Evening star., 1914-11-01
PICTURES SHOWN To AID
BE[G|ANS AND ALLIES
Countess de Tonnay to Exhibit
Rubens' Study and Vernet
at New Willard.

TWO masterpiece paintings, the prop
erty of the Countess Aurelie de Ton
nay, are to be exhibited all this week,
starting tomorrow. in the New Willard
Hotel. for the benefit of women and
children in Belgium and the countries
of the allies.
These historic canvases are a study
by Rubens for his. famous ..The De-
scent From the Cross" which has re-
Gently been removed from the Cathe-
dral in Antwerp and secreted until the
| war is over. and the other The Fare
we'll of the Soldier" by the historical
| artist, L. E. Horace Vernet.
Besides exhibiting these pictures
countess de Tonnay has had a number
OF Photographic reproductions made.
which will be sold by a committee of
young Washington society girls and
the money turned into the relief fund.
Homes in Two Worlds.
Countess de Tonnay maintains a resi-
oence both in New York and Paris
Moved by compassion for the women
and children sufferers by the war, she
decided to exhibit these pictures in the
large cities of the United States and
Canada.
With the cooperation of Mrs. J. F.
bancroft, wife of the chief examiner
IN the patent office, she has obtained
the use OF the red room at the New
Willard Hotel for the exhibition here.
one mas been promised the assistance
of some prominent young society wom-
en- In receiving and in selling copies
of the paintings.
All the funds received here are to be
taken by Charles l.. Bowman, cashier
of the Union Savings Bank, and are
a 6nH
distributed one-quarter to Nine. Jusse-
rand, another to Nine. Bakhmeteff, an
other to Mrs. Spring-Ri and the
fourth to Nine. Havenith for distribu-
tion to their respective countries, as the
countess prefers that the embassies
here should accept the funds as coming
from Washington people to the suffer-
ing ones in their home countries.
Countess de Tonnay has a deep per-
sonal interest in the cause of France,
Lieut.. Bernard de Rouge of the
Dragons. is a refugee from their home
in the suburbs of Paris. which has been
razed. Nine. de Rouge wrote that she
abandon her villa, which was among
those that were removed that the de-
fenses of Paris might be in no way
impeded. With her three-year-old
child she was hurried into Paris in a
refugee train.
Son-in-Law Is a War Hero.
Lieut.. de Rouge had previously been
decorated for bravery in saving his
thirty-six men on a accommodating ex
pedition and returning to headquar-
ters with the information he was sent
to get. This was near Roye. His cap
tain was killed, and Lieut.. de Rouge
stepped into his place and. successfully
accomplished his mission.
This study by Rubens of THE De-
scent From the Cross" was inherited
by the countess in direct line from her
great-great-g the Marquis
George de Morant, having been pur-
chased by him from Rubens himself.
"The Farewell of the Soldier" the
countess believes will have part1cu-
lar appeal at this time, as it symbollzes
the Suffering of the child and its
mother, for the relief of whom she is
giving these exhibitions. Some of this
artists paintings are in the Palace OF
Versailles. This masterpiece was given
by the artist himself to the Baron Jo-
seph de Baumefort, his uncle, from
whom it came into the possession OF
Countess de Tonnay.