Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966)

In 1932, Maxfield Parrish accepted a commission from his childhood friend, Irénée Du Pont, to paint a spectacular mountain and landscape mural to be placed in the organ well of his home in Granogue, Delaware. In preparation for this undertaking, the artist executed a smaller oil study (Study for the Du Pont Mural, oil on board, 23 x 32 in., private collection), which he sent to his friend on approval. Du Pont endorsed the commission immediately, and was so pleased with the concept that he offered to purchase the study outright as well. Parrish declined, choosing to keep the study for himself, to be hung over his fireplace. The completed mural consisting of three panels measuring 7 x 4 feet each was installed in Du Pont's music well in 1933.

In May 2001 Dr. Joyce Hill Stoner, Professor and Paintings Conservator at Winterthur/University of Delaware Art Program in Art Conservation, began the renewal of Du Pont Mural in partnership with Save America's Treasures. Dr. Stoner commented on the undertaking, "This ambitious project, the restoration and preservation of Maxfield Parrish's 1933 Du Pont Mural, is the American equivalent of the restoration of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper...." The conservation of the murals took approximately four years to complete. According to Dr. Stoner, the project required a total of 3,870 hours and involved the efforts of 54 University of Delaware conservation students. The completion date of January 2005 allowed the mural to join the prestigious exhibition, Maxfield Parrish: Master of Make Believe, which toured the country from January 2005 to May 2006.