| Full text |
326 Route 39. THE HAGUE.
Picture
inspector of salmon-fisheries at Dordrecht; 408. W. Duyster, Officer ;
567. J. van de Cappelle, Winter-landscape (1653); 95. @. Metsu,
Allegory (widow and orphan protected by Justice). — 207, J. Weenizx,
Hunters’ booty; 676. G@. Flinck, Portrait of a girl (1640); 219.
Phil. Wouverman, Large battle- piece; 161. R. Ruysch, Flowers ;
90. N. Maes, Portrait.
Room X (comp. Plan, p. 322). On the right end-wall: "136,
Paul Potter's far-famed Bull, the most popular picture in the col-
lection, remarkable as one of the few animal-pieces which the master
(then 22 years old) painted on so large a scale (1647).
The picture was carried off to Paris by the French, and was regarded
as fourth in point of value among all the pictures in the Louvre. The
three which ranked before it were Raphael’s Transfiguration, Domeni-
chino’s Communion of St. Jerome, and Titian’s Martyrdom of St. Peter.
This celebrated picture was purchased in 1749 for 630 fl., but before it
was restored by the French the Dutch government offered 60.000 fl. to
Napoleon for its restoration. Much, however, as the bull, which has a
cow, @ sheep and lamb, a ram, and a shepherd as companions. has been
praised, it must in candour be admitted that several of the master’s
smaller animal-pieces are more attractive and perfect. The large animals
in this work are in too strong relief, and the light is distributed somewhat
monotonously over the whole picture without being softened by inter-
mediate tones.
Then, to the right: *64. B. van der Helst, Portrait of Paul Potter,
painted shortly before the early death of the latter (Jan. 27th, 1654);
220. Phil. Wouverman, Camp; 59. M. d’Hondecoeter, Raven in bor-
rowed plumes attacked by other birds (4674); *477. G. Terburg,
Portrait of the artist as burgomaster of Deventer; 49. J. D. de Heem,
Fruit and flowers; 85. Jan Lievens, Old man with a beard: 73. K.
du Jardin, Italian waterfall (1673); 58. @. Houckgeest, Tomb of
William the Silent in the Nieuwe Kerk at Delft (1651); 39. Caesar
van Everdingen, Diogenes ‘seeking for a man’ in Haarlem market-
place, with portraits of Mynheer Steyn and his family (1652);
64 and (farther on) 62. M. d’Hondecoeter. Poultry; 6. L. Bakhuysen,
William TIT. of England landing at the Orange Polder in 1692:
*214, *245. Phil. Wouverman, Arrival. Departure; between these,
59. @. Houckgeest, Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk at Delft (1651); 86.
J. Lingelbach, Seaport in the Levant (1670).
“169. Jan Steen, Portrait of himself and his family, an unusually
large picture for this master, boldly and energetically painted in his
best style (1655).
‘The worthy Jan Steen has here assembled his whole family around
him. The group consists of eleven persons. The principal place at th
table is of course occupied by Jan himself, a figure with long hair and
a broad hat, laughing and smoking, and apparently about to drink. On his
left is his wife, a corpulent lady in a blue fur-trimmed velvet jacket,
filling a pipe, which one is almost tempted to think is for her own use.
to the Jeft in front, is dandling a grandchild on her
her by the fireside, in spectacles, is singing from a
npanied on the flageolet by Jan’s eldest son, a hand-
In the immediate foreground are a dog, some copper utensils,
a& mortar on which the master has placed his signature’.
Burger. Musées de la Hollande.
Jan’s aged mother,
knees, while hig fat
sheet of music accor
some lad.
and |
