The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-09

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Comment has often been made recently
upon the appreciation In prices Of art OBJ
jects shown BY the figures paid ct public
sales In this cityi In the last few yesrs. Some
commentators. who have said that the high
prices were due to the widening circle Of
purchasers and the increasing difficulty In
securing the finer works Of. art. have been
met with vigorous assertions that the liberal
figures were merely due to plentiful money
and insufficient eduoation among Americans.
Europe would not pay 90 much has
been q common 70 ark.
London. however, Is now discussing the
same tendency toward astonishing prices
which has been shown repeatedly at sales.
A recent notable auction at Christie's re-
vealed 90 many conspicuous instances Of
the advance in prices. that the London
Times deals at length With IL and says that
IL was one Of tho most remarkable events
in the recent annals Of that well-known
salesroom.
II was the auction OF the collection formed
by the late Sir Edward Page Turner.
Ninety-seven lots Of old 8 vres. Dresden
and Oriental porcelains and French deoora-
tive objects and furniture. sold for . total
sum Of So2 asa. or an average price o! nearly
81, 900 each. Forty-six lots. comprising
the pictures and drawings by old masters
owned by the collector. mainly cabinet
pictures, in themselves not Of the highest
importance" brought tSO,e72.
The Page Turner pictures were acquired
mainly In the eos, and the objects Of
art mainly during the sos. eos and 7Os
Of the nineteenth century. and as they
were largely bought Of one dealer. the
Times has been able to obtain from his
successor the prices paid for many OF
them.
az la Baigneuse' and ia Surprise
for which s7s2 was paid in 1857. there was
paid at the Christie auction el0,7si. The
figures are upon gyos-bteu, white and gold
huted column plinths. mounted with or
A Louis XIV. bonA.ur-du- jour cabinet.
n inches wide, which cost in 1893 Si07,
sold for Ss,i7e. 1t is inlaid with floral
sprays Of rosewood In a tulip-wood field
and has ormolu mountings.
ing 4 mousetrsp to a kitten, 10 Inches by
sT, which sold in 1888 at the Count de Merle
sale In Paris for $50, and in 1895 In London
for 81 .464, went for 81 1877 A still life by
Fyt, for which the late owner. paid in 1850
less than $50, sold for above 81 100.
A wouwermsn. "A Conflict Of Cavalry
otherwise known a. -The Battle Of the
Standard which sold for 600 guineas: q
wynants notwithstanding picture that sold
for 4i0 guineas, and q Guard Grand Canal
with the Church OF Santa Maria della
Salute that sold for 500 guineas. all went
for practically double the prices paid for
them In 1854, 1873 and 1858 by the late
owner.
pair Of porcelain bottles with globular
bodies in powder and birds and kylins
pencilled in gold. OF the Kang-hsi period
which were bought for sss In the late eos,
sold for slightly above 81 600. and a pair
of triple shaped bottles of the
same dynasty. in powder-blue, with panels
enamelled with flowers in the colors of
fdmilie-verte, which also cost sss. sold for
nearly 500. An oviform jar and pair OF
beakers, famiile-rose, OF On ien-lung. with
flowers enamelled in panels, which together
cost 4146 In 1859. brought 81 .7Ss. -
A Louis XVI. parquetere writing table
with chased ormolu mounts. which cost
in 1858 S72o, sold for 1924.