Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-07-06
OLD PICTURE SALES.
IIiiniscencas of rf AncfinnS.

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 pie 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 trifling 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 price even near their value" said an old artist, as he proceeded to tell a story of somc peculiar auction actors in which may be familiar to old New Workers of today.
 In the early forties an undersized, dark browed. keen eyed art dealer, Levy by Lame, opened a small auction room for the sale of paintings on Broadway, near COrtlandt 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 cid scrolls of canvas and some framed, were knocked down at prices that would not stagger dealer in chromos nowadays.
 One day a 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 knew, bu. certain it is that he bought tliem at 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 l offered for the whole Caesar family by Raphael?"
 Mr. Levy couldn't sell them very ca silly, but finally bid of five shillings apiece bought the collection.
 A year or two later Brett, London 1 picture dealer of some note, whose spe- cialty was collecting the lost works of great masters for private collections of 1 the nobility, came to New York on 8 hunt for the Caesars. After long search he found them in 6 small restaurant on Nassau street He offered the proprie- tors $50 for the lot The offer was ac- cepted promptly, but two of the DOT. traits were missing. Inquiry developed the fact that the thrifty restaurateur had used them to kindle a 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 a delighted purchaser foi $40.000. Pierre Flandin, the old time dry goods prince, was st that time ar art dealer, as were also PafT and Beau mont. At a sale in the auction room O. the latter work by Durand was sold fol 3250, 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 Q that time were visitors at his gallery These pictures are nov in the possessio! of the Historical society. at Second ave nue and Tenth street.
 About 1640 Ernstpusch, German in porter of pictures, brought over tn greatest collection of pictures ever i'm ported at one time. In all there wer 10000, mostly by German artists. bu among them the works of Spanish, Ital ian and French artists. Levy sold nearl the entire collection at auction at price of from shilling to SI00.
 Il The last really large auction sale C pictures was the sale Of the Robert Shit collection about twenty or t.lirt years ago. The Smith collection wa mercileasiy assaiIed on all sides and th prices realized, with few exception: were ridiculously low. One picture b Van Dyke, however, brought q yer good price. York Commercial! Ac vertiser.