Art: 250000

Again a U. S. merchant has snatched from the hands of Europeans a painting steeped in old world tradition. Jacob Epstein, onetime peddler, now potent Baltimore merchant, bought last week from Knoedler & Co. of Manhattan for $250,000 Sir Anthony Van Dyck's "Rinaldo and Armida," just at the moment when British art lovers were raising a smaller sum to bring the painting to the British National Gallery. . . .

Tasso's epic poem, Jerusalem Delivered, was Van Dyck's inspiration for the painting. Armida, a lovely sorceress, tempts Knight Rinaldo from his crusade against...

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