1896.] on Portrait Painting in its Historical Asjjeds. 37 



in the rendering of human beauty and dignity Titian surpassed 

 them both. 



Titian's female portraits were apt to be stiff; in proof of this his 

 likeness of Catarina Cornaro was thrown on the screen, and it was 

 shown how oppressed the sitter seemed by the over-gorgeousness of 

 her clothes. This tyranny of clothes was said to have hampered the 

 female portraits of all the old masters. 



Then Moroni was referred to as the first example of the specialised 

 portrait painter, i.e. one who painted very little else than portraits. 



The early Flemish school was then considered as exemplified by 

 the Van Eycks. 



It was pointed out how lacking they were in the feeling for beauty 

 which so distinguished the Italian school. 



The lecturer then went on to Holbein and the German school. 



Holbein was pronounced hard and dry in painting, but so supreme 

 in draughtsmanship that he gave more of the intimate character of 

 his sitter than any other painter. 



The lecturer considered that the Dutch school of portraiture was, 

 as a school, the greatest of all. At the head of it stood Rembrandt, 

 but it included a great number of other admirable portrait painters. 



As a painter, Franz Hals was pronounced over-rated — his flesh 

 painting was poor, but his gift of animated draughtsmanship could 

 hardly be excelled. 



Van der Heist's great picture of the ' Banquet of the Civic Guard ' 

 was thrown on to the screen, and referred to as a supreme example 

 of patient skill. 



Rembrandt was bracketed with Velasquez as one of the two greatest 

 portrait painters who have ever lived. 



His ' Syndics of the Cloth workers' Guild ' was shown, and was 

 pronounced the finest example known of a simple portrait group. 



Then the lecturer discussed Rembrandt's only rival in his own 

 line — Velasquez. 



There was no great Spanish school of portraiture. Velasquez 

 stood practically alone. In some respects he was even greater than 

 Rembrandt. Although a master of chiaroscuro he did not play tricks 

 with it as Rembrandt did, and his colouring was less artificial. On 

 the other hand, his portraits were sometimes stiff, which Rembrandt's 

 never were. 



The celebrated picture of the ' Surrender of Breda ' was shown and 

 discussed. It was said to be something between a portrait piece and 

 an historical painting, and to be of the very highest excellence in 

 either aspect. 



The lecturer then returned to the Flemish School as represented 

 by Vandyke — a man of great talent, but who had an unfortunate 

 influence on art. His extravagance led him to turn his studio into 

 a sort of manufactory, in which by the aid of assistants he turned out 

 a great number of mannered and superficial portraits. This manu- 

 factory was reproduced with great fidelity by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 



