eon ae cna eh * ah prs te iin i Pa res Sess aad ye fb Rear nS ER) AS Sle q : 2 eee , at , : sre nt TR Sites, ‘ 1 ! ’ ew : ' By hen Bt hong eee ap ation ite! Re 2 Minrgilaly ge Fe 4 * : Leese ERaEN oe ¥ po ‘ ? Tien, ene ath ABE yop Card “ Es ’ caer heuer. j me Aen Pe ee Mere | . Bind f f x a ‘i a Sr dogs ' i ow j a ir Neata att EL Nutty erat a cba a Soa , Rar irae “ye . 5 Rese ‘ KLE h ey beat ‘ Wye a " . ‘ thes 5 Soar 4 phmn wide aiezas see : Dike BA Ere re gely We ca ven ‘ apa ack ye. Dit Ars oe ok GETTY {3 MUSEUM © THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY a me, PROF. PASQUALE FARINA/ MAX A tion 1350 S, 51st. Street £1524 N. Marshall St. aw PETER PAUL RUBENS - 1640 1577 THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY Peter Paul Rubens By Pror. PasquaLe Farina Rubens is one of the few gifted individuals on whom special circumstances smiled from infancy—His father, whose family came originally from Styria, in “Upper Austria,” was appointed a Magistrate of Antwerp, in May 1562. Between 1562 and 1566 the Catholic population was being subjected to the ill effect of a latent anti-catholic movement, culminating into serious disturbance, in the Netherlands, which broke out in August 1566, with a particularly singular outburst of rage for destroying pictures that, with the disorders which followed, caused people to fear for their life and property. John Rubens and his family sought refuge in Cologne, where in the year 1574 was born the oldest son Philip—who died in 1611. On the 29th of June 1577 a second son was presented to him, whom they gave the name of Perer Paut, in honor of the Saints—St. Peter and St. Paul, that were being venerated in that day. In 1587 John Rubens died while he was still a refuge in Cologne. In the mean-time the Duke of Parma had conquered Antwerp, where order and normal life was re-estab- lished. Rubens was at the time already sixteen years old, when his family returned to Antwerp. There, he had as his teachers Tobias Verhaegt and Adam Van Veen, from 1§96 until 1600—when he went to Venice. Rubens studied Titian and Giorgione, copying their works—The Duke of Mantua, Vincengo Gonzaza I. made him his Court- painter. In 1601 Rubens went to Rome. There he studied Raffaello and other works by great masters. In 1603 he returned to Mantua. The Duke then sent him to Spain, in March as his messenger with presents for the King. His staying in Spain was a successful event of his life. His art influenced many of the Spanish painters, as Velazquez, while as a “Diplomat” he was held in the highest esteen, not only by the King, but also by all the-dignitary of his court, by the greatest dames of the Spanish Aristocracy. In 1607 he returned to Rome to finish his study, but having received news of the dangerous illness of his mother, he returned to Antwerp—in November, but after her death. Rubens was the most versatile painter of his time. He could, as he did, treat all kind of subjects. Those in which he particularly excelled, were the historical and religious subjects. He was very much versed in literature and sciences. He was a happy and wealthy man. He was of very sweet disposition, gentle and kind with every one. He was held in high esteem by Maria de Medicci, the widow of Henry IV. of France. From Philip of Spain to Charles I. of England and all those who came in contact with Rubens, were charmed by his manner, by the sumptuosity with which he entertained friends and by his facility of conversing with them in eight different languages. In 1630 Rubens married Helen Fourment, whom he had immortalized in so many portraits. Rubens was fifty-three years old when he married her, only a sixteen year old girl; yet, they seem to have lived very happily together. They had all what they could desire. Rubens had attained wealth and luxury, mental cultivation, life comfort, world wide honor, which were only embittered, during his declining years, by repeated attacks of gout. He died in 1640 and was buried in the chapel of the Church of St. Jacques, in Antwerp. Prate IT Drawing by P. P. Rubens in the Albertini Collection, Vienna DANIEL ING let LIONS’ DEN ee Analytical Comparative Study RUBENS’ WORKS -Pror. CHkv. PasQuaLe FaRINA Expert on the Authorship of “Old Masters” and on their Restoration PHILADELPHIA PRIVAVHELY@-.2 RGN IED ANNO DOMINI MCMXXIV Pye » oe =" 5 * a re ag eg ge 4 wh 3 ts a =: - COPYRIGHT 1924 as, Pror. CHEVELIER PasQuate Farina AND Max A. KrankEL Introduction The following analitic comparative study of one of the most disputed work, by “Peter Paul Rubens,” the greatest Flemish painter of the early 17th century, is the result of about four years of methodic researching of data, of expert opinion and of photographic reproductions of the same subject: “Daniel in the Lions’ Den”’ that has been critically treated in this booklet. The deduc- tion and the conclusion to which I came to, after having exhaustively analized all the facts at my disposal will convince the reader, of how impossible it would have been to express any different opinion than mine, as with regard to its authorship. Its to.a great extent due to the persevering efforts of Mr.-MaxA. Krankel, in obtaining all the historical data, and photos, from European Museums, from private collectors and through reference books, that this work has finally been completed and published. While Mr. Krankel has faithfully accomplished the research work under my personal guidance, he has however done it intelligently, so that my task has thus been greatly facilitated. Gipecrle <2, “Bubens’ Daniel’ NG Pror. CuHev. PasquaLe Farina Whether a painting is by Rubens or by Titian, by Van-Dyck or by Carlo Dolce, by Gaspar Crayer or by Paolo Veronese or by any of their followers or pupils, matters little or nothing at all, when the fact to be established is chiefly the period in which the work was produced. The elements to be studied, examined and analyzed are necessarily the “body” on which the artist produced them, together with the pigments and medium used by him in order to accomplish his aim—(Wood, canvas, copper—slate etc.) “Daniel in the Lions’ Den’”—by Rubens, is one of the many works by this master that were copied, and the copies attributed to him. The Expert, to whom are sub- mitted photographic-reproductions of any work of art, cannot and should not give out any conclusive opinion, in regard to its genuineness or authorship, merely by look- ing at a photograph. The picture representing this subject, which is now in my care, has been thoroughly studied and analyzed. The “‘materia—prima’”’ that constitutes the various elements concurring in the building up of the work, are similar to those used by Flemish masters during the latest part of the 16th century and early 17th century. So is the weaving of the canvas, the manner of priming it and the chemical nature of the pigments. In this work we notice, after we have made a thorough critical, analytical, com- parative study of all the artistic elements which Rubens had at his disposal for the composition of the subject, that the position of each lion, their expression and feeling, and their anatomical structure are in every detail similar to previous studies made by Rubens in pen and ink sketches for the use of the composition. (See Plate I and II.) Nevertheless a more accurate study of the anatomical parts of the bodies of each animal brings to notice some errors of drawing and form. The timidity in construct- ing the human figure of Daniel in this picture is remarkable when compared with any other figure that Rubens produced afterward, in which there are spontaneity of pose, of action and freedom of treatment, such as we admire in his later works. Traveling through Italy, Rubens studied quite re/igious/y the old masters’ works, most particularly their technique, manner and style,so that he acquired, to a certain extent, some mannerisms, while he occasionally copied some of their works, closely imitating the masters’ technique. In fact, we find that in some of his early paintings, the constructive method and technique is similar to those which characterize the individuality of Leonardo, Titian, of Palma Vecchio, of Tintoretto, Andrea del Sarto, Veronese and of some masters of the Bolongnese School. Some critics in writing about “Daniel” pictures pointed out as I have already stated above,—the absence of spontaneity of pose, the stiffness of form, a forced expression. Neste This is often seen in other works by Rubens, produced at about the same time in which he produced “Daniel.”” The works of his later period are so strikingly different in conceptions of subject, in composition, in grouping the figures, in their action, in their expression and motion, in the brush work, and in the boldness of contrast in light and shadows, in the vividness of the tonal values, and brilliance of color—that experts on art matters,—particularly those that criticize chiefly on the general esthetic point of view, or on theories alone,—often judge the earlier paintings such as this of Daniel—to be, either a copy or a study after the master work, by some of his pupils. While I agree to a certain extent with their opinion, particularly in this case and have doubted that it was by Rubens’ brush I am now convinced that it should be accepted as his. No other deduction is possible, after we have made an exhaustive comparative study with the painting representing the same subject that was in the Hamilton collection. Under this comparison it becomes evident that the one we have here in Philadelphia is far superior to the former, because of better drawing, form, and expressions of the lions, while the figure of Daniel, in spite of appearing stiff, affected in his pose and move- ments, 1s more correct in form and proportion. It is not necessary to be a critic or an artist, to see the ugliness and distortions of human form of the figure of Daniel in the Hamilton painting. The curves indicating the muscles of the shoulders, of the arms and knees of the figure, are grotesquely exaggerated, as if belonging to an athlete straining all his being to win the fight, and not of a man fearing the coming assault of the beasts, while the expression of the face is not that of one in the act of imploring mercy and protection from the Almighty, but rather of the man who is mocking or sneering. The head is disproportionately large; the size of the feet and their form are utterly different from the correct one that 1s to be admired in the figure of our picture. Proceeding further analizing and comparing each of the figures of the lions in the Hamilton picture and those forming the group in ours, with the study in pen and ink sketch, (Plate No. I and II) by Rubens himself, will indicate that, while in each of the two paintings there were corrections and alterations made, it does not alter the fact that the lions seen in the Hamilton picture are far inferior to those in ours, with regard to correctness of drawing, of form and expression. , There is another painting now in possession of Mr. Betz, in Worms a/ Rhein, which is most certainly the work of a very inferior master—it would not be too daring to say that it is by an amateur. It is not worth while to emphasize why and on what points I base my opinion in judging it a very poor copy. Just a glance at the production of the picture (Plate No. VI) will lead any one who possesses a proper sense of porportion, to the same conclusion. We find, in perusing Max Rooses book on Rubens’ work published in 1886, that the painting which was im the Hamilton Palace was offered by the master himself to Dudly Charleston, for the sum of six hundred florins. He based this price on the list that the painter sent to the diplomat in 1618, who purchased it and presented it to the English King, Charles I. Later it passed into the gallery of the Duke of Hamilton and was sold at public auction June 17th, 1882. Another painting, conforming exactly to this one, was said to be in the Church of Godshill, near Ryde in the Isle of Wight. In a letter from the Rector of the church, Rev. Bartlet, it is declared that the picture is a copy. In November 6th and 7th, 1919, 2] there took place a sale of all belongings of the Hamilton Palace at Christie’s, London. Amongst the works of art sold at the time, was also the “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” already above mentioned, for the price of two thousand five hundred twenty pounds. Is it not fair to assume that the heirs of the Hamilton family substituted and sold a copy at the sale in 1882, and retained the original? The picture now in our possession was bought at a public gallery in Frankfurt a. Main, Germany, at auction in 1908. How it got there is a matter of conjecture. This suspicion arises and may become a conviction, by the fact that at the time of the Hamilton sale, the papers and reviews published articles contesting the genuineness of the two paintings, some of the critics stating that the one of the Scotch’s was the original, while others affirmed that the authentic one was that of the Church of Godshill. But as these two have both been declared copies since, then: where is the original? So far, and until we received a letter from Mr. Bartlet, no art critic came to any possible conclusion. The statement from the Rector is clear enough in asserting that the picture in his possession is only a Copy of the original. There is a change of the position of Daniel in the picture which was sold at Christie’s in London, as being the original possessed by the Hamilton family. In that picture, Daniel is sitting in the Den on the edge of a recess in the rock. He is naked, having only a little cloth around his hips and a mantle under him. The legs are crossed and the hands clasped. But, Franz Snyder copied the Original of Rubens’ on a Wooden Panel, and in this copy we see the Prophet with the right hand raised, while the other is resting on the body. This picture by Snyder is at present in the “Gemaldegallerie des Kunsthistorischen Museum,” Vienna,from which we have a photo- graphic reproduction sent to us, by Dr. Gustav Gluck, Director of above Museum. (Plate No. V). Note:—We also find it mentioned in Painter Cyclopedia “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” after Rubens, by Franz Snyder in this Vienna Museum. If Snyder, who was a contemporary, and a close friend of Rubens, copied the “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” from the very original, it becomes evident that this one, in which the “Daniel” has the raised arm, must be and it is the one produced by the Great Master. It is out of the question even to think that Snyder could dare to make any change in the position of the prophet without offending his master and friend. The deduction therefore is that the one sold from the Hamilton Palace, if by Rubens himself, was a replica, in which the hands of the prophet were changed in their position and made to appear clasped instead of the hands raised up. It is only a deduction, a mere supposition. As we have already stated, at the time in which the picture passed from the gallery of the Duke of Hamilton and was sold, June 17th, 1882, the director of the sale announced that, “a painting conforming exactly to this one was in the Church of Godshill,” which was declared to be the authentic one by writers who, at the time were debating on the authenticity of the two paintings. L’Art, 1882, (Vol. 2. P. 245, Vol. 3. P. 33 and 93.) Yet none of them, knowing of the two works, could decide which of them was, with a certain degree of truth, the original. The only reason by which the reputation of originality was given, was: “That the Hamilton Picture had been on record so long.” From “L’Art’’, Vol. III. Page 33. Among the other reasons given by experts, in order to attribute one of the paintings to Rubens is that Rev. T. Radcliffe gave assurance that [s3e) the painting examined by “very competent”? judges was recognized superior to the one owned by the Duke of Hamilton, and that if one of the two is entirely painted by the hand of Rubens, it can only be the one of the Godshill Church. Now then, if the actual director, Rev. Pemberton R. H. Bartlett of the Godshill Church, states, in a letter written to Mr. Max A. Krankel, Philadelphia, Pa., March 11th, 1923 that the picture of “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” in the said above Church, is a Copy, then we must conclude that both the Hamilton and the Godshill pictures are Copies. Where 1s then the Original ? There is, as I stated above, a copy from the original made by Franz Snyder, and therefore this together with the others makes a group of “Five” copies of “Daniel in the Lions’ Den Satter, PPA Rubens: | So far, it has been impossible to get any positive information about the one that was declared as being the original. Until such information is available, the inference is, according to the evidence that I have on hand and under consideration, and by which I have been convinced, that the painting of “Daniel,” under my care, must be the one that Rubens painted, a replica of which, of larger size, was, very likely, the one bought by Sir Dudley Charleston and given to Charles I. of England by Lord Dorchester. Grave by Leeuw attempts to show among other things, that the Hamilton picture is without any doubt and entirely by the hand of Rubens, who himself expressed it to be so in one of his letters in Italian addressed to Sir Dudley Charleston. But the letter written by the artist that the picture of Daniel (size 8 x 72 feet) was original, does not indicate that he could not have produced it, as a Replica from ours (size 4% x 6 feet) to better answer the purpose for which Lord Dorchester needed it, viz: for filling a large space of wall in the King’s Gallery. I have demonstrated how inferior is the said painting, supposed to have been in the Hamilton Gallery, to the One I have here. If Rubens himself stated that the Hamilton painting was by his own hand, he did not do it with the same inspiration that he felt 7m producing ours. I say “Inspired,” with regard to the conception and not with regard to execution, which is, in its method, manner and style typically Irarian. Therefore it becomes evident that the painting sold in 1882 at Christie’s in London is undoubtedly a replica, perhaps a copy of a later period. The errors of drawing, of form and the disproportions in the anatomical parts of the figure, are so strikingly noticeable as to cause anyone to be convinced that Rubens, being a great draughtsman, could not have committed such errors, even if he should have not been over enthusiastic in doing a duplicate of his first work. In a duplicate there can be made some changes, by the artist originator of the work—while a “copy” gener- ally produced by students, followers, or by professional copyists is merely a more or less exact geometrical copy of an original painting. But we read in the “La Bible” de P. P. Rubens, Page 7, what Charles Maquardt in 1858 said, ““The attitude of the prophet is almost natural and it is justified by the nature of the subject and by the role, all passive, played by the personal “Daniel” who, sitting on a fragment of rock, is patiently waiting the moment of his deliverance. His soul is elevated towards God, and his hands are joined by his spontaneous movement of prayer.” Again I point out that this Monsieur Charles Maquardt was rather a good art writer and not an art expert, possessing No technical knowledge, nor a knowledge of drawing [4] or painting. The figure of Daniel that impressed him so favorably is precisely the one I condemn for the defects it possesses for the reason already given. This critic could not have seen the copy of Daniel made by Franz Snyder, which is undoubtedly an evidence of the original pose given to “Daniel” by Rubens in his first thought of the composition, in which the prophet appears with the right hand raised, instead of having both hands clasped, as in the picture described by Charles Maquardt. In Max Rooses book, page 164, now in the Lenox, New York Library, I quote: “There were made a few copies of Rubens’ Daniel; The critic was discussing the question at the time of the sale of the Hamilton picture “which was the right picture,” the one in which Daniel had his head up and the hands down, or where the position of the head and the hands were different? It became at once evident, that there were made copies that art critics did not know as such or were unable to discern a copy from the original. The photographs we have received reproducing the same picture belonging: one, to the Hamilton Collection (Plate No. IV) and the others in the places already mentioned (Plate No. VI) have been declared to represent the Copies. Then on what proofs was the Hamilton picture declared to be the one produced by the hand of Rubens himself, and why was there a doubt raised by the critics, in regard to its authorship? Such kind of discussion shows how uncertain those critics were about the subject on which they were debating. I have already pointed out that in the Hamilton picture of Daniel, there are many errors that a good draftsman as Rubens was could not commit, in copying his own picture, no matter whether he was producing it by inspiration in recreating it, or doing it perfunctorily rather annoyed at being requested to produce a duplicate. In the Hamilton picture (Plate No. IV) the figure of Daniel, if standing, would appear to be that of an exceptionally large athlete, while the lions appear very small in relation to his figure. Examining the figure under the analytical point of view, it shows how different is the anatomical structure of the right arm from the left; how bad is the body in its foreshortening and size in relation to its large legs. In the picture I have here, on the other hand (Plate No. III) the proportion of each of the members of the body is in relation to the whole, in perfect harmony. The stiffness of the body, in its attitude or pose, is evidently due to his aim in carrying the modeling of its anatomical structure according to academic rules, while he endeavored to imitate the method of the eclectic masters of the Bolognese school. The attitude of Daniel, in his emotion, is that of a human being, with absolute faith in the help of God. It is not the attitude of resting there comfortably, with the elbow standing on the knees, as is the Daniel in the Hamilton picture, a pose unrelated to the movement of the head or the expression of the face, which denotes distress and fear. In the figure of our picture the drawing is correct. This quality of draughtsman- ship is evident in the construction of the hands and feet, in which it is to be noticed how the turning of the large toe and the semi-circular form in which the rest of the toes are enclosed, are characteristics of the feet of every naked figure, to be found in number- less pictures by Rubens. Let me point out the absolute similarity in pose, in form and anatomical con- struction in the “Neptune” figure in the “Neptune and Amphitrite” in the Berlin Museum C5] (Plate No. X). The attitude of the body, the inclination of the head, and the expression in the face of the nude figure of the “Sacrifice of Abraham” (Plate No, IX), as seen in the engraving, reproducing the painting, which is now lost or missing, of which a copy exists in Cannstatt in the possession of Julius Unger, are likewise similar to the same characteristics that are in evidence in the figure of our “Daniel.” Going further, analizing every minute detail, and comparing the shape of the nails, we notice that its form is similarly repeated in the toes of many other figures in pictures by the same master. Looking now to some of the lions, let us compare the head of the one standing on his four feet, at the right side of Daniel, and we see that while in both pictures the expression of the face is that of a human being, in the one in the Hamilton picture the modeling of the face is that of a flattened mask as if smashed by force, with one eye higher than the other, the nose very long, crooked, and the mouth as if it had been only heavily marked, by a cincel, on a flat surface. The left jaw is sinking in contrast with the right one, and that from the forehead to the top outline of the head the form is protruding. In our picture, if it be true that the face of the lions has a similar expression to that of a man, yet the various members of it are in good proportion, symmetrically placed and on the head there appears no such tumor growths, as in the other picture. Continuing the same method of comparative analysis of the other lions, as we see them in the so-called Hamilton Rubens, with those that are represented in our picture. It is not difficult, even for the layman, to notice how grotesque are the heads of those in the picture first mentioned, and how well drawn and well modeled are the heads of the lions in ours. In this we cannot help admiring also the splendid construction of the bodies, the correctness of the form of the legs and paws in contrast to those in the Hamilton picture. In this last one, the body of the lion lying at the right of the picture, looks as if it were boneless, and the effect produced by it is so striking, especially in the foreleg and shoulder, that the head of the lion, standing behind it looks as if it had been copied from a model in papier-mache. And how grossly is builded up the lioness that is seen with her body towards the spectator, resembling, in its general form and in its profile to some of the caricatures intended to represent Monsieur Clemenceau of France. Further proceedure in dissecting the parts of the figures in both pictures, strengthens my assertion that the so-called Hamilton picture was never seen by Rubens and that it was the product of a very poor copyist, and not even a replica. The stiffness noticeable in the attitude of “Daniel” in our picture, and in the forceful position in its crossed legs and right arm, are characteristic and not dissimilar at all to those that are likewise in evidence in the male figure seen 1n the ““Pausias and Glycera”’ (Plate No. VIII) in the Duke of Westminister Gallery, London, and in that of Rubens “Hiob and his Friends’ (Plate No. VII) of which we find a reproduction and a descrip- tion in the “Jahrbuch” der Kunst-Historischen Sammlung, Wien. (Volume XXXIV, Hies23); But more similar is the general pose of Hiob (Plate No. VII) in the print of “Hiob and his Friends.’ In it, while there is difference in the position of the legs, there is very slight difference in that of the body, in that of the arms, and in its inclination L6 ] which is similar or very like to that of Daniel in our picture, and it is absolutely the same in the position of the forefingers. In both they are bending inwardly; while the right arm is somewhat closer to the body and the fore arm is straighter than it is in the Daniel, the anatomical structure is similar in both hands, and very alike in form and position. In the print represented in Plate No. VII, the head is that of an old man, in contrast with that of our Daniel, representing rather a young man; yet the con- struction and expression are only slightly different, expressing similar emotion. It looks as 1f Rubens had used the same model for both figures. In comparing the reproduction of the pictures of the Hamilton collection, that of Mr. Betz’s picture (in Worms a/Rh) and that painted by Snyder (Plate No. V) in Vienna Gallery, it is quite evident that this last one is the best, and if this one approaches in faithfulness of drawing, form, modeling, colors and the general physical traits of each of the lions to those seen in our Daniel, it should convince the most skeptical connoisseur, knowing the close friendship between Synder and Rubens, that the copy produced by Snyder must have been from the original by Rubens, and that the change in the expression of distress that we notice in the face of Daniel, must have been the result of an after thought, due to an observation or friendly criticism between both masters, and made with the approval of Rubens. In the Hamilton picture, amongst others, are two alterations in its composition that Rubens would not have introduced in his original composition. The curve of the opening of the rock is seen lowered so much that the head of Daniel looks as if resting on the edge of it, a condition which could have allowed Daniel to think of a possible escape by jumping the fence; the second error or change is that the mantle has been carefully spread out and laid on top of an outstanding piece of rock. This change indicates the idea of a pretentious copyist, only wishing to obtain in the new arrangement of the cloth, a etter decorative note. Then again, the copyist, thinking that too many details, in such a composition, would detract the attention of the spectator from the main feature of the painting, he swept off the foregrounds the bones which appear in the foreground of the original painting. We consider as being of great importance a statement made by Messrs. Christie, Manson and Wood, London, sent to Mr. Max A. Krankel, Philadelphia, Pa., on February 1924, from which it can be deducted that our picture 1s the best of those we have studied and carefully examined, analized and criticized. These gentlemen state that the one in the Hamilton Collection was sold at the time of the Hamilton Palace Sale in 1882, there repurchased by the Duke of Hamilton a year later and then reso/d in November, 1919, when it was purchased, on a private Commission, by the above mentioned firm of Christie, Manson & Wood. They say further, in the same letter, that the picture was undoubtedly an original picture, that was engraved by Blooteling, F. Lamb, F. Ward, and W. Leeuw, while in another letter written to Mr. Bartlett of the Godshill Church, Isle of Wight, they stated among other things, that their opinion is that the Hamilton-picture may be the original but they are not sure. Such contradictory statements confirm the dowdt expressed by various critics, who at the time of the sale of the Hamilton picture were publicly discussing the authenticity of the picture. It looks as if the great experts and art critics were not well acquainted with the artistic individual ee characteristic of Rubens’ work or that their judgment was rather based on the knowledge of other connoisseurs who also had learned the technique, manner, and style of the master work only by what they had digested in reading art books, looking at prints and photographs, comfortably seated at their homes, arriving at decisions between pufts of smoke of one of those typical old English terra-cotta pipes, filled up with stumps of used cigars. It should not be considered a strange thing when Connoisseurs and Critics, called upon to give their opinion on the authorship of the painting, verysel dom approach a current opinion, not only on the name of the master, but on the period in which his work was produced or the school to which it should be assigned . Something alike happens in certain medical cases in which various Physicians and Professors are called on to diagnose a particular disease, presenting itself under a not very common form and with peculiarities of symptom. If they are of the class formed by those not studying in the clinic, or by daily practicing in the Public Hospitals, but solely reading medical books and charts, their conclusion are so contrasting, that they finally resort to further study of the case and experiment to be made on the patient, so that it often happens that by the time they begin to understand the case, the patient has Jong said to the family his last good-by. Returning to Messrs. Christie, Manson & Wood’s letter, they say also that in communicating with the “Gentlemen for whom we purchased it,” he informs them that he does not wish his name or the present whereabouts of the picture to be disclosed. The attitude of these gentlemen in affirming first that the Hamilton picture sold in 1882 and then purchased in 1919 was undoubtedly the original; and then advising Mr. Bartlett that they were ot sure that it was the original, and that they cannot even state the whereabout of the picture, is quite significant. A layman with no art knowledge of any kind, will undoubtedly recognize in com- paring the Plate No. III with the Plate No. IV how inferior is that represented in Plate No. IV and how correct are the deductions arrived at by me in pointing out the errors of form, expression, etc., as described in paragraph four, page S. Peter Paul Rubens was certainly one of the greatest painters of the sixteenth century, the golden age of painting. The degree of pleasure we take in his work may often depend on our sympathy and comprehension of a man, as a man; it is however indisputable that any objective judgment based on just principles of art, will, according with such principles, consider Rubens as one of the greatest painters of the world. Yet, he has defects as other masters had. His rich coloring, his exaggerated opulence of form, impropriety in treating historical subjects are some of them, as he was often coarse, vulgar, and prosaic in his allegorical composition and interpretation of the loftiest and most delicate creation of poetry. In other of his masterpieces, as for instance in “Decius” in the Lichtenstein Gallery, the historical costumes are faultless, while he is poetical in his conception, or in the “Virgin and Marie’ trampling down “Sin and Dragon” in the Muench Gallery is a divine lyric; as likewise the picture of St. Theresa pleading for a soul in Purgatory and a little sketch of war in the Lichtenstein Gallery, with moral and sentiment exquisitively combined are pure and true, conveying to [8] the mind and to the heart such a comprehensive effect, let one feel as if reading the sonnets of a Filicaja. He painted heavy forms, it is true, but he gave to them soul. His personages, no matter what they represent or their action may be, are impressed with the earnestness and energy of the mind which conceived them. Great masters and all other artists of repute had various periods, during their artistic career, and therefore every work produced in the first period shows the influence -of the work of the master studied; later on the manner developes, tending to emancipate itself from this influence, and begins to show characteristics of growing individuality, which finally assert themselves in work of mature age, with marks of absolute inde- pendence in conception and in the rendering of it in graphic form and color. The “Daniel in the Lions’ Den’ is one of the productions in which the academic rules in composition, draughtmanship, manner, and style are most in evidence. In the figure of Daniel it is noticeable as we have already stated on page 4 the stiffness in his attitude, the forceful position of the crossed limbs, while in other several parts of the picture, the similarity of details and accessories are remarkable, just as it is evident that there is timidity of execution, and the dominant tonalities are cold and dry: the modeling of the body is produced by tones of d/uish grey, pictorical qualities similar to those which are likewise to be noticed in the “Neptune and Amphitrite’ in the Berlin Museum, formerly belonging to the Count von Schoenborn, Vienna. As was the case with “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” at the time it was placed on sale, in 1881, a similar warm discussion arose as to the authenticity of the “Neptune and Amphitrite.” We have fully demonstrated that the “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” which is to be seen in the Imperial Museum, in Vienna, or the ““Gemaeldegallerie des Kunsthistorischen Museum, Wien I. Burgring 5. by Franz Snyder, after Rubens, and the one in the Godshill Church, the one in possession of Mr. Betz in Worms and the Hamilton picture, are far inferior in every respect to our Daniel here in Philadelphia. The only one approach- ing in its general rendering of the lions, the Daniel and all the details in the picture, is that which was copied by Franz Snyder; and because this artist was a contemporary and close friend of Rubens, and often painted in cooperation with Rubens and vice versa, the clear deduction is that Snyder could not have been copying from the Hamilton picture, in which the deformities and the grotesque expressions in the lions’ heads and the Daniel phisionomical traits are strikingly in evidence. Therefore he must have copied from the one we have, and this cannot have been but the work originally produced by Rubens himself, rather than the Hamilton which is a very poor grotesque reproduction of ours. It is my opinion, therefore, that this 7s the on/y one in existence, so far known possessing all the technical and pictorial qualities inherent in Rudens’ early period. 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