Peter John Brownlee To Discuss Morse’s 'Gallery of the Louvre' at Hyde Hall
SPRINGFIELD—Hyde Hall will welcome noted art historian Peter John Brownlee on Saturday, September 19 from 5-6:30 p.m. for a special lecture exploring what is considered one of the most remarkable paintings in American art history: Samuel F. B. Morse’s “Gallery of the Louvre.”
The painting has a particularly meaningful connection to Hyde Hall, organizers said. George Clarke, the builder of Hyde Hall, was the painting’s first purchaser, linking this celebrated work of 19th-century American art directly to the history of the Clarke family and the mansion.
Brownlee, author of “The Gallery of the Louvre: Samuel F. B. Morse’s Masterpiece,” will tell the story of the painting, its creation, its relationship to the development of American art and its extraordinary journey through history. The painting eventually experienced an almost unbelievable chapter in its story when it was rediscovered in the basement of a university, tucked behind a boiler, officials explained in a press release. After its rediscovery and subsequent restoration and recognition, the work ultimately sold for approximately $3 million to the Terra Foundation for American Art, where Brownlee worked as a curator.
