interest is the portrait of Rachel Ruysch, painted by her husband,
Juriaan Pool. This is a bust only. The lady is represented with powdered
hair and dressed in brown satin with lace at the neck and sleeves. Her
right hand is lifted and holds a veil. The background contains a column
and a green curtain. Pool's portrait of her father, Professor Frederik
Ruysch, is also a bust. He wears a large powdered wig and a long robe
with a band; his left hand holds a skull.
=A Portrait Group by Maes.=--Nicholas Maes is represented by a Portrait
of a Gentleman and a Lady standing in front of a noble house. The lady,
in black with a gray tunic having an embroidered gold border and a large
collar, holds a little child with her left hand. The latter is dressed
in white and wears a cap with a red feather. The gentleman holds his
wife by her other hand. He is dressed in black, with white ruff and
cuffs, and a mantle is thrown over his left shoulder. His right hand
holds a glove. Behind them are a rosebush and flowers, and there are
shrubs and bushes by the wall.
=Other Portraits by Maes.=--Another by the same artist represents Mr.
Willem Nieupoort, Envoy from the States-General to Oliver Cromwell in
1653. He is standing by a broken column, and is dressed in yellow silk
and brown velvet, a corselet, a lace cravat, and a red scarf. Near the
column are a sword and a helmet with red plumes. His wife, Anna van
Loon, is also painted by Maes, standing by a stone balustrade. She wears
a dress of red velvet with a tunic of yellow silk, a gray veil, and
pearls in her hair. In her left hand she holds some oranges, and her
right clasps that of a little girl in white. Trees occupy the
background.
=A Portrait of a Priest, by Metsu.=--Gabriel Metsu has a Portrait of a
Priest, seated at a table in his study. One hand rests on his breast,
the other on a death's head. On the table, covered with a green cloth,
are placed an open book, a crucifix, and a sheet of paper. A glove,
books, and a half-drawn curtain occupy the background.
=A Lawyer in his Study, by A. van Ostade.=--Adriaen van Ostade has A
Lawyer in his Study. This important personage, dressed in black velvet
and a violet robe, is seated by a table covered with a Smyrna rug, on
which are books, papers, documents, and a pewter inkstand. He is reading
a document which he holds in his left hand; his right, resting on the
arm of his chair, holds his spectacles. Behind the table there is a blue
screen. An open door is seen in the background.
Honthorst has a Portrait of an Old Man, dressed in brown, and having a
long gray beard.
=Several Portraits by Van der Helst.=--Bartholomeus van der Helst has
one of A Protestant Minister, painted in 1638; one called A Man, and
another A Woman (the two latter painted in 1646); Portrait of Daniel
Bernard; and Portrait of a Lady and Gentleman. The latter, painted in
1654, represents the couple on a bench in the garden. The lady is
beautifully dressed in white satin, with pearls and diamonds, and she is
plucking a rose from a bush near by. She has a huge diamond ring on her
thumb. The gentleman is dressed in black satin: in one hand he holds his
large-brimmed hat; the other supports the right arm of the lady. The
landscape, with its varied trees and playing fountain, was painted by
Aldert van Everdingen (1654).
=A Portrait by Jan de Vos.=--Jan de Vos, who died about 1651, has here a
Portrait of a Man, dressed in black with white ruff, and standing by a
table. His right hand holds a pen, his left rests on an open copy-book.
=A Portrait by Stolker.=--Jan Stolker (1724-85), pupil of J. M.
Quinkhard, has a Portrait of the Burgomaster of Rotterdam, Willem
Schefers, seated at a table covered with a red cloth, on which are
several books. He is dressed in black velvet, and wears a powdered wig.
=Portraits by Simon de Vos.=--Simon de Vos (1608-76), a pupil of
Cornelis de Vos and Rubens, has a Portrait of a Man, dressed in black
with striped sleeves and a large fluted ruff. His right hand rests on a
table, and his left on his hip. He has also another Portrait of a Man,
whose left hand rests on a chair, while his right holds a glove.
=A Man in Oriental Costume by Van Vliet.=--Jan Joris van Vliet, born in
Delft in 1610, and one of Rembrandt's pupils, can be studied here by An
Old Man in Oriental Costume. This is only a bust; the hair is short, the
moustache gray; and the costume consists of a black turban with gold
ornaments, a crimson coat, black mantle, and a golden chain. His right
hand rests on his chest.
=A Huntsman by Verkolje.=--Verkolje has a Portrait of a Huntsman seated
beneath a tree. He is young, and wears a large black hat, a gray
costume, and orange scarf. His undersleeves are white, his stockings
brown, and his garters orange. His left hand rests on his hip, and his
right holds a gun. Two hunting-dogs are by his side, and some dead
rabbits. Trees occupy the background.
=Van der Werff's Portraits of himself and Others.=--Pieter van der Werff
has portraits of W. B. Schefers and his wife, of Johannes Texelius and
of himself. The painter stands with his elbow on a stone balustrade,
dressed in grayish blue embroidered with gold. A brown velvet cloak is
thrown over his shoulder, and he holds his palette and brushes in his
left hand.
=An Admiral and his Wife, by Van den Tempel.=--A. van den Tempel has An
Admiral and his Wife, in which the former is dressed in gray and silver,
and his wife in black and pink and jewels. She holds an orange in her
hand; and in the distance a negro is seen with a dish of oranges. In the
background a lifted curtain of crimson velvet reveals a warship from
which a gun is being discharged.
=A Portrait by Zimmerman.=--J. W. G. Zimmerman has a Portrait of Mr.
Joost van Vollenhoven, Burgomaster of Rotterdam in 1864-81, dressed in
the robes of office, his right hand holding a letter and his left
resting on some books on the table.
=Other Portraits of Interest.=--Other portraits of interest are Adriaen
Backer's Portrait of a Man; Hendrik Berckman's Portrait of Admiral
Adriaen van Trappen; Portrait of Himself, by Gijsbertus Johannes van den
Berg, and Portrait of his Wife with her son on her knee; C. Bisschop's
Portrait of Prince Henry of the Netherlands, in the costume of the Royal
Yacht Club; Ferdinand Bol's Portrait of a Woman (two), and Dirk Van der
Waeijen; Cornelis Cels's Gijsbert Karel, Count of Hogendorp; Cornelius
Janszoon van Ceulen's Portrait of a Gentleman, and Portrait of a Young
Woman; P. van Champaigne's Portraits of two Artists; Jacobus Delff's
Portrait of a Man; Albrecht Durer's Portrait of Erasmus; Anthonie van
Dijck's Portraits of Charles I., King of England, Henrietta Maria, and
Their Two Children; Gerbrand van den Eeckhout's Portrait of a Child;
Robbert van Eysden's Portrait of J. F. Hoffman, Burgomaster of
Rotterdam, 1845-66; Carel Fabritius's Portrait of a Man, dressed in
black with open shirt showing his neck and chest; Govert Flinck's
Portraits of Dirck Graswinckel, and his Sister, under a tree, in a
landscape with ruins in the distance; George Gilles Haanen's Portrait of
a Young Man; Frans Hals's Portrait of an Old Gentleman; Adriaen
Hanneman's Portrait of Johan de Witt; Constantin Netscher's William
III., King of England; Dionys van Nymegen's Willem van der Pot (1733)
and Sara, his Wife (1733); Nicholaes Pieneman's William III., King of
the Netherlands; David van der Plaes's Cornelis Tromp, and A Gentleman;
Crispyn van den Queborn's Hartogh van Moerkerken; Jan van Scorel's A
Young Man, and A Gentleman; Pieter van Slingelandt's Johannes van
Crombrugge; Hendricus Turken's (1791-?) Margarethe Agnes de Vries;
Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne's Prince Frederick Henry on Horseback
with his Suite (_en grisaille_); and Abraham de Vries's A. A. Vroesen
(1639), and An Old Woman (1644). Musscher's Portraits of Three Children,
crowning the statue of a child with flowers, should also be noticed, as
well as Jacob Gerritz Cuijp's Portraits of a General, a Lady of
Distinction, and Three Children. The last, a boy and two little girls,
are beautifully dressed, and are playing under the trees in a charming
landscape, with several buildings, including a mill and a church-tower
in the distance.
=Good Pictures of Social Life by Palamedesz.=--Anthonie Palamedesz
(1601-73) was a painter of social life, _corps-de-gardes_, portraits,
landscapes, and still life. His art belonged to the school of Frans
Hals. The quality of his work is very unequal, but many of his interiors
are full of life and color. He was such a good painter of figures in
landscapes that his aid was much sought after by brother artists,
notably B. van Bassen and A. de Lorme. In The Hague Gallery he has two
works that show him at his best,--Music after Dinner, and Merry Company;
also a Portrait of Martinus van Stavenisse, Knight of St. Michael.
=An Interior of High Life, by Palamedesz.=--The Rotterdam Gallery has An
Interior of High Life by this artist. In an apartment hung with gilded
leather several ladies and gentlemen are talking and playing musical
instruments. In the foreground there is a lady dressed in blue with a
light red tunic; next to her is a gentleman holding a guitar. On the
left there is a lady with a sheet of music in her hand. She wears a
white dress and a yellow tunic, and beside her is seated a gentleman. In
the centre of the room there is a table covered with a red carpet, at
which two persons are seated. Farther back in the room several groups of
ladies and gentlemen are seen; and in the background a chimney-piece.
=A Musical Reunion, by Van Deelen.=--A Musical Reunion by Dirk van
Deelen (1605-71) is a scene in high life. Six gentlemen and four ladies
are in a hall paved with blue and white marble. A gentleman who turns
his back to the spectator is seen in the foreground. He is dressed in
black satin slashed with yellow, a black velvet cloak, yellow stockings,
red-heeled shoes, lace collar, and large black hat. At the right a lady
is leaning on a table with a red cloth. She wears a black-and-yellow
flowered dress with a red tunic and large lace collar and sleeves. Near
the table, on which are a guitar and some books of music, are four
gentlemen, one of whom is without his hat. In the centre a lady dressed
in green silk is playing the guitar, with her foot on a foot-warmer.
Beside her stand a gentleman and two ladies, one of whom wears a black
dress with a yellow satin tunic and holds a book of music. In the
background on the right there is a bed with green curtains and an open
door flanked with columns at each side. On the left are two tall
windows, and on the wall hang two male portraits.
=An Architectural Painting by Van Deelen.=--The Peristyle of a Building,
by this artist, shows his love for classic architecture. A stone bath
with steps occupies the foreground, and two men enveloped in long cloaks
talk with a woman who is seated on the steps. Near it is a statue of
Hercules on a red marble pedestal. Many people are seen in a distant
gallery through the columns.
=A Delightful Conversation Piece, by Ochtervelt.=--The Collation, by
Jacob Ochtervelt, is one of those delightful "conversation pieces" so
popular in the seventeenth century. A young woman in a yellow satin
skirt and a red velvet jacket bordered with white fur is seated on a
tabouret of green velvet with her back turned toward the spectator. Her
left hand rests on her hip and her right holds a glass of wine. On her
right is a table with an Oriental carpet upon which stands a flagon of
wine. By its side is an officer in a blue costume and large blond wig,
who is handing some oysters in a silver dish to the young woman.
=A Ball, by Francois Francken, Junior.=--Francois Vranckz, or Francken,
the Younger (1581-1642), pupil of his father Francois Francken and a
native of Antwerp, has here A Ball. In the foreground a gentleman and
lady are beginning a dance surrounded by spectators; at the entrance of
the hall on the right a servant comes in with wine, and farther down
against the wall and under the windows is a long table served with
refreshments. In the centre farther back two gentlemen are talking to a
lady; on the left a platform with musicians; in the background a large
chimney-piece between two windows.
=A Fine Interior, by Tilborch.=--Of Egidius, or Gilles, Tilborch
(1625-78), a fine Interior (once attributed to Biset) hangs here. In a
very rich room hung with gilded leather, and from the ceiling of which
is suspended a copper chandelier ornamented with a two-headed eagle, a
lady is seated before the mantelpiece near a table covered with a Smyrna
rug. She is dressed in white, with a red petticoat, and some red bows on
her breast. Around her are six children of different ages, including one
in the arms of a servant. Opposite to her is a gentleman dressed in
black with white sleeves, accompanied by a dog; a little behind is a
servant with an inkstand. On the left an aged woman dressed in black is
seen, and two ladies and a gentleman enter the chamber on the left. Over
the chimney-piece is a beautifully painted landscape, and on the left
against the wall a large _armoire_ or _kas_ of black wood ornamented
with gold, above which hangs a large portrait.
=A Village Interior, by C. de Man.=--Cornelus de Man (1621-1706) painted
portraits, churches, and social life. In The Hague Gallery he has a
Peasants' Wedding, and here his qualities may be studied in A Village
Interior. A joyous company of peasants, with a sprinkling of the better
class, are gathered in a big barn. In the centre, a couple are
dancing,--the man holding aloft a pewter pot. On the right a group are
playing "hot cockles." In front, there is a dog asleep; on the right, a
little girl with a hoop; and on the left, a peasant asleep on a barrel.
Farther back is a long table covered with food, at which several men
and women are seated. A violinist sits on a barrel, and a guest is
sitting on the table mimicking him with tongs; on the floor in front of
him is an earthen pitcher with a pewter lid. In the background are two
individuals, one with a drum. A black bird is on a perch close to the
ceiling.
=Two Pictures of Rustic Life by Molenaer.=--Two pictures by Jan Miense
Molenaer are owned by this gallery,--The Clarinet Player and Rustic
Gaiety. The former represents a peasant's house, where a man with his
foot resting on a stool is playing the clarinet; his audience consists
of two peasants, one of whom is sitting and the other standing by the
side of the fire.
Music is the feature of Rustic Gaiety also. A table with a green cover
is set with pewter plates and bread; seated thereat is a peasant,
dressed in green blouse and wearing a red cap, his face turned toward
the spectator. His left hand rests on his leg and he holds a glass of
wine in his right. Opposite is a woman singing and playing the guitar; a
little farther away another woman, with a glass of wine in one hand and
a jug in the other, is also singing. In the background a peasant, seated
near a barrel, is lighting a pipe, and still farther back a man is
playing a fiddle.
=A Village Interior, by Sorgh.=--Hendrik Maertinsz Sorgh, who died in
Rotterdam in 1670, and who was a pupil of David Teniers, reflects his
master in A Village Interior. Here we have the interior of a barn where
five peasants are eating and drinking around a table, at which is also
seated an old woman whose hands are resting on a jug. On the left is a
brick oven, and utensils of various kinds hang on the wall. Many
articles are scattered about, including a leather slipper, a wooden
spoon, some mussel shells, a tub of onions, etc. From the ceiling hangs
a wicker bird-cage and in the foreground a cock and hen are strutting
about.
=The Market in Rotterdam, by Sorgh.=--Another picture represents an
animated scene at The Market in Rotterdam. In the foreground a
vegetable stall is placed against the _facade_ of a house. A woman
carrying a copper pail is selecting some vegetables and disputing with
the vender. Farther back more buyers and sellers are arguing; and the
background is closed with some houses and the entrance to the
Nieuwsteeg.
=A Village Interior, by Wyck.=--A Village Interior, by Thomas Wyck
(1616-77), shows a room in which a woman is seated; a little boy
kneeling has his head in her lap; by her side is a little girl, and
other little girls are sitting on the floor; under the window on the
left a child is sitting at a table with a red carpet; on the right, in
the foreground, stands a barrel on which is a jug. A wooden stairway is
seen in the background.
=Two Paintings illustrating the Versatility of Quellinus.=--Erasmus
Quellinus (1607-78) was a pupil of Rubens, and painted history,
architecture, landscape, portraits, and religious subjects, like his
master. He was a strong colorist and his draughtsmanship is excellent.
Two sides of his art are exhibited in The Ascension of the Virgin and A
Woman in a Kitchen. The latter is a fine study of still life in the
rendering of the various utensils. On the right a young woman with bare
arms, a white cap, a red dress, and white tunic is represented down to
the knees; on the left on the table and by its side are all sorts of
pewter, copper, and earthenware utensils. Behind the table stands a
young negress who is offering a bunch of cherries to the woman.
=A Fine Example of Kalff's Still-life Painting.=--Another study of still
life is shown in The Village Kitchen, by Willem Kalff, a fine example of
this master. In the background a woman is preparing vegetables, a man
stands near a ladder with a basket filled with vegetables, and another
woman is coming through an open door; but these figures are subordinate
in interest to the pots, kettles, and pans of shining copper; the meat
hanging from the ceiling; the bottles, the casks, milk jugs, white
linen, beer, artichokes, onions, cabbages, and other vegetables and
fruits variously arranged.
=Koninck's Famous Gold Weigher.=--Of single figures perhaps the most
famous is by Salomon Koninck (1609-68?), pupil of N. Moijaert. The Gold
Weigher, an old man with white hair and beard, is seated at a table. He
wears a doublet of green velvet and gray fur, and a crimson velvet cap;
he weighs the gold with the greatest care in a pair of scales which he
holds in his right hand. He holds a piece of gold in his left hand also.
On the table, which is covered with a red cloth, are books, a sheet of
paper, a box of weights, and a bag of gold. The light falls through a
window on the left.
=Van der Neer's Guitar Player.=--The Guitar Player, by Eglon Hendrik van
der Neer, is probably a portrait. Here we see a young woman dressed in a
red satin skirt and a white satin jacket, seated by a clavecin. She is
tuning a guitar; and not far away is a gentleman who has a glass of wine
in his hand.
=Pencz's Savant in his Cabinet.=--George Pencz (d. 1550) was a pupil of
Albert Durer, who also went to Rome and studied under Raphael. He
painted therefore much the same class of subjects and in the same style
as Van Orley. His Savant in his Cabinet is an interesting interior. The
savant is seated at a table covered with a green carpet, his head rests
on his right hand, and his left is extended toward a death's head. He is
dressed in red and wears a red cap. Behind the table is a desk on which
are an open book and a copper chandelier with an extinguished candle.
Through an open window in the background a landscape is visible.
=The Drinker, by D. Ryckaert.=--Another good study is The Drinker, by
David Ryckaert (1612-77), a pupil of his father, Maerten Ryckaert, and
who formed himself on Teniers, Brouwer, and Ostade. The man in a brown
coat with red sleeves and a red cap is seated at a table with a pewter
mug in one hand and a pipe in the other. A pewter plate and an
earthenware jug stand on the table.
=Pictures containing Human Figures, by Muys.=--Nicholas Muys (1740-1808)
has three scenes in _grisaille_ from plays, A Study in Light, two
Interiors, and a Landscape with Figures. The last shows a monument in
the shadow of an oak, and before it a gentleman, lady, and little child
in the costume of the end of the eighteenth century. A beggar and his
family sue for charity. Near the monument are three other persons. Two
ducks are being pursued by dogs in the foreground, a hut is seen among
the trees in the distance, and a village lies on the horizon.
One of the Interiors represents an apartment of the eighteenth century,
where a lady dressed in a green robe is showing a little picture to two
gentlemen. The other Interior is a richly carved vestibule, in which
stands a lady in a violet silk dress and a blue hat; by her side on the
floor are a dead heron, a partridge, a hare, and some rabbits, and the
live greyhound that helped to catch them. Through a door in the centre
is seen the kitchen, where the huntsman and his wife are preparing the
vegetables; and there are two other persons, one of whom is hanging a
cage from the ceiling.
In A Study in Light the painter has grouped a number of objects,--a bust
of Homer on a white marble table, a guitar, music-books, and a chair
with a violin on it,--and lighted them from a candle in a silver
chandelier. In the background a lady is standing before an open clavecin
with a sheet of music in her hand.
=An Interior, by J. B. Scheffer.=--Johan Baptist Scheffer, who died in
Amsterdam in 1809, has here An Interior, showing a room in which a young
peasant woman is sitting at a table preparing vegetables. Beside her
stands a pedler who has placed his right hand on her shoulder, while his
left dangles a gold chain before her eyes. On the left, a little girl is
amusing herself by scaring a cat with her dog; in the background an open
door gives a view through the next room into the street.
=Ary Scheffer's Training.=--Scheffer's more famous son, Arie
(1795-1858), inherited talent also from his mother, Cornelia Lamme, a
very distinguished miniature-painter. He received his first instruction
from his father and in Paris studied under Pierre Guerin. Gericault and
Eugene Delacroix joined him in striking into a new path of art.
=His Two Paintings of Ulrich of Wurtemburg.=--Here Arie Scheffer has two
sketches--Heads of Two Children, and A Shepherd Under a Stormy Sky, and
two large canvases on Uhland's ballad representing Ulrich, son of Count
Eberhard of Wurtemburg. He first represents the young warrior who,
having lost the Battle of Reutlingen, returns to Stuttgart and finds his
father at the table alone. He has a cold welcome; and Count Eberhard
without greeting him takes a knife and cuts the table-cloth in halves.
In Scheffer's picture Ulrich is standing by the table on the right, and
the angry father is cutting the table-cloth. Exasperated by this insult,
Ulrich returned to the army and, throwing himself into the thickest of
the fray at Doffingen, was killed. The old count spent the night weeping
over the body of his only son. The companion picture, called The Weeper,
represents the bereaved father with clasped hands seated by Ulrich's
body, which still is in armor and lying on a bearskin in the tent.
=Hendrik Scheffer's The First Child.=--Arie's younger brother, Hendrik
Scheffer (1798-1862), also a pupil of Guerin, was a capable painter
whose work, The First Child, hangs in this gallery. A young mother in
bed receives a visit from her husband, who is kissing her hand. On the
right the nurse is seen with the child in her arms.
=A Similar Picture by Cornelis Troost.=--Another similar picture is by
Cornelis Troost. The lady is lying in bed eating her breakfast. Near her
are a cradle, a nurse with the baby, and a little girl. The wall is hung
with portraits, and a clock and a painted screen are seen.