Show BOGUS gOGUS CURIOS l The hubbub that has been raised over the alleged bogus articles in the collection of I curios recently be bequeathed bequeathed bequeathed to the museum museu nt of the Uni Un University University of Pennsylvania by the late Professor Maxwell Sommerville pro professor professor professor fessor of ot Egyptology is calculated to tomake tomake tomake make collectors everywhere sit up and take notice Professor Sommerville was regarded as one of the highest au authorities authorities authorities on on Egyptology in the United States He spent many years in mak making making making ing his collection of Egyptian Hindu Buddhist Japanese and Chinese cu curios curios curios rios Now another expert comes forward with the assertion that the greater part of the collection is spurious In other words it consists in the main of clever imitations prepared with intent to deceive Nobody charges Professor Sommerville with fraud It Itis is admit admitted admitted admitted ted that when he bought the curios comprising his collection he thought he was getting get ing genuine articles Certainly CertaInly Certainly he paid handsome handsom prices for formost formost formost most of them Yet expert though he hewat hea was wat a if the claims now made are well founded he was deceived very badly and very often Now comes this question If the professionals the men who have made madea a life work of studying the nature of curios the time in which they were supposed to have hav been made the rea rca reasons reasons sons ons sons why they were made can be de deceived deceived deceived what chance has the gentleman amateur the dilettante to accumulate i anything but trash A recent article in the Saturday Evening Post shed some light on this very subject It said that many Europeans devote their lives to the manufacture and sale of fraudulent relics Often several years ears are required for fo the making of single articles but then when they tare are turned out they are so nearly perfect in hi their imitation of the genuine that the best experts expert are deceived Some notable instances of deception n were given the names of the parties to the transactions being omitted The Sommerville case case following so closely upon the revelations made by bythe bythe bythe the Post will lead many to wonder whether after all it Is worth while to spend so much good time in pursuit of that which once acquired Is more than apt to prove worthless |