GRAVE RISKS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 30, 5 February 1931, Page 4

GRAVE RISKS

LOANS OF OLD MASTERS

Tlio Earl o£ Crawford and Balearrea lias criticised a Bill introduced into tho House of Lords to enable works of art. in England to bo loaned overseas. "Old masters should on no account bo sent out of England owing to their extreme fragility," said Lord Crawford in an interview reported in the "Daily Telegraph." "Art lovers in foreign countries have littlo desire to see works in England by other than English artists. It is highly desirable that examples of the little-known English school should be loaned overseas. "The fact that foreign loan exhibitions in London have taken place does not involve reciprocity on our part, save to display our own national achievement abroad." Lord Crawford, who is a trustee of the National Gallery and the British Museum, said: "I do not touch upon the difficult political issue which are involved, _ but two or throe technical considerations deserve careful study. Tho Bill authorises the British Museum and the National Gallery to send things abroad to any public exhibition. The National Portrait Gallery already has that power, and has, I believe, no reason to regret it. "The old masters in this country, painted on wood panels, are extraordinarily risky objects to move; The smallost accident may ruin them completely. "Wood when old is highly responsive to hydro-metric changes1 or variations of temperature, and to circulate such' pictures among galleries which may greatly vary in temperature or dryness must subject fragile panels to extreme strains, stresses, or efforts. "Months may elapse before the damage becomes apparent. If it means the reopening of an old crack it means the restoration of a restoration. Something of the truo artist is lost every time.. More and more do connoisseurship and appreciation of art value authenticity, that is to say, the personality of the artist himself. Less and less.growg the value of a picture which has been faked or restored. "Anything which causes damage or danger to one of these relies is an offence against history as well aa art. Even whore no positive damage takes place imperceptible strains may occur which make the picture moro vulnerable later on. Every such contingency should be avoided, most particularly by ourselves, because although our National Gallery is smaller in number, its quality is very high. "And let us remember that some of these pictures, though 500 years old, have not completed a fraction of their lifetime. Their continued vitality depends only upon tho degree with which wo safeguard them. "Responsible people in charge o£ museums and galleries all ovor Europe are profoundly anxious over this idoa of sending such works to and fro, and many of them will rejoice if this country now adopts the lead in saying that these fragile things must not be sent about. On tho other hand, they will themselves rejoice to have exhibitions of little-known British art. Many of the great towns of tho Continent have never seen an authentic picture by Beynolds, Bomney, Gainsborough, Baeburn, or Turner, and the prestige of British ifrt and intellect will be greatly enJlanced by such loan exhibitions. Such displays overseas need not involve serious risks to the exhibits, since they are on canvas. "Spain does not want our Velesquez, nor Holland our Trans Hals. What they would like to «cc would be the school ,of portraiture which during the fifty •years of its greatness oxoelled all contemporary effort abtoad to an incomparable extent. No foreigner can know or appreciate British painters unless he has been fortunate enough to come to England. We ought to make it easy for him by sending our British schools abroad, and I believe that public opinion in this country will strongly endorse this view."