long) is also a large picture. Here the cascade tumbles over little
rocks, and on the right are rocks, trees, a house, and one tall,
isolated tree. This is cleverly painted, but the composition is not
happy. The true accents of nature are lacking; for it is certain that
Ruisdael never was in Norway, and that he devoted himself to cascades
and rocks on account of his intimacy with Van Everdingen, whose bold
landscapes, so different from Holland, surprised and delighted the
Dutch. Everdingen had suffered shipwreck in Norway, and had been greatly
taken with its bold, savage scenery. His favorite subject was a
waterfall in a glen with sombre fringes of pines mingled with birch, and
log huts at the base of rocks and craggy slopes. The prevalence of
falling water in his pictures, when others could paint only the
monotonous Dutch lowlands, gained for him the name "Inventor of
Cascades."
Salomon Ruisdael (?-1670) has two fine landscapes, The Halt, dated 1660,
and The Village Inn, dated 1655.
=Description of Hobbema's Water Mill.=--Hobbema is represented by two
Water Mills and a Landscape. The picture in the Van der Hoop Collection
shows a wooden mill with red-tiled roof in the centre of the picture;
and behind it a background of tall trees. Hollowed-out-tree-trunks
supported by boards carry the water to the mill wheel, over which it
falls. The foreground is occupied with water in which ducks are
swimming. In the shadows of the door of the house, a tiny figure of a
man appears; and a small figure of a woman in bright red bodice, upon
which the sunlight falls, is busy washing clothes in a copper. On the
right, an old peasant in brown is holding by the hand a little boy who
wears a red cap. The Landscape is diversified with trees and thickets.
The sky is full of clouds, between which the rays of sunlight issue to
gild the verdure. Delicate tones of olive and gray distinguish this
beautiful picture.
[Illustration: HOBBEMA
The Water Mill]
=Description of Hobbema's Landscape.=--In the Landscape, which by some
is thought superior to the Water Mill, a house and barn are seen on the
right; two small figures are in front of the house, a man in black,
standing, and a woman in red, bending over; and there are a group of
trees, a large elm, and a hedge. All this is beautifully reflected in a
sheet of water in the foreground,--a reflection that seems to tremble.
This picture is only one foot five inches long by one foot high.
=Hobbema and his most Frequent Scenes.=--Meyndert Hobbema (1638-1709),
supposed to have been a pupil of Jacob Ruisdael, or of Jacob's brother
Salomon, was long neglected, and died in penury. He is now regarded
second to none but Ruisdael and his works are worth their weight in
gold. His most frequent scenes are villages surrounded by trees, such
as are frequently met with in Guelderland, with winding pathways leading
from house to house. A water mill occasionally forms a prominent
feature,--so prominent, indeed, as to give its name to the picture.
Again, he paints a slightly uneven country diversified by trees in
groups or rows, wheat fields, meadows, and small pools; occasionally a
view of a town with gates, or canals with sluices and quays; and more
rarely the ruins of an old castle or a stately residence in the far
distance.
=Hobbema, a Master of the Still Life of Woods and Waters.=--"It is
doubtful whether any one ever mastered so completely as he did the
still life of woods and hedges, or mills and pools. Nor can we believe
that he obtained this mastery otherwise than by constantly dwelling in
the same neighborhood, say in Guelders or on the Dutch Westphalian
border, where day after day he might study the branching and foliage
of trees and underwood embowering cottages and mills, under every
variety of light, in every shade of transparency, in all changes
produced by the season. Though his landscapes are severely and
moderately toned, generally in an olive key, and often attuned to a
puritanical gray or russet, they surprise us, not only by the variety
of their leafage, but by the finish of their detail as well as the
boldness of their touch. With astonishing subtlety light is shown
penetrating cloud, and illuminating--sometimes transiently, sometimes
steadily--different portions of the ground, shining through leaves
upon other leaves, and multiplying in an endless way the transparency
of the picture. If the chance be given him he mirrors all these things
in the still pool near a cottage, the reaches of a sluggish river, or
the swirl of a stream that feeds a busy mill. The same spot will
furnish him with several pictures. One mill gives him repeated
opportunity of charming our eye. And this wonderful artist, who is
only second to Ruisdael because he had not Ruisdael's versatility and
did not extend his study equally to downs and rocky eminences or
torrents and estuaries,--this is the man who lived penuriously, died
poor, and left no trace in the artistic annals of his country. It has
been said that Hobbema did not paint his own figures, but transferred
that duty to Adriaen van de Velde, Lingelbach, Barent Gael, and
Abraham Storck. As to this, much is conjecture."[25]
=Hackaert's Pictures.=--Jan Hackaert is perfect when he is simple and
inspired by the character and style of his own country. The Rijks owns
his beautiful Avenue of Ash-trees; a Clearing in the Forest; a Landscape
with Cattle; and a Landscape, which is full of light and delicacy, and
recalls the manner of Wijnants, although the arrangement follows the
pseudo-Italians.
=Hackaert's Avenue of Ash-trees.=--The Avenue of Ash-trees is a charming
picture, representing a park from which a hunting-party is about to set
forth in the early morning. The light shines on the trunks of the trees
that border the park, to the right of which is a large sheet of water.
Huntsmen accompanied by dogs, one of which is barking at two swans in
the pool, ladies and gentlemen on horseback, servants, and dogs, all
issue forth with good wishes from the master of the _chateau_ at the
gate. All of these elegantly painted little figures are the work of A.
van de Velde.
[Illustration: JAN HACKAERT
Avenue of Ash-trees]
=Joos van Winghen.=--Joos van Winghen (1544-1603) travelled to Rome,
where he lived for four years; and, on his return, was appointed Court
Painter to the Prince of Parma. He painted portraits, interiors, and
Biblical subjects. A Banquet and Masquerade at Night is one of his
best-known pictures.
=Pieter Aertsen.=--This artist has a picture called The Egg Dance, which
claims attention by its life and spirit.
=Jan Lijs.=--Jan Lijs (d. 1629) was a pupil of Goltzius; and then
visited France and Italy, where he executed large works under
Caravaggio's influence. His Music Party is signed and dated 1625; and
therefore belongs to his last and not his first period, as the catalogue
informs us.
=Pieter van Rijck.=--Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck (1568-1628) painted
interiors, especially kitchens, and landscape. He was a pupil of H.
Jacobs Grimani, whom he accompanied to Italy; he remained there fifteen
years. The big picture in the Rijks representing a kitchen interior was
described in enthusiastic terms by Van Mander.
=Willem Duyster.=--Willem Cornelisz Duyster (1599-1635) was a pupil of
Pieter Codde. His picture of Backgammon Players is matched by a similar
subject in St. Petersburg, and another in Dresden. Another picture in
the Rijks, variously attributed to J. v. Bijlert, Jan Lijs, P. Codde,
Jan Miense Molenaer and others, has by recent discoveries been finally
recognized as the work of Duyster. The subject is The Marriage of
Adriaen Ploos van Amstel, Lord of Oudegein and Tienhoven, to Agnes van
Bijler, widow Broekhuysen. A contemporary of whom little is known,
Abraham van der Hecken (fl. 1650), has a Butcher's Shop, painted with
much truth and spirit.
=Pieter de Bloot.=--Pieter de Bloot (1600-52) was a pupil of Jordaens;
he painted, however, more closely after Teniers, with fine grasp of
chiaroscuro and perspective, with a soft and agreeable coloring. He
copied nature so faithfully as to reproduce his subjects in all their
ignobleness. _Kermesses_ and interiors chiefly occupied his brush. The
Lawyer's Office is signed and dated 1628; it is a fine specimen of the
work of this artist in his prime.
=Van Gaesbeeck and Van der Kuyl.=--Adriaen van Gaesbeeck (?-1650), of
the same period, was probably one of G. Dou's pupils. He painted _genre_
pictures of small dimensions. His Young Man in a Study is full of the
feeling found in his master's work. Another painter of _genre_, who is
represented here by two charming pictures, is Gysbert van der Kuyl
(?-1673). He was a pupil of the famous Wouter Crabeth the Younger, and
like his early master, spent many years in France and Italy. Later in
life he modelled himself on Honthorst and Abraham Bloemaert. His Ruse
Surpasses Force and The Music Party are worth more than a passing
glance.
=Nicolas Moeyaert.=--Nicolas Cornelisz Moeyaert was a forerunner of
Rembrandt in his treatment of light and shade. His powers of portraiture
are exemplified here in a group of Regents; and another side of his art
is charmingly displayed in the Choice of a Lover.
=Jan van Bijlert.=--Jan van Bijlert (1603-71) was a painter of _genre_,
mythological, and historical subjects. Almost all his known pictures
were ordered by foreign rulers. The Guitar Player is a small example of
his work, for he usually painted his figures life-size. His style so
much resembles that of G. Honthorst that his pictures have frequently
been confounded with those of the latter.
=Adriaen Brouwer.=--Adriaen Brouwer studied with Adriaen van Ostade and
under Hals; and afterwards adopted the Flemish style when he returned to
Antwerp in 1631. However, he remained true to one ideal,--the striving
after true action and physiognomy, and the feeling for character and
expression. No finer examples of his powers in this field exist than The
Village Orgy and The Peasant Combat. These both belong to the days when
he was under the influence of Hals.
=Cornelis Saftleven.=--Cornelis Saftleven (1606-81) also took Brouwer as
his model, for his usual types and favorite motives are borrowed from
that master. Like Brouwer, he painted tavern interiors with men sitting
at table before a pot of beer and a game of cards. Sometimes he mixes
with his jovial companions a peasant who seems to have escaped from one
of Teniers's _kermesses_; and sometimes he makes an excursion into the
simple representation of rustic scenes. He is full of spirit, and groups
his little characters with fine art. His compositions are full of life
and movement, but his color is tame and lacks brilliance. His three
pictures here are Peasants at an Inn (1642); Landscape with Peasants and
Cattle (1652); and Peasants Praying: an Approaching Storm.
=Jan Olis.=--Jan Olis (1610-70) was a painter of _genre_ and landscape.
An interesting picture of a kitchen here is signed and dated 1645. Until
recently, however, this picture was attributed to Sorgh.
=Van der Oudenrogge.=--Johannes van Oudenrogge (1622-53) also was a
painter of this class. His picture of Peasants in a Weaving Factory is
dated 1652.
=Egbert van der Poel.=--Egbert van der Poel (1621-64) was a prolific and
versatile painter of the school of Isaac van de Velde and A. van der
Neer. He painted pictures of all kinds,--portraits, still life, figures,
landscapes, perspective, kitchen interiors, moonlit landscapes, and more
particularly devoted his talents to conflagrations at night, in which he
was very successful. Nothing could be more natural and animated than the
large number of tiny figures he shows occupied in extinguishing the
flames. His color is clear and strong. In his Ruins in the Town of Delft
after the Explosion of the Powder Magazine, October 12, 1654, we have a
good example of his style. He has also another picture of the Interior
of a Farm, dated 1646.
=Pieter J. Quast.=--Pieter Jansz Quast (1606-47) was a follower in the
steps of Adriaen Brouwer. His selection of subjects often verges on
caricature. His characterization is well displayed in The Card Players.
The figure of the young woman in this picture, however, has been
entirely repainted by another hand.
=Thomas Wijck's Versatility.=--Thomas Wijck (1616-77) was another artist
who visited Italy and painted its landscapes, especially coast scenery,
after having been taught, or at least influenced, by P. de Laer. Besides
marines, he painted interiors, fairs, etc. He had the talent to depict
sea-gates full of movement, figures and merchandise, in the taste of J.
B. Weenix, markets, outlandish charlatans, public squares, hunts, ruins,
tavern scenes, and everything that the Italians call _capricci_.
=Chemical Laboratories his Forte.=--But the subject that he treated with
the greatest care and taste, and with which he was most happily
successful, was that of chemical laboratories. These he arranges,
illuminates, and paints in a style entirely his own. Without endowing
them with the magic of A. van Ostade, or enveloping them in that
master's full and warm atmosphere, Wijck gave much charm to his
alchemistic interiors, and the objects he multiplied therein are full of
the right kind of feeling.
=His Picture of The Alchemist.=--Moreover, he has a sound comprehension
of chiaroscuro, as may be seen here in his picture The Alchemist. He
casts a shadow over the skeleton fish and stuffed crocodiles and other
monstrous animals hanging from the ceiling. The principal light usually
falls full upon a medley of phials, retorts, furnaces, bellows, and
alembics--a whole apparatus of strange utensils that in a subject of
this kind could not be regarded as mere accessories, and which are
touched with spirit but also with sobriety. A second window at the end
of the apartment admits a softer light that forms an echo to the
principal one, and faintly illumines other objects that are toned down
by the intervening atmosphere. Placed in the centre of his laboratory,
wearing a red cap, Wijck's alchemist is quite individual in not being
old, bald, bent, or grizzled; on the contrary, here is a man in the
prime of life and full of health, with a bright eye and an open
countenance that has no such melancholy in it as is generally affected
by alchemists. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that Wijck has
represented himself in the person of this seeker after gold.
The Rustic Interior depicts a woman spinning, with a child and a dog
near her.
=Karel Slabbaert.=--Karel Slabbaert (1619-54), whose Grace before Meat
is in this gallery, is supposed to have been one of G. Dou's pupils. His
pictures are scarce. This one shows a woman cutting bread, while two
children are saying grace. He paints in warm tones; his composition is
good and full of feeling.
=Jan Wolfert.=--Jan Baptist Wolfert (1625-87) also travelled in Italy,
and was famous for his classical landscapes with animals and human
figures; he also painted _genre_. He was very learned; and his works
show fine spirit and imagination. The Bagpipe Player is dated 1646, and
is therefore an early work of this artist before he was subjected to
foreign influence.
=Caspar Netscher.=--Besides three portraits of brilliant quality,
Caspar Netscher has a beautiful little interior called Maternal Care, in
which the influence of his master, Ter Borch, is noticeable. This
picture of a mother arranging her child's hair is generally considered
this artist's masterpiece. There is some story told with each of his
portraits. He marvellously rendered the texture of stuffs; and his
drawing is always full of grace and truth. Inferior to Ter Borch in
harmony and chiaroscuro and to Metsu in touch, and to both in feeling
for color, he equals them in the tasteful composition and the elegance
of his figures, and surpasses them in beauty of form.
=Esaias Bourse.=--Esaias Bourse (1630-?) was a follower of Rembrandt. He
had a roving career, making many voyages to the East Indies during
sixteen years as an officer, and then working as a painter in Italy. His
color is usually brownish in tone. His pictures have sometimes been
confused with those of another of Rembrandt's pupils--Pieter de Hooch.
An Interior with a Woman Spinning enables us to compare the merits of
the two artists.
=Daniel Boone.=--Daniel Boone (1631-98) painted mythological subjects
and familiar scenes of peasant life. In the latter, his chief aim was to
provoke laughter by the representation of grotesque situations and
grimaces. In this he was generally successful. Peasants Playing Cards is
painted in this vein.
[Illustration: N. MAES
The Spinner]
=Pictures by Maes.=--Nicholas Maes is represented in the Dupper
Collection by The Spinner. The old woman is seated before her wheel in a
simply furnished room, which is dimly lighted from a window on the left.
Through this the fading daylight falls, illuminating the rich red of her
costume and the dull colors of the table-cloth. There is something
inexpressibly still, solemn, and charming about the figure, the room,
and the light.
Another Spinner, in the Van der Hoop Collection, is seated by her wheel.
She wears a black cap, and the sleeves of her dress are red. She stands
out boldly from the brightly lighted wall. The lights and the figure
are heavily impasted. The forehead of the old woman is in sunlight, the
rest of the face is in shadow.
A very pleasing picture of his earlier period is The Dreamer, sometimes
called Musing, representing a young woman who is looking out of a
window. From her glance we gather that she has spied her lover, who is
looking up to her casement, so gracefully decorated with apricots and
peaches.
=L. de Moni, an Imitator of Dou.=--Louis de Moni (1698-1771) was a pupil
of F. van Kessel and K. E. Biset at Breda, and later (1721-25) of Philip
van Dijk at The Hague. Blanc says that this mediocre painter endeavored
to resuscitate the long-extinct style of G. Dou and the elder Mieris,
and to constitute himself their posthumous disciple. In this he only
partially succeeded, but at least he exhibited, along with a certain
delicacy of touch, great care and patience. More than once he borrowed a
subject from Dou--familiar scenes, and small pictures of one or two
figures. He is good in detail but poor in color. The Rijks has a small
and pleasing picture of his called The Gardener.
=J. Quinckhard.=--Julius Quinckhard (1736-76) was a pupil of his father,
Jan Maurits, but soon abandoned art for commerce. He was an able painter
of portraits and _genre_ nevertheless, as his Amateurs of Music (dated
1755) and Amateurs of Art (1757) attest. The figures in the latter are
portraits of the painter and his friend, M. J. C. Ploos van Amstel.
=Eight Pictures by Paul Potter in the Rijks.=--Although there is nothing
of Paul Potter's in the Rijks to compare in reputation with The Bull, or
in beauty with _La Vache qui se mire_, there are no less than eight of
his pictures there. Horses in a Meadow (1649) and Cows in a Meadow
(1651), the latter having a dark sky that proclaims approaching rain,
were acquired with the Van der Hoop Collection. The Shepherd's Hut,
painted in 1645, is only ten inches long and six high, but is as
brilliant in color as a Cuijp. The composition is simple: a shepherd
guarding his cows and sheep is seated near his lowly dwelling. A Little
Dog is dated 1653, as is also a Landscape with Cattle.
=Description of The Bear Hunt.=--An extraordinary picture is The Bear
Hunt, eleven feet square. No one would ever imagine who the painter was
if his signature were not in enormous letters on the trunk of a tree.
This gigantic work was painted two years after The Bull and represents a
gentleman on horseback and one on foot, six dogs, and two bears. The
bloody contest is taking place in the foreground. This work was
repainted during the first half of the nineteenth century, and only two
dogs remain of the original painting.
=Crowe's Opinion of Orpheus Charming Animals.=--The celebrated Orpheus
Charming Animals, painted in 1650, is much smaller (3 by 2 feet), and is
much admired by critics. Crowe says:
"For power and fulness of warm tones this is one of his most beautiful
works. The left is occupied with little hills crowned with trees; the
right shows a forest, and a glimpse of the sky. In the foreground is a
meadow, where we see a camel, a boar, a cow, a buffalo, an ass, a ram,
a goat, a sheep, and a hare. In the middle distance, at the foot of a
hill, sits Orpheus playing his lyre; behind him is a dog, and in front
of him a crouching lion, an elephant, a horse, a white unicorn, a
wolf, and various other animals. On the right, at the border of the
forest, emerges a deer."
=Description of Shepherds and Flocks.=--Shepherds and Flocks, painted in
the next year (1651), is also a masterpiece, remarkable for the
clearness of its light golden tones, especially in the sky. It
represents a hilly landscape with a shepherd playing on the bagpipes, a
shepherdess singing to her child, and flocks of sheep, goats, and oxen
grouped variously. By the side of the shepherd is a black dog. At the
Van der Pot sale, in 1808, this picture brought 10,050 florins!
=Description of A. van de Velde's The Artist and his Family.=--A very
beautiful work by Adriaen van de Velde is The Artist and his Family in
the Van der Hoop Collection. It is generally considered one of the most
incomparable and precious works in the gallery. This is a landscape
bathed in the light of a lovely Autumn evening. The scene is probably
near Haarlem, where the artist is enjoying the country with his family.
Adriaen himself, about twenty-eight, is standing in the foreground,
dressed very simply but elegantly in brown with a white collar, his hat
under his left arm while his right rests on his huge and fashionable
walking-stick. He has blue eyes, chestnut hair, a small moustache, a
fine mouth, and a charming expression. On his left stands his wife,
whose handsome figure is dressed in a crimson skirt, brown corsage, a
white fichu, and a black cloak. She wears a little cap and long,
ash-colored gloves. Her hands are crossed over her waist. Near this
attractive couple is a little boy of seven dressed just like his father,
leading a little spaniel by a string to a fountain. He has thrown his
hat on the ground. A nurse dressed in a blue skirt, white apron, and
yellow bodice is sitting at a little distance on a tree-trunk, taking
care of the little daughter, who is playing with some flowers. Around
them are some bushes and stumps, a kind of hedge, and an undulating and
sandy ground that leads into a group of trees. On the road, in the
middle distance behind Adriaen, is the carriage that has brought them
here,--an open four-wheeled chariot, with red seats, drawn by two fine
dappled-gray horses, whose harness a servant in gray is examining. On
the right, a shepherd is lying on the grass, near a flock of sheep and a
goat. In the background is a meadow with cattle, a winding stream, a
house half hidden in the woods, and the distant line of the horizon. The
landscape has all the delicacy of a Wijnants, but more breadth and
harmony.
=Crowe's Opinion of this Picture.=--"This picture, signed and dated
1667, and of considerable size (4 ft. 8-1/2 in. high by 5 ft. 7 in.
wide), is without question the finest work of the master. The
composition of the whole is picturesque in no common degree; while
the union of a tenderly graduated tone in keeping with the most
delicate carrying out of all the parts shows what a height of
perfection the school had attained at this time."
This picture was bought in London in 1833 for 15,700 florins.