The sun., 1910-05-15

ability 10 outwit a dealer On the face
h would apuear dhirult feat 20 ac-
romplish. vet there arc many heaides
Mra Money BaEgs Sho fancy they have
sucoaeded
-Ons Of the-e is certain collector
whose arrival IN Paris after he had per
mitted IL 20 lr knOwn that he was search-
inc for ar treasures caused the dealers
70 experieUce pleasurable emotions, but
these were speedily dashed when tho
collector informed their representatives
who aocked around him that he wished
10 purchase from COLLECTIONS direct and
| further intimated that advice was a
! commodity OF which he vas not In need.
Perhaps a week later he recsived a
visitor who announced himself a. the
/ BUSINESS representative OF French
I nohleman who had fallen upon evil days
1 financially. His nObls patron had. u
appeared. a wonderful collection ot PIC
/ lures guthered by his predecessors; these
rsposed In the family mansion. Would
. NJ h COnnOisseur Cars TO examine them
IL was By no means an easy thing TO do,
but he the agent, ight he able TO ar
range II.
.Of course the collector would examine
them Was not this the very opportunity
he had wished for7 He found the oollec.
ton very fine, which was hut natural
seeing that the very flower OF the stock
Il OF many dealers had been drawn upon "a
provide its treasures. II was one of ths
few cases where every one was satisfied
the American customer who bought
perhaps not wisely but exceeding well
mansion, perchance the most genuine
things in the entire transaction. had fur.
nished, 70 TO speak. a base of operations
and last but not least. the dealers them
sslves TO whom the whole affair had bosn
not less profitable than amusing. which Il
saving a good deal.
Another American whose fame as a
buyer % good pictures had been waited
90 Paris was on One of his visits thers
approached by a person Of fine appear,
anoe who DOassssad. he declared, a draw
ing by Millet obtained direct from ths
artists widow. He invited the American
70 come 20 his hotel an excsllsnt one. and
inspect IL. II resulted In the purchase Of the
drawing for a good sum, about $500. ysl
when the colleCtor refecisd that a dealel
would unuuesti0nably have asked $40
at least he thought he had q harRain Al
that. That Ia. he thought 40 till he Roi
homo and took his newly acquired treas.
urs 70 a frame maker. where he learned
that II was a cleverly doCtOred etching
and worth at most -.
TRUE AMATEURS.
Occasionally the dealer CONES In con
tact with those may term true amateurs
men who buy pictures Tor their OWI
pleasure and Who for that very reason hav,
but little in common with tho collsctOr
0f whom ! have Just spoken. No bette
instances of such could bo addnced thar
tho late George Salter Of London and IN
late Quincy Shaw Of Boston, who's col
lection Of the works of Millst In iamOn
wherever that painters name h known.
Another example even more striking
was that Of q famous gambler whose resi-
dencs was at no great distance from th
Grand Central station. His collection o
paintings, Compos-d almost exclusivell
Of those % the Barbixnn school. was on
oR the finest a. well ~ most discrimination
that ID has ever been my lot " see. o.
ons occasion. not without dificulty,
obtained permission % visit Il with Al
artist friend. Wewent early In the morn
ing, and before We had oOmplstsd ou
inspection va Werg joined by thu owne
and the hour that followed was msmOa
bic Whsn We left ! was duits rad
% assent 70 my friends heartfelt aaasr
ton. Well. u al men Who buy pictura
knew aa much about them as that MAJ
does the entire art situation would h
rsvolutioni1ed.
A RESTORATION
u eCrHnrFHlnw he urogrrH AZ Tlrirpnfir