New-York tribune., 1909-12-12

iuCA " ptcstHt lrett purchase by and rernOEaI
to another country. Not long ago Italy paid
$so.eoo for a Greek statue. Germany tuys heav-
| lily to retain rs well to obtain fire specimens
or art work France Is n patron OF art and has
! been greatly concerned at the loss OF the ceIe-
DRAFTED Mann collections. a large portion Of which
| mas found its way into this country IL has
now been affirmed that patriotism influenced the
k1nn family TO refuse 10 sell the RodOlpha Kann
collection after his death. to J. Pierpont Morgan
and others Interested in acquiring il for tho
| metropolitan Museum. unless the house built
pecally to contain this collection purchased
| with il. This condition prevented sale to
Americans until after Duveen Brothers of Paris.
! had paid s.. 0e9 for the collection and pur-
chased the Paris house which held it. This firm
| has branch in New York. that when the
/ Berlin Museum and other European collectors
bought in part of the Rodolphe Kann treasures
! a large share distributed here among j.
Pierpont Morgan. George Gould. Senator W. A
Clark. Mrs Coils p Huntington p \ II
| Widersr and Benjamin Altman.
! No Law governs the prise of antique. Tho
price of such a work OF art is governed solely
| by what It viii bring. AT the Metropolitan ie
is said that prices of antsfHes are influenced by
| the desires of private collectors; these soar
values soar with them Certain antiques are
worth five times What they We're five years ago
and some not 4 cent more. Generally speaking.
however all nne antiques nave greatly lncrcdSeu
in value in every branch of art. from painting
by old master and Greek statue To rare
bit of crystal, china wood Thirty five thou
sand dollars was not considered too much for \
New Yorker To pay. not long since. for single
piece of Chippendale furniture. Sixty thousand
IdOllars is uncommon price for fine piece OF
porcelain-many pieces have brought more-and
4 values run. ever soaring as the treasures be-
come more through requests % museums.
IL tFrtra
retaining them in the countries where they
were produced or which happen at the time Of
! the laws enactment to own them.
l Dealers are placed in sOmeU hat embarrass-
/ ing position when several patrons ask 70 have
a special object obtained for them The article
| can belong TO person only. and in these in
stances 4 dealer is called upon to exercise
ihesse- All dealers have such orders from
patrons They are to look out for rare carpet.
piece Of statuary. painting. mosaic. lace-any-
thing that the collector has heard of and de-
sires 10 possess From museums they almost
Enever have a direct order.
/ Museums never have any money" they de-
| clare: they are dependent upon the generosity
! sOf friends for all they receive. Sometimes u
sum OF money is given them 20 cover certain
purchases. but unless such a gift is bestowed
| the museum must sadly look on and witness the
/ purchase of i cherished object by another
| Not infrequentIy museums are authorized 70
buy along certain lines and generous patron
pays the bill Recently Newarks newborn mu-
/ scum had opportunity u acquire for $1,000
I a fine collection of japanese antiques. and tho
city furnished the money. By holding public
| loan exhibitions and influencing gifts John Cot
| ton Dana. librarian of the Newark Public LII
brary has seen his nucleus of a museum grow
into a regularly organized institution, patterned
after the Metropolitan. Like al small museums.
| this has not attempted TO acquire any great
works of art. because of lack of funds. IL Is
the habit of minor museums TO obtain good
copies of masterpieces in paintings and plaster
casts of notable statues and to refrain from at
tempting the unattainable. Great works are not
for them. The private collector is in the field
with unlimited wealth at his command. and the
museums merely try to interest him in their
needs. that if he does not present them with
gifts enrich them with loans he may at
least, bequeath them rare objects.
Some museums have turned their atten-
ton to collecting the best works in modern art
In purchasing the work Of American artists ono
American museum has the same chance as an
other A price is fixed for the painting or ths
statue and any is free to purchase it. Ger
tain well endowed museums make purchases
OF rare antiques by watching for a chance to
get them before wealthy amateurs have the op-
portunity 10 enter the lists against them. Tho
museum has the advantage over the amateur Of