The dispersal of Mr. Sargent's pictures, mainly his own works,
caused considerable sensation, and gave another proof of the commanding position he held among modern painters. The brilliant unfinished portrait of Mme. Gautreau will, by the generosity of Sir Joseph Duveen, be hung with the other Sargent portraits in the Tate Gallery, and the artist's sisters presented his portrait of Claude Monet to the National Art Collections Fund. Mr. Sargent's collection of pictures by other artists created less interest than his own works. Perhaps the most surprising of the prices, out of a total of £182,000, were those paid for his copies—for instance, 6,000 guineas for the head of Velasquez's Balthazor Carlos. The wonderful landscapes and seascapes, to which he turned when sated with portrait painting, brought huge sums. No doubt the prices were raised by competition between the two countries that claimed him in different senses as their own, but the sale was a proof of the firm belief that Sargent's work will hold its place as that of a master.
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