“ geOus situation for the 
456 Memoirs of the Life and Works of Carstens. 
tunate artist made 
cumstances which rendered his pre- 
sent situation ANS TES tible. with the 
development of his talents. M. Rodde 
engaged him to remove to Berlin: he 
paid the debts which Carstens had con- 
tracted, to the amount of about a hun- 
dred crowns; and even put him in a 
éondition to support himself for the first 
six months in that capital without having 
recourse to work, In order to afford him 
an opportunity of making himself known 
there. To give these benefactions a still 
more liberal character, M. Rodde de- 
sired only that Carstens would at some 
future time enrich his collection with 
some of his performances. 
Our artist set out for Berlin in the 
spring of the year 1788; and lived there, 
for aperiod of two vebaly almost unknown, 
Fle would not take any other path to: 
public notice than that which his talent 
“amight open to hims and this certainly 
was not the most direct. He subsisted 
for some time by giving short lessons, 
for which he was ill paid; and found 
himself frequently reduced to the greatest 
privations. He formed an acquaintance 
however with some bookseilers, and 
embellished several literary works with 
his designs. For the first exhibition of 
pictures “that took place after-his arrival 
at Berlin, Carstens executed a rich com- 
position BP abv two ed onteas 
representing ig the Fall of the Angels, 
‘Chis was merely a washed sketch 5 bit it 
attractcd the notice cf the connoisseurs, 
and procured him the offer of a place 
in the academy. Before accepting 
that proposal, he required as a con- 
dition that he should be allowed to 
consider himself as in immediate depen- 
dance on baron Ileinitz, who was then 
curator of the academy: but by this 
circumstance he lost the good-will of the 
professors; aud the celebrated Chodte 
Wieck was thé only one who gave him a 
favourable rcception. 
Carstens wes now in a very advanta- 
development of 
his talents; bet his views were still di- 
rected toward that country, of which he 
Idd in & mabner touched the threshold: 
lie wished to penetrate to the sanctuary 
of the arts. 13 very thine contributed to 
confirm this iresistible inclination: the 
two brothers Genelii, oue au architect 
and the other a landscape-painter, had 
-returned fron, Rome in 1789; and the 
accounts which they gave of their resi- 
dence is that city, inspired him with the 
desire of vicwing its treasures. He sub- 
known all the cir-/ 
[June J, 
mitted his numercus designs to the judg- 
ment of his new friends ; who rectified 
many of his ideas, and made him ac. 
quainted with at least the names of a 
multitude of master- pieces which he had 
not even heard of before. The archi- 
tect possessed a perfect knowledge of 
the principles of design, and had studied 
the chief works of Raphael with consi- 
derable attention. He succeeded 
moderating Carstens’s attachment to 
allegory. "The latter applied with ar- 
dour to reading the ancients, and fgérmed 
a collection of the most esteemed 
authors. The study of engraved stones 
was also of very great benefit to him; 
as it taught him the method of grouping 
figures, of viving them suitable attitudes, 
anda proper Gisposition of drapery : the 
happy results ot this branch of study may 
be found in al! his compositions. , 
Genelli rendered Carstens a signal 
ser vice, in procuring for him the com- 
mission of ornamenting the principal 
apartment of the Dorville palace. The 
price which Carstens required for. this 
work was very moderate; and this mo- 
deration gained him the good-will of the 
minister, ‘aud afterward acquired for hisa 
the means of executing: his favourite 
project. His per formance was well 
received ; and his former hope of visiting 
Rome revived. He used every oppor- 
tunity of speaking to the minister on Hse 
subject ; ; indeed it was in some measur 
a reward due tohim. The minister eae 
a lively interest in his favour, and pre- 
sented him: to the king. Carstens thus 
at length reached tie summit of his 
wishes: he obtained the favour which he 
had so earnestly desired; but he was 
obliged to wait all the next year, before 
he could begin hisjourney. This he did 
in 1792, with the grant of a pénsion of 
450 rix-dollars. 
_ Carstens was now thirty-eight years of 
age; and, in spite of the extreme feeble- 
ness of his constitution, and perpetual 
obstacles, his persevering labours had 
conducted him to an object which he > 
could never have attained but by a cou- 
rage and talents of a superior rank. At 
Dresden he contemplated the works of 
Mengs; but he thought them very 
unworthy of the great reputation of that 
artist: however, he did justice to his 
large altar-piece. In the performances 
of this celebrated painter, he found no 
beauty of invention, force and grace of | 
style, truth of expression, or collective 
unity. The brilliant qualities of his pro- 
ductions, those which constitute their 
principal 
