New-York tribune., 1911-04-23
Literary .Neses and Criticism

with her husband they skinned the
cream Of the ever changing market
Sometimes they left coveted opJects III
tho sbon TO be retrieved. possibly at
smaller price. another year. Sometimes
,bev sant to sales things which they re-
nlaced nv others of greater value They
carried a collecting basket. IN whic"
their trophies accompanied them hon'e'
nrecious fragilities often having hario"
osooros in crowded streets and Jolting
,.enio,os They were truly as happy III
u,o,o iournevs las two children out Oh
.ahoo," There was not only the ex-
element of the discovery oi ueasui''
Reautiful scenery and noble arcni'eo
,,.o v.ore dear TO this accomplished pai''
o,d those diaries record many an houI
Of dolirbt with which bibelots had noun
ing 10 do. one Of Lady Chario''o
daughters was the wife oi OF rie"i.
Javord Ambassador AT Maui1u """
afterward at Constantinopie' anu :"
both cities the elder par Nisi'eu ''0
vounper and had amusing experiences
,.,,;oi, orc dulv set down in these pages
~
Tho snapish entries arc particular!
pleasant. There are Slimpses III 100 "
tho short-lived Queen Mercedes-a SLY
girl with merry round race ana pieao
ant smile-and. strange to say OF a'"-
inqton Irving's old guide. Mat'eo
yimenes. an ancient. almost inarucu-
,o,o man whu yet could walk about
gayly enough. 49,.
tvnical story-the story OF the
Double Gourd-shaped Bottle-conciuoeS
these volumes. The bottle was pre'tS'
IL was PAINTED in bright colors WIFI
Iandscape and flowers and was pur-
chased in Rotterdam by Mr.. Schrieber
when making a solitary eXpedi'ioh )"
Holland. Having other things to carr!
unassisted back to England. he arrahseu
with the dealer that the bottle ana an
other bulky object should be put aslue
for him until his next visit. Two months
after he returned with his wife and Sc
cured the bottle, which had escaped
sale bv the forgetful dealer TO somepoo!
else. Uncertain as to what the pottle
was. though they thought 1t was sorle-
thing good and rare. the Schrlepers con-
sulted a friend. an eminent Dutch
nainter II was only German. he SAID
and not at all prize. out OF concert
with his bottle and not disposed TO DC
burdened with it on his journey back
to England, Mr.. Schreiber handed IL over
for sale to an Utrecht dealer who knew
an amateur "who would give any money
for it," Six months later, when again at
Utrecht. the Schreibers learned that the
great amateur mentioned had bought
the bottle for 100 florins-but had crest
fallen. brought it back to the dealer III
a few days with the statement that MS
friends had told him that 1T was only
o piece of German ware and of no value
whatever" Disguised with the return
ing bottle for which he had paid
sovereign. Mr. Schroeder sent it to an
Antwerp sale where at last it was pur-
chased by somebody for eighteen shll-
lings. Exit the troublesome Double
Gourd- shaped Bottle.
Nearly d year afterward our travellers
were in Normandy and happened to visit
the museum at ROuCH. ana tIeIt, III
the place of honor, they saw something
which filed them with despair-a group
of bottles. exactly like their Oldham
of-the- Sea of "a Bottle. Then they dis
covered what they should have learned
| in the first place-that the despised
| Bottle was rarest of the rare, finest of
! the fine. said by POTTER to have been
the work of one Denys Dorio an Italian
who made few fine things at Rouen
when on his way to Holland. where he
! introduced the same style in a few
! pieces" Only about a dozen pieces al
together are known To exist. They had
thrown away an absolute treasure. They
mournfully returned to England. re-
manned a week, and then set forth again
on a collecting tour, going first to Brus
| sells. The day after their arrival they
made as usual tour of the shops:
/ One shop of no great account Polonets,
! in the Rue Gretry was Singularly deficient
| i'm objects Of interest, and, having well rar-
sacked il without any result, they were on
| the point of leaving it, and had reached the