On the Old Road, Vol. 2 | Page 5

you draw the line, and where would you begin to leave out?--I would only draw the line when I was purchasing a picture. I think that a person might always spend his money better by making an effort to get one noble picture than five or six second or third-rate pictures, provided only, that you had examples of the best kind of work produced at that time. I would not have second-rate pictures. Multitudes of masters among the disciples of Giotto might be named; you might have one or two pictures of Giotto, and one or two pictures of the disciples of Giotto.
Then you would rather depend upon the beauty of the work itself; if the work were beautiful, you would admit it?--Certainly.
But if it were only historically interesting, would you then reject it?--Not in the least. I want it historically interesting, but I want as good an example as I can have of that particular manner.
Would it not be historically interesting if it were the only picture known of that particular master, who was a follower of Giotto? For instance, supposing a work of Cennino Cennini were brought to light, and had no real merit in it as a work of art, would it not be the duty of the authorities of a National Gallery to seize upon that picture, and pay perhaps rather a large price for it?--Certainly; all documentary art I should include.
Then what would you exclude?--Merely that which is inferior, and not documentary; merely another example of the same kind of thing.
Then you would not multiply examples of the same masters if inferior men, but you would have one of each. There is no man, I suppose, whose memory has come down to us after three or four centuries, but has something worth preserving in his work--something peculiar to himself, which perhaps no other person has ever done, and you would retain one example of such, would you not?--I would, if it was in my power, but I would rather with given funds make an effort to get perfect examples.
Then you think that the artistic element should govern the arch?ological in the selection?--Yes, and the arch?ological in the arrangement.
125. Dean of St. Paul's. When you speak of arranging the works of one master consecutively, would you pay any regard or not to the subjects? You must be well aware that many painters, for instance, Correggio, and others, painted very incongruous subjects; would you rather keep them together than disperse the works of those painters to a certain degree according to their subjects?--I would most certainly keep them together. I think it an important feature of the master that he did paint incongruously, and very possibly the character of each picture would be better understood by seeing them together; the relations of each are sometimes essential to be seen.
Mr. Richmond. Do you think that the preservation of these works is one of the first and most important things to be provided for?--It would be so with me in purchasing a picture. I would pay double the price for it if I thought it was likely to be destroyed where it was.
In a note you wrote to me the other day, I find this passage: "The Art of a nation I think one of the most important points of its history, and a part which, if once destroyed, no history will ever supply the place of--and the first idea of a National Gallery is, that it should be a Library of Art, in which the rudest efforts are, in some cases, hardly less important than the noblest." Is that your opinion?--Perfectly. That seems somewhat inconsistent with what I have been saying, but I mean there, the noblest efforts of the time at which they are produced. I would take the greatest pains to get an example of eleventh century work, though the painting is perfectly barbarous at that time.
126. You have much to do with the education of the working classes in Art. As far as you are able to tell us, what is your experience with regard to their liking and disliking in Art--do comparatively uneducated persons prefer the Art up to the time of Raphael, or down from the time of Raphael?--we will take the Bolognese School, or the early Florentine School--which do you think a working man would feel the greatest interest in looking at?--I cannot tell you, because my working men would not be allowed to look at a Bolognese picture; I teach them so much love of detail, that the moment they see a detail carefully drawn, they are caught by it. The main thing which has surprised me in dealing with these men is the exceeding refinement of their minds--so that in a moment I can get carpenters, and smiths, and ordinary