Hints to Amateur Picture Collectors

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 29 July 1908, Page 33

Hints to Amateur Picture Collectors

W w E often hear that with the high■l A / er form of education woman’s 1/1/ sphere of influence has largely * * increased, and that this is undoubtedly true is plainly evidenced on every hand. In few ways is this more noticeable than in the collection of articles of vertu, which at one time was left exclusively to the male members of a family, it being not only considered out of a woman’s province, but that she was, in addition, incapable of participating in a hobby which required all the experience and capable judgment of a man. Now’, however, all this has changed, and in our hunt for treasures we frequently come across wives accompanying their husbands, and sisters their brothers, and in numbers of eases have they proved their judgment to be sounder and more accurate than that of the superior man! The bond of union between husband and wife is distinctly beneficial, as few Things endear a woman to a man more than an interest and participation in his particular hobby, and it is therefore a source of congratulation to find this form of combination daily increasing. Few hobbies are capable of imparting greater enjoyment than judicious picture collecting, and we therefore give the following hints hoping they will prove of interest to the ladies bent on this fascinating pursuit. To commence with, we must not begin bv resolving to include in our collection nothing less than a Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Raphael, etc., as our pocket will not probably run to this, and by so doing we shall be spending a large amount of money in pictures that will eventually turn out to be fakes and practically valueless. We have probably got beyond the period when we are duped into buying a photograph mounted on panel and carefully painted in oils, or an oleograph stretched on canvas and touched up here and there with paint, but we have still much to learn before we can be considered connoisseurs.

It is somewhat disquietening when we learn of famous collections valued at many thousand pounds, containing pictures which, when examined by experts, prove to be copies of well-known masters or faked pictures combining the characteristics of one or two famous painters. A notable instance of this kind was the collection of pictures (between 200 and 300) in the Holbourne Art Museum at Bath, which, when overhauled, was found to contain not more than fifty genuine specimens. These pictures were acquired by one interested in collecting who was generally considered a fair judge and prepared to pay a reasonable amount for his purchases, and the non-success which attended his efforts should teach us to go slow, unless we have an unlimited supply of cash and the assistance of an expert, and to be content with pictures by less famous artists whose work is, nevertheless, a source of delight and admiration. \\ ere it not for this unreasonable desire of ours to possess a Raphael or other equally great master, faked pictures would be considerably less in evidence than they are at the present time. On the Continent, especially in the Latin Quarter of Paris, numbers of artists possessing genuine ability devote their whole time to making copies of the masters, as they find this more lucrative than following their art legitimately. The frame on which the canvas is stretched is stained, and tiny holes are bored to give it the appearance of an old worm-eaten wood, the canvas is carefully treated both before and after painting, an antique frame is secured suitable to the picture, and it is small wonder that so many of us are taken in. Numbers of these pictures, no doubt, find their way to America, but although we do not like to acknowledge the fact, we are just as readily duped, and when we secure a picture attributed to a famous artist, we only too gladly accept the same as being correct, an inward uncer-

tainty as to the genuineness of our find and a fear of having perpetrated an error of judgment preventing us from making the exhaustive enquiries we should otherwise do. We frequently hear of masters being bought at a ridiculously low figure and afterwards changing hands for quite a

large sum, a,nd whilst we all live in hopes of one day acquiring such a bargain the chances are remote, and we must beware of the many traps set to catch the unwary. One of the most successful of these is to plant a faked picture in a country cottage or farmhouse close to a resort

frequented by American or well-to-do visitors, ami although this kind of fraud is frequently discovered owing to the inaccuracies of the cottagers’ information, numbers of would-be collectors are taken in every year. We would conclude from the outset that we are not among the fortunate few

with unlimited means at our command, and decide that we must be content with something good and artistic without being too ambitious. One of the safest plans, of course, is to place ourselves in the hands of a reputable dealer, but by so doing, although we can invariably rely upon the genuineness of

our purchase, we miss some of the joy derived from a personal find. By paying periodical visits to the various art collections to which we now fortunately have access, it is easy to acquire a knowledge of art which should prove of material assistance to us when exploring in search of treasures. Having found something at a curio dealer’s sale room, or elsewhere, and made sure of the artistic merit of our picture, the next thing to he done is to search for a signature. Should it be that of Murillo or an equally famous artist we should obtain further advice before parting with our money, for as yet we are not qualified to judge authoritatively as to the genuineness of our find, and the chances are it is only a copy. On the other hand, it may prove to l>e a name unknown to us, in which case a reference to the art books at a local library may show the artist to be one of considerable standing, although his name was hitherto unfamiliar to us,

and in this case we are less likely to be deceived. If we can get the painting for a reasonable price it is well to secure it, ami if at any later period the opportunit \ occurs and we can afford to add one or two of the much-coveted masters to our collection we can still retain our earlier purchases as. having bought nothing but good work, the original purchase will not suffer to any appreciable extent from its proximity to a finer effort. If our picture is discoloured it will pay us better to take it to a restorer's to have it cleaned than to attempt to do it oneself, as by so doing the treasure may be irrevocably ruined. Those of us. however, who are determined to clean our own pictures, should be careful to practice for soundime on canvases to which we attach but little value, as we shall probably spoil one or two before our efforts are even fairlv successful. It may then Im* worth considering if we shall have our picture glazed ami, if an obi one, it is certainly advisable, as it undoubtedly preserves both paint ami canvas, and by following the example set by leading picture galleries we ranaiot be far wrong. Not long since the writer came into possession of a picture which at a recent sale was catalogued as “artist unknown." It was bought for a comparatively small amount, and the process of cleaning discovered a signature which it was impossible to detect previously, and which proved to be that of

a famous artist whose works are hung in most of the leading Continental galleries. In this ease the picture, although badly discoloured, was bought solely on its merits and for the artistic work on the canvas. In attending a sale, if a picture is catalogued and guaranteed as the work of a well-known artist, it will probably realise a larger sum than we are pre|>ared to pay. A visit to the sale-room a day or two previously, however, will give us time to look up an artist whose work appeals to our fancy and with whose name we are unfamiliar, or we may, in the course of our inspection, have discovered a signature not included in the catalogue, and which has apparently been overlooked. This will probably be owing to the fact that many artists had a curious habit of signing their pictures in the most unlooked-for places, and a discovery of this kind may prove a profitable one. We must, nevertheless, bear in mind that many pictures, each by the greatest artists, are consigned and

their authenticity can only be decided by experts familiar with the work and method of the various painters, although even amongst these there is frequently a diversity of opinion.