Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-06-07
OLD PICTURE SALES.
Masterpieces Sold for Chrome Prices--Re-
miniscences Of Art Auctions.

Masterpieces Sold for Chrome Prices--Re-
miniscences Of Art Auctions.
Long before the duke Of Durcal's col
lection Of paintings had been taken from
the ancestral walls to be brought across
the Atlantic, New York was noted as a
picture buying town. and many OF the
auction sales Of rare and antique" paint
ings Of fifty years ago were quite as far
cical as those of today. Excellent pic
lures were brought from the other side
by chance frequently, but the critical eye
of art lovers Of that time was too practi-
cal to allow any undue indulgence where
more than trihing sum was asked for
work even Of unusual merit.
It's nothing new in New York that
the works Of old masters should go
begging for a price even near their
value said an old artist. as he proceeded
sales Of years ago. several prominent
actors in which may he familiar to old
New Workers Of today.
In the early forties an understood, dark
browed. keen eyed art dealer, Levy by
name, opened a small auction room for
the sale Of paintings on Broad way near
Cortiandt street There he sold at auc
ton every Saturday night old paintings.
many Of which bore the names of world
renowned artists OF past generations
Paintings Of all kinds. many merely old
scrolls Of canvas and some framed, wer,
knocked down at prices that would not
stagger dealer in chromos nowadays
One day traveller. whose funds had
run short. called on Levy and offered
him twelve panel portraits of the Caesars
for an old song. As Levy never told
what he paid, nobody ever anew, but
certain it is that he bought them at a
low figure, and on the following Satur
day night placed them in row on the
wall and asked the assembled critics
consisting mostly Of neighboring shop.
keepers, What am | offered for the
whole Caesar family by RaphaelY'
Mr.. Levy couldn't sell them very ca
silly. but finally bid Of five shillings
apiece bought the collection.
year or two later Brett. London
picture dealer of some note. whose spe
cialty was collecting the lost works Of
great masters for private collections oil
the nobility. came to New York on 6
hunt for the Caesars. After long search
he found them in small restaurant or
Nassau street. He offered the proprie
tors $50 for the lot. The offer was &C
cepted promptly. but two of the por
traits were missing. Inquiry developed
the fact that the thrifty restaurateur haG
used them to kindle fire during
heavy snow storm when it was difficult
to get wood.
The ten portraits accompanied Bret
on his voyage back to London. and were
handed over to delighted purchaser fol
SAC. 1000. Pierre Fiandin. the old tim,
dry goods prince, was at that time al
art dealer, as were also Paff and Beau
mont. At a sale in the auction room o
the latter work by Durand was sold TO
$3.50. and for days the sale was the tall
of the town.
One of the largest collectors of pic
lures at that time was Luman Reed,
. successful merchant who lived in Green
wich street. Mr.. Reeds gallery con
sisted almost entirely of works by Ameri
can artists. Many well known people a
that time were visitors at his gallery
| lltbC litClutt s are uo" III thC boooCSoio
of the Historical society, at Second ave
. nue. and Tenth street.
About 1910 Ernstpusch, German i'm
porter of pictures. brought over tn
greatest collection of pictures ever in
+ ported at one time. In all there wer
10000, mostly by German artists, bu
among them the works of Spanish, tia
ian and French artists. Levy sold nearl
the entire collection at auction at price
of from shilling to 500.
| The last really large auction sale {
pictures was the sale of the Robert Smt
t collection about twenty-five or thirt
, years ago. The Smith collection wa
mercilesslv assailed on all sides and til
prices realized, with few exception
were ridiculously low. One picture L
=. Van Dyke, however, brought yer
good price. New York Commercial Al
| vertiser.