134 LETTERS PROM 



The king, neither while he was heir-apparent, nor 

 fince he has come to the crown has ever once fat a mo- 

 ment to any painter, and yet there are a multitude of 

 portraits of him, which, for the moft part, have a 

 ftriking refemblance. The renown he fo early acquired, 

 excited in every one the ochre of polfeffing his likenefs ; 

 the painters therefore took every opportunity of getting 

 a view of him, and his characteriftic features are very 

 eaiily caught. What particularly ftruck me was, that 

 I met with a portrait of him in the fame attitude and 

 of the fame proportions in a great number of private 

 houfes, and in almoft all the public buildings. In all 

 thefe pieces he is drawn as large as life, and as low as 

 to the knees ; he ftands erect, has his head a little in- 

 clined, and holds his hat, indeed off, but yet quite 

 clofe to his head. The artift who executed it, and is 

 iince dead, was called Frank : he was fo happy in hit- 

 ting off the likenefs, that every man would have one ; 

 and this it is that caufes them fo frequently to be met 

 with. 



Chodoviefhki and Meil, as every one knows, are 

 artifb of very great reputation. Belides the pleafure 

 of becoming acquainted with perfons of their eminence, 

 and feeing their own performances, there is frill another 

 inducement to villi them, namely, to view their beau- 

 tiful collections of pictures. To be fure, the number 

 contained in the cabinet of each is not very consider- 

 able ; but they therefore coniift entirely of the choicer! 

 morfels. Of other collections, which, to the honour 

 of the art, are here met with in private houfes, I mall 

 fay nothing ; they are particularly mentioned in Nico- 

 lai's defcription of Berlin. I mult however take notice 



of 



