Arizona republican., 1903-07-26
RARE ANTIQUES TO ORDER.
Expert French Artisans Turn Out
 "Originals" by the Thousand.

In the stately home of many a multi millionaire there are costly antiques for which there have been paid fabu- lous sums. If the truth were known 1t would show they were manufactured by clever Parisian artisans who grow prosperous on the desire of the rich for curios.
 How cleverly these artisans work may be illustrated by one incident. An antiquary sent one of them d block of marble -"ith instructions to initiate an object which he sent along. The ar tlsan made the imitation and made-it look more genuine than the original.
 As a joke he sent the imitation to the antiquary as the original. Afterward he carried back the original as the im- itation The antiquary looked at the original and declared:
 Its bit faulty. To be frank, it's q botched copy. l hardly care to take it."
 The artisan looked at him and said: Why, it's the piece you gave me to copy"
 And the antiquary became furious As soon as he could recover his com- posture he informed the artisan that. of course, he had known it all the time, and that he had permitted the decep- ton to be carried on simply to see how far the artisan would go with his inn pudence."
 This same aaisan showed plainly what craft is employed to manufacture these limitations. He explained thus:
 With wood you can do what you please. You can make it worm eaten and put dry rot in the carved parts. A chisel cannot work on dry rot. This de- feet can be used az a certificate of au- thenticity. One of my friends bought a bahut. He paid three experts to exam inc it and they certified it to be genu- inc. Some time after he had it taken down to shift it to another room. In moving it a panel got broken and he sent to Pickard to be repaired. Good ness mel" cried Pickard. It is the bahut that I make a few years ago. The cab inetmakers who work for antiquaries now use the oak which has been em- ployed in the beams and rafters of old houses. Fortunes have been made by knowing people who bought old tum- ble-down houses in Orleans and other provincial towns. They sold the rotten wood to manufacturers of ancient fur niture for more than the house cost, and had the ground for nothing. l have another acquaintance who manu- factures .timepieces for an antiquary at the price Of S15,OOO apiece.
 And for what does the dealer sell them? He alone could say. Such things are counted invaluable. The antiqua- ries sell them to dealers, who sell them to Park Lane millionaires and Ameri- cans. There are now only these two classes of purchasers. Here and. there French millionaire springs up and wants to distinguish himself as d col lector. One should leave to all such their illusions. The forged thing is as good as the genuine. Not long ago took two pieces of furniture that one collector brides himself on possessing for genuine things, until l became ac- quainted with the man who made them. Marble is the material that least be- trays the present day workman. l am now making a marble fountain, which will look like the product of a far back time. l give it patine by burning damp straw under it. and then l knock off a nose. or finger, or leaves of a wreath. It is a great trial to artistic workmen to be obliged to mutilate their work in this way. We feel awfully disgusted when We have dishgured a statuette But We can make three times more money in working for antiquaries than for moderns
 Sometimes our profits are enormous; We have to be so conscientious and so attentive to details. The antiquaries can ask any prices they like. Their customers want antique things to give the illusion of having ancestors who
 
 present craze is for Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth century mar bles. They are ugly. but they help to throw dust in the eyes of South Afri- can gold kings settled in Paris and American heiresses. The owner of the chateau de Rochefort goes in for such things. He paid dear to secure for his chateau marbles that l dare say are genuine. but so inferior in workman ship and conception that l would not stoop to pick them out of the mud, if by doing so I could have them for noth- ing.
 "Houdons are now the rage. and have been for some time. Think of the prices 10 which they ran up these spurious graces on the timepiece bought by a Frankforter at the double sale. The most enviable Houdon is now 'Le Bai- ser Copies of it are sold everywhere by Italian boys The original at this moment in Paris is worth 0.O00. Well, there are seven or eight originals ly- ing by quietly to be bought out in due time"
 The dealer WhC knows his business never paTades his antiques in the front shop. He keeps them in the back mix cd up with rubbish. The amateur after q hunt among the things conspcuOusly displayed goes into the back shop tu hunt. When he discovers" tho treas ure he will bring it out. Then the deal CT pretands that he had not paid any attention to that particular object and that he will have to ascertain its value | before he can part with it.
 By this time the collectors desire for possession is on edge and he will pur- chase hls find at almost any price. l Amateurs sometimes a& a favor are | permitted to go through living rooms of an antiquary. On every occasion l they will make a "hnd.'' One dealer made a mint of money out of the re- naissance bed he slept on. He gave l the collectors a. chance tc
 | it. Because he was using it they