New-York tribune., 1903-06-02
ERNEST GAMBART.
"reminiscences Of q Famous art
Dealer.
From The London Telegraph

From The London Telegraph
On Saturday next it will be found that the
traditions have been more than maintained IoI
then will come under the hammer the pictures
/ and drawings left at his death in his palace al
Nice by that prince Of line art dealers EFnGsC
Ganbart. To-day and until Friday the pubic
can Judge Of the range of these possessions
most of which, by the way, used 10 acorn tAe
late Queens holiday residence at ClrnleZ re"
personalities IN the art world nave eeeh hiotT i@
remarkable. No artistic memoirs Q! lhe tao'
century are without ample details or his eXtraoF-
binary shrewdness and generosity buoy1hI
and imperturbabla always, ne trlumphea over
/ a1arv r1ischance of fortune To people Of mar
row outlook who acclaim contemporary Amerl-
can enterprise as a new discovery II VIII come
as a surprise to learn that Gambart was IN every
way comparable with the modern Napoleons or
/ commerce A Belgian by birth, equipped Win
good education-he had taken honors at 81
Anna-in 1S40 at the age or tWenty-slA ne
came TO this country 10 take his chance after
his father had met with financial misfortune
He began as a flower seller. Casting round. he
saw the furore caused by Landseer's engraV-
ings He thought that the British public might
like transations OF foreign pictures. Therefore
he started hawking foreign prints. Success
came. Then he essayed picture dealing, and
until his retirement. in 1870, was IN the fore
front of that calling
He early showed his mettle. A private colec-
tion in the North of England to be sold
Gambart and a party of dealers started from
London TO view the properties. Railway trav-
elling was slow. delay took place, and the
party anghted for refreshment and stop for
the night. Gambart was missed When the
1 tlred travellers reached thelr destination Gam
bart met them, cheerily told them that fine
/ dinner waiting for them, and showed them
nothing 10th, TO the hotel Over the excellent
wine provided-Gambart insisted on being host
he broke the tidings them that their labors
were in vain-he had bought the collection en-
bloc Unsparing of himself. his energy was un-
bounded and he would make the longest and
most tedious journeys al a moments notice with
the light heartedness of a modern CORE
spondent.
Awen known dealer is fond of telling story
which is founded his imperturbab calmness
in a tight situation II follows: Nine
Gambart calls at the office. Housekeeping
money is needed. How much money is there in
the BANK inquiries Gambart of his cashier.
Sixty pounds is the reply. Give madame 900
saws Gambart. and madame takes affectionate
asks Gambart. Twenty-Five hundred
pounds has TO be met to-day comes pat. Then
we must make II, says the undaunted Gambart.
And he always did somehow, runs the tale
Cambarts persistency was irresistible. Fred
erick Walker describes how. after fully intend
ing his Wa yfarers' for the Royal Academy, he
had 10 let Gambart have ii for his exhibition.
He got at me. that is the only way can de
scribe IT," he naivey writes No artist ever
GREETED Gambart's princely way OF getting at
them. and Sir /. Alma -Tadema has often told
the story that when he had finished painting the
second batch Of pictures for Gambart, he and
the rest of the Brussels art colony invited
10 dinner But to his delight he found that
Gambart had made him the guest of the even
ing, and on examining his napkin discovered a
big cheque. much beyond the commission agreed
upon. Scores of similar anecdotes could be re-
counted, using the names of the artists repre-
sented in Saturdays catalogue. To show the
way he stuck TO q friend il may be recalled
that on one occasion he asked to designate
painter TO depict certain royal function
Gambart named painter. The answer came
back that the not viewed with favor
and that another nomination should be made
Gambart resubntted the same name and Gam
bart had his way