Customer Reviews

The Wrightsman Pictures (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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Charles Wrightsman made his huge fortune from Standard Oil. He and his wife Jayne used some of these funds to amass a significant collection of art. They also collected, amongst other items, furniture, snuffboxes, clocks, lamps, chimney furniture and dog kennels! To get an impression of the type of high life that this couple led, I suggest you read Thomas Hoving's engrossing and gossipy memoir "Making the Mummies Dance".

This catalogue details the paintings, drawings and pastels that the Jayne Wrightsman owns (Charles is deceased), as well as works donated or funded to the Metropolitan Museum.

This book is essentially a presentation of the 124 art works associated with the Wrightsmans, without any significant introductory text. The prospective purchaser will thus be interested in the composition of this collection. The first 40 artworks are the most interesting and desirable. There as a dazzling succession of works by old masters such as Gerard David, El Greco, Rubens, Vermeer, Canaletto, Lotto and Tiepolo.

After this selection there is a large section of French works. Amongst these, the great masterpiece is Jacques-Louis David's "Lavoisier and his Wife". There are additionally 12 fine drawings by Ingres. Other worthwhile paintings and drawings in this group are by artists of the rank of Chasseriau, Watteau and Delacroix.

However, a significant number of the works by more minor painters and drawers could be politely be described as charming. While I realise that French art of this period had an abundance of this type of composition, the sweetness and lack of depth comes as quite an anticlimax after the greatness of the preceeding paintings.

As with most publications by the Metropolitan Museum, the quality of printing and reproduction are well above average.