ARTISTS AND WORKS OF ART IN ENGLAND.

BY DR. WAgen, direCTOR OF THE PICTURE GALLERY IN BERLIN.

VISIT TO THE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND.

LONDON, 20th May, 1835.-At last I have some notion of the dwelling and mode of life of an English duke.

Provided with two letters of introduction by the kindness of the Duchess of Cumberland and the Princess Louise of Prussia, I waited on the Duke of Sutherland, who received me in the most friendly manner, and conducted me through his palace.

It is distinguished from all others in London by extent, stately proportion, richness of material, and beauty of situation. It was begun by the late Duke of York, under the superintendence of the architect Wyatt, and after his death bought and enlarged by the Marquis of Stafford, the father of the present Duke of Sutherland.

A fine prospect is enjoyed from the windows, of the Green Park on one side, and on the other of St. James's, with its mighty trees, above whose luxuriant foliage rise the towers of Westminster Abbey. The eye turns, however, willingly to the interior of the apartments, where, besides the magnificence of furniture, draperies, and carpets, it finds the nobler enjoyment arising from the contemplation of works of art.

The marble chimney-pieces are adorned sometimes with antique busts and reliefs, sometimes with elegant vases, of various rare kinds of stone, after the most celebrated antiques.

The finest ornaments of the palace, however, are the pictures of the Italian, Flemish, Spanish, and modern English schools; a collection which the duke, one of the richest men in England, is constantly endeavouring to enrich still more.

The gallery, situated in the new story which the present possessor has added to the original building, is lighted from above, and will soon contain all the most valuable of his paintings. The duke in his youth spent some time at the Prussian court, and the numerous portraits of our royal family seem to indicate that he has retained a lively remembrance of the period. Among them is a marble bust of our departed queen, by Rauch, after the monument by the same artist at Charlottenburg.

I had afterwards the honour of being introduced to the duchess, whose uncommon beauty, in the true English style, is heightened by an expression of great intelligence and sweetness of disposition.

Perhaps the most imposing part of the mansion is the staircase. This vast space, which passes through every floor in the house, is admirably lighted by a lantern from above, and by its excellent proportions, by the colouring of the walls, where the giallo antico has been most happily imitated, and by the balustrade richly ornamented with gilt bronze, produces a most stately and imposing effect. It reminded me in a most lively manner of the mighty space so frequently met with in the palaces of Genoa.

I will soon write to you more in detail concerning the picturegallery, to which the kindness of the duke has allowed me daily

access, and I shall then endeavour to give you some idea of the inestimable treasures of art that England has been collecting, especially from the time of the French Revolution to the present day.

BALL AT DEVONSHIRE HOUSE.

I left a party at half-past eleven o'clock to go to a ball at the Duke of Devonshire's, for which I had received a card. The line of carriages was so long that a full hour elapsed before I was able to gain admission. The house was splendidly lighted up, and as I approached I was greeted with ravishing strains of music. The first apartments were so thronged with the beau monde, that I had some difficulty in making my way through them.

The duke conversed with me a short time in the most friendly manner, and gave me an invitation to a breakfast at his villa at Chiswick for the 13th.

The quantity of light, almost equalling that of day, and the splendour of the decorations, were worthy of the guests assembled. One small room, whose walls were covered with rose-coloured drapery and looking-glass, and in the midst of which were placed a number of exquisite flowers, filling the air with their fragrance, and delighting the eye by their gay variety of hue, was particularly admired. Its charm was completed by the slender sylph-like forms of the young Englishwomen, of the higher classes whom this fashionable ball had attracted in unusual numbers.

Although myself no artist, my long-continued familiarity with their works has accustomed me to view all objects with an artist's eye; and a more glorious opportunity for contemplations of this description than this ball afforded could hardly have been found. I was able to yield myself up to them with less interruption, as there were but few in this vast assemblage to whom I was personally known. I remarked many specimens of distinguished beauty in both sexes-many a living Vandyke, with those delicate regular features, clear, warm, transparent complexion, and fair hair, which he caught so incomparably well.

Still more striking and piquant were many faces of quite southern character, with black hair and strongly-marked brows. These may perhaps be the descendants of the ancient Britons, for the invading Saxon and Norman races were fair. There was one girl whose exquisitely graceful head would have enraptured Guido, and one young man, who appeared to me almost a perfect model of symmetry and beauty; the dark, deep-set, dreaming eyes, the beautifully cut mouth, where a touch of refined sensuality, mingled with a slight expression of melancholy, would have afforded to a Grecian artist the most admirable model for a youthful Bacchus.

As he was very young, and evidently still new to these circles, there was as yet no trace of that self-sufficient consciousness of beauty which so powerfully diminishes its impression. His countenance received a new charm when his glances rested for a long time, with evident pleasure, on a lovely blonde, whose brilliant eyes shone with all the radiant light of youth and joy.

Perhaps you may feel some curiosity to hear the names of some of these beauties; but, for my part, I should as soon have thought of asking the Latin names of the flowers in a garden. I was too

happy in the contemplation of these fairest of the human flowers that bloom upon God's earth; and these blossoms are unquestionably found in greater perfection in England than in any other country. The cause of superiority is sufficiently obvious. In no other country is the physical education of children from their birth conducted in so rational a manner, and nowhere have I seen so many children blooming in all the luxuriance of perfect health. The greatest regularity in their mode of life, the most simple yet nourishing diet, and a constant exercise in the open air, are the chief points; and the attention to these is unremitting during the whole period of childhood and youth. One great advantage enjoyed by children in England above those of any other northern country is, that they are not kept half the year in overheated rooms, for the open fires are not liable to the same objections. The close heat of a stove is apt to puff up and bloat the skin of the face: whereas here, as in Italy, the forms are more decided, without being less delicate. To all this may be added, that in the better classes there is no fatiguing employment and seldom any disturbing care to interrupt the tranquil developement of beauty, or shorten its duration. The same plants, under the tendence of a careful gardener, placed in a rich soil, and exposed to all the most beneficent influences of sun and rain, flourish better than when sometimes exposed to the noontide glare, and sometimes beaten by the fury of the storm: the same remark applies to the delicate blossoms of human beauty.

It is a very remarkable fact, that in particular families the old type of a certain character of beauty has maintained itself through a long series of family portraits, whilst at the same time the greater freedom of the English nobility in the choice of their wives prevents it from degenerating into caricature and deformity, as is so often seen in other countries.

You will easily imagine that there was no want of costly and elegant toilettes; and I could only regret that I had not your feminine* knowledge of the subject, that I might describe them like a true. connoisseur. I am afraid also I should scarcely do justice in detail to the costly display at the two buffets, at one of which was the greatest variety of refreshments, while at the other a hot souper was served by a numerous and splendid train of attendants. The whole fete proved that the Duke of Devonshire has not undeservedly attained his high reputation among the nobility of England for fashion and hospitality.

The exterior of Devonshire House is unpretending; but it contains extraordinary treasures of art and literature. Besides a very rich collection of pictures, I saw in one of the sitting-rooms a glass case containing a remarkably fine collection of cut stones and medals, five hundred and sixty-four in number. My greatest treat, however, was the sight of the renowned "Libro di Verità," which the duke was kind enough to place in my hands and allow me to contemplate at my leisure. It was thus Claude Lorraine denominated a book in which he had made drawings of all the pictures he had ever executed. Since even in his own day his works had obtained a great reputation, it was found that many inferior artists had painted pic

The letters from which these extracts are taken are addressed by the author to his wife.

tures in his style, and sold them as genuine Claudes; so that it was found necessary to prove the authenticity of his paintings by a reference to his "Book of Truth." The drawings are in number about two hundred, and upon the back of the first is a paper pasted, with the following words in Claude's own handwriting. I preserve his own orthography.

ma vie.

"Audi 10 dagosto 1677. Ce livre Aupartien a moy que je faict durant Claudio Gillee Dit le lorains. A Roma ce 23. Aos. 1680.” When Claude wrote the last date he was seventy-eight years old, and he died two years afterwards. On the back of every drawing is the number, with his monogram, the place for which the picture was painted, and usually the person by whom it was ordered, and the year; but the "Claudio fecit" is never wanting. According to his will, this book was to remain always the property of his own family; and it was so faithfully kept by his immediate descendants, that all the efforts of the Cardinal d'Estrées, the French ambassador at Rome, to procure it were in vain. His later posterity had so entirely lost all traces of this pious reverence for it, that they sold it for the trivial price of two hundred scudi to a French jeweller, who again sold it in Holland, whence it came into the possession of the Dukes of Devonshire, who have preserved it with due honours. The well-known copies by Barlow, in the work of Boydell, give but a very vague and monotonous representation of these splendid drawings.

The delicacy, ease, and masterly handling of all, from the slightest sketches to those most carefully finished, exceed all description: the latter produce, indeed, all the effect of finished pictures. With the simple material of a pen, and tints of Indian ink, sepia, or bistre, with some white to bring out the lights, every characteristic of sunshine or shade, or the "incense-breathing morn," is perfectly expressed. Most happily has he employed for this purpose the blue tinge of the paper and the warm sepia for the glow of evening. Some are only drawn with a pen, or the principal forms are slightly sketched in pencil, with the great masses of light broadly thrown in with white: the imagination easily fills up the rest.

In one case which the duke opened, I saw stately volumes containing engravings of Marcanton and other scarce masters; but much as I was tempted to look at them, I resisted it, on the principle I laid down for myself on coming to England, to waste no part of my limited time in seeing what I could see on the Continent.

The duke is deeply versed in the old dramatic literature of England; he showed me some volumes of his collection of old plays, which is the richest in the world, and is every year increasing. He is just printing a new catalogue. How earnestly did I wish that Tieck were with me to revel in these treasures!

WINDSOR CASTLE.

(During the late reign.)

By eleven o'clock on the following morning, I was with Lord Howe in his carriage, on our way to Windsor. So many hamlets and villages, formerly at some distance from London, have now become connected with it, that it was long ere we got free of the continued line of houses. In laying out the ground in these suburbs,

the greatest possible care is taken to economise space, so that in the ordinary houses the door is no larger than is just necessary to admit one person; but the houses are all clean, and neatly roofed with slates. Wherever the smallest scrap of ground is seen in front, it is laid out as a little flower-garden; and where even this is wanting, creeping plants, with their pretty blossoms, are generally trained up the walls.

The appearance of such an English village is very pleasing, and these little decorations are sure signs of the general prosperity of the people; for it is not till the necessaries of life have been secured that the desire of obtaining some further pleasure arises. Another proof is afforded by the swarms of handsome, well-fed, rosy-cheeked children whom one sees everywhere enjoying the "dolce far niente.” This pleasing impression was strengthened by the flourishing appearance of the country, where bright green meadows and rich cornfields succeed each other.

The swift motion of the well-hung carriage over the smooth road created a very agreeable sensation, increased by the sight of the distant towers of Windsor Castle, among which one was especially conspicuous. As we approached the town, Shakspeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor" naturally occurred to me; and the remark of Lord Howe, that the wood through which we were just driving was the same where Shakspeare has tormented Falstaff, rendered the impression still more lively.

At length the carriage stopped before the entrance to the castle, after we had driven five German miles in two hours. The first sight of this edifice is really imposing. From a rocky height commanding the country round for a vast extent, its grey towers and battlements arise in picturesque confusion. It is the very place for the chivalrous kings of old to have held their courts, and looks like the realization of some fantastic dream of the middle ages. A part of it really dates back to those times, the gigantic old tower which I remarked from the distance having, as it is said, been inhabited by William the Conqueror. From a small watch-tower, which appears to grow out of it, the royal standard of England now waves. The castle was much altered and extended in the year 1814, by the architect Sir Geoffry Wyattville; and is certainly the only residence worthy of a King of England,-the ruler of more than one hundred millions of men, if we include the East Indies: for as much as his power and greatness transcend those of ordinary mortals, so does the castle exceed the dwellings of the ordinary children of men, which, in comparison, appear like pigmies. The King and Queen generally pass the greater part of the year here.

As we entered the castle, we met Von Raumer, who, like myself, was waiting to be presented to the Queen. We had to pass through several court-yards before we reached the part of the building inhabited by their majesties; and whilst Lord Howe went in to announce us, we amused ourselves by examining the stately corridor where we were standing, which runs round the interior of a court. The ceiling was of oak, richly wrought in the best style of Gothic architecture, which attained a high degree of perfection in England about the end of the fifteenth century. The walls were adorned with many pictures, among which were some of the best of Canaletti.