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16 February 1881 — Rome | |
Wednesday. 16th [February 1881]. Morelli came to breakfast with us at 8.30 & I left him with Henry when I went off to the Villa Campana to work & returned to lunch. Afterwards we went to Penry Williams’ & fetched him & walked with him to the Studio of Riedel an old German artist in the Via Margutta. He is almost as old as Penry Williams. He paints pictures of nymphs & cupids of the brightest & most impossible flesh colour—set on gaudy bowers of roses & garlands. The old man told us he had been 52 years in Rome & old P. Williams whose memory is dim said he thought he must have been here abt the same time but he is not quite sure. The two old friends are the sole survivors of a set of artists of Gibson’s time—& they praised each others paintings & lamented the bad times. Riedel said that sovereigns no long came to Rome to buy pictures but I ventured to remark that Americans were more numerous & better buyers. We walked home quietly. Visits from Mrs Beauclerk—Mme Ristori & her daughter & Mr Jocelyn. We dined at the German Embassy. The Ambassador & Mme de Kendell gave a dinner in our honor. We met D. & Dss Brancaccio & Mme Minghetti, Ct Maffei, Ct & Css Santafior, M. & Mme de Ghait (Belgian secy), Morelli & several others. After dinner Kendell played the piano to us charmingly. | |
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