Aaron the Jew: A NovelFarjeon, B. L. (Benjamin Leopold)
General
Aaron the Jew: A Novel
Farjeon, B. L. (Benjamin Leopold)
Adopted children -- Fiction; Jews -- England -- Fiction
The esteem in which he was held was to be demonstrated by two
presentations, one a portrait of himself by a famous English artist,
the other a picture also, the subject being withheld from his
knowledge. This second painting was no other than the picture of
Rachel sitting beneath the cherry tree, which had created so much
interest in the Paris _salon_ more than a dozen years ago. It had
originally been purchased by a collector, who had lately died. After
his death his collection had been brought to the hammer, and this
particular picture was purchased by a London dealer, who exhibited it
in his shop. The first intention was to present a silver memorial with
Aaron's portrait, but a friend of his happened to see the French
picture in London, and was struck by the wonderful resemblance of the
principal figure to Rachel. He made inquiries privately of Aaron
respecting his sojourn in the south of France, and learned that there
was a picturesque cherry tree in the grounds at the back of the house,
in the shadow of which Rachel was in the habit of sitting in sunny
weather, that he had a friend, the curé of the village, and that one
summer a French painter had visited the village and had made a number
of sketches of Rachel and the garden. Following up his inquiries,
Aaron's friend obtained from the London dealer some information of the
history of the picture and of the year in which it was exhibited, and,
putting this and that together, he came to the conclusion that Rachel
had unconsciously sat for the picture. It was an interesting
discovery, and the first idea of a silver presentation was put aside,
and the picture substituted in its place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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