PINE ART DIVISION.

165

REPORT on the ARRANGEMENT of the WORKS of SCULPTURE contributed by GREAT «BRITAIN and IRELAND to the PARIS UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION.

To the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade.

My Lords,

When I arrived in Paris on the 10th of April last, according to your Lordships’ request, in order Arrangementto arrange, in concert with Mr. Redgrave, the Sculpture of the United Kingdom in the Beaux-Arts Depart- ture! 6 Sculp 'ment of the Universal Exhibition, its location in the Building was not fixed. One of two situations wasoffered by the French authorities. We had the option of a portion of the great Hall of French Sculpturecombined with that of other nations, or of an apartment rather scanty of both space and lightparallel and close to the gallery of British oil-paintings, with which it directly communicated by twodoorways.

After some consideration, deeming it, for various reasons, better that we should stand alone, and thatour Sculpture should group with the other art-works of Britain, so as to better illustrate her school, withthe concurrence of Messrs. Cole and Redgrave, I accepted the latter arrangement from the French 'authorities, on condition of being allowed to re-colour the walls of the apartment differently, and to makewhat further special arrangements I thought fit; with the permission also of occupying with statues certainintercolumniations occurring on one side of the galley of British oil-paintings, and also of placing groupsof statues and single statues at certain points down the centre of the same gallery, and of placing bustsagainst the columns on either side of the principal entrances.

The two latter propositions were at first demurred at by the French authorities, but eventually, bytheir kind permission, they were carried into effect. The staircase to the upper gallery, on the Britishside, was also granted for the arrangement of busts ; in consequence of which I placed on the centre of thefirst flight of four or five steps facing the entrance, a bust of His Majesty Napoleon III. by Mr. Park, andon the centre of the next landing, a bronze bust of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by Mrs. Thomycroft, anda few other busts and two relievi on other parts of the staircase leading to the gallery of British water-colours, engravings and architectural drawing and models; just within which room I placed a case ofmedals.

The collection contained in the special apartment of British Sculpture consists wholly of works of apoetic character. This room is lighte'd wholly by a line of upright windows tolerably high up on oneside. The two side entrances, one toward either end, and which are opposite to the windows, open intothe gallery of British oil-paintings. At first sight this apartment appeared very dark, but I judged thatthis was greatly owing to the sombre green with which its walls, like those of the rest of the Exhibition,were coloured. However this tint may suit a gallery of paintings where the wall is much covered, it doesnot appear calculated for a Sculpture-room, where so small a portion is hidden. Moreover its effect isharsh and cold, and it casts livid reflections on the statues, where cheering ones are more desirable ; andthese evils are enhanced where the light is scanty. With this impression, I judged that a different treat-ment of colour would do much toward lightening and adapting this apartment for Sculpture. Inaccordance, the tint of its walls was changed to a warm grey, of an atmospheric character, that is, of anature that retreats from the eye instead of advancing towards it, as do most violent colours, especiallythose wherein red has the preponderance. Its degree of force was regulated by the requirements ofaffording sufficient relief to the general colour of the statues in the case in which it was applied, and at thesame time of being sufficiently light for their outlines to merge and soften into the background. TooDolent a contrast of shade and colour in the background of Sculpture makes the statues look flat and stony,and gives to a marble figure an opaque appearance like plaster, whereas it is to be sought rather so to adjustthe tints as to assimilate the effect of plaster to the soft and fleshy character of marble by rounding andmelting the edges into the background.

I had accepted the honour of arranging the British Sculpture on this occasion with a hope that suchtop centre lights and other requisites would have been available that I should have been able to put in *