The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-24
DU BARRY ORDERED
MORGAN ART WORKS
But Famous French Woman
Was Too Slow in Paying
Fragonard.
LEFT TO THE ARTISTS SON
New Yorker Paid $3.50, 200 for
Panels Then Valued
at 81, 200.
LEFT TO THE ARTISTS SON
Spscto, co,-sspo1ds~es TO r>u son

articles. which give permanent valu. TO
the Todro's Sunday issue. relates the
story OF tho late J. P. Morsan's Grass
Frogonards.
II was TO Grssse chat the charrninx
artist went when the revolutionary storm
burst when he and his paintings were
judged guilty OF failure in Civic duty and
immortality; when, acting on the advice
OF his friend David. he left tho air Of
Paris Tor the healthier air OF the Riviera
The hour was threatening for amiShl.
artists, VINO were Judged TO be- '.inaure
remnants Of impure tyranny" Only q
painter with strictly moral output
couio nope TO adoIn ii free people. 80
the King painter. wrose taste ives NOT
Spartan. betook himself 10 the cottage OF
his dear cousin Maubert" a good hour.
geois OF Grasse.
One day when she was in excellent
humor. before the days OF trouble arosA
Nine. du Barry had commissioned Fra.
gonard to decorate her drawing room
LouVeciennes, painting hve large panels
one to go over the door and pliers for
between the windows Fragonard, de-
hsh,ed at the commission. put his best
work into Its execution. HIS beautiful
patroness extrsvagant and wastcful, was
by no means a ready payer, 40 that when
Fragonsrd. ever In need of money asked
FOR an instalment on account she de-
manded TO see the pictures In place be-
fore paying anything Fragonard packed
I up his canvases. placed them In the cha
teau and full of hope awaited tho YER
| dict
Payment IL Delayed.
Then Du Barry and her friends ap-
peared. Inspected and whispered their
/ comments Charming But 'ss the
subjects a little too free Some chanras
must be made! AS for payment VIC
will talk about that laterv'
Fragonard fared up. protested and fl
| the end accepted a certain sum TO break
the agreement. packed up his delightful
| iancies. and. furious returned to Paris
| When the discouraged veteran went 70
| Grasse the Ave panels went with him TO
decorate modest bourgeois dwelling
| place Instead OF a residence OF almost
royal rank. There they remained when
Fragonard returned TO Paris. where he
| died In 1906.
A certain VI. Malvilan. who had in.
herited the house at Grasse, wrote later
| to Fragonards son: 81 still have your
fathers works in my house. What shall
do with them? Shall / send them TO
you to PARISH
But Fragonard. the younger. possessed
nothing OF his fathers gayety. He was
n painter OF n mcrose and cold school
who would never have had to avoid the
revolutionary spirit Quickly ne seized
his pen and wrote TO NJ. Malvilan. Keep
everything don't want to hear of the
Grasse canvases again. They are not
worth sending"
Malvilan died and his property was d.
vfded among hts children by Justice OF
the Peace Dlnise Sardou, an uncle OF
Victorien Sardou.
Blaise sardou. Provencal Solomon
divided the inheritance into three lots.
Mile. Malvlan received the money saved
the linen and the furniture; the elder son
the farmhouse and farm implements. and
the younger son the house at Grasse the
gardens and the Fragonards The
younger con complained bitterly that ne
was robbed OF a fair share.
'Dut Those Picturesr"
They have swindled me for my sisters
benefit" he protested. 1.-THE linen alone
Is worth more than $500. and what do !
care for those pctures?"
II was useless 10 point out 10 him that
his father had loved those pictures and
that his sister had no place in which to
put them, as after all they were hardly
suitable for young girls bedroom
Young Malvilan would not be satisfied
but eventually decided to keep the CON
: founded pictures. valued at 81 900 In tho
division OF the property, but never again
: would he speak 10 the unjust Judge of tho
Peace. nor would he even salute him
: when they met In the streets of Grasse
, one day, however, a traveller saw those
: panels burst into oxtravagant praise OF
them as marvels OF French art and went
so far as to offer $4,000 for them. then
I doubling the original offer. Young NAL
; villain. with all peasants shrewdness, ar
? gucd that such an offer meant that his
: pictures must be worth even more, so he
refused. but decided that henceforth he
would salute Blaise Sardou once more.
The traveller returned to Paris and
. spread the news OF his discovery. Then
he went back with further offers
100000. then s40,O00-which were still
refused The story OF the Fragonards
was noised abroad and the Duke do
e Morny and NJ Fould, Minister under
Napoleon III. instructed Maurice Rich
ard. their colleague In the Fine Arts
' Department, to offer NJ. Maivilan a sum
. comparatively enormous The bargain
was on the point Of being struck when
the war OF 1870 started Negotiations
r were broken off and years passed, leav-
, ing the Fragonards still at Grasse.
, Greater vnIue Suspected.
Foreign dealers began to mediate their
? purchase, so that French artists inter
I vened, with n view 10 keeping them in
France. The worthy Blaise Sardou
( agreed 10 take the matter up, and through
n his nephew Nictoricn brought the ques-
10 ton before NJ BardouX. then Minister Of
n Fine Arts The Minister gave full pow
n ers TO Blaise Sardou to acquire the pic
. lures, promising to throw In n cross Of
Q the Legion OF Honor and even to allowing
NJ. Malvilan to keep the pictures he had
> once despised.
y Just as the negotiations which would
= have taken the Fragonards 10 the Louvre
: were being concluded the Ministry was
= defeated and NJ. BardouX no longer ruled
3 the Fine Arts Department Then came
: on the scene NJ. Werthcmec and the
:" Fragonards were taken to England the
dealers argument, 100000, being too
| convincing for Halvilans patriotism
From Wertheimer's possession they passeo
l. into that OF j Morgan, VINO pad ~
is said. $3.50 600 for the panels, once
}, grudgingly accepted az representing ar