This is the original painting for the book cover of Fulton Oursler's book "The Greatest Story Ever Told". My father did two comprehensives for the art directors to look at. When he showed them to two "preliminary" paintings they flipped out over this one. So he started to pack them up thinking he would either refine or repaint the portrait for the final art work but "oh no". they wouldn't let him leave, they wanted it just the way it was, "but it's only a sketch" he said. "No, this is what we want." They insisted. "I can't let this be reproduced with my name on it in this condition." He replied. The solution was to send out for some watercolor paints and he touched it up as they watched on anxiously, and then he signed it. This was done with with a child's set of paints and was printed on over a million covers! Unfortunately my father choose to be paid a flat rate rather than a royalty, no doubt the rent was due, but a fortune slipped through his fingers. He did retain reproduction rights and I believe it was the last copyrighted religious painting allowed a copyright. I still have hundreds of letters requesting prints of this painting but he never did it. I don't know why. Incidental my mother posed for both portraits.