seen in “The Builders of Cities,” a group which might almost have come from his companion, so strongly is it imbued with the sentiment and illustrative of the types of the "socialistic art" of Meunier.
See Charles van der Stappen, by Camille Lemonnier; Les Artistes belges contemporains, by E. L. de Taye; The Renaissance of Sculpture in Belgium, by O. G. Destree (London, 1895).
VAN DER WEYDEN, ROGER (c. 1400–1464), Flemish
painter, also known as Roger de la Pasture, Rogier de Bruxelles, &c, was born at Tournay, where in 1427 he entered the studio of Robert Campin. He established himself in Brussels about 1435. He was in Italy in 1440–1450, but his visit shows no result on his style, which owes nothing to Italian models; and he returned to Brussels, where he died on the 18th of June 1464. His vigorous, subtle and expressive painting and popular religious conceptions had considerable influence on the art of Flanders and Germany. Memlinc was his greatest pupil; and his place in the early Flemish school is second only to that of the Van Eycks. He was not a pupil of Jan van Eyck, as was at one time supposed. His principal paintings were: a "Descent from the Cross" (1440), now in Madrid, and another (1443) in the church of St Pierre at Louvain; a triptych (1438–1440), now in the Berlin Museum; "Madonna with Saints" (1450), at the Stadel Institute, Frankfort; a "Last Judgment" (1451), in the hospital of Beaune, France; the portraits of Philip the Good (Antwerp Museum) and Charles the Bold (Brussels Museum), painted about 1456–1458; the "Altarpiece of St John" and the triptych from Middelburg (Berlin Museum); an "Entombment of Christ" (National Gallery); a "Woman Crying" (Brussels Museum); "Descent from the Cross" (Louvre); "Adoration of the Magi" (Old Pinakothek at Munich); "Descent from the Cross" (the Hague); "Seven Sacraments" (Antwerp Museum); "Descent from the Cross" (Brussels Museum). Some of these latter, and others,
are only doubtfully attributed to the master. The “Crucifixion”
in the Brussels Museum, assigned either to him or
to Memlinc, and containing portraits of the Sforzas, probably
represents Roger van der Weyden in some of the principal
figures at least, though Memlinc may have completed the
picture.
There was a younger Roger van der Weyden (c. 1450–1529), to whom a brilliant "Mary Magdalen" in the National Gallery is attributed.
There are Lives of the elder Van der Weyden by A. Wauters (1856) and Alex. Pinchart (1876).
VANDEVELDE, ADRIAN (1639–1672), Dutch animal and
landscape painter, a brother of William Vandevelde (q.v.),
the marine painter, was born at Amsterdam in 1639. He
was trained in the studio of Jan Wynants, the landscape painter, where he made the acquaintance of Philip Wouwerman, who is believed to have aided him in his studies of animals, and to have exercised a powerful and beneficial influence upon his art. Having made exceptionally rapid progress, he was soon
employed by his master to introduce figures into his landscape
compositions, and he rendered a similar service to Hobbema,
Ruysdael, Verboom and other contemporary artists. His
favourite subjects are scenes of open pasture land, with sheep, cattle and goats, which he executed with admirable dexterity, with much precision of touch and truth of draughtsmanship, and with clear silvery colouring. He painted a few small but excellent winter scenes with skaters, and several religious subjects, such as the “Descent from the Cross,” for the Roman Catholic church in Amsterdam. In addition to his paintings, of which nearly two hundred have been catalogued, he executed about twenty etchings, several of which appear from their dates to have been done in his fourteenth year. They are simple but pleasing in tonality, and are distinguished by great directness of method and by delicacy and certainty of touch. Adrian Vandevelde died at Amsterdam in January 1672.
VANDEVELDE, WILLIAM (1633–1707), the younger, Dutch
painter, a son of William Vandevelde, the elder, also a painter of sea-pieces, was born at Amsterdam in 1633. He was instructed by his father, and afterwards by Simon de Vlieger, a marine painter of repute at the time, and had achieved great
celebrity by his art before he came to London. In 1674 he
was engaged by Charles II., at a salary of £100, to aid his father in "taking and making draughts of sea-fights," his part of the work being to reproduce in colour the drawings of the elder Vandevelde. He was also patronized by the Duke of York
and by various members of the nobility. He died in London
on the 6th of April 1707. Most of Vandevelde's finest works
represent views off the coast of Holland, with Dutch shipping.
His best productions are delicate, spirited and finished in
handling, and correct in the drawing of the vessels and their
rigging. The numerous figures are tellingly introduced, and
the artist is successful in his renderings of sea, whether in calm or storm.
Vandevelde was a most prolific artist: in addition to his paintings, of which Smith catalogues about three hundred and thirty, he executed an immense number of drawings, sketches and studies, which are prized by collectors.
VAN DORN, EARL (1820–1863), American soldier, was born
near Vicksburg in 1820, and entered the army of the United
States from West Point in 1842. For several years previous
to the Mexican War he was employed in garrison duty, but in
that war he saw a good deal of active service, distinguishing
himself at Cerro Gordo and Churubusco, returning to the
United States a brevet-major. He also fought in the Seminole
War and in 1858 against the Comanches. When his state
seceded in 1861 he resigned his commission in the U.S. army,
and in the September of that year became major-general C.S.A.
He commanded the Confederates in the hard-fought battle of
Pea Ridge, but was superseded for failing to win it. Later in
1862 he won promotion and a second independent command
in the West, and led the Confederates at the battle of Corinth
(the 3rd and 4th of October 1862) at which he came very near
to success. In spite of the verdict of a court of inquiry, he
was again superseded. As a subordinate of Lieut.-General
Pemberton he did splendid service to the Confederate cause
in defeating Grant's first advance on Vicksburg at Holly Springs (1862). He was shot in a private quarrel on the 8th of May 1863.
VAN DYCK, SIR ANTHONY (1599–1641), Flemish painter,
was born in Antwerp on the 22nd of March 1599. Though the
name of Van Dyck is frequently met with in the list of Antwerp painters, Anthony's pedigree cannot be traced beyond
his grandparents, who were silk mercers of some standing. He was the seventh of twelve children of Frans Van Dyck,
an Antwerp tradesman in good circumstances. His mother, Maria Cupers, who died when he was scarcely eight years of age, seems to have attained a certain degree of excellence in art
needlework. Of the boy's early education nothing is known.
He was little over ten when he was apprenticed to Hendrick
Van Balen, the painter of many delicate little pictures as well
as an occasional collaborator of Rubens and Breughel, and the
master of Snyders. From a document in the state paper office
at Brussels, relating to a lawsuit between a picture dealer and
an Antwerp churchman, which arose out of the sale, in 1660,
of a series of Apostles' heads ascribed to Van Dyck, it appears
that, as far back as 1615, Van Dyck had worked independently,
with pupils of his own, and that his pictures were greatly valued by artists and amateurs. Professor Woermann has identified several of the Apostles' heads here spoken of with some paintings in the gallery at Dresden. Another is in the possession of Earl Spencer at Althorp.
Before he was nineteen (February 1618) Van Dyck became a full member of the Antwerp gild of painters; and some idea of his ability at the time may be gained from the excellent portraits of an old lady and gentleman, formerly ascribed to Rubens, in the Dresden gallery. Dated 1618, they were originally entered as works of Van Dyck, and, as Professor Woermann observes, are undoubtedly the same as those spoken of by Mols in his MS. annotations on Walpole's Anecdotes, now in the library at Brussels. But the same admiration cannot be accorded to the earliest religious composition known to have been painted by
