We feel it, though we may not be able to explain it. An old
Etruscan jar may be reproduced in form, but it would be silly to attempt
the reproduction of the crudenesses that gave the old jar its real
beauty. In short, objects that depend on form and fine workmanship for
their beauty may be successfully reproduced, but objects that depend on
imperfections of workmanship, on the crudeness of primitive fabrics, on
the fading of vegetable dyes, on the bloom that age alone can give,
should not be imitated. We may introduce a reproduction of a fine bust
into our rooms, but an imitation of a Persian tile or a Venetian vase is
absurd on the face of it.
The antiques the average American householder is interested in are the
old mahogany, oak and walnut things that stand for the oldest period of
our own particular history. It is only the wealthy collector who goes
abroad and buys masses of old European furniture, real or sham, who is
concerned with the merits and demerits of French and Italian furniture.
The native problem is the so-called Colonial mahogany that is always
alleged to be Chippendale or Heppelwhite, or Sheraton, regardless! There
must be thousands of these alleged antiques in New York shops alone!
It goes without saying that only a very small part of it can be really
old. As for it having been made by the men whose names it bears, that is
something no reputable dealer would affirm.
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