Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-10-03
FRAUDULENT PICTURES.
Spurious Canvases Palmed OF on
Credulous People.
Whole Car Loads OF Counterfeit Art
Disposed OF In tho Leading Cities
OF This Country-A Huge
Svindle.

Within a month there was a picture
sale in New York simply incredible in
it's thievish audacity, says the Collector
on the subject of fraudulent pictures.
1t was long line of forgeries of we'll
known and often-famous names. 1t
was extensively advertised. The
licensed auctioneer Endorsed it. The
pictures belonged to knavish foreign
err who runs his artistic bunco game in
the respectable neighborhood of Mad
ison square. Formerly, believe, this
rogue had his forgeries painted in
Paris, where he has an artistic connec-
ton.
am told that he now has them exc
cuted here, and so saves himself the
duty at the custom house. He even
grudges the country the small tax it
levics on his swindle. Instead of inn
porting his forgeries he imports his
compatriots to execute them. They
grind the mill around the corner from
Fifth avenue, instead of in the garrcts
of Montmarte, and the Batignolles.
Nor arc his frauds confined to New
York. They are spread by his agents
over the whole country, and especially
in the west, where whole cargoes
of counterfeit art are unloaded at job
lot prices The last time was in Chi
cago, heard a big board Of trade man
pricing pictures in a gallery
-Four thousand dollars for that Diaz?"
he exclaimed, ''why, bought one from
Soandoso last week for four hundred
dollars, and it was twice the SIZE
do not believe in these impeccable
gentlemen who stroll around gallery
dcnouncing this, that and t'othcr as
fraudulent and false at n glance.
never met one of them who could salts
fly me that he had any greater proofs
than his own conceit to support him.
TO detect forgery in art man must
be more than q casual critic, and he
will not make his decisions off-hand
like criticism OF n comic song. The
most expert of experts is falliblc, any
how, and when pictures are turned out
as, for instance, the French painters Of
the 1880 school turned them out. by con-
tract, SO to speak, the bad with the
good, the worthless with the gems, all
given currency by the magic of a famous
name, it becomes a matter OF impossi-
bility to render decision except in
cases of the most fagrantly apparent
fraud.
know great many canvases Of this
imprint that 1 would not hang on my
wall as gifts, but do not take it upon
myself to say that these latter are coun-
terfeits, even did think so. 1t is sufii-
cicnt for me that they are artistically
worthless, and but for the painters
names would not sell for the value of
average native work in public sale.
There are pictures by Corot, Diaz, Rous-
seau, ETC., in many collections which
show how we'll these great men could
paint when they chose. But the great
est men have done, and ever will do,
work unworthy Of them-experiment:
which they nre not satisfied with them
selves, sketches made as memoranda
and left as such. The artist dies. His
accumulations are sold.
And the next thing we know they are
put upon the market.
There is only one point about q great
deal of this. posthumous rubbish that
is really suspicious-thiSis that so much
of it is signed. Artists do not make n
practice of signing their sketches or
their incomplete works. Who, then,
signs them? The nero fact that they
arc signed would go far to show that
their market is intrinsic, and dependent
on the name of the artist rather than
the quality of his art. If q work of art
sells on its merits, the question of
Authorship is Of no consequence, and all
ouY doubts do not lessen the selling
value of the picture
Wherever the picture fraud goes he
leaves II dirty trali. One after another
he has used up the eastern cities SO that
ench season finds him further westward.
| Not only does he prey upon the public
on his own account, hut he spoils the
| market for others A couple of years
back, for example, Pittsburgh was fine
( nrt market. A rich and cultured city,
! just going in for art, she afforded honest
dealers IN opportunity well worth nd
vantaging by. The hTHzard drummer
scented the feast and swooped down
! upon it, with his job-lot fine arts and his
cut price list. Ask any dealer what sort
If n ,nnrket piftshi1rJh Ie to-dou The