Art: Vermeer Controversy

To many connoisseurs the question, "Is it a good painting?'' does not occur until they have asked, "Is it genuine?" Last week such connoisseurs took note, with panic or delight, of a controversy which concerned a painting called The Guitar Player, executed long ago by famed Jan Vermeer der Delft; a painting of a young girl seated in a diffused golden light, her fingers quiet upon silent strings. One Guitar Player was bought in London in 1896 by John G. Johnson and has reposed, since his death,...