There is nothing very good in sculpture, only two of the antiques being worth looking at; but there is a fine statue of Charles V., and a wonderfully beautifiil St. John of God, carrying a sick man out of the burning hospital on his back, which is modern, but in admirable taste. Neglected, in some side cupboards, and several of them broken and covered with dust and dirt, are some exquisite tazzas of Benvenuto Cellini, D'Arphes, and Beceriles, in lapis, jade, agate, and enamel, finer than any to be seen even in the Griine Gewolbe of Dresden. Th§re is a gold mermaid, studded with rubies, and with an emerald tail, and a cup with an enamelled jewelled border and stand, which are perfectly unrivalled in beauty of workmanship. Then, in. addition to this matchless gallery, Madrid has its 'Academia,' containing three of Murillo's most magnificent conceptions. One is 'St. Elizabeth of Hungary,' washing the wounds of the sick, her fair young face and delicate white hands forming a beautifiil contrast with the shrivelled brown old woman in the foreground. The expression of the saint's countenance is that of one absorbed in her work and yet looking beyond it.[1] The other is the
- ↑ This picture was stolen from the Caridad, at Seville, by the French, and afterwards sent back to Madrid, where it still remains.
