The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-07
OUTWITTED ROTHSCHILD.

Cunning Dealer in Antiquities
'"TOOk In" "a Great Ffnancier.
ST Louis Globe-Democrat
An amusing story, told in the Memoirs
OF an Old Collector" makes clear the
tricks in trade to which an unscrUpuIous
dealer in antiquities will resort In order
to get large sum for his wares The
two parties were Alessandro Castellani,
the clever dealer, and Baron Adolph
Rothschild, of Paris
Castellanf had managed to get hold Of
superb enameled ever, together with
the dish on which 1t stood He knew
that Baron Adolph had a fancy for OBJ
5ects of this kind but he also knew that
no Rothschild was ever so carried away
by his fancy as to paw more than was
reasonable for anything that pleased him
Castellani, who in trade was what Ma
chiavelli was in politics, devised a bit of
strategy.
The baron, on arriving in Rome. visited
Castellani shop, and was shown the
pest things the dealer had. except the
enameied dish and ever When every
thing else had ben inspected, Castellani
drew from a hidden cupboard the dish.
out not the ever. The baron was so
pleased with the dish that he agreed to
buy the lot of which it was a part; for
one of the customs of the shop was not
to sell rare specimen apart from the
group of which it formed the principal
object. The baron paid heavily for the
whole, lamenting that there was no ever
to stand on the dish, and departed for
Florence.
There he was visited by an agent who
told him Of an old lady who wished to
sell several beautiful majolica pieces. He
visited her house in the country and was
disappointed, as the majolica was not
1ne enough to suit his taste The old
lady seemingly chagrined, left the room
to order refreshments, and the baron saw.
through the open door of a bedroom.
ever, covered by glass shade. on which
rested a wreath of immOrtelIes.
When the lady returned the baron ask
ed permission to examine the ever It
was brought out and the baron saw that
the enamel was of the same work as that
of the dish he had bought, but he wished
to be certain that the foot of the ever
would fit into the hollow of the dish.
He inquired the price of the ever. and
was told by the lady that ii was not for
sale as it was the only souvenir she pos
sessed of her husband
The baron went back to his rooms had
the dish unpacked, and found that the
foot Of the ever fitted it perfectly The
next day the baron sent the agent to
offer the old lady a princely sum for the
ever. He brought back refusal to sell.
But at last the widows scruples were
overcome. .--- . -
Castellani, with his Italian cunning, had
planned the whole affair. The agent who
called and the old lady who was senti-
mental were his aids in making the baron
pay much larger sum than he would
have given had ever and dish been sold
together. The italian shopman's scheme
had taken in the Jewish banker, reputed
one of the most astute of business men.
The story will be appreciated by those
collectors who have been taught by ex
perience to distrust so-caled finds" The
arab, conducting a party among the ruins
of an Egyptian temple, suddenly STUN
bles upon a scarab. He offers it for sale
as genuine antique, 1000 or 3O0G years
old. Some one buys it, for did not the
Arab pick 1t up before the eyes of the
whole party? Yes, but two days before
they did not see him bury the modern i'm
itation on that very spot