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Show 00 AMERICAN COLLECTORS BUMPED. Now, Picrpont Morgan had more a fancy for art than a taste when ho began collecting. He was a "babo In the wood" lost. Ho has now a number num-ber of good things, but a groat many also which are very bad. I heard a good story told by a" dealer about him. When he began collecting he went to this dealer and asked to be shown the best pictures he had so that he might Inform himself on the subject might get an idea what a really good picture meant. The dealor, knowing who hlB visitor visi-tor was, promptly got out his best pictureshis pic-tureshis Watteaus, his TItians and other old masters from his cellar and showed them to Morgan. At the end Morgan said: "I am much obliged. I am glad to have seen some of your samples," just as though they had beon so many yards of calico! Morgan, like other collectors, often pays more than he need do. "He bought, for instance, a set of three pieces of Sevres painted by TJodln, known as "the Coventry set." They were 6old at a good sale at Christie's for G400 lbs. They were bought by Asher Werthelmer and sold to another dealer named Hodgklns Now Hodg-klns Hodg-klns was acting indirectly for Charles Werthelmer. Hodeklns paid to Asher Werthelmer 7500 lbs., knowing where he could place them. Morgan bought them for 11,600 lbs Now, why did not Morgan buy them himself from Asher Werthelmer or Hodgklns and save 5000 lbs? These things are inexplicable inexplic-able to me. Then, again, he bought the Colonna or "St Antcjnlo" Raphael. That picture pic-ture was entirely repainted by Martin Mar-tin Colnnghl It Is actually said ho did It himself. What effect do these transactions have upon .English collectors? There are very few left, Sir Julius Wern-her Wern-her is almost the only remaining "English" collector. I nm not at all sure that American collectors are the only people who pay high prices. In tho foreign parts of Europe there are collectors who pay very high prices also. al-so. I sec that Huntington, tho American, Ameri-can, Is reported to have paid a record prlcji foiythe Velasquez he bought the other dy It has been persistently rumored that he gave S0.Q00 lbs.: so I suppose that is the rifdit figure. This picture a portrait of the,Duke of 011-varez 011-varez was bought out o'f Dorchester-House Dorchester-House from Captain Hplford. His father, whom I knew well, told me that he neve; gave high prices. In those days we knew very little of the dangerous man In connection with Velasquez, namely, Mozo, his 6on-in-law. Mazo copied Velasquez pictures, and most of the Velasquozes now In England Eng-land are denounced by experts, as being be-ing really by Mazo. The odds are, on the whole, that this purchse by Huntington Hunt-ington Is by Mazo, Marquis ofClann-carde ofClann-carde In London Week End. |