Rudder, Mme. de. This lady has made an art of her embroidery, and may be said to have revived this decorative specialty and to have equalled the ancient productions which are so beautiful and valuable. After her marriage to the well-known sculptor this gifted couple began their collaboration. M. P. Verneuil, in Brush and Pencil, November, 1903, writes: "The first result of this joint work was shown in 1894 at the Exposition Cercle pour l'Art, in the form of a panel, called 'The Eagle and the Swan.' It was exhibited afterward at the Secession in Vienna, where it was purchased by a well-known amateur and connoisseur. Other works were produced in succession, each more interesting than its predecessor. Not daunted by difficulties that would have discouraged the most ambitious and audacious craftswoman, Mme. de Rudder took for a subject 'The Fates,' to decorate a screen. Aside from the artistic interest attaching to this work, it is remarkable for another quality. The artist yielded to the instinctive liking that she had for useful art—she ornamented a useful article—and in mastering the technical difficulties of her work she created the new method called 're-embroidery.' For the dresses of her 'Fates' ancient silks were utilized for a background. Some of the pieces had moth-holes, which necessitated the addition of 'supplementary ornamental motives,' 'embroidered on cloth to conceal the defects.' The discovery of 're-embroidery' was the result of this enforced expedient.
"This screen, finished in 1896, was exhibited at the Cercle Artistique, Brussels, where the mayor, M. Buls, saw it. Realizing the possibilities of the method and the skill of the artist, he gave an order to Mme. de Rudder to decorate the Marriage Hall of the Hotel de Ville. This order was delivered in 1896. During this period Mme. de Rudder worked feverishly. About the same time that the order for the Hotel de Ville was given, she received from M. Van Yssendyck, architect of the Hotel Provincial in Ghent, a commission to design and embroider six large allegorical panels. One of them represented 'Wisdom' in the habiliments of Minerva, modernized, holding an olive branch. The five others were 'Justice,' holding a thistle, symbolizing law; 'Eloquence,' crowned with roses and holding a lyre; 'Strength,' bending an oak branch; 'Truth,' crushing a serpent and bearing a mirror and some lilies; and 'Prudence,' with the horn of plenty and some holly. These six panels are remarkable for the beautiful decorative feeling that suffuses their composition. The tricks of workmanship are varied, and all combine to give a wonderful effect. Contrary to the form of presenting the 'Fates,' all the figures are draped."
Her next important commission was for eight large panels, intended to decorate the Congo Free State department in the Brussels Exposition. These panels represent the "Triumph of Civilization over Barbarism," and are now in the Museum at Tervueren. They are curious in their symbols of fetichism, and have an attraction that one can scarcely explain. The above are but a part of her important works, and naturally, when not absorbed by these, Mme. de Rudder executes some smaller pieces which are marvels of patience in their exquisite detail.
Perhaps her panels of the "Four Seasons" may be called her chef-d'oeuvre. The writer quoted above also says:
"To Mme. de Rudder must be given the credit for the interpretation of work demanding large and varied decorative effect, while in the creation of true artistic composition she easily stands at the head of the limited coterie of men and women who have mastered this delicate and difficult art. She is a leader in her peculiar craft."
Rude, Mme. Sophie Frémiet. 1797-1867. Medal at Paris Salon, 1833. Born in Dijon. This artist painted historical and genre subjects as well as portraits. Her picture of the "Sleeping Virgin," 1831, and that of the "Arrest of the Duchess of Burgundy in Bruges," 1841, are in the Dijon Museum.
Ruysch, Rachel. The perfection of flower-painting is seen in the works of Rachel Ruysch. The daughter of a distinguished professor of anatomy, she was born at Amsterdam in 1664. She was for a time a pupil of William van Aelst, but soon studied from nature alone. Some art critics esteem her works superior to those of De Heem and Van Huysum. Let that be as it may, the pictures with which she was no doubt dissatisfied when they passed from her hand more than two centuries ago are greatly valued to-day and her genius is undisputed.
When thirty years old Rachel Ruysch married the portrait painter, Julian van Pool. She bore him ten children, but in the midst of all her cares she never laid her brush aside. Her reputation extended to every court of Europe. She received many honors, and was elected to the Academical Society at The Hague. She was received with distinguished courtesies on the two occasions when she visited Düsseldorf.
