The Fontaine de Grenelle is also a handsome structure, although, if considered as a fountain, the supply of water bears no sort of proportion to the size of the edifice, and the centre is as usual, too small: both these fountains are ornamented with sculpture, which is both well disposed, and well executed for architectural effect.
The Chateau d’Eau, on the Boulevards, does more honour to the reign of Napoleon than the Fountain of the Ecole de Médecine. If spouting lions are not very natural, they have, at least, the plea of long use, and have been introduced into some very fine productions. They perhaps give a pleasing variety of outline, which otherwise, for a small edifice intended to be ornamental, would be too plain and unbroken. Admitting this liberty, the chateau has no affectation, but appears to be simply what it is. It may be said that this is rather the absence of a fault than a beauty; yet the absence of a fault so extremely common, and so difficult to avoid in buildings of this sort, may at least be esteemed a merit, if not a beauty; and the public voice acknowledges this maxim, for with this claim, and a good general outline, the building is sure to be admired.
There are two Roman antiquities at Paris. One called the Palais des Thermes, consists of one large room, now occupied by a cooper, somewhat in the form of a T, 62 feet long, 60 wide, and about 42 high. It is built of small stones and bricks, and vaulted with a groined arch; underneath, there are, according to Le Grand, three small vaults of unknown length; above is a garden, the earth of which lies immediately on the vault.[[16]] The other is the aqueduct of Arcueil. We descend into a vaulted passage which leads to Arcueil, with a square channel for the water at the bottom; this is conducted into a stone trough considerably inclined and rounded at the end, the water running over the edges. I do not imagine this trough to be Roman, but the disposition shows off the brilliancy of the water beautifully. Clear as it is however, we are shown a crust of enormous thickness which had collected in the pipes, and which proves it to hold in solution a considerable quantity of calcareous matter.
LETTER VII.
PARIS.
June, 1816.
I called one day on M. Visconti by appointment, in order to be conducted to see some drawings of the Temple of Fortune at Palestrina, by M. Huyot, who has gained great credit by this exertion of his talents. A French student in architecture usually fixes himself in the office, or as they call it atelier, (workshop) of some architect of reputation. Here he pays a louis per month for his seat, for the use of drawings to copy, and for the occasional advice of his master; and as soon as he has gained some elementary knowledge, he goes to the academy with a ticket, stating his name, age, country, his master’s name, &c. At the academy, one day in every month is dedicated to a trial of skill and talent (concours). I find myself sadly deficient in English terms for the practices, and you must therefore excuse me if I introduce French ones. Precisely at eight o’clock in the morning, the professor enters and gives a programme, i. e. a statement of the nature of the building for which a design is demanded, and of the accommodation it requires; and each pupil makes a plan, elevation, and section, according to his idea of the subject. This of course is a mere sketch, but it is done to a scale. No external communication is allowed, but refreshments are sold by the porter. The sketches thus made are shewn to the professor, and then taken away to be restudied and drawn out fair against the next day of contest. In this second attempt, the leading idea of the sketch is to be strictly maintained, but such farther developments and improvements, as a more leisurely study may suggest, are not only allowed but expected. No pupil is required to make these sketches, but as his being permitted to be a candidate for the grand prix, and for the pension for travelling in Italy, depends on the number of monthly prizes he may obtain, there is sufficient stimulus for the effort.
The students are permitted to avail themselves of the advice of their master, and of their companions, and even of their assistance in the drawings. The original sketches, with the improved drawings, are then taken back to the academy, and the professor assigns the premium, which is merely a ticket, without any intrinsic value.
The contest for the grand prix occurs once a year, but no student is admitted as a candidate, unless he have gained a certain number of the monthly prizes. The method is nearly the same as in the monthly contests, but of course, the talents called into action are much greater than in the more frequent trials, and the effort necessary is likewise much greater. So also is the reward; for besides the prize, and the honour accompanying it, the successful candidate is sent to Rome to enter into a new career of knowledge and reputation. When in Italy, each student is expected to send home every year four drawings of some monument, chosen by himself. In the latter years of their residence they usually do much more; and some late very successful efforts have raised the standard so high, that the task which a man, who wishes to distinguish himself, has to execute in Italy, is now a very serious one. The best productions thus obtained are the Pantheon, by Achille le Clerc, and the Temple of Fortune, at Palestrina, by M. Huyot. The first, having probably observed several circumstances not previously noticed, was encouraged to undertake a building so well known, but in order to justify himself in this selection, he thought it necessary to enter into a minuteness and accuracy of detail, of which there had been no previous example. The result has amply justified his choice; and his researches, and the clear and perfect manner in which he has explained his views, have gained him a great deal of credit. He seems to have proved completely, that the portico was not added at a later time to a building which had been complete without it; but I will not enter into a particular account of this subject till I have seen the edifice itself. M. Huyot[[17]] has made a very elaborate performance on the Temple of Fortune, and if we may sometimes be inclined to doubt whether his authorities are sufficient for the magnificent restoration which he has made, and to reject the high antiquity which he assigns to some parts of it, yet we cannot deny him the praise of a diligent and accurate investigation of the existing remains, and of great sagacity and ingenuity in combining them into one regular and symmetrical design. In fact, in many of the recent productions of the French students, there is a patient accuracy of examination, and a perfection of drawing, which I have never met with in the architectural students of our own country, and which I was not prepared for here.
I use, you see, the term student, as applied to the authors of these works, and correctly, for such they are; but candidates for the grand prix are admitted till thirty years of age, and the privilege is sometimes claimed even till the last moment. They are not therefore boys, but men of formed habits of research, and improved judgment. Yet these drawings, executed with so much care and skill, are put out of the way in the academy as if they were so much lumber: you will hear them spoken of indeed as ‘choses extrémement precieuses,’ and with all other expressions of praise you can imagine; but meanwhile, they are neglected or ill-treated, and the poor artist himself is sometimes not much better off.
M. Gallois took me one morning to breakfast with M. Brogniart, who superintends the royal manufactory of porcelain at Sèvres, and to see the products. In point of execution, the finest piece I saw was a plate made at Vienna, ornamented with flowers, performed in the most beautiful manner; it might almost be taken for a painting by Van Huysum; but we only saw it in a glass case, and it may have faults which I did not notice. Some of the vases made at Sèvres are well shaped, but this is not always the case; they are often very large; some are made to imitate tortoiseshell, some lapis lazuli, some malachite; I should prefer them as porcelain. After all, the most pleasing combination of colours on the surface of a plate, is not exactly that of a beautiful drawing, and perhaps the Chinese have shown more taste and judgment, in contenting themselves with the former, than the Europeans, who have been ambitious of the latter. In the general disposition of the rooms, there is more glitter than I like, but this seems almost unavoidable from the nature of the material, and of the objects of the art; and it must be acknowledged, that many of the individual productions are very chaste and beautiful. They use a green ground made from chrome, which is an excellent colour, and sets off the gilding exceedingly well; some of the cups and vases, which are merely gilt on this colour, are among the finest things in the manufactory. They possess also an admirable dead red, which harmonizes perfectly with the gold; but apparently, this has not brilliancy enough to please the general eye, for they use but little of it. I must not forget the cameos, which are some of the happiest efforts, and in which the beautiful semi-transparency of the agate is well imitated. A table ornamented with portraits of illustrious men, and with some event in the life of each, is perhaps, the greatest work they have executed; but although the parts are beautiful, the whole is not so; and with great perversity of judgment, or of taste, the stand is made of porcelain as well as the top, thus exposing ten-fold to accident, what was already too fragile.