pan and syrinx by rubens
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Pan and Syrinx by RubensAuthor(s): August L. MayerSource: The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 65, No. 380 (Nov., 1934), pp. 236-237Published by: The Burlington Magazine Publications, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/865871
Accessed: 08/11/2009 06:24
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RogerFry as Art HistorianRogerFry as Art Historian
his generation would, surely, have been better
equipped to write a book, of monumental propor-tions, on the whole history of Italian art. He did,as a matter of fact, once treat of this entire subjectconnectedly, in a survey included among the
preliminary matter of Macmillan's Guide to Italy and
Sicily (19oI); and where the utmost compression
was inevitable, it is extraordinary to notice, how henever once falls back upon a cliche, but manages tobe independent, fresh and stimulating.upon everypoint. At the time of my first personal contact with
Roger Fry, now close upon thirty years ago, we
seriously discussed bringing out jointly a book onNorth Italian painting somewhat on the lines ofCrowe and Cavalcaselle-the latter a connoisseurwhom he admired immensely-and actually drew
up a scheme for it. Eventually, however, this projectcame to naught; but Roger Fry took the keenestand most active interest in bringing about the newedition of Crowe and Cavalcaselle's work on that
very subject; and all through that undertaking Iwas
privilegedto profit
byhis
helpand counsel in
a measure for which I can never be sufficientlygrateful.
Later in life the claims of art history proper were
perhaps personally less strongly felt by Roger Fry;
his generation would, surely, have been better
equipped to write a book, of monumental propor-tions, on the whole history of Italian art. He did,as a matter of fact, once treat of this entire subjectconnectedly, in a survey included among the
preliminary matter of Macmillan's Guide to Italy and
Sicily (19oI); and where the utmost compression
was inevitable, it is extraordinary to notice, how henever once falls back upon a cliche, but manages tobe independent, fresh and stimulating.upon everypoint. At the time of my first personal contact with
Roger Fry, now close upon thirty years ago, we
seriously discussed bringing out jointly a book onNorth Italian painting somewhat on the lines ofCrowe and Cavalcaselle-the latter a connoisseurwhom he admired immensely-and actually drew
up a scheme for it. Eventually, however, this projectcame to naught; but Roger Fry took the keenestand most active interest in bringing about the newedition of Crowe and Cavalcaselle's work on that
very subject; and all through that undertaking Iwas
privilegedto profit
byhis
helpand counsel in
a measure for which I can never be sufficientlygrateful.
Later in life the claims of art history proper were
perhaps personally less strongly felt by Roger Fry;
SHORTER NOTICESPAN AND SYRINX BY RUBENS.-In his Critical
Catalogue of Rubens' works (Vol. III, No. 660), MaxRooses refers to a panel picture, pointed out to him byW. Bode, representingPan andSyrinx 62 by 80 cm.) thenin the collection of Count Ribaudeau at Paris whichR. Oldenbourg does not include in his most carefuledition of the volume on the Master in the Klassiker erKunstseries. Perhaps, as he had at his disposal all the
material collected by his uncle, Dr. Bode, he did notbelieve in its genuineness; perhaps he was unable tofind any trace of the picture, as no Count Ribaudeauwas then in existence.
Rooses mentions another picture which was in the
gallery at Cassel, and was described in the Inventory of
1729 (38 by 57 cm.) as by Rubens and Brueghel " deVelours." It came from the collections of Mrs. vanSt. Annaland (sold at The Hague in 1729 for 400 florins)and Adrien Bout (sold in the same town in I733 for
700 florins). This picture was removed during theFrench occupation by Denon. Rooses was the first todoubt the correctness of the story told by the last
owner, that is to say, that it was the Ribaudeau picturewhich his grandfather had bought at the Denon sale in
1826, because, not only is the picture not mentioned
in the catalogue, but the dimensions of the Casselpicture and those of the Ribaudeau panel differ con-
siderably.A picture has recently come to light and is now in an
English private collection, representingthe same subjectand painted by Rubens and Brueghel [PLATE]. Thedimensions are approximately the same as those of theCassel picture: 39 by 59 cm. On the back is an oldnumber, 232, painted in colour which would seem torefer to the number in the Cassel Inventory. It is
SHORTER NOTICESPAN AND SYRINX BY RUBENS.-In his Critical
Catalogue of Rubens' works (Vol. III, No. 660), MaxRooses refers to a panel picture, pointed out to him byW. Bode, representingPan andSyrinx 62 by 80 cm.) thenin the collection of Count Ribaudeau at Paris whichR. Oldenbourg does not include in his most carefuledition of the volume on the Master in the Klassiker erKunstseries. Perhaps, as he had at his disposal all the
material collected by his uncle, Dr. Bode, he did notbelieve in its genuineness; perhaps he was unable tofind any trace of the picture, as no Count Ribaudeauwas then in existence.
Rooses mentions another picture which was in the
gallery at Cassel, and was described in the Inventory of
1729 (38 by 57 cm.) as by Rubens and Brueghel " deVelours." It came from the collections of Mrs. vanSt. Annaland (sold at The Hague in 1729 for 400 florins)and Adrien Bout (sold in the same town in I733 for
700 florins). This picture was removed during theFrench occupation by Denon. Rooses was the first todoubt the correctness of the story told by the last
owner, that is to say, that it was the Ribaudeau picturewhich his grandfather had bought at the Denon sale in
1826, because, not only is the picture not mentioned
in the catalogue, but the dimensions of the Casselpicture and those of the Ribaudeau panel differ con-
siderably.A picture has recently come to light and is now in an
English private collection, representingthe same subjectand painted by Rubens and Brueghel [PLATE]. Thedimensions are approximately the same as those of theCassel picture: 39 by 59 cm. On the back is an oldnumber, 232, painted in colour which would seem torefer to the number in the Cassel Inventory. It is
and to some extent other interests caused him to losethat close and continuous contact with the art of the
past which is indispensable to the art historian andconnoisseur. But over and over again, when specialcircumstances arose, his old power would come out
again, in full brilliance; as, for example, in his
very last book, the one based upon his lectures
delivered in connexion with the Burlington HouseExhibition of English Art. On the whole questionof the function and importance of art history, his
attitude never varied in its essence; and treating in
these columns of this aspect of his mind, one cannot
do better than recall the words with which he,
writing anonymously, inJuly 191 I, closed an editorialarticle entitled "Number One Hundred ":
"In looking forward to the future one foreseesthe possibility of a time when the study of ancient
masterpieces may have completely revivified the
general sense of beauty once so nearly extinct. Untilthat distant day arrives we believe that THEBURLINGTON MAGAZINE will continue to perform a
useful and a necessaryfunction."
Substitute "art history") for the particular
periodical named: and Roger Fry has here givenus a motto for the studies that meant so much to
him which scarcely could be bettered.
and to some extent other interests caused him to losethat close and continuous contact with the art of the
past which is indispensable to the art historian andconnoisseur. But over and over again, when specialcircumstances arose, his old power would come out
again, in full brilliance; as, for example, in his
very last book, the one based upon his lectures
delivered in connexion with the Burlington HouseExhibition of English Art. On the whole questionof the function and importance of art history, his
attitude never varied in its essence; and treating in
these columns of this aspect of his mind, one cannot
do better than recall the words with which he,
writing anonymously, inJuly 191 I, closed an editorialarticle entitled "Number One Hundred ":
"In looking forward to the future one foreseesthe possibility of a time when the study of ancient
masterpieces may have completely revivified the
general sense of beauty once so nearly extinct. Untilthat distant day arrives we believe that THEBURLINGTON MAGAZINE will continue to perform a
useful and a necessaryfunction."
Substitute "art history") for the particular
periodical named: and Roger Fry has here givenus a motto for the studies that meant so much to
him which scarcely could be bettered.
certainly identical with the painting by Rubens and
Brueghel, which was sold at the Giroux sale at Paris on
February loth, I85I (No. '59; dimensions, 39 by60 cm.) and reproduced in an engraving by N.D.The picture clearly shows the hand of Rubens himself,not only in the two figures, but also in the painting ofthe rushes. The period is precisely that indicated byRooses: about I620. A certain similarity of stylewith
the AdamandEve in the Mauritshuis at The Hague, isobvious. We can see the beginning of a greaterfreedom;the brushworkhas become easier, more fluent . This ismost obvious in the leg of the Pan, the drapery and thewoman's hair. In more than one part the groundworkhas been left almost uncovered-a trait peculiar toRubens. Brueghel executed the flowers and birds, aswell as the background on the right.
This picture affords one more proof of how rightOldenbourg was to delete from Rubens's auvre theversion at Buckingham Palace which is still accepted byRooses and Rosenberg and reproduced in the firstedition of the Klassikerder Kunst volume. But the
BuckinghamPalace picture is not even an imitation; itis a school version of the picture which was sold in 1867from the Pommersfelden Collection, and sold again in
May, I898, at Messrs. Georges Petit in Paris (No. 95,58 by 95 cm.). The Buckingham Palace picture, inwhich the landscape was certainly painted by Bruegheland the figures perhaps by van Baalen, may have been
copied to a certain extent from a lost original. It
reproducesthe figure composition of the Pommersfelden
picture in reverse, Syrinx having both arms in the air.But the composition is by no means so fine nor so
carefully thought out as in our picture.AUGUST L. MAYER
certainly identical with the painting by Rubens and
Brueghel, which was sold at the Giroux sale at Paris on
February loth, I85I (No. '59; dimensions, 39 by60 cm.) and reproduced in an engraving by N.D.The picture clearly shows the hand of Rubens himself,not only in the two figures, but also in the painting ofthe rushes. The period is precisely that indicated byRooses: about I620. A certain similarity of stylewith
the AdamandEve in the Mauritshuis at The Hague, isobvious. We can see the beginning of a greaterfreedom;the brushworkhas become easier, more fluent . This ismost obvious in the leg of the Pan, the drapery and thewoman's hair. In more than one part the groundworkhas been left almost uncovered-a trait peculiar toRubens. Brueghel executed the flowers and birds, aswell as the background on the right.
This picture affords one more proof of how rightOldenbourg was to delete from Rubens's auvre theversion at Buckingham Palace which is still accepted byRooses and Rosenberg and reproduced in the firstedition of the Klassikerder Kunst volume. But the
BuckinghamPalace picture is not even an imitation; itis a school version of the picture which was sold in 1867from the Pommersfelden Collection, and sold again in
May, I898, at Messrs. Georges Petit in Paris (No. 95,58 by 95 cm.). The Buckingham Palace picture, inwhich the landscape was certainly painted by Bruegheland the figures perhaps by van Baalen, may have been
copied to a certain extent from a lost original. It
reproducesthe figure composition of the Pommersfelden
picture in reverse, Syrinx having both arms in the air.But the composition is by no means so fine nor so
carefully thought out as in our picture.AUGUST L. MAYER
23636
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PAsYAXD SYRIXX, HERE IDENTIFIED AS BY RUBENS. PANEL, 39 BY 59 CM (PRIVATE COLLECTION,ENGLAND)AsYAXD SYRIXX, HERE IDENTIFIED AS BY RUBENS. PANEL, 39 BY 59 CM (PRIVATE COLLECTION,ENGLAND)
SHORTER NOTICES: PA;C AWDSYRIXX, BY RUBENSHORTER NOTICES: PA;C AWDSYRIXX, BY RUBENS
A MADOJZJ<AAXD CHILD, BY GIOVANNI BELLINI. PEN B-MADOJZJ<A AJ<D CHILD (DETAIL), BY GIOVANNI
DRAWING, 9.4 BY 7.7 CM. (F. KOENIGS, HAARLEM) BELLINI. CANVAS, 78.7 BY 57 CM. (THE HUNTINGTON
COLLECTION, PASADENA, U.S.A.)
A MADOJZJ<AAXD CHILD, BY GIOVANNI BELLINI. PEN B-MADOJZJ<A AJ<D CHILD (DETAIL), BY GIOVANNI
DRAWING, 9.4 BY 7.7 CM. (F. KOENIGS, HAARLEM) BELLINI. CANVAS, 78.7 BY 57 CM. (THE HUNTINGTON
COLLECTION, PASADENA, U.S.A.)
SHORTER NOTICES: A MADONNA DRAWING BY GIOVANNI BELLINIHORTER NOTICES: A MADONNA DRAWING BY GIOVANNI BELLINI
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