M. Granet's house
is filled every day with persons coming to see this picture, and many
repeat their visits several tunes in the week. He has received several
orders for copies of this picture, and I fancy he begins to be tired of
eternally copying the same thing; for he told me that he wished that the
gentlemen who employed him would vary their subjects, and either chuse some
other themselves, or let him chuse for them. But no! such is the effect of
vogue and fashion, and such the despotic influence they exercise even over
the polite arts, that everybody must have a copy of Granet's picture of the
interior of the Convent of Capuchins _coute que coute_; so that poor Granet
seems bound to this Convent for life; except in the intervals of his
labours, he should hit off another subject, with equal felicity, and this
alone may perhaps serve to diminish the universal desire of possessing a
copy of the Convent. The original picture is destined for the King of
France.[114]
I remarked, in the collection of the works of this artist, a small picture
representing Galileo in prison, and a monk descending the steps of the
dungeon bringing him his scanty meal.
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