New-York tribune., 1919-12-06
Pares Collection
OF Antiques Will
Be Dispersed Here
Dealers Group Of Medieval
and Renaissance Objects
Includes Rare Tapestries,
Furniture and Quaint Bits
By Royal Cortissoz

1t is conceivable that some future
historian Of social life In this country
might easily be misled by certain in
teriors characteristic of the present
time. He would infer that the owners
thereof had been assiduous travellers,
always ransacking Europe for the en-
oellishments of their homes. He would
be only partly right. Further research
would bring him additional enlighten-
ment He would learn Of the influence
upon American architecture of the cult
tor decorative antiques, fostered by the
architects themselves.
Stanford White was q pioneer in this
field. He helped form the fashion
which came in with the new growth Of
luxury and the adaptation to our
houses OF styles once dominant in the
palaces Of Italy and France. Design
ers found uses not only for such basic
things as furniture and tapestries, but
Tor thousand objects nomnally rrel-
evant. Nowadays a Roman sarcopha-
gus may adorn the hall of New York
dwelling. The bronze mortar from the
shop of a Renaissance apothecary may
find its resting place on the mantel-
piece of one of our drawing rooms
And it is not necessary for the Ameri-
can to hunt for these things abroad
They are brought to his door.
Collections that once were broken
up only in Paris or London are to-day
fetched to New York. We have had
the Bardini and Volpi sales At the
American Art Galleries these are now
followed by the sale of the Emil Pares
collection, scheduled to be disposed
of in seven sessions, beginning Mon
day afternoon. There are more than
1900 entries in the catalogue They
cover every imaginable object of
m medieval or renaissance origin, 4
veritable wilderness of picturesque
and often beautiful things. The
crowded rooms recall the atmosphere
of museum. But one thinks first Of
what sale of this kind means to
architects and decorators and their
clients. 1t means the enhancement Of
countless private rooms.
Many Rich Tapestries
The tapestries alone constitute a rich
body Of material. They embrace nu-
merous Flemish and French examples,
of verdure. Some important allegori-
cal compositions are present. but more
desirable for our usual purposes are
such tapestries as the sixteenth CEN
tury Flemish specimen (No 1.222) in
which Henri Quatre and the incompa-
rable Gabrielle appear as members of
a hawking party. 1t is an ideal tap
cstry for decorative background. Be-
sides these major tapestries there are
quantities of valuable fragments, parts
of old borders, detached medallons
and so on.
And then. shining like jewels amid
tiles, there are glorious vestments
spoil from the sacristes of Italian and
Spanish churches. A superb illustra-
tion is the fifteenth century Venetian
cope of crimson and golden yellow
brocatelc (No. 12O2). Perhaps it will
go to adorn boudoir But in it's mel
low splendor and rounded perfection ii
ought to be hung upon the wall like q
picture. There is another Venetian
cope (No. 1209), catalogued as coming
from a Spanish cathedral, which is of
crimson velvet, over which is flung a
flicker of gold ornamentation. The
briliance OF exquisite color could no
further go. That is the special appeal
touch the imagination with an echo of
ecclesiastical history, but they are
most potent Just as episodes of SEN
suous beauty.
Apropos Of the textiles we must note
the unique gathering of old silk banner
tassels. Subordinate objects though
they are, there is certain fitness in
the particularly with which they are
described long, bell-shaped bodies,
with apple-green lattice and rulings
over cream ground; skirts of tasseled
fringe" There are romantic syllables
IN the cataloguer's vocabulary.
Rare Pieces of Furniture
Some of the furniture is OF great
rarity and distinction. The sixteenth
century Hispano- Moresque "Vargueno"
No. S72) IS a prodigious affair, as
wonderful in its hardware as in its
carving The Gothic cathedral stall
of early French design (No. S74) is
purely a museum piece, but there is a
full procession of old tables and chairs
available for the modern house. The
utilitarian motive, indeed, is ever pres
ent. One of the notable categories of
the collection is that embracing a
royal group of Spanish and Italian cur
tains and covers in fllet lace and en-
broid cred linen. On the other hand,
there is large amount here of the
work which is destined for the col
lectOrs cabinet, bronzes and objects in
brass, wrought iron keys and Golfers,
sixteenth century Spanish swords and
daggers, snuff boxes Of a later period
porcelains, polychrome statuettes. and