, 1884-05-01
MRS. MAckAYs PlcTuRe.
The Inwardness OF He Troubi,
with the Artist. Meissonier.


lLabouchere in London Truth. ~.
Meissonier Is in the a of being sincere.
Dragons and horses do not ask to be Hat
tered. Now he has chiefly painted both, as
well as middle-aged and elderly gen
tlemen. Although his dear and al
most lifelong friend, the late victor 10
franc, was ~disHgured by the want of an eye,
he did not, in portraying lin, takea side
view. On rnre-yery are-occasions he
was accused of embelishing women.
But he was much younger when he
incurred the reproach, and the heart per
haps, affected his vision. Sis Joshua Reynolds
resolved never 10 get married from the hour
in which lie found that painting the portraits
OF ladies was his true vocation. He thus re-
tanned until al advanced time of life tho ca
pacity - sea them with a halo around them.
They were portrnyedas his fancy painted
them, and the witchcraft of the tender pas
sion still hangs about their images.
MISSIONER is tired Of seeing painted and
powdered Lady Jezsbels IN the great salons
he frequents; he is a. years old and has never
understood the waS-doll style OF prettinesss
He nbhors those aids to beauty to which
fashionable bellies nearly always resort and
sees through them at once. 1t would give
him fur more pleasure to do II homely old
woman, with "a good and interesting face,
than tina fairest of the Lady Jezebels afore-
said. Meis.onier thinks it a compliment to
the intellect of the sitter to be truthful. h
all his previous dealings with Americans he
found that sincerity answered. Said Meis-
sonier to me: Mrs. Mackay has a very agree
able face and piquancy. She did not need to
be idcalized 70 make a charming picture On
the contrary, my idea was to give her i'm
mortality by stripping her of what wasad-
yentitious aud bring out what was pefmauent
and thoroughly hArsanaiS EVERY truth that
he could tell pictorially nbout her was, inhis
opinion, bonns Il dire. She never complained
OF his sincerity in any Of her yis.ts toltis
studio and she did not forbid him to retain
her portrait at the 1%riennial salon after it
was agreed to prolong the period during
which that exhibition was to be kept open.
Concerning the price. Meissonier takes
5000 francs for a portrait like that of NJ.
Victor Lefranc, in which the head is every
thing, and the dress thu upper part OF a frock-
coat. He had not only to portray Mrs
Mackay, but her Rembrandt hat and feath-
srs, a rich cloak, "A rose in her breast, a dress
rich in falbalas, a floor to harmonize with
them, and a pair Of Mousquetaire Swedish
gloves. As he took u fancy to the work on
which he was Engaged, it became Z labor-of
love to Kim, though not in the Shs Joshua
sense. The effect OF every tiny touch was
calculated and the greatest care ltaketr To
pFtNehV uelulls hoh sppihnB LUZ tnfeulDle
and TO let in plenty Of air" upon the whole.
knowing how men suddenly rise to wealth
md COME down with crashes in this United
States, Meissunier used to say 70 those aropnd
him: alt is possible that n hundred years
hence nobody will remember that there over
WASH Bonanza silver king ora Mnckay'
family, but the whole world, 1 like Atstbink,
will have in its minds eye the lady in the
Rembrandt hat The artist never worked
50 hard for immortality. The fates resolved
that his chef d'uuvre was not to live u year,
and it was exhibited in u season when every
body" was out OF town.