Hugh Blaker and the Old Masters: The connoisseurship of the man who discovered the Isleworth Mona Lisa

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This essay provides access to and context for the little-known activities of the early-twentieth century art dealer-collector Hugh Blaker and the influence he sought to exert on art history through his discovery of what he declared to be an earlier version, not a copy, of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, executed in part by the Master himself. Based on original research, the argument establishes a profile of Blaker as a promoter of modernism and dealer in Old Masters whose connoisseurship was rooted in a regret that he lacked the single-mindedness of vision that could have enabled him to succeed as an artist.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLeonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Subtitle of host publicationNew Perspectives
EditorsJean-Pierre Isbouts
Place of PublicationSanta Barbara
PublisherFielding University Press
Pages119-136
Number of pages18
ISBN (Print)9780986393037
Publication statusPublished - 22 Mar 2019

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