The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-26
Print Collecting.

my partner has Just gone out for a
walk" said dealer i'll old engrayings.
"Ile said he found the air of tho store
oppressive. The fact is, we had an un-
usually large doomsday order this morn
lnS--that is, an order which it takes
long time to fill-and it saddencd him.
Tho commission was from a new custo-
mer, whose list led off with little print
of Rembrandt's known to collectors as
The Dog This etching was original
ly produced by the master on one
corner Of comparatively large copper
plate. In printing the first copies,
sheets OF paper covering the whole of 1t
were used, thus leaving very wide
margin Oh two sides Of the etching and
narrow one OH the others. The cop
per plato was then sawed down to tie
proper size, and the rest of the impress
sions taken. We could easily supply
our customer with one of the latter
prints, but he expressly orders large
paper copy. Now, that is precisely
what we cannot get for love or money.
Printing the etching OH large paper
gave ii tremendous vogue among print
collectors, and it is to this circumstance
that the engraving owes its great scarci-
" and enormous price, for it has no
special value us Il work of art This in
cidcnt will give you an idea Of what the
taste for prints sometimes leads to when
it is overdone and becomes mania.
The next tom on tho gentleman list
calls Tor an artists proof impression of
one of longhi'S masterpieces; he might
as well nave sent us an order for one #
Sanibo's ears. The third item calls for
Il copy of 'Finigucrra' s portrait Of Col
~.
order were of Il depressing character. Ii
was at TINS point that my partner went
out to walk.
''lt is not alone the so-callcd rare en-
cravings which are hard to obtain.
Good ordinary prints, which are fair
impressions and in Salable condition,
are by no means so easily found as for
mcrly. Ten years have made vast
difference in the market. There are at
least 20 collectors to-day where there
was one ten years ago. Americans are
exhauSting the European portfolios,
and dealers find it hard to keep II full
stock. AT the present time it pays to
keep large stock, not only for sales,
but because the goods are constantly
approaching in value. The best prints
generally bring an advance on their
former price every time they reach the
auctlon-roOm, and they find their way
by degrees to the museums. a COPY of
Marc Antonio'S Judgment OF Paris
lately sold for Sl650, AMI | suppose that
u first plate Of Rcmbrandt's etching of
Christ Healing tho Sick would bring
SSUO0 at amy time. One was sold in
London i'll 1867 for $4,000. Even tic
moro modern prints arc bringing cx-
traVaganl prices. 4 proof copy of Da
Vmcis Last. SUPPER engraved by
Raphael Morghcn, is worth $500, and
hlullcr's Madonna Iii San SiSto' has
quadruplcd in value in Is years.
know Of one now on sale in this city for
$1,000, which ] might have bought ten
years ago for 500. bought an ordi-
nary impression in Dresden in 1860 for
SlG-thc regular price at that time
which | sold two years ago for Sl75.
Desirable Albert DTcrs are now very
high indeed. Collectors have swallow
cd up Il good many Of them, good and
bad, but anything with the 'anchor'
mark, the lilies and CROWN or 'lhr
great BULBS head, ,'-watcr marks, S,--
brings IL heavy price.
''Of course the market is full of imi-
tatlonS OF these and of I'LL other valuable
prints, aid SoniG Of them ;iru bU clever
that even the dealers are deceived. The
various more or less fraudulent process
es are induIgcd in to an almost unlmit-
cd extent. Even the paper is initiated
and nowadays the imitation Of water
marks in old prints is so clcverly made
as to deceive experts. The collections
OF cngravings III this city arc full of i'm
ltations or fixed up prints, and if they
were not skltully done they would be
thrown out, for no matter how green u
print buyer may be himself, his ongrav-
! lngs are often seen by experienced col
lcctors, and nothing ticlilcs IL virtuoso
SO greatly us to show Il brother COL
lcctor wherein he has made an lnwise
| purchase"