The Country House. 277 



name ; and pictures, to many, are as sealed books, till enquiry is stimulated or 

 interest quickened by similar means. When the description is too long to 

 admit of this, the words ' See Catalogue, No. — .,' might be added. 



" If colour is admitted anywhere in the library, it might be in subjects on 

 the ceihng, allowable here, if at all, in the region of easy chairs and occasional 

 meditation ; perhaps too, to a certain extent, in the windows. The introduc- 

 tion of subjects on ceilings has not been recommended generally, but in the 

 system of arabesque painting the universal decoration of the walls requires to 

 be carried into the ceiling. Sculpture, from the reasons already given, or 

 rather in accordance with the same taste, is quite admissible in the library." 

 (p. 60.) 



The Draiuingruom. — The principal drawingroom, as that most occupied 

 in hours of cahn seclusion and leisure, is the proper place for the choicest 

 works of taste. " The arrangement of pictures comprehends some of the 

 difficulties which the artist experiences in the production oi one; for a certain 

 balance and repose are as essential for the eye, as a harmonious impression 

 for the mind. Enlightened connoisseurs see excellence both in the Dutch and 

 Itahan schools, but they are often embarrassed in arranging them together. I 

 am convinced, however, from instances I have seen, that this is to be accom- 

 plished satisfactorily. It is sometimes argued, that no one reads Milton and 

 Crabbe alternately ; but this is hardly a parallel case. Many go to a gallery to 

 look at a particular picture, and see nothing else ; the eye is bhnd when the 

 attention is not actively exerted. So, in a room, the spectator selects his 

 favourites, his favourites at least for the time, and scarcely looks beyond them. 

 At another moment he will perhaps direct his undivided attention to works 

 which he passed over on a former occasion. A certain congruity is sometimes 

 to be accomplished, by attending to impressions rather than names and schools. 

 Many an Italian picture would not be out of place with the Flemish and Dutch 

 schools ; while Vandyck, Rembrandt, Cuyp, and others, might sometimes 

 harmonise in many respects with the genius of the South." (p. 61.) 



" With regai-d to subjects, the mind, as well as the eye, must be respected : 

 the ethos [spirit] of painting is quite compatible with familiar and homely 

 subjects; and, on the other hand, the greatest Italian masters have sometimes 

 sought for poetic impressions in regions where it \\'ould be unsafe to follow 

 them. The subject often acquires elevation, and commands respect, by the 

 evidence of mental labour and power in the artist. To a true connoisseur, 

 this skilful application of principles derived from universal nature supersedes 

 the mere subject ; and the idea which he recognises, whatever may be its 

 vehicle, is grand and poetical. Less experienced observei's are often deceived 

 by the title of pictures : ' A Court-yard' (de Hooghe) sounds unpromising 

 enough ; but when it is seen that the painter has represented daylight with 

 magical truth, and that all is subservient to this, his aim must be acknow- 

 ledged to be dignified. It is to be observed, too, that the influence of this 

 high aim on the part of the artist often extends itself to the treatment of the 

 materials which constitute his ostensible subject. It is easy to see from the 

 unaffected feeling, as well as from the relative character of the execution in 

 some (though not all) of the Dutch masters, that the real subject of their 

 meditation was noble." (p. 62.) 



" With respect to the colour of the walls on which pictures are hung, my 

 o|)inion is singular without being novel. I am quite aware that it is necessary 

 to consider wall, pictures, gold frames, and all, in relation to general effect : 

 the gold, especially, is to be treated as part of the cotqj-d'' ceil . But, though I 

 remember examples of light walls hung with pictures producing an agreeable 

 effect, I prefer a colour which displays the pictures more, and must also main- 

 tain that living pictures are seldom seen to the best advantage against a bright 

 ground ; the quantity of actual light (it may always be assumed) making 

 reflected light unnecessary : my idea, in one word, is, that the wall should not 

 be so light as the lights of the pictiu-es; and this supposes a sufficiently low 

 tint. Of such colours, the most agreeable is the long established rich red, 



