ART AND ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1934, 19 March 1891, Page 32

ART AND ARTISTS.

The portrait of Annie Laurie, the heroine of Maxweiton Braes, and tbafc of her husband, Alexander Fergusson, of Craigdarroch, arejin the possession cf Sir Emilius Laurie, of Maxweiton House, Dumfries. The lady appears more winsome than strictly beautiful. GENEBOUB GIFT FOE AMERICA FBOM FBANCE. The French Government has given to the New York Societe Franagise de Bienfaissance one of the famous Gobelin tapestries. It reproduces the painting " Les Pestiferes de Jaffa," by Gros. This valuable piece of handicraft i 3 24ft in length and 17ft in breadth, and it took 12 years to make it. It is j nowin Washington, but will probably ba taken to New York soon. Mr Thoron does not atI tempt to estimate the value of the gift, but says it will be sold to cover the society's indebtedness, which is about 40,000d01. SUCCESS AND ABT. " It is a familiar fact that the best artists are not always the most successful," writes Traverner in the Boston Post. " There' is a knack of attracting patrons which is" apt to be possessed by those who are deficient in genuine talent. An engaging address, a bright way of saying things that flatter the pride of visitors to his studio, is oftentimes more fruitful in patronage than artistic skill. I am told that many artists make more by teaching than by painting, and there is naturally a great temptation to rely on the patronage of pupils rather than undergo the risks of catering to the tastes qf the public." A POBTBAIT-PAINTEB'S BEMINISCENOES. Mr George Healy, an American portraitpainter, who has painted many royal, and aristocratic personages in Europe, gossips in the North American Beview about his sitters in a pleasant paper of a dozen pages. ,It is slight, but contains a few anecdotes that are interesting. When Louis Phillipe" first sat for his portrait, says Mr Healy :r— I remember that the conversation turned especially on Fiesobi, who had just been exeouted. Louis Philippe was not tender on the subjeot of king-killers, and said, "My dear general, my country-people like to play at being heroes, but I shall let thorn sco that I have the guillotine and the galleys at their service." Ha spoke English moßfc admirably, usinj? it not only oorreotty, but by no means disdaining familiar expressions. Mr Healy contrasts Louis Philippe's pleasant.Jeasy way of conversation with our Queen's stately stiffness. He says Queen Victoria evidently feared to address an obscure commoner, and his American blood rather boiled in his veins when she put all her questions to him through Prince Albert. But he says : — My indignation did not prevent me from looking very hard- at her Maja3fcy. I was struck by the delioaoy of the features and i complexion of the young Queen, and by the extreme elegance of her very handsome husband. This was in 1841. ! He gossips pleasantly about the Queen of Roumania, whom he has painted repeatedly, and whom he praises enthusiastically :—: — I think that all who have approached the Queen of Roumania will agree with ma when I say that no woman was ever more, thoroughly a woman, more daintily refined, more genuinely warm-hearted,, kind, compassionate —more enamoured of all that is pure' and noble. Mr Healy also painted Pius the Ninth, of whom he writes ; — The Pope waa dreaßed all in white cloth with scarlet shoes ; the hair was white, the faoe rather pale, with very bright eyes, not incapable of sparkle, for his Holiness knew how to take a joke. He was a pretty good 1 sitter, but somewhat reatleaß, and carious alao as to what his painter was about. On one ( occasion be arose from his seat to look over my : shoulder. When I am earnestly at work I wish my sitters to help me, and do their duty :by remaining in the attitude I have chosen. I exclaimed, perhaps a little abruptly, " I beg your Holiness to Bit down." The Pops laughed and Baid, " I am accustomed to give orders, not to receive them. But you ccc, Mr Healy, that I also know bow to obey," and suDmisaively went back to bis chair.