III.— FOREIGN LOAN PICTURES
{Gallay No. 4).
THE great feature of this collection is un- doubtedly the fine examples of Corot. No. 748 'The Wild Man of the Woods/ is the largest and most striking sketch I have yet seen by Corot, its very incompleteness lending it a charm seldom to be found even in his more finished work. On the other wall facing this is Mr. White's well-known and beautiful picture, No. 651, ' Landscape.' This picture, when shown in Edinburgh many years ago, excited much interest, and was the means of attracting attention to this great French painter. No. 769, ' Danse des Nymphes,' is a w-eU-known and splendid example. Nos. 706 and 728, 'The Woodcutters,' and 'Twilight,' old Edinburgli friends, are distinguished and beautiful specimens. No. 728, ' The Bather,' showing Corot's treatment of the nude, is a fine and interesting picture, such pictures being rare in this country. No. 681, ' The Lake,' is a fine small Corot. The other examples range from good to bad and doubtful. Millet, whose name stands at the head of the recent French School, is only represented by Mr. Donald's fine 'Going to Work' (No. 667), 'La Bergere ' (No. 729) — the fact of this example being hung may be explained by the small choice of ^fillet's work in this country, though I must say that it rather goes to lower than raise the artist's reputa- tion, — and a beautiful small drawing. No. 718, ' Sheplierdess.' This is much to be regretted, as this great artist has never been fully shown in this country. Rousseau is not largely represented, though No. 730, ' Le Soir,' is a fine picture, and No. 755, ' Forest of Clairbois,' is interesting from its splen- did treatment of masses of green. No. 634, ' The ]Mill,' is an impressive sketch. Of Daubigny, whose name is so well known in this country, there are only two striking examples, No. 739, 'Sea Piece,' and No. 797, 'Mantes (Soir),' giving him in his finest mood of dark grey. No. 768, ' Landscape,' is a good though somewhat con- ventional Daubigny. Diaz. — There is not much of this artist's more distinguished work. No. 654, 'Flowers,' is how- ever an exceptionally fine piece of painting. No. 649 is also good. On Screen 2, No. 832, ' The heart of the Forest,' is a good if somewhat con- ventional landscape. There are no fine specimens of his figure-painting in this collection. Troyon cannot be said to be strongly represented. No. 659, ' Off Honfleur,' has a wide reputation from having been in the Wilson collection. No. 772, ' Sheep,' is a fine picture, and No. 683, ' Resting,' a fair example. There is but one example of that great and original artist, Delacroix: No. 751, 'Lion and Tiger,' — a great picture on a small canvas, full of nervous, palpitating life. Decamps is represented by his grandly solemn picture — strangely weak in the sky, however — No. 753, ' St. Jerome in the AVilderness.' Michel, though little known in this country, deser-es to be more fully represented tlian by one small example. No. 662, ' A Hill Road.' Vollon's ' Strawberries ' (No. 642) is fine, and the same may be said of No. 708, ' Fruit.' The only very fine Dupre is No. 747, ' Sea Piece.' There are two or three pictures by Frere so unlike his ordinary work as to make one at first almost doubt their being by the same hand that produces the common Frere in the market. I never remember having seen any work by this painter so good as Nos. 660 and 815, ' The Cooper's Sliop,' and ' Les Sabotiers.' No. 760, ' Fishmarket, Dieppe,' is a fine Isabey, and No. 736, ' River Scene,' a very interesting JNIun- kacsy, though reminding one strongly of Daubigny. No. 735, 'Retour du Troupeau,' is a good Jacque, with much of jMillet's feeling. Monticelli. — There are only two pictures by this artist, No. 721, ' Paysage, Automne,' and No. 775, ' Adoration of the Magi '; this latter is a very fine picture. Courbet's two fruit pieces. No. 746, ' Fruit,' and No. 685, ' Fruit Piece,' are fine. I much wish one of his large figiu-e-pictures or landscapes had been added. Turning to the Dutchmen — Israels is fully repre- sented. No. 661, 'The Sleeping Child,' is in my opinion the best work of his in this Exhibition. No. 638, ' The Frugal IMeal,' is a good picture of its period, though not so masterly. James Maris is at his best in No. 645, ' Near Rotterdam.' No. 639, ' Montmartre,' by M. Maris, is a fine example of this painter's weird land- scape. No. 821, 'Boy Feeding Pigs,' is an early and beautiful W. Maris. Bosboom never, to my knowledge, painted a stronger picture than No. 825, ' Interior of the Bakkenesse Kerk, Haarlem.' The early death and great promise of Mollinger have, I think, induced many to overestimate the value of his work, and the large canvases shown here confirm this opinion. They are good, not great pictures. Readers will, I hope, excuse these rough jottings of my first impressions hastily put do^vn.
