The school of Leonardo da Vinci is not as well represented; but mention
should be made here of "St. Catherine of Luini," if only for the sake of
the saint herself, that is fashioned after the same model as "St. Anne,"
by Leonardo. Somewhat better represented is the Venetian school with a
few Tintorettos and Paolo Veroneses. Of the later Italians, we find
especially of note, "Mary in the Sewing-School," "St. Joseph with the
Christ-Child," and "Cleopatra," by Guido Reni.
But the pride of the collection is the Rembrandt gallery. The so-called
"Mother of Rembrandt" is somewhat inferior to the incomparable Vienna
painting. But, on the other hand, there are among the thirty-nine
authentic works of the master such gems as the "Descent from the Cross,"
with its singular lights and shadows, and "David and Absalom," with
astonishing boldness of sketching and wonderful softness of coloring.
But far beyond the technique we are struck in this picture by the almost
tragic power of expression. It is the moment of conciliation between
father and son. How the young prince with luxurious hair hides his
trembling hand on his father's breast; how the father, who very
strangely has the features of the master himself, draws to his breast
the newly found son, and breathes to Jehovah a prayer for blessing. It
is treated with such overpowering mastery as dwells only in the greatest
scenes of fatherly passion in all literature and art. The second
treatment of the same theme, "The Prodigal Son," is transplanted from
the princely to the common. The returning son is not a prince; the
father is not a be-turbaned sultan; but the intensity of the embrace is
the same; the same thrill comes to us out of this as out of the
brilliant "Absalom" picture, the two songs of the forgiving father's
love. The counterpart of these two is the painting of the great father's
sorrow that seizes the old Jacob when his sons bring to him the bloody
garment of his beloved Joseph. The terror and amazement of the
patriarch, distinctly marked in the hands of the sage uplifted as if
warding off a blow, are strongly impressed on the mind of the beholder.
The famous "Sacrifice of Isaac" is to me of slighter value than the
preceding, notwithstanding all the dramatic force of the moment
depicted. It is really too difficult for us to look into the soul of an
old fanatic who is ready to slay his own son at the command of God; yet
the foreshortening of the recumbent Isaac, and the angel sweeping down
on him like a tempest, to seize just at the right moment the hand of the
old man, are brought out again with really wanton mastery. The so-called
Danaë is not to every one's taste, its universal fame notwithstanding.
Bode takes it as Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, awaiting her betrothed.
Its meaning might well be a subject of discussion. The old woman who
draws back the heavy drapery over the couch, with the honest
match-maker's joy on her face and the purse in her hand, indicates a
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account