234 23. BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
apse towards the garden, is the Library, where deputations, to whom
the Queen grants an audience, wait until they are admitted to the
royal presence. The ceiling of the magnificent Marble Staircase, to
the left of the vestibule, is embellished with frescoes by Townsend,
representing Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night.
On the first floor are the following rooms : Green Drawing Room,
50ft. long and 33 ft. high, in the middle of the E. side; * Throne
Room, 66 ft. in length, sumptuously fitted up with red striped satin
and gilding, and having a marble frieze running round the vaulted
and richly decorated ceiling, with reliefs representing the Wars of
the Roses, executed by Baily from designs by Stothard ; Grand
Saloon; State Ball Room, on the S. side of the palace, 110 ft. long
and 60ft. broad; lastly the Picture Gallery, 180ft. in length, con¬
taining a choice, though not very extensive collection of paintings.
Albert Diirev, Altar-piece in three sections. Mabuse, Christ and St.
Matthew. Rembrandt: 'Noli me tangere'; Adoration of the Magi ; The Ship¬
builder and his wife , purchased by George IV, for 5000£.; Burgomaster
Pancras and his wife; three Portraits. Rubens: Pythagoras (the fruit by
Snyders); Landscape; Assumption of the Virgin; Virgin Mary; St. George
and the Dragon; Pan and Syrinx; The Falconer; Family of Oldenbarue-
veld. Van Dyck: Marriage of St. Catharine; Christ healing the lame man;
Three horses; Queen Henrietta Maria presenting a laurel wreath to
Charles II. Miilens, Charles I., with his wife and two children, in Green¬
wich Park. Macs, Girl in a listening attitude. Cuyp: Knight; Soldiers;
Transport vessel. Adrian ran de Velde, Starting for the chase. — Also
pictures by Hobbema, Ruysdael, Van de Velde the Younger, Paul Potter,
Backhuiten, Berchem, Both, Gerard Dow, Metsu, J. Ostade, Mien's (portrait
of himself), Schalken, Jan Stem, Teniers, Terburg, Van der Meulen, Van der
Xeer, Van der Werff, Wouverman, Weenix, Watteau, Claude Lorrain (large
landscape), and Guaspre (landscape). — The English school is represented
by — Reynolds: Death of Dido; Cimon; Iphigeuia; Portrait of himself.
Wilkie: The penny wedding; Blind Man's Buff; Duke of Sussex. Also
by Sir William Allan, and others.
Permission to visit the Picture Gallery is obtained (during the
Queen's absence only) from the Lord Chamberlain on written ap¬
plication.
The Cardens at the back of the Palace contain a summer-house
decorated with eight frescoes from Milton's 'Comus', by Landseer,
Stanfield, Maclise, Eastlake, Dyce, Leslie, Uwins, and Ross.
The Royal Mews (so called from the 'mews' or coops in which
the royal falcons were once kept) or stables and coach-houses (for
40 equipages), entered from Queen's Row, to the S. of the palace,
are shown on application to the Master of the Dorse. The magni¬
ficent state carriage, designed by Sir W. Chambers in 1762, and
painted by Cipriani (cost 7660/.), is kept here.
To theN., between Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly, lies the
GnEKN Paek, which is 70 acres in extent. Between this and the
Queen's private gardens is Constitution Hill, leading direct to Hyde
Park Corner (p. 235).
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