[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. 

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PREFACE

The choice of pictures for this collection has been made with theobject of familiarizing the student with works fairly representativeof Rembrandt's art in portraiture and Biblical illustration, landscapeand genre study, in painting and etching. Admirers of the Dutch mastermay miss some well-known pictures. For obvious reasons the Lecture inAnatomy is deemed unsuitable for this place, and the Hundred GuilderPrint contains too many figures to be reproduced here clearly. TheSyndics of the Cloth Guild and the print of Christ Preaching willcompensate for these omissions, and show Rembrandt at his best, bothwith brush and burin. 

There are perhaps no paintings in the world more difficult toreproduce satisfactorily in black and white than those of Rembrandt. His marvelous effects of chiaroscuro leave in darkness portions of thecomposition, which appear in the photograph as unintelligible blurs. With these difficulties to meet, great pains have been taken to selectfor the reproductions of this book the best photographs made directfrom the original paintings. A comparative study of the availablematerial has resulted in making use of an almost equal number fromMessrs. Hanfstaengl & Co. And Messrs. Braun & Cie. 

In reproducing the etchings the publishers have been most fortunate inbeing 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. 

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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

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INTRODUCTION

I. ON REMBRANDT'S CHARACTER AS AN ARTIST

A general impression prevails with the large picture-loving publicthat a special training is necessary to any proper appreciation ofRembrandt. He is the idol of the connoisseur because of his superbmastery of technique, his miracles of chiaroscuro, his blending ofcolors. Those who do not understand these matters must, it issupposed, stand quite without the pale of his admirers. Too manypeople, accepting this as a dictum, take no pains to make theacquaintance of the great Dutch master. It may be that they arerepelled at the outset by Rembrandt's indifference to beauty. Hispictures lack altogether those superficial qualities which to some arethe first requisites of a picture. Weary of the familiar commonplacesof daily life, the popular imagination looks to art for happier scenesand fairer forms. This taste, so completely gratified by Raphael, isat first strangely disappointed by Rembrandt. While Raphael peopleshis canvases with beautiful creatures of another realm, Rembrandtdraws his material from the common world about us. In place of thefair women and charming children with whom Raphael delights us, hechooses his models from wrinkled old men and beggars. Rembrandt isnevertheless a poet and a visionary in his own way. "For physicalbeauty he substitutes moral expression, " says Fromentin. If in thefirst glance at his picture we see only a transcript of common life, a second look discovers something in this common life that we havenever before seen there. We look again, and we see behind thecommonplace exterior the poetry of the inner life. A vision of theideal hovers just beyond the real. Thus we gain refreshment, not bybeing lifted out of the world, but by a revelation of the beauty whichis in the world. Rembrandt becomes to us henceforth an interpreter ofthe 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'swork, there is still much to entertain and interest in his rarestory-telling power--a gift which should in some measure compensatefor his lack of superficial beauty. His story themes are almostexclusively Biblical, and his style is not less simple and direct thanthe narrative itself. Every detail counts for something in thedevelopment of the dramatic action. Probably no other artist hasunderstood so well the pictorial qualities of patriarchal history. That singular union of poetry and prose, of mysticism and practicalcommon sense, so striking in the Hebrew character, appealed powerfullyto Rembrandt's imagination. It was peculiarly well represented in thescenes of angelic visitation. Jacob wrestling with the Angel affords afine contrast between the strenuous realities of life and the purewhite ideal rising majestically beyond. The homely group of Tobit'sfamily is glorified by the light of the radiant angel soaring intoheaven from the midst of them. 

Rembrandt's New Testament scenes are equally well adapted to emphasizethe eternal immanence of the supernatural in the natural. ThePresentation in the Temple is invested with solemn significance; thesimple Supper at Emmaus is raised into a sacrament by the transfiguredcountenance of the Christ. For all these contrasts between the actualand the ideal, Rembrandt had a perfect vehicle of artistic expressionin chiaroscuro. In the mastery of the art of light and shade he issupreme. His entire artistic career was devoted to this great problem, and we can trace his success through all the great pictures from thePresentation to the Syndics. 

Rembrandt apparently cared very little for the nude, for the delicatecurves of the body and the exquisite colors of flesh. Yet tooverbalance this disregard of beautiful form was his strongpredilection for finery. None ever loved better the play of light uponjewels and satin and armor, the rich effectiveness of Oriental stuffsand ecclesiastical vestments. Unable to gratify this taste in theportraits which he painted to order, he took every opportunity topaint both himself and his wife, Saskia, in costume. Wherever thesubject admitted, he introduced what he could of rich detail. In thepicture of Israel Blessing the Sons of Joseph, Asenath, as the wife ofan Egyptian official, is appropriately adorned with jewels and finery. In the Sortie of the Civic Guard, Captain Cocq is resplendent in hismilitary regalia. 

With all this fondness for pretty things, Rembrandt never allowed hisfancy to carry him beyond the limits of fitness in sacred art. TheVenetian masters had represented the most solemn scenes of the NewTestament with a pomp and magnificence entirely at variance with theirmeaning. Rembrandt understood better the real significance ofChristianity, and made no such mistake. His Supper at Emmaus is thesimple evening meal of three peasant pilgrims precisely as it isrepresented in the Gospel. His Christ Preaching includes a motleycompany of humble folk, such as the great Teacher loved to gatherabout him. 

It was perhaps the obverse side of his fondness for finery, that Rembrandthad a strong leaning towards the picturesqueness of rags. A veryinteresting class of his etchings is devoted to genre studies and beggars. Here his disregard of the beautiful in the passion for expression reachedan extreme. His subjects are often grotesque--sometimes repulsive--butalways intensely human. Reading human character with rare sympathy, he wasprofoundly touched by the poetry and the pathos of these miserable lives. Through all these studies runs a quaint vein of humor, relieving thepathos of the situations. The picturesque costume of the old Rat Killertickles the sense of humor, and conveys somehow a delightful suggestion ofhis humbuggery which offsets the touching squalor of the grotesque littleapprentice. And none but a humorist could have created the swaggeringhostler's boy holding the Good Samaritan's horse. 

As a revealer of character, Rembrandt reaches the climax of his powerin his portraits. From this class of his pictures alone one canrepeople Holland with the spirits of the seventeenth century. Allclasses and conditions and all ages came within the range of his magicbrush and burin. The fresh girlhood of Saskia, the sturdy manhood ofthe Syndics, and the storied old age of his favorite old woman modelshow the scope of his power, and in Israel Blessing the Sons of Josephhe shows the whole range in a single composition. He is manifestly athis best when his sitter has pronounced features and wrinkled skin, aface full of character, which he understood so well how to depict. Obstacles stimulated him to his highest endeavor. Given the prosaicand hackneyed motif of the Syndics' composition, he rose to thehighest point of artistic expression in a portrait group, in which agrand simplicity of technical style is united with a profound andintimate knowledge of human nature. 

II. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE

The history of modern Rembrandt bibliography properly begins with thefamous work by C. Vosmaer, "Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn, sa Vie et sesŒuvres. " Vosmaer profited by the researches of Kolloff and Burgerto bring out a book which opened a new era in the appreciation of thegreat Dutch master. It was first issued in 1868, and was republishedin 1877 in an enlarged edition. This book was practically alone in thefield until the recent work of Emile Michel appeared. In the Englishtranslation (by Florence Simmonds) edited by Walter Armstrong, Michel's "Rembrandt" is at the present moment our standard authorityon the subject. It is in two large illustrated volumes full ofhistorical information and criticism and containing a completeclassified list of Rembrandt's works--paintings, drawings, andetchings. 

The "Complete Work of Rembrandt, " by Wilhelm Bode, is now issuing fromthe press (1899), and will consist of eight volumes containingreproductions of all the master's pictures, with historical anddescriptive text. It is to be hoped that this mammoth and costly workwill be put into many large reference libraries, where students mayconsult it to see Rembrandt's work in its entirety. 

The series of small German monographs edited by H. Knackfuss and nowtranslated 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, andDutch Schools, " revised by J. A. Crowe, includes a brief account ofRembrandt's life and work, which may be taken as valuable andtrustworthy. For a critical estimate of the character of Rembrandt'sart, its strength and weaknesses, and its peculiarities, nothing canbe more interesting than what Eugene Fromentin, French painter andcritic, 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 PeintreGraveur") Claussin, Wilson, Charles Blanc, Middleton, and Dutuit. Ashort monograph on "The Etchings of Rembrandt, " by Philip GilbertHamerton (London, 1896), reviews the most famous prints in a verypleasant way. 

There are valuable prints from the original plates of Rembrandt in theHarvey D. Parker collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and inthe Gray collection of the Fogg Museum at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Those who are not fortunate enough to have access to original printswill derive much satisfaction from the complete set of reproductionspublished in St. Petersburg (1890) with catalogue by Rovinski, andfrom the excellent reproductions of Amand Durand, Paris. 

To come in touch with the spirit of the times and of the country ofRembrandt, the reader is referred to Motley's "Rise of the DutchRepublic, " condensed and continued by W. E. Griffis. 

III. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE PICTURES OF THIS COLLECTION

_Portrait Frontispiece_. National Gallery, London. Signed and dated1640. 

1. _Jacob Wrestling with the Angel_. Berlin Gallery. Signed and dated1659. 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 anddated 1656. Figures life size. Size: 5 ft. 8-9/16 in. By 6 ft. 6-3/4in. 

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 dated1633. Size: 11-7/16 in. By 13 in. 

6. _The Good Samaritan_. Etching. Signed and dated 1633. Size: 10-1/5in. By 8-3/5 in. 

7. _The Presentation in the Temple_. At the Hague. Signed and dated1631. 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: 2ft. 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 14ft. 3-5/16 in. 

12. _Portrait of Jan Six_. Etching. Signed and dated 1647. Size: about9-3/8 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. 7/8in. 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, (StuttgartMuseum); 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 ininfancy. )

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 hallof the Amsterdam Musketeers. 

[Footnote 1: Authorities are not entirely unanimous as to the date ofRembrandt'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 ofSolms, wife of Frederick Henry, built the Huis ten Bosch (House in theWoods) at the Hague, 1647. 

William II of Orange, stadtholder, 1647. In 1650 the stadt-holderatewas suppressed, and John de Witt became in 1653 chief executive of therepublic for twenty years. Murdered in 1672. 

John of Barneveld, Grand Pensioner, "the greatest statesman in all thehistory 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. (Hedefeated the English fleet under Blake. )

Cornelius Evertsen, admiral. 

Floriszoon, admiral. 

Witte de With, admiral. 

Hendrik Hudson, navigator and discoverer; first voyage, 1607, lastvoyage, 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 atUtrecht. 

Cornelis Jansen, born 1585. Professor of scripture interpretation atLouvain. 

Johannes Koch (Latin, Coccejus), 1603-1669, professor of theology atLeyden and, "after Erasmus, the father of modern Biblical criticism. "

J. Van Kampen, architect, built the Het Palais (Royal Palace) inAmsterdam, 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, HeymanDullaert, 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 greatdisadvantage on this account. Among his people the eldest son alwaysbecame the family heir and also received the choicest blessing fromthe father, a privilege coveted as much as wealth. In this casetherefore the privileged son was Jacob's brother Esau. Jacob resentedkeenly the inequality of his lot; and his mother sympathized with him, as he was her favorite. A feeling of enmity grew up between thebrothers, and in the end Jacob did Esau a great wrong. 

One day Esau came in from hunting, nearly starved, and finding hisyounger brother cooking some lentils, begged a portion of it forhimself. Jacob seized the chance to make a sharp bargain. He offeredhis brother the food--which is called in the quaint Bible language a"mess of pottage"--making him promise in return that he would lettheir father give his blessing to the younger instead of the olderson. Esau was a careless fellow, too hungry to think what he wassaying, and so readily yielded. 

But though Esau might sell his birthright in this fashion, the fatherwould 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 wasnearly blind, and knew his sons apart by the touch of their skin, asEsau had a rough, hairy skin and Jacob a smooth one. The mother putskins of kids upon Jacob's hands and neck and bade him go to hisfather pretending to be Esau, and seek his blessing. The trick wassuccessful, and when a little later Esau himself came to his father onthe same errand, he found that he had been superseded. Naturally hewas very angry, and vowed vengeance on his brother. Jacob, fearing forhis 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. Afterfourteen years he bethought himself of his brother Esau and the greatwrong he had done him. He resolved to remove his family to his oldhome, and to be reconciled with his brother. Hardly daring to expectto be favorably received, he sent in advance a large number of cattlein three droves as a gift to Esau. Then he awaited over night somenews or message from his brother. In the night a strange adventurebefell him. This is the way the story is told in the book ofGenesis. [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 whenhe saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow ofhis thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as hewrestled with him. And he said, 'Let me go, for the day breaketh. ' Andhe said, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me, ' And he saidunto him, 'What is thy name?' And he said, 'Jacob, ' And he said, 'Thyname shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hastthou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. '... And heblessed him there. 

"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen Godface 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, hewalked halt, or lame. 

The crisis in Jacob's life was passed, for hardly had he set forth onthis morning when he saw his brother whom he had wronged advancingwith four hundred men to meet him. "And Esau ran to meet him, andembraced 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 ownway, and how he wrested worldly prosperity even from misfortunes. Nowhe is equally determined in this higher and more spiritual conflict. It is a very real struggle, and Jacob has prevailed only by puttingforth his utmost energy. It is the moment when the grand angel, pressing one knee into the hollow of Jacob's left thigh and layinghis hand on his right side, looks into his face and grants theblessing demanded as a condition for release. Strong and tender is hisgaze, and the gift he bestows is a new name, in token of the newcharacter 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 theworld. There is a like meaning in the story of Jacob's wrestling withthe angel. The struggle is in the human heart between selfish impulsesand higher ideals. The day when one can hold on to the good angel longenough to win a blessing, is the day which begins a new chapter in aman's life. 

II

ISRAEL BLESSING THE SONS OF JOSEPH

When Jacob wrestled with the angel he received a new name, Israel, ora prince, a champion of God. 

Israel became the founder of the great Israelite nation, and from histwelve sons grew up the twelve tribes of Israel, among whom wasdistributed the country now called Palestine. Among these sons thefather's favorite was Joseph, who was next to the youngest. Thisfavoritism aroused the anger and jealousy of the older brothers, andthey plotted to get rid of him. One day when they were all out withsome flocks in a field quite distant from their home, they thoughtthey were rid forever of the hated Joseph by selling him to a companyof men who were journeying to Egypt. Then they dipped the lad's coatin goat's blood and carried it to Israel, who, supposing his son tohave been devoured by a wild beast, mourned him as dead. 

When Joseph had grown to manhood in Egypt, a singular chain ofcircumstances brought the brothers together again. There was a sorefamine, and Egypt was the headquarters for the sale of corn. Josephhad shown himself so able and trustworthy that he was given charge ofselling and distributing the stores of food. So when Israel's oldersons came from their home to Egypt to buy corn they had to apply toJoseph, whom they little suspected of being the brother they had socruelly wronged. There is a pretty story, too long to repeat here, ofhow Joseph disclosed himself to his astonished brethren, and forgavethem their cruelty, how he sent for his father to come to Egypt tolive near him, how there was a joyful reunion, and how "they all livedhappily ever after. "

When the time drew near for Israel to die, he desired to bestow hislast blessing on his sons. And first of all his beloved son Josephbrought him his own two boys, Ephraim and Manasseh. 

Now according to the traditions of the patriarchs, it was the eldestson 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 haveshaken his faith in the wisdom of the old custom. Perhaps, too, heremembered how his own boyhood had been made unhappy because he wasthe younger son, and how he had on that account been tempted todeceit. 

Whatever the reason, he surprised Joseph at the last moment by showinga preference for the younger of the two grandsons, Ephraim, expressingthis preference by laying the right hand, instead of the left, on hishead. The blessing was spoken in these solemn words: "God, before whommy fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all mylife 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 laidhis right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and heheld up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head untoManasseh'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 hisfather refused, and said, 'I know it, my son, I know it: he also shallbecome a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his youngerbrother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become amultitude of nations. ' And he blessed them that day, saying, 'In theeshall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim, and asManasseh;' 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 thefigures. We are naturally interested in Joseph as the hero of so manyromantic adventures. As a high Egyptian official, he makes a dignifiedappearance and wears a rich turban. His face is gentle and amiable, aswe should expect of a loving son and forgiving brother. 

In the old man we see the same Jacob who wrestled by night with theAngel and was redeemed from his life of selfishness. The same strongface is here, softened by sorrow and made tender by love. The yearshave cut deep lines of character in the forehead, and the flowingbeard has become snowy white. 

The dying patriarch has "strengthened himself, " to sit up on the bedfor his last duty, and his son Joseph supports him. The children kneeltogether by the bedside, the little Ephraim bending his fair headhumbly to receive his grandfather's right hand, Manasseh looking upalertly, almost resentfully, as he sees that hand passing over his ownhead 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 verysolemn interest to all concerned. Though the patriarch's eyes are dimand his hand trembles, his old determined spirit makes itselfmanifest. Joseph is in perplexity between his filial respect and hissolicitude for his first-born. He puts his fingers gently under hisfather's wrist, trying to lift the hand to the other head. The motherseems to smile as if well content. Perhaps she shares thegrandfather'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 ofhuman 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 thepeople of Israel, he led away many of them captive into Assyria, amongthem the family of Tobit, his wife Anna, and their son Tobias. Theysettled in Nineveh, and Tobit, being an honest man, was made purveyorto the king. That is, it was his business to provide food for theking's household. 

In this office he was able to lay up a good deal of money, which heplaced for safe keeping in the hands of Gabael, an Israelite who livedat Rages in Media. Tobit was a generous man, and he did many kinddeeds for his less fortunate fellow exiles; he delighted in feedingthe hungry and clothing the naked. 

When Sennacherib was king of Assyria, many Jews were slain and leftlying in the street, and Tobit, finding their neglected bodies, buriedthem secretly. One night, after some such deed of mercy, a sadaffliction befell him. White films came over his eyes, causing totalblindness. In his distress he prayed that he might die, and began tomake preparations for death. He called his son Tobias to him and gavehim much good advice as to his manner of life, and then desired him togo to Rages to obtain the money left there with Gabael. But Tobiasmust 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. Buthe 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 willgo with thee, and I know the way well: for I have lodged with ourbrother Gabael, '" The angel gave himself the name Azarias. "So theywent forth both, and the young man's dog with them. "

"As they went on their journey, they came in the evening to the riverTigris, and they lodged there. And when the young man went down towash himself, a fish leaped out of the river, and would have devouredhim. Then the angel said unto him, 'Take the fish, ' And the young manlaid 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 youngman did as the angel commanded him, and when they had roasted thefish, they did eat it: then they both went on their way, till theydrew near to Ecbatane. Then the young man said to the angel, 'BrotherAzarias, 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 heshall be healed. '"

[Illustration: THE ANGEL RAPHAEL LEAVING THE FAMILY OF TOBIT_The Louvre, Paris_]

After this curious incident there were no further adventures till theycame to Ecbatane. Here they lodged with Raguel, a kinsman of Tobit, and when Tobias saw Sara, the daughter, he loved her and determined tomake her his wife. He therefore tarried fourteen days at Ecbatane, sending Azarias on to Rages for the money. This delay lengthened thetime allotted for the journey, but at last the company drew near toNineveh, --Azarias or Raphael, and Tobias, with the bride, thetreasure, and the precious fishgall. Raphael then gave Tobiasdirections to use the gall for his father's eyes. Their arrival wasthe cause of great excitement. "Anna ran forth, and fell upon the neckof her son. Tobit also went forth toward the door, and stumbled: buthis son ran unto him, and took hold of his father: and he strake ofthe 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 whitenesspilled away from the corners of his eyes: and when he saw his son, hefell upon his neck. "

Now Tobit and Tobias were full of gratitude to Azarias for all that hehad done for them, and, consulting together as to how they couldreward him, decided to give him half the treasure. So the old mancalled the angel, and said, "Take half of all that ye have brought, and go away in safety. " Then Raphael took them both apart, and saidunto them, "Bless God, praise him, and magnify him, and praise himfor the things which he hath done unto you in the sight of all thatlive. "

With this solemn introduction the angel goes on to tell Tobit that hehad been with him when he had buried his dead countrymen, and that hisgood deeds were not hid from him, and that his prayers wereremembered. He concludes by showing who he really is. 

"I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayersof the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the HolyOne. "

"Then they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces: for theyfeared God. But he said unto them, 'Fear not, for it shall go wellwith you; praise God therefore. For not of any favor of mine, but bythe will of our God I came; wherefore praise him for ever. All thesedays I did appear unto you; but I did neither eat nor drink, but yedid see a vision. Now therefore give God thanks: for I go up to himthat sent me. '" "And when they arose, they saw him no more. "

The picture shows us the moment when the angel suddenly rises from themidst of the little company and strikes out on his flight through theair like a strong swimmer. Tobit and Tobias fall on their kneeswithout, while Anna and the bride Sara stand in the open door with thefrightened little dog cowering beside them. The older people areovercome with wonder and awe, but Tobias and Sara, more bold, followthe radiant vision with rapturous gaze. 

IV

THE RAT KILLER

The pictures we have examined thus far in this collection have beenreproductions from Rembrandt's paintings. You will see at once thatthe picture of the Rat Killer is of another kind. The figures andobjects are indicated by lines instead of by masses of color. Youwould call it a drawing, and it is in fact a drawing of one kind, butproperly speaking, an etching. An etching is a drawing made on copperby means of a needle. The etcher first covers the surface of the metalwith a layer of some waxy substance and draws his picture through thiscoating, or "etching ground, " as it is called. Next he immerses thecopper plate in an acid bath which "bites, " or grooves, the metalalong the lines he has drawn without affecting the parts protected bythe etching ground. 

The plate thus has a picture cut into its surface, and impressions ofthis picture may be taken by filling the lines with ink and pressingwet paper to the surface of the plate. You will notice that thedifference between the work of an engraver and that of an etcher isthat the former cuts the lines in his plate with engraving tools, while the latter only draws his picture on the plate and the acid cutsthe lines. The word etching is derived from the Dutch _etzen_, andthe most famous etchers in the world have been among Dutch and Germanartists. 

Rembrandt is easily first of these, and we should have but a limitedidea of his work if we did not examine some of his pictures of thiskind. Impressions made directly from the original plates, over twocenturies ago, are, of course, very rare and valuable, and arecarefully preserved in the great libraries and museums of the world. There is a collection in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where thisetching of the Rat Killer may be seen. 

The Rat Killer is one of many subjects from the scenes of common lifewhich surrounded the artist. In smaller towns and villages, then aswell as now, there were no large shops where goods were to be bought. Instead, all sorts of peddlers and traveling mechanics went from houseto house--the knife grinder, the ragman, the fiddler, and many others. This picture of the Rat Killer suggests a very odd occupation. Thepest of rats is, of course, much greater in old than in new countries. In Europe, and perhaps particularly in the northern countries ofHolland and Germany, the old towns and villages have long beeninfested with these troublesome creatures. 

[Illustration: THE RAT KILLER_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

There are some curious legends about them. One relates how a certainBishop Hatto, as a judgment for his sins, was attacked by an army ofrats which swam across the Rhine and invaded him in his island tower, where they made short work of their victim. [4] Another tells how atown called Hamelin was overrun with rats until a magic piper appearedwho so charmed them with his enchanted music that they gathered abouthim and followed his leading till they came to the river and weredrowned. [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 friskilyabout him, one perching on his shoulders. He reminds one of some ogreout of a fairy tale, with his strange tall cap, his kilted coat, andbaggy trousers, the money pouch at his belt, the fur mantle flung overone shoulder, and the fierce-looking sword dangling at his side. Butthere is no magic in his way of killing rats. He has some rat poisonto sell which his apprentice, a miserable little creature, carries ina large box. 

The picture gives us an idea of an old Dutch village street. Thecottages are built very low, with steep overhanging roofs. The wallsare of thick masonry, for these were days when in small villages andoutlying districts "every man's house was his castle, " that is, everyman's house was intended, first of all, as a place of defense againstoutlawry. 

The entrance doors were made in two sections, an upper and a lowerpart, or wing, each swinging on its own hinges. Whenever a knock came, the householder could open the upper wing and address the caller asthrough a window, first learning who he was and what his errand, before opening the lower part to admit him. Thus an unwelcome intrudercould not press his way into the house by the door's being opened athis knock, and the family need not be taken unawares. In many of ourmodern 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 imposedupon by wandering fakirs. He has opened only the upper door and leanson the lower wing, as on a gate, while he listens to the Rat Killer'sstory. The latter must have a marvellous tale to tell of the effectsof the poison, from the collection of dead rats which he carries astrophies in the basket fastened to the long pole in his hand. But thehouseholder impatiently pushes his hand back, and turns away as ifwith disgust. The apprentice, grotesque little rat himself, looks uprather awestruck at this grand, turbaned figure above him. 

V

THE PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION

Ever since the beginning of human history there have been people whopuzzled their brains about the reasons of things. Why things are asthey are, whence we came, and whither we are going are some of theperplexing questions they have tried to answer. Some men have givenall their lives to the study of these problems as a single occupationor profession. Among the ancient Greeks, who were a very intellectualnation, such men were quite numerous and were held in great esteem asteachers. They were called philosophers, that is, lovers of wisdom, and this word has been passed down to our own times in various modernlanguages. 

In the passing of the centuries men found more and more subjects tothink about. Some studied the movements of the stars and tried todiscover if they had any influence in human affairs. These men werecalled astrologers, and they drew plans, known as horoscopes, mappingout the future destiny of persons as revealed by the position of theconstellations. There were other men who examined the varioussubstances of which the earth is composed, putting them together tomake new things. These were alchemists, and their great ambition wasto 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 exactscience; astronomy has replaced astrology, and chemistry has taken theplace of alchemy. Nevertheless these changes were brought about onlyvery gradually, and in the 17th century, when Rembrandt lived andpainted this picture, a great stir was made by the new ideas ofastronomy taught by Galileo in Italy, and the new discoveries inchemistry made by Van Helmont in Belgium. Many philosophers still heldto the old beliefs of astrology and alchemy. 

It is not likely that Rembrandt had any one philosopher in mind as thesubject of his picture. That his philosopher is something of ascholar, we judge from the table at which he sits, littered withwriting materials. Yet he seems to care less for reading than forthinking, as he sits with hands clasped in his lap and his head sunkupon his breast. He wears a loose, flowing garment like adressing-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 sothick that they shut out all the confusing noise of the world. Asingle window lets in light enough to read by through its many tinypanes. It is a bare little room, to be sure, with its ungarnishedwalls and stone-paved floor, but if a philosopher has the ordinaryneeds of life supplied he wants no luxuries. He asks for nothingmore than quiet and uninterrupted leisure in which to pursue hismeditations. 

[Illustration: THE PHILOSOPHER IN MEDITATION_The Louvre, Paris_]

Our philosopher is well taken care of; for while his thoughts are onhigher things and eternal truths, an old woman is busy at the fire inthe corner. Evidently she looks after the material and temporal thingsof life. She kneels on the hearth and hangs a kettle over the cheerfulblaze. The firelight glows on her face and gleams here and there onthe brasses hanging in the chimney-piece above. Here is promise ofsomething good to come, and when the philosopher is roused from hismusings there will be a hot supper ready for him. 

There are two mysteries in the room which arouse our curiosity. In thewall behind the philosopher's chair is a low, arched door heavilybuilt with large hinges. Does this lead to some subterranean cavern, and what secret does it contain? Is it a laboratory where, withalembic and crucible, the philosopher searches the secrets of alchemyand tries to find the "philosopher's stone?" Is some hid treasurestored up there, as precious and as hard to reach as the hidden truthsthe philosopher tries to discover?

At the right side of the room a broad, winding staircase rises inlarge spirals and disappears in the gloom above. We follow it withwondering eyes which try to pierce the darkness and see whither itleads. Perhaps there is an upper chamber with windows open to the skywhence the philosopher studies the stars. This place with its windingstaircase would be just such an observatory as an astrologer wouldlike. Indeed it suggests at once the tower on the hillside nearFlorence where Galileo passed his declining years. 

Our philosopher, too, is an old man; his hair has been whitened bymany winters, his face traced over with many lines of thought. Even ifhis problems have not all been solved he has found rich satisfactionin his thinking; the end of his meditations is peace. The day isdrawing to a close. The waning light falls through the window andillumines the philosopher's venerable face. It throws the upper spiralof the stairway into bold relief, and brings out all the beautifulcurves in its structure. The bare little room is transfigured. This isindeed a fit dwelling-place for a philosopher whose thoughts, penetrating dark mysteries, are at last lighted by some gleams of theideal. 

VI

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

The story of the Good Samaritan was related by Jesus to a certainlawyer as a parable, that is, a story to teach a moral lesson. Theobject was to show what was true neighborly conduct; and this was thestory:--[6]

"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell amongthieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, anddeparted, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down acertain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on theother side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came andlooked on him, and passed by on the other side. 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and whenhe saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound uphis wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, andbrought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when hedeparted, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and saidunto him, 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when Icome 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 lawyerwhich one of the three passers-by was a neighbor to the wounded man, he was forced to reply, "He that shewed mercy. " Then said Jesussimply, "Go, and do thou likewise. "

Though the scene of the story is laid in Palestine, it is the sort ofincident which one can imagine taking place in any country or periodof time. So it seems perfectly proper that Rembrandt, in representingthe subject, should show us an old Dutch scene. The etchingillustrates that moment when the Good Samaritan arrives at the inn, followed by the wounded traveler mounted on his horse. 

The building is a quaint piece of architecture with arched doors andwindows. That it was built with an eye to possible attacks fromthieves and outlaws, we may see from the small windows and thick wallsof masonry, which make it look like a miniature fortress. This is alonely spot, and inns are few and far between. The plaster is crackingand crumbling from the surface, and the whole appearance of the placedoes not betoken great thrift on the part of the owners. On thepresent occasion, during the working hours of the day, doors andwindows are open after the hospitable manner of an inn. 

The host stands in the doorway, greeting the strangers, and the GoodSamaritan is explaining the situation to him. In the mean time the innservants have come forward: the hostler's boy holds the horse by thebridle, while a man lifts off the wounded traveler. 

[Illustration: THE GOOD SAMARITAN_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

About the dooryard are the usual signs of life. In the rear a womandraws water from a well, lowering the bucket from the end of a longwell-sweep, heedless of the stir about the door. Fowl scratch about insearch of food, and there is a dog at one side. Some one within lookswith idle curiosity from the window into the yard. It is littletouches like these which give the scene such vividness and reality. 

There is also a remarkable expressiveness in the figures which tellsthe story at a glance. You can see just what the Good Samaritan issaying, as he gestures with his left hand, and you can guess theinn-keeper's reply. Already he has put the proffered money into thewallet he carries at his belt, and listens attentively to the ordersgiven him. He may privately wonder at his guest's singular kindness toa stranger, but with him business is business, and his place is tocarry out his guest's wishes. 

You see how the hostler's boy magnifies his office, swaggering withlegs wide apart. Even the feather in his cap bristles with importance. This bit of comedy contrasts with the almost tragic expression of thewounded man. The stolid fellow who lifts him seems to hurt him verymuch, and he clasps his hands in an agony of pain. He seems to betelling the gentleman at the window of his recent misfortune. 

To study the picture more critically, it will be interesting to noticehow the important figures are massed together in the centre, and howthe composition is built into a pyramid. Draw a line from theinn-keeper's head down the stairway at the left, and follow theoutline of the Good Samaritan's right shoulder along the body of thewounded traveler, and you have the figure. This pyramidal form isemphasized again by the wainscot of the stairway at the left, and thewell-sweep at the right. 

To appreciate fully the character of the etching, one must examineattentively all the different kinds of lines which produce the varyingeffects of light and shadow. Below the picture Rembrandt wrote hisname and the date 1633, with two Latin words meaning that he designedand etched the plate himself. This would seem to show that he was wellpleased with his work, and it is interesting to learn that the greatGerman poet, Goethe, admired the composition extravagantly. 

VII

THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE

The story which the picture of the Presentation illustrates is a storyof the infancy of Jesus Christ. According to the custom of the Jews atthat time, every male child was "presented, " or dedicated, to the Lordwhen about a month old. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa, a smalltown about four miles from the city of Jerusalem, the Jewish capital, where the temple was. When he was about a month old, his mother Maryand her husband Joseph, who were devout Jews, brought him to the greatcity for the ceremony of the presentation in the temple. Now thetemple was a great place of worship where many religious ceremonieswere taking place all the time. 

Ordinarily, a party coming up from the country for some religiousobservance would not attract any special attention among theworshippers. But on the day when the infant Jesus was presented in thetemple, a very strange thing occurred. The evangelist St. Luke[7]relates the circumstances. 

[Footnote 7: St. Luke, chapter ii. Verses 25-35. ]

"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; andthe same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation ofIsrael: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto himby the Holy Ghost that he should not see death, before he had seen theLord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when theparents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom ofthe law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thyword: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast preparedbefore the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and theglory of thy people Israel. 

"And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spokenof him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Beholdthis child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; andfor a sign which shall be spoken against; that the thought of manyhearts may be revealed. "

[Illustration: THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE_The Hague Gallery_]

In the picture we find ourselves, as it were, among the worshippers inthe temple, looking at the group on the pavement in front of us--Maryand Joseph and Simeon, kneeling before a priest, with two or threeonlookers. It is a Gothic cathedral, in whose dim recesses many peoplemove hither and thither. At the right is a long flight of stepsleading to a throne, which is overshadowed by a huge canopy. At thetop of the steps we see the high priest seated with handsoutstretched, receiving the people who throng up the stairway. It wastowards this stairway that Mary and Joseph were making their way, when the aged Simeon first saw them, and recognized in the childthey carried the one he had long expected. Taking the babe from hismother's arms, he kneels on the marble-tiled pavement and raises hisface to heaven in thanksgiving. His embroidered cymar, or robe, fallsabout him in rich folds as he clasps his arms about the tiny swaddledfigure. 

Mary has dropped on her knees beside him, listening to his words withhappy wonder. Joseph, just beyond, looks on with an expression ofinquiry. He carries two turtle doves as the thank offering required ofthe mother by the religious law. His unkempt appearance and bare feetcontrast with the neat dress of Mary. The tall priest standing beforethem extends his hands towards the group in a gesture of benediction. A broad ray of light gleams on his strange headdress, lights up hisoutstretched hand, and falls with dazzling brilliancy upon the softround face of the babe, the smiling mother, and the venerable Simeonwith flowing white hair and beard. 

There are but few people to pay any heed to the strange incident. Twoor three of those who climb the stairway turn about and starecuriously at the group below. There are three others still moreinterested. One man behind puts his turbaned head over Simeon'sshoulders, peering inquisitively at the child, as if trying to seewhat the old man finds so remarkable in him. Beyond, two old beggarsapproach with a sort of good-natured interest. They are quaintlydressed, one of them wearing a very tall cap. Such humble folk asthese alone seem to have time to notice others' affairs. 

It must not be supposed that this scene very closely represents theactual event it illustrates. The painter Rembrandt knew nothing aboutthe architecture of the old Jewish temple destroyed many centuriesbefore. A Gothic cathedral was the finest house of worship known tohim, so he thought out the scene as it would look in suchsurroundings. The people coming and going were such as he saw abouthim daily; the beggars looking at the Christ-child were the beggars ofAmsterdam, and the men seated in the wooden settle at the right werelike the respectable Dutch burghers of his acquaintance. It was liketranslating the story from Aramaic to Dutch, but in the processnothing is lost of its original touching beauty. 

In studying the picture, you must notice how carefully all the figuresare painted, even the very small ones in the darkest parts of thecomposition. The beautiful contrast, between the light on the centralgroup and the soft dimness of the remoter parts of the cathedral, illustrates a style of work for which Rembrandt was very famous, andwhich we shall often see in his pictures. 

VIII

CHRIST PREACHING

We read in the evangelists' record of the life of Jesus that he wentabout the country preaching the gospel (or the good news) of thekingdom of Heaven. Sometimes he preached in the synagogue on theSabbath day; but more often he talked to the people in the open air, sometimes on the mountain-side, sometimes on the shore of the lakeGennesaret, or again in the streets of their towns. 

The scribes and Pharisees were jealous of his popularity, and angrybecause he exposed their hypocrisy. The proud and rich found many ofhis sayings too hard to accept. So it was the poor and unhappy whowere most eager to hear him, and they often formed a large part of hisaudience. Jesus himself rejoiced in this class of followers, and whenJohn the Baptist's messengers came to him to inquire into his mission, he sent back the message, "The poor have the gospel preached to them. "

In this picture of Christ Preaching, we see that his hearers are ofjust the kind that the preacher's message is intended for, --the wearyand heavy-laden whom he called to himself. There are a few dignitariesin the gathering, it is true, standing pompously by in the hope offinding something to criticise. But Jesus pays no attention to themas he looks down into the faces of the listeners who most need hiswords. His pulpit is a square coping-stone in a courtyard, and thepeople gather about him in a circle in the positions most convenientto them. 

There is no formality here, no ceremony; each one may come and go ashe pleases. Here is a mother sitting on the ground directly in frontof the speaker, holding a babe in her arms, while a little fellowsprawls out on the ground beside her, drawing on the sand with hisfinger. Though we cannot see her face, we know that she is an absorbedlistener, and Jesus seems to speak directly to her. 

A pathetic-looking man beyond her is trying to take in the message ina wondering way, and a long-bearded man behind him is so aroused thathe leans eagerly forward to catch every word. There are others, as isalways the case, who listen very stolidly as if quite indifferent. 

Again there are two who ponder the subject thoughtfully. One of theseis in the rear, --a young man, perhaps one of Jesus' disciples; theother sits in front, crossing his legs, and supporting his chin withhis hand. In the group at the right of Jesus we can easily pick outthe scoffers and critics, listening intently, some of them moreinterested, perhaps, than they had expected to be. 

[Illustration: CHRIST PREACHING_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

As we look at Jesus himself, so gentle and tender, raising both handsas if to bless the company, we feel sure that he is speaking somemessage of comfort. One day when he was reading the Scriptures inthe synagogue at Capernaum, he selected a passage which described hisown work, and which perfectly applies to this picture. We can imaginethat he is saying: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because theLord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hathsent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to thecaptives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; toproclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance ofour God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn inZion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. "

It is a noticeable fact that the figures in this picture of Christpreaching are Dutch types. If you think that this is a strange way toillustrate scenes which took place in Palestine many centuries ago, you must remember that the picture was drawn by a Dutchman who knewnothing of Palestine, and indeed little of any country outside his ownHolland. He wished to make the life of Christ seem real and vivid tohis own countrymen; and the only way he could do this was to representthe scenes in the surroundings most familiar to himself and to them. The artist was simply trying to imagine what Jesus would do if he hadcome to Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, instead of to Jerusalemin the first century; somewhat as certain modern writers have tried tothink what would take place "If Jesus came to Chicago, " or "If Jesuscame to Boston, " in the nineteenth century. The sweet gentleness inthe face of Christ and the eager attention of the people show how wellRembrandt understood the real meaning of the New Testament. 

This picture is worthy of very special study because it is reckoned bycritics one of the best of Rembrandt's etchings. One enthusiasticwriter[8] says that "the full maturity of his genius is expressed inevery feature. " One must know a great deal about the technicalprocesses of etching to appreciate fully all these excellencies; buteven an inexperienced eye can see how few and simple are the lineswhich produce such striking effects of light and shadow: a scratch ortwo here, a few parallel lines drawn diagonally there; some coarsecross-hatching in one place, closer hatching in another; now and thena spot of the black ink itself, --and the whole scene is made alive, with Jesus standing in the midst, the light gleaming full upon hisfigure. 

[Footnote 8: Michel. ]

IX

CHRIST AT EMMAUS

The picture of Christ at Emmaus illustrates an event in the narrativeof Christ's life which took place on the evening of the first EasterSunday. It was now three days since the Crucifixion of Christ justoutside Jerusalem, and the terrible scene was still very fresh in theminds of his disciples. It happened that late in the day two of themwere going to a village called Emmaus, not very far from Jerusalem. 

They made the journey on foot, and as they walked along the way, "theytalked together, " says the evangelist[9] who tells the story, "of allthose things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while theycommuned together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went withthem. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And hesaid unto them, 'What manner of communications are these that ye haveone to another, as ye walk, and are sad?' And the one of them, whosename was Cleopas, answering said unto him, 'Art thou only a strangerin Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to passthere in these days?' And he said unto them, 'What things?' And theysaid unto him, 'Concerning Jesus of Nazareth. '" Then followed aconversation in which they told the stranger something of Jesus, andhe in turn explained to them many things about the life and characterof Jesus which they had never understood. 

[Footnote 9: St. Luke, chapter xxiv. Verses 13-32. ]

"And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he madeas though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, 'Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is farspent. ' And he went in to tarry with them. 

"And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, andblessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were openedand they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they saidone to another, 'Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talkedwith us by the way?'"

The picture suggests vividly to us that wonderful moment at Emmauswhen the eyes of the disciples were opened, and they recognized theirguest as Jesus, whom they had so recently seen crucified. The table islaid in a great bare room with the commonest furnishings, and thedisciples appear to be laboring men, accustomed to "plain living andhigh thinking. " They are coarsely dressed, and their feet are bare, asare also the feet of Jesus. One seems to have grasped the situationmore quickly than the other, for he folds his hands together, reverently gazing directly into the face of Jesus. His companion, an older man, at the other end of the table, looks up astonished andmystified. The boy who is bringing food to the table is busy with histask, and does not notice any change in Jesus. 

[Illustration: CHRIST AT EMMAUS_The Louvre, Paris_]

In the midst is Christ, "pale, emaciated, sitting facing us, breakingthe bread as on the evening of the Last Supper, in his pilgrim robe, with his blackened lips, on which the torture has left its traces, hisgreat brown eyes soft, widely opened, and raised towards heaven, withhis cold nimbus, a sort of phosphorescence around him which envelopshim in an indefinable glory, and that inexplicable look of a breathinghuman being who certainly has passed through death. "

This description is by a celebrated French critic, [10] himself apainter, who knows whereof he speaks. He says that this picture aloneis enough to establish the reputation of a man. 

[Footnote 10: Fromentin, in _Old Masters of Belgium and Holland. _]

There is one artistic quality in the picture to which we must paycareful attention, as it is particularly characteristic of Rembrandt. This is the way in which the light and shadow are arranged, or what acritic would call the chiaroscuro of the picture. The heart of thecomposition glows with a golden light which comes from some unseensource. It falls on the white tablecloth with a dazzling brilliancy asif from some bright lamp. It gleams on the faces of the company, bringing out their expressions clearly. The arched recess behind thetable is thrown into heavy shadow, against which the centrally lightedgroup is sharply contrasted. 

This singular manner of bringing light and darkness into strikingopposition makes the objects in a picture stand out very vividly. Someone has defined chiaroscuro as the "art of rendering the atmospherevisible and of painting an object enveloped in air. " The art wascarried to perfection by Rembrandt. You will notice it more or less inevery picture of this collection, but nowhere is it more appropriatethan here, where the appearance of Christ, as the source of light, emphasizes the mystery of the event and makes something sacred of thiscommon scene. 

As we compare this picture with the etching of Christ Preaching, weget a better idea of Rembrandt's aim in representing Christ. He didnot try to make his face beautiful with regular classical features, after the manner of the old Italian painters. He did not even think itnecessary to make his figure grand and imposing. Something stillbetter Rembrandt sought to put into his picture, and this was a gentleexpression of love. 

X

PORTRAIT OF SASKIA

We should have but a very imperfect idea of Rembrandt's work if we didnot learn something about the portraits he painted. It was for thesethat he was most esteemed in his own day, being the fashionableportrait painter of Amsterdam at a time when every person of meanswished to have his likeness painted. A collection of his works of thiskind would almost bring back again the citizens of Amsterdam in theseventeenth century, so life-like are these wonderful canvases. Amongthem we should find the various members of his family, his father andmother, his sister, his servant, his son, and most interesting of all, his beloved wife, Saskia. 

Saskia was born in Friesland, one of nine children of a wealthypatrician family. Her father, Rombertus van Uylenborch, was adistinguished lawyer, who had had several important political missionsintrusted to him. At one time he was sent as a messenger to William ofOrange, and was sitting at table with that prince just before hisassassination. He died in 1624, leaving Saskia an orphan, as she hadlost her mother five years before. The little girl of twelve now beganto live in turn with her married sisters. At the age of twenty shecame to Amsterdam to live for a while with her cousin, the wife of aminister, Jan Cornelis Sylvius, whose face we know from one ofRembrandt's etchings. Saskia had also another cousin living inAmsterdam, Hendrick van Uylenborch, a man of artistic tastes, who hadnot succeeded as a painter, and had become a dealer in bric-à-brac andengravings. He was an old friend of Rembrandt; and when the youngpainter came to seek his fortune in the great city in 1631, he hadmade his home for a while with the art dealer. 

It was doubtless Hendrick who introduced Rembrandt to Saskia. Probablythe beginning of their acquaintance was through Rembrandt's paintingSaskia's portrait in 1632. The relation between them soon grew quitefriendly, for in the same year the young girl sat two or three timesagain to the painter. The friendship presently ended in courtship, andwhen Rembrandt pressed his suit the marriage seemed a very proper one. Saskia was of a fine family and had a sufficient dowry. 

Rembrandt, though the son of a miller, was already a famous painter, much sought after for portraits, and with a promising career beforehim. The engagement was therefore approved by her guardians, butmarriage being deferred till she came of age, the courtship lasted twohappy years. During this time Rembrandt painted his lady love over andover again. It was one of his artistic methods to paint the sameperson many times. He was not one of the superficial painters whoturn constantly from one model to another in search of new effects. Heliked to make an exhaustive study of a single face in many moods, withmany expressions and varied by different costumes. 

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF SASKIA_Cassel Gallery_]

Saskia had small eyes and a round nose, and was not at all beautifulaccording to classical standards. Rembrandt, however, cared less forbeauty than for expression, and Saskia's face was very expressive, attimes merry and almost roguish, and again quite serious. She had alsoa brilliant complexion and an abundance of silky hair, waving from herforehead. The painter had collected in his studio many pretty andfantastic things to use in his pictures, --velvets and gold embroideredcloaks, Oriental stuffs, laces, necklaces, and jewels. With these heloved to deck Saskia, heightening her girlish charms with the play oflight upon these adornments. 

One of the most famous of the many portraits of Saskia at this time isthe picture we have here. Because it is not signed and dated, afterRembrandt's usual custom, it is thought that it was intended as a giftfor Saskia herself, and thus it has a romantic interest for us. Alsoit is painted with extreme care, as the work of a lover offering thechoicest fruit of his art. 

The artist has arranged a picturesque costume for his sitter, --abroad-brimmed hat of red velvet with a sweeping white feather, anelaborate dress with embroidered yoke and full sleeves, a rich mantledraped over one shoulder, necklace, earrings, and bracelets ofpearls. Her expression is more serious here than usual, though veryhappy, as if she was thinking of her lover; and in her hand shecarries a sprig of rosemary, which in Holland is the symbol ofbetrothal, holding it near her heart. 

The marriage finally took place in June, 1634, in the town of Bildt. The bridal pair then returned to Amsterdam to a happy home life. Rembrandt had no greater pleasure than in the quiet family circle, andSaskia had a simple loving nature, entirely devoted to her husband'shappiness. A few years later Rembrandt moved into a fine house in theBreestraat, which he furnished richly with choice paintings and worksof art. 

A succession of portraits shows that the painter continued to painthis wife with loving pride. He represented her as a Jewish bride, asFlora, as an Odalisque, a Judith, a Susanna, and a Bathsheba. There isone painting of the husband and wife together, Saskia perched like achild on Rembrandt's knee, as he flourishes a wine-glass in the air. In another picture (an etching) they sit together at a table about theevening lamp, the wife with her needle-work, the artist with hisengraving. The love between them is the brightest spot in Rembrandt'shistory, clouded as it was with many disappointments and troubles. Asa celebrated writer has expressed it, Saskia was "a ray of sunshine inthe perpetual chiaroscuro of his life. "

XI

THE SORTIE OF THE CIVIC GUARD, OR THE NIGHT WATCH

The patriotism of the Dutch is seen through the entire history of"brave little Holland. " Early in the sixteenth century every town ofconsiderable size had a military company composed of the mostprominent citizens. Each company, or guild, had a place of assembly, or _doelen_, and a drilling-ground. The officers were chosen for ayear, and the highest appointments were those of captain, lieutenant, and ensign. Upon these civic guards rested the responsibility ofmaintaining the order and safety of the town. Sterner duties thanthese were theirs when in the late sixteenth century (1573), at thecall of William of Orange, the various guilds formed themselves intovolunteer companies to resist the Spanish. How well they acquittedthemselves is a matter of history, and Spain recognized the republicin the treaty of 1609. After the war, many of the corporations werereorganized and continued to be of great importance in the seventeenthcentury. 

The picture we have here represents the Civic Guard of Amsterdamduring the captaincy of Frans Banning Cocq in 1642. Cocq was a man ofwealth and influence who had purchased the estate of Purmerland in1618 and had also been granted a patent of nobility. So it was naturalthat Lord Purmerland, one of the most distinguished citizens of thetown, should be called to a term of office as captain of the CivicGuard. His magnificent stature and manly bearing show him well fittedfor the honor. 

The picture represents an occasion when the guard issues from theassembly hall, or doelen, in a sudden call to action. Captain Cocqleads the way with Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenberg, of Vlaerdingen, and as he advances gives orders to his fellow officer. The drum beats, the ensign unfurls the standard, every man carries a weapon of somesort. One is priming a musket, another loading his gun, anotherfiring. A mass of lance-bearers press on from the rear. In theconfusion a dog scampers into the midst and barks furiously at thedrum. A little girl slips into the crowd on the other side, oddly outof place in such company, but quite fearless. It has been suggestedthat she may have been the bearer of the tidings which calls the guardforth. The quaint figure is clad in a long dress of some shimmeringstuff, and she has the air of a small princess. From her belt hangs acock, and she turns her face admiringly towards the great captain. 

[Illustration: SORTIE OF THE CIVIC GUARD_Ryks Museum, Amsterdam_]

We do not know of any historical incident which precisely correspondsto the action in the picture. Indeed, it is not strictly speaking anhistorical picture at all, but rather a portrait group of the CivicGuard, in attitudes appropriate to their character as a militarybody. They may be going out for target practice or for a shootingmatch such as was held annually as a trial of skill; it may be aparade, or it may be, as some have fancied, a call to arms against asudden attack from the enemy. In any case the noticeable thing is thereadiness with which all respond to the call--the spirit of patriotismwhich animates the body. The Dutch are not naturally warlike, butrather a peace-loving people; lacking the quick impulsiveness of amore nervous race, they are of a somewhat heavy and deliberate temper;yet they have the solid worth which can be counted on in an emergency, and in love of country they are united to a man. Benjamin Franklinonce said of Holland, "In love of liberty, and bravery in the defenseof it, she has been our great example. "

The picture cannot be fully understood without some knowledge of itshistory. Painted for the hall of the Amsterdam Musketeers, it was totake its place among others by contemporary painters, as a portraitgroup in honor of the officers of the year, and as a lasting memorialof their services. The other pictures had been stiff groups about atable, and the novelty of Rembrandt's composition displeased some ofthe members of the guild. Each person who figures in the scene hadsubscribed a certain sum towards the cost of the picture for his ownportrait, and was anxious to get his money's worth. Consequently, there were many who did not at all relish their insignificance in thebackground, quite overshadowed by the glory of the captain andlieutenant. They thought they would have shown to much betteradvantage arranged in rows. 

It was Rembrandt's way when painting a portrait to give life andreality to the figure, by showing the leading element in the characteror occupation of the person. Thus his shipbuilder is designing a ship, the writing master, Coppenol, is mending a pen, the architect has hisdrawing utensils, and the preacher his Bible. So in the Civic Guardeach man carries a weapon, and the figures are united in spiritedaction. All this artistic motive was lost upon those for whom thepicture was painted, because of their petty vanity. So the greatpainting, now so highly esteemed, was not a success at the time. 

In the following century it was removed to the town hall; and in orderto fit it into a particular place on the wall, a strip was cut offeach side the canvas. It is the loss of these margins which gives thecomposition the crowded appearance which so long seemed a strangefault in a great artist like Rembrandt. 

The original colors of the painting grew so dark with the accumulationof smoke in the hall that the critics supposed the scene occurred atnight, hence the incorrect name of the Night Watch was given to it. Since the picture was cleaned, in 1889, it is apparent that theincident occurred in the daytime, and if you look carefully you canplainly see the shadow of Captain Cocq's hand on the lieutenant'stunic. 

XII

PORTRAIT OF JAN SIX

When the painter Rembrandt came to Amsterdam in 1631, a young manseeking his fortune in the great city, a lad of twelve years wasliving in his father's country seat, near by, who was later to becomeone of his warm friends. This was Jan Six, the subject of the portraitetching reproduced here. There was a great contrast in thecircumstances of life in which the two friends grew up. Rembrandt wasthe son of a miller, and had his own way to make in the world. Jan Sixwas surrounded from his earliest years with everything which tended tothe gratification of his natural taste for culture. Rembrandt's raretalent, however, overbalanced any lack of early advantages, and madehim a friend worth having. 

Six had come of Huguenot ancestry. His grandfather had fled to Hollandduring the Huguenot persecution in France, and had become a residentin Amsterdam in 1585. Jan's father, another Jan, had married a Dutchlady of good family, whose maiden name was Anna Wijmer. It was in theservice of this good lady that we first hear of Rembrandt's connectionwith the Six family. He was called to paint her portrait in 1641, andmust have then, if not before, made the acquaintance of her youngson, Jan. Jan united to a great love of learning a love of everythingbeautiful, and was an ardent collector of objects of art. Paintings ofthe old Italian and early Dutch schools, rare prints and curios ofvarious kinds, were his delight. He found in Rembrandt a man after hisown heart. Already the painter had gone far beyond his means infilling his own house with costly works of art. So the two men, havinga hobby in common, found a strong bond of union in their congenialtastes. We may be sure that they were often together, to show theirnew purchases and discuss their beauty. 

Rembrandt, as an older and more experienced collector, would doubtlesshave good advice to offer his younger friend, and, an artist himself, would know how to judge correctly a work of art. One record of theirfriendship in these years is a little etched landscape which Rembrandtmade in 1641, showing a bridge near the country estate of the Sixfamily, a place called Elsbroek, near the village of Hillegom. 

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF JAN SIX_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

It was in 1647 that Rembrandt made this portrait of his friend, thentwenty-nine years of age. Six had now begun to make a name for himselfin the world of letters as a scholar and poet. He had alreadypublished a poem on Muiderberg (a village near Amsterdam), and by thistime, doubtless, had under way his great literary work, the tragedy ofMedæa. Many were the times when Rembrandt, coming to his house to talkover some new treasure-trove, found him in his library with hishead buried in a book, and his thoughts far away. It was in such amoment that he must have had the idea of this beautiful portrait. Hecatches his friend one day in the corner of his library, standing withhis back to the window to get the light on the book he is reading. Hetransfers the picture to a copper plate and hands it down to futuregenerations. 

The slender figure of the young man is clad in the picturesque dressof a gentleman of his time, with knee-breeches and low shoes, withwide white collar and cuffs. His abundant wavy blond hair falls to hisshoulders; he has the air of a true poet. In his eagerness to read, hehas flung his cavalier's cloak on the window seat behind him, a partof it dropping upon a chair beyond. Its voluminous folds make acushion for him, as he leans gracefully against the window ledge. Hissword and belt lie on the chair with the cloak. For the moment the penis mightier than the sword. The furnishings of the room show theowner's tastes; a pile of folio volumes fill a low chair, an antiquepicture hangs on the wall. 

The young man's face is seen by the light reflected from the pages ofhis open book. It is a refined, sensitive face, of high intellectualcast, amiable withal, and full of imagination. He is completelyabsorbed in his reading, a smile playing about his mouth. How littleof a fop and how much of a poet he is, we see from his disorderedcollar. Breathing quickly as he bends over his book, in hisexcitement he cannot endure the restraint of a close collar. He hasunloosed it, as, quite oblivious of any untidiness in his appearance, he hurries on, ruthlessly crushing the pages of the folio back, as hegrasps it in his hand. 

The friendship between Six and Rembrandt seemed to grow apace; forwhen the tragedy of Medæa was published, in 1648, it was illustratedby a magnificent etching by Rembrandt, representing the Marriage ofJason and Creusa. 

The literary work of Jan Six led the way to various public honors. In1656 he became commissioner of marriages; in 1667, a member of theCouncil of the States General of Holland, and in 1691, burgomaster ofAmsterdam. His continued friendship for Rembrandt was shown in hispurchasing a number of the latter's paintings. Rembrandt at lengthpainted a magnificent portrait of his friend in his old age, which, with the portrait of his mother and the original plate for thisetching, still remains in the Six family in Amsterdam. Referring tothe portrait of Jan Six, the famous Dutch poet, Vondel, contemporaryof Rembrandt and Six, paid a fitting tribute to the great burgomaster, as a "lover of science, art, and virtue. "

XII

PORTRAIT OF AN OLD WOMAN

The story is told of a little child who, upon being introduced to akind-faced lady, looked up brightly into her eyes with the question, "Whose mother are you?" When we look into the wrinkled old face ofthis picture, the same sort of a question springs to mind, and weinvoluntarily ask, "Whose grandmother are you?" We are sure thatchildren and grandchildren have leaned upon that capacious lap. Thename of the subject is not known, though the same face appears manytimes in Rembrandt's works. But there are many people whose names wecan quote, of whom we know much less than of this old woman. 

The story of her life is written in the picture. Those clasped hands, large and knotted, have done much hard work. They have ministered tothe needs of two generations. They have dandled the baby on her knee, and supported the little toddler taking his first steps. They havetended the child and wrought for the youth. They have built the fireon the hearth and swept out the house; they have kneaded the bread andfilled the kettle; they have spun and woven, and sewed and mended. They have not even shrunk from the coarser labors of dooryard andfield, the care of the cattle, the planting and harvesting. But laborhas done nothing to coarsen the innate refinement of the soul whichlooks out of the fine old face. 

She is resting now. The children and grandchildren have grown up totake care of themselves and their grandmother also. She has time tosit down in the twilight of life, just as she used to sit down at theclose of each day's work, to think over what has happened. She has alarge comfortable chair, and she is neatly dressed, as befits an oldwoman whose life work is done. A white kerchief is folded across herbosom, a shawl is wrapped about her shoulders, and a hood droops overher forehead. Her thoughts are far away from her present surroundings;something sad occupies them. She dreams of the past and perhaps alsoof the future. Sorrow as well as work has had a large share in herlife, but she has borne it all with patient resignation. She is notone to complain, and does not mean to trouble others with her sadness. But left all alone with her musings, a look of yearning comes into hereyes as for something beautiful and much loved, lost long ago. 

Some painters have been at great pains to fashion a countenancesorrowful enough and patient enough to represent the subject of theMater Dolorosa, that is, the Sorrowing Mother of Christ. Perhaps theywould have succeeded better if they had turned away from their ownimaginations to some mother in real life, who has loved and workedand suffered like this one. The face answers in part our firstquestion. A woman like this is capable of mothering great sons. Industrious, patient, self-sacrificing, she would spare herselfnothing to train them faithfully. And the life of which her facespeaks--a life of self-denying toil, ennobled by high ideals ofduty--is the stuff of which heroes are made. Some of the great men ofhistory had such mothers. 

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF AN OLD WOMAN_Hermitage Gallery, St. Petersburg_]

The picture illustrates the fact that a face may be interesting andeven artistic, if not beautiful. This idea may surprise many, for whenone calls a person "as pretty as a picture, " it seems to be understoodthat it is only pretty people who make suitable models for pictures. Rembrandt, however, was of quite another mind. He was a student ofcharacter as well as a painter, and he cared to paint faces more fortheir expression than for beauty of feature. 

Now the expression of a face is to a great extent the index ofcharacter. We say that the child has "no character in his face, "meaning that his skin is still fair and smooth, before his thoughtsand feelings have made any record there. Gradually the characterimpresses itself on his face. Experience acts almost like a sculptor'schisel, carving lines of care and grooving furrows of sorrow, shapingthe mouth and the setting of the eyes. 

The longer this process continues, the more expressive the facebecomes, so that it is the old whose faces tell the most interestingstories of life. Rembrandt understood this perfectly, and none eversucceeded better than he in revealing the poetry and beauty of oldage. 

His way of showing the character in the face of this old woman is verycommon with him. The high light of the picture is concentrated on theface and is continued down upon the snowy kerchief. This forms adiamond of light shading by gradations into darker tints. It was theskillful use of light and shadow in the picture, which made a poeticand artistic work of a subject which another painter might have madevery commonplace. 

XIV

THE SYNDICS OF THE CLOTH GUILD

The word syndic is a name applied to an officer of a corporation, andthis is its meaning in the title of the picture, The Syndics of theCloth Guild. In Holland, as in England and France and elsewhere inEurope, guilds were associations of tradesmen or artisans united forpurposes of mutual help and for the interests of their respectiveindustries. In some points they were the forerunners of modern tradesunions, except that the members were proprietary merchants and mastercraftsmen instead of employees, and their purpose was the advancementof commercial interests in municipal affairs, instead of theprotection of labor against capital. There were guilds of mercers, wine merchants, goldsmiths, painters and many others. 

Now the wool industry was one of the most important in Holland, hencethe Guild of Drapers or Cloth Workers was a dignified association inseveral cities. There was one in Leyden, where Rembrandt was born, andanother in Amsterdam, where he passed the most of his life. Amsterdamwas at that time the foremost commercial city of Europe. Its guildshad fine halls, ornamented with works of art painted by the bestcontemporary artists. It was for this purpose that Rembrandt receivedfrom the Amsterdam Cloth Guild the commission to paint a portraitgroup of their five officers, and he accordingly delivered to them in1661 the great picture of which we have this little reproduction toexamine. 

Just as in the picture of the Civic Guard he had given life to theportraits, by showing the members in some action appropriate to theirmilitary character, so here he represents the officers of the guild insurroundings suggestive of their duties. They are gathered about atable covered with a rich scarlet cloth, on which rests the greatledger of the corporation. They are engaged in balancing theiraccounts and preparing a report for the year, and a servant awaitstheir order in the rear of the apartment. Their task seems a pleasantone, for whatever difficulties have arisen during theiradministration, it is evident that the outcome is successful. Theytake a quiet satisfaction in the year's record. 

It is as if in the midst of their consultations, as they turn theleaves of the ledger, we suddenly open the door into the room. Theyare surprised but not disturbed by the intrusion, and look geniallytowards the newcomers. The younger man at the end welcomes us with asmile. Next to him is one who has been leaning over the book. Heraises his head and meets our eyes frankly and cordially. Hiscompanion continues his discourse, gesturing with the right hand. Theolder men at one side give more attention to the arrival. One seatedin the armchair smiles good naturedly; the other, rising andleaning on the table, peers forward with a look of keen inquiry. 

[Illustration: THE SYNDICS OF THE CLOTH GUILD_Ryks Museum, Amsterdam_]

As we examine the faces one by one, we could almost write a characterstudy of each man, so wonderfully does the portrait reveal the innerlife--the placid amiability of one, the quiet humor of another, thekeen, incisive insight of a third. That they are all men of soundjudgment we may well believe, and they are plainly men to be trusted. The motto of the guild is a key to their character: "Conform to yourvows in all matters clearly within their jurisdiction; live honestly;be not influenced in your judgments by favor, hatred, or personalinterest. " These principles are at the foundation of the commercialprosperity for which Holland is noted. 

The picture may be taken to illustrate a page in American history. Itwas the Dutch, as we all remember, who founded the State of New York, and the fifty years of their occupation (1614-1664) fell within thelifetime of Rembrandt. The fifteen thousand settlers, who came duringthis time from Holland to America, brought with them the manners andcustoms of their home country. The citizens of New Amsterdam were thecounterparts of their contemporaries in the old Amsterdam. We may see, then, in this picture of the Cloth Merchants of Amsterdam just suchmen as were to be seen among our own colonists. In the broad-brimmedhat and the wide white collar we find the same peculiarities of dress, and in their honest faces we read the same national traits. It was tomen like these that we owe a debt of gratitude for some of the bestelements in our national life. In the words of a historian, [11] "Therepublican Dutchmen gave New York its tolerant and cosmopolitancharacter, insured its commercial supremacy, introduced the commonschools, founded the oldest day school and the first Protestant churchin the United States, and were pioneers in most of the ideas andinstitutions we boast of as distinctly American. "

[Footnote 11: W. E. Griffis, in _Brave Little Holland_, pp. 212-213. ]

If you fancy that it was quite accidental that the six figures of thispicture are so well arranged, and wonder why the art of Rembrandtshould be so praised here, you may try an experiment with your cameraupon a group of six figures. In posing six persons in any order whichis not stiff, and getting them all to look with one accord and quitenaturally towards a single point, you will understand some of the manydifficulties which Rembrandt overcame so simply. 

XV

THE THREE TREES

Holland, as is well known, is a country built upon marshes, which havebeen drained and filled in by the patient industry of many generationsof workers. The land is consequently very low, almost perfectly level, and is covered by a network of canals. It lacks many of the featureswhich make up the natural scenery of other countries, --mountains andravines, rocks and rivers, --but it is, nevertheless, a verypicturesque country. Artists love it for the quiet beauty of itslandscape. Though this is not grand and awe-inspiring, it is restfuland attractive. 

We may well believe that the artistic nature of Rembrandt wassensitive to the influences of his native Dutch scenery. Though hisgreat forte in art lay in other directions, he paused from time totime to paint or etch a landscape. 

Even in this unaccustomed work he proved himself a master. He treatedthe subject much as he did a portrait, --trying to bring out thecharacter of the scene just as he brought out the character in a face. How much of a story he could tell in a single picture we see in thisfamous etching called The Three Trees. 

One can tell at a glance that this is Holland. We look across a widelevel stretch of land, and the eye travels on and on into an almostendless distance. Far away we see the windmills of a Dutch townoutlined against the sky, --a sign of industry as important in Hollandas are factory chimneys in some other parts of the world. Beyond this, another endless level stretch meets the sky at the horizon line. It ishard to distinguish the land and water, which seem to lie in alternatestrips. The pastures are surrounded by canals as by fences. 

Here and there are cows grazing, and we are reminded of the fine dairyfarms for which Holland is noted, the rich butter and cheese, whichare the product of these vast flat lands, apparently so useless andunproductive. Directly in front of us, at the left, is a still pool, and on the farther bank stands a fisherman holding a rod over thewater. A woman seated on the bank watches the process with intenseinterest. There are two other figures near by which can hardly bediscerned. 

[Illustration: THE THREE TREES_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

The wide outlook of flat country is the setting for the littletree-crowned hill which rises near us at the right. It would seem avery small hillock anywhere else, but in these level surroundings ithas a distinct character. It is the one striking feature which givesexpression to the face of the landscape. The eye turns with pleasureto its grassy slopes and leafy trees. The trees have the symmetricalgrace so characteristic of Dutch vegetation. Nothing is allowed togrow wild in this country. Every growing thing is carefully nurturedand trained. We see that the distances between these trees werecarefully spaced in the planting, so that each one might developindependently and perfectly without injury to the others. The branchesgrow from their straight trunks at the same height, and they areplainly of the same age. Their outer branches interlace in brotherlycompanionship to make a solid leafy arbor, beneath which the wayfarermay find a shady retreat. On the summit of the hill, outlined againstthe sky, is a hay wagon followed by a man with a rake. At a distance, also clearly seen against the sky, on the ridge of the hill, sits aman, alone and idle. 

The sky is a wonderful part of the picture. Rembrandt, it appears, almost never ventured to represent the clouds. He had the trueartist's reverence for subjects which were beyond his skill, andpreferred to leave untouched what he could not do well. Now in thiscase, lacking the experience to draw a sky as finished in workmanshipas his landscape, he _suggested_ in a few lines the effect which hewished to produce. At the left a few diagonal strokes show a smartshower just at hand. A whirl of dark-colored clouds comes next, and inthe upper air beyond, a stratum of clouds is indicated by a mass oflines crossing and recrossing in long swirling curves. 

With these few lines Rembrandt conveys perfectly the idea that a stormis approaching. The clouds seem to be in motion, scurrying across thesky in advance of the rain. One imaginative critic has thought thathe could discern in the cloud-whirl a dim phantom figure as of thespirit of the on-coming storm. Like the clouds we often see in nature, it takes some new fantastic shape every time we look at it. Altogetherthe impression we receive is that of vivid reality. The artist's fewlines have produced with perfect success an effect, which might havebeen entirely spoiled had he tried to finish it carefully. 

We look once more at the landscape to see what influence the comingstorm has upon it. The fisherman pays no heed. The clouding of the skyonly makes the fish bite better, and absorbed in his sport he caresnothing for weather. The haymaker on the hilltop has a better chanceto read the face of the sky, and starts up his wagon. The three treesseem to feel the impending danger. Their leafage is already darkeningin the changed light, and they toss their branches in the wind, as ifto wrestle with the spirit of the storm. 

XVI

THE PORTRAIT OF REMBRANDT

In studying the fifteen pictures of this collection, we have seensomething of the work of the great Dutch master, Rembrandt, and havelearned a little of the man himself, of his love for the sweet wife, Saskia, of his friendship with the cultured burgomaster, Jan Six, ofhis faithful and reverent study of the Bible, of his rare insight intopeople's character. We are ready now to look directly into theartist's own face, in a portrait by his own hand. 

There are a great many portraits of Rembrandt etched and painted byhimself. We have noticed how fond he was of painting the same modelmany times, in order to make a thorough study of the face, in varyingmoods and expressions. Now there was one sitter who was always athand, and ready to do his bidding. He had only to take a position infront of a mirror, and there was this model willing to pose in anyposition and with any expression he desired. So obliging a sittercould nowhere else be found; and thus it is that there is such a largecollection of his self-made portraits. 

His habit of painting his own portrait gave him an opportunity tostudy all sorts of costume effects. His patrons were plain, slow-goingDutchmen who did not want any "fancy" effects in their portraits. They wished first of all a faithful likeness in such clothing as theyordinarily wore. It was chiefly in his own portraits that Rembrandthad the satisfaction of painting the rich and fanciful costumes heloved so well. He wore in turn all sorts of hats and caps, many jewelsand ornaments, and every variety of mantle, doublet, and cuirass. Inthis he was somewhat like an actor taking the parts of many differentcharacters. Sometimes he is an officer with mustaches fiercelytwisted, carrying his head with a dashing military air. Again he is acavalier wearing his velvet mantle, and plumed hat, with the languidelegance of a gentleman of leisure. Sometimes he seems a mere countryboor, a rough, unkempt fellow, with coarse features and a heavyexpression. 

As we see him acting so many rôles, we may well wonder what thecharacter of the man really was. As a matter of fact, he was full ofsingular contradictions. In his personal habits he was frugal andtemperate to the last degree, preferring the simplest fare, andcontenting himself with a lunch of herring and cheese when occupiedwith his work. On the other hand, his artistic tastes led him intoreckless extravagance. He thought no price too great to pay for achoice painting, or rare print, upon which he had set his heart. Hewas generous to a fault, fond of his friends, yet living much alone. 

In the portrait we have chosen for our frontispiece, we like tobelieve that we see Rembrandt, the man himself. He wears one of hisrich studio costumes, but the face which he turns to ours is quitefree from any affectation; a spirit of sincerity looks out of hiskindly eyes. The portrait is signed and dated 1640, so that the man isbetween thirty and thirty-five years of age. This was the happiestperiod of Rembrandt's life, while his wife Saskia was still living tobrighten his home. 

We see his contentment in his face. He has large mobile features, which have here settled into an expression of genial repose. He hasthe dignified bearing of one whose professional success entitles himto a just sense of self-satisfaction, but he is not posing as a greatman. He is still a simple-hearted miller's son, a man whom we shouldlike to meet in his own family circle, with his little ones playingabout him. He is a man to whom children might run, sure of a friendlywelcome; he is a man whom strangers might trust, sure of hissincerity. It is, in short, Rembrandt, with all the kindliest humanqualities uppermost, which show us, behind the artist, the manhimself. 

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PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES AND FOREIGN WORDS

The Diacritical Marks given are those found in the latest edition ofWebster's International Dictionary. 

EXPLANATION OF DIACRITICAL MARKS. 

A Dash (¯) above the vowel denotes the long sound, as in fāte, ēve, tīme, nōte, ūse. 

A Dash and a Dot (-̇) above the vowel denote the same sound, less prolonged. 

A Curve (˘) above the vowel denotes the short sound, as in ădd, ĕnd, ĭll, ŏdd, ŭp. 

A Dot ( ̇) above the vowel a denotes the obscure sound of a in pȧst, ȧbāte, Amĕricȧ. 

A Double Dot (¨) above the vowel a denotes the broad sound of a in fäther, älms. 

A Double Dot (.. ) below the vowel a denotes the sound of a in ba̤ll. 

A Wave (~) above the vowel e denotes the sound of e in hẽr. 

A Circumflex Accent (^) above the vowel o denotes the sound of o in bôrn. 

ḗ sounds like e in dḗpĕnd. 

ṓ sounds like o in prṓpōse. 

ç sounds like s. 

c̵ sounds like k. 

ṣ̱ sounds like z. 

ḡ is hard as in ḡet. 

ġ is soft as in ġem. 

Amsterdam (Ăm'stẽrdăm). 

Apocrypha (ȧ pŏḱrĭ fȧ). 

Aramaic (Ărȧmā'ĭc̵). 

Asenath (Āsē'năth). 

Assyria (Ăssy̆r'ĭȧ). 

Azarias (Ăzȧrī'ăs). 

Bathsheba (Băthshē'bȧ). 

Bethlehem (Bĕth'lēhĕm). 

Bildt (bēlt). 

Braun (brown). ̄Breestraat (brā'strät). 

burgher (bẽr'gẽr). 

Capernaum (c̵āpẽr'nāŭm). 

Cassel (käs'sĕl). 

chiaroscuro (kyä rṓ sk[=oo]'rṓ). 

Cleopas (c̵lē'ōpăs). 

Cocq (kōk̄). 

Coppenol (kŏp'pḗ nŏ). 

Creusa (c̵rēū́sȧ). 

cuirass (kwē räs'). 

cymar (sī mär'). 

doelen (d[=oo]'lĕn). 

Ecbatane (ĕk băt'ȧ nŭ). 

Elsbroek (ĕls'br[=oo]k). 

Emmaus (Emmā'ŭs (or ĕm'mā ŭs)). 

Enemessar (Enēmĕs'săr). 

Ephraim (E'phrāĭm). 

etzn (ĕt'zn̆). 

Friesland (frēz'lȧnd). 

Fromentin (frṓ-mŏN-tăN'). 

Gabael (Găb'ā̇ĕl (or gā̇'bā̇ ĕl)). 

Galileo (Gălĭlē'ṓ). 

Gennesaret (Ġĕnnĕs'ȧrĕt). 

Goethe (ḡẽ'tŭ). 

Hague (hāg). 

Hamelin (hä'mĕ lĭn). 

Hanfstaengl, Franz (hänf'stāngl fränts). 

Hatto (hăt'ṓ). 

Hillegom (hĭl'lḗ gŏm). 

Israel (ĭz'rā̇-ĕl). 

Jason (Jā'sŏn). 

Jericho (Jĕr'ĭc̵hō). 

Joden (yō'dĕn). 

Lastman, Pieter (läst'män pē'tẽr). 

Leyden (lī'dĕn). 

Louvre (l[=oo]́vr). 

Manasseh (mȧ năs'sŭ). 

Manoah (Mā̇nō'ȧh). 

Mater Dolorosa (mā'tẽr dŏl ṓ rō'sȧ). 

Medæa (mḗ dē'ȧ). 

Media (mē'dĭ ȧ). 

Michel (mḗ shĕl'). 

Muiderberg (moi'de̯r bĕrg). 

Nazareth (Năz'ȧrĕth). 

Nineveh (nĭn'ḗ vŭ). 

Odalisque (ō'dȧ lĭsk). 

Padanaram (Pādȧnā'rȧm). 

Palestine (Păl'ĕstīne). 

Peniel (Pḗnī'ḗl). 

Penuel (Pḗnū'ĕl). 

Purmerland (Pŭr'mẽrlănd). 

Rages (Rā'gēs). 

Raguel (Rā̇gū'ĕl (or răg'ū ĕl)). 

Raphael (rä'fā-ĕl). 

Rembrandt (rĕm'brănt). 

Ruytenberg, Willem van (roi'te̯n bĕrg wĭl'lĕm vän). 

Ryks (Rȳks). 

Saskia (säs'kḗ ȧ). 

Sennacherib (Sĕnnăch'ḗrĭb). 

Simeon (Sĭm'ē̇ŏn). 

Six, Jan (sēx yän). 

Stuttgart (st[)oo]t'gärt). 

Sylvius, Jan Cornelis (sĭl'vḗ [)oo]s yän kṓr nē'lĭs). 

Syndic (Sy̆n'dĭc̵). 

Swanenburch (swä'nĕn b[)oo]rK). 

Tigris (Tī'grĭs). 

Tobias (Tṓbī'ăs). 

Tobit (Tō'bĭt). 

Trippenhuis (trĭp'pĕn hois). 

Uylenborch, Rombertus van (oi'lĕn bṓrK rŏm bĕr't[)oo]s vän). 

Vlaerdingen (vlär'dĭng ĕn). 

Vondel (vŏn'dĕl). 

Wijmer (wī'mẽr). 

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