exhibition of pictures of an entirely different school has just opened, as M. Benjamin Constant, the well-known French portrait painter, has sent over " collection Of 21 of his latest achievements presumably to court comparison with the work of our own countrymen in the same branch of art. And the result? My own opinion after carefully studying the whole collection is that Messrs. Sargent, Guthrie, Lavery, Herkomer, and half a dozen others whom I could name have nothing to fear hut much team from comparison with this noted painter. His male pictures are better than his female, out both lack life and ins into the character of the sitter, I was most pleased with the likeness of M. Chaplain (member of L'Institut de France) here the artist evidently had congenial matter to work upon—the likeness of his son is also very attractive, as is that of Sir William Ingram, Among the portraits of the fair sex (all ladies of fashion) I best liked that of Madame Allemayer—a lucly approaching middle age, with a forcible face and iron-grey hair, The largest picture in the collection is a full-length portrait of Madame Emma Calve in a gorgeous dress of crimson and gold; the pose is ood but the four ensemble leaves much to be desired. M, Constant may be the favourite of the hour in Paris but he has a strong rival in M. Carolus Duran whose style infinitely prefer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.