Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-02
A few lead-pencil strokes and little dus.

A few lead-pencil strokes and little dust
complete the illusion"
THIS being denied by the Clamart people,
real expert confirmed 1t. .y'I know init
mately curiosity dealer in the Boulevard
de Clichy,' he said. Zone day he showed
me a fine mummy. What do you think of
it?' he asked. L think 1T is mummy
replied. Well it is not he said. 1t comes
from Montrouge factory
Those who go into ecstacies before the
VelaSQuez portraits of the Louvre ought to
be careful. 1t is an open secret that all
those of the La Gaze collection are mere
limitations, while some critics say that half
the others are no better, and that only the
stubborness of the authorities continues to
authenticate them to the world. AS for the
Cluny Museum, which paSses-and rightly
Tor having one of the most precious col
iections in the world--it was stuck only
Yesterday with superb carved-wood cath
edral stall.
The story of this stall is typical. At Or
leans lives an honest artist of great talent,
which he devotes to reconstructing old art
furniture, which he sells openly for a few
nundred francs per object. Recently one
or his apprentices paid a visit to Paris
Naturally such man went straight to the
Cluny Museum of Decorative Art. There
to his stupefaction, he found labeled as a
genuine antique q cathedral stall that he
himself had worked on at Orleans Writ
Ing to his employer of this marvel, the
brave apprentice said:
Passed for an Antique.
1T is astonishing that beaux arts COM
mission could pass such an object as au-
thentic, when. on examining the assem-
b1ages at the back it is easy to see that it
is modern. Besides, there is nowhere evil
dence that this kind of supports were
placed in sixteenth century stalls: they
| were used in the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries but in the styles of Francis L
and Henri II. l have seen only pilasters
ornamented with delicate arabesques :
II you had composed this stall for the
Henri Ill room of the Cha teau of Blois,
might possibly understand the commission
having been deceived by it. ="
Here is an honest artisan, who knows
more art than the beaux arts commission
all together. On the demand of NJ Caillot,
his Orleans employer, the commission was
called together. Naturally it was incredu-
| lous. 1T is pure renaissance" they said.
TO make that kind of furniture they had
| tools that are now unknown" Pardon, -
| replied NJ. Caillot Il possess those tools -
Then: Let me take out two screws and [
VIII show you my regular factory mark on
the back of this carving!" The commits
sion hesitated. To touch such venerable
antiquity is like sacrilege. only two
screws said M. Caillot
The commission acquiesced In a few
moments they had the best kind of proof
That their renaissance cathedral stall was
| made by NJ. Caillot of Orleans. Then an
inquiry was opened. Caillot had sold it for
6Oo francs to a Paris antiquity dealer
| Through complaisant janitor this latter
had warehouSed 1T in an old house of the
Faubourg st. German belonging to a fam
| lily that never visited it. So the stall be
came authentic 1T belonged to the old
family" So the Cluny people bought IT for
1900 francs.
Sold to an American.
Now for the epilogue
1.-The antiquity dealer repaid the 1900
francs took back the stall and
three days later sold 1t to a rich American
| for IL 500 francsr'
If honest art-artisans like NJ Caillot ar
rive at such perfection without intent to
defraud how perfect must be the work of
wilful counterfeiters! The Louvre indeed,
has so many limitations on it's hands that
one or It's ofilc1als has proposed to set up,
alongside of the real, Museum of False
Antiques and Counterfeit Art Objects"
Nothing would be more instructive to
collectors and amateurs" he says 1.-THE
things in themselves are beautiful and val
liable. Such museum would give work to
a most interesting class of artistes who
now, from the nature of their trade, can
never make name! For instance to give
to certain specimens of goldsmiths work
the "patina" of age. they make sack of
dog or cat skin. In it they break a lot of
eggs, shake them up and then insert the
gold article. When taken out at the end
Of three months, it SO beautifully oxydized
that no one can tell the differencev'
Tell us some MORE 1 asked.
For carved worries. the thing is a strong
bath of nicotine solution, then a washing
with oxygenized water. So the ivory takes
the indelible yellowish tint of age"
Mr.. Pierpont Morgan, who says so posi-
lively: Il have bought only genuine arti-
cles," ought to ponder on two recent cases
of collectors so famous for their learning
and judgments that he would have been
glad to employ them as buying experts
One, NJ Touzin. Paris antiquary, was in
formed by a brother antiquary of Cler-
mont of magnificent table for sale in the
chateau of Previala. inhabited by it's pro-
pretor. the Comte de More de Previala
Taking the train for Clermont, NJ Touzin
bought the table for 1900 francs: it had
been given by king to one of the counts
ancestors.
When NJ. Touzin showed it to his learn
ed friends in Paris. one of them declared
that it was a fine modern counterfeit, not
worth more than 1 800 francs. The fact
was proved. and the case is now in the
Paris courts.
Deceived an Expert.
known collector. Goupil. who presented to
the Gobelins the Persian carpets and to the
Louvre the Italian renaissance marbles
He was man of great taste, erudition and
experience Therefore his heirs preserved
with pride, among others of his choicest
treasures, the celebrated lamp of the Emir
Arghoun. During NJ. GoupiPs lifetime, the
art monthlieS had all reproduced 1t, after
the engraving of Henry Guerard.
Not long ago one of the heirs visited an
exposition of lighting. To his indignation
he saw on sale exact replicas of the lamp
of the Emir. How came you to make
these copies of my uncles masterpiece?'