Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-19
RAPHAEL PAINTED
FOR THE FUTURE
Picture He Sold for a Song
Brings a Golden
Price.
From London Ttf-Rsts

From London Tif-B'ts.
II Raphael could know that a picture
which he painted for so had been pur-
chased for E1s.tS0 he would no doubt
feel sorry that he died so soon And IL
Sir Henry Raeburn had foreseen that a
quiet portrait OF lady which he painted
for very modest remuneration would
fetch p 200 guineas at auction he would
scarcely have believed IT possible.
Yet there have been cases of artists
living to see their pictures bring marvel
GUS prices. the most outstanding case in
the history of art being the fact that the
French artist Degas WAS actually pres
ent in the auction room In Paris when.
after a scene OF excitement which could
only be matched on the race course, a
picture of his which he had sold many
years before for s2o was actually
knocked down for GI9. 100. NJ Degas.
who is almost forgotten by fashionable
Paris. dives a retired life in a fifth-fioor
fiat without single picture or statuette
to recall his early talents and later fame
A Living "old Master"
This is likely to remain a record for .
long time. But there are other artists
who have had similar triumphs. At the
Royal Holloway College. for instance.
hangs a Well known picture by the late
Edwin Long. r. A.. entitled The Baby
lonian Marriage Market" for which the
| artist. who had originally sold IL for
600. heard q, 800 guineas bid.
Yet Edwin Long had the opposite ex-
perience OF seeing several pictures for
which he had been paid large sums. go
in the auction rooms for a few pounds
Sir John f. Millais whose picture Sir
Isumbras at the Ford" has just fetched
$500 guineas. lived to see his over the
Hills and Far Away sold for 5000 gull
meas. probably ten times its original
price. and the late Alma Tadema, r. A..
saw many OF his pictures draw big bids,
the climax being reached when "A Read
ing from Homer realized upward OF
E6,OOO
There is an ''old maser." still living in
the person of Matthew Maris. a French
man domiciled i'm England. He had seen
many of his pictures run to big prices at
auction. but he must have had a few bit
ter thoughts when a simple little cam
vas for which he was glad in his youth
to get SOS actually fetched 1900 guineas.
Fortunes in Mana"
Strangely enough, on the very day this
brother. Joseph Maris. painted as late as
amid intense excitement for 66Oo guiness.
square inch, or $500 FOOT
A year or two since Herkomers ia
nous canvas THE Last Muster brought
3. 100 gSIineas, and at the McCulloch sale
at Christie's recently, Mr.. ]. w. Water
house, r. A., who is still busy in his
studio, heard of his two splendid works.
st Cecilia and "Fl.ra and the
Zephyrs" fetching. respectively, 23oO
and 1850 guineas.
The ups and downs of the artists cali
ing are well illustrated by the fortunes
and misfortunes of NJ. Sukhorovsky. a
Russian artist, who died recently. His
celebrated painting. Mana was exhib-
tied all over the world and made a for
tune for himself and others. After per-
sonally receiving some 100000 for its
exhibition, the artist, thinking its vogue
over, sold Mana" for e4.2OO. and the
dealer resoid it at double the price.
But that is not ALL An American
bought 1t and showed it all through
the states, Canada and South America.
and is reported to have made 930O.O0O by
the enterprise. On the other hand. the
artist lost all his money by unfortunate
investments, and was reduced almost To
beggary. When he painted Nanas
Daughter" which he hoped would re-
haibilitate him, he had not the where
withal to purchase the canvas, and had
to be helped by a public subscription.