454 
PARIS. 
and valuable mufeum. In its prefent ftate, it confifts of 
i IQ4 pirtures ; and the gallery of fculpture confifts of 355 
fine fpecimens of the art, with various degrees of merit. 
The works of the nobleft mafters of the prefent French 
fchool all remain ; and, in addition to them, the amateur 
may yet ftudy fome of the moft exquifite performances of 
Albano, Berghem, Caracci, Champagne, Corregio, Cor¬ 
tona, Cuyp, Del Sarto, Dominichino, Guercino, Guido, 
Murillo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Romano, Rubens, Ruyf- 
dael, Salvator, Snyders, Teniers, Tintoret, Titian, Van- 
dyck, Paul Veronefe, and Leonardo da Vinci. 
The firft faloon prefents a curious collertion of the 
very earlieft works of the French and Italian artifts. The 
conception is fometimes ftrong, but the execution is 
ftrangely rude; yet thefe pieces are valuable, as ffiowing 
the commencement of the art. 
The next faloon contains the defervedly-celebrated 
battle-pieces of le Brun. They are fome of the nobleft 
performances of that excellent painter. 
The vifitor now enters the great gallery. It is im- 
poftible to convey an adequate idea of the effect formerly 
produced on the mind, on entering this magnificent apart¬ 
ment, 1365 feet in length, and crowded with paintings of 
the moft eminent mafters of every fchool. The apparently 
interminable length of the gallery continues to excite 
fiirprife, and the fkilful arrangements of the paintings 
that remained, and of many others that have been added 
to them, certainly do not convey that feeling of nakednefs 
and defolation which the ftranger might expert, and which 
fome travellers have defcribed. Although the gallery has 
irreparably fuffered in value, it has not loft fo much as 
might be imagined in appearance. It muft, however, be 
confefled, that the place is not altogether fuitable to the 
purpofe to which it is devoted. The light being ad¬ 
mitted on both fides of the gallery, renders it difficult to 
find the proper fituation to examine fome of the per¬ 
formances; and, concealing all the nicer touches, difplays 
nothing but the varnifti of others: and, as this gallery 
is 1365 feet long, and only 30 broad, it exhibits a dif- 
proportion that is unpleafing and tirefome to the eye. 
The works of Nicolas Pouffin were not eclipfed amidft 
the conftellation of excellence by which they were fur- 
rounded; they are now brought into more prominent 
notice, and will not fail to pleafe. The Ifraelites gather¬ 
ing Manna in the Defert is defervingof confiderable praife; 
and a Sketch of the Rape of the Sabines will not be viewed 
without intereft. The Judgment of Solomon will be 
deemed a yet more excellent performance; the fine ex- 
preffion of the face of the monarch is very ftriking. Su¬ 
perior to this is the Inftitution of the Eucharift; and the 
Deluge breathes the trueft fublimity. 
The dark broad charafler of moft of the paintings of 
Valentine will pleafe the inftrurted alone; but, in his 
Concert, the varied and ftriking expreffion of the per¬ 
formers, and the ftrong chararter of the foldier in the fore¬ 
ground, will make a deep impreffion on every l'pertator. 
Philip de Champagne was one of the greateft ornaments 
of the Flemifh fchool. Among the paintings which adorn 
this gallery, three will not pals unnoticed. The Inftitu¬ 
tion of the Eucharift is one of his belt works. The Apof- 
tles are laid to be portraits of the anchorets of the Port 
Royal. The immenfe pirture of St. Ambrofe is equally 
deemed, by the connoifleur and the uninitiated, one of 
the nobleft ornaments of the gallery. Its companion, 
reprefenting the fame Saint removing the bodies of the 
martyrs Gervais and Protalius, is fcarcely inferior. The 
figure and countenance of the lunatic polfefs all the wild- 
nefs of his fuppofed chararter. 
Some paintings of Rubens difplay all that artift’s ex¬ 
cellencies, with a lefs than ufual portion of his chararter- 
iftic deferts. His Diogenes looking for an honeft man; 
and his Thomyris with the head of Cyrus, are his beft. 
Berghem has very few pieces remaining, but the gallery 
yet boafts of his chef-d’oeuvre. It is a landfcape diver- 
fified with mafles of trees and rocks. The road prefents 
feveral travellers and cattle. A woman on horfeback, 
to whom another female is prefenting an infant, is ad¬ 
mirably executed. 
Among the excellent portraits of Vandyke, or Vandyck, 
that of Charles I. will be particularly diftinguiffied. The 
moft perfert work of Snyders is to be feen here. It repre- 
fents different kinds of fruit and vegetables, with fome 
fquirrels, an ape, and a parrot. 
The Italian fchool, lately fo numerous, contains only 
a few fpecimens ; but they are ineftimable. The St. Je¬ 
rome and St. Agnes, of Dominichino, are no more feen ; 
but the .ZEneas, accompanied by his fon Afcanius, bear¬ 
ing on his ffioulders his father Anchifes, will give a fuf- 
ficient idea of the talents of this great mafter. The Ado¬ 
ration of the ffiepherds by Efpagnoletto, is in his beft: 
ftyle. Guido, whofe works are yet as glowing and frefli as 
when they received the laft touches of the artift, con¬ 
tinues to enrich the mufeum with feveral admirable 
works. The Rape of Helen difplays all his grace and 
expreffion : but his Hercules contending with Achelous, 
and killing the Centaur Neffus, furpafs all praife. The 
Loves of Venus and Adonis, by Albano, are exquifitely 
beautiful, particularly the firft piece, which reprefents 
Venus contemplating herfelf in a mirror. Annibal Car¬ 
racci furnifties a painting of hunting and fhooting, not 
inferior to his beft works. Paul Veronefe contributes his 
nobleft performance, the celebrated Marriage at Cana. 
The Saviour is feated in the centre of an immenfe table, 
and at his fide the Holy Virgin, who, having juft pro¬ 
nounced the words, “ There is no wine,” is eagerly liften- 
ing to hear the orders which he may give. On either 
fide are the newly-married couple, who, as well as the 
numerous guefts, are portraits of the great perfonages of 
the painter’s time. A large group of muficians difplays 
the portraits of all the celebrated artifts of Venice. Paul 
Veronefe himfelf appears habited in white, and playing 
on the violoncello. 
The Witch of Endor railing the ghoft of Samuel has 
all the grandeur and fublimity of Salvator Rofa. The 
Antiope, with Jupiter in the form of a Satyr, contains all 
that fweetnefs of expreffion, that refined beauty of the 
female form, and harmony of colouring, peculiar to Cor¬ 
reggio. The Jefus on the knees of St. Anne, and the 
Jefus fupported by an Angel, are pleafing efforts of the 
pencil of Leonardo da Vinci. Titian has many portraits 
with all his peculiar colouring; his Difciples at Emmaus 
is a fplendid performance ; but his Entombment of Chrift 
is without a rival. The divine Raphael has two works 
remaining in the gallery; it is faid that more will be 
added from other coliertions. 
It would beimpoffible to enter into a defcription of the 
numerous pirtures: we muft refer the reader to the Cata¬ 
logue, which has been tranllated into Englidi. 
The nobleft produftions of ancient fculpture crowded 
the halls of the ground-floor ; but the reftitution of every 
work to which the French could plead no better right 
than that of war, robbed “ the Gallery of Antiques” of 
almoft every valuable fpecimen, and left it defolate and 
naked. It has received wonderful acceffions. The ftatuee 
are now re-arranged ; and the French have filled the fad and 
dreary void with the beft works that other colleftions can 
fpare, and with models of many of thofe tranfcendent 
pieces which are now loft to them for ever. 
The entrance into the halls which formed the Gallery 
of Antiques is on the left of the ftairs leading to the 
Gallery of Paintings. They are eight in number, each 
bearing an appropriate name. 
Firft is the Veftibule; its ceiling, painted by Barthelemy, 
reprefents the origin of Sculpture, when the firft ftatue 
was fafhioned by Prometheus. The four medallions al¬ 
lude to the four principal fchools of fculpture, Egypt, 
Greece, Italy, and France. The bas-relief over the en¬ 
trance defcribes the Genius of Art ; and that over the 
portal, leading to the firft hall, the union of the three 
branches of defign. 
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