, 1886-01-10

price at auction safes.
In the latter operation he displayed
croixvet up at auction At the Hotel
Drouot; and forced Che bidding uR to
5000 francs II was he himself who
bought in the painting. He had to
pay 300 francs expenses - 800
francs right of sale, and 900 francs right
OF purchase. These 9, 700 francs added to-
the 1000 francs paid for the picture, rep
resented a total disbursement OF q, 100
francs. But the picture itself, by the
operation, was given a triple value, 49,
900 francs Mt least. And Abraham had no
reason to doubt that he could advantage
ously dispose of it. From that moment
C~roiNyet's paintings became the rage.
Everybody wished to own one. The prices
paid for works by the young painter sur
prised those of the most illustrious nat
ures. Folks said that he would o beat
Meissonnier on values.
Meanwhile the painter, Intoxicated by
such sudden %good-look, lost his head.
Hitherto he had been living shabbily
enough; and he did not know how to re-
strain himself in regard to luxuries.
Abraham melted him to follow the dis
astrous path which he had already begun
to tread. He had made him large ad-
vances to start with, and the painter had
rented and furnished on credit a sumptu
residence in which two illustrious
artists had lived. The memory of these
great masters seemed good luck in Ara
hams opinion. Like all those who are
accustomed to dare fortune, he was quite
superstitious.
And in order that the painter might be
able to meet all the expenses of his new
installation, the merchant tripled the
WrfAAu Ia vat1 liz. NNl..eItl IL 49,
Croixvet was an inexhaustible mine of
wealth. At the auction rooms Of the
Hotel Drouout, the craze among the anna
teurs had become SO strong hat it resem-
bled fury; they literally tore the young
painters pictures out of each others
hands. All other painters were ignored;
at the Hotel Drouot the people asked only
for Croixvet. Hasty rs il was, the paint
er's capacity for production did not equal
the demand. Moreover he wasted a good
deal of time. He was enjoying his good
fortune without restraint, every day add
ing a new obligation to his previous debts
Gold melted in his pockets. Besides hls
Paris residence, he wanted a villa in the
country. He got it, and thus piled an
other heavy burden upon his shoulders.
But while Abraham has made a first
rate speculation or Croixvet, his opera
NAtaA' a VII BhAnN0A1f " AOc I
talents he had oyerestimated, were far
less lucky. He had wanted to force glory
upon them and failed.
Canvasses surreptitiously put up at auc
ton n bought in at a high price by
Abraham, were left upon his hands. He
lost n great deal OF money upon what was
called the vanilla ice cream school,
This is the school OF painters who made a
specially of scenes OF domestic life of the
eighteenth century. Their work, very
~painstaking and exquisite, remark
able for excessive minuteness of fin
ish, really somewhat resemble chrome
Autographs. Now art does not lie
in perfection of detail; it lies rather in the
harmony OF the whole composition. After
a brief period OF popularity the vanilla ice
cream school passed into oblivion. Abra-
ham, who had made several binding con
tracts and speculated heavily upon some
of these painters, was a severe sufferer.
Wha could he dor There was Croixvet,
who owed him nearly 900, 1000 francs Abra-
ham proposed to him TO redeem his debts.
He should not have to deliver him there
after more than one out Of every two
Throttled by pecuniary necessity, the
painter at first protested, refused. and
finally yielded.
Thus left to himself the painter soon
overworked himself. His pictures multi
piled. The offer became almost equal to
the demand; and a slight depreciation re-
suited. Croixvet did not perceive the dan
ger. He continued to live luxuriously;
but he had no longer the prodigal Abra-
ham at his elbow to supply him with
money. He fell into the hands of Insurers.
One of them, who operated in partnership
with an a~uctioneer, made him several
Ena 1Aa~a Nh Ia. ..4 II.
to everything and anything they asked
him to sign; he was like a man with a
stone tied to his feet, and thrown over
board into the sea.
Before Croixvet was drowned, however,
Abraham himself went under. The great
financial smash Of 1889 came. Most OF the
picture-dealers caught in that financial
tempest needed money badly. Many still
had pictures which Abraham had sold
them under contract to take them back
again at n large advance. They compelled
him to execute his contract. He paid up
an honest man, pledging the best part
of his stock in order to redeem valueless
pictures vanilla-ice cream-school Gre
atoms, which had SO deprecated in value
that nobody wanted them. He sold his
stables, his real estate. and honored his
signature. But when all was paid up,
Abraham found himself poorer after
his long campaign OF speculation
than he had been before going into
1t. Finally the sinister prediction
OF the gentleman who was at
the Hotel Drouot the day that Abraham
paid 5000 francs for a Delacroix was real
lied. The thing was really run into the
ground" the smash had comet; Abraham
was too bold a gamester.
Croixvet survived the catastrophe two
years. He battled desperately with his
Insurers before they succeeded in binding
him hand and foot, hard and fast. Then
they executed him. The sale of his effects
was a great disaster. Scarcely any an
nouncements were made. The auction
was almost secretly held in the courtyard
Of the painters residence. Everything
was bought in by the Insurer Fur, partner
of the auctioneer, and by another thief
named Farel, a constable. After the
smash-up these men found themselves
Ia possession Of all the securities
for their loans, and that at a
mere nominal cost. Having first taken
everything from the n they then took
the man himself. An intermediary pro
posed to Croixvet a scheme for paying all
his debts IN a certain number OF years
Croixvet to receive an annual pension OF
30, 600 francs. and TO deliver all his pictures
to the agent, who should be responsible
for his debts. In desperation Croixvet ac-
cepted the proposition. He never suspected
that he thus bound himself to work for
the very men who had ruined him.
You need not, therefore, feel in the least
surprised II some constable or auctioneer
should offer one of these days to sell you
paintings by Croixvet. The auctioneer
and constable have a monopoly Of the
painter as complete as the government
monopoly OF tobacco. He is their property.
They feed him; and he makes them rich.-
New Orleans Times Democrat Translation
from Figaro. A