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[Illustration: REMBRANDT VAN RYN (BY HIMSELF)
_National Gallery, London_]
Masterpieces of Art
REMBRANDT
A COLLECTION OF FIFTEEN PICTURES
AND A PORTRAIT OF THE PAINTER
WITH INTRODUCTION AND
INTERPRETATION
BY
ESTELLE M. HURLL
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge
1899
COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.
* * * * *
PREFACE
The choice of pictures for this collection has been made with the
object of familiarizing the student with works fairly representative
of Rembrandt's art in portraiture and Biblical illustration, landscape
and genre study, in painting and etching. Admirers of the Dutch master
may miss some well-known pictures. For obvious reasons the Lecture in
Anatomy is deemed unsuitable for this place, and the Hundred Guilder
Print contains too many figures to be reproduced here clearly. The
Syndics of the Cloth Guild and the print of Christ Preaching will
compensate for these omissions, and show Rembrandt at his best, both
with brush and burin.
There are perhaps no paintings in the world more difficult to
reproduce satisfactorily in black and white than those of Rembrandt.
His marvelous effects of chiaroscuro leave in darkness portions of the
composition, which appear in the photograph as unintelligible blurs.
With these difficulties to meet, great pains have been taken to select
for the reproductions of this book the best photographs made direct
from the original paintings. A comparative study of the available
material has resulted in making use of an almost equal number from
Messrs. Hanfstaengl & Co. and Messrs. Braun & Cie.
In reproducing the etchings the publishers have been most fortunate in
being able to use for the purpose original prints in the Harvey D.
Parker Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
ESTELLE M. HURLL.
NEW BEDFORD, MASS.
November, 1899.
* * * * *
CONTENTS AND LIST OF PICTURES
PORTRAIT OF REMBRANDT. PAINTED BY HIMSELF. _Frontispiece._
FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE.
INTRODUCTION
I. ON REMBRANDT'S CHARACTER AS AN ARTIST
II. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE
III. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE PICTURES OF THIS COLLECTION
IV. OUTLINE TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN REMBRANDT'S LIFE
V. SOME OF REMBRANDT'S FAMOUS CONTEMPORARIES IN HOLLAND
VI. FOREIGN CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS
I. JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANZ HANFSTAENGL
II. ISRAEL BLESSING THE SONS OF JOSEPH
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANZ HANFSTAENGL
III. THE ANGEL RAPHAEL LEAVING THE FAMILY OF TOBIT
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE
IV. THE RAT KILLER
PICTURE FROM ORIGINAL ETCHING IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
V. THE PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE
VI. THE GOOD SAMARITAN
PICTURE FROM ORIGINAL ETCHING IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
VII. THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANZ HANFSTAENGL
VIII. CHRIST PREACHING
PICTURE FROM ORIGINAL ETCHING IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
IX. CHRIST AT EMMAUS
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE
X. PORTRAIT OF SASKIA
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANZ HANFSTAENGL
XI. THE SORTIE OF THE CIVIC GUARD
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE
XII. PORTRAIT OF JAN SIX
PICTURE FROM ORIGINAL ETCHING IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
XIII. PORTRAIT OF AN OLD WOMAN
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY MAISON AD. BRAUN & CIE
XIV. THE SYNDICS OF THE CLOTH GUILD
PICTURE FROM PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANZ HANFSTAENGL
XV. THE THREE TREES
PICTURE FROM ORIGINAL ETCHING IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
XVI. THE PORTRAIT OF REMBRANDT (_See Frontispiece_)
PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES AND FOREIGN WORDS
* * * * *
INTRODUCTION
I. ON REMBRANDT'S CHARACTER AS AN ARTIST
A general impression prevails with the large picture-loving public
that a special training is necessary to any proper appreciation of
Rembrandt. He is the idol of the connoisseur because of his superb
mastery of technique, his miracles of chiaroscuro, his blending of
colors. Those who do not understand these matters must, it is
supposed, stand quite without the pale of his admirers. Too many
people, accepting this as a dictum, take no pains to make the
acquaintance of the great Dutch master. It may be that they are
repelled at the outset by Rembrandt's indifference to beauty. His
pictures lack altogether those superficial qualities which to some are
the first requisites of a picture. Weary of the familiar commonplaces
of daily life, the popular imagination looks to art for happier scenes
and fairer forms. This taste, so completely gratified by Raphael, is
at first strangely disappointed by Rembrandt. While Raphael peoples
his canvases with beautiful creatures of another realm, Rembrandt
draws his material from the common world about us. In place of the
fair women and charming children with whom Raphael delights us, he
chooses his models from wrinkled old men and beggars. Rembrandt is
nevertheless a poet and a visionary in his own way. "For physical
beauty he substitutes moral expression," says Fromentin. If in the
first glance at his picture we see only a transcript of common life,
a second look discovers something in this common life that we have
never before seen there. We look again, and we see behind the
commonplace exterior the poetry of the inner life. A vision of the
ideal hovers just beyond the real. Thus we gain refreshment, not by
being lifted out of the world, but by a revelation of the beauty which
is in the world. Rembrandt becomes to us henceforth an interpreter of
the secrets of humanity. As Raphael has been surnamed "the divine,"
for the godlike beauty of his creations, so Rembrandt is "the human,"
for his sympathetic insight into the lives of his fellow men.
Even for those who are slow to catch the higher meaning of Rembrandt's
work, there is still much to entertain and interest in his rare
story-telling power--a gift which should in some measure compensate
for his lack of superficial beauty. His story themes are almost
exclusively Biblical, and his style is not less simple and direct than
the narrative itself. Every detail counts for something in the
development of the dramatic action. Probably no other artist has
understood so well the pictorial qualities of patriarchal history.
That singular union of poetry and prose, of mysticism and practical
common sense, so striking in the Hebrew character, appealed powerfully
to Rembrandt's imagination. It was peculiarly well represented in the
scenes of angelic visitation. Jacob wrestling with the Angel affords a
fine contrast between the strenuous realities of life and the pure
white ideal rising majestically beyond. The homely group of Tobit's
family is glorified by the light of the radiant angel soaring into
heaven from the midst of them.
Rembrandt's New Testament scenes are equally well adapted to emphasize
the eternal immanence of the supernatural in the natural. The
Presentation in the Temple is invested with solemn significance; the
simple Supper at Emmaus is raised into a sacrament by the transfigured
countenance of the Christ. For all these contrasts between the actual
and the ideal, Rembrandt had a perfect vehicle of artistic expression
in chiaroscuro. In the mastery of the art of light and shade he is
supreme. His entire artistic career was devoted to this great problem,
and we can trace his success through all the great pictures from the
Presentation to the Syndics.
Rembrandt apparently cared very little for the nude, for the delicate
curves of the body and the exquisite colors of flesh. Yet to
overbalance this disregard of beautiful form was his strong
predilection for finery. None ever loved better the play of light upon
jewels and satin and armor, the rich effectiveness of Oriental stuffs
and ecclesiastical vestments. Unable to gratify this taste in the
portraits which he painted to order, he took every opportunity to
paint both himself and his wife, Saskia, in costume. Wherever the
subject admitted, he introduced what he could of rich detail. In the
picture of Israel Blessing the Sons of Joseph, Asenath, as the wife of
an Egyptian official, is appropriately adorned with jewels and finery.
In the Sortie of the Civic Guard, Captain Cocq is resplendent in his
military regalia.
With all this fondness for pretty things, Rembrandt never allowed his
fancy to carry him beyond the limits of fitness in sacred art. The
Venetian masters had represented the most solemn scenes of the New
Testament with a pomp and magnificence entirely at variance with their
meaning. Rembrandt understood better the real significance of
Christianity, and made no such mistake. His Supper at Emmaus is the
simple evening meal of three peasant pilgrims precisely as it is
represented in the Gospel. His Christ Preaching includes a motley
company of humble folk, such as the great Teacher loved to gather
about him.
It was perhaps the obverse side of his fondness for finery, that Rembrandt
had a strong leaning towards the picturesqueness of rags. A very
interesting class of his etchings is devoted to genre studies and beggars.
Here his disregard of the beautiful in the passion for expression reached
an extreme. His subjects are often grotesque--sometimes repulsive--but
always intensely human. Reading human character with rare sympathy, he was
profoundly touched by the poetry and the pathos of these miserable lives.
Through all these studies runs a quaint vein of humor, relieving the
pathos of the situations. The picturesque costume of the old Rat Killer
tickles the sense of humor, and conveys somehow a delightful suggestion of
his humbuggery which offsets the touching squalor of the grotesque little
apprentice. And none but a humorist could have created the swaggering
hostler's boy holding the Good Samaritan's horse.
As a revealer of character, Rembrandt reaches the climax of his power
in his portraits. From this class of his pictures alone one can
repeople Holland with the spirits of the seventeenth century. All
classes and conditions and all ages came within the range of his magic
brush and burin. The fresh girlhood of Saskia, the sturdy manhood of
the Syndics, and the storied old age of his favorite old woman model
show the scope of his power, and in Israel Blessing the Sons of Joseph
he shows the whole range in a single composition. He is manifestly at
his best when his sitter has pronounced features and wrinkled skin, a
face full of character, which he understood so well how to depict.
Obstacles stimulated him to his highest endeavor. Given the prosaic
and hackneyed motif of the Syndics' composition, he rose to the
highest point of artistic expression in a portrait group, in which a
grand simplicity of technical style is united with a profound and
intimate knowledge of human nature.
II. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE
The history of modern Rembrandt bibliography properly begins with the
famous work by C. Vosmaer, "Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, sa Vie et ses
OEuvres." Vosmaer profited by the researches of Kolloff and Burger
to bring out a book which opened a new era in the appreciation of the
great Dutch master. It was first issued in 1868, and was republished
in 1877 in an enlarged edition. This book was practically alone in the
field until the recent work of Emile Michel appeared. In the English
translation (by Florence Simmonds) edited by Walter Armstrong,
Michel's "Rembrandt" is at the present moment our standard authority
on the subject. It is in two large illustrated volumes full of
historical information and criticism and containing a complete
classified list of Rembrandt's works--paintings, drawings, and
etchings.
The "Complete Work of Rembrandt," by Wilhelm Bode, is now issuing from
the press (1899), and will consist of eight volumes containing
reproductions of all the master's pictures, with historical and
descriptive text. It is to be hoped that this mammoth and costly work
will be put into many large reference libraries, where students may
consult it to see Rembrandt's work in its entirety.
The series of small German monographs edited by H. Knackfuss and now
translated into English has one number devoted to Rembrandt,
containing nearly one hundred and sixty reproductions from his works,
with descriptive text. Kugler's "Handbook of the German, Flemish, and
Dutch Schools," revised by J. A. Crowe, includes a brief account of
Rembrandt's life and work, which may be taken as valuable and
trustworthy. For a critical estimate of the character of Rembrandt's
art, its strength and weaknesses, and its peculiarities, nothing can
be more interesting than what Eugene Fromentin, French painter and
critic, has written in his "Old Masters of Belgium and Holland."
Rembrandt's etchings have been the exclusive subject of many books.
There are voluminous descriptive catalogues by Bartsch ("Le Peintre
Graveur") Claussin, Wilson, Charles Blanc, Middleton, and Dutuit. A
short monograph on "The Etchings of Rembrandt," by Philip Gilbert
Hamerton (London, 1896), reviews the most famous prints in a very
pleasant way.
There are valuable prints from the original plates of Rembrandt in the
Harvey D. Parker collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and in
the Gray collection of the Fogg Museum at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Those who are not fortunate enough to have access to original prints
will derive much satisfaction from the complete set of reproductions
published in St. Petersburg (1890) with catalogue by Rovinski, and
from the excellent reproductions of Amand Durand, Paris.
To come in touch with the spirit of the times and of the country of
Rembrandt, the reader is referred to Motley's "Rise of the Dutch
Republic," condensed and continued by W. E. Griffis.
III. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE PICTURES OF THIS COLLECTION
_Portrait Frontispiece_. National Gallery, London. Signed and dated
1640.
1. _Jacob Wrestling with the Angel_. Berlin Gallery. Signed and dated
1659. Figures life size. Size: 4 ft. 5-1/16 in. by 3 ft. 9-5/8 in.
2. _Israel Blessing the Sons of Joseph_. Cassel Gallery. Signed and
dated 1656. Figures life size. Size: 5 ft. 8-9/16 in. by 6 ft. 6-3/4
in.
3. _The Angel Raphael Leaving the Family of Tobit_. Louvre, Paris.
Signed and dated 1637. Size: 2 ft. 2-13/16 in. by 1 ft. 8-1/2 in.
4. _The Rat Killer_. Etching. Signed and dated 1632. Size: 5-1/2 in.
by 4-9/16 in.
5. _The Philosopher in Meditation_. Louvre, Paris. Signed and dated
1633. Size: 11-7/16 in. by 13 in.
6. _The Good Samaritan_. Etching. Signed and dated 1633. Size: 10-1/5
in. by 8-3/5 in.
7. _The Presentation in the Temple_. At the Hague. Signed and dated
1631. Size: 2 ft. 4-11/16 in. by 1 ft. 6-7/8 in.
8. _Christ Preaching_. Etching. Date assigned by Michel, about 1652.
Size: 6-1/5 in. by 8-1/5 in.
9. _Christ at Emmaus_. Louvre, Paris. Signed and dated 1648. Size: 2
ft. 2-13/16 in. by 2 ft. 1-5/8 in.
10. _Portrait of Saskia_. Cassel Gallery. Painted about 1632-1634.
Life size. Size: 3 ft. 2-11/16 in. by 2 ft. 1-3/5 in.
11. _Sortie of the Civic Guard_. Ryks Museum (Trippenhuis), Amsterdam.
Signed and dated 1642. Life size figures. Size: 11 ft. 9-3/8 in. by 14
ft. 3-5/16 in.
12. _Portrait of Jan Six_. Etching. Signed and dated 1647. Size: about
9-3/8 in. by 7-3/8 in.
13. _Portrait of an Old Woman_. Hermitage Gallery, St. Petersburg.
Signed and dated 1654. Size: 3 ft. 6-7/8 in. by 2 ft. 9 in.
14. _The Syndics of the Cloth Guild_. Ryks Museum (Trippenhuis),
Amsterdam. Signed and dated 1661. Life size figures. Size: 6 ft. 7/8
in. by 8 ft. 11-15/16 in.
15. _The Three Trees_. Etching, 1643. Size: 8-2/5 in. by 11 in.
IV. OUTLINE TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN REMBRANDT'S LIFE
1606.[1] Rembrandt born in Leyden.
1621. Rembrandt apprenticed to the painter, Jacob van Swanenburch.
1624. Rembrandt studied six months with Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam.
1627. Rembrandt's earliest known works, St. Paul in Prison, (Stuttgart
Museum); The Money Changers (Berlin Gallery).
1631. Rembrandt removed to Amsterdam.
1631. The Presentation painted.
1632. The Anatomy Lecture painted.
1633. The portrait of the Shipbuilder and his Wife painted.
1634. Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenborch, June 22, in Bildt.
1635. Rembrandt's son Rombertus baptized December 15. (Died in
infancy.)
1637. Angel Raphael Leaving Family of Tobit painted.
1638. Rembrandt's daughter Cornelia born. (Died in early childhood.)
1639. Rembrandt bought a house in the Joden Breestraat.
1640. Rembrandt's second daughter born and died.
1640. Rembrandt's mother died.
1640. The Carpenter's Household painted.
1641. Manoah's Prayer painted.
1641. Rembrandt's son Titus baptized.
1642. Sortie of the Civic Guard (The Night Watch) painted for the hall
of the Amsterdam Musketeers.
[Footnote 1: Authorities are not entirely unanimous as to the date of
Rembrandt's birth.]
1642. Rembrandt's wife, Saskia, died.
1648. Christ at Emmaus painted.
1649. The Hundred Guilder print etched.
1651. Christ Appearing to Magdalen painted.
1652. Christ Preaching etched.
1656. Rembrandt's bankruptcy.
1656. Israel Blessing the Sons of Joseph painted.
1661. Portrait of the Syndics painted for the Guild of Drapers,
Amsterdam.
1668. Rembrandt's son Titus died.
1669. Rembrandt died.
V. SOME OF REMBRANDT'S FAMOUS CONTEMPORARIES IN HOLLAND
Frederick Henry of Orange, stadtholder, 1625. Princess Amalia of
Solms, wife of Frederick Henry, built the Huis ten Bosch (House in the
Woods) at the Hague, 1647.
William II of Orange, stadtholder, 1647. In 1650 the stadt-holderate
was suppressed, and John de Witt became in 1653 chief executive of the
republic for twenty years. Murdered in 1672.
John of Barneveld, Grand Pensioner, "the greatest statesman in all the
history of the Netherlands" (Griffis). Executed May 24, 1619.
Michael de Ruyter, "the Dutch Nelson," died 1676.
Marten Harpertzoon von Tromp, admiral. Born 1597; died 1691. (He
defeated the English fleet under Blake.)
Cornelius Evertsen, admiral.
Floriszoon, admiral.
Witte de With, admiral.
Hendrik Hudson, navigator and discoverer; first voyage, 1607, last
voyage, 1610.
Captain Zeachen, discoverer.
Hugo Grotius, father of international law, 1583-1645.
Jan Six, burgomaster, bibliophile, art connoisseur, and dramatist,
1618-1700.
Spinoza, philosopher, 1622-1677.
Joost van den Vondel, poet and dramatist, 1587-1679.
Jacob Cats, Grand Pensionary and poet, 1577-1660.
Constantine Huyghens, poet.
Gysbart Voet (Latin, Voetius) 1588-1678, professor of theology at
Utrecht.
Cornelis Jansen, born 1585. Professor of scripture interpretation at
Louvain.
Johannes Koch (Latin, Coccejus), 1603-1669, professor of theology at
Leyden and, "after Erasmus, the father of modern Biblical criticism."
J. van Kampen, architect, built the Het Palais (Royal Palace) in
Amsterdam, 1648.
Jansz Vinckenbrink, sculptor.
Hendrik de Keyser, sculptor.
Crabeth brothers, designers of stained glass.
Painters:--
Franz Hals, 1584-1666.
Gerard Honthorst, 1590-1656.
Albert Cuyp, 1605-1691.
Jan van Goyen, 1596-1656.
Jacob Ruysdael, 1625-1682.
Paul Potter, 1625-1654.
Jan Lievens, born 1607; died after 1672.
Salomon Koning, 1609-1668.
Gerard Terburg, 1608-1681.
Nicolas Berghem, 1620-1683.
Jan Steen, 1626-1679.
Adrian van Ostade, 1610-1685.
Rembrandt's pupils:--
Ferdinand Bol, 1616-1680.
Govert Flinck, 1615-1660.
Van den Eeckhont, 1620-1674.
Gerard Don, 1613-1680.
Nicolas Maes, 1632-1693.
Juriaen Ovens, 1623.
Hendrick Heerschop, born 1620, entered Rembrandt's studio, 1644.
Carl Fabritius, 1624-1654.
Samuel van Hoogstraaten, born 1627, with Rembrandt, 1640-1650.
Aert de Gelder, 1645-1727.
Less important names: Jan van Glabbeck, Jacobus Levecq, Heyman
Dullaert, Johan Hendricksen, Adriaen Verdael, Cornelis Drost.
VI. FOREIGN CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS
Flemish:--
Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640.
Anthony Van Dyck, 1599-1641.
Jacob Jordaens, 1594-1678.
Franz Snyders, 1574-1657.
Gaspard de Craeyer, 1582-1669.
David Teniers, 1610-1690.
Spanish:--
Velasquez, 1599-1660.
Pacheco, 1571-1654.
Cano, 1601-1676.
Herrera, 1576-1656.
Zurbaran, 1598-1662.
Murillo, 1618-1682.
French:--
Simon Vouet, 1582-1641.
Charles Le Brun, 1619-1690.
Eustache Le Sueur, 1617-1655.
Italian:--
Carlo Dolci, 1616-1686.
Guido Reni, 1575-1642.
Domenichino, 1581-1641.
Francesco Albani, 1578-1660.
Guercino, 1591-1666.
Sassoferrato, 1605-1685.
I
JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL
The history of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob reads like a romance.
He was the younger of the two sons of Isaac, and was at a great
disadvantage on this account. Among his people the eldest son always
became the family heir and also received the choicest blessing from
the father, a privilege coveted as much as wealth. In this case
therefore the privileged son was Jacob's brother Esau. Jacob resented
keenly the inequality of his lot; and his mother sympathized with him,
as he was her favorite. A feeling of enmity grew up between the
brothers, and in the end Jacob did Esau a great wrong.
One day Esau came in from hunting, nearly starved, and finding his
younger brother cooking some lentils, begged a portion of it for
himself. Jacob seized the chance to make a sharp bargain. He offered
his brother the food--which is called in the quaint Bible language a
"mess of pottage"--making him promise in return that he would let
their father give his blessing to the younger instead of the older
son. Esau was a careless fellow, too hungry to think what he was
saying, and so readily yielded.
But though Esau might sell his birthright in this fashion, the father
would not have been willing to give the blessing to the younger son,
had it not been for a trick planned by the mother. The old man was
nearly blind, and knew his sons apart by the touch of their skin, as
Esau had a rough, hairy skin and Jacob a smooth one. The mother put
skins of kids upon Jacob's hands and neck and bade him go to his
father pretending to be Esau, and seek his blessing. The trick was
successful, and when a little later Esau himself came to his father on
the same errand, he found that he had been superseded. Naturally he
was very angry, and vowed vengeance on his brother. Jacob, fearing for
his life, fled into a place called Padanaram.
In this place he became a prosperous cattle farmer and grew very rich.
He married there also and had a large family of children. After
fourteen years he bethought himself of his brother Esau and the great
wrong he had done him. He resolved to remove his family to his old
home, and to be reconciled with his brother. Hardly daring to expect
to be favorably received, he sent in advance a large number of cattle
in three droves as a gift to Esau. Then he awaited over night some
news or message from his brother. In the night a strange adventure
befell him. This is the way the story is told in the book of
Genesis.[2]
[Footnote 2: Genesis, chapter xxxii. verses 24-31.]
[Illustration: JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL
_Berlin Gallery_]
"There wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when
he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of
his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he
wrestled with him. And he said, 'Let me go, for the day breaketh.' And
he said, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me,' And he said
unto him, 'What is thy name?' And he said, 'Jacob,' And he said, 'Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast
thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'... And he
blessed him there.
"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God
face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel,
the sun rose upon him and he halted upon his thigh;" that is, he
walked halt, or lame.
The crisis in Jacob's life was passed, for hardly had he set forth on
this morning when he saw his brother whom he had wronged advancing
with four hundred men to meet him. "And Esau ran to meet him, and
embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him: and they wept."
So were the brothers reconciled.
The picture represents Jacob wrestling with his mysterious adversary.
We have seen from his history how determined he was to have his own
way, and how he wrested worldly prosperity even from misfortunes. Now
he is equally determined in this higher and more spiritual conflict.
It is a very real struggle, and Jacob has prevailed only by putting
forth his utmost energy. It is the moment when the grand angel,
pressing one knee into the hollow of Jacob's left thigh and laying
his hand on his right side, looks into his face and grants the
blessing demanded as a condition for release. Strong and tender is his
gaze, and the gift he bestows is a new name, in token of the new
character of brotherly love of which this victory is the beginning.
The story of St. Michael and the Dragon, which Raphael has painted,
stands for the everlasting conflict between good and evil in the
world. There is a like meaning in the story of Jacob's wrestling with
the angel. The struggle is in the human heart between selfish impulses
and higher ideals. The day when one can hold on to the good angel long
enough to win a blessing, is the day which begins a new chapter in a
man's life.
II
ISRAEL BLESSING THE SONS OF JOSEPH
When Jacob wrestled with the angel he received a new name, Israel, or
a prince, a champion of God.
Israel became the founder of the great Israelite nation, and from his
twelve sons grew up the twelve tribes of Israel, among whom was
distributed the country now called Palestine. Among these sons the
father's favorite was Joseph, who was next to the youngest. This
favoritism aroused the anger and jealousy of the older brothers, and
they plotted to get rid of him. One day when they were all out with
some flocks in a field quite distant from their home, they thought
they were rid forever of the hated Joseph by selling him to a company
of men who were journeying to Egypt. Then they dipped the lad's coat
in goat's blood and carried it to Israel, who, supposing his son to
have been devoured by a wild beast, mourned him as dead.
When Joseph had grown to manhood in Egypt, a singular chain of
circumstances brought the brothers together again. There was a sore
famine, and Egypt was the headquarters for the sale of corn. Joseph
had shown himself so able and trustworthy that he was given charge of
selling and distributing the stores of food. So when Israel's older
sons came from their home to Egypt to buy corn they had to apply to
Joseph, whom they little suspected of being the brother they had so
cruelly wronged. There is a pretty story, too long to repeat here, of
how Joseph disclosed himself to his astonished brethren, and forgave
them their cruelty, how he sent for his father to come to Egypt to
live near him, how there was a joyful reunion, and how "they all lived
happily ever after."
When the time drew near for Israel to die, he desired to bestow his
last blessing on his sons. And first of all his beloved son Joseph
brought him his own two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Now according to the traditions of the patriarchs, it was the eldest
son who should receive the choicest blessing from his father. Israel,
however, had found among his own sons that it was a younger one,
Joseph, who had proved himself the most worthy of love. This may have
shaken his faith in the wisdom of the old custom. Perhaps, too, he
remembered how his own boyhood had been made unhappy because he was
the younger son, and how he had on that account been tempted to
deceit.
Whatever the reason, he surprised Joseph at the last moment by showing
a preference for the younger of the two grandsons, Ephraim, expressing
this preference by laying the right hand, instead of the left, on his
head. The blessing was spoken in these solemn words: "God, before whom
my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my
life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads."
[Illustration: ISRAEL BLESSING THE SONS OF JOSEPH
_Cassel Gallery_]
The narrative relates[3] that "When Joseph saw that his father laid
his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he
held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto
Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, 'Not so, my father:
for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.' And his
father refused, and said, 'I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall
become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger
brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a
multitude of nations.' And he blessed them that day, saying, 'In thee
shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim, and as
Manasseh;' and he set Ephraim before Manasseh."
[Footnote 3: Genesis, chapter xlviii. verses 17-20.]
As we compare the picture with the story, it is easy to identify the
figures. We are naturally interested in Joseph as the hero of so many
romantic adventures. As a high Egyptian official, he makes a dignified
appearance and wears a rich turban. His face is gentle and amiable, as
we should expect of a loving son and forgiving brother.
In the old man we see the same Jacob who wrestled by night with the
Angel and was redeemed from his life of selfishness. The same strong
face is here, softened by sorrow and made tender by love. The years
have cut deep lines of character in the forehead, and the flowing
beard has become snowy white.
The dying patriarch has "strengthened himself," to sit up on the bed
for his last duty, and his son Joseph supports him. The children kneel
together by the bedside, the little Ephraim bending his fair head
humbly to receive his grandfather's right hand, Manasseh looking up
alertly, almost resentfully, as he sees that hand passing over his own
head to his brother's. Joseph's wife Asenath, the children's mother,
stands beyond, looking on musingly. We see that it is a moment of very
solemn interest to all concerned. Though the patriarch's eyes are dim
and his hand trembles, his old determined spirit makes itself
manifest. Joseph is in perplexity between his filial respect and his
solicitude for his first-born. He puts his fingers gently under his
father's wrist, trying to lift the hand to the other head. The mother
seems to smile as if well content. Perhaps she shares the
grandfather's preference for little Ephraim.
The picture is a study in the three ages of man, childhood, manhood,
and old age, brought together by the most tender and sacred ties of
human life, in the circle of the family.
III
THE ANGEL RAPHAEL LEAVING THE FAMILY OF TOBIT
The story of Tobit is found in what is called the Apocrypha, that is,
a collection of books written very much in the manner of the Bible,
and formerly bound in Bibles between the Old and the New Testament.
The story goes that when Enemessar, King of Assyria, conquered the
people of Israel, he led away many of them captive into Assyria, among
them the family of Tobit, his wife Anna, and their son Tobias. They
settled in Nineveh, and Tobit, being an honest man, was made purveyor
to the king. That is, it was his business to provide food for the
king's household.
In this office he was able to lay up a good deal of money, which he
placed for safe keeping in the hands of Gabael, an Israelite who lived
at Rages in Media. Tobit was a generous man, and he did many kind
deeds for his less fortunate fellow exiles; he delighted in feeding
the hungry and clothing the naked.
When Sennacherib was king of Assyria, many Jews were slain and left
lying in the street, and Tobit, finding their neglected bodies, buried
them secretly. One night, after some such deed of mercy, a sad
affliction befell him. White films came over his eyes, causing total
blindness. In his distress he prayed that he might die, and began to
make preparations for death. He called his son Tobias to him and gave
him much good advice as to his manner of life, and then desired him to
go to Rages to obtain the money left there with Gabael. But Tobias
must first seek a guide for the journey. "Therefore," says the story,
"when he went to seek a man, he found Raphael that was an angel. But
he knew not; and he said unto him, 'Canst thou go with me to Rages?
and knowest thou those places well?' To whom the angel said, 'I will
go with thee, and I know the way well: for I have lodged with our
brother Gabael,'" The angel gave himself the name Azarias. "So they
went forth both, and the young man's dog with them."
"As they went on their journey, they came in the evening to the river
Tigris, and they lodged there. And when the young man went down to
wash himself, a fish leaped out of the river, and would have devoured
him. Then the angel said unto him, 'Take the fish,' And the young man
laid hold of the fish, and drew it to land. To whom the angel said,
'Open the fish and take the gall, and put it up safely.' So the young
man did as the angel commanded him, and when they had roasted the
fish, they did eat it: then they both went on their way, till they
drew near to Ecbatane. Then the young man said to the angel, 'Brother
Azarias, to what use is the gall of the fish?' And he said unto him,
'It is good to anoint a man that hath whiteness in his eyes, and he
shall be healed.'"
[Illustration: THE ANGEL RAPHAEL LEAVING THE FAMILY OF TOBIT
_The Louvre, Paris_]
After this curious incident there were no further adventures till they
came to Ecbatane. Here they lodged with Raguel, a kinsman of Tobit,
and when Tobias saw Sara, the daughter, he loved her and determined to
make her his wife. He therefore tarried fourteen days at Ecbatane,
sending Azarias on to Rages for the money. This delay lengthened the
time allotted for the journey, but at last the company drew near to
Nineveh,--Azarias or Raphael, and Tobias, with the bride, the
treasure, and the precious fishgall. Raphael then gave Tobias
directions to use the gall for his father's eyes. Their arrival was
the cause of great excitement. "Anna ran forth, and fell upon the neck
of her son. Tobit also went forth toward the door, and stumbled: but
his son ran unto him, and took hold of his father: and he strake of
the gall on his father's eyes, saying, 'Be of good hope, my father.'
And when his eyes began to smart, he rubbed them; and the whiteness
pilled away from the corners of his eyes: and when he saw his son, he
fell upon his neck."
Now Tobit and Tobias were full of gratitude to Azarias for all that he
had done for them, and, consulting together as to how they could
reward him, decided to give him half the treasure. So the old man
called the angel, and said, "Take half of all that ye have brought,
and go away in safety." Then Raphael took them both apart, and said
unto them, "Bless God, praise him, and magnify him, and praise him
for the things which he hath done unto you in the sight of all that
live."
With this solemn introduction the angel goes on to tell Tobit that he
had been with him when he had buried his dead countrymen, and that his
good deeds were not hid from him, and that his prayers were
remembered. He concludes by showing who he really is.
"I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers
of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy
One."
"Then they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces: for they
feared God. But he said unto them, 'Fear not, for it shall go well
with you; praise God therefore. For not of any favor of mine, but by
the will of our God I came; wherefore praise him for ever. All these
days I did appear unto you; but I did neither eat nor drink, but ye
did see a vision. Now therefore give God thanks: for I go up to him
that sent me.'" "And when they arose, they saw him no more."
The picture shows us the moment when the angel suddenly rises from the
midst of the little company and strikes out on his flight through the
air like a strong swimmer. Tobit and Tobias fall on their knees
without, while Anna and the bride Sara stand in the open door with the
frightened little dog cowering beside them. The older people are
overcome with wonder and awe, but Tobias and Sara, more bold, follow
the radiant vision with rapturous gaze.
IV
THE RAT KILLER
The pictures we have examined thus far in this collection have been
reproductions from Rembrandt's paintings. You will see at once that
the picture of the Rat Killer is of another kind. The figures and
objects are indicated by lines instead of by masses of color. You
would call it a drawing, and it is in fact a drawing of one kind, but
properly speaking, an etching. An etching is a drawing made on copper
by means of a needle. The etcher first covers the surface of the metal
with a layer of some waxy substance and draws his picture through this
coating, or "etching ground," as it is called. Next he immerses the
copper plate in an acid bath which "bites," or grooves, the metal
along the lines he has drawn without affecting the parts protected by
the etching ground.
The plate thus has a picture cut into its surface, and impressions of
this picture may be taken by filling the lines with ink and pressing
wet paper to the surface of the plate. You will notice that the
difference between the work of an engraver and that of an etcher is
that the former cuts the lines in his plate with engraving tools,
while the latter only draws his picture on the plate and the acid cuts
the lines. The word etching is derived from the Dutch _etzen_, and
the most famous etchers in the world have been among Dutch and German
artists.
Rembrandt is easily first of these, and we should have but a limited
idea of his work if we did not examine some of his pictures of this
kind. Impressions made directly from the original plates, over two
centuries ago, are, of course, very rare and valuable, and are
carefully preserved in the great libraries and museums of the world.
There is a collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where this
etching of the Rat Killer may be seen.
The Rat Killer is one of many subjects from the scenes of common life
which surrounded the artist. In smaller towns and villages, then as
well as now, there were no large shops where goods were to be bought.
Instead, all sorts of peddlers and traveling mechanics went from house
to house--the knife grinder, the ragman, the fiddler, and many others.
This picture of the Rat Killer suggests a very odd occupation. The
pest of rats is, of course, much greater in old than in new countries.
In Europe, and perhaps particularly in the northern countries of
Holland and Germany, the old towns and villages have long been
infested with these troublesome creatures.
[Illustration: THE RAT KILLER
_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]
There are some curious legends about them. One relates how a certain
Bishop Hatto, as a judgment for his sins, was attacked by an army of
rats which swam across the Rhine and invaded him in his island tower,
where they made short work of their victim.[4] Another tells how a
town called Hamelin was overrun with rats until a magic piper appeared
who so charmed them with his enchanted music that they gathered about
him and followed his leading till they came to the river and were
drowned.[5]
[Footnote 4: See Southey's poem, Bishop Hatto.]
[Footnote 5: See Browning's poem, The Pied Piper of Hamelin.]
The old Rat Killer in the picture looks suspiciously like a magician.
It seems as if he must have bewitched the rats which crawl friskily
about him, one perching on his shoulders. He reminds one of some ogre
out of a fairy tale, with his strange tall cap, his kilted coat, and
baggy trousers, the money pouch at his belt, the fur mantle flung over
one shoulder, and the fierce-looking sword dangling at his side. But
there is no magic in his way of killing rats. He has some rat poison
to sell which his apprentice, a miserable little creature, carries in
a large box.
The picture gives us an idea of an old Dutch village street. The
cottages are built very low, with steep overhanging roofs. The walls
are of thick masonry, for these were days when in small villages and
outlying districts "every man's house was his castle," that is, every
man's house was intended, first of all, as a place of defense against
outlawry.
The entrance doors were made in two sections, an upper and a lower
part, or wing, each swinging on its own hinges. Whenever a knock came,
the householder could open the upper wing and address the caller as
through a window, first learning who he was and what his errand,
before opening the lower part to admit him. Thus an unwelcome intruder
could not press his way into the house by the door's being opened at
his knock, and the family need not be taken unawares. In many of our
modern houses we see doors made after the same plan, and known as
"Dutch doors."
The cautious old man in the picture has no intention of being imposed
upon by wandering fakirs. He has opened only the upper door and leans
on the lower wing, as on a gate, while he listens to the Rat Killer's
story. The latter must have a marvellous tale to tell of the effects
of the poison, from the collection of dead rats which he carries as
trophies in the basket fastened to the long pole in his hand. But the
householder impatiently pushes his hand back, and turns away as if
with disgust. The apprentice, grotesque little rat himself, looks up
rather awestruck at this grand, turbaned figure above him.
V
THE PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION
Ever since the beginning of human history there have been people who
puzzled their brains about the reasons of things. Why things are as
they are, whence we came, and whither we are going are some of the
perplexing questions they have tried to answer. Some men have given
all their lives to the study of these problems as a single occupation
or profession. Among the ancient Greeks, who were a very intellectual
nation, such men were quite numerous and were held in great esteem as
teachers. They were called philosophers, that is, lovers of wisdom,
and this word has been passed down to our own times in various modern
languages.
In the passing of the centuries men found more and more subjects to
think about. Some studied the movements of the stars and tried to
discover if they had any influence in human affairs. These men were
called astrologers, and they drew plans, known as horoscopes, mapping
out the future destiny of persons as revealed by the position of the
constellations. There were other men who examined the various
substances of which the earth is composed, putting them together to
make new things. These were alchemists, and their great ambition was
to find some preparation which would change baser metals into gold.
This hoped-for preparation was spoken of as the "philosopher's stone."
Now modern learning has changed these vague experiments into exact
science; astronomy has replaced astrology, and chemistry has taken the
place of alchemy. Nevertheless these changes were brought about only
very gradually, and in the 17th century, when Rembrandt lived and
painted this picture, a great stir was made by the new ideas of
astronomy taught by Galileo in Italy, and the new discoveries in
chemistry made by Van Helmont in Belgium. Many philosophers still held
to the old beliefs of astrology and alchemy.
It is not likely that Rembrandt had any one philosopher in mind as the
subject of his picture. That his philosopher is something of a
scholar, we judge from the table at which he sits, littered with
writing materials. Yet he seems to care less for reading than for
thinking, as he sits with hands clasped in his lap and his head sunk
upon his breast. He wears a loose, flowing garment like a
dressing-gown, and his bald head is protected by a small skull cap.
His is an ideal place for a philosopher's musings. The walls are so
thick that they shut out all the confusing noise of the world. A
single window lets in light enough to read by through its many tiny
panes. It is a bare little room, to be sure, with its ungarnished
walls and stone-paved floor, but if a philosopher has the ordinary
needs of life supplied he wants no luxuries. He asks for nothing
more than quiet and uninterrupted leisure in which to pursue his
meditations.
[Illustration: THE PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION
_The Louvre, Paris_]
Our philosopher is well taken care of; for while his thoughts are on
higher things and eternal truths, an old woman is busy at the fire in
the corner. Evidently she looks after the material and temporal things
of life. She kneels on the hearth and hangs a kettle over the cheerful
blaze. The firelight glows on her face and gleams here and there on
the brasses hanging in the chimney-piece above. Here is promise of
something good to come, and when the philosopher is roused from his
musings there will be a hot supper ready for him.
There are two mysteries in the room which arouse our curiosity. In the
wall behind the philosopher's chair is a low, arched door heavily
built with large hinges. Does this lead to some subterranean cavern,
and what secret does it contain? Is it a laboratory where, with
alembic and crucible, the philosopher searches the secrets of alchemy
and tries to find the "philosopher's stone?" Is some hid treasure
stored up there, as precious and as hard to reach as the hidden truths
the philosopher tries to discover?
At the right side of the room a broad, winding staircase rises in
large spirals and disappears in the gloom above. We follow it with
wondering eyes which try to pierce the darkness and see whither it
leads. Perhaps there is an upper chamber with windows open to the sky
whence the philosopher studies the stars. This place with its winding
staircase would be just such an observatory as an astrologer would
like. Indeed it suggests at once the tower on the hillside near
Florence where Galileo passed his declining years.
Our philosopher, too, is an old man; his hair has been whitened by
many winters, his face traced over with many lines of thought. Even if
his problems have not all been solved he has found rich satisfaction
in his thinking; the end of his meditations is peace. The day is
drawing to a close. The waning light falls through the window and
illumines the philosopher's venerable face. It throws the upper spiral
of the stairway into bold relief, and brings out all the beautiful
curves in its structure. The bare little room is transfigured. This is
indeed a fit dwelling-place for a philosopher whose thoughts,
penetrating dark mysteries, are at last lighted by some gleams of the
ideal.
VI
THE GOOD SAMARITAN
The story of the Good Samaritan was related by Jesus to a certain
lawyer as a parable, that is, a story to teach a moral lesson. The
object was to show what was true neighborly conduct; and this was the
story:--[6]
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among
thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and
departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a
certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and
looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when
he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up
his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and
brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he
departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said
unto him, 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I
come again I will repay thee.'"
[Footnote 6: St. Luke, chapter x. verses 30-37.]
The point of the story is very plain, and when Jesus asked the lawyer
which one of the three passers-by was a neighbor to the wounded man,
he was forced to reply, "He that shewed mercy." Then said Jesus
simply, "Go, and do thou likewise."
Though the scene of the story is laid in Palestine, it is the sort of
incident which one can imagine taking place in any country or period
of time. So it seems perfectly proper that Rembrandt, in representing
the subject, should show us an old Dutch scene. The etching
illustrates that moment when the Good Samaritan arrives at the inn,
followed by the wounded traveler mounted on his horse.