The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-01
Frederick Haskin's Letter
DdeLiNE oF.FAKE PAINTINGS


es which had been incorrectly At
tributed to the great artists.
While this heavy bombardment
OF makes was going on. American
dealers were over In Europe attend
ing auction sales and quietly bur
Ing up some Of the worlds great
est art treasures. They had to nay
enormous prices, it is true, but they
paid them for the real thing.
Your American collectors have
learned" remarked a prominent
member of British art society. re-
Gently. They are now very astute
collectors, who know precisely
what they want and can afford 10
pay the price. They are vastly dif-
ferent from those who used to coma
to buy our pictures, just 70. deco
rate the blank spaces q their
walls"
In fact. American collectors and
art dealers have become so very
cautious that they will sacrifice real
art treasures before they will take
q chance on them. One New York
art dealer. for example, will tell
you with tears in his eyes Of an
opportunity he missed Of securing
a genuine Reubens in LoAdon not
long ago. 1t was one of several
old masters discovered by British
rector in an old unused room of his
rectory. The rector. according to
the story, had come upon this re-
markable room through an ancient
sliding panel, which accidentally
yielded to his touch, revealing a
dark dingy room which he had
never suspected was a part of his
home. Entering the room some
what gingerly, he had found the
paintings, which British art critics
declared to be genuine. One of
them was four-oak PLAGUE, COW
cred with years of dust, which
when brushed of, revealed a per-
feet example Of Reubens at his
greatest period.
Bargains in Old MasterA
1T was a good story" said the
dealer dryly, but I had heard
plenty like it before. Neverthe-
less this particular one happened
to be true, and If I'd believed it I'd
have secured a great bargain. That
PLAGUE is worth $4,000 now.
You know, that's what makes
our business SO fascinating" he
went on ruminatively, 1.-The chance
in a hundred that we'll get hold
of something genuine for little or
nothing. Such things can and do
happen nowadays. A real Gilbert
Stuart has come suddenly to light
in the past month, and / have a
friend who recently bought what he
thought was a Gezanne copy for a
small sum, only later to discover
that it was a valuable original.
Among all the fakes spread out
! like SO many traps in Europe
there's apt to be one that is worth
a mint of money. That's why so
many of us are practically Euro
pean commuters now. If we find
one old master in life time, it's
enough to make or double our for
tune.
Take The Red Cap,' one of the
most important pictures in the
Prick collection" he said. THAT
picture was peddled through the
streets of London about 10 years
ago by some unknown tramp, who
carried it under his arm, wrapped
in newspaper. He asked so pounds
for it and was laughed at. Finally.
Sir Hugh Lane discovered it in a
dingy London auction room, took
it home and cleaned it, and found
it was Titan. The late MIR. Prick
bought it from him at stiff price.
But of course this sort of thing
doesn't happen so often as it used
to. II we Americans know what
we're buying when we trade with
Europe now, the collectors over
there are also equally aware of
the value Of the goods they're sell
ing US. They may howl about our
going off with their historic master
pieces, but, believe me, we pay for
them"