Philadelphia Antiques Show 2018

correspondence, they did not hear from him for several years. When the Managers again received word from West, he apologized and explained he had been ill but has fully recovered. He also explained that he had exhibited his painting in London and that it caused such a sensation that funds were raised to purchase it from him for 3000 guineas—the most money paid for a painting by a living artist at the time, a status held by West for several years. At the time, West needed the money and agreed to the sale, but he also noted he had secured the right to copy his original, and would begin that task immediately. The second, he assured them, would be better than the first. Samuel Coates, Secretary of Pennsylvania Hospital, replied to West on August 26, 1811, that while the Managers were disap- pointed they would not receive the original painting, they were relieved another would be painted for them. The second Christ Healing the Sick was completed in 1815, and shipped to Philadelphia on the ship Electra after being displayed in London. Special care was taken in securing the painting for its voyage. The painting finally arrived in 1817 accompanied by a letter from Benjamin West declaring the second was, in fact, superior to the original. He donated the painting in his and his late wife, Elizabeth’s, name. (The West’s were married over 50 years at the time of her death.) The Managers of Pennsylvania Hospital built what became known as the “Picture House” specifically for West’s Christ Healing the Sick ; the painting hung there for over twenty-five years. From 1817 through 1843, the hospital displayed West’s painting, along with a miniature of Benjamin West himself, and raised $25,000.00 from donations. Added to the second version was the “lunatic boy” or the “demoniac” which was meant as a homage to the hospital’s care of the mentally ill. This painting remains on display in the pavillion leading into the historic Pine Building. Individuals interested in a guided tour of the Pennsylvania Hospital should contact Curator- Lead Archivist Stacey Peeples at 215-829-5434 or stacey.peeples@ uphs.upenn.edu . Guided tours are offered, by appointment only, Monday through Friday at either 10am or 1pm and must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. The Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections are grateful to be the beneficiary of the 2018 Antiques Show. The funds will be directed to the ongoing investment in conservation and digitization of key artifacts. Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple, by Benjamin West. Pennsylvania Hospital Historic Collections. W 139 W