New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-06-01
''Stungg'' for $1,000
At Volpi Art Sale,
Says Millionaire
Jackson Johnson, St. Louis
Shoe Manufacturer, Test.
fies in Suit to Recover on
Alleged Bogus Old Masters

jackson Johnson, millionaire shoe
manufacturer Of St. Louis and presi.
dent of the Chamber OF Commerce OF
that city, has been a collector of old
masters for ten years, but he admitted
yesterday in the Supreme Court that
he did not qualify as an art expert. In
1916 the shoe manufacturer and art
collector bought two canvases at a sale
in this city, one of which, he says. was
represented az the work of Rubens
and the other Of Van Dyck. He paid
Sll,8oo for The two paintings, only to
learn later. he now charges, that the
pictures were only copies Of the orig
inals, and that their real value was
only 5000.
Mr.. johnson brought suit to recover
the money he paid for the supposed old
masters. But he did not sue in his
own name. He assigned his claim to
Arthur c. Spence, who brought the
action.
Forced to Prove Own Claim
Mr.. Spence has not been heard from
since he entered the army in 1917. a
short time after the suit was brought,
which has made it necessary for Mr..
johnson to reveal himself as the man
who, according to his allegations, was
"stung."
Because Of his business affairs in
st. Louis, Mr.. johnson said he could
not be present here at the trial. and,
under an order by Justice Weeks, he
was examined yesterday before trial
II assigned the claim in blank" Mr.
Johnson testified, "to the person in
whose name the suit was brought, be.
cause didn't want to get the adver-
Using and notoriety knew I would
gain here. Even an amateur does no,
like to pose as fool, you know. My
attorney simply got dummy plaintiff,
and if anything is recovered it goes
to me-if there is anything left"
Says He Is No Expert
do you qualify as an expert?" Mr.
Johnson was asked.
81 do not replied the witness EN-
phatically.
Not only did the collector not con.
slider himself an expert, but he ad-
mitted that he never had seen an art
sale catalogue before he attended the
sale at which he bought the alleged
Rubens and Van Dyck. Previous te
that time he had bought his paintings
from dealers. Mr.. Johnson purchased
the two repudiated paintings at the
sale of a collection brought to this
country by Professor Ella Volpi from
Florence, Italy, where they gracet
the Davanzanti Palace and the Vills
Pia. He did not rely on his inexper
a picture expert.
The sale, which lasted eight days
was one Of the greatest ever held II
this country, and the receipts were
nearly 100000. Some of the buyers
were Joseph f. Widener, Otto H. Kahr
and Henry c. Frick.
Others Bought. Canvases
Several art institutions also ac-
quired canvases at the Volpi sale
among them the metropolitan Museum
of Art, Boston Art Museum, Minneap-
oils Art Museum and the Rhode Island
School of Design. When the suit was
brought against Professor Volpi an
attachment was issued against money
due him from the sale. He gave q
bond and had the attachment released
A representative of Professor Volpi
in this city said Of the johnson suit:
81 have been approached with prop
osition to settle this matter for the
few thousands of dollars involved, but
with Professor Volpi it is matter
of his reputation, and you can rest
assured when he arrives in this coun-
try he will establish not only his own
reputation as an expert, but by reason
of the long pedigree of the two pic
lures in question he will show that
they are what he represented them
to be-"