Summary :“The Mysterious Picture”, narrates the dilemma of Tyl Ulenspiegel a painter from Flanders. Tyl reached the court of the Archduke of Battenburg, riding on a donkey.When the Captain of the Guards heard that Tyl was a Flemish painter, he allowed him to enter the palace. The Archduke made him the court painter. He wanted Tyl to paint his portrait, along with all the courtiers. The Archduke asked Tyl to paint everyone as they were. But the courtiers demanded Tyl to paint them beautifully. Tyl was confused. In order to escape from being killed, he planned not to draw the picture at all. Tyl asked for more and more time to complete the picture. On the sixtieth day he gathered all the courtiers around him. He said that only those who had noble blood in their veins would be able to see the picture. To prove that they had noble blood, everyone pretended that they could see the picture. To Tyl’s surprise, the court-jester spoke the truth that there was no picture on the canvas. But before the secret spread far, Tyl escaped from the court, riding on his donkey.

ACTIVITIES
WORDS AND MEANINGS

Descendant- children, grand children and all the relatives who live after them
Chivalry- polite and kind behaviour that shows a sense of honour
Enormous- extremely large
Slaughter- to kill large numbers of people at a time,especially in a war
Splendour- great beauty which attracts admiration and attention
Summon- to order someone to come to or to be present at a particular place
Flush- to become red because you are angry

1.Read the following Passage and answer the questions.

The Captain knew that Flemish painters and their pictures were in great demand all over Europe. Tyl was presented to the Archduke. He saluted the Archduke three times and stood before him with his head bowed. “May your Highness pardon me for my rashness in thinking that one of my paintings will please your Highness. I have brought a picture of Our Lady, the Virgin, in her royal robes. I have painted it specially so that I might lay it at your noble feet”. Tyl paused a few moments for his words to sink in. Then he continued, “You must forgive me, Your Highness, if I’ve
dared to hope that this picture will please you. Perhaps Your Highness might wish to offer me the chair of your court painter who died recently, I can see the empty velvet chair waiting to be filled”.

Whose paintings were of great demand ?
Before whom did the captain present Tyl ?
What picture did Tyl present to the Archduke ?
What did Tyl expect from the Archduke ?
What had happened to the court-painter ?
Answer
The paintings of Flemish painters were in great demand.
Tyl was presented before the Archduke.3. Tyl presented the picture of Our Lady, the Virgin in her royal robes.
Tyl expected the Archduke to make him the court painter.
The court painter had died recently.

Write a conversation between the Captain of the Guards and Tyl, at the gate.
Answer
CONVERSATION

Captain   : Hei there, you fellow on the donkey, stop there.
You and your donkey look like skeletons.
Tyl           :May God bless you sir Captain ! I am very hungry.
Captain  : Where do you come from ?
Tyl           : From Flanders.
Captain  : What do you want ?
Tyl           : I would like to show His Highness, the Archduke, one of my      paintings. I am a painter.
Captain  : Well, If you are a painter and if you come from Flanders, you may come in.
Tyl          : Thank you sir.

Tyl during his stay in the palace of the Archduke of Battenburg, wrote a
letter to his wife. How would that letter be ?

LETTER

Battenburg
15 June 2020
My dear Emily,
Parting is not new for you. After our marriage in 2000, I have gone on tour many a time. Most of the times, I have taken you too. But this time I came alone because I wanted to take advantage of the foolish Duke of Battenburg. He has been leading a very luxurious life and has been spending lavishly for arts and paintings. If this situation continues, our country will perish economically. So I am going to teach him some lessons to make him think about his luxury. I hope that I will succeed in my attempt. I shall return after two months. Praying for your good health, I remain.
Yours
Sd/-
Tyl

After reaching home, Tyl wrote his diary. How would that diary be?

DIARY
A Happy Day!
Monday
16 June 2020
What a fool the Archduke is ! I have really befooled him. But he could not
understand it. For two months my companions and myself were feasting. How tasty the wine and meat was! The courtiers and the Duke were competing to find out who the worse fool was ! Anyway people like me will always have a chance in this world. The only thing is that I have to try another role next time. I am too happy to
sleep tonight!

Prepare a profile of Charles De Coster making use of the hints.

Birth                : 1827, Munich
Masterpiece  : ‘The Legend of Tyl Ulenspiegel and
                             Lamme Goedzak’ (1867), a 16th century
                             romance, not read in Belgium but popular
                             all over the world.
Known as      : Father of Belgian Literature
Death             : 1879Answer

CHARLES DE COSTER

Charles De Coster the famous Belgian writer was born in Munich in 1827. His masterpiece is ‘The Legend of Tyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak’ published in 1867.It is a 16th century romance, which is not read in Belgium. But it gained popularity all over the world. It is considered as one of the classics in Belgian Literature. He is known as the father of Belgian literature. He died in 1879.