From: Sheila D'Amico
(s damico law@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004
Clarence Rudolph Mattei (1883-1945) was an artist from the Santa
Barbara (CA) area. When Clarence was an art student in Paris, he
visited Sargent in London in March 1905. I have a (very brief) note
from Clarence in which he writes
"I went to see Sargent yesterday as there is a very particular friend of mine in New York who wanted me to do it very much as he and Sargent are quite old chums. I had a very nice time for he showed me several large portraits that he has just finished and one, the Duke of Marlborough and family, is simply a wonder."((It is an excerpt from a letter from Clarence to Mary Edith "Molly" Crittenden, dated 1 April 1905, postmarked London 1 Apr 2:15.)
Clarence went on to become a prominent portraitist. It is said he (Clarence) got the idea of doing charcoal portraits from Sargent. (They might have encountered each other at another time but right now I do not have confirmation of that later meeting.) The Santa Barbara (CA) Historical Museum is doing an exhibit of their Mattei works this fall.
I'm currently writing a monograph about Clarence's first wife, Mary Edith "Molly" Crittendon.
Notes: