THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412280452
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: FREDERICKSBURG, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
A 200-year-old portrait of George Washington has forced a debate among members of his old fraternal society over the best way to honor the first president.
The Gilbert Stuart portrait has hung on the wall of Masonic Lodge No. 4 in Fredericksburg for longer than anyone can remember.
The two-foot painting, worth an estimated $250,000, is similar to the famous Stuart likeness on the $1 bill and countless schoolroom walls.
When a lodge member proposed selling the painting this fall - to protect it and to raise money - the group rejected the idea. But discussion continues over whether to keep the picture on the wall, lend it to a museum, or install more safeguards against damage or theft.
``We are looking at alternatives, with the goal being that this portrait needs to be kept in a place where it does not deteriorate,'' said Michael McCray, the 360-member lodge's master, or president. ``That's part of our dilemma - we have not had it in that sort of condition all this time, and we really don't know what to do.''
The lodge does not have high-tech temperature- and humidity-controls or a sophisticated security system to protect the painting. Insurance is also a burden, lodge members said.
The lodge, one of the nation's oldest, has no record of who donated the picture or when, but art experts have confirmed its authenticity. The painting is in fairly good shape, but fluctuating temperature, moisture and soot have taken their toll.
``Certain pieces like paintings, some furniture, can become a liability for the owner,'' said Giles Cromwell, who coordinates the purchase and display of portraits at the Virginia Historical Society. ``Particularly if conservation is needed, it's a bigger headache and an onus.''
The Masons must weigh that headache against the painting's sentimental value. It is the centerpiece of a sort of lodge shrine to Washington, who joined the ancient, secretive society as a young man living in Fredericksburg.
The Masonic building where he attended meetings was replaced in the early 19th century with a handsome but cramped brick structure. Inside, in addition to the portrait, are the Bible that Washington used to swear allegiance to the Masons and a gavel he used as head of the group.
Since the sale was proposed in October, lodge members have debated whether it did a disservice to Washington to allow his picture to deteriorate, or whether moving the painting would rob the lodge of its most important artifact.
``I don't see why it can't stay right where it has always been,'' said one lodge member who spoke on the condition of anonymity, ``because of all the yammering this thing has caused.''
``I know there are some security questions . . . but I think people want to get rid of it either to make a bundle of money or to just be rid of the thing.''
Talk of using the picture to finance a new, more convenient lodge building caused particular friction, the lodge member said. The sale was voted down last month.
``That is precisely the image that we do not want to foster, that we are just selling off the assets.'' McCray said. ``Everything about our lodge and George . . . is held very dear to the members.''
The painting was done sometime in the 1790s when Washington sat for a series of portraits by the celebrity painter. Stuart copied his own Washington portraits and sold several replicas as a lucrative sideline, according to Washington biographer Richard Norton Smith. The Masons' portrait is apparently one of those.
``They're important and they're valuable, but a lot of what a painting is worth is of course based on the condition it's in, and whether it is worth the cost of restoration,'' Cromwell said.
Museums are usually reluctant to undertake major restoration work on a painting that is only on loan, he said.
``It's just like rental property. You might put a picture on the wall as a tenant, but you won't sand and patch the plaster.'' by CNB