PIUS X, Pope (1908)

Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto was born on June 2, 1835. He was elected Pope on August 4, 1903 and died on August 20, 1914, aged 81. He was beatified in 1951 and canonised in 1954.

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Muller-Ury departed for Europe at the start of May 1908, stayed in the Eden Hotel in Rome whilst painting the Pope’s portrait, and arrived home in New York on September 5, 1908. On June 10 he was photographed in the Vatican’s gardens by Monsignor Sciapirelli, and must have left Rome after presentation of the first three quarter portrait painted in 1907 after July 13, 1908. American Art News, October 24, 1908 and the New York Evening Mail, October 26, 1908 both state that he painted a full-length and a smaller portrait of the Pope this summer.

In a letter dated November 1, 1908 to Archbishop James Farley of New York (Archdiocesan Archives, Yonkers 4, New York: AANY – Box I – 11) Muller-Ury wrote as follows:

‘My dear Archbishop

I was very sorry not to find your Grace home when I called twice as I wanted so much to see Your Grace for different reasons.

I decided to present to Your Grace for the episcopal residence the replica of the large portrait of His Holiness Pope Pius X. I took this portrait to Rome last summer and had a sitting from His Holiness to finish what I wanted and since I am back worked for weeks to finish this work — Now I consider this portrait the best work I ever painted & the best & most perfect likeness of His Holiness. The plan was to try to get some catholic friends to buy it & present it, but I thought matters over & decided to present this myself & bring this sacrifice for the admiration I have for Your Grace and the love of the sublime personality of His Holiness. I am sure that it will help to appreciate more & more the wonderfull [sic] Pontiff.

I would like to have Your Grace come some day soon to my studio to see the painting now finished.

Your devoted, A. Muller Ury.’

However, Muller-Ury received no reply from the Archbishop so he wrote again on November 19, 1908 to see if the letter reached him. (Archdiocesan Archives, Yonkers 4, New York: AANY – Box I – 11) Unfortunately, it is not known whether Farley called to see the picture, but according to the New York Herald, October 24, 1913, the picture ended up ‘…in the home of Cardinal Farley.’

The portrait is in pretty good condition, but on examination in June 1996 the canvas was found to have a double gash down the upper left hand side which, however, does not touch the figure of the Pope.

I am grateful to Sister Marguerita Smith, Archivist at St. Joseph’s Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York, for supplying me with many of these references, and for enabling me to examine the portrait in storage in June 1996.