Evening star., 1923-10-11
The North Window
BY LEILA MEcHLIN

statement made In Paris that certain
works of art of the French repais-
sance period in the Metropolitan Mu-
scum, New York, and In other great
public collections were not genuine
created no little sensation; but more
remarkable and disconcerting is the
reported pronouncement of John G.
Way Dyke, professor of art and arch
'eology at Rutgers College. that the
n ajority of the paintings attributed to
Rembrandt. not only In this country
but abroad, were not painted by Rem-
brandt, but by certain OF his pupils.
Prof: Van Dyke makes this sweep,
ing charge in volume entltIeo
Rembrandt and His School," just
published by Charles Scribner's Sons.
With one stroke he sweeps away ira
dition and removes from some OF the
most famous Rembrandts the honor OF
authenticity. Not one of the paint
ings catalogued as Rembrandts In the
Metropolitan Museum does he give to
this master. In fact, there Is not a
gallery. according to his list. OF the
$50 paintings by Rembrandt cata-
logued by the foremost Of his biog-
raphers he seems to think that less
than ffty-five are genuine.
X + s..
Perhaps Prof. Van Dyke is correct,
but IL so. how much more remarkable
it would be that instead Of bringing
forth one genius little Holland in
the day in which Rembrandt lived
actually brought forth half dozen
of practically equal caliber
When Rembrandts tercentenary
was celebrated in 1906 Royal Cortis-
f,a or+i aJa In, axy'S
azine on THE Master and His Work"
said: IF you ask an artist to tell you
how many of the old masters, in his
opinion, knew how to paint, he Will
name at the outside only four or five,
and perhaps not SO many, but three
at least he is sure to name-Velas-
auez, Rembrandt and Halls" Now
Prof Van Dyke would add three or
four names to this group TOT II BOZ
and Macs and Flinck were capable OF
Rembrandt's that they have passed
as Rembrandts work for over two
centuries as painters they were
scarcely less great
X + 4 II
There is a difference between the
charge brought against the French
renaissance sculptures by the Paris
dealer and that which Prof. Van Dyke
makes against these so-ealled REM
brandt paintings. In the first in
stance the claim was that the works
were imitatfons-deliberat imita-
tions. Now Prof. Van Dyke does not
say that these paintings, supposedly
by Rembrandt. are copies of Rem
brandt's works, but that they were
done by his pupils quite indepen-
IDENTIFY, and in some instances, II not
most instances, from self-selected
models. ...-.
1t is true that for some years ex-
perts have disagreed in regard to the
genuineness of certain paintings at
tributed to Rembrandt. For instance,
the famous portrait of Elizabeth Bas.
This portrait. it will be remembered,
Is In the Rijks Museum. Amsterdam
DR.. Bredius has attributed II TO Fer
dinand Boil though he first declared
that 1t was the work Of Jacob Backer:
on the other hand, Prof. Six and
DIR. Jan Veth dissent from this YER
dict as does also DR.. Hofstede de
Grote DIR. Bredius' reason for be-
lieving that this portrait was nor by
Rembrapdt was the way the nanas
were painted, and the reason he holds
the portrait to be by Bol is because
he has discovered a hand In one OF
Bors portraits painted in the same
way as the left In this portrait. But
even here experts are not agreed.
DR.. Hofstede de Grote calls Rem
brandt's.
prof Van Dyke bases his inn
peachments on the same argument.
Studying the brush work or the varl-
Gus paintings, he finds what he be-
lieves to be dissimilarity. It Is as II
one had examined various specimens
of handwriting and discarded certain
documents as false, on the ground or
dissimilarity of character ASIDE
nt a aNjGpncp
such as bills of sale and, contemporary
manuscripts proving ownership, no
painting can be authenttcated through
other medium, but of the 400 or more
paintings now attributed 10 Rem-
brandt, the belief that a large num-
ber, or a majority, were painted by
Rembrandt has been handed down
through numerous generations.
x X X 4
One of the most recent works on
Rembrandt's paintings came from the
Edinburgh University Press less than
a wear ago and was published in this
. country by e. P. Dutton & Co. The
author is D. S. Meldrum. 1t is
monumental book, not only a careful
ly written biography compiled from
the chief sources of information, both
manuscript and, published, but con-
tanning an index to his paintings, hVe
hundred and forty-one OF when are
reproduced as Illustrations. Testify-
ing to the genius of the painter, Mr..
Meldrum gives a translation from the
Latin OF a manuscript of Huygens:
the courtier poet, who was one or
Rembrandt's first patrons. speaking
of the nliler's son and marvellng at
his accomplishments, he says: Rem
brandt, with Industrious self-concen-
ltration, loves to attain within the Inn
its of a small panel a condensation of
effect which one seeks In vain In the
canvases of others" and cites his
Judas Repentant as an example.
accomplishment of all the ages"
Apparently Rembrandts superior
genius WAS recognized by the great
cotemporary scholar, who testifies In
the same breath to his brilliancy and
to his industry. How strange, indeed,
if there had been six such young men,
equally gifted!
On the other hand, there Is no
doubt, and none need be astounded by
the statement, that fair number of
the paintings now attributed to REM
brandt were the works of his pupils.
No one who has made study of
style and individuality of technique
conld examine the reproductions in
this late book on Rembrandt without
feeling inclined to believe that some
of the attributions were false or that
at times the master nodded"
Moreover 1t is fairly certain that false
! Rembrandts have been turned out and
marketed by those who had an evil
genius for imitation A genuine Rem
brandt may be worth a hundred or five
hundred thousand dollars. How great,
therefore, the temptation to those who
are INSCRIPTIONS and gifted.
+ 4 + +
But 1t Is not such works as these
which Prof. Van Dyke brings into ques-