A SCOTTISH DE WET.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4301, 9 March 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

A SCOTTISH DE WET.

HOW THE RAIDER’S ANCESTOR PAINTED MONARCH 3.

There have been Do Wots in Scotland just as there are Do Wets in South Africa at the present time. The Scotch Do Wet oamo over from Holland a few centuries ago, and, being of an artistic turn of mind, set himself to paint portraits of all the Scottish kings for the Palace of Holyrood. He painted them all from one model, so it is no wonder they are .strangely alike. This Seot-tish-Dutchman was the ancestor of the present troublesome gentleman in South A L-ica.

Within an easy walk of Barrie's ‘Thrums” is Glands Castle, the hereditary seat of the Earl of Strathmore and Kingliorn. This ancient pile in the days of its glory received a good deal of attention from the Scottish De Wet. He painted the Glamis Chapel, and the contract for it reads very quoerly to-day. He undertook to paint the roof so that the fifteen longest panels should contain “every one a full and distinct storie of our blessed Saviour conforme to the cutts in a Biblo here in the house or the Service Book,” while the lower panels were to bo filled “some with angels as in the skio and such other things as he shall invent and be esteemed proper of his work.”

Dc Wet’s remuneration was £35, with board and lodging. There is also in the castle archives on old estimate for the repairing of the chapel organ, and Do Wet, who seems to have been a handy man, may have turned his attention to that also in the intervals of his artistic labours.

With the exception of Eoslin Chapel, that at Glamis is the only one in Scotland in which tho use of the Liturgy dates from a period preceding the Revolution, when the chapel fell into disuse, but in 1866 it was reopened with imposing ceremony by tho Bishop of Brechin. On that occasion all Do Wet’s paintings were cleaned and varnished and re-gilt, and may be seen in all their glory to-day.