Richard Wagner, while in Munich, had been for a long time the
neighbour of Count Friedrich von Schack, and there was a warm
friendship between them. I was commissioned to remind Richter not to
forget to invite the Count to the dress rehearsal of the _Rheingold_,
and I had promised, also, to pay a visit to his famous collection of
paintings.
[Illustration: WAGNER'S THEATRE AT BAYREUTH.]
This Count von Schack was a writer of some celebrity--his "History of
Literature and Dramatic Art in Spain" Wagner esteemed very highly; he
knew Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit, and had translated, among others, the
"Book of the Kings" of Ferdousi. At one time the Master contemplated
a musical drama founded upon one of the episodes of this work; he was
also tempted by a legend contained in "The Voices of the Ganges," a
collection also translated by Schack.
As to his museum, the public reviled more than they praised it; they
even went so far as to call it the "Krausteum" (so true it is that
philanthropy engenders ingratitude)--because of the things gathered in
by this millionaire, who believed himself to be doing right in ordering
pictures from poor artists from whom no one else had ever ordered!
As a matter of fact, the collection included not a few horrors and some
very beautiful works.
The copies of the great masters, from Lenbach's brush, for example,
seemed to me very remarkable. They recalled to me a commission for this
artist, with which Cosima had charged me, and I decided to go at once
to his studio, which was near the Schack gallery.
Lenbach had a delicate, rather crafty face, the sharp look of the
hunter, a short, red-brown beard and a one-sided smile.
He showed me some delicious portraits of children which he was just
finishing, he made me admire some authentic and very beautiful canvases
of the old masters which were in his possession, among others, a sketch
by Rubens and a splendid portrait of Francis I. by Titian.