The collection formed by William Appleton Coolidge speaks of a remarkable breadth of taste, of a spirit responsive to works of art of all periods, and of visual discrimination of a high order. Many of the works are intimate in scale, appropriate for domestic contemplation, and it is no surprise that this most unselfish of collectors delighted in sharing his prized possessions with his friends. But he was also keen to benefit a wider audience: for years the finest of them were on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, and before his death Mr. Coolidge had begun to donate masterpieces, including the paintings by Rubens and Signac.
There have been collectors who formed larger and greater collections; however, there were very few who cast their net as broadly as William Coolidge while sustaining such a consistently high level of quality. His catholicity of taste is a characteristic virtue of the Boston past, namely its intellectual curiosity about different times and peoples and its receptivity to good ideas regardless of point or period of origin. There is still much to be learned and enjoyed in such an attitude.

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Peter C. Sutton is currently Senior Director of Old Master Paintings at Christie's, New York.

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