raining from
Hieronymus Francken. In 1591 he went to Amsterdam, and four years later
settled finally at Utrecht, where he became dean of the Gild of St Luke.
He excelled more as a colourist than as a draughtsman, was extremely
productive, and painted and etched historical and allegorical pictures,
landscapes, still-life, animal pictures and flower pieces. Among his
pupils are his four sons, Hendrick, Frederick, Cornelis and Adriaan (all
of whom achieved considerable reputation as painters or engravers), the
two Honthorsts and Jacob G. Cuyp.

BLOEMEN, JAN FRANS VAN (1662-1740), Flemish painter, was born at
Antwerp, and studied and lived in Italy. At Rome he was styled Orizonte,
on account of his painting of distance in his landscapes, which are
reminiscent of Gaspard Poussin and much admired. His brothers Pieter
(1657-1719), styled Standaart (from his military pictures), and Norbert
(1670-1746), were also well-known painters.

BLOEMFONTEIN, capital of the Orange Free State, in 29 deg. 8' S., 26
deg. 18' E. It is situated on the open veld, surrounded by a few low
kopjes, 4518 ft. above the sea, 105 m. by rail E. by S. of Kimberley,
750 N.E. by E. of Cape Town, 450 N. by E. of Port Elizabeth, and 257
S.W. of Johannesburg.

Bloemfontein is a very pleasant town, regularly laid out with streets
running at right angles and a large central market square. Many of the
houses are surrounded by large wooded gardens. Through the town runs the
Bloemspruit. After a disastrous flood in 1904 the course of this spring
was straightened and six stone bridges placed across it. There are
several fine public buildings, mostly built of red brick and a
fine-grained white stone quarried in the neighbourhood. The Raadzaal, a
building in the Renaissance style, faces Market Square. Formerly the
meeting-place of the Orange Free State Raad, it is now the seat of the
provincial council. In front of the old Raadzaal (used as law courts) is
a statue of President Brand. In Douglas Street is an unpretentious
building used in turn as a church, a raadzaal, a court-house and a
museum. In it was signed (1854) the convention which recognized the
independence of the Free State Boers (see ORANGE FREE STATE: _History_).
Among the churches the most important, architecturally, are the Dutch
Reformed, a building with two spires, and the Anglican cathedral, which
has a fine interior. The chief educational establishment is Grey
University College, built