His best award is in the judgments of the unsophisticated heart. A
painter who does not burn incense to his palette and worship his
brushes, who reverences ideas above mechanism, will have all manner of
evil spoken against him by artists, but the human heart will always
accept him.
LETTER XLIV.
BERLIN, August 10.
MY DEAR: -
Here we are in Berlin - a beautiful city. These places that kings
build, have of course, more general uniformity and consistency of
style than those that grow up by chance. The prevalence of the Greek
style of architecture, the regularity and breadth of the streets, the
fine trees, especially in the Unter den Linden, on which are our
rooms, struck me more than any thing I have seen since Paris. Why
Paris charms me so much more than other cities of similar
recommendations, I cannot say, any more than a man can tell why he is
fascinated by a lady love no fairer to his reason than a thousand
others. Perhaps it is the reflected charm of the people I knew there,
that makes it seem so sunny.
This afternoon we took a guide, and went first through the royal
palace. The new chapel, which is being built by the present prince, is
circular in form, with a dome one hundred and thirty feet high. The
space between the doors is occupied by three circular recesses, with
figures of prophets and apostles in fresco. Over one door is the
Nativity, - over the other, the Resurrection, - also in fresco. On the
walls around were pictures somewhat miscellaneous, I thought; for
example, John Huss, St. Cecilia, Melanchthon, Luther, several women,
saints, apostles, and evangelists. These paintings are all by the
first German artists. The floor is a splendid mosaic, and the top of
the dome is richly adorned with frescoes.
Still, though beautiful, the chapel seemed to me deficient in unity of
effect. One admires the details too much to appreciate it as a whole.
We passed through the palace rooms. Its paintings are far inferior to
those of Windsor. The finest royal paintings have gone to adorn the
walls of the Museum. There was one magnificent Vandyke, into which he
has introduced a large dog - some relief from his eternal horses. There
was David's picture of Bonaparte crossing the Alps, of which Mrs. P.
has the engraving, and you can tell her that it is much more
impressive than the painting. Opposite to this picture hangs Blucher,
looking about as amiable as one might suppose a captain of a regiment
of mastiffs. Our guide, pointing to the portrait of Napoleon, with
evident pride, said, "Blucher brought that from Paris. He said
Napoleon had carried so many pictures from other countries to Paris,
that now he should be carried away himself."
There were portraits of Queen Louisa, very beautiful; of Queen
Victoria, a present; one of the Empress of Russia; also a statue of
the latter.
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