Review of “Schalken the Painter” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: Halloween Countdown

For October 22

Plot:

The painting by the artist Godfrey Schalken is a family heirloom. A woman in a white dress, part of which forms a veil. She holds a lamp, lighting her features, an effect at which its creator excelled. It shows her “arch smile,” as if she’s pulled off some prank. Behind her, in shadow by the red light of the embers of a dying fire, stands a man dressed in old Flemish style, his hand ready to draw his sword.

The painting comes with a story.

The woman in the painting is Rose Velderkaust, a niece of Schalken’s master Gerard Douw—and Schalken’s first love. As the story goes, the painter did not have the wherewithal to marry but had to work hard and save. Neither Rose nor Schalken spoke to Douw about their plans.

One day, a Minheer Vanderhausen came to call on Gerard Douw. He demonstrated his wealth and made a generous offer for Rose. Douw accepted without making further inquiry. He didn’t tell Rose immediately, not because he expected her to object, but because, after thinking about it, he couldn’t remember Vanderhausen’s face.

Rose came flying home after she and Minheer Vanderhausen are married, starving and begging not to be left alone. Douw put her to bed in his own room. Unthinking, he crossed the threshold to find a candle after the one he held blew out. The door slammed shut, and even with both Douw and Schalken trying to open it, it stayed fast.

Screaming came from the far side of the door, followed by silence.

No trace of Rose was ever found, but years later, when Godfrey attends the funeral for his father, he falls asleep and has a dream.

Thoughts:

This is a sad horror tale, heavy with foreshadowing. Douw loves his niece, but he’s too greedy to turn down the money the stranger offers.

The narrative is wordy in the 19th-century style. The villain is apparent to the reader when he first enters the story, doing everything but twirling his mustache.

Things go badly for poor Rose, but she—adjusts. She has not forgotten how to smile.

I liked this little gothic story, sad as it was.

Dutch painter Godfried Schalcken did indeed exist. He was, as Le Fanu writes, famous for his effects with light. He studied under a painter named Gerard Dou, who, in turn, studied under Rembrandt.

Bio: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer of Huguenot descent. His early writings include a group of short stories, initially published anonymously in The Dublin University Magazine in the guise of the literary remains of one (fictional) Father Frances Purcell (The Purcell Papers 1838-1850). These range from the creepy (“Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter”) to the silly (“The Quare Gander”).

Le Fanu’s writings include many ghost stories and supernatural pieces. His works influenced such writers as M. R. James and may have inspired portions of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847). His vampire tale, “Carmilla” (1872), influenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula. “Carmilla” has been adapted for film several times with varying degrees of success.

In 1858, his wife died after what was described as a fit of hysteria. Le Fanu ceased writing for years and became a recluse, taking to his bed.


The story can be read here:

The story can be listened to here:(1:21:55)


Title: “Schalken the Painter”
Author: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873)
First published: Dublin University Magazine, May 1839
Length: novelette