Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
TRAFFIC in WORKS OF ART
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

art work from England than any other
country Is that England herself wa
formerly in the position now occupied
by the United States--that Is, the coun.
try Of dominant wealth. Therefore she
has collections from all over the world.
The Earl OF Elgin, It will be remem-
bered, was the man who went to Athens
and collected famous sculptures from
the Parthenon, bringing them to Eng.
land, where they still are known as the
Elgin Marbles. He set fashion which
Englishmen followed for long while II
was quite the thing for rich Englishmen
TO buy up old statues, vases and other
antiquities for song and bring them
home to Adorn their houses and rnu-
seums. The practice of disms hitting
old palaces and temples came to be
known as Elginism.
Richest Countries Get Art Treasures.
Economic forces, As much as and prob.
ably more than artistic appreciation
dictated such actions then. as they do
now. The Greeks and Italians were
Impoverished and were happy to part
for ready cash with antiquities OF which
they thought comparatively little be-
cause they had so many Today, when
the war and high taxes and the many
alterations which have taken place in
wealth Of great families in England.
they, too, have reached the time when
they will part with their treasures in
return for Clsh.
The people as a whole greatly dislike
to see their works of art 60 to other
countries, but when 1t comes to an
individual trade 1t s difdcuk for the
individual Englishman involved to re-
fuse the cold cash which will relieve
his distress.
Englishmen prefer to sell to Eng
lishmen and will sell for much less than
to Americans. Thus, although $3.50 600
was offered by an American for tbs
famous Mcpherson collection, q nautical
prints and drawings. the owner an
nounced that he would accept $3.50 900
il Englishmen would buy it. The la.
ter sum was raised by popular sub
scription and the collection remains
English. but this bit Of patriotism cost
the owner 100000.
Spain has prohibitory laws against
export Of works of art without express
permission of the government and this
permission Is rarely given. Poland has
had contracts Cancelled after 1t was dis
covered that works of art were to be
sold to America. France will not per-
NIT export without permission OF its
fine arts commission, which will not
consent to the export Of anything really
worth while
One Of the latest forms American ccl-
Letting has taken is the transportation
of entire buildings from Europe TO the
United States. Several English manor
houses have been dismantled. the stones
carefully marked and then set up again
in this country, stone for stone, just
as they were in England.
In one way. strict prohibition Of
any future export of works of art to the
United States would be a TREMENDOUS
favor to such Americans as already have
made purchases It would be difflcult
to calculate the sensational leap IN
value which the art works already here
would experience. II the source Of fur
ther works should be definitely cut of.
Also. such a measure might prove .
boomerang to the European countries.
No work Ct ~ is sold without the ex-
pecta ton or IT least the hope Of re-
purchasing it when better times come.
A good deal Of repurchasing is being:
done all the time. But IL IN embarSo
were laid, raising prices Of works.sN-
ready owned here. the Wicee charged
in repurchase would be enormous,
probably would be called Yankee MEk.
JCopyrizht, 1897