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diff --git a/35934.txt b/35934.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..92010a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/35934.txt @@ -0,0 +1,13255 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic +Leighton, by Mrs. Russell Barrington + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic Leighton + Volume I + +Author: Mrs. Russell Barrington + +Release Date: May 20, 2011 [EBook #35934] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE, LETTERS OF FREDERICK LEIGHTON *** + + + + +Produced by Jeannie Howse, Jonathan Ingram and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + * * * * * + + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + | Transcriber's Note: | + | | + | Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has | + | been preserved. | + | | + | The Errata on page xxiii have been incorporated into | + | this e-book. | + | | + | The Illustration list has one image out of sequence. | + | | + | Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. For | + | a complete list, please see the end of this document. | + | | + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + + * * * * * + + + [Illustration] + + + + + The Life, Letters and Work of + Frederic Baron Leighton + Of Stretton + + VOL. I + + + + + "_If any man should be constantly penetrated with a gift + bestowed on him, it is the artist who has realised as his + share a genuine love for nature; for his enjoyment, if he + puts his gift to usury, increases with the days of his life._" + + + "_Every man who has received a gift, ought to feel and act as + if he was a field in which a seed was planted that others + might gather the harvest._" + + _FREDERIC LEIGHTON._ + + _August 1852._ + + + + + The Life, Letters and + Work of + Frederic Leighton + + BY + + MRS. RUSSELL BARRINGTON + + AUTHOR OF "REMINISCENCES OF G.F. WATTS," ETC. ETC. + + IN TWO VOLUMES + + VOL. I + + LONDON + GEORGE ALLEN, RUSKIN HOUSE + 1906 + + [All rights reserved] + + + + + Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. + At the Ballantyne Press + + [Illustration: EARLY PORTRAIT OF LORD LEIGHTON + From the Painting by G.F. Watts (Photogravure) + By permission of the Hon. Lady Leighton-Warren and Sir Bryan + Leighton, Bart.] + + + + + TO ALL WHO HOLD DEAR THE + MEMORY OF FREDERIC LEIGHTON + THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED WITH + THE AUTHOR'S APOLOGIES FOR + ITS VERY MANY SHORTCOMINGS + + + + +PREFACE + + +Ten years and more have passed since Leighton died, yet it is still +difficult to get sufficiently far away, to take in the whole of his +life and being in their just proportion to the world in which he +lived. + +When we are in Rome, hemmed in by narrow streets, St. Peter's is +invisible; once across that wonderful Campagna and mounting the slopes +of Frascati, there, like a huge pearl gleaming in the light, rises the +dome of the Mother Church. As distance gives the true relation between +a lofty building and its suburbs, so time alone can decide the height +of the pedestal on which to place the great. + +The day after Leighton's death Watts wrote to me:-- + +"...The loss to the world is so great that I almost feel ashamed to +let my personal grief have so large a place. + +"I am glad you knew him so well. I am glad for any one who knew him. +No one will ever know such another, alas! alas! alas! + +"I am glad you have enjoyed the friendship of one of the greatest men +of any time." + +This is the estimate of a great artist who knew Leighton for forty +years, and for many of those years enjoyed daily intercourse with him. + +A few like Watts required no length of time before forming a right +estimate of Leighton. They not only knew him to be great, but knew why +he was great. Undoubtedly as a draughtsman Leighton was unrivalled; +but bearing in mind his English contemporaries--Watts, Millais, Holman +Hunt, Rossetti, and Burne-Jones--it is not as a painter that even his +truest friends would claim for him his right to the exceptional +position he undoubtedly occupied. + +What was it that gave Leighton this position? He himself was the very +last to claim it as a right. His creed and his practice were ever to +fight against the weaknesses of his nature rather than to rejoice in +its strength. For assuredly, however strong the intellect, beautiful +the character, brilliant the vitality, and fine the intuitive +instincts, a man may yet have within his nature foibles in common with +the herd. The difference is, that in the truly great the unworthier +side of nature is viewed as unworthy--is fought against and banished +like the plague. + +"A good man is wise, not because all his desires are wise, but because +his reasonable soul masters unwise desires and is itself wise. + +"He is courageous, because he knows when to fight, and does so under +control of reason. + +"He is temperate, because his pluck and his desires unite in giving +the first place to the reasonable soul; and finally, he is just, +because each principle is in its place and stops there." + +In a letter to his mother when he was twenty-three Leighton wrote: "I +feel I have of my nature a very fair share of the hateful worldly +weakness of my country people;" adding, "Still, I have found no +sufficiently great advantage or compensation for the tedium of going +out." Again, three years later, after describing to his sister the +delight he felt in the beauty he found in Algiers, he wrote: "And yet +what I have said of my feelings, though _literally true_, does not +give you an exactly true notion; for, together with, and as it were +behind, so much pleasurable emotion, there is always that other +strange second man in me, calm, observant, critical, unmoved, +blase--odious! + +"He is a shadow that walks with me, a sort of nineteenth-century +canker of doubt and discretion; it's very, very seldom that I forget +his loathsome presence. What cheering things I find to say!" + +Doubtless Leighton had within him the possibilities of becoming a +worldling, and also of becoming a cynic. He overrode and banished the +first as despicable, the second as hideous. + +But it is not in the wisdom that--Socrates-like--steered his life by +reason, that we find the adequate answer to the question, "Why was +Leighton the prominent entity he was?" Diverse as were his natural +gifts and his power of achievement on various lines, he differed +radically from that modern development--the all-round man, who has no +concentrated fire as a centre to illumine his life, but develops all +his capacities so that they shall shine forth equally on certain high +levels. From childhood Leighton had one overriding passion, and from +this sprang the will-force and vitality which throughout his life +succeeded in bringing his intentions to fruition. Whatsoever his hand +found worthy to do at all, he did with the whole might of his great +nature. Still even that would not adequately answer the question. His +greatness truly lay in the fact that the choice he made of what was +worth doing was never limited by personal interests. He impelled the +force of his powers for the welfare of others, and for the causes +beneficial to others, as much or more than to those matters which +concerned himself alone. Hence his true greatness and his great +fame--for AEschylus is right: "The good will prevail." + +A sense of duty--"the keenest possible sense of it," to use Mr. +Briton Riviere's words--which was the keynote of all Leighton's +actions, was impelled in the first instance by a feeling of gratitude +for the joy with which beauty in nature and art had steeped his being +from a child; a deep well of happiness, a constant companion, ever +springing up in his heart, which he craved that others should share +with him. This happiness gave sweetness to his life, lovableness to +his character, irresistible power to his control. Leighton's was truly +a life of praise and gratitude for the joys nature had bestowed on +him. He had a pleasant way of making the truth prevail. The +description by Marcus Aurelius of his "third man" applies well to the +character of Leighton. + +"One man, when he has done a service to another, is ready to set it +down to his account as a favour conferred. Another is not ready to do +this, but still in his own mind he thinks of the man as his debtor, +and he knows what he has done. A third in a manner does not even know +what he has done, but he is like a vine which has produced grapes, and +seeks for nothing more after it has once produced its proper fruit. As +a horse when he has run, a dog when he has tracked the game, a bee +when it has made the honey, so a man, when he has done a good act, +does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to +another act, as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes in season." + +Leighton's work in every direction was complete work, because his mind +grasped completely the proportion and aspect of everything he +undertook. His inborn affection for, and sympathy with, his +fellow-creatures impelled him to feel that the area of self-interest, +however gifted that self might be, was too restricted for him to find +full completeness therein. This could only be attained by working with +and for others. Such feelings and doctrines are common in religious +and philanthropic men; but in the ego of the modern artist there is +generally something which seems to demand a concentration of attention +on his own ego in order to develop his gifts as an artist. The +attitude of Leighton towards his own work, and towards that of others, +was essentially contrary to this concentration. + +In his letters to his mother, and to his master, Eduard von Steinle, +are found the bases on which the superstructure of his after career +rested, the underpinning of that monumental feature of the Victorian +era--namely, in unflagging industry, in ever striving to make his life +worthy of the beauty and dignity of his vocation as an artist, and in +ever endeavouring to make his work an adequate exponent of "the +mysterious treasure that was laid up in his heart": his passion for +beauty. + +In my attempt to write Leighton's life I have purposely devoted more +space to the earlier than to the later years of his career as an +artist. With an artist more than with others is it specially true that +the boy is father to the man; and if Leighton's example is in any way +to benefit students of art, the early struggles, the failures, more +even than the successes, will teach the lesson that there is no short +cut on the road which has to be travelled even by the most gifted. +From the family letters and those to his master, which are, with a few +exceptions, given in full, it will also be seen that, however high was +the pedestal on which Leighton placed his mistress Art, he felt keenly +likewise the beauty of his family relationships, and a deep, grateful +affection for the master who had given him his start on the road to +fame. + +If this endeavour to present a true picture of Leighton the man has +any value, it is owing mainly to the fact that Mrs. Matthews has +placed at my disposal the family and other letters in her +possession,--an act which demands the thanks of all those who are +interested in the fame of her brother. + +I also wish to acknowledge with gratitude the considerate kindness of +several of Leighton's friends in contributing "notes" and letters, +which are of true value in bringing before the public a right view of +the man and of the artist. First and foremost among these contributors +must be placed Dr. von Steinle, son of Professor Eduard von Steinle of +Frankfort-on-Main, the beloved master to whom Leighton in 1879 +referred as "_the indelible seal_," when writing of those who had +influenced him most for good. The first letter of the correspondence +which was carried on between the master and pupil, and preserved +preciously by each, is dated August 31, 1852, the last 1883. Only +second in interest to this correspondence, which discloses Leighton's +intimate feelings and aspirations as an artist, are the notes supplied +by Mr. Briton Riviere, R.A.--notes which could only have been written +by one whose own nature in many ways was closely attuned to that of +Leighton's, and which give the intimate aspect of Leighton as an +official. "It would be difficult for any one," writes Mr. Briton +Riviere, "to give in a short space any adequate account of a character +so full and complex as Leighton's." And indeed it would require a +great deal more than two volumes even to touch on all the events of +this eventful life, which might further illustrate Leighton's +character; but Mr. Briton Riviere has noted certain salient +characteristics of his friend with a sympathy, and a fine touch, which +I think will prove of very rare interest in this record. The tribute +to Leighton of Mr. Hamo Thornycroft, R.A. (from a sculptor's point of +view), carries great weight, and gives also, as does that of another +old comrade in the Artists' Volunteer Corps, an appreciative account of +Leighton as the soldier. To these, to Lady Loch, the Hon. Mrs. Alfred +Sartoris, Sir William Richmond, R.A., Mr. Walter Crane, Mr. Alfred +East, P.R.B.A., I offer my thanks for so kindly contributing notes +which help to solve the problems presented by "a character so full and +so complex." For courteous permission to publish letters I wish to +express my thanks to Alice, Countess of Strafford, the executor of Mr. +Henry Greville, who was one of, if not the most intimate of the +friends who loved Leighton; the Hon. Mrs. Leigh, Mrs. Fanny Kemble's +daughter and executor; the Right Hon. Sir Charles Dilke, executor of +Mrs. Mark Pattison (afterwards Lady Dilke); the Right Hon. John +Morley, Dr. von Steinle, Mr. John Hanson Walker, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. +Robert Barrett Browning, Professor Church, Mr. T.C. Horsfall, and Mrs. +Street, daughter of the late Mr. Henry Wells, R.A.; the executor of +George Eliot, Mrs. Charles Lewes; and the executors of John Ruskin. +There are many other letters and notes of interest which have been +preserved by Mrs. Matthews, but which cannot be inserted for want of +space. Among these are affectionate notes from Joachim, Burne-Jones, +Hebert, Robert Fleury, Meissonier, Gerome, Tullio Massarani; also +friendly letters from Cardinal Manning, Viscount Wolseley, Sarah +Bernhardt, John Tyndall, Froude, Anthony Trollope, Sir John Gilbert, +Lady Waterford, and Lord Strangford. A number of letters exist from +members of the Royal Family to Leighton, all evincing alike admiration +for the artist and an affectionate appreciation of the man. + +In these pages there will be found a repetition of several sentences. +This is intentional. Watts would often remark, "A really wise and true +saying can't be repeated too often"; and in Leighton's letters are +several tallying with this description, which it would be a pity to +detach from their own context, and yet which are also required +elsewhere to enforce the argument. + +As regards the kindness shown in allowing reproductions of pictures, +I have to tender my loyal gratitude to the Queen for the gracious loan +of the picture presented to her Majesty by Leighton; also to the +Prince of Wales for allowing the "Head of a Girl," given to his Royal +Highness as a wedding present by the artist, to be reproduced in these +pages. + +Other owners of pictures to whom I proffer also my warm thanks are +Lord Armstrong, Lord Pirrie, the Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, the Hon. +Lady Leighton-Warren, Sir Bryan Leighton, the Hon. Mrs. Sartoris, Sir +Elliot Lees, Sir Alexander Henderson, Mr. E. and Miss I'Anson, Mr. S. +Pepys Cockerell, Mr. T. Blake Wirgman, Mrs. Stewart Hodgson, Mr. +Hanson Walker, Mrs. Henry Joachim, Mrs. Stephenson Clarke, Mrs. C.E. +Lees, Mrs. James Watney, Mr. Hodges, Mrs. Charles Lewes, Mr. H.S. +Mendelssohn, Mr. Phillipson, and Dr. von Steinle. + +Also to the Fine Art Society, the Berlin Photographic Co., Messrs. +Agnew & Son, Messrs. P. & D. Colnaghi, Messrs. Henry Graves, Messrs. +Lefevre, Messrs. Smith, Elder, & Co., and the directors of the +Leicester Galleries. + + + + +CONTENTS + + + PAGE + INTRODUCTION 1 + + CHAPTER I + ANTECEDENTS AND SCHOOL DAYS, 1830-1852 34 + + CHAPTER II + ROME, 1852-1855 91 + + CHAPTER III + PENCIL DRAWINGS OF PLANTS AND FLOWERS, 1850-1860 197 + + CHAPTER IV + WATTS--SUCCESS--FAILURE, 1855-1856 222 + + CHAPTER V + FRIENDS 250 + + CHAPTER VI + STEINLE AND ITALY AGAIN--FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE EAST, + 1856-1858 278 + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +VOLUME I + + + 1. DESIGN FOR REVERSE OF THE JUBILEE MEDALLION Cover + Executed for Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Government, + 1887. + + 2. CROWN OF BAY LEAVES " + From Drawing made by Lord Leighton at the Bagni de Lucca, + 1854. + + 3. PORTRAIT OF LORD LEIGHTON BY G.F. WATTS, ABOUT 1863 + By kind permission of the Hon. Lady LEIGHTON-WARREN To face + and Sir BRYAN LEIGHTON, Bart. (_Photogravure_) Dedication + + 4. HEAD OF YOUNG GIRL To face page 1 + By the gracious permission of HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. + + 5. PORTRAITS OF LORD LEIGHTON'S FATHER AND MOTHER WHEN YOUNG 17 + From Miniatures. + + 6. EARLY PAINTING OF BOY SAVING A BABY FROM THE CLUTCHES OF AN + EAGLE (_Colour_) 19 + + 7. PORTRAIT OF PROFESSOR EDUARD VON STEINLE 27 + By kind permission of his Son, DOCTOR VON STEINLE. + + 8. PORTRAIT OF MRS. SARTORIS, 1856 28 + + 9. CRYPT UNDER ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL WHERE BARRY, SIR JOSHUA + REYNOLDS, TURNER, AND LORD LEIGHTON WERE BURIED 33 + + 10. PORTRAITS OF LORD LEIGHTON AND HIS YOUNGER SISTER, MRS. + MATTHEWS 37 + Drawn by him when a boy. + + 11. EARLY COMIC DRAWING MADE IN FRANKFURT 43 + By kind permission of Mr. JOHN HANSON WALKER. + + 12. PORTRAIT OF MR. I'ANSON, LORD LEIGHTON'S GREAT-UNCLE, 1850 48 + By kind permission of Mr. E. and Miss I'ANSON. + + 13. THE DEATH OF BRUNELLESCHI, 1851 55 + By kind permission of Doctor VON STEINLE. + + 14. THE PLAGUE IN FLORENCE, 1851 56 + + 15. STUDIES OF BRANCHES OF FIG AND BRAMBLE 69 + Leighton House Collection. + + 16. STUDY OF BYZANTINE WELL HEAD, VENICE, 1852 81 + By kind permission of Mr. S. PEPYS COCKERELL. + + 17. FROM PENCIL DRAWING OF MODEL, ROME, 1853. "COSTUME DI + PROCIDA" 98 + Leighton House Collection. + + 18. HEAD OF MODEL USED FOR FIGURE IN CIMABUE'S MADONNA, + ERRONEOUSLY STATED TO HAVE BEEN THE PORTRAIT OF LORD + LEIGHTON, 1853 112 + Leighton House Collection. + + 19. SKETCH OF SUBIACO, 1853 116 + Leighton House Collection. + + 20. HEAD OF VINCENZO, 1854 152 + Leighton House Collection. + + 21. COPY IN PENCIL OF THE PORTRAITS OF GIOTTO, CIMABUE, MEMMI, + AND TADDEO GADDI 138 + From the Capella Spagnola, Sta. Maria Novella, Florence, + 1853. Leighton House Collection. + + 22. STUDY OF WOMAN'S HEAD FOR FIGURE AT THE WINDOW--CIMABUE'S + MADONNA, 1854 (_Photogravure_) 145 + Leighton House Collection. + + 23. ORIGINAL SKETCH IN PENCIL AND CHINESE WHITE FOR CIMABUE'S + MADONNA, 1853 149 + Leighton House Collection. + + 24. CIMABUE'S MADONNA, 1855 193 + By kind permission of the FINE ART SOCIETY. + + 25. FACSIMILE OF LETTER FROM SIR CHARLES EASTLAKE, ANNOUNCING + THAT QUEEN VICTORIA HAD PURCHASED CIMABUE'S MADONNA, MAY + 3, 1855 194 + + 26. STUDY OF CYCLAMEN, 1856 200 + Leighton House Collection. + + 27. WREATH OF BAY LEAVES, 1854 201 + Leighton House Collection. + + 28. STUDY OF A LEMON TREE--CAPRI, 1859 202 + By kind permission of Mr. S. PEPYS COCKERELL. + + 29. STUDY OF BRANCHES OF A DECIDUOUS TREE 202 + Leighton House Collection. + + 30. EARLY STUDIES OF KALMIA LATIFOLIA, OLEANDER, AND + RHODODENDRON FLOWERS 205 + Leighton House Collection. + + 31. STUDIES OF PUMPKIN FLOWERS 206 + Leighton House Collection. + + 32. STUDY OF VINE, 1854--BAGNI DI LUCCA 206 + Leighton House Collection. + + 33. STUDIES OF VINE LEAVES, "BELLOSGUARDO," SEPT. 1856 207 + Leighton House Collection. + + 34. "ARIADNE ABANDONED BY THESEUS--DEATH RELEASES HER." 1868 + (_Photogravure_) 211 + By kind permission of LORD PIRRIE. + + 35. "ELISHA RAISING THE SON OF THE SHUNAMMITE," 1881 211 + (_Photogravure_) + + 36. "DAEDALUS AND ICARUS," 1869 (_Photogravure_) 211 + By kind permission of Sir ALEXANDER HENDERSON, Bart. + + 37. "CAPTIVE ANDROMACHE," 1888 (_Photogravure_) 213 + By kind permission of the BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHIC CO. + + 38. STUDY IN OILS FOR "CAPTIVE ANDROMACHE" (_Colour_) 213 + By kind permission of Mrs. STEWART HODGSON + + 39. "WEAVING THE WREATH," 1873 214 + + 40. "WINDING THE SKEIN" 214 + By kind permission of the FINE ART SOCIETY. + + 41. "THE MUSIC LESSON," 1877 214 + By kind permission of the FINE ART SOCIETY. + + 42. STUDIES OF SEA THISTLE, MALINMORE 218 + From Sketch Book, 1895. + + 43. STUDIES OF SEA THISTLE, MALINMORE 218 + From Sketch Book, 1895. + + 44. "RETURN OF PERSEPHONE" (_Photogravure_) 221 + Corporation of Leeds. + + 45. STUDY IN OILS FOR "RETURN OF PERSEPHONE" (_Colour_) 221 + By kind permission of Mrs. STEWART HODGSON. + + 46. FROM DECORATIVE PAINTING ON GOLD BACKGROUND OF CUPID WITH + DOVES 223 + + 47. "IDYLL," 1881 (_Photogravure_) 229 + + 48. PORTRAIT OF MISS MABEL MILLS, 1877 229 + + 49. "VENUS DISROBING FOR THE BATH," 1867 230 + By kind permission of Sir A. HENDERSON, Bart. + + 50. PHRYNE AT ELEUSIS, 1882 230 + + 51. PORTRAIT OF MRS. ADELAIDE SARTORIS, DRAWN FOR HER FRIEND, + LADY BLOOMFIELD, 1867 233 + By kind permission of the Hon. Mrs. SARTORIS. + + 52. STUDY FOR PORTION OF FRIEZE, "MUSIC" (NOT CARRIED OUT IN + FINAL DESIGN). 1883 234 + Leighton House Collection. + + 53. FROM SKETCH IN WATER COLOUR FOR TABLEAUX VIVANTS, + "THE ECHOES OF HELLAS" (_Colour_) 241 + Leighton House Collection. + + 54. STUDY FROM MR. JOHN HANSON WALKER, WHEN A BOY, FOR + "LIEDER OHNE WORTE," 1860 251 + Leighton House Collection. + + 55. PORTRAIT OF MRS. JOHN HANSON WALKER, PAINTED AS A WEDDING + PRESENT TO HER HUSBAND, 1867 (_Colour_) 273 + By kind permission of Mr. WALKER. + + 56. FIGURES FOR CEILING FOR MUSIC ROOM, PREVIOUS TO THE DRAPERY + BEING ADDED, 1886 276 + + 57. ORIGINAL SKETCH IN CHARCOAL OF DANCING FIGURES FOR THE SAME, + 1886 276 + Leighton House Collection. + + 58. WATER COLOUR DRAWING OF THE CA' D'ORO, VENICE 285 + (_Colour_) + + 59. VIEW IN ALGIERS (_Colour_) 299 + + 60. VIEW IN ALGIERS (_Colour_) 301 + + 61. SKETCH FOR "SALOME, THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS," 1857 308 + Leighton House Collection. + + 62. SIXTEEN SCENES IN FLORENCE--ILLUSTRATIONS TO "ROMOLA" Beginning + By kind permission of Mrs. CHARLES LEWES. page 310 + + 1. BLIND SCHOLAR AND DAUGHTER. + 2. "SUPPOSE YOU LET ME LOOK AT MYSELF;" NELLO'S SHOP. + 5. "THE FIRST KEY." + 6. PEASANTS' FAIR. + 7. THE DYING MESSAGE. + 8. FLORENTINE JOKE. + 9. THE ESCAPED PRISONER. + 10. NICCOLO AT WORK. + 11. "YOU DIDN'T THINK." + 13. "FATHER, I WILL BE GUIDED." + 15. THE VISIBLE MADONNA. + 16. DANGEROUS COLLEAGUES. + 17. "MONNA BRIGIDA." + 18. "BUT YOU WILL HELP." + 20. "DRIFTING." + 21. "WILL HIS EYES OPEN?" + + + [Illustration: HEAD PRESENTED TO THE QUEEN BY LORD LEIGHTON + By permission of Her Majesty the Queen] + + + + +ERRATA + + +Motto facing Title-page, line 3, _for_ "from," _read_ "for." +Page xx, No. 49, _for_ "Figures for Ceiling, &c.," _read_ + "By kind permission of Sir A. Henderson, Bart." +Page 31, line 7, _for_ "at all," _read_ "to all." +Page 60, omit note. +Page 67, line 31, _for_ "unscorched," _read_ "sunscorched." +Page 103, line 31, _for_ "worse that," _read_ "worse than." +Page 127, line 16, _for_ "Wasash," _read_ "Warsash." +Page 169, line 8, _for_ "Pantaleoni," _read_ "Pantaleone." +Page 197, note, _for_ "Vol. I.," _read_ "Vol. II." +Page 213, lines 6, 7, _for_ "owing ... from," _read_ "owing ... to." +Page 265, note. The reference number should be to "Edward," instead + of to "Adelaide." +Page 296, line 17, _for_ "Couture," _read_ "Conture." + + + + +THE LIFE OF LORD LEIGHTON + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +In 1860, when Leighton, at the age of thirty, definitely settled in +England, art was alive in two distinctly new directions. Ruskin was +writing, the Pre-Raphaelites were painting, and Prince Albert, besides +encouraging individual painters and sculptors, had, through his fine +taste and the exercise of his patronage in every branch of art, +developed an interest in good design as it can be carried out in +manufactures and various crafts. Leighton followed the Prince +Consort's initiatory lead; and, by showing the same cultured and +catholic zeal in her welfare, was enabled to continue and develop +Prince Albert's important work, thereby widening and elevating the +whole outlook of art in England. + +It has at times been asserted that Leighton was greater as a President +of the Royal Academy than he was as a painter. It would be truer, I +think, to say that it was because he was so great as an artist in the +highest, widest meaning of the word, so sincere a workman, that he +stands unrivalled as a President. In a letter to a friend, dated May +1888, ten years after he had been elected President, he wrote, "I am a +workman first and an official afterwards," and it was, I believe, +because he carried into his official duties the true artist's warmth, +sincerity, and zeal for his special vocation, that his influence as an +official was never deadened by theoretic red-tapeism, nor by secondary +or side issues. Leighton ever flew straight to the mark, and the mark +he aimed at in his presidential work was ever the highest essential +point from the view he also took as an artist. His official duties, +carried out with so great an amount of scrupulous conscientiousness, +would have gone far to fill the entire life of an ordinary human +being; yet these duties were, to the last, subordinated in his +personal existence to his self-imposed duties as a painter and a +sculptor. + +The words, "I am a workman first and an official afterwards," +epitomise the creed of his life. From earliest childhood art had cast +over Leighton's nature a glamour which made his heart-service to her +the great passion of his life. His "great nature" had in it many +sources of stirring interest and of pure delights, which he enjoyed +keenly; but nothing came in sight, so to speak, which ever for a +moment seriously challenged a rivalry with the salient ruling passion. +His character, as it developed, wound itself round it; his strongest +sense of duty focalised itself in its service; his ambition ever was +more inspired and stimulated by a devotion to the best interests of +art than by any purely personal incentive. Leighton was an artist of +that true type in whom no influence whatsoever can deter or slacken +incessant zeal for work. In the deepest recesses of his nature burnt +the unquenchable fire, the paramount longing to follow in Nature's +footsteps, and to create things of beauty. Among the many loyal +servants who have dutifully worshipped at the shrine of art, never was +there one who more completely devoted the best that was in him to her +service. + +"Va! your human talk and doings are a tame jest; the only passionate +life is in form and colour."[1] + +Leighton's nature may be viewed from three aspects. Though each aspect +is apparently detached from the others, it would be impossible to +record a true portrait were the three not kept in view while +attempting to draw the picture. + +First, there was Leighton, the great man, the public servant, gifted +with exceptional powers of intellect and character, who attained the +highest social position ever reached by an English artist; the +Leighton the world knew, whose sway was paramount in the many councils +and assemblies to which he belonged no less than when fulfilling his +duties as President of the Royal Academy, and whose helpfulness and +zeal in promoting the extension of a knowledge and appreciation of +English art in foreign countries and in the colonies became +proverbial. Lady Loch tells of his invaluable help in the efforts she +and her husband made to encourage art, while the late Lord Loch was +Governor of the Isle of Man, of Victoria, and of Cape Colony. "I feel +it would be impossible," she writes, "to convey in a few words what a +wonderful friend Frederic Leighton was to my husband from the time he +first knew him,[2] forty years before Leighton's death, and to myself +from the time we married. He was always ready to help us at every +turn. Any deserving artist whom we sent to him would be certain to +find in him a friend. When we arranged the very small Art Exhibition +in the Isle of Man, you could hardly imagine with what energy and +thoughtfulness he entered into the matter, impressing upon us all the +steps that we ought to take in order to secure its success, even to +the details, such as packing and insuring the pictures. He himself +sent us pictures for the Exhibition, and guided our judgment in +admiring and caring for those which were best and most to be valued, +with a paternal care and zeal not describable. Again, when we were in +Australia, and the great International Centennial Exhibition in +Melbourne took place in 1888, Frederic Leighton selected such a good +collection of pictures that they simply were the saving of the +Exhibition financially--they attracted such continuous crowds of +visitors. Subsequently, when an exhibition of ceramic work was asked +for in Melbourne, and Henry Loch wrote to consult his friend, amidst +all Frederic Leighton's important work and duties, he rushed about and +secured a most interesting collection of all kinds of china and +pottery, which was greatly appreciated by the Australians. Again, in +1892, he formed a Fine Art Committee, consisting of himself, who was +appointed Chairman, Sir Charles Mills, Sir Donald Currie, M.P., Mr. +W.W. Ouless, R.A., Mr. Colin Hunter, A.R.A., Mr. Frank Walton, and Mr. +Prange, to select pictures to send for exhibition at Kimberley. +Besides a picture lent by Queen Victoria, at Leighton's request, of +the portraits of herself and the royal family by Winterhalter, and +four by Leighton, which he lent, the Committee secured 181 pictures, +though not without great difficulty, Leighton told us, because the +artists were afraid their works would be injured by the burning sun, +the sandstorms, and the rough journey up from the Cape. Owing, +however, to Leighton's untiring exertions, a very interesting and +successful exhibition took place in this then little known town of our +English colony in Africa." + +On the day Leighton died, Watts, his near neighbour and +fellow-workman, in a letter to a friend, wrote that he had enjoyed "an +uninterrupted and affectionate friendship of five-and-forty years" +with Leighton. He continues: "No one will ever know such another. A +magnificent intellectual capacity, an unerring and instantaneous +spring upon the point to unravel, a generosity, a sympathy, a tact, a +lovable and sweet reasonableness, yet no weakness. For my own +part--and I tell you, life can never be the same to me again--my own +grief is merged in the sense I have of the appalling loss to the +nation; it seems to me to be no less."[3] Later, Watts wished it +recorded that Leighton's character was the most beautiful he had ever +known. This tribute from the great veteran artist, thirteen years +Leighton's senior, but who outlived him more than eight years, was +echoed far and wide by many at the time of Leighton's death. To his +powers and influence, exercised in the Royal Academy as a body and to +the members individually, Mr. Briton Riviere, the painter, and Mr. +Hamo Thornycroft, the sculptor, give the following appreciative +tributes. + +Mr. Briton Riviere writes:-- + +"To begin with, I never really knew him--though we had met several +times before--until I began to serve upon the Council with him very +soon after his election as President. This at once brought us into +very intimate relations, and a very few meetings convinced me that his +opinions and actions on that body were invariably regulated by a true +spirit of absolute justice and fairness to all, and that if he had his +own particular art beliefs--which he certainly had, for art was to him +almost a religion, and his own particular belief almost a creed--he +never allowed it to bias him in the least. Indeed, I have never worked +with any one who exhibited a broader or more catholic spirit of +tolerance, even sympathy with all schools, however diverse from his +own, only demanding honesty and sincerity should be the basis of each +kind of work. + +"I have always felt that no one, who had heard only his elaborately +prepared speeches, knew his real power as a speaker. + +"He was a master of time. I do not think he ever failed to keep an +appointment almost to the minute. He was seldom much too early, but +never too late. + +"He was an ideal president for any institution, and after serving +under him for many years, I cannot think of any one faculty which a +president should possess, which Leighton wanted." + +Mr. Hamo Thornycroft writes:-- + +"My earliest recollection of Leighton was in 1869, when, with several +other young art students, I went to his studio. He had promised to +criticise the designs we had made from Morris' 'Life and Death of +Jason.' This he did most admirably, it seemed to me, and most +sympathetically, devoting considerable time to each; and I came away +encouraged and a sworn devotee of the great man. + +"For the next few years, I had the benefit of his teaching at the +Academy Schools, where he was most energetic as a visitor, and took +the greatest pains to help the students. He was, moreover, an +_inspiring_ master. Besides doing much for the school of sculpture, +till then much neglected, he started a custom of giving a certain time +to the study of drapery on the living model. His knowledge in this +department and his excellent method were a new element in the training +in the schools, and soon had a salutary effect upon the work done by +the students. His influence, through the Academy Schools, upon the +younger generation of sculptors was very great. There can be no doubt +whatever that the rapid advance made in the art of sculpture during +the last thirty years was to a considerable extent due to the sympathy +and the interest which Leighton gave to it. + +"Leighton, as is well known, carefully prepared his important +speeches, like many great speakers; but I never saw him fail, or even +hesitate, when called upon to speak unexpectedly. At meetings of the +Academy Council or at the general assemblies, his summing up and his +weighing of the arguments brought forward by members in course of +discussion was always masterly, just and eloquent. He had such a great +sense of proportion, and detected what was the essence and the +essential part of a speaker's argument." + +At a meeting held in Leighton's studio, after his death in May 1896, +for the purpose of furthering the scheme of preserving the house for +the nation as a memorial to the great artist, the sculptor, Mr. +Alfred Gilbert, R.A., on rising to speak, said he felt too much on the +occasion to be able to make a speech, adding, "I can only say that all +I know, and all the little I have been able to do as a sculptor, I owe +to Leighton." + +In a letter, dated February 9, 1896, Watts again writes: "I delighted +in shaping a splendid career of incalculable benefit to his +(Leighton's) epoch. His abilities, his persuasiveness, the peculiar +range of his cultivation, would have fitted him to accompany a +delicate embassy, where his efficiency would have been made evident, +establishing a right to be entrusted with the like as its head; I +believe something of this and more, if there could be more, was for +him in the future. You know, I always looked forward to his seat in +the House of Lords. That came about, and I believe the rest was but a +question of time. Feeling this, you can understand that my own grief +seems to me to be selfish. I am glad you enjoyed the friendship of one +of the greatest men of any time." + +In the speech which the King, then Prince of Wales, made at the first +banquet held after Leighton's death, on May 1, 1897, His Majesty +referred to the late President in the following words:-- + +"All of us in the room, and I especially, must miss one whose eloquent +voice was so often heard at this banquet--a voice, alas! now hushed +for ever. It is unnecessary, as it would be almost impertinent in me, +to hold forth in praise of the merits and virtues of Lord Leighton. +They are known to you all. He has left a great name behind him, and he +himself will be regretted not only by the great artistic world, but by +the whole nation. I myself had the advantage of knowing him for a +great number of years--ever since I was a boy--and I need hardly say +how deeply I deplore the fact that he can be no more in our midst. But +his name will be cherished and honoured throughout the country." + +It is not necessary to dwell more lengthily on this salient aspect of +Leighton. During his lifetime it was public property, the great name +he has left is evidence sufficient to coming generations. + +Secondly, as portrayed chiefly by his human qualities, there was the +aspect of Leighton as his family and his friends knew him; the beloved +Leighton, the delightful companion, the charming personality, the +being whose brilliant vitality brought a mental stimulus into all +intercourse with him. The Leighton _qui savait vivre_ perhaps better +than did ever any other conspicuous, overworked servant of the public; +an active, positive influence, radiating strength and sunshine by his +presence; and playing the game--whatever game it was--better than even +the experts in special games. In that which perhaps he played best, +lay his remarkable social power. Leighton had a deep-rooted and +ingenuous sincerity of nature, and never for a moment lost his +self-centre; yet he had the rare gift of unlocking the side most +worthy to be unlocked in the nature of his companion of the moment. He +had the power of evolving out of most people he met something that was +real and of interest. Never giving himself away, he yet managed to +meet other individualities on any ground that existed which could by +any possibility be made a mutual ground. Though generosity itself in +believing the best of every one, and at times entrapped by the wily, +anything like flattery was a vice in his eyes. He neither gave himself +away, nor induced others to give themselves away while in his company, +and would always abstain from obtruding his opinions, modestly +withholding judgment where he saw neither a duty nor a distinct reason +to pronounce. + +Perhaps the strongest mark of Leighton's true distinction lay in the +fact that, notwithstanding his reserve on all matters of deep feeling, +notwithstanding his love of form in the living of life as in the +creating of art, notwithstanding the perpetually shifting and urgent +claims which, as a public man and a prominent social entity, were +being continually forced upon him, the inner entity, the real +Leighton, remained to the end a child of nature. No need was there for +him to gauge the proportionate merit of the various conflicting +influences that played on his complicated life; his own instinctive +preferences clenched the matter indubitably, asserting that the +noblest grace and the finest taste lay in the spontaneous and the +natural. When Watts wished it recorded that Leighton's nature was the +most beautiful he had ever known, he referred, I think, more specially +to that lovable, kind-hearted ingenuousness and noble simplicity which +were its deepest roots, notwithstanding a life of conflicts, +ambitions, and unparalleled success. There are among those who most +honour and love Leighton's memory, and who felt most keenly his loss, +poor and unsuccessful artists and students, of whom the world has +never heard, but to whom the great President gave of his very best in +advice and sympathy.[4] He never posed, though he was an adept in +catching the atmosphere of a situation, however new and foreign to +his usual beat such a situation might be. Scrupulous in his attitude +of reverence towards his vocation as an artist, _ever_ most scrupulous +to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, the inner core of +the nature remained simple and unstained by worldliness. + +Then there was the third aspect of Leighton, the Leighton at times +half-hidden from himself; the yearning, unsatisfied spirit, which, +though subject at times to great elevations of delight, at others was +also the victim of profound depressions and a sense of loneliness--a +state of being born out of that strange, only half-explained region +whence proceed all intuitive faculties. Such states are referred to +occasionally in his letters to his mother, and we find their influence +recorded at intervals in his art. In 1849, on a sketch of Giotto when +a boy, are written in the corner the words "Sehnsucht"; in 1865, there +is the David, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove; for then would I fly +away and be at rest"; in 1894, the "Spirit of the Summit"--these are +all alike expressions of the home-sickness that yearned for an abiding +resting-place not found in the conditions of this world. "Oh, what a +disappointing world it is!" were words he uttered shortly before his +death. In 1894, when at Bayreuth, a friend was congratulating him on +his ever fortunate star having even there easily overcome the +difficulties of the crowd. Leighton, passing over the immediate +question, answered with a striking serious sadness, "I have not _ever_ +got what I most wanted in this world." + +No mind was ever more explicit to itself in its mental working, than +was his with regard to matters which the intellect can investigate and +solve. His judgment could never be warped by reason of an insufficient +brain apparatus with which to judge himself and others impartially. +But Leighton was a great man, beyond being the one who owned "a +magnificent intellectual capacity." The qualities he possessed, which +made him a prominent entity who influenced the interests of the world +at large, secured for him a footing on that higher level where human +nature breathes a finer, more rarefied atmosphere than that in which +the intellect alone disports itself; a level from which can be viewed +the just proportion existing between the truly great and the truly +little. Selfishness disappears in a nature such as Leighton possessed, +when that level is reached. The necessity for self-sacrifice forces +itself so peremptorily, that there is no struggle to be gone through +in exercising it. For instance--notwithstanding the absorbing nature +of his occupations and the intense devotion he felt towards his +vocation as an artist, when it was a question of the country needing a +reserve force for her army to draw on in case of war--a need which is +at this present moment insisted on by Lord Roberts with such zealous +earnestness--Leighton at once seized the importance of the question, +and, at whatever sacrifice to his own more personal interests, +enlisted as a volunteer, and mastered the art and duties of soldiering +so completely that many officers in the regular army envied his +knowledge and efficiency. + +The following is an appreciation by an old comrade in the Artists' +Volunteer Corps:-- + +"The names of those who first enrolled themselves to form the Artists' +Volunteer Corps in 1860 is a record of considerable interest in +itself, and calls back many reminiscences connected with art. Leighton +joined May 10, 1860, and was in a few days given his commission as +ensign. + +"Probably the very character of the first recruits tended to prevent +that expansion and accession of numbers without which no military body +can flourish. Lord Bury, the first commandant, became the Colonel of +the Civil Service Rifles; and whatever attention may have been given +to firing and detailed training, the early appearances of the +'Artists' in public at reviews was, as a rule, as a company or two +attached to the Civil Service Rifle Corps. + +"Events, however, brought a change in the command, and Leighton +having, not without hesitation, accepted it, set himself at once to +introduce reforms. The Captains, he announced, were to be responsible +each for the command and drill of his company. He, to carry out before +promotion as Major Commanding a duty which the previous laxity had +never required of him, learned the company drill by heart and went +through the whole complicated system then existing, on a single +evening under trying circumstances in very insufficient space. +Reorganisation did not rapidly fill the ranks, and there was much hard +work to be done before the Artists' Corps appeared as a completed +eight-company battalion, and took its place among the best of the +Volunteer Corps of the Metropolis. The personality of the Commander +did very much to achieve this result, and Leighton became +Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant in 1876. + +"Next to his duty to his Art and to the Royal Academy, as he was ever +careful to say, he esteemed his duty in the Corps. Busy man, with his +time mapped out more than most, he was always accessible and ready to +give the necessary time to those who had access to him on the Corps +business. He never appeared on parade without previous study of the +drill to be gone through, while his tact, energy, and personal charm +were brought out and used at those social meetings with officers and +with men which do so much to build up the tone of a volunteer body. + +"Of camps and duties in the tented field he took his part cheerfully. +He shared the hardship of the early experience of the detachment at +the Dartmoor Manoeuvres, where, camping on the barren hills above the +lower level of the mist, the extemporised commissariat followed with +difficulty, and the officers consoled themselves for the roughness of +their fare by the consumption of marmalade, which happened to be +supplied in bulk, and had to clean their knives in the sand to make +some show for the entertainment of the Brigadier at such dinner as +could be had. + +"Regarding volunteering so earnestly as he did, the reports of the +Inspecting Officers would appear of great importance in Leighton's +eyes. On one occasion paragraphs had appeared in the papers about the +Corps which probably gave some umbrage to the authorities. The +Inspecting Officer kept the battalion an unconscionable time at drill, +changed the command, fell out the Staff Sergeants, yet all went well. +At length, with Leighton again in command, and a word imperfectly +heard, the square walked outwards in four directions. The confusion +was put to rights, and the well-prepared speech from the Inspecting +Officer as to the importance of battalion drills, &c., followed. It +was quite a pleasure to point out to the distressed Leighton that the +whole was manifestly a 'put up thing.' + +"The answer he received on another occasion admitted of no +misinterpretation. Riding with the Officer after the inspection, and +anxious to know whether in his opinion he was really doing any good +work by his volunteering, Leighton asked whether the Officer would be +willing to take the battalion he had just inspected under fire, and +received the laconic reply, 'Yes, sir, hell fire.' + +"On Leighton's election as President of the Academy, his twenty-five +years active service in the Corps ceased in 1883. All the time that +the history of the volunteering of the nineteenth century is known, +his name will be associated with the Artists' Corps to the honour of +both." + +Mr. Hamo Thornycroft, R.A., also adds his tribute in the following +lines:-- + +"I should think that few Commanding Officers of Volunteer Regiments +could surpass Colonel Leighton in efficiency. His wonderful knowledge +of infantry drill, and the decision with which he gave the word of +command, made it very easy for the men in the ranks to obey him; and +the quickness of eye with which he detected an error in any movement +frequently saved confusion in the ranks on a field day. The Artists' +Corps soon became one of the smartest in London. I well remember how +efficiently he commanded the Volunteer Battalion in the Army +Manoeuvres on Dartmoor in 1876, when for a fortnight of almost +continuous rain on that wild moorland he kept us all happy and full of +respect for him by his fine soldierly example. His thoroughness and +kindness were constant. After a soaking wet night he would come down +the line of tents in the early morning distributing some unheard-of +luxury, such as a couple of new-laid eggs to each man, which he had +managed to have sent from some outlying village." + +Besides the obvious results of a complex and astonishingly +comprehensive nature, there were also phases in Leighton's life which +were the outcome on that side of his being half hidden to himself. + +Most of us have dual natures, not only in the sense that good and bad +reside within us simultaneously, but we have also a less definable +duality of nature; nature's original creature being one thing, and the +creature developed by the conditions it meets with in its journey +through life, another. Each acts and reacts on the other. We meet the +conditions forced upon us in life from the point of our own +individualities. On the other hand, the original creature gets twisted +by circumstances and the influence of other personalities, and becomes +partially altered into a different person. This backwards and forwards +swaying of the influence of nature and circumstances helps to make +life the intricate business it is. In the case of highly gifted human +beings there seem to be further complications, arising chiefly, +perhaps, from the fact that these form so small a minority. Very +subtle and undefinable is the effect of such gifts on the character +and nature of those possessing them, for nature herself maintains a +kind of secrecy and endows her favoured ones with but a half +consciousness in respect of them. She gives to the artist and to the +poet the something, unshared with the ordinary mortal, which controls +the inner core of his being, and which is another quantity to be +allowed for in his contact with his fellows. It initiates his most +passionate, peremptory conditions of temperament, yet it remains +partially veiled to himself, in so far that he cannot explain it, nor +give it its right place, any more than the lover can explain the +glamour which is spread over life by an overpowering first love. When +Plato classes the souls of the philosopher, the artist, the musician, +and the lover together[5] as having been born to see most of truth, he +recognises the same inspired instinctive quality in the artist as in +the lover. In the artist is linked, as part of its separateness from +the rest of the community, the inseparable shyness of the lover. +Anything is better than to expose the sacred, indescribable treasure +to the indifferent stare of the uninitiated. We find every sort of +ruse adopted by lovers and artists to avoid being forced into +explicitness on so tender, so intimate a passion; so convincing to its +possessor, so impossible of full explanation to those who possess it +not. The necessity to give it a clear outline is only forced when a +danger arises of the lover being robbed of his mistress, the artist of +his vocation; then the will, propelled by the all-conquering love, +asserts itself, and difficulties have to succumb before it. + +Such was the result of opposition in Leighton's case. From early +childhood he was known to care for nothing so much as for drawing, and +his talent attracted notice and pleased his family, every +encouragement being given him by his parents in his studies. It was +only when, as a boy of twelve, he viewed art as the serious work of +his future life, and when this view was met by the authorities as one +not to be encouraged, that the strong passion of his nature asserted +its rights. Clearly in opposition are planted the firmest roots of +those inevitable developments which make the great of the world great. +In Leighton was nurtured that sense of responsibility towards his +vocation, so salient a characteristic throughout his career, partly by +his father's attitude towards the worship of his nature for beauty and +for her exponent art. To prove that his self-chosen labour was no mere +play work, no mere avoiding the hard work of life and the duller paths +of service generally recognised only as of serious use to mankind, for +a game which was a mere pleasure, was a strong additional incentive to +Leighton's own high aspirations, inspiring him yet more to treat the +development of his gifts as a moral responsibility. He considered it +almost in the light of a debt owing to those to whom he was attached +by strong family affection, that he should prove good his cause. +Though he fought and overcame, having once won his point, he did his +utmost to satisfy his father's ambition for him, and to be "eminent." + +On August 5, 1879, he wrote to Mrs. Mark Pattison, who was compiling +notes for an article on his life: "My father, of his own impulse, sat +down to write a few jottings, which I cannot resist sending you, +because I was touched at the thought in this kind old man of eighty. +_He_, by the way, _is_ a fine scholar, and was, at his best, a man of +exceptional intellectual powers. My desire to be an artist dates as +far back as my memory, and was wholly spontaneous, or rather +unprompted. My parents surrounded me with every facility to learn +drawing, but, as I have told you, _strongly_ discountenanced the idea +of my being an artist unless I could be eminent in art." + + [Illustration: LORD LEIGHTON'S FATHER + LORD LEIGHTON'S MOTHER + From Miniatures, by permission of Mr. H.S. Mendelssohn] + +Still--though to excel was Leighton's aim, in order to satisfy his +father's and also his own ambition--within the hidden recesses of that +aim lay the reverent, more single-hearted worship for his mistress +Art--seldom unveiled, it would seem, when with his father, to whose +purely intellectual and philosophical attitude of mind it would not +have appealed. Those alone possessed the key to that inner sanctuary +who did not need the key; who wanted no introduction, and were not +merely sympathisers, but native inhabitants. There is a freemasonry +between the inmates of these places remote from the world's usual +habitations, and these, naturally, have a horror of vaunting the +possession of a sacred ground to the outsider, the uninitiated. Many +of Leighton's most intimate acquaintances gathered no clue, through +their knowledge of him, of the existence of the secluded spot. Dr. +Leighton's influence, however, non-artistic as was his nature, +stimulated his son's natural mental elasticity, encouraging a +comprehensive and unprejudiced view of life and people, a view which +marked Leighton's undertakings with a stamp of nobility and +distinction throughout his career. Yet further--the intellectual +training he received in youth probably enlarged, in some respects, the +areas of the sacred sanctuary itself, enabling Leighton, when he was +the servant of the public and possessing wide influence and patronage, +not only to exercise power with the qualities which spring from a high +intellectual development, but to mellow with wisdom the guidance of +the yet higher sympathies of the heart, when helping those staggering +along the road which he himself had travelled over with such success. +To many, however, especially to those possessing the artistic +temperament, it must always remain, to say the least, a questionable +advantage to a student of art that his intellectual faculties should +be forced forward at the expense of the development of his more +emotional and ingenuous instincts, at the age when sensitiveness to +receive impressions is keenest, and when such impressions have the +most lasting power in moulding the future tendencies of his nature. +Certainly the effects of a development of critical and analytical +faculties is apt to prove a damper to those ecstasies of enthusiasm +which inspire the most convincing conceptions in art. When first +starting and facing seriously his independent career alone, Leighton +writes to his mother: "I wish that I had a mind, simple and +unconscious as a child." Again, writing to his elder sister from +Algiers in 1857, after describing the delightful impression produced +by a first visit to an Eastern country, he adds: "And yet what I have +said of my feelings, though _literally true_, does not give you an +exactly true notion, for together with, and as it were behind, so much +pleasurable emotion, there is always that other strange second man in +me, calm, observant, critical, unmoved, blase--odious! He is a shadow +that walks with me, a sort of nineteenth-century canker of doubt and +dissection; it's very, very seldom that I forget his loathsome +presence. What cheering things I find to say!" + +Allied to the third, more intimate aspect of his nature were phases in +Leighton's feelings when heart would seem to conquer head. He would at +times indulge in what might almost be designated as a self-imposed +blindness, when he would allow of no criticism by himself or others of +the cause or person in question. An enthusiastic, unselfish devotion, +a sense of chivalry or pity, would override his normally +clear-sighted, intellectual acumen. Having set his belief and +admiration to one tune, faithful loyalty--and maybe a certain amount +of obstinacy--would bind him fast in an adherence to the same. + + [Illustration: EARLY PICTURE OF BOY RESCUING SLEEPING BABY + FROM EAGLE + Leighton House Collection] + +Belonging also to the intuitive, more emotional side of his nature, +was the curiously strong influence places exercised over him, certain +localities affecting him and exciting his sympathies with a strong +power. + +In 1857 he wrote to his elder sister: "If I am as faithful to my wife +as I am to the places I love, I shall do very well!" + +In order to seize fully Leighton's complete individuality, an +understanding of Italy, his "second home," is perhaps necessary--a +conception of the nature of the unsophisticated Italian life which +fascinated him so greatly when as yet no invasion had been made of +cosmopolitan, so-called civilisation. As a magnet, Italy drew Leighton +to her.[6] Under the influence of her radiant beauty, breathing such a +life of charm and colour beneath sunlit skies, he felt the sources of +happiness in his own nature expand and his powers ripen. In the +fertility of her soil, the vitality of her people, the superb quality +of her art--fine and gracious in its perfection, and distributed +generously throughout the length and breadth of her land--he +experienced influences which intensified his emotions and vivified his +imagination. The child-like charm of her people, so spontaneously +happy, enjoying the ease and assurance of nature's own aristocracy, +because enjoying nature's generous gifts with unabashed fulness of +sensation, in whom are non-existent those sensibilities which create +self-consciousness, restraint, and an absence of self-confidence, +aroused in Leighton an interest deeper than mere pleasure. It was to +him like the joy of a yearning satisfied, as of those who, having had +their lot cast for years with aliens and foreigners, find themselves +again with their own kith and kin, surrounded by the native atmosphere +which had lent such enchantment to childhood. Again and again he +returned to Italy to be made happy, to be revived, to be strengthened +by her. Her influence became kneaded into his very being, not only +nourishing his sense of beauty and rendering more complete the artist +nature within him, but touching the sources from which his artist +temperament sprang, inspiring his very personality and changing it +into one which was certainly not typically English. His rapid +utterance, his picturesque gesture, his very appearance, were not +emphatically English.[7] + +Certain Englishmen who knew Leighton but slightly felt out of sympathy +with him for this reason, experiencing a difficulty in recognising him +as one of themselves. It was, however, only on the surface that a +difference existed. Once intimate with Leighton, he was ever found to +be _au fond_ English of the English. After the age of thirty it was in +England Leighton fought the serious battle of life--Italy was but the +playground, though a playground of such fascination to him that the +glamour of it was spread over the working hours no less than over the +holidays. In these days we have to go into the smaller towns and +villages to discover the typical Italian characteristics; but when +Leighton, as a child, was taken from the gloom of Bloomsbury to this, +to him a magic world,--syndicates, building-companies, tramways, and +modern things generally, had not as yet invaded either Rome or +Florence. When grown up and master of his own actions, he wandered +into unsophisticated haunts--villages and towns off the beaten tracks, +where with abnormal facility he learned the distinctive _patois_ of +every district, listening with delight to local folk-songs, and +watching the peasants and the aborigines of the soil. In early +sketch-books we find records of visits to Albano, Tivoli, Cervaro, +Subiaco, San Giuminiano, and to even smaller and less known villages +in Tuscany and Veneziano, where he enjoyed the unalloyed flavour of +Italy and her people. Those who pay only flying visits to the country +after they are grown up would find a difficulty perhaps in realising +what Italy was to Leighton; but any one visiting for a few weeks even +such a well-known place as Albano, without other preoccupation than to +watch the natives and wander in the beautiful scenery to the sound of +the many flowing fountains, could still catch something of the true +national spirit which fascinated him so greatly. The typical Britisher +might regard the ways of these natives of the _Provincia di Roma_ as +irrational, idle, semi-savage. Doubtless the streets and piazzas +abound in noisy inhabitants, gesticulating with wild dramatic fervour, +who appear to have otherwise little to do in life but to loiter and +"look on"; sociable groups of women sit round the doorways knitting; +but it is the talk, accompanied by excited action, which is engrossing +them. Charmingly pretty children are playing everywhere--idle, +troublesome, but so happy! To the accompanying sound of running +waters,--night and day,--cries, yells, and songs ring out through the +ancient little town.[8] High up on the side of the mountains it +overlooks the Roman Campagna, the tragic strangeness of those +land-waves rolling away, flattened and stretched out, for miles and +miles, under the dome of light and shadowing cloud, a network of +bright gleams and violet lakelets, to the far-off brilliant shine on +the sea limit.[9] This noise, dramatic action, gesticulation, all +ending apparently in nothing in particular, but filling the little +town with such amazing vitality--what is it all about? The typical +Englishman does not know--does not care to know, despising the whole +thing as beneath his notice. But Leighton knew well what it meant. +From experiences in his own nature he realised that it was but an +innocent outlet, through voice and gesture, of an excitement resulting +from an imperative dramatic instinct, a vital force in the emotional +nature of the Italian. He recognised the necessity for such an outlet +in such temperaments through his sympathy with the glad exuberance of +physical vitality enjoyed in this sunlit land; anti-puritan though it +may be, this exuberance is none the less pure and innocent. + +The holy Saint Francis in his ecstasies of spiritual illumination +would, it is said, break out into song from the natural impulse to +find an outlet and to throw off the excess of excitement, that +thrilled through his being.[10] + +Leighton knew that to suppress the vitality which needs such an outlet +was to minimise the forces necessary for life's best work. He himself, +in the working of his mind, was possessed of a magnificent facility--a +facility which left the strength of his emotions fresh and free, to +enjoy the ecstasies of admiration and delight which the choice gifts +of nature and art had given him; but there are many among modern men +and women, taught by much reading, who overweight their physical +vitality in the effort to develop intellect and to forward +self-interest, till all simple physical enjoyment is lost, and the +natural man becomes repressed into a mental machine incapable of any +spontaneous emotions of joy, and blunt to the fine aroma of life's +keen and pure pleasures-- + + "My nature is subdued to what it works in." + +To Leighton the simple joyous child of nature, in the form of the +unsophisticated Italian, was a preferable being. To the end of his +life he retained much of the child in his own nature, and had ever an +inborn sympathy with the love for children so evident everywhere in +unspoilt Italy; for the gracious caressing of them by the poorest of +the poor--old men in the veriest tatters and rags showing a complete +and beautiful submission to the dominating charms of babyhood. + +The memory of the hideous, gruesome stories of baby-farming in England +strikes indeed a contrast with the scenes that abound at every turn +in any old, dirty, picturesque Italian village, and assuredly settles +the question, Is our English development of civilisation an unalloyed +benefit? + +As a contrast to the definite, explicit German development of his +intellectual machinery, Leighton had special sympathy with the +emotional spontaneity of the Italian race; also as a contrast to the +selective and finely poised conclusions to be worked out in theories +of composition learnt from his beloved master Steinle, arose a special +admiration for the casual, unpremeditated, inevitable grace and charm +in the manners and gestures of this southern people. What laboured +theories so often failed to achieve, nature here was always doing in +her most careless moods. + +In considering the intimate aspect of Leighton's nature, and the +interweaving of the original fabric with the forces developed by the +circumstances he encountered, the influence of Italy must assuredly be +given a very distinct prominence. From her and her people he acquired +courage in the exercise of his intuitive preferences, also a +development of that rapid and direct insight so inborn in her +children. Like the lizards that dart with such lightning speed across +her sun-scorched walls and over the gnarled bark of the weird olive +tree, the perceptions of the typical Italian are swift, and fly +straight to the mark. In the Italian, however, this vividness of +perception is mostly expended in ejaculation and dramatic gesture, +which,--subsiding,--leaves a state of indolence and nonchalance, +untroubled by any mental exertion. In Leighton the rapidity with which +his perceptions seized the core of truth was backed by an intellectual +activity of extraordinary power, by which he worked his intuitive +sensibilities into the interests which guided the solid aims of his +life. + +Probably no Englishman ever approached the Greek of the Periclean +period so nearly as did Leighton, for the reason that he possessed +that combination of intellectual and emotional power in a like rare +degree. The human beings who achieve most as active workers in the +world, are doubtless those in whom can be traced a capacity for making +apparently incompatible forces pull together towards a desired end. +Leighton succeeded in allying two distinct developments in his nature; +and by, so to say, putting these into double harness and driving them +together, acquired an advantage which few other artists, if any, have +possessed since the time of the Greeks. + +But, being essentially English as well as Greek-like, Leighton pushed +this combination of powers to a moral issue. He held as his creed of +creeds that the mission of Art was to act as a lever in the uplifting +of the human race, not by going beyond her own domain, but by +directing the sense of beauty with which her true priesthood must ever +be endowed, in order to eliminate from man his more brutal tendencies, +to refine and perfect his insight into nature, and to develop his +delight in her perfection. He held that, the stronger the emotional +force in an artist, the stronger the sense of responsibility should +be; the more he should seek to express it in a manner which would +elevate rather than deprave. In his picture of "Cymon and Iphigenia," +Leighton expressed the main dogma of his belief. In sentences towards +the end of his second address to the Royal Academy students in the +year 1881, he eloquently describes the complex and deep nature of +those aesthetic emotions whence spring the Arts:-- + +"It is not, it cannot be, the foremost duty of Art to seek to embody +that which it cannot adequately present, and to enter into a +competition in which it is doomed to inevitable defeat. + +"On the other hand, there is a field in which she has no rival. We +have within us the faculty for a range of emotions of vast compass, of +exquisite subtlety, and of irresistible force, to which Art and Art +alone amongst human forms of expression has a key; these then, and no +others, are the chords which it is her appointed duty to strike; and +Form, Colour, and the contrasts of Light and Shade are the agents +through which it is given to her to set them in motion. Her duty is, +therefore, to awaken those sensations directly emotional and +indirectly intellectual, which can be communicated only through the +sense of sight, to the delight of which she has primarily to minister. +And the dignity of these sensations lies in this, that they are +inseparably connected by association of ideas, with a range of +perceptions and feelings of infinite variety and scope. They come +fraught with dim complex memories of all the ever-shifting spectacle +of inanimate creation, and of the more deeply stirring phenomena of +life; of the storm and the lull, the splendour and the darkness of the +outer world; of the storm and the lull, the splendour and the darkness +of the changeful and transitory lives of men. Nay, so closely overlaid +is the simple aesthetic sensation with elements of ethic or +intellectual emotion by these constant and manifold accretions of +associated ideas, that it is difficult to conceive of it independently +of this precious overgrowth.... The most sensitively religious mind +may indeed rest satisfied in the consciousness that it is not on the +wings of abstract thought alone that we rise to the highest moods of +contemplation, or to the most chastened moral temper; and assuredly +Arts which have for their chief task to reveal the inmost springs of +Beauty in the created world, to display all the pomp of the teeming +earth, and all the pageant of those heavens of which we are told that +they declare the Glory of God, are not the least eloquent witnesses to +the might and to the majesty of the mysterious and eternal Fountain of +all good things." + +Not only could no attempt be approximately made at giving a real and +vivid picture of Leighton's remarkable personality were not the three +aspects of his nature taken into account, but also if the influences +which affected him strongly during those years when his genius and +character were being developed were not also considered. His +conscious nature and feelings, during the first thirty years of his +life, can be best traced in his letters, notably in those to his +mother. It is easy to recognise, in reading his mother's letters to +him, from whom he inherits the warm tender generosity which made his +nature so lovable. + + [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF PROFESSOR EDOUARD STEINLE + Drawn by Himself] + +When at Frankfort, in 1845, he first became acquainted with the most +"indelible" influence of his life in that inner sanctuary in which he +had hitherto been a lonely inmate. Seven years later, in the Diary he +calls "Pebbles," written for his mother, when, fully fledged, he +leaves the nest to battle alone on the field of life, he pays a +tribute of unqualified affection and gratitude to his master, Steinle, +who first unlocked the door to Leighton's full consciousness of the +depth of his devotion for his calling (see pp. 61 and 62). + +In 1879, the year after Leighton was elected President of the Royal +Academy, in the same letter to Mrs. Mark Pattison already quoted from, +he writes, respecting the influences which affected his art +development: "For _bad_ by Florentine Academy, for good, far beyond +all others, by Steinle, a noble-minded, single-hearted artist, _s'il +en fut_. Technically, I learnt (later) much from Robert Fleury, but +being very receptive and prone to admire, I have learnt, and still do, +from innumerable artists, big and small. Steinle's is, however, the +_indelible seal_. The _thoroughness_ of all the great old masters is +so pervading a quality that I look upon them all as forming one +aristocracy." + +During the first year when he settled in Rome, in the beginning of +1853, he made the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris. Leighton's +friendship with Mrs. Sartoris (Adelaide Kemble), many years his +senior, and one who had ever viewed her art as a singer from the +purest and highest aspect, became a strong and elevating influence in +his life. Professor Giovanni Costa (the "Nino" of the letters), one +of Leighton's most intimate friends from the year 1853 to the end in +1896, wrote of Mrs. Sartoris, referring to the early days in Rome from +1853 to 1856:[11] "The greatest influence on the life of Frederic +Leighton was exerted by Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris (Miss Adelaide Kemble), +who had the mind of a great artist. Mr. Sartoris was one of the +greatest critics of art, and Mrs. Sartoris had a most elevated and +serene nature." + +This great friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris brought with it many +others, notably those of Robert Browning and of Mr. Henry Greville. +Some years later, Leighton writes of Mr. Henry Greville, in a letter +to his pupil and friend, Mr. John Walker: "He is indeed one of the +kindest and best men possible, I look on him myself as a second +father"; and Henry Greville in a letter to Leighton writes: "I wish +you were my son, Fay"--Fay being the name given to Leighton by his +inner circle of intimates, and certainly a stroke of genius in the one +who invented it. Writing from Frankfort to his mother, where he +returned to show his works to Steinle after his family had finally +migrated to Bath and he to Rome, he says: "I have had such a letter +from Henry (Henry Greville); there never was anything like the +tenderness of it. You would have been just enchanted." + +The friendship with Mrs. Sartoris only ended with her death in 1879, +the year after Leighton was elected President of the Royal Academy. +Being then close upon fifty, deeply sensible of the grave +responsibilities involved by his new position, Leighton entered on a +fresh phase in his career. As president of the centre of national +living art, this phase involved a serious view being taken of the +interests of art such as could be encouraged by a public body. Also as +one who had been helped and encouraged by personal friendship and +influence to work out the best in him, with his ever eager and +generous nature he felt anxious to hand on the help he had received by +devoting a like sympathy to the individual interests of other workers. +His field of action had become enlarged, and he rose with consummate +ability to the fulfilment of the duties this larger area entailed on +him. Not only by his biennial addresses to the students of the Royal +Academy, but by the speeches delivered spontaneously at the councils +and elsewhere, when no preparation would have been possible, his fame +as an orator was established. Many there are who have heard the +impromptu speeches he made, who can vouch, as do Mr. Briton Riviere +and Mr. Hamo Thornycroft, that these were just as fine in language and +excellent in the concise form in which the words were made to convey +the intended meaning, as those which Leighton had carefully prepared +beforehand, and possessed, moreover, the charm of an unlaboured +effort. + + [Illustration: FROM DRAWING OF ADELAIDE SARTORIS + Paris, 1856] + +The seventeen years, during which Leighton was President of the Royal +Academy, and prominent in every direction as the leader of the art of +his country, were not without saddening influences. His duties +necessitated contact with many varieties of human nature, some far +from sympathetic to him. The contrast between his own disinterested +reverence for beauty, moral and physical, with the indifference +displayed by many of his brother artists towards his own high aims and +aspirations, forced itself more and more on Leighton as the optimistic +fervour and enthusiasm of youth waned with years and failing health. +He had to face the depressing fact that selfish motives are the ruling +factors with most men, even with those who ostensibly follow the +calling of beauty. Much of the joyousness of his spirit was lessened +accordingly, though his "sweet reasonableness," to quote Watts' truly +suggestive words, never deserted him. This prevented any bitterness or +resentment from finding permanent location in his nature. Another +source of distress arose from the fact that his great position +aroused the jealousy of the envious. However exceptional his tact, +however truly heartfelt his consideration for others, no virtues could +stand against the vice of being so pre-eminently successful in the +eyes of the envious, whose vanity alone placed them in their own +estimation on a level with the great. + +Nothing perhaps excites so rampant a jealousy in unappreciative and +envious natures, as does the unexplainable charm of a delightful +personality. It aggravates the dull and envious beyond measure to see +a being thus endowed galloping over the ground in all directions with +ease, there being in their eyes no sufficient explanation for the +pace. Such success is viewed by the envious as a kind of trick, some +witchery of fascination, which deludes the world into bestowing +unmerited advantages on the conjuror. Those, on the contrary, who can +appreciate a transcendent and delightful personality, recognise it as +the convincing grace of the power of uncommon gifts flashing their +radiance into the intercourse of every-day life, modestly ignored as +conscious possessions but inevitably sparkling out in any human +intercourse, and from a social point of view making the greatest among +us the servants of all. + +Jealousy fights with hidden weapons. What man or woman ever +acknowledged being jealous? The passion is disguised. Hence the +hideous sins that follow in its wake: ingratitude, treachery, +calumnies, are called into the service to blacken the offending +object. Bacon says of envy: "It is also the vilest affection, and the +most depraved; for which cause it is the proper attribute of the +devil, who is called _the envious man, that soweth tares amongst the +wheat by night_, as it always cometh to pass that envy worketh +subtilly, and in the dark; and to the prejudice of good things, such +as is the wheat." + +Leighton suffered from the jealousy of the envious, though in most +cases the open expression of it was smothered during his life by +reason of his power and position. Besides being tender-hearted and +easily hurt at any feeling of hostility shown against him, he +cordially hated any phase of the ugly. + +In the spring of 1895 Leighton said to a friend: "My one constant +prayer is that I should not live beyond seventy." His great dread was +to be a burden to any one--to cease to be useful to all. His wish was +more than fulfilled. He passed onward five years before the allotted +three score and ten. + +Many there were who felt with Watts that life was indeed darkened; "a +great light was extinguished," a beloved friend was no longer amongst +them to help, encourage, and brighten the days. To a wide social +circle, a personality, rare in its charm and endowments, differing +from all others, had passed off the stage. It was as if, amid the +sober brown and grey plumage of our quiet-coloured English birds, +through the mists and fogs of our northern clime, there had sped +across the page of our nineteenth century history the flight of some +brilliant-hued flamingo, emitting flashes of light and colour on his +way. + +To the wide public a power and a control, noble and distinguished in +its quality, had ceased to rule over the art interests of the country. +Last, but not least, to his "brothers and sisters," as Leighton called +all earnest students and artists, it was as if a strong support, a +centre of impelling force, an inspiration towards the best and highest +in art, had been suddenly swept away. + +On the day of his funeral, a friend, whose husband had known him from +the commencement to the end of the brilliant career, wrote the +following notes:--[12] + +"Lord Leighton's funeral to-day was as brilliant as his life, and we +came home from the majestic ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral feeling +that his kind and gracious spirit would have rejoiced--for all he +loved and honoured in life were there mourning for the loss of their +gifted and genial friend. As the procession moved slowly into the +Cathedral the crimson and golden pall was Venetian in its brilliancy, +and the long branch of palm spoke touchingly of pain over and the +conquest won. Music, the sister Art he so devoutly worshipped, lifted +up her voice in pathetic accents to the dome of the vast Cathedral, +striving to re-echo the solemnity and grief around. + +"Dear gracious Leighton, how vividly my husband recalled his earliest +impressions of him, the handsome young artist at Rome. Visions arise +in the mind of joyous days in his second home there, the cultured and +hospitable house of Adelaide Sartoris, which formed the happy +background of Leighton's life. He remembered the departure of his +picture 'The Triumph of Cimabue,' sent with diffidence, and so, +proportionate was the joy when news came of its success, and that the +Queen had bought it. It was the month of May. Rome was at its +loveliest, and Leighton's friends and brother artists gave him a +festal dinner to celebrate his honours. On receiving the news, +Leighton's first act was to fly to three less successful artists and +buy a picture from each of them (George Mason, then still unknown, was +one), and so Leighton reflected his own happiness at once on others. +To-day as we viewed the distinguished (in the best sense of the term) +mourners, it seemed an epitome of all his social and artistic life. He +never forgot an old friend, and not one was absent to-day. The men +around his coffin all looked heartily sad. It was only when those +peaceful words came, 'We give Thee hearty thanks, for that it hath +pleased Thee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this +sinful world,' that we remembered the agony of his last three days on +earth, and we could be glad for our dear friend that it was past. We +could give hearty thanks, but it was for him and him alone, for we +turn with heavy hearts to our homes, feeling that with Frederic +Leighton ever so much kindness, love, and colour has gone out of the +world." + + [Illustration: CRYPT UNDER ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, WHERE BARRY, + SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, TURNER, AND LORD LEIGHTON WERE BURIED + From a photo, by permission of Messrs. S.B. Bolas & Co.] + +Attached to the wreath which lay on his coffin were the lines written +by our Queen:-- + + "Life's race well run, + Life's work well done, + Life's crown well won, + Now comes rest." + +In Leighton's own letters, more than is possible in any other written +words, will be traced those qualities of character and feeling which +guided the rare gifts nature had bestowed. These, used with unstinting +generosity for the benefit of others, established for our national art +a position, cosmopolitan in its influence, never previously attained +by English painting and sculpture, and of which it may be fairly +hoped, future generations, no less than the present, may reap the +benefit. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[1] George Eliot--"Romola." + +[2] Lord Loch's cousin, Colonel Sutherland Orr, married Leighton's +elder sister in the year 1857. + +[3] Quoted in G.F. Watts' "Reminiscences." + +[4] An incident, one out of many that tell of Leighton's hearty, eager +helpfulness, happened on one of the evenings at the Academy, after the +prizes had been given away. A student was passing through the first +room, on his way to the entrance. He looked the picture of dejection +and disappointed wretchedness, poorly and shabbily dressed, and +slinking away as if he wished to pass out of the place unnoticed. +Millais and Leighton, walking arm in arm, came along, pictures of +prosperity. Leighton caught sight of the poor, downcast student. +Leaving Millais, he darted across the vestibule to him, and, taking the +student's arm, drew him back into the first room, and made him sit down +on the ottoman beside him. Putting his arm on the top of the ottoman, +and resting his head on his hand, Leighton began to talk as he alone +could talk; pouring forth volumes of earnest, rapid utterances, as if +everything in the world depended on his words conveying what he wanted +them to convey. He went on and on. The shabby figure gradually seemed +to pull itself together, and, at last, when they both rose, he seemed +to have become another creature. Leighton shook hands with him, and the +youth went on his way rejoicing. It is certain that if other help than +advice were needed, it was given. But it was the extraordinary zest and +vitality which Leighton put into his help which made it unlike any +other. He fought every one's cause even better than others fight their +own. + +[5] In Plato's "Phaedrus," Socrates says: "The soul, which has seen +most of trouble, shall come to the birth as a philosopher, or artist, +or musician, or lover; that which has seen truth in the second degree, +shall be a righteous king, or warrior, or lord; the soul which is of +the third class, shall be a politician, or economist, or trader; the +fourth, shall be a lover of gymnastic toils, or a physician; the fifth, +a prophet, or hierophant; to the sixth, a poet or imitator will be +'appropriate'; to the seventh, the life of an artisan, or husbandman; +to the eighth, that of a sophist, or demagogue; to the ninth, that of a +tyrant; all these are states of probation, in which he who lives +righteously, improves, and he who lives unrighteously, deteriorates his +lot." + +[6] He wrote to his sister in 1857 from Algiers: "I shall spend my next +winter in my dear, dear old Rome, to which I am attached beyond +measure; indeed, Italy altogether has a hold on my heart that no other +country ever can have (except, of course, my own), and although, as I +just now said, I was most delighted with Africa, and have not a moment +to look back to that was not agreeable, yet there is an intimate little +corner in my affections into which it could never penetrate." And later +he wrote in a letter to his mother: "I have so often been to Italy, and +so often written to you from thence, that it seems quite a platitude to +tell you how much I enjoy it, and what a keen delight I felt again this +time when I once more trod the soil of this wonderful country; indeed, +by the time you get this you will already yourself be in full enjoyment +of its pleasures, and though naturally you cannot feel one tittle of my +attachment and yearning affection for it, yet you will have all the +physical delights of sun and serene skies and a good share of the +wonder and admiration at the inexhaustible natural beauties of this +garden of the world. I came through Switzerland this time, but as quick +as a shot, as I was in a hurry to get _home_ to Italy." + +[7] Du Maurier, who took much interest in tracing indications of +various racial distinctions in the remarkable people of his time, was +troubled on this point. He was convinced that in Leighton existed +indications of foreign or Jewish blood, but was quite unable to +discover any facts in support of this theory. + +[8] Leighton wrote in a letter to his sister from Algiers of the +strange sounds which the Moors emit, adding: "Much the same sort of +thing is noticeable in the peasants near Rome, whose songs consist +(within a definite shape) of long-sustained chest notes that are +peculiar in the extreme, and though often harsh, seem to be wonderfully +in harmony with the long unbroken lines of the Campagna." + +[9] On December 1, 1856, Leighton writes to Steinle: "My Italian +journey afforded me in every way the greatest pleasure and edification, +and I seem now for the first time to have grasped the greatness of the +Campagna and the giant loftiness of Michael Angelo." + +[10] "Apres de pareilles emotions, il avait besoin d'etre seul, de +savourer sa joie, de chanter sa liberte definitivement conquise, sur +tous les sentiers le long desquels il avait tant gemi, tant lutte. + +"Il ne voulut donc pas retourner immediatement a Saint-Damien. Sortant +de la cite par la porte la plus voisine, il s'enfonca dans les sentiers +deserts qui grimpent sur les flancs du Mont Subasio. On etait aux tout +premiers jours du printemps. Il y avait encore ca et la de grandes +fondrieres de neige, mais sous les ardeurs du soleil de mars l'hiver +semblait s'avouer vaincu. Au sein de cette harmonie, mysterieuse et +troublante, le coeur de Francois vibrait delicieusement, tout son etre +se calmait et s'exaltait; l'ame des choses le caressait doucement et +lui versait l'apaisement. Un bonheur inconnu l'envahissait; pour +celebrer sa victoire et sa liberte, il remplit bientot toute la foret +du bruit de ses chants. + +"Les emotions trop douces ou trop profondes pour pouvoir etre exprimees +dans la langue ordinaire, l'homme les chante."--_Vie de S. Francois +d'Assise, par Paul Sabatier._ + +[11] "Notes on Lord Leighton," _Cornhill Magazine_, March 1897. + +[12] The _Morning Post_ of February 4, 1896. + + + + +CHAPTER I + +ANTECEDENTS AND SCHOOL DAYS + +1830-1852 + + +Some light is thrown on Leighton's ancestry by the following letter, +written by Sir Baldwyn Leighton to Sir Albert Woods, Garter, at the +time when a peerage was bestowed on Frederic Leighton. It deals with +the question of associating the name of Stretton with the Barony. + + "TABLEY HOUSE, KNUTSFORD, + _January 10, 1896._ + + "DEAR SIR,--In answer to yours of January 9, I beg to say that + there are two places called Stretton in the County of Salop; + one, now known as Church Stretton, having become a small town, + was formerly in the possession of my family through the + marriage of John de Leighton, my lineal ancestor, with the + daughter and heiress of William Cambray of Stretton in the + fourteenth century, whose arms we still quarter (see Herald's + Visitation for Shropshire). This no longer belongs to me, + having been mortgaged and sold by Sir Thomas Leighton, Kt. + Banneret, temp. Hen. VIII. But there is another Stretton in + the parish of Alderbury with Cardeston which does still belong + to me, and has always belonged to the family from time + immemorial. I have been in communication with Sir Frederic + Leighton on the subject, and it _is_ my wish that he should + adopt the supplemental title of Stretton. According to a + pedigree made out by a Shropshire antiquarian some thirty + years ago, Sir Frederic's branch descends from the younger son + of the John de Leighton who married the Cambray heiress, and + who was admitted burgess of Shrewsbury in 1465. Therefore I + am of opinion that it _is_ a very proper supplemental title + for Sir Frederic to assume.--I remain, yours, &c., + + "BALDWYN LEIGHTON. + + "To Sir ALBERT WOODS, Garter." + +In 1862, Leighton writes to his mother:-- + +"You must know that I received some time back a letter from the _Rev. +Wm. Leighton_ (address, _Luciefelde, Shrewsbury_) asking me very +politely to give him whatever information I could about our family, as +he was making a pedigree of the Leighton family, and was anxious to +find out something about a branch that had settled and been lost sight +of in London. I answered that I regretted I could give him no definite +information on the subject, beyond our belief that we were of a +younger branch of the Shropshire Leightons, whose arms and crest we +bore, that I knew personally nothing of my family further back than my +grandfather, telling him who and what he was. I ended by referring him +_to Papa_, to whom I immediately wrote, telling him the nature of Mr. +Leighton's request, and begging him to write to him at once in case he +could give him any clue that might facilitate his researches. I then +received a second, and very interesting, letter from Mr. L. telling me +that he had found in Yorkshire some Leightons (I forget the Christian +names, but not Robert) who claimed to descend from the Shropshire +stock, and whose crest differed from the Leighton crest exactly as +ours does, _i.e._ in the _forward_ expansion of the right wing of the +Wyvern; a peculiarity, by the by, which did not appear to be of weight +with him. There was more in this letter which I don't clearly +remember, but nothing establishing our claim; this letter I +immediately forwarded to you, and since then both myself and Mr. +Leighton have been waiting to hear from Papa." + +The conclusion arrived at from these inquiries was--that, three or +four hundred years ago, the descendants of John de Leighton and the +Cambray heiress migrated from Shropshire to Yorkshire, and that +Leighton's grandfather, Sir James Leighton, court physician to the +Emperor Nicholas of Russia, was a descendant of this branch. Dr. +Leighton, the artist's father, married the daughter of George Augustus +Nash of Edmonton. He and his wife, early in their married life, went +to St. Petersburg, and it was supposed that he would probably succeed +his father as court physician to the Czar, who favoured Sir James +Leighton with his intimacy; but the climate of St. Petersburg not +suiting Mrs. Leighton's health, they remained there but a few years. +It was at St. Petersburg that the two eldest children were born, +Fanny, who died young, and Alexandra, the god-child of the Empress +Alexandra, who became Mrs. Sutherland Orr. From St. Petersburg, the +family moved to Scarborough, and it was at Scarborough, on December 3, +1830, that the most famous member of the Leighton family was born. The +question as to which was the actual house in which the event took +place was satisfactorily settled at the time when Leighton was raised +to the peerage, in letters which appeared in the press,--one +containing the testimony of Mrs. Anne Thorley, who was in Dr. +Leighton's service for three years with the family at Scarborough, and +for two years after they moved to London. She affirms that Leighton +was born in the house in Brunswick Terrace, now numbered 13, but which +at that time consisted only of three houses. Mrs. Thorley adds, +"Fred's mother was a splendid lady--such a good one with her children, +and most affectionate." + +A second son named James, who died in his infancy, was also born at +Scarborough, and five years after the birth of Leighton his younger +sister Augusta, now Mrs. Matthews, was born in London. + + [Illustration: Lord Leighton when a Boy + From a Portrait by Himself + By permission of Mr. H.S. Mendelssohn] + + [Illustration: Lord Leighton's younger Sister when a Child + From a Drawing by Lord Leighton + By permission of Mr. H.S. Mendelssohn] + +Dr. Leighton had every prospect of excelling among those most +distinguished in his profession. Deafness, however, by which he was +unfortunately attacked about that time, made it impossible for him to +practise any longer as a physician. Deprived of his active work, he +turned his attention to more abstract lines of study, and to +philosophy. + +In 1840, Mrs. Leighton, after a severe illness, required a drier +climate than that of England, and the family travelled on the +Continent, visiting Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. + +Family annals record the delight with which Leighton, the boy of ten, +enjoyed the beauty of nature in Switzerland, the flowers and +everything he saw in the land of mountains. When he reached Rome, the +buildings, the fountains, the ruins, the models awaiting hire on the +Piazza di Spagna, fascinated him, and he filled many sketch-books with +records of all the picturesque scenes that struck him as so new and +wonderful. From earliest days, drawing was Leighton's greatest +amusement, and he had it always in his own mind that he would be an +artist and nothing else. When in Rome, he was allowed to study drawing +under Signor Meli, but his father insisted on other lessons being +carried on with regularity and industry. We hear of his elder sister +and Leighton learning Latin together from a young priest. Dr. Leighton +had a commanding intelligence, and made his will felt. As with many +fond fathers who centre their chief interest on an only son, and +foster thoughts of a notable future for him, Dr. Leighton seems to +have felt that the greater his interest and affection, the greater +must be the exercise of strict discipline over his boy. Leighton +received, to say the least, a stern upbringing from his father, +mitigated, however, by the greatest tenderness from his mother. The +boy's will respecting his future career proved sufficient for the +occasion, and he had reason to be thankful that the general knowledge, +which Dr. Leighton insisted on his acquiring, was instilled at so +early an age. From the time he was ten years old he was made to study +the classics, and at twelve he spoke French and Italian as fluently as +English. Dr. Leighton had himself taught the boy anatomy, ever +cherishing the hope that he would, when he came to years of +discretion, renounce the idea of being an artist, and follow in the +footsteps of his father and grandfather by becoming a doctor. In +either case a knowledge of anatomy was thought necessary, and, in +after years, Leighton declared he knew much more anatomy when he was +fourteen than he did when he was President of the Royal Academy. "I +owe," he said, "my knowledge to my father. He would teach me the names +of the bones and the muscles. He would show them to me in action and +in repose; then I would have to draw them from memory; until my memory +drawing was perfect, he would not let it pass." + +The family returned to England for the summer of 1841, spending it at +the paternal grandfather's country house at Greenford; and during the +following winter Leighton studied at the University College School in +London. Mrs. Leighton's health again declined in England, and the +family migrated to Germany, the country chosen by Dr. Leighton as that +in which the education of the children could be best carried forward. +Leighton studied under tutors at Berlin, it being only in his spare +moments that he found time to sketch, or to visit the galleries. Then +followed a move to Frankfort, and thence to Florence. There he was +allowed to enter the studio of Bezzuoli and Servolini, celebrated +artists in Florence, but of whose real greatness Leighton, even at +that early age, entertained his doubts. It was in Florence that the +father's will had finally to submit to the son's passion for his +vocation. Dr. Leighton was too wise to allow prejudice to affect his +serious actions. He could no longer blind himself to the fact, that +this desire to be an artist was a vital matter with his son. He felt +it would be wrong to try and override the boy's desires without +seeking the opinion of an expert on art matters as to whether there +was any probability of Leighton excelling. He therefore took him and +his drawings to Hiram Powers, the sculptor, for the verdict to be +given. The well-known conversation took place after Powers had +examined the work. + +"Shall I make him a painter?" asked Dr. Leighton. + +"Sir, you cannot help yourself; nature has made him one already," +answered the sculptor. + +"What can he hope for, if I let him prepare for this career?" + +"Let him aim at the highest," answered Powers; "he will be certain to +get there." + +Leighton had won: he had now to prove good his cause. Even though +theoretically his father had given in, he yet hoped that, as years +went on, a change in his boy's views might come about; but he was +allowed to work at the Accademia delle belle Arti, under Bezzuoli and +Servolini, and besides continuing his study of anatomy with his +father, Leighton attended classes in the hospital under Zanetti. Of +this time in Florence, one of his life-long friends, Professor Costa, +writes: "I knew, both from himself and from his fellow-students, that +at the age of fourteen Leighton studied at the Academy of Florence +under Bezzuoli and Servolini, who at this time (1842) had a great +reputation. They were celebrated Florentines, excellent good men, but +they could give but little light to this star, which was to become one +of the first magnitude. Leighton, from his innate kindness, loved and +esteemed his old masters much, though not agreeing in the judgment of +his fellow-students that they should be considered on the same level +as the ancient Florentines. 'And who have you,' said Leighton one day +to a certain Bettino (who is still living), 'who resembles your +ancient masters?' And Bettino answered, 'We have still to-day our +great Michael Angelos, and Raffaels, in Bezzuoli, in Servolini, in +Ciseri.' But this boy of twelve years old could not believe this, and +one fine day got into the diligence, and left the Academy of Florence +to return to England. Although the diligence went at a great pace, his +fellow-students followed it on foot, running behind it, crying, 'Come +back, Inglesino! come back, Inglesino! come back,' so much was he +loved and respected. He did come back, in fact, many times to Italy, +which he considered as his second fatherland." + +It was, however, at Frankfort, where the family settled in 1843, that +Leighton fell under the real, living art influence of his life, in the +person of Steinle. Leighton described this artist later as "an +intensely fervent Catholic, a man of most striking personality, and of +most courtly manners." In the temperament of this religious Catholic +was united a fervour of feeling with a pure severity in the style of +his art which belonged to the school of the Nazarenes, of which +Steinle was a follower, Overbeck and Pfuehler having led the way. A +spiritual ardour and spontaneity placed Steinle on a higher level as +an artist than that on which the rest of the brotherhood stood. +Leighton, boy as he was, at once realised in his master the existence +of that "sincerity of emotion,"--to use his own words when preaching, +nearly forty years later, to the Royal Academy students; a quality +ever considered by him as an essential attribute of the true +artist-nature--of that inner vision of the religious poet, of that +finer fibre of temperament which endowed art in Leighton's eyes with +higher qualities than science or philosophy alone could ever include. +Steinle viewed art with the reverence and nobility of feeling which +accorded with those aspirations that had been hinted to the boy's +nature in his best moments, but which had had no sufficiently clear, +decisive outline to inspire hitherto his actual performances. In +Steinle's work he found the positive expression of those aspirations; +there, in such art, was an absolute confutation of the creed that art +was but a pleasant recreation, having no backbone in it to influence +the serious work of the world; the creed which meant that, if taken up +as a profession, it led but to the making of money by amusing the +aesthetic sense of the public in a superficial manner. The view taken +by the magnates--the "Barbarians" of the time--was, that unless a +painter were a Raphael, a Titian, or a Reynolds, his position was +little removed from that of the second-rate actor or the dancer. It +was not the profession, but the individual prominence in it which +alone saved the situation. In Steinle, Leighton found an exponent of +art, who reverenced the vocation of art itself as one which should be +sanctified by the purest aims and the highest aspirations. + +In the nature of one who exercises a strong influence over another is +often found the real clue to the nature influenced. Circumstances had +led Leighton to be reserved with regard to his deepest feelings +respecting art, but with Steinle that reserve vanished. Under the +influence of this master he realised an adequate cause for this +deep-rooted, peremptory passion. Steinle's nature explains that of his +pupil; for Leighton was, in an intimate sense, introduced to a full +knowledge of his own self by Steinle. This influence, to use his own +words, written more than thirty years later, was the "indelible seal," +because it made Leighton one with himself. The impress was given which +steadied the whole nature. There was no vagueness of aim, no swaying +to and fro, after he had once made Steinle his master. The religious +nature also of the German artist had thrown a certain spell over him. +Leighton possessed ever the most beautiful of all qualities--the power +of feeling enthusiasm, of loving unselfishly, and generously _adoring_ +what he admired most. Fortunate, it may possibly have been, that his +father's strict training developed his splendid intellectual powers at +an early age; fortunate it certainly was, that, when emancipated from +other trammels, he entered the service of art under an influence so +pure, so vital in spiritual passion as was that of Steinle. + +However, it was not till Leighton reached the age of seventeen that he +was allowed to give his time uninterruptedly to the study of art. At +that age he had acquired sufficient knowledge of the classics and of +the general lines of knowledge even to satisfy his father. He had also +completely mastered the German, French, and Italian languages. The +vitality of his brain was almost abnormal, otherwise his constitution +was not strong. Constantly such phrases as "I am not ill, but I am +never well" occur in his letters, and he suffered from weakness and +heat, also from "blots" in his eyes, perhaps the result of scarlet +fever, which he had as a child. His school days seem to have had their +_mauvais moments_. When he was fifteen, his parents and elder sister +went to England, leaving him and his little sister at school during +their holidays. The love for his mother, and his longing to be with +her, is told in the following pathetic appeal:-- + + "FRANKFORT A/M., + _Friday, June 26, 1845._ + + "[DEAR MAMMA],--Your letter, which I have just received, + caused me the greatest pleasure, for I have been anxiously + expecting it for three long days. I am very pleased to hear + that Lina is getting stronger, though slowly, and hope that + Hampstead will agree with her and you better than London. I am + very sorry to hear that you are not very well. I hope that the + country will refresh Papa after all his fatigues. I need not + tell you that I was very unhappy when I heard what you said + about my going to England; ever since I have been here, from + the time I wake to the time I go to bed, I think of London; + the other night, indeed, I went in my dream to see the new + British Museum. However, if there is nothing to be done.... + From Hampstead you can see London, and there is the dear old + common where I and the Coodes used to play, and the pretty + little lake where I went to slide, and it's such a pleasant + walk to London and the galleries, and ... is there _no_ little + hole left for poor Punch?[13] On the 16th July all the + schoolboys go on a three weeks' journey, whose wing but yours + can take care of me for so long a time? I will ask for money + to buy a clothes-brush, I have none; 2 fl. I spent on + water-colours for the painting lesson, 5 fl. a splendid book, + 'Percy's Relics of Old English Poetry,' 1 fl. sundries, my + last florin I lent to Bob, but he was fetched away in a hurry + before his money was given to him, however he said he would + send it me from Mayence, but I have not seen it since. It is a + great bore to have no money; that 1 fl. would have lasted the + second month very well as I only want it for sundries. I have + dismissed Mottes, my _new_ boots have already been _re_soled, + and he made me wait three weeks for a pair of boots, which of + course I did not take. I wish I had had turning clothes, my + jacket is very shabby, and I cannot afford to put on my best + whilst it goes to the tailor; my black trowsers are ruined, + but I must wear them whilst my blue ones go to be lengthened. + Little Gussy looks very well, she is very well, and has sundry + 'zufrieden's' and 'tres content's.' On the advice of _Pappe_, + the master of mathematics and nat. phil., I have got a + 'Meierhirsch's Algebraische Aufgaben.' I want a Euclid, mine + is in England, how shall I get at it? I am quite well, but + _long_ to see you all, and to have some _wing_; pray write + very soon. Give my best love to Papa and Lina, and believe me, + dear Mamma, your affectionate and _speckfle_ son, + + F. LEIGHTON." + + [Illustration: EARLY COMIC DRAWING, About 1850 + By permission of Mr. Hanson Walker] + +History does not record whether the "little hole for poor Punch" had +been found or not. Together with other studies, Leighton was allowed +to attend the model class at the famous Staedelsches Institut, and, in +1848, when the family went to Brussels, he painted his first picture, +Othello and Desdemona, his elder sister sitting as model for the +Desdemona, and also a portrait of himself. From Brussels he went to +Paris, studying in an _atelier_ in the Rue Richer, among a set of +Bohemian students, and then to Frankfort, to work seriously under his +beloved master Steinle. The following letter to his father shows how +unsatisfactory he considers his studies had been in both Brussels and +Paris, and that now, as he expressed it, he is girding his "loins for +a new race." + + "CRONBERG, _Friday evening_. + + "[DEAR PAPA],--As I have reason to believe that you are not + indifferent to the fate of the studies which met with + Dielmann's censure, and at the same time opened my eyes to the + fact that I have not yet (to use a German phrase) 'die Natur + mit dem Loeffel gefressen,'[14] I now write to tell you that I + have retouched better parts of them, and _that_ to Burger's + satisfaction as well as to mine. Of course some are better + than others. Independently of the intense irritation which bad + sitting (as well you know) occasions to my nerves, they give + me great trouble, and I take it; but this can hardly astonish + me, when I consider that, in point of fact, during the whole + time that has elapsed between my leaving the model class in + the Staedelsches Institut up to my return to Frankfurt, I have + _never_ studied from nature; that I did not in Brussels, I + need not remind you, and you must also remember that + everything I painted in Paris, in the way of portraits, was + done _before_ nature, I grant, but with a certain _ideal_ + colour or tone, the consistency of which might be illustrated + by putting Rubens, Reynolds, Titian, Tom Lawrence, Vandyke, + Velasquez, Correggio, Carracci, Rembrandt, and Rafael into a + kaleidoscope, and setting them in a rotatory motion, in a + word-- + + When taken + Well shaken. + (What's his name--Hem!) + + I am therefore girding my loins for a new race, far from + discouraged, but rather with the persuasion that one with my + innate love for colouring, and, I think I may add, sharp + perception of the merits and demerits of the colouring of + others, has a fair chance of success; nor am I dissatisfied + with my beginning." + +In the year 1849, he went to London to paint the portrait of his +great-uncle, Mr. I'Anson, Lady Leighton's brother, and wrote to his +father and mother the following:-- + + "Fleeced at Malines--very fine passage--slept well, why the + deuce had not I a carpet bag? horrid inconvenience! my chest + of drawers twenty feet below the surface of the deck, obliged + to get on friendly terms with a sailor to borrow a comb (which + had got blue with usage)--lovely brown tints about my shirt, + cuffs more picturesque than tidy; two hours stifling in that + confounded hole of a waiting-room in the custom house; arrive + at last at Mr. I'Anson's at about three o'clock; as he was not + at home I dressed and ran half round London before dinner; + crossed Kensington Gardens, saw the outside of the Exhibition, + went down Hyde Park, along Green Park, stared at Buckingham + Palace, rushed down St. James' Park, flew up Waterloo Place, + made a dive at Trafalgar Square, and a lunge at Pall Mall, + gasped all along Regent Street, turned up Oxford Street, bent + round to the Edgware Road, and from there the whole length of + Oxford Terrace, I brought home a very fine appetite!" + + "[MY DEAREST MOTHER],--I have resumed my Uncle's likeness, and + as far as it goes (the head is done) very successfully. Will + you tell Papa from me that it is more 'aufgefasst' (as I + expected) than 'durchgefuehrt,' but that I have seized the + _twinkle_ of his mouth to a T. + + "Mr. I'Anson treats me with the utmost kindness, it is of + course superfluous to tell you that I enjoy myself beyond + measure. + + "I am a very slow writer--I am without readiness either of + thought or speech owing to the picturesque confusion which + possesses my brain, and not, God knows, from a phlegmatic + habit of mind." + +Letter to his mother from Norfolk Terrace, Hyde Park:-- + + "[DEAREST MOTHER],--I have received your kind letter, and + conclude from your silence on that point that Lina is now + getting on well. In order to avoid losing time on fluency of + style, I shall follow, strictly as I find them, the heads of + your epistle, and answer them in the same succession. First, I + hasten to thank you and Papa for your kind permission to + prolong my stay, a permission which I value the more that I + know that Papa was desirous I should return as soon as + possible. You tell me, dear Mamma, that I am not to lose time + in seeing the _lions_ of London, and Papa, in his displeasure + at my having done so little as yet towards the real object of + my visit, seems to imply an idea that I _have_ been so doing; + I regret very much that you should entertain that notion, and + assure you that I have neither hitherto dreamt, nor have + ultimate intention, of seeing that long list of wonders, the + Colosseum, the polytechnic, the cosmorama, the diorama, the + panorama, the polyorama, the overland mail, Catlin's + exhibition, the Chinese exhibition, nor even Wild's great + globe, for that, I am told, costs five shillings; this is a + decided case of 'Frappe, mais ecoute.' And if Papa did not + think that I had so wasted my time, is it not very certain + that, if I had not thought it a matter of duty, I would not + have tired myself making what I most hate, calls, instead of + seeing works of art? + + "Lady Leighton looked in some respects worse, and in some much + better, than I expected; I was surprised to see her walk with + her back bent, and leaning on a stick; but I was more + surprised still to see a face so free, comparatively, from + wrinkles, and bearing such evident traces of former beauty. + Her reception was of the warmest; in her anxiety lest I should + be lonely and uncomfortable in an inn, she insisted on my + sleeping in her house. She talked much, long, and _well_, + though slowly and in a suppressed tone; she dwelt tenderly on + Papa's name, and advocated warmly our return to England. I saw + two letters which she wrote to her brother, my uncle, and + which were both most elegantly written; both contained a + paragraph in allusion to me; in the first, written before my + visit (in answer to one in which my uncle had prepared her for + seeing me), she expresses herself most _eager to receive and + to love the grandson, of whom all speak so highly_; in the + second, written after my return to London, she says that her + _dear and fascinating grandson amply realises all her + expectations_, and that seeing him has increased that pain + which she feels at being separated from us all. + + "Now, I will give you a _catalogue raisonne_ of whom I have + seen: Cowpers, this you know; Smyths, ditto; Laings, very + kind, though Mr. Laing, like the Cowpers, did not know me till + I mentioned my name; Wests, exceedingly kind, invitation to + dinner; Richardsons, motherly reception, party, given for me; + Moffatt, very _prevenant_, asked me twice to dinner, both of + which invitations I was unfortunately obliged to refuse, but + wrote a very civil note, and went next morning in person to + apologise; Hall, dreadfully busy, but gave me cards to + Maclise, Goodall, Frith, Ward, Frost; Maclise was not at home, + but I found Goodall, Ward, and Frith, and was pleased with my + visits. There is a new school in England, and a very promising + one; correctly drawn historical _genre_ seems to me the best + definition of it. They tell me there is a fine opening for an + historical painter of merit, and that talent never fails to + succeed in London. Goodall, a young man about thirty, who + painted 'The Village Festival,' in the Vernon Gallery, and of + which you have an engraving in one of your Art Journal + numbers, sells his pictures direct from the easel; and he does + not stand alone. Sir Ch. Eastlake received me very politely, + but looks a great invalid; Lance, very jolly, and Fripp, + ditto. Bovills and E. I'Ansons, very kind, invitations, of + course; Mackens, you know; I have found no time to call on Dr. + Holland, Mr. Shedden, or Tusons. + + "Having told you _whom_, I will now tell you rapidly _what_, I + have seen: Vernon Gallery, very much gratified; Dulwich + Gallery, very much disappointed; British Institution, ditto; + National Gallery, pictures magnificent, locality disgraceful, + I must make another visit there; Royal Academy, on the whole, + satisfactory; British Museum, very fine; Mogford's Collection, + very indifferent; Marquis of Westminster (Mr. Laing), very + fine indeed; private collection (through interest of Mr. + Moffatt), delightful; Windsor, _Vandyke_, superb; _Lawrence_, + a wretched quack. Time presses--_la suite au prochain + numero_." + + [Illustration: MR. I'ANSON, LORD LEIGHTON'S GREAT-UNCLE. 1850 + By permission of Mr. E. I'Anson] + +The portrait of his great-uncle, Mr. I'Anson, here reproduced, proves +that the visit to London effected the desired result. On his return to +Frankfort he painted the portraits of Lady Cowley and her three +children. Lady Cowley writes: "I am delighted with the pictures of my +dear little girls, and again return you my most sincere thanks for +having painted them." And in another letter: "I should have called on +Mrs. Leighton all these days, had I not been very unwell with the +grippe, as I wished to express to her, as well as to yourself, how +very grateful I am for the beautiful portrait you have made of my +little Frederick. I am quite delighted with it, as well as every one +else who has seen it. Besides being extremely like, it is such a good +painting that it must always be appreciated. Ever yours sincerely, +Olive Cecilia Cowley." In the spring of 1852, Leighton, being then +twenty-one, went to Bergheim, to paint the portraits of Count +Bentinck's family. He writes from there:-- + + "[DEAREST MAMMA],--Having naturally a reflecting turn of mind, + I am struck with the truth of the following aphorism: 'It's + all very well to say I'll be blowed, but where's the wind?' + Circumstances induce me to deliver a sentiment of a parallel + tendency; it's all very well to say 'mind you write'; but + where's the post? A deficiency in that latter commodity is a + leading feature in the economy of the principality of Waldeck; + so much so, that any individual residing in Bergheim, and + desiring to carry on a correspondence 'ins Ausland,' is + obliged to take advantage of the privilege freely granted him + by the liberal constitution of the country of carrying his own + letters to the first frontier town of the next state, and + having posted them, waiting for an answer. I, however, + _knowing my privileges_, and not being desirous of availing + myself of them in _that line_, humbly and modestly send these + lines by my hostess's flunkey, who is going to Fritzlar + to-morrow on an errand of a similar description. _N.B._--If + you want a person to receive an epistle within a fortnight + (that is allowing you to be a neighbour), you must chalk up + _per express_ on the back of it, in consideration of which he + or she will receive it through the medium of a hot messenger, + much, and naturally, fatigued and excited by a journey + performed at the rate of half a mile an hour, not including + the pauses in which the _inner man_ is refreshed and + invigorated by a cordial gulp of 'branny un worrer.' + + "Fancy a man getting to a place, by appointment, expecting a + carriage and trimmings to take him to a lovely retirement in + the country, and finding--devil a bit of it! Well that's + precisely what did not happen to me when I got to Waldeck, + because although the carriage was not there, there was a + letter to say it could not come. The road to Bergheim, which + crosses a river of no mean pretensions without the assistance + of a bridge (other advantageous peculiarity of the state of + Waldeck), was, it appeared, rendered impracticable by an + inundation of the torrent alluded to; it was therefore + proposed to me (without an option) to perform the journey on + the top of an _oss_ provided for the purpose and accompanied + by a groom mounted on another; I willingly accept an offer so + much to my taste, and for the first time after a lapse of + nearly three years put a leg on each side of a steed. The + first part of the road was executed at a round trot on a very + nice level _chaussee_, but I cannot say that I felt altogether + at home on my saddle. An eye to effect is nevertheless kept + open, which is manifested by my catching up two drowsy, + drawling, jingling 'po shays' and sweeping past them with + supreme contempt, but at a great expense of my lumbar muscles. + Presently, however, my continuation-clad members began to thaw + a little, and to adapt themselves to the saddle, which also + lost some of its rigid severity; I began to feel very + comfortable, and, by Jove! it was a good job I did, for on + getting out of Fritzlar, we left the high road (for reasons + above given) and plunged into a rugged, donkey-shay sort of + by-path in which the ruts were without exaggeration a foot + deep. Nothing daunted, however, I make light of this 'terrain + legerement accidente,' cross stream and ride along tattered + banks with the nonchalance of the Chinese Mandarin in the + Exhibition of '51; in fact, such is my confidence in myself, + that I at last begin to feel above my stirrups, I scorn them, + fling them over my saddle, and perform without their + assistance the rest of the journey to within half a mile of + Bergheim, and that on a road the profile of which was about + this: + + (Here was drawn a line representing a hill-side almost + perpendicular.) + + "On my arrival I am of course kindly received by the Countess + (her husband is still at Oldenburg), got my tea, and go to bed + rather stiff after an equestrian performance of about two + hours and a half. The house is large and rambling, fifteen + windows in a row, and yet I cannot get a satisfactory light, + the only available north room looking on a lane, the + white-washed houses of which reflect disagreeably on the + picture, whenever the sun shines. However I must make up my + mind to it and do my best; I am at present painting the + Countess." + + "BERGHEIM, _Sunday_. + + "[DEAR MAMMA],--In the midst of my anxious expectations of a + letter from you, it suddenly occurred to me that I had + forgotten to give you my direction; in the full confidence + that _late is far preferable to never_, I now hasten to make + up for my omission-- + + Mons. F. Leighton + bei + Ihrer Erlauchten der Graefin von + Waldeck und Pyrmont + zu Bergheim + bei Fritzlar + Fuerstenthum Waldeck. + + "_N.B._--You will not forget to write _per express_ on the top + of the envelope; for reasons, see my letter of last Sunday. + + "Being sorely pressed for time, I now huddle on to the rest of + the paper a few loose remarks, for the incoherency of which I + crave your indulgence. + + "The aspect of affairs is much changed since my last epistle; + then, I was looking forward with anxious though sanguine + expectation to the labour before me; now, I look back on one + portrait (that of the Countess), achieved to the great + satisfaction of those for whom it is intended, and contemplate + with satisfaction the progress which the other is making in + the same direction. I must, however, add that, owing to the + necessary absence of the Countess for two days next week, my + return home will be delayed in proportion, as I have a few + more touches to give to the portrait of my eldest patient, + whose husband is desirous of taking it over to England with + him. (I shall probably be with you Saturday afternoon--at all + events I shall let you know beforehand.) + + "What I said a few lines back will have suggested to you what + I am now going to add; Colonel B. is now returned from + Oldenburg, and will probably be in London in the early part or + middle of June; he is _much_ pleased with the pictures, and in + his kindness has promised me an introduction to his brother in + town, and also to another relation, whose name I have + forgotten; the result of which is to be: access to the + collections of Lord Ellesmere, Duke of Sutherland, and Sir + Robert Peel. I told Colonel B. that if on his road to or from + Toeplitz in the autumn he should pass through Frankfurt, I + should be very glad if he could bring the pictures with him, + as they would both want a varnish, and the children probably a + few glazes and touches; he said that he would make a point of + so doing, that indeed after all the trouble and pains I had + taken for him, it was the least he _could_ do; for these and + other reasons (not unimportant) which I shall communicate when + I see you, you need not regret my having made two journeys to + paint his wife and children. + + "That I spend one of the days of the Countess' absence in + seeing _Wilhelmshoehe_, a sight reputed unique of its kind, + will, I hope, not seem unreasonable. + + "I have noted down, as they occurred to me, during the last + few days one or two little arrangements, relative to my + approaching journey, which I would ask you to make during my + absence, trusting at the same time that if in the meanwhile + anything else should occur to your provident mind, and be + transmitted to your _many-knotted_ pocket-handkerchief, you + will kindly carry it into execution, in order to avoid delay + when I return from the country, as _my_ time will be almost + entirely taken up by Lady P.'s [Pollington's] sitting and the + _business calls_ I have to make. + + "Will Papa kindly order a tin case for my compositions; it + should be a plain cylinder, about an inch and a half in + diameter, with a lid at one end; let its length be that of my + 'Four Seasons.' + + "To my amazement I have just received a letter from you, dear + Mamma--_did_ I give you my direction? You forgot the _per + express_ on the back of the letter. Pray write soon. Much love + and many kisses to all.--Your dutiful and affectionate son, + + F. LEIGHTON." + +Soon after Leighton's return to Frankfort Lord Cowley was appointed +British Ambassador in Paris, and writes the following letters. The +invitation he gives to Leighton to make his home at the Embassy while +pursuing his studies was not accepted, Steinle's teaching being only +given up later for the charms of Italy. + + "MY DEAR MR. LEIGHTON,--I am more obliged than I can say by + the kindness you have shown in painting portraits of my + children. I never saw anything so like, or in general so + pleasing, as the portrait of Frederic, and I only regret that + it is not in England to be seen and appreciated. Once more + accept my thanks, and believe me to be very truly yours, + + COWLEY." + + "_Sunday Afternoon._ + + "MY DEAR MR. LEIGHTON,--It has been quite out of my power to + get to your house, as I had intended, to take leave of you, + and to thank you again for the valuable reminiscence which + through your talent and kindness I carry away with me. It will + give Lady Cowley and myself great pleasure if you will visit + us at Paris. You cannot find a better school of study than the + Louvre, and we shall be most happy to lodge and take care of + you. + + "Pray present my best compliments to the members of your + family. + + "I regret very much not being able to do it in person.--Very + faithfully, + + COWLEY." + +On his return from Waldeck, Leighton painted the portrait of Lady +Pollington, one of his Frankfort acquaintances. + +During these years, when Leighton studied under Steinle, his family +lived also at Frankfort, and therefore few other letters written at +that time exist. There was a journey to Holland, made during the early +summer of 1852, from England, where he and his family had returned for +a visit. The journey back to Frankfort, _via_ Holland, is the subject +of a long letter to his mother. + + "There I am at the Hague. Pretty place, the Hague, clean, + quaint, cheerful, _and_ ain't the Dutch just fond of smoking + out of long clay pipes! _And_ the pictures, _Oh_ the pictures, + _Ah_ the pictures! That magnificent Rembrandt! glowing, + flooded with light, clear as amber, and do you twig the _grey_ + canvas? _What_ Vandykes! what dignity, calm, gently breathing, + and a searching thoughtfulness in the gaze, amounting almost + to fascination; and only look at that Velasquez, sparkling, + clear, dashing; Paul Potter, too, only twenty-two years old + when he painted that bull, and just look at it; Jan Steen, + Terburg, Teniers, _Giov. Bellini_ (splendid), &c. &c. There I + catch myself bearing something in mind: 'And yet, after all' + (with an argumentative hitch of the cravat), 'all that those + fellows had in advance of us was a palette and brushes, and + _that_ we've got too!' I walk down to Scheveningen, and + sentimentalise on the seashore; I find the briny deep in a + very good humour, and offer _you_ mental congratulations. + + "About the Rembrandt at Amsterdam, I say nothing, for it is a + picture not to be described. I can only say that, in it, the + great master surpasses himself; with the exception, however, + of this and the Vanderhelst opposite to it, which is full of + spirit and individuality, the _Ryko Museum_ is tolerably flat. + After a dull afternoon, I hurry off to Arnheim, and to + Mayence, and to Frankfurt, where I arrive on Wednesday + evening. From Cologne to Frankfurt, Janauschek[15] was on the + same conveyance as myself; I made her acquaintance, which was + a great blessing to me on that tedious, cockney-hackneyed + journey. She is lady-like, interesting, amiable, and + _severely_ proper, almost cold; she observed the strictest + incognito. Towards evening, however, when she had ascertained + that I was a resident at Frankfurt, and therefore probably + knew her perfectly well, and that I was an artist, which + excited her sympathy, and that my name was Leighton, a name + with which she was acquainted (through Schroedter and others) + as that of one of the most talented young artists of Frankfurt + (hem!), she relaxed considerably. She has a melancholy and + most interesting look, and talks very despondently of the + state of dramatic art nowadays. I made myself useful to her at + the station, and she was warmly grateful. About my picture[16] + (which I have entrusted to Steinle's care) I have nothing to + communicate, except that I am confirmed in thinking that it + has been universally well received; even Becker seems to like + it in many respects--of course you know that the leading fault + is that it was painted under his rival; Oppenheim said (when I + talked of it as a daub) that he wished he could daub so, and + that he promised me a great future; Prince Gortschakoff (who, + by the by, preferred the portraits, and judges with all the + _aplomb_ of a Count Briez) introduced himself to me in the + gallery, and told me in the course of conversation that he + regretted very much having no work of mine, adding that he + only bought masters of the first order; _that_ was a + compliment, at all events; Dr. Schlemmer has been very kind to + me, and has given me a letter for Venice; I dined with him on + Sunday, and made the acquaintance of Felix Mendelssohn's + widow, a charming woman." + + [Illustration: "THE DEATH OF BRUNELLESCHI." 1851 + By permission of Dr. Von Steinle] + + [Illustration: "THE PLAGUE IN FLORENCE." 1851] + +Between the years 1849 and 1852 Leighton painted, besides the +portraits mentioned, three finished pictures, "Cimabue finding Giotto +in the Fields of Florence," "The Duel between Romeo and Tybalt," and +"The Death of Brunelleschi"; and also made the notable drawing, now in +the Victoria and Albert Museum, of a scene during the plague in +Florence. His master, Steinle, easily discerned that Leighton was +truly enamoured of Italy; the subjects he chose were Italian, and his +memory was full of the charm and fascination of the country which he +ever referred to, to the end of his life, as his second home. It was +decided that he should go to Rome, his father having determined to +leave Frankfort and to reside at Bath, where his mother, Lady +Leighton, was then living. Steinle gave Leighton an introduction to +his friend and fellow "Nazarene," Cornelius, and on the eve of his +departure his mother wrote a farewell letter of "injunctions," +flavoured happily by hints of humour. There is something very quaint +to those who knew Leighton after he was thirty in the admonitions +with regard to manners and politeness, which occur in several of his +mother's letters. + + "MY DEAREST CHILD,--As we are about to part, you may perhaps + think you will be rid of my lectures, but no, I leave you some + injunctions in writing, so that you will not be able to urge + the plea of forgetfulness if you continue your negligent + habits, though you certainly may _forget_ to read what I + write--but I trust to your love and respect for me, though the + latter needs cultivation nearly as much as habits of + refinement in you. I have no new advice to give you, I can but + repeat what I have urged on you many times from your childhood + upwards; I do implore you, let your conscience be your guide + amidst all temptations, they will be such as they have never + yet been to you, as you will henceforward have no other + restraint on your actions than what is self-imposed. I beseech + you, do not suffer your disbelief in the dogmas of the + Protestant Church to weaken the belief I hope you entertain of + the existence of a Supreme Being. Strive to obey the law He + has implanted in us, which approves good and condemns evil, + though the struggle for the mastery between these principles + is sometimes fearful, as every one knows, especially in youth. + My precious child, if one sinful mortal's prayer for another + could avail, how carefully would you be preserved from moral + evil (the greatest of all evil); but I need not tell you there + is no royal road to Heaven any more than to excellence in + inferior objects, every advantage must be obtained by energy + and perseverance. May God help you to keep free of the + greatest of all miseries, an upbraiding conscience; for though + this can be deadened for a time in the hurry of life while + youth lasts, there comes an hour when life loses its + attractions, and _then_ issues the troubled consequence of + merry deeds. I am aware you have heard all this a hundred + times, and better expressed, but it will bear repetition; and + now that it is your mother who is counselling you, you will + not, I trust, turn a deaf ear. + + "I can but repeat what I have continually told you--to refine + your feelings you must neither utter nor encourage a coarse + thought. It would be an inexpressible pleasure to me to leave + you confirmed in good habits; but wishes are idle. I trust to + your desire to improve in all ways and to please me. The next + sheet I wrote some time ago, intending to rewrite it, but the + trouble is too great for my shaking hands, and I add what I + have written to-day on separate pieces of paper. I have + written enough; I have only now to add an entreaty that you + will not throw these admonitions away, but sometimes read + them, remembering they come warm from your mother's heart. + + "My child, your manners are very faulty, and I am consequently + much disappointed. You take so much after me, and my nearest + relations had such refined manners, that I made sure you must + resemble my father and brothers. There is, however, nothing on + earth to prevent your becoming the gentleman I wish to see + you, and remember to write ineffaceably on the tablets of your + memory, 'Too much familiarity breeds contempt.' You remember + how seriously young ----'s forwardness has been commented on. + Well, it is true, you have never, as far as I know, spoken as + he has done; but as I have seldom seen you in company, nor + your father either, without observing some want of politeness, + is it not probable that other people have their eyes open + also?" + +These admonitions received, Leighton started on his journey to Rome. +At Innsbruck, on August 18, 1852, he began to write a Diary, in order +that his mother should hear the details of his travels, and to serve +"as a clue" by which he might one day recall the "impressions and +emotions of the years of his artistic noviciate." + +Leighton's utterances on paper in these early days display the same +intense exuberance of vitality which, during the whole of his notable +career, served to spur on his mental and emotional powers to perform +with great completeness all the various kinds of work which he +undertook; a vitality which conquered triumphantly the effects of +indifferent health and troubled eyesight. In the diaries and letters +is also to be traced the existence of that Greek-like combination of +qualities so characteristic of Leighton--namely, explicit precision in +his thought and expression, and a subtle power of analysis, united +with great emotional sensitiveness and enthusiastic warmth of +temperament. His feeling for beauty was an intoxicating joy to him. +Heartfelt and genuine joy engendered by beauty in nature and art is +not a very common feeling among the moderns, though so much fuss is +made by many in our day in their endeavours to become "_artistic_"; +but, as a ruling guide, beauty has gone out of fashion. The accounts +that Leighton gives of his ecstasies in the presence of beautiful +scenes, enforce the belief entertained by those who knew him best, +that it was the power which beauty exercised over him that developed +his exceptional strength in all artistic directions. What force in the +over-riding of difficulties does not passion give to the lover! No +less a force was engendered in Leighton by the inspiration of the +beauty of nature. + +In the letter to his mother, which accompanies the Diary, referring to +the joy he has been experiencing, Leighton adds: "I feel almost a kind +of shame that so much should have been poured down on me. I will put +my talent to usury, and be no slothful steward of what has been +entrusted to me. Every man who has received a gift ought to feel and +act as if he was a field in which a seed was planted, that others +might gather the harvest." The purity of purpose which guided +Leighton's life to the end, generated first by the precepts of his +mother in the fertile soil of his own beautiful nature, subsequently +developed by the teaching of the high-minded Steinle, and finally +established later by other elevating influences, chastened the +emotional side of Leighton's passion for beauty, and disentangled it +even in the earliest days from lower and purely sensuous +contamination. The puritanical attitude of mind towards beauty +appeared to Leighton absolutely impure and desecrating, in that it +associated influences and feelings which are of the lowest with the +appreciation of God's most beautiful creations, and some of man's +highest aspirations with sensations entirely degraded and unworthy. + +Fun and humour abound in the family letters, and in the Diary. +Leighton was never guilty of being sentimental, and when referring to +the word _ideal_ in one of his letters, he writes he "hates such +stuff." After he died, it was written of him: "He was no idealist; +needless to say, he was no materialist, no one less so; nor does the +term realist seem to recall his nature. He was--if such a word can be +used--an actualist, the actual was to him of primary importance. But +the actual meant a great deal more to Leighton than it does to most of +us. Life and its vivid interests was spread over a much wider area; so +many more of its various ingredients were such very actual entities to +him."[17] + +And when Leighton started, at the age of twenty-one, to begin his +independent life, we feel that it is with the _actual_ that he +grappled--the actual in his sensations, his feelings, his impressions, +his conditions. An unmistakable note of reality rings through his +description of all these. He has no tendency, even unconsciously, when +under the glamour of the most entrancing impressions, to colour the +picture other than he _actually_ saw it. In the strength of his own +real nature he goes forth on the journey of life. + + +DIARY + + INNSBRUCK, _August 18, 1852_. + + [Sidenote: I contemplate the life and + adventures of Mr. Thumb.] + +"When Hop o' my Thumb, a nursery hero of European note, first sallied +out into the world with an eye to making a fortune, his first step was +(justly foreseeing what the world would expect of the hero of a future +romance) to lose himself in a large and horrid forest, in which it was +pitch dark all day long, and nothing was heard but ... &c. &c. (Here +see biog. of H.O'M. Thumb, Esq., vol. i.) + +"Now, in those days mile-posts were not yet come in, and maps were +excessively expensive; how, then, was H.O'M.T., after he should have +realised a large independence, to find his way back through this +intricate waste? Here admire the man of parts and sagacity! '_He +determined_,' says the historian, '_to drop pebbles in a row all along +the path_'! + + [Sidenote: and adopt one of his + measures,] + +"Admirable Thumb! I, too, purpose, as I stroll along, to drop every +now and then mental pebbles, which shall serve as a connecting link +between the past and the future, and as a clue by which I may one day +recall the emotions and impressions of the years of my artistic +noviciate. + +"Be with me, oh Thumb! + + [Sidenote: but make a reservation.] + +"_N.B._--Quality of pebbles not warranted. + + +PEBBLES + + [Sidenote: Pebble I.] + +"Kind, affectionate, earnest Steinle! + + [Sidenote: A tribute of affection and + respect for my dear Steinle.] + +"In a record of whatever concerns me as an artist, _his_ name should +be at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. _Now_, at the +beginning, for our parting is still painfully present to my mind; our +parting, and the last few days we spent together: the sad face and +moistened eye with which he watched the diligence in which I rolled +off from Bregenz; his fitful way, when we travelled together--one +moment jovial and facetious, another laying his hand affectionately on +my shoulder and remaining silent; his saying to me before I started, +'I shall be all alone to-morrow, here, and yet I shall be with you all +the day.'... + +"_In the middle_, all through, and to the end--because if ever, +hereafter, my works wear the mark of a pure taste, if ever I succeed +in raising some portion of the public to the level of high art, rather +than obsequiously acquiesce in the judgments of the tasteless and the +ignorant, and if I keep alive, to the end, the active conviction that +an artist, who deserves the name, never ceases to learn, the key of +such success will be in one name: Steinle; in having constantly borne +in mind his precept, and his example. + + [Sidenote: I find on reflection that + though I started a week ago, I am only + just gone!] + + [Sidenote: I look forward,] + +"Although a week has already elapsed since I left Frankfurt, so long +my home, it is only now that I have parted from Steinle that I really +feel that I have taken the great step, that I have opened the +introductory chapter of the second volume of my life, a volume on the +title-page of which is written "Artist." It seems to me that my +wanderings began at _Bregenz_, and that in retracing, as I presently +shall, my route until I got there, I am tearing open again leaves that +were closed--to remain so. I seize the opportunity offered by this +first day of repose to take breath, and, as I stand within the +threshold, to look before me and reconnoitre. Italy rises before my +mind. Sunny Italy! the land that I have so long yearned after with +ardent longing, and that has dwelt in my memory since last I saw it as +a never-fading, gentle-beckoning image of loveliness; I am about again +to tread the soil of that beloved country, the day-dream of long years +is to become a reality. I am enraptured! + + [Sidenote: but don't feel quite _it_.] + +"And yet--how is it that my pleasure is not unalloyed? that I +involuntarily shrink from grasping the height of my wishes? It is +because I feel a kind of sacred awe at breaking through the charm +that has been so long gathering around the image that I have carried +in my inward heart, as one who loves, at touching with cold _reality_ +that which has so long been the far removed object of dreamy, sweetly +melancholy longings! + +"I cannot help thinking that an imaginative man must feel something +similar when on the point of changing courtship for marriage. + + [Sidenote: Get better.] + +"Other thoughts, too, assail me, and sometimes make me uneasy. 'Do I +fully feel....' No, 'Shall I _continue_ fully to feel the immense +importance to me of the three or four years now before me? feel that +they will be the corner-stone of my career, for good or for evil? +Shall I have the energy to carry out all my resolutions? Shall I +fulfil what I have promised?'... Then I think of Steinle, and I feel +reassured. + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble II.] + +"Let me come to the point, to the description of my journey; but +before I begin, let me remember that, whilst of all my friends and +companions only _three_ were present at my departure,--one of them was +there in order to give me a commission, and another to acknowledge a +service,--old General Bentinck did not think it too great an exertion +to see off, at eight in the morning, one, three times younger than +himself. + + [Sidenote: Middelburgh, August 11.] + +"My first day's journey took me to Middelburgh, along the Bergstrasse, +which we all know, and of which I therefore say nothing, and yet I +enjoyed it more than I ever had done before; it was one of those cool, +clear, _opalescent_ mornings, in which all nature looks as if it was +teeming with health and freshness; there was something exhilarating, +too, in the atmosphere, which very much increased my enjoyment; I +looked upon familiar scenes, but I saw them in a new light; it seemed +to me as if I was reading nature in a new book. + + [Sidenote: Stift Neuburg.] + +"On arriving at Heidelberg, I hurried at once, by appointment with +Steinle, to a place in the neighbourhood called 'Stift Neuburg,' the +property and residence of Frau Rath Schlosser, the widow of his old +and intimate friend, Rath Schlosser. + + [Sidenote: I enjoy myself.] + + [Sidenote: Heilbronn, August 12.] + +"Picture to yourself, just where the Neckar makes a graceful curve, +about a mile above Heidelberg, half-way up a rich and sunny slope, +chequered with clustering vineyards and luxuriant meadows, an old, +picturesque convent, with its adjoining chapel and appurtenant dairies +and farmhouses, the whole group raised up on a lofty, timeworn, +weather-beaten terrace--and you will form some idea of _the Stift_. +There I spent the afternoon in the most charming possible manner, +whether in wandering with Steinle along the solitary, shady walks of +the convent garden, or in snuffing about in the vaulted, mildew old +library (which, by the by, contains six or seven thousand valuable and +curious books), or the silent chapel, with its stained-glass windows, +or in looking through Frau Rath's magnificent collection of drawings +by German artists, or, finally, in enjoying the conversation of the +Frau Rath herself, who is a most clever and amiable old lady. The next +morning (for I spent the night there) after all breakfasting together, +we went down by a postern gate to the river-side, and awaited the +arrival of the Heilbronn steamer; general leave-taking, shaking of +hands, gratitude and thanks on the one side, on the other reiterated +invitations for the future, which I sincerely hope I may one day be +able to meet. The valley of the Neckar as far as Heilbronn, where we +arrived on the evening of the same day, is dull enough in all +conscience; indeed, had it not been for the company and always +interesting conversation of Steinle, I really do not know what I +should have done with myself; such a contrast with the preceding day! + +"Between Heilbronn and the Lake of Constance, however, a new scene +opens out; I see Germany under a totally new aspect, I understand at +last what German poets mean when they rave about the lovely +'Schwabenland' and call it the 'Perle deutscher Gauen'; I can now +imagine the existence of _landed patriotism_ (if I may be allowed the +expression) among the Germans coming from that part of the country. It +is, indeed, an enchanting panorama; a never-ceasing variety of rich, +profusely fertile valleys, studded with cheerful, bright-looking, +home-inviting villages, and enclosed by chains of gently undulating +hills. The corn was ripe, and waved in golden stripes across the +variegated plains; the peasants, a picturesque, good-humoured set, +were scattered over the fields, some mowing down the heavy laden +wheat, others binding it into graceful sheaves; in one respect the +scene reminded me of my own dear country: it looked as if a blessing +were on it. + + [Sidenote: Ulm: its cathedral] + +"On our road we passed through Ulm,[18] and visited the cathedral, +some parts of which (especially the portico) are very beautiful and +elegant; the interior contains a magnificent and highly elaborate +tabernacle, and some wood-carving by Syrlin of exquisite workmanship; +the whole, however, left a melancholy impression on both of us, +especially on Steinle, who is an ardent Catholic. It stands neglected +and half-finished, in the midst of a miserable, rambling town-village, +a thing of olden times, for whose presence one can hardly account. It +was built, or rather, begun, as a monument of Catholicism; the country +round it has become Protestant; itself has been protestantized; it has +been disfigured by an incongruous heap of business-like pews; it is no +longer accessible at every hour of the day, from Sunday to Sunday its +walls re-echo no sound but the occasional tread of the pew-opener, as +he dusts the seats of those who pay him for it; the soul has left the +grey old pile; it is a stately corpse. What artist, however uncatholic +in his belief, can contemplate those old Gothic churches, with their +glorious tabernacles and other ornaments equally beautiful and equally +disused, without painfully feeling what an almost deadly blow the +Reformation was to High Art, what a powerful incentive it removed, +irrecoverably? Who, in his heart of hearts, can but dwell with +melancholy regret on the times when art was coupled with belief, and +so many divine works were virtually expressions of faith? What a +purifying and ennobling influence was thus exercised over the taste of +the artist! an influence which nothing can replace. This influence was +incalculably great; no dwelling was so humble but it owned a crucifix; +no artist so poor in capacity but endeavoured to produce something not +unworthy of his subject; the general _tone_ of taste thus produced +reacted on everything; witness the most insignificant doorlatch or +ornament that remains to us from the Middle Ages. Is it not remarkable +that the first artists of the modern day, in the higher walk of art, I +mean, are _Catholics_? Cornelius and Steinle were born in the Church +of Rome; Veit and Overbeck went over to it; Pugin, too, our great +architect, was converted by his art to the Catholic faith. + + [Sidenote: August 15, Sunday.] + +"From Friedrichshafen a delightful sail took us across the emerald +coloured Lake of Constance to Bregenz, where I parted from Steinle. + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble III.] + + [Sidenote: August 21, Saturday.] + + [Sidenote: I make a reflection,] + + [Sidenote: and feel grateful.] + +"I am sitting at my window in the inn (hotel, I'll trouble you!) at +Meran. For the first time since I left Innsbruck I have leisure again +to take up my pen. As I look back on my journey through the Tyrol, so +far as it goes, I am forcibly struck with the reflection that my +enjoyment of it has been much keener this time than ever it was +before; this increased enjoyment has not, I feel, arisen from any +external or adventitious circumstances; last time that I was in this +lovely country, I contemplated it with ease and comfort from the +rumble of our own carriage; this time I have jolted through it under +all the disadvantages attendant on an _Eilwagen_ and indifferent +weather; it has arisen in the greater development of my artistic +sensibilities, in my sharpened perception of the charms of nature, +which discloses to me now a thousand beauties that found no echo in me +when I saw them last. I congratulate myself on this reflection. If any +man should be constantly penetrated with gratitude for a gift bestowed +on him, it is the artist who has realised as his share a genuine love +for nature; for his enjoyment, if he puts his gift to usury, increases +with the days of his life. + + [Sidenote: I get drunk with the + anticipation of Italy,] + + [Sidenote: and spout a parable.] + +"Another circumstance, which has greatly augmented my relish of the +Tyrol, is that, at every step, it assumes more and more the character +of my darling Italy; I have watched with fond anxiety every little +token that whispered of the south; the gently purpling tints that +steal gradually over the distant hills, as one advances towards the +land of the amaranthine Apennines, the slow but steadily progressive +change of vegetation, the gaunt and ragged fir giving way by degrees +to the encroachment of a richer and more gently rustling shade, the +anxiously watched gradations, the climax at last; the walnut, first, +'few and far between,' but warmly welcome, with its clustering leaves +of juicy green; the chestnut, with its long, graceful, dark-hued +foliage; the vine, again, no longer, as in the north, tied stiffly to +a row of sticks (like a regiment of gooseberry bushes), but luxurious, +wildly spreading, gracefully trained along rows of outward-slanting, +basket-like trellis-work, and wreathed here and there by a pious hand +up a roadside image of the Crucifixion in illustration of the words of +Christ: '_I_ am the true vine.' Now, too, the dark striped, portly +pumpkins, with their gorgeous flame-like flowers, begin to appear, +sometimes drowsily lolling under the tremulous shade of the mantling +vines, sometimes basking with half-closed eyes down the sunscorched +lizard-haunted walls, sometimes trained across from house to house, +hanging like Chinese lamps over the heads of the passers by. +Presently, a _fig-tree_--two--three--more--plenty! A cypress--and, by +Jove! look at that terrace of stately, heavy-laden citron and orange +trees! Nothing is wanting now but the olive. How could I pass by such +dear old friends without loitering a little among them? A faithful +lover, I return, after six years of longing absence, to the home of +her of my inward heart; I hurry along, I have already crossed the +garden gate. I breathe the air she breathes, I see from afar the bower +where she dwells; but as I hasten along the well-known path, a +thousand reminiscences of her arise from every object around me, and +cling to me, and throw a gentle net across my faltering step, and +whisper softly to my dream-wrapt brain--I am spellbound--I linger, +even in my impatience. + +"I must not forget the excessively picturesque appearance of all the +towns and villages south of Innsbruck; long, narrow, tortuous streets, +lined on each side with never-ceasing vistas of arcades, and enclosed +by houses of most fancifully artistic irregularity; as one passes +along the vaulted galleries the eye is constantly caught by some +picturesque object; either the peasants, as they stroll along in their +divers costumes, or the many-coloured, richly piled fruit stalls that +every now and then fill the arches, or, through an open door, the +endless depth of vaulted passages and fantastic staircases and +irregular inward courts and yards, offering to the artist's eye a play +of lights and shades and mysterious, dreamy half-tints that might +shame even a Rembrandt or an Ostade. As the exterior of all the houses +is (with the exception, of course, of the ornaments) scrupulously +white, the streets, narrow as they are, reflecting, by the luminous +nature of their local tint, the light of day into the remotest corner, +have a most cheerful aspect. + +"Of the Tyrolese themselves, three qualities seem to me to +characterise them, qualities which go well hand in hand with, and, I +think it is not fanciful to say, are in great measure a key to, their +well-known frankness and open-hearted honesty. I mean Piety, which +shines out amongst them in many little things, a love for the art, +which with them is, in fact, an outward manifestation of piety, and +which is sufficiently displayed by the numberless scriptural subjects, +painted or in relief, which adorn the cottages of the poorest +peasants, and, last not least, a love for flowers (in other words, for +nature), which is written in the lovely clusters of flowers which +stand in many-hued array on the window-sills of every dwelling. The +works of all the really great artists display that love for flowers. +Raphael did not consider it 'niggling,' as some of our broad-handling +moderns would call it, to group humble daisies round the feet of his +divine representation of the Mother of Christ. I notice that _two +plants_, especially, produce a beautiful effect, both of form and +colour, against the cool grey walls: the spreading, dropping, graceful +_carnation_, with its bluish leaves and crimson flowers, and the +slender, anthered, thousand-blossomed _oleander_. + + [Illustration: STUDY OF A BRANCH OF FIG TREE, 1856 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF BRAMBLE, 1856 + Leighton House Collection] + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble IV.] + + [Sidenote: Statues in Innsbruck.] + + [Sidenote: I take on,] + + [Sidenote: and lay on,] + + [Sidenote: but bottle it up again.] + +"One of the sights in Innsbruck has left on me a deep and, I hope, a +lasting impression: the bronze statues in the Franciscan church; they +are the finest specimens of German mediaeval sculpture that I ever saw, +and grew on me as I gazed at them in a manner which I hardly ever felt +before; their great merit consists in combining in the most astounding +manner the most consummate knowledge of the art with all the +simplicity of nature and the most striking individuality (that first +of artistic qualities), and exhibiting at the same time the most +elaborate finish in the details, with greatest possible breadth and +grandeur of general masses; this quality is particularly conspicuous +amongst the women, three, especially, standing side by side, show, by +three perfect examples, the whole secret of ornamental economy; the +one, whose dress is ornamented with all the richness of which a +luxurious imagination and an unparalleled power of execution were +capable, recovers its simplicity of outline and mass by having a +tightly fitting body and sleeve and a skirt of moderate amplitude; +the second, whose ornaments, though richly, are more broadly disposed, +retains its balance by a slightly increased amplitude of drapery; +while the third, whose dress is altogether without embroidery, +acquires a corresponding effect by large, loose sleeves and richly +folded skirt, and two large plaits hanging down her back. What an +opportunity this would be, backed by these giants of breathing bronze, +to make an indignant descent on some paltry and muddle-headed moderns, +who don't know how to discriminate between that kind of finish which +proceeds from the love of a smooth surface, and makes the artist +equally careful of his pumps and of his pictures, and that other kind +of minuteness which is the beautiful fruit of a refined love for +nature, and proceeds from a feeling of piety towards the mother of +art, and who complacently call 'niggling,' a quality above the +appreciation of their _breadth-mad_ brains; who, in their +art-made-easy system of 'idealising' (forsooth), look for artistic +'beauty' in a facial angle of so and so much. What with the _Greeks_ +was an _abstract of_ MAN, and very appropriately applicable in the +cases of demi-gods (that the ancients _could_, and _did_, 'en tems et +lieu,' individualise, may be sufficiently seen in their admirable +portraits), becomes with _them_ an absurdly misapplied _average of +mankind_, not _a_ man, or _men_. _The leading feature in Nature is a_ +MANIFOLD INDIVIDUALITY, AN ENDLESS VARIETY; _she is like a diamond, +that glances with a thousand hues_. 'Indeed!' I hear them +contemptuously sneering, 'you don't seem to be aware, sir, that ideal +beauty is the great _centre_ of all these _extreme_ varieties, and the +only thing worthy of a great artist's attention.' 'Well, gentlemen,' +say _I_, 'without inconsistency, you can't get out of the way of the +following mouthful: there are (perhaps you will allow) three +elementary colours, which in different combinations produce every +variety of hue; _but_, the great _centre_ of these three _extremely_ +various colours is _grey, non-colour ... the ideal of a bit of +colouring, "the only thing worthy of the attention of a great +colourist" is a picture with no colour in it at all_.' However, +Messrs. the Generalisists and _Apollinisists_ 'have every reason to +congratulate themselves on the extensive circulation of their views, +for their _ideal_' is visible in every haircutter's window. Never +mind, I must contain myself--but the rod is in pickle! + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble V.] + + [Sidenote: Meran.] + +"A glorious amphitheatre of lofty mountains! On one side rugged, +sternly rising, crenelated, grey, snow-strewn; on the other, dreamy, +far outspreading, gently vanishing, southward luring, softly glowing, +wrapt in tints of loveliest azure, gradually blending with the +silver-fretted sky. A spreading, fertile gushing valley. Down the +sunny, swelling slopes, across the embosomed plain, an endless, +curling, wreathing flood of gold-green vines, foaming and eddying with +purple grapes. Through the verdant waves, like rushes in a stream, the +Indian corn raises its slender form and feathered head in long array. +Beneath, outstretched at ease, the pumpkin winks and yawns. At the +foot of a steep-fronted, purpling rock, skirting the glowing +vineyards, a foaming mountain stream, emerald and silver. Along the +heights, nestling in verdure, rise thickly scattered, castellated +villas, looking, with their bright, white walls, like smiles on the +face of the earth. An epitome of what is rich and joyous and +unfettered in landscape. The Alpha and Omega of all that is charming +in the Tyrol. MERAN! + +"I can say no more for it. + +"To my mind, it is inferior to Italy only in one respect: it is +wanting in that glowing, strongly marked individuality, that earnest +beauty, that 'charm that is in melancholy,' which fascinates so +powerfully in the land of wine and oil. + + [Sidenote: Pebble VI.] + + [Sidenote: Italy!] + + [Sidenote: I "realise," as the Americans say,] + + [Sidenote: and find reason to think that + I am a queer party.] + +"To be able to say that, on returning after long years to a country +whose image memory has, during the whole of that time, fondled with +all the partiality of ardent attachment, one has found one's best +expectations realised, is, in this world of disappointments and +frustrated expectations, indeed a rare thing; but to find imagination +_surpassed_ by reality is rarer still; yet it is my case now that I +once more breathe the air and tread the soil of Italy. For this, I +feel more grateful than I can say; for to have been disappointed in +_these_ hopes would have been to me the greatest of miseries; as it +is, my enjoyment is a double one: that which is occasioned by the +positive, intrinsic beauty of what I see, and that, not less great, of +recalling at the same time a happy, long-dwelt-on past. This I have +more particularly experienced since my arrival in Verona; and here a +queer feature in my queer idiosyncrasy obtrudes itself to notice, +_i.e._ the extraordinary dominion exercised over me by the senses of +smell and hearing! That I do labour under these peculiarities I always +knew, but to what a ludicrous extent, I did not find out till, on +arriving here (Verona), I was suddenly seized by a gust of a thousand +smells and a din of a thousand sounds, some always remembered, others +long-forgotten, suddenly rising up again to my memory. I was +spellbound, the veil of the past was torn up, I was fairly carried +back against the stream of time. Ridiculous as it may sound, my +enjoyment of Italy, independently, of course, of the art (which is an +extraordinary tissue of reality and illusion), would be very imperfect +without this combination of trifles. One thing, I think, must affect +every one agreeably; I mean the exquisitely humorous cries of the +vendors in the thoroughfares and market-places; who could hear and not +remember the loud, expostulatory shriek with which the one dwells on +the excellencies of his handkerchiefs, the argumentative and facetious +tone in which another infers that comfort is not possible without a +supply of his matches, that urgent wail with which a third deplores +that man should have so little appreciation of his baked apples, the +muddy, half-suffocated tenor with which a fourth proclaims his +water-melons, or the rabid, piercing soprano which seems to warn the +public that 'if those violets are not bought pretty quick, there will +soon be none to buy'?" + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble VII.] + + [Sidenote: Verona.] + +"I do not think there exists anywhere a more powerfully and +fantastically individual town than Verona; it is to Italy what +Nuremburg is to Germany; but it is a transfiguration of Nuremburg; in +point of wildly picturesque variety it defies description and +surpasses expectation; it is saturated with art; wherever one turns, +the eye is struck by some beautiful remnant of the taste--that was; of +that glowing, sterling feeling for art, which spread itself over +everything, and ennobled whatever it touched. Hardly a house that +cannot boast of a sculptured archway, or some such token of ancient +splendour; not a church, even the most insignificant, but is crowded +with old paintings in oil and fresco, few of which are bad, some very +good, a few excellent, but _all_ in a far higher _tone of feeling_ +than nine-tenths of the shallow, papery daubs with which the +nineteenth century covers its carcase of steam engines. No +wonder--they are all scriptural or apocryphal subjects, and were all +painted with an ardent belief in the faith to which they all owe their +existence; from thence arose, amongst other excellencies, a certain +naif, ingenuously childlike treatment of the miraculous, which, +combined with the manly dignity of consummate art, gives them an +indescribable charm, which nothing can replace. Now--with us, at +least, of the cold belief--men throw really eminent talents--_to the +dogs_. But, for us Protestant artists, things are made much worse than +they in any way need be, by the total rejection of pictures and +statuary in our churches. Now, three centuries back, in the first +ebullition of reformatory fanaticism, such a practice was not only +comprehensible, but even a natural and necessary consequence and token +of their total disavowal of everything approaching to the Romish form +of worship; but its continuance at present amongst us is, not only +contrary to the spirit of the Anglican Church, which after all, when +compared to Lutheranism and Calvinism, is a _conservative_ one, but is +founded on arguments altogether untenable with any degree of +consistency; for if, as we are told, pictures and statues distract the +attention and produce a worldly frame of mind, if it be true indeed +that works of _high art_ (for, of course, no others are here taken +into consideration), than which surely nothing is more calculated to +raise the tone of the mind and prepare it for the reception of +elevated impressions, have indeed so pernicious an effect, then, it is +evident, by the same argument, the beauties of architecture, the +eldest of the sister arts, must be equally rejected; at the sight of a +Gothic church, that offspring of Christianity, we must shrug our +shoulders and say with pious aversion: 'Vanitas vanitatum!' But the +Church of England has not gone as far as that; indeed, great attention +is paid to our Church's architecture; is there no inconsistency here? +Or does the Church, terrified by the example of Romish image-worship, +fear a similar evil amongst us, whose belief is so infinitely more +circumscribed than that of Rome? Or is she so tender of admitting +symbols into her bosom, she, whose corner-stone is a symbol: the Last +Supper? + +"To return to Verona. + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble VIII.] + + [Sidenote: The Veronese love flowers,] + + [Sidenote: and have good legs.] + +"As Gamba, owing to the time which my letter took in reaching him, was +not able to meet me at the time appointed, I remained two days at +Verona, days to which I shall always look back with unmixed pleasure. +I indulged, this time (the more that I knew the town already), in the +luxury of _not_ 'sight-seeing,' but strolled about the whole town in +every direction, dropping into churches, staring at tombs and palaces +and piazzas and pictures, just as if rolled past me in the +ever-varying panorama. I was struck, in the Tyrol, with the profusion +of flowers everywhere displayed; but here I see far more, and those, +too, more artistically distributed; they rise in double and treble +tiers on, in, and about the gracefully curved balconies, and assert +their sway wherever human ingenuity makes it possible to place a +flower-pot, and in a great many other places besides; creepers wreathe +from window to window, and vines actually springing from holes in the +walls, with no visible root or origin at all, spread their graceful +mantle over the walls of crumbling palaces. Of the Veronese +themselves, I cannot say that they are a handsome race; the women +especially, though they have a great deal of character in their +features, are generally far from good-looking. Amongst the peasants I +saw some very fine men; they have, some of them, very good legs, +slender and well shaped as a Donatello or a Ghiberti. + + [Sidenote: Thursday, August 26.] + + [Sidenote: Gamba.] + +"On Thursday Gamba came, just as I was giving him up in a high state +of despair and mystification. We hurried at once by Padua to Venice, +where I found your letter. + + [Sidenote: I look back and feel ashamed,] + + [Sidenote: and make a clumsy excuse.] + +"As I look through what I have written, before sending it off to you, +I feel, painfully, that my style is clumsy, stuttering, incoherent; +that I am wordy, without saying enough; that I am overfree in my use +of fanciful epithets, without giving an adequate idea of the +suggestive beauty of what I see; that I am sometimes almost mawkish, +without saying half I feel; that I am incorrigibly slovenly and +forgetful; that I can't write, that I can't spell. In answer to all +this, I can only answer by referring to a little premonitory +observation at the foot of my first page, _i.e. Quality of Pebbles not +warranted_. + + * * * * * + +BATCH No. 2. + +(This blank represents three weeks.) + + [Sidenote: Sept. 16.] + +"_September 16._--Many happy returns of the day, dear Gussy! The other +day I took a pair of scales, and put into the one vessel the price you +would have to pay for the postage of a congratulatory letter to be +received by you on your birthday, and into the other a pleasure which +a surprise might afford you; the postage outweighed its rival; so I +wrote no letter. If my directions have been attended to, you will, no +doubt, have received a far more satisfactory outward and visible sign +of my good wishes. + + [Sidenote: Sept. 18.] + +"_September 18._--The same to you, Papa!... _Can the river offer its +fountain a drink?_ + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble I.] + + [Sidenote: Sept. 19.] + + [Sidenote: I lucubrate,] + + [Sidenote: when I consider, &c. &c.,] + + [Sidenote: whereas, &c. &c.,] + + [Sidenote: and even then, &c. &c.,] + +"Three weeks (apparently months) have elapsed since I last soared on +the descriptive pinion; now, and only now, on the eve of my departure +from Venice, I find time and leisure again to pour on the past a +libation of pen and ink. I resume the quill with a feeling of +disheartenment. With what intentions did I begin to write this +(journal)? Had I not hoped to note down, at once and in all their +freshness, my emotions and impressions just as I should receive them? +and to speak also sometimes of the thousand little incidents that fall +in one's path, and which form the arabesque round the chapter of life? +And how are my hopes fulfilled? Behold me, on the morning of the last +day, the day of parting, packing, paying, and passports, forced to +throw in a hurried and disconnected heap a few general remarks +concerning what I have seen and heard and felt and found, and not +found, during my stay in the home of Titian. And even that, how +difficult! For in this short stay, sight has succeeded sight, emotion +has followed emotion, in one continued merry-go-round; I have been +alternately grave and gay, melancholy and jocose, dejected and +enraptured; add to this that in my mind, as in the dissolving views, +one picture always effaces its predecessor, and you will at once +perceive that I am in the position of a man trying to see the pebbles +at the bottom of a muddy brook, or his natural face in a basin of +gruel. + + [Sidenote: but you know, &c.] + +"Now, I again repeat what I made a preliminary condition: that I send +you the pebbles, loose and disjointed, and that I don't undertake to +make a necklace of them. + +"'But whose fault is all this?' (I hear you ask). + + [Sidenote: besides, it's not my fault] + +"During my stay here (I continue, without attending to your question) +I have been up nearly every day _before the sun_ (about five o'clock), +and after working and tearing about the town all day, towards evening +I was not sorry to.... + +"Do you guess how it was I wrote so little? + + [Sidenote: A little digression] + +"Here a little observation obtrudes itself to my notice. Man (for +there is nothing like throwing your own frailties on mankind in +general) is born with an irresistible tendency to talk _at something +or somebody_; eighteen pages back I was talking to nobody; or, if I +did address anything, it was that very vague personage, the future; +now I find myself getting more and more personal; _you's_, I expect, +will soon get up to fifty per cent. + + * * * * * + + [Sidenote: Pebble II.] + + [Sidenote: A picture.] + + [Sidenote: (Parenthetic Pebble about Gondolas.)] + +"Venice! Mighty word, city of endless associations, image that fills +the mind! What impressions has it left on me? I shrink from answering +a question so difficult to answer _fairly_, and from dissecting a +point of such intricate anatomy. Whilst I think it over, I will give +you a picture or two to look at; you shall have a peep out of the +window where I sit writing. It is early morning, everything is cool +and calm, in silent, almost breathless expectation of the not yet +risen sun. Before your eyes rises one of the most splendid views in +Europe, that of the Grand Canal from the steps of the Academy; the +stately, dark green street of waters reflects on its wide-spreading +mirror the grey and crumbling palaces, and the lovely form of Sta. +Maria della Salute, with her domes of dazzling white. Not a ripple +mars its glossy surface, except where, at rare intervals, some silent +gondola glides swiftly along, scattering the sparkling drops from its +graceful oar, or where, here and there, the playful 'aura mattutina' +has left too rough a kiss upon its slumbering cheek. No sound is +heard, but the distant, even, measured chimes, that seem to be rocking +on the silence of the morning. Along its marge, singly, or clustering +in close array beneath roofs of vine-covered trellis, lie the +far-famed, ebon-coloured, swiftly gliding gondolas of Venice. +'Gondolas!' Whilst the sun is rising, let me say a word or two on +gondolas. It has always excited my great surprise that these barks, +which are graceful almost beyond imagination, are, in point of fact, +in their present shape the offspring of a period, next to our own, the +most execrable in point of taste which the world has produced. I mean +the end of the seventeenth, or rather the beginning of the eighteenth +century. Yet, so it is. In the time of Carpaccio and the Bellinis they +were queer, tolerably uncouth contrivances, about two-thirds of their +present length, pointed and equally curved at both ends, so as to +resemble as nearly as possible a slice of melon, dead of the cholera. +In Titian's day the shape began to taper out a little, and the iron +points or knobs, _at both ends_, rose to a greater height, and were +enriched with a serrated ornament; but they did not assume their +present slender proportions and graceful ornament, _at the prow only_, +till the eighteenth century; as also the mysterious and exquisitely +comfortable little cabins or coffins, which now surmount them, and +which formerly were open _behind and before_, forcing the passenger to +sit upright! They contained then the rudiment of an idea of grace, +which took its natural growth and development in spite of man. +Meanwhile, for I have been watching him, the sun has appeared above +the horizon; not that I see his own, real, glorious face, for he is +hidden behind an ancient palace, but I see his reflection glowing in +the eye of nature. First a gentle, tremulous, golden light began to +steal along the dappled morning sky, warning all the little, distant, +fleecy clouds to shake their plumes, for that it was going to begin; +then, of course, the water took up the tune; and then (it was fit the +biggest building should set the example) the 'Salute' assumed a +saffron hue, and gradually one by one all the palaces on one side of +the Canal, right up to our windows, and, did not you notice? your own +face took quite a shine. For a while you yourself and everything round +you seems wrapped in a trance; presently you begin to write. How is +this? The whole picture begins to dance and quiver. Our Lady della +Salute glows with a deeper blush, and trembles. Then, suddenly, her +redness vanishes, her glorious countenance sparkles, and she raises +her stately form in a garment of burnished silver; the gondolas that +nestle round her feet, and hem in the whole length of the Canal, seem +like a fillet of sparkling gems around a web of emerald and gold; the +sky is a sea of light; the sun is in the wide heavens--it's time for +breakfast. Waiter, coffee and rolls! + + [Sidenote: I am reminded,] + +"'Do you mean,' I hear you urge, 'to come to the point, and tell us +how you like Venice?' + + [Sidenote: but take no notice.] + + [Sidenote: Pebble IV.] + +"Another picture! (pretending not to hear). The same scene, but under +a different aspect. How different! Just now it was a scene of dawning +life, a burst of gladness--now it is a mild, a gentle dream, an +Italian moonlight night, a _Venetian_ moonlight night--calm, clear, +soft, fancy stirring. You lean idly out of the window; there are two +of you, or ought to be, but you don't say anything to one another; you +are rocked in silence; you feel the sweet, warm breath of night pass +over your cheek; you think of Shakespeare's exquisite verses on what +he never saw but with the eye of his boundless fancy; you are sitting +with Jessica and Lorenzo (that is his name, I think) on a bank of +violets; you are anxiously waiting for Portia and her company; your +ear is attentive to every sound; presently a sweet, half-heard strain, +like a distant echo, dawns on your ear; then it is lost again; again +it swells, and seems to glide gently along the shadowy waters towards +you, nearer, still nearer. You see a track of gleaming light along the +water, and at intervals a shower of tiny stars; it's no illusion; they +glide along towards you, the voices that rose from the distant waters; +they are almost beneath your window. Quick, quick, a gondola; a dozen +or more musicians, with every kind of instrument, sit together in a +bark, and alternately play and sing lovely melodies by the musicians +of Italy. As long as the strain lasts the oar is suspended, and the +floating orchestra drifts slowly along with the slowly ebbing tide; +round it, a cluster of gondolas, full of breathless listeners whose +very soul seems to melt with the delicious sounds, and combine with +them--at least, you can answer for yourself, for you are one of them. +Those are moments which you, I am sure, will never forget. + + [Sidenote: You interrupt me, but I take no notice.] + +"'You are beating about the bush, we want an ans....' + + [Sidenote: Pebble V.] + +"Another picture! (taking no notice of you)--a bit of Giorgione, +coloured by Veronese. You are in an _atelier_; pictures and sketches +in different stages of advancement lie about the tables and cover the +easels; at one end of the room you see a large cupboard; its open +doors betray within layers of rich old silks and damasks, some made +up, some in pieces, as they were found at the antiquary's; further, an +old mandoline, that perhaps could tell of the days of Titian. Through +the large, gaping window you look upon a group of the most picturesque +Venetian houses, with their fanciful basket-shaped chimneys and +irregular windows and thousand-fold tints; the foreground is +gracefully supplied by a screen of slender, net-like trees, amongst +which heavy-laden vines wreathe in fanciful festoons. But where is +Werner? the amiable inmate of this charming snuggery; where his +pupils? Ah, I hear them! Hark! in the garden, a merry laugh, a +clattering of cups, a sound of several voices, a suggestion of +enjoyment; you rush to the scene of action; on your road you nearly +break your neck over a table covered with the remains of a hearty +dinner. A few yards further, you see half-a-dozen young men (of course +artists) stretched, in every variety of ingeniously comfortable +attitude, on a temporary floor of Turkey carpets, in a cool, clear, +shady spot beneath arches of roof-weaving vines; in the middle, at +comfortable arm's length, coffee, and heaps of purple grapes, whilst +the intervals of conversation are filled by affectionate and earnest +appeals to long Turkish pipes. You approach; you are recognised; +seized by the hand, thrown down on the carpet; and presently you +perceive that an entire afternoon is gone by! But that afternoon +becomes a landmark to you. May not such reminiscences well endear a +place to one's memory? + + [Illustration: STUDY OF BYZANTINE WELL HEAD. Venice, 1852 + By permission of Mr. S. Pepys Cockerell] + +"'Well, then, I suppose....' (say you). + +"Never mind, let me continue. + + [Sidenote: More where the rest came from.] + +"Another impression. You are sitting, early in the morning, in a +spacious, picturesque court; you have got your sketch-book, and you +are busily poring over a drawing of a beautiful old Saracenic well; +you are intent on doing it well, on cutting out that friend you have +got with you. Presently you are seized with a peculiar sensation; you +have heard, all of a sudden, the voice of an old, old friend, who +speaks to you of things you don't see round you; a veil falls from +your eyes; you feel that you have missed something for some time past; +a vision rises before your eyes--a sweet vision of wooded hills and +grassy fields, teeming with a thousand wild flowers and sending forth +a sweet smell, and of flowing streams, of _fresh_ waters, of birds +singing merrily as they fly from tree to tree, and swing on the +slender branches; and then you remember that you dwell in a +mysterious city, closed in by the salty sea. Who was the friend that +called up these lively images in your mind? It was a poor, solitary, +wandering _Bee_. But he suggested something else to you, the roaming +honey-gatherer--he reminded you of _freedom_; reminded you that +Freedom had no home _there_; and he made you _feel_ how much you had +felt it, how much you had been unconsciously haunted by the breath of +oppression that hovers over poor, browbeaten Venice, and whose +pestilence clings to its rocky shore, as the rankling seaweed to the +skirts of its palaces. Poor Venice! once resounding with joyous +voices, now its walls seem, as you pass them, to mutter mournfully of +arrests, condemnations, executions! Its narrow streets re-echo with +the heavy tread of exulting soldiers, with the watchword of a foreign +tongue. Palaces and convents are become barracks and infirmaries, and +Slavonian troopers loll and spit where the proudest lords and +loveliest ladies of Venice used to assemble to the banquet or the +ball. But I turn away from such sad reflections, lest they may seem to +outweigh all the delight that I have spoken of before. + + [Sidenote: Pebble VI.] + + [Sidenote: What I think about it.] + +"I have rehearsed to you a few of my impressions for good and for +evil, and I think that was the only way of answering your (imaginary) +questions. I need make no apologies for not _describing_ Venice to +you, as you have all seen it, and it is a place the image of which +does not easily fade. I might say a word or two about the Venetians. +Whatever some people may say (and, if I am not mistaken, Byron amongst +them), the female Venetian type, such as it is transmitted to us by +Titian, Giorgione, Pordenone, &c. (_i.e._ stout, tall, round-faced, +small-mouthed, _Roxolane-nosed_) has either totally disappeared, or +only manifests itself to a chosen few; one feature only I recognise, +and that is a profusion of fine hair, which they plait in the most +elaborate manner. A thing that rather puzzles those who go to Venice +with the idea of seeing _Titians_ and _Veroneses_ at the windows and +in the streets, is that the women have altogether left off dyeing +their hair auburn as they used in former times. To show you that +vanity made the fair sex go through the greatest personal discomfort +as far back as the sixteenth century, I will tell you what the process +of dyeing was. On the top of nearly every house in Venice is a kind of +terrace-like scaffold, or scaffold-like terrace ('you pays your money +and takes your choice'), which has the noble vocation of drying linen; +in former days, however, they were built for a different purpose. In +the middle of the day, during the greatest heat of the sun, the party +anxious to impart to her hair a tint between sugar-candy and radishes +repaired to these _lofty_ spots, and there regularly bleached her hair +in the following manner: she put on her head the _brim_ of a large +straw hat, so that the top of the head was exposed to all the power of +the sun, whilst the face and neck were kept in the shade. Through the +hole thus left in the middle of this extraordinary headgear the whole +of the hair was drawn, and spread out as much as possible; which done, +different kinds of waters, made for the express purpose, were passed +over it by means of a little sponge fastened to the top of a reed. +History does not give the exact number of _coups-de-soleil_ caught in +this manner; a few, I should imagine. However, I can warrant the +accuracy of my statement, which is borrowed from a contemporary author +of the highest standing. The men of Venice are neither handsome in the +face nor well made in the body. The Venetian dialect is amusing; in +the mouth of a woman, if well spoken, it is pretty, musical, +childlike, lisping; but in the mouth of a man, for the most part, +muddy, stammering, unintelligible. + + * * * * * + + "There, much as still remains to say, and willingly as I dwell on + its memory, I must discard Venice, and turn to your kind letter, + for it is now, I am afraid, more than a month since I last wrote. + This delay has, however, been unavoidable, for when one is + travelling, or staying a short time in a place, one is always + hurried and flurried in the day-time, and in the evening tired or + excited--or both. Next time you hear from me (which will be when + I reach Rome) my communication will openly take the shape that + this has imperceptibly been attaining, that of a letter; when I + am once settled for the winter I shall, I hope, be better able to + write _au jour le jour_. Before entering into your letter, which + will be a longish job, I must acknowledge the receipt of one from + Papa, containing part of my remittance; it was written in most + kind terms (I tell you this because you can't have seen it, since + he wrote in London), and was, I think, the longest I ever got + from him, at all events it was the first in which he said + anything beyond what was necessary to business. It gave me + sincere pleasure. I was touched, it seemed to me that distance + had brought me nearer to him; pray thank him both for that and + for the consideration with which he has provided for an emergency + which will in fact arise--that of my not reaching Rome in + October; I do not expect to get there until the first week in + November. Of one thing I must remind Papa; he talks of sending to + Rome the _remaining eighty_ pounds of my second quarter; he has, + I am afraid, forgotten that he gave me sixty for my first; my + remittance this time is only _forty_ pounds, he therefore has + only twenty to send to Rome. + + "I now turn to your letter, dear Mamma; I lay it by my side, and + as I read it slowly through, answer it systematically, head for + head, for in my present hurry I have indeed no time to pick and + choose, or to arrange my topics according to their importance and + interest, or even to consult as much as I wish the little + amusement that my letters give you. However, I console myself a + little with the reflection that it certainly is not the + composition of my letters which gratifies you much, for I am + painfully aware that my ideas are brought to paper with about as + much order as the footprints of a cock-sparrow show on a + gravel-walk. + + "You say, dear Mamma, that you have a fear of not telling me all + that I wish to hear; and there, indeed, you are right, for if you + were to tell me _all_ that I wish to know about your doings, you + might write for a week; but you are equally right in supposing + that _whatever_ you write concerning yourself (and selves) is + full of interest to your distant Punch. About my health? Well, I + plead guilty, steaks _do_ still continue to be to me _physical + consciences_; this admonitory part they took more especially at + Venice, where the climate, I must confess, did not agree with me + particularly well. This is perhaps attributable to the water, + which was particularly bad there, for my diet was of the simplest + description. Judge for yourself: in the morning early, coffee and + dry bread (I have discarded butter to keep company with Gamba, + who is not in the habit of eating any); at eleven or so, fruit + and bread; at four or five, a simple dinner; and in the evening, + an ice or a cup of coffee. Here I live much in the same way. + + "I am truly delighted to hear that you are accommodating yourself + a little to an English climate; if you once get over that one + great obstacle, nothing else need prevent your establishing + yourself in the country which, after all, is still the dearest to + you; with the prospect of pleasant and desirable society for + yourself and the girls, and of other resources for Papa, there is + every reason to hope that you will find in Bath what you have so + long wished for, a home in _England_." + +Speaking of his elder sister's suffering, he continues:-- + + "I feel, almost, a kind of shame that so much should have been + poured down on me, who have deserved it less. To become + deserving of it, must be my great, never-wavering endeavour; + I will put my talent to usury, and be no slothful steward of + what has been entrusted to me. Every man who has received a + gift, ought to feel and act as if he was a field in which a + seed was planted that others might gather the harvest. + + "I am delighted to hear that Lady Leighton is getting on well, + and as much gratified at having made on her a favourable + impression; pray tell her that her presence and conversation + inspired me with a desire to please her, and that her + affectionate reception has still a lively hold on my memory. + + "You tell me that you were touched at Steinle's kindness to + me, and indeed it was such as might well touch any one; this + time you will be touched at his affliction, poor man, he has + just had a heavy misfortune--the most affectionate of fathers + has lost another child, the second, in a year and a half; I + heard this from Andre, who has just arrived from Frankfurt, + and who called on the unfortunate man before he started and + found him much dejected. He said in his melancholy but calm + tone of voice: 'Ich habe eine Tochter begraben.' You think it + improbable that I shall find a _second_ Steinle; I delight in + the belief that there _is none_. + + "I am not surprised at your finding it impossible to imagine + an artist without a genuine love for nature. In any but an age + of perverted taste such a thing could not exist; but it is + only too true that that most essential of qualities has become + obsolete, and is hardly to be found at all. Artists now are + full of _breadth_ and _depth_; and, between us and the + doorpost, _flatness_. On this subject I mean to tell you more + in my next letter, when I speak more particularly of my + _artistic_ impressions and opinions, which I have not yet + done. + + "I am glad to hear what you tell me about the comfort you + enjoy in Bath, from the superior cleanliness and decency of + behaviour of English servants over foreign ones; it is a + thing to which I am particularly alive, and which struck me + very much last time I was in England; Gussy too, I am sure, + appreciated it very much. I am sorry that I cannot participate + in your enthusiasm about the beauties of Bath (barring, of + course, the situation, which is charming), but I will say + nothing against it, as I am only too glad that you should be + pleased with it. I quite follow you in your admiration of the + edifices in Westminster; I think that, taking them altogether, + they form one of the finest groups of architecture that I ever + saw; but what particularly pleases me in the Houses of + Parliament is the example they set of building in that style + of architecture which is our own, the growth, as it were, of + our soil, and which therefore best befits our country. Such + feelings, I have reason to believe, are becoming prevalent in + England, and they may have great results; but I reserve all + this for another letter. I am glad to hear of the institution + you tell me of for the cultivation of good principles; I + believe that the greatness of England will not be as ephemeral + as that of the other nations that have had the lead in + succession, because so much is done to consolidate and + increase in strength the basis on which it stands, and which + is the best prop to the enduring prosperity of a nation, + uprightness and morality. + + "I have now followed and answered your letter, from beginning + to end, from point to point, it is time I should close; next + time I write, I shall be in Rome, settled for the + winter.--Believe me, dear Mamma, with very best love to all, + your most affectionate and dutiful son, + + "FRED LEIGHTON." + + _Translation._] + VENICE, _31st August_. + + "HONOURED AND VERY DEAR HERR STEINLE,--If I did not, according + to our agreement, write to you directly Rico[19] arrived, it + was because I could not make up my mind to put you off with + two words, whereas I had neither time nor leisure to write you + anything detailed. Now, however, arrived and established in + Venice, I take up my pen to repair the neglect. It is a + lovely, cool, clear summer morning; I sit at my window on the + Grand Canal, and before my eyes rises in glorious beauty the + incomparable outline of Sta. Maria della Salute with the + adjoining Dogano. The newly risen sun (it is five o'clock in + the morning) throws a golden, enchanted light along one side + of the Canal; the gondolas and barges, which nestle in a + numerous array at the steps of the _Salute_, glitter in the + dusky distance like gleaming jewels on the borders of the + silver mirror of the water, whose clear bosom is gently + ruffled by the soft breath of dawn. All is still, except the + distant church bells. What words can give an idea of such a + sight? I gaze about me in a day-dream and think of you, the + dear friend, the honoured master; all that I owe you for + heartfelt sympathy and wise guidance, and cannot pay, rises + before my grateful soul, and reminds me that I have lost one + whom I shall miss many a time. I hope with all my heart that + your stay in the mountains of Appenzell will have given you + fresh strength, and that in all respects you are + re-established and invigorated according to your expectations. + + "Now, however, as I am to speak of myself, and to give some + account of my impressions on my journey, I note that for me + the potent picture of Italy, of Venice, has pushed all that + went before into the background, almost blotted it out, so + that now it floats before me like a dim remembrance; but with + two exceptions: two pictures have impressed themselves deeply + on my memory, and will certainly not be easily erased--I mean + the _Franciscan church at Innsbruck_ and lovely _Meran_. You + were indeed right when you said that the cast giants in that + church are the grandest achievement of German sculpture; they + are colossal, a truly imposing spectacle, brilliant monuments + of an age of noble taste. What eternal truth! What an amazing + impress of individuality! Of marvellous execution that never + borders on the little, full of breadth and strength, and yet + nobly slender, they are the most perfect example of _economy + of detail_; what a sharp contrast to the superficial + stone-hammering (I might say) of to-day; what an everlasting + shaming to the nineteenth century! I could name many sculptors + who could not look at these things without profit. + + "Meran! What an indelible, fascinating picture floats before + one's eyes at the name; this Alpha and Omega of all that is + lovely in Tyrol; this lovely amphitheatre of mountains, rugged + on one side, and steep and covered with snow on the other, + glowing in the purple gleam of the south--widely extended, + melting away, alluring; this fertile plain; this gold-green + flood of climbing vines, hanging down like waterfalls from the + espaliers on the mountain slopes, with the purple foam of the + vines; these thousand pleasure-houses and castles; the + picturesque costume! + + "But why so many words? You have seen this beauty yourself, + and have no doubt a clearer picture of it than I can paint for + you. + + "In Botzen, to my very great regret, I was unable to see Herr + von Hempel, since he was staying, not in his town house, but + in a castle at a distance of two hours; but I visited Becker's + brother. He received me in a most friendly manner, asked much + after his brother, of whom he had heard _nothing_ for more + than a _year_, and told me that his mother, who had recently + visited him in Feldkirch, had wept bitterly about it. I must + also inform you that he has recently _taken unto himself a + wife_--a fact of which our good Jacob (that is his name, is it + not?) also knew nothing. + + "I could still, dear Herr Steinle, write much to you about + Tyrol and Italy (especially about _Verona_), for I know no one + with whom I so gladly share my artistic sensations as with + you, but lack of time obliges me to close quickly for the + present; I will only add that after I had been two days in + Verona the worthy Rico arrived, and we are now having a _feast + of art_ in Venice together. + + "Should you be still at the Stift when you receive these + lines, I beg you to kiss the Frau Rath's hand for me, and to + tell her that I remember vividly the day I spent in her house. + Remember me most kindly to your wife--I congratulate her upon + her deliverance from the Cronberg martyrdom; kiss the little + children for me, and remember me to the elder ones; remember + me also to Frau Schoeff & Co. and to all my other good friends; + this is perhaps rather a large request, but whom could I omit? + I rely upon your kindness. I close with a plea for forbearance + towards my incorrigible writing and my lame, headlong + style.--Heartfelt greetings from your devoted and grateful + pupil, + + "FRED LEIGHTON. + + "_P.S._--Should you have anything to say to me, or any + commission to give me, the address, Poste Restante, Florence, + will find me till the end of September. + + "Gamba wishes to be cordially remembered to you, and promises + himself to be under your wing again in eighteen months. + + "In my next letter I will tell you about Italy." + +FOOTNOTES: + +[13] In the winter of 1845 Leighton went to a children's costume ball +in Florence as Punch, and for some time after the name clung to him in +his family. + +[14] Literally, "devoured nature with a spoon." + +[15] A distinguished actress. + +[16] Probably "The Death of Brunelleschi." + +[17] See Appendix, In Memoriam. + +[18] See sketch, "A Monk Dividing Enemies," Leighton House Collection, +"Ulm, 1852." + +[19] Count Gamba. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +ROME + +1852-1855 + + +The first group of letters from Leighton to his family from Rome tells +of his instalment, his projects, his disappointments, his indifferent +health, and his eye-troubles. But more important are the views he +expresses on his "_artistic_ impressions," and the ideas which force +themselves on his mind, resulting from these impressions; the +increased anxiety with which he regards the task he has set before +him; the "paralysing diffidence" which he feels with regard to +"composing." In the letter he wrote on January 5, 1853, he enters more +intimately into his own feelings in addressing his father than in any +previous letter I have seen. This letter is in answer to one from his +father, which Leighton describes in writing to his mother[20] as "the +longest I ever got from him, at all events it was the first in which +he said anything beyond what was necessary to business; it gave me +sincere pleasure. I was touched; it seemed to me that distance had +brought me nearer to him." Leighton was evidently eager to respond to +any advance from his father towards possible intimacy on the ground of +his art-interests. In "Pebbles" he writes that he opens the +"introductory chapter of the second volume" of his life, "a volume on +the title-page of which is written 'artist'"; in these first letters +from Rome he begins the second volume itself. The letter to his +younger sister, on her "coming out," contains at its close memorable +advice on the subject of the development of her musical taste.[21] +"You must descend into yourself, and draw at the fountain of your own +natural taste, but mind you go very deep, that you may really get at +your _genuine, natural_ taste, and I think you won't go far wrong. He +who knows how to hear the voice of nature has found the safest guide, +and he only is a good master who opens the mind of his pupil to that +voice." At the age of twenty-one, Leighton had realised, and was +himself pursuing, the only right course in studying any art. By +invariably drawing deeply from the fountain in his own nature, he ever +remained true and sincere as an artist. It is evident that, if there +is no fountain to draw from in a nature, any study of art becomes +useless, and Leighton, when consulted in later years, never encouraged +false hopes in those who possessed no natural endowments. When he +wrote,[22] "being very receptive and prone to admire, I have learnt, +and still do, from innumerable artists, big and small; Steinle's is, +however, the indelible seal," he referred to the fact that in Steinle +he had fortunately found the master who opened his mind to the voice +of his own nature. Leighton felt a great necessity to sift the various +influences which played upon his receptive nature, on account of his +ready sympathy with all that was admirable. He had constantly to seek +for that inner light, that "genuine, natural taste," which his revered +master had led him to search for and find, and to act from the +dictates of that light, and from no other. + +The commencement of the first letter from Rome to his mother is +missing; the date of the post-mark is November 25, 1852, Rome. + + "...unnoticed, and which now requires to be woven in with the + rest. I mean, of course, my more directly and practically + _artistic_ impressions, and their results. I take them up 'ab + ovo.' To an artist an occasional change of scene is of the + greatest advantage, if not importance; for, generally + speaking, when he has stayed long in one place, surrounded day + after day by the same objects, his eye becomes, by the + deadening effect of constant habit, indifferent to what he + sees around him, and often even inaccessible to the + impressions which a newcomer might receive from the same + natural beauties; most things that please the eye or the + imagination, do so (in my case, at least) by some peculiar + association; indeed I should imagine it must be so with all + things, for even when one cannot (as one often can) define + precisely the association which creates the echo within of the + impressions received, it seems to me that one is instinctively + aware of a kind of indefinable _innate relationship_ to the + beauties manifested in nature, to which, by-the-bye, I think, + all other associations might ultimately be traced through + different degrees of consanguinity. It is in being + unexpectedly reminded (however indirectly or unwittingly) of + this affinity, that lies all the pleasure that we experience + by the means of sight; indeed, it strikes me, although I am + too ignorant to explain why, that the 'feu sacre' of the + artist is a kind of inward, spontaneous, ever active, + instinctive _impulse_, blind and involuntary, to manifest and + put forth this his pedigree--as it were a yearning of son to + father, an attraction of a part to the whole, which is, as it + were, the living _motive_ and condition of his existence, and + which sometimes infuses in his works 'un non so che' that is + felt by others, but for which he would be at a loss to + account, and of which he is perhaps barely aware; it is a + manifestation of a _truth_ which is felt to be _fit_, and + called _beautiful_. These reflections, which have often + involuntarily forced themselves on me, suddenly remind me of + an expression I once heard Papa quote from some German + philosopher, I think Hegel: 'Der Mensch ist das Werkzeug der + Natur.' Good gracious, where am I running to? and how far out + of my depth! and yet one feels the want to empty one's head a + little now and then; latterly, especially, these ideas have + been stirred up in me by the perusal of fragments on the + theory, philosophy, of Art, &c., by Eastlake, which gave rise + in me to some painful feelings. At the first onset I was + amazed and bewildered at the quantity and great versatility of + Eastlake's acquirements, a man who has yet found time to + cultivate his art with success. I was filled with regret and + mortification when I looked at myself and considered how + little I know, and how little, comparatively, my health and + eyes will allow me to add to my meagre store. As I got further + into the subject, my feelings altered; it seemed to me to grow + more and more vast and comprehensive, but not more + _intricate_, for it appeared by degrees to embrace and involve + in itself (and be involved in) all human knowledge, so that I + felt that there must be only one key to all mystery, the + _non_-possession of which key is the characteristic, the + condition _des Menschseins_. Then it struck me as utterly + absurd for anybody to pretend to know anything about anything; + but it also struck me that it is not given to man to be a + neutral spectator, that he must advance or recede; and that + beautiful saying of Lessing's, which Papa read to us, occurred + to my mind: 'Wenn der Allmaechtige' (I quote from memory, and + therefore probably not quite correctly) 'vor mich hin traete in + der Rechten die vollkommene Erkenntnis, in der Linken ein + ewiges Streben nach Wahrheit, ich wuerfe mich flehend in seine + Linke und sagte: Vater, gieb! die reine Wahrheit ist doch nur + Dir allein!'[23] I hardly meant to say all this, especially as + it must seem horridly weak to a philosopher of Papa's calibre, + but I really could not help it; I wish such thoughts would + never come into my head, for I am painfully aware that I have + not the grasp of mind to investigate any abstract subject + deeply, and I wish that I had a mind, simple and unconscious, + even as a child. I hurry back to the point with my tail + between my legs; I was saying, was not I? that habit deadens + us (read _me_) to the _suggestive_ qualities of nature, and + that change of scene is sometimes required to make us again + _aware_ of nature; after such change she speaks a more + eloquent language than ever; I have heard her voice, ever + since I left Frankfurt, ring more powerfully than ever before, + and it has been the key to all that I have done, and to all + that I have omitted. But there are some cases in which this + numbing effect of habit has more lasting, almost irrevocable + consequences; when one has been for a long space of time + _utterly_ familiarised with an object (a work of art in + particular) of which one did not, when the acquaintance or + _liaison_ was contracted, appreciate all the beauties, though + in process of time the _understanding_ may become fully aware + of these qualities, the _heart of the mind_--if I may use such + an expression--can never feel that ingenuous fulness of + admiration which would penetrate a sensitive and cultivated + spectator on seeing it _for the first time_. This I have felt + more particularly in the case of the 'Transfiguration' here in + the Vatican; I am so utterly familiar with it from a child, + when I could in no way understand it, that I find it + impossible to judge of it _objectively_; I see colossal merit + in it, and yet, when I have looked at it for a few minutes, I + turn away and walk on; I am deadened to it. Thank God, it is + not so with his (Raphael's) divine frescoes, which are so + maimed and profaned in the engravings that the originals were + _new_ to me. But I am at the end of my paper, and as you do + not wish me to cross, I must this time close by just telling + you what my disappointments have been, that you may not form + a false idea of them. First, I expected to find an + _atmosphere_ of high art, and every possible 'guenstige + Anregung' for its cultivation; in this I have been completely + disappointed; of the numberless artists here, scarcely any can + call themselves historical painters, and Gamba and I, who + hoped for emulation, are thrown completely on ourselves; + Overbeck is the only remains of that much to be regretted + period when he and Cornelius and Veit and Steinle and others + were labouring together in friendly strife; he will, however, + never be to us what Steinle was. The next greatest sore point + was the difficulty of getting a studio. When we arrived in + Rome the first thing we heard was that all the _ateliers_ were + taken; and it was only after some days despondent search that + I got a little bit of one most skimpingly furnished, that I + should have sneered at when I first arrived. I have no + _secretaire_; I am obliged to lock up my papers with my + shirts; I have been obliged to buy a lamp, for the one they + gave me tried my eyes; and if I want any article of furniture + I must buy it, because I understand that at the end of the + year hiring costs as much here as buying. My _atelier_ for + next winter I shall take in the spring, as a good many become + vacant at that time. Rome is twice, nearly three times, dearer + than Florence in some respects; I am in despair; Gamba, who + has just half what I have, absolutely starves himself in his + food, and can hardly keep himself cleanly dressed; yet he has + fewer expenses than I, who have calls to make now and then, + and must dress accordingly. Oakes, too, who had sent me a + charming letter to Florence, saying that he delighted in the + idea of coming to spend the winter with me in Rome, was + suddenly prevented; this was a bitter disappointment; I had + expected a great deal of improvement from his conversation. I + am in the bleak position of one who stands in immediate + contact with _no_ cultivated and superior mind. The Laings + have not come yet; I hope to goodness they won't disappoint + me also.--I remain, dearest Mamma, your dutiful and + affectionate son, + + "FRED LEIGHTON." + + (_La suite a un prochain numero._) + + "1852. + + "DEAREST GUSSY,--As a gallant brother, I can't well do less + than answer separately your postscript to Mamma's letter. I + shall make a point, if I meet with it, of reading Andersen's + 'Dichterleben'; your recommendation is sufficient to + predispose me favourably. I perfectly understand what you say + about St. Paul's, and quite agree with you on that subject. + What suits a salmon-coloured ribbon? By George, that's a + weighty question, and requires mature reflection; it would + look _best_ on a white dress with blue flowers or spots; a + sea-green would not look bad, and on black silk it would be + _distingue_; a bluish violet would not be bad either. I am + sincerely sorry that I am not able to 'assister' at your + triumphal entry into your eighteenth year; I am afraid the + spell is beginning to fall by degrees from the greatest of + days. If my directions have been attended to, I was present by + proxy on the memorable occasion. Do you fully appreciate the + immense importance of the epoch? Do you sufficiently feel that + you are on the brink of being _OUT_? You are very much + mistaken in supposing that I hear much good music here; there + is little or none to hear; the theatres, at least, are all + bad. I sincerely hope that you cultivate assiduously the + talent with which you are blessed; especially the vocal part I + am very anxious about; of course you will take lessons in + Bath. I sympathise very much with you on the want of + Rosenhain's guiding influence; I fully appreciate your + difficulty; you must descend into yourself, and draw at the + fountain of your own natural taste, but mind you go very deep, + that you may really get at your _genuine, natural_ taste, and + I think you won't go far wrong. He who knows how to hear the + voice of nature has found the safest guide, and he only is a + good master who opens the mind of his pupil to that + voice.--Believe me, with many kisses, your very affectionate + brother, + + "FRED. + + "If Gussy _did_ want to be a charitable Christian, she would + copy in her pretty handwriting five lines a day of my horrid + scrawl, for I am ashamed that my Pebbles should remain in such + a state." + + "BATH, _Sunday, November 29, 1852_. + + "MY BELOVED CHILD,--I need not tell you how close an account I + keep of the day of the month, nor how my heart beats as the + foreign post hour approaches, because you know how tenderly I + love you, and what it cost me to part from you, and + consequently how anxiously I look for the consolation for your + absence which your letters afford me, and I had hoped you + would supply this balm liberally. Of course while you were + actually travelling I made every allowance for weariness, &c. + &c., but if you have carried out your intentions, you must + have been in Rome quite ten days, and though I said in my last + I hoped for the future you would leave only three weeks + between each of your letters home, it is now more than a + calendar month since I had last the great happiness of seeing + your handwriting. I would not, my love, be unreasonable, but + you must remember that, in addition to the natural desire to + hear how you manage for yourself, my maternal anxieties have + been awakened by the indisposition you spoke of as not + serious, it is true, but which has started up before me, + explaining your delay in writing, and which, in spite of + reason's suggestion that a slight illness would not hinder + your work, whilst Gamba would prevent the addition of suspense + to the trouble a serious attack would cause us, has brought + the evil of separation very bitterly before me. The goodness + of your heart, my child, will teach you how you can soften + this to me; it is one of the few occasions remaining to you to + exercise self-denial, as you live alone and have no one to + please but yourself. I now and then wonder a little anxiously + whether you ever think of my exhortations, so much have I + wished that you should be in the retirement of your house as + gentlemanly as you are in company. But then I recollect + sentences in your letter, proving such right views in + important matters, such a clear understanding of your + responsibilities, that I resolve to believe that you will + strive to do right in small matters as well as in great ones; + indeed, my child, I have remarked with deep satisfaction your + appreciation of the blessings that are allotted to you, and + indeed you do right to enjoy them with all humility, for I + cannot flatter you in opposition to the dictates of my + conscience that you are _so_ well deserving of happiness as + your poor sister. She is deserving of the highest respect of + all, bearing all her trials with admirable patience. The + persevering rain, which has caused a great deal of illness in + Bath, has had a very bad effect on her, throwing her back just + as she was beginning to mend, so that she has a great deal of + rough ground to go over again. We revel in literary abundance, + even German and French books are in the circulating libraries, + and _I_ often wish the days longer to read and to work. Gussy + says she hopes you will not think her ill-natured if she + declines copying your letters, for, indeed, were she willing + to undertake this difficult task, I should forbid it, as her + eyes, always delicate, are unusually weak; whether this comes + from too long confinement to the house, or from crying, I + cannot say; the latter is produced by _Heimweh_! what do you + think of this for an English girl? Thank God, she employs the + best remedy against regretful feelings, as she is occupied + from morning till night. Are you equally industrious? I read + the other day the following assertion by Southey, which I copy + for you, in case you should _still_ have the habit, so common + amongst young people, of wasting during the day occasional + quarter-hours or ten minutes, because, they ask, only such a + few minutes, how often have I heard that excuse. This is the + portion: 'Ten minutes' daily study, for seven years, will give + the student sufficient knowledge of seven languages to read + them with ease, and even to travel without an interpreter in + the respective countries.' Is not this an encouragement to + industry? We imagine you by this time settled in your lodging + and beginning to feel at home. God grant that you may have + your health there and meet with kind friends; we are curious + to know what your letters will do for you. In the meantime you + will, I doubt not, have met some old acquaintances--the Henry + Walpoles, the Laings, Mr. Petre, the Isembourgs, and Princess + Hohenlohe; to what amount the latter will condescend, I know + not, but remember, I entreat you, my advice. The two former + families you will most likely have first met at church; let me + hope at least that you will not abandon the habit; it may at + last bring a blessing upon you. The intentions of your + Frankfurt acquaintances we learnt in a letter from Mme. + Beving; she had heard from M. Fenzi that he had given you a + general invitation to his villa, and that you had dined with + him, or been asked to do so; I do not know whether he made any + comment on you. Did your organ of _veneration_ do its duty? + Forgive my hints, dear son; all your good qualities are + pictured in lively colours before my eye, but I do not even + try to forget your faults, lest I should neglect my duty to + you; with the best resolutions we all occasionally require a + fillip to our conscience. Next Friday is your birthday. It + will be the first on which you have not received your parents' + blessing in person. We shall not forget you, my darling. God + bless you, my own dear Freddy; in this prayer your father + joins most fervently; think often of the advice and love of + your devoted mother, + + "A. LEIGHTON." + + [Illustration: COSTUMI DI PROCIDA. Rome, 1853] + + 1 BROCK STREET, BATH, + _December 13, 1852_. + + DEAR FREDERIC,--I need not say that we had all of us great + pleasure in receiving your letter from Rome, though not before + your dear mother had suffered great anxiety from the + delay--the greater, because your former letter did not give a + very encouraging account of your health. It gave us also great + pain to hear of the vexatious disappointments which have + attended your first entrance into the Eternal City, but this + was, perhaps, to be expected, as the sanguine expectations of + youth are seldom realised, and we may hope that by this time + you will have found in other advantages and opportunities for + improvement a sufficient compensation for the loss of those + you had expected. What you say about the weakness of your + eyesight is far more serious, and, indeed, would have + occasioned us alarm if we did not hope and believe that you + meant no more than we already knew at Frankfort, that your + eyes were weak, and not that they had continued to grow + weaker. But when I consider that your only means of acquiring + an honourable independence and gratifying your laudable + ambition depends upon your eyesight, I surely need no + arguments to urge you in the strongest manner to use all those + precautions for its preservation which your own good sense + must suggest--to throw aside your brush or pencil the first + moment that your eyes begin to smart or water, not to draw on + white paper or by candlelight (or lamp or any artificial + light), nor read except large print, nor small print even by + daylight, except for a few minutes occasionally in a book of + reference, and to acquire as much knowledge as you can, + independently of books, by conversation with well-informed + men, if you are so fortunate as to meet with them; when you + cannot paint, talk, or observe, exercise your memory, it will + store and cultivate your mind more and try your eyes less than + reading, which in your case cannot be systematically pursued. + You may perhaps meet some well-informed young men amongst the + German artists. Above all, draw your compositions as large as + possible (or rather as necessary for your eyes) and not such + as your architectural drawings, "Four Seasons," &c., which + contain so many objects minutely drawn. I suppose, likewise, + that chalk and charcoal must be better than pencil, and the + paint-brush better than either. You have no reason to complain + either of want of ideas or of power of expressing them (at all + events with your pen), however deficient you may think + yourself in a command of language for conversation; but the + fact is that, considering the distance that separates us, it + is of much more importance to us to know _how_ you are, what + you do, and what you observe, than what you think. Your + letters remind me of my friend, Dr. Simpson of York, who, when + we sat down for dinner, would enter into some abstract + discussion, say, of the nature and varieties of fish, or, _a + propos_ of the aitch-bone, on the homologies of the skeleton, + while in the meantime fish and beef were growing cold and my + appetite impatiently vivacious; so in your letters, while we + are burning with impatience to know how you are, what progress + you are making, or at all events what are your opportunities + of progress in the art, you indulge us with abstract + reflections on the theory of art in general. Your last letter, + it is true, begins and ends with interesting matter, but with + an interpolation of some three pages of disquisition on the + nature of genius in art, &c., &c., which, however well thought + or expressed, would be more in place in an essay than in your + letter to us who are so much more interested in what + immediately concerns yourself. The consequence is that, + although with a praiseworthy wish to please us you have tried + your eyes with a long letter, you have omitted much we were + anxious to know--whether, for instance, you were conscious of + having made any progress, or derived any advantage from the + many pictures both in art and nature you have had so many + opportunities of seeing; whether you had been making many, and + what sketches or copies, for we are quite convinced that you + have not been losing your time; whether you have been + comparing what you can do with what other artists of about + your age and standing in Italy can do, and whether the result + is satisfactory; whether there are any among them from whom + you can take any useful hints; whether Overbeck or any other + competent artist is willing to assist you; whether, above + all, you saw Power at Florence, and what he thought of your + compositions; whether you find in Rome the material advantages + you expected in the way of models, &c., and whether you will + think it advisable to draw from the antique--the Apollo, + Torso, &c.; in short, I cannot too strongly impress upon you + that one fact is of more value to us than a volume of + reflections. Of course, I would not have you infer that the + progress of your mind, your thoughts and feelings, are by any + means a matter of indifference to us, but after all they can + be only imperfectly shown in occasional letters, and must + necessarily exclude information of a more positive and, for + the present, of a more important nature. Let me caution you, + too, against reading any of the modern German works on + aesthetics; they can be only imperfectly understood without a + knowledge of the philosophies, of which they form a part, and + any advantage you may derive from them will not be at all + commensurate to the time and trouble, especially for you who + have so much positive knowledge to acquire. If, however, any + of your German friends can convey to you in conversation any + clear ideas on the subject (and if they have them themselves + there is no reason why they should not), well and good, but do + not let them impose upon you, as they so often do upon + themselves, with words either without any well-defined + meaning, or one different from, or even the direct contrary, + of the usual one. According to Hegel, for instance, 'das + Schoene, ist das _scheinen_' (Schoene from scheinen) 'der _Idee_ + durch ein sinnliches Medium.' Now every artist knows without + Hegel that his idea, or, if he prefers to think so, nature's + idea within and through him, appears or manifests itself in + the sensuous material, in colours if he be a painter, or stone + if he be a sculptor, but this would be worse than trite, it + would be intelligible to a plain understanding. _Idee_ has a + far deeper meaning. If you hear a German flourishing away with + the magic word, ask him what he means. He will tell you, + perhaps, that it is das Absolute or der objective Geist as + distinguished from the Begriff or subjectiver Geist, or rather + the indifference of both, and that is neither one nor t'other, + but potentially either, or the _an sich_, or _an und fuer + sich_, or rather the _an, fuer, ueber sich_; at last after much + _hin und herreiten_ you get some faint glimmering of what is + meant; perhaps what some people call the soul in nature, or in + still plainer English, nature, or the unknown cause of all we + see, not an abstraction but a real entity, impersonal, + however, and therefore not a god, acting according to certain + laws, unconsciously in external nature (in ihrem Anders'sein) + coming to itself--acting consciously in man, but more + reflectively in science, more instructively in art. Well, you + have caught the _Idee_ at last (perhaps!) through its many + Proteus-like changes and recognise an old friend after + all--scratch your head, and ask whether you are any wiser than + before. 'Das scheinen der Idee durch ein sinnliches + Material'--in the Madonna of Raphael, for instance--'ist das + Schoene.' Why then, says Punch, not equally so in the pork-pie + and the mustard-pot, since the _Idee_ manifests itself equally + in both. The German solves the difficulty by "Sie sind ein + practischer Englaender, und haben keinen speculativen Geist." + In the meantime, let us hope that nature will use you as her + tool to carry out in colours and canvas some of her beautiful + ideas, and leave it to the German to find out how the + practical Englishman who has not read Hegel's "AEsthetics" has + set about it. That you may accomplish this to the utmost + extent of your wishes is the sincere wish of, dear Fred, your + affectionate father, + + FREDC. LEIGHTON. + + _P.S._--"Werkzeug der Natur" is an idea by no means peculiar + to Hegel. + + "_Your_ birthday-- + + "Dearest Mamma, may it be a right happy one--one that may + serve, and be used, as a pattern to cut out others on. Judging + by your accounts, there is one among you who will contribute + mirth to your enjoyment--one who takes as many shapes as + Proteus, and is always the most welcome of guests; his name is + _Bettering_. In this world confident expectation is a greater + blessing, almost, than fruition. I too, if my directions have + been followed (as I confidingly hope), shall have appeared to + you on the great day _as good as gold_. + + "How grieved I was, dearest Mother, to hear that I had given + so much pain to the kindest of hearts! My excuse, such as it + was, you got in my last letter, which reached probably the day + after you posted your epistle to me; I was sincerely sorry; I + had not, I must confess, any idea of anxious suspense on your + part, as you were not in expectation of any _particular_ news; + I shall in future try to be more deserving of your solicitude; + this time, you see, I am punctual. + + "Health Report. Taking all in all, tol. sat., owing, no doubt, + to the unusually magnificent weather which we have had since I + arrived here; rheumatism, average; colds, not more than usual; + eyes?... hum ... might be better; I suppose macaroni 'al + burro' are not unwholesome--I and Gamba and several others eat + it nearly every day. + + "I now turn to your letter. Little Gussy an authoress! dear + child, it gives one unfeigned pleasure to hear of her + successful _debut_. I have myself had no opportunity of + judging of her talent for writing, but feel convinced that + with her warm heart, impressionable soul, sterling + understanding, and quick powers of observation, whatever she + writes will please a healthy taste. She has my very best + wishes. And yet, what slight cloud was that, I felt pass over + my pleasure, casting (I could not help it) an undefined shadow + on my heart? Did not I feel startled at being so palpably + reminded that the _child_ Gussy no longer exists? Did I not + seem to feel, disagreeably, that the bridge was cut down + behind us, that the last tie was broken that, in Gussy's + person, still linked us to childhood, the buoyantly confiding + age, the irresponsible age? Did not I become, through her, + painfully aware that when I took leave of you, you all sealed + with your kiss the first volume of my life, that I am indeed + launched into the second, that the rehearsal is indeed over + and the curtain drawn up? + + "And do I not feel, even now, a _hypocrite_, _to know_ my + path, and yet so often to deviate from it? Write often, dear + Mother! + + "The hint you gave me about husbanding my time, I shall take + to heart; it is a thing of which I myself full well feel the + necessity and know the unfailing benefit; but I confess that + when I read your quotation from 'Bob,' I felt irresistibly + reminded of the question once put to sage and wise courtiers + by the facetious monarch 'who never said a foolish thing, and + never did a wise one,' viz. Why is a tub of water with a goose + in it lighter than one without? + + "'God help thee, Southey, and thy readers too!' (Byron). + + "Your next question is: Am I comfortably _settled_ in Rome? + Well, I am happy to say that since the first week or fortnight + my prospects have been slowly but steadily brightening, one + cloud after another has passed away, and though I do not + expect to see the bright sky of fulfilled expectations quite + unveiled, yet I look forward to the enjoyment sooner or later + of contentment. I wrote my last letter in a tone of + considerable disheartenment, which I was indeed labouring + under; perhaps it was the triumph of a selfish feeling that + made me communicate my woes to you when it was not in your + power to mend them; but yet it is such a relief to feel that + there are those who are not indifferent to our grievances, who + rejoice when _we_ rejoice, and weep when _we_ weep; and then, + too, it seemed to me that perhaps a word from you might throw + a new light on my position and give me new reason to be + comforted. Meanwhile, altered circumstances have reassured me + on some points, and my own reason has pacified me on others + which I saw to be irremediable; the prospect of emulation of a + peculiar kind, such as I found in Steinle, and generally + speaking in the German school (I do not mean the emulation of + industry which I find amply in Gamba, or in the science of the + art which I have lately discovered amongst certain young + Frenchmen, but that which affects the animating _spirit_ of + the art, the _spiritual_ taste, the tendency of one's + thoughts), I have entirely renounced; the visions that I had + (God knows why, for I don't think I ever expected to grasp + them) of a time like that of Steinle's sojourn in Rome, when + so many master-minds were united together in friendly strife, + all inspired by the same spirit, all going hand in hand--have + all faded away, and only linger in my mind as a sweet + regretted image, like the gentle glow of twilight in the + western sky when the cold moon is already in the heavens. But + I have, on the other hand, seen reason to believe that this + will turn out for my good; that it is proper that I should, + once for all, and in all things, accustom myself to the idea + that I am, or should be, a _self-dependent_ and + _self-actuated_ being, accountable to myself for good and for + evil; that I must therefore learn to build and rely on my own + resources, and remember the most important of truths, that if + the growth of my art is to be healthy, lasting, fruit-bearing, + it must, though fostered from without, be rooted deeply in, + and receive its vital sap from the soil of my own mind. Still, + I have thought it good to hang up in my studio a work of + Cornelius and one or two of Steinle, to animate myself by + dwelling constantly on _an idea of excellence_ (not _ideal_, I + hate such stuff) irrespective of the _specific mode_ in which + it is manifested; and in this I think I have chosen the _juste + milieu_--so far my reason. Yet I do not deny that I every now + and then feel longings and regrets that make me feel the truth + of those lovely words-- + + "'We look before and after, + And pine for what is not; + Our sincerest laughter + With _some_ pain is fraught.' + + "Among the irremediable disappointments on which I have to + put the best face, is that of not seeing Oakes here this + winter. From a man of warm feelings, of tastes congenial to my + own, of a cultivated and liberal mind, I had hoped to derive + much pleasure and especially advantage, and thus to have + supplied in some measure the void which must arise (and, alas! + remain) in my brain from want of time, want of robuster + health, want of eyes. A friendship, too, of mutual seeking is + so agreeable a thing. Matters stand so: when I was in Florence + I received from him a letter full of a kind and friendly + spirit, in which he seized with eagerness at the idea of + spending a winter with me in Rome; he was already in Paris, + where he was in treaty with a travelling servant in order to + continue his journey; he had written to you (did you get the + letter?) to know where he was most likely to catch me up; he + was anticipating the enjoyment we should find together in + Venice, or in Florence, or wherever we should meet; this + letter has been waiting for me a month at the post. I arrive + in Rome, and look anxiously about for Oakes, who, I suppose, + must already have arrived; no Oakes--no + news--suspense--despair; at last a letter: he has been + recalled from Paris; he is obliged, willy nilly, to stand for + his borough (Conservative, Ministerial); he is an M.P. + + "Another disappointment, hitherto, is the non-arrival of the + Laings; I had promised myself great enjoyment in Isabel's + society; the footing on which we stand is such an agreeable + one: enough familiarity (for old friendship's sake) to make + our intercourse easy--a relaxation; enough restraint to refine + it and make it improving; she plays, too. Music! How I yearn + for music, which I never hear in the land best adapted to + foster it; music, that humanises the soul, that calls forth + all that is refined and elevated and glowing and impassioned + in one's breast, and without which the very lake of one's + heart ('il lago del cuore,' Dante) stagnates and is + congealed. I express myself extravagantly, but my words flow + from my heart. + + "Again, the studio, which I at last found, though snug and + cheerful, very (let's give the devil his due), is, in its + professional capacity, bad beyond description; the light is + execrable; I could not dream of painting a picture in it + (thank God, I have only taken it till spring), scarcely even a + portrait, 'which is absurd,' Euclid, hem. What a list of + lucubrations! for goodness' sake, let me look at the gay side + of the picture. It has been a great comfort to me all through + that all the artists resident here, whom I have spoken to on + the subject, felt on first arriving the same kind of + disappointment that I did, and that all by degrees have + acquired the conviction that, after all, it's the best place + in the world for study. I have myself begun to feel what an + incalculable advantage it is always to have models at your + disposition whenever, and _however_, you want them; I look + forward, too, with the greatest delight to the studies that I + shall make this summer in the exquisitely beautiful spots to + which the artists always take refuge from the heat and malaria + of Rome. I long to find myself again face to face with Nature, + to follow it, to watch it, and to copy it, closely, + faithfully, ingenuously--as Ruskin suggests, 'choosing + nothing, and rejecting nothing.' I have come to the conviction + that the best way for an historical painter to bring himself + home to Nature, in his own branch of the art, is strenuously + to study _landscape_, in which he has not had the opportunity, + as in his own walk, of being crammed with prejudices, + conventional, flat--academical. But I am getting to the end of + my paper, and I have as yet said but little to the point; I + have not yet answered Papa's question about my sketching, and + therefore that I may not seem to be shirking the point, I + shall just tell you that amongst the sketches that I have made + (mostly architectural) are some by _far the best I ever + did_.[24] I have also to justify Marryat about not writing; I + got his letters the other day with a kind note to say that he + had been ill; that to the Princess Doria has availed me + nothing, as she is in mourning for her father, Lord + Shrewsbury; that to the Prince Massimo has opened to me at + once two of the first and most exclusive houses in Rome, those + of his two sisters, the Princess Lancelotti and the Duchess + del Drago. Enough for to-day. Good-bye, dearest Mother. Very + best love to all. Think often of your dutiful and affectionate + son, + + "FRED LEIGHTON. + + "I am ashamed to think of the time I have taken writing this + letter; not from want of ideas, not from any great difficulty + in expressing them, but from the great difficulty I have in + getting at them, controlling them, holding them fast. + + "'A saucepan without a handle. + Soup without a spoon.' + + "VIA DI PORTA PINCIANA, N. 8." + + "ROMA, VIA DI PORTA PINCIANA, N.V. + (_Postmark, Jan. 5, 1853._) + + "DEAR PAPA,--When I received, the other day, your kind and + most interesting letter, and felt the appropriateness of your + admonitions--felt, too, how foolish it is for me, who am + ignorance personified (in certain matters, at least) to waste + _my_ time in speculations on subjects beyond my grasp, and to + exhaust _your_ patience by twaddling them out to you, whilst + your own penetrating and comprehensive mind takes, in + preference, a practical view of the subject--a question + suddenly presented itself to me: Bless my soul! what will he + say to the epistle I have just sent off? For, as you, by this + time, know yourself, it is, though perhaps less groggy than + the last, still insufficient in point of practical purport; a + _messed-up_ dish, not a joint. I hasten, if possible, to make + 'amende honorable' by communicating to you in language as + concise as possible whatever information you either express or + hint a desire to have. + + "One word only, a farewell one, on the subject of my + _ci-devant_ digressions; no, _three_ words; I must say in my + own justification. 1st. That when I sat down to write, it was + always with an idea of telling all (or nearly), and all in + detail, too, from which I was prevented by invariably getting + to the end of my paper, my time, and my eyes (as it would try + them to cross) before I had accomplished my object; 2nd. That + I have been discursive with an idea of entertaining for a time + the suffering members of the family; 3rd. That all my abstract + drawl, though it in some cases abutted in tenets that I had at + different times heard you let fall, was _altogether_ my own; + indeed it was, perhaps, the consciousness of the instinctive + _self-suggestedness_ of such thoughts that made me turn round + on myself and take an objective view of ditto. A philosopher + is very like a dog trying to catch his own tail. + + "Now to business. You speak of my eyes; I cannot conceal from + you that they are worse than they were at Frankfurt, but I do + not know whether I can say that they are _getting gradually_ + worse; everybody takes some time in getting _acclimatise_ to + Rome; my sufferings may perhaps be ascribed to that. I intend + for some months to give up the nude in the evening. Your + advice about gathering information from the conversation of + men of cultivated mind I would most gladly follow, but, alas, + I only know _two_ really well-informed people here, and one is + an old man I hardly ever see. There is no fear of my drawing + my compositions too small, for (I shall tell you why + presently) I am drawing _none at all_, and probably shall draw + none for a considerable time; but close and minute study of + Nature in its details is, as I now see more plainly than ever, + of paramount importance. I come to another point which it is + difficult to touch with conciseness: have I made any progress? + Perhaps I am not entitled to answer positively in the + affirmative till I shall have painted some portrait or picture + better than anything I have yet produced; this I have not yet + had an opportunity of doing; but if, from superlative + confidence, having fallen to a more beseeming diffidence, if + having improved and chastened my taste, if having become more + anxiously aware of the extent of my task and more deeply + humbled by those who have fulfilled it, may be called + progress, then I can answer: Yes, I have made a step. + + "I was deeply impressed with the glorious works of art I saw + in Venice and Florence, and was particularly struck with the + exquisitely _elaborate_ finish of most of the leading works by + _whatever_ master; the highest possible finish combined with + the greatest possible breadth and grandeur of disposition in + the principal masses; art with the old masters was full of + love, refined, utterly sterling. I had got during my journey + through the Tyrol into a frame of mind that rendered me + particularly accessible to such impressions; I had been + dwelling with unwearied admiration on the exquisite grace and + beauty of the details, as it were, of Nature; every little + flower of the field had become to me a new source of delight; + the very blades of grass appeared to me in a new light. You + will easily understand that, under the influence of such + feelings, I felt the greatest possible reluctance to _sketch_ + in the hasty manner in which one does when travelling; I + shunned the idea of approaching Nature in a manner which + seemed to me disrespectful, and the consequence was that until + I got to Verona I did not touch a pencil. In Venice and + Florence, however, I made several drawings, some of which are + most highly finished, and afforded me, whilst I was occupied + on them, that most desirable kind of contentment, the + consciousness of endeavour. Of course I was obliged to conquer + to a certain extent my aversion to anything but finished + works, and accordingly I made a considerable number of + _sketches_ 'proprement dits.' With regard to composing, + however, I still feel the same paralysing diffidence, I cannot + make up my mind to draw compositions like those I have + hitherto produced, but, at the same time, I feel that I am as + yet incapable of drawing any in the manner I should wish, and + as I see no prospect of such a desirable state of things till + I have spent a summer in the mountains and drawn landscape, + men and animals for several months, it is very unlikely that I + shall put my hand to anything original till next winter; then + I shall pour myself out with a vengeance. When I left + Frankfurt I asked Steinle whether I should compose the first + winter; he answered: '_Oh, wenn Sie moegen._' He foresaw how it + would be. It gives me great comfort to feel that I am quietly + settled to study for some years in one place, and that I am + able to make plans for the future without having to reckon on + removals and changes. Meanwhile, this winter I take models, I + have been studying the anatomy of the horse, I shall draw at + the Vatican from Raphael and Michael Angelo (_perhaps_, too, + from the antique), &c. &c. A digression, whilst I think of it: + I think that the pains in my eyes are in some measure nervous, + for mentioning them invariably brings them on, in broad + daylight. About the little emulation I find here I have spoken + in my last letter. The general tone here (of course with some + exceptions) is one of public toadying mediocrity. There is + here one young Frenchman, remarkable for correctness but + coldly scientific (only in his art), without that warmth and + spontaneity which give such a peculiar charm to works of + genius. Overbeck was endlessly courteous and praised me very + highly, talked of the artists in Rome acquiring in us 'einen + aechten Zuwachs' ('a real addition'), but the half century + between our respective ages and his pietistical manner make me + sure that we shall derive but little advantage from him; I + neither expected nor wished to find a second Steinle. + + "As for Powers, though he was very polite to me in his own + sort of way, I am pretty certain that he had entirely + forgotten, nor did he ask me to show him anything. You may + console yourself on that score--a sculptor, especially one who + can do little but busts (however pre-eminently good they may + be, and _his_ are), can very seldom judge well of pictures. + Gibson, the great sculptor, whom I know very well, and who + shows me great kindness by-the-bye, has about as little + judgment in painting as a man well can. That I _do_ find + models here, and many other material advantages, I told you in + the letter that you lately received. + + "I have now, dear Papa, answered all your questions; it only + remains for me to thank you for your poignant and admirably + practical remarks on the German philosophers--remarks, I + assure you, which have quite answered their purpose; both they + and the kind wishes you have expressed concerning my future + advancement shall not have been thrown away on your grateful + and affectionate son, + + "FRED LEIGHTON." + + [Illustration: STUDY OF HEAD FOR "CIMABUE'S MADONNA." 1853 + Erroneously supposed to be the Portrait of Lord Leighton + Leighton House Collection] + + (_Postmark, Jan. 5, '53._) + + "DEAREST MAMMA,--To your appendix an appendix. Paper and time + force me to laconism. + + "My personal discomforts, for which you show such kind + sympathy, are, I am happy to say, now only very slight; the + only thing I suffer annoyance from is my stove, which makes my + head ache; with regard, however, to beating a retreat, I must + candidly tell you that I see my only chance of coming to + anything is studying here steadily for _some three_ years; + the more so that it is by all accounts only at the end of the + first year that one feels all the advantages which Rome + affords. My plans seem to be these: this winter, studies; next + summer, ditto, in the mountains, or wherever it is coolest; + next winter, pictures, portraits, compositions; summer after, + Paris, see the large Veronese (which was invisible the last + time I was there); from Paris to Bath to see all you darlings + again, spend two or three weeks in England studying its + character under the ciceroneship of Oakes, that thorough + Briton, and collecting materials for some large (in meaning if + not in size) picture to be painted in Rome during the third + winter, and to be my firstling in an English exhibition; I + feel that one day my painting will have a strongly national + bias. That autumn I should probably return to Rome _via_ Spain + to see the Murillos, &c. + + "When you next write to Lady Pollington, pray remember me very + kindly to her; her merry face and facetious ways are still + before me. Lord Walpole, whom you mention as coming to Rome, + and whom I shall know if he does, is indeed, I believe, a very + agreeable and clever man. The Henry Walpoles have been very + civil to me; Mrs. Walpole told me that if I wrote to you I was + to give her best--I think she said, _love_--for that you were + a great favourite of hers. + + "Here I must absolutely close, though I have plenty more to + say. My very best thanks to Papa and you all for the kind + presents, but I don't see why you won't allow me the pleasure + of giving you anything. As I have written this letter + immediately after the other, I cannot promise to write again + soon. To yourselves, very best love from your dutiful and + affect. + + "FRED LEIGHTON." + +The following letters from Steinle are evidently the first Leighton +received in Rome from his master. No comment on them is necessary. +Every line is evidence of the affectionate quality and beauty of the +nature that so permanently influenced Leighton's for good. + + _Translation._] "FRANKFURT AM MAIN, + _January 6, 1853_. + + "MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Although I do not know your address, + and am uncertain whether this will reach you, yet I can no + longer withstand the urging of my heart; I only know that you + and Gamba are in Rome, that you have visited Overbeck, as he + himself has written me; assuming, however, that you also visit + the Cafe Greco, I will risk that address. Your spirited lines + from Venice reached me safely, and I can truly say that since + then my thoughts and my good wishes for you and for Gamba have + daily accompanied you. A report which has been circulated + here, that you, Gamba, and Andre had been attacked by robbers, + made me anxious for a time, and I expected from day to day + that you would yourself write me something about this + adventure--in vain. Overbeck writes me now that it would give + him particular satisfaction to be able to help or serve you in + any way during your stay in Rome, and cordially wishes that + you and Gamba would give him the opportunity to do so, but + unfortunately he knew nothing else about you to tell me. What + Schaeffer writes me is also so extremely scanty, that for all + that concerns you and Rico I am thrown back on my own thoughts + and suppositions. That you are both absent from me is + unfortunately a painful truth; as to whether the ideal life + which from old and dear habit I still live with you, be also + true, the future, I hope, may show. I have an idea that you, + dear friend, and perhaps also your faithful comrade, already + suffer from the artistic fever of Rome, which every one feels + in the first year. It is that glorious old Rome, with her + wealth, and the multitude of her impressions, which works so + powerfully upon the receptive mind, that it can retain nothing + in contradiction, and cannot escape her influence; this period + is one of discomfort, because we feel ourselves oppressed; but + though it is of the greatest value, and no doubt bears rich + fruit, the work of artists of to-day is neither in a position + to offer you anything important, nor to deceive you in sight + of the old masters; if the multitude of impressions is first + gradually assimilated, if everything is assigned its place, if + we take a wide survey, and can stride forward freely in + pursuit of the goal set before us, then only does that + wonderful spirit which hovers over Rome rise up in us strong + and inspiring, and then we are able to recognise what we have + actually won in the fight with discomfort. Thus, and in + similar circumstances, I fancy that my dear friends are in the + same case as the bees, which swarm, and toil with all the load + they collect, but cannot make honey by perpetual sucking. That + is inconvenient and oppressive, but ah! when this time is + past, what wealth will they unfold, with what comfort will + they look upon the well-filled satchel, how quickly they will + recognise that such wealth pays interest for the whole life! + But if it is otherwise, dear friend, then laugh at the + all-wise Steinle, and resolve finally to free him from such + delusions, and to set the matter before his eyes as it really + is, and be you assured of one thing, that he always wishes + that everything may be good and prosperous for you, that all + that you are longing to attain you may attain, and that + Almighty God may guard you and Rico from all ill! You can have + had no idea with what feelings your friend would read your + vigorous, spirited lines from Venice. I received them, on my + return, from Gamba, a very dear lad, and could not help being + sorry that you, who have become so dear to me, should know + absolutely nothing of what distressed your friend. We are men; + hear, then, the news. Returning from Switzerland, I heard of + the illness of my daughter Anna, in Metz, and I and my wife + hurried to her, and spent six sorrowful days by the death-bed + of my little sixteen-year-old daughter. After the funeral, I + came back here, and finished 'The Raising of Jairus' + Daughter.' The real pleasure of my art I felt shrink from me + day by day in Metz; and now all my pleasure depends upon the + beloved art, for happiness is more and more confined within + the four walls of my _atelier_. Do not read any complaint in + this; I have learnt much sadness, but have also found rich + cause to thank God from my heart. What manner of children + should we be, if we would not kiss the rod when we are + chastised? And now, dear friend, with all my heart a greeting + to Rome, and to all who remember me kindly. All friends here + send greetings to you and Gamba, including Casella il + Professore; Senator Nay is in Rome. I hope with all my heart + that you have good news of your dear ones, and remain, always + and altogether yours, + + "STEINLE." + + [Illustration: VIEW OF SUBIACO, NEAR ROME. 1853 + Leighton House Collection] + + _Translation._] + + "MOST ESTEEMED HERR STEINLE,--When you receive these lines I + shall have already been long in the lovely land wherein I lack + nothing but your presence; I beg you to accept from me the + accompanying translation of the first volume of the works of + the Father of English Poetry as a little remembrance; whether + it is a good rendering of the great master I cannot judge, as + at the moment of writing it has not arrived; but one thing I + can answer for: it is the only volume of the only translation + of Chaucer into the German language in existence; I only + regret that there is also no Italian version; may it serve you + as a souvenir of your devoted and grateful pupil, + + "FRED LEIGHTON." + + "FRANKFURT A/M." + + _Translation._] + "ROME, VIA DELLA PURIFICAZIONE No. 11, + _January 11_. + + "MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--At last I am able to write you a few + words, and (although very late) to send you my very best good + wishes and congratulations for the New Year. I am sure that + you will be kind enough to forgive my long silence, and will + believe me when I tell you that I absolutely could not help + it. I hope with all my heart that in the meantime you have + been well and strong, and that your beautiful works have + progressed in accordance with your wishes. How has the + experiment with the new ground turned out? Have you already + started on the other cartoon? I, for my part, have experienced + the fact that to make plans and to carry them out are two + different things; for nothing has come of the pictures which I + set myself to paint. I have already told you in Frankfurt, + dear Master, how painfully my deficiency pressed upon me, and + how clearly I felt that my works lacked a highly genuine + finish in the form, an intimate knowledge of nature; this + consciousness had so increased when I arrived in Rome that + without more ado I determined to employ myself during the + whole winter exclusively upon school tasks, and by all means + to endeavour to rid my artistic capacity a little of this + defect; so now I continually paint study heads, which I try to + finish as much as possible, and in which I especially have + good modelling in view; that I have achieved this, + unfortunately I cannot yet assert, but I derive great + enjoyment from the attempt, and hope that my efforts will not + remain unrewarded; I shall then next year, if I come to the + painting of pictures again, go to work with greater knowledge + and clearness, and shall be able, I hope, to clothe my ideas + more suitably. + + "I have nothing further to report of myself. I hope, my dear + Friend, to receive a few lines from you, telling me what you + are doing, for you know well how deeply interested I am. + + "Will you be so kind as to tell Mr. Welsch that my trouble to + find the Palazzo Scheiderff was in vain, and I have also + unluckily not seen his brother? If I pass through Florence + again in spring, I will try my luck once more. And now, adieu, + dear Master. Kindest remembrances to your wife and children, + and to you the warmest greeting, from your grateful pupil, + + "LEIGHTON." + + _Translation._] + "FRANKFURT AM MAIN, + _March 24, 1853_. + + "MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--My desire for news of you and Gamba was + certainly great, but I possessed my soul in patience, for I + was convinced that it would come at last; you and Rico have + given me so many proofs of your love and friendship, that I + was able to face with perfect calm and confidence all the + numerous and impatient questions for news of you which came to + me. Now, however, I see by your welcome lines, to my inward + regret, that some restrained anxiety about you is justified, + and while on one hand I greatly regret the weakness of your + eyes and in a manner suffer with you, yet I have also my + consoling argument that the Roman climate, at a better time of + year, will certainly be good for your ailment, and that my + Leighton can rise up again, that he will not lose courage. But + whatever joy I had when you and your noble friends bore such + splendid witness of one another, I cannot express myself as + very easily satisfied; that you, in your efforts, would stand + alone in Rome, I knew well, I am sure you are cut out for it, + and it appears to me, even, as if every good heart that rises + to a happy independence nowadays, must feel his loneliness, I + might even say, that it must in order to give skill and power + of conviction. The better you get to know Rome, the more you + will learn to love her, and much will be freely given, when + once the year of struggle is past, that could never be seized + by force. How much I have rejoiced over all that you write of + your and Rico's studies, how I should like to see them! Cling + now to nature, you are quite right, you will not lose the art + of composition, for it is not a thing that can be acquired: it + is a gift, and one that you and Rico possess. Now, indeed, it + always seems to me, when I consider the highest aims of art, + and indeed the greatest capacities of man, that there should + be a certain equalisation of the various powers, and it + strikes me as indispensable, if we are not to become + one-sided, that we should by such equalisation balance these + various powers so as to achieve a _complete harmony_. Thus, + however great a delicacy goose-liver may be, it always + indicates a diseased goose, the monstrous enlargement of an + organ, &c.; I do not say this by way of blame, and am thinking + perhaps too much only of my own feeble powers, but merely as a + little warning that it may be well to keep in view. Do not + think that it is the Professor asserting himself, I say this + only as a matter of experience and because you and Rico lie + very close to my heart, and are associated with my own feeling + of the sacredness of art. I have, however, no anxiety; you + have good and noble natures, and will not lose the tracks of + truth. Spare and save your eyes, I hope that you will soon be + quite free from this ill, and then--forward! What you write me + of the friends is certainly quite correct, and I myself + thought no otherwise; Overbeck is the purest and noblest man + that I have ever met; moreover a genius--therefore I rejoice + that you and Rico know him; he speaks with feeling and + judgment of his art. Excuse, dear Leighton, my forgetfulness; + I have not thought of the dear and lovely present which with + your note surprised me so pleasantly on my return--I mean the + powerful and rich Chaucer; I find the prologue splendid, + rather knotty, but the Germans of that time are still + knottier. I thank you heartily. Of myself, I can inform you, + that I daily rejoice more over the grey canvas; I have worked + two months on my picture of the 'Whitsun-sermon,' and now in + three weeks have painted half the picture, and am, even though + somewhat exhausted, not altogether discontented with the + result. This picture, which grows daily more like a fresco, is + getting on fast, but much still remains to be done, and I have + the progress of the whole picture in hand. Of the friends + here, I can tell you that all speak of you and Gamba with love + and sympathy, and that you are kindly remembered by all. Thank + Rico cordially for his welcome note; if you and Rico always + call me 'master,' a title which abashes me, we shall be + friends, and I hope that as I grow old in years, at least I + shall remain young in art. Tell Rico that I had a visit from + his grandmother, who loves him dearly; with a few lines he + would give her extreme pleasure. Now, adio, dear friend; equip + yourself with patience and courage, and keep sad thoughts far + from you. Greet all friends from me most heartily, also I have + to send to you and Gamba warmest greetings from all here, + including my wife, Frau Ruth Schlosser, and Casella. Let me + hear sometimes how you get on. Always and altogether yours, + + "EDW. STEINLE." + + (_Postmark, March 28, 1853. + Received April 6._) (_On cover_--Mrs. Leighton, + 1 Brock Street, Bath, England.) + "ROME, VIA DE PORTA PINCIANA 8. + + "DEAREST MAMMA,--If I did not, as was naturally my first + impulse, answer your letter directly I received it, it was + because Isabel's[25] portrait has of late taken up all the + time, or rather eyes, that I can dispose of; this being, + however, a _drying_ day, I seize the opportunity of making up + for lost time. As I have mentioned the portrait, I may as well + say _en passant_ that I expect it to be a very successful + likeness, and as decent a painting as a thing done in so + desultory a manner can be expected to be; Gamba admires it + very much, and intends to copy some parts. I was much touched + at the affectionate sympathy you show for me in my visitation, + and am as glad for you as for myself to say that there is a + decided improvement in the state of my eyes, so that, although + they are by no means _well_, it would hardly be worth while to + go to a doctor for a written account of my symptoms; the more + so as Dr. Small, who is a man very well thought of, thinks it + all depends on the weather, and will go away when fine weather + sets in, which God give! Add to this that several people of my + acquaintance, _i.e._ Mrs. Sartoris and Mrs. Walpole, who never + had anything the matter with their eyes, find them affected + now. About two months ago I went to consult Dr. Small, or + rather, on calling on him one day he _had me up_ + professionally, for I felt a delicacy about going myself, as + he had told me that he would be very happy to be of service to + me _without_ any remuneration. Finding that Dr. Small's + prescription had done me no perceptible good, I determined at + last to go to a homoeopathic physician, of whom I heard great + things. He was originally the apothecary of Hahneman (do I + spell the name rightly?) the father of Homoeopathy. Under his + hands I certainly improved rapidly; but it so happened that, + just as I went to him, the rains, which had lasted without + interruption for six weeks, ceased, and we had some days of + glorious weather--now, who cured me, Jove or the apothecary? + The weather is now as bad again as ever; but though less well, + I have not _relapsed_ with it. Most days I can paint three or + four hours (I don't think I could draw), and the other + evening I even read half an hour with a lamp without feeling + pain; what a pass things have come to that that should be a + boast! I confess that the little I do, I do without energy or + great enjoyment. I have not yet given my eyes the fair trial + of complete rest which, when the Laings go, I shall be able, + through your kind promise of a piano and singing lessons, to + do for a fortnight or three weeks. My sincere thanks to Papa + for his kindness and liberality. I shall begin immediately + after the holy week, for until the _forestieri_, of which + there are a fabulous number, have gone to their respective + summer quarters, neither piano nor masters are in any way + come-at-able. + + "Having now spoken of my health, I return to your letter, for + I find that the only way of writing at all to the point, is to + answer sentence for sentence the questions and remarks you ask + and make, and in the same order. + + "I indeed count myself fortunate in having the acquaintance of + Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris; it is a source of the greatest + enjoyment to me; they show me the most marked kindness, which + I value all the more because it is for my own sake, and not + for that of a dinners-demanding letter of introduction. I am + never there less than three times a week, and often more; I + have dined with them _en famille_ four times, and it is only + seven weeks since I made their acquaintance. Although I have a + good many friends here, it is the only house which it is + improving to me to frequent; her conversation is most + agreeable to me, not from any knowledge she displays, but from + her great refinement of feeling and taste; her husband is an + enthusiastic amateur painter. I also meet there a young man of + the name of Cartwright, a very old friend of theirs, who seems + to me to possess an extraordinary amount of information, a + mine which I have already begun to 'exploiter' to my own + profit. + + "I have made a considerable number of acquaintances, and have + had more than enough parties, for people have a habit here of + receiving once a week, so that, especially towards the end of + the season, there never was an evening when I could not have + gone somewhere, and often I had two or three places for one + night; I used often to stay away from them, till I was afraid + of offending people, which one does not wish to do when one + experiences kindness from them. Then came a long series of + arrears, which I found most monotonously tiring, for I am more + lazy about dressing for a party than ever; more than once, + when I have gone to my room to go through that hateful + operation, I have slipped into bed instead of into my glazed + boots; and yet, if I had taken the steps a great many young + men do take, I should have gone to twice the number of places. + Now all this was very well for this winter, as I could do + nothing else on account of my eyes, but next year I shall turn + over quite a new leaf; in the first place, give up dancing + altogether--it is too fatiguing; and in the next, go nowhere + but to my old acquaintances (of this winter, I mean). + + "I have lionised Isabel all over Rome, and devoted to her + nearly all my afternoons since she came; it is the luckiest + thing in the world, her coming here at a time when I am not + able to paint; she is going in a few days; you may easily + imagine that I have not slept in the afternoons since she has + been here. + + "Gamba is, as you rightly suggested, far too straitened to go + into society; however, he no way requires it, he has good + health and untiring industry, and requires no such relaxation. + As my paper is coming to an end, I must pass over the rest of + your letter more rapidly. I fully feel with you that it is + better in many respects that I should not go to Frankfurt, but + I confess that when I saw it was out of the question, I felt + painfully having to wait another year before seeing you; + however, it is for the best. I am interested in hearing that + you have bought a house in Bath; it looks as if you had at + last found an anchor in your own country; is the society of + Bath really agreeable? I always hear it spoken of in a jocular + tone. What becomes of the Frankfurt house? You won't sell it, + will you? Pray remember me most kindly to Kate Chamberlayne, + and thank her for giving such an unworthy a corner in her + memory. + + "And now, dear Mamma, I must close. Pray write very soon, and + give me a quantity of news about all your doings; tell me how + dear Lina gets on and Gussy's Pegasus." + +The preceding letter contains the first mention that I have seen of +Leighton's friends, Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris, who were to be so much to +him during twenty-five years of his life. He had known them seven +weeks when he wrote it, and already Rome had become a happier place. +All that most interested him in social intercourse was satisfied in +their companionship, and in that of the intimate circle of friends who +frequented their house. It soon became a second home, a home doubly +welcome, as Leighton felt keenly being separated from his family. Mr. +Sartoris was a fairly good amateur artist, and was considered by his +friends to be a first-rate critic of painting. To Leighton's reasoning +mind, ever prone to analyse and to give expression to the results of +his analysis, it must have been inspiringly interesting to discuss art +in general and his own in particular with one who had a natural gift +for criticism. + +Again, music was ever a joy to Leighton, a joy only equalled by that +inspired by his own art. Mrs. Sartoris (Adelaide Kemble), imbued with +the noble dramatic instincts and traditions of the Kembles, was not +only a great singer, but a great musician, and had in all matters a +fine taste, bred of true and deep feeling united with keen natural +perceptions. In Miss Thackeray's "Preface to a Preface" to Mrs. +Sartoris' delightful story, "A Week in a French Country House," she +quotes the description of one who had known the two sisters, Fanny and +Adelaide Kemble, from their youth: "Mrs. Kemble is essentially poetic +and dramatic in her nature; Mrs. Sartoris, so much of an artist, +musical, with a love for exquisite things and all that belongs to form +and colour." (Some of us remember hearing Lord Leighton say that, +though Mrs. Sartoris did not paint, she was a true painter in her +sense of beauty of composition, in her great feeling for art.) Another +old friend, referring to Mrs. Sartoris, with some show of reason +deprecated any attempt to record at all that which was unrecordable: +"Would you give a dried rose-leaf as a sample of a garden of roses to +one who had never seen a rose?" she exclaims, recalling, not without +emotion, the golden hours she had spent, the talks she had once +enjoyed in the Warsash Pergola. "You have only to speak of things as +they are," said a great critic who had known Mrs. Sartoris in her +later years. "Use no conventional epithets: those sisters are beyond +any banalities of praise." Again, take another verdict: "That fine and +original being, so independent and full of tolerance for the young; +sympathising even with _misplaced_ enthusiasm, entering so vividly +into a girl's unformed longings. When I first knew her, she seemed to +me to be a sort of revelation; it was some one taking life from an +altogether new and different point of view from anything I had ever +known before." Such are the descriptions given by those who knew her +intimately of the lady who held out so kind a welcoming hand to +Leighton when, as a youth of twenty-two, he started for the first time +alone on the journey of life. I saw Mrs. Sartoris only two or three +times at the house of our mutual friends, Mrs. Nassau Senior and Mrs. +Brookfield. It was during the last years of Mrs. Sartoris' life, when +illness and sorrow had marked her noble countenance with suffering. A +friend of mine, however, who was greatly attached to Mrs. Sartoris, +would often talk to me of her. My friend had had exceptional +opportunities of coming in contact with the most distinguished minds +in Europe. She told me she had never met with any personality who +naturally, and apparently without effort, so completely dominated all +others who were present. However distinguished the guests might be at +a dinner, Mrs. Sartoris, she said, was invariably the centre of +interest to all present. + +The Sartoris children were another source of delight to Leighton in +this home. No greater child-lover ever existed. He writes, moreover, +that all social pleasures which he enjoyed during the three years he +lived in Rome he owed to these friends. + +With life brightened and inspired by their sympathy, and by all the +sources of interest and culture which their society included, Leighton +began brooding over the work which he meant should embody the best of +his attainments so far as they were then developed. Florence and her +art had cast a spell on his spirit very early in his existence. He had +become especially enamoured of Giotto, the half-Catholic, the +half-Greek Giotto. Pheidias had not yet touched him intimately; but +his loving, spontaneous appreciation of this Florentine master, whose +work in one sense echoes the secret of the noble, serene sense of +beauty to be found in that of the Greeks, proves that in very early +days Leighton's receptive powers were alive to it. The subject which +inspired his first great effort appealed especially to Leighton from +more than one point of view. In the historical incident which he chose +was evinced the great reverence and appreciation with which the early +Florentines regarded art, even when expressed in the archaic form of +Cimabue's painting. The fact of his picture of the Madonna causing so +much public enthusiasm was in itself a glorification of art; a witness +that in the integral feelings of these Italians such enthusiasm for +art could be excited in all classes of the people. One of the +doctrines Leighton most firmly believed, and most often expressed, was +that of the necessity of a desire for beauty among the various classes +of a nation, poor and rich alike, before art of the best could become +current coin.[26] In painting the scene of Cimabue's Madonna being +carried in triumph through the streets to the Church of Sta. Maria +Novella, Leighton felt he could record not only his own reverence for +his vocation, but the fact that all who follow art with love and +sincerity find a common ground, whatever the class may be to which +they belong. To Steinle, religion and art were as one, and his pupil +had so far been inoculated with his master's feeling that, as his +friend and brother artist, Mr. Briton Riviere, writes: "Art was to +Leighton almost a religion, and his own particular belief almost a +creed." As no difference of class should be recognised in church, so +neither should any be accentuated between artists, when such are +worthy of their calling, a belief which Leighton carried into practice +all his life in his relations with his brother artists. He makes +Cimabue, the noble, lead by the hand the shepherd boy Giotto, who was +destined to outstrip his patron in the race for fame, and to become so +great an influence in the history of his country's art. The magnates +of the city are represented in Leighton's procession as forming part +of it, while Dante, standing in a shadowed corner, is watching it +pass. + +Again, Leighton was afforded an opportunity, in the accessories of the +design, of painting the things which had entranced him in those days +when he first fell in love with Italy; the mediaeval costumes in the +old pictures, the background to the _Citta dei Fiori_ of hills, spiked +with cypresses pointing dark, black-green fingers upwards to the sky, +and the beautiful San Miniato crowning one of their summits, the stone +pines, the carnations, the _agaves_--all these things that had +appealed to his native sense of beauty as such wonderful revelations, +when, at the age of ten, he was transported to the sunlit land of art +and beauty, after being accustomed to the sights and surroundings of a +dingy region in fog-begrimed London. + +The subject of Leighton's early _opus magnum_ was indeed no bare +historical fact to his mind; it was a symbol of everything to which, +in his enthusiasm for his calling, he attached the most earnest +meaning, and which was also steeped in the radiant glamour cast over +his spirit from childhood by the land that inspires all that is most +ardent in the aesthetic emotions of an artist. + +The subject decided on, in the spring-time of 1853 he began working, +as hard as the trouble in his eyes would permit, at the cartoons for +the design. His intention of remaining in Italy during the summer was +frustrated, partly by the unsatisfactory state of his eyes and health +generally, partly by the decision of his family to return to their +home in Frankfort for the summer, before finally settling in Bath. +This change of plans is first mentioned in a letter to Steinle +received February 23, 1853:-- + + _Translation._] + ROME, VIA DI PORTA PINCIANO 8. + + DEAR MASTER AND FRIEND,--How gladly I seize the opportunity to + answer your delightful letter, and to connect myself again + through the post with a man and a time round whom and which so + many dear remembrances cling; that I did not do this + immediately on receipt of your lines, I hope you have not set + down to a possible negligence or to any sort of cooling of my + grateful attachment to you, but that you have + thought,--something has happened, Leighton has not forgotten + me; and so it is; I suffer with my eyes. How sorry I am to + begin a letter by giving you such news, for you expected only + to hear from me of industrious making of progress; therefore + exculpation of my silence is my first duty. The disorder of my + eyes is not painful; I do not suffer with it; I am only + incapacitated. Oh, that I were again in Frankfurt, then I + should be well! Otherwise I am fairly well, and am intensely + eager to do a great deal--and dare not; I am not altogether + incapacitated, only my wings are clipped; I work for two or + three hours every day, but as I cannot accomplish all that I + desire, the little I can affords me the less pleasure; what, + however, particularly damps my ardour is the lack of + intellectual stimulus, because for _nearly six weeks_ I have + not _looked at a book_, for in the evening I simply dare not + do _anything_. I have driven myself out into society, till I + absolutely prefer going to bed. If I could only compose in my + head! but first this was always difficult for my unquiet head, + and secondly I have, in consequence of this moral _Sirocco_, + been blown upon by such a _svoglia-tezza_ that it is quite + impossible; it only remains for me to think sadly of my, and I + may say to you, most sympathetic friend, of our hopeful + expectation, and to vex myself with the recollection of the + zeal and joy with which I had commenced to put my plans into + execution in Venice and Florence. My optic ailment is partly + of the nerves, but principally rheumatic. You can imagine + whether it has been improved by four weeks of unbroken wet + weather! But enough of these complaints. I will now turn to + your letter and answer the points on which you touch. What a + refreshment your lines were to me! They are a mirror of your + warm, rich soul; I read with unfeigned emotion how + sympathetically you still think of your two pupils; you have + not been out of our minds for a moment; see how it is in my + atelier here: in your portrait you are bodily, in your + writings you are spiritually, present with me daily. That I + did not write to you immediately on my arrival was certainly + wrong of me, for then I had not begun to suffer with my eyes; + but my head was in such a maze that I always put off and + thought, I will wait till I hear if he has received my first + lines, quite forgetting that you did not know my address in + Rome. I am sure you will forgive me. What you imagined about + my impressions, agrees at the first blush with the facts, but + as regards the "gathered honey" it has unfortunately turned + out quite differently. I feel as if blighted, and until I have + the full use of my eyes it will not be otherwise. Of Rico I + will say nothing, for he will write himself either to-day or + to-morrow; I can only tell you that so far we have travelled + through Italy in perfect concord and friendship; but there is + one thing that he will not tell you himself, he is + indefatigably industrious, and has made marked progress in + both drawing and painting. One word about my own development. + Since I left Frankfurt, my observations on nature and art, in + all beyond what is technical, have produced in me a curious + shyness, a peculiar and uncomfortable distrust of myself. When + on my journey I saw Nature unfold before my eyes in her + teeming summer glory, and saw how each flower is like a + miracle on her richly worked garment, when I saw how golden + threads wound everywhere through the whole fabric of beauty, + then it seemed to me that the artist could not without + sacrilege pass over the least thing that is sealed with the + love of the Creator; when, later on, I noticed in Venice and + Florence with what love and truth the great Masters had + rendered the smallest, then my feelings arose; I knew only too + well that I, until I should have drawn a multitude of studies, + could not possibly complete a composition in the sense that I + should wish, and otherwise I would not; and the consequence of + this knowledge is that I have not attempted a stroke of + composition, and I often anxiously ask myself whether I could; + thus far it has worked to paralyse me, but on the other hand + it has led me to draw some very complete studies which would + certainly not displease you, dear Master. Finally, I touch + upon a point which, on account of its painfulness, I would + gladly pass over. I heard in Florence from Andre of your + severe loss, and my first impulse was to write to you to + express my sympathy; but when I set about it, I found it so + infinitely difficult to say anything suitable without + irritating your wound, that in the end I forbore. Your + consolation you draw from a higher source than human + friendship. + + We have visited Overbeck several times, and have found him a + dear and estimable old man, but naturally the difference of + age and of aims is too great between us for him to supply + your place with us; besides, I do not wish that he should in + any way supplant Steinle in my memory or affection. + + Flatz and Rhoden have welcomed us both most cordially; your + name is a charm with them; as regards their art, both are + _thoroughly able_, but unfortunately such _literal copyists_ + of Overbeck's style that absolutely no difference is + perceptible; consequently they are quite insipid to me, for I + consider a real independence indispensably necessary in an + artist. From all three I send you most cordial greetings. + + Much as I could still tell you, my dear friend, I must hasten + to a close on account of my eyes. I beg you not to repay my + silence in kind, but when you have a moment, put a few lines + on paper for the encouragement of your distant pupil. I long + also to know how your works prosper, particularly the large + one on the grey canvas with the light from above. + + Accept the assurance of the unalterable, devoted attachment of + your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + It is not impossible that I might come to Frankfurt for a + short time this summer. + + A Monsieur Frederic Leighton, + Frankfort a/M. Poste Restante. BATH, _May 15, 1853_. + + MY BELOVED SON,--I have hardly the courage to tell you how + intense is our joy at the prospect of meeting you, so much + sooner than we had hoped, knowing that our pleasure is + obtained, or will be, at the expense of a grievous + disappointment to your long cherished and quite reasonable + hopes. Your father was quite depressed the whole evening after + the receipt of your last letter. I am sure I need not tell you + how willingly I would relinquish my expected happiness to + promote yours. I shall write but a short letter, as we hope to + be in Frankfort soon after this reaches its destination. + Surely I told you in my last epistle we mean to spend the + summer at home, for the last time to bear that name, alas! I + fear I shall never, in England, feel as I do in Germany when + tolerably well. The climate makes it impossible for me to feel + that springiness of spirit so nearly allied to youthful + feelings which I have often enjoyed at Frankfort and for no + particular reason. It was in the air, but never notice these + observations in your father's presence. He is sufficiently + troubled at the thoughts of depriving me of my beloved house + and garden, which, after all, is done by my own desire. I have + just been reading an extract from a letter to Miss Pakenham + from Mrs. Maquay, partly at that lady's request, that we might + know the agreeable impression you made on her and your + acquaintances at Rome. I will not gratify your vanity by + repeating words of praise that have sunk deep into my mother's + heart; "for the matter of that," I think your father and + sisters are equally pleased at the tribute to your attractive + qualities. + + I will no farther fatigue your eyes as we hope so soon to + embrace you. We fervently hope your eyes will be obedient to + the treatment, which shall enable you to return to Rome for + the winter. You cannot doubt that your father desires as much + as you that you may be in a fit state to return. + + God bless you, my dearest, all unite in this wish, if + possible, more than the others.--Your tenderly attached + Mother, + + A. LEIGHTON. + +Leighton went for medical treatment to Bad Gleisweiler, bei Landau, +and writes to Steinle from there on July 25, 1853:-- + + _Translation._] + + HONOURED AND DEAR FRIEND,--What can you think of me for + leaving you so long without news of me! It certainly did not + occur through forgetfulness, but because I always deferred in + the hope of being able to announce some marked improvement in + my condition, but that is still impossible, although my + general health (particularly in respect of the hardening + against cold-catching) is much stronger, though unfortunately + the improvement in my eyes is not great; this, however, + requires time, and especially patience. I shall be here + another fortnight, then my medical treatment will proceed in a + so-called after-cure (Nachkur); I shall be dieted, take many + baths, work in moderation--ouf! But I will conform to it all + willingly, if only I may very soon return to my adored Italy. + How I cherish the beloved image in my heart! how it comforts + me! how many idle hours it beautifies for me! how mightily it + draws me! The remembrance of the beautiful time spent there + will be riches to me throughout all my life; whatever may + later befall me, however darkly the sky may cloud above me, + there will remain on the horizon of the past the beautiful + golden stripe, glowing, indelible, it will smile on me like + the soft blush of even. In the meantime, I impatiently await + the moment when I shall see you again, my dear friend, and + when I shall be permitted to set before your eyes the work + which we have already discussed together; I shall seek so to + deal with my affairs that you shall not be ashamed of your + grateful and devoted pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _P.S._--I beg to be remembered most kindly to your wife, and + to all my friends. + + (_On envelope_--A. Madame Leighton, + 50 Frankfurt a/M.) + BAD GLEISWEILER, BEI LANDAU. + (_Postmark, July 30, 1853._) + + I had the first quarter last year; so that I shall still be + where I started; however, I can say nothing more myself to + Papa, since he has given me to understand that his reason is + want of confidence in me, for, having rejected the obstacle + which I myself suggested--that he could not afford it--he + leaves no other reason possible. I confess I do not feel much + flattered that this feeling should have so penetrated him as + to make him fall back from me on an occasion so momentous as + the painting of my first exhibiting picture, a moment critical + in my career, and on the immense importance of which nobody + can, at other times, dwell with more disheartening eloquence + than himself; how, he says, do I know that your picture will + succeed? Is it this doubt that makes him throw obstacles in my + way? Nobody is better persuaded than myself of the kindness of + Papa's heart, and of the sincerity of his desire for my + welfare, but he does not seem in any way to realise the + importance of the occasion. Now, if I, like so many other + young men, had gone into the army, he would not--for what + father does?--have hesitated for a moment to provide me with + my complete outfit as required by the rules of the regiment, + for he would have felt that I could not canter about on parade + without a coat; but now that I am girding myself for a far + greater struggle, now that I am about, single-handed, to face + the bitter weapons of public criticism, does he withhold the + sword with which he might arm me, for fear I should waste my + blows on the butterflies that pass me as I march into the + field? At two and twenty I am still in his eyes a schoolboy + whose great aim is to squeeze as much "tin out of the + governor" as he can by any ingenuity contrive. + + Will you remember me most kindly to my uncle, aunt, and + cousins, and take for all yourselves the best love of your + dutiful and affectionate son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +Leighton took the cartoons for his picture of Cimabue's Madonna to +Frankfort to discuss the designs with Steinle and obtain from him his +criticism and advice. In the autumn of 1853, the home in Frankfort was +finally given up, and the family returned to Bath. Leighton, on his +journey back to Rome, stopped some weeks at Florence, to steep himself +afresh in her mediaeval art, and to gather fresh material for the +details of his picture. During this visit, he drew the group of +figures painted _al fresco_ by Taddeo Gaddi on the walls of the +Capella Spagnola of Sta. Maria Novella, which included the portraits +painted from life of Cimabue and Giotto. In this portrait Leighton +found the costume for the hero of his picture. He also repeated the +dress in painting the cartoon for Cimabue's portrait executed in +mosaic in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The pencil sketch (see List +of Illustrations) is wonderful as a drawing, considering the +conditions under which it was made. It was secured for the Leighton +House Collection, and in the preface for the catalogue it is +described (see Appendix). While at Florence he wrote the following +letter:-- + + FLORENCE, 386 VIA DEL FASSO, + _November 13, 1853_. + + [MY VERY DEAR MAMMA],--How could you for one instant suppose + that I could suspect you of coldness towards me? I was quite + distressed that you should have entertained such an idea, and + had I followed my first impulse should have written at once to + tell you so; but, as it so easily happens when one is newly + arrived in a strange place, first one thing and then another + made me defer writing, till at last I made up my mind to stay + at home all this morning, and not to get up till the letter + should be finished; I am, however, still several days within + my month. With regard to my health, I made no especial mention + of it, probably because, as I have a treatment before me when + I get to Rome, I attached little importance to my feelings in + this state of interim; however, as you mention it, I am happy + to say that my faceache makes its appearance decidedly less + often than it did in Frankfurt, and that my eyes seem to me, + if anything, better since I have got to Italy. One thing is + certain, and that is that my spirits are very much improved + since I have got back to the dear land of my predilection; I + felt it as soon as ever I arrived in Venice; I felt a heavy + cloud roll away from over me, the sun burst forth and shone on + my path, and a thousand little springs, stifled and + half-forgotten fountains of youth and joyousness, gurgled up + in my bosom and buoyed up my heart, and my heart bathed in + them and was glad--happy Fred! that he has such sources of joy + and happiness! Unlucky Fred! for he will never be able to live + but where the heavens always smile--and where he can economise + on umbrellas! + + I have had many happy hours within the last three weeks, but I + think that the happiest time of all was the afternoon of our + descent on to Florence from the mountains of the Romagna; even + the morning of that day was very enjoyable, for although the + sky was murky and cross, and it rained as far as you could + see, yet I knew that that very evening, in that very coach, I + should be rattling along the streets of dear, dear Florence, + and that bore me up, and I made light of the rain, and + whistled out of tune in order to take off the wind, who, in + spite of his fine voice, has certainly no ear for music. Then, + too, we had a most amusing coachman, who did nothing but tell + stories and crack jokes the whole time. One episode is worth + transcribing: "Seen to-day's paper, sir?" (turning sharply + round). "Well, no" (says I); "anything in it?" "Ah!" (says + he), "very interesting correspondence from the moon." The + article seems to have been as follows: "Our correspondent in + the moon tells us of rather a discreditable affair which has + just taken place in a high quarter. It seems that the other + night St. Peter, having spent the evening with a few friends, + by whom he was entertained with the distinguished hospitality + which his high position entitled him to expect, left them in + such a state of excitement and, in short, intoxication, that + he lost his way, and was missing at his post till ten o'clock + the next morning. Unfortunately, too, he had taken the keys + with him. About two o'clock in the morning a batch of souls, + with passports for heaven, came up to the gates and requested + admittance, but finding all knocking in vain, they were + obliged to spend the night behind a cloud in a very exposed + situation, which was made doubly disagreeable by their having + put on in anticipation the very slight costume habitually worn + in the abode of eternal happiness; several severe colds were + caught." "But all this," he added (mysteriously producing a + key from his waistcoat pocket), "does not affect me--letters, + you know, despatches." I have myself subsequently consulted + the papers in question, and find that St. Peter, in the + confusion of his ideas, had taken up his seat at the other + Sublime Porte, and had inadvertently let a lot more Russians + into the Danubian Principalities. So the papers say. However, + I confess that I rather question the whole affair. + + I close with the old, yet ever new refrain. Pray, write very + soon! if at once, to Florence, Poste Restante; if not, to + Rome, Poste Restante.--With very best love to all, I remain, + dearest Mamma, your dutiful and affectionate son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + [Illustration: Portraits of Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Memmi, and + Taddeo Gaddi, from Fresco in Capella Spagnola, by Taddeo Gaddi. + Santa Maria Novella, Florence, 1853.] + + BATH, _August 13, 1854_. + + MY DEAREST FREDDY,--We are delighted to know you are out of + Rome, for it is possible to have too much of a good thing; and + much as you delight in "seeing the streets flooded with light + and glittering under a metallic sky" (how beautiful it must + be!), the pure air of the country, a less fierce heat, and a + total change of scene, will, I trust, make a new man of you. + How long a holiday shall you take, and did you mean that you + are staying with the Sartoris family as a visitor? under all + circumstances you will be a great deal with them, and as for + the happiness you would so affectionately share with me, I + would not, if I could, deprive you of a morsel of it; you are + enjoying such unusual social advantages that it is a solace to + me to know that you are capable of appreciating them. Thank + God, you have no taste for what so many men of your age call + pleasure, and that in spite of your sociable disposition, you + always show good taste in the choice of your companions. I + wish we could have a little of your society. The ---- are + still familiar and dear friends, but their minds are so + different, so conventional, that many sides of your sisters' + minds are closed, even to them. + +The next letter from Leighton to his mother was written after he +returned to Rome:-- + + (_On cover_--Mrs. Leighton, ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + No. 9 Circus, Bath, England.) _January 19, 1854_. + (_On cover--Arrived Jan. 6, '54._) + + DEAREST MAMMA,--When I received your long expected letter, + which, by-the-bye, took sixteen days reaching me, I was just + winding myself up to write and tell you that I was sorely + afraid some letter of yours must have been lost; I need hardly + tell you that I was relieved of a considerable anxiety when I + found that all was right, and that your letter, not mine, had + been detained in that most slovenly of all institutions, the + Roman post. + + And now that I have taken up my pen, what a quantity I have to + make up for in the way of congratulations, and greetings, and + good wishes relative to days often and felicitously to recur! + what jolly birthdays loom in the imagination, what Christmas + Eves and Christmas Days, and old years going out and new ones + coming, with a punctuality never known to fail! Alas! that I + cannot send you some outward and visible sign of my inward + sympathies and hearty yearnings; here would be a fine + opportunity of enumerating an extensive catalogue of blessings + which I sincerely wish to see showered down upon you, but that + they can all be returned in one compendious, all-embracing + word--Health! I therefore laconically but heartily wish you + all _that_, positive or relative; and this leads me to _mine_. + Well, let me confess it (unromantic as it undoubtedly is); I + feel there is no shirking the avowal that, stamping all things + down into an average, and squinting at little annoyances, + I--must I say it?--_am about as happy as the day is long_: may + my happiness reflect a little of its light on your days, + dearest and best of mothers! I have begun my report of health + by an average of my spirits; I think there is more _a propos_ + in this than one might at first sight imagine. I proceed to + the other details which differ widely from your probable + expectations; you ask me whether I leech myself with + conscientious regularity. Now I don't leech myself at all! My + reason for abstaining when I first came was that I feared so + strong a measure till my spectacles should arrive that I might + therewithal screen and protect my exhausted blinkers. It is + only the other day that the said barnacles arrived, and as I + have meanwhile gone on working day after day without great + inconvenience to my eyes, I really think I might do myself + more harm than good by drawing blood, the more so that I am by + no means a person of full habit that I could spare much of + that article. + + On turning to your letter, I find the next point you touch is + my music. I did indeed try my voice at the Hodnett's as you + anticipated, but unfortunately I never by any chance had + anything like a decent note in my voice during the whole time + that I was in Florence; indeed at the very best of times it is + the merest "fil de voix" that I have, which, however, would + not prevent my cultivating it for my own private enjoyment, + but for a circumstance which will astound you perhaps, but is + nevertheless a great fact--to wit, that I can't afford it! The + expenses of my pictures are far too considerable to allow of + it this winter; next winter I hope to make up for lost time + and still to be able to chirp some little ditty when I once + more skim by the paternal nest. A piano I have, such a + hurdy-gurdy! I fear, alas! I am an inveterate blockhead; I + daily lament that you did not _drub_ music into me when I was + a child; I should then have broken my fingers in time; my + youngsters shall most assuredly learn it with a stick in their + minds' eye. As we were just talking of the ----s, I must + mention that I founded my opinion less on what they say than + on what _I_ think and see; they could not either of them be + happy if they could not have their bonnets and dresses from + the most fashionable _modiste_, turn out drag of their own, + and in every way be "the thing"; that they like me, I know, + but I believe they would not have me if they liked me twice as + much; I am not exactly poor, I admit, but I seem something + like it in Florence, where it is the custom for young men to + drive to the Cascine in elegant broughams or phaetons, to find + their riding-horses at the round piazza, to prance and amble + round the ladies, and then to drive home again in the style + they went. But let me speak of more important things; you will + be pleased to hear that my compositions have been highly + approved of by all those whose opinion has weight with me. + Cornelius said, the first time he saw them, "Ich sehe Sie sind + weiter als alle Englaender ausgenommen _Dyce_;" that is a great + compliment from such a man. I have made one alteration in my + plans, of which Papa, I think, will not disapprove; I found, + on more accurate calculation, that, in order to paint my + Cimabue of such a size as to be admissible to the London + Exhibition, the figures would be far smaller than my eyes + would tolerate; I have therefore reversed the order of things, + and am painting it on a large scale for the great Exhibition + in Paris (spring, '55), in which all nations are to be + represented, and where size is rather a recommendation than an + obstacle. My "Romeo" I shall send to London in the same year; + it will be a foot each way smaller than Lady Cowley's + portrait; thus I also have the advantage of giving the + Florentine picture a size more commensurate to the + art-historical importance of the event it represents. With + regard to the sale of it, I hug myself with no vain delusions. + I paint it for a name; I could not have a finer field than is + offered by the great International Exhibition in question. I + must come to a close, for I expect a model immediately, and do + not wish to miss to-morrow morning's post. _La suite au + prochain numero._ + + Pray write soon, dearest mother, and tell me all I long to + know about yourselves, the house, the furniture, your friends, + and your dinner-party; meanwhile, having first largely helped + yourself, pass up to all the dear ones very best love and + kisses from your dutiful and affectionate boy, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + (_On cover_--Mrs. Leighton, ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + 9 Circus, Bath, England.) _March 22, 1854_. + (_Received March 31._) + + DEAREST MAMMA,--As I see no chance of finding time to write to + you in the ordinary course of things by merely waiting for it, + I lay down my brush for this afternoon, and "set to" regularly + pen in hand to answer your last, dated the fifth (let us be + business-like), but which did not reach me till a few days + ago. According to the egotistical practice which you have + wished me to adopt, I begin with an account of myself: I am + very much at a loss to tell you anything of my eyes that shall + convey to you a correct idea of their state; one thing is + certain, which is that their weakness bears no regular + proportion to the work done; sometimes when I do little or + nothing my eyes feel uncomfortable, and at others, when I do a + great deal, I suffer nothing. For instance, yesterday, having + a great deal of work cut out for the day, I worked eleven + hours, with barely half an hour's respite at twelve, and, + _pour comble de mefaits_, I did what I rarely venture on--I + read at night; and yet I feel little or no inconvenience. The + fact is, my eyes are the humble servants of my head, which is + particularly sensitive; at the same time I hesitate to adopt + leeches (unless, of course, Papa adheres to his opinion), + because I don't feel as if I were over-troubled with blood; + what do you think? My _otherwise_ health is, thank God, very + decent. I am not a robust man, but I jog on very comfortably, + and feel very jolly, and I am sure I have a good many reasons + to be so. About the hours I spend inactive, I don't feel that + so severely as I did last winter, by any means; in the first + place, I work till five or so (from seven or eight in the + morning), then, you know, I dine at six, which I make rather a + long job; then, in the evening, instead of tiring my eyes as I + did last winter with dancing, _which_ I have totally forsworn + (there are more "whiches" in my letter than in the whole + tea-party on the Blocksberg in "Faust"), I spend nearly all my + time at the house of my dear friends, the Sartoris, where, I + assure you, to pass to another point in your letter, I neglect + no opportunity to cultivate my poor unlettered mind. It is + indeed my _only_ opportunity, for to study, alas, I have + neither time, health, nor eyes, and the hopes to which you + allude, and which I myself once entertained, must, I fear, be + given up. The worst feature in my mental organisation is my + utter want of memory for certain things, a deficiency of which + I am daily and painfully reminded by the mention in my + presence of books which I have read and enjoyed, and which I + have _utterly_ forgotten. My only consolation I find in the + hope that I shall be able to devote myself with double energy + to the art "proprement dit," and in the reflection that hardly + any of the modern artists (alas, what a standard!), that have + possessed extensive knowledge and varied accomplishments, have + had them as a super-addition to the gift of art, but _at the + expense_ of their properly pictorial faculties; to every man + is dealt a certain amount of _calibre_--in one man's brain it + breaks out in a cauliflower of variegated bumps, in another's + it flows into one channel and irrigates one mental tree, and + "sends forth fruit in due season"--hem! Thus, whilst _I_ + paint, _others_ shall know all about it; _I_ shall be an + artist, let _them_ be connoisseurs. What did poor Haydon (for + I _have_ read the book) get by his mordant gift of satire and + his devouring thirst for ink? He embittered old enemies, made + new ones, estranged his friends, encouraged the fierce + irascibility of his own temperament, allowed himself to cuddle + the phantoms of undeserved neglect which always haunted him, + distorted his own perceptions, and cut his throat! Without + that pernicious gift, Haydon would not have written, the + Academy would have hung his pictures as they deserved, for his + early works were full of promise, they would have stood by him + in the hour of need; had everything that he saw and heard not + fallen in distorted images on the troubled mirror of his mind, + he would, no doubt, have produced better works. Haydon might + have been a happy man! With regard to the practical lesson to + be drawn by myself, this painful book undoubtedly shows in a + strong light the absurdity of _always_ painting large + pictures--a practice in which, I assure you, I have not the + remotest idea of indulging. To one thing, however, which you + observe, dear Mamma, I must beg to take exception, as + involving a very important question: you say Haydon persisted + in following the historic style, to the exclusion of pictures + of a saleable size; now this would only avail as precedent + against historical art on the supposition that that walk + necessarily implies colossal proportions, than which idea + (though Haydon seems to have entertained it) nothing can be + more false. Is it necessary to mention Raphael's "Vision of + Ezekiel," "Madonna della Seggiola," or a thousand other + pictures, by him and others, which utterly confute any such + notion? But even were it so, we must also not overlook the + fact that the unsaleability of Haydon's pictures had its cause + as much in their quality as in their quantity, and I will hold + up to you, in contrast to his sad story, the case of Mr. + Watts, who gives a sketch of the artistical character at the + end of the autobiography, and who has as many orders for + _fresco_ as he can execute for a considerable number of years. + + [Illustration: STUDY OF HEAD OF WOMAN AT WINDOW IN "CIMABUE'S + MADONNA" + Leighton House Collection] + + BATH, _April 17th_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRED,--I have left a longer interval than usual + between this letter and my last, for your convenience and my + advantage; that is to say, that by arriving close on the time + for your writing to me, the contents of this sheet, or + anything in it needing comment, may not have escaped your + memory till no longer wanted, for, with the best possible wish + to be contented with the epistles for which I look forward so + anxiously, I cannot help feeling a little disappointed when + you do not answer inquiries. I do not wish to be unreasonable, + my darling, in my demands on your time, but I cannot bear that + your letters should be mere unavoidable monthly reports, and + not what mine are to you, that is, in intention; though I make + every allowance for natural infirmity. Could we but have + foreseen your weakness of sight, I should have felt a great + inclination to thrash you into exercising your memory more + than you did, though I am not at all sure that the result + would have been satisfactory; and with respect to music, I am + convinced you would not have made a satisfactory return for + any knowledge acquired by dint of birch, but--if it were not + useless--I would enlarge upon the imprudence of having + neglected your father's admonitions at a more recent period to + store your memory; remember it for the sake of your own young + people when you are the venerable papa of an obstreperous + youth like yourself. I think upon the whole it is satisfactory + that the uneasiness in your eyes depends on your general + health. Papa thinks the sensation you describe when drinking + must be nervous, and connected with the narrow swallow you + inherit from me, a peculiarity which has shown itself in four + generations. We do not feel so certain as it would be + comfortable to do that the climate of Rome is the one best + suited to a nervous person; but of course you will seek a + healthy change of place as soon as the heat makes it + desirable. I must remind you of the unpleasant fact that your + constitution very much resembles mine; remember what I have + come to, and do not trifle with yourself; do not say to + yourself: What a bore Mamma is! I am constantly thinking of my + precious absent son, and long, as only a mother can, to see + you; when I look at your picture, I feel quite wretched + sometimes that I cannot, though you seem alive before me, + stroke your cheek and lean my head on your chest. The other + day we were startled by the appearance in the drawing-room of + Andrew, Lizzy, and the girls; and the first greeting over, + "That's my saucy Fred," burst out of your aunt's mouth; "dear + fellow, what a likeness;" and Lina was equally admired, and we + all agreed in deploring Gussy's absence from the wall. I wish + I could see your studies, for I suppose you have a great many + for your great undertaking. Models are probably cheaper than + in Germany--are you conscious of improvement? This seems an + odd question, but it is suggested by the fact that while Gussy + practises most diligently, she seldom seems conscious of the + improvement I perceive distinctly. Do you see Cornelius from + time to time, and gain anything from him? You never mention if + you have any friends amongst the artists distinguished in any + way. + + ROME, _April 29, 1854_. + + I have of late, since the underpainting of my large picture + (at which I worked like a horse) given myself rest and + recreation in the way of several picnics in the _Campagna_ + under the auspices of Mesdames Sartoris and Kemble. We are a + most jovial crew; the following are the _dramatis personae_: + first, the two above-mentioned ladies; then Mr. Lyons, the + English diplomatist here (whom your friend probably meant); he + is not ambassador, nor is he in any way supposed to represent + the English people here, he is only a sort of negotiator; + however, a most charming man he assuredly is, funny, dry, + jolly, imperturbably good-tempered; then Mr. Ampere, a French + savant, a genial, witty, amusing old gentleman as ever was; + then Browning, the poet, a never-failing fountain of quaint + stories and funny sayings; next Harriet Hosmer, a little + American sculptress of great talent, the queerest, + best-natured little chap possible; another girl, nothing + particular, and your humble servant who, except when art is + touched, plays the part of humble listener, in which capacity + he makes amends for the vehemence with which he starts up when + certain subjects are touched which relate to his own trade; in + other things, silence, alas! becomes him, ignorant as he is, + and having clean forgotten all he ever knew![27] I shall not + be able to leave Rome more than a month in the summer, as the + work which I have carved out for myself makes it utterly + impossible. You must know, however, that the hot months (July + and August) are not the dangerous ones, but September, when + the rains set in. During that month I shall give myself a + complete rest from work, and shall go to the baths of Lucca, + the healthiest spot in Italy, where I shall enjoy cool air, + country scenery, and, better than all, the society of the + Sartoris, who are going to spend the summer there; meanwhile, + I shall take what precautions I can; I shall live as the + Italians do, getting up early, and sleeping in the middle of + the day, and shall resume flannel, if you do not advise the + contrary, as I see reason to believe that it is a great + preservative against fever. As for the general climate of + Rome, I don't give it much consideration, as there is not the + least probability of my ever _residing_ here; I think there is + not a worse place for a rising artist to set up his abode in + than Rome, on account of the want of emulation as compared, + for instance, to a place like Paris, where there are hundreds + of clever men, all hard at work, and where an artist is always + exposed to comparisons. It is impossible for me to give you + any decisive answer about my progress, for you know I have + been busy all the winter drawing studies; I shall see when I + come to the picture itself what steps I have made forwards; I + reckon on its being the best thing I shall have done, I can + say no more. I believe Sartoris, whose judgment in all the + arts is excellent, considers me the most promising young man + in Rome; but that does not mean much--we shall see! + + Of my daily life and occupations, I have little or nothing to + say, as they are monotonous to a degree; parties, of course, + have ceased, and I am just about to leave p.p.c.'s everywhere, + as I don't mean to go into the world at all next year. I don't + remember whether I told you that some little time back Mrs. + Sartoris gave some tableaux and charades in which your humble + servant co-operated; the whole thing was, I believe, very + successful. The greatest treat I have had lately has been + hearing Mrs. Kemble read on different occasions Julius Caesar, + Hamlet, and part of Midsummer Night's Dream; I need not tell + you how delighted I was. + + (_Cover_--Mrs. Leighton, ROME, _May 25, 1854_. + Circus, Bath, England.) (_Received June 5._) + + VERY DEAREST MAMMA,--Your letter (which I received the day + before yesterday, and should have answered the next day but + for an engagement I had made to go into the country) caused me + great pain; if you have known me hitherto for a dutiful and + loving son, believe that in this case nothing has been further + from me than the least umbrage at the advice and suggestions + that you always offer me with kindness and delicacy, and that + I am much distressed at the idea of having in any way + aggravated the discomforts which an English winter make you + suffer; let me rather attribute, and beg yourself to refer, to + the depressed state of your spirits any misconstruction you + have laid upon a letter in which, if there was any constraint, + it arose only from a desire to answer satisfactorily and + systematically such questions as you asked me; I will + endeavour in future to present my report in a more ornamental + form. The delay, too, of my last letter arose from a + misconception on my part of your expectations, for I was + waiting and eagerly waiting for _your_ answer to intervene, + and, considering the irregularity of Roman posts, you can + hardly have a day on which you particularly expect to receive + news of me. Let me hope, dear Mamma, that on these points, as + on the others that I am going to touch, you will be able in + future to think more cheerfully, in spite of the distorting + medium of British fogs. I fear from the tone of alarm I detect + in your letter that I (myself perhaps, at the time, under the + influence of the _scirocco_) must have conveyed to you an idea + of greater ill-health than I labour under: my eyes, certainly, + are not strong, so that I avoid using them at nights, and I + am, as I ever was, incorrigibly bed-loving, but this is "the + whole front" of my ailments; meanwhile I work all day with + little or no annoyance. I am of good cheer and contented, and + altogether more free from rheumatism than I have been for a + long time; that, thus deprived of the means of reading, such + little information as I ever had should have effectually made + its escape from a noddle that never had the capacity of fixing + itself on any _one_ thing at a time, is deplorable, but not to + be wondered at; let us hope for a better day. Nor is spending + the hot months of the summer here in Rome so dreadful a thing + as it appears to your tender anxiety; with proper precautions + and a regular life I shall no doubt go through it as well as + so many of my friends that have tried the experiment; the more + so that the worst part of the summer is in September and early + October, at which period I shall be enjoying the particularly + cool and healthy air of Bagni di Lucca. How could you be + surprised, dear Mamma, at my having begun the pictures? did I + not tell you the size of them? do you not know the quantity of + figures in the composition? do you not know that it will be + considered a piece of extraordinary rapidity if I finished + them in time for the Exhibitions, _i.e._ by the beginning of + next February? You perceive the necessity of my staying here, + willy nilly. The Sartoris seem to you too prominent a motive + in my desire to stay; alas! and again alas! they are off to + Lucca in a few days, and I shall be left alone. Judge whether + I am eager to get off, and whether anything but necessity of + the most urgent kind will keep me here, for I am warmly + attached to both, and her I dearly love. Be quite at ease + about the amount of advice I can get here, I do not lack that + if I want it; but as it is, the compositions were so + completely sifted by Steinle before I left Frankfurt, that I + have nothing left but the material execution, in which you + know every artist must fumble about for himself. Cornelius + _is_ very kind and amiable to me, has been to see me twice, + and speaks well of me behind my back; he told Mrs. Kemble + (Fanny) that there was not another man in England that could + paint such a picture as my "Cimabue" threatens to be, and the + same was unhesitatingly asserted by Browning, the poet, who is + also a connoisseur. Such details as these from my mouth savour + of intolerable vanity; they are not meant so, and I give you + them simply because I think they will fall pleasantly on the + ear of the mother of the daubster. To show you the _revers de + la medaille_ about advice from influential men, I will just + tell you that I received the other day from Cornelius some + advice which was diametrically opposed to that of Steinle, + _arrangez vous!_ Gamba and I are still capital friends, and he + is making great progress, which is the well-earned fruit of + his talent and assiduity. + + Now, dear Mamma, you see how letters come to be dry; by the + time you have shaken off the responsibility of question + answering, and begin to breathe a little, you have got to the + end of time and paper, and have no margin left for a little + dessert; the fact is, _your_ only chance is this: next time + you write, ask me no questions, and then I'll devote my + epistle to telling you a most thrilling story which, though it + far surpasses in strangeness the common run of works of + fiction, is _perfectly and literally true_, as I have it + almost from headquarters; them's your prospects!--Meanwhile, + with very best love to all, I remain, your affectionate and + dutiful son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + [Illustration: ORIGINAL SKETCH OF COMPLETE DESIGN FOR "CIMABUE'S + MADONNA" + Drawn in 1853 + Leighton House Collection] + + _Translation._] ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _May 29, 1854_. + + DEAREST FRIEND,--Delightful as it always is to me to receive + any news of you, yet your last letter, along with pleasure, + caused me some pain, for I could not help fearing that my long + silence had annoyed you a little; if this should be indeed the + case I must express my extreme regret, and beg you to believe + that my gratitude and love can only cease when my memory + ceases; how could it possibly be otherwise? + + You paint me a very melancholy picture of the situation in + Frankfurt; it is certainly a most unpleasant state of things, + all this quarrelling and dissension! When I, at this distance, + think of such a regular hermit-like way of going on, I feel + quite disgusted; it is fortunate that you, dear Friend, have + in the ecstasy of creation a resource that can never fail you. + But how comes it that Hommel and Hendschel, formerly your + enthusiastic pupils, have now cooled down? That is very + incomprehensible; they do not know their own interests. I + congratulate you most heartily on the completion of your large + picture, which I am very sorry not to have seen finished, and + I am especially glad to hear what you tell me about the + shield-bearer, for that breathes to me of _industrious study + of nature_! Believe me, that you, the mature master, who still + consents to play the part of a student, will not be without + your reward. + + What you have written me about my work has put me into a most + terrible dilemma, a dilemma which I am still very deep in. It + is a presumption that I should set up _my_ ideas, and a + disobedience that I should take the advice of other friends, + against your judgment; but I have gone so carefully into this + manner of representation, that I beg you, dear Friend, to + reconsider the matter, and see whether I am not right. These + are my reasons: it seems to me that the action in my pictures, + if ostensibly a triumph of the artist, yet, at the same time, + as an historical event, is just as much the consecration of a + Madonna, for which reason I (as you know) have placed the + masterpiece which is being carried upon a small decorated + altar; that such a solemn event probably took place on a + church festival (as was the case with the consecration of the + Chapel) may very well be assumed; would not such a festival in + the _thirteenth century_ be important enough to justify the + presence of the bishop? But much more important than this + question of historical probability, appears to me the + consideration that the conception of a bishop is only made + tangible to the general mass of spectators by certain symbolic + articles of apparel, which are in some degree inseparable from + it; a bishop's presence in the procession is most probable. + Why should I not put him there? Amongst others, this opinion + was also held by Cornelius, to whom, as an experienced + Catholic, I naturally applied at the outset, and who told me + candidly that he would leave it. I hope you will not accuse me + of being too stiffnecked; in other respects I am certainly + docile. + + Since I last wrote to you I have been fairly industrious on an + average. I have now under-painted "Romeo and Juliet" in grey + (grau untermalt), made both the colour sketches, and have now + fairly got into the over-painting, or rather second + under-painting, of "Cimabue"; but I have not been always + within four walls; on the contrary I have profited by the + beautiful spring weather, and have often gone out into the + divine Campagna with a party of dear friends, male and female, + and I need not tell you that we have enjoyed it. I wish with + all my heart you could be with us, my dear Master. Rico, the + ever-industrious, for he does twice as much as I, sends you + warm greetings. I must now close. I wish I could tell rather + than write to you how you are loved and esteemed by your + devoted pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife. + + _Translation._] FRANKFURT AM MAIN, + _August 6, 1854_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--You have heaped coals of fire upon my + head, for I have not answered your last dear note, brought me + by Andre, and now I have received by Miss Farquhar the lovely + study of Vincenzo's head, which you so kindly wish to present + to me. I am almost dumfounded to find that you could believe I + was angry with you because you have not written me for so + long, and that you believe that the indignation had been + ignored in my last note. That, dear friend, was a complete + delusion, for there is nothing to which I am more partial than + to artists' letters, and nothing to which I am more + insensible than to such flattering praise as you lavish upon + me, while I know only too well how unfortunately little I have + deserved it. In earnest, dear friend, call me no more master, + but rather regard me as your true and sincere friend, who only + out of friendship for you and love of art, far removed from + despicable dissimulation, faithfully shares with you his + opinions and experience, and never regards them as the + pronouncements of an oracle. I know very well what a + difference there is between the description of a work of art + and the sight of it; the first, at best, only gives one side, + one part, whilst seeing places before our eyes the whole soul + of the artist, from all sides, and then much is made mutually + clear which in the former case appeared either not understood + or misunderstood. Miss Farquhar could not tell me enough about + you and your work, and greatly kindled my curiosity and desire + to be in your _atelier_ for once; I was only sorry that she + had nothing to tell me about Gamba; indeed, on the whole, she + knew nothing about him. If I am to express my thoughts of the + very beautiful head of Vincenzo, it seems to me that Leighton + ought to guard against striving for excessive fineness, for + works of art can only be produced by quite the contrary + method. A certain roughness must bring out fineness, but if + everything is fine, nothing remains fine, &c. But believe, + though this head half displeases me, especially on account of + these theories, I think it beautiful and masterly in drawing, + and am consequently proud to possess it, as I am of all that I + have from your hand. I thank you a thousand times for this + fresh proof of your friendship. About this place, let me be + silent; you are right to say that art is my refuge, and that I + find in it my compensation for much that goes ill here and + everywhere; I must also not allow this asylum to be profaned + by the trifles of the very human things that surround us in + this world. + + Greet from me Rome, Gamba, Cornelius, and all the friends who + remember me; and to yourself, dear friend, heartfelt greetings + from your true and unchanging friend, + + EDW. STEINLE. + + [Illustration: "VINCENZO, THE PRETTIEST AND WICKEDEST BOY IN + ROME." 1854 + Leighton House Collection] + +Before leaving Rome Leighton received the following characteristic +letter from Mr. Cartwright, one of his truest life-long friends:-- + + CARLSBAD, _July 11, 1854_. + + MY DEAR LEIGHTON,--You will be astonished to see a letter from + me. I can assure you that I have often thought of you, and + meant to indite you an epistle in the hope of eliciting a + reply full of Roman tale from you, and lately, when through + Papeleu I heard of your great canvass labors, my yearning got + a new twinge which at last has been pinched into expression by + the start at Pollock's resuscitation. I had heard of his death + in Paris and had mourned his fate most sincerely, when the + first man whom I met tramping health out of the hot water of + Carlsbad was Pollock himself. He is himself again every inch + of him; indeed a most wonderful recovery; and, after deep and + valorous potations of hot water, we take long walks in the + hills. He goes from here to Marienbad and Prague, and means to + be back in Rome by the end of October. And I also mean to + return there. Like a true drunkard, I can't forswear my + bottle, and I must have another pull at it. We shall be there, + I hope, in the beginning of October, and I hope, my dear + Leighton, that you will not grudge me the pleasure of letting + me have a few lines, so that I may know whether you will be + there in the winter and what are the changes in Rome since my + time. Are the Sartorises to be there next winter, and where + are they now? Pray answer me this, as I particularly wish to + know where they are. I have heard that there were such crowds + of strangers at Rome last winter that quarters were not to be + had; and for this reason I wish to be there early. Do you + happen to know what is the price of the floors in the house on + the Pincio which was built by Bystroem the sculptor? Next to + the Trinita, immediately after the sculptor's studio, there is + a small house inhabited when I was last in Rome by some French + officers (at least a sentinel was at the door) and years ago + by Mrs. Sartoris. Pollock tells me it is now to be let. Would + you be kind enough to give me any information you can about + it. It is a house I have often coveted on account of the view. + I beg your pardon for my coolness; I hope you will bear kindly + with it; if I can do anything for you in Paris, command me: + but anyhow pray write to me, if only a few lines, for in my + heart I wish to have some news about you and old Rome. The + other day I saw at the Louvre our old friend the very + questionable _Vittoria Colonna_ which was at Minardis. It was + for Exhibition there in the Gallerie d'Apollon: what the + picture is I cannot pretend to pronounce, but I do not like + it: it is a picture in which I have no confidence. I think + that if not a made picture, it is at all events a tame one. + This year there was no Salon as it has been put off till next + year's great Exhibition. Robert Fleury has sold a picture to + the Luxembourg which is not so good as his former ones; but + the man who I think is the most _marked_ one of the day is + Conture. Excuse my scrap, and pray take pity on my longing and + write me, were it only _a line_. I should be grievously + disappointed were you to refuse me the pleasure. I shall be + _here till the 7th August_; until the _25th August_, after + that date letters will find me Frankfurt Poste Restante; and + after that in Paris Poste Restante. If you write here, put + Carlsbad--Boehmen--and in a corner, _Austria_. And now + farewell; with a real ... I am longing for a letter. The + kindest regards to my Caffe Greco and other friends.--Yours + most sincerely, + + W.C. CARTWRIGHT.[28] + +After his stay at the Bagni di Lucca, in the summer of 1854, Leighton +went to Frankfort, Venice, and to Florence, returning to Rome in +October. + +In the following letter to Steinle are sentences it might be well to +print in finest gold, for the benefit of students who try to run +before they walk, who aim at the freedom and glorious inevitability of +a Velasquez touch without taking the pains to equip themselves +worthily to enter the lists with the giants; not realising that +skipping over the underpinning, necessary in creating any work of art, +must result in the shakiest of edifices. The sentence refers to the +criticism in Steinle's letter of August 6, 1854, on the drawing of +"Vincenzo" (called by Leighton "the prettiest and wickedest boy in +Rome") which Leighton had sent him. + + _Translation._] ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _October 22, 1854_. + + As I am making a short pause to-day in my work, I cannot + employ it better than in writing a letter to you, my very dear + Friend. It was a very great comfort to me to see by your last + lines that you had not construed my former long silence as a + cooling of my friendship and gratitude, and I therefore hope + that you will also this time meet me with the same + forbearance. You will certainly be interested to hear, my dear + Friend, that both my pictures are by this time fairly forward, + and I expect to finish them within three months. How much I + wish that you could see them here, and that I could put in the + finishing touches under your supervision! I would give you an + account of my work, but, bless me, what is there to _tell_ + about my picture, except that it has given me a fearful amount + of trouble, and that in the end one perceives how + circumstantially one has gone to work on the whole matter; the + "Cimabue" goes to London and the "Romeo" to Paris. While I am + speaking of my works, I take this opportunity to touch + gratefully upon your kind remarks about the study head of + Vincenzo, and to inform you, however, that my opinion of it + takes rather more the form of a question than that of an + objection. I have often considered the question of the + self-guidance of an artist who is left to his own devices, and + it has often struck me how many wander in evil by-paths + through an unorganised, may I say _unprogressive_, development + of their gifts; and now it seems to me that most of them are + wrecked because they maturely study _the object to be + attained_, while the _means_ are not considered which should + lead to such results. For example, a young man sees a Raphael, + a Titian, a Rembrandt, all in their latest manner, and hears + people say: See how broad, how full, how round, how masterly! + And the student naturally conceives the wish that he also + might produce broad and masterly works, and _so far_ he is + right; but from that point he goes aside. He goes home and + _strives_ and _strains_ after masterly breadth; he succeeds + (apparently), and he is lost. The soap-bubble is quickly + blown; he rejoices in its gay colours; it flies up and breaks + in the air. And the cause is simple; the true, genuine + mastership is not an _acquired quality_ but an _organised + result_. As with art itself, so is it also with the individual + artist. If we cast an eye over the progress of art-history, we + see how the full, conscious, free, has developed itself out of + the meagre, timorous, scrupulous, dry. Similarly if we compare + the first efforts of the individual with his last, we perceive + the same thing: place M. Angelo's "Pinta" beside the + decorations of the Sixtine, one of Raphael's works at Perugia + beside the "Stanzen," Rembrandt's "Lecon d'anatomie" beside + the "Nightwatch," and it will be evident in the most striking + manner that not one of these men had risen by means of his + talent to full breadth in his youth, or had been in any way + studious to do so, but on the contrary that they have attained + mastery by natural growth. In order, therefore, to reach the + same altitude, the young artist must proceed in the same + manner as his exemplars, and must endeavour so to direct his + studies that he, according to his gifts, may achieve a similar + result. He who would fill his threshing-floor must not + _glean_, but rather he must _sow_ that he may richly harvest; + he who would have rare fruits all his life must plant and + cherish the tree; even so should the young artist seek to + plant a tree the normal fruit of which is called "artistic + perfection." You will easily understand how by the application + of these maxims my preliminary works go forward rather + _timorously_. Entire conscientiousness is now the chief thing + to me. I _am laying_ the foundation on which I hope to rely + firmly later on; I am amassing capital and am not yet in + enjoyment of the interest. "How many objections to a couple of + words?" you will laughingly remark; dear Friend, I must feel + myself indeed well equipped before I permit myself to oppose + anything against your judgment. + + Of Gamba I will say nothing, for he is going to enclose a few + lines in this. + + I have made a trip to Florence this summer, and again + thoroughly enjoyed the art-treasures. I think I have spoken to + you of the wall-paintings by Giotto which were discovered two + years ago in Santa Croce; one of them, which represents the + death of St. Francis, is the literal prototype of the + celebrated fresco by Ghirlandajo (on the same subject) in the + Sta. Trinita, and I really prefer it. + + Time, eyes, paper fail me, and I must close. I hope that, if + you write to me again, you will tell me exactly what you are + doing.--Meantime, dear Master, accept the heartfelt greeting + of your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife and to all my + friends. + +Leighton's eye trouble having become a constant anxiety and hindrance +to him, he resolved to consult Graefe, the great German oculist. From +Florence, on his return journey, he writes his impressions of Berlin +to Steinle. In this letter he repeats again the sense of happiness +which he always experienced in Italy. + + _Translation._] + FLORENCE, 386 VIA DEL POSSO, + _November 13_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND AND MASTER,--At last I am able to write to + you. In the hurry and bustle of travelling, and even in the + short sojourns that I have made here and there, it has been + impossible for me to sit quietly down and compose a letter. + Even to my parents I have written this morning for the first + time since I left Vienna. But you will readily believe that + during this time I have often travelled in thought to + Frankfurt in loving remembrance of you, my dear Friend. + + Strange things have happened to me since I saw you. I had not + even reached Berlin when I was informed by a "jebildeten" + (cultivated) Prussian that Graefe, on whose account + exclusively I was travelling to the "geistreichen" (clever) + capital, had gone away for an indefinite period; imagine my + dismay! Luckily on my arrival I found an old friend who was + acquainted with the family of Geheimerath von Graefe, and who + found out through them that Graefe must arrive at the Golden + Lamb (Leopoldostadt) in Vienna on such and such a day. I met + him, and had a consultation at which he examined my eyes with + the ophthalmoscope, and told me to be of good cheer, my + trouble was certainly obstinate but in no way dangerous, and I + might hope for a complete cure. He prescribed me a course for + Rome, which consists principally of local blood-letting and + wearing spectacles, and will be very tedious; but I will + gladly conform to anything in order to get my eyes back again. + One thing is certain, since I have been in Italy they have + been quite markedly better, which I attribute for the most + part to the diminution of my hypochondria. Yes, since I have + been in Italy I have become a new man; I breathe, my breast + throbs higher; heavy clouds have rolled away from me; the sun + shines again on my path, and my heart is once more full of + youth and love of life; if only you were also here, dear + Friend! + + But I must tell you something about my German travels, and I + will begin with Berlin. There is certainly something special + about that town. At the first glance it is somewhat imposing, + and the prodigious quantity of new buildings, which evidently + aim at architecture, gives (one may hold one's own opinion as + to the taste of the buildings) the appearance of great + artistic activity and of a widespread taste for art; but I + have since found reason to regard this apparent love of art as + something feigned or forced. One gets quite sick of + _education_ in Berlin; would you believe that now _every girl_ + has to pass an _examination as governess_?[29] Kaulbach + understands the Berliners well; in Raeginski's house a study + of a Roman piper hangs in great honour, which he has purchased + from the _great master_ on account of a doggerel verse which + is written on it in large letters, and runs thus:-- + + "Upon my travels in Italy, + This little boy I found, but he, + Although my brush may his form repeat, + Remains to my sorrow incomplete."[30] + --W. KAULBACH. + + Divine! eh? I knew a counterpart in the Belgian art-world. + When I visited Gallait in Brussels some years ago, before the + door stood a ragged, most picturesque Hungarian rat-catcher, + who asked me if an artist did not live there. Recently I saw + my Slav again, with a violin under his arm, in a window, very + finely lithographed, I believe even an "artistes + contemporains"; in the corner was "Louis Gallait pinx"; + underneath, "Art et Liberte"! Thus do pictures originate! + + In Berlin everything is valued extrinsically. One sees that + most strikingly in the new Museum. When it is finished, it + will be, in proportion to the means of the town in which it + stands, the most splendid that I know; moreover, it cannot be + denied (unsuitable as a three-quarters Greek building may be + on the banks of the Spree) that much in the architecture is + even very beautiful. But what is the good of it all? With the + exception of some Egyptian antiquities, in all these lavishly + gilded and painted rooms there are only _plaster casts_! Yes, + and, I must not forget it, the great tea-service of Kaulbach. + A wretched thing, made, moreover, with superfluous + productiveness; simple allegory carried out without any fine + sense of form, with utter denial of all individuality, and + painted--well, of that one would rather say _nothing_; and yet + "Kaulbach has the Hellenic art," &c. &c., and all the rest + that is in the papers. One would like to exclaim with Cassius: + "Has it come to this, ye gods!" + + Unfortunately I cannot praise the Cornelian things in the + _old_ Museum much either. I must confess they displeased me + greatly; when I consider them from a distance in their + connection with the building, I find them disproportioned; in + a long, very simple colonnade, built on a large scale, I + require of a fresco painting that it shall show in form and + colour large, quiet, plastic masses; instead of that I see + here a gay, unquiet, confused _fricassee_ of thought and + allegory that makes one dizzy; ideas in such profusion that + nothing remains with the spectator; he goes away without + having received anything; nor is the mental impression + plastic. If, however, one goes nearer to see the execution, + again one finds nothing pleasing--a constrained, unlovely + drawing--positions that could only be attained by complete + breaking on the wheel--a general appearance as if the figures + had no bones, but muscles made of brick instead. The colour is + not much better than Kaulbach's. The end-piece on the right, + an allegorical representation of the death of man (or + something of the kind), gives the most ordinary and at the + same time most awkward sudden impression that I have yet seen. + Cornelius may look at the Vatican in Rome and see if he can + find anything like it there. Altogether the once certainly + great artist seems to have somewhat deteriorated; the Cartoons + at the Campo Santo are not by a long way so good as the design + (which I find charming in parts); they are here and there, + which greatly surprised me, disgracefully _out of drawing_; + and then the theatrical attitudes, conventional clothes, &c. + &c. In the Museum itself there are few pictures of the first + rank, but so much the more beautiful are those by masters of + the second rank. What a Lippi! what a Basaiti! what a Cos + Rosetti! I was entranced; that is art, character, form, + colour, all in beautiful harmony. The "Daughter of Titian" + does not deserve its celebrity; it is weak and dull. + + But my paper is exhausted, as are also my eyes; I will + therefore defer the rest to another letter, and only mention + that in Vienna Kuppelwieser, Fuehrich, and Roesner received me + like a son of the house, and all sent hearty greetings to you. + Do write to me very soon, dear Friend, and keep in kind + remembrance your grateful, devoted pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + My address is, Poste Restante, Rome. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife, and generally to + all friends. + +When tracing the ever-swaying ebb and flow in the tides of joy and +sorrow in a life, we come to times which seem to accumulate in their +days the whole strength of feeling and vitality of which a nature is +capable; prominent summits that rise triumphant out of the troublous +waves, up to which the past existence has seemed to climb, and the +memory of which retains a dominating influence in the descent of the +future. + +"I--h'm--must I say it?--am just as happy as the day is long." So +wrote Leighton to his mother when at the age of twenty-three he was +spending his days in and about Rome--that wonderful Rome with her +world of ghosts, her solemn eventful past skimmed over and made faint +by her actual sunlit present. To Leighton that sunlit present became +vividly, excitingly alive. Fountains of joy were springing up in the +artist-nature, catching as they sprang golden rays from all that is +most beautiful in youth's dominions. Leighton writes to Steinle (July +25, 1853): "The remembrance of the beautiful time spent there (Rome) +will be riches to me throughout my life; whatever may later befall me, +however darkly the sky may cloud over me, there will remain on the +horizon of the past the beautiful golden stripe, glowing, indelible; +it will smile on me like the soft blush of even." + +When, in the late autumn of 1852, he first arrived in Rome, he had just +stepped from the position of being one in a family to that of being an +independent unit; and, though accompanied by his brother artist, Count +Gamba, he felt greatly the loss of what he had left behind--the +inspiring companionship of Steinle, compared to which nothing in Rome +was worthy to count as an art influence. Obliged to work in a small, +inconvenient studio, the only one obtainable--expected friends, whose +society he valued, failing him--he felt the want of so much that he +could hardly enjoy what he had. In those first days (as we gather from +his letters) the Eternal City cast no fresh glamour over his spirit. + +Spring came, and the tune changed with the entrancement of +Persephone's release in the balmy warmth of the South. The spring air +twinkles with sunshine, and the fruit-trees are again alive with gay +blossom, of fluttering petal, frail as the soft moth wing; the villa +gardens are again bedecked with grand, more solid petalled +flowers--brilliant-hued camellias--and later,--the noble magnolia's +ivory white goblets; while the ground is carpeted with violets and +varied-hued anemones. All over the wild spaces of the Campagna spring +up grasses and lovely unchequered growth, spreading a green and golden +fur, bristling in the bright light for miles and miles under a +cloudless sky away to the faint blue line of mountains on the horizon. +On one summit--golden in the sunlight--the old town of Subiaco is +poised; on nearer slopes--summer haunts of the ancient Roman world, +Tivoli, Frascati, Albano: the wastes of budding herbage between +checked only here and there by some spectre of old days, some skeleton +of a broken archway, some remnant of a ruined wall. + +It was on these strange wilds of the Roman Campagna that the life-long +friends, Giovanni Costa and Leighton, first met. Here is the +description of the delightful scene of their meeting, and of +Leighton's previous introduction to Costa's work at the famous Cafe +Greco, written by Costa after his friend's death:-- + +"In the year 1853, the Cafe Greco at Rome was a world-renowned centre +of art, a rendezvous for artists of all nationalities, who had flocked +to Rome to study the history of art as well as the beauties of nature +surrounding the sacred walls of the Eternal City. + +"At the Cafe Greco[31] there was a certain waiter, Rafaello, a +favourite with all, who had collected an album of sketches and +water-colours by the most distinguished artists, such as Cornelius, +Overbeck, Francais, Benonville, Brouloff, Boecklin, and others, and I +felt much flattered when I too was asked to contribute, with the +result that I gave him the only water-colour I have ever done in my +life. Leighton was also begged by Rafaello to do something for the +album, and having it in his hands, he saw my work, and asked whose it +was. On being told, he advised Rafaello to keep it safely, saying +that one day it would be very valuable. When I came later to the Cafe, +Rafaello told me how a most accomplished young Englishman, who spoke +every language, had seen my water-colour, and all he had said about +it. I was very proud of his criticism, and it gave me courage for the +rest of my life. + +"That same year, in the month of May, the usual artists' picnic took +place at Cervara, a farm in the Roman Campagna. There used to be +donkey races, and the winner of these was always the hero of the day. +We had halted at Tor de Schiavi, three miles out of Rome, and half the +distance to Cervara,[32] for breakfast. Every one had dismounted and +tied his beast to a paling, and all were eating merrily. + +"Suddenly one of the donkeys kicked over a beehive, and out flew the +bees to revenge themselves on the donkeys. There were about a hundred +of the poor beasts, but they all unloosed themselves and took to +flight, kicking up their heels in the air--all but one little donkey, +who was unable to free himself, and so the whole swarm fell upon him. + +"The picnic party also broke up and fled, with the exception of one +young man, with fair, curly hair, dressed in velvet, who, slipping on +gloves and tying a handkerchief over his face, ran to liberate the +poor little beast. I had started to do the same, but less resolutely, +having no gloves; so I met him as he came back, and congratulated him, +asking him his name. And in this way I first made the acquaintance of +Frederic Leighton, who was then about twenty-two years old; but I was +not then aware that he was the unknown admirer of my drawing in +Rafaello's album. I remember that day I had the great honour of +winning the donkey race, and Leighton won the tilting at the ring with +a flexible cane; therefore we met again when sharing the honour of +drinking wine from the President's cup, and again we shook hands. +When I heard from Count Gamba, who was a friend and fellow-student of +Leighton's, what great talent he had, I tried to see his work and to +improve our acquaintance; for as I felt I must be somewhat of a donkey +myself, because of the Franciscan education I had received, and +because I was the fourteenth in our family, I thought the +companionship of the spirited youth would give me courage." + +And again it was on the Campagna that that choice and delightful +company picnicked in the spring-time of the year, of which company +Leighton wrote on April 29, 1854 (see p. 146). + +Who knows but that it was at one of these notable picnics that +Browning was inspired to write his wonderful little poem on the +Campagna? + + "The Champaign, with its endless fleece + Of feathery grasses everywhere, + Silence and passion, joy and peace, + An everlasting wash of air-- + Rome's ghost since her decease. + + Such life there, through such lengths of hours, + Such miracles performed in play, + Such letting nature have her way, + While Heaven looks from its towers." + +Life was full to overflowing in those inspiring days, and Leighton was +indeed "as happy as the day was long." Friendships grew apace. Many +were made which were lasting, notably that with Mr. Henry Greville, +the most intimate man-friend of Leighton's life. His friendships with +Sir John Leslie, Mr. Cartwright, George Mason, Mr. Aitchison, Sir +Edward Poynter, all began in those early happy days in Rome. Artists +living there, who included this gifted brother-painter in their +comradeship, showed more and more sympathy towards his work as they +became more intimate with the delightful nature. Leighton had arrived +so far forward on the threshold of his success that anxiety about his +pictures was outweighed by hopeful expectancy; but it was while still +standing on the threshold--that really most inspiring of all stages in +the journey, during the two years from 1853 to 1855, before the great +triumph of signal success crowned him--that we catch the happiest +picture in Leighton's life. To use his own words, "In this world +confident expectation is a greater blessing, almost, than fruition." + +In a letter he wrote to Fanny Kemble on February 1, 1880, Leighton +refers to a conversation he had with her at this "outset of his +career"--a conversation which recurred to him, he tells her, when he +first addressed the Royal Academy students from the presidential chair +in 1879. He offers a copy of his discourse for her acceptance, ending +his letter by the words: "If you remember that conversation, you may +perhaps feel some interest in reading the Lecture, of which I ask you +to accept a copy. If you do not remember it, nevertheless accept the +little paper for the sake of old days which were not as to-day."[33] +How much can a few words say! If gratified ambition could ever make an +artist-nature happy, how transcendently happy Leighton ought to have +been in 1880! But the fibre which strung the highest note in his +nature never vibrated to worldly success. Though his ambition may have +sought success, and his passion for fulfilling to the utmost his duty +towards his fellow-creatures may have greatly welcomed it, he +remained to the end of his life ever on the threshold of that kingdom, +the possession of which could alone have satisfied what he "_cared for +most_." + +The following letters mention the progress of the _opus magnum_ to its +completion, also of the "Romeo" picture, and his visits to Florence +and the Bagni di Lucca. The first begins by his expressing his +ever-growing dislike of general society. + + [_Commencement missing._] + + Miss ---- is no less than ever, and no less agreeable, as far + as I can judge; I have only called once as yet, I have an + ungovernable horror of being asked to tea; my aversion to + tea-fights, muffin-scrambles, and crumpet-conflicts, which has + been gathering and festering for a long time, has now become + an open wound. The more I enjoy and appreciate the society and + intercourse of the dozen people that I care to know, the more + tiresome I find the commerce of the others, _braves et + excellentes gens du reste_; the Lord be merciful to the + overwhelming insipidity of that individual whose name is + Legion--the _unexceptionable_--the _highly respectable!_ My + great resource is, of course, Mrs. Sartoris, whom I see at + some time or other every day, for it would be a blank day to + me in which I did not see her; God bless her! for my dearest + friend. I warm my very soul in the glow of her sisterly + affection and kindness. Little baby is the same sunbeam that + he always was; did I tell you I painted his likeness in oils + as a surprise for his father? as a picture it is not + unsuccessful, but any attempt at a portrait of that child is a + profanation, and will be till we paint with the down of + peaches and the blood of cherries, and mix our tints with + golden sunlight; still, it pleased _them_, and that ought to + be enough; but I am an artist as well as a friend. A very + interesting acquaintance I have here in the shape of Rossini, + the great Rossini! Poor Rossini, what a sad fate is his, to + have lived to see the people on whom the glory of his splendid + genius has shone turn away from him in forgetfulness, + neglecting his classical beauties to listen to the noisy + trivialities of a ----, who has made the Italian name in music + a by-word of ridicule; with the music of course, the singers + have degenerated also; a singer no longer requires to be an + _artist_, it is no longer necessary that he or she should + study his or her part till every note has a meaning and a + character expressive of the words of the libretto, and + accompanied by musical and impassioned _mimica_; no, let the + _prima donna_ only squall out her never-ending _fioriture_ + with sufficient disregard for the safety of her lungs, or the + _primo tenore_ shake the stage with a _la di petto_, and all + is right. This is a digression, but as an artist I can't help + taking it to heart, and wanted to have it out. Amongst Mrs. + Sartoris' few "intimes" at this moment is a Neapolitan lady, + la Duchessa Ravaschieri, daughter of Filangieri the minister, + who has given her himself an education almost unique amongst + Italian noblewomen, who are insipid and ignorant beyond + anything. + + FLORENCE, HOTEL DU NORD, + _September 20, 1854_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--I was much surprised, as we very naturally + measure time past by the number of events that have taken + place in it, the interval between this your last letter and + the previous one seemed to me doubly long, for I have changed + scene so often during these last four or five weeks, and have + moved so much from place to place, that it seems to me an age + since I last despatched a letter to England; from which you + will naturally and correctly infer that it was a very great + pleasure to me once more to see your handwriting. Your kind + anxiety and advice about the cholera I shall remember when I + get to Rome (which will be in a week or ten days), where that + disease prevails, although mildly, for what are thirty cases a + day in a town of that size? In the meantime, both at the baths + where I have been, and at Florence, where I am, the cholera + has not dared to show its face; indeed, such a prestige of + salubrity attaches to the name of the baths of Lucca that + eight days' sojourn at that place is considered tantamount to + a "_quarantaine_!" It is a very strange thing, this exemption + from disease, for in a number of the surrounding villages the + number of people carried off has been frightful. As for that + after apprehension of yours, dearest Mamma, about my being + alone and uncared for in case of illness, I am happy to say + that nothing can be more unfounded; I have in Mrs. Sartoris + that genuine friend, and, especially, genuine _woman friend_ + that in such a case would leave nothing undone that you, the + best of mothers, and my own dear sisters, would do for me. It + is her habit, when any of her bachelor and homeless friends + are poorly, to go and sit with them and nurse them, and do you + think that I, who have become one of her most intimate circle, + should need to fear neglect? In the friendship of that + admirable woman I am rich for life. Poor thing, she has lately + received a great blow in her own family from the sudden + calamity which has befallen her. This shocking news reached me + here, at Florence, where I had come on from the baths, and + ascertaining that her husband was gone off to England to + inquire into the matter, and that by a chance her boy's tutor + was absent at the same time, I instantaneously went off to + Lucca, where I stayed a week (till the return of the tutor), + taking care of her boy, hearing him his lessons, and + especially keeping him out of the way; in the evening I used + to walk or drive with her, and to my infinite gratification + was able to be some little comfort and distraction to her; my + only regret in the whole business was that I was making no + material sacrifice of my own time and pleasure, so that I had + not the satisfaction of comforting her at my own expense. In + adopting the resolution, which I have communicated to you, of + retiring from society, I have taken into consideration all + that you say, dear Mamma, and more too, for I feel I have of + my nature a very fair share of the hateful worldly weakness of + my country-people; still, I have found no sufficiently great + advantage or compensation for the tedium of going out; the + Roman _grand monde_, a small part of which I know, and which, + had I chosen to push a little, I might have known all, is of + no _use_ whatever in reference to my future career; added to + which I believe I told you that I never by any chance got + introduced to anybody, so that whomever I know, I know by + chance, or by their own wish. For instance, last winter I met + the Duke of Wellington constantly, both at the Sartoris' (he + is a very old friend of hers) and at the Farquhars', and + though he is the most accessible of men, I made no attempt to + make his acquaintance, and so it is with everybody. But for + the _tableaux charades_ which Mrs. S. gave last winter, in + which I was joint-manager with herself, and was therefore + brought into contact with her numerous co-operating friends, I + should probably have known few or none of those who were at + her house every week; always excepting our own intimate + circle, to wit, Browning, Ampere, Dr. Pantaleone, Lyons, Count + Gozze, Duke Sermoneta, &c. You know, when I say I shan't go + out, it is in so far a _facon de parler_, that, as I shall be + at least every other day at Mrs. Sartoris', I shall not be at + home, trying my eyes. I quite agree with you in thinking this + business of ----'s a most awkward thing; I cannot understand a + man having once gone into the army and made his profession to + be honourably killed for his country, should not jump at the + idea of going to the scene of war; I have felt a very strong + desire to lend a hand myself, but one cannot drive two trades. + My singing (in particular, and music in general) I have + avoided mentioning, because, dear Mamma, it is a subject on + which I have _no_ reason to dwell very complacently; my first + disappointment was finding my voice, instead of strengthening + in an Italian climate, getting if possible weaker than it was. + It is the merest "fil de voix." I have therefore as the onset + very insufficient "moyens"; this is owing, not only to the + insufficiency of my "organe," but also to an unpleasant + visitation in the shape of swollen and irritated tonsils, the + very ailment, I believe, under which Gussy labours. This + symptom, which I have carried about some time, is, I fancy, + not likely ever to leave me permanently; add to this that as + soon as I sit down to thump with elephantine touch a most + ordinary accompaniment, the little voice I have vanishes; thus + between two stools ... you know the rest. Still, I am bound to + add that Mrs. Sartoris (who could not flatter) has great + pleasure in hearing me coo a little song or two that I know, + and says I have what is better than voice, which is a musical + "accent," and that (she is pleased to add) to a rather + remarkable degree; my voice is weak and powerless, but true + and facile. I will tell you exactly what to expect when you + see me again. I shall be able to sit down to the piano and + whine some half-dozen pretty little ballads, with a + rum-tum-tum accompaniment of affecting simplicity. Gussy + dreams of me as "very handsome" and "are my whiskers growing?" + I am _not_ very handsome, none of my features are really + _good_. My whiskers _have_ grown, they are undeniable, there + is no shirking them, or getting out of the way of them; _I + wear whiskers_ though you were short-sighted; _but_ they are + modest ones; as for moustaches, the seven hairs which I have + (and wear) are not worth mentioning, but still I have none of + that delicacy which you profess on the subject. In my opinion, + _if_ gentlemanhood is a thing dependent on the scraping of + four square inches of your face, and residing only in the + well-shaved purlieus of a (probably) ugly mouth, I feel equal + to going without it, in that shape at all events. A moustache, + and even a beard, if kept short enough to be in keeping with a + not very flowing costume, is both becoming and convenient, and + I fear that the whole prestige of respectability hovering + around Mr. and Mrs. ----, or the withering contempt of the + irreproachable Sir John and Lady ----, would not make me + shave, unless, indeed, I felt too hot about the chin. I have + gone through your letter, and shall wind up with a few words + about my doings, which, by-the-bye, might be compendiously + characterised by one word: _nothing_. My holidays are drawing + to a close, and I shall be in Rome, working very hard to get + my pictures done for the Exhibitions. Meanwhile I am enjoying + Florentine sunsets, the gorgeousness of which defies + description. The other day, in particular, I was on the + heights near the Miniato, I thought I had never seen anything + like it. I remembered Papa's fondness for that spot, and + wished he had been there to share my enjoyment; the lanes were + cool and pearly grey; over them hung in every fantastic shape + the rich growth of the orchards and gardens that crowned the + lengthened walls; the olives, strangely twisted, flaming with + a thousand tongues of fire; the wreathing vine flinging its + emerald skirts from tree to tree; the purple wine flashing in + the fiery grape; the stately _mais_ flapping its arms in the + breath of the evening; the solemn cypress; the poetic laurel; + the joyous oleander--all glorified in the ardour of the + setting sun, that flung its rays obliquely along the earth; + you would have been enchanted. + + ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _February 10, 1855_. + + DEAR PAPA,--I hasten to answer your kind letter and to thank + you for the willingness you express to advance such a sum of + money as I shall require to cover the heavy expenses I am + incurring. I forgot to mention in my last letter that my + picture will be directed straight to the frame-maker's who + undertakes the exhibiting of it. + + In approaching the other points which you touch in your + letter, I feel that my letter will unavoidably have a + combative colouring, which I sincerely hope you will not + misconstrue, and beg that you will consider whether the + reasons I advance for not conforming to your suggestions are + not sound ones. If I particularly object to accompanying my + picture, it is because I think that the small advantages that + might accrue from so doing would in no way make up for all I + should lose; whatever can be done to my picture on its arrival + in England will be kindly done for me by my friend, Mr. T. + Gooderson, who is in the habit of receiving and varnishing + Buckner's works on similar occasions; with respect to the + interest to be made amongst the Academicians in behalf of my + op. magn., I have neglected _that_ on the _express advice_ of + Buckner, who has great experience in those matters and is a + most kind and honest man; he says, such is the party spirit of + R.A.'s, that the best chance of securing impartial treatment + (in the case of a work of merit) is to be _completely unknown_ + to all of them, a condition which I am admirably calculated to + fulfil. You are also perhaps not aware that my picture will + reach England _five weeks_ before the opening of the + Exhibition, so that by accompanying it I should completely + lose all the best part of the year here in Rome. There are a + great number of things which I propose doing now that my + pictures are about to be off my hands. There are here several + very remarkable heads of which I wish to make finished + studies, and especially also I am loth to go without having + drawn anything from Michael Angelo and Raphael, which is one + of the chief objects for which one comes to this city of the + past; but, I do not hesitate to say, the principal task which + I propose to myself is a half-length portrait of Mrs. + Sartoris, to which I wish to devote my every energy that it + may be worthy of perpetuating the features of the last Kemble; + irrespective of the enormous artistic advantage to be derived + from the study of so exceptional a head, you will easily + understand my eagerness to give some tangible form to my + gratitude towards those whose fireside has been my fireside + for so long a time; nothing would grieve me more than missing + so good an opportunity. I confess, too, that I wished to see a + little more leisurely the glorious scenery that lies all round + Rome, and which I have hitherto hardly glanced at, and partly + indeed not seen at all. I had indeed contemplated before + leaving Italy, making a trip to Naples, Capri, Oschia, Amalfi, + and all the spots about which artists rave. This, however, + will I fear be under all circumstances a financial _chateau en + Espagne_. + + _Translation._] + ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _February 12_. + + HONOURED AND DEAR FRIEND,--That you, who know me so well and + are so well aware of how I carry your image in my heart, could + misinterpret my silence I did not fear for a moment, for + rather will you have thought to yourself that the stress of my + occupations in the course of the day, and my incapacity to do + anything at night, have hitherto prevented me from writing; + and so it is; for, be you assured, dear Friend, that, as long + as I pursue art, you will be ever present with me in the + spirit, and that I shall always ascribe every success which I + may possibly attain in the future to your wise counsel and + your inspiriting example, for "as the twig is bent the tree's + inclined." + + First I will tell you about my health; thank Heaven, as + regards my general health, I have nothing to complain of; if + not exactly strong, still I am lively and in good spirits, and + look out upon the world quite contentedly. My eyes--well, yes, + they might be better; otherwise I am always in a condition to + work my seven or eight hours a day without over-exertion, in + return for which I dare not do anything in the evenings. To + tell the truth, my position is not an agreeable one; I am not + bad enough to follow the course prescribed for me by Graefe, + but on the other hand not well enough to be able to feel quite + tranquil.... + + Time has slipped away in stress of work since I commenced this + letter. I throw myself again upon your goodness, dear Master, + and beg you will not measure my love by my readiness in + writing, for then I should certainly come off a loser. I told + you that my affairs have pressed upon me; I have finished my + "Cimabue." I am dreadfully disappointed, dear Friend, that I + cannot, as I hoped, send you a photograph, but it has been + impossible for me to have one taken, since the picture is so + large that it could not be transported to a photographic + loggia without fearful ado and unnecessary risk to the canvas; + I will therefore exert myself to write you what it looks like. + First you must know that I changed my intention as to the + respective sizes of the two pictures, for I perceived that my + eyes could not possibly permit the Florentine composition to + be carried out on the proposed scale. I therefore took a + canvas of 17-1/2 feet (English measure), in consequence of which + my figures have become half life size (like Raphael's "Madonna + del Cardellino"), and do not look at all ill. The other + picture (which I shall send to London) will be something over + 7 feet long by 5 feet. If I am to get them both finished by + next January, I must set to work in earnest. I have made the + following alterations: first, those prescribed by you, viz. I + have made the picture which is being carried larger, the + chapel smaller, and have suppressed the flower-pots on the + walls. A further alteration I have made by the advice of + Cornelius; he said to me that the foremost group (the women + strewing flowers with children) seemed to him somewhat to + disturb the simplicity of the rest of the composition, and + suggested that I should put in a couple of priests, especially + as the portrait is of a Madonna and is being taken to a + church; he further advised me, in order to prevent the picture + from being too frieze-like, to allow this foremost group to + walk up to the spectator. It now looks something like this: + + (Slight sketch of the design for "Cimabue's Madonna.") + + I hope with all my heart that you will approve these + alterations. I have drawn a quantity of heads and hands, which + are all finished, like the "Chiaruccia" which I gave you; + drapery is not lacking. How I regret, dear Friend, that I + cannot show them to you. Gamba also is very industrious; he + has made endless studies, and has also got his record ready. + He sends you most hearty greetings. Of his diligence there is + always plenty to tell, and you will not be surprised when I + tell you that he has made very gratifying progress. + + I could still tell you a great deal, my dear Master, of what I + have seen and experienced! but time and, alas! especially eyes + compel me to be laconic, or this oft-begun letter will never + be finished. Therefore I will only briefly narrate what + happened to me in the imperial city; my goodness! how long ago + that seems. My first impression, as I alighted from the train, + was very pleasant. A lovely autumn morning, the Prater with + its beautiful trees, the Jaegerheil in the sunshine, all + together welcomed me gaily. I alighted in the Leopold suburb, + and set off on foot the same morning in quest of Kuppelwieser, + a cordial, charming man. Through him I became acquainted with + Fuehrich and Roesner, who both received me no less kindly. They + all remembered with warm affection their dear comrade, + Steinle, and sent most hearty messages to him. Of their works + (for to you, best of friends, I write frankly) I cannot, + candidly, speak very highly, but perhaps I might of the + tenacious maintenance of their opinion in spite of the + boundless, oppressive indifference of the Viennese towards + high art. Now, the dear friends are somewhat ascetic + representatives of their mode of thought--a mode of thought + which can be combined, as we have seen in the great days of + art, with the greatest charm of representation; but this + quality is unfortunately too often absent from our friends. Of + the two, Kuppelwieser is the less offensive; he is perhaps + rather antiquated, but not without cleverness; Fuehrich is far + too ornamental for me, and as a painter, God save the mark! + Good gracious! what is nature there for? What can the people + make of all this! how is it possible that one can get so far + in spite of a perverted training! that people do not perceive + their fearful arrogance! They plume themselves upon piety and + humility, and in God's beautiful creation nothing is right for + them; do they then ever admit, these gentlemen, that they do + not want nature any more because they are aware that they no + longer know how to use her? Would they feel happy if they saw + a Masaccio, a Ghirlandajo, a Carpaccio? But they in their + drawings are pretentious and puffed up, but there is no + learnedness in them, and that which God has made so lovely + with all the brilliancy of colour, they daub with any dirt, + and call it a picture; some even (that was still lacking) + shrug their shoulders spitefully and mock--at the + unattainable. And whence does all that arise? How is it that + even sensible, clever men are so ill equipped? It is due + solely and alone to the topsy-turvy, involved principle of + education, to the fact that the people, while they are still + young, labour and worry day and night at the representation of + unrepresentable ideas, instead of drawing from nature and from + nothing else for ever and ever amen, till they are in close + harmony with her; that would be a soil from which the tree of + their art could grow upwards, fresh, powerful, + ever-herbescent; that they might not stand there in their old + age as high, proud, upward-aspiring trunks without leaves, + without sap. Naturally all this is not aimed at the good + Fuehrich, but in general against all those who in their + infatuation allow themselves, behind the shield of severe + sentiments and high efforts, to throw overboard all the + difficulties of art. How gladly my thoughts turn away from + such unpleasing reflections to you, dearest Friend, who take + nature for your model in every part of your pictures, and with + your high degree of ability are always the devoted pupil of + _nature_! Keep, I beg you, _your_ grateful pupil in + sympathetic remembrance, and never doubt the devotion of your + loving friend, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife; also to my other + friends. If you see Schalck, will you kindly say to him that I + have received his letter, and will answer it when my eyes + permit. I am longing to hear what pictures and drawings you + are making! Will you forgive my silence, and write to me? + + My picture is under-painted grey-in-grey (_grau in grau_); I + finished it in a week; it was a great effort. + + ROME, VIA FELICE, + _February 19, 1855_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--As the body of the letter I have just received + is written by Papa, I have thought well to address to _him_ + the important part of mine; you will therein see all the + business news that I have to give, and will, I know, be much + pleased to hear that my picture has had great success here; I + hope it may not have less in London. As the picture is of a + jovial aspect and contains pretty faces, male and female, I + think the public will find _leur affaire_; the "Romeo and + Juliet" (also nearly finished) will, though perhaps a better + picture, probably be less popular from its necessarily serious + and dingy aspect. Dear Mamma, I am much tickled at your + comparison between the Campagna and the environs of Bath; it + is like saying that strawberries and cream are equal and + perhaps superior to a haunch of wild boar! _l'un n'empeche pas + l'autre_, but they can never be compared, nor can they answer + the same purpose. The Sartoris are well; I am there every + evening of my life. + + The next page is Papa's. Good-bye, dear Mamma. Best love from + your affectionate and dutiful son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _P.S._--My resolution not to dance I have kept (excepting in + the case of quadrilles), and have avoided making new + acquaintances, as I intend next winter not to go out at all; + but if I have no longer agitated the fantastic toe, and have + acquired a cordial dislike to balls, I have been all the + oftener to my dearest and best friends, the Sartoris, to whom + I go about four times a week, and of whose sterling worth it + is impossible to speak too warmly; at their house also I have + made several interesting acquaintances; Fanny Kemble (as you + know), Thackeray, Lockhart, Browning, the authors; Marochetti, + the sculptor, and so on; as for Mrs. Sartoris, I look upon her + as an angel, _ni plus ni moins_, and I feel terrified at the + idea of how much more exacting she has made me for the future + choice of a wife, by showing one what opposite excellencies a + woman may unite in herself. + + _To his Father--Part of letter missing._] + 1855. + + It is with very great pleasure that I announce to you the + completion of my large picture, which I have exhibited + privately to my English friends and a crowd of artists of all + nations. You will, I am sure, be gratified to hear that it had + a remarkable "succes"; artists of whatever school seem equally + pleased, some admiring the drawing, others the colouring. I + hope that what I say does not savour of vanity; I simply tell + it you from a conviction that it is agreeable to you to hear + what people say of your son, and to anticipate in some measure + the verdict of a larger public. As for the positive _value_ of + it, we all know what to think about _that_. It amused me to + hear that several people compared my picture to the works of + Maclise, and came to conclusions considerably in my favour. + Swinton paid me the compliment of requesting to be introduced + to me, and seemed very sincerely to admire my picture, as also + a portfolio of leads which I have drawn at different times, + and which are much admired by everybody. + + Of course you did perfectly right in not dreaming of + exhibiting Isabel's likeness. Pray do not think from what I + said about my lengthened stay in Rome, that I undervalue the + delight of seeing you all again, but still I think that if by + a little postponement I can have that pleasure without losing + my spring, it would be better. My idea is to remain in Italy + till the end of May, and then visiting Paris (to see the great + Exhibition) on my road to get home by the middle or end of + June, which will still leave me a long summer's holiday. + +This letter from his mother contains the news of Leighton's father's +joy at the success of the picture in Rome:-- + + _February 18, 1855._ + + Now I think of it, you have probably some signs of spring + about you--how enviable! My dear Fred, I did not compare the + artistic resources of Bath with those of Rome, well knowing + that the transparent atmosphere there imparts beauty to the + country which, without it, might not be remarked; equally + bright and clear the sky is not in England, but I assure you + that many parts of the country near us and in Devonshire, and + doubtless in many other counties, may for beauty challenge a + comparison with many most admired spots in Italy and + elsewhere, though the character of the landscape is different. + Nevertheless, I shall be very glad to see again Switzerland, + Southern Germany, &c. &c. Pray, dear Fred, if you do go to + sketch in the Campagna, take care not to expose yourself to + any disagreeable adventures with Brigands; I _entreat_ you, be + prudent. Not to tire you with repetition, I have not alluded + to the success of your picture, but I must tell you that your + father was radiant with joy as he read your letter and gave it + into my hands with the words, "That _is_ a satisfactory + letter." I am curious to know _when_ we shall see your Paris + picture, and whether we shall winter in that delightful town; + Papa and I have always wished it. I must just mention, what I + had nearly forgotten, that a great treat is in store for the + inhabitants of Bath, as next week Mrs. Fanny Kemble is to read + some of Shakespeare's plays in public, with appropriate music. + A great treat is expected. God bless you, love, I can no more. + Our united affectionate greetings.--Your attached Mother, + + A. LEIGHTON. + + ROME, _January 3, 1855_. + (_Recd. January 12._) + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Let me hasten to reassure my poor dear + progenitor on the subject of his anxieties; if I spoke + doubtfully and despondently of my performances, it was owing + to the lively feeling that every artist, whose ideal is beyond + the applause of the many, must entertain of his own + shortcomings; once and for all let me beg him never to feel + any uneasiness on the score of mechanical processes, as in + such cases one always has the resource of cutting the Gordian + knot by painting over again the unsuccessful portions, an + expedient indeed to which I have many a time been forced to + resort; the result of such failures is called experience; + through such failures alone one arrives at success. Nor am I + wanting in the applause of my friends, who all speak in praise + and encouragement of my works, and it is not a little + gratifying to me to find that those whose opinions I most + value are the first to speak favourably of my endeavours; as + agreeable as is to me this testimony on their part, so + indifferent am I, and must I beg you to be (for better and for + worse) to the scribbling of pamphleteers; the self-complacent + oracularity of these _pachidermata_ is rivalled only by their + gross ignorance of the subjects they bemaul, and the + conventional flatness of all their views; I speak without fear + of being considered partial, as the article which you + communicate to me contains more of praise than of blame; it + is, however, my practice never to accept (inwardly) the praise + of those whose blame I don't acknowledge. I happen to have + seen other articles from the pen of this same Mister ----, and + know _a quoi m'en tenir_. The notice on myself I had heard of, + but not seen. It may amuse you to hear that my draperies have + been considered (alas!) the most successful part of my + picture, and I am at present labouring hard to bring the + heads, &c., _up to them_! In about a fortnight, the large work + ("Cimabue," the "canvas of many feet") will be, D.V., + finished, with the exception of the ultimate glazes and + retouches; by the end of February, both pictures will start + for their respective destinations. One thing has caused me + some annoyance and anxiety; I wrote a month ago (or more) to + one Mr. Allen, carver and gilder, 31 Ebury Street, Pimlico, + sending a design of my frame, and requesting him to let me + know at once what would be the cost of such a frame, whether + he would undertake it, and asking many questions important to + me to know; I have received no answer; I therefore must take + for granted that either he has not received my letter, or his + answer to me has been lost; now, as there is no longer any + time to correspond on the subject, I must, on the supposition + that my letter has gone astray, send another design together + with an unconditional order to begin at once at whatever cost; + now I grudge the time of writing a duplicate of my old letter, + and especially that of drawing a new diagram for his guidance. + With regard to the price, Fripp, who recommended him to me, + says Allen is a very respectable man, and will no way take + advantage of my awkward position; I calculate the frame can + hardly exceed five and twenty pounds; then there will be the + bill for exhibiting the picture of which he will take charge; + I expect that the framing, packing, sending, &c., of the two + canvases together will cost about fifty pounds "tant pis pour + moi!" + +(Here the letter breaks off.) + + (_Cover_--Madame Leighton, + 9 Circus, Bath, England.) + + ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _March 2, 1855_. + (_On cover--Recd. April 12._) + + DEAR PAPA,--I received a day or two ago the kind letter in + which you inform me of the disposition you have made to enable + me to get the money I want, and for which I sincerely thank + you; your letter reached me just as I was driving the last + nail into the coffin of my large picture; the small had been + disposed of in like manner the day before. Delighted as I am + to have got them at last off my hands, yet I felt a kind of + strange sorrow at seeing them nailed up in their narrow boxes; + it was so painfully like shrouding and stowing away a corpse, + with the exception, by-the-bye, that my pictures may possibly + return to my bosom long before the Last Judgment. With regard + to the success of my picture with its little Roman public, + nearly all the praise that reached my ears was bestowed + _behind my back_, so that whether intelligent or no, I have + good reason to believe it was sincere; indeed, I should not + else have said anything about it; Cornelius, I am sincerely + sorry to say, did not see my daubs in their finished state; he + was prevented by ill-health; however, all the advice he could + give me I got out of him in the beginning, and indeed, as you + know, altered about a dozen figures at his request; in points + of material execution he is utterly incompetent; I am happy to + say that he feels very kindly towards me, as indeed he told me + in plain words, and added on one occasion, "Sie koennen fuer + England etwas bedeutendes werden;" I need not tell you that as + he is altogether without apprehension of the peculiar and very + great merits of some of our artists, he considerably + overvalues my (relative) value. You ask for _my_ opinion of my + pictures; you couldn't ask a more embarrassing and + unsatisfactory question; I think, indeed, that they are very + creditable works for my age, but I am anything but satisfied + with them, and believe that I could paint both of them better + now; I am particularly anxious that persons whom I love or + esteem should think neither more nor less of my artistic + capacity than I deserve; the plain truth; I am therefore very + circumspect in passing a verdict on myself in addressing + myself to such persons; I think, however, you may expect me to + become eventually the best draughtsman in my country; Gibson + and Miss Hosmer are, as you expect, amongst those who praise + me, but I warn you that they are both utterly without an + opinion in matters pictorial. Who is ----? He is, _entre + nous_, the worst painter I ever saw, but also the greatest + toady, in virtue of which quality he makes L5000 a year by + portraying the nobility of Great Britain and Ireland; however, + towards me he has been very pleasant and nice, and so long as + there is no lord in the way he is a sufficiently companionable + person. I certainly feel very little desire to have my + "Cimabue" hung in the little room you speak of, but I fear + that I must take my chance with the rest; the fact is that + although I personally have taken no steps in the matter, still + "ces messieurs" will not be unprepared for my picture, because + I know that old Leitch for one will speak to them about it and + will do everything that is friendly; he even offered to + varnish it, but _that_ another friend of mine has already + undertaken. One thing is certain, they can't hang it out of + sight--it's too large for that. I must leave myself room to + write afterwards to Mamma.... + + ...I am glad that you have made up your mind to not seeing me + as soon as you expected; indeed I felt sure that when I told + you all the reasons which concurred to make me prolong my + stay, you would feel the force of them; I willingly confess, + too, that I was most strongly biassed on the matter by my + reluctance to part from my friends, but particularly _her_. I + am horrified at the use you make of the words "indefinite + time"; I shall certainly never live long anywhere without + going to see them, and I trust that our "intimes relations" + will not cease as long as I live. How sorry I am that I should + not have known in time that Mrs. Kemble was to read in Bath; I + should have liked so to introduce you to her; you no doubt + found her reading a rare treat. How beautiful is the + "Midsummer Night's Dream" with Mendelssohn's music! This + reminds me of dear Gussy and _her_ music; I suppose her new + master is a good one, or she would not have taken him; + generally speaking I have a sovereign dislike for the + _engeance_ of _pianistes_ with their eternal jingle-tingles at + the top of the piano, their drops of dew, their sources, their + fairies, their bells, and the vapid runs and futile conceits + with which they sentimentalise and torture the motive of other + men; we have a specimen here in the shape of the + all-fashionable ----.... + +Referring to a lady of his acquaintance, he continues:-- + + She has acquired by her melancholy and sometimes haughty moods + a character for misanthropy which she has not cared to refute; + but, my good sir, she is DIVORCED! Poor cowards! should they + not rather gather her to them, and "weep with her that weeps," + Bible-wise Pharisees! Your letter is full of thrilling events: + children born among the Australian flocks of Mr. Donaldson; + little ----, too, taking to herself a husband--alas for the + Laird of (probably) Ballyshallynachurighawalymoroo! I must + think of answering dear Gussy's note, and close with a hearty + kiss, from your dutiful and affectionate son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + DEAREST GUSSY,--Many thanks to you for your kind note and for + the sympathy and interest which you both offer and ask. How + heartily sorry I am that you should still be persecuted by the + soreness in your throat, and should be prevented, poor dear, + from singing; you who have the rare gift of that which is + unteachable and without which the most brilliant execution is + dumb to the heart; I mean musical accent. I had hoped that we + should sing together, but I fear that if the air of Bath has + such a bad effect on the throat, I shall be invalided as well + as yourself. What is about the compass of your voice? or + (which is more important) in what _tessitura_ do you sing with + least discomfort? that I may see whether anything I sing will + suit us; unfortunately most part of my limited _repertoire_ + consists of the first tenor part in quintettes and quartettes, + which are not available for us two. I don't know whether I + told you that I take a part in Mrs. Sartoris' musical + evenings, in which I officiate as _primo tenore_; you may + imagine how great an enjoyment this is to me. Dear Gussy, how + I wish you could hear _her_ sing! it would enlarge your ideas + and open out your heart; I am sadly afraid however, that she + won't winter in Paris, so that if you go there you must make + up your mind to not meeting her; but if you are in England in + October she may possibly be there by that time, and you might + make her acquaintance; if I sell either of my pictures, and am + "sur les lieux" at the time, I will take you and Lina to town + at my own expense and introduce you to the dearest friend I + have in the world; I long for you to know and love one + another. You ask me whether she is like her sister; in + _expression_, sometimes, strikingly like; in _feature_, not in + the least. She is the image of John Kemble, with large + aquiline nose and the most beautiful mouth in the world, a + most harmonious head, and, like Fanny, the hair low down on + her forehead; artistically speaking, her head and shoulders + are the finest I ever saw with the exception only of Dante's; + in spite of all this, many people think her barely + good-looking, because she has no complexion, very little hair, + and is excessively stout; _you_ will be more discriminating. I + am amused at Mamma's asking me in her letter whether I know + why ---- did not know the Sartoris! Pardi! I did not introduce + them,--in the first place I have been obliged to make a rule + to introduce nobody to that house, as I should otherwise + become a nuisance; people have constantly fished for + introductions knowing my intimacy; but the chief reason is + that Mrs. Sartoris has the judgment and courage to ask to her + house nobody but those she _likes_ for some reason or other, + for which reason her house is the most sociable in the world; + her "intimes" are a complete medley, from the Duke of + Wellington down to a poor artist with one change of boots, but + _all_ agreeable for some reason; I know that she would be kind + to _any one I_ brought to her, but I also know that the ----s + would have been in the way and a _corvee_ to her, which fully + accounts, &c. &c. + + I am delighted, dear Guss, that you have a music master to + your heart, and that you have been considered worthy to play + Bach's Fugues, which are indeed monstrous difficult. With + regard to the pianistic style and the dewdrop-warbling school, + you need not fear that _I_ should throw sour grapes in your + teeth about _that_; _franchement_, the ---- after all is + commonplace enough, and the ----, though pretty, hardly + deserves such an epithet as beautiful; as for the ----, it's + just ludicrous. Did you ever hear ---- piano-doodle himself? + + I was rather surprised at the judgment you pass on Fanny + Kemble's reading; if _anything_ seems at all coarse in it, it + is occasional bits in the _male_ part, and that only, after + all, because it is _too_ good and it seems discrepant to hear + male harsh sounds proceeding from the mouth of a woman. With + regard to her women, nothing can be more pathetic and touching + than her Juliet, or indeed all the women I have heard her do; + there is altogether in her style a certain amount of mannerism + belonging to the Kemble school, but in spite of all that, it + is quite unapproachable now and is grand in the extreme; the + Ghost in "Hamlet" is quite a creation. You seem, like Mamma, + to apologise almost for expressing an admiration for my + photograph; do you think, dear, that I don't value your + sympathy irrespectively of your art judgment? I shall send you + soon two photographs of portraits that I am now painting; one + of Mrs. Sartoris, the other of her little daughter May. I must + close.--With very best love to all, I remain, your very + affectionate brother, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +The change Leighton made in his picture at the request of Cornelius, +mentioned in his letter to his father, dated March 2, 1855, can be +seen by comparing the pencil sketch of the complete design with the +finished painting (see List of Illustrations). It consisted in his +making the Procession turn at the left-hand corner to face spectator, +instead of filling in this space and giving the required grouping of +lines partly by the foreshortened horse and its rider which we find in +the first sketch. In the Leighton House Collection there is a fine +study in pencil of the undraped figure of the man riding which is not +included in the final design. There are those who remembered the +picture when first painted in Rome, also at the Exhibitions in +Trafalgar Square and Burlington House, who were of opinion that it was +never seen so advantageously as on the occasion when the King lent it +for exhibition in the artist's own studio in Leighton House in the +year 1900, and many seeing it there exclaimed, "Leighton never did a +finer thing;" and, truly, seen, as it was then, placed across the end +of the glass studio under perfect conditions of lighting and +surroundings, the power and originality both in the colouring and +design of the work were very striking and impressive. Leighton's +friends felt specially grateful to the King, for an opportunity having +been afforded for the public to see this early work under such +favourable and appropriate circumstances. During those months when the +picture was shown at Leighton House, it felt as if the very spirit of +the young artist, at the time when he was starting on his notable +career, had returned and was haunting the home of his later years. +From the end of the large studio, looking through the darkened passage +connecting the two rooms, the procession verily looked alive, a +_tableau vivant_--no mere painting. + +One of the salient virtues in the composition lies in the happy way in +which the two central figures take a separate important position, +without the moving on of the procession being interrupted nor their +attitudes being in any sense forced. On the contrary, it is by their +absorbed, modest demeanour, which contrasts with the rest of the gay +crowd, talking, singing, and playing musical instruments as it moves +along, that the sense of awe and reverence felt by the two artist +spirits becomes accentuated. These recognise in this public ovation +bestowed on the picture of their beloved "Madonna and Child" the union +of a service offered both to Art and to Religion. + +The happiness Leighton enjoyed during the two years when this subject +occupied his thoughts seems to have been reflected in the vigour of +the actual painting. It was evidently finally executed with an +exuberant feeling of satisfaction. Careful studies having been +previously made for every portion, the under-painting itself was, as +he writes to Steinle, completed in one week, and the canvas once +attacked, there appears to have been no hitch in the process of +completion. The happy balancing of masses, the grouping of the +figures, the beauty of the lines throughout the crowded procession are +admirable. The picture was admitted by competent judges to be a work +marked by a distinct individuality, yet possessing "style," a word +which in recent years had been associated in England with art that +lacked vigour and originality, and which flavoured solely of obsolete +grooves and theories. The colour is richer and purer than in +Leighton's earliest pictures, and arranged cleverly so as to give full +importance and value to the beautiful white costume worn by +Cimabue.[34] Sir William Richmond, R.A., writes: "Impressions of early +years are not easily removed. As a boy at school I went to the R.A. +Exhibition, and saw for the first time a work of Leighton's, the +procession in honour of the picture by Cimabue in Florence, 1855. It +stood out among the other pictures to my young eye as a work so +complete, so noble in design, so serious in sentiment and of such +achievement, that perforce it took me by the throat." + +Leighton sent a photograph of the picture to Steinle with a letter +dated March 1. + + _Translation._] + ROME, VIA FELICE 123, + _March 1, 1855_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Although since my last letter I have had + no news of you, I cannot pass by this moment, so important to + me, without giving you intelligence of it. Yesterday I at last + sent off both my pictures, the large one to London, the small + one to Paris, with the consignment of the Roman Committee. + Thank goodness, at last I have got them off my mind! And how + sorry I am, dear Friend, that I could not put the finishing + touches to them in your presence! Of the "Cimabue," I send + you, in two pieces, a very bad photograph, but it is the best + that could be made within four walls; from it you will only be + able to judge generally of the grouping, for as regards the + colour, which comes out so black in the photograph, in the + picture it is altogether clear and light. You will certainly + be glad to hear that this work has earned much praise here; I + promised that you should not have to be ashamed of your pupil. + The small picture is so dark in effect, that it would be + impossible to photograph it; but as I suppose you, like all + the rest of the world, will visit the great exhibition in + Paris, you can avail yourself of the same opportunity to see + my daub. + + Gamba is, now as ever, industrious, tireless, conscientious; + his picture _also_ will be finished in a few weeks, and will + be a great credit to him; I only wish he had a prospect of + selling it, but at present the sale of pictures is stagnant, + especially in Piedmont, where the art-loving Queen-Mother has + died. He will have to fight hard against the gigantic pedantry + of the Turin Academy and College of Painters (_Malfacultaet_), + for he paints things exactly as he sees them in nature; God be + with him! Of course, he sends you heartfelt greetings. Of + other artistic doings in Rome I cannot tell you much; I think + I have already told you that I look upon Rome as the grave of + art; for a young artist, I mean, for whom actively suggestive + surroundings are necessary. As regards the so-called German + historical art, that is not much of a joke to me; when men, + out of pure impotence, throw themselves under the shield of + noble tendencies, in order to make mistaken efforts to imitate + the work of other painters, they are simply ridiculous; but + when men are endowed with fine natural gifts, and nevertheless + out of sheer queerness and pedantry go altogether astray, then + I only feel angry. God forgive me if I am intolerant, but + according to my view an artist must produce his art out of his + own heart; or he is none. + + Dear Master, I may perhaps pass through Frankfurt on my way + back (in June); I should like beyond all things to see you + again, you and your works that are so dear to me. Have you + painted the "Death of Christ" which pleased me so much? Write + to me if you have time, and tell me how things go with you. + Keep a friendly recollection of your grateful, affectionate + pupil, + + FRED. LEIGHTON. + + _Translation._] + FRANKFURT AM MAIN, + _March 20, 1855_. + + DEAR FRIEND,--My best thanks for your dear lines of the 1st + and for the photographs, with which you afforded me the + greatest pleasure. I had an idea that I should receive this + friendly remembrance, and I hope that you have meanwhile + received my letter of the 3rd March. I know the difference in + a photograph of a painting, and the often quite contrary + effect of the yellow and red, too well to be deceived by a + dark impression; the masses, their distribution, alike in the + groups and in the light and shade, the outline of the + background, most of the single figures, all please me very + well, and you could not believe how much I rejoice in every + detail in which I recognise my Leighton, and when I see how + all these have been achieved so thoroughly by industrious + study and artistic culture. You have indeed prepared a real + feast for me, my good wishes in my last letter were quite the + right ones, and the recognition which you have obtained in + Rome was certainly well earned. I am convinced that Overbeck + was heartily pleased with your pictures. It was perhaps my + imagination, dear friend, when I thought from your letter that + there was a slight cloud between us, but I think it will be + torn away when these lines reach you. The fond idea of being + again able to share your life and artistic work, I must + relinquish, for I am an exile, and besides cannot make myself + familiar with your progress as an artist in the Fatherland. + Shall, then, your stay in Italy be ended by the journey which + you led me to hope would bring you to see me again? But I + forget so easily that we live in a world of renunciations, and + that often when we believe we are disposing, we are disposed. + My spirit and my love will always, wherever you may be, be + with you. It occurred to me that probably our excellent Gamba + would not send his great picture to Paris, and yet I seem to + have heard that he intended doing so; it appears to me that + exhibition in Paris would give the picture more importance + than in Turin; that Gamba would triumph over the academic + formalities in Turin, I do not doubt in the least. His + grandmother and all his friends await him here; on a journey + to Paris?--Now, dear friend, one more request. Ihlee brought + from Rome some photographic views, with which I and the + friends who know Rome are truly delighted; the worthy Frau + Rath Schlosser wishes very much to possess a selection of + twelve, I myself would like to have at least three, will you + be so good as to bring them with you in June, and also + yourself take the trouble to make a really beautiful + selection? You will oblige me thereby very greatly. I shall + rejoice excessively to see you again, and wish much that your + stay in Frankfurt need not be so short. Remember me cordially + to Gamba, and give my kindest regards to Altmeister Cornelius. + My wife thanks you for your kind remembrance, and sends many + greetings. All friends here have bidden me send their best + wishes to you and Gamba. Adieu, dear friend, always and + altogether yours, + + EDW. STEINLE. + + _Translation._] + ROME, _April 15, 1855_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Only a day or two after I sent off my + letter with the photograph, I received your dear lines, and + now I have also the letter in which you acknowledge receipt of + mine, so that I am well off for news of you. All the affection + and kind sympathy which you express for me has affected me + deeply, and I look forward with sincere pleasure to the moment + when I shall be able personally to express my gratitude to + you; I am also most eager to see the drawings of the + completion of which you tell me; judging by the sketches, I + expect great things from this composition, so rich in + imagination; I saw the first beginnings of it. That you are + pleased with my photograph rejoices me extremely, but I am + sorry that you have not mingled some blame with the praise; + you say that _most_ of my figures please you well; ergo, some + of them do not; which are they? why not tell me all? do you no + longer regard me as your pupil? From one part of your letter I + understand that you think I have had a great deal of + intercourse with good old Overbeck; that is not so; he and his + followers one does not see at all unless one belongs to their + clique; Overbeck has never been within my four walls. + Cornelius I see less seldom, but not very often; he is a very + charming old man, so cheerful and friendly, and is of great + strength; for the rest, he has some little queernesses; he + said to me once, "Yes, Nature has also her style" (!). Does + that not bespeak a curious mental development? + + Gamba will not, as it happens, send his picture to Paris, it + was not ready in time; meantime, it is being exhibited here in + the Piazza del Popolo, and receives the applause it merits; he + sends you most cordial greeting. + + Yes, indeed, the years of my "Italian Journey" are now ended! + It seems but yesterday that we first took leave of one + another, and you encouraged me upon my setting forth; the + remembrance makes me sad at heart; I cannot help asking myself + whether my expectations for these three years have been + fulfilled: and the question remains unanswered. + + My stay in Italy will always remain a charming memory to me; a + beautiful, irrecoverable time; the young, careless, + independent time! I have also made some friends here who will + always be dear to me, and to whom I particularly attribute my + attachment to Rome. + + From an artistic point of view I am quite glad to leave Rome, + which I, _for a beginner_, regard as the grave of art. A young + man needs before all things the emulation of his + contemporaries; this I lack here in the highest degree; also + here I cannot learn my _trade_, and, notwithstanding + Cornelius, I am of opinion that the spirit cannot work + effectively until the hand has attained complete pliancy, and + I cannot see what right a painter has to evade the + difficulties of painting; Cornelius always says, "Take care + that the hand does not become master of the spirit," and that + sounds well enough; however, I see that, in consequence of his + scheme of development, he has not once succeeded in painting a + head reasonably, not once in modelling as the _form_ requires; + and that, with all his magnificent talent! Judge the tree by + the fruit. How are the frescoes of Raphael painted and + modelled? and the Sixtine Chapel! the lower part of the "Day + of Judgment" is in a high degree _colouristic_ + (_Koloristisch_). _Those_ people took nature straight from + God, and were not ashamed; therefore their art was no + galvanised mummy. + + I must close. Please remember me most kindly to your wife, and + to my other friends. For yourself, keep in remembrance, your + grateful and affectionate pupil, + + FRED. LEIGHTON. + +Steinle answers:-- + + _Translation._] + FRANKFURT AM MAIN, _May 6, 1855_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Hearty thanks for your friendly note of + April. The photograph of your picture quite pleases me as it + is, and if I am particularly pleased with the details, that is + to cast no discredit on the whole; for a general criticism the + photograph does not give me sufficient certainty, and I must + content myself, this time, with expressing the pleasure your + always well-composed pictures give me. You know your picture, + and can see more in the photograph than I. What you say about + Overbeck, Cornelius, and Rome, I understand well, and I am in + sympathy with much of it; but I am almost beginning to fear + you, especially as I particularly feel how much I myself am + wanting in ground-work, how much I myself belong to the same + evolution as these two men. Custom, circumstances, and the + tendencies of the times, are often mitigating facts in our + judgment of these painters; they have fought against things of + which we no longer know anything, and, as participators in + their art, we stand, to a certain extent, shoulder to shoulder + with them; their delicacies are proofs of their struggle, and + the characteristic of youth becomes in old age principally a + sign of weakness. Also experience has taught me not to let + myself be deceived by what is called "cliquiness," I grant you + that this is not an infallible judgment, which is often to be + regretted, but people nowadays are weak, and I have found that + cliques often have a greater tendency for good than those + judgments which make more noise, a greater outcry than the + fact warrants. Overbeck has always withdrawn himself too much; + but now, dear friend, you must attack him on the subject + before you leave Rome. Kindest regards to Gamba, to whom I + wish a happy completion of his picture. My wife sends best + greetings. Always and altogether yours, + + EDW. STEINLE. + +We have read in Leighton's letters the effect the "Cimabue's Madonna" +produced on his friends in Rome, and how it was nailed up as "in a +coffin" and despatched from the Eternal City, where it was destined +never to return. + + [Illustration: "CIMABUE'S 'MADONNA' CARRIED IN PROCESSION + THROUGH THE STREETS OF FLORENCE." 1855 + By permission of the Fine Art Society, the owners of the + Copyright] + +There exists a small long envelope edged with black, stained horny +yellow by time, the head of Queen Victoria on the postage stamp. It +was despatched from England to Rome over fifty years ago. In the +ardent spirit of the young artist who had been eagerly awaiting +tidings of his first great venture, what a tumult of excitement must +the contents of that small envelope have aroused! They brought with +them a conclusive and triumphal end to all arguments with his father +concerning the career Leighton had chosen; they realised the sanguine +hopes of his beloved master, Steinle, and of his other friends; last +not least, they gave him the means and the great happiness of helping +his fellow-artists. To quote again from the record of one who was with +him in Rome at the time: "My husband[35] remembers the departure of +his picture 'The Triumph of Cimabue,' sent with diffidence, and so, +proportionate was the joy when news came of its success, and that the +Queen had bought it. It was the month of May. Rome was at its +loveliest, and Leighton's friends and brother-artists gave him a +festal dinner to celebrate his honours. On receiving the news, +Leighton's first act was to fly to three less successful artists and +buy a picture from each of them. (George Mason, then still unknown, +was one.) And so Leighton reflected his own happiness at once on +others." + + _Translation._] + ROME, 123 VIA FELICE, + _May 18, 1855_. + + DEAR AND HONOURED FRIEND,--As with everything that I receive + from you, I was delighted to get your dear lines of the 6th; + one thing only in them grieved me a little, _i.e._ that what I + said about the German historical painters here seems to have + rather jarred upon you. Was I then so intolerant in my + expressions? I hope not. You say that you are almost afraid of + me. When I spoke to you so freely of the others, was that not + a plain proof of how completely I except you? You assuredly + know, dear Master, how and what I think of you, and that I + ascribe entirely to you my whole aesthetic culture in art. Your + commission to good old Overbeck I have executed as well as I + could. I found him much more cheerful and less ailing than + before. He received me with the greatest amiability; we spoke, + amongst other things, of you, and I perceived that he had it + in his mind to go soon to Germany and to spend a couple of + weeks in Mainz; I should like to be the first to give you this + good news. + + As for myself, dear Friend, my plans are once more quite + upset. My father has hastily recalled me to England, and I am + sorry to say that I must consequently give up going to + Frankfurt. However, I have not neglected your commission. I + have chosen the photographs, and you will receive them in the + beginning of next month, and that by a friend of mine who will + be passing through Frankfurt, and whom I hereby introduce to + you. Mrs. Sartoris is my dearest friend, and the noblest, + cleverest woman I have ever met; I need not say more to secure + her a cordial welcome from you. She is one of the celebrated + theatrical family of Kemble. It is now ten or eleven years + since she left the stage, but she is still the greatest living + cantatrice.[36] + + You will certainly be glad to hear that on the first day of + the Exhibition my picture was bought by the Queen. + + I am at this moment in the thick of packing; you must excuse, + dear Friend, my ending so abruptly. I will write again from + England.--Your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + [Illustration: Reproduction of Letter written by Sir Charles + Eastlake, P.R.A., to Lord Leighton, announcing the fact that + Queen Victoria had purchased his picture, "Cimabue's Madonna." + 1855.] + +So ended the first page of Leighton's life as an artist in the Rome of +the fifties--a very different Rome to that of the present. The +atmosphere was still steeped in those days with a flavour belonging to +the Papal temporal dominion, and the visible life still picturesque +with the costumes and grandeur of mediaeval customs. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[20] See page 83. + +[21] Page 97. + +[22] Page 26, "Introduction." + +[23] "If the Almighty were to come before me, with absolute knowledge +in his right hand, and perpetual striving after truth in his left, I +would fling myself to his left, praying: Father, give! pure truth is +thine alone." + +[24] "The Well-Head" (see List of Illustrations), drawn during +Leighton's visit to Venice, and described in "Pebbles," more than +justifies this opinion, for it may be questioned whether any other +drawing he ever made of the kind is as perfectly beautiful. + +[25] Miss Laing, afterwards Lady Nias. + +[26] See Appendix. Presidential Address delivered by Sir F. Leighton, +Bart., P.R.A., at the Art Congress, held at Liverpool, December 3, +1888. + +[27] This modest attitude Leighton took as listener reminds me of the +last time he saw Browning. One afternoon in the autumn of 1888, we were +sitting with Leighton and Browning in the Kensington studio. Browning +showed us photographs of the Palazzo Rezzonico which he had lately +given to his son. The subject turned to a discussion on Byron and +Shelley. Often as I had heard Browning talk well, I never heard him +converse so well as he did on that afternoon. It was no monologue. It +was real conversation, and of the kind that inspires others to do also +their best; but Leighton never uttered, till--when, after an hour or +so, we rose to leave--he exclaimed, "Oh, don't! _do_ go on," and we had +to sit down again. When at last the good thing came to an end, Leighton +conducted us downstairs to his door, where we parted. Browning waved a +farewell from across the road, where he stood for a moment in front of +the little cottages, while Leighton stood in the porch-way of his +house. The next day Browning started on his last journey to Italy--to +die in the Palazzo Rezzonico. + +[28] Another old friend of Leighton's, Mr. Hamilton Aide, writes: "My +journal 1854-55-56 contains frequent notices of our excursions and long +days spent on the Campagna, and on the hill-sides near the Bagni di +Lucca, where we took out food for mind and will as well as for the +body, and sketched while one of our party read aloud--and also of many +Tableaux at Rome, devised by him (Leighton) to suit the colouring, +character, and grace of certain noble ladies." + +[29] It appears that Leighton had been misinformed as to "every girl" +having to pass such an examination. + +[30] In Italien auf meiner Wanderschaft + Hab' ich dies Bueblein aufgerafft + Hab's mit dem Pinsel so hingeschrieben + Ist mir leider unvollendet geblieben. + +[31] The Cafe Greco still exists, unaltered since the days when +Leighton and Gamba lunched there every day on _macaroni al burro_. I +visited it last May (1906), and heard from the present proprietor that +it continues to be frequented by artists of all countries. He had heard +of the book of sketches, and also that Rafaello had sold it before his +death, but to whom the _Padrone_ could not say. + +[32] Of Cervara there is a pencil drawing by Leighton in the Leighton +House Collection, in his earliest style, dated 1856. + +[33] Fanny Kemble's answer to these words of Leighton's were:--"Thank +you, my dear Sir Frederic, for the address you have been so good as to +give me. You honour me by remembering any conversation you ever had +with me. I remember one I had with you many years ago, but do not think +you refer to that. You say no word, and you do well, upon the subject +that must be uppermost in both our minds when we meet or hold any +intercourse with each other--our thoughts must be of the same +complexion and could hardly find any expression. Thank you again for +your kindness.--I am affectionately, your obliged, + + FANNY KEMBLE." + +[34] Ruskin wrote the following criticism of the picture when it was +first exhibited: "This is a very important and very beautiful picture. +It has both sincerity and grace, and is painted on the purest +principles of Venetian art--that is to say, on the calm acceptance of +the whole of nature, small and great, as, in its place, deserving of +faithful rendering. The great secret of the Venetians was their +simplicity. They were great colourists, not because they had peculiar +secrets about oil and colour, but because when they saw a thing red +they painted it red, and ... when they saw it distinctly they painted +it distinctly. In all Paul Veronese's pictures the lace borders of the +tablecloths or fringes of the dresses are painted with just as much +care as the faces of the principal figures; and the reader may rest +assured that in all great Art it is so. Everything in it is done as +well as it can be done. Thus, in the picture before us, in the +background is the Church of San Miniato, strictly accurate in every +detail; on top of the wall are oleanders and pinks, as carefully +painted as the church; the architecture of the shrine on the wall is +studied from thirteenth-century Gothic, and painted with as much care +as the pinks; the dresses of the figures, very beautifully designed, +are painted with as much care as the faces; that is to say, all things +throughout with as much care as the painter could bestow. It +necessarily follows that what is most difficult (_i.e._ the faces) +should be comparatively the worst done. But if they are done as well as +the painter could do them, it is all we have to ask, and modern artists +are under a wonderful mistake in thinking that when they have painted +faces ill, they make their pictures more valuable by painting the +dresses worse. + +"The painting before us has been objected to because it seems broken up +in bits. Precisely the same objection would hold, and in very nearly +the same degree, against the best works of the Venetians. All faithful +colourists' work, in figure-painting, has a look of sharp separation +between part and part.... Although, however, in common with all other +work of its class, it is marked by these sharp divisions, there is no +confusion in its arrangement. The principal figure is nobly principal, +not by extraordinary light, but by its own pure whiteness; and both the +master and the young Giotto attract full regard by distinction of form +and face. The features of the boy are carefully studied, and are indeed +what, from the existing portraits of him, we know those of Giotto must +have been in his youth. The head of the young girl who wears the +garland of blue flowers is also very sweetly conceived." + +D.G. Rossetti wrote to his friend, William Allingham, May 11, 1855: +"There is a big picture of Cimabue, one of his works in procession, by +a new man, living abroad, named Leighton--a huge thing, which the Queen +has bought; which every one talks of. The R.A.'s have been gasping for +years for some one to back against Hunt and Millais, and here they have +him, a fact that makes some people do the picture injustice in return. +It was very interesting to me at first sight; but on looking more at +it, I think there is great richness of arrangement, a quality which, +when really existing, as it does in the best old masters, and perhaps +hitherto in no living man--at any rate English--ranks among the great +qualities." + +[35] Sir John Leslie. + +[36] Mrs. Richmond Ritchie gives a very charming account of her first +introduction in the Rome of those days to Leighton's friend, the great +_cantatrice_, Mrs. Sartoris, in the preface to the edition of "A Week +in a French Country House," published in 1902. Thackeray, Mrs. +Ritchie's father, and Charles Kemble, Mrs. Sartoris' father, had been +old friends. Mrs. Ritchie says: "The writer's first definite picture of +her old friend (Mrs. Sartoris) remains as a sort of frontispiece to +many aspects and remembrances. We were all standing in a big Roman +drawing-room with a great window to the west, and the colours of the +room were not unlike sunset colours. There was a long piano with a bowl +of flowers on it in the centre of the room; there were soft carpets to +tread upon; a beautiful little boy in a white dress, with yellow locks +all a-shine from the light of the window, was perched upon a low chair +looking up at his mother, who with her arm round him stood by the +chair, so that their two heads were on a level. She was dressed (I can +see her still) in a sort of grey satin robe, and her beautiful proud +head was turned towards the child. She seemed pleased to see my father, +who had brought us to be introduced to her, and she made us welcome, +then, and all that winter, to her home. In that distant, vivid hour +(there may be others as vivid now for a new generation) Rome was still +a mediaeval city--monks in every shade of black and grey and brown were +in the streets outside with their sandalled feet flapping on the +pavement; cardinals passed in their great pantomime coaches, rolling on +with accompaniment of shabby cocked-hats and liveries to clear a way; +Americans were rare and much made of; English were paramount; at night +oil-lamps swung in the darkness. Many of the ruins of the present were +still in their graves peacefully hidden away for another generation to +unearth; the new buildings, the streets, the gas lamps, the tramways +were not. The Sartorises had fireplaces with huge logs burning; Mrs. +Browning sat by her smouldering wood fire; but we in our lodging still +had to light brazen pans of charcoal to warm ourselves if we shivered. +At my request an old friend, who for our good fortune has kept a diary, +opens one of his pretty vellum-bound note-books, and evokes an hour of +those old Italian times from the summer following that Roman winter. He +tells of a peaceful Sunday at Lucca, a place of which I have often +heard Mrs. Sartoris speak with pleasure; Leighton and Hatty Hosmer and +Hamilton Aide himself are there; they are all sitting peacefully +together on some high terrace with a distant view of the spreading +plains, while Mrs. Sartoris reads to them out of one of her favourite +Dr. Channing's sermons. Another page tells of a party at Ostia. 'Very +pleasant we made ourselves in a pine wood,' says the diarist; 'I walked +by A.S.'s _chaise-a-porteur_ up the hills later in the evening. She +talked of her past life and all its trials, and of her early youth.' +Mrs. Ritchie in her preface also tells of this 'past life.' + +"The Rue de Clichy of which he (Thackeray) speaks was the street in +which Miss Foster lived, under whose care both Fanny and Adelaide +Kemble were placed, when they successively went to Paris. Then each in +turn came out and made her mark, and each in turn married and left the +stage for that world in which real tragedies and real comedies are +still happening, and where men and women play their own parts +instinctively and sing their own songs. Adelaide's short artistic +career lasted from 1835 to 1842, long enough to impress all the +subsequent years of her life. With all the welcoming success which was +hers, there must have been many a moment of disillusion, +discouragement, and suffering for a girl so original, so aristocratic +in instinct, so quick of perception, so individual, '_De la boheme +exquise_,' as some great lady once described her. The following page +out of one of her early diaries gives a vivid picture of one side of +her artistic life: '...Received an intimation that the company who are +to act with me had arrived at Trieste, and would be here at eleven to +rehearse the music. At twelve came Signor Carcano (the director of the +music), and a dirty-looking little object, who turned out to be the +prompter. After they had sat some time wondering what detained the +rest, a little fusty woman, with a grey-coloured white petticoat +dangling three inches below her gown, holding a thin shivering dog by a +dirty pocket-handkerchief, and followed by a tall slip of a man, with +his hair all down his back, and decorated with whiskers, beard, and +mustachios, made her appearance. I advanced to welcome my Adalgisa, but +without making any attempt at a return of my salutation, she glanced +all round the room and merely said, "Come fa caldo qui! Non c'e nessuno +ancora? Andiamo a prendere un caffe," and taking the arm of the hairy +man retreated forthwith. Then came Signor Gallo, leader of the band, +then the tenor, who could have gained the prize for unwashedness +against 'em all--and after half-an-hour more waiting, Adalgisa and the +hairy one returned, and after about half-an-hour more arrived my bass, +and, God bless him, he came clean! + +"'We then went to work. Adalgisa could think of nothing but her dog, who +kept up a continuous plaintive howl all the time we sang, which she +assured me was because it liked the band accompaniment better than the +piano, as it never made signs of disapprobation when she took it to +rehearsals with the orchestra. She also informed me that it had five +puppies, all of which it had nursed itself, as if Italian dogs were in +the habit of hiring out wet nurses....'" And again-- + +"I can remember her describing to us one of these performances, and her +enjoyment of the long folds of drapery as she flew across the stage as +Norma and how she added with a sudden flash, half humour, half +enthusiasm: 'I have everything a woman could wish for, my friends and +my home, my husband and my children, and yet sometimes a wild longing +comes over me to be back, if only for one hour, on the stage again, and +living once more as I did in those early adventurous times.' She was +standing in a beautiful room in Park Place when she said this. There +were high carved cabinets, and worked silken tapestries on the walls, +and a great golden carved glass over her head--she herself in some +velvet brocaded dress stood looking not unlike a picture by Tintoret." + + + + +CHAPTER III + +PENCIL DRAWINGS OF PLANTS AND FLOWERS + +1850-1860 + + +No attempt at an appreciation of Leighton's art would be complete were +it not to include, and even accentuate, the distinct value of the +exquisite drawings of flowers and leaves which he made in pencil and +silver point between the years 1852 and 1860.[37] As regards certain +all-important qualities these studies are unrivalled. I was well +acquainted with the drawings Leighton made for his pictures during the +last twenty-five years of his life, and I had oftentimes heard Watts +express an unbounded admiration for these; but when, looking through +the portfolios of early drawings after Leighton's death, I came upon +these exquisite fragments in pencil, it seemed that I had found for +the first time the real key to the inner chamber of his genius. As +reproductions of the beauty in line, form, and structure--the +architecture, so to speak, of vegetation--nothing ever came closer to +Nature revealed by a human touch through a treatment on a flat +surface. + +On December 22, 1852, Leighton writes to his mother from Rome: "I long +to find myself again face to face with Nature, to follow it, to watch +it, and to copy it, closely, faithfully, ingenuously--as Ruskin +suggests, 'choosing nothing and rejecting nothing,'" and it is in this +spirit that he set to work when he filled sketch-books with exquisite +studies of the flowers and plants he loved best. These records of the +joy with which Nature filled his artistic temperament are to some more +truly sympathetic than his elaborate work, for the reason that, while +enjoying their beauty, we come in contact with the pure spirit of +Leighton's genius unalloyed by any sense of intellectual effort. In +his diary, "Pebbles," on August 21, 1852, Leighton writes: "Of the +Tyrolese themselves, three qualities seem to me to characterise them, +qualities which go well hand in hand with, and, I think it is not +fanciful to say, are in great measure a key to, their well-known +frankness and open-hearted honesty. I mean Piety, which shines out +amongst them in many true things, a love for the art, which with them +is, in fact, an outward manifestation of piety, and which is +sufficiently displayed by the numberless scriptural subjects, painted +or in relief, which adorn the cottages of the poorest peasants ... and +last, not least, a love for flowers (in other words, for Nature), +which is written in the lovely clusters of flowers which stand in +many-hued array on the window-sills of every dwelling. The works of +all the really great artists display that love for flowers. Raphael +did not consider it "niggling," as some of our broad-handling moderns +would call it, to group humble daisies round the feet of his divine +representation of the Mother of Christ. I notice that _two plants_, +especially, produce a beautiful effect, both of form and colour, +against the cool grey walls; the spreading, dropping, graceful +_carnation_, with its bluish leaves and crimson flowers, and the +slender, anthered, thousand-blossomed _oleander_." No exact name has +ever been given to the special creed of the artist's religion; to that +condition of the soul which Socrates in Plato's _Phaedrus_ declares has +come to the birth as having seen most of truth together with that of +the Philosopher, the Musician, and the Lover. The artist penetrates +further than others can, into the mysteries of Nature's marvels as +revealed through the eye, and he therefore comes in closer union +through the sense of sight with the spirit of the artist of the +infinite, and can gauge better the immeasurable distance which exists +between Divine and human creation, and this is felt more distinctly, +more reverently, when the artist simply copies Nature than when his +own daemon is taking a part in the inspiring of his inventions. + +Leighton writes to his mother when he first reaches Rome in 1852: "I +wish that I had a mind, simple and unconscious, even as a child"; and +we find the evidence in these studies by Leighton of plants and +flowers that his wish, for the time when he was drawing them, was +granted; no intellectual choice nor assumption of scholarly theories +have taken part in their achievement; they are spontaneous echoes of +Divine creations when he was "face to face with Nature," and there is +no reflection of any teaching but hers. Nature and her child have been +alone together. The results are unalloyed expressions of the joy he +felt in pure impersonal revelations of beauty. They are distinguished +because elemental, recording the birth of the ingenuous response of a +human spirit to a superhuman perfection of workmanship. When in such +union of spirit with Nature, the artist-soul enters his most sacred +shrine. An ecstatic joy is kindled by wonder, admiration, adoration, +from which joy is inspired a peremptory impulse to endeavour to +reproduce in his human handicraft the marvels of creation. Such +experiences result from instinctive inevitable conditions, and, coming +from the illumination of genius, belong to a higher level than that on +which the intellect works;[38] no temptations of the personal daemon +simmer behind and distort the pure vision of Nature, provoking +suggestions which are human of the human--the desire to excel, the +ambition to be first, the love to display individuality. That inner +life, the very core and most vital meaning of Leighton's being, the +life that held revelry with all Nature's beauty, had been enraptured +through the pure innocent loveliness in the flowers. Take, for +instance, the page where he has _explained_ the cyclamen he found at +Tivoli in October 1856, and take a cyclamen, the real flower, and +dissect it. What precious work we find: the ribbed calyx spreading out +from the satin sheen of the stalk to clasp the bulbous swelling at the +root of the petals--brilliant like finest blown glass, each calyx +fringed round with emerald green flutings--inside straw colour dashed +with brown speckles, all this triumph of minute finish just to start +the sail-like petals of the flower itself. What reverence and +enthusiasm was excited in Leighton as he pored over such things is +vouched for by this page (and others similar of different flowers), +exquisite portraits of every view of the cyclamen; faint notes in +writing recording the colours which his pencil failed to do. + + [Illustration: STUDIES OF CYCLAMEN. Tivoli, October 1856 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: WREATH OF BAY LEAVES. + Drawn at the Bagni di Lucca, 1854. Leighton House Collection] + +Referring to his journey through the Tyrol, in 1852, Leighton writes: +"I had been dwelling with unwearied admiration on the exquisite grace +and beauty of the details, as it were, of Nature; every little flower +of the field had become to me a new source of delight; the very blades +of grass appeared to me in a new light." + +Not only his artistic temperament, but also circumstances, had guided +Leighton's instincts into the worship of beauty--beauty such as can be +conceived alone by the artistic temperament--as the divinest element +in creation and one to be reverenced beyond all others; and when "face +to face" with Nature, having no desire but to record that reverence +and worship "ingenuously," he made these incomparable drawings. They +were done solely for the sake of the joy he felt in doing them, and +Leighton certainly never expected any recognition of their beauty by a +future generation. Stray leaves from a sketch-book have been collected +and preserved in the Leighton House Collection, having been extracted +from a mass of old dusty papers. On these pages are exquisite +pencilled outlines of cyclamen, of a crocus, of oleander flowers, of a +bramble branch, of sprays of bay and of plants of the agaves. They are +dated the year after Leighton's great success, 1856, the year of his +failure. In 1854, when he spent the summer at the Bagni di Lucca, he +drew studies of bay-leaves twined into a wreath and festoons of the +vine (see List of Illustrations and design on cover). Three days after +Leighton's death, in a letter to _The Times_ from one who knew him, a +reference was made to this visit to Lucca.[39] This old acquaintance, +who was then seeing him daily for three months, writes, "He was the +most brilliant man I ever met." It was this brilliant entity, this +attractive personality, who spent hours over drawing the flower of a +pumpkin and of a "_faded pumpkin_." Professor Aitchison records how he +found Leighton at work over this drawing.[40] The celebrated "Lemon +Tree," to which Professor Aitchison refers, and of which Ruskin also +writes,[41] though the most renowned of Leighton's drawings of plants, +and doubtless a _tour de force_,--a wonderful achievement,--has not, I +think, the same perfection of charm which many of the earlier, less +complete studies possess.[42] The sketch of a portion of a deciduous +tree[43] is perhaps a greater triumph in draughtsmanship than even the +"Lemon Tree," because the foliage has a frailer and less definite +aspect, and is yet reproduced with an absolute certainty of outline. +The "Lemon Tree," drawn at Capri in 1859, was done for a purpose. +Leighton had a feeling that the pre-Raphaelites ought not to have it +all their own way on the score of elaborate finish and perfection in +the drawing of detail. My first introduction to the "Lemon Tree" was +on an occasion when Leighton and I had had an argument respecting the +principles of the pre-Raphaelite school. He fetched the drawing from a +corner in his studio, and, while showing it to me, said words to the +effect that it was not only the pre-Raphaelites who reverenced the +detail in Nature, and who thought it worth the time and labour it took +to record the beauty in the wonderful minutiae of her structure. If +sufficient pains were taken, any one, he maintained, who could draw at +all ought to be able to draw the complete detail of every object set +before him. But, for the very reason that the "Lemon Tree" was done +with a further purpose than the mere joy the beauty of Nature excited +in Leighton's aesthetic senses, there is not, I think, quite the same +convincing charm in this drawing as in some other more fragmentary +studies. + +In considering this early work by Leighton, it should be borne in +mind, that in those years when it was executed, photography had not +yet given the standard of a finish and perfection in actual +delineation which outrivals every record made by human hand and eye. +Photography has, in these later years, given the proportion and detail +in beautiful architecture, the form of trees, plants, and flowers, +their exquisite delicacy of structure, their grace and intricacy of +line: all this has been secured and pictured for us by the camera; +and, up to a certain point, very precious and truthful are these +memoranda of the aspects of nature and art. Many of us remember the +days when enthusiastic disciples of the wonderful new art of +photography prophesied that no other would soon be needed, and that +the draughtsman's craft would before long cease to exist. And further, +they maintained it only required the discovery of a means to +photograph colour for the painter's art also to be demolished. +Artists, however, knew better. What was valuable in the records of +photography, and what was of most intrinsic worth in the records +created through means of the human hand and eye, were absolutely +incomparable quantities. The treatment of nature in a photographic +picture, however admirable and complete, must always be lacking in the +evidence of any preference, reverence, or enthusiasm--in the sacred +fire, in fact, which inspires the draughtsman's pencil and the +painter's brush. Photography is indiscriminate; human art is +selective, and is precious as it evinces and secures a choiceness in +selection. However truthfully a photograph may record beauty of line +and form in nature, it inevitably also records in its want of +discrimination any facts which may exist in the view photographed; +these counter-balance the effect of such beauty, and mar the subtle +impression of charm which scenes in nature produce on a mind sensitive +to beauty. + + [Illustration: STUDY OF LEMON TREE. Capri, 1859 + By permission of Mr. S. Pepys Cockerell] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF DECIDUOUS TREE. + Leighton House Collection] + +As the vision of the artist which attracts this feeling for beauty +focalises itself in the sight, he naturally perceives but vaguely any +other objects before him; therefore, the facts inspired by such +preference become accentuated, and all their surroundings subordinated +to it. For this reason, also, what is called, somewhat erroneously, +the sculptor's sense of line and form--the sense applying equally to +the treatment of line and form on a flat surface as in the round--is +not so obvious in a photograph as in a good drawing. The eye of one +possessing a gift for drawing transmits to the brain the structure of +an object, not only as it is outlined against other objects, but also +as the different planes of which it is formed recede or advance, slant +one way or another, curve or straighten. To a truly gifted +draughtsman, such as Leighton, there is an absorbing interest in +working out the forms of the objects he sees which delight his sense +of beauty,--of guiding his pencil so that it echoes on the paper the +gratification with which his senses are inspired through his artistic +perceptions. The result will be--that the drawing he produces almost +unconsciously accentuates what has delighted him most in the objects +he is depicting, and, explaining further than does even an actual copy +by photography the element of beauty which has inspired him, carries +with it also an inspiring effect on the spectator: the drawing will +have something in it which affects us as a living influence, an +influence which the most perfect of photographs can never possess. The +actual perspective may be absolutely correct in the photograph--so may +be the placing on the paper of every turn and twist in a bough or a +leaf as regards their outlines; but compared to a beautiful drawing we +feel the want of mind behind it: no human sense has revelled in the +intricacies of growth and foreshortening, no human eye has traced the +exquisite grace and sweep of the curve and the happy spring of the +shoot alive with uprising sap. Just that accentuation which +unwittingly creeps into the human touch, denoting that the +construction of the form has been perceived and appreciated with +delight, is lacking. The line of a pathway rising up on the sweep of +an upland, a line which is always so fascinatingly suggestive, does +not lead you farther over the hill in a photograph as it does in a +little woodcut by William Blake. Just that push and movement is +wanting in the sense of the line which in a really fine drawing gives +it a living quality. Another shortcoming is caused by the inevitable +flattening of tone in a photograph. The brightest light does not +detach itself, the darkest spot, to some degree always, even in the +best print, is merged in the general shadow. + + [Illustration: EARLY STUDIES OF KALMIA, OLEANDER, AND + RHODODENDRON FLOWERS + Leighton House Collection] + +The idea that photography could supersede the art of the draughtsman +soon exploded. Artists have used photography--some intelligently, as +did Watts--many unintelligently. The illegitimate use of photography, +the endeavour to make the lens do the work which alone the human eye +and hand can effect, was seen in lifeless portraits, painted partly +from the sitter, partly from a photograph. It is natural that any +genuine artist should rebel against such cheapening of his art; and +the deadening effects of relying on photography "to help you out" have +brought about the result that the qualities in art which are furthest +removed from those which it has in common with photography have been +forced to the front, and the grammar of drawing, the groundwork of +nature's structures which the human hand and the photographic lens can +both record, has ceased to be considered as all-important. In +Leighton's work this grammar was in itself developed into a fine art. +By comparing any sketch he made of a leaf or of a flower with a +photograph of the same, this will be evident to any eye that can +appreciate grace and quality in drawing. + +The latest phase of using photography to help out the drawing is found +in some modern illustrations where the lens has found the outline, the +right placing of the scene on the paper, the right proportion and +perspective in buildings, and the general light and shade of the scene +for the illustrator--the human hand only coming in to give breadth of +effect, to undo the tell-tale finish of the photograph, and to make it +into what is called "a picture" on the lines of a Turner or a +Whistler. + +All these were unknown ways in Leighton's youth, and to the end of his +life he could make no use whatever of photography in his work. He took +a kodak with him once on his travels, but the results were amusingly +negative. "From the moment an artist relies on photography he does no +good," was a statement I heard him make. Leighton believed in no short +cuts. Enthusiasm, labour, sacrifice, renouncement,--these, and these +alone, he maintained, can secure for the artist a worthy success. + + [Illustration: STUDY OF A FADED FLOWER OF PUMPKIN. Rome, 1854 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF FLOWER OF A PUMPKIN. Meran, 1856 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: STUDIES OF BRANCHES OF VINE. Bagni di Lucca, 1854 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: BRANCH OF VINE. Bellosquardo, Florence, 1856 + Leighton House Collection] + +There are those who would define genius by describing it as the +faculty for taking infinite pains. But obviously genius is in itself a +power, born of inspiration, which so completely overmasters all other +conditions in a nature, that no labour nor time is taken into account +so long as the impelling force obtains utterance. The inborn +conviction in a nature that it has the power to create, demolishes all +impediments which come in the way to hinder this power from stamping +itself into a form. The necessity of taking infinite pains is but the +natural and inevitable consequence of the burning desire born, who +knows how? in the spirit of those who are blessed with genius, and the +faculty to discern how best to develop it. Leighton, by reason, +perhaps, of the very spontaneity of his own gifts, and also of his +extreme natural modesty, allied to the conscientiousness with which he +carried out his feeling of duty towards his vocation, was apt to lay +more stress on the necessity for taking pains than on the necessity of +possessing the real source of his power of industry. He saw too often +the fatal results of artists depending on talent to achieve what only +talent allied to industry can perform, for him not to accentuate the +all-importance of unceasing labour. He wrote to his elder sister with +reference to one of these fatal results: "I have not seen that young +man's recent work, neither do I hunger and thirst thereafter; +twenty-one years ago, or more, his parents brought me a composition of +his--it justified the highest hopes--it was very ambitious in its +scope (though the work of a child), and the ambition was justified +in the ability it displayed. Nothing that I could have done at his age +approached it. I told his parents so. He ought now to have been a very +considerable artist, to say the least--he no longer even _aims_! He +told me a year or two ago that he had _ceased to design_! He paints +portraits, and twists a little moustache under an eyeglass. He is +_nothing_, as far as the world knows, and I doubt whether he is hiding +himself under a bushel. I fear vanity and idleness have rotted out his +talents. It is a strange and a sad case. I often quote it (without +names) to those who show precocious gifts." His attached friend and +fellow-Academician, Mr. Briton Riviere, writes of Leighton:-- + +"I have always believed that his ruling passion was Duty--the keenest +possible sense of it; to do anything he had to do as perfectly as +possible, and to be always at his best. He was evidently a believer in +Goethe's maxim that 'an artist who does anything, does all.' In his +own work, in what concerned his colleagues and the outside body of +artists, in fact in everything he did. Nothing easily or passively +done satisfied him; but in every case the decision and action were +brought by care and work--if possible, executed by himself; and no +pressure of time or labour ever made him escape such personal trouble, +or caused him to transfer it to the shoulders of another. This temper +of mind was shown even in small matters, which so busy a man might +well have left for others to do. I think it sometimes injured his own +work as an artist, because, though a great artist can never be evolved +except by years of patient work and strenuous effort to do his very +best always, yet, on the other hand, it is often the happy, easy work +and absolutely spontaneous effort at the moment by such a hand which +is his very best. Such happy, easy work probably Leighton would seldom +allow himself to do, and never would leave at the right moment, but +would still strive to make better and more complete. He must still +elaborate it and try to make it more perfect; and this it was which +made his old friend and enthusiastic admirer, Watts, sometimes say +"how much finer Leighton's work would be if he would admit the +accidental into it." + +I remember once casually remarking to Leighton how much easier writing +was than painting. He answered quickly but seriously--quite +impressively: "Believe me, nothing is easy if it is done as well as +you can possibly do it." This was Leighton's creed of creeds. Whatever +genius or facilities an artist may possess, he must ignore them as +factors in the fight. He must possess them unconsciously--the whole +conscious effort being concentrated on surmounting difficulties, not +on encouraging facilities. + +To return to the subject of this chapter. It would be obviously +unreasonable to attempt to compare slight studies of plants and +flowers, however precious, with finished important works of art such +as "Cimabue's Madonna," "A Syracusan Bride," "Daphnephoria," "Captive +Andromache," "The Return of Persephone," or, in fact, with any of +Leighton's well-known paintings--or indeed with those masterly studies +of the figure and draperies in black and white chalk, drawn for his +pictures, or when he was seized with the beauty of an attitude while +his model was resting. These, though executed in a few seconds, are +true and subtle records of the perfection in the form and structure of +the human figure, proving the existence of a knowledge and of a sense +of beauty which Watts declared were unrivalled since the days of +Pheidias. The later masterly studies of landscape in oil-colour which +formerly lined the walls of his Kensington studio, in which can be so +truly discerned the distinctive colouring and atmosphere of the +various countries where they were painted, also are greater as +achievements than the pencil drawings. Nevertheless, when studying +Leighton's genius with a view to gauge rightly its power and also its +limitations, it is, I maintain, essential to take into account these +direct studies from Nature, made with the object solely of following, +watching, and copying her faithfully, ingenuously, "choosing nothing +and rejecting nothing," but into which crept unconsciously the +undeniable evidence of his native gifts. As proofs of spontaneous +power in the quality of his genius, they refute much unjust criticism +which has been hurled at Leighton's art since his death. Sir William +Richmond wrote[44]:-- + +"That term of abuse and of contempt, trite now, on account of the +mannerism of its constant adoption by ephemeral critics, and sometimes +adopted by poorly equipped artists, 'academic,' has been most +unjustly, in its derogatory sense, applied to Leighton's art. + +"In point of fact, it is academic, but only in the good sense of being +highly educated, very scientific, and restrained. And in that sense it +is a pity that there is not more of such academic art. The bad sense, +wherein such criticism is applicable, being justly advanced towards +work that displays no inspiration, no originality, that is correct and +commonplace, balanced without enthusiasm, adequate without reason, and +accurate without good taste in the choice of beautiful and expressive +gestures, forms, and colours, and is preoccupied and narrow." + +It is probably the restraint, the science, the high education in +Leighton's finished pictures which have provoked unsympathetic critics +to endeavour to demolish Leighton's reputation as a great artist. To +these, such qualities would seem to deny the existence of any +sensitiveness, any spontaneity in his art. They have asserted that it +is cold, dry--academic. For the reason that science, calculated +effects, style, and high education--qualities rarely found in modern +English art--are evident in Leighton's pictures, they conclude that +the painter is possessed of no intuitive genius. They take essentially +a British, a non-cosmopolitan standpoint from which to preach. They do +not take into account the standard towards which Leighton was ever +aiming. He may not have attained the goal towards which he worked, but +the nature of that goal should be understood and recognised before any +criticism on his work can pass as intelligent and just; and these +exquisite drawings of flowers and plants come to our aid in confuting +sterile estimates of Leighton's art, which deny any other elements but +those which can be acquired by painstaking and teachable qualities. +Here are records of Nature complicated by no intellectual choice, no +academic learning, no results of high education; and what is the +result? an undeniable evidence of the finest, most tender +sensitiveness for beauty, resulting in a complete and perfect +rendering of the subtlest forms of growth. When "face to face" with +Nature, Leighton's aesthetic emotions were keen enough and +all-sufficient to create these perfect records, as later in his life +he created unrivalled drawings of the human figure in even more +spontaneous and certainly more rapid strokes of his pencil, and +landscape sketches which prove undeniably his gifts as a colourist; +but it may be questioned whether his aesthetic emotions had as great a +_staying_ power as those qualities of heart and brain which made +Leighton a great man, independent of the position he held as a great +artist. His sensibilities were of the keenest; the agility and +vitality of his brain power were quite abnormal. As Watts wrote, a +"magnificent intellectual capacity, and an unerring and instantaneous +spring upon the point to unravel." It seemed, however, that this +vitality and agility did at times run away with that more abiding +strength of aesthetic emotion which impregnates the very greatest art +with a serenity, a sublime atmosphere,--an emotion which denotes a +mood in which the artist has been steeped throughout the creation of a +work, from the first moment he conceives it to the moment when he puts +the last touch to the canvas, and affects the actual manipulation of +the pigment. The above criticism applies only justly to certain of +Leighton's works. In many of his paintings the poetic motive which +inspired their invention,--their mental atmosphere,--governs the +achievements throughout, though doubtless these works also would have +had a more convincing effect as art had the surface possessed a more +vibrating quality. Among those pictures in which form, colour, tone, +and expression are completely dominated by their poetic meaning are +"Lieder ohne Worte," a lovely, though youthful, work; "David;" +"Ariadne," a picture little known, but in some respects perhaps the +most poetic Leighton ever painted; "Summer Moon" (Watts' favourite +Leighton), "Elisha Raising the Son of the Shunammite," "Winding the +Skein," "Music Lesson," "Antique Juggling Girl," "Daedalus and Icarus," +"Helios and Rhodos," "Golden Hours," "Cymon and Iphigenia," "The +Spirit of the Summit," "Flaming June," "Clytie" (unfinished). + + [Illustration: "ARIADNE ABANDONED BY THESEUS; WATCHES FOR HIS + RETURN. ARTEMIS RELEASES HER BY DEATH." 1868 + By permission of Lord Pirrie] + + [Illustration: "ELISHA RAISING THE SON OF THE SHUNAMMITE." 1881] + + [Illustration: "DAEDALUS AND ICARUS." 1869 + By permission of Sir Alexander Henderson] + +No aspect of his own work was a secret from Leighton. No one knew +better than he did his own limitations, or why it was necessary to +keep himself in hand by methods of procedure in his painting which he +could guide by his ever present intellectual acumen. He wrote to his +father on March 2, 1855, having just completed the two pictures, +"Cimabue's Madonna" and "Romeo": "You ask for _my_ opinion of my +pictures; you couldn't ask a more embarrassing and unsatisfactory +question; I think, indeed, that they are very creditable works for my +age, but I am anything but satisfied with them, and believe that I +could paint both of them better now. I am particularly anxious that +persons whom I love or esteem should think neither more nor less of +my artistic capacity than I deserve--_the plain truth_; I am therefore +very circumspect in passing a verdict on myself in addressing myself +to such persons; I think, however, you may expect me to become +eventually the best draughtsman in my country." + +A biographer's obvious moral duty is to aim at presenting impartially +"the plain truth," following Leighton's lead in not desiring to give +either a more or less favourable view of his capacities as an artist +than they deserve. On May 7, 1864, Leighton writes in a letter to his +father and mother: "I had a kind note this morning from Ruskin in +which, after criticising two or three things, he speaks very warmly of +other points in my work and of the development of what he calls +'enormous power and sense of beauty.' I quote this for what it is +worth, because I know it will give you pleasure, but I have _not_ and +_never shall have_ 'enormous power,' though I have some 'sense of +beauty.'" Leighton remained ever far from being contented with his own +work. "I alone know how far I have fallen short of my ideal," he says, +many years later, to the old acquaintance of the Lucca days. He had +studied under the shadow of the great masters; and though never an +imitator even of the greatest,[45] he had set himself a standard of +supreme excellence, more easily approached under the conditions in +which artists worked in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth +centuries than it possibly could be in those of the nineteenth. With +respect to his power of draughtsmanship and his natural sense of +beauty, Leighton knew his place was among the greatest. His +appreciation and love of colour were also far keener than those +possessed by the average artist. He felt nevertheless that he lacked +the inevitable and continuous force which alone gives "_enormous +power_" and ease to the craftsman, when he deals with work on a large +scale, and which carries with it the absolutely convincing effect of +the world-renowned art of the past. Realising that the "enormous +power" was not there because the ever conclusively propelling force +was lacking, perhaps owing partly to the want of robust health, and +also doubtless from the scattering of his powers in many directions to +which he was drawn by a sense of duty, Leighton, in working out the +designs of his large pictures, clung all the more resolutely to the +exercise of that system which he had adopted, and which many of his +friends--Watts and Briton Riviere among the number--thought tended to +cramp his genius. He was not sufficiently sure of himself to admit the +"accidental" into his work. + + [Illustration: "CAPTIVE ANDROMACHE." 1888 + The Corporation of Manchester] + + [Illustration: STUDY IN COLOUR FOR "CAPTIVE ANDROMACHE." 1888 + By permission of Mrs. Stewart Hodgson] + + [Illustration: "WEAVING THE WREATH." 1873] + + [Illustration: "WINDING THE SKEIN." 1880 + By permission of the Fine Art Society, the owners of the + Copyright] + + [Illustration: "MUSIC LESSON." 1877 + By permission of the Fine Art Society, the owners of the + Copyright] + +Some critics have, however, gone beyond the mark in emphasising this +characteristic of Leighton's methods. One writes: "Deliberateness of +workmanship and calculation of effect, into which inspiration of the +moment is never allowed to enter, are the chief characteristics of the +painter's craftsmanship. The inspiration stage was practically passed +when he took the crayon in his hand; and to this circumstance probably +is to be assigned the absence of realism which arrests the attention." +This statement is contrary to many which I have heard fall from +Leighton's own lips. He constantly drew my attention to the fact--a +fact on which he laid great stress, and of which many models were +witnesses--that he _invariably_ recurred to Nature in the later stages +of his pictures, in order to imbibe renewed inspiration from the source +of all his aesthetic emotions--Nature. Any one who carefully studies +Leighton's pictures will find evidence of this in the works themselves, +in the accessories no less than in the principal figures. During the +exhibition of some thirty of Leighton's finest paintings at Leighton +House in 1900, I was daily more and more impressed by the fact that +the final touches in those pictures had been inspired by the actual +subtlety of Nature's aspects, and transmitted to the canvas by the +artist direct from the objects before him without conscious +calculation. Very obviously was this the case not only in the principal +features of the design--the countenances and the hands and feet of the +figures--but in such details as the flowers, fabrics of draperies, +carpets, mother-of-pearl inlaying, found (for instance) in "A Noble +Venetian Lady," "Summer Moon," "Sister's Kiss," "Weaving the Wreath," +"Winding the Skein," "The Music Lesson," "Atalanta." In all these +pictures exists the internal convincing evidence contradicting the +statement that "the inspiration stage was practically past when he took +the crayon in his hand." This, however, did not obscure in some of +Leighton's large finished pictures undoubted evidences of arrangements +and calculated effects, which are not over-ruled by an art which +conceals them, by the art which disguises art,--the clenching force of +the inevitable. The beauty of line, the grouping of masses, the +"composition" evident in the posing of the figures--admirable and +unlaboured as all these arrangements are--not infrequently lack this +convincing sign of the inevitable. It is too obvious that they have +been chosen by the intellectual taste of their maker. When Goethe was +expatiating on Shakespeare and comparing his genius with his own, he +said, as a proof of his own inferiority, that he knew well how every +word was made to come in its place, but with Shakespeare they came +without Shakespeare knowing.[46] Leighton, like Goethe, was conscious +that his genius could not vie with the greatest in the world--the +genius he was able to appreciate as Goethe did Shakespeare's; but he +also knew, as did Goethe, exactly the place his own art ought to take; +he knew that in his sense of style--which, in its true meaning, is the +echo of Nature in her choicest, noblest moods,--in his sense of the +beauty of the human structure, in his power of draughtsmanship, his +work was superior to that of any of his contemporaries in England. The +fact of the greatness of Leighton's powers in some directions +challenges a comparison between his work and that of the giants of old +who possess enormous power in all directions. No one knew so well as +did Leighton the place he must take when he entered the lists with the +giants: "I have _not_ and _never shall have_ 'enormous power.'" He +writes in 1856 from Paris to his Master, Steinle:-- + + _Translation._] + PARIS, RUE PIGALLE 21. + + MY GOOD AND DEAR FRIEND,--Accidentally I had an idle morning + when I received your dear letter, and therefore answer it + immediately. With your usual modesty you put aside all that I + say of goodness and love, but I repeat it unweariedly. + Steinle, my good Master, if in this insincere world I have an + unfeigned, pure feeling, it is my warm gratitude and love for + you; and the time when I bloomed, gay and full of hope, in + your garden will light me through life like a sunny spot in + the past; and I yield myself to this feeling the more + confidently, since I _know_ that I am under no delusion in it. + I have fairly strong insight, and know exactly what I owe to + you, and for what I have to thank nature; I can already + appraise my moderate natural gifts; but I know also that these + gifts received _through you alone_ the impression of _taste_ + that can alone make them effective, and that in your hands + they were refined as in a furnace. An English painter seldom + lacks fancy and invention, but _taste_, that which forms and + embellishes the raw material, _that_ is almost always wanting + with us--and it is you I must thank for the _little_ I + possess. + +To flatter was an impossibility with Leighton. He paid every artist +the respect of believing he desired the same sincerity shown in the +criticism of his work that he,--Leighton,--wished when his own was +judged, and with which he judged it himself. A remarkable feature in +his character was the power he had of retaining so secure a hold on +his own standards of excellence without for a moment losing his +individual self-centre, yet at the same time possessing that of +entering sympathetically into the view of other artists--a view often +quite contrary to his own--and generously acknowledging every merit +that could by any possibility be extracted from their work. Mr. Briton +Riviere writes: "The intensity of his own personal belief was well +known to himself. He once said to me, in reference to a clever picture +which he greatly admired for some of its qualities, that he could not +really enjoy it, owing to its careless drawing. On another occasion, +when at Mr. Russell's sale I had bought a very vigorous study by Etty, +and Leighton was quite enthusiastic about its colour and painting, he +said, 'But I could not bear it on my wall, with that drawing,' and he +laughed at himself for this strictness, and said, 'I know that I am a +prig about drawing.' However, not only did this never blind him to the +claims of another kind of art, but I think he was even more keen to +recommend for approval the work of any school of painting for which, +personally, he had no particular liking or sympathy. 'It is not +whether you or I like it, but what it is on its own merits,' was a +favourite warning of his to any rapid opinion expressed on a picture. +To any one intimately acquainted with his own real views and opinions +it was sometimes surprising to find how well he realised the +intentions, and put himself in the place, of some artist who had +produced something very foreign to his own point of view, and quite +repugnant to his beliefs. This is not a common quality among artists, +whose critical tolerance is often in an inverse ratio to the firmness +of their own particular creed of art faith; and it was one of the many +qualities which marked Leighton out as so admirably fitted for the +Presidency." + +Leighton was, undoubtedly, an absolutely competent critic of his own +art; and the fact that his principles had been inspired by a +spontaneous and sincere reverence and admiration for the creations of +artists whom time has crowned as the greatest in the world, and that +with his critical faculty he perceived in what measure he had +succeeded in following in their steps, enabled him to gauge with +absolute justice the merits and shortcomings of his own work, compared +with that of his contemporaries. Whatever those shortcomings were, +certain it is that they did not arise from an absence of those natural +gifts which are the outcome of emotional sensitiveness, nor from a +want of intense feeling for the beauty of Nature, nor from a poverty +of invention. The theory that his art was solely the result of his +having an abnormal power of industry and of taking pains--a theory +which has been advanced many times since Leighton's death--cannot hold +good for a moment with those who impartially study his work from the +beginning of his career. The spontaneity of the impulse to produce in +every born artist is described in the following passage from +Leighton's first discourse, when President, to the students of the +Royal Academy, December 10, 1879, and the description is obviously +drawn from his own personal experience: "The gift of artistic +production manifests itself in the young in an impulse so spontaneous +and so imperative, and is in its origin so wholly emotional and +independent of the action of the intellect, that it at first and for +some time entirely absorbs their energies. The student's first steps +on the bright paths of his working life are obscured by no shadows +save those cast by the difficulties of a technical nature which lie +before him, and these difficulties, which indeed he only half +discerns, serve rather to whet his appetite than to hamper or +discourage him; for his heart whispers that, when he shall have +brushed them aside, the road will be clear before him, and the +utterance of what he feels stirring within him will be from +thenceforward one long unchecked delight. This spirit of spontaneous, +unquestioning rejoicing in production, which is still the privilege of +youth, and which, even now, the very strong sometimes carry with them +through their lives, was indeed, when Art herself was in her prime, +the normal and constant condition of the artistic temper, and shone +out in all artistic work. It is this spirit which gave a perennial +freshness to Athenian Art--the serenest and most spontaneous men have +ever seen. And when again, after many centuries, another Art was born +out of the night of the Dark Ages, and shed its gentle light over the +chaos of society, this spirit once more burst through it into flame. +All forms of Art are alike fired with it. Architecture first, exulting +in new flights of vigorous and bold creation; then Sculpture; last, +Painting, virtually a new Art, looked out on to the world with the +wondering delight of a child, timidly at first, but soon to fill it +with the bright expression of its joy. Those were halcyon days; the +questions, 'Why do I paint?' 'Why do I model?' 'Why should I build +beautifully?' 'What--how--shall I build, model, paint?' had no +existence in the mind of the artist. 'Why,' he might have answered, +'does the lark soar and sing?'" + +Though his direct study from Nature mostly took the form, in later +years, of sketching in oil colour views in the different countries in +which he travelled, Leighton showed to the end of his life his great +delight in flowers by continuing to make sketches from them. In 1895, +at Malinmore, he was fascinated by the sea-thistle, and there are four +pages in a sketch-book devoted to rapid sketches of the plant, +_callantra_, which he made there. Notes are written on the first +sketch indicating the colours. It is interesting to compare the early +pencil work executed between 1850 and 1860 with that of forty years +later. Though the handling may be different, there is the same +complete sense and enjoyment of the wonderful architecture of plants +and flowers obvious in both.[47] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF SEA THISTLE. Malinmore, Ireland, 1895 + From Sketch-book] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF SEA THISTLE. Malinmore, Ireland, 1895 + From Sketch-book] + + [Illustration: "RETURN OF PERSEPHONE." 1891] + + [Illustration: STUDY IN COLOUR FOR "RETURN OF PERSEPHONE." 1891 + By permission of Mrs. Stewart Hodgson] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[37] See Appendix, Vol. II., description in Preface to "Catalogue of +the Leighton House Collection." + +[38] An artist who was a great flower lover, when relating her +experiences, maintained that it was in the revelation, to her +perceptions, of the infinite perfection of the structure and form of +one flower, that she had realised in her own nature a more intimate +recognition and response to that of the Creator of the Infinite than +had ever been elicited by any church services or creeds, or even, in +fact, by the most sublime scenery. In one small flower she had found an +epitome of the wonders and beauties of all creation, so focussed as to +be grasped closely, and responded to, from the innermost intimate +recesses of her nature with a joy unspeakable. + +[39] See Appendix, Vol. II., Preface to "Catalogue of the Leighton House +Collection." + +[40] See Appendix, Vol. II., "Lord Leighton, P.R.A., Some +Reminiscences." + +[41] Appendix, Vol. II. + +[42] Ruskin was mistaken in thinking that the "Lemon Tree" and the +"Byzantine Well" are of the same date. The former drawing was made in +1859, the latter seven years earlier in 1852 (reproduced facing page +80), and is referred to in his diary, "Pebbles." I think this is the +most beautiful drawing of the kind I have ever seen. + +[43] See List of Illustrations. + +[44] See Appendix, Vol. II. + +[45] See letter to Steinle, page 188: "...God forgive me if I am +intolerant; but according to my view an artist must produce his art out +of his own heart, or he is none." + +[46] "I remember hearing him (Wordsworth) say that 'Goethe's poetry was +not inevitable enough.' The remark is striking and true; no line in +Goethe, as Goethe said himself, but its maker knew well how it came +there. Wordsworth is right; Goethe's poetry is not inevitable; not +inevitable enough."--Preface to "Poems of Wordsworth," chosen and +edited by Matthew Arnold. + +[47] Knowing that Leighton was a frequenter of the Kew Gardens, I asked +Sir W. Thiselton Dyer to write me his recollections of him, which he +most kindly did in the following letter:-- + + KEW, _January 11, 1906_. + + DEAR MRS. BARRINGTON,--My acquaintance with Lord Leighton was + only beginning to ripen into intimacy when he unhappily died. + His somewhat grand seigneur manner at first a little alarmed + me; but when I had broken through his reserve, I became, like + every one else, much attached to him. + + He used often to dine in evening dress at a small table behind + a screen at the door of the coffee-room at the Athenaeum. In the + corner adjoining this is a round table known as Abraham's + Bosom, as it was once frequented by Abraham Hayward. Here, on + Royal Society days, we often had a lively scientific party. + Leighton often found it impossible to keep aloof, and joined in + the fun. + + I found Sir Frederic, as he was called, was well known to our + men as a visitor to Kew. He used to drive down in his victoria + in the afternoon and take a solitary walk. I only myself came + across him once. I had taken some trouble to get a fine show of + the old-fashioned Dutch tulips known as Bizards and Byblomen. I + found Leighton one day absorbed in the enthusiastic + contemplation of them. There were certain combinations of + colour which completely fascinated him. I remember that he + particularly admired a purplish brown with yellow and a reddish + purple with cream-colour. Both were, I think, in the "key" that + particularly appealed to him. He was very anxious to have them + in his garden in London, and we gave him a little collection, + with directions how to grow them. What was the result I never + heard. + + I then suggested that, as it was a lovely spring day, I should + take him a walk. He assented, and we sent his carriage round to + the Lion Gate, nearest to Richmond. I took him through the + Queen's Cottage grounds to show him the sheets of wild + hyacinth. He admitted their beauty, but remarked that the + effect was not pictorial. + + That, I think, was Leighton's point of view. With an intense + feeling for beauty, he had little or none for Nature pure and + simple. His art was essentially selective, and I think he took + most pleasure at Kew in the more or less artificial products of + the gardener's art. What he sought was subtle effects of form + and colour. Personally, I appreciate both ways of treating + plants. I am always at war with artists for their undisciplined + and mostly incompetent treatment of vegetation: drawing and + anatomy are usually defective to an instructed eye, such faults + would be intolerable in the figure. Their presence robs me of + much pleasure in looking at Burne-Jones' pictures. I imagine he + mostly made his plants up out of his head. Ruskin, with all his + talk, was both unobservant and careless. Millais, on the other + hand, though I am not aware that he ever had any botanical + training, by sheer force of insight paints plants in a way to + which the most fastidious botanist can take no exception. One + can actually botanise in his foreground of "Over the Hills and + Far Away," yet there is no loss of general pictorial effect. + The plant drawing of Albert Duerer, Holman Hunt, and Alma + Tadema, though more studied, is absolutely satisfying to the + botanist. Sir Joseph Hooker has always complained that the + Royal Academy has never given any encouragement to accurate + plant drawing. Yet I have heard Sir William Richmond say that, + as a student, he made hundreds of careful studies of + plant-form, and that he knew no discipline more profitable. I + remember remarking to an Academician that I thought that in + this respect the competition pictures of the students reached a + higher standard than that of the average May Exhibition, and he + admitted that that was a possible criticism. + + Leighton aimed at beauty by selection and discipline. Millais + in his later work looked only to general effect and balance, + but as to detail was content to faithfully reproduce, and did + not select at all. This explains the admiration which I believe + Millais had for Miss North's work. Both produced admirable + results, but they were of an essentially different kind, though + equally admirable. + + But whenever Leighton introduced plant-forms, it was penetrated + by his characteristic thoroughness and perfect mastery of what + he was about. I am myself a passionate admirer of the + Gloire-de-Dijon rose. I remember telling Leighton that I did + not think that any one had ever painted it with such consummate + skill as he had. I am told, and quite believe it, that his + pencil studies from plants are as fine as anything that has + ever been done. + + Leighton rendered us a very great service on one occasion. Miss + North's pictures were painted on paper, roughly framed, and + simply hung by her on the brick walls of her gallery. They soon + began to rapidly deteriorate. I appealed to L. for advice. I + was, I confess, astonished to receive from him a full, precise, + and business-like report, pointing out exactly what should be + done, and who was the proper person to do it. The gallery was + to be lined with boarding, the pictures were to be properly + framed, cleaned, lightly varnished, and glazed. The report was + at once accepted by the office of works, the work was + successfully carried out, and no trouble has been experienced + since. + + In his turn, Leighton sometimes appealed to me. This was + notably the case when he was painting his "Persephone," which I + frankly told him I thought was the most beautiful picture he + had ever painted. He had been in Capri, and had seen on the + rocks a blue flower which he wished to introduce into the + foreground. We made out what it was, and sent him tracings from + plates and sketches from herbarium specimens. These did not + satisfy him, and he ultimately sent to Capri for the living + plant. He worked hard at it, and, I do not doubt, produced a + very beautiful piece of colour. + + That year I dined at the Academy. "Persephone" hung over + Leighton's chair, and was the subject of one of the few really + witty remarks I ever heard in an after-dinner speech. But then + the speaker was Lord Justice Bowen. + + But his beautiful foreground was all gone. Leighton, and I + think he was right, thought it destroyed the balance of his + colour scheme, and painted it out. But I have always felt sad + to think of the beautiful work that lay buried there. + + When he died, we felt very sad at Kew. He had always been so + lovable and disinterested. We decided to send some tribute to + his funeral, but to avoid what was commonplace. So we sent a + large wreath of bay, introducing, in the place of the + conventional berries, single snowdrop flowers. The result was + dignified and, I think, adequate. At any rate, the Academicians + thought so, if, as I have been told, they placed the wreath by + the coffin on the hearse on its way to St. Paul's. + + I walked back with Lord Redesdale, one of Leighton's most + intimate friends, who had come up from Batsford to attend. + There was a great gathering at the Athenaeum. I sat next + Millais, already himself stricken with death, and whom I never + saw again. + + I am afraid all this will not be very helpful to you, but my + pen ran on to tell you all I could of a good, great, and brave + man, whom it was an honour to have known.--Yours always + sincerely, + + W.C. THISELTON DYER. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +WATTS--SUCCESS--FAILURE + +1855-1856 + + +It was in the summer of 1855, in consequence of his father having +summoned him suddenly back to England, that Leighton first became +known as a notable person to the London world. His picture of +"Cimabue's Madonna" had preceded him, and gave him an introduction to +the art magnates; while the fact that the Queen had bought it of the +young and, till then, unknown artist, raised the curiosity of those to +whom the intrinsic value of the work was insignificant, compared to +its having received this mark of Royal approval. Hanging on the walls +of the Academy throughout the season and being much talked about, the +picture, combined with the painter's charming personality, won for him +at once a prominent position. His friends of the happy Roman days, +however, remained the nucleus of his real intimacies. As can be +gathered from his letters, he had already in Rome felt general society +to be fatiguing and unremunerative, the interest in it never having +compensated him for the physical exertion and weariness it entailed. +Health--and a more or less stolid temperament--are requisite in order +to combat, with any satisfaction, the wear and tear of late hours, and +contact with mere acquaintances and strangers whose personalities +carry with them no special interest. Leighton found no pleasure in +such intercourse sufficient to overbalance its sterility, for he +possessed neither robust health nor much equanimity of temperament. +He could enjoy with ecstasy those things which delighted him, but +had little of that even current of patient contentment, the normal +condition of those who can tolerate cheerfully--and even with +pleasure--the herding in crowds with mere acquaintances. Circumstances +combined in making Leighton's disinclination to indiscriminate +visiting often misunderstood. His extreme vitality when in company, +his notable gifts as a talker and as a linguist, the high social +standing of many of his most intimate friends, naturally gave the +impression that he was made for the sort of success which is the aim +of many living in the London world. That he never availed himself of +all the opportunities that offered themselves was considered by many +as a sign of conceit and superciliousness. Nothing could have been +farther from the truth. That he was ambitious for Art to take her +legitimate position on the platform of the world's highest interests +is certain, and that he resented the position which was but too often +accorded in England to her earnest votaries, and had a keen +discernment in tracing evidences of self-interest and snobbish +proclivities in those who would have patronised him, is no less +certain; but that Leighton himself was ever personally otherwise than +the most modest of men, all who really knew him can attest. To +whatever class in society a man or woman might belong, whether a Royal +or a quite humble friend--once a friend, Leighton gave of his very +best and worthiest. No time or trouble would he spare in such service; +though he was too eager a worker, and felt too keenly a responsibility +towards his calling for him to allow any moment of his life to be +frittered away by claims which were not in his eyes real or of any +serious advantage to others. + + [Illustration: "CUPID WITH DOVES" + Decorative work with gold background. About 1880] + +It was during this summer that he made the personal acquaintance of +Ruskin, Holman Hunt, Millais, and Watts. While in London he found a +home with his mother's relations, Mr. and Mrs. Nash, in Montagu +Square, for whose affectionate kindness he was ever grateful. It was +while staying there that Watts and he first met, or rather on the +pavement outside the house. Watts recounted how he had ridden one +afternoon to Montagu Square, and having asked for Leighton, the artist +himself came out to greet him. Watts was much impressed at the time, +he said, by the extraordinary amount of vitality and nervous energy +which Leighton seemed to possess. This acquaintance thus begun was +continued for forty years.[48] + +As regarded Art, the supreme interest in the lives of these two famous +painters, their relations remained intimate to the end of Leighton's +life. Before Leighton definitely settled in London, Watts invited him +to show his work in the studios of Little Holland House, which +invitation he gratefully accepted. In a letter to his mother Leighton +writes: "Watts has been exceedingly amiable to me; the studio is at my +disposal if I want to paint there. I am still of opinion that Watts is +a most marvellous fellow, and if he had but decent health would whip +us all, if he does not already." + +It is interesting to trace the influences which developed alike in +Leighton and Watts, the feeling for form which in both artists is +analogous to that of the Greek. Before going to Italy, Watts had +studied the perfection in the work of Pheidias in the Elgin Marbles, a +perfection rediscovered by Haydon; and a visit to Greece later only +confirmed his conviction that the Pheidian school of sculpture made a +higher appeal to his artistic sense than did any other. That was "_the +indelible seal_" which, in the case of his brother artist, had been +stamped on Leighton's artistic nature through the guidance of his +master, Steinle. When Watts lived in Italy, from the year 1843 to +1847, he found that it was the work of Orcagna and Titian that +appealed most to his imagination, and to his sense of form and +colour--Orcagna's great conceptions, which struck notes stranger and +more widely suggestive than those dictated and restricted by special +religious creeds; Titian, the glorious Titian of the Renaissance, +whose sense and modelling had the breadth and bloom of Pheidian art, +and whose colour was triumphant in qualities of richness and subtlety +combined. The pure beauty in the early religious painters made a much +slighter and less personal appeal to Watts during those four years he +lived in Italy. + +It was in Italy, when a child of twelve, that Leighton drank a deep +draught from the fountain-head of mediaeval and modern art; and this +established once and for all the high standard towards which he ever +aimed. But though his true artistic preferences were aroused at this +early age, the full and complete passion for his calling was not +developed till he met his master some years later in Frankfort. +Belonging to the brotherhood of Nazarenes, the early religious Italian +art appealed more strongly than any other to Steinle; and, doubtless, +the earnest study Leighton devoted to Duccio, Cimabue, Giotto, +Buonfigli, Perugino, and Pinturicchio, and the delight he took in +their work, was originally started by Steinle. The following list, +which exists in Steinle's handwriting, of the paintings which he +wished Leighton specially to study in Florence is evidence of this. + + _Translation._] + +FLORENCE + + _St. Croce._--The choir by Angiolo Gaddi, pupil of Giotto. The + chapel on the right by his uncle, Taddeo Gaddi. The altar + by Giotto himself, in the sacristy the Taddeo Gaddi, in the + refectory the Last Supper, all by Giotto. + + _St. Marco._--Outside Fiesole, where particularly should be seen + in the cloister-cell and choir-stalls a Last Supper by + Ghirlandajo. + + _St. Maria Novella._--The choir by Domenico Ghirlandajo, chapel + by Giovanni and Filippo Lippi, a Madonna in marble by + Benedetto da Majano, the great Madonna of Cimabue. The Hell + and Paradise of Andreas Orcagna. Opposite the court of this + chapel grey in grey by Dello and Paul Ucello; from the court + into the Capello dei Spagnola, to the left the picture by + Taddeo Gaddi; all the rest by Simon Memmi. + + _Capella di St. Francesco_, by Dom. Ghirlandajo. + + _St. Ambrogio._--Fresco by Cosimo Rosetti. + + _St. Spirito._--Built by Brunelleschi; altar-pieces by Filippo + Lippi and Botticelli. + + _Al Carmine_, dei Massacio's. + + _St. Miniato._--Chapel by Aretino Spinello. + + _Palazzo Riccardi._--The lovely chapel by Benozzo Gozzoli. + + _In the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital._--Beautiful + altar-piece by Ghirlandajo. + +After visiting Padua, Siena, Perugia, Assisi, however, the pupil +became a keen admirer of this early art, independently of any +influence other than the inherent beauty, dignity, and purity of the +feeling in the works themselves.[49] Moreover, the natural sympathy +which Leighton felt for the art of Greece, discovered in this early +Italian work records of her influence, and that, in a very striking +manner, it was allied to that of the great ancients. In his Academy +address of 1887 we find this alluded to in the following passage:-- + + "The production, both in sculpture and painting, of the middle + period of the thirteenth century has a character of + transition. In painting, the works, for instance, of Cimabue + and of Duccio are still impregnated with the Byzantine spirit, + and occasionally reveal startling reminiscences of classic + dignity and power, to which justice is not, I think, + sufficiently rendered. In sculpture, the handiwork of Nicolo + Pisano is full of the amplitude, the rhythm, and virility of + classic Art. I see in it, indeed, the tokens of a new life in + Art, but little sign of a new artistic form--it is not a dawn; + it is an after-glow, strange, belated, and solemn. In the Art + of Giotto and the Giottosques, the transformation is + fulfilled. It is an art lit up with the spirit of St. Francis, + warm with Christian love, pure with Christian purity, simple + with Christian humility; it is the fit language of a pious + race endowed with an exquisite instinct of the expressiveness + of form, as form, but untrained as yet in the knowledge of the + concrete facts of the outer world; an art fresh with the dew + and tenderness of youth, and yet showing, together with this + virginal quality of young life, a simple forcefulness + prophetic of the power of its riper day. Within the outline of + these general characteristics individuality found sufficient + scope." + +Even when this transformation is fulfilled in the frescoes of Giotto, +any intelligent study of his art at Padua and Assisi, while keeping in +mind the manner in which Pheidias felt and treated the human form in +his sculpture, would prove to the student how distinctly visible is +the link between the ancient and this mediaeval art; though the fact of +the latter being fired with an ecstasy of spiritual emotion of which +the Greek had no experience, may disguise the link where feeling in +art is of more interest than form. There is the same detachment of one +form from another, each being given its full expression and +intention--which induces a feeling of simplicity and serenity in the +greatest work. The form of the head is not smudged into the throat, +nor the throat into the chest, nor the chest into the arms. Even in +the smallest Greek coin or _intaglio_ of the best period this separate +individuality of form in each part of the human frame is accentuated, +and with it a sense of size and breadth. The same fundamental +principles also, adhered to by the great Greek workmen in their +treatment of drapery, is to be traced in the work of Giotto. + + [Illustration: "IDYLL." 1881] + + [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF MISS MABEL MILLS (THE HON. MRS. + GRENFELL). 1877] + +But the great Greeks did not invent the beauty they immortalised, any +more than did Leighton and Watts; the Pheidian school intuitively +chose the noblest form it found in nature.[50] The notable gift +with which nature endowed the artists of the Periclean epoch consisted +of eyes to perceive, and taste to _prefer_, the form which, +intrinsically and most convincingly, inspires admiration in those +imbued with the finest sense of beauty--not a gift to invent something +new and different from nature. In like manner the gift nature bestowed +on Leighton and Watts was the same, a perception and a preference for +noble form; and in this choice they had been educated by legacies from +Pheidias and his school, but only so far as these legacies induced +them to seek and perceive in nature herself the elements of such +nobility. In painting the magnificent head and shoulders entitled +"Atalanta,"[51] or the reclining figures in "Idyll,"[52] Leighton +copied as directly from nature as when he painted the portrait of +"Miss Mabel Mills,"[53] where a similar beauty of form in the throat +existed as in Miss Jones, who sat for "Atalanta" and "Idyll." When +Watts painted his superb "Lady with the Mirror," one of his really +great achievements, it was the model before him whose beauty he was +recording, though his own sense in recognising it had been further +inspired by his study of Pheidias. We need not go out of England to +find types which are as completely noble as are those in the most +inspiring art ever created, but the sense as a rule is wanting in +English artists to select and to prefer such nobility. + +Leighton writes to a friend in 1879:-- + + "I have just remembered a circumstance which might be worth + mentioning: I painted pictures in _an out-of-door top light_ + and with realistic aims (of course, subordinate to style) in + the old Frankfurt days before I came over here, and long + before I heard of 'modern' ideas in painting. In this, + perhaps, more than in anything, the boy was the father of the + man, for it is still the corner-stone of my faith that Art is + not a corpse, but a living thing, and that the highest respect + for the old masters, who are and will remain supreme, does not + lie in doing as they did, but as men of their strength would + do if they were now (oh, _derisim_!) amongst us." + +Leighton taught Watts to appreciate the Greek inheritance to be found +in early Italian art; and I have frequently heard Watts comment on the +evidence of this legacy in Giotto's work. Watts, by ventilating the +results of his studies of Pheidian art with Leighton, and analysing +the elemental principles on which it was grounded, aided his brother +artist in securing a faster hold on the sources of his individual +preferences. + +No two characters could have been more dissimilar than those of Watts +and Leighton, no two men could have led more different external lives; +Leighton's great and varied gifts requiring for their full exercise +the whole area of life's stage, Watts' genius demanding seclusion, and +days undisturbed by friction with the outer world. Watts' first and +great object in life was to preserve his work, and to bequeath it to +his country, which he, happily for his country, was enabled to do; +Leighton's object was to complete a work as far as industry and his +gifts would enable him to complete it, then--as he would say--"to get +rid of it and never see it again; but try to do better next time"! The +one was frank, free, courageous; the other almost morbidly +self-depreciative, sensitive, and timid. All the same, no two workmen +could have had more sympathy with one another in their true aims and +aspirations, or more mutual admiration for each other's artistic +gifts. + + [Illustration: "VENUS DISROBING FOR THE BATH." 1867 + By permission of Sir A. Henderson, Bart.] + + [Illustration: "PHRYNE AT ELEUSIS." 1882] + +Watts, to his credit, had from his first acquaintance with Leighton +discerned that "the unusual position" which Leighton undoubtedly held +from his first appearance in the London world to the day of his death, +was due to the possession of unusual gifts, exercised in a very +unusually generous and public-spirited manner, and not to reasons +invented by those who were envious of this prominent position. + +Watts wrote to Leighton after they became neighbours in Kensington:-- + + "I have been worrying myself by fancying you rather + misunderstood the drift of my observations respecting the + value of social consideration to a professional man, that I + meant to imply you sold your pictures in consequence of the + unusual position you undoubtedly hold; knowing me and my + opinions as you do, you could hardly think so, yet poets and + artists are proverbially sensitive beings. I know I am myself + to a degree that could hardly be imagined, though not with + regard to opinion of my work; I am resigned, if not contented, + to preserve what I can do for posterity, conscious that no + other judgment can really be worth anything; I am very often + unhappy, thinking that after all the best I can do may not be + worthy of being brought before the great tribunal at all; but + I do not allow myself to brood over the subject more than I + can help. However, I do not attempt to deaden the keen dread I + have of giving pain or offence, and am really miserable when I + think I have done so, or been unjust; I don't think I am often + the latter, but I may by clumsiness fall into the former + regrettable position. I should grieve indeed if any word or + deed of mine should ever be offensive to you, for you know me + to be always yours most sincerely, + + "SIGNOR." + +Immediately on his arrival from Italy Leighton paid a visit to his +family at Bath, arriving on May 24. He returned to London shortly +after, where his family joined him on June 15, and the introduction so +long desired by Leighton took place between his parents and sisters +and his great friends, Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris. In December 1854 +Leighton's mother had written: "How delightful to see you again, and +perhaps we may spend the next winter together, but of that I am +uncertain. In England we shall not be, and both Papa and I incline to +Paris, but Gussy has an anxious desire to go to Berlin. The Sartoris' +being in Paris would be a strong inducement to us to go there, as we +very much wish to make your friends' acquaintance, and we should most +likely meet at their house agreeable people. I am exceedingly sorry I +overlooked Mrs. Sartoris' friendly message, which I have since +discovered in your former letter. Pray offer her my best compliments, +and assure her I consider her great kindness to you gives her a claim +upon my sympathy, and I shall rejoice to have an opportunity of giving +her this assurance in person." + +In February his mother wrote: "I hope you will not long be separated +from your friends the Sartoris when you leave Rome. We all sincerely +desire to become acquainted with the valued friends of whom we hear so +much." + +Later his father wrote: "With regard to your reasons for remaining at +Rome during the spring, you have this time at least the best of the +argument. If there were no other than your wish to give more tangible +form to your gratitude to your kind friends, the Sartoris, it would be +sufficient, to say nothing of the drawings from M. Angelo and +Raphael." + +And in the same cover his mother says: "I feel, with your father, +great satisfaction at your undertaking a likeness of Mrs. Sartoris--I +hope it may prove a satisfactory one. Give our love to Mrs. +Sartoris." Leighton's younger sister kept a diary in those days. +Written in this are notes which describe the keen appreciation which +she and her family felt for her brother's friends. "In fact she is, as +Fred says, an angel. She seems very fond of him, as she might be of a +younger brother.... She is very stout, high coloured, and has little +hair. But the shape of her mouth is very fine, the modulations of her +voice in speaking are exquisite. She is a creature who can never age, +and before whose attractions those of younger and prettier women must +always pale." "August 1855.--Fred returned to Bath to stay with us a +little while. Beautiful drives together. So generous in giving me +several volumes of poetry." "Sept.--Left us to go to Paris." + + [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF MRS. ADELAIDE SARTORIS + Drawn by Lord Leighton for her friend Lady Bloomfield, 1867 + By permission of the Hon. Mrs. Sartoris] + +While in London Leighton wrote the following to his master, Steinle:-- + + _Translation._] + 10 MADDOX STREET, BOND STREET, + LONDON, 1855. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--At last I am able to write to you again. + When I sent off my last letter to you I was busily packing for + my journey; now I have been already six weeks in England, and + it seems a year since I left Rome. I scarcely need tell you, + dearest Friend, that at first, in this London hurly-burly, I + hardly knew whether I was standing on my head or my heels: I + will not say that this condition has not had a certain charm. + I have made several acquaintances, have been cordially + received, and have had considerably more praise for my picture + than it deserves. However, I have already set seriously to + work again, and expect shortly to commence upon a new + composition. It is a real grief to me, dear Master, to have to + work without your guidance. + + My _succes_, here in London, which, for a beginner, has been + extraordinarily great, fills me with anxiety and apprehension; + I am always thinking, "What can you exhibit next year that + will fulfil the expectations of the public?" When I have + settled anything definitely, I shall report to my master in + Frankfurt. + + Now, however, as regards the photographs. Owing to unforeseen + circumstances, Mrs. Sartoris (whom I introduced to you in my + last letter) was obliged to alter the plans of her journey, + and will not leave this for Germany until the middle of + September. What now? Will you wait so long, or shall I seek an + opportunity to send you your seven things? + + And now, my Friend, how are you occupied? Do you still sparkle + with beautiful inventions? Tell me all that you are doing. I + had a delightful surprise recently when I saw your long + expected "Court Scene" in Paris; it is a charming composition. + I tell you nothing of the great Paris Exhibition, for you + naturally will not neglect to see a thing so excessively + interesting; it throws light upon a great many things. If only + you could come in September! then we could meet again and + renew old times a little; it would be very delightful. I + should like extremely to arrange something of the kind with + you; we should certainly agree very well. + + Remember me most kindly to your wife and my old friends in + Frankfurt, and keep in mind your loving pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +In a letter to his mother, before she arrived in London, Leighton +refers to Ruskin's criticism when comparing his "Cimabue's Madonna" to +Millais' "Rescue":-- + + LONDON. + + I do wonder at the critics: will they never let "the cat die"? + What Ruskin means by Millais' picture being "greater" than + mine, is that the joy of a mother over her rescued children is + a higher order of emotion than any expressed in my picture. I + wish people would remember St. Paul on the subject of hateful + comparisons: "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory + of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for one star + differeth from another star in glory." + + I spent last night an evening that Gussy would have envied me. + We (I and the Sartoris and one or two others) were at Halle's, + who is the most charming fellow in the world. + + [Illustration: STUDY FOR PORTION OF FRIEZE, "MUSIC" (not carried + out in final design). 1883 + Leighton House Collection] + +Having sent his "Romeo" picture to Paris, Leighton was not quite +unknown to the art world when he arrived there in September 1855. The +"Cimabue's Madonna," hanging on the walls of the Royal Academy in +London, and this picture being shown at the great International +Exhibition in France, he can fairly be said to have entered at the age +of twenty-four the arena where he competed with the first artists in +Europe. By a mistake the "Romeo" picture was hung in the Roman instead +of the English section in the International Exhibition. The following +extract appeared in a publication at the time, and gives the unbiassed +criticism of one who was unknown to Leighton:-- + + "Strange it may seem, but such is the fact, that of the + thirteen canvasses she (Rome) has sent on this occasion to + sustain her credit, that which for intrinsic merit takes the + lead--in which soul for expression and true artistic feeling + are conspicuous, is due to the pencil of an + Englishman--Frederic Leighton, _ne a Scarborough, eleve de + Mons. Edouard Steinle de Frankfort_. The subject of this + picture--and it is a fine one--is the reconciliation of the + Houses of Montagu and Capulet over the bodies of Romeo and + Juliet. Let us hope that his native country may hear and see + more of so promising an artist as Mr. Leighton." + +And again:-- + + "When these lines were written on the other side of the + Channel, Mr. Leighton had already sent his 'pencil's' first + representation to the Royal Academy, causing therein not a + little surprise, fluttering the dovecots in Corioli. We beg he + will construe our sincere anticipations into a hearty + welcome." + +In the early days of September 1855, Leighton was in Paris preparing +to settle in for a winter's hard work. The following letters to his +mother and father and to Steinle were written soon after his arrival. +In that to Steinle, Leighton alludes to the serious work he has +before him, in painting "The Triumph of Music":-- + + HOTEL CANTERBURY, RUE DE LA PAIX, + _Sunday, 1855_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Though I have, of course, nothing to tell you + yet, still, as it is Sunday morning, I send you a few lines as + a token of continued vegetation. Paris is bright and warm and + sunny, and contrasts incredibly with the murkiness of London. + I have already set to work to look for a studio, but shall + have great difficulty in finding one, and shall have to pay + about 1500 francs per annum _unfurnished_; my furniture I + shall of course hire, not buy--_ci vuol pazienza_. + + HOTEL CANTERBURY, + _Saturday, 1855_. + + DEAR PAPA,--When one has bad news to swallow, there is nothing + like taking the bull by the horns and engulphing the dose at + once: this is the bull to be swallowed, horns and all. I have, + after great trouble and manifold inquiries, taken _the only_ + studio that at all suited me, and for that I give + _unfurnished_ 150 francs a month. It is enormous, but + unavoidable; nor have I been at a disadvantage from being an + Englishman, for two artists of my acquaintance, one a + _Parisian_ just returning from Rome, the other a Frankfurter, + have seen precisely the _same_, and only the same, studios as + I did. It is the dearth of studios and the great demand for + them that makes the price so high. Those who have had studios + some time of course pay very much less, others put up with + little holes far too small to paint a picture of any size. + Carlo Perugini is painting in the studio of a friend, and that + is a strip not large enough for one person. There was only + _one_ studio which I could for a moment think of besides this + one I have taken, and that costs infinitely less; but not only + was it too small--it had been built _this_ summer, and is not + yet finished painting, feels cold and damp, and would no doubt + have laid me up with the rheumatism. + + I have been advised and actually assisted in everything by + Hebert, who is a friend as well as an old acquaintance, and + than whom nobody knows the resources of Paris better. He took + me about to get my furniture, &c., and I am happy to say that + I have bought everything, including ample bedroom and table + linen, crockery, and knives, spoons, &c., all under L30. I + have quite a little _fond de menage_; this is the only cheap + thing I have done in Paris, everything is exactly as dear as + London. It certainly _is_ lucky I sold my picture. + + My frame cost, with time and trouble of exhibition, 320 + francs. + +[Portion of letter to his father.] + + 21 RUE PIGALLE, _Tuesday_. + + I have nothing whatever to tell you, except that I have just + finished a head of Carlo Perugini (for myself), which is the + best thing of the kind I ever did. It has not interfered with + my picture, but has stopped up unavoidable gaps. I have got H. + Wilson[54] to teach me the Conture Method--_a fin d'avoir tate + a tout_. Conture paints well in spite of his method, which + might easily lead to superficial mannerism. The best _dodge_ + is to be a devil of a clever fellow. + + Will you do me a _great_ favour--for my friend Hebert, to whom + I am under great obligations? If you can get me for him _any_ + Greek classic (if Homer, all the better) in the _same edition_ + as my _Brumek's Anacreon_ with _Latin notes_, I shall be much + obliged. Hebert wants very much to have any such work. + + _Translation._] + 21 RUE PIGALLE, PARIS, + _Saturday, September 29, 1855_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--At last I find the long-desired + opportunity to send you the photographs; our old Gamba has + undertaken to convey them to you. How I envy him the pleasure + of seeing you again, dear Master! You, on your side, will + certainly have great pleasure in seeing your old pupil again. + He is just the same as ever; rather more of a beard, and + broader shouldered, but still quite the old Gamba. He will be + able to tell you that we have cherished your memory with love + and reverence, and are always proud to call ourselves your + pupils. + + I should like to describe to you what I am painting now, but + the subject I have chosen is such an absolute matter of + sentiment, that your imagination might well paint something + quite different, in comparison with which my picture might + subsequently suffer; I would rather wait until I can send you + a photograph. It is a picture with only four figures, but + life-size. I stand in alarm before the blank canvas. One + learns gradually to understand that one really can do nothing. + + The photographs in the portofolio with my writing on them are + yours; I hope they will please you. You must accept them as a + little memento of my Italian hobbledehoy-hood. + + Remember me respectfully to Madame Steinle, to my other + friends "tante cose." + + Keep me in remembrance.--Your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +Again to Steinle he writes:-- + + PARIS, RUE PIGALLE 21. + + No one could sympathise better than I with your melancholy + loneliness in the hermitage of Frankfurt; in that air an + artist breathes with difficulty; I confess I should be + entirely paralysed by the lack of models and other resources + in Frankfurt; one all too easily loses sight of the infinite + importance of a complete material representation, which is + always the special mark of the _artist_; I often see with + amazement how even quite clever people behave in this respect. + It has quite a plausible sound if one says (such a fellow as + Strauch, for example), "Away with materialism! Pfui! The great + artist is he who has the most ideas!" Stop, my little man! do + you not feel what a store of artistic cowardice lies behind + your words? Ah, behind so broad a shield you can elude all the + difficulties of your work! He who has the most _ideas_ is + first only as the greatest _poet_ or even _philosopher_! He + only is an _artist_ who can _set_ his ideas _forth_. _Art_ + means the power to do; undoubtedly the idea is the source, the + achieved is art; but an _idea_ completely _embodied_ can no + more exist without the _artist_ power than a thousand ideas + that are only muddled away by agitated incapacity! + + I gladly let myself go on such matters to you, for I know that + we are of one mind regarding them, and it does one good to + pour out one's heart a little for once. + + I hear, with particular interest, that you are painting the + little picture of the Madonna that you composed twenty-three + years ago in the diligence when you were travelling to Italy; + it is a very good thing. I imagine a lovely landscape in the + background; an oleander, rich in starry bloom; grey olives and + stately cypresses wave in the distance; soft violets nestle on + the bank of the cool water, and gaze with earnest eyes out of + the whispering grass. On the still bosom of the stream sleep + white blossoms, which have flown down when the winds breathed + on the limes, and see, in a secret nook in the shade of the + lovely _Himmelsglocken_, the strawberry bed from which the + black-eyed John will peep at the treasures. Above, in the + branches, many-coloured birds frolic, and chase one another, + and flit through the grove, in harmonious, song-rich flight. + And the Madonna! how tenderly and lovingly she looks down upon + the two playing children! Have I described your picture? + + In order to send it to England (and how delighted I should be + to see it) you should, so much I know from personal + experience, cause your picture to reach the Royal Academy + (without fail) on the first of April; I believe that influence + is no use at all, for the Academicians are very autocratic; I + will, however, obtain all the information in good time. I, who + was even more totally unknown in England than you, have + refrained, by the advice of my friends, from applying to _any_ + person, and have left my pictures entirely to themselves. + + Now I must close this immoderately long letter. It seems not + impossible to me that I may pass through Frankfurt next + spring, then we will have a good long gossip together, won't + we? + + Till then, keep in warm remembrance your English pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +It is clear that Paris lacked the charm which Italy had for Leighton. +Parisians have been compared to the Greeks with respect to the +peculiarly _fin_ and agile manner in which they can exercise their +intellects; and so far Leighton might have been expected to fit in +happily and with enjoyment to himself into their life. But though he +felt a great respect and admiration for the genuine artistic sense +which the French undoubtedly possess as a nation, Leighton, no less as +a man than as an artist, was more Greek than is any typical Parisian. +He viewed the beauty of nature from a less circumscribed standpoint, +his emotions were excited with a more ingenuous spontaneity and less +from a _parti-pris_ attitude than, as a rule, are those of the French +artist. Paris was too artificial to appeal strongly to Leighton's +taste. As with the Greeks, grace and charm in the form of living as in +Art was a necessity to his well-being; but he found more natural +expression of such grace and charm in the unsophisticated Italian than +among the artificial and more highly finished manners of the +Parisians. We never read of the eager longing to be in France that +Leighton's letters show when it was a question of a return to Italy. +Also Paris does not appear to have suited his health. He writes to his +mother after living there some weeks:-- + + 21 RUE PIGALLE, _Sunday, 21_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--I observe in a general way that the climate of + Paris is very exciting to my nerves--infinitely more than + Rome. The life I lead is one of unprecedented regularity and + absence of any kind of excess, yet sometimes in the evening, + when I have lit my lamp and my fire and sit down to work, I + can neither play, nor read, nor draw, nor do anything for five + minutes together for sheer restlessness and fidgets. That + sleep, too, that used to be the corner-stone of my + accomplishments and the pillar of my strength, is not by any + means what it was--_non sum qualis eram!_ + + The Sartoris have not changed their plans more than five or + six dozen times since you saw them. They are now staying in + the country with the Marquise de l'Aigle, Edward's sister. + They will be here at the beginning of November and stay + _three_ months--ooray! Lady Cowley is, I believe, not yet come + back. I see a great deal of Herbert Wilson here. He has with + him, too, an arch-brick of a friend, a naval captain whom I + like most particularly. I am painting his head for practice + and for him--he is a fine specimen of an English sailor. + About learning by heart, don't you think it will be a great + waste of my very little eyesight to read the same thing over + and over again until I know it? + + 21 RUE PIGALLE, _October 26_. + + My health, to return to the eternal refrain, is just what it + was. I shall find very little difficulty in giving up coffee + or tea after dinner, as I never take either; indeed, of late I + have given up wine, beer, gin, and other spirituous liquors as + utterly exciting and damnable. Nothing makes me sleep as I + used except going to bed late, and as I am always either + sleepy, tired, or fidgety in the evening, I very seldom get + beyond ten o'clock. + + Carlo Perugini, whom I saw to-day, sends "tante cose" to his + cousin. He is a charming boy, most gentlemanlike, and has that + peculiar childlike simplicity which belongs to none but + Italians. + + [Illustration: SKETCH IN WATER COLOUR FOR TABLEAUX VIVANTS, + "THE ECHOES OF HELLAS." + Leighton House Collection] + +Leighton's friendship with Brock and the French sculptor Dalou began +in these autumn days of 1855. He also made the acquaintance of +Whistler, whose etchings he admired greatly. The work of Jean Francois +Millet also delighted him no less than that of Corot. + +His sister's diary contains the following notes: "November 25.--We +arrived at Paris. Our dear, handsome Fred was here to meet us. +December 1.--Fred comes to see us daily, though sometimes only for +five minutes. He is pale and coughs a good deal; it makes us uneasy. +He often comes to dinner. Presents to us on New Year's day. Took me to +the Conservatoire. Always generous. We went often to Mrs. Sartoris in +the evening." + +It was in Paris that Leighton probably first enjoyed to the full the +culture of his instincts for the drama. Mr. and Mrs. Sartoris remained +in Paris during the winter and spring, and Mr. Henry Greville arrived +there on February 28th, 1856. + +Extracts from his published diaries give a picture of the _milieu_ in +which Leighton's hours of relaxation from work were spent:-- + + 27 RUE DU FAUBOURG ST. HONORE, + _Saturday, March 1, 1856_. + + I left London on Thursday with Flahault and Charles, and after + a smooth passage slept at Boulogne and came on here yesterday. + After dining _tete-a-tete_ with the excellent doctor (the + Hollands dined out), I went to Adelaide Sartoris', where I + found Herbert Wilson, Leighton, and other young and + good-looking artists, and some ladies whom I did not know, and + amongst them Madame Kalergi, a niece of Nesselrode, a tall, + large, white-looking woman, who has a reputation for + cleverness and a great talent on the pianoforte. This morning + I went to Leighton's studio, and saw his drawings, which are + full of genius. + + _Thursday, March 6._ + + Heard in the morning that Covent Garden theatre was burnt at + seven yesterday morning, and went to announce the event to + Mario. In the evening, with Adelaide Sartoris and Leighton, to + Ristori's rentree in "Mirrha." She acted more finely than + ever, and I was enchanted with her wonderful beauty and + classic grace: her tenderness, in this part especially, is + indescribable. Adelaide Sartoris had never seen her before, + and was as much delighted as astonished at the performance. + The audience was in a frenzy of enthusiasm, and yet I do not + believe half the people present understood Italian. + + _Friday, March 20._ + + I went last night with Adelaide Sartoris and Leighton to see + Ristori in Alfieri's play of "Rosmunda." + + In reading it I was convinced I should be bored by so inflated + a rhodomontade, and that the part of Rosmunda, being one of + unmitigated fury and violence, was unsuited to an actress + whose chief merit seemed to consist in her power of + delineating the gentler passions. I was therefore but little + prepared for the wonderful effect she produced upon me and on + the audience. The play is horrible and offensive, but her + manner of rendering this odious part is nothing short of + sublime. Her beauty in the costume of the sixth century is + beyond all description, and the manner in which she varies + the phases of the same passions of hatred and vengeance, and + the prodigious power of the whole impersonation, are + marvellous. Her acting of the scene in the third act, when she + tells Ildevaldo that Amalchilde loves Romalda, is about the + best thing I have seen her do; and the last act, in which she + murders her rival, and the way in which she seizes her and + drags her up the steps, is like a whirlwind sweeping + everything before it; too terrible almost to witness, and + prevented my sleeping all night. + + _Monday, March 24._ + + In the evening I went (as I generally do) to Adelaide + Sartoris', where I found Bickerton Lyons, French, and + Leighton. This latter is a singularly gifted youth. Besides + his talent for painting and drawing, which is already at + twenty-five very remarkable, and likely, if he lives, to place + him in the highest rank of modern artists, he appears endowed + with an extraordinary facility for anything he attempts to do. + He speaks many foreign languages with remarkable fluency, and + almost without accent; he is possessed of much musical + intelligence, and on matters connected with the art which he + has made his particular study and profession his information + is very extensive--and, I am told by others, better able to + judge than myself, that this is the case. With all these + qualities, natural and acquired, I never saw a more amiable or + single-hearted youth. + + _Wednesday, March 26._ + + Went with the Sartoris's, Montfort, and Leighton to the Palais + Bourbon to see Morny's pictures--a charming collection. The + Emperor had just sent him two beautiful pieces of Beauvais + tapestry--marvellous specimens of that manufacture; in return, + I suppose, for his speech of the other day, with which his + Majesty was highly pleased. + + _Wednesday, April 2, 1856._ + + In the morning, with Adelaide Sartoris, Browning the poet, + Cartwright, and Leighton, to the Pourtales Gallery--a charming + collection. The pictures that most pleased me were a Paul + Veronese, a Rembrandt, and a Greuze. There is also a fine + collection of Raphael ware--glass and bronzes. Pourtales has + ordered by will that this collection should remain intact for + ten years, and then to be sold to the highest bidder. + + _Wednesday, April 9, 1856._ + + Last night, after a dinner given by a Lady Monson to Adelaide + Sartoris, Leighton, and myself, at Philippe's, we adjourned to + the first representation of the Italian translation of + Legouve's play of "Medea"--that in which Rachel refused, after + attending rehearsals, to act the principal part, and about + which there was a trial. Great curiosity was shown about this + performance, and there was a great scramble for places; and, + although inserts for nearly three weeks, we were fobbed off + with very bad seats in the orchestra. The play had great + success, and that of Ristori was prodigious, but not greater + than she deserved. The part is most arduous, full of + transitions, and almost always on the full stretch. Her + costume was most picturesque, having been designed by + Schaeffer, and she looked like a figure on an Etruscan vase; + and in no play that I have yet seen her in does she produce + more effect than in certain passages of "Medea." The audience + was wound up to a pitch of frantic enthusiasm. I am always + astonished at the effect she produces on the mass of the + audience, when I know how few there are who really can follow + the play. But, whether by means of her countenance, voice, or + gestures, she contrives to make all the nuances of her acting + felt by the public. I expect when she comes to London she will + find a vast difference between this excitable and sympathetic + audience and that stupid, flat collection of would-be + fashionables who will _promener leurs ennuis_ at her + performances. + +Before his family had arrived in Paris the subject of the Orpheus +entitled "The Triumph of Music," to which Leighton was devoting +himself, was criticised by his father, which criticism Leighton +answered in the following letter:-- + + I do not think honestly that the choice of a mythological + subject like Orpheus shows the least poverty of invention, a + quality, I take it, much more manifested in the manner of + treatment than in the choice of a moment. + + About fiddles, I _know_ that the ancients had _none_; it is an + anachronism which I commit with my eyes open, because I + believe that the picture will go home to the spectator much + more forcibly in that shape. + +To his mother he writes:-- + + RUE PIGALLE. + + I have seen Scheffer,[55] who is cordiality itself to me; + Robert Fleury, ditto, and I have further made the acquaintance + of Ingres, who, though sometimes bearish beyond measure, was + by a piece of luck exceedingly courteous the day I was + presented to him. He has just finished a beautiful figure of + Nymph, which I was able to admire loudly and sincerely. I have + also been to Troyon, who was polite. + + I am fiddling away at the preliminaries of my pictures, a + disjointed and desultory period through which one has to wade + to get at one's large canvas. + + The Sartoris are of course, as ever, my stronghold and + comfort. + + Your loving boy, + + FRED. + + I have sent the sketch of my "Orpheus" to Ruskin, and don't + yet know his opinion of that particular thing, but I feel + about that, that as a _now_ responsible artist, it is my + _duty_ to do things exactly as I feel them and to abide by + them, risking criticisms and cavillings of every kind. I must + be _myself_ for better and for worse; this truth, which I feel + strongly myself, has been corroborated by the opinions of + Fanny Kemble, Mr. Sartoris and Mrs. Sartoris, all at different + times, and quite spontaneously expressed. In haste.--Your + dutiful and affectionate son, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +The question naturally arises, considering the sequence of the history +of the Orpheus picture, _was_ Leighton _himself_ when he painted "The +Triumph of Music"? I have studied his work from the commencement to +the close of his artistic career, and this picture remains the unique +example, in my opinion, when he was _not_ himself; the only picture +which does not carry out the principle he thought of all importance. +It does not evince "sincerity of emotion." The feeling and intention +of the work when first conceived had been absolutely sincere; but, +when it came to the performance, spontaneity had failed. It seems to +have been painted when he was overshadowed by an influence which was +alien to his real artistic sense, and is a further proof that Paris +was an entirely unsympathetic atmosphere to him. The picture appears +to me to be in feeling unreal, stagey--not to say, ridiculous. That +Leighton, after the first bitterness of his failure was over, shared +somewhat the same view of it is certain; for shortly after the Academy +Exhibition of 1856 was over he took it off the stretcher, rolled it +up, and consigned it to oblivion during his lifetime in the dark +recess of a cellar. + +Notes in Mr. Henry Greville's Diary, dated April 24th and Tuesday, May +6th, run as follows:-- + + LONDON, _April 24_. + + Went yesterday to Colnaghi's to see Leighton's picture of + "Romeo and Juliet," with which I was much pleased. Colnaghi + tells me it is much admired, and said, "Young Leighton will, + one day, be a very great man." + + _Tuesday, May 6._ + + A letter from Leighton, in answer to mine preparing him for + the failure of his picture in the Exhibition, says: "Whatever + I may have felt about my little bankruptcy, there is no fear + of its disabling me for work, for if I am impressionable I am + also obstinate; and, with God's will, I will one day stride + over the necks of the penny-a-liners, that they may not have + the triumph of having bawled me down before I have had time to + be heard." + +In April Leighton's family left Paris to travel in Switzerland. The +following letters to his mother show the spirit in which Leighton met +his artistic disaster. + + _May 7._ + + DEAREST MAMMA,--I received your two kind letters in due time, + and answer them on the second day you fixed, having in the + interval had time to hear about the fate of my picture; but + first let me say, dear mamma, that you need never fear my + misinterpreting or taking awry any kind advice that your love + and solicitude may dictate to you. I am reading as much as + ever my eyes will allow--indeed, you are strangely mistaken in + thinking I don't see the necessity of reading. I assure you + that it is a perpetual mortification to me to feel how little + I know, but I stand unfortunately at such a disadvantage owing + to the weakness of my eyes and my unprecedented absence of + mind; however, I shall do what I can, and hope for the best. + + Dearest Mamma, I did not expect to write a _consolatory_ note + to you to inaugurate your journey, but I am sorry to say that + I am in that painful position. My picture, which has been + exceedingly badly hung, so that one can scarcely see half of + it (indeed I believe only the figure of Orpheus), is an + _entire failure_; the papers have abused, the public does not + care for it, in fact it is a "fiasco." Ruskin (who likes the + "Romeo" very much) is disappointed with "Orpheus," tho' he + says of course a man like me can't do anything that has not + great merits, and that I am to attach no importance to the + malicious articles written by venal critics. Now, dearest + Mother, look upon this--you and Papa, who takes so + affectionate an interest in my welfare--look upon this, as I + do, as a fortunate occurrence; consider what an edge and a + zest I get for my future efforts, and what an incentive I have + to exert myself to put down the venomous jargon of envious + people--next year, tho' the Academicians may think that they + have cowed me, I shall very probably not exhibit; but the year + after, God willing, they shall feel the weight of my hand in a + way that will surprise them. The more they abuse, the better + I'll paint--industry against spite--I will have a pull for it. + Dear Henry Greville behaves to me like an angel; he writes + _every day_, and sends me the _Times_ regularly. Mrs. + Sartoris, too, writes very often. You will be glad to hear + that my prospects about models are rather brighter than they + were; I have found two or three that will be useful. + + PARIS, _Sunday_. + + Although my letter (and I am afraid a very unpleasant one) + must have reached you as soon as the other was fairly out of + the house, yet I write a line in answer to all the kind and + considerate things you wrote in the idea I might be ill or + irritable. I value your kind solicitude, dear Mamma, as much + as you can wish, I assure you, and should indeed be heartily + sorry in any way to give you pain or make you in any way + unhappy--and talking of that, dear Mamma, I sincerely hope you + have completely got over your first annoyance about my fiasco, + which, except of course in a pecuniary point of view, is in + point of fact a fortunate event for my future progress, in the + _elan_ it gives to my application and particularly to my + obstinacy. I am very busy now at "Pan" and "Venus," but have + not decided what I shall do next year. I think it is very + characteristic of the critics that they _none_ of them mention + "Romeo and Juliet," which is, I know, universally liked. Dear + Mamma, never fear, your boy will walk over all that--depend + upon it. How does Papa take it? How the girls?--Give to all my + best love, and believe me, your very devoted son, + + FRED. + + _Tuesday, 1856._ + + DEAR PAPA,--In the hope that I should receive to-day Ruskin's + pamphlet on the Institution, I delayed until now answering + your kind letter. It has, however, not arrived, and as there + is great uncertainty whether it really is already published or + no, I think it better not to keep you longer without news from + me. The criticisms in the papers are, as far as I can judge, + partly from the little I have read and partly from what my + friends tell me, singularly injudicious, leaving almost + entirely untouched the really vulnerable parts of the picture, + and attacking almost exclusively that which is least + objectionable--the execution. + + Ruskin does not much like the picture, and prefers the "Romeo" + considerably, but he will write of course in a serious spirit + and like an intelligent man. I have just made the acquaintance + of Robert Fleury--the best French colourist, in my + opinion--and he received me with the greatest kindness and + simplicity, showing all that he had, and explaining anything + that I wished to know; this is a valuable acquaintance which + I owe to Montfort. I have made the acquaintance of a highly + talented young German genre painter of whom I had heard in + Frankfurt; he is my age, and paints with greater facility, but + my talent is of a higher order I think. Ary Scheffer has been + very amiable and pleasant to me about my fiasco, telling me + what he went through himself, and telling me to think nothing + of it. I sent to Wild shortly after you left, and was able to + render him a little service in the way of some Venetian + costumes, still I hesitate to ask him to introduce me to Paul + Delaroche. We shall see about all that next autumn when I come + back from Italy, when the Viardots will also introduce me to + Delacroix. + + Pan and Venus are progressing _tout doucement_. + + I have written to Watts to ask his leave to put my pictures in + his studio (Pan and Venus) in Little Holland House. I read + carefully all you said, dear Mamma, about the critics, &c. &c. + I honestly think that my ill-luck is in no way attributable to + over-hurrying. Those things in my picture which were really + most open to discussion, I did all with my eyes open and + deliberately, and they were the only ones that the discerning + scribblers seem not to have noticed. Again, with regard to the + said critics, I think, dear Mamma, you see things "en noir." + _Who reports_ me to have sneered at ----? I did internally, as + I do at all snobs. However, I have long since banished the + whole subject. If ever I attain real excellence, the public + will in the long run find it out; and if they don't pay me + they will at least acknowledge me, especially when the + pre-Raphaelite "engouement" has calmed a little. In a + fortnight I shall go to England; by that time Pan and Venus + will be done, and I think they promise well. I am very anxious + to get to London. I mean to enjoy it very much--take my fill, + and then go for a short time to Italy to renew my profession + of faith before Raphael and Michael Angelo. I am very glad to + hear that you are enjoying yourselves, and that you remember + me in the midst of your jonquils and anemones. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[48] Watts wrote at the time Leighton died that he had enjoyed an +uninterrupted friendship with him of forty-five years. This was +evidently a slight miscalculation. We read in one of Leighton's letters +to his mother from Rome that Watts had called on him, but that he had +missed seeing him, and Watts certainly spoke to me of this interview on +the pavement of Montagu Square in 1855 as the first he had had with +Leighton. + +[49] In a letter from his mother, December 22, 1854, she quotes an +extract from the _Morning Post_, written by a critic who had been +visiting the studios in Rome, and who alludes to Leighton's sympathy +with Giotto. It reads to-day as quaint and curiously antiquated as do +Knight's scornful criticisms on the Elgin Marbles. Mrs. Leighton +writes: "One sentence in your letter has set your dear father on the +horns of anxiety. You tell us we are not to expect too much from your +pictures, and remind us 'that the path which leads to success, &c. &c.' +Now, Papa fancies that you had underpainted your canvas and were not +satisfied with the result, and that was the cause of your writing less +hopefully than usual. We have been wishing much to hear what your +progress was; knowing the subject of each picture, we should have +understood if you had reported progress. In case you are in want of a +little encouragement, I must tell you the other day Papa enters the +drawing-room with a radiant face. He held in his hand a piece of paper, +and requesting my attention, he read me its contents, which I copy for +you, and which I found were taken from a column in the _Morning Post_ +devoted to criticisms on artists and their works chiefly, I believe, on +the Continent, but of that I am not quite sure. 'I next called on Mr. +Leighton, who is employed on a canvas of many feet. His subject +is'--then follows the description, after which he adds: 'Mr. Leighton +will become a great artist if he advances as he has begun. His drawing +is admirable, much better than that of English artists generally. Some +of the figures are Giottoish in the treatment of the drapery, which is +scarcely pardonable, because drapery fell flowingly about the human +body in Giotto's time as well as now. Why imitate the uncomfortable +line of that conventional rag? It is, however, unfair to judge of +anything beyond drawing and composition in the present state of this +picture, which is an extraordinary work for so young a man.' Remarks +more or less favourable were made on several other artists, but nothing +like what you have just read. Do you know this critic? I need not tell +you how highly we appreciate this gentleman's sagacity; but jokes +apart, Papa was rather puzzled at such a criticism about the drapery of +some of the figures, because you excel in such folds, so it seems to us +odd that you should skimp any of your figures. The same column contains +observations on the subject of 'High Art' and large historical +pictures, or rather comments on those made by young students, such +indeed as I have heard you make, that I could almost have fancied the +author was answering your remarks. We were rather startled to read in +your letter that you find you had better not use the interests of a +professional man to facilitate the admission of your picture into the +Exhibition of the Royal Academy, but trust to its merits for that +result, as we are told the Exhibition in question is, strictly +speaking, a private affair for the works of the members only and such +as they choose to admit, which explains perhaps the complaints of +rejection one has read of from time to time. I hope your picture may be +kindly judged and well hung." + +[50] On a first visit to Athens I was struck by the extraordinary +insignificance and want of beauty in the Levantines of mixed race who +crowded the streets; nowhere seemed there a trace left among the +inhabitants of the town of the type of Greek beauty. When travelling a +few days later to Colonna, while the train stopped at a station on the +lower slopes of Hymettus, I saw two men hurrying through the adjacent +olive groves to catch it. They were dressed in the Greek costume of the +provinces--an embroidered waistcoat cut low leaving the throat bare, +the short white plaited skirt, and the heavy cloak falling from one +shoulder. Either of these men might have sat to Pheidias for the +Theseus. Both were more magnificent in form than any statue ever made. +Doubtless, in the days of her ancient glory, Greece contained a far +larger proportion of inhabitants who were beautiful than are to be +found now; nevertheless Pheidias without a doubt had to exercise his +gift of selecting the best, no less than did Leighton and Watts. + +[51] See List of Illustrations. + +[52] Ibid. + +[53] Ibid. + +[54] Mr. Herbert Wilson. + +[55] The story is that on Leighton's expressing his gratitude at +receiving a visit from him (Ary Scheffer), he replied, "If I did not +attach considerable importance to your talent, I should not have +mounted three flights of stairs to see you." + + + + +CHAPTER V + +FRIENDS + + +Leighton's friendships were very salient, vivid interests to him among +the varied occupations of his life. In any complete picture of his +personality these must take a prominence only secondary to his passion +for Art and Beauty,--and for "his second home,"--the land that had +cast such a strange spell and charm over him from the early days of +childhood,--to his love for his family, and his reverent devotion to +his master, Steinle, and to Mrs. Sartoris. To these two inspiring +friends and teachers he declared he owed what he prized most in life, +namely, a development of those gifts and qualities which enabled him +to be of service to his generation. + +"I have always believed that his ruling passion was _Duty_--the +keenest possible sense of it," Mr. Briton Riviere writes. The +influences which were the most precious to Leighton were assuredly +those which enabled him to extend his own influence in the highest and +widest direction, and fulfil exhaustively his duty to his +fellow-creatures. Every moment of his life was real and earnest to +him. Every moment had a purpose--ever before him was the urgent +imperative necessity he felt of being _faithful_: faithful in every +detail as in decisive final aims. If an epithet had to be attached to +his name, epitomising Leighton's salient characteristics, the most +appropriate would surely be "Leighton the faithful." + +Many among those who are dead,--also among the now living, found in +him their best friend. The letters written to him by Mr. Henry +Greville, and those that Leighton wrote to Mr. Hanson Walker are good +examples, among the many that have been preserved, showing the very +prominent place his friends took in Leighton's life. In the first we +trace the tender affection he inspired in the hearts of his +intimates,[56] and in the second the ardent manner in which Leighton +would help artists younger than himself, and how with a parental +solicitude he would do his best to forward their true interests.[57] + + [Illustration: STUDY OF HEAD FOR "LIEDER OHNE WORTE." 1860 + Leighton House Collection] + +The following letters from Mr. Henry Greville were written on +Leighton's return to Paris, after he had run over to London to place +the "Romeo" picture which had been in the Paris International +Exhibition with Colnaghi, and after "The Triumph of Music" had been +sent in to the Academy. + + LONDON, _April 25_. + + DEAR FAY,--You are rather a bad boy not to have given either + Ad. or me a _signe de vie_, but as I have not seen her to-day, + she may have heard from you. We both want to do so _very_ + much, so pray write ME a line directly. I only do so to-day to + say that at my suggestion Ad. and I rushed off yesterday again + to Colnaghi to find out if the Queen or Albert knew of your + picture being at his shop; and if not, to ask him to let them + know it, if he could do so with propriety. He said he would at + once send the picture to B. Palace, as he was in the habit of + doing other works; though he did not think that it was likely + they would buy another picture of yours, he admitted that it + might be advantageous to you that they should see it. He again + praised the picture greatly, and told us that it was + universally admired. My sister prefers it infinitely to + "Cimabue" in all respects, but the fact is, the subject is + more attractive to English people than the other. I have + nothing else to tell you. I am _very_ seedy with an affection + of the bronchial tubes, and very low, and would give anything + to see you, my dear boy, but must have patience till the + pleasant moment of having you under my roof arrives. You will + be glad to hear that my mother is better. I have not seen + Ellesmere, as he was at the Review, but you may depend on my + not forgetting your interests. The said Review was a most + glorious spectacle, and they had a splendid day for it. I am + starved to death here, and Ad. and I do nothing but grumble. + She and I dined _tete-a-tete_ last night, and slept and + coughed through the evening with the occasional intermission + of talking of you--you old Fay! To-night I am going with her + to Eli, though I ought to be in my bed. Theo is ill and can't + come, and Fanny reads. Oh! that you were to be with us! Tell + me if you would object to a VERY slight gold frame to the + drawings--merely a _line_, because, as my rooms are all white, + and that everything in them has gilt, the drawings want a sort + of background--which this slight frame would give them. Tell + me what you think. I don't mean to hang up my Vintage, but + keep it near me on an _easle_ (how do you spell it?). Charley, + being highly coloured, looks lovely, and don't want any + frame--nasty Charley! Now pray write and tell me all about + yourself--and the _moddles_--and how you _are_--and how you + get on--and what you do. Don't drag off to dull parties, but + go to bed early. + + God bless you. Amami, ne ho gran bisogno. Colnaghi said he had + heard from one Cooper a very good report of "Orpheus." + + H. + + How have the photographs turned out? I like your portrait less + now that you are away--but it can't be helped, it is better + than none, but it looks so sad. I have hung you and Ad. up + side by side in sweet companionship in my dressing-room, so + that I may see you both the first thing on waking. + + LONDON, _April 26th_. + + DEAREST BIMBO,--You have made us pass some very anxious hours, + as the telegraph which I sent off at seven this morning will + have testified, though it will also have surprised and perhaps + alarmed you until you read its contents. The fact is, _I_ + thought it odd that we did not hear from you, yesterday at all + events, as I felt sure you would have written immediately on + getting our joint note from Boulogne, Wednesday, and certainly + on the following day. However, I felt sanguine that on going + to dine at 79, I should find that Ad. had heard from you, but, + on the contrary, I found her full of anxiety at no letter, + imagining every species of cause for your silence, which she + said was so very unlike you, that I directly caught the same + state of worry, and we determined that I should telegraph the + first thing this morning to know if you were ill, or if + anything had happened. I never slept all night, and of course + had worked myself, with her assistance, into a wretched state + of anxiety about you--when at nine your letter arrived, and a + blessed relief it was. I should not probably have been in such + a state, had Adelaide not been convinced that illness or some + catastrophe had prevented your writing, because, she said, + your _wont_ was to do so immediately on parting with her, and + she could account for it in no other way. In short, dear Fay, + we were very foolish; but I assure you our folly met its own + punishment by the anxiety, and which spoilt our "Eli" + entirely. Poor Fay! I daresay you little thought that we were + tormenting ourselves about you, and I, for one, shall try and + not do so any more. Your letter is like yourself--dear and + kind. With regard to the enclosure, my opinion is that you + would not do wisely or handsomely by Colnaghi to withdraw your + picture from his keeping, unless he _wished_ to get rid of it + to make room for the supposed exhibition of drawings; + moreover, my own opinion is that you would not do well to + exhibit at the Crystal Palace. I have no faith in that + institution, and I think it will be a pity to rob your studio + of the "Pan" and "Venus" for that purpose; but as I do not + consider myself a good judge of these matters or competent to + advise you, I think I should be very much guided by what other + artists of the same standing as yourself think and do in the + matter, and before deciding or answering Mr. Magwood, I should + write to Buckner or any one else competent to advise you and + ask their opinion. I don't know what Sister Adelaide will say, + but I have sent her your letter and the enclosure, and she + will probably write to you on the subject. You are _too_ dear + and nice about my mother. I fear that before you come she will + have left London, and I don't think you would like to paint + her, because her sweet face is entirely hidden by the shade + she is obliged to wear over her poor eyes; but _you_ know + whether I should like her portrait painted by you! But, dear + Fay, you are too lavish of your time on others, and do not + think enough of yourself. Here I was interrupted by a visit + from Adelaide, overjoyed at hearing all is well with you, and + agreeing entirely with me _in re_ C. Palace, Colnaghi, &c. She + says if C. wishes the picture to be removed, it is for him to + express that wish and not you, that a better order of people + go to him than those who frequent the C.P., that he is + well-disposed towards you, and that it is advisable you should + keep him as your friend. + + We think Mogford's reference useless, being a foreigner, and + we are certain that unless _Millais_ and others of the same + class exhibit at the C.P., you had best have nothing to do + with it. I took Ad. up to your room, and she says you will be + _comfy_ in it; and she saw your nice face, patted it, and + said, "Dear Fay, but it looks so sad!" She thinks both + drawings will be better for a slight gilt _rim_, but I won't + put it on without your leave. I am so glad you are leading a + wholesome life, and getting the b. who planted you, rather + than dawdle proudly, and be without a good _moddle_. I have + nothing to say, dear Bimbo, and you will have had enough of + me. I am very bad with an ulcerated throat, cough, and + inflamed bronchia, and altogether below par. I have seen + hardly anybody since I came. Adelaide would have been pleased + with "Eli," had she been in a vein where pleasure was + possible. Pauline sang to perfection the lovely music allotted + to her. And now, dearest Bimbo, God bless you. Write very + often, if only a _line_, as it is comfortable to hear that all + is well with you--that is always the news I most wish to get; + and tell me how the pictures progress, and your real state of + mind about them.--Your old and loving Babbo, + + H. + + I send back Mogford. Penelope B. (Bentinck) tells me that the + great judge, George, condescends to approve "Romeo" mightily!! + + LONDON, _Monday, April 28th_. + + DEAR GOOD FAY,--Cartwright was wrong about the telegraph, but + as our anxiety was removed by your letter, I did not expect + you to send me one. Knowing how likely you were to write, + supposing you to be well, you may imagine that we were not a + little anxious at getting no sign of life from you, in return + for our daily letters, and I never could have guessed that the + Boulogne letter would only have reached you on Saturday! + However, all is well that ends well, but we passed a very + disagreeable day and night, and it was _because_ we did _not_ + think you capable of putting off writing that we fussed and + worried ourselves about you--foolishly, dear Fay, no doubt. I + am very seedy and confined to the house by throat, bronchia, + unceasing cough, swelled glands, bad eyes--and should not + inflict myself and ailments upon you, but that it is a solace + and a comfort to _causer avec "mon petit dernier"_--a + cognomen which smiles UPON me--and made _me_ smile. Sister + Adelaide tea'd with me last night _en tete a tete_. Fanny was + grand, and would not come in, though she dropped her sister at + my door, because (she said) I had not said _to_ her that I + wished _for_ her! I was so little _en train_ that I was not + sorry to have only Adelaide, and we _did_ more than once say + how we wished Fay was eating the muffin destined for the proud + Fanny. Adelaide has just been here, and brought me your dear + letter. I don't see any _present_ prospect of the fire of my + affliction being extinguished or allowed to grow dim, so you + may make your mind easy on that score, excellent Fay. I feel + for your loneliness, and know what a contrast it must present + with the sweet fellowship we have held together so unceasingly + for those last two months. The only thing you gain by the loss + of your people is more time, and a later repast. I don't doubt + poor Mamma being unhappy at leaving you, her true and only + Benjamin, and for an indefinite time. I can judge by what I + felt at parting with _mon petit dernier_, and _with_ the hope + of so soon greeting him again. No, Fay, I won't have the + Charley drawing, and I won't have you do anything more for any + one but yourself, knowing as I do all the things you have on + hand--and _a propos_ of _that_, I must tell you that I have + endeavoured to put another iron in the fire _in re_ fresco. I + asked Lady Abercorn, who is my dearest friend, to speak to + Lord Aberdeen (her father-in-law) who is on the Committee of + Taste, or whatever it is called, first about your picture at + Colnaghi's and then of you generally as desirous of painting + in fresco, and as of one whose studies have been that way + directed, in whom I take a great interest; but I made her + understand that it was no _job_ I wanted done, or that I asked + any favour, but merely I wished it to be known that Leighton, + a very rising artist, would like to be employed in that line, + if an occasion presented itself. Lady A. understood me exactly + and being very sympathetic immediately conceived an interest + for my _petit dernier_ (I wish you were my son, Fay!) and said + if she did not see Lord Aberdeen very soon she would write to + him. Neither I nor Adelaide know where Windsor and Newton + live, so you had best write straight to him to send the + colours you want. I think I _must_ put just a _baguette d'or_ + on the drawings, and when you see them on my walls I don't + think you will disapprove. With regard to Cartwright, Adelaide + says Jules Sartoris has got a place called Tusmore. I should + advise him to lose no time in advertising it both in the + newspaper and by different agents in town and country. I + should think it was a place _sure_ to be let, from its + convenient distance from London and other advantages. There is + no news here. + + LONDON, _May 6th_. + + DEAREST FAY,--Your letter is a relief and a comfort. It is + both to me to see you take this disagreeable business so + manfully, so wisely, and to think that instead of being cast + down, your energies will only be aroused by this stupid and + unjust criticism. In this case it may, then, well be said, + "Sweet are the uses of adversity." As to all the other papers, + I can't pretend to say what they may have written, but the + _Leader_ is one of no repute, and, as Ruskin said to Adelaide + this morning, it don't REALLY signify _what_ they write; in + the long run talent and genius must prevail, as yours will, + dear Fay, if it please God to grant you, as I fervently pray, + health and strength. She is going to write to you, and will + tell you all Ruskin said, and also what she thinks of the + Exhibition in general and your picture in particular, which, I + hear, is infamously placed--that is, in so bad a light that + only _Orpheus_ is visible. Passing, I must tell you that + Edward (Sartoris) came to see me yesterday, and the _first_ + thing he said on entering the room was, "Well, I don't think + Leighton's picture looks bad. Orpheus's drapery is too yellow, + but it don't look amiss at all." This was rather much for him, + eh? He likes "Autumn Leaves," and he praised the "Leslie" + (which Adelaide says is all very well, but "slaty"). Landseer + is beautiful--but E. (Edward Sartoris) was _sous le charme_, + having sat next him at dinner at Marochetti's, when he told me + L. was as much _aux petits soins_ for him as if he had been + the loveliest of females. I am so glad about the models, and + if I don't hear from you as often shall know why. I am also + glad you dine with Cartwright and Co., but _how_ you _can_ + dandle a nasty, doughy, puffy, bread-and-butter smelling thing + called a baby! Pah! a baby is my horror and aversion. Never do + it again--not even by your own. I could not have dandled even + my Bimbo without a grimace. Well done! old hideous ----; if + she promise not to act herself, I'll take a box for her next + benefit. She is the _ame damnee_ of Macready, so that her + verdict surprises me. I expect she will begin imitating her, + and have Medea translated--horrible idea! Read Ellesmere's + speech; it is very pretty, and the whole debate is + interesting, but Derby and Co. don't cut a good figure at all. + I am getting better now, and dined with my parent yesterday, + but can't go out in daytime for fear of eyes and throat, the + wind is so cold. Of course I read your letter to Ad. (Adelaide + Sartoris). (I think you had best now write straight to her, + because as I am soon hoping to be out, and have no one to send + so far, your letters will get to her quicker and more surely + by post.) + + You must be very careful, and take time to weigh well and + consider the subjects of your future pictures. I think the + Mermaid might be both interesting and effective well carried + out, and you might also perhaps paint some subject from some + one of the Italian poets--Tasso, Ariosto, Boccaccio--for your + own satisfaction. God bless you! my dear boy. I am longing to + see you again already. Tell me how the models answer and how + you get on. _Don't_ call Brackley _de_. They are removed to + the Meurice. If you don't find them, write to her and offer to + go with her (saying at my suggestion) to the Louvre.--Love + your old Babbo, + + H. + +Later in the summer Mr. Greville wrote:-- + + 1856, HATCHFORD, _Thursday_. + + MY DEAR BOY,--I do sympathise with your disgust at the same + time that I think you have acted very _legerement_ about your + pictures, and, in fact, taken no trouble or heed about them. + _You should have seen to it all yourself before you left + London_, or have given directions to Watts, to which he would + have attended, instead of leaving him in total ignorance as to + what you meant or wished, and which picture or if both were to + go. I kept perpetually telling you to see after this business + and to be more _exact_ in it, but you see now the consequence + of not attending to things more carefully. You had better + write a curt letter to Greene, reminding him that you _had_ + given written directions (as you say) that it was your "_Pan_" + that was to be removed, and that you made no mention of the + "Venus" (what has he done with her?), and again asking him + (since he had not replied to the query) whether he had got the + "Romeo." I shan't be in London until to-morrow night late, and + as you are to be there on Monday there will be no use in my + going to Greene, but I can do so on Saturday if you wish it. + I have had an answer from Ellesmere's secretary, to whom I + wrote to go and see if your pictures were well hung, to say + that the Exhibition only opens in first week of September,[58] + but that he has a friend who is an influential member of the + hanging committee, and that he will speak to him in favour of + yours being put into a good light. I heard from Adelaide + yesterday that she will be in town on Monday and will dine us. + I hoped you would have stayed (and she too) all Tuesday and + gone away on Wednesday morning, so that we might have spent + two evenings together, and I am disappointed. I shall go to + Scotland on Wednesday, and am sorry to have settled to do so. + I suppose you know Alfred Sartoris marries Miss Barrington--an + alliance which will enchant Aunt ----, as the young lady is + "The Honourable," and allied to several marquesses and + earls.--Addio, caro, your ever affectionate H. + + _P.S._--Write again by all means to Greene asking _what has + become of the "Venus,"_ and also whether the "Romeo" has or + _not_ been sent to Manchester--whether you employ him or not, + you have a right to know what he has done with your property. + Write a line to Queen Street to-morrow to say at what time you + will be there on Monday that I may not be out of the way. + + Rain has come, but it is still deliciously warm and fine in + the intervals. + +Later in the same year Mr. Greville wrote:-- + + LONDON, _August 26, 1856_. + + MY DEAREST FAY,--I have just got your letter of Saturday 23rd + from Frankfort, and as you state therein that you were to + leave that place on Monday, and that the letters which I sent + to Malet for you could only reach him on that morning, it is + next to certain that they will not have reached you. I + requested him, in the event of your having left Frankfort, or + in his failing to find you out, to send them on to the _p. + restante_ at Venice, and you will probably find them there + together with this letter, but I think it best also to send + you the originals for fear of accident, as it is desirable + that you should write to Mr. Harrison yourself.[59] In the + meanwhile, I have told him that when I knew your address I + would apprize him of it, and in a few days I shall write and + say that you are at Venice; but I don't think he will write to + you any more, but that he will expect to know _when you are + likely to return_. Having got so far, it of course is out of + the question that you should think of, or for a moment be + expected to return on purpose, and I think it most likely you + will be able to get Watts to go and look at the picture, in + case the matter should be pressing; but I think it will be + best that you offer to return to England before you settle at + Paris, and whenever your present tour (which I told Mr. + Harrison was one for artistic purposes) shall be ended. It + will be a great bore having to come back even then, on + purpose. I am sorry you did not get the letters at Frankfort; + on the whole though, perhaps they would only have worried you + and have made you _hesitate_ as to _returning_, and which + perhaps you might have thought _shorter_ and less troublesome + than having to come back by-and-bye. However, it is very + probable you may get Watts to do what is necessary, and that + you may be saved the expense and bore of another journey here + in the autumn. Adelaide and I contemplated the possibility of + your coming over at once from Frankfort, and we both + deprecated the idea, though we privately said how intensely + glad we should be to see you--selfish as it might be; and it + was arranged that I was to telegraph to her to Tunbridge where + she is gone to-day. Thanks, you dear boy, for your letter just + received. I can understand your pleasure at finding yourself + in your old haunts again, with your old friend and master to + whom you owe so much. It is a great comfort to me to find that + he likes your drawings, though I never doubted his doing so. I + was amused by your account of the Pimp and Ballerina, whose + modesty seems to have attracted you more than that of the + Russian Princess. Since writing to you last I have done but + little. I am come into town this morning expecting to find + Ffrench, but he has not turned up. I saw Sister A.[60] + yesterday on her way through, but my visit was spoilt by the + ---- Girls and Cigala, who (as he never made love to me) + appears to me merely a _bon sabreur_ and horse fancier. You + know my opinion of the young ladies, who, _par parenthese_, + adore you. I am still at H. (Holland) House, and shall remain + there until Friday, when I come to dine with Adelaide, and + shall then go to Hatchford until I repair to Worsley--my + sister will be established there before long. Yesterday, + Ellesmere's secretary sent me a letter to say that the gent. + of the hanging committee "would take care that Mr. Leighton's + pictures were placed in the most favourable position."[61] So + let us hope for the best. I must tell you that Vic. is come + home, and is now opposite to me, and that she looks admirably + well. We have had heaps of people at H. House at dinner almost + every day. Marochetti came yesterday. He is full of the + subject of colouring statues, and has just taken to Osborne + two busts which the Queen was to present to-day to P. Albert + for his birthday. Marochetti _traite d'imbeciles_ all the + English sculptors who cannot yet take in this "undoubted + fact." He says Gibson is the only one who admits it, but even + he will not go Marochetti's lengths. Watts is (you know) at + Malvern, and the doctor thought him decidedly better before he + went, and that he may get into tolerable health. I think he is + to be at Malvern three weeks. John Leslie's wedding is at this + moment proceeding; he has almost settled to buy Lady C. + Lascelles' house at Campden Hill, which will be a capital + position for his studio, and another Sunday lounge for you + next year. Next year! (_eheu fugaces!_) a long time to wait to + see you again under my roof, you very dear boy. I always think + this dispersing time so melancholy. I wonder if I shall hear + from you before Venice. Oh yes, of course, you will write + wherever you stop. Mind and tell me about your studies, and + what you see and do--above all things take care of your + health, and don't catch fever by working in the sun, &c. + Charles says he can't think where your hat box can be--he is + in ecstasies with your old trousers, which have come out + brand new and a capital fit! You would be quite envious if + you could see them. + + Good-bye, best of Fays. I shall send this letter off and write + another in a few days. I will mark _outside_ the dates of my + letters (and PRAY, mind and always date yours--you never do) + so that you will know which to open first. God bless you, you + dear _good_ fellow.--Love your fond old, + + BABBO. + + LONDON, _Thursday, August 28_. + + DEAREST FAY,--One line to say that this afternoon your letter + of Sunday with the enclosed for Harrison reached me. It is a + relief to me that you _got_ the letters, and I think your + answer does very well, but as it had no cover, and that I was + obliged to send it in my own name to Harrison, I added, what + _you_ had better have done, that if necessary you could easily + come over the beginning of November, and I rather hope they + will accept that offer, as by that time the Court will have + returned from Scotland (perhaps to Windsor though), and you + might have a chance of being brought into contact with Albert, + and you would jabber good German to him and win his heart, + which _may_ be valuable to you. With regard to Watts, he said + he should be too happy to do _anything_ for you, but he wished + you to be thrown with Albert. He (Watts) is better and has + left Malvern. I got yesterday the _Manchester Guardian_, with + a sort of preliminary list of the pictures which are to be + opened to the private view to-morrow. They were not then all + hung, but they mention the "Romeo" as in a conspicuous + place--a sombre picture, but the Romeo and Juliet finely + conceived--or something to that effect. You shall hear all + about it. I have got little Ffrench till Saturday, when I go + to Hatchford and he home. I expect Adelaide to-morrow--we dine + with her, and I _fear_ shall have ----, which will be a potent + bore. There is of course no other news. Penelope Bentinck has + produced a huge boy, and is quite well. John Leslie's marriage + went off without any tears, and he made a very good "neat and + appropriate." + + God bless you, my very dear boy--you are not so fond of me as + I am of you--be sure of it. Take care of yourself, and write + to and love your old + + BABBINO. + + Tell me all about your studies, as they interest me, and don't + forget to put me up to some pretty cheap gilt-moulding for my + frame. + + Adelaide was pleased and touched at your seeing about her + pictures. Fay, she is devotedly attached to you--you may be + sure of it. + + HATCHFORD, _September 9_. + + MY DEAREST FAY,--I am going to begin a letter to you which I + can only send when I know where to direct to you, for after + Venice (from whence I have not heard from you yet) you have + given me no address. I hope to hear that you got all mine sent + to that place, and particularly the one enclosing a copy of + Phipps' letter to me in which he tells me it is the Queen's + wish that you come over here on your return to Paris. I got + your letter from Meran on Thursday last, and I sent it off to + Adelaide by that post, enjoining her to let me have it back by + the next, since which I have never had a line from her, and at + last grew so alarmed that I wrote to Anne to ask what had + happened, and that I could not but fear Ad. had been sent for + to Edward[62] in Ireland. To this letter I got _no_ reply, and + I have been in great suspense and anxiety till this morning, + when sure enough my surmise proved correct, and I got a few + lines from Adelaide herself from Muckross, whither she arrived + on Saturday, having left Warnford the day before, they having + sent for her. She has, I do not doubt, written to you and told + you that she found him neither dead or dying, but in a low, + bilious fever, having been in bed a week, and the doctor not + giving much hope of a speedy recovery. She, however, intends + to move him as soon as it is possible, but it may be some time + first, and of course their plans are more or less uncertain, + and mine of meeting them in London at an end, as I shall be + gone to Worsley before they can be in town. It is, however, a + mercy that this illness is not even more serious than it is. + When I heard his account of himself as I passed through + London, I wondered that she was not more alarmed, but I did + not tell her how serious the case appeared to me, and as it + has proved; and when I did not hear from her, I immediately + guessed what had occurred. She found Fordwich there, and says + the place appeared a Paradise, and now that she is easy about + Edward, perhaps she won't mind spending the time there instead + of Warnford. Only, the boy was to go to Eton on the 11th, and + I don't know how they will manage that. I have written to Ad. + to-day, and have sent her a volume I received this morning + from Fanny Kemble. The letter would interest you, but is too + bulky to send. She speaks of you in a way that pleases me and + would gratify your vanity in every respect, and describes you + as one of the most interesting people she ever met, and hopes + that your art may be an unceasing source of fame, profit, and + delight to you. I will keep the letter and show it to you when + I have the happiness of seeing you, my dear Fay. When Sarah + leaves her she is to begin reading in the West, and I suspect + that will answer better to her than the girl's society! Dear + Fay, my sister writes to me that she and Brackley went into + Manchester to see your pictures. I will transcribe what she + says: "They are pretty well placed, but the 'Romeo' is so dark + a picture it is difficult to see, and the lighting of the + gallery has something of the defect of that at B. House. The + 'Pan' and 'Venus' seem to me to be very good pictures. _B. + considers them improper._ I like the 'Pan' the best. There are + not many good pictures in the Exhibition." To this I replied + that I was much diverted by Brackley's prudishness, but that + if such personages were to be painted, it was not possible to + clothe them in crinoline or in green gauze drawers such as + Bomba imposed upon his Ballerina. It makes me so sick, all + that cant about impropriety, but there is so much of it as to + make the sale of "nude figures" very improbable, and therefore + I hope you will turn your thoughts entirely to well-covered + limbs, and paint no more _Venuses_ for some time to come. I + trust you will devote all your energies to the Romeo, Dalilah + and Syren, and if you have any spare time, that you will do + our Friar Lawrence. I forget if I told you that Miss Kaye saw + your portrait of yourself, and says it is quite a _libel_ on + your physiognomy. Why _did_ you make yourself so pinched and + sad-looking, Fay? + + _September 12._--Your letter from Venice of 5th reached me + this morning. I feel sure you will not have got my long + letter directed there on the 5th and enclosing Phipps' answer, + so I had better transcribe it: "It would be very desirable + that Mr. L. should run over from Paris when there to see + exactly what is the damage done to his picture, and I will + have nothing done to it in the meantime, but care shall be + taken that the injury shall not be increased. Mr. L. does not + state in his letter where an answer would reach him, and if + you are in communication with him perhaps you would have the + kindness to mention to him what Her Majesty's wishes on this + subject are." So, you see, my dear boy, you _must_ come, and + perhaps it may not be time so wasted, as I shall try and find + out when the Queen comes back from Scotland, so that if + possible you may time your arrival accordingly. The P. of + Wales is going to see the manufactories at Manchester, and + they are going to ask him to Worsley, I believe. Only fancy + those brutes at Warnford never sending me Adelaide's letter + written to me the morning of her hastening off to Ireland a + week ago until to-day! Too bad. She wrote in great distress of + mind and evidently hardly expected to find Edward[63] alive, + as she did not believe the telegraph which said he was better, + thinking that if it were so they would not have sent for her. + You dear boy, I am so glad you enjoy your Venice--which is all + very pretty no doubt, but I hate stinks and fleas--and they + abound there. I hate wobbling in a boat and walking in dirty + alleys, so I don't envy you at all. Have you fallen in with + either of the new married couples, Wilson or Leslie? Fay, it + is well you should come and see me, for I don't think there is + much chance of my going to Paris. The Hollands are going to + Naples, as the wall of their house at Paris has been damaged + by the pulling down of the next house and has to be rebuilt, + and I shall have no money to pay for lodging and food. There + are long lists of the pictures the Queen and others are to + send to the great Manchester Exhibition next year--I think + twenty at least from the Royal Galleries, and Ellesmere sends + eight or ten. I see that Eastlake is at Rome, so you may fall + in with him there. I conclude my next letter must be directed + there. You should recollect to give your address _d'avance_. + The second post has just brought me the enclosed, which, as + she says she don't write to you, I send (though it will cost a + fortune), knowing that it will gladden your eyes to see her + hand. She loves you dearly as I do, Fay! Your Meran letters + are very pretty, and I wish I could see that place. Good-bye, + and God bless you. We have lovely weather--not one bad day + since I have been here. Go and see the Villa Salviate. What + have you done with Steinle--what heard of Gamba? Love.--Your + old loving father, + + H. + +Enclosed is one from Mrs. Sartoris to Mr. Greville, which he sends on +to Leighton. + + MUCKROSS, KILLARNEY. + + Many thanks. I got a letter too this morning, which I send you + with your own--let me have mine back. E. (Edward Sartoris) is + certainly a little better, thank God--still in bed though. He + hopes perhaps to get off next Saturday--this appears to me + nothing short of impossible--Monday I should think the very + soonest for such a move. This place is divinely beautiful, I + see, but I go out very little, and what with the shock I + received before starting, and the fatigue of my rapid journey, + and the anxiety about him, I feel incapable of receiving any + _impression_ from the place. I seem to acknowledge its beauty, + but I cannot get even a momentary enjoyment out of it at + present. The _hosts_ are very kind. Herbert always was an + excellent fellow. I cannot write to Fay, for with all the + delay caused by his letter having had to follow me here, my + answer would no longer catch him at Venice, and I do not know + where he next pitches his tent. Dear boy! he seems very + happy--God bless him and keep him so! + + MUCKROSS, _Tuesday, 9th_. + + HATCHFORD, _September 22_. + + DEAREST FAY,--The enclosed reached me to-day having first been + sent to Ebury Street.[64] I think it best to send it to you + that you may reflect on what you will do, though it seems to + me that with the exception of the "Cimabue" you have _no_ + picture you could send to this Exhibition. If you wish to be + represented by that work, I conclude you would have to ask + permission of the Queen to send it there, and this should be + done through "The Honourable Colonel Phipps," or Mr. Harrison, + his secretary. This permission would of course be granted at + once. When Charles told me in my bed this morning that a + letter had come for you from Manchester, I fondly hoped it was + to announce sale of one or other of your pictures! I wrote + yesterday, and have nothing more to say to-day but that I am + better, though still seedy. We have got the equinoctial gales + with rain. I fancy we, France and England, are going to recall + our missions from Naples, if Bomba don't give in, and send + squadrons of ships. But what then? I don't suppose we mean to + bombard the town. But he will do _just enough_ to give us a + pretence for holding our hand, and matters will then resume + their ordinary course, and the K. of the two Sicilies be + governed just as it was before. Our position is a very + ticklish one in this affair. I long to hear whether you saw + Pasta--and anything more than the waddle, the red face and + beard. Mind and answer my questions. I should tell you that + amongst your papers that came from Manchester they sent P. + Albert's letter to Ellesmere, and the long prospectus too, but + there is no use in forwarding it to you--this will already + cost a fortune, but I think it best to send it. When is it you + expect to be here? How long do you stay at home?--Addio, + carissimo, + + H.G. + + LONDON, _September 29_. + + MY DEAREST FAY,--Here I am, sleeping in London on my way to + Worsley to-morrow morning, and I have got my Mere Augusta + occupying your room; the first _female_ I have ever housed or + fed, and it will be a rehearsal for Sister Ad. I have just + missed her, as she went to the station as I left it, but I + found a letter from her just returned from putting the boy to + school; it is a bore that I missed her, as I shall not see her + for an age. Edward has been committing all sorts of follies + and is again confined to his room, but is better. He ought to + come to London and consult a clever man, or he will be very + ill, as he was once before. What a fellow you are never to say + a word about Pasta to me! Of course Mrs. Siddons had a + magnificent eye and brow--who said she had not?--and was a + glorious actress, but I should always have preferred Reston. + What did Pasta say of _her_? You are wrong about P. not being + _powerful_--she was _tremendous_; her voice was one of immense + power--almost coarse at times, but prodigious, and her + _gestes_ sublime from grace and strength. Dear Fay, I have + measured the frame; it is twelve inches wide and fourteen + long. Now do find me a pretty cheap croute. I have seen no one + in London but Lady Shelburne, who said there was no news. She + disapproves, like me, of the policy with regard to Naples, and + I think we shall find by-and-by a great reaction _la dessus_. + By-the-bye, when at Rome go and hear the opera Verdi has been + composing for that place on the story of Adrienne, and tell me + all about it. He wrote formerly such pretty melodies, and is a + clever fellow. I don't know what Adelaide will do about going + to Germany, but I hope give it up, as for many reasons it + appears to me at this moment to be a foolish scheme. + + Good-night, you dear boy. I can't frank this, as it is late, + and I don't know how, so you must pay this time. Write soon, + and _answer_ my letters. + + I don't quite understand what it is you are doing in Italy + except amuse yourself. Is there any other ----? How long will + it be before I see you?--Addio, caro caro, tanto tanto, + + H. + +On the death of Lady Ellesmere, his sister, in answer to Leighton's +letter of sympathy Mr. Greville writes-- + + HATCHFORD, _Wednesday_. + + MY DEAREST FAY,--In my affliction, I have one consolation--and + it is such events as these that prove it--I am rich in + friends, more so, much more than I deserve--and amongst them + there is no one whose unselfish love I prize more than yours. + + Dear Fay, I _know_ you feel for me, and I am grateful. + + God bless you for it.--Your affectionate + + H. + +A short note to his father from Leighton announces the death of this +dear friend in December 1872. + + ATHENAEUM CLUB, PALL MALL, S.W., + _Friday_. + + MY DEAR PAPA,--I lost last night one of my oldest and dearest + friends--Henry Greville; he died without much suffering, and + looks this morning calm and beautiful in his rest. You know + what I lose in him.--Your affectionate son, + + FRED. + +Among many letters of the kind, preciously preserved by those who owe +much to Leighton, the following notes, addressed to his young friend +"Johnny" (Mr. John Hanson Walker), may be found interesting as +exemplifying the trouble which Leighton would take in helping young +artists, and with what kindness, sincerity, and delicacy he tendered +his advice and assistance. None of these letters are dated. + + THE ATHENAEUM. + + MY DEAR JOHNNY,--I write one line in haste to say how sorry I + am to hear that your health has been unsatisfactory of late. I + earnestly trust you won't disregard your doctor's advice, and + that you will, _at any sacrifice_, do something to recover + strength, even though a long sea voyage were necessary. Health + is the _first_ thing. Talk it over with Miss Nan; if her love + is as sincere as you believe, and I don't for a moment doubt + it, she will give you the same advice. + + For myself, I begin to think my studio will never be ready. I + have not done a stroke of work. I _hope_ at the end of next + week I shall be at it again. + + In October I am off to Rome.--Yours sincerely, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + 2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, + ADDISON ROAD, KENSINGTON. + + * * * * * + + ATHENAEUM CLUB, + PALL MALL, S.W. + + Supposing a proper price were given, should you care to copy + (for a man of position) a portrait by Sir William Beechey and + one or two by Sir Thomas Lawrence? I am not asking you to do + it for a moment, I merely want to know whether you would + _care_ to do the work; _if_ so, please let me know what you + would ask. + + I have seen Mr. Greville to-day, and he begs me to tell you + that the Countess Grey will be glad if you can undertake for + her, for the sum of _L10_, a copy of a portrait of Lady + Charlotte Greville. The picture is now with the Countess of + Ellesmere, Mr. Greville's sister, and shall be sent to you + wherever you wish, if you will let me know at once. Is it to + go to Great Castle Street? Lady Ellesmere will be extremely + obliged if you will not keep the picture a moment longer than + you absolutely require it to make a good copy; the portrait is + that of her mother, and she is extremely loth to part with it, + even for a time. Please send me a line in answer to this, and + believe me always. + + _Thursday._ + + * * * * * + + The picture will be duly sent to you. + + I have another matter for your consideration: Mr. Greville + wants to know if you can think of any good picture (Sir Joshua + or Gainsborough would be best) that would make a good + companion to the one he has already bought of you; if you + could suggest anything suitable, he would give you the + commission. I am very glad you should have encouragement, but + I trust you will not flag in your zeal about more important + studies. + + * * * * * + + I send you the money from Mr. Greville for the portrait of his + mother. I am very glad you should have this new commission, + but you must thank _him, not me_, for it was entirely his idea + and desire. He is indeed one of the kindest and best men + possible. I look on him myself as a second father. + + To save time, I shall make arrangements for you to work in my + studio on the _4 first_ days of January, if you can manage it. + I shall be out of town, and you will have the place all to + yourself. + + I wish you a happy Xmas and New Year, and remain. + + * * * * * + + WARNFORD COURT, + BISHOPS WALTHAM. + + You will forgive me, I am sure, for not writing to you to + thank you for your letter, received some weeks back; but the + fact is I have been so very busy as to make writing a matter + of very great difficulty. I heard from your father not long + ago that you have been very fortunate in getting capital + commissions for portraits where you have been staying. I am + very glad indeed to hear it, and trust sincerely that you feel + you are progressing as steadily in proficiency as in + prosperity. To the commissions you have had in the country, I + have one to add here. Mr. Henry Greville wishes you to paint + for him a copy of a head of a relation of his--I believe, of + poor Lady Ellesmere, his sister, whose recent death has been + such a terrible grief to him. You will, I am sure, be glad to + undertake this painting, even though it may not in itself be + very interesting. The size is a sort of oval kit-cat, not + large. He proposes to offer you ten pounds for it. + + How is Miss Nan? I hope you have good accounts of her, and + that all goes smoothly between you. + + I send this to Bath to be forwarded, as I don't know your + present whereabouts. + + * * * * * + + DEAR JOHNNY,--I am just off to Paris, and write one line in + hot haste to thank you for yours, and to say that I am + delighted to hear you are conscious of progress. Come back as + soon as you can _conveniently_, please, because Mr. Greville + has _borrowed_ Lady Ellesmere's portrait for you to copy, and + wants to return it as soon as possible to the Duke of + Devonshire. + + Come and see me when you return, and believe me, with kind + regards to Miss Nan,--Yours always, + + F.L. + + * * * * * + + 2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, + KENSINGTON, W. + + I want very much, before they have quite disappeared, to get + for myself and for a friend a couple of old-fashioned country + bumpkins' smocks; you know the sort of thing. Do you chance to + know any one in any of the villages about Bath who could pick + up a couple? I should like a brown one (_NOT a white Sunday + one_) and a green one, and that they should _not_ be + washed--well worn, untidy things. If you saw your way to + getting me such garments, I should be very grateful, but don't + _trouble_ about it. + + * * * * * + + If you have leisure to think of anything but Miss Nan just at + present, will you do me a favour? Will you get for me a + peasant's _wide-awake_, in shape like the one I painted in + your portrait, only really _old_ and _soiled_ and _stained_; + bought, in fact, if possible, off a bumpkin's head? Can you do + this for me, and either send it or bring it if you are about + to return shortly? I will pay you when we meet. + + When is the wedding to be? or is it already over? I wish you + all happiness and prosperity, and remain with kind + remembrances to Miss (or Mrs.) Nan,--Yours truly, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + I hope you can read this; my hands are so cold I can scarcely + hold the pen. + + * * * * * + + Mr. Greville has very kindly desired me to give you another + commission, this time a larger one. He wants you to copy from + my large picture the group of women carrying flowers, the size + of the original.[65] He offers you L25 for it. If you are + disposed, as I have no doubt you will be, I would, if I were + you, write him a line of thanks for the kind interest he shows + in you. In great haste. + + * * * * * + + One line in a great hurry to say that I am delighted to hear + that you have got in to the life school at the Royal Academy, + and to thank you for the photo., which is capital. + + I have not touched my Venus since you went away. I have been a + good deal out of town myself, and have spent most of my time + in finishing the two large decorative figures, which have now + gone home. I am sorry you did not see them. + + Come as soon as you can to begin Mr. Greville's picture. + + * * * * * + + I leave town Saturday next, and shall not see you till + Saturday the 6th July, so I write a line to say that you will + set to work by yourself; the maid will light you a fire and + give you the key of the studio. + + I have written direct to Gatwell to order the canvas, or it + would not have been ready in time. You are to paint the group + full size. _Trace it_ to get it quite accurate. Put the head + of the centre figure, the woman in _yellow_, about four inches + or four and a half inches from the top of the canvas; that + will give you all the rest. _Leave out_ the little _child + sitting_. Go slap at the colour, vigorously but _NOT quick_. + The slower you work, if you work with energy, the sooner you + get through, and the better the result. + + I hope you are enjoying yourself. + + * * * * * + + [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF MRS. HANSON WALKER + By permission of Mr. Hanson Walker] + + Although I certainly think it is a pity to exhibit too soon, + nevertheless I think that your particular situation just now + does justify you in doing so, as long as you confine yourself + to the Suffolk Street Gallery. I sincerely hope you may sell + your pictures. + + With kind regards to Mrs. Nan and love to my god-child, I am, + in haste, yours always, + + F.L. + + * * * * * + + I can't quite make out the price as written in your note, so + to avoid mistakes I send blank cheque, which pray fill in + yourself. + + Just off--good-bye. + + * * * * * + + _26th December._ + + I have got your note and enclose little cheque. This is as it + should be. It is absurd that because I am an old friend, you + should be a loser by me in time and pocket. + + With a merry Xmas and New Year to you and Nan, I remain, in + haste, yours sincerely, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + * * * * * + + 2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, _Monday_. + + Many thanks for your letter. I have had absolutely no time to + answer sooner, and now can only do so most briefly. I am + extremely glad to hear of the success of your labours at + Dorchester, and think you are very right to take for yourself + and "Mrs. Nan" a refreshing little holiday on the hills. + + I will begin the portrait next week,[66] when you return, at + which time also I hope to show you some under-painted work + which I think may interest you. I shall certainly call and see + your screen. It will no doubt be a very useful bit of + "property" to you. + + Remember me very kindly to your wife. + + * * * * * + + MY DEAR JOHNNY,--I am much obliged to you for your letter, + telling me of your doings in the country. I think you will do + wisely in going to the Isle of Wight to paint landscape; the + danger of copying the old masters too exclusively, as you have + been forced to do lately, is that one is apt to fall into + mannerism by trying to see Nature with the eyes of others; + painting landscape direct from Nature is the best possible + corrective against this tendency. + + I shall be glad to see you and what you have done on your + return, if you are here before the 20th or 22nd August; if + not, we shall meet in October, when I return from the East. + + I am working away at my picture, which will be under-painted + before I leave England. + + I wish you joy of your summer trip, and remain, yours very + truly, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + * * * * * + + _6th September._ + + I have just got your letter, and scribble a line in haste (for + I am very busy) to say that you are wholly at liberty to do + whatever you choose with Nan's picture, and that I am glad for + your sake that people like it. I am also much pleased to hear + that you have an interesting portrait on the easel, in which + you see progress and improvement in the matter of breadth and + light and subordination of half tints; nothing is more + important in painting; I think that after accuracy and + refinement of form, it is the quality you should most strive + for. I am myself tolerably well, but not by any means + brilliantly. I have got to work at a few small heads, which + you will see before long. + + In haste, with love to Nan and the children. + + * * * * * + + LYNTON, _Saturday_. + + I have just received your note, and hear with sincere regret + that you have not been prospering lately in your affairs. I am + in great difficulty as to what I can do for you in the matter + of the Curatorship. If it were only a question of testifying + to your character, zeal, industry, &c. &c., I should have real + pleasure in giving you that testimony in the highest and + fullest degree. But, my dear Johnny, if I am not very much + mistaken, the Curator is expected to be able when required to + _advise and direct the pupils_, and I cannot in candour + conceal from you that your age and experience do not appear to + me yet to qualify you for that part of the duties. If it were + not so, why does the candidate send in some of his works for + inspection? You must not be angry with me, Johnny; you know I + have always spoken the plain truth to you, and am always ready + and desirous to help you when it is in my power. I should be + only too glad to think of your obtaining some post that should + relieve you from all immediate pecuniary care. Give my love to + your wife and children, and believe me always, yours most + sincerely, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _P.S._--I shall be back on Wednesday or Thursday. + + * * * * * + + _Sunday._ + + In case any alteration should have been made in the + arrangements of the Schools during my absence, and that + _teaching_ is not expected as part of the duties of a curator, + I send you a letter to the Council, as I should be sorry you + lost any fair chance by my absence. + + You heard from me no doubt yesterday. + + * * * * * + + _Care of_ MRS. WALKER, + NEALINMORE, GLEN COLUMBKILLE, + CO. DONEGAL. + _15th._ + + I have got your note, in regard to which I feel some little + embarrassment. I am, as you know, always pleased when it is in + my power to be of any use to you, and I should therefore wish + to help you in this matter concerning which you write. I own, + however, to having some hesitation in asking this favour of + Mr. Hodgson, because I fear that the granting of it would be a + source of a good deal of inconvenience to him, and he might, + out of his old friendship, be put in an awkward position; he + would be equally loth to say "yes" or "no." The picture hangs + in his dining-room, _and cannot possibly be moved_. The copy + would be a lengthy affair, for there is an enormous amount of + work in the group you speak of, and you would have, + therefore, to be established for a long time in a room which + is in daily use by the family. I do not at all say that he + might not grant the favour you ask, but I own I feel that _I_ + cannot, discreetly, ask it of him. I am sure you will not + misinterpret my declining, and I shall be very sincerely glad + if you yourself succeed in your direct appeal. + + I trust you and yours are thriving, and that you have not + suffered lately from your leg. + + This is a wild, wind-swept corner of Ireland in which I am + staying, and abounding in matter for studying, especially rock + forms, but the inconstancy of the weather puts sketching + almost out of the question. + + This is a matter of comparative indifference to me, as I came + here purposely for rest, and not for work. + + Give my love to Nan and the chicks.--Sincerely yours, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + * * * * * + + Do you know of any one who would do a life-size _copy_ of a + portrait of the Queen in robes for the sum of _L100_? I have + been asked to inquire. It is, I believe, for Chelsea Hospital. + In former days it might have been worth _your_ while; now it + no longer is, it would not pay you; but you perhaps know of + some less prosperous artist who would undertake it, and who + would do it _well_--for of course that is expected. + + * * * * * + + 2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, + KENSINGTON, W. + (_Postmark, Mar. 9. 82._) + + I am absolutely _ashamed_ to rob you, but you offer me the + drawing so kindly that I can't possibly refuse it; I am + delighted with it, only you must let me give you a little + drawing some day in return. With very best thanks. + + [Illustration: STUDY OF GROUP FOR CEILING IN MUSIC ROOM + Executed for Mr. Marquand, New York, 1886 + Leighton House Collection] + + [Illustration: FIRST SKETCH OF GROUP FOR MR. MARQUAND'S CEILING + IN MUSIC ROOM, NEW YORK + Leighton House Collection] + +The following letter was written when Mr. Hanson Walker was in +America. In it Leighton refers to the ceiling he painted for Mr. +Marquand (see List of Illustrations):-- + + 2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, + KENSINGTON, W., + _12th February 1887_. + + DEAR JOHNNIE,--I was very glad to get your letter giving so + very satisfactory an account of yourself and your doings. I + had already heard of your prosperity in a general way from + Nan, who came to see me before starting, but who told me also + how lonely you felt. It must have been a great joy to you to + see her again, and it will be a still greater when you see the + (_fourteen?_) youngsters about you once more; you will, like + everybody who crosses the water, bring back a very pleasant + recollection of American kindness and hospitality, and, I am + glad to think, also a good pocketful of money. I hope it will + bring you luck here. I am glad that Mr. Marquand has made you + welcome to his house, which I understand is very beautiful. I + know his Vandyke well; it belonged to an acquaintance of mine, + Lord Methuen, who has a number of beautiful things at Corsham. + It is one of the finest I know, and stands quite in the front + rank of Vandykes. The Turner also I know, a rare favourite of + mine. But of the Rembrandt I know nothing. I am glad, too, you + thought my "ceiling" looked well. I hope he has introduced _a + little gold in the rafters_ to _bind_ the paintings to the + ceiling itself. Give my love to Nan, and believe me, with all + good wishes, sincerely yours, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + Please remember me to the Marquands and to your friends the + Osbornes. + +FOOTNOTES: + +[56] Owing to the kindness of Mr. Greville's niece and executor, Alice, +Countess of Strafford, I am able to quote extracts from his letters to +Leighton in this "Life." Unfortunately the letters from Leighton to Mr. +Greville cannot be found, though, as we know, many were written. During +his first visit to Algiers in 1857, Leighton wrote to his mother: "The +fact is that as besides corresponding with you I write often to Mrs. +Sartoris, and still oftener to Henry Greville, and having continually +much the same to tell all of you, I often cannot remember to whom I +have written what." + +[57] It was when visiting his family at Bath that he first saw Hanson +Walker, the "Johnny" of the letters and of the pictures. Leighton was +much taken with the picturesque beauty of the boy's head, and made +various studies from it. A pencil study he made from his head (see List +of Illustrations) he used as a study for his picture "Lieder ohne +Worte." Having discovered that his sitter had a natural taste for +drawing, Leighton advised "Johnny's" father to let him become an +artist. This led to the boy being sent to learn drawing at the School +of Art in Bath. When Leighton returned to London after it had been +decided that "Johnny" was to study drawing, the young student received +one day to his surprise a large case. On opening it he found to his +delight a cast from the antique, a drawing-board, paper, charcoal, +chalks, in fact, all the utensils wanted by a beginner wishing to work +seriously at Art. Never to the end of his life did Leighton's interest +in his pupil flag. Never was he too busy to do a kindness to him or +his. Perhaps the early and somewhat romantic marriage which "Johnny" +made with a lady for whom Leighton felt from the earliest days of the +wedded life a very sincere regard, and the charming children who soon +made a pretty cluster round their parents, and were always a delight to +Leighton, cemented the friendly interest. The head of "Nan" (Mrs. +Hanson Walker--see List of Illustrations), painted as a wedding present +to "Johnny," is one among the happiest of Leighton's portraits. It is +broad in treatment, and fair and very pure in colour, and as a likeness +was considered perfect. + +[58] Yearly Exhibition at Manchester. + +[59] This correspondence refers to the "Cimabue's Madonna" at +Buckingham Palace. Small holes in the canvas having appeared, the +authorities were anxious that Leighton should inspect the picture, and +take steps to prevent further mischief. + +[60] Mrs. Sartoris. + +[61] In the Yearly Exhibition at Manchester, where Leighton sent the +"Romeo," "Pan," and the "Venus." + +[62] Mr. Edward Sartoris. + +[63] Mr. Edward Sartoris. + +[64] Papers relating to the great Manchester Exhibition held in 1857. + +[65] "A Syracusan Bride." + +[66] The portrait of Mrs. Hanson Walker, which Leighton painted as a +wedding present for his young friend. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +STEINLE AND ITALY AGAIN--FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE EAST, 1856-1858 + + +In Mr. Henry Greville's diary we find the following entry:-- + + _Thursday, July 24th, 1856._ + + Went on Monday to Hatchford with Leighton, and passed all + Tuesday with him and Mrs. Sartoris on St. George's Hills. The + day was enchanting, and the Hills in their greatest beauty. + +Before leaving London in 1856 Leighton wrote to his mother:-- + + LONDON, _Wednesday, 1856_. + + As my stay in London is drawing to a close, and nobody writes + to me, I must write to somebody. I am happy to say (for I know + it will interest you) that my "Pan" and "Venus" are admired as + much as I could wish, so that I am not without hopes of + selling one of them at Manchester. Gibson was quite delighted + with them; I am, however, bound to say he knows nothing about + it. The sketches of my "Orpheus" I have sold to White for L25, + which comes "unkimmon" handy, as this place is ruinous. I have + made the acquaintance of Rossetti, one of the originators of + the pre-Raphaelite movement. He is apparently a remarkably + agreeable and interesting man. Hunt also I like much. My plans + are these: on Monday next I leave London, and shall spend a + small week between the Cartwrights and (perhaps) the Grotes, + after which on or before the 12th I shall be with you in Bath, + where I shall remain until the 16th, on which day I shall come + up by the early train to town, where I shall meet H. Greville, + stay long enough to get my passport in order, and then be off + double quick to Italy. I am longing to get to work again; I + am doing nothing whatever except Henry's dog, which takes up + what little time I have. Will you tell Papa that I went to the + shop he recommended, and got a splendid Shakespeare ready + bound in eight volumes for three guineas! + +From Bath he wrote to Steinle:-- + + _Translation._] + 9 CIRCUS, BATH, + _August 2, 1856_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--In about ten days I expect, on my way to + Italy, whither I go on a short student journey, to pass + through Frankfurt or Cologne, according as you are in one or + the other, exclusively in order to take my dear master once + more by the hand; and if you are at the moment in Frankfurt, I + might even spend two or three days in the old Bokaga, and even + draw a composition as in the old times. Do, dear friend, send + me a line by return of post in order that I may make + arrangements. + + The rest verbally--I have sadly forgotten my German. + + Hoping to meet very soon, dear master.--Think of your pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _Translation._] + BATH. 9 CIRCUS + (_later_). + + MY VERY DEAR MASTER,--I have just received your dear lines, + and hasten to say that nothing could be more delightful to me + than to travel with you again, if only for a few days. + + I had intended to go _via_ Milan for the sake of quickness, + but I will go direct through the Tyrol to Venice. + + If all goes well, I will arrive in Frankfurt on the 23rd of + this month; does that fit in with your plans? + + How delighted I am to see you again, my good Master! + + To our speedy meeting!--Your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +Leighton had felt his failure keenly, though, with his usual +consideration, he had tried to lessen the disadvantages of it in +writing to his mother. The friend who enjoyed constant intercourse +with him at the Bagni de Lucca in 1854 wrote at the time of his death: +"Leighton longed for and desired success; but only in so far as he +deserved it. When he was sharply checked in his upward career, he +accepted the rebuke with humility, for he was a modest man." Mrs. +Browning writes to Mrs. Jameson, May 6, 1896, from Paris: "Leighton +has been cut up unmercifully by the critics, but bears on, Robert +says, not without courage. That you should say his picture looked +well, was comfort in the general gloom." Though those critics who were +spokesmen for the envious among the artists seemed to revel in +Leighton's disaster, he had many friends who took perhaps a too +favourable view of the unfortunate picture. But neither excess of +abusive ridicule, nor a too favourable view taken by intimate friends, +could unduly influence Leighton himself--Leighton the actualist. He +had a firm faith that in the _actual_ it is man's lot to find the true +and the really helpful. These words of his master, Steinle's, written +to him in 1853, doubtless recurred to him, and he felt he must return +to the Eternal City to be reinspired after his fall:-- + + I would rather remember that you will receive these lines in + the Eternal City, that you are with our friend Rico, and that + you are settling to work with renewed vitality and a pocketful + of studies. In Cornelius, besides much that is stubborn, you + will find so much that is admirable, and so much truly + artistic greatness, that you will soon love him, for he is + also of a truly childlike disposition, and much too good for + Berlin, for which reason he has left the place. You lucky men + who have crossed the Tiber--the Vatican of St. Peter, the + Courts of St. Onofrio, the Villa Pamfili--where in the world + is there anything like them? Where is there a town in which + every stone has greater, more splendid things to tell us of + every period? Where is there a place where the artist could + soar higher than in Rome? Forget that you are practically in + an island, and study your Rome; it is invaluable for one's + whole life, which is otherwise so commonplace and so small. + Your youth and courage--"the sparrow among the beans" ("Triton + among the minnows")--need not be injured thereby; but, dear + friend, you must become a man, and there is nothing great in + the world that has been achieved except by taking pains. + Addio, carissimo; greet Rico and the friends most heartily. My + wife reciprocates your friendly greetings, and I remain, your + devoted friend, + + STEINLE. + +He travelled there _via_ Frankfort to see Steinle, with whom he went +to Meran, thence to Venice and Florence, then on to Rome. + + FRANKFURT, BRAUSELER HOF, + _August 24_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Being at last in Frankfurt, and having seen + Steinle and his works, and, _en revanche_, shown him mine, I + sit down to write to you. You will, I am sure, be glad to hear + that he was much pleased with my drawings, that he liked the + compositions, and what is more, gave me good advice about + them. He also suggested to me to paint the little "Venus" + rising out of the sea (from Anacreon), of which I have already + made a sketch. My studies he seemed to think excellent; I gave + him three of them; I was so charmed to see his dear face + again, looking just the same as he always did, and when he + showed me what he had been doing, I fairly set up the pipes. + He took me in the afternoon to the Guaitas, who have a series + of drawings by him from Clemens Brentano's poems; they are + perfectly exquisite; the richness and variety of his + imagination is something marvellous. Mr. Guaita, who is about + to have them photographed for his friends, has kindly promised + me a copy. To-morrow morning I am off for the Lake of + Constance, whence through the Finstermuenz to Meran, where I + and Steinle part, though not till I have stayed there two or + three days. To-day I shall go to Mr. Bolton and to Madame + Beving to deliver your letter. Altogether Frankfurt has + improved in appearance; it looks much more like a capital + than it did formerly; new shops have sprung up, old ones are + improved, and the whole town looks gay and busy; all this does + not prevent it from being highly antipathetic to me, which is, + I daresay, in some measure attributable to the hideous jargon + that one hears wherever one turns. I have seen Gogel and Koch, + who were both very civil, the former asking me to dine with + him, which, however, I could not do, being already engaged to + Steinle. And you, dearest Mamma, how are you? and Papa and the + girls? Tell me all about them--write Venice p. restante. + + God bless you, dear Mamma. Remember the boy. + + + I have had such a letter from Henry (Mr. Henry Greville); + there never was anything like the tenderness of it--you would + have been just enchanted. + + VENICE, _September 6_. + + I believe I told you in my last letter that I was going to + spend a few days at Meran with Steinle. Now when I got there I + found the place so beautiful and so healthy, and so rich in + subjects for "my pencil," that I stayed _a week_, and this + accounts for my being rather behindhand with this letter. + + Steinle and I had rooms at a sort of hydropathic + boarding-house, with splendid accommodation for bathing in the + coldest possible mountain water, a convenience of which I + availed myself daily to my great enjoyment. + + I lived _comme les poules_. I was up at daybreak and a good + bit before the sun (who takes a long time before he gets his + nose into a valley) and went to bed very shortly after sunset; + I worked and walked and ate and slept, that was my simple bill + of fare. My good Steinle and myself got on, as of course, + capitally. He is most affectionate and kind, and I have + derived a good deal of artistic advantage from his intercourse + even in that short time. + + By-the-bye, before I left Frankfurt I received through H. + Greville a letter from Mr. Harrison, secretary to Col. Phipps, + asking me to go to the Palace to look at the canvas of the + "Cimabue," which appeared to be defective in some parts; + though what on earth can be the matter with it I don't know; + at the same time I got another saying, that as I was not in + England, there would be no necessity for me to make a special + journey to England on that account, and merely wishing to know + when I expected to return. I sent an appropriate answer, which + I submitted to Henry Greville, and now am waiting for further + instructions from Harrison here in Venice. + +Writing of his delight in being again in Italy he adds:-- + + How I revelled in the first really Italian bit, the lake of + Lugano! What an exquisite little picture it is with its villas + and terraces, its cypresses and its oleanders, and the little + town itself too! stretching its cool arcades along the blue + margin of the water; a lovely drive along the lake took me to + that of Como, and from thence I went by rail to Milan; stayed + a day, went to the Scala, performance so bad I was obliged to + leave the house, and now I am for a week in Venice gliding + along in lazy gondolas, winking up at grey palaces and + glittering domes. I suppose you won't leave Italy this time + without seeing Venice once more, and feeding your eyes again + on Titian and Bonifazio, Veronese and Tintoretto. By-the-bye, + I am doing a sketch from a superb Bonifazio in the Academy + here; yesterday I painted hard for six hours, so you see it is + not _all_ boats, and now I must close. I will write to you + again from Florence, and I hope with a better pen. God bless + you, Mammy, give my love to all from your loving boy. + +To his father Leighton writes:-- + + FLORENCE, HOTEL DU NORD, + _25th September 1856_. + + About my pictures[67] I have heard (for Henry makes the + Ellesmeres keep him _au courant_, which of course is very + convenient for me) that they are pretty well hung, but that + the "Romeo" is not seen very well owing to a defect in the + lighting of the room. Lady E. said the "Pan" and "Venus" + seemed to be very well painted, or something, but Lord + Brackley thought them improper! Henry, of course, was furious + at their prudishness. I don't for the life of me know where to + have them sent to, nor can I know for the next three weeks + about, as I must write to consult Henry and get his answer and + then write to you, but surely there is time. You have, of + course, received the letter in which I tell you that I _must_ + go to England at the beginning of November to see about my + picture, but you need not be afraid about my having to do it + over again; that would be a good joke; no artist ever yet was + responsible _pro_spectively for what might happen to his + picture; but it will be a frightful bore in the expense line + coming back from Italy fairly swept out as I shall be. Were + you so kind as to pay the rent for me as I asked you? + + _Translation._] + FLORENCE, _28th September_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Well may you say that the Meran post is + tardy, for I only received your dear letter of the 13th three + days ago. Meanwhile you have probably long since received + mine, in which I thanked you heartily for the beautiful coat + received in Venice. + + I have already stayed here in Florence eight days, and though + I have not worked very arduously, I have yet thoroughly + enjoyed myself, and also, I hope, learned something from the + lovely things that I am seeing again here; meanwhile there + remains much for me to see in the two days that I have still + to stay, amongst others the Capella of Benozzo Gozzoli in the + Palazzo Riccardi, a work which I love excessively. To see the + old Florentine school again is a thing which always enchants + me anew, for one can never be sated with seeing the noble + sweetness, the childlike simplicity, allied with high manly + feeling, which breathes in it. But I speak to you of plain + things which you know far better than I. I am quite eager to + see the new drawings at Fabiola, and I am much excited about + those at Cologne; but the gods alone know when I shall see + them. + + On Wednesday I go to Rome, where I hope to see Rico; if only + I could take _you_ with me, dear master! Meanwhile I beg you + to remember me most kindly to Madame Steinle, and yourself + believe in the love of your grateful pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _P.S._--My stay in Rome will (alas!) only be very short, for I + am unexpectedly obliged to go soon to London, confound + it!--instead of a month, _ten_ days! _Povero me!_ + + [Illustration: CA' D'ORO, VENICE. WATER COLOUR. 1856] + + FLORENCE, _11th October 1856_. + + DEAREST MAMMY,--I wonder whether you are coming to Florence, + and, if so, how long you are going to stay. I suppose you will + go to the Hotel du Nord as in old times--I go there + invariably, and write now from my own particular room. I wrote + to you last from Venice, where I spent ten days in a very + satisfactory manner between work and _flanerie_ of an artistic + description--indeed I _flaned_ this time with more advantage + than hitherto, for I went more closely than I had yet done + into the _architecture_ of Venice, studying the different + masters, their different styles and relative merit; I need not + say that I found this extremely interesting. Fred Cockerell, a + young architect friend of mine, was there with Villers Lister, + another very nice boy, a London acquaintance of mine. We were + a great deal together, and they accompanied me to Padua, where + I left them doing _Giotto_, which I would most willingly have + done myself if I had not been hard pressed for time. In the + painting line I only made one sketch, a Bonifazio of the first + water, which will figure very satisfactorily on my studio + wall; it took me a good deal of time, and is on the whole, I + think, very fair. In Florence I have had one or two great + disappointments which have rather diminished my enjoyment of + this loveliest place. I expected confidently to find both + Browning and his wife and Lyons. Neither of them are here, the + former not having yet returned from the North, and the latter + having been called home to see his father, who is very ailing. + I have seen the Fenzis, who received me with their wonted + cordiality, and am going to-day to call on the Maquays. I am + here too short a time to work, beyond a pencil sketch or two, + and am off for dear old Rome on Friday morning as ever is. I + shall stay there till I find a studio, which I hope won't be + long, and shall then rush off to Cervara in the mountains to + paint. + + Good-bye, Mammikins. Give my best love to all, and believe me + your loving boy, + + FRED. + +In Rome Leighton received the following from his friend Mr. +Cartwright:-- + + AYNHOE, _September 26, 1856_. + + MY DEAR LEIGHTON,--Truly was I delighted with your letter, so + that in spite of my "nature to" I gulped my huff, though I was + like to choke; but self-interest is a wonderful smoothener, + and as I want you to do something for me I mean to behave + myself. Leighton, by the squints which you shot over my park + from your outspread umbrella, by those you are hereafter to + shoot, by Tokay cup and venison hash--by anything you like, I + want you to belumber yourself with some ripe _stone + pinecones_, and a hundred cork acorns. I have found a _true_ + legitimate stone pine about forty to fifty feet high on my + property, and as for the cork trees you have seen the one in + my garden, and therefore, I do not see why I should not have a + lot in the park. They can only be raised from acorns. Now, + _if_ you could take steps to get me _these_ things--God! I + don't know what I would not do for you, and how would we enjoy + it in years to come to watch the growth of our trees. It is a + _national_ object. You may have some difficulty in getting the + acorns and cones; Pantaleone or Erhardt might perhaps mention + to you some gardener who would procure them. _You_ know + probably the trees would get to be called L. pines and + Leighton oaks, which is one way to immortality if Orpheus and + Eurydices won't help you. I wrote to Mason about the pines; by + all means _make_ him answer, the exertion will do him good, he + _wants_ exercise, and therefore don't get on with his work. My + God! when I came in at twelve to-day he was not up! + + How I envy you at Rome when I think of it; how would I _enjoy_ + being there, and yet I can't help thinking of ----'s death at + the same time. Remember me to little Cornhill and every Roman + who remembers me. Write Poste Restante, Paris. I go there, I + believe, next week, but _where_ I shall be the winter ----? + Forster is in the Westminster--be d----d to it for stale wine + that it is. As for Mason, make him write, and believe me, + yours affectionately, + + W.C.C. + + ROME, _October 14, 1856_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--I have delayed writing to you for a few days + in the hope of finding a letter from you in answer to my last; + however, as the posts here are frightfully irregular, and I + think it very possible your answer may have been lost, I wait + no longer. I enclose two little criticisms on my "Romeo" and + "Venus," which will I think please Papa and you, and which + were sent me through Mrs. Sartoris by Henry Greville.[68] + There is, however, not the remotest chance of my selling them + at Manchester, and I am considering where to show them next. I + am trying here in Rome (where I shall stay till the end of + October) to make up by rigid economy for the expense + inevitably incurred by living at inns all the way here. I + can't tell you what a delight it was to me to see this dear + old place again. Everything is so unaltered since I left it, + that I felt on returning exactly as if I was coming home from + a drive instead of a lengthened absence. The frescoes which I + knew so well were as new to me again from their colossal + grandeur, and I wished I could spend a month or so exclusively + copying in the Sixtina. My picture, though not well _seen_, is + not particularly badly _hung_, but it can only be seen from a + distance, so that the expressions are almost entirely lost; it + does not look so well as in my studio. The Pre-Raphaelites are + very striking, full of talent and industry, but unpleasant to + the eye. Meanwhile they have the day. Colnaghi told me that he + _thought_ he could sell "Romeo" if I made the price _four + hundred_, and said I could do it without derogating, as it + went through his, a dealer's, hands. I consulted Henry and + Mrs. S., who strongly advised me to follow his advice. I have + done so. May it bring me luck. If the remarks you quote, dear + Mamma, are meant to apply to my relation with Mrs. Sartoris, I + can only say, that as I have derived from her more moral + improvement and refinement (you know it), and from her circle + more intellectual advantage than from _all my other + acquaintances_ put together twice over, I can't join with Mrs. + Whatshername in apprehending "a great number of + inconveniences." + +In a later letter Leighton announces the sale of the "Romeo" +picture:-- + + The "Romeo," which had the best place in the Exhibition, has + been sold for L400, which to me represents _L360_ after + deduction of percentage. They have in a most slovenly way sold + my picture for pounds though marked _guineas_, they want to + know if I claimed the difference; as they have behaved without + sufficient _egard_ about other things also, I have directed + the secretary in England to say that I should like the error + to be rectified, though I do _not_ wish the sale to be + cancelled on that account if it be too late. I don't want to + miss the money of course, but I have no idea of such + negligence on their part. + + You see, dear Mamma, that my little pension to Lud has become, + for this year at least, so easy that I have scarcely any merit + left. + + 19 QUEEN STREET, MAYFAIR. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Having arrived in London, and been to the + Palace to see my picture, I hasten both to tell you the result + of my inspection and to answer your very kind letter to Paris + which, like an ass that I am, I have neglected to bring with + me. The damage to my picture is trifling and easily + remediable, having arisen in no way from the precarious nature + of paint or varnish, but from a faulty canvas, and probable + rough usage in moving. I shall set all right in a few days; + the holes or raw places are in the sky, and luckily not near + the faces. I have not yet seen Colonel Phipps, and am waiting + for further instructions; the Court I shall of course not see, + as it is at Windsor. + + I don't remember whether I told you that I got an invitation + from Manchester to exhibit next spring, and having nothing to + send but "Cimabue," have respectfully applied to the Queen + through Colonel Phipps to obtain it of her for that occasion. + + I am truly sorry not to see you all but as you say, I can't + afford it; indeed, I write now partly to ask Papa to send me + some money, the L50 he gave me in the middle of August when I + started are not only gone, but scarcely took me back to Paris, + and but for Petre, whom I met coming back from Naples, and who + lent me a trifle with most friendly alacrity, I should have + been frightfully pinched; the first part of my journey being + all travelling, and hotel life was very dear. In Rome, + however, I lived for nothing, and sailed from Civita Vecchia + to Marseilles "before the mast," a thing I will never do again + if I can help it, but which enabled me just to get home to + Paris within a few francs of the L50. Meanwhile I have no + hesitation in saying that I never spent three months more + profitably or more agreeably. I suppose Papa kindly paid my + last quarter as I asked him, but not having received your + letter I don't in reality know. + + P. Delaroche is dead, I am sorry to say. Going through Paris I + went to see Rob. Fleury, who with characteristic kindness put + me up to several dodges in picture-restoring with a reference + to "Cimabue"--invaluable information. + +After doing what was required to the Buckingham Palace picture, +Leighton returned to Paris, where he wrote the following to Steinle:-- + + _Translation._] + 21 RUE PIGALLE, _1st December_. + + DEAR FRIEND AND MASTER,--I read with real distress the sad + news of your severe loss, but sincere and deep as is my + sympathy, I pass on in silence, for in such an hour of trial + there is but one comfort for you, and that not from man. + + I should no doubt have come back to you from Rome in the + beginning of October, but I had to go to England, where I + spent three weeks, and am consequently now just established + again in Paris. My Italian journey afforded me in every way + the greatest pleasure and edification, and I seem now for the + first to have grasped the greatness of the Campagna and the + giant loftiness of Michael Angelo; still the dear old town, + now as ever, is quite unchanged. The good Cornelius is so + cheerful and friendly that it is a real pleasure; he has + finished some works which have much beauty in the design, but, + quite in confidence, they are nevertheless a trifle "solite + cose," and much too weakly drawn: from a man who makes claims + to style, one expects something more of solidity. Cornelius is + a richly and powerfully endowed man, but he does the young + generation no good; if young people would only look at work of + Michael Angelo's! I except the sculptor Willig, he is a famous + fellow, and also an agreeable man. I was glad to meet Gamba + again, but unfortunately I did not see any work of his. + + Dear Friend, in spite of all my efforts I could nowhere find + the right garment for your composition, and learnt only after + a long search what is properly the official dress; I learnt at + last from the custodian of the Sixtina, who inquired from the + head "Ceremoniere," that the cardinal in these days wears the + Cappa Magna _pavonazza_, not the _red_.[69] The costume + therefore is: purple undergarment, _lace shirt_ (rochetto), + cappa magna of violet _cloth_ (those in the _Charwache_ will + wear no _silk_), black shoes, four-cornered hood, and gloves + with the ring; I enclose a drawing of the real confessional in + St. Peter's Church; I hope it may be of use to you. Dear + master, how can you possibly _excuse_ yourself for closing + your letter with a word of true and wise advice! You know that + I owe to you, and to no one else, the whole of my serious + education, and am proud of it. + + If you do not get the work at Cologne, it will be a downright + infamy and a dirtiness without parallel; but I hope for the + best. + + How I should like to see your "Marriage at Cana." + + Keep in remembrance your loving pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + _Translation._] + _Saturday, 9th May 1857._ + + MY DEAR FRIEND AND MASTER,--Your letter, just received, has + given me intense pleasure. Your constant and affectionate + remembrance of a pupil who is under so many obligations to + you, rejoices my heart. On this occasion, however, your letter + was particularly welcome, because I had already begun to worry + myself a little about your long silence, and was almost afraid + you might imagine that I had not exerted myself sufficiently + in the matter of your cardinal. + + But first of all I offer my best congratulations on the + completion of the Cologne affair, and on the splendid field + which is offered to you also in Muenster. At last you have work + which is worthy of your abilities and your efforts, and will + give them scope. With such employment I must not regret that I + shall not have the pleasure of seeing you again in Paris. That + I have not seen the "Marriage of Cana" is, I candidly confess, + a source of regret to me; I know the design of the + composition, and should have liked extremely to have seen how + it has turned out. When shall I see one of your works again? + + What shall I tell you about myself, my dear friend? I am + getting on with my pictures, and have now got them all three + into a fairly forward state of _under_-painting; completion, + however, will only be reached in the course of next winter, + for I intend to execute them with minute care. I have + simplified my method of painting, and foresworn all _tricks_. + I endeavour to advance from the beginning as much as possible, + and equally try to mix the right tint, and slowly and + carefully to put it on the right spot, and _always_ with the + model before me; what does not exactly suit has to be adapted; + one can derive benefit from every head. Schwind says that he + cannot work from models, they _worry_ him! a splendid teacher + for his pupils! nature worries every one at first, but one + must so discipline oneself that, instead of checking and + hindering, she shall illuminate and help, and solve all + doubts. Has Schwind, with his splendid and varied gifts, ever + been able to model a head with a brush? Those who place the + brush behind the pencil, under the pretence that _form_ is + before all things, make a very great mistake. Form _is + certainly ALL important_; one cannot study it enough; _but_ + the greater part of _form_ falls within the province of the + tabooed _brush_. The everlasting hobby of _contour_ (which + belongs to the drawing material) is first the _place_ where + the _form_ comes in; what, however, reveals true knowledge of + form, is a powerful, organic, refined finish of modelling, + full of feeling and knowledge--and that is the affair of the + brush (_Pinsel_). + + You see I have again begun discoursing, my dear Master; you + must excuse all this silly talk, and ascribe it to the + pleasure I feel whenever I enjoy intercourse with you, even if + only by letter. How much we have already talked over together! + + And now adieu, dear Friend. Rest assured that you have not + wasted your affection on an ungrateful man, and keep always in + remembrance--Your faithful pupil, + + LEIGHTON. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife. + + I do not know of any work of mine that has appeared in an + illustrated paper--Louie has been dreaming. + +Three interesting letters to Steinle belong to the following year. In +the second Leighton states that he is about to start for Algiers. +After his arrival there he writes to his mother describing the place. +Notwithstanding the difficulty he found in drawing the natives of +Algiers, owing to their shyness and to their prejudices, Leighton +succeeded while there in making drawings which rank among his very +best; in fact, in certain qualities no others he ever drew can be said +to equal them. To quote Mr. Pepys Cockerell (_Nineteenth Century_, +November 1896):-- + +"I do not believe that more perfect drawings, better defined or more +entirely realised, than these studies of heads of Moors, camels, &c., +were ever executed by the hand of man." + +Unfortunately the paper Leighton used was of the kind which becomes +injured by time. The brown stains which now disfigure the sheets and +the faint tone of the pencilling make it impossible to reproduce these +drawings with any worthy result, but some of the original sketches can +be seen in the Leighton House Collection. + + _Translation._] + ROME, 11 VIA DELLA PURIFICAZIONE, + _March 3, 1857_. + + MY VERY DEAR MASTER,--Heartiest thanks for your kind lines of + the 3rd of last month. + + I hear with the greatest interest that your cartoon is now + finished, and that you expect to get to the wall next year. + How I envy you this great work! I cannot deny that I rejoice a + little, secretly, that you are tied down to _buon_ fresco, for + I have a passion (unfortunately an altogether unsatisfied one) + for this material. You may be quite sure that if it is in any + way possible for me, I shall make a little excursion to + Cologne in order to offer my humble assistance; nothing could + be more delightful to me. + + Some works of yours have just come to Rome; illustrations to a + prayer-book, engraved (I believe) by Keller. When did you make + these charming drawings? The one with the blossoming staff and + the little Madonna is quite specially sympathetic to me. The + things are, however, engraved without feeling or delicacy. + + With what you say about the advantage of growing older I + quite agree, and I am in a certain respect anxious for the + time when I shall find my _niveau_, and shall be able to work + with more peace and equanimity. I have been for some time in a + very painful position--I feel so humbly my incapacity even + from afar off to approach the entrancing beauty of nature, + that I have not the courage to embark upon any large work. For + some time I have scarcely composed at all; partly, it is true, + because I have no time, but partly also because I do not feel + myself in a position to embody an idea properly. I know that + such a condition is morbid, and hope to extricate myself from + it in time. It arises also partly from the fact that my + _individuality_ is not yet sufficiently developed; I see it + coming, but it takes a very long time. I know already, on the + smallest computation, _what_ I want, but I do not know _how_ I + am to accomplish it. + + I went recently to see Cornelius, who is always genial and + charming. He is drawing on one of the Redelli for the Campo + Santo. Rich and spirited in invention and arrangement, the + form in _details_, however, is very badly drawn--heads that + are unpermissible; he treats God's nature quite cavalierly. I + saw at his house a composition by a certain Woeredle (or some + such name) of Vienna, a pupil of Fuehrich, the subject taken + from the Apocalypse: "There shall be wonders." Above, the + Saviour, in the usual attitude, with the usual flowing + garment; to the right and left, Mary and John, in their + respective usual attitudes; at their feet four angels blowing + trumpets, by Cornelius; in the background a number of comets; + lying about in the middle and foreground, a quantity of + figures, which have been collected from different works of + Cornelius', strike convulsive attitudes on the floor; for the + rest, the whole is constructed with appalling academic + execution and lifelessness. Cornelius seemed to think it quite + right; I consider it difficult, with reverence and love, to + complete the head of one girl; for that reason I am not fond + of going to him, for although personally he is extremely + sympathetic to me, I cannot help feeling that I do not fit in + with him, and am obliged to dissemble. But you must be quite + weary of this chattering letter, dear Master; I will close. + Remember me most kindly to your wife and children, and rely + always upon the friendship of your grateful pupil, + + LEIGHTON. + + _Translation._] + _Thursday, September 3, 1857._ + + DEAR FRIEND AND MASTER,--I was, as usual, most delighted to + receive your cordial letter of 21st August; I am touched by + your constant friendship, but also somewhat ashamed that you + should treat your much indebted pupil almost as an equal and + counsellor. I have the greatest desire to see your second + cartoon, but I am very much afraid that this year it will be + quite impossible, for I am going on a journey in quite the + opposite direction; I am shortly going to Africa, partly to + make some landscape studies, but also to make acquaintance + with that very interesting race, but _not_ in order to become + a painter of Bedouins. It was my intention, as I am starting + immediately, not to write till I came back, in order that I + might have something to tell you; however, the following has + suddenly made me change my mind; the fat, affected, + tailor-like, civil-spoken little Jew visited me recently and + told me you want to make inquiries about wall painting, and + that I might tell you, if I was writing, that Conture has just + gone away. This impelled me to write immediately. Will you + forgive me, for old friendship's sake, if I put in a word + here, to which you need not give the smallest attention? I + want to protest vehemently, dear Master, against all + _oil_-painting on _walls_; and that, not because fresco + painting has sufficed for the greatest works of the greatest + masters, but on account of the _positive disadvantages_ of + oils. How, in effect, do the two materials stand to one + another? Fresco is certainly the one material for monuments. + First, because it is the most suitable for a broad, massy, + imposing _form_, for in no material can one pursue form so + completely _without losing colour_; secondly, because by no + other method can one attain such masterly, earnest, quiet, + virile effect in colour; thirdly, however, and principally, + because fresco _is visible from all points alike_, this + advantage is immeasurable for architectural art. What, on the + other hand, are the advantages of oil? Only one occurs to me + and that is quite illusory, _i.e._ you have a wider range of + colour; but all the colours that an oil palette has in advance + of fresco are, for fresco, superfluous if not pernicious. + Superfluous, because the broken, fine grey tones which have + such an infinite charm in easel pictures, and which counteract + the otherwise too great brilliance of the material, are quite + superfluous in a painting where _all tones_ are dull and + solid. Pernicious, where they would be applicable, because + they might mar the majestic peace of the work. And then it + should be remembered that the limited scale of the fresco + palette, so _far as it extends_, is unsurpassable for glow and + atmosphere and strength. Titian's frescoes at Padua in the + Tenola St. Antonio rival his oil-paintings in colour. M. + Angelo's "Madonna in the Last Judgment" might (for colour) be + by Tintoretto, and many figures on this glorious wall are as + glowing as Titian's! As regards the disadvantages of + oil-painting, I can only say that they often blister in the + shadows, and that one can _only see them from one point of + view_. I know very well that fresco is exposed to damp, but + one can, indeed one must, have one's wall examined before one + begins to work, and if it is well dried and "drained" there is + no danger; at the worst, one can cover one's wall with sheets + of lead; it has been discovered that this was often done in + Pompeii. Or one can also (there are instances) paint upon a + specially prepared canvas away from the wall. But you know all + this better than I. Have you forgiven me, dear Friend? I could + not forbear from saying this, and rely upon your indulgence. + + Do not allow Schloesser to mislead you about my work. I daub on + steadily, but am by a very long way not contented. + + I send these lines to Frankfurt in the hope that they will be + forwarded to you. + + I shall stay some weeks in Algiers--can I do anything for you? + in that case send me a line. Till the _1st October_ a letter + will find me; address, Poste Restante, Algiers. + + All good luck be with you on your holidays, and may you gain + the desired strength. + + Keep in remembrance your loving pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + 21 RUE PIGALLE. + + ALGIERS, _Friday, 18th_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--I arrived here only last Monday, as the little + delay about the money made me lose the boat by which I + intended to sail; having, however, nothing in my studio that + was dry enough or otherwise fit to work on, I left Paris all + the same and visited Avignon, Nimes, and Arles, most + interesting towns which I had long desired to see. Avignon + reminded me so vividly of certain parts of Rome that it was + all I could do not to take a place for Civita Vecchia and + succumb to my longing desire to see Italy once more. + + I have not the least idea (especially in this hot weather) how + to describe to you this strange and picturesque town in which + I have taken up my temporary quarters; everything where the + African element has been preserved is so entirely new, so + unlike anything that you have seen, that I see no chance of + putting before your mind any living image of the thing. Before + going further I may as well tell you, dearest Mammy, that + although it is very hot I am perfectly well and have an + enormous appetite. I walk from six to eight hours every day, + and bathe regularly in the sea. + + Algiers occupies one horn of a most beautiful bay, thickly + studded with villas and farms, and reminding one greatly of + Italy. The aspect of the town, however, shows you at once, and + from a great distance, that you are in no European land. You + must know that oriental houses have no roofs, but are + surmounted by terraces, that they have no windows, the rooms + being lit from the inner court, and that they are painted + three times a year of the purest white, so that on approaching + Algiers, rising as it does steeply up the hillside, it looks + from the sea and under an African sun like a pyramid of + alabaster or marble, or, as some poet or other has said of it, + like a swan about to spread her wings. The effect of this + whiteness glittering out from the green and purple hills and + hanging over a dark-blue sea is really most beautiful; + unfortunately, however, the whole of the lower part of the + town that runs along the port has been so completely + Europeanized that, but for a rather pretty mosque on the + waterside, you might fancy you were at Havre or any other + French seaport town. As soon, however, as you get up into the + Arab town, your illusions are not only restored but enhanced, + for assuredly nothing could be more perfectly picturesque and + striking than the steep, tortuous streets that climb up to + the Casbah, or fortress, at the top of the town. The upper + storeys of the houses jut out into the street in such a manner + that they constantly meet, forming an archway underneath, and + yet the streets are never dark, from the dazzling whiteness of + all the walls, which reflect the light in every direction and + gild and brighten the darkest corners. Fancy, in the midst of + all this gleaming white, the gorgeous effect produced by the + varied colours of oriental costumes and complexion: the + copper-coloured Arabs, the sallow Jews, the ebony negroes; and + then the frequent display of every kind of fruit--crimson + tomatoes and purple aubergines, emerald and golden melons, + glowing oranges, luminous green grapes, and to relieve the + blaze of ardent colour, the tender ivory tones of the + tuberose, and the soft milk-white jessamine. I don't think a + colourist could have a more precious lesson than seeing this + place; you see in half-an-hour a sufficient number of fine + harmonies to set you up for a year. Not less striking than the + display of colour is the variety of types and costumes. Arabs + of the desert, with their lofty bearing and ample drapery, the + tattered, brawny Kabyles, the richly dressed Jewesses, the + negresses, dressed in long indigo-coloured draperies, and with + bracelets of horn round their ankles; in fact, you cannot + imagine a greater medley than is presented by a street in the + Arab quarter of the town. It has this drawback, that in the + midst of such an _embarras de richesses_, I don't know how I + shall ever be able to work; as yet I have not seen a pencil + even, indeed I have not been off my feet since I arrived, and + my head is in a perfect muddle. I spend next week in the + interior of the country, and when I come back I shall have a + fortnight in which I hope to do something. Getting anybody to + sit here is exceedingly difficult, and costs mints. The price + of living here is the same as Paris, but anything at all extra + is very dear; a horse or a cab to get to some place beyond a + walk is very expensive, and my consumption of drink (lemonade, + coffee, &c., for pure water is not wholesome here) from six in + the morning till bedtime is something incredible. Good-bye, + dearest Mother, I will write a longer letter next time. I have + no news from India. Best love to all, from your most + affectionate boy. + + If you hear from Lina, _mind_ you let me know, as I am most + anxious for news. + + I am so sorry the ink is so pale. I have written over half the + letter, but it is not much use; next time I will have darker + ink. + + [Illustration: SKETCH IN OILS. ALGIERS. 1895] + + ALGIERS, _Monday 29, 1857_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Poor Lina,[70] what a state of wretched + suspense and terror she must live in! what a frightful crisis + it is! God grant all may end well. Have you heard lately? Pray + let me know whatever you can; at this distance I can get only + the most salient facts, and am most eager to hear some more + circumstantial account of the progress of affairs. Poor + Sutherland, I often think of his kind grey eyes and manly + carriage; what a harassing, anxious life he must lead! + + Before I go any further I must ensure saying a thing that I + have been intending to tell for some time past, and which has + always been driven out of my head by the more immediate + subject of my letter. I am by no means certain that I have not + already mentioned it; I wish to be quite certain. The fact is + that as besides corresponding with you I write often to Mrs. + Sartoris, and still oftener to Henry Greville, and have + continually much the same to tell all of you, I often cannot + remember to whom I have written what, and I am therefore + uncertain whether I told you that Romeo and Juliet and Pan and + Venus are by this time exciting (let us hope) the admiration + of the citizens of America at the town of Philadelphia. It + costs me nothing at all either to send or to fetch, and the + percentage is ten per cent. I sent them off the end of last + month, just before leaving Paris for Africa. Tom Taylor is on + the committee, and I think the speculation may turn out good, + particularly if Mrs. Kemble, who is in America now, takes an + interest in them. + + Putting aside all question of anxiety and sorrow, I am + delighted with my visit to Algiers. I feel that, though I have + as yet been unable to touch a pencil, I have already taken a + great deal of new stuff, and if I were to leave Africa with an + empty sketch-book, I should still return to my easel improved + in knowledge of form and combination of colours. Still it is + a great mortification to me to see such fine types around me + without any means of getting them to sit, an operation to + which they have an insuperable objection; if it were not + vexatious, it would be quite amusing to see how they slink + away when they perceive you are trying to sketch them. + + Of course, one of my great desires was to see if possible a + Moorish _interieur_; and in this, though it is difficult to + achieve, I have been very fortunate, through the + instrumentality of a young native, with whom I became + accidentally acquainted. I have made the acquaintance of one + Achmet, son of Ali Pasha, a decayed native gentleman, now + holding office in the French customs, but once very well to do + in the world. I have been twice to his house, which I may as + well describe to you, as it is a type of all Moorish houses in + this part of the world. The whole of the centre of the + building is taken up by a little _cortile_, open to the sky + and surrounded by two storeys of arcades of a graceful shape, + on to which the rooms open as in Greek houses. These arcades + are painted pure white, and are relieved by fillets of + coloured porcelain tiles that have a most original and + charming effect; the first-floor gallery is closed in by a + breast-high balustrade, elegantly carved and painted blue or + green; the top of the house is invariably an open terrace, + adorned with flowers and shrubs. The rooms, I said, open on + the corridors and have no windows (except little peeping + holes) on to the street; they are consequently always wrapped + in a sort of clear, cool, reflected twilight that is + inexpressibly delightful and soothing in hot, glaring weather. + Each room takes up one side of the house, and is therefore a + long narrow strip; immediately opposite the door is an alcove, + containing a raised, handsomely cushioned and carpeted divan, + and ornamented invariably with three florid gilt + looking-glasses. At the foot of the raised divan is another + lower one for those who like low seats; other such divans run + along the wall, and a few highly wrought, embossed chests and + other oriental articles of furniture complete the decoration + of the room. In such a room Achmet Oulid received us, putting + before us delicious hot coffee in tiny cups with filagree + stands, a delightful kind of peach jam, and the pipe of peace. + You would have laughed to see your son lolling on a Turkey + carpet and puffing away at a long pipe. Our host has the + dearest little daughter, ten years old, whom by a great + stretch of courtesy we were allowed to see. By-the-bye, nearly + all Arab children are lovely, and look great darlings in their + Turkish dress. + + My paper is coming to an end and the boat does not wait, so I + close. I shall write you another letter before I leave this + and tell you more of what I have done and seen. + + Good-bye, dearest Mammy. + + [Illustration: SKETCH IN OILS. ALGIERS. 1895] + +Leighton refers to this visit in a letter to Mrs. Mark Pattison +(1879), who was about to write an account of his art. "This visit made +a deep impression on me; I have loved 'The East,' as it is called, +ever since. By-the-bye, I drew here my (almost) only large +water-colour drawing 'A Negro Festival' (the picture Leighton always +referred to as 'The Niggers'), which was thought very well of by my +friends." + +To his sister in India he wrote:-- + + Since I last wrote I have spent a month or six weeks in + Algeria, and have opened an acquaintance with the East which I + hope to keep up, not only from the pleasure but from the + instruction I have derived from even a short visit. My next + journey, however, will be to the old, original cradle of + Western Art--to Egypt, which country, as I shall visit it + under widely different circumstances from what you did, poor + dear, and I trust in much better health, will of course strike + me in a very different manner. There are many things in the + Arab quarter in Algiers which will probably stand comparison + with Cairo, but besides that, Egypt has far more physiognomy + as a country than the coast of Algeria. I am anxious to study + the Egyptian type, which is truly grand and wonderful. + However, these are plans for a tolerably remote day, as I + shall spend my next winter in my dear, dear old Rome, to which + I am attached beyond measure; indeed, Italy altogether has a + hold on my heart that no other country ever can have (except, + of course, my own); and although, as I just now said, I was + most delighted with Africa, and have not a moment to look + back to that was not agreeable, yet there is an intimate + little corner in my affections into which it could never + penetrate. If I am as faithful to my wife as I am to the + places I love, I shall do very well. What the first impression + of an Eastern country is, you already know by experience as + far as the mere aspect goes, but to understand my sensations + you must translate your own into a far brighter key. In my + case everything was for me: a decent passage, a glorious day, + a light heart, and a firm determination to enjoy myself; to + this add that more rapid apprehension of what is beautiful + which belongs to an artist's eye, and is the natural + consequence of the constant exercise and cultivation of that + faculty. + + I saw in Algiers many things that interested me, very much _du + point de vue moeurs fetes_, with strange music on queer + instruments, odd dances, odder singing. The music of the Moors + is altogether very strange; it is monotonous in the extreme, + fitful, and sometimes apparently without any kind of shape, + and yet there is something very characteristic and almost + attaching about it. This applies only to instrumental music, + for as for the voice, they seem to consider it only as a + shriller instrument, using always at full pitch, with neck + outstretched and eyes half shut, always from the throat and + always higher than they can go. It is very strange that a + nation which attained once so high a pitch of civilisation, + should either never have known or have entirely forgotten that + the human voice is capable of inflection, and what an + all-powerful vehicle it may be made of every passionate + sentiment or soothing influence. However, much the same thing + is noticeable in the peasants near Rome, whose songs consist + (within a definite shape) of long-sustained chest notes that + are peculiar in the extreme, and though often harsh seem to be + wonderfully in harmony with the long unbroken lines of the + Campagna. + + _A propos_ of chanting, I saw a very striking thing one day in + Algiers, in the shape of a Rhapsodist, who recited, with an + uncouth instrumental accompaniment, a long string of strophes + describing (I am told) the life and deeds of some hero; it was + exactly what a recital of the Homeric poems must have been + amongst the early Greeks. The Homer stood up in the midst of a + motley and most picturesque group of breathless listeners, and + chanted, with a sort of animated monotony, verses of about + two lines each, heightening the colour of his tale by + gesticulations. After each strophe the music struck in, + consisting of two queerly shaped tambours and a shrill flute. + After the performance, or rather, during the pauses, money was + collected in the tambourines. Homer (if he ever lived) no + doubt did the same. + +On his return to Paris Leighton wrote to Steinle:-- + + _Translation._] + PARIS, _October 22, 1857_. + + MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--Since I know your industry better than + any one else, and also know that at this moment you are quite + particularly busy, I cannot be surprised that you have not + answered my letter of last month; however, some warm + expressions slipped from me in that letter which you may + perhaps have taken amiss; lest this should be indeed the case, + I hasten, my dear Master, to make you an ample apology and to + beg you not to take amiss what I may have said too hastily; + but if it is not so, do send me a short note that my doubt may + be solved; for it is an excessively painful idea to me that a + single word from my mouth should have displeased you. + + I have just come back from Africa, where I have spent some + weeks with extreme pleasure, and, I believe, not without great + benefit; indeed, I might say that an artist cannot perfect his + sense of form so well anywhere as in the East; the types of + characteristic stamp which meet one's eye at every step are a + wonder to see, and of the simple grandeur of the costumes one + can form no previous conception--one sees real Michael Angelos + running about the streets. + + I have done little or almost nothing, for one cannot possibly + induce the Arabs to sit; however, I believe I have learnt a + great deal by my observations; I have already made a + resolution to become acquainted with the Egyptian race in the + near future. But now I must see to it that I produce something + this winter, for time goes bye with giant strides, and will + not be called back again. + + And you, my dear friend? what are you working at now? How I + should like to see your second cartoon! but unfortunately that + is one of the impossibilities. What has happened about the + church you were to paint? Has anything been settled? Once more + I beg you to write me a few lines to assure me that you are + not angry at my indiscretion. + + Please remember me most kindly to your wife. And keep in + kindly remembrance, your grateful pupil, + + LEIGHTON. + +And again:-- + + _Translation._] + PARIS, 21 RUE PIGALLE, + _November 2, 1857_. + + DEAR FRIEND AND MASTER,--All my best thanks for your kind + letter, and for the enclosed photograph of your splendid + cartoon; there is no need for me to tell you how greatly this + has rejoiced and delighted me; by now you know that beforehand + regarding every work of Steinle's (Steinleischen Arbeit), and + in no work more than in this do I recognise the fulness and + the brilliance of your fancy; meanwhile (as is only human) my + joy is a trifle damped by the overwhelming desire to know the + complete composition, and then to see the original itself. How + glad I am that at last you have a worthy task! + + It was a great relief to me to find that you did not take + amiss what I wrote about wall painting, and that you quite + understood that I could only become so wrathful regarding a + matter which interests me in the highest degree. I wish with + all my heart that you may discover something which will fill + all requirements, while at the same time, as a bigoted + frescoist, I shake my head a little at your heresy. You will + certainly find me dreadfully stiff-necked, dear Friend! That + is because lately I have seen fresco painting much nearer, and + have compared it with oil painting directly beside it; I + cannot deny that in colour I find it immeasurably more frank + and stronger than its oil-neighbour, which appears muddy and + dull next it. True, Cennini mentions wall painting, but only + supplementarily, and after he has written at length of _buon + peseo_. I certainly fall into his views again! + + Now, adieu, my dear friend; once more all my best thanks; you + may rely upon it, that the very first thing of mine that is + photographed shall immediately find its way to you at + Frankfurt; meantime, I candidly confess to you that I am quite + terribly dissatisfied with my performances, and could only + submit a hasty work to you. + + Think often of your most devoted pupil, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + + (Written below by Steinle) + Answered, 4th June 1858. + +The following letters, dated 30th November 1857, Paris, refer to Mrs. +Orr's narrow escape from Aurungabad, owing to the fidelity of Sheik +Boran Bukh, in the time of the Mutiny. It is a good example of the +ease with which Leighton threw himself into the atmosphere of a +situation. It reads like the writing of an Oriental! + + MOST VALUED FRIEND,--The report of your gallant and generous + conduct towards my sister and the companions of her flight has + reached my ears, not only by private letters but also through + several of the first English newspapers. From one end of this + country to another, Englishmen have read the account of your + loyal bearing, and from one end of the country to the other + there has been but one voice to praise and to admire it; for + uprightness and fidelity are precious in the eyes of all + Englishmen, and honour and courage are to them as the breath + of life; but _my_ feelings towards you are naturally doubly + warm and grateful, for to your care and vigilance I owe the + safety of a most precious and valued life, that of a beloved + sister. It is to express to you this gratitude that I now + write, and also to beg you to accept as a small token of my + regard a shawl which I send together with this letter, and + which will be as a sign to cement our new friendship. Wear it + in remembrance of that perilous night at Aurungabad, and in + wearing it remember that on that night your fidelity won for + you many new friends, and amongst the truest and most sincere + count the brother of Mrs. Orr, + + FRED LEIGHTON. + +_To_ FREDERICK LEIGHTON, Esq., &c. &c. + + AURUNGABAD, _13th July 1858_. + + MOST RESPECTED SIR,--I beg to return you my humble and hearty + thanks for your kindness in having sent me a revolving pistol, + which was highly admired by all who saw it. I cannot be + sufficiently thankful to your invaluable kindness. I shall not + part with it till death, but keep it as a remembrance of your + high estimation of me your unworthy servant, and ever pray for + your and family's welfare and happiness. + + I feel very uneasy in not hearing from Captain Orr since he + left us; I beg you will kindly let me know how he is getting + on, as I hear that he is not altogether very well. I was very + anxious to accompany him, and he agreed to take me, but on + second consideration he changed his mind. I hope some day or + other to be able to see you and family by God's grace. + + I conclude, sir, with my humble respects and good wishes to + self and family. Hoping all's well.--I am, Sir, your most + obedient and grateful servant, + + SHEIK BORAN BUKH, _Silladar_. + + _Thursday._ + + DEAR PAPA,--In accordance with your request, yesterday + received, I enclose an envelope for B.B., on which perhaps you + will be so good as to add his rank, whatever that may be--I + believe Subahdar. I am glad the letter is right, and knowing + your great epistolary facilities, I don't feel as sorry as I + ought to have interfered with your design. I don't think it + will fall heavily on you. + + I have a great favour to ask of you; and I feel sure you won't + grudge it me, as it concerns a man whose house is a second + home to me: Cartwright--indefatigable as he is, he keeps + constantly on the alert for any vacancy in Parliament, and is + in frequent communication with Hayter on the subject. Now the + representation of _Scarborough_ has just become vacant, and I + should take it as the greatest kindness if you would write to + that great friend of yours in that town (a banker--whose name + I, if I were to sit on my head, I could not remember; but you + know), mentioning Cartwright as a great friend and most + appropriate man. He (your friend) is sure to be very + influential amongst the townsfolk. I should wish you to say + this: state who Cartwright is, his family, place (Aynhoe Park, + Brackley), his relations _with Hayter the Whipper-in_ (that he + may not appear _tombe des nues_), and the following creed: + Pledge himself to Reform Bill with extension of franchise; + considers the Educational question amongst the most important + of the day; wants a thorough inquiry into India and Indian + affairs (government), and is prepared to support Lord + Palmerston's administration. All this is very important to + mention, because _all his relations_ are hot Tories. Also, in + case your friend should accept the suggestion and want to + communicate _at once_ Cartwright, give his (C.'s) direction in + Paris, _No. 5 Rue Roquepine_. Will you do this for me? + + Please give dear Mamma a wigging for expressing no pleasure at + the prospect I hinted at of running over to Bath for a day or + two in the winter; tell her if she does not behave better I + won't come. I would write at greater length, but my model is + waiting, and I have no time.--With anticipated thanks, your + affectionate son, + + FRED. + +It was in the year 1857 that Leighton painted the beautiful figure of +"Salome, the Daughter of Herodias," which apparently was never +exhibited in any exhibition of his works till that of 1897. A sketch +(see List of Illustrations) made for the picture is in the Leighton +House Collection, also other drawings of dancing figures sketched in +Algiers. + + [Illustration: STUDY FOR "SALOME, THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS." + 1857 + Leighton House Collection] + +To his mother he wrote in the beginning of 1858:-- + + MONDAY, _Jan. 1858_. + + DEAREST MAMMA,--Many thanks for your nice long letter, which I + had been anxiously expecting not only for news of yourself but + to hear what tidings had reached you from India. I am so + glad dear Lina continues tolerably well considering her + position. I can fully understand how dreadfully anxious poor + Sutherland must have been the whole time about her. I mean to + write to her myself without delay. Will you please let me have + her present direction, as I don't know it? How kind Sutherland + is to have remembered at such a moment about my tigerskin! + What an excellent and thoughtful creature he must be! The + extract from Brig. Stuart's despatch is most gratifying and + satisfactory, but I want to see it in print; where is it + published? can't you somehow get it and let me have it? I have + the greatest desire to possess it in that shape. What a nice + letter Booran Buckh's is. I am afraid that about the regiment + returning to Aurungabad is a hope not very likely to be + realised. There is still a frightful deal to do in Oude. Sir + Colin wants men sadly, and cavalry is particularly precious. + + Mario's _etrenne_ cost me a pound, it was the least I could + do. Let me reassure you, dear Mamma, about my behaviour to + that amiable creature. I have been at his house often since, + and am sure he is not in the least hurt; as for his thinking I + was proud about his being an actor, that is so out of the + question that I could not help laughing when I read the + passage in your letter. In the first place, he would never + dream of suspecting me of such a piece of vulgarity, and in + the next, actor or no, he still is Count Candia, and therefore + more than my equal in rank. + + I hope I may be with you somewhere about the 6th or 7th + February, and should stay till the 10th or 11th. It would be + humbug to say that I should not rather find you alone than in + a whirlpool of funereal gaieties; but, however, I am at your + disposal; do with me as you wish. I have been suffering very + much of late from tooth and face ache. I am rather better now, + thanks to, or in spite of, homoeopathy. + + Lady Cowley I have never found in yet. The Embassy parties + have not begun yet. I go out almost every evening, but only in + a circle of four or five houses. I can't stay at home, my eyes + are too weak to do anything, I am sorry to say; I have not + opened a book this winter. The Hollands are going to Naples, + to my great regret; they were very kind; poor Lady Holland has + only just recovered from a very serious illness. + + You tell me to bring over my Algerine sketches, but I have + very little to show, a few scratches only of types; my two + principal studies are _in oils_; I can't well take those over. + I am working away at my pictures as well as the pitch-dark + weather allows (which is very badly); however, I hope they may + turn out well. The silent Sartoris said to-day he thought my + Juliet picture "safe to succeed." + + Good-bye, dear Mamma; best love to all from your most affect. + boy, + + FRED. + + +END OF VOL. I + + Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. + Edinburgh & London + + [Illustration: "BLIND SCHOLAR AND DAUGHTER" + No. 1. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: NELLO'S SHOP: "SUPPOSE YOU LET ME LOOK AT MYSELF" + No. 2. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "THE FIRST KEY" + No. 5. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "THE PEASANTS' FAIR" + No. 6. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "THE DYING MESSAGE" + No. 7. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "FLORENTINE JOKE" + No. 8. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "THE ESCAPED PRISONER" + No. 9. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "NICCOLO AT WORK" + No. 10. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "YOU DIDN'T THINK" + No. 11. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "FATHER, I WILL BE GUIDED" + No. 13. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "THE VISIBLE MADONNA" + No. 15. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "DANGEROUS COLLEAGUES" + No. 16. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "MONNA BRIGIDA" + No. 17. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "BUT YOU WILL HELP" + No. 18. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "DRIFTING" + No. 20. "Romola"] + + [Illustration: "WILL HIS EYES OPEN?" + No. 21. "Romola"] + +FOOTNOTES: + +[67] "Romeo," "Pan," and "Venus," being then exhibited at the yearly +autumn Exhibition at Manchester. + +[68] "368. _From Keats' Ode to Pan, in the 'Endymion'_: F. +Leighton.--Flesh painting is the grand test. With the majority of +artists the attempt results in a something very much resembling tinted +marble. Not so Mr. Leighton. This enchanting creation of his mind glows +with the rich warm hues of life; and the sweeping outline which gives +such beauty to the female form is preserved with subdued definiteness. +The background is a fine piece of mellow autumnal tinting. + +"_The Royal Institution._--In the second room will be found one of the +very best, if not the best picture in the exhibition, No. 183, +'Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets,' by F. Leighton. +Whatever its other merits or faults may be, it tells the sad story +clearly and forcibly. The scene is 'the tomb of all the Capulets,' and +the moment chosen by the artist is when the heads of the rival houses, +standing by the dead bodies of those in whom all their hopes had been +centred, agree to lay by their ancient feuds, and clasp their hands in +sign of future friendship. + + "'_Capulet_--O brother Montague, give me thy hand: + This is my daughter's jointure, for no more + Can I demand. + _Montague_--But I can give thee more: + For I will raise her statue in pure gold: + That while Verona by that name is known + There shall no figure at such rate be set, + As that of true and faithful Juliet.' + +In the foreground are the bodies of the lovers, placed on a bier. +Juliet has thrown herself upon the body of Romeo, her hands clasped +around his neck, and her cheek touching his. In that position, typical +of her undying love, the fatal potion has done its work. Lady Capulet, +in a paroxysm of maternal grief, has thrown herself on her knees at the +foot of the bier; behind her is the Friar. Opposite the spectator are +old Capulet and Montague, their aged forms bowed with grief, in the act +of reconciliation. These are the principal figures. The Prince, +attendants, &c., fill up, without crowding, the picture. The gloom of +the ancient monument is capitally rendered, the colouring is +harmonious, and the disposition of the figures careful and dramatic. +The artist has admirably discriminated the characters of the two aged +noblemen. Readers of Shakespeare will not need to be reminded of the +distinction which the dramatist has made between the two. Montague +appears only in the first and last acts, but displays great resolution, +accompanied by a noble moderation, in the brawl commenced by the +retainers of each of the houses. The language put into his mouth is +noble and poetical, especially in concluding his account of the black +and portentous humour which had overtaken his son. + + "'But he, his own affection's counsellor, + Is to himself,--I will not say--how true,-- + But to himself so secret and so close, + So far from sounding and discovery + As is the bud, bit with an envious worm, + Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, + Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.' + +No such language as this is ever given to old Capulet. On the contrary, +he is fussy, shallow, and pretentious. Even the Nurse snubs him. In the +first act he rushes out frantically calling for his sword, to which +Lady Capulet replies-- + + "'A crutch, a crutch!--why call you for a sword?' + +And the Nurse on another occasion says-- + + "'Go, go, you cot quean, go, + Get you to bed; faith you will be sick to-morrow + For this night's watching.' + +The artist has finely distinguished the two men; there is no mistaking +them. On the other hand, if we may 'hint a fall' or two, we should say, +that the faces of the lovers are too livid and corpse-like. They are +but newly dead, and the artist would have been truer to nature and +increased the beauty of his picture if he had allowed some of the +beauty of life to linger around them. The attitude of the Friar, too, +with elevated arms and appalled look, is not in harmony with the grand +composure of his demeanour at all other times, the noble motives from +which he had acted, and that sanctity of character which induces the +Prince to say to him, after his explanatory speech-- + + "'We still have known thee for a holy man.' + +With all drawbacks, however, this is a noble picture; and if our +readers will turn to the scene in the play and refresh their memories +before going to the Institution, they will, we think, agree with us in +ranking it as a successful Shakesperian illustration--high praise, but +deserved." + +[69] Among the drawings sold by the Fine Art Society in 1897 was a very +striking and interesting sketch in water-colour by Steinle. The subject +was a peasant confessing to a Cardinal. May be it was the sketch for +this picture for which Steinle asked Leighton to help him respecting +the cardinal's costume. + +[70] Mrs. S. Orr was in India, the Mutiny taking place at that time. + + + * * * * * + + +----------------------------------------------------------------+ + | Typographical errors corrected in text: | + | | + | Page xviii: Spagniola replaced with Spagnola | + | Page 63: Middelburg replaced with Middelburgh | + | Page 69: antlered replaced with anthered | + | Page 136: Spagniola replaced with Spagnola | + | Page 153: volorous replaced with valorous | + | Page 160: Kuppelwiesser replaced with Kuppelwieser | + | Page 190: Sclosser replaced with Schlosser | + | Page 210: "magnificent intellectual capacity, and unerring and | + | instantaneous spring upon the point to unravel." | + | replaced with "magnificent intellectual capacity, | + | and an unerring and instantaneous spring upon the | + | point to unravel." (see "Reminiscences of G.F. Watts"| + | by Mrs. Russell Barringtong, page 193.) | + | Page 198: antlered replaced with anthered | + | Page 226: Spagnolli replaced with Spagnola | + | Page 261: "bran new" replaced with "brand new" | + | Page 272: "He offers you L25 for if" replaced with | + | "He offers you L25 for it" | + | Page 273: "your sincerely" replaced with "yours sincerely" | + | Page 291: Pigale replaced with Pigalle | + | | + | Footnote 10: Sain-Damien replaced with Saint-Damien; | + | l'envalussait replaced with l'envahissait; and, | + | remplet replaced with remplit | + | Footnote 36: Caranco replaced with Carcano | + | (see Adelaide Sartoris' book "A Week in a French | + | Country-House" page xxx.) | + | | + | Note that the names I'Anson and Ffrench are legitimate | + | surnames. | + | | + | Frankfort a/M. is the abbreviation for Frankfurt am Main, | + | (in English 'Frankfort on the Main') a city on the Main | + | River, Germany. | + | | + +----------------------------------------------------------------+ + + * * * * * + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life, Letters and Work of Frederic +Leighton, by Mrs. Russell Barrington + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE, LETTERS OF FREDERICK LEIGHTON *** + +***** This file should be named 35934.txt or 35934.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/9/3/35934/ + +Produced by Jeannie Howse, Jonathan Ingram and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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