St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-03-16
4 PORTRAIT OF MARQUETTE.
An Authentic Likeness Thought to Fave
Been Discovered.

An Authentic Likeness ThougAt to Havs
Been Discovered.
For lack Of nm authentic portrait
the sculptor Trentanove drew upon
| his ina agination when he modelled the
features of Marquette for the statue
that represents Wisconsin IN the hall
Of congress. Now, two centuries aft
er the death of the young missionary,
what is believed to be a genuine con-
temporary portrait has been diseov-
cred in strange and accidental man
ner. The facts have recenely been re-
ported to Mr.. Reuben Gold Thwaites,
editor Of the Jesuit Relations, who re-
produces the portrait in fac simile in
Volume Il of that work.
A Wellknown artist Of Toronfo;
Mr.. Donald G. McNab, while walking
along Little st. James street, Mont
real, in the winter of 1896-97, ac-
cording to his own account, overlook
two French boys drawing a hand cart
loaded with rubbish and scraps Of
broken boards, on top of which was
thrown an old panel the shape Of
which attracted his attention.
''Where did you get it?" he asked.
"0h, all Of this wood is from an old
house
More than this the boys would not
say, but they were willing to part with
the old panel for a bit Of silver. Mr..
MeNab kept the old picture until the
autumn of 1899, when he began to
remove the dirt which many coats Of
Varnish held fast.
Tt has taken much time and care" "
he wrote recently to Mr.. Thwaites,
owing to the cracked condition of
the paint. The face is wonderfully
fine example Of modelling and color
ing, and could be mistaken for a
work of Rembrandt were it not forthe
signature, r. Roos, 1863, above
which are two lines which I take to
be as explanatory Of the model;
though cracks and dirt have defaced
most of the words, save Marquette de
la Confrerie de Jesus, which is quite
legible. 0nthe back of the panel, and
abort half an inch thick, has been
carved <Pere Marquette strong and
deep-but this carving evidently is
not BY contemporary
Father Jones, Of Montreal, a care
fal student of early history, became
interested in the find, and these are
his conclusions: 1The cracked state
Of the surface is prima facie indication
that the work is not of recent date.
The artist must have been one Of no
small merit, as the details Of the face
are SO exquisitely reproduced and the
features are as perfect as if taken with
a camera: The painting is the repre-
sentation OF man of the years Of Mar
quette in 1863, who, as we know, was
born June !, 1857. The plaeidity of
expression and the absence Of all trace
OF that airy arrogance which charac-
terizes the fanciful features and atti-
tude of TrentanoFe's statue CORE
spond perfectly with what we know of
Marquette's gentle and unassuming
nature 2
Probably the best living authority
on all that pertains to Marquette is
Rev. A. Ha1ny, S. ] !, who is stationed
at Boulogne-surmer, France. A
photo print Of the painting was sent
him, and recently he wrote as follows:
saThe day after I received it T met
with the grandson Of a Mr.. Dagneau
de Riehecourt, whose wife was Mar
quette. He unhesitatingly assured
me that he saw in the picture strik-
ing resemblance TO one of his two lln-
cles. Milwaukee Sentinel.