THE NATIONAL ART-COLLECTIONS FUND.
LAST week, by the gracious permission of His Majesty, members of the National Art-Collections Fund were again given the opportunity of viewing the Royal collection of pictures and the gardens at Buckingham Palace. Judging by the numbers who passed through the galleries, the majority of the members must have taken advantage of this privilege. The Italian Primitives were not accessible, but in the long galleries and the dining-room the Dutch and English schools were well displayed, also the magnificent Rembrandts. Members were able to renew acquaintance with Jan Steen's Lady at her Toilet, and other gems of the Dutch school, which His Majesty lent to the exhibition at Burlington House. In the Royal dining-room portraits, such as Gainsborough's Queen Anne and Lawrence's George IV., came in for special attention, while, apart from the portraits, the room itself with its cream and gold, its highly ornamented ceiling and open view over the gardens, was eagerly inspected.
The National Art-Collections Fund's object is to secure pictures, and other works of art, for our national collections, and since its inception it has collected over a quarter of a Million for that purpose. A minimum subscription of a guinea is all that is asked. Besides opportunities for seeing private collections, members have free access to the National Gallery, the Portrait Gallery, the Tate, the Wallace Collection and the London Museum on all days. They are also per- mitted to make use of the Reading-room at the British Museum, and the Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a good guinea's worth, for, in addition to the advantages you receive, you have the further satisfaction of knowing that you are helping our galleries and museums to procure pieces which otherwise would often be unobtainable. G. G.
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