IN THE NETHERLANDS. xlix

his method, after a greater fulness of outline and an exact render-
ing of textures. The direction of his aim is indicated by the fact
of his having painted genre pictures with a definite motive — the
‘Bath-room’ for example.

There can be no doubt that Jan van Eyck had pupils; but
there can be as little doubt that there were painters, both in Ghent
and Bruges, who adopted Van Eyck’s method, and imitated his
style, though not recognized as members of his school. Owing to
the scanty information possessed of art in the Netherlands during
the 15th century, nothing can be conclusively affirmed on the sub-
ject. As pupils of Jan van Eyck may be mentioned Petrus Cristus,
at Bruges, and Gerard van der Meire and Justus van Ghent, at Ghent,
while the chief independent master is Hugo van der Goes, of
Ghent, who died, mentally deranged, in 1482 in the convent of Rouge-
Cloitre, near Soignies. In his native land this painter is worthily
represented by the Death of the Virgin in the Bruges Academy,
but his masterpiece, the Adoration of the Shepherds, from the
church of Santa Maria Nuova, is in the Uffizi at Florence.

The people were as averse to centralization in the domain of
art-training as in the conduct of state affairs. While the Van Eycks
were carrying their art from the Valley of the Meuse to Bruges and
Ghent, another great artist was founding a school of painting at
Brussels. Roger van der Weyden is probably identical with that
Rogelet de la Pasture who, in 1426, worked as a pupil of Robert
Campin at Tournai, and in 1432 was admitted as master in the Paint-
ers’ guild. We find Van der Weyden installed as painter to the town
of Brussels in 1436. In 1450 he appears in Rome, as the first north-
ern painter of undisputed fame whose name was honoured by the
Italians, uncompromising though he was in adhering to the native
practice of his art. On his return he again took up his abode in
Brussels, still painting, and died in 1464. In the absence of any
signature his works are confounded with those of Jan van Eyck, with
whom he had nothing in common, and with those of Memling, who
was his pupil. They are, moreover, scattered far and near, and
have to be sought for at Madrid, Rome, Frankfort, Munich, Berlin,
Vienna, etc. The Museum of Antwerp, however, in the Seven
Sacraments, and the Brussels Museum, in the Pieta, possess two
of the most prominent works of this master, who was peculiarly
successful in depicting scenes of dramatic interest; too often, how-
ever, his power of animated expression betrays a want of feeling for
beauty of form, and it is occasionally suggestive of tinted reliefs.
Akin to Roger van der Weyden is the Muster of Flémalle (Jacques
Daret?), a recently re-discovered artist, whose masterpieces have
also to be sought in foreign parts (Frankfort, London, Liverpool).

Painting flourished in the first half of the 15th century in
Holland no less than in the Southern Netherlands, though
the earlier masters, such as Albert van Ouwater, and his pupil
BarDEKER’s Belgium and Holland. 15th Edit. d