Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-11

Washington. ID. c., March 4. "A
short time ago professor in New
York imported an ancient shrine
which he had purchased from some
Italian dealers in antiques for 100000.
The antiquity" which was supposed
to have given the bit Of marble, It's
great value, did not survive the custom
house inspection. It's stains OF age
were proved to have been produced
with the aid Of coffee and 1t went
through simply as manufacture OF
marble"
This and several other recent IN
stances show that the great business
of supplying the connoisseur = ana
especially the American connoiss'ur--
with objects of ancient art. is still ac-
tive, although the war las certainly
blighted it, There are not enough
Americans in Europe now, and it Is the
Americans ignorance Of such matters
and his desire to conceal it, that make
fat living for the art forger.
So the trade in Egyptian statuettes
and scarabs is somewhat demoralized.
and the antique factories in Bohemia
and Austria, which formerly turned out
their products by the thousand, are eX-
periencing serious difficulties. The
antique industry, however, is only ~
ing dormant. The art forger is simply
waiting, knowing full well that the emu
of the war will bring an even greater
demand for curios. There will be a
tremendous call for Victoria crosses,
medals of honor and ancient relics sup
posed to be hurried out of Belgium up
on the invasion of the Germans. The
garrets and cellars Of Europe will con-
tinue to supply innumerable articles
wearing the look OF crumbllng age fas-
cinating to the art collector, who IS lg-
norant of the results which may be &C
ccmplished by few acids and llcorlce
juice.
It is a simple matter for the expert
art forger to add few thousand years
to the age of an article. The wooden
statute which you buy in the f1rm be-
lief that it adorned the palace OF
Rameses II, was probably made a
couple of months ago in the household
of a modern Egyptian and sent TO a
dealer in Paris. Here it was painted
and places in the ground for a short
interval: ten the paint was removed
by the use of caustic potash, leaving
lust few traces of color in the veins
of the wood With few dashes OF
gold in the hollow places, the effect is
such that YOU are convinced it is cen
turtles old.
Sometimes piece of wooden furnl-
ture, just turned out by nearby rae,
tory, is beaten with thong ana theh
buried in the ground over which acld
is poured daily When dug up it is IN
Geed sorry looking object, which the
dealer gives clumsy coat of repairs.
The art collector on rerceiving it, I'M
mediately thinks, MY, what a splen'
did piece of antique furniture ruined
by modern repairs Ten to one, ne
buys it from the dealer to whom ne
carefully points out the advisabillty OF
leaving the next relic in the condition
in which it is found.
Many other articles are used to give
the suggestion of age Brass is oxl-
died by washing it in salt and am
monia and also by hydrochloric and
sulphuric acids. With little applica-
ton of lampblack or turpentine it
looks aged enough to please the most
exacting collector. In the case OF
metal objects the forger applies coat
of black varnish and then polishes
vigorously until the black part Is Wis
ible only in the hollows. Gold and Sill
yer assume an ancient appearance by
the use of bi-sulphide Of carbon and
garlic will impart just the right
amount of patina to tin
The credulity of the art collector is
Aware that there are
only a few Rembrandts, held as price,
less by the owners, he will allow the
art dealer to persuade him that one
has been permitted to escape and is
now hidden in an old house in Paris,
which he can secure for the small sum