less interesting, except those on the extreme R. Next to the Maison du
Roi itself come two pretty little decorated houses, beyond which is the
=Guild Hall of the Painters=, known as “The Pigeon,” and that called “La
Taupe,” the =Hall of the Tailors=. The two last at the corner of the
street have been recently restored. Several other fine houses of the
same period close the vista of the streets round the corner.
This imposing group of Guild Halls dates, however, only from the end of
the 17th century, mostly about 1697. The reason is that in 1695 the
greater part of the Grand’ Place was destroyed by Marshal de Villeroi
during the siege. Two years later, the Guild Houses were rebuilt in the
ornate and somewhat debased style of the Louis XIV. period. Fortunately,
the two great mediæval buildings, which stood almost isolated, did not
share the general destruction.
Continue your stroll through the =Lower Town=.
From the Grand’ Place, take the Rue au Beurre, which leads W. towards
the Bourse. On your R. you will pass the now uninteresting and entirely
modernized =Church of St. Nicolas=. In its origin, however, this is one
of the oldest churches in Brussels, and though it has long lost almost
every mark of antiquity, it is instructive to recognise here again (as
at Ghent) the democratic patron saint of the merchants and burgesses in
close proximity to their Town Hall and their Guild Houses. The =Bourse=
itself, which faces you, is a handsome and imposing modern building. Go
past its side till you reach the line of the =Inner Boulevards=, which
lead N. and S. between the Gare du Nord and the Gare du Midi.
This superb line of streets, one of the finest set of modern boulevards
in Europe, has been driven straight through the heart of the =Old Town=,
and the authorities offered large money prizes for the best _façades_
erected along the route. Content yourself for the moment with a glance
up and down, to observe the general effect, and then continue on to your
L. along the Boulevard, where the first street on the R. will lead you
to the little =Place St. Géry=, now occupied by a market, but originally
the centre of Old Brussels. A stroll through the neighbouring streets is
interesting, past the =Halles Centrales=, and the modern Church of =St.
Catherine=, close by which stands the old Tower of St. Catherine, built
into a modern block of houses. A little further on is the picturesque
=Tour Noire=, the only remaining relic of the first fortifications of
the city. You may prolong this walk to the Place du Béguinage, with a
tolerable church. The quarter has no special interest, but it will serve
to give you a passing idea of the primitive nucleus of mediæval
Brussels.
I will interpolate here a few remarks about the more modern portion of
the Old Town. The best way to see it is to take the tram along the Inner
Boulevards from the Gare du Midi to the Gare du Nord. You will then
pass, first, the Outer Boulevards (see later): next, R., the _Palais du
Midi_; L., the _Place d’Anneessens_, with a statue of Anneessens, the
intrepid and public-spirited magistrate of Brussels who was put to death
in 1719 for venturing to defend the privileges of the city against the
Austrian authorities. Just opposite this, you get a glimpse, R., of the
_Place Rouppe_, to be noticed later. Passing the _Place Fontainas_,
where many streets radiate, you arrive at the _Bourse_, already noticed.
The handsome corner building (with dome) in front of you, which forms so
conspicuous an element in the prospect as you approach, is the _Hôtel
Continental_. Just in front of it expands a small new square (_Place de
Brouckere_) still unfinished, on which a monument is now being erected
to a late burgomaster (De Brouckere.) At this point, the Boulevard
divides, the western branch following the course of the Senne (which
emerges to light just beyond the Outer Boulevards,) while the eastern
branch goes straight on to the Gare du Nord, passing at the first corner
a handsome narrow house with gilt summit, which won the first prize in
the competition instituted by the Municipality for the best _façades_ on
the new line of streets.
After reaching the Gare du Nord, you can return to the Gare du Midi by
an alternative line of main streets, which also cuts through the heart
of the Old Town, a little to the E. of the Inner Boulevards. It begins
with the _Rue Neuve_, where a short street to the L. conducts you
straight to the =Place des Martyrs=, a white and somewhat desolate
square of the 18th century, (1775) adorned later with a Monument to the
Belgians who were killed during the War of Independence in 1830. Shortly
after this (continuing the main line) you pass two covered galleries, R.
and L., and then arrive at the =Place de la Monnaie=. On your R. is the
handsome building of the new =Post Office=; on your L., the white
Ionic-pillared =Grand Théâtre= or =Théâtre de la Monnaie=, (opera,
etc.). You then pass between _St. Nicolas_ on the L., and the _Bourse_
on the R., and continue on to the =Place Rouppe=, (ornamented with a
fountain and a statue of Brussels personified): whence the Avenue du
Midi leads you straight to the _Place de la Constitution_, in front of
the South Station.
The remainder of the =Western Half of the town= is, for the most part,
poor and devoid of interest, though it contains the principal markets,
hospitals, and barracks, as well as the basins for the canals which have
superseded the Senne.
_C._ THE PICTURE GALLERY
[I interpolate here the account of the =Brussels Picture
Gallery=, because it is the most important object to be seen in
the town, after the Grand’ Place and its neighbourhood. You must
pay it several visits—three at the very least—and you may as
well begin early. Follow the roughly chronological order here
indicated, and you will understand it very much better. Begin
again next time where you left off last: but also, revisit the
rooms you have already seen, to let the pictures sink into your
memory. Intersperse these visits with general sight-seeing in
the town and neighbourhood.
The Brussels Gallery forms an excellent continuation to the
works of art we have already studied at Bruges and Ghent. In the
_first place_, it gives us some further examples of the =Old
Flemish masters=, of the Van Eycks and of Memling, as well as
several altar-pieces belonging to the mystical religious School
of the Brussels town-painter, =Roger Van der Weyden=, who was
Memling’s master. These have been removed from churches at
various times, and gradually collected by the present
Government. It also affords us an admirable opportunity of
becoming well acquainted with the masterpieces of =Dierick
Bouts=, or Dierick of Haarlem, an early painter, Dutch by birth
but Flemish by training, who was town painter in democratic
Louvain, (which town may afterwards be made the object of an
excursion from Brussels).
But, in the _second place_, besides these painters of the early
school, the Brussels Gallery is rich in works of the
=transitional period=, and possesses in particular a magnificent
altar-piece by =Quentin Matsys=, the last of the old Flemish
School, and the first great precursor of the Renaissance in the
Low Countries. He was practically an Antwerp man (though born at
Louvain), and his place in art may more fitly be considered in
the Antwerp Museum.
From his time on we are enabled to trace, in this Gallery, the
evolution of Flemish art to its =third period=, the time of
=Rubens= (also better seen at Antwerp) and his successors, the
great =Dutch painters=, here fairly represented by Rembrandt,
Frans Hals, Van der Helst, Gerard Dou, and Teniers.
In the following list of the most noteworthy works of each
School, I have adhered, roughly speaking, to a chronological
order, but without compelling the reader unnecessarily to dance
up and down the various rooms of the collection from one work to
another. The Gallery itself is one of the most splendid in
Europe, and it has been recently re-arranged in a most
satisfactory manner.]
The national collection of pictures by Old Masters occupies the very
handsome modern building known as the =Palais des Beaux-Arts= in the Rue
de la Régence, immediately after passing through the Place Royale. (Four
large granite columns in front: bronze sculpture groups to R. and L.)
See plan on p. 108.
Enter by the big door with the four large granite columns. In the
vestibule, turn to the R., and mount the staircase. Then pass through
Room III. and Corridor A, to Room V. on the right, and on into
ROOM I.
=Hall of the Old Flemish Masters.=
This contains the most interesting works in the Gallery.
(You may also, if you like, pass through the collection of Sculpture in
the Hall below, entering by Corridor D; in which case, turn to the L.
into Rooms VIII. and II., and then to the R. into Room I., as above.
This is the handsomer entrance. Much of the sculpture has great merit:
but being purely modern, it does not fall within the scope of these
Historical Guides.)
Begin in the middle of the wall, with No. 170, =**Hubert van Eyck=: the
two outer upper shutters from the =Adoration of the Lamb= at Ghent,
representing Adam and Eve, whose nudity so shocked Joseph II. that he
objected to their presence in a church. These fine examples of the
unidealized northern nude are highly characteristic of the Van Eycks’
craftsmanship. The Adam is an extremely conscientious and able rendering
of an ordinary and ill-chosen model, surprisingly and almost painfully
true in its fidelity to nature. The foreshortening of the foot, the
minute rendering of the separate small hairs on the legs, the
large-veined, every-day hands, the frank exhibition of the bones and
sinews of the neck, all show the extreme northern love of realism, and
the singular northern inattention to beauty. Compare this figure with
the large German panels on a gold ground in the corners diagonally
opposite (No. 624), if you wish to see how great an advance in truth of
portraiture was made by the Van Eycks. The Eve is an equally faithful
rendering of an uninteresting model, with protruding body and spindle
legs. Above, in the lunettes, are the Offerings of Cain and Abel, and
the Death of Abel, in grisaille. The _backs of the shutters_ will be
opened for you by the attendant. They exhibit, above, two Sibyls, with
scrolls from their prophecies; below, the central portion of the
Annunciation in the total picture, with a view through the window over
the town of Ghent, and the last words of the angelic message, truncated
from their context. This portion of the picture is, of course, only
comprehensible by a study of the original altar-piece at Ghent.
[Illustration: THE PICTURE GALLERY AT BRUSSELS.]
Continue now along this wall to the R. of the Adam and Eve.
24. J. Gossart, called Mabuse (1470-1541), triptych with a
=Glorification of the Magdalen=, given by a special votary. The _central
panel_ contains the chief event in her history—the Supper at the House
of Simon the Pharisee. The host and one guest are admirably represented
by Flemish portraits, exquisitely robed, and reproduced in marvellous
detail. The figure of the Christ is, as usual, insipid. Beneath the
table, the Magdalen, as central figure, with her alabaster box of
ointment, kisses the feet of Christ. To the right, Judas, with his
traditional red hair, and bearing the purse, asks, with a contemptuous
gesture, Why this was not sold and given to the poor? In the background
are the Apostles. Conspicuous amongst them is the conventional round
face of St. Peter. The whole scene takes place in a richly decorated
interior, with charming colouring and a finely rendered clock, curtain,
and other accessories. Gossart visited Italy, and was one of the
earliest Flemings to be influenced by the Italian Renaissance. You will
not overlook the half-Gothic, half-Renaissance architecture, nor the
chained squirrel, nor the semi-grotesque episodes in the background,
very domestic and Flemish. (Moses above the Pharisee’s head marks his
devotion.)
The _left panel_ has another principal event in the Magdalen’s life, the
Resurrection of Lazarus. Here also the Christ is insipid, but the Peter
behind him, in a green robe, is finely characterized; and the John,
affected. Beside are the Magdalen (same dress as before) and Martha,
with a group of women and bystanders in singular head-dresses. In the
background rises a very ideal Bethany. The _right panel_ represents the
kneeling donor (an unknown Premonstratensian abbot); on his book is
written, “Mary Magdalen, pray for us.” Above him is seen the floating
figure of the Magdalen, clad only in her own luxuriant hair, and raised
aloft by angels from her cave, the Sainte Baume, in Provence, to behold
the Beatific Vision. The background has Stations of the Cross, actually
copied (with the rest of the landscape) from those at the Sainte Baume,
which Gossart must have visited at his patron’s instance. On the _backs
of the wings_, yet another scene in the life of the Saint, Christ and
the Magdalen in the Garden. All this triptych is finely modelled and
well-coloured.
552. Three panels attributed to =Roger van der Weyden=, of Tournai, town
painter of Brussels, and teacher of Memling—a highly symbolical and
religious master. Scenes from the Life of the Virgin. In the _centre_,
the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. The foreground is occupied
by St. Joachim and St. Anna, parents of the little Virgin, who is seen
mounting the regulation fifteen steps of the Temple, assisted by a
somewhat unusual angel. At the head of the steps stands the High Priest.
Within, the Virgins of the Lord are seen reading. To the right, still in
the same panel, is the Annunciation, with the usual features, angel L.,
Madonna R., _prie-dieu_, bed, Annunciation lily, and arcade in the
foreground. The _left panel_ has the Circumcision; and the _right_,
Christ among the Doctors in the Temple, with some excellent portraits in
the background. (For Van der Weyden’s place in art, see Conway; for the
Madonna ascending the steps, _Legends of the Madonna_.)
554. Also attributed to =Roger van der Weyden=: parts of the same
series, Way to Calvary and the Crucifixion. The _first_ has the usual
brutal soldiers and a suffering but not very dignified Christ. (Study
for comparison with others.) Beside the Virgin kneels the donor. The
_second_ has the conventional figures of the fainting Madonna, St. John,
the Magdalen, and the other Maries: sun and moon darkened. In the
distance of both, Flemish towns. (Good trees and landscape.)
105A. Fine Madonna with Child, and an apple by Van Clìve.
159. A crowded Calvary of the German School (late 15th century) with an
emaciated Saviour, writhing and distorted thieves, and rather wooden
spectators. Observe the St. Longinus in armour on the bay horse,
piercing the side of Christ, for comparison hereafter with such later
conceptions as Rubens’s at Antwerp. To the L. is the group of the
Madonna, St. John, and the two Maries. The red eyes of St. John are
characteristic of this scene, and descend to Van Dyck. The Maries are
unmitigated German housewives. The Magdalen embraces the foot of the
Cross. On the right are spectators and a brawl between soldiers. The
background is full of characteristic German devils and horrors: also St.
Veronica, Peter and Malchus, Judas hanging himself, etc.
Above it, 523, German School, attributed to Wolgemut, Christ and the
Apostles: gold background. Very flavourless: shows the tendencies from
which the Van Eycks revolted.
517. Roger van der Weyden: head of a Woman Weeping. Perhaps a portion of
a large composition, or a study for one. More likely, a copy by a pupil.
Much damaged.
Now, return along the same wall, beyond the great Van Eyck in the
centre.
335. =Bernard van Orley= (transitional). Triptych (sawn in two), with
the Patience of Job inside, and Lazarus and Dives outside. In the
_centre panel_, the house falling upon the sons of Job. In the
background, Job and his comforters: his house in flames, etc. _Left
panel_, the flocks and herds of Job driven off by the Sabeans, with
Satan before the Almighty at the summit. _Right panel_, Job in his last
state more blessed than formerly: his comforters ask him to intercede
for them. Beyond this again, the outer shutters (the panels having been
sawn through): _extreme left_, Lazarus at the Rich Man’s gate; above,
his new-born soul borne aloft to Heaven. Below, cooks, servants, etc.
_Extreme right_, the Rich Man dying, attended by his physician (compare
the Dropsical Woman by Gerard Dou in the Louvre). Below, Dives in
Torments (in a very Flemish Hell) calling to Lazarus. Above, Lazarus in
Abraham’s bosom. This is a good characteristic example of the
=transitional period= between the early and later Flemish art, greatly
influenced by the Italian Renaissance. Van Orley travelled in Italy, and
imitated Raphael in composition and drawing.
Beyond it, attributed to Roger van der Weyden, 553 (3 panels arbitrarily
placed together). In the _centre panel_, two subjects. Left, the
Nativity, elements all conventional: ruined temple, shed, ox and ass
(extremely wooden), and St. Joseph in background. (He frequently bears a
candle in this scene in order to indicate that the time is night.)
Right, the Adoration of the Three Kings, old, middle-aged, young, the
last a Moor. St. Joseph examines, as often, the Old King’s gift. Note
his costume; it recurs in Flemish art. _Left panel_, Joseph of Arimathea
with the Crown of Thorns, Nicodemus with the three nails, St. John, and
the three Maries at the sepulchre. _Right panel_, Entombment, with the
same figures: the Crown of Thorns and nails in the foreground. Great
importance is always attached to these relics, preserved in the Sainte
Chapelle, and at Monza, near Milan.
350. =Patinier.= Repose on the Flight into Egypt, with fine landscape
background.
122. =Cranach= the Elder. Hard portrait of a very Scotch looking and
Calvinistic Elder.
10. Amberger; German School, 16th century; excellent portrait of a
gentleman; good beard.
569. Fine portrait of a man, by unknown artist. Flemish School, 16th
century.
Above these, 618, Flagellation and Ascension, German School, with gilt
backgrounds.
The _skied pictures_ on this wall are only interesting as specimens of
the later transitional period; when Flemish Art was aiming ill at
effects unnatural to it.
Continue along the wall in the same direction.
By the door, 557, *portrait of Johanna of Spain (the Mad), mother of
Charles V.: fine 15th century work.
531 and 532. Excellent old Flemish portraits.
Above these, 541, Scenes from the Life of the Virgin, with a donor. L.,
Nativity. Note the conventional elements. R., Circumcision. Above, Angel
and patron saints.
557. *Portrait of Philippe le Beau, father of Charles V., companion to
his wife opposite. Observe the collar of the Golden Fleece, and the
united arms of Spain, Burgundy, etc., on his doublet. These portraits
were originally the wings of a triptych.
544. A Holy Family and St. Anne, with the donor, a Franciscan monk, by a
feeble imitator of Memling.
334. Tolerable portrait of a doctor, by Bernard Van Orley.
Next it, unnumbered, *Virgin and child. Gérard David. Our Lady feeds
Christ with a characteristic Flemish wooden spoon.
348. Patinier, a painter chiefly memorable for his landscapes (of which
this is a poor example). St. Jerome in the Desert, beating his breast
with a stone before a crucifix. Beside him, his cardinal’s hat and lion.
Not a good example of the master.
641. Holbein the Younger. Portrait of *Sir Thomas More.
Above, 575. Triptych, Flemish School, early 16th century. _Centre
panel_, Miracle of St. Anthony of Padua and the Mule. (The Saint,
carrying the Host, met a scoffer’s mule, which knelt till it passed.)
Above, St. Bonaventura, attired as bishop, praying. These must be the
chief objects of the donor’s devotion: they are also represented on the
outer wings. _Right_ and _left_, the donor (whose name was Tobias), with
his personal patron, St. Raphael the Archangel (accompanying the young
Tobias), and his wife, with St. Margaret and the Dragon. (For Tobias and
the Fish, see Book of Tobit.)
174, skied, is a Last Judgment by Floris, also transitional and useful
for comparison with others elsewhere. To R. and L., the Fall of the
Damned and the Just Ascending recall early examples at Bruges.
534. Triptych of the Flemish School (Hugo van der Goes?); _Centre
panel_, Assumption of Our Lady. Round the empty tomb are gathered the
apostles; conspicuous among them, St. Peter with a censer, and St.
James. Above, Our Lady taken up in a glory by Christ and the Holy Ghost,
represented as like Him. In the background, her Funeral, St. Peter, as
Pope, accompanying. Note the papal dress of St. Peter; St. James holds
the cross as Bishop of Jerusalem. _Left wing_, the chief donor,
accompanied by his guardian angel and two of the apostles, one of whom
holds St. Peter’s tiara, as if part of the main picture. In the
background, St. Thomas receiving the Holy Girdle from an Angel, a common
treatment in Flemish art, though Italians make him receive it from Our
Lady in person. (See my _Guide to Florence_.) _Right wing_, donor’s son
and wife, with guardian angel. This triptych closely resembles No. 535
(which see later), except that that picture is in one panel, instead of
three. I think 535 must have been painted first, and this taken from it,
but made into a triptych; which would account for the unusual flowing
over of the main subject into the wings.
419. Martin Schongauer (of Colmar, a German largely influenced by Roger
van der Weyden), *Ecce Homo, painted like a miniature.
349. Patinier: another Repose on the Flight into Egypt. Observe
persistence of the main elements. Notice in particular, as compared with
the similar picture (350) close by, the staff, basket, etc., in the R.
foreground.
546. School of Memling, perhaps by the master: a Bishop preaching: M.
Fétis thinks, exhorting the Crusade in which Pope Nicholas V. wished to
interest the princes of Europe after the fall of Constantinople.
621. School of Dürer: Fine and thoughtful portrait of a man, perhaps
Erasmus.
Above it, 577, Flemish triptych (school of Van der Weyden) of the
Adoration of the Magi, the elements in which will by this time be
familiar to you. Right and left, Adoration of the Shepherds and
Circumcision. The exceptional frequency of the subject of the Adoration
of the Magi in the Low Countries and the Rhine district is to be
accounted for by the fact that the relics of the Three Kings are
preserved in Cologne Cathedral, and are there the chief object of local
cult.
At the corner,
84 and 255, two good portraits by the German de Bruyn (early 16th
cent.). Transitional: show Italian influence.
Between them, 619, unknown German, Wedding Feast at Cana. That you may
have no doubt as to the reality of the miracle, a servant is pouring
water into the jars in the foreground. He is much the best portion of
the picture. Behind are Christ, St. John, and Our Lady. Next to them,
the bride and bridegroom. (Compare the Gerard David in the Louvre.)
Above it, 624, a very quaint St. George and St. Catherine, early German
School, with gold background. St. George is stiffly clad in armour, and
painfully conscious of his spindle legs, with a transfixed dragon and
broken lance at his feet. St. Catherine looks extremely peevish, with a
Byzantine down-drawn mouth: she holds the sword of her martyrdom, and
has a fragment of her wheel showing behind her. Her face is highly
characteristic of the severity and austerity of early German art.
Companion piece (624) at opposite corner.
Now proceed to the next wall.
539. Fine portraits of a donor and his wife, with their patron saints,
Peter and Paul. The tops of both have been sawn off.
549 and 643. Two Madonnas. Not very important.