FORTUNES LOST AND WON OVER WORKS OF ART.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 18 October 1880, Page 2

FORTUNES LOST AND WON OVER WORKS OF ART.

Considerably less than a century has elapsed since Horace Walpole said tbat Sir Joshua Keynolds in his old age had become avaricious, because he "asked 1000 guineas for the picture of the three Ladies Waldegrave! Formerly his prices bad been lower — only 200 guineas for a whole Jength portrait, 100 for a nalf.length, and 70 for a ' kit-cat.' It is needless to say that no one would part with the portraits for such a figure now. In 1774, for ins stance, Lord Carysfort gave Sir Josbua 50 guineas for the " Strawberry Girl," which Lord Hertford paid £2205 for at Samuel Rogers' sale in 1856. The great name of Gainsborough reminds qs of a still more conspicuous instance of the same kind. The celebrated " Duchess of Devonshire " (we need not for our present purpose enter into the controvery as to whether it was really bis) was bought by Wynn Ellis for £65, and ; was resold, as every one knows, to Messrs Agnew for 10,000- guineas. After this extraordinary illustration of the fortune found in a work of art, which was worth nearly as many pounds as it was originally sold for pen* nies. others less startling seem to lose something of their pom': Yet it ought not to go unmentioned here that Greuze's famous ' Broken Pitcher,' which must now be worth several thousands of pounds, was painted by the artist (who, by the way, died ia poverty) for something like £150— the sum it realised at the Marqn's de Verri's sale in 1785 ; and that the 1 Chess Flayers,' which Muller sold for 75 guineas in 1343 (and did not think bis labour of only two days ill-requited), fetched, thirty years later, £4153. Over the waterscolor drawings of David Cox, even those, perhaps, which were rejected from the Academy, comparative fortunes have been lightly won. When Mr Votkins gave him £50 for ' The Hay* field/ in 1850, the great artist was so pleased with what he thought a liberal j price tbat be inststed on presenting a second drawing to the purchaser, little dreaming that, at Mr Quilter's sale in 18*5, there would be a spirited contest as to who should take it — as Mr 4gnew did in the eveDt— for £2950. The profit wbs not in this case, nor is it in many others, made by the first purchaser ; for Mr Vokins sold • The Hayfield,' with two otber sketches by David Cox. for 110 guineas to Mr Cumming, who resold them to Mr Quilter for 1250 guineas, aDd the total sum realised by the three at his sale was no less than £6047 103. Of Turner's water«colors the same story could be told ; and should the ' Vesuvius Calm ' and the ' Vesuvius Angry,' for each of which Turner gGt 15 guineas, and which Mr Buskin secured some time ago for 550 guineas, ever come into the market, it will be curious to note how enormously their value has been increased. — Magazine of Art.