A REPUTED TURNER

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 32, 1 November 1933, Page 4

A REPUTED TURNER

Pictures to be Auctioned Wellington admirers of art will be given an opportunity of adding to their collections next Friday, when a number of very fine oils, watercolours, etchings and rare prints will be sold by auction on the premises of J. H. Bethune and Co., auctioneers. Pride of place among these pictures must be given to a rare mezzotint engraving attributed to the Scottish artist, David Roberts. This is a magnifi-cently-executed piece of work, full of the most intricate detail and finely balanced colouring. The scene is a coronation —probably that of George IV —and each of the hundreds of figures represented in it is a character study in itself. Another very interesting item is a water-colour, “Patmos on the Dart, Rugland,” believed to be by the famous artist J. M. W. Turner. This picture has been X-rayed and proved to be executed in mineral colours. It was probably painted about the middle of last century, as since that time vegetable colours have been used. Other outstanding works are a set of eight rare engravings by Cruickshanks, Topan and Melville, illustrating scenes and characters in Sir Walter Scott’s novels, and some charming large-sized French coloured etchings. Among the reprint etchings are several by Whistler. The collection contains a number of the French pastels of New Zealand scenes by J. D. Perrett, for which this artist is deservedly famous, and also several of his oils. There are watercolours and oils also by several wellknown Australian and British painters.