Chapter D: G. ROSSETTI: Early Italian Poets (7)

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The beautiful portrait before us was retained by Henry VIII., and through the Lumley, Pembroke, and Arundel Collections it passed into that of the Dukes of Norfolk. "Whether as a pictorial record of an interesting chapter of our history, or as an example of the presentment of a fresh and winning young personality by the most masterful and at the same time most reserved and refined methods of the painter's craft, the picture counts among the very noblest of the art treasures still left in England. That it is so left is mainly due to the splendid generosity of a small group of private donors, the chief of whom elude our public thanks by choosing firmly to remain anonymous. At the eleventh hour, when the picture was on the very point of leaving our shores to enrich a private gallery in America, these benefactors came forward and enabled the Committee of the National Art-Collections' Fund to present the masterpiece to the nation." The price paid was £72,000. (_Report of the National Art-Collections' Fund_, 1909; Froude's _History of England_, ch. xv.) The picture had for many years been lent to the National Gallery by the Duke of Norfolk.[261]

2480. THE FISH MARKET.

_Philippe Rousseau_ (French: 1816-1887).

Born in Paris; first exhibited at the Salon in 1834, "A View in
Normandy"; afterwards made his reputation, and attained great
popularity as a painter of still-life.

2482. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Benvenuto da Siena_ (Sienese: 1436-1518).

This painter is better seen in the larger picture, No. 909.

2483. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Fiorenzo di Lorenzo_ (Umbrian: 1440-1521).

2484. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_L'Ingegno_ (Umbrian: painted 1484-1511). _See 1220._

The donor and his wife kneel in adoration before the Virgin and Child enthroned between St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. The picture was formerly in Lord Dudley's collection.

2485. SALOME.

_Cesare da Sesto_ (Lombard: 1477-1523).

Leonardo da Vinci was "very successfully installed," says
Vasari, "by Cesare da Sesto, who was also a Milanese." Cesare
was born at Sesto Calende on the Lago Maggiore, and is supposed
to have worked under Leonardo in Milan, 1507-1512. At Rome he
was, according to Lomazzo, an intimate friend of Raphael.

The daughter of Herodias, with a face of haunting beauty, points to a vase, over which the executioner holds the head of John the Baptist. The table on which it rests has sphinxes for supports. This picture is a replica with variations of the one by Cesare in the Vienna Gallery, and is said to have come from the Barberini Palace in 1799.

2486. A CONCERT.

_Ercole Roberti de' Grandi_ (Ferrarese: 1450-1496). _See 1127._

This picture was No. 14 at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1894, where it was ascribed to Lorenzo Costa. "In type, the woman resembles one of the daughters of Bentivoglio II., and it may be that this group of musicians contains family portraits of the reigning house of the Bentivogli at Bologna."

2487. BARTOLOMMEO BIANCHINI.

_Francia_ (Bolognese: 1450-1517). _See 180._

This picture, an early work by Francia, is an admirable example of the artist as a portrait-painter. It is "a marvel of fine condition, and betrays the technique of the goldsmith seeking for the quality of enamel. Bianchini was a Bolognese senator, collector, poet, and friend of Francia." Upon a "Holy Family" in the Berlin Museum is inscribed--

Bartholomei sumptu Bianchini maxima matrum
Hic vivit manibus, Francia, picta tuis.

Our portrait, from the collection of the Princesse de Sagan, was No. 23 at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1894.

2488. THE HOLY FAMILY.

_Luca Signorelli_ (Cortona: 1441-1523). _See 1128._

2489. THE YOUNG FLORENTINE.

_Domenico Ghirlandajo_ (Florentine: 1449-1494). _See 1230._

The portrait of the man in his red-coloured robe and black skull-cap is set against a landscape background. Many other examples of a like treatment will have been noticed by the visitor; as, for instance, in the fine portrait by Ridolfo Ghirlandajo (2491). And it is interesting to observe how long this convention survived, though with variations. The advantage of introducing an object of locally dark colour behind the head was perceived, and a background of curtain or other drapery was used; but a piece of it was drawn back, so as still to display landscape. See, _e.g._, Basaiti's portrait (2498). Or, again, a window was opened with the same purpose. See, _e.g._, Piombo's portrait of a Venetian lady as Salome (2493) and Cariani's of a Venetian magnate (2494). A corresponding development may be traced in Madonna pictures. Often the Virgin and Child are placed in an open landscape, as in the beautiful "Madonna of the Meadow" (599). When they are brought indoors a curtain is drawn back (2503), or a window opened--_e.g._ 2496, 2609, and (Flemish School) 2595.

2490. COSTANZA DE' MEDICI.

_Lorenzo di Credi_ (Florentine: 1459-1537). _See 593._

The inscription records that the lady was the wife of Francis, Duke of Gaeta. This portrait was formerly ascribed to D. Ghirlandajo.

2491. GIROLAMO BENEVIENI.

_Ridolfo Ghirlandajo_ (Florentine: 1483-1561). _See 1143._

This fine portrait is of "a very learned man," and an intimate friend of Lorenzo di Credi, who also, as Vasari relates, painted him. The background is studied from that in Leonardo's "Mona Lisa."

2492. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ANGELS ADORING.

_Jacopo del Sellaio_ (Florentine: 1442-1493).

This painter is mentioned by Vasari as among the pupils of Fra
Filippo Lippi. He worked in the manner of Botticelli, and No.
916 in our gallery is now ascribed to him.

2493. SALOME.

_Sebastiano del Piombo_ (Venetian: 1485-1547). _See 1._

2494. AN ITALIAN GENTLEMAN.

_Cariani_ (Bergamese: about 1480-1541). _See 1203._

A vigorously-painted portrait of a personage of some importance or self-importance; perhaps, as the official catalogue suggests, "the principal citizen of some provincial town." His robe is of gold brocade, and he handles his gold chain. It may be a view of his town that is shown through the open window.

2495. "OUR LADY OF THE LAURELS."

_Cariani_ (Bergamese: about 1480-1541). _See 1203._

This fine picture, known as _La Vierge aux Lauriers_ from its background of a laurel-bush (and roses), was formerly in the Leuchtenberg Collection at St. Petersburg, where it was ascribed to Giorgione.

2496. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Beltraffio_ (Lombard: 1467-1516). _See 728._

2497. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ST. JOHN.

_School of Botticelli_ (Florentine: 1447-1510). _See 1034._

2498. A YOUNG VENETIAN.

_Marco Basaiti_ (Venetian: painted 1500-1521). _See 281._

Signed on the parapet. The young Venetians, it will be noticed, wore their hair long, and carried great weights of it at the sides of their faces: compare, _e.g._, No. 1121 (Catena), 2509 (Vivarini).

2499. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Marco Basaiti_ (Venetian: painted 1500-1521).

This picture, if No. 599 be indeed by the same hand, must be an early work; the face and figure, both of mother and of child, are ugly and ungainly. The picture is signed in the left corner.

2500. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Andrea Previtali_ (Bergamese: about 1480-1528). _See 695._

2501. SALVATOR MUNDI.

_Previtali_ (Bergamese: about 1480-1528). _See 695._

Inscribed on the parapet "Andreas Privitalus, p." and dated 1518.

2502. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Bastiano Mainardi_ (Tuscan: died 1513).

This painter was the pupil, favourite assistant, and
brother-in-law of Domenico Ghirlandajo (see 1230). He was born
at San Gimignano, in the churches of which place pictures by
him are to be seen.

The beautiful painting of jewellery, and the fine patterns, should not escape notice.

2503. HOLY FAMILY.

_Antonio da Solario_ (Venetian: 15th-16th century).

This beautiful picture is signed on a cartellino "Antonius da Solario V"(enetus).

2504. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Cesare da Sesto_ (Milanese: 1477-1523). _See 2485._

2505. DAVID AND JONATHAN.

_Cima da Conegliano_ (Venetian: 1460-1518). _See 300._

This little picture, of David (carrying the head of Goliath) walking with Jonathan, was formerly in the Modici collection at Naples.

2506. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Cima_ (Venetian: 1460-1518).

Formerly in the Patrizi collection at Rome.

2507. PORTRAIT OF A LADY.

_Bartolommeo Veneziano_ (painted 1505-1530). _See 287._

From the Castellani collection.

2508. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ANGELS.

_Unknown_ (Florentine School: 15th century).

Two charming angels, of whom one is garlanded with roses, hold the child before the Virgin. The scene is laid within the walls of the mystical garden ("a garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse"), behind which rise "Noah's ark" trees.

2509. PORTRAIT OF A YOUTH.

_Alvise Vivarini_ (Venetian: painted 1461-1503). _See 1872._

"The portrait of a boy of fifteen or sixteen, a little defiant or shy, yet frank in look, with a blond _zazzera_ (head of hair) cropped short over the eyebrows, wearing a coat of pale turquoise blue. Formerly in the Duchatel collection at Paris, where it was seen by Messrs. Crowe and Cavalcaselle." By them ascribed to Andrea da Solario (see 734); formerly, to Antonello (see 673); now, on the authority of Mr. Berenson, to Alvise: see Berenson's _Lorenzo Lotto_, pp. 110-1.

2510. A PORTRAIT.

_Unknown_ (Umbrian School: 15th century).

Possibly a portrait of the young Raphael.

2511. A MUSICIAN.

_Giulio Campi_ (Cremona: 1502-1572).

A master at the School of Cremona, who worked in the great
church there with Boccaccino (see 806). There are also works by
him at Mantua, where he is said to have studied under Giulio
Romano.

2512. THE MAGDALEN.

_Correggio_ (Parmese: 1494-1534). _See 10._

"The art of Correggio with its deep sense of beauty and its tender sensibility was peculiarly fitted," says Signor Ricci, "to give life and grace to the figure of the Magdalen. He introduced it in many of his large compositions, and made it the subject of several separate studies, but not one of the latter has survived." If this be an authentic work, the statement requires correction; but the head of the Magdalen is not convincingly Correggiesque.

2513. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH SAINTS.

_Tiepolo_ (Venetian: 1692-1769). _See 1192._

2514-2516. VIEWS IN VENICE.

_Canaletto_ (Venetian: 1697-1768). _See 127._

No. 2514 shows the Grand Canal, with the church of the Scalzi; No. 2515, the square of St. Mark's, seen through an archway; No. 2516, the Colonnade of the Procuratie Nuove. The white spots with which the figures are picked out are not a happy instance of Canaletto's workmanship.

2517-2523. VARIOUS VIEWS.

_Guardi_ (Venetian: 1712-1793). _See 210._

No. 2517, "Buildings and Figures"; 2518, "Gothic Archway and Figures"; 2519, "Venetian Courtyard"; 2520, "Quay-side with Warehouses"; 2521, "Ruins"; 2522, "Treasure-Seekers"; 2523, "View through an Archway."

2524. THE TOWER OF MESTRE.

_Guardi_ (Venetian: 1712-1793). _See 210._

It was at Mestre that travellers in old days took gondola for Venice, and the tower was a familiar landmark. Ruskin mentions it in his description of the approach to Venice (_Stones_, vol. i. last chapter).

2525. VENICE: PIAZZA DI SAN MARCO.

_Guardi_ (Venetian: 1712-1793).

A good example of the deep, rich colour which Guardi gives to his Venetian subjects: see under 210.

2526. PEASANT AND CHILD.

_Unknown_ (Spanish: 17th century).

This unfinished picture (once in the collection of the Earl
of Clare) has been ascribed to Pedro Nuñez de Villavicencio
(1630-1700). He was a Knight of the Order of St. John of
Jerusalem, a distinguished amateur-painter and a favourite
pupil of Murillo, who died in his arms.

2527. CHARLES MORDAUNT, EARL OF MONMOUTH.

_Juan Giacchinetti Gonzalez_ (Spanish: 1630-1696).

A portrait-painter, who was a great admirer of Titian and a
diligent copyist of his works. He was the son of a Burgundian
jeweller settled at Madrid, and he was born in that city.
He removed to Italy, where he was called, from his skill in
portraiture, _Il Borgognone dalle teste_ (the Burgundian of the
heads). He practised his art in Brescia and Bergamo, and died
in the latter city.

2528. THE MAN WITH THE GLOVE.

_Frans Hals_ (Dutch: 1580-1666). _See 1021._

An excellent example of the "irresistible verve" which Hals brings to his portraits, especially to those of men: see under 1021. To what is there said, it may be interesting to add the opinion of Sir Joshua Reynolds. "In the work of Frank Hals, the portrait-painter may observe the composition of a face, the features well put together, as the painters express it; from whence proceeds that strong-marked character of individual nature, which is so remarkable in his portraits, and is not found in an equal degree in any other painter. If he had joined to this most difficult part of the art, a patience in finishing what he had so correctly planned, he might justly have claimed the place which Vandyck, all things considered, so justly holds as the first of portrait-painters" (_Sixth Discourse_).

2529. THE LADY WITH THE FAN.

_Frans Hals_ (Dutch: 1580-1666). _See 1021._

2530. PORTRAIT OF A LADY.

_Cornelis Janssens_ (Dutch: 1594-1664). _See 1320._

Sir Joshua Reynolds has some interesting remarks on the technique of Janssens. "There is a kind of finishing," he says, "which may safely be condemned, as it seems to counteract its own purpose; that is, when the artist, to avoid that hardness which proceeds from the outline cutting against the ground, softens and blends the colours to excess: this is what the ignorant call high finishing, but which tends to destroy the brilliancy of colour, and the true effect of representation; which consists very much in preserving the same proportion of sharpness and bluntness that is found in natural objects. This extreme softening, instead of producing the effect of softness, gives the appearance of ivory, or some other hard substance, highly polished. The portraits of Cornelius Janssen appear to have this defect, and consequently want that suppleness which is the characteristic of flesh; whereas, in the works of Vandyck, we find that true mixture of softness and hardness perfectly observed" (_Eleventh Discourse_).

2531. CHURCH OF ST. BAVON, HAARLEM.

_Pieter Saenredam_ (Dutch: 1597-1665). _See 1896._

In No. 1451 (by Berck-Heyde) we see the interior of the same church; in the present picture, no public service is going on. In each case a dog is a church-goer; here in front of the pew on the left, where a man kneels down in prayer, a dog kneels up.

2532. A WOMAN DRIVING SHEEP.

2533. A SANDY LANE.

_Jan Wynants_ (Dutch: about 1615-1679). _See 883._

2534. RIVER SCENE, WITH HORSEMAN.

_Aart van der Neer_ (Dutch: 1603-1677). _See 152._

2535. JUDITH.

_Eglon Hendrik van der Neer_ (Dutch: 1635-1703).

Eglon was the pupil of his father, the landscape-painter, Aart
van der Neer; but the son's taste took the direction rather of
interiors and portraits. He also painted some Biblical subjects.

A costume piece: note the richly embroidered white satin dress of Judith.

2536. MOONLIGHT.

2537. LANDSCAPE: WITH A CART IN THE FOREGROUND.

_Aart van der Neer_ (Dutch: 1603-1677). _See 152._

2538. DIANA BATHING.

_Rembrandt_ (Dutch: 1606-1669). _See 43._

A characteristically "Rembrandtesque" effect, the light concentrated on the principal figure.

2539. A MAN WITH A CAP.

_Rembrandt_ (Dutch: 1606-1669). _See 43._

This fine portrait-study was formerly in the collection of the Duke of Sutherland.

2540. THE HURDY-GURDY.

_Adrian van Ostade_ (Dutch: 1610-1685). _See 846._

Peasants listening to a man playing the hurdy-gurdy. Signed in the left foreground "A. V. Ostade, 1653." Formerly in the collection of Lord Dudley (at whose sale in 1892 it fetched £1470).

2541. THE COBBLER.

2542. COURTSHIP.

2543. A MAN WITH A JUG.

_Adrian van Ostade_ (Dutch: 1610-1685). _See 846._

2544. THE CART.

_Isaac van Ostade_ (Dutch: 1621-1649). _See 847._

2545. RIVER SCENE.

2546. LADY AND CHILD IN A LANDSCAPE.

_Cuyp_ (Dutch: 1620-1691). _See 53._

2547. CATTLE WITH HERDSMEN.

_Cuyp_ (Dutch: 1620-1691). _See 53._

Shown at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition in 1857.

2548. BOY HOLDING A GREY HORSE.

_Cuyp_ (Dutch: 1620-1691). _See 53._

2549. THE TAILOR'S SHOP.

2550. THE AFTERNOON NAP.

_Quiryn Brekelenham_ (Dutch: 1625-1668). _See 1329._

2551. A WOMAN SCOURING PANS.

_Pieter van den Bosch_ (Dutch: 1613-1660).

A painter of Amsterdam. The year of his death is not known;
1660 is the date of the last mention of him in extant
documents. A deed of 1645 records that the painter bound
himself, at a yearly fee of 1200 gulden, to work exclusively
for a certain picture-dealer, from 7 a.m. till dusk, daily,
Sundays and Festivals alone excepted.

2552. REFUSING THE GLASS.

_Pieter de Hooch_ (Dutch: 1630-about 1677). _See 794._

Formerly in the collections of Pierre de Grand Pré (Paris) and the Earl of Shaftesbury.

2553. A LADY AT HER TOILET.

_Jacob Ochtervelt_ (Dutch: died before 1710). _See 2143._

2554. SADDLING A HORSE.

_Wouwerman_ (Dutch: 1619-1668). _See 878._

2555. WOMAN ASLEEP.

2556. THE PEDLAR.

2557. MERRY MAKERS.

_Jan Steen_ (Dutch: 1626-1679). _See 856._

2558. GRACE BEFORE MEAT.

_Jan Steen_ (Dutch: 1626-1679). _See 856._

Steen, though he loved scenes of rollicking conviviality and was fond of sly humour, by no means confined himself to such moods. His brush traced every episode of family life, and this little piece is as pretty as one of the "Graces for Children" in Herrick's _Noble Numbers_:--

What God gives, and what we take,
'Tis a gift for Christ his sake;
Be the meal of Beans and Pease,
God be thanked for those and these.

This picture was formerly in the Leuchtenberg Collection at St. Petersburg.

2559. THE OYSTER FEAST.

2560. THE SKITTLE PLAYERS.

_Jan Steen_ (Dutch: 1626-1679). _See 856._

2561. VIEW NEAR HAARLEM.

_Ruysdael_ (Dutch: 1628-1682). _See 627._

A beautiful example of the master, who has signed it in full in the centre of the foreground. It will be noticed that the point of view is much the same, and that the effect of sunlight in the middle distance is the same, as in the large picture, No. 990. One may ask the question which Fromentin puts of a like instance: "The two landscapes are, the one on a large scale, the other on a small, a repetition of the same subject. Is the little canvas the study which served as text for the large? Did Ruysdael design, or did he paint from nature? Was he inspired, or did he copy directly? That is his secret. In any case the two works are charming."

2562. COUNTRY SCENE, WITH RUINED CASTLE.

_Ruysdael_ (Dutch: 1628-1682). _See 627._

This is one of the best known of Ruysdael's small pictures, much prized for its luminous quality: its pedigree has been traced through famous collections for over 100 years. In the Bredel sale (1875) it fetched £2310; in the Dudley sale (1892), £1470. It is No. 786 in vol. iv. (1912) of Smith's _Catalogue Raisonné_.

2563. THE ENTRANCE TO THE FOREST.

2564. A COTTAGE ON A ROCKY HILL.

2565. COTTAGE AND HAYSTACK.

2566. SKIRTS OF A FOREST.

2567. A STORMY SEA-PIECE.

_Ruysdael_ (Dutch: 1628-1682). _See 627._

2568. A LADY AT THE VIRGINALS.

_Jan Vermeer_ (Dutch: 1632-1675). _See 1383._

No. 15 at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1900, where it was thus described: "A lady seated on the right facing to left; she wears a yellow skirt with blue overdress, the sleeves trimmed with lace, and turns her face to the spectator as she plays. Her clavichord stands upon a marble table and is open, showing a landscape painted inside the cover; a viol da gamba and bow are in the left-hand bottom corner, and a blue and yellow curtain above; a picture with three figures hangs on the wall behind. Signed to the right of the lady's head, J V Meer."

2569. THREE BOORS DRINKING.

_Adrian Brouwer_ (Dutch-Flemish: 1605-1638).

Brouwer, Flemish by birth, Dutch by adoption, rivalled his
contemporary, the younger Teniers, as a genre painter. His
realism is as humorous as it is vigorous. His pictures, says
M. Havard, "are marvels of arrangement and colouring. They
are sober in conception, and exhibit exquisite modelling,
remarkable softness, and light and shade full of transparency
and truthfulness; qualities which, during his lifetime,
obtained for Brouwer the admiration of his brother-artists
and the enthusiasm of Rubens," who, as is known from extant
documents, possessed several of his pictures. His portrait was
painted by Van Dyck to be placed in a collection of the most
celebrated portrait-painters.

Brouwer led an exciting life, and has been the subject of
several biographies, which have alternately covered him with
scandal and whitewashed him. Documents unearthed during recent
years support the earlier accounts, which represent this
painter of topers as a jovial, reckless, dissipated Bohemian;
though his epitaph may yet have partly told truth in describing
him as "a man of great mind, who rejected every splendour of
the world, and who despised gain and riches." The documents
are set out by Wurzbach (_Niederländisches Künstler-Lexicon_,
1906). Taking all the evidence together, we may picture Brouwer
as a genial fellow, fond of adventure, slow in setting to
work, quick in spending, inclined to libertinism and drink,
constantly running into debt, a sworn foe of shams and parade,
fond of his joke, a lover of poetry, and popular among all who
knew him. One of the stories told of him well illustrates
his mocking contempt of fashionable vanities. At Amsterdam
he had bought himself some coarse linen, which he had made
up into a fashionable suit and then painted with a flowered
pattern. Brouwer's costume became the talk of the town, and
shops were ransacked to furnish copies of it; till one night
at the theatre, the artist jumped on to the stage, wiped off
his pattern with a wet cloth, and laughed at his audience.
He was born at Oudenarde, ran away from home, had exciting
adventures on the way, and turned up in Amsterdam and Haarlem.
He is said to have entered the studio of Frans Hals, and to
have been very badly treated there. He is known to have been an
artist of repute, moving also in literary circles, in Amsterdam
and Haarlem, 1625-27. He is next heard of at Antwerp, where
in 1631-32 he was admitted into the Painters' Guild. Three
years later he became a member of the section of the Guild
for exercising rhetoric. He was cast into the state prison,
probably on suspicion of espionage; and during the seven months
of his incarceration, succeeded in running up new debts to
the extent of £400--a feat which may be explained by the fact
that the prison amenities included an excellent wine-tavern.
He died--of his dissipations, according to some, but quite
as probably of the plague--and was buried in the cemetery,
and afterwards in the Convent Church of the Carmelites. His
pictures are rare. The Wallace Collection, the Victoria and
Albert Museum (Ionides Collection), and the Dulwich Gallery
have each one good example. It has been suggested that the
Landscape, No. 72 in our Gallery, hitherto attributed to
Rembrandt, is by Brouwer.

2570, 2571. WOODY LANDSCAPES.

_Hobbema_ (Dutch: 1638-1709). _See 685._

2572. THE LITTLE FARM.

_Adrian van de Velde_ (Dutch: 1636-1672). _See 867._

No. 57 in the Exhibition of Dutch Masters at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1900, when it was thus described: "In the centre, among sparse trees in leaf, stands a small farm; to left a man accompanied by a woman on horseback, driving a flock of sheep to pasture; in the left foreground a pool of water, with a cow drinking; in the centre, two herdsmen, with cows, sheep, and goats lying down and feeding. Cool daylight with light clouds spreading over blue sky." Signed in the centre "A. v. Velde 1663."

2573. SEA-SCAPE: WINDY DAY.

2574. CALM: SHIPPING.

_Willem van de Velde_ (Dutch: 1633-1707). _See 149._

2575. A MUSICAL PARTY.

_Anthonie Palamedes_ (Dutch: 1601-1673).

Palamedes was the son of a gem-engraver at Delft. He became
Dean of the Painters' Guild. He painted portraits and small
"conversation pieces," and sometimes supplied figures for the
architectural pictures of his friend Dirk van Delen (see 1010).
"The light and spirited pose of his figures, his bold touch,
and the skill with which he makes the outline of his little
groups stand out, please the eye" (Havard).

2576. A FAMILY GROUP.

_Pieter Codde_ (Dutch: 1599-1678).

A painter of Amsterdam much influenced by Frans Hals.

2577. A STIFF BREEZE.

2578. A WINDMILL BY A RIVER.

2579. SCENE ON THE ICE.

2580. RIVER SCENE.

_Jan van Goyen_ (Dutch: 1596-1656). _See 137._

2681. A. VAN LEEUWENHOEK, F.R.S.

_Nicolas Maes_ (Dutch: 1632-1693). _See 153._

A portrait of the eminent Dutch _savant_ (1632-1723) who has been called "the father of scientific microscopy." He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1680.

2582. FRUIT AND FLOWERS.

_David de Heem_ (Dutch: 1570-1632).

David de Heem, the elder, born at Utrecht, was the father of
the more celebrated still-life painter of the same name. He and
his son were the founders of the "still-life" school in their
country.

Except for the snail, this brightly-coloured arrangement of oysters, a lemon, a plum, cherries and nuts, with a glass of wine, is not unlike the kind of arrangement of actual eatables and drinkables which one may see to-day in the shop-windows of Italian restaurants in London. Nor, in all probability, was the motive of the picture different. "The painting of still-life in Holland," says M. Havard, "was originally sign-painting. Inn-keepers and game-dealers had real pictures as signs, painted upon their shop-fronts, and we know of several of these simple masterpieces which have found their way into important collections" (_The Dutch School_, p. 260).

2583. CATTLE IN A STORMY LANDSCAPE.

_Paul Potter_ (Dutch: 1625-1654). _See 849._

Signed, and dated 1647; formerly in the collection of Mr. Hope, of Deepdene.

2584. A LADY HOLDING A MIRROR.

_Pieter Codde_ (Dutch: 1579-1678). _See 2576._

2585. ST. MARY MAGDALEN.

_Adrian Ysenbrandt_ (Flemish: died 1551).

Ysenbrandt was an assistant of Gerard David (see 1045). He
came to Bruges, and was admitted into the Painters' Guild in
1510; he worked there till his death. He acquired a reputation
for skill in painting the nude and the human countenance;
his carefulness of execution and the sweetness of expression
which he gave to his faces were much admired. Many of his
pictures were sent to Spain (see W. H. Weale in the _Burlington
Magazine_, vol. ii.).

This picture of the Magdalen, before whom an angel holds a crucifix, was in the Exhibition of the Primitives at Bruges in 1902. The artist's careful execution may be noted in the beautifully illuminated MS.

2586. COAST SCENE.

2587. A CALM.

2588. A DUTCH GALLIOT.

_Jan van de Cappelle_ (Dutch: painted 1650-1680). _See 865._

2589. THE YOUNG ASTROLOGER.

_Frans van Mieris_ (Dutch: 1635-1681). _See 840._

2590. A WOMAN AT A WINDOW.

2591. THE FORGE.

_Gabriel Metsu_ (Dutch: 1630-1667). _See 838._

2592. FRUIT PIECE.

_W. K. Heda_ (Dutch: 1594-1678). _See 1469._

2593. PORTRAIT OF A MAN.

_Petrus Cristus_ (Flemish: about 1410-1472).

Cristus was born at Baerle, near Ghent. He purchased the right
of citizenship at Bruges in 1444--that is, four years after the
death of Jan van Eyck. He cannot therefore have been a pupil
of that master, as has often been surmised; but he belongs to
the school of the Van Eycks "by his realistic style, by the
extreme care he bestowed on details, by his bold and powerful
colouring, and by the tasteful arrangement of his draperies
and interiors. But his works can never be mistaken for those
of Van Eyck; his outline is often harsh, his types are wanting
in character; his figures, designed and executed with very
inferior skill, are not painted in the same impressive manner
as those of the great master" (Wauters). The portrait of a
Venetian consul (No. 696) is ascribed to him.

Acquired by Mr. Salting from the Earl of Northbrook's collection; No. 10 at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1892--remarkable for the preciseness and microscopic minuteness of hand displayed in it. The portrait of a devout and studious young man. He holds an open book; and on the wall of his chamber there is hung a board on which an illuminated sheet of vellum, edged with a narrow red riband, has been nailed. The miniature at the top of it represents the _Vernacle_ (our Lord's head with cruciform nimbus and rays); and below is a rhymed prayer, headed _Incipit oratio ad sanctam Veronicam_, and continuing "Salve sancta facies Nostri redemptoris," etc.

2594. THE DUKE OF CLEVES.

_Hans Memlinc_ (Early Flemish: 1430-1494). _See 686._

2595. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Dierick Bouts_ (Early Flemish: about 1410-1475).

Dirk Bouts, Thieiri Bouts, Dierick of Haarlem, or Thieiri
Stuerbout (by all of which names he has been called) was Dutch
by birth, being born at Haarlem. At some unknown date he
migrated to Flanders, and established himself at Louvain, where
he was appointed Painter to the Town. In 1468 he delivered
to the Council two beautiful pictures (now in the Museum of
Brussels) representing "The Judgment of the Emperor Otho." His
colouring, says M. Havard, "is clear and brilliant. Red and
green assume under his brush the brilliancy of the ruby and the
emerald. His draperies are of unusual softness, and have none
of that stiffness of fold which is peculiar to Jan van Eyck and
some of his pupils. His flesh tints are of a warm and vivid
tone, and his shadows are remarkably transparent. But his merit
is manifested especially in his picturesque and original manner
of arranging his compositions. He is besides remarkable for the
care and distinctness with which he treats the landscapes in
the background of his pictures." Little is known of his life,
and the ascription of various works to him is conjectural. To
him, in the latest revision of labels in our Gallery, are now
attributed Nos. 664, 774, and 943.

2596. ST. JEROME.

_Gerard David_ (Early Flemish: 1460-1523). _See 1045._

2597. THREE VENETIAN GENTLEMEN AND A CHILD.

_Johannes Stephen Calcar_ (Venetian: 1499-1546).

"In the year 1545 I became known to," says Vasari, "and
contracted much friendship with Giovanni Calcar, a Flemish
painter of great merit, who so successfully practised the
Italian manner that his works were not always perceived to be
those of a Fleming; but he died at Naples while still young,
and when the fairest hopes had been conceived respecting his
future progress." He worked first at Dordrecht; but in 1536
went to Venice, where he entered Titian's studio. He became a
good master, says Vasari elsewhere, "whether for large or small
figures, and in portraits was most admirable. By his hand--and
they must do him honour to all time--were the designs for
anatomical studies which the most admirable Andrea Vessalio
caused to be engraved on copper and published with his works"
(vol. v. p. 403).

2598. DIANA AND ENDYMION.

_Rubens_ (Flemish: 1577-1640). _See 38._

A sketch painted about 1636.

2599. A VISIT TO THE DOCTOR.

2600. CARD PLAYERS.

2601. AN OLD WOMAN READING.

_David Teniers_ (Flemish: 1610-1694). _See 154._

2602. A MAN WITH A RING.

_Unknown_ (Flemish: 16th Century).

2603. VIRGIN AND CHILD.

_Unknown_ (School of Cologne: early 16th Century).

By the master of the "Death of the Virgin" (a picture in the Munich Gallery), a painter of Cologne, the teacher, it is said, of Bruyn. The donor of the picture, with spectacles and a large straw hat, stands at a desk, reading. (The curious in such matters may consult _Notes and Queries_, 1890, for other early instances of spectacles in art.) The picture was No. 48 (Plate 23) in the Burlington Fine Art Club's Exhibition of Early Netherlandish Pictures, 1892.

2604. PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN.

_Christopher Amberger_ (German: 1490-1563).

This painter, who worked at Augsburg, probably studied under
Hans Burgkmair, and the painting of Hans Holbein the younger
had an evident effect on his style, so much so that his works
have been sometimes mistaken for those of Holbein. In 1532 he
painted the portrait of Charles V.; and Sandrart tells us that
this portrait was considered by the Emperor equal to any of the
pictures painted of him by Titian. He certainly honoured the
artist by giving him a gold chain and medal on the occasion
(Bryan's _Dictionary of Painters_).

2605. DR. FUCHSIUS.

_Bartolomaus Bruyn_ (School of Cologne: died 1556).

This artist painted both religious subjects and portraits.
His earlier works in the former kind recall the style of "The
Master of the 'Death of the Virgin'" (see above, 2603). Bruyn
was the last really eminent painter of the Cologne School. He
was a municipal councillor of that town in 1550 and 1553.

A portrait of the celebrated German physician, Leonhard Fuchs (1501-1566), one of the fathers of scientific botany. He has obtained, says Hallam, a verdant immortality in the familiar flower which bears his name, the fuchsia. He espoused the doctrines of the Reformation; in our portrait he holds a paper inscribed (in German) "The word of the Lord endureth for ever."

2606. THE MADONNA ENTHRONED.

_Unknown_ (Flemish: 16th Century).

In the centre of the triptych, the Virgin sits on a throne of Flemish renaissance design. On the right, St. Ambrose; on the left, St. Louis of Toulouse. The royal rank of the latter Saint (nephew of St. Louis, King of France, and son of Charles of Anjou, King of Naples), who renounced his succession and became Bishop of Toulouse, is commonly indicated as here, by fleur-de-lys upon a blue ground.

2607. A MAN WITH A MEDALLION.

_Unknown_ (Flemish: 15-16th Century).

2608. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ANGELS.

_Robert Campin_ (Early Flemish: died 1444).

Campin, a native of Hainault, settled at Tournai in about
the year 1406, and quickly made a reputation, becoming
painter-in-ordinary to the town. Between 1423 and 1428 there
are records showing that he filled several offices in the
Painters' Guild and amassed a considerable fortune. He had
several apprentices; among them, Roger Van der Weyden (see
711), who was with him from 1426 to 1432. He made many designs
for tapestry and seems to have been charged with the designing
of all municipal art work in whatever kind (W. H. Weale, in the
_Burlington Magazine_, vol. xi.).

2609. VIRGIN AND CHILD IN AN APARTMENT.

_Campin_ (Early Flemish: died 1444).

The Virgin is of the same unlovely type as in the picture ascribed to Bouts, No. 2595. Behind her head is a screen of plaited straw.

2610. ANTOINE DE BOURBON.

_Corneille de Lyons_ (French: 16th Century).

Two painters are catalogued under this name, father and son,
who are sometimes distinguished as "Corneille le Grand" and
"Corneille le Petit." The elder was a Flemish painter, who
became naturalised in France in 1547. In 1540 he was appointed
Painter to the Dauphin; in 1551, Painter to the King. He is
mentioned in a poem of 1544, and in a deed of 1564. Several
portraits in the Museum of Versailles and at Chantilly are
ascribed to him. (See Henri Bouchot's _Les Clouet et Corneille
de Lyon_.)

2611. A MAN IN BLACK.

_Corneille de Lyons_ (French: 16th Century).

2612. LOUIS XI., KING OF FRANCE, 1423-1483.

2613. PHILIP AND MARGARET OF BURGUNDY.

_Unknown_ (French: 15th Century).

These pictures are of the early Burgundian School.

2614. A LADY AS MARY MAGDALEN.

_Unknown_ (French School: 15th Century).

Notice the pearl embroidery.

2615. MARY, QUEEN OF FRANCE.

_Unknown_ (French School: 15th Century).

Formerly supposed to represent Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII., born in 1498.

2616. PORTRAIT OF A LADY.

2617. THE DUCHESS D'ANGOULÊME.

_Unknown_ (French School: 15th Century).

2618. VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH ANGELS.

_Unknown_ (French School: 15th Century).

Possibly by an artist of the Catalonian school.

2619. LANDSCAPE.

_Nicolas Poussin_ (French: 1593-1665). _See 39._

2620. THE HAPPY MOTHER.

_Jean Honoré Fragonard_ (French: 1732-1806).

The only poets who seized the spirit of the France of the
eighteenth century were, said the brothers Goncourt, two
painters: Watteau and Fragonard. It was Fragonard, says Sir
Claude Phillips, "whose frank passion, whose irresistible
_élan_ lighted up the decline of the century much as the
imaginativeness of Watteau, his reticence and wistful charm
even in the midst of voluptuousness, lighted up its first
years. He is the Ovid of French painting." He was born at
Grasse near Cannes; and the pupil, in Paris, first of Chardin
and then of Boucher (see 1258, 1090). Having won the Prix de
Rome in 1752, he travelled in Italy, drawing all the sights and
monuments, and studying the old masters. The works of Tiepolo
(see 1192) especially attracted him, and something of their
brilliant, flashing _bravura_ was to be characteristic of
Fragonard himself. Soon after his return to Paris, a picture
of "Coresus and Callirhoë" made a sensation in the Salon, and
inspired what Lord Morley calls "an elaborate but not very
felicitous criticism" by Diderot. Fragonard did not return,
however, to compositions in the classical style; he found
his _métier_, and a highly lucrative practice, in pictures
of sentimental _genre_, audaciously amorous in subject, and
of masterly grace and lightness in execution. Some of his
most famous works in this sort are to be seen in the Wallace
Collection. The beautifully decorative canvases, the "Roman
d'Amour de la Jeunesse," which were exhibited in London in
1898 and are now in Mr. Pierpont Morgan's collection, were a
commission from Madame du Barry, who, however, for reasons
which have not been clearly explained, declined them. From
Mademoiselle Guimard, the dancer, and queen of the _monde
galant_, Fragonard had received a like commission; and the
story is well known of the revenge taken by the painter when
he threw up the task, and transformed his portrait of the lady
as Terpsichore into Tisiphone. In 1794 Fragonard retired for
security from the Terror to Grasse, and on his return to Paris
he found his vogue gone. The Revolution had killed the taste
for his amorous trifles. The reign of the Classical School of
David had begun; and Fragonard died in comparative oblivion and
poverty.

In 1769 Fragonard had married Marie Anne Gérard, the miniature painter; and to the succeeding years belong, says his biographer (the Baron de Portalis), many pictures of which the theme is the cradle. Our picture is of that kind.

2621. WILLOWS.

_Charles François Daubigny_ (French: 1817-1878).

Daubigny was the youngest member of the "Barbizon" group;
and, though he has artistic affinity with them, and regarded
Corot as his master, he painted not in their chosen district,
but on the banks of the Oise. His landscapes have not the
poetry of Corot's, nor the force of Rousseau's; but they
are more comfortable, as it were, and human. Corot's world
might be inhabited by dryads; in Rousseau's landscapes man
is subordinate or overpowered; Daubigny paints nature as the
pleasant abode of human beings fond of the country--commons
not too remote from a garden wall, the banks of pleasant
streams where men may boat or fish. The country with him is
full of fresh air. "There is a story told of a poor young
man, afflicted with consumption, who coming suddenly before a
work of Daubigny, exclaimed, 'Ah, I can breathe better now'"
(Thomson's _Barbizon School_, p. 283).

Daubigny's life is in accord with what have been suggested
above as characteristic notes of his art. He had no privations,
storms, or struggles. He was born at Paris, in an artistic
family; and as a youth assisted his father in painting boxes,
clock-cases and the like. He was a delicate child, and had
lived much with his nurse Bazot at Valmondois on the Oise,
where too he afterwards spent many holidays and where in later
years he made his home. At the age of 18 he went to Italy,
where the pictures of Claude especially attracted him. On his
return he was engaged for a time as a picture-restorer. He
studied with Paul Delaroche, but struck out a line for himself
in landscape pictures and etchings, and his works gradually
found favour. He had a boat made for voyaging on the Oise and
Seine, and this served as a floating studio. He built himself a
house at Auvers on the Oise, which was decorated with paintings
by Corot and other artist-friends. In 1866 he was invited by
Leighton and others to visit England, and he exhibited at the
Academy. In 1859 he had been made a Chevalier of the Legion of
Honour, and in 1874 he was promoted to the grade of Officer.
On his death-bed he said to those about him "Adieu; I am going
to see above if friend Corot has found me any _motifs_ for
landscapes."

Sunset effect on a lake; with brilliant colours piercing through the trees to the water. Signed, and dated 1874.

2622. THE BANKS OF A RIVER.

_Daubigny_ (French: 1817-1878). _See 2621._

An earlier picture (signed, and dated 1859). The small house-boat or barge in the foreground may be the painter's floating studio, mentioned above.

2623. ALDERS.

2624. THE GARDEN WALL.

_Daubigny_ (French: 1817-1878). _See 2621._

2625. THE BENT TREE.

_J. B. C. Corot_ (French: 1796-1875). _See 2135._

This beautiful picture was formerly in the collection of the late Mr. Alexander Young, one of the earliest purchasers of Corots in England, and was generally considered the gem of his collection of works by that master. The writer of an account of the Young Collection calls attention, in describing this picture, to "the wonderful gradation of tones in the trees and foreground, the subtle beauty of the distant view, the massing and treatment of the trees against the luminous sky, the dignified restraint of the colour scheme" (_Studio_, vol. 39).

2626. THE WOOD GATHERER.