14 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



that time in New York, stating these facts, with the name of 

 the ship and captain, and desiring him to repurchase the pic- 

 ture and send it back to Spain, whatever might be the cost. 

 On inquiry, he found that the captain had arrived and sailed 

 again on a long voyage. Mr. Nelson waited his return, and 

 having ascertained that he had the picture, before attempting 

 any negotiation for it wrote back to Spain to inquire whether 

 he still had unlimited authority to purchase it. Receiving 

 no answer, he supposed that the parties interested in the sub- 

 ject were dead or driven away, as everything was then in 

 confusion. 



Many years afterward he mentioned this picture, as one 

 that was likely to be of great value, to a gentleman in New 

 York, who had a great love for paintings. Mr. Gary, then 

 residing in New York, was applied to for information of the 

 captain, who belonged to Boston, and who said, when asked, 

 that he still had the picture, that it had been a great favorite 

 with his wife, and that during her life he never would have 

 parted with it ; but that since her decease he was without a 

 home, and had no objection that the picture should go where 

 it would be more seen and admired. It was accordingly 

 purchased. 



It was found to be on a thick panel of hard and very old 

 wood. The subject was the Madonna and Child, but the 

 figure of the latter, with little of the sacred gravity that is 

 given in the Madonna della Seggiola of Raphael, and by 

 other masters, was rather that of a playful, curly-headed boy, 

 which at first caused some persons to suppose that it might 

 be intended for Hagar and Ishmael. It presented in another 

 respect a peculiar appearance. One part of the painting 

 seemed to be the work of a great master, while another part 

 was of a very inferior order. A German artist, then living in 

 New York, who had extensive knowledge of pictures and 

 considerable skill in repairing them, was called to examine it. 

 After close attention, he asked for a needle, and showed that 

 the part which was admired was impenetrably hard, and ob- 



