one after another, but he cannot dispel the remembrance of this radiant ensemble of art, formed by Mr. Secretan. The surroundings were worthy of the paintings. The mansion of Mr. Secretan, situated in the heart of Paris, surrounded by a magnificent park, afforded the visitor to his collection the joy of being able to contemplate these beautiful objects, without being disturbed in his meditations by the noise of the streets, or by crowds of people. The authorization to visit the Collection, was not given to everybody. The amateur seemed to be anxious to screen the Masters from the gossip of those, who are led by idle curiosity, and not by the love of art.
In order to form such a gallery, it is not enough that an amateur should want to do it; nor is money always a sufficient agent. It requires a concomitancy of circumstances, by which the works become open to purchase. Paintings of this quality are not sold every day; unless some unforeseen event take place, they never leave the Collection which they embellish. Their possession is, in a manner, a title of nobility for the fortunate owner; and a ray of these Masters’ glory illustrates the amateur, whocherishes and retains them and lives in communication with their ideas. The influence of the surroundings, in which we live, always makes itself felt; and of all the agents of civilization, Art is the most precious one.
Few men are born with the instinct of Art; at any rate, it is an exception. Generally, the taste for fine works is but slowly developed; its progression may be easily observed. It is rare that a collector unites, at once, under his roof, such a magnificent choice as Secretan’s Gallery.
Art is not a mere luxury, as those people think who do not go to the bottom of things. They are quite wrong in believing, that it is enough to be rich, in order to form a collection. True, money, that great factor in our life, has its importance. But it serves only as a starting point in introducing in the dwelling of man, the art which transforms him and elevates his soul.
I have known amateurs who, at starting, made collections more in order to follow the fashion, than from instinct. They were hanging up those works which their wealth had procured them, as a
