The Connoisseur. By F. S. Robinson. (G. Redway.)—This delightful series
of essays deals with a wide range of subjects connected with art. There is still a good deal of romance left in the collector's world, it seems ; and Mr. Robinson recounts many curious stories. Among those of treasure-trove, he tells us of a party of Spanish peasants who in 1858 were travelling near Toledo, and who found eleven gold crowns set with precious stones buried by the roadside. They of course pro- ceeded to cut them up into bits, but the bits were taken at last to the Hotel Cluny. One of the crowns had on it the name of Suinthila, who reigned in 621. Among the stories of frauds is the strange one of the forged Renaissance bust sold to the Louvre a year or two ago by a Florentine. The forgery was discovered by another Florentine. The two Italians proceeded to disclose the imposture for the sake of humiliating French pride, at a time when France was making herself diplomatically objectionable to Italy. In spite of the production of the sculptor and the model, the authorities of the Louvre refused to admit that they had been imposed upon. An amusing story is told of the acuteness of a French official. Baron Stosch, who sold a dubious collection of gems to Frederick of Prussia, was being shown the gems at the Bibliotheque in Paris, when the keeper discovered that one of the glories of the collection—a ring—was missing. The chief official, without making a remark, sent privately for a strong emetic, which he insisted on the Baron swallowing. The Baron, like the cat in "Cranford," restored the treasure.
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