International studio (33.1907/1908(1908))

The Chardin-Fragonard Exhibition

works of art. Never, thanks to the activity of the
fabricators—and their name is legion—have we
seen such an invasion of pictures notoriously
forged, some of them being fought for at the big
sales, with banknotes for weapons, and eventually
carried off in triumph to take their place in this or
that great collection. Thus it was with areal feeling
of relief that one visited the Exposition Chardin-
Fragonard, which was held at the beginning of the
summer in the Georges Petit Galleries. Here, at
any rate, with the exception of three or four
doubtful canvases, such as are to be found in all
collections and all galleries, one could admire a
considerable number of authentic works by two
masters who, in their entirely different ways, are
perhaps the greatest our country has produced.
This is an artistic event of such high importance as
to deserve a page or so of comment in The Studio.
The scheme owed its
origin to M. A. Dayot,
Inspector of Fine Arts,
w'ho followed the exam-
ples set of recent years
in England, Belgium,
and Holland, where the
great masters of these
lands have been honour-
ed by big ensemble ex-
hibitions. In turn we
saw in the Guildhall,
London, an admirable
selection of pictures by
Turner; then, in Ams-
terdam, the w7orks of
Rembrandt; in Antwerp
those of Van Dyck and
Jordaenswhen displayed
revealed to us certain of
the less-known canvases
by the two great Flemish
painters; while Bruges,
some years later, glori-
fied the most illustrious
of its artist sons.
These big displays
were almost all held
under the patronage of
government, and in
public galleries, which
added somewhat to their
prestige, inspired confi-
dence in collectors, and
in every case assured a
worthy setting to the
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works displayed. In this respect the Chardin-Frago-
nard Exhibition (it is perhaps necessary to mention)
differs from the great manifestations to which I have
just alluded. The Administration des Beaux-Arts
■—slow-moving and retrograde—might most effica-
ciously have fathered an enterprise such as this, or
at least have provided a hall more suitable to the
purpose than are the Georges Petit Galleries,
which, well-arranged though they be, are much too
small for an exhibition of such importance as this.
One cannot help thinking what a colossal suc-
cess it might have been had the display been made
a national affair, and had it been held, say, in the
Louvre, when the works from private collections
would thus have found themselves side by side
with those of our great Museum.
These restrictions notwithstanding, the exhibi-
tion was highly and deservedly successful, and we

‘LA POURVOYEUSE

( The Property of JT./.M. The German Emperor)

BY J.-B. CHARDIN