| Show FATE OF GOLGOTHA WORLDS BIGGEST PAINTING MAY BE CUT UP Cauvos Upon Which Artist Labored for ThirtyTwo Years Has an Tnfortuimto Career Chicago Tho biggest pitntlng litho li-tho world JolROtha Is threatened with nn unhurolc rud Aftor bclni Hold by tho United States customhouse custom-house In Chicago for 050 It Is In danger dan-ger of being cut up Into theater curtains cur-tains For 32 years the artist Jan Styka labored upon tho canvas and during tho last five years ho wan assisted by his son When completed tho picturu Is said td have sold for 118000 tha purchaser being a European syndicate Kor several yeaia the painting was 0x1 hlbltcd In Paris Later It was taken to various Huiopcan cities and ultimately ultimate-ly 1 brought to America A year or more ago Golgotha was placed on exhibition tn Chicago An old church at No 1421 Michigan avenue ave-nue was prepared for It and tho publla was Invited to vlow the painting which Is a graphic representation ot tha crucifixion ot Christ When tho painting was brought tc this country It was placed In bond Tho duty on It was 2000 but as II was expected to take tho picture back jto Europe this tax was held In abeyance abey-ance Finally when It hccama apparent appar-ent that the painting wtm likely to remain re-main In Chicago tho collector of cus tha duty In doing so tho picture hag been sold three times tho first two sales not having been confirmed by tin federal court Tho first successful bidder for th painting was Thomas S Keesc who bought It for 1200 Tho court can sId orcd this sum too small and tha paintIng paint-Ing wnu put up at auction again D W Iloono bought It for 450 Again tho court refused to lot It go and II was resold to Solomon L Lowenthal a lawjer and I N Welngarton manager man-ager of tho Trocadoro theater During tho final salo there were several bidders among them being two Christian ministers and a number ol Jews This fact was commented on I as a singular Incident In the history I of the great canvas Tho preachers wanted tho picture for chinch Institutions Institu-tions Mr Lowonthal and Mr Wolngartcr hnvo no definite purpose In vlow Tha latter believes the painting could bo divided Into four theater curtains while tho figure of Christ could be made a picture by Itself and sold to a church Tho painting was to have been ox hlblted at tho St Louis worlds fair but owing to complications that arose It did not reach America In time In Chicago It has been viewed by many people but tho expenses exceeded the Income and tho venture proved a failure fail-ure It Is said that about 30000 ot tho original purchase price remain unpaid |
