CHAPTER VII.

APPRECIATION OF ART AND WINE OFTEN SECOND-HAND-REVIEWS AND CRITICISM SHOULD BE CONSCIENTIOUS THE VARYING PERSPECTIVE IN VIEWS OF AGE.

WITHOUT calling in question for a moment the genuineness of appreciation by men of artistic feeling and æsthetic culture for works of high art in painting and sculpture, and admitting that the difference between a good and a bad picture is obvious to the ordinary observer, who is neither by nature nor education artistic, it is unquestionable that a large amount of admiration and rapture expressed by some people is spurious and second-hand. It is also unquestionable that in many cases the enormous sums paid for pictures have their motive not in appreciation of art pure and simple, but in a desire to possess a Raeburn,

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a Turner, a Landseer, or a work of other artists of enduring fame. Such investors are often antiquaries or collectors of curios, not necessarily lovers of art. How far the mere name of an artist, irrespective of the merits of a picture, is a most important factor in assessing its value, is shown by the account given me by a friend, who spent a week-end with the owner of one of the finest private collections in Scotland. Many of the pictures had histories which Mr G. narrated in a very interesting way. Among them was Landseer's famous picture of "A distinguished Member of the Humane Society "—a large Newfoundland dog and the child it had rescued from drowning. The following is the account he gave of it.

"This picture," he said, "I bought from A. & Co. at a cost of £2000. After I had it for two or three years, a French artist was my guest for a few days, and going round the gallery as we are now, when he came to this picture he said, 'What a very fine copy!' 'Copy!' I exclaimed;

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'it is a genuine Landseer.' 'Oh no,' he replied, 'I assure you it is only a copy, but a very fine copy.' I told him that I got it from A. & Co., and was sure they would not palm off a copy for an original picture. But,' said the Frenchman, 'they may have been themselves deceived. assure you it is only a copy.' I could not remain uncertain about this, and wrote at once to the head of the firm, who replied that he could trace the whole history of the picture if I could give him a week or two. I was in London shortly after this and called on him, when he told me that my friend was right. He then gave me its history, ending with, 'You have had it for' (naming the time), and you paid £2000 for it plus 10 per cent commission. The capital sum plus interest for the time you have had it amounts to' (naming the sum). 'I hand you now a cheque for that amount, and I take back the picture.' This was accordingly done. Some time after this I went into a sale of pictures. Among them was this one. The auctioneer said

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it was a very fine copy of Landseer's famous picture. The first bid was £10, which gradually rose to £30. It then occurred to me that some poor fellow had probably lost by it, and I bade £50 and got it, and that's the picture."

A friend who had personal knowledge of another purchase which the foregoing suggests, gave me the following account of it. A lady in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh had two vases of Sevres china about which a London dealer had heard. He called and asked to be shown them. After examination he proposed to buy them, and made an offer of £700 for the pair. The lady said she did not wish to part with them; they had come down to her as an heirloom, and she was not in want of money. The dealer left, but returned about a year afterwards and asked to have another look at them. To this the lady had no objection. They were in a cabinet along with other articles of the same description. He remarked that they were not effectively arranged, and asked if she would allow

him to empty the cabinet and rearrange the contents more artistically. To this she also agreed. After the rearrangement he appealed to her if it was not an improvement. She admitted that it was, but pointed out that he had not replaced the vases. "True," he replied, "but you must admit that the cabinet is perfect without them. You really do not need them. I am prepared to offer you £900 for them." The butler, who was standing by, said, "Mistress, £900, that's £45 a-year for twa jugs. Ye had better tak it." The lady bethought her of some charitable institutions in which she was interested, to which £45 a-year would be a most welcome boon, and accepted the offer.

So much for pictures and Sevres china. The professed appreciation of wine is in many cases as imaginary and second-hand. Cultivated taste is not required to distinguish between cheap adulterations of port, claret, gooseberry champagne, and honest sound wines. To pronounce on the comparative merits of fairly high-priced