The Royal Gallery of Hampton Court. By E. Law. (G.
Bell and Sons. 30e.)—Mr. Law has done a very useful work in making a critical survey of this collection of pictures. The Hampton -Court pictures, eight hundred and eighty-five of which are here catalogued, have suffered, in general estimation, from the fact that hitherto so little has been done to sift them and ascribe them, as far as possible, to their real painters. I visitor to a gallery who has not got the latest results of criticism at his finger's ends is apt to become bewildered by the number of impossible Giorgiones. The feeling soon comes over him that all the pictures are shams. Mr. Law has made it his work to inquire into the history of the pictures, and also to find out the verdicts of the experts, and is thus able to bring the pictures into some sort of order. When all the absurdities of the ancient ascriptions are set aside, what a wonderful number of fine pictures emerge. The work before us has many illustrations, and people turning over the book will be surprised at the good things there, especially of the Venetian school,—two fine Tintorettos, portraits by Titian, Lorenzo Lotto, and Dosso Dossi, to say nothing of pastorals by Bonifazio I. and holy families by Palma Vecchio, and that wonderful shepherd which Morelli declared au authentic Giorgione. It is to be hoped that by means of this excellent piece of work not only will the public realise what treasures of Italian art are to be found at Hampton Court, but that the pictures will be renamed, if not upon an infallible, at any rate upon a reasonable, basis.
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