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pearance of ivory than of beings invested with the ordinary carnation of nature. The drapery of his figures is finely cast; his taste in that respect being superior to any of his countrymen. The back-grounds of his pictures are well selected, and suited to the subject, whether it be taken from Scripture, church legends, history, or mythology. His works were so highly appreciated and coveted during his life, by the princes of Germany and others, that with his utmost exertions he could scarcely supply the demand. An English gentleman, Sir Gregory Page Turner, however, a few years before the artist's death, obtained from him not less than ten. The greater number of his pictures are located in foreign galleries, many of the finest private collections are without a single specimen, and they rarely appear in commerce; hence, when they occur in public sales they command high prices. Adrian Vander Werf died in 1722. In Smith's Catalogue Raisonné may be found descriptions of his principal pictures, the prices at which several have been sold, and the appreciation of them by their present possessors, particularly by the Experts du Musée Français. Sir Joshua Reynolds, criticising the works of Vander Werf in the Dusseldorf Gallery, remarks that "his naked figures appear to be of a much harder substance than flesh, though his outline is far from cutting, or the light not united with the shade, which are the most common causes of hardness; but it appears that the hardness of manner proceeds from the softness and union being too general; the light being everywhere equally lost in the ground or its shadow." In describing Vander Werf's manner, Sir Joshua continues, were I to say that all the parts everywhere melt into each other, it might naturally be supposed that the effect would be a high degree of softness; but it is notoriously the contrary, and I think for the reason that has been given; his flesh has the appearance of ivory, or plaster, or some other hard substance. What contributes likewise to give this hardness, is a want of transparency in his colouring from his admitting little or no reflections of light. He had also the defect which is frequently found in Rembrandt, that of making his light only a single spot. However, to do him justice, his figures and his heads are generally well drawn, and his drapery is excellent; perhaps there are in his pic

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tures as perfect examples of drapery as are to be found in any other painter's works whatever."

SCHOLARS AND IMITATORS OF ADRIAN VANDER WERF.

PETER VANDER WERF was the brother and scholar of Adrian, under whom he attained so great proficiency in the art, as to be able to forward his works, and to copy them with surprising exactness: these copies, after being retouched by Adrian, were frequently sold as originals. His own compositions and portraits possess considerable merit, though not equal in elaborate finishing to those of his brother, and have been sold at high prices. His are perhaps the only works that are likely to impose on the amateur as being by Adrian. Peter was born in 1655, and died in 1718.

HENRY VAN LIMBORGH, or LIMBORCH, was a scholar of Adrian Vander Werf, and exhibits in his works the least estimable characteristics of the master's style. So far they show the school in which he was educated, but are not calculated to deceive. One of his principal performances found a place in the gallery of the Louvre. He was born at Rotterdam in 1675 or 1680, and died in 1758.

PHILIP VANDYCK, whose powers of painting were versatile, not content with imitating the works of Gerard Dou, Francis Mieris, and Gabriel Metsu with success, essayed the style of Adrian Vander Werf, and was equally fortunate in deceiving the inexperienced.

VAN DOUVEN, who is mentioned among the imitators of Schalcken, by the name of Olivier van Durren, is quoted, under the name Francis Bartholomew van Douven, as having been employed by the elector of Dusseldorf, the patron of Vander Werf, to paint pictures for him, in which he imitated that master's style, then so generally admired.

JACOB CRESCENTIUS SEYDELMANN of Dresden, the very celebrated painter in Sepia, after copying some of the finest works of Correggio and Raphael, and others of the highest rank in the Italian schools, was employed to the same purpose on some of Vander Werf's, in which he imitated his polished manner to perfection.

N. VAN HEEMS was a copyist of the pictures of both

Adrian and Peter Vander Werf; some of his copies are likely to deceive.

NICHOLAS JUWEEL, a painter of Rotterdam, living in 1690, also copied Adrian's pictures, but in a very inferior

manner.

ENGEL, OF ANGELO, SAM, it is said, painted the subject of "The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt," so perfectly, in the manner of Adrian Vander Werf, that acknowledged connoisseurs were deceived by it. The picture by Vander Werf is in the gallery at the Hague; the discovery of the other is a desideratum.

MATTHEW TERWESTEN painted copies and subjects in the style of Vander Werf, which have considerable merit.

JAN ABEL WASSEMBERG was a scholar of Adrian Vander Werf, and in some of his pictures, in subjects from sacred history, approached so artistically to the manner of his teacher, that, in his own time, they were almost equally esteemed. His daughter, Elizabeth Gertrude, painted similarly.

ANSELM WEELING was also a successful imitator of Vander Werf.

JOHN CHRISTIAN SPERLING was a scholar and imitator of Vander Werf; specimens are in the galleries at Dresden and Salzdahlum, and many portraits by him of persons of rank are to be found in Germany.

PETER DE HOOGE, OR HOOGH.

THERE is no biographical account of this estimable painter that can be relied on; those who have written concerning him were not well acquainted with his works, or they would not have placed his birth in 1643, when some of his best pictures have the date of 1658. Not only are the time and place of his birth uncertain, but there is no clue to his master, if he ever had one. There are no pictures of an anterior date like his; it may therefore be conjectured that the style is original, and that he was self-instructed. This may also be inferred from the little estimation in which his pictures were held by his contemporaries: he shared the fate of Cuyp and Hobbema, and now he shares their honours. It

may be said, without laying claim to an undue share of discernment, that each of these great masters owes the estimation in which his works are now held to the taste and liberality of English connoisseurs. His subjects consist of interiors of apartments in which are ladies and cavaliers, richly habited, engaged in music, cards, or conversation; or domestic offices with female servants employed in their several occupations; the back yards of houses and gardens with parties drinking and smoking; views down streets, and similar scenes that permitted that peculiar display of day-light or sunshine, brilliant or subdued, in which he so eminently excelled. His penciling is firm and free, he colours with a rich impasto, sometimes to the detriment of the countenances of his figures, but always in accordance with the arrangement of his composition, and producing a bold effect of chiaroscuro. The same obscurity that surrounds his birth, and his progress in art, envelopes his latter end; the only assurance that he was living in 1670 is derived from a picture by him at Leyden bearing that date. As that picture is of excellent quality, and though not large, the sum of £360 has been offered for it, and refused, it is probable that it was painted in his prime. It may seem inconsistent that a neglected artist of such consummate talent should continue to paint pictures of such excellence, unless his circumstances in life placed him above the necessity of labour, and allowed him to pursue the art con amore; many of the subjects he exhibits place him above the suspicion of being needy, and indicate his acquaintance with the better order of society.

About one hundred of his carefully finished pictures are described in Smith's Catalogue Raisonné, and will afford the inquirer evidence of his industry and application to the art, whether he pursued it as a professor or an amateur.

IMITATORS OF PETER DE HOOGE.

SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRAETEN, who was a scholar of Rembrandt, adopted the manner of De Hooge; he chose the same subjects, treated them similarly, and in many instances approached so closely as to deceive experienced connoisseurs. A specimen of this kind found its way into the celebrated

Le Brun Gallery, under the name of De Hooge. Hoogstraeten was born in 1627, and died in 1678, so that it appears De Hooge was imitated during his life-time. See Scholars of Rembrandt.

Jost, or JUSTUS, VAN GEEL, who was a scholar of Metsu, also imitated De Hooge; his pictures of this kind are rarely seen with his name, either from real scarcity, or from their being attributed to De Hooge.

JAN VERMEER, generally called Vandermeer of Delft, exhibits much of the manner of De Hooge in out-door scenes, perspective views of streets, and in the management of chiaroscuro. A view by him of the town of Delft at sunset, in the Musée at the Hague, sold in a public sale for 5000 'florins. See Imitators of Gabriel Metsu.

NICHOLAS KOEDYCK, born at Zaandam in 1681, imitated the manner of De Hooge, of which there was a specimen in the collection of Mynheer van Loon, at Amsterdam.

CHARLES FABRITIUS, who was the master of Vermeer, painted perspective views, in some of which he imitated De Hooge.

EMANUEL DE WIT, or DE WITTE, the very celebrated painter of the interiors of churches, on several occasions adopted the style of De Hooge, not merely in his churches, but in representing the interiors of apartments, one leading to another, with figures and accessories correspondingly introduced; but there is always enough to show the hand of De Witte. Such pictures are doubly valuable. See Interiors of Churches.

T. COURSE, an unknown painter. A picture with his name, and the date 1662, and which has a strong resemblance to De Hooge's manner, was in the collection of Mynheer Hodshon of Amsterdam.

NICHOLAS MAES.

THIS artist was a native of Dort, and born in 1632. He was a scholar of Rembrandt, and did credit to the school. On finishing his artistic education he commenced his career with a choice of subjects taken from humble life, to which he gave interest and value by a faithful representation of nature. In these he showed a masterly style of handling,

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