ;  the  drawer  has  a  writing  slide  and  a  small  stamp- 
drawer   at   end.     The  bottom  part 
French  Writing     js  enclosed  wi,h  two  slidillg  shutters, 

and  top  part  has  two  sliding  shutters 
enclosing  six  drawers,  all  beautifully  inlaid  in  diaper 
design  on  a  tulip-wood  background.  Loth  the  above 
pieces  are  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Roger  Ford,  of 
Bristol. 


4> 


The   Connoisseur 


Our  Plates 


Pierri    Etienni    Falconer   was  among  the  few 

mporuries.  nt"  Reynolds  who  did  not  fall  undei 
tin-  influence  of  that  master.  Horn 
in  France  and  of  French  parentage, 
his  technique  and  palette  belong  rather  to  his  native 
country  than  that  of  his  adoption.  This  is  instanced 
in  his  charming  Portrait  of  a  Lady,  signed  and  dated 
1771.  and  possibly  the  work  exhibited  under  the 
same  title  at  the  Society  ol  Artists  of  that  year.  The 
simple  yet  finished  handling,  and  the  pure,  cool, 
transparent,  and  harmonious  colour,  derive  their 
origin  from  the  art  of  Watteau,  and  show  a  close 
affinity  to  that  of  Gainsborough  and  of  Ramsay  and 
5,  as  exemplified  in  some  of  their  finer  works. 
The  painting,  which  is  now  at  the  Edward  Gallery 
I  King  Street,  St.  James's),  was  formerly  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  late  John  Bower,  Esq.,  of  West  Dean 
Park,  Chichester.  The  Coming  of  Spring,  by  Mr. 
Charles  Sims,  A.R.A.,  was  described  on  page  193  of 
the  November  number  of  The  Connoisseur  ;  while 
./  Gleaner's  Child,  from  the  plate  in  colours  by 
M.  Bovi,  after  Richard  Westall,  is  the  companion  to 
The  Reaper's  Child,  reproduced  in  the  December 
number.  The  original  picture  was  exhibited  at 
the  Royal  Academy  in   1795.     The  plates  of  Lady 


Caroline  Howard  and  Miss  Sarah  Campbell,  both 
l'\  Valentine  Green,  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  are 
reproduced  from  choice  first -state  proofs  in  the 
collection    ol     Mr.    Fritz    Reiss. 


Books  Received 

Art   in   Egypt,  by  1  >.   Maspero,   6s.  net;    The    Technique  of 

Painting,  by  C.  Moreau-Vauthier,   10s.  6<1.  net;  Great 

Engravers:  Bartolotti,  2S.  6d.  net.     (W.  Heinemann.) 
The  Engravings  0/  William  Blake,  by  Archibald  (i.  K.  Russell, 

M.A.,  25s.  net.     (Granl  Richards.) 
Metalwork  and  Enamelling,  by  Herbert  Maryon,  7s.  6d.  net. 

(Chapman  S  Hall.) 
The  Cottagei  and  the  Village  Life  of  Rural  England,  by  P,  11. 

DitchBeld,  M.A.     (J.  M.  Dent  &  Sons.) 
.  /  History  of  Painting  in  North  Italy,  ;  vi  >ls. ,  edited  I  ly  Tancred 

Borenius,  Ph.D.,  ,£3  3s.  net.     (John  Murray.) 
Lely  and  the  Stuart  Portrait  Painters,  2  vols.,  by  C.  II.  Collins 

Baker,   £7  7s.  ami  £6  6s.  ;    The  King  who  knew  not 

Fear,  by  (  >.  R.,  5s.  net.     (Philip  Lee  Warner.) 
Austria  :  Her  People  and  their  Homelands,   by  James  Baker, 

21s.   net;    The    Van    Eycks   ami  their  Art,    by   W.    II. 

James    Weale    ami    M.    \V.    Brockwell,    12s.    6d.    net. 

(John  Lane.) 
The  English  Fireplace,  by  L.  A.  Shuffrey,  £2  2s.  net.     (B.  T. 

Batsford.) 
History  of  Ola  Sheffield  Plate,  by  Frederick  Bradbury,  £2  2s. 

net.     (Macmillan.) 
The  McClean  Bequest  in  the  Fitzwilliam  Museum  :  Catalogue 

of  Manuscripts,  by  Montague    Rhodes  James,    Litt.l)., 

etc.,    25s.    net  :    and    Catalogue    of    Medieval   Ivories, 

Enamels,  etc.,   by   O.   M.    Dallon,   M.A.,   7s.   6d.   net. 

(Cambridge  University  Press.) 


the  pottery  and  glass  trades  benevolent  institution  banquet,  november  icjth,  icii2 

[photo  fradelle  and  young 


42 


The  Solon 
Collection 


BY  far  the  most  interesting  ceramic  sale  held  during 
the  month  was  that  of  the  collection  of  pottery  and 
porcelain  belonging  to  Mr.  L.  M. 
Solon,  dispersed  by  Messrs.  Charles 
Butters  and  Sons  on  November  26th, 
27th,  and  28th,  at  their  premises,  Trinity  Buildings, 
Hanley.  A  full  account  of  this  collection  is  contained 
in  two  articles  which  appeared  in  the  issues  of  THE 
CONNOISSEUR  for  December,  1901,  and  February, 
1902.  It  was  almost  entirely  confined  to  pre- YVedg  wood 
English  pottery,  of  which  it  contained  a  unique  series  of 
examples.  It  was  the  accumulation  of  forty  years'  search 
for  characteristic  pieces  made  by  a  ceramic  artist  of 
rare  ability  who  possessed  an  unexcelled  knowledge  of 
the  wares  he  collected.  The  three  days'  sale  included 
683  lots,  which  realised  an  aggregate  of  .£5,849.  A  full 
list  of  all  the  individual  items  and  their  prices  will  be 
included  in  the  next  issue  of  "Auction  Sale  Prices." 


Among  the  most  interesting  lots  disposed  of  on  the 
first  day  was  a  Thomas  Toft  slip  dish,  inscribed  with 
the  potter's  name,  and  decorated  in  brown,  red,  and 
yellow  slips,  with  the  figure  of  a  cavalier  drinking  a  toast 
(diam.,  165  in.).  The  opening  bid  was  £100,  and  it  was 
finally  knocked  down  for  £i~o.  A  similar  dish,  with 
a  lady  holding  a  flower,  inscribed,  "  Ralph  Oft  "  (sic) 
(diam.,  17  in.),  brought  £145.  Other  slip  dishes  included 
the  following  : — Dish  with  brown  slip  decoration  over  a 
moulded  pattern,  head  of  Charles  II.  (diam.,  14  in.),  £31  : 
octagonal  dish,  with  pomegranate  ornaments,  brown 
slip  on  a  raised  pattern  (diam.,  14  in.),  early  eighteenth 
century,  Staffordshire,  £30 ;  another  of  the  same  style, 
inscribed,  "Remember  Loth's  Wife"  (diam.,  14  in.), 
£y> ;  and  one  with  yellow  ground  with  floral  decoration 
(diam.,    16  in.),  Staffordshire,  £33. 

Among  old  English  customs  was  the  presentation  of 
a  cradle  made  of  clay  or  some  more  precious  materials 


STAFFORDSHIRE    TYG 


SOLON     SALE,    ^IOO 


43 


The    Connoisseur 


to  happy  pan 
on  tlir  occasion  ol 
the  birth  of  th(  ir 
lirst  child.  Several 
e  .1  r  t  h  o  n  \\  a  r  e 
cradles, which  owed 
their  origin  to  this, 
realised  sums  vai  j 
ing  from  ,£65  to  .£4, 
the    former    being 

llcdfol   .1    .pi  1 

men  in  yellow  ware 

irated  in  brown 

slip,    inscribed, 

"  William  Smith, 
1 "00;  M art h a 
Smith,  M.S." 
(height,  - ,  in.  ; 
length,  1  5  i  in.  . 
S  t  a  ("for  dshire. 
Another,  in  yellow 
clay,     inscribed    in 

1  iwn  slip,  '•  Ralph 
Simpson"  length, 
10  in.),  brought 
,£30  ;  and  a  third, 
in  brown  clay,  also 
inscribed,  and 
dated  1725  (length, 
9  in.),  £33.  A  fine 
posset  pot  with 
three  handles,  de- 
corated in  brown 
and  yellow  slip,  in- 
scri  bed,  "  Mary 
Shiffiibottom,i705" 

height,  7  in.  ;  diam.,  S|  in.),  Staffordshire,  just  attained 
the  dignity  of  three  figures;  while  another,  with  cover 
and  two  handles  and  two  spouts,  similarly  decorated, 
inscribed,  and  dated  1714  (height,  9$  in.  ;  diam.,  8|  in.), 
brought  ,£90  ;  and  a  third  of  the  same  character,  with 
two  handles  and  one  spout,  inscribed,  and  dated  171 1 
(height,  5j  in.  ;  diam.,  7.!  in.),  brought  ,£50.  A  four- 
handled  tyg  of  brown  ware,  decorated  in  yellow  slip, 
shape  of  a  drinking  glass  (height,  9  in.  ;  diam.,  8£  in.), 
supposed  to  be  of  Welsh  origin,  brought  ^65  ;  another, 
with  black  ground,  inscribed  in  yellow  slip,  "  Margaret 
Colley,  1684"  (height,  6|  in.  ;  diam.,  7J  in.),  Staffordshire, 
,£So ;  and  a  third,  of  red  clay  with  ornamented  cover, 
upon  yellow  bands  glazed  in  green,  inscribed,  "  John 
Hughes,  N.B.,  1690,"  ,£100.  A  jug  of  yellow  clay, 
decorated  in  brown  slip  with  a  peacock,  etc.,  dated  1704 
(height,  9  in.),  sold  for  ,£50  ;  and  a  teapot  with  slip 
decoration  in  red  and  black  (height,  with  cover,  S3  in. ), 
Staffordshire,  ^35. 

The  highest-priced  item  on  the  second  day — or,  indeed, 
during  the  whole  sale — was  furnished  by  a  piece  of  white 
ware  touched  up  with  brown,  representing  two  figures 
in  late  seventeenth-century  costume  seated  on  a  bench 
(height,  5  in.).     This  was  obviously  the  fancy  work  of 


PORTOBELI.O     DRINKING     MUG 


some  clever  crafts- 
man, and  not  made 
for  the  trad.'.  After 
a  spii  ited  compi  I 
tion  it  fell  to  a  bid 
of  £205,  going,  it 
is  understood,  to 
New  Zealand.  A 
highly  -  finished 
water  -  ewer,  with 
enamelled  decora- 
tion; in  the  pseudo- 
Chinese  style 
(height,  8i  in.),  be- 
longing to  the  same 
set  as  a  wash-hand 
basin  in  the  Schrie- 
b  e  r  Collection, 
brought  .£100.  It 
is  supposed  to  be 
the  work  of  the 
Dutch  painters  es- 
tablished in  Burs- 
lem  towards  1750. 
A  cruet-stand  with 
four  bottles,  clever- 
ly enamelled  in  the 
Chinese  style  with 
conventional  flow- 
ers (diam.,  7  in.  I, 
brought  ,£62  ;  and 
a  figure  of  a  bird 
decorated  with 
patches  of  brown 
slip  and  dots  of 
dark  blue  (height, 
7  in.),  ,£37-  There  were  a  numerous  array  of  teapots 
and  covers,  of  which  the  following  fetched  the  highest 
prices  : — One  of  globular  shape,  maroon  ground,  with 
reserved  medallions  painted  with  flowers  and  birds 
(height,  4!  in.),  ,£47;  another,  same  shape,  enamelled 
with  the  portrait  of  the  King  of  Prussia  (height,  3j  in.), 
,£36  ;  another,  same  shape,  green  ground  with  a  diaper 
of  yellow,  red,  and  blue  enamelled  lines,  forming  squares 
(height,  3  in.),  £32  ;  another,  cylindrical  shape,  turquoise 
ground  enamelled  with  pink  roses  (height,  2 J-  in.),  ,£33  ; 
and  another,  four-lobed  shape,  enamelled  with  pseudo- 
Chinese  decoration  (height,  j,\  in.),  ,£30.  A  drinking 
mug  and  cover  with  figure  of  Admiral  Vernon,  inscribed, 
"  G.  R.  Portobello,  taken  by  Admiral  Vernon  "  (height, 
9  in.  1,  ,£110;  a  cylindrical  mug  bearing  coats  of  arms 
and  the  subject  of  Hogarth's  Midnight  Conversation 
(height,  7 j  in.),  .£50;  cubic  tea-caddy,  enamelled  with 
pastoral  scenes,  and  inscribed, "  Fine  Bohea  Tea"  (height, 
5  in.),  ,£41  ;  a  figure  of  Queen  Anne,  stained  with  rubbing 
of  blue  glaze  (height,  Ji  in.),  ,£50;  and  four  tiles,  with 
subjects  in  relief  (size,  5  in.),  from  a  mantelpiece  in 
Whieldon's  own  house,  ,£32. 

An  untoward    incident    in  the    third    day's    proceed- 
ings was  the  breakage  by  a  visitor  of  one  of  the  most 


SOLON    sale,  £110 


44 


///    the   Sale   Room 


TOFT     DISH 


interesting'  pieces  in  the 
sale.  This  was  a  double- 
handled  drinking-cup  in 
the  shape  of  a  satyr's 
head,  in  cream-coloured 
ware  touched  with  colour- 
ed -lazes  (height,  5}  in.). 
This,  in  its  damaged  con- 
dition, brought  £\o  10s. 
A  jug,  cream-colour,  with 
applied  stems,  foliages, 
and  rosettes,  clouded 
glazes,  inscribed.  "  K.  H. 
(Ralph  Hammersley), 
1757''  (height,  ~h  in.), 
interesting  as  being  one 
of  the  few  pieces  of  pot- 
tery known  to  be,  with- 
out doubt,  of  Whieldon's 
manufacture,  brought 
^70  ;  a  small  figure  of  a 
man  playing  the  hunt- 
ing-horn, coloured  glazes 
(height,  6 J  in.),  .£30  ;  and  another  of  a  man  seated 
and  drinking,  coloured  glazes,  ^36  ;  a  Toby  jug,  tor- 
toiseshell  ware,  the  figure  holding  in  his  hands  a  pot 
of  red  clay  (height,  c,i  in.,)  ,£60  ;  and  a  teapot  and 
cover,  four-lobed  shape,  perforated  out-casting,  Chinese 
pattern  in  relief,  touched  up  with  coloured  glazes  (height, 
4i  in.),  ^75- 

THOUGH   the    winter    season    commenced    later   than 
usual   this  year,  the   first  picture  sale   at   Christie's  not 

being  held  until  November  22nd,  already 
Pictures  some    noteworthy    prices    have   been 

realised,  though  these  appertain  more 
to  ceramic  art  than  to  pictorial.  The  sale  already 
alluded  to  comprised  old  and  modern  pictures  and 
drawings  from  the  collection  of  Admiral  Sir  Michael 
Culme-Seymour,  Bart.,  and  other  sources.  Only  two 
pictures,  both  by  J.  van  Goyen,  reached  the  dignity  of 
three  figures.  These  were  A  River  Scene,  with  Peasants, 
Ducks,  and  Boats,  signed  with  initials  and  dated  1642,  on 
panel,  21  in.  by  17  in.,  which  brought  ,£241  10s.,  and 
an  unsigned  example,  The  Mouth  of  a  River,  with 
Sailing  Boats,  on  panel,  15  in.  by  235  in.,  which  realised 
the  same  amount. 

The  modern  pictures  and  drawings  belonging  to  John 
Gibbons,  Esq.,  Thomas  Bartlett,  Esq.,  deceased,  and 
from  other  sources,  included  several  examples  of  the  early 
Victorian  period,  which,  considering  the  present  unpopu- 
larity of  such  works,  brought  good  prices.  The  Village 
Pastor,  l'i>\  in.  by  53J  in.,  exhibited  by  W.  P.  Frith,  R.A., 
at  the  Royal  Academy  in  1S45,  brought  ,£504;  and  The 
Glovers,  J'aris,  24'  in.  by  20J  in.,  painted  by  the  same 
artist  in  the  same  year,  .£,120  15s.  Defoe  receiving  back 
the  Manuscript  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  384  in.  by  52  in.,  by 
E.  M.  Ward,  R.A.,  which  was  exhibited  in  1849,  brought 
£157  10s.  ;  The  Mussel  Gatherers,  35  in.  by  53  in.,  by 
W.  Collins,  R.  A.,  £\  52  5s.  ;  A  Cornfield,  20  in.  by  30  in., 


by  J.  Linnell,  sen.,  ,£168; 
A  Farmyard,  28  in.  by 
36  in.,  by  ].  F.  Herring, 
sen.,  1S50,  ,£136  10s. ;  and 
a  portrait  of  Charles 
Dickens  in  the  Character 
of  Captain  Bobadil,  2'?'.] 
in.  by  36^  in.,  by  C.  R. 
Leslie,  R.A.,  despite  its 
unirnpugned  authenticity, 
only  realised  £z\.  A 
portrait  of  John  Philip 
Kemble,  the  actor,  in  dark 
green  coat  and  vest  with 
white  stock,  29J  in.  by 
24!  in.,  by  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence,  brought  ,£420. 
Among  the  more  modern 
works  were  the  follow- 
ing:—  The  Rising  Moon, 
23J  in.  by  3 5 i  in.,  by 
Sir  Alfred  East,  A.R.A., 
,£105  ;  Katie,  24-J  in.  by 
19ft  in.,  by  G.  F.  Watts,  R.A.,  ,£i  1  5  10s.  ;  Orpheus  charm- 
ing the  Lions,  43  in.  by  66  in.,  by  J.  M.  Swan,  R.A.,  ^£630  ; 
and  Oxford,  from  Iffley,  50  in.  by  84  in.,  by  Vicat 
Cole,  R.A.,  ,£252. 


SOI.ON     SALE 


£l/0 


China, 

Furniture, 
Tapestry,  etc. 


SOME  remarkably  high  prices  were  realised  at  the  sale 
of  old  English  furniture  and  English  and  Continental 
porcelain  held  by  Messrs.  Christie  on 
November  2Sth.  The  sensation  of  the 
day  was  provided  by  a  Vienna  porcelain 
group  of  a  lady,  gentleman,  and  three 
children,  I2rt  in.  high,  which,  after  a  spirited  contest, 
brought  .£850,  the  highest  price  ever  realised  at  auction 
for  a  single  piece  of  this  china.  A  Dresden  group  of 
lovers  seated  beneath  a  tree  with  a  lamb  and  dog,  on 
plinth  encrusted  with  flowers,  10.}  in.  high,  brought  ,£714, 
and  another  of  a  girl  and  harlequin  with  a  bird-cage  and 
a  pug-dog,  7J  in.  high,  .£693  ;  a  pair  of  Hdchst  oviform 
jars  and  covers,  pierced  with  rosette  ornaments  and 
painted  with  garden  scenes  and  Watteau  figures, 
6i  in.  high,  ,£157  10s. ;  a  Chelsea  figure  of  John  Coan, 
English  dwarf,  with  dog  and  flowers,  9!  in.  high, 
,£162  15s.  ;  a  pair  of  Chinese  famille-verte  figures  of  boys, 
their  costumes  enamelled  with  flowers  in  various  colours, 
\\\  in.  high,  Kang-He,  .£588  ;  and  a  pair  of  Chinese 
powdered-blue  bottles,  with  bulbous  necks,  painted  with 
flowers,  etc.,  18  in.  high,  ,£273.  Among  the  items  of 
furniture  were  an  Adams  cabinet  painted  with  figures 
and  floral  decoration,  with  gilt  border  and  legs  (5S  in. 
high,  48  in.  wide),  .£315  ;  a  late  seventeenth-century 
English  marqueterie  cabinet,  inlaid  with  decorated  panels 
in  coloured  woods  and  ivories  (74  in.  high,  58  in.  wide  , 
£451  10s.  ;  six  Queen  Anne  walnut-wood  chairs,  with 
seats  and  backs  stuffed  and  covered  with  petit-point 
needlework,  on  cabriole  legs,  with  claw-and-ball  feet, 
,£630  ;  a  Chippendale  mahogany  armchair,  with  pierced 
vase-shaped  centre  to   back,    scroll  arms,   and    cabriole 


45 


The  Comioisseitr 


leg  >,  the  whole  richly  carved 

and  supported  on  scroll  feet, 

i    ed  Hepple- 

white  13  chairs  with 

eats  and    backs, 

.  and  a  Chippendale 
mahoganj  side-table,  the 
whole  richly  car's  ed,   on 

ile  legs  .uul  liqn's-claw 
feet,  surmounted  by  a  marble 
I  m.  wide),  { -'S3  10s. 
At  Messrs.  Puttii  k&Simp- 
miu's,  on  November  22nd,  a 
tine  panel  of  late  sixteenth- 
century  Flemish  tapestry, 
belonging  to  the  late  Rev. 
Canon  Roxby,  and  depicting 
Her<  ules  and  the  Nemean 
lion  in  the  central  panel, 
bordered  by  smaller  ones, 
and  hunting,  military,  and 
musical  trophies,  etc.  ( 1 1  ft. 
2  in.  by  14  f  t .  10  in.), 
brought    .£500 ;    and    a    pane 


ENAMELLED 


SALT-GLAZE  SOLON    SALE,  /4I 


of   seventeenth  -  century         of  the  pedestals  over  all,  6 


floral  border  (9  ft.  by  1  1  ft. 
6  in.),  brought  .£105.  At 
a  sale  of  engra\  i  11^  s  by 
the  same  firm,  on  Friday, 
November  1 5th,  an  impres- 
sion of  Venus  and  Cupid, 
by  Bonnet,  after  Boucher, 
brought  £62. 

That  tine  furniture  has  not 

mi  necessity  to  be  sold  in 
London  to  realise  a  good 
price  was  shown  at  a  sale, 
held  by  Messrs.  T.  Oliver 
&  Sons,  of  Torquay,  of  the 
contents  of  "West  holme," 
the  residence  of  the  late 
Miss  H.  S.  Perkins  of  that 
town.  In  this  the  outstand- 
ing feature  was  a  mahogany 
inlaid  Sheraton  sideboard 
set,  comprising  a  pair  of 
inlaid  pedestals  supporting 
two  urns  with  covers  (height 
ft.   2    in.,   and  total  length, 


Brussels  tapestry,  depicting  Diana  and  Actcon,  with  a         9  ft.),  which  brought  .£1,050. 


SHERATON     SIDEBOARD 


PERKINS     SALE,    TORQUAY,    £  1 ,0$O 


46 


MISS    SARAH    CAMPBELL 
PAINTED    BY    SIR    JOSHUA    REYNOLDS 
ENGRAVED    BY    VALENTINE    GREEN 


The  New 
English 
Art  Club 


Mr.  AUGUSTUS  JOHN'S  Mumpers  was  by  no  means 
the  best  picture  at  the  current  exhibition  of  the  New 
English  Art  Club  (Suffolk  Street),  though 
it  was  the  largest,  the  most  original,  and 
probably  painted  with  the  strongest 
conviction.  These  last  two  characteris- 
tics are  important.  How  is  it,  that,  possessing  them,  a 
picture  by  Mr.  John,  one  of  the  most  gifted  craftsmen  of 
the  day,  was  a  comparative  failure  ?  The  reason  is,  that 
the  artist  has  gone  in,  heart  and  soul,  for  Post-Impres- 
sionism. By  virtue  of  his  accomplishments,  Mr.  John 
must  be  considered  the  leader  of  the  English  section  of 
the  new  cult.  His  picture  is  the  most  important  Post- 
Impressionist  work  produced  on  this  side  of  the  Channel  ; 
its  excellences  and  shortcomings,  therefore,  may  be 
taken  as  a  standard  by  which  the  value  of  the  movement 
may  be  accurately  gauged.  Post- Impressionism  means 
a  sacrifice  of  certain  qualities — and  among  them  ones 
which  have  hitherto  been  most  esteemed  in  art — in  order 
to  enhance  others.  Before  attempting  to  balance  the 
losses  and  gains,  so  far  as  they  concern  Mr.  John's 
picture,  it  may  be  as  well  to  describe  it  in  some  detail. 
It  represents  a  company  of  gipsies  on  some  fenced-in 
waste  ground  backed  by  olive  trees,  with  a  broad  stretch 
of  water  and  some  distant  mountains  beyond,  the  whole 
being  surmounted  by  a  summer  sky  of  blue  and  white. 
The  first  thing  that  attracts  the  eye  is  that  the  work  is 
painted  in  perfectly  flat  tones  ;  this  means  a  nearly  total 
sacrifice  of  atmosphere  and  texture.  A  donkey  in  the 
extreme  background  of  the  group  stands  out  as  pro- 
minently as  the  foremost  figures,  and  the  palings  and 
tree-trunks  which  border  the  waste  ground  are  hardly 
more  suggestive  of  wood  than  the  garments  which  drape 
the  "mumpers."  The  artist  has  reduced  himself  to  pure 
line  and  flat  colour  as  the  vehicles  with  which  to  image 
his  conceptions  ;  in  a  word,  he  has  put  back  the  clock 
for  some  thousands  of  years  and  returned  to  what  was 
practically  the  methods  of  pictorial  expression  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians.  There  is  a  salient  difference,  how- 
ever, in  the  manner  in  which  these  methods  are  employed. 
The  best  Egyptian  art  was  conventional  in  its  character, 
while  Mr.  John  tries  to  be  realistic,  or  at  least  as  realistic 
as  his  wilful  abnegation  of  half  the  resources  of  the 
painter's  craft  will  allow.  He  records  with  a  some- 
what grotesque  literalism  the  various  peculiarities  of  form, 


feature,  and  raiment  which  characterise  the  group,  and 
these,  unchastened  by  the  softening  influences  of  tone 
and  shadow,  painfully  attract  the  eye.  Thus  a  patch  on 
a  man's  trousers  lying  down  in  the  foreground — a  by  no 
means  decorative  object  —  is  one  of  the  most  obtrusive 
pieces  of  detail  in  the  work.  The  picture  is  not  consistent, 
for  portions — the  fish  in  a  frying-pan  over  a  fire,  and  the 
column  of  smoke  issuing  from  the  latter — have  been 
invested  with  a  plastic  significance  in  contrast  to  the 
remainder  of  the  canvas — a  lapse  which  is  as  incongruous 
as  if  a  writer  telling  a  story  in  biblical  phrase  suddenly 
descended  into  modern  colloquialisms ;  while,  though 
most  of  the  persons  depicted  are  provided  with  shadows, 
a  donkey  in  almost  the  exact  centre  of  the  canvas  is 
without,  so  that  at  first  sight  is  looks  as  if  suspended  in 
mid-air.  This  donkey,  indeed,  is  an  important  feature 
in  the  composition  ;  together  with  the  woman  frying 
herrings,  it  forms  the  link  intended  to  bind  the  two 
scattered  groups,  which  constitute  the  main  feature  of 
the  picture,  into  a  homogeneous  whole.  Unfortunately, 
the  link  is  not  sufficiently  well  constructed  for  its  office  ; 
the  two  groups  remain  detached,  the  donkey  belonging 
to  neither  of  them,  the  woman  to  both.  If  the  animal 
was  obliterated  and  a  third  of  the  canvas  taken  away 
at  either  end,  the  picture  would  gain,  for  there  would 
remain  a  single,  well-balanced,  and  rhythmic  composition 
instead  of  two  conflicting  ones.  The  result  of  these 
numerous  weaknesses  is  that,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  the  work  is  a  comparative  failure.  It  is  not  a 
complete  one,  because  no  dallying  with  strange  faiths 
can  wholly  deprive  Mr.  John  of  his  inborn  and  acquired 
artistry.  He  is  a  fine  colourist,  and  perhaps  the  greatest 
living  master  of  poignant  line,  and  so  throughout  the 
canvas  are  isolated  passages  of  great  beauty — passages 
which  serve  to  emphasize  the  folly  of  Post-Impressionism, 
as  suggesting  the  great  masterpiece  that  might  have 
been,  if  unspoilt  by  its  baneful  influence.  Mr.  John's 
second  contribution  is  a  large  black-and-white  cartoon 
of  Calderari — Gipsies  of  the  Caucasus,  a  crowded  arr.i\ 
of  heads  and  figures  arranged  in  a  symmetrical  com- 
position, suggestive  of  a  design  for  a  stained  -  glass 
window.  Here  the  artist,  as  though  to  show  that  he 
could  be  wholly  independent  of  the  synthetic  simpli- 
fications of  Post-Impressionism,  has  gone  to  the  other 
extreme.      His  composition  is  far  too  crowded,   and  the 


49 


The    Connoisseur 


eve  wanders  from  head  to  head  in  a  vain  endeavour  to 
light  on  Mime  point  of  central  interest. 

M   is  Ethel  Walker's  mosl  important  work,  a  Decoration 
'ring— One  of  the  Four  Seasons,  would  also  ha\e 
implicit)'.     The   individual    figures 
lered  with  mu<  h  grace  and  feeling,  but  the  com- 
in  as  a  whole  was  too  busy  and  confused.     A  third 
important  decorative  work,  a   Panel  for  a  Hypothetical 
Decoration  to  sj  niolise  tin-  Ri  the  East  and 

West,  was  contributed  by  Mr.W.  Rothenstein.  One  would 
that  this  was  a  portion  only  of  the  intended  work, 
for  the  figures  were  exclusively  Eastern,  and  the  religions 
symbolised  by  the  figures  appeared  to  be  confined  to 
those  which  are  still  in  vogue  in  Asia.  The  work  was 
delicately  rather  than  forcefully  treated;  the  lambient 
but  tender  colour  which  suffused  the  canvas,  the  lack  of 
movement  in  the  figures,  all  assisting  to  convey  the  feeling 
of  serenity  and  repose  which  formed  the  keynote  of  the 
picture.  Mr.  W.  G.  von  Glehn  showed  the  versatility  of 
his  powers  by  appearing  as  a  landscape  painter,  being 
represented  by  a  breezy,  full-coloured  canvas  of  The 
Sussex  Downs.  More  in  his  usual  tnJtier  was  The  Gold- 
fish Bowl,  showing  an  attractive  girl  standing  in  front  of 
a  window  gazing  at  the  bowl  which  gave  the  picture  its 
title.  Again,  one  has  to  congratulate  Mr.  von  Glehn  on 
the  sureness  of  his  technique.  No  artist  excels  him  in 
his  power  of  rendering  the  play  of  light  on  colour,  the 
incidence  of  texture  and  atmospheric  values.  His  failing 
is  that  he  is  somewhat  prodigal  of  his  powers,  rendering 
every  object  on  his  canvases  with  the  same  sentient 
realism,  so  that,  as  in  this  instance,  the  attention  is  some- 
what distracted  from  the  principal  theme  of  his  work.  Of 
Mr.  David  Muirhead's  two  more  important  landscapes, 
which  hung  in  the  Great  Room,  the  Harvest  Time  was 
the  most  pleasing ;  fresh  in  colour,  spacious,  and  handled 
with  breadth  and  sincerity,  it  was  typically  English  in 
feeling  as  well  as  in  its  theme.  Mr.  Ambrose  M. 
McEvoy's  large  portrait  group  of  Mrs.  C.  K.  Butler 
and  her  two  daughters  was  conceived  in  a  light  key 
of  delicately  harmonised  colour.  The  figures  of  the 
two  girls  were  the  more  successful  as  merging  more 
completely  with  their  surroundings ;  that  of  the  mother 
appeared  detached  from  the  others,  owing,  perhaps,  to 
the  unbroken  and  rather  uninteresting  mass  of  blue  in  the 
front  of  her  corsage.  One  wonders,  if  this  was  somewhat 
modified,  whether  it  would  not  bring  the  arrangement  of 
the  picture  into  more  complete  harmony.  In  the  Portrait 
of  the  Lady  Clare  Annesley  Mr.  P.  Wilson  Steer  had 
combined  two  good  pictures  into  one  bad  one.  Examined 
separately,  the  figure  of  the  sitter  and  the  landscape  back- 
ground were  each  excellent  ;  seen  together,  they  clashed 
inconcinnously.  Mr.  Steer  would  do  well  to  sacrifice  his 
landscape,  tone  down  the  many  gleams  of  light  by  which 
it  is  characterised,  and  merge  it  into  that  subordination 
to  the  principal  figure  which  is  essential  to  the  back- 
ground of  a  good  portrait.  Mr.  W.  Orpen  was  not  seen 
in  his  usual  strength,  being  represented  by  only  a  couple 
of  somewhat  slight  examples,  distinguished,  indeed,  by 
his  usual  deft  brushmanship  and  fine  feeling  tor  colour 
and  atmosphere,  but  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  make 


or  mar  a  man's  reputation.  Somewhat  akin  to  Mr.  ( (rpen's 
work  in  a  serious  mood  was  Mr.  Howard  Somerville's 
self  portrait,  entitled   ///  the  Studio.     The  resemblance, 

however,   w; il\     luperficial,  the  handling  and  colour 

being  both  more  solid.  The  work  was  painted  with 
power  and  conviction.  The  latter  criticism  might  also 
apply  to  Mr.  Rudolph  Ihlee's  Magic  Wand,  representing 
a  group  of  spectators  watching  with  enthralling  interest 
some  performance  which  is  outside  the  scope  of  the 
picture,  a  work  which  at  once  seized  the  attention. 
Turning  to  the  remaining  landscapes,  one  should  mention 
Mr.  Charles  M.  Gere's  brightly-coloured  Cotswold 
Holiday,  Mr.  Frederick  Brown's  atmospheric  On  the 
'Thames,  Mr.  Ian  Strong's  well-studied  but  uninteresting 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  Mr.  Lucien  Pissarro's  truthful 
Misty  Morning' at  Acton,  in  which  the  murky  brightness 
of  a  sunlit  sky  in  the  vicinity  of  London  was  admirably 
rendered.  One  of  the  best  works  in  the  exhibition  was 
Mr.  Mark  Fisher's  Landscape  and  Cattle,  representing 
the  patched  sunlight  and  shade  of  a  tree-shaded  water- 
meadow  fresh  with  the  vivid  tints  of  young  summer.  It 
was  sparkling,  redolent  of  the  open  air,  and  permeated 
with  a  joyous  feeling. 

The  Arts    and    Crafts    Exhibition    at   the    Grosvenor 

Gallery   was    hardly   exhilarating.       The    multitude    of 

exhibits    and    their    indiscriminate 
The  Arts  and 


Crafts  Exhibition 


variety  tired  the  visitor  long  before 


he  had  toiled  through  the  two  or 
three  thousand  items  set  forth  in  the  catalogue.  One 
was  painfully  conscious  that  the  purely  decorative  work 
shown  in  the  exhibition  was  out  of  touch  with  the  latest 
movements  in  contemporary  art.  Here  was  a  sphere 
where  it  might  have  been  thought  that  the  simplification 
and  synthesis  employed  in  the  saner  phases  of  Post- 
Impressionism  might  have  been  used  with  good  effect, 
but  anything  savouring  of  the  movement  was  conspicuous 
by  its  absence.  It  is  characteristically  English  that  at 
the  present  time  many  of  our  best  artists  are  producing 
works  of  a  wholly  decorative  value  as  easel  pictures, 
while  others  are  realising  pictorially  works  intended  for 
purelv  decorative  purposes.  The  best  works  shown, 
perhaps,  were  those  designed  for  utilitarian  purposes. 
Thus  most  of  the  furniture,  if  not  strikingly  original,  was 
tasteful  and  well  adapted  for  its  intended  purpose.  Quite 
among  the  best  were  the  unostentatious  pieces  designed 
by  Sir  Robert  Lorimer,  severely  plain  in  style,  but 
beautiful  by  reason  of  their  fine  proportions.  Though 
not  catalogued,  the  cane  chairs  provided  by  the  Dryad 
craftsmen  for  the  use  of  visitors  were  as  good  as  anything" 
of  their  kind,  being  shapely,  strong,  and  comfortable. 
Mr.  Ambrose  Heal's  numerous  designs  showed  much 
originality,  though  often  this  was  attained  at  the  sacrifice 
of  congruity ;  his  writing  bureau  and  bookshelves  were, 
perhaps,   his  most  completely  satisfying   examples.) 

Of  jewellery  there  was  abundance  ;  in  fact,  the 
plethora  of  exhibits  pratically  forbids  individual  mention, 
for  practically  no  article  singled  itself  from  amongst  its 
companions  as  being  specially  noteworthy.  The  work 
generally  was  characterised  by  high  craftsmanship  and 


5° 


Current   Art    Notes 


an  excessive  use 
of  colour.  The 
silver  included 
many  tasteful 
examples,  among 
those  specially 
noteworthy  being 
a  teapot  by  Mr. 
J.  Paul  Cooper, 
a  p  a  i  r  o  f  f  r  u  i  t 
dishes  by  Mr. 
Edward  Spencer, 
a  sports  cup  by 
Mr.  C.  R.  Ashbee, 
and  some  of  the 
various  examples 
of  Mr.  Bernard 
Cuzner.  Among 
the  manuscripts, 
several  ornate  and 
highly  wrought 
illuminations  by 
Miss  Jessie  Bayes 
call  for  special 
mention;  while 
the  Holy  Com- 
munion service, 
the  joint  work 
of  Messrs.  Allan 
F.  Vigers  and 
Graily  Hewitt,  was 
distinguished  b  y 
its  well-balanced 
arrangement,  the 
writing  being 
made  an  essential 
part  of  the  deco- 
rative scheme. 
The  bindings 
shit  vv  n  w  ere 
generally  of  high 
quality,  while 
there  was  a  wealth 
of  book  illustrations  and  numerous  designs  for  tapestry 
wall  decorations  and  stained  glass.  While  most  of  the 
exhibits  showed  more  than  a  respectable  amount  of 
technical  skill,  the  designs  too  generally  were  wanting  in 
originality,  and  showed  a  strong  tendency  to  follow  the 
inspiration  of  older  days. 


The  Society  of  Humorous  Art,  a  lately-formed  body 
comprising  fifteen  of  the  best  known  comic  illustrators  of 
the  present  day,  opened  its  inaugural 
exhibition  at  the  galleries  of  Messrs. 
Goupil  &  Co.  (Bedford  Street, 
Covent  Garden).  The  first  exhibits  which  attracted  the 
eye  were  Mr.  John  Hassall's  uncatalogued  representa- 
tions of  a  biplane  and  monoplane,  in  which  the  artist 
showed  himself  a  profound  master  of  space  composition. 


■■ 


AUTUMN 

AT     THE     SOCIETY 


BY     P.    W.    ADAM,    R.S.A. 
OF     EIGHT     EXHIBITION,     EDINBURGH 


The  works,  which 
were  hung  above 
the    level   of  the 
eye,   consisted  of 
blank  sheets  of 
paper,  with  the 
aeroplanes  drawn 
o  n  a  minutely 
5  mall  scale  on 
the  extreme  Mini- 
m  its.      Further 
fooling   was 
afforded    in    the 
cataloguing  of 
Mr.  Cecil  Alden's 
exhibits,   most  of 
the    n  u  m  b  e  r s 
being  set  against 
the   wrong   titles. 
His  works  were 
thoroughly   char- 
acteristic,   but 
most  of  them  had 
already  been  seen 
in  his  recent   ex- 
hibition.    Mr.  W. 
Douglas  Almond, 
w  h  o   m  list   be 
looked   upon   a? 
Phil   M  ay's  suc- 
c  e  s  s  o  r   in  his 
power  of  charac- 
terising   cockney 
t  y  p  e&,    though 
there  is  little  affin- 
ity in  their  tech- 
nical   methods, 
was  happi  ly  re- 
presented.       Mr. 
H.    M.    Baten-.an 
had  some  of  his 
inimitable  droller- 
ies, while  Messrs. 
George    Belcher,    Rene     Bull,    Dudley    Hardy,    George 
Morrow,    Charles    Pears,    L.    Raven    Hill.  E.  T.   Reed, 
Frank  Reynolds,  W.  Heath  Robinson,  Harry  Rowntree, 
J.  A.  Shepherd,  and  Leslie  Ward  were  all  seen  at  their 
happiest  moments.      The  exhibition  contained  the  best 
collection    of    humorous    art    that    has    been    gathered 
together  for  a  long  time  ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
Societv,   after   such  an    auspicious    commencement,  will 
enjoy  a  successful   career. 


The  Society  of 
Humorous  Art 


Writing  about  midway  through  last  century, 
Theophile  Can  tier  expressed  keen 
regret  that  the  art  of  Louis  David 
had  become  virtually  forgotten  pro 
tempore  throughout  France,  having 
been  submerged  bv  the  "romantic  movement."   And  just 


Edinburgh  : 
The  Society 
of  Eight 


51 


The   Connoisseur 


as  the  luminaries  of  th.u  school,  inasmuch  as  they  were 
wholly  at  variance  with  David's  outlook,  were  prone  to 
forget  how  fine  a  painter  he  really  was,  perhaps  the 
permutations  which  have  marked  Scottish  art  during 
the  la  .  '•  irs,  and  the  great  manifestation  of  activity 
on  the  part  ol  the  youngei  artists,  have  begotten  undue 
neglect  of  the  work  ol  the  patriarchs.  It  is  clear, 
however,  that  some  of  these  are  determined  not  to  be 
itten  just  yet;  for  a  coterie  oi  them  have  lately 
founded  a  new  body     th<  oi   Eight.     True  that 

two  of  the  members  Mr.  David  Alison  and  Mr.  F.  C. 
adell — can  scarcely  be  called  painters  of  wide  or 
old-established  fame ;  but  all  the  remaining  six  are  men 
who  enjoyed  high  reputation  once  if  not  to-day,  while 
most  of  them  were  long  since  dei  orated  by  the  Scottish 
A.i  ademy.  They  have  acquired  a  suite  of  rooms  to  which 
they  have  given  the  auspicious  title  of  the  New  Gallery, 
and  they  deserve  exceptional  praise  for  the  eminently 
artistic  way  in  which  they  have  arranged  this  place; 
while  what  is  more  important,  one  may  certainly  affirm 
that  nearly  every  member  of  the  Society  shows  at  least 
one  picture  of  worth.  Mr.  P.  W.  Adam,  for  example,  is 
not  successful  in  his  every  canvas  ;  but  in  his  Autumn : 
Interior  he  manifests  a  rare  perceptivity  towards  light, 
that  mysterious  element  which  is  the  arch-beautifier,  and 
can  cast  a  glamour  over  everything,  ennobling  even  the 
meanest  objects.  The  picture  in  question  is  a  drawing- 
room  scene,  and  the  artist  has  ably  indicated  the  sun's 
rays  filtering  through  an  unseen  window,  and  illuminating, 
and  accordingly  glorifying,  sundry  articles  of  furniture. 
His  conquest  herein  would  have  been  acclaimed  by 
Chardin,  and  the  old  Dutch  painters  of  domestic  scenes, 
while  Mr.  Adam  engages  further  by  the  almost  invariable 
soundness  of  his  draughtsmanship.  Mr.  J.  Cadenhead, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  unsatisfactory,  the  colour  in  the 
various  landscapes  which  he  shows  being  sadly  shallow  ; 
but  in  the  output  of  another  and  less  distinguished  exhi- 
bitor, Mr.  A.  G.  Sinclair,  one  detects  many  fine  qualities. 
Among  the  supreme  feats  in  art  is  to  use  a  mono- 
chromatic medium  in  such  a  way  as  to  suggest  colour, 
and  this  is  just  what  Mr.  Sinclair  achieves.  One  marks 
it  repeatedly  in  his  charcoal  drawings,  and  indeed  one  of 
these,  Evening,  rivals  any  lithograph  by  Gavarni  in  this 
relation,  the  blacks  and  greys  adequately  adumbrating 
the  delicate  tints  of  departing  day.  Mr.  Sinclair  is 
praiseworthy  again  in  some  of  his  work  in  oils,  notably 
Study  of  a  Cloud,  a  landscape  whose  solid,  loaded  paint 
tells  of  complete  ease  and  confidence  on  the  artist's  part; 
but  in  his  Portrait  of  Lady  Dunedin,  a  full-length,  he  is 
much  less  meritorious.  The  colour  is  good  in  passages, 
but  the  neck  and  bosom  of  the  sitter — she  is  in  evening 
dress — are  devoid  of  the  subtle  tones  of  real  flesh,  while 
the  picture  discloses  simultaneously  a  still  more  vitiating 
fault.  The  lady  is  standing,  one  of  her  feet  is  protruding 
from  underneath  her  skirt,  but  the  other  is  hidden 
thereby  ;  and  this  other  foot  is  in  no  way  indicated,  the 
inevitable  result  being  that  the  subject  looks  as  though 
she  had  but  one  leg,  while  her  body  lacks  the  semblance 
of  stability. 

The  work  of    Mr.    Harrington    Mann   constitutes   an 


enigma,  for  some  of  it  is  so  very  good,  some  so  ineffi- 
cient. There  is  probably  no  truer  test  of  the  colourist 
than  this  :  can  he  give  his  greys  and  blacks  intrinsic 
beauty— a  beauty  apart  from  their  value  as  a  repoussoir 
for  brighter  shades  ?  And  in  this  connection  Mr.  Mann 
is  culpable,  the  black  dress  in  his  Portrait  of  the  Artist's 
Mother  being  tawdry  ;  while,  moreover,  in  this  picture 
he  ha-,  made  the  mistake-  Mr.  Sargent  too  often  makes, 
throwing  such  a  brilliant  light  on  the  face  that  it  appears 
unduly  isolated.  In  his  Portrait  Group,  again,  one 
notes  some  slovenly  modelling  ;  but  his  Annabel  is 
surely  one  of  the  best  paintings  of  a  baby  ever  done; 
while  in  Girl  Reading  he  has  compassed  that  infinitely 
important  thing — he  has  portrayed  his  sitter  in  an  atti- 
tude which  is  essentially  graceful — nor  is  his  colouring 
in  this  instance  less  excellent  than  the  other  factors. 
The  girl  is  dressed  in  a  dark  skirt  and  a  flimsy  blouse 
which  is  almost  white,  she  has  a  black  hat  trimmed  with 
pink,  while  the  background  is  a  brownish  grey  ;  and 
truly  beautiful  it  all  is,  doubly  beautiful  it  seemed  as  the 
writer  saw  it  first,  in  the  soft  light  of  a  winter's  afternoon, 
and  doubly  beautiful,  besides,  by  reason  of  the  picture's 
tasteful  frame  of  dulled  gold,  presumably  a  copy  after 
some  Florentine  craftsman  of  the  Renaissance.  Com- 
pared with  this  chef  cPceuvre  by  Mr.  Mann,  the  various 
things  which  Mr.  John  Lavery  shows  seem  far  from 
decorative  ;  but,  if  much  inferior  to  his  earlier  work,  they 
are  all  partly  redeemed  by  the  vigour  and  decision  which 
characterise  their  brushwork.  Turning  to  Mr.  James 
Paterson,  one  misses  the  latter  qualities  in  him  ;  and 
albeit  he  is  charming  if  slight  in  some  of  his  crayon 
portraits,  notably  one  of  Lord  Archibald  Campbell,  he 
has  failed  conspicuously  in  his  likeness  of  the  late  J.  M. 
Synge.  No  whit  of  Synge's  genius  is  revealed  in  the 
portrait,  and  one  thinks  ruefully  of  the  brilliant  drawing 
of  him  by  Mr.  John  Yeats,  father  of  Mr.  W.  B.  Yeats, 
the  poet. 

It  behoves,  in  conclusion,  to  speak  of  the  two  youngest 
members  of  the  Society,  Mr.  Alison  and  Mr.  Cadell. 
The  former's  L'Aitenie  is  clever  in  composition,  and, 
though  the  colour  is  harsh  here  and  in  divers  other 
things  by  this  painter,  the  reverse  is  true  of  his 
Chrysanthemums,  and  more  particularly  of  his  Purple 
and  Gold,  a  picture  in  which  the  nuances  of  tone  which 
sunlight  evokes  are  well  expressed.  As  to  Mr.  Cadell, 
he  betrays  a  huge  debt  to  the  greatest  Scottish  impres- 
sionist of  to-day,  Mr.  S.  J.  Peploe  ;  yet,  with  this  almost 
slavish  discipleship  to  his  debit,  his  work  is  intensely 
arresting,  and  the  reason  for  this  fascination  would  seem 
to  be  that  his  intelligence  is  exceptionally  keen  and 
lively,  and  that  he  never  undergoes  such  a  thing  as 
mental  lassitude  while  painting.  But  if  always  interest- 
ing, Mr.  Cadell  is  satisfactory  only  on  rare  occasions. 
He  is  delightful  in  Study,  a  portrait  done  wholly  in 
brown  and  grey ;  while  his  North  Benvick,  a  landscape 
in  water-colours,  is  quite  a  masterpiece.  Nevertheless, 
in  studying  his  charcoal  drawings,  one  feels  that  his 
desire  to  be  elliptical  often  results  in  incoherence,  while 
in  many  of  his  large  figure-studies  in  oils  the  colour  is 
literally  glaring.      It  must  be  granted  that  these  pictures 


52 


Current   Art   Notes 


ire  marvels  of  realism,  but  then, 
■ealism  is  only  a  means  to  an 
md.  For  life  is  like  a  tub,  art 
ike  a  Grecian  urn  ;  and  the  true 
mist  is  the  man  who,  able  to 
distinguish  between  these  two 
things,  transforms  the  former 
nto  the  latter,  stating  life  truth- 
fully, yet  so  as  to  make  it  beau- 
tiful. Mayhap  the  whole  Society 
of  Eight  would  do  well  to  pon- 
der on  this  truth,  while  there  is 
a  further  word  of  counsel  one 
would  offer  them.  They  should 
find  a  good  sculptor,  and  add 
him  to  their  ranks ;  for  their 
gallery,  lovely  as  it  is  already, 
would  have  a  much  greater 
air  of  completeness  if  graced 
by  a  few  pieces  of  imposing 
statuary. 


A  remarkably  handsome 
musical  clock,  of  unusual  size, 
is  now  being 
shown  at  Mr. 
Frank  Par- 
tridge's Galler- 
ies (26,  King  Street,  St. James's). 
It  is  the  work  of  Allen  Walker, 
of  London,  a  clockmaker  who 
flourished  until  towards  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  is  evidently  an  instrument 
of  which  he  was  particularly 
proud,  for  he  records  on  it  that 
it  was  commenced  1756  and 
finished    1758 — not   an   unduly 

long  time  when  the  beauty  of  the  work  and  its  high  finish 
are  taken  into  account.  It  plays  six  tunes.  The  case, 
which  is  of  solid  mahogany,  now  richly  toned  with  age, 
gives  evidence  of  the  strong  classical  feeling  which  was 
then  influencing  English  architecture,  the  face  being 
framed  in  pure  Corinthian  columns  and  pediment,  though 
in  the  elaborate  and  ornate  carving  of  the  lower  portion 
this  style  has  not  been  adhered  to. 


Interesting 

Musical 

Clock 


A  Carved  Oak 
Mantel-piece 


'arriet       by  w.  d.  almond       at  the 
society  of  humorous  art  exhibition 


Old  Prints 
and  China 


AN  exhibition  which  should  appeal  to  connoisseurs  of 
widely  varying  tastes  is  the  one  of  old  prints,  china,  and 
glass,  with  which  Messrs.  Mortlock 
(Oxford  Street  and  Orchard  Street) 
are  inaugurating  the  new  gallery 
which  has  been  added  to  their  already  spacious  premises. 
The  engravings  include  many  rare  examples  of  mezzotint 
portraits,  sporting  prints,  and  aquatints,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  which  are  in  early  states.  Among  the  beautiful 
specimens  of  china  are  characteristic  pieces  from  prac- 
tically all  the  old  English  factories,  Worcester,  Chelsea, 


Plymouth,  Bristol,  Nantgarw, 
Swansea,  Rockingham,  Coal- 
port,  and  Derby  being  especi- 
ally well  represented;  while 
some  particularly  choice  dinner 
and  tea  services  are  shown. 
The  variety  and  range  of  the 
examples  on  view  preclude  the 
mention  of  individual  items,  of 
which  many  are  worthy  of 
special  notice.  The  exhibi- 
tion is  one  of  exceptional  in- 
terest, and  should  prove  a 
great  attraction  to  print  and 
china  lovers. 


That  the  former  practice  of 
covering  old  carved  woodwork 
with  paint 
and  varnish, 
so  fiercely 
condemned  in  resthetic  circles, 
is  not  entirely  without  justifica- 
tion, is  exemplified  in  a  richly- 
carved  Elizabethan  mantel- 
piece now  on  view,  among  a 
multitude  of  other  art  treasures, 
at  Messrs.  Daniell's  Galleries 
(Wigmore  Street).  This  mantel- 
piece, with  a  large  amount  of 
ancient  oak  panelling,  has  been 
brought  from  Oulton  High 
House,  an  historical  Suffolk 
mansion,  mentioned  in  the 
Doomsday  Book.  After  passing 
through  various  vicissitudes, 
the  house,  at  about  the  close 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  Hobart  family,  and  it  is  to 
Henry  Hobart,  who  inherited  the  property  in  1550,  that 
the  origin  of  the  mantel-piece  must  be  ascribed,  and  it 
was  he,  too,  who,  in  all  probability,  had  this  ornate  work 
painted  and  varnished,  the  result  being  that  when  the 
layer  of  preservative  material  is  removed,  the  delicate 
and  highly  elaborate  carving  is  as  fresh  and  crisp  as  the 
day  when  it  was  chiselled.  The  work  is  a  most  interesting 
specimen  of  early  Elizabethan  art,  showing  the  combina- 
tion of  classical  form  with  Gothic  detail  which  marked 
the  introduction  of  Renaissance  architecture  in  England. 
The  upper  portion  is  surmounted  by  a  cornice  and 
divided  into  three  panels,  the  central  one  being  fronted 
by  two  elaborately-carved  figures  under  a  bifurcated 
arch.  The  fireplace  is  flanked  on  either  side  by  two 
Corinthian  pilasters,  and  the  various  borders  and  friezes 
are  richly  carved  with  a  free  Gothic  design  in  heads; 
Tudor  roses  and  conventional  floral  work  are  introduced. 
The  oak  room,  of  which  this  mantel-piece  forms  a  part,  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  examples  of  the  period  that 
has  been  shown  for  some  time. 


53 


The    Connoisseur 


Tm  carving  of  the  FT,  Lbethan 

pei  iod  was  super  Bed  ed  by  othei 

styles  in  which 
Old  Oak-panclk-J       ,  ,       ,, 

r  cla  steal  mtlu- 

Rooms  ence  be    ime 

m. m-  and  more  apparent.  I  lie 
progress  of  this  development  is 
well  illustrated  in  a  number  of 
rooms  and  mantel-pieces  noj»  1  •■ 
shown  at  the  galleries  of  Messrs. 
h  field  S  C  o.,  ;.  Bru  t  o  n 
Street,  W.  In  a  fine  oak-panelled 
room  of  the  Jacobean  period, 
i  ning  .in  e*  eptionally  beauti- 
ful mantel  -  piece,  the  ri'<  hi) 
carved  and  inlaid  panels  which 
surmount  the  latter  show  strongly 
the  influence  of  the  mediaeval 
i  rails  in  a  n,  m  O  d  u  1  a  t  e  d  and 
chastened  by  renaissance  in- 
■  ition.  The  former  influence 
lias  altogether  disappeared  in  an- 
other beautiful  room  of  the  Queen 
Anne  period,  in  which  the  fine 
carvings  of  the  Grinling  Gibbons 
school  and  the  symmetrically  pro- 
portioned pilasters  possess  a  rich 
and  chaste  dignity.  There  are 
several  other  fine  rooms  of  differ- 
ent periods  to  be  seen  at  the  gal- 
leries, and  a  number  of  superb 
mantel-pieces,  including  a  fine 
statuary  marble  example  of  Robert 
Adam,  besides  a  fine  collection  of 
choice  old  furniture. 


Among  the  interesting  collection 
of  English  and  Oriental  China  at 

present  on  view  at 

3  and  ;,  King  Street, 

St.  James's,  is  a  set 
of  four  exquisite  statuettes  in  Bristol  porcelain,  modelled 
by  Tebo,  illustrating  the  Four  Seasons.  The  four  figures, 
consisting  of  two  boys  and  two  girls,  are:  Spring,  a  girl 
holding  a  basket  of  flowers;  Summer,  a  girl  holding  a 
basket  of  fruit  ;  Autumn,  a  boy  holding"  a  sheaf  of  corn  ; 
and  Winter,  a  boy  skating,  with  a  basket  containing 
a  goose  and  hare.  All  the  heads  are  entwined  respec- 
tively with  flowers,  grapes,  ears  of  corn,  and  holly 
berries.  These  examples  of  Bristol  porcelain  rank 
first  amongst  known  figures  by  this  craftsman,  and  are 
full  of  grace  and  perfection  of  colouring.  The  height 
is   iof  in.,   and  date  about   1770. 


Pantomime  Ball 
at  the 
Albert  Hall 


Stoner's 
Galleries 


musical  clock 
partridge's 


AT    MR.    FRANK 
GALLERIES 


Tin  Pantomime  Ball  at  the 
Albert  Hall,  organised  by  Lady 
Constance 
Hatch, with  the 
assistance  of 
A!  1  .  F  u  t  e  s 
Fraser,  was  an  unqualified  success, 
the  procession  of  characters  illus- 
trating various  episodes  in  old 
inn  .1  tv  rhynu-s  forming  a  series  of 
beautiful  pictures,  the  costumes  in 
nearly  every  instance  being  carried 
out  with  a  keen  and  appreciative 
eye  for  a  charming  colour  effect. 

There  is  no  historical  precedent 
in  regard  to  the  raiment  of  the 
mythical  heroes  and  heroines  of 
nursery  romance,  and  it  conse- 
quently affords  much  scope  to  the 
individual  imagination,  enabling 
the  actors  who  take  such  parts  to 
select  from  all  styles  and  periods 
of  dress  what  is  most  sumptuous 
and  attractive.  Full  advantage 
was  taken  of  this  liberty  ;  apparel 
illustrative  of  every  epoch  in  his- 
tory and  every  era  in  art  was 
represented  at  the  ball;  and 
though,  from  an  ;esthetic  stand- 
point, it  would  be  considered  bar- 
barous to  mix  furniture  of  various 
styles,  or  to  have  costumes  of  differ- 
ent periods  in  an  historical  play, 
the  effect,  instead  of  being  inhar- 
monious, was  most  attractive,  a 
piquant  contrast  being  afforded 
by  the  juxtaposition  of  the  differ- 
ent styles  of  costumes — some  culled 
from  early  mediaeval  records  and 
others  from  popular  pictures  at  the 
last  Academy. 


The  festival  dinner  in  aid  of  the  funds  of  the  Pottery 
and  Glass  Trades'  Benevolent  Institution  was  held  at 
the  Whitehall  Rooms,  Hotel  Metro- 
pole,  on  Tuesday,  November  19th, 
under  the  presidency  ot  the  Earl 
of  Harrowby,  with  Mr.  Minton 
Goode  in  the  vice-chair,  when  a 
large  and  representative  gathering 
assembled.  Such  gatherings,  besides  unloosing  the  purse- 
strings  of  their  patrons  in  the  aid  of  charity,  do  much  to 
promote  the  social  intercourse  of  the  members  of  the 
trade,  which  is  every  year  assuming  greater  importance. 


The  Festival 
Dinner  of  the 
Pottery  and  Glass 
Trades'  Benevo- 
lent Institution 


54 


"Face-Painting  is  nowhere  so  well  performed  as 


England.     .    .    . 

"  Lely  and  the 
Stuart  Portrait 
Painters,"  by 
C.  H.  Collins 
Baker 

(Philip  Lee 
Warner, 
2  vols.,  £6  6s.) 


I  have  seen  what  is  done  abroad  and 
can  assure  you  that  the  Honour  of 
that  Branch  of  Painting  is  justly  due 
to  us.  .  .  .  So  that  instead  of  going 
to  Italy,  or  elsewhere,  one  that  designs 
for  Portrait-Painting  ought  to  study 
in  England."  Thus  an  anonymous 
correspondent,  writing  in  The  Spectator 
under  the  date  of  December  4th,  171  2, 
speaks  of  contemporary  art.  Thirty 
years  ago  this  statement  would  have  been  scouted  ; 
to-day,  if  we  do  not  fully  endorse  it,  we  have  been 
educated  by  the  sight  of  the  many  fine  pictures  belonging 
to  the  period — shown  at  the  National  Portrait  Gallery 
and  other  public  and  private  exhibitions — into  believing 
it  is  only  a  pardonable  exaggeration  of  the  truth.  Of  the 
artists  producing  these  pictures  little  is  known  but  what 
can  be  gleaned  from  the  pages  of  Walpole,  who,  if  an 
always  interesting  writer,  was  by  no  means  a  reliable 
critic.  Now,  after  the  lapse  of  a  century  and  a  half,  Mr. 
C.  H.  Collins  Baker  has  superseded  Wal  pole's  Anecdotes 
of  Painting,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  artists  in  portraiture 
who  flourished  between  the  years  1600  and  1740.  To 
Walpole  himself  the  author  is  little  indebted,  but  he 
has  largely  availed  himself  of  the  note-books  of  George 
Yertue,  on  which  the  famous  letter-writer  based  his  work. 
The  information  obtained  from  these  has  been  supple- 
mented with  gleanings  from  every  available  source,  and 
by  much  independent  research  among  public  and  private 
picture  collections.  The  result  is  a  work  which  can  be 
truthfully  described  as  monumental  ;  for  the  first  time 
we  have  a  comprehensive  record  of  the  least  known 
period  of  English  art — the  period  roughly  synchronising 
with  the  careers  of  Van  Dyck,  Lely,  and  Kneller,  which 
writers  like  Redgrave  have  dismissed  in  a  brief  chapter 
as  unworthy  of  extended  notice.  The  establishment  in 
the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  and  the  incidence  of  fine 
pictures  belonging  to  this  despised  period,  among  its 
treasures  and  in  other  public  and  private  galleries,  have 
gradually   revealed   that  a  number  of  capable   and,  in 


some  instances,  great  artists  flourished  during  the  era  ; 
and  that  Hogarth,  Reynolds,  and  the  other  eighteenth- 
century  masters,  so  far  from  founding  a  new  school  of 
painting  in  England,  were  merely  developing  one  already 
well  established.  The  greatest  painters  of  this  earlier 
school  were  foreigners,  but  in  all  instances  their  art  was 
largely  modified  by  English  influences,  while  contem- 
porary with  them  were  a  large  number  of  native  painters 
whose  work,  if  less  technically  perfect,  often  attained 
certain  qualities  characteristic  of  the  English  temper 
which  no  alien  was  able  to  emulate.  This  English 
temper,  as  revealed  in  the  portraits  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  found  its  first  expression  in  Marc  Ghaeraedts, 
who,  coming  to  England  when  but  five  or  six,  naturally 
was  susceptible  to  environment.  Cornelius  Johnson 
— popularly,  though  erroneously,  known  as  Cornelius 
Janssen — next  gave  utterance  to  the  distinctive  qualities 
of  this  attitude.  After  him  it  found  vent  in  painters 
who,  like  Dobson,  How,  Greenhill,  and  Riley,  were 
untainted  by  foreign  extraction.  Frankness  and  disin- 
genuity,  the  not  self-conscious  aspect,  an  absence  of 
pose,  distinguish  Dobson's  portraits  from  Van  Dyck's, 
the  best  of  Greenhill's  from  Lely's.  An  open  candour 
and  high  breeding  especially  reside  in  these  English 
painters'  vision,  and  while  Van  Dyck  is  their  peer  as  far 
as  chivalry  and  birth  are  concerned,  it  is  only  excep- 
tionally that  he  conveys  their  impression  of  lack  of  self- 
consciousness.  To  understand  the  English  art  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  or  even  that  of  the  present  time,  one 
must  go  back  to  the  beginnings  of  the  native  school, 
which  far  from  springing  into  spontaneous  life  at  the 
time  of  Hogarth,  was  of  slow  growth,  its  origin  lost  in 
the  obscurity  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Mr.  Collins  Baker's  work  bridges  the  interval  between 
the  death  of  Elizabeth  and  the  Georgian  era.  There 
have  been  other  workers  in  the  same  field  whose  labours 
the  author  generously  acknowledges  ;  but  this  is  the 
first  time  that  any  writer  has  attempted  a  comprehen- 
sive history  of  portrait  painting  of  the  Stuart  era,  giving 
full  records  of  the  artists'  lives  and  their  works,  and 
clearly  differentiating  between  their  individual  styles  and 


55 


77/c    Connoisseur 


productions,  All  the  known  portraits  of  importance 
belonging  to  the  period  are  chronicled,  and  also  the 
numerous  engravings  made  from  them.  One  hopes  that 
Mr.  Collins  Baker  may  extend  the  period  of  his  survey 

;it    English    painting    to   the   times  anterior   to   the   Stuart 


attempting  to  follow  their  offshoots,  or  to  show  the  re- 
acting influences  which  the  schools  had  on  one  another. 
A  typical  book  of  this  class  is  Mr.  H.  H.  Powers' 
Mornings  with  Masters  of  Art,  a  work  which  is  intended 
"  partially  to  interpret  the  development  of  Christian  art 
from  the  time  of  Constantine  to 
the  death  of  Michaelangelo." 
The  author,  after  his  prelimin- 
ary chapters  on  Graeco- Roman 
art,  centres  his  attention  on  the 
leading  masters  of  the  Floren- 
tine and  Umbrian  schools, 
tracing  the  progress  of  painting 
and  sculpture  by  explaining  the 
career  and  achievements  of  a 
single  great  artist  in  each 
generation.  Mr.  Powers,  who 
sees  things  in  an  original  man- 
ner, has  produced  an  interesting 
volume,  which,  if  it  does  not 
add  much  to  our  stock  of  know- 
ledge, should  be  well  worth 
reading  by  those  who  are  con- 
tent with  mastering  the  general 
outlines  of  the  history  of  art. 
The  illustrations  are  numerous 
and  well  executed. 


THE  impossibility  of  doing 

justice  to  the  merits  of  a  score 

or   more 
"Bartolozzi" 

("Great  Engravers 

Series"),  edited 

by  A.  M.  Hind 


PORTRAIT    OF    A    LADY  BY    PALMA    VECCHIO 

CAVALCASELLE'S    "HISTORY    OF    PAINTING    IN    NORTH    ITALY 

dynasty,  and  also  to  the  school  of  artists  who  immediately 
preceded  Reynolds  ;  as  it  is,  his  book  is  the  most  valuable 
addition  to  the  history  of  English  art  that  has  been 
produced  in  the  present  generation. 

AMERICAN  art  books,  with  some  noteworthy  excep- 
tions, generally  recall  the  outlook  of 
English  critics  of  thirty  or  forty  years 
ago.  The  standpoint  of  the  writers 
is  literary  rather  than  artistic  ;  they 
are  more  concerned  with  the  message 
of  a  painter  than  his  manner  of 
delivering  it,  and  trace  the  main 
developments  of  the  great  schools  of  painting  without 


FROM    CROWE    AND 
'      (JOHN     MURRAY) 


(William 
Heinemann 
2s.  6d.  net) 


"  Mornings  with 
Masters  of  Art," 
by  H.  H.  Powers 
(Macmillan  and 
Co.,  Ltd. 
8s.  6d.  net) 


of  engrav- 
ers in  half 
a  dozen 
pages  is 
shown  in 
the  little 
volume  on 
Bartolozzi  and  other  Stipple 
Engravers  working  in  England 
at  the  end  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  the  latest  addition 
to  the  "Great  Engravers" 
series.  What  Mr.  A.  M.  Hind 
has  to  say  on  the  subject  of 
stipple  engraving  and  its  votaries  is  well  to  the  point, 
but  it  is  all  too  brief,  and  the  reader  has  to  be  con- 
tent with  the  bare  mention  of  engravers  whose  career 
and  characteristics  well  deserved  more  extended  notice. 
Mr.  Hind  speaks  of  the  art  as  being  extinct ;  but  this 
is  not  so,  for  of  recent  years  quite  a  number  of  stipple 
engravings  have  been  issued.  Another  error,  though 
doubtlessly  Mr.  Hind  cannot  be  held  responsible, 
is  the  attribution  of  Lawrence's  famous  picture  of 
Miss  Farren  to  Reynolds.  Some  of  the  illustrations, 
which  constitute  the  great  attraction  to  the  volume,  are 
excellent,  but  in  the  heavier  examples  the  tone  and 
feeling  of  the  originals  is  often  quite  lost  in  the  repro- 
ductions. 


56 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


"The  Technique   of  Painting,"   by  Charles   Moreau- 
Vauthier  (William  Heinemann,  ios.  6d.  net) 

One  would  gather  without  reading  the  statement  on  the 
title-page  of  The  Technique  of  Painting,  by  M.  Charles 

Moreau-Vauthier,  that  the  work  is  a  translation  from  the 

French,  as  the  author  takes  his 

examples  exclusively  from  French 

sources.     This,  however,  is  not  a 

material  blemish,  for  the  tech- 
nique of  the  Old  Masters  illus- 
trated can  be  studied  with  as  much 

advantage  in  the  National  Gallery 

as  at  the  Louvre,  and  that  of  the 

more  modern  French  masters  can 

be  matched  in  the  work  of  artists 

on  this  side  of  the  Channel.     By 

"technique"   the    author   means 

everything  that    pertains   to   the 

craftsmanship  of  painting — 

panels,   canvases,  pigments,  and 

vehicles,    as   well    as    the   actual 

laying-on  of  the  colours  ;  and  his 

volume    contains    an    exhaustive 

examination  of  the  methods  and 

materials  of  the  painter's  art— so 

far  as  modern  research  has   re- 
vealed  them — from    the   time  of 

the    cave-dwellers.     The    early 

periods  are  treated  upon  some- 
what briefly.     It  may  be  pointed 

out  en  passant  that  while  M. 
Moreau-Vauthier  ascribes  the  use 
of  varnish  to  the  Egyptians  of 
the  Xth  dynasty,  this  practice  is 
more  generally  set  down  as  being 
followed  by  those  of  the  XlXth, 
while  the  process  of  encaustic 
painting,  which,  he  states,  "  re- 
mains somewhat  of  a  mystery," 
has  been  fully  revealed  by  recent 
discoveries  and  investigations. 
A  more  unsolvable  mystery  is  the 
secret  of  the  Van  Eycks.  They 
are  popularly  credited  with  having 
invented  oil-painting,  which,  how- 
ever, was  in  use  before  their  birth. 
What  they  did  was  to  bring  the 

method  to  a  technical  perfection  which  has  never  been 
surpassed,  or  indeed  equalled.  Their  pictures  still  retain 
their  original  freshness  and  brilliancy,  while  others  painted 
hundreds  of  years  later  have  sadly  deteriorated,  and,  in 
many  instances,  perished.  The  Van  Eycks  carried  the 
secrets  of  their  process  with  them  to  the  grave.  The  con- 
temporary and  later  artists  who  professed  to  execute  their 
pictures  in  the  same  method  really  initiated  the  modern 
manner  of  oil-painting,  that  is,  painting  in  oil  on  oil  prim- 
ings in  thick  layers,  finally  coated  with  a  varnish  which 
does  not  form  a  homogeneous  body  with  the  stratum  of 
colour.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the  earlier  Flemish  artists 
who   succeeded   the   Van    Eycks   continued   to  produce 


the  best  work  done  in  this  manner,  a  result  partly  to 
be  ascribed  to  their  minute  and  learned  technique  and 
partly  to  the  excellence  of  their  materials.  On  the 
latter  point,  however,  the  moderns  are  comforted  by  the 
reassuring  statement  made  by  M.  Etienne  Dinet  in  the 


PORTRAIT    OF    A    YOUNG    MAN  BY    GIORGIONE 

CAVALCASELLE'S    "HISTORY    OF    PAINTING    IN    NORTH    ITALY 


FROM    CROWE    AND 
'        (JOHN    MURRAY') 


preface  to  the  volume,  that  artists  now  "  have  at  their 
disposal  colours  a  thousand  times  more  brilliant  and  more 
enduring  than  those  used  by  the  Old  Masters."  The 
mishaps  that  so  often  occur  in  their  use  are  occasioned 
by  want  of  technical  knowledge.  M.  Moreau-Vauthier 
in  his  work  examines  at  length  the  qualities  of  the  chief 
modern  pigments,  describing  their  action  when  used  in 
conjunction  with  one  another,  and  under  a  prolonged 
exposure  to  light.  He  also  describes  the  technical 
methods  of  typical  masters  of  the  various  ancient  and 
modern  schools ;  this  portion  of  his  work  being  made 
of  especial  value  by  the  numerous  illustrations  in  colour 
and  monochrome,  giving  on  a  large  scale  portions  of  the 


57 


The    Coii/ioissciii 


.11  tist  s  pu  tin  es 
o  as  to  enable 
the  readei  to 
thoroughly  un- 
derstand their 
handling,  and 
show  the  <  iu  1 1 
of  time  on  the 
works.  All  the 
\  .u  iousmethods 
of  painting  ai< 
described,  the 
vehicles  an d 
materials  which 
are  employed, 
t  h  e  v  a  r  i  o  u  s 
processes  of 
restoration  and 
the  methods 
necessary  to 
ensure  the  pre- 
servation of 
works  of  art  ;  a 
chapter  is  even 
devoted  to  the 
production  of 
forgeries.  In 
short,  the  work 
is  a  complete 
vade  mecum  of 
the  painter's 
art,  thoroughly 
reliable,  and 
clearly  and  con- 
cisely written. 
It  should  be  in 
the  hands  of 
every  artist  who 
wishes  to  produce  work  of  permanent  durability,  and 
of  every  collector  who  desires  to  preserve  his  "old 
masters"  without  deterioration. 

The  master-work  of  Dinah  Maria  Mulock — John 
Halifax,  Gentleman — has  been  re-issued  in  a  most  attrac- 
tive guise  by  Messrs.  Adam  and 
Charles  Black.  A  forenote  by  Mr. 
Gordon  Home  just  tells  what  a 
reader  would  like  to  know  concern- 
ing the  work  and  its  authoress — the 
genesis  of  the  story  and  the  outline 
of  Miss  Mulock's  uneventful  and 
hard-working  life.  The  illustrations 
in  colour  by  Messrs.  Oswald  Moser  and  G.  F.  Nicholls 
thoroughly  harmonize  with  the  character  of  the  book. 
To  the  former  artist  has  been  allotted  the  task  of  invest- 
ing the  personages  described  in  the  story  with  their 
outward  semblances.  He  has  done  his  work  with  a 
spirit  and  discretion  that  give  an  additional  force  to  the 
narrative.  Mr.  Nicholls  has  recorded  the  scenes  in  and 
about  Norton  Bury — Miss    Mulock's  nom  de  plume  for 


Tewkesbu ry — 

and    introduces 

us  to  quaint  old- 
world  street  s 
a  n  <1  alleys, 
sunny  water- 
meadows  and 
leafy  lanes,  all 
set  forth  in  true 
and  pleasant 
colouration,  and 
all  showing  a 
love  for  nature 
akin  to  that  of 
the  authoress. 
The  volum  e 
is  moderately 
priced,  well 
bound  and  set 
up,  and  is  alto- 
gether as  desir- 
able an  edition 
of  the  work  as 
one  could  wish 
to  have. 


"  Scottish 

Heraldry  made 

Easy," 

2nd  edition, 

by  G.  Harvey 

Johnstone 

(W.  and  A.  K. 

Johnston 

5s.  net) 


HEAD     Or     A     CHILD  c 

FROM     "GREUZE     AND     HIS     MODE 


HALK     DRAWING     BY     GREUZE 
I-S"     (HUTCHINSON     AND     CO.) 


"John  Halifax, 
Gentleman," 
illustrated  by 
Oswald  Moser 
and  G.  F.  Nicholls 
(Messrs.  A.  &  C. 
Black,  7s.  6d.  net) 


IT  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  under- 
stand why  this  book  should  have  run  into  a  second 
edition.  The  title  describes  the  work  completely.  1  he 
author  has  succeeded,  so  far  as  is  possible,  in  over- 
coming the  usual  difficulty  in  such  works,  namely,  the 
description  of  the  various  technical  terms,  not  only 
by  explanation,  but  by  illustrating  over  one  hundred 
shields  in  actual  colours,  to  say  nothing  of  the  numerous 
illustrations  appearing  on  nearly  every  page.  There 
would  not  be  room  in  this  book  to  give  all  crests  and 
mottoes  of  Scottish  families,  and  it  might  therefore 
have  been  advisable  to  have  kept  these  lists  for  a 
separate  work. 

"Odds  and  Ends"  is  a  most  valuable  addition,  but 
we  fail  to  see  references  to  such  works  as  Bernau's 
Scottis/i  Records  mentioned  in  the  list  of  books  dealing 
with  the  subject.  The  Glossary  is  very  complete,  and 
one  of  the  most  valuable  items  from  a  genealogical 
point  is  the  list  of  Scottish  Family  Histories.  We  are 
very  glad  to  see  the  author  has  given  a  good  index, 
a  thing  so  often  lacking  ;  and  he  is  to  be  congratulated 
upon  the  masterly  way  in  which  he  has  handled  a 
difficult  subject. 


58 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


"  Life  in  the  West  of  Ireland,"  drawn  and  painted  by 
Jack  B.  Yeats  (Maunsel  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  cloth,  5s.; 
special  edition,    £i   is.) 

Life  in  the  West  of  Ireland  is  a  pictorial  record  by  Mr. 
lack  B.  Yeats,  an  artist  whose  striking  and  original  work 
has  been  often  seen  in  London  exhibitions.     About  half 


characteristics  of  the  Irish  people  to  those  of  the  English. 
After  seeing  them  one  realizes  that  novels  like  Charles 
0 'Malley  are  hardly  an  exaggeration,  and  that  even  in 
the  present  day  they  give  a  more  faithful  picture  of  the 
traits  of  the  Irish  people  than  most  of  the  works  on 
the  subject  which  have  been  written  since. 


VENUS    DISSUADES    ADONIS    FROM    HUNTING  BY    WILLIAM    BLAKE.    AFTER    RICHARD    COSWAY 

FROM    "THE    ENGRAVINGS    OF    WILLIAM    BLAKE"    (GRANT    RICHARDS) 


the  sixty  illustrations  which  it  contains  are  from  line 
drawings,  the  remainder  being  equally  divided  between 
reproductions  in  colour  from  water-colours,  and  in 
monochrome  from  oil-paintings.  The  work  in  the  first- 
named  medium  is  the  most  effective  for  reproduction. 
Mr.  Yeats  cultivates  a  broad  style  of  line,  suggestive  of 
the  wood-block  illustrations  of  the  old  broad-sheets, 
which  he  uses  with  force  and  directness,  often  in  a  few 
virile  strokes  attaining  effects  of  light  and  distance  which 
it  would  seem  impossible  to  realise  by  such  simple  means. 
The  great  charm  of  the  book,  however,  lies  in  its  vivid 
presentation  of  Irish  life  and  character.  These  records, 
racy  of  the  soil  and  glowing  with  national  feeling,  reveal, 
more  than  many  loads  of  blue-books  or  long-drawn 
political    speeches,    how    essentially    different    are    the 


One  of  the  most  desirable  children's  books  which 
has  been  published  for  some  time  is  the  Little  Songs 
of  Long  Ago,  illustrated  by  Mr.  H. 
!_'  Little  Songs  of  Willebeek  Le  Mair.  The  fault  of 
one  of  the  orthodox  books  for  chil- 
dren is  that,  however  well  it  is 
written  and  illustrated,  no  sooner  are 
its  contents  read  and  mastered  than 
it  is  laid  aside,  generally  for  good. 
In  this  instance,  however,  the  songs 
— familiar  nursery  rhymes  for  the  most  part— are  set 
to  music,  which  the  attractiveness  of  the  beautiful 
illustrations  will  tempt  the  youngsters  to  learn,  and 
once  they  are  learnt,  they  will  prove  a  perpetual  source 
of  enjoyment. 


Long  Ago," 
illustrated  by 
H.  Willebeek 
Le  Mair 
(Augener  &  Co. 
7s.  6d.  net) 


59 


The   ( 'onnoisseur 


"  Epochs  of 
Chinese  and 
Japanese  Art" 
Ernest  F.  Fenol- 
losa (2  vols., 
William  Heine- 
mann,  36s.  net.) 

1'  ROB  \  1: 1  v     no 
man  has  exercised 

a  greater  or  more 
beneficial  influence 
o\  er  modern  Japan- 
e  e  ut  than  the  late 
Professor  Ernest  K. 
Fenollosa.  An 
American  of  Span- 
ish extraction  he 
went  to  Japan  in 
187S  to  take  the 
chair  of  Political 
Economy  and  Phil- 
osophy at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Tokio. 
It  was  a  time  when 
the  Japanese,  in 
their  ha->te  to  adopt 
Western  civiliza- 
tion, were  casting 
aside  all  their  older 
traditions,  those  of 
art  being  among 
them.  European 
oil-painting,  draw- 
ing, and  painting 
were  taught  in  the 
art  schools,  and  the 
wonderful  achieve- 
ments of  Japanese 
art  in  the  past  were 
valued  as  things  of 
no  account.  Fenol- 
losa, with  fiery 
energy,  denounced 
this  state  of  things, 
and  it  was  largely 
owing  to  his  unceas- 
ing efforts  that  the 
eyes  ofthe  Japanese 

government  were  opened  to  the  value  of  the  national 
artistic  birthright.  In  18S6  they  appointed  him  a  Com- 
missioner of  Fine  Arts,  and  he  was  entrusted  with 
the  task  of  registering"  all  the  artistic  treasures  of  the 
country.  He  worked  at  this  for  three  years,  and  then, 
decorated  with  some  of  the  highest  honours  of  Japan, 
returned  to  America,  where  his  work  in  cataloguing  and 
arranging  the  Oriental  treasures  at  the  Boston  Museum 
— many  of  which  came  from  his  own  collection — and  his 
lectures  on  Eastern  Art  gave  him  a  unique  reputation. 
He  unfortunately  never  lived  to  complete  his  great  work 
on   Epochs  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  .-lit,  dying  in  1910, 


j    wi  11   T"    "a1 


£^I 


SOUTH    GERMAN    BEAKER 

FROM    "  METALWORK    AND    ENAMELLING1 


and  lea\  ing  on]' 
rough  manuscri 
which  it  was 
intention  to  corr 
and  revise  in  Jap; 
This  task  has  n 
been  ably  done 
his  wife,  who  1 
been  assisted 
some  of  the  gre 
est  living  authc 
ties  on  Chinese  a 
Japanese  art,  a 
the  result  is  e 
bodied  in  two  st 
stantial  volum 
which  const  it  11 
what  is  perhaps  I 
best  and  most  co 
prehensive  histc 
of  the  art  of  t 
Far  East  which  r 
yet  been  written. 
In  most  essays 
this  st  u  pen  do 
subject  a  Weste 
origin  is  assign 
to  the  arts  and  ci 
1  i  z  a  t  i  o  n  of  t ' 
Chinese.  Profe*: 
Fenollosa  adopt: 
different  theo 
and  suggests  tl 
in  prehistoric  aj 
there  were  two 
dependent  centi 
of  art-dispersion 
one  in  the  regie 
about  the  "  e; 
end  of  the  Me< 
terranean,"  and  t 
other  at  "sor 
point  of  the  ma 
less  defined  Me 
terraneans  e 
closed  by  t  1 
large  islands 
the  wester  n  h 
ofthe  Pacific  Ocean,"  China  coming  within  the  scope 
the  hitter.  In  support  of  this  hypothesis  the  Profess 
adduces  the  existence  of  a  substantial  unity  of  art  fori 
throughout  the  regions  bordering  the  vast  basin 
the  Pacific  which  would  seem  to  denote  a  comm 
origin,  and  are  wholly  unlike  those  belonging  to  ancif 
Western  civilization.  The  Chinese,  indeed,  whose  h 
tory  may  be  traced  with  some  degree  of  certainty  1 
a  period  of  five  thousand  years,  were  already  a  cultur 
nation,  ruled  over  by  an  emperor,  and  possessi 
a  written  language  and  considerable  artistic  cultt 
before  thev  came  into  contact  with  the  Western  wor 


FIFTEENTH    CENTURY 
(CHAPMAN    AND    HALL) 


60 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


s^. 


\A 


Direct  communication  appears  to  have 
been  established  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Han  dynasty,  about  two  hundred  year-, 
before  the  Christian  era,  when  the  in- 
fluence of  Mesopotamian,  Persian,  and 
Greek  art  and  craftsmanship  becomes 
apparent,  more  especially  in  the  intro- 
duction of  pottery  glazes.  For  the  most 
part,  however,  East  Asiatic  art  has  been 
of  indigenous  growth  and  development, 
Chinese  and  Japanese  art  mutually  re- 
acting on  each  other,  their  ever-varying 
phases  interlocking  into  a  sort  of  mosaic 
pattern,  or,  rather,  unfolding  in  a  single 
aesthetic  movement.  Professor  Fenollosa 
is  the  first  author  who  in  an  important 
work  has  treated  this  movement  as  a 
whole.  He  has,  moreover,  treated  it, 
not  as  a  foreigner,  content  with  an 
examination  of  its  technical  achieve- 
ments, but  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
native,  showing  the  religious  and  political 
influences  which  provided  it  with  inspira- 
tion, and  tracing  its  development  through 
all  its  varied  manifestations  in  painting, 
sculpture,  and  the  applied  arts.  He  has 
perhaps  devoted  an  undue  proportion  of 
his  history  to  the  arts  of  Japan  ;  but  one 
would  not  wish  that  a  single  line  of  this 

should  have  been  omitted,  only  that  the 
achievement,  of  China  might  be  treated 

with  equal  fulness.     The  book  is  the 

crowning  achievement   of  a  great  life, 

giving  the  best  and  most  comprehensive 

general  view  of  Eastern    art  which  has 

yet  been  presented,   and   will   inevitably 

remain  the  standard  work  on  the  subject 

for  many   years  to   come.     Mrs.    Fenol- 
losa is   to   be   congratulated  on   having 

wrought  her  late  husband's  rough  draft 

into  a  complete  and  well-proportioned 

book,  showing  little  or  no  sign  of  not 

having  been  completed  by  its  original 

author.     The  volumes  are  well  illustrated 

by  plates  of  excellent  quality. 

Books  in  Colour  : — 

"The  Cottages  and  the  Village  Life  of 
Rural  England,"  by  P.  H.  Ditchfield, 
M.A.,  illustrated  by  A.  R.  Quinton 
(J.  M.  Dent  &  Son,  Ltd.,  21s.  net) 
"  An  Artist  in  Egypt,"  by  Walter 
Tyndale,  R.I.  (Hodder  &  Stoughton, 
20s.  net) 

"South     America,"      painted      by 

A.     S.     Forrest,      described     by 

W.    H.    Koebel  ;    "  Germany,"    painted 

by    E.    T.    and    E.    C.    Harrison    Compton,    described 

by    J.    F.    Dickie    (A.    &    C.    Black,    20s.    each    net) 


sWS 


'<&1 


n 


KAKEMONO-YE      BY  KORIUSAI 

FROM    "EPOCHS    OF    CHINESE 

AND    JAPANESE    ART" 

(HEINEMANN) 


journeyings 
by    the   ord 


"Austria:  Her  People  and  Their 
Homelands,"  by  James  Baker,  illus- 
trated by  Donald  Maxwell.  (John 
Lane,    21s.  net) 

The  colour-work   issued  by  the  lead- 
ing publishers  is  of  a  quality  and  auto- 
graphic fidelity  which  would  have  seemed 
marvellous   in  the  eyes  of  the  artists  of 
a  few  generations   ago.     One  can  fancy 
that  Reynolds,  who  prized    McArdell's 
engravings   from    his  works  as   ensuring 
their   immortality  long   after   their  pig- 
ments had  faded,  would  haw  given  some 
of  the    best    years   of    his    life   to   have 
ensured  the  perpetuating  of  his  pictures, 
when  glowing  with  their  original  colours, 
in  some   of  the   modern  processes.     We 
are  now  apt  to  undervalue  these  because 
they  are   inexpensive,  can  be  used  with 
facility,  and  are   sometimes   used  for 
work  not    worthy  of  reproduction.     Mr. 
A.   R.  Quinton's  drawing,   do  not  come 
within   the  latter  category;    nominally 
executed  as    illustrations    to   .Mr.   P.    H. 
Ditchfield's  book   on    The   Cottages  and 
the  Village  Life  of  Rural  England,  they 
harmonise  pleasantly  with  the  text,  but 
hardly   form   an  actual  accompaniment. 
Some  ot  the  most   charming  are  of 
places  unmentioned  by  the  author,  while 
many    of    the    most    salient    features   of 
cottage   life   which   he  describes  are  left 
undepicted.    This,  however,  hardly  inter- 
feres   with   the   reader's    enjoyment  of 
the   book,   for   author  and   artist  are   in 
thorough  sympathy,  each  realising  in  his 
own  way,  and  with  much  charm,  the 
fading  beauties  of  old  English   village 
life.     Mr.   Ditchfield  describes  various 
types  of  cottage   and  introduces  us  to 
many  bygone  customs,    quaint   super- 
stitions, and  picturesque  features  of  village 
life,  conveying  much  solid  information  in 
a  fascinating  and  interesting  manner. 
Mr.   Quinton's   drawings   are   equally 
charming,  and  those  who  saw  the  originals 
when   they   were  on  exhibition  in  Bond 
Street  will  find  that  they  have  lost  little 
in  the  reproduction. 

Mr.  Walter  Tyndale,  in  .-/"  Artist  in 
Egypt,  happily  combines  the  functions  of 
trtist  and  author.  He  appears  to  have 
had  opportunities  of  seeing  the  inner 
life  of  the  East  in  a  manner  enjoyed  by 
few  Europeans,  and  is  thus  enabled  to 
introduce  us  to  the  manners  and  cus- 
ton;s  of  the  Egyptians  with  thorough 
and  sympathetic  insight.  The  artist  s 
have  taken  him  into  many  places  unvisited 
inarj    tourist,   «hile   he   is   acquainted   with 


61 


The   Connoisseur 


picturesque  items  ol    Egyp 
tian    history   not   hitherto 
recorded     in     English. 
Making    the   best    use   ol 
these  qualifii  at  ions,  Mr. 
Tyndale  has   produced  a 
most  interesting  and  enter- 
taining book,  whit  h  would  be 
thoroughly  worthy  of  publi- 
on  without  the  numerous 
plate  ■  in  i  olour  it  contains. 
Many  of  the   originals  oi 
these  will   be   familiar  to 
frequenters  "I  the  \\  est-end 
galleries.      Few    artists    are 
better  fitted  than  Mr.Tyndale 
to    reproduce    the  colour, 
light,  and  atmosphere  of  the 
East,  and  in  these  beautifully 
harmonised  drawings  he  has 
done    justice    both    to    his 
talents  and  his  themes.    The 
reproductions  are   of  excep- 
tionally high  quality,  and 
altogether  the  volume  must 
be   accounted  one  of  the 
most   attractive    works    on 
Egypt  issued  during  the  last 
decade. 

The  present  conditions  ol 
what  is  now  the  most  pro- 
gressive of  continents — South 
America  —  are  painted  by 
Mr.  A.  S.  Forrest  and  de- 
scribed  by  Mr.W.  H.  Koebel 
in  one  of  the  latest  of  Messrs. 
A.  &  C.  Black's  sumptuous 
series  of  colour  books.  The 
drawings  of  the  former  are 
unequal,  and  many  do  not 
specially  lend  themselves  to 
colour  reproduction,  this 
characteristic  being  more 
marked  in  those  which  are 
heaviest  in  tone.  Some  of 
the  others,  like  Boats  atBahia 
and  Workmen  on  a  Fort, 
Rio  Harbour,  are,  however, 
excellent. 

Mr.  Koebel's  letterpress 
is  an  interesting  medley 
of  modern  commercial 
fact  and  ancient  historical 
legend,  written  with  facility 
and  a  feeling  for  pictures- 
que style.  From  the  same 
publishers  comes  a  volume  on  Germany,  painted  by 
Messrs.  E.  T.  and  E.  C.  Harrison  Compton,  and  described 
by  Mr.  f.  F.  Dickie.  To  the  two  artists  the  claims 
of  old-world  Germany  are  paramount,  and  though  they 


BY    KANO    SOSHU 


OF    CHINESE    AND    JAPANESE    ART"    (HEINEMANN) 


iionally  introduce  us  to 

an  .1  i"  •  i  ol  the  industrialism 
ol    to-day,   it   is   die  castles, 
cathedrals,   and   picturesque 
buildings    surviving    from 
the    past    and    the    beautiful 
scenery   of    the    Fatherland 
which    chiefly   claim    their 
attention.     Thei  r  drawings 
are  closely  akin  in  style  and 
quality,  all  being  marked  by 
atmospheric    feeling,   good 
i  olour,   and   loose   but  well- 
informed    handling.      Mr. 
|.    V.    Dickie's    letterpress 
chimes    pleasantly   with    the 
sentiment    of  the   drawings, 
and   his    pages,  forming   an 
efficient  guide  to  the  places 
described,  are  lightened  by 
many   an   old    legend    or 
snatches  of  bygone  history. 

Mr.  James  Baker,  in  his 
Austria:  Her  People  and 
Their  Homelands,  shows 
thorough  acquaintance  with 
his  subject.  His  volume 
gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the 
so-called  Germanic  half  of 
the  dual  empire,  which  is, 
however,  becoming  more  and 
more  a  Slav  state.  The 
author  depicts  the  state  of  the 
country  in  roseate  colours, 
and  the  evidences  he  brings 
forward  of  its  material 
progress  appear  incontro- 
vertible. Even  the  racial 
differences,  of  which  we 
hear  so  much  in  England, 
only  serve  to  promote  the 
general  prosperity,  for  the 
rivalry  between  the  different 
peoples  who  inhabit  the 
empire  finds  its  outlet  less 
in  political  differences  than 
in  the  desire  that  their  dis- 
tricts shall  be  distinguished 
by  the  best  commercial 
organisations,  systems  of 
education,  and  the  finest 
museums  and  art  galleries, 
so  that  many  of  the  Austrian 
provincial  cities  are  better 
equipped  in  these  respects 
than  some  of  the  greater 
capitals  of  Europe.  Mr.  Baker,  however,  by  no  means 
confines  himself  to  commercial  or  social  matters.  Hie 
book  forms  an  admirable  guide  to  the  many  beauty- 
spots  of  the  empire  ;  and  he  neither  neglects  history  not 


FROM     "  EPOCHS 


62 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


legend.  The  forty-eight  coloured  plates,  after  drawings 
by  Mr.  Donald  Maxwell,  are  varied  in  their  appeal,  but 
all  distinguished  by  high  artistry,  sure  draughtsman- 
ship, and  pleasant  colour.  The  volume  can  be  safely 
recommended  as  an  advisable  purchase  to  anyone  visit- 
ing Austria  or  who  is  interested  in  the  country. 

William  Blake,  perhaps  the  most  original  artistic 
genius  of  the  eighteenth  century,  was  compelled  by  his 
poverty  to  follow  a  dual  career.  In 
the  one  phase  he  was  a  great  artist 
giving  birth  to  imperishable  de- 
signs; in  the  other,  merely  a  hack 
engraver.  Mr.  Archibald  G.  B. 
Russell's  book  on  the  Engravings 
of  William  Blake  —  a  Catalogue 
Raisonne,  prefixed  by  an  interesting 
critical  study  of  the  artist's  career— leads  one  to  realise 
what  a  large  amount  of  hack-work  he  executed,  no  less 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  reproductions  after  other 
painters  being  recorded.  The  bulk  of  these  are  illustra- 
tions to  books,  but  they  also  include  important  plates 
after  Morland,  Huet  Villiers,  and  others,  some  of  which 
are  of  sufficient  merit  to  realise  good  prices  in  the  auction 
room  from  purchasers  who  have  little  or  no  sympathy 
with  the  original  work  of  the  poet-painter.  These  repro- 
ductions possess  little  direct  appeal  to  Blake's  orthodox 


"The  Engravings 
of  William 
Blake,"  by  Archi- 
bald G.  B.Russell, 
B.A.  (Grant 
Richards,  Lim., 
25s.  net) 


STATUE    OF    A    DISCOBOLUS 

AND    RUINS    OF    ROME' 


FROM    "THE    MUSEUMS 
(DUCKWORTH) 


THE    APHRODITE    OF    KNIDOS 

AND    RUINS    OF    ROME1 


FROM    "THE    MUSEUMS 
(DUCKWORTH) 


admirers;  they  are  interesting,  however,  as  illustrating 
the  progress  of  his  technical  skill,  and  their  record  throws 
light  on  a  phase  of  his  career  which  has  been  little  studied. 
The  most  important  portion  of  Mr.  Russell's  book  is  that 
dealing  with  Blake's  own  designs,  a  full  record  being 
given,  both  of  those  engraved  by  the  artist  himself  and 
those  translated  by  others.  The  author  has  performed 
this  labour  with  most  painstaking  care,  giving  a  full 
description  of  every  individual  item,  and  in  most  instances 
recounting  all  the  circumstances  attendant  to  its  produc- 
tion. Probably  no  one  was  better  qualified  than  Mr. 
Russell  to  undertake  such  a  work,  and  certainly  no  single- 
individual  could  have  carried  it  to  a  more  satisfactory 
completion.  The  result  is  a  volume  which  will  remain 
indispensable  to  all  collectors  of  Blake's  productions,  and 
will  inevitably  be  the  standard  work  on  the  subject. 

"The  Museums  and  Ruins  of  Rome,"  by  W.  Amelung 
and  H.  Holtzinger    (Duckworth  &  Co.,  2  vols.,  5s.  net) 

The  re-issue  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Strong's  translation  of 
The  Museums  and  Ruins  of  Rome,  from  the  German 
by  Walther  Amelung  and  Dr.  H.  Holtzinger,  in  a 
popular  and  inexpensive  form,  will  be  welcome  to  the 
many  who  desire  to  possess  authoritative  and  reliable 
works  on  art  but  whose  purses  do  not  always  permit 
them  to  indulge  their  tastes.  The  present  edition 
consists  of  two  handy  and   compact  volumes  profusely 


63 


The   Connoisseur 


illustrated,  clearl)  printed,  and  well  mounted,  and  the 
publishers  maj  be  congratulated  on  their  enterprise  in 
issuing  so  valuable  a  work  at  so  reasonable  a  price. 

"Famous  Paintings"  (Casscll  &  Co.,  Ltd.) 

In  our  December  number,  owing  to  a  misprint,  the 
"I"  Famous  Paintings,  issued  by  Messrs.  Cassell  & 
Company,  was  incorrectly  given  as  2is.net.    The  amount 
should  be  1  -^.  net. 

"  Poems  of  Passion  and  Pleasure,"  by  Ella  Wheeler 
Wilcox    (Gay  &   Hancock,  15s.  net) 

Of  the  numerous  "  colour  books  "  issued  this  season, 
the  edition  of  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox's  Poems  of  Passion 
and  Pleasure,  published  by  Messrs.  Gay  &  Hancock,  is 
especially  notable,  the  twenty  coloured  illustrations  by 
Dudley  Tennant  denoting  a  sympathetic  appreciation 
oi  the  poet's  sentiments.  A  word,  too,  must  be  said  for 
the  typographical  excellence  of  the  volume. 

The  account  given  by  Mr.  J.  Rivers  of  Greuze  and  his 
Models  is  obviousl)  intended  for  popular  reading.  It 
gives  with  lively  detail  the  story 
of  the  artist's  life  and  his  relations 
with  the  various  models  he  immor- 
talised in  his  pictures.  His  love- 
affairs   were  numerous,   but  always 


"  Greuze  and   his 
Models,"  by 
J.  Rivers 
(Hutchinson  & 
Co.,  10s.  6d.  net) 


conducted  in  a  spirit  of  Quixotic 
chivalry,  which  justified  the  high  standard  of  morality  he 
professed,  and  proves  that  the  voluptuous  qualities  with 
which  some  of  his  pictures  are  popularly  credited  are 
never  intentional.  His  earliest  passion  appears  to  have 
been  entertained,  when  quite  a  boy,  for  a  servant  in  his 
father's  house;  then  he  fell  deeply  in  love  with  the  wife 
of  his  master,  Graudon,  contenting-  himself,  however, 
with  platonic  worship.  By  an  irony  of  fate,  Greuze,  who 
had  loved  so  many  women,  eventually  married  one  for 
whom  he  at  first  entertained  little  affection,  the  girl 
deliberately  playing  on  his  Quixotic  sense  of  honour  to 
force  him  into  the  match.  For  the  details  of  this  and  the 
other  affairs  of  feeling  which  marked  the  life  of  this  most 
sentimental  of  artists,  the  reader  may  well  be  referred 
to  Mr.  Rivers's  volume.  It  is  profusely  illustrated,  and 
while  some  of  the  plates  do  justice  to  the  productions 
ot  the  painter,  in  others  the  quality  and  feeling  of  the 
originals  are  almost  wholly  lost. 

A  THOROUGHLY  practical  treatise  dealing  with  all  the 

mysteries  of  the  gold  and  silversmith's  art  and  the  allied 

crafts  should  be  welcomed  in  these 
•'  Metalwork and        d;iys  when  such  ja,  attenti,m   ,s 

Enamelling,     by  ,     •  ,        .     ,     ,       ,        , 

«     ..        iwr  being    devoted    to    hand  -  wrought 

Herbert  Maryon  ,        .  ° 

,~,  o   u  (I  metalwork    and    jewellery.      Mr. 

(Chapman  &  Hall  ..     ,         ., 

„     ,-,        ...  Herbert  .Maryon  s  well-tilled  volume 

7s.  od.  net) 

answers  to  this  description,  and  can 

be  recommended  as  a  reliable  vade  mecum  for  workers. 

It  deals  exhaustively  with   the  principles  of  design,  the 

various    processes,  and  the  properties  of  the  materials 

employed.    The  descriptions  are  full,  clear,  and  accurate, 

and   every    process   and    style    of    design    is    profusely 


illustrated.  As  an  example  of  the  thoroughness  wit 
which  the  latter  work  has  been  done,  it  may  be  nientiom 
that  no  fewer  than  ;j  styles  of  twisted  wire  pattern 
are  reproduced,  while  there  arc  drawings  of  practically  a 
the  hundreds  of  implements  mentioned  in  the  work. 

Though    Messrs.    Crowe  and    Cavalcaselle's   mom 

mental    History  of  Painting  in    North  Italy  was  pub 

lished    over   forty  years  ago,   it    i 

"  A   History  of  n0,   ijk(,iy   ,f)   bc   soon    supersedec 

Painting  in  Indeed,  as  time  goes  on,  the  durabl 
North   Italy,"  ,  ,  ,,  ,  , 

"  qualities     of    the    work     are    onl 

by  J.  A.  Crowe  and  ,  ,      .  ,.    .    .        , 

„'        „        ,         ,,  brought   into  greater  relief,   for  th 
(j.  hi  Cavakasclle 


Edited  by  Tancred 


facts  and  theories  set  forth  in  it,  i 

the  main,  have  been  confirmed  b 
tiorenius   (John 

Murray,   t  vols.,         modern  research  and  the  scientili 
£l  is    net)  criticism  of  the  present  day.     Th 

changes  in  ownership  of  variou 
pictures  since  the  original  edition  was  brought  out,  an 
the  fresh  discoveries  of  art  historians,  have,  of  cours< 
tended  to  impair  the  utility  of  that  issue,  so  that  a  ne' 
one,  thoroughly  revised  and  brought  up  to  date  by  iM 
Tancred  Borenius,  is  more  than  justified.  The  book  he 
been  treated  in  a  similar  manner  as  the  recently  issue 
edition  of  the  same  writer's  History  of  Painting  in  Hal 
to  which,  indeed,  it  is  a  companion  work.  That  is  I 
say,  that  while  misprints  and  obvious  slips  have  bee 
corrected,  and  the  changes  in  the  catalogue  numbers  1 
pictures  incorporated,  with  these  exceptions  the  text  an 
notes  of  the  original  edition  have  been  printed  \  erbatin 
the  fresh  information,  compiled  and  brought  to  light  b 
the  editor,  being  included  in  the  form  of  additional  note 
These,  though  they  dc  not  add  greatly  to  the  bulk  of  tl 
work,  are  both  numerous  and  valuable,  containing  a 
immense  amount  of  condensed  information,  much  1 
which  is  obviously  the  result  of  original  research.  M 
liorenius  is  to  be  congratulated  both  on  the  wealth  1 
knowledge  he  displays  and  on  the  modesty  which  permi 
him  to  put  it  in  such  an  unostentatious  though  thorough 
useful  form.  These  notes  are  additionally  interestin 
from  the  proof  they  afford  of  the  general  sound  judgmei 
of  Crowe  and  Cavalcasellc.  While  in  a  few  instance 
their  conclusions  have  been  negatived  by  subsequent  di 
coveries,  it  is  remarkable  how  olten  their  attributions  ha\ 
been  proved  to  be  correct,  and  have  subsequently  bee 
adopted  by  the  custodians  of  the  pictures  to  which  the 
referred.  Of  topical  interest  are  the  numerous  reference 
to  the  late  Lady  Layard's  pictures,  soon  to  be  tli 
property  of  the  National  Gallery.  One  of  the  most  in 
portant  of  these  is  the  famous  Portrait  of  the  Sulta; 
Mehemet  //.,  by  Gentile  Bellini,  a  much  restored  pieo 
but  "still  of  extraordinary  interest,  charming  us"  by  th 
wondrous  finish  of  the  parts  which  have  resisted  th 
ravages  of  time.  The  other  pictures  recorded  beloiu 
ing  to  the  Layard  collection  are  too  numerous  to  b 
mentioned  in  a  short  review,  but  on  this  and  all  othe 
collections  containing  examples  of  North  Italian  art  froi 
the  fourteenth  to  the  sixteenth  century,  the  reader  wi 
find  the  present  edition  of  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle 
monumental  work  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  informatioi 


64 


Special     Notice 


Enquiries  should  be  made  upon  the  coupon  which  will  be  found  in  the  advertisement  pages.  While, 
jwing  to  our  enormous  correspondence  and  the  fact  that  every  number  of  The  Connoisseur  Magazine  is 
printed  a  month  in  advance,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  guarantee  in  every  case  a  prompt  reply  in  these  columns, 
an  immediate  reply  will  be  sent  by  post  to  all  readers  who  desire  it,  upon  payment  of  a  nominal  fee.  Expert 
opinions  and  valuations  can  be  supplied  when  objects  are  sent  to  our  offices  for  inspection,  and,  where 
necessary,  arrangements  can  be  made  for  an  expert  to  examine  single  objects  and  collections  in  the  country, 
and  give  advice,  the  fee  in  all  cases  to  be  arranged  beforehand.  Objects  sent  to  us  may  be  insured  whilst 
they  are  in  our  possession,  at  a  moderate  cost.  All  communications  and  goods  should  be  addressed  to  the 
"  Manager  of  Enquiry  Dept.,  The  Connoisseur,  35-39,   Maddox  Street,   \\\" 


ANSWERS    TO    CORRESPONDENTS 


Paper-work.  —  A6, 315  (Warrington). — Paper  flowers  are 
generally  of  no  value  at  all,  except  those  made  by  Mrs.  Delany, 
and  even  these  are  not  as  a  rule  worth  much  nowadays. 

Engravings  after  Bigg. —  A6,3i6  (Fribourg). —  Your 
two  colour  prints  after  Bigg  are  not  the  original  issue.  These 
pictures  were  engraved  by  fhnmas  Gaugain,  and  published  in 
17QI.  The  pair  have  recently  realised  sums  ranging  from  ^10 
to  nearly  ^40.  but  your  copies,  we  fear,  would  have  very  little 
interest  to  a  print  collector.  The  subjects  were  also  engraved 
by  Daniel  Orme. 

Portrait  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence.— A6, 323  (Clapham 
Common). — Princess  Lieven  was  the  wife  of  the  Ambassador 
representing  Russia  at  the  Court  of  St.  James  from  1812  to 
1S34.  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  English  Society  during  that 
time  She  was  well  known  at  Almack's,  and  was  frequently  the 
guest  of  George  IV.  at  the  Pavilion  at  Brighton.  Greville 
mentions  her  in  his  Memoirs,  describing  her  as  "a  ires grande 
dame  with  abilities  of  a  very  fine  order,  great  tact  and  finesse, 
;md  taking  a  boundless  pleasure  in  the  society  of  the  great  world 
and  in  political  affairs  of  every  sort." 

Engravers.  — A6. 3  28  (Bristol). —  The  Fight  for  the  Standard, 
by  R.  Ansdell,  was  engraved  by  II.  T.  Ryall,  and  published  by 
Herring  &  Remington,  August  15th,  1S61.  Johnson,  Boswell, 
and  Goldsmith  at  the  Mitre  Tavern  was  engraved  by  R.  B. 
Parke,. 

"Marriage  a  la  Mode."— A6, 336  (Clapham).— The 
demand  for  engravings  after  Hogarth  has  decreased  so  consider- 
ably of  recent  years  that  we  fear  your  set  would  only  realise  .1 
very  small  sum,  at  the  most  a  few  shillings  each  print. 

Prints. — A6.349  (Basingstoke). — None  of  the  prints  on 
your  list  would  Ire  likely  to  realise  any  sum  ol  importance,  as 
ihey  are  practically  all  of  the  last  century.  The  two  prints  by 
Armitage  and  Greatbach  are  steel  engravings,  for  which  there 
is  now  practically  no  demand,  these  engravers  having  turned  out 
such  a  large  quantity  of  work  during  their  years  of  activity. 

Tea  Caddies. — A6.351  (Monkstown). — We  should  value 
the  tea  caddies  approximately  as  follows: — (1)  £5  ios..  (21 
s-5.  (3)  £4  4s.  The  value  in  this  case  partly  depends  upon 
condition,  silver  fittings,  etc.,  and  the  objects  are  sufficiently 
rare  to  fluctuate  in  price. 

Prints.  —  A6, 353  (Edinburgh).  —  The  value  of  Blowin& 
and  King  of  the  Castle,  by  P.  W.  Tomkins,  after 
Hamilton,  largely  depends  upon  whether  they  are  plain  or 
coloured  impressions.  If  the  former,  they  would  be  unlikely  to 
realise  more  than  £1  or  so,  but  if  fine  coloured  examples  their 
value   would   be  considerable.      We    should    need   to   see   them 


before  valuing  definitely.  The  stipple  print,  A  Shipwrecked 
Sailor  Boy,  by  Orme,  alter  Bigg,  is  one  of  a  pair,  and  you  omit 
to  say  whether  it  is  in  colours  or  plain.  In  colours  the  pair 
realises  from  ,£15  to  £2^,,  but  uncoloured  the  value  is  consider- 
ably les,. 

Engravings. — A6,3S5  (Hamilton,  Lanark). — The  engrav- 
ing by  W.  Ward,  And  Joseph  brought  in  facoh  his  Father     . 
is  not  a    subject   for    which   there    is   any    demand.      Very   few 
Scriptural  subjects  realise  any  sum  of  importance.      At  the  most 
it  would  realise  £1  to  30s. 

Painting  of  Madonna.  —  A6,  ;02  (Melbourne). — It  is 
quite  impossible  for  us  to  give  an  opinion  upon  your  painting 
attributed  to  Francesco  Francia  without  seeing  it.  There  were 
many  imitators  of  this  famous  master,  and  one  writer  records  no 
less  than  220  of  them.  As  regards  the  blue  Nankin  vase,  you 
do  not  describe  the  mark,  and  it  is  essential  for  us  to  know  this 
before  giving  any  opinion,  as  the  value  entirely  depends  upon 
the  period. 

Verge  Watch.— Ao, 374  (Lewisham). — Several  watches  by 
I.  Wilter  are  recorded  in  Button's  Old  Clocks  and  Watches.  We 
cannot,  however,  value  the  watch  without  seeing  it. 

Prints.  —  A6,38i  (Saxmundham). —  bulging  by  your  des- 
cription, your  two  coloured  prints  are  merely  German  coloured 
lithographs,  the  value  of  which  is  trifling  and  the  demand  tin 
which  is  practically  nil. 

"  Progress  of  Steam."  A6.382  (Fareham)  — From  the 
particulars  you  send  we  should  say  that  your  print  would  pro- 
bably realise  from  £$  to  £5,  but  the  value  depends  entirely 
upon  the  quality  of  the  impression  and  its  general  condition. 

"  David  Qarrick,"  by  S.  VV.  Reynolds,  after 
Zoffany. — A6.3S5  (Guildford). — If  your  copy  of  this  subject  is 
an  ordinary  proof  impression  its  value  is  not  above  £2  to  £3. 

"  A  Treatise  of  Fortifications." — A6.404  (Manchester). 
— The  book  you  describe  would  be  unlikely  to  realise  more  than 
a  few  shillings. 

Grandfather  Clock. — A6.4I2  (Bray).  — There  were  several 
makers  of  the  name  of  Met  winking  in  London  from  the  1  arly 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century  up  to  the  first  half  of  the 
eighteenth.  There  was  also  a  firm  working  as  Mitchell  &  Viel 
at  Cornhill  in  1768.  We  cannot  trace  any  record  of  the  maker 
of  your  Sheraton  clock  by  Edward  Owens. 

Bureau,  etc. — A6.422  (Darlaston).— As  mentioned  in  our 
letter,  we  cannot  place  a  value  on  the  furniture  without  seeing 
photographs. 

Coin. — A6.427  (Vancouver). — Your  20-franc  piece  is  worth 
very  little  more  than  its  face  value. 


65 


HE  CONNOISSEVR. 

GENEALOGICAL  AND 
LDIC  DEPARJMENT 


Special    Notice 

Rkadkrs  of  The  Connoisseur  who  desire  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  herein 
should  address  all  letters  on  the  subject  to  the 
Manager  of  the  Heraldic  Department,  Hanover 
Buildings,   35-39,   Maddox   Street,   W. 

Only  replies  that  may  be  considered  to  be  of 
general  interest  will  be  published  in  these  columns. 
Those  of  a  directly  personal  character,  or  in  cases 
where  the  applicant  may  prefer  a  private  answer,  will 
be  dealt  with  by  post. 

Readers  who  desire  to  have  pedigrees  traced,  the 
accuracy  of  armorial  bearings  enquired  into,  or  other- 
wise to  make  use  of  the  department,  will  be  charged 
fees  according  to  the  amount  of  work  involved. 
Particulars  will  be  supplied  on  application. 

When  asking  information  respecting  genealogy  or 
heraldry,  it  is  desirable  that  the  fullest  details,  so  far 
as  they  may  be  already  known  to  the  applicant,  should 
be  set  forth. 

Thomas  Noel  Harris. — The  following  particulars  are  taken 
from  the  Uppingham  School  Roll,  second  series  :  "  Thomas 
Nil  I  Harris,  1785.  Ensign,  87th  Regiment,  1800.  Served  in 
campaigns  of  1S11,  1812,  and  part  of  1S13  in  the  Peninsula. 
In  1S13  joined  the  headquarters  of  the  allied  armies  in  N. 
Germany.  Served  throughout  the  campaigns  of  1S13-14,  up  to 
tlie  surrender  of  Talis.  Was  present  at  the  battles  of  Gross- 
bergen  and  Dennewitz,  and  the  battle  of  Leipsic  of  16th,  18th, 
and  191I1  October,  1813.  lie  was  bearer  of  the  first  intelligence 
that  arrived  in  England  of  the  fall  of  the  French  capital,  lie 
served  in  the  campaign  of  1815,  and  was  present  at  Quatre  Bras 
and  Waterloo,  at  which  he  lost  a  limb,  and  was  otherwise  severely 
wounded.  For  his  military  services  he  was  made  a  Knight  of 
the  Royal  Hanoverian  Order  in  1S30,  and  was  knighted  in  1841. 
He  had  received  the  silver  war  medal  and  four  clasps  for  his 
services  in  the  Peninsula,  also  the  Order  of  Military  Merit  of 
Prussia,  and  the  Order  of  St.  Anne  and  St.  Vladimir  of  Russia. 
lie  retired  on  half-pay  in  1830,  and  died  in  March,  i860." 


Pi.aie,  of  CORNWALL.  —  In  the  De  Banco  Rolls  for  Michai 
mas,  7  Henry  V.,  m.  521,  there  is  an  interesting  reference 
this  family,  which  is  as  follows:  "  Robert  Bealle  and  Juliai 
his  wife,  and  Walter  Blyghe  and  Argentina  his  wife,  sued  Willia 
Frefosburgh  and  Alice  his  wife,  and  Thomas  Cade  and  Ali 
his  wife,  and  John  Bausyn  and  Margery  his  wife,  for  land 
Trenalt,  which  Richard  Nywaton  gave  to  John,  son  of  Rog 
de  Blerek,  in  frank  marriage  with  Margery,  his  daughter,  whii 
should  revert  to  Juliana  and  Argentilla,  as  the  heirs  of  tl 
donor  :  John  son  of  Roger  having  died  s.p." 

The  pedigree  is  given  as  follows : — 

Richard  Nywaton,  temp.  Edward  II. 
I 
John    Fitz  Roger  =  Margery  =  Richard  Wydecombe. 


Simon. 


Juliana. 


I 
Argentilla. 


The  defendants  give  the  following  descent  :  — 

Richard  Nywaton,  temp.   Edward   II. 

! 


Walter, 
ob.  s.p. 


I 
Margery  =  John  Fit/.  Roger. 


I 
Thomas, 
ob.  s.p. 


and  they  claim  by  a  grant  of  Margery,  after  the  death  of  h> 
husband  and  son. 

HlLL. — In  the  majority  of  genealogical  books,  references  wi 
be  found  to  the  various  families  of  this  name.  In  Vivian 
Visitation  of  Cornwall  there  is  a  pedigree  of  Hill,  giving  tl 
descent  from  one  Robert,  who  came  to  England  with  William 
The  same  volume  also  gives  other  de-cents  from  the  time 
Edward  I.  and  from  Richard  II. 

Queries. 

DESBOROUGH  FAMILY.  —  Any  particulars  relating  to  th 
family  will  be  much  appreciated.  The  family  resided  chiefly  i 
Cambridge  and  Huntingdon. 


66 


February,   1913. 


Pictures 


Sir  Joseph    Beecham's    Collection   at   Hampstead 
Part   I.  By    C.   Reginald    Grundy 


Towards  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century 
English  art,  nourished  on  the  traditions  of  the  past 
fifty  years,  and  rich  in  the  produce  of  two  generations 
of  great  craftsmen,  was  fully  emerged  as  an  indepen- 
dent growth.  It  had  not  yet  spread  into  the  wild 
luxuriance  of  later  days.  Ungrafted  to  any  extent 
by  foreign  influence,  it  was  essentially  English,  and 
continued  to  develop  on  thoroughly  national  lines 
for  the  next  half-century  or  more.  It  is  this  period 
— roughly  bridging  the  interval  between  the  death  of 


Reynolds  and  the  advent  of  pre-Raphaelitism — which 
is  best  exemplified  in  Sir  Joseph  Beecham's  collection 
at  Hampstead.  The  most  original  work  of  this 
period  was  in  landscape.  Though,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  epoch,  Raebum,  Hoppner,  and  Lawrence  were 
producing  their  finest  portraits,  one  cannot  say  that 
the  destruction  of  the  latter  would  make  a  complete 
hiatus  in  the  history  of  art.  They  revealed  no  fresh 
secrets  of  nature,  but  rather  adapted  the  discoveries 
which  had  been  made  by  earlier  generations  of  great 


BY     GEORGE     MORLAND 


MORNING  ;     OR,     THE     BENEVOLENT     SPORTSMAN 

Vol.  XXXV.— No.   13S.— e  69 

[Copyright  by  J.  T.  Herbert  Baily  in  the  United  States  of  America.  May,  1901] 


The    Connoisseur 


GIPSY   ENCAMPMENT 


BY   GEORGE   MOKLAND 


portrait  painters  to  the  expression  of  English  nation- 
ality and  sentiment.  With  landscape  it  is  different. 
Had  Constable  and  Turner  never  lived,  the  whole 
course  of  modern  art  would  have  been  changed. 
Constable  was  the  pioneer  of  the  Barbizon  school ; 
while  Turner,  directly  and  indirectly,  exercises  a 
more  profound  influence  on  the  art  of  to-day  than 
any  other  single  master.  These  two  great  landscape 
painters  are  superbly  represented  in  Sir  Joseph 
lice  ham's  collection,  and  with  them  a  company  of 
painters  whose  artistic  stature  is  hardly  dwarfed  by 
comparison  with  such  giants;  Morland,  Cox,  Nasmyth, 
Crome,  Stark,  Bonnington,  Muller,  Landseer,  and 
Linnell  are  among  them,  all  exemplified  by  charac- 
teristic works,  a  large  proportion  of  which  may  be 
numbered  among  the  painters'  masterpieces. 

The  earliest  of  these  artists  in  point  of  chronology 
is  Morland,  in  many  respects  the  pioneer  painter  of 
English  rural  life.  It  is  true  that  Gainsborough 
preceded  him  in  the  same  theme,  but  Gainsborough, 
though  the  greater  artist,  was  hardly  so  convincing. 
His  long  practice  in  fashionable  portraiture  unfitted 
him  tor  the  realization  of  country  scenes  ;  his  peasant 


children  are  invested  with  a  grace  and  dignity  of 
deportment  which  savours  of  the  castle  rather  than 
the  cottage  ;  while  his  landscapes  not  unfrequcntly 
betray  signs  of  studio  origin.  Morland,  on  the 
other  hand,  lived  among  the  scenes  he  painted,  and 
rendered  them  with  a  simplicity  and  truth  to  nature 
unsurpassed  by  the  Dutch  masters,  who  were  his 
early  exemplars.  Though  Morland  was  not  the  first 
English  master  of  landscape,  he  was  the  first  master 
in  English  landscape  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  first  artist 
who  entirely  discarded  foreign  tradition  and  saw 
English  scenery  and  rural  life  with  the  eyes  of  an 
Englishman  ;  for  Gainsborough  never  wholly  freed 
himself  from  Dutch  and  Flemish  influence,  and 
^'ilson's  pictures  are  always  tinctured  with  Italian 
feeling. 

In  pictures  like  the  superb  Morning;  or,  the  Be- 
nevolent Sportsman,  the  most  completely  satisfying 
example  of  his  work  in  Sir  Joseph  Beecham's  col- 
lection, Morland  ranks  with  the  greatest  English 
masters.  It  was  painted  in  1792,  when  he  was  in 
the  full  maturity  of  his  powers,  and  had  attained  a 
breadth   and    freedom    in   his   brushwork  that  is  not 


Sir  Joseph  Beech  an  is  Collection  at  Hampstead 


THE   WRECKERS 


BY   GEORGE   NORLAND 


apparent  in  his  earlier  and  more  laboured  examples. 
Later  on  this  freedom  was  to  degenerate  into  slovenly 
and  scamped  execution,  but  in  The  Benevolent  Sports- 
man these  faults  are  not  apparent.  The  work,  indeed, 
was  painted  under  circumstances  which  both  induced 
and  enabled  the  artist  to  put  forth  his  full  strength  ; 
it  was  one  of  the  first-fruits  from  his  brush  after  his 
return  from  Leicestershire,  whither  he  had  fled  to 
avoid  his  creditors.  He  had  lain  perdu  there  until 
his  attorney  had  made  arrangements  with  them.  The 
.sojourn  in  the  country,  out  of  reach  of  his  fast  associates, 
had  reinvigorated  him  in  body  and  mind,  while  his 
lengthy  absence  from  his  London  patrons  probably 
made  it  necessary  that  he  should  give  unequivocal 
proofs  that  his  talents  were  unimpaired. 

In  any  case,  the  period  immediately  after  the  be- 
ginning of  the  last  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century 
saw  the  production  of  some  of  Morland's  most  notable 
efforts.  In  1791  he  painted  The  Farmer's  Stable,  the 
finest  representation  of  the  artist  in  the  National 
Gallery.  The  Benevolent  Sportsman  belongs  to  the 
following  year  ;  it  was  commissioned  by  Colonel 
Stuart,  who  paid  70  guineas  for  it,  probably  the  high- 
est price  that  the  artist  had  yet  received  for  a  single 


work.  In  many  respects  the  picture  is  more  typical  of 
Morland  than  the  National  Gallery  example;  the  com- 
position is  happier,  and  the  scene,  instead  of  being  an 
interior  with  comparatively  uninteresting  walls  for  a 
background,  is  laid  in  the  open  country  ;  and  Morland 
was  even  greater  in  landscape  than  as  an  animal  painter, 
and  greatest  of  all  when,  as  in  the  present  instance, 
he  combined  landscape,  animals,  and  figures  in  a 
single  composition.  This  is  less  owing  to  his  technical 
ability— though  he  was  more  highly  trained  and  a 
better  craftsman  than  almost  any  artist  of  his  time — 
than  to  his  intimate  knowledge  of  his  theme.  His 
temperament,  which  made  him  enjoy  rustic  society 
and  coarse  bucolic  pleasures  instead  of  courting  his 
fashionable  clients,  gave  him  a  unique  advantage  in 
this  respect.  He  realized  rural  life  from  the  stand- 
point of  a  country  yokel  versed  in  all  the  lore  of  man 
and  beast,  and  he  alone  possessed  this  knowledge  and 
the  ability  to  set  it  forth  on  canvas.  In  The  Benevo- 
lent Sportsman  this  characteristic  is  exemplified  to  a 
high  degree — the  action  and  pose  of  every  figure, 
whether  human  or  animal,  are  perfectly  natural  and 
in  harmony  with  its  environment.  This  may  seem  a 
small  matter  to  achieve,  and  yet  how  few  artists  have 


7i 


The    Connoisseur 


achieved  it  —  the  old 
1  nu<h  masters  were  best 

in  this  respect.  Shut 
their  time  there  is  scarce- 
ly a  great  painter  of 
rustic  life  but  has  intro 
d  an  extraneous 
element  of  idealised 
like  Gainsborough, 

,.i    commonplace  senti 

ment  like  some  of  the 

later  English  artists,  or 

of  epic  grandeur  like 

Millet.     Morland   was 

content  to  paint  it  as  he 

saw  it,  and  he  saw  it  with 

the  eyes  of  a  country- 
man.    Moreover,  he  had 

the  power  of  recording 

his   vision    adequately. 

Apart  from  its  unaffected 

realism,  the   picture  is 

line  0  I   the  finest  ex- 
amples  of  the   British 

school  by  reason  of  its 
line  craftsmanship.  It  is  simply  and  directly  painted, 
the  draughtsmanship  is  fully  adequate,  the  composition 
admirably  balanced,  and  the  colouring  bright,  lucid, 


JOHN    CONSTABLE    AT    THE 
TWENTY-THREE 


and  harmonious.    Seven 
or  eight   other  charac- 
teristic  Morlands  are 
included  in  Sir  Joseph's 
collection.    Of  these  the 
Boys  Bathing  and  the 
Skating  Lesson  were 
noticed    and    illustrated 
when  on  view  in  the  ex- 
hibition of  Old  Masters 
at   the  Graves  Galleries 
in   191 1.     Of  the  other 
examples,the  one  depict- 
ing a  gipsy  encampment, 
and  another  depicting  a 
group  of  farm-buildings 
with  a  couple  of  cattle 
faced  by  a  dog  in  the 
foreground,  are    closely 
akin  in  style  and  treat- 
ment to  The  Benevolent 
Sportsman,   both    being 
carefully  painted,  the 
latter  more  especially,  be- 
ing elaborately  wrought 
and   minutely   finished.     The  picture  of   The  Lucky 
Sportsman,  representing  a  man  in  blue  coat,  leaning 
on  a  gun  and  with  a  dog  by  his  side,  talking  to  a 


AGE    OF    TWENTY-TWO    OR 
BY    RICHARD    REINAGLE 


GOLDING    CONST \BLE 


BY    JOHN    CONSTABLE,     R.A. 


ABRAM    CONSTABLE 


BY    JOHN    CONSTABLE,    R.A. 


72 


Sir  Joseph  Beecham  s  Collection  at  Flanipstead 


SALISBURY     CATHEDRAL     FROM     THE     BISHOPS     GROUNDS 

couple  of  women,  is  well  known  from  the  engraving 
of  the  subject  made  by  F.  D.  Soiron  in  1793,  while 
the  companion  work  shows  The  Unlucky  Sportsman, 
with  a  couple  of  dogs,  seated  disconsolately  in  a 
country  inn.  Both  these  works  were  formerly  in  the 
Huth  collection — they  are  somewhat  slightly  painted, 
but  show  remarkable  facility  and  gusto  in  the  brush- 
work.  Another  figure-subject  by  Morland  is  The 
Woodman,  while  a  fine  example  of  his  skill  as  a  marine 
artist  is  The   Wreckers. 

If  Morland  was  the  first  English  painter  of  landscape 
essentially  national  in  his  feeling,  it  was  Constable 
whose  work  gave  the  British  landscape  school  a 
European  reputation  ;  and  Constable,  like  Morland,  is 
superbly  represented.  Perhaps  the  finest  of  his  works 
here  is  the  Salisbury  Cathedral  from  the  Bishop's 
Grounds,  a  variant  from  the  painting  of  the  same 
subject  now  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum.  Sir 
Joseph's  picture,  together  with  The  Jumping  Horse, 
belonging  to  the  Royal  Academy,  were  the  only  ex- 
amples of  Constable's  work  selected  to  represent  the 
artist  in  the  British  section  at  the  International  Fine 
Arts  Exhibition  held  in  Rome  in  191 1,  a  distinction 


BY     JOHN     CONSTABLE,     R.A. 

which  the  work  fully  deserves.  The  j  differences 
between  it  and  the  South  Kensington  picture  are 
slight,  but  not  unimportant ;  the  compositions  are 
practically  identical.  It  is  only  in  the  treatment  of 
the  trees  that  there  exists  a  noteworthy  discrepancy, 
and  in  this  the  preference  must  be  decidedly  given 
to  the  Beecham  picture.  It  will  be  remembered  by 
readers  of  Leslie's  Life  of  Constable  that  the  South 
Kensington  version  of  the  subject  was  begun  by  the 
artist  in  the  winter  of  1822,  and  finished  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year — when  it  was  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  Academy — for  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury.  Leslie 
adds,  "It  is  an  exceedingly  beautiful  work,  and  one 
with  which  he  took  great  pains."  The  last  fact  is 
evidenced  by  the  unusual  elaboration  with  which  the 
foliage  of  the  trees  in  the  foreground  is  rendered — an 
elaboration  which  almost  degenerates  into  prettiness 
and  takes  away  from  the  breadth  of  the  picture.  One 
would  hazard  to  guess  that  this  was  done  by  Constable 
against  his  own  inclinations,  to  suit  the  taste  of  his 
patron.  In  the  Beecham  work  the  trees  are  treated 
in  characteristic  Constable  fashion,  with  the  result 
that  it  gains  immensely  in  simplicity  and  directness. 


73 


The   (  onnoisseur 


\ 


HAMPSTEAD   HEATH 


BY   JOHN   CONST 


The  other  portions  of  the  picture  are  practically  un- 
altered, including  the  group  of  cattle,  of  which  Leslie 
writes:  "In  the  foreground  Constable  introduced  a 
circumstance  familiar  to  all  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
noticing  cattle.  With  cows  there  is  generally,  if  not 
always,  one  which  is  called,  not  very  accurately,  the 
master  cow,  and  there  is  scarcely  anything  the  herd 
will  venture  to  do  until  the  master  has  taken  the  lead. 
On  the  left  of  the  picture  this  individual  is  drinking, 
and  turns  with  surprise  and  jealousy  to  another  cow- 
approaching  the  canal  lower  down  for  the  same 
purpose."  Constable  described  the  subject  as  the 
most  difficult  he  had  ever  attempted  in  landscape,  and 
he  was  deservedly  proud  at  the  success  with  which  he- 
had  handled  it.  His  landscape  themes  were  nearly 
all  taken  from  three  districts — his  native  Suffolk  : 
Hampstead,  the  home  of  his  later  years  ;  and  Salis- 
bury, where  he  frequently  visited.  Sir  Joseph  Beecham 
is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  examples  illustrative  of 
all  three  localities.  That  of  Salisbury  has  already  been 
described;  Suffolk  is  represented  by  a  smaller  but 
very  pleasing  work,  showing  a  Lock  on  the  Stour,  with 
Dedham   Church  in  the  Distance,  and  a  transparent 


ABLE.      R.A. 

and  tender  rendering  of  Yarmouth  Jetty;  while  Hamp- 
stead is  represented  by  four  characteristic  works.  Two 
of  these,  the  Hampstead  Heath,  with  gravel  carts  in 
the  foreground,  and  another  view  of  the  Heath  with 
Harrow  in  the  distance,  were  both  exhibited  at  the 
Royal  Academy  in  1825,  and  mezzotinted  by  David 
Lucas.  These  Hampstead  scenes,  with  their  vast 
expanses  of  rolling  scenery  and  open  sky,  were 
singularly  adapted  to  Constable's  genius,  and  he  has 
realized  them  with  wonderful  simplicity  and  breadth. 
Not  quite  so  congenial  to  his  talents  were  his  essays 
in  portraiture  ;  yet  even  in  these  he  attained  qualities 
shown  in  the  work  of  no  other  painter  of  his  time. 
He  observed  his  subjects  as  he  observed  his  land- 
scapes, as  a  whole,  and  while  there  is  not  the  same 
power  of  characterisation  shown  in  his  work  as  in 
that  of  a  few  of  his  contemporaries,  in  their  atmos- 
pheric feeling  and  powerful  chiaroscuro  they  will  hold 
their  own  with  the  best.  Sir  Joseph  possesses  three 
examples  of  this  too  little  known  phase  of  Con- 
stable's art,  and  also  an  interesting  portrait  of 
Constable  himself,  when  twenty-two  or  twenty-three, 
by  Richard  Reinagle.     Though  the  latter  was  trained 


74 


Sir  Joseph  Beet ham's  Collection  at  H  amp  stead 


WALTON      BRIDGES 


M.     W.     TURNER, 


as  a  professional  portrait   painter,  his   picture  hardly 
stands  comparison  with  those  of  his  sitter. 

The  solitary  example  in  oils  by  Constable's  even 
greater  contemporary,  Turner — the  famous  Walton 
Bridges — will  be  treated  upon  in  a  future  article  in 
conjunction  with  the  superb  series  of  drawings  by 
this  artist  which  are  contained  in  the  collection. 
For  the  consideration  of  the  remaining  works,  which 
come  within  the  scope  of  the  present  paper,  the 
space  left  is  already  scanty,  and  one  is  compelled  to 
pass  by  with  a  brief  mention  pictures  which  are 
worthy  of  a  lengthy  and  exhaustive  examination.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  Sir  Joseph  Beecham's  sympathies 
are  especially  directed  towards  English  landscape, 
more  especially  for  those  representations  of  it  which 
are  most  national  in  their  feeling,  typical,  and  racy 
of  the  soil.  This  being  so,  one  confidently  antici- 
pates that  the  claims  of  John  Crome  have  not  been 
overlooked,  and  both  he  and  his  followers,  James 
Stark  and  George  Vincent,  are  seen  to  great  advan- 
tage. With  them  may  be  coupled  Patrick  Nasmyth, 
Scottish  by  nationality  and  training,  but  essentially 
English  in  his  wurk.  All  these  artists  exhibit  a  closer 
affinity    to    Morland    than    to    either     Constable     or 


Turner  :  strongly  insular  as  they  were  in  outlook  and 
feeling,  their  style  was  founded  on  Dutch  models, 
and  they  failed  to  make  further  progress  in  technical 
expression  than  their  exemplars.  Nasmyth  especially 
kept  steadily  within  the  lines  laid  down  by  his  models, 
choosing  themes  which  would  have  appealed  to 
Wvnants  or  Hobbema,  and  rivalling  those  artists  in 
the  minuteness  and  accuracy  of  his  execution.  In 
a  View  Looking  towards  Harrow,  with  its  fresh 
and  lambent  skv,  and  its  beautiful  realization  of  the 
broad  expanse  of  field,  hedgerow,  and  dwarf  copses, 
which  constitute  a  scene  of  almost  idyllic  charm,  he  is 
seen  at  his  best  :  the  Landscape,  with  a  windmill  in 
the  distance,  and  in  the  foreground  a  group  of  the 
gnarled,  stunted  oaks  which  he  so  delighted  to  paint. 
also  exhibits  him  in  his  full  maturity.  Another 
pastoral  landscape  by  the  same  artist  shows  a  placid 
river  with  an  angler  on  the  bank  ;  the  River  Scene, 
with  its  quaint,  high-arched  bridge,  probably  belongs 
to  an  earlier  period. 

Sir  Joseph  Beecham's  finest  Crome,  A  Wooded 
Landscape,  is  at  present  absent  from  his  collection, 
being  lent  to  the  exhibition  at  the  Burlington  Fine 
Arts    Club.       It    is    painted    with    greater    care    and 


75 


The    Connoisseur 


VIEW     LOOKING     TOWARDS     HARROW 

restraint  than  many  of  the  Norwich  master's  works, 
and  shows  strongly  the  influence  of  his  Dutch  proto- 
types in  the  studied  treatment  of  the  trees  ;  yet  no 
one  could  mistake  the  landscape  for  any  but  an 
English  scene,  and  no  work  gives  a  better  idea  of  an 


BY     PATRICK     NASMVTH 

English  wooded  lane.  In  The  Road  through  the 
Wood  and  a  view  of  A  Country  Lane  with  farm  build- 
ings James  Stark  shows  a  close  affinity  to  his  master, 
though  in  these,  as  in  most  of  his  works,  his  com- 
positions are  more  elaborate  and  his  brushwork  less 


LANDSCAPE 


BY     PATRICK     NASMYTH 


76 


Sir  Joseph  Beechams  Collection  at  Hampstead 


A      COUNTRY      LANE 


BY      JAMES     STARK 


fluent.  Few  pictures  than  these  better  display  his 
powers.  Perhaps  a  finer  artist  than  James  Stark  was 
Grume's  other  pupil,  George  Vincent,  and  in  Sir 
Joseph   Beecham's  collection  he  appears  to  greater 


advantage  because  of  the  superb  quality  of  his  repre- 
sentation—  a  view  of  Bannockbum,  near  Stirling, 
and,  greatest  of  all,  his  swan-song  of  painting,  the 
Greenwich  Hospital,  commissioned  by  Mr.  Carpenter 


LANDSCAPE      WITH      BRIDGE 


BY      PATRICK      NASMYTH 


77 


The    Connoisseur 


r— 


SHIPPING     ON     THE     YARE 


BY     JOHN     CROME 


in  1S57,  his  greatest  work  and  practically  the  last 
one  he  produced  worthy  of  his  genius.  The  tender 
luminosity  of   the   sky,  the  fine   arrangement  of  the 


crowded  shipping,  and  the  beautiful  representation  of 
the  shimmering  water,  all  combine  to  make  a  noble 
picture,  masterly  in  both  conception  and  execution. 


GREENWICH      HOSPITAL 


BY      GEORGE      VINCENT 


78 


PORTRAIT    OF    MISS    ANNA    ELIZABETH    CLEMENTS 

BY    JOHN    JAMES    MASQUERIER 

By  permission  of  the  Edward  Gallery 


0' 


Dr.  Albert    Figdor's   Collection    of   Dolls'   Furniture,   Vienna 
Part    I.  By   Amelia    S.  Levetus 


Dr.  Albert    Figdor,  the    well-known    art 
collector     of    Vienna,    has    among     his     other     rare 
treasures  a  collection  of  dolls'  furniture    and    other 
toys  which  is  of  more  than  common   interest.     The 
objects  contained  in  it  date  from  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century — 
a   period  of  a  hundred  years  ;  they  are,  therefore,  of 
value  as   aids   to   the   manners 
and  customs  of  that  time  ;  they 
help  to  give  us  an  insight  into 
the  way  in  which  a  child  was 
brought   up,   and  at  the  same 
time  instruct  us  as   to  the  re- 
quirements of   the  home,   its 
furnishing  and  general  appoint- 
ments.    We  can   imagine    that 
the   dolls'  house  here   to    be 
described  is  a  picture  en  minia- 
ture of  the  real  home  ;    we  can 
judge  by  it  the  general  standard 
of  comfort  obtaining   at  that 
period  in  higher  circles.     For  a 
close  study  of  this  dolls'  house 
is  of  great  value  both  from  the 
historical  and  the  social   point 
of  view.      Moreover,  the  collec- 
tion  is  so  complete    that   to 
study   it   is   to  study   German 
life  in  those  remote  days.     We 
learn  of  what   very   great   im- 
portance  toys   played    in   the 
upbringing  of  the  children,  for 
the   little    maidens    by    them 
gained    their    first    comprehen- 
sive knowledge  of  the  home, 
the  small   boys  of  the   greater 
world   without   them.     They 
served  as  a  preparation  for  the 
seriousness  of  life.      We  see 
little  maids  busy  in  their  minia- 
ture homes,  there  learning  those 


No.  I. 


duties  which  they  will  afterwards  be  called  upon  to 
perform  in  the  real  home,  delighting  in  the  house- 
hold duties  which  they  in  the  character  of  their 
dolls  so  ably  exercise.  For  as  the  future  man  is 
seen  in  the  play  of  the  boy,  so  is  the  future  woman 
seen  in  the  play  of  the  girl.  In  those  remote  days 
the  children  were  not  essentially  different  from  those 
of  our  time.  This  is  the  great 
lesson  the  history  of  toys 
teaches  us.  It  teaches  us, 
moreover,  that  the  parents  of 
all  times  and  all  generations 
have  been  eager  to  give  their 
children  pleasure,  for  the  par- 
ents of  past  days  were  in  no 
ways  different  from  those  of 
the  twentieth  century.  Both 
from  Dr.  Figdor's  collection  of 
toys  and  others,  both  private 
and  public,  we  gather  how 
much  pride  and  how  much 
good  taste  were  shown  in  the 
making  and  choosing  of  play- 
things. How  vastly  different 
are  the  toys  of  hundreds  of 
years  ago  from  the  gimcrack 
ones  of  our  day,  hastily  thrown 
together  by  the  maker,  and 
hastily  thrown  aside  when  the 
child  is  tired  of  them.  Every 
object  in  Dr.  Figdor's  collec 
tion  breathes  of  the  delight  in 
making,  of  a  delight  in  giving, 
a  delight  in  having.  Those 
were  times  when  man  had 
leisure  for  thought,  even  in 
executing  the  smallest  object, 
which  to  him,  however,  was  not 
trivial,  but  a  real  piece  of  work, 
to  which  he  willingly  gave 
the  best  of  his  craft.     We  can 


SPINNING-WHEEL  CIRCA     164O 

7    INCHES    HIGH 

Si 


The    Connoisseur 


XOS.    II.    AND    III.  —  DOLLS'     LINEN     PRESS 


OPEN     AND     SHUT 


CIRCA     1620 


74    IN.    BY    4    IN. 


imagine  that  the  donor,  surely  in  most  cases  the 
mother,  must  have  spent  much  time  and  thought  on 
the  choosing  of  her  child's  playthings — for  her  daugh- 
ters, something  for  the  building  up  of  the  home  ;  for 
her  sons,  implements  of  war  and  of  husbandry,  the 
two  subjects  which  would  play  the  most  important 
part  in  their  later  lives.  The  dolls'  house  served  as 
an  introduction,  as  it  were,  to  the  secrets  of  the  house- 
hold ways  ;  the  dolls'  house  was  to  the  child  her 
castle,  over  the  threshold  of  which  none  had  the  right 
to  step  uninvited.  Dear  little  girls  of  generations  and 
generations  ago,  what  very  busy  personages  you  must 
have  been,  how  gladly  must  you  have  performed  your 
household  duties  ! 

Henry  Rene  d'AUemagne,  in  his  Hisloire  desjouets* 
has  thrown  much  light  on  the  history  of  toys  through- 
out the  ages.  It  is  a  work  which  cannot  be  too 
highly  recommended  to  all  those  interested  in  the 
subject.  Another  publication,  however,  is  of  special 
service  in  studying  the  toys  in  Dr.  Figdor's  collec- 
tion,  which  is  almost  exclusively  of  German   origin, 

*  Paris,  Chez  l'auteur,  30,  Rue  des  Mathurins. 


namely,  Kinderleben  in  der  deutschen  Vergangenheit, 
by  Hans  Boesch.t  This  is  a  most  instructive  work, 
which  deals  most  intelligently  and  attractively  with 
every  phase  in  the  life  of  the  German  child  from  its 
earliest  infancy  and  from  the  earliest  times.  It  con- 
tains, moreover,  as  does  also  the  His/oirc  des  Jouets, 
much  of  value  relative  to  the  origin  and  development 
of  toys,  from  the  primitive  rattle  onwards. 

The  dolls'  house  and  furniture  in  Dr.  Figdor's 
collection  is,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  of 
German  origin.  It  came  from  the  city  of  Ulm  in 
the  Duchy  of  Wurtemberg,  where  it  had  been  in 
the  possession  of  one  and  the  same  patrician  family 
for  over  three  hundred  years,  being  handed  down  as 
an  heirloom  in  the  direct  line.  It  is  possible  that 
the  house  itself  may  not  be  the  original  one  :  there 
can  be  no  possible  mistake  as  to  the  furniture  and 
appointments,  for  many  of  the  objects  bear  their 
age  written  upon  their  face.  The  door  has  been 
removed,  so  that  you  at  once  get  a  picture  of  its  con- 
tents.   It  is  more  than  a  metre  long  and  about  eighty 


t  Eugen  Diedrich,  Leipzig. 


82 


Dr.  Albert  Fip-rfor's  Collection  of  Dolls  Furniture 


No.  IV. — dolls'    cupboard         circa  1630 

HALF     ORIGINAL     SIZE 

centimetres  high.  There  are  four  rooms,  two  upper 
and  two  lower  ones.  The  latter  are  the  kitchen  and 
a  sort  of  general  room,  such  as  are  common  in  the 
houses  of  the  peasantry  of  our  days,  but  which  in 
past  ones  was  a  necessity  of  every  patrician's  home. 


No.  VI. — dolls'    cupboard  circa    1630 

72    IN.    BY    5    IN. 

It  has  now  given  place  to  the  scullery.  The  two 
upper  rooms  are  furnished  as  bed-sitting  rooms,  for 
it  must  be  remembered  that  it  was  then  the  custom 
to  receive  in  the  bedroom  ;  indeed,  it  was  the  chief 
room  in  the  house.      In  some  parts  this  custom  still 


No.  V. — dolls'  cupboard  circa  1620 

91  in.  by    "i  in. 


83 


No.  VII. — dolls'  cupboard  dated   1656 

8    IN.    by    7    IN. 


T/ie   Connoisseur 


No.  IX. — dolls'  cupboard,   1568 

ORIG.    S    IN.    BY     1\    IN. 

obtains.  In  addition  to  the  furniture  and  other 
things  contained  in  the  dolls'  house,  Dr.  Figdor 
possesses  numerous  other  objects,  for  the  collection 
is  .111  extremely  large  and  varied  one.     In  considering 


No.  VIII. — dolls'  cupboard        circa  1620 

ORIG.    S    IN.    BY    4    IN. 

these  we  are  at  once  considering  the  age  in  which 
they  arose,  for  they  are  as  aids  to  the  history  of 
culture  and  of  social  development  generally.  Take, 
for  instance,  the  hand-loom  and  the  spinning-wheel. 


No    X. — dolls'  cupboard  interior  dated   1568  8  in.  by   7J  in. 

84 


Dr.  Albert  Figdor's  Collection  of  Dolls'  Furniture 


In  those  days,  and  in  the  centuries 
before,  they  were  most  important 
requirements  of  every  home.  Then 
came  machinery  to  supersede 
them.  Toy  ones  are  still  made, 
but  they  almost  fall  into  pieces 
when  you  look  at  them.  The 
spinning-wheel  here  reproduced 
(No.  i.),  though  but  7  in.  in  height, 
is  as  well  made  as  if  intended  for 
real  use.  There  it  stands,  ready 
for  tiny,  deft  lingers  to  manipulate, 
with  the  flax  still  wound  round  the 
spindle  as  the  little  girl  left  it  per- 
haps a  couple  of  centuries  ago. 
How  many  generations  of  the 
small  daughters  of  that  patrician 
family  in  Ulm  have  amused  them- 
selves with  this  toy,  perhaps  by 
means  of  it  been  initiated  into  the 
use  of  the  real  wheel.  In  the 
dolls'  chamber  they  mast  have 
sought  to  imitate  what  they  saw  in 
their  mother's  Kerne  nate,  that 
room  in  which,  together  with  the 
women  of  her  household,  she  sat 
at  work,  spinning,  weaving,  sew- 
ing, embroidering,  and  making 
tapestry.  She  may  even  have 
knitted,  though  at  this  period  of 
its  history  knitting,  in  Germany  at 
least,  was  considered  men's  work. 
How  many  little  maids  of  long  ago 
must  have  watched  the  grown-ups 
linen    so    neatly    laid    one    upon 


NO.  XI.  —  WORK    CUPBOARD 
CIRCA    I63O  T\    IN.    BY     3^    IN. 


weaving  that  dolls' 
the   other   on   the 


shelves  of  the  linen  press  (Nos.  ii. 
and  in.,),  or  perhaps  imitated  their 
elders  by  weaving  on  the  toy  loom 
in  the  general  room  of  the  dolls' 
house.  Examine  the  pieces  of 
woven  material.  How  evenly  the 
threads  run,  how  exact  are  the 
patterns.  These  are  not  pieces 
cut  off  from  larger  ones,  but  have 
actually  been  woven  to  this 
minute  size,  some  in  linen  and 
others  in  silk.  Notice  the  pat- 
terns. In  parts  of  Germany,  par- 
ticularly in  Schleswig-Holstein,  the 
same  patterns  are  still  favoured  by 
the  peasant  women.  And  not  only 
in  Germany,  but  also  in  Austria, 
and  even  in  the  Eastern  countries, 
the  same  patterns  are  still  woven, 
this  more  especially  so  in  lands 
where  hand-weaving  still  obtains, 
and  where  the  women-folk  of  the 
household  bring  forth  their  hand- 
looms,  which  during  the  summer 
months  they  have  put  aside,  to 
weave  the  household  linen  and 
their  daughters'  outfit.  The  same 
patterns  are  also  made  by  ma- 
chines. Tastes  change  rarely.  1 1 
is  worth  while  examining  the  press 
itself,  noticing  the  lovely  patina 
which  ages  have  lent  it.  It  is  of 
oak  ;  the  intarsias  are  refined  and 
The  same  refinement  of  treatment   is 


well  incised. 

everywhere    present,   and    is    to    be    found    in  those 


No.  XII. — dolls'  chest 


SIXTEENTH    CENTURY 


4    IN.    BY     If    IN. 


85 


The   (  onnoisseur 


a  n  C  lent 
specimens 
of  furniture 

which  h.i\  e 

n  hand 

ed  down  to 

us  from  the 
M  i  d  d  1  e 
\  ;es.  The 
lock  is  pi  i 
feet  in  its 
mechanism; 
the  d  o  o r 
bungs  well 
on  its 
hinges, 
which  serve 
both  for 
use  and  for 
ornament 
— a  charac- 
teristic  of 

those  days.  The  whole  cupboard  conveys  a  sense 
of  fitness  and  of  strength,  as  if  the  maker  knew  it 
would  be  handed  down  throughout  the  ages.    Here 


NO.    XIII.  —  DOLLS      COT 


mind   and 

hand  were 
winking  to- 
-ether, 
though  the 
object  is 
but  a  toy. 
'I' he  same 
perfection  of 
w  o  1  k  m  a  n- 
ship  may  be 
seen  in  all 
the  other 
cupboards 
(No.  i  v  . , 
No.  v.,  No. 
v  i .  )  here 
represented. 
All  are 
b  e  a  u  t  i  fu  1 
s  p  e  c  i  m  ens 
of      late 

Renaissance  and  German  Barock.  Most  have  the 
same  designs  as  the  cupboards  of  a  larger  growth. 
They  are    all   perfect  in  workmanship,   and  show  a 


CIRCA    I580 


IN.    BY    7i    IN. 


No.   XIV.— dolls'  four-post  bedstead  circa  1580  7  IN-  BY  s  IN- 

86 


Dr.  Albert  Figdor's  Collection  of  Dolls  Furniture 


thoroughness 

and  mastership 
in  the  use  of  the 
tools,  and  a  right 
aim  to  produce 
nothing  but  of 
the  best.  The 
cupboard  (No. 
vii.)  bears  its  age, 
256  years,  on  its 
face  ;  for,  as  the 
date  tells  us,  it 
w as  made  in 
1656.  1 1  i  s 
questionable  if 
the  toys  of  our 
days  would  even 
stand  the  wear 
and  tear  of  more 
than  one  genera- 
tion of  children. 
It  will  be  seen  that  some  of  these  cupboards,  in 
addition  to  their  wood-carving,  are  also  ornamented 
with  intarsia  of  soft  wood,  the  cupboards  themselves 
either  being  of  oak  or  of  walnut.  No.  viii.  is  a  fine 
example  of  this  minute  and  artistic  method  of  deco- 
ration. Nos.  ix.  and  x.  show  a  still  more  beautiful 
intarsia,  the  cupboard  being  a  hundred  years  older 
than  No.  vii.,  for,  as  the  date  below  the  embroidery 


...1 


No.  XV. — dolls'  table 


CIRCA    1560 


3 J    IN.    BY    4'     IN. 


lining  the  right 
door  will  show, 
it  was  made  in 
1568  —  that 
means,  that  it  is 
344  years  old. 
It  seems  as  if  it 
had  been  made 
for  some  very 
special  occasion. 
The  family  coat 
of  arms  is  em- 
blazoned in  gold 
and  silver.  But 
was  it  the  family 
coat  of  arms? 
Perhaps  it  was 
o  n  e  chosen  for 
thedollforwhose 
purpose  it  was 
made.     Nothins 


could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  workmanship  every- 
where present  in  this  piece  of  craftsmanship.  It  is 
of  walnut,  the  intarsia  being  of  soft  woods  in  natural 
colours  —  pine,  pear,  apple,  maple.  The  whole 
mechanism  is  perfect.  All  these  cupboards  have 
grown  mellow  with  age,  and,  as  they  have  never  been 
doctored,  the  tones  are  singularly  beautiful.  They 
are  all  filled  with  articles  for  the  dolls'  toilet — dresses, 


No.   XVI. — TABLE 


CIRCA     I_S90 

87 


5,     IN.    BY    4i    IN. 


The    Comioissenr 


No.    XVII. — dolls'  flap  table 

linen,  and  everything  imaginable.  No.  xi.  shows  us 
a  cupboard  of  another  style,  exactly  like  those  in  use 
in  ime  parts  to  the  present  day.  The  water  was 
stored  above,  from  whence  it  fell  into  the  pewter 
basin  below.  Such  cupboards  are  invariably  found 
in  the  living-rooms  of  old  houses,  and  date  from  a 
time  before  the  invention  of  knives  and  forks,  when 
it  was  necessary  to  wash  the  fingers  very  frequently. 
The  inlaid  chest  (No.  xii.)  is  a  miniature  marriage 
chest,  such  as  the  bride  stored  her  clothing  in  in 
olden  times.  Here,  too,  the  fineness  of  the  work- 
manship is  everywhere  present. 

The  history  of  bedsteads  has  also  its  own  interest, 
but  it  lies  without  the  province  of  this  article.  The 
two  specimens  here  reproduced  are  especially  fas- 
cinating, not  only  on  account  of  their  intrinsic  value, 
but  because  they  also  tell  us  of  past  customs.  Both 
are  highly  decorative  ;  both  are  distinct  and  beautiful 
specimens  of  a  craft  which  is  no  more.  The  four- 
i  (No.  xiv.)  has  hangings  of  heavy  green  silk; 
the  head  and  the  foot,  though  not  shown  on  the 
photograph,  are  exquisitely  carved,  and  the  bed-posts 
finely  turned.  The  bed-linen  is  hand-woven,  so  is 
that  of  the  cot  (No.  xiii.).  It  shows  a  very  cunning 
device  for  the  safety  of  the  child,  which  at  the 
same  time  could  see  and  be  seen.  It  is  shut  in  at 
the  top,  so  that  nothing  could  befall  it,  though,  of 
course,  in  our  days  of  strict  attention  to  the  rules  of 


circa  1550 


4]     IX.    BY    4}    IN. 


hygiene,  such  cots  would  never  suit  ;  but  in  those 
days  they  did  not  seem  to  think  so  much  about 
light  and  air  for  their  progenies.  This  cot  is  about 
330  years  old  —  about  the  same  age  as  the  bed. 
In  Dr.  Figdor's  collection  there  are  other  fine  speci- 
mens of  dolls'  bedsteads,  Renaissance  and  Barock  in 
form,  all  the  work  of  sincere-thinking  craftsmen,  all 
showing  the  same  right  feeling  for  proportion  and 
construction. 

Naturally  tables  were  then,  as  now,  an  important 
feature  in  the  furnishing  of  the  dolls'  house.  Those 
reproduced  here  are  all  excellent  in  their  way. 
No.  xv.  is  ornamented  with  chip-carving,  very  primitive 
in  comparison  with  the  other  pieces  of  furniture  ; 
but  it  is  very  strongly  made,  and  to  the  purpose.  It 
had  its  place  in  the  kitchen.  No.  xvi.  is  exceptionally 
strong  in  construction,  and  is  excellently  put  together, 
as  in  all  tables  of  this  period.  The  centre  of  the  lid 
is  made  to  lift  up,  and  there  is  a  hollow  below  for 
the  storing  of  things.  This  served  the  purpose  of  a 
drawer.  No.  xvii.  shows  a  flap  table,  which,  when 
opened,  fits  admirably  into  the  sockets.  Here  it  will 
be  seen  that  there  is  also  a  hollow,  the  same  as  in 
this  form  of  table  of  a  larger  growth.  Its  chief  beauty 
lies  in  its  proportions,  in  the  construction  and  the 
loveliness  of  its  colouring.  It  is  a  miniature  of  those 
tables  known  as  "  Bock  "  :  a  development  of  the 
trestle   table. 


88 


w  m 


Ifliscellaneous; 


'  uiHiiinrtli  i  .1 1  >  imintlimi  t  im;!.l'«fl'».l'<  < « 


Annals  of   Hampstead 


By  T.  J.  Barratt* 


(Reviewed) 


Among  the  books  of  most  enduring  interest 
are  many  which  have  brought  in  little  or  no  pecuniary 
return  to  their  authors.  Classical  instances,  like 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  might  be  adduced,  but  one 
which  comes  readier  to  hand  is  Mr.  Thomas  J. 
Barratt's  Annals  of  Hampstead,  a  sumptuously 
mounted  production,  limited  in  issue  to  550  copies, 
the  sale  of  the  entire  edition  of  which  can  never 
recoup  the  author  for  the  cost  of  his  outlay.  Obvi- 
ously the  book  has  been  a  labour  of  love,  and,  like 
most  work  undertaken  in  such  a  spirit,  neither 
industry  nor  research  has  been  spared  to  bring  it  to 
full  completeness.  In  the  construction  of  the  book 
Mr.  Barratt's  business  training  has  stood  him  in  good 
stead  :  it  is  orderly  in  sequence,  there  are  no  repeti- 
tions, no  extraneous  matter  is  introduced,  and  the 
facts  recorded  are  given  clearly  and  concisely.  With- 
out these  safeguards  the  work  might  have  grown  to 
an  oppressive  bulk  ;  even  as  it  is,  there  is  so  great 
a  wealth  of  material  that  it  is  difficult  to  compress  it 
into  three  substantial  volumes  containing  one  thousand 
pages  of  letterpress  and  over  five  hundred  illustrations. 


Mr.  Barratt,  indeed,  has  practically  exhausted  the  sub- 
ject :  other  searchers  in  the  same  field  may  light 
upon  facts  to  fill  in  the  chinks  and  interstices  of  his 
monumental  structure,  but  his  work,  which  glows 
with  interest  from  start  to  finish,  will  remain  the 
standard  authority  on  Hampstead,  and,  indeed,  should 
attract  a  wider  circle  of  readers  than  those  who  are 
personally  interested  in  the  Heath  and  the  neighbour- 
hood, for  this  well-written  history  gives  us  not  only 
an  account  of  a  locality,  but  incidentally  the  social 
progress  of  England  during  the  last  thousand  years. 

It  is  back  to  the  remote  dawn  of  history  that  Mr. 
Barratt's  opening  pages  take  us,  when  Hampstead  was 
part  of  a  huge  forest  that  covered  nearly  all  Middle- 
sex and  stretched  far  beyond  the  county's  borders. 
There  were  trackways  cut  through  this  forest,  one 
of  which  was  probably  utilised  by  the  Romans  as  one 
of  the  two  routes  between  London  and  Verulamium, 
the  ancient   St.  Albans  ;  and  tradition  has  it  that  the 


Innals  of  Hampstead,  by  Thomas  J.  Barratt.    (A.  &  C. 
Black,  3  vols.,  £s  5s.  net.) 


HIGHGATE     PONDS     FROM     MILLFIELD     LANE  FROM     A     WATER-COLOUR     DRAWING     BY 

IN     THE     BELL-MOOR     COLLECTION 


P.    DE     WINT 


89 


The   Connoisseur 


Hampstead  heights  were  the  scene  ol  the  final 
struggle  between  Boadicea  and  Suetonius  Paulinus. 
The  Roman  road  ol  Watling  Sin.  i  crossed-  the 
Heath,  and  Roman  remains  have  been  found  on  it  ; 
but  well  on  into  Saxon  times  the  district  remained 
part  of  a  i  ested  with  outlaws  and  b 

ol  prey,  a  constant  danger  to  the  pilgrims  from 
London  to  the  shrim  oi  St.  Albans.  The  Manor  oi 
pstead  was  eventually  granted  to  the  Abbot  ol 
"A  tminster,  but  passed,  some  time  in  the  twelfth 
century,  into  lay  hands.  In  the  thirteenth  century 
of  land  at  Hampstead  changed  hands 


LADY     MARY     WORTLEY     MONTAGU  FROM     THE 

ENGRAVING     BY     CAROLINE     WATSON,     AFTER     THE 

PAINTING     BY     RICHARDSON 

who  stripped  himself  and  his  wife  of  their  fortunes  in 
order  to  equip  an  expedition — the  third  he  undertook 
—  to  discover  a  north-west  passage  to  Cathay,  leaving 
his  wife  in  abject  penury  and  apparently  dependent 
upon  the  hard-hearted  charity  of  Queen  Elizabeth  ; 
the  two  Waads— Armigell  and  his  son  Sir  William— 
who  were  occupants  of  Belsize  Park,  and  high  in  the 
councils  of  the  English  monarchs  from  the  time  of 


STEELE  FROM    ONE    OF    KNELLER  S    ORIGINAL 

SKETCHES,    NOW    AT    BELL-MOOR 

at  6d.  an  acre,  a  price  which  would  attract  numerous 
purchasers  at  the  present  time.  Moderate  as  was  the 
value,  the  possession  of  Hampstead  land,  however, 
appears  to  have  been  a  source  of  contention  between 
the  Abbots  of  Westminster,  who  endeavoured  to 
revive  their  ancient  rights,  and  the  citizens  of  London, 
some  of  whom  had  acquired  possessions  there.  This 
friction  resulted  in  a  fierce  riot  in  1222,  when  the 
citizens  of  London  and  Westminster  fought  together, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  latter,  Con- 
stantine,  a  man  of  great  wealth,  being  hanged  in 
consequence  by  the  authorities. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  Hampstead  began  to  enjoy 
a  closer  connection  with  London,  a  colony  of  laun- 
dresses settling  there,  who  are  said  to  have  done 
washing  for  the  royal  household  ;  and  now  from  time 
to  time  great  historical  personages  begin  to  flit  through 
Mr.  Barratt's  pages,  generally  revealing  themselves  in 
a  new  and  intimate  light.    There  is  Martin  Frobisher, 


EVELYN    PIERREPONT      DUKE    OF    KINGSTON 
FROM    THE    MEZZOTINT    BY'    FABER,    AFTER    KNELLER 


90 


?'S    GREEN  FROM    THE    PAINTING    BY    J.   RUSSELL,  R.A.,    ENGRAVED    BY    W.  BIRCH,    I7N/ 


FROM    DUGDALE'S    "ENGLAND    AND    WALES."    ABOUT 


91 


The    Connoisseur 


S.  T.  COLERIDGE    AT    THE    AGE    OF    TWENTY-FOUR 

FROM    THE     PORTRAIT    BY    HANCOCK,     IN    THE 

NATIONAL    PORTRAIT    GALLERY 

Henry  VIII.  to  James  I.;  their  successor,  Colonel 
Bushell,  who  mortgaged,  and  so  lost,  the  property  to 
raise  forces  for  Charles  I. ;  Colonel  Daniel  O'Niel, 
third  husband  of  the  beautiful  Catherine  Lady 
Stanhope  and  Countess  of  Chesterfield  :  ami  the 
latter's  son,  Lord  Wotton,  afterwards  Earl  of  Bellamont, 
whom  Pepys  and  Evelyn  honoured  with  visits, 
the  Litter  praising  the  gardens  as  "wonderful  fine," 
but  "too  good  for  the  house,"  being  "  the  most  noble 
I  ever  saw,  and  have  orange  trees  and  lemon  trees," 
and  the  latter  in  true  connoisseur  spirit  condemning 
them  as  "  very  large  but  ill-kept,  yet  woody  and 
chargeable  ;  the  soil  a  cold,  weeping  clay,  not  answer- 
ing the  expense." 

Among  subsequent  residents  at  Belsize  were  Philip, 
Earl  of  Chesterfield,  the  famous  letter-writer,  and 
Spencer  Perceval,  the  Prime  Minister  ;  but  the  people 
well  known  in  politics,  art,  and  literature  who  have 
lived  in  Hampstead,  and  whose  doings  there  are 
recorded  in  Mr.  Barratt's  book,  are  innumerable. 
There  are  other  less  reputable  characters — alleged 
witches  like  William  Hunt  and  his  wife,  and  Alice 
Bradley,  the  first-named  of  whom  suffered  for  his 
supposed  sorceries  by  hanging  ;  highwaymen,  including 
Claude  Duval,  Nevison,  Dick  Turpin,  Sixteen  String 
Jack,  and  other  heroes  of  the  road,  whose  fraternity 
furnished  many  occupants  for  the  gibbet,  which  stood 
between  two  great  elms  on  the  verge  of  Hampstead 
Heath,  below  Jack  Straw's  Castle  :  and  other  less 
formidable  offenders,  for  whose  tenancy  the  stocks, 
whipping-post,  and  ducking-stool  were  provided.  The 
author  does  not  dwell  over  long  on  these  gruesome 


assoi  i.i 1 1. mis,  for  there  are  far  more  attractive  themes 
for  his  pen  —Steele and  the  Kit-(  "at  Club  ;  Hampstead 
as  a  fashionable  health  resort  in  the  <  Georgian  days,  and 
as  London's  favourite  suburb  in  the  nineteenth  and 
tw<  ntieth  centuries,  numbering  among  its  inhabitants 
many  ol  the  iliie  of  the  social  and  intellectual  world. 
On  all  these  matters  and  personages  Mr.  Barratt  has 
much  that  is  interesting  to  tell  us,  and  much,  too,  on 
the  antiquities  of  Hampstead  and  the  neighbourhood 
— the  inns,  famous  houses,  thoroughfares,  and  places 
of  public  resort  ;  while  to  the  geology,  botany, 
meteorology,  and  natural  history  special  chapters  are 
devoted  by  leading  experts.  How  thoroughly  Mr. 
Barratt  has  done  his  work  may  be  judged  by  the  fact 
that  the  index  to  his  volumes  extends  to  over  fifty 
closely  printed  pages,  and  the  bibliography  of  the 
subject  to  thirty.  A  unique  feature  of  the  work  is  its 
wealth  of  illustration.  Man)-  of  the  most  interesting 
plates  have  been  taken  from  subjects  in  the  author's 
own  extensive  collection  at  Bell-Moor  ;  but  he  has 
not  rested  content  with  this  source  of  supply,  but  has 
ransacked  public  and  private  picture  galleries  and 
libraries  to  bring  in  any  subjects  which  illustrate  his 


MRS.    LESSINGHAM    IN    THE    CHARACTER    OK         ORIANA 
FROM    A    CONTEMPORARY    PRINT 


92 


o 

< 

M 

H 

< 

H 

H 

O 

C/5 

U 

z 
o 

en 

o 

W 

z 

_ 

I 

o 

H 

> 

C/3 

a 

SWEARING    ON    THE    HORNS    AT    HIGHGATE 


FROM    A    PRINT    IN    THE    COATES    COLLECTION 


V- 


s. 


v 


CHALK    FARM    IN     1S2; 


THE    TRIAL    OF    NERVES  DESIGNED    AND    ETCHED    BY    D.    T.   EGERTON 


95 


The   Connoisseur 


theme-,  and  supplemented  these  In  the  labours  of  the 

photographer  in  depicting  the  present  aspect  of  the 

ibourhood.      Generall)  speaking,  the  reproduc 

■   ellent  in  quality,  some  of  the  colour 


congratulated  on  the  completion  of  his  great  work  ;  it 
is  .1  book  which  will  live  and  become  more  and  more 
valuable  as  time  goes  on,  for  it  is  not  merely  a  re<  ord 
dI    the    past,    but    recalls    it    with    such   vividness  and 


richard  Wilson's  favourite  oak,  which  formerly  stood  on  hampstead  heath 
from  an  etching  by  t.  hastings,  made  in   i  82  5 


plates  from  pictures  by  Constable— a  long  -  time 
resident — and  other  well-known  masters  being  of 
especially  high  quality.     Mr.  Barratt  may  be  heartily 


insight  that,  in  dipping  among  the  pages,  one  seems 
transported  among  the  scenes  and  characters  which 
the  writer  is  describing. 


COPPER    "TICKET"    OF    ADMISSION    TO    THE    HAMPSTEAD    LONG    ROOM,    ABOUT     I J  50 
IN    THE    POSSESSION    OF    MR.    E.  E.   NEWTON 


96 


More    about   China    Cottages 


By    H.  Robinson 


As  a  collector  whose  special  hobby  is  the 
acquisition  of  old  china  and  stoneware  cottages,  I 
agree  with  a  former  writer  on  the  subject  in  the  pages 
of  The  Connoisseur,  that  it  is  now  extremely  difficult 
to  find  good  specimens,  and  that  bargains  are  almost 
out  of  the  question.  In  my  collection  of  nearly  one 
hundred  examples  are  included,  in  addition  to  the 
orthodox  cottage,  pipe -racks,  savings  banks,  ring- 
stands,  pastille-burners,  watch-stands,  and  ink-pots 
in  Rockingham,  Leeds,  Delft,  and  other  wares,  many 
of  which  are  now  of  extreme  rarity;  and  to  form  a 
similar  collection  at  the  present  time  would  be 
attended  by  almost  unsurmountable  difficulties. 

The  first  group  consists  of  five  Rockingham  and 
two  Staffordshire  houses.  The  second  and  third  in 
the  front  row  are  mauve,  the  former  also  being  gilt, 
and  having   a  group   of  white    flowers    on   the   roof. 


The  Staffordshire  castle  on  the  right  at  the  top  is  a 
facsimile  in  miniature  of  Scarborough  castle. 

Of  the  eight  specimens  illustrated  in  Group  ii.,  the 
three  at  the  top  are  all  Staffordshire.  The  first  has  a 
blue  enamelled  roof,  and  on  either  side  of  the  door 
repose  a  dog  and  a  lamb,  while  on  either  side  of  the 
door  of  the  second  is  a  fox  and  a  hen.  Of  the 
three  in  the  centre  of  the  bottom  row  the  smaller 
one  is  Staffordshire,  and  the  two  supporting  it  are 
Rockingham. 

Some  interesting  specimens  are  illustrated  in  Group 
iii.  The  two  at  the  top  are  respectively  Delft  and 
Staffordshire,  the  latter,  a  pipe-rack,  being  the  same 
back  and  front.  The  centre  one  in  the  lower  row  is 
a  chapel  in  Leeds  pottery,  and  is  a  savings  bank.  It 
has  a  very  polished  paste,  and  is  distinguished  for  its 
lightness.     The  house  on  the  right,  with  a  man  and 


Group   I. — five   Rockingham    and   two   Staffordshire   houses 


97 


Group    II. — rockingham    and   Staffordshire   houses 


I^A'pp                               111 

"     M 

1  RH     I  •*  Jfl 

1.  >i      J  •■ 

I  •  1  »■  -■■ 
am     1  'a '  1 

SSSb 

MHHfl          ■  ft  i  '/x*"r  I 

Group    III. — delft,    leeds,    and   Staffordshire   houses,    pipe-rack,    and   savings   bank 


Group    IV. — three   burslem   pastille-burners 


98 


More  about   China   Cottages 


Group   V. — three    rockingham   pastille-burners 

a  woman  by  the  side,  is  also  Leeds,  while  that  on  the 
left  is  Staffordshire.  The  last-mentioned,  according 
to  one  writer,  is  a  fake,  though  an  expert  of  consider- 
able repute  vouches  for  its  authenticity. 

The  three  pastille-burners  in  Group  iv.  are  all 
Burslem,  and,  though  interesting,  are  more  distin- 
guished for  their  simplicity  than  their  beauty. 

In  direct  contrast  are  the  three  examples  illustrated 
in  Group  v.,  which  I  consider  the  gems  of  my  collection. 
They  are  all  Rockingham,  and  are  remarkable  for  the 
daintiness  of  their  floral  decoration  and  colouring. 
The  church  is  white,  with  a  pale-blue  roof  and  pierced 
windows  freely  gilt.  The  tower  has  a  flower  below 
each  pinnacle,  while  there  is  also  a  good  deal  of  floral 


decoration  on  the  stand,  which  is  separate.  The 
other  two  are  also  beautiful  specimens  of  Rockingham 
china.  The  first,  which  is  white,  is  almost  covered 
with  encrustation,  and  on  the  roof  are  numerous 
coloured  flowers,  amongst  them  on  the  summit  being 
a  large  carnation.  The  other,  rather  simpler  in  form 
and  decoration,  has  a  gray  roof  encrusted  with  green. 
Both  have  open  windows  just  below  the  roof. 

The  sixth  group  consists  of  fine  specimens  of 
Rockingham  china.  The  pergola  on  the  right  at  the 
top  has  a  curious  archway  to  the  steps  of  the  house, 
and  the  windows  are  pierced  and  heavily  gilded.  The 
house  in  the  centre  of  the  group  is  a  curious  example, 
having  a  bow-window  on  one  side  and  a  verandah  on 


Group    VI. — rockingham    houses 


99 


The   Connoisseur 


Group   VII.— collection   of    houses,    ring-stands,    ink-pots,   watch-stands,    etc. 


the  other.     It  is  also  on  a  base   of  blue  enamel  and 
gilt. 

The  seventh  illustration  comprises  my  complete 
collection,  and  gives  a  good  indication  of  the  wide 
range  these  dainty  examples  of  the  potter's  art  offer 


to  the  collector,  and  though  their  steadily  increasing 
popularity  makes  their  acquisition  to  be  attended  with 
considerable  difficulty,  their  value  from  a  decorative 
point  of  view  well  repays  one  for  any  trouble  one  may 
have  in  finding  good  specimens. 


OTES 


nUCRi^-J 


[The  Editor  invites  the  assistance  of  readers 
information  required  by  Correspondents^ 

Unidentified  Painting  (23). 
Gentlemen, — I  send  herewith  a  photo  of  an  oil- 
painting  for  you  to  reproduce  for  identification  as  to 
subject  and  artist.  The  picture  is  on  a  seventeenth- 
century  canvas,  6  ft.  by  3  ft.  6  in.,  and  has  been 
re-lined  twice.  As  it  is  apparently  a  twilight  scene, 
and  therefore  rather  dark,  the  photo  does  not  bring 
out  the  full  character  of  the  painting.  Between  the 
legs  of  the  man  leaning  over  in  the  centre  is  a 
monogram  in  white,  as  shown  beneath  the .  photo 
sunt.  Perhaps  this  is  a  collector's  mark,  which  will 
help  to  identify  the  painting.  Do  any  of  your  readers 
know  if  it  has  been  engraved  ? 

Very  truly  yours,  Guv  A.  Jackson. 

Shrewsbury  Collection  Catalogue. 
Dear   Sir, — Perhaps  some  of  your  readers  may 
be  able  to  inform  me  of  the  name  of  book  in  two 
vols,  giving  the  list   of  paintings   purchased   by  the 


of  The  Connoisseur  who  may  be  able  to  impart  the 

then  Lord  Shrewsbury  in  1836  or  1837  from  Prince 
Borghese,  and  which  included  the  collection  lately 
belonging  to  "Madame  Mere,"  who  died  in  Rome 
in  1836.  It  is  many  years  since  I  saw  the  book, 
and  the  name  has  escaped  my  memory,  but  was  told 
it  was  difficult  to  procure.  I  have  seen  a  list  of  the 
paintings  in  a  small  guide-book  to  Matlock  and 
neighbourhood,  but  it  was  not  correct. 

Yours  truly,  An  Old  Subscriber. 

Drawings  by  Rossini. 
Sir, — Luigi  Rossini,  to  whose  architectural  etchings 
R.  C.  W.  calls  attention  in  the  January  issue  of  The 
Connoisseur,  was  born  about  1790,  and  was  still 
working  in  1835.  He  is  referred  to  by  Mr.  A.  M. 
Hind,  on  p.  232  of  A  Short  History  of  Engraving 
and  Etching,  as  one  upon  whom  fell  the  mantle  of 
the  Piranesi,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
wore  it  right   worthily.       Mr.    Hind  further  tells   us 


(23)       UNIDENTIFIED     PAINTING 
IOI 


7  he   (  onnoisseur 


that  the  gn  at<  r  pan  of 
Rossini's  etched  work  of 
the  ancii  nt  architecture 
ol   Rome  was  done  be- 

\    en    1S1  7    and     182  |. 

I  'i  11  .11  ed   in  a  col- 
.1  edition  in  seven 
imperial    folio    volumes 
in   1829. 

It  has  always  been  to 
me  a  matter  ol  amaze- 
ment that  these  magnifi- 
cent plates  (which  ran 
still  be  picked  up  in 
fine  condition  at  from 
7s.  I'd.  to  12s.  6d.  each) 
have  received  such  scant 
1  icognition  from  collec- 
tors, as  many  of  them — 
particularly  those  of  the 
t  r  i  u  m  p  h  a  1  a  r  c  h  e  s, 
bridges,  and  temples — 
d  i  s  p  1  a  y  p  o  w  e  r  s  o  f 
draughtsmanship  which 

are  at  once   vigorous,  (24)     uniden: 

convincing,  and  imaginative.  In  this  last  quality  they 
are  only  surpassed  by  the  finest  of  Rossini's  great 
predecessor  and  inspirer,  Gianbattista  Piranesi.  Like 
Piranesi,  Rossini  did  a  considerable  amount  of  hack- 
work, but  there  are  quite  a  hundred  of  his  etched 
plates  which  any  collector  of  prints  would  be  proud 
to  possess.  Like  Bernardo  Belotto  and  Luca 
Carlevaris,  Luigi  Rossini  has  yet  "to  arrive." 

I  am.  Sir,  your  obedient  servant,  John  Mallett. 


1S55-1867,  and  when  at 
Claines  a  personal  friend 
of  my  grandfather,  hut 
the  existence  of  the  pic- 
ture seems  to  have  been 
hitherto  unknown  to  any 
of  the  family. 

The  portrait  is  an  oil- 
painting  of  considerable 
artistic  merit,  on  a  can- 
vas measuring  4  ft.  9  in. 
by  3  It.  i)  in.,  but  the 
painter's  name  does  not 
appear.  "T.  Brown, 
High  Holborn,"  is  sten- 
cilled on  the  back  of  the 
canvas  in  lettering  of 
about  1830.  This  Brown 
sold  artists'  materials  in 
1  lolborn  from  1808  until 
j  85  3.  The  origin  of  so 
remarkable  a  picture  is 
a  mystery,  and  it  seems 
unlikely  to  be  Thomas 
Stallard,  sen.,  of  Little 
Birch,  as  he  does  not  appear  to  have  been  in  a  position 
in  life  to  have  had  such  a  portrait  painted,  yet  the 
picture  has  a  striking  likeness  to  members  of  the 
family. 

Any  information  which  would  help  in  tracing  the 
history  of  the  picture  and  the  possible  artist  would 
be  most  gratefully  received. 

Arthur  D.  Stallard. 


P.S. — I  shall  be  delighted  to  show  your  correspon- 
dent some  of  the  finest  examples  of  Rossini's  work, 
should  he  care  to  see  them. 

Unidentified  Painting  (24). 
Dear  Sir, — This  picture,  which  has  recently  come 
into  my  possession,  has  an  old  label  on  the  back 
with  the  inscription  :  "  Painting  of  Mr.  Stallard, 
father  of  William  Stallard,  merchant,  The  Blanquettes, 
Worcestershire."  This  would  describe  my  great- 
grandfather, Thomas  Stallard,  of  Little  Birch,  Co. 
Hereford,  who  died  in  the  year  1S33,  aged  ninety- 
eight.  My  grandfather,  William  Stallard,  lived  at 
The  Blanquettes  from  1S40  until  1855.  The  family 
from  whom  I  bought  the  picture  received  it  from  the 
Rev.  John  Palmer,  who  was  perpetual  curate  of  Claines, 
near   Worcester,  1S40-1855,   and   Vicar  of  Bromyard 


Unidentified  Painting  (No.  15). 
November,  1912. 
Dear  Sir, — The  painting  (No.  15),  page  177  of 
the  November  issue  of  The  Connoisseur,  is  a  copy 
of  the  picture  entitled  The  Shepherd's  Offerings,  by 
Bonifazio,  which  now  hangs  in  the  Royal  Galleries  at 
Hampton  Court,  No.  151  in  the  catalogue.  The 
figure,  with  crutch,  sitting  on  a  stone,  is  St.  Joseph, 
while  those  on  the  left  represent  St.  Roche  and  St. 
Elizabeth  sitting  with  the  young  Baptist  in  her  amis. 
Trusting  the  information  may  be  of  use  to  you, 

I  remain,  yours  truly,   Hugh  Clarke. 

JOSIAH    SPODE. 

Dear  Sir, — I  wonder  if  any  of  your  readets  know 
of  any  descendants  now  living  of  the  above  eminent 
man?  If  so,  any  information  would  be  greatly 
esteemed  by  your  correspondent. — Tom  G.  Cannon. 


SHAv7T5° 


Historical 
Hour-glass 


The  hour-glass  illustrated  has  been  in  the  possession 

of  Napoleon  I.  It  is  about  10  inches  high,  and 
represents  a  very  fine  piece  of  antique 
bronze.  Later  it  came  to  Arenberg 
in  the  possession  of  Queen  Hortense, 

afterwards  of  her  daughter,  who  married  a  German 

painter  named  Keller.     This 

man   gave   it   to  a    German 

"  inrist  " — an  equivalent   for 

his  successful    counsel   in  a 

process.    This  hour-glass  was 

reproduced  on    one  of  the 

old  prints  which  present  the 

great  emperor  at  Elba,  but  I 

could   never   find  this  print. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  readers 

of   The    Connoisseur   will 

kindly   let    me   know   where 

I    can    find   a    reproduction 

of  it. 


An  Interesting  Portrait 
by  the  Swedish  painter 
Hans  Hysing 

I  think  it  may  be  of 
some  interest  to  the  readers 
of  The  Connoisseur  to 
see  a  reproduction  of  the 
portrait  on  page  105, 
hitherto  supposed  to  repre- 
sent Charles  Edward  Stuart, 
the  Young  Pretender.  A 
replica  or  copy  of  the  picture 
was  engraved  by  E.  Scriven, 
and  published  by  C.  Tilt  in 
1830,  over  the  name  of  the 
Young  Pretender.  In  the 
Catalogue  oj  Engraved 
British  Portraits  at  the 
British  Museum,  compiled  by 


NAPOLEON  S     HOUR-GLASS 


Freeman  O'Donoghue,  London,  1908,  Vol.  I.,  p.4°6, 
a  photogravure  of  the  same  picture  is  also  said  to 
represent  "  Prince  Charles  Edward  Louis  Philip 
Casimir,  the  Young  Pretender,  when  a  boy  ;  AW  L., 
standing  in  landscape,  in  a  tartan  dress.  From  picture 
in  possession  of  Lord  Rosebery."  The  compiler  of 
the  catalogue  also  mentions 
the  stipple  engraving,  by  i'.. 
Scriven,  after  the  same  por- 
trait, and  also  a  "woodcut, 
figure  only;  vignette  with 
French  title.  H.Holfeldel." 
That  picture  does  belong  to 
the  Earl  of  Rosebery,  and  is 
preserved  at  his  Scottish 
estate,  Dalmeny,  near  Edin- 
burgh. At  the  time  of  its 
being  engraved,  however,  the 
portrait  belonged  to  G.  A. 
Williams,  and  has,  at  a  later 
date,  come  into  the  pus- 
session  of  Lord  Rosebery. 
Andrew  Lang,  in  his  book 
entitled  Prince  Charles  Ed- 
ward (London,  tooo),  repro- 
duced (facing  page  32)  the 
picture  belonging  to  the  Earl 
of  Rosebery,  and  supposed 
to  represent  Prince  Charlie. 
Naturally  there  was  no  doubt 
in  his  mind  as  to  the  au- 
thenticity of  the  portrait,  as 
that  could  be  verified  from 
the  engraving.  But,  alas  ! 
one  ought  not  always  to  be- 
lieve what  is  printed  even  on 
an  engraving.  Lord  Rose- 
bery, the  brilliant  historian 
of  Europe's  Great  Pretender 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  has 


103 


The    Connoisseur 


doubtless  indulged  in  many  ingenious  reflections,  and 
has  possibly  meditated  on   th     vanitj   oi  all  things 
mundane  when  ga    rig  on  the  poor  little  "  Pretend*  i 
in  the  national  dress.     I  must  humbly  apologise  to 

his  lordship  for  disturbing  Ins  ideas  in  this  matter,  but 
the  little  Highlander  is  onlya  "pretended  Pretender." 
His  lordship  has  presumably  never  visited  Hornby 
,  for  otherwise  hi  would  have  been  somewhat 
surprised  on  being  introduced  by  his  Grace  the  Duke 
ol  1  eeds  to  a  portrait  of  the  very  same  little  High- 
:  whose  picture  adorns  the  walls  of  Dalmeny 
House,  and  hearing  that  it  represents  one  of  the 
duke's  ancestors,  the  Earl  of  Danby.  As  a  matter 
ol  fact,  the  original  portrait  is  preserved  at  Hornby 
(  \istle,  and  represents  Thomas,  fourth  Duke  of  Leeds, 
when  Earl  ol  Danby,  and  is  signed  "  H.  Hysing, 
pinx.  i726."'-:  Signature  and  date  can  be  seen  also 
on  the  photograph  lure  reproduced.  The  similar 
portrait  at  Dalmeny  is  not  signed  according  to  the 
information  which  his  lordship  has  kindly  given  me, 
and  that  picture  must  consequently  be  a  replica  or 
a  copy  of  the  portrait  at  Hornby  Castle. 

It  can  also  be  proved  without  much  painstaking 
investigation  that  the  portrait  cannot  possibly  repre- 
sent the  Young  Pretender.  He  was  born  at  Rome 
on  December  31st,  1720,  and  would  consequently 
be  between  five  and  six  years  old  at  the  date  when 
this  portrait  was  painted,  but  obviously  the  boy  in 
this  picture  is  much  older.  The  fourth  Duke  ot 
Leeds  was  born  in  17 13.  and  was  consequently 
thirteen  years  old  when  this  portrait  was  painted, 
which  is  just  the  age  one  must  feel  inclined  to  give 
the  boy  painted.  Moreover,  Charles  Edward  never 
came  to  England  before  he  commenced  the  famous 
insurrection  in  1745,  and  Hysing  never  left  England 
after  arriving  there  in  1700.  I  think  these  facts  are 
sufficient  to  prove  that  the  portrait  cannot  anyhow 
represent  the  Young  Pretender.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
picture  represents  Thomas,  young  Earl  of  Danby, 
afterwards  fourth  Duke  of  Leeds,  as  stated  by  the 
owner,   the  present   Duke  of  Leeds. 

Of  the  Young  Pretender,  when  a  boy,  or  when  a 
young  man,  there  are  two  portraits  which  I  suppose 
to  be  authentic,  one  by  B.  Gennari,  and  the  other 
by  J.  Blanchet,  the  last  being  in  the  possession  of 
Colonel  Walpole,  Heckfield  Place.  Both  are  repro- 
duced in  Andrew  Lang's  book  here  quoted.  Later 
on  his  portrait  was  painted  by  L.  Tocque.  There  is 
a  third  portrait  of  the  Pretender,  when  a  boy,  at  the 
National  Portrait  Gallery,  attributed  to  Largilliere. 
I  will  now  give  a  few  biographical  data  on  the  person 


Dimensions  77^  in.  by  56}  in. 


here  represented.  Thomas,  fourth  Duke  of  Leeds,  was 
born  in  1713.  lie  married,  1740.  Lady  Mary  Godol- 
phin,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Francis,  second  Earl 
oi  Godolphin,  ami  his  wife  Henrietta,  Duchess  >>i 
Marlborough  in  her  own  right.  He  was  K..G.  1749, 
Cofferer  of  the  Household  175'',  P.C.  1760,  fellow  of 
the  Royal  Society  and  LL.D.     The  duke  died  1789. 

As    to    the     painter,    a    lew     notes    may    also    lie    ol 
interest.         His    name    is    usually    wrongly    given    as 

Huyssing  or  Huyssings  in  English  books — for  instam  e, 
by  Horace  Walpole  in  his  Anecdotes  of  Painting.   The 

author   of   the   anecdotes   only    gives    our   artist   a   few 
lines,    and    so    1    propose   to    give    here   a    little    fresh 
information   about   him,  as   he   is   by  no   means  unim- 
portant.     Hans  Hysing  was  a  Swede,  and   was  born 
at   Stockholm    in    1678.       He   was  brought   up   as  a 
jeweller,  but  afterwards  became  a  pupil  of  David  von 
KralTt,   the    portrait   painter.      In    1700,    however,   he 
left  his  native  land  and  went  to  London,  where  he 
became   a  pupil   of   his  fellow-countryman,   Michael 
Dahl,  the  portrait  painter,  who  had  settled  in  Louden 
in  r688,  and  acquired  a  great  reputation  as  a  "face 
painter.  '       Hysing,    who   was    living    with    Dahl   for 
many    years,   became   by-and-by   a  well-known    and 
highly  esteemed  painter.      He   was   also,   as   Vertue 
puts  it,  "really  a  very  ingenious  painter,"  and  some- 
times he  showed  himself  his  master's  superior  in  his 
art,    drawing   more    strongly   and    penetrating   more 
deeply    into    the    soul    of   his    model.      The    clever 
Swede  was  patronised   by  the  court  and  the  nobility. 
George  III.,  when  Prince  of  Wales,  sat  to  him,  as 
did    also    the    three    daughters    of   George    II. — the 
Princesses  Anne,  Amelia,  and  Caroline.     He  painted 
the  portraits  of  Robert  Walpole  ;  John,   first  Earl  of 
Egmont;  Baptist  Noel,  fourth  Earl  of  Gainsborough; 
Bonaventura  Giffard,   Catholic  Bishop  and  President 
of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford;  and  of  Arthur  Onslow, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  whose   portrait 
is  an  excellent  picture,  which  is  now  to  be  seen  at 
W'adham  College,  Oxford.      The  Duke  of  Richmond 
and   Gordon    has   at    Goodwood    a  fine   portrait  by 
Hysing    of   William,    first    Earl    of  Cadogan,    dated 
1725.       He    also     painted     the     portraits    of    many 
contemporary     artists,     such    as    James    Gibbs.    the 
architect;    Peter    Angelis,    Nicolas  Dorigny,    Joseph 
Goupy,    James    Parmentier,    and    Peter    Tillemans, 
painters  ;  John  Faber,  jun.,  and  George  Yertue,  en- 
gravers ;  and  Frederick  Zincke,  the  famous  enameller. 
About  a  dozen  of    Hysing's  pictures  were  engraved 
by    John    Faber,    jun.,    and   a   lew    by    John  Simon, 
George  White,  and  othcis. 

The  death  of  our  artist  has  been  stated  to  have 
occurred  about  1740,  but  it  was  really  much  later  that 
he  passed  away,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following 


104 


Notes 


extract  from 
the  principal 

registry  of 
the  Probate, 
Divorce  and 
Admiralty 
Division  of 
the  High 
C  ourt  of 
Justice  in 
the  Preroga- 
tive Court  of 
Canterbury: 
"  February, 
17  5  3-  On 
the  sixth  day 
Administra- 
tion of  the 
Goods  Chat- 
tel s  and 
Credits  of 
Hans  H  y  - 
sing  late  of 
the  parish  of 
St.  James 
Wi  ■  s  t  m  i  n  s- 
t  e  r  in  the 
county  of 
Middlesex 
dece  a  sed 
was  granted 
to  Frances 
Hysing  wi- 
dow the  Re- 
lict  of  the 
said  de- 
ceased be- 
ing first 
sworn  duly 
to  adminis- 
ter." Fur- 
thermo  re, 

there  exists  an  authentic  signature  of  his  to  the  will 
of  Miss  Dorothy  1  >ahl,  daughter  of  his  teacher,  dated 
24th  November,  1752. 

Besides  Dahl  and  Hysing  there  were  several  eigh- 
teenth-century Swedish  painters  working  in  England. 
The  portrait  painters  George  Schroder  and  Lorenz 
Pasch  worked  in  London  for  some  years  (about 
1 7 20-1 730),  as  did  also,  at  an  earlier  date,  the  cele- 
brated enamel  painter  Charles  Boit  and  his  pupil, 
Frederick  Peterson.  The  well-known  miniature 
painter,  Christian  Richter,  lived  in  London  from 
1702  till  his  death  in  1732,  and  a  little  later  we  trace 


THOMAS, 


FOURTH    DUKE    OF    LEEDS,     WHEN     EARL     OF     DANBY  B\ 

IN     THE     POSSESSION     OF     HIS     GRACE     THE     DUKE     OF     LEEDS 


Charles 
B  a  11  c  k  s, 
miniature 
painter  in 
Indian  ink, 
who    called 
himself  a 
Swede.    His 
works   are 
very  seldom 
met    with. 
In  the  latter 
part  of  the 
century  two 
important 
S  w  e  d  i  s  h 
painters 
worked   for 
some   time 
in  England. 
Elias  Mar- 
tin,   a    land- 
scape and 
portrait 
painter   in 
oil      and 
w  a  t   e  r  - 
colours, 
settled    in 
London  for 
some     years 
(in    1768), 
bee  oming 
later  A. R.  A. 
CarlFredrik 
von    Breda, 
too,  a   por- 
trait painter 
and  a  pupil 
of    Rey- 
nolds, was  a 
Swede.    He 

was  living  in  London  from  1787  till  1796.  I  should 
be  very  glad  to  hear  from  any  owner  of  works  by 
those  artists,  as  I  intend  to  publish  a  book  about 
Swedish  painters  in  England  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury.    Address  :  Emil  Hultmark,  Stockholm,  Sweden. 

Chippendale  Settee 

The  settee  illustrated  is  interesting  as  a  specimen 
of  Chippendale's  earliest  work  (before  he  was  in- 
fluenced by  the  French  decorative  and  Chinese  styles), 
now  comparatively  rare.  It  is  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.   Luke  G.   Dillon. 


H.    HYSING 


i°S 


The    Connoisseur 


CHIPPENDALE      Sli  111   I- 


Our  Plates 


The  picture  of  Sir  Richard  Steele's  Cottage  at 
Hampstead,  by  John  Constable,  R.A.,  is  in  the  collec- 
tion of  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Barratt,  and  is 
one  of  the  best-known  pictures  of  the 
artist,  being  familiarised  to  the  public  by  the  masterly 
plate  which  David  Lucas  made  from  it.  Fine  as  the 
latter  is,  however,  it  cannot  reproduce  the  beautiful 
colour  of  the  original,  which  is  among  Constable's 
happiest  and  most  poetical  works,  and  possesses  a 
unique  interest  to  Londoners  as  giving  the  view — 
now  so  changed — of  their  city  as  seen  from  their 
favourite  pleasure  ground  eighty  years  ago.  The  fine 
Landscape,  by  Jacob  van  Ruysdael,  belonging  to 
I  »r.  Theodore  Fisher,  was  shown  at  the  winter  exhi- 
bition of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  was  warmly  praised 
by  the  president,  Sir  Edward  Poynter,  in  his  speech 
at  the  Academy  banquet.  It  shows  the  Dutch  artist 
in  one  of  his  tranquil  moods,  and  is  thoroughly  typical 
of  his  school.  John  James  Masquerier  has  recently 
been  alluded  to  in  these  pages  when  an  example  of 
his  work  was  reproduced.  A  second  characteristic 
work  by  him  is  given  in  the  present  number,  in  the 
charming  pastel  portrait  of  Miss  Anna  Elizabeth 
Clements.  The  lady  was  daughter  of  Captain  Richard 
Clements,  E.I.C.S.,  and  married  Mr.  Arthur  Brown, 
of  Newtown,  Co.  Roscommon,  great-grandson  of  Earl 
Altamount.  The  picture  of  Mrs,  Alexander  McCrae 
and  Family,  one  of  the  most  attractive  family  groups 
painted  by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  was  shown  in  the 
exhibition  of  that  artist's  works  at  the  French  Gallery 


in  1910.  The  mother  and  girl  are  dressed  in  white, 
while  the  boy  is  in  a  red  jacket  with  yellow  trousers 
and  waistcoat ;  the  size  of  the  canvas  is  50  in.  by 
40  in.  Engraving  is  represented  in  the  two  plates  of 
Mrs.  Hartley  as  "  Elfrida,"  by  W .  Dickinson,  after 
J.  Nixon,  and  Morning,  by  J.  Grozer,  after  W.  Ward, 
which  is  probably  a  portrait  of  the  latter's  wife,  the 
sister  of  George  Morland.  The  first-named  lady, 
Elizabeth  Hartley,  was  painted  by  many  contem- 
porary artists.  She  first  appeared  at  Bath  about  1 77 1, 
and  became  a  most  popular  tragic  actress.  She  left 
the  stage  in  17S1,  and  died  at  Woolwich  in  1824. 


6d. 


Books    Received 

George  Frederic  Watts,  by  M.  S.  Watts,  three  vols.,^1   us 

net.     (Macmillan.) 
/!,i,e>:'s  Essays,  edited  by  Sydney  Humphries,  6s.  net  ;     Who's 

Who,  15s.  net  ;     The  Englishwoman's  Vein-  Booh,  2s.  6d. 

net  :     The   Writers'  and  Artists'    Year   Booh,   Is.   net  ; 

Books  that  Count,  5s.  net.      (A.  &  C.  Black.) 
British  Portrait  Painting,   by  M.  II.  Spielmann,  F.S.A.,  two 

vols.,  ^26  5s.  net.     (Berlin  Photographic  Company. ) 
Eothen,  by  A.  W.    Kinglake,   illustrated  by  Frank  Brangwyn, 

A.R.A.,    12s.  6d.  net.     (Sampson  Low,  Marston  &  Co.) 
Masterpieces  0/ the  Sea,  William  T.   Richards,  by  Harrison  S. 

Morris,  4s.  6d.  net.      (J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.) 
Portrait  Miniatures  of  Five  Centuries,  by  Ernest  Lemberger, 

£2  2s.  net.     (Hodder  &  Stoughton.) 
Tapestries:  their  Origin,  History,  and  Renaissance,  by  George 

Leland  Hunter,  16s.  net.      (John  Lane.) 
Church   Bells  of  England,    by    H.    B.    Walters,    7s.    Od.    net. 

(II.  Frowde.) 


106 


MRS.    ALEXANDER    McCRAE,    ALEXANDER    McCRAE,    Jun., 
AND    THOMAS    ANN     McCRAE 
BY    SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN,    R.A. 


{Photo.    Annan 


The  occurrence  of  the  Christmas  holidays  renders  the 
December  sale  record  but  a  mutilated  one,  and  tends  to 

keep  out   collections 
of  the  first  importance 
from  the  auction  mart. 
It  is  indeed  a  period 
favouring  the  collector 
rather    than    the   dis- 
perser,    and    many   a 
shrewd    bargain    can 
be   picked  up  by  the 
watchful    connoisseur 
in  the  slack  season 
anterior  to  the  Yuletide  festivities.       The  first  dispersal 
of  pictures  and  drawings  during  the  month  at  Messrs. 
Christie's,  on   December  2nd,  possessed   a  sentimental 
interest  as  including  a  number  of  items  formerly  belong- 
ing to  William  Black,  the  novelist,  and  sold  by  order  of 
the  executors  of  his  widow.      These  chiefly  consisted  of 
black  and  white  illustrations  to  some  of  his  works— more 
especially  Judith  Shakespeare  and  MacLeod  of  Dare — 
and  brought  even  lower  prices  than  the  moderate  ones 
that  black  and  white   work  usually  commands.      The 
following  may  be  taken  as  typical : — God  Save  You,  Sweet 
Lady  (black  and  white),  19  in.  by  26  in.,  by  E.  A.  Abbey, 
R.A.,   1883,^9  9s.;  The  Faggot  Bearer  (colour),  9i  in. 
by  b\  in.,  by  G.  H.  Boughton,  R.A.,  .£8    18s.  6d.  ;   The 
River   Thames   (charcoal),    11    in.   by    192  in.,   by  Tom 
Graham,  £4   5s.;  MacLeod's  Return  (charcoal),  22A  in. 
by   143  in.,    by  Sir  W.  Q.   Orchardson,  R.A.,    £4    5s.; 
MacLeod  of  Dare  (black  and  white),   14  in.  by  8  in.,  by 
J.  Pettie,  R.A.,  ,£5    15s.  6d.  ;    and  three  small  drawings 
of  Coquette  and  Leezebeth,  in  one  frame,  by  F.  Walker, 
A.R.A.,  £\i  os.  6d.    At  the  same  sale,  but  not  from  the 
same  collection,  A   River  Scene,  on  panel,   19J   in.   by 
24J  in.,  by  B.  C.  Koek  Koek— the  best-known  member 
of  a  once  famous  family  of  artists — brought  /,  1 1  5   10;., 
and  a  typical  T.  S.  Cooper,  R.A.,  a  group  of  Peasants, 
Cows,  Sheep,  Goats  and  Pony,  near  a  stream,  37  in.  by 
51  in.,  £147. 

The  sale  of  old  pictures — many  of  them  of  doubtful 
attribution — by  the  same  firm  on  December  6th  may  be 
passed  by  without  comment,  as  the  only  individual 
items  attaining  the  dignity  of  three  figures  were  a  draw- 
ing by  Adam  Buck,  dated  1800,  a  portrait  of  The  Misses 


Fischer,  15  in.  by  15!  in.,  in  white  dresses,  one  sister 
seated  and  the  other  standing  holding  a  green  shawl, 
and  a  sketch  of  a  Head  of  Lady  Hamilton,  19J  in.  by 
15  in.,  by  George  Romney,  which  realised  .£102  18s. 
and  ,£168  respectively.  At  the  same  sale  an  alleged 
portrait  by  Hoppner  changed  hands  for  £2  lis.  6d., 
and  a  large  drawing  labelled  Turner  for  £5    15s.  6d. 

In  the  sale  of  pictures  by  Old  Masters,  the  property 
of  J.  H.  H.  V.   Lane,  Esq.,  of  King's  Bromley  Manor, 
Lichfield,  and  pictures  and  drawings  from  other  sources, 
there   were   included   works   of  a    much    more    assured 
calibre,  as  well  as  others  which  can  only  be  described  as 
doubtful.     The  following  includes  the  principal  items  : — 
Sir    T.    Lawrence,    P.R.A.,    Portrait  of  Mrs.    Harriet 
Harding,  in  white  dress  cut  low  at  neck,  leaning  on  a 
pedestal,  oval,    16  in.  by   \2\  in.,  ,£210;  Domenichino, 
Portrait  of  Cardinal  Barberini,  oval,  49  in.  by  36  in. 
(from  the   Strawberry   Hill    collection),    £\tf  ;    George 
Romney,  portrait  of  Master  O'Connor  of  Castlebrook,  in 
red  coat,   seated,   29V   in.   by  24A  in.,   .£756;  School   of 
Van  der  Weyden,  A  Picta,  the   dead  Christ,  with  the 
Virgin  and  four  other  figures  at  the  front  of  the  cross, 
on   panel,  26  in.   by   34   in.,   .£357  ;  Sir  A.   Van   Dyck, 
Bacchus   and   Bacchanals,  on  panel,   21    in.    by  31    in., 
,£105  ;  Rev.  W.    Peters,   R.A.,    Grief,  a   lady   with  two 
children,   ,£105;   Thomas   Hudson,   Portrait   of  George 
Frederick  Handel,  in  brown  coat  and  yellow  vest,  hold- 
ing a  book,  48  in.   by  37  in.  (exhibited  at   the  Handel 
Festival,    1859,   and   at    the     International    Exhibition, 
Vienna,  1892),  ,£168  ;  Hondecoeter,  A  Peacock,  Pheasants 
and  Poultry,  in  a  landscape,  46  in.   by   51    in.,  .£105  ; 
School  of  Augsburg,  The  Salutation,  the  Madonna  and 
Saint    Anne,   with    donors    kneeling    on    the    left   and 
architectural  background,  on  panel,  241   in.  by   22   in., 
,£199  10s.  ;  Van  de  Velde,  Shipping  in  a  Calm  off  the 
Coast,  32  in.  by  45  in.,  .£183   15s.  ;  Holbein,  Portrait  of 
Thomas  Cromwell,  Earl  of  Essex,  in  dark  dress  trimmed 
with  fur,  on  panel,  30$  in.  by  23}  in.,  .£178  ;   J.  Van  Os, 
Fruit  and  Flowers  on  a  Marble  Slab,  signed  and  dated 
1771,  on  panel,  24  in.  by  19  in.,  £178  10s.  ;  P.  Moreelse, 
Portrait  of  a  Lady,  on  panel,  27*  in.  by  23*  in.,  ,£189  ; 
and   D.   Teniers,    The  Alchemist,  on   panel,    15   in.  by 
24  in.,  .£210.      One  of  the  few  sensations  of  the  day  was 
afforded  by  a  portrait  by  J.   Highmore,  an   artist  who, 
until  a  comparatively  short  time  ago,  was  looked  upon 


109 


The    Connoisseur 


bj  dealers  in  general  a--  po  i  ing  a  name  useful  to 
affix  to  a  painting  too  bad  for  Kneller  and  too  earl)  for 
Hudson.  The  picture  (49  in.  by  39  in.)  was  a  Portrait 
of  Misi  Elisabeth  Heriiey,  daughtei  ol  Captain  Hon. 
William  Hervey,  and  showed  the  lady  in  white  satin 
dress  with  blue  bow,  resting  hei  right  elbow  cm  a  tree. 
Painted  with  the  sound  tci  hnical  knowledge  of  the  period, 
and  showing  an  artistry  greater  than  that  with  which  the 
English  painters  ol  the  lime  are  generally  credited,  the 
work,  after  a  spirited  competition,  was  knocked  down 
for  .£651 — a  proof  that  the  more  talented  contemporaries 
and  immediate  successors  of  Kneller  are  at  last  begin- 
ning to  come  into  then  own.  Relatively  to  this  price, 
the  ,£320  5s.  realised  by  the  Portrait  0/  a  Youth,  in  red 
dress  with  white  frill,  19  in.  by  15  in.,  was  distinctly 
moderate,  nor  could  the  Portrait  of  H.R.H.  Princess 
Mary,  Duchess  of  Gloucester,  in  a  pale  blue  striped  muslin 
dress,  55 j  in.  by  435  in.,  by  Sir  William  Beechey,  R.A., 
be  considered  high  priced  at  ,£630  ;  but  the  earlier  men 
were  comparatively  in  the  ascendant,  and  maintained 
their  own  to  a  greater  extent  than  usual.  Thus  a 
Portrait  of  a  Young  Girl,  in  white  satin  dress  with  blue 
scarf,  oval,  25  in.  by  2oi  in.,  by  C.  Janssens,  signed  and 
dated  1643,  brought  .£441  ;  and  another  picture  (on 
panel,  29  in.  by  24  in.)  similarly  titled  and  by  the  same 
artist,  but  neither  signed  nor  dated,  and  representing  a 
damsel  in  a  red  slashed  dress  with  white  collar  and 
cuffs,  brought  ,£294.  A  third,  Portrait  of  a  Girl,  in  a 
dove-coloured  dress  trimmed  with  gold  braid,  29J  in.  by 
24  in.,  this  time  by  A.  Cuyp,  realised  .£420;  a  view  of 
Tlw  Doge's  Palace,  Venice,  23 A  in.  by  38  in.,  by  B. 
Caneletto,  .£630;  and  a  picture  entitled  Mischief,  14J  in. 
by  1 1  in.,  by  N.  Lancret,  representing  a  youth  blowing 
smoke  into  the  face  of  a  sleeping  girl,  ,£882.  The  two 
highest  prices  of  the  day  were  realised  by  Raeburn's 
Portrait  of  William  Darnell,  Esq.,  of  West  Shields, 
Durham,  49  in.  by  38A  in.,  which  brought  ,£1,365,  and 
a  Rembrandt,  Portrait  of  a  Man,  in  dark  brown  dress, 
holding  a  Gun,  29!  in.  by  245  in.,  exhibited  at  Burlington 
House,  which  fell  to  a  bid  of  ,£1,312. 


Ix  the  print  market  for  the  month  the  most  interesting, 
if  not  always  the  highest  priced,  items  were  examples  of 

modern  work.  While  the  engravings 
Engravings  by   the    masters   of    the    nineteenth 

century  and  earlier  are  gradually 
assuming  the  position  of  gilt-edged  stock,  generally 
appreciating  but  showing  no  violent  fluctuations,  those 
by  living  men  have  recently  shown  a  phenomenal  dis- 
position to  rise  quickly,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  matter 
to  find  a  print  retailed  at  a  guinea  or  two  within  the 
last  five  years  being  run  up  in  the  auction  room  well 
over  the  three-figure  mark.  This  rise,  unfortunately,  is 
not  general,  being  for  the  most  part  limited  to  original 
modern  etchings  and  mezzotints  in  colour.  At  Messrs. 
Christie's,  on  December  nth,  an  illustration  of  the 
appreciation  of  the  latter  was  afforded  by  the  dispersal 
of  a  set  of  Sidney  E.  Wilson's  works,  which,  considering 
that  it  was  not  a  specially  well  attended  sale,  realised 


remarkably  high  prices.  They  comprised  the  following, 
all  licm,  proofs  in  coloui  :  Alter  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 
.Waste/  flare,  £g  9s.;  Lady  Elizabeth  Taylor,  £7  7s.; 
Lady  Smyth  and  Children,  .£20  Ss.  ;  The  Ladies  II  aide- 
rave,  /,iS  7s.  6d.  ;  and  Lady  Hamilton  as  a  Bacchante, 
£9  9s.  Alter  G.  Romney,  J//;.  Musters,  £io  10s.  ; 
Lady  Hamilton  as  "  Circe,"  £<)  9s.  ;  Lady  Hamilton  as 
"  Nature"  £2\  ;  Mrs.  Canning  and  Child,  ,£15  15s.  ;  and 
Mrs.  litres ford,  £\o  10s.  After  Sir  T.  Lawrence,  Miss 
Croker,  ,£24  7s.  ;  and  Lady  Julia  /'eel,  £&  8s.  After  J. 
Hoppner,  Miranda  (half-plate),  ,£16  16s.  After  T. 
Gainsborough,  Lady  Sheffield  (half-plate),  £\b  16s. 
After  J.  B.  Greuze,  Nina,  ,£39  i8s.  ;  and  after  Madame 
Le  Brun,  Madame  L.e  Brun  and  Child,  ,£15  15s. 

Among  original  etchings  the  following  are  worthy  of 
note: — By  Muirhead  Bone,  Ossett,  Yorkshire,  ^31  10s.  ; 
South  Gate,  King's  Lynn,  ,£39  18s.  ;  The  Colonnade. 
Glasgow  Exhibition,  ,£42  ;  The  Posse,  Lincoln,  £39  18s.  ; 
Glasgow  Harbour,  £63  ;  Somerset  House,  £6$  2s.  ; 
The  Prison,  Ayr,  £92  8s.  ;  St.  John's  Wood,  £33  12s. ; 
Leeds,  .£44  2s. ;  and  Near  Chichester,  £2%  7s.  By  Frank 
Brangwyn,  The  Bridge  of  Sighs,  .£48  6s.  ;  Browning's 
House,  ,£15  15s.;  and  Santa  Maria,  from  the  Street, 
.£15  15s.  By  D.  V.  Cameron,  Yvon,  £3^  14s.  ;  On  the 
Our/he,  £19  19s.;  La  Roche,  £27  6s.;  and  Street  in 
Cairo,  £$6  14s.  By  Hedley  Fitton,  The  interior  0/ 
Charlies  Cathedral,  £2%  7s.  ;  Hevil  Castle,  ^,"22  is.  ; 
Joint  Knox's  House,  Edinburgh,  £32  lis.;  Portal  del  St. 
Zaccaria,  Venice,  £23  2s.;  and  London  Bridge,  £42. 
By  Axel  Haig,  Upsala  Cathedral,  £9  19s.  6d. ;  and  The 
Basilica  of  St.  Giles,  at  Aries,  £9  9s.  By  J.  M.  Whistler, 
The  Fish  Shop,  Chelsea,  £2%  7s.  ;  and  by  Sir  F.  Seymour 
Haden,  Calais  Pier  (second  state),  ,£37  16s. ;  and  Break- 
ing up  of  the  Agamemnon  (first  state),  .£21. 

The  prices  realised  by  reproductive  work  were  not 
nearly  so  satisfactory.  A  few  remarque  proof  etchings 
after  Meissonier,  such  as  Confidences,  by  H.  Vion,  ,£17 
17s.;  The  Portrait  of  the  Sergeant,  by  Jules  Jacquet, 
,£23  2s.  ;  and  Picquet,  by  A.  Boulard,  ,£22  is.,  did  fairly 
maintain  their  values,  but  in  all  other  directions  there 
was  a  woeful  fall.  To  those  who  remember  the  high 
prices  which  proofs  after  Sir  Edwin  Landseer  realised  in 
the  closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  sale  of 
artists'  proofs  of  The  Deer  Pass,  by  Tom  Landseer,  for 
£  I  I  s.,  and  Cousins's  Piper  and  a  Pair  of  Nutcrackers  for 
£3  3s.,  seems  little  short  of  sacrilege.  In  the  same 
piping  times  Macbeth's  version  of  Fred  Walker's  Harbour 
of  Refuge  generally  brought  well  over  twenty  guineas  ; 
an  artist's  proof  now  fell  to  a  bid  of  £3  3s.  ;  while  an 
artist's  proof  of  Lsobel,  by  Thomas  Appleton,  after 
Raeburn,  which  used  to  near,  if  not  exceed,  the  twenty- 
guinea  mark,  now  only  brought  £2  2s.  On  the  other 
hand,  an  artist's  proof  of  The  Boy  and  Rabbit,  after  the 
same  artist,  by  J.  C.  Webb,  in  bringing  £7  7s.,  showed 
an  appreciation  on  published  price. 

In  the  sale  of  modern  etchings  and  engravings  held 
at  Messrs.  Sotheby's  on  December  13th  there  were  many 
subjects  identical  with  those  already  mentioned,  and 
which,  bringing  very  similar  prices,  need  hardly  be 
recorded.      Among   the   remainder  the   most   important 


/;/    the   Sale   Room 


item  was  a  fine  impression  of  the  second  state  of  Mcryon's 
L'Abside  of  Notre  Dame  de  Paris,  which  brought  .£230  ; 
while  an  early  impression  of  the  same  etcher's  St.  Etienne 
du  Mont,  before  the  workman's  arms  were  re-etched, 
brought  ,£25.  Taking  the  work  of  other  etchers  repre- 
sented in  alphabetical  order,  the  following  represent 
the  principal  lots  : — By  A.  F.  Affleck,  St.  Jerome  and 
Durham  Cathedral,  £$  5s.  each.  By  Muirhead  Bone, 
Building,  ,£SS  ;  Liberty's  Clock,  £^%  ;  Hove,  .£30 ; 
Oxfordshire,  £\\  ;  Ballantrae  Road,  £56;  Ely  Yard, 
£i\  ;  Strand,  £36  ;  Ayr  Beach,  ,£40 ;  Kulross  Roofs, 
£,-  ;  East  Blatchington,  ,£38  ;  Dunimarle,  .£43;  Chis- 
wick  Mall, £3^ ;  Demolition  of  St.  James's  Hall — Interior, 
£6$  ;  and  Ship-builders,  Whiteinch  (first  state),  ,£30. 
By  D.  Y.  Cameron,  Still  Waters,  ,£43  ;  Mar's  Work, 
Stirling,  £35  ;  John  Knox's  House,  £36  ;  Robert  Ley's 
Workshop,  ,£47  ;  and  Illustrated  Catalogue  of  his  Etched 
Work,  by  F.  Kinder,  191 2,  one  of  the  first  hundred 
copies,  £17.  By  Hedley  Fitton,  St.  Merri,  Paris,  £21. 
By  Sir  Frank  Short,  A  Wintry  Blast  on  the  Stourbridge 
Canal,  £8  ;  and  by  A.  Zorn,  Zorn  and  his  Model,  £30. 
At  the  same  sale  an  artist's  proof  of  The  Frankland 
Sisters,  by  H.  Scott  Bridgwater,  after  Hoppner,  brought 
.£17;  The  Generals  in  the  Snow,  by  E.  Boilvin,  after 
Meissonier,  .£14  10s.  ;  and  In  the  Enemy's  Country  and 
The  Watcher  on  the  Hill,  both  by  Herbert  Dicksee, 
£9  and  ,£10  respectively. 

Turning  to  the  works  of  the  earlier  masters  in  black 
and  white,  perhaps  the  most  important  sale  of  the  month 
was  that  held  at  Messrs.  Sotheby's  on  December  iSth. 
It  included  such  rarities  as  a  first-state  proof  of  The 
Gower  Family,  by  J.  R.  Smith,  after  Romney.  This 
was,  unfortunately,  mutilated  by  having  the  inscription 
space  cut,  otherwise  it  would  have  realised  very  consider- 
ably more  than  the  ,£210  for  which  it  finally  fell.  A 
proof  before  all  letters  of  Lords  George  and  Charles 
Spencer,  by  \V.  W.  Barney,  brought  ,£205,  and  a  fine 
impression  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  by  C.  Turner,  after 
Raeburn,  ,£170.  Among  other  interesting  items  were 
the  three  plates  after  Rembrandt,  Woman  Plucking  a 
Fowl,  by  R.  Houston,  proof  before  all  letters,  ,£74  ; 
Portrait  of  an  Old  Lady  wearing  a  white  cap  and  ruff, 
etched  letter  proof  by  C.  Hodges,  £92  ;  and  Rembrandt's 
Mother,  by  J.  MacArdell,  engraver's  proof  (cut),  ,£38; 
Henri  Laurens,  President  of  the  American  Congress, 
1778,  by  V.  Green,  after  J.  S.  Copley,  etched  letter  proof, 
^56;  Charity,  by  W.  Smith,  after  J.  Barney,  open  letter 
proof  printed  in  colour,  ,£53  ;  The  Salad  Girl,  by  W. 
Ward,  after  J.  Hoppner,  £70  ;  the  pair  of  A  Ghost,  after 
R.  Westall,  and  The  Mask,  after  Sir  J.  Reynolds,  both 
by  Schiavonetti,  proofs  in  colour,  with  titles  cut,  ,£129; 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  by  S.  W.  Reynolds,  after  J.  Hoppner, 
first-state  proof  with  untrimmed  margins,  .£130;  Mrs. 
Robinson,  by  J.  R.  Smith,  after  G.  Romney,  ,£70  ;  Miss 
Cumberland,  by  and  after  the  same,  impression  before 
the  engraver's  address  was  removed,  ,£100;  Miss  Sarah 
Campbell,  by  V.  Green,  after  Sir  J.  Reynolds,  ,£56  ;  and 
Expectation  (Le  Baiser  Envoye),  by  C.  Turner,  after 
J.   B.  Greuze,  ,£115. 

At  a  sale  held  by  the  same  firm  on  December  16th,  a 


proof  of  the  etching  of  The  Little  Lagoon,  by  Whistler, 
brought  £62,  and  one  of  Sir  F.  Short's  Wensleydale, 
after  P.  de  Wint,  ,£11. 

The  sale  by  Messrs.  Christie,  held  on  December  16th, 
of  engravings  of  the  Early  English  School,  included  the 
following  -.—  The  Duchess  of  Bedford,by  S.  W.  Reynolds, 
open  letter  proof  (2nd  fifty),  ^75  12s.;  A  Visit  to  the 
Child  at  Nurse,  by  W.  Ward,  after  G.  Morland,  etched 
letter  proof,  ,£46  4s.  ;  Mrs.  Jordan  as  "  Hypolita,"  by 
J.  Jones,  after  J.  Hoppner,  printed  in  colours,  £105  ; 
Sir  Samuel  Hood,  by  G.  Clint,  after  J.  Hoppner,  £48  6s.  ; 
Lady  Elizabeth  Foster,  by  Bartolozzi,  after  Reynolds, 
,£i6S  ;  and  Feeding  the  Pigs  and  The  Return  to  Market, 
by  J.  R.  Smith,  after  G.  Morland,  printed  in  colours, 
,£i73   5s- 


Among    the    book    sales   for    December   there   were 
included  no  collections  of  importance,  though   several 

individual  items  were 
noteworthy.  Thus, 
at  a  sale  at  Messrs. 
Sotheby's  on  Decem- 
ber 20th,  a  tall  and 
well  -  preserved  copy 
of  Walton's  Complcat 
Angler,  I  s  t  edition, 
1653,  mor.  ex.  by  G. 
Herring,  realised 
^500,  while  another 
lot  in  the  same  sale  was  a  copy  of  the  even  rarer,  but  by 
no  means  so  valuable,  Lovelace's  Lucas/a  Posthume 
Poems,  1st  edition,  1659-60,  with  the  three  scarce  plates, 
i2mo,  orig.  cf.,  gt.,  which  brought  ,£98.  No  perfect 
copy  of  this  is  known  to  have  been  sold  within  the  last 
twenty-five  years.  A  copy  of  the  and  edition  of  Othello, 
1630,  measuring  S  in.  by  5i  in.,  which  had  undergone 
some  washings  and  repairs,  realised  £85  ;  while  a  copy 
of  Boileau's  CEuvres,  Paris,  1740,  2  vols.,  cf,  derived 
most  of  its  value,  which  was  apprised  as  .£68,  from  it 
having  been  Lord  Byron's  copy  and  containing  his  sig- 
nature in  both  volumes  and  a  3-page  MS.  in  the  poet's 
autograph.  The  most  important  Byron  memento,  how- 
ever, was  a  presentation  copy  of  his  Fugitive  Pieces, 
one  of  the  four  known  to  have  survived  the  holocaust  to 
which  the  poet  consigned  the  entire  issue  on  the  advice 
of  the  Rev.  John  Belcher.  The  copy  contained  the 
poet's  autograph  and  autograph  corrections  throughout, 
some  of  which  were  extremely  interesting.  The  work 
was  published  in  1806;  the  present  copy,  in  the  original 
paper  covers,  uncut,  stained  and  some  of  the  margins 
torn,  brought  .£445.  While  to  descend  from  poetry  to 
prose,  a  set  of  The  Times,  from  August  1st,  1828,  to  the 
present,  in  283  volumes,  bound  in  boards,  realised  ^106. 
The  Ponsonby  collection  of  book-plates,  which  were  dis- 
posed of  in  the  same  sale,  consisted  of  8,700  examples, 
bound  in  13  folio  volumes,  vel.,  gt.  edges,  by  J.  Leighton, 
and  were  sold  in  one  lot  for  ,£560. 

The  well  -  known  Fanshawe  Papers,   comprising  the 
bulk  of  the  correspondence  of  Sir  Richard    Fanshawe 


The    Connoisseur 


i  ■■  ■;-■  1000  « lulr  Amli.i  .  a.loi  lo  Spain  and  Pol  tugal 
(1661-1 666),  were  offered  foi  sale  by  a  descendant  of  the 
worthy  baronet,  through  Messrs.  Sotheby,  on  December 

18th  and  uuh,  but  hardly  realised  the  prices  anticipated, 
an  attempt  to  realise  the  collection  as  a  whole  proving 
a  failure.  A  Royal  Sign  Manual,  by  Charles  I.,  Instruc- 
tion to  R.  Fanshawe  to  repair  into  Spain,  \\  pp., 
folio,  and  dated  Hampton  Court,  9  October,  164;, 
brought  ^.'59.  It  was  of  exceptional  interest  as  being 
one  of  the  last  diplomatic  acts  of  the  King  before  be- 
.  oming  a  prisoner  at  Carisbrooke.  A  number  of  letters 
from  Sir  Edward  Hyde  ranged  in  price  from  £$  to 
£\~  ios.,  and  one  from  Lady  Ann  Fanshawe  to  her 
husband,  full  of  homely  gossip,  dated  February  12, 
1666,  2  pp.,  folio,  brought  ^50.  Three  of  George 
Meredith's  manuscripts,  the  property  of  Mr.  Frank  Cole, 
formerly  gardener  to  the  novelist,  on  The  Revolution, 
21  pp.,  4to,  Napoleon,  57  pp.,  4to,  and  Alsace-Lorraine, 
50  pp.,  4to,  brought  .£100,  £92  and  ,£95  respectively! 
a  historical  letter  of  Charles  I.,  bearing  the  King's  signa- 
ture and  with  his  holograph  postscript,  1+  pp.,  folio, 
dated  Hampton  Court,  the  nth  of  January,  1641,  to  the 
Earl  of  Newcastle,  .£54  ;  the  ballad  of  Lucy's  Birthday, 
in  Thackeray's  autograph,  consisting  of  three  verses  of 
eight  lines  each,  1  page,  8vo,  ^33  ;  the  autograph  score  of 
Wagner's  Rule,  Britannia,  overture,  41  pp.,  folio,  dated 
1837,  ,£295  ;  an  autograph  manuscript,  The  Guises, 
46  pp.,  folio,  by  Thomas  Carlyle,  ^126  ;  a  series  of 
21  autograph  letters  from  Sir  Walter  Scott,  ^121  ;  a 
series  of  autograph  letters  from  George  Meredith  to  the 
Rev.  Augustus  and  Mrs.  Jessopp,  from  1861  to  190S,  and 
covering  in  all  about  1S5  pp.,  .£445  ;  and  nineteen  auto- 
graph letters  from  Charles  Lamb  to  John  Rickman, 
written  between  1S01  and  1833,  in  all  about  44  pp.,  folio 
and  4to,  ,£950. 

Among  other  book  sales  during  the  month  was  one  at 
Messrs.  Christie's  on  December  16th,  which  included  an 
interesting  Newmarket  collection,  comprising  J.  P.  Hore, 
The  History  of  Newmarket,  3  vols.,  8vo,  1886,  inlaid  to 
folio  size,  and  extended  to  six  by  the  insertion  of  450 
extra  illustrations,  including  many  valuable  original 
drawings  and  documents,  together  with  Markham's 
Masterpiece,  sm.  4to,  old  calf,  William  Wilson,  165  1,  and 
Blundevell's  Horsemanship  and  Art  of  Riding,  black 
letter,  illustrated,  sm.  4to,  old  calf,  Henrie  Denham, 
1580-84,  the  two  latter  works  being  contained  in  a  narrow 
folio  case  to  match  The  History  of  Newmarket.  The 
7  vols.,  bound  in  half  levant,  mor.  ex.,  g.e.,  by  Riviere, 
were  sold  as  one  lot  for  .£400.  Messrs.  Puttick  &  Simp- 
son disposed  of  an  interesting  collection  of  books  on 
December  4th,  and  Mr.  Dowell,  of  Edinburgh,  of  a  large 
library  of  books  in  antiquarian,  law,  and  general  literature 
on    December    16th,   17th,  and   iSth.      Though  in  both 


instances  good  prices  were  realised,  there  were  not  any 
individual  items  of  great  importance. 

On  December  5th  Messrs.  Christie  sold  the  decora- 
tive furniture,  porcelain  and  pottery  the  property  of  Sir 
Horatio  Davis,  K.C.M.G.,  deceased, 
Furniture,  etc.  and  from  various  sources.  A  pair  of 
James  1  I.  oak  chairs,  with  cane  seats, 
shaped  backs,  on  carved  baluster  legs  with  X -shaped 
stretchers,  brought  .£105;  an  old  English  work-table, 
with  painted  octagonal  top,  14  in.  wide,  .£63  ;  and  a 
Charles  II.  walnut-wood  day-bed,  carved  with  cherubs, 
etc.,  with  cane  seat  and  ends,  ,£54  12s.  On  December 
1 8th  the  sale  of  the  collection  of  Lady  Caroline  Lindsay, 
deceased,  included  the  following  items: — a  Sevres  egg 
boiler  of  rectangular  shape,  the  upper  part  octagonal, 
painted  with  figures,  flowers,  etc.,  on  panels  with  gilt 
scroll  borders  on  gros  bleu  ground,  9  in.  high,  by 
Gomery,  1769,  £315  ;  a  Dresden  figure  of  a  girl  playing 
guitar,  5J  in.  high,  ^1 10  5s.  ;  a  Louis  XVI.  mahogany 
secretaire,  mounted  wirh  ormolu  headings,  and  borders 
chased  with  foliage  and  rosettes,  and  surmounted  by  a 
white  marble  slab  with  ormolu  gallery,  59  in.  high  by 
37  in.  wide,  ,£262  ios.  ;  and  a  set  of  three  Flemish 
tapestry  panels,  circa  1600,  depicting  scenes  in  a  woody 
country,  with  borders  of  flowers  and  fruits  (sizes  8  ft. 
high  by  1 2  ft.  wide,  7  ft.  9  in.  high  by  6  ft.  2  in.  wide, 
and  7  ft.  9  in.  high  by  5  ft.  6  in.  wide),  ,£262  ios.  In  a 
sale  on  December  19th,  a  Sheraton  commode,  with  three 
drawers,  inlaid  with  a  vase  of  flowers,  festoons,  etc.,  in 
satin  and  other  woods,  44  in.  wide,  brought  ^105  ;  a 
Chippendale  mahogany  cabinet  of  architectural  design, 
with  folding  doors  in  upper  part,  mounted  with  panels  of 
looking-glass,  the  whole  richly  carved  and  mounted  with 
metal  gilt  handles,  etc.,  9  ft.  6  in.  high  by  7  ft.  wide, 
^273  ;  and  an  oblong  panel  of  early  seventeenth-century 
Brussels  tapestry,  representing  Alexander  with  Roxana, 
after  a  cartoon  by  Raphael,  with  borders  of  flowers, 
fruit,  and  foliage,  12  ft.  8  in.  high  by  17  ft.  wide, 
,£819.  Some  interesting  pieces  of  English  china,  the 
property  of  J.  H.  H.  V.  Lane,  Esq.,  of  King's 
Bromley  Manor,  Lichfield,  came  up  for  sale  on  Decem- 
ber 1 2th.  A  Worcester  tea  service,  painted  with  birds 
and  insects  in  circular  and  fan-shaped  panels  on  powdered- 
blue  ground  gilt  with  foliage,  comprising  twenty-seven 
pieces,  brought  .£236  5s.  ;  and  an  old  Worcester  dessert 
service,  painted  with  exotic  birds  in  landscapes,  in  dark 
blue  borders  gilt  with  scrolls,  square  mark,  was  split  up 
into  several  lots,  which  sold  as  follows  : — Three  circular 
dishes,  9!  in.  diam.,  ,£141  15s.  ;  a  pair  of  ditto,  9  in. 
diam.,  ^78  15s.  ;  two  oval  ditto,  ioi  in.  wide,  .£60  18s.  ; 
a  pair  of  plates,  7!  in.  diam.,  ,£44  12s.  ;  and  seven  plates, 
with  views  in  centre,  £1 15   ios. 


Alma-Tadema 

THE  dominant 
Alma-Tadema 
exhibition  at  the 
Royal  Academy 
is  a  feeling  of  won- 
derment at  the 
prodigious  indus- 
try of  the  artist. 
Here  are  assem- 
bled a  hundred 
and  thirty  comple- 
ted pictures  and 
eighty  or  ninety 
studies — less  than 
a  third  of  his  life's 
work.  Had  the 
whole  of  the  lat- 
ter been  included, 
the  walls  of  Bur- 
lington House 
would  scarcely 
have  contained 
them — an  output 
which,  having 
regard  to  the  tech- 
nical  excellence 
and  marvellous 
elaboration  dis- 
played in  all  Sir 
Lawrence  Alma- 
Tad  e  m  a's  e  x- 
amples,  is  hardly 
to  be  matched  by 
that  of  any  other 
master.  As  to  the 
value  of  the  work, 
there  are  contrary 
opinions.  Ad- 
vanced modern 
critics  deplore  in 
it  an  absence  of 
personal  revela- 
tion and  vitality, 
which,  in  their 
eyes,  reduces  it 


impression  one  carries  away  from  the 


"hush!     she    sleeps"  by    sir    Lawrence    alma-tadema 

in    the    possession    of    messrs.    maple    and    co. 

exhibited    at    the    winter    exhibition    at    burlington    house 


from  art  to  craftsmanship,  superlative  of  its  kind,  but 
still  only  craftsmanship.      A  revelation  of  personality, 

some  vital  force 
from  the  artist's 
mind,  transmitted 
through  his  crafts- 
manship into  his 
work,  is,  indeed, 
a  necessary  ele- 
ment of  art ;  but 
it  is  obvious  that 
the  more  perfect 
th  e  craftsman- 
ship which  serves 
as  the  medium, 
the  more  absolute 
will  be  the  trans- 
mission ;  and  so 
one  is  loth  to  be- 
lieve that  Alma- 
T  a  d  e  m  a  ,  u  n- 
r  i  v a  1 1  e d  in  his 
command  of  the 
grammar  of  form 
and  colour, 
should  have  failed 
to  give  utterance 
to  that  which  he 
had  it  in  him  to 
say.  Something 
of  the  idea  of  his 
imperfect  revela- 
tion arises,  I  sus- 
pect, from  its  too 
clear  enunciation. 
In  this  age  of 
innate  egotism  we 
require  art  less 
to  be  the  utter- 
ance of  the  artist's 
emotion  than  the 
sounding  -  board 
of  our  own.  There 
are  times  when 
the  thin  shrilling 
of  a  boy's  penny 


JI3 


7  he    C  ^annoisseur 


whistle  will  evoke  in  us  more  heartfelt  passion  than  an 

by  Beethoven,  oi   the  foolish   inanities  of  a  Post- 

[mpn  indscape  than  a  chef  (foeuvre  by  Turner; 

master  artists  are  egotists  as  well  as'we.    If 

our  mood  chime  not  with  their  utter. m,  es,  we  i  annot  altei 

it   to  suit  our  needs,   but  had   West  seek   for  some  less 

■  on  into  w  hose  nebulous  speech  we 

can  re.nl  what  meaning  we  will. 

Alma   fadema  3  artistii  personality  was  narrow,  and  he 

it  with  singular  clarity  and  preciseness.     He 

belonged  to  thai  <  lass  oi  artists  who  transmit  the  material 

rather  than  the  spiritual  vision.     The  pleasant  aspei  is  ..1 

lite  ,1]. pealed    to  him.  but   of  these   not  main.      He  liked 

things   which  were  beautiful  in  themselves— handsome 

men  and   lair  women,   sumptuous   and   graceful   apparel, 
richl)    tinted  blossoms,  gleaming   marbles,  and  perhaps, 
above   all,  the  genial    brightness   of  southern  sunlight. 
Mis    vision    was    microscopic    rather    than    broad    in    its 
range,  anil  so.  like  some  of  his  Hutch  progenitors,  he  saw 
nature  in  detail  instead  of  in  masses,  like  Velazquez  and 
Rembrandt.      These  likings  dictated  the  province  of  his 
an:  he  found  congenial  subjects  in  the  records  of  ancient 
Greece  and  Rome,  and  with  Hutch  thoroughness  brought 
to  bear  on  them  a  wealth  of  exact  and  minute  archaeo- 
il  knowledge.     This  summary  hardly  embraces  the 
record  ot  his  earlier  years,  yet  as  the  work  then  done, 
though    of  sterling   merit,    was    more    in    the   nature  of 
exploration  to  find  his  true  metier  and  acquire   full  com- 
mand of  craftsmanship,  it   is  well  to  pass  it  over  lightly. 
Earliest    of    all    the    examples    shown    is   (88)   a   little 
chalk  study  of  a  caterpillar  and  some  leaves,  done  when 
he  was  four  years  old.     In  the  firmness  of  the  pencilling 
and  the  minute  observation  of  nature — qualities  which 
always   distinguished   Alma-Tadema's  work — it    reveals 
wonderful  precociousness.     There  are  other  drawings  of 
a  similar  character  which  trace  his  progress  to  maturity  ; 
but   his   earliest  picture — an  autograph  portrait  painted 
when  he  was  sixteen — shows  him  as  a  full-fledged  artist. 
It  is  hard  and  unidealized,  but  painted  with  strength  and 
directness.    To  some  the  undisguised  effort  of  this  earlier 
work  ma}-  appeal  as  revealing  more  sincerity  than  the 
facile  and  suave  craftsmanship  of  the  later  days;  but  this 
is  not  so.     Ease  of  expression  is  a  prelude  to  sincerity  of 
utterance  ;    the    musician    with    well-tutored    voice    will 
give  full  volume  to  the  high  note  over  which  the  amateur 
quavers  breathlessly,  and  there  is  less  of  truth  in  breath- 
less   art    than    ineffectual    striving   to    attain   it.      Even 
among  the   earlier  examples  of  Alma-Tadema  there  is 
little  of  this  breathless   art  ;   he  generally  reserved   his 
efforts  for  problems  well  within  his  strength,  and  if  some- 
times he  did  not  wholly  succeed,  it  was  not  his  crafts- 
manship  that   failed    him,    but    that   he    had    ventured 
beyond  the  scope  of  his  temperament.      He  was  wanting 
in  dramatic  instinct,   and  in  feeling  for  movement  and 
bustle.     When   he   painted   nature  quiescent,   as  in   the 
beautiful    studies    of    old    Hutch    staircases   and    court- 
yards  of  1S54,    1855,   and    1856,   he   showed    himself  a 
master;    but    The   Inundation   of  1421   (1857)  and   The 
Ambuscade   (1S62)    reveal    him    as    lacking    not    in    the 
knowledge  of   what  to  put  in,   but   what   to   leave  out. 


In  painting  the  effect  ol  rapid  motion  is  gained  almost 
as  nun  h  bj  omission  as  by  expression.  The  eye 
cannot  comprehend  objects  in  quick  movement  in  full 
del. ill  ;  and  so  Alma-Tadema  by  expressing  the  latter 
has  failed  to  realize  the  former.  The  Inundation 
shows  a  baby  and  a  cat  in  a  cradle  borne  away  by 
the  swift  current.  The  storj  has  it  that  the  cat  pre- 
ened and  kept  the  cradle  atloal  by  jumping  from  side 
to  side  as  the  water  reached  its  feet.  Alma-Tadema's 
1  at  is  merely  statuesque,  and  his  raiders  in  The 
Ambuscade,  if  in  the  attitudes  of  violent  action,  are 
hardly  more  animated  than  the  figures  in  a  coloured 
has  relief. 

Though  Alma-Tadema  occasionally  ventured  into  the 
realms  of  tragedy,  he  was  not  specially  fitted  for  their 
exploration  ;  he  lacked  the  dramatic  instinct,  and  had  a 
wholesome  dislike  for  dirt  and  ugliness — and  tragedy  has 
a  knack  of  containing  both.      His  most  touching  picture 
in  this  metier  is   The  Deat/i  of  t lie   First-Born,  not  the 
partial  version   of  1858,  presented  to  the  Johannesburg 
Art  Gallery,  of  which  the  mutilated  composition  make 
it   appear    that  there  are    two   heads  belonging  to  one 
body,  but  the  perfected  work  completed  in   1872.      It  is 
restrained  and  decorous,  destitute  of  theatrical  or  vulgar 
sentiment,    and   attains   its    impressiveness    through  its 
linear  arrangement  and  full,  low-toned,  beautifully  har- 
monized colour,  conveying  to  the  spectator  little  of  the 
terror  caused  by  the  advent  of  sudden,  mysterious  and 
appalling  death,  but  affecting  him  with  a  pleasing  and 
sympathetic  sadness  like  the  playing  of  a  solemn  requiem. 
The  Ave,  Cusar .'     To  Saturnalia,  is  less  tragedy  than 
grim   serio-comedy,    the  most  poignant   note  being  the 
contrast  between  the  trembling  craven  who  is  hailed  as 
emperor,  and  the  majestic  calm  shown  in  the  sculptured 
features  of  his   deified  predecessors,  whose  therms  are 
ranged    in    a  line    with  his    person,    and    whose  deistic 
powers  he  is  supposed  to  have  already  assumed  with  the 
purple.     To  make  the  picture  pure  tragedy  one  would 
want    the    corpses    in    the    foreground    less    becomingly 
arranged,  and   the   crowd    of  ruffians    who  are  saluting 
Claudius    as    emperor    showing    more    signs    of    their 
savagery,   more  visible  tokens  of  the   stress   of  conflict 
and    unreined    passion.      These    things    would    not    be 
beautiful  in  themselves,  and  Alma-Tadema  in   his  later 
work  clung  more  and  more  to  the  minute  expression  of 
the  beautiful,  avoiding   the  realization  of  anything  that 
was  disagreeable  and  uncouth,  and  this   trait  deprived 
those  of  his  pictures  which  were  concerned  with  historic 
events  of  much   of  their  narrative  value.     Thus  in  his 
Women  of  Ampliissa  he  represents  the  Chyads — women 
sacred   to  Hionysos,  who,  in  a  frenzy  induced  by  their 
religious  rites,  had  wandered  aimlessly  through  the  night 
and    sunk    down    exhausted    in    the    market-place    of 
Amphissa,  a  town  belonging  to  their  enemies — as  a  bevy 
of  beautiful  maidens,  unworn  by  vigil  and  unstained  by 
travel,  awakening  from  their  slumbers  with  the  placidity 
of  denizens  of  comfortable  feather   beds.      Similarly  in 
The  Roses  of  Heliogabalus,  the  guests  of  that  profligate 
madman  —  with  whom  to  banquet  was  to  court  death 
— are    not  greatly   discomposed  at  the  descent   of  that 


114 


Current  Art   Notes 


avalanche  of  roses  which 
was  to  suffocate  not  a 
few  of  them  under  its 
weight  of  fray  ranee. 
Alma  -Tadema  slurs 
over  all  that  is  disagree- 
able in  the  episode  by 
treating  it  as  a  mild 
practical  joke  at  a  deco- 
rous dinner-party,  rather 
than  the  tragic  climax 
nt  a  riotous  debauch. 

With    the   desire   to 
avoid    the    presentment 
of  the  tragic  or  disagree- 
able in  Alma-Tadema's 
art  came  also  the  crav- 
ing for  bright  colour — 
for  themes  which  were 
sumptuous  with  marble 
and  blossom  and  re- 
dolent with  sunlight. 
His     progress     towards 
maturity  may  be  traced 
by  the  growing  absence 
of  dark  colours  from  his 
work — his  portraits  and 
landscapes   only   ex- 
cepted.    In  the  artist's 
Dutch  period  he  shows 
strong      chiaroscuro, 
making  his  lights  tell  out 
against  dark  masses  of 
shadow  ;   the  transition  stage  is  shown  in  pictures  like 
the    well-known    Picture    Gallery   of    1874,    one    of  the 
largest  pictures   he   ever  painted,   and   also   one  of  the 
most  completely  satisfying.      It  has  not  the  heaviness  ot 
tone  which   mars    some  of   its  predecessors,   while  the 
strength  and  solidity  of  the  darks  keep  the  composition 
better   together    than    is   the   case   in  some  of  his  last 
examples,    where    the    light    is    transfused  all    over    the 
canvas  almost  without   contrasting   shadow.     Of  Alma- 
Tadema's   fondness    for   light  and   exquisitely  rendered 
detail    the    Caracal/a   and   Geta    may    be   cited    as   an 
example.       It  is  a  view  of  a  segment  of  the  Coliseum  in 
full  sunlight,  with  every  figure  in  the  crowded  audience 
rendered  separately,  and  every  detail  visible  to  mortal 
eye    set  down  in  its   full   pictorial   value.     There  is  no 
cause   to   say  that   the  art  of  Alma-Tadema   is    wrong 
because  he  did  not  see  the  scene,  as  Mr.  Sargent  would 
have  done,  in  masses  of  light  and  shade.      Both  visions 
are  equally  correct,  for  nature,  with  her  unlimited  range 
of  colour  and  tone,  combines  both  in  the  same  scene  ;  the 
detail  is  all  there,  but  massed  by  atmospheric  gradation 
into  unity  and  breadth.     The  artist,  more  restricted  in 
his  means,  has  to  make  a  partial  sacrifice  of  either  detail 
or  breadth  ;   Alma-Tadema  chose  to  sacrifice  the  more 
important.      His  minute  execution  justified   his  choice, 
yet  not  altogether,  for  the  Caracalla  and  Geta  and  some 
of  his  other  large  works  almost  verge  on  the  monotonous 


THE    HONEYMOON  BY    SIR    LAWRENCE    ALMA-TADEMA 

IN    THE    POSSESSION    OF    MESSRS.    MAPLE    AND    CO. 
EXHIBITED  AT  THE  WINTER  EXHIBITION,  BURLINGTON  HOUSE 


from   the  splendour  ol 
their  elaboration.  There 
is  not  sufficient  contrast 
of  light  and  shade   to 
afford  relief ;    the  eye 
glances    from    point    to 
point   without    finding 
rest,  and  the  effect  be- 
comes tiresome.    These 
pictures,  which  are 
generally    among    the 
artist's  more  recent  pro- 
ductions, must  be  looked 
upon  as  experimental — 
attempts  to  execute  on 
a   large   scale   what    he 
had  already  successfully 
essayed   on   a  smaller 
one;   for  some  of  the 
little  genre  work-,  giving 
effects    filled   with    sun- 
light are  among  his  hap- 
piest productions.      His 
best  works  are  undoubt- 
edly  his    purely    genre 
pictures ;   one  does  not 
even   except  his   por- 
traits, though  among  the 
latter  are  examples 
which,  in  technical  exe- 
cution and  characterisa- 
tion,   would    hold  their 
own  with  anything  but 
the  finest  examples  of  modern  art.    But  in  his  genre  paint- 
ing   Alma-Tadema    achieved    a    unique    position ;     his 
themes  were  simple,  almost  homely  in  their  sentiment, 
yet  expressed  so  perfectly,  and  wrapped  about  in  such 
a  beautiful  setting,   that  the  only  adjective  wmich  ade- 
quately describes   them  is  lyrical — using  the  word,   not 
as  describing  a  hastily  dashed-off  piece  of  work,  broad 
and  sketchy  in   execution,   but   in   its  literary  sense,  as 
describing  a  poem  dominated  by  a  single  idea  in  which 
every  word  and  accent  must  be  carefully  chosen  both  to 
elucidate  the  meaning  and  contribute  to  the  melody  of 
the  whole.     To  construct  such  a  piece  is  like  making  a 
delicately  patterned    mosaic    from  jewels,    and    such    a 
simile  would  not  inaptly  convey  an  idea  of  the  exquisite 
elaboration  of  Alma-Tadema's  pictures.      Where  there 
are  so  many  and  of  such  level    quality  one   can   only 
mention  a  few  as  typical  examples — the  Honeymoon,  of 
1867,    with    its    charming    sentiment,    or    that    equally 
beautiful  rendering  of  domestic  life,  "Hush  .'  she  Sleeps  "  : 
the  little  Priestess  of  Apollo,  or  the  fine  Parting  Kiss  : 
the  exquisite  study  of  the  nude,  The  Tepidarium,  or  the 
ever-popular  Kiss.     One  could  multiply  the  list  indefi- 
nitely.    They  are  works  not,  perhaps,  of  the  greatest  art, 
but  nevertheless  of  all  but  the  greatest.     They  are  filled 
with  joyous  and  healthy  sentiment,  beautifully  expressed, 
and  in  every  one  the  artist  gave  us  ot  his  best,  and  his 
best  was  good  indeed. 


"5 


7 lie    Connoisseur 


THE     NEW     GEORGIAN     ROOM     IN     THE     NATIONAL     MUSEUM,     DUBLIN 


Water-colours 
of  the  West 
Highlands, 
by  Finlay 
MacKinnon,  and 
Modern  Miniature 
Sculpture 


The  water-colours  of  the  West  Highlands  and  Skye, 
by  Mr.  Finlay  MacKinnon,  at  the  Fine  Art  Society's 
Galleries  (148,  New  Bond  Street), 
were  generally  somewhat  laboured, 
and  showed  a  pronounced  tendency 
to  that  superficial  surface  finish 
which,  though  attractive  to  buyers 
of  topographical  records,  is  destruc- 
tive of  all  autographic  feeling  in  art. 
In  the  examples  in  which  he  most 
avoided  this,  such  as  A  Moorland  Bur//,  or  the  spirited 
representation  of  Boor  Burn,  Mr.  MacKinnon  showed 
that  he  could  paint  with  force  and  directness,  while  his 
Scur-na-Gillian  ;  Evening  ■was  marked  by  good  colour. 
In  the  adjoining  room  was  gathered  together  a  fairly  full 
representation  of  what  may  be  styled  the  "miniature 
work"  of  British  sculptors  during  the  last  few  years. 
There  were  nearly  a  hundred  examples  contributed  by 
half  that  number  of  artists.  To  examine  such  an  array  of 
work  in  detail  would  be  hardly  possible  in  a  limited  space, 
and  indeed  hardly  necessary,  for  while  it  all  maintained 
a  high  standard,  and  in  some  instances  a  superlative  one, 
the  great  bulk  of  the  examples  had  been  previously  on 
view.  Such  an  exhibition  is  a  novelty  for  a  private 
gallery,  but  one  whose  success  should  induce  many 
future  repetitions.     The  little  gems  of  the  sculptor's  art 


which  are  dwarfed  into  insignificance  by  being  crowded 
among  the  larger  examples  at  one  of  the  great  exhibitions 
were  here  seen  to  full  advantage,  and  the  beauty  and 
significance  of  such  work  should  appeal  to  many  an  art 
patron  who  has  hitherto  passed  over  sculpture  as  being 
generally  too  large  and  cumbersome  for  the  limited  space 
of  an  ordinary  modern  dwelling-house. 

THE  exhibition  of  drawings  and  studies  by  Old  Masters 
at  the  Dowdeswell  Galleries,  New  Bond  Street,  was, 
perhaps,  of  not  such  a  high  general 
standard  as  some  of  the  displays 
held  there  recently.  The  most  attrac- 
tive feature  was  a  group  of  Gains- 
borough's drawings,  which  showed 
that  fascinating  artist  to  rare 
advantage.  Among  them  was  an 
exquisitely  wrought  study  for  the 
National  Gallery  picture  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  another  of  a 
girl  holding  up  her  skirt  (one  would  think  drawn  from 
one  of  the  painter's  own  daughters),  a  graceful  group  of 
a  charming  trio  of  maidens,  and  a  masculine  portrait 
of  a  captain  of  a  Dutch  trading  vessel  at  Amsterdam, 
besides  several  landscapes.  French  art  was  represented 
by  a  score  of  portraits  belonging  to  the  school  of  Clouet, 
and  a  spirited  drawing  in   sanguine  from  the  nude  by 


Drawings  by 
Old  Masters, 
and  Paintings 
and  Drawings 
by  Ernest  S. 
Lumsdcn, 
A.R.E. 


116 


Current  Art   Notes 


THE     APOLLO     CEILING     IN     THE     NEW     GEORGIAN     ROOM     IN     THE     NATIONAL     MUSEUM,     DUBLIN 


Boucher.  Among  the  Italian  examples  was  a  spirited 
sketch  by  Tiepolo  for  his  picture  of  The  Education  of  the 
Virgin  :  while  the  Dutch  and  Flemish  work  included  a 
fine  study  of  horses  by  Albert  Cuyp. 

At  the  same  galleries  Mr.  Ernest  S.  Lumsden  exhibited 
a  series  of  paintings  and  drawings  of  India  and  a  collec- 
tion of  portrait  studies.  The  first-named  were  marked  by 
refined  and  harmonious  coloration,  always  quiet  in  tone, 
and,  in  a  few  instances,  were  reminiscent,  though  not 
imitative,  of  Whistler.  In  his  pencil  work  the  artist 
generally  used  a  broad  point,  and  showed  a  great  power 
of  suggesting  form,  colour,  and  atmosphere  with  a  few 
deftly  placed  strokes.  His  portraits  were  strongly 
characterised,  while  his  architectural  drawings  were 
remarkable  for  their  delicacy  and  precision. 

At  Messrs.  Walker's  Galleries,  11S,  New  Bond  Street, 
Mr.  Charles  Dixon  had  an  attractive  exhibition  ot 
drawings,  all  of  which  were  concerned 
with  the  sea  and  shipping.  The 
artist  possesses  the  art  of  using  bright 
and  effective  colour,  and  has  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  subject. 
Among  his  most  effective  works  were 
the  strongly  painted  In  the  Days  of 
Oak  and  Hemp,  representing  one  of  the  many  fierce 
conflicts  in  the  long-drawn  struggle  between  the  Dutch 


Drawings  by 
Charles  Dixon, 
R.I.  ;   Paintings 
by  Mary  Ethel 
Hunter  and 
Olive  Anderson 


and  English  for  sea  supremacy,  and  the  quieter  toned 
but  equally  pleasing  Port  Glasgow.  A  collection  of 
pictures  by  the  Misses  Mary  Ethel  Hunter  and  Olive 
Anderson,  largely  dealing  with  landscape  and  architec- 
ture, were  shown  at  the  same  gallery.  Both  artists 
handled  their  pigments  in  much  the  same  manner, 
producing  broad  and  direct  work,  marked  by  consider- 
able strength  of  colour.  One  of  the  best  of  Miss 
Hunter's  works  was  Rain,  Rain,  Go  Away,  representing 
two  children  looking  out  of  a  window,  in  which  the 
lighting  was  admirably  managed;  while  some  of  Miss 
Anderson's  views  of  Versailles  showed  powerful,  well- 
sustained,  and  harmonious  colour.  Earlier  on  an  exhibi- 
tion of  etchings  and  aquatints,  in  colour  and  monochrome, 
by  the  Misses  Hilda  Porter,  M.  J.  Cleminshaw,  and 
Louis  Thomson,  was  also  held.  Miss  Porter's  aquatints 
were  chiefly  confined  to  landscape  and  animal  studies. 
The  latter  were  executed  with  spirit  and  freedom,  while 
her  landscapes  were  poetical  in  feeling  and  marked  by 
a  sense  for  delicate  colour.  The  etchings  by  Miss 
Thomson  owed  some  of  their  inspiration  to  Frank 
Brangwyn  ;  well  drawn  with  a  crisp,  succinct  touch,  and 
marked  by  real  artistry,  they  displayed  great  promise. 
Miss  M.  J.  Cleminshaw  was  more  varied  in  her  themes, 
producing  a  number  of  seascapes  as  well  as  architectural 
subjects.  In  the  latter  she  perhaps  showed  to  the  best 
advantage.      An  etching  of   The    Sphinx,   though  on  a 


117 


The   Connoisseur 


small  scale,  realized  the  solemnity  and  mystery  of  the 
nt  monument,  while  othei  i  ol  Venice,  the  Nik-,  and 
>i>         a  nes,  were  highlj  effective. 

Mr.  Joseph  Penneli    >  etchings  and  lithographs    the 
latter  more  especially     serve  to  remind  one  of  Shelley's 

saving  that  London  is  a  citv  urv 
Lithographs  and  1]U.  hrll  Substitute  for  London 
Etchings  by  .  ,  .    ,  , 

T        ,  °  ,,         the  great  centres  oi   industry  and 

loseph  rcnncll :  ,   .  .   .  , 

_        .        ,  commerce,  and  it  gives  one  a  vivid 

Drawings  by  .  .   ,        '  .  ,   , 

MD    „    ,   ,       impression  (. I  the  ctuvt  piodueed   bv 
arcus  B.  Huish  '  '  ' 

Mr.    Penneli  s   work.      It   is   to   the 

infernos  of  modern  life  he  introduces  us ;  places  where 
there  is  never-ending  tumult,  and  in  which  peace  and 
tranquillity  have  no  part.  With  sentient  pencil  the 
artist  pictures  the  Panama  Canal  being  hewn  through 
mountains  of  living  rock  by  hordes  of  pigmy  labourers  ; 
he  shows  us  the  manufacturing  cities  of  America,  England, 
and  the  Continent,  with  their  myriad  chimneys  blotting 
out  the  heavens  with  their  smoke,  and  the  titanic 
buildings  of  New  York  towering  skywards  like  the  teeth 
of  a  broken  comb  from  amidst  a  babel  of  bustle  and  con- 
fusion. This  aspect  of  modern  life  is  perhaps  not  the  one 
that  the  artist  desired  to  depict,  but  he  has  drawn  truth- 
fully what  he  has  seen,  and  it  is  how  it  appears  to  an 
unprejudiced  observer.  From  Mr.  Pennell's  bustling 
work  it  was  a  relief  to  turn  to  the  atmosphere  of  calm 
and  quietude  shown  in  Mr.  Marcus  B.  Huish's  drawings 
of  Sussex,  Scotland,  and  the  Continent.  Mr.  Huish 
modestly  apologises  for  his  work  on  the  plea  that  it  has 
been  produced  "during  holidays  separated  by  long 
intervals,"  and  yet  it  is  perhaps  to  this  very  fact  that  the 
drawings  owe  their  most  poignant  charm.  They  are 
permeated  with  a  feeling  it  is  difficult  to  describe,  the 
feeling  that  a  busy  city  man,  whose  heart  is  in  the 
country,  entertains  towards  it  during  his  unfrequent 
visits.  He  enjoys  the  country  with  keener  zest  than  the 
native,  and  its  most  ordinary  scenes  are  precious  in  his 
sight.  It  is  this  keen  enjoyment  that  is  reflected  in  the 
work  of  Mr.  Huish  ;  pieces  of  Sussex  downland,  stretches 
of  Scottish  moor,  and  the  ever-varying  aspects  of  the 
countryside  are  set  down  with  a  zest,  sincerity,  and 
reverence  for  nature  that  impresses  the  spectator  with 
something  of  the  same  enjoyment  with  which  they  were 
undoubtedly  painted. 

<  >u>    Dublin    has    been   so  fast   disappearing   of  late 
under  the  devastating  hand  of  utilitarianism  that  Irish 

.  „  ...  antiquaries  have  begun  to  express 
A  Ceiling  at  .  . 

t  -u  grave  anxiety  about  the  preservation 

Iracton  House,  '  ' 

,-n    ...  of  some  of  the  noble  domestic  interiors 

Uubiin 

of  the  early  Georgian  period,  especi- 
ally those  which  still  contain  those  beautifully  moulded 
old  ceilings  so  delicately  wrought  by  the  imported  Italian 
artificers  of  the  mid-eighteenth  century.  It  is  satis- 
factory now  to  learn  that  owing  to  the  successful  carrying 
out  of  a  happily  conceived  project,  all  relics  of  the  old 
aristocratic  mansions  cannot  possibly  disappear.  The 
authorities  of  the  National  Museum  of  Ireland  have  just 
availed  themselves  of  the  demolition  of  Tracton   House, 


in  St.  Stephen's  Green — a  time-honoured  edifice,  dating 
from  [746  to  acquire,  partly  by  purchase  and  partly  by 
gift,  all  the  permanent  characteristics  of  an  eighteenth- 
century  drawing-room.  For  the  realistic  housing  of 
these,  a  special  room  has  been  built  in  the  Museum, 
henceforth  to  be  known  as  the  Georgian  Room.  As  one 
stands  in  this,  the  imagination  goes  back  instinctively  to 
the  golden  days  of  the  Grattan  Parliament,  when  Dublin 
was  .1  live  capital  and  a  liberal  patron  of  the  arts.  All 
the  various  features  of  the  room,  from  the  magnificent 
Apollo  ceiling  to  the  white  and  sienna  marble  mantel- 
piece, are  strictly  of  the  early  Georgian  period.  Little 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  removing  the  doors,  windows 
and  panelling  from  Tracton  House,  but  the  taking  down 
of  the  ceiling  and  cornice  without  injury  to  the  superb 
moulding  presented  a  problem  which  demanded  the 
exercise  of  many  minds  to  solve.  Eventually  by  sawing 
through  the  surmounting  floor  and  cutting  out  the  ceiling 
in  thirteen  carefully  mapped-out  sections,  the  thing  was 
successfully  accomplished.  Dublin  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  the  enterprise  displayed  by  Count  Plunkett,  the 
erudite  director  of  its  National  Museum. — W.  J.  L. 

Drawings  which  show  individuality  of  feeling,  a  keen 
sense  of  tone   and  colour  and   handling,   which,  while 

,_,  ,  never   finicky,  always  impress   the 

Water-colours  .  ,  . 

spectator  with  a  sense  of  complete- 
ness, never  fail  to  secure  a  welcome, 
and  so  the  exhibition  of  water-colours 
by  Miss  Emily  Patterson,  R.S.W.,  now  on  view  at  the 
McLean  Galleries  (7,  Haymarket),  in  which  these  charac- 
teristics are  present,  should  be  assured  of  popular 
favour.  Since  her  exhibition  at  the  same  galleries  two 
years  ago,  the  artist  has  broadened  her  outlook,  and 
gained  a  more  assured  ease  with  her  brushwork.  Her 
themes  range  from  ecclesiastical  interiors  to  snow-scenes 
and  seacapes. 

AMONG    the   numerous   art    exhibitions   which    have 

taken    place   lately   in    Scotland,   or   are    going    on    at 

present,  there  are  three  which  transcend 

in    urg     :  ^e  ranj£  an(j  ^  an[j  accordingly  merit 

The  Arts  and  ,  .,         .,  ,     .  .  .. 

notice  here,  these  three  being  one  at  the 
Crafts  Club,         „,■    ,         .     ,,   ,.  ,   .  . 

„„     „     .    ,  Edinburgh  College  of  Art,  one   at  the 

Scottish  Gallery  composed  of  works  by 


by  Miss  Emily 
Patterson 


Mr.  G.  Denholm  Armour,  and  one  held 


Mr.  Denholm 

Armour,  and 

the  College 
r    .  by  the  Edinburgh  Arts  and  Crafts  Club 

at  their   own   picturesque  quarters  in 

Belford  Road.       This  club  is  a  comparatively  modern 

institution,  its  age  being  little  more  than  a  dozen  years  ; 

but  already  the  members   have  done  some  remarkable 

work,  aiding  thereby  in  bringing"  about  that  resuscitation 

of  craftsmanship  which  has  been  so  badly  needed  ever 

since    the    early- Victorian    age.      To   speak  first  of  the 

bookbindings,  perhaps   the  member  who  displays  most 

ability    is    Miss   J.    E.    Pagan,  a  pupil  of   Mr.  Douglas 

Cockerel!,   one  of  the  ablest   binders  alive  ;    while  the 

Misses  Cheyneand  Macleod  both  exhibit  some  engaging 

volumes,    the   best    by   the    former   being   one    in    seal 

leather  diapered  with  stars,  and  Miss   Macleod's  finest 


118 


Current  Art   Notes 


being  likewise  in  seal,  and  garnished  with  an  old  Celtic 
design.  Miss  J.  Andreen  is  less  praiseworthy,  for, 
though  her  actual  workmanship  is  good,  she  makes  a 
fatal  mistake  in  trying  to  use  leather  as  a  medium  for 
reproducing  famous  pictures  ;  but  this  exhibitor  is  seen 
to  advantage  in  the  lace  section,  while  further  members 
who  show  fine  work  herein  are  the  Misses  Balfour, 
McGibbon,  and  Tompkins,  some  pieces  of  "Honiton" 
and  "  Cluny  "  by  the  last-named  being  truly  memorable, 
and  comparing  not  unfavourably  with  the  beautiful  lace 
of  the  Stuart  period.  Turning  to  the  department  of 
metal-work,  here  too  one  rinds  much  to  admire,  in 
particular  various  things  by  Miss  Helen  Hay,  some 
made  of  brass  or  silver,  and  others  ot  copper.  Every 
one  of  these  is  well  finished,  but  not  unduly  so,  while  in 
none  of  them  has  the  design  that  obtrusiveness  which 
often  vitiates  modern  craftsmanship.  Miss  Hay,  indeed, 
bases  most  of  her  work  on  time-honoured  patterns,  yet 
everything  from  her  hand  reflects  a  quite  personal  style. 
This  personal  note  is  a  quality  one  misses  in  Mr. 
Denholm  Armour — misses  alike  in  his  Punch  drawings 
and  in  his  water-colours — nor  is  this  his  only  salient 
limitation.  To  be  amusing,  and  at  the  same  time- really 
distinguished,  is  no  doubt  very  difficult;  yet  Phil  May 
achieved  this  often,  while  there  is  scarcely  a  single 
drawing  by  Charles  Keene  but  might  hang  beside  a 
Rembrandt  etching,  and  suffer  nothing  by  the  com- 
parison such  juxtaposition  would  inevitably  provoke. 
Hogarth's  satires,  again,  all  delight  even  more  by  their 
aesthetic  value  than  by  their  wit ;  but  Mr.  Denholm 
Armour  would  seem  to  be  a  humorist  first  and  an  artist 
only  second,  while  he  never  reflects  that  emotional 
impulse  which  makes  George  du  Maurier  perennially 
charming.  In  short,  he  must  not  be  ranked  in  the 
forefront  of  those  artists  who  trade  in  mirth ;  yet  his 
technical  ability  is  undoubtedly  high,  and  that  is  what 
makes  his  exhibition  interesting.  He  knows  how  to  use 
bare  spaces  well,  how  to  make  them  seem  an  essential 
part  of  his  picture  ;  while  in  his  dogs  and  horses  one  can 
hardly  detect  a  muscle  which  is  inert,  and  occasionally 
one  finds  him  solving  a  problem  which  has  baffled 
many  painters,  the  problem  of  painting  a  man  in  a 
bright  red  coat  without  making  this  prominent  at  the 
expense  of  the  other  items.  His  colour,  in  fact,  is  prob- 
ably his  forte ;  and  especially  in  his  illustrations  to  that 
classic  of  the  chase,  Hundley  Cross,  he  sometimes 
attains  a  very  sound  harmony  of  shades  ;  while  a  large 
drawing  done  for  a  poster,  Gone  Away,  nearly  tempts  one 
to  cancel  some  of  the  above  strictures.  Its  strong  reds 
and  blacks  would  have  charmed  Rubens,  and  the  bold 
draughtsmanship  reminds  of  the  best  poster-designers  of 
recent  years,  Mr.  Hassall  and  the  Beggerstaff  brothers. 
Technique  like  this  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence  from 
the  College  of  Art  show,  which  consists  of  pictures  by 
some  of  the  more  notable  pupils  there  ;  but  then,  in 
studying  an  assemblage  of  this  sort,  it  behoves  to  look 
for  promise  rather  than  fulfilment,  and  certainly  a 
tolerable  share  of  the  former  is  discernible.  One  sees 
it  in  Mr.  James  Chalmers'  landscape, /2  Cloud,  and  again 
in  Mr.  A.  R.  Crosbie's  portrait,  The  Gipsy,  while   it   is 


salient  in  Mr.  J.  A.  Turnbull's  Fantasia,  a  study  of  some 
Geishas.  There  is  plenty  promise,  too,  in  sundry  things 
by  Mr.  H.  C.  Paterson,  and  there  is  more  than  promise 
in  the  output  of  Mr.  A.  D.  G.  Mackay.  His  drawings 
of  heads  are  exceptionally  clever,  while  some  of  his  tiny 
seascapes  in  pencil — things  no  bigger  than  a  post-card 
— have  a  feeling  of  space  and  atmosphere  one  might 
search  for  in  vain  in  many  huge  canvases.  It  is  a  really 
native  gift  that  one  marks  in  this  artist  and  in  Mr.  Pater- 
son— the  gift  of  the  boy  who  does  a  good  caricature  of 
his  schoolmaster,  and  not  the  mere  journeyman  ability 
which  is  all  that  an  art-school  can  teach — while  another 
young  man  who  evokes  interest,  at  least,  is  Mr.  C.  N.  R. 
Wright.  His  full-length  portrait,  An  Arrangement,  is 
done  in  a  style  redolent  of  contemporary  France,  the 
colour  blazing  and  the  figure  boldly  outlined  in  black ; 
and,  though  the  treatment  of  the  face  leaves  vast  room 
for  improvement,  the  picture  is  indubitably  a  striking 
one.  The  question  is,  however — is  Mr.  Wright  indulging 
in  bravado,  or  is  he  a  genuine  post-impressionist  at 
heart,  expressing  an  individual  vision  ?  And  that 
question  is  one  which  must  not  be  approached  till  the 
artist  has  shown  some  further  work. 

The  eighteenth  annual  Landscape  Exhibition  at  the 
galleries  of  the  Royal  Water-Colour  Society  (5A,  Pall 
Mall  East)  was  not  on  a  par  with  its 
immediate  predecessors.  Its  greatest 
failing  was  the  lack  of  a  uniting  ideal 
among  its  eight  exhibitors  ;  when  the 
latter  are  so  few  and  their  work, 
moreover,  hung  in  separate  divisions, 
there  should  exist  a  common  sympathy  to  weld  it 
together  into  a  homogeneous  exhibition  ;  but  there  was 
none,  so  the  result  was  eight  exhibitions  instead  of  one, 
and  eight  exhibitions  which,  while  individually  generally 
monotonous,  clashed  stridently  with  each  other.  Mr. 
A.  K.  Brown's  few  yards  of  wall-space  were  occupied 
with  a  dozen  landscapes,  seen  with  delicacy  and  refine- 
ment, but  too  little  varied  in  tone  and  colour  ;  for  this 
reason  A  Peat  Moss,  more  positive  in  its  contrasts  and 
crisp  in  its  handling  than  its  companions,  was  easily  the 
most  attractive.  Mr.  H.  Hughes  Stanton,  too,  would 
have  gained  with  greater  variation  of  theme,  his  contri- 
butions nearly  all  resolving  themselves  into  the  problem 
of  expressing  trees  in  shadow  against  a  sunlit  sky  ;  yet 
this  he  mastered  with  such  ease  and  assurance  and 
directness  of  expression  that  each  of  his  well-designed 
landscapes— all  broad,  fluent,  and  spontaneous  in  their 
handling  — was  individually  delightful.  Mr.  Joseph 
Farquharson's  most  artistic  contribution  was  the  Weary 
Waste  of  Snow,  which  was  less  highly  coloured  and 
more  harmonious  in  tone  than  its  companions.  Mr. 
James  S.  Hill  evidently  owes  not  a  little  of  his  inspira- 
tion to  Constable,  not  in  the  sense  of  directly  imitating 
that  master,  but  in  cultivating  a  similar  broad  and  direct 
handling  and  rich  and  deep-toned  colour,  relieved  by 
silvery  greys  and  whites.  Among  his  best  examples  were 
A  Mill  at  Tewkesbury,  From  Greenwich  Park,  and  one 
or  two  finely  rendered  flower-pieces.     The  work  of  Mr. 


Landscape 
Exhibition  at 
the  Royal 
Water-Colour 
Society 


119 


The    Connoisseur 


E.  A.  Walton  revealed  him  as  halting  between  two 
opinions — a  co-mingling  ol  desire  for  realism  and  purely 
decorative  effect.  A.s  it  was,  he  achieved  neither,  and 
his  work,  while  showing  good  colour,  was  unconvincing. 
Mr.  Leslie  Thomson  displayed  similar  dual  inclinations, 
but  reserved  their  exposition  for  different  pictures.  His 
chief  decorative  theme  was  A  Dream  of  the  Solent, 
marked  by  some  delicate  and  beautiful  colour,  yet  failing 
of  the  highest  excellence,  because  the  artist  had  not 
wholly  accepted  the  limitations  of  decorative  art.  His 
other  contributions,  while  good,  hardly  attained  special 
distinction.  Mr.  Lindsay  G.  Macarthur's  wall-space 
appeared  like  a  corner  of  a  farmyard,  so  sedulously  did 
he  keep  to  the  same  theme— the  painting  of  poultry  and, 
occasionally,  pigs  among  sun-flecked  straw.  He  did  it 
with  considerable  technical  attainment,  rather  weakened 
by  too  laboured  surface  finish,  but  the  continued  repe- 
tition was  tiresome.  Of  Mr.  Arthur  G.  Bell's  eight 
contributions,  the  April  Snow,  marked  by  truthful 
perception,  well  composed,  and  affording  scope  for  an 
effective  contrast  between  the  winter  blacks  and  whites 
and  early  spring  greens,  was  decidedly  the  most  attractive. 


Water-colours 

by 

Wynne  Apperlcy, 

R.I.,  at 

Mr.  Walker's 

Galleries 


MR.  WYNNE  APPERLEY  is  among  those  younger 
artists  who  combine  with  rare  promise  something  more 
than  meritorious  performance.  His 
Impressions  of  the  Riviera,  Pan's, 
and  England,  shown  at  Mr.  Walker's 
Galleries  (118,  New  Bond  Street), 
struck  a  poignant  personal  note  ; 
they  were  permeated  with  a  feeling 
of  joyousness  and  vitality  which 
was  most  exhilarating.  His  colouring  was  always  good, 
bright  without  being  garish,  and  set  down  with  purity 
and  freshness.  His  work  bore  the  impress  01  being 
painted  in  the  open  air,  and  was  handled  with  singular 
freedom  and  directness.  Mr.  Apperley,  if  he  is  sufficiently 
ambitious,  should  go  far,  as  an  artist  with  his  power  of 
expression  should  be  able  to  paint  larger  and  more 
important  works  than  any  he  has  yet  essayed.  At 
present  he  appears  to  command  a  far  greater  facility  in 
water-colour  than  in  oil  ;  the  one  or  two  examples  in  the 
latter  medium  which  wete  included  in  the  exhibition 
being  quite  out-shone  in  brilliance  and  strength  by  their 
companions. 


BY    J.    A.   TURNBULL 


AT  THE  EDINBURGH  COLLEGE  OF  ART 


M?    II  ART  L  E  Y 

lull.?' i  I   l..i  ■:  ;r,  '',-,".,,  I, >  llirkinlbli  fc  Willful]  V/i.,:.   Wv    lioml  Slrccl 


f  ti//rr/  /•*•//  /•//  //.■.  /  /iA/  ///•/!  . 


"  Shakespeare, 
Bacon,  and  the 
Great   Unknown  " 
By  Andrew  Lang 
(Longmans, 
Green  &  Co. 
os.  net) 


THE  perennial  controversy  as  to  the  authorship  of 
the  plays  and  poems  of  Shakespeare,  whether  by  "  the 
vagabond  actor  of  Stratford"  or 
the  delinquent  Bacon,  or  some 
other  Great  Unknown — a  dazzling 
meteor,  unrecognised  and  unrecog- 
nisable from  his  day  to  ours,  who 
blazed  into  the  literary  firmament 
and  then  blazed  out  again,  leaving 
no  trace  behind  and  no  clue  —  is 
proceeding  merrily  enough.  Mr.  Greenwood,  who  wrote 
a  book  with  the  object  of  rejecting  the  two  known  men, 
and  applied  his  scholarship  to  build  up  an  apparently 
convincing  case,  drew  from  Andrew  Lang  the  reply  now 
under  discussion,  so  remorselessly  logical  and  so  perfectly 
informed,  that  the  whole  structure  of  The  Shakespeare 
Problem  Re-stated  comes  clattering  down  like  a  house  of 
cards  and  leaves  its  author  buried  beneath  the  debris. 

This  is  not  the  place  wherein  to  discuss  the  literary 
side  of  the  problem,  delightfully  elaborated  throughout 
a  dozen  chapters  ;  but  the  thirteenth,  that  on  Shake- 
speare's monument  and  portraits,  comes  within  our  scope. 
The  champions  of  non-Shakespearean  authorship  find  it 
necessary  to  their  argument  to  remove  or  explain  away 
the  evidence  afforded  by  the  monument  and  bust  in 
Stratford  Holy  Trinity  Church  that  the  man  of  Stratford 
was  the  real  Simon  Pure,  and,  apart  from  declaring  that 
alternatively  it  is  a  bust  of  Bacon,  they  assert  that  what 
we  now  see  is  not  the  "original,"  which,  on  the  basis 
of  the  grotesquely  drawn  caricature  engraving  of  it  in 
Dugdale's  History  of  Warwickshire  (1656),  shows  the 
figure  pressing  a  cushion — which  they  say  means  the 
Woolsack  ! — against  his  stomach.  Of  course,  the  answer 
is  that  the  illustration  is  a  monstrous,  obvious  perversion 
— just  as  his  two  other  illustrations  are  perversions. 
Unfortunately,  Mrs.  Stopes — an  enthusiastic  supporter 
of  the  Shakespeare  claim,  an  earnest  student  in  research, 
but  strangely  lacking  in  judgment  and  logical  deduction 
— has,  under  obvious  misapprehension,  accepted  the 
theory  of  renewal  and  substitution  in  1 748,  when  ,£12  10s. 
was  collected  to  "  repair  and  beautify  the  monument." 
As  if  a  new  monument  of  alabaster  and  marble  and 
a  half-length  statue  of  stone  could  have  been  provided 


or  £\z  ios.,  and  not  a  word  said  about  the  substitution  ! 
Mr.  Lang  shows,  as  we  all  knew,  that  the  present  work 
is  pure  Jacobean,  while  the  plate  in  Dugdale  is  rococo — 
a  style  not  introduced  till  thirty  years  after  Shakespeare 
died,  but  already  prevalent  in  Dugdale's  day.  These 
points  Lang  elaborates,  but  he  missed  giving  the  coup 
de grace,  which  is  this:  the  present  bust  shows  Shake- 
speare wearing  a  mantle  ;  the  Dugdale  engraving  shows 
none  ;  Mrs.  Stopes,  in  search  of  an  explanation,  says 
that  a  mantle  was  added.'— -(if  to  the  bust  before  us,  that 
is  impossible,  for  mantle  and  body  are  in  one  piece  of 
stone).  But  she  has  overlooked  Dugdale's  descriptive 
text — engraved  on  the  very  plate  she  upholds  as  truthful 
representation — in  which  we  are  told  that  the  figure  of 
Shakespeare  is  wearing  a  mantle — which  does  not  appear 
in  the  traitorous  representation  of  it!  The  Baconians, 
also  ignoring  this  smashing  point,  are  concerned  to 
maintain  the  absolute  trustworthiness  of  Dugdale's 
testimony.  Very  well  :  then  Dugdale,  if  credible,  swept 
them  right  out  of  court  on  the  crucial  question  whether 
or  not  "  the  man  of  Stratford,"  the  actor,  was  also  author. 
For  further  on  we  have  Dugdale's  own  emphatic 
declaration  that  "  the  antient  town  gave  birth  and  sepul- 
ture to  our  late  famous  poet,  Will  Shakespere."  Is  it 
not  extraordinary  that  this  conclusive  declaration  has 
nowhere  been  proclaimed  ?  The  dethronement  of  the 
actor-poet  must  be  effected  on  some  more  trustworthy 
evidence  and  more  solid  grounds  than  have  hitherto 
been  advanced. 


The  Van  Eycks  and  Their  Art,  by  Messrs.  W.  H. 
James  Weale  and  Maurice  W.  Brockwell,  is  practically  a 
revised  and  slightly  curtailed  edition 
of  the  monumental  work  on  the 
same  subject  issued  by  the  former 
writer  in  1908.  The  curtailments 
are  few,  being  almost  wholly  con- 
fined to  the  portions  of  the  biblio- 
graphy and  of  the  documents 
reprinted  concerning  the  artists  ;  and  nothing  is  omitted 
which  could  be  of  value  to  the  general  student.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  chapters  concerning  "  Lost  Painting-.," 
" Drawings," and " Observations "  on  the  general  character 


"  The  Van  Eycks 
and  Their  Art," 
by  W.  H.  James 
Weale  and  M.  W. 
Brockwell    (John 
Lane,  12s.  6d.  net) 


The    Connoisseur 


Edition  limited  to 
^50  copies   (The 
Cuala  Press, 
Churchtown, 
Dundrum) 


o(  the  works  of  th  :  brothei-s  have  been  largelj   amplified, 
the  arrangement  ol  the  book  has  been  simplified,  and  the 

fii  al  "ii  of  the  picture    n i  leai  [j   defined.     To 

i'ho  '  read)  pos  e  the  original  sumptuou  :  edition 
the  present  book  «ill  prove  a  desirable  supplement,  while 
to  oilier-,  nut  so  fortunate  it  will  be  something  more  than 
"  ,i  reliable  and  h  md)   work  of  reterence  for  the  next  few 

to  come,"  which  the  authors  modestly  claim  as  its 
cine;  for  it  would  be  better  described  as  the  best,  most 
complete  and  authoritative  book  on  the  subject  vet 
produced. 

I  hi  little  volume  of  Selections  from  the  Writings  of 
Lord  Dunsany  does  credit  to  the  work  of  the  Cuala 
Press,  and  incidentally  calls  attention 
"Selections  from  ,„  the  great  literary  and  artistic 
the  Writings  of  revival  which  is  transfiguring 
Lord  Dunsany"  ireland  at  the  present  moment. 
The  Cuala  Press  itself  is  an  in- 
stance of  this.  Instituted  as  a 
village  industry,  it  is  now  producing 
work — of  which  the  Selections  is 
an  example — which  in  the  artistry 
of  the  printer's  craft  rivals  that  of  any  of  the  London 
firms.  Lord  Dunsany's  writings  are  worthy  of  such  a 
setting.  They  are  the  fruit  of  an  exuberant  and  fertile 
imagination,  and  are  clothed  in  stately  and  dignified 
diction.  His  style  is  somewhat  archaic — wilfully  so — 
but  it  is  lighted  with  happy  imagery  and  pregnant 
turns  of  expression.  He  is  still  engaged  in  fashioning  a 
vehicle  for  his  stories  01  what  happened  in  the  youth  of 
the  world  ;  one  removed  from  the  colloquialisms  of  modern 
speech,  so  that  the  heroes  of  long-gone  days  shall  not 
appear  as  Wardour  Street  impostors,  masquerading  in 
strange  garbs,  but  acting  and  speaking  like  present-day 
Englishmen.  He  has  succeeded  in  this  part  of  his 
endeavour,  but  at  the  cost  of  some  of  that  vitality  which 
comes  of  writing  in  a  living  speech.  In  the  future  he 
may  manage  to  avoid  this  failing  and  still  retain  the 
remote,  old-world  atmosphere  which  constitutes  so  much 
of  the  charm  of  his  work. 

SURELY'  one  of  life's  little  ironies  is  the  cruel  treatment 

often  meted  out  to  geniuses  during  their  lives,  and  the 

praise  and  applause  which  is  accorded 

She  Stoops  to        them  when  they  are  in  their  graves. 

An  irony  it  certainly  would  be  if  some 


The  Mistakes  of 
a   Night,"   by 
Oliver  Goldsmith 


of  our  dead  poets  and  authors  could 
see  their  works  published  in  such 
an  elaborate  manner  through  the  art 


Illustrated   by 

TT      .    _,  of  the  colour-printer  and  letterpress 

Hugh   I  homson  .                                                    . 

.„-             I*    ,,  printer  of  our  days — an  ironv  it  would 

(Messrs.  Hodder  r                         .... 

.  c.  i.  be  which  carried  with  it  more  bitter- 
and  Stoughton 

I^s    net)  ness  than    joyful  satire,  for  their 

works  were  too  often  born  out  of 
poverty  and  wretchedness,  and  written,  in  some  cases, 
on  waste  paper. 

If  the  son  of  a  poor  curate  could  now  see  the  pro- 
duction of  one  of  his  labours  which  comes  from  the 
firm  of  Hodder  &   Stoughton,  he  could  scarce  forbid  to 


smile.  This  man,  who,  to  quote  Thackeray,  "touched 
nothing  that  he  did  not  adorn,"  has  had  his  own  literary 
labours  adorned.  One  of  the  latest  adornments  is  this 
volume,  illustrated  by  water-colour  drawings  and  sketches 
by  Hugh  Thomson,  of  Goldsmith's  bright  little  comedy, 
"  Sin-  Stoops  to  Conquer."  Besides  many  sketches 
tastefully  dispersed  throughout  the  publication,  the 
illustrations  in  colour  number  no  less  than  twenty-five, 
and  are  executed  with  no  little  skill  by  a  characteristic, 
delicate  touch  ;  but  the  artist  fails  in  his  delineation  of 
character  in  the  faces  of  his  studies.  There  is  too  much 
sameness,  if  one  may  be  privileged  to  use  the  word, 
about  his  drawings.  The  plates  are  all  of  indoor  scenes, 
and  when  the  play  offered  an  opportunity  of  a  pleasing 
variety  in  the  scene  where  Tony  and  his  mother  meet 
at  the  back  of  the  garden,  the  illustrator  has  not  shown 
what  he  can  do  in  this  direction,  though  there  was  more 
occasion  for  a  comedy  scene  than  in  many  other  incidents 
he  has  chosen  to  put  in  colour.  This  is  remarkable,  for 
several  of  the  drawings  illustrate  passages  which  occur 
in  conversation,  and  these  drawings  are  therefore  not  of 
scenes  actually  seen  in  the  play.  This  is  naturally 
a  little  misleading  to  even  those  who  know  the  comedy 
in  its  entirety.  There  is  a  strong  tendency  in  a  play 
of  this  kind,  which  has  been  performed  on  so  many 
thousands  of  occasions  in  London  and  the  Provinces, 
for  a  play-goer,  when  this  play  is  presented  to  him  in  a 
well-illustrated  book,  to  look  among  the  illustrations  for 
the  significant  scenes  he  has  seen  on  the  stage,  and 
when  he  sees  several  coloured  drawings  of  scenes  he 
does  not  remember,  and  a  scene  by  its  very  humour  he 
well  remembers  is  not  illustrated,  he  fancies  something 
must  have  been  deleted  from  and  several  things  added 
to  the  production  he  witnessed. 

It  must  be  admitted — and  this  is  no  slight  upon  the 
artist — that  he  has  not  been  wholly  successful  in  his 
drawings  of  the  outstanding  character  of  the  comedy, 
Tony  Lumpkin.  This  clumsy  oaf  is  no  easy  task  to 
draw,  and  it  has  been  said  with  no  little  truth  that  Tony 
has  been  better  impersonated  on  the  stage  than  de- 
picted in  any  colour  or  pencil  drawing.  Comment  must 
also  be  made  on  an  oversight  on  the  part  of  the  artist 
made  in  several  of  the  plates.  In  Act  I.,  Scene  I, 
between  old  Hardcastle  and  his  daughter,  the  latter 
appears  in  the  illustration  in  a  costume  of  blue  and 
white,  while  in  the  next  plate  to  the  same  act  and  scene, 
Miss  Hardcastle  not  having  left  the  room,  she  appears  in 
a  pale  green  costume,  and  the  backgrounds  in  each  of 
these  illustrations  seem  to  be  of  different  interiors.  This 
is  a  little  amusing  as  regards  the  illustration  of  the  scene 
between  Miss  Neville  and  Miss  Hardcastle,  in  which 
scene  the  latter  asks,  "Tell  me,  Constance,  how  do  I 
look  this  evening?  Is  there  anything  whimsical  about 
me  ?"  and  Miss  Neville's  reply,  "Vet,  now  I  look  again 
— bless  me  ! — sure  no  accident  has  happened  among  the 
canary  birds  or  gold  fishes?  Has  your  brother  or  cat 
been  meddling?"  Certainly  the  artist  by  the  license  of 
his  art  has,  in  his  meddling,  whimsically  changed  the 
colour  of  the  dress  of  Miss  Hardcastle  in  a  few  minutes. 
This  error  has  been  repeated  in  two  of  the  illustrations 


1-4 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


PORTRAIT    OF    A    LADY    UNKNOWN  BY    RODOLPHE    BELL 

FROM    "PORTRAIT    MINIATURES    OF    FIVE    CENTURIES" 

(HODDER    AND    STOUGHTON) 

in  Act  II.,  Scene  r,  where  young  Hastings'  pink  coat 
changes  in  the  next  plate  to  yellow,  and  Hastings, 
according  to  the  play,  has  not  left  the  room.  These 
errors  might  be  overlooked  on  trivial  grounds  if  the 
artist  had  not  given  such  characterless  features  to  the 
faces  of  his  subjects,  especially  to  the  faces  of  his 
womenfolk.  It  must  be  held,  however,  that  Hugh 
Thomson's  work  in  this  book  possesses  a  certain  charm 
of  refinement  which  is  exceedingly  pleasing  to  the  eye- 

IN  Staircases  and  Garden  Steps  Mr.  Guy  Cadogan 
Rothery  shows  the  evolution  of  these  necessary  features 
of  domestic  architecture  from  the 
rude  examples  outside  the  cave- 
dwellings  of  primitive  man  to  their 
present  multiform  varieties.  The 
preoccupation  of  the  ancient  archi- 
tects was  not  so  much  to  make  their 
staircases  easy  of  ascent  as  to  render 
them  either  defensible  or  easily  destructible  in  case  of 
the  advent  of  an  enemy.  Thus  in  the  mysterious  Round 
Towers  of  Ireland  the  staircases  have  entirely  disap- 
peared, being  probably  little  more  than  ladders,  which 
could  be  drawn  up  to  the  doorways— always  many  feet 
above  the  ground— when  danger  threatened.  Mr.  Rothery 
might  have  added  that  similar  instances  occur  in  some 
of  the  older  of  the  church  towers  in  England.  This 
practice  to  a  certain  extent  was  followed  by  Norman 
castle  builders,  the  staircases  often  placed  on  the  outside 
being  planned   so   as  to  afford   as   little   assistance   as 


"Staircases  and 
Garden  Steps," 
by  Guy  Cadogan 
Rothery 
(T.  Werner 
Laurie.    6s.  net) 


possible  to  an  assailing  enemy.  It  was  not  until  the  era 
of  domestic  warfare  was  over  that  staircases  became  an 
architectural  feature  of  the  interior  of  a  building.  Mr. 
Rothery  takes  a  comprehensive  but  somewhat  hurried 
survey  of  the  various  ^t\les  of  staircase  planning,  and 
also  the  details  of  their  planning.  His  is  a  useful  work, 
but  suffers  rather  from  the  desire  to  tell  too  much.  It  is 
difficult  to  adequately  comprehend  some  of  his  brief 
descriptions,  and  one  feels  that  he  would  have  better 
served  his  purpose  if  he  had  omitted  many  of  the 
examples  and  treated  on  the  others  more  fully. 

The  sumptuously  mounted  volume  on  Portrait  Minia- 
tures of  Five  Centuries,  by  M.  E.  Lemberger,  may 
perhaps  prove  a  disappointment  to 
those  who  have  trained  their  taste 
too  exclusively  on  the  fascinating 
and  highly  finished  art  of  Cosway, 
Downman,  Engleheart,  and  their 
English  contemporaries,  for  the 
author  has  gleaned  his  illustrations 
from  wide  and  varied  sources,  and 
though  all  the  plates  possess  sufficient  artistic  merit  to 
justify  their  inclusion,  some  of  them,  especially  those 
belonging  to  the  foreign  schools,  are  only  moderately 
beautiful  in  the  subjects  they  depict. 

Though  the  wealth  of  illustration  is  the  chief  raison 
d'etre,  Mr.  Lemberger's  interesting  introduction  to  the 
subject  is  fully  adequate,  and  gives  much  valuable  infor- 
mation concerning  Continental  artists  little  known  in 
England.    The  reproductions  of  the  miniatures  illustrated 


"Portrait  Minia- 
tures of  Five 
Centuries,"  by 
Ernest  Lemberger 
(Hodder  and 
Stoughton 
2  guineas  net) 


KING    GEORGE    III.    OF    ENGLAND        BY    RICHARD    COSWAY 

FROM    "PORTRAIT    MINIATURES   OF   FIVE   CENTURIES" 

(HODDER    AND    STOUGHTON) 


125 


The    Connoisseur 


Who,"  "The 
Writers'  and 
Artists'  Year 
Book,"  etc. 
(A.  &  C.  Black) 


are  executed  with  a  perfection  of  technical  accuracy  that 
has  rarely  been  exceeded,  the  delicate  charm  of  the 
originals  being  fully  suggested  and  preserved. 

In  tin-  choice  of  subjects  we  feel  convinced  that  the 
authoi  must  have  been  seriously  handii  apped  in  .1  '.can  h 
for  beauty  by  the  necessity  of  selecting  subjects  to  illus- 
trate the  different  periods  and  phases  of  the  art,  and, 
perhaps  on  account  of  his  nationality,  lie  devotes  a 
disproportionately  large  space  to  the  miniature  art  of 
Germany.  Nevertheless,  the  work  is  a  highly  valuable 
contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and,  from  the 
profuseness  and  high  quality  of  the  illustrations,  should 
prove  a  most  useful  consultant  to  those  desiring  to 
identity  the  style  and  period  of  a  particular  miniature. 

What  are  the  books  that  count  ?      Mr.  W.    Forbes 
Gray  has  compiled  a   record  of  5,500  of  them,  with  a 
bird's-eye   view    of  their   respective 
"Books  that  contents,    all    said    to    be    standard 

Xho's  works  and  of  utility  to  the  general 
reader.  This  is  such  an  excellent 
idea  that  one  wonders  it  has  not 
been  carried  out  before ;  but  to  have 
been  thoroughly  well  done  the  task 
should  have  been  entrusted  to  a 
committee  rather  than  a  single  individual,  however 
well  qualified.  A  list  of  Mr.  Gray's  omissions  would 
constitute  a  formidable  volume  in  itself,  a  perfunctory 
glance  through  his  work  reveaJing  the  absence  of  such 
varied  writers  as  Walpole,  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu, 
Evelyn,  Malory,  Fanny  Burney,  Napier,  Richard  Jeffreys, 
Disraeli,  and  Herrick,  while  his  section  on  art  is  woefully 
imperfect.  No  work  dealing  with  engravers  or  engraving 
is  included,  the  biographies  of  artists  given  are  rarely 
the  standard  authorities,  and  even  such  an  indispensable 
work  as  Bryan's  Dictionary  of  Painters  and  Engravers 
is  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  Probably  in  another 
edition  of  the  work  such  oversights  will  be  remedied, 
and  it  will  become  as  valuable  and  useful  a  compila- 
tion as  those  indispensable  annuals  issued  by  the  same 
firm,  Who's  Who,  The  Englishwoman's  1  'ear  Book,  and 
Tlic  Writers'  and  Artists'  Year  Book.  The  first-named 
publication  comes  this  year  in  a  somewhat  altered  form, 
the  height  of  the  volume  having  been  increased  to  make 
space  for  the  ever-increasing  number  of  names  of  celeb- 
rities— major  and  otherwise — about  whom  the  general 
public  desires  information.  The  above  publications, 
while  offering  no  fresh  features,  in  their  current  issues 
afford  the  most  exhaustive  information  on  those  themes 
which  the  experience  of  past  years  has  proved  to  be 
most  essential. 


When  Garrards  was  moved  from  the  Haymarket  to 

Albemarle    Street    it    meant    the    transfer    of    one    of 

London's  oldest  landmarks,  for  this 

"Garrards,  historic  firm— court  jewellers  and 

i,     "  "  ,         goldsmiths   during   six  reigns — had 

(Stanley  Paul  ,  .  ,  ,  , 

,  „    '  been   established   at  the  corner  of 

and  Co.)  _  _  ,  , 

Panton  Street  for  nearly  two  centuries. 

To  commemorate  the  event  an  interesting  octavo  volume 


has  been  issued,  profusely  illustrated  with  reproductions 
from  old  prints  and  maps  and  photographs  of  some  of 
the  more  celebrated  .  iiran  jewels.  The  work  deals  not 
only  with  the  history  of  Garrards,  but  also  with  that  of 
the  two  localities  with  which  they  have  been  connected. 
Interesting  as  are  the  records  of  the  Haymarket  and 
Albemarle  Street,  the  most  fascinating  port'on  of  the 
volume  is  that  concerned  with  Garrards  itself.  The 
firm  was  founded  by  George  Wickes  in  1721.  His  first 
Royal  customer  was  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  who 
appears  not  only  to  have  bought  plate  from  the  gold- 
smith, but  also  to  have  frequently  had  some  on  loan  for 
the  royal  entertainments.  This  custom  of  borrowing  was 
by  no  means  confined  to  plate.  When  George  III. 
was  crowned  he  was  decked  out  with  diamonds  worth 
,£375,600,  hired  from  the  firm  for  £15,024.  This 
practice  was  not  adopted  in  any  of  the  succeeding 
coronations  ;  though  Garrards,  to  whom  the  crown  jewels 
were  sent  for  re-setting,  had  much  work  to  do  in  connec- 
tion with  them.  The  Koh-i-Noor,  which  they  re-cut 
in  1S52,  was,  perhaps,  the  most  celebrated  of  the  historic 
jewels  which  have  been  entrusted  to  them,  though  in 
point  of  size  this  gem  is  eclipsed  by  each  of  the  two 
Stars  of  Africa — portions  of  the  huge  Cullinan  diamond 
which  they  fitted  into  the  King's  Sceptre  and  Crown. 
The  book  has  been  written  with  care  and  erudition,  and 
forms  an  interesting  and  valuable  contribution  to  Court 
and  social  history  of  the  past  two  centuries. 

The  art   of  Ancient   Egypt,  the   latest  specimens  of 

which  are  divided  from  us  by  an  interval  of  1,500  years, 

hardly  possesses  the  same    imme- 

'      gyp  1  diate  appeal  as  the  arts  of  England 

1 tl     Tiff-. A   '  ° 

or  France,  which  have  continued  to 
develop  until  the  present  time,  or 


by  G.  Maspero 

("  General  History 

of  Art  Series") 

/•w;n-        u   •  that  01  Northern    Italv,  onlv  sepa- 

(Wilham  Heine- 


mann.     6s.  net) 


rated   from  us  by  a  century  or  so, 


and  still  influencing  and  inspiring 
modern  ideals.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  Art  in  Egypt, 
by  Professor  G.  Maspero,  the  Director-General  of 
Antiquities  in  Egypt,  is  hardly  so  attractive  as  its  pre- 
decessors in  the  "General  History  of  Art."  There  are, 
besides,  other  handicaps  in  the  author's  path  ;  the  raison 
d'etre  of  European  art  is  well  comprehended  ina  general 
way  by  the  orthodox  reader  ;  the  influences  which  gave 
it  birth  are  still  alive,  and  a  few  words  of  explanation 
will  suffice  to  make  him  acquainted  with  their  early 
variations,  but  with  Egyptian  art  it  is  different  ;  the 
religion  which  gave  it  birth  has  been  dead  for  twenty 
centuries,  and  the  outlook  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  is  as 
strange  to  us  as  if  he  were  the  inhabitant  of  a  distant 
planet.  Moreover,  the  duration  of  Egyptian  art  was 
prodigious,  existing  for  nearly  as  many  centuries  as  that 
of  France  and  England  have  existed  decades,  and  all  the 
time  maintaining  a  huge  output,  which  to  the  uninitiated 
eye  seems  to  show  little  variety  or  development.  It 
will  be  seen  that  Professor  Maspero  had  an  almost  im- 
possible task  in  attempting  to  trace  within  the  compass 
of  a  single  volume  the  rise  and  development  of  an  art 
so  novel  in  its  point  of  view  to  European  minds,  so  long 


126 


TJie    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


THE    GREAT    PYRAMID    AND    THE    SPHINX 

continued,  and  so  prodigal  in  its  productions,  and  yet 
make  his  theme  perfectly  understandable.  That  he  has 
wholly  succeeded  it  would  be  impossible  to  say,  but  that 
he  has  produced  a  book  which  in  its  comprehensiveness, 
its  wealth  of  knowledge  on  the  subject,  and  its  erudite 
scholarship  has  yet  no  rival,  may  be  readily  acknow- 
ledged. Its  faults  lie  in  presupposing  the  reader  pos- 
sessed of  at  least  a  general  acquaintance  with  the  outlines 
of  ancient  Egyptian  history,  and  unless  he  has  acquired 


THE  TWO  COLOSSI  ON  THE  SOUTH  SIDE  AT  ABl     S1MBEL 

inspiration  from  a  single  source,  it  was  split  up  into 
distinct  schools,  who,  while  drawing  everywhere  upon  a 
common  fund  of  general  ideas,  gave  distinct  manifesta- 
tions of  them. 

The  work,  as  usual  with  the  books  of  this  series,  is 
exhaustively  illustrated,  while  type  and  setting  are 
everything  that  can  be  desired. 


DIADEM    OF    KHNEMIT 

this,  he  is  likely  to  become  confused  by  the  mention  of 
various  dynasties  to  whose  date  or  duration  little  clue  is 
given.  Apart  from  this,  the  work  is  clearly  expressed, 
and  traces  the  various  phases  of  the  subject  fully  and 
minutely.  The  author  clearly  shows  that  in  the  course 
of  centuries  Egyptian  art  underwent  developments  and 
radical  changes  far  more  important  than  has  been 
generally   assumed,    and   that   instead    of    drawing   its 


\i 


(MUSEUM,    CAIRO) 


The  Essays  of  Francis  Bacon,  Lord  VeruMm,  will 
always  remain  one  of  the  stately 
and  dignified  monuments  of  Eng- 
lish prose.  Such  a  work,  not 
meant  for  hasty  scanning,  but  for 
leisured  study,  appears  to  demand 
a  seemly  setting,  and  this  is  afforded 
n  the  new  edition  of  the  work,  edited  by  Mr.  Sydney 


"  Bacon's  Essays," 
edited  by  Sydney 
Humphries 
(A.  &  C.  Black 
6s.  net) 


THE  CROUCHING  SCRIBE         (THE  LOUVRE)  THE  GREAT  CHEPHREN  AT  CAIRO 

The  illustrations  on  this  page  arc  from   "Art  in  Egypt"  (Heinemann) 


127 


The   Connoisseur 


Humphries,  which  l»:i -  just  beenissued  by  Messrs.  Black. 
Not  too  cumbersome  for  easy  handling,  but  of  sufficient 
substance  to  give  the  shelves  of  a  bookcase  an  additional 
importance  ;  clearly  printed  in  type  of  a  boldness  and 
clarity  to  ensure  easy  reading,  and  well  set  up,  it  appears 
to  be  a  marvel  of  cheapness  at  the  price  at  which  it  is 
issued.  The  work  is  prefaced  with  a  portrait  of  the 
author,  and  is  furnished  with  a  translation  of  all  the 
Latin  and  foreign  quotations  given  in  the  work,  with 
full  identification  of  their  origin. 


"Choffard,"by 
Vera  Salomons 
(John  and  Edward 
Bumpus,  Ltd. 
30s.  and  18s.) 


Pierre-Philippe  Choffard  is  one  of  those  greal 
artists  in  little  whose  fame  rests  on  the  accomplishment 
of  work  small  in  compass,  but  in- 
finitely beautiful  in  execution.  He  is 
among  the  most  exquisite  of  French 
illustrators,  and  his  work  gives  an 
additional  grace  to  the  literature  of 
his  period.  Miss  Vera  Salomons  has 
performed  a  commendable  task  in  giving  a  catalogue  of 
the  most  important  books  illustrated  by  the  artist,  and 
its  extent  shows  the  prodigious  amount  of  work  which 
this  gifted  artist  achieved.  His  most  characteristic 
performance  really  belongs  to  the  domain  of  decorative 
rather  than  illustrative  art,  for  the  charm  of  his  produc- 
tions often  lies  as  much  in  the  elaborate  and  tasteful 
framework  with  which  they  are  surrounded  as  in  the 
presentments  of  the  subjects  depicted.  Miss  Salomons' 
attractive  volume  is  illustrated  with  a  large  number  of 
excellent  reproductions  from  characteristic  works  by  the 
artist.  It  is  prefaced  with  a  well-written  introduction 
giving  the  few  facts  which  are  known  concerning  his 
life,  while  the  catalogue  of  the  works  he  embellished  is 
full  and  amply  descriptive.  Altogether  the  book  may 
be  recommended  as  a  desirable  addition  to  the  library 
of  anyone  interested  in  French  eighteenth-century  art. 


"  The  English 
Fireplace  and 
its  Accessories," 
by  L.  A.  Shuffrey 
(B.  T.  Batsford 

£2    2S.) 


Fireplaces,  in  the  form  we  know  them,  were  intro- 
duced comparatively  late  into  English  domestic  life.  The 
early  types,  which  persisted  until  long 
after  the  Norman  Conquest,  were 
only  slight  improvements  on  the 
primitive  form  as  a  fire — wood  or 
peat,  kindled  on  the  earth  or  a  slab 
of  stone  in  the  midst  of  the  principal 
living  apartment,  the  smoke  escaping 
from  a  hole  in  the  roof.  Similar  types,  though  some- 
what less  elementary  in  their  construction,  remained  in 
vogue  in  ordinary  dwelling-houses  until  well  on  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  it  is  only  since  then  that  the  fire- 
place has  become  the  prominent  feature  of  domestic 
architecture  which  it  now  remains.  Mr.  L.  A.  Shuffrey, 
in  his  admirable  book  on  the  subject,  traces  the  develop- 
ment of  the  fireplace  and  its  accessories  from  its  earliest 
days  until  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  by  which 
time  the  various  distinctive  styles  of  its  design  had 
become  fully  elaborated.  It  is  to  the  Normans  that  we 
owe  the  origin  of  our  present-day  fireplace,  for  in  their 
castles  built  of  two  or  more  storeys  the  central  position 
was  impracticable,  so  the   fire  was  placed  in  a  shallow 


recess  under  an  arch  in  the  side  wall  of  the  chamber. 
The  back  of  the  recess  sloped  in  its  ascent,  and  finished 
with  a  hole  lor  the  escape  of  the  smoke  carried  through 
the  outside  wall.  This  means  of  escape  for  the  smoke 
docs  not  appear  to  have  been  successful,  and  was 
gradually  superseded  by  a  flue  carried  up  in  the  wall, 
and  finished  with  a  tall  cylindrical  chimney.  These 
early  forms  of  the  side  fireplace  were  not  recessed,  but  a 
hood  was  constructed  oxer  the  hearth  to  collect  the 
smoke.  From  this  to  the  recessed  fireplace  was  a  step 
which  was  easily  taken,  and  all  that  remained  was  to 
.ulorn  the  room  face  of  the  latter  with  suitable  orna- 
mentation. Of  the  projecting  fireplaces  there  are  few 
ornate  remains,  this  form  being  generally  used  in  fort- 
resses where  beauty  was  less  of  a  consideration  than 
strength,  and  being  much  earlier  abandoned  in  England 
than  on  the  Continent.  Theie  are  also  comparatively 
few  survivals  of  the  recessed  fireplace  constructed  in 
purely  Gothic  style,  as  Renaissance  influence  became 
prevalent  in  England  soon  after  this  form  was  generally 
used.  It  is  on  this  account  that  the  specimens  at  Tatters- 
hall  Castle,  which  were  recently  rescued  from  the  hand 
of  the  spoiler  by  Lord  Cutzon,  are  of  such  exceptional 
interest,  though,  as  Mr.  Shuffrey  points  out,  removed 
from  their  original  surroundings,  for  which  they  were 
specially  designed,  they  lose  the  greater  part  of  their 
architectural  effect. 

Many  of  the  earlier  Renaissance  mantelpieces  were 
either  imported  from  abroad  or  made  by  foreign  crafts- 
men, and  are  consequently  out  of  feeling  with  their 
decorative  surroundings.  But  this  phase  was  a  tran- 
sitional one,  for  the  English  speedily  showed  themselves 
as  capable  craftsmen  as  their  foreign  rivals,  while  their 
work  was  conceived  in  proper  architectural  relation  to 
the  apartment  it  was  designed  to  occupy.  Belonging  to 
this  period  are  many  pieces  which,  though  showing 
Renaissance  influence,  are  merely  Gothic  in  the  character 
of  their  ornamentation.  This  mixed  style,  which  was 
often  strikingly  picturesque  in  its  effect,  gradually  gave 
way  before  the  purer  forms  of  Renaissance  and  classical 
architecture,  the  latter  form  coming  into  vogue  when 
the  sway  of  the  brothers  Adam  and  William  Chambers 
had  superseded  that  of  Inigo  Jones  and  Wren.  The 
work,  like  most  of  the  books  emanating  front  Messrs. 
Batsford,  is  illustrated  by  plates  fully  expressive  of  all 
the  ornamental  details,  the  understanding  of  which  is  so 
necessary  to  students  of  architecture. 

A  singularly  full  catalogue  of  naval  prints  calculated 
to  suit  the  pockets  of  all  grades  of  collectors,  and  com- 
prising portraits  and   views   of  naval 
"Catalogue  of       engagements,   battle  and  merchant 
Naval  Prints,  ,  .  ,  ,  , 

,  ships,    yachts,    and    maritime  towns, 

Paintings,"  etc.      ,         ,  ,    ,       ..  TT 

._   IT    °     ,  has    been    issued    bv   Messrs.  T.    H. 

(T.  H.  Parker  „     ,  .        ,,,,  .  , 

_        .  Parker    hros.  (45,  \\  hitcomb   Street, 

Bros.) 

E.C.).    It  contains  nearly  4,000  items, 

including  70  portraits  of  Nelson,  ranging  in  value  from 
is.  to  /17  ios.,  30  plates  of  the  Battle  of  the  Nile,  the 
same  number  of  views  of  Liverpool,  and  other  subjects 
of  a  like  character  in  similar  abundance. 


128 


The   Connoisseur  Bookshelf 


U   1 


CHIMNEY-PIECE    AND    GRATE    IN    BALL-ROOM    AT    STRATFORD    HOUSE,    STRATFORD    PLACE 
FROM    "THE    ENGLISH    FIREPLACE"  (BATSFORD) 


"Little  Songs  of  Long  Ago" 

In  the  review  of  this  work  published  in  our  last 
number,  the  price  was  given  as  75.  6d.  net.  It  should 
have  been  5s.  net. 


"The  Story  of  Old 
Whitehall,"  fay 
Austin  Brereton 
(The  Gordon 
Hotels,  Ltd.) 


The  Story  of  Old  Whitehall,  written  by  Mr.  Austin 
Brereton,  makes  such  interesting  reading  that  one  would 
wish  that  it  had  been  issued  in  a 
more  elaborate  and  permanent  form. 
The  author  traces  the  history  of  the 
district  from  the  time  when  Wolsey 
built  his  sumptuous  palace — then 
styled  York  House,  but  re-christened 
Whitehall  when  Henry  VIII.  took  it  over— to  the  present 
day.  It  is  a  stirring  story,  for  Whitehall  since  the  days 
of  the  great  Cardinal  has  been  the  hub  of  England,  and 
nearly  all  the  noteworthy  personages  in  the  last  four 
centuries  of  English  history  have  been  associated  with  it. 
Readers  of  Mr.  Brereton's  book  will  find  it  an  admirable 
guide  to  all  the  associations  of  the  neighbourhood. 


To  keep  a  diary  may  thrust  upon  one  a  posthumous 
immortality.     The  genial  Pepys,  who 
well   deserves  to  be  remembered  on 
account  of  his  share  in  the  founding 
of  English  naval  supremacy,  would  have  languished  in 


Messrs.  Letts's 
Diaries 


semi-oblivion  had  not  his  diary,  written  for  his  own 
enjoyment,  and  without  any  thought  of  publication, 
ultimately  come  to  light,  and  secured  for  him  a  fame 
which  is  hardly  equalled  by  the  greatest  literary  giants 
of  his  period.  Messrs.  Letts's  varied  publications  should 
tempt  many  of  the  present  generation  to  emulate  the 
famous  diarist,  for  among  them  may  be  found  diaries  in 
such  multiform  and  attractive  variety  as  to  suit  all  tastes. 

Mr.  H.  B.  Walters,  in  his  book  on  the  Church  Bells 
of  England,  has  essayed  a  theme  which  should  be  of 
more  or  less  universal  interest,  for 
though  few  are  directly  concerned 
with  the  science  of  campanology, 
the  historical  and  sentimental 
associations  connected  with  bells — 
more  especially  church  bells — pos- 
sess a  general  appeal.  The  subject  has  already  produced 
a  voluminous  literature,  yet  one  can  extend  a  warm 
welcome  to  Mr.  H.  B.  Walters'  addition.  He  knows 
his  theme  thoroughly,  and  treats  it  in  all  its  phases 
with  fulness  and  accuracy  ot  fact,  dealing  with  the  mak- 
ing of  bells  and  belfries  from  the  earliest  times  until 
the  present  day,  the  methods  of  ringing  bells,  their 
uses  and  the  customs  affecting  them,  their  dedication, 
decoration,  weights,  and  sizes,  the  inscriptions  recorded 


"Church  Bells  of 
England, "by  H.B. 
Walters,  M.A., 
F.S.A.  (Henry 
Frowde,  7s.  6d.net) 


129 


The   Connoisseur 


"Ballads  Weird 
and  Wonderful," 
with  Twenty- 
five  Drawings  by 
Vernon  Hill 
(John  Lane 
2ls.  net) 


on  them,  and  the  \  arious  found]  ie  ■  at  which  they  are  pro- 
duced. Incidentally  he  gives  much  quaint  and  curious 
lore  concerning  old  customs,  some  of  which. are  now 
extinct  but  man)  ol  »!  ch  still  survive,  of  whose  origin 
and  purport  the  average  man  know-,  nothing.  The  work 
is  well  illustrated,  and  furnishes,  with  exhaustive  indexes, 
a  full  list  of  English  bell-founders  and  a  good  biblio- 
graphy o(  the  subject. 

Mr.  Vernon  Hill's  art  is  original,  highly  imagina- 
tive, and  replete  with  that  charm  which  comes  from  an 
unconventional  outlook — a   way   of 
eeing  things  in  a  strange  and  un- 
pected    manner.     This   being  so, 
he    would    seem    well    qualified    to 
illustrate    a    selection    of  the    most 
eerie  and  weird  of  the  old  ballads — 
those  concerned  with  black  magic, 
the  spirits  of  the  departed,  and  the 
denizens    of  the    nether -world — yet  his  latest   work,   a 
collection  of  designs  on  such  themes,  though  beautiful, 
is  not  an   unqualified  success.      These  creations  rather 
charm  the   fancy  than  convince  the  imagination  ;  none 
of  them  compel  one   with  the  feeling  that  in  this  way, 
and  in  this  way  only,  could  the  scene  have  happened. 
The  literary  interest  throughout  is  subordinated  to  the 
artistic,  and  we  are  less  concerned  with  the  happenings 
that   are    depicted    than    in     Mr.    Hill's    accomplished 
manner  of  depicting  them.     The  artist's  imagination  is 
indeed  too  empyrean  for  his  subjects.      These,  despite 
their  supernatural 
incidence,    are   yet 
firmly  connected 
with  the  mother- 
earth,  and  are   set 
forth  with  a  direct- 
ness and  particu- 
larity of  phrase  that 
leave  no  doubt  of 
the  narrator's  in- 
tentions that  they 
should  be  regarded 
as   the  stories  of 
real  events  ha  p- 
pening  to  real  per- 
sonages.     Mr.  Hill 
hardly  catches  this 
feeling  in  his  crea- 
tions ;  they  are  ex- 
pressed with  much 
power  of  rhythmic 
line    and   an    e x- 
quisite  sense  of 
decorative  arrange- 
ment ,  but  they 
serve  more  to  tickle 
our  .esthetic  sensi- 
bilities   than    to 

ACCOUNT  OF  FREDERICK  PRINCE  OF 

atmosphere  of  the  from  "  garrards.   1721-1911" 


border  ballad,  stern,  grim,  and  surcharged  with  poignant 
crudity  of  elementary  emotion. 


The  collection   -or  rather  collections     which  the  late 
Mr.    Frank    McClean    bequeathed    to    the    Fitzwilliam 
Museum,  Cambridge, are  of  national 
importance.     He  was  an  amateur 

of  nice  discernment,  with  clearl) 
defined  views,  who  formed  his 
accumulations  of  ancient  coins, 
manuscripts,  early  printed  books, 
enamels,  ivories,  and  other  objects 
of  art  not  in  a  haphazard  way,  but 
according  to  an  ordered  plan,  to 
trace  the  history  and  evolution  of 
art.  This  makes  them  of  great 
educational  importance,  and  it  was 
fortunate  for  the  world  of  art  that, 
instead  of  allowing  them  to  be  dis- 
persed at  his  death,  he  bequeathed 
them  to  the  museum  of  his  former 
university.  Two  scholarly  and  erudite  catalogues  raisonee 
have  now  been  issued,  describing  a  portion  of  the 
bequest,  Dr.  James,  Provost  of  King's  College,  dealing 
with  the  manuscripts,  and  Mr.  O.  M.  Dalton  with  the 
mediaeval  ivories,  enamels,  jewellery,  and  miscellaneous 
objects.  Both  works  are  worth)-  of  the  university  from 
which  they  were  issued  and  the  collections  which  they 
describe.  Mr.  Dalton  prefaces  his  work  with  a  valu- 
able introduction  concerning  the  origin  and  develop- 
ment of  the  various 


Fitzwilliam 
Museum 

McClean  Bequest 
"  Catalogue  of 
Manuscripts," 
by  Montague 
Rhodes  James 
(25s.  net),  and 
"Catalogue  of 
Ivories,  Enamels, 
and  otherObjects,' 
by  O.  M.  Dalton 
(7s.  6d.  net) 
Cambridge 
University  Press 


'WSL 


,.    J...'  Jr.'-,   r-f 


/        "  J/ 


a 


I  /  .«£(  I'i  lU  L' 


6.\6 


WALES    AT    i.ARRARDS  ,     1735-6 
(STANLEY    PAUL) 


forms  of  art  illus- 
trated in  the  col- 
lection, which  is 
marked  by  sound 
know  ledge  and  con- 
servative and  well- 
established  views. 
Dr.  James,  while 
not  prefacing  his 
catalogue  with  any 
foreword,  except  a 
short  account  of  the 
career  of  the  testa- 
tor of  the  collec- 
tion, describes  each 
item  with  singular 
fulness,  in  many 
instances  devoting 
several  pages  of 
letterpress  to  a 
single  manuscript. 
Both  catalogues 
are  well  illustrated 
with  collotype 
plates,  and  form 
from  the  authorita- 
tive nature  of  their 
contents,  valuable 
works  of  reference. 


130 


CORRESPONDENCL 


Special     Notice 

Enquiries  should  be  made  upon  the  coupon  which  will  be  found  in  the  advertisement  pages.  While, 
owing  to  our  enormous  correspondence  and  the  fact  that  every  number  of  The  Connoisseur  is  printed  a 
month  in  advance,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  guarantee  in  every  case  a  prompt  reply  in  these  columns,  an 
immediate  reply  will  be  sent  by  post  to  all  readers  who  desire  it,  upon  payment  of  a  nominal  fee.  Expert 
opinions  and  valuations  can  be  supplied  when  objects  are  sent  to  our  offices  for  inspection,  and,  where- 
necessary,  arrangements  can  be  made  for  an  expert  to  examine  single  objects  and  collections  in  the  country, 
and  give  advice,  the  fee  in  all  cases  to  be  arranged  beforehand.  Objects  sent  to  us  may  be  insured  whilst 
they  are  in  our  possession,  at  a  moderate  cost.  All  communications  and  goods  should  be  addressed  to  the 
"  Manager  of  Enquiry  Dept.,  The  Connoisseur,  35-39,  Maddox  Street,  YV." 


ANSWERS    TO    CORRESPONDENTS 


Mahogany  Wardrobe.  — A6. 420  (Penrith). — The  old 
English  gentleman's  mahogany  wardrobe  is  apparently  in  bad 
condition,  and  in  any  case  it  is  not  sufficiently  old  to  be  of  any 
great  value.  A  plain  piece  of  this  kind  realises  about  eight 
guineas  by  auction. 

"  Lord  Burleigh,"  after  Wissing.— A6.445  (Stamford). 
— Your  print  of  Lord  Burleigh  was  engraved  by  J.  Smith  ;  but 
it  has  been  so  much  trimmed  that  it  would  not  realise  more 
than  10s.  to  15.. 

"The  Tragedies  of  ,-Eschylus."— A6.454  (Alexandria). 
— The  copy  of  The  Tragedies  of  A-'sJiylus  belongs  to  a  class 
of  work  for  which  there  is  now  very  little  demand,  and  it  would 
only  realise  a  few  shillings. 

Armour.— A6,467  (Tamworth). — It  is  generally  very  difficult 
to  judge  armour  from  photographs,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that 
the  pieces  represented  arc  not  genuine.  They  have  the  look  of 
specimens  which  have  been  got  up  finely  fir  decorative  purposes. 
From  this  point  of  view  they  are  of  little  value.  If  you  have 
good  reason  1..  suppose  they  are  old  (say  late  1 6th  century),  we 
should  advise  you  to  send  up  a  piece  for  examination. 

Books. — A6,473  (Penmaenmawr). —  As  a  whole  the  books 
on  your  list  are  comparatively  unimportant,  and  few,  if  any, 
would  realise  more  than  is.  or  so  per  volume.  The  Chase  and 
The  Turf,  by  Nimrod,  is  not  an  original  edition.  If  in  good 
condition,  it  might  realise  10s.  to  15s.  As  regards  Brads/taw's 
Railway  Guide,  the  rare  first  edition  is  dated  1839. 

Engravings.— A6, 481  (Cullercoats).— On  the  list  you  send 
the  most  notable  is  The  Bird  Catcher,  by  Gaugain,  after  Barney, 
which,  if  a  genuine  impression,  may  be  worth  £$  to  £6.  Its 
value  entirely  depends  upon  the  quality  of  the  impression.  As 
regards  the  engravings  by  Woollett,  none  of  these  would  be 
likely  to  realise  more  than  IOS.  to  25s.,  while  the  two  prints 
after  E.  M.  Ward  are  only  worth  a  very  small  sum,  the  demand 
for  such  prints  having  practically  ceased. 

Portraits  Engraved  by  Bartoloz2i.-A6.4S5  (South- 
ampton).— The  portraits  of  the  Duchess  of  Suffolk  and  Holbein's 
wife  by  Bartolozzi,  as  they  are  uncoloured,  would  be  unlikely 
to  realise  more  than  7s.  6d.  each.  The  etching  by  Rembrandt 
we  should  have  to  see  before  giving  an  opinion. 

"  Madox,"  by  Robert  Southey.-A6.4S6  (Torquay). 
— Yom  copy  of  Robert  Southey's  Madox  would  be  unlikely  to 
fetch  more  than  5s.  to  7s.   6d. 

Silver  Plate.— Ao, 491  (Cork).— Itis  quite  impossible  for  us 
to  give  any  opinion  regarding  your  old  silver  plate  unless  we 
have  a  description  of  each  piece,  photographs  if  possible,  date- 
letter  and  maker's  name,  marks,  and  the  weight. 

Coloured  Prints.  — A6, 496  (London,  YV.). — The  London 
Views,  by  Sayer,  would  only  realise  a  few  shillings  apiece. 


Portrait  by  Raeburn.  —  A6.499  (London,  W.).  —  The 
only  portrait  by  Raeburn  known  to  us  of  a  Macdonell  of  Glen- 
garry is  that  of  Alastair  Macdonell,  Chief  of  Glengarry,  which 
is  lent  to  the  Scottish  National  Gallery  by  John  Cunningham  of 
Balgownie.     It  was  painted  about  1S00. 

"  The  Country  Dowager  "  and  "  A  Peasant 
Returning  to  his  Family."— A6, 501  (Braintree).— As 
your  coloured  prints,  by  Westall.  have  been  trimmed  to  fit  the 
frames,  their  value  has,  of  course,  been  much  depreciated.  II 
really  fine  impressions  they  should  still  be  worth  two  or  three 
guineas  each. 

"  Lavinia,"  after  Gainsborough.— A6, 503  (Weston- 
super-Mare). — A  fine  impression  of  Lavinia,  by  Bartolozzi, 
after  Gainsborough,  in  colours,  is  worth  anything  from  ,£15  to 
,£40,  according  to  its  quality  and  general  condition,  but  as  your 
print  lacks  the  margin,  its  value  would  be  considerably  less. 
We  cannot  place  a  definite  value  upon  it  without  seeing  it. 

Pair  of  Lamps. — A6.507  (Horsham). — It  is  evident  from 
the  phot. .graphs  that  these  lamps  are  of  a  type  in  vogue  fifty 
or  sixty  years  ago.  They  were  used  for  burning  heavy  oils, 
such  as  colza,  but  they  would  not  be  considered  of  any  use- 
now  for  that  purpose,  having  been  superseded  by  lamps  burning 
the  more  convenient  mineral  oils.  The  lamp  arrangement  is, 
of  course,  English,  but  the  vases  are  Chinese,  and  are  not 
probably  much  older  than  the  lamps,  and  are  therefore  not  of 
the  collector's  period.  The  vases  might  be  used,  stripped  of 
the  lamps,  as  decorative  items,  or  they  might  be  adapted  for 
modern  lamps,  electrical  or  otherwise,  and  for  that  purpose  the 
saleable  value  should  be  about  £4. 

"The  Times."— Ao, 512  (kyde).— If  your  copy  of  /  i. 
Times  containing  an  account  of  Nelson's  death  is  the  original 
issue,  it  would  realise  about  2-.  od.  ;  but  it  is  more  than 
probably  a  reprint,  the  value  of  which  is  practically  nil. 

Cabinet  and  Clock.  —  A<>, 515  (Rotterdam).  —  The 
mahogany  and  inlaid  cabinet  with  tambour  door  i,  Sheraton, 
and,  so  far  as  one  can  judge  from  the  photograph,  its  value  is 
from  12  to  15  guineas.  The  old  English  bracket  clock,  by 
Clay,  of  London,  is  worth  from  18  to  20  guineas.  Clay  was 
working  in  London  about  1770. 

Autograph  Letter.  —  A6,Si5  (Christchurch.  N.Z.).  — 
Nelson's  letters  are  now  fetching  very  high  prices,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  say  what  such  a  good  letter  of  hi-  would  obtain 
just  now.  Letters  written  with  the  right  hand  are  more  valu- 
able than  those  with  the  left  hand.  Unfortunately  the  lettei 
from  which  the  photograph  is  taken  is  only  a  copy  of  a  fine 
letter.  The  writing  bears  no  resemblance  to  Nelson's,  and  as 
Nelson  lost  his  right' arm  in  179!),  and  this  letter  is  dated  1S05, 
and  written  with  the  right  hand,  it  cannot  be  Nelson's  writing. 


L3I 


HE  CONNOISSEVR. 

GENEALOGICAL  AND 
LDIC  DEPARTMENT 


CHANCERY    PROCEEDINGS. 

As  we  pointed  out  in  our  article  dealing  with 
this  subject  in  the  May,  19 12,  number  of  The  Con- 
noisseur, Chancery  proceedings  were  by  no  means 
confined  to  the  rich  ;  in  fact,  as  often  as  not  some  poor 
person  would  file  a  bill  in  Chancery  making  charges 
against  someone  more  fortunate  than  himself,  in  hopes 
that  the  latter  might  be  frightened  into  paying  him  a 
sum  of  money.  In  searching  these  records  one  will 
often  find  a  plaintiff  described  as  a  labourer,  or  some 
other  occupation  of  the  same  standard,  which  in  itself 
shows  that  the  use  of  this  court  was  not  confined  to 
the  privileged  classes. 

The  pedigree  printed  on  this  page  gives  another 
very  good  example  of  what  may  be  obtained  from 
these  suits. 

We  may  here  mention,  in  case  it  should  interest 


other  readers,  that  we  propose  to  make  another  search 
of  defendants  to  Chancery  suits,  as  set  forth  in  the 
May,  191 2,  number,  and  we  shall  be  very  glad  to  hear 
from  others  interested. 


Arms  on  Pewter  Dish. — We  can  find  no  English  family 
entitled  to  the  arms  as  represented  on  your  dish;  from  the 
general  appearance  we  are  rather  inclined  to  think  that  it  is 
purely  an  imaginative  representation. 

Murden  of  London. — One  Joseph  Murden,  of  London, 
made  a  large  fortune,  amounting  to  about  ^40, 000,  as  a 
merchant,  and,  as  was  very  often  the  case  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  after  his  death  numerous  bills  were  filed  in  the  Court 
of  Chancery  in  connection  with  his  estate.  The  pedigree  printed 
below  was  extracted  from  one  of  these  suits,  dated  23rd  October, 
173S.  (Sewell,  1714-58,  Bundle  129,  No.  2.)  A  further  search 
in  connection  with  this  family  would  be  interesting. 


I 
....    Murden 


Joseph  Murden,  of  London, 
I  1.  Will  dated  23  July, 
172S  ;  died  in  June,  1729. 


1 

\\  illiam  Murden,  executor  to 
his  nephew  Joseph,  whom 
he  predeceased. 


Robert  Murden,  executor  to 
his  nephew  Joseph. 


I 
Robert    Murden. 
Will     dated     15 
June,  1736;  died 
S  Oct.  following. 


Sarah 


William  Home, 
of  Chertsey,  co. 
Survey,  Gent. 


I      I 
\\  illiam  Murden. 
John  Murden. 


Christopher  Brooks, 
first  husband. 


Mary  =  William  Thompson, 
of  Nicholas  Lane, 
London,  mariner. 


1 

dementia  =  Samuel  Tunstall. 


I 

Martha,   = 

m.  1736; 

died  23 

April, 

173S- 


James   Holworthy. 


I 
Clement  ia. 


Elizabeth. 


Queries. 


HARPER. — Can  any  reader  supply  the  connecting  link  between 
the  families  of  Sir  John  Harper  of  Swarkeston,  co.  Derby,  and 
Nicolas  Harper,  vicar  of  Berryn-Arbor  and  Combemartin,  co. 
Devon,  about  1580? 

According  10  the  Herald's  Visitation  of  Devon,  Nicolas 
Harper   was  a  younger  son   or   brother   of   Sir  John  ;    but  the 


History  of  (he  Harpers  of  Swarkeston  does  not  mention 
Nicolas. 

HaWKES  Family. — Any  reference  to  this  family,  of  co.  Cork, 
Ireland,  will  be  very  gratefully  received. 

(Several  queries  relating  to  arms  we  are  holding  over  until 
the  next  number). 


132 


L  'INDISCRETION 
AFTER  LAVREINCE 
BY    JANINET 


IP?!) 


March,   1913. 


Mr.  Fritz    Reiss's    Mezzotint    Portraits 
By   C.  Reginald    Grundy 


Part    III. 


To  adequately  describe  a  collection  like  that 
of  Mr.  Fritz  Reiss's  would  entail  an  extended  survey  ol 
the  whole  field  of  British  mezzotint  portraiture — a  de- 
lightful task  in  itself,  but  one  unfortunately  debarred 
to  me,  for  much 
of  the  ground 
has  already  been 
covered  by  pre- 
vious writers  in 
The  Connois- 
seur, most  of 
the  plates  which 
constitute  Mr. 
Reiss's    chief 
treasures  hav- 
ing been  already 
i  Uustrated. 
Hence  at   the 
beginning  of  my 
final   article   I 
feel  myself  bur- 
dened with  the 
consciousnes  s 
that  in  the  de- 
sire to  avoid 
subjects  already 
treated   my  ac- 
count of  the  col- 
lection has  done 
it  but  scanty 
justice,  and  I 
have  omitted  as 
much  that   is 
worthy  of   men- 
tion  as   what   I 
have  recorded. 
I   will   begin 
with  a  brief  men- 
tion of  some  of 


LADY     ACLAND     AND     CHILDREN 
BY     SAMUEL     COUSINS,      AFTER     SIR     THOMAS     LAWRENCE 


these  omissions.  There  is  William  Doughty,  the  pupil 
of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  who,  if  he  derived  little 
benefit  in  painting  from  his  master's  teaching,  at  least 
imbibed  enough  of  his  feeling  to  produce  that  sentient 

mezzotint  of 
his,  Dr.  John- 
son, now  one  of 
the  most  sought 
after  of  men's 
portraits,  which 
is  here  in  com- 
pany w  i  t  h  his 
fine  Admiral 
Keppel.  <  lains- 
borough  D  u  - 
pont  is  repre- 
sented with  the 
QueenC  harlotie, 
after  his  uncle, 
Richard  Earlom 
by  about  a  score 
of  characteristic 
examples,  while 
J.  Jacobe,  G. 
Marchi,  G.Spils- 
bury,  Charles 
Spoons r,  a n d 
Caroline  Wat- 
son are  all 
shown  in  choice 
exam  ]iles.  Of 
Johnjonesthere 
are  some  of  his 
most  attractive 
plates  after  Rey- 
nolds and  Rom- 
n  e  y  ,  and  of 
James  Walker 
his   beautiful 


Vol.  XXXV.— No.   139.— i  135 

{Copyright  by  J.  T.  Herbert  Baily  in  the  United  States  of  America,  May.  1901] 


The    Connoisseur 


THE     LITTLE     COTTAGER 


BY     CHARLES     TURNER,     AFTER     THOMAS     GAINSBOROUGH 


Miss  Frances  Woodley  and  Lady  Isabella  Hamilton, 
and  the  portrait  of  Robert  Burns.  But  in  writing  of 
Walker  I  am  introducing  a  mezzotinter  who  flourished 
well  on  into  the  nineteenth  century,  and  there  are 
many  earlier  engravers  of  whom  I  have  still  to  write  ; 
first,  however,  mentioning  Walker's  contemporary, 
Henry  Meyer,  equally  distinguished  for  his  stipple- 
work  as  for  his  mezzotint,  who  is  illustrated  with  his 
charming  Boy  with  Kitten,  after  W.  Owen,  perhaps 
not  the  most  valuable  of  his  several  examples  in  the 
collection,  but  one  of  the  least  generally  known. 
When  the  nineteenth  century  opened  mezzotint  was 


still  at  its  zenith,  though  mezzotinters  were  financially 
in  low  water.  Valentine  Green  was  drifting  into 
bankruptcy  ;  John  Raphael  Smith,  though  still  en- 
graving, was  reducing  his  staffof  assistants  preparatory 
to  his  retirement  into  the  country  ;  and  two  of  the 
most  capable  of  those  assistants,  now  working  on 
their  own,  were  finding  that  independence  brought 
with  it  much  unprofitable  labour  and  little  increase  of 
affluence.  These  two  were  the  brothers  William  and 
lames  Ward.  In  Mr.  Fritz  Reiss's  collection  William 
Ward  is  hardly  seen  at  his  best ;  his  brother,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  finely  represented  in  all  the  phases  of 


Mr.  Fritz   Reiss's   Mezzotint   Portraits 


INTERIOR     OF     A     COTTAGE 


BY     CHARLES     TURNER,     AFTER     THOMAS     GAINSBOROUGH 


his  mezzotint  art.  My  own  sympathies  somewhat 
coincide  with  this  arrangement,  for  I  hold  the  younger 
man  the  better  of  the  two,  and  shrewdly  suspect  that 
William  was  far  more  deeply  indebted  to  him  than  is 
generally  supposed.  In  urging  this  view  I  have  twice 
incurred  the  courteous  censure  of  Mr.  Malcolm  C. 
Salaman,  first  in  his  delightful  book  on  Old  English 


Mezzotints,  and  later  in  the  new  edition  of  Mr. 
Whitman's  Print  Collector's  Handbook,  the  utility  of 
which  he  has  doubled  by  the  large  amount  of  addi- 
tional information  he  has  incorporated.  My  offence 
is  that  I  claimed  for  James  Ward,  on  his  own 
authority,  the  plates  of  The  Travellers  and  The 
Cottagers,  and  some  of  the  delightful  renderings  of 


'37 


The   Connoisseur 


A     VISIT    TO     THE     GRANDFATHER  BY     I 

child-life  after  Morland  engraved  about  the  same 
period.  I  cheerfully  bow  to  Mr.  Salaman's  authority 
as  a  print  expert,  hut  this  is  less  a  matter  of  expertism 
than  of  evidence.  The  testimony  in  favour  of  the 
claims  of  James  Ward  is  set  forth  in  my  Life  of  that 
artist,  and  in  an  article  of  mine  which  appeared  in 
The   Connoissfair  for   July,    1909.      Mr.   Salaman 


DAYES,     AFTER     J.    R.    SMITH 

combats  this  with  the  statements  that  James  being 
vaiii  and  his  brother  generous,  the  latter  allowed  the 
claim  to  pass  unchallenged,  his  reputation  standing 
so  high  that  he  could  afford  to  let  his  imprint  on  the 
disputed  plates  speak  for  itself.  Further,  he  com- 
pares me  with  "people  who  will  not  allow  .  .  . 
Shakespeare   to   have  written  his  own  plays."     Now 


138 


Mr.  Fritz   Reiss  s   Mezzotint   Portraits 


THE     FAIR     NUN     UNMASK  D 


BY     JAMES     WILSON,     AFTER     HENRY     NORLAND 


Mr.  Salaman's  position,  as  I  understand  it,  is  some- 
what analogous  to  those  critics — if  any  now  exist — 
who  accept  Shakespeare  as  the  author  of  those  various 
apocryphal  plays  like  "Sir  John  Oldcastle  "  and  the 
"  London  Prodigal,"  simply  because  the  poet's  name 
is  printed  on  the  title-page  as  author.  Imprints 
cannot  be  accepted  as  a  decisive  authority.  James 
Ward's  original  plate  of  the  Fern  Burners  bears  the 
legend   that  it  is  by  J.  R.  Smith,  after  Morland  ;  his 


Lord  Ashburion,  etc.,  in  the  early  states,  is  said  to  be 
after  Lawrence  instead  of  Reynolds ;  while  the  late 
Alfred  Whitman  did  not  hesitate  to  transfer  eighty-six 
plates,  inscribed  as  the  work  of  S.  W.  Reynolds,  to 
Cousins,  on  the  latter's  unsupported  statement.  As 
to  Mr.  Salaman's  other  contentions,  James  Ward's 
vanity  may  be  acknowledged.  But  it  was  not  the  kind 
of  vanity  to  lead  him  to  claim  another  man's  work,  nor 
did  he  need  to  borrow  from  his  brother's  reputation  : 


139 


The   Connoisseur 


his  own,  n  hen  he 
made  th  claim, 
was  far  th 

et  ol  the  i  «  o. 
Thiswasin  1807 ; 
he  had  then  "put 
aside  the  scraper 
1 1  ide\  otehimsell 
almost  entirely  to 
the  brush,"  and 
w.is  merely  look- 
ing  back  with 
urablepride 
on  his  past 
achievements. 
M  r.  Sal  a  111  an 
—  possibly 
through  a  print- 
e  r '  s  error  — 
makes  the  date 
of  this  abnega- 
tion later  by  ten 
years.  The  point 
is  an  important 
one.  If  the  writer 
is  under  the  im- 
pression that  the 
engraving  of 
James  Ward's 
sixty  or  seventy 
mezzotints  was 
spread  over  a  con- 
tinuous period  of 
twenty-live  years, 
he  may  be  for 
thinking  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  time  his  art  was 
still  immature,  and  regarding  him  as  then  being  under 
his  brother's  tutelage.  Take  away  ten  years  from  the 
time,  of  which  at  least  half  was  devoted  to  painting, 
and  one  sees  that,  even  from  the  beginning,  he  must 
have  been  a  proficient  and  rapid  worker.  One  suspects 
that  he  owed  far  more  of  his  craftsmanship  to  J.  K. 
Smith  than  to  his  brother,  and  that  the  conduct  of 
the  latter  hardly  bears  out  Mr.  Salaman's  tribute  to 
his  generosity.  James  had  been  working  for  Smith 
over  twelve  months  when  William  took  him  over  as 
apprentice.  The  elder  brother,  nevertheless,  exacted 
from  the  younger  a  year's  extra  service  as  payment  for 
his  tuition,  which  he  was  careless  in  giving,  leaving 
him  alone  in  his  lodgings  for  weeks  at  a  time.  In 
1786,  by  which  time  James  had  been  learning  his 
craft  for  four  years,  J.  R.  Smith  discovered  his  abilities 
and  utilized  him  as  an  assistant  along  with  William. 
Exceptionally   quick  at    learning — he  taught   himself 


THE     OYSTER      WOMAN 


paint  1  ng  111  six 
months  lie  de- 
clares that  In' was 
a  finished  crafts- 
man in  1  788; 
bet  we  1  11  then 
and  1  792  all  his 
work,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  what 
he  did  lor  J.  K. 
Smith,  was  pub- 
lished under  his 
brother's  signa- 
ture. Is  it  un- 
reasonable to 
believe  thatsonie 
of  these  plates 
were  practically 
the  production  of 
theyoungerman? 
James's  after 
career  supports 
the  inference. 
Directly  he  had 
finished  his  ap- 
prenticeship, 
S  i  m  p  s  o  11 ,  t  h  e 
publisher,  gave 
him  com  m  is- 
sions  for  similar 
subjects,  his  own 
Rocking  Horse 
and  Rustic  Feli- 
city, which  show 
in  the  technique 
of  the  engraving  as  finished  craftsmanship  as  any  of 
the  disputed  plates.  Two  years  later — in  1794 — he 
was  appointed  mezzotinter  to  the  Prince  of  Wales ; 
his  brother  had  to  wait  until  18 13  for  the  same  dis- 
tinction. Before  the  end  of  the  century  he  had  ousted 
William  from  his  position  of  principal  engraver  to 
Hoppner,  and  had  the  pick  of  that  artist's  woiks. 
Hoppner  ranked  him  as  the  greatest  mezzotinter  of 
the  day,  and  promised  to  secure  his  election  as 
Associate  Engraver  to  the  Royal  Academy  if  he  would 
consent  to  put  up  for  election.  James  declined,  as  it 
would  debar  him  from  becoming  a  full  Academician, 
engravers  not  being  eligible  for  the  higher  distinction. 
At  about  this  time  William  was  soliciting  from  his 
brother  a  junior  partnership  in  the  publishing  firm 
which  the  younger  brother  had  started  :  he  himself 
was  not  destined  to  be  elected  an  A.R.A.  until  1813, 
when  he  secured  that  distinction  largely,  one  would 
suppose,  through  the  younger  brother's  influence,  to 


BV      P.     DAWE,      AFTER     HENRY     MORLAND 


I40 


Mr.  Fritz   Reisss   Mezzotint   Portraits 


MOSS.    MASSON, 


THE    TENNIS    PLAYER 


whom  in  the  meanwhile  had  been  accorded  the  task 
of  supporting  the  widowed  mother  of  the  two  men. 
I  am  not  recording  these  facts  to  depreciate  William 
Ward's  abilities,  but  only  to  show  that  Mr.  Sala- 
man's  picture  of  him  in  1807,  as  a  generous  elder 
brother  benevolently  extending  the  regis  of  his  high 
reputation  over  a  less  distinguished  aspirant  for 
fame,  is  —  to  say  the  least  of  it  —  not  in  entire 
accordance  with  the  actual  state  of  affairs. 


BY    ROBERT    BROOKSHAW,     AFTER    J.  H.   MORTIMER 

Mr.  Reiss's  collection  contains  eight  or  nine  ex- 
amples of  James  Ward,  which  in  point  of  period  cover 
practically  the  whole  of  his  career.  The  most  valuable 
of  these  is  a  magnificent  impression  of  the  rare  plate, 
Mrs.  Michael Angelo  Taylor  as  "Miranda"  the  only 
copy  I  know  possessed  of  a  margin.  This  work 
was  never  published,  but  two  states  of  it  are  known 
to  exist,  for  on  Lord  Cheylesmore's  copy,  now  in 
the  British   Museum,   the    late  Mr.  Alfred  Whitman 


141 


The   Connoisseur 


discovered  part 
of  a  sera 
ins.  i  ipi  ion,  the 
major  portion  of 
which  had 
cut  away,  which 
set  forth  that  the 
plate  was  "  En- 
graved   b  y   J  . 

of  my  /  it  e  o 
II  a  i  d  will  re- 
in e  in  be  r  that, 
owing  to  some 
misundersl  and- 
ing,  the  copper 
was  taken  from 
him  and  an  at- 
tempt m ade  to 
induce  another 
engraver  to  make 
some  "whimsi- 
cal alterations" 
which  would 
have  spoilt  the 
plate.  One  may 
suppose  that  this 
quarrel  is  the 
cause  of  practi- 
cally all  the  few- 
known  i  in  pres- 
sions  from  t he- 
plate  being  bereft 
of  their  margins,  the  mutilation  being  effected  to  re- 
move the  name  of  the  offending  engraver.  Mr.  Reiss's 
proof  has  escaped  as  being  before  the  inscription  ; 
it  is  not  unlikely  that  it  is  the  identical  copy 
which  Ward  had  in  his  house  at  Newman  Street. 
From  the  engraver's  descendants  came  the  portrait 
of  Wright  of  Derby,  after  himself;  the  interesting 
engraver's  proof  of  Lord  Ashburton,  Lord  Shelburne, 
and  Lord  Barre,  and  the  line  first  state  of  the 
Centurion  Cornelius,  taken  from  Rembrandt's  picture 
in  the  Wallace  Collection,  now  known  as  the  Un- 
merciful Servant.  The  plate  was  a  commission  from 
Michael  Bryan,  who  owned  the  picture,  and  was 
always  regarded  by  Ward  as  his  finest  work,  though 
the  criterion  of  the  sale-room  does  not  endorse  his 
predilection.  More  to  modern  taste  is  his  earlier 
production,  variously  inscribed  as  Sunset:  A  View  in 
Leicestershire,  or  A  Boy  employed  in  burning  the  weeds, 
according  to  whether  the  publication  date  is  1773  or 
1779.  Mr.  Reiss's  copy  has  the  earlier  date,  but  is 
in  the  rare  state  before  any  title.     Another  interesting 


WRIGHT    OF    DERJ3Y 


plate  is  lames 
Ward's  own  por- 
trait,  a  work 
which  I  was  in- 
duced, on  the 
strength  of  family 
tradition,  to  cata- 
logue as  being 
after  John  Jack- 
son,R. A., Ward's 
son-in-law.  Since 
then,  however, 
I  have  seen  a 
pencil  drawing 
by  Ward  himself, 
apparently  the 
original  study 
for  the  portrait, 
which  rather 
induces  me  to 
adopt  the  more 
generally  accept- 
ed theory  that 
the  engraving  is 
an  original  work 
by  Ward.  It  was 
probably  execu- 
ted about  1820, 
a  period  when 
the  failure  of  his 
Waterloo  picture 
induced  the 
artist — with  little 
pecuniary  success,  however — to  try  and  secure  com- 
missions for  painting  portraits  and  subsequently 
mezzotinting  them.  This  and  the  Dr.  Busfield  were 
his  last  plates. 

Mr.  Reiss  has  generally  limited  his  collection  to 
portraits,  a  choice  which  eliminates  all  William  Ward's 
delightful  reproductions  after  Morland  from  its  scope. 
But  this  accomplished  craftsman  is  shown  in  some  of 
his  works,  among  which  are  an  interesting  engraver's 
proof  of  Miss  Bowles,  after  Reynolds  ;  the  same  artist's 
Fortune  Teller  m\&  Earl  of  Carlisle,  and  a  choice  proof 
of  Henry  Beaufoy,  after  Gainsborough. 

A  worthy  though  younger  rival  of  the  brothers  Ward 
was  Charles  Turner,  who,  born  in  1773,  missed  con- 
tact with  the  earlier  generation  of  the  great  eighteenth- 
century  portrait  painters  ;  nevertheless,  some  of  his 
finest  plates  are  executed  from  their  work,  among 
which  must  be  ranked  The  Little  Cottager  and  Lnterior 
of  a  Cottage,  after  Gainsborough,  and  his  reproduc- 
tion of  the  charming  Miss  Bowles  of  Reynolds. 
Illustrations  of  the  two  former  are   reproduced,   but 


BY    JAMES    WARD,    AFTER    WRIGHT    OF    DERBY 


H2 


Mr.  Fritz   Reiss  s   Mezzotint   Portraits 


the    latter    must 
be  omitted,  as 
the  subject    has 
already  appeared 
inTHE  Connois- 
seur ;  for  the 
same  reason  one 
cannot  include  a 
plate  of  the  en- 
graver's magnifi- 
cent rendering  of 
Raeburn's  Lord 
Newton.     This 
plate    is   one    of 
the  finest   trans- 
lation s,    repro- 
ducing   the 
breadth      and 
strength    of   the 
original    with 
great     power. 
Less  attractive 
from  the  artistic 
standpoint  is  the 
same    engraver's 
rendering     of 
Napoleon   on 
board  the  Belle ro- 
phon,    after   that 
formerly  over- 
rated painter,  Sir 
Charles  Eastlake.     The  work,  however,  commands  a 
unique  interest  as  being,  perhaps,  the  most  faithful 
likeness  of  the  emperor  we  possess  ;  the  great  French- 
man being  accustomed  to  have  himself  painted,  not 
as  he  was,  but  as  he  wished  to  appear.    Mr.  Reiss  has 
also  an  early  impression  of  that  charming  plate,   The 
Masters  Arbiitluwt,  after  Lawrence.     Turner's  great 
contemporary,  S.  W.  Reynolds,  is  less  strongly  repre- 
sented, though    some   of  his    animal   subjects,  after 
Northcote,  and  his  interpretation  of  one  of  Sir  Joshua's 
autograph  portraits,  are  fine  pieces  of  scraping.    Until 
comparatively  recently  the  reputation  of  Reynolds  was 
overshadowed  by  that  of  his  well-known  pupil,  Samuel 
Cousins,  whose  later  work — brilliant,  but  hard  and 
superficial — commanded  popular  admiration.    In  this 
he  reinforced  mezzotint  with  stipple  line  and  etching, 
a  combination  which  our  present-day  taste  regards  as 
illegitimate,  and  now  it  is  only  in  his  earlier  works — 
those  executed  in  practically  pure  mezzotint — that  he 
is  greatly  sought   after  by  collectors.     His  first  im- 
portant plates,  after  he  parted  company  with  S.  W. 
Reynolds,  were  Lady  Acland  and  Children  and  Master 
Lamoton,  both  after  Lawrence,  and  both  engraved  in 


THE     SHEPHERDESS 


BV     J. 


1826 ;  these, with 
La     Surprise, 
a  f  t  e  r   Dub  uffe, 
engraved  in  the 
following  year, 
mark   the   high- 
water  mark  of  his 
achievement.  Of 
the    first  -  named 
Mr.    Reiss    pos- 
sesses two  choice 
impressions,  one 
being     in    the 
rare  state  before 
the    border    was 
added,    while 
early    proofs    of 
the    two    other 
plates,    together 
with  a   score   or 
two  of  examples 
of  the  best  of  the 
engraver's     sub- 
sequent works, 
are   included   in 
the   collection. 
Cousins    had 
natural  abilities, 
probably  not  ex- 
ceeded by  those 

GROZER,     AFTER     R.     WESTALL,      R.A.  Q  jr    any     0f     his 

predecessors,  but  his  talents  were  used  to  debase 
mezzotint,  by  the  introduction  of  alien  methods,  into 
that  hybrid  form  now  generally  styled  Cousins's  mezzo- 
tint, which  is  not  mezzotint,  line,  or  stipple,  but  a 
combination  of  all  three.  Its  advantage  was  that  it 
permitted  the  substitution  of  steel  plates  for  copper, 
and  so  ensured  a  far  larger  number  of  impressions 
than  could  be  struck  from  the  softer  metal.  Cousins's 
genius  contributed  largely  to  the  popularity  of  the 
method,  and  he  attained  in  it  a  meretricious  brilliancy 
which  partly  compensated  for  the  lack  of  depth  and 
refinement.  He  should  not  be  too  severely  blamed, 
however,  for  his  innovation  ;  his  patrons  demanded 
it.  Had  he  only  practised  the  legitimate  method,  he 
would  probably  have  died  in  a  workhouse,  as  did 
David  Lucas,  his  fellow-pupil  under  S.  W.  Reynolds. 
In  pursuing  the  careers  of  Reynolds  and  his  pupils 
one  has  neglected  to  notice  the  work  of  some  of  his 
contemporaries  and  predecessors,  seen  to  advantage 
in  the  collection.  One  of  the  earliest  of  these  is 
Philip  Dawe,  not  to  be  confused  with  his  son  George, 
who,  like  him,  was  both  a  painter  and  engraver,  and 
also  a  close  friend  of  the  Morland  family.     Philip  is 


142 


The   Connoisseur 


said  i"  have  been  a  connection  of  Henry  Morland, 
and  some  ol  his  best  plates  were  executed  -after  the 
latter.  \.mong  those  belonging  to  Mr.  Reiss  are 
unlettered  proofs  of  Th  Oyster  Woman  and  The 
Laundry  Maid,  Another  subject  after  the  elder  Mor- 
land is  The  Fair  Nun  Unmask'd,  by  that  Little  known 
engraver,  lames  Wilson.  The  plate  was  published 
by  Robert  Saver.  Inn  the  omnivorous  John  and 
fosiah  Boydell  appear  to  have  secured  it,  and  in 
their  catalogue  of  1S03  impressions  are  priced  at 
2s.  6d.  each.  Wilson  was  an  extensive  copyist  of 
other  men's  plates,  but  this  fact  was  probably  less 
owing  to  bis  want  of  talent— for  in  his  Fair  Nun  he 
shows  craftsmanship  of  no  mean  order— than  to  a 
lack  of  capital,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  during 
the  eighteenth  century— the  earlier  part  especially 
the  most  nccessful  engravers  had  to  publish  their 
own  works  toa  large  extent,  and  so  were  able  to  avoid 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  hack  publishers.  Another 
engraver  who  appears  to  have  been  somewhat  simi- 
larly circumstanced  was  Robert  Brookshaw,  whose 
plate  ol  Monsieur  Masson,"  The  Tennis  Player" 'after 


1.  II.  Mortimer,  is  a  brilliant  piece  ol  scraping.  In 
man}  cases  these  engravers,  whom  we  now  loosely 
class  as  minor,  suffer  from  their  plates — worked  to 
death  by  the  publishers— being  represented  by  worn 
impressions;  and  it  is  only  in  collections  like  Mr. 
Reiss's,  where  nothing  is  admitted  that  is  not  in  pris- 
tine condition,  that  one  gets  a  fair  idea  ol  their  hand] 
work.  Of  Joseph  Grozer  practically  the  only  record 
is  to  be  found  on  the  publication  lines  of  his  plates, 
which  show  that  he  must  have  begun  practising  his  art 
a  little  earlier  than  J.  R.  Smith,  and  continued  working 
until  practically  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Mr.  Reiss  possesses  his  Miss  Frances  Harris  and 
Lady  Dungannon,  after  Reynolds,  and  Romney's  Lady 
Charlotte  Legge,  all  prints  that  have  made  their  mark 
in  the  auction  room.  Less  hackneyed  and  equally 
characteristic  is  his  broadly  treated  rendering  of  West- 
all's  Shepherdess,  which  has  accordingly  been  selected 
for  illustration.  Another  attractive  print  which  does 
not  come  under  the  heading  of  mezzotint  portraiture 
is  A  Visit  to  the  Grandfather,  after  J.  R.  Smith,  who 
was  equally  facile  with  the  brush  as  with  the  scraper. 


BOY     WITH     KITTEN 


BY     HENRY     MEYER.     AFTER     W.    OWEN 
144 


•; 


m 


EARLY    PORTRAIT    OF    QUEEN    VICTORIA 
FROM    A    MINIATURE 


Forrer's  "Dictionary  of    Medallists"         Vol.  V. 


(Reviewed) 


The  new  volume  (vol.  v.,  R-S)  of  Forrer's  Dictionary 

of  Medallists,  now  before  us,  offers  humiliating  evidence 
of  the  immense  superiority  of  the  Fifteenth  and  Six- 
teenth century  medallists  to  the  modern  exponents  of 
the  art.  Of  course  there  are  exceptions.  The  best  work 
of  Roty,  for  example,  which  gets  sympathetic  and  ample 
notice  in  the  present  volume,  not  only  lifts  him  into  the 
front  rank  of  contemporary  medallists,  but  would  hold 
its  own  even  in  comparison  with  most  of  the  Quattro- 
cento Italians,  though  lacking  the  spiritual  charm  of 
the  supreme  masters.  The  only  modern  for  whom  even 
this  saving  clause  would  not  be  necessary  is  our  great 
countryman,  Alfred  Stevens,  whose  name,  singularly 
enough,  finds  no  place  at  all  in  the  volume.  The  omis- 
sion is  remarkable,  and  much  to  be  regretted.  Stevens 
is  surely  the  fore- 
most English 
sculptor  of  mod- 
ern times  —  per- 
il a  p  s  of  any 
period — and  his 
medallic  work, 
though  rare,  is  at 
once  the  envy 
and  admiration  of 
his  artist  corn- 
temporaries.  A 
wax  model,  for 
the  reverse  of  the 
National  medal 
for  the  Depart- 
ment of  Science 
and  Art,  is  one  of 
the  most  valued 
treasures  of  the 
South  Kensington 
Museum,  where 
also  is  deposited 
the  plaster  cast  of 
his  beautiful  de- 
sign for  the  Local 
medal  of  the 
sameDepartment. 
The  roundels,   in  Viennese    laundry-maid 


his  equally  fine  coloured  design  tor  a  majolica  plate, 
exhibit  all  the  essential  characters  of  the  art,  though 
they  do  not,  of  course,  come  under  that  category. 
Doubtless,  Mr.  Forrer  will  supply  the  omission  in  a 
future  edition,  and  introduce  us,  both  by  text  and  illus- 
tration, to  other  examples  of  the  master. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  early  Italians,  and  the  fact  that 
Riccio,  Spinelli,  Sperandio,  Sansovino,  and  Romano  are 
all  included  in  the  volume  gives  it  an  importance  all  its 
own.  The  St.  Jerome  of  Riccio,  an  oblong  bronze  plaque 
in  the  Dreyfus  collection,  is  an  admirable  production. 
The  figure  of  the  old  scholar-saint  is  a  pathetic  blend- 
ing of  asceticism,  intellectuality,  and  spiritual  fervour, 
and  the  accessories  of  the  composition  are  beautifully 
balanced.     A  larger  plaque  in  the  same  collection,  The 

Entombment  of 
Christ,  is  marked 
by  strong  cha- 
racterisation,easy 
grouping,  natural 
and  spirited 
movement,  and 
carefully  studied 
detail.  The  por- 
trait model  of 
himself,  believed 
to  be  from  his 
own  hand,  pre- 
sents to  us  a 
powerful — almost 
negroid  head, 
covered  with  a 
mass  of  close- 
cropped  curly 
hair. 

The  illustra- 

_,,  tions  to  the  article 

on   Sperandio   of 


BY     ANTON     SCHAKFF 


:    Biograp  n  al 

D  i c  t i o n  a  ry    of 
M.  (a  llists,  by  L. 

I  -■!.       Spink    & 

Son,     Ltd.       30s. 
per  vol. 


M7 


The    Connoisseur 


JOAN    0]      VRC 


BY    L.  O.    ROTY 


Mantua   [1425— (?) 

1495]  show  this  artist 
at  his  best  and  worst. 
His  111  oil  al  lion  ol 
Federigo  Montefet 
tro  is  a  poor  thing, 

hardly  better  than  a 
tradesman's  token  ; 
but  the  bust  oi  Count 
Grati  is  full  ol 
nobility,  and  marked 
withal  by  a  simple 
strength  of  treat- 
ment which   leaves 


was    Jacopo     San  ■<> 
vino    (1486-1570),   Of 

whom,  however,  Mr. 
Konvv  tells  us  little. 
Sansovino's  best 
work  h's,  indeed,  in 
the  more  important 
fields  of  sculpture 
and  architect  tire  ; 
though  his  plaquet 
Us,  as  might  be 
expected,  arc  in  the 
first  rank.  Beautiful 
beyond    expression 


JOAN    Ol'    AUC 


BY    L.  O.  ROTY 


nothing  to  be  desired. 
Mr.  G.  F.    Hill    finds 
Sperandio    "preten- 
tious  and   vulgar"  in 
many    of    his   pieces, 
and  complains  of  his 
work    as    careless, 
-not    only     in    sheer 
erroneous     drawing, 
but  also  in  roughness 
of  execution."  Spinelli 
belongs   to  the   same 
period   as    Sperandio, 
and,  in  spite  of  a  lack 
of  imagination   and 
certain  deficiencies  in 
technique  of  draughts- 
manship,   is  regarded 
by  Bode_as  worthy  to 
raru-Tas   a  portrait- 
modeller  beside  Anto- 
nio  Pisano.      Spinelli 
was   a   prolific    artist, 
who   sought   much   of 
his  inspiration  in   the 
antique,  from  whence, 
also,   the    designs    for 


\'X 


^ 


\ 


\n'Nr^v 


"i 


*s 


MRS.    HUNTINGTON 


CAMILLA     RUGERI 
BY     G.    A.    SIGNORETTI 


<b 


'<> 


\ 


vW-\Xi 

I  f-G 


'V   v. 


the  reverses  of  many  of  his  medals  were  taken.     Some 
of  his  portraits  (there  are  upwards  of  twenty  reproduced 

in  Mr.   Forrer's 
volume)    are 
extremely    fine, 
not    the    least 
pleasing     being 
the    bust    of 
Nonina  Strozzi, 
the    study    of 
which    might 
have    give  n 
their  inspira- . 
tion  to  the  Pre- 
Raphaelite 
Brotherhood. 

A    later   and 
a  greater  artist 


BY    T.  SPICER-SIMSON 

Last  of 

the  names 

above 

cited    is 

Romano, 

pe  rhaps 

the  great- 
est ot  the 

group. 

There  is 
a  subtle 
beauty 
and  a  ten- 
derness of 
sentiment 
in  his  ma- 
ture work 
which  is 


is  the  high  relief  which 
has  been  chosen  for 
illustration,   a   plaque 
of   the    Ascension, 
which     shows    the 
Christ  surrounded  by 
winged    Innocents — 
charming  little  figures, 
one    of  whom  is   pre- 
senting to  the  Saviour 
the   cup    which    He 
was  to  "  drink  in  His 
Father's    kingdom." 
Sansovino    was   the 
architect   of  the 
Library   of   St.   Mark 
and  of  the  Palace  Cor- 
naro  at  Venice,  and  his 
eminence   in  his  own 
day  may  be  gathered 
from   the   story  that, 
on    the   imposition   ot 
a  certain  tax,  he  and 
Titian  were  the   only 
persons   to  whom  the 
Venetian  state  granted 
exemption. 


NONINA     STROZZI 
BY      N1CCOLO     DI     FORZORE     SPINELLI 


I48 


Forrer  s    "Dictionary   of  Medallists" 


<  °  v 


SIR    RICHARD    SHELLEY,    1 577 


nowhere  else  to  be  found  in 
the  medallic  art  of  the  time. 
His  women  are  etherealised, 
and  his  men  are  gentle- 
men in  the  true  and  primal 
meaning  of  the  word.'  The 
Lucrezia  Borgia,  with  wings 
appended,  would  make  an  ex- 
cellent model  for  the  Angel  of 
Peace;  and  the  Julian  II. — 
the  "  Papa  terribile  "  of  history 
— is  a  genial  monk  carrying  a 
Fort  una  tus's  purse  of  good 
sentiments  under  his  brown 
cassock.  How  delicately 
finished,  how  dainty,  how  full 
of  childish  grace  and  inno- 
cence is  the  reverse  of  the 
Borgia  medal,  a  bound  and 
blindfolded  cupid  under  a 
laurel-tree  !      There   is  more 


BY    BERNARD    RANTWIC 

medallions,  yet  his  best  work 
is  only  mediocre.  We  could 
have  dispensed  with  half  of 
the  illustrations  could  their 
place  have  been  supplied  by 
examples  of  the  work — say  of 
the  Sesto  family,  or  of  San- 
quirico,  of  whose  portrait 
medallions  Mr.  Forrer  speaks 
in  high  praise  ;  or,  again,  of 
Giorgio  Rancetti,  who  seems 
have  been  more  at  home 
in  his  portraits  than  in  the 
designs  for  the  reverses  of  his 
medals.  Rancettrs  bust  of 
Clement  VIII.,  which  forms 
the  obverse  of  the  Civita- 
Vecchia  medal,  has  sterling 
merit.  A  larger  number  of 
examples  of  Ruspagiari's 
work   would   also   have    been 


ENGELKEN    TOLS 


BY    STEPHENS    OF    HOLLAND 


NAVAL     REWARD,     1653 
BY    THOMAS    SIMON 


than  mere  sweetness 
in  this  charming 
design.  Underlying 
all  is  the  strength  of 
a  great  artist,  and  a 
tenderness  only  to  be 
found  in  strong  and 
noble  natures. 

Francesco  da 
Sang  alio,  a  some- 
what later  man  than 
Romano,  is  also  fully 
dealt  with  in  the 
volume,  and  there 
are  ten  good 
illustrations  of  his 


acceptable.  His  por- 
trait medallions  of 
himself,  and  an  ex- 
tremely fine  bust 
medallion  of  a  lady, 
whet  our  appetite  for 
more. 

The  other  medal- 
lists of  the  Renais- 
sance, not  Italian, 
dealt  with  in  the 
volume,  are  numer- 
ous, and  probably 
Mr.  Forrer  has  cap- 
tured almost  every 
name  that  has  come 


NAVAL     REWARD,     1653 
BY    THOMAS    SIMON 


149 


The    Connoisseur 


down  to  iiv      Hans 
Schwai  i !,  the  Augs 
.  receives 
full  and  worthy  ti 

,  and  block    ol 
some  of  his  m osl 
famous    works   havi 
been  pi  essed  into  the 
ol   the  text. 
i  \{  these,  the   Hans 
Burckm'ayr  pleases 
us  most,  though  the 
Pentinger  medal  is 
full  of  character  and 
tine  drawing.     Then 
there   is    Bernard 
Rantwic,  also  a  <  ler 
man,  but  whose  chief 
was  done   in 
London.    Among  bis 
productions    is   a 
charming  portrait 
medal  1  ion   of    Sir 
Richard  Shelley, 
an  ancestor  of  the 
famous    poet,    a 
specimen   of  which 
fetched  £28   5s.   od. 
in  the  Murdoch  sale 
produced  the   Berlin 
the  Mecklenburger, 
exponents  of  their  art 
Rapusch's  medal  of 
John  Georgeof  Bran- 
denburg and   Con- 
sort, but,  we  think, 
without  sufficient 
reason.    Probably  he 
is  speaking   from  a 
knowledge  of  the 
medal    itself,  while 
our  o  w  n   more  fa- 
vour  a  b  1  e  view  is 
based  upon  the  illus- 
tration, which  may 
do    it    more    than 
justice.     Of    Reimer 
he    has   a    higher 
opinion,   which   we 
heart  i  ly  endorse. 
None  but  a  very  ac- 
complished medallist 
could  have  produced 
the  striking  portrait 
medal    of  Albert    of 
Bavaria  (p.  75),  nor 
the  jewelled  medal- 
lie  badge,  with   its 
s  t  e  r  n  -  f  a  c  e  d   bust 
of  (?)  the    Emperor 


PORTRAIT     MEDAL     OF     PAOLO     GIOVIO 
BY     FRANCESCO     DA     SANGALLO  (OBVERSE) 


The  same  country  and  period 
medallist,  Heinrich  Rapusch,  and 
Hans    Reimer,    both  distinguished 

Mr.  Forrer  speaks  slightingly  of 


REVERSE     OF     ABOVE     MEDAL 


Rudolf  1 1.,  depicted 
on  page  74. 

Switzerland  at  this 
period  gave  to  the 
art  -  wo  rid  Hans 
Stain  pier,  of  whom 
his  countrymen  are 
justly  proud.  His 
portrait  medal  of 
Wilhelm  Froehlich 
is  magnificent,  and 
we  are  glad  to  meet 
with  a  good  print  of 
it  in  M  r.  For  rer's 
volume.  How  splen- 
did, too,  in  design 
are  both  the  obverse 
and  reverse  of  the 
Swiss  States  medal 
presented  to  Henry 
II.  on  the  christening 
ot  Princess  Claudia 
(1547)  !  In  richness, 
in  balance,  in  beauty 
of  modelling  and  line, 
and  withal  in  sim- 
plicity of  treatment 
— could  anything  be 
better  or  more  satisfying?  Stampfer  was  also  an  excel- 
lent coin-engraver.  His  designs  of  Swiss  thalers,  half 
and  double  thalers,  etc.,  are  unexcelled,  and  have 
been  largely  imitated  by  coin  engravers  of  later  times. 

Coming  nearer 
home,  the  name  of 
David  Ram  age 
meets  us  early  in  the 
volume.  Ram  age 
was  of  Scottish 
origin,  and  was 
"  farthing  maker  in 
the  Tower"  in  Crom- 
well's time.  M  r. 
Forrer  is  inclined  to 
follow  Henfrey  in 
attributing  to  this 
moneyer  the  farthing 
which  bears  the  in- 
scription "Thus 
united  invincible"  on 
the  obverse,  and 
"God  direct  our 
corse  "  on  the  re- 
verse. Ram  age 
passed  through  many 
vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune, and  died  in 
1662.  His  contem- 
porary, Tho m  a  s 
Rawlins,  almost  rubs 
shoulders  in  the  same 


15° 


Forrer's    "Dictionary   of  Medallists" 


volume.    "An  excellent 
artist  but  debash'd  fel- 
low," Evelyn  calls  him. 
Rawlins  was  an  ardent 
Royalist,  and   designed 
the  famous"  Juxon  med- 
al," an  unique  pattern  for 
a  five-broad  piece  which 
was  supposed  to  have 
been  given  by  Chailes 
on  the  scaffold  to  Bishop 
[uxon   as   a   mark  of 
appreciation  and  attach- 
ment.   It  was  bought  at 
the   Montague  sale  for 
,£770  by  Messrs.  Spink 
&  Son,  the  enterprising 
publishers  of  the  work 
under  review,  and  has 
now  found  a  permanent 
home  in  the    British 
Museum.     Rawlins  was 
a  dramatist  as  well  as 


Walpole  said  that  he 
was   supposed  to  be  in 
love   with   the   queen, 
whom   he   attended  on 
her  visit  to  Louis  XIII. 
On  this  occasion  his  odd 
appearance   led  to  his 
arrest   as   a    suspicious 
person  while  he  was 
trying  to  model  the  king 
from  the  gallery  of  the 
Royal  Chapel.     His  in- 
dependence of  character 
is  illustrated  in  the  story 
of  his  wax  medallion  of 
the  Duke  of  York,  which 
the  sensitive    artist  de- 
liberately  destroyed   in 
his   patron's    presence 
because  the  duke  wished 
to  pay  him  less  for  the 
medallion   than  the 
king  had  paid  him   for 


portrait  medallion  of 

lucrezia  borgia 

by  g.  romano 

(enlarged) 

a   simi- 
lar one. 


m  oneyer, 
and,  like 
most  dra- 
matists of  his 
time,  was 
often  in 
de  s  perate 
straits.  In 
1657  he  was 
i  mpr  isoned 


Abraham 
Simon's 
portrait 
medal- 
lions re- 
flect in  a 
r  e  m  a  r  k- 
able  way 


LOUISE    DE    ijUIROUAILLE 

DUCHESS    OF    PORTSMOUTH 

BY    J.  ROF.TTIERS 

for  debt  in  "the  Hole  in  St. 
Martin,"  a  low  sponging  house, 
from  whence  he  made  a  pathetic 
appeal  for  help  to  John  Evelyn, 
the  amiable  diarist  and  author  of 
Sylvia. 

More  interesting  in  every  way 
than  Ramage  and  Rawlins  are  the 
brothers  Abraham  and  Thomas 
Simon.  Both  men  were  accom- 
plished medallists.  Abraham,  the 
elder,  "was  a  little  man,  '  of  a 
primitive  philosophic  aspect,'  and 
always  wore  his  hair  and  beard 
long.  His  eccentric  dress  excited 
derision  in  the  street,  but  he 
was  an  excellent  artist."     Horace 


PORTRAIT  OF  JOSEPH  ROETTIERS 

'5i 


DELLA  ROBBIA  S  BUST  OF 
SAVONAROLA 

what  one  might  call  the  tempera- 
mental conditions  of  the  time. 
They  are  like  the  pen-portraits  in 
Walton's  Lives,  and  suggest  an 
altogether  Pepysian  faithfulness. 

Thomas  Simon,  the  younger  and 
better  known  of  the  two  brothers, 
holds  a  very  high  —  perhaps  the 
highest— place  in  English  medallic 
art.  His  Dunbar  and  Lord  Pro- 
tector medals,  with  their  fine  por- 
traits of  Cromwell  ;  his  Petition 
Crown,  with  its  equally  fine  portrait 
of  Charles  II.  ;  and  numerous 
other  works,  establish  beyond  con- 
troversy his  right  to  this  position. 
The  Petition  Crown  is  probably  his 


The  Connoisseur 


THE     ASCENSION 


HIGH     RELIEF     BY     JACOPO     SANSOVINO 


masterpiece,  and  was  produced,  says  the  writer  in  the 
Dictionary  of  National  Biography,  "as  a  sample  of  his 
abilities."  The  petition  is  engraved  in  minute  letters 
round  the  edge,  and  runs  thus:  "Thomas  Simon  most 
humbly  prays  your  Majesty  to  compare  this,  his  tryall 
piece,  with  the  Dutch  [i.e.,  John  Roettiers'  crown],  and  if 
more  truly  drawn  &  embossed,  more  gracefully  order'd, 
and  more  accurately  engraven,  to  relieve  him."  The 
poor  man  does  not  seem  to  have  been  heard  in  his 
petition,  and  John  Roettiers,  whose  father  had  lent 
money  to  Charles  during  his  exile,  and  been  promised 
employment  for  his  sons,  was  granted  letters  patent 
appointing  him  engraver  (or  one  of  the  engravers)  at  the 
Mint.  His  two  brothers  were  pushed  into  similar  posts. 
The  nationality  of  yet  another  Roettiers  (the  family 
seems  to  have  been  as  numerous  as  the  "sisters,  aunts, 


and  cousins"  in  a  famous  opera)  is  certainly^puzzling. 
We  refer  to  James  Roettiers  II.,  who,  though  born  in 
Bromley,  Kent,  and  a  son  of  James  Roettiers  I.,  also 
of  British  nationality,  is  described  as  Flemish  ! 

This,  however,  as  indeed  the  few  other  blemishes  that 
we  have  pointed  out,  are  small  matters  ;  and  the  wonder 
is  that,  in  a  work  of  so  much  labour  and  research, 
mistakes  are  not  more  numerous.  In  every  compilation 
errors  are  inevitable,  and  a  spirit  of  censoriousness  would 
be  manifestly  out  of  place.  The  duty  for  a  reviewer  is 
to  recognise  the  good  and  solid  work  and  the  infinite 
pains  by  which  such  excellent  results  have  been  attained. 
This  we  cheerfully  do,  and  at  the  same  time  heartily 
congratulate  Mr.  Forrer  that  he  has  at  last  entered 
upon  the  concluding  volume  of  his  arduous,  long,  and 
eminently  useful   work. 


i5z 


Poirelai 


Floral  Painting  on  Porcelain  :    English  School         By  W.  Turner 


To  deal  with  British  ceramic  decoration  as  a 
whole  would  be  an  immense  task  ;  there  is  such  a 
variety  of  modes,  from  the  sprawling  slipware  of  the 
early  potters  to  the  pate  sur  pate  of  Solon.  There 
are  the  applied  ornaments  of  Elers  and  the  fine  under- 
cut figures  of  the  Wedgwood  period.  There  are  the 
raised  flowers  of  Chelsea,  Coalport,  and  others,  the 
Camaieu  and  conventional  style  of  painting,  and  that 
of  the  transfer-print.  But  all  these  modes  and  styles 
of  more  or  less  artistic  ceramic  ornamentation  will 
be  ignored  in  this  attempt  to  define  another  form  of 
decoration,  and  that  is  the  painting  of  flowers  upon 
English  porcelain.  The  originality  of  the  British 
artist  in  ceramic  work  has  been  passed  over  too  much, 
as  being  inferior,  until,  perhaps,  the  last  quarter  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 
Therefore  it  is  proposed  to  call  attention  to  some 


of  its  salient  aspects  to  show  that  our  men  were  not 
mere  imitators,  but  displayed  initiative  to  a  very  large 
degree.  In  doing  so  it  will  be  my  object  to  confine  the 
question  to  floral  decoration  on  porcelain,  excluding 
figures,  except  where  the  latter  may  be  accompanied 
with  flowers.  Another  point  is  to  trace  the  develop- 
ment of  this  school  of  colouring  in  four  stages  from 
the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  to  the  present 
time.  It  has  often  occurred  to  me  for  many  years 
past,  that,  roughly  speaking,  there  were  periods  of 
from  forty  to  fifty  years  when  an  evolution,  as  it 
were,  took  place  in  the  English  style  of  floral  decora- 
tion on  porcelain.  Of  course,  there  was  overlapping. 
There  always  is  when  new  inventions  push  out  the 
old,  and  the  older  art  still  keeps  pottering  on  in 
obscure  corners. 

No  doubt,  at  our  earlv  English  factories  of  Bow, 


NO.     I. CROWN     DERBY     JUG  /     IN. 

FLORAL     DECORATION,     EARLY     STYLE 


NO.    II. — CROWN     DERBY     MUG  7     IN. 

FLORAL     DECORATION,     EARLY     STYLE 


!53 


The   Connoisseur 


no.  iii.  —  bristol  cut  and  saucer 

cup,   ; 


FLORAI 
IN.    HIGH  ; 


DECORATION,    EARLY    STYLE 
SAUCER,     5    IN.    DIAM. 


TRURO    MUSEUM 


Chelsea,  Derby,  and  Worcester,  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  we  see  the  influence  of  foreign 
artists.  French,  German,  Chinese,  and  Japanese  were 
imitated.  It  is  conspicuous  in  the  so-called  Imari 
(Japanese)  style,  so  much  patronized  at  Derby,  and 
also  the  more  freehand  mode  in  imitation  of  Kaki- 
yemon,  the  potter-artist  of  Japan.     Then  there  was 


the  underglaze  blue  hand-painting  at  Bow  and  Wor- 
cester, which  is  clearly  a  close  imitation  of  Nankin. 
After  these  and  perhaps,  pari-passtt,  we  have  the 
raised  flowers  of  Dresden  imitated  at  Chelsea  and 
Derby,  and  the  wreaths  and  academic  little  roses  of 
France  largely  adopted  at  Chelsea. 

The  English  potter  was  then  only  feeling  his  way. 


NO.  IV.  —  DERBY    PLAQUE 
NATURALISTIC    STYLE 


ROSES    BY    BILLINGSLEY 
CARDIFF    MUSEUM 


NO.  V. 


DERBY  PLAQUE     FLORAL  DECORATION 
NATURALISTIC  STYLE 


'54 


Floral  Painting  on 


Porcelain 


He  had  not  even  got  a 
knowledge  of  true  porce- 
lain.     He  was  ignorant 
of    the    virtue   that    lay 
in  the   china  clay  and 
china  stone  of  Cornwall. 
Cookworthy  had  not 
yet  made  his  great  dis- 
covery, and  the  potters 
of  the  English  porcelain 
factories    were    mixing 
many   different    ingredi- 
ents in  order  to  imitate 
the  body  of  true  porce- 
lain, but  only  succeeded 
in  making   an    artificial 
kind,  which  had   much 
of  the  brittle  nature  of 
glass.     So   it    was    with 
the   decorations.     Vet 
it  must  be  conceded, 
under  all  the  difficulties 
of  introducing  a  new 
business  to  the  country, 
that    our   potters    suc- 

,       ,      ■  ,  •  NO.  VI. — COALPORT  PLAQUE 

ceeded    in    choosing 

appropriate  examples  to  begin  with.     Little  is  known 
of  the  artists.     There  were  Frye  and  Craft  at  Bow, 
and,  it  is  said, 
Donaldson 
and    O'Neil  at 
Chelsea.      We 
know,    how- 
ever, that  they 
distinguished 
themselves    at 
Worcester. 
Probably  the 

Rodney  jug  was 
painted  shortly 

after  Lord  Rod- 
ney's  fa  m  o  u  s 

victory  of  12  th 

April,    1782, 

and  perhaps 

before  the  jubi- 

lation  which 

followed   the 

victory    had 

subsided.     It 

is  a  fine  speci- 

m  e  n   o  t    the 

potter's  and  the 

painter's  art.     No. 


The    floral    design    has 
the   trick   characteristic 
of  the   period,  in   the 
water -colour  school   as 
in    ceramics — that    of 
leaving   the   high    light 
out   from  the  ground, 
without   being   touched 
up   by    paint.      It   was 
an  important   piece,   as 
shown     by    it    bringing 
112  guineas  at  the  late 
Mi.  William  Bemrose's 
sale,   where    a    smaller 
copy,    also    painted    by- 
Withers,  reached  60 
guineas.       A   replica   is 
in  the  British  Museum. 
The  original  was  made 
for  a  benefit  society  at 
Derby,   principally  sup- 
ported  by  the   ceramic 
artists  at  the  old  factory 
in  Nottingham  Road. 
As  it  was  produced   in 
naturalistic  or  derbv  style       17S2,  it  might  be  termed 
a  Chelsea-Derby  piece,  and  was  a  striking  specimen 
of  the  premier  stage  of  British  ceramic  painting.     As 

an    illustration 
thereof    see 
Nos.  i.  and  ii. 
They   are    two 
Crown  Derby 
pieces,  evident- 
ly decorated 
by    Edward 
W  it  hers,    for 
they    resemble 
his   mode   of 
painting  as  dis- 
played  on   1  he 
Rodney   jug. 
Observe  the 
rose    on    each, 
and   how  the 
ground   white 
of  the  porcelain 
is  left  to  form 
the   high   light. 
There  is  also  a 
prevailing  hard- 
ness of  outline 
governing     the 

Y  11   -COALPORT  PLATE,   FLOWERS  AND  FRUIT       NATURALISTIC,  BUT  FLAT,  STYLE        whde  boUqUet. 


The   Connoisseur 


\\  ithers  left  Derby,  it  is 
supposed,  during  the  eighth 
decade  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  He  was  recorded 
in  the  poll-book  there  in 
1 775,  an d  (1  i  scovered  at 
Caughley  in  1 795,  accord- 
ing to  Llewellynn  Jewitt. 
The  jugand  mug  are  marked 
with  the  old  blue  Crown 
Derby  crown  and  D  under- 
neath, but  without  the 
crossed  ami  dotted  batons, 
fixing  an  early  date.  They 
are  in  the  collection  of  Mr. 
Norman,  of  Cheltenham. 
Another  specimen  of  the 
same  style  of  decoration  is 
that  of  a  Bristol  cup  and 
saucer  (No-,  hi.).  They  are 
of  Champion's  hard  paste, 
marked  with  the  imitation 
Dresden  cross  -  swords. 
Champion's  factory  lasted 
from  1770  to  1777,  there- 
fore the  time  corresponds 
with  our  first  stage  of  floral 
ceramic  painting  (from 
about  1745  to  1785).  Ob- 
serve the  treatment  of  the 
rose,  showing  the  ground 
colour  and  the  hard  outlines 
of  the  foliage  and  flowers. 
Of  course  there  was  over- 
lapping in  this  matter;  there 
always  is  where  innovations 
take  place. 

No.  iv.  is  a  fine  example 
of  Billingsley's  roses.  It 
is  an  undoubted  plaque  of 
Derby  porcelain.  It  was 
painted  by  him  and  given 
to  his  favourite  pupil,  George  Hancock,  in  whose 
family  it  came  down.  I  traced  and  verified  its  history 
many  years  ago. 

No.  v.  is  also  a  Derby  porcelain  plaque,  decorated 
after  the  second  or  naturalistic  style.  If  not  by 
Billingsley,  it  is  a  close  imitation  of  his  style  or 
mannerism,  and  a  fine  illustration  of  the  point  I  am 
now  endeavouring  to  enforce.  The  impression  on  my 
mind  is,  that  it  is  not  by  Billingsley.  It  lacks  the 
softness  of  his  mode  of  treatment,  but  has  evidently 
been  touched  up  and  refired  several  times. 

No.    vi.,   a   Coalport    porcelain    plaque,    is   in    the 


No.    YI1I. — COALPORT 

PERIOD     AS     NO.    VII 


possession  of  Sir  Alfred 
I  [aslam,  of  Derby.  It  also 
was  thought  by  the  owner 
to  be  Billingsley's  work.  I 
was  doubtful,  and  my  doubt 
was  confirmed  by  an  old 
gilder  who  knew  the  decor- 
ator— a  man  called  Horatio 
Evans,  who  was  an  able 
painter,  but  itinerated  much 
from  factory  to  factory — 
often  at  Derby  and  as  often 
at  Coalport.  There  is  little 
doubt  but  that  it  was  decor- 
ated by  Evans,  who  was 
originally  taught  at  1  )erby. 
It  teaches  the  same  idea  of 
having  been  painted  by  a 
disciple  and  lover  of  the 
new  naturalistic  school. 

No.  vii.  is  a  Coalport 
plate  decorated  by  William 
Cook,  who  joined  the  Coal- 
port factory  about  the  year 
1836.  He  died  in  1876.  It 
is  very  characteristic  of  his 
mannerism,  which  he  ac- 
quired in  London  at  Ack- 
erman's,  the  colourman, 
who  simply  wanted  to  ad- 
vertise his  paints.  The  style 
is  naturalistic  and  effective, 
but  cheaply  turned  out.  It 
has  not  that  elaborate  re- 
touching and  refiring  of  the 
Derby  school,  and  hence 
was  called  by  potters  the 
"  flat  "  style.  I  was  told  by 
an  old  gilderat  Derby,  many 
years  ago,  that  it  was  James 
Rouse  who  introduced  what 
he  (the  gilder)  called  the 
"flat"  style.  Rouse  was  employed  at  Derby,  and 
migrated  to  Coalport  in  1823.  He  served  there  till 
1865,  and  was  mostly  employed  on  crest  and  figure 
painting.  From  what  I  have  seen  of  his  flower 
painting  at  the  Derby  Art  Gallery,  it  scarcely  could 
be  called  "flat,"  and  might  be  said  to  be  between 
the  two  styles,  with  a  peculiar  severity  of  finish 
quite  his  own.  The  credit  of  introducing  the  new 
mode  was  due  principally  to  Cook,  who  worked  at 
Coalport  for  about  forty  years.  The  plate  illustrated 
was  in  the  possession  of  the  Coalport  firm  at  their 
warehouse  in   King  Street,  Manchester,  where  it  was 


VASE,  SAME  STYLE  AND 
,  BUT  MORE  FLORID 


'56 


'j0*. 


11SS     HART1NGTON 

SY    SIR    THOMAS    LAWRENCE,    P.R.A. 


Floral  Painting  on    Porcelain 


NO.     IX. — DOULTON     VASE,     MODERN 

SCHOOL,     GARDEN     SCENE, 

SHOWING     ATMOSPHERIC     EFFECT 

identified  as  Cook's  work. 
One  of  the  painters  at  Coal- 
port  was  Arthur  Bowdler — 
trained  under  Cook.  No.  viii. 
is  a  specimen  of  his  work.  I 
have  been  in  the  house  of  the 
artist's  widow,  and  have  seen 
a  number  of  specimens  of 
his  art.  He  was  a  clever 
decorator,  but,  of  course,  had 

to  paint  to  suit  the  orders  of 

the   firm.     The  one  under 

notice  is  an  example  of  what 

he  could  do.   It  is  naturalistic 

in  style  and  more  florid  than 

Cook's   work,   but  is   not 

finished  by  elaboration  and 

much  retiring  in  the  enamel 

kiln  to  make   it  a  cabinet 

piece.    The  public  taste  must 


NO.  XI. — DOULTON  VASE      '     IN. 
ROSE  DECORATION,  MODERN  STYLE 


MODERN 


No.     N. — WORCESTER    VASE 
SCHOOL,     SHOWING     CLOUDY     EFFECT 

159 


Lie  catered  for,  and  if  the 
average  citizen  wants  a  "cot- 
tage "  specimen — cheap  and 
effective — such  an  order  is 
accomplished  in  the  "  flat  " 
style  of  ceramic  naturalistic 
decoration. 

We  come  now  to  the  fourth 
stage,  and  which  might  be 
called  the  triumphant  one  of 
British  ceramic  art.  No.  ix. 
is  a  splendid  specimen  of  the 
new  school.  I  obtained  the 
photograph  of  it  from  the 
collection  of  Mr.  Nixon,  of 
Cheltenham.  It  is  34  inches 
high,  and  produced  at  the 
Doultonfactory, Staffordshire. 
The  figure  subjects  were 
painted  by  Mr.  Buttle,  and 


The   Connoisseur 


the  flowers  and  atmos- 
phere 1  \   Mr.  K 

Som  ■  fourteen  years 
ago  I  became  ac- 
inted  with  this  new 
development  oi  cera- 
mic art.  Hut  was  at 
1 1.  rby.  But,  in  order 
to  get  at  its  initial 
stage,  1  wrote  to  thi 
An   Director  of  Doul- 

ton's.  He  replied  thus  : 
"The  style  was  first 
produced  at  this  fac- 
tory, and  was  started 
on  the  work  for  the 
Paris  Exhibition  of 
lSSo.  As  you  are 
aware,  pottery  painters 
at  all  the  classic  fac- 
tories worshipped  the 
god  'Stipple.'  The 
brush  with    the    finest 


NO    XII  —CHELSEA  PLATE,  EARLY  OUTLINE  STYLE 
ANCHOR    MARK  TRURO    MUSEUM 


9  IN.    DIAM. 


point  was  the  only  one 

used  fOl  finish.     In  this 

impressionist  style, 
however,  the   ridmess, 
the  breadth,  the  atmos- 
phere and  colour,  are 
all   obtained  with  the 
broad.  Hat  wash.      The 
colours  are  all   trans- 
parent,  and    can    only 
lie    obtained    by    con- 
tinued   re  firing    one 
thin   glaze   over   the 
other."  Thencwschool 
has    now   spread   itself 
to  all  the  other  leading 
factories. 

In  No.  x.  we  have  the 

reproduction  of  the 
same  idea,  only  on  a 
cheaper  scale.  It  is 
a  porcelain  vase,  six 
inches  high,  produced 


N'O.     XIII  .—TWO    VASES.    CHAMBERLAIN    WORCESTER 

160 


FLORAL    DECORATION    IN    NATURALISTIC    STYLE 


Floral  Painting  on    Porcelain 


XO.     XIV. — COALPORT     VASE  6j     IN. 

SNOW     SCENE,     MODERN     STYLE 

at  the  Hadley  section  of  the  Royal  Porcelain  Works 
at  Worcester.  The  decoration  consists  of  lilac  and 
other  flowers — an  open-air  study — surrounded  with  a 
cloudy  atmospheric  effect.  The  result  well  illustrates 
the  advance  made  by  the  ceramic  artist  of  our  day. 

No.  xi.  is  a  Doulton  porcelain  vase,  having  a  fine, 
thin  gla/e,  giving  that  peculiar  cloudy  effect  as  if 
painted  in  the  open  air.  This  practically  concludes 
the  illustrations  of  the  four  stages  of  our  study. 

There  are,  however,  a  few  other  photographs  in  my 
possession  which  may  further  elucidate  what  has  been 
said. 

No.  xii.  is  illustrative  of  the  first  stage  of  our 
present  inquiry.  The  interlacing  border  scroll  indi- 
cates continental  influence,  but  the  festoons  around 
the  central  vase  show  the  tendency  to  imitate  the 
Japanese.     This  is  evident  in  the  peculiar  treatment 


XO.    XV. — WORCESTER     VAS'E  24     IN. 

CATTLE     SCENE,     MODERN     STYLE 

of  trailing  wreath,  which  has  the  flower  buds  or  berries 
painted  in  outline. 

No.  xiii.  represents  two  vases  from  the  collection  of 
Mr.  Norman,  Cheltenham.  One  has  the  address  mark 
of  <•.  1S00,  and  the  other  that  of  1820.  They  are 
beautifully  decorated  after  the  style  of  our  second  or 
naturalistic  school,  and  show  that  even  Worcester  was 
early  following  in  the  footsteps  of  1  >erby. 

No.  xiv.,  which  represents  a  Coalport  vase,  is  not 
strictly  a  floral  decoration,  except  where  trees,  etc., 
are  suggested,  but  it  displays  that  indefinable  effect  of 
open-air  impression. 

No.  xv.  illustrates  how  the  modern  ceramic  artist 
gets  an  atmospheric  effect  and  points  the  "moral7' 
which  I  am  trying  to  enforce. 

The  subjects  of  Nos.  x.,  xi.,  xiv.,  and  xv.  are  in  the 
collection  of  Mr.  Nixon,  Cheltenham. 


n.  1 


S^TES 


QUER/eJ 


[The  Editor  invites  the  assistance  of  readers  of  The  Connoisseur  ivho  may  be  able  to  impart  the 
information  required  by   Correspondents. ,] 


Unidentified  Painting  (25). 
I  (ear  Sir, — I  should  be  glad  if  any  of  your  readers 
could  assist  me  in  ascertaining  the  painter  and  subject 
of  the  painting  of  which  I  enclose  a  photo. 

Yours  truly,  A.   li. 

Unidentified  Painting  (26). 
1  (ear  Sir, — I  am  sending  you  a  photo  of  a  picture 
supposed  to  be  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.     The  size 
is  1 1 .'.  in.   by  9  in.     This  oil  painting  is  old  and  in 
a  good  state. 
I    bought     it 
second-hand, 
and   should 
Like    to    ex- 
change it   for 
old  furniture, 
engravings   in 
colours,  or  any 
old  art  pieces, 
because  I  do 
not   collect 
English    pic- 
tures.    I  can 
send   you  this 
picture   for   ex- 
amination, and 
a  111     almost 
sure    that   this 
work    is   not   a 
copy.     If  y  ou 
can    make    any 
e  x  c  ha  n  g  e,  I 
shall  be  very 
grateful  to  you, 
and  also  glad  it 
you  can  give  me 
an  approximate 
value  of  this 
work. 

Yours    faith- 
fully, 
Joseph     d  e 

Werner.  (25) 


Unidentified  Painting  (27). 
Dear  Sir, — Could  any   reader  give   me  any   in- 
formation   regarding   the    picture  of  which    I    send 
photograph  ?  Yours  truly,   Enquirer. 

Unidentified  Painting  (28). 

Dear  Sir, — I  enclose  photograph  for  insertion  in 

the  "  Notes   and    Queries"  page  of  your  magazine. 

The   canvas  of  this    painting   measures  30^  inches 

broad  by  25^  inches  deep.     It  was  bought  six  years 

ago  at  an  auc- 
tion sale,  and 
is  said  to  be 
by  Domeni- 
chino(Domeni- 
co)  Zampieri. 
Can  you  or  any 
of  your  readers 
confirm  this? 
I  am  anxious 
to  know  what 
the  scene  repre- 
sents, and  par- 
ticularly what 
the  temple-like 
structure  is  at 
side  of  lake, 
and  also  the 
obelisk  on  left 
hand. 

Respectfully 

yours, 

Thomas 
McLaren. 


Unidentified 
Painting  (29). 
Dear  Sir, — 
The  little  water- 
colour  of  which 
I  enclose  a 
photograph 
is,  I  believe,  a 


UNIDENTIFIED     PAINTING 
162 


A      V 


&4 


16: 


J'/ic   Connoisseur 


copy  ol  a  Reynolds.     1  should  like  to  know  ii    this 
case,  where  the  picture  is.  and  what  ii  is  sup- 

pos  d    i  isent. 

C.  L.  P. 

I    N1DENTIFIED    PAINTING. 

Sir,—]  should  like  to  know  through  your  paper,  if 

.  ii  any  reader  knows  ol  a  picture  called  The 

1.'  a        Gt      f,  by  Henry  Bunbury,  or  prints  of  it  in 

stipple,  in  colours,  by   E.  Scott,  date  about  1780.      I 

should  be  glad  to  trace  it.      I  believe  the  three  ladies 

were  sisters — three  Miss  Mitchells. 

Yours  truly,  Rosamond  S.  Foster. 

Unidentified    Portrait   (No.    19). 
January,    1913. 
Dear  Sir,— I  have  an  old  engraving  after  same. 
Size,  29  in.  by  14J  in.     Ann  Carache,  Pinxt.    Fr.  de 

Poilly,  Sculp.  The  only  difference,  the  figures  on  my 
engraving  are  going  the  reverse  way.  All  figures,  etc., 
t  xact. 

Yours  faithfully,  T.  P.  Bell. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.  19). 
January,  191 3. 
Sir, —  This  is,  of  course,  a  copy.  The  original  is 
the  fresco  by  Annibale  Carracci,  in  the  Farnese  Palace 
in  Rome,  and  represents  The  Triumph  of  Ariadne. 
Reproductions  of  it  are  to  be  found  in  nearly  every 
good  book  on  art  history,  and  in  the  collection  of 
photo.--  by  Alinari.  It  may  interest  you  to  hear  that 
there  is  another  copy,  on  a  large  scale  (I  think  about 
15  ft.  large),  in  the  staircase  of  that  "unidentified" 
country  house  (page  191,  vol.  xxiv.,  pages  55  and 
112,  vol.  xxv.,  of  The  Connoisseur),  which  is  the 
"Pariljoen"  in  Haarlem,  and  built  about  1800  by  the 
banker  Hope. 

I  am,  yours  truly,  K.  Si.uyterman. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.  19). 
January,  1913. 
1  Iear  Sir, — In  reply  to  Mr.  Otto  Popper's  enquiry, 
I  have  pleasure  in  sending  a  photograph  of  a  scarce 
old  etching  bv  "  Petrus  Aquila,"  after  the  celebrated 
painting  by  "  Annibal  Carraccus  "  at  Rome,  inscribed 
Annibal  Carraccus  pinx  in  Edibus  Farnisianis,  and 
upon  comparison  it  will  be  seen  that  this  and  Mr. 
Popper's  picture  are  almost  identical. 

"Petrus  Aquila"  (a  monk)  was  not  only  a  great 
engraver  and  etcher,  but  also  a  painter  of  repute. 
Yours  faithfully,  William   H.Williams. 


Unidentified  Palniing  (No.  20). 
January,  1913. 

Dear  Sir,  -Seeing  this  in  your  January  number, 
I  at  once  recognised  it  as  the  same  as  one  in  my 
possession,  the  only  difference  being  that  my  man  is 
silting  and  the  other  standing.  This  painting  (about 
the  same  si/e)  has  been  in  my  family  for  the  last 
hundred  years,  and  the  tradition  was  that  it  was  Pope 
Clement  XI.,  painted  by  Carlo  Maratti.  But  this 
cannot  be  so,  as  the  subject  wears  red  robes,  and  is 
therefore  a  Cardinal.  1  understand  that  there  is  a 
portrait  of  Cardinal  Cerri,  by  Maratti,  in  the  National 
Gallery,  and  it  might  be  worth  your  correspondent's 
while  to  go  there  and  see  if  he  can  identify  it  with 
his.  1  believe  there  is  a  picture  of  the  same  man  in 
Na/.areth  House  Convent,  Hammersmith. 

I  am,  yours  faithfully,  A.  SoPPITT. 

Unidentified  Portrait  (No.  20). 
January,  19 13. 
Dear  Sir,— There  is  in  the  Warrington  Museum 
an  oil  painting  which  is  apparently  a  copy  from  the 
same  original  as  No.  20.  It  is  described  as  a  portrait 
of  Cardinal  Ganganelli  (Clement  XIV.),  by  Rigaud, 
but  its  history  is  not  known. 

Yours  faithfully,  Charles  Madeley,  Director. 

Unidentified  Painting  (24). 
February,  19 13. 
1  )EAR  Sir, — I  am  a  little  bit  interested  in  the 
unidentified  painting,  No.  24,  in  this  month's 
Connoisseur,  and,  unfortunately,  I  cannot  help  you 
in  tracing  its  origin.  On  reading  the  article  relating 
to  it,  the  thought  occurred  to  me:  Was  my  great- 
grandfather a  son  of  Thomas  Stallard  of  Little  Birch  ? 
My  great-grandfather,  Thomas  Stallard,  came  to  Tip- 
ton about  1790  from  Ruardean,  in  Gloucestershire 
(not  a  long  distance  from  Little  Birch).  He  was  mar- 
ried at  Tipton  Church  in  1795,  and  in  the  Registers 
(which  I  have  just  transcribed  for  the  P.R.  Soc. )  he 
is  described  as  Thomas  Ta/lani,  evidently  a  mistake 
of  the  clerk  in  filling  up  the  certificate,  and  probably 
caused  by  the  want  of  a  pause  when  giving  the 
Christian  and  surname.  He  was  a  "  Marksman," 
signing  the  register  with  ax.  All  his  issue  were 
registered  as  Stillard,  probably  from  the  manner  in 
which  the  name  was  pronounced.  He  died  in  1836, 
aged  66,  leaving  a  fair  estate.  He  left  three  sons, 
Thomas,  William,  and  Joseph,  and  several  daughters, 
the  last  of  which,  my  grandmother,  died  fifteen  years 
ago,  aged  91,  ajul  she  used  to  say  that  Mr.  Stal- 
lard of  Worcester,  who  was  in  the  wine  trade,  was 
her   cousin.       If   my  great-grandfather  was  a  son   of 

164 


Notes   and   Queries 


(28)       UNIDENTIFIED     PAINTING 


Thomas  Stallard  of  Little  Birch,  can  you  explain 
how  the  one  was  located  at  that  place  and  the  other 
said  to  come  from  Ruardean  ?      I  am  sure  you  will 


pardon  me  for  troubling  you  with  this  letter,  my 
interest  in  genealogy  being  my  excuse  for  writing  it. 
— Yours  faithfully,  Wji.  Brown. 


(29)       UNIDENTIFIED     PAINTING 
l6«i 


Some  years  ago,  in  a  remote  part  of  North-West 
Cumberland,   the   contents   of    an    old    manor   house 
were    sold.       In    the    collection    of 
An  Eighteenth-    antique    furniture,    pictures,  china, 
century  an{j  otj10r    curj0S)   the    miniature 

Miniature  .   ,  ,  ,  .       ... 

eighteenth  -  century  warship  illus- 
trated herewith  appeared.  Tradition 
says  that  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  family  who 


Warship 


owned  the  manor  was  a  captain  in  the  Royal  Navy. 
Three  pictures  in  the  collection  illustrated  a  naval 
engagement  between  three  vessels.  Apparently  the 
British  ship — said  to  have  been  commanded  by  the 
above  captain — was  successful,  and  took  a  French 
ship  as  a  prize.  Amongst  the  prisoners  was  an  officer 
who,  it  is  alleged,  made  this  model.  This  may  only 
be   a  variant   of  the  many  stories  told   of   miniature 


AN      EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY      MINIATURE      WARSHIP 
I  66 


Notes 


ship  models  which  are  attributed  to  the  French  naval 
prisoners  taken  during  the  Napoleonic  wars.  Who- 
ever made  it,  it  remains  a  monument  to  superb  skill 
and  craftsmanship. 

The  model  is  that  of  a  90-gun  French  battleship, 


companion-ways,  ladders,  etc.,  are  delicately  wrought, 
but  perhaps  the  marvel  of  all  is  the  exquisite  work- 
manship shown  in  the  stern-walk  and  the  cabin 
windows.  All  the  doors  and  windows  are  made  in 
true  proportion,  and  the  latter  are  glazed  and  fitted 


THE     BELMOUNT     HALL     PORTRAIT    OF     SHAKESPEARE 

and  although  measuring  only  l\  inches  in  length, 
every  detail  is  given  in  exact  facsimile  and  propor- 
tion. Unlike  many  small  models,  it  has  been  built 
on  the  lines  of  the  original,  commencing  with  the 
k'_-el  and  working  upwards.  The  hull  is  of  wood, 
and  is  entirely  sheathed  in  burnished  copper  up 
to  the  first  gun-streak.  The  decks  are  beautifully 
lined  to  imitate  planking,  and  the  perfectly  modelled 
brass  guns,  although  only  three-sixteenths  of  an 
inch  in  length,  are  bored,  and  have  their  touch- 
holes.  Their  tiny  carriages  are  on  wheels,  which 
require  the  aid  of  a  strong  magnifying-glass  to  be 
seen.     Such  deck  fittings  as  the  wheels,  casks,  bell, 


IN    THE     POSSESSION     OF     J.    M.    P.    MUIRHEAD,    ESQ. 

with  tiny  green  blinds.  Under  the  quarter-deck  the 
doors  and  windows  are  similarly  fitted. 

The  rigging  is  well  seen  in  the  photograph.  The 
rattlings  are  gossamer-like.  The  minute  blocks  and 
dead-eyes,  also  the  carving  on  the  fighting-tops,  all 
show  marvellous  patience  and  skill  in  execution. 

Owing  to  the  main  top-mast  having  met  with  an 
accident,  the  model  needed  overhauling,  and  I  was 
singularly  fortunate  in  discovering  that  the  local 
shipyard  model-maker  was  capable  of  making  a  most 
sympathetic  restoration;  and  now  the  little  ship 
reappears  in  its  glory  of  burnished  copper  hull,  black 
and  white  topsides,  and  blue  and  white  deck  fittings. 


167 


The    Connoisseur 


"  The  Bclmount 
Hall  Portrait 
of  Shakespeare  ' 
By  J.  M.  P. 
Muirhead 


In  THE  CONNOISSl  i  R  I"'  I1' '"  i".  I'll*.  Mi'-  M-  H. 

Spic.-lm.mn  deals  somewhat  full)  with  this  picture,  and 
arrives  at  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a 
ition.  1  le  makes  kindly  and 
courteous  reference  to  myself,  and 
it  is  very  unfortunate  that  the  copy 
of  The  Connoisseur  which  Mr. 
Spielmann  says   he  forwarded   me 

never  arrived,  and  I  was  entirely  unaware  of  the  existence 

.•I   his   condemnatory   article   until   after  I   returned  to 

England  some  months  ago. 

1  am  in  no  sense  whatever  an  art  critic,  and  feel 
considerable  diffidence  in  venturing  to  question  for  a  mo- 
ment the  decision  of  so  competent  an  authority  as  Mr. 
Spielmann,  especially  on  a  subject  he  has  made  so  much 
his  own  :  still,  as  I  feel  that  he  has  not  proved  his  case, 
at  any  rate  to  my  satisfaction,  I  may  be  pardoned  for 
explaining  the  reasons  of  my  apparent  presumption. 
Let  me  first,  however,  correct  two  inaccuracies.  In  Mr. 
Spielmann's  article  dealing  with  the  matter,  he  states 
that  I  publicly  exhibited  the  picture  in  Cape  Town.  In 
this  he  is  entirely  misinformed.  He  further  states  that 
Miss  Owen,  of  Belmount,  desired  to  purchase  the  picture 
from  me,  but  I  preferred  to  retain  possession  of  it.  This 
is  news  to  me,  as  I  have  never  had  any  communication 
from  Miss  Owen,  neither  has  any  offer  ever  been  made 
me  for  the  picture. 

With  regard  to  Mr.  Spielmann's  criticism  of  the  picture 
itself,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  he  wrote  the 
article  he  had  never  seen  the  picture  at  all,  or  he  would 
hardly  have  described  a  canvas  painting  as  "on  panel." 
There  are  two  main  points  to  be  considered  : — (a)  the 
pictute,  and  ( '  b)  the  Garrick  inscription. 

With  regard  to  the  picture,  Mr.  Spielmann's  statement 
that  it  is  "  poor  in  handling"  is  perfectly  correct ;  indeed, 
it  has  no  intrinsic  "art  value";  but  his  assumption  that 
it  is  "Zinckian"  is  apparently  largely  based  on  Mr. 
Zincke's  capacity  to  transmogrify  old  pictures,  or  make 
new  ones  into  antiques.  He  does  not  say  which  course 
Mr.  Zincke  adopted  in  this  case;  presumably  the  point 
was  a  minor  one,  and  left  to  the  choice  of  the  intelligent 
readers  of  The  CONNOISSEUR,  though  it  does  appear  to 
me  somewhat  important. 

It  would,  however,  appear,  presuming  that  Mr.  Spiel- 
mann is  correct  in  his  conclusion,  that  Mr.  Zincke  in  this 
instance  adopted  the  gentle  art  of  transmogrification,  as 
the  picture  was  an  antique  without  having  to  be  created 
one.  Indeed,  the  best  authorities  in  London  place  the 
date  of  the  picture  at  from  i68oto  1720.  They  are  also  of 
opinion  that  in  two  places  the  picture  may  have  been 
added  to,  viz.,  the  head  has  apparently  been  touched  up, 
and  the  sprig  of  mulberry  added  at  a  later  date.  It  must, 
therefore,  have  all  along  been  a  portrait  of  Shakespeare, 
and  Mr.  Zincke  must  be  accounted  fortunate  in  having 
so  very  little  to  "transmogrify."  Mr.  Spielmann  states 
that  even  in  the  photo  of  the  picture  he  can  detect 
what  appears  to  have  been  letters  in  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner  of  the  picture,  "just  where  we  may  expect  to 


find  them  in  Zinckian  productions"  (the  italics  are  mine). 
As  there  is  really  no  trace  whatever  of  any  such  thing,  I 
am  afraid  Mr.  Spielmann  must  have  been  just  a  little  too 
anxious  to  find  proof  of  his  most  interesting  theory.  It 
states  in  the  inscription  that  Garrick  had  the  picture 
framed  in  mulberry  wood  ;  alas,  I  am  informed  that  the 
frame  is  not  of  mulberry,  and  must  in  all  honesty  give 
Mr.  Spielmann  this  one  more  conclusive  proof  of  the 
elaborate  fabrication!  Of  course,  to  ordinary  people 
like  myself,  it  does  appear  indiscreet  on  Mr.  Zincke's 
part  to  be  so  very  foolish  as  to  forge  an  inscription 
stating  that  the  frame  was  mulberry,  and  then  spoil  the 
ship  for  a  ha'porth  of  tar  and  use  deal.  A  skilful  forger 
would  surely  be  clever  throughout;  and  if  Mr.  Garrick 
paid  for  it  to  be  framed  in  mulberry,  and  the  wicked 
framer  stuck  to  the  mulberry  and  used  deal,  it  is  surely 
regrettable,  but  not,  human  nature  being  unfortunately 
what  it  is,  entirely  unreasonable.  These  being  the  only 
alternatives,  I  am  afraid  I  prefer  the  theory  of  the  Wicked 
Framer  to  Mr.  Spielmann's  theory  of  the  Clever  Forger, 
who  really  wasn't  clever  at  all.  Now  for  the  inscription, 
which  so  reputable  a  scholar  as  Jonathan  Taylor,  Chief 
Librarian  of  Bristol,  attested,  to  Mr.  Spielmann's  ever- 
lasting and  pained  astonishment.  Mr.  Spielmann  proceeds 
to  prove  that  the  inscription  is  not  in  Garrick's  writing,  ergo 
— he  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  even  though  the  "  D.  G." 
is  "not  unlike."  Mr.  Spielmann  is  here  flogging  a  dead 
horse.  The  writing  of  the  inscription  and  the  "  D.  G." 
are  manifestly  in  two  different  handwritings,  and  as  the 
"  D.  G."  was  meant  presumably  to  be  genuine,  the  rest 
of  the  inscription  could  never  have  been  claimed  as 
having  been  actually  written  by  Mr.  Garrick.  Mr. 
Spielmann  for  once,  and  only  once,  I  think,  is  less  than 
fair  when  he  says  "  the  D.  G.  is  not  unlike  "  ;  it  is  so  like, 
so  absolutely  identical  with  Garrick's  initials,  that  the 
British  Museum  authorities  believe  it  to  be  Garrick's, 
and  even  would,  like  the  reputable  Jonathan  Taylor, 
attest  it,  but  that  they  are  not  proof  against  forgery,  and 
it  may  be  a  forgery.  Again  we  have  two  alternatives — 
either  Mr.  Zincke  went  to  the  trouble  of  forging  two 
handwritings,  one  with  a  most  amazingly  intimate  know- 
ledge of  how  Garrick  signed  his  initials,  or  Garrick 
dictated  the  inscription  to  someone  else,  and  then 
initialled  it. 

I  am  not  going  into  any  further  details.  Here  is  a 
picture  which  the  National  Portrait  Gallery  tells  me 
was  painted  about  1700,  though  it  may  since  have 
been  touched  up,  and  which  every  artist  who  has  seen 
it  regards  as  undoubtedly  pre-Garrick.  It  bears  an 
inscription  signed  "  D.  G.,"  which  the  best  possible 
authorities  regard  as  genuine,  and  in  Mr.  Garrick's 
writing. 

Admitting  all  Mr.  Spielmann  says  about  the  un- 
satisfactory history  of  the  picture,  I  still  think  in  my 
ignorance  that  the  picture  is  an  old  portrait  of  Shake- 
speare at  one  time  in  the  possession  of  David  Garrick, 
and  with  all  diffidence  think  that  Mr.  Spielmann  set 
out  to  prove  a  pet  theory,  and  succeeded — to  his  own 
entire  satisfaction. 


168 


Notes 


Mr.  Spielmann's 
Reply 


I  REGRET,  for  Mr.  Muirhead's  amiable  sake,  that  I 
am  unable  to  modify  my  opinion  in  any  sensible  degree 
of  the  "  Belmount  Hall,''  or  so-called 
"  Garrick,"  portrait  of  Shakespeare. 
It  will  be  convenient  if  I  take  his 
several  points  in  order.  When  I  said  that  Mr.  Muirhead 
had  exhibited  the  picture  in  South  Africa,  I  was  misled 
by  the  statement,  as  I  understood  it,  of  an  artist  friend 
of  his  who  introduced  the  matter  to  me  on  his  return 
to  England,  and  who  placed  in  my  hands  a  printed 
pamphlet  relative  to  the  picture's  history,  which  seemed 
to  confirm  the  fact  which  Mr.  Muirhead  informs  us  is 
erroneous.  I  regret  the  misstatement,  while  wondering 
why  the  pamphlet  was  printed.  I  did  not  say,  as  he 
thinks,  that  Miss  Owen,  of  Belmount  Hall,  desired  to 
purchase  the  picture  from  him.  It  was  to  the  niece 
of  Mr.  Whittaker  the  previous  owner) — the  lady  who 
became  Mr.  Muirhead's  wife — that  Miss  Owen,  as  she 
informed  me,  made  her  offer.  These  points,  however, 
are  of  but  slight  importance.  The  slip  as  to  the  picture 
being  painted  on  panel  came  to  me  with  the  description 
of  the  picture,  which,  as  Mr.  Muirhead  truly  says,  I 
had  not  at  that  time  seen  :  only  a  large  and  tell-tale 
photograph  had  been  placed  in  my  hands. 

I  afterwards  examined  the  picture  itself,  and  am 
satisfied  that  my  estimate  of  its  nature  is  correct — not 
because  it  is  my  "  pet  theory,"  for  I  have  no  pet  theories, 
but  because  I  am  forced  to  that  conclusion.  That  is  to 
say,  it  is  a  fake,  not  wholly  painted  by  Zincke,  but  is 
one  of  that  confessed  fabricator's  numerous  concoctions 
— an  old  portrait  altered  into  Shakespeare. 

Mr.  Muirhead  tells  us  that  the  best  authorities  are  of 
opinion  that  the  picture,  painted  from  1680  to  1720  [it 
could  not  then  be  a  life-portrait  of  Shakespeare],  "  may 
have  been  added  to  in  two  places" — the  head  and  the 
mulberry-sprig.  I  prefer  his  own  report  to  me  of  their 
statement  —  that  "  the  head  had  certainly  been  over- 
painted,  probably  made  more  ' dome-like '"  [my  italics]; 
'*  also  the  '  sprig  of  mulberry :  would  appear  to  have 
been  added  more  recently.''  Surely  this  proves  my 
contention  that  the  alterations  are  the  positive  means 
whereby  an  early  picture  was  faked  into  a  Shake- 
speare portrait.  Consider.  If  it  had  all  along  been  a 
portrait  of  the  poet,  as  Mr.  Muirhead  would  like  to  think, 
why  should  anyone  have  troubled  to  add  the  dome-like 
head  and  mulberry-sprig  to  establish  its  identity  or 
fancied  resemblance?  I  cannot  followr  Mr.  Muirhead's 
reasoning  that  the  portrait  was  already  Shakespeare, 
for  it  was  clearly  the  "additions"  that  made  it  Shake- 
speare. My  own  belief  is  that  the  re-painting  was  much 
more  extensive. 

It  is  hardly  surprising  if  there  is  no  inscription  on  the 
background  ;  but  it  is  damning.  One  of  the  labels, 
alleged  to  be  Garrick's,  on  the  back  of  the  picture, 
asserts  it  to  be  no  longer  legible  on  account  of  previous 
cleaning.  Doubtless  a  second  cleaning  would  have 
removed  the  remains  of  it,  if  it  was  a  recent  addition,  so 


far  as  the  human  eye  is  concerned,  though  by  the  camera 
they  might  still  be  traced.  I  am  ready  to  accept  the 
statement  that  "  there  is  really  no  trace  whatever  of  any 
such  thing  " — and  possibly  there  never  was.  In  that 
case,  to  what  alternative  conclusions  does  the  "  Garrick  " 
label  testimony  compel  us?  Either  that  the  painted 
inscription  never  was  there— and  the  label  a  false  witness  ; 
or  that  it  was,  and  disappeared  under  cleaning.  If  the 
latter  be  true,  it  shows  that  the  inscription  was  a  recent 
addition,  otherwise  it  would  have  stood  firm  with  the  rest 
of  the  paint  under  the  hand  of  the  cleaner. 

Mr.  Muirhead's  belief  that  the  forger  was  not  clever 
at  all  is  well  founded  ;  but  he  was  quite  clever  enough 
in  his  day,  as  history  shows,  to  make  a  living  by  his 
nefarious  trade  of  portrait  fabrication. 

Taylor's  (alleged,  but  unproved)  attestation  of  the 
written  inscription  on  the  labels  is  openly  thrown  over 
by  the  British  Museum  and  Mr.  Muirhead  (as  previously 
by  myself),  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  appreciate  Mr.  Muir- 
head's citation  of  the  librarian's  supposed  credulity.  In 
any  case,  the  present  owner  centres  his  hopes  on  the 
genuineness  of  the  initials  "  D.  G.,"  which  I  said  were 
''not  unlike,"  because  they  are  not  identical  with  certain 
undoubted  signatures  of  David  Garrick  which  I  have 
examined.  Even  if  genuine,  they  could  not  attest  the 
genuineness  of  the  picture.  But  such  simple  letters  the 
veriest  tiro  could  imitate  ;  a  man  like  Zincke  who  could 
forge  a  picture  could  forge  the  script  D.  G.  And 
remember — slips  of  inscribed  paper  were  similarly  stuck 
at  the  back  of  the  Thane  and  Booth  (Zincke)  portrait 
of  Shakespeare  :  and  we  have,  besides,  references  to 
mulberry  in  other  forged  Zinckian  Shakespeare  portraits. 
In  view  of  Mr.  Muirhead's  admission  that  the 
inscription  itself  was  not  written  by  Garrick,  no  question 
can  arise  that  "  Zincke  went  to  the  trouble  of  forging 
two  handwritings.'' 

Mr.  Muirhead  leaves  untouched  the  other  arguments, 
presumably  unanswerable  (as  they  appear  to  me),  against 
the  authenticity  of  the  portrait,  and  there  I  am  content 
to  leave  the  matter.  I  can  assure  him  that  it  is  no 
"•  satisfaction  "  to  me  to  destroy  the  reputation  of  any 
picture  save  where  the  desire  for  the  truth  compels  it  : 
and  greatly  do  I  regret  it  if  the  property  of  so  courteous 
an  adversary  has  suffered  by  the  evidence  I  have  adduced. 
—  M.   H.  Spielmann. 


The  mahogany  tallboy  chest  often  drawers  illustrated 

is  of  the  Chippendale  period,  and  measures  3  ft.  7  in. 

in  width.      The  frieze  of  the  cornice 

'.p^e"   *  *  and  canted  corners  are  overlaid  with 

fretwork    of  a    characteristic   Gothic 

design.  The  handles  and  escutcheons, 

which    are    original,    are    distinguished    for    their    fine 

chasing.     The   piece  is  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Roger 

Ford,  of  Bristol. 


169 


The   Connoisseur 


Our  Plates 


I'm   frontispiece  to  the  present  number  is  a  repro- 
duction    of    the    famous   Castle    Howard    Adoration 
of  the   Kings,  by  Jan  Gossaert   of 

Mabuse.  Now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Nation,  it  was  only  acquired  through  the 
magnanimity  of  Rosalind,  Countess  of  Carlisle,  the 
generosity  of  the  contributors  to  the  National  Art 
Collections  Fund,  and  the  ready  response  made  by 
the  Government  to  the  appeal  of  the  National  Gallery 
Trustees.  Though  the  purchase  price,  ,£40,000,  is  a 
large  sum,  it  by  no  means  represents  the  present 
market  value  of  the  picture,  which  is  undoubtedly 
the  master  work  of  the  painter  and  a  superb  example 
of  craftsmanship.  It  was  painted  in  1500,  just  eight 
years  before  Mabuse  went  to  Italy  in  the  suite  of 
Philip  the  l'.astard.  An  interesting  plate  is  an 
hitherto  unpublished  miniature  of  Queen  Victoria 
when  a  child,  while  another  child  portrait  is  the  virile 
and  characteristic  representation  of  Miss  Hartin^ton, 
by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  now  at  the  Edward  Gallery, 
King  Street,  St.  James's.     The  dignified  portrait  of 


William  Ferguson  of  Kilsie,  by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn, 
is  distinguished  for  the  unaffected  and  natural  pose 
of  the  sitter  and  the  subtle  gradation  of  the  light. 
It  was  exhibited  at  the  Raeburn  Exhibition  in  1876 
and  at  the  Glasgow  International  Exhibition  in  1901. 
The  portrait  is  in  the  possession  of  R.  C.  Munro- 
Ferguson,  Esq.,  M.P. 

Two  examples  of  a  modern  exponent  of  miniature 
— Miss  N.  II.  Edmunds — are  included,  one  a  portrait 
of  Eileen,  daughter  of  Henry  Marshall,  Esq.,  and  the 
other  a  portrait  of  an  anonymous  sitter,  entitled  Doris. 


Books  Received 

Byzantine  and  Romanesque  Architecture,  two  vols.,  by  T.  G. 

Jackson,    R.A.,    £2    2s.    net.       (Cambridge    University 

Press.) 
Catalogue  of  Dutch  Painters,  vol.  v.,  by  Hofstede  de  Groot, 

25s.  net.     (Macmillan.) 
The  Luxembourg  Museum  :  Its  Paintings,  by  Leonce  Benedite, 

ios.  6d.  net.      (T.  Fisher  Unwin.) 
The  British  School,  by  E.  V.  Lucas.   2s.  6d.  net.     (Methuen.) 


MAHOGANY     TALLBOY     CHEST 


CHIPPENDALE     PERIOD 


I70 


WILLIAM     FERGUSON',     OF    KILSIE 
BY    SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN,    R.A. 


[Photo.    Annan 


L^CONHOISSEVB.  I 


THE  sale  season,  so  far,  has  included  the  dispersal 
of  no  important  collections,  and  the  chronicle  of  picture 

prices  comprises  only 
items  which,  though 
interesting  to  the 
connoisseur  of  moder- 
ate means,  raise  no 
thrills  in  the  breasts 
of  the  general  public. 
Messrs.  Christie  did 
not  commence  their 
season  until  the  latter 
part  of  the  month. 
At  a  sale  of  modern  pictures,  the  property  of  W.  J. 
Thompson,  Esq.,  and  Charles  F.  Southgate,  Esq., 
deceased,  and  from  other  sources,  held  at  the  King  Street 
galleries  on  January  24th,  the  fare  provided  was  of  a 
comparatively  humble  character.  The  highest  individual 
price  of  the  day  was  realised  by  The  Poacher's  Widow, 
49$  in.  by  75  in.,  by  Briton  Riviere,  R.A.,  which  brought 
,£220  ios.  This  work,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal 
Academy,  1879,  was  formerly  included  in  the  permanent 
collection  at  the  Birmingham  City  Gallery,  but  was 
exchanged  by  the  Director  for  another  of  the  artist's 
works.  Other  of  the  more  important  included: — W. 
Mulready,  R.A.,  The  Carpenter's  Shop,  39A  in.  by  29  in., 
,£105;  Marcus  Stone,  R.A.,  Stealing  the  Keys,  1866-9, 
21J  in.  by  29!  in.,  ,£105  ;  E.  Verboeckhoven,  1843,  The 
Frightened  Flock,  60  in.  by  78  in.,  ^178  ;  and  P.  A. 
Rysbraek,  Peacocks  and  Domestic  Poultry,  59  in.  by 
74  in.,  ^120  15s.  None  of  the  drawings  sold  attained 
the  dignity  of  three  figures,  but  the  following  may  be 
taken  as  typical  examples  by  their  respective  artists: — 
T.  Collier,  The  Denbighshire  Hills  from  near 
Dolwyddelan,  13J  in.  by  20J  in.,  £-]\  8s.;  Birket  Foster, 
Peasant  Children  and  Geese,  5J  in.  by  8J  in.,  ,£59  17s.  ; 
R.  Thorne-Waite,  Dover  from  St.  Margaret's,  13  in.  by 
35i  'n-i  £60  iSs. ;  and  E.  J.  Gregory,  R.A.,  Will  He  Come, 
I3i  in.  by  8j  in.,  ^56  14s. 

A  similar  but  generally  less  important  accumulation 
of  modern  works,  this  time  chiefly  in  water-colours,  was 
dispersed  by  the  same  firm  on  January  31st.  In  this, 
however,  were  included  two  of  J.  M.  W.  Turner's 
drawings  for  the  "  South  Coast  "  series — Margate,  6  in. 
by  9  in.,  engraved  by  G.  Cooke,  1S24,  which  brought 
,£462,  and  Teignmouth,  reproduced  by  the  same  engraver, 


1S15,  .£273.  Other  drawings  included  C.  Fielding,  1833, 
A  Lake  Scene,  with  cattle  and  sheep,  ,£94  10s.,  and 
Birket  Foster,  A  Landscape,  with  a  /lock  of  sheep  on  a 
road,  4f  in.  by  7  in.,  .£67  4s.  Among  the  oil  paintings 
were  W.  Shayer,  sen.,  A  Peasant,  with  a  white  pony, 
conversing  with  a  pedlar  and  his  -wife,  circular,  24  in. 
diam.,  ,£105  ;  P.  Nasmyth,  1824,  A  Highland  Lake  Scene, 
26  in.  by  34  in.,  £yZ  15s.;  J.  Linnell,  sen.,  1S46,  The 
Young  Blood,  on  panel,  21 J  in.  by  27  in.,  ,£73  10s.  ;  and 
F.  D.  Hardy,  1S63,  The  Doctor,  on  panel,  21 J  in.  by 
295  in.,  /S4. 

Messrs.  Puttick  held  a  sale  of  pictures  and  drawings 
by  old  and  modern  artists  at  their  galleries,  47,  Leicester 
Square,  on  January  3rd,  when  fair  prices  were  realised, 
though  none  of  the  individual  items  were  of  special 
interest,  and  the  same  remarks  also  apply  to  the  sales  of 
old  and  modern  engravings  by  the  same  firm  on  the  16th, 
17th,  and  23rd  of  January. 


The  two  days'  sale  of  books  held  by  Messrs.  Puttick 
on  January  23rd  and  24th  included  the  contents  of  the 

library  of  Mr.  Herbert 
Fry,  the  writer  on 
London,  and  a  friend 
of  Charles  Dickens. 
There  were  a  number 
of  items  relating  to 
the  novelist,  but  none 
of  those  raritieshaving 
especial  value  in  the 
eye  of  the  collector. 
As  a  rule,  the  fir=t 
editions  of  this  author's  popular  works  were  so  large  that 
copies  from  them,  unless  marked  by  some  exceptional 
feature,  are  of  comparatively  little  value.  One  of  the 
scarcest  is  Oliver  Twist,  1838,  a  copy  of  which,  orig.  cloth, 
uncut,  brought  £4  2s.  6d.;  while  one  of  Nicholas  Nicklcby, 
1S39,  old  hf.  cf.,  loose,  only  brought  £1,  by  virtue  of  being 
extra  illustrated.  Higher  figures  were  reached  by  some 
of  the  original  illustrations  for  Dickens's  works.  H.  K, 
Browne's  version  of  Madame  Mantalini  introduces  Kate 
to  Miss  Knag,  with  the  title  in  the  author's  autograph, 
brought  j£2l  ;  four  others  by  the  same  artist,  but  without 
this  addition,  realised  from  ,£9  to  £\o  10s.  each;  three  of 
Charles  Green's  for  the  Old  Curiosity  Shop  only  varied 


173 


The   Connoisseur 


from  £i  5s.  i<>  £8  [03.  ;  while  eight  of  J.  Mahoney's  for 
The  Battle  0)  '  ranged  from  .£4  15s.  to  £7  for  various 
vignettes,  while  a  full-page  illustration  brought  £15  15s. 
\  ,  opj  oi  ihr  pirated  edition  oi  ?<a  won  Cruso,  Mariner, 
cf.,  formerly  in  Lord  Townsend's  library,  brought 
Vndi  0  \  v  Book,  etc.,  of  Free  and 
Accep  is,  folding  front, etc.,  isted.,  1738,  cf.,  with 

orrigenda  leaf  at  end,  .£1 1  5s.  Presentation  copies  of  the 
first  editions  of  Swinburne's  A  Sluav  of  Shakespeare, 
1SS0;  Studies  in  Song,  [880;  ami  .•/  Midsummer  Holiday. 
1884.  all  in  cloth,  and  with  autogiaph  iiwriptions  from 
the  poet,  the  recipient's  name  being  erased  in  each  case, 
brought  £11  5s.,  £10,  and  .£10  5s.  respectively;  R.  L. 
Stevenson,  Prince  Otto,  tst  ed.,  orig.  cl.,  1885,  a  pre- 
sentation  copy  with  autograph  inscription,  £,tz  ;  J.  Gould, 
Birds  of  ureal  Britain,  eld.  plates,  5  vols.,  in  25  parts  as 
issued,  fol.,  1862-73,  .£26  ;  the  same  author's  Monograph 
of  the  Trochilidce,  or  Humming  Birds,  eld.  plates,  5  vols., 
in  25  parts  as  issued,  fol.,  1849-61,  ,£20  10s. ;  and  Mammals 
of  Australia,  eld.  plates,  3  vols.,  in  13  parts  as  issued,  fol., 
1S45-63,  ,£iS  10s.  ;  Sporting  Magazine,  1792  to  1842 
vol.  v.  missing),  99  vols.,  hf.  cf.,  and  Sporting  Review, 
1847  to  1S64,  36  vols.,  hf.  cf.  (not  uniform),  ,£107  ;  and  a 
presentation  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  Isaac  Walton's 
Life  of  Dr.  Sanderson,  mor.  g.e.,  1678,  with  an  initialled 
autograph  inscription  to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon  by  the 
author,  .£40;  while  the  Holograph  Manuscript  of  Six 
Sonnets,  by  Oscar  Wilde,  written  on  6  folio  leaves,  with 
title  Impressions  du  Theatre,  leather  bound,  realised  .£63. 

Messrs.  Sotheby's  sale  of  books  and  manuscripts  on 
January  13th,  14th,  and  15th,  comprising  1,115  items, 
realised  the  substantial  total  of  .£2,150.  The  result  was 
attained  not  so  much  in  large  sums  by  individual  lots,  as 
a  general  consensus  of  fair  prices;  the  most  noteworthy 
exception  to  the  rule  was  an  illuminated  Persian  MS.  of 
the  Five  Metrical  Romances  of  Nizani  of  Ganjah,  enriched 
with  33  miniatures,  and  dated  936  A. H.(=  1  529-30  A. D.), fol. 
cf.,  with  portions  of  an  old  Persian  binding  inlaid,  which 
swelled  the  total  by  the  substantial  sum  of  ,£275. 
Among  other  interesting  items  were:— H.  Fielding, 
Dramatic  Works,  1st  collected  ed.,  3  vols.,  cf.,  rebacked, 
Svo,  1755. .£24;  Locher,  Recueil de Portraits et Costumes, 
Suisses,  etc.,  32  eld.  plates,  n.d.,  c.  1S00,  4to,  .£31  ; 
R.  H.  D.  Barham,  Martin's  Vagaries,  being  a  sequel  to 
A  Tale  of  a  Tub,  illustrated  by  G.  Cruickshank,  mor.  ex., 
gt.,  wrappers  bound  up,  1843,  ,£11  5s.  ;  J.  A.  Symonds, 
Renaissance  in  Italy,  7  vols.,  Svo,  1880-86,  ,£10;  and 
Ackermann's  History  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  2  vols., 
large  paper,  plates  on  India  paper,  with  a  set  of  the 
original  etchings  of  the  plates  inserted,  orig.  bds.,  uncut, 
fol.,  1814,  £11. 

Mr.  Dowell,  of  Edinburgh,  on  January  20th,  21st,  and 
23rd,  dispersed  a  large  collection  of  books  belonging  to 
the  late  Sheriff  Bell  and  others,  which  included  a  set  of 
Session  Cases,  in  86  vols.  (16  vols,  cf.,  remainder  hf.  cf.), 
1821-1911,  which  realised  ,£50. 


Antique  Furniture 
and  China 


A  r  the  -.airs  of  furniture  and  china  which  occurred 
during  the  month,  what  may  be  termed  utilitarian  pieces 
— those  which  would  tempt  the 
householder  rather  than  the  ad- 
vanced collector-  strongly  pre- 
dominated. Among  the  more  noteworthy  items  were 
the  following:  A 1  Messrs.  Christie's  on  January  22nd 
and  23rd:  an  old  Worcester  oval  dish,  painted  with  a 
river  scene  and  flowers,  in  turquoise,  iii  in.  wide, 
£24  3s.  ;  an  old  Worcester  teacup  and  saucer,  painted 
with  exotic  birds  in  panels  with  gilt  foliage  and  trellis- 
work  holders,  on  mottled-blue  ground,  £25  4s.;  a  pair 
of  old  Worcester  oval  dishes,  painted  with  flowers  in 
scroll  panels  with  gilt  borders,  on  dark-blue  scale  pattern 
ground,  12  in.  wide.  £46  4s.;  a  Chinese  Kang-He 
bamboo-pattern  vase,  enamelled  with  flowers  in  famille 
vote  on  vari-coloured  ground,  8t  in.  high,  ,£94  10s.  ; 
a  suite  of  Adam  furniture,  carved,  painted  partly  white 
and  partly  gilt,  consisting  of  a  settee,  six  armchairs 
and  six  chairs,  ,£152  5s.;  a  seventeenth-century  clock, 
by  Edward  East,  London,  in  tall  walnut-wood  case,  the 
hood  mounted  with  festoons  in  chased  metal-gilt,  6  ft. 
high*  ,£50  8s. ;  a  Persian  rug  with  a  conventional  design 
of  foliage,  etc.,  in  polychrome  on  ruby  centre,  and  dark 
blue  and  white  border,  9  ft.  by  5  ft.  7  in.,  ,£89  5s.  ; 
a  Toby-Filpot  jug,  9J  in.  high,  ^50  8s.;  a  Delft  octa- 
gonal plaque,  painted  with  pastoral  scene  in  blue  and 
border  in  polychrome,  1  1}  in.  square,  ,£54  12s.;  a 
Louis  XVI.  clock,  by  A.  Coliau,  Paris,  in  ormolu  case 
with  figures  at  sides  and  a  bust  of  Louis  XVI.  on  top, 
18  in.  high,  £152  5s.;  a  Louis  XV.  library  table,  veneered 
with  tulip-wood,  with  king- wood  borders,  mounted 
with  ormolu  handles,  etc.,  71  in.  wide,  £304  10s.  ;  and  a 
Directoire  gilt  fauteuil,  elaborately  carved,  the  seat  and 
back  covered  with  Aubusson  tapestry  with  floral  design, 
,£262  10s.  On  January  30th,  at  the  same  rooms,  a  Delft 
bowl  with  escalloped  lip,  decorated  with  vases  and 
flowers  in  polychrome,  12  in.  diam.,  brought  £120  15s. 

Messrs.  Knight,  Frank  &  Rutley,  on  January  29th 
and  30th,  disposed  of  the  contents  of  2,  Carlton  House 
Terrace,  which  included  a  large  proportion  of  antique 
furniture.  Two  Louis  XVI.  pattern  gilt  settees,  carved 
in  floral  decoration,  each  2  ft.  8  in.  wide,  brought  £50  8s. 
each.  Of  three  cut-glass  electroliers,  one  with  36  imita- 
tion candle  lights  and  18  others,  with  lustre  pendants  and 
festoons,  brought  ,£94  10s.  ;  one  with  21  lights,  ,£39  iSs. ; 
and  one  with  12  scroll  candle  branches  and  36  electric 
lights,  £89  5s.  ;  a  Chippendale  mahogany  pedestal 
writing-table,  with  carved  mouldings  and  fluted  columns, 
6ft.  7  in.  by  3  ft.  10  in  .,  ,£138  12s.  ;  a  Sheraton  mahogany 
wardrobe,  inlaid,  with  ormolu  handles,  8  ft.  3  in.  wide, 
,£131  5s.  ;  while  of  two  gilt  carved  wood  side  tables  in 
the  style  of  William  Kent,  with  massive  marble  tops  on 
scroll  supports,  etc.,  one,  2  ft.  ioj  in.  high,  3  ft.  deep  and 
10  ft.  5  in.  wide,  brought  £73,  and  another,  2  ft.  narrower, 
£77    I4S- 


174 


URREBT  ART 


MODERN  critics  of  art  sometimes  speak  as  if  it  were 
susceptible  to  a  prodigious  and  continuous  development 

like  science.   This  idea,  by  placing  the 
The  Tendency  .     .         ,  .  , 

r  -.    ,  .  artistic  achievements  ot  past  ages,  not 

ot  Modern  Art  ,  ,  ,  ,     r 

as  goals  to  be  passed  before  greater 

results  can  be  attained,  but  rather  as  way-marks  already 
left  behind,  is  responsible  for  much  that  is  unsou'nd,  outre, 
and  even  immoral  in  the  newer  phases  ot  painting  and 
sculpture.     It   is   based  on  false  reasoning,  for  art  and 


science  are  essentially  different  in  principle,  and  occupy 
essentially  different  spheres.  The  latter  is  the  accumu- 
lation of  applied  knowledge  ;  so  long  as  any  secrets  of 
earth,  air,  water,  or  the  sideral  system  remain  unrevealed, 
further  additions  can  be  made  to  the  store.  Thus  the 
sphere  of  science,  so  far  as  can  be  appreciated  by  human 
understanding,  is  practically  infinite.  That  of  art,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  circumscribed  and  little  capable  of 
extension  ;  it  is  confined  to  the  interpretation  of  nature 


2 


COUR    Dll    DRAGON,    PARIS 
FROM    AN    ETCHING    BY    ALFRED    BENTLEV,    AT    THE    FINE    ART    SOCIETY 


J75 


The    Connoisseur 


through  human  emotion;  and  humanity  and  nature  are 
..illy  unchangeable.  Homer  and  Shakespeare 
were  as  well  equipped  for  the  task  as  is  Mr.  Bernard 
Shaw,  whereas  the  scientific  knowledge  "t  Sit  1  aa< 
Newton  can  be  bettered  by  that  of  a  schoolboy  who  has 
mastered  a  modern  primer. 

The  scientist  ol  to-daj  has  no  practical  interest  in  the 

problems    olved  by  his  prede rs,  whereas  the  artist 

is  still  essaying  the  same  problems  as  confronted  the 
thic  carver  of  mammoth  tusks.  In  the  intervening 
the  technique  of  art  lias  been  advanced,  thus 
enabling  the  modern,  who  has  mastered  it.  to  express 
himself  with  greater  certainty,  explicitness,  and  direct- 
ness than  his  pri  predecessor;  otherwise  their 
positions  are  the  same.  It  is  only  by  making  the  teeh- 
nique  of  art  still  more  perfect  that  we  can  hope  to 
achieve  greater  things  in  art  than  have  hitherto  been 
accomplished.  Now,  technical  mastery  comes  only  by 
intelligent  application  and  study.  The  artist  has  not 
only  to  learn  the  use  of  his  materials — the  way  to  mani- 
pulate brush,  chisel,  or  graver — but  also  by  the  study 
oi  the  work  of  other  artists  to  learn  how  to  apply  his 
knowledge,  which  in  itself  is  only  the  spelling  and 
grammar  of  art. 

It  may  be  urged  that  the  study  of  the  work  of  other 
men  tends  to  destroy  individuality ;  but  the  reverse  is  the 
case.  The  most  individual  among  the  older  English 
masters  were  Reynolds,  Romney,  Raeburn,  Gainsborough, 
Turner,  and  Constable.  The  three  first-named  journeyed 
to  Italy  to  study  the  pictures  there.  Gainsborough  copied 
pictures  by  the  great  masters — Van  Dyck  more  especially 
—  whenever  he  had  opportunity ;  Constable  did  the 
same  ;  while  Turner  successively  studied  and  emulated 
every  previous  master  of  landscape  before  he  developed 
his  own  individual  style.  It  is,  in  fact,  only  by  the  study 
of  how  other  artists  expressed  themselves  that  an  artist 
can  hope  to  master  the  art  of  self-expression,  unless  in 
a  very  limited  sphere.  A  knowledge  of  grammar  and 
spelling  will  enable  the  average  educated  man  to  write 
an  entertaining  letter,  but  not  to  compose  a  good  book, 
or  indeed  to  express  himself  at  length,  lucidly  and  ex- 
plicitly, on  any  complicated  subject.  In  the  same  way 
a  knowledge  of  the  grammar  and  spelling  of  art  may 
enable  a  painter  to  make  suggestive  sketches,  but  not  to 
express  the  same  subjects  with  the  fulness  and  explicit- 
ness that  is  demanded  by  an  important  picture.  The 
ability  to  produce  a  completed  work  constitutes  the  line 
of  demarcation  between  artists  and  amateurs;  both  can 
sketch,  but  only  the  latter  can  paint  pictures. 

Now,  in  all  great  pictures  it  is  essential  that  the  means 
of  production  shall  not  be  too  palpably  apparent.  If  the 
theme  is  worth  painting,  it  is  the  theme  which  should 
compel  the  painter's  attention,  and  not  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  put  upon  canvas.  With  a  sketch  it  is  different. 
One  can  tolerate,  and  even  admire,  the  sentient  rough- 
ness of  a  piece  of  rapid  work,  in  the  same  way  that  one 
enjoys  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  roof-beams  showing 
out  through  the  sides  of  a  humble  country  cottage  ;  but 
similar  construction  in  the  case  of  an  important  building 
like  St.  Paul's  would  be  altogether  unsightly. 


Pictures  and 
Drawings  by 
Professor  C.  J. 
Holmes 


Tills  distinction  between  pictures  and  sketches  is 
apparently  being  altogether  abandoned  by  the  latest  ex- 
ponents of  modern  art,  and  they  are 
not  only  filling  the  minor  exhibitions 
with  sketches,  but  also  showing  large- 
sized  canvases  which  are  nothing 
but  sketches  on  an  exaggerated 
Scale.  I  Mie  may  take  the  exhibition  of  pictures  and 
drawings  by  Professor  C.  J.  Holmes  at  the  Carfax 
i  rallei  ies  (24,  Bury  Street,  Si.  James's)  as  an  example  of 
this  tendency.  One  does  this,  not  because  the  professor's 
work  is  the  least  worthy  of  admiration,  but  that  he  is  an 
accomplished  artist  and  an  acute  critic,  who  has  assumed 
his  present  style  from  profound  conviction,  and  is  quite 
capable  of  producing  highly  pictorial  and  elaborated  work 
if  he  thought  it  desirable.  If  this  new  theory  of  art  is 
correct,  it  should  receive  its  highest  exemplification  in  the 
work  of  one  so  accomplished  and  animated  by  such  high 
ideals.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  as  one  believes,  this  theory 
is  not  only  mistaken,  but,  if  generally  adopted,  will  result  in 
the  destruction  of  the  British  school  of  painting,  then  there 
is  no  worthier  object  of  attack.  Twenty-seven  pictures 
and  drawings  were  shown  in  the  exhibition,  every  one  of 
which  bore  evidence  of  high  intention,  but  only  one  of 
which  could  be  said  to  be  carried  to  full  completion.  This 
was  the  Saddleback  from  the  South-  West,  a  canvas  which 
has  already  been  described  in  THE  CONNOISSEUR,  and 
which  was  not  so  much  a  picture  as  a  piece  of  well- 
balanced  and  harmonious  decoration.  One  does  not 
wish  to  decry  this  work,  which  was  excellent  ot  its  kind. 
But  is  its  kind  of  the  highest  order?  Is  there  not  a 
possibility  that  a  Japanese  screen  painter,  trained  in  such 
art  from  his  boyhood,  could  not  produce  a  similar  and 
equally  convincing  piece  of  work  at  the  cost  of  a  few 
hours'  labour  ?  Professor  Holmes's  other  examples  of  oil 
were  not  so  satisfactory  ;  they  halted  on  the  borderland 
between  decorative  and  realistic  art  without  showing  a 
striking  affinity  to  either.  They  were  merely  statements 
of  elementary  fact  set  forth  in  flat  tones,  and  conveying 
little  or  no  knowledge  to  a  person  who  was  not  already 
informed  on  the  subjects  they  depicted.  One  may  ask, 
what  is  the  utility  of  such  work  ?  A  schoolboy  would  not 
have  been  able  to  compass  such  decorative  feeling, 
imperfect  though  it  was;  but  a  schoolboy  with  a  penny 
box  of  paints  could  have  informed  us  with  almost  equal 
facility  that  a  mountain  side  was  green,  the  sky  blue,  and 
water  white.  If  the  aim  of  the  pictures  was  decorative, 
then  a  square  of  Turkey  carpet  would  have  provided  us 
with  a  more  luscious  feast  of  colour ;  if  realistic,  then  a 
photograph  would  have  better  served  our  turn  ;  and  if  to 
impress  us  with  the  beauty  and  majesty  of  nature,  then 
the  slightest  sketch  of  a  similar  subject  by  Turner  would 
have  told  us  more  of  the  massive  grandeur  of  the  eternal 
hills,  of  the  infinite  gradation  of  form  and  colour  in  sky 
and  cloud,  and  of  the  mighty  force  of  flooded  water- 
courses. 

In  his  water-colours  and  drawings  Professor  Holmes 
was  less  ambitious  and  more  successful.  They  possessed 
the  simple  form  of  sketches,  but  lacked  the  verve  and 
spontaneity  which  makes  a  sketch  delightful.     One  had 


176 


Current   Art   Notes 


FROM    AN    ETCHING    BY    A. 


CHATEAU    D  AMBOISE 

F.  AFFLECK,    AT    MESSRS.  J.  CONNELL    AND    SON'S 


the  feeling  that  these  were  not  frank  transcripts  of 
nature — several,  indeed,  were  purely  decorative  in  their 
motifs — but  that  their  effect  was  attained  by  a  careful 
and  studied  elimination  of  all  that  the  painter  considered 
non-essential  to  his  work.  Such  a  course  is  to  some 
extent  justified,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  not 
the  greatest  art  which  conveys  to  us  the  fewest  facts,  but 
the  most.  It  is  possible  that  the  artist's  message  may 
become  confused  by  overloading  it  with  detail  ;  but  it 
is  the  most  perfect  art  which  records  both  details  and 
essentials,  subordinating  the  former  to  the  latter  in  such 
a  manner  that  they  shall  amplify  and  make  stronger  the 
latter. 

At  the  same  galleries  there  were  shown  a  number 
of  paintings  and  drawings  by  Mr.  Donald  Maclaren.  Of 
the  former,  all  of  which  were  landscapes,  it  can  only  be 
said  that  there  were  notes  of  colour  somewhat  crudely 
and  clumsily  expressed  and  showing  little  attempt  at 
delineation  of  form.  The  drawings  were  decidedly 
better :  they  were  portrait  studies,  well  modelled  and 
marked   by  considerable  power  of  characterisation. 


Drawings  by 
Ilbery  Lynch  and 
Hugh  L.  Norris, 
and  Etchings  by 
Alfred  Bentley, 
Henry  C.  Brewer, 
Col.  R.  Goff,  and 
Herbert  Hillier 


The  tendency  of  modern  art  to  sketchiness  is  a  phase 
of  the  development  of  that  artificial  naivete  with  which 
this  most  blase  of  blase  generations 
is  trying  to  awaken  long-dormant 
elementary  emotions.  Another 
phase  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  the 
unconventional  and,  one  must  add, 
irreverent  expression  of  religious 
subjects.  A  number  of  works  of 
this  character  were  included  among 
the  drawings  by  Mr.  Ilbery  Lynch, 
shown  at  the  Fine  Art  Society's  Gallery  (148,  New  Bond 
Street).  In  saying  that  these  works  were  irreverent,  one 
does  not  wish  to  imply  that  the  artist  was  inspired  by 
irreverent  motives.  He  may  have  been,  and  probably 
was,  influenced  by  the  desire  to  make  his  themes  more 
realistic  and  poignant,  and,  to  effect  this,  entirely  dis- 
carded the  conventional  forms  of  portrayal,  introducing 
modern  Western  costume  and  surroundings.  Such  form 
of  treatment  demands  the  highest  artistic  talent  to  en- 
sure success.    We  can  accept  as  satisfying  the  orthodox 


'77 


The   Connoisseur 


tmenl  ol  a  sacred  character,  even  though  it  be 
ig  in  tmpressiveness  and  powei  ;  for  the  halo, 
traditional  robes,  and  other  time  hallowed  emblems  with 
which  the  figure  is  invested  nuke  it  symbolii  j  we  accept 
it  not  foi  what  it  is,  but  what  u  stands  for.  Discard 
these  emblematic  trappings,  and  only  the  loftiest  nobility 
of  conception  will  make  upfoi  theii  absence.  Mr.  Lynch 
ha  fa  led  to  realise  this;  he  has  descended  not  merely 
to  realism,  but  to  caricature.     The  Entry  into  J erusa 

.  i  ted  .is  though  the  dramatis  persona  were  a  hedge 
preacher  and  a  small  crowd  of  attendant  rabble,  the 
,  La  arus  is  depicted  in  an  aspect  that  is  more 
ludicrous  than  soul-moving,  and  in  the  Adoration  of  the 
the  three  kings  appear  under  the  guise  of  street 
strollers.  Such  conceptions  are  both  false  and  mis- 
chievous, and  tend  to  degrade  our  ideas  of  the  spiritual 
and  material  aspect  of  the  great  sacred  drama. 

The  same  artist's  illustrations  to  The  Rubaiyat  and 
other  books,  and  many  of  his  sketches,  showed  decorative 
feeling,  and  in  some  instances  powerful  and  fluent  line. 
If  Mr.  Lynch  would  strive  less  for  originality  and  more 
for  truth  and  sentiment,  he  would  probably  achieve  far 
greater  work  than  he  has  yet  accomplished. 

To  turn  from  Mr.  Ilbery  Lynch' s  works  to  the  water- 
colours  of  Mr.  Hugh  L.  Norris  was  a  refreshing  change. 
The  latter  did  not  attempt  to  awaken  our  intellectual 
faculties,  but  was  content  with  affording  us  sensual 
gratification.  Very  delightful  were  his  presentments  of 
English  scenery,  set  down  in  atmospheric  and  delicate 
colour  and  filled  with  idyllic  charm.  Almost  cloying  in 
their  tender  beauty  were  a  few  of  them,  and  one  would 
have  liked  occasionally  a  more  resonant  note ;  but  tar 
worse  omissions  than  this  might  have  been  forgiven  Mr. 
Norris,  so  full  of  quiet  loveliness  were  the  scenes  to  which 
he  introduced  us— verdant  water  meadows,  leafy  brooks, 
and  bluebell-carpeted  woodlands— all  set  down  without 
a  jarring  or  tumultuous  note  to  disturb  their  exquisite 
and  refined  harmony. 

At  the  same  galleries  were  shown  a  collection  of  new- 
etchings  by  Messrs.  Alfred  Bentley,  Henry  C.   Brewer, 
Herbert  Hillier,  and  Col.  R.  Goff,  practically  all  of  which 
were  concerned  with  architectural  motifs.    This  phase  of 
subject  is,  perhaps,  over  popular  at  present,  and  nearly 
every  etcher,  so  far  as  theme  is  concerned,  seems  desirous 
of  following  on  the  lines  long  ago  made  popular  by  Alex. 
Haig.     This,  however,  does  not  imply  that  the  moderns 
see  nature  from  his  view-point,  or  express  their  vision  in 
the   same    manner.      Mr.    Bentley  uses  his  needle  with 
much   power  ;  his   Cour  du  Dragon,  Paris,  simply  and 
succinctly  set  down,  was  alive  with  animation  and  sun- 
shine.      Very    effective,    too,    were    some    of  his    other 
Parisian  scenes,  and   the  dry-points  of   The  Bakehouse 
Close,    Edinburgh,   and   Stirling    Castle.       His    solitary 
mezzotint,  the  Luxembourg  Gardens— a.  night  scene— if 
truthful  in  general  tone  and  sentiment,  could  have  done 
with  a  little  more  relief.     Mr.  Henry  C.  Brewer's  work 
was    generally    larger,  and   he   depended  less  upon  his 
power  of  line   than   on   tonal   contrast.      In    his    Toledo 
Cathedral  he  had  taken  full  advantage  of  the  picturesque- 
ness  of  his  subject  and  made  a  well-balanced  and  effective 


composition;  his  view  of  the  West  Front  of  the  same 
building  was  also  highly  effective.  The  dry-point  of 
Westminster  ffall,hy  Mr.  Herbert  Hillier— an  unusually 
[ai  [i  essay  in  this  method  -showed  a  somewhat  formal 
llbject,  which  by  the  arrangement  of  light  and  shadow 
makes  .1  plate  full  of  interest,  set  down  in  free,  forcible 
line.  In  the  Malines  the  etcher  had  given  an  impres- 
sive rendering  of  the  cathedral,  backed  by  a  lowering 
sky.  The  contrast  of  light  and  shade  in  The  Astro- 
logical  0/  Catherine  de  Medici,  though  effective,  was 
somewhat  unduly  forced.  Col.  R.  Goff  s  works  were  not 
limited  to  architecture,  and  included  some  vigorous 
renderings  of  landscapes  and  seashore. 

ETCHINGS  were  also  in  evidence  at  the  Dowdeswell 
Galleries  (160,  New  Bond  Street,  W.),  where  a  complete 
collection   of  the  works  of  Sir  J.  C. 
Etchings  by  Sir        Robinson  were  on  view.    Sir  Charles, 
J.  C.  Robinson  who  ;s  nQW  jn  his  eighty-ninth  year, 

Drawings  by  ]s  an  amateur  ;n   the  best  sense  ol 

Miss  Frances  the  wQrdj  for  whi]e  he  is  fu„y  accom. 

Drummond  ^^  [q  ^  knowledge  of  his  art] 

he  works  purely  for  his  own  delectation.  His  work 
showed  much  originality  of  conception,  and  was  strikingly 
different  in  outlook  and  method  from  that  of  most  of  his 
contemporaries.  He  showed  a  decided  preference  for 
concentrating  the  high  lights  in  the  centre  of  his  works, 
not  infrequently  introducing  the  sun  in  the  middle  of 
his  compositions,  as  in  the  Sunlight  and  Mist,  Swanage 
Down,  a  sentient  and  finely  composed  piece  of  work. 
Equally  effective  was  the  Newton  Manor  from  the 
Tarheel;  Hills,  with  its  grand  cloud-forms  and  vivid 
suggestion  of  falling  rain.  Other  works  which  should 
be  mentioned  were  Brown  Down  Trees,  with  its  strong 
contrast  of  trees  in  shadow  against  a  luminous  sky,  and 
the  Space  and  Light,  Sierra  de  Almaden,  Spain,  with 
its  daring  expression  of  the  sun's  rays.  Miss  Frances 
Drummond  showed  forty  garden  and  woodland  scenes 
at  the  same  galleries,  which  were  refined  and  harmonious 
in  colour  and  displayed  much  decorative  feeling. 

AT  Messrs.  James  Connell's  Galleries  (47,  Old   Bond 
Street,    W.)    etchings,    too,    were    to    the    fore,   a    very 

_    .  .  interesting  collection  by  some  of  the 

Modern  Etchings  ,  ,  ...    ,,  ,. 

best-known  workers  with  the  needle- 
point having  been  gathered  together.     Mr.  A.  F.  Affleck 
was  perhaps  the  most  strongly  represented.     His  work 
is  gaining  in  strength  and  richness  of  chiaroscuro,  and 
though  sometimes  he  is  apt  to  over-accentuate  the  con- 
trast between  his  lights  and  shadows  in  his  works,  like 
Chateau   d'Amboise   and   the    Gateway   at    Burgos,    he 
attained  a  wonderfully  impressive  effect.     Not  so  strong 
but  more   atmospheric  was  the  same  artist's  rendering 
of  the  interior  of  Toledo  Cathedral,  full  of  architectural 
detail  but  broad  in  its  treatment.      More  wholly  depend- 
ent on  their  power  of  pure  line  were  the  Dutch  scenes 
by  Mr.  William  Walker,  in  which  the  subjects  were  set 
forth   with   the  accuracy  of  a  topographical   draughts- 
man, yet  so  poignantly  and  tellingly  expressed  that  they 
were  among  the  most  interesting  and  autobiographical 


178 


Current    Art    Notes 


DRAWING  FOR  THE  EOOK  OF  JOB 


BY     R.   T.   ROSE 


AT    THE    SOCIETY    OF    SCOTTISH    ARTISTS 


works  in  the  exhibition.  Mr.  William  Strang's  Farm 
in  Brittany  and  La  Guimorais  were  powerful  in  their 
directness  and  simplicity  of  execution,  while  Messrs. 
Ian  Strang,  Fred  A.  Farrell,  Martin  Hardie,  and  Tom 
Maxwell  were  all  seen  to  good  advantage. 


Original  Etchings 
fay  Rembrandt 
and  his 
Contemporaries 


Of  distinct  educational  value  was  the  exhibition  of 
original  etchings  by  Rembrandt  and  his  contemporaries, 
shown  at  Mr.  Gutekunst's  gallery 
(10,  Grafton  Street,  Bond  Street). 
In  some  respects  it  was  the  more 
valuable  because  it  was  not  ex- 
clusively confined  to  the  picked 
work  of  the  best  artists,  but  it  included  typical  examples 
by  men  who  are  scarcely  to  be  numbered  among  the 
greater  masters  of  the  needle.  Comparing  it  with  the 
work  of  the  present  time,  one  could  not  say  that  any 
examples,  with  the  possible  exception  of  those  by 
Rembrandt,  surpassed  that  of  our  best  living  etchers  ; 
yet  the  exhibition  was  decidedly  more  interesting  than, 
say,  an  average  display  by  the  Painter-Etchers.  The 
reason  of  this  is,  not  because  of  any  technical  deficiency 
on  the  part  of  the  moderns,  whose  mastery  of  poignant 
line  is  hardly  to  be  matched  at  any  earlier  period  of 
the  art,  but  to  the  clarity  and  lucidity  which  distinguished 
the  works.  These  old  masters  were  concerned  with 
what  they  had  to  express  ;  the  moderns  are  concerned 
less  with  the  subject  than  how  they  express  it,  with  the 
result  that  a  display  of  their  powers  becomes  the 
predominant  object  of  their  art — a  display  which  often 
becomes  as  tiresome  as  the  undue  emphasis  of  a  high 
note  in  singing.     In   the  works  displayed,  Rembrandt, 


though  only  represented  by  three  examples — the  Jan 
Lutma,  Clement  tie  Jonghe,  and  The  Three  Cottages — 
showed  supreme  mastery,  he  alone  being  able  to  vary 
his  style  to  suit  the  exact  expression  of  his  subject, 
and  to  express  it  with  full  detail  without  losing  breadth, 
and  give  full  value  to  the  light  and  shadow  without 
descending  into  exaggeration.  Van  Dyck,  in  his  Jan 
Breughel,  shows  equal  powers  of  characterisation,  but  he 
is  less  supple  and  direct  in  his  line.  Nearest  of  all  in 
point  of  style  to  Rembrandt  is  his  pupil,  Ferdinand  Bol ; 
his  Woman  holding  a  Pear,  though  not  quite  so  certain 
in  it^  draughtsmanship,  and  with  the  blacks  and  whites 
a  little  over-emphasised,  will  yet  challenge  comparison 
with  the  works  of  his  master.  Among  other  masters 
represented  were  Van  Dyck,  Claude,  du  Jardin,  A.  van 
Ostade,  D.  Stoop,  N.  P.  Bergem,  and  J.  Lievens. 


The  director  of  the  National  Museum  of  Wales  at 
Cardiff  may  be  congratulated  on  the  high  quality  of 
the  retrospective  loan  exhibition 
of  paintings  now  on  view  in  its 
galleries.  In  the  preface  to  the 
catalogue  it  is  stated  that  the  exhibition  "has  been 
rendered  possible  by  the  generosity  of  a  few  friends 
interested  in  art,  who  desire  to  remain  anonymous.  They 
have  lent  their  treasures  and  defrayed  the  expenses  of 
the  Exhibition  and  the  Lectures  connected  with  it  in  the 
hope  that  the  Welsh  people  will  derive  pleasure  and 
profit  from  them."  This  public-spirited  and  well-timed 
action  should  exert  a  great  beneficial  influence  on  the 
future  of  the  Museum.  An  inaugural  exhibition  in  an 
institution  of  this  kind  not  only  sets  a  standard  for  its 


National  Museum 
of  Wales 


179 


The    Connoisseur 


successors,  but  also  serves  u>   point  out  .the  charactei 

of   the    works    winch    should    be    accumulated   in   the 

merit  collection.     It  is  therefore  of  importance  that 

il  should  consist  ol  work  ■  of  serious  import  1>\  competent 

That  this  result  has  been  attained  can  be  seen 

an  inspection  of  the  sixty  exhibits,  representative  ol 

hat  number  of  artists,  nearly  all  ol  the  lattei  being 

irld-wide  celebrity.     Anion-   the  English  painters, 

Turner  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage,  no  less  than 

seven  of  his  work-  being  included,  all  of  which  belong 

to  his  latest  and  most  expressive  period.     Chief  among 

,    ,1  :,  the  famous  Ro  iets  and  Blue  Lights,  lent  by 

\1    .         Duveen  Brothers,  one  of  the  finest  impressionist 

pictures  of  all  time.     Of  Romney  there  is  an  interesting 

m  oi  /.  i.iv  Hamilton  as  "St.  Cecilia"  and  h\sPortrait 

■  r.  Newbury;  while  Raeburn's  Mrs.  Douglas,  shown 

some  little  time  ago  at  the  French  Gallery,  is  an  adequate 

ital  re  of  that  artist.    Other  English  artists  shown, 

not  always  inimportant,  but  always  in  characteristic  works, 

are    Burnc-Jones,   D.    Y.   Cameron,   Constable,    Murray 

Smith,  Grosvenor  Thomas,  Whistler,  and  Wilson. 

Of  foreign  artists,  those  belonging  to  the  French  and 
modern  Dutch  schools  are  chiefly  in  evidence,  Millet 
and  Corot  each  shown  in  half  a  dozen  fine  examples,  and 
Monet,  Rodin,  and  many  others  being  represented  by 
one  or  more  characteristic  works. 


At  Messrs  Walker's  Galleries  ( 1 1 S,  New  Bond 
Street,  W.)  Miss  L.  E.  Pierce  exhibited  a  series  of 
drawings  illustrative  of  John  Keats 
and  Omar  Khayyam  and  impressions 
of  England  and  the  Continent. 
Among  the  best  of  her  works  were 
the  Low  Tide,  Southend,  expressed 
with  crispness  and  decision  ;  the  Egg  Market,  Holland, 
in  which  a  strong  note  of  blue  was  introduced  with  good 
effect ;  and  the  Fountain,  Rome,  the  latter  being  marked 
by  powerful  but  somewhat  heavy  coloration.  The 
drawings  by  Mr.  R.  Purvis  Flint,  at  the  same  galleries) 
depicting  Scotland,  England,  and  Holland,  showed  little 
differentiation  of  locality,  but  were  all  marked  by 
delicacv  and  refined  colour. 


by  Miss  L.  E. 

Pierce  and 

R.  Purvis  Flint 


Post-Impressionism  was  strongly  in  the  ascendant 
at  the  exhibition  of  the  Friday  Club  at  the  Alpine  Club, 
Conduit  Street.  Now,  as  regards 
The  Friday  Club  p0St-Impressionism,  I  am  a  Philis- 
tine. I  lack  that  exquisite  sensibility  which  enables  one 
to  find  a  rhythmical  flow  of  line  in  drawings  destitute  of 
draughtsmanship,  and  rhythmical  harmony  in  pictures 
whose  crudity  makes  the  crimson  of  a  pillar-box  look 
quiet  and  unobtrusive.  My  vocabulary,  too,  is  deficient, 
for  Post-Impressionism,  being  above  all  forms  of  orthodox 
art,  cannot  be  adequately  criticised  in  the  orthodox  art 
terms,  and  one  must  needs  reinforce  the  latter  with  the 
phraseology  of  music,  science,  and  poetry.  A  well-turned 
phrase,  culled  from  a  contemporary  writer,  is  the  "music 
of  the  paint";  one  does  not  know  exactly  what  it  means, 


but  applying  it  to  Mr.  Mark  Gertler's  Furrier,  one 
would  say  that  his  paint  had  the-  volume  and  strength  of 
a  full-powered  German  band.  His  Woman  Resting  was 
depicted  with  phenomenal  arms  and  hands;  the  picture 
might  possibly  be  the  embodiment  of  the  mental  vision 
which  a  small  boy,  undergoing  corporal  punishment, 
conceives  regarding  the  weight  and  strength  of  the  limbs 
oi  his  casligalor.  Mr.  Hamilton  Hay's  Still  Life  pure 
might  have  been  the  visualised  recollection  of  a  dyspeptic 
old  gentleman  of  one  of  the  surreptitious  feasts  of  his 
youth.  A  cut  melon — or  was  it  a  Dutch  cheese  ? — was  set 
forth  on  a  draught-board  patterned  table-cloth  in  com- 
pany with  some  emerald  green  apples.  The  former  looked 
an  embodiment  of  indigestion,  the  latter  were  suggestive 
of  acute  colic,  while  the  obtrusive  chequered  table-cloth 
was  possibly  intended  to  symbolise  the  chequered  happi- 
ness of  boyhood — the  pleasure  of  the  feasting,  and  the 
pangs  suffered  in  taking  nauseous  medicine  to  alleviate 
its  after-effects. 

THE  trio  of  exhibitions  at  the  Baillie  Gallery  (13,  Bruton 
Street,  W. )  comprised  one  of  water-colours  and  pastels 
by  Mr.  J.  W.  Herald,  another  of  oil 
Pastels  by  landscapes    by    Mr.    Charles    Martin 

J.  W.  Herald,  Hardie,  R.S.A.,  and  a  third  of  etch- 

Pictures  by      ings  and  water.coiour  sketches  by  Mr. 
Martin   Hardie,  A.  R.E.       Lest   con- 
fusion should  occur  in  the  minds  of 
visitors   between   the    identity  of  the 
last-named  exhibitors,  a  note  in  the 
catalogues   explained    that    they   are 
respectively  uncle  and  nephew,  Mr.  C.  M.  Hardie  being 
a  Scottish  landscape  artist  of  repute  ;  while  his  nephew, 
who  is  perhaps  the  better  known  of  the  two  south  of  the 
Tweed,  is  an  official  at  the  South  Kensington  Museum, 
a   writer  of  valuable   books  and  criticisms  on  art,  and 
an  accomplished  etcher.      It  is  chiefly  in  the  latter  guise 
that   he   appears   in    the   exhibition,    forty-three    of  his 
etchings  being  shown  against  nine  water-colours.     As 
regards    the    latter,    one    is   inclined  to  agree   with   the 
preferences  expressed  in  the  forenote  to  the  catalogue 
by  Sir  F.  Short,  who  singles  out  the  High  Noon  in  tiie 
Boat-yard,    Rye,    and    Dulieiis  Pig  Farm,   for  special 
commendation.         The    first-named,   a   skeleton    of   an 
unfinished   boat,  expressed  with    thorough  and    certain 
mastery  of  line,  has  been  seen  before,  but  the  Pig  Farm, 
together  with  Studland  Bay,  Martello  Towers,  Hythe, 
In   tin-  Weald  of  Kent,  and  A  Bend  of  the  Rhine,  are 
among  the  artist's  latest  work,  all   of  which  show   his 
command  over  poignant  line  and  effective  chiaroscuro. 
Mr.  Charles  M.  Hardie's  pictures  were  distinguished  by 
fresh,  pleasing  colour  and  broad,  direct  handling.   Among 
the   more   effective  were  An  Old  Fife  Jelly,  Changing 
Pastmes,  and  A  Moorland  Tarn.      Mr.  Herald's  pastels 
would  have  been  both  effective  in  colour  and  tone   had 
he   not  so   resolutely  persisted   in   keeping   them   in  an 
intensely  minor  key.     As  it  was,  his  work  appeared  like 
nature  seen  through  the  medium  of  a  murky  London  fog  ; 
a  lighter  background  than  the  dark-brown  paper  he  is 
so  fond  of  using  would  probably  remedy  this  defect. 


C.  M.  Hardie, 
R.S.A.,  and 
Etchings  by 
Martin    Hardie 
A. R.E. 


1  So 


Current  Art    Notes 


At    the    Leicester    Galleries    (Leicester    Square)    two 

exceptionally    interesting    exhibitions   were    on    view — 

paintings,  chiefly  of  the  Cornish 
Paintings  by  coas^   j^,    Mf    LouJs    Sargent>  and 

Sienorina  Emma  .  ...  ,  .. 

_        ..  others,  including  many  of  Venice, 

Ciardi  and  .        „.  .         „  ' .       ,.       „, 

.    _  by  Signorma  Lmma  Ciardi.      1  he 

Louis  Sargent  ,        ,    , 

work  of  the  two  artists  was  ren- 
dered more  effective  by  the  contrast  of  their  methods  ; 
Signorina  Ciardi  seeing  nature  under  an  almost  uniform- 
ly grey  aspect,  while  Mr.  Sargent's  work  was  replete 
with  strong  and  vivid  coloration.  The  lady  artist  was 
perhaps  over-academic  in  her  outlook,  her  inspiration 
being  largely  derived  from  Guardi  ;  nevertheless,  her 
work  was  not  wanting  in  individuality,  and  was  marked 
by  the  distinction  which  comes  from  assured  execution 
and  an  absence  of  straining  for  effect.  Her  colora- 
tion, if  somewhat  uniform,  was  delightfully  silvery  in 
tone.  Mr.  Sargent's  work  was  impressionist  in  the  sense 
that  he  tried  to  interpret  nature  in  the  most  direct  and 
forcible  manner.  Certainly  he  gave  a  more  vivid  and 
poignant  rendering  of  the  wonderful  coloration  of  the 
Cornish  sea-coast  than  has  perhaps  been  vouchsafed 
by  any  previous  artist.  His  pictures  were  sketchy 
and  lacking  in  repose,  but  in  their  vehement  strength 
of  utterance,  sustained  brilliancy  of  colour,  and  abso- 
lute conviction  they  attained  the  quality  of  great  art. 
Among  the  best  works  were  the  Clodgy  Rocks,  St.  Ives, 
flashed  with  sunlight,  When  the  Sea  is  out,  and  In  the 
Serpent  Cove.  Another  phase  of  the  painter's  art  was 
shown  in  several  nocturnes,  of  which  The  Meteor  was 
specially  noteworthy  for  its  decorative  feeling  and  admir- 
able composition. 


The   Society  of  Scottish   Artists'   Exhibition   is   much 

better  this  year  than   last.       The  committee  have  seen 

fit  to  add  an  applied  art  section,  and 
Edinburgh  :  ,  ,  ,-    ,        ,  .     • 

.  .      thev  deserve  credit  for  this  innovation. 

The  Society  of         ,  .,  ,  .  , 

.  ,         '.  while  among    the    pictures  there  are 

Scottish  Artists  a  .  ,         ,  ,        ,       ,     r 

several   considerably  ahead  of  any 

shown   by  the   Society  for   several  years  past.     To  this 

category  belongs  Mr.  W.  Y.  Macgregor's  Nethy  Bridge, 

a  fine  study  of  the  rapid  changes  which  nature  presents 

on  a  breezy  day  ;  while   Mr.  C.  Mackie's  landscape  with 

figures,  A  Balcony  at   Venice,  has  a  greater  luminosity 

than    this    painter    usually   achieves,   and   evokes  a    far 

higher  opinion  of  his  capacity  than  the  majority  of  his 

previous  canvases  have  done.      Further  good  landscapes 

are  those  of  Mr.  W.  O.  Hutchison  and  Mr.  W.  M.  Glass, 

while  others,   again,  are  Sunset  on  the  Moray  Firth,  by 

Mr.  W.  B.  Hyslop,  and  .4  Spanish  Village,  by  Mr.  D.  M. 

Sutherland.     Mr.  Hyslop  has  missed  the  sleepy  motion 

of  a  calm  sea — that  motion  which  Josef  Israels  expressed 

so  well  sometimes — but  the  light  gleaming  on  the  distant 

headland  is  beautifully  handled,  and  it  is  this  same  quality 

of  good  treatment  of  light  which   chiefly  glorifies   Mr. 

Sutherland's   work.      His  whole   picture   is  suffused   by 

the  sun's  rays,  but,  though  everything  is  glittering  and 

brilliant,  that  stridency  often  marking   art  of  this  kind  is 

wholly  absent.    Turning  to  the  department  of  portraiture, 


two   artists    who    impress    one   favourably   are    Mr.   W. 
Macdonald  and   Mr.   A.    E.   Harley,    the  former   repre- 
sented by   Lola  and  the  latter  by  Portrait  of  a  Lady. 
Mr.  Macdonald's  canvas  is  original  and  intensely  virile, 
while  the  face  certainly  holds  an  abundance  of  life  ;  yet 
the  bare  arm  prominent  in  the  first  plane  is  depicted  in 
a  slovenly  fashion,  and  slapdash  workmanship  is  equally 
salient  in  various  other  parts  of  the  figure.      No  doubt 
this    has  been  done    with  a  view  to  concentrating   the 
spectator's   gaze    on    the    sitter's   eyes,    but    when    that 
stratagem  is  employed  it  should  not  be  allowed  to   be 
obtrusive,  as   it  assuredly  is  in  the  present  instance,  it 
should  be  a  servant  rather  than  a  suzerain  ;  and  one  has 
only  to  recall  how  successfully  it  was  used  by  Van  Gogh, 
and  more  particularly  by  Manet,   to  realise  what  a  lot 
Mr.  Macdonald  has  still  to  learn  despite  his  cleverness. 
Mr.  Harley 's  picture,  on  the  other  hand,  reflects  less  fire 
yet  remarkably  sound  technique,  the  modelling  being  a 
very  exemplar,  and  making  all  seem  to  stand  backwards 
into  the  canvas  besides  forwards  ;  while  waiving  portrai- 
ture,  a  work  of  which  it  behoves  to  speak  is  Mr.  S.  J. 
Peploe's  Still  Life,  its  subject  a  teapot,  a  melon,  and 
some  other  fruit.      In  delineating  these  things  the  artist 
has    eschewed    rotundity   as   far   as     possible,     making 
angularity  insistent  instead,  and,  thanks  to  his  utilising 
this  Post-Impressionist  style,  he  has  been  fiercely  criti- 
cised.     But  is  it  not  an  old  axiom  in  painting,  a  very  old 
one,  that   when   a   thing  is  drawn  with  curves  it  has  a 
feeling  of  softness,  whereas  when  it  is  done  with  straight 
lines  and  angles  it  acquires  a  look  of  solidity  ?     Prob- 
ably, then,  it  is  with  intent  to  emphasise  the  solidity  and 
hardness  of  his  subject  that  Mr.  Peploe  is  painting  in 
this  so-called  new  manner  ;  and,  even  allowing  that  his 
recent  works  are  less  delightful  than  those  on  which  his 
fame  rests,  he  is  quite  right  in  aiming  at  progress.     No 
master  of  the   past   but  has  done   likewise,   developing 
various  ideas  of  his  predecessors. 

In  the  water-colour  room  theie  are  many  engaging 
items.  Miss  O.  C.  Smyth's  Dannsa  Marbh  is  a  clever 
mutation  of  Chinese  art,  and  Miss  C.  Walton's  street 
scene,  Balloons,  demonstrates  this  artist  able  to  essay 
a  new  line  of  action  well,  the  picture  being  done  in  a 
strong,  simple  fashion,  comparatively  foreign  to  Miss 
Walton's  productions  heretofore.  An  analogous  manner 
is  used  by  Mr.  H.  Lintott  in  Portrait  Study,  and  used 
to  good  purpose,  while  an  arresting  work  is  Mr.  A. 
Gamley's  Little  Housekeeper.  The  topic  is  a  young  girl 
engaged  in  washing  dishes,  and,  albeit  these  last  prove 
Mr.  Gamley  but  a  mediocre  painter  of  still-life,  and 
although  the  girl's  right  hand  is  badly  drawn,  the  picture 
undoubtedly  possesses  a  deal  of  that  indefinable  charm 
which  the  old  Dutchmen  conferred  on  humble  domestic 
scenes. 

The  sculpture  hall  is  fuller  this  year  than  usual,  and  a 
good  item   here    is    Mr.    H.   Wilson's   Christ  Crucified, 


while    another    exhibitor     manifesting 


ifts   is    Mr.    L. 


Deuchars,  who  shows  two  models  for  carved  panels, 
each  executed  in  plaster  from  a  design  by  Sir  Robert 
Lorimer,  and  the  subject  in  either  case  being  a  series 
of  little  heads.     Their  beauty  would  seem  to  lie  in  their 


The  Connoisseur 


quaintness,   and    perhaps  it   is  quaintness-  again    which 

constitutes    the    charm   of    Mr,    Pilkington    Jackson's 

Patriarchy  a  very  life-like  study  of  a  rabbit.     Passing  to 

lei  the  new  craftsmanship  section,  some  bookbind- 

i     gns  b>    Mr.  D.  S.  McColl  are  disappoint- 
ing.     He  is  one  of  the  best  art  critics  alive,   but  his 
bindings  ai  e  destitute  of  sj  nthesis  :  they  betray  a  lack  of 
definite    purpose   on   the   designer's   part,  and    sundry 
volumes  b)   Miss  J.  E.  Pagan  are  much  more  desirable. 
Nevertheless,  beautiful  as  these  are,  they  cannot  com- 
pare with  a  numbei  oi  hand-printed  books  which  have 
been   borrowed  lor  the  exhibition,  all  of   whi(  h  are  listed 
in  the  catalogue  as  emanating  from  Mr.Charles  Ricketts' 
Vale   Press,   but  one  of  which,  in  reality,  is  the  work  of 
William   Morris,  while  two  were  printed  at  the  Eragny 
Pre   i  by  Mr.  Lucien   Pissarro.     It  was  a  happy  idea  to 
assemble  these  volumes,  bat  unfortunately,  if  Morris  is 
seen  at  his   best,    this   is   scarcely  true  as  regards   Mr. 
Ricketts.      His  Daphnis  and  Chlo'e  and  Fair  Rosamund, 
neither   of  which  is  shown,    are   lovelier  than    anything" 
by  Morris,  and   likewise   transcend  all  the  efforts  of  the 
Essex   House,   Doves,   and  Cuala   presses.     Along  with 
other  things  by  the  same  hand  they  have  proved  a  huge 
source  of  inspiration  to  many  concerned  with  book  pro- 
duction, as  witness  some  of  the  tasteful  printing  of  the 
Tower    Press,    Dublin,   and    more    especially   a    superb 
volume  decorated  by  Mr.  Clinton  Balmer,  The  Gate  of 
Smaragdus j  and,  if  Mr.  Ricketts'  books  have  any  rival, 
this   consists  in  the  output  of  Mr.  Pissarro.       He  also  is 
inadequately  represented  in  the  present  collection,  for  it 
does  not  include  his  masterpiece,  a  tiny  volume  of  verse 
by  Judith  Gautier,  a  daughter  of  Theophile  Gautier  ;  but 
at  least  his  edition  of  Perrault's  Deu  r  Contes  is  shown, 
and  few  more  delectable    books  than  this  exist.       The 
design  on  the  title-page — a  procession  of  female  figures 
— has  a  stately  severity  which  recalls  the  vases  of  Douris  ; 
while  no  less  beautiful  is  the  pattern  on  the  cover,  also 
the  offspring  of  Mr.  Pissarro's  inventive  genius.     Lack  of 
space  makes  it  impossible  to  offer  him  here  the  homage 
he  merits,  but  one  must  not  conclude  without  mentioning 
another  literary  treasure  embraced  in  the  display — an 
edition  of  the  Book  of  Job,  printed  in  Morland  type  by 
the  defunct  Abbey  Press,  and  illus- 
trated with  pen-and-ink  drawings 
by  Mr.  R.  T.  Rose.     This  artist  is 
not  a  sound   draughtsman   in   the 
ordinary  academic    sense    of    the 
term,    yet   he  stands  in   the  front 
rank  of  contemporary  illustrators.    . 
He  has  not  the  power  of  Mr.  Austin 
Spare,    nor   the   delicate   touch   of 
Mr.    Laurence    Housman,    but   he 
always    contrives    to    render    the 
essential    spirit    of    the    literature 
with  which  he  is  dealing  ;  and,  in 
the    drawings    in    question,    there 
is   hardlv  one   but   exhales   surelv 

DRAWING    FOR    TH 

the    weirdness    and    mystery  by   r.  t 

which  permeate  the  Book  of  Job.  at  the  society  of 


An  Historical 
Mansion 


Household 
Backgrounds 


ONE  of  the  oldest  and  most  interesting  of  English 
historical  mansions  St.  Mary's,  Bramber,  Sussex  has 
been  entrusted  to  Messrs.  Harrods 
for  disposal.  It  is  an  unique  speci- 
men of  Karly  English  domestic 
architecture,  dating  from  the  reign  of  Ring  John,  and 
being  one  of  the  finest  examples  of  half-timbered  work 
still  surviving.  A  feature  of  the  mansion  is  the  perfect 
preservation  of  both  exterior  and  interior,  while  its  his- 
torical associations  connect  it  with  Charles  II.  and  other 
English  monarchs,  the  former  staying  there  during  his 
flight  from  Worcester. 

TO  find  a  fitting  and  harmonious  background  for  his 
household  gods  is  always  a  formidable  task  to  the 
aesthetic  householder.  It  has,  how- 
ever, been  considerably  lightened  of 
recent  years  by  the  intelligent  taste 
shown  by  various  manufacturers  of  wall  coverings. 
Among  those  who  should  be  honourably  mentioned  in 
this  respect  are  Messrs.  Sissons  Brothers  &  Co.,  who 
in  their  well-known  "Hall's  Distemper"  provide  an 
inexhaustible  range  of  artistic  hues  equally  suitable  for 
decorating  the  living-room  or  domestic  office,  and,  when 
used  with  discretion,  setting  off  pictures  or  objects  of  art 
that  may  be  in  front  of  it  like  a  simple  frame  sets  off  a 
fine  picture.  The  material  has  the  advantage  of  being 
inexpensive,  washable,  and  sanitary.  To  those  who  like 
more  ornate  backgrounds — ones  which,  instead  of  form- 
ing plain  settings  to  the  household  gods,  unite  with  them 
in  forming  a  beautiful  and  composite  whole — nothing 
can  be  better  than  the  finely  executed  reproductions  of 
old  Chinese  and  Japanese  wall-papers  issued  by  Messrs. 
Charles  Rnowles  &  Co.,  Ltd.  (164,  Queen's  Road,  Chel- 
sea). The  Chinese  were  supreme  masters  of  decorative 
art,  and  their  wall-papers  were  among  their  happiest 
efforts.  The  reproductions  by  Messrs.  Knowles  embody 
many  exquisite  arrangements  of  pattern  and  delicate  and 
subtle  colour  harmonies. 

Important  Art   Sale 

An  opportunity  is  offered  to  connoisseurs  by  the  sale 

of  the  contents  of  20,  King  Street,  Portman  Square,  by 
direction  of  Her  Highness 
Princess  Victor  Duleep  Singh, 
which  Mr.  Thomas  Cubitt  is  selling 
on  March  17th  and  18th.  Amongst 
the  lots  to  be  offered  are  several 
sets  of  Chippendale  chairs,  carved 
gilt  and  convex  mirrors,  Queen 
Anne,  Sheraton  and  Hepplewhite 
furniture,  and  two  grandfather 
clocks.  There  are  also  some  fine 
pieces  of  antique  silver,  Wedgwood, 
Worcester,  Sevres,  and  Dresden 
services  and  figures,  and  some 
paintings  by  Herring,  Baptiste, 
Lely  and  Morland.  Catalogues 
ErBc.°eK  °F  J°B  can    be    Stained    from    the    auc- 

scottish  artists  tioneer,  283,  Fulham  Road,  S.W  . 


r.82 


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-r     'J) 


S  w 

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5  1 


j    o 
-     a 


o    5 


In  some  of  the  educational  works  of  a  former  genera- 
tion it  used  to  be  stated  that  the 
original  idea  of  our  lofty  Gothic  fanes 
was  borrowed  from  the  straight  stems 
and  meeting  branches  of  the  trees  in 
a  forest  glade.  One  would  imagine 
that  this  theory  still  meets  with  a 
certain  amount  of  acceptance  among 
the  uninitiated,  so  little  interest 
is  taken  in  those  phases  of  archi- 
Byzantine  and  Romanesque  —  which   bridged 


"  Byzantine  and 
Romanesque 
Architecture," 
by  T.  G. 
Jackson,  R.A. 
(Cambridge 
University  Press 
£2  2S.  net) 


the  gap  between  the  purely  Classical  and  Gothic  styles, 
and  from  which  the  latter  were  immediately  derived. 
An  important  work  on  Byzantine  and  Romanesque 
architecture  from  the  well-informed  pen  of  Mr.  T.  G. 
Jackson  is  therefore  to  be  welcomed  as  serving"  to  direct 
the  attention  of  the  enquirer  to  the  close  connection 
between  the  earlier  styles  of  British  and  post-Roman 
continental  buildings,  as  well  as  to  instruct  him  on 
the  genesis  of  Christian  ecclesiastical  architecture  and 
its  subsequent  developments  for  over  a  thousand  years. 
As  Mr.  Jackson  truly  points  out,  Roman  architecture  is 


S.MARIA  MAGGIORE-TOSCANELLA       FROM  "BYZANTINE  AND  ROMANESQUE  ARCHITECTURP 

'85 


IBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS) 


The    Connoisseur 


the  true  source  of  all  i em  I  uropean  .styles  j  its  greal 

merit  was  "its  admirable  suitability  to  the  purposes  ii 
:  and  also  its  powei  oi  adaptation  to  modern 
requirements,  in  which  quality  it  surpassed  Greek  an  hi 
,     much  as  it  was  itseli  surpassed  by  the  styles 
.      it."    Though   the  author  is  justified  in 
urging  the  student  to  study  the  Roman  styles  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  Greek,  he  appears  to  go  unduly  far  in  mini- 
mizing the  import  ince  of  the  latter.     To  class  them  with 

of]       pt,  Vssyria,  Persia,  India,  and  China  as  alien 
to  our  temperament  and  having  no  direct  bearing  on 

rn  use,  is  to  ignore  the  undoubted  influence  they 
havi  exercised  o\  er  some  of  the  most  beautiful  phases  "I 
eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  century  interior  decora- 
tion. The  brothers  Adam  owed  nun  h  to  their  inspiration, 
while  to  cite  an  example  of  nineteenth-century  Greek 
architecture  which  is  "  not  anion,-  the  most  frigid  and 
desperately  dull  work  of  modem  times,"  one  need  only 
mention  St.  George's  Hall,  Liverpool.  It  is,  perhaps, 
unfair  to  laj  so  much  emphasis  on  a  point  which,  though 
important  in  itself,  hardly  comes  within  the  true  scope  of 
Mr.  Jackson's  work.  He  traces  in  a  masterly  manner 
the  branching-off  of  Roman  architecture  into  the  Byzan- 
tine and  Romanesque  styles,  which,  rising  from  the  same 
stem,  gradually  developed  under  the  influences  of  Eastern 
and  Western  environment  into  two  independent  styles. 
That  the  former  can  be  adapted  to  modern  English 
requirements  is  shown  in  the  Westminster  Cathedral, 
while  the  latter— the  Romanesque— inspired  the  building 
of  all  our  great  ecclesiastical  edifices,  and  indeed  stone 
buildings  of  any  kind,  until  long  after  the  Norman 
Conquest.  Mr.  Jackson's  volumes  are  based  on  a  series 
of  lectures  he  gave  originally  to  Cambridge  University 
students.  This  may,  perhaps,  partly  account  for  the 
remarkable  clearness  of  their  exposition  and  the  well- 
ordered  arrangement  of  their  contents.  The  writer  brings 
nothing  before  his  readers  which  is  not  fully  explained 
and  which  cannot  be  perfectly  understood  by  the  hitter. 
Every  phase  of  architectural  development  is  illustrated 
with  plates  and  plans  of  actual  buildings,  the  former 
being  largely  reproduced  from  drawings  executed  by 
Mr.  Jackson  and  his  son.  Such  drawings,  executed  by 
experienced  architects,  are  far  more  helpful  to  students 
than  photographs  as  allowing  the  salient  features  of 
each  building  to  be  duly  emphasized  and  the  decorative 
detail  given  its  proper  importance. 

There  is  no  hint  in  Ayrshire  Idylls  to  guide  us 
whether  the  title  refers  to  Mr.  Neil  Munro's  letterpress 

or  the  illustrations  by  Mr.  George 
"Ayrshire  Idylls,"  Houston.  If  to  the  latter,  it  is  not 
by  Neil  Munro,  misapplied,  for  these  dainty  colour- 

LL.D., illustrated  printS)  redolent  of  fresh  air  and 
by  George  sunshine,  are  thoroughly   idyllic, 

H°"St_!n.'AJR  presenting,  as  they  do,  some  of  the 

most  beautiful    of  Ayrshire  scenes 

under  their  most  charming  aspects. 

On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Neil  Munro's 
stories  are  not  idyllic  ;  they  are  concerned  less  with  the 
country  than   with   some  of  the   chief  personages   who 


(Adam  and 
Charles  Black 
ios.  6d.  net) 


have  lived  there,  and  the  latter  are  portrayed  rather  in 
a  satirical  than  a  sympathetic  spirit.  Dr.  Johnson  is, 
perhaps,   fair   game   to  a   Scotsman;  the  sketch   of   him 

.1 panying  Boswell  to  the  house  of  the  hitter's  father, 

presented  in  /  rsa  Major,  is  undeniably  clever,  but  the 
caricature  is  somewhat  broad,  and  tin-  doctor  is  made  to 
talk,  not  in  the  racy  Anglo  Saxon  which  he  habitually 
spoke,  but  in  the  l.atinisms  he  used  when  writing,  some 
of  his  sayings,  actually  recorded  as  having  been  made 
during  the  visit,  being  translated  by  the  writer  into  more 
pompous  phrase.  The  sketches  of  Bums  are  conceived 
m  a  more  serious  spirit,  yet  perhaps  on  this  account  are 
even  less  satisfying.  To  revivify  the  great  dead  and 
make  them  act  and  speak  naturally,  and  so  as  to  impress 
the  spectator  with  a  sense  of  their  greatness,  is  a  feat 
which  demands  transcendent  powers;  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  even  Shakespeare  would  have  succeeded  if  the 
personages  he  depicted  had  not  been  so  far  removed  from 
us  in  period  that  we  have  little  conception  of  what 
they  were  like,  and  so  have  no  preconceived  notions  of 
our  own  regarding  them  to  hold  up  against  his  portrait- 
ure. M  r.  Munro's  other  sketches  are  better,  because  they 
concern  people  either  not  so  well  known  or  entirely 
imaginary,  and  so  one  can  accept  the  author's  conception 
of  them  without  question.  These  are  well  written— as 
indeed  are  all  the  stories— and  are  generally  threaded 
with  a  vein  of  tragedy. 

Kinglake  was  a  partial  disappointment  in  literature. 

His  Eotken,  published    in    1844,  seemed  to  prophesy  a 

distinguished  career  for  its  author; 

"Eothen,"  by  but>  though  he  lived  until  1891,  he 

A.  W.  Kinglake,         produced  only  one  other  work,  the 

illustrated  by  lengthy    Invasion    of  the    Crimea, 

F.  Brangwyn,  yM€a,  full  of  brilliant  passages,  is 

'         '        T  at  the  same  time   so   interminably 
(Sampson  Low,  ,    . 

„„  or  prolix  that  now  it  is  not  read,  but 

Marston  &  Co.,  1 

Ltd.    12s.  6d.  net)      on!>'  <luoted  from-      hot/u'"^  on  ,he 
other  hand,    has   become  a   minor 

classic,  and  to  judge   by  the  numerous  editions  issued 

of  recent  years,  it  enjoys  a  wider  popularity  than  when 

written.       In    the    latest   one,   a   handsomely   mounted 

volume  published  by  Messrs.  Sampson  Low  &  Co.,  the  art 

of  Mr.  Frank  Brangwyn,  A.R.A.,  is  called  in  to  elucidate 

and  embellish  the  highly  polished  though  artificial  style 

of  the  writer.     The  contrast  between  the  methods  and 

personalities  of  author  and  artist  is  so  complete  that  one 

would  expect  their  work  to  clash  rather  than  harmonize ; 

but  the  combination  proves  most  happy,  Mr.  Brangwyn's 

illustrations   suggesting    all    the  feeling  of  the  glamour 

and  mystery  of  the  East  which  the  clear-cut  and  precise 

utterance    of   Kinglake    fails    to    convey    wholly.       The 

coloured  plates  are  finely  reproduced,  and  show  the  artist 

111  full  command  of  those  rich  and  poignant  harmonies 

which  he  expresses  with  such  perfect  ease  and  directness. 

Even    better    in    their    way    are    the    black-and-white 

illustrations  ;   these  have  all    the   charm   of  the   artist's 

etchings,  and  gain  in  spontaneity  from  being  executed 

on   a  smaller  scale.     Mr.   S.  L.    Bensusan  prefaces  the 

volume  with  a  well-informed  introduction,  and  altogether 


186 


7  lie    Connoisseur   Books  he/f 


it  constitutes 
what  is  un- 
doubtedly 
the  most 
attractive 
edition  of 
Eothen  yet 
issued. 

"Ddla 
Robbias  in 
America," 
by  Allan 
Marquand 
(Princeton 
University 
Press 
20s.  net) 

The  ex- 
tent to  which 
the  artistic 
treasures  o  f 
Europe  are 
finding  their 
way  across 
the  Atlantic 
is  illustrated 
in  the  cata- 
logue of  Del- 
hi Robbias 
in  America 
which  has 
been  com- 
piled by 
Professor 
Allan  Mar- 
quand, of 
Princeton 
Uni  versi  ty. 
In  1SS4  only 
one  example 
ofDellaRob- 
bia  work  was 
known  to  be 
i  n  America  ; 
by   1902   the 


f  *  x 


\\ 


THE    CAMPANILE,    LE    PUY 


number  had  increased  to  ten  ;  now  it  amounts  to  over 
seventy — a  substantial  proportion  of  the  total  amount 
which  has  been  suffered  to  leave  Italy,  where  the  bulk  of 
the  productions  of  the  Delia  Robbia  school  still  remain. 
The  examples  catalogued  by  Professor  Marquand  are 
allotted  to  the  various  members  of  the  Delia  Robbia 
family  as  follows  : — eight  to  Lucca,  whose  work  is  the 
most  seldom  found  outside  Florence;  twenty -eight 
to  Andrea;  and  seventeen  to  Giovanni;  the  remainder 
have  been  loosely  classified  into  groups  not  yet  definitely 
distributed  among  the  other  members  of  the  school — 
Fra  Ambrogia,  Fra  Matteo  and  Lucca  di  Andrea  della 
Robbia,  and  Bendetto  and  Santi  Buglioni.  The  cata- 
logue is  a  valuable  addition  to  Della  Robbia  literature, 


Prof e  s  s  or 
Marquand 
having  ex- 
haustively 
compared 
the  Ameri- 
can exam- 
ples with  the 
known  speci- 
men s  el  se- 
where  simi- 
lar i  n  style 
and  compo- 
sition, and  so 
con  s  tituted 
a  reliable 
guide  to  the 
various 
phases  of  the 
art,  the  more 
i  nst  rue  tive 
because  of 
the  large 
n u mber  of 
excellent 
plates  with 
which  it  i s 
ill  us  t rated. 
The  w  o  r  k 
would  have 
been  i  111  - 
proved  had 
the  measure- 
ments of  the 
various 
pieces  cata- 
logued been 
recorded, 
and  rendered 
more  handy 
for  reference 
if  a  list  of 
owners  had 
been  added, 
otherwise  it 
is  difficult  to 

see  how  it  could  have  been  bettered.  Professor  Marquand 
is  now  engaged  on  a  general  catalogue  of  Della  Robbia 
work, and  will  be  grateful  to  readers  who  will  kindlydirect 
his  attention  to  specimens  which  are  unknown  to  him. 

William  Blake's  illustrations  to  Thornton's  "Pastorals 
of  Virgil."  Enlarged  fac-similes  in  platinotype  from 
the  scarce  original  edition  by  Frederick  H.  Evans. 
Royal  4to.  Edition  limited  to  25  numbered  copies. 
(£2  2s.  net) 

It  is  frequently  to  be  considered  one  of  the  misfortunes 
of  the  illustrator  that  he  is  compelled  to  restrict  his  work 
within  the  space  allowed  him  by  publisher  and  author; 
and  indeed  only  too  rarely  is  he  given  a  voice  in  the 


FROM         BYZANTINE    AND    ROMANESQUE    ARCHITECTURE 
(CAMBRIDGE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS) 


187 


The    Connoisseur 


question  as  to  what  form  ami  ^i/e  a  book  shall  take  that 
In-  sets  out  to  beautify.     When  William  Blake  was  com 

oned  to  illustrate  Ambrose   Philips's  Imitation  o) 

<,'  Eclogue,  and,  eagei  to  show  what  vitality 

and  power  could  be  expressed  b)  a  neglect  of  conven- 

procedure,    undertook    to   cut    the   wood-blocks 

himself,  he  had  to  confine  his  energies  within  a  space 

of    three    by   one-and-a-half    inches    for    each    design. 

rhese  seventeen  cuts  form   Blake's  solitary  attempt   at 

engraving;   but   the)    display  some   of  the   most 

irkable  features  of  his  art,  aiul  are  deservedly 
famous.  To  see  how  well  these  enlarged  reproductions 
are  justified,  one  needs  to  compare  them  with  the  original 
prints  in  the  shabbily  produced  but  valuable  little  octavo 
Dr.  Thornton  published  in  1S21.  Blake's  lack  of  skill 
a-  a  wood-engraver  is,  of  course,  emphasized  by  the 
enlargement  of  his  errors;  but  even  were  this  a  dis- 
advantage, it  is  quite  counterbalanced  by  the  additional 
force  and  beauty  they  gain.  The  accompanying  text 
has  been  printed  by  hand  at  the  Temple  Sheen  Press  ; 
and  we  could  wish  that  Mr.  Evans  had  thought  fit  to 
print  the  whole  of  the  Eclogue,  instead  of  merely  those 
passages  directly  related  to  the  cuts.  He  would  have 
spared  the  sensitive  reader  some  uncomfortable  jerks 
and  left  him  better  satisfied. 

I  1  would  be  a  nice  question  whether  the  iconoclast  or 
the  restorer  has  done  most  damage  to  the  rich  wealth 
of  medieval   figure  sculpture  for- 
"  Medieval  Figure     meriy   existing   in  England.      How 
sculpture  in  vast  ;t  was   may   ^e  inferred   from 

England."  the   statement   made   by    Professor 

By  EdwardS.  Edward    s.     Prior    and    Arthur 

Prior,  M.A.,  „       ,  iT_   .  ,  .1 

'  Gardner  in  their  great  work  on  the 

and  Arthur  ,  .  ,  .  , 

„      ,  „„   .  subiect,  that  scarcely  more  than  one 

Gardner,  M.A.  , 

,.-,       ,    .  .  percent,  of  it  has  come  down  to  us. 

(Cambridge  r 

University  Press         This  relatively  small  salvage,  how- 
£?  is  net)  ever,  has   left    a   huge    number   of 

separate  items  ;  the  authors,  who 
modestly  confess  that  they  have  not  exhausted  their 
theme,  have  had  over  three  thousand  photographs  of 
different  objects  from  which  to  select  the  illustrations 
for  their  work,  while  more  than  thrice  that  number  of 
pieces  have  been  brought  to  their  notice.  The  work, 
like  most  of  the  examples  of  medieval  art,  was  practically 
wholly  used  for  ecclesiastical  purposes,  and  almost 
invariably  employed  in  conjunction  with  architecture, 
being  originally  an  offshoot  of  the  latter.  The  period 
covered  by  the  book  is,  broadly  speaking,  the  four 
hundred  years  from  1130  to  1530,  when  Gothic  archi- 
tecture, of  which  sculptural  ornamentation  formed  such 
an  important  element,  was  dominant.  Earlier  pieces, 
which,  though  not  numerous,  include  some  works  of 
the  highest  importance,  are  noticed,  as  are  also  a  few  of 


always   inspired    by   high   ethical 
ideals   but  never  rising  beyond  the 


the  later  pieces-  those  recumbent  monumental  effigies 
which  retained  their  Gothic  style  until  well  into  the 
seventeenth  century  ;  but  for  the  main  part  all  the  work 
described  was  executed  in  the  period  mentioned.  The 
volume  is  a  highly  valuable  addition  to  the  records  of 
ancient  English  art,  throwing  light  on  a  phase  of  it 
which  has  not  hitherto  been  adequately  explored  or 
sufficientl)  appreciated.  The  authors  have  conclusively 
shown  that  medieval  England,  far  from  being  an 
inartistic  nation,  developed  to  the  highest  degree  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  sentient  forms  of  artistic  ex- 
pression, and  that  if  the  hands  of  reformers  had  been  less 
heavy,  our  ancient  sculpture  would  have  vied  in  quantity 
as  well  as  in  quality  with  that  of  France.  Too  much 
praise  cannot  be  given  to  the  illustrations — 855  in  num- 
ber—which bring  out  the  details  of  the  carving,  in  the 
subjects  chosen,  in  a  wonderfully  explicit  manner,  and 
add  much  to  the  value  of  the  lucid,  scholarly,  well-written 
and  well-arranged  letterpress. 

The  poems  of  Miss  Eleanor  Wheeler  Wilcox  perhaps 

command   a  wider  circle  of  readers  than  those  of  any 

other  Anglo-American  author.      Her 

roems  01  tender  sentiment  and  graceful  fancy, 

Passion  and 
Pleasure,"  by 

Ella  Wheeler 

„.,,  intellectual  capacity  of  her  audience, 

WllcOX  ,  ,     ,  ,  j  r 

„.  ,  ,  have    endeared  her  to  thousands  01 

Pictured  by  ,  ... 

Dudley  Tennant       PeoP,e   t0   whom    the   P**"  llVln» 

(Gay  &  Hancock)    ma5teis  of  verse  are  merely  nameS- 
Both  on  account  of  their  far-reaching 

influence  and  their  own  intrinsic  merits,  Miss  Wilcox's 

poems  are  worthy  of  presentment  in  a  guise  more  tasteful 

and  worthier  of  permanent  keeping  than  is  afforded  by 

the  orthodox  popular  editions,  and  on  this  account  the 

issue  of  the  sumptuously  mounted  volume  of  her  Poems  of 

Passion  and  Pleasure,  illustrated  by  Mr.  Dudley  Tennant, 

is  thoroughly  justified.     The  artist  has  interpreted  her 

themes  with  sympathetic  insight,  and  shows  in  his  treatment 

of  them  the  high  qualities  of  colour  and  draughtsmanship 

which  usually  distinguish  his  work.     Some  of  the  more 

successful  plates  are  those  concerned  with  Miss  Wilcox's 

charming  fancies  concerning   child-life,   such   as   "The 

Beautiful  Land  of  Nod,''  or  "  Babyland,"  but  Mr.  Tennant 

displays  even  higher  qualities  in  some  of  his  more  serious 

conceptions— therichly  coloured"  Sunset,"  the  pathetically 

beautiful    illustration    to    "War  Sonnets,"   the   glowing 

"  Love's  Language,"  or  the  dainty  idylls  of  "  A  Lover's 

Quarrel."      The  artist   throughout  the  volume,  without 

merging   his   individuality,    has    subordinated   it   to   the 

expression  and  elucidation  of  Miss  Wilcox's  ideas,  so  that 

the    letterpress   and    illustrations   are   mutually  helpful, 

instead  of,  as  is  too  often  the  case  nowadays,  maintaining 

complete  independence  of  each  other. 


188 


LE    SEMEUR 

A    RARE    LITHOGRAPH    BY   JEAN    FRANCOIS    MILLET 


189 


CHELSEA    CHILDREN 

AN    ETCHING    BY    THEODORE    ROUSSEL 


190 


ORRESPONDENC 


gwr-s/ww-igc 


Special     Notice 

Enquiries  should  be  made  upon  the  coupon  which  will  be  found  in  the  advertisement  pages.  While, 
owing  to  our  enormous  correspondence  and  the  fact  that  every  number  of  The  Connoisseur  is  printed  a 
month  in  advance,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  guarantee  in  every  case  a  prompt  reply  in  these  columns,  an 
immediate  reply  will  be  sent  by  post  to  all  readers  who  desire  it,  upon  payment  of  a  nominal  fee.  Expert 
opinions  and  valuations  can  be  supplied  when  objects  are  sent  to  our  offices  for  inspection,  and,  where 
necessary,  arrangements  can  be  made  for  an  expert  to  examine  single  objects  and  collections  in  the  country, 
and  give  advice,  the  fee  in  all  cases  to  be  arranged  beforehand.  Objects  sent  to  us  may  be  insured  whilst 
they  are  in  our  possession,  at  a  moderate  cost.  All  communications  and  goods  should  be  addressed  to  the 
"  Manager  of  Enquiry  Dept.,  The  Connoisseur,  35-39,  Maddox  Street,  W." 


ANSWERS    TO    CORRESPONDENTS 


Milton's  "Paradise  Lost."— A6.465  (Norwood).— It 
your  Baskerville  edition  of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost  and  Paradise 
AV;r<z/;/c-(/ are  in  good  condition,  they  arc  worth  about  £5. 

Mezzotints. — A6,5Io  (St.  Mary  Church).  —  If  your  mezzo- 
tint of  Mr.  Tomkins.  by  C.  Turner,  after  Sir  J.  Reynolds,  is  a 
good  average  impression,  it  is  worth  about  £}.  Tin-  print  of 
.Ariadne,  by  YV.  Doughty,  after  Reynolds,  would  need  to  be 
seen  before  an  opinion  could  be  given,  as  it  is  an  engraving  of 
considerable  value  when  in  fine  state. 

"Lord  Robert  Manners."  A051S  (Hull).— The  value 
of  this  mezzotint,  by  Dickinson,  after  Reynolds,  varies  very 
considerably,  a  tine  proof,  before  any  letters,  having  realised  over 
,£50,  while  other  impressions  sell  for  under  ^10. 

Coaching  Prints. — A6,s2i  (Condover). — Your  set  of 
coaching  prints,  by  Reeves  and  Rosenburg,  after  Pollard,  are 
worth  from  ^20  to  ^30,  if  genuine,  according  to  the  quality  of 
the  impression. 

Book. — A6, 524  (Ferry  Hill). —  The  Reviving  of  a  Christian, 
by  R.  Jenison,  is  of  practically  no  interest  to  a  collector. 

Books  on  China. — A6.540  (Santiago). — We  should  recom- 
mend the  following  : — Hayden's  Chats  on  China  (T.  Fisher 
Unwin),  5s.  net;  Hodgson's  How  to  Identity  Porcelain  iC. 
Bell),  5s.  net;  and  Man';;  on  Porcelain,  by  Hobson,  published 
by  Macmillan,  7--.  6d.  net.  The  last-named  work  contains  the 
most  comprehensive  list  vet  published.  For  a  more  expensive 
work  we  should  advise  the  most  recent  edition  of  Litchfield's 
Pottery  ana  Porcelain,  published  at  the  end  of  last  year  by 
M    ssrs.   Truslove  and   Hanson,  at  one  guinea. 

Prints. — A6.549  (Bury  St.  Edmunds). — Your  Art  Union 
prints  have  little  or  no  interest  10  a  collector  of  engravings. 

Chest. — A6,5~o  (Atherton,  Manchester). — The  photograph 
you  send  i-  very  small,  but  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  the  chest  is  of 
raised  carved  work,  and  probably  Italian.  We  fear  we  cannot 
give  any  further  information  without  seeing  a  better  photograph. 

"  Feathered  Tribes  of  British  Islands."— .^6,576 
(Ipswich). — This  work,  with  two  illustrations  by  Geo.  Baxter, 
realises  about  £1  under  ordinary  circumstances. 

Octagonal  Table. — A6,577  (St.  Saviour'.-,,  Jersey). — We 
have  referred  your  enquiry  to  our  expert,  and  he  is  not  aware 


that  Chippendale  always  built  his  fretwork  of  separate  pieces. 
He  has  seen  many  fine  examples  of  Chippendale  tables  with  the 
fret  in  one  piece. 

Drug  Jars. — A6,jSo  (Edgbaston). — The  drug  jars  shown 
in  the  photograph  are  not  Dutch  delft.  They  are  probably  of 
French  fayence,  and  may  be  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
French  factories  are  very  numerous,  and  very  little  is  known  of 
many  of  the  smaller  ones.  Such  jars,  not  of  known  and  celebrated 
factories,  are  not  readily  saleable,  but  they  might  fetch  50s.  01 
so  the  pair. 

"Oliver  Cromwell,"  by  John  Barnet.— A6.5S3  (Chi- 
chester).— Your  print  is  only  worth  a  few  shillings. 

Sporting  Prints.  — A6. 586  (Brussels).  — If  your  set  of  four 
coloured  prints  of  Liverpool  Grand  National  Steeplechase,  1839, 
are  genuine  good  impressions,  they  are  worth  .£10  to  £  15  the  set. 

"Le  Byron  des  Dames."— A6. 589  (Highland  P. R., 
Conn.).— As  your  book  is  apparently  a  unique  copy,  we  tear  it 
is  not  possible  for  us  to  place  a  value  on  it  without  seeing  it. 

China. — A6.S92  (Vienna). — None  of  the  articles  shown  in 
the  photographs  you  send  is  of  value  from  a  collector's  point  ol 
view,  (i)  The  plate  marked  Copeland  appears  to  be  printed 
ware,  such  as  i-  produced  in  quantities.  A  service  would  only 
be  of  value  for  its  domestic  use.  The  firm  is  still  in  existence. 
(2)  The  cup  and  saucer  are  of  Davenport  (Longport)  manufacture, 
made  previous  to  1S76,  but  not  fine  in  quality.  Though  a  service 
would  be  saleable,  an  odd  cup  or  saucer  would  only  letch  5s.  or 
so.  (3)  The  jug  and  bowl  are  modern  French  ware.  They 
might  realise  a  few  shillings,  but  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
purchaser. 

Derby  Vases.—  A6, 611  (Pontypool). —  The  mark  on  the 
vases  was  used  from  17S0  to  1830.  but  the  continuous  landscape 
in  the  decoration  points  to  about  1S10.  Judging  from  the 
photograph,  they  are  a  good  set,  and  should  be  worth  about  £2$. 

Clock'.— A6,'o24  (Toronto).— There  are  two  clockmakers 
named  Pattison  recorded  in  Britton's  Old  Clocks  and  their 
Makers:  Robert  Pattison,  who  was  apprenticed  to  Thomas 
Tompion,  and  ( leorge,  who  worked  in  King  St..  Seven  Dials,  in 
[835.  If  you  carcVi  send  a  photograph,  we  can  give  you  an 
approximate  valuation. 


191 


HE  CONNOISSEVR. 

GENEALOGICAL  AND 
LDIC  DEPARJMENT 


Special    Notice 

Readers  of  The  Connoisseur  who  desire  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  herein 
should  address  all  letters  on  the  subject  to  the 
Manager  of  the  Heraldic  Department,  Hanover 
Buildings,   35-39,   Maddox  Street,    W. 

Only  replies  that  may  be  considered  to  be  of 
general  interest  will  be  published  in  these  columns. 
Those  of  a  directly  personal  character,  or  in  cases 
where  the  applicant  may  prefer  a  private  answer,  will 
be  dealt  with  by  post. 

Readers  who  desire  to  have  pedigrees  traced,  the 
accuracy  of  armorial  bearings  enquired  into,  or  other- 
wise to  make  use  of  the  department,  will  be  charged 
fees  according  to  the  amount  of  work  involved. 
Particulars  will  be  supplied  on  application. 

When  asking  information  respecting  genealogy  or 
heraldry,  it  is  desirable  that  the  fullest  details,  so  far 
as  they  may  be  already  known  to  the  applicant,  should 
be  set  forth. 


EPITAPH. — The  curious  epitaph  to  Mary,  Lady  Kingston,  is 
to  be  found  in  Leyton  Church,  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel, 
and  is  on  brass  ;  it  leads  as  follows  :  — 

"  If  you  wyll  the  truythe  have, 
Here  lyethe  in  thys  grave, 
Dyrectly  under  thys  stone, 
Good  Lady  Mary  Kingstone  : 
Who  departyd  thys  world,  the  truth  to  say, 
In  the  month  of  August,  the  xv  day  : 
And,  as  I  do  well  remember, 
Was  buryed  honorably  4  day  of  September, 
The  yere  of  our  Lorde,  rekynd  truly, 
MY'  fourty  and  eyght  varely  ; 
Whos  yerly  obyte  and  anniversary 
Ys  determined  to  be  kept  surely, 
At   the  costs  of  hyr  sone   Sr   Henry 

Jernynghame  truely  ; 
Who  was,  at  thys  makyng, 
Of  the  Quenes  gard  cheffe  capteyn,  1557." 

Lady  Kingston  was  wife  of  Sir  William  King-ton,  K.G.,  and 


daughter   of    Richard,    Lord   Sr p. 

Edward  Jerningham,  Esqr. 


She    had    first    married 


KEMPSON. — The  Rev.  Gough  Willis  Kempson  was  son  of 
Willis  Kempson,  of  Wolverhampton,  co.  Stafford,  gent.  He 
was  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  matriculated  17  June,  1770, 
aged  18.  B.A.  1773  '•  M.A.  1779.  lie  died  at  Graisley,  near 
Wolverhampton,  iS  October,  1S25. 

The  Rev.  William  Henry  Kempson,  second  son  of  the  above, 
matriculated  at  the  same  College  26  June,  1828,  aged  18  ;  took 
his  B.A.  in  1S33,  and  died  25  October,  1836. 

Coat  of  Arms  on  Porcelain. — The  arms  are  Or,  three 
demi-lions  rampant,  and  a  chief  or.  for  Fisher  of  co.  Gloucester, 
co.  Hertford,  and  co.  Stafford;  impaling  Ermine,  three  fusils, 
conjoined,  in  fess,  sable,  for  Pigott,  and  were  used  by  that  family 
of  co.  Buckingham  and  Salop. 

Colchester. — Sir  Duncomb  Colchester  was  knighted  at 
Whitehall  9  November,  1674.  His  pedigree  was  entered  in 
the  Visitation  of Gloucester ;  the  pedigree  we  give  below  is  in 
Le  Neve's  Pedigrees  of  the  Knights  (Harleian  Society). 

The  arms  are  given  as  Or,  a  chev  :  betw  :  3  estoils  gu  : 
Crest  — a  demy  lion  proper,  holding  in  its  paws  a  like  estoil 
gu  :,  a  confirmation  of  these  arm-  was  granted  to  Richard 
Colchester,  father  of  Sir  Duncomb. 


Richard    Colchester; 


I 


I 
Richard    Colchester  = 
of  Greys  Inne,  gent. 
Cursitor  for  London  | 
&    M  i d d s.    in    the  I 
Court  of  Chancery. 


I 
Sir   Duncomb   Colchester 
of  ye  Wildern  in  Abinghale 
p'ish  com  :  Glouc.  K,ci  as 
above  liveing  1686. 


Elizabeth  dr 

of  S'  John 
Maynard,  K' 
Serjeant  at 
Lawe. 


I 

Henry  Somerset 

Colchester. 


1  1 

1  jane  Maynard  Colchester 

2  Mary  esq'  a  student  in  the 

3  Dorothy  Inner  Temple  1683. 

Queries. 

[//V  shall  he  pleased  to  insert  two  or  three  quel  ies  monthly,  for 
reader*,  provided  they  are  short,  and  are  accompanied  by  the 
name  and  address  of  the  sender.] 

Swymmer  Family.— Any  particulars  relating  to  this 
Somerset  family  will    be  gratefully  received. 


192 


"History   of    Old   Sheffield    Plate" 
By    Frederick    Bradbury  * 


(Reviewed) 


Old  Sheffield  Plate  has  long  waited  its  chronicler. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more  it  has  been  gradually 
reviving  in  popularity,  until  now  it  is  as  eagerly  sought 
for,  and  as  highly  prized  by  collectors,  as  old  silver,  old 
china,  and  the  other  beautiful  wares  which  our  Early 
Victorian  progenitors  lightly  laid  aside  in  favour  of 
the  products  of  nineteenth-century  machinery.  Vet  the 
literature  on  the  subject  has  hitherto  been  meagre  in 
quantity  and  lacking  in  authority,  so  that  the  collector 
who  sought  for  knowledge  had  to  acquire  it  by  experience. 
Now  at  length  in  the  History  of  Old  Sheffield  Plate 
we  have  a  book  that  is  worthy  of  the  subject,  and  one 
that  covers  it  so  thoroughly  as  to  leave  little  scope  for 
exploration  by  future  writers.  Mr.  Frederick  Bradbury 
tells  us  in  his  preface  that  the  object  of  his  work  "is  to 
extend  a  knowledge  of  the  now  highly  valued  specimens 
of  Old  Sheffield  plated  wares  ;  to  trace  the  origin  of 
the  processes  by  which  they  were  made ;  to  give  some 
particulars  of  the  manufacturers  and  their  factories,  the 
localities,  the  workmen  and  the  methods  employed  ;  with 
other  details  that  may  be  of  interest  both  to  collectors 
and  to  those  who  deal  in  the  products  of  an  old-time 
industry  that  has  to-day  fallen  almost  entirely  into  disuse.'' 


This  is  an  extended  programme,  yet  Mr.  Bradbury  has 
largely  improved  upon  it,  or  at  least  placed  under  the 
modest  heading  of  "other  details  "  the  contents  of  half — 
and  that  not  the  least  valuable  half — of  his  volume.  The 
writer  has  indeed  special  qualifications — one  might  say, 
all  the  qualifications — desirable  for  the  performance  of 
his  work.  Himself  a  manufacturer  of  plated  ware,  he 
comes  of  a  family  who  have  been  associated  with  the 
industry  since  its  inception.  There  is  no  process  in  the 
work  with  which  he  is  not  personally  acquainted  ;  while 
his  prominent  position  in  his  native  city  has  put  at  his 
disposal  a  mass  of  information  from  public  and  private 
sources  and  numerous  specimens  in  private  collections 
which  would  not  be  available  to  an  ordinary  writer. 
Added  to  this,  the  work  has  obviously  been  a  labour  of 
love,  and  no  pains  have  been  spared  to  make  it  as 
complete  as  possible. 

An  evidence  of  this  is  afforded  by  the  profuse  wealth 
of  illustrations.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  adequately 
convey  by  means  of  these  the  peculiar  qualities  of  Sheffield 

*  History  of  Old  She/field  Plate,  by  Frederick  llra.11  any. 
Two  Guineas.       (Macmillan.) 


PIERCED     ESCALLOPED     TOP     PIPE     LIGHTER 

193 


DATE      1783 


The    Connoisseur 


OVAL    PIERCED    AND    CHASED    MUSTARD   POT,    BY    T.    FOX 
AND     CO.  DATE     I7S9 

the   subtle  delicacies   ol 
texture  and  finish,  differentiat- 
ing it  in  appearance  from  well- 
made  copies  in  modern  electro- 
plate, which  are  apparent  only 
to  actual  sight  and    touch    and 
are    not    to    be    transferred    to 
paper    by   any    process   blocks, 
however  excellent  —  but  the 
plate-    throughout    are  of  high 
quality  and  fully  expressive   of 
the  form  and  detail  of  the  articles 
depicted.    As  to  the  selection  of 
the   latter,    there    may   be    two 
opinions.    Mr.  Bradbury  has  not 
limited  his  choice  to  what  may 
be  termed   purely  collector's 
pieces,  but  has  included  a  num- 
ber of  orthodox  specimens  not 
specially  distinguished  either  for 
rarity  or  beauty  of  design.     In 
this  we  think  he  has  shown  dis- 
cretion, for  to  omit  from  a  work 
of  this  kind  the  description  of 
anything  but  the  exceptional— 

the  pieces  which  are  generally  out  of  reach  of  anyone  but 
the  advanced  collector— would  be  to  greatly  impair  its 
utility.  Another  point  on  which  Mr.  Bradbury  may  be 
congratulated  is  that  he  has  fully  illustrated  the  various 
processes  of  manufacture,  showing  the  original  ingot  of 
copper  and  silver  before  and  after  fusion,  and  lucidly 
demonstrating  all  the  subsequent  stages  through  which  it 
passes,  a  feature  which  we  do  not  remember  to  have  seen 
included  in  any  previous  work  on  the  subject. 

Old  Sheffield  plate,  as  the  author  explains,  "is  the 
term  used  to  describe  articles  of  flat  and  hollow-ware  for 
table  or  domestic  use  made  of  copper  coated  with  silver 
by  fu,ion  "  and  hardened  and  strengthened  by  pressure 
between  rollers.  The  process  was  discovered  in  1 743  b>" 
Thomas  Boulsover—  Mr.  Bradbury  bringing  forward  con- 
clusive evidence  that  this  is  the  correct  form  of  the  name 
instead  of  the  more  generally  accepted  spelling  of  "  Bols- 
over."  The  inventor  was  a  button-maker,  and  at  once 
applied  the  discovery  to  the  adornment  of  his  wares,  and 
'■  it  is  noteworthy  that  the  plated  button,  the  very  first 


THE    VICTORY    INKSTAND, 
AND    CO. 


article  made  by  Boulsover,  should  have  held  its  place 
amongst  the  many  productions  from  fused  plated  metal 
more  tenaciously  than  any  other  experimental  articles." 
Space  does  not  permit  us  to  follow  the  author  into  his 
interesting  account  ol  Boulsover's  career,  or  to  his  com- 
prehensive and  instructive  description  of  his  method  of 
manufacture— a  method  still  in  use  at  the  present  day. 
Collectors,  or  intending  collectors,  however,  should  closely 
study  this  portion  of  the  book,  as  an  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  methods  of  manufacture  will  often  save  them  from 
purchasing  spurious  imitations  of  the  Sheffield  ware. 

For  many  years  after  the  invention,  Sheffield  plating 
was  almost  entirely  confined  to  the  production  of  small 
articles  such  as  buttons  and  snuff-boxes.     Mr.  Bradbury, 
though  he  includes  some  specimens  of  shoe-buckles  among 
his  illustrations,  is  not  inclined 
to  include  these  as  among  the 
articles  largely  produced  by 
Sheffield  platers,  as  he  holds  that 
the  process  was  not  suitable  for 
such  work,  and  that  such  ones 
as  were  plated  were  generally 
done  by  the  earlier  method  of 
close  plating.      Button  and  box- 
making,  however,  both  became 
flourishing  industries,  though 
the  latter  was  ultimately  trans- 
ferred to  Birmingham,  the  Shef- 
field manufacturers  chiefly  con- 
centrating their  attention  on  the 
production  of  larger  and  more 
important  articles.    This  did  ni  it 
take  place  until  some  years  had 
elapsed.      It  is   not  until  about 
the  year  1755  that  there  can  be 
found  any  real  evidence  of  an 
attempt  to   manufacture   larger 
articles  for  daily  household  pur- 
poses.    To  that,  year  belongs  a 
very   interesting   example   of   a 


BY    DANI-.    HOLY,    PARKER 
DATE     1 8O4 


BRITANNIA    METAL    TEA    CADDY,    BY    KIRKBV    SMITH 
AND    CO.  DATE    I7Q7 


194 


History  of  Old  Sheffield  Plate  " 


saucepan.     It  is  curious  to  note 

that  the  silver  coating  of   this 

article    is   for    use    rather   than 

ornament,  the  plating  being  on 

the  inside  and  extremely  thick. 

The  piece  is  one  of  Joseph 

Hancock's  manufacture,   being 

the  earliest  authenticated  work 

by  this  great  pioneer  ofthe  Shef- 
field plating  industry.     Among 

his  early  contemporaries   were 

Thomas    Law   and    Thomas 

Leader.     The  latter  had  served 

an  apprenticeship  with  a  firm  of 

London    silversmiths,   and   his 

education    stood    him    in    good 

stead,  for,  joining  in  partnership 

with  Henry  Tudor,  he  establish- 
ed the  first  factory  for  the  pro- 
duction of  Sheffield  plate,  and 
the  firm  took  rank  as  the  largest 
and  most  important  makers  of 
the  commodity.     This   firm  is 
now  extinct,  but  another  firm  not 
greatly  inferior  in  point  of  an- 
tiquity, that  of  the  Bradburys, 
is  still  in  existence,  they  being 
the  successors  of  Matthew  Fen- 
ton   &    Co.,    the    second   firm 
on  the  Sheffield  books  to  regis- 
ter as  silversmiths.     This  was  in 
1 773,  the  first  year  in  which  the 
local  assay  office  was  established. 
1  let  ween  then  and  1800  was  per- 
haps the  finest  period  of  Shef- 
field plate.    It  embraced  various 
improvements  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  the  ware — the  invention 
of  silver  edges,  soldering-in  of 
shields,  and  the  introduction  of 
light  cut  engraving.   The  beauty 
and  delicacy  ofthe  designs  made 
during  these  years  have  not  been 
subsequently  surpassed.     They 
were  largely  influenced  by  the 
classical  feeling  which  per- 
meated England  at  the  time, 
and    which,    exemplified    in   the    work   of  the 


OLD    SHEFFIELD    PLATE    COACH    LAMP    IN    THE 

ENTRANCE    HALL    AT    KNOLE    PARK 

DATE    l8l6 


brothers 

Adam,  Chippendale,  Sheraton,  Wedgwood,  and  other 
designers,  gave  to  products  of  English  contemporary 
craftsmanship  a  dignity  of  form  and  a  refinement  of 
ornamentation  which  is  hardly  to  be  matched  since  the 
days  of  ancient  Greece.  It  is  to  pieces  of  this  period 
and  the  years  immediately  succeeding  it  that  one  should 
look  for  Sheffield  plate  in  its  most  beautiful  forms ;  and 
a  study  of  the  illustrations  in  Mr.  Bradbury's  book  should 
serve  to  correct  the  prevalent  belief  that  Sheffield  plate 
consists  of  ponderous  articles,  chiefly  candlesticks  and 
candelabra,  with  heavily  gadrooned  and  florid  silver-filled 
mounts,  and  "  copper  showing  through."     It  is,  indeed, 


curious  how  widespread  is  the 
misconception  that  the  artistic 
triumphs  of  Sheffield  plate  in  its 
most  glorious  days  are  founded 
on  the  production  of  the 
George  IV.  and  early  Victorian 
periods,  and  even  on  the  atro- 
ciously copied  specimens  with 
which  this  country  has  lately 
been  flooded. 

Among  the  workers  ofthe  best 
period  were   Matthew  Boulton, 
of    Birmingham,    and    Samuel 
Roberts  and   Thomas    Nichol- 
son, of  Sheffield,  who  each  exer- 
cised   a    marked    influence    on 
the  1  raft.     Boulton  died  in  1809, 
so  that  little  of  his  work  came 
under  the  influence  of  the  sud- 
den  change   of    fashion    which 
occurred  about  the  beginning  ot 
the  nineteenth  century.     Every- 
one then  became  weary  of  the 
plain  designs  in  silver  and  plated 
ware,  with  the  result  that  new 
ones  far  more  ornate  and  intri- 
cate had  to  be  substituted.  The 
result  is  that  although  after  this 
date  we  find  even  more  wonder- 
ful workmanship,  there  appear 
gradual  signs  of  artistic  deterio- 
ration, a  decadence  which  con- 
tinued  until   Sheffield   plating 
began  to  be  superseded  by 
electro-plating,  which  occurred 
shortly  after    1840.      The   new 
process  was  much  cheaper,  re- 
quiring   a    smaller   amount    ot 
silver  and  being  far  easier  in  the 
working. 

The  great  superiority  of  old 
Sheffield  work  and  designs  over 
modern  electro-plate  being  ad- 
mitted, it  is  a  source  of  consider- 
able surprise  to  many  that  Shef- 
field does  not  resuscitate  this 
interesting  industry,  or,  at  any 
rate,  manufacture  more  articles  from  the  old  dies,  many 
of  which  undoubtedly  still  exist  in  the  city.  The  ever- 
lasting demand  for  low-priced  goods  is,  however,  the 
chief  obstacle.  As  Mr.  Bradbury  says,  "we  live  in  an 
age  when  people  who  purchase  plated  wares  enquire  for 
them  in  their  cheaper  forms."  With  reference  to  the 
dispersal  and  destruction  of  the  old  dies,  the  following- 
extract  is  of  great  interest : — 

"Quantities  of  the  dies,  that  must  have  cost  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  pounds  in  the  cutting  alone  (and  would 
to-day  be  invaluable  for  use  under  the  prevalent  reversion 
from  Victorian  types  of  fashion),  were  melted  down  for 
the  mere  value  ofthe  metal,  and  those  few  firms  surviving 


!95 


The   Connoisseur 


SHEFFIELD     PLATE     DISH     RING,    BY     TUDOR    AND     LEADER 

and  having  any  number  of  the  (  Hd  Sheffield  dies  only 
too  often  find  them  incomplete 

"  From  research  it  would  appear  that  the  period 
between  1852  and  185S  must  be  assigned  as  the  approxi- 
mate time  of  the  dispersal  and  destruction  of  dies  by 
the  surviving  Old  Sheffield  plate  makers.     The  Victorian 


DVTE     1787 

styles  of  electro-plated  articles  had  then  become  generally 
fashionable,  whilst  the  method  adopted  of  casting  in  Her- 
man silver  from  models  was  gradually  superseding  the  use 
of  stampings  from  steel  dies  in  the  making-up  process. 

"  The  factories  in  Sheffield  were  circumscribed  as  to 
their  space,  and  much  more  room  was  required  for  fresh 


THE     ARGANDA     LAMP 


DATE      1784 


I96 


WAX    TAPER    OR    "BOUGIE    BOX  " 
BY    N.    SMITH    AND    CO.  DATE     I  S00 


TINDER    BOX    WITH    NOZZLE    FOR    TAPER 
FIXED    IN    THE    LID  DATE    1 80O 


TOBACCO    BOX,    BY    J.    YOUNGE    AND    CO.  DATE    I783 


BRITANNIA    METAL    TEAPOT 
BY    J.    VICKERS  DATE     1828 


ARGYLE    IN    THE    FORM    OF    A    JUG 
BY    M.    BOULTON    AND    CO.  DATE    iSOO 


197 


The    Connoisseur 


SNIFFERS 


DAT!      [820 


methods,  appliances  and  models  in  connection  with  the 
electro-plating  process.  The  manufacturers  appear  to 
have  thought  that  dies  cut  between  the  years  1810  and 
1S50  might   some  day  once   mure  come  into  fashion,  but 


SNUFFERS    AND    TRAY,    BY    N.    SMITH    AND   CO. 
DATE     17/5 

The  remainder  of  Mr.  Bradbury's  work  includes 
valuable  chapters  on  the  "Locality  of  Manufacture,''' 
"Advice  to  Collectors,"  "Ascertaining  Dates  of  Speci- 
mens," "Other  Industries  connected  with  Old  Sheffield 


CANDLESTICK,    BY    J.    PARSONS    AND    CO. 


DATE    I784 


as  for  those  of  the  earlier  periods,  the  chances  of  re- 
introduction  were  remote.  Therefore  we  find  that  the 
'  Adam  '  and  subsequently  plainer  patterns  of  dies  were 
those  more  particularly  condemned  to  destruction." 


Plate,''  and  "  Britannia  Metal,"  and  last,  but  not  least. 
a  full  and  comprehensive  list  of  makers  and  their 
marks  and  the  Sheffield  assay  office  marks,  the  former 
of  which  will  be  invaluable  to  collectors. 


STEEL-BLADED     TABLE     KNIFE,    WITH     HANDLE     OF     FILLED     SILVER 


I98 


Starkie    Gardner 


The  present  article  is  sug 
through  some  of  the  shops  of  well 
antique  silver  and  Sheffield 
plate.  It  will  be  of  interest, 
as  affording  some  guide  to 
connoisseurs  and  collectors  of 
antique  silver  at  a  distance, 
as  to  what  may  be  seen  and  ap- 
preciated, and,  if  desired,  pur- 
chased, on  a  visit  to  leading 
gold  and  silversmiths  of  the 
Metropolis. 

In  old  days  goldsmiths  and 
bankers  were  of  one  and  the 
same  craft,  not  only  supplying 
their  royal  and  noble  patrons 
with  the  tasteful  works  in  gold 
and  silver  for  which  collectors 
now  so  eagerly  compete,  but 
with  many  a  loan  in  the  times 
of  stress  and  storm,  to  which 
even  royalty  itself  was  subject, 
in  the  good  old  strenuous  days 
of  Plantagenets,  Tudors,  and 
Stuarts.  This  they  found  pro- 
fitable, retiring  not  only  with 
vast  wealth  and  civic  dignity, 
but  becoming  founders  of  many 
noble  families.  Gradually 
the  two  hitherto  interwoven 
branches  —  the  creative  and 
speculative-financia  1 — sepa- 
rated, some  remaining  gold- 
beaters and  craftsmen,  and 
others  money-changers  and 
bankers.  While  the  latter  seem 
to  send  a  never-ending  stream 
of  its  votaries  to  swell  the  peer- 
age and  amass  their  millions, 
the  former  sustain   the   dignity 


;ested  by  a    stroll 
known    dealers   in 


ELIZABETHAN    TIGER-WARE     JUG,     IjSo 
(MESSRS.    GARRARD) 


of  their  craft,  and  for  reward  should  have  the] pleasure 
and  credit  of  handing  things  of  beauty,  hall-marked, 
to  posterity,  and  their  more 
moderate  fortunes. 

First  and  foremost  our  pere- 
grinations took  us  to  the  most 
notable  of  these — the  Crown 
jewellers  and  goldsmiths  and 
almost  historic  house  of  Gar- 
rard, founded  so  long  ago  as 
I  72 1.  They  remained  in  their 
original  house  in  Panton  Street, 
Haymarket,  for  two  long  cen- 
turies, save  ten  years,  under 
the  sign  of  the  King's  Head, 
enjoying  and  meriting  intimate 
royal  patronage  throughout 
practically  nearly  the  whole 
of  this  period.  But  at  last 
the  time  comes  when  the 
mysterious  forces  impelling 
migration  westward  can  no 
longer  be  resisted,  and  albeit, 
with  some  reluctance,  they 
commissioned  Sir  Ernest 
George  to  design  their  present 
mansion  in  Grafton  Street 
some  two  years  since.  This  is 
acknowledged  to  be  the  best 
example  of  a  business  house  as 
yet  erected  in  the  West  End, 
dignified  and  reticent,  and  pre- 
eminently adapted  to  its 
purpose. 

The  antique  silver  room  into 
which  one  is  ushered  attracts 
by  its  admirable  proportions, 
with  its  beautiful  vaulted  ceiling 
and  exquisite  Adam  mantel- 
piece.    But  the  show-cases, 


199 


The   Connoisseur 


CHARLES     II.    PORRINGER     AND     COVER,     1 669 
(MESSRS.    GARRARD) 

beautifully  fitted  by  White  Allom,  contain  that  for  which 
we  search,  and  present  a  fascinating  array  of  antique 
plate  for  inspection  and  examination.  Well  lighted,  care- 
fully arranged,  one  sighs  as  one's  thoughts  irresistibly 
wander  to  the  magnificent  Franks'  bequest  of  antique 
silver,  still  crowded  and  imperfectly  labelled,  in  dimly 
lighted  cases  in  that  anomaly  and  relic  of  barbarism  the 
"  Gold  Room  "  of  the  British  Museum. 

To  make  an  entirely  satisfactory  selection  from  so  much 
requires  nice  discrimination  and  leisure;  but  the  plunge 
must  be  made.  Bell  salts  are  always  of  interest,  and, 
though  familiar  objects,  are  rarities  for  all  that.  They 
possess  a  strong  family  likeness,  yet  within  certain 
defined  limits  they  vary  much,  and  seldom  can  two  be 
found  precisely  similar.     One  example,  dated  1599,  is  of 


average  height,  9J  inches,  and  though  not  presenting  the 
usual  rich  display  of  "  flat-chasing,"  that  is,  embossing 
and  punching  in  low  relief,  it  is  a  fine  and  valuable  speci- 
men. Their  production  was  confined,  it  is  almost  needless 
to  say,  though  not  strictly,  to  the  last  decade  of  the  six- 
teenth  and  first  decade  of  the  seventeenth  centuries.  Not 
so  very  many  years  ago  these  could  be  picked  up  for 
from  ^200  to  .£400,  but  now  anything  below  four  figures 
is  a  lucky  find.  Equally  familiar  is  the  Elizabethan 
Tiger-ware  iug  with  silvri  k1'1   and   embossed  cover  and 


1UEEK  ANNE  MONTEITH,    I/O^ 


(MESSRS.  GARRARD) 


^fg0t:< 


JAMES  I.  COCOA-NUT  CUP,    1 6 1  t         (MESSRS.  SPINK  AND  SON) 

mounts.  Its  date  is  1580,  and  it  is  certainly  a  remark- 
ably fine  and  typical  example  of  the  long-necked  variety, 
which  succeeded  a  somewhat  more  squat  form  somewhere 
about  1  570.  It  is  10  inches  high,  with  acorn  thumb-piece, 
turned  baluster  knob,  and  embossed  in  high  relief.  This 
is  a  distinguishing  characteristic,  though  the  mounts 
are  sometimes  engraved  only,  generally  with  the  strap 
pattern  of  Edwardian  and  Elizabethan  chalices,  and  still 
more  rarely  with  "  flat-chasing."  The  next  illustration  is 
a  finely  shaped  porringer  and  cover  of  1669,  with  gourd- 
like embossing,  so  rare  at  this  date,  delicate  dolphinesque 
handles,  and  turned  knob.  It  preserves  its  original  gilding 
in  excellent  condition,  and  its  interest  is  heightened  by 
the  engraved  royal  and  a  second  coat  of  arms  added 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  probably  to  commemorate  a 


Antique   Silver   and  Sheffield  Plate 


CREAM    PAIL,    BY    EDWARD   ALDRIDGE, 
I77O  (MESSRS.    HEMING) 


LEMON    STRAINER,    I763 
(MESSRS.    WILSON    AND    SHARP) 


CREAM   PAIL,  BY  ALDRIDGE  AND  GREEN, 
I768  (MESSRS.    HEMING) 


royal  gift.  It  is  altogether  a  desirable  piece,  J\  inches 
high.  The  Queen  Anne  monteith  is  also  a  perfectly 
typical  example, 
worthy  in  every 
respect  the  col- 
lector's notice, 
for  it  resembles 
in  nearly  every 
particular  the 
noteworthy  ex- 
amples at  Clum- 
ber and  Range- 
more,  as  well  as 
others  regarded 
as  treasures  by 
municipalities, 
city  companies, 
and  some  of 
the  colleges  of 
Oxford. 

Another  firm 
with  far-reach- 


EPERGNE,     BY     THOMAS     HEMING,     I765 


ing  memories  is 

Messrs.   Heming  &  Co.,  of  Conduit    Street.     A  former 

member   of  it,  Thomas  Heming,   the  great-great-uncle 


of  one   of  the   present    proprietors,   was  silversmith   to 
George  II.  and  goldsmith  to  George  III.      Included  in 

the  large  num- 
ber of  fine  pieces 
of  antique  silver 
on  view  at  the 
Conduit  Street 
premises  is  a 
remarkable  ex- 
ample by  this 
maker  —  an 
epergne  in 
pierced  work, 
dated  1765,  and 
distinguished 
by  the  chaste 
beauty  of  its 
design  and  the 
perfection  of  its 
craftsmanship. 
There  are  other 
examples  by 
different  makers 
worthy  to  bear  it  company,  such  as  rare  sugar  bowls  in 
pierced  work,  by  Burrage  Davenport,  1777,  P.  Freeman, 


, 


PIERCED     SUGAR     BASKETS,     I777,      1775,     AND     I780 


(MESSRS.    HEMING) 


The    Connoisseur 


REPRODUCTION    OF    A    GEORGE    II.    FRUIT    DISH 
BY    MR.    HENRY    WATHERSTON 

and  Edward  Aldridge,  1780  ;  a  cream  pail  of  the 
well-known  vine  pattern  by  Paul  Aldridge  and  Green, 
1768;  and  a  superb  example  of  the  Adam  period — an 
unusually  fine  cup  by  \V.  Holmes,  1777;  all  pieces  of 
the  kind  likely  to  prove  a  remunerative  investment  to 
the  collector. 

Lambert's,  of  Coventry  Street,  is  another  of  the  firms 
London  may  well  be  proud  of,  having  been  established  for 
much  over  a  century.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  lineal  successor  and 
direct  representative,  without  a  break,  of  the  world-famous 
Kundell  and  Bridges.  Who  can  pass  the  quaint  old-world 
shop-front  at  the  corner  of  Windmill  Street  without  paus- 
ing to  inspect  the  large  array  of  valuable  antique  silver  so 
temptingly  spread  out?  One  feels  constrained  to  enter 
and  rummage  in  the  expectation  of  finding  many  desirable 
things  to  purchase  in  the  well-stored  show-cases.  The 
illustrations  comprise  a  seal-top  spoon  of  1618  and  an 
Apo-tle  spoon  of  1641.  Also  a  good  typical  porringer, 
hall-marked  for  1664,  with  embossed  wreath  of  flowers 
and  foliage,  and  a  fluted  specimen  with  large  scrolled 
escutcheons  for  arms,  dated  1  705.  The  low  candlesticks 
on  shaped  octagonal  feet  have  the  stems  pleasantly  and 


*7it 


artistically  moulded,  passing  almost  imperceptibly  from 
the  round  to  octagonal,  and  dated  1732.  The  covered 
tankard  is  of  the  sturdy  English  type  of  Queen  Anne, 
1707,  and  the'cylindrical  coffee-pot  is  .1  fine  example  in 
the  iame  taste,  bul  made  under  George  I.,  1 7 - 7-  The 
kettle  and  stand  is  a  grand  specimen  of  Peter  Archambo's 
work,  produced  in  174:,  strongly  influenced  by  the  French 
decoration  of  Louis  XV.,  then  so  much  in  fashion. 

Another  house  enjoying  extensive  royal  and  other 
patronage  is  that  of  Elkington,  which  has  upheld  the 
fame  of  English  silver-work  in  almost  every  country 
throughout  the  world.  They  are  manufacturers  on  the 
largest  scale  in  that  ancient  metropolis  of  metal-work- 
ing- Birmingham.      It  is  hardly  yet  sufficiently  known 


GEORGE    II.    FRUIT    BASKET,     1 7  54 

(GOLDSMITHS'   AND  silversmiths'  company] 


GOODWOOD     CUP.      I-      I 
BY    MESSRS.    HUNT    AND    ROSKELL 

that  the  firm  now  deals  in  antique  silver  and  have  a 
room  devoted  to  it  at  their  Regent  Street  house.  Two 
Elizabethan  pieces  are  selected  as  examples.  Of  these, 
the  fine  chalice  and  paten,  engraved  1571,  within  a  year 
of  its  production,  is  illustrated.  The  form,  resembling  a 
beaker  on  balustered  stem,  dates  back  to  the  Protestant 
days  of  Edward  VI.,  but  the  earliest  known  with  the 
typical  strap-work  and  arabesque  engraving  bears  the 
mark  of  the  last  year  of  Queen  Mary.  They  remained 
unchanged  until  nearly  the  close  of  Elizabeth,  and  are 
remarkable  for  the  similarity  they  bear  one  to  another, 
though  traceable  to  a  large  number  of  different  makers, 
both  in  London  and  the  Provinces.  At  that  time  most  of 
the  shops  of  the  gold  and  silversmiths  in  the  Metropolis 


Antique   Silver   and  Sheffield   Plate 


jostled  each  other  in  Cheap- 
side  and  its  vicinity,  and  the 
wares  were  exposed  to  the 
gaze  of  every  passer-by  on 
counters,  in  mere  booths,  un- 
glazed,  and  only  protected  at 
night  by  wooden  shutters  and 
liars.  Plagiarism  was  rife, 
and  only  the  provincial  makes 
differ  from  the  London  and 
each  other  in  minor  peculiar- 
ities. Equally  fine  is  the 
engraved  beaker  of  1607,  re- 
producing the  identical  strap 
and  arabesque  border,  with 
a  scroll  drop,  parcel  gilt.  The 
spreading  base  is  richly 
gadrooned  with  a  minutely 
chased  border  of  circles  and 
lozengesenclosing  pellets.  Of 


JAMES    I.     BEAKER,     1607 
(MESSRS.    ELKINGTON) 


EARLY    AMERICAN    TEAPOT,    CIRCA    169O-I/OO 
(•MESSRS.    ELKINGTON) 


MARK    ON    BASE    OF    ABOVE    TEAPOT 


far  greater  rarity  is  the  curi- 
ous and  practical  American 
teapot,  perfectly  plain,  with 
ebony  handle,  except  that  a 
rosette  of  "cut  card"  on  the 
lid  attaches  the  knob,  part  of 
which  is  removable  to  allow 
steam  to  escape.  The  date 
assigned  to  it  is  circa  1690- 
1700.  The  latest  in  date  of 
the  illustrations  is  the  plain 
and  practical  inkstand,  made 
by  Gabriel  Sleath,  of  Lon- 
don, 1 72 1,  with  tray,  inkwell, 
sand-box,  and  bell.  It  is 
extremely  rare,  less  than  .1 
dozen  being  known,  and  the 
engraved  arms  indicate  that 
it  formerly  belonged  to  a 
burgomaster  of  Liibeck. 


ELIZABETHAN  CHALICE  AND  PATEN, 
157O         (MESSRS.    ELKINGTON) 


GEORGE    I.     INKSTAND,    BY    GABRIEL    SLEATH,     I72I  (MESSRS.    ELKINGTON 


The   Connoisseur 


SET    OK    GEORGE    III.     DREDGERS,     I775 


Messrs.  Spink,  ol 
Piccadilly,  are 
noted  for  choice 
examples,  and  it  is 
at  no  time  difficult 
to  select  fine  pii 
for  illustration  from 
their  stock.  It  in- 
clude i  hi  example 
oi  the  1  ire  bell  suit, 
1  599,  7  i  inch  e  s 
high,  remarkable 
for  the  unus u a-] 
decoration,  a  scale 
d e sign  in  "  flat  - 
chasing"  on  matted  ground,  and  ovolo  and  lozenge 
borders  between  the  compartments.  Their  fine  Steeple 
cup,  1613,  is  an  excellent  example  of  this  well-known 
form.  They  cann-  in  with  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  enjoyed  practically  a 
monopoly  in  vogue  till  about  1630,  during 
the  time  that  the  obelisk  was  in  high  favour 
foi  architectural  and  other  decorations  in 
the  Italian  taste.  The  decoration  consisted 
mainly  of  "  flat-chasing,'1  with  certain  parts, 
especially  the  roll  over  of  the  acanthus,  which 
generally  occupies  the  lower  part  of  the  bowl, 
brought  out  in  more  prominent  relief.  The 
decorations  of  the  bowls  vary  considerably, 
the  upper  part  in  this  instance  being  embossed 


(MESSRS.    WILSON    AND    SHARP) 


with  hunting  scenes, 
as  well  as  the  cover. 
A  guilloche  border 
separates  this  from 
the  part  usually 
g\\  en  u  i>  to  acan- 
thus foliage,  re- 
placed here  by 
plainer  scale- 
shaped  leaves.  The 
rest  of  the  cup  fol- 
lows more  usual 
lines,  and  is  alto- 
gether a  remark- 
ably fine  specimen. 
The  clou  of  the  Spink  collection,  however,  is  the  Drake 
cocoa-nut  cup,  a  fine  standing  cup  with  carved  bowl, 
mounted  in  silver,  with  the  London  hall-mark  for  161 1. 
The  nut  has  been  polished  and  incised  with  a  strip 
arabesque  comprising  the  arms  of  England, 
of  the  Earls  of  Devon,  and  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  probably  carved  in  the  time  of  Eliza- 
beth. The  deep  splayed  rim  and  the  curiously 
decorated  design  on  the  hinged  straps  and 
mount  give  the  bowl  a  late  Tudor  look. 
The  open-work  brackets  of  the  stem  are 
most  elaborate,  and  the  foot  is  embossed 
with  marine  monsters  and  escallops,  quite 
in  the  taste  of  the  first  decade  of  the 
seventeenth  centurv. 


SHEFFIELD    PLATE    MUFFINEER. 
PERIOD    1/86     (MESSRS.   MAPPIN   AND  WEBB) 


JAMES    I.    STEEPLE    CUP,     1 6 1  ^ 
(MESSRS.    SPINK    AND    SON) 


SHEFFIELD    PLATE    MUFFINEER 
(THE   ALEXANDER  CLARK  CO.) 


204 


Antique   Silver   and  Sheffield  Plate 


CYLINDRICAL    COFFEE-POT,    I727 
(MESSRS.    LAMBERT) 


KETTLE  STAND 
BY    PETER    ARCHAMBO 


AND  LAMP,    1742 

(MESSRS.   LAMBERT) 


FLAT-TOPPED    TANKARD.    I707 
(MESSRS.    LAMBERT) 


Henry  Watherston,  the  old-established  firm,  now  of 
Bond  Street,  is  noted  for  its  reproductions  of  fine  ex- 
amples of  antique  silver.  The  very  beautiful  specimen 
of  its  work  illustrated  is  a  pierced  and  gilt  oval  dish 
of  trellis  design,  interlaced  with  foliage  and  birds,  on  a 
high  stand  with  claw  feet  of  ogee  outline,  connected  by 
graceful  foliage  and  festoons  of  drapery. 

At  Mappin  and  Webb's,  so  long  and  honourably  identi- 
fied with  Sheffield,  fine  examples  of  the  plate  for  which  it 
is  famous  should,  if  anywhere,  be  met  with.  Nor  was  our 
visit  disappointing,  and  we  were  able  to  select  for  illus- 
tration several  exceptionally  fine  pieces.  The  oval  pierced 
basket  of  shell  and  acanthus  design,  skilfully  interwoven, 
is  most  happy  and  graceful,  and  was  produced  in  1754.  The 
candlesticks  on  high  bases,  like  our  Nelson  Column,  but 
with  rams'  heads  and  festoons  in  the  "  Adam  taste,"  have 
Ionic  caps,  dressed  in  gala  fashion  with  laurels.  These 
were  made  by  J.  Winter  and  Co.,  1768.  The  teapot  on 
a  tray  as  foot  dates  from  1789,  and  is  charmingly  shaped 


and  decorated  with  an  engraved  riband  border  on  a  broad 
band  of  silver,  and  rope  edgings.  The  17S6  muffineer  is 
also  good.  Sheffield,  by  the  way,  has  been  celebrated 
by  Chaucer,  and  in  the  Dragon  of  Wantley,  an  old  folk 
ballad,  and  so  far  back  as  Richard  II.,  the  De  Smethes, 
Del  Smythes,  John  Locksmith,  Farros,  Trypets,  and  other 
such  names,  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  staple  trade  of  the 
town. 

In  Hunt  and  Roskell,  now  amalgamated  with  Ben- 
son's, of  Old  Bond  Street,  we  have  another  historic  firm, 
which  was  wont  to  employ  the  finest  artists  of  the  day. 
Their  stock  is  well  worth  inspection,  but  almost  wholly 
of  their  own  make,  and  thus  not  coming  exactly  within 
the  scope  of  an  article  on  antique  silver.  A  single  ex- 
ample must  suffice  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  grandeur 
and  importance  of  their  work,  familiar  as  it  has  been  in 
every  great  exhibition  since  1851.  This  is  a  massive 
tripod  vase,  splendidly  modelled  and  chased,  the  design 
based  on  the  well-known  antique  from  Hadrian's  Villa  in 


CHARLES    II.  AND    QUEEN    ANNE    PORRINGERS,   APOSTLE    AND    SEAL-TOP    SPOONS,  AND    PAIR    OF    GEORGE    II.  CANDLESTICKS 

(MESSRS.     LAMBERT) 


The    Connoisseur 


the  British  Museum,  ["hisfirm  has 
employed  the  best  available  talent 
to  design  for  them  foi  ovei  a  hun- 
I  j  ears  past,  including  Flaxman, 
Stothard,  Armistead,  and  Carter. 
among   Royal  Academicians. 


but  the  advanced  collector.  An- 
other firm  deservedly  celebrated 
for  its  huge  stock  of  modern  work 
is  Messrs.  Harrods,  Brompton 
Road,  who  are  now,  however, 
largely  developing   their  antique 


SHEFFIELD    PLATE   TEAPOT,    SUGAR    BASIN,    AND    MILK    JUG 


(THE    ALEXANDER    CLARK    CO. 


Some    of   the    most 
beautiful  forms  of  sil- 
ver  ware   are  to  be 
found  in  the  guise  of 
Sheffield  plate,  which, 
coming    into    vogue 
during  the  palmy  days 
of  the  silversmith's  art, 
hardly   survived   long 
enough   to   share  in 
the  deterioration  of  the 
late   Victorian   period. 
Some  delightful  speci- 
mens of  this  ware  are 
to   be  found  in  the 
collection   shown   by 
the    Alexander    Clark 
Company,  iSS,  Oxford 
Street,  of  which  a  tea 
set  and  muffineer  are 
illustrated.     Besides 
its   store  of  antique 
i     silver,  this  firm  has  a 
'     large  number  of  finely 
executed   facsimiles 
from    old    m o d e  1  s, 

ELIZABETHAN    STANDING    SALT,    I  599     which,    though     1'iOt 

(Messrs.  spink  and  son)  possessing   the    same 

appeal    to   collectors,    are   as  fascinating  to  the   eye   as 
the  originals. 

Though  perhaps 
more  famed  for  his 
wealth  of  examples  of 
the  latest  and  most 
novel  examples  of  the 
jeweller's  and  silver- 
smith's art,  Mr.  J.  C. 
Vickery,  1 79.  I S t,  183, 
Regent  Street,  \\\, 
shows  a  large  number 
of  specimens  of  retro- 
spective work — beau- 
tiful reproductions  of 
originals  whose  value 
places  them  beyond 
the  reach  of  any  one 


3 


department,  so  that 
now  a  customer  has 
almost  the  same  ex- 
tended range  of  choice 
in  fine  antique  speci- 
mens as  in  modern. 

One  may  wind  up 
the  list  with  that  well- 
known  firm  the  Gold- 
sm  i  ths  and  Silver- 
smiths Company,  1  12, 
Regent  Street,  whose 
prolific  stock  of  mod- 
ern work  should  not 
make  collectors  for- 
get the  many  interest- 
ing pieces  of  antique 
silver  to  be  seen  at 
their  premises.  As  a 
sample  of  these,  one 
may  take  the  beautiful 
George  I  I.fruitbasket, 
dated  1754,  in  pierced 
work,  which  is  inter 
estingly  characteristic 
of  the  period. 

Princes  Street,  Edin- 
burgh, with  its  fine 
views  and  itsdramatic- 


SHEFFIELD    PLATE    TEAPOT,     PERIOD     I789 
(MESSRS.    MAPPIN    AND    WEBB) 

206 


SHEFFIELD    PLATE    CANDLESTICK,    BY 

J.    WINTER   AND   CO.  DATE     I76S 

(MESSRS.  MAPPIN    AND   WEBB) 


ally  historic  associa- 
tions, crisp  a  i  r,  and 
interesting  shops,  is 
probably  the  most  de- 
lightful street  in  the 
world  to  lounge  in,  and 
the  best  mart  for  an- 
tique Scottish  silver. 
The  illustrations  are 
of  specimens  pos- 
sessed by  Wilson  and 
Sharp,  both  uncom- 
mon and  tasteful,  the 
lemon  strainer  dating 
from  1763,  and  the  set 
of  dredgers  1775. 


PORTRAIT    OF    DEAN    COLET 

tuc   iamiiuri«u  «r  st.  Paul's  school 


April,   1913. 


The  Royal  Visit 


TO 


Stoke=on=Trent 


It  cannot  be  merely  a  coincidence  that  the 

personalities  of  so  many   English   monarchs  are  as 

distinctively    imprinted    on    their    eras    as    are    their 

effigies    on    contemporary  coinage.      Political   crises 

occur,  parliamentary  majorities   wax  and   wane,  and 

great  statesmen  rise  and  fall,  without  the  general  trend 

of  national  thought  being  altered,  whereas  with  each 

new  reign  the  national  outlook  changes;  the  personal 

characteristics  of  the  new  monarch  being  apparently 

adopted  by  the  bulk  of  the  nation  as  their  exemplar. 

The  intense,  narrow  and  sometimes  mistaken  patriot- 
ism of  George  III.  reflects  itself  on  his  era,   to  be 

succeeded    by    the    luxurious   but   rather   superficial 

elegance  of  George  IV.     The  love  of  Queen  Victoria 

for  the  domesticity  of  family  life,  coupled  with   an 

unflinching   acceptance  of  the  duties  and   responsi- 
bilities  of  her  high   office,  reincarnates  itself  in   the 

spirit  of  the  Victorian  age,  when  England,  wrapped 

about  in  her  mantle  of  insularity,  and  busied  in  her 

own  concerns,  still  resolutely  trod  the  thorn-strewn 

path  of  empire.     The  wise  cosmopolitanism  of  His 

late  Majesty  King  Edward  VII.  drew  us  into  closer 

fellowship  with  other  nations,  dissipated  much  of  our 

insularity,  and  broadened  our  outlook  by  encouraging 

the  influx  of  foreign  ideas.     Their  present  Majesties 

King   George   and   Queen    Mary   are    only   at    the 

commencement  of  their  reign,  yet  their  personalities 

are  already  deeply   impressed    on    the   character  of 

the  nation.     One  would  say  that  the  King's  watch- 
words are  duty  and  efficiency.     His  call  to  England 

to  "  wake  up  "  has  stirred  the  country  like  a  trumpet 

peal ;  and  the  prodigious  increase   in  the  country's 

trade  since  His  Majesty's  accession  bears  witness  how 

much  his  influence  has  quickened  the  national  spirit. 

The   frequent  visits  of  the  King  and  Queen  to  the 

Vol.  XXXV.— No.   140.— n  209 

[Copyright  by  J.  T.  Herbert  Baily  in  the  United  States  of  America,  May,  1901] 


great  manufacturing  centres  of  the  country  are  an 
instance  of  the  keen  interest  they  take  in  the  efficiency 
of  the  national  industries,  and  must  be  regarded  in 
the  light  of  a  commander's  progress  through  the 
divisions  of  his  army  to  marshal  and  hearten  them 
for  the  struggle — the  struggle  in  this  instance  being 
against  foreign  competition,  and  the  prize  of  the 
bloodless  but  none  the  less  keenly  waged  battle  being 
supremacy  in  the  world's  trade. 

Nowhere  is  foreign  competition  experienced  in  a 
greater  degree  than  in  the  Potteries,  which  the  King 
and  Queen  are  to  visit  on  April  22nd,  and  it  is  partly 
on  this  account  that  the  royal  visit  is  looked  forward 
to  with  such  peculiar  satisfaction.  The  English  potters 
are  at  the  present  moment  more  than  holding  their 
own  ;  their  wares  have  attained  an  unique  reputation 
in  all  quarters  of  the  globe — such  a  reputation,  indeed, 
that  much  of  the  labour  of  their  foreign  competitors 
is  expended  in  directly  imitating  them.  These  imita- 
tions sometimes  attain  a  close  superficial  resemblance 
to  the  originals,  but  in  most  instances  the  sterling 
qualities  of  the  latter  are  less  successfully  facsimiled 
than  the  first  makers'  names  and  trade-marks.  Foreign 
competition,  however,  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
these  dubious  efforts,  but  extends  to  direct  and  honest 
rivalry  in  some  of  the  higher  and  more  artistic  phases 
of  the  potter's  craft.  In  these,  unless  he  receives 
more  intelligent  and  general  support,  the  English 
maker  is  likely  to  be  hard  pressed.  This  more 
especially  refers  to  objects  devoid  of  direct  utility. 
No  intelligent  Englishman  is  likely  to  buy  modern 
foreign  table  or  domestic  wares,  for  in  these  the 
English  maker  is  unapproachable  ;  but  when  the 
English  collector  wants  purely  ornamental  pieces,  his 
glance    is   turned   to   retrospective    work.      Instead   of 


The    Connoisseur 


encouraging  tin-  labours  of  the  living,  he  almost 
wholly  confines  his  choice  to  the  work  of  the  past, 
and  often  to  work  of  very  indifferent  technical  and 
artistic    merit. 

Over  and  over  again,  during  a  recent  visit  to  Stoke- 
on-Trent,  we  found  examples  of  modern  ware  which 
rivalled  in  their  beauty  the  choicest  work  of  China  in 
hei  best  periods.  The  almost  invariable  reply  of  the 
makers  to  our  congratulations  was,  "We  know  it  is 
good  ;  we  should  like  to  produce  more  of  it,  but  there 
is  absolutely  no  demand  for  such  pieces."  Such  a  state 
of  affairs  is  a  reproach  to  England,  and,  unfortunately, 
is  almost  unique  to  England.  The  principal  countries 
on  the  Continent  try  to  cultivate  public  taste  by 
subsidising  public  factories,  whose  productions  are 
consistently  maintained  on  a  high  artistic  level.  These 
factories  probably  do  not  pay — probably  never  will 
pay — but  they  serve  their  purpose  by  giving  a  higher 
standard  of  technique  and  design  to  the  wares  of  the 
country,  and  many  of  the  pieces  made  are  exported 
and  sold  in  England.  It  may  be  safely  said  that  at 
the  present  moment  there  is  no  Continental  ware  pro- 
duced which  cannot  be  as  well  and  more  cheaply 
made  in  the  Potteries.  Some  of  the  best  types,  indeed, 
originated  in  England,  but  were  not  persisted  in 
through  lack  of  public  support.  One  cannot  suggest 
that  the  government  should  follow  the  example  of 
Continental  countries  and  directly  subsidise  the  works ; 


for  here  there  are  too  many,  and  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  discriminate  between  their  claims.  But 
the  government  and  the  museum  authorities  of  the 
country  generally  might  largely  influence  public  taste 
by  purchasing  fine  pieces  of  modern  work  for  the 
national  collections.  Even  more  might  be  done  by 
individual  collectors.  Many  of  the  finest  specimens 
of  old  English  and  Oriental  china  have  left  the 
country  for  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic ;  the  others 
that  remain  are  now  realising  almost  prohibitive  prices. 
If  the  collectors  with  moderate  purses,  instead  of 
competing  for  the  waifs  and  strays  overlooked  by 
multi-millionaires  and  their  agents,  turned  their  atten- 
tion to  modern  work,  they  would  find,  at  the  present 
moment,  a  multitude  of  superb  examples  rivalling  the 
best  of  the  old  in  their  beauty  and  technical  perfection. 
Is  it  necessary  to  wait  until  these  wares  acquire  an 
enhanced  artificial  value  by  reason  of  their  age  and 
scarcity?  Our  museums  of  to-day  are  filled  with  the 
contents  of  our  grandfathers'  china  cabinets  bought 
from  contemporary  makers,  and  reflecting  in  their  form 
and  pattern  the  taste  of  the  period.  Our  present-day 
cabinets  will  hardly  form  such  a  source  of  supply  to 
the  museums  of  the  future,  for  they  are  too  exclusively 
filled  with  work  of  past  generations.  We  must  mend 
our  ways,  or  otherwise  posterity  may  say  of  our  time 
"  that  its  art  was  great,  but  perished  because  the  people- 
were  not  worthy  to  receive  it." 


A  Loan  Collection  of  Eighteenth=Century  English  Glass  at  the 
Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  By  W.  E.  Wynn  Penny 


One  can  well  imagine  the  delight  felt  by 
those  connoisseurs  who,  during  the  last  few  years, 
have  interested  themselves  in  the  productions  of  the 
English  glass  manufacturers  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, now  that  the  bulk  of  the  collection  so  patiently 
and  critically  formed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rees  Price,  of 
Broadway,  Worcestershire,  may  be  seen  by  all  at  the 


Victoria  and  Albert  Museum.  The  best  thanks  of 
all  good  collectors  are  due  to  the  owners  for  a  most 
timely  and  acceptable  exhibit. 

The  art-loving  public  hardly  appears  to  have  realised 


NOS.     I.     AND      II. — TRAILED      PIECES 


The    Connoisseur 


NOS.     III.,     IV.     AND     V. — OPAQUE      TWIST     STEMS 

how  superlatively  fine  these  specimens  of  eighteenth- 
century  workmanship  are,  and  it  is  only  well  within 
the  last  twenty  years  that  there  has  been  any  appreci- 
able number  of  collectors  who  have  interested  them- 
selves in  them.  This  is  certainly  the  first  time  an 
important  and  representative  collection  of  English 
glass  has  appeared  in  one  of  our  London  museums. 
That  it  will  stimulate  interest  in  a  hitherto  somewhat 
neglected  quarter  goes  without  saying. 

One  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  our  wine 
and  other  glasses  of  the  eighteenth  century  is  excel- 
lence of  proportion,  broad  feet  tapering  up  gradually 
to  a  good  solid  stem  with  a  bowl  that  will  not  contain 
sufficient  to  cause  any  top-heaviness  when  full ;  while 
if  engraving  or  other  decoration  occurs,  which  it 
frequently  does,  it  is  rarely  excessive,  and  generally 
beautiful  and  appropriate.  It  is  when  we  compare 
these  features  with  contemporary  Continental  pro- 
ductions, with  their  overloaded  decoration  and  very 
inferior  proportions,  that  the  simple  beauty  of  the 
English  work  appeals  so  strongly,  with  its  subtle 
charms  lacking  in  the  others. 

The  collection  under  review  was  started  about 
1890,  and  henceforth,  whenever  possible,  no  desir- 
able specimens  which  came  into  the  market  were 
allowed  to  pass.  The  growth  was  steady  up  to  190S, 
when  it  nu  nbered  so  ne  hundreds  of  pieces;  then  a 
most  important  addition  was  made,  and  through  the 


instrumentality  ot  the  writer  a  portion  of  the  well- 
known  collection  formed  by  the  late  Mr.  John  Webb 
Singer,  of  Frome,  found  its  way  to  the  cabinet  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rees  Price. 

The  Singer  collection  was  started  far  back  in  the 
last  century,  and  contained  several  unique  and  many 
superlatively  excellent  examples,  in  all  about  700 
specimens.  Of  these  some  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
most  important  found  their  way  to  their  present 
quarters.  The  Burlington  Magazine  of  October 
and  December,  1903,  contains  a  full  account  of  this 
collection. 

Later,  in  1910,  the  Trapnell  glasses,  when  sold  at 
Sotheby's,  contributed  a  few  important  additions,  but 
by  this  time  the  collection  was  un  fait  accompli,  and 
it  was  rarely  possible  to  add  types  not  already  held. 

In  all  some  460  to  470  pieces  are  now  on  exhibit, 
and  it  will  be  seen  the  best  has  not  been  spared. 
Fine  glasses  are  scarce,  indeed,  nowadays,  and  pro- 
curable only  at  very  lengthy  intervals.  It  may  con- 
fidently be  stated  that  it  would  be  an  utterly  hopeless 
task,  quite  apart  from  any  question  of  cost,  to  form 
another  .such  collection.  The  day  has  passed  by, 
and  one  can  only  bitterly  regret  the  totally  inadequate 
possessions  of  our  national  museums  in  this  particular 
province  1  with  large  collections  of  German  and 
Venetian  work,  our  own  delightful  masterpieces  are 
hardly  represented. 


A  Loan  Collection  of  English  Glass 


NOS.     VI.,     VII.,     VIII.,     IX.     AND      X. — AIR-TWIST      STEMS 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  enter  into  any  digression 
on  that  fascinating  subject,  the  history  of  the  English 
glass  industry  ;  the  object  of  this  short  paper  is  rather 
to  give  such  assistance  that  both  collectors  and  the 
general  public  who  may  view  the  collection  may 
approach  it  in  a  methodical  manner,  resulting,  it  is 
hoped,  in  a  fuller  appreciation  of  its  importance  and 
beauty  than  might  otherwise  be  gained. 

It  is  not  well  to  be  dogmatic  with  regard  to  the 
dates  of  English  glass,  but  probably  the  earliest 
examples  in  the  collection  are  the  two  fine  and 
excessively  rare  trailed  pieces,  dating  possibly  from 
the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Their 
ornament  is  distinctive,  and  somewhat  suggestive  of 
Venetian  influence.  The  fine  posset  bowl  with  cover, 
No.  i.,  i\  inches  high,  stands  on  a  foot  with  moulded 
ribs;  the  bowl  is  decorated  with  pressed  pattern  at 
the  base  and  a  band  of  trailed  work  around  the  centre, 
while  the  cover,  with  its  knob  containing  beads  of 
air,   is  treated  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  bowl. 

The  striking  goblet,  also  illustrated,  No.  ii.,  gi  inches 
high  (purchased  at  the  Trapnell  sale),  stands  on  a 
broad  folded  foot,  that  is  to  say,  the  foot  is  of  double 
thickness  around  the  edge   to   give   greater  solidity 


and  to  prevent  chipping.  The  bulbed  stem  is  orna- 
mented with  rosettes,  and  contains  a  threepenny 
piece  of  Charles  II.,  while  the  bowl  has  pressed  and 
trailed  work  similar  to  the  preceding  example.  Both 
are  blown  in  a  heavy  but  softly  gleaming  metal  of 
great  beauty. 

Let  us  now,  for  the  purpose  of  careful  examination, 
divide  the  collection  into  seven  rough  divisions: — 


i.   We  have  glasses  of  a  capacity  for  wine,  cordial 

waters  or  punch. 
2.   Sweetmeat  and  champagne  glasses. 
Ale  glasses. 

Tankards,  grog  glasses  and  bowls. 
Candle  and  taper  sticks. 
Engraved    glasses    of    special    commemorative 

interest. 
Glasses  relating  to  the  Jacobite  cause. 


The  first  group,  comprising  the  greatest  number  of 
specimens,  contains  such  diverse  types  that  a  com- 
prehensive classification  becomes  a  matter  of  such 
complexity  that  it  will  not  be  attempted  here.  The 
feet,   sometimes  engraved,  may  be  plain,  folded,  or 


The    Connoisseur 


XOS.     XI.,     XII.     AND      XIII. — DOUBLE      OGEE      BOWLS 

domed.  The  stems  usually  contain  spirals  in  end- 
less design  of  air,  opaque  white,  or  coloured  twists. 
Occasionally  we  find  varieties  in  which  the  air  and 
opaque  twists  are  combined  with  charming  effect ;  or, 
again,  they  may  be  of  that  bulbous  nature  known  to 
collectors  as  "baluster  stems."  Later  examples  are 
sometimes  decorated  with  faceted  cutting. 

For  simplicity  the  bowls  will  be  referred  to  in 
accordance  with  their  various  contours  as  either  bell- 
shaped,  straight-sided,  ogee,  or  double  ogee,  and  we 
find  them  decorated  with  either  engraved,  enamelled, 
or  pressed  work.  The  opaque  white  twist  pre- 
dominates, the  commoner  specimens  being  usually  of 
this  type.  They  appear  to  have  come  into  vogue 
soon  after  the  second  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Their  bowls  of  various  shapes  embrace  capacities 
suitable  for  the  strongest  cordial  waters  (so  much  in 
vogue  in  those  days)  to  the  lightest  of  wines. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  imagined  that  this  class 
contains  no  beautiful  or  interesting  examples.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  it  is  difficult  from  such  a  wealth  of  fine 
pieces  to  choose  illustrations,  but  the  two  glasses, 
Nos.  iii.  and  v.,  one  enamelled  with  a  winter  scene 


and  the  other  engraved  with  a  rose  and  thistle,  are 
good  examples  of  decorated  ogee  bowls  ;  while  the 
bell-shaped  form  is  shown  in  the  specimen,  6h  inches 
high,  engraved  with  a  six-petalled  rose  and  two  buds, 
with  a  moth  on  the  reverse.  Visitors  to  the  collection 
should  not  fail  to  notice  the  fine  colour  and  dextrous 
manipulation  of  many  of  the  twists,  and  the  almost 
endless  varieties  of  decoration  which  appear  on  the 
bowls. 

It  is  impossible  for  an  ardent  lover  of  English  glass 
to  speak  with  restraint  of  the  range  of  air  twists 
exhibited.  It  is  not  only  that  many  superb  examples 
at  once  stamp  the  collection  as  inimitable,  but  the 
general  standard  is  so  extraordinarily  high  and  the 
subtle  collector's  instinct  shown  in  its  selection  so 
obvious. 

The  most  frequent  subjects  of  decoration  are  the 
rose  with  bud  and  foliage,  or  grapes,  leaves,  and 
tendrils  of  the  vine,  sometimes  accompanied  with  a 
bird  or  butterfly.  Now  and  again  a  specimen  occurs 
with  a  landscape  or  marine  scene.  Nos.  vi.  and  vii., 
the  former  engraved  with  honeysuckle  design  and  the 
latter  with  a  ship  and  landscape,  were  obtained  from 


214 


A  Loan  Collection  of  English  Glass 


the  Singer  collection,  together  with 

a  companion  glass  to  No.  vii.,  en- 
graved with  a  lake,  bulrushes  and 

swans,   and   a   stem  of  surpassing 

brilliancy.  No.  ix.,  with  straight- 
sided  bowl,  displays  very  unusual 

decoration,  a  growing  vine  being 

depicted,  while  Nos.  viii.  and    x. 

are  of  a  type  known  to  collectors 

as  drawn  glasses,  that  is  to  say,  the 

stem  and  bowl  are  drawn  from  a 

single  piece  of  metal. 

The  fine  range  of  plain   but 

shapely  drawn  glasses  with  clear 
or  air-beaded  stems  should  not  be 
overlooked.  The  shape  is  a  good 
one,  and  with  bowls  blown  more 
thinly  to  suit  the  vintage  wines  of 
the  present  day,  this  form  of  glass 
might  well  be  revived. 

The  group  of  double  ogee  bowls 
is  a  very  representative  one,  all 
varieties  of  stem  being  shown.  They 
were  found  years  ago  in  some  pro- 
fusion in  the  West  of  England,  and 
it  has  been  suggested  it  was  a  type  No-  XlV- 

particularly  favoured  by  the  Bristol  manufacturers. 
Three  illustrations  are  given — No.  xii.,  with  cut  stem 
and  pressed  fluting  at  the  base  of  the  bowl ;  and 
Nos.  xiii.  and  xi.,  with  engraved  bowls  and  opaque 
twist  and  baluster  stems  respectively. 

The  combined  air  and  opaque  twisted  stems  should 
be  carefully  looked  for,  as  they  are  somewhat  elusive, 
though  well  worthy  of  attention.    Their  subtle  charm, 


however,  does  not  lend  itself  to 
reproduction,  so  no  illustrations  are 
given.  This  is  also  the  case  with 
the  coloured  stems,  in  which  the 
collection  is  particularly  rich.  Per- 
haps they  are  hardly  in  such  good 
taste  as  the  air  or  white  opaque 
stems,  but  as  collector's  pieces  they 
are  eagerly  sought  for.  Many  of 
the  blue  and  white  twists  especially 
are  finely  treated,  and  the  more 
ornate  examples  are  easily  distin- 
guished from  contemporary  Conti- 
nental examples  by  their  superior 
workmanship  and  greater  depth  of 
colour. 

With  the  baluster  stem  the  first 

large  group  of  glasses  is  closed.    It 

is  an  early  feature  which  continued 

in  use  throughout  the  greater  part 

of  the  century.    Large  numbers  are 

shown  with  bowls  of  widely  varying 

shapes  and  capacities.    They  are  a 

very  distinctive  class,  and,  though 

massive,  are  by  no  means  without 

.luster  stem  grace,  with  their  frequently  folded 

feet  and  air-beaded  stems.     No.  xiv.  shows  both  these 

attributes,  while  the  straight-sided  bowl  is  engraved 

with  the  royal  crown  and  cypher  G.R.  beneath  it. 

The  broad,  shallow  bowl  glasses,  usually  of  double 
ogee  shape,  used  either  for  champagne  or  sweetmeats, 
constitute  our  second  division.  Their  stems  follow 
precisely  the  same  lines  noticed  in  the  first  group, 
but  the  bowls  are  infrequently  engraved,  though  often 


XOS.     XV.     AND     XVI. — SWEETMEAT     GLASSES 


XOS.     XVII.     AND     XVIIL  — ALE     GLASSES 


2I5 


/  hi  ■    Connoisseur 


Xos.     XIX.,     XX.,     AND     XXI. 


-TANKARDS      AND      GROG      GLASSES 


decorated  with  pressed  designs,  while  the  domed  foot 
is  a  constant  feature.  The  bowls  of  some  examples 
are  vandyked  around  the  edge,  unfitting  them  for  the 
purpose  of  drinking  vessels,  as  in  the  case  in  No.  xv., 
with  its  domed  and  folded  foot  and  opaque  twisted 
stem.  The  early  piece,  No.  xvi.,  shows  unusual 
decoration  ;  standing  upon  a  wrythen  stem,  the  bowl 
is  surmounted  with  a  looped  design  terminating  in 
pressed  bosses. 

There  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  the  use  of  the  series 
of  tall,  graceful  glasses  engraved  with  barley  and  hops 
comprising  the  third  group.  Their  capacity  is  limited, 
but  no  doubt  the  potency  of  their  contents  com- 
pensated for  that.  Their  range  of  stems  presents  no 
new  feature,  but  the  enamelled  bowl  of  No.  xviii.  shows 
an  unusual  method  of  decoration  in  this  class.  The 
rose  and  bud  occurring  in  conjunction  with  the  heads 
of  barley  on  No.  xvii.  is  an  unusual  feature. 

The  tankards,  bowls,  and  grog  glasses  form  a 
numerous  and  diverse  group,  including  many  of  the 
larger  pieces,  notably  the  capacious  bowl  on  foot 
(similar  to  an  example  in  the  Saffron  Walden  museum), 
engraved  with  a  Bacchus  astride  a  cask  with  the 
inscription,  "  Jove  decreed  the  vine  should  bleed  for 
me,"  with  the  initials  J.H.  and  vine  decoration — a 
rather  late  but  handsome  piece.  Many  tankards  and 
kindred  drinking  vessels  are  shown.  The  charming 
little  handled  goblet  illustrated,  No.  xxi.,  is  inscribed, 
"  Joseph,  Jane  Burrowes,"  and  well  engraved  with 
vine  and  grapes — probably  this  is  a  betrothal  glass. 

Interesting  and  beautiful,  the  grog  glasses  form  a 
considerable  group ;  both  the  square  and  circular  foot 


are  seen.  The  example  illustrated,  No.  xix.  (from  the 
Trapnell  collection),  shows  a  cutter  with  the  quaintly 
spelt  inscription,  "The  Ann  and  Beesea,"  and  in  a 
label,  "James  Oddie,  Bromley."  The  boat  looks  a 
speedy  little  vessel,  somewhat  suggestive  of  the  con- 
traband trade.  The  covered  jar  or  tumbler  (from  the 
Mayhew  sale,  1898),  No.  xx.,  is  engraved  with  a  rose- 
spray  and  inscription,  "Success  to  the  Britannia,  Edmd. 
Eccleston,  1774,"  and  shows  traces  of  oil-gilding. 

Throughout  the  divisions  of  this  series  the  varied 
decorations  and  inscriptions  are  full  of  interest,  and 
the  visitor  will  hardly  fail  to  find  something  to  rouse 
his  curiosity,  particularly  should  nautical  matters 
especially  appeal  to  him. 

For  the  moment  the  drinking  glasses  must  be  left, 
and  attention  given  to  the  candle  and  taper  sticks, 
forming  the  fifth  section.  The  earliest  type  shows 
the  baluster  stem,  then  come  the  air  and  opaque 
twists,  and  later  the  cut  stem.  No.  xxii.  shows  an 
example  of  the  earliest  form,  7  inches  in  height, 
while  the  exceptionally  fine  specimen,  No.  xxiii., 
gh  inches  high,  stands  on  a  domed  and  ringed  foot, 
the  white  and  deep  red  twisted  stem  terminating  in 
beaded  knops  of  clear  glass. 

The  later  examples,  with  handsomely  faceted  stems, 
should  be  carefully  noticed.  The  workmanship  and 
quality  of  metal  are  of  the  finest  description.  Movable 
nozzles  are  a  frequent  feature  in  this  series,  which 
carries  us  to  the  end  of  the  century. 

Perhaps  the  commemorative  glasses  will  appeal  most 
strongly  to  the  average  visitor,  as  they  record  events 
of  both  national  and  local  importance.      Reference  is 


216 


A  Loan  Collection  of  English  Glass 


made  to  a  host  of 
matters — naval, 
military  and  poli- 
tical, convivial, 
sporting,  agricul- 
tural,and  masonic. 
We  see  the  names 
of  long  -  forgotten 
\vorthies,\vith  their 
sentiments  and 
toasts  engraved 
upon  the  bowls  of 
the  f  r  equently 
filled  and  doubt- 
less well-loved 
glasses. 

The  cider  glass 
(from  the  Singer 
collection),  No. 
xxiv.,  engraved 
with  apple-tree  and 
barrel  and  the 
motto,  "no  ex- 
cise," carries  us 
back  to  the  politi- 
cal disturbances  in 
the  spring  of  1763, 
when  t  h  e  foolish 
and  unpopular 
Chancellor  of  that 
day,  Sir  Francis  Dashwood,  vainly  sought  to  impose 
a  duty  of  4s.  a  hogshead  on  the  favourite  beverage 


NOS.     XXII.     AND     XXIII. — CANDLE     AND     TAPER     STICKS 


of  the  West  Coun- 
try agriculturist. 
with  unexpected 
and  disastrous  re- 
sults. 

The  collection 
also  contains  an- 
other of  these  rare 
glasses  displaying 
an  oil  -  gilded  en- 
graving of  a  con- 
ventional apple- 
tree.  On  No.  xxv. 
is  seen  a  ship  with 
the  inscription, 
"  Success  to  the 
Eagle  frigate  John 
Knill,  Command- 
er." It  was  ob- 
tained from  the 
Singer  collection, 
and  probably  hails 
from  the  port  of 
Bristol. 

The  rare  little 
portrait  glass, 
No.  x x v i i . ,  in- 
scribed "  Long 
live  George  — 
Prince  of  Wales — 
1759,"  is  particularly  interesting;  possibly  it  was  a 
counterblast   to   the   Jacobite  glasses  of  that  date ; 


NOS.     XXIV.,     XXV..     XXVI.,     AND      XXVII. — COMMEMORATIVE      GLASSES 

217 


T/ie    Connoisseur 


while  the  scene  displayed 
iii  oil-L^ i  l t  engraving  on  the 

howl   of   No.   xxvi.   (from 

the  Hodgkin  sale,  1903), 

with  the  sentiment  "  Keep 

it  up,"  tells  its  own  tale. 
Many  other  glasses  can- 

nol  fail  to  excite  interest, 

such  as  the  handsome  air- 
twist  goblet  {circa  1763), 

engraved  with   portrait 

and  military  emblems,  in- 
scribed  "The  King  ol 

Prussia  "  ;  the  fine  range 

of  Nelson  glasses;    the 

beautiful   "  Britannia" 

glass,  wi  t  h  its  exquisite 
engraving  ;  and  the  his- 
torical and  probably 
unique  specimen  com- 
memorating Admiral 
Hawke's  victory  at  Qui- 
beron  Bay,  20th  Novem- 
ber, 1759,  engraved  with 
a  figure  of  Britannia,  and  the  inscription  and  date, 
"Success  to  the  British  Fleet,  1759,"  perhaps  the 
earliest  dated  opaque  twist  known,  not  to  mention 
a  host  of  others. 

The  wonderful  group  of  twenty-four  glasses  relating 
to  the  Jacobite  cause  calls  for  a  more  detailed  account 


Nos.  XXVIII.  and  XXIX.- 


than  can  possibly  be  given 
here.  From  a  historical 
point  of  view,  their  inter- 
est is  unbounded  ;  from 
a  sentimental,  they  are  a 
revelation.  The  ordinary 
visitor  will  certainly  regard 
them  with  surprised  de- 
light; but  only  the  collec- 
tor who  has  specialised  in 
this  direction  can  realise 
the  amount  of  work  and 
enterprise  necessitated  for 
the  acquisition  of  such  a 
series.  Some  are  pedigree 
pieces  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance ;  all  are  of  un- 
doubted authenticity  and 
surpassing  beauty. 

Many  of  these  glasses, 
more  particularly  those 
of  small  capacity,  were 
toasting  glasses  of  the 
jacobite  toasting  glasses  seCret  Jacobite  societies 
which  flourished  about  the  time  of  the  '45  rebellion. 
Probably  they  were  used  exclusively  for  the  one  toast, 
"  The  King — over  the  water,"  and  then  removed  to 
a  remote  corner  of  the  pantry,  safe  from  the  eye  ot 
any  prying  intruder. 

The    larger    specimens   and  portrait   glasses  have 


NOS.  XXX.,  XXXI.,   XXXII.,  AND   XXXIII.— JACOBITE   GLASSES 

2l8 


MRS.    SCOTT     MONCR1EFF 

BV    SIR    H1'\K\     RAEBURN 


A  Loan  Collection  of  English  Glass 


always  struck  the 
writer  as  purely  per- 
sonal and  commemo- 
rative. One  can  well 
imagine  a  staunch  old 
Jacobite  rejoicing  in 
a  set  for  ceremonial 
occasions,  when  all 
his  guests  were  of  the 
same  political  creed. 
Xo  doubt  they  were 
used  and  prized  by 
their  owners  long 
after  the  cause  had 
ceased  to  be  anything 
more  than  a  romantic 
sentiment. 

Nos.  xxviii.  and 
xxix.  show  the  drawn 
form  of  toasting  glass. 
The  emblems  dis- 
played by  the  first  are 
a  rose  with  two  buds, 
the  oak  leaf,  the  star 
and  "Fiat"  (the  word 
of  the  cycle  club); 
the  latter  is  similar 
save  that  the  star  is  missing.  The 
interesting  little  glassof  similar  shape, 
with  rose  and  two  buds  on  bowl,  and 
two  oak  leaves  in  the  foot,  all  oil-gilt, 
should  not  be  overlooked. 

From  the  more  unusual  glasses  of 
medium  capacity  the  following  three 
have  been  selected  for  illustration : — 
No.  xxxiii.  (formerly  the  property  of 
the  Rev.  S.  M.  Mayhew),  engraved 
with  Prince  of  Wales'  feathers  and 
the  word  "  Radiat,"  while  the  re- 
verse shows  the  royal  arms  of 
England  and  Scotland  quarterly. 
The  emblems  on  No.  xxxii.  are  the 
natural  rose  with  one  bud,  the  star, 
and  a  forget-me-not,  the  latter  a  rare 
occurrence.  No.  xxxi.  shows  the 
familiar  six-petalled  rose  and  two 
buds,  a  star,  and  the  pathetic  word 
"Redeat." 

The  fine  bell -shaped  example. 
No.  xxx.,  which,  in  addition  to  the 
rose  and  buds,  oak  leaf,  and  "Fiat" 
on  the  bowl,  shows  the  Prince  of 
Wales'  feathers  on  the  foot,  and  the 
lovely  glass  of  similar  shape  engraved 


NOS.      XXXIV.     AND      XXXV.— JACOBITE      GOBLETS 


NO.    XXXVI. JACOBITE     MOTTO 

PORTRAIT    GLASS 


with  a  thistle  with  star 
resting  upon  its 
plume,  in  addition  to 
the  rose  and  buds  (for- 
merly in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  late  W.  J. 
Clement.  M.I'.),  are 
well  worthy  of  atten- 
tion. 

Two  impressive 
goblets  are  shown — 
No.  xxxv.  (from  the 
Mayhew    collection), 
l\  inches  high,  with 
air  -  twist   stem  and 
ogee   bowl   engraved 
with  a  bust  of  Prince 
Charles   Edward   in 
profile  within  a  laurel 
wreath   flanked  by  a 
rose  and  buds,   also 
with  a  thistle  and  the 
cycle   word    "Fiat." 
No.  xxxiv.   (from  the 
same  source),  S  in- 
ches high,  with  air- 
twisted  and  knopped 
stem  ;  the  straight-sided  bowl  is  en- 
graved with  a  seven-petalled  rose  and 
two  buds,  together  with  a  star. 

Even  among  such  brilliant  com- 
pany No.  xxxvi.  is  prominent  on 
account  of  its  superb  engraving  and 
striking  full-face  portrait  in  bonnet 
and  tartan,  with  cockade  in  the  for- 
mer and  an  order  (a  star)  in  the 
latter.  The  star  and  rose  with  buds 
are  also  seen,  and  above  the  bust  the 
motto,  "Audentior  Ibo,"  in  capitals, 
on  a  plain  label.  It  was  formerly 
the  hereditary  possession  of  a  For- 
farshire laird. 

One  final  word  of  entreaty  to  all 
who  love  the  rare  and  beautiful.  No 
description,  however  exact,  no  illus- 
tration,however  carefully  reproduced, 
can  convey  any  true  impression  of 
these  lovely  objects.  An  opportunity 
now  occurs  of  seeing  them  under 
most  favourable  circumstances  ;  do 
not  let  it  be  lost.  They  are  the  cream 
of  a  collection  of  superlative  merit, 
and  will  generously  repay  a  careful 
and  thorough  examination. 


Ceramic   Trinketry 


By    M.  Percival 


Tkinkktry  is  a  useful  and  comprehensive 
word.  It  is  simple  and  seemingly  unpretentious, 
though  it  has  an  ancestry  going  back  to  a  more  than 
respectable  antiquity,*  and  if  in  its  original  significance 
it  may  have  meant  an  ornament  of  metal,  it  is  now 
generally  used  for  any  personal  ornament  which  is 
hardly  of  sufficient  importance  to 
merit  the  title  of  jewelry.     For  /  k 

"  jewelry  "  seems  to  imply  a  certain  ^  ■ 

value  in  the  material  apart  from 
the  workmanship  (though  often  it 
may  be  proportionately  small),  but 
the  "trinket"  relies  on  the  hand  of 
the  maker  for  its  claims  to  admira- 
tion. So  we  may  find  in  these  trivial 
toys  of  a  bygone  day  a  particular  interest ;  for,  though 
sometimes  they  merely  reflect  a  passing  whim  of 
Fashion's  ever-changing  mood,  there  is  often  in  them 
an  artistry  all  the  deeper  for  being  expressed  in 
materials  of  small  pecuniary  worth,  such  as  steel, 
ivory,  or  pottery. 

We  may  also  class  with  the  trifling  personal  orna- 
ments the  less  important  of  those  little  accessories  of 


EGYPTIAN    DAISY    BEAD 


buttons  and  buckles,  and  perhaps  the  less  valuable  of 
the  watches  and  snuff-boxes.     A  complete  collection 
of  trinkets,  if  it  could  be  made,  would  show  us  as  in 
a  mirror  the   tastes  and    fancies  of  those  who  have 
gone   before  us.      Alas !  many  of  the  pretty  things 
were  of  too  evanescent  a  nature  to  stand  hard  wear, 
and  much  that  we  could  wish  pre- 
served has  entirely  vanished,  while 
often   that  which   remains  shows 
only  a  shadow  of  its  former  dainti- 
ness.    Gilding  has  gone,  paint  worn 
V  away,  delicate  carving  and  chasing 

is  chipped  and  scratched,  and  we 
almost  find  these  relics  from  which 
the  glory  has  departed  a  little 
depressing.  But  among  them  the  class  of  trinket 
with  which  I  am  dealing  remains  nearly  as  fresh  and 
bright  as  when  drawn  hot  from  the  kiln. 

"  Time  does  not  wither  nor  custom  stale "  its 
"  infinite  variety."  From  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs 
to  those  of  the  Georges  in  time,  and  from  China  in 
the  East  to  Bristol  in  the  West  in  space,  the  potter's 
art  has  been  used  to  fashion  these  fragile  trifles  in  an 


EGYPTIAN 


dress  and  fashion  which  our  ancestors  called  "toys," 
the  dainty  seals  and  watch-keys,  tiny  scent-bottles  and 
wee  boxes,  also  the    gewgaws  and  baubles,  such  as 


"Trinket" and  " trickery  " are  the  same  word  (going  back  to 
the  Sanskrit  taria,  "twisted, "a  "spindle," interlaced  wire-work). 
Both  are  also  the  same  word  as  "torque,"  the  Asiatic  gorget, 
one  of  which,  taken  from  the  neck  of  the  Gaul  he  slew  in  single 
combat,  earned  for  T.  Manlius  and  his  descendants  the  honorific 
surname  of  Torquatus.  It  is  the  same  word  as  trousseau — 
originally  the  bride's  twisted  bundle  of  garments  and  trinketry. 
— Sir   George  Birdwood,  Journal  K.S.A.,   July  26th,    1912. 


AMULET      RINGS 

endless  series  of  designs,  so  the  range  from  which  we 
may  draw  examples  is  a  wide  one. 

When  dealing  with  any  of  the  arts  and  crafts,  one 
is  almost  sure  to  find  its  prototype  among  the  ancient 
Egyptians  ;  but  of  ceramic  trinketry  they  were  not  only 
the  originators,  but  also  the  most  perfect  exponents, 
for  by  no  other  people  have  such  quantities  of  pottery 
ornaments  been  made,  with,  moreover,  such  a  wealth 
of  beauty  in  design  and  colour.  We  find  in  their 
tombs  and  ruined  cities  an  immense  variety,  and  of 


Ceramic    Trinketry 


these  perhaps  the  most 
interesting  are  the  beads 
and  pierced  amulets 
used  for  stringing  up 
into  necklaces.  Great 
numbers  of  them  have 
been  found,  generally  in 
coffin-cases,  having  been 
hung  round  the  necks 
of  the  mummies.  The 
most  beautiful  are  cer- 
tainly those  glazed  with 
greenish  turquoise  blue, 
which  is  also  the  most 
common  colour.  No 
doubt  its  superior 
beauty  was  recognised 
by  the  Egyptians  themselves.  Red,  yellow,  and  green 
are  also  very  plentiful.  The  best  known  beads  are 
the  long  tubes  or  bugles  and  the  scarabajoid  shapes, 
but  every  kind  of  amulet,  as  well  as  minute  figurines 
representing  the  gods,   were  used  in  the  same  way. 


'/ 


#-  *ft^f 


EGYPTIAN     STRING     OF     BEADS     IN     FLOWER 
AND-LEAF     FORMS 


in  the  case  of  beads, 
their  grouping  for  their 
i  lecorative  effect. 

The  Romans  made 
use  of  pottery  beads, 
and  so  did  the  Anglo- 
Saxons  ;  but  afterwards 
in  England  there  is  a 
gap,  till  the  Che  1m  a 
porcelain  factory  issued 
its  dainty  wares. 

From  this  factory 
comes  the  first  piece  of 
English  porcelain  of 
which  the  origin  and 
date  are  absolutely  cer- 
tain. It  is  a  jug  dated 
1745,  and  also  inscribed  "Chelsea."  It  was  not  long 
after  this  that  the  delightful  small  pieces  known  as 
"  Chelsea  toys  "  began  to  be  offered  for  sale,  the  first 
notice  of  them  appearing  in  1754."'  Perhaps  a  few 
words  on  what  was  meant  by  "toy"  in  the  eighteenth 


w 


WEDGWOOD    CAMEO 


WEDGWOOD    CAMEO 


WHITE    PORCELAIN    BROOCH 


There  is  a  splendid  collection  of  these  beads  at  the 
British  Museum,  where  the  different  forms  and  ways 
of  stringing  can  be  studied  to  great  advantage.  Breast 
ornaments,  rings,  and  bangles  made  of  the  same 
material  are  also  to  be  seen.  Though  these  beads 
are  found  genuine  in  'considerable  quantities,  there 
are,  nevertheless,  modern  forgeries  about,  and  buyers 
should  be  on  their  guard  against 
them.  Some  of  them  are  most  skil- 
ful and  accurate  copies,  but  others 
may  be  known  by  the  brilliant,  cold- 
looking  lustre  of  the  glaze  and  a 
generally  mechanical  appearance. 

Very  few  specimens  of  Egyptian 
pottery  ornaments  appear  to  be  in- 
spired as  to  design  by  gold  or  silver 
work.  One  of  the  rings  illustrated 
may  be  a  copy  of  a  stone-set  original 
of  metal,  but  on  the  whole  they  rely 
on  the  beauty  of  their  colouring  and, 


PIN    OF    BUEN    RETIRO 
PORCELAIN 


century  may  be  of  interest,  now  that  the  word  has 
been  narrowed  down  so  as  to  mean  merely  a  child's 
plaything.  The  term  then  covered  almost  any  small 
portable  object  of  decorative  character — anything,  in 
fact,  which  had  no  really  serious  use,  but  was  valued 
principally  for  its  ornamental  side.  A  "  toyman  " 
was  a  seller  of  jewelry  and  bric-a-brac,  and  occupied 
a  very  important  place  among  fashion- 
able tradesmen,   as  he  supplied  the 


■■  From  the  Publit  Advertiser:  "To  be 
Sold  by  Auction,  by  Mr.  Ford,  at  his  great 
Room  in  St.  James's,  Hay  Market,  this  and 
the  following  day  "  (Dec.  17th,  1754),  "All 
the  entire  Stock  of  Chelsea  Porcelain  Toys, 
consisting  of  Snuff  Boxes,  Smelling  Bottles, 
and  Trinkets  for  Watches  (mounted  in  Gold 
and  unmounted  in  various  beautiful  shapes 
of  an  elegant  design  and  curiously  painted 
in  Enamel),  a  large  parcel  of  Knife  Hafts, 
etc.  Most  of  the  above  in  lots  suitable  for 
Jewellers.  Goldsmiths,  Toyshops,  China- 
shops,  and  Workmen  i  n  various  Branches 
of  Business." 


223 


The    Connoisseur 


% 

~| 

Jill 

■^    .  ivl 

^  v  "1 

IT?' 

.  to 

la  '« 

»\ 

CHATELAINE     WITH     PLAQUE 
PAINTED     IN      MONOCHROME 

beaux  and  belles  not  only  with  European 
novelties,  but  also  Oriental  curios. 

The  tiny  scent -bottles,  seals,  watch- 
backs  and   charms  made  at  Chelsea  are 
among  the  most  fascinating  productions 
of  that   eminently   dainty   factory;  the 
mellow   outline — perhaps  a  result  of  the 
softness  of   the   paste — is  shown  to  per- 
fection in  these  small  pieces,  wherein 
a  quaint  fancy  is   expressed  by  delicate 
modelling  and    most   brilliant  yet  soft 
colour.    They  are  wholly  delightful.    Some 
of  them  are  tiny  figures — there  is  a  full- 
length  figure   of  Shakespeare   among 
these ;  a  masked  cupid  beats  a  drum  on 
a  seal ;   and  a  youth  and  rustic  maiden 
make  love  on   a  scent-bottle  under  two 
inches  high.       Others  are   bunches  of 
flowers  in  high  relief,  of  the  well-known 
Chelsea  character.     Many  of  them  have 
sentimental  mottoes — often  in  French — 
both  painted  on  the  porcelain  and  engraved 
on  the  seal  or  gold  mounting.      The  metal-work  is 
usually  delicate  and   well   made ;    it   is  generally  of 
gold    or   gilt    metal.       These  little  pieces  are  much 
sought  after  by  collectors,  and  therefore  the  ubiquitous 


CUT-STEEL    CHATELAINE 

OR   WATCH-CHAIN   WITH 

BLUE    PORCELAIN    BEADS 

AND   PLAQUE 


CHATELAINE    OF    STEEL    BEADS    AND    DOUBLE 
CAMEOS    OF    WEDGWOOD    JASPER 

forger  has  marked  them  as  a  field  for  his 
wicked  exploits,  and  unfortunately  he  is 
fairly  successful  in  his  nefarious  deeds. 
The  little  imitations  are  really  very  pretty; 
but  though  they  are  wonderfully  exact 
copies,  there  is  a  hardness  about  them 
which  distinguishes  them  when  placed 
by  the  genuine.  Apart,  they  would 
deceive  anyone  but  an  expert. 

Of  Meissen  porcelain  are  some  wonder- 
fully modelled  little  groups  of  flowers  in 
their  natural  colouring,  so  fragile  and 
fresh  in  appearance  that  they  might  al- 
most be  real  flowers.  Sometimes  each 
blossom  is  separately  mounted  on  a  gold 
wire  for  fastening  to  a  neck-band  of  velvet, 
or  groups  of  flowers  and  leaves  are  arranged  on  a 
solid  base  as  pendants,  earrings,  and  beads.  Similar 
pieces  to  the  Chelsea  toys  were  also  made,  such  as 
seals,  scent-boxes,  and  etuis.     From  the  Buen  Retiro 


224 


Ceramic    Trinketry 


*» 


SHOE-BUCKLE   PLAQUE   OF   BLUE 
AND   WHITE    JASPER 


factory  probably 
issued    some 
charmingly  mo- 
delled little  heads 
and  faces  intended 
to  be  set  as  per- 
sonal   ornaments. 
They  are,  I  think, 
very  scarce,  in  this 
country  at  any 
rate,  as  I  have 
only   seen   five  or 
six   specimens, 
all    consisting    of 
heads  and  faces, 
mostly  painted  as 
if  wearing  black 
masks.    These  are 
mounted  in  gold  as 
pins  or  brooches, 
and  are   quaint 
and  effective. 

A  whole  cabinet 
might    easily   be 
filled  with  the  con- 
tributions from 
Wedgwood's   pot- 
tery without  ad- 
mitting any  speci- 
mens   from  his 
contemporary  imi- 
tators, and  to  me 
these  small  things 
are  among    his 
most    charming 
productions. 
They,    of   course, 
frankly  imitate  the 
style  of  old  gems, 


10       *jjT 


BRACELET    OF    BLUE    AND    WHITE 
JASPER 


CHINESE     GIRDLE     HANGER     OF     GLAZED     PORCELAIN 


CHELSEA     PORCELAIN     WATCH-BACK 


CHELSEA   PORCELAIN    SEALS    AND   CHARMS 
225 


EARRINGS   OF    BLUE   AND   WHITE 
JASPER 

but  they  are,  after 
all,   much   more 
decorative  than 
the  originals,  and 
when  mounted,  as 
they   were    meant 
to  be,  in  finely- 
chased  steel  set- 
tings, they  form 
most  exquisite 
ornaments.      I 
have  a  set  of  five 
double  cameos 
from  a  chatelaine 
of  the  ordinary 
white  on  blue, 
which,  while  won- 
derfully effective 
as  spots  of  colour 
at  a  distance,  dis- 
close the  most 
delicate  modelling 
when  looked  at 
under  a  magnify- 
ing-glass.     They 
thus    fulfil    the 
cardinal     require- 
ments of  jewelry  ; 
the  design  and 
w  orkmanship 
must    be    fine 
enough    to   afford 
pleasure  when 
minutely   exam- 
ined,  and   yet   be 
striking  enough  to 
have  a  decorative 
effect.    The  beads 
are  particularly 
pretty.    They  are 


The    Connoisseur 


CHELSEA    FIGURE    OF    SHAKESPEARE 


CHELSEA    FIGURE    OF    A 
MASKED    CUPID 


CHELSEA    ETUI 


seldom  decorated  with  figure  subjects,  which  do  not 
show  off  well  on  such  rounded  surfaces ;  but  the  dis- 
position of  the  white  on  the  blue  is  generally  singularly 
happy,  so  that  one  derives  great  pleasure  from  the 
simple  patterns.  These  tiny  cameos  are  found  in  a 
multitude  of  designs,  and  of  all  sizes,  from  the  very 


small  ones  for  chatelaines  and  rings  to  the  large  ones 
intended  for  watch-backs  and  buckles,  some  of  these 
latter,  which  are  shaped  and  curved  to  fit  the  arch  of 
the  foot,  being  much  larger  than  any  others  of  those 
intended  for  personal  wear,  shoe-buckles  being  worn 
of  enormous  size  at  the  time  they  were  made. 


V 


*U-> 


CHELSEA  GROUP  OF  LOVERS 


CHELSEA  GROUP 


CHELSEA  GROUP 


!26 


—  fa/. 


Sh# 


£   £  i 


The    Connoisseur 


TAPESTRY 


The   "  Diana 
Hunting" 
Tapestries, 
belonging    to 
Mr.   Kennedy 
Jones         By 
W.  G.  Thomson 

From  the  earliest  re- 
cords of  the  ornamentation 


of  textile  fabrics  down  to  the  present  day,  or  almost 
so.  the  chase  has  been  a  most  popular  subject.  In 
the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era  the  Coptic- 
tapestry  weavers  gloried  in  the  representation  of  hunt- 
ing scenes,  using  them  freely  as  dress  decoration,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  find  anywhere  a  more  spirited  render- 
ing than  their  art  affords  in  such  incidents  as  that  of 
the  hunter  launching  his  spear  at  the  wild  beasts  that 
turn  so  fiercely  upon  him,  or  glide  away  as  if  appre- 
hensive of  danger.  These  weavings,  however,  are 
small  in  size,  and  limited  to  two  colours  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  and  so  cannot  compare  with  the 
grand  storied  cloths  woven  in  Western  Europe  in 
later  times — say  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the 
tapestry  weavers  of  Arras  and  Paris  competed  for 
commissions  to  execute  rich  hangings  of  great  size 
for  kings  and  princes,  ecclesiastics,  and  rich  mer- 
chants. There  is  romance  in  the  very  titles  of  some 
of  these  fourteenth-century  tapestries — for  instance, 
the  "  History  of  a  king  who  went  to  hunt  with  a 
great  retinue,  but  losing  his  followers  and  horses  in 
the   wood,   had  a  marvellous   adventure  with   fairies. 


229 


TJie    Connoisseur 


who  sentenced  him  to  he  turned  into  a  stag,"  or, 
"  I  Ik  history  oi  youth  and  sport,  called  '  hunting  the 
Stag,1  "  or  again,  the  "History  of  I. onus  Cuerin,  who 
hunted  the  wild  boar."  During  the  fifteenth  century 
the  subjects  were  more  definitely  stated,  as  the  hunt 
of  the  bear,  bull,  unieom,  slag,  etc.  What  the  hunt- 
ing tapestries  of  the  fifteenth  century  were  like  may 
he  judged  by  anyone  who  pays  a  visit  to  tin1  Central 
Court  of  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum,  where  at 
present  are  exhibited  four  grand  hunting  tapestries 
from  Hardwick  Hall,  the  property  of  the  Duke  of 
Devonshire,  who  has  lent  them  to  the  Museum. 
These  large  tapestries  are  decorated  with  figures  the 
size  of  life  or  thereabouts,  and  in  them  the  landscape 
is  quite  subordinate  to  the  figures.  In  the  succeeding 
century  a  worthy  representative  of  that  class  of  hang- 
ings may  be  found  in  the  world-famous  "  Hunts  of 
Maximilian  "  at  Fontainebleau  and  elsewhere,  and  this 
traditional  order  of  things  is  evident,  although  in  a 
greatly  modified  degree,  in  the  "Hunts  of  Louis  XV.," 
woven  at  the  Gobelins,  after  Oudry's  cartoons. 

In  the  above  examples  the  preponderating  influence 
lies  in  the  figures,  but  in  the  16th  century  another 
style  of  hunting  tapestry  began  to  attain  a  well- 
merited  popularity.  This  was  frankly  a  landscape  or 
verdure,  with  small  figures  engaged  in  the  chase  of 
the  lion,  stag,  wolf,  boar,  and  other  animals,  and  many 
tapestries  of  this  character  are  yet  extant.  With  the 
preponderance  of  landscape  the  tapestry  gained  in 
pictorial  interest,  in  many  cases  without  injury  to  the 
decorative  effect  as  a  whole;  and  in  the  17th  century 
light  and  shade  in  landscape  came  to  be  more  care- 
fully studied,  the  drawing  more  refined,  and  a  lighter 
tone  assumed.  The  subjects,  too,  adopted  a  classical 
form  in  many  instances  :  we  find  Diana  depicted  as 
a  huntress — as  in  the  seven  beautiful  hangings  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Kennedy  Jones,  which  are  at  present 
exhibited  in  the  Waring  Galleries  in  Oxford  Street. 

The  human  figure,  especially  that  of  Diana,  who 
is  distinguished  from  her  nymphs  by  the  crescent 
on  her  forehead,  in  these  remarkable  tapestries,  is 
excellently  drawn  and  full  of  graceful  movement.  Of 
foliage  and  flowers  there  is  great  variety,  and  the  tree 
masses  are  admirably  disposed  in  the  composition  of 
the  various  panels.  The  first  scene  shows  Diana 
setting  out  for  the  chase.  In  common  with  the 
other  panels,  this  scene  is  framed  with  a  broad  border 
consisting  of  wreaths  and  garlands  of  roses,  tulips, 
pinks,  and  other  flowers,  having  bunches  of  fruit 
here  and  there,  in  orderly  sequence,  to  give  variety 
and  a  magnificent  richness  to  the  whole.  From  the 
middle  of  the  upper  border  hangs  a  splendid  bouquet 
of  flowers  that  impinges  upon  the  sky. 

The  second   panel  represents   Diana,  followed  by 


two  attendant  nymphs,  pursuing  a  stag,  which  has 
taken  to  the  water,  from  whence  its  retreat  and  flight 
is  cut  off  by  dogs.  Here  the  umbrageous  trees  and 
the  bed  of  iris  by  the  water  are  beautifully  rendered. 

The  chase  of  the  wild  boar  forms  a  most  spirited 
composition.  In  middle  distance  the  boar  turns 
round  as  if  to  threaten  the  dog  who  follows,  while 
Diana  and  her  nymph  burst  into  view  from  the  right. 
The  landscape  and  flowers  are  admirable  on  the  left. 

In  the  next  panel  Diana  is  seen  pursuing  a  hare. 
The  trees  in  this  scene  are  disposed  with  wonderful 
skill,  and  the  flowers  are  no  less  beautiful.  The 
wolf-hunt  has,  however,  more  life  than  the  preceding 
sport.  Two  dogs  are  fastening  on  the  wolf  on  the 
right,  while  Diana  follows  with  uplifted  spear  to  give 
the  fatal  thrust. 

These  tapestries  bear  the  mark  of  Brussels,  and  were 
woven  there  about  the  year  1670  by  two  tapissiers — 
Albert  Auwercx,  whose  signature  a.  avwercx  and 
a.  a.  appears  on  three  panels  :  four  are  signed 
g.  v.  l.,  for  Guillaume  Van  Leefdael.  The  hangings 
have  a  uniform  height  of  11  ft.  6  in.,  while  in  width 
they  vary  from  9  ft.  to  17  ft.  6  in.  The  weft  is  of 
the  finest  wools  and  silks,  and  the  texture  is  very  fine, 
reaching  19  to  22  warp-strings  in  the  space  of  one  inch. 

The  two  master-weavers  who  shared  between  them 
the  making  of  this  most  beautiful  set  of  tapestries 
stood  high  in  the  aristocracy  of  the  craft  in  Brussels. 
Both  belonged  to  well-known  families  of  weavers,  for 
tapestry  weaving  runs  in  certain  families  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  art  appears  to  have  become  hereditary. 
This  was  due  perhaps  to  the  fact  that  special  advan- 
tages were  accorded  to  the  sons  of  masters  when  they 
came  to  be  apprenticed  to  the  craft,  the  period  of 
apprenticeship  being  shortened  in  their  case  in  most 
of  the  tapissiers'  guilds.  This  tended  to  keep  the 
craft  in  certain  families,  and  in  time  these  formed 
little  dynasties  (such  as  the  succession  in  the  Leyniers 
family),  which  lasted  for  three  or  four  generations. 

Albert  Auwercx,  Auwerckx,  or  Aurecx,  as  the  name 
is  variously  spelled,  became  a  member  of  the  craft  of 
tapestry  weavers  in  the  year  1657,  and  continued  to 
exercise  his  calling  in  Brussels  into  the  early  years  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  He  must  have  had  a  numer- 
ous staff  of  assistants  when  the  tapestries  under  review 
were  being  woven  in  his  workshop,  for  even  in  1707, 
when  the  Brussels  ateliers,  in  common  with  other 
tapestry  manufacturers,  were  in  a  state  of  extreme 
depression,  he  had  five  looms  in  working  order,  and 
employed  about  fifteen  weavers.  Among  these  were, 
in  all  probability,  four  members  of  his  large  family — 
his  sons  Nicholas,  Philip,  Caspar,  and  William.  One 
of  the  most  famous  works  that  came  from  the  shop 
of  Auwercx  was  the  series  of  tapestries  illustrating 


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'Si 

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H 

c 


o 
z 


01 


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231 


The   Connoisseur 


DIANA     PURSUING     A     HARE 


episodes  in  the  life-history  of  Count  Guillaume  Ray- 
mond, of  Moncade,  Lord  of  Airolo,  in  Sicily.  The 
set  consisted  of  no  less  than  twenty  pieces,  and  was 
signed  by  the  maker. 

There  is  a  very  fine  set  of  tapestries,  which  also 
bears  the  signature  of  Auwercx,  in  the  Royal  Austrian 
collection  at  Vienna.  The  panels  are  after  cartoons 
by  Louis  Van  Schoor,  and  represent,  allegorically, 
Monarchy,  Wisdom,  Fortitude,  Commandment, 
Magnificence,  Fidelity,  Simplicity,  and  Abundance. 
Auwercx  also  wove  some  armorial  tapestries. 

It  was  not  an  unusual  practice,  even  in  the  early 
history  of  the  craft,  for  tapestry  weavers,  when  they 
were  pressed  for  time,  to  call  for  the  assistance  of  a 


brother-craftsman  to  enable  them  to  complete  their 
commissions.  In  such  cases,  it  appears  that  the 
execution  of  the  various  panels  comprising  the  set  to 
be  woven  was  farmed  out,  and  thus  two  or  three 
establishments  participated  in  the  manufacture.  Such 
was  the  case  when  the  "  Life  of  St.  Paul  "  was  ordered 
from  Albert  Auwercx.  He  called  in  assistance  from 
William  Van  Leefdael,  and  that  master  has  left  his 
signature  on  a  hanging  belonging  to  that  series.  From 
this  it  is  evident  that  their  partnership  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  "  Diana  Hunting  "  was  not  a  unique  experience. 
William  Van  Leefdael  also  belonged  to  a  family 
of  tapissiers.  His  father,  John,  possessed  an  atelier 
in   Brussels,  from   which  came  the  set  of  tapestries 


< 

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O 

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233 


77ie    Connoisseur 


THE    WOLF    HUNT 

representing  scenes  from  the  "  Life  of  Scipio  "  that 
bears  his  signature.  William  Van  Leefdael  was  even 
more  distinguished  than  his  confrere,  Albert  Auwercx. 
He  soon  rose  to  be  one  of  the  best  masters  of  his  time 
in  Brussels,  and  was  also  a  person  of  importance  in 
the  town,  being  elected  to  the  Communal  Council 
in  1679-1680. 

There  is  a  set,  having  for  subject  "Antony  and 
Cleopatra,"  among  the  treasures  of  the  royal  family 
of  Spain,  and  we  have  seen  another  set  of  the  same 
title  in  nine  hangings,  of  which  three  were  signed 
by  Leefdael  and  others  by  Gerard  Vander  Streken. 
One  of  his  later  efforts  was  the  beautiful  set,  one  of 


which  represents  "Time  enchained  by  Love,"  upon 
a  background  which  is  a  veritable  carpet  of  flowers, 
with  a  garland  held  by  cupids.  It  bore  the  arms 
of  a  ducal  family,  and  in  addition  to  the  signature 
of  Leefdael,  contained  the  inscription,  "  D.  Teniers, 
fee.  1684."  And  certainly  not  the  least  important  of 
Leefdael's  achievements  are  three  florid  and  powerful 
tapestries  after  Raphael's  cartoons,  which  are  now 
hung  in  the  Madrid.  Museum,  to  which  they  were  given 
by  the  Duchess  of  Villahermosa.  The  other  panels 
of  the  series  bear  the  signatures  of  Gerard  Vander 
Streken  and  Everard  Leyniers,  and  all  are  framed  in 
magnificent  borders  of  fruit  and  flowers. 


*34 


The    Connoisseur 


AN  INTERESTING  ELIZABETHAN  MANSION 


When  Nelson  first  set  foot  in  England  after 
his  victory  at  the  Nile,  he  probably  straightway 
directed  his  steps  to  that  ancient  and  reputable 
hostelry,  the  "  Star  Hotel "  at  Great  Yarmouth,  of 
which,  during  the  course  of  his  career,  he  was  not  an 
unfrequent  guest.  In  those  bustling  days,  and  for 
some  centuries  or  more  earlier,  Yarmouth  was  a 
relatively  greater  port  than  at  the  present  time.  It 
was,  after  Chatham,  our  chief  station  on  the  East 
Coast,  and  the  most  advanced  point  of  outlook  from 
which  we  could  scan  the  doings  of  our  quarrelsome 
neighbours,  the  Dutch,  or  watch  the  shifting  boun- 
daries of  our  friends  and  enemies  on  the  coasts  of  the 
Baltic.  From  here  there  set  off,  in  1801,  the  great 
expedition  which  was  to  humble  the  pride  of  Denmark 
and  win  Nelson  yet  another  title  to  fame  as  victor  of 
Copenhagen  :  and  it  was  here  he  again  landed  in 
triumph,  to  once  more  enjoy  the  shelter  of  the  "  Star." 


The  hotel,  however,  is  not  famous  only  on  account 
of  its  associations  with  Nelson,  for  other  illustrious 
persons  have  passed  within  its  walls,  and  the  archi- 
tectural embellishments  of  the  house,  more  especially 
the  beauty  of  the  panelling  and  oak  work  of  the 
interior,  make  it  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing show-places  in  the  Eastern  Counties.  It  bears 
abundant  evidence  of  having  been  erected  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  affords  a  fine  specimen 
of  the  residence  of  a  wealthy  burgess  at  that  period. 

It  was  built  by  William  Crowe  for  his  own  private 
residence,  and  being  one  of  the  Merchant  Adventurers 
of  England,  he  placed  the  arms  of  that  company  in 
the  principal  apartment  (Nelson  Room).  William 
Crowe  was  probably  one  of  those  prominent  and  im- 
portant men  of  Yarmouth  who,  by  their  independence 
and  commercial  influence,  helped  to  make  matters 
over  warm  for  the  barons  of  the  Cinque  Ports.     He 


THE     NELSON     ROOM 


235 


The   Connoisseur 


THE     NELSON     ROOM 


ANOTHER     VIEW 


was  a  man  of  affluence,  respected  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men, and  was  elected  by  them  on  two  occasions  to  fill 
the  office  of  bailiff  of  the  town — first  in  1596,  and 
again  ten  years  later.  The  particularly  well-preserved 
carving  in  oak  of  the  arms  of  the  Merchant  Adventurers 
is  worthy  of  explanation,  for  it  demonstrates  the 
importance  of  the  position,  as  a  member  of  their 
Company,  of  William  Crowe,  the  builder  of  this  house. 

The  style  in  which  its  interior  is  fitted  will  be 
familiar  to  those  who  remember  the  details  of  such 
show-houses  as  Knole,  Longleat,  Burleigh  and  Hat- 
field, Hardwick  and  Audley  End.  Its  ceilings,  its 
panelling,  its  casements  and  stair-rails  are  all  reminis- 
cent of  the  more  lavish  decorations  displayed  in  those 
palaces,  and  are  characteristic  of  the  sixteenth-century 
home  of  an  opulent  and  prominent  citizen. 

Briefly  told,  the  story  of  the  house  shows  how  two 
generations  of  Crowes,  father  and  son,  possessed  it, 
until  the  brother-in-law  of  the  latter,  Thomas  Bransby, 
High  Sheriff  of  Norfolk,  inherited  it,  and  on  his  death, 
in   1682,  it  descended  to  his  daughter,  who  became 


Lady  Astley,  of  Melton  Constable.  Remaining  in  the 
possession  of  this  family  until  1740,  it  was  bought 
by  a  Yarmouth  maltster ;  thence  it  passed,  still  as  a 
private  house,  to  families  named  Wilson  and  Brad- 
shaw,  and  in  the  time  of  the  latter  it  was  converted 
into  the  "Star  Hotel."  The  change  certainly  took  place 
before  1789.  In  1806  the  hotel  was  conveyed  to 
Mr.  William  Wolverton,  who,  in  1824,  sold  it  to  Mr. 
George  Bennett,  a  favourite  comedian  attached  to  the 
Norwich  Company  of  Actors.  By  him  the  hotel  was 
sold  to  Mr.  W.  H.  Diver,  who  in  turn  conveyed  it  to 
Mr.  W.  Shales,  in  whose  hands  the  hotel  attained 
to  something  of  the  important  position  amongst  the 
hostelries  of  the  Eastern  Counties  which  it  occupies 
to-day.  Later  owners  have  been  Mr.  Lane  and  Mr. 
S.  J.  Ramsey,  and  in  1904  it  was  purchased  by  Mr.  H. 
Taylor,  the  present  proprietor,  who,  it  is  understood, 
has  just  disposed  of  the  panellings  and  internal 
decorations  to  Messrs.  Greenlands,  Ltd.,  of  Hereford. 
The  exterior  fronting  the  quay  is  built  of  smoothed, 
squared  flints  with  stone  dressings,  and  is  thoroughly 


236 


An    Interesting   Elizabethan    Mansion 


DETAIL     OF     CARVING     AND     PANELLING 

typical  of  the  craftsmanship  of  the  sixteenth-century 
masons,  which  is  rarely  equalled  by  those  of  to-day. 
There  is  a  balcony  to  the  first  floor  supported  on 
pillars. 

The  entrance  and  the  rooms  on  either  side  of  the 
ground  floor  are  low,  consistent  with  the  common 
practice  at  the  period  when  this  house  was  erected 
to  appropriate  this  part  of  the  building  for  the 
reception  of  goods  and  merchandise.  Ascending  by 
way  of  the  oaken  staircase,  which  is  broad  and  fleet 
with  a  heavy  balustrade,  one  reaches  the  glory  of  the 
hotel,  the  Nelson  Room.  Although  the  approaches 
to  it  are  all  antique,  one  enters  the  apartment  to  be 
overwhelmed  with  the  effect  of  the  wealth  of  carving 
all  round,  surmounted  by  a  ceiling  of  perfect  beauty. 
The  room  is  lined  throughout  with  exquisitely  carved 


wainscotting,  black  with  age.  Square  panels  reach 
to  a  height  of  about  five  feet,  and  are  divided  at 
regular  intervals  by  fluted  pilasters  which  support 
terminal  figures,  alternately  male  and  female,  between 
which  are  a  series  of  ornamental  panels,  richly  carved. 
The  arms,  previously  described,  of  the  Merchant 
Adventurers,  are  over  the  handsomely  proportioned 
Elizabethan  fireplace,  which  had  long  been  filled  up 
so  as  to  fit  it  for  a  small  stove  ;  but,  being  relieved  of 
the  modern  woodwork  which  screened  it,  this  orna- 
mental chimney-piece  of  Caen  stone,  in  all  its  original 
beauty,  is  once  more  brought  into  its  proper  use. 
Curious  cupboards  are  concealed  in  the  panelling, 
and  one  may  note  the  quaint  arrangement  of  the  door 
on  the  left  of  the  fireplace,  which,  like  doorways  in 
that  old  Elizabethan  house,  Thaine  Park,  Oxfordshire, 


237 


The    Connoisseur 


ami  in  the  gallery  of  Rockingham  Castle,  open  from 
.i  small  lobby  cut  om  of  the  corner  of  the  room — a 
very  curious  and  unusual  treatment.  The  handsome 
ant  ceiling  is  divided  into  six  compartments  of 
rich  moulding  and  adorned  with  fruit  and  flowers. 
Altogether,  with  its  well-proportioned  windows  opening 
upon  the  verandah  over  the  quay,  the  Nelson  Room 
is  acknowledged  to  he  a  very  perfect  specimen  Of  the 
mode  ol  decorating  domestic  houses  in  the  days  of 
Moml  Oui  en  Bess.  This  hh.ui  is  historically  interest- 
ing, as  during  the  civil  war  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I. 
t  Hivei  Cromwell  visited  the  town,  and  it  is  supposed 
that  a  meeting  took  place  between  Cromwell  and  his 
officers  at  which  the  trial  of  the  captive  king  was 
arranged.  John  Bradshaw  was  president  of  the 
( 'omniissioners 
for  the  trial  of 
Charles,  and  on 
January  27th, 
1649,  the 
Court  s  e  n  - 
tenced  him  to 
death,  and  on 
J  anuary  30th 
he  was  exe- 
cuted. 

One  of  the 
owners  of  the 
house  in  the 
eighteenth  cen- 
t  u  r  y  became 
connected  by 
h  i  s  daughter's 
marriage  with 
a  Bradshaw, 
descended 
from  the  fam- 
ous president, 
"  Broad  brim- 
med" Brad- 
shaw. 

Another  in- 
teresting room 
is  the  smoking 
lounge,  a  typi- 
cal instance  of 
the  handsome- 
ly decorated 
apartment  of 
its  architec- 
tural period. 
It  is  the  most 
handsome  of 


its  kind  in  the  town,  and  the  delight  of  visitors  from 
far  and  near,  who  turn  in  to  see  it  with  almost  as 
much  curiosity  as  they  do  the  more  ornate  Nelson 
Room.  In  its  present  form  the  room  does  not  retain 
its  full  proportions,  but  has  been  dwarfed  in  order  to 
screen  off  a  passage  from  the  stairs  to  the  kitchen  and 
Other  apartments  and  to  the  courtyard.  A  beauti- 
fully moulded  ceiling  extends  into  this  passage  and 
also  into  the  bar  at  the  end  of  the  room.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  apartment,  having 
ponderous  pendants,  of  unusual  size  and  beauty, 
which  are  alternated  with  heavy  clusters  of  fruit. 
The  ancient  fireplace  is  in  an  excellent  state  of 
preservation,  its  ample  hearth  being  one  of  the 
glories  of  this  cosy  room   when  the  winter  season 

drives  one  to 
the  comfort  of 
the  fireside. 
O  t  he  r  evi- 
dence of  the 
full  extent  of 
the  room  is 
found  in  the 
position  of  the 
original  win- 
dow— not  that 
which  lights 
the  apartment 
from  the  Row 
— which  is  now 
obscured  by 
the  partition- 
i  n  g  of  the 
passage.  It 
had  fourteen 
lights  in  two 
tiers,  the  six 
centre  ones  be- 
ing larger  than 
those  on  either 
side,  and  the 
heavy  oaken 
frame  being 
delicately 
carved  on  the 
outside.  The 
apartments 
overhead  this 
noble  room 
have  also  a 
similar  window 
of  twelve  lights 
in  two  tiers. 


EXTERIOR     CARVINC 


238 


i 


w  \V7 


A   SALT-GLAZE    OWL 

USED    AS    A    JUG,    THE    HEAD    FOR    A    CUP 


Historic  English  Potteries 

The  many  generations  of  great  potters  to  whom 
the  district  now  comprised  in  the  enlarged  county 
borough  of  Stoke-on-Trent  has  given  birth  would  impel 
one  with  the  belief  that  some  vital  element  from  the 
pottery  clays  of  the  district  must  enter  into  the  blood 
of  the  inhabitants  if  the  explanation  of  the  phenomena 
was  not  to  be  found  in  the  more  prosaic  but  more  sound 
scientific  reasons  of  heredity  and  environment.  Since 
the  days  of  the  Romans,  pottery-making  has  been  indi- 
genous to  this  district.  Each  generation  is  born  with  an 
hereditary  aptitude  for  the  work,  so  that  children  fresh 
from  the  schoolroom  enter  the  pottery  factories  possessed 
of  an  instinctive  facility  for  the  deft  manipulation  of  the 
clays  ;  for  the  even  and  harmonious  laying  on  of  colour, 
which  would  come — if  it  came  at  all — to  the  people  of  a 
region  less  impregnated  with  ceramic  tradition  only  as 
the  result  of  much  study  and  practice.  As  it  is  with 
the  workpeople,  so  it  is  with  master-potters.  The  great 
works  have  been  built  up  by  dynasties  of  proprietors, 
each  commencing  his  career  with  the  accumulated 
knowledge  of  his  fathers,  and  each  adding  some  fresh 
discoveries  of  his  own  to  descend  to  his  children. 

The  result  of  these  conditions  is  to  be  found  in  the 
unrivalled  excellence  of  the  staple  product  of  the  district. 


With  the  exception  of  a  few  foreign  products,  limited  in 
scope  and  utility,  and  whose  peculiar  qualities  are  derived 
from  the  properties  of  the  materials  found  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  their  manufacture,  English  ceramic  ware  of 
all  kinds  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  in  the  world.  The 
richest  and  most  cultivated  classes  of  the  five  continents 
dine  off  English  china,  drink  their  tea  or  coffee  from 
English  cups,  and  indulge  in  the  refinements  or  neces- 
sities of  the  toilet  from  English-made  utensils.  Nor  in 
the  technical  excellence  of  the  work  produced  is  the 
rivalry  of  the  past  more  to  be  feared  than  the  competition 
of  the  present.  A  few — a  very  few — secrets  known  to 
potters  of  earlier  times  have  been  lost ;  but  for  the  most 
part  the  glazes  and  pastes  discovered  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  the  mediaeval  potters,  and  those  who  founded 
the  great  continental  factories  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  have  not  only  been  emulated,  but 
carried  to  a  far  higher  degree  of  perfection.  Few  secrets 
known  to  Chinese  potters  have  been  left  unsolved,  while 
many  wares  have  been  evolved  equally  beautiful  as  theirs, 
but  altogether  unknown  to  them.  In  fact,  paradoxical  as 
the  statement  may  seem,  it  is  the  technical  perfection  of 
the  best  types  of  modern  English  pottery  which  deprives 
them  of  not  a  little  of  their  fascination  in  the  eves  of  the 


PLAQUE    BY    WEDGWOOD 


"HERCULES    IN    THE    GARDEN    OF    THE    HESPERIDES" 
24I 


BY    FLAXMAN 


The    Connoisseur 


collector.  The  older  potters 
u  ii'd  to  attain  it,  but  their 
knowledge  was  not  equal 
to  the  task,  and  so  in  their 
wares  failings  often   appear 

slight  variations  in  colour- 
tones,  surface  inequalities, 
ami  «  ant  ot  transparent  y 
in  the  glazes — which,  first 
sought  for  by  connoisseurs 
as  evidence  of  the  antiquity 
of  the  pieces,  have  now  come 
to  be  rig  aided  as  essen- 
tial beauties.  The  modern 
poller  could  produce  all 
these  characteristics,  but 
they  would  not  be  tolerated 
in  contemporary  work. 

Modern  English  ceramic 
ware,  indeed,  does  not  receive 
a  tithe  of  the  attention  from 
the  collector  it  deserves. 
He  utilizes  it  for  his  house- 
hold requirements,  but  does 
not  introduce  it  into  his  cabinet — an  oversight  which 
deprives  him  both  of  a  fascinating  pursuit  and  a  profit- 
able hobby,  and  handicaps  the  pottery-maker  by  pre- 
venting him  from  fully  developing  the  artistic  side  of  his 
craft.  The  collecting  of  the  work  of  the  past  is  a  pursuit 
full  of  interest  ;  but,  nevertheless,  it  affords  little  oppor- 
tunity for  the  exercise  of  original  judgment,  or  of  the 
zest  and  fascination  of  exploration.  It  is  but  the  treading 
of  well-worn  paths  ;  the  recording  of  history,  not  the 
making  of  it.  The  patrons  of  Wedgwood  and  his  con- 
temporaries laid  the  foundations  of  the  English  pottery 
industry  of  to-day,  and  enabled  them  to  produce  wares 
which  in  quality  rivalled  anything  that  had  gone  before. 

The  most  artistic  of  Wedgwood's  purely  decorative 
pieces  were  equally  sought  after  as  his  utilitarian  wares, 
and  so  he  was  enabled  to  advance  from  triumph  to 
triumph,  calling  in  the  greatest  artists  of  his  time  to  his 


PLATE    WITH    VIEW- 
BY  CAUL-DON   (BROWN-WESTHEAD,  MOORE  AND  CO.)  LTD 


assistance,   and   finding   his 
efforts  to  evolve  beauty  highly 
profitable.        Unfortunately, 
the  same  state  of  affairs  does 
not   prevail   to-day.       Since 
the  advent  of  the  motor-car, 
with  its  inexhaustible  outlets 
for  superfluous   income,  the 
best  of  our  table  wares  goes 
abroad.      The   antiquary  of 
the  future,  when  he  seeks  to 
discover  the  most  luxurious 
and  ornate  examples  of  Eng- 
lish domestic  china  produced 
in  the  era  of  George  \\,  will 
have  to  seek  for  them  in  the 
Fifth    Avenue    mansions    of 
New  York,  or  the  palaces  of 
Oriental  potentates.     The 
same  rule  holds  good,  to  some 
extent,  with  regard  to  the 
purely  ornamental  pieces. 
The  Englis'h  connoisseur's 
glance  is  too  retrospective  ; 
he  is  apt  to  collect  the  artistic  triumphs  of  every  age 
rather    than    his   own,    and    so    he    leaves   the    support 
of  what  should   be  the    highest    branches    of    ceramic 
art    to    people    whose     taste     is    not    of    a    cultivated 
character.      The    result   is   somewhat   disheartening   to 
the   enlightened    potter.        In    the    show-rooms    of    the 
principal    Stoke-on-Trent   factories    one    sees    pieces 
which,  in  their   fine   simplicity  of  form   and  the  lustre, 
richness,  and  superb  coloration  of  their  glazes,  approach, 
if  not  equal,  some  ot  the  best  examples  of  Oriental  art. 
For  these,  one  is  told,  there  is  practically  no  demand. 
They  are  not  ostentatious  enough  for  the  ordinary  pur- 
chaser,   who,    when    he    buys    expensive    wares,   wants 
something  the  value  of  which  is  apparent  to  everyone  ; 
and  the  connoisseur  to  whom  they  should  appeal  seems 
obsessed  with   the  idea  that  age  is  the  most  necessary 
attribute   of  beauty. 


242 


Historic 


English 


Potteries 


Something  of  this 
neglect  for  the 
highest  phases  of 
modern  porcelain 
and  pottery  perhaps 
originates  in  the  idea 
that  they  are  wholly 
of  mechanical  pro- 
duction— turned  out 
by  machinery  in 
thousands  and  tensot 
thousands  of  pieces ; 
whereas  machinery 
plays  a  compara- 
tively minor  part. 
The  making  of  cera- 
mic ware  still  re- 
mains essentially  a 
handicraft,  the 
production  of  crafts- 
m  e n  —  if  one  may 
include  men,  women, 
boys,  and  girls  under 
such  an  appellation — 
the  quality  of  whose 
work  depends  almost 
wholly  on  their 
steadiness  of  eye  and 
sureness  of  hand.  In 
the  higher  grades  of 
work — such  as  pieces 
directly  painted  with  original  designs  —  the  craftsman 
becomes  an  artist,  using  the  porcelain  for  his  canvas,  and 
performing  feats  of  greater  difficulty  than  the  orthodox 
painter,  for  the  materials  he  uses  allow  little  opportunity 
for  revision  or  correction. 

For  examples  of  the  products  of  modern  ceramic  art, 
I  am  taking  some  of  the  typical  wares  in  half  a  dozen 
of  the  largest  and  more  historic  factories  in  the  recently 
extended  county  borough  of  Stoke-on-Trent.  There 
may  be  other  factories  equally  worthy  of  mention  ; 
but  these  are  typical.     Their  founders  were  among  the 


PARIAN    FIGURE,    IS64 


men  who  have  done- 
most  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  English 
pottery,  and  in  trac- 
ing the  history  of 
their  firms  one  is 
giving  the  outline 
history  of  the  rise 
and  development  of 
one  of  England's 
greatest  and  most 
flourishing  industries 
— a  beautiful  and 
pleasurable  industry, 
moreover ;  one  which 
allows  its  skilled 
workers  to  cultivate 
deftness  ot  eye  and 
hand  to  the  utmost, 
and  which  initiates 
in  them  a  taste  for 
the  refinements  and 
graces  of  sentient 
line  and  pleasing 
colour.  There  may 
be  —  there  probably 
is — a  seamy  side  to 
the  industry,  but  my 
way  lay  not  among  it. 
The    firms   I  visited 

LION    IN    LOVE"  BY    MINTON  ,u„-o 

are  not  among  those 
who  make  economies  at  the  cost  of  suffering  workpeople. 
As  I  passed  through  room  after  room  of  industrious 
workers,  all  seemingly  happy  in  their  varied  occupations, 
it  appeared  to  me  that  their  task  of  creating  the  beautiful 
was  amongst  the  most  delightful  that  could  be  afforded 
by  any  of  our  great  modern  industries. 

At  Messrs.  Wedgwood's  I  was  told  that  it  was  usual  for 
the  workers  to  grow  grey-headed  in  the  service  of  the 
firm,  in  whose  fortunes  they  take  a  keen  proprietary 
interest,  regarding  the  heads  with  the  same  affectionate 
spirit    that    Highland    clansmen    felt    for    their    chiefs. 


FLAMBK     MOTTLED     VASES 


The  Connoisseur 


Something  of  this  feeling  perhaps  comes 

from  the  way  that   the  business  has 

descended  from  fathei   to  son  for  over 

a  century  and  a  half.     The  Wedgwood 

<1\  nasty  is  represented.     It  was  founded 

by   the  "  great  Josiah  Wedgwood,"  as 

Mr.  Gladstone  called  him.     Mr.   Law- 
rence  Wedgwood,  one    of  the   present 

proprietors,   belongs   to    the    fourth 

generation,  in  direct  descent  from  him  ; 

his   partners,   Major   Cecil  Wedgwood, 

I'.S.O.  —  the   first   mayor  of  the  new 

county  borough   of  Stoke-on-Trent — 

and  his  brother,  Mr.  Frank  Wedgwood, 

to  the  fifth.    Josiah  Wedgwood  himself, 

however,  is  only  the  middle  link  in  a 

dynasty   of  potters,   for    his    father, 

grandfather,   and   great-grandfather  all 

belonged   to    the  craft.      His  place  in 

the  history  of  ceramic  art  is  that  of  the 

father   of   modern    pottery ;    the   great 

works  he  built  at   Etruria  —  held  and 

extended  by  his  descendants — are  the 

cradle  of  the  present  great  English  in- 
dustry.    When   he  was  born,  in   1730, 

the  commonalty  of  England  ate  their 

meals  from  wooden  platters  and  the 
coarsest  of  earthenware  ;  by  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1 795,  nearly  every  house- 
hold was  provided  with  clean,  delicate, 
and  well-shaped  wares,  which  owed  their 
origin  almost  entirely  to  his  inventiveness,  artistic  taste, 
and  unremitting  enterprise  and  industry. 

The  works  at  Etruria  were  not  founded  until  Wedg- 
wood's reputation  and  fortunes  were  well  established. 
This  was  in  1769,  when  he  was  thirty-nine,  having  already 
packed  the  enterprises  and  achievements  of  a  lifetime 
into  a  career  which  had  not  nearly  reached  its  apogee. 
He  had  served  a  lengthy  apprenticeship  with  his  brother 
Thomas;  started  business  on  his  own  account  with 
Mr.  Harrison  ;  parted  from  him  and  joined  forces  with 
Thomas  Whieldon — their  partnership  lasting  from  1754 
until  1759;  and 
finally  commenced 
entirely  on  his  own 
at  the  Churchyard 
Works,  B  urslem. 
This  business  grew 
with  tremendous 
rapidity.  To  cope 
with  its  increase, 
Wedgwood  first  took 
additional  premises 
at  I  vy  House,  and 
then  started  a  third 
factory  at  the  Brick 
House  Works  —  re- 
christened  by  his 
e  mpl  o  y  ees  as  the 
Bell   Works,    from  centrepiece 


LUSTROSA    CHINESE    BOTTLE-SHAPE 

VASE 

BY    G.     L.    ASHWORTH    AND    BROS. 


Wedgwood]  having  "started  a  bell  to 
call  them  to  work.  The  settlement 
at  Etruria  was  designed  to  bring  all 
these  separate  establishments  into  one. 
There  was  open  country  all  around 
when  Wedgwood  bought  the  site  ;  his 
factory  and  the  houses  erected  for 
his  workpeople  made  of  it  a  little 
town.  Wedgwood  was  then  thirty-nine, 
and  a  master-potter  of  many  years' 
standing,  having  passed  through  the 
pr  el  i  m  in  a  r  y  stages  of  thrower  and 
apprentice,  and  in  conjunction  with 
Whieldon  established  a  highly  success- 
ful business  at  Burslem,  his  native 
place.  In  1775  he  transferred  the  whole 
of  this  to  Etruria,  which  since  then  has 
remained  the  seat  of  the  great  pottery 
factory  controlled  by  his  descendants. 

The  place,  to  outward  aspect,  has  not 
altered  very  materially  since  Wedg- 
wood's time.  New  works  have  been 
added  and  new  machinery  introduced; 
but  the  latter  is  not  visible  unless  one 
search  for  it,  and  the  former  are  smoke- 
toned  into  complete  harmony  with 
the  buildings — and  these,  it  must  be 
remembered,  cover  a  colossal  area — 
erected  by  Wedgwood  himself.  His 
house — the  Old  Hall — divided  from  the 
works  by  the  Trent  and  Mersey  canal 
and  a  stretch  of  still  uncovered  meadow  land,  is  only  a 
furlong  distant.  But  what  seems  to  place  one  on  terms 
of  closer  intimacy  with  him  is  the  museum  in  the  midst 
of  the  works,  almost  wholly  filled  with  personal  relics, 
his  moulds,  casts,  dies,  and  experimental  trials,  and  an 
unique  series  of  some  of  his  finest  achievements.  The 
museum  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Isaac  Cooke,  whose  many 
years  of  service  with  the  firm,  if  they  barely  span  half 
the  interval  which  separates  us  from  Wedgwood's  life- 
time, have  at  least  enabled  him  to  speak  with  people 
who  saw  the  master-potter  in  the  flesh. 

The  number  01 
wares  which  Wedg- 
wood produced  is 
eg  ion  ;  but  perhaps 
the  one  most  closely 
associated  with  his 
name  is  the  famous 
Jasper  ware,  in  which 
the  subject  is  ren- 
dered in  white  relief 
— generally,  but  by 
no  means  invariably, 
on  a  blue  ground, 
for  Wedgwood  also 
produced  the  ware 
in  various  tones  of 
lilac  green,  black, 
by  copeland        ~"^  anil   v e  1 1  o w.      The 


244 


Historic 


English 


Potteries 


distinction  of  the  ware  lies  not  only 
in  the  daintiness  and  purity  of  its 
colour,  but  also  in  its  fine  body, 
which  has  been  pronounced  as  the 
most  beautiful  substance  ever  intro- 
duced into  ceramic  art.  Wedgwood 
only  perfected  this  ware  after  1770, 
and  his  best  pieces  in  it  were  pro- 
duced between  1773  and  1793.  To 
this  period  belongs  the  famous 
"Marriage  of  Cupid  and  Psyche," 
the  subject  of  which  was  taken  from 
an  antique  gem  in  the  Marlborough 
collection.  Wedgwood's  plaque 
from  this — repeated  in  various  sizes 
— was  executed  in  1787,  and  two 
years  later  he  employed  Flaxman 
to  design  the  exquisite  "  Sacrifice  of 
Hymen"  as  a  companion  piece. 
Flaxman,  indeed,  was  constantly 
employed  by  Wedgwood,  and  the 
most  perfect  expressions  of  his 
genius  are  to  be  found  in  the  designs 
he  made  for  the  potter  rather  than 
in  his  large  monuments. 

A  well-known  triumph  of  Wedg- 
wood was  his  reproduction  of  the 
celebrated  Portland  vase  in  the 
British  Museum,  perhaps  the  most 
difficult  feat  ever  attempted  by  a 
potter.  In  his  black  basalt  ware  he 
found  an  excellent  vehicle  for  the 
reproduction  of  antique  busts  and 
contemporary  sculpture.  Of  his 
other  wares  one  can  only  mention 
the  famous  Queen's  ware — named  in 
compliment  to  Queen  Charlotte — 
with  its  delightfully  warm  but  delicate  cream-coloured 
tone  ;  his  agate  wares,  in  which  he  attained  the  colora- 
tion and  quality  of  richly  marked  marbles  ;  and  his 
finely  formed  semi-porcelain  or  stoneware. 

The  progress  of  Wedgwood's,  however,  did  not  cease 
with  the   life  of   its    first    proprietor;   he  only  laid   the 


PARIAN     FIGU 
BY 


foundations  of  the  present  business 
— magnificent  ones  it  is  true.  The 
structure  has  been,  and  is  still  being, 
enlarged  by  his  descendants.  Wedg- 
wood, it  will  be  remembered, attained 
an  unrivalled  reputation  for  his  table 
wares,  supplying  them  to  the  vari- 
ous royalties  of  his  day,  among  his 
works  in  this  phase  of  his  craft  be- 
ing the  celebrated  dinner-set  made 
for  the  Empress  Catherine  of  Russia, 
which  was  recently  rediscovered  in 
the  Winter  Palace,  and  of  which 
one  or  two  sample  pieces  are  in- 
cluded among  the  treasures  in  the 
museum.  This  reputation  for  beau- 
tiful table  wares  has  been  retained 
and  extended  by  the  present  firm, 
and  their  pieces  go  all  over  the 
world,  American  millionaires,  who 
are  the  largest  and  most  prodigal 
buyers  of  anything  that  possesses 
striking  and  apparent  excellencies, 
being  among  their  principal  custo- 
mers. A  dinner-set  of  recent  date, 
which  will  possess  an  historic  inter- 
est in  the  future,  is  that  made  for 
Mr.  Roosevelt  for  use  at  the  White 
House  when  he  first  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  A 
feature  in  many  of  the  firm's  pieces 
is  the  introduction  of  wholly  hand- 
painted  patternings.  In  most  wares, 
where  the  pattern  is  required  to  be 
repeated,  its  outlines  are  first  printed 
on  and  then  overpainted  by  hand  ; 
but  in  many  of  those  of  Messrs. 
Wedgwood  the  preliminary  printing  is  dispensed  with, 
and,  with  skilful  work,  a  far  greater  individuality  and 
freedom  of  effect  is  attained.  Some  of  these  pottery- 
painters — young  women  for  the  most  part — attain  a 
dexterity  and  sureness  of  hand  which  is  simply  marvel- 
lous.    It  appears  a  matter  of  course  for  a  girl  not  far 


RE  SUMMER 

MINTON 


PLAQUE     BY     WEDGWOOD 


BLIND     MAN  S     BUFF 


BY     FLAXMAN 


245 


The    Connoisseur 


THE    APOTHEOSIS    OF    HOMER 


down  her  teens  to 
fble  to  take  .1 
cup  or  plate  in  one 
hand  and  with  the 
other  pai  nt  round 
its  body  —  not  its 
-  a  perfectly 
straight  line  ol 
even  thickness 
throughout  without 
any  visible  marks 
to  guide  her,  and 
to  do  it.  not  with 
one  dexterous 
sweep,  but  slowly 
and  systematically, 
so  as  to  secure  that 
the  paint  shall  be 
laid  all  round  with 
exactly  the  same 
thickness.  The 
most  elaborate  pat- 
ternings  are  repro- 
duced  with  the 
same  sureness  ;  not 
outlined  in  pencil 
first,  but  painted 
indirect  with 
brush,  one  slip  of 
which  would  mar  the  entire  piece.  Pressure  of  space 
forbids  one  to  linger  longer  with  Messrs.  Wedgwood, 
whose  show-room,  containing  samples  of  many  of  the 
best  ceramic  wares  evolved  in  England  during  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half,  offers  a  variety  of  attractions  that  is 
bewildering  in  its  profusion. 

When  Whieldon  was  in  partnership  with  Wedgwood 
they  had  among  their  apprentices  a  young  man  destined 
to  be  a  rival  to  them  both 
with  contemporary  buyers 
and  in  the  attraction  of  his 
wares  to  posterity.  This 
was  Josiah  Spode — the  first 
of  the  name,  for  it  was 
shared  by  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor, whose  reputation  is 
as  deservedly  great  as  that 
of  his  father.  Spode  the 
elder  was  born  in  1733, 
and  commenced  to  manu- 
facture on  his  own  account 
in  1754,  the  same  year  as 
his  sons  birth.  He  took 
the  works,  forming  the 
nucleus  of  those  of  the 
present  firm  of  Copeland's, 
late  Spode,  in  1770,  which 
had  previously  been  carried 
on  by  Messrs.  Turner  and 
Banks.  The  first  Spode 
was   not   a   man   of  great 


BY    WEDGWOOD,    AFTER    FLAXMAN 


PLAQUE,    WITH    VIEW    OF    WINDSOR    CASTLE 
BY    CAULDON    (BROWN-WESTHEAD,    MOORE    AND    CO.)    LTD. 

246 


originality,  but, he 
had  a  talent  for 
producing  excellent 
wares,  which  his 
son  sold  through 
the  medium  of  an 
emporium  they 
opened  in  London ; 
and  it  speaks  vol- 
umes for  the  grow- 
ing reputation  of 
the  firm  that  this 
London  branch,  at 
first  conducted 
through  an  agency, 
and  then  in  com- 
paratively small 
premises,  had  to  be 
finally  moved  to  a 
large  warehouse. 
The  death  of  his 
father,  in  1797,  re- 
called Joseph 
Spode,  Junior,  to 
Stoke,  and  caused 
him  to  admit  Mr. 
John  Copeland — 
who  had  been  con- 
cerned with  him  in 
the  London  business — as  a  partner  in  the  firm.  Spode 
was  one  of  the  greatest  pioneers  of  the  ceramic  industry 
in  the  nineteenth  century,  uplifting  its  entire  standard. 
He  is  popularly  credited  with  having  been  the  first  to 
introduce  bone  into  the  body  of  English  porcelain;  there 
are,  however,  many  other  claimants  to  this  distinction, 
and  his  share  in  the  matter  is  probably  that  he  made  a 
commercial  success  of  what  had   been  only  a  tentative 

experiment.  He  was,  how- 
ever, the  first  to  use  fel- 
spar among  its  ingredients, 
and  thus  increase  the 
beauty  and  transparency  of 
the  ware,  besides  improv- 
ing the  quality  of  the  body. 
Another  improvement  he 
effected  was  the  introduc- 
tion of  transfer  printing  ; 
by  means  of  this  he  was 
enabled  to  pattern  his 
pieces  with  more  ornate 
and  better  executed  de- 
signs, while  one  of  the  col- 
ours he  initiated — a  beau- 
tiful light  blue  —  is  still 
unrivalled,  and  specimens 
of  his  productions  in  this 
tint  are  eagerly  secured  by 
collectors.  But  Spode  by 
no  means  confined  his 
chromatic  improvements  to 


Historic   English    Potteries 


this  single  tint.  He 
borrowed  ideas 
from  the  richly 
decorated  porce- 
lains of  Japan,  and 
introduced  beauti- 
ful and  original 
styles  of  decora- 
tion, in  which  reds 
and  blues  and  dark 
cobalts  predomin- 
ated, richly  embel- 
lished with  gold. 
He  died  in  1827, 
having  raised  the 
reputation  of  Staf- 
fordshire china  to 
the  highest  emi- 
nence. His  son 
retired  from  the 
business  in  1835, 
which  then  came 
wholly  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  W. 
T.  Cope  land,  the 
son  of  the  partner 
of  J  os i ah  Spode, 
and  the  late  Mr. 
K.  1'.  Copeland, 
whose  sons,  Messrs.  Ronald  and  Gresham  Copeland, 
now  control  the  destinies  of  its  present  nine  acres  of 
works. 

Here,  as  at  other  of  the  larger  works,  the  difficulty  of 
the  chronicler  is  not  what  to  find  to  describe,  but  which 
of  the  many  beautiful  things  he  shall  select  from.  There 
are  a  wealth  of  pieces  in  the  old  Spode  patterns,  now  so 
popular  ;  wares  which  in  their  floral  patternings  recall 
the  chintzes  of  our  grandfathers,  others  which  are  drawn 
from  Oriental  motifs,  and  others  in  the  beautiful  blue 
which  was  one  of  Spode's  specialities.  1  if  more  modern 
patterns  there  are  an  inexhaustible  number,  the  ex- 
quisitely white  and  transparent  table  ware  for  which 
Copeland's  are  famous  forming  backgrounds  to  an 
endless  variety  of  simple  or  ornate  designs— in  some  the 
embellishment  consisting  of  merely  a  few  lines  with  the 
royal  crown  or  crest  of  some  English  or  foreign  potentate 
finely  painted  on  one  side  ;  in  others  the  white  porcelain 
being  almost  entirely  covered  with  ornate  and  gorgeously 
jewelled  tracery,  which  looks  as  though  it  were  executed 
in  gold  filigree  work  and  enamel.  Such  pieces  as  the 
latter  tax  the  potter's  art  to  the  utmost,  on  account  of  the 
fineness  of  work  with  which  they  have  to  be  executed 
and   the   number  of  firings  they  require.      A   thousand 


THE    APOTHEOSIS    OF    VIRGIL 


pounds  or  more  is 
no  uncommon  price 
for  a  single  dinner 
service  in  such 
style.     Domestic 
ware,  however,  by 
no  means  exhausts 
the     scope     of 
Messrs.  Copeland's 
energies.     One  re- 
calls that  they  fur- 
in  ished  the  tiles 
which  decorate  the 
nine  cupolas  of  the 
Imperial  Library 
in  France,  when  all 
the  Continent  was 
ransacked  in  vain 
for    potters    to 
undertake  such 
a  gigantic  task, 
36,000  tiles,  each 
forming  part  of  an 
elaborate   design, 
having  to  be  fixed 
all    on    the    curve. 
A  later  triumph 
in  France  was  the 
award  of  a  Grand 
Prix  at  the  last  Paris  Exhibition,  a  repetition  of  earlier 
awards    of  the   same   character   in    previous   ones.      In 
the    early   part  of  the    Victorian    era   the    firm   shared 
with   Mintons   the   credit  of  discovering  Parian,  a  sub- 
stance composed  principally  from  felspar,  which,  though 
now    somewhat    unfashionable,    is   the    best   substitute 
for  marble  that  has  ever  been  made,  and  which,  unlike 
marble,    can    be    cast   in    moulds.      One   wonders  why 
tin-,    beautiful    ware    is   not   more    used    at   the   present 
moment  for  the  reproduction  of  modern  pieces  of  sculp- 
ture.    In   its   durability  and  its  susceptibility  for  being 
easily  cleansed  it  is  far  superior  to  plaster;  while,  though 
it  hardly  possesses  such  sculpturesque  qualities  as  bronze, 
the  latter  material  is  too  dark  to  show  to  advantage  in 
the  subdued  light  of  an  ordinary  English  reception-room. 


BY    WEDGWOOD,    AFTER    FLAXMAN 


TEA    SERVICE  OLD    LEEDS    REVIVAL    ON    SPECIALLY    DESIGNED    AND    REGISTERED    SHAPES  BY    DOULTON 


247 


The   Connoisseur 


unlikely  things  may 
en  than  that  the  old 

ol  (Mi  ian  ware  repro 
duced  from  the  statuary 
of  Gibson,  Theed,  Foley, 
1  'ower,  and  other  sculptors 
ms  half  a  century  ago, 
will  come  within  the  proi  e 
nan<  i  ol  the  i  ollector  and 
I  ie  eagerly  sought  after  and 
ed.  Peril  ips  I  should 
dwell  les  "ii  uh.tt,  tor  tin- 
time  being,  is  neglei  ted 
ware,than  those  wares  which 
.it  tin-  present  moment  are 
most  so  ug  lit  after.  The 
tastehithertoprevailing  has 
been  for  pieces  decorated 
with  sumptuous  ornateness 
and  resplendent  with  gild- 
ing and  jewel-work.  These, 
to  escape  the  reproach  of 
being  tawdry,  must  be 
conceived  with  taste  and 
refinement,  and  executed  with  great  technical  skill.  A 
failure  in  either  respect  would  be  fatal,  for  the  difference 
between  good  work  of  this  kind  and  indifferent  is  as 
great  as  between  an  elaborate  piece  of  exquisitely  hand- 
wrought  Renaissance  jewellery  and  a  modern  machine- 
made  imitation.  In  its  technical  perfection  Messrs. 
Copeland's  work  of  this  character  reaches  the  limits  of 
modern  discovery,  while  the  modern  designs  are  conceived 
and  executed  by  some  of  the  most  able  contemporary 


PLATE      B 
BROWN-WESTUEAD. 


ceramic  artists  and  (  rafts 
men,  or  reproduced  in  fac- 
simile from  beautiful  old 
designs.  Vases  of  all  sizes 
and  reminiscent  of  all 
periods  are  shown,  ranging 
from  dimensions  so  colossal 
that  they  even  dwarf  what 
is  known  as  the  "  Forty 
Thieves"  type  —  so  called 
because  of  a  supposed  re- 
semblance to  the  jars  in 
which  those  famous  "Ara- 
bian Nights''  characters 
hid  when  in  Ali  Baba's 
courtyard — down  to  exqui- 
site little  specimens  in  bleu 
de  roi,  rose  du  Barri,  and 
turquoise  ;  while  for  those 
who  like  beauty  of  form 
unrelieved  by  colour  there 
are  numbers  of  pieces  in 
delicate  and  softly  trans- 
lucent white  wares. 
In  1765,  four  years  before  Wedgwood  established  his 
works  at  Etruria,  another  well-known  potter,  Thomas 
Minton,  was  bom.  Unlike  Wedgwood,  Minton  was 
neither  a  native  of  the  district — first  seeing  the  light  at 
Wyll  Cop,  Shropshire— nor  did  he  enter  the  pottery 
industry  in  the  ordinary  way  as  a  thrower,  but  as 
apprentice  to  an  engraver  at  the  Caughley  China  Works, 
Broseley.  Even  had  he  remained  an  engraver  all  his 
life,  Thomas  Minton  would  deserve  to  be  remembered  by 


Y     CAULDON 
MOORE     AND     CO. 


PAIR    OF    VASES    MADE    ABOUT    1 84O 


BY    MINTON 


248 


SPODE 


CHINA. 


iy  Royal  appoinfmeiu        / 
to  His  riajesfy 
King  G(  / 


Successors 


W.  T.  Cooelnnd  r,  Snn^  ^t^b^. 


An   Tn/ant 


Historic 


English 


Potteries 


THREE     PLATES     BY     WEDGWOOD 
Cheadlt  pattern^  designed 

in  style  of  "Old  Rouen  " 


i  lid  Queen  s 
patter 


posterity  as  having  rendered  the  first  English  version 
of  that  most  popular  of  all  ceramic  decorations,  the 
well-known  willow  pattern.  A  more  substantial  repu- 
tation attaches  to  his  name  as  founder  o.f  the  great 
firm  of  Mintons.  This  enterprise  was  not  initiated 
until  he  had  passed  many  years  as  an  engraver,  con- 
tinuing at  Caughley  for  some  time  after  the  termination 
of  his  apprenticeship,  then  working  for  Joshua  Spode 
in  London,  and  finally  setting  up  as  an  engraver  at 
Stoke-on-Trent  in  1789.  Four  years  later  he  bought 
a  small  plot  of  land  and  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  earthenware.  Minton  built  up  an  excellent  founda- 
tion for  a  great  business.  He  established  a  reputation 
for  the  soundness  and  high  finish  of  his  wares ;  but  it 
is  chiefly  through  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  his 
second  son,  Herbert,  born  in  1792,  that  the  world-wide 
celebrity  of  Mintons  originated.  Herbert  Minton  be- 
longed to  the  same  class  of  master-men  as  Wedgwood — 
originators  who,  not  content  to  pursue  the  beaten  track, 
find  the  way  to  greatness  along  paths  of  their  own 
making.  He  came  into  control  of  the  works  in  1836, 
and,  aided  by  the  talent  of  Mr.  Arnoux,  his  art  director, 
he  made  their  productions  known  throughout  the  con- 
tinent. Not  content  with  developing  his  business  on 
recognised  lines,  he  added  entirely  new  wares   to   the 


"  Rotn  11  1    ■  a 

decoration  replica  oj  an  old 
R.'irt-it  pattern 

potter's  repertoire,  and  turned  out  pieces  of  a  character 
and  size  not  hitherto  attempted.  The  virile  influence  of 
Herbert  Minton's  personality  is  seen  in  the  widely 
extended  scope  of  the  firm's  work.  Thomas  Minton 
had  commenced  in  a  humble  way,  making  only  earthen- 
ware, and  acting  as  his  own  traveller.  The  pattern- 
books  he  carried — two  slender  oblong  octavo  volumes 
filled  with  designs  painted  in  water-colour  —  are  still 
preserved  by  the  firm,  and  afford  an  interesting  record 
of  some  of  the  more  popular  late  eighteenth-century 
patternings.  Not  until  1821,  when  Herbert  had  been 
fifteen  years  connected  with  the  firm — he  joined  it  as  a 
boy  of  fourteen — did  it  commence  to  ]make  semi-trans- 
parent porcelain  ;  a  few  years  later  china  was  added,  in 
1842  parian  was  added,  and  in  1849  Herbert  Minton  and 
Arnoux  succeeded  in  producing  a  hard  porcelain,  pro- 
nounced to  be  superior  to  that  of  Meissen  or  Berlin. 
One  of  the  greatest  feats  was  the  inception  and  perfecting 
of  English  majolica,  a  ware  for  which  the  firm  still  retains 
an  unique  reputation.  The  idea  was  borrowed  from  con- 
tinental sources — from  the  glorious  painted  majolica  of 
the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  a  ware  which 
originated  with  the  Moors  in  Spain.  Its  special  charac- 
teristic is  its  opaque  glaze,  derived  from  the  use  of 
oxide  of  tin.     The  failing  of  the  continental  ware  is  its 


SFVRES  STYLE  PLA 1  I> 


BY  MINTON 

-51 


The    Connoisseur 


BERNE     CANDELABRA     AND     CLOCK 


BY    COPELAND 


brittleness  and  fragility,  largely  caused  by  the  body 
being  made  from  calcareous  clays,  which  require  only 
very  gentle  heat  for  firing.  Mintons  made  their  body 
from  the  far  less  easily  handled  marl,  found  abundantly 
in  certain  coal  districts,  and 
which,  when  fired,  turns  to  a 
ware  light  buff  in  colour,  of  a 
great  density,  and  which  stands 
frost  or  rough  handling  better 
than  any  other.  Artists  like 
Marochetti,  Carrier,  Jeannest, 
and  others,  were  employed  to 
embellish  the  higher  technical 
qualities  of  the  new  ware  with 
decorative  qualities  which  should 
rival  those  of  the  best  pieces  of 
the  old.  How  well  they  perform- 
ed this  task  was  shown  in  the 
1 85 1  exhibition,  where  the  speci- 
mens shown  caused  a  great  sensa- 
tion, the  Crown  Princess  of 
Prussia  (afterwards  Empress  of 
Germany)  securing  the  entire  ex- 
hibit. To  recount  subsequent 
achievements  of  Mintons  would 
need  a  substantial  volume.  An 
original  ware  which  owes  its  per- 
fection to  the  enterprise  of  Mr. 
Campbell,  one  of  the  late  part- 
ners in  the  firm,  and  their  former 
art  director,  Mr.  M.  L.  Solon, 
is  the  celebrated  Pate  sur  Pate, 
which  affords  the  highest  artistic 
possibilities.  For  their  pieces  in 
the  Sevres  style  the  firm  enjoys 
a  high  reputation,  as  they  have 
command  of  enamels  as  techni- 
cally perfect  as  those  which 
adorned  the  chef-tfa-uvres  of  the 
reigns  of  Louis  XV.  and  Louis 
XVI.     Their  table  wares,  which 


MASON    WARE    TOKIO    VASE    IN    BLUE    AND    RED 
BY    G.    L.    ASHWORTH    AND    BROS. 


once  almost  enjoyed  a  monopoly  with  old  English  county 
families,  more  than  retain  their  former  reputation,  and 
most  of  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  including  the 
English  royal  families,  own  services  made  by  the  firm. 

The  huge  Cauldon  factory 
(Messrs.  Brown  -  West  head, 
Moore  &  Co.)  owes  its  establish- 
ment to  that  stalwart  Wesleyan 
and  master-potter,  Job  Ridgway. 
He  was  born  in  the  district — at 
Chell,  near  Burslem  —  in  1759, 
and  always  seems  to  have  desired 
to  remain  in  it.  Apprenticed  at 
Swansea,  he  returned  to  Stafford- 
shire in  1780,  when  his  indentures 
were  expired,  but  was  driven  by 
lack  of  work  to  Leeds.  After 
two  years'  sojourn  there,  during 
which  he  came  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Methodism,  he  returned 
again,  this  time  permanently.  He 
and  his  brother  William  went  into 
partnership  as  master-potters, 
separating  amicably  towards  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
when  Job  built  the  factory  at 
Cauldon  Place,  which  has  now 
expanded  until  it  covers  eleven 
acres,  an  area  large  enough  to 
contain  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  and 
the  Houses  of  Parliament.  Job 
Ridgway  chiefly  confined  his 
efforts  to  stoneware  and  blue 
printed  ware.  His  two  sons,  John 
and  William,  who  came  into  the 
control  of  the  business  on  their 
lather's  death,  in  1S14,  largely 
extended  its  scope.  John  espe- 
cially was  responsible  for  the 
development  of  the  Cauldon 
wares.     Some  of  his  fine  pieces 


252 


Historic 


English 


Potteries 


CAULDON    WAKE 


MADE    BY    CAULDON    (BROWN-WESTHE AD,    MOORE    AND    CO.)    LTD.    IN     iXOs 


— though  hardly  as  many  as  one  would  like — are  still 
to  be  seen  at  the  works,  while  many  of  his  old  patterns 
— those  free  adaptations  of  Japanese  motifs  carried  out 
in  rich,  bright,  but  always  harmonious  colouring — 
are  even  more  popular  to-day  than  they  were  in  his 
lifetime.  He  appears  to  have  used  untiring  efforts  in 
the  improvement  and  decoration  of  his  wares.  He 
evolved  a  beautiful  porcelain  body,  and,  aided  by  artists 
like  Cutts  and  Speight,  he  applied  to  it  a  richness 
and  elaborateness  of  ornamentation  which'  had  hardly 
been  attempted  by  his  predecessors. 

In    1S22    he   dissolved    partnership   with   his   brother 
William,   and  after  this  date,  when  he  was  free  to  use 
his  own  initiative  and  enterprise  without  any  conflicting 
influence,  most  of  his  greatest  triumphs  were  attained. 
His  blue   printed 
wares  acquired  a  tre- 
mendous popularity, 
while    his    gold 
work  was  especially 
noteworthy   for    its 
fine   quality.       He 
executed  many  com- 
missions for  Queen 
Victoria,  to  whom 
he  was  appointed 
royal    potter.      On 
his   death,    in    i860, 
the  business  was 
transferred    to    the 
present  firm,  Messrs. 
T.   C.    Brown-West- 
head,  Moore  &  Co. 
Perhaps  the  greatest 
claim    which    John 
Ridgway  has  on  the 
gratitude  of  posterity 
is  the  fine  quality  of 
the   porcelain    paste 
he  evolved,  which 
was   far   superior  to 
that  produced  at  the 
factories  of  Bow  and 
Chelsea.     The  Caul- 
don-ware  body — 
John    Ridgway:s 
composition   im- 
proved  and  perfected 


REPRODUCTION    OF    A    SEVRES    V. 
PAINTED    PANEL.    AND 


by  his  successors — is  characterised  by  a  subtle  warmth 
of  tone.  Of  its  fine  decorative  capabilities  hundreds  of 
instances  are  afforded  in  the  variously  patterned  table- 
ware samples  of  dinner  sets  which  have  gone  to  the 
ttite  among  the  civilised  peoples  in  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe — European  royal  families  and  those  of  Asia, 
Colonial  and  South  American  millionaires,  and  Wall 
Street  magnates.  Among  these  may  be  found  patterning-^ 
to  suit  an  infinite  range  of  tastes,  varying  from  the 
chaste  simplicity  of  the  decoration  on  the  service  sup- 
plied for  use  on  the  royal  train  of  the  London  and 
North  Western  Railway,  or  of  those  used  for  the  three 
royal  visits  to  India,  to  intricate  combinations  of  gilt 
and  jewelled  enamels  which  recall  in  their  sumptuous 
splendour  the  legends  of  the  Arabian  Nights.     Many  of 

the  pieces  are  in 
white  and  gold  only, 
an  exquisite  com- 
bination when,  as  is 
here  the  case,  the 
gilding  is  woven  into 
delicate  traceriesand 
patterned  so  that  its 
rich  splendour  shall 
contrast  with  the  soft 
whiteness  of  the 
translucent  porcelain 
beneath.  Acid  gild- 
ing, in  which,  after 
the  manner  of  etch- 
ing, diapered  pat- 
terns are  wrought  on 
the  gold  by  the  biting 
away  of  the  ground 
beneath  by  acid,  is  a 
novelty  which  has 
been  extensively 
adopted  by  the  firm. 
On  their  h  a  n  d  - 
painted  wares — table 
sets  in  which  each 
individual  piece  is 
decorated  with  a 
different  theme — the 
sen  ices  of  some  of 
the  best  ceramic 
artists  of  the   day 

DARK     BLUE    GROUND, 

by  minton  have  been  utilised. 


25.' 


The    Connoisseur 


An  interesting  example  oi  one  of  the  firm's  earlj  efforts 
to  produce  pictorial  representation  ol  high  quality  on 
i  hina  is  the  *  iew  oi  Windsor  Castle,  dating  ba<  k  to  the 
time  of  John  Ridgway,  in  which  the  elaborate  frame, 
equally  with  the  body  of  the 
picture  itself,  is  composed 
of  porcelain.  One  of  the 
mote  recent  productions  "i 
the  (  'auldon  factory  is  the 
Shakespeare  >  .i-e.  a  centre- 
in  china,  standing 
iiver  three  feet  high,  which 
was  shown  at  the  Chicago 
exhibition. 

This  is  only  one  of  a 
number  of  vases  painted 
by  Boullemier,  Sieffert, 
Bernard,  and  other  gifted 
artists,  with  themes  suffici- 
ently varied  in  their  scope 
and  treatment  to  meet  the 
predilections  of  all  classes 
of  ceramic  collectors.  As 
in  other  of  the  largest  fac- 
tories, the  wares  made  at 
Cauldon  Place  are  by  no 
means  limited  to  those  of 
an  expensive  character; 
indeed,  it  would  be  quite 
impossible  to  produce  the  latter  by  themselves  on  a 
remunerative  basis.  They  require  special  positions  in 
the  pottery  ovens,  and  if  there  were  no  pieces  of  a  less 
delicate  character  to  be  fired  at  the  same  time,  the  ovens 
would  be  more  than  half  empty.  The  lower-priced  wares 
are  made  with  equal  artistic  insight  and  equal  technical 
ability  as  those  of  a  more  costly  character.  The  higher 
price  of  the  latter  is  accounted  for  by  the  greater  diffi- 
culties attendant  to  their  production,  and  the  greater 
limitation  in  the  application  of  their  designs. 

The  connection  of  Messrs.  Doulton  &  Co.  with  Stafford- 
shire is  of  more  recent  date  than  that  of  the  other  firms 
mentioned  in  this  article.      Originating  only  in  1877,  the 


VASE    IN    REMBRANDT    WARE 


establishment  then  formed,  which  has  since  developed 
into  one  of  the  largest  in  the  Potteries,  was,  however,  but 
one  of  the  offshoots  of  the  parent  stem,  other  branches 
having  already  been  formed  at  St.  Helens,  Lancashire, 

and  Rowley  Regis,  near 
Birmingham.  The  parent 
house  was  founded  by 
Messrs.  John  Doulton  and 
John  Watts  at  Vauxhall, 
London,  in  1815,  and 
moved  to  its  present  site 
in  Lambeth  in   1S26. 

The  production  of  artistic 
architectural  and  horticul- 
tural terra-cotta — a  speci- 
ality of  the  firm — and  their 
exploitation  of  the  decora- 
tive possibilities  of  smaller 
objects  made  in  salt-glazed 
stoneware,  by  the  addition 
of  colour  and  finish,  might 
prove  more  attractive 
themes  ;  but  the  range  of 
products  of  this  firm  is  so 
large  that  one  must,  as  far 
as  possible,  confine  oneself 
to  the  description  of  a  few 
of  the  pieces  made  in  the 
works  at  liurslem,  where 
most  of  their  finest  china  and  earthenware  is  pro- 
duced. Of  all  the  pieces  shown,  my  own  fancy  was  most 
taken  with  some  specimens  of  flambe,  which  rivalled  in 
their  coloration  and  quality  the  old  Chinese  specimens  of 
the  same  ware. 

One  would  like  to  see  the  old  and  the  new  shown 
together,  side  by  side  ;  the  exhibition  would  make 
many  collectors,  who  are  now  straining  their  resources 
in  the  endeavour  to  compete  with  multi-millionaires  for 
fine  examples  of  Chinese  art,  turn  to  these  equally  beauti- 
ful and  comparatively  moderately  priced  works.  One  is 
afraid  to  use  the  word  "cheap."  In  these  transmuta- 
tion wares  the  potter  makes  nature  his  master-decorator, 


BY    DOULTON 


IMPERIAL    QUEEN  S    WARE 
COMPOTIER  PIERCED 

AND    RELIEF    DECORATION 


CHINA    DESSERT    PLATE 
BARTOLOZZI    PATTERN 

BY     WEDGWOOD 

2  5  4 


IMPERIAL    QUEEN  S    WARE 
FRUIT-BASKET  PIERCED 

AND    RELIEF     DECORATION 


Historic 


Ei/glis/i 


Potteries 


LUSTROSA    CHINESE    PRUNUS    SHAPE    VASE 
BY    G.    L.    ASHWORTH    AND    BROS. 

fashioning  for  her  handiwork  vases  of  simple  and  beauti- 
ful shape,  which  he  coats  with  glazes  cunningly  arranged, 
so  that  the  heat  of  the  furnace  shall  transmute  them  into 
enamels  glowing  with  vari-coloured  tints,  ranging  trom 
deep  brilliant  reds  and  flame-like  yellows  to  the  delicate 
and  tender  modulations  of  peach  bloom. 

This  flambe  glaze  has  been  pressed  into  domestic  use, 
and  one  can  obtain  beautiful  rouge  flambe  tea-sets  and 
other  pieces,  while  it  has  also  been  adopted  as  a  ground 
in  decorated  pieces,  the  deep-red  coloration  forming  an 
effective  background  to  a  multitude  of  well-conceived 
designs,  varying  from  simple  patternings  to  freely  treated 

figure  and  landscape  subjects.  Another  ware  whose 
effect  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  peculiar  properties 
of  its  glaze  is  lustre, 

and    many  pieces 

of  fine  quality  are 

shown.   Then  there 

are  innumerable 

examples  of  china 

vases  on  which  the 

full  resources  of 

the  modeller  and 

painter  have   been 

lavished  ;  and  it  is 

a  matter  of  con- 
gratulation that  the 

names  affixed   to 

these     works — 

Messrs.    Doulton  mason  ware  Bruges  bowl 


LUSTROSA    VASE.    OLD    CHINESE    SHAPE 
BY    G.    L.    ASHWORTH    AND    BROS. 

are  among  those  who  believe  in  their  artists  getting  the 
credit  of  their  productions — are  nearly  all  of  English 
origin.  Mr.  E.  Raby's  floral  designs,  naturalistic  in  their 
standpoint  but  always  conceived  with  an  eye  to  decora- 
tive effect,  are  among  the  most  perfect  of  their  kind  ; 
while  among  other  artists  who  have  achieved  excellent 
work  for  the  firm  are  Messrs.  G.  G.  White  — with  his 
well-composed  and  delicately  wrought  figure  subjects— 
A.  Eaton,  J.  Hancock,  and  D.  Dewsbury. 

In  work  of  this  kind,  however,  the  effect  attained  by 
the  painter  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  appropriate- 
ness of  the  setting,  and  thus  the  chief  responsibility 
rests  upon  the  designer,  who  conceives  the  piece  as 
a  whole.  In  Mr.  C.  J.  Noke,  the  art  director  at 
-,  Burslem,  Messrs. 

k    Doulton   possess  a 
I    des i g n er  of  tried 
f    ,i  b  i  1  i  t  y ,     whose 
guiding  motive  is 
to  raise  the  artistic 
standard    of    cera- 
mic art  and   pres> 
into  its  service  the 
best    talent   of  the 
time.     His  designs 
for  vases   show  an 
inspiration  derived 
f  r  o  m  the  great 
trad  it  ions  of  the 
hworth  and  bros.  past,   while   in    his 


The    Connoisseur 


MASON     WARE     DINNER     1'LATE 
BY     G.    L.    ASHWORTH     AND     BROS. 

figure  subjects  the  work  has  a  sculpturesque  largeness 
of  feeling  without  any  attempt  having  been  made  to 
mimic  in  pottery  effects  which  are  only  legitimately 
attainable  in  marble  or  bronze.  The  pieces  are  not 
merely  statuettes  coloured,  but  have  been  composed 
specifically  with  an  eye  to  their  coloration  and  the 
peculiar  properties  of  the  material  in  which  they  are 
wrought.  The  same  appropriateness  of  design  is  shown 
in  the  pieces  in  china  decorated  with  conventional  floral 
arrangements,  which  are  among  the  most  tasteful  ex- 
amples of  modern  ceramic  art.      Mention  should  also  be 


made  of  the  rich  Rembrandt  wares  painted  with  clay 
upon  clay.  Of  table  wares  the  Royal  Doulton  factory 
produces  examples  of  every  kind.  They  merit  a  most 
lengthy  description,  but  space  does  not  permit ;  and  what 
has  been  said  regarding  the  technical  perfection  of  the 
wares  of  other  great  makers  applies  equally  to  these,  whose 


STELLA    ROCOCO     LAMP 


BY    COPELAND 


PLATE  PART    OF    DESSERT    SERVICE    MADE    FOR    THE 

LATE    KING    EDWARD  BY    DOULTON 


translucent  and  even-grained  bodies  and  purity  of  colour 
and  gilding  are  of  the  finest. 

The  wares  which  graced  the  tea-tables  of  the  ladies  of 
the  eighteenth  century  were  almost  wholly  of  Oriental 
make,  but  the  import  of  them  was  almost  stopped  by 
the  heavy  duties  imposed  on  them,  consequent  upon  the 
outbreak  of  the  great  war  with  France.  It  was  this 
check  to  trade  which  caused  that  subsequently  great 
potter,  Miles  Mason,  to  turn  his  attention  from  the  re- 
tailing of  ceramic  wares  to  their  production,  and  found 
that  well-known  business  which,  after  some  vicissitudes 
of  fortune,  has  for  many  years  been  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  George  L.  Ashworth  and  Brothers.  Mason 
belonged  to  a  Cumberland  family ;  his  Oriental  china 
business  in  Fenchurch  Street,  London,  which  came  to 
grief,  was  founded  in  1780,  and  a  little  over  twelve  years 
later  he  was  installed   as  a    master-potter    at     Middle 


256 


Historic   English    Potteries 


PRESENT-DAY    SERVICE 


BY    COPELAND 


Fenton,  close  to  Stoke-on-Trent.  Part  ot  the  inter- 
vening time  he  had  spent  in  acquiring  the  mastery  of  his 
craft,  first  as  apprentice  to  Duesbury 
at  the  Derby  works,  which  he  left  in 
1792,  and  afterwards  at  Worcester. 
His  Oriental  taste,  if  it  did  not  actually 
bring  a  new  influence  to  bear  on 
English  ceramic  art,  at  least  largely 
favoured  the  introduction  of  Eastern 
ideas,  both  in  the  making  of  the  wares 
and  their  ornamentation. 

In  the  opening  years  01  the  nine- 
teenth century  he  was  producing  what 
is  known  as  true  porcelain — the  same 
porcelain  as  that  of  China,  formed 
without  any  admixture  of  bone  among 
its  ingredients — and  was  thus  one  of 
the  first,  if  not  actually  the  first,  to 
start  its  manufacture  in  this  country. 
He  boldly  advertised  his  ware  as 
more  beautiful  and  durable  than  the 
"  Indian  Nankin  China,"  and  offered 
to  "renew  or  match  the  impaired 
or  broken  services"  of  the  latter 
belonging  to  "the  Nobility  or  Gentry. 
are  often  of  great  beauty,  and  are  eagerly  secured  by 
collectors  ;  but  it  was  his  son,  Charles  James  Mason, 
who  exercised  the  more  permanent  effect  on  the  trade 
by  introducing  the  manufacture  of  the  well-known  iron- 
stone china,  a  process  which  he  patented  in  18 13.  The 
novelty  of  the  ware  was  in  the  use,  among  its  ingredients, 
of  a   large   proportion   of  scoria  or  slag  of  ironstone  ; 


hence  the  name  by  which  it  was  christened.  Charles 
Mason  was  not  content  to  use  this  material  for  table- 
ware, but  employed  it  for  articles  which  would  hardly 
seem  to  come  within  the  scope  of  china-ware,  such  as 
posts  for  four-post  beds,  and  mantelpieces.  He  also 
fashioned  from  it  immense  punch-bowls  and  cisterns  for 
gold-fish,  and  also  some  enormous  and  highly  decorated 
vases,  a  fine  specimen  ot  which  is  to  be  seen  in  the 
Stoke-on-Trent  Museum. 

His  brother,  George  Miles  Mason,  after  their  father's 
death,  was  co-partner  with  Charles  in  the  business  ;  and 
the  son  of  the  former  was  George  Heming  Mason,  A.R.A., 
the  well-known  artist,  contemporary  and  artistic  rival  of 
Fred  Walker.  Unfortunately,  the  artistic  talents  of  the 
Masons  seem  to  have  been  more  strongly  developed  than 
their  commercial  instincts.  Their  productions  touched 
high-water   mark    between   1840  and   1845,  but  in   1S51 


MODERN    COFFEE-SET    IN    CHINA.    WITH    ACID    GOLD    DECORATION 
BY    MINTON 


Mason's  pieces 


BLUE    PRINT    SPODE    DISH    AND    BEAKER 
PERIOD     I77O-I80O 


George,  who  had  been  left  sole  proprietor  of  the  business 
through  his  brother's  retirement,  was  compelled  to  part 
with  it  to  Francis  Morley,  ot  the  Broad  Street  Works, 
Hanley.  The  latter  factory  was  originally  built  in  1720, 
and  so  is  one  of  the  oldest  establishments  in  the  district. 
It  was  there,  so  far  back  as  1S23,  that  a  leadless 
glaze  was  introduced,  while  in  1856  Mr.  Morley  gained 
a  first-class  medal  at  the  Paris  International  Exhibition 
for  his  Mason  ware.  The  business  came  into  possession 
of  Messrs.  Ashworth  in  1858,  and  from  them,  in  1883, 
passed  to  the  present  owner,  Mr.  J.  S.  Goddard.  The  firm  is 
to  some  extent  a  specialistic  one,  their  output  being  largely 
confined  to  the  "  Mason's  Patent  Ironstone  China  "  ware, 
which,  after  the  lapse  of  a  century — the  present  year  is  the 
centenary  of  the  patent— still  retains  its  popularity  as  one 
of  the  most  durable  and  sightly  wares  known  suitable 
for  every  purpose  to  which  pottery  can  be  put. 

The  processes  by  which  the  ware  is  made  have  been 
still  further  perfected  since  Mason's  day,  while  the  finest 
of  the  patternings  which  he  designed  for  it — those  beau- 
tiful adaptations  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  floral  motifs, 


257 


The    Connoisseur 


perfei  tly  spaced  and  characterised  by  rich,  full  coloration, 
—are  still  in  use,  and  are  the  most  popular  of  the  patterns 
now  in  vogue.  The  artistic  genius  of  the  Mason  family, 
which  was  exemplified  in  one  generation  by  the  pictures 


decorate,  and  in  the  tasteful  shaping  of  the  pieces  to 
forms  calculated  to  display  the  patterns  to  best  advan- 
tage, they  show  what  is  perhaps  the  most  essential 
qualification  of  a  potter     the  possession  of  perfect  taste. 


HISTORIC    BEAKERS    MADE    BY    ROYAL    COMMAND 

of  George  Heming  Mason,  had  shown  itself  to  nearly 
as  great  a  degree,  though  in  an  altogether  different 
sphere,  in  the  pieces  produced  by  Charles  James 
Mason.  They  were  not  original,  just  in  the  same  way 
that  Wedgwood's  reproductions  of  antique  gems  were 
not  original,  but  in  the  perfect  appropriateness  of  their 
patterns    for    the    ware    which    they   were    intended    to 


BY    DOULTON 

In  their  "  Lustrosa  Ware  "  Messrs.  Ashworth  emulate 
the  feats  achieved  by  the  old  Chinese  potters  with 
transmutation  glazes.  Some  of  the  pieces  treated  with 
these  glazes  give  the  most  wonderful  effects  in  mottled 
colour — delicate  plum  bloom,  red  and  orange  flambe, 
green  and  white — which  are  jewel-like  in  their  brilliance 
and  lustre. 


THE      HAKESPEARIAN    VASE 
BY    CAULDON    (BRO WN-WESTHEAD,    MOORE    AND    CO.)    LTD. 


258 


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OTES 


OXJER/^S 


[The  Editor  invites  the  assistance  of  readers  of  The  Connoisseur   who  may  be  able  to  impart  the 
information  required  by  Correspondents^ 


Portrait  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  (No.  30). 

Dear    Sir, — I    should    be    glad    if   any    of  your 

readers  could  assist  me  to  discover  the   locality   of 

the  original  painting  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  of  which 

I   enclose   engraving. 

Yours  very  truly,  A.  B. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.  29),  March  Number. 
Sir, — I  think  I  can  so  far  assist  your  correspondent 
in  the  March  number  of  The  Connoisseur  with 
regard  to  the  unidenti- 
fied painting  (No.  29) 
by  telling  him  that  it 
is  a  copy  of  a  picture 
by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 
called  The  Infant 
Samuel  Johnson,  a  work 
which  Sir  Joshua  paint- 
ed to  show  what  his 
impression  was  of  what 
the  great  Dr.  Johnson 
might  have  looked  like 
as  a  child.  I  am  afraid 
I  am  ignorant  of  the 
w hereabouts  of  this 
work,  although  I  have 
seen  it  exhibited  in  Lon- 
don some  years  ago.  I 
would  recommend  your 
correspondent  to  consult 
Sir  Walter  Armstrong's 
large  volume  on  Sir 
Joshua,  which  has  an 
exhaustive  catalogue  of 
his  works  at  the  end.  I 
have  not  got  a  copy  here 
now,  but  I  rather  fancy 
there  is  a  small  engrav- 
ing of  the  picture  in  that 
work. 

I  am, 
Yours  faithfully, 

Effingham.  (30) 


Unidentified  Drawing  (No.  29),  March  Number. 
Sir, — I  think  the  photograph  of  a  baby  is  a  copy 
of  a  picture  or  engraving  of  a  painting  attributed  to 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  called  Sir  Joshua's  idea  of w hat 
Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  must  have  looked  like  when  a 
baby.  I  only  saw  the  mezzotint  in  size  like  a  pair  to 
Sir  Joshua's  Puck  in  the  Boydell  Gallery,  I  think  a 
proof  before  letters.  I  have  no  means  of  tracing,  but 
being  a  mezzotint,  it  must  be  known.  It  is  about 
forty  years  since  I  saw  it,  but  I  remember  it  perfectly, 

and   it    was   exactly   the 
pose  of  the  print. 
I  remain, 
Yours  faithfully, 

E.  N.    I'. 

Unidentified  Paint- 
ing (No.   29), 
March   Numbb  r. 
Dear    Si  r, — Th  e 
original  of  this  painting 
is  by  Reynolds.     The 
engraved   copy    in  my 
possession   gives    The 
Infant  fohnson  as  the 
title.     Lord  Lansdowne 
is,  or  was,  the  owner. 
Yours  faithfully. 

R.  W.  Roper. 

Unidentified  Paint- 
ing (No.   19), 
January  Number. 
Sir, — The    unidenti- 
fied painting  (No.  10)  in 
the  January  issue  of  The 
Connoisseur  is  a  copy 
of   Annibale    Carracci's 
fresco   in   the   famous 
"Gallery"  of  the  Palazzo 
Farnese  in  Rome. 
Yours  respectfully, 
C.  F.  Foerster. 


MARY     QUEEN     OF     SCOTS 
26l 


The    Connoisseur 


Engravings  oi    \  in   Dyck's  "St.  Martin 

Ol\  [DING    His    t'l  OAK." 

Pi  \i.  Sir, — I  should  be  very  much  obliged  to  you 

i  could  find  out  for  me  .v//.;/1  <m'  Me  best-knoivn 

engravings    of   the    picture    bj    Van    Dyck   ol    .W«/ 

Martin  dividing  his  Cloak,  in  the  church  ol  Saventhem, 

in  Belgium. 

I  am,  very  truly  yours,  Charles  Johnstone. 

Unidentified  Painting  (No.  13),  November,  191 2. 
Dear  Sir, — 1  wish  to  thank  you.  V.  \V.  S.,  and 
particularly  1.  Smith,  for  the  courtesy  you  have  all 
shown  me  in  the  endeavour  to  identify  No.  13  of 
November's  Connoisseur.  I  take  it  that  J.  Smith's 
remark,  viz.,  "From  the  original  drawing  in  his  col- 
lection "  (Frederick  Taylor's),  means  that  Frederick 
Taylor  possessed  a  drawing  of  The  Chase,  and  painted 
a  water-colour  picture  of  the  same.  Now,  what  I 
desire  to  know  is  the  name  of  the  artist  who  drew  the 
original  drawing,  and  the  date  of  the  water-colour,  and 
any  other  information  on  the  subject  would  be  appre- 
ciated. As  I  told  you  in  a  previous  letter  on  the 
subject  ( I  believe),  there  is  mention  of  a  water-colour 
drawing  (in  Lord  Gower's  book  on  Wilkie)  possessed 
by  Edward  Kerr  (address  unknown)  of  a  Hunting 
Party,  by  Sir  David  Wilkie,  and  of  which  no  pic- 
ture has  been  painted  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain. 
Information    from    our    libraries    is    not    very   good. 


Since  receiving  Connoisseur,  have  been  looking  up 
Frederick  Taylor,  R.W.S.  Have  found  nothing  undei 
thai  name,  but  under  thai  of  Frederick  Taykr,  R.W.S., 
that  he  was  born  in  1802,  and  died  in  1889.  Have 
tried  to  get  information  in  regard  to  pictures  painted 
by  him,  etc.,  but  have  not  succeeded.  Will  you 
kindly  let  me  have  J.  Smith's  address,  or  write  him 
for  me,  asking  the  above  questions  or  any  other  in- 
formation he  can  furnish  me  with  ;  and  I  would  also 
like  the  book  he  mentions,  written  by  the  late  Duchess 
of  Rutland,  and  lor  which  1  will  gladly  pay  cost  and 
expenses  il  he  will  send  same  to  me. 

Yours  respectfully,  (Miss)  Louise  Maas. 

Unidentified  Paintini;  (31). 

Dear  Sir, — I  am  enclosing  a  print  of  a  picture  in 
my  possession,  which,  from  the  canvas  and  framing, 
I  would  take  to  be  undoubtedly  of  considerable  age, 
while  the  execution  is  more  or  less  indicated  in  the 
print  figures  themselves.  The  colouring  is  very 
brilliant,  but  I  can  discover  no  trace  of  signature  or 
mark  from  which  the  picture's  origin  could  be  traced. 
It  has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  present  owner  for 
upwards  of  fifty  years.    Size  of  canvas,  27  in.  by  16  in. 

If  you  can  see  your  way  to  give  the  print  111  your 
coming  or  a  subsequent  issue,  I  shall  be  much 
obliged. 

Yours  truly,  J.  J.   SlMlNGTON. 


(3D 


UNIDENTIFIED     PAINTING 


262 


Raeburn's  Portrait  of  Lady  Margaret  Maclean 

The  characteristic  portrait  of  Lady  Margaret  Mac- 
lean, by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  is  reproduced  through 
the  courtesy  of  the  owner,  Mrs.  Henry  Maclean.  The 
subject  of  the  picture  was  a  daughter  of  John,   2nd 


Earl  of  Hopetoun,  by  Lady  Elizabeth  Leslie,  daughter 
of  the  fifth  Earl  of  Leven  and  Melville.  She  married 
Alexander,  13th  Laird  of  Ardgour.  The  Earl  of  Hope- 
toun (Lady  Margaret's  father)  was  also  painted  by 
Raeburn,  also  her  sister,  Lady  Charlotte  Hope. 


LADY     MARGARET     MACLEAN 


BY     SIR     HENRY'     RAEBURN,     R.A. 


The    Connoisseur 


ready  and  suitable 
Pottery,   published 


Old   Leeds  Pottery:  Black  Basalt   Portrait 
Medallions 

I     is  always  interesting  to  come  across  new  matei  ial, 

vi  n  though  fragmentary,  but  useful  as  a  contribution 

to  the  history  or  manufactures 

of  one  of   the   old  or  extinct 

potteries  ;    a     recent    example 

being  the  notice  of  the  Longton 
Hall  sale,  published  in  lasi 
1  >ecember's  Connoisseur,  and 
which  conclusively  proved  that 
that  factor)  existed  two  years 
beyond  the  date  previousl) 
given  .is  the  termination. 

This  short  article  is  intended 
to  illustrate  the  fact  that  black 
basalt  portrait  medallions  were 
made  at  the  Leeds  Pottery. 
Other  writers  have  thought  it 
probable  that  such  medallions 
would  be  made  there,  as  many 
moulds,  used  for  bas-reliefs,  were 
for  the  purpose. 

The  history  of  the  Old  Leeds 
by  Joseph  R.  and  Frank  Kidson  in  1892,  was  so 
thorough  and  complete,  especially  when  we  consider 
that  it  was  compiled  at  such  a  distant  date  from  the 
period  written  of,  and  as  had  previously  appeared 
from  such  meagre  records,  that  it  would  almost  seem 
impossible  to  ever  discover  a  side- 
line of  the  works  which  had  escaped 
the  vigilance  of  the  above  authors. 
Undoubtedly,  every  likely  source  of 
information  had  been  sifted  and 
everything  reliable  incorporated. 
Vet  it  is  evident  that  they  had  not 
seen  or  heard  of  portrait  medallions 
being  made  at  the  "Old  Leeds 
Pottery.' 

In  justification  of  this  statement 
the  following  extracts  are  taken  from 
the  above  standard  history,  the  passages  occurring 
in  the  section  devoted  to  the  "  Black  Egyptian  or 
Black    Basalt  Ware":— 

"  It  is  rather  surprising,  considering  the  success 
which  attended  Wedgwood's  efforts  in  the  direction 
of  vases,  busts,  medallions,  and  plaques  in  this  body, 
that  the  Leeds  Pottery  never  appears  to  have  made 
any  attempt  in  this  particular  form  of  ornamental 
ware.  The  artistic  ability  was  certainly  not  lacking, 
as  is  evinced  by  their  original  designs  for  bas-reliefs 
on  their  tea  ware.  We  are,  of  course,  not  positive 
upon  this  point,  but  up  to  the  present,  although  much 


IMPRESSED    MARK    ON    LEEDS    MEDALLION 
OF    NAPOLEON 


IMPRESSED  MARK  ON  LEEDS  MEDALLION 
OF    CARLO    MARATTI 


1  eeds  ware   0!   all   kinds  has  come   under  our  notice, 
nothing  of  this  character  has  been  met  with.  .     . 

It  is  scarcel)  to  be  conceived  that  the  Pottery  failed 
to  make,  at  some  period  at  least,  experimental  pieces 
after  Wedgwood's  style.  It  is 
quite  likely  that  medallions  were 
produced  in  some  small  quan- 
tity, as  the  moulds  which  had 
been  prepared  for  the  tea  ware 
were  ready  at  their  hand.'' 

In  the  second  art  icle  on 
"Old  Leeds  Ware,"  by  Henry  B. 
Wilson,  in  No.  3S,  Volume  X. 
of  The  Connoisseur,  is  the 
following  reference  to  black 
basalt  ware  : — 

"  Although  Wedgwood  made 
vases,  busts,  and  medallions  in 
this  body,  no  more  ornamental 
pieces  than  articles  of  tea  and 
coffee  ware  were  apparently  made  at  the  Old  Leeds 
Pottery." 

It  is  now  some  considerable  time  since  I  first 
noticed  the  above  statement,  which,  so  far  as  refers 
to  the  medallions,  is  not  correct ;  but  I  am  not  aware 
of  any  article  describing  such  specimens. 

Although  this  collection  of  medallions  is  small,  it 
is  sufficient  for  the  present  purpose.  They  were 
probably  made  in  large  quantities  at 
the  Old  Leeds  Pottery,  and  likely 
enough  there  are  large  numbers  of 
Leeds  portrait  medallions  still  in 
existence,  as  I  understand  that  most 
of  my  specimens  came  from  a 
collection  of  about  forty,  perhaps 
a  dozen  years  ago. 

The  suggestion  made  by  the 
authors  of  the  book,  Old  Leeds 
Pot/err,  that  medallions  might 
probably  have  been  made  from  the 
moulds  of  the  groups  and  figures  (classical  and  other- 
wise) which  appeared  on  their  tea  and  coffee  ware, 
is  very  much  strengthened  by  the  knowledge  that 
portrait  medallions  were  made,  and  probably  only 
require  identifying.  There  are  nine  specimens  in 
this  collection,  No.  i.  being  in  duplicate.  The  one 
illustrated  has  the  name  "seueur"  impressed  below 
the  bust  :  on  the  other  specimen  no  name  appears. 
This  medallion  is  probably  of  Eustache  Le  Sueur, 
the  French  painter,  1617-1655,  who  obtained  from 
his  countrymen  the  name  of  the  French  Raphael. 
Of  the  eight  medallions  illustrated,  four  have  the 
impressed  mark  "  LEEDS  ■  pottery"  behind. 


264 


OLD    LEEDS    POTTERY 


BLACK     BASALT     MEDALLIONS 


265 


The    Connoisseur 


Thi  i  spei  miens  .uv  probably  represen- 
tative of  the  different  series  which  would  be 
made — .is.  for  instance,  the  crowned  heads 
ol  E  urope,  the  Roman  emperors,  the 
classic  poets,  and  the  old  masters.  Also 
medallions  would  probably  be  produced 
my  popular  or  noted  personage  when 

n  ady  sale  might  be  expected  in  any 
i  ountry  where  the  Leeds  wans  were  being 

sold. 

The  medallion  of  Napoleon  Buonaparte 
(No  iv.)  certainly  allows  a  certain  amount 
of  justification  for  this  statement,  as  it  also 
shows  that  the  black  basalt  was  being  pro- 
duced ai  the  Leeds  Pottery  so  late  as 
[833,  most  of  the  black  basalt  made  there 
usually  being  considered  to  have  been 
produced  between  1S10  and  1820.  The 
inscription  in  relief  around  the  inner  edge 
of  moulding  is  rather  indistinct,  and  reads 
as  follows:  "Napoleon  replace  sur  la 
colonne  juillet  1833  sous  le  regne  de 
Louis  Philippe  I.,"  and  was  evidently 
Struck  to  commemorate  the  replacing  of 
the  statue  of  Napoleon  on  the  Vendome 
Column,  Paris.  It  is  interesting  to  recall 
that  in  1 8 1 4  the  original  statue  of  Napoleon 
was  taken  down  by  the  Royalists  and  was 
replaced  by  a  monster  fleur-de-lis.  Louis 
Philippe  caused  a  statue  of  the  emperor, 
in  a  great-coat  and  three-cornered  hat,  to 
be  placed  on  the  summit,  as  commemo- 
rated on  the  medallion.  Napoleon  III. 
caused  this  statue  to  be  replaced  in  1863 
by  one  resembling  the  original  figure.  Im- 
pressed mark,  "leeds  •  pottery"  behind. 
No.  ii.,  Carlo  Maratti,  Italian  painter, 


CLEPSYDRA,    OR    WATER- 
CLOCK,  AT  NORWICH  CASTLE 
MUSEUM 


l6: 


W^-l- 


He  was  honoured  with  the  favour  of  six  successive 
popes,  and  on  account  of  his  numerous  lovely 
Madonnas,  was  named  by  Salvator  Rosa,  Carlo  delle 
Madonne.  Impressed  mark,  "  leeds  ■  pottery  " 
behind. 

No.  hi.,  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  famous  Italian 
painter  and  sculptor,  1452-1519. 

No.  v.,  a  very  fine  profile  unnamed. 

No.  vi.,  Posidippus,  who  was  an  Athenian  comic 
poet  of  the  New  Comedy  :  a  native  of  Cas- 
sandrea,  in  Macedonia.     He  was  exhibiting  dramas 

289    B.C. 

No.  vii.  is  stamped  k.  of  Spain,  and  No.  viii. 
emp.  gkr.  These  would  most  probably  be  made 
about  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Both  have 
the  impressed  mark,  "leeds  •  pottery  "  behind. 

The  illustrations  of  the  medallions  are  full  size. 


I'm    accompanying   photograph  of  a 
clepsydra,  01  water-clock,  is  interesting  for 
comparison  with  the  ex- 
Clepsydra,  or  ample    figured   on    page 
Water-Clock  ,  .,       T 

Vi  ol   the  January  issue 

ol  The  Connoisseur.  It  was  purchased 
in  Brighton,  and  the  brass  bands  and 
plate  bear  the  inscription,  "  Parson,  Nor- 
wich, MDCX."  The  City  Records  of 
about  this  date  only  describe  one  man  by 
the  name, if  Parson,  and  his  trade  is  given 
as  that  of  a  pinner.  It  is  somewhat 
curious  that  several  of  these  water- 
clocks,  bearing  various  inscriptions, 
should  have  been  offered  for  sale  during 
the  last  ten  years  ;  but  whatever  its  his- 
tory, it  is  interesting  to  find  that  such 
an  ingenious  device  for  measuring  time 
should  have  been  made  in  the  city  of 
Norwich  in  1610.  The  principle  is  the 
same  as  that  employed  by  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  i.e.,  a  brass  tube  and  an  hour- 
dial  fitted  into  an  oak  frame.  The  tube 
was  filled  with  water,  which  was  allowed 
to  run  slowly  out  at  the  bottom.  A 
cork,  with  pointer  attached,  floated  on  the 
top  of  the  water  in  the  tube,  and,  as  it 
descended,  the  hour  was  indicated  by  the 
pointer  on  the  dial  above. 

Frank  Leney, 
Curator,  Norwich  Castle  Museum. 


Chest  of  Queen   Katherine  of  Arragon 

This  is  an  antique  wooden  travelling 
chest,  covered  in  smooth  dark  brown  Cor- 
dova leather,  studded  with  convex-headed 
brass  nails,  set  in  straight  lines  and  ornamental 
designs,  those  on  the  lid  showing  the  royal  initials, 
K.  R.,  and  royal  crown,  with  four  Tudor  roses.  At 
the  chest  ends  are  iron  drop-handles,  with  iron  lock 
and  ornamental  scutcheons  in  front  to  lid  ;  under- 
neath are  two  drawers.  The  corners  and  top  are 
clamped  with  fine  openwork  brass  clamps,  and  it  is 
lined  with  quilled  red  silk.  The  chest  is  a  facsimile 
of  the  one  at  Kimbolton  in  possession  of  the  Duke  of 
Manchester,  which  is  mentioned  by  Miss  Strickland 
in  her  Quee?is  of  England.  She  is,  however,  mistaken 
in  saying  the  chest  is  covered  in  velvet. 


Portrait  of  Dean  Colet 

This  picture  belonged  to  Mr.  Wilder's  collection, 
sold  at  Christie's  in  191 1.  It  was  catalogued  as  a 
portrait  of  Dean  Colet,  the  founder  of  St.  Paul's  School, 
and  was  bought  and  presented  to  the  school  by  Mr. 


>66 


Notes 


Ralph  Palmer, one 
of  the  governors 
of  the  school.  Mr. 
Leggatt,  to  whom 
it  was  s e n t  f o r 
cleaning,  regards  it 
as  without  doubt 
a  picture  ofColet's 
time,  and  other 
very  good  expert 
opinion  has  dated 
it  about  1530.  It 
has  been  suggested 
that  the  brown  fur 
robe  worn  by  the 
subject  is  a  Mer- 
cers' robe — all  the 
Colets  were  Mer- 
cers. The  cap  has 
been  compared  to 
the  caps  worn  at 
some  continental 
universities. 

Comparison 
with  other  portraits  of  Dean  Colet,  supposed  to  be 
authentic,  seems  to  lead  to  no  certain  conclusion,  as 
these  portraits  in  any  case  represent  him  at  a  much 
more  advanced  age.  It  is  desired  to  obtain  any  sug- 
gestions which  may  tend  to  establish  the  identity  of 
either  subject  or  painter. 

The  portrait  is  on  panel.  Artists  who  have  viewed 
it  differ  as  to  the  amount  of  "  restoration,"  if  any, 
to  which  it  has  been  subjected.  It  is  in  very  good 
condition. 

One  of  the  finest  lead  fonts  existing  in  England  is 
that  in  Syston  Church,  near  Bath.  It  is  Norman, 
and  depicts  the  apostles  and  scroll-work 
in  the  arches,  and  is  in  a  fine  state  of 
preservation.  There  are  only  seventeen  lead  fonts  in 
the  country,  and  they  are  all  very  valuable. 

Raeburn's  beautiful  portrait  of  Mrs.  Scott  Moncrieff 

is  already  familiar  to  readers  of  The  Connoisseur, 
and  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  best-known 
works  of  the  artist,  the  original  hang- 
ing in  the  Scottish  National  Gallery  at  Edinburgh,  and 
having  been  several  times  engraved.  The  subject  of 
the  picture  was  born  Margaritta  MacDonald,  and 
married  Mr.  R.  Scott  Moncrieff,'  who  afterwards  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Welwood.  The  picture  remained 
in  the  possession  of  his  family  until  1887,  when  it 
came  by  bequest  to  the  institution  which  now  contains 
it.      Two   other    paintings,   also   the    property  of  the 


Lead  Font 


Our  Plates 


nation,  are  The 
Wood  Gatherer, 
by  J.  B.  C.  Corot, 
and  Watering 
Horses,  by  Anton 
M  a  u  v  e ,  both  of 
which  were  in- 
cluded in  the 
splendid  colli  c- 
tion  which  the  late 
Mr.  George  Salting 
left  to  the  National 
Gallery.  The  pic- 
tures show  close 
affinity  in  outlook 
and  feeling  ;forthe 
landscape  artists 
of  the  Hague 
School,  to  which 
Mauve  belonged, 
drew  their  inspira- 
tion largely  from 
the  work  of  the 
Barbizon  School ; 
and  in  the  tender  greys  and  delicate  tonal  har- 
mony of  Mauve's  picture  one  can  trace  the  influence 
of  Corot  and  others  of  the  Barbizon  masters.  Corot, 
however,  was  as  much  poet  as  painter.  His  ren- 
derings of  nature  were  not  merely  transcripts,  but 
were  idealised  visions.  In  The  Wood  Gatherer  we 
have  an  exquisite  lyric  in  colour,  in  which  tone  and 
atmosphere  are  rendered  in  beautiful  harmonic 
cadence,  similar  in  spirit  to  the  word-weaving  of  a 
poem.  Mauve's  art  conforms  more  to  the  prose  of 
painting  ;  with  his  Dutch  blood  he  inherited  some- 
thing of  the  feeling  for  simple  realism  which 
distinguishes  so  many  of  his  country's  painters;  and 
so  in  Watering  Horses  there  is  more  of  imitative 
realism  and  less  of  idealism  than  in  Corot's  work. 
The  plate  of  Colonel  Bouverie,  showing  the  ornate 
uniform  of  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  in  the  period 
1845-1853,  is  taken  from  an  engraving  in  colour  after 
the  painting  by  Dubois  Drahonet  in  the  Royal  collec- 
tion at  Windsor  Castle.  The  value  and  interest  of 
representations  of  military  costume  are  largely  de- 
pendent upon  their  historical  accuracy  as  well  as  their 
artistic  merit,  and  this  plate,  coming  from  such  an 
unimpeachable  source,  may  be  relied  upon  in  the 
latter  respect,  while  it  is  thoroughly  characteristic  of 
Drahonet — one  of  the  best  painters  of  military  costume 
of  his  period. 

An  interesting  and  unique  pin  e  of  English  pottery, 
specially  suitable  for  illustration  in  a  number  so 
largely  devoted  to  the  ceramic  wares  of  this  country, 


.67 


The   Connoisseur 


is  the  owl  jug  and  cover,  in  salt  glaze,  in  the  private 
i  tion  oi  Mr.  George  Stoner,  This  belongs  either 
to  the  lattei  part  oi  the  sixteenth  century  or  the  early 
part  ol  the  seventeenth.  Our  other  plates  will  be 
i. mnd  described  in  various  articles  in  the  magazine. 

A  couple  of  years  ago  tin-  art  world  was  agog  with 
tin  saK  into  Americaol  Rembrandt's  Mill,  one  of  the 
principal  gems  of  the  Marquess  of  Lansdowne's  col- 
lection. It  was  being  exhibited  temporarily  at  the 
National  Gallery,  and  to  the  anxious  inquiries  of  eager 
visitors  the  custodians,  facetiously  inclined,  would 
answei  "  \  es,  madam,  this  is  Rembrandfs  Mill;  the 
price  is  ,{,'60,000,  including  the  frame."  Then,  after 
its  disappearance  from  London,  it  was  announced  in 
a  leading  daily  paper  that  Mr.  Frick  had  bought  it, 
that  that  gentleman's  nephew  had  had  it  cleaned  on 
its  arrival  in  the  Stales,  and  behold,  the  signature  of 
I  [1  rcules  Seghers 
had  come  to  light 
in  the  corner.  "An- 
other Stupendous 
Sensation!"  Asa 
matter  of  faet,  Mr. 
Widener  was  the 
purchaser, and  was 
in  Paris  when  the 
thrilling  a  n  - 
nouncement  just 
mentioned  was 
made,  and  a  friend 
recounted  it  to  the 
gn  at  collector. 
M  r  .  W  i  d  e  n  e  r 
smiled.  The  pic- 
ture, he  said,  was 
still  in  Europe,  in 
his  strong-room;  it 
had  not  been 
cleaned  ;  and  he 
had  no  nephew. 
Collapse  of  the 
morning  paper. 
But  there  was  this 
truth  in  the  ru- 
mour :  that  M  r. 
Frick  had,  indeed, 
bought  a  Mill,  and 


that  the  name  of  Seghers  was  revealed  upon  it.     Only 
it  was  not   Rembrandt's.      It  was  another  picture 

Recently  a  copy  of  Rembrandfs  Mill  was  put  up 
at  Christie's.  It  is  an  excellent  piece  of  work,  as  our 
frontispiece  will  show.  It  was  attributed  to  John 
Bemay  Crome,  tin-  son  of  tin-  great  Old  Crome,  a 
very  inferior  painter,  who  made  no  mark,  and  who,  as 
far  as  we  are  aware,  never  quitted  Norfolk.  How, 
then,  could  he  have  seen  and  copied  the  Dutchman's 
masterpiece?  It  is  more  probable  that  it  came  from 
the  more  distinguished  hand  of  John  Sell  Cotman, 
who,  in  1834,  was  appointed  drawing-master  to 
King's  ( 'ollege,  London.  Cotman,  we  know,  besides 
a  number  of  oil  pictures  of  his  own,  made  one  or  two 
copies  of  old  masters  ;  and  we  must  not  forget  that 
at  the  Norwich  Society  of  Artists  he  had  exhibited, 
years    before,    his   famous   drawing,  Draining  Mill, 

I.  incolnsh  ire, 
which  corresponds 
so  nearly  and  so 
curiously  to  t  h  e 
Mill  of  Rem- 
brandt. It  must 
be  admitted,  how- 
ever, that  thirty 
years  or  so  later, 
].  B.  Crome  had 
also  painted  a 
Drainage  Mill  at 
Acle,  Norfolk, 
that  was  the  year 
before  he  died. 
But  it  is  not  on 
these  points  that 
the  argument  in 
favour  of  the  Cot- 
man authorship  of 
the  picture  before 
us  need  be  based  : 
but  on  the  facture, 
the  manner  both 
of  handling  and 
colour,  and  to  no 
slight  extent  on 
the  water  -  colour 
treatment  evident 
throughout. 


LEAD     FONT     IN     SVSTON    CHURCH,     NEAR     BATH 


268 


EVERARD    WILLIAM    BOUVERIE, 

COLONEL    OF    THE     ROYAL    HORSE    GUARDS,     1845-lSo3 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Dubois  Drahonet,  in  the  Royal  Collection  at   Windsor  Castle 


PICT 
RES 


The  most  interesting  picture  sale  of  the  month,  and, 
so  far,  of  the  season,  was  that  of  important  works  of  the 

Early  English  School 
and  by  foreign  Old 
Masters,  which  took 
place  at  Messrs. 
Christie's  on  February 
28th.  Practically  all 
the  items  had  never 
before  appeared  in  an 
auction  -  room,  but 
they,  nevertheless,  in- 
cluded many  examples 
of  great  interest,  the  122  lots  realising  a  total  of  nearly 
,£40,000.  The  highest  individual  price  was  attained  by 
Romney's  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Heron,  49!  in.  by  392  in., 
exhibited  at  the  Grafton  Gallery,  1900,  which  brought 
,£7,980.  The  work  was  painted  in  1781,  and  represented 
the  lady  in  a  white  dress  and  grey  cloak  seated  under  a 
tree.  The  companion  picture,  of  the  lady's  husband, 
Mr.  Thomas  Heron,  of  Childham  Castle,  Kent,  Recorder 
of  Newark,  brought  .£1,218.  There  were  several  other 
pictures  by  or  attributed  to  this  artist ;  of  these,  the  pair 
of  portraits  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Taylor,  painted  in 
17S4,  each  29J  in.  by  24A  in.,  brought  ,£756  and  ,£1,470 
respectively,  the  low  price  of  the  lady's  portrait  being 
accounted  for  by  the  canvas  having  been  largely  re- 
painted. An  unidentified  portrait  of  A  Lady  in  classical 
dress  of  pink  satin,  234-  in.  by  191  in.,  realised  .£1,071, 
and  one  of  Dr.  Barklcy,  exhibited  at  Burlington  House 
in  1883,^183. 

Few  important  sales  of  Early  English  pictures  are 
held  which  do  not  include  some  Raeburns.  This  was 
no  exception  to  the  rule,  but  the  prices  realised  by  the 
works  of  the  Scottish  artist  were  rather  disappointing, 
which  seems  to  indicate  that  too  many  of  his  canvases 
have  been  placed  on  the  market  lately.  The  Portrait  0/ 
Harley  Drummond,  Esq.,  94  in.  by  58  in.,  exhibited  at 
the  Memorial  Exhibition  of  the  Royal  Scottish  Academy 
in  1S76,  brought  ,£3,832  10s.,  and  that  of  Central 
Macgregor,  in  his  uniform  as  Captain  of  the  6th 
Regiment,  34J  in.  by  26*  in.,  .£1,732  10s.  Four  works 
by  Reynolds  were  included,  all  belonging  to  an  early 
period,  and  unrecorded  in  the  Catalogue  Raisonnc  by 
Mr.  Algernon  Graves.  The  following  prices  were 
attained  by  these  : — Lady  Juliana  Dawkins,  in  white  satin 


dress,  open  at  the  neck,  and  with  short  sleeves,  295' in. 
by  243  in.,  .£2,887  '°s.  ;  Mrs.  James  Colyear  Dawkins, 
in  white  dress,  embroidered  with  flowers,  and  with  a  blue 
jacket,  oval,  29  in.  by  24J  in.,  ,£1,995;  Charles,  second 
Earl  of  Portmore,  in  blue  coat,  wearing  the  riband  and 
star  of  the  Garter,  29  in.  by  24^  in.,  ,£735  ;  and  William 
Charles,  third  Earl  of  Portmore,  when  a  boy,  in  blown 
jacket  and  vest,  with  a  dog,  29*  in.  by  24J  in.,  ,£2,047  r°s. 
An  example  by  Gainsborough,  the  Portrait  of  Joint, 
fourth  Duke  0/  Bedford,  oval,  29J  in.  by  24J  in.,  of  which 
another  version  hangs  in  the  National  Portrait  Gallery, 
brought  .£861. 

Some  substantial  prices  were  brought  by  pictures  by 
artists  whose  works  have  been  generally  classed  as  belong- 
ing to  the  second  rank.  The  picture  of  Lydia,  by  the  Rev. 
M.  W.  Peters,  R.A. ,  well  known  by  the  engraving  by 
J.  R.  Smith,  and  which  was  considered  so  risque  at  the 
time  it  was  painted  that  its  purchaser  was  reported  to  have 
hung  a  gauze  veil  in  front  of  it,  brought  ,£1,522  10s., 
which,  we  believe,  is  a  record  for  the  artist.  A  fine 
Kneller,  the  full-length  portrait  of  Catherine  Sedley, 
Countess  of  Dorchester,  in  brown  dress  with  white  sleeves, 
91  in.  by  55  in.,  brought  ,£1,050.  Other  works  by  the 
same  painter  were  Portrait  of  the  Duchess  of  Dorset, 
in  white  dress,  with  large  blue  scarf,  90  in.  by  53J  in., 
,£714;  Portrait  of  Sir  Charles  Sedley,  in  plum-coloured 
dress,  49  in.  by  40  in.,  signed,  and  dated  1687,  ,£378  ; 
and  Portrait  of  a  Youth,  in  classical  dress,  with  red  scarf, 
seated  in  a  landscape,  ,£325  10s.  ;  while  Kneller's  pre- 
decessor in  the  office  of  Painter  to  the  King,  Sir  Peter 
Lely,  was  represented  by  a  Portrait  of  the  Duchess  of 
Portsmouth,  in  red  and  white  dress  and  green  robe,  49  in. 
by  39  in.,  which  brought  ,£577  10s.  No  less  than  .£2,226 
was  realised  by  a  fine  Portrait  of  Henry  Dawkins,  in 
pink  coat  and  embroidered  white  breast,  254  in.  by 
2oi  in.,  by  Quentin  de  la  Tour;  and  ,£451  10s.  fir  a 
portrait  by  Gavin  Hamilton  of  Lady  Juliana  Dawkins 
as  "  Ceres,"  in  a  pink  and  white  dress,  50  in.  by  40  in. 
Works  by  other  English  artists  included  F.  Cotes,  R.A., 
Portrait  of  Charles,  second  Earl  of  Portmore,  in  blue 
coat  and  red  vest,  wearing  the  star  and  riband  of  the 
Garter,  23}  in.  by  \y\  in.,  ,£220  10s,  ;  Henry  Morland, 
Portrait  of  Lady  Scarsdale,  in  blue  and  red  robe,  oval, 
27  in.  by  23J  in.,  ,£110  5s.;  R.  Philips,  A  Portrait 
Group  at  Weybridge,  39J-  in.  by  50  in.,  representing 
Lady  Charlotte  Hamilton,  Henrietta  Countess  of  Pomfret, 


Q    1 


271 


The   (  onnoisseur 


Lady  Charlotte  Scott,  Lad)  I  abel  ratton,  Lady  Guilford, 

and  Juliana  Duchess  ol  Leeds     signed,  and  dated  1731  — 

ios.  ;   J.  Wootton,   Racing  on  Newmarket  Heath, 

d,  and  dated    1-2;,  37  in.   by   50  in.,   £220   ios.; 

Hor.-.  Vemmarket,    watched   by    King 

George  I.  and  his  suite,  25  in.  by  61J  in.,  £220  10s.; 

and  .-/  Nobleman  and  his  Racehorses,  25  in.  by  4S  in., 

£152   5s.;    I.  Russell,   R..V,  Blowing  Bubbles,  a  pastel 

enting  .1  boy  in  red  jacket  with  white  lawn  slei  ve 

and  collar,  with  clay  pipe  and  bowl,  signed,  and  dated 

1S00,  ,£462;   T.  Beach,  Portraits  of  Two   Young  Girls 

with  pet  dog,  j>)\  in.  by  39J  in.,  .£304  ios. ;  J.  Highmore, 

Portrait  of  Louisa    Greville,   Countess  of  Mansfield,  in 

white  dress  with  blue  scarf,  49  in.  by  39  in.,  £126;  J- 

Downman,  A.  R.  A.,  a  drawing  of  a  Portrait  of  a  Lady, 

in  white  muslin  dress  with  blue  sash,  signed,  and  dated 

.  oval,  7  J  in.  by  6}  in.,  ,£262  10-..  ;  and  the  companion 

drawing  of  a  lady,  in  white  dress,  with  silver-coloured 

sash,    similarly    signed   and   dated,    .£241     ios.;    and   G. 

Watson,   P.  U.S.A.,  Portrait  of  Lady  Sinclair,  in  white 

dress,  with  crimson  scarf,  29J  in.  by  24?.  in.,  ,£,220  ios. 

Pictures  by  foreign  masters  included  J.  H.  Fragonard, 
Cupid  with  an  Arrow  sporting  near  a  bed  of  roses,  oval, 
21  in.  by  \~\  in.,  .£735  ;  P.  Koninck,  A  Woody  Landscape, 
showing  a  road  passing  between  large  trees  with  an 
old  inn  and  figures  beyond,  52  in.  by  64^  in.,  .£1,575  ; 
S.  Van  Ruysdael,  A  View  at  Nimeguen,  signed  with 
initials,  and  dated  1645,  28§  in.  by  42$  in.,  £1,837  ios.; 
J.  Van  Ruysdael,  A  Waterfall,  with  trees,  buildings  and 
figures  in  middle  distance,  and  a  church  tower  beyond, 
26  in.  by  zo\  in.,  £630;  Madame  Vigee  Lebrun,  Portrait 
of  Marie  The'rese  of  Savoy,  Countess  d'Arlois,  oval, 
2-)  in.  by  21A  in.,  £210 ;  A.  Van  Ostade,  The  Interior 
oj  a  Tavern,  with  four  figures,  on  panel,  10  in.  by  8  in., 
£  204  ;  A.  Cuyp,  /'or/rait  of  a  Lady,  in  black  jacket  and 
brown  skirt  with  white  cap,  on  panel,  35  in.  by  27  in., 
£262  ios.  ;  Lucas  de  Heere,  Portrait  of  Queen  Mary, 
in  black  dress,  holding  her  gloves  in  her  hand,  on 
panel,  24.5  in.  by  16A  in.,  £441  ;  Velasquez,  Portrait  of 
Don  John  of  Austria  when  a  Boy,  in  grey  and  silver 
dress,  playing  with  a  bird,  43  in.  by  34  in.,  £577  ios.  ; 
and  Bartel  Bruyn,  Portrait  of  a  Gentleman,  in  black 
embroidered  dress  and  black  gown,  on  panel,  2041  in.  by 
J5i  in-.  £4/2   ios. 

The  sale  of  pictures  by  Old  Masters,  from  anonymous 
sources,  held  by  Messrs.  Christie  at  their  rooms  on 
February  7th,  contained  few  lots  of  importance.  A 
J'ortrait  of  a  Youth,  in  dark-green  coat  over  a  grey 
tunic,  and  reddish-brown  cap,  25  in.  by  24  in.,  attributed 
to  Rembrandt,  realised  £357;  The  Fortune- Teller, 
61  in.  by  45*  in.,  by  Rev.  M.  W.  Peters,  R.A.,  £136;  A 
River  Scene,  on  panel,  2ijin.  by  29  in.,  by  J.  Van  Goyen, 
£315  ;  and  Portrait  of  Viscountess  Falkland,  29J  in.  by 
23!  in.,  by  C.  Janssens,  £1 10  5s.  A  pastel  Portrait  of  a 
Girl,  by  Zucchero,  ib\  in.  by  26  in.,  fetched  £99  15s. 

A  sale  of  greater  importance  was  held  by  the  same 
firm  on  February  14th,  when  the  collections  of  the 
pictures  and  drawings  belonging  to  Win.  Woodward,  Esq., 
deceased,  and  Sir  Horatio  D.  Davies,  K. CM. G., deceased, 
were  dispersed.      Among  drawings  of  the  British  school, 


Formerly  in  the  possession  of  the  first-named  gentleman, 
the  following  may  be  noted: — T.  Sidney  Cooper,  R.A., 
Cattle  at  Sunset,  15J  in.  by  2l\  in.,  £S4  ;  David  Cox, 
A  View  of  the  Romney  Marshes,  10A  in.  by  14'  in.,  £120; 
Crossing  the  Bridge,  10  in.  by  14'  in.,  £idS;  Early 
Morning:  Bolsover  Castle,  8  in.  by  10;  in.,  £52  ios.  ; 
Returning  from  Market  ;  Sunset,  7  in.  by  10  in., 
£52  ios.;  and  Crossing  Ulverstone  Sands,  j&  in.  by 
10  in.,  £131  5s.  ;  Copley  Fielding,  Loch  Earn  and  Ben 
Vorlich,  Perthshire,  17.I  in.  by  24I  in.,  £525,  and  Pen 
Venue,  from  Loch  Achray,  12.;  in.  by  2o|  in.  £241; 
Birket  Foster,  The  Grand  Canal,  Venice,  6J  in.  by  9!  in., 
£63,  and  The  Old  Mill,  5  in.  by  7  in.,  £65  2s.;  J. 
Holland,  (hi  the  Giudecca,  Venice,  14  in.  by  204  in., 
£96  I2s.,  and  Venice  from  the  Lagoon,  1  ij  in.  by  20A  in., 
£65  2s. ;  W.  Hunt,  The  Midday  Meal,  15  in.  by  10J  in., 
^63  ;  P.  de  Wint,  On  the  Witham,  Lincolnshire,  16  in.  by 
21  in.,  £294;  The  River  Witham,  11J  in.  by  19J  in., 
£78  15s.;  The  Thames  at  Richmond,  11. J  in.  by  17!  in., 
£78  15s. ;  and  A  Barge,  9]  in.  by  12A  in.,  £78  15s.  The 
only  noteworthy  item  among  the  pictures  of  the  British 
School  was  The  Setting  Sun,  by  David  Cox,  ioj  in.  by 
14  in.,  which  realised  £204  15s. 

The  following  were  among  the  drawings  of  conti- 
nental schools  : — The  Choir-stalls  of  a  Cathedral,  2i|  in. 
by  i6\  in.,  and  The  Transept  of  a  Cathedral,  15$  in.  by 
12J  in.,  both  by  J.  Bosboom,  £141  15s.  and  £231  re- 
spectively; Washing  Day,  iif  in.  by  8J  in.,  by  Josef 
Israels,  £220  ics.  ;  Waiting  for  the  Fishing-Boats, 
19J  in.  by  16  in.,  £78  15s.,  and  The  Return  from  the 
Fields,  \o\  in.  by  21 J  in.,  ,£89  5s.,  both  by  Ph.  Sadee. 
The  highest  figure  at  this  sale—  £2, 100 — was  reached  by 
The  Departure,  a  fine  drawing,  26  in.  by  35  in.,  painted 
by  Josef  Israels  in  1S61  ;  while  ^588  was  attained  by 
Cattle  in  a  Meadow,  134  in.  by  17  in.,  by  E.  Van  Marcke. 
Included  in  the  lots  were  various  pictures  and  drawings 
from  other  sources.  A  drawing  of  /  'enice,  29J  in.  by  49J  in., 
by  Sir  Alfred  East,  A. R. A.,  painted  in  1890,  fetched  £147  : 
and  the  following  were  the  highest  prices  realised  for 
other  drawings  : — A  Meadow,  14A  in.  by  ioj  in.,  by 
Wm.  Maris,  £252  ;  A  Classical  River  Scene,  19  in.  bv 
25  in.,  by  G.  Barret,  ,£220  ios.  ;  Strasbourg,  by  S. 
Prout,  243  in.  by  185  in.,  £199  ios.  Amongst  the 
paintings  were : — Making  Harness  in  Seville,  33  in.  by 
43|in.,  by  J.  B.  Burgess,  R.A.,£i3i  15s.  ;  The  Wye,  50 in. 
by  40  in.,  by  H.  W.  B.  Davis,  R.A.,  £189;  Tigress 
and  Cubs  at  a  Torrent,  20  in.  by  26J  in.,  by  J.  M.  Swan, 
R.A.,  £294  ;  On  the  Dublin  Mountains,  46  in.  by  39  in., 
by  W.  Orpen,  A.R.A.,  £220  ios.  ;  A  Study  in  Black, 
19J  in.  by  15J  in.,  by  W.  Orpen,  A.R.A.,  £99  15s.; 
My  Lady  is  a  Widow  and  Childless,  42  in.  by  28  in., 
by  Marcus  Stone,  R.A.,  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy, 
'§74,  £99  15s.  ;  and  A  Spate  on  the  Pummel,  19  in.  by 
294  in.,  by  Peter  Graham,  R.A.,  1876,  £113  8s. 

The  following  were  included  in  the  drawings  from  the 
collection  of  the  late  Sir  Horatio  D.  Davies,  K.C.  M.  G.  : 
A  Fisher-Girl  on  the  Dunes,  y\  in.  by  4!  in.,  .£89  5s.  ; 
and  Fisher-Girls  on  the  Seashore,  in  sepia,  h\-  in.  by 
9a  in.,  £63,  both  by  J.  Israels.  Two  works  by  J.  B.  C. 
Corot,  The  Hay-Cart,  i6i  in.  by  23!  in.,  and  Confidences, 


272 


Iii    the   Sale   Room 


\2\  in.  by  23  in. — from  the  artist's  sale — realised  £315 
and  ,£115  10s.  respectively.  Among  several  small 
examples  by  J.  L.  E.  Meissonier.  the  following  attained 
the  dignity  of  three  figures  : — The  Artist  Riding  at 
Anlibes,  on  panel,  5  in.  by  t)\  in.,  painted  in  1868, 
ii_r  [OS.  :  The  Advance  Guard  of  an  Army,  on  panel. 
4]  in.  by  S  in.,  .£420 ;  and  A  Landscape,  with  two  horse 
men,  on  panel,  3f  in.  by  5J  in.,  £\37  10s.  ;  while  In 
Fontainebleau  Forest,  18  in.  by  zb\  in.,  painted  by 
X.  Diaz  in  1872,  realised  ,£131  js.,  and  A  Portrait  of 
the  Artists  Wife,  23  in.  by  19A  in.,  by  J.  F.  Millet, 
56   tos. 

The  remainder  of  the  pictures  and  drawings  belonging 
to  the  late  Sir  Horatio  Davies  were  distributed  by 
Messrs.  Christie,  but  kw  attained  prices  worthy  of  men- 
tion. A  Portrait  of  a  Lady,  in  mauve  dress  with  muslin 
fichu,  attributed  to  Richard  Cosway,  29J  in.  by  24J  in., 
brought  £94  10s.,  while  the  only  price  running  into  three 
figures  was  realised  by  a  picture  entitled  Sisters,  28  in. 
by  32  in.,  and  catalogued  "English  School,''  which  fell 
to  a  bid  of  £252. 

On  February  21st  the  pictures  and  drawings  belonging 
to  the  late  Sir  J.  Whittaker  Ellis,  Bart.,  and  from  several 
private  sources,  were  dispersed  by  Messrs.  Christie.  The 
most  important  item,  Francois  Boucher's  Le  Billet-Doux, 
27J-  in.  by  22  in.,  realised  ,£1,732.  A  Portrait  of  a 
Gentleman,  in  black  dress,  with  white  lace  collar  and 
black  hat.  27  in.  by  22  in.,  by  Jan  Ravesteyn,  realised 
.£388  1  os. ,  and  another  of  William  Wilberforce,  29  in. 
by  24I  in.,  by  J.  Wright,  A.R.A.,   £lt& 

At  the  sale  of  pictures  and  drawings  by  Messrs. 
Christie  on  February  24th,  the  property  of  the  late 
George  Smith,  Esq.,  few  works  attained  prices  worthy  of 
note,  but  the  following  may  be  mentioned: — A  River 
Scene,  on  panel,  19!  in.  by  23*  in.,  by  A.  Van  Diest, 
.£338  ios.  ;  A  Scene  in  Windsor  Great  Park,  on  panel, 
19  in.  by  27  in.,  by  J.  Stark,  ,£120  15s.  ;  Shipping  off  a 
fetty  and  Shipping  in  a  Breeze,  a  pair,  iS^  in.  by  16  in., 
by  W.  van  de  Velde,  .£120  15s.;  and  A  Cow,  a  Goat, 
and  two  Sheep,  on  panel,  13}  in.  by  17?  in.,  by  T.  S. 
Cooper,  R.A.,  painted  in  1846,  .£84. 

At  a  sale  by  Messrs.  Dowell  in  their  rooms  in  Edin- 
burgh on  February  22nd,  two  works  by  Patrick 
Nasmyth,  Surrey  Landscape,  17}  in.  by  13J  in.,  and 
A  Wooded  Scene,  with  figures  and  dog  at  a  pool,  16  in. 
by  I2in.,  realised  ^194  5s.  and  ,£168  respectively  ;  while 
Over  the  Sound  of  Kilbrennan,  z\\  in.  by  15$  in., 
brought  ,£100  1 6s. 


Engravings 


Several  sales  of  prints  were  held  during  the  month, 
but  they  included  few  items  of  special  interest  to  the  ad- 
vanced collector.  Early  English  and 
eighteenth-century  French  engravings 
formed  the  bulk  of  the  collection,  from  various  sources, 
dispersed  at  Messrs.  Christie's  on  February  5th.  The 
following  were  some  of  the  principal  lots : — Love  in 
her  Eyes  sits  Playing,  after  Peters,  by  J.  R.  Smith, 
.£75  I2s.  ;  Richard  Barwell  and  Son,  after  Reynolds 
by  \V.  Dickinson,  ^25  4s.;  Lady  Charlotte  Greville, 
after  Hoppner,  by  J.   Young,   1st  state,   ,£162   5s.;    The 


Soliloquy,  by  and  after  YV.  Ward,  printed  in  colours,  ,£294  ; 
The  Moralist,  after  J.  R.  Smith,  by  W.  Nutter,  and  A 
Lecture  on  Gadding,  after  the  same,  by  F.  Bartolozzi,  a 
pair,  printed  in  colours,  ,£75  12s.;  Cottager  and  Villager, 
after  a  Lady,  by  P.  W.  Tomkins,  a  pair,  finely  printed 
in  colours,  ,£120  15s.  ;  Summer  and  Winter,  after  James 
Ward,  by  William  Ward,  a  pair,  printed  in  colours, 
,£136  ios.  ;  The  Soldier's  Return  and  The  Sailor's 
Return,  after  F.  Wheat-ley,  by  William  Ward,  a  pair, 
printed  in  colours,  ,£1 15  ios.;  The  Ladies  Waldcgrave, 
after  Sir  J.  Reynolds,  by  V.  Green,  first  published  state, 
^472  ios.;  The  Countess  Gower  and  Daughter,  after  Sir 
T.  Lawrence,  by  S.  Cousins,  first  state,  .£147;  Lady 
Heathcote,  after  Cosway,  by  J.  Agar,  printed  in  colours, 
,£38  17s.;  The  Promenade  in  St.  James's  Park  and  An 
Airing  in  Hyde  Park,  after  E.  Dayes,  by  F.  D.  Soiron 
and  T.  Gaugain,  a  pair.  ,£54  12s.  Among  the  examples 
of  the  French  School  were  Le  Catcher  de  la  Mariee, 
after  Baudoin,  by  Moreau  le  Jeune,  ,£37  16s.  ;  The  Milk- 
Woman  and  The  Woman  taking  Coffee,  by  L.  Marin,  a 
pair,  printed  in  colours,  ,£75  12s.  ;  L'Assemble'e  au 
Concert  and  L'Assemble'e  au  Salon,  after  N.  Lavreince, 
by  Dequevauvillier,  a  pair,  ,£46  4s.;  Au  mains  soyez 
Discret  and  Comptez  sur  mes  Serments,  after  and  by 
Aug.  de  St.  Aubin,  a  pair,  ,£46  4s.  :  Le  Petit  four  and 
La  Consolation  de  I' Absence  after  S.  Freudeberg  and  N. 
Lavreince,  by  X.  de  Launay,  ,£69  6s.  ;  and  Le  Billet- 
Doux  and  (Ju'en  dil  I' Abbe,  after  Lavreince,  by  N.  de 
Launay,  a  pair,  ^58  16s. 

On  February  2f>th  the  same  firm  dispersed  the  collec- 
tion of  the  late  Dr.  John  Gott,  Bishop  of  Truro,  which, 
though  including  a  number  of  eighteenth-century  English 
engravings,  was  chiefly  noteworthy  as  containing  some  fine 
examples  of  the  early  continental  masters,  which  realised 
high  prices.  An  impression  of  The  Combat  of  the  Ten 
Nude  Men,  or  The  Gladiators,  as  it  is  variously  called, 
the  master-work  of  that  renowned  Florentine  artist, 
Antonio  del  Pollaiuolo,  of  whom  Yasari  said  that  he 
possessed  a  far  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  human  figure  than  all  the  artists  who  had 
preceded  him,  brought  £735.  Other  interesting  items 
by  continental  engravers  included  F.  Yon  Bocholt, 
Saint  Anthony,  ,£82  ;  A.  Durer,  The  Prodigal  Son, 
£Zo;  The  Virgin  with  a  pear,  .£38  ;  The  Witch,  £^2  ; 
and  The  Large  Passion,  The  Apocalypse,  and  The  Life 
of  the  Virgin,  bound  together  in  parchment,  /  1S5  ; 
H.  Goltzius,  Henry  Goltzius,  first  state,  ,£42  ;  L.  Van 
Leyden,  The  Poet  Virgil  suspended  in  a  Basket,  £23  12s.; 
Mair  von  Landshut,  Saint  Anne  with  the  Virgin  and 
Child,  £37  1 6s.  ;  A.  Mantegna,  A  Combat  of  Marine 
Gods,  £131  5s.  ;  and  Christ  Descending  into  Limbo, 
£37  16s.  ;  I.  van  Meckenem,  The  Passion,  £273;  and 
Christ  Disputing  with  the  Doctors,  £31)  18s.  ;  B.  Mon- 
tagna.  Apollo  and  Midas,  £li,  3s.  ;  Nielli,  The  Conversion 
of  St.  Paul,  £31  ios.  ;  Three  Women  Dancing,  .£54  1  2S.  : 
and  The  Arms  of  the  Benlivoglio  Family,  ,£31  ios.  ; 
Rembrandt,  Rembrandt  leaning  on  a  Stone  Sill,  second 
state,  ,£70;  The  Marriage  of  Jason  and  Creusa,  first 
state,  .£70;  and  The  Mill  (B.  233),  .£125;  Prince 
Rupert,    The    Standard-bearer,  ,£252  ;    M.    Schongauer, 


273 


'Hie   Connoisseur 


The  Nativity,  £34;  The  Death  of  the  Virgin,  £90; 
A  Bis        -■  18s. ;  and  Dirh  van  Staren,  £28. 

Among  the  works  by  later  engravers  were  Prince 
Rupert,  after  Sir  P.  Lely,  by  A.  l>l<>oteliug  proof  before 
any  inscription),  .£45  3s.  ;  Charles  /..  re////  ///<•  infant 
Prince  Charles,  after  Van  Dyck,  by  A.  Brown  (proof 
before  any  inscription1,  t lie  only  one  in  this  state,  ,£10  [9  ; 
Martin  van  den  Baugart,  after  Rigaud,  by  G.  Edelinck 
(proof  before  any  inscription,  signed  by  the  engraver), 
£■48  6s.;  a  collection  of  198  Portrait  Heads,  chiefly  in 
prooi  states,  and  12  others,  by  J.  Houbraken,  in  folio, 
.£■35;  Portrait  of  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  after  Kneller, 
l'\  John  Smith  (proof  before  any  inscription),  .£16  16s., 
and  John  Smith,  by  and  after  the  same,  in  similar  state, 
/"ir  17s.;  and  Charles  /.,  after  Van  Dyck,  by  Sir  Robert 
Strange  (proof  before  any  letters),  £71  8s. 

<  If  the  English  engravings  the  highest  price  was 
realised  by  the  state  proof  of  Sir  Jos/ma  Reynolds  as 
President  oj  the  Royal  Academy,  after  himself,  by 
Valentine  Green,  which  brought  .£168.  Other  works 
after  the  same  artist  included  a  second  state  of  James 
Boswell,  of  Auchinleck,  by  J.  Jones,  ,£23  2S.;  a  second  state 
of  Lord Richard  Cavendish,\>y  J.  R.Smith,  .£21  ;  a  second 
state  of  his  own  half-length  portrait  mezzotinted  by 
James  Watson,  .£21  ;  and  the  portrait  of  Dr.  Hunter, 
engraved  in  line  by  W.  Sharp  (first  state,  with  untrimmed 
margin),  ,£18  18s.  A  set  of  313  proofs  engraved  by 
S.  W.  Reynolds,  from  the  artist's  works,  bound  in  three 
volumes,  crim.  mor.,  gold  tooled,  by  Bedford,  brought 
,£Si  18s.  ;  and  etched  letter  proofs  of  A  Fruit  Pieee  and 
A  Flower  Piece,  after  Van  Huysum,  by  R.  Earlom,  ,£48  6s. 

Messrs.  Sotheby  dispersed  on  February  6th  and  7th 
a  large  accumulation  of  engravings,  etchings,  and  draw- 
ings, which  included  three  nearly  complete  sets  of  the 
Liber  Studiorum,  which,  however,  only  fetched  moderate 
prices,  as  most  of  the  scarcer  plates  were  in  late  states. 
The  following  were  among  the  principal  items: — 
The  Bridge  in  Middle  Distance  (first  state),  ,£8  5s.  ;  The 
Hindoo  Worshipper  {fait  state),  ,£15  10s.  ;  Calm  (proof 
before  the  birds  were  introduced  to  cover  marks  in  the 
sky),  ^38;  Peat  Bog,  Scotland  (first  state),  ^32  ;  Chain 
of  Alps,  from  Grenoble  to  Chamouni  (first  state),  ,£16; 
Raglan  Castle  (second  state),  £8  15s.;  Near  Blair  At  hoi, 
Scotland  (first  state),  £9  5s.  ;  Woman  at  a  Tank  (second 
state),  £S   155.  ;  and  Ben  Arthur,  Scotland  (third  state), 

£S    105. 

The  same  firm  held  a  miscellaneous  sale  of  engravings, 
etchings,  and  drawings  on  February  17th  and  iSth.  in 
which  248  lots  brought  a  total  of  ,£1,322,  the  most 
substantial  contributions  to  this  amount  being  afforded 
by  the  following  : — Mary,  Duchess  of  Rutland,  after 
Reynolds,  by  V.  Green,  impression  cut  close,  .£100; 
/  tews  on  the  Rhine,  1S12,  after  Schutz,  ten  large- 
coloured  aquatints,  ,£4:  ;  The  Effects  of  Early  In- 
dustry and  Economy,  and  The  Effects  of  Idleness  and 
Dissipation,  by  W.  Ward,  after  G.  Morland,  a  pair  in 
colours,  with  the  inscriptions  cut  off,  ,£45  ;  The  Fruit 
Barrow  portraits  of  the  Walton  family),  after  II. 
Walton,  by  J.  R.  Smith,  cut  close  sides  and  top,  ,£48  ; 
and  Painting,  by  and  after  J.  R.    Smith,   ,£48. 


Messrs.  Puttick  and  Simpson  disposed  of  a  part  <•!  the 
stock  of  Mr.  (,11st, n  Lauser  on  February  14th,  but  none 
of  the  items  call  for  special  mention. 


Books  and 
Autographs 


THE  collection  oi  books,  engravings,  and  drawings 
formed  by  the  late  S.  M.  Milne,  Esq.,  of  Calverley 
Mouse,  Leeds,  and  sold  by  Messrs. 
Sotheb)  on  February  24th  and  the 
three  following  days,  was  wholly  con 
cerned  with  military  subjects,  and  included  a  numbei  "I 
rare  and    desirable    items,  the    total    realised    for  the   691 

lots  dispersed  during  the  four  days'  sale  amounting  to 

,£5,062  i8s.     Among  the  more  expensive  t ks  were  the 

following  : — R.  Ackerman,  Costumes  0)  the  British 
Army,  1X40-54,  the  series  of  6l  coloured  plates,  with  six 
others  added,  showing  variations  "I"  costume,  together 
with  The  New  Series  of  Ackerman' s  Costumes,  1855-58, 
15  plates  and  4  extra  ones,  all  but  one  coloured,  the 
whole  bound  into  3  vols.,  cl.,  sm.  fo.,  1S40-5S,  .£160; 
R.  Cannon,  Historical  Records  of  the  British  Army, 
[834-53,  complete  set,  68  vols. ,  with  the  exception  of  1  vol. 
in  hf.  mor.,  all  in  orig.  cl.  or  bds.,  8vo,  .£4-;  E.  Daves, 
A  Series  of  Eighteen  different  Prints  of  the  Foot  Guards, 
1650-60,  on  nine  sheets,  engraved  by  T.  Kirk,  all  in 
colours,  1792,  in  1  vol.,  sm.  fob,  ,£69;  E.  Dayes,  Another 
Scries  of  Eighteen  Coloured  Costumes,  engraved  by 
T.  Hodges,  1792,  in  1  vol.,  sm.  fob,  £66;  D.  Dighton, 
The  Lance  Exercise  in  Three  Divisions,  drawn  by  Dennis 
Dighton  and  etched  by  Richard  Dighton,  25  coloured 
plates,  orig.  bds.,  leather  back,  label  on  sides,  sm.  fob. 
T.  ATI. can,  1825,  £47;  Michael  Angelo  Hayes,  The 
British  Army  (costumes  and  incidents  of  various  regi- 
ment, ,  displayed  in  51  coloured  plates.  W.  Spooner, 
1844,  the  whole  mounted  and  bound  in  2  Mils.,  obi.  fob, 
,£115;  W.  Heath,  Military  Costume  of  the  British 
Cavalry,  14  coloured  plates  only  fa  complete  copy  should 
have  16),  hf.  mor.,  t.e.g.,  4to,  J.  Watson,  1820,  ,£46; 
W.  Heath,  A  Series  of  Twenty-one  Coloured  Costumes, 
chiefly  Cavalry  Officers,  published  by  S.  W.  Fore,  between 
1S27  and  1829,  mounted  and  bound  in  a  volume,  cl.,  fob, 
.£85;  E.  Hull,  The  Costume  of  the  British  Army  in 
1828  [-30],  lithographed  by  M.  Gauci  from  original  draw- 
ings, a  set  of  72  coloured  plates  [the  costume,  of  the 
Navy],  a  series  of  12  coloured  plates,  Nos.  1-12,  together 
with  the  addition  of  30  of  the  military  costumes  in  dupli- 
cate, making  114  in  all.  diced  cf.  ex.,  sm.  fob,  £128; 
L.  Mansion  and  St.  Eschauzier,  Military  Costumes  of 
the  British  Army,  60  plates  (1  slightly  torn  in  margin  , 
orig.  hf.  mor.,  leather  label  on  side,  fob.  W.  Spooner. 
1S31-3,  £135  ;  Henry  Martens,  R.  Ackerman's  Costumes 
of  the  Indian  Army,  33  coloured  costume  plates,  with 
3  extra,  36  in  all,  mounted,  in  1  vol.,  cl.,  sm.  fob  1  \:. 
etc.  ,  £+<>;  and  H.  Martens,  A  Collection  of  Sixty-five 
Original  Water-Colours  of  the  Costumes  of  the  Cavalry 
and  Infantry  of  the  British  and  Indian  Armies,  being  the 
originals  for  many  of  Ackerman's  Military  Costumes, 
mounted  and  bound  in  2  vols.,  mor.  ex.,  bev.  bds.,  g.e., 

fob,  .£345- 

The  library  of  R.   A.  Potts,  Esq.,  of  14,   St.   lames'. 
Terrace,  N.W.,sold  by  Messrs.  Sotheby  on  February  20th, 


274 


///    the   Sale   Room 


included  many  first  editions  oi  standard  authors,  but  not 
many  rarities.  One  of  the  premier  prices  in  the  sale 
was  attained  by  a  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  Edward 
FitzGerald's  version  of  Omar  Khayy&m,  mor. ,  inside 
dentille  borders,  g.e. ,  by  Riviere,  original  covers  bound 
in,  with  the  author's  book-plate  inserted,  sm.  Jto,  B. 
Quaritch,  1859,  which  brought  /'62  ;  an  autograph 
presentation  copy  of  the  same  author's  translation  of 
Salaman  and  Absal,  from  the  Persian  of  Jdmai,  ist 
ed.,  blue  cl.,  sm.  4to,  J.  W.  Parker,  1856,  brought  ,£35. 
Charles  Lamb's  Essays  of  Elia,  first  series,  1823,  and 
The  Last  Essays  of  Elia,  1S33,  each  with  an  autograph 
letter  of  the  author  inserted,  and  both  uniformly  bound, 
by  Riviere,  rus.  git.,  g.e.,  sm.  Svo,  ,£46 ;  W.  Blake's 
America:  a  Prophecy,  iS  11.,  engraved  text  and  plates, 
1793,  and  Europe :  a  Prophecy,  17  11.,  engraved  text  and 
plates,  1794,  both  printed  by  Blake  at  Lambeth,  in  1 
vol.,  cf.,  fol.,  ,£66  ;  Young's  Night  Thoughts,  with  the 
engravings  by  Blake,  coloured  by  hand,  \  mor.,  uncut, 
imp.  4to,  1808,  ,£50  ;  and  Designs  to  a  Series  of  Ballads, 
by  YVm.  Hayley,  drawn,  engraved  and  published  by  W. 
Blake,  with  the  ballads  annexed  (Ballads  I. 'to  III.  only), 
mor.  git.,  inside  dentille  borders,  g.e.,  4to,  1802,  ,£29  ; 
The  Germ,  the  four  original  numbers,  orig.  wrappers,  in 
1  vol.,  levant  mor.  git.,  t.e.g.,  by  J.  Larkins,  Svo,  1S50, 
.£23  ;  P.  B.  Shelley's  The  Cenci,  1st  ed.,  cf.  gt.,  t.e.g., 
Svo,  1S19,  ,£34;  and  Epipsychidon,  1st  ed.,  unbound, 
Svo,  182 1,  ,£30. 

Some  interesting  autograph  letters  and  documents  were 
included  in  a  sale  held  by  the  same  firm  on  February  19th. 
I  If  these  a  series  of  family  papers  of  Henry  Fielding,  the 
novelist,  brought /300;  thirty-eight  original  letters  relat- 
ing to  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succession,  of  which  19  were 
from  the  great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  ,£200;  a  series  of 


thirty-four  letters  of  Philip  II.,  King  of  Spain,  addressed 
ti  1  I  vdro  Mendoca,  his  minister  in  ( lenoa,  .£130  ;  a  manu- 
script order  book  of  216  pp.,  4to,  of  General  Wolfe, 
,£126  ;  a  letter  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  1  p.,  4to.  sub.  and 
S.,  written  in  1520,  ,£75;  a  signed  letter  of  Edward  IV. 
to  the  Chancellor  of  Charles  the  Bold,  1  p.,  4to,  .£100; 
a  letter,  signed  and  subscribed  by  Henry  VIII.,  to 
Madame  de  la  Ferte,  ,£55;  the  royal  sign-manual  of 
Edward  VI.  to  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Chamberlain  of 
the  County  of  Chester,  dated  March  13th,  1547,  and 
bearing  the  signatures  of  the  whole  of  the  Council  of 
Regency,  ,£250  ;  an  interesting  and  unpublished  auto- 
graph letter,  signed,  from  George  Washington  to  Samuel 
Powell,  3  pp.,  4to,  .£250  ;  another,  containing  over 
1,100  words,  from  the  same  to  James  Mercer,  3  pp., 
lge.  fol.,  ,£101  ;  a  signed  autograph  letter  from  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh,  1  p.,  fol.,  dated  December  30th,  1591, 
to  his  half-brother,  Sir  John  Gilbert,  ,£180;  one  from 
Major  Andre,  3  pp.,  fol.,  4to,  dated  9th  June,  to  Lieut. 
H.  C.  Selwyn,  ,£111  !  an  indenture,  signed  by  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  sealed  with  the  Great  Seal  of  England, 
completing  the  purchase  of  the  Lordship  of  Denbigh, 
etc.,  from  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  ,£80  ;  a  series  of  eighteen 
autograph  letters  from  Charles  Dickens  to  W.  Hepworth 
Dixon,  the  founder  of  The  Athenaum,  .£76  ;  the 
holograph  MS.  of  the  original  version  (unpublished)  of 
Mendelssohn's  Surrexit  Pastor,  dated  Coblentz,  August 
1 4th,  1  S37,  1  3  pp.,  4to,  ,£85  ;  the  original  autograph  MS., 
with  corrections,  of  Tennyson's  poem,  On  a  Spiteful 
Letter.  £6\  ;  an  autograph  letter,  signed,  6  pp.,  4to, 
from  Lord  Byron  to  R.  C.  Dallas,  dated  October  nth, 
[811,  £  50;  and  a  lengthy  and  interesting  autograph 
letter,  signed,  from  Rubens  to  Pierre  Dupuy,  dated 
February  18th,  1627,  ,£120. 


275 


mUotcmpnefCntu 
nam*  cCTct  ^yiUxti 

imnuuYn 


9 


b°okshelf 


"  Masterpieces  of 
the  Sea:   William 
T.  Richards 
A  brief  outline 
of  his  life  and 
art,"  by  Harrison 
S.  Morris 
(J.  B.  Lippincott 
Company 
as.  6d.  net) 


THE  life  nl  William  T.  Richards,  one  of  the  leading 
American  marine  painters,  is  not  without  local  interest 
to  English  people,  for  Richards  paid 
frequent  visits  to  this  country — 
some  of  them  of  long  duration — and 
towards  the  end  of  his  career  was  a 
fairly  regular  exhibitor  at  the  Royal 
Academy,  being  represented  there 
by  1 7  works.  This  phase  of  his 
career  is  little  touched  upon  in  the 
biography  of  the  artist  which  has 
been  written  by  Mr.  Harrison  S. 
Morris,  the  United  States 
Commissioner-General  to  the  Roman  Art  Exposition  of 
191 1.  It  is  not  what  may  be  termed  an  official  biography, 
but  is  more  in  the  nature  of  a  warm  appreciation  written 
by  an  intimate  friend.  Mr.  Richards's  career  is  well 
worth  recording,  for  his  art  was  sincere  and  unaffected, 
and  seems  in  its  straightforward  and  unassuming  qualities 
to  have  truly  reflected  the  nature  of  the  artist.  His 
career  was  chequered  by  poverty  at  the  beginning,  but 
his  talent  presently  won  him  recognition,  and  his  way 
was  henceforth  assured.  He  died  in  1905,  in  his  seventy- 
third  year,  universally  respected  both  as  an  artist  and  a 
man.  The  volume  is  illustrated  with  a  portrait  and 
adequate  reproductions  of  some  of  his  best  pictures. 

The  district  poetically  described  as  la  Cote  d " Emeraude 
by  Mr.  Spencer  C.  Musson  is  not,  he  tells  us,  to  be  found 


"  La  Cote 
d'Emeraude," 
painted  by 
J.  Hardwicke 
Lewis,  described 
by  Spencer  C. 
Musson,  7s.  6d. 
net;  "Paris,"  a 
Sketch-Book,  by 
Eug.  Bejot, 
Is.  net 
(Adam  and 
Charles  Black) 


on  the  map,  but  is  the  "deep  em- 
broidered border  of  orchard,  field 
and  town,  golden  beaches  and  iron 
cliff,  round  the  edge  of  the  great 
Gulf  of  St.  Malo."  The  author  is  a 
pleasant  guide  to  the  district  ;  he  is 
not  merely  content  with  describing 
its  beauties,  but  recounts  in  pleasant 
and  interesting  strain  old  legends, 
curious  pieces  of  history,  and  quaint 
local  customs  and  ideas.  As  the 
traditions  of  the  district  are  largely 
concerned     with     its     relations      to 


within  easy  view  of  the  coast,  the  account  possesses  a 
piquant  interest,  compatible  to  that  with  which  one  listens 
to  a  true  version  of  one's  next-door  neighbour's  opinions 
on  oneself.  The  drawings  of  Mr.  Spencer  C.  Musson,  to 
which  Mr.  Lewis's  letterpress  is  an  accompaniment — the 
positions  might  well  be  reversed — are  pleasant  and  well 
coloured,  often  possessing  considerable  charm,  and  giving 
a  good  idea  of  the  beautiful  coast  and  its  immediate 
hinterland.  The  work  is  decidedly  one  of  the  best  of  the 
series  of  beautifully  illustrated  books  that  Messrs.  Black 
have  yet  published. 

From  the  same  publishers  comes  the  dainty  Sketch- 
Book  of  Paris,  by  M.  Eug.  Bejot,  who  in  his  mono- 
chrome drawings  renders  some  of  the  most  striking  and 
picturesque  features  of  the  ancient  city,  not  avoiding 
often  rendered  themes,  but  giving  them  from  fresh  view- 
points and  under  conditions  which  invest  them  with  the 
charm  of  novelty. 


"  Forged  Egyptian 
Antiquities,"  by 
T.  G.  Wakeling 
(Adam  &  Charles 
Black,  5s.  net) 


England,   whose    outposts,    the    Channel     Islands,    are 


THE  British  occupation  of  Egypt  has  given  rise  to 
a  new  and  flourishing  industry  in  that  country  —  the 
manufacture  of  spurious  antiquities 
to  be  foisted  on  to  unwary  tourists. 
One  must  not  waste  too  much 
sympathy  on  the  latter.  The 
treasure  -  trove  of  Egypt,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  the  country,  is 
Government  property,  and  most  of  the  purchasers  of 
these  modern  forgeries  buy  them  under  the  impression 
that  they  are  assisting  the  finders  in  evading  the 
Government  decree.  Of  course,  there  are  many  in- 
stances when  the  purchases  are  made  in  a  legitimate 
way,  and  to  all  sufferers  from  such  transactions  one 
cannot  do  better  than  recommend  them  to  read  Mr. 
Wakeling's  book,  a  perusal  of  which  should  prevent 
them  from  easily  becoming  victims  in  the  future.  Mr. 
Wakeling  is  a  thorough  expert  on  his  theme,  but  this 
does  not  prevent  him  from  writing  in  a  manner  which 
makes  his  book  thoroughly  interesting  to  even  the  cimuI 
reader.  Many  of  his  exposures  of  the  guiles  of  the 
forger  are  told  in  the  guise  of  amusing  anecdotes,  and 
though  a  substantial  amount  of  information  of  the  most 
solid  character  is  given,  there  is  hardly  a  dull  page,  and 


176 


The    Connoisseur   Bookshelf 


certainly  not  a  dull  chapter,  in  the  work  from  start  to 
finish.  A  feature  of  the  volume  which  deserves  special 
commendation  is  the  excellent  series  of  illustrations,  the 
majority  of  which  are  in  colour,  which  give  some 
hundreds  of  different  types  of  forgeries,  with  accompany- 
ing letterpress,  pointing  out  the  characteristic  signs 
which  distinguish  them  from  genuine  pieces. 

PHOTOGRAPHY  has   nowhere  enlarged   the   sphere  of 

human  knowledge  to  a  greater  extent  than  in  the  domain 

of  natural  history.     The  camera  gives 

Wild  Lite,  more  full  and  accurate  record  of  the 

an  Illustrated  habits  and  movements   of   animated 

Monthly  nature  than  can  be  attained  by  the 

1^  most    patient    observation.      A    new 

Publishing  Co.        .,,  .  ,  ,         ,  .   ,  ,      ,. 

°  illustrated    monthly  which    embodies 

2s.  6d.  net)  ,  '  . 

some  of  the  best  ot  these  records  in  a 

beautiful,  permanent,  and  inexpensive  form  is  to  be  wel- 
comed, and  these  qualifications  appear  to  be  attained 
in  the  first  number  of  Wild  Life,  which,  as  its  name 
implies,  pictures  birds,  beasts,  insects,  and  fishes  in  their 
natural  environment  and  under  natural  conditions.  The 
publication  contains  well-reproduced  plates — in  many 
cases  several — of  over  sixty  different  species,  accom- 
panied by  explanatory  letterpress.  Among  the  themes 
illustrated  are  fish  and  birds  under  water,  birds  nesting, 
and  a  wide  variety  of  other  forms  of  wild  life.  The 
magazine  is  certainly  wonderful  value,  and  no  more 
interesting  way  of  learning  natural  history  can  be  found 
than  by  studying  its  attractive  pages. 


"  Nova  Scotia  " 
ByBecklesWillson 
(Constable  &  Co. 
7s.  6d.  net) 


It  is  a  curious  tact  about  immigration  in  America  that 
in  the  rush  of  the  newly  arrived  settlers  to  the  Further 
West  they  often  entirely  pass  over 
better  lands  which  are  awaiting 
occupation  nearer  to  the  resources 
of  civilisation  and  to  the  markets  in 
which  they  have  to  dispose  of  their 
crops.  One  of  the  countries  so  neglected  is  Nova  Scotia — 
the  Acadia  of  Longfellow's  poem.  It  is  adjacent  to  the 
seaboard,  possesses  a  climate  tempered  by  the  proximity 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  is  one  of  the  earliest  settled 
provinces  in  America.  Yet  there  is  a  large  amount  of 
unoccupied  land  in  the  country  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
suitable  immigrants.  In  a  thoroughly  well  written  and 
attractive  book  Mr.  Beckles  Willson  gives  us  the  history 
of  this  beautiful  province  and  describes  its  varied  resources 
and  industries.  It  is  a  fascinating  theme,  for  Nova  Scotia 
— for  long  time  the  battleground  between  the  English 
and  the  French — possesses  a  stirring  past,  and,  when  its 
great  natural  resources  are  fully  developed,  should  attain 
a  great  future.  The  author  has  done  full  justice  to  the 
capabilities  of  his  subject,  and  the  well-illustrated  volume 
makes  highly  interesting  reading. 

"  A  Summary  of  and  Index  to  Waagen,"  by  Algernon 
Graves,  F.S.A.     (Issue  limited  to   125  copies  at 
£10  10s.  net) 

To  uninitiated  laymen,  old  picture  catalogues  are  of 
less  interest  than  out-of-date  telephone  directories,  and 


yet  it  is  almost  wholly  from  old  catalogues  that  every 
fact  of  value  in  the  history  of  art  is  chronicled.  Criticism 
— even  the  best-is  only  of  ephemeral  value.  What  con- 
cerns us  now  in  the  Lives  of  the  Painters,  by  Yasari,  is 
not  what  the  author  thought  of  the  merits  of  their 
pictures,  but  the  details  he  gives  us  respecting  their 
works  ;  in  the  same  way  Walpole's  criticisms  in  his 
Anecdotes  of  Painting  act  practically  worthless,  but  the 
book  lives  because  of  what  might  be  described  as  its 
catalogical  information.  A  greater  critic  than  Horace 
Walpole  was  Dr.  Waagen,  who  is  well  known  to  art 
collectors  as  the  writer  of  an  account  of  the  Treasures  of 
Art  in  Great  Britain,  which  he  brought  out  in  three 
volumes  in  1S54,  followed  by  a  supplemental  volume  in 
1857.  Though  his  opinions  were  based  on  wide  know- 
ledge and  good  judgment,  the  artistic  standpoint  has  so 
changed  since  his  time  that  they  no  longer  carry  the 
weight  they  formerly  did  ;  yet  his  book  is  of  inestimable 
value  as  constituting  a  census  of  the  contents  of  the 
principal  art  collections  of  Great  Britain  in  the  middle  of 
the  nineteenth  century  ;  and  so  it  is  that  in  tracing  the 
pedigree  of  an  English-owned  picture  one  instinctively 
turns  to  his  pages  as  a  starting-point.  Unfortunately, 
the  index  of  the  four  volumes  is  confused  and  imperfect, 
and  to  find  an  individual  item,  unless  one  has  some 
previous  clue  to  its  ownership,  is  often  like  searching  for 
a  needle  in  the  proverbial  bundle  of  hay,  for  Waagen 
mentions  altogether  over  9,000  individual  works  of  art. 
Mr.  Algernon  Graves,  F.S.A.,  whose  works  on  similar 
themes  have  already  earned  him  the  gratitude  of  all 
those  whose  labours  are  concerned  with  the  history  of 
art  and  artists,  has  now  put  them  still  further  in  his 
debt  by  the  issue  of  an  admirably  arranged  and  carefully 
compiled  index  and  summary  to  this  important  book. 
Part  of  the  work  is  in  duplicate,  for  Mr.  Graves  has  not 
only  tabulated  all  the  pictures  recorded,  with  details  of 
their  ownership  under  their  artists'  names,  but  has  a 
separate  list  of  the  portraits  under  the  heading  of  their 
subjects  ;  while  an  indexed  list  of  owners  gives  every 
facility  for  cross  reference.  Paradoxical  as  the  statement 
may  seem,  Mr.  Graves's  Summary  and  Index  to  Waagen 
is  of  far  greater  utility  to  the  practical  worker  than  the 
four  volumes  of  Waagen  itself.  The  latter  is  full  of 
information,  but  of  information  that  requires  searching 
for,  whereas  Mr.  Graves  extracts  everything  that  is 
essential,  and  puts  it  in  a  form  accessible  to  immediate 
reference;  hence  the  possession  of  Waagen's  work  is  by 
no  means  a  necessary  prelude  to  enjoying  the  advantages 
of  Mr.  Graves's  handy  volume.  To  show  the  importance 
of  the  latter,  one  may  mention  that  among  the  9,200 
pictures  chronicled  are  over  435  by  Van  Dyck,  160  by 
Rembrandt,  250  by  Reynolds,  and  the  same  number  by 
Titian,  many  of  which,  alas  !--and  those  some  of  the 
finest — have  since  left  the  country.  It  would  have  been 
highly  desirable  if  Mr.  Graves  could  have  given  the 
changes  of  ownership  of  the  pictures  in  his  lists,  but  such  a 
record  would  have  prodigiously  swelled  the  dimensions  of 
his  book,  and,  moreover,  he  has  promised  us  a  publica- 
tion which,  though  not  primarily  intended  as  a  sequel  to 
Waagen,  will  in  some  sense  serve  that  purpose.     This  is 


277 


The   Connoisseur 


an  index  to  .ill  the  important  Exhibitions  of  Old  Ma  tei 
which  have  been  held  in  England  from  the  time  that 
public  exhibitions  were  started  up  to  the  end  of  191 2. 
As  in  the  Waagen,  all  the  works  shown  will  be  tabulated 
:  their  arti  >l  -  name  >,  full  pai  tii  ulai  -  <>i  owner- 
ship and  place  ol  exhibition  being  added.  This  work 
has  been  spoken  of  as  a  sequel  to  the  Summary  ami 
Index  to  Waagen,  but  it  would  be  more  correct  to 
describe  it  as  .1  structure  embodying  the  record  of 
English  ami  English-owned  examples  of  retrospective 
art,  of  which  the  Waagen  forms  one  of  the  bases.  To 
show  the  gigantic  nature  of  the  undertaking,  one  may 
mention  that  the  records  of  1,825  exhibits  of  the  works 
of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  will  be  included,  1,151  of  Cams 
borough,  556  of  Romney,  645  of  Rembrandt,  and  nearly 
200  of  Raeburn,  while  those  of  other  well-known  artists 
are  approximately  as  large. 


"  The  Adulteress 
before  Christ, 
by  Rembrandt  " 
By  Charles 
Sedelmeyer 
(Charles 
Sedelmeyer) 


RAR1  1  \  has  any  book  been  published  concerning  the 
authenticity  of  a  single  picture  in  which  the  facts  are 
set  forth  so  minutely  and  illustrated 
by  such  a  wealth  of  plates  as  in 
M.  Charles  Sedelmeyer's  defence 
of  his  Adulteress  before  Christ,  a 
picture  which  the  owner  and  most 
great  European  authorities 
ascribed  to  Rembrandt,  which 
attribution  is  disputed  by  the 
learned  Dr.  A.  Bredius,  of  the  Hague.  Dr.  Bredius  is 
one  of  the  greatest  living  authorities  on  the  master's 
works,  but  it  is  as  well  to  remember  that  in  aesthetic 
matters  as  well  as  in  points  of  law  the  judgment  of  no 
single  individual  is  infallible.  It  is  possible  that  a  fair 
proportion  of  the  important  works,  lacking  perfect  pedi- 
grees, in  European  and  American  galleries,  are  not  by 
the  artists  to  whom  they  are  universally  attributed.  Not 
all  the  works  by  great  masters  are  great,  and  occasionally 
followers  or  imitators,  in  a  lucky  moment  of  inspiration, 
will  produce  others  that  are  finer  and  more  characteristic 
of  them  than  their  own  poorer  efforts.  How  these 
poorer  works  by  great  masters,  and  good  ones  by  their 
followers — always  supposing  that  their  pedigrees  are  lost 
— must  in  the  end  be  a  matter  of  luck  rather  than  judg- 
ment !  To  show  how  even  the  best  informed  experts 
may  fail  in  giving  correct  judgment,  one  may  cite  the 
instance  of  Sidney  Cooper,  who,  it  is  well  known,  rejected 
as  spurious  several  of  his  own  works  sent  him  for  exami- 
nation, which  were  subsequently  fully  authenticated  and 
acknowledged  by  the  painter.  If  it  is  possible  for  an 
artist  to  make  such  mistakes  regarding  his  own  work, 
the  opinions  of  experts  concerning  pictures  painted 
two  or  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  possibly  subjected 
to  repainting  and  rough  handling  since,  must  be  received 
with  a  certain  amount  of  reserve. 

M.  Charles  Sedelmeyer,  not    content  with  defending 
his  own  picture,  begins  his  work,  to  which  he  modestly 


give  i  the  sub-title  of  "  An  Open  Letter  to  Dr.  A.  Brediu  i 
"I  the  Hague,"  by  .1  vigorous  onslaught  on  some  of  the 
lattci's  recorded  judgments  on  other  of  Rembrandt's 
pictures,  and  shows  that  several  of  these  are  contrary 
to  the  weight  of  evidence.  For  the  authenticity  of 
The  Adulteress  before  Christ  he  makes  out  an  almost 
unanswerable  case.  The  picture  formerly  formed  part 
of  the  celebrated  Blenheim  collection,  having  been  pre- 
sented to  the  great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  with  several 
works  by  Rubens,  by  the  Government  of  the  Nether- 
lands. This  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Between  that  time  and  the  dispersal  of 
the  collection  it  hung  in  the  same  room  as  Raphael's 
Ansedei  Madonna,  now  in  the  National  Gallery.  While 
hanging  at  Blenheim  no  doubt  was  ever  cast  upon  its 
genuineness  ;  it  was  unreservedly  accepted  by  all  the 
experts  who  saw  it  there,  including  Smith,  the  author  of 
the  Catalogue  Raisonni  of  Pictures  of  the  Dutch  and 
Flemish  Schools,  Dr.  Waagen,  and  Dr.  Bode.  When 
the  picture  was  put  up  at  Christie's,  in  1886,  it  was  in  a 
dirty  state,  and  was  adversely  criticised,  with  the  result 
that  it  was  bought  for  a  comparatively  small  amount  by 
Sir  Charles  Robinson,  himself  an  expert  of  no  mean 
capability.  M.  Sedelmeyer  purchased  it  from  him  in 
1891,  and  sold  it  to  Consul  Weber  in  1895.  In  the 
meanwhile  the  picture  had  been  cleaned,  and  Dr.  Bode, 
who  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  it  immediately  after- 
wards, again  pronounced  without  reserve  that  it  was  an 
original  by  Rembrandt.  It  was  sent,  on  invitation  of 
the  committee  of  which  Dr.  Bredius  was  president,  to 
the  great  Rembrandt  Exhibition  at  Antwerp,  and  while 
there  the  doctor  wrote  an  article  in  a  German  magazine 
impugning  its  authenticity.  The  essential  difference 
between  the  picture  and  those  of  similar  works  by 
Rembrandt  is  in  the  composition,  the  six  figures,  which 
are  its  principal  feature,  being  all  half-length,  and,  though 
beautifully  grouped,  over  large  for  the  canvas.  The 
original  design  by  Rembrandt  for  the  picture  has, 
however,  now  been  found,  which  shows  that  the  existing 
work  is  only  the  central  portion  of  a  larger  canvas  ; 
so  that  these  defects  are  wholly  owing  to  its  mutilation. 
Such  evidence,  by  doing  away  with  the  only  tangible 
objection  to  the  authenticity  of  the  work,  and  showing 
beyond  doubt  that  such  a  picture  was  designed  by 
Rembrandt,  would,  one  would  think,  be  sufficient  to 
establish  the  work.  But  M.  Sedelmeyer  has  gone  far 
beyond  this;  he  shows,  by  means  of  over  sixty  repro- 
ductions of  portions  of  the  picture  and  other  of  Rem- 
brandt's works,  that  every  figure  in  it  is  thoroughly 
characteristic  of  the  master.  The  publication  amply 
serves  its  purpose  ;  but,  altogether  apart  from  the 
question  of  the  authenticity  of  The  Adulteress  before 
Christ,  it  throws  so  much  light  on  Rembrandt's  technique 
and  method  of  working  that  it  will  possess  a  permanent 
value  long  after  the  vexed  question  which  gave  it  birth 
has  been  finally  settled. 


!78 


WEDGWOOD     PLAQUE. 

Penelope    and    Maidens. 

Designed  by   John   Flaxman,  R.A. 


1     ' 


Women's 
International 
Art  Club 


The  distinction  of  woman's  sphere  in  art  from  man's 
might  be  thought  an  argument  in  favour  of  holding 
separate  exhibitions  of  the  works  of 
the  two  sexes,  but  the  practice  resolves 
itself  into  an  unintentional  advertise- 
ment of  the  superiority  of  man's 
attainments.  The  leading  lady  artists  rather.avoid  those 
displays  from  which  the  works  of  the  stronger  sex  are 
excluded  ;  they  are  generally  marked  by  a  low  standard 
of  admission,  and  tend  to  form  a  haven  for  the  work  of 
indifferent  artists  rather  than  a  field  of  display  for  the 
accomplishments  of  strong  ones.  The  Women's  Inter- 
national Art  Club  is  one  of  the  exceptions  to  this  general 
rule.  It  is  not  fully  representative — even  of  English 
women's  art ;  but  at  least  the  standard  of  admission  rules 
as  high  as  that  prevailing  in  the  more  important  of  the 
societies  open  to  both  sexes.  The  fourteenth  annual 
exhibition  held  at  the  Grafton  Galleries  was  perhaps 
above  the  average  of  its  predecessors.  If  no  exception- 
ally good  works  were  shown,  there  were  none — with  the 
exception  of  a  few  weak  essays  in  Post- Impressionism — 
which  were  altogether  bad.  If  anything,  the  pictures 
generally  were 
marked  by  too 
much  consci- 
entious effort, 
shown  in  the 
attempts  by 
artists  to  tram 
their  talents 
according  to 
preconceived 
ideals  instead 
of  letting  them 
fiower  natur- 
ally. The  work 
of  Miss  Ethel 
Walker  ap- 
pears suffering 
fro  m  the  ef- 
fects of  such 
misdirected 
e  f  fo  r  t .  One 
would  say  that 
her  ambitions 
at  the  present 


ETCHING  OF  NORTHOLT 
AT  MESSRS. 


time  are  too  much  directed  towards  the  attainment  of 
broad  brushwork — desirable  as  the  means  to  an  end,  but 
not  an  end  in  itself.  Her  most  successful  works  shown 
were  her  two  sketches — perhaps  the  artist  herself  would 
not  agree  with  the  designation — the  Portrait  of  Miss 
May  and  Miss  Effie  Creamer  and  A  Summer  Crowd. 
These  looked  to  be  frank  transcripts  from  nature,  and 
were  fully  satisfying  as  giving  a  vivid  and  artistically  seen 
impression  of  the  subjects  depicted  ;  but  when  the  same 
treatment  was  transferred  to  canvases  of  larger  dimen- 
sions it  failed  to  be  adequate.  The  portrait  of  Miss 
Anna  Rateson  was  merely  an  exaggerated  sketch  ;  the 
leading  characteristics  of  the  sitter's  face  were  noted,  but 
scarcely  anything  else.  Even  the  colour  of  her  hair  was 
not  set  down  with  any  decision,  while  what  the  meaning- 
less  brushwork  constituting  the  background  was  intended 
to  suggest  remains  an  unsolved  enigma.  The  Woman 
Holding  a  Rose  was  even  less  explicit,  while  the  pleasing 
colour  and  dainty  conception  of  A  Portrait  Sketch  was 
marred  by  the  heavy  dabs  of  paint  about  the  eyes. 
Ladies  seem  over  afraid  of  having  their  work  described 
by  the  now  contemptuously  used  adjective  of  "  pretty," 

though  pretti- 
ness  is  not  a 
crime  unless 
united  with 
pettiness.  Pos- 
si  bly  some- 
thing of  this 
feeling  i  nf  1  u- 
enced  M.  A. 
Bell  (Mrs. 
E  a  s  1 1  a  k  e  ) 
when  she  made 
the  face  of  the 
little  girl  who 
forms  the  cen- 
tral figure  in 
The  Wila 
Goats  the  least 
attractive  and 
most  roughly 
executed  por- 
tion of  the  pic- 
ture. Techni- 
cally, the  work 


BY      MR.     STANLEY      ANDERSON 
JAGHI      AND     OBACH'S 


28l 


The    (  oimoisseitr 


was  excellent,  good  in  colour  and  draughtsmanship  and 
floodei  unshine,   the   brightness    of    which    was 

realised  without  undue  forcing.  Prettiness  and  this 
time  the  adjective  is  used  without  any  derogatory  mean- 
ing— was  the  characterise  ol  the  charming  and  freely 
handled  stud)  by  Miss  Gertrude  Des  Clayes.  Miss  E. 
I  Rawlins  contributed  several  landscapes,  showing  con- 
siderable skill  in  their  arrangement  and  coloui  ichemes, 
the  most  effective  being  //;  the  Pyrenees,  where  the 
straight  stem-  ol  ;omi  upright  trees  in  the  foreground 
effectively  framed  and  contrasted  with  the  horizontal 
lines  formed  by  a  range  of  mountains  and  the  roofs  of  an 
intervening  village.  Anion-  other  works  by  living  artists 
which  should  be  mentioned  were  Miss  Mary  Hagarty's 
exquisitely  coloured  drawing  oi  The  Blue  Clock,  Venice; 
Mademoiselle  Alice  Ronner's  finely  realised  still-life 
painting,  Le  Plateau  de  Lac  Rouge  ;  a  rather  heavy  but 
cleverly  arranged  decorative  landscape,  T/ic  Top  of  the 
Hill,  by  Miss  E.  Fothergill  Robinson  ;  A  Study  of  a 
Tiger,  by  Mis-  E.  M.  Henderson;  and  a  crisp  rendering 
of  Florence  from  the  Piazza  Michelangelo,  by  Miss 
K.  Temple- Bird. 

In  the  small  retrospective  section  the  Portrait  of  a 
Young  Monk  by  Sofonisba  Anguiscola  and  the  Portrait 
of  a  Man  attributed  to  the  same  artist  were  neither  of 
great  interest,  both  showing  the  respectable  technical 
attainment  and  lack  of  inspiration  which  generally 
characterised  the  Italian  schools  in  the  latter  half  of 
the  sixteenth  century  ;  while  Madame  Bonheur's  well- 
known  water-colour  of  Tlie  King  Watches  failed  to 
arouse  the  admiration  it  once  evoked.  This  artist  is  seen 
to  better  advantage  in  the  engravings  after  her  works 
than  in  the  originals.  As  in  the  present  instance,  her 
composition  was  always  good,  but  her  colouring  was 
monotonous,  and  her  brushwork  heavy  and  giving  little 
suggestion  of  textural  values. 

One  perhaps  is  inclined  to  doubt  the  possibility  of  many 

of  the  more  remarkable  feats  of  swordsmanship  described 

in  the  pages  of  historical  novels  until 

Japanese  Swords      Qne  payg  a  ^  tQ  a  collection  such 

and  Masks  ^  ^  of  o]d  japanese  SWOrds  now 

on  view  at  Messrs.  Yamanaka's  Galleries  (127,  New  Bond 
Street).  These  belong  to  the  styles  known  as  "  Katana  " 
and  "  Wakizashi,"  corresponding  roughly  in  their  use  to 
the  Scottish  sword  and  dirk  ;  the  old  Japanese  warrior 
wielding  both  weapons  at  the  same  time  ;  the  wakizashi — 
a  weapon  not  unlike  an  European  sword  in  shape  and 
dimensions— in  his  left  hand,  and  the  more  formidable 
katana  in  his  right.  The  latter  is  a  murderous-looking 
weapon,  straight  and  narrow  like  a  long-bladed  knife, 
broad  and  weighted  at  the  back,  and  tapering  down  to 
an  edge  of  razor-like  keenness,  and  so  perfectly  balanced 
that  even  a  slight  blow  with  it  would  come  down  with 
terrible  effect.  In  length  it  varies  from  five  inches  to 
five,  six,  or  even  seven  feet.  What  differentiates  it  even 
more  than  its  shape  from  the  European  weapon  is  the 
curious  markings  and  coloration  of  the  blade,  its  back 
part  dully  black  like  iron  and  its  edge  gleaming  with  the 
brightness   of  polished    steel,   the    line    of  demarcation 


between  the  two  tones  being  clearly  distinct  and  some- 
times patterned  into  a  floral  design.  These  marking 
give  a  hint  at  the  processes  used  in  the  making  of  the 
sword.  It  1-  in  real  it)  of  iron  and  steel  hammered 
together  in  thin  layers.  After  this  composition  is 
thoroughly  welded  together,  the  edge  is  tempered  by 
being  exposed  to  extreme  heat,  from  which  the  back  part 
is  protected  by  clay.  The  result  is  to  give  the  sword  a 
cutting  edge  of  the  finest  steel,  while  the  body  of  the 
blade  is  a  combination  of  iron  and  steel,  and  so  of  far 
greater  toughness  than  if  made  of  steel  alone.  The 
value  attached  to  these  swords  by  the  Japanese  in  former 
days  may  be  gauged  by  the  fact  that  as  much  as  i,ioo 
bundles  of  rice — each  about  the  size  of  a  wheat-sheaf — 
was  bartered  for  one  with  its  maker.  With  the  swords 
there  is  being  shown  an  interesting  collection  of  Japanese 
theatrical  masks. 

At  the  galleries  of    Messrs.   Paul   1).    Colnaghi    and 

Obach    an    interesting   collection    of    original    drawings 

(almost   entirely    in    monochrome), 
Modern  Drawings      '.   .  .  ,  ..    .     ,  , 

°       etchings,  and  aquatints  by  modern 
and   Etchings  .  ,  .,        ~ 

artists    was    shown.       Mr.    George 

H.  Rose  was  perhaps  the  most  prolific  contributor  of 
drawings,  his  dozen  or  more  examples,  chiefly  executed 
with  pen  and  sepia,  giving  a  similar  effect  to  that  of 
Turner's  Liber  Studiortnn  plates.  In  these  he  strove 
more  for  colour  effect  than  for  expression  in  line,  often 
with  marked  success.  His  etchings  of  A  Sweep  o  the 
Wind  and  Nine  Elms  and  a  Rick-yard,  though  expressed 
with  delicacy  and  precision,  were  too  slight  to  be  fully 
satisfying,  the  large  expanse  of  uncovered  paper  making 
the  line-work  look  thin  and  meagre.  Mr.  A.  E.  Howarth 
had  a  number  of  architectural  themes  executed  both  with 
pencil  and  etching  point.  The  latter  were  decidedly  the 
more  interesting,  the  most  successful  being  a  rendering 
of  Rosliu  Chapel,  an  effective  arrangement  of  light  and 
shade.  Of  Mr.  Frank  Mura's  numerous  examples,  the 
most  fascinating  were  the  couple  of  soft-ground  etchings 
Group  of  Trees,  Sompting,  Sussex,  and  In  the  Fields, 
Lancing,  which  were  delightfully  spontaneous  in  their 
feeling.  Mr.  D.  Murray  Smith's  Hammersmith  was 
among  the  most  effective  of  his  contributions,  being 
characterised  by  strong  line  and  a  well-balanced  distri- 
bution of  light  and  shade.  Some  aquatints  by  Mr.  C. 
H.  Baskett  showed  considerable  tonal  quality,  but  this 
medium  is  hardly  adapted  for  effects  demanding  con- 
siderable depth  of  chiaroscuro,  and  the  effect  produced 
is  apt  to  be  that  of  a  rather  flat  mezzotint.  Northolt, 
by  Mr.  Stanley  Anderson,  though  a  little  black  in  the 
shadows,  was  a  poignant  piece  of  work ;  while  Messrs. 
P.  F.  Gethin,  W.  P.  Robins,  Francis  Dodd,  and  E.  A. 
Verpelleaux  were  all  strongly  represented. 

Societe  Internationale  de  la  Peinture  a  l'Eau  and 
Mogul  Miniature  Paintings 

WATER-COLOUR  painting  is  not  one  of  the  things 
they  do  better  abroad.  The  art  has  never  been  under- 
stood or  appreciated  on  the  Continent  to  the  same 
extent   that   it  has   been  in   England,  and  the  result  is 


Current  Art   Notes 


ETCHING    OF    HAMMERSMITH 

AT    MESSRS.    COLNAGHI    AND    OBACH's 


that  continen- 
tal workers  in 
the  medium 
are  apt  to 
handle  it  like 
oil  pigment, 
thus  elimi- 
nating some 
of  its  most 
beautiful  and 
characteristic 
qualities.  This 
was  shown  in 
the  exhibition 
of  works  by 
the  members 
of  the  French 
"  Societe  In- 
ternationale 
de  la  Peinture 
a   l'Eau,"  held 


ies  of  the  Fine 
Art  Society 
(148,  New 
Bond  Street).  The  drawings  shown  were  contributed 
by  artists  of  undeniable  ability.  There  was  probably 
not  a  single  example  which  one  could  describe  as  bad 
art  ;  but  the  majority  of  the  effects  attained  could 
have  been  rendered  with  equal  fulness,  equal  facility, 
and  more  appropriateness  in  either  oil  or  pastel.  This 
failing  was  not  so  marked  in  the  work  of  the  English 
members  of  the  Society,  who  are  still  guided  to  some 
extent  by  the  old  traditional  respect  for  lightness  of 
touch  and  transparency  of  colour.  Mr.  John  Sargent's 
Flannels  was  again  on  view,  accompanied  by  an  out- 
door portrait  study,  entitled  Sketchers,  of  an  elderly 
lady,  with  a  younger  one  seated  by  her  side.  The 
latter  was  painted  with  Mr.  Sargent's  usual  adequacy 
and  something  more  than  his  usual  sympathy.  The 
characterisation  of  the  old  lady's  face — benign,  placid, 
and  pleasant — was  marvellously  conveyed— not  merely 
suggested — in  a  few  deft  touches,  and  the  blacks  in  her 
costume  were  set  down  full  of  life  and  brilliance.  Miss 
Clara  Montalba's  work  is  too  little  seen  nowadays  ; 
she  is  one  of  the  few  lady  artists  who  possesses  a 
thoroughly  individual  style  of  her  own,  which  she  has 
perfected  by  consistently  confining  her  efforts  to  the 
perpetuation  of  a  single  theme — the  gorgeous  coloration 
of  Venice.  Her  two  examples  here  were  distinguished 
by  glowing  brilliance  of  harmony  and  transparency  of 
tone  ;  one  could  not  call  them  Turneresque,  inasmuch  as 
they  were  not  directly  influenced  by  Turner's  work,  but 
they  had  strong  affinity  in  inspiration  and  feeling  to  the 
golden  visions  of  the  master.  Mr.  Walter  Gay's  interiors 
were  well  seen  and  well  painted,  but  their  truth  of  vision 
and  clever  technique  hardly  atoned  for  the  poverty  of 
interest  in  their  subjects.  The  Symphonic  en  blanc  pre- 
sented the  corner  of  a  room  as  it  might  be  shown  in 
a  decorator's  catalogue  ;  it  was  more  artistic  and  better 


BY    D.     MURRAY    SMITH 


realised  than 
the  decorator's 
design  would 
have  been,  but 
the  difference 
was  rather  one 
of  quality  than 
of  kind.  Turn- 
ing to  the  for- 
eign work,  one 
saw  a  prodi- 
gious amount 
of  talent  ex- 
pended in  in- 
troducing the 
quality  of  oil 
or  pastel  into 
water-colour 
work.  M.  Alex. 
Marcette's  Le 
Passeur  be- 
longed to  the 
latter.Thetone 
was  delicate, 
the  colour  har- 
monious ;  but  one  looked  in  vain  for  any  suggestion  of 
transparency  in  the  latter — it  was  merely  heavy  and 
opaque.  Good  colour  was  the  essential  quality  of  the 
Bosquet dc  I  ersailles,  by  M.  Gaston  La  Touche  ;  but  there 
was  a  want  of  definition  in  the  foliage  occupying  a  large 
portion  of  the  drawing,  hardly  justified  by  any  compensa- 
ting interest  to  be  found  in  the  remainder.  The  Retour 
tin  Marche  was  a  strong,  direct,  and  well-coloured  work, 
set  down  with  the  strength  of  oil  painting.  Much  the  same 
criticism  might  be  passed  on  M.  F.  Luigini's  L'Estacade, 
though  this  was  more  sombre  in  tone.  The  Homme  a  la 
Bec/ie,  by  M.  Alfred  N.  Delaunois,  was  reminiscent  of 
Millet;  while  the  Maternite of  M.  Frantz  Charlet  owed 
something  to  the  inspiration  of  Israels,  though  the  latter 
would  scarcely  have  been  guilty  of  introducing  such  an 
ugly  woman  as  the  central  subject  of  one  of  his  works. 
Though  it  is  a  standing  article  of  faith  with  the  moderns 
that  ugliness  can  be  transfigured  into  beauty  through  the 
medium  of  art,  one  may  venture  to  doubt  it.  The  dwarfs 
of  Velasquez,  despite,  or  perhaps  because  of  his  superb 
portrayal  of  them,  remain  monstrosities,  and  some  of  the 
disease-marked  figures  in  Rembrandt's  portraits  are  as 
painful  to  look  at  they  would  be  in  nature.  M.  Charlet 
may  justify  the  choice  of  his  principal  figure  by  saying 
he  desired  to  show  how  maternity  elevates  even  the 
lowest  type  of  womanhood  ;  but  most  of  the  advanced 
moderns  who  favour  ugly  themes  apparently  do  so  from 
inclination,  in  the  same  way  that  the  average  small  boy 
likes  to  walk  into  every  mud-puddle  he  comes  across. 
The  racing  subjects  of  M.  Frantz  Charlet  were  set  down 
in  sparkling  colour  with  verve,  ease,  and  precision,  while 
M.  Fernand  Khnopt  was  adequately  represented  with 
one  of  his  mystic  themes,  UOffrande,  an  Alma-Tadema- 
like  composition,  treated  with  austerity  of  coloration  and 
little  attempt  at  imitative  realism. 


28- 


The    Connoisseur 


At  I  here  was  also    hown  an  in- 

i  'ii  i  'i  Mogul  ( liiiln  I  v  ian  I  miniature 
paintings,  largely  belonging  to  the  besl  period  of  the 
art,  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  and  the  first  half 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  Some  of  the  works  were 
o  tte  charai  tei .  espec  ially  those  of 
military  operations,  which  were  filled  with  multitudes 
of  figures,  .ill  wrought  with  the  must  minute  detail. 
Another  favourite  theme  was  the  mysteries  of  an  Eastern 
lady's  toilet,  "t  which  a  number  of  versions  were  given. 
The  exhibit-,  showed  great  artistic  craftsmanship,  and 
many  were  distinguished  by  rich  and  beautiful  colour. 

I'm     Scottish   Gallery   has  been   graced  lately  by  a 
collection    of    etchings    the    work    of    men    of    several 

different  lands,  and  the  inclusion  of 
Edinburgh:  \c      cc  •  1 

__  a  Oorot  is  m  itself  sufficient  to  make 

Etchings,  Wood-       .  ,  .,  .  .  ,. 

the   exhibition   an  outstanding  one. 
cuts,  and   some  ,  .,  .        _      ,  . 

_   .     .  Like   his  contemporaries    Daubigny 

Paintings  ,  „  -,•,,, 

and  Rousseau,  Corot  had  a  fondness 

for  doing  "  glass  prints,''  and  his  works  of  this  kind  are 
often   mistaken  for  etchings  ;  but  in   reality  it  was  only 
on  a  few  occasions  that  he  handled  the  latter  medium, 
the  plates  he  produced  numbering  hardly  a  score.    They 
have,  then,  the  additional  interest  of  rarity,  while  how 
fine  were  the  master's  gifts  in  this  field  is  evinced  amply 
by  the  example  seen  now.  Souvenir  d 'Italic      It   is  a 
tiny  woodland  scene,   and   it  has  a  certain  freshness,  a 
semblance   of  spontaneity,   such   as  pertain  but  seldom 
to  anything   which  has   passed   through   a  reproducing 
process.     The   Swedish  artist,  Anders  Zorn,  also  shows 
himself  able,  though   in  smaller  ratio,  to  preserve  in  his 
etchings   the   charm    of  actual    sketches  ;   while  this  is 
notable  in   several  things  by  that  versatile  Frenchman, 
M.  Steinlen.      Less  powerful  than  he  but  also  talented 
is  Mr.  James   McBey,  an  Aberdonian  who  has  followed 
in    the   steps    of  his   famous    townsfellow,    John    Philip, 
going  to  Spain  in  quest  of  subjects,  and  finding  these  in 
the  bull-fight ;  while  no  mean  skill  is  shown,  too,  by  Mr. 
Malcolm  Osbourne,  especially  in  a  little  portrait   called 
Margaret.     Nevertheless,  it  is  obvious  that  this  etcher, 
inking  his  block  freely,  gains  his  effects  to  some  extent 
in    the   course    of  printing;    and   herein   he    betrays   a 
limitation,  for  etching  is  essentially  the  art  oi  line,  and 
all  etchers  of  the  highest  order — Sir   Seymour   Haden, 
for  instance — use  ink  sparingly,  and  achieve  their  results 
purely    by   draughtsmanship   and    not    by   typography. 
But  if  Mr.  Osbourne  is  culpable  in  this  respect,  and  if 
Mr.  D.  Y.  Cameron  is  apt  to  err  in  the  same   way,  the 
exact    reverse    is    true    of  Mr.    E.   S.    Lumsden,    whose 
various   plates  almost  vie  with  any  by  Haden  himself; 
while  there  is  another  man  who  exhibits  work  of  excep- 
tional excellence,  and  that   is  Mr.  William  Strang.     He 
was  long  a  keen  disciple  of  Holbein,  and  was  even  prone 
to  imitate  him,  but  his  discipleship  certainly  taught  him 
a   style   of  drawing   eminently  suitable   for  an   etcher. 
He  is  seen  to  particular  advantage  in  a  portrait  of  Mr. 
Thomas    Hardy,    a   work   which    easily    transcends   his 
familiar  likenesses  of  R.  L.  Stevenson  and  Mr.  Rudyard 
Kipling,  and  must  be  ranked  as  probably  the  best  thing 


the  artist  has  done   iince  his  memorable  illustrations  to 

fan:  ,<'  Shunter,  reproduced  some  years  ago  in  one  of 
the  beautiful  hand  printed  books  of  Mr.  C.  R.  Ashbei 
Essex  House  Press.  At  the  same  time,  on  seeing  any 
portrait  of  Mr.  Hardy,  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  contrast- 
ing u  mentally  with  the  various  studies  of  the  novelist 
by  Mr.  Will  Rothenstein ;  and,  fine  as  Mr.  Strang's 
etching  is,  it  must  not  be  compared  with  these. 

With  the  dispersal  of  the  etchings  the  gallery  has 
become  the  scene  of  another  exhibition,  its  nucleus  con- 
sisting of  a  large  array  of  water-colours  by  Mr.  K. 
Abercromby.  He  lately  won  an  important  scholarship 
at  the  Edinburgh  College  of  Art,  and  his  technique  docs 
honour  to  his  Alum  Mater,  his  handling  of  perspective 
being  especially  sound,  lie  has,  besides,  a  keen  eye  for 
the  most  subtle  nuances  of  colour ;  but,  unfortunately, 
his  works  lack  that  indescribable  touch  of  idealisation 
which  is  indispensable  in  good  art.  This  precious  ele- 
ment is  salient,  however,  in  some  of  the  further  pictures 
shown,  notably  one  by  Mr.  Lawton  Wingate,  R.S.A.,  a 
seascape  composed  chiefly  of  divers  gentle  greys.  Mr. 
Wingate  has  sometimes  been  styled  the  Scottish  Corot, 
and,  though  that  is  extravagant,  this  canvas  undoubtedly 
marks  him  as  worthy  to  be  called  the  Scottish  Dupre  ; 
while  a  landscape  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Hornel,  its  subject  a 
wood  suffused  with  sunlight,  is  little  inferior  to  the  many 
analogous  essays  from  the  brush  of  Monticelli.  Mr.  C. 
Mackie  also  shows  an  engaging  work,  while  one  by 
Miss  Walton  reveals  a  happy  vein  of  fancy,  and  is 
wrought  throughout  with  a  touch  of  the  rarest  daintiness, 
a  butterfly  touch  like  Jacquemart's  or  Clouet's. 

Few  pictures  so  good  as  this  last  are  to  be  seen  at 
the  show  of  ladies'  work  at  Messrs.  Doig,  Wilson  and 
Wheatley's  gallery,  but  the  assemblage  embraces  some 
remarkable  things  withal,  the  best  of  them  being  a  study- 
in  the  female  nude  by  Miss  R.  M.  Fraser,  and  a  number 
of  woodcuts  by  Miss  York  Brunton.  The  latter  aie 
manifestly  done  in  emulation  of  the  Japanese  masters 
of  the  Ukiyoe  school,  and  daring  as  the  attempt  is,  it 
is  wonderfully  successful  ;  for,  though  it  were  absurd  to 
liken  Miss  Brunton  to  Toyokuni  or  Utamaro,  there  are 
pleasing  memories  of  Hiroshige  in  her  colour — that 
strong,  bright  colour  of  the  Orient  which  has  at  last  got 
a  footing  in  Occidental  painting,  and  bids  fair  to  reign 
for  a  while.  It  is  by  its  lovely  colour,  again,  that  Miss 
Fraser's  picture  mainly  attracts,  and  by  the  subtle  dis- 
tinction between  the  flesh-tints  and  the  white  sheet  on 
which  the  model  is  seated  ;  but  the  design  has  great 
qualities  too,  while,  though  one  of  the  wrists  is  too  thick, 
in  general  the  draughtsmanship  is  good,  holding  as  it 
does  some  of  that  rhythmic  element  of  which  Ingres  is 
the  acknowledged  high-priest. 

IT  is  Lamb  who  confesses,  "  When  I  go  to  see  any 
great  house,  I  enquire  for  the  china  closet  and  next  for 
the  picture  gallery."  He  excuses  the 
order  of  preference  by  saying  that  while 
he  can  call  to  mind  the  first  play  and  the  first  exhibition 
he  was  taken  to,  his  taste  for  china  was  of  so  ancient  a  date 
that  he  is  not  conscious  of  a  time  when  china  jars  and 


Artistic  China 


284 


Current  Art   Notes 


saucers  were 
introduced   into 
bis  imagination. 
The   last   fact 
applies  to  all  of 
us.      From  our 
birth   we   live 
with  china  uten- 
sils ;    they    be- 
come as  m  u  c  h 
part  of  our  en- 
vironment as 
the    air    we 
breathe,  and  so, 
because  of  this, 
we  are   rather 
apt  to  take  them 
for  granted,  and 
fail   to  realise 
that    their   con- 
stant  presence 
before  our  eyes 
is  insensibly  in- 
fluencing our 
aesthetic   taste, 
and   that    our 
feeling   for  line 
and   colour   is 
being  formed  by 
the   comeliness 
-or  reverse — 
of   their    de-ign 
and  decoration. 
China  and  pot- 
tery ware,  too, 
are   among    the 
first    articles 
which   attract 
the  attention  of 
the  embryo  collector.     Children,   even  before  they  have 
begun    to   accumulate   postage  stamps,   have   generally 
started  the  nucleus  of  a  ceramic  collection  with  a  mug, 
cup  and  saucer,  or  bread-and-milk  bowl,  which  is  their 
own   exclusive  property,  and   in  which   they  take    keen 
proprietary  interest.      Later  on,  perhaps,  the  collection 
is  extended    with    mementos   of   various   places  visited, 
until  it  becomes  one  of  some  bulk  and   great  reminis- 
cent interest.      Subsequently,  if  funds   are   ample,  and 
taste  and    predilection   propitious,    it   may  be  extended 
on  lines  that  will  ultimately  bring  it  within  the  sphere 
of  Christie's. 

('.lancing  over  the  catalogues  of  a  dozen  typical  firms, 
one  finds  enumerated  a  variety  of  choice  which  should 
afford  satisfaction  to  the  most  exacting  tastes  and  require- 
ments. Taking  them  up  promiscuously,  1  find  that  the 
Soho  Pottery,  Ltd..  of  Cobridge,  Staffordshire,  specialise 
in  all  kinds  of  general  earthenware.  Among  them  is 
Delft  dinner  ware.  The  name  Delft  recalls  up  visions 
of  that  old  blue  and  white  pottery  the  manufacture  of 
which   was   introduced   into   Lambeth    by  refugees  from 


LE     REVE 


the  N  e  t  h  e  r- 
lands.  Pieces 
of  it  may  have 
graced  Queen 
Elizabeth's  din- 
ner-board. It 
was  eminenth 
picturesque,  and 
the  patterning — 
in  blue  on  a 
white  ground — 
if  often  rudely 
executed,  never 
wanted  in  effect. 
The  Soho  Pot- 
tery Delft  — 
"  Solian  Delft 
Ware"  it  is 
called  —  is  a 
t  ran  sfigu  red 
version  of  this. 
1 1  s  fineness  of 
body  and  glaz- 
ing, its  smooth- 
ness of  surface 
and  symmet]  \  of 
shape,  are  better 
than  anything 
that  the  old 
Lambeth  pot- 
ters would  have 
c  o  n  c  e  i  v  e  d  it 
possible  to  pro- 
duce ;  while  its 
patternings  re- 
call the  artistic 
feeling  of  the  old 
designs.  There 
are  other  Soho 
Pottery  wares  which  in  their  approach  to  translucenc/j 
almost  bridge  the  interval  between  earthenware  and  porce- 
lain. These  are  fashioned  according  to  various  designs. 
The  nomenclature  of  the  latter  is  somewhat  arbitrary. 
The  "Toronto"  pattern  is  chastely  classical  in  feeling, 
the  "Fife"  smacks  more  of  the  Further  East,  and  the 
names  "  Empire,"  "  Imperial,"  and  "  Venice  "  give  little 
clue  to  the  well-designed  patternings  they  designati  \ 
ware  entirely  destitute  of  patterning  is  the  White  Spiral 
Fluted  Ware,  whose  tasteful  shaping  and  simplicity 
ensure  it  a  lasting  popularity. 

I  have  descanted  on  the  advance  made  in  the  new 
wares  over  the  old  :  now  let  me  say  something  of  the 
merits  of  the  latter,  the  catalogue  of  Messrs.  Plant's 
"  Tuscan  China"  affording  an  apposite  text  to  the  theme, 
for  Tuscan  china  is  limited  in  its  range  to  finely  rendered 
reproductions  of  English  porcelain  up  to  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  French  eighteenth-century 
and  Chinese  porcelains.  With  all  the  early  European 
china  factories — and  none  of  them  commenced  until  the 
eighteenth  century — the  leading  idea  was  that  porcelain 


BY     ROSE     M.     FRASER 


285 


The    Connoisseur 


was  such  .1  rare  material  that  it  must  be  exquisite!) 
ii  bioned  and  decorated.  These  factories  did  not  try 
to  produce  merely  utilitarian  pieces;  their  tea  set-;  and 
dinner  services  were  as  artistically  designed  as  their 
statuettes  and  vases,  and,  like  them,  more  intended  for 
the  cabinet  than  the  table.  The  result  was  seen  in  the 
comparative!)  short  life  of  the  majority  of  the  early 
factories.  Sevres  and  the  greater  continental  factories 
survived  because  they  were  State-supported;  but  Bow, 
started  in  1745,  Chelsea,  started  at  about  the  same  date, 
and  Plymouth  and  Bristol,  which  came  into  being  about 
twenty  years  later,  were  all  closed  down  before  the  end 
of  the  century.  Science  has  enabled  the  modern  potter 
to  produce  fine  porcelain  at  a  comparatively  moderate 
expense  ;  and  so  it  is  that  in  the  Tuscan  ware  one  can 
have  the  beautiful  old  designs  repeated  with  a  perfei  tion 
and  at  an  expense  that  would  have  gladdened  the  hearts 
of  our  forefathers.  Besides  the  wares  already  mentioned, 
many  of  the  beautiful  forms  and  decorations  of  Chinese 
porcelains  are  perpetuated,  and  also  those  of  other  English 
factories  like  Lowestoft,  Nantgarw,  and  others,  which 
lasted  over  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

One  hardly  needs  to  describe  Goss  china.  Few  of  us 
have  not  some  time  or  other  bought  a  piece  as  a  memento 
of  some  visit  to  the  seaside  or  elsewhere,  of  one's  native 
town  or  old  college  or  school,  yet  probably  few  know  in 
what  a  number  of  varied  forms  this  dainty  ware  is  shaped. 
The  Goss  Record,  a  publication  compiled  for  the  benefit 
of  Goss  ware  collectors,  gives  a  list  of  nearly  two  hundred 
special  shapes — that  is  to  say,  reproductions  modelled  on 
ancient  pieces,  pottery  and  other  antique  forms — besides 
which  there  are  at  least  as  many  more  ordinary  shapes. 
The  "  Goss "  collector  can  form  an  interesting  col- 
lection of  beautiful  forms,  each  recalling  some  ancient 
piece,  and  decorated  with  heraldic  blazonry  that,  when 
interpreted,  gives  a  part  of  the  country's  history. 

Another  book  before  me,  that  is  not  a  catalogue,  is  a 
history  of  a  firm  of  potters  whose  origin  is  lost  in  the 
mists  of  medievalism,  the  firm  of  William  Adams  &  Co., 
of  Tunstall,  Stoke-on-Trent.  The  Adams  dynasty  may 
be  traced  without  a  break  to  William  Adams,  of  Burslem, 
whose  descendants  are  still  carrying  on  his  business. 
The  historic  Brick  House  factories,  in  which  the  firm 
carried  on  business  for  nearly  1  50  years,  passed  out  of 
the  occupancy  of  the  family  during  the  minority  of 
the  William  Adams,  1745-1805,  who  was  destined  to 
be  one  of  Wedgwood's  most  formidable  rivals,  being 
let,  curiously  enough,  to  Wedgwood  himself.  Among 
other  things  he  succeeded  in  producing  a  Jasper  ware 
which  rivalled  in  its  quality  and  beauty  of  design  that 
of  Wedgwood  himself,  and  is  now  eagerly  secured  by 
collectors.  This  ware,  entirely  hand-made,  is  still 
produced  in  its  full  range  of  colours  in  the  present 
factory  along  with  several  other  beautiful  specialities, 
such  as  Egyptian  black  ware,  Grecian  red  ware,  a  fine 
vitreous  stoneware  (ivory  in  colour  and  relieved  with 
brown),  Etruscan  ware,  and  Royal  Ivory  ware,  besides 
the  more  ordinary  forms  of  china  and  pottery.  The 
beauty  and  artistic  feeling  of  the  original  Adams  designs 
are  perpetuated  in  the  modern  pieces,  which,  made  from 


similar  moulds  and  by  similar  processes  to  those  the 
great  potter  originated,  are  as  effective,  from  a  decorative 
and  utilitarian  point  of  view,  as  pieces  made  under  his 
own   supervision. 

From  the  reproduction  of  old  English  wares,  the  next 
catalogue — from  Mr.  A.  Harley  Jones,  of  Fenton, 
Stoke-on-Trent  -carries  us  to  the  perpetuation  of  even 
older  phases  of  ceramic  art — that  of  the  Chinese.  The 
Chinese  were  the  master-potters  of  the  world ;  they 
originated  more  wares  of  a  beautiful  character  than  any 
other  single  nation,  either  before  or  since,  and  among 
the  most  beautiful  of  these  wares — to  many  collectors  the 
most  beautiful  of  all — is  the  renowned  Powdered  Blue  of 
the  Kang-Hsi  period.  In  the  Harley  ware — for  that  is  the 
title  given  by  Mr.  Jones  to  his  ceramic  productions — the 
forms,  coloration,  and  designs  of  the  Kang-Hsi  Powdered 
Blue,  and  a  few  of  those  of  the  Famille  Rose,  Famillc 
Verte,  and  Ming  Blue  and  White,  are  practically  fac- 
similed. One  does  not  say  that  they  would  deceive  an 
experienced  collector — they  are  not  made  with  that 
intention  ;  but  for  decorative  purposes — to  light  up  a 
room  with  the  splendour  of  their  jewel-like  enamels — 
these  pieces  are  to  all  intents  and  purposes  equal  to 
the  originals,  and  form  a  highly  artistic  and  delightful 
addition  to  the  range  of  beautiful  objects  within  the 
range  of  a  moderate  purse. 

The  next  catalogue,  that  of  Messrs.  Bishop  and 
Stonier,  Limited,  of  Hanley,  Stoke-on-Trent,  the  manu- 
facturers of  Bisto  china  and  earthenware,  for  the  most 
part  takes  us  back  to  more  purely  utilitarian  regions  of 
articles  for  use  on  the  table  or  for  the  toilet.  Utility, 
however,  does  not  proscribe  comeliness  of  shape  and 
pattern,  and  the  designs  in  Bisto  include  many,  both 
reproduced  from  pieces  of  early  periods  or  originated 
during  the  present  time,  which  are  marked  by  good  taste 
and  appropriateness,  pleasant  harmony  or  piquant  con- 
trast of  coloration,  and  effective  patterning.  Some  of  the 
shapes,  such  as  that  of  the  wide-mouthed  Marie  water- 
ewers  or  the  round  Peony  table-dishes,  are  both  uncon- 
ventional and  decidedly  attractive,  qualities  which  it  is 
not  always  easy  to  combine.  Among  some  of  the  most 
effective  of  the  new  Bisto  wares  are  a  freely  adapted 
version  of  Cloisonne,  the  Rambler  Rose  pattern  in  blue 
and  white,  and  other  of  the  revivals  of  old  English 
pattern  of  the  best  periods  which  were  originally  inspired 
rom  Oriental  designs.  Among  other  styles  of  china 
which  are  produced  are  Sevres,  old  Crown  Derby,  and 
old  Delft  earthenware. 

One  of  the  greatest  dangers  attendant  on  the  well- 
being  of  the  pottery-worker  is  the  use  of  lead  glazes,  for 
lead  in  a  soluble  state  becomes  absorbed  in  the  systems 
of  those  who  handle  it — a  slow  and  insidious  poison.  All 
sorts  of  precautions  have  been  taken  against  this  evil  ; 
and  yet,  I  suppose,  the  most  effectual  precaution  of  all  is 
to  cease  the  use  of  metal  in  a  soluble  state,  or  to  use  it 
in  such  small  proportions  that  its  effects  are  harmless. 
This  ideal  has  been  attained  by  Messrs.  Keeling  &  Co., 
Ltd.  (Dalehall  Works,  Burslem),  in  their  "  Losol  "  ware. 
They  announce  in  their  catalogue  that  its  glaze  contains 
less  than  one  per  cent,  of  soluble  lead — less  than  one 


286 


Current   Art   Notes 


part  in  every  hundredth — such  a  minute  proportion  that 
the  Government  has  no  necessity  to  enforce  the  regula- 
tions regarding  the  making  and  use  of  lead  glazes  in  this 
case,  for  a  baby  could  handle  it  in  perfect  safety.  The 
ethical  triumph  of  its  production  does  not  appear  to  be 
counterbalanced  by  any  aesthetic  loss  in  the  appearance 
of  "  Losol "  ware.  The  dinner  services  made  in  it,  ranging 
from  the  chaste  severity  of  Adam  form  and  patterning  to 
the  most  elaborately  decorated  pieces,  the  toilet  wares, 
the  wide  range  of  shapely  and  tastefully  coloured  vases, 
and  the  hundred  and  one  other  forms  in  which  it  is 
presented,  lack  nothing  of  the  purity  of  coloration, 
translucency  of  glaze,  and  completeness  of  finish  of  their 
most  lead-laden  competitors. 

In  the  catalogue  of  Messrs.  John  Aynsley  and  Sons 
(Portland  Works,  Longton,  Stoke  -  on  -  Trent)  one 
encounters  pieces  whose  intention  is  mainly  utilitarian, 
however  ornamental  their  appearance.  Yet,  though  1 
should  feel  no  qualms  about  using  in  the  orthodox  way, 
for  table  or  toilet,  their  semi-porcelain  wares — for  semi- 
porcelain  most  of  the  early  English  potters  would  have 
said  porcelain — I  must  confess  that  I  should  feel  some 
qualms  in  hiding  the  beauties  of  some  of  their  delicate 
table  china  beneath  such  gross  matter  as  ordinary  beef 
or  mutton,  while  even  the  more  luscious  colouring  and 
picturesque  forms  of  fruit  would  hardly  reconcile  me  to 
the  concealment  of  the  surface  of  the  dessert  plate  on 
which  it  lay.  patterned  with  beautiful  floral  design  or 
some  naturalised  reminiscence  of  the  Orient,  or  some 
well-coloured  and  well-drawn  picture.  My  own  pre- 
ference would  be  to  set  up  such  pieces  in  a  cabinet ;  but 
the  modern  taste  for  beautiful  luxury  decrees  otherwise, 
and  these  charming  pieces — some  frankly  modern  in 
treatment  and  spirit,  and  others  finely  reproduced  from 
fine  old  pieces — gratify  this  taste  to  the  full. 

One  of  the  charming  reproductions  from  the  wares  of 
a  hundred  years  ago  in  the  Silicon  china  of  Messrs. 
Booths,  Ltd.  (Tunstall),  has  already  been  described  in 
The  Connoisseur.  This  was  the  "Exotic  Bird" 
pattern,  taken  from  the  old  Worcester  ware  and  set  forth 
in  all  the  glowing  and  jewel-like  coloration  of  the 
original.  In  Silicon  china  one  finds  a  wide  range  of 
such  patterns,  and  an  equal  variety  of  those  quaint, 
tasteful,  and  exquisite  shapes  which  made  beautiful  the 
china-closets  of  our  great-grandmothers — that  is,  such 
of  our  great-grandmothers  who  were  in  a  position  to 
possess  wares  more  costly  than  silver  plate.  Now  one 
can  buy  their  replicas  at  a  price  which  does  not  make 
each  breakage  of  a  careless  servant  the  cause  of  heart- 
burning ;  and  there  are  plainer  designs  of  all  kinds, 
ranging  from  a  simple  band  of  Mazarine  blue  enlivened 
with  gold  lines.  Some  of  the  other  designs,  like  the 
"Real  Old  Willow  Pattern,"  the  "  Indian  Tree,"'  or  the 
parrot  perched  on  an  overhanging  bough,  bring  back 
memories,  to  those  of  us  old  enough  to  have  them,  of 
visits  paid  to  old  country  houses  in  our  childhood,  when 
we  spooned  up  our  rice-pudding  with  more  eager  zest 
than  usual  to  uncover  the  pictured  tale  of  the  flight  of 
the  two  lovers  on  the  willow -patterned  plates,  or  the 
glories  of  the   tropical  birds  and  foliage  on  the  others. 


Nowadays  we  who  are  heirs  of  all  the  ages  are 
grasping  all  the  beautiful  from  the  past  as  well  as  all 
that  our  present-day  designers  can  create.  So  when  I 
look  at  the  examples  of  Burleigh  ware  issued  by  Messrs. 
Burgess  and  Leigh  iMiddleport  Pottery,  Burslem),  I  am 
not  surprised  to  find  that,  as  in  the  case  of  most  of  the 
other  great  makers,  some  of  their  newest  designs  are 
also  the  oldest — adapted  into  new  uses  perhaps,  and  the 
prices  of  their  production  certainly  cheapened.  Their 
"  Old  Nankin  Blue "  ware  is  an  instance.  The  old 
forms  are  reproduced — those  of  vases  and  beakers,  such 
as  one  may  see  at  the  British  Museum  and  South  Ken- 
sington— and  they  are  decorated  with  old  Chinese  pat- 
terning, some  of  it  of  a  delicate  shade  of  the  colour 
which  favourers  of  Cambridge  flaunted  on  boat-race  day, 
and  others  in  the  blue  which  betokened  partisanship  of 
the  rival  university.  Then  there  are  chintz  patterns, 
gay  with  floral  designs  which  are  bright  and  tasteful 
without  being  aggressive.  The  range  of  "  Burleigh 
Wares"  is  somewhat  overwhelming.  One  would  like 
to  descant  on  the  beauties  of  dinner  and  tea  sets,  of  vases 
and  toilet  utensils,  of  flower-pots  and  salad  bowls,  and 
the  other  varied  forms  under  which  it  appears,  but  the 
task  is  over  great.  I  must  content  myself  with  saying  that 
it  was  all  distinguished  by  purity  of  glaze,  evenness  of 
surface,  and  purity  of  colour. 

The  factory  of  Messrs.  J.  A.  Robinson  &  Son  (Stoke- 
on-Trent)  has  been  an  Aaron's  rod  among  potteries, 
absorbing  no  less  than  three  other  separate  and  important 
businesses— those  of  Wardle,  Charles  Ford,  and  Henry 
Alcock.  Each  of  these  potteries,  as  well  as  that  of 
Messrs.  Robinson  themselves,  produced  a  separate  range 
of  wares,  all  of  which  are  still  produced  by  the  present 
firm,  so  the  result  is  a  plethora  of  good  things.  Messrs. 
Wardle  were  makers  of  art  pottery— that  is  to  say,  of 
ornamental  wares  thoroughly  modern  in  spirit  even 
though  some  of  the  forms  in  which  they  are  perpetuated 
are  borrowed  from  the  best  types  of  classical  art.  These 
wares  are  marked  by  richly-coloured  glazes— such  as 
rouge  flambe,  brilliant  blues,  purples  and  pinks,  some- 
times left  without  enrichment  and  at  other  times  over 
painted  with  well-conceived  designs.  The  productions 
of  Charles  Ford  and  Messrs.  Robinson  are  well  known 
under  their  respective  names  of  "  Swan  China "  and 
"  Carmen  Ware,"  while  their  variety  extends  to  all  things 
requisite  for  the  table  or  toilet  and  to  many  objects  of 
a  purely  ornamental  character,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  heraldic  pieces  and  dainty  miniatures  in  ivory 
body,  while  the  Alcock  wares  are  more  exclusively 
utilitarian. 

With  the  productions  of  Mr.  Samuel  Radford  (High 
Street,  Fenton),  I  find  myself  back  again  on  the  theme 
of  tea  sets  and  table  ware.  I  wish  I  could  treat  it 
with  the  same  variety  that  Mr.  Radford's  designers 
treat  the  patterning  of  his  tea  or  coffee  cups,  but  the 
resources  of  the  scribe  are  more  limited  than  those  of 
the  artist,  for  language— at  least  I  find  it  so — cannot  be 
so  deftly  modulated  as  pigment  ;  and  the  theme  is  over 
large.  If  I  praise  the  deep  blue  panelling  enriched  with 
gold  and  shaped  into  a  hundred  harmonious  curves  which 


287 


The   Connoisseur 


sets  ofl  a  design  of  rose-sprays,  1  am  neglecting  patterns 

I  attract  ve     delicate  traceries  in  gold,  (  onventional 

floral  designs,  borrowings  from  China  and  Japan,  reminis- 

ol  old  English  designs  and  what-not.     And  then 

again  there  are  the  shaping  and  varieties  of  the  wares  to 

'.c  described,  delicate  cups  and  saucers  for  drawing  room 

afternoon  teas,  more  substantial  ones  for  the  household 

and  nursery,  yet  the  most  inexpensive  ol  them  possessing 

echnical    qualities   which    Palissy  would    have  burnt  a 

second  household  of  furniture  to  emulate. 

Messrs.  Wiltshaw  &  Robinson  Carlton  Works,  Stoke- 
on-Trent)  produce  in  their  Carlton  Ware  a  large  variety 
of  different  kinds  of  earthenware  and  china.  Some  of  the 
designs  are  not  without  historical  associations  :  a  plain 
but  tastefully-coloured  and  well-shaped  teapot  and  hot- 
water  jug,  with  handle,  spout,  and  upper  portion  in  dark 
green  on  a  lighter  green — almost  white — body,  duplicate 
similar  pieces  that  were  bought  by  the  late  Queen  Vic- 
toria :  while  a  richly-patterned  punch-bowl,  in  the  dark 
rich  blues  and  reds,  and  a  wealth  of  gilding  embodied  in 
conventional  floral  design  of  Oriental  origin,  which  is 
popularly  associated  with  Old  Crown  Derby,  is  an  exact 
replica  of  the  Carlton  Ware  bowl  belonging  to  His  late 
Majesty  King  Edward  VII.  Other  styles  range  from  ex- 
amples recalling  Wedgwood's  Jasper  ware,  dainty  pieces 
emblazoned  with  heraldic  devices,  and  beautiful  vases 
and  flower  bowls,  down  to  dinner  and  tea  sets  of  the 
simplest  character. 

Jacobean   Furniture 

THOUGH  fine  old  Jacobean  furniture  of  undoubted 
pedigree  is  a  possession  denied  to  most  of  us  as  being 
beyond  the  scope  of  our  purses,  a  substitute  of  equal 
decorative   value  may  be  found   in  well-made    modern 


replicas  of  characteristic  old  pieces.  The  aesthetic  quality 
of  such  inn  k  is  largeh  di  pendent  upon  the  spirit  in  which 
it  is  carried  out.  A  frank  copy  of  a  good  old  piece  in 
which  the  character,  design,  and  workmanship  of  the 
original  is  intelligently  repeated,  is  a  much  more  satis- 
factory possession  than  a  damaged  old  piece  of  indifferent 
merit  largely  made  up  by  the  restorer;  while  lower  still 
come  the  modern  "fakes,"  in  which  the  greatest  effort 
has  been  made  to  simulate  the  age  rather  than  the  beauty 
of  the  originals.  At  Messrs.  Whiteley's  (Westbourne 
Grove)  there  is  now  on  view  a  well-chosen  collection 
of  carefully-made  replicas  of  characteristic  and  richly- 
carved  Jacobean  pieces,  which  have  been  carried  out  in 
the  same  spirit  as  the  replicas  of  the  French  seventeenth 
and  eighteenth  century  pieces  included  in  the  Wallace 
collection.  Among  them  are  chairs,  settles,  tables,  and 
other  articles  of  great  beauty  of  design,  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, of  highly  elaborate  workmanship  and  decoration. 


The  great  disadvantage  of  most  white  pigments 
used  for  process  work   is  that,  when  photographed  for 

reproduction,  they  rarely  come  out 
Process  White        as  Pure  white  in  the  prints,  generally 

showing  up  either  lighter  or  darker 
than  the  paper  on  which  they  were  laid.  We  have 
experimented  with  a  bottle  of  Messrs.  Winsor  and 
Newton's  "  Process  White  "—sent  for  trial — and  find  it 
entirely  free  from  this  defect,  while  it  has  the  advantage 
of  being  of  good  covering  power,  easily  manipulated 
with  either  the  hair-brush  or  in  the  ordinary  way.  It  is, 
moreover,  claimed  for  it  that  it  is  entirely  free  from  lead 
— a  great  consideration  to  workers  using  much  of  such 
pigments. 


'-? 


..' 


ONE    OF    THE    FIRST    ADAMS    POTTERIES    AS    IT    APPEARED    IN    I/sO 
FOUNDED    BY    JOHN    ADAMS,     I<>;~ 


Special     Notice 

Enquiries  should  be  made  upon  the  coupon  which  will  be  found  in  the  advertisement  pages.  While, 
owing  to  our  enormous  correspondence  and  the  fact  that  every  number  of  The  Connoisseur  is  printed  a 
month  in  advance,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  guarantee  in  every  case  a  prompt  reply  in  these  columns,  an 
immediate  reply  will  be  sent  by  post  to  all  readers  who  desire  it,  upon  payment  of  a  nominal  fee.  Expert 
opinions  and  valuations  can  be  supplied  when  objects  are  sent  to  our  offices  for  inspection,  and,  where 
necessary,  arrangements  can  be  made  for  an  expert  to  examine  single  objects  and  collections  in  the  country, 
and  give  advice,  the  fee  in  all  cases  to  be  arranged  beforehand.  Objects  sent  to  us  may  be  insured  whilst 
they  are  in  our  possession,  at  a  moderate  cost.  All  communications  and  goods  should  be  addressed  to  the 
"  Manager  of  Enquiry  Dept.,  The  Connoisseur,  35-39,   Maddox  Street,  W." 


ANSWERS    TO    CORRESPONDENTS 


"The    Bride,"   by   Finden.—  A6,63i    (Leamington).— 

Your  engraving,  The  Bride,  by  Finden,  would  be  unlikely  to 
realise  more  than  a  few  shillings.  The  other  print  of  The 
Blind  Beggar  we  must  see  before  we  give  an  opinion. 

Artist.  —  A6,640  (Stone.  Staffs.). — We  are  unable  to  trace 
any  artist  of  the  name  of  J.  Buraa,  and  fear  his  name  will  carry 
no  weight  in  the  value  of  your  picture. 

Dutch  Tiles. — A6.643  (Devizes).— We  know  of  no  work 
of  reference  dealing  with  Dutch  or  other  tiles. 

Jugs  and  Plaque. — A6,66o  (Carnarvon). — (1)  The  single 
jug  shown  in  the  photograph  is  not  Delft,  but  German  stonev,  arc. 
usually  known  as  "Ores  de  Flandres. "  A  great  deal  was 
made  for  the  English  market,  and  the  "  G.  R."  may  refer  to 
George  I.  or  George  II.  The  jug  is  of  a  common  type,  and, 
the  handle  being  broken,  it  cannot  be  valued  at  more  than  25s. 
to  30s.  (2)  The  set  of  three  jugs  is  English,  of  a  poor  type 
and  period.  They  are  about  seventy  years  old.  They  would 
only  fetch  a  couple  of  pounds.  (3)  The  plaque  evidently 
represents  Psyche  and  Cupid.  If  in  marble  its  value  should 
be  worth  about  £\o,  but  as  a  representation  in  plaster  it  is 
worth  comparatively   little. 

Engravings.— A6,6o7  (South  Croydon).— Neither  of  the 
engravings,  Queen  Victoria,  after  A.  E.  Chalon,  and  Prince 
Albert,  after  G.  Patten,  would  be  likely  to  realise  more  than 
10s.  to  155. 

Hogarth's  Works. — A6, 702  (Kensington). —  Your  edition 
of  Hogarth's  Works  is  not  of  particular  rarity,  and  we  should 
not  place  its  value  at  more  than  £l,  or  30/-  at  the  most. 

Sketch  of  Napoleon.— A6, 712. —The  little  sketch  of 
Napoleon  is  in  all  probability  quite  genuine,  but  it  is  unim- 
portant, and  its  chief  interest  lies  in  its  having  belonged  to 
Theodore  Hook.  The  price  it  would  realise  would  depend 
entirely  upon  the  conditions  under  which  it  was  sold,  and  it  is 
not  possible  to  place  a  definite  value  upon  it. 

"The  Gleaner's  Child,"  by  M.  Bovi.— A6.725.— 
A  fair  average  impression,  in  colour,  "f  The  Gleaner;  Child, 
by  M.  Bovi,  would  realise  .£4  to  £■•,. 

English  Clock,  by  Rimbault,  London.— A6, 733 
(Valencia). — There  was  a  family  of  clockmakers  of  this  name 
who  flourished  from  about  1700  to  nearly  the  end  of  the 
century.  Stephen  Rimbault  worked  in  London  between  1 760 
and  1781,  and  Paul  Rimbault  worked  in  the  same  neighbour- 
hood from  1779  to  1785,  and  your  clock  is  probably  the  work 
■  if  one  of  these  two  makers. 

Engravings.— A6, 73$  (Belfast).— Your  engraving,  Life 
and  Death,  by  Sir  Frank  Short,  after  Watts,  would  realise  £i, 
to  £s  :  and  The  Passing  of  Arthur,  by  Gerald  Robinson, 
after  Frank  Dicksee,  between  £2  and  £3. 


Print,  after  Gerard. — A6,742  (Surbiton). — Under  or- 
dinary circumstances  your  print  would  not  realise  more  111. in 
£1,  being  of  little  interest  from  the  collector's  point  of  view. 

Engravings. — A6,75o  (Thornton-le-Fylde). — The  only 
one  of  the  prints  mentioned  on  your  list  which  would  have  any 
interest  to  a  collector  would  be  Bolton  Abbey  in  the  Olden 
limes,  and  this  only  presuming  that  the  plate  is  in  the  first 
state.  The  artist's  proofs  of  this  formerly  fetched  ^40  to  ^50 
each,  but  they  can  now  be  obtained  for  a  fifth  or  a  sixth  of  this 
sum. 

Prints. — A6,75S  (Bergen). — Your  prim,  Ceres,  by  Barto- 
lozzi,  after  Angelica  Kauffman,  if  a  fair  average  impression, 
would  realise  four  to  five  guineas.  Gathering  Fruit,  by 
Meadows,  after  Morland,  is  one  of  a  pair  which,  when  fine,  are 
of  considerable  value.  There  are,  however,  numerous  repro- 
ductions of  little  value. 

Tea  Caddy.— A6,76o  (Macclesfield).— Tea  caddies  of  the 
type  shown  in  your  sketch  were  first  used  at  the  beginning  ol 
the  19th  century.  Your  specimen  is  probably  of  mahogany  or 
rosewood,  and  its  value  should  be  about  £3  10s.  If  it  lias  the 
original  tea  boxes  and  cut-glass  sugar  basins,  it  might  fetch  ^5. 
Etchings  and  Engravings. — A6,763  (Toronto). — The 
two  soft-ground  etchings  after  Morland  form  part  of  a  set  of 
eight,  and  are  only  of  small  value.  Mrs.  Bouvcrie  and  Sophia 
Western,  if  originals,  are  worth  a  considerable  sum,  but  we 
should  have  to  see  them  before  naming  any  sum.  There  are 
numerous  reprints  of  both  subjects. 

James  Ward. — A6,764  (Manchester). — James  Ward  used 
a  shorthand  which  is  said  to  be  of  his  own  invention,  and  he 
made  notes  on  many  of  his  drawings  from  nature  of  the  details 
of  colour,  etc. 

"Mrs.  Siddons  and  her  Son."  — A6, 778  (Bannock- 
bum). —  Your  print  of  Mrs.  Siddons,  by  Caldwell,  after 
Hamilton,  if  of  the  original  issue  and  in  good  state,  would 
realise  £3  to  £\.  There  is,  however,  a  re-issue  which  is  ol 
considerably  smaller  value. 

"The  Library  Shakespeare."  —  A6, 781  (Putney 
Heath). — The  Library  Shakespeare  is  of  little  or  no  value  to  a 
collector.  A  large  edition  was  issued,  and  it  never  attained 
any  special  value. 

"Awaiting  an  Audience."— Ao, 782  (Hastings). — In- 
formation regarding  this  picture  can  doubtless  be  obtained  from 
the  Curator  of  the  Liverpool  Art  Gallery. 

Clockmaker.  —  A6,796  (Birchington-on-Sea).  —  James 
Gavelle  was  a  member  of  the  Clockmakers'  Company  in  1683, 
and  there  is  a  record  of  a  clock  made  by  John  Gavelle  at  Moor- 
fields  in  1705.  The  only  other  maker  of  this  name  that  we 
can  trace  worked  in  Paris  in  1820. 


289 


HE  CONNOISSEVP^ 

GENEALOGICAL  AND 
LDIC  DEPARTMENT 


Special    Notice 

Readers  of  The  Connoisseur  who  desire  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  herein 
should  address  all  letters  on  the  subject  to  the 
Manager  of  the  Heraldic  Department,  Hanover 
Buildings,   35-39,   Maddox   Street,    YV. 

Only  replies  that  may  be  considered  to  be  of 
general  interest  will  be  published  in  these  columns. 
Those  of  a  directly  personal  character,  or  in  cases 
where  the  applicant  may  prefer  a  private  answer,  will 
be  dealt  with  by  post. 

Readers  who  desire  to  have  pedigrees  traced,  the 
accuracy  of  armorial  bearings  enquired  into,  or  other- 
wise to  make  use  of  the  department,  will  be  charged 
fees  according  to  the  amount  of  work  involved. 
Particulars  will  be  supplied  on  application. 

When  asking  information  respecting  genealogy  or 
heraldry,  it  is  desirable  that  the  fullest  details,  so  far 
as  they  may  be  already  known  to  the  applicant,  should 
be  set  forth. 


Cobbold.— The  Revd.  Thomas  Cobbold,  M.A.,  died  12 
August,  1S31,  in  his  90th  year.  He  was  Rector  of  Wilby  for 
sixty-four  years,  ol  Woolpit  for  fifty  years,  both  in  Suffolk  :  and 
Perpetual  Curate  of  St.  Mary  at  the  Tower,  Ipswich,  for  fifty- 
three  years.  He  was  a  native  of  Harwich  :  was  educated  at 
Bury  School,  and  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where  he  gradu- 
ated B.A.  1765,  M.A.  1773.  He  was  instituted  to  Wilby  in 
1767  ;  »a.  licensed  to  his  church  at  Ipswich,  on  the  nomina- 
tion of  his  parishioners,  in  1779  ;  and  instituted  to  Woolpit  in 
17S1  on  his  own  presentation.  He  published  a  Sermon, 
preached  on  the  centenary  of  the  Ipswich  School,  in  1809,  and 
"  A  Justificatory  Reply  to  an  article  inserted  in  the  Suffolk 
tide,  addressed  to  his  parishioners, "  1S1S,  4to. 


SHEBBEARE.— The  following  Monumental  Inscription  is  in 
Bromley  Churchyard,  Kent.  Mary  Ann  Gayton,  sister  of 
Caroline  Shebbeare,  taught  Gladstone  to  read. 

Caroline  Shebbeare 

wife  of  Robert  Shebbeare,  Esq"''  R.N. 

Nat.  :  Oct.  30,  1786.     Obt.  :  Apl.  16,  1S44. 

Also 

Elizabeth  Gayton 

mother  of  the  above 

Caroline  Shebbeare 

and   widow  of  the  late 

Revd-  George  Clark  Gayton, 

Curate  of  Shinfield 

and  Swallowfield  in  the 

County  of  Berks 

(and  forty-six  years 

a  thankful  inmate  of 

Bromley  College). 

Nat.:  Nov.  12,  1735.     Obt.  :  Oct.   ...   ,  1818. 

Also 

Mary  Ann  Gayton 

youngest  daughter  of  the  above 

Revd-  George  Clarke  Gayton, 

Died  March   13th,  1881. 

Aged  85  years. 

Partridge. — The  arms  of  Partridge  of  Norfolk  are  :— Gules 
on  a  fesse  cotised  or,  between  three  partridges,  with  wings 
displayed  of  the  last,  three  torteaux.  Crest— A.  partridge,  as  in 
the  arms.     Motto— Dam  spiro  spero. 

This  family  are  descended  from  Henry  Partridge,  Alderman 
of  London,  who  died  in  1666. 

Arms  on  Pewter  Dish.— The  arms  represented  on  your 
dish  are  those  of  the  family  of  Skarlet,  viz.,  Chequy  or  and 
gules  a  lion  rampant  ermine. 

Queries. 

[  Wi  shall  be  pleased  to  insert  two  or  three  quet  ies  monthly,  for 
readers,  provided  they  are  short,  and  are  accompanied  by  the 
name  and  address  of  the  sender.'] 

[EWERS.— Any  information  relating  to  the  family  of  Jewels, 
of  Surrey  or  Hampshire,  will  be  gratefully  received. 

Friend.  — Particulars  of  this  Devonshire  family  will  be 
received  with  thanks. 


2l)0 


THE 


» 


A  magazine:   for   collectors 

Edited    by    J.    T.     HERBERT    BAILY 
JANUARY,  1913  ONE  SHILLING  NET  Vol  XXXV.    No.  1 


.A  I 


«      ■- 


Was 


w 


V 


% 


DANIELL 


BY    SPECIAL    APPOINTMENT 


TO   H.M.   THE    KING 


Decorators  and  Furnishers 
in  the  Old  Styles        :: 


ZlevaC/o/:  of  Chimney  Piece  &-i\u/l '  Jhnellmo . 


/}  /"'./  \  //.  "/'''<-.  ••Ill:' 

■-■:■    tf     'l.h,;;,„,rr  5fn-'    »  . 


An  extremely  fine  old   Oak   Room   from   the  Manor   House,    Oulton,   Suffolk,   on  view.      Circa   1550. 


Schemes  and  Estimates  submitted  free. 


Galleries 

42,  44,  46,  Wigmore  St.,  W, 


THE 


CONNOISSEVK 

AMAGAZINE    FOR     COLLECTORS 

Edited    by    J.    T.    HERBERT    BAILY 
FEBRUARY,  1913  ONE  SHILLING  NET  Vol.  XXXV.    No. 


PRINCESS     FREDERICKA    SOPHIE    WILHELMINA 


DAN  I  ELL 


BY   SPECIAL  APPOINTMENT 


TO   H.M.   THE    KINO 


Decorators  and  Furnishers 
::        in  the  Old  Styles        :: 


A  Very  Rare  Set  of  Four  Fine  Chinese  Pictures  on  Mirrors  in  original  Lacquer  Frames,  on  view. 


Schemes  and  Estimates  submitted  free. 


\  Til  1 1  C'T'l  GS 

42,  44,  46,  Wigmore  St.,  W. 


I   THE 


CONNOISSEVR 

A    MAGAZINE    FOR     COLLECTORS 

Edited     by    J.     T.     HERBERT     BAILY 
MARCH,  1913  ONE  SHILLING  NET  Vol.  XXXV.     No.  139 


gmaannMinnwnmnnimm^ 


""•as* 


DANIELL 


BY   SPECIAL  APPOINTMENT 


TO   H.M.   THE    KING 


Decorators  and  Furnishers 


a  • 


in  the  Old  Styles 


Schemes  and  Estimates  submitted  free. 


A  VERY  FINE   OLD   MAZER. 


The  following   extract    from    Chaffer's   hook   on   Gold   and    Silver  Plate  aptly  describes  this   fine  specimen,   which 
is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation  : — 

"  Early  Mazers  had  a  rim  above,  and  a  small  rim  for  foot  below,  being  wide  and  shallow  and  generally  having 
an  inscription  round  the  upper  rim."  The  rim  of  this  one  has  the  initials  '  P.M.W.'  engraved  thereon.  "The 
latter  ones  are  generally  deeper  and  often  mounted  on  high  feet.  Inside,  in  the  centre,  there  is  usually  a  flat 
plate  called  the  print  or  boss,  often  ornamented  with  a  shield  of  arms  or  other  design."  In  this  specimen  it 
is  a  rose. 

The    date    of   this    Mazer  is    probably  about   1450,   and   it  was   secured    privately  from   the   family  of  a  celebrated 
authoress. 


Galleries 

42,  44,  46,  Wigmore  St.,  W. 


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