Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects and Curiosities of Art (Vol. 3 of 3) by S. Spooner (best ebook reader under 100 TXT) 📖

of the

most finished and beautiful of her works. She was also visited by her

former charge, the Infanta, then the wife of the Archduke Albert, and

with him co-sovereign of Flanders. That princess spent many hours in

conversing with her of by-gone days and family affairs; she also sat for

her portrait, and presented Sofonisba with a gold chain enriched with

jewels, as a memorial of their friendship. Thus courted in the society

of Genoa, and caressed by royalty, this eminent paintress lived to the

extreme age of ninety-three years. A medal was struck in her honor at

Bologna; artists listened reverentially to her opinions; and poets sang

her praises. Though deprived of sight in her latter years, she retained

to the last her other faculties, her love of art, and her relish for the

society of its professors. Vandyck was frequently her guest during his

residence at Genoa, in 1621; and he used to say of her that he had

learned more of the practical principles of the art from a blind woman,

than by studying all the works of the best Italian masters.

 

 

 

 

CARRIERA ROSALBA.

 

 

This celebrated Italian paintress was born at Chiozza, near Venice, in

She acquired an immense reputation, and was invited to several of

the courts of Europe. Few artists have equalled Rosalba in crayon

painting.

 

 

 

 

ROSALBA'S MODESTY.

 

 

Notwithstanding she received so many flattering marks of distinction

from crowned heads, Rosalba's native modesty never deserted her, and she

seemed to esteem her works less than did many of her admirers, because

she was sensible how far she fell short of her idea of perfection.

"Everything I do," said she, "seems good enough to me just after I have

done it, and perhaps for a few hours afterwards, but then I begin to

discover my imperfections!" Thus it is with true merit; those who are

superficial or pretending can never find out, or never will acknowledge

their own faults.

 

 

 

 

ROSALBA'S KNOWLEDGE OF TEMPERS.

 

 

Rosalba used to say, "I have so long been accustomed to study features,

and the expression of the mind by them, that I know people's tempers by

their faces." She frequently surprised her friends by the accuracy of

character which she read in the faces of persons who were entire

strangers to her.

 

 

 

 

ELIZABETH SIRANI.

 

 

Elizabeth Sirani was born at Bologna in 1638. She early exhibited the

most extraordinary talent for painting, which was perfectly cultivated

by her father, Gio. Andrea Sirani, an excellent disciple and imitator of

Guido. She attached herself to an imitation of the best style of Guido,

which unites great relief with the most captivating amenity. Her first

public work appeared in 1655, when she was seventeen years of age. It is

almost incredible that in a short life of not more than twenty-six or

twenty-seven years, she could have executed the long list of works

enumerated by Malvasia, copied from a register kept by herself,

amounting to upwards of one hundred and fifty pictures and portraits;

and our astonishment is increased, when we are told by the same author,

that many of them are pictures and altar-pieces of large size, and

finished with a care that excludes all appearance of negligence and

haste. There are quite a number of her works in the churches of Bologna.

Lanzi also speaks of her in terms of high commendation, and says, that

"in her smaller works, painted by commission, she still improved

herself, as may be seen by her numerous pictures of Madonnas, Magdalens,

saints, and the infant Saviour, found in the Zampieri, Zambeccari, and

Caprara palaces at Bologna, and in the Corsini and Bolognetti

collections at Rome." She received many commissions from many of the

sovereigns and most distinguished persons of Europe. She had two

sisters, Anna and Barbara, whom, according to Crespi, she instructed in

the art, and who possessed considerable talent. Her fame was so great,

that after her death not only the works of her sisters, but many of

those of her father, were attributed to her. Lanzi says, "She is nearly

the sole individual of the family whose name occurs in collections out

of Bologna." She also executed some spirited etchings mostly from her

own designs.

 

 

 

 

DEATH OF ELIZABETH SIRANI.

 

 

This accomplished, amiable, and talented lady was cut off in the flower

of her life, August 29th, 1665, by poison, administered by one of her

own maids, instigated, as is supposed, by some jealous young artists.

Her melancholy death was bewailed with demonstrations of public sorrow,

and her remains were interred with great pomp and solemnity in the

church of S. Domenico, in the same vault where reposed the ashes of

Guido.

 

 

 

 

RACHEL RUYSCH.

 

 

This celebrated paintress of fruit and flowers was born at Amsterdam in

She was the daughter of Frederick Ruisch or Ruysch, the celebrated

professor of anatomy. She early showed an extraordinary taste for

depicting fruit and flowers, and attained to such perfection in her

art, that some have not hesitated to equal and even prefer her works to

those of John van Huysum. She grouped her flowers in the most tasteful

and picturesque manner, and depicted them with a grace and brilliancy

that rivalled nature. Descamps says that "in her pictures of fruit and

flowers, she surpassed nature herself." The extraordinary talents of

this lady recommended her to the patronage of the Elector Palatine--a

great admirer of her pictures--for whom she executed some of her

choicest works, and received for them a munificent reward. Though she

exercised her talents to an advanced age, her works are exceedingly

rare, so great was the labor bestowed upon them. She spent seven years

in painting two pictures, a fruit and a flower piece, which she

presented to one of her daughters as a marriage portion. She married

Jurian Pool, an eminent portrait painter, by whom she had ten children;

she is frequently called by his name, though she always signed her

pictures with her maiden name. Smith, in his Catalogue raisonné, vols.

and ix., gives a description of only about thirty pieces by her--a

proof of their extreme rarity. They now command very high prices when

offered for sale, which rarely happens. She died in 1760, aged 86 years.

 

 

 

 

SIR ANTHONY VANDYCK.

 

 

This eminent Flemish painter was born at Antwerp in 1599. His father

early gave him instruction in drawing; he was also instructed by his

mother, who painted landscapes, and was very skillful in embroidery. He

studied afterwards under Henry van Balen, and made rapid progress in the

art; but attracted by the fame of Rubens, he entered the school of that

master, and showed so much ability as to be soon entrusted with the

execution of some of his instructor's designs. Some writers, among whom

D'Argenville was the first, assert that Rubens became jealous of

Vandyck's growing excellence, and therefore advised him to devote

himself to portrait painting; assigning the following anecdote as the

cause of his jealousy. During the short absences of Rubens from his

house, for the purpose of recreation, his disciples frequently obtained

access to his studio, by means of bribing an old servant who kept the

keys; and on one of these occasions, while they were all eagerly

pressing forward to view the great picture of the Descent from the Cross

(although later investigations concerning dates seem to indicate that it

was some other picture), Diepenbeck accidentally fell against the

canvas, effacing the face of the Virgin, and the Magdalen's arm, which

had just been finished, and were not yet dry. Fearful of expulsion from

the school, the terrified pupils chose Vandyck to restore the work, and

he completed it the same day with such success that Rubens did not at

first perceive the change, and afterwards concluded not to alter it.

Walpole entertains a different and more rational view respecting

Rubens' supposed jealousy: he thinks that Vandyck felt the hopelessness

of surpassing his master in historical painting, and therefore resolved

to devote himself to portrait. One authority states that the above

mentioned incident only increased Rubens' esteem for his pupil, in

perfect accordance with the distinguished character for generosity and

liberality, which that great master so often evinced, and which forms

very strong presumptive evidence against so base an accusation. Besides,

his advice to Vandyck to visit Italy--where his own powers had been, as

his pupil's would be, greatly strengthened--may be considered as

sufficient to refute it entirely. They appear to have parted on the best

terms; Vandyck presented Rubens with an Ecce Homo, Christ in the Garden,

and a portrait of Helen Forman, Rubens' second wife; he was presented in

return, by Rubens, with one of his finest horses.

 

 

 

 

VANDYCK'S VISIT TO ITALY.

 

 

At the age of twenty, Vandyck set out for Italy, but delayed some time

at Brussels, fascinated by the charms of a peasant girl of Saveltheim,

named Anna van Ophem, who persuaded him to paint two pictures for the

church of her native place--a St. Martin on horseback, painted from

himself and the horse given him by Rubens; and a Holy Family, for which

the girl and her parents were the models. On arriving in Italy, he

spent some time at Venice, studying with great attention the works of

Titian; after which he visited Genoa, and painted many excellent

portraits for the nobility, as well as several pictures for the churches

and private collections, which gained him great applause. From Genoa he

went to Rome, where he was also much employed, and lived in great style.

His portrait of Cardinal Bentivoglio, painted about this time, is one of

his masterpieces, and in every respect an admirable picture; it is now

in the Palazzo Pitti, at Florence, hanging near Raffaelle's celebrated

portrait of Leo X. Vandyck was known at Rome as the _Pittore

Cavalieresco_; his countrymen there being men of low and intemperate

habits, he avoided their society, and was thenceforward so greatly

annoyed by their criticisms and revilings, that he was obliged to leave

Rome about 1625, and return to Genoa, where he met with a flattering

reception, and plentiful encouragement. Invited to Palermo, he visited

that city, and painted the portraits of Prince Philibert of Savoy, the

Viceroy of Sicily, and several distinguished persons, among whom was the

celebrated paintress Sofonisba Anguisciola, then in her 92d year; but

the plague breaking out, he returned to Genoa, and thence to his own

country.

 

 

 

 

VANDYCK'S RETURN TO ANTWERP.

 

 

On his return to Antwerp, whither his reputation had preceded him,

Vandyck was speedily employed by various religious societies, and his

picture of St. Augustine for the church of the Augustines in that city,

established his reputation among the first painters of his time. He

painted other historical pictures, for the principal public edifices at

Antwerp, Brussels, Mechlin, and Ghent; but acquired greater fame by his

portraits, particularly his well known series of the eminent artists of

his time, which were engraved by Vorstermans, Pontius, Bolswert, and

others. His brilliant reputation at length roused the jealousy of his

cotemporaries, many of whom were indefatigable in their intrigues to

calumniate his works. In addition to these annoyances, the conduct of

the canons of the Collegiate church of Courtray, for whom he painted an

admirable picture of the Elevation of the Cross, proved too much for his

endurance. After he had exerted all his powers to produce a masterpiece

of art, the canons, upon viewing the picture, pronounced it a

contemptible performance, and the artist a miserable dauber; and Vandyck

could hardly obtain payment for his work. When the picture had received

high commendation from good judges, they became sensible of their error,

and requested him to execute two more works; but the indignant artist

refused the commission. Disgusted with such treatment, Vandyck readily

accepted an invitation to visit the Hague, from Frederick, Prince of

Orange, whose portrait he painted, and those of his family, the

principal personages of his court, and the foreign ambassadors.

 

 

 

 

VANDYCK'S VISIT TO ENGLAND.

 

 

Hearing of the great encouragement extended to the arts by Charles I.,

he determined to visit England in 1629. While there, he lodged with his

friend and countryman, George Geldorp the painter, and expected to be

presented to the king; but his hopes not being realized, he visited

Paris; and meeting no better success there, be returned to his own

country, with the intention of remaining there during the rest of his

life. Charles, however, having seen a portrait by Vandyck, of the

musician, Fic. Laniere, director of the music of the king's chapel,

requested Sir Kenelm Digby to invite him to return to England.

Accordingly, in 1631, he arrived a second time at London, and was

received by the king in a flattering manner. He was lodged at

Blackfriars, among the King's artists, where his majesty frequently went

to sit for his portrait, as well as to enjoy the society of the painter.

The honor of knighthood was conferred upon him in 1632, and the

following year he was appointed painter to the king, with an annuity of

£200.

 

Prosperity now flowed in upon the Fleming in abundance, and although he

operated with the greatest industry and facility, painting single

portraits in one day, he could hardly fulfill all his commissions.

Naturally