Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/339

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA.
297

century and completed on the 16th. It is 333 ft long and 220 ft. wide, and its magnificent ornamented tower, considered one of the finest examples of Gothic art, is 345 ft. high. I went inside this great cathedral, and listened to a solemn and imposing service.

In the suburb of Wieden the two Belvedere palaces were built (1693-1724) for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The beautiful gardens and statues Belvedere Palaces.and ornamental waters are still kept up, but the palaces themselves have been converted into a museum. The picture gallery which was the only part that I visited contains a very good collection of the master works of Italian and Dutch masters;—the collection is better than that of Berlin, but cannot be compared to that of Dresden or Paris.

Among Titien's pictures is his famous Danae and the shower of gold. Titien's Holy Family is also here. Caravaggio has some fine pictures in this gallery, and Guido Reni has his Christ crowned with thorns. Cignani's Pera suckling her old father in prison is well known, and Correggio's well known picture of Jupiter in clouds embracing Jo is the best of his in this collection. The Spanish school is very poorly represented. The Dutch and Flemish schools are represented by a large number of pictures, but most of them of little importance. But there is the famous picture of Rubens's second wife Hellen painted by Rubens himself. The old painter at 53 married a beautiful and sweet young wife of 16! This is odd enough, though intelligible, but what is scarcely intelligible is that the amorous old gentleman should