Gaspar de Crayer (Antwerp 1584-1669 Ghent)

This lot is exempt from Sales Tax.

PROPERTY FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN, SOLD TO BENEFIT CATHOLIC EDUCATION (LOTS 62-65) 'In the period of world reconstruction and of national readjustment through which we are presently passing, there is grave need of broad, enlightened, moral leadership if we are to lead men along the paths of peace, order and righteousness' (from Thomas Molloy's address on the occasion of his installation as Bishop, 15 February, 1922). If the remarkable growth of the Brooklyn Diocese during his tenure can be taken as any measure of success, Archbishop Molloy did indeed achieve his aims, leaving an impressive artistic and spiritual legacy in the wake of a lifetime of distinguished pastoral service to the church. Thomas E. Molloy was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on 4 September, 1884. He spent his childhood and the early part of his studies in Nashua but transferred in 1904 to St. Francis College in Brooklyn, after which he enrolled in St. John's Seminary. It was there that he became acquainted with Monsignor George W. Mundelein, who was at that time the Chancellor of Brooklyn, a learned and cultured man who was largely responsible for fostering Molloy's taste in the arts. It was Monsignor Mundelein who sent the young seminarian to spend a year at the North American College in Rome, where he was ordained in the Basilica of St. John Lateran on 19 September 1908. Upon his return from Rome, Father Molloy served for a time in St. John's Chapel and Queen of All Saints Church before being named secretary to his mentor, Monsignor Mundelein. His professional training included a year in Chicago, where Mundelein later became Archbishop, but Molloy ultimately returned home to Brooklyn, where he was to serve the remainder of his ministry. He then spent time as spiritual director for Cathedral College, as well as teaching philosophy as a member of the faculty of St. Joseph's College for Women. On 3 October 1920, Father Molloy was consecrated as Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn in St. James Pro-Cathedral, called to the episcopacy by Pope Benedict XV. He became Brooklyn's ordinary the following year, and on 15 February 1922, he was installed in St. James as Bishop. Molloy's tenure witnessed significant progress within the Brooklyn Diocese. Among his other accomplishments, Father Molloy conducted a synod in 1926, dedicated Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1930, and established 90 parishes and 100 elementary schools across Long Island. In 1951, Pope Pius XII granted Bishop Thomas Molloy the personal title 'Archbishop' in recognition of his work as leader of the largest Diocese in the United States, with a membership of nearly 1.4 million Catholics. Archbishop Molloy died on 26 November 1956, aged 72, having left behind an impressive legacy of spiritual leadership. In addition, Molloy left his Diocese a valuable artistic bequest in the form of his own personal collection, amassed for the most part during the 1930s and 40s. He purchased his paintings from highly respected New York dealers, including the Schaeffer Gallery and Julius Weitzner, and clearly valued quality over quantity: the small but select group of works features a magnificent St. Augustine in Ecstasy (lot 65) by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Bernardo Strozzi's compelling St. Francis embracing the Crucifix (lot 64). Molloy moved residences twice in the early years of his term as Bishop, graciously giving up his first Episcopal mansion to the teaching brothers of the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School for boys, and his second a few years later to the teaching sisters of St. Angela Hall. His third Brooklyn residence, a particularly fine example of a late Romanesque Revival structure designed in 1893 by William Tubby, was to be the home of his art collection (see fig. 1). With such impressive details as an arched porte-cochere, columns decorated in elaborate Byzantine motifs and a roof covered with green Spanish tiles, the orange brick and sandstone structure provided an appropriately grand showcase for Bishop Molloy's paintings. No less stately is the interior of the residence, accessed through a glass and iron vestibule illuminated by an unusual and striking globe lamp constructed of interwoven metal strands. Further examples of decorative glass from the workshop of Louis Comfort Tiffany adorn the interior rooms. It is a fitting tribute to Archbishop Molloy that his collection will be sold to benefit the church he so devotedly led, thus perpetuating his generous service to the people of Brooklyn.

Gaspar de Crayer (Antwerp 1584-1669 Ghent)

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Details

Gaspar de Crayer (Antwerp 1584-1669 Ghent)
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
oil on canvas
55¾ x 42½ in. (141.5 x 107.9 cm.)

Special notice

This lot is exempt from Sales Tax.

Sale room notice

We are grateful to Prof. Hans Vlieghe for confirming the attribution to de Crayer from transparencies (written commmunication, 29 April 2005).

Lot Essay

The present painting was originally a horizontal composition which has been cut down to make up an upright format. The full extent of de Crayer's composition can be seen in another version by the artist in the Church of Saint-Blaise, Jabbeke (see H. Vlieghe, Gaspar De Crayer, sa vie et ses oeuvres, Brussels, 1972, p. 213, no. A181, no. 167, illustrated).

More from Old Master Paintings

View All