RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 257, 27 July 1936, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events (By Kickshaws.) All we can say about history repeating itself is that there has been a whole lot recently that isn’t fit to do so. * * ♦ The Tourist Board, it is staffed, is daily expecting its running shoes. Despite the fact that it holds the best views in New Zealand. » • » Sea power, says the First Lord, is essential to Britain’s existence. Those folks at Whitehall will soon be saying, “we told you so” to the Navy League. » « • A correspondent asks: Is not the average speed (in land miles) of the Normandie and Queen Mary across the Atlantic (over 3000 miles) about equal to the average speed, including stops, of express trains across North America (under 3000 miles) ? They each take about four and a half days, ships and trains. What was the best average speed on the road of private horse vehicles driven by sporting gentlemen in England, between London and Brighton, etc., in the Regency period, 1811-1820? [The average speed between Montreal and Vancouver is 30 miles au hour, excluding the long stops at Winnipeg, Regina and Medicine Hat. The distance is 1251 miles. “Trans Canada Limited” does 28§5 miles in 89 hours 15 minutes. This works out at an average speed of 33 miles au hour. An altitude of 5332 feet is reached on one section. Quicker speeds, no doubt, could be reached, but the average for the year has to be based on the average weather conditions encountered. Ten miles au hour is a high average for a coach journey; special fast vehicles could, however, average 15 miles an hour for short distances.]

The re-discovery of a royal folio of Rembrandts that belongs to the Dominion Museum is yet further proof that this form of art has a curious knack of getting lost, only to be found again unexpectedly. There is, for example, considerable speculation as to what has happened to the original of that exceedingly well-known picture "September Morn.” Nearly everyone has seen this picture either on chocolate boxes or as other forms of advertising. It represents a beautiful girl bathing iu a placid lake with sunshine piercing the early morning mists. Paul Chabas, who painted the picture, has no idea where the original is today. The work was originally bought by Mr. Ortiz, of New York, for £4OO. Since then it has earned at least £20,000 in royalties. When last beard of, the original had found its way to Russia just before the war. Perhaps in years to come, this picture will be rediscovered in unexpected place.

If further proof were required that, the works of artists lead unusual existences one has only to quote the example of the “Portrait of a Gentleman.” This is the work of Vandyck. What happened to the gentleman after he bad his portrait taken is not known. What is known is that his portrait turned up in a small store and was bought for five shillings after the purchaser had tried to knock another half-crown off the price. To-day the same picture is probably worth £10,006. In another case the work of a famous artist was propping up the top of a fish stall. As the prop happened to be Jan Eyck’s portrait of his wife it was worth perhaps £75,000 more than the stall it was propping Even comparatively modern pictures go astray on occasion. Some years ago a Gainsborough portrait of Miss Linley was sold for £9OOO. Previously It had been used by children as a target for darts. The trouble is, of course, that there are so many fakes, about 1000 for every genuine masterpiece. No wonder at times the real picture gets into the wrong place and is overlooked.

If we have any New Zealand masterpieces in oils, etchings or sketches they must perforce belong to comparatively modern times. Yet it is interesting to see that artists were busy turning New Zealand into “canvases” as long ago as 1827. Augustus Earle, draftsman to the famous Beagle, seems to have been the first white man to sketch New Zealand with any pretensions to anything but nautical purposes. All told there were about 160 sketches, but not all of them had New Zealand as a setting. Some idea of the value that is now placed on these sketches may be had from the fact that they changed hands for £lBOO some ten years ago, Mr. Spencer, of 27 New Oxford Street, London, who bought the sketches, declared afterwards that if they were desired for national purposes he would be only too pleased to pass them on. It is understood that the New Zealand Government had given instructions to bid for the volume. The maximum Government bid was, however, a minute fraction of the opening bid of £409 Otherwise the National Art Gallery. Wellington, might to-day be the richer artistically and the taxpayer individually a fraction of a penny the poorer.

However much the debutantes may like being presented, there is one man, the Lord Chamberlain, who must feet thankful when it is all over. Behind the grandeur of these events there is an immense amount of organisation. The more smoothly that proceedings go the less is this noticeable. All the preliminaries are settled by the Lord Chamberlain and his assistants at St. James’s Palace; lists of applicants must be scanned and order of precedence decided—often a tricky matter. About a fortnight before the event the real preparations begin. The guests having been selected, “command” cards are issued. It is technically impossible to refuse the invitation. The military band has already completed many weeks of rehearsals, the guard of honour has been put through its paces day after day. The Master of the Household then gets busy. A court may involve the employ ment of at least 100 additional persons. Twelve extra chefs are required. Two of them, in fact, do nothing but make sandwiches. The clay before the event these experts cut bread the whole time. As it is not possible to make ali the food for a court the day before, much of it has to be kept in cold storage. This in itself calls for completeness of organisation so that the fillings do not go astray, go bad or contrive to get lost completely.

Lord Cromer has probably arranged more courts than any man alive. Indeed, he seems a man of many parts. Not only has he played his part as Lord Chamberlain, but as side issues he censors plays, is guardian of the King’s bedchamber, apartments, presence chamber and wardrobe. Not content with that he also appoints the physicians and surgeons to the Sovereign, has charge of the Royal Chapels, is a director of the Suez Canal Board, and takes an active part in a London. hospital for children.