The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-22
PAINTER like a poet. is gen.
\ orally looked upon as being

Il orally looked upon as being
= born; not made; but many old
masters are made not only long after
they have been born. but after they
have died. -'..t.
The business of producing antique
paintings and other objects Of art
supposedly the work of famous artists
of an older day seems to be one OF
the occupations OF Europe that has
rot been hit hard by the war.
Interest has recently been focused
again on pictures with an origin that
Is in dispute by the court maneu-
wings in connection with the suit
brought by Jackson johnson, a
wealthy shoe manufacturer Of st. Louis
and owner Of the st. Louis Star,
against Prof. Ella Volpi of Flor
ence, Italy. The American manufac-
tnrer is suing the Italian art author
tty because he alleges that two por-
traits he bought from Prof. Volpi,
che represented to be by Rubens and
the other by Van Dyck, were not
genuine.
Thrives Here rs Abroad.
.,Euch a cry Of falsity has been
heard before. and doubtless will be
heard again so long as acknowledged
leaders In art do not have their reg
lstered trade marks for their products.
and so long as ambitious but impe-
crrious art students are willing to
exc out their living by copying or
"creating" old masters and disposing
Of them to art dealers who sell them
rs unquestionable originals.
Not only does this industry Of fab
r!cated old masters thrive in Europe,
particularly in France and Italy, but
this country, ever willing to seize Old
World devices and II possible improve
on them, Is becoming. especially in
New York, a veritable hotbed of an
uque art.
Such spurious pictures are always
planted on old pictures, daubs that are
picked up by agents of inscriptions
collectors for a song. Only pictures
which already bear signs OF age will
do. The worse the daub the higher
the price 1t will fetch in the end from
the rich but credulous art patron. who
Is eager to have distinguished sigma
lures lining his walls.
For in the case Of the impossible
smears the original daub is rubbed
down, and a new picture, aping some
well known masterpiece. is painted
over 1t. Sometimes the copyist. having
a better inspiration than the old mas
ter in question. won't slavishly tran
scribe all the details of the original
picture. He will borrow an arm from
one of the masters paintings, take a
leg from another, a background from
o third work by this genius, and
draperies from fourth. In the end
he will have a nicely synthetized ex-
emple of the painters work. to which
he will add a signature. a monogram
or sometimes merely a couple Of In
it!als.
The Real Foul Play.
Then the real foul play commences
The canvas is artiicially aged. The
first step that Is most in favor among
deyotees of this process Is leaving the
Canvas out in the rain. That imparts
a beautiful timeworn finish. Next
they are usually smoked" The
forgery is held over the smoke OF
smoldering damp straw, which give.
the dark, deep tones that a pictur,
begins to take on after its first cen.
fury.
After this a mixture of water. to
bacco ash. licorice. lampblack and dir
is smeared over the surface. which Il
then dried and busted off. The paint
ing Is treated with boiled linseed oil
which darkens the color still NOR,
after the bait OF time. and finishing
coat is applied, consisting OF mastic
turpentine and boiled linseed oil. T,
heighten the ancient air the painting
Is cracked by the use OF quick dryin,
varnish while the paint is fresh, or tn
picture is put in an oven. "Flicking
Is often INDUCED in. a. sepia wasl
being spattered over the painting b
a brush to give the effect of n
specks.
In Italy composite pictures are fre
Quently produced under the name q
'-pasticcio." or "mix-up," being wha
might be called selections from tn
works of old masters. They are sol
IN that country frankly as copies. wit
no attempt to mislead as to what thi
particular style OF picture Is. Ofte
however, they come into the hands {
agents OF dealers in other countrie
to whom they are shipped. The dea
ers have them touched up, and the
sell them as genuine.
Italy. In fact, seems to have bee