Evening star., 1909-06-22
ITALY TO PROTECT ITS ART
INQUIRY ORDERED INTO WORK.
ING OF THE EXPORT OFFICE.
Question of Restriction Has Peculiar
Interest to Americans-Practi
of Fraud Encouraged.
Special Cahleyram to The Star.


ROME. June 22-The minister of in
struction and fine arts has ordered an in
quiry to be made into the working of the
poman Office which controls the export of
antiquities and other objects of artistic
value From all accounts such an in
uuiry is needed: especially as the minis
ter is now pressing upon the senate the
urgency of passing the new law for the
protection of the artistic patrimony OF
italy, already approved by the chamber
of deputies. which contains the same
stringent rules for the regulation OF eN-
port as the old
The question of restricting the rig Mt OF
exporting works Of art of known value IS
one which seems at the present moment to
have a peculiar interest for Americans
The Italian law is difficult TO apply and
offers great temptation TO fraud. ne
Italian law exemplifieS the truth OF the
proverb, "Qui trop embrasso NAL etrelnt
Ii is not content with declaring that no
object of art placed on the list of great
value can be exported from the country,
or even change possessors without omclai
permission, but it subjects every aflistic
object for export TO scrutiny in case II
may have escaped previous consideration.
On the list of inalienable objects is
placed an infinity of pictures and scuip-
lures which the country can perfectly Wen
spare. To carry out the law In any
reasonable fashion would require the
service OF hundreds of highly trained anu
highly paid experts, and 1t is douotful l.
dozen such experts exist in Italy or IN
any other country, considering the knoWi-
edge that would be required OF them.
Inficts Great Vexation.
The inevitable result is that the law is
not enforced reasonably, that it inf1icts
great vexation and even injury upon
many people whose only fault is that they
are not so rich as their forefathers, that
it encourages the practice of fraud and
the existence of art dealers whose ralson
detre is their ability to escape the legal
net which is supposed to lnclose their
commerce and gives them an excuse or
buying cheaply from the Italian owner
and selling dearly to the foreign collector.
The law has been efficacious as far as
great public and private collections are
concerned, and also in regard to pictures
and other objects which are the property
of religious or lay corporations. But in
these cases a far less stringent law would
have been equally effective.
1t has failed as far as less known
private collections are concerned, as may
oe seen from the sale of the Genoese
Vandyke. 1t has also induced more than
one owner of a great gallery to shut its
doors absolutely to the public. with the
know what treasures it contains and never
have the chance of laying claim to them.
For one thing is certain. that If such an
owner wishes to sell picture or a statue
of any value he will not lie fairly treated.
for the state would require millions at its
disposal ii it enforced the law on just
basis.
Way Open to State.
1t would be reasonable if. in addition to
its own vast artistic property and to that
of religious and lay corporations, the
state should select and declare in
alienable from Italy certain number of
the most valuable treasures belonging to
private individuals. Then, whenever such
pictures or other treasures came into the
market the state might possibly acquire
them. But it is unreasonable to say that
nothing shall leave the country, which is
really the effect of the present law. What
is the use of adding more pictures,
especially if they are not of particular in
terest or value. to the huge yet already