The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1907-09-28
KAHN COLLECTION SOLD
FOR FIVE MILLION DOLL AIRS
Highest Record Price for an Art 7ransfer-May Come
to the United States.

Five million dollars for collection
Of paintings, the greatest sum ever
paid at any one time for an art trans
fer, may mean that the world famous
,Kann collection is coming to the Uni
ted States.
It has been sold in Paris by the
heirs Of M. Kann, the plutocrat mine
owner, who made his fortune in South
Africh. Nominally, the Duveen Broth
srs, most noted firm Of London art
agents, were the purchasers, but as
It is hardly credible that they would
Or could invest sum of this kind, art
lovers have been searching for the
real buyer of the treasure trove Of
beauty.
Duveen Brothers have done all the
buying Of paintings for j. Pierpont
Morgan, and this, coupled with the
TACT that the American multi-million-
aire has lately had conferences with
the firm, leads to the theory that Nor
gan has hand. The great financial
operator does not deny that he has
long wanted to add many of the Kann
treasures to his already superb collec-
ton.
The Kann collection is not one of
the oldest in the world, for the money
that made it possible has only been
amassed within the last generation
Rudolphe Kann first began to be
heard of about the time that British
exploitation was making fabulous for
tunes for Rhodes, De Beers, Barnato
Ind others Of that group.
Kann was big and daring investor,
and his returns were in proportion.
lust as soon as he found millions at
his command, he developed the idea Of
having an art gallery which should
yield nothing in value to that owned
by the Baron de Rothschild.
Assisted in his work by DR.. Bode, d.
rector Of the Royal Museum of Berlin,
he began to make his selections He
aid not seek for numbers, quality was
his standard, and price was never
taken into account, so that the pur-
chase be choice. Museums and private
connoisseurs soon found that in the
mine owner they had to deal with
rival who simply would not be down.
I'd when it came to a question of get
ting what paintings he wanted.
After his collection had increased to
a size to warrant it, Mr.. Kann con-
structed in Paris a gallery, with the
lights so arranged that all his pictures
wore displayed to their best advant-
age. The walls were kept in strictest
simplicity so that nothing could de-
tract from the brilliancy of the match
less canvassers he was gradually get
ling together.
Unlike many newly made Croesuses,
Mr. Kann was not imposed upon. He
trusted absolutely to DR.. Bode. who is
said to be the best judge of old mas
ters in the world. A hundred alleged
Did masters were turned down by the
shrewd German, and in the entire COL
lection is not single painting whose
authenticity can be questioned.
Some two hundred paintings gradu-
ally collected in the stately mansion
on the Avenue de lena, most of them
having been secured only after spirit
cd contests with the representatives
Of the Louvre, and the art galleries of
New York, London and Berlin. Sever
III times J. P. Morgan was pitted
against Kann in the scramble for some
noted canvas, but the European. de-
clined to let the Western millionaire
get the better Of him.
The privilege Of visiting the Kann
collections was one sought by nearly
bvery art lover who visited Paris, for
ZONE Of the famous Rembrandts were
known to be there, and the student
who wished thoroughly to know the
Dutch master must needs seek an ex-
tension of the hospitality of M. Kann.
This was not difficult to obtain, for
the master of these priceless can
vases loved nothing better than to
, hear them praised. In showing the
collection he had one invariable sys-
tenn. First he displayed the room de.
voted to the early Flemish and Dutch
school and Italian school,
A beautiful stained glass window Of