his legs, and looking you
manfully in the face--- the gallant and faithful _Comte De Brienne, Grand
Master of the Ceremonies to Francis I. and Henry II._ A fine picture; and
quite perfect.[180] To the left, is a charming whole length portrait, by
_Velasquez_: a tender and exquisitely careful specimen of art. Of other
whole lengths, but subordinately executed, you should notice one of
_Christine, Duchesse de Savoie_, daughter of Henry II. and Catherine de
Medicis; very curious, and in perfect preservation. There is a duplicate of
this picture in the Louvre. A much more curious picture is a whole length,
supposed to be of _Agnes Sorel_, mistress of Charles VII. One minute's
reflection will correct this designation of the portrait. In the time of
Agnes Sorel, portrait painting, in oil, was unknown--at least in France.
The costume betrays the misnomer: for it is palpably not of the time of
Agnes Sorel. Here is also a whole length of _Isabella, daughter of Philip
II._ and Governess of the Low Countries. There are several small fancy
pictures; among which I was chiefly, and indeed greatly struck, with a
woman and two children by _Stella_. 'Tis a gem of its kind.

[Illustration: COMTE DE BRIENNE,

From an original Painting in the Collection of the late Quintin Crauford
Esq.

London, Published June 1829, by R. Jennings, Poultry.]

Leaving this room, you turn, to the left--into a small room, but obscurely
lighted. Here is a Virgin and Child, by _Sasso Ferrato_, that cannot be
surpassed. There is a freedom of design, a crispness of touch, and a
mellowness of colouring, in this picture, that render it a performance very
much above the usual representations of this subject. In the same room is a
spirited, but somewhat singular, picture of the _birth of Venus_. It
exhibits the conception and touch of a master. The colouring is very sober.
The name of the artist is not upon the frame, and as I was generally alone
when I made my memoranda, I had no one to instruct me. You leave this room,
and pass on--catching a glimpse of a lawn richly bedecked with flowers and
shrubs--into a long and lofty room, which unites the two enviable
distinctions of LIBRARY and GALLERY. Here you are bewildered for an
instant: that is to say, you are divided in your attention between the
admiration of the proportion and structure of the room, and the alternate
captivation of books, busts, and pictures. But as you have had enough of
_paper_ and _print_ in