Lasciando da parte le follie della giovinezza - Study of a Boy in Profile, by Massimo Stanzione, circa 1620-25

 

Formerly in the collection of Rudolf Nureyev.

*

Adapted from Wikipedia:

Massimo Stanzione (also called Stanzioni; 1585, Frattamaggiore or Orta di Atella - 1656, Naples), Italian Baroque painter. Mainly active in Naples, he and his rival Jusepe de Ribera dominated the local artistic landscape for several decades. He was primarily a painter of altarpieces, working in both oils and fresco, the latter usually for ceilings. His main subject matter was biblical scenes, but he also painted portraits and mythological subjects. He had many pupils and followers as his rich use of color and idealized naturalism had a large influence on other local artists. In 1621 Pope Gregory XV gave him the title of Knight of the Golden Spur, and Pope Urban VIII made him a knight of St. John around 1624 and then a knight of the Order of Christ in 1627. From that time, he enjoyed signing his works as EQUES MAXIMUS - "Supreme Knight."

Long lost Letty - in celebration of the reappearance of Joan Crawford's "Letty Lynton," portraits by Hurrell, 1932

 

*

Letty Lynton is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and Nils Asther. Directed by Clarence Brown, the film was based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, the novel being based on a historical murder case. The film has since become remembered for two divergent reasons. The first relates to the major fashion trend it inspired: Adrian's "Letty Lynton dress" - a white cotton organdy gown with large ruffled sleeves, puffed at the shoulder - was copied by Macy's department store and was said to have sold over 50,000 replicas nationwide. 

The second reason is that the film has been unavailable for ninety years. Edward Sheldon and Margaret Ayer Barnes, co-authors of 1930 play Dishonored Lady had sued MGM claiming plagiarism, and a federal district court ruled in 1936 that MGM's script had too closely followed that of the plaintiff's play. The legal battle continued, with the case eventually going all the way to U.S. Supreme Court who ruled in playwrights' favor, finding MGM guilty of copyright violation. The result was that the studio had to pay the plaintiffs one-fifth of the film's profit, while MGM was forbidden from exhibiting the film until Dishonored Lady fell out of copyright... on 1 January 2026. In April 2026, Warner Bros. - who now owns the film - announced that a 4K restoration of Letty Lynton had been completed and would be premiered - again - at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles in May.

*

These images - taken by Hurrell as publicity for Letty Lynton - are shared from Instagram posters realdavidstenn and jcjoancrawford