The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-17
ART TREASURESFOR
A CRUST OF BREAD
Vienna May Be Forced to
Part With Famous Tapes
tries and Other Treasures
nv LILLIAN GRANDE

Berne, Switzerland, October 81
Vienna is at present in turmoil over
the governments decision to sell GER
tain Austrial capitals world famous
art treasures. A plenipotentiary is in
charge of the whole business. and an
advisory council is helping him. And
now, unless something at present whol
y unforeseen should occur, Vienna will
have to sell certain of her treasures to
buy bread
The authorities have been fighting
more than six months against the idea
of resorting to any such extreme meas
tres, but when Vienna could hardly
scrape together enough for one months
food supply for Austria, there seemed
nothing else for them to do. And. a;
DR.. Renner, Austrian chancellor, told
the Vienna city council. unless Austria
can procure within very short time
100000 Dutch gu1den to pay for
flour and corn in Rotterdam, the popu-
:ation will have virtually nothing to
eat
Foreign art dealers from the United
States, Paris, London and Japan are
arleady in Vienna in anticipation of
events TO them highly interesting TIE
famous Gobelin tapestries, which may
be among the articles to be sold or
r,lortgaged, and which were formerly
used to decorate the state rooms of the
Hapsburg palace on great festive oc-
casions, are considered by experts to
be worth Kr. 100000 to 500, 900 each
(sS0,000 0,0s0), while the exKaiser'
so-called hunting carpet" a Persian
silk carpet the most valuable of all
the many valuable carpets in the palace,
is estimated, also by experts, to be
worth Kr. 100000 ($100O,0 00). If all
the Gobelin tapestries and all the gor-
geous and exquisite carpets in the for
mer royal palaces were sold, they woul1
bring in about Kr. 30,00O,000 $4,000
000)
Even this apparently large sum, how
ever. would-on go a little way toward
procuring food for the city of Vienna,
let alone for all Austria.
Among the other treasures that may
be sold are manuscripts, both mod
ern and old. antique furniture, medals,
coins-indeed, anything so far as the
peace treaty does not prohibit it's be-
ing sold to foreign countries" The
beautiful plate and delicate porcelain
and glass used formerly at state ban
quets in Vienna may also be sold, but
no pictures or other art treasures be-
longing to public galleries or public
collections. as this would admittedly
ccntravene the treaty of Saint Ger
main.
The Viennes> fully realize that, were
they forced to part with these his
I f1r f.aa1 Two, e.4tr hnty pit
| lose enormously in interest, and far
fewer foreigners would trouble to
visit it. Many are crying out that
some other way should be found of
getting bread. but when asked what
other way, they are apt to be at a
loss for an answer.
The mayor of Vienna has been call
ing upon the people to make any sac
rifice rather than part with their
treasures, and violent protests occurred
at a city council meeting, protests
which were duly transmitted to the
government, pointing out that to part
with her art treasures would injure
Vienna's standing in the world. DR..
Renner. Austrian chancellor however,
replied thai facts must be faced. "Un-
less we get bread" he said in sub
stance, 1.-The people will perish. What
would do Austria most good abroad
would be for her to make people be-
lieve that SIZE takes her situation as
seriously as she ought. People will
not help the Austrians unless they be-
lieve that the Austrians are ready to
help themselves"
But DR.. Renner admitted that vi
emma, in selling her art treasures, was
renouncing. as it were. portion of
her future.
The Gobelin tapestries, although
very important are not so valuable as
the silver and fine china of the state
plate rooms or the contents of the pal
ace treasury. Some of the different
experts appointed advise selling the
Viennesc art treasures in the open
market others are more in favor of
their being put up at auction to the
highest bidder to see what they Will
fetch What is feared in Vienna. how
ever. is that once the selling of art
treasures begins there will be no end
to it, for there arelarge numbers OF
pictures. miniatures. drawings, statues
reliefs and historic objects which could
be sold without infringing on the
peace treaty There is still hope in
some quarters that it may be possible
for Austria merely to mortgage her
art treasures, and one day to redeem
them: but the difficulty of this is to
induce any financier to advance money
on Austrian securities In any case,
the proceeds of the sale or mortgage
of Austria's art treasures are to be
used solely for purchasing provisions
Should the Viennese art treasures
be put up at auction, 1t is rumored
that they may go to Japan, for Japan
ese buyers, said to have their govern
ment behind them, are ready to out
bid all corners in their endeavor to Sc
cure at any rate some of the most
value of Vienna's art treasures.
Copyright, 1879