In the following year he painted "Susannah Surprised by the Elders,"
which is now in Russia; "The Boat of St. Peter," a powerful conception,
showing dark storm-shadows surrounding the sea-tossed bark, with a high
light thrown on the nearer mountain-like waves and on the men at the
sails; "The Elevation of the Cross," and "The Descent from the Cross,"
bought by Prince Frederick Henry of Holland, and now in Munich; "The
Good Samaritan," now in Sir Richard Wallace's collection; "The
Philosophers in Meditation," two delicate pictures, now in the Louvre;
"The Master Shipbuilder and his Pipe," now at Buckingham Palace, sold
for sixteen thousand five hundred francs, in 1810; portraits of Madame
Grotius, a youth at Dresden, another in the Pourtales Collection, sold
for seven thousand dollars in 1865; and no less than sixteen others,
besides many etchings. One of these portraits, that of a young boy, was
bought by J. de Rothschild, in 1865, for five thousand dollars; and a
portrait of Saskia, now at Cassel, for ten thousand dollars.
Of the picture of Saskia in the Dresden Museum, painted this year,
Professor Mollett says: "The head in this portrait is slightly
inclined, the long chestnut curls are covered by a cherry-colored bonnet
ornamented with white feathers. The light falling on the figure from
above illuminates the rim of the bonnet and the lower part of the face,
while the forehead is covered by the shadow thrown by the hat."
Of the large portrait in the Cassel Gallery, painted the same year, he
says: "In this picture Saskia is very richly dressed, and covered with a
profusion of pearls and precious stones. The face, a delicate profile of
a bright, fresh color, drawn against a dark brown background, is
entirely in the light, almost without shadows."
The portrait of her in the late Fesch Gallery, says Sweetser, "displays
the maiden's snowy complexion, great deep eyes, rosy lips, and rich
auburn hair, adorned with white and green plumes, and wearing pearls on
her neck, and a chain of gold on her green silk mantilla."
Who was Saskia? The lovely and beautiful woman whose life was to
Rembrandt like the transcendent light he threw into his pictures; whose
death left him forever in the shadow of shadows, which he, of all
painters, knew best how to paint.
Saskia van Ulenburgh was the orphan daughter of Rombertus Ulenburgh, a
Frisian lawyer of high standing, envoy from Friesland to the court of
William of Orange. She was wealthy, of lovely character, and attractive
in face and in manner. Her brother-in-law, the painter Nijbrand de
Geest, was a man of influence, and her cousin, Hendrik Ulenburgh, was
the publisher of Rembrandt's engravings. They therefore naturally met
each other. She was young and of distinguished family; the young artist,
who fell in love with her, had his genius alone to offer her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account