lint irts.
THE TURNER BEQUEST.
LAST week the papers were announcing that, consequent upon a final arrangement made between the representatives of the public and the heirs-at-law, the pictures which formed a portion of the bequest of the late painter Turner to the nation would be visible in the National Gal- lery on its reopening, at the beginning of the present week, after the annual recess. This announcement proves to be premature. The Secretary of the Gallery hopes that some of the works will shortly be made visible in one mode or another, but the time is not come yet. Meanwhile, information is imparted on the subject of the bequest, and an offer made, from a safe quarter. Mr. Ruskin informed the public through the Titnes on Tuesday, of some facts which came under his ob- servation before he relinquished the executorship of Turner's will. Of oil-pictures he does not speak ; but he has partially catalogued works of three descriptions,—namely, finished water-colour drawings; studies from nature, or first thoughts for pictures, in colour ; and sketches in pencil or pen-and-ink ;—having found, of the first class 135, of the second 1757, important, and of the third 1322, important. The finished water-colours include many of the first celebrity. Of the -studies in colour, many are "more precious and lovely than any finished draw- ings" ; and the sketches in light and shade are " usually more elabo- rate than the coloured ones" ; the productions in these two latter classes containing, "if rightly arranged, a perfect record of the movements of the master's mind during his whole life." "A large number are without names, and so slight that it requires careful examination, and somewhat extended acquaintance with Turner's works, to ascertain their inten- tion" : and to the difficulties thus involved in their arrangement are added others dependent upon methods of execution, and upon the mode of rendering the studies accessible to the public.
Mr. Ruskin's suggestion and offer are as follows.
"They should be enclosed each in a light wooden frame, under a glass, the surface of which a raised mount should prevent them from touching. These frames should slide into cases, containing about twelve drawings each, which would be portable to any part of the room where they were to be seen. I have long kept my own smaller Turner drawings in this man- ner, fifteen frames going into the depth of about a foot. Men are usually accused of ' bad taste' if they express any conviction of their own ability to execute any given work ; but it would perhaps be better if, in people's sayings in general, there were less taste and more truth ; and I think it, under the circumstances, my duty to state, that I believe no one would treat these drawings with more scrupulous care, or arrange them with greater patience, than I should myself ; that I am ready to undertake the task, and enter upon it instantly ; that I will furnish, in order to prove the working of the system proposed, a hundred of the frames, with their cases, at my own cost ; and that, within six weeks of the day on which I am permitted to be- gin work, (illness or accident not interfering,) I will have the hundred drawings arranged, framed, accompanied by a printed explanatory cata- logue, and ready for public inspection. It would then be in the power of the Commissioners intrusted with the administration of this portion of the national property to decide if any or how many more of the sketches should be exhibited in the same manner, as a large mass of the less in- teresting ones might be keRt as the drawings are at the British Museum, and shown only on special inquiry. I will only undertake this task on con- dition of the entire management of the drawings, in every particular, being intrusted to me : but I should ask the advice of Mr. Carpenter of the Bri- tish Museum on all doubtful points, and intrust any necessary operations only to the person who mounts the drawings for the British Museum."
Now here is a chance of having thoroughly well done a work not un- important in the eyes of all to whom the splendid Turner bequest is in any sense a matter of serious interest. The official managers of the pro- perty may perhaps "feel sore" at the notion of resigning the task into private hands ; and it may be represented that Mr. Blank, to whom such work is generally intrusted, is perfectly accurate and diligent. Let us call the soreness an honourable reluctance, and the representation true. But do the officials and Mr. Blank know as much, or can they give the public any conceivable pledge of their knowing or caring as much about Turner, as Mr. Ruskin ? Mr. Ruskin is the man who is known to love and understand Turner : he is therefore the man for the work ; and we are not aware of any consideration whatever which ought to be deemed satisfactory in case his offer is rejected.
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