life-size figures, standing and seen to the knees, one a young woman
dressed in a red gown with white sleeves and white cape. Her complexion
is rosy, and she has an abundance of brown hair. She is simply covered
with jewels,--a comb, earrings, collar, large chain, bracelets, rings of
pearls, and sparkling gems. Her face is tranquil and radiant. Her
gallant companion is about to embrace her, his face full of tenderness.
He wears a long wig with curls falling over his shoulders and has no
beard; this was the fashion after 1660. He has a large black cap on his
head, and his pourpoint, mantle, and wide and embroidered sleeves are
yellow. The head of the man is very highly finished, slightly recalling
in manner those in The Syndics; but his clothing is somewhat hastily
done. The picture is unfinished, but in the dark fantastic background
some architecture with foliage and a vase of flowers suggesting a park
may be discerned to the left; also the vague form of a dog. On the
right, there are some shrubs and a wall. Burger thinks this was painted
in 1669, the last year of Rembrandt's life. The canvas is about five
feet long and four feet high.
=The Celebrated Portrait of Elizabeth Bas.=--The portrait of Elizabeth
Bas, the widow of Lieutenant Admiral Joachim Swartenhout, painted in
1642, is considered one of Rembrandt's most celebrated portraits. Seated
in an easy chair and wearing a rich dress profusely ornamented with
buttons, the stern, commanding face of the old lady looks directly at
the spectator. Her marvellously painted hands are folded over a
handkerchief, and she wears a cap and a fluted ruff.
Two other portraits by Rembrandt can be seen here: one, of a lady; and
the other, of his father (a copy).
=Multiplicity of Portraits in the Rijks.=--In the Rijks Gallery
portraits, either single or groups, outnumber all other branches of art.
Some of these have a world-wide reputation, while others are interesting
only to the special student. No less famous than Rembrandt's Elizabeth
Bas is that of another old lady, Maria Voogt, Madame van der Meer,
painted by Frans Hals in 1639, which hangs in the Van der Hoop Room.
"An old woman is seated in an arm-chair almost full face and of
natural size. She is dressed in black velvet, with a white ruff. Her
right hand holds a book with a silver clasp, the left hand rests on
the arm of the chair. The tone is neutral. A superb portrait of the
first order. You read above the coat-of-arms _AEtatis suae_ 64. _A{o}_
1639."[24]
=Hals's Portrait of Himself and his Wife.=--Hals's portrait of himself
and his wife, Lysbeth Reyniers, represents the couple as life-size and
seated in a rather uncomfortable position on a bank under the trees, in
a garden ornamented with statues and fountains. In the distance a
peacock struts; and the scene is so cheerful that the smiling faces of
Hals and his wife are quite explicable. The latter's ruff is of enormous
size and marvellously painted.
=Hals's The Jester.=--Hals always loved to render the face in action, to
fix forever a rapid fleeting expression; and one of his most notable
achievements is the famous Jester owned by Baron Rothschild in Paris. As
few art lovers can ever have the chance of seeing this masterpiece, the
admirable copy that hangs in the Rijks, said to have been made by Dirck
Hals, should be carefully examined. The canvas is variously known as The
Jester, The Fool, The Mandolin Player, and The Lute Player; and is said
to be a portrait of the artist's pupil, Adriaen Brouwer; but whoever he
is, he is a rascally, impudent fellow with a mocking, cynical smile, and
belongs to the same class as Touchstone, Dogberry, Launcelot Gobbo, and
other of our prized and disreputable Shakespearian acquaintances. Hals's
Jester is a creation. Look at the vagabond well, first because he will
soon twang the chords of his lute, break out into a song of the day,
then doff his cap and beg for money. Look at the pose of his left hand
and the strong, flexible thumb. He can _play_. Next look at the artist's
work and note the broad sweeps of the brush that so simply but surely
create the features and expression.
A Jolly Man is another of Hals's pictures that may be classed as
portraits, a splendid piece of work. Go closely up to the picture and
notice how the broad brush strokes are made.
[Illustration: MOREELSE
The Little Princess]
=Moreelse's The Little Princess.=--A very charming portrait is that of
The Little Princess by Moreelse. The child looks somewhat demurely at
the spectator, with large brown eyes. Her face is round, her forehead
high, and her light brown hair, brushed severely from her face, is
ornamented with a pink rose held in place by a jewelled band. Her large
earrings are coral and pearl. A necklace and bracelets of three rows of
handsome pearls adorn her neck and wrists, and a brooch containing a
miniature set with jewels fastens the rosette at the point of her
collar. Her dress is of dark green velvet embroidered with gold and
fastened by rich girdles and chains. Marvellously indeed has the artist
executed the lace and transparent lawn of which the "butterfly" ruff and
dainty cuffs are made. The little right hand rests lovingly on the head
of a King Charles spaniel, whose neck is adorned with bells. An old rose
curtain gives a charming note of color to the background.
=Moreelse's Great Success as a Portrait-painter.=--Paulus Moreelse
(1571-1638), a native of Utrecht and a pupil and follower of Mierevelt
in Delft, became so successful as a portrait-painter that all the great
ladies desired to sit to him. He visited Rome in 1604, and on his return
painted for a time historical and architectural subjects. He was also a
capable engraver and architect.
=Other Portraits by Moreelse.=--In addition to The Little Princess, we
may see in this gallery a very fine portrait of Maria van Utrecht, wife
of Joan van Oldenbarnevelt, at the age of sixty-three (1615); also a
Portrait of Himself; one of A Woman; another of Frederick V., King of
Bohemia; another of Colonel Wtenhoghe; and The Beautiful Shepherdess,
dated 1630, with flowers and a veil on her head, yellow draperies, and a
rake in her hand. This picture was purchased for 2,150 florins in 1817.
In all probability it is a portrait.
[Illustration: MIEREVELT
Prince Maurits of Nassau]
=Mierevelt, a Popular Portrait-painter.=--Michael Mierevelt (1567-1641),
the son of a goldsmith and pupil of Anthony van Montfoort at Utrecht,
attained notoriety by his portraits of some of the princes of the House
of Nassau. From that time he was never without orders; and he is
supposed to have painted a greater number of portraits than any other
artist of his country. Mierevelt spent most of his life in Delft. The
Rijks contains a great number of his works, among which are: portraits
of Jacob Cats; Johan v. Oldenbarnevelt; F. Hendrik; Philips Willem,
Prince of Orange; Prince Maurits; Johannes Uitenbogaert; Frederick V.,
Elector of the Palatinate; Lubbert Gerritz; Paulus van Beresteyn;
Volckera Nicolai; Henrick Hooft, and of Aegje Hasselaer, wife of Henrick
Hooft.
=Portraits by Honthorst.=--The student of history and lover of portraits
will be attracted by the following Honthorsts: Frederick Wilhelm,
Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife, Louise Henriette of Orange;
William II., Prince of Orange; William II. with his wife, Princess Maria
Stuart of England; Frederik Hendrik; Amalia v. Solms; and the Princes of
Orange, William I., Maurits, Frederik Hendrik, William II., and William
III.
=Portraits by Van der Helst.=--By Van der Helst there are portraits of
Maria Stuart, Princess Royal of England, widow of William II., Prince of
Orange; Portrait of a Warrior; and Portraits of Andries Bicker,
Burgomaster of Amsterdam (1586-1652); and Gerard A. Bicker (1623-66).
=Rubens's Portrait of Helena Fourment.=--Rubens's portrait of Helena
Fourment shows his second wife, in a different mood and costume from the
one in the Mauritshuis. Here she is represented full face, with hair
curled in tufts, a satin bodice, high fan-shaped ruff spreading behind
the head, throat half bare, with necklace and many jewels. He has also a
portrait of Anna Maria, wife of Louis XIII. of France.
=Portraits by Van Dijck.=--Van Dijck is represented by a Portrait of
William II., Prince of Orange, and his Betrothed, Mary Stuart, painted
in 1641; a Portrait of a Man; and one of Johannes Baptist Franck, a
young man of twenty-eight, with light hair, pointed beard, and
moustache, and wearing a black cloak draped in graceful folds. This was
once in Lucien Bonaparte's collection.
=Portraits by T. de Keijser.=--A few examples of Theodor de Keijser,
though of small dimensions, rank among the best specimens of this
painter.
=Change of Fashion in Portrait-painting exemplified by Maes.=--Maes,
more familiar by his _genre_, has no less than eight portraits here,
besides a large corporation picture representing the Chiefs of the
Corporation of Surgeons of Amsterdam, 1680-81. The great difference in
style and quality between the early and late portraits of this master
has led many to believe that they are the work of more than one master.
The change is attributed to his visit to Antwerp; but it has been
pointed out that the fashion was changing everywhere, including
Amsterdam, where even Rembrandt during the closing years of his life was
despised and neglected by the fashionable public. Maes, on the other
hand, made concessions to the vulgar taste; and, for a quarter of a
century, produced an enormous quantity of secondary or mediocre
portraits, in which all trace of his master's qualities was lost.
=Artists' Portraits of Themselves.=--Though not so great in the line of
painters' portraits of themselves as the Uffizi, the Rijks possesses a
good number of men who thought they saw themselves as others saw them,
or at any rate, as they wished posterity to know them. Among these are
Jan Steen, Gerrit Dou, Ferdinand Bol, Honthorst, Ter Borch, and L.
Bakhuysen.
A fine portrait by Bol of the famous sculptor Artus Quellin; a Male
Portrait by Dou; one of Amalia v. Solms by Flinck; and the Portrait of
an Architect with his Wife and Child, by Bernhart Fabritius, deserve
notice.
=Van der Helst, a Great Portrait-painter.=--Bartholomew van der Helst
(1613-70) was considered the greatest portrait-painter of his time, and
received more money for his portraits than any other Dutch painter; yet,
notwithstanding his industry and the money that he received, he died
poor. He is thought to have been a pupil of Nicholas Eliasz Pickenoy at
Amsterdam, where he fell under the influence of Rembrandt.
=Description of The Civic Guard Banquet.=--Bartholomew van der Helst's
great work, The Schuttersmaaltijd (Civic Guard Banquet), held June 18,
1648, in the upper hall of the Cross-bow, or St. George Company House,
at the Singel, in celebration of the Peace of Munster, always
fascinates.
The twenty-five figures are all portraits. At the head of the table
Captain Wits is seated in a chair of black oak with a velvet cushion. He
is dressed in black velvet, his breast covered with a cuirass, and on
his head is a broad-brimmed black hat with white plumes. His left hand,
supported on his knee, holds a magnificent silver drinking-horn
ornamented with a St. George and the Dragon,--which valuable piece of
silver, by the way, is on permanent exhibition with other beakers and
drinking-horns of the old guilds in the Rijks. The good-humored Captain
is cordially grasping the hand of Lieutenant Van Waveren, who wears a
handsome pearl-gray doublet richly brocaded with gold, and lace collar
and cuffs. His feet are crossed, and he wears boots of yellow leather
with large tops and gold spurs. His hat is black, with dark brown
plumes. Behind him, in the centre of the picture, is the
standard-bearer, Jacob Banning, in easy, martial attitude, hat in hand,
his right hand on his chair, his right leg on his left knee. He holds
the flag of blue silk, on which the Virgin is embroidered. The banner
covers his shoulder, and he looks out toward the spectator frankly and
complacently. The man behind him is probably a sergeant. He wears a
cuirass, yellow gloves, gray stockings, and boots with large tops and
kneecaps of cloth. On his knee is a napkin, and in his hands a piece of
ham, a slice of bread, and a knife. The old man behind him is thought to
be William the Drummer. In one hand he holds his hat, and in the other a
gold-footed wineglass filled with the most marvellously painted white
wine. He wears a black satin doublet slashed with yellow silk, and a red
sash. Behind him are two matchlock men seated at the end of a table.
One, with a napkin on his knee, is eating with his knife; the other
holds a long glass of white wine, also a marvel of the painter's skill.
Four musketeers, with differently shaped hats, stand behind; one holds a
glass, the others have their guns on their shoulders. Between the
standard-bearer and the Captain several guests are placed: one is
carving a fowl; another, with his hat off and hand uplifted, is talking
to his neighbor; a third is filling a cup from a silver flagon; and a
fourth holds a silver plate. Behind the Captain are two other figures,
one of whom is peeling an orange. Two others with halberts are standing,
and one holds a plumed hat. Between Banning and the Captain there are
three others, one of whom holds a pewter pot, engraved with the name
Pocock, the landlord of the Hotel Doele. At the back a maidservant is
bringing in a pasty on which rests a turkey. The _facades_ of two houses
are seen through the panes of the window in the background. In the
left-hand corner stands a very handsome wine-cooler.
=Reynolds's Opinion of this Picture.=--"The best picture in this house
is painted by Van der Helst. It represents a company of trained bands,
about thirty figures, whole-length, among which the Spanish Ambassador
is introduced shaking hands with one of the principal figures. This is
perhaps the first picture of portraits in the world, comprehending
more of those qualities which make a perfect portrait than any other I
have ever seen: they are correctly drawn, both head and figures, and
well colored; and have great variety of action, characters, and
countenances, and those so lively and truly expressing what they are
about, that the spectator has nothing to wish for. Of this picture I
had before heard great commendations; but it far exceeded my
expectations." ...
=A Portrait Group by Rembrandt, and another by Van der Helst.=--"A
Frieze over one of the doors in chiaroscuro by De Witt, is not only
one of the best deceptions I have seen, but the boys are well drawn;
the ceiling and side of the room are likewise by him, but a poor
performance. The academy of painting is a part of this immense
building: in it are two admirable pictures, composed entirely of
portraits,--one by Rembrandt, and the other by Bartholomew van der
Helst. That of Rembrandt contains six men dressed in black; one of
them, who has a book before him, appears to have been reading a
lecture; the top of the table not seen. The heads are finely painted,
but not superior to those of his neighbor. The subject of Van der
Helst is the Society of Archers bestowing a premium: they appear to be
investing some person with an order. The date on this is 1657; on the
Rembrandt 1661."
=Van der Helst's Masterpiece.=--Captain Roelof Bicker's Company, painted
in 1639, has been termed Van der Helst's masterpiece. It is the largest
picture of its class in the gallery and contains thirty-two figures.
Captain Bicker and Lieutenant Jan Blaeu have brought their men from
their headquarters, and are welcoming a new ensign before the Brewery de
Haen (the Cock) on the corner of the Lastaadje (Geldersche Kade and
Bloomsloot), in 1639. The picture is remarkable for its wonderful
display of color and the vitality that every figure possesses.
[Illustration: B. VAN DER HELST
Company of Captain R. Bicker]
=Regent, Doelen, and Corporation Pictures.=--In every gallery in Holland
the traveller will come across the life-size groups known as "Regent,"
"Doelen," and "Corporation" pictures. These are always portraits of
members of shooting, charitable, and medical civic societies and guilds
of merchants, and were painted at the order of these various companies
to hang in their guild halls, shooting galleries (_doelen_), and
hospitals. Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Bartholomew van der Helst brought
these pictures to their highest expression and made of them artistic
compositions. Hals's great works of this class are in Haarlem; but the
Rijks owns, as we have seen, the celebrated Night Watch and The Syndics,
and B. Van der Helst's masterpieces, Schuttersmaaltijd and Company of
Captain Roelof Bicker.
=Similar Pictures by Govert Flinck.=--Next in importance are the works
of Govert Flinck (1615-60), a pupil and close imitator of Rembrandt, who
devoted his energies to portraits and historical and religious subjects.
Three "Corporation" or "Doelen" pictures by his hand hang in this
gallery; also Isaac Blessing Jacob, dated 1638; and three portraits,
including one of J. van den Vondel, who thought so highly of Flinck
that he compared him to the Greek Apelles.
=His Greatest Work.=--His most important "Corporation" picture depicts
the same scene as Van der Helst's. This, called Arquebusiers of
Amsterdam at a Banquet Celebrating the Signing of the Peace of Munster
in 1648, is considered this artist's greatest work; it is particularly
interesting from the fact that it contains a portrait of the painter
himself standing in the doorway. This picture is in two groups: on the
left, nine men are coming from the St. Jorisdoele, led by Captain Jan
Huidecoper van Maarseveen, dressed in black velvet, with a blue sash;
and the other group, consisting of eleven figures, is led by Lieutenant
Frans van Waveren, also dressed in black velvet with a blue sash, who is
congratulating the Captain.
The two other "Regent" pictures are: Four Chief Masters of the
Arquebusiers' Shooting Company and The Company of Captain Bas and
Lieutenant Conyn.
=Bol's Pictures of this Class.=--Burger, however, when looking at
Ferdinand Bol's pictures of this class in the Rijks, especially The
Regents of the Leprozenhuis in Amsterdam, and its companion The Lady
Patronesses of the Leprozenhuis, placed the artist second to none but
Rembrandt, and even the superior of B. van der Helst.
=Description of the First of These.=--The first picture (8 by 6 feet)
represents the Regents of the establishment, among whom are the
Burgomaster Hofdt and the Receiver of Amsterdam, Pieter van
Uitenbogaard, Rembrandt's friend. All are dressed in black, with large
hats, and are seated around a table covered with a Persian carpet. The
_custos_ is bringing before them a little bare-headed leper. The figures
are life-size, and "have the distinction of Van Dijck's personages,"
writes Burger, "and the solidity and depth of Rembrandt's."
=Dujardin's Regents of the House of Correction.=--Karel Dujardin's
Regents of the House of Correction in Amsterdam, painted in 1669, is
another remarkable work and very unusual in style for this artist. The
canvas is no less than 12 feet 8 inches by 7 feet 8 inches, and
represents the five Regents. Of natural size, these are grouped around a
table with a violet velvet cover. (Violet, it may be noted, was Karel
Dujardin's favorite color.) One of the Regents, his body turned to the
left and his head three-quarters, is seated in front, with his right
hand on the table; he holds a paper with a coat-of-arms dated February,
1669, and signed "Medelman"; his left hand rests on his hip. Another
holds out his hand to a servant, who is bringing him a paper. One only
is standing. All are dressed in black, with large black hats and white
neckbands. Some white marble columns in the style of G. de Lairesse are
seen in the background, where a servant with her hands crossed over her
waist is entering the open door and turning her head to listen to a
young man. Heads, hands, faces, and costumes are all remarkably
depicted.
=Other Pictures of the Same Class.=--Before dismissing the Corporation
pictures we may mention J. van Sandrart's Captain van Swieten's Company
Preparing to Escort Queen Dowager Marie de Medici, painted in 1638, and
considered the artist's chief work; P. Moreelse's Amsterdam
Arquebusiers; N. Elias's Banquet of Captain J. Backer's Company; B. van
der Helst's Presidents of the Voetboog-doelen and Presidents of the
Handboog-doelen.
One of the earliest pictures of this class is Cornelis Teunissen's
Banquet of the Civic Guards of the Cross-bow Company, painted in
Amsterdam in 1533. Another by the same artist, Guards of the
Cloveniers-doelen, was painted in 1557. A still earlier one, Dirck
Jacobsz's Civic Guards of the Cloveniers-doelen, was painted in 1529.
This artist is also represented by Civic Guards of the Arquebusiers,
which hangs near Dirck Barentsz's Civic Guards and Civic Guards of the
Cross-bow Company. A number of Regent pictures also hang in the Hall of
Anatomy Pictures, including Lessons in Anatomy, by Thomas de Keijser,
Nicolaes Elias, Dr. J. Deyment, and Rembrandt (the latter a fragment).
It is unlikely, however, that the visitor will care to linger in this
lugubrious hall.
=The Portrait Hall.=--We now pass into the Portrait Hall, which contains
two portrait collections, consisting of portraits bequeathed by the
Bicker family of Amsterdam, and twenty-six pictures purchased in 1895
from the descendants of the great Admiral de Ruyter. Here we again find
a number of Corporation and Regent pictures, chief among which is
Rembrandt's Syndics of the Guild of Clothmakers, which has been
described.
=Abundance of Dutch Landscapes in the Rijks.=--The Rijks is rich in
landscapes of every period of Dutch art. Ruisdael is particularly well
represented. His pictures are The Torrent, Chateau de Bentheim, Winter,
The Forest, View of Haarlem, Landscape, Wooded Landscape, Landscape in
Norway, and View of the Rhine near Wijk bij Duurstede.
=Description of Ruisdael's View of the Rhine near Duurstede.=--Burger
thought that the picture of the banks of the Rhine taken from Wijk near
Duurstede deserved to be placed by the side of the superb Tempest in the
Louvre; for it has "the same original grandeur of execution and the same
depth of sentiment." This is almost a marine. The water occupies almost
all the left foreground, where you note a sail-boat. A large boat, the
masts of which you see only, has taken refuge in the little bay in the
centre. On the right, upon a tongue of land that juts out and is
bordered by piles, stands a windmill; behind this is a house, and on the
horizon a steeple. A little to the left of the mill and far distant is a
castle with turrets. On the road that leads to the mill come three
peasant women in white aprons. One wears a white head-dress; the two
others have yellow ones. You can also distinguish some other tiny
figures by the little bay where the boat lies. The incomparable sky is
gray, and the clouds are of the same hue.
=Burger on the Same Picture.=--"Earth, water, sky, all are so
beautifully combined in a harmony so strong and dominating, so simple
and magnificent, that you are impressed with that strange--almost
terrible--effect produced, and you can't tell why. Indeed, there is
only a large mill with a round, tower-like base in the ordinary
fashion of the country, and three women who are returning to the
village. There is nothing to excite the imagination. Yet,
notwithstanding, you are filled with an irresistible melancholy. The
character and nature of the people are so strongly marked that you are
taken out of yourself and transported by the force of the artist's
heart and creation."
Another picture represents a mill with its wheel in the water; and on
the right some wood-cutters at work. This is a strong picture, but a
little sombre.
=Burger on The Cascade.=--"The Cascade [6 feet long by 4 feet high]
seems to have been composed with various elements of Nature herself.
The water bounds and foams in the foreground and over the entire
canvas. Above this great torrent on the right are tall trees, beneath
which are four little figures; and on the left, a clump of shrubs, in
the shadows of which a flock of sheep is passing by the brook. In the
background, behind the meadows, a belfry is seen on the horizon. It is
very rich, very vigorous, very beautiful."