"Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult" by George Healy |
Our minister, Mr. Stevenson, was so struck by his fine presence and grand air that he bade me paint his portrait, if I could get him to sit. This was easier said than done, but in the end I painted a large portrait of the Marshal in his superb gold-embroidered uniform, holding his white plumed hat under his arm. The picture is now in the Corcoran Gallery in Washington.
I was also invited to visit Soult's famous gallery of pictures, collected - in reality, stolen - in Spain. It contained a number of paintings by Murillo, Cano and Ribeira. But the picture which struck me most was the large Murillo, called the 'Immaculate Conception,' and which has become familiar to every visitor of the Louvre, since it has been hung in the Salon Carre. But in those days only those to whom the Marshal opened his door were allowed to see this and his other pictures. After Soult's death his gallery was sold, and brought nearly a million and a half francs. The 'Immaculate Conception' along cost the Louvre 586,000 francs - an unheard of price in those days.
"M. Guizot" by George Healy |
As a sitter, Guizot was not only courteous, but perfectly charming. His conversation was varied and most interesting, and he usually spoke English. Before beginning the large portrait I made a careful drawing on a canvas, just rubbed in here and there with a little color. This was considered so successful that I left it in its unfinished state, and have kept it ever since. Guizot was then a man of about fifty-five, in the full strength and vigor of his long life. He died in 1874, at the age of eighty-six. His head was remarkably fine and delicate, the head of a scholar and of a perfect gentleman."
To be continued
(Excerpts from "Reminiscences of a Portrait Painter" by G. P. A. Healy.)
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