PORTRAITS OF LEEUWENHOEK 351 
first saw a microbe”—in an English children’s magazine, 
and a comic reconstruction recently (1931) used to advertise 
an American proprietary tooth-paste in India: but the last 
stage in degradation has surely been reached in the caricature 
imprinted on the covers of the current American Abstracts of 
Bacteriology (Vol. I issued in 1917) and some other publications 
of the Society of American Bacteriologists. 
(2) By Nicotars Mass (1632-1693: from 1673 to 1693 
at Amsterdam, where he died and was buried). According 
to C. H. de Groot (1916: Vol. VI, pp. 530-531) there are 
two portraits of Leeuwenhoek by Maes. The first (No. 202, 
de G.) is an oil-painting now in the National Gallery, London 
(1921 Catalogue, No. 2581). This picture was formerly owned 
by Mr George Salting, the Australian art-collector, and was 
bequeathed to the Nation in 1910. It is undated, and depicts 
an old man “in full face. His right hand is raised, grasping 
his robe. He has long hair, a moustache, and a pointed beard 
on his wrinkled face. |He wears a black robe and a white 
shirt.| At the back is a curtain, with a column in shadow to 
the right’ (de Groot). This is a very fine painting, but it is 
certainly no portrait of Leeuwenhoek. It shows a man totally 
unlike the sitter for Verkolje’s portraits, and there is no 
evidence whatsoever that it depicts our Antony. In 1923 
I called the attention of the then Director of the National 
Gallery (Sir Charles Holmes) to this misidentification: and on 
looking into the matter for himself he agreed that ‘‘ there is 
no just ground for identifying the portrait . . . as a portrait 
of Leeuwenhoek.” He informed me further that the picture 
was first labelled “ Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, F.R.S.” after 
it left the Salting Collection—by whose authority is not now 
known.” Its label has consequently now been changed to 
“ Portrait of a Gentleman”. De Groot blundered badly when 
he accepted this painting as a portrait of Leeuwenhoek. 
According to de Groot there is also another portrait (like- 
wise undated) by Maes. It is described as follows: ‘‘ 202a. 
ANTHONI VAN LEEUWENHOEK.—In a dark red coat trimmed 
with fur. His long hair falls on his shoulders. 28 inches by 
24 inches. Sale.—Lady Anna Chandos-Pole and others, 
1 See Anonymus (1927). 
2 Letters dated 8 & 10 May 1923. 
