I
was surprised at the prevalence, in mild Provence, of the Iberian vice,
and hardly know whether it makes the custom more respectable that at Nimes
and Arles the thing is shabbily and imperfectly done. The bulls are rarely
killed, and indeed often are bulls only in the Irish sense of the term--
being domestic and motherly cows. Such an entertainment of course does not
supply to the arena that element of the exquisite which I spoke of as
wanting.
The exquisite at Nimes is mainly represented by the famous Maison Carree.
The first impression you receive from this delicate little building, as
you stand before it, is that you have already seen it many times.
Photographs, engravings, models, medals, have placed it definitely in your
eye, so that from the sentiment with which you regard it curiosity and
surprise are almost completely, and perhaps deplorably absent. Admiration
remains however--admiration of a familiar and even slightly patronizing
kind. The Maison Carree does not overwhelm you; you can conceive it. It is
not one of the great sensations of antique art; but it is perfectly
felicitous, and, in spite of having been put to all sorts of incongruous
uses, marvelously preserved.
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