The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-20
ART FoRGERIEs.
Trial of Notable Godfather of Modern Masterpieces.


 Modern Masterpieces.
 he eighth Chamber Correctionnelle
 oted all of yesterdays sitting
 the examination of the case of M
 reau, the picture dealer who so Sverly doctored certain canvases
 nted for pittance by gifted young
 ist, M. Raynold.
 L. Bureau was prosecuted under the
 of February g, 1895, for having dealt
 spurious paintings, and M Raynold
 complicity in putting them on the
 rket.
 will be remembered that the pro-
 ution was undertaken on the com
 int of the painter, Harpignies.
 resident Puget proceeded to examine
 dealer as follows:
 A number of spurious pictures were
 md at your place. There were all
 ,ether 1,5O0, but the expert in his
 zure held only 121. Where did they
 ne from?'
 The Dealer: ''I hardly know.
 buy works at hazard. They might
 ne from the Hotel Drouot or even nm the Foire aux Jambons, where
 en make purchases.
 The President: You are not telling 2 truth. The canvases were handed CT to you by M Raynold and you ctored them by cracking the sur- ees, touching them up and signing em with some famous name of aer.
 The Dealer: q protest-that is not le. As for M Reynolds. he worked me simply as our occasional re- orer."
 rhe President: "That is not in ac- Irdance with the opinion of the ex- rt, who will tell you that all the pie res were signed by the same hand" The Dealer: "The expert be mis- ken"
 The President: To whom did you sell csc forged pictures?"
 The Dealer: ITO my customeres-a
 entele of Americans"
 The painter, Raynold, proceeded in Is turn to plead his good faith, say gSthat he confined himself to copying, .intEngs and drawings, without at mpti,hg to initiate. He emphatically snied everything in the way of doctor g and forgery.
 "Fors that matter" he added, sadly, -ny cc5pies were bad. You can't imi- &te Clorot for 20 francs. If had sus- Ected for moment what use was to
 made of these pictures I should Irtaintly have ceased to work for M ureau.''
 Hanael. the expert, was called. It is who examined the false Diazes, aursignys and Troyons, and assure pu he had no difficulty in proving that n {of these canvases were cooked-up, Eelilowed and-relined, for it is thus hat forgeries are disguised. As for the arface cracks they were genuine, but 3rtificial.
 i Several witnesses followed, testifying } the perfect responsibility of Ray | old, and then there was a long dis ussion concerning the cracks. Bu- eau attempted to explain, and when he president complained of the length Ind incoherence of his harangue, he ep1ied with spirit:
 T am asked to defend myself and I m doing so. What else can I do?" "But you defend yourself very badly , observed M. Substitut Wattiness, land your method is pitiful.' "Lord!" replied the other, q haven't The eloquence of a Clcero--or State |ldvocate."
 On the retort Nj. Wattiness rose with h smile and began his address, which |gas marked by great acumen and in- senuity.
 This matter" he said, affects not only the public welfare, but the vel fare of art itself: and artists and deal- CTS unanimously lamenting the prevail ence of such frauds, hope to learn by the decision of this tribunal how much protection they may expect from the courts.
 Tn our time there has been a re- markable growth in the appreciation oi art; there is no one who does not try, ol at least wish to form a collection. This general tendency has resulted in 8 great increase of fraud, now practiced by artists, and often artists of high It is not only the collleet- ,r is affected, but the artist, whose glory painfully acquired is eventually ob- our country, too humiliated by the unjust criticism, and even ridicule to which her children are exposed
 The speaker proceeded to minute analysis of the law on artistic frauds and observed that, to the regret of everyone. 1t had virtually remained a dead letter since its enactment in 1895
 This is due mainly to two circum- stances" continued Me le Substitut Wattiness; "the difficulty of proving in tent and the apthy of those concerned which is easily accounted for, inasmuch as an artist rarely attains to the honor Of fraudulent imitation until long after his death. As for the heirs the absence of material injury renders them indif- ferent. while the buyers invariably re- fuse to recognize their mistakes. That is why we see pictures every day, in ar