WAYS OF A GREAT ART DEALER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 24, 22 July 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

WAYS OF A GREAT ART DEALER.

STORIES OF THE LATE CHARLES WERTIIEIMEK. C. J. Wertheimer, the famous art dealer, who died in a London nursing home at the end of April, and whose splendid bequest of £400,000 for art purposes was announced recently, was the s<)n of Samson Wertheimer, who settled iu London in 1830, and was for many years in business in ]3ond street as a fine art dealer. On his death the business was divided between his two sons, who elected to work separately. Asher Wertheimer purchased the lease of the Bond street premises, while his brother decided to dispense with a shop or gallery and to do his business from and at his private'residence. He was the lirst to carry on his business in a private house, occupying a large mansion in Norfolk street, Park Line, overlooking Hyde Park. This house is simply crammed with art treasures of every sort —pictures by old masters, miniatures with diamond frames, old bronzes and marble, old church plate—valued, according to various experts, at from £750,000 to £1,000,000.

It was an old curiosity shop in its most sublimated form. Peers and millionaires who wanted to buy or to sell came to dine with the famous dealer, and over the cigars the deals would be arranged. 1

In many cases impecunious peers desired to sell their ancestral treasures secretly, and here it was that the advantages of a private house over a shop became particularly manifest, no doubt to the profit of Mr. Wertheimer. From early youth Charles Wertheimer travelled all over the Continent of Europe in search of rare objects of art. A superb suite of French furniture purchased by him from the monarch of a country in Northern Europe was purchased by an eminent American at something like £BO,OOO. Charles Wertheimer's transactions during the last twenty years have al-. ways been on the heroic scale; he only wanted the finest things in the way of pictures and jewels and objects of art, and he was always ready to pay the top price.

in July, 1005, he, paid £15,600 for the Gabitas biberon of rock crystal, which he sold to the late Baron Shroeder, and which he again bought at the Schroeder sale last year for £IO,OOO.

In July, 1894, lie paid 11,000 guineas at Christie's for Reynold's "Lady Betty Delme and Children," now in Pierpont Morgan's collection. Ten years ago he eclipsed all auction records by paying 14,050 guineas for Hoppner's "Lady Louisa Manners" at Robinson and Fisher's rooms, and in 1806 he established a Romney record by paying at the same rooms 10,500 guineas for the famous group of the '''Ladies Caroline and Elizabeth Spencer." In ISO 3 an apparently battered wreck of a Gainsborough portrait of a young lady for which, it is said, a London dealer had refused to give a £5 note, came up.at Christie's and Mr. Wertheimer had such confidence in it that he gave 0000 guineas for it. After judicious cleaning the portrait proved to be quite undamaged and one of great beauty. Only quite recently he purchased a much re-painted Gainsborough portrait, which on being cleaned proved to be a gem of the first water, the dealer who sold it mournfully admitting that he had in effect made Mr. Wertheimer a very handsome present of at least £SOOO in selling him the picture. Another of his sensational purchases —one of many in the way of decorative furniture was the famous Hornby Castle Louis XIV. ebony and lacquer cabinets, for which he paid £15,000. Mr. Wertheimer used to tell a story against himself with great glee. His father, the founder of the house, fearless of appearances, had the comfortable habit of taking the air at the door of his shop in his shirt sleeves if the day were sultry. Sometimes when the weather did not justify this undress style he would still affect it. Charles Wertheimer thereupon bought him a handsome fur coat, costing about £2OO, and presented the patriarch with it, adding expressions of filial devotion. But the father would not wear it until he knew the price. "One hundred pounds," said Charles at last, and the old man agreed that it was a great bargain. lie wore it for a week, to their mutual delight. Shortly afterwards Samson was again iir his shirt sleeves, to the horror of his son. Before, however, Charles could get in his remonstrance the old man began boasting about his superior business instinct.

•■For," said he, "mv son, I have made a splendid stroke. T have sold the coat for which you gave £IOO at £SO profit!"

Charles Wertheimor once bought, a house and its contents for the sake of a single china vase it contained.

Walking in Brighton, he chanced to look in at an open window, and caught sight of a large vase of ancient chinaware. His practised eye immediately saw its value. To offer the owner a sum of money for it would have been to put him on his guard at once. He had a better plan.

Hurrying to the nearest' post office, Mr. Wertheimer found the owner's name, returned, rang the bell, and asked for Mr. X., giving the name of Mr. Hamilton. His own name was too well known.

He was shown into the study, the room containing the vase, on which, of course, he never allowed eye to rest. Mr. Hamilton explained that he was looking for a modest house in Brighton, and had taken a fancy to this one. Would the gentleman entertain an offer for the place as it stood—lock, stock and barrel?" The owner hesitated. "If your offer is reasonable," interrupted Mr. Hamilton, "I will give you an extra thousand."

"Call to-morrow at 10.30 then," replied the owner. Mr. Hamilton did, and found him prepared to accept £IB,OOO for the twenty-two years' unexpired term and the contents of the residence.

He afterwards sold the vase for £35,000.

Ihe great robbery which occurred at Mr. Wertheimer's house in February, '"O7, will he fresh in the memory. The total value of the haul was £.37,000, and included Gainsborough's "'Nancy Parsons" and Reynolds' "The Hon* Mrs. Charles Yorke," a number of Louis XV. and Louis XVI. snuff boxes, and two miniatures studded with gems. All the treasures were recovered except the two old masters, valued at £14,000, which are still missing.