In the common eating-room are three grey paintings, in imitation of basso-relievo, by J. de Wit. They represent Atalanta and Meleager, the four seasons of the year, and Venus and Adonis; and are so admirably executed as at a very short distance to deceive the most critical eye. They appear so to stand out from the wall, that the spectator imagines he could brush the dust from the projecting figures; nor are the designs of these pictures less elegant than the deception is happily managed[1]. In this apartment is shewn an ancient ball of wood, into which a number of nails were driven by the first Dutch confederates who assembled to rescue their country from the tyranny of Philip II.; and the cup is also preserved out of which these patriots drank to the success of their holy cause. Here is a cannon of gold and silver,<references>
- ↑ Elegant as these figures are, it must be considered that deception is the meanest branch of the art of painting, and it is therefore to be regretted that the artist did not use his pencil for nobler purposes.
