WORKS OF OLD MASTERS SOLD AT AUCTION SALE ?

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1948, Page 8

WORKS OF OLD MASTERS SOLD AT AUCTION SALE ?

Gainsborough, Reynolds and Van Dyck are thought to be the painters of some of a collection of 31 portraits sold at a New Plymouth auction mart on behalf of a carrying company recently. There was only one man interested in the collection, which had been stored at New Plymouth for ovqr 20 years. Eleven of them are thought to be of great value, and New Zealand and Australian art galleries are negotiating for their purchase from their new owner, Mr F. Butler, of New Plymouth.

The pride of the collection is a wellpreserved portrait, “Dr Mudge,” credited to Sir Joshua Reynolds. One portrait is attributed to Sir Anthony Van Dyck. It is in this that the Melbourne Art Gallery is interested. Other paintings are believed to be by Frederick Yeates, Hurlstone, by Ambrose Ramsay and by Sir Peter Lely. One of a severely dressed woman is believed to be a Gainsborough. The surfaces of the paintings are laced with fine cracks, like those of age, but there are few irreparable blemishes. All are coated in varying degrees with varnish, and many hours of careful restoration by the one expert in New Zealand at Wanganui will be necessary before the full lustre of the paintings will be seen. Officials of North Island galleries have already inspected the works, and Mr Butler is to take the collection to Dunedin for inspection by South Island experts.