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FINE ART DIVISION.

Arrangement execution a cherished plan of mine for greatly enhancing the effect of Sculpture by special arrangements ofture.* e Sculp " which much drapery forms a part, but on seeing the best advantages which could be afforded us on thisoccasion, I at once relinquished as impossible the idea of introducing it in this case, and addressed myselfto do the best I could under the circumstances.

In carrying out these arrangements, the Sculpture-room being lighted wholly from one side, oppositethe doorways, the wall of which, therefore, appearing very dark on entering the room, I had it colouredmuch lighter than the other sides of the apartment, so as to make it look the same tint, and to give theroom a more cheerful appearance ; also there being no proper light under the windows, I placed no workswhatever on that side, but left it wholly for passage and for couches and seats placed against it oppositethe statues, which are arranged in little more than the opposite half of the room, not more being availableas regards light. Between the doors the statues advance to the light in two bays or waves, retreating fromit in the centre. At the ends of the room also the lines of arrangement are waved. A waved line ofarrangement was adopted to avoid the abrupt and mutually interfering effect of statues, when numerous andnear together, coming at once upon the eye in a straight line. By a waved line, the statues are in turnpresented in various views in passing through the room, and each has its front to itself as the spectatorcomes opposite to it. The works are placed on separate pedestals, of varied height, to meet the require-ments of each work. Each work of the forward line may be walked round and seen in various views, and.those few only are placed against the wall which present but front views, or require a low angle of light.The waved line afforded the means of accommodating each statue as to its front or the side whence it wouldreceive the most favouring light, and also of adapting the angle of light to its requirement, giving,for instance, a more vertical light to the upright figures, and one more horizontal to those in recumbentpositions.

These weaves of arrangement left in front certain spaces, which are occupied by Mr. Baily’s “ Eve atthe Fountain,” and Mr. Gibson’s “ Hylas and the Nymphs.” Mr. Macdowell’s “ Reading Girl ” occupiesalso the point of another line that projects into the third space, which was obliged to be so arranged onaccount of the scantiness of room at that end.

The walls of the Sculpture Room being of a warm grey, the pedestals are covered with a cloth of afull green, as also the couches and seats, and the floor is painted of a dark reddish brown. I could not getit stained.

According to the permission that statues might be arranged in connection with the oil paintings, suchworks were chosen for the intercolumniations as were in some degree architectural, as Mr. Foley’s “ Hampdenand Selden,” which thus form a pair, one on either side of a doorway, entering on the centre of the BritishGallery of Oil Paintings. Other statues occupy certain points down the centre of the Gallery. There* occur three times in the British part of the Gallery, doorways, opposite each other, being the meeting offour ways. At two of these a symmetrical group of upright statues are placed, back to back, facing thefour approaches. “ The Concordia,” by Mr. Marshall, a figure emblematic of the alliance betweenFrance and England, being one of these, and facing the principal entrance from the French side. Suchfigures were chosen for these groups as lost least by having their backs hidden, and although this arrange-ment was suggested greatly by the small amount of room at our disposal for Sculpture, yet it did not appearto me that any of the works so placed were injured in effect in consequence. Had, however, the Gallerybeen wide enough to allow of such arrangement without impeding the free circulation of the visitors, onwhich much stress was laid by the French authorities, I should have separated the statues in these groupsmore from each other, and supplied in their common centre a background of drapery, arranged in somesimple ornamental form. The third crossway is occupied by Mr. Gibson’s “ Hunter.”

Four other statues, singly, occupy four other points down the centre of the Gallery, opposite doorwaysexisting only on one side of the way, no place in the centre being occupied by a statue except opposite adoorway. “The Houseless Wanderer,” by Sir Richard Westmacott, is one of these, and occupies a pointin front of one of the entrances to the Sculpture Room.

Six busts are also placed on pedestals, close to the columns of the three principal entrances. Thepedestals in this gallery, as also those of the busts on the staircase, are covered with a cloth of a full red.

In all cases tickets have been affixed, with the name of the artist, and the subject, in French andEnglish. On the green pedestals in the Sculpture Room these tickets are of the warm grey of the