8/14/2019 Pan and Syrinx by Rubens

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pan-and-syrinx-by-rubens 1/3

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

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless

you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you

may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.

Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=bmpl.

Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed

page of such transmission.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of 

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms

of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

The Burlington Magazine Publications, Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend

access to The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs.

8/14/2019 Pan and Syrinx by Rubens

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pan-and-syrinx-by-rubens 2/3

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

8/14/2019 Pan and Syrinx by Rubens

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pan-and-syrinx-by-rubens 3/3

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