New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-09
DELIRTOTS SPENDING

DELIRIOiN SPENDING.
Have the art collectors Of the world
gone mad? The dispatches from Paris,
rcportin: the prices obtained there last
week for the masterpieces Of the eiCh-
! teeuth century French school belonging 10
| VI. Jacques Douret. certainly invite some
such question. one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars for pastel portrait 10y
ia Tour. 500, 600 for y bust 10y IioudOn
$50 900 for picture by Chardin, $4,000
for q drawing by Municipalities are q
few Of the figures which In tho first Of
four sessions carried the sale well toward
the million dollar mark and have built
VI y grand total causing even tho bard
cncd hahitu6S of the auction room +"
catch their breath. The La Tour is said
10 have fetched In q previous sale. less
than ten Years ago only Sl,042, What
explanations are 10 be found for the
lengths 10 which the frrnzied bidders at
the Georges Petit gallery have Just gone?
We have to reckon at the outset with
the Superlativc degree of artistic excel
loncc illustrated by VI. Doucets treas
urcs and the prestige which they have
long enioyed. As is shown in the illus
trated article on this collection printed
- orotbor soc,ior oP Tho Trihuro IN.
dow no i oro of tho host oo,innod or
modern COnnOiSSpur>, a man Of exquisite
taste and Judgment who has deyotedly
.ou.,bt onIv rho finest works or art in
his field An ohicct houoLt at this sale
will nrove tho hotter investment because
II hears tho imnrimatur of tho Dourct
collection Rut This alone wouId NOT ac
cornt for the huge prices I'm question
These are dnc even more 10 certain SO
cial developments and To the Shrcvdncss
with which dealers possessing large CAPT.
taI have taken advantage Of them. tho
whole business receiving 90 strong an
inrctus from American rarticipation rs
to iustify reference of tho nrohlem 70
conditions here rather Than abroad
yaars 600 tho mara Ir~ur;ous hor,os
I'm this COUNTRY ,roro e,Iod with .,oriod"
decoration different rooms be,nc do
| sicrod in thic or Tint e,vIo ircI,diro
Moorish smolin., don vcIl calculated tn
MAKO - raetidior. man fou ~ q.
Tbon a. tosto imnrovod an orI.norvod.
inc harmony WAS soupht Tho Italia,
! Penaissanco cann into vocuo hring,n,
! With e innurarobla costIy articles ~
furniture and decoration So that to-day
MANI On Auerico, family droII, In tbo
otpnsnbors of - ElorantIno no,o,,n Ia
,ho hards % Gonna ~ our ,nost oooo,,,
,Iig1,ad orob,.oote t,ts ,,oro,,,o,,, ha.
Lnor ond Gin 10 nrodrct,va &C vary,
hao,,tiP,I ,rtorjorc pu+ In rocout roore
tbn caurico ~ fashion has enor,norsIv
s,i,,,,,o,od tbo odor,,or % ni,h.oo,,,t,
oont,,r,. Elronoh ,doos and - o., ean,,
cor,,otitior .. Tho d,euorsoI 90 ,ho
Do,,no+ colIootio,, ,,.o ,,,or, cod ,,,o ao.,ro
90 ,bo American ,oiI,ionoiro o. oh,oi,,
,,rooil,,s or,IoIIiob,,ont., o.. ,,o,,,,o ~
ready designod in all tho details If ito
decoration and annointmente IN receive
them. If he has not been present in per-
son we may be sure that the dealers
have kept him In mind.
The heaviest factor in the situation
still remains 10 he noted. This Is the
rivalry amongst few collectors Of pro-
dcious wealth who. as we have seen in
certain well remembered purchases Of
works by Rembrandt, Velasquez, Yer
Nicer, Holbein. Gainsborough and Van
DYKE, are willing to pay practically any
price for the acquisition Of a masterpiece
sufficiently rare and renowned We have
long had our Steel Kings, our Coal
Barons, and the like. Now we have our
Art Dukes, buyers reviving the tradi-
lions Of the Medicean ages. These men
render, actually ana proSpecuvely,
solid service to the community. Though
their treasures are not generally aces
sible TO the public view, they frequently
figure In loan exhibitions, and there is
good precedent for the hypothesis that
most If not all Of them will ultimately
be deposited in our museums. But in
the mean time the collectors with unlim-
tied purses have demoralized the market.
Beside them the ordinary amateur is as