A Return to the Morgan: Familiar Masterpieces and Fresh Encounters

Virgin Mary Nursing the Christ Child, Hermeneia, in Coptic and Greek, written and illuminated by the Deacon Basili and his son Samouel, Egypt, Touton, 897-98

I returned to the Morgan Library and Museum to see Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life one final time before its January 4, 2026, closing—and found it even more compelling than on my first visit.

With more time than before, I revisited Weathering the Storm (on view through February 8, 2026) and took in the newly installed Individuality and Identity: Naming Sitters in French Portrait Drawings, an exhibition examining how nineteenth-century French portrait drawings shape individuality while exposing the fragility of identification and identity.

I also made a point to finally see the Renoir: Drawing exhibition, running through February 8, 2026. Not a fan, I was hoping to take a fresh look at the Impressionist giant; my perspective, however, remained unchanged—my reservations held. To be clear, my dislike has nothing to do with modern moral criticisms. I found the drawings mediocre at best, marked by weak composition and disproportionate anatomy.

I concluded the visit, as always, in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library: the East Room, the Rotunda, the Librarian’s Office (North Room), and the West Room—Morgan’s Study—spaces that never fail to anchor the experience in timeless grandeur.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, December 22nd, Feast of Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini

(L) Virgin and the Crucified Christ Intercede for Catherine of Cleves, Hours of Catherine of Cleves, in Latin, illuminated by the Master of Catherine of Cleves, The Netherlands, Utrecht, ca. 1440 (R) Triumphant Christ, Sacramentary of Mont-Saint-Michel, in Latin, France, Mont-Saint-Michel, ca. 1060

(L) Virgin and Child with Patrons, Cuerden Psalter, in Latin, England, Oxford, ca. 1270. (R) Scenes from the Life of Christ, single leaf from William de Brailes Psalter, England, Oxford, 1230-60

Massacre of the Innocents with Patron, Des Pres Psalter,
in Latin, Belgium, Liège, ca. 1290-1305

(L-R) David Slays Goliath and David and Bathsheba,
from the Crusader Bible, France, Paris, ca. 1244-54

Shipyard at Le Havre, 1831, oil on paper, mounted
on canvas, Jules Coignet, French, 1798-1860

Sunset on the Normandy Coast, ca. 1850, oil on paper,
mounted on canvas, Eugène Isabey, French, 1803-1886

(L) Portrait of Adolphe Marcellin, Defresne, 1825, graphite, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). (R) Portrait of Madame Charles Damour, 1852, Graphite with white chalk, Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856)

(L) A Man of Tangier, 1832, watercolor over graphite, Eugène Delacroix
(1798-1863). (L) Pauline Villot in Algerian Costume, ca. 1833,
pen and brown ink, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863)

Portrait of Jamila Bouzaglo, 1832, graphite, Château de
Chantilly, France, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863)

The Great Bathers, oil on canvas, 1886-87, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Three Figures and Part of a Foot (Study for "The Great Bathers"), ca. 1886-87. (R) Splashing Figure (Study for "The Great Bathers"), ca. 1886-87 Red, white, and black chalk, with stumping, and black Conté crayon on tracing paper, mounted to canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Child with a Cat or Julie Manet, 1887, oil on canvas. (R) Young Woman Seated, 1909, oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Female Nude, ca. 1890, pastel. (R) Seated Nude, ca. 1880, oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Motherhood, 1885, red and white chalk on paper, mounted to canvas. (R) Motherhood, 1885 Oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Seated Nude Seen from the Back, ca. 1885-87, red and white chalk on paper, mounted to board. (R) Seated Nude, ca. 1891, black chalk, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Kneeling male donor with his patron, St. William of Maleval, ca. 1467-70, oil on panel, Hans Memling (ca. 1440-1494). (R) Bust of Woman, marble, attributed to Gregorio di Lorenzo (ca. 1436-1504)