has a View of a River. On the left is a village on a dike; on the right,
a river with many sail-boats. He was a pupil of his father, Adam. The
Mouth of the Meuse near Brielle, by Adam Willaerts, also belongs to this
group. In the foreground on the left stands an inn with the sign In de
Witte Zwaan (The White Swan), and before it on a cask sits a wandering
singer, surrounded by fishermen and peasants; a little to the front are
seen a gentleman and his family, to whom an old fisherman offers fish;
on the banks of the river are groups of peasants, sailors, and
fishermen, talking, embracing the women, and offering their arms to them
for a promenade. Boats are arriving and departing, and on the horizon
lies the town.
=A River Picture and Two Others by Verschuier.=--Lieve Verschuier has
The Maas before Rotterdam. The river is seen on the right; on the left
are the Bompjes (the quay bordered with trees), the Oudehoofdpoort (old
gate), and the Haringvliet (canal). Merchant vessels are riding at
anchor, and all sorts of boats are carrying merchandise and passengers.
In the foreground is a boat with two fishermen. The same artist has here
a Mountainous Landscape, and the old Oostpoort at Rotterdam, built in
1611-13 and demolished in 1836.
=Jongkind's Impressive Picture of Overschie in Moonlight.=--The
impressive picture, View of Overschie in Moonlight, was purchased in
1893 out of a bequest by Mr. Prainat at Rotterdam. After Jongkind
settled in France he frequently visited Holland, and this picture was
painted in 1872, during one of his visits. He was exceedingly fond of
Rotterdam and its environs. Overschie is a village near Rotterdam, and
the Schie, it may be noted, joins the Maas at Delftshaven; upon it is
situated Delft. It is interesting to compare this picture with Gabriel's
In the Environs of Overschie.
[Illustration: JONGKIND
View of Overschie in Moonlight]
=Jan Storck's Picture of the Old Gate at Rotterdam.=--Jan Storck, whose
Castle of Nyenrode is in the Rijks, has here The Oude Hoofdpoort at
Rotterdam seen from the Maas. In addition to the old gate (built in 1598
and demolished in 1856), several boats are represented, and a yacht is
just leaving port amidst salvos of artillery. The Maas is seen to the
right.
=Two Pictures Characteristic of A. Storck's Style.=--Abraham Storck has
two characteristic works. An Italian Seaport has a jetty on the right
with a large building and a stone fountain. Several persons are busy
discharging the contents of the boats and galleys. On the left a sloop
is going toward a Dutch boat at anchor. His other picture is A Dutch
Port in Winter. A great hole appears in the ice in the centre; on the
right is a pole on which nets are drying; on the left, a boat stuck fast
in the ice: Farther along are more imprisoned boats, some houses, and a
mill; near the bridge are a lady and gentleman in a sleigh; on the left,
two persons playing hockey; farther along are some skaters and
promenaders. In the background are two ships in the ice; and on the
horizon, some houses and a clock-tower.
=Two Marines by Backhuysen.=--Ludolf Backhuysen has a large View of the
Dutch Coast in Stormy Weather, dated 1682. Ships of various sizes are
endeavoring to escape an approaching heavy squall. A marine, about
one-third the size of the above, is a calmer but bustling scene of ships
of war exchanging salutes at a place of embarkation.
=A Marine, by Zeeman.=--Reinier Zeeman (16-- after 1673), whose pictures
greatly resemble those of Jan Both and Claude Lorraine, is represented
by a marine. On the left some vessels are in the roadstead, on the right
other boats are off for the deep, and on the banks sailors and fishermen
are seen.
=Two Marines by Schotel.=--J. C. Schotel has an Agitated Sea showing a
brig at anchor and a fisherman's boat. A lighthouse is seen on the shore
to the right. Another, called Au Moerdijk, represents a steamboat plying
toward the landing, and in the background boats laden with hay. The
weather is calm.
=The Port of Texel, by W. van de Velde.=--A characteristic example of
Willem van de Velde is The Port of Texel. On the left is a jetty from
which large merchant ships are preparing to leave, on the right the
Admiralty yacht firing salvos, in the foreground fishermen busy with
their nets, a boat containing several gentlemen, and in the offing many
boats leaving port.
=A Sea-Strand, by Mans.=--Fredericus Mans (d. 1673) has a panel called A
Sea-Strand. In the foreground are fishermen, peasants, and women. A road
on the right leads to a village in the dunes. On the left, the beach is
animated with many figures and fishing boats.
=A Marine, by L. G. Man.=--L. G. Man (eighteenth century) has a marine
consisting of several English men-of-war on a sunlit sea.
=Sunset at Scheveningen and Two Other Pictures, by Schelfhout.=--Andreas
Schelfhout (1787-1870) has A Beach, with the sea in the background,
fishing-boats in the middle distance, and a fisherman on the dunes, with
his dog in the foreground. A Winter Scene represents a frozen stream
where three children are playing with a sled; farther away are some
skaters; and to the right, the village houses beneath wintry trees.
Sunset at Scheveningen shows a beautifully lighted sea; some boats with
fishermen occupy the middle distance; and the beach with promenaders is
shown in the foreground.
=H. Koekkoek's Stormy Sea.=--Hermanus Koekkoek (1815-82) was a pupil of
his father, and, like him, a marine painter. His Stormy Sea, showing
various vessels struggling with the elements, is full of force and
atmospheric effects.
=Two Beautiful Marines by Mesdag.=--Two beautiful pictures by the
skilful marine-painter, H. W. Mesdag, should be noted: Breakers on the
North Sea Coast, presented by Mr. C. E. van Stolk in 1885, depicts a
scene that the traveller himself may verify at any moment; and A
Sunrise on the Dutch Coast, presented by the Society for Promoting Art
at Rotterdam in 1876. This was painted in 1875. Beautiful in color and
striking in composition, it appeals equally to the artist and the
amateur.
A picture by Mrs. Mesdag, Moorland with a Sheepfold in Moonlight, was
presented to this gallery by her in 1904.
=David de Heem, One of the First Painters of Still Life.=--This gallery
owns many pictures of fruits, flowers, animals, and birds. David de Heem
(1570-1632) was one of the first to devote his talents almost
exclusively to still life. Neither The Hague nor the Rijks gallery
contains an example of his work. He treated with great minuteness
flowers, fruits, glasses, etc. Even during his own lifetime his
paintings were much sought after, and high prices were paid for them. In
his Flowers and Fruits we see a glass of Rhine wine standing in a stone
niche ornamented with carved mouldings. The glass is garlanded with
roses, honeysuckle, pinks, and chrysanthemums; and grouped about it are
white grapes, peaches, apricots, plums, etc.
=A Large Still-life Picture by Jan de Heem.=--His more famous son, Jan
Davidsz, who inherited his talents and tastes, has here a large picture
of still life. On a table partly covered with a cloth of green velvet
are arranged various fruits,--grapes, peaches, figs, and a lemon partly
peeled. In the foreground is a pewter dish full of crabs, prawns, and
hazelnuts; then come a blue porcelain bowl and a pewter plate with
oranges and strawberries; next we have a basket covered with a blue
velvet cloth, on which is a pewter dish with a cut ham. In the
background is a box with gold and silver fringe, and on it a
wide-mouthed bottle of Rhine wine, with a vine branch, a cooked
crayfish, and some chestnuts. To the left are two wine glasses and a
silver plate of plums, figs, and cherries. Well may Blanc exclaim:
"There is no eater so cloyed, no gourmet so _blase_, who would not
have his appetite restored by the sight of one of De Heem's pictures;
for here everything is exquisite, both the form and the substance, the
viands and the fruits, as well as the way in which they are served. It
is necessary that the eye should dine, says the proverb; and this is
particularly true of feasts and collations given in painting.... De
Heem has happily expressed the quality of every viand and every fruit,
its rough or smooth surface, dull or shining, and even its stage of
ripeness,--the violet plum with its thin skin, splashed with red and
drab, the light down of the peach with its pale and purple tones, the
plush envelope in which the hazelnut hides, and the green and split
shell inside which we see the kernel. Moreover, this diversity of
substances is not only rendered by local color but also by certain
variations of the brush work by fine shades of touch. On the oak or
marble table is placed an enormous glass vessel cut in facets, a
patriarchal glass, all the ridges of which glitter in the light, and
through the crystal of which we see a golden liquid, fused topaz.
Sometimes it is a _roemer_, a cylindrical vase of Bohemian glass
mounted in silver, a precious utensil transmitted from generation to
generation. This is a picture that transports us to the intimate life
of these domestic Dutchmen, attentive to all the delicacies of
interior comfort."
Jan's son, Cornelis, has also a piece called Flowers and Fruits in the
same style.
=Seghers's Flowers.=--The striking picture of Flowers, by David Seghers,
shows a stone cartouche with a little bust of Ceres framed in a garland
of red and white roses, tulips, and many small flowers, around which
hover numerous butterflies.
=W. C. Heda, an Early Still-life Painter.=--Willem Claes Heda
(1594-1668) was one of the earliest Dutchmen who devoted themselves
exclusively to the painting of still life. Heda was the contemporary and
companion of Dirk Hals, with whom he had in common pictorial touch and
technical execution. But Heda was more careful and finished than Hals,
and showed considerable skill and not a little taste in arranging and
coloring chased cups and beakers and tankards of precious and inferior
metals. Nothing is so appetizing as his Luncheon, with rare comestibles
set out upon rich plate, oysters,--seldom without the cut
lemon,--bread, champagne, olives, and pastry. Even the commoner
Refection is also not without charm, as it comprises a cut ham, bread,
walnuts, and beer.
=Van Gelder and Gillemans, Famous Painters of Still Life.=--N. van
Gelder (d. 1660) painted birds, animals, and flowers with great finish
and delicacy. His Poultry consists of a dead cock on a black marble
plinth, partly suspended by one of its feet from an iron hook fixed
behind a partly open green curtain. To the left are two shot pigeons, a
green velvet game-bag, and a fowling-piece.
Jan Paul Gillemans (1618-?) was famous for his still life. This gallery
possesses one of his fruit pieces, in which grapes, oranges, lemons,
plums, and apricots are temptingly displayed.
=Ykens, Painter of Flowers.=--Franchois Ykens (or Ikens) (1601-93), a
painter of flowers and pupil of his uncle, Osias Beest, has a picture
here that was formerly attributed to Francois Seghers. A stone
cartouche, surrounded with a garland of roses, tulips, pinks,
honeysuckle, clematis, etc., and bearing a representation of the mystic
marriage of St. Catherine, is called simply Flowers.
=W. van Aelst and his Famous Pupil, Rachel Ruysch.=--Willem van Aelst
delights us with his Flowers. On a brown marble slab in a niche stands
an elegant vase containing roses, poppies, a pink, and other blossoms,
around which a butterfly is fluttering. A snail is crawling in the
niche. On a brown table-cloth with gold fringe, to the right, is an open
gold watch with a green ribbon attached. The picture is signed and dated
1662. Willem's famous pupil, Rachel Ruysch, may be seen here by a
charming flower piece. A tree-trunk surrounded by red and white roses,
poppies, convolvuluses, etc., and upon the stony ground, covered with
moss and mushrooms, innumerable lizards, toads, snails, and various
insects swarm. Butterflies hover over the flowers. Rachel Ruysch painted
this picture in 1685, and gave it as a present to the famous painter,
Ludolf Bakhuysen.
=Pieter Boel's Dead Game.=--Her contemporary, Pieter Boel, shows the
influence of his master, F. Snyders, in Dead Game. A dead swan hangs by
its foot to a tree. In the foreground, near a pedestal, are arranged two
partridges and some other game, with a gun and a brass hunting-horn. On
the left is a hound; and, in the background to the right, an owl on a
cage with a little dead bird in front of it.
=Marseus, Painter of Lowly Animal Life.=--Another follower of Snyders
was Otto Marseus van Schrieck. He excelled in the loving rendering of
lowly animal life. His Nest is of natural size, with eggs lying on the
moss near some thistles, wild mulberries, and red mushrooms. Around it
flutter some butterflies; on the right is a lizard, and on the left a
Mayfly.
=A. Breughel's Still-life Pictures.=--His pupil, Abraham Breughel
(1631-?), went to Rome; but little is known about him except that his
favorite subject was still life. Like so many others, his flowers and
fruits are painted natural size. The principal objects in his picture
are a silver dish with figs, a silver bowl containing roses and
gladioluses at the foot of a column, and black and white grapes, apples,
etc., in the foreground.
=A. Cuijp, a Painter Catholic in his Tastes.=--Aelbert Cuijp was very
catholic in his tastes. He occupied a country house near Dordrecht,
called Dordwijck, where he painted everything that struck his
fancy,--men, animals, fruits, flowers, and landscape. The poultry yard
is noticed in a Cock and Hen scratching in the straw, with a broom and
some blocks of red stone conspicuously placed. A hare, two pigeons, and
other birds on a stone pillar compose his Dead Game. A painting called
Fruits represents peaches on a blue plate on a table, and, beside the
plate, white grapes, cherries, and green gooseberries. On the left is
also a butterfly. A charming jumble of peaches, black and white grapes,
and various shells make the picture, Fruits and Shells, in which three
butterflies and a housefly are also prominent.
=One of Jan Weenix's Many Dead Swans.=--No Dutch gallery would be
complete without a Dead Swan by Jan Weenix. Sir Joshua Reynolds admitted
that he had seen no less than twenty during his visit to Holland. The
dead swan is here suspended by the foot from a stone pedestal; on one
side lie a peacock, a partridge, and a thrush; and near them a branch
from a rosebush and a basket of fruit. In the background is seen a park
with a lake, statues, fountains, and large trees.
=Two of Mignon's Best Pictures.=--Abraham Mignon appears at his best in
two pictures in this gallery called Flowers and Fruits. In the former we
admire a vase on a stone table, filled with red and white roses, tulips,
blue irises, poppies, pinks, convolvuluses, and ears of wheat; on the
left on the table a mouse, snails, butterflies, beetles, and other
insects are painted with rare delicacy and truth. Insects and snails
also occur in the second picture, in which the fruits are placed in a
niche, and consist of a bunch of black grapes, a peach, a melon, an
apricot, and some plums decorated with a vine leaf, wheat, and small
flowers.
=A Still Life by Van Beyeren.=--Abraham Hendricksz van Beyeren was
especially fond of painting flowers and marine life. His Sea Fish is an
evidence of his excellence in this line. On a table is a basket
containing whiting and a slice of salmon; in front of the basket are a
crab, some soles, some slices of cod, and a knife.
=Van den Broeck's Flowers.=--Elias van den Broeck (1653-1711), a pupil
of Jan de Heem, delighted to immortalize on canvas the flowers he
cultivated in his beautiful garden. A stone plinth with roses and Indian
cress; and, in front, chrysanthemums and creepers, a lizard, two snails,
and butterflies are the chief features of his Flowers.
=Van Os, Another Good Flower-painter.=--Georgius Jacobus Johannes van Os
(1782-1861) was a worthy successor of the seventeenth-century masters of
this school. Flowers and Flowers and Fruits are artistically composed
and lovingly painted. The former consists of an Etruscan vase filled
with roses, blue irises, tulips, and anemones, standing on a marble
table. The second picture represents, on a marble plinth in a niche, a
melon, a pear, and a bunch of black grapes with roses, convolvuluses,
poppies, and other flowers.
=His Pupil, Hendrik Reekers.=--His pupil, Hendrik Reekers (1815-54), has
here Fruits, Vegetables, and Game, arranged on a marble table. A basket
is full of white and black grapes, a cut lemon, and some oranges, plums,
peaches, and an artichoke, mingled with flowers. Above these hang a
partridge and a grouse.
=Flowers, by Steenbergen.=--Flowers, by Albertus Steenbergen (1814- ),
consists of roses, poppies, lilacs, convolvuluses, nasturtiums, etc.,
arranged in a vase that stands on a marble plinth. On the right flutters
a butterfly.
=Still Life, by Maria Vos.=--Still Life by Maria Vos (b. 1824) consists
of a stone plinth partly covered with a piece of matting on which stand
a white cock and a black hen, an overturned basket of oranges and
lemons, a copper dish, and a porcelain bowl; and on the wall a stone jug
with a pewter top.
=Flowers, by Margaretha Roosenboom.=--In Flowers, by Margaretha
Roosenboom (1843), we have a silver vase filled with roses, standing on
a table with a green cover. In the background, a green curtain is half
drawn.
=Two Excellent Hunting Scenes by Hondius.=--Abraham Hondius (1638-91),
who excelled in painting the different breeds of dogs and other animals,
and hunting scenes, with much fire and action, has two pictures here. A
Boar Defending Itself Against Dogs shows the furious beast at bay, with
four dying or dead dogs under him in the foreground. On the left three
more dogs are rushing to the attack. The features of the landscape are
three trees, with a mountainous background. The other picture, of
exactly the same size, depicts a Bear Attacked by Dogs. The bear is
standing on his hind legs with a dog under him, and throwing another
into the air, while he hugs the life out of another. On the right and
left, more dogs are rushing to attack. There is a dying dog in the left
foreground. On the right, in the middle distance, there are two trees
near a rock, and a cascade, and the background is mountainous. Both
pictures are signed and dated 1672.
=Bird Pictures by the Hondecoeters, Father and Son.=--Gijsbert de
Hondecoeter shows his loving study of the gallinaceous tribe in Cock and
Hens. In the foreground is a black hen with a white comb; and behind her
are a sitting yellow hen and a standing white one; still farther back
are three more hens, one perched on the branch of a tree. To the left
sits a brown hen with a black comb, with a yellow-brown cock behind. The
ground is strewed with oyster shells and straw. Three hens are in the
background. The picture is signed and dated 1652.
Melchior de Hondecoeter, who surpassed his father as a painter of birds
alive and dead, enriches this collection with his Dead Game. In a grotto
at the foot of some ruins a dead bittern and two partridges are hanging.
In front are two gulls; and on the right are a hunting-horn, tied with a
red tasselled cord, a green velvet bag, a kingfisher, and two finches.
In the middle distance is a fowling-piece with a shoulder belt and net.
The entrance of the grotto is in the background on the left.
=Four Portrait Groups by the Eversdijcks.=--In common with all other
Dutch galleries, the Boijmans is rich in portraits. Royalties, admirals,
officers, ladies of quality, gentlemen, elderly men and women, and
children are all represented. Three pictures of gatherings of officers
at Goes, by Cornelis Willemsz Eversdijck, who died in his native town of
Goes about 1649, and one by his son Willem, representing the same corps
of archers, are the only important pictures of this class in the
gallery.
=Two Portraits by Mostert, and One by Queborn.=--Jan Mostert (1474-?),
who was a painter of portraits and altarpieces, has here two
half-lengths of Augusteyn van Teylingen, Anno 1511, and Judoca van
Egmont van der Nieuburch, 1511 (his wife).
Crispyn van den Queborn (1604-58) was a distinguished portrait-painter
and engraver. His half-length Portrait of Hartogh van Moerkerken was
painted in 1645.
=Santvoort, a Portrait-painter after the Style of Rembrandt.=--Dirk van
Santvoort (d. 1660) was probably one of Rembrandt's pupils; or, at
least, he adopted that master's manner. Not many of his pictures are
known, and the majority of these are portraits. His two pictures in the
Boijmans Museum, however, belong rather to the classical school of the
Elzheimers and Poelenburgs. A Young Shepherd Playing the Chalumeau,
wearing a brown cap with an ostrich feather, and a bright brown robe
over a white shirt, with a knife and horn at his belt (green
background), is dated 1632. A Young Shepherdess, half-length, turned to
the left, wears a violet dress with red sleeves. A blue hat with a green
branch is on her head and a crook over her right shoulder. The
background is greenish.
=Two Portraits by F. Bol.=--Ferdinand Bol's Portrait of a Woman
represents a young woman seen in profile half-length, and turned to the
left. She wears a red dress and a violet velvet mantle lined with fur.
Beautiful ornaments of gold and pearls are in her hair and on her neck
and arms. One hand rests on the base of a column, and the other holds a
closed fan. His portrait of Dirk van Walijen represents a young boy with
long curls, dressed in yellow satin, red tunic, and yellow boots.
=Portrait by Gerrit Dou.=--Among the most striking portraits is that of
An Old Lady by Gerrit Dou. She is dressed in black velvet trimmed with
fur; her bodice is of black silk, and she wears a large turned-down
collar, and round her neck a gold chain with a pendent jewel. She has on
a blue cap with a gold band. The head stands out boldly from the grayish
background, and the expression of the smiling face is singularly
impressive.
=Jacob Cats and his Cousin, by Mytens.=--Mytens's Portrait of Jacob
Cats, the Dutch poet, and his cousin Cornelia Bars, is also of interest.
It was painted in 1650, and represents Jacob Cats seated at a table
before a tent. He is dressed in crimson, and turns toward his cousin at
his side, who wears brown silk. On the table, with its red carpet, are
an open book and an inkstand. On the left is seen a hilly landscape with
trees; and in the background an angel with a long white robe.
=Portraits by Opzoomer.=--Simon Opzoomer has a portrait of Rembertus
Frescarode, one called Erasmus in his Study, and one of the Brothers de
Witt in Prison in Gevangenpoort. Cornelis is in bed, and Jacob is seated
by him with a book on his knees. The time is just before their murder by
the populace in 1672.
=Portraits of Two Notables by Mierevelt.=--Mierevelt has a Portrait of
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, painted in 1671. His Maurice of Nassau shows
that prince standing by a table and wearing a richly worked cuirass, the
present of the States-General after the victory of Nieuwpoort, and an
orange silk scarf. He holds a commandant's baton in his right hand, and
his helmet with orange plumes is seen on the table. Mierevelt has here
also A Lady of Quality.
=Finely painted Portraits by Nason.=--Pieter Nason (1612-90), who
painted portraits and still life, and who has a Portrait of Willem
Frederick, Count of Nassau (1662), in The Hague, has here The Portrait
of a Lord, and one of A Woman of Quality. The lady is holding some
yellow flowers. She is dressed in red silk with white undersleeves; a
brown scarf falls over her shoulders; and pearls ornament her hair,
ears, and neck. The jewels, silks, and satins are beautifully painted,
as is also the costume of the lord in the accompanying picture. He is
dressed in yellow silk with a brown mantle, and his lace cravat is held
by a circle of diamonds. Trees form the background.
=A Woman of Quality, by Pourbus.=--Pieter Pourbus (1510-83) was a
painter, geographer, and architect. His Portrait of a Woman of Quality
shows her costumed in the Valois mode, with Mary Stuart cap, fluted
ruff, and black robe.
=Two Portraits by Netscher.=--Caspar Netscher has a sombre Portrait of a
Protestant Pastor and a brilliant Lady of Quality, dressed in blue satin
with a graceful brown scarf. She is seated by a fountain. One hand is
placed on her breast; the other is full of roses.