New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-30

received authority to submit offers and sought
the relic, it had disappeared. What had become
of it was mystery which was not solved until
1t announced that it had been sold to the
Metropolitan Museum
General di CesnOa, the director of the Metro
politan Museum, had the Continent friend
who also a friend of the owner of the biga
Through this the general was placed in
direct communication with the finder and when
the biga disappeared from Paris it was to cross
the ocean for examination in New-York. 1t
was bought, it is asserted, for less than $780,
O0O-about half the price originally asked. It
will be placed exhibition with the other
Etruscan treasures in the Museum next No
vember.
Besides these valuable additions to the art and
archaeological treasures of the Museum, George
H. Story, curator of the collection of paintings
has recently unearthed and restored two can
vases bearing scenes of the chase which are
believed to possess great value. They
bought at an auction many years ago by Rob-
ert Gordon the treasurer of the Museum, for
little money. and they were apparently of
no great merit, had lain in the storeroom ever
since Some time ago Mr.. Story thought lie
detected something mertorious in one of the old
dust covered and grimy canvases. and set about
restoring it. The result startling that
the companion picture. in much worse condi-
ton, has also been restored. 1t is now bel eyed
that they are two Of the four famous paintings
by Piero d Cosmo for the decoration of pal
ace. One shows the carnage resulting from fir
ing the woods to drive out it's wild beasts, which,
having fled to the open. are preyng upon
another; the satyrs. centaurs and fauns are
slaughtering them on every hal.d. In the sec
ond picture the centaurs. satyrs. fauns and
nymphs returning from the slaughter in
boats heavily laden with game and evil
IDENTIFY about to begin orgy. The smoke on
the horizon proclaims that this painting is a
sequel to the other. They believed to be
at least six hundred years old. and if genuine
products of the brush of Piero. as is now
fairly well established, are two of the few sur
viving specimens of a school and period said
not to be we'll represented in the museums Of
the world.
Mr.. Story occasionally discovers some queer
things in cleaning and restoring old paintings
He has one. an interesting Dutch freside sketch
in a corner of which he observed a patch of
canvas painted over TO harmonic with the re-
mainder of the interior. Investigation disclosed
beneath the patch the carefully and rather
realistically painted carcass of an OK, suspended
by gambreI from a hook the wall.
Il presume" said the veteran curator, dryIy,
lit too for the fastidlous taste of
somebody who once owned the picture and he
had it patched to suit his notions of refined
art We preferred the beef to the patch and the
picture is now shown it originally
painted
Probably the most valuable article in the Mu-
scum, from purely commercial point of view
is Messonier's famous painting entitled Fried
land, 1884," for which, it is said. 100000 could
easily be obtained. This battle scene is very
much desired by both museums and private
collectors The biga, of course is a first prize
from the point of view of the collector, both
on account Of its great age and because of its
artistic merit and enduring material. Among
the many valuable pieces in the Di Cesnola col
lection of antiques from Cyprus is iridescent
glass plaque of remarkable brilliancy, which is
valued very highly. Offers of several thousand
pounds have been made for it, as it is regarded
as the finest specimen of its kind in existence.
1t shades from gold through orange and green
into deeper reddish tints. and is the admiration
| of collectors of art glassware the world over.
1t considerably antedates the Christian era.
The famous Holy Family" by Rubens pre-
scented the museum by J. Henry Smith is
probably second in commercial value and one
of the first in artistic worth of the art treasures
very high value is not attached to the
called Anarchist painting the accompanying
statuette. although they were deemed suffi-
GENTLY meritoriOus to deserve acceptance by the
trustees when offered by Luigi Parmiggiani the
Italian anarchist, acting under the assumed
name Of Louis Marcy, agent for the widow
of Leon Y. EscoSura, a Paris art collector