The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-28
A SHOP WITHOUT A TILL
ITS CUSTOMERS MOSTLY MILLION
AIRES WITH CHECkBOOks.
Antique Art Objects the stock for
SaIe-Rare and Beautiful
Things Collected.
New York Evening Post.


There is a retail establishment on Fifth
avenue which is probably without a paral-
lei in New York or this country i'm the fact
that, although technically shop, as it
deals only with private purchasers, it has
no till or money drawer and no cash is ever
seen in it in connection with any business
transaction. The things sold are so costly
and most of the customers are so rich that
payments are invariably made by check. A
similar condition prevails in the parent
house in London, established some thirty
years ago. The New York store has existed
about twenty-five years and now rivals the
business of the original establishment, with
which it interchanges articles in stock as
the needs of customers require. There has
also been for the last few years a branch
Of the business in Paris in charge of an
agent. but the amount of stock kept there
is small in comparison with that of the two
other houses.
The business of the firm controlling these
places is dealing in antique art objects,
such as are sought after by experienced
connoisseurs and wealthy collectors. not a
few of whom are multi-millionaires. Orig
inally the firm dealt in antiques, curios, ia
pestries, ETC., but these did not include such
expensive things as are frequently handled
now The grade of the stock improved
with the growth of the business. and the
world to-day as among the most liberal
buyers of the most costly objects in its
line, which it is always able to dispose Of
at a profit. One of its representatives, in
conversing on the subject said that fine
thing could always be sold at good price,
and that his people were never afraid
either TO buy such a thing or to keep it on
hand for long time, as 1T was sure to in
crease in value, like old wine. Really fine
old art objects and curios are steadily get
ting scafcer, and the demand for them is
now greater than the supply.
AMERICAN PURCHASERS.
The demand for such objects is very large
in this country, which is draining Europe
of many valuable prizes in this line. This
demand has been increasing gradually, but
especially within the last few years, when
so many wealthy Americans have been Wis
iting Europe, not merely tourists but as
the guests of titled people and of country
women who have made notable marriages
there. They have seen many beautiful
things In private houses abroad, their taste
for them has been cultivated, and this has
Al
sessions, which their bank accounts enable
them to crafty. Then. too, as a member
of the Fifth-avenue firm remarked. the
Americans are naturally observers and stu
dents: they keep their eyes open, they visit
foreign art galleries, they inspect such
superb art collections as that of the late
Sir Richard Wallace, now exhibited al
Hartford House, and in this way they be-
come educated to be collectors. Many are
imbued with real love of art, while there
are others, of course, who buy costly, rare
things chiefly because it is the fashion to
do so.
According to the same authority, while
the majority of the American customers OF
the firm are millionaires, 1t is not necessary
TO be a millionaire In order to be a col
lector of scarce and beautiful objects, ever
in these days. man who has an income
of, say, $4,000 year. while he cannot com.
pete for the grand prizes. can buy 9
few fine things every year in the line OF
his particular hobby, so long as he does
not spend much upon other tastes. The
firm, ii Is said, has clientele of people OF
moderate MEANS" from $4,000 to $4,000
annually, who manage to buy a few desira
bic objects each year, and at the same
time make good investment. The articles
thus purchased increase in value until they
are sometimes worth three or four times
| the original cost. This moderate class OF
customers is larger in England than 1t IL
here, and 1t is not uncommon there to see
| very expensive things bought by person:
| who looked as If they lacked cab-fare.
There are also some shrewd persons, pos
| ing as connoisseurs and lovers of art wht
| really buy for investment only, being suf
| ficiently good judges to know that eventual
| ly they can obtain a handsome profit OF
| their purchases. The Fifth-avenue firm
| often gets back valuable things from tn,
person to whom ii sold them either be
! cause of the largely increased prices of
| fered. or, in some cases, because the frs
buyer is financially embarrassed. Custom
| ers have been known to buy tapestries ant
! Immediately pack them away in tin boxes
because they had no wall space which t,
| hang them. In one case. the same tapestr,
| came into the possession of the firm three
| while profit was also made upon the piec,
| by the two customers who sold it back.
TAPESTRIES AND MARBLES.
| No modern works of any kind are deal
| in by the firm referred to, but antique ar
| objects are secured by it all over Europe
| the finest things being obtained at priyat,
| sale, though occasionally some are picked
| up at Christie's in London. Many beautiful
| tapestries are collected, the productions o
| Gobelins, Beauvaix and Brussels, chiefly /.
| the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth
| centuries. The antique marbles secured in
! clude works by Bernin. of Italy, and sucl
French sculptors as Coysevox, who worked
| for Louis XIV, Giraudin, Pajou. Pigaile
Clodion and Houdon, whose visit to thi
country and statue OF Washington are ia
miliar to Americans. Works by these art
ISIS are now extremely rare, and IL is Sals
to be probable that a genuine one coul,
| not be found on sale by dealer i'm Europe
| Many of them were made for the palaces o
Versailles, and at the time of the Frenci
revolution they were scattered. a numbe
| OF them going TO England and to Russia
| They include single statues, mythologica
groups, and portrait busts. Occasionally
| fine old painting is picked up, especially al
4 English one. such as Lawrence or :
Gainsborough, but the firm does not consid
er itself a picture dealer.
Particular attention is given to the col
| lection of fine Chinese porcelains which ar
/ now very rare. and growing scarcer al
| the time. II Is said TO be next to impossible
/ to secure to-day a fine black hawthorn vas
1 or a fine blue hawthorn jar. Many cleve
copies of antique porcelains are now mad
| i'm China. and at the works of Samson, II
| Paris, who sells them as modern, but b,
/ INSCRIPTIONS dealers large numbers o
| them are sold in London, Paris Vienna an.
| New York as old pieces Even good Judge
| have to study some of them carefully L
| make sure that they are limitations.
Specimens of old Sevres and Dresden
| china are also brought together, and so. ar
| examples OF Limoges enamel, which ar
/ now in great request. The finest specime,
I of the latter I'm the world is said to b
| owned by j. Pierpont Morgan. who has len
| IL for exhibition at the South kensingtol
Museum in London, This is triptych o