Mr. G. T. Poole presided.

The lecturer drew comparisons between the various important Continental
galleries and museums, and said that London boasted of Parthenon
fragments, as against the Venus de Milo of the Louvre.  Even the latter’s
rich collections of painting, with their fabulous intrinsic value, did not
contain the greatest works of the greater masters of art.  For instance,
none of its Raphaels could compare with the Sistine Madonna or the Vatican
frescoes, while Milan claimed the “Last Supper.”  The most valued
productions of Velasquez, Rembrandt, and Van Dyke were in other galleries.
 It could be said that most of the masters of both earlier and later date
were retained by Italy.  But, putting that aside, it could be safely
asserted that Paris possessed an unrivalled collection of the most notable
painters of all time. It was its very general and very unusual excellence,
together with its vast numbers, that placed the museum of the Louvre at
the head of all European galleries. To Francois I. was due the inception
of the art collection of the Louvre, he having acquired a decided taste
for art during his Italian wars.  As France at that time could not boast
of any artists worthy of note, he included some Italian masters to take up
their abode at the capital. Chief amongst these were Leonardo de [sic]
Vinci and Andrea del Sarto.  Under the King’s fostering care, a new school
of art under Italian influence was begun. Under Louis XIV. the collection
was increased to 2,000, and the Louvre became possessed of the valuable
art treasures of Charles I. of England.  Vast sums had been devoted to
securing pictures of importance.  In 1852 a decree was granted by the
President of 615,300 francs for the purchase of Murillo’s “Immaculate
Conception” at Marshal Soult’s sale.  In 1900 everything was transformed ;
schools were hung together, and overcrowded walls were thinned down. The
museum had the right to buy and sell, and had its own income of over
400,000 francs per annum.  Sculpture of ancient and middle-ages, and the
Renaissance, Assyrian, Greek, and Egyptian antiquities abounded.  A view
of the Louvre was shown, and its constructional advantages described.
Subsequently slides representing some 30 of the more valuable pictures in
the gallery were shown, but the lack of color effects somewhat detracted
from their artistic value, which the lecturer endeavoured to explain in
detail....