Letter from Alice Creelman to Henry Clay Frick, 12 February 1916
Scripto
Transcription
OFFICE OF H. C. FRICK
RECEIVED
FEB 15 1916
FORWARDED
REFERRED
ANSWERED
131 EAST SIXTY-SIXTH STREET
My dear Mr. Frick:
I have learned of a very valuable painting by Rubens in Ireland which the war is forcing out. It has never been publicly seen nor ever been offered for sale and is practically unknown as it belongs to a private family.
I am almost afraid to speak to you of this as I have not seen the painting but my friend Lady Plunkett of Dublin whose husband Count Plunkett is Director of the Dublin Museum and who is about to take up Hugh Lane's work in addition to his own, tells me it is
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very fine, and I have a little lumiere colored photograph plate of it. It is certainly handsome in the little picture. I have no connection with this in any way. It is accidental my hearing of it through the Plunketts but I feel it may be a great find and it will do no harm to look into it.
The painting is very large with many figures and was painted by Rubens in his earlier period when he was in Rome and represents "The Adoration of the Kings". Count Plunkett says there is a copy of this picture by Von Mol in the Antwerp Gallery, and it is said that this is the painting on
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the same subject mentioned in Carl Von Mander's work on Rubens and described as missing in Hymans editions. It has been in private hands in Ireland for seventy-five or more years and it is the first time that there has been a thought of selling it. This may possibly interest you sufficiently to investigate the matter.
Very sincerely yours
Alice B. Creelman
February 12, 1916
RECEIVED
FEB 15 1916
FORWARDED
REFERRED
ANSWERED
131 EAST SIXTY-SIXTH STREET
My dear Mr. Frick:
I have learned of a very valuable painting by Rubens in Ireland which the war is forcing out. It has never been publicly seen nor ever been offered for sale and is practically unknown as it belongs to a private family.
I am almost afraid to speak to you of this as I have not seen the painting but my friend Lady Plunkett of Dublin whose husband Count Plunkett is Director of the Dublin Museum and who is about to take up Hugh Lane's work in addition to his own, tells me it is
[end of page 1]
[beginning of page 2]
very fine, and I have a little lumiere colored photograph plate of it. It is certainly handsome in the little picture. I have no connection with this in any way. It is accidental my hearing of it through the Plunketts but I feel it may be a great find and it will do no harm to look into it.
The painting is very large with many figures and was painted by Rubens in his earlier period when he was in Rome and represents "The Adoration of the Kings". Count Plunkett says there is a copy of this picture by Von Mol in the Antwerp Gallery, and it is said that this is the painting on
[end of page 2]
[beginning of page 3]
the same subject mentioned in Carl Von Mander's work on Rubens and described as missing in Hymans editions. It has been in private hands in Ireland for seventy-five or more years and it is the first time that there has been a thought of selling it. This may possibly interest you sufficiently to investigate the matter.
Very sincerely yours
Alice B. Creelman
February 12, 1916
Status
To transcribe
Percent Completed
100
Weight
100100
Files
Collection
Citation
“Letter from Alice Creelman to Henry Clay Frick, 12 February 1916,” Transcribe Frick, accessed April 26, 2024, https://transcribe.frick.org/items/show/191.