Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-04-29
TIE SLIPPERY STAIR.

a
Let me retell story of Flemish art
and Flemish love which may serve
| you as amusement, instruction, and
! incentive.
David Teniers the younger, who was
born III Antwerp in 1910, educated in
part by his famous father and the still
more famous Rubens, made such pro-
| grcss in art under his teachers that
! early in his career he was appointed
] court painter to the Archduke Leopold
| of Austria, governor of the Flemish
wide he received so many orders that
he was scarcely able to satisfy the de-
mand for his paintings
One day the Graf de Eglentier, a
friend of Archduke Leopold, sum-
mOned EenierS and said:
Il wish you to paint for me picture
for which | will pay YOU your own
price. The subject which ! have
! chosen for you is most difficult, and
| one which | have never seen repre-
sented truthfully on canvas. AS [ in
tend in a few weeks to marry, | wish
to have a picture of Hymen which viii
do justice to the beauty of welded life
with her love"
Teuirr did not repeat the Italian
! provcrh:
Well doth the man unmarried cothr @is wife,
| And well 5ht' chiloiless forms his chtldrens
life
which came to him as the ardent lover
| talked. but comtented himself with re-
plying:
"Herr Graf, Will take your order
/ and VIII pl1BIIX- my kp skill in MT
ing tins iareSt form which you have
! pictured IN glowing words
| The marriage eve cam" and the
| great painter placed before the Graf lie
Egleh;Ier 4 picture of Hymen which,
! said writer Of those days. was as
| fair a. tn" antique AdOnis for never
| were such sweet outlines llhImined by
q moro fascinating smile. Nor had he
! Forgotten the torch; and no liam beau
! u love hao ever r@ye t" loI'h loVeIer
! mn IN
ne count I'ohG" aI IhG picture tohS
| anu a. earnestly at io!l2lh lie C"rheo 10
| we a'II9I anu Salu III zone Oh olSap-
| polnIiAenE
inns IS only the ldea OF the dull
| world that knows lttle OF the true
| charihS OF marriage. Inc FORM: the
beauty, the fascination, which por-
! trayed to you as my conception of
! Hymen, are all absent from this
picture.
Ienlers was courtler as we'll as
| painter. and so with admirable tact
replied:
You are right, my noble count, for
| when recall your description ana re-
! hecJ on the SURPRISING lOFehhesS or her
! you wed TOMORROW and consider the
prospect OF your lasting happiness, !
! wonder at myself that L could have
! produced such dull picture. Let me
retouch it under the stimulus Of your
| lady's beauty-and this conversation"
! The painter carried the "disappoint-
! ing Hymen" to his studio, where it re-
manned untouched Tor i've months. At
the end OF this Tune ieners once more
! visited the Graf de Eglentier and
showed him the picture. The count,
! Notwithstanding, a reporter of his day
! wrote that his wife was endowed with
| rare beauty worthy OF the pencils of
! Murillo and Rubens," found her less
fascinating as the welded days passed
| by. So now he said to the painter
/ who stood before him, with quiet
! smile:
/ you have indeed retouched the
! picture most skillfully and improved
! it as a work of art, but you
have gone far beyond my ideal of
Hymen. This figure is too smiling
and lively. You nave made him more
) god of love than the sober god of
/ marriage. You should have repre-
| sented him with, perhaps, little sad
| expression"
| Teniers, though courteous in bear
| ing and polite in speech, was COM