New-York tribune., 1907-08-20
NOT STUART PORTR1ITS"
Paintings Purchased By MetropOltaa
Museum SAID To Be Bogus.

Charles Henry Hart. OF Philadelphia. who IS re-
garded an authority American historical por-
traiture recently declared IN a letter Caspar
Purdon Clarke. director OF the Metropolitan NJ
scum OF Art. that two portraits said TO be By
Gilbert Stuart. acquired BY the museum few
months ago, were not authentic These paintings
OF Don Josef de Jaudenes Neoot- first Span
ish Minister TO the United States. and Dona Na-
tide Stoughton de JauGenes. as vile. Ihey wers
presumably painted IN New York n 17s4 and
remained IN that country until purchased BY t1s
agent Of knoedler & Co The pictures were bought
with the income from the Rogers fund By the pur-
chasing committee OF the museum
Mr.. Hart was reported saying that the 'por-
traits undoubtedly fakes. and the museum was
badly buncOed when it bought them" In his Letter
to Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke Mr.. Hart said:
II do not mean that there has been any Intention
the part OF any deceive. merely Isno-
rance on the part OF the person who placed then
with you and who depended for his knowledse q
the artist wholly upon the Signature which appears
upon each canvas. 70 wit: e. Stuart. R. A. Sep
teraber S. 1884 This signature. instead OF authsn-
ticating the paintings. condemns them. If the work
did not inherently do
stuart did paint a portrait OF Jaudsnss and
probably began portrait OF his wife, which, N
his erratic way. he left unfinished. for the face
in the wonlans portrait and the sky 70 the rish:
of it were think. done by Stuart after the return
OF the minister to Spain. a local artist was
doubtless employed to finish the and copy the
other. embIazoned and inscribed in true Spanish
fashion. and TO complete the record, and not as
an evidence OF authorship. he put Stuart's Mans
at the bottom OF each canvas"
The director OF the museum told a Tribuns re-
porter yesterday that Mr. Hart's letter arrived n
his absence abroad and received By DE. Ed
ward Robinson, the assistant director. now n
Europe. DR.. Robinson forwarded the letter 70
Roger E. Frye. curator OF the department OF
af~rfr lad rNa
QUESTION OF the paintings by the purchasing COM
mittee. and who may reply 70 Mr. Harts letter
Sir Purdon said the paintings should be the gen.
uine work OF Gilbert Stuart. and had been az
proved by Kenyon Cox in an article in "The Sl-
letiR'' and by the purchasing COMMITTEES OF rs
museum He said further that Stuart might hsEs
painted the heads. and that an assistant might hss'
painted In part OF the bodies. hands and drape1i7s
Sir Purdon thought they nice ptctursA
and he did not know what artist other Inaa Sli-
bert Stuart at that time could han1e painted tae
AS to the signature. ''R. A. on each canvas WnsA'
as asserted according to biographical authority
II did not appear that Stuart was member OF 10
Royal Academy. Sir Purdon said that af,e1 70
Revolution numbers Of American artists We
made honorary members OF the AcadeIny' as Is
jamin West. famous American painter. hae 0ee-
its president. The director added that FepS
from Mr.. Frye 10 this attack on the authenuGy
of the paintings might be published IN fortne'
ing number OF The Bulletin" Until then 70
museums reply must be found in what heayo
Cox had to say regarding the pictures N the A9.'
Bulletin" Mr.. Cox had this 10 say. n part.
Stuart was thirty-nine when he painted -- -
pictures. and had been two years returned % -
country. Some OF his later work was 70 % 1.o
er. softer. with a vapoEous quality aoseHe "a
but nothing he ever did is cleverer in its way =
portraits by him in which so much allsnI :,
given 10 the costume rara TIE PorHH~ -,
the lady Is the more agreeable or the wv -.
high headdress gives apparent reason ~. -.
placing OF the head low on the canvas. Wl.eA - -
a habit with the artist. and the gray VINES "a
sharply touched Jewels have bean softeneo "
into agreeable tone s.t
The pictures reveal Stuart as essshldAS =.
used to be called face painter. and ta's -
came more and more as time went on Ihe yav
the hands. the 6raperies. here treated ca ,,I.
enough are increasingly neglected unt4 10
erably successful in such canvases only - ,n.
left untouched after the first sitting VII. ne
possible bodies TO distract the attention Ai'
admirably suggested heads - ~
Never great artist. he was or long IN .s
painter America had produced. and the s H ,r,-
to be congratulated on possessing two '-S,r,vsy
portant we'll preserved examples or MS -. rad
early work. painted before his greatest
raacbed their dnaI