[Ruskin's illustrative references to pictures in the present volume were largely taken from the German Galleries which he studied in 1859 (see the Introduction, above, pp. l.—liv.). The following are notes from his diary:—]

AIX-LA-CHAPELLE

Alfred Rethei'sFrescoes in Hôtel de Ville, full of power but wholly valueless, as well as Cornelius's windows, from trying to be fine. All strained in treatment and ghastly—not, which is curious, very energetic in action. Charlemagne seizing a standard, quite feeble.

COLOGNE

Overbeck'sVirgin in the chapel of Cathedral, with Abraham and David below, execrable beyond all contempt. The lower part feebly and basely borrowed from Titian's Apotheosis of Philip IV. Abraham holding up his knife as Noah holds up the ark, and David holding down his harp in the same way as Titian's David; the plagiarism of course being cunningly concealed by alterations, as real base plagiarism is always;—spoiling whatever it touches; while noble plagiarism is as open and frank as the day, and ennobles whatever it touches. The white, goggle-eyed, paste-faced Virgin, monstrous and ridiculous beyond description.

Bendemann'sBy the Waters of Babylon, the engraved picture, vile, distorted, dead, despicable stuff—one base mass of affectation, ignorance, and want of feeling. Grey, or buff, wretched heavy paint—inconceivably clumsy and coarse in drawing—a violet-coloured distance of streaky impossible architecture — no words are strong enough to speak its impotent baseness in its endeavour to be fine.