Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-08-12

as features of landscape architecture.
Such marbles have been even more no
| ticeable cf late in some parts of this
city lining the sidewalks adjoining GER
tain establishments which deal in art
works and "anriqUes,' both real and
imitation These displays include we'll
curbs, fountain basins, wall fountains,
gard6E benches, Wastes, tarcophago
and an extensive variety Of stone or
marble lions-rampant passant and
| ,cucnant, with and without heraldic
shields, and with expressions rang
| ing from benign placidity to snaiing
| ferocity Ihere are so many of these
4b1ects IL siscl Sidewalk collections
| ,nat the ia.se:Oy naturally wonders
where they ali came from, in what age
| they wee produced and to what pui-
pose they are destined in this country
A representative Of one CT the firms
dealing most la gely in these articles,
| when applied to for information cn the
| subject said tilat ties. were all lm-
ported from Italy, ard that regular
| imporations Of them began about five
years ago Previously such subjects
| were imported only Oh special com
missions 4 steadily growing demand
| fer them had been caused by the in
crease here of large and handsome
country estates, with consequent de-
mand for such ornaments by landscape
architects. who often found their use
at certain points of much value III
! carving out some desired effect. The
demand. it was said, had increased
largely within tie last three or four
years. and in the last two yeals the
marbles had arrived in quantities.
Taere are two firms in New York
which import them extensively, but
they have also been imported of late
3y q house in Chicago which sup
plies them for fine estates in the west.
Clever Copies OF Ola Works.
The proportion OF genuine antiques
among these works is confessed to be
sary small Such genuine pieces as
reach here are very seldom bought
through European dealers, but are
usually obtained by the importers di-
rectly from some bankrupt Italian
family which is compelled to part
with some Of its possessions. and so
sells its garden marbles. Italians. the
importer said, are the eleverest fax
irs" of antiques in the world. They
employ expert marble cutters and
have copies made Of fine works Of art
On private estates, especially in the
neighbolhood CT Florence. Naples and
Venice Copies are also sometimes
made cf pieces in museums, but not so
often While the antique works are
u:ually of the white Carrara marble
or the pinkish Verona marble, the
copies are chiefly Of Sienna marble,
Istran stone or hard cement which
closely resembles stone.
variety Of processes are skillfully
used tC give the limitations the de-
sired antique effect. Among these are
;udicious hammering to remove any
sharpness of outline, the use of acids
and other chemicals, exposure to rain
which has drinned against iron and
burial of the object for time in the
earth. The Italian makers usually
swear by all that is holy that their
products are genuine antiques, even
to American importers, who know
that they are lying, and tell most
elaborate stories of the history of the
articles and how tney came into their
own possession. They do draw the
line at stone and marble lions, how
ever, as these are too plentiful and
nearly all are admittedly copies OF
antiquities at garden gateways and
palace entrances. 1t is said that only
six or eight pairs of genuine antique
lions have ever been brought from
Italy to this country, but more have
been secured for England and France
Some Samples of Values.
There is very wide range in tGe
value Of both antiques and limitations
the prices varying according to size