turquoises, in this chapel of fairy land--(built by Maximilian I.) of which
one contains two precious pictures by Jean d'Aix la Chapelle--and the other
(of massive gold, weighing twenty-four pounds) a painting of the
resurrection and of paradise, in enamel. Even the very organ is constructed
of gold, silver, ebony, turquois and lapis lazuli ornaments; of pearls and
of coral. As to the huge altar of massive silver--adorned with cariatides,
candelabra, statues, vases, and bouquets of the same metal--and especially
the _pix_, lined with diamonds, rubies, and pearls--what shall I say of
these--ALL the fruit of the munificent spirit of MAXIMILIAN? Truly, I
would pass over the whole with an indifferent eye, to gaze upon a simple
altar of pure gold--the sole ornament of the prison of the unfortunate Mary
Queen of Scots; which Pope Leo XI. gave to William V. Elector of
Bavaria--and which bears the following inscription:
EXILII COMES ET CARCERIS IMAGO
HAEC MARIAE STUARDAE, SCOT. REG.
FUIT, FUISSET ET CAEDIS, SI VIXISSET.
Not less marvellous things are told of the _Jewellery_ in this palace of
wonders:--among which the BLUE DIAMOND ... attached to the order of the
Golden Fleece--which is set open, and which, opposed to the sun, emits rays
of the most dazzling lustre,--is said to be the nonpareil of coloured
precious stones. It weighs 36 carats and 144 grains. Of the _Pearls_, that
called the PALATINAT, half white and half black, is considered the greatest
curiosity; but in a cabinet is preserved the choicest of all choice
specimens of precious art and precious metals. It is a statue of _St.
George and the Dragon_, of the height of about a foot and a half, in pure
and solid gold: the horse is agate: the shield is of enamelled gold: the
dragon is jasper: the whole being thickly studded with diamonds, rubies,
emeralds, and pearls--to the number of at least two thousand! Another
cabinet contains the crowns of emperors, dukes and.... But you are already
dazzled and bewildered; and I must break off the description of this
ENCHANTED PALACE.
What is of easy access is rarely visited. I asked several of my
acquaintance here, whether this spectacle were worth seeing?--and they as
frequently replied in the negative as in the affirmative. But the PICTURE
GALLERY I _have_ seen, and seen with attention;--although I am not likely
to pay it a second visit. I noted down what I saw: and paid particular
attention to the progress of art in the early German school of painting. I
knew that this collection had long enjoyed a great celebrity: that it had
been the unceasing object of several of the old Dukes of Bavaria to enrich
it; and that the famous Theodore, equally the admirer of books and of
pictures, had united to it the gallery of paintings collected by him at
Manheim. It moreover contained the united collections of Deux-Ponts and
Dusseldorf. This magnificent collection is arranged in seven large rooms on
the same floor. Every facility of access is afforded; and you observe,
although not so frequently as at Paris, artists at work in copying the
treasures before them. In the entrance-hall, where there is a good
collection of books upon the fine arts, are specimens by _Masaccio_,
_Garofalo_, _Ghirlandaio_, _Perugino_, _Lucas de Leyden_, _Amberger_,
_Wohlgemuth_, _Baldonetti, Aldegrave_, _Quinten Matsys_--with several
others, by masters of the same period, clearly denoting the order of time
in which they are supposed to have been executed. I was well pleased, in
this division of the old school, to recognise specimens of my old friends
Hans Burgmair and the Elder Holbein; and wished for no individual at my
elbow so much as our excellent friend W.Y. Ottley:--a profound critic in
works of ancient art, but more particularly in the early Italian and German
Schools.
To conduct you through all these apartments, or seven rooms, with the
methodical precision of an experienced guide, is equally beyond my
inclination and ability. Much as I may admire one or two _Titians_, one or
two of the _Caracci_ school, the same number of _Veroneses_ and
_Schidones_, and a partial sprinkling of indifferent _Raffaelles_, I should
say that the boast of this collection are the pictures by _Rubens and
Vandyke_. Of the former there are some excellent portraits; but his two
easel pictures--the one, the _Fall of the Damned_, and the other the
_Beatitude of the Good_--are marvellous specimens of art. The figures,
extending from heaven to earth, in either picture, are linked, or grouped
together, in that peculiarly bold and characteristic manner which
distinguishes the pencil of the master.[45] The colouring throughout is
fresh, but mellow and harmonious. Among the larger pictures by this
renowned artist, are _Susanna and the Elders_, and _the Death of Seneca_;
the latter considered as a distinguished production. But some of the whole
length portraits, by the same hand, pleased me better. The pictures of
Rubens occupy more particularly the fourth room. Vandyke shines in the
second, sixth, and seventh rooms: in which are some charming whole length
portraits--combining, almost, the dignity of Titian with the colouring of
Rembrandt:--and yet, more natural in expression, more elegant in attitude,
and more beautiful in drawing, than you will find in the productions of
either of these latter artists.
If the art, whether of sculpture or of painting, take not deep root, and
send forth lusty branches laden with goodly fruit, at Munich--the fault can
never be in the _soil_, but in the waywardness of the _plant_. There is
encouragement from every quarter; as far as the contemplation of art, in
all its varieties, and all its magnificence, can be said to be a stimulus
to exertion. When the re-action of a few dozen years of peace shall have
nearly obliterated the ravages and the remembrance of war--when commerce
and civil competition shall have entirely succeeded to exaction and tyranny
from a foreign force--(which it now holds forth so auspicious a promise of
accomplishing)--and when literature shall revert within its former fruitful
channels of enlightening the ignorant, gratifying the learned, and
illustrating what is obscure among the treasures of former times--then I
think Munich will be a proud and a flourishing city indeed.[46] But more of
this subject on a future occasion.
Let us take a walk abroad--in the fields, or in the immediate vicinity of
the town--for methinks we have both had sufficient in-door occupation of
late. One of the principal places of resort, in the immediate vicinity of
Munich, is a garden--laid out after the English fashion--and of which the
late Count Rumford had the principal direction. It is really a very
pleasing, and to my taste, successful effort of art--or rather adaptation
of nature. A rapid river, or rivulet (a branch of the _Iser_) of which the
colour is a hazy or misty blue, very peculiar--runs under a small bridge
which you pass. The bed of the river has a considerable descent, and the
water runs so rapidly, as to give you the idea that it would empty itself
in a few hours. Yet--"Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis ævum." I
strolled frequently in the shady walks, and across the verdant lawns, of
this pleasant garden; wherein are also arbour-covered benches, and
embowered retreats--haunts of meditation--where
... voices, through the void deep sounding, seize
Th'enthusiastic ear!
But SKELL must not be deprived of his share of praise in the construction
of this interesting pleasure ground. He was the principal active
superintendant; and is considered to have had a thorough knowledge of
_optical effect_ in the construction of his vistas and lawns. A Chinese
pagoda, a temple to Apollo--and a monument to Gessner, the pastoral
poet--the two latter embosomed in a wood--are the chief objects of
attraction on the score of art. But the whole is very beautiful, and much
superior to any thing of the kind which I have seen since leaving England.
I told you, at the beginning of this letter, that it was market-day when we
arrived here. Mr. Lewis, who loses no opportunity of adding to the stores
of his sketch book, soon transferred a group of MARKET PEOPLE to his paper,
of which you are here favoured with a highly finished copy. The
countenances, as well as the dresses, are strongly indicative of the
general character of the German women.
[Illustration]
I was surprised to be told, the other day, that the city of Munich,
although lying upon a flat, apparently of several miles in circumference,
is nevertheless situated upon very lofty ground:--full twelve or thirteen
hundred feet above the level of the sea--and that the snow-charged blasts,
from the Tyrolese mountains, towards the end of autumn, render it at times
exceedingly cold and trying to the constitution. But I must now revert to
the city, and proceed at once to an account of the most interesting of ALL
the public edifices at Munich--in my very humble, and perhaps capricious,
estimation. Of course you will instantly catch at what I mean. "What, BUT
the edifice which contains THE PUBLIC LIBRARY?" 'Tis wisely conjectured;
and to this boundless region of books, of almost every age and description,
let us instantly resort: first paying our respects to the Directors and
Librarians of the establishment.
Of the former, the BARON VON MOLL, and MR. FREDERIC SCHLICHTEGROLL are
among the principal: of the latter, Messrs. SCHERER and BERNHARD have the
chief superintendence: of all these gentlemen, more in my next.[47] At
present, suffice it to say, that I was constantly and kindly attended
during my researches by M. Bernhard--who proved himself in the frequent
discussions, and sometimes little controversies, which we had together, to
be one of the very best bibliographers I had met upon the continent. In the
bibliographical lore of the fifteenth century, he has scarcely a superior:
and I only regretted my utter ignorance of the German language, which
prevented my making myself acquainted with his treatises, upon certain
early Latin and German Bibles, written in that tongue. But it was his
kindness--his diffidence--his affability, and unremitting attention--which
called upon me for every demonstration of a sense of the obligations I was
under. It will not be easy for me to forget, either the kind-hearted
attentions or the bibliographical erudition of M. Bernhard ...
"Quæ me cunque vocant terræ."
Be it known to you therefore, my good friend, that the PUBLIC LIBRARY at
MUNICH is attached to what was once the _College of Jesuits_; and to which
the beautiful church, described in a few preceding pages, belonged. On the
suppression of the order of Jesuits, the present building was devoted to it
by Charles Theodore in 1784: a man, who, in more than this one sense, has
deserved well of his country. Would you believe it? They tell me that there
are at least _half a hundred_ rooms filled by books and MSS. of one kind or
other--including duplicates--and that they suppose the library contains
nearer _four_, than _three hundred thousand volumes_! I scarcely know how
to credit this; although I can never forget the apparently interminable
succession of apartments--in straight lines, and in rectangular lines:
floor upon floor: even to the very summit of the building, beneath the
slanting roofs--such as I had seen at Stuttgart. But _here_ it should seem
as if every monastery throughout Bavaria had emptied itself of its
book-treasures ... to be poured into this enormous reservoir.
But I will now begin my labours in good earnest. An oblong, narrow,
boudoir-sort of apartment, contains the more precious MSS., the block
books, and works printed upon vellum. This room is connected with another,
at right angles, (if I remember well) which receives the more valuable
works of the fifteenth century--the number of which latter, alone, are said
to amount to nearly _twenty thousand_. In such a farrago, there must
necessarily be an abundance of trash. These, however, are how under a
strict assortment, or classification; and I think that I saw not fewer than
half a dozen assistants, under the direction of M. Bernhard, hard at work
in the execution of this desirable task.
LATIN MS. OF THE GOSPELS; _in small folio_. I have no hesitation in
ascribing this MS. to the ninth century. It is replete with evidences of
this, or even of an earlier, period. It is executed in capital letters of
silver and gold, about a quarter of an inch in height, upon a purple
ground. Of course the MS. is upon vellum. The beginning of the text is
entirely obliterated; but on the recto of the XVth leaf we read "_Explt
Breuiarium_."
LATIN MS. of the GOSPELS; in _large folio_. This is a more superb, but more
recent, MS. than the preceding. Yet I suspect it to be not much later than
the very early part of the eleventh century. It is executed in a large,
lower-case, roman letter: somewhat bordering upon the Gothic. But the
binding, at the very outset, is too singular and too resplendent to be
overlooked. The first side of it has the crucifixion, in a sort of
parallelogram frame work--in the centre: surrounded by a double arabesque,
or Greek border, of a most beautiful form. The whole is in ivory, of a
minute and surprisingly curious workmanship. The draperies partake of the
character of late Roman art. Round this central ivory piece of carving, is
a square, brass border, with the following inscription; which, from the
character of the capital letters, (for it is wholly composed of such) is
comparatively quite modern:
GRAMMATA QVI QVERIT COGNOSCERE VERE
HOC MATHESIS PLENE QVADRATVM PLAVDAT HABERE
EN QUI VERACES SOPHIE FULSERE SEQUACES
ORNAT PERFECTAM REX HEINRICH STEMMATE SECTAM.
In the outer border are precious stones, and portraits, with inscriptions
in Greek capital letters. These portraits and inscriptions seem to me to be
perfect, but barbarous, specimens of Byzantine art. Around the whole are
the titles of the Four Gospels in coeval capital letters. The general
effect of this first side of the book-cover, or binding, is perfect--for
antiquarian genuineness and costliness. The other side of the binding
contains representations of the cardinal virtues, in brass, with the lamb
in the centre: but they are comparatively modern. The interior of this book
does not quite accord with its exterior. It is in pure condition, in every
respect; but the art is rather feeble and barbarous. The titles to the
Gospels are executed upon a purple ground. The larger subjects, throughout
the illuminations, are executed with freedom, but the touch is heavy and
the effect weak. The gold back grounds are rather sound than resplendent.
Yet is this MS., upon the whole, a most costly and precious volume.
LATIN PSALTER. Probably of the latter part of the twelfth century. The text
is executed in a lower-case gothic. In the Calendar of Saints are found the
names of Edward the Martyr, Cuthbert, Guthlac, Etheldrith, and Thomas à
Becket. I think I am fully justified in calling this one of the richest,
freshest, and most highly ornamented PSALTERS in existence. The
illuminations are endless, and seem to comprise the whole history of the
Bible. In the representations of armour, we observe the semicircular and
slightly depressed helmet, and no nasels. I must now lay before you a MS.
of a very different description--called
The ROMANCE OF SIR TRISTRANT;[48] in verse. This ms. is wholly in the
German language; written in the XIIIth century, and containing fifteen
illuminations. M. Schérer, the Head Librarian, was so obliging as to
furnish me with an account of it; having himself translated, as literally
as possible, the original text into our own language.
I shall now put together a few miscellaneous notices, taken, like all the
preceding, from the articles themselves--and which you will find to relate
chiefly to books of Missals and Offices, &c. I shall begin, however, with a
highly illuminated MS. called
The TWELVE SIBYLS. This beautiful book is doubtless of the XVth century. It
begins with a representation of the "_Sibila Persica_." The principal merit
of these illuminations may, by some, be thought to consist in their
_freshness_; but others will not fail to remark, that the accompaniments of
these figures, such as the chairs on which they sit, and the pillars which
form the frame work of the pieces, are designed and executed in a style of
art worthy of the Florentine School of this period. Every Sibyl is
succeeded by a scriptural subject. If the faces of these figures were a
little more animated and intelligent, this book would be a charming
specimen of art of the XVth century. The _Erythræan Sibyl_ holds a white
rose very prettily in her left hand. The _Agrippinian Sibyl_ holds a whip
in her left hand, and is said "to have prophesied XXX years concerning the
flagellation of Christ." This volume is a thin quarto, in delightful
condition; bound in yellow morocco, but a _sufferer_ by the binding.
A CALENDAR. This is a pretty little duodecimo volume, containing also short
prayers to Christ; and embellished by a representation of the several
months in the calendar. Each illumination has a border, and its apposite
characteristic subject attached to the month. Among the latter, those of
October and November are vigorously touched and warmly finished. A picture
of the Deluge follows December. The scription is in a neat roman character.
This book is bound in lilac velvet, with silver clasps, and preserved in a
yellow morocco case.
OFFICE OF THE VIRGIN. An exquisite little octavo or rather duodecimo; bound
in silver, with coloured ornaments inlaid. The writing, in small roman,
shews an Italian calligraphist. The vellum is white, and of the most
beautiful quality. The text is surrounded by flowers, fruits, insects,
animals, &c. The initial letters are sparkling, and ornamented in the
arabesque manner. But the compositions, or scriptural subjects, are the
most striking. Among the more beautiful specimens of high finishing, is the
figure of Joseph--with the Virgin and Child--after the subject of the
Circumcision. Upon the whole, the colours are probably too vivid. The
subjects seem to be copies of larger paintings; and there is a good deal of
French feeling and French taste in their composition. The rogue of a binder
has shewn his love of cropping in this exquisite little volume. The date of
1574 is upon the binding.
MISSAL: beginning with the _Oratio devota ad faciem dni nostri ihu
xpi_--A most exquisite volume in 8vo.: bound in black fish skin, with
silver clasps of an exceedingly graceful form, washed with gold, and
studded with rubies, emeralds, and other coloured stones. The head of
Christ, with a globe in his hand, faces the beginning of the text. This
figure has a short chin, like many similar heads which I have seen: but the
colours are radiant, and the border, in which our Saviour is bearing his
cross, below, is admirably executed. The beginning of St. John's Gospel
follows. The principal subjects have borders, upon a gray or gold ground,
on which flowers are most beautifully painted: and some of the subjects
themselves, although evidently of Flemish composition, are most brilliantly
executed. There is great nature, and vigour of touch, in the priests
chanting, while others are performing the offices of religion. The
_Annunciation_ is full of tenderness and richness; and, in the _Christ in
the manger_--from whose countenance, while lying upon the straw, the light
emanates and shines with such beauty upon the face of the Virgin--we see
the origin perhaps of that effect which has conferred such celebrity upon
the NOTTE of CORREGIO. What gives such a thorough charm to this book, is,
the grace, airiness, and truth of the flowers--scattered, as it were, upon
the margins by the hand of a faëry. They have perhaps suffered somewhat by
time: but they are truth and tenderness itself. The writing is a large
handsome square gothic.
OFFICE OF THE VIRGIN: bound in massive silver--highly ornamented, in the
arabesque manner, and washed with gold. The back is most ingeniously
contrived. But if the exterior be so attractive, the interior is not less
so--for such a sweetly, and minutely ornamented, book, is hardly to be
seen. The margins are very large and the text is very small: only about
fifteen lines, by about one inch and three quarters wide. Upon seeing the
margins, M. Schérer, the head-librarian, exclaimed, "I hope that satisfies
you!" But they are by no means disproportionate--and the extraordinary
colour and quality of the vellum render them enchanting. We come now to the
ornaments. These are clusters of small flowers, strung in a pearl-like
manner, and formed or grouped into the most pleasing and tasteful shapes.
The figures are small, with a well indicated outline. How pretty are the
little subjects at the foot of each month of the Calendar! And how totally
different from the common-place stiffness, and notorious dullness, of the
generality of Flemish pieces of this character! This book has no superior
of its kind in Europe; and is worthy, on a small scale, of what we see in
the superb folios of Matthias Corvinus.[49]
A BOOK OF PRAYERS--almost entirely spoilt by damp and rottenness within. I
should think, from the writing and illuminations, it was executed between
the years 1450 and 1480. The outside is here the principal attraction. It
is a very ancient massive binding, in silver. On each side is a sacred
subject; but on that, where the Crucifixion is represented, the figure to
the right has considerable expression. At the bottom of each compartment
are the arms of Bavaria and of the Dukes of Milan. This is a precious
treasure in its way.
The present is probably the proper place to notice the _principal gem_--in
the department of illuminated books of devotion--preserved in the Royal
Library at Munich:--I mean, what is called, ALBERT DURER'S PRAYER BOOK.
This consists merely of a set of marginal embellishments in a small folio
volume, of which the text, written in a very large lower-case gothic
letter, forms the central part. These embellishments are said to be by the
hand of ALBERT DURER: although, if I mistake not, there is a similar
production, or continuation, by LUCAS CRANACH. They are executed in colours
of bistre, green, purple, or pink; with a very small portion of shadow--and
apparently with a reed pen. Nothing can exceed the spirit of their
conception, the vigour of their touch, and the truth both of their drawing
and execution. They consist chiefly of _capriccios_, accompanied by the
figure or figures of four Saints, &c. They afford one addition to the very
many proofs, which I have already seen, of the surprising talents of Albert
Durer: and, if I remember rightly; this very volume has been lithographised
at Munich, and published in our own country.[50]
Descending lower in the chronological order of my researches, I now come to
the notice of four very splendid and remarkable folio volumes, comprising
only the text of the SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS: and which exhibit
extraordinary proofs of the united skill of the _Scribe_, the _Musician_,
the _Painter_, and the _Book Binder_--all engaged in the execution of these
volumes. Of each of these artists, there is a PORTRAIT; but among them,
none please my fancy so much as that of GASPAR RITTER, the book-binder. All
these portraits are executed in body colour, in a slight but bold manner,
and appear to me to be much inferior to the general style of art in the
smaller and historical compositions, illustrative of the text of the book.
But Gaspar Ritter well merits a distinct notice; for these volumes display
the most perfect style of binding, which I have yet seen, of the sixteenth
century. They are in red morocco, variegated with colours, and secured by
clasps. Every thing about them is firm, square, knowing and complete. The
artist, or painter, to whom these volumes are indebted for their chief
attraction, was John MIELICH; a name, of which I suspect very little is
known in England. His portrait bears the date of 1570.