New-York tribune., 1903-01-11

had which in nv mind is the best bargain
for you and for our country. 1 always bear
in mind that I responsible for helping to
send them, and 1 don't want to be forever ac-
curst for helping them to a poor thing; be-
sides, I have no other interest at stake. No
can say 1 ever have or would take a six
pence in the shape of commission from any
In fact, 1 think 1 in hot water in a
certain direction because 1 would not help
them to plant certain doubtful old master
on you"
Mr. Boughton attended many sales in Eng
land and on the Continent in Mr.. Marquands
behalf. Here is characteristic report under
date Of 1886:
THE - sale has passed and gone and
though had no special instructions from you
looked out for good things for you. 1 could not
manage to secure, however, any single one Of
the six left a price for. They all went for
than double what i, in my careful mind,
had put down their utmost value. There
were some fine things, but in most instances
they had been too much retouched and gummed
up. Some of the names did not belong by right
to the works. In instance picture at
tributed to a lesser name turned out to be
Giorgione and of fourfold value. had no luck
If you had been there you would have carried
off several, but I don't like to be RASH
In November, 1892 Mr.. BOughton writes Of
an expedition after Venetian marbles:
ST them as bird of passage, but II Sir
Charles Robinson had not been there I GER
tain1y should have cabled you about buying
something. Of course I couldn't know that
you the museum were not filled up with
marble seats fountains. They are not light,
portable things that one could buy and bring
away, but weighed tons and were miles from
home on a lone island. ] shall never forget
our trip there and the getting away. We were
nearly stranded at nightfau lone, squashy
moor, miles from home, through trying short
cut. However, Sir Charles is a good one to
tramp and can jump streams like deer, and
he isn't far from seventy five"
Speaking of a certain art firm which had
fallen into Mr. Marquand's bad graces Mr.
Boughton writes:
There are sales and sales at Blanks, but
the buyers wary. Thev have learned wis
dom and caution. The big does not cover
the fraud any more, and Rembrandts Cd from
ducal palaces go for song. But when
really good thing comes forward the money
comes down from the roof somewhere"
Although the cable freely used by both
when necessary, there were many bitter disap-
pointments, which came about through the
absence Of the actual buyer, this letter
shows:
when ] got your second letter 1 wrote to
hurry up my other purchase of The Old Woman
with the Fagots, by FTere, and tnat TOO, was
gone in this wise: When the owner said that
might have it he wrote after few days delay
thinking there no hurry to Paris, where he
had Just placed it on sale, directing them to
send it to me. Word came that 1t was already
gone but 1 have the promise Of its coming
back to me if possible OF course, was much
disappointed on your account and made no end
of outcry,"
Another letter to Mr.. Marquand throws an in
teresting side light the artist himself:
These experts differ so much about the old
masters that feel like holding my tongue in
their presence. Each SO swears by his own in
tailibility, and at the other fellows ignorance
that 1 give 'em up. get whatever appeals to
me as good work when I can afford If, and more
often when 1 can't. To good work near me
is q pleasant spur, and I don't mind jabbing
myself with good points when going astray
"a painter with only his own work about him
is a poor, lone sort of conceited thing. When
think of Sir Joshua Reynolds getting into debt
to buy masterpieces, 1 feel like poor thing for
not following so good an example
1t was not often that the collector was taken
in" though some Of the most likely frauds that
Furope could invent were offered to him. Many
times he had the assistance of advance warning
from some friend who knew OF the fraud Here
Is a bit from a friends letter warning him to
look ont for cheap reprints of certain rare color
engravings: - -
saThey are made in Germany by some process
The low print shops reek with them. and snip
load is on its way to America. They are so
ra0rf Evn