The sun., 1907-04-07
WHITE SALE TOTALS $t25,OOO.
mon PRICES FOR TAPESTRIES
At THE CLOSING DAY.
one Piece Brings $40. 500 and Another
rs. S.lOO-PrIncetOn club Buys the BIE
Fireplaces Howard GkeenIey Pur,
chases Ceiling for More Than 81. 900

chases a Ceiling for More Than 81 OOO
there was no place for a poor man ct
the final days sale Of the Stanford White
collection yesterday when tapestries were
coing at StO,5O0 and people were writing
checks in three high figures for cary ed
Caen stone mantelpieces. In three hours
goods to the amount OF S77.9sS.SO were
Knocked down under the pencil Of Mr.
Kirby auctioneer OF the American Art
Association, and this brought the total
tor the entire sale up 20 $I25. .sO45O.
After noon tomorrow. when the drays have
left the White mansion with the last porta-
blc pieces of the famous collection, masons
and decorators will come with their scat
roidings to take down from the ceilings
piece by piece ancient mural paintings and
to pry from the walls bits Of old tilinR and
worn marble basreliefs.
Yesterday for the first time at the sale
the voice Of the auctioneer assumed a
coaXiug and a cajoling note. In the first
Two days he had but to put up an article
aui its price was named within half
minutes time, but when the course OF the
sale led Mr.. Kirby around to the music
room and long dining room. hung with
faded tapestries Of past centuries, even
those with fat purses baked. Pain was
lFIttNth llA ltlt dCStulS VI lus dNCtiOuctT
when the first bid on the grand Gobelin
tapestry that hung across the north wall
of the music room was put at only 81. 600.
II am not sure that heard that bid,
said Mr. Kirby. Il really did not want to
hear it, Now, ladies and gentlemen, let
mo take you into my confidence. This
tapestry here, the great allegorical picture
Of commerce. is unique. There has never
bcon offered at a private salo in America
niece of tapestry to equal this one Ihava
II from c. j.. Hunter of Harvard, him1
sslf a great student Of tapestries. that the
lowest cash estimate Of tha value of thia
picce ia S25, 900.
Did hear somebody say 5000 Why.
az the recent Marquand sale Of tapestries
piece about half as large as this and not
nearly so fine brought $4,000. and that
An. this gentleman says 81. 900: that is q far
approach to the ideal. but still an approach"
As Mr.. Kirby spoke in a tremulous minor
ne swept his hand in the direction OF the
great carpet picture. There Mercury in a
down from the clouds over the head Of a
rIIminative camel and smiled out at the
crowd of women in furs and silks and cor
rectly garbed men just as ha had smiled
at the run necked oourtiers OF some French
king two hundred years ago. He even
smiled at Mr.. Kirby.
After Ireany long pauses and much argu-
ing on the part OF the auctioneer the 6ne
old Leyniers web went for Sl0.S00. George
C. Whaley was the man who signed the card
for the purchase. Mr.. Whaley. it was
learned. was acting for Some unnamed
purchaser.
blue and faint brown, upon which rode a
-hoddy paladin in fun battle array, vas
purchased by an agent at tSTb. ARenais-
sance Flemish piece, depicting the victory
Of an absurdly Dutch Roman General over
horde Of typicany Dutch Gauls, was
knocked down for 81 SIS to T, jefferson
Coolidge, Jr., Of Boston. Than A Ptnohot
bought in a smaller Flemish pteo0 for te2b,
On the west wall OF the dining room there
hung a great ed italian RenAissance tapes
try, glowing With live col re- despite lts
many years. Three smaller panels Of the
same design hung by its side. The main
men OF this particular variety o. italian
weaving outside % che 0cb0lin tAP-
sstry museum. G. I. Hudson bought tho
larger picture for $500, Al agent took
one Of the pendants Tor 500; W; a. |; walters
choice; Col. S. ?. Colt bought tha third for
s.. 300.
Before the Tapestries went under the
hammer the purchasers were o1owdsd INTO
the are gallery upstairs and into ths little
hall outside 20 make their bids on several
objects of art which were either too heavy
10 be moved downstairs or which were set
ioto the walls and wainscoting. There were
an elaborately carved old Portuguese mar
riaGe chest which resembled more a sar~
Cophagus, a Dutch marriage chest, squat
and pOtbellied, refectory table from some
monastery, portentous Spanish carving.
all gilt and fat legged cupids. Mr.. BeIasco
bought the refectory table Nor $3.50, and be
also paid $500 for a stran 90 heraldic device in
60, voluted copper which might do nioeIy TO
illuminate and hang outside OF theatre,
hut which could rot possibly serve IN any
part of a modest households economy.
The great carved and gilded doorway With
iron gates, all Of Q quaint Spanish nagniti-
cence, which gives entrance from the nall
way into the art gallery, was bought by the
Metropolitan Museum OF Art for sl.l0o.
Douglas Handy, representing the Princeton
Club, which is shortly to occupy the White
residence, bid highest for the great carved
stone fireplace and overmantel that stands
at the end Of the hall approach to the art
gallery: 81, ,11O was the prico paid.
Hanging on the windows where the light |
could strike through were seven panels OF
Illuminated glass. relics of some forgotten
Workshop Of the fifteenth century. They
were all glowing with purple griffnS and
golden 9lories and delicate vine scrolls.
One agent who represented an unknown
buyer saved the ancient clotheshorees
longer out upon the clotheslines and ash |
barrels Of prosaio New York by taking |
the whole lot of glass panels at fancy figures. |
No one but a connoisseur could see value |
in the Moslem tiles which Mr.. White had !
collected and set into the walls about the |
entrance TO the art gallery. There were |
several hundred Of them glued and plastered |
into their original designs. Mr.. Kirby |
tried 10 encourage the unartistic into buyinS |
thNse tiles by telling them that Sir Caspar |
Purdon Clarke had appraised them at |
high fiRare. S ID. p. Trowbridge, an |
architect, bought one lot at $50; Mr.. Cool
idge and Col Colt took the rest.
Little remained unsold when the pur- |
chasers were invited downstairs to the |
dining room and directed just how TO crane |
their necks in order that they might take |
in the beauties Of the Italian Renaissance |
polychrome ceiling. polychrome ceiling |
II one that is fretted across by heavy mould |
ngs thick as the girders of a bridge, in the |
iuterstices Of which there are faded oil |
paintings Of the Virgin being crowned on |
thick clouds, while the four cVangelists, |
each in his heavy stall OF tarnished mould |
ing, look on and write madly OF the pro- !
ceedings. Howard Greenly bought It as |
II hung for 3.iOO. Tt will cost him $500 to |
have the polychrome ceiling taken down.
The last article on the bill OF sale was the |
Wig bronze japanese lantern with the Toku- |
Eawa crest set in the green metal, that |
stands across the street from tho White |
residence in GTamercy Park. The auc-
ton crowd did not adjourn into the open |
ar but stood and took in the merits OF the |
l.-ITsrn from the windows OF the parloT |
wnile the auctioneer hoisted the bids.
Ma