Christeah Dupont, Point Ellice House Museum & Gardens
How to see Quickly and Well: Two Hours at the Louvre (1911)
This bilingual guide book published in 1911 is part of our larger guidebook and tourism pamphlet collection at Point
Ellice House. The book provides extra information on the history of various paintings through the galleries of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The O’Reilly children, Kathleen, Frank, and Arthur, travelled extensively in Europe prior to the First World War. Like many of us do today, the O’Reillys collected and kept their guidebooks from various sites. Kathleen visited France in May, 1914 and likely acquired this guidebook for a tour of the famous museum.
Thanks to the digitization efforts of the Boston Public Library, you can view the entire book in digitized format by clicking here.
Below, we have chosen, at random, a few excerpts from the book that describe paintings Kathleen might have encountered during her visit.
Page 32:
13. Titian, Alphonso of Ferrara and Laura Dianti (no 1590). It is thought that the features of the man are those of Alphonso I, Duke of Ferrara. The girl, of exquisite charm, and standing full in the light is said to be his mistress, Laura Dianti. This canvas shows the extraordinary grasp possessed by Titian of the value of light and shade . M.G Lafenestre, the excellent biographer points out <<the clever degradation of reliefs and tints>>. Painted about 1520 , hung in the gallery of Charles I., under the title of << The Mistress of Titian>>, sold by Jabach to Louis XIV for 100 pounds.
Page 33:
17. Raphael. The Madonna usually called La Belle Jardiniere’ (no. 1496). The Virgin is sitting in a meadow not far from a town; she is looking at the Infant Christ who is draing her attention to the young Saint John . There is the most beautiful harmony between faces of the group and the surrounding nature. Painted at Florence in 1507 in the Florentine style. Bought by Francis I.
Page 88:
12. Rembrandt. Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels (no. 2547). The genial artist mixed bright joyous colours to paint her who was so tenderly devoted to him in adversity, even untold death, <<an unrivalled picture>>, observes Th. Gautier. Dates from 1652.
[PEH Note: It appears this painting was in the Louvre at the time this guide book was published, later moved to the National Gallery in London].
Page 95:
Page 95:26. Rubens. Birth of Marie de Medeci at Florence, Apri 26, 1575 (no 2086). Lucina, the goddess of births is presiding Florentia, the goddess of the city holds the child, white on the right is the river god Arno. The brilliant allegory used to be hung with all the pictures in the next room, in the Luxemborg gallery.
[Note from the Louvre: “The twenty-four monumental canvases displayed here were originally housed in the Luxembourg palace, home of the Italian-born French queen Marie de Médicis. Painted by Rubens between 1622 and 1625, they depict episodes from the queen’s life, magnified by the presence of gods from ancient mythology.”]