ART AND ARTISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2528, 27 August 1902, Page 64

ART AND ARTISTS.

— A remarkable story is being told about M. Captier, the famous Paris sculptor, whose tragic death took place recently. He wanted a model whose feet were perfect for his statue of "Venus," and experienced great difficulty in getting one. When he did succeed in this, he found that the lady could not sit for him. as she was engaged at other studios. She, however, offered to have her feet cut off if M. Captier would -buy an annuity for her aged mother. Needles 3to say, the sculptor had to refuse this offer, much to the apparent regret of the plucky model.

— Mr Matthew Ridley Corbet, A.R.A., the youngest of the Associates of the Royal Academy in point of election, died on Wednesday, June 25, at St. John** Wood. Though Mr Corbet was a painter of marked ability and long experience, he was yet an artist who wae better known to and appreciated by his contemporary artiste than by the general public. He was a pupil of Signor Giovanni Costa, the Roman landscape painter. Ho began to exhibit in London some 30 or more years ago, though ib was some little time before he contributed! to the Royal Academy exhibition?. In 389+ the' president and council of the Royal Academy purchased, under the terms of the Chantrey bequest, his "Morning Glory," n> work "beautiful alike in colour and conception. "The Arno in Flood," in the samo exhibition, still further enhanced his reputation, while "Mountain, Field, and Flood," one of his canvasses exhibited the following year, with "Autumn Rains " and "Passing: Storm" in 1896, were splendid examples of the delightful quality of his style.

INN SIGNS PAINTED BY R.A.'S AND

ROYALTY

One would scarcely expect to find an art treasure hanging outside a publichouso and exposed to all the eccentricities of the elements, yet there are many such scattered about tho country, some of them worth a king's ransom.

One of the most famous signs swings from a small publiehouse at Wargrave, on the banks of the Thames, its value lying in the fact that it is the work of two master hand". Some years ago the celebrated academicians, G. D. Leslie and Hodgson, were spending a holiday there, and one day they not.ccd that the sign was in want of repair, s<\ having nothing to do, they proposed to renovate it. Mrs Wyatt, the proprietress, giving her consent, Mr Leslie took down lhe> board and painted a representation of St. George and tho Dragon on the one siije. while on the other Mr Hodgson pictured. St. Georg© in the act of drinking. Needless to cay, the advertisement gave a decided fillip to business at the bar, for visitors came from, all directions to see the famous sign"?

Many years ago a young artist walked into the Vidler's Arms at Hayes, in R*ent, and as he had decided to "spend the day there, ho offered to repair the dilapidated sign hanging without. Knowing 1 notliing about his visitor, the publican only reluctantly consented, and the pointer set to work to touch up the figure of St. George, his host afterwards remarking that he thought it waa better as it was before. But some years later no one was more surprised than the publican when the same artist rose to b© President of the Academy, and acquired world-wide fame for his pictures bearing the signature of Sir John Millais. No celebrated artist ever painted moro inn signs than George Morland, which ha did both for necessity and pleasure. In his early days he was only too glad to earn a few shillings by renovating a sign-board, while later he often did so purely out o£ generosity. Once, when almost starvinjr. he entered tho Black Bull, just outside Canterbury, and offered to repaint the sign for a night's lodging with a supper thrown in, an offer which was accepted. Only a decade later the publican had not the slightest difficulty in 'selling the sign for lOgs to a collector of Morland's work. Another hoard painted by the same artist wae that of the Cricketers at Chertsoy. Morland wa? staying at tho inn, and one day his host chanced to remark that the sigu was the worse for wear, little dreaming tha-t his • isitor would take it into his head to repaint it so that he subsequently sold it for £15. For many years the effigy of Bryden, which swung in the wind outside' the Dryden Amis at Chesterton, was looked upon as a very crude piece of work. It had been painted by a young artist named Beechey, Init whon afterwards he developed into the celebrated Sir William Becchey, the despised fcign-board became a thing of value and was eagerly sought nftor by connoisseurs, though the innkeeper stoutly refused to part with it. Another famous board, the Mule ami Muleteer, by Correggio, which for many years hung outside a publiehouse in the Midland)!, and was originally painted for a few 'hilling*, is now one of the most choi •-':<•<:'. paintings in the Stafford collection

There i-> probab'.y only one inn sign in exigence wlu< h has' been painted by a royal artist, .thl ihat may be found at Roseneath, a small vjUagc on the Clyde owned by the Duke c.[ Arsvll. Tlip Duke and Duchess often stay at Rn=oneath Inn when in search of scciiihion. and not long ago the latter spent an idle 'lay m painting a new sign, which s-lip forthwith presented to the innkeeper, who naturally declines to accept the , erv tfmpt.ng offers which have been made for it fiom time to time by connoisseurs.