Part 7

Bust, turned to the left, eyes looking at the spectator. He is in a green uniform with red facing; and on his breast three stars and a green ribbon across from his right shoulder to his left. His hair is curled and powdered. On canvas, 2 ft. 4 in. high, by 1 ft. 10-1/2 in. wide.

Behind the picture is inscribed:--"_Kopal T. Ep. K. E._ (?) 1799" and "_Catalogue No. 545, Emperor Paul of Russia._."

This portrait represents the emperor in the forty-fifth year of his age, three years after his accession, and two years before his assassination.

66 Louis XIV., when young (_396_) . . . . . MIGNARD?

Three-quarters length, facing in front. His left hand hangs by his side, right is on his hip. He is clad in armour, over which is a purplish robe, lined with yellow. He has a long brown wig. On canvas, 5 ft. high, by 3 ft. 7 in. wide.

If this is really by Mignard, it must, on account of the age of the king, be one of the first pictures he painted in 1658, on his introduction to the French Court.

67 Stanislaus, King of Poland (_895_) . . . . . LAMPI.

Bust, turned slightly to the left. He is dressed in a purple velvet coat, across which is a light blue sash, and on the left side of his breast a star. He wears a small wig and pigtail; his face is shaven. On canvas, 2 ft. 4 in. high, by 1 ft 10-1/2 in. wide.

Behind in ink is written:--"Cavalieri Lampi de Vienna."

In an old inventory, dated 1819, is this entry:--"Half-length portrait of the King of Poland, purple velvet coat, etc., painted by Lampi, member of the Academy of Vienna. Bought of Colnaghi for £21."

Stanislaus-Augustus Poniatowski was proclaimed King of Poland on the 7th of September, 1764, having owed his election to his lover the Empress Catherine. It was during his reign that the infamous partition of Poland was perpetrated, to which he lent a passive assistance. He died in 1798.

68 Queen of Prussia (_907_) . . . . . ANTON GRAFF?

Seated in a high-backed armchair covered with blue velvet; she is turned to the left, but faces in front. Her right hand rests on a table beside her, and points to a book; her left hangs by her side. She is dressed in black trimmed with ermine, and her head is covered with a black lace veil. Her hair is white. On canvas, 4 ft. 7 in. high, by 3 ft. 3 in. wide.

This is attributed in the _Royal Inventory_ to Graff, a German painter who flourished at the end of the last century.

Is she Sophia Dorothea, sister of George II., who married, in 1706, William I., King of Prussia, and who died in 1757?

69 Frederick, Prince of Wales (_789_) . . . . . ZEEMAN?

Small full-length; turned to the right. His right hand pointing in front of him, his left on his breast. He wears a red coat, leather boots to the knees, and a long wig.

Though this has long been known as Frederick, Prince of Wales, there are reasons to suspect that it is really his Brother William, Duke of Cumberland.

70 Louis XIV. on Horseback (_853_) . . . . . CHARLES LE BRUN?

He is shown the size of life, on a cream-coloured charger, rising on its hind legs, and turned to the left. His dress is an embroidered coat, with jack boots and scarlet breeches. In his right hand he holds a bâton. On his head is a black laced hat; he has long flowing hair and curls. In the distance under the horse's forelegs an attack of cavalry is seen. On canvas, 8 ft. 3 in. high, by 6 ft. 2 in. wide.

This has been attributed to Van der Meulen, but there is a similar picture at Versailles by Charles le Brun of which this is perhaps a replica.

71 Frederick the Great (_555_) . . . . . ANTOINE PESNE.

Full-length, standing, turned to the left, but facing round to the front. His left hand points to a battle in the distance; his right holds a marshal's truncheon. He is in armour, over which is a crimson ermine-lined mantle; he has a small close-curled wig; his helmet is on the ground in front of him. On canvas, 8 ft. 7 in. high, by 5 ft. 7 in. wide.

"To this admirable painter (_i.e._ Pesne) I am inclined to attribute the portrait of Frederick the Great. The king, who is still in youthful years, is pointing to a battlefield in the background, probably in allusion to the Silesian war. A picture of considerable merit."--_Waagen._ The painter is well remembered by the following couplet by Frederick the Great:--

"Quel spectacle étonnant vient de frapper mes yeux, Cher Pesne, ton pinceau t'égale au rang des Dieux,"

which Voltaire interpreted thus:--"Le roi ne regardant jamais le peintre, ce dernier était pour lui invisible comme Dieu."

Pesne, who was a Frenchman and studied in Paris, was in England in 1724. He afterwards went to Berlin, where he became court painter to Frederick the Great. He died in 1757, the year of the Battle of Prague.

The frame is doubtless a presentation one.

72 Frederick the Great (_978_) . . . . . _unnamed._

Bust, turned to the left, facing in front; his hands not seen. He wears a small wig and a dark-blue coat, with the star of the Order of the Black Eagle.

73 Charles XII. of Sweden (_977_) . . . . . MAGNUS DU BLAIRE?

Bust; wearing a blue coat and a black choker; grey hair, and a beardless face.

A small whole length, 49 in. by 39 in., of which this appears to be an enlarged copy of part, was in the Hamilton Palace collection, No. 1031, attributed to Magnus du Blaire, and inscribed: "In fatum Scandici Die XXX Nov. MDCCXVII."

"David Krafft, a Swedish painter, born in 1655, painted the portrait of Charles XII. at the command of his sister, afterwards Queen Ulrica Eléanora; but this monarch, who objected to being portrayed, was so displeased at the accuracy of the picture, that he cut out the head. It had, however, already been transferred to copper, and also etched by several engravers."--_Bryan._

74 Flower Piece . . . . . BAPTISTE.

75 Flower Piece . . . . . BAPTISTE.

76 Flower Piece . . . . . BAPTISTE.

=The Cupola or Cube Room.=

In this sumptuous and gorgeous chamber, with its marble-pillared doorways, its painted and gilded walls, its niches, brackets, slabs, and pediments of white marble, its gilt antique statues, its gaudy domed ceiling of blue and gold, we have the very acme and essence of the style and art of William Kent, triumphant and rampant. After our remarks on his work in the foregoing room, we shall not be expected to lose ourselves in admiration over this masterpiece of his pseudo-classic design and decoration. Yet little as we may agree with his theories of art, little as we may admire the way he carried them into practice, it is not to be denied that, viewed as a whole, there is considerable grandeur and stateliness, and a certain degree of fine proportion, about this highly-emblazoned saloon.

Though called the "Cube" Room, its dimensions are not exactly of that mathematical figure, the walls being only 26 feet 2 inches high, to the top of the cornice, and 34 feet 7 inches to the centre of the ceiling, though each side is 37 feet long.

The Painted Ceiling of the Cube Room.

The ceiling seems to have been the first portion of the work undertaken by Kent, and to have been finished by him by the spring of the year 1722. That he was employed to do this work occasioned much very justifiable heart-burning. Sir James Thornhill was at that time serjeant-painter to the King, and in virtue of his office was entitled to receive the commission for painting this ceiling. Indeed, it appears from a "Memorial of Sir Thomas Hewett, Knt., Surveyor-General of His Majesties Works," addressed to the Lords of the Treasury, dated 14th February, 1722-3, and "relating to the painting of the large Square Room at Kensington," that in the foregoing autumn the King had commanded Hewett's attendance at Kensington "about finishing the Three Large Rooms in the New Building," and that Hewett then showed the King "several sketches of mosaic work, etc., for painting the ceiling of the Great Square Room." The Memorial proceeds to state:

"His Majesty chose one of them; and after I ordered a model to be made, and Sir James Thornhill painted it, which His Majesty saw and approved of; and commanded me to tell the Vice-Chamberlain he should treat with Sir James Thornhill for the Price, and that it should be done out of Hand, which is all I know of the matter."

Nevertheless, for some reason or other--probably owing to some backstair intrigue--Kent was employed to do the work instead. But before he had half finished it the officers of works were directed by the Treasury "to view and take care that the particulars of Mr. Kent's proposal for painting the ceiling of the Great Chamber at Kensington be well answer'd, and the work in the best manner performed with l'Ultra-Marine." They accordingly commissioned several of the best artists of the day "to view and carefully to consider the same and report in writing."

The artists, or rather critics as they became--and trust an artist to be no too lenient a critic of a fellow artist's work--were John van Vaart, Alex^{r} Nisbett, and Jacob Rambour. Their report is dated May 22nd, 1722, and in it they state as follows:

"We have been to Kensington and carefully view'd and considered the said painting, which we did find better than half done: But having examin'd the particulars thereof, we have observed, and 'tis our opinion, that the Perspective is not just; that the principal of the work, which consists in ornaments and architecture, is not done as such a place requires. Mr. Nesbot adds that the Boys, Masks, Mouldings, etc., far from being well, he has seen very few worse for such a place: and Mr. Rambour affirms that the said work, far from being done in the best manner, as mentioned in your letter, it is not so much as tolerably well perform'd. As for the quality of the Blew used in the work, Mr. Vandewart and Mr. Rambour declare that they can't judge whether it is true ultramarine, because it does not look fine enough, but Mr. Nesbot's opinion is that it is nothing but Prussian Blew, in which perhaps there may be some Ultra-marine mixt."

Nevertheless, the colours have endured unfaded until to-day; and the gilding also, both on the ceiling and the walls, has required but little renewing, only cleaning and an occasional application of modern leaf gold, and retouching with the paint brush, where the old surface had been injured.

Much of the woodwork, however, had to be repaired, especially the capitals of the pilasters, some of which had to be renewed.

The shape of the ceiling is slightly domed, the four coved sides terminating above in a flat centre, painted with a gigantic star of the Order of the Garter. The coved sides themselves are painted with octagonal panels, diminishing upwards to simulate a lofty pierced dome. Kent himself seems to have been so well satisfied with the work, that he made use of almost exactly the same design when painting the Queen's Staircase at Hampton Court some twelve years after. Across, part of the north cove of the ceiling is painted a deep shadow, to indicate that cast by the wall and cornice above the windows.

The Painted Walls of the Cube Room.

Kent, after finishing the ceiling, proceeded to decorate the walls with painting and gilding. There is a letter in the Record Office, from Lord Grafton, to the Lords of the Treasury, dated 29th of May, 1725, ordering payment of "£344 2_s._ 7_d._ to Mr. Kent, for painting the sides of the Cube Room at Kensington with ornaments enriched with gold."

These walls, including the four pilasters on each, are of oak, painted with a light olive-green colour as a ground, embellished with niches of white marble, surmounted by brackets of the same, let into the woodwork.

In the =six niches= are well-designed statues of classical deities--Ceres, Mercury, Venus, Minerva, Bacchus, Apollo, in cast lead, somewhat under life-size. These were so dirty and tarnished as to necessitate their being entirely new-gilt. Above them, standing on brackets in flat rectangular niches, were formerly busts representing Roman poets, now unfortunately no longer to be found.

The two =doorways= opposite each other are likewise of the same fine polished marble, with pilasters and pillars of the Ionic order, supporting heavy entablatures, on the apexes of which are antique busts.

The =chimney-place= is of the same design in miniature, of polished "dove-coloured" white-veined marble, similar to that at Marlborough House. On the apex was formerly a gilt bust of Cleopatra, now missing. Within the fireplace itself are very fine panelled and moulded "covings" or sides, of the same "dove-coloured" marble, discovered during the progress of the restorations.

Above the chimney-piece is a large =bas-relief= in statuary marble representing a Roman marriage, sculptured by the statuary Rysbach. It is a fine work, but one feels rather as if standing in front of a sepultural monument in some foreign _campo santo_ than before an English fireside.

Rysbach, who was a native of Antwerp, came over to England in 1720, four or five years before he executed this work. His talents were for some time--as have been those of many an unsuspecting foreigner--exploited by a commercializing British impresario, Gibbs. Two-thirds of the prices paid for his work found its way into the pockets of the unscrupulous intermediary, until Rysbach, at last shaking himself free from this bondage, took commissions on his own account, and, becoming the rage, he was able to exact great prices for his work. It is possible that he designed the gilt statues in the niches, which seem too good for Kent's narrow invention.

General appearance of the Cupola Room.

Such was the decoration of this famous Cupola or Cube Room when finished by Kent, such it appeared in 1818, when Pyne's drawing, from which our illustration is taken, was made, and such it appears to this day, save for the large musical clock which then stood in its centre, for the console tables against the walls, and the four large chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. These last were most essential features in this saloon, for its windows, abutting northwards on the private gardens, admit but very insufficient light; and only when illuminated by a blaze of candlelight can full justice have been done to the extravagant glories of its walls and ceilings.

It was, in fact, intended essentially as a room for grand evening entertainments, and Kent evidently bore this in mind when he constructed it; for he contrived a very ingenious method, whereby the double doors in the doorways between it and the two drawing-rooms, with which it communicates, fold back, when opened, into the door jambs, in which they lie flush, offering no projecting hindrance to the movement of guests passing either way. This is a point never thought of by modern architects, who might do worse, when designing great reception rooms, than take a hint in this matter from the much contemned Kent, and so obviate the usual "crush" at the too narrow doorways.

* * * * *

It seems to have been in this Cupola Room that took place, on the 24th of June, 1819, the baptism of the infant Princess Victoria. Faulkner records that "the Royal Gold Font was brought from the Tower and fitted up in the Grand Saloon, with crimson velvet covering from the Chapel Royal, St. James's. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Bishop of London.... The Prince Regent and nearly all the Royal Family were present at the ceremony, or at the dinner in the evening."

Exactly underneath this room is the famous pillared "Council Chamber" in which, as we have already stated, the Queen held her first council.

=King's Drawing Room.=

Built at the same time as the two preceding rooms by command of King George I., William Kent here again reigns supreme in the design and decoration. "It was on the walls of this drawing-room," we are told by Pyne, writing in 1818, "that the then new art of paper-hangings, in imitation of the old velvet flock, was displayed, with an effect that soon led to the adoption of so cheap and elegant a manufacture, in preference to the original rich material from which it was copied."

The paper that now covers the walls is a copy of an old pattern, and has been supplied by Messrs. Bertram, the decorators.

We may again notice here the five lofty doorways, surmounted by flat architraves, and the oak pilasters in the dado as characteristic of Kent. There was originally one of his great massive marble chimney-pieces in this room, long since replaced by the present plain insignificant one.

The dimensions of this room are 39 feet 6 inches long (from east to west), 28 feet wide, and 22 feet 8 inches high to the top of the cornice.

Painted Ceiling of the King's Drawing Room.

This is another of Kent's artistic efforts. There is in the Record Office a letter from Lord Grafton dated June 26th, 1725, conveying his majesty's commands that "their Lordships of the Treasury would give orders to Mr. William Kent to paint the ceilings, etc. in the new apartments at Kensington"--including this one.

The cove of the ceiling, or portion nearest the cornice, is elaborately decorated with scroll-work and architectural ornaments, richly gilt and painted, and with medallions in the middle of each side supported by female figures. In the centre is a large projecting heavy oval frame of plaster, with the panel within it recessed about three feet. This is painted with the story of Jupiter and Semele, the God appearing in a thunder-cloud, and Semele, in a ridiculous attitude, on a couch. No painting could be worse. The signature of the artist, "_William Kent pinxit_, 1725," has been found a little to the left of the right foot of Semele.

When the restoration of this room was taken in hand last winter, the ceiling was so begrimed with the dirt, dust, smoke, and smuts of upwards of a hundred and fifty years of London atmosphere, as to be nearly black. The cleaning was carried out with the most scrupulous care, and practically no re-painting or re-gilding has been necessary.

William Kent, the Royal and Fashionable Decorator.

The whole effect of this ceiling _if you do not look at it_ is rich and striking, and with the fine paper and the pictures on the walls will pass muster as a suitable decorative treatment of a grand state reception room. George I. and George II. at any rate had no hesitation in extending an unqualified approval to Kent's work. After having finished this suite he grew into greater favour than ever. He was soon after appointed "Master Carpenter, Architect, Keeper of the Pictures, and Principal Painter to the Crown, the whole, including a pension of £100 a year, which was given him for his works at Kensington, producing--according to Walpole--£600 a year." From the Court his vogue extended to a large circle of patrons and votaries. "He was not only consulted for furniture, as frames of pictures, glasses, tables, chairs, etc., but for plate, for a barge, for a cradle; and so impetuous was fashion, that two great ladies prevailed on him to make designs for their birthday gowns. The one he dressed in a petticoat decorated with columns of the five orders; the other like a bronze, in a copper-coloured satin, with ornaments of gold!"

Kent, the "Father of Modern Gardening."

Kent also had a great reputation as a horticulturist, and was generally designated, at the end of last century, as the "Father of Modern Gardening"--his ghastly progeny consisting of the destructive and desolating "landscape-gardening" enterprises of "Capability Brown," Repton, and their followers. His hand doubtless fell heavy on the old Queen Anne formal gardens about Kensington Palace. We can see the influence of his taste, which was followed with enthusiasm by Queen Caroline and her gardener Bridgman, in the barrenness and commonplace appearance of the grounds that lie immediately below in front of us, as we look out of the windows of this room, and in the entire absence of planting or gardening in the large expanse surrounding the "Round Pond."

This =Round Pond=, or "=the Basin=" as it used to be called, is, by the bye, not round at all, but of a geometrical figure, more of an oval form than circular, and with the four sides flattened and the intermediate portions of the circumference bent into "ogees." In thus shaping this basin the designer, whether Kent or Bridgman, has overstepped artistic discretion; for from no point of view, neither in Kensington Gardens, from the ground beside it, nor even from this window is its real shape to be made out--only from Rocque's plan or bird's-eye view, of 1736, can it be seen to be so eccentric.

The distant =view=, however, beyond the private gardens, across the Round Pond and Kensington Gardens, over grassy slopes and ancient trees to Hyde Park, a mile away, is one of the pleasantest in the metropolis. Not a street, not a road, not a house, not a roof is to be seen. In the spring and early summer, when the foliage is fresh and green, one might imagine oneself in the depths of the country, in some old house overlooking midland pastures and woods.

West's Pictures in the King's Drawing Room.

In this room are hung the paintings of West, all of which were executed for George III., who greatly admired them, and extended to him a most liberal patronage. He was equally in favour with the public, who lauded his performances to the skies, and with his fellow-artists, who made him President of the Royal Academy. We now hardly know which to wonder at most--an obscure lad in the wilds of Pennsylvania, who took his earliest lessons in painting from a tribe of Cherokees, accomplishing what he did; or the English fetish, Public Opinion, having been so deluded as to regard his efforts as masterpieces of Art. The depreciation which has overtaken him may be judged when we hear that an "Annunciation," for which £800 was originally paid, was knocked down in 1840 for £10! His portraits, nevertheless, are interesting.

80 The Death of General Wolfe (_497_) . . . . . WEST.

Wolfe lies in the centre, to the right, supported by three officers. In front of him is a wounded officer, standing, supported by others, to hear his dying injunctions. At his feet is an Indian warrior in his war-paint, gazing at him to see how an English chief will die. On the extreme left is a messenger running, and on the left ships with soldiers disembarking. On canvas, 5 ft. high, by 8 ft. wide.

Wolfe was killed on the 13th September, 1759, in the moment of victory before Quebec. "The fall of Wolfe was noble indeed. He received a wound in the head, but covered it from his soldiers with his handkerchief. A second ball struck him in the belly, but that too he dissembled. A third hitting him in the breast, he sank under the anguish, and was carried behind the ranks. Yet, fast as life ebbed out, his whole anxiety centred on the fortune of the day. He begged to be borne nearer to the action, but his sight being dimmed by the approach of death, he entreated to be told what they who supported him saw: he was answered, that the enemy gave ground. He eagerly repeated the question, heard the enemy was totally routed, cried 'I am satisfied,' and expired." (Walpole's _Memoirs_.)