Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-23
The ROthschiId Chateau.
From Frazer's Magazine.

With princely liberality Baron Roths
child admits any one to his Fairylant
who takes the trouble to write for permis
sion, and however much we may have beer
thinking of Haroun al Raschid, King Solo
man and the Thousand and One Nights
beforehand, we shall not be disappointed
Quitting the railway at the cheerful little
town of Langny We drive past handsome
country houses and well-kept flower gar
dens, and then gradually ascend road
winding amid hill and valley up to the
chateau, graceful structure in white
marble, o. so it seems, proudly command.
ing the wide landscape. The flower gar
dens are blaze of colors, aud the orange
trees give delicious fragrance as we ascend
the terrace; ascend, indeed, being hardly
the word applicable to steps sloping SC
easily upward, ard SO nicely adjusted tc
the human foot that climbing Mont Blanc
under the same circumstances could be
accomplished without fatigue. 1t is
impossible to give any idea Of the differ
ent kinds of magnifcence that greet US
on every side. Now little Vatican
world in tapestries, having for back
ground sky-blue satin and roses; now a
dlnlng-hsll, somber, gorgeos and majestic
as that of Spanish palace; now we are
transported TO Persia, China and Japan
next We find ourselves amid unspeakable
treasures OF Italian and other marbles
To come down to practical details il
might be suggested to the generous own
er OF this noble treasure.house of art that
the brietest possible catalogue of his
choicest treasures would unspeakably
obGge his visitors. There is hardly piece
CT furniture that is not interesting, alike
from historic and artistic point of view
while some are chefs a'euore both in de.
sign and execution, and dazzlingly rich
in material. Among these may be
mentioned a pair of chimney ornament:
thickly hung with pendants of precious
stones; piano which belonged to Marie
Antoinettee-the case of which is formed
OF tortoise-shell richly decorated witt
gold "a cabinet set with emeralds, sapphires
and other jewels; another composed o.
various precious stones; chairs an6
couches covered with exquisite tapestry
OF the Louis Quinze period; some rart
specimens of old cloisonne work, also O.
Florentine mesaics-these forming small
part of this magnificent museum. The
striking feature is the great quantity anc
variety of rich marbles in every part
One OF the staircases is entirely formed O.
different kinds of rare marble, the effec
being extraordinarily imposing. Else
where room is DIVIDED by Gorinthia1
columns of jasper and porphyry, and OF
every side is displayed a wealth ane
splendor. quite unique. Without doubt
nothing lends such magnifcence to in
teriors as marbles, but they require thu
spaciousness and princeliness of such
chateau as this to be displayed to ad
vantage. Next in Importance, as matte,
of mere decoration, must be cited thu
tapestries, of which there is rare anc
valuable collection, chiefly in the hall, 81
called, and where they are arranged
about the running gallery surrounding
the pictures. What this hall wsuld b.
worth would perhaps sound fabulous or
paper; it is here that some of the mos
precious cabinets are found; treasures q
ivory, ebony, gems, gold and silver; anc
the pictures alone represent princess
dowry, examples of some of the grea
masters are here--Velasques, Rembrandt
Rubens, Claude Lorraine, Bordone
Reynolds; lastly, among moderns, Ingre
and Hippolyte Fland1in. Much nigh
be said about the pictures if space per
mitted, but they alone are worth maxim.
the journey from Paris to see.