Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-09-23
mAYFLowER's OF PLYMOUTH.
Tojetti's Famous Painting on Exhibi
ton in Augusta.

art store is painting which is at.
tracing no little attention, and is. I'M
questionably one of the most noted
works of art ever shown in Augusta.
| This picture which was almost the
| last work of Tojetti is owned by Mr.
Woodbury. F. Hunt of Concord, N. H.,
and is loaned to Mr.. Quimby for a few
days for exhibition. 1t is valued at
$4,000, and Mr.. Quimby was Obliged to
take out an insurance policy for that
! amount before he could secure permits
sion to use the picture. The picture
speaks for itself. 1t represents Pris-
ella Mullins sitting in her cottage
while John Alden enters at the. door
with spray OF arbutus in his hand.
1t is filled with the wealth of detail
and smoothness of painting that char
acterizes all of Tojettis work and
which would have made him one of
the worlds greatest painters had he
lived 20 old age.
Virgilio Tojetti was born in Rome on
Marcn Is. 1851. and as a boy he studied
with his father. Domenico Tojetti
also celebrated artist, who was
chosen by Pope Plus TX. to restore
some paintings in the Vatican, and
when the work was finished he was
made a Marquis of the church, and
was also decorated by the King of
Naples and by King Ludwig of Ba-
Varia.
After studying with his father, he
went to Paris, where he studied with
Bouguereau and Gerome. The smooth
technique and highly decorative quail
ity of his work are strongly suggestive
of the famous French masters.
1t was from Paris that Tojetti came
to America, and after a couple OF brief
professional visits, during which he
executed some important commissions,
ne finally settled in New York.
His most ambitious work was in the
field of mural decorations, and his
brush has made notable contributions
to the splendor of many of our modern
palaces. including both private houses
and great metropolitan hotels; among
these are the decorations in the Savoy
Hotel. Hoffman House, New York, the
Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colo.
the Mark Hopkins mansion in San
Francisco. the Vanderbilt. Yerkes,
Rockefeller. Gould. Lispenard, Stew
L.
York and Newport.
Among the theaters in the country
are found many examples of his work
among these are the Academy of
Music. Bijou. Empire, American, in
New York: the Keith thcaters in Bos-
ton and Providence.
Every man of genius has Il hobby,
and this artist would rather have u
beautiful woman of the great world
as his model, eXacting though she may
be. than paint innumerabe Cupids
and hosts of Grecian godGesses or la
dies of the Petit Trianon.
with pardonable pride Tojetti
would lead the visitor to a corner of
his studio. where he pressed an electric
button, and behold. his favorite pic
ture stood revealed. 1t was an almost
life size portrait of Mrs. Dugro of New
York. She is standing. dressed in
white satin. whose fabric is fairly
tangible. so cleverly he managed his
technique. Fs
Tojetti's first artistic. triumph was
when he exhibited his painting from
Lvtton's "Richelieu'' at the Academy.
about eighteen years ago. 1t created
Widespread comment and was sold for
$1,000, the highest price ever paid for IL
painting uD to that date in the Acad-
envy.
Among others OF his paintings are the
1.-TWO Roses" which has probably had
a larger sale than any other picture
ever published in this country: the
Sweet Thoughts Sweet Sixteen"
Burst of Melody THE Five Senses"
and "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"
The painting on exhibition at Quinn
by'e art store is one of the last works
ever completed by Tojetti-and the best
art critics in the country regard it as
one OF his best. He painted the picture
TO order for Mr.. Hunt frohi a small
sketch and completed it only last
September The scene is intended to
illustrate Longfellow's poem of Miles
Standish, and represents John Alden
corning through an open door with
Priscilla. radiantly beautiful and full
of pleasant anticipation, greeting him.
Poor Tojetti, How well he knew
how to Faint beautiful women. And
this figure of Priscilla is especially
charming John has been gathering
the trailing arbutus Cmaytlowers) and
as he enters. brings a bouquet of the
field favorites of Priscilla.
puritan flowers. he said, and the type of
Puritan maidens.
Modest and simple and sweet the very
type of PRISCILLA
So I will take them to her: to Priscilla
th,. mayfIower Of Plymouth,
Modest and simple and sweet. as part
ing gift will take them.
The painting, although decidedly
sentimental. is of a more serious ma
ture than many of Tojetti's work. 1t
has been reproduced in platinotype by
Mt. Hunt, in large size only. both in
bIack-and- white and hand-colored.
TIE sale. in the limited time 1T has
been on the market, has been most
gratifying.
Mr.. Quimby has these reproductions
in stock and they have been much ad-
mired by all. who have seen them.