THE R OGEES SALE.
The sale of Mr. Rogers's copious and choice collection of works of art and vertu commenced at Christie's on Monday, with the Egyptian anti- quities; and is to last twelve days, ending on the 10th May. Tuesday disposed of the antique glass, marbles, &e. ; Wednesday and Thursday of the archaic Greek vases; the pictures came on for disposal yesterday and today. Modern sculpture, drawings, miniatures, illuminations, en- gravings, copies of Rogers's Poems and the illustrations to the celebrated edition, together with a variety of miscellaneous articles, remain for the ensuing days. Crowds attended the views in the sale-room, and the prices which the opening of the sale has realized promise a rich receipt at last. The pictures amount to about 260, remarkable chiefly for the exam- ples of the earlier Italian schools, and, in a minor degree, of the Flemish. Of these, the specimens that can be called first-rate are certainly rare, and some we should not hesitate to pronounce spurious ; but the average is am- ply sufficient to make the collection a very interesting one in a country so scantily supplied as England is with works of this class. There are, more- over, rritians, Bassanos, Tintorets, Rembrandts, Rubenses, Raffaelles, -Giorgionea, (of which only one appears to us a possible Giorgione,) Tur- ners, Watteaus, Wilkies, Velasquezes, numerous Stothards, a fine Vero- nese, and some celebrated Reynoldses. Before this paper is in the reader's hand, the question will be decided ; but, writing while it still is a ques- tion, we may express a very decided opinion that it is a duty of the Na- tional Gallery authorities to bid, and bid high, for some of the lots, as the department at Marlborough House has been doing for artiales within their province. The first picturewhich the nation ought to obtain lathe splendid finished sketch of Tintoret's "Miracle of St. Mark." Other fine works of the central-period of art also have a claim ; but, looking to the tone of the pictures themselves and the exigencies of our Gallery, the remaining works which we deem particularly worthy of purchase belong to the earlier schools. These are—lst, a Virgin Enthroned, with Saints, by Cimabue ; 2d, a Head of -an Evangelist, also attributed to Cimabue in the catalogue, but which appears to us of a far more mature period, and
not unlike Masaccio ; 3d, one of the two Angelicos, of which, though neither is first-class, both are valuable ; 4th, either the so-called .Giotto of the Virgin and Child, with angels, which is evidently no Giotto, but possibly a Gozzoli or an .Angelican work, and certainly an exquisite pies ture,—or else the Lorenzo di Credi; 5th, the Giotto fresco of Sts. Peter and John ; and 6th, one of the Hemmlings, either the head called his own portrait, or another.
Previous page
