Butte record., 1854-12-16
ortrai even more beauciful than Anne

pOrtfal even HlOie ucduCiiuA tu"h ]An"e
Breughel."
off it is Anne Breughel you are think
ing Of" replied Rubens, "go TO our
grave friend Van Baelen: he will tell
you, like an old philosopher who has
subdued the passions of mans nature,
what is best to be done in such case. "
Teniers went directly to the house of
the old painter he found him painting
upon a copper, a copy of his great work,
=" St. John Preaching in the Desert. :"
Teniers had seen the original often in the
palace of the archduke. He came at
once to the object Of his visit. " What
is the best thing to be done to please
young maiden -
'.Love her sincerely" replied Van
Baelen.
"You are perhaps right; and yet [
adore Anne Breughel. who, Imagine,
is not the least affected by my passion"
The three guardians interrogated their
ward in turn. She had not forgotten
David Tenicrs. 1t turned out that Van
Baelen had spoken more wisely than his
colleagues. The three took counsel to-
gether they weighed in the balance the
talent of Teniers and the fortune Of
Anne Breughel-the mind of the one,
and the bcanty of the other. After
some debate, they decided for the mar
riage. The young pair were brought to-
gether at a supper at the house of Ru-
bcns, who, as well as i.is guests, amused
himself at their embarrassment. At the
desert, they told Teniers that they had
invited him as witness to the marriage
contract of Anne Breughel, in his char
acter of a disciple of the grandfather, old
Peter Breughcl Soon afterwards, the
notary presented himself very gravely !;
a space was cleaned for him at the end
of the table. He unrolled the parch-
ment, mendtd his pen, and prepared to
read the marriage-contrac of the future
partners. Young David no longer
doubted his happiness.
Ibis marriage-contract, still preserved
in the archieves of the city of Antwerp,
is prepared rather in favor of the wife
than the husband. 1t stipulates, that
in ease of the deeease of Anne B!eughel,
their children shall receive, not only
the property which she brought him as
her marrige- PARTON, but also all interes
in the joint property settled by the con-
tract. We shall see presently that the
clause was strictly fulfilled. The three
guardians, artists as they were, had
made all their arrangements, like sober
lawyers. The marriage took place a
few days afterwards. On the morning
of the wedding, the aschduke presented
Teniers with a miniature portrait of him
self, and gold chain. Anne Breughel
was of a sweet disposition and pleasing
manners. She brought her husband
four children, and loved him to the last
as on the FIRST day of her marriage !;
while he, in his turn, loved her with all
the tenderness of his passionate nature.
In short, they never saw Hymen except
on the favorable side of the step.
In the first year of his welded life,
Teniers continued to reside in the palace
of Leopold, working almost exclusively
for the king of Spain, who was SO de-
lighted with his works that he had a
gallery built expressly for them. At
first, the artist did scarcely nothing
more than copy the great masters OF the
Flemish and Italian schools. After a
little while, growing weary of following
others, stroke by stroke. he contented
himself with merely initiating them
His limitations enjoyed singular repu-
tation, some persons even going so far as
to prefer them to the models. He was
particularly successful in his limitations
of Rubens, which many mistook for the
works of that master. But Teniers at
length determined to be in bis turn an
original painter.
IN his leisure hours, remembering the
counsels of his aged father, he sketched
by few strokes of his pencil scene ta-
ken near by, of pure and simple nature.
Suddenly, he abandoned his grand sub
jects. Eminently Flemish, he limited
his field to Flemish horizon. He was
wearied of gazing upon saints in ecstacy,
and penitent Magdalens he had never
met with such thing in his simple way
of life. Was it not time-that the hu-
man form should be painted under some
other phase, and in character more