Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1910 — CHIEF JOY OF COLLECTORS. [ARTICLE]

CHIEF JOY OF COLLECTORS.

XI la la Finding That the Pet Treasure of a Rival Is a Forsery. The collector has many sources of delight, for the most part obscure to the kindly race of men, writes Andrew Lang In the London Post. But perhaps Ms keenest joy "burns with a hard gemlike flame” when he is able to tell another collector that the rival’s pet treasure is a fake or forgery. The psychological reaction, of course, is not peculiar to collectors, it is merely that happiness in the misfortune of others for which the Greek and German languages have special words. If I am playing a salmon, for example, •'Charles, my friend," looking on. Is sure to say that he fears it is a kelt, not a clean fish. Again, the world may wonder why men busy themselves with the unpopular and unremuneratlve study of history. The truth Is that they are richly repaid by the pure and lofty joy of discovering each other’s blunders. Concerning the latest discovery of a wax bust of Leonardo, acquired by Dr. Bode for a Berlin museum, I must express myself with extreme diffidence. I never saw the bust, nor, indeed, any bust by Leonardo, and if I did see such a thing I could only have a vague private opinion about its authenticity. Every one has seen, if not the beautiful wax bust of Lille, at least photographs or wax copies of It. Nobody knows where or how It was obtained by the collector who left it to Lille. A romantic theory takes it to be a copy from the head of the lovely girl of ancient Rome, who Is said to have been exhumed during the Renaissance, to have excited the people by her charms and to have been concealed again by the chugch In Its wisdom. This sounds like an allegory of the rediscovery of ancient art In the sixteenth century. Indeed, I fancy that I have not been guiltless of a sonnet on the subject. Another guess attributed the bust to Leonardo, and if Dr. Bode’s bust is as beautiful as that of Lille, his museum bought it cheaply at £B,OOO. This Is true, whoever made the bust and wherever it was made. If it is as good as the bust of Lille it te a joy forever and at £B,OOO a joy forever is cheap. Now, as Dr. Bode la an excellent judge of art, the object must be beautiful. He thinks It good enough to be by Leonardo, and if it be so transcendently lovely In Itself what does It matter whether his opinion be right or wrong? The thing In Itself must be worth its price.