Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 5, 1913.djvu/19

 GERARD TER BORCH 3 be recognised from the outset. Ter Borch's types are not those of his predecessors. He shows even at this early date the fine silvery-grey half- tones on the flesh which are characteristic of the figures of his prime ; his colour, above all, is more delicate in tone, and he is much more strongly inclined to emphasize the contrast of light and shade. The pictures described below under Nos. 34, 35, 37, 40, and 42 are very typical ex- amples of this early manner. The later manner, which reminds one strongly of Metsu, begins with the "Woman peeling an Apple" of 1651 at Vienna (No. 74), the wonder- ful " Despatch " of 1653 at the Mauritshuis, The Hague (No. 28), and the not less remarkable " Paternal Advice " at the Rijksmuseum, Amster- dam (No. 1 86). From this point up to his last dated work, "The Duet" of 1675 in the Rothschild collection at Waddesdon Manor (No. 140), he painted a series of masterpieces which are among the most admired creations of the Dutch school. The pictures illustrate the life of the well-to-do classes ; most of them are musical scenes, scenes at the toilet, flirtations, and conversations. They are all distinguished by a certain calm and dignity ; emotional displays are rarely found. Elaborate compositions are equally rare. There are never more than three or four figures ; often there is but one. The figures are always absorbed in their occupation. We see only the boy who is cleaning his dog, or the girl who is reading, drinking, or playing music. The very gestures of the listener and the speaker, in which all depends on the most subtle observation of momentary attitudes which can scarcely be reproduced, are most admirably rendered by Ter Borch, so that the spectator is freed from all doubt as to his mean- ing. It would lead one too far in this place to enter into further detail. The reader may be referred to the excellent sketch by W. Bode in his Great Masters of Dutch and Flemish Painting. Ter Borch was a complete master of the art of rendering textures, and of light and shade. This is shown not only by his genre-pieces, but also by his portraits, of which about 160 or 180 in all survive. They are all of the same small size, whether they are half-lengths, three-quarter lengths, or full lengths. Most of them are single figures ; but there are a number of portraits of married couples or small family groups, and there are also a very few larger groups. As coloured costumes, at the bidding of fashion, were laid aside and replaced by black and white materials, the painter was set an exceptional problem which he solved with the greatest skill. He has such a keen eye for his black velvets, cloths and silks, and for his white satins, and he renders the high lights and reflections so cleverly that although he is painting in monochrome the total effect is attractive as a piece of colour. This is all the more remarkable because even on the floor and the back-walls of his interiors there is scarcely any drawing or colour, and the colouring of the separate pieces of furniture usually a table and an arm-chair covered in deep red is now much faded. With a single piece of silver, such as a watch, a dish or a toilet-box, or with a book, a few papers, or an inkpot, he contrives nevertheless to attain a piquant colour-effect. The careful student of Ter Borch's pictures, both of his genre-pieces and of his portraits, will be surprised to note how often the painter repeats