by a master of such remarkable talent.

The portrait of Georg Gisze, which is before our readers, is certainly
the finest work of this series. When we saw this masterly work in the
Museum of Berlin, to which it belongs, it left an indelible impression
upon us which we still feel at this distance. It is incontestably a
masterpiece from every point of view; in the Gallery there is but one
other picture of the same kind which may be compared to it, a painting
which suggests a parallel in a single detail,--_The Man with the Pinks_,
by Van Eyck.

[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF GEORG GISZE.
_Holbein._]

Holbein has represented Georg Gisze in his mercantile office, at a
table, holding a letter which he is about to open, and surrounded by
small objects, articles for which he has use in his business and in his
every-day life. This man appears before us in a marvellous pose, among
these material surroundings and in this professional scene. Observe his
calm attitude and his almost placid physiognomy: we notice, however, the
firm and decided air of a wealthy and elegant merchant. And, at the same
time, we are sure that the type represented here is not of sudden
growth: everything about him reveals intelligence.

Georg Gisze is young; the painter has told us his name and his age in an
inscription on the wall: he is thirty-four. We do not lack information
about him. We like him under that air of youthful seriousness; we see
upon his face that dawning gravity in which the blossom of feeling
already exists, but its plenitude and maturity are still to come. And in
attentively examining our personage we are struck with his reflective