MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



469 



fined in Germany to Courts, and 

 the houses of a very tow indivi- 

 duals. 



The merchants of Frankfort 

 are resolved not to be behind 

 their princely neighbours, in 

 giving their city the attraction of 

 the Fine Arts. A rich banker, 

 M. Stiidel, has lately bequeathed 

 a sum of above 100,000/. sterling, 

 for the foundation of an Academy, 

 together with a respectable col- 

 lection, containing some morsels 

 of the Flemish school, of consi- 

 derable merit; His will is litigated 

 by his family ; but it is probable, 

 that the interests of the fine arts 

 will triumph. Private collections 

 are extremely numerous ; there is 

 scarcely a merchant or banker in 

 Frankfort, of moderate affluence, 

 who has not his little gallery of 

 chef d'ceuvres, whicli with his 

 music, forms his favourite relaxa- 

 tion from the fatigue of busi- 

 ness. 



But the object of the fine arts, 

 which gave me the greatest gra- 

 tification, was a single statue, 

 belonging to M. Bethmann, the 

 great banker. In a summer house 

 in his pleasing garden, in the 

 suburbs, you find a collection of 

 admirable casts, executcdat Paris, 

 from the celebrated antiques ; 

 besides, one marble statue by 

 Danekker, of Stutgard, surpassing 

 any thing I have seen in modern 

 sculpture. It is an Ariadne 

 seated on a Lion — in an attitude 

 of great difficulty of execution, 

 but easy and graceful in the 

 highest degree. She is reclining 

 on one side — her right elbow 

 supported on the Lion's shoulder, 

 lier head turned with a pensive 

 grace — one drooping hand holds 

 tlie clue of thread, wliilc the 

 other lightly supports her right 



foot. The position is so involved, 

 that nothing but the most con- 

 summate art could have reconciled 

 it with nature. It is one of the 

 happiest conceptions of grace that 

 an artist's imagination ever hit 

 upon. The figure is the perfection 

 of feminine beauty — with none of 

 the pomp of a Goddess — reclining 

 in the soft graces of a voluptuous, 

 but simple form. — The marble 

 seems, from the exquisite truth of 

 execution, to have a warmth — 

 and the contours are as soft and 

 as round as those of Titian. The 

 Lion is a majestic beast, worthy 

 of the load he bears. The statue 

 stands on a pedestal turning on a 

 pivot for the convenience of 

 viewing it in various lights. — A 

 rose coloured window is also 

 contrived, the light through which, 

 when raised, is intended to shed 

 on the marble the warm hue of 

 flesh ; but the effect is rather that 

 of salmon-colour — and the natural 

 light is far preferable. — Danekker 

 had this admirable work fifteen 

 years in hand. — He composed it 

 for M. Bethmann, and received 

 one thousand guineas for his 

 inimitable labours. M. B. has, I 

 understand, since been offered for 

 it nearly three times the sum. 

 The artist is now employed for 

 him on another work to match it. 

 Society at Frankfort is divided 

 into the circles of the Diet and 

 those of the citizens, who, with 

 the exception of rencontres at the 

 public assemblies, keep pretty 

 scrupulously apart. At the balls 

 dreadful altercations for prece- 

 dence have sometimes taken place 

 between the wives and dauijhters 

 of their Excellencies the Ministers, 

 and of their Worships the Civic 

 Magistrates— but their opposing 

 claims are, I believe, now adjusted 



in 



