The Hartford republican., 1913-10-24
FAXED PAINTINGS.
limitations and Forgeries Of the
Works of Old Masters.
SHARP TRICKS OF TIE TRADE.
Specialists Who Are Real Artists Ir
Showing Antique EHeets-Tne Split
Panel Deception and an Ingenious
Swindling Scheme That Failed.

Panel Deception and an lngenioo,
Swindiing Scheme That Failed.
In addition to considerable mrss o,
historical information concerning meth
ods employed In producing Pretoria
works of art. VI. Moreau-Vauthier's
Technique of Painting" presents much
new and interesting matter concerning
devices of imitation picture faking
"truquage." as the French art world
calls it-and systematic. deliberate.
skillful forgery thut have In recent
years rendered extra hazardous the
purchase Of any picture by recor-
nized master who has joined the great
majority.
Many Of these tricks require great
skill aud iknowledge--enough. In all
seeming. to enable the forgers 10 be-
come recognized artists OF the first
class.
! lf an old canvas can be found-nnd
there are many thousands in Europe
the production of Titan or Correggio
or NerOnese is easy. The worthless pic
ture Is painted over or cleared or or
the latest fashion-provided with a
new canvas face on which fine for
gerry has been painted.
varnish tinted with bitumen gives
appearance of age: licorice juice. ashes
STEPPED in water and lampblack are
used TO initiate the dirt Of time. There
are specialists IN fly stains. clumsy re.
touching designed TO emphasize age by
contrast. and in signatures-a select
class. these latter. who call themselves
monogra mists.
They know the manner OF each great
painter. the way he signed his pictures
and the place and color used. Some
times the name * cunningiy concealed
under layer Of dirt or paint. so that
the buyer Of this particular "old mas
ter" may laye the pleasure Of discover
ing it for bim,plf.
The aull0r gives the names of sew
eral painters wdo find a ready road to
wealth in multiplying for foreign mar
kets the Rousseaus. Diazs. Coruts
Danbigneys and Courbets and the like
without which no home Of luxury is !
deemed complete.
Unfinished studies by famous artists |
sold after death ut some Official vendue !
bear the regular sale stamp. price
less token OF authenticity. wherefore |
the clever fOrger makes the dimly sug' /
gested picture n finished composition.
which carries on its back an indisputa-
BILE certificate Of genuineness.
Still more adroit * the trick played
after the Fromentin sale. where one OF
these art harpies bought the painters
Arab Faiconer." painted Oh n wooden
panel. The panel was sawed through |
edgeways. giving the forger a gen.fine
Fromentin without the sale staftp and
a black panel hearing the sale stamp
Result. two genuine" Arab Falconers.
sold far apart. with 10 wsy at hand to
disprove the imitation.
Sometimes. it is pointed out. the nov
city Of the trick employed works its
own defeat. as ia the case OF FlOren-
tine dealer who sold n fare old paint
ing to u French collector. He offered
to send it to the buyers hotel and
asked him to write his name and ad-
dress on the back OF the panel IN order
to remove all doubt. This was done.
but then the collector changed his
mind and carried the picture of de-
spite the denIer's prOtestations.
When the traveller got home he took
the picture out OF its frame to clean it,
He found that he had brought AWAY
two pictures. The first. which he had
bought, concealed n copy. on the back
Of which he had signed his name
This was almost perfect rascality.
lr the collector had had the picture
sent to his hotel he would have re-
ceived the copy. II he had protested
that IL was not the picture he bought
he would have been shown his own
signature on the back 0f The panel.
The Italian government prohibits the
expectation Of native art works except
by permission that is very hard Ia get.
but the collectors and the owners of
old family pictures lind no difficulty in
evading this. They order copies. put
them In place of the originals and Sc
cretly send the latter out OF the coun-
try. Thus "A genuine old Italian mas
ter Is one of the easiest things 10 ac-
quire j. the realm of high priced art.