Evening star., 1947-07-06
Art
and
Artists
Parke.Bernet Report
Covers Fourth Year
With Total Sales in
Excess of $6,OOO,OO0
By Florence S. Berrymun


Auction sales Of art, literary and
other property constitute a reliable
barometer of price trends in general,
besides affording the owners of COM
parable possessions an idea OF their
current market prices. The annual
report for 1867 OF the Parke-
Bernet Galleries, Inc, Of New York
City gives information Of consider
able interest per Sc, which is height
ened when one compares 1t with
earlier reports.
Beginning with 1884, this we'll
known auction house, the country's
largest in its particular fields, estab-
lished an all-time record annually
for three consecutive seasons, break
ing the previous high record each
time. Last years peak Of $6,684 ,045,
cenceivably may remain unbroken
for years to come. This years total
amounted to $6,019,153. While this
was the fourth consecutive season
that the galleries realized over
$6,0o0,O 900, 1t was back in the range
of 1884.
However, one cannot actually
compare seasons entirely by totals
realized, since many factors affect
the results. Hiram H. Parke, pres
ident Of the Galleries, said, THE
moderate drop in prices for the
medium valued property offered by
us is undoubtedly reflection OF the
general leveling of prices to be seen
in most luxury lines, as the auction
market is extremely sensitive to
current economic conditions. The
kind OF collections offered in any
one SESSION is obviously beyond con-
troll OF the auctioneer. . This
years impressive total was achieved
for the most part by sales comprising
property of a number of different
owners, rather than by any very out
standing individual collection. . .
Had it transpired that in the season
Just past, any very great private
collections Of art or literary prop
erty had come on the market, I
believe the season would have
crossed the largest total on record" !"
Ninety-eigh sales (same number
as the previous season. with 1876
sessions were held at Parke-Bernet
Galleries from September IS through
June 1s. Toward the middle of this
season, a drop Of 10 to 20 per cent
was noted in the average prices paid
for the general run OF property
offered. But, as Mr.. Parke empha-
sized, there was no decrease In
prices paid for the rarer and most
costly objects; everything of out
standing quality brought top ex-
pected prices.
Some Startling Contrasts
Eighteen different sales reached
totals between 100000 and 5000, 600.
(Two others of precious stone jewel
ry, ETC., fetched nearly $500, 900 each)
The four highest of the Is were
sales of art collections. comprising
paintings and other objects Of art,
furniture, ceramics and decorative
arts.
Prices for individual paintings
showed q startling contrast to those
of 1856, when nine works went for
more than $4,000 each, beginning
with a Rembrandt which fetched
$4,000. During 1857 the high
est price for painting, $21 900, was
reached by Madame Vigee-Lebrun
and Daughter" one of three self
portraits with her child (the best
known of which is In the Louvre
However, If one compares not only
the prices but the masters repre-
sented, the past season stands up
very well with the previous season,
which included besides the Rem
brandt, works by Halls. Velasquez,
Memling, Bellini, Hobbema, Ce-
xanne and Toulouse-Lautrec.
This season, following the Vigee-
Lebrun, were Watteau's LA Danse
Paysanne," $4,000; Sorolla's playa
de Valencia" $13,500 (record figure
tor him); Portrait Of an Architect"
by Hans Burgkmair the Elder, $13,-
600: Corot's lie Soir," $1,000;
Greuze's 'L'Enfant Ecrivant," So
75o.
Paintings Numerous
More than 1900 paintings, repre-
senting all prominent schools, were
offered during the season in eight
salss entirely of paintings, and in
many other sales In which they
formed sizable groups. Demand for
old masters was not surprising, as
this class maintains a high level of
popularity. Increased interest in
modern French paintings, noted
during the previous season, con-
tinued. Also observed was revival
of interest in 10Th century French
genre.
A growing appreciation Of 10th
century American paintings was
manifested in such prices as $5,400
for Winslow Homer's Evening on
the Beach" and $4,000 and more for