Picking: Her Up" At a Bargain) in Milo painstaking -historieal_ inquiry thas just disclosed the fact that the statue of Venus de Milo, which forms the central figure in the [famous Louvre Museum and-is one of the most treasured works of art. in the world, was originally purchased by. the French Government from the inhabitants of the Grek Island of Milo in Febroary, 1824, for 1,300 pistes, or less than £10.
Theodore Vell is, writing in the Messager q'Athens, relates the result of his investigations. Azcording to this expert the statue jeame into the possession of France the following extraordinary manner:
Hearing from the captain of a French ship that a labourer bad dug.
unusual statue on the Island of Milo, the French Ambassador to Turkey, the Marquis [dispatched Count de Marcellus, one of his secretaries, to the scent with instructions to buy at any price.
On arriving at Milo the attache discovered that the labourer had already disposed of his find to local residents for a few hundred piastres, The latter were about to ship the statue to Prince Mourousis, a Greek noble living in Constantine ple, to whom the islanders were un-[der obligation for many favours.
Count de Marcellus saw the:
Venus and realized its greatness at once, If it was to be saved for France extreme measures must be taken, He therefore served formal notice on the islander3sthat unless the statue was sold to him within a few hours France would occupy the island.
After a brief consultation the is. landers decided to sell. They first offered it for 1,000 piastres, but as gesture of generosity the Count added another 300 and set sail for France with the statue, Holland, Britain and other nations having by this time heard of the find burried expeditions to the island in the hope of getting possession of the statu but when they arrived the Venus was safely. on her way to Paris,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.