The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-02-28
The Remarkable Achieve
mentS of Some Painters.
THE PALM OF SUPREMACY.
Pictures that have Deceived the Eye
-Laughable Mystifications-A
Chicago Drummer

painted girl bearing basket of grapes,
and the fruit was so natural that the
birds came and pecked at it. The other
presented framed picture over which
hung cloth. His rival hastily snatch
ed at the cloth to see what was behind
it, and found that it was painted a
mock counterfeit. He acknowledged
himself vanquished, saying, II only
deceive birds, but you have deceived
painter" Without attempting to de
eide upon the justice of such decision,
or upon the respective merits of Zeuxis
and Parihasius, it is certain that very
many painters, both of medieval and
modern times, have far surpassed the
feais recorded of them both. The
power of an artist who is thoroughly
versed in light and shadow, and.in the
laws of reflected lights, to cheat the
eye is very great, much greater than is
popularity believed. Many readers who
come upon passages in books of trayel
and criticism where the effect upon the
mind of certain famous pictures is
noted are apt to be skeptical, and TO be-
lieve that the writer's imagination has
run away with him. But it is positive
ly true that at the first sight of Titian's
Venuses. especially those in the Museo-
del Prado, of Madrid, one feels thrill
of surprise that amounts almost to
pain.
The most wonderful story of pictorial
counterfeiting is told of Mabuse, who,
being in the service of an Italian prince
to whom po.entage was about to pay
a formal visit, received from the major
domo of the palace sufficient white cut
Genoa velvet for a magnificent suit.
| But being an inveterate gambler, he
| rlsked his livery" at dice and lost it,
and painted upon thick paper substi
tute which he wore when the great day
arrived, TO the admiration of every one
Court su1.s in those days were made
thick and were naturally stiff SO that
the unbending character of Mabuse's
suit did not cause any surprise. But
he had given it such royal sheen such
splendid sweep of changing tint from
gray to white, that the potentate was
attracted by the stuff, and expressed to
his host desire to purchase some of
that particular Genoese fabric. Mabuse
was sent for, and had to make a full
confession. which so tickled his master
and his masters guest that all was for
given, and the leak in the wayWard
genius purse was stopped once more
for few days. Mabuse's pictures fair
~ bear out the reputation inferred in
this story. They are highly realistic,
although their realism is obtained by
delicate touches and finished handling.
But the counterfeits ofto-day.are de
cidedly those which most interest the
public. There is on Warren Street
famous lunch and liquor place, whose
glory is panel picture of large size
named After the Hunt" 1t is appar-
emily painted upon a panel door of
black oak, which is draped with crimson
velvet hangings standing out some way
from it, so as to permit the init oduc-
ton OF concealed gas jets which light
up the picture. These are obviously
necessary because the position of the
panel is dark one, between the fore
part of the store and the immense bar
and counter in the centre of the place.
On the supposed panel door is painted
hunting trophy of weapons, birds,
rabbit, hunting horn of brass, a drink
ing cup made of an OK horn, mans
hat, and above all a pendent bottle
hanging by string, which is fastened
to one OF the objects above. The sup
posed panel door has immense rusty
hinges of hammered iron, artistic in
construction, and of the fifteen century
in style. In the centre. upon the left
hand side, is the keyhole, with its plate
of battered bronze. 1t is shaped like
halberdier, and is greenish in parts with
age, which gives it quaint, queer as
pect. So that it looks as if some one
had dug up from the entralls of the
earth an ancient Toltec bronze, and
punched into it key-hole.
Men come and stand before this pic
ture for fifteen minutes at time, and
indeed. As a rule, city men are en-
raptured with it, and go into ecstasies
over the feathery plumages of the birds
and the furry coat of the rabbit, over
the wonderful representation of the
butt end of an old snap lock gun, over
the extraordinary imitation of the brass
work of the horn. But gentlemen from
the country and especially from Chicago
who see it for the first time, declare that
nobody can take them in, and that the
objects are real objects hung up with
an intent to deceive people. a drum
mer from the city of sin was very angry
over the obvious imposition. and wag-
cred S. that the thing was not paint
ing. Feel it," said his friend. He
felti it, and found thatit was fiat panel.
"Well, "'he said, II admit that the rab-
bit and birds are painted. I ought to
have seen that from the first, because,
they are wonderful lifelike, there is
sort of yielding of the muscles in a
dead thing which you don't see in this.
But what got me was the hanging up
of that bottle, because l could see In a
moment that the string was real.
The crowd behind them burst into
roar of laughter. and the drummer
made dash for the bottle: but his
hands met only the fat surface OF
panel. He was dumbfounded. Gee
WhittakersI' at last broke from his
lips; THAT beats Chicago-hang me II It
doesn't! understand it now. It's all
painted, frame and all and that's what
makes the illustration so perfect
There was another roar from the crowd
that was taking. in the scene with de-
light. The man dashed at the frame,
bnt this time found solid wood. The
frame was not painted.
L n Il -r~ 1n