hung in the gallery. The small room is now overcrowded, but it is satisfactory to know that the working plans of the new art gallery will be ready for inspection on Tuesday next. The three pictures are :—“Adjusting the Plough,” a farming scene, by J. Scherrewitz, a rising Dutch painter ; “Crossing the Ford,” a characteristic English landscape by Thomas Creswick, R.A., who originally received £1 ,200 for the painting ; and “Flooded Meadows—Norfolk Broads,” by Professor Karl Heffner, of Dresden, Germany, a painter who has a world-wide reputation for his wonderful atmospheric effects. This artist’s work is well known in Australia, being represented in all the national galleries of the several Sates.

occurred, and Mr. Woodward has just received what it is hoped will prov When our representatives visited the Art Gallery yesterday afternoon, Mr. Woodward and his assistant were hanging the newly-arrived pictures. Some of them were already on the walls, but Mr. Woodward explained that the Gallery would not be open to the pub

they resolved to set about the work in real earnest of creating both a museum and a pictur The most important picture, undoubtedly, is a portrait by Sir Thomas Laurence, P.R.A. It is very rich in colour, and is in excellent preservation. The portrait is a strikingly handsome one, and its method of treatment characteristic of the painter, who h “Lake Lugano,” by R. P. Bonington, which like the Laurence, was secured from the collection of the late Dr. Fisher, is a perfect little gem, and is painted with exquisite clearness and brilliancy. It was one of the most popular pictures in the loan colle A marine painting, “The Lizard Point,” by William Melby, R.A., of Copenhagen, attracted considerable notice in Melbourne, when it was first exhibited, some 14 or 15 years ago. The Argus wrote :—”The latest, if not the best, work from the pencil of Mr. Me One of the Melbourne dailies, writing of Arthur Helcke's foreshore picture of “Roquaine Bay, “Guernsey,” described it a remarkable for its luminous sky and fine quality of light and spaciousness. When it is hung, and on view to the public, it will probab Two Australian artists are represented in the collection, the one being the late Louis Buvelôt, and the other Frederick M‘Gubbin, of the Melbourne National Painting School. Of the two pictures, the one being Buvelôt’s “Road to Dromana,” and the other McG The last of the oil paintings is a charmingly finished little picture, called “The Fruit Girl,” by J. H. S. Mann. The remaining picture, and the only one of this instalment painted in water colours, is E. H. Fahey’s favourite view of Windsor. As a painter of still water, he has few rivals, and, perhaps, a better example of the excellent qualities of his work could h

a few days ago, and a representative of The Morning Herald was invited to inspect them yesterday. There are three life-size statues and three busts. One of full-size statues, “Diskobolos,” is a replica of the famous bronze original, dated 440 B.C. “The Aphrodite Of Knidos” is a beautiful piece of work. The third statue portrays a young athlete in the act of scraping himself. The limbs are such as the best athletes of the 19th century might well envy. One of the busts represents Julius Caesar, and another a type of Apollo. The third is the most beautiful of the three. The original, which is at present in the British Museum, was at first called “Clytie,” but the name was afterwards changed to that of “Unknown.” It is probably the bust of an Empress of the Augustine period. The statues are all well worth seeing. Various improvements are being effected at the Museum, and it will not be the fault of the curator, Mr. Woodward, if that institution does not become a favorite resort.

paintings and works of art, Mr. L. Bernard Hall, the Director of the Melbourne National G “National Gallery, Melbourne, “January 6th, 1896. “In reply to your letter of December 23rd regarding the formation of a national collection of a works of art in Perth, it will give me great pleasure to formulate my idea of what the aim of such a national collection should be, together with the only pra “My idea, then, of a national collection, as opposed to a private one, is simply to set up a definite standard of the best, and to let people educate themselves up to the appreciation of it. A private collection is formed with the idea of giving pleasure “I understand that your walls at present are perfectly bare, and I take the liberty of congratulating you on the fact, and express the hope that they may be covered very slowly and very carefully. The intrusion of a questionable work of art at any time I “Now, as to the purchase of works in Europe, I would advise that a sum of money be placed with your Agent in London, to be drawn against—say up to £1,000—by two gentlemen, one in Paris, the other in London, of whose judgment, discretion, and honesty you “A public Gallery should command the pick of an artists’ work, and would do so if properly approached. The commission to purchase might be renewed, if satisfactorily performed, or put into other hands if not, when the original sum was exhausted. “You have asked me to be as explicit as possible, so I have not stinted to enlarge upon the difficulties that a public body has to deal with in making such a collection. I hope I have partly shown how these difficulties can be avoided or minimised. The p “If I can help you on these lines in any further way, I assure you I shall only be too pleased to do so ; for though I believe in corporations or the State fostering a love for beauty and knowledge through the agency of public, libraries, galleries of ar “Believe me, “Yours very truly, “(Sgd.) L. BERNARD HALL” “Melbourne, January 10, 1896. “You ask me in yours of the 9th inst. to go still further into the details of a scheme for purchasing pictures by your trustees. So I continue to advise you as I would the trustees of our own Gallery here. First of all, I would remind you that the best a “In my former letter I recommended you to place £1,000 each with two well-known artists—one in London, the other in Paris (since everything of distinction can be obtained in Paris and London)—with a free hand to purchase at their own time, and if possibl “I will give you the names of certain men of sufficiently Catholic taste to entrust with such a commission. In this instance they happen to be all personal friends of mine. In London, I would place £1,000 with Mr. George Clausen, A.R.A., for the purpose “If you propose to buy sculpture I would put £800 into the hands of Mr. Onslow Ford, R.A., getting with this a piece of his at £200. I would strongly advise you to make a collection of etchings and pen and ink drawings, and would suggest that Mr. Joseph “Mr. Louis Fagan, late head of the Print Department, British Museum, would, I am sure, collect old engravings for you if you intend making them a feature of your gallery. Ask for single and good examples of the best masters, to illustrate those arts hist “I would caution you about the donations and 1oans that are certain to be offered to you. Be very strong about requiring these to be up to the level of the best in your collection. The more select that is made, the higher the standard you may expect from “A pictorial museum, as it were, for pictures of local or historical interest, both of portraits and places, will be of very great interest, and doubtl

Gallery is one which most laymen would feel diffident in accepting. The educational purpos 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 va 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 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.

justice to this impression it would be as well to say that it arises from the A portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A., though not a fine example, is a piece of work which should command the attention of any lover of art. It is gracefully composed, and the colour, if not of the highest order, is at least healthy and pleasing. The “A Little Fruit Girl,” by Mr. J. H. S. Mann, is a picture too suggestive of the “pretty, pretty” type. Unfortunately it is difficult to find anything to say in its praise, since its faults are so glaring. It is so evident that it was painted to please th Mr. W. P. Frith’s “The Match Sellers” was painted with much the same view in end, although it can boast of more artistic merit and truth, parts of the picture being very well modelled, especially in the drapery. The light and shade, though, is false, and “El Scribenillo,” a copy of a portrait by Velasquez, shows a keen appreciation by Mr. Pitt Morison of this great master’s work. His imitations of the brushwork is really excellent, and those who have been fortunate enough to have seen any work by Velasqu There is a very interesting little picture of the impressionist school by Mr. P. Wilson, Steere, “Yacht Racing in the Solent,” and, as will be seen by this example, their endeavour is to leave out all unnecessary detail, relying entirely on their values “In the Meadows,” by Mr. Mark Fisher, is a piece of work that would held its own in any gallery, boldly painted, strong in colour, and full of daylight. Of course it would not please the million, but that is rather in its favour than otherwise. It would “Lake Lugano,” by R. P. Bonington, is without doubt one of the gems of the museum. It is a simple little subject simply treated. Its purity and delicacy of colour are unequalled by any other picture in the museum. These are qualities that are seldom abse In “The Freeholder,” by James Charles, there is a capital study of character of a typical English countryman. It is drawn with a great deal of feeling ; one feels, though, that it is a bit inclined to be chalky in colour. “A Summer Morning,” by H. H. La Thangue, is an exceedingly good example of this artist’s work, quite masterly in its technique, without any trickery, a straightforward sincere work from beginning to end, and with all its breadth there is not one single p “Low Tide,” by Arnold Helcke, is nothing like so pleasing a work of art as “A Summer Morning.” It is given to trickery, and the artist seems to have relied more on his badger than his brushwork. It is a good subject, well composed, and with a certain amo “The Great Southern Ocean,” by J. Ford Paterson, though such a large canvas has been used, is little more than a study of rocks and sea, yet his treatment gives an importance to the subject which it would not otherwise possess, and its richness of colour Below this picture is an interesting subject entitled “The Leaf Gatherers,” Burnham Beeches, a praiseworthy piece of work, though a bit laboured, and shows a want of spontaneity, especially felt in the figures, which suggest too plainly that they have be “Down on his luck,” by Frederick McCubbin, is a subject that should please most Australians. As a subject it tells its tale too well to need description. It is a well drawn piece of work, and the painting is decidedly clever in parts. The figure, though, “The end of a long day” will rank with the best pictures in the gallery. It is a masterly piece of work, daring in its colour and vigorous in its painting. The warm glow of the sun is wonderfully felt. The artist has thrown aside all unnecessary detail, What a different stamp of pictures is the next, by W. Peter Watson, “In sight at