New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-07
EXPERTS In ART
and THEIR WORK
Discoveries of Long Lost
Masterpieces Keeps
Them Busy.

A cablegram from Geneva. Swit1cr-
land. says that "a painting which Is
pronounced by an expert to be the WORK
of Leonardo da Yinci was recently
bought for a small sum at village IN
the Canton OF FribourG by Lausanne
collector. 70 will be sent TO Paris Tor
examination by experts there.
The casual reader OF the newspaper
does not stop to scrutlnize or anaiyze
these reports. ard in nine cases out
OF ten nothing more Is ever heard oil
tha find, since the verdict OF the reaI
experts puts tho masterpiece wnete u
belongs and consigns it to the OBLIVION
Of the Anticipated daub, says inc Dos
ton Transcript" 49,,
For instance, let us read niue ihotg
carefully the above cablegram anu
weigh the probabilities OF the case
rainting which is pronounced by an ex-
Tort 10 'be the work of Leonardo ia
WINCH There is no description OF inc
naintinr. and no mention OF the name
~ The expert. The picture will be
sent 70 Paris" which is rather a renee.
tion upon the anonymous Swiss expert
who has already committed himself
Under the law OF probabilities tne
chances are about one TO thousand
that the work in question IS by heoh
ardo. Everything is possible perhaps'
tboraforo n is possible that at thls
dav a lost Leonardo may turn up, DuD
We are SAT, in saying that the Oenevs
Jionatcb will he received by every art
;st nicture dealer. critic and collector
18th a significant smile and shrug. Inc
old game has been played so many
MANY times and always with the same
ending. Hr, On
A. fine same time &c Is astounding 70
find that there are so many credulous
noonIe in the world who are ready 10
he duped and who are willing 10 Ac
cont as valid evidence a tissue OF 40,
soiutelv worthless and absurd aHa
merle stuff obviously manufacturers
Tor tho purpose OF deceiving the easy
marx" A signature. for example (oL
ali things the least cOnvinclng); -
fo,,nd with the aid Of microscopes MA.
don away slyly under thin coaV OIL
Glaze. end the public is expected 70 re-
ceivo this az testimony to the genuine
ness Of the attribution. Few persons
realize how exceedingly easy II Is 20
counterfeit a signature and fewer sun
realize how many of the recognized
masterpieces of the world are I'M
signed. ,,h
As TO the experts, they may be rough
, " classified In two classes-those VINO
are too willing to attribute anonymous
nicturcs to some famous painter anu
tbose who are too ambitious to cast
doubt upon existing attrlDuVlonS
There are very few experts on olu
paintinrs whose opinions are worm
much. anyway. With regard TO th9
works Of Leonardo, for instance th0se
canvasps which are best known as mo
original productions in the puDilc gar
lerics OF Europe are, with but rev eh-
ccptions. still disputed. and proDaply
there are not more than hall a dozen
Of them that are accepted By every
body as genuine. o.,
A slight acquaintance WIN the eur
NOUS difficulties attending the WORK ol
generalization would be enough 10 nahe
snv man skeptical as 70 the hnailty oI
the Judgment even OF the most comPe-
tent and scholarly of the experts paE-
ticularly when we ind the most az
complished and celebrated OF theh
fatty disagreeing on the most lmpoE-
tant questions.
A great deal Of noise has oeen rnao'
of late years about the value OF pho-
Biography and micro photography as an
| aid in determining moot points, sucn
as brushwork, technique, handling and
a variety of such matters; and quaint
ties of experiments have been made
and are being made upon old paintings
with a view to deciding as TO the USE
fitness of this sort Of evidence in de-
termining the authorship Of some very
notable examples Of art; so far, the
most that can be said is that micro
photography may be regarded as a ser
yiceable secondary adjunct TO other
means of arriving at valid attributions:
its chief value being in the way OF
cumulative evidence. But sclentlhc
methods applied to this purpose are OF
/ limited usefulness, from the nature OF
I