FAMOUS PICTURES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 260, 16 August 1935, Page 3

FAMOUS PICTURES

PRICES STEADILY RISING

COLLECTO RS EECRUITIN G. Any observer who has been watchin<r the course of activities in the art safe rooms recently cannot have lailed to feel that the “patient is not oml} much better, but is on the road to « good recovery, writes the ait cntic the “Daily Telegraph. ’ Sions of real improvement were fust shown last year in the Hirsch dispersal. This sale was intended to be held in 1932, but owing to the distinctly bad times the Hirsch trustees postponed it. Unquestionably they were right. Competent judges estimated that the pictures and furniture brough at least 50 per cent, more m 1934 than they would have fetched two years earlier. This increase in values has been, steadily advancing and on all sides the market is rising. Another cause for satisfaction was that private buyers were at least returning to compete with the professional dealers. The amateur had stayed away too long. X know that much of the big bidding in the recent S. B. Joel sale was 'due”to the fact that a few rich men nC w to the art market —seized the opportunity of beginning to form fine collections of pictures. Being shy men, then eschewed competing in person, but they were not restrained in their commissions. Indeed, without disclosing names, 1 may state that the surprising jump from 1050 guineas in 1904 to 9000 guineas in the Joel sale of Lawrence s 18th century dryad theme of Ihe Woodland Maid” was due to a final duel between the representatives ol two of these new collectors. It- was for one of these that Hoppners “Hurdy-Gurdy Player” was bought tor 4800 guineas, and for whom two of the best Joel Morlands were won tor 3201) guineas. . Before this Joel sale many people were shaking the heads and wondeiing whether the “good old times ’ before the war could possibly be cemjured up again. They held the chief test to be the fate of Hoppner s beautiful little portrait of his tender spouse, Phoebe, which .had realised as much as 9300 guineas in 1913. Lord Duveen admired tho picture greatly and arrived at Christie’s just before the portrait was placed on the auction easel. His agent, who sat by his side, entered the contest when the bidding had reached 5000 guineas, and he won it eventually at the great sum of 11,500 guineas. . Lord Duveen may now be informed that his chief opponents were the commissioners for the new collectors already mentioned. He will he the first to acknowledge that the entry of new recruits is one of the healthiest signs for the future.