The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-05-27
ACCIDENTS IN ART.
The Ruin Of a Burne. Jones and tho
Mendinq Of a Turner.


A very curious history is that Of
Burne-Jones' favorite picture, Love
Among the Ruins" writes NJ. II. Spiel
mann in the London Graphic. The orig
inal picture was in water color aud
was sent to Paris by firm of art pub
fishers for reproduction and in that
city forwarded to their Photographic
studios in the suburbs. The picture
unhappily preceded the letter OF in
structions regarding it warning the
photographer Of the medium ~ which
it was painted, so that imu, ely on
its arrival it was brushed /. with
white of egg to bring out the colors
for photographing-an excellent proce-
dure in the case of oil pictures, harm
less and very efficacious. But as to the
BurneJOnes picture Love was very
soon among his own ruins. for every
swish Of the brush brought of the
final touches and left a mere smeare>
ground. Sir Edward Burne-Jones was
heartbroken at the loss of a work on
which his reputation, he considered,
would in great measure rest and on
which he had spent many months Of
patient toll and the very perfection Of
his execution in the realization of one
of the most poetic conceptions that had
sprung from his fanciful ina gina ton.
Love Among the Ruins" was paint
ed during the years 1903. In October.
1898. it was destroyed, and by the fol-
lowing year the oil version was finish
ed, but was scarcely consolation to
the artist for the loss of his first and
more spontaneous work.
Incidents Of this sort are happily not
Of frequent occurrence, but one case
has come within my knowledge which
has never, l believe. been recorded. A
wealthy connoisseur, with a roomful
of beautiful Turner dra wings, was in
the habit Of instructing firm well
known as honorable picture dealers to
overhaul his drawings, but his Turner'S
had not for some time been touched,
and the glasses had become much dark
ened with dust. On his leaving town
the senior member of the firm went to
his house and brought away the pre-
cious drawings and, carrying them
into the room behind the shop. took the
first drawing out Of its frame and
mount preparatory to busting it and
laid it on the table. Being suddenly
called into the shop by customer. he
covered it with a sheet of Whatman
paper and left 1t. His brother entered
from the street and passed into the pri
vate room. A moment later the other
followed and found him, knife in hand,
cutting a mount on the top Of the Tur-
ner. With a cry. he rushed to the paper
and lifted it, and there the Mortified
brothers found the 1000 guinea draw
ing cut into two pieces. What was to
be done? To make a clean breast Of II
was apparently out Of the question, sc
1t was determined to call in the clever
artist and repairer attached to the firm,
and he joined the pieces and remounted
the drawing, and down where the YER
teal cut was he boldly painted in a
tree, The picture was in due course
taken back and rehung in time for the
owners return. A couple OF days later
came an urgent letter calling the dealer
to the house Look at this dra wing,"
said the collector. What does it mean!
There's a tree here. l never saw that
tree before NO more did l." quietly
replied the dealer. Il told you that you
would hardly recognize the drawings
when the glasses had been cleaned in
side and out Why, you could hardly
see them The owner. though still
astonished, accepted the explanation
and to this day has probably never
guessed the truth. The dealer told the
story himself shortly before his death
Will it meet the eye Of the hoaxed pro
Rrietor. sKenaeg1