Smith, John: A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French painters: in which is included a short biographical notice of the artists, with a copious description of their principal pictures : a statement of the prices at which such pictures have been sold at public sales on the continent and in England; a reference the the galleries and private collections in which a large portion are at present; and the names of the artists by whom they have been engraved; to which is added, a brief notice of the scholars & imitators of the great masters of the above schools (Part 6) (London: Smith and Son, 1835)

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SCHOLARS AND IMITATORS
OF
JACOB RUYSDAEL.

This universally esteemed Artist, like his contemporary
Hobbema, may with propriety be placed at the head of a
school, from whence proceeded many clever painters, in whose
works portions of the style and manner of the above-named
artists are readily discerned. This union of parts has not,
however, in any instance, produced examples of the pencil
equal in merit to the prototype’s ; and the highest compliment
that can be paid to the best of such productions is, that it
sometimes requires an experienced eye to discriminate them.
Solomon Ruysdael was an elder brother of Jacob, and
according to the generally received statement, was born at
Haarlem, in 1616, and was therefore (if writers are correct)
the senior by twenty years of his brother; there is, conse-
quently, little probability of his having learnt the art from
him; but, notwithstanding this, there is sufficient approxi-
mation in the pictures of the two brothers to occasionally
mislead the inexperienced. Solomon may have been a pupil
of Van Goyen, or Peter Molyn, and afterwards attempted
an imitation of his brother’s wotks, for they have too close
a similarity of colouring, and style of handling, to suppose
that their resemblance was the effect of accident.
He died in 1670.