Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-07-24
FRAUDS Ia PAINTINGS.
The FOrgeries Pgacticed in Eu.
rope "a d America---Patnt-
ers Who Are imtiated.
New York Tribune.

CalQ q pT0nlutub oAAct W III
bune reporter recently: There are
auy number of paintings traudulently
said to be the handiwork OF Verboeck-
hoven. A dealer in Antwerp once
told me that be had shipped dozens
Of them to England and America,
and I am informed also By az indis-
putabls authority that an artist vho
Is now q professor OF painting st one
Of the great continental art schools
once made Verboeckhovens in large
numbers at twenty francs each, but
the dealer had to get another artist to
initiate the signatures at i've francs
each. These copies we're as good as
the originals, when sent to New York
for the American market, sold at big
prices, aud are now in private collec-
tons throughout the country.
II received while in Antwerp an
illustrated catalogue of certain pic
lures sold BY auction in New York
Among the photographed pictures was
one BY an eminent Antwerp painter
and marked sold at $1,000. Under
meath was printed a highly finished
example of THIS eminent master. |
called upon the painter and showed
him the photograph and the remark
below it. he was enrsged, and
showing me dozen or two little
panels upon which he had
roughly sketched the various
subjects for future pictures, said, II
gave Mr.. -, an American, one OF
these rough sketches as little souve>
mir, and be has finished it and sold it
as my picture. Last winter saw this
same highly finished example in a
picture gallery in Broadway in a col
lection-a noted one at thst-to be
sold at auction. 1t sold well again.
have a photograph of it in my pos
session"
Are any of the French painters
similarly copied2" asked the reporter.
''Diaz, replied the artist, is copied
| in Paris and Brussels successfully
Corot and Rosseau are seldom sue
eessiully copied in their best style,
but they are easily copied in the style
Of pictures most affected BY dealers
Doubigny in his best manner-such
as Eject du Soir, which hung so long
in Goupils, and which was bought for
the Boston museum-cannot be cop
led; but his poor work-the kind that
he sid had ruined him, and that he
had produced at the temptation OF
dealers-it is easy to initiate him. |
have seen here in certain private
houses a number OF pictures purport-
ing to be by those artists, and for
which large prices have been paid. In
my opinion the cauvsses we're never
touched By the artists, and as | grew
up directly under the teachings OF this
grand school of forest landscape |
ought to be a judge of their works
Why not expose the fraud? Because,
ny dear sir. the dealer has been be
forehand and taught the American
merchant that the American artist is
so jealous and mercenary wretch
that his opinion is not to be trusted
Hence, rather than incur the suspi
eion Of being dishonest, and also the
snnity Of the dealer, | keep my mouth
shut, and there are q number of art
lists who will tell you the same
thing"
Yes" added another we'll known
artist close By, Il know very we'll that
the copying Of the works Of the mod
ern painters for the purpose of fraud
is largely done abroad, either By young
students to exc out their usually slen
der means or by older men who have
not been successful with their own
paintings. In Paris it is also the Gus
ten OF some artists, when they have
painted q successful work, TO have
copies Of it made by pupils on others
Il necessary, . little retouching is
done by the artist himself and the
signature is then added. The pictures
are either sold in batch to some
dealer, or, as is more frequently the
case, they are distributed with differ
| ing titles in the various exhibitions
afterWard.H
SIS anything Of this sort done in
American"
"0f course there is. 1t was only
last season that Frederick 4. Church
found at an auction a painting cata-
louged as by him which be had never
seen before. The imitation Of the
work of Bruce Cranes, too, and the
forged copies by two young artists OF
works by NJ. F. H. De Haas, are still
| fresh in mind. | am told that a man
10 Williamsburg has made these
| forgeries his business for years, and
that combining himself formerly t
American painters, and then to the
| Dusseldorf school, he now initiates thu
popular French masters"