inserted in the top of an arch in the wall, as seen from
the inside, beneath which is a shelf of capacious breadth. A small
richly-carved altar-piece is now placed within it, and a few chairs. It
is a quiet secluded room, having no communication with any other. The
top of the walls and turrets of the old town, and a small patch of sky,
may be seen by an upward glance at the window; but there is no feature
to distract the denizen of the apartment: it is a place for
concentration of mind, and such must have been Duerer's habits, as the
enormous amount of his works show. Leaving this room and proceeding
farther, we reach the quaintly constructed kitchen, with its enormous
fire-place half filling the apartment. The one small window to the
street lets in a gleam of light such as Rembrandt would have admired.
The arched door is fitted with a lock of that peculiar form and
character which assure the spectator that it is the handwork of an
ingenious smith of Duerer's day; its broad plate is decorated with a
simple ornament consisting of the favourite gnarled twigs and leaves, so
constantly adopted in German decorations of all kinds, at the end of the
fifteenth, and during the sixteenth century. We leave the ground floor
and ascend the wide stairs. The front room on the first floor commands a
pleasant view of the small _Platz_ opposite the house, as it fronts the
Thiergartenthor, and the castled crag rises grandly over the houses
beside it. The walls are panelled, and the beams across the wooden
ceiling chamfered, and slightly carved. The aspect of the whole room is
striking, and it is rendered more impressive by the many examples of
Duerer's genius placed within it, as well as of others by his master
Wohlgemuth. The woodcuts are framed, and comprise the best examples of
both masters; there is also an original drawing on vellum testifying to
the minute accuracy of Duerer's studies. It is the figure of a lion,
bearing date 1512, drawn with all that patient care which characterises
his transcripts from nature. In the British Museum is a large volume
containing numerous studies for his principal works, and it is a
wonderful record of truth-seeking patience, as the minute parts of his
designs appear to have been drawn from nature as carefully as if such
sketches had been parts of a finished picture; his unwearied assiduity
in his profession has never been exceeded.

[Illustration: Fig. 238.--Duerer's Studio.]

[Illustration: Fig. 2