Sir Joseph's Hals

The 116 pictures in the collection of Sir Joseph Robinson, millionaire mine operator of South Africa, brought $938,178 at Christie's -- the largest sum ever realized in a single day's sale at the famous old London firm. The top price of $88,920 was fetched by Frans Hals' Portrait of a Gentleman, 19 times what it cost in 1885 when it left the de Zoete collection. The Hals is 45 1/4 by 35 1/4 inches, and shows a noble standing figure with pointed beard, ruff, black costume and hat, yellow gloves. None of the pictures are likely to come to America, and in fact only about a dozen of them actually changed hands, as Sir Joseph bought the others in through agents. He is said to have had his collection in storage since 1912, and had not seen them until they were displayed at Christie's, when he was so delighted that he refused to give them up. But the sale could not be withdrawn without breaking faith with Christie's clients, and Sir Joseph set prohibitive prices. The chief other treasures sold were: ten Gainsboroughs for $139,185, including Portrait of Mrs. Drummond when a young lady and A Page, companion picture in blue to the famous Blue Boy, which Henry E. Huntington carried off last year to his California home for $640,000; Sir Thomas Lawrence's Boy with a Dog and Portrait of a Lady; Sir Joshua Reynolds' Portrait of Mrs. Mathew; Romney's Mrs. Chitty Marshall; Velasquez' Two Princesses; Fra Angelico's Day of Judgment; Piero di Cosimo's panels of the life of Jason; Rembrandt's Portrait of an Old Man, which brought $55,062; four sentimental Boucher panels for $86,184. There were also in the collection paintings by Constable, Hogarth, Raeburn, Turner, Murillo, Canaletto, Ghirlandajo, Andrea del Sarto, Veronese, Rubens, Jordaens, Teniers, Van Dyck, de Hooch, Ruysdael, Ter Borch, Van der Cappelle, Mme. Le Brun.