190 



The Review of Reviews. 



February to, 1906. 



MISTRAL, PROVENCE, AND PROVENCAL. 



From a charmingly written paper in the Monthly 

 Review, "Among the Felibres in Provence," ive 

 gather many details concerning Mistral, the Pro- 

 vencal poet, recently a winner pf the Nobel prize for 

 literature. Fifty years ago seven poets of Provence 

 met together and vowed themselves to the patriotic 

 work of restoring, purifying, and perpetuating the 

 old language of Provence, the Languedoc, the an- 

 cient tongue of the Troubadours, which was then 

 fast degenerating into a mere patois. The name far 

 best known in connection with this movement is that 

 of Mistral, the charm of whose poetry is quite in- 

 describable. Joseph Roumanille, however, was its 

 real initiator, for he was the first modern poet to us.- 

 the ancient Provengal tongue as a medium for 

 literary expression. His book of poems, published in 

 Provencal in 1847, was written for his simple old 

 peasant mother, but so redolent were his writings 

 of the traditions and beauties of Provence, that 1 1 1 < • \ 

 appealed to a far wider audience. But it was Mistral 

 who really developed .mil led the Provencal ren- 

 ascence, who became its vital essence, its Grand 

 Master by universal consent. Anyone who has read 

 Mistral's poetry, even in small part, will recognise 

 the absolute justice of the following criticism : — 



No one like him has so expressed the soul of the people. 

 His work mirrors not only their language and customs, 

 their past, their beliefs, their traditions, hut in a marvel- 

 lous manner their land itself, so that with new sight and 

 clearer vision they now look on the familiar landmarks 

 of their youth, the very mountains, river- and plains 

 speaking to them more clearly. 



Mistral, as is well known, lives in the little Pro- 

 vencal village of Maillane, not very far from 

 Avignon. It was in earlv spring when the writer 

 visited him : — 



The orchards were all a-fiower with white and pink 

 blossom, showing vividly against the bluest of April skies. 

 The trees just beginning to bud, yet not green, but. dashed 

 with shades of pink and brown, full of subtle movement, 

 the stirring and awakening of Mother Earth as Proserpine 

 comes back to her. 



We entered the poet's study by the garden, conducted 

 there by a friendly, white-capped bonne, evidently quite 

 one of the family. " Madame was out with the dogs, 

 Monsieur was alone, but at this moment of the day not 

 seriously occupied. We might enter without scruple, he 

 would be enchanted to see us." The little garden was 

 fragrant with early spring. A shrub of japonica, its scarlet 

 blossoms aflame in the sunshine, hyacinths, violet, white 

 and rose, and a mass of blue periwinkles, the " peryenehe 

 of Provence," all growing in a sweet disorder, without 

 sign of gardener's assistance or preconceived design. 



At the sound of our voices the poet stepped out of the 

 open French window, a tall, robust, splendid figure, full of 

 vitality arid vigour that made his seventy-four years seem 

 incredible. 



Mistral was then engaged on a " travail de brute," 

 the translation into French of his autobiography, 

 originally written in Provengal. He complained much 

 of being constantly raided by motorists, " who de- 

 scend upon me suddenly at all hours of the day, 

 and even sometimes of the night. ... I have 

 the misfortune to be now in their catalogue of monu- 

 ments." He spoke laughingly of his supposed re- 

 semblance to Buffalo Bill, enthused about the ren- 

 ascence of the Provencal language and literature, 

 and thundered against the Government for expelling 



the monastic Orders. The rest of tne article deals 

 with Charlou of Paradou, famous as the chief col- 

 lector of Provengal legends and folk-lore, Charlou 

 Pvieu, as his real name is; the Burns of Provence. 

 The local colour and descriptions of scenery add 

 much to a very pleasingly-written article. 



THE COST OF NATIONAL GALLERY PICTURES. 



In the Art Journal for January we have, a proftos 

 of the Rokeby Velasquez, some particulars of the 

 cost of some of the great pictures in the National 

 Gallery. The pictures now in the National Gallery 

 and the Tate Gallery have cost about ^7^0,000, 

 some 10 per cent, of which has been contributed by 

 private persons. In 1884, when the Government 

 was pressed to buy the " Ansedei Madonna," by 

 Raphael, Sir Frederick Burton valued the picture at 

 ,£115.500. Eventually ,£70,000 was paid for it, and 

 Mr. Gladstone used to say: " I have saved the tax- 

 payers ,£45,000 b\ not listening to the advice of the 

 Director of the National Gallery." The equestrian 

 portrait of Charles I., by Van Dyck, was acquired 

 for ,£17.500. whereas it was valued by Sir Frederick 

 Burton at ^31,500. 



The writer names a few masterpieces which we 

 have allowed to slip through our hands, and says 

 that " the money paid for a picture is soon forgot- 

 * n. the loss of a superb work of art never. If we 

 waited till the canker of poverty was healed to 

 make further purchases lor our National Gallery, 

 most of the fine pictures still available and required 

 to round off the collection would have drifted out of 

 our reach." 



THE ROKEBY VELASQUEZ. 



The question of the Rokeby Velasquez is discussed 

 in the January number of the Burlington Magazine. 

 The writer explains that the picture has been pur- 

 chased from the owner by a syndicate, so that the 

 price which will now have to be paid for it will be 

 considerably larger than it would have been had the 

 nation purchased the picture direct from its owner. 



The position of England to-day with reference to 

 works of art is compared with that of Italy in the 

 eighteenth century. When Italy recognised her 

 position she enforced laws to stop any further deple- 

 tion of her art treasures. In England there are 

 treasures of greater value and interest still unpro- 

 tected by legislation. 



The National Gallery is still without a Director, 

 and the powers to whom we must look in the present 

 " crisis " are the Trustees of the National Gallery 

 and the National Art Collections Fund. 



Among other remedies suggested to meet the 

 emergency, the writer mentions the possibility of 

 the Treasury ear-marking the proceeds of some 

 special duty on art sales, or on the export of works 

 of art. An export duty on a limited number of first- 

 class pictures would, he thinks, compel the most 

 unworthy heir to give the nation a fair chance. 



