Evening star., 1954-08-13
Oil Painting Bought
For $3.50 Hailed as
Da vinci Madonna
By Tho A.soeiossd Prsss

~ wv NeSOsssstN0 Ns~Ss
NEW YORK. Aug. 13.-A Chi
cago art collector paid $3.50 for
q painting which. an expert now
declares. is worth more than
million dollars.
The picture is Leonardo Da
Vinci Madonna and Child" says
DR.. Maurice H. Goldblatt. direc-
tor of the art galleries Of the
University of Notre Dame In
South Bend. Ind.
DR.. Hams r. Teichert. Chi
cago decorator who has a collec-
ton of more than 100 Renais-
sance and primitive works,
bought the painting here about
four months ago and asked DIR.
Goldblatt's opinion Of it. Paint
ed in oil on wood IS by 201a
inches. it was in possession Of a
New York antique dealer who
said it was done by an unknown
artist.
Overpainted by Amateur.
DR.. Goldblatt. who has been
honored by the French govern
ment and the Louvre in Paris
for earlier studies of Leonardo's
works. said an amateur had
overpainted parts of the face
and neck to make them narrow
er. and also had overpainted the
upper left eyelid and eye to en-
large the opening between the
lids and make more of the eye
ball visible.
He suggested the overpainting
be removed by a restorer. The
work was done here and the re-
suit. DR.. Goldblatt says. was
"electrifying."
The painting first caught DR..
Teichert's eye because he already
owned a studio reproduction of
it described as done jointly by
Leonardo and a pupil of his,
Andrea Salai.
DR.. Goldblatt says that, check
ing back, he found that the
newly restored work was ex-
, hibited In Burlington House,
London, in 1882. and in the New
Gallery, London, in. 1894 as the
work of Andrea Solario. Both
Andrea Salai and Andrea Solario
were pupils of Leonardo (1452-
1870.
The painting was sold at
auction as the work of Salai in
the Catholina Lambert sale at
the American Art Association,
New York, in 1916, says DR.. Gold
blatt. The purchaser was Mrs.
Spencer Kellog, for $3.50. How
1t got from Mrs. Kellog's collec-
ton to Boston, where the New
York dealer ran across it, DR..
Goldblatt does not know.
It will go on exhibit at Notre
Dame beginning October is.
A genuine Leonardo is such a
valuable piece of property that
even 81 million estimate
doesn't mean much. It's impos-
sible to tell how much one might
bring, if any were for sale. DR..
Teichert plans to keep this one.
Another Madonna and child
in the collection of the Marquis
de Langle in LIE PleSsis, France,
has been valued at more than q
million dollars by a Vatican ex-
pert, although it is regarded to
be the work of two men, Leo
nardo and an unnamed assist
ant.
Has Mona Lisa Smile.
DR.. Goldblatt says the Leo
nardo characteristics in the
painting include:
"Its general appearance, the
coloring, its tranScendant quail
ity, the superb modelling of the
contours of the face and hands
o fthe Madonna as well as of the
child. the spiritual quality of ex-
preston in the face of the ma
donna with the subtle smile
around the mouth which was
produced by curving the line of
the mouth on the arc of a circle
which, when extended, Just
touches the outer corner Of one
eye.
This geometric design was
employed exclusively by Leonardo
in the construction of all female
faces with a smile, including his
Mona Lisa in the Louvre.
1.-THE outline Of the upper part
OF the head in this painting as
well as in the Mona Lisa is an
arc Of another circle exactly
twice the diameter of the first
circle. There is also evidence of
left-hand execution in this paint
ing. Leonardo was left-handed." I"