many remarkable portraits, that of Sir Thomas More is much admired.-The Galerie de Guerre contains many battle-pieces, reprefenting victories gained by the late, the prefent King, and Prince Eugene; in which, as you may fuppofe, the French are every where worsted; running away in most places, and in others begging their lives on their knees. All round this gallery, forming a row just above the furbafe, is a fine collection of Flemish pictures by the best mafters; fuch as Teniers, Wovermans, Brughels, and others whose names I have forgot. There is one little Berghem, which is excellent, reprefenting a landscape with the fun fetting; and a very small one by Calf, of a citron peeled: two fmall Peter-nefs: a woman with a flower-pot and a cage, by Gerard Douw. The high finishing and neatnefs of this maiter is wonderful.-Two portraits on copper, the mafter forgot. One reprefents a man, the other a woman, and feem to be brother and fifter; they are remarkably well done, in their proper dreffes; the point ruff of the lady, her auburn hair, and a fillet of pearls, appear fo natural, that one can scarce forbear touching them, to be convinced they are not realt.-In other rooms I remarked two admirable flower pieces. by Vanhufen; a Scalken, reprefenting a Magdalene by candle * This master's peculiarity of colouring resembles often, in refpect of his blue and green, the paintings on old china. All the Flemish pictures were added to this collection by Prince Eugene. light; not inferior to one I faw of the fame mafter at Windfor-caftle; and, as well as I can recollect, may be a duplicate of that picture. But of all the Flemish pictures moft admired in this collection, one by Gerard Douw, called la Hydropique, has justly the preference; as it combines in it every perfection of the Flemish fchool. This picture appears withoutfide like a cupboard; it is fhut in by two doors, on which is painted by Gerard Douw, an ewer and a napkin. When thefe doors, are opened, the picture appears with more eclat, from having been concealed. It reprefents the infide of a room; the clair obfcure has a beautiful effect; the room is lighted by an ox-eye placed over a window, and by the light proceeding from a fire in the chimney, which is admirably thrown on the furniture and other objects. The principal figure appears to be a phyfician, who is ftanding on the fore-ground, and holds up a phial to the light, which he looks at very attentively; he is dreffed in a prodigious fine lilac-coloured fattin night gown; the dropfical woman is very fine alfo, in white fattin; her daughter's dress is not neglected; fhe is on her knees near her mother, and holds one of her hands in her's. There is great tenderness expreffed in the countenance of the daughter; and her attitude is eafy and natural: the mother appears to be in the laft ftage of illness. A waiting. maid, who is adminiftering a potion to the fick lady, has a ftupid indifference in her manner, that forms a good contraft to the filial piety and tender attention of the daughter. This picture may be faid to be too highly finished; the fattin, lace, embroidery, &c. done too well: which caufes a hardnefs of out-line in many places, augmented by an extraordinary attention to the finishing several pieces of furniture in the room. In short, there are many sketches, by Italian masters, I fhould prefer to this, had I my choice: it really is, upon the whole, rather a curious, than a capital picture. One wonders more at the extreme patience and laborious difpofition of the painter, than at the fuperlative merit of the piece.-There are so many fmall cabinets, or closets, that I had forgot two of them; one is painted in compartments, by Charles Vanloo; the subjects taken from Taffo's Jerufalem Delivered, and are all well done; the colouring tender and gay. The other cabinet is entirely of looking-glafs, cieling and fides, which are highly ornamented and gilt.-There are two small rooms which are kept locked by the King's order. Monfieur Groffo Cavallo is alone entrusted with the keys; and very great is the difficulty of gaining the entrance of these myfterious repositories : decency is the pretext: a fight of these pictures (as fuppofed by the King) may be of dangerous confequence to young people. If he locked them up from the Princes and Princeffes only, the manner of their being brought up is fo particular in fome refpects, that I fhould think he had reafon. He does not willingly permit the Duke of Savoy * Now King of Sardinia. to to see an opera, although now near forty years old, left it should corrupt him. The Kings of Sardinia have been exceedingly odd in their old age. When young, they are ftrongly addicted to libertinifm and debauchery; when old, always devots, tormenting their families and court with etiquette, and the moft ridiculous pruderies.-But to return to the contents of these dangerous cabinets. One contains nothing but the chastest representations; fuch as a Saint Jerome of Michael Angelo, much blackened by time, otherwife worthy of that great master. A holy family and a Saint Jerome in the same picture: the little Jefus is capital; a most amiable smile, and a most angelic expreffion in the countenance. This picture is by Baltazar Peroufi, ou de Siena. Two original portraits; one of Petrarch, the other of his beloved Laura*, by Bron gino, • Paffing through Avignon in August 1771, they fhewed us in one of their churches a tomb which is allowed to have been that of Laura. In the coffin which it contained, was found, about 30 years fince, a roll of parchment, inclosed in a small leaden box, with the following copy of verses, in Petrarch's own hand, from which I have transcribed them: Qui ripofan qui cafti, e felici offa Di quell' alma gentile, efola interra, Nacque, e mori, e qui con elia giace gino, a famous painter of that day. Her fort of beauty would never have captivated me, had I been Petrarch; firft, her hair is red, her eye-brows extremely narrow and exact, forming a flat arch; her eyes small, her nofe a little hooked, and rifing too high in the middle, her mouth not very small, and lips like two fcarlet threads, a very faint colour in the cheeks, the contour of the face more fquare than oval, her countenance more demure than engaging; her head is covered with a kind of caul which fits clofe, and is of gold net, with pearls and precious ftones fastened on in lozenges; this caul confines her hair, excepting a border or roll which is left all round close to her face. Her gown, which I imagine was intended to imitate embroidery of that day, looks now like a piece of an old Turkey-carpet; it is without plaits. Two rows of large pearls, intermixed with rubies and emeralds, hang loofe about her neck. I give you this detail of her drefs, as it was probably the fashion of her day, and I fuppofe was efteemed extremely becoming. As for Petrarch, he is exceedingly ugly La penna, el ftil, l'inchioftro, e la regione; Che ancor me cuoci, e fruggi; in ginnocchione OS CXO. Morta bellezza indarno si sospira; Le alma beata in ciel vivra in eterno; Pianga il prefente, e il futur fecol privi D'una tal Luce, ed io digli occhi e il Tempo. 8 indeed |