SCHUT.

The Confrères de L'Arbuletre.

The martyrdom of St. George, by Schut. It is well composed and well drawn, and is one of his best pictures: but the Saint has too much of that character which Painters have fixed for Christ. There is a want of brilliancy from its having too much harmony: to produce force and strength, a stronger opposition of colours is required.

Passing by the chapels in which are altars by Martin and Simon de Vos, and others, which have nothing worth attention, we come to

The Chapel of the Circumcision.

QUINTIN MATSYS.-Where is the famous work of Quintin Matsys, the blacksmith. The middle part is what the Italians call a Pieta; a dead Christ on the knees of the Virgin, accompanied with the usual figures. On the door on one side is the daughter of Herod bringing in St. John's head at the banquet; on the other, the Saint in the caldron. In the Pieta the Christ appears as if starved to death; in which manner it was the custom of the painters of that age always to represent a dead Christ; but there are heads in this picture not exceeded by Raffaelle, and indeed not unlike his manner of painting portraits; hard and minutely finished. The head of Herod, and that of a fat man near the Christ are excellent. The painter's own portrait is here introduced. In the banquet, the daughter is rather beautiful, but too skinny and lean she is presenting the head to her mother, who appears to be cutting it with a knife.

The Altar of the Gardeners.

;

FRANCIS FLORIS.-A Nativity, a large composition

of Francis Floris, and perhaps the best of his works. It is well composed, drawn, and coloured; the heads are in general finely painted, more especially St. Joseph, and a woman in the fore-ground.

RUBENS. A Pieta by Rubens, which serves as a monument of the family of Michielsens, and is fixed on one of the pillars: this is one of his most careful pictures; the characters are of a higher style of beauty than usual, particularly the Mary Magdalen, weeping, with her hand clenched. The colouring of the Christ and the Virgin is of a most beautiful and delicate pearly tint, opposed by the strong high colouring of St. Joseph.

I have said in another place, that Rubens does not appear to advantage, but in large works; this picture may be considered as an exception.

The Virgin and Infant Christ on one of the doors is the same as one at Marlborough House. The Virgin is holding Christ, who stands on a table; the Infant appears to be attentively looking at something out of the picture: the vacant stare of a child is very naturally represented; but it is a mean, ordinarylooking boy, and by no means a proper representation of the Son of GOD. The only picture of Christ in which Rubens succeeds is when he represents him dead: as a child, or as a man engaged in any act, there is no divinity; no grace or dignity of character appears.

On the other door is St. John, finely coloured; but this character is likewise vulgar.

On the outside of the door are two pictures in black and white; one of a Christ, and the other the Virgin and Child; these, as well as the two above men. tioned, by Rubens.

of Rubens, even of his most finished works, give a higher idea of his genius. All the parts are more determined than is usual in sketches. They are what I apprehend he put into the hands of his scholars, from which they advanced and carried on the great picture, which he afterwards retouched and finished.

Another sketch of the same master; the finding of Romulus and Remus.

A Child in a Cradle, with three women, by Rubens; the scene a landscape, the figures somewhat less than life. This picture has not so much force as his works in general, and appears not to have received his last touches.

REMBRANDT. Rembrandt's portrait, by himself, half length, when he was old, in a very unfinished manner, but admirable for its colour and effect; his pallet and pencils and mahlstick are in his hand, if it may be so called; for it is so slightly touched, that it can scarce be made out to be a hand.

-A wo

LIONARDO DA VINCI.-YOUNG TENIERS. man with a sprig of jessamy in her hand, by Lionardo da Vinci. There is beauty in the countenance, but it is in a hard manner.. -A small picture by young Teniers, of Boors shooting at a butt or target; in his best manner. His name and the date are on it, which I took down to mark the part of his life when he was in his zenith of perfection; the date is 1645; he was then 35 years old, being born in 1610.

OLD DAVID TENIERS.- Another picture of old David Teniers, which has a good landscape, but it has not the neat and elegant touch of young David: it seems to have proceeded from a more clumsy work

man.

Prince de Ligne's.

VANDYCK.-There is nothing here worth attention, except a whole-length portrait of John Count of Nassau, by Vandyck. The head of this picture is engraved in Vandyck's book of portraits. The character and drawing are admirable; the face seems to have lost a little of its brilliancy. It is much in the manner of Lord Strafford's picture in the possession of the Duke of Grafton.

VANDYCK, OR COPY. - A picture of Minerva and Mercury, bridling or taming Pegasus. It appears to be a Vandyck, or a copy after him: as it hangs between two windows, I could not determine which was the case.

VANDYCK.-A Pieta of Vandyck, in the manner of Rubens; the same as one at Dusseldorp, but not so good; and it is there disputed whether their picture is of Rubens or Vandyck. The Virgin's eyes are disagreeably red; the whole without beauty of any kind, except in regard to its colour.

LUCA GIORDANO.— About half a dozen Luca Giordanos.

Mr. Orion's.

D. RYCKAERT.—A country town pillaged by soldiers, by D. Ryckaert. It is painted in a colder manner than I expected from the sketch which I have in my possession in colours.

RUBENS.-A sketch by Rubens, of three saints on their knees: likewise two admirable sketches of the two ends of the ceiling of the Banqueting-house* ; the middle part was in Lord Orford's collection, which is now in Russia.

* These two sketches were afterwards purchased by our author. -M.

A painter drawing after a plaster-figure of a child; perfect in its kind.

JORDAENS.-A Nativity, by Jordaens; a capricious composition in the manner of Tintoret.

Many excellent small pictures of Teniers, Van Uden, Asselyn Crabbetje, and others.

REMBRANDT.—He has two Rembrandts; The wrestling of Jacob and the Angel, and a portrait ; but neither of them excellent.

My friend remarked, that Mr. Orion was almost the only gentleman who showed his own pictures, that did not pester us by prating about their merit.

He cer

tainly has pictures which well deserve to be praised, but he left that part to us.

MECHLIN.

The Cathedral.

RUBENS.-The Last Supper, by Rubens. The heads of the Apostles and style of drapery are in Rubens's best manner; but the picture is in bad condition, as it is mildewed: the Christ, the worst head. The principal figure is here, as is generally the case, the worst figure in the composition. Perhaps, this is unavoidable: it is here as in poetry; a perfect character makes but an insipid figure; the genius is cramped and confined, and cannot indulge itself in those liberties which give spirit to the character, and of course interest the spectator. It has been observed, that Milton has not succeeded in the speeches which he has given to God the Father, or to Christ, so well as in those which he has put in the mouths of the rebel angels. Under the table is a dog gnawing a bone; a circumstance mean in itself, and certainly unworthy such a subject, however properly it might fill a corner of such a picture as