a LONDON
Another striking proof of the belief among collectors abroad that London is the paramount clearing-house for art treasures is to be provided at Christies on Feb. 24. Then will be seen the decorative French furniture collected by Mrs. George Rasmussen, of Palm Beach, New York, and Klampenborg Denmark says A. C. R. Garter in the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post."
Chief in this array is a suite "of a canape" and 10 armchairs designed especially' for Louis Seize who presented the suite to the Comte de Chastellux. When it appeared in the famous sale of the collection, formed by Judge Gary of New York, in 1923, the final bid was £12,000. It would sanguine to expect such a: price again.
Ten years ago was a boom time ior ari treasures. In "The Daily Telegraph" of April 23, 1928, I had to comment on such heroic bids in this Gary sale of £73,750 for Gainsborough's picture "The Harvest Waggon," which had fetched 19,209 guineas in the Sir Lionel Phillips sale, 1913, and of the great sum of £49,000 which Mrs. Harkness paid for Houdon's marble bust of his baby girl, Sarine.
This was a great advance from its price in the Doucet sale, Paris, 1912, of £19,000,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.