Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19
CATHEDRAL HANGS
/, FAMOUS PAINTINGS
Portraits of Noted Episcopal
Leaders in Library at
Mount st. Adams.

Three portraits of eminent English
prelates OF the seventeenth century,
which were presented to Washing
Henry White. former Ambassador to
France; Charles c. Glover, DIR. Will
: liam c.. Rives and James Parmelee,
were removed from Corcoran Art
Gallery last week and have been hung
in the memorial reading room of the
newly completed wing of Washing
ton Cathedral library, the gift of Mrs,
Violet Blair Janin in memory of her
mother. Mary JeSup Blair.
These famous works of art are
paintings of Most Rev. William Laud.
Archbishop of Canterbury; Right Rev.
Lancelot Andrews. Bishop, successive.
ly, of Chichester. Ely and Winchester,
who was chairman of the commission
which translated the King James
version of the Bible. and Most Rev
George Abbot, Archbishop of Canter-
bury. one of the translators of the
King James version Of the Bible. The
paintings are now about 300 years
old, but they are well preserved The
originals of these paintings are said
to be in Lambeth Palace. England,
the home Of the Archbishops of
Canterbury. The portrait of Arch
bishop Laud is a copy of painting
by the celebrated Van Dyke, made,
according to the signature, by man
named Stone, who was a pupil Of Van
Dyke. They are finely painted con.
temporaneous portraits in oils. waist
length. and each prelate is pictured
In rochet and lawn sleeves and with
the quaint black hats worn by &c.
cles1astical dignitaries of that period.
Hung I'm Reading Room.
The paintings are in substantial
gold frames which have we'll with
stood the wear and tear of the CEN
turtles. On the top of one of the
frames is bishops mitre, indicating
the rank of the subject of the por.
trait. The portrait of Archbishop
Laud has been placed temporarily
over the huge fireplace in the tudor
reading room of the memorial wing of
the Cathedral library. The other
portraits were hung advantageously
also.
A connoisseur in England fold
Right Rev. Arthur C. A. Hall, Bishop
OF Vermont, that these portraits were |
In existence, giving evidences of their !
authenticity and suggesting that, in |
asmuch as two of them, Archbishop |
Laud and Archbishop Abbot had had |
oversight over the Church in America, |
some organization of the church in |
the United States might care to &C. |
quire them. Bishop Hall wrote to |
Very Rev. G. c. F. Bratenahl, dean of |
Washington, in reference to the paint |
ings.
AS a result of this correspondence. |
the four donors agree to present the |
portraits to Washington Cathedral for |
its library. While the memorial wing |
of the library was being built, the |
portraits were housed at the Corcoran |
Art Gallery. Now they form, with |
the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George |
Washington, the gift of John jaw |
Chapman now in the Corcoran Art |
Gallery, valuable nucleus of the col |
lection of historic paintings which |
ultimately will adorn the walls of the |
Cathedral library.
Recall Church Struggle.
The portrait paintings are vivid re-
minders Of vital moments in the his
tory of the Church of England. The
churchmen thev represent were |
valiant defenders of the faith in |
stormy periods. Their memories are |
cherished to this day. not only in |
England, but wherever the Anglican |
Church has found foothold.
The tragic fate of Archbishop Laud |
makes him perhaps the most interest. |
ing Of the three prelates. He held |
fast to the ancient doctrines and |
practices of the church and early took |
up a position of antagonism to the |
Calvinistic party in the church. He |
was imprisoned in the Tower of |
London for many years because of so. |
called ''popish doctrines" Finally he |
was condemned to death-as a special |
favor, by the ax-on the charge of |
high treason, and ling Charles |
signed his t,ath warrant. Laud was |
put to death January 10, 1645, on
Tower Hill, asserting his innocence IF |
any offence known to the law. repudi. |
ating the charge of "popery." and de-
claring that he always had lived in |
the Protestant Church of England |
His career was distinguished by up
rightness. by piety, bv a devotion to
duty. by courage and consistency.
Bishop Andrews is regarded as one
of the fathers of the English church.
AS Dean of Westminster, he assisted
at the coronation of King James l
of England and was the first Of the
divines appointed by that monarch
TO make the authorized version of the
Bible. Bishop Andrews was a man of
great learning. the equal and friend of
anu dS Il was Typ
ically Anglican. equally removed from
the Puritan and Roman positions.
Archbishop Abbot, one of the dis
tinguished line of archbishops Of Can.
terbury, was one of the leading schol-
ars of his generation and took a prom
inent part in the translation of and in
preparing the authorized version Of
the New Testament in the King James
version of the Bible. He leaned to-
ward the Puritan party in the Church
OF England. This sometimes brought
him into conflict with the royal will of
James /, firm believer in the
doctrine Of the divine right of kings.
One of the things for which Arch
bishop Abbot is remembered is his
geography. written in 1899. which had
many editions