i8 
Land & Water 
March 21, 1 9 1 8 
that the Gobelin works ever produced cuuld be seen in these 
ong RaUer,es; notable amongst them wcre^a series of repre- 
Safions from the Book of Esther ." JIl^.^'^^P"^ o 
Haman." "Haman Imploring Pardon. The Triumph of 
Srdecki." and others) : in another room there were scenes 
from Raphael, "Orj.heus and the Muses" ; and m another, 
Russian palaces, covered in beautiful Beauvais tapestry, 
especially furniture of Louis XV.'s time, and there were 
many grand examples of the large commodes of the Louis XIV. 
period, and some of the finest specimens in the worid of 
bulil work. , , . • „ .• , , 
Yet another group of French objects specially noticeable 
was represented bv the magnificent clocks, UKjst of them 
distinguished by moving figures, or some unusual accessory 
which appealed" to the rather childish taste of many of the 
great monarchs of Russia. One of the clocks (it is illustrated 
below) was always regarded with special delight, because, 
by means of some cleverly revolving glass tubes, specially 
cut and decorated, the effect of moving water in several 
separate cascades was cleverly imitated. Tliere appeared to 
be a fountain in the centre of the clock, from which rose five 
distinct jets. By the side of it were two longer and more 
powerful jets, beneath it was a broad flowing cascade, while 
from two chimerical figures on either side there also flowed 
streams of water. The effect was distinctly clever, and the 
appearance of moving water quite striking at a distance ; 
but it was meretricious decoration, and doubtless this 
particular accessory interfered, as such accessories usually 
do, with the timekeeping quality of the clock. 
Another fine clock (illustrated opposite) had all kinds 
of mechanical figures moving on it — a windmill and 
a water-mill, and a revolving sun — all of which were set with 
gorgeous jewels, and on the back of it a group of figures 
moved in a landscape. Yet another represented a superb 
temple, and there were three sets of mechanical movements 
below, one pointing out the month, another the day of the 
week, and a third the quarter, while above, in a separate dial, 
was a complicated astronomical movement, giving all the 
movements of the sun and moon. 
A certain air of barbaric splendour marked almost all the 
objects commissioned by the Empress Elizabeth or the 
Empress Catherine from France or England. They appear 
to have been seldom satisfied unless the objects in question 
were glowing with jewels encrusted upon them in all direc. 
Beautiful Panelled French Clock 
representations after Guido, especially three great panels 
which depicted the "Alliance of Love,'' "The Triumph of 
Bacchus," and "The Triumph of Cupid." 
The carriages which stood in these long galleries were also 
representative of French art, because on many of them the 
panels had been painted by Boucher. One carriage, which 
was presented to the Empress Catherine II., had superb 
panels, depicting "Labour," "Abundance," "Commerce," and 
"Industry," all by Boucher. Another the same artist had 
painted with allegories concerning Cupid, and yet another in 
mythological subjects — "Venus leaving her Bath," — and 
scenes of shepherds and shepherdesses, in the approved 
Boucher manner. On one small carriage it was stated that 
the panels were the work of Fragonard, and that it was the 
only example of his individual work in this particular manner. 
Yet another branch of French art which was superbly 
represented was to be seen in the long series of snuff-boxes, 
the work of some of the most noted French enamellers, 
many of them of extraordinary beauty. On one box were 
portraits of Marie Antoinette and her children ; and this had 
a melancholy story attached to it, because it was presented 
by Louis XVI. on the scaffold to his own personal servant, 
who eventually sold it to the Emperor of Russia. 
There were innumerable choice small things of the Marie 
Antoinette period : cups, boxes, etuis, card-cases, inkstands, 
handles for walking-sticks and canes, caskets for jewels, and 
all the smaller accessories of the writing-table, almost invari- 
ably in gold, chased with extreme beauty, and many of them 
decorated with precious stones. There was a whole collec- 
tion of wonderful French finger-rings, many enamelled with 
arms, some of them having miniatures set within them, 
others set with superb jewels ; and there was also a great 
collection of the cases which contained ivory memorandum 
slips, also wrought in gold and exquisitely chased. It was, 
in fact, impossible to imagine a finer collection of the smaller 
objects of gold work for which the time of Louis XVI. was 
noted, more especially the objects that may be called the 
useless ones upon which a lavish display of worlj was set out. 
In this brief survey the furniture must not, of course, be 
overlooked. There were many sets of furniture in the 
■II- V 
Clock with Mechanical Waterfall 
tions, and in consequence the wealth represented in these 
various objects must have been of enormous extent. What 
has happened to these magnificent treasures is a source of 
anxiety to all art lovers. Are they destroyed ? Have they 
been looted ? Or are they by chance still in existence, 
waiting to be carried off by Germany's tliieving Royalties ? 
The good fortune that they will be saved to Russia seems at 
the moment a remote one. 
