Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-06-19
ART SALES IN LONDON
Treasure Houses That One May
Purchase Outright.
A QUEER MODE OF LIVING.
The @centlsman Dealer" Viii Sell You
Chair. the Dining Table or the
Whole Room and Then Rsfurnish Fer
the Next Purchaser.


Chair. the Dining Table or the
wheIs Room and Then Rsfurnish For
the Next Purchaser.
The method OF buying and selling OBJ
jects OF art has undergone considerable
change during recent years. Formerly
the art dealer ensconced himself ex-
ciusively In shops In fashionable
streets in the ST James district and
advertised his presence there by a sin
gle chair In the window or Japanese
vase.
But the gentleman dealer has como
on the scene. In recent years he has
taken away the cream or the trade
from the man behind the counter.
There are In London today perhaps
n dozen mansions. magnificently fur
nished. containing great fortunes ia
pictures. furniture, china and silver.
whose owners are willing 20 part with
any one OF their beautiful possessions
ut price. or are ready at all times
OF the day ana night TO sell out. lock.
stock and barrel.
There are No signboartis. no adver-
tisements. no indica lion whatever that
the house Is ANYTHING but the resi-
dence OF very well To 10 gentleman.
There IL no admission tc the general
public. You must go 10y Invitation o.
Introduction. and some of these pr.
vate puryeyors cf antiquities world
be extremely annoyed II IL bcca.le
generally known that they are dealers.
The majority OF these "gentlemen
dealers" are well Known th-urghols
the trade and arc regarded rs the mos.
important men I'm the business OF buy
Ing and selling works Of art. When
ever. therefore. small dealer has
anything to dispose OF or there is some
thing which his limited capital will
not permit him to purchase he gOe.
straight TO the gentleman dealer" and
In turn for the usual commission
makes II possible for the latter TO I've
come the possessor OF the coveted ob.
ject.
So IL has come about that the gen
tleman dealer has gradually become
the most important figure I'm this com
merce- Not only does he sell you y
chair out OF his dining room. n Gains.
y.
liable piece OF Sevres from the Chin.
pendale cabinet In the corner or the
linen fold paneling from of the very
walls OF the entrance hall. but he Is
prepared to furnish n cottage or u
mansion from top TO bottom with an.
tiquities.
IL seems rather ridiculous to people
who are not aware OF this state Of
affairs. but It is a fact that n YOU hap.
pen TO be n guest I'm one OF these
houses and you take a fancy TO the
saltcellar you may take II for youi
own by sending a check for IL the next
day. or you may have the whole din
ing table with all Its treasures. or you
may have the entire room. including
the carpet. The only thing you must
not take away Is the family circle.
This constant change apparently
gives zest 70 life I'm the home of the
gentleman dealer" for his wife never
knows whether she will be able IN
have dinner for her husband served on
a mahogany Chippendale table worth
Zoo or plain deal shelf. since all the
others have been sold.
One day they draw up chairs whose
value is calculated In enormous fig-
ures. aud the next day they have great
trouble I'm finding anything ut all IA
sit upon.
There IS no important sale anywhere
IN the country at which the gentle.
man dealer" is not either present IN
person or represented 10y any one OF
the smaller dealers who are only too
anxious 10 be OF service TO him. he
cause. be IL noted, the man with the
fine house is able 90 work with n large
capital and Is therefore competent 10
make purchases at sales which the
small dealer finds beyond him.
For every chair or picture sold in
England the gentleman cealer" sends
across the water dozen valuable
pieces. There is Il story of fat near
Piccadilly owned by one or these en-
terprising men in which four luncheon
parties and three dinner parties were
given in one week
At each party there was different
guest. and every time the host sue
ceeded n selling out tie contents Of
the en:.e fiat. so that Ii required Il
small army OF men TO bring In new
furniture for the next luncheon or din
ner party The fiat was furnished
seven times in one week The owner
was so hard put TO find new old things
TO dazzle the eyes OF prospective pur-
chasers that lie had to pay the dealers
heavy premiums IN oreler to cope with
his business.
1t sounds easy, but IL Is not. because
there is no:h'ug more difficult or more
risky than buying old furniture. old
prints. old china. OF In fact anything
old.
Tbs world is simply flooded with lmi.
tatlons which ID tie eye OF any but the
most expert are ssppo. - to be perfect.
II any one Imagine - can bcccne a
gentleman dealer" merely by taking
an expensive house In Bloomsbury, Il
would be a. - Ne for him first to lis
ten to the the experiences OF
others VI .e,l and failed igno-
miniously.
1t requires. iirSt. most intimate &C
luaintance with the old masters In
painting. in furniture, IN silver and
china: secondly, a keen business sense
which Is noe 10 be blunted by the nee
essary but rot always harmless dinner
parties, and. thirdly, a courtly manner
which does not suggest buying or sell
Ing at every turn.--London Express.
No "Phonetio Sense" In English.
1t is because of the havoc which the
present spelling has wrought In our