SOAS GIA OSE A TSSV TALS ADIN SERZPERAT ASL LSC IRESIII ISS PUOOAO ETS LIBRARY M.KNOEDLER & CO. 157 9 | 556-8 Fifth Ave. ACC. New York Pain ings Show Ralph H. White As Connoisseur ‘Collection at the American Art Galleries Depicts Development of Task From First Inception Beauty His Primal Fancy Latest Purchases Included Pictures That Required High Appreciation of Art By Royal Cortissoz The paintings brought together by the late Ralph H. White, of Boston, and just now on exhibition at the ‘American Art Galleries, form one more lef those collections in which, as in a ‘historical chapter, we may behold a characteristic phase of our esthetic de- velopment. Mr. White repeated in his experience a familiar story. He began by buying the pictures he liked, pretty pictures, facile Continental studies: of costume, highly finished sentimentali- ties. Then as the years passed he learned to like better things, and he ended by “assembling the collection of a connois- “Mseur. ‘There are paintings here which could have been acquired only by an instructed lover of the fine arts. They “will invite spirited competition, we be- lieve, when the sale takes place at the Plaza on to-morrow and Friday eve- nings. A Cult f¢r, Daubigny The best qualities of the collection come out in the examples of the Barbi- zon school. Mr. White’s “Paysage Britannique” is a souvenir of Corot’s early period, an interesting landscape in which the few trees and especially the great oak in the foreground beau- tifully disclose the master’s gift for the! delineation of form. _ The whole picture is a delightfully personal affair, From other owners there came, by the way, two later Corots. (Nos. 125 and 128), which are uncommonly beautiful things, small pictures, perfect in composition. and perfect,in their diaphanous tenderness. Mr, White found one conventional Rousseau, the “Forest at. Fontaine- SLOT | |for once moved simply to please him- -|capital landseape by that little known Y bleau,” but it is superb in its handling of. woodland masses. Its companion is the “Bridge at Macon,” a painter’s pic- ture, a rare example of the delicacy which was also within Rousseau’s scope. i This collector had something like a cult for Daubigny, and every one of his six landscapes is a gem, every one following the artist’s habitual mode of design, but all of them conveying fresh and fine impressions. Most captivat- ing of all is the “Landscape With Figures.” From another collector comes the re- markable ‘“Hameau aux Dunes,’ a sketch painted on panel, which shows Daubigny in his most intimate mood. There is a single example of Dupre, the little “Fisherman’s Home,” as ex- ceptional a souvenir as the landscape just cited. One of the two figure subjects by Diaz belonging to the White estate, the “Woman and Child,’ is a good piece, but more important than either of them is the landscape from another collection, the “Approaching Storm,” which is equally impressive in its de- sign and in its dramatic skyg Only one of the three Troyons, the “Ploughing,” evokes favorable comment. Impressionism Lacking Impressionism evidently made no great appeal to Mr. White, and from | other estates not named in the cata- logue come the few excellent illustra- tions of the school that appear in the exhibition—Monet’s beautiful “Coastal Landscape,” Boudin’s glittering “Dun- kerque Harbor’ and the by Jongkind. The Dutch school at large is interestingly represented. There are good examples of: Mauve, Bastert, De Bock and others. It is an easy transition on the same level, if not to a higher one, from these pic- tures to the landscapes of the Ameri- can school, There are two smal] paint- ings by George Inness which possess fine qualities and there is an earlier work of his done on a large scale which is a truly splendid page from his history. This “Sunset on the;River” dates from 1867, a time when the Hudson River influence should, humanly speak- ing, have hardened” his style and squeezed the sap out of his work. But in the breadth and luminosity of this noble canvas the distinction of his prime is clearly prefigured. With the landscapes by Inness) we may group the three or four Blakelocks and the pictures by Wyant; Bruce Crane and J. Francis Murphy. The American con- tingent well holds its own. Traversing the remaining works, one is occupied quite literally in. separat- ing the wheat from the chaff, though even as we say this we recall a curious episode in the matter of the chaff. Any- thing of Vibert’s would, as a'rule, go automatically into that. category, but the observer must: think twice before he thus dismisses the charming Span- ish study, “Entrance to the Monas- tery.” This is not the typical, mechanically painted Vibert at all, but a labor of love executed by a true artist, who was self. It belongs of right in the com- pany of those thoroughly artistic things which we note in the more mis- cellaneous wing of the exhibition, things. like the\two lovely Monticellis, the bit of still life by Vollon, the exquisite |’ “Dutch Canal by Moonlight,” painted | bey and the several characteristic paintings by Jacque. — The space at the’ American Art’ Gal- leries not occupied by pictures is filled to overflowing with ‘the porcelains, early pottery and other Orientalia left by the late Ernest A. Bischoff, These things are to be sold through five afternoon sessions which began yester-} day. The collection is superior to that which might ordinarily be expected where the stock of a dealer is con- cerned, é ( It begins on the| threshold with a really remarkable group of large Ming statuettes, including an extraordinary | pair of monumental lions, all of these] objects ‘notable for their rich glazing, and it culminates in the uppermost]: room with an amazing display of blue and white. ae : Between these two spectacular group there lie any number of beautiful snuff bottles in various substances, many | fine works in bronze and other metals,| important Buddhist carvings and glow-| ing companies of single color glazes} and decorated porcelains. Thete are] also half a dozen huge e¢arved and’ painted screens. There are more than a thousand numbers in the catalogue, a rich array of treasures of an unusu- ally uniform quality, fe painter, Marilhat, the pictures by Isa-} abs eLAse Sanaa bevmstlnl pbentatinbaeS isa ON FREE PUBLIC VIEW AT THE AMERICAN ART GALLERIES MADISON SQUARE SOUTH, NEW YORK BEGINNING FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 1920 FROM 9 A.M. UNTIL 6 P. M. AND CONTINUING UNTIL THE DAY OF THE SALE AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION VALUABLE PAINTINGS Qe Wale MODERN SCHOOLS TO BE SOLD AT UNRESTRICTED PUBLIC SALE IN THE GRAND BALLROOM OF Mo Joga Weve FIFTH AVENUE, 58th TO 59th STREET ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY EVENINGS FEBRUARY 25th AND 26th BEGINNING PROMPTLY AT 8.15 O'CLOCK ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE Ole VALUABLE OIL PAINTINGS OF THE MODERN SCHOOLS FORMING THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE MR. RALPH H. WHITE OF BOSTON WITH A FEW ADDITIONS FROM OTHER PRIVATE COLLECTORS AND ESTATES TO BE SOLD AT UNRESTRICTED PUBLIC SALE BY,DIRECTION OF EDWARD W. HUTCHINS AND CHESTER A. HOWE, TRUSTEES AND SEVERAL PRIVATE OWNERS ON THE EVENINGS HEREIN STATED IN THE GRAND BALLROOM OF THE PEAZA HOVE THE SALE WILL BE CONDUCTED BY MR. THOMAS E. KIRBY AND HIS ASSISTANTS, MR. OTTO BERNET AND MR. H. H. PARKE, OF THE AMERICAN ART ASSOCIATION, MANAGERS MADISON SQUARE. SOUTH, NEW YORK 1920 en - SeeeS wee sachet tensa tcsenigme matin neat nbatvertnncnra mi abieess ements cake : a RR RR a THE AMERICAN ART ASSOCIATION DESIGNS ITS CATALOGUES AND DIRECTS ALL Di PALESFOr ME LUSmRAGION TEXT AND TYPOGRAPHY CONDITIONS OF SALE 1. Any bid which is merely a nominal or fractional advance may be rejected by the auctioneer, if, in his judgment, such bid would be likely to affect the sale injuriously. 2. The highest bidder shall be the buyer, and if any dispute arise between two or more bidders, the auctioneer shall either decide the same or put up for re-sale the lot so in dispute. 3. Payment shall be made of all or such part of the purchase money as may be required, and the names and addresses of the pur- chasers shall be given immediately on the sale of every lot, in default of which the lot so purchased shall be immediately put up again and re-sold. Payment of that part of the purchase money not made at the time of sale shall be made within ten days thereafter, in default of which the undersigned may either continue to hold the lots at the risk of the purchaser and take such action as may be necessary for the enforcement of the sale, or may at public or private sale, and without other than this notice, re-sell the lots for the benefit of such purchaser, and the deficiency (if any) arising from such re-sale shall be a charge against such purchaser. 4, Delivery of any purchase will be made only upon payment of the total amount due for all purchases at the sale. Deliveries will be made on sales days between the hours of 9 A. M. and 1 P. M., and on other days—except holidays—between the hours of 9 A. M. and 5 P. M. Delivery of any purchase will be made only at the American Art Galleries, or other place of sale, as the case may be, and only on pre- senting the bill of purchase. Delivery may be made, at the discretion of the Association, of any purchase during the session of the sale at which it was sold. 5. Shipping, boxing or wrapping of purchases is a business in which the Association is in no wise engaged, and will not be performed by the Association for purchasers. The Association will, however, afford to purchasers every facility for employing at current and reasonable rates carriers and packers; doing so, however, without any assumption of responsibility on its part for the acts and charges of the parties engaged for such service. 6. Storage of any purchase shall be at the sole risk of the pur- chaser. Title passes upon the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer, and thereafter, while the Association will exercise due caution in caring for and delivering such purchase, it will not hold itself responsible if such purchase be lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Storage charges will be made upon all purchases not removed within ten days from the date of the sale thereof. Ky 7. Guarantee is not made either by the owner or the Association of the correctness of the description, genuineness or authenticity of any lot, and no sale will be set aside on account of any incorrectness, error of cataloguing, or any imperfection not noted. Every lot is on public exhibition one or more days prior to its sale, after which it is sold “as is” and without recourse. The Association exercises great care to catalogue every lot cor- rectly, and will give consideration to the opinion of any trustworthy expert to the effect that any lot has been incorrectly catalogued, and, in its Judgment, may either sell the lot as catalogued or make mention of the opinion of such expert, who thereby wouid become responsible for such damage as might result were his opinion without proper foundation. AMERICAN ART ASSOCIATION, American Art Galleries, Madison Square South, New York City. CATALOGUE FIRST EVENING’S SALE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1920 IN THE GRAND BALLROOM OF THE PLAZA BEGINNING AT 8.15 O'CLOCK ANTOINE EMILE PLASSAN Frencu: 1817—1903 1—_THE HAPPY MOTHER Le [eee Crepe hill ( Panel) » \ 10 ee Height, 7 inches; width, 5 inches In a wainscotted room and seated in a tall-backed armchair gaily upholstered, before warm brown portiéres and in bright but softened sunlight, a mother holds happily to her breast an infant partly nude. She faces the observer, turned slightly toward the right, with the light falling from the left full wpon her as she looks down at the child. A white lace mantle over her hair and shoulders hangs low over her black velvet skirt. +) Signed at the lower right, Piassan, ’75. Property of the Estate of the late Ratypu H. Wuirr, Boston. FRANCOIS AUGUSTE BONHEUR Frencu: 1824—1884 ‘Prevell 2—TENDING THE FLOCK Height, 61% inches; length, 81% inches 0: yr In the background bleak mountain peaks white and gray under a robin’s-egg sky, and before them valleys vague in violet-gray haze, and on a green hillside in the foreground white and brown sheep and lambs, guarded by a shepherd dog that stands by at the right. Property of the Estate of the late Ratepn H. Wnuirr, Boston. PAUL VERNON CONTEMPORARY 3—ARIADNE we (Panel) ee 4, Pe udilter Height, 5 inches; length, 9 inches In the vague indefinite distance greenish-blue hills and a sunset sky, _7 and in the middleground an inshoot of a deep blue sea. In the solitude A ¥) ’ of the foreground a voluptuous female figure, nude with a red drapery over her limbs, reclining somnolent upon the ground, her head in the shade of foliage overhanging from the right. Property of the Estate of the late RatpH H. Wuire, Boston. JOSEPH VAN SEVERDONCK ~ Fiemiso: ConrEMPORARY Lae my. i o , | 4—_SHEEP AND FOWL (Panel) Height, 7 inches; length, 914 inches Ow a grassy slope where a few wild flowers spring up, three sheep are lying down and a fourth stands over them. At right is a game rooster and near him a hen, and at left a wild duck is entering a pond. Blue sky heavily banked with afternoon clouds. Signed at the lower left, J. Van Srvervonck, and certified over his signature on the back. Property of the Estate of the late Ratepn H. Wurre, Boston. GABRIEL CORNELIUS VON MAX German: 1840— S 5—THE WIDOW HOS uk bus (Panel) 4 0 ae Height, 10 inches; width, 7 inches é Heap and shoulders portrait of a young woman with light brown hair | which is parted in the centre and waved over the brows, facing the front Hy in a strong light, eyes directed slightly to her left. Her eyes are large and dark, and touches of rose brighten her creamy complexion, With shoulders nude, a black mantle is drawn about her and lightly enfolds | her head. Signed at the upper left, G. Max. Property of the Estate of the late Ratepu H. Wurre, Boston. oo. KO. JOSEPH VAN SEVERDONCK FLEMIsH: ConTEMPORARY ul 6—LANDSCAPE AND SHEEP (Panel) Height, 7 inches; length, 1014 inches Ar left two ducks of brilliant plumage entering a pond which edges into view, and on a slowly rising green bank to right, a recumbent sheep, and near it a sheep standing, and rubbing noses with one of two lambs lying on the ground. Heavy banks of dark low-lying clouds in a pale blue sky. Signed at lower centre, J. Van SrEverpDonck, 1870, and also certified on back. Property of the Estate of the late Ratepn H. Wuirr, Boston. PAUL VERNON Frencu: ConrEMPORARY Q S Lekels be. if 7—THE GIPSY’S HOME Height, 834 inches; length, 1034 inches On the left, between trunks of trees, a green landscape is glimpsed beneath summer skies, and the same opening between the trunks admits to a heavily shaded foreground a thrust of brilliant sunshine, which illumines a group of figures seated against a cottage wall, a boy and two girls, while in front of them stands a small child. All are in bright colors, with green, red and white predominant. Signed at the lower right, Paut Vernon. Property of the Estate of the late Ratepu H. Wurre, Boston. BLAISE ALEXANDRE DESGOFFE Ry el ed ; 8—_STILL LIFE (Panel) Frencu: 1830—1901 18. ia Height, 12% inches; width, 81% inches Own a crimson base, a brilliant agate ewer with elaborate gilt and enamel mountings stands in a broad light against a neutral grayish background, its surface mirroring unseen neighboring windows. At its foot, brilliant jewelry, a ring with an emerald setting at the left, and a linked necklet at the right. Signed at the lower left, BuatsE Drscorre, ’85. From the Henry G. Marquand Collection, New York, 1903; No. 18. p55 4 Property of the Estate of the late Ratepu H. Wurtre, Boston. LOUIS LATOUCHE Frencu: 1829—1884 9—SPRINGTIME a. ¢. dalhey | Height, 10 inches; length, 121% inches Sprine is advancing into summer, with foliage of the older trees full, and dark in shadow, while younger trees show fresh green leafage in the sunshine which brightens the meadow about them, which is cut laterally by a brooklet. In the background a gray cottage and a green hill. Property of the Estate of the late Raupu H. Wuire, Boston. CHARLES LANDELLE ! Frencu: 1821—1908 10—EGYPTIAN DANCING GIRL | Height, 1014 inches; width, 71% inches | dw 5, Sranpine portrait of a dark-skinned young woman with delicately | rounded features, observed nearly at full-length, figure to the right | and face turned toward the spectator, and both hands held up before | her head, clacking the castanets, her trunk in a tortuous pose of the dance. In pink skirt, with hips enwound in black, and gauze drapery only connecting with a short pink waist. Sunny archway behind her; two figures indicated in shadow in front, looking on. Signed at the lower left, Cu. L. Property of the Estate of the late Raupu H. Wutre, Boston. ARY SCHEFFER Durcu: 1795—1858 11I—THE CONFESSION nt Height, 101% inches; width, 88/4, inches oO: Ix a brown and sombre interior with high arched passageways and a dark green drapery, two figures stand forth in a shaft of light, with a third standing in the shadow back of them. Of the two, a woman in white, seated, with one hand supported on a crimson stool and the other resting on the wrist of a man in armor, who has just entered, looks up at him and speaks in anguish a message to his pained ears and startled eyes. Signed at the lower left, A. SCHEFFER. Property of the Estate of the late RarpnH H. Wurtz, Boston. 30, PROSPER MARILHAT Frencu: 1811—1847 é { gee 12—LANDSCAPE: CHATEAU DE CROIS AN (Panel) Height, 91 inches; length, 18 inches Barren hills brown and yellow mount in sunshine under a blue sky of rolling white and gray clouds, and in a deeply cut valley a blue rivulet runs a winding course. In the foreground, green trees come into view, and on a hill at the right beyond them is the ruin of an ancient castle. Property of the Estate of the late Ratpu H. Wuire, Boston. HIPPOLYTE LAZERGES Frencu: 1817—1887 13—DESCENT FROM THE CROSS (Q_ . NUS are Height, 131% inches; width, 814 inches Iw the foreground the body of the Christ and the weeping women, in a vivid light. Close in the background the cross and figures at a ladder leading up to its arm, in shadow but partly illuminated by the fading red of a sunset horizon. The draperies of the figures rose, blue, white, green and orange. Property of the Estate of the late RatepH H. Wurrs, Boston. Beer Sis JEAN ANTOINE THEODORE GUDIN Frencu: 1802—1880 ) 14—MARINE oS (a = Height, 814 inches; length, 13°4 inches Across a greenish-turquoise sky two light tufts of creamy cloud drift, above horizon strata which darken slightly over a deep blue, calm sea, which in the foreground is slightly ruffled and reflects the sky’s light. At the border of the blue, a ship heads majestically towards the right. Signed at the lower right, A. Guprn. Property of the Estate of the late RauvpH H. Wuirr, Boston. GEORGES BRILLOUIN FRENCH pe 15—A DUET ti oe i} (Panel) Height, 1014 inches; width, 814, inches Writ an old gentleman tips his seat forward and bends close over his music-rest, extracting melody from a violin, his white and tan hound lifts up his head and howls. The man’s figure is back to us, clad in blue stockings and breeches, a long skirted coat of dull red velvet and a white woollen skull cap. The latter is seen against a dark, rococo decorated cupboard beside which hangs a guitar. At the left of the foreground an empty violin case and music books he beside a white chair upholstered in rose, back of which stands a spinet. On the wall hangs an oval gilt-framed portrait of a lady with powdered hair. Signed at the lower right, Gzorcrs Brituovin. Property of an Estate. JS 01 E. MARILHAT FreNcH 16—LANDSCAPE WITH WINDMILL crac) VY. Ure edreed Height, 7 inches; length, 1315 inches Aw elevation of sandy soil on the left of the foreground is crowned with two oaks which stand in advance of a wood. On the right is a corresponding wooded slope, under the bank of which a man sits talk- ing to two children, who stand in the road beside a dog. The roadway winds back across a heath to a windmill, which forms a conspicuous object in the middle distance. It is flanked by two white-walled cot- tages with mossy-green roofs, which are embowered in trees. In the distance toward the left is an expanse of water, dotted with sails. It is obscured from view on the right by a low, level grassy hill. Over the horizon extends a layer of creamy clouds, above which spreads a broader mass of doye-gray vapor, tipped with cream. Signed at the lower right, EK. Mariwuar. Collection of M. Gavet, Paris. Property of an Estate. ALEXANDRE CALAME Swiss: 1810—1864 17—_THE URI-ROTHSTOCK, LAKE LUCERNE (Panel) AL. XY, Sy ee ae Height, 9°4 inches; length, 12 inches Oe 4 Ow the left, high peaks of the mountains are seen, purplish-brown, across the tops of a forest of soft green leafage, over which one looks from a foreground ledge. ‘To right in the middle distance, where the mountains give way and the foliage ceases, the blue lake comes to view, with here and there a white sail. Signed at the lower right, Cauamn, 2 Mat, ’52. Property of the Estate of the late Raupu H. Wuirr, Boston. PAUL LOUIS NARCISSE GROLLERON Frencu: 1848—1901 18—A MOMENT’S RESPITE AL : &. Sick Ls, (Panel) Height, 13 inches; width, 91 inches Wrruty the sunny seclusion of a quiet courtyard a French soldier sits I4-O __ himself down against the corner of a gray and pinkish stone building ‘and proceeds hungrily to go at a bit of lunch. He faces the spectator, turned somewhat toward the left, and with cap pushed back from his forehead is in the act of raising a bit of sausage on the end of his knife to his mouth. Behind him a high board fence of robin’s-egg blue. Signed at the lower right, P. Gro“iERon. Property of the Estate of the late Rateu H. Wurre, Boston. ps 0. JULES ELIE DELAUNAY Frencu: 1828— : Af. Sich ole 19—THH SCOUTING PARTY Height, 834, inches; length, 18 inches A cavanry patrol entering from the right comes to a halt in the fore- ground, the horses kicking up a dust of warm yellow sand. The figures of five of them appear, with four riders, in French uniform, one of them an officer. Commingling cloud masses obscure the sky. Signed at the lower left, J. Ditaunay. Property of the Estate of the late Rauypu H. Wuire, Boston. ANTOINE EMILE PLASSAN Frencu: 1817—1903 20—LE SOURIRE ENIGMATIQUE Corupifell Height, 13 inches; width, 934 incffes TxHree-uarter length portrait of a blond woman of youthful ma- turity, large of frame and figure, posed to the right, three-quarters front, but with head turned full to the front and face and the greater part of the bust in a broad, high light. Shoulders and arms nude, she draws a creamy white drapery about her breast and it falls lightly over her turquoise-blue skirt. Her blond tresses, bound with a blue band, hang below the drapery back of her shoulders, and she smiles— her smile a riddle. Signed at the upper right, PLassan. Property of the Estate of the late Ratpnu H. Wuire, Boston. 16 Wee EMILE CHARLES LAMBINET Frencu: 1815—1878 21—THE LONE FISHERMAN af ci Se ekols (Panel) Height, 9 inches; length, 14% inches From the left a greenish-yellow hillside falls away gently to a silvery- white stream which appears from around its point, coming into the foreground on the right. At the water’s edge a farmer sits fishing. The face of the hillside is velvety in transparent shadow, a burst of white horizon light illumining its top and the country beyond on the right of the water. Signed at the lower left, Emire Lamerner. Property of the Estate of the late Rauen H. Wnuirr, Boston. ALEXANDRE CALAME Swiss: 1810—1864 22—_AN ALPINE VALLEY f Height, 11 inches; length, 12% inches Own the left a stream courses through a deep canyon, in the shadows of rugged mountains that pile high on the right, their lofty summits in the distance cradling patches of snow and rising to the clouds. There the peaks are gray, but as they decline toward the foreground vegetation appears, and close at hand the slopes are green and sunny. Seal on the back, VenrE CaLaME. Property of the Estate of the late Raupu H. Wuirte, Boston. a a A JEHAN GEORGES VIBERT Frencu: 1840—1902 THE MORNING WALK 4.&. Se RU Height, 14 inches; width, 1014 inches 23 Furi-tencru standing figure of a cardinal carrying an opened sun umbrella, with a lining the exact hue of his apparel; he has paused we in a walk around a garden or close, carpeted with soft green turf and | ZO. encompassed by woodland. The umbrella rests on his right shoulder, and he faces the observer, with head slightly inclined and the broad brim of his hat screening his eyes. Signed at the lower right, V. Property of the Estate of the late Ratvpu H. Wuire, Boston. See WILLIAM P. BABCOCK AMERICAN: CONTEMPORARY HOS eh ily 24 VENUS AND CUPID Height, 13 inches; width, 11 imches FuLi-Lencru figure of a plump and pulchritudinous young woman, demi-nue, seated on the ground, in sunshine, before a background of foliage and sea.