The Collectors

A disputed painting draws a circle of artists, patrons and critics into the pleasures and embarrassments of collecting. Frank Jewett Mather gathers seven stories about the art world, framed by a comic ballade and reflections on the collecting habit. In the opening tale, a patron's enthusiasm for his new Corot prompts a painter to recall an auction room encounter. A canvas admired for its beauty becomes the occasion for awkward questions about its maker and value.

Paintings and prized objects also complicate friendships and social ambitions. One excerpt follows Emma Verplanck at her villa near Florence as she prepares to receive Morton Crocker, with a picture of St. Michael occupying her thoughts. Dealers, experts and collectors share a world of uncertain judgments and confident talk. Readers interested in art may enjoy these short stories for their attention to vanity, ownership and the difficulty of telling informed taste from fashionable enthusiasm.