New-York tribune., 1922-02-21
The Blue Boy
On View at the
Duveen GALLERY
Cainsborough's Great oor.
trait Shown for Benefit of
the 5th Avenue Hospital:
Remains Here ; Weeks
A Triumph of Technique
Purchased by II. f. Hunting
ton From Duke of West
Minister Through Agent
Bv ROYAL Cortissoz

"The Blue Boy" BY Thomas Gains
borough, the s6Ao,ooo picture which
"a, purchased from the Duke Of West
rinster by Duveen Brothers and then
s,,s 20 Nj. Henry f. Huntington. has
ms. been placed on view a. the
puveen gallery. 1t was shown private
y. yesterday. set upon an easel in
,oom containing NJ other pictures.
There is dark-toned rug or the oak
foor The walls are hung with heavy
olive draperies. A perfect light is
th.ovn upon the canvas. which is in
closed IN the same ornate frame that
i; occupied at Grosvenor House. 1t is
displaced. or tie whole. with greater
sdvantages thau it ever enjoyed in it,
historic home save. OF course, for the
circumstance that in London oNc
could turn from Il to Sir Joshua's
eTraric Muse" his renowned portrait
0. Ms. Siddons. and make peculiar
" ;aterc sting comparison o. the two
mseters
On Thursday the public exhibition
9, the Cainsbcrough Will begin. 10 last
,sY three weeks. charge Of 50 will
be made for admission, tire proceeds
going 20 the Fifth Avenue Hospital. At
the end of the three weeks tAc picture
will be taken to Mr. Huntington's
house in California.
II Is necessary TO state II introduc-
ton the foregoing pedestrian facts,
bat 1t is difficult to approach "The
Blue Boy without a certain emotion
Tor generations this portrait has had
special salience among t'le works
o. Gainsborough. The character OF the
sitter has had nothing to do with this,
for from all accounts he would seem
% hsve been in no wise an historical
personase and in no way Of romantic or
other interest. He was the son Of
prosperous ironmonger in London.
Edward Edwards, in his continuation
o. Wslpole's "Anecdotes of Painting.'
calls the lad Master Brutall,' but
this may be msprint. Later his
torians all unite in calling the iron
monsers son Jonathan Buttall.
Edw.rdss record which was published
in 1908, runs as follows: "A whole
length portrait of a young Gentleman
in a Van Dyke dress, which picture
ob.sned the title of the Blue Boy.
from the color of the satin in which
the figure is dressed Why, one may
ask, Van Dyke dress in the
Georgian period? There is hint
given by Ozias Humphrey. who saw
nuch Of Gainsborough at Bath Ac-
ording to him, '%the fashions varied
ard changed so rapidly and in such
aeeting fashion at Bath that in many
cases the resemblance between the
person depicted and the portrait
painted by Gainsborough lessened al
most daily, because, although highly
satisfactory at the moment when it
vas painted, the prevailing mode in
costume later on entirely altered the
appearance of the sitter 1t is not
Improbable that Gainsborough at once
Aattered the fancy of proud father
dress, and gained for himself
momentary escape from the distract
ing fuidity of the current mode.
The legend of the Blue
There has been much debate over
the artists choice of the predominant
blue. A legend has persisted that it
was dictated by his desire to challenge
an argument in the eighth discourse OF
Sir Joshua Reynolds to the students of
the Royal Academy. SO much has been
SAID about the supposedly provocative
passage that we cite it here intact:
Though it is not my business to