Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-04
FORGERY OF PICTURES
EXECUTED COPIES OF
WORKS OF GREAT MASTERS.
Discovery Of High Percentage OF
Spurious Paintings in q Euro
pean Museum.

Iu0 SeuS6IlOuAl OiSCOSCAy Shol ooS "a >SS
pictures in the Holburne Art Museum, Bath,
attributed to the greatest painters the
world has known nearly two hundred are
forgeries raises q grave doubt as to the
genuineness OF the treasures Of art In our
galleries and museums.
It Ia 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 Mu-
scum, was discovered to be q forgery, the
Nelson statuette In the museum of the
United Service Institution said to have been
presented by George III to the great adj
miraI was similarly condemned, or since
Mr.. MacWhirter, r. A., exposed large
number Of sham Corots, Turner's and Con-
stables.
Mr. Firth. R. A., told us recently Of
collection Of Landseers and other modern
masters on which private collector had
lavished q fortune and every one Of which
was a forgery, while many Of the cherished
pictures In continental galleries are declared
to be Just as fraudulent There are" says
to go around. There are more of their re-
puted works than could possibly have been
painted. Hundreds of limitations are sold
as genuine
MacWhirter Defrauded.
So skilfully, too. are these forgeries pro-
duced that even clever artists are deceived
by them. Some years ago Mr.. MacWhirter
himself purchased a disreputable old can
vas from an Italian sailor. of which the
vender gave q very plausible history. The
painting. "A Holy Family" had, he said,
been stolen from q church by Greek
sailor. and as it had all the appearances Of
q genuine old master the r. A. gladly paid
94O for 1t. 1T turned out to be a blend
Of seven old masters, done a few years
back by q hack painter who knocked them
OF by the Dozen
Mr.. Rudolf Lehman tells an amusing
story OLA similar imposition practiced on
himself. Returning to Rome after some
years absence he was attracted by picture
which he saw In the shop OF an art dealer.
1t was an "old MASTER and the dealer.
after mentioning tall figure for 1t, 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 30 little of 1t that when he
shut up his studio in Rome he. left it be-
hind as lumber!
Corot, not long before his death. CHANGED
to pay visit to the studio Of a young artist
and was amazed to find no fewer than
his own work and all bearing his signature,
Sidney Cooper, too. once stated in a court
of law that of $50 ''Coopers" that had been
submitted to him only eleven were genuine.
forgeries of his fathers pictures:
Imitation Hardys.
at is quite true that there are literally
thousands Of spurious T. B. Hardys in
dealers shops and private collections, and
1t is time that the fraud should be exposed.
/ have often been consulted by intending
purchasers of my fathers work and should
only be too glad to place my advice at the
~ xuH1 10 In a1ovv
the genuineness of supposed T. B. Hardys.
think owe it to my fathers reputation
to help In suppressing the nefarious prac-
tfce which has been going on for years.
An interesting story which shows with
what fidelity the work Of even such a diff
cult artist as Turner can be initiated Is told
In connection with Ruskin. In 1875 he sent
a number OF facsimiles Of Turner's pictures
have given my best attention during up
ward Of ten years to train q copyist to
perfect fidelity in rendering the works Of
Turner. and have now. succeeded in enabling
him to produce facstmiles SO near as to
look like replicas-facsimiles which must
Sign with my name to prevent their being
sold for real vignettes"
In another case q well-known firm of West
End dealers bought for $4,000 a canvas
which they were quite satisfied was a
Constable, and sold It to peer for $1,000
more than they paid for IT. Great was
their amusement when the picture was pro-
nounced q forgery by an expert. Legal
proceedings followed, 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 '.LandseerS'-one genuine. the
other admittedly copy-were offered.
The two canvases were submitted to Sir
Edwin, who after careful examination
pronounced both Of them his own work.
when artists, critics and dealers are thus
imposed on by forgeries II Is little wonder
that private collectors or even the experts
of our public galleries are victimtxed.