y seat. One day, when they were there together,
the servant came to acquaint them that dinner was ready, but as they
were sitting down to table, they perceived that mustard was wanting.
The Burgomaster immediately ordered his servant to go into the village
to buy some. Rembrandt, who knew the sluggishness of the Dutch servants,
and when they answer _austons_ (a-coming) they are half an hour before
they appear, offered the Burgomaster a wager that he would etch a plate
before his man returned with the mustard. Six accepted the wager, and
Rembrandt, who had always plates at hand ready varnished, immediately
took one up, and etched upon it the landscape which appeared from the
window of the parlour in which they were sitting. The plate was finished
before the servant returned, and Rembrandt won his wager. The etching is
slight, but it is a wonderful performance, considering the circumstance
that produced it." It is not wonderful on account of the rapidity with
which it was done, but the genius and science that pervade every touch,
not only in the general arrangement, but in the judicious management of
the smallest darks; they are all in the most effective situations. When
the plate was bit in, the name was left out; it was afterwards added
with the dry point; also a little shading was given to the hat of one
of the figures on the bridge, which in the rare state is white. I may
notice here that it was also Rembrandt's practice to sketch with the dry
point alone, as several of his landscapes show; this has a very rich
and full effect. His most finished and striking landscape is perhaps the
etching of the "Three Trees." What I have said respecting his giving
force to those parts nearest the eye, may be seen in the strong dark
under the platform of the mill--which etching I have given, as it has
always been considered the mill in which he was born; but I believe it
is merely a mill of a picturesque character, which he consequently
etched. In the rare impressions, the sky is much stained on the plate
towards the house and mill, and I believe intentionally so, as it
enables the subject to melt more softly into the background, by the
outline being less harsh; at least, I found in my copy, when the person
employed to clean the margin of the plate cleaned the stains in the sky
also, that I had to restore them. As it will be necessary to go over the
ground again with regard to Rembrandt's landscapes, when we enter upon
an investigatio