Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 5, 1913.djvu/17

SECTION XVII GERARD TER BORCH GERARD TER BORCH, son of a man of the same name, was born at Zwolle on one of the closing days of the year 1617, and died at Deventer on December 8, 1681. His father had also been an artist, and had in his youth, between the years 1602 and 1611, visited Italy and Rome; but since 1621 he had been employed as a tax-collector in his native town and only worked as a draughtsman. Doubtless his son received his first lessons from him. Drawings as early in date as 1625 and 1626, from the hand of the younger Gerard, are in existence. In 1632 his father sent him from home, for in this year he was at Amsterdam, and in 1634 he was a pupil of Pieter Molijn at Haarlem. In these towns he may have gained his first impressions from the art of Rembrandt and Frans Hals. In 1635 he journeyed to England. In 1640 he was at Rome, and probably was again at Amsterdam in 1645. He went in 1646 to Miinster in Westphalia, where a congress was discussing the peace of Europe, and many eminent persons from the countries of all the ruling princes were assembled. Apparently he was drawn there by the prospect of obtaining commissions for portraits. Of all that he did at Miinster in two or three years few works can be traced (see Nos. 216, 240, 241, 242, 256, and 260), but among them is his masterpiece, "The Peace of Miinster" (No. 6, appar- ently the original of Suyderhoef's engraving, which is of the same size). Though it is a small picture, it is one of the most imposing historical works of the whole Dutch school. 1 At Miinster Ter Borch gained the favour of Count Pefieranda, one of the Spanish envoys, who took him to Madrid. 2 There he was in high repute, but soon had to flee the country, apparently because of some amatory intrigue. It is often assumed that Ter Borch, while in Spain at this time, came under the influence of the works of Velazquez, who was himself living in Italy. It would indeed be very remarkable if the mighty 1 The other works mentioned in connection with it the sketch for a picture of the Congress in the Louvre, an " Entry of Ambassadors " in the Rathaus at Munster, and a representation of the marriage of the Great Elector are not by Ter Borch. The last-named picture is by J. Mijtens and is in the Rennes Museum. 2 Houbraken's statements as to an earlier visit to Spain, between 1635 and 1645, are vague and xmconvincing. VOL. VI B