New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-02
THE PICTURE CRAZE
The Record Prices 1t Has Made
in the Present Year.
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

itself on the doings in the historic sales
rooms, a retrospect Is possible, bringing
back to mind many remarkable events.
OF late years such a record has been a
recital of ever ascending values placed
on works by acknowledged masters, as
we'll as OF the keenest competition 10 Sc
cure pictures of the newer school that
has captured the public fancy at prices
that their painters would have deemed
fantastic chimera when the works
were on the easel at any time within
the last half century. These latter, by
artists of the Barbizon and Dutch
schools, swept all before them last year
and the year before, and, though they
were eagerly bought up at big figures
when they appeared this year-Slr
Charles Wakefeld's collection, for in
neither so numerous nor of such super
lative quality as In the two previous
seasons.
The honors during the last year went
to one of the most admired among tine
early British masters. 1t has been
Raeburn year. with one SURPRISING rec
ord price, supplemented by collections
of old Italian masters belonging TO the
late Sir William Abby and the late Mr..
| Charles Butler. the dispersal of which
made severe demands on the purses Of
The Abby sale was. perhaps. the most
| interesting Of the year, for 1t sprung
upon connoisseurs a veritable apparl-
/ ton, the long seclusion of the pictures
during the years OF their storage placing
| them beyond the ken of those who make
| 1T their business TO familiariZe them
selves with the best things eXtant in pic
| torial art.
Though no single collection has pro-
de- cl, 70 NJ auction NplIIa
as the financial result Of the Alexander
Young sale last year. when f154,OOO was
realized, the last season has beaten the
record for the extraordinary number Of
high priced pictures that have made
their meteorlike appearance. Thus, no
fewer than 1853 works realized 800
guineas and over, and Of the others So
reached up to and beyond the LOUD
guinea limit, the apex being reached
when Duveen Brothers surpassed all
their famous enterprises In the auction
room by paying 22.300 guineas for Rae
burns full-length portrait of Mrs. Rob
ertson Williamson. Ten years ago half
that sum would have exceeded Chris
ties record for single picture. This
huge price cast into the shade the pre-
vious record Of 1900 guineas, which
was the sum bid for Corot's Birds
Nesters" in the Maxwell sale last year.
Even had that noble Raeburn portrait
not appeared, the Corot record would
have been beaten. The news of Mrs.
Robertson Wiliamson's phenomenal sue
cess passed like a stimulating electric
shock through many of the mansions or
Scotland. and there was such an un-
loading of Raeburns as never had been
witnessed before. They poured into
Christie's, and many of them were fine
examples of the Scottish Reynolds
Lady Janet Traill," quite small por-
trait which at 1900 guineas passed
also into the possession of Duveen
Brothers, only fell short of the sum
which nearly a decade ago was the high
est price ever paid in an English auc-
ton room for single picture, the work
in question being Hoppners Lady
Louisa Manners" sold at Robinson &
Fishers for 1860 guineas.
OF no other single painter Of whatever
school, British or Continental, ancient or
modern, can IL be said that In one short
season a round dozen of his works each
realized in the auction room 1000
guineas and upward, and nine more than
800 guineas. When one recalls the fact
that at the famous Raeburn sale of 1871
when there were no fewer than forty
nine portraits offered, the executors had
to be content with "a, 10I-the group in
Guiding two which I'm 1903 were sold for
| f13, Scott is possible to realize how en-
thusiastic has been the support OF those
whose good opinion elects certain indl-
viduals To the hierarchy of the world g
great painters. Raeburn worship has
now become Il cult.
The early British master who came
nearest the invincible Scottish portrait
list was Gainsborough, whose Lady
Anne Ponsonby" was considered worth
=. 800 guineas by Mr.. Lockett Agnew,
Notwithstanding the fact that the can-
vas was I'm a most unpromising condi-
ton. The third place I'm this group was
occupied 10y Hoppner, with $500 guineas
for Mrs. Beridge.' also rather dilapi-
dated at the sale Of the collection that
had hung unknown and neglected i'm n
Lincolnshire mansion for many genera
| tons.
The masters Of English landscape
shone with somewhat feebler lustre COM
pared with several successive seasons In
recent times, when Turner's star was In
the ascendant. With the exception that
a fine example of Cuyp. "Herdsman and
| Cattle" in May realized 1880 guineas.
the modern Continental school had 1t all
their own way, w. Maris's Feeding
| Calves" leading with 1850 guineas, more
than double the sum it cost It's owner,
Sir Charles Wakefield, all in accordance
with the rule that now gives great
profit to those who not so many years
ago were shrewd enough to cast pro-
phetic eye on the works of this painter
| and his compatriots
We have il on record that there was a
profit two years ago Of nearly f3O,O0O
when Mr.. Justice Days collection was
brought to the hammer. This dazzling
result was not quite attained In the
| Abby sale OF italian Old Masters, but
the proflt was at least two-thirds OF
| that sum.
! The two highest priced pictures In that
| collection cannot, perhaps. be taken as
average samples OF the difference be-
| tween cost price and auction value, but
| thew are certainly worth citing. The
"Pieta" ascrlbed TO Carpaccio. but
which some thought was the work of
! Mantegna. was run up to the enormous
figure of 125OO guineas, and its cost price
TO sir William Abby was fl 800; while
Botticelli's scenes from the Life of St
ZenobIus," which sold for lOSO0 guineas
was acquired for the comparative trihe
| of f3OO Two more striking revaluations
may be quoted. In the Butler sale
Rubens almost reached his English auc-
ton maximum with $500 guineas fol-
"The Departure OF Lot" compared with
1850 guineas twenty-five years ago; and
LVerrochio's Madonna and Child sold
for 5000 last month, WAS thought To be
worth no more than 4SO guineas as re-
Gently as 1894
Tho wheel of fortune does not revolvt
| so happily every day. but these faVor'
able turnines are OF sufficiently frequent
occurrence In the auction room az u
cast n halo Of speculative romano