London in 1710, from the travels of Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach This palace has three courtyards, of which the
two first are tolerably large, but with poor old buildings. They are not unlike an
ancient Oxford college, although a great deal is
made of them in the Délices d' Angleterre, where they say
that two kings might well be lodged in these quadrangles. The back courtyard was
built by King William III in brick; it is
square and not very large, with small buildings. In it are
several yews and a
fountain. Behind this courtyard is the great garden, semi-circular in form; it is
flat and consists entirely of gazons, though there are some elegant statues of metal
and alabaster, of which one, representing a gladiatorem, is matchless. They say that
it formerly stood in the park in London. To the
right of the house is another large garden divided into two parts. In it are the
orangeries—that is to say, two large and one smaller one with numbers of handsome
plants, among which we saw two flourishing aloes twenty-four years old. They had,
indeed, a tolerable quantity of yellow blossoms, but, since they lacked sufficient
care and warmth, the stem was barely two ells high. In the smaller garden opposite
the water is a small building called the banquetin or summer-house, under which
there is a pheasantry. On the left hand of the main building is another section of
menageries, consisting entirely of hedges and paths, star-shaped, with several walks
meeting at a single point. On both sides are two mazes, one in the form of a circle
and the other of a triangle. This was the largest and best. We saw in the garden
various wooden rollers made of thick trunks of oak, which are used to roll the lawns
when they have been mown. After we had seen enough of the garden we went into the
house and first looked at the staircase, so elegantly painted by Vario with all manner of tales from Roman history.
The anteroom for the guards was ornamented with arms like that at Windsor.
Then we came to several rooms tolerably, though scarce
magnificently, furnished, many of them having elegant
studies of flowers over the
doors.
We also observed a special kind of barometer and thermometer in the form of a
clock, which are made by TomsonTompion.[*]Von
Uffenbach evidently meant to write Tompion, 1638-1713; see earlier note.
Tomson
Tompion
the London
watchmaker worked fifty years later.
In King William's apartment there were
two cupboards full of miniatures and carvings, and above some books.
On the walls hung two excellent pen-and-ink sketches of Marly and Meudon.
We were also shown several lacquered block-houses, which are said to be a present from the Great Mogul.
Then we were taken into the so-called Hall of Triumph, because in it hang nine great paintings
representing the triumph of Julius Caesar, with
the words: Veni, vidi, vici. They were painted by
Julio Romano, Andrea Mantegna or Montagnia, with matchless elegance and tolerable delicacy of execution,
especially as far as the garments are concerned.
Opening out of this room is the
gallery in which hang the seven famous paintings of
Raphael Urbino. They consist entirely of Bible stories from the Acts of
the Apostles. On the second picture is the following inscription: P. Sergius Paulus
Asiae Pro
Cos.
Christianam fidem
amplectitur
Pauli praedicatione.
The woman who
was showing us round assured us that the King of
France once offered thrice a
hundred thousand pounds sterling for these seven paintings.
Next we walked through
some rooms which are not yet finished. On the ceiling of one of them was a painting
of the Queen.
In the last was a great painting
of the antlers of a stag, below which the following words were to be read:
Le vray Portrait du Cerf dans le Chateau d'Amboise en France.
Lequel a onze pieds de hauteur & neuf de largeur & cinq pieds & demy
d'Espace entre les deux branches.
Downstairs we saw two small rooms with about sixty
superbly fine paintings. Among them were several excellent
perspective-pieces and also a vastly elegant and well-painted picture of Christ and St
John as two small children.
There was also an incomparable night-scene on
the door. They say that these paintings were collected by King William.
After this we were taken into a room of moderate
size in which are to be seen paintings of the nine so-called Beauties of England or Dames of Queen Mary. They are all done life-size but are remarkable neither for
beauty of appearance nor for the execution of the artist. Madame
Kent is the best of all.
When we had seen all the sights of the palace we
went to get a meal and then drove in the afternoon to RICHMONTRichmond, which lies on a fairly high hill in truly agreeable country by
the Thames, though the prospect from Hampstead is yet more charming. The spring, the
Assembly Room and other public rooms for those taking the waters lie rather low down
in the direction of the town and are most elegant buildings. The place itself is
tolerably pleasant. One can take one's diversion here, as in all such places and
medicinal springs in England, and the life is
fairly unconstrained. We remained here so long that we set off for London quite late in the evening in considerable
terror of being robbed. For the footpads know that people return to London very late from such places, so the roads are
very unsafe. It is no small scandal that in so mighty a realm and such a capital one
can feel no security even in the vicinity of the town. It is even the less to be wondered at since such robberies take
place at night in the town itself and even in
the neighbourhood of St James' Palace.
London in 1710, from the travels of Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach Von
Uffenbach evidently meant to write Tompion, 1638-1713; see earlier note.
Tomson
Tompion
the London
watchmaker worked fifty years later.
London in 1710, from the travels of Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach On the morning of 25 Oct. we drove to
Kensington. The house is not very large but
new and regular, having many handsome and well-furnished rooms.
In several we saw various
pictures of Holbein and other fine
paintings, of which the Birth of Christ, a
night-piece, and the Sacrifice of Elijah were
the most elegant.
We saw also here a barometer of Tompion with a round disc as a clock.
We were taken into a room where
paintings of the English admirals,
fourteen of them, were hung.
This opened into a small room in which were portraits of the four
Indian kings who some time ago paid a visit
to London.
In another we saw a curious screen
before the fireplace, on which there were all manner of Indian birds in relief with their natural feathers stuck on it.
The so-called Great Hall is narrow and long but adorned with handsome paintings. Above the
chimney-piece in this room stands an anemoscope.
The paintings in this room are
fifty-nine in number. By the door is a large painting by Tintoretto with several nude figures. Over one door is the
Beheading of St John and over the other a Cupid drawing his bow, both remarkably well
painted. There are, moreover, several portraits by famous artists, some
perspective-pieces, a Lucretia, a Susanna, which are all very excellent.
In one corner stands a curious striking clock with a fine black case ornamented with gilt
figures. The clock does not only tell the time but also the course of the sun.
Above stands the knight St. George in silver-gilt of the most excellent workmanship. We were told that it was presented to King William by the Frenchman who made it, and that the latter received a hundred guineas
for it.
On the table lay a small box of amber with several figures on it, extremely well wrought.
The paintings hung high on the walls all
round the room are of little
account.
In one corner was the bust of a Moor very well done from life—made, indeed, of nothing but coloured stones, with great skill.
In another room we saw a prodigiously fine bed of red velvet and costly stuffs;
in yet another, in which hung
the Czar's portrait,
was a most curious clock,
of which a description with copper engravings
has appeared in London. It has four great round dials, in the middle being a
small one showing the hours. Above one sees the course of the sun and moon according
to Ptolemy's system and next it the system of
Copernicus, with the course of all the
planets. The lowest discs have all manner of special divisions. In one of these was
written: Samuel Watson, now in London; and in the other: Coventriae fecit.
In most of the rooms stood very elegant inlaid
tables. The garden round this palace is large, and in it hedges alternate with
lawns, yews and flower-beds. The prospect from this garden and the zoological garden
next it is most agreeable. On the left hand is the orangery, which is very well and
elegantly planned in a straight line with round vaulted chambers at either end. The
shrubs were for the most part laurels, but among them were some fine plants. There
are no statues here, and only a very wretched and paltry fountain and some mere
basins. The walks are extraordinarily large and handsome, especially the middle one.
The open space, which is laid out like an amphitheatre, is vastly elegant, though
the hedges and bushes on both sides are not fully grown. After we had seen all we
drove back to London.