[Illustration: VAN DYCK, BY HIMSELF
_This portrait, which hangs in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, shows the
artist as a young man._]
[Illustration: VAN DYCK, BY HIMSELF]
Van Dyck, the favorite pupil of Rubens,--so much so that when some
romping pupils in Rubens’ absence brushed against a partly finished
picture and marred it he was asked to retouch it in order that the
master might not notice the defect,--also was a favorite in the world
of women, and much influenced by them. Even in youth a love adventure
is said to have sent him from Rubens’ atelier to Italy. In England,
where no one is more closely identified than he with the period of
Charles I., “_die schönen_ ladies,” as a German writer on Van Dyck
expresses it, fairly fought for the honor of being painted by him.
If his works lack the vital vigor and joyous abandon of the typical
Flemish masters, it must be remembered that his Italian sojourn,
passed largely in court circles, greatly refined his style, and that
he, the painter of aristocrats, is also an aristocrat among painters.
His output for his short life (1599-1641) was great, and of the 1,500
works catalogued as his 300 are portraits of women. Walpole speaks of
their beautiful hands. But Van Dyck had special models for the hands,
for those of both the men and the women. The elegance and refinement
of his work is, however, undoubted, and, though he lacks the power of
a Rembrandt and the tremendous verve of a Rubens, much of his work
(within the limitations imposed by elegance) is executed in the “large”
manner.
It is said that his ability to accomplish so much was due to the
fact that he never allowed a sitter to weary him, obviating this by
dismissing them at the end of an hour. At the time appointed for the
sitting the artist appeared in his studio. At the end of the hour
he rose, made his obeisance, and appointed the hour for the next
sitting. A servant cleaned the brushes and reloaded the palette,
while the artist received and entertained the next sitter. He had
many love affairs in England, and especially one with Margaret Lemon,
who threatened, when his love began to cool, to cut off his hand. The
world is the richer by a beautiful portrait for this love affair, and
fortunately, instead of cutting off his hand or even attempting to,
Margaret went to Holland with friends. Van Dyck’s gay life, however,
seriously alarmed the king, who, being genuinely attached to him
and also admiring his art, feared for his health. Accordingly, his
Majesty chose for him a wife, a beautiful young woman, Maria Ruthven,
daughter of Lord Ruthven. Van Dyck painted her several times, and one
of his best known portraits is that of her with her violoncello, which
is in the old Pinakothek (pin´-a-ko-thek), Munich. His married life
seems to have been happy, though brief. He died within two years of
his nuptials, leaving us the portraits of Maria as souvenirs of his
happiness.
[Illustration: MARIA RUTHVEN, BY VAN DYCK]