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DUTCH AND CHINESE.

The collections of paintings in Rotterdam are not numerous, but very select: perhaps no people upon the face of the earth ever displayed a more inveterate and immoveable attachment to every thing of native growth than the Dutch, except the Chinese, who consider improvement as penal innovation, and who confined a native in irons for life, because he ventured to make a boat upon a new construction, by which it sailed faster than any other.

This immoveable adhesion to old customs in the Dutch, is the more singular, as from their commercial character, they have been in constant intercourse with the natives of every quarter of the globe, the various produces of which they have brought into their own canals, but not for adoption, imitation, or, generally speaking, for consumption, but solely for profitable re-sale.

This spirit, or if you like to call it so, this amor patriæ, is strongly evinced in all their collections of paintings: in only one or two private cabinets in Holland are to be found any productions of the Italian and Venetian schools.

The finest private cabinet belongs to M. Vanderpals, a rich and very respectable merchant; it is principally filled by the works of that delightful master Nicholas Berchem, and Linglebach; of the former I shall give a few

THE VANDERWERFS.

57

striking anecdotes when I reach Haerlem, the place of his nativity; of the latter I shall briefly speak when I describe Frankfort on the Maine, where he was born.

M. Vanderpot, another wealthy merchant, has also a very large and well selected collection of the Dutch and Flemish painters. M. Lockhorst, a gentleman of commercial distinction, has also a fine assortment of pictures of the same school.

The proprietors of these valuable productions are always ready with the greatest politeness to gratify strangers with the sight of them. Amongst other artists, Rotterdam has the honour of giving birth to the Chevalier Vanderwerf, who was born in 1659, and received his first instructions from Picolet, a portrait painter; he afterwards studied under Eglon Vanderneer, under whom he made a rapid improvement: he principally confined himself to historical subjects of a small size. The Elector Palatine conceived a great fondness for him, from accidentally sceing some of his performances in that style; this prince honored him with every mark of esteem and beneficence. He conferred upon him the honor of knighthood, ennobled his descendants, presented him with a chain of gold and a medal, and his portrait set with diamonds of

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DUTCH AND FLEMISH SCHOOLS.

great value, and allowed him a noble pension, besides paying him munificently for his productions; and upon the wife of Vanderwerf presenting him with a picture drawn by herself, their royal patron presented her husband with six thousand florins, and the lady with a magnificent toilette of silver. What a model of munificence and liberal policy for princes! The pictures of this eminent master are very rare, and bear very high prices. He is principally celebrated for the roundness and relief of his figures; his defect lay in a coldness of colouring. Upon his pictures he labored with unsparing toil, which injured the spirit of his productions..

His brother, Peter Vanderwerf, was born near Rotterdam in 1665, and was the pupil of his brother Adrian. His principal subjects were portraits and conversations, which entitled him to rank as a very able artist, and as a further proof of it, a small picture of his sold, in 1713, for five hundred and fifty guilders; and another, a a copy from one of his brother Adrian's, for eight hundred guilders. I did not hear of any living painter at Rotterdam of very distinguished eminence, a circumstance somewhat singular, when it is considered how many fine artists, though inferior to Vanderwerf, that city has produced..

The perfection to which the Dutch and Flemish schools arrived, proves that great artists may be formed, without

the assistance of great galleries. The present low state of the French school demonstrates, that the most magnificent collection ever known, containing the renowned and exalted specimens of art, and opened to the inspection of every one with a becoming spirit of liberality, cannot form good artists. The St. Jerome of Corregio, and the St. Cecilia of Michael Angelo, have created no successful disciple since their arrival at Paris.

At Dort, or Dordreght, a city of great antiquity, about nine miles from Rotterdam, resides a celebrated artist of the name of Varestage, aged about fifty; he is justly celebrated for his candlelight subjects, which are masterly— one of his works, a school by candlelight, and a number of children, is spoken of as truly exquisite. On account of his eyes growing weak, he has altered his manner, and at present confines himself to large figures, portraits, and conversations.

As I was informed there was nothing very attractive at Dort, I did not visit that city: it is however famous for having given birth to several able men. John Gerard Vossius studied there in 1577, and wrote a great number of learned works; he was the father of Isaac Vossius, also a man of profound erudition. Our King Charles humor

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JUNIUS AND CUYP.

ously observed of him, alluding to his credulity and infidelity," that he would believe any thing but the Bible."

Adrian Junius was born here in 1511, and was considered to be one of the most profound men of his country, and wrote many learned works. Dr. Johnson observes of Junius, in the preface to his Dictionary, "the votaries "of the northern muses will not perhaps easily restrain "their indignation, when they find the name of Junius "thus degraded by a disadvantageous comparison, (al

luding to Skinner); but whatever reverence is due to "his diligence, or his attainments, it can be no criminal degree of censoriousness, to charge that etymologist with "want of judgment, who can seriously derive dream from "drama, because life is a drama, and a drama is a dream."

It would be an inexpiable offence to pass over the name of Albert Kuyp, or Cuyp, who was born here, son of the well known Jacob Gerritze Kuyp, whose pupil' he was, and whom he infinitely surpassed. The former excelled in whatever he attempted to represent the diffusion of his lights is as exquisite as it is natural, and the very times of the day in which he painted are immediately discoverable;

the misty haze of the morning, the brilliant lustre of noon; the last blush of evening, and the lunar beam of night from his hands, presented the closest imitations of nature,.