VALUABLE PICTURES

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 October 1927, Page 7

VALUABLE PICTURES

' Recently £192,417 was realised in a day at an auction sale of pictures at Christie's (London) and at one stage in the proceedings bids were being miade at the rate of £2,000 per minute.

But these remarkable figures by no means constitute a record. A few months ago a two-days ’ sale of the late Lord Michelham's art collection realised £570,000. The second day*s transactions, which dealt exclusively with pictures, were responsible for £432,000.

At these auction sales do luxe there may be soon art collectors, dealers and connoiseurs, and also agents operating on behalf of Eastern potentates and millionaires from both sides of the Atlantic.

The fact that a very large proportion of the treasures, including not only pictures, but rare books and manuscripts, art furniture and tapestries, _ eventually find their way to America is e'ausing much heart-burn-ing amongst art lovers in England. Al Christie’s in May, Messrs Knoeldlcrs. the American dealers, obtained some of the finest of the Old Masters.

Romney’’s portrait, “Lady Hamilton as Bacchante,” realised 10,000 guineas; Romney’s “Min, Prescott and Children,” 9,200 guineas, and Gainborough’s “Portrait of James Christie” 7,200 guineas.

Last year £11,025 was paid for a portrait of Elisabeth De Valvois (Queen of Spain) by Antonia Morn, and a Romney of Lady Lushington brought £8,215. A more recent sale produced some higher figures. The bidding for a small Turner opened at 10,000 guineas and did not close until 20,000 guineas was reached. Reynold’s portrait of Lady Ann Fitzpatrick as “Sylvia” brought 18,500 guineas,. while Rembrandt’s “Portrait of a Man” was sold for 30,000 guineas.

But oven such fabulous prices as these pale into insignificance when compared with some of the individual figures of the Michelham sale. Romney’s portrait “Anno, Lady De La Pole,” Gainborough’s “Miss* Tatton” and the same artist’s “Master Heathcote” each realised 44,000 guineas and two pictures by Boucher. “La Pince’ and “La Fontaine D’Amour;” brought 45,000 guineas. A portrait by Thomas Lawrence of Miss Moulton Barrett, a little lady in a white frock with pink sash and pink hat and fluttering ribbons, more familiarly known as “Pinkie,” started with the encouraging bid of .10,000 guineas. In the end a total of 74,000 guineas wivs reached, record prices for an auction room.

Those figures convey some idea of the amount of money which changes hands annually in the business of ait dealing and the hobby of collecting, a hobby almost exclusively that of millionaires.