Item 23 - Letter from Roger Fry to R. C. Trevelyan

1 item

Hendaye. - Was so busy after his visit to the Netherlands that he did not write and thank Bob for his letter to [Abraham?] Bredius; missed Bredius twice at the Museum and at Scheveningen, but managed to see most of the pictures at the Hague and Leiden. Praises the Hague gallery and the Mauritzhuis; the picture he went to see at Leiden ["Quintus Fabius Maximus", attributed to Rembrandt, now lost] was interesting, 'very late very ugly but imposing'. Covets some 'wonderful pictures' he found at a dealers, but got some good drawings there, including a 'superb Rembrandt'. The 'Rijksmuseum is too much of a good thing'; discusses the Dutch School, Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" and his "Anatomy Lesson" paintings at the Hague and Amsterdam. Criticises de Hoogh [Pieter de Hooch] for 'having painted so many second rate things', but Brouwer and Jan Steen have gone up in his estimation. Started this letter at Paris but was forced to stop due to the jolting of the train so is finishing it at Hendaye; hopes their journey to Spain will not be 'held up by a general strike'. Love to Bessie from him and Helen.

Extract appears in Fry, R., & Sutton, D. (1972), Letters of Roger Fry / edited with an introduction by Denys Sutton. London: Chatto and Windus, Vol 1, pp 268-269.

Pencil annotation numbering the letter '84'.