Studio: international art (83.1922)

THE KIRKHOPE BEQUEST

two, left him these engravings, most of
them being mezzotints, and this valuable
group of prints has been included in the
Bequest of Dr John to the Scottish Gallery.
The terms of the Bequest were an un-
limited choice by the Board of Trustees of
both pictures and prints, resulting in the
acquisition of forty-four pictures and all
the prints. a a a 0 a
Of the former, the group of Corots, six in
number, are the outstanding feature of the
gift, and of these facile princeps is the
superb Goatherd, not imposing in inches,
but for quality perhaps unsurpassed by any
Corot anywhere. This quiet brown pic-
ture, unrelieved but by the scarlet cap of its
single figure, is a fine example at once of his
science and his charm. Flawless in design,
perfect in its unpretending style, it seems
to have happened rather than to have been
made. Execution does not occur to us, we
are absorbed by the sentiment of the scene,
we recognise the master. Here, at least, is
that impeccable thing, a “ fine ” Corot, a
For, after all, Corot, like many great
painters, is occasionally to be caught nap-
ping, and one seems to have both seen and
heard of the Corot of commerce, painted in
an hour when his inspiration flagged, and
little was left but the well-known formula.
But has it not been well said that “ only
duffers are always at their best ” (or
worst) i Be that as it may, here, among
these seven, all good, is a splendid Corot,
fruit of a fortunate hour, when all his
faculties at their highest power of expres-
sion combined to form a masterpiece. 0
Of the other Corots Le Soir and The
Watering Place have the most of his
especial charm. 0000
The National Gallery of Scotland, some-
what withdrawn from the bustle of Princes
Street, achieves for its visitors not a little
of that peace which must accompany the
complete enjoyment of art. Outside, the
rumble of the traffic, or the locomotive
shrieks of that arch-vandal of Edinburgh,
the North British Railway, and inside an
atmosphere of calm. These extra-mural
noises, muffled by the enwrapping solidity
of the building, will not prevent enjoyment
of the Roses of Fantin-Latour, a rendering
of his favourite Gloire de Dijons. The
crisp, almost fragrant blooms, glowing
from theii dark, but not too dark environ-
128

ment, show him at his best. Of the same
genre is the rich little Silver Vase by
Antoine Vollon. 0000
Monticelli, that modern Watteau with-
out his precision and grace, without his
taste, but his equal in colour, may next be
mentioned. Perhaps the best of the four is
the Woodland Fete, of a clarity and fresh-
ness not always attained by the artist.
Daubigny is represented by Soleil

Couchant, a quiet little evening picture,
although a little black, the painter's oc-
casional fault. A good Jacques (not, how-
ever, to be compared with the Laird
example), two Lepines in the Corot
manner, a Diaz, another Fantin flower-
piece, a L’Hermitte, a Michel, and a little
Troyon, comprise the remaining French
pictures of the Bequest. 000
The Dutch painters, in contrast to the
French, seem to mix a grey with their
paint. They are more austere, less
sensuous, more Protestant and Calvinistic,
less Catholic—perhaps more like ourselves
here in the North. At any rate they have
appealed to Scottish collectors somewhat
in advance of the Frenchmen. It is a
platitude to observe that they have infused
from the days of Ruysdael downwards
(indeed he is their great protagonist)
something of the cloudy skies of Holland
into their work. They are not strongly
represented in the Kirkhope Bequest—but
seven pictures in all. Three are by
Johannes Bosboom (he of the sonorous
name), two church interiors in oil, and the
cool grey Town Hall, Hoorn, one of his not
so frequent outdoor studies in water-
colour. The fine On the Amstel, by Jacob
Maris, of the Laird Bequest, is well
supplemented by the little Mill at Bougival,
of the Kirkhope Collection. A good Anton
Mauve, with its somewhat gaunt and over-
scaled figure. The Shepherd, and two
pictures, important in size, by Albert
Neuhuys, complete the group, 0 0

But Dr. Kirkhope, while desirous of
possessing examples of the best art of the
Continent, was also a warm sympathiser
with the school of his own country, and
accordingly many Scottish pictures, both
by past and present painters, were acquired
by him. As living artists are not eligible
for the National Gallery, the Scottish
pictures selected are all, with one exception,