Show british hard times fill FAI auction rooms treasures from country homes now on market london sir rider haggard writes to the times deploring that the roofs of old english country mansions mansion art are rotting and falling in beca because use the owners cannot afford to keep them up and there is no one to buy them and that with them disappears disappear the old english country life of which they were the center the contents of these old houses are pouring into the market as they have never done before and popular belief is i that most of these valuable are bought in by london art dealers for their american customers even some of the old families which ire are known to be immensely rich according to english values are taking advantage of the high tide of art prices for example for sale soon at the famous christie auction rooms is a group of old masters of world reputation put up by the duke of westminster which includes by rubens forming part of a series series said to have been painted by order of philip IV to decorate a carmelite convent also a virgin and child by vandyke many other treasures sold other lots lot offered at christies christias Chri sties which combine the value of patrician associations with art are arc old english furniture and needlework the property of her grace the duchess of wellington and carved oak furniture the property of his grace the duke of marlborough and removed from a farmhouse on th blenheim estate also porcelains ains belonging to tin right lion hon earl hawe G C V 0 the heirlooms heir looms from keele hall ball staffordshire which have a romantic flavor and consist mostly kostiv of old silver furniture and porcelains ains a valuable collection of pictures left by the late earl ear of hardwicke furniture be longing to the earl of sandwich i few old masters put up by the right honorable the earl of clarendon PC G C B 13 G C V 0 among the offerings of at within the next month are valuable pictures the property of lady edward grosvenor sir john hippisley Hippi sicy and other articles belonging to the countess of gosford and cora countess of strafford private bargains are arc made it is many years since any of the duke of collection of ol 01 1 masters have appear appeared cd in the auction rooms although some star picture has occasionally been sold by a private bargain and treasures from blenheim have rarely been obtainable in the lifetime of the present duke of marlborough Marlboro un the belief that nearly everything sold goes to america is not mot entirely true the rood good old reliable but uninspired british landscape artists of f years ago whose whose works harmonized harmonize il perfectly with the old country houses house are enjoying a boom in prices the majority of them are practically unknown in america and are not in demand there yet the swiftness with which 2000 or are bid for pictures that went begging on the painters h hands a rids shows that there is yet yd money in england for art |