Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-01-23
Art Treasure Found.

Mrs. John H. Gassaway. of this town,
has an old picture. The Last Supper"
whose great value has lately been made
known through an offer Of $4,000 for it
by an art critic. After purchasing the pic
ture, her father. the late o. z. Muncaster,
gave 1t to her and told her to keep it. as
at some future time it would be worth
fortune. In a recent Washington city dis
patch to the New York Herald the history
of the picture is given as follows:
"Gustavus Hesselius painting, 1.-THE Last
Supper" which was executed in 1921 for
St. Barnabas' Church, in Queen Anne's
parish. now Prince Georges county, Nd,
has been discovered after being lost for
over l40 years.
THE painting is in a splendid state Of
preservation. and an offer of $4,000 has
Philadelphia. and refused. The Importance
of the painting as the first purely Ameri-
can work of art--Other than portrait
and its romantic history caused the owner
to decline the offer, as she prefers to have
the National Museum in Washington ac-
quire the painting.
Because Of the mystery connected with
the disappearance Of the painting from
old ST. Barnabas' Church when the present
structure was erected in 1878. the present
owner has been seeking for several years
to trace its history. and has kept her iden-
tity concealed. Her father purchased this
original work of art at a public sale in
Georgetown rs years ago. On his death
he left II to the present owner. Only re-
Gently has she learned its great value, al
though she has priced it for its beauty.
in his treatment of the subject, Hes
selius has departed radically from the work
Of Leonardo da Vinci The figure Of Judas
is in the foreground leaning over the table
toward the figure of Christ Surrounding
the table are the other eleven disciples.
For his work Hesselius was offered rs
pounds currency by the vestrymen of St.
Barnabas. The work was completed and
payment made in 1921. In granting this
commission for an altar piece the vestry-
men Of st. Barnabus' set precedent as
the first patrons Of art in America.
Writing Of the strange disappearance Of
the painting in 1898. Charles Henry Hart,
of Philadelphia. said:
Unfortunately the old church edifce in
which the altar piece was placed made
way for the present edifice in 1878, and
thus the painting by Gustavus Hesselius
disappeared with the old building. Per-
chance some day we may know more Of
this New World Last Supper than now
seems possible. All honor to the vestry Of
St. Barnabas' who ordered 1t and to the
painter who came TO these far-Oh wilds
possessed of the skill and ability enough
to paint picture Of such a subject for
such purpose.
I'm maintaining that to Sweden belonged
the honor of establishing the fine arts in
America, Mr.. Hart quotes letter written
by Adolph Ulrich Wortmuller, written Janu-
airy 8, 1901. saying that his wife's mother
was a daughter Of Gustav Hesilius, Of the
Swedish nation. painter Of portraits who
arrived from Sweden at Philadelphia in
ITO.
''Gustavus Hesselius was born at Fol-
karna Dalarne. Sweden. in 1852. and was
the senior Of John Watson. sometimes re-
puted to be first American painter, by three
years. He also preceded John Smybert by
two years. In addition to painting he was
an organ builder, and was not above turning
an honest penny at house and sign paint
ing.
HE died May rs. 1755. and was in
tered in Philadelphia"