[9] “A little bit of heaven fallen upon the earth;” the common
Neapolitan saying.
[10] Soon after the return of the writer to this country, he was shown
a view of the Bay of Naples, painted by Mr. Chapman, which was taken
from a spot near the house he had inhabited most of the time he dwelt
on its glorious shores. On being asked if it was faithful, he answered,
“Perfectly so, _except that the artist has not done justice to the
hue of the water, which is not sufficiently blue_.” He was then told,
that the ordinary criticism was to complain of the element _as being
too blue for nature_. The same objection is often made to the skies of
Italian and Grecian landscapes, and to the other tints, as exaggerated.
All this is a consequence of judging of Nature by a rule that is
applicable only to her laws under particular circumstances. These hues
certainly vary, but the writer has often seen the lakes of Switzerland
and the bay of Naples almost as dark as ultra-marine itself.