The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
Business Colleges.
STORIES OF ART FORGERIES.
Discovery OF Skilfully Executed Copies Of
Works OF Great Masters.

DIbCOVCEy VI ShlIulIy ENecULcU NODIe8 VI
Works OF Great Masters.
The sensational discovery that out OF
$50 pictures in the Holburne Art Museum,
Bath, attributed to the greatest painters
the world has known nearly two hundred
are forgeries raises a grave doubt, says
the London Tit-Bits. az to the genuineness
of the treasures of art in our galleries and
museums.
1t is not long since the Corot landscape
presented by the Prince of Wales TO the
Dublin Art Gallery was pronounced a fraud
by some of our leading critics, the gold
tiara OF Saftapharnes, in the Louvre
Museum, was discovered to be a forgery,
the Nelson statuette in the museum Of
the United Service Institution said to ave
been presented by George III. to the great
Admiral was similarly condemned, or
since Mr.. MaoWhirter, r. A., exposed a
large number Of sham Corots, Turner's,
and Constables.
Mr.. Firth, r. A, told us recently Of a
collection of Landseers and other modern
masters on which a private collector had
lavished a fortune and every one of which
was a forgery. while many Of the cherished
pictures in Continental galleries are de-
Ohal OO W NO Ihbb ~ ldhOhhCINs AhOIV nv
says Mr.. MacWhirter, mot enough old
masters to go around. There are more
OF their reputed works than could possibly
have been painted. Hundreds of imita-
tons are sold as genuine
So skilfully, too, are these forgeries
produced that ever clever artists are de-
ceived by them. Some years ago Mr..
MacWhirter himself purchased a disrepu-
table old canvas from an Italian sailor. OF
which the vender gave a very plausible
history. The painting. A Holy Family"
had, he said, been stolen from a church
by a Greek sailor, inc as it had all the APP
pearances OF a genuine old master the
X. A. gladly paid Gao for it. 1T turned
out to be a blend of seven old masters,
done a few years back by a hack painter
who knocked them OF by the dozen"
Mr.. Rudolf Lehman tells an amusing
story of a similar imposition practised on
himself. Returning TO Rom after some
years absence he was attracted by a piot-
ure which he saw in the shop of an art
dealer. IL was an odd master" and the
dealer, after mentioning a tall figure for
it, gave a most impressive and detailed
history of the canvas. Fortunately for Mr..
Lehman, he too knew something of its
history, for years before he had painted it
himself and had thought so little of it that
when he shut up his studio in Rom he
left It behind as lumber!
Corot. not long before his death, CHANGED
10 pay a visit TO the studio of a young artist
and was amazed to find no fewer than
thirty canvases, all splendid limitations Of
his own work and all bearing his signature.
CGl.Aw TNnRow ton nnDa GtaNnI in n 1,,.r
of law that Of $50 "Coopers" that had been
submitted to him only eleven were genuine.
And Mr.. Dudley Hardy said. referring to
forgeries Of his father g pictures:
1T is quite true that there are literally
thousands Of spurious T. b: Hardys in
dealers shops and private collections, and
it Ia time that the fraud should be exposed.
I have often been consulted by intending
purchasers Of my fathers work and should
only be too glad to place my advice at the
disposal OF any one who is in doubt about
the genuineness OF supposed T. B. Hardys.
I think I owe it to my fathers reputation
to help in suppressing the nefarious prac-
tice which has been going on for years
An interesting story which shows with
what fidelity the work Of even such a difficult
artist az Turner can be inflated is told in
connection with Ruskin. In 1875 he sent
a number OF facsimiles of Turner's pictures
to a London exhibition with this note; 4
have given my best attention during up
ward Of ten years to train a copyist to
perfect fidelity in rendering the works Of
Turner, and have now succeeded in enabling
him TO produce facsimiles 80 near az 10
look like replioas- facsimiles which | must
sign with my name to prevent their being
sold for real vignettes.'
In another case a well known firm OF
West End dealers bought for 81 900 a canvas
which they we're quite satisfied vas a
Constable, and sold it 70 a peer for $4,000
more than they paid for it. Great was
their amazement when the picture was
pronounced a forgery by an expert. Legal
proceedings folio we'd, and it was ultimately
discovered that the Constable" was the
work OF a living artist in the North of Eng
land, who had been glad to dispose OF 1t
for $500.
More remarkable still is the story told
OF Landseer. One day the famous animal
painter was present at an auction sale at
which two "tandseers'-one genuine. the
other admittedly a copy-were offered.
The two canvases were submitted TO Sir
Edwin, who after a careful examination
pro nounced both OF them his own work.
When artists, critics and dealers are thus
imposed on by forgeries IL IL little wonder
tina private collectors or even the experts
OF our public galleries are victimized.