1832.] Goethe's Visit to Beireix. Gl 



Dominichino, Guido, and whom not, were no other than feeble things, 

 produced by mediocre artists ; sometimes only copied by such. Here, 

 now, each time, he solicited indulgence for such beginnings ; but 

 cried up with admiration, in those that followed, the most astonishing 

 marks of progress. Among those ascribed by him to the second epoch, 

 there were not wanting good pictures ; but, with the names labelled on 

 them, judging either by manner or by date, they had simply nothing to 

 do. Even so was it with the final class ; over which the emptiest phrases, 

 such as pretentions misjudges make use of, flowed pleasantly and plen- 

 teously from his mouth. 



To prove the genuineness of such and other paintings, he produced 

 the auction-catalogues, and joyed in the printed encomiums of what 

 had fallen to his share. Among these were to be seen genuine, indeed, 

 yet much-restored originals: enough! for this otherwise shrewd and 

 worthy man, Criticism in any shape was but a word without meaning. 



However, if through most of the time, your whole stock of patience 

 and restraint were needed, yet at intervals the sight of real master-pieces 

 consoled and rewarded you. 



Of the highest value I reckoned Albrecht Diirer's Portrait of himself, 

 painted in 1493, and therefore in his twenty-second year ; half the size 

 of life ; a breast-piece, leaning on the elbows, both hands given ; a 

 purple cap, with short small tassels ; the neck, to below the collar-bone, 

 bare ; on the shirt, an embroidered hem ; the folds of the sleeves bound 

 with peach-red ribbons ; blue-grey vesture, decorated with yellow knots, 

 as the handsome youth had right daintily attired himself: in his hand, 

 significantly, a blue-flowery Eryngium, in German named Mannstreue 

 (Man's truth) ; a serious, young face ; sprouting hair about the mouth 

 and chin ; the whole beautifully drawn, rich and chaste, harmonious in 

 its parts, of the highest finish, altogether worthy of Diirer, though 

 painted with very thin colours, which in some spots had shrunk a 

 little. 



This praiseworthy, quite invaluable picture, which a real lover of art 

 would have framed in gold, and kept in his securest repository, Beireis 

 left lying, as a thin piece of painted board, without frame or protection 

 of any kind. Threatening every moment to split, it was haled forth 

 more carelessly than any other, set up, and again set by ; and the press- 

 ing sympathy of the guest, intreating for soft treatment and security to 

 such a jewel, was indifferently waved aside : the man seemed, like 

 Hofrath Biittner, to have, in such old-established confusion, a mad plea- 

 sure. 



Farther, I must mention a spirited, free-painted picture by Reubens ; 

 longish, not large, as he loved to choose for such finished sketches. A 

 Stall-woman, sitting in the fullness of a well-plenished herb-stall ; cab- 

 bage-heads and salad of all kinds, roots, bulbs of all colours and shapes. 

 She is in the act of dealing with a stately Burgeress, whose jocund 

 dignity shews well beside the calmly-importuning manner of the seller, 

 behind whom a Boy, just about to steal some fruit, is threatened by 

 her Maid with an unexpected blow. On the other side, behind the 

 prosperous Burgeress, you see her Maid carrying a well-plaited Basket, 

 already somewhat provided with market- wares ; but she, too, is not 

 idle ; she looks after her sweetheart, and seems to answer his lifted finger 

 with a kind glance. Better conceived, and more perfectly executed, few 

 things could be seen ; and had not we, in Weimar, determined on dis- 

 continuing those yearly Exhibitions of ours, we should have chosen this 



