ENGLAND'S TREASURES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19762, 8 October 1927, Page 2 (Supplement)

ENGLAND'S TREASURES.

HOW THEY ARE HIDDEN. " TOO DARNED MUCH OF IT." NEW IDEA FOR MUSEUMS. It is suggested by the London Daily Express that museums and, where possible, art galleries Could perform a popular and useful public service if they would hold '' feature" days. Every day the curator of a museum would pick out one object from his collection and " feature" it in a position in which it would receive the undivided attention of all visitors. Attached to the " feature" would be a full account of its history, how it came into the possession of the museum, its rarity, and itfs merit. Thus the mind of the public, which is at present confused by the very richness of the 'great national collections, would find a focussing point. Every museum contains buried treasures which are passed over by the average visitor. A correspondent of the paper named, writes" Some years ago I stayed in

tho home of a rich Japanese banker in Tokio, a man of deep culture and a noted art critic. He was famed for his collection of pictures and porcelain, yet never more than one picture or one rare vase was seen in his house at one time. His art collection was kept under lock and key in a strong room. Every morning he wou! 1 unlock this treasure house, chouse a picture and a piece of porcelain, and return to decorate his rooms. A man," hr sa;d, " can look only at one thing at n lir ;e!" The thousands of men and women who are at present visiting the museums and art galleries of England will appreciate the moral of this story. They are surfeited with sights. What a help i£ would be to the countless visitors if the Museum curators would isolate one good exhibit from the rich profusion and place it in a room by itself with an account of its history and any other claim to distinction which it may possess. What a joy for an enthusiastic curator would be the " featuring" of the numerous " pets" which all curators possess; objects which are forced to take a submerged position in the greater design of a large collection. The virtue of " featuring" museum objects is two fold; works of art which are but little known by the general public would become well known, and ordinary sightseers would find their wandering wits inevitably focussed on one specific object.

i " I think the suggestion is excellent," v said the keeper of a famous collection,. " and one that I would personally like I to put into effect. ; "I know too well that the effect of a j museum on the casual visitor is to stun him mentally, We have all felt the same feeling at the Royal Academy or in the Louvre, where the number of pictures is bewildering. The eye cannot take them in! I would dearly like to isolate oue of my favourite exhibits week by week in a room set apart for the purpose, a room draped in black, a room that would focus the eye and the mind on that one object alone, I believe the public would appreciate it." The provincial museums might also i dopt ' featuring" with good results. How many trefteures are buried away in the town hall 3 and art galleries of ■ provincial towns. " What treasures do" Hull, Leeds, Nottingham, Norwich, Exeter, and many others possess which could be set apart' from their collections and j " featurea" to the probable astonishment of townsmen and visitors.