The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-03
SPURIOUS ANTIQUITIES.
The Russian Police Instructed to Stamp
Out IA Nefarious Industry.

Out NefariOus Industry.
Several centuries before the Christian
era Greek colonists founded number
of nourishing towns along the present
Black sea coast of Russia. and pene-
trated some distance into the interior
L'Anthropologie says in it's last issue
that the fact that many objects of
| classical antiquity have been found in
South Russia has given rise in that
region to the fabrication of ancient
curios on scale that has perhaps
never been equaled elsewhere Late
in 1896 the Russian government ordered
the arrest of person named Hoch-
manu. who was said to be the prime
factor in this spurious industry He
was nabbed in the act of delivering a
series of fraudulent coins, and his con-
vlction and imprisonment for swim
ding. it was thought, would put an end
to the business. This hope was ILL
founded, and, late last year, the mat
ter was placed in the hands of the Rus
sian police department with instruc-
lions to ferret out the culprits and
stop their nefariOuS enterprise
These frauds first came to general
notice in 1896 when Professor Stern
made his report to the archaeological
congress at Riga upon the Justification
OF objects of classical antiquity in
South Russia, which he said was svs-
'>'''''iN'iif l'tiohti anu udu reached
extraordinary proportions. The bust
ness began with the making of spur
lous coins, which. excepting the prod
nct of one SazOnov, were erroneously
inscribed and very badly done. The
largest workshop for the production of
all kinds of spurious classical wares
was that of the Hochmann Brothers
at olchakoV. near Odessa, and Profess
sor Stern gave the names of several
men and firms, one of them doing bust
ness as far north as kazan, on the
middle Nolga. who made a speciality of
these fabrications
They secured the collaboration of per
sons acquainted with ancient history
literature and Greek geography. and the
articles were made under the direction
Of these learned assistants, who, how
ever, were not always efficient, and
laundering inscriptions on many OBJ
| 1ectS stamped them as fraudulent
| tioldsmiths, carvers and sculptors were
in their service, and in some instances
they had imposed upon reputable
craftsmen whom they engaged, or
some plausible preteNt, to initiate an
cient art works. Their products, il
many cases, were fortified by the aft.
davits of peasants who We're hired tc
swear that they personally uneartheG
the treasures.
A wealthy collector of Kichinev in
vested several thousand dollars in these
objects before he discovered several
plumbers in the inscription on one of
them, gold crown. and upon furthe,
investigation his entire collection was
declared to be spurious. The Cracow
museum purchased pair of sandals. a
diadem and mask, all of gold, which
was the only genuine thing about them
A beautiful tiara bought for the Louvre
museum was exhibited in Paris long
enough TO become famous before its
fraudulent nature was discovered A
goldsmith who had been commissioned
to manufacture a gold plaque of the
| exact weight of the Louvre tiara made
| III" fact known when that imposture
was revealed. Cheap articles fabricated
| at kief and Berdytchef We're sent to
| many country merchants throughout
| ltuSSla To sell on commission.
Recently there have been many sales
| OF spurious antiquities alleged to have
been found in the neighborhood of OIL
| ma. The peasants there say they never
| heard of these finds. and it was soon
discovered that many reproductions of
antiquities We're being made for the
Hochmann Brothers, whose business
was again in full blast. The exposures
OF 1875 ruined the home market. but the
revived industry has thrived on the pat
ronage of tourists and foreign colec-
| tors. No wonder" remarks Lam
| thropOlOgie, that the expectation of
antiquities from Russia has taken on
1 more and more considerable proper
| tons"