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THREE VISITS TO THE MANCHESTER ART TREASURES EXHIBITION . ( From our Special Qoiyespondent . ' ) III . TREASURES AND TRASH . If the Executive Committee of the Art Treasures Exhibition had kept steadily in view the title which was given to their undertaking , and the eclectic severity which that title inferred , they would have made a smaller but a mucli better collection . We have stated that there are about sixteen thousand objects in the Exhibition ; but it is not too much to say that at least one half of these are not Art Treasures . What was the object in view : to collect examples of every school and every style , good or bad , or to illustrate the highest pinnacles of the Arts by an assemblage of masterpieces ? If the former , then the object is certainly carried out , but at the expense of falsifying the title ; if the latter , it must be admitted that works of the highest excellence are largely adulterated with a plentiful sprinkling of inferior things . It has been already explained that the plan of arrangement ostensibly adopted , imperfect as it is , is still more imperfectly carried out . Those who examine the collection of paintings with the view to extracting from it an intelligible history of Art must go prepared with enough knowledge to render such an analytical process superfluous . What the compilers and editor of the catalogue have been unable to effect in a volume of three hundred pages , we cannot certainly undertake to accomplish in three columns . All that we can do is to take a sort of ' Voyage autour de l'Exposition , ' in the company of the reader , pointing out to him , as we go , such objects of interest as seem to us most worthy of notice .
And , in the first place , to begin at the beginning , we will proceed to Saloon A , which is the furthest room on the left-hand side of the nave , before you come to the transept , and there we shall find the earlier of the ancient masters , from the Byzantine school down to Raphael and Michael Angelo . After this , we proceed down that side of the building until we are stopped by the east wall , with the noble portrait of Charles the First by Van Dyck occupying the centre , and looking as if lie were about to prance out of the wall . The specimens of the Byzantine school , at the west end of saloon A , are extremely good and interesting , and if . tlic visitor will compare them with the masters of the early Italian school ( Giotto , Cimabue , Gaddi ,
Angelico da Fiesole , Massaccio , Botticelli and Lippi ) he will understand how the art of painting gradually grew out of the simplest and rudest forms into the state which itattaineil before tha coining of . those great Apostles ol Beauty , Raphael and Michael Angelo . In Massaccio ( 38 , ' His own Portrait , ' and 07 , ' A Male Portrait' ) will be found a portrait painter of no mean order . The Virgins of Giotto and his contemporaries are insipid enough , but they are gracefully painted nevertheless . Iu Perugino we begin to perceive decided indications of that rapid advances which was fully carried out by his great pupil , Raphael . Leonardo da Vinci and Km Bartolommeo -were great prophets of the new Art Evungilc , powerful draughtsmen , and masters of colour . Uudor
the head of Michael Angelo there are but two pictures in the whole Exhibition , and one of these ( Mr . Lnbouchere ' s ' Holy Family , ' U ) 0 ) is , to say the least of it , doubtful . The two " portraits of Andrea del iSurto ( 107 and 108 ) must be examined with care , as also the two line Carlo Dolcis ( 121 , ' The Marriage of St . Catherine , ' and 1 ' 27 , ' The Nativity' ) . To those whose minds are not yet made up upon tlie pretensions of the so-called pre-RaphaeliteS' of the present day , we recommend a careful examination of tlie specimens of Mabuso to bo found in thin collection , more especially of A 17 , the ' Adoration of tho Kings ; ' the examples of Mantegna and of Vim Eyck , ami the ancient copy of the
celebrated ' Adoration of the Lamb' nitur-pieeo by the latter . limy bo profitably oxamined with the same end , for they are not . only among the finest pictures in the collection , but they prove thut the pve-RuphacliUis oi the proneut day copy tho vices without being able to imitate tho virtues of their great prototype * . Mabuso's ' Adoration' in indeed a . splendid painting . The jewels and embroidery are drawn with microscopic ( idelily ; but tho composition id ho good , and the figures ho well painted , that it looks well at a distance when all the pretty nlcoticnnro no longer'diseornible . In going over the nncioiit masters , tho visitor must disregard entirely tho arrangement of tho catalogue . Ho must turn over tho list of tho whole collection , and mark the dates for ( , | 1 | , , ' I
himself , and he will find himself putting Francia and Van Eyck before Raphael and Tintoretto . Before coming to these last he must examine the fine Mantegnas in the collection ; Lord Craven ' s fine portrait of Luther and the Reformers , ' by Lucas Cranach ( 451 ); the celebrated portraits of Henry VIII . and Francis I ., by-Holbein ( 454 , 455 ); Albert Durer ' s ' Portrait of his Father' ( 462 ); the fine diptj-chs and triptychs by Memling ; the fan : ous ' Misers , ' by Quentin Matsys , from Windsor Castle ( 499 ) ; and many others belonging to the same age which will be found on the north wall of Saloon A . Under the name of Raphael himself we find not less than thirty-three separate works catalogued , but none of them ( except , perhaps , Lord Ward ' s little
cabinet-picture of 'The Three Graces ) can be considered first-rate , and none can hardly be reckoned genuine . There are , however , fair specimens of the three different styles into which his pictures are generally divided . The best pictures under this honoured name are , 133 , a fragment of a predella on ' The Agony in the Garden' ( belonging to Miss Burdett Coutts ); 136 , ' Madonna and Child' ( belonging to Lord Cowper ) ; 140 , ' Madonna and Child' ( belonging to Mr . Mackintosh ); 148 , ' The Madonna with the Pink' ( belonging to Lord Pembroke ) , and 159 , ' The Crucifixion , ' from the Fesch collection , now belonging to Lord Ward . Of the Titians exhibited we have not much to say in praise ; indeed , with the exception of
'A Richly Wooded Landscape' ( 230 ) contributed by her Majesty , and which is as valuable for its beauty as it is curious on account of the rarity of a landscape by that master , and two or three of the portraits , there is not much to occupy very serious attention . Lord Darnley ' s ' Europa' ( 231 ) is a coarse offence against the laws of public morals which is entirely unredeemed by the slightest spark of genius , and certainly challenges the attention of the Society for the Suppression of Vies . The Tintorettos are not much better ; and those contributed from Hampton Court are , perhaps , the worst of the lot . Of Paolo Veronese , the best examples , in our opinion , are—275 , ' The Magdalen' ( belonging to Miss Burdett Coutts ) , aud 279 ,
Mr . Angerstein ' s ' Diana and Actoeon . ' Out of the eleven Annibale Carraccis exhibited , three stand conspicuously prominent , and one is celebrated all over the world : these are , the Duke of Newcastle ' s ' Coronation of the Virgin' ( 335 ) , from the Rogers collection , Mr . Denison ' s ' Madonna and Child' ( 331 ) , and Lord Carlisle's celebrated picture of ' Tiie Three Marys ' ( 327 ) . We must confess to no very great sympathy with either of these works , for we rank ourselves among those heretics in whose estimation both the Caraccis luck all the qualities which go to the making of a great master ; but the visitor will do well to examine them , for they are celebrated , and he may come to a different conclusion . Of Guido Reni , the best three are , 336 " , ' Cleopatra and the
Asp' ( belonging to the Queen ); 337 , ' Assumption of the Virgin' ( belonging to Lord Ellesmere ) ; and 341 , ' St . Sebastian' ( belonging to Lord Ward ) . Some frescoes by Correggio , belonging to Lord Ward ( 403 and 404 ) , are charming and full of power , and the visitor will examine with interest the reduced original repetition of the celebrated Dresden ' Magdalen' ( 402 ) , belonging to the same nobleman . Perhaps , of all the masters belonging to the earlier part of the seventeenth century , the most thoroughly and nobly represented is Rubens . There are altogether forty specimens of this great master in the collection , and . some of them are the best examples of his pencil that arc to be found anywhere . Of these , we would speak of ' The Rainbow
Landscape' ( 21 uf the Hertford collection ) ; the portrait of ' Himself and Wife carrying Fruit and Game' ( 577 ); the ' Prometheus , ' with the Vulture by Snyders ( 578 ) ; the ' St . Martin , ' from Windsor Ca . silo ( 5 H 7 ) ; and ' His own Portrait ( 595 ) . Tho student who does not know much of Rubens as a landscape painter has here an opportunity of studying him in that character which may never occur again ; for not only is there the famous ' Rainbow Landscape , ' about which mo much has been written and said , but there are three more very fine landscapes by the same hand . In 577 we find the great I ' oter Paul competing with ( and beating ) L-indseer in
the representation of game ; « ueh a fawn and fiueh snipes were never neon upon canvas ; and in 595 he gives us a portrait as noble as if it were by Rembrandt , or Velasquez , or our own ( Sir Joshua . Tho portraits by Van Dyck iu the collection are almost uniformly good . The . specimens of tho master are twenty-live in number , and we would recommend for Kpecial examination the ' Portrait of Rubens' ( 5 !> 7 ) , 'Charles I . on Horseback ' ( 55 ) 0 ) , ' Killigrew and Carew' ( 001 ) , and 'Philip ami Madame Lo Roy' (<> and 7 of the Hertford collection ) . There are five . splendid pictures of Snyders in Saloon 15 , the most noticeable , of which is the splendid 'Market
Piece' from Clumber , and tho ' Stork in tho Air besot by Hawks' (« 55 ) , from Mr . Tollemache ' a collection . Tho Dutch painters of Ktill Life are well represented in Homo noble specimens or Do Iloeni , Van lluysum , mi'i Weenix ( froin 892 to 900 ) . Out of the twi'iil . v-oitfMexamples of Rembrandt of the Rhino which enricli tho collection , some ohoico specimens may bo picked ; ««« « o " r in tho Hertford collection ( 14 , 15 , Hi , and 17 ); IIIH ovu Portrait ' from tho Buckingham Palace collection (<>(> i ;¦; ' Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar , ' ( 070 ) , » wondeiful
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May 30 , 1857 . ] . THEIiEAPE R ,. 509
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~~ - " NOES . m < u > kburn Peter Jones , David Stirling , William RhteJota MaoEvoy . Edward Taylor , Simon Watllmvver George Maguire , John F . son < Wt £ lfv M-E . O'DonoKhoo . The Trelawny , Sir J . S . halensh Robert Pease , Henry Williams , William ¦ Tellers for the Noes , Mr . Coningha-. n and Mr . Cox .
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< Snnnlv Resolutions reported ; ' ¦ p J . f ' ihat the sum of 40 , 00 OJ . be . granted to her Majesty , for the Marriage Portion of her Royal Highness the Resolution read 2 ; Motion made , and Question put ; , " That this House doth agreo with the Committee in the said Resolution : "—The House divided ; Ayes , 3 G 1 , Noes IS . A x Eo > UrhorD Viscount Fitzgerald , Rfc . Hn . Montgomery , TT . L . Anderson , Sir J . John D . Montgomery , Sir G-• nnesley Hon . H- FitzRoy , Rt . Hn . H . Morris , David \ ntrobus " , Edmund Foley , John H . Mowbray , J . R . Xrbuthnott , Hn . Gl . Foley . Henry J . \ V . Naas , Lord \ shley . Lord Fordo , Colonel Neate , Charles IjaKwell John Forester , Rt . Hn . Cl . Newark , Viscount l ! ailev , Sir Joseph Forster . Sir G . Ne . wdegate , C N . Raillie Hcnrv J- Foster , William O . Newport . Viscount Bainesl Rt . Hu . M . T . Forteseue , Hn . F . D . Nicoll , Donald Ball Edward Fortescue , C . S . Nisbet . K . PKari ' ng , Rt . Hn . SirFraser , Sir \ V . A . Noel , Hou G . J . p _ ig Frcestuu , Colonel Norroys , Sir D . J . llar ' inir Thomas French , Colonel North , Colonel Barnard , Thomas Gallwey , Sir XV . P . North , Frederick Bernard . Hn . W . S . Card , Richard S . O'Flaherty , A . Barrow , W . H . Gilpin , Charles Oglivy , Sir John Bathurst , A . A . Glover , 12 . A . Osborne , Ralph Baxter , W . E . Glyn , George C . Ossulston . Lord Beale , Samuel Glyn , George G- Paget . Lord Alfred Beamish , Francis B . Goderich , Viscount I ' akenhain , Colonel Beaumont , W . B . Grace , O . I > . J . Pakington , Rt . Hon . Bective , Earl of Graham , Rt . Hn . Sir Sir John Betheli , Sir R . James Palmer , Robert Biddulph . R . M . Grcer . S . M ' Curdy Palmerston . Vise . Biggs , John Gregory , W . H . Patten , Colonel XV . Black , Adam Gregson , Samuel Paul ! , Henry Blandford , Marq . of Gray , Captain Pease , Henry Boldero , Colonel Grey , Rt . Hn . Sir G . Pechell , Sir Or . B . Bonhani-Carter , J . Grey , Ralph W . Peel , General Booth . Sir R . G . Grosveuor , Lord R Pennant , Hon . Col - Botfield , Beriah Gurdon , Brampton P ' . rry . Sir T . E . Bouverie , Hn . P . P . Gurney , Samuel Pevensey , Viscount Bovill , William Hackblock , \ V . Platt , James Bramley-Moore , J . Hall , Rt . Hn . Sir B Potter , Sir John .-Brand , Hon . Henry Hamilton , Lord C . Powell , F . C . Bridges , Sir B . W . Hamilton , G . A . Price , XV . P . Briscoe , John Ivatt Hamilton . J . Hans Pritchard , John Brown , James Hanbury , Robert Pugh , David Bruce , Henry A . Hankey , Thomson Puller , C . W . Bruen , Henry Haumer , Sir John Ramsden , Sir J . W . Buchanan , Walter Hardcastlo , J . A . Ramsay , Sir A . Buller , James W . Hassard , Michael Ra . vnhain , Vise . Burrell , Sir C . M . Hastie , Archibald Rebow , J . G . Butler , Charles S . Hatch . ; 11 , John Repton , G . W . J . Buxton , Charles Hay , Lord John Ricardo , J . L . Buxton , Sir E . N . lleadlam , T . E . Rioardo , Osinan Byng , Hon . George Heard , John Isaac Rich , Henry Caird . James Hcathcote , Hu-G . H . Ridley , George Calcraft , John H . Henl <> y , Rt . Hu . J . \ V . Roupell , William Carnac , Sir . lolm Rllcrbert , II . A . Russell , Lord John Castlerosse , Vis . Herbert , Rt . Hn . S . Russell , F . W . Cavendish , Lord Herbert , Hn 1 * . E . Russell , Sir XV . Cavendish , Hn . G- Hill , Hn . K . C . Salisbury , E . G . Cecil , Lord Robert Hodgson , W . N . Schneider 11 . W . Charles worth , J . C . Hollord , R- S . Scholclicld . W . Dodgson Holland , Edward Sclaler , George Cheetliam , John Hope . A . J . 15 . U . Scott , Captain E . Christv , Samuel Hopwood , J . T . Seyiner , Henry Kit Clark . Vames J . Hornbv , W . IL So . vuiour , II . D . Clifford , Charles C . Horsfall , T . 15 . Shelley , Sir J . V . Codrington , Geu . Horsman . Rt . Hu . ESheridan , H . 15 . Cole , Hon . H . A . Hotham , Lord SilHhorp , Major Colebrooke , SirT . E . Howard , fin . O . W . G Slaney , R . A . Collier , R . P . Hudson , George Smith , J . B . Collins , Thomas Hume , W . F . Smith , Rt . Hn . R . V . Colvile , Charles It , llutt , William Smith , Augustus Couollv , Thomas Ingram , Herbert Smith , Sir F . Cowper , Rt . Hn . W-Jackson , William Smyth , Colonel Francis Joruiyu , Earl Smollett , Alexander Ooote , Sir C . II . Jervoise , Sir J . C . Sonierville , Rt . Hon . Conyngham . Lord F . Johnstone , Hn . H . U . Sir W . M . Outtcrell , Sir II . G . Jolmstouc , J . J . il . Spooner , Richard Crawford . R . W . Jones , David StnU ' ord , Augustus Crossley , Frank Kerrison , Sir E . C Station ! , Marq . of I ' urzon , Viscount Kershaw , James Stanhope , J . B . Oalglish . Roliort King , James King Stanley , Lord Oalkeith , Earl of King , E . 15 . Stanley . Hn . W . O . Dinner , Lionel D . Kinglake , A . W . Staplot . ou , John Diivey , Richard Kiuglake , . 1 . A . Steel , John I'iivic , Sir H . R . F . KinticoLc , K- i \' . 1 '" . Stephcusoii , Robert Davison , Richard Kimmird , Hn . A F . Stewart . Sir M . It S . Deiiison , Edmund Kirk , William Stuart . Colonel boring , Sir K . Knulchbull- Hviges-Si uvt , II . ( -5 . JJe Voro , S . E . sen , E . Sykes , Col . W . II . Disraeli . Rt . Hn . 15 . Kuox . Hn . W . S Talbot , C . R . M . Hivett , Edward LaboiH-li <; re , Rt . Hn . Tomuost , Lord A . V . Doclson , John G . Henry Tlionigor , Sir F . Drummoud , Henry Liiugstoii , J . II . Thompson , General Du Cauo , Charles Lnugton , XV . <« . Thoruely , Thomas Duncan , Viscount Langton . II . G . Tottenham , Charles Duudiis , Frederick Laurie , John Trel'usis , Iln . C . ll . R . Ouulop , A . M . LorIi , G . C . Trollope , Rt . Hon . On Pre , C . George Lewis , Rt . Hon . Sir Sir John Diitton , llu . R . II . G . Cornowall Turner , J . A . Hast , Sir James B . Liudell , lion . H . G . Tynte , Colonel K . I' ^ erton , Sir i'hilip Lincoln , Eurl ol Vane , Lord Harry liporlon , XV . Tutt . Loviitnc , Loril Verner , Sir W . 1 'taortou , E . C . Lowe , Rt . Hon . II . Villiers , Rl . lln . C . r . Hieho , Lord Lyt ton , Sit'G . JO . L . 15 Vivinn , llu . J . C . W . lillieo , ltt . llu . E . Macartney , George Vivian , 11 . 11 . lilllee , lOdward J \ laoaulay , Kenuet . li Watlilingtoii , II . S . I'lliihinstone , Sir J . Mnckie , James Witloodt , Adniiral 1 'll . ou , Sir A . Hi Mackiuuoii , W . A . Wiildron , Laurence Wimis , John Malins , Ri < : hanl AVarburion . G . 1 > . I' ^ iuonUe , John Mangles , It . D . AVarnm , Samuel lOiftcourt . T . U . S . Mangles , C . K AVatkin , E . W . ' ' ¦ UHton , Earl of Manners , Lord JoliuWatUlus , Col . L . Hvans , Thomas W . Murjoribaiilts , D . < :. Weguelln , T . MHwart , AVillium Massey , W . N . West jrn , Suttou nwiirfc , Joseph O . Mal . ho . son , Alox . Whatinan , James l' » Kan . William Molguud , Viscount "Wlntesiilo , James fai-quiiar , Sir W . M . Merry , James WhiMnoro , Henry J'oiiwlck . Henry Miles , William AVIoklmm , 11 . W . f 'erguti , John Mills , Thomas Wigiain , Lot'Lus T . J'orKuaon , Colonel Milton , Viscount AVilleox , B . M'Ghio \ nlajr , Alex . S . Monorioir , itt . Un . J . Williaius , William l'il / . K « rald , W . R . S . MonnoH , ltt . Hn . W . WUHiuns , Sir W . F .
Willyams , E . W . B . Woodd , Basil T . Wyndhatn , William Willonglibv , Sir H . Wrightson , XV . B . Wynn , Colonel Willougliby . J . P . "Wyld . James Wynn , Sir W . W . Winglield , R . B . " Windham , General Wynne , XV . E . Wise . John A . Wyndhara , General Wyvill , Marmaduko Wood , lit , Hn . Sir C . Wyndham , Henry Tellers for the Ayes , Mr . Hayter and the Earl of Mulgravc- NOES . Ayrton ; Acton SmccDnnue , Michael Stirling , William Blackburn , Peter Evans , Sir De Lacy Sullivan , Michael Blake , John Greene , John Taylor , S . W . Bowyer , George Hadfield , George Townscnd , John S . Corbally , M . E . MaeKvoy , Edward Trelawny , Sir J . Cox , William O'Donaglioe , Tho White , James Tellers for tho Noes , Mr . Coning ham and Mr . Maguire .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 30, 1857, page 509, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2195/page/5/
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