,rembrandt's ,amsterdam ,reprinted1 by permission of ,museum of ,fine ,arts1 ,boston1 from 8,the ,print-,collector's ,quarterly0 ,frits ,lugt ,museum of ,fine ,arts1 ,boston #aiae ,,contents ,map ,key ,,rembrandt',s ,,amsterdam ,footnotes ,,illustrations ,,plan ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,amsterdam ,,about #afej ,plate #a4 ,view of ,amsterdam from the ,east4 7reversed74 ,after the etching by ,rembrandt ,plate #b4 ,the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam4 ,after an engraving by ,cl4 ,jz4 ,visscher4 ,plate #c4 ,the ,ruins of the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam1 after the ,fire in #afeb4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in the ,rembrandt ,house in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #d4 ,the ,new ,town-,hall in ,amsterdam1 about #affj4 ,the square building on the right is the public ,weighing-,house1 where ,rembrandt sketched the ruins of the old town-hall 7see preceding illustration74 ,after an etching by ,j4 van der ,ulft1 #afef4 ,plate #e4 ,the ,bridge ,called 8,grimnessesluis0 in ,amsterdam4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt in the ,louvre1 ,paris4 ,reproduced1 by permission1 from a copyright photograph by ,messrs4 ,braun and ,co41 ,dornach4 ,plate #f4 ,view of the ,ramparts of ,amsterdam1 with the ,st4 ,anthony-,gate in the ,distance4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection4 ,plate #g4 ,mills on the ,west ,side of ,amsterdam1 ,looking ,toward the ,town4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in a private collection in ,kopenhagen4 ,plate #h4 ,view of the ,same ,side of ,town as in ,plate #g1 but ,looking ,outward4 ,the tower on the left is the same as sketched by ,rembrandt 7plate #ac74 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #i4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,montelraanstoren0 ,in ,amsterdam ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in the ,rembrandt ,house1 ,amsterdam ,plate #aj4 ,the ,same ,tower as in the ,preceding ,illustration1 with its ,steeple and ,surroundings4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #aa4 ,the ,canal called 8,singel0 in ,amsterdam4 ,on the left-hand side ,rembrandt's son1 ,titus1 lived during his short married life4 ,in the distance1 the 8,janroopoortstoren04 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #ab4 ,the ,tower called 8,swyght-,utrecht01 and the 8,doelen0 in ,amsterdam 7see plate #bj74 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt in the collection of ,dr4 ,c4 ,hofsteded de ,groot1 ,the ,hague4 ,plate #ac4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,westertoren0 ,in ,amsterdam4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,fodor ,museum1 ,amsterdam ,plate #ad4 ,the ,canal called 8,prinsengracht0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the tower seen on the left is the same as seen in the preceding illustration4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #ae4 ,the ,st4 ,anthony-,market in ,amsterdam1 with the ,old ,gate ,transformed into a ,weighing-,house4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #af4 ,rembrandt's ,house ,in ,the 8,st4 ,anthonie-breestraat0 ,in ,amsterdam ,on the left3 ,as it must have looked when ,rembrandt occupied it4 ,on the right3 ,present state4 ,plate #ag4 ,the ,bridge and ,sluice called 8,st4 ,anthonie-sluis0 in ,amsterdam1 seen from the ,north4 ,rembrandt's home 7plate #af7 stood in the immediate vicinity of this spot4 ,after the drawing by ,a4 ,waterloo1 in the ,fodor ,museum1 ,amsterdam4 ,plate #ah4 ,the 8doelenstraat0 ,in ,amsterdam 7old situation7 ,the receding building1 behind the low wall with gate1 on the right1 is the 8,doelen0 for which ,rembrandt painted 8,the ,night ,watch40 ,the house where the master lived in #afcf was next to the house seen on the extreme right4 ,the tower seen above the roof is the one sketched by ,rembrandt 7plate #ab74 ,compare also plate #bj ,after the drawing by ,r4 ,vinkeles in the ,archives in ,amsterdam ,plate #ai4 ,the ,back of the ,houses in the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the narrow house in the middle1 two windows wide1 is1 although rebuilt1 the one where ,rembrandt lived in #afcf4 ,to the left1 part of ,messrs4 ,frederk ,muller ,co4's aution and exhibition rooms4 ,plate #bj4 ,the ,tower 8,swyght-,utrecht0 and the ,backs of the ,houses of the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the third house from the tower must be the one occupied by ,rembrandt in #afcf4 ,after an engraving by van ,meurs of about #affj4 ,plate #ba4 ,the ,old ,exchange in ,amsterdam4 ,after an engraving by ,cl4 ,jz4 ,visscher4 ,plate #bb4 ,the ,inn ,called 8de ,keizers ,kroon0 ,in ,the ,kalverstraat1 ,amsterdam4 ,here ,rembrandt's collections were sold by auction1 after his bankruptcy1 in #afeg and #ajeh4 ,after an anonymous drawing in the ,archives in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #bc4 ,the ,house ,of ,mr4 ,f4 ,banning ,cocq 7the ,captain ,and ,prominent ,person ,in ,rembrandt's 8,night-watch07 ,in ,amsterdam ,after an anonymous drawing in the family archives of ,jhr4 ,d4 de ,graeff at ,the ,hague ,plate #bd4 ,the ,star of the ,kings4 ,children before a street door on ,epiphany-evening4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,british ,museum1 ,london4 ,salting ,bequest4 ,plate #be4 ,children ,refore ,a ,street ,door3 ,the ,one ,in ,the ,middle ,with ,a 8,rommelpot04 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,british ,museum1 ,london ,plate #bf4 ,a ,quacksalver on a ,market-,place4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt4 ,in the collection of ,frederich ,august ,,ii1 in ,dresden4 ,plate #bg4 ,portrait ,of ,jan ,lutma4 ,from an impression1 in the ,first ,state1 of ,rembrandt's etching1 in the ,museum of ,fine ,arts1 ,boston4 ,plan of the ,city of ,amsterdam about #afej ,,plan ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,amsterdam ,,about #afej ,,map ,,key image ,line indicating the extension of the town1 started during the last ten years of ,rembrandt's life4 #a4 ,house of the painter ,pieter ,lastman1 the master of ,rembrandt1 in the 8,st4 ,anthonie-breestraat40 ,in the same street was the house of the dealer ,hendrick ,uylenburgh1 with whom ,rembrandt stayed during the first years after his settlement in ,amsterdam4 #b4 ,house in the 8,doelenstraat0 where ,rembrandt lived in #afcf 7see plates #ah1 #ai1 #bj74 #c4 ,part of the ,amstel where ,rembrandt seems to have lived towarda #afci4 #d4 ,house in the 8,st4 ,anthonie-breestraat0 7now called 8,joden-breestraat10 ,no4 #d7 occupied and owned by ,rembrandt from #afci until #afeh 7see plate #af74 ,on the canal behind was the ,synagogue of his friend ,menasseh-ben-,israel4 ,the bridge and sluice seen on plate #ag is the one between this red number and number #a4 #e4 ,house on the 8,rosengracht0 7now ,no4 #ahd7 where ,rembrandt lived during the last ten years of his life4 #f4 ,the 8,bloemgracht0 where ,rembrandt is said to have used a store-house as a studio1 principally for his pupils1 during his first years in ,amsterdam4 #g4 ,the place where ,rembrandt's son ,titus lived1 on the 8,singel10 opposite the apple-market1 in #affh1 during his short married life 7see plate #aa74 #h4 ,house on the 8,keizersgracht0 7now ,no4 #bjh7 of ,dr4 ,nicolaes ,tulp1 the principal person in ,rembrandt's painting ,the ,anatomical ,lesson4 ,next to him lived ,dr4 ,aernout ,tholinx1 whose portrait was etched and painted by ,rembrandt4 #i4 ,house on the 8,singel0 7now ,nos4 #adj-adb7 of ,mr4 ,f4 ,banning ,cocq1 the ,captain in ,rembrandt's masterwork1 ,the ,night-watch 7see plate #bc74 #aj4 ,house on the 8,kloveniersburgwal0 7now ,no4 #dg7 in which apparently lived ,mr4 ,jan ,six1 a well-known and influential person in ,rembrandt's life1 whose painted and etched portraits count among ,rembrandt's finest productions4 #aa4 ,house in the 8,kalverstraat0 7now ,no4 #aj7 of the print-dealer and publisher ,clement de ,jonghe whose portrait ,rembrandt etched4 #ab4 ,the old ,st4 ,anthony-gate1 in ,rembrandt's days ,public ,weighing-,house1 and1 on the first floor1 the seat of the ,surgeon's ,guild1 of which ,dr4 ,tulp and ,dr4 ,deyman were the foremen4 #ac4 ,the 8,doelen10 meeting-place of the ,civic ,guard1 for which ,rembrandt's ,nightwatch was painted4 ,at its side the tower1 ,swyght-,utrecht 7see plates #ah1ai1bj74 #ad4 ,the ,staalhof1 the office for which ,rembrandt executed his celebrated picture known as ,the ,syndics4 #ae4 ,the inn called ,de ,keizers ,kroon in the ,kalverstraat 7now ,no4 #ga7 where ,rembrandt's collections were sold at auction1 after his bankruptcy1 in #afeg and #afeh 7see plate #bb74 #af4 ,the ,dam1 with the town-hall on the right and the ,public ,weighing-,house in the middle 7see plates #b1c1d74 #ag4 ,the bridge called ,grimnessesluis 7see plate #e74 #ah4 ,the ,st4 ,anthony-gate 7see plate #f7 at the end of the street where ,rembrandt lived4 #ai4 ,the spot where ,rembrandt has apparently sketched the mills and the views of the town 7see plate #g74 #bj4 ,the tower called ,montelbaanstoren 7see plates #i and #aj7 and the bridge from which ,rembrandt sketched it4 #ba4 ,the bridge called 8,leliebrug10 from which ,rembrandt sketched the tower of the church called ,westerkerk4 ,this church1 on the map1 is between the bridge and the house numbered #h4 7,see plate #ac47 ,in this church ,rembrandt was buried4 #bb4 ,about this spot ,rembrandt must have found the subject for his etching ,view of ,amsterdam 7see ,frontispiece1 plate #a74 ,when this etching was executed1 the tongue of land1 near there1 with the two bastions1 did not yet exist4 #bc4 ,bridge called ,blaubrug 7,blue ,bridge7 where ,rembrandt sketched the perspective along the ,amstel river4 #bd4 ,houses on the 8,singel0 7now ,nos4 #bcd-bcf7 where the caligrapher ,lieven ,willemsz4 ,coppenal1 an intimate friend of ,rembrandt1 had his school1 and probably lived4 #be4 ,house on the 8,keizersgracht0 7stated as the second house from the 8,beerenstraat071 where the painter ,johan van de ,cappelle1 a friend and fervent admirer of ,rembrandt1 lived until #affc4 #bf4 ,house in the 8,koestraat0 7now ,no4 #ae71 where the same painter lived after #affc4 ,this house1 until then1 had been inhabited by the celebrated musician ,sweelinck and his descendants4 #bg4 ,house on the 8,lauriergracht0 7probably between the first and second bridge7 where ,rembrandt's pupil ,govert ,flinck lived from #afdd1 until his death in #affj4 ,ten years earlier he was staying in the house of the dealer ,hendrick ,uylenburgh 7see above7 where ,rembrandt then also lived4 ,to locate the houses of some others of ,rembrandt's artist-friends and pupils is more difficult3 ,ferdinand ,bol lived1 in ,rembrandt's time1 on the ,fluweele burgwal 7i4e41 on the map1 the left-hand side of the canal numbered #bh71 and afterwards in the new extension on the ,keizersgracht near the ,spiegelstraat4 ,so did ,gerbrand van den ,eeckfwut1 who died on the ,heeren-gracht near the ,viyselstraat4 ,philips ,koninck lived1 in ,rembrandt's time1 on the ,keizersgracht1 the same canal where we found ,tulp and van de ,cappelle4 ,,rembrandt',s ,,amsterdam ,by ,frits ,lugt ,i ,plate #a4 ,view of ,amsterdam from the ,east4 ,plate #a4 ,view of ,amsterdam from the ,east4 7reversed74 ,after the etching by ,rembrandt 8,the city seems to float upon the waters and looks like the sovereign of the deep4 ,it is crowded with merchants of every nation and its habitants are themselves the most eminent merchants in the world4 ,it appears1 at first1 not to be the city of any particular people1 but to be common to all1 as the centre of their commerce4 ,the vessels in this harbour are so numerous1 as almost to hide the water in which they float2 and the masts look at a distance like a forest40 8,i gazed1 with insatiable curiosity1 upon this great city1 in which everything was in motion40 ,this impression of ,amsterdam by a seventeenth century author 7#a7 takes us back to the time when no rivals had yet contested with the town its commercial monopoly1-- when its full and radiant display struck the eyes of every visitor4 ,tempted though we feel to recall this glorious past 7the period and direct surroundings of its greatest painter71 we naturally take ,amsterdam's present state as a basis1 and in doing so painfully notice the loss of precious reminiscences which the course of time has inevitably involved4 ,but realising that such loss is not only the consequence of neglect and lack of respect1 and that to a large degree modern life with its different requirements and intensity forcibly causes cruel changes1 we must conquer our regrets and rather view with open eyes the vitality of the town and the renewed energy of its present existence4 ,sad indeed is the aspect of towns1 known as 8dead cities10 which preserve their old architectural appearance1 and where all life seems extinguished4 ,they are but their own shadows and a perpetual outcry against the reverses of ,fate or the relaxation of human energy1 which proved unable to carry on the aspirations of preceding generations4 ,fortunately ,amsterdam escaped this disgrace1 because its spark of life never quite died out2 the burning vigour of its inhabitants1 which was instrumental in raising the town's prosperity in the seventeenth century1 may seem a high-flaming fire compared to the peaceful existence of its rich population in the eighteenth century2 and it may be true that the former energy and enterprise were reduced to glowing embers about the beginning of the nineteenth century2 but let it be recognised that the same fire always smouldered and that it is now spreading anew with a sympathetic stubbornness4 ,when ,motley says1 in his 8,history of the ,united ,netherlands10 that the ,dutch ,republic was 8sea-born and sea-sustained10 we have to apply this1 in the first place1 to its most important town1 ,amsterdam1 and if we then remember that the suppression of a nation accustomed to maritime pursuits is one of the rarest things in history1 we shall arrive at a better understanding of ,amsterdam's vitality4 ,in a town where life so maintained its course1 we cannot expect to find whole quarters preserved1 just as they appeared in the first half of the seventeenth century2 the general disposition of the town1 however1 is so original and effective that its indestructible plan survived until our days4 ,there are in the world but few towns that possess such a charming singularity1 and ,venice is probably the only town offering a similar attraction1 although it differs in many respects4 ,hence1 ,amsterdam's surname of ,the ,venice of the ,north is easily accounted for1 and appears already in the writings of ,guicciardini1 the sixteenth-century historian4 ,it is the water that lends to the town its peculiar charm1 and while some canals had to be filled in to create carriage accommodation in the old parts1 most were preserved1 and though in their water other house-fronts are reflected1 the visitor can reconstruct1 without great difficulty1 a vision of ,amsterdam in ,rembrandt's days4 ,let us offer some help to the visitor in his efforts to revive the old town in his imagination4 ,such assistance is needed1 because ,amsterdam is not a place where one would prefer to be left alone with his dreams4 ,modern life overshadows the past to such an extent1 that one cannot transpose one's self three centuries by simply eliminating the present2 there are no ruins which induce us to reconstruct1 in our mind1 that which has vanished1 no population which has arrested its progress at the period of its greatest prosperity4 ,fortunately the nature of ,amsterdam's beauty and originality has not changed and from this fact every newcomer may derive great help in his efforts to rebuild the scenes of bygone times4 ,first of all1 let the stranger take into consideration that ,rembrandt took up his abode in the town when it was rapidly growing1 and when the picturesqueness of its late-mediaeval appearance had to concede to graver conceptions1 based on the classics and the ,italian renaissance4 ,let him remember that the threefold girdle of wide canals lined with big houses1 which now embraces the old city1 was at that time only in course of construction1 and that less stately canals preserved a more intimate aspect4 ,these narrower waterways in the heart of the old town1 filled with barges between quays crowded with merchandise1 reveal more the city's growth and nature1--the stately but less lively canals of a later extension typify better the pride and ease ensuing from the reaped harvest4 ,when ,rembrandt came to ,amsterdam about #afca he found the town broken through its boundaries and new quarters risen on the fields outside1 which a former generation had known only as meadows and vegetable gardens4 ,the artist must have noticed many changes even since he passed his years of apprenticeship in ,amsterdam in the studio of ,pieter ,lastman1 returning again to his native town ,leyden during the intermediate seven or eight years4 ,until the period of ,rembrandt's settling in ,amsterdam1 this city1 although having been long the metropolis of the ,northern ,netherlands1 had not been very different in aspect to other important ,dutch towns2 its seventeenth-century buildings belong to the same school of architecture as those of the other cities1 like ,haarlem1 ,alkmaar1 ,leyden4 ,its immense prosperity and development as ,europe's most important seaport since about #afjj1 however1 originated a notable change3 its aspect gradually became more individual1 until in the second part of the golden century it had assumed the grandeur worthy of 8the capital of ,europe1 the neighbours' support and hope10 as our greatest poet then justly called her4 ,important buildings and a very logically and royally planned extension of its canals and streets were the causes of this alteration4 ,we do not know of any other big town of that period so systematically laid out1 with such a preservation of its original beauty and with such an outspoken aim to obtain in its new thoroughfares a similar attraction to the eyes4 ,of all the cities of the ,netherlands none possessed the means1 or were forced to undertake such big works1 as ,amsterdam4 ,consequently the best ,dutch architects of that time erected their finest and most important edifices in ,amsterdam1 and very often exclusively built there2 and this accounts for her assuming that individual aspect of stateliness4 ,rembrandt got acquainted in ,amsterdam with two distinct architectural periods3 #ast1 the one just closed on his arrival1 dominated by the eminent architect and sculptor ,hendrick de ,keyser 7father of the celebrated portrait-painter ,thomas de ,keyser72 #b;d1 the following period1 influenced by ,jacob van ,campen4 ,the first period enriched ,amsterdam with a great number of buildings1 generally in red brick with decorations in clear sandstone1 of a varied and often baroque appearance2 their style1 although based on early sixteenth-century ,italian renaissance1 may be called a typical ,dutch one1 strongly personified as it was1 towards the end of the sixteenth century1 by ,netherlandish architects1 like ,cornells ,floris and ,vredeman de ,vries4--,in the second period1 when the classical style after ,palladio became generally accepted1 the variety of aspect and the baroque details had to yield to monumentality and severity4 ,plate #b4 ,the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #b4 ,the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam4 ,after an engraving by ,cl4 ,jz4 ,visscher4 ,the spirit of the town's aspirations is best reflected in her town-hall1 which marks the culminating point of her evolution 7about #afej74 ,that imposing square building1 still in existence in ,amsterdam's centre1 called the ,dam1 must be familiar to all who have visited the town1 and the interested art-lover may have noted that this building1 grand and magnificent as it is1 has no typical ,dutch character such as marks ,amsterdam's earlier buildings4 ,he will have remarked a strong tendency to the classic style of ,italy1 and the rich marble sculptures inside must have appeared to him as belonging to another school than the contemporary ,dutch pictures1 which he admired in ,amsterdam's ,rksmuseum4 ,in this circumstance we may find the clue to the disharmony which existed between ,rembrandt and his surroundings in his later years4 ,his art and the spirit of his contemporaries were going athwart with different aims4 ,when the artist settled down in ,amsterdam1 at the age of twenty-five1 circumstances were still favourable to a good mutual understanding3 the ambitious and pulsating spirit of the growing commercial city must have felt akin to the boisterous aspirations of the young1 gifted artist4 ,his great material success during the first years furnishes a proof of this supposition4 ,then more and more came the alienation1 and it is most instructive to compare the different results at which the artist and the intelligent population arrived3 the artist1 guided by the strength of his immense personality and talent1 remained himself1 but his fellow-citizens gradually changed their taste and predilections in matters of art and intellect1 uncertain as they were of themselves in these matters4 ,being more gifted as traders than as artists1 they showed that short-sightedness and narrowmindedness in judging their contemporary artists1 which so often repeats itself in history 7even in our time674 ,they were unable to understand the strength and value of the country's native art1 and turned to foreign taste1 even to foreign workmanship1 as in the case of the commission to ,quellinus1 the ,flemish sculptor1 to execute the sculptures in the town-hall1 thus emphasizing their preference for the school of ,rubens and ,van ,dyck above the one of ,hals and ,rembrandt4 ,this tendency occasioned a preference for foreign theories and forms1 and so we see between #afdh and #affj a town-hall built1 ten times bigger than the former one and costing1 according to our money1 about twenty million guilders1 resulting in a work of art1 imposing but not essentially ,dutch 7plates #b1 #c1 #d74 ,plate #c4 ,the ,ruins of the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam1 after the ,fire in #afeb4 ,plate #c4 ,the ,ruins of the ,old ,town ,hall in ,amsterdam1 after the ,fire in #afeb4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in the ,rembrandt ,house in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #d4 ,the ,new ,town-,hall in ,amsterdam1 about #affj4 ,plate #d4 ,the ,new ,town-,hall in ,amsterdam1 about #affj4 ,the square building on the right is the public ,weighing-,house1 where ,rembrandt sketched the ruins of the old town-hall 7see preceding illustration74 ,after an etching by ,j4 van der ,ulft1 #afef4 ,plate #e4 ,the ,bridge ,called 8,grimnessesluis0 in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #e4 ,the ,bridge ,called 8,grimnessesluis0 in ,amsterdam4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt in the ,louvre1 ,paris4 ,reproduced1 by permission1 from a copyright photograph by ,messrs4 ,braun and ,co41 ,dornach4 ,what we know of ,rembrandt in connection with ,amsterdam's town-hall supports the above theory3 he seems to have liked the old building1 a ,late-,gothic structure1 as he sketched it twice1 once after its fire in #afeb4 ,on the other hand1 when in #affb he executes a large decoration for the new town-hall1 his work does not agree with the taste of his contemporaries and is returned to him 7,the ,plot of ,claudius ,civilis1 now much cut down1 in the ,museum at ,stockholm74 ,considering ,rembrandt's style of expressing himself in his work1 we find many instances to convince us of his preference for the architectural forms of an earlier period and of his lack of sympathy for those which were introduced during the later part of his life4 ,is it to be wondered at that he1 the warm-feeling artist1 offspring of a school which affected richness and baroque1 was no friend of a new tendency1 the stateliness and broadness of which were bound to degenerate into coldness and stiffness8 ,looking through his drawings and etchings 7his pictures leave us no town-views taken from nature71 we occasionally meet views of town-gates1 old houses alone or crowded together1 mills1 all obviously sketched on account of a charm akin to ,rembrandt's nature but foreign to the greatest part of the lay population of ,amsterdam4 ,some illustrations will show the master's preferences3 a view on a little old bridge between compact houses1 a spot called ,grimnessesluis1 still forming nowadays1 notwithstanding many later alterations1 one of the most typical views of old ,amsterdam 7plate #e74 ,we must here resist the temptation of reproducing some of ,rembrandt's drawings of picturesque towngates 7like those in the ,louvre1 ,rksmuseum at ,amsterdam1 the collections of ,m4 ,bonnat1 the ,duke of ,devonshire1 and ,teyler at ,haarlem717#b7 because these appear to have been done on an excursion through the ,netherlands1 and cannot be identified with former gates of ,amsterdam2 there is1 however1 another drawing1 more closely connected with landscape1 giving a view of ,st4 ,anthony's ,gate1 quite near ,rembrandt's house1 at the end of the street where he lived1 taken from the north outside the bulwark 7plate #f74 ,on the opposite side of the town ,rembrandt did that delightful sketch with the many mills in the foreground 7plate #g74 ,in the city he again sketched a former fortification-tower1 called ,montelbaenstoren 7plate #i71 showing to its right a perspective of the harbour4 ,we miss in this drawing the steeple1 with which it had been ornamented since #afjf2 the municipality had the good sense1 when new extensions were carried out in the beginning of the seventeenth century1 to preserve the old fortification-towers which became useless because of the ramparts stretching farther1 and to transform them into belfries by giving them graceful steeples with carillons4 ,some of them1 like the one mentioned here1 have lasted till our days2 and when the stranger is kept awake at night1 in his hotel1 by the gay clangor of their bells1 he may grumble at them1 unused as he is to their music1 but when he hears them in daytime he should respect these three-centuries-old tones and meditate like ,rossetti1 when he was impressed by ,van ,eyck's and ,memling's works in ,bruges3-- ,the carillon1 which then did strike ,mine ears1 was heard of theirs alike2 ,it set me closer unto them4 ,plate #f4 ,view of the ,ramparts of ,amsterdam1 with the ,st4 ,anthony-,gate in the ,distance4 ,plate #f4 ,view of the ,ramparts of ,amsterdam1 with the ,st4 ,anthony-,gate in the ,distance4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection4 ,plate #g4 ,mills on the ,west ,side of ,amsterdam1 ,looking ,toward the ,town ,plate #g4 ,mills on the ,west ,side of ,amsterdam1 ,looking ,toward the ,town4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in a private collection in ,kopenhagen4 ,plate #h4 ,view of the ,same ,side of ,town as in ,plate #g1 but ,looking ,outward4 ,plate #h4 ,view of the ,same ,side of ,town as in ,plate #g1 but ,looking ,outward4 ,the tower on the left is the same as sketched by ,rembrandt 7plate #ac74 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,a more complete view of this site the reader will find in an etching by ,zeeman 7plate #aj71 where the tower is seen with its steeple which ,rembrandt omitted because he considered the comparatively modern top in disharmony with the older body of the tower1 or rather for the simple reason that his paper did not allow him sufficient space4 ,another steepleless tower is drawn by him when he sketches the stronghold ,swyght-,utrecht with adjacent buildings 7plates #ab and #bj74 ,finally1 there is the drawing of the tower of the ,westerkerk1 the only sketch after a more severe architecture1 rather a transition from the earlier style of ,de ,keyser to the later one of ,van ,campen 7plate #ac74 ,plate #i4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,montelraanstoren0 ,in ,amsterdam ,plate #i4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,montelraanstoren0 ,in ,amsterdam ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 formerly in the ,heseltine ,collection1 now in the ,rembrandt ,house1 ,amsterdam ,plate #aj4 ,the ,same ,tower as in the ,preceding ,illustration1 with its ,steeple and ,surroundings4 ,plate #aj4 ,the ,same ,tower as in the ,preceding ,illustration1 with its ,steeple and ,surroundings4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #aa4 ,the ,canal called 8,singel0 in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #aa4 ,the ,canal called 8,singel0 in ,amsterdam4 ,on the left-hand side ,rembrandt's son1 ,titus1 lived during his short married life4 ,in the distance1 the 8,janroopoortstoren04 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,in trying to reconstruct a picture of ,amsterdam in ,rembrandt's time1 we must realise the architectural forms as well as the colours4 ,it is natural that the town's colouristic aspect should harmonize with the colour schemes which we admire in ,holland1 in its landscapes1 on its rivers and seacoast1 in the pictorial masterpieces of its artists and in its interiors1 which means that in the city also we are fascinated by the richness of tints1 always subdued and variegated by a certain haziness4 ,it is a richness of a very subtle nature3 no opposition of strong tints1 but an endless1 mostly light-scaled variety of transitions1 now and then relieved by a more powerful note like the red of a roof or the paint of a boat2 these higher notes are generally of a freshness as if they had been washed by a recent rain4 ,against a sky1 of which the blue or the clouds bear a bloom of a silvery hue1 the houses show the tone of their bricks going from red-brown to a pale purple in so many deviations that the uniform indication of red would be unjust4 ,the trembling of the lights and shades of water all through the town and the green of so many trees planted along the quays1 were of course two conditions which strongly helped in producing a particular colouristic charm and which meant an advantage over so many foreign towns4 ,both these elements were and are still not to be found to such an extent in any other city1 ,venice naturally excepted on account of her waterways4 ,concentrating our attention rather on colour than shape1 we might retain for one moment the comparison with ,venice1 as it may help us to understand still better the value of what we were just admiring in ,amsterdam4 ,by reason of their situation1 their prosperity1 their universality1 their natural educational advantages1 both towns were1 so to say1 bound to produce a great school of painters1 and we need not here allude to the glory with which both towns covered themselves on this field in the eyes of the art world4 ,stress should1 however1 be laid here on the fact that the two towns in question brought forth the two greatest schools of colourists1 a fact which shows how in these centres circumstances favour the development of colouristic talents4 ,mindful of the fact that the great painters are our teachers in the appreciation of nature's beauties and charms1 we should1 for our own instruction1 contrast the two schools and try to discern the difference in their common merits4 ,we shall then notice that 8richness in colour0 does not mean the same in both cities4 ,as opposed to the abundance of glowing colours on the exuberant ,venetian palette1 we should place the subtile gradations1 the well-balanced and restrained splendour and the endless variations of the seemingly restricted colour scale of the ,dutch artist4 ,we shall so learn to love both better than we did before and1 needless to say1 our eyes will then be more open to the value of ,amsterdam's scenery which so often inspired or stimulated the painters4 ,plate #ab4 ,the ,tower called 8,swyght-,utrecht01 and the 8,doelen0 in ,amsterdam ,plate #ab4 ,the ,tower called 8,swyght-,utrecht01 and the 8,doelen0 in ,amsterdam 7see plate #bj74 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt in the collection of ,dr4 ,c4 ,hofsteded de ,groot1 ,the ,hague4 ,after this little excursion let us reconsider the town's appearance4 ,in doing so1 we must remember that it was already highly flourishing when ,rembrandt settled within its ramparts2 consequently it is clear that by far the greater part of the living houses belonged to the more picturesque preceding period4 ,the houses generally had three or four stories1 and their fronts were without exception crowned by pointed gables1 most of them stepped4 ,in the older quarters1 where the houses were more crowded together1 they very often had more stories and were strangely tall1 but everywhere that irregular saw-like profile1 formed by the steep-pitched gable-tops1 appeared silhouetted against the sky 7horizontal roof-lines1 more in accordance with the new style of ,van ,campen1 were slowly introduced but remained scarce74 ,all these house-fronts were1 as we said before1 gay in colour and enlivened by sandstone ornaments1 windows with their small glistening panes set in lead1 brightly painted shutters1 here and there woodwork decorating the house-fronts1 and as a rule an artistically carved stone-panel with figures and inscription or date lending a separate character to each house4 ,the house in which ,rembrandt passed most of the years and in which he knew fortune and fame as well as sorrow and reverse1 offers a good type of the then prevailing domestic architecture 7plate #af74 ,the house still exists and has become1 since its restoration1 a few years ago1 a place of pilgrimage for art-loving tourists4 ,we must1 however1 here call attention to a fact which is generally unknown to the public1 namely1 that1 though restored1 the house does not appear as it probably looked when ,rembrandt lived in it4 ,this does not so much apply to the interior1 because everybody will understand the impossibility of reconstructing the artist's direct surroundings1 for lack of the furniture and works of art with which ,rembrandt had crowded it4 ,more noteworthy is the fact that the facade has quite a different character4 ,the outer appearance of a house should as much as possible give a true illustration of the time at which it was built1 especially as this one had retained its original form1 apparently1 when its greatest occupant inhabited it4 ,in its restored condition it still preserves important additions which date from a later period4 ,the two sketches on plate #af show us how the original picturesque stepped gable was changed into a cornice with a tympanon1 giving a different appearance to the house4 ,any eye familiar with ,dutch architecture will detect in the front1 in its present state1 a difference in period between its lower and upper part4 ,the latter is about fifty years later1 and the whole shows a mixture of the two styles which we have described3 the earlier1 varied style of a ,de ,keyser and the later1 more classical style of ,van ,campen's school 7his pupil ,vingboons874 ,probability1 based on maps and documents like ,rembrandt's inventory of #afef1 and a recently discovered account regarding alterations done by the subsequent owners1 and1 moreover1 the convincing difference in style1 lead us to the conviction that the alteration in the front dates very shortly after ,rembrandt's departure from the house1 i4e4 about #affj1 when it was divided into two narrower residences4 ,the house-front1 as it looks now1 was probably familiar to ,rembrandt in the last ten years of his life1 even though we take into consideration his probable disinclination to look again and again at the place1 where he had passed twenty years of his life1 and where misfortune had cruelly put an end to better days2 it is1 however1 an open question whether such a consideration offers sufficient ground for a restoration of the kind recently carried out4 ,nevertheless we have to be thankful to the trustees that the house was saved1 because it is ,rembrandt's most intimate memorial1 aside from his own work1 left to posterity4 ,plate #ac4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,westertoren0 ,in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #ac4 ,the ,tower ,called 8,westertoren0 ,in ,amsterdam4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,fodor ,museum1 ,amsterdam ,plate #ad4 ,the ,canal called 8,prinsengracht0 in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #ad4 ,the ,canal called 8,prinsengracht0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the tower seen on the left is the same as seen in the preceding illustration4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #ae4 ,the ,st4 ,anthony-,market in ,amsterdam1 with the ,old ,gate ,transformed into a ,weighing-,house4 ,plate #ae4 ,the ,st4 ,anthony-,market in ,amsterdam1 with the ,old ,gate ,transformed into a ,weighing-,house4 ,after an etching by ,r4 ,zeeman1 about #afej4 ,plate #af4 ,rembrandt's ,house ,in ,the 8,st4 ,anthonie-breestraat0 ,in ,amsterdam ,plate #af4 ,rembrandt's ,house ,in ,the 8,st4 ,anthonie-breestraat0 ,in ,amsterdam ,on the left3 ,as it must have looked when ,rembrandt occupied it4 ,on the right3 ,present state4 ,this house welcomed ,rembrandt in #afci1 when he acquired it for #ac1jjj florins 7a good price in those days1 showing that it was a desirable residence7 and saw itself adorned with a unique collection of works of art which its owner1 passionate collector that he was1 did not cease to enlarge4 ,that same house saw its illustrious occupant become more and more retiring1 misunderstood by the majority of the public and finally struck by reverses1 till a total bankruptcy necessitated the sale of the house in #afeh4 ,it has often been thought1 that his undying mania for collecting was the principal cause of his misfortune1 but a document1 recently discovered1 shows that ,rembrandt was1 like so many of his fellow-citizens1 the victim of the economic reverses caused by the first ,anglo-,dutch war4 ,in #afec nearly the whole trade was at a standstill1 #aejj houses 7others speak of double the number7 stood empty1 and on the #bgth of ,june even the magistrate decided to leave off one of the two principal stories from its new magnificent town-hall1 then in course of construction1 a resolution which fortunately was revoked two years later4 ,as a matter of fact trade weakened heavily until #affj1 suffering reverses1 not only from ,england's attitude1 but also from ,france's and ,sweden's fiendish acts4 ,although the town energetically opposed its enemies1 often against the will of the ,netherlands' ,states1 it could not at once redress its internal depression1 and we should not wonder at seeing the artist ,rembrandt among the victims4 ,he avows in the document that he lost considerably in trade1 especially in maritime ventures4 ,it seems that the trading hobby1 innate in most ,dutchmen at that time1 was also strong in him2 in an act of #afcd we see him already designated as 8merchant0 and not as artist6 ,the house seems rather to have gone up in value1 for it realised in these bad times nearly as much as ,rembrandt had originally paid for it4 ,this is not to be wondered at1 as it stood in a very profitable quarter4 ,the street followed the course of a dike1 called the ,st4 ,anthoniesdk1 from which it derived its name2 this dike was then and had always been an important way of access to ,amsterdam1 as it was the only direct route to ,diemen1 ,weesp1 and ,muiden4 ,in the beginning of the seventeenth century it was inhabited by many aristocratic families1 with whom gradually intermingled ,portuguese ,jewish refugees1 as this was a new quarter where they could more easily find living accommodation4 ,as time went on1 ,jewish occupants began to dominate1 and towards the close of the century the street was for that reason rebaptised from ,st4 ,anthoniebreestraat into ,joden 7 ,jews'7 breestraat4 ,we find this change illustrated in the fact that1 when ,rembrandt bought this house1 one of his neighbours was a ,jew1 called ,salvador ,rodrigue1 the other a ,christian fellow-painter ,nicolaes ,eliasz1 but when he left the house1 ,eliasz had died in #afed and been succeeded by ,daniel ,pinto1 again a noted ,jewish name4 ,these ,portuguese ,jewish families were a great advantage to the town and should in no way be placed on a par with the poor ,jews1 mostly of ,german and ,polish descent1 now occupying this quarter4 ,the ,portuguese ,jews were highly cultured1 well-to-do1 orderly1 and clean people2 one of their most brilliant minds was ,menasseh-ben-,israel1 ,rabbi at the ,synagogue situated on a canal just behind ,rembrandt's house1 a great linguist1 the first ,hebraic printer in the ,netherlands1 the teacher of the celebrated philosopher ,spinoza1 a sympathetic and admirable figure1 whom we see until the close of his life in friendly relations with ,rembrandt4 ,plate #ag4 ,the ,bridge and ,sluice called 8,st4 ,anthonie-sluis0 in ,amsterdam1 seen from the ,north4 ,plate #ag4 ,the ,bridge and ,sluice called 8,st4 ,anthonie-sluis0 in ,amsterdam1 seen from the ,north4 ,rembrandt's home 7plate #af7 stood in the immediate vicinity of this spot4 ,after the drawing by ,a4 ,waterloo1 in the ,fodor ,museum1 ,amsterdam4 ,if from this centre we look a little further around1 we find in the same quarter other sites memorable in the artist's life3 first of all in the same street1 also near the bridge where ,rembrandt's own house stood1 we recognise the house of ,mr4 ,hendrick ,uylenburgh1 a noted dealer in pictures and works of art and a publisher1 with whom ,rembrandt stood in close relation while yet residing in ,leyden4 ,this relationship was further strengthened when the artist1 coming for good to ,amsterdam1 resided with ,uylenburgh and remained in his house for some years1 during which time he had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of ,uylenburgh's charming cousin ,saskia1 ,rembrandt's future wife4 ,he married her in #afcd1 remaining at ,uylenburgh's house until #afce4 ,during these years ,rembrandt seems to have kept a large studio1 especially for his pupils1 in a warehouse on the ,bloemgracht1 a quarter where we shall find him again much later4 ,passing along the same street1 towards the centre of the town1 we pass on the right1 opposite the ,zuiderkerk1 the house where ,lastman lived when he instructed the young ,rembrandt1 and at the end of the street we notice a heavy ,late-,gothic building1 the ,st4 ,anthonieswaag1 formerly one of the gates1 when the town was less extensive1 but now changed into a ,public ,weighing ,house4 ,rembrandt's contemporary1 the etcher ,zeeman1 has left us a charming little print of this edifice1 reproduced on plate #ae4 ,the reason it should now interest us is because on its first floor it lodged the ,surgeons' ,guild1 for which ,rembrandt painted1 in #afcb1 his celebrated ,anatomical ,lesson of ,dr4 ,nicolaes ,tulp1 now in the museum at ,the ,hague4 ,the commission for this masterpiece of ,rembrandt's younger years was perhaps1 because of its dimensions1 one of the reasons for his removal from ,leyden to ,amsterdam1 as its date corresponds with his establishment in ,amsterdam4 ,during two centuries the picture ornamented the interior of this building1 together with another1 still more wonderful1 painting by him1 ,the ,anatomical ,lesson of ,dr4 ,deyman1 of which only a central fragment was saved from a fire1 now in the ,amsterdam ,ryksmuseum4 ,turning our back to the big building and following the canal partly reproduced in the foreground of ,zeeman's etching1 we pass on the left the house of ,mr4 ,six1 whom ,rembrandt must have visited often1 and come in a few minutes into the ,doelenstraat1 at the corner of which stood a massive tower1 remainder of ancient fortifications1 sketched by ,rembrandt as we saw on plate #ab4 ,next to this building was the ,doelen 7part of its back can be seen on the master's above-mentioned drawing71 the meeting-place of the civic guards1 now changed into a hotel of the same name1 but in ,rembrandt's day the place where the painter's most famous picture1 ,the ,night ,watch1 was kept1 since a captain of the guards1 ,banning ,cocq1 had the daring idea of entrusting ,rembrandt with the commission to portray him and his company4 ,two houses further along the street 7a site now occupied by a bank1 next to ,messrs4 ,frederik ,muller ,co47 we must pay attention to the place where ,rembrandt lived in #afcf4 ,after his removal from his cousin ,uylenburgh's house1 ,rembrandt himself states this address as 8next to the pensionary ,boreel0 in a letter to the ,prince of ,orange's secretary1 ,huygens1 a letter now preserved in the collection of ,mr4 ,paul ,warburg in ,new ,york4 ,that house must have been brand new in #afcf1 as building on that side of the ,doelenstraat was only started in #afce 7plates #ah1 #ai1 and #bj74 ,it seems1 however1 not to have satisfied the painter1 because three years later1 before his removal to his own house in the ,st4 ,anthoniebreestraat1 he gives his address1 in another letter to ,huygens1 as being on the ,amstel in a house called ,de suikerbakker 7the sugar refinery7 the exact situation of which has not yet been traced4 ,plate #ah4 ,the 8doelenstraat0 ,in ,amsterdam 7old situation7 ,plate #ah4 ,the 8doelenstraat0 ,in ,amsterdam 7old situation7 ,the receding building1 behind the low wall with gate1 on the right1 is the 8,doelen0 for which ,rembrandt painted 8,the ,night ,watch40 ,the house where the master lived in #afcf was next to the house seen on the extreme right4 ,the tower seen above the roof is the one sketched by ,rembrandt 7plate #ab74 ,compare also plate #bj ,after the drawing by ,r4 ,vinkeles in the ,archives in ,amsterdam ,returning from this ,doelenstraat to ,rembrandt's restored house where we started our little excursion1 and taking a street called the ,staalstraat on our right1 we should observe a building on our left called the ,staalhof1 the birthplace of that other masterpiece1 rivalling ,the ,night ,watch in fame1 namely ,the ,staalmeesters 7,the ,syndics74 ,when this great painting was achieved in #affa1 ,rembrandt1 forced by the sale of his house1 had already left this quarter of the town1 but it is pleasing to notice that the ,staalmeesters had not forgotten the great painter1 who had long lived in their neighbourhood4 ,plate #ai4 ,the ,back of the ,houses in the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #ai4 ,the ,back of the ,houses in the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the narrow house in the middle1 two windows wide1 is1 although rebuilt1 the one where ,rembrandt lived in #afcf4 ,to the left1 part of ,messrs4 ,frederk ,muller ,co4's aution and exhibition rooms4 ,plate #bj4 ,the ,tower 8,swyght-,utrecht0 and the ,backs of the ,houses of the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #bj4 ,the ,tower 8,swyght-,utrecht0 and the ,backs of the ,houses of the 8,doelenstraat0 in ,amsterdam4 ,the third house from the tower must be the one occupied by ,rembrandt in #afcf4 ,after an engraving by van ,meurs of about #affj4 ,plate #ba4 ,the ,old ,exchange in ,amsterdam4 ,plate #ba4 ,the ,old ,exchange in ,amsterdam4 ,after an engraving by ,cl4 ,jz4 ,visscher4 ,to complete our survey of ,rembrandt's dwellings in ,amsterdam1 we must finally follow him on his retirement1 when1 owing to his bankruptcy1 his wonderful collection had been dispersed to the winds under the auctioneer's hammer1 and when he had to leave his large house1 the court allowing him to take only two stoves and some partitions in the attic4 ,we have therefore to cross the entire town in its width and repair to its western extension1 where he lived about ten years until his death1 most of this time in the company of his son ,titus1 and with his second wife ,hendrickje ,stoffels1 until her death in #affd4 ,on examining the map of the town and comparing the design of the new western quarters around the ,rozengracht with the remainder of the town1 we observe an incongruity in city planning1 which calls for an explanation4 ,the oldest part in the centre faces the harbour and logically follows upwards the course of the ,amstel ,river2 the lay-out of the canals in that part is in accordance therewith1 because they really are the former moats surrounding the protecting walls incorporated in the town during its various extensions from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century4 ,the following plan of the three canals1 ,heerengracht1 ,keizersgracht1 and ,prinsengracht1 the beginning of which on the west side takes place in ,rembrandt's time1 coincides with the fan-shaped plan of the town1 but the outer quarters1 including the ,rozengracht1 seem in disharmony4 ,the reason must be sought in the circumstance that the exploitation of these districts had to be kept on an economical scale1 since the three principal canals mentioned above had been undertaken on so royal a scale4 ,therefore the existing features were preserved3 the many ditches1 separating the meadows and gardens formerly occupying this site1 were simply widened into canals2 and the pathways1 running between1 were transformed into streets4 ,the peculiar characteristics of this part of the town1 due to these conditions of growth1 made it into a typical quarter1 known as the ,jordaan2 its population has always been one of modest means1 mixing little with the town4 ,so we see that it was very appropriate for the painter's retirement1 after his social downfall in the late fifties4 ,plate #bb4 ,the ,inn ,called 8de ,keizers ,kroon0 ,in ,the ,kalverstraat1 ,amsterdam ,plate #bb4 ,the ,inn ,called 8de ,keizers ,kroon0 ,in ,the ,kalverstraat1 ,amsterdam4 ,here ,rembrandt's collections were sold by auction1 after his bankruptcy1 in #afeg and #ajeh4 ,after an anonymous drawing in the ,archives in ,amsterdam4 ,not only the direction of its canals and streets remind one of the former nature of this quarter1 the places of amusement likewise are reminiscent of the times when well-to-do citizens had their gardens and pleasuregrounds amidst the meadows1 before the city encroached upon them4 ,there were1 for instance1 two large gardens with mazes and fountains1 formerly the property of ,amsterdam burghers1 afterwards for many years an attraction for the public4 ,one of them1 at the end of the ,rozengracht1 was owned and managed by ,lingelbach1 the father of ,johan the painter4 ,an inscription in the burial-book of the ,westerkerk1 saying that ,rembrandt's corpse came on the #hth of ,october1 #affi1 8from the ,rozengracht opposite the ,labyrinth10 painfully reminds us how for the last sad years of his life the great painter had lived opposite this popular place of public amusement4 ,the ,house ,of ,mr4 ,f4 ,banning ,cocq ,plate #bc4 ,the ,house ,of ,mr4 ,f4 ,banning ,cocq 7the ,captain ,and ,prominent ,person ,in ,rembrandt's 8,night-watch07 ,in ,amsterdam ,after an anonymous drawing in the family archives of ,jhr4 ,d4 de ,graeff at ,the ,hague ,,ii ,having dealt with the town's appearance1 principally from an architectural point of view1 in the preceding pages1 because architecture is so essential in expressing a people's character and aspirations1 we must now give our attention to another condition instrumental in completing a town's aspect1 namely1 the daily life which is animating it4 ,we1 fast-living twentieth-century people1 are apt to suppose that life some centuries ago was moving steadily but slowly1 that people were spared the enervating excitements of our own days and that they consequently had a much more quiet and regular existence4 ,contemporary documents prove that this opinion is wrong1 at least in so far as ,amsterdam is concerned4 ,already in #afah the ,venetian ,antonio ,donato wrote of ,amsterdam that the streets and public places were so thronged 8that the scene looked like a fair to end in one day02 and did not ,descartes write in #afca1 when he resided in ,amsterdam1 that nobody noticed him because he was the only non-tradesman in ,amsterdam amidst a trading population1 attentive to its profits4 ,this reveals the bustling of the great commercial centre4 ,the facts have nothing astonishing in them if we realise that ,holland's commercial ships numbered half of the world's trading-fleet and that ,amsterdam harboured most of them47#c7 ,no wonder that1 in such a town1 life was intense and that its strong pulsation was felt everywhere3 in crowded streets and quays1 in numerous offices and warehouses1 on the large exchange1 around the ,public ,weighing ,houses1 in the shops and market-places1 etc4 ,the ease and self-contentment with which the ,dutch were so often reproached at the time of the ,french ,revolution1 were then unknown2 on the contrary all was enterprise1 action1 and movement4 ,a salutary freshness of spirit was favoured by the variety of people crowding in this centre3 the hospitality shown to people of various religions1 from the busy ,jews1 to the refugees of ,antwerp and ,flanders1 created a rivalry of interests1 benefiting trade in general4 ,to this animation caused by commerce we must add the life brought into the town's thoroughfares by the people's domestic and social existence1 which was in those days much more out-of-doors than it is now1 just as there was also a much less marked separation between the various classes3 housewives going to the markets1 children playing in the streets1 families reposing in or before their open street-doors1 people of the lower classes seeking in the street what their narrow and close dwellings could not give them1 travellers being seen off at the harbourside or on the canal-quays1 costermongers praising their wares4 ,there was1 for example1 the daily fishmarket behind the ,dam1 ,amsterdam's central square1 of which the poet ,brederode has left us such vivid pictures1 bringing to our ears all the bargaining1 shouting1 and quarrelling of former days2 there were numerous other markets necessitated1 not only by the town's trade1 but by its every-day needs3 the weekly market for butter and cheese1 which until #affi enlivened the ,dam1 where now electric cars circulate and a much less-varied traffic passes by2 the apple- and fruit-market on the ,singel1 opposite the house where ,rembrandt's only son ,titus passed the few months of his married life2 the flower-market1 where the middleclass people found the cheap floral decorations for their often gloomy interiors3 the meat-market in the ,nes3 the ,monday's market1 on the ,singel1 of small furniture and kitchen-utensils3 the vegetable- and peat-market on the ,prinsengracht1 etc4 ,that all good housewives1 even those of middle and upper classes1 made it a rule to frequent these markets is revealed to us not only by contemporary pictures but also by a passage in one of ,huygens's letters to the ,prince of ,orange1 in which this refined diplomat from ,the ,hague expresses his astonishment at seeing the wife of ,admiral de ,ruyter go daily to market le panier au bras4 ,plate #bd4 ,the ,star of the ,kings4 ,plate #bd4 ,the ,star of the ,kings4 ,children before a street door on ,epiphany-evening4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,british ,museum1 ,london4 ,salting ,bequest4 ,all these thousands of people1 business-men1 workmen1 housewives1 small traders1 went about in comparatively simple dresses1 in which the black and discreet colours predominated4 ,against this sober background1 the multi-coloured garments of the numerous strangers from over-seas were set off sharply3 those of the ,levantines1 ,persians1 ,poles1 and others1 who congregated in this international mart4 ,what was said of the citizens' dress does not imply that luxurious costumes were unknown in ,amsterdam2 the younger people of course donned lighter and more elegant clothes1 and married ladies at home knew very well how to charm the eyes of their visitors4 ,gradually1 as ,amsterdam's wealth increased1 the upper classes became more luxurious1 and towards the end of ,rembrandt's life we see a complete change effected3 we may say that when the architects preferably imitated the ,italian ,palladio or the ,french ,mansart1 and when the feebler painters followed the degenerating taste of the public1-- then the leading classes took to ,french fashions1 and wigs came into use4 ,rembrandt's pictures show us sufficiently that he kept aloof from this deplorable but fated change1 and we must imagine him moving within the classes which remained loyal to the solid habits of the first period of his life in ,amsterdam4 ,mingling with this traffic we find the children amusing themselves1 venting their love of ridicule and1 above all things1 fighting1 in those parts from which they were later on banished on account of a more regular education1 or because of certain districts turning into exclusive shop- or office-quarters4 ,their playfulness fell again and again into wild excesses1 which forced the magistrate to pass prohibitive laws1 in order to protect citizens from injury and damage4 ,add to this the great number of beggars1 peasant-people1 many of them1 impoverished by the wars1 bohemians1 highwaymen1 remnants of army-trains1 all flocking to the great centre in the hope of finding assistance1 strolling musicians1 quacksalvers and mountebanks at market time 7plate #bf71 periodic parades of gaily-dressed civic guards4 ,add to this the fairs1 and we shall have completed in our imagination a scene which is of the liveliest1 and certainly of a far greater charm and variety than our present more monotonous and regulated existence4 ,rembrandt's ,plate #be4 ,children ,refore ,a ,street ,door3 ,the ,one ,in ,the ,middle ,with ,a 8,rommelpot0 ,plate #be4 ,children ,refore ,a ,street ,door3 ,the ,one ,in ,the ,middle ,with ,a 8,rommelpot04 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt1 in the ,british ,museum1 ,london etchings and drawings give us numerous little illustrations in this respect1 as may be seen from the superb drawing lately added to the ,british ,museum by the ,salting bequest1 showing children going about with the star 7a structure of oiled paper on a stick1 lit from behind with a candle7 on ,epiphany-evening1 and singing before the houses1 as they also did1 some months later1 on ,shrove ,tuesday1 accompanying their songs with the rommelpot1 a musical instrument well known from ,hals's pictures1 and consisting of an earthenware pot1 covered with parchment or bladder1 through which a stick was moved up and down 7plates #bd and #be74 ,rembrandt's etchings reproducing tramps and street-types1 like his rat-killer1 are no doubt so familiar to our readers that we need not recall them by means of reproductions4 ,the tidiness and orderly habits of the ,dutch were effective in putting limits to the disorder and dirt which are so often the nuisance of seaports4 ,this was still more obvious in the interiors of the dwelling-houses where the ,dutch housewives exerted the supremacy of their cleaning and washing propensity1 cette proprit hollandaise qui commence par tonner et qui finit1 quand on demeure dans le pays1 par devenir un besoin1 une ncessite'''une vertu contagieuse1 as ,havard says4 ,a similar sense of order was to be noted in the administration of public charities3 orphanages1 asylums1 hospitals1 and similar institutions were founded and generously endowed1 mostly by private initiative1 and were organised in such a careful and sensible way that most of them have lasted1 under the same rules1 until our days47#d7 ,ascending ,plate #bf4 ,a ,quacksalver on a ,market-,place4 ,plate #bf4 ,a ,quacksalver on a ,market-,place4 ,after the drawing by ,rembrandt4 ,in the collection of ,frederich ,august ,,ii1 in ,dresden4 to higher levels we again observe1 in the town's democratic magistrates1 that orderly spirit and caution which enabled these practical1 vigilant authorities to consolidate the town's importance and to develop it to the highest power in the ,netherlands1 dreaded by foreign competitors and possessing1 so to say1 the supremacy of the sea4 ,they were characteristic representatives of the citizens' nature3 cool-headedness and a very strong feeling of independence1 rooted in their own and their fathers' emancipation from ,spanish domination1 and in their energetic tradesmanship4 ,we here touch a more abstract subject1 not less essential in constituting the general disposition of the town1 namely1 the nature and spirit of its individuals1 forming1 so to say1 the town's own soul4 ,this is a point that should not be overlooked1 as the ,dutch character and demeanour are two things often misunderstood1 which certainly require some insight and explanation in order to be appreciated4 ,the modern civilized person who found himself transplanted in ,amsterdam #bej years ago1 might certainly be displeased with the behaviour of even the better classes4 ,we readily concede that their manners were rather raw and lacking in refinement4 ,sir ,william ,temple1 in his 8,observations10 published three years after ,rembrandt's death1 calls the ,hollanders 8clownish and blunt10 and this typifies them in their attitude towards intellectual foreign people4 ,amongst themselves1 even in circles where a taste for art and science was well developed1 coarse festivals1 excessive meals1 and gross humour was often met with1 peculiarities1 however1 which the ,dutchman had in common with ,anglo-,saxons1 ,germans1 and other ,northern races at that time4 ,the sense of independence and self-reliance1 then very strongly developed in the ,hollanders1 hindered the improvement which the experience gained from foreign journeys to ,france and ,italy1 of a few patricians1 might have brought4 ,there was also the fact of ,amsterdam never having been1 like ,the ,hague1 a princely residence with its trail of ambassadors and nobility1 for which reason the ,hollanders in ,amsterdam remained more themselves1 a characteristic even evident in our day4 ,but if their manners formerly lagged somewhat behind1 we must not forget that most of their natural sterling qualities were allowed to develop freely4 ,these characteristics do not always strike the foreigner at first sight1 hidden as they are by a certain slowness in expression and heaviness in deportment1 springing from the ,hollander's habit of deliberation4 ,what frequently is taken for coldness1 for insensibility1 for haughtiness1 appears to be reserve which is put aside only when the ,hollander feels very sure of his opinion4 ,to these typical qualities of a trading nation must be added a perseverance of will and a determination to attain1 which are often wrongly interpreted as egotism4 ,any one who has a real friend among ,dutchmen will appreciate him as a very staunch one1 although it may have taken some time to break the reserve6 ,openness1 good-heartedness1 generosity1 will then be detected where they were at first not suspected4 ,it may now be understood that the intercourse with ,rembrandt was far from easy1 because he was a typical ,hollander1 good-natured1 but with an extra amount of impulsiveness and self-esteem1 as may be gathered from his biography and from his work4 ,consequently1 if he had numerous acquaintances1 his real friends were not many4 ,we find for instance few traces of intimate friendship with other painters1 excepting his pupils1 although his fellow-artists were very numerous4 ,the landscape-painter ,roghman and the rich marine painter-amateur ,van de ,cappelle1 perhaps also ,asseln1 are about the only ones who seem to have been in close relation with the master4 ,of his pupils the most promising ones1 ,bol and ,flinck1 rapidly estranged from their master both socially and artistically1--others like ,maes1 de ,gelder1 and ,hoogstraten returned to their native town ,dordrecht4 ,only ,van den ,eeckhout and ,philips ,koninck appear to have remained on intimate terms with ,rembrandt4 ,to his artist-friends we may here add the calligrapher ,lieven ,coppenol1 whose fine etched portraits by ,rembrandt the reader will remember1 and very likely1 too1 the celebrated silversmith ,lutma1 a man of a very personal talent4 ,after what was said of the town's and its burghers' outward appearance1 we would do well to devote another moment's attention to what we called the town's soul and observe more closely the intellectual life of ,amsterdam1 thus facilitating a more general understanding of the period4 ,at the time when ,rembrandt established himself in ,amsterdam1 a great improvement had taken place in its religious conditions4 ,ever since #aegh the town had ,plate #bg4 ,portrait ,of ,jan ,lutma4 ,plate #bg4 ,portrait ,of ,jan ,lutma4 ,from an impression1 in the ,first ,state1 of ,rembrandt's etching1 in the ,museum of ,fine ,arts1 ,boston4 been exclusively ,protestant1 but internal dissensions had succeeded the abolition of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and in the beginning of the seventeenth century had resulted in intense factional feeling4 ,towards #afcj this storm had subsided and the magistrates1 although themselves clinging to the ,reformed ,protestant ,church1 did not further molest other sects1 such as the ,remonstrants1 ,lutherans1 ,mennonites1 and ,walloons1 who were permitted to build their own churches4 ,the ,catholics also were again able to fulfill their religious duties on condition that they avoided ostentation4 ,the ,jews officiated in their own ,synagogues and nowhere enjoyed greater liberty than in ,amsterdam47#e7 ,the royal road of religious tolerance1 rare in those days1 was more and more deliberately taken1 and it sounds well to hear how in #affj ,governor ,stuyvesant1 of ,new-,amsterdam 7,new ,york71 receives from his directors in ,amsterdam the following admonition to be less rigorous against other sects3 8,let everybody remain unmolested as long as he behaves modestly and peacefully1 as long as he does damage to nobody and does not oppose the magistrates4 ,this principle of statesmanship and forbearance was always honoured by the government of this city and the consequence was1 that the persecuted and the downtrodden from all countries congregated in this haven of refuge4 ,tread in its footsteps and you will be blessed40 ,this attitude1 taken by the public authorities1 greatly promoted general welfare1 spiritually as well as materially4 ,we may conclude from ,rembrandt's work how prejudices were then overcome and how freely the leading intellects intermixed3 the ,calvinistic ,reformed ,minister ,sylvius1 the ,mennonite ,minister ,cornelis ,anslo1 the ,jewish doctor ,ephraim ,bonus1 the ,rabbi ,menasseh-ben-,israel1 whom we have mentioned before1 were among the master's intimate friends1 or were at least so portrayed by him that we understand from the loving application1 manifested in his work1 how deeply he appreciated their highly cultured mind and heart4 ,this freedom of religion went hand in hand with an animated mental evolution and naturally favoured it considerably4 ,at the time of ,rembrandt's settlement in ,amsterdam we find proof of this in the foundation1 in #afcb1 of a classical school1 the forerunner of the later university1 called the 8,athenum illustre10 where the celebrated professors ,vossius and ,van ,baerle 7or ,barloeus7 initiated many youths into the secrets of philosophy1 languages1 and other sciences4 ,within the leading classes of ,amsterdam's population1 supported by the great merchants1 interest in matters of art and science strongly develops1 though as we noticed before1 in the case of the town-hall architecture1 with a marked preference for classicism and all foreign civilization4 ,it seems as though these clever merchants could not understand that their own genial countrymen were sufficiently gifted and quite capable of astonishing the world by their work2 this increasing lack of mutual appreciation is not so astonishing1 if we take into consideration ,holland's1 and especially ,amsterdam's1 rapid growth1 making all those people 7aside from the great artists1 who were sufficiently confident in their own powers71 feel small and humble in face of the firmly established fame and merits of the classics and the ,italians4 ,the large and fertile ,school of ,amsterdam painters1 ,rembrandt foremost among them1 felt this keenly3 landscapes of ,italy and allegorical and mythological subjects were preferred to the productions of an art intensely national1 the sincerity of which failed to impress the ,dutch amateurs4 ,even portraiture1 an art where sincerity is so indispensable1 felt the effects of the people's blindness1 and in the last years of ,rembrandt's life we see those portrait-painters coming to the fore1 who did away with true expression of character and joined the private burghers in their decadent predilection for artificiality in dress and appearance4 ,it is not to be wondered at1 that on this fertile ,amsterdam soil intellect and art blossomed splendidly in other ways also4 ,music was in great favour and could boast a celebrity3 ,sweelinck1 the organist and composer4 ,besides this there was a great literary movement2 to emphasize its importance it suffices to say that half of the literary productions of the ,netherlands in the seventeenth century were by ,amsterdam writers4 ,the ordinary public was rather slow in recognising their merits1 and as a rule only estimated poetry when it had an edifying and moralising tendency4 ,a practical use was made of the poets1 when pithy verses or inscriptions for gables or institutions were needed and when wedding-parties1 births and deaths1 necessitated the scarcely ever failing poems4 ,nevertheless highly meritorious and lasting work was produced by the popular poets1 such as ,brederode and ,starter1 and ,samuel ,coster1 who founded in #afag the first permanent theatre 7de ,duytsche ,akademie1 i4e4 the ,dutch ,academy71 the more refined and classically educated ,hooft1 who1 like ,gerard ,brandt1 also produced excellent prose1 the genial and universal ,vondel1 the greatest of all1 and the poets of less originality like ,andries ,pels1 ,reyer ,anslo 7not to be confuted with ,rembrandt's friend the clergyman ,cornelis ,claesz4 ,anslo71 ,jan ,vos1 ,jan ,hz4 ,krul1 ,jeremias de ,decker1 passing over in silence those of a subsequent generation4 ,only the last three are known to have been on intimate terms with ,rembrandt2 no traces appear in the artist's work of any friendly relation with the others1 especially with the great ,vondel1 and on this ground we may safely say that such a relation is not very likely to have existed1 because the hard-working painter had a homely life1 and all relations he had with lending men of his time generally reflect themselves either in his pictures1 drawings1 or etchings4 ,amoug the latter we meet one person whom we should not omit1 because he is the representative of another class of people than we have mentioned above1 namely ,jan ,six1 the son of a wealthy silk-dyer and textile manufacturer1 who continued his fathers business till #afeb and who1 after ,rembrandt's death1 rose to important functions in the magistracy4 ,excepting this influential person1 ,rembrandt obviously had little intimate intercourse with the town's patricians or authorities1 his art absorbing him so much that even public events of note1 do not appear to have claimed his attention4 ,we may therefore pass in silence the historic events coinciding with his lifetime4 ,suffice it to say that those concerning ,amsterdam exclusively1 were not many and that even the greatest events in the history of the ,netherlands were in those times generally accounted by ,amsterdam's citizens as secondary to their town's interest as the greatest commercial centre4 ,their magistrates1 if they wanted to promote the city's particular interest1 did not hesitate to oppose the ,stadhouder's power and the will of the ,states ,general4 ,their solicitude and vigilance for their town's welfare are quite remarkable2 but that their attachment often blinded them to their country's more general interests1 becomes clear1 if we consider that ,amsterdam was more important than all the towns of the province of ,holland together and that the province of ,holland alone provided #fj per cent of the total income of the ,seven ,provinces forming the ,dutch ,republic4 ,hence1 until the present time1 the name of ,holland is generally used in designating the ,netherlands4 ,taking all in all and remembering especially what was said about the town's outward appearance and population1 we must conclude that no place could have been more appropriate than ,amsterdam1 as the abode of the typically ,dutch genius ,rembrandt4 ,a noted ,dutch writer1 ,van ,deyssel1 has expressed this well in the following words3 8,rembrandt and ,amsterdam1 these belong so amazingly together6 ,there are northern cities1 that are like ,amsterdam1 but it seems to us that ,amsterdam for the one who beholds her quietly1 has a unique1 unequalled1 deep charm4 ,amsterdam is the heart of ,holland and this means that it lies in the middle of ,holland as the heart in a flower1 and that it is the spot where the most delicate beauty of ,holland is found40 ,no art is more akin to the city's beauty and embodies it better than the art of ,rembrandt4 ,it is hard to take leave of ,rembrandt and his unique abode1 without allowing the town's immediate surroundings to fascinate us by their quite original charm4 ,the excursion1 which we could offer our friends through ,amsterdam's immediate neighbourhood1 in ,rembrandt's company1 would1 however1 give rise to so many comments1 often of great local interest1 that they would far exceed the limits of this periodical4 ,the reader shuuld therefore look for an account of such an excursion along the ,amstel ,river1 past diked1 across meadows1 illustrated by ,rembrandt's works1 in one of the coming numbers of the ,dutch art-periodical 8,oud-,holland40 ,,footnotes #a ,fenelon1 ,the ,adventures of ,telemachus1 ,book ,,iii1 where we find stated in a footnote that the description of the ,phoenician town1 ,tyre1 actually depicts ,amsterdam4 #b ,described by ,dr4 ,hofstede de ,groot under numbers #fef1 #gfa1 #heg1 #abaa1 #accd1 and reproduced by ,lippmann--,hofstede de ,groot1 #ast series #afc1 #c;d series #bc1 #ast series #gb1 #b;d series #gi and #h4 #c ,the statement of a sharp-eyed contemporary1 the ,english ambassador1 ,sir ,william ,temple1 is here of interest and applies in the first place to ,amsterdam1 then exceeding in importance all the other ,dutch towns3 8,it is evident1 to those who have read the most1 and travelled the farthest1 that no country can be found either in the present age 7i4e4 #afgb71 or upon record of any story1 where so vast a trade has been managed1 as in the narrow compass of the four maritime ,provinces of this commonwealth 7i4e4 the ,dutch ,republic73 nay1 it is generally esteemed that they have more shipping belong to them1 than there does to the rest of ,europe40 7,observations on the ,united ,provinces1 ,chap4 ,,vi1 p4 #ahb74 #d ,it is interesting to note here the following opinions of a contemporary1 ,sir ,william ,temple3 8,there are some customs or dispositions1 that seem to run generally through all these degrees of men among the them2 as great frugality1 and order1 in their expenses4 ,their common riches lie in every man's having more than he spends2 or1 to say it more properly1 in every man's spending less than he has coming in1 be that what it will3 nor does it enter into men's heads among them1 that the common port or course of expence should equal the revenue and1 when this happens1 they think at least they have lived that year to no purpose2 and the train of it discredits a man among them1 as much as any vicious or prodigal extravagance does in other countries4 ,this enables every man to bear their extreme taxes1 and makes them less sensible than they would be in other places40 7,observations upon the ,united ,provinces1 ,chap4 ,,iv1 p4 #aeh47 #e ,sir ,william ,temple writes in #afgb3 8,it is hardly to be imagined1 how all the violence and sharpness1 which accompanies the differences of religion in other countries1 seems to be appeased or softened here1 by the general freedom which all men enjoy1 either by allowance or connivance4 ,no man can here complain of pressure in his conscience4 ,the power of religion among them1 where it is1 lies in every man's heart40 7,observations1 ,chap4 ,v1 p4 #ahj47