974. LANDSCAPE.
Philip de Koninck (Dutch: 1619-1688). See 836.
A view of the Scheldt and Antwerp Cathedral in the distance.
975. THE STAG HUNT.
976. A BATTLE.
Wouwerman (Dutch: 1619-1668). See 878.
In Wouwerman's battle-pieces, says Ruskin, there is "nothing but animal rage and cowardice"—with which he contrasts the noble battle-piece by Paolo Uccello (583). "It is very singular," he adds, "that unmitigated expressions of cowardice in battle should be given by the painters of so brave a nation as the Dutch. Not but that it is possible enough for a coward to be stubborn, and a brave man weak; the one may win his battle by blind persistence, and the other lose it by a thoughtful vacillation. Nevertheless, the want of all expression of resoluteness in Dutch battle-pieces remains, for the present, a mystery to me. In those of Wouwerman, it is only a natural development of his perfect vulgarity in all respects" (Modern Painters, vol. v. pt. ix. ch. viii. §§ 8-10).