NETSCHER, Gaspar (1639-1684), portrait and genre painter, was born at Heidelberg in 1639. His father died when he was two years of age, and his mother, fleeing from the dangers of a civil war, carried him to Arnheim, where he was adopted and educated by a benevolent physician named Tullekens. At first he was destined for the profession of his patron, but his great aptitude for painting soon caused the plan of his future career to be altered. He was placed under an artist named De Koster, and, having also studied under Terburg, he set out for Italy to complete his education there. Marrying, however, at Liège, he proceeded no farther. He settled at Bordeaux, and toiled hard to earn a livelihood by painting fancy subjects. But those small cabinet pictures which are now so highly valued on account of their exquisite finish brought but a small remuneration; and, after removing to the Hague, he turned his attention to portraitpainting. In this branch of his art he was more successful. He was patronized by William III., and his earnings soon became so considerable that he was enabled at times to gratify his own taste and fancy by depicting musical and conversational pieces. It was in these that Netscher’s genius was first fully displayed. The choice of these subjects, and the habit of introducing female figures, dressed in rich, glossy satins, were imitated from Terburg · they possess easy yet delicate pencilling, brilliant and correct colouring, and pleasing light and shade; but frequently their refinement passes into weakness, and they err through over-finish. The painter soon attracted notice, and was rapidly gaining both fame and wealth, when he was cut off in 1684 at the premature age of forty-five....