The Teyler Museum.—We can afford to neglect the Teyler Museum, unless we are particularly interested in the study of modern Dutch art. In that case, we can view there some excellent examples of Israëls, Mauve, Mesdag, Ten Cate, J. Koster, Bosboom, Verveer, Eeckhout, Koekkoek, and others. The Teyler Museum also contains a valuable collection of engravings and drawings by old masters, including Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Goltzius, and A. van Ostade.
The Paviljoen Welgelegen.—Taking the tram to Frederiks-Park, we may glance at the Paviljoen Welgelegen, a château built in 1788 by Mr. Hope, an Amsterdam banker, and which was purchased by Louis Napoleon when he became King of Holland. It was to this building that the modern pictures were removed from the Trippenhuis in 1838. This now shelters a Colonial Museum and a Museum of Industrial Art, both of great interest.
THE BOIJMANS MUSEUM, ROTTERDAM
THE MUSEUM'S ORIGIN AND GROWTH
The Boijmans (or Boymans) Museum, on the Schiedamsche Dyk, was founded by a bequest of Mr. F. J. O. Boijmans, who died in 1847. His fine collection of 360 paintings suffered by fire in 1864, and only 163 of them were left. These were housed in a new building, completed in 1867. By means of various bequests and purchases, the collection has been increased to more than four hundred paintings and two thousand drawings and engravings. The ground-floor contains the drawings and engravings, the Library of Rotterdam (30,000 volumes), and the Portrait-room. The upper floor consists of six galleries, two of which are devoted to modern pictures.
Two Classes of Landscapes in this Museum.—The Boijmans Museum is rich in landscapes. These naturally fall into two classes: first, the works of those men who studied in Italy or at least owed their inspiration to others who did; and secondly, pictures of purely Dutch scenery with the peasants, flocks, and herds familiar to the native. The classical landscapes are framed with mountains, and usually have cascades and ruins, and often are peopled with nymphs, shepherds, and other figures classically draped. Many examples of this school have already been noted in The Hague and Amsterdam museums.
Painters of Italian Landscapes.—Jan Miel (1599-1664) went to Rome and studied under Andreas Sacchi. His Italian Landscape, alive with travellers, is similar in feeling and treatment to many others in this gallery by Jan van de Meer, Jr., Adam Pynacker, J. Lingelbach, Jacob van Huchtenburgh, Willem de Heusch, Jan Hackaert, J. van Bronckhorst, Pieter Bout, Jan Both, Adriaen Bloemaert, and Johannes van der Bent. In many of these classical landscapes the figures are supplied by A. van de Velde and Lingelbach.
Poelenburg's Figure-painting.—Poelenburg painted the figures in the pictures of some of his contemporaries,—in the Rocky Landscape by Willem de Heusch, for instance. In this panel we find the usual road with women, children, cattle, sheep, goats, trees, cascade, rocks covered with vegetation, shepherd with flock, travellers with a pack-mule, and mountainous background.