The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-19

Dresden Ware of All Others the one
in which Most Deception Is Find
abIe-Next in Pooling CuriO Hun
ters Is old Plate.
C. a. Sala in London Telegraph.
The modern craze for curios must de-
cidedly be ascribed to the historic Bernal.
who was an enthusiastic collector OF old
china. The sale of his porcelain realized
a very large sum. AS Mr. Bernal had been
heard to boast that he had never given
more than 4 shillings, 6 pence for a porce-
lain tea cup, he must have been one OF
those diligent hunters after rarities IN the
obscure districts OF the town where Dick
ems describes the dealers of musty treas
ures as ''erouching" as though they were
hiding their belongings from the public
eye in Jealousy and distrust.
In any case. the Bernal sale seems to
have awakened in the mind of society an
impression that the requirements of gem
ulity could not be met without the accu-
mutation of curios. and an immense de-
mand arose for bric-a-brac, the principal
condition insisted upon being that the ar
ticles should not be necessarily beautiful.
but old and rare. Wardour street and
Hanway street continued 10 hold their
own, but there soon began to spring up,
principally in Bond street and Picadilly,
a number of really splendid shops for the
sale of articles OF virtue, and by degrees
these establishments extended westward
to knightsbridge. and eastward to Coven-
try street and Cranbourne street.
The demand for Dresden, Sevres. Capodi
Monte, old Wedgewood, old Worcester,
chelsea and Yarmouth was for a time serf-
ously diminished by the japanese craze.
The public purse was opened without stint
for the purchase of Satsuma ware. Jap
nese enamels, japanese porcelain. bronzes
ana craVed work became the rage, and con-
currently ingenious British manufacturers
began 10 fabricate draperies harmonic
ing in design and hue with the artistic
importatiOns from Japan. After a while.
however, the Japanese craze began to
apate among persons endowed with real
taste; II was found that the importation
OF really valuable and antique japanese
ware had practically ceased, and that an
immense quantity of fantastic rubbish
was being foisted on the English market.
japanese curiOs had again TO cope with
the keen competition of curios from AL
10 anu 4ulliSs AEdulllN eulDFOAlGfeQ and
spangled stuffs. low tables inIaid with
mother-of-pearl, ostrich eggs inclosed in
nests of mingled silk and silver. mirrors
ana slippers and prayer carpets, for a
while found favor IN English eyes. but ere
long there was a Revision of feeling. and
a desire to purchase hrst-rate old Euro
pean china was revived Another craze
more limited in its scope, made itself felt
after the sale of a large number of old and
precious violins, which had been collected
by Mr.. Joseph Gilliott of steel pen manu-
featuring celebrity. There was a rush for
Stradivariuses and Amatis with incontro-
vertible pedigrees; but it was found before
long that a good many of the so-called
Amatis and Stradivariuses were impudent
simulations, and the craze died out. Much
more extensive and much more permanent
has been the mania for old furniture
Genuine Chippendale was the first article
of this kind most sedulously sought for,
but the largest sums given for Chtppendale
were inqopsderable in comparison with
the simply enormous prices realized al
auction for examples of old French furni-
ture.
Early Boule sold we'll; but the very larg.
est, and perhaps the most extravagant
bids were made for tables, bureaus and
consoles of mahogany, tulip and rosewood
with ornaments of gilt bronze made in the
reign Of Louis XVI As much as 500 pounds
has been given for a table or cabinet for
which the original maker did not probably
receive more than five louis; nor has this
odd caprice shown as yet any signs OF
abatement. Some apology for this extrava-
giant penchant for Louis XVI. furniture
may be found in the circumstance that
such furniture is almost always unim.
peachably genuine; to forge 1t would re-
quire an expenditure of skilled labor which
would scarcely affords profit TO the deal.
er. An exact counterpart of one of the mas
! terpieces of the pre-revolution ebonistes
might enable the purchaser to echo the re-
mark of the collector of old Dutch pic
lures, who when he was informed by ar
expert that the canvas which he had
bought as a genuine Ostade was in reality
a forgery, executed in his early and strug-
Cling youth by David Wilkie, replied that
he did not care. since the imitation was as
good as anything that Ostade had ever
painted. 1t must be sorrowfully admitted
that the modern clamor for curios has
led to a vast amount of spurious limitations
of old china, finding their way into the
shops for the sale of such articles
In some cases deceit in the matter OF
ceramica is next door to the impossible
The dealers and the amateurs are all ex-
psrts and it would be known at once if a
so-called specimen of Rose du Bari or of
Bleu du Roi were brought to the rostrum.
There is. 1t is true, a contemporary imita-
ton of Rose du Barri in old Spode ware
but the article bears the mark of the Spode
factory, and is sold altogether in good
faith. But where forgery is most largely
employed is in the production of sham
Dresden 1t Is not worth while to forge old
Sevres, since the most notable examples
are known all over Europe, and there is
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