(Continued from page 433) the back courtyard of the dealer. At Wel Helen in Shantung, many {imitation bronzes are made though these are not 50 good as those that come from Nanking.
Noted "Forgeries"
Formerly there were severe penalties for those who were convicted of making false articles, but of late the Taw seems to have become a dead letter, and the traMe has reached very "large proportions. The most famous of these fake merchants was one Pi Chi-chou who made much money through his skill in bringing 'Out imitation snuff bottles, and he was followed by a fellow' Mahommedan who flooded the market with alee pearls. At the present time there are two master workers who are bringing out things that have Geceived many experts, but it is better, perhaps, to keep silent about their misdeeds or many well-known-reputations will suffer, is not so\very many years ago singe a certain collector wes shown, lurider cover of great secrecy, a very fine pair of marble Buddhas which had "a quantity of yellow earth clinging 10 them and" which were said to have come from famous graveyard. In spite of the fact that they were remarkably well preserved no suspicion entered his mind and before long he was the possessor of what he thought were two Kuan Ying of great value.
He sent his treasures to a museum and. at first they evoked much interest, but unfortunately, during the next few months, other similar Agures appeared and" on inquiries being made it was found that they were the work of a very clever" native sculptor whose source of inspiration was some frescoes on the walls of a temple near his. home. The only consolation that the experts had was the Knowledge that the statues were really full of merit in themselves, that the only fault about them was that they were products of the present day. raying My Respects"
Some of the hardest fakes to detect are those reconstructed from old: materials into various styles and. shapes.
'At times the new designs were so-fantastic that the attempt at deception overreaches. itself,, while some of the artists actually' attempt to Blend the styles of "two different erlods into one piece, a clumsy manoeuvre which will not deceive anyone who has made a study of such things.
'These strange contraptions are Known as ssu pu hsiang' (PAR "unique" (unlike the four kinds), 1 T know of one that is a very striking piece and. must have been conceived by an exceedingly clever artist.
'In conclusion I would Uke to pay my" respects to those who may be described as the aristocrats of the cusie trade. Men of high standing, ty' are the emblems of courtesy and good manners, and their knowledge is truly marvellous. "I have received many: favours and Kindnesses from them, and I have learnt much through their kind teaching.
T sincerely' hope that several of them will one day trip to Europe and America and give a report upon the Chinese curios in our museums. I'am sure that there Would be some surprises, Dut dest after alt to know the truth, You can call the contents of a bottle by any name you like but if you want the contents to be the best Whisky you call for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.