Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-07
PICTURE THIEVES.
A DEALER WHO SAYS THERE ARE
 ARTISTIC klEPTomANIAcs.

-buCue>. Ui ArtbnNhtrN ot Given For . sharpers and Coun- terfeit Etchings.
 Did you ever hear of tho artistic kleptomaniac?' asked n we'll known dealer in etchings during an after lunch con harmony few days ago. Well. there is such person. Tho artistic klcp- tomaniac is insanely fond of valuable art in the form of etchings or paintings. He steals through the admiration and lovc of art There ara many famous in- stances where old and almost priceless masterpieces of the painters art have been taken by persons of this kind, and it is odd that in almost every instance tho stolen pieces of art could not be traced.
 The most famous artistic theft of modern days was the stealing of the fig ure of St. Anthony from the celebrated picture by Murillo. The painting. which was on exhibition in tho cathedral at Seville. represented St. Anthony sur rounded by angels. Ono morning about seven years ago it was discovered that the figure of St Anthony had been cut from the canvas.
 An Europe was notified of the theft, but the police never found the thief. About two years afterward Spauiard from the West Indies called in at the establishment of Mir. SChaus, the well known picture dealer of this city. Tho Spaniard told Mir. SchauS that he would like to sell him an unsigned painting by Murillo Mir. Schaus, being a man of large intelligence regarding works of the masters. recognized immediately the figure of St. Anthony cut from tho painting in the cathedral at Seville
 ''The man was seized, and Mir. Schaus had the honor of returning tho painting to Spain.
 The theft of the celebrated portrait of tho Duchess of Dcvonshirc, by Gains borough. l5 years ago was doubtless the work of an artistic klcptomaniac. for the picture can do the thief no good but excite his admiration. The portrait was in the possession of the MeSSrs Agnew, the picture dealers of London. IL had been on exhibition, and tho AgnCw gal | leries had been crowded. One morning the frame stood empty. Tho painting had been cut out, and no ono knows tC this day where Gainshorough' Duchess | of Dcvonshire is.
 1 ''Somc dishonest lover of art is gloat. ing over the picture in private. The DOT trait is valued at S50, GOO.
 That painting by GainsborouGh, hC- sides being m artistic relic, is also his toric, as the painting was made just when the beautiful Duchess of Devon shire had been the means of turning the political tide of England Pitt anI Fox were rival candidates for parlia ment. It was demonstrated that tn, election would be narrowed down to th, vote of an elderly fat butcher Th' butcher intended to vote for Pitt. Tn, Duke of DevOnshirC tried every means including n hribc. to influence the fa butcher to vote for Fox. hut the butchc was obduratc. Then the beautiful duch ess said to him:
 Is thcrC anything can do for yO' if you will vote for Eox:'
 | "'Ycs,' answered tho butcher T you will kiss mo. will vote for Fox. .
 The duchess kissed the fat butcher Fox was elected, and the political com plcxion of England was changed IL related that the Duchess of Drvunshir l told tho story to GainShornrSh when sh was posing for her picture
 | The collector of valuable ctchinGs q engravings must be as constantly on tn alert for countCrfeits as is the han cashier for forged checks Or cOunterfCi bills or the ieweler for false diamonds Some dealers have suffered heavy loss, because of their inability to distinCuiS between an original and countcrfri etching or engraving Quick wit and wide knowledge of the history of ctCf [ ings recently saved Frederick KeppcI the art dealer of this city and Paris nearly 1000 marks in Berlin. The co lection of ctchings of the late Baron OI perman was sold at auction. and dealer from all over the world attended th sale at Berlin.
 MT. Keppel bought m impression ( Rembrandt's Christ before PIlate. CI . titled the Great Ecce Homo. payin I, 400 marks. or S35O. for the Ctchiua Just after the sale well drcs>,d SCI tleman said in French to Mir. kcVpCl:
 Sir. presume you are stranger
 Berlin. am native Of tho city. an
 am mortified tn sca you sO badly chca ed today. wish to mako you all Il f restitution can. You paid I, 100 mari e for that etching Tho price k far tC t high. but to compensate you for yo' r loss will sell you n genuine cichir :. for l. 900 marks.
 Mir. Keppel knew his etching to
 genuine. MT. keppel saw that the ms was playing a game of high comcd, ], but he said he would like to sec Il y etching. When MT. Kcppcl reviCw' 1T the etching. he said:
 e "I will give you marks for the etc
 ing" When the man found he had bC'
 caught in his game. he simply said;
 "Prenez le. and Mir. keppcl took Il ,. counterfeit. which hc afterward gave
 the purchaser of his genuine ctchiu
 The counterfeit which was mado
 Solomon Savry. can only be told fro
 the original by the difference in q
 drawing of one of the hands in the etc
 ing.
 The only difference between the ori
 inal and the counterfeit of Albert D
 rer's celebrated etching "Melancholi'
 is the form of a ward on one of sever ', keys hanging from a figures girdl
 Though smaller than a pinhcad. [
 flaw represents a difference in price
 several hundred dollars. So