The Connoisseur. Evan S. Connell

      Copyright © 1974 by Evan S. Connell, Jr.

      First Shoemaker & Hoard edition 2005

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the Publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material:

      Holle-Verlag: For two brief excerpts from Pre-Columbian Art and Later Indian Tribal Arts by Ferdinand Anton and Frederick J. Dockstader (1968 Harry N. Abrams, Inc.).

      The Metropolitan Museum of Art: For an excerpt from Before Cortés: Sculpture of Middle America, copyright © 1970 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

      Simon & Schuster, Inc.: For excerpts from Art Before Columbus by André Emmerich and Lee Boltin (1963 Simon & Schuster, Inc.).

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Connell, Evan S., 1924–

       The connoisseur / Evan S. Connell.

       p. cm.

       1. Indian art—Collectors and collecting—Fiction. 2. Collectors and collecting—Fiction. 3. Southwestern States—Fiction. 4. Middle-aged men—Fiction. 5. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction. 6. Widowers—Fiction. I. Title.

      PS3553.O5C65 2005

      813'.54—dc22 2005042600

      Cover art: Fresco cylinder from Maya Classic Period, A.D. 600–900, private collection

      Cover and text design by David Bullen

      SHOEMAKER HOARD

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      Emeryville, CA 94608

      Distributed by Publishers Group West

      e-book ISBN 978-1-61902-692-6

       to Robert Gottlieb

       Id quod visum placet.

       Thomas Aquinas

      Contents

The Connoisseur

THE CONNOISSEUR