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1933   AMERICAN-ANDERSON NEWS    3

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Looking Ahead

THE marked increase of activity in the salesroom may be variously explained.  But be the cause what it may, a new impetus in the acquisition of books, antiques, and works of art during the first quarter of our sales season has seen prices maintain a highly encouraging level.  Our sales, for one thing, have met the requisites of beauty and rarity-quality, in short-demanded by collections as the Ryan, the Talmage, and the Bennett-Dawson, each outstanding in its particular field.  As far ahead as we can plan for the coming months, there will be similar important book, autograph, and drawing sale immediately after Christmas week, the second quarter of the sales season makes an auspicious start.
Collectors and owners of property who contemplate offering collections or even parts of art collections and libraries for sale are urged to consult the Galleries now, to obtain dates for January, February, and the following months, proven by past performance to be advantageous of disposing of property at unrestricted public sale.

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Catalogues

DUE to the heavy demand for catalogues, we have had to discontinue our practise of supplying catalogues for individual sales free of charge and have been obliged to revert to the former custom of making a small charge for all catalogues.  Catalogues for the entire season may be subscribed to for the advantageous price of three dollars for the art and literary series, respectively.

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An Unusual Literary Sale
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tian Science literature; a superb letter by Edgar Allan Poe; drawings by Cruikshank and Alken; and other valuable items.

The McCormick Collection

THE current tales of the splendors and lavishness of the collection formed by the late [[underlined]]Mrs. McCormich of Chicago (née Rockefeller) [[/underlined]] are founded on fact.  This sumptuous collection is of astounding magnificence, comprising treasures from royal houses and other works of art furnishings of rare beauty.  The exhibition opens on December 28th and may be viewed daily thereafter until time of sale.  There is magnificent silver, Gothic tapestries, exquisite antique Italian laces (which have been shown at many museums of this country), beautiful French furniture, Persian and Chinese carpets, fine porcelain services, and many other groups of art objects.  In addition to the distinguished products of skilled silversmith, weavers, cabinetmakers, and other artisans, a large group of precious-stone jewelry from the late Mrs. McCormick's valuable collection will be dispersed.

THE NAPOLEAN-BORGHESE SERVICE

ONE of the outstanding treasures of the collection is the world-renowned Napoleon-Borghese gilded silver service of some sixteen hundred pieces.  The service comes from the palace of the Prince Borghese whose arms are on most of the pieces.  The crown which surmounts the Borghese arms is the imperial French crown, used by Napoleon.  This detail fixes the date of the service and implies that it was ordered by Napoleon and presented to his beloved sister Marie Pauline.  The goldsmiths who executed it worked from designs by the two great architects of the period, Percier and Fontaine, who were largely responsible for the Empire style.  The service was bought en bloc in the Borghese sale, Rome, 1892, by Prince Baucina, in whose possession it remained until purchased by the late Ercole Canessa, Italian connoisseur and antiquarian, and from him it was acquired by the late Mrs. McCormick.