Evening star., 1949-12-25
By Jessie Font Evons

dali. Her husband is an engineer
with the American Telephone &
Telegraph Co. detailed to this
area from Philadelphia three
years ago. They live at 37l2 Mill
tary Road NV.
In 1884 a friend sent Mrs. Ken
dali an unusually lovely Christmas
card faced with a Botticelli Ma
donna In color. It proved the be-
ginning or her collection Of sew
eral thousand which includes al.
of the famous Madonnas in art
in color reproductions and Is one
of the most complete in the United
States. Organized and classified
the collection is serving as the
basis for talks before schools
clubs and art groups. Kindergar-
ten and Sunday school audiences
are Mrs. Kendall's favorites.
Each Christmastime, through
her husbands ingenuity. her un-
usual collection Of French, Swed-
ish and Czechoslovakian glass
fgurine Madonnas are Illuminated
and grouped on the mantel OF
their living room SO as to make
a rarely lovely setting for q
French manger showing Of the
Nativity. A Swiss music box In q
little wooden wayside shrine is
enveloped in a Madonna blue
lighting effect as it plays "Holy
Night" and other Christmas
hymns.
One of her most treasured
Madonnas Is of wood carved with
exquisite, flowing lines. Their son,
Edward Harper Kendall, discov-
cred it in a quaint shop in Coburg
during his overseas service and
sent it to his mother as Christ
mas present. "By an unknown
artist, it shows the influence
|of the famous Tilam Riemen-
schneider, who used wood as the
medium.
Zone of his Madonnas is q
choice exhibit in the research
library and music room at Dunn
barton Oaks" Mrs. Kendall re-
minded me.
Well Trained in the Arts.
It is easy to account for Kath-
arine Harper Kendall's interest
in art and its expression. She
is the daughter Of May Hedder-
wick, q notable sculptress Of her
time and of William st. John
Harper, q famous etcher and IL
illustrator of the '90s. One
of the founders of the Art Stu
dents League of New York City,
her father was three times its
president.
A student herself at the Aca-
deny Of Design and at Columbia
University, she was a pupil OF
Emil Carlson and Arthur Dow,
and served as art director Of the
Charles Clark Publishing Co. until
her marriage. During her fam
ily's Philadelphia sojourn she was
art chairman of the Hathaway
Shakespeare Club. a member OF
the Plastic Art Club and exhibited
her own paintings at the Bryn
Mawr Art Center and practically
all of the Philadelphia galleries.
Since coming to this city she
has found leisure again to turn
to easel and brush. Particu-
larly interesting are her studies
in color of the towers of
Georgetown University from the
Virginia shore of the Potomac
and of various vistas in Rock
Creek Park.
A World -Revered Theme.
"At this the Christmas season,
it is significant to realize that
ever since the dawn Of Christian
ity, portrayal of the Mother and
of the Christ Child have stood for
the essence of the beautiful in
every country where they have
been portrayed" Mrs. Kendall
emphasized. Those Of Chang
Shen-tse of China, which belong
to the portrait type after the
Byzantine school. illustrate this
point just as truly as do those OF
the old masters" she said. OF
particular interest with the Chi
nese Nationalist government in
refuge on Formosa is this great
Chinese artists well-known paint
ing. THE Madonna of the Ref
ugeeS."
"One of the most famous pic
lures of the Nativity was painted
about / 900 years ago." she pointed
out. It adorns an illuminated
manuscript of the Fourth Gospel
brought to light in 1888. Hitler
wanted it. j. Pierpont Morgan
got it. Now in the Morgan Library
collection, it is brought out an
nually for public view.
Many of Originals Are Here.
Mrs. Kendall called attention to
the fact that many of the most
valuable originals Of the worlds
greatest Madonnas are here.
A marvellous one by Rembrandt
in the Rosenwald collection in the
National Gallery shows the San
gels Appearing to the Shepherds. "
One of the finest Raphael Madon-
T. 1t
lery. Known as the "Alba Ma
DONNA" because it was formerly
owned by the Duke Of Alba in
Madrid, it was purchased from
the Hermitage collection in Lenin-
grad by Andrew Mellon at q cost
- zM