“PRINCELY GESTURE”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18594, 3 January 1935, Page 8

“PRINCELY GESTURE”

SALE TO MUSEUMS

!•’ AA! ( >I O ART < 'OLLEGTION

(British Official Wireless.) Roe. 2 p.tn. RUGBY, Jan. 2. A famous collection of Chinese and Far Eastern works of art has been acquired for the nation by the British .Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum jointly. This collection, which is one of the most extensive of its kind, is celebrated throughout the world for the quality and rarity of its specimens. ,Sculptures, metal work, jades, gold, silver, glass, ivories, lacquer, paintings, pottery, and porcelain are all included, and whole groups are. represented of which the national collections until now contained few or no examples. The total price, for which the, collection. was offered was £IOO,OOO, and a preliminary payment of nearly half the sum will ho made in a few days. The collection will be exhibited as soon as possible, and loans from it later will be available for leading museums outside of London. Helpful contributions towards the initial payment, were received from the National Art Collections Fund, Sir Percival David, and the Universities’ China Committee.

The collection represents 30 years’ work by Air. George Eumorfopoulos, a member of the firm of Greek merchant bankers, who lives in London and was born in Liverpool 71 years ago. “Judged by its value,” the Manchester Guardian says, “the sum of £IOO,OOO is so ridiculous that the sale becomes a princely gesture.”

The Times describes the collection as literally prieclcssr and says that Mr. Eumorfopoulos, in allowing it to be bought at such a figure, ranks as a great benefactor to the. national museums.