New-York tribune., 1907-06-16
POOLING THE TOURIST.
Spurious antiques Made an Europe
1Cith Rare Skill.
BY Fredrik W. Sandberg.

There Is scarcely anything fascinating to this
average cultivated man or woman as objects which
claim to be antique, and thus necessarily suggest
4 certain mysticism romance of ages past. No
body will deny the subtle charm one finds in the
possession of fragment of ivory tinged old lace.
or a more or less disreputabe looking shoe buckle
vouched for by ever and ever so many genera
ti0ns as having belonged to this that royal
otherwise illustrious family. the unspeaksbls
delight Of the owner of hoary old copper coffee
kettle, the undoubted antiquity of which he fixes
at a century or two before the aromatic berry
known either in Europe or America This charm
ing tissue of shadOwy facts is embellished year
after year by some anecdotal reminiscence con-
Meeting the objects with their original owners-a
legend making process which. of vastly in
creases their worth antiques"
Then some fine day an unfeeIing iconocIast' in
the gutse of man Of both practical and technical
experience happens along and cruelty skaters the
romance. He brutalIy declares that the antique
shoebuckles delcateIy wrought and set with real
rhinestones. and showing so much character
modern ana made in a factory at Hanau. that the
stones are 10 stones at all and even backed
with foil but are brass, given antique tings
and metallic deposit through electro process He
points out that the exquisite piece Of ancient lace
patiently wrought by pous hands the su6dued
light altering into the cell old cloister.'' IS
nothing but bit of machine made fabric. with a
piece torn out purposely here and there 70 mark
the ravages of time. and then very skilfully
paired by hand He adds that the ivory tinge
sleeping the lace feeble solution of SAT-
FROM with few drops of iodide added
He laughs the fair copper kettle owners en-
thusiasm 10 scorn, Notwithstanding her appeal to
look at the curously shaped handle, which speaks
OF the medieval artists ingenious Individuality"
and gives the address OF the maker in Switzerland
who has hit the eXpedent of putting ordinary
milk pail handles his antique" coffee kettles.
thus giving them bizarre note. In almost any
peasants kitchen one OF these perhaps fully six
months old antiques is dangling. sooty stained
and battered; it is eagerly purchased by the tourist
from the reluctant owner When a few DAYS after
the salesman comes around the peasant orders an
other antique, stipulating the usual trade dis
count.
The public at large has at best little or no idea
as to what enormous proportions the manufacture
OF spurious antiques has attained in Europe and
IN certain lines. also in the United States This
applies not only to the imitation and production
Of practically all OF the important creations OF the
masters Of old, the prices which even as frnfta-
tions are prohibitive the ordinary amateur COL
lector Of antiques; but any one with only a few
dollars 10 invest also has innumerable opportunf-
ties TO part with these in exchange for less am
bilious specimens of the beloved antiques
one may say without the slightest hesitation
that the Americans constitute - per cent NJ ~.
clientele or the dealers in spurious antiques Whst
Is most astonishing is that this clientele is r7.5a
ui from the classes that vaunt themselves on their
superior intelligence 1t may not be complimentary
to the fair sex TO add the fact that perhaps more
than ntne-tenths OF the Americans abroad with q.
predilection for things ancient-new are women ~
"hat curious process of reasoning these good peo3
imagine that they can come from America 10 COIN
tries where collectors and connoisSelrs l,sra
searched for antiquities almost before the I-rieJ
States was known. and enter anv little ding, s,o-
and pick up hitherto unknown treasures Is nor for
me to pass upon Suffice ii To saw that tbey 10 in
thelr fond and vivid imagination and woe betids
you If you venture 10 denur
The natural consequence Of sucb a., f-,,---..
and constantly increasing demand for aut1ues has
oeen the fostering OF of to-CIay's nlosr nr,s
porous industries Particularly during the last TWO
or three decades this industry has taken ~,
branches which are as amazing as they are su-
dacious
am personally acquainted with the maDuract-
u'e' VINO furnishes a man living in the most
aristocrauc quarter of Paris with rDost of tfa
marNels OF antique furniture which are found IN
his apartment This distinguished parsonage dos
not pose as dealer-it would be too pebeian-ha *
connoisseur forced TO part with portion Of his
collections obtained by long years Of discriminating
study. He hnds plenty of customers sn1o1r tia
Americans and should perchance his collection nor
contain the desired article. he happens 70 re-
member friend has heard OF some family IN
such and such street where IL NAV possibly bs
seen-noJ bought-that is to say unless his in
huence should bring about such a happy result.
or course, the goods his own since he has hsIt
a dozen apartments all more less sailed with
these historic gems OF art.
1t is very easy TO deceive the ordinary customer
with spurious antique furniture. for the simple
reason that the average buyers do not know the
real thing when they il. Women especially ara
inord'nately fond of showing off, and posing as
Judges OF what they really know nothing al all
about II is hard to believe but IL is fact thar
an old trough. used feedhCN, vas
changed into a HiSpano- Moorish sixteenth century
marriage chest. and embellished with the arruoraI
hearings ana devices OF a naughty and uluStrOUS
Castttan family This priceless gem was bought
and carried TO this side OF the Atlantic.
From this one may judge how easily Americans
who have neither training nor experience de-
Cetved by antiques few months old. Besides,
they rarely speak the Continental languages vsn-
dering transactions difficult Only their sub
lime faith IN their own Judgment makes them doubt
the phiinest truths y much travelled woman.
leading member Of a prominent club. showed
only a short time aGC Il necklace made 20 Ortsr
Tor her 81 rare Egyptian antilueS set in silver
did not dispute ner word. hUt l know that not
far from the ProuPuadCnplatz in Munich the ideu-
teal necklace may he bought. and. should tho
owner Of this antique examine the central
tian deity. she viii md the word "PateuJrt
stamped in almost invisible letters IN the margin
Furthermore, the stones rather were color
less nSateS that have been COlOred artidCialy.
An old object NOT artistic may he exceedingly
interesting froDI its associations Illustrating
the Development pt the art industry or it5
period. but 10 gather up lot Or eXpresSionlesS
meaningless ard inartiStiC stun because 10 Is Ola
Is ridiculous We'll expensive, the more 50
when the chances that the treasures gathered
are but spurious antiques-The World To-day.
He TOOK a REST.
As it is undoubtedly true that one mans meat