Van Dyke

The teapot tempest blown up by Dr. John Charles Van Dyke's Rembrandt heresy (TIME, Oct. 15) continued to rage. Developments:

1) Eight Fifth Avenue (Manhattan) art dealers debated whether to sue Dr. Van Dyke for " collective libel." The matter was temporarily dropped but may be taken up when Messrs. F. Kleinberger and Roland F. Knoedler, and Sir Joseph Duveen, leading dealers, return from Europe. Dr. Van Dyke fears no action.

2) Dr. Wilhelm von Bode, Berlin museum director responsible for many of the traditional Rembrandt ascriptions, replied to Dr. Van Dyke's charges. The cables quote him as saying there were probably 300 or 400 actual Rembrandts extant. If this is not a misprint, Dr. von Bode has come down from his original "700 or 800."

3) Sundry personages came to the aid and comfort of Dr. Van Dyke, including George B. McClellan, former Mayor of New York, now professor of economic history at Princeton; George H. Kendall, President of the New York Bank Note Co., a collector; Peter Thelen, Belgian antiquarian. Others ridiculed the charges.

4) Professor Van Dyke held his ground. The number of genuine Rembrandts he placed at 48, not 35 as originally reported--a number amply large, he said, for a careful painter's life.

TIME was in error last week in stating that Dr. John Charles Van Dyke (Rutgers College professor) was no relative of Dr. Henry van* Dyke, famed author, statesman, professor (Princeton University). The van Dykes are second cousins, once removed. Dr. Henry van Dyke: " I cherish the connection because I love the man and admire his courage. But about his views on Rembrandt, I have nothing to say because I have not studied the subject. He has."

* Note the difference in spelling.