New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-30
TWO LONDON SALES.
PRICES REALIZED FOR
THE PICTURES OF THE PRICE coll
LECTION-BOOKS FROM LORD OR
EORrys. IJRRARY-THE sTRATH-
NAIRN MONUMENT.

MARIN MONUMENT.
London June 81
The even. OF the week. 80 far as the world OF
art and Getty Is concerned. has been the sale
~ the James Price collection which mentioned
TO YOU In my letter OF fortnight ago as about TO
take pace The late Mr.. James Price was for
many years III the house Of Barring Brothers. and
as he was fortunate enough to retire before the
collapse he preserved his considerable fortune In
tact and able up TO the last month OF his lie
to indulge his taste for buying pictures In this
he appears to have been guided by two principles:
he bought almost exclusively early English
landscapes and portraits. and with equal exclu-
siveness he bought from or through single very
powerful firm. Thus. dying as he did at the
moment Of the boom in English pictures. his
executors were pretty sure OF good sale; and as
the credit Of the firm in question may be said 10
have depended upon making the sale n success
no further explanation is required for the ex-
traordinary, and In many cases foolish prices
which we're paid Those OF your countrymen
who are interested In art are aware OF the unusual
efforts that were quietly made to secure com
missions; they know that some few months ago
an emissary OF the managers OF the sale visited
the United States, armed with photographs. and
made the pictures known to every collector and
energy was displayed on this side OF the Atlantic
I never saw 90 many American dealers and anna
tours congregated In one room In London as at
Christie's last Saturday and / assume that. al
though their names do not appear among the
buyers, some Of them had given commissions 10
Messrs. Agnew and did not go empty away
The nnety-one pictures realized the prodigious
sum OF $4,000. or about S4350o0-a sum almost
equal to that which was brought In 1882 by the
wonderful collection Of Lord Dudley, with It's
masterpieces OF Raphael. Cuyp. Hobbepa ana
the masters whose place has been assured py
time. AS to the quality OF the Price pictures II
can be thus summarized: Two beautiful master
pieces by Gainsborough; six or eight second-9ate
Sir Joshuas; by Romney. one beautiful. but very
slight sketch and three four pretty, but by
no means nrst-rate finished pictures; an excel
lent Hoppner some good Beccheys. By the great
Turner three good examples and three very
much the reverse: among the former the beau
tlful and luminous early picture "Morthke.
which was naturally very much admired wien It
appeared at the Old Masters last winter the
fine. but rather too clean. sea-piece. 'He.voet-
sluys." and the stormy wal dAosta The
prices realized by these showed enorrnous ad-
vance; for whereas. in 1863. at the celebrated
Bickrell sale where large sums. according to the
pictures. the "Hevoc,sluys" brought 1900
guneas il realized exactly four times that
amount or 640O gulncas. Saturday. The
"Mortlake" sold for $780, ne val d'Aos'a" for
1000 and the two Venetian pictures which are
now little better than wrecks. brought 2so'
guneas each. prices which may fairly be called
monstrous The climax II absurdty. however. was
reached when Romney's pretty sketch OF Lady
Hamilton was put up; head so slightly painted
tina; when. five or six years ago II was offered 70
n known amateur for $40 he declined II rs
being altogether too Uncomfortable. In an ordi-
nary sale at the present day II might have
brought $500. Tor 1t IL certainly very pretty
thing; but on Saturday. amid the amazement oi
the room. II went up by leaps and bounds TO the
sum OF 1850 guineas. The Reynodscs all sold Tor
30 to ~ per cent above their estimated value.
GAINsBOROUGHs LADY MvLGRAVE.
The one picture which cannot fairly be called
dear though Il fetched a record price, Ear be
yond what had been expected. was Gains
boroughs portrait Of Lady Mulgravc; and this
because. being an absolutely perfect work OF
the masters best period and TIE portrait Of a
woman who II not faul:lcssly beautiful. must
have been fascinating to an extraordinary de-
gree there Is no price too high for very rich
man TO have given for II. IL II probably well
known to many OF your readers through the BRILL
liant etching by Waltn"r. published few years
ago An English paper has already published
story about the former sale Of this picture but.
as happen to know 1t is authentc. 1t VIII bear
repetition. When the pictures from Mugrave
Castle were sold in $780, this charming thing was
among them. and II was bought By the JUNIOR
member Of an eminent firm then very young
man. for goo guineas. rs the limit hxed by the
Ia nlan
to by his seniors when he returned 10 the office.
and warned that that sort OF thing must not oc-
cur again How did they know. they asked.
whether they would be able TO get their
money back? However. 10 the credit OF old MI
Prices Judgment he, when he saw the picture
next day Immediately look II at the usual 10
per cent advance and pat il away In his collcc-
ton I'm South Devon Five years later he showed
II at tho Old Masters; but in the interval the
Rothschilds had discovered the charms OF Gains
borough and Reynolds. and were eagerly collect
ing all the very finest pictures by those TWO
masters that they could lay their hands on. On
the day Of the private view Mr.. Price was
offered the sum OF 1000 guineas for his pur-
chase: bat he withstood the temptation and kept
the picture II his ghost was present at Christe's
last Saturday. and II ghosts can fee! a thrill IL
nust have felt one when, on the picture being
placed upon the easel. everybody clapped hands
and the biddings beginning at 5000 guineas. went
nm almost instantly to 5000 and even 5000 At
that point there were only two competitors left
Mr.. Agnew and a gentleman IN the middle OF
the room; and when. In response to Mr.. Agnews
bid OF 900. the latter criod 10000 guineas. Mr.
Agnew shook his head and exclaimed. I'm
beaten" the hammer falling amid great APP
nlouee to the mysterious Mr.. Campbell
have not yet discovered the ultimate destination
Of the picture; Il is said. know not with what
truth. that this lovely creation was bought Tor
America.
THE VOGUE OF OLD ENGLISH PICTURES.
The effect OF the sale will doubtless be to In
crease the vogue OF old English pictures. cspe-
cially portraits and fine landscapes That these
! IL In fo,.n ig II La