in accepting. The educational purpose which such a national collection is
designed to serve, as is explained in the interesting communication from
Mr. L. Bernard Hall, director of the Melbourne National Gallery, which was
published in this journal on Wednesday morning, is different to that of a
private collection. As yet only the merest nucleus of the West Australian
natural collection has been selected. The fist series of works of art were
received some months ago, and another consignment has now come to hand.
The paintings included in the latter consignment were recommended for
purchase by Dr. Agnew, of Hobart, to Sir James Lee-Steere, chairman of the
committee of the Perth Museum—which is charged with the expenditure of the
yearly grant. Sir James saw these pictures while on a visit to Tasmania
some time ago. They are all the work of English artists, and had been sent
out to Tasmania for exhibition and sale.

The paintings selected are six in number, and the price paid for them was
in the aggregate £804. The pictures have not yet been hung, and therefore
cannot be inspected to the best advantage. Those who inspect them will,
however, not all agree that the value of the amount named has been
obtained, or that the paintings will have a very high educational value to
the artist or to the lay connoisseur. The most eminent name which appears
as the signature of any of the paintings is that of Mr. W. P. Frith, R.A.,
who is represented in “The Match Sellers.” The painting represents a city
street scene—a woman with two children, one a babe in arms, offering
matches for sale. The picture is criticised on account of the wax-doll
appearance of the children and the fact that the figures present a well-
nourished and comfortable appearance not usually associated with those who
earn their living tinder the circumstances depicted. The picture was
purchased at £100. This, however, seems to the observer who next turns to
“Lancing Mill,” to have been moderate. This canvas depicts a Sussex rural
scene—a windmill in a hay field with stacked sheaves, and the figures of
rustics engaged in harvesting operations, and in the distance a valley.
The picture possesses an effective sky. The artist is James Aumonier, and
the price £300, and on noting the latter fact the suggestion may arise
that some portion of the worth of the picture must have been deemed to lie
in its size. “In Sight At Last,” a depiction of a scene outside a cottage
in a fishing village on the sighting of an expected vessel possesses some
elements of effectiveness, and compared with the last-named picture the
price of £160 does not seem high. The figures, however, lack life, and the
colouring is thin. The artist is W. Perth Watson, R.B.A. “Morning Light “
is not one of the strong points of the collection, the scene depicted
being a sea-girt cliff, the reflection of the morning sun on the sea being
emphasised. The artist is S. Morrish, and the price £100. The last two
paintings strengthen the collection. One of these is a scene from the much-
painted Burnham Beeches, by Miss Florence Fitzgerald. The technique is
good, and the autumn tints, which form the characteristic feature of the
colouring of the picture, are effectively brought out. Life is given to
the picture by the figures of children gathering fallen leaves. Effective
portions of the painting are the representation of the water lying under
an old beech tree, the ruts of the rough track running through the wood,
and the background of wood and undergrowth, the artist having avoided the
device of dismissing this portion of the background in the manner of a
photograph. The painting, as compared with the others, is indeed cheap at
£84, though the figures are far from satisfactory. The sixth painting is
“The Rugged North,” by G. E. Hargeil, R.I., a Scotch mountain in the
background, with characteristic clouds and a drove of Highland cattle in
the foreground. This is one of the cheap pictures, as regards the amount
paid, £60, but it will be more than some of the others an ornament to the
collection.

In addition to the paintings, the art collection has lately been added to
by a number of plaster copies of examples of classical statuary, from the
establishment of Messrs. Brucciani and Co., of London. The originals are
for the most part in the British Museum, the Louvre, or the Vatican. They
include a copy of the Venus of Milo, from the famous original in the
Louvre, which is accepted as the classical model of the female form ; a
figure of Iris, from the British Museum, the feature of which is the
draping, an equestrian frieze from the Parthenon, Assyrian friezes, and
several minor examples, such as the head of Sophocles, etc.

Neither the models of statuary nor the paintings are yet on public view,
but the authorities of the Museum, where they are located, hope to have
them open for inspection almost immediately.