PERSIMMON'S PORTRAIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13781, 20 June 1908, Page 5 (Supplement)

PERSIMMON'S PORTRAIT.

KING'S PICTURE SOLD FOR £21. [FRO3I OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] London, May 8. A good deal of amusement lias been caused by a catalogue blunder in connection with one of the pictures exhibited at the Royal Academy, "By Command of the King," the subject being j/ersimmon, the famous racehorse, and there are at least three disappointed and indignant art-col-lectors in Great Britain to-day who henceforward will look with suspicion upon the bona-fides of the priced catalogue at the Royal Academy. As most visitors to Burlington . House' know, several volumes are kept in the vestibule wherein would-be purchasers are enabled to see iue price, marked in plain figures, of all picture" available for .sale. A good many pictures are always marked " sold " without any price against them. Some others, but very few, are "not for sale." Among these last are always the paintings which are exhibited by command of the King. In the present Exhibition there are three which come under this latter category. One is the likeness of Persimmon, by Mr. George Swertshkoff, which was painted lust summer at Sandringham by special permission of the Royal owner, and on the painting being submitted to him the King took so° great a liking to it that it was at once added to his collection. Not much of Mr. Swertshkoffs art has been seen in this country, but it is well known and admired in Russia, where lie has received several commissions from the Tsar. The artist wished to exhibit the painting of Persimmon at this year's Academy, and en communicating, this desire to King Edward the latter sent a cordial letter to the painter, in which he said "your excellent little picture of the great horse Persimmon, now, alas, dead, may most certainly be exhibited at the Academy this year," intimation being made that it would be sont in the King's own This week, when Mr. Swertshkoff visited Burlington House he had the curiosity to examine the sale catalogue, and lie was amused to find that his picture was priced at £—-, and also that it had been " sold." In due course the attendant in charge of the volume had to encounter the wrathful inquiries of three gentlemen, to whom apparently the picture was on offer. One explained" that he had come all the way from Scotland in order to complete the purchase. An examination of the marked catalogue showed that the figure £21 had been carefully erased, and the announcement " not for sale " had been inserted in its place. One can only suppose that the price attached to the picture was due to an error in bookkeeping. In the ordinary catalogue, which was presented to me when I went to view the pictures, the words " exhibited by command of the King" are as plain as a pikestaff. It is clear that someone has blundered But the. Scottish gentleman wants to know who is going to reimburse him for his •outlay in coming up to London on what has turned'- out to be a fruitless journey*.

Lady Bountiful: "Well, all I can say is. Jenkins, that if these people insist on building these horrid little"villas near my gates, 1 shall leave the place.", Jenkins: " Exactly what I told them at the meeting, vour ladyship. I said, 'Do on want to drive away the goose that lays, the golden eggs?'" * ' ' -Punch.