Evening star., 1937-06-19
Top Bids Are Achieved by
Journal Tapestries in
WeI|.Attended Sales.
Bv Leila Mechlin.

"HERE IS probably no better in
dex to the financial side of 4
country than the record OF art
sales covering given period.
During the recent years of depres-
sion such sales went down to a
phenomenal low, from which SEEM
ingly bottomless pit they have grad
ually risen to the normal of the days
OF prosperity preceding. The Amer
ican Art Association Anderson GAL
leries OF New York City, the leading
art auctioneers of this country, vieing
with Christie's of London in reputa-
ton and price setting, report re-
ceipts OF $2.970,99 realized in 10 sales
of art and literary property which
took place between late September,
1896, and May ~ Of the current year.
Top prices of the season were
$4,000 each for two Tournai Gothic
Country Life" tapestries, = record
price for tapestries sold at auction
in this country; $4,000 for 4 Brus-
sells Gothic allegorical tapestry;
100000 for an early American silver
punch bowl OF Monteith type by
John, Coney, silversmith Of Boston,
and sl0,500 for the so-called Hundred
Guilder" etching by Rembrandt of
Christ Healing the Sick" Another
exceptionally high price was $7,700
paid for painting by Frederick
Remington entitled Indian Warfare"
(also known as Clusters Last Standby
which was far in advance Of the
amount previously brought by this
popular artists work.
The attendance at these sales was
further evidence Of reviving market
No less than $4,000 persons visited
these galleries during the past sea-
son. in addition to which about 26, 900
were present at 1nisfada on Long
Island when the Genevieve Garvan
Brady collection was sold. This WAS
the outstanding sale OF art property
Tor the season and brought the high
est total, $47l,76l, for one such sale
since 1929.
T WAS at the Brady sale that the
two Gothic tapestries were bid in
Tor $4,000 each and that other record
prices were realized. The sale OF
these tapestries is of particular in.
terest to us here in Washington in.
asmuch as they were Of approx.
mately the same date and very similar
to four included In the w. A, Clark
collection in the Corcoran Gallery
OF Art. The Brady tapestries entitled,
respectively, THE Fortune Teller"
ana THE Fishermen" were woven
at Tournai in the Duchy of Burgundy
near the end Of the fifteenth century
and bear the arms Of the Enaat fam.
ny, In whose chateau near Clermont-
Ferrand they formerly hung. In the
middle OF the nineteenth century they
came into the possession of M. Achille
Jublnal, whose "Anciennes Tapisseries
Histories es'-printed in Paris In 1855
was the first great illustrated book
ever published on tapestries. In short,
the history and ownership of these
tapestries is known practically from
the time they came into existence
until today, and they are In most ex-
cellent condition.
BY experts the Fortune Teller"
tapestry, also known as "Visit Of the
Gypsies" or "Gypsies on the March"
Is the finest Of a group Of shepherd
and hunting tapestries woven on the
famous Tournai looms. The tapes
tries in the Clark collection In the
Corooran Gallery Of Art are hunt
Ing scenes Of the Duke Of Burgundy
and most probably belong to the same
series. although they are eatalogued
as woven at ArraA. However. a. 0eorre