BOUGHT BY MUSEUMS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 85, 4 January 1935, Page 9

BOUGHT BY MUSEUMS

Famous Collection of Far Eastern Art

OWNER’S GENEROUS OFFER (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, January 2. The famous Eumorfopoulos collection of Chinese and Far Eastern works of art has been acquired for the nation by the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Aluseum jointly. This collection, which is one of the most extensive of its kind, is celebrated throughout, the world for the quality and rarity of its specimens. Sculptures, metal work, jades, gold, silver, glass, ivories, lacquer, paintings, pottery and porcelain are all included and whole groups are represented of which national collections until now have contained few or no examples.

The total price for which the collection was offered was £lOO,OOO, which is admitted by experts to be far below the price which it would fetch at public auction. A preliminary payment of nearly half the sum will be made in a few days. The collection will be exhibited as soon as possible, and loans from it will later be available for leading museums outside London.- Helpful contributions toward the initial payment have been received from the National Art Collection Fund, Sir Percival David, and the Universities of China Committee, and the public are invited to subscribe toward' the remainder.

The collection represents 30 years’ work by Air. George Eumorfopoulos, a member of the firm of Greek merchantbankers, who lives in London, and was born in Liverpool 71 years ago. “Judged by its value,” the “Manchester Guardian” says, “the sum of £lOO,OOO is so ridiculous that the sale becomes a princely gesture.” “The Tinies” describes the collection as literally priceless, and says that Air. Eumorfopoulos in allowing it to-be bought at such a figure ranks as a great benefactor to national museums.