The art of the Pitti Palace : with a short history of the building of the palace, and its owners, and an appreciation of its treasures . ll preserved. A balustrade surrounds this theatre, set withniches at intervals, containing vases and statues;and it is near the palace, which proximity made itvery easy to adjourn to when entertainments weregiven there. Among the gala days in the amphi-theatre were a grand spectacle in honour of themarriage of Anne de Medici with Archduke Ferdi-nand of Austria in 1652; again, in 1661, no expensewas spared in a royal entertainment when CosimoIII. married Margu
The art of the Pitti Palace : with a short history of the building of the palace, and its owners, and an appreciation of its treasures . ll preserved. A balustrade surrounds this theatre, set withniches at intervals, containing vases and statues;and it is near the palace, which proximity made itvery easy to adjourn to when entertainments weregiven there. Among the gala days in the amphi-theatre were a grand spectacle in honour of themarriage of Anne de Medici with Archduke Ferdi-nand of Austria in 1652; again, in 1661, no expensewas spared in a royal entertainment when CosimoIII. married Marguerite Louise dOrleans; and in1739 the arrival of Francois of Lorraine and Marieof Austria was celebrated by a superb assembly inthe amphitheatre. When the King of Naples, Ferdi-nand IV., and his wife, Marie Caroline, came to thePitti, in 1785, the festivities were held here; andin 1787, on the occasion of the nuptials of Arch-duchess Marie Therese and Prince Antoine de Saxe,there was also a notable entertainment. Then, onthe birth of the son of Napoleon Buonaparte, in1811, the amphitheatre was used again to celebratethe good Zbc IRopal Hpartments 373 The Pitti Palace, to compare small things withgreater, overlooks this amphitheatre in somewhatthe same way that the Palace of the Caesars inRome overlooks the Circus Maximus. Stonebenches rise one above another in the auditorium,if so it may be called. It is surrounded by cypressesand yews, and has been described by a rather imag-inative Italian poet as the ingenious work of oneof the nymphs who preside over woods and fields! Much of the garden is in a fashion of luxury,— shady retreats and a refuge from the sun. It iscool, green, and restful. It seems to romance of thelong-forgotten episodes which must have takenplace amidst these long-covered walks, high-walledgrottoes, and splashing waters. A covered avenue,thickly overgrown, leads for a long, straight dis-tance to the large basin, in which is situated a tinyisland call
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectpainting, bookyear190
