DRAWING OF WORKS OF ART.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 27, 3 April 1891, Page 7

DRAWING OF WORKS OF ART.

(From the Otago Daily Times.)

As additional funds, beyond those realised by the rece .t concert iv the Garrison Hall, are required before sufficient will be in hand to enable the erection of a small lioman Catholic Church in the North Bast Valley to bf pro<wr^<i with, an art-union has bscn organised, with the permission of the Colonial Secretary, and with the approbation of Bishop Moran, with the view of augmenting the fund. The scheme has been vigorously taken up, off ars of prizss have been tmde treely, tickets are being Bold rapidly, and the drawing will be held, absolutely without any postponement, on the 25th May. We have had the opportunity of inspecting some of the principal prizes that are to be awarded, and have no hesitation i a declaring that they ore considerably above the average merit of works distributed in art unions, and that the winners will be indeed fortunate in their shilling investments. Among the prizes are a number of exceedingly valuable articles, including a great variety of paintings in oils. The winner of one of these prizes will receive a handsome walnut drawing room suite of nine pieces, in tapestry with plush border, made by Messrs Scoullar and Chisbolm, valued by them at £25, and now on view at their warehouse. Another prizo of great value is a Celtic cross, sat with 13 large uncut diamonds in solid gold. It is presented by Bishop Moran, who obtained it in South Africa. The cross is an exceedingly handsome ornament, and the fact that the gems are set in it in the original condition in which they were extracted from toe mine imparts an unusual attraction to it. A large copyright steel engraving of Gustave Dore's, " The dream of Pilate's wife " — a picture that is an allegorical representation of the 19th verse of the 27th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel and conveys much food for thought, will probably be one of the most coveted prized. It is enclosed in a handsome frame of carved ebony and gold. A portrait in oils of Bishop Moran, by WBrth, will also be reverently prized, no doubt, by the member of the bishop's flock who will be fortunate enough to secure it. An elaborately embroidered and nandaomely-mounted drawing room chair will be a useful, as well as ornamental, prize to receive, and so also will a costly Hindoo tea service, which is being offered. A pair of handsome bronze figures, representing Saracen and the Crusader, constitutes one of the prizes; Knight's " Imperial Shakespeare" is another — and te the students of literature a much to be desired one ; a pair of valuable barbotine vases, which ost 12gs at the Melbourne Exhibition, is another ; a pair of white carved marble vases is another ; an electro^ plated flower stand of handsome design isanother ; and a steel engraving of Mrs Elizabeth Melville's painting, " One Bright Star," in which two children are depicted gazing from their bed in wonder at the morning star, is another. Of the paintings that are offered, one of the beat works is the representation in oils of Lake Como, The blue waters of the lake ate shown, hemmed ia by the foliage-covered hills, and while the drawing is good, a beautiful soft colour has been given to the picture, "An Alpine Castle by Moonlight " is the subject of another work in oils, and is a capital example of aerial painting, Another moonlight scene is a bolder but hardly less effective picture, and there is a painting of Hokitika in the " golden days," which will remind old inhabitants of the West Coast of the departed gbry of the place. In the absence of any history of that portion of New Zsaland, pictures such aa this one possess a peculiar interest, and must inevitable become very valuable, The presence of a number of vessels at the wharf and in the river, including the old Lioness and Challenge, indicates ihc prosperity of the town, and a character is given to the picture by the representation of a number of diggers on the quay. There are some oil paintings on plaques, including two animal Btudies in oils (after Landeeer), which go as one prize, and a view of South Dunedin, with a corner of St. Joseph's Cathedral in the foreground Panel painting is represented by a study of lilies on oak ; and another. prize is a pictnre on opal of a rustic bridge across the Water of Leith. The above exhausts the li6tof prizes which are quoted on the tickets which have been issued for the art union, but there are alarge Lumber in addition to these, and among them are about a score of oil paintings already referred to, some of these being of large size. A view of " Preservation Inlet," by G. Perry, who presents a scene tbat we do not remember to have before noticed conveyed to canvas, is one of the unmentioned prizes ; and there are al?o some old works, with •' Bchloss Chillon," " Andernach am Rhein," and a pastoral scene ab their subjects. An enlarged photograph of Bishop Moran anJ the priests of the Dunedin dioccso in 1891, mounted and fiamcd, will be an interesting souvenir of the time. An oleograpj pictuieof Pope Pius IX. and several lithographs and photographs are included among the prizes for distribution. Altogether, over 50 prizes have been already received, and there is not one of them that is not worth winning, or that could be described as shabby ; while on the other band there are, as already mentioned, many that possess considerable value.