Bisbee daily review., 1912-02-25
TREASURES OF
 MORGAN r ihit: Iii t:'''''
 BEING MOVED.
Cases That Held Limoges and Enamels in
 Museum Are
 Now Empty
RUSH OF ARTISTS
 TO MAKE SKETCHES
Fear of Death Is the Only Reason for Removal to New York at
 This Time

LONDON, Feb. 23-Large, empty cases, which formerly held priceless examples of limoges channels in :ts Loan court at the Victoria and Al bert museum. al too significantly re- mind Loldeners that the work of re. moving J. Ferpont Morgans art treasures to Ncw York has begun.
 The w'rk is Icing done-undo.' he supervision of Michael Nathan, ~. of If the Fine Art Department O. he New York Customs pursuant ct un arrangement made by Mir. Mp'r san with the Washington authorities be. fore coming to Europe.
 Altogether there are some forty case, out no one at the muscLm seems tc know Low long the @o~s of removal will take Some say i+ ~.i! occupy a year. os the utmost care has 10 be taken in packing and catalIs. ing the treasures. This will be bet ter understood when it is said that one piece of Limoges enamel remov- ed this week is known to he worth y15O,O0O
 A respondent paid to South Kensington today found the work of removal tenn porarily stopped. The officials there have no idea when it will be recom- menced, as MT. Nathan has gone to Paris on a similar mission.
 It is anticipated that the beautiful examples of carved ivory will be next removed. with the probability of the splendid bronzes remaining for some time: for it Is understood that MT Morgan has consented to lend them during the sumer to the Burlington Fine Arts Club exhibition.
 The museum officials are extremely reticent concerning the removal Sir Gilbert smith declines to say any thing whatever. However, some min or officials averred that, while Mir. Morgan's decision to take the treas ures to America was sudden, it was not unexpected, for he had always made it quite clear that they would | have to go sooner or later. They take the loss philosophically, consoling i themselves and the visitors by say | ing that the Jones collection, which was bequeathed to the museum and which is placed upstairs. is far more interesting.
 | One result Of Mir. Morgan's decision | is the extraordinary number of artists | who are daily thronging the Loan ! Court and making sketches of the | principal exhibits-for what purpose ! il is impossible to say-although the | quickhess with which they work and | the obvious anxiety to get over the l collection as quickly as possible tend ! to show that it is not for the mere sake Of art
 Special attention is being paid in this respect to three wonderful panels l of Beauyis tapestry depicting scenes | from the comedies of Moliere.
 Whether the work of packing the treasures has actually begun or not it is impossible to say, for the museum of officials refuse all information. All that one can find out is that the treas
 ures have been taken from their cas- es to another room in the building, and what happens then is a matter of l guesswork. In spite of all that is
 said to the contrary. l am able 10 | affirm on Unimpeachat'le authority
 that MT Morgans one and only req son for the removal of his art treas
 ures from the Victoria and Albert Museum to New York 1t that they
 would be liable to death duty here. It has been stated over and over | again in London that, according to
 the legislative measure introduced by Mir. Lloyd-George no duty would be
 payable on these treasures unless
 they were sold. As a matter of fact
 tho question as may well be imagined
 has been thoroughly gone into by MT
 MoTgans legal advisers n England
 who came to the conclusion that col
 lections in this country would be Ii able to be taxed because, having beer
 acquired by their present owner. they
 are not heirloom. in the sense of Mir l | lnrd 4 .anrua,a