On the top floor of the Boston Public Library, a magnificent gallery of paintings depict old pagan religions, Hebrew prophets and the emergence of Christianity.
But the gallery is missing its centerpiece, and has been for over a century.
On the east wall is a massive rectangle of blank, sand-colored stone where a mural called “Sermon on the Mount” was expected to depict the famous scene from the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus delivers one of his famous sermons: The Beatitudes.
The scene would have been the final piece in the mural cycle, but Sargent died in 1925, before it could be completed.
“One of the things that’s most surprising to me about Sermon on the Mount is the absence of preparatory studies that I would have expected in advance of, shall we say, a culminating picture like that one,” said Mark Mitchell, who is a curator of American paintings and sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery.
The Boston Public Library houses many of Sargent’s preparatory work in their special collections department.
But when it comes to “Sermon on the Mount,” there exists just one sketch.
The sketch is faint. There’s clearly a figure surrounded by a crowd. But beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s actually going on.
Mitchell said it’s odd that the crown jewel of the mural cycle would have only a single, loose sketch on a small piece of paper — especially since other panels contain multiple sketches or detailed studies.
For example, in sketches for the others, there is significantly more detail — shadow and shading and some experimentation with the weight and texture of fabric.
Why did Sargent never finish it?
“Sermon on the Mount” was to be positioned between two panels titled “Synagogue” and “Church.” When those were installed in 1919, Sargent was met with backlash from the city’s Jewish community. “Synagogue” itself was even splattered with ink.
“I think part of the reason ['Sermon on the Mount’] was never completed was because he wasn’t so sure of how to go forward after this,” says Erica Hirshler, a senior curator with the Museum of Fine Arts.
Mitchell, too, believes the controversy may have played a role in the incomplete status of “Sermon on the Mount.” Even so, it seems strange, he said, especially considering that the three murals — “Church,” “Synagogue” and “Sermon on the Mount” — were all to be on the same wall.
Sargent’s work on the mural cycle “Triumph of Religion” spanned 29 years of the artist’s career. The questions and theories surrounding his lack of progress on a would-be masterpiece have simmered for over a century.
And in that time, the space has remained blank — just one more mystery for the public to ponder as they visit this remarkable public art.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
