Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-01-17
"counterreits In Art"

Every good thing il countcrfeitod.
Drugs are adulterated. Food Is adul-
terafed; ana every tea Ia rendered in
ferior and nearly worthless by foreign
mixtures. When any article has OBJ
tanned good reputation by reason OF
its purity and excellence, limitations are
Immediately made. The counterfeiter
reasons that nine-tenths OF the people
do not know genuine article from an
imitation. A recent lecturer on art In
Paris called attention TO the fact that
many painters in that city were prosti-
tuting their talents by initiating masters
who were dead. Being dead they could
no longer protest against the outrage.
These imitntors make large incomes, be-
-causc they are encouraged by art dealers,
who know that dead men tell no tales.
The reputation of o master sells his pic.
ture. There is always the convenient
story that the picture has been dis
covered in somc out of the way place,
whrec II has been concealed for many
years. Revolutionary disturbances may
have been the cause Of concealment. A
synopsis Of the lecture appears in the
Paris correspondence to the Now York
EVtuiDB f-OH.
One would think that only intelligent
lovers Of art would wish to buy Corots,
but the fact Is that every parvenu has an
imitation thrust in his face "Here is q
Corot that has been hidden in q corner
for twenty years." says the merchant;
''you cannot find such another bargain
in all France; the picture Is cheap as dirt
at fifteen thousand francs" The word
bargain" is enough for the parpenu.
Often, too, he does not care whether the
picture is or Is not authentic; he bought
it for q real Corot, and in his gallery In
the country, or in gorgeous city home,
he feels that IL will produce fine effect
on tho majority Of his visitors, who are
az ignorant as himself. Now these
Corots, Roybets, Daubiguys, Diazes.
Fromentins, Courbets and Teniers, which
are produced in large numbers, are sold
to the dealers at prices ranging from
three hundred to one thousand francs,
and the gulls take them from deal
ers at from ten TO thirty thousand
francs. Here is commerce which
rays better even than the adult.
Grafton Of wine. often look back with
amusement TO the time when I saw in
the windows Of curious merchant on
the exterior boulevards Diaz which
had such a perfectly honest air that
felt persuaded to buy 1t. The price was
modest; l nsked the merchant some
leading questions, and his answers SEEM
ed eminently satisfactory. Still. it was
SO phenomenal circumstance that this
Diaz should have been overlooked by
the picture-buyers, who daily sweep and
garnish every corner Of Paris, that /
went away doubling. Next day asked
friend in the Maison Goupil to look at
this so-called Diaz for me. In short
time received the information that 1t
was the work Of an inferior imitator, who
had probably received as little rs twen-
ty-five francs for his crime.
The lecturer affirmed that four-ffths
Of the paintings offered for sale In Paris
are counterfeits. And yet that city has
become the great art center of the
world. 1t is more important to-day, In
some respects, than Rome, Munich and
otner continental cities. In Brussels,
and even in Switzerland, the work Of
c6dnterfeiting goes on because there is o.
demand for spurious pictures. In Paris
and some other large European cities.
the expert in pictures Is profession Of
great Importance. Probably, Lafarge,
OF Paris, makes q much money by giving
his opinion of the genuineness and value
Of pictures ns the most renowned artist.
The expert knows Of course, every
genuine picture of the masters, dead and
living, as well rs he knows the alphabet.
It is the verdant picture buyer who
prefers to invest without consulting an
expert.