Evening star. [volume], July 16, 1939, Page F-5, Image 71

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Events in the World of Art and Music of Interest to Washingtonians
Violinist Is Symphony
Soloist Tonight
Miss Perkins Made Debut
Here at Age of Eleven;
Kurtz to Be Guest
Tonight's Sunset Symphony by the National Symphony Orchestra at
8 o’clock, which Dr. Hans Kindler will conduct, marks the first appear
ance of a soloist on this summer’s series at Potomac Water Gate. She will
be the brilliant young violinist, Gloria Perkins.
Wednesday evening's Sunset Symphony concert will introduce the
first of this summer’s guest conductors—the musical director and first
conductor or the Monte carlo nai-«
let Russe, Efrem Kurtz. Mr. Kurtz
will also conduct the National Sym
phony Orchestra on next Sunday’s
concert. Robert Crawford, American,
baritone, will appear as soloist with
Mr. Kurtz on Wednesday's concert.
For tonight’s Water Gate audience
Miss Perkins will play with the or
chestra Tchaikovsky's great and
enormously popular “Concerto for
Violin in D Major.” Sharing the
first half of the program with Miss
Perkins, Dr. Kindler and the Na
tional Symphony Orchestra will play
overture “Russian and Ludmilla,”
by Glinka. The second part of the
program opens with Wagner's “En
trance of the Gods Into Valhalla,”
from “Rheingold,” and "Song of the
Rhine Daughters,”from “Gotterdam
merung.” These will be followed by
two numbers of Anatol Liadov's
“The Enchanted Lake” and “The
Music Box.” For its final number
the orchestra will play Rimsky
Korsakov's “Capriccio Espagnol.”
Amazed Public as Child.
Gloria Perkins returns tonight to
the conductor and orchestra with
whom she made her debut. That was
In 1933, when Miss Perkins had
achieved the ripe age of 11. The
complete mastery of the instrument
which she exhibited upon that occa
sion amazed and delighted the crit
ical fraternity and laymen alike.
Bo successful was her debut that
she was re-engaged as soloist for
the National Symphony Orchestra's
next season. Since then she has ap
peared with other of the country's
distinguished symphony orchestras
and has given two Town Hall re
citals which brought forth superla
tives from the New York critics.
An artist-pupil of the renowned
Louis Persinger, Miss Perkins has
been playing the violin five hours
daily since she was so young that
a special violin naci 10 De mane uiai
would accommodate her tiny fingers.
Now 17, and wearing a long bob in
stead of the dark curls she had on
her last apeparance in Washington,
Miss Perkins looks something like
a very young edition of Lily Pons,
and is a completely normal girl in
everything but the maturity of her
violin playing, with the interests
and activities of any average 17
year-old. Her latest achievement
was the winning of the Tony Wons
contest award sponsored by the
Federation of Music Clubs, for
which nearly 2.000 young artists com
peted. Her appearance at the Water
Gate tonight marks the last concert
In her summer tour, which covered
three weeks of concerts in four
States.
Kurtz Known Here.
Efrem Kurtz, guest conductor on
Wednesday’s and next Sunday’s Sun
set Symphonies, is familiar to Wash
ington music lovers and balletomanes
through his appearances here as
musical director and first conductor
of the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe. His
appearance Wednesday, however,
marks the first time he has con
In Local Music
Circles
On the occasion of the second an
niversary of the death of Gugllelmo
Marconi, the inventor of the wire
less telegraphy, a memorial program
will be given under the auspices of
the Washington Lido Civic Club.
The Washington Schola Cantorum,
Arturo Papalardo, conductor, will
broadoast over Station WMAL on
Wednesday evening at 9 o’clock. The
program of music, by Verdi, Handel,
Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and O’Hara,
will be sung alternately by the men’s
voices, women's voices and the en
tire mixed ensemble. The guest
speaker will be Thomas D'Alesandro,
Representative from Maryland. Mrs.
Afton Margetts, soprano, and Howard
Milner, baritone, will be the soloists
lor the occasion.
Anne Burgar is substituting at the
organ of Luther Place Memorial
Church while Cornelia Long Kin
sella, the regular organist and di
rector, together with Nell Chaillet,
soprano, is spending two weeks at
Ocean Grove, N. J.
Rebecca Chandler presented a
group of pupils in a piano recital
Tuesday, June 27, in the assembly
room of the Y. W. C. A. Those tak
ing part were Sue Ann Meyers,
Olive Davis, Dorothy Malone, Au
dry Ricketts, Vernon Ricketts, Lilly
Stone, Prank Stone, Margaret Sal
lett, Marjory Whitney, Elaine Sil
bersberg, Wilfred Milofsky and
Anita Pomlnaya, Eloy Fominaya,
Gordon Linke, pupils of Mary Park
Clements. The accompanist was
Mrs. Gerald Whittaker.
Donald Thomas, lyric baritone of
Washington and New York, as guest
soloist of the Immanuel Reformed
Church of Baltimore, sang “The
Publican,” by Van de Water, at the
moming service, Sunday, July 9,
accompanied at the organ by Robert
Basy, the church organist.
Folk Song Program
Folk songs and folk dances of
Poland and other nations will be
featured in the forthcoming fifth
weekly Summer Festival program
on Tuesday night at 8 o'clock, In
the National Sylvan Theater at the
Washington Monument, when the
Summer Festival Committee stages
its annual “International Night”
program under the direction of
Harriet Lewicki, who Is educational
director of the Polish Alliance Club
in America.
Warren F. Johnson, Organist
Church of the Pilgrims
22nd and P Sts. N.W.
7:30 O'Clock
"Andante Seriono” and "Allegro Gio
ooso" from Sonata In E fiat,
E. C. Bairstow
* t
p-—-—
ducted the National Symphony Or
chestra in concert. Russian-born
Mr. Kurtz owes his close association
with the ballet form to a visit the
late Anna Pavlowa paid in 1927 to
Stuttgart, where Kurtz was con
ducting the Philharmonic. So im
pressed was the great ballerina with
Kurtz’s musicianship that she en
gaged him to conduct her London
season and subsequently her South
American tour. In South America
Kurtz conducted symphony concerts
in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires,
which led to his engagement by the
Tait management for an Australian
tour. Hardly had he arrived back in
Stuttgart when he received three
more offers to return to Australia,
but his European contracts pre
vented.
Mr. Kurtz's 39 years have been full
of dramatic accidents. His first en
gagement in 1920 was an almost
melodramatic last-minute substi
tution for the famous Artur Nikisch,
when he conducted for Isadora Dun
can, followed by three concerts with
the Berlin Philharmonic. Again in
Paris, in 1933, he met Col. de Basil,
who asked him if he would help out
in an emergency and conduct a Bal
let Russe concert without a re
hearsal. He did, and has been mu
sical director of the Ballet Russe I
ever since. He has also done consid- j
erable recording with the London i
Philharmonic. Last week Mr. Kurtz
made his debut at the Lewisohn i
Stadium, New York, conducting the j
fourth week of the stadium concerts, i
On Wednesday Mr. Kurtz will con
duct the National Symphony Or- !
chestra in Berlioz's “Symphonie Fan
tasuque ; eiDenus uanzoneua.
Schubert's “Allegro” and “Minuet” j
from the "Third Symphony,” and
Wagner's “Overture to the Flying
Dutchman.”
Appears as Soloist.
Appearing as soloist with Mr.
Kurtz on Wednesday will be the dy
namic and versatile young Ameri
can baritone, Robert Crawford.
Known as “Alaska's favorite son,”
because of his origin in the boom
town of Dawson, Mr. Crawford had
made enough as a surveyor at the
age of 16 to send himself through
Princeton. There followed fellow
ships to the American Conserva
tory at Fontainebleu and to the
Juilliard Graduate School. A mem
ber of the faculty at Juilliard, a so
loist at New York's St.- Thomas'
Church and a distinguished com
poser. Mr. Crawford has made many
notable appearances in opera, con
cert and radio.
With Mr. Kurtz and the National
Symphony Orchestra Mr. Crawford
will sing two groups of two numbers
each on Wednesday night's program.
The first group consists of “Solilo
quy.” from “Caponsacchi.” by Hage
man, and "The Buzzard Song,” from
“Porgy and Bess,” by George Gersh
win; the second is composed of
“Toreador Song,” from “Carmen,”
by Bizet, and "Caliban in the Coal
Mines,” by Lewis Raymond.
Freund Frolic Show
Robert Frederick Freund will pre
sent his new organization, the
"Freund Singers,” on Thursday, Fri
day and Saturday at 8:30 pm. in
Pierce Hall, Fifteenth and Harvard
streets, in a novelty vaudeville show
which is appropriately titled “The
Freund Frolics.”
When Mr. Freund presented the
"Nightmare After the Opera” this
past season, he featured the men
of the chorus in a ballet number
which is well remembered. In hie
new show, he features the women in
the chorus, burlesquing one of his
voice class lessons.
From the rollicking strains of a
German band, the plaintive melo
dies from a Negro shanty in Catfish
Row to popular tunes done in
modernistic tonal, color and cos
tume, peculiar to the Freund organ
izations, this new variety show offers
another hit for Washington audi
ences.
The annual recital by the pupils
of Eva Virginia Johnson took place
Thursday evening, June 29, 1939,
at John Wesley A. M. E. Zion
Church, Fourteenth and Corcoran
streets N.W.
The “Virgin and Child in a Procession of Virgin Saints,”
illuminated vellum leaf, painted at Bruges at the beginning of
the 16th century by an artist of the school of Gerard David. It
is on display at the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York.
EFREM KURTZ,
Musical director of the Monte Carlo Ballet
Russe, who will conduct the Water Gate con
certs on Wednesday and next Sunday.
RE1N0 LUOMA,
Finnish pianist, appearing in a sonata program
with Elena de Sayn, violinist, this afternoon at
the Catholic University.
Past Season, a Busy One
For Friday Music Club
The final business meeting of the
1938-9 season of the Friday Morn
ing Music Club was held on May
12, when the following officers were
elected for the coming year: Presi
dent, Mrs. Eugene Byrnes; vice
presidents, Miriam B. Hilton and
Ruby Potter; recording secretary,
Mrs. William Humphrey; corre
sponding secretary, Dorothy Tyler;
treasurer, Katherin Riggs; assistant
treasurer. Mrs. Robert Le Fevre;
musical director, Lucy Brickenstein:
assistant musical director, Florence
Howard; chairman of Reception
Committee, Ethel Holtzclaw Gaw
ler; chairman of membership, Em
ily Coville; chairman of printing,
Mrs. Hugh A. Brown; chairmen of
hospitality, Helen Grimes and
Blanche Polkinhorn; chairmen of
orchestra, Miriam Hilton and Kath
erine Riggs; chairman of publicity,
Florence Howard.
The Board of Governors includes
Helen Turley, Helen Grimes, Susan
Oliver, Rita Bement, Vera Neely
Ross and Anne Yago McGuffey.
An innovation arranged by the
Program Committee was a series of
talks on one Friday of each month
given by the following:
Nadia Boulanger, eminent French
conductor and musicologist, whose
topic was “The Music of Strawin
ski.” The two-piano concerto (1935)
for solo pianos, played by Fanny
Amstutz Roberts and William Hold
en, was the illustration. Hans Kin
dler, conductor of the National
Symphony Orchestra, addressing the
club with musical remembrances
and sharing his program with Mary
Howe, pianist, composer and mem
ber of the club, who discussed how
she wrote “Coulense.” This was il
lustrated by Kay Rickert, violinist,
and Louise Ehrman, cellist, both
from the National Symphony.
Charles Edward Russell, musical
authority and literateur, in a highly
diverting and amusing recollection
of Theodore Thomas and his times,
assisted by Margaret Tolson, pianist.
Alice Eversman of the Evening Star,
commenting on “Modern Trends in
Opera,” and assisted by Esther
Cloyd, Mary Apple and Ina Holtz
scheiter, singers; Helen Campbell
Williams and Marjorie G. Davis,
pianists; a vocal ensemble and re
cordings: Ray C. B. Brown, commen
tator of the Washington Post, talking
about “The Impossibility of Talking
About Music,” and assisted by Willa
Semple, pianist; Dr. Glenn Dillard
Gunn, commentator of the Washing
ton Times-Herald, who discussed
“Some Unexplored Possibilities of
Piano Playing,” playing his own il
lustrations. Maude Sewall, musicolo
gist, who compared and contrasted
Schubert and Mozart, and Anita
Schade, who talked about the Schu
bert song cycle, ‘‘Die Schone Mul
lerin,” and narrated the story which
Wilhelmina Spanhoofd Walter gave
in song.
During the season the artist mem
bers of the club heard on the pro
grams were as follows: Pianists—
Irene Lerch, Dorothy Radde Emery,
Helen Grimes, Constance Russell,
Lois Abernethy, Willa Semple, Mary
Howe, Alice Brooks, Lucy Bricken
stein, Fanny Ross Henbest, Ethel
Garrett-Kaspar, Helen Campbell
Williams, Marjorie G. Davis, Marga
ret Tolson and Mabel Frost. Singers
—Ruby Potter, Lily Garrett^Wilhel
mina Spanhoofd Walter. Florence
Ludy, Elizabeth Everett, Mary Apple,
Lucy MacMoreland, Kathryn Sale
English, Dorothy Tyler, Vera Neely
Ross, Edna C. Wheelwright, Ina
Holtzscheiter. Elsa Radle, La Vergne
Fairchild,Madalynne Powell Cheath
am, Anne Yago McGuffev, Ethel
Gawler, Helen Turley, Edith Le
Fevre, Carolyn Thompson, lone
Hoffman and Norma Simonson.
Violinists—Mary Park Clements,
Julia Robertson. Grace Powell, Lela
Burt and Cecelia Mary Mahoney.
An announcer, Katherine Riggs
Burchard; a commentator, Maude
Sewall; a producer, Miriam Hilton,
and a narrator, Anita Schade.
Guest artists of the season in va
rious capacities were: Charles Trow
bridge Tittmann, honorary mem
ber; Louis Potter. Esther Cloyd,
soprano; the Studio Singers, the
music section of the Chevy Chase
Women’s Club, Flora Weber, accom
panist; Milton Schwartz, violinist;
Betty Baum, pianist; Claude Robe
son, accompanist; Kay Rickert, vio
linist; Louise Ehrman, cellist; Helen
Foster, violinist ; Daisy Fickenscher,
cellist; Mrs. David C. Book, ac
companist; John Marville, accom
panist: Henry Kaspar pianist; Ed
gar Davis, accompanist; D. Ster
ling Wheelwright, accompanist;
Doris Sturgeon, violinist; William
Brackett, accompanist: Reino Luo
ma, pianist; Prof. John Osbom,
accompanist; Edwin Charles Steffe,
baritone: Beth King, accompanist;
Fanny Amstutz Roberta, pianist;
William Holden, pianist; the mem
oeis ox uie eenuneis yuartet (Fred
Denniston. David Manley, Sam Cot
ton and Alexander Masson); Judy
Conklin, Judith Coville, Leah Ross,
Margery League Hughes, Alden Em
ery, Florance Yeager, Emily Tooley,
Calderon Howe, Anne Hull and
Helen Howison.
Special event* included the Mozart
pageant and the spring frolic ar
ranged by Miriam Hilton and the
memorial program in honor of Greta
von Bayer, featuring her composi
tions.
‘Wings Over Jordan’
“Wings Over Jordan,’’ chorus of
nationally known broadcasting ar
tists, will appear in concert at Grif
fith Stadium Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
Having served the millions of listen
ers over the Columbia network for
over one year, the “Wings Over Jor
dan" chorus will appear in person
at Griffith Stadium under auspices
of Metropolitan Baptist Church,
1225 R street N.W.
In order that all may be able to
hear clearly, the American Amplify
ing Co., which handled the outdoor
Marion Anderson recital on Easter
Sunday, will carry the program to
all within the stadium. The chorus
of 42 voices will be sponsored by
some of the leading citizens of the
city, including Judge Armond W.
Scott of the Municipal Court and
wife, Dr. W. J. Tompkins, recorder
of deeds, and wife; Mary McCleod
Bethune of the National Youth Ad
ministration, Velma G. Williams of
the District School Board and Nan
nie H. Burroughs, president of the
National Training School.
The concert is being given to aid
the Metropolitan Baptist Church in
its expansion drive to provide ac
commodations for its young people,
as well as the singing and training
organizations. Tickets are on sale
at the church and also at Liggett’s
drug store, Fourteenth and H streets
N.W.
Joe Allen Jones, baritone, who has
sung “Rigoletto” and “Pagliacci” in
the productions of the Remington
Webster Grand Opera Guild, left
on June 30 for a six-week trip on
the American Republic’s liner Brazil.
Mr. Jones will give several con
I certs on board and expects to return
1 to the States in August.
Finnish Star
To Be Heard
In Festival
Reino Luoma, Piano
Soloist, Appears
With Miss de Savn
Reino Luoma, Finnish pianist,
who has made several successful
appearances here and who will be
soloist with the National Symphony
Orchestra again this summer, will '
be heard on the second program of j
the Jubilee Festival Sunday after
noon series at the Cathoiic Uni
versity this afternoon. Due to un- j
foreseen circumstances, the Catho
lic University Trio will not appear
and Mr. Luoma consented to sub- j
stitute for it at a last minute's j
notice. His participation enables
the management to arrange a dif
ferent program for the one previ
ously scheduled.
Mr. Luoma will be heard jointly
with Elena de Sayn, violinist, in
two works in which the significance
of the parts is equally divided be
tween the two instruments. The
masterpieces chosen are Mozart's
“Sonata No. XIII in One Move
ment,” with its intricate fugue for
both Instruments, and Beethoven’s
“Sonata No. 9, Op. 47,” dedicated to
Rudolpn Kreutzer and known as the
"Kreutzer Sonata.”
The object of these concerts is !
to acquaint the students of the !
summer school and the public with j
the outstanding works in the music |
literature at a minimum admission I
charge.
The one hour's program will begin
promptly at 4 o’clock and will be
held In the McMahon auditorium,
in the Administration Building, in
the center of the campus. Conrad
Bernier, organist; Edythe Marmlon
Bros!us, harpist, and Esther Cloyd,
soprano, will be heard In the two
remaining concerts.
Housing Pictures
On Display Here
Arranged by the American Fed
eration of Arts, the International
Exhibition of Modern Domestic
Architecture and Housing is now in
progress at the Book Shop, 916
Seventeenth street N.W. Consisting
of photographs of innovations in
homes all over the world, the exhibi
tion may be seen daily from 9 a m.
to 6 p.m. until July 25.
"Woman Carrying a Child Down Stairs," a pen and bistre
wash drawing executed about 1630 by Rembrandt van Rijn
(1606-1669). This picture, possibly a sketch of the artist's wife,
Saskia, and their son Titus, is being shown at the Pierpont
Morgan Library In New York all summer, in conjunction with
the World's rJr.
Morgan Masterpieces
Supplement Great Fair
Library Represented by Fine
Works From Branches of
Art by Old Masters
By Leila Mecklin.
Not only will the Pierpont Morgan Library be open to the public all
this summer on account of the New York World’s Pair, but for the
benefit of the many out-of-town visitors, it is setting forth a notable spe
cial exhibition designed to afford a comprehensive idea of the contents of
the library by showing a number of examples from each of the more im
portant of its collections. Of all the exhibitions in New York supplement
ing the great fair this is perhaps most delightful. It is an exhibition of
masterpieces, not in one, but the several arts, and while materially broad
ening vision, evidences incontrovertibly the heights to which man has at
tained, Intellectually and culturally. Those in search of a definition of
art will find it here.
«->n inirty-sixtn street, just east
of Madison avenue, stands a little
back from the sidewalk, the low
marble building designed very sim
ply in Renaissance style by McKim,
Mead and White, to house the Mor
gan library. To the original building
an addition has been made—Ben
jamin W. Morris, architect—but con
tinuity has been completely pre
served, and the exterior of this un
pretentious structure perfectly ac
cords in spirit and fineness of feel
ing with the interior, which, inci
dentally, more than serves the pur
pose for which it was designed. One
enters, almost abruptly, into a
square, well lighted hall which has
much the atmosphere of a home; to
the left is a large exhibition room;
to the right, at the rear, opens a
corridor which leads to the main
building wherein, from a second and
more sumptuous entrance hall, one
may make one's way into the hand
some study, and the sumptuous
“east room,” where, from floor to
ceiling, are shelf upon shelf of
books. Each hall and room is ut
terly different from the others and
yet throughout the same atmos
phere is maintained. There is
enough to see to keep one weeks in
the seeing, but not too much to be
seen happily—if not abnormally
greedy—ina couple of hours. Even
from a brief survey one must de
rive strong impressions and leave
materially enriched. '
Effect of Atmosphere.
A part of the impression that this
library makes upon the visitor is un
doubtedly derived from the atmos
phere of the building—the well pro
portioned rooms, the agreeable
lighting, the rich and appropriate
furnishing. On the walls of the ex
hibition room and the east room are
tapestries of great rarity and beauty;
in the study are to be seen a few
masterpieces of painting—a Bellini,
a Perugino, a Botticelli—not to
name all—stained glass that Mr.
Morgan brought home from Europe
when a young man and long be
fore he began collecting books—to
say nothing of a few pieces of Flor
entine sculpture and a priceless vase
of rich red porcelain which once be
longed to a Chinese Emperor.
i ne waus m tms room are covered
with red damask from the Cl.igi
Palace in Rome and the ceiling is
Italian of the 16th century. The
contents of this "study" would he
worth a King's ransom, and yet one
is not overpowered by its sumptu
ousness—in fact it is essentially
livable. In the entrance hall of the
main building there is over one of
the doors a lovely lunette by Della
Robbia, and even more breathtaking
is a statue in bronze of a standing
angel—French 15th century, said to
have been intended as a weather
vane for Sainte Chapelle, Paris—
as simple as anything that modern
art has brought forth, but infinitely
more subtle and exquisite.
And with these great works of art
are shown—fine bindings, books su
perbly printed, illuminations—origi
nal manuscripts of literary produc
tions of world renown—art of a
different sort but art just the same.
This is something which we all
sometimes forget.
Historic Sources.
Instantly upon entering the Pier
pont Morgan Library one is intro
duced to its collections. In the first
entrance hall, where, by the way, is
the desk at which postcards, photo
graphs, etc., may be had, are shown,
in cases, book bindings executed for
numerous historic personages who
lived during the 15th and successive
centuries up to the time of Louis
XVI, executed by great binders who
were both craftsmen and artists.
Among those for whom these bind
ings were wrought were kings and
queens, scholars and courtiers; Fran
cis I, Henry II and III of France,
Henry of Navarre, Edward VI, James
I, Charles I and his wife, Henrietta
Maria; Charles II of England and
I-—__
Louis XIV of France, Popes Julius
III, Pius IV, Paul V and Clement
XIII, Marie de Medici, Diana de Poi
tiers, Marie Antoinette and Jean
Grolier de Sevier, one of the great
est bibliophiles the world has known,
a true lover of books and connoisseur
of printing, paper and binding—
often making his own designs and
superintending thase who carried
them out.
How beautiful these bindings are
and how perfectly made! How
frankly they evidence the esteem in
which printed word was held in
those faroff days when printing
was, save by hand, a comparatively
new art. But what one is bound to
remark is the excellence of the orna
mental design and the care that was
expended upon its interpretation.
We have some good binders today—
craftsmen of exceptional ability—
but very little call for work like this.
And after all the bindings match
their content. Among the welter of
books that come today from the
presses how many are worthy of
being so royally dressed? Yet the
Grolier Club of New York and cer
tain other groups and individuals
help to continue the tradition.
More book covers of elaborate de
sign and workmanship are to be seen
in the exhibition room. These are
of earlier date and are of metal.
They date back to the 10th century
and among them is a gold and
jeweled cover which is considered
the most finished specimen of Caro
lingian goldsmiths’ work in exist
ence. Besides this cover from France
there are others from Switzerland.
Flanders, England, Germany and
Italy. For the most part they are in
silver and silver gilt, ornamented not
only with jewels but enamels and
carvings in ivory. The latest in date
is Italian of the 16th century. How
precious the book must have been
which was thought worthy of such
a cover!
By Great Masters.
In the exhibition room also are
shown examples of two other col
lections of supreme importance as
works of art—illuminated manu
scripts and original drawings by the
great masters. The former provide
endless source of study and enjoy
ment. Here, for instance, is a copy
of the “Four Gospels,” in Latin, of
the ninth century, with entire text
written in letters of burnished gold
on vellum of varying shades of pur
ple. There are four other copies of
the “Four Gospels," in Latin, illumi
nated; two French and German of
the ninth century and two Flemish
and Italian of the 11th century.
From the 15th and 16th centuries
come several illuminated "Hours of
the Virgin,” among which is an
exquisite leaf painted at Bruges by
a Flemish artist of the school of
Gerard David, showing the virgin
surrounded by a procession of saints
with a cathedral in the background.
Surely this was done in the day
“when art was still religion.” But
what a variety of subject matter is
found among these illuminations—
Psalters, lectionaries, missals, books
on the martyrs, brievaries—and
secular themes as well—“Materia
Medica” in Greek, Byzantine of the
10th century; Pliny’s Letters In
Latin—Italian 6th century, earliest
of all: “Aesop's Fables"; "Ordinances
of Armoury, Navigation,” etc., Eng
lish 15th century. Also here one
finds—and of much more than pass
ing interest—a set of Tarocchi cards
—very beautiful in color, design and
workmanship—Italian 16th century.
The richness of the color and the
brightness of the gold used by these
illuminators so long ago is matter of
marvel.
Drawings Reflect limes.
On the walls of the exhibition
room, above the cases containing the
illuminations, are the drawings by
the Old Masters. These run from
the 15th through the 18th century
and include some of the greatest
names in the history of art. There
is something very intimate and per
sonal about them, made as they
were primarily for studies, but with
all the deftness at the artists’ com
mand, and in every case with more
than a glint of genius. Here is a
drawing by Raphael of “The Agony
at Gethsemane.” Pontormo is rep
resented by “Group of Four Female
Figures,” Durer, at his best, by an
“Adam and Eve.”
There are three Rembrandts, one
of a woman carrying a child down
stairs, which, it is thought, may pos
sibly be of the artist's wife, Saskia,
and their son Titus. It is in pen and
ink and wash. Claude Lorrain, one
of the earliest of landscape painters,
is thrice represented—twice with
landscapes in which figures are
given chief prominence, and only
once by a pure landscape study.
In this great parade are Watteau
and Fragonard and Boucher, Gains
borough and Reynolds, each repre
sented by a drawing (or drawings)
indicative of character and style.
Finally, bringing up the rear, come
Blake with illustrations for the
“Book of Job”; Thomas Rowland
son, with a rather jocose work,
“Visit to the Uncle,” and Hogarth,
as usual striving to make over the
world—by a drawing of “Cruelty to
Horses.” What could be better? But
inevitably there is a gap between the
drawing by a painter made as a
study and that of an illustrator who
has a story to tell. Just what it is
or why it should be is hard to ex
plain—but that it does exist this col
lection evidences.
Exhibit of Etchings.
It is not a long step from the
drawings by the masters in the ex
hibition room to the etchings and
mezzotints which line the walls of
the long, broad corridor leading into
the main building—but if one does
not keep an epe on his watch, in
sufficient time will be reserved, for
the treasures that await in the two
large remaining rooms—east room
and study.
To see two or three etchings by
Rembrandt in pristine state is a
feast for the art lover, and here are
43, among them some of Ms flneet
W "
Landscapes
On Exhibit
Tomorrow
Local Artists Show
Work at Private
Display
A private showing of landscape
work by local artists will be held
tomorrow under the direction of
Theodora Kane at the Georgetown
Galleries, recently moved to new
exhibition rooms at 1419 Twenty
second street N.w. The exhibition
will Be open to the public until
September 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
daily.
This is the second annual land
scape exhibition arranged by this
gallery for artists resident in the
District, Virginia and Maryland.
Thirty-one painters have had their
work accepted, nearly 50 works in
various mediums. Many local views
have been the inspiration of these
artists. The historic C. & O. Canal
has always been a favorite subject;
quaint Washington alleys come in
for their share, too. Scenes along
the Potomac, in Rock Creek and
many other familiar spots are por
trayed. This year the galleries are
offering prizes for the most popular
W'orks, the public being requested
to vote. To the two artists whose
work receives the greatest number
of votes will be awarded a two
man show at the galleries during
the coming season.
Artists whose work hangs in the
current exhibit include Alice Ache
son, Emilie Arlt. Paul Arlt, Lee At
kyns, Philip Adams. M. Lee Abbot,
George Ann. Bo Barringer, Mar
guerite Burgess. J. K. Byrne, Jack
Berkman, Mimi Bolton. Margaret
Cumberland, Isobel Cotton, Helen
Goodwin, Crozier Galloway, John
Greer, Helen Hall, Sally Jumper,
Bobbie Kerr, Theo Kane, Suzanne
Mullett, Hildah Massey, Oke Nord
gren, Aida Prencipe, Eleanor Rust,
Randy Richardson, Mary' Ruth
Snow, E. Poultney Smith, Catherine
Vagnoni and Eugene Weisz.
and best. The very first etching he
ever made—a portrait of his mother
dated 1628. begins the story. Other
portraits of his mother, his father,
Saskia and Rembrandt himself, fol
low, as well as those famous plates
—portraits of Jan Cornelius Syl
vius, preacher, which is put down in
the catalogue as a posthumous
work; Jan Six, burgomaster of
Amsterdam and patron of Rem
brandt, and Clement de Jonghe,
print seller. Here are some of the
best of his etchings of biblical
themes—three of which are each
twice shown—the "Hundred Guilder
Print,” in impressions on two differ
ent kinds of paper; "Christ Pre
sented to the People” and "Christ
Crucified Between Two Thieves,”
each in two different states. There
is a beautiful print of the "Three
Trees” and several of other land
scapes, simple and very sincere. The
I group is concluded by a pnnt of
. “The Woman With the Arrow,”
I dated 1661, and thought to be the
last plate Rembrandt ever etched.
From these masterpieces of etch
ing by the greatest etcher of all
time one turns to the collection of
mezzotints—the earliest executed in
1642, the work of Ludwig von Siegen,
who is credited with having in
vented the process. Because of the
perfection to which this art was
carried in England and its exces
sive use there, mezzotint engraTing
became generally known as "la
maniere Anglaise,” but it was bom
and cradled on the continent of
Europe. Among the great mezzo
tinters of England that are repre
sented here by outstanding exam
ples are James McArdell, Valentine
Green and John Raphael Smith, all
of whom carried this method of
engraving to the greatest perfec
tion, and in so doing contributed to
the fame of the leading painters
of their area whose works they re
produced. Just how much of the
fame of Reynolds, Gainsborough,
Romney and their contemporaries
is due to the mezzotints by these
engravers it would be hard to say,
but certainly they interpreted the
portraits painted by them with the
utmost sympathy and skill. It is a
selection of these in charming ar
ray that the Pierpont Morgan Li
brary has arranged for the instruc
tion and delight of summer visitors.
Artistry in Books.
Around the corner in the main
building .one is in the presence of
printed books which are by their
own right—design of type, layout of
page, composition — works of art.
Here as proper introduction, one sees
in the main entrance hall, in a ease
guarded over, as it were, by the
Sainte Chappelle Angel, a copy, in
two volumes, of the Gutenberg Bible,
produced in Mainz in 1454. This
was the first work of considerable
size printed, other than by hand, in
Europe. There is to be seen with this
a Bible in Italian printed in Venice
in 1471—tlge first to appear in this
language, and also the first in Eng
land which was probably printed in
Zurich in 1535. There is a first edi
tion of the “Book of Common Pray
er” and other early religious works.
For instance, an “Hours of the Vir
gin,” printed by Caxton in 1477—
which is the only known copy in ex
istence.
The beautiful East Room is still
to be explored, but in it the interest
is in manuscript copies of famous
works of literature—of which the
limitations of space will not permit
description. There is art here, too,
however, in illustration, and occa
sionally in penmanship—but of the
last rather surprisingly little. To
the printer of today the typewriter,
if far less mighty than the pen, must
bring great relief from what must
have been in some instances almost
insurmountable difficulties.
As the door of the Pierpont Mor
gan Library closes behind the out
going visitor a great adventure ends,
but not absolutely, for with the cata
logue one carries away in one’s
hand goes the consciousness of a
great tradition and a better under
standing of the culture of the past
of which we ourselves today are
heirs.
This exhibition will continue
through October 31.