Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-17
Did Junction City, Kansas,
Best Famous Critics of Art?

for foolish decisions, and Gervex
spoke up: 'Sortais is right" l ex-
pertised this Leonardo on its pig
ments. on it's technique. on its prepa-
ing of the carnations with deml-pate,
on the" Che had found his notes
of the 1916 expertise, but they are
technical and the above will sufhce),
The picture had been transferred from
wood to canvas by Joaquin, at Paris
in 1777.
But the Belle Ferronniere is at the l
Louvre" 1 said.
which" he answered. The deeper
you go into the Belle, the more you 4
will get lost. Go. see Secretary STEM Il
at the national archives. l Will give
you a letter to him" (And he did,
But previously Sortais pointed out
a curious practice Of the grea.
Leonardo to duplicate his Worhs. no
copying by pupils nor even by nm
self, but doing them over again. even
! from new studies. as if his ideal were
never satisfied The two most not-
able and authentic Leonardo PAM.
of 1.-THE "Virgin of the Rocks and
| the Mona Lisa"
Both canvases of the Virgin of the
Rocks''-in Louvre and National Gal
lery, London-are unlvsrsaiiy aa,n'
studies. drapery, heads. etc,, some
even pricked for transfer, still exist
among the most priced Leonardo Sill
yer points and red chalk drawings at
Windsor Turin and the Louvre AS
for the Mona Lisa. it is in the Louvre
| certainly: but if you go to Madrid,
you will find her in the Prado.
| ITEMS, you won't have room Tor
/ STEM he laughed.
At the archives. in the Soubise
palace, most kindly. helpful. ready
man of learning hunted through
texts for me, even reading dates for
me as I copied. He gave me far too
much material: but here is the bou-
quet of 1.-THE Belle Ferronniere is
| a bottle of ink!
Just that clear! I'll try to pour it
out. The picture of La Correspond
ence de Madame" December 3. IT'D,
is not that of the sieur Popinocourt
I (Berncr) in his Reflections. Pen
sees ct Bons Nets" 1886. and Eu-
gene Muntz, most important blog-
rapher of Leonardo. mentions two
portraits of La Belle Ferronniere in
| the Louvre and one in the Museum of
Augsburg. and does not seem to
make any distinction between the two
of the Louvre. (Muntz. p. 2o9: The
most important historian of the
great Italian seems not to have
soughe to know the true or the false
! in the matter
| Maurice Lecomte. who went deeply
into one alley of the labyrinth CAN
males du Gatinas. vol. %. technical
| III uSeuH says tHdl NO.
1900 is one of the most beautiful
works of Leonardo which the Louvre
possesses but it is not the same in
dicated by the Correspondence de
Madame or QistenD by the Sieur
Popinocourt. either! There existed.
which successfully and concurrently
were considered to be La Belle Fer
ronniere. That which Pere Dan saw
before 1912, in any case, was not at
Fontainebleau in 1880, and the second
was certainly neither there in 1890.
1891. 1895. 1909, 1852 nor 1850, and it
can be doubted if it was there in 1921
but on faith of the Correspondents"
there was at Fontainebleau, in 1921,
third portrait called La Belle Fer
ent No. 1900. And. more numerous
and more numerous, Nicolas Bailly in
ventoried among the paintings of the
king "a copy of the La Belle Ferron-
| Mere by Leonardo. having a height
of IS pouces (inches) by 10 pouces
wide.
x X X X
| There was nothing but to go to
the Louvre.
! There. in the old quadrangle. up 400
stone steps of a dark. narrow, wind
ing back stairs (where King Francis
! l slipped out to paint the town.. met:
/ a functionary of note who asked me
servation,' he babe me. I'VE prefer
to be so quoted. If any one doubts
you q had represented the possibil-
| ity), let them write to La Conserva.-
ton des Peintures, Musee du Louvre.
Paris. and you will be backed up"
! (He said supported or sustained) 81
here goes:
! I showed him newspaper of Au-
gust IS, containing reproduction of
the Mile de Montaut painting, with
her name and the story. He reflected
a moment and spoke.
! II know the painting he said. TT
belonged to a family in the south of
France. I see that you know the
name. 1t was brought to me year
and half ago to take note of it's
a week. for it is very beautiful. I
considered it to be copy Of the COM
mencement of the seventeenth CEN
fury. 1t certainly is old. 1t is a
mistake to call it La Belle Ferron-
Mere. The Belle Ferronniere is No.
1905, a profile. quite different from
No. 1000 and this canvas in question
which is like No. 1900"
rs not this the original Leonardo
and your No. 1900 a copy?" 1 asked
| 1t put him on his dignity.
| You can interview all the great
dealers of Paris and let them judge"
he answered. Il think you will find
that they all know this canvas
Are not both of them originals,
yours and this?" I suggested. m
Sortais. the expert"
II know NJ. sortais very WELL" he
said. graciously.
IN. Sortais tells me that there were
two canvases"
| me Pere Dan, who wrote the mon
ogram on Fontainebleau chateau in
1912. is the first who spoke of this
picture. He calls it the portrait of
Ia Duchesse de Mantoue For a time
1T was called or the portrait of Anne
boleyn. An ancient canvas of 1909
was in the collection of Louis XIV
There's your second canvas for M.
Sortais! Our painting was at Fon-
| tainebleau in 1912"
| Have you had a pin stuck in if all
time between" I inquired "or do Won
mean that there was simply MIC
ture called La Belle Ferronniere at
Fontainebleau in 1922"
| He continued TRANQUILITY:
collection of Francis I. In 16Ss the
Conservatism Lebrun had it in his
catalogue at Paris. then in the
! Louvre. In 1892 it was sent to var-
1909. 1877. In 1874 it was at V ys
sailles in the salon of the director
general of buildings. In 1902 we find
| ii in the Museum Napoleon l. that is
! to say. the Louvre Gallery from which
! It has not since budged In 1905
/ Piganiol de la Force says that in tho
first salon of the little gallery is The |
portrait of La Belle Ferronniere."
DO you disagree with Sortais? Is |
| this other mere copy?"
Il saw it. 1t is beautiful w.
would have bought it for the Louvre |
at proper price"