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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d168f32 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66010 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66010) diff --git a/old/66010-0.txt b/old/66010-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1cbbf1a..0000000 --- a/old/66010-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9653 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors -and Architects, and Curiosities of Art, by Shearjashub Spooner - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects, and - Curiosities of Art - -Author: Shearjashub Spooner - -Release Date: August 8, 2021 [eBook #66010] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES OF PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, -SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS, AND CURIOSITIES OF ART *** - - - - - ANECDOTES - - OF - - PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, - - Sculptors and Architects, - - AND - - CURIOSITIES OF ART. - - BY - - SHEARJASHUB SPOONER, A. B., M. D., - - AUTHOR OF “A BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL DICTIONARY OF PAINTERS, - ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS, FROM ANCIENT - TO MODERN TIMES.” - - IN THREE VOLUMES. - - VOL. I. - - New York: - - PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR, - - BY G. P. PUTNAM & COMPANY, 10 PARK PLACE. - - 1853. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -This work is not a mere compilation, or republication of anecdote. It -will be found to contain much original matter, and much of the most -interesting and instructive portions of the history of art. For a list -of authorities, the reader is referred to the author’s Dictionary of -Painters, etc., and for a convenient reference, to the Index at the end -of vol. iii. The author has studied his subject _con amore_, for many -years, and has gathered abundant materials for three more volumes, -should these be favorably received. But he fears lest in these -romance-loving days, the recital of the trials, misfortunes, -achievements and exaltations of those men of genius and fine -sensibilities, to whom the world is indebted for the creation and -development of the most beautiful arts, will fail to arrest the -attention or move the heart. - -Although it does not become a man to prate of himself, yet the author -trusts he will be pardoned when he speaks of his _labors_ and their -_object_. For a long period, his labors have been directed to the great -object of the restoration and publication of Napoleon’s magnificent -works, the Musée Français and the Musée Royal, a notice of which may be -found in vol. iii., page 302, of this work. He trusts he may soon be -able to present the first numbers to the public. These, and his other -achieved undertakings, have made his life one of the most untiring -industry. In order to find time for these enterprises, and still attend -to the calls of his profession, he has been obliged to deprive himself -of repose and relaxation; and during the five years he was engaged in -publishing Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, and in preparing his -Dictionary for the press, he spent but one evening out of his study, -except those of the Sabbath, relinquishing his toil only at midnight, to -be resumed at dawn. - -These self-imposed labors have not been assumed through any mercenary or -selfish motives. His experience has taught him the precarious results of -literary and publishing enterprises of the nature undertaken by him, in -the present state of the Fine Arts in our country. The amount of capital -and labor he has invested has been enormous, and the risks -proportionate; his books admonish him that he has already embarked many -thousands of dollars which he can never hope to regain. Still, what he -has accomplished is to him a theme of pride and exultation; it has also -been a labor of love. His reward is the consciousness of having done -something toward awakening a love for, and an interest in art and -artists, and that he will leave to his countrymen, for their delight and -instruction, so many world-renowned and world-approved specimens of the -highest art. Posterity must be his judge; but he cannot forbear to add, -that can he now succeed in restoring the great works before mentioned, -and leave them as a rich legacy to his country, for the promotion of the -Fine Arts in coming time, he will have accomplished his every earthly -aspiration. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -Infelicities of Artists--an Extract from the American -Edition of Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, -containing anecdotes of Torregiano, Banks, -Barry, Blake, Proctor, &c., 1 - -Advantages of the Cultivation of the Fine Arts to -a Country, 6 - -Antiquity of the Fine Arts, 12 - -The Pœcile at Athens, 13 - -Mosaics, 15 - -The Olympian Jupiter, 17 - -Painting from Nature, 18 - -Apelles, 18 - -Apelles and the Cobbler, 23 - -Apelles’ Foaming Charger, 24 - -Apelles and Alexander, 25 - -Apelles and Protogenes, 25 - -Benjamin West’s Ancestry, 28 - -West’s Birth, 29 - -West’s first remarkable Feat, 30 - -Little Benjamin and the Indians, 30 - -West’s Cat’s Tail Pencils, 30 - -West’s First Picture, 31 - -West’s first Visit to Philadelphia, 32 - -West’s Ambition, 33 - -West’s first Patron, 34 - -West’s Education, 35 - -West’s Dedication to Art, 36 - -West’s Early Prices, 38 - -West’s Arrival at Rome, 39 - -West’s Early Friends, 41 - -West’s Course of Study, 43 - -A Remarkable Prophecy, 43 - -West’s Fondness for Skating, 44 - -West’s “Death of Wolfe,” 45 - -Michael Angelo, 47 - -Michael Angelo and Julius II., 50 - -St Peter’s Church, 50 - -Michael Angelo and Lorenzo the Magnificent, 52 - -The Cartoon of Pisa, 53 - -Michael Angelo’s Last Judgment, 54 - -Michael Angelo’s Coloring, 56 - -Michael Angelo’s Grace, 57 - -Michael Angelo’s Oil Paintings, 58 - -Michael Angelo, his “Prophets,” and Julius II., 58 - -Bon-Mots of Michael Angelo, 59 - -Washington Allston, 60 - -Allston and Vanderlyn, 62 - -American Patronage at Home and Abroad, 66 - -Raffaelle Sanzio di Urbino, 70 - -Raffaelle’s Ambition, 70 - -Raffaelle and Michael Angelo, 71 - -Raffaelle’s Transfiguration, 72 - -Death of Raffaelle, 74 - -Character of Raffaelle, 74 - -La Bella Fornarina, 75 - -The Genius of Raffaelle, 76 - -Raffaelle’s Model for his Female Saints, 76 - -Raffaelle’s Oil Paintings, 77 - -Portraits of Pope Julius II., 78 - -Manners of Raffaelle, 78 - -Peter Paul Rubens, 79 - -Rubens’ Visit to Italy, 80 - -Rubens’ Enthusiasm, 80 - -Rubens’ Return to Antwerp, 81 - -Rubens’ Habits, 82 - -Rubens’ Detractors, 82 - -The Gallery of the Luxembourg, 83 - -Rubens sent as Ambassador to the Courts of Spain -and England, 83 - -Death of Rubens, 85 - -Rubens’ Numerous Works, 86 - -The first Picture brought to Rome, 88 - -Etruscan Sculpture, 90 - -Campus Martius, 91 - -Electioneering Pictures at Rome, 91 - -Dramatic Scenery at Rome, 93 - -Apelles of Ephesus and Ptolemy Philopator, 93 - -Apelles’ famous Picture of Calumny, 94 - -Sir Godfrey Kneller, 96 - -Kneller and James II., 97 - -Kneller’s Compliment to Louis XIV., 97 - -Kneller’s Wit, 98 - -Kneller’s Knowledge of Physiognomy, 99 - -Kneller as Justice of the Peace, 99 - -Kneller and Clostermans, 100 - -The Cavaliere Bernini, 101 - -Bernini’s Precocity, 101 - -Bernini’s Striking Prediction, 101 - -Bernini and Louis XIV., 102 - -Bernini’s Works, 103 - -Bernini and the Verospi Hercules, 104 - -Fanaticism destructive to Art, 104 - -Paintings Evanescent, 106 - -The English National Gallery, 107 - -The Nude Figure, 109 - -Different Schools of Painting Compared, 110 - -The Old Masters, 111 - -Prices of Galleries, 112 - -Love makes a Painter, 112 - -John Wesley Jarvis, 113 - -The Biggest Lie, 118 - -Jarvis and Bishop Moore, 119 - -Jarvis and Commodore Perry, 119 - -Jarvis and the Philosopher, 120 - -Jarvis and Dr. Mitchell, 120 - -Jarvis’ Habits, 121 - -Robert Fulton, 122 - -An Exalted Mind and True Patriot, 123 - -Gilbert Charles Stuart, 124 - -Stuart goes to London, 125 - -Stuart as Organist, 126 - -Stuart’s Introduction to West, 126 - -Stuart and West, 128 - -Stuart’s Scholarship, 131 - -Stuart’s Rule of the Payment of Half-Price at the -First Sitting, 131 - -Stuart’s Powers of Perception, 132 - -Stuart’s Conversational Powers, 133 - -Stuart in Ireland, 136 - -Stuart’s Return to America, 137 - -Stuart and Washington, 137 - -Stuart’s Last Picture, 138 - -Stuart’s Reputation, 139 - -Stuart’s Drawing, 139 - -Stuart a Punster, 140 - -Stuart born in a Snuff-Mill, 140 - -Stuart’s Nose, 140 - -Stuart’s Sitters, 141 - -Stuart’s Mark, 142 - -Stuart and his Dog, 142 - -The Temple of Diana at Ephesus, 144 - -The Dying Gladiator, 144 - -Fabius Maximus, 145 - -Love of the Arts among the Romans, 146 - -Comparative Merits of the Venus de Medici and the -Venus Victrix, 147 - -The Effect of Painting on the Mind, 147 - -Pausias, 148 - -The Garland Twiner, 148 - -Protogenes, the great Rhodian Painter, 149 - -Parrhasius, 150 - -The Demos, and other Works of Parrhasius, 150 - -Parrhasius and the Olynthian Captive, 151 - -The Vanity of Parrhasius, 152 - -The Invention of the Corinthian Capital, 152 - -The Invention of Sculpture, 153 - -Praxiteles, 154 - -Praxiteles and Phidias compared, 154 - -The Works of Praxiteles, 155 - -The Venus of Cnidus, 155 - -Praxiteles and Phryne, 156 - -The King of Bithynia and the Venus of Cnidus, 157 - -Phidias, 157 - -Phidias and Alcamenes, 159 - -Ingratitude of the Athenians, 159 - -The Jupiter of Phidias, 160 - -Phidias’ Model for the Olympian Jupiter, 161 - -Apollodorus, the Athenian, 162 - -Apollodorus, the Architect, 163 - -Trajan’s Column, 164 - -The Death of Apollodorus, 165 - -Hogarth, 166 - -Hogarth’s Apprenticeship, 167 - -Hogarth’s Revenge, 168 - -Hogarth’s Method of Sketching, 168 - -Hogarth’s Marriage, 168 - -Successful Expedient of Hogarth, 169 - -Hogarth’s Picture of the Red Sea, 170 - -Hogarth’s Courtesy, 171 - -Hogarth’s Absence of Mind, 171 - -Hogarth’s March to Finchley, 172 - -Hogarth’s unfortunate Dedication of a Picture, 172 - -Hogarth’s manner of selling his Pictures, 172 - -Hogarth’s Last Work, 175 - -Jacques Louis David, 176 - -David’s Picture of the Coronation of Napoleon, 178 - -David and the Duke of Wellington, 184 - -David and the Cardinal Caprara, 185 - -David at Brussels, 185 - -Pierre Mignard, 186 - -Sir Joshua Reynolds, 188 - -Reynolds’ New Style, 189 - -Reynolds’ Prices, 191 - -Reynolds’ in Leicester Square, 192 - -The Founding of the Royal Academy, 194 - -Reynolds and Dr. Johnson, 195 - -Dr. Johnson’s Friendship for Reynolds, 196 - -Johnson’s Apology for Portrait Painting, 197 - -The Literary Club, 198 - -Johnson’s Portrait, 198 - -Johnson’s Death, 199 - -Reynolds and Goldsmith, 199 - -The Deserted Village, 200 - -Goldsmith’s “Retaliation,” 200 - -Pope a Painter, 201 - -Reynolds’ First Attempts in Art, 202 - -The Force of Habit, 202 - -Paying the Piper, 203 - -Reynolds’ Modesty, 203 - -Reynolds’ Generosity, 203 - -Reynolds’ Love of his Art, 204 - -Reynolds’ Criticism on Rubens, 205 - -Reynolds and Haydn’s Portrait, 206 - -Rubens’ Last Supper, 206 - -Reynolds’ Skill in Compliments, 207 - -Excellent Advice, 208 - -Sir Joshua Reynolds and his Portraits, 208 - -Reynolds’ Flag, 209 - -Burke’s Eulogy, 209 - -Reynolds’ Estimate and Use of Old Paintings, 210 - -Influence of the Inquisition upon Spanish Painting, 211 - -A Melancholy Picture of the State of the Fine Arts -in Spain, 217 - -Don Diego Velasquez, 226 - -Velasquez honored by the King of Spain, 227 - -Velasquez’s Slave, 228 - -Luis Tristan, 229 - -Tristan and El Greco, 230 - -Alonso Cano, 230 - -Cano’s Liberality, 231 - -Cano’s Eccentricities, 231 - -Cano’s Hatred of the Jews, 232 - -Cano’s Ruling Passion strong in Death, 234 - -Ribalta’s Marriage, 235 - -Aparicio, Canova, and Thorwaldsen, 236 - -Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, 236 - -Murillo and Velasquez, 236 - -Murillo’s Return to Seville, 237 - -Murillo and Iriarte, 238 - -Murillo’s Death, 238 - -Murillo’s Style, 239 - -Murillo’s Works, 240 - -Murillo’s Assumption of the Virgin, 241 - -Castillo’s Tribute to Murillo, 242 - -Correggio, 243 - -Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Church of St. -John at Parma, 244 - -Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Cathedral at -Parma, 246 - -Correggio’s Fate, 249 - -Annibale Caracci’s Opinion of Correggio’s Grand -Cupola at Parma, 253 - -Correggio’s Enthusiasm, 255 - -Correggio’s Grace, 255 - -Correggio and the Monks, 256 - -Correggio’s Muleteer, 256 - -Duke of Wellington’s Correggio captured at Vittoria, 257 - -Correggio’s Ancona, 257 - -Portraits of Correggio, 258 - -Did Correggio ever visit Rome? 259 - -Singular Fate of Correggio’s Adoration of the Shepherds, 261 - -Curious History of Correggio’s “Education of Cupid,” 262 - -Magdalen by Correggio, 264 - -Discovery of a Correggio, 265 - -Lionardo da Vinci, 266 - -Precocity of Da Vinci’s Genius, 266 - -Extraordinary Talents of Da Vinci, 268 - -Da Vinci’s Works at Milan, 268 - -Da Vinci’s “Battle of the Standard,” 270 - -Lionardo da Vinci and Leo X., 271 - -Lionardo da Vinci and Francis I., 271 - -Death of Da Vinci, 272 - -Da Vinci’s Learning, 272 - -Da Vinci’s Writings, 273 - -Da Vinci’s Sketch Books, 275 - -The Last Supper of Lionardo da Vinci, 276 - -Copies of the Last Supper of Da Vinci, 278 - -Da Vinci’s Discrimination, 279 - -Da Vinci’s Idea of Perfection in Art, 280 - -Da Vinci and the Prior, 282 - -Da Vinci’s Drawings of the Heads in his celebrated -Last Supper, 284 - -Francis I. and the Last Supper of Da Vinci, 284 - -Authenticated Works of Da Vinci, 285 - -Works in Niello, 286 - -Sir Christopher Wren, 290 - -Wren’s Self-Command, 290 - -Wren’s Restraints in designing his Edifices, 292 - -The Great Fire in London, 293 - -St. Paul’s Cathedral, 294 - -Wren’s Death, 295 - -Wren and Charles II., 295 - -Thomas Banks, the English Sculptor, 295 - -The Genius of Banks, 297 - -Banks’ Kindness to Young Sculptors, 298 - -The Personal Appearance and Character of Banks, 299 - -Flaxman’s Tribute to Banks, 300 - -Joseph Nollekens, the English Sculptor, 301 - -Nollekens’ Visit to Rome, 301 - -Nollekens and Garrick, 302 - -Nollekens’ Talent in Bust Sculpture, 303 - -Nollekens’ Bust of Dr. Johnson, 304 - -Nollekens’ Liberality to Chantrey, 304 - -Nollekens and the Widow, 305 - -Nollekens’ Compliments, 306 - -An Overplus of Modesty, 307 - -The Artist Footman, 308 - -An Architect’s Stratagem, 309 - -The Freedom of the Times in the Reign of Charles II., 309 - -Hanneman’s Picture of “Peace,” 310 - -Weesop, 310 - - - - -ANECDOTES - -OF - -PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS. - - - - -EXTRACT FROM TEXT TO PLATE LIII OF THE AMERICAN EDITION OF BOYDELL’S -ILLUSTRATIONS OF SHAKSPEARE. - - -It is deemed appropriate to devote this page to the infelicities which -often fall to the lot of men of genius, in hopes to strike a sympathetic -chord; since to them the world owes all that is beautiful as well as -useful in art. It is well known that men of fine imaginations and -delicate taste, are generally distinguished for acute sensibilities, and -for being deficient in more practical qualities; they are frequently -eccentric, and illy adapted to contend with the coldness and -indifference of the world, much less its sarcasm and enmity. The history -of Art is full of melancholy examples. - -When Torregiano, the cotemporary of Michael Angelo, had finished his -exquisite group of the Madonna and Child for the Duke d’Arcos, with the -assurance of a rich reward, the nobleman sent two servants, bearing two -well-filled bags of money, with orders to bring the work to his palace. -The sculptor, upon opening the bags, found nothing but brass maravedi! -Filled with just indignation, he seized his mallet, in a moment of -uncontrollable rage, and smashed the beautiful group into a thousand -pieces, saying to the servants, “Go, take your base metal to your -ignoble lord, and tell him he shall never possess a sculpture by my -hand!” The infamous nobleman, burning with shame, resolved on a terrible -revenge; he arraigned the unhappy artist before the Inquisition, on a -charge of sacrilege for destroying the sacred images. Torregiano was -imprisoned and condemned to death by torture; but to escape that awful -fate, he destroyed himself in the dungeon. - -It is not necessary to go back further than the history of this work, to -find melancholy examples of the trials of genius. Thomas Banks vainly -endeavored to introduce a lofty and heroic style of sculpture into his -native country. He could obtain no commissions to execute in marble his -most beautiful and sublime compositions, and was compelled to confine -himself to monumental sculpture. James Barry, after struggling with -poverty and neglect all his days, died in a garret, a raving maniac. A -subscription had been started for his relief; but it was all expended in -defraying his funeral expenses, and in erecting a monument to his memory -in St. Paul’s Cathedral, with this inscription,--“The Great Historical -Painter, JAMES BARRY. Died, Feb. 1806, aged 65”! His remains were laid -out in state, in the Great Room of the Adelphi--the true and appropriate -monument of his genius. The Society had requested the members of the -Royal Academy to decorate their Room, and when all others declined, -Barry nobly came forward, and offered his services gratuitously, which -were gladly accepted. He spent seven long years in decorating this -apartment with fresco paintings, which the Society publicly declared was -“a national ornament, as well as a monument of the talents and ingenuity -of the artist”; and Dr. Johnson said, “They shew a grasp of mind that -you will find nowhere else.” Observe the contrast: Cunningham says, that -when he began this great work, he had but a shilling in his pocket, and -during its execution he lived on the coarsest fare, in a miserable -garret, subsisting by the sale of an occasional drawing, when he could -find a purchaser! - -The life of William Blake presents a picture no less melancholy. An -eccentric and extraordinary genius, he seemed, in the flights of his -wild imagination, to hold converse with the spirits of the departed; and -in some of his works there is a truly wonderful sublimity of conception -and grandeur of execution. Although not appreciated during his lifetime, -he toiled on in abject poverty with indefatigable industry, reveling in -visions of future fame. His Ancient of Days was his greatest favorite; -three days before his death, he sat bolstered up in bed, and touched it -over and over with the choicest colors, in his happiest style; then held -it off at arms’ length, exclaiming, “There! that will do! I cannot mend -it.” Observing his wife in tears, he said, “Stay, Kate! keep just as you -are; I will draw your portrait, for you have been an angel to me.” She -obeyed, and the dying artist made a fine likeness. He was cheerful and -contented to the last. “I glory,” said he, “in dying, and have no grief -but in leaving you, Katharine; we have lived happy and we have lived -long; we have ever been together, but we shall be divided soon. Why -should I fear death! Nor do I fear it. I have endeavored to live as -Christ commands, and have sought to worship God truly.” On the day of -his death, Aug. 12, 1827, he composed and sung hymns to his Maker, so -sweetly to the ear of his beloved Katharine, that she stood wrapt to -hear him. Observing this, he said to her, with looks of intense -affection, “My beloved, they are not mine--no, they are the songs of the -angels.” - -Young Proctor, the sculptor, was a student of the rarest promise, in the -Royal Academy. After obtaining two silver medals, the president, -Benjamin West, had the suggestion conveyed to him, that he had better -execute a historical composition. Accordingly, in the next year, Proctor -produced his model of “Ixion on the Wheel,” and in the following year, -“Pirithous slain by Cerberus,” both of which excited great admiration. -In the third year, he conceived a much bolder flight of imagination, -“Diomed torn in pieces by Wild Horses,” which was far more successful -than his previous efforts, approaching, in the opinion of the best -judges, the grandeur of Michael Angelo, and even the Phidian period of -Greek design. But this noble emanation of high native talent could not -find a purchaser, and at the close of the exhibition it was returned to -the studio of the sculptor, who, stung to the heart by this severe -disappointment, instantly destroyed his sublime creation. Derided by his -more favored but less deserving cotemporaries, Proctor shunned society, -and having exhausted all his means of support to produce this last work, -he was reduced to the greatest straits. When Mr. West, after some time, -succeeded in ascertaining the place of his obscure retreat, he stated -the circumstance to the Academy, who unanimously agreed to send Proctor -to Italy, with the usual pension, and fifty pounds besides, for -necessary preparations. This joyful intelligence was immediately -communicated to the despairing artist, but it came too late! his -constitution, undermined by want and vexation, was unable to bear the -revulsion of his feelings, and he shortly after breathed his last, “a -victim,” says his biographer, “to anti-national prejudices.” - -The life of Thomas Kirk, termed the “English Raffaelle,” is another -melancholy example of unappreciated genius. Chagrin and disappointment -of his ambitious hopes, consigned him to an untimely grave. Taylor, in -his History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain, says, that a few years -ago, one of Hogarth’s pictures brought at public sale in London, more -money than the artist ever received for all his paintings together. -Nollekens, the sculptor, bought two landscapes of Richard Wilson, for -fifteen guineas, to relieve his pressing necessities. At the sale of the -effects of the former after his decease, they brought two hundred and -fifty guineas each! - -Shall instances like these stain the annals of American Art, or will -this free people accord to its gifted sons the encouragement they so -richly deserve? May the sympathies of those who can perceive in painting -and sculpture, most efficient means of mental culture, refinement, and -gratification, be enlisted by these sad memories, to render timely -encouragement to exalted genius! It adds to national and individual -profit, pride, and glory. How much does America owe Robert Fulton and -Eli Whitney? Millions, untold millions! - - - - -ADVANTAGES OF THE CULTIVATION OF THE FINE ARTS TO A COUNTRY. - - -The advantages which a country derives from the cultivation of the fine -arts, are thus admirably summed up by Sir M. A. Shee, late President of -the Royal Academy, London:-- - -“It should be the policy of a great nation to be liberal and -magnificent; to be free of her rewards, splendid in her establishments, -and gorgeous in her public works. These are not the expenses that sap -and mine the foundations of public prosperity, that break in upon the -capital, or lay waste the income of a state; they may be said to arise -in her most enlightened views of general advantage; to be amongst her -best and most profitable speculations; they produce large sums of -respect and consideration from our neighbors and competitors, and of -patriotic exultation among ourselves; they make men proud of their -country, and from priding it, prompt in its defense; they play upon all -the chords of generous feeling, elevate us above the animal and the -machine, and make us triumph in the powers and attributes of men.” - -Sir George Beaumont, in a letter to Lord Dover, on the subject of the -purchase of the Angerstein collection by the government, speaking of the -benefit which a country derives from the possession of the best works of -art, says, “My belief is that the Apollo, the Venus, the Laocoön, &c., -are worth many thousands a year to the country that possesses them.” -When Parliament was debating the propriety of buying the Angerstein -Collection for £60,000, he advocated the measure with enthusiasm, and -exclaimed, “Buy this collection of pictures for the nation, and I will -give you mine.” And this he nobly did, not in the form of a bequest, but -he transferred them at once as soon as the galleries were prepared for -their reception, with the exception of one little gem, with him a -household god, which he retained till his death. This picture was a -landscape by Claude, with figures representing Hagar and her child, and -he was so much attached to it that he took it with him as a constant -traveling companion. When he died, it was sent to its place in the -Gallery. The value of this collection was 70,000 guineas. Such instances -of noble generosity for public benefaction, deserve to be held in -grateful remembrance, and should be “written in letters of gold on -enduring marble,” for the imitation of mankind. - -After the peace of Amiens, Benjamin West visited Paris, for the purpose -of viewing the world’s gems of art, which Bonaparte had collected -together in the Louvre. He had already conceived a project for -establishing in England a national institution for the encouragement of -art, similar to that of the Louvre, and he took occasion one day, while -strolling about the galleries in company with Mr. Fox, the British -minister, and Sir Francis Baring, to point out to them the advantages of -such an institution, not only in promoting the Fine Arts, by furnishing -models of study for artists, but he showed the propriety, in a -commercial point of view, of encouraging to a seven fold extent, the -higher department of art in England. Cunningham relates that Fox was so -forcibly struck with his remarks that he said, “I have been rocked in -the cradle of politics, but never before was so much struck with the -advantages, even in a political bearing, of the Fine Arts, to the -prosperity, as well as the renown of a kingdom; and I do assure you, Mr. -West, if I ever have it in my power to influence our government to -promote the Arts, the conversation which we have had to-day shall not be -forgotten.” Sir Francis Baring also promised his hearty coöperation. -West was mainly instrumental in establishing the Royal British -Institution. Taylor, in his History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain, -says, he battled for years against coldly calculating politicians for -its accomplishment; at length, his plan was adopted with scarcely an -alteration. - -“The commercial states of the classic ages of antiquity held the arts in -very high estimation. The Rhodians were deeply engaged in commerce, yet -their cultivation of the arts, more especially that of sculpture, was -most surprising. The people of Ægina were equally engaged in commercial -pursuits, but they were also admired for the correctness and elegance of -their taste and manners, as well as their sculpture. A more ancient -people still, the Phœnicians, Tyrians, Tyrrhenians, Etruscans, or -Carthagenians, who were all colonies from one race of men, long before -the foundation of Rome, understood and taught others the working in -metals, one instance of which is remarkable: Hiram, king of Tyre, cast -the brazen sea, and other immense objects in metal, for Solomon’s -temple. Let us cast our eyes on Argos, Athens, Corinth, and Sicyon, -those ancient abodes of good taste and transcendent genius; each of them -were commercial states and cities. The remains of their -beautifully-sculptured marbles, which once were in profusion, and of -which we now strive to possess even the fragments, at almost any cost, -show evidently that their commercial pursuits and relations with other -countries had not narrowed, if it had not rather developed, the powers, -and given that elastic vigor to the human mind that can, under due -encouragement, overcome the greatest difficulties, and produce the -grandest or the most enchanting works of utility or imagination. The -marble quarries of Paros and Pentelicus were by such encouragements -transformed into the noblest temples and most exquisitely beautiful -statues of deities, heroes, and men, that it is possible to conceive. -Such was the case throughout all the cities on the coast of the Ægean -sea and of the Cyclades. Their arts increased their commerce; this was -the source of their wealth; and fully aware of these advantages, their -wealth reacted again on their arts, and thus there was kept alive that -healthful movement of the whole popular mind, directed to the useful and -elegant purposes of life. - -“Let us come down to much later times, and to states far less remote, -and ask what it was that gave such wealth and consequence to Venice, -Genoa, Holland, and Flanders, to Pisa, Florence, and Lucca, not one of -which states possessed much extent of territory, nor any large amount -of population? The answer is, ‘their commercial enterprise and industry -did it for them.’ True; but it is equally remarkable, that in all these -states and cities the fine arts gave their powerful aid to those -pursuits, as the splendid manufactures of these people testify. And -where have the arts been fostered with more parental solicitude, or in -what region have they shed more glory upon mankind, than they have done -in these comparatively small territories? But it was the same principle -that produced such splendid works in Greece: the cause and effect were -precisely the same, the mode only was changed. But the principles are -universal and eternal, and they may be brought to operate in other -countries, to the fullest extent, and with as much grandeur, grace, and -beauty, as they ever did attain, even in their most prosperous periods, -under the guidance of Pericles, when they reached the highest splendor -of Chryselephantine art, under the master minds of Phidias and -Praxiteles, Callicrates and Ictinus, and at a later period displayed the -equally resplendent genius of Apelles, Zeuxis, and Parrhasius, in the -time of Alexander--those splendid epochs of painting, sculpture, and -architecture, which shed an imperishable lustre upon the most -enlightened states of the Hellenodic confederacy, and on the throne of -the greatest conqueror of ancient times. We must not omit mentioning -their palmy state in the Augustan age of Rome, and their still more -glorious elevation there during the memorable _cinque cento_. - -“But to reach these proud eminences of intellectual grandeur and -extensive usefulness, the arts must be solicited, ample protection must -be afforded to them; similar inducements to those which produced these -great results must not only be offered, but substantially and -permanently provided for their use. This garden of the human intellect -must be regularly and assiduously cultivated with great care, and kept -clear of the noxious weeds that would deform its beauties. Under genial -treatment, all its charms develop themselves, and an endless variety of -interesting and charming creations are called into existence, -illustrating the high principles of religion, the noblest traits of -moral and heroic conduct, and the sweetest dreams of the poetic muse: -but the turmoils of war and high political contention are to them most -injurious, blasting their fairest bloom, as the poisonous simoon of the -desert withers the gardens of Palestine; and to these two causes, and -these only, aided by anti-English prejudice, can we attribute the very -slow advances which the arts had made among the natives of Britain until -the auspicious period of which we are now treating”--time of George -III.--_Taylor’s History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain_, vol. ii, p. -150. - - - - -ANTIQUITY OF THE FINE ARTS. - - -Homer, who flourished about B. C. 900, gives a striking proof of the -antiquity of the fine arts, in his description of that admirable piece -of chased and inlaid work--the shield of Achilles. Its rich design -could not have been imagined, unless the arts necessary to produce it -had arrived to a high degree of perfection in his country at the time he -wrote, though we may doubt whether, at the period of the Trojan war, -three hundred years before Homer, there existed artificers capable of -executing it. - -Within a century after the taking of Troy, the Greeks had founded many -new colonies in Asia Minor, and the Heraclidæ finally regained their -ancient seats in the Peloponnesus. It is worthy of remark that about -that period, David built his house of cedars, and Solomon adorned -Jerusalem with her magnificent first temple, and that Hiram, king of -Tyre, sent to Solomon “a cunning man, endued with understanding,” to -assist him in the building of the temple, but more especially to -superintend the execution of the ornaments. (1st Kings, vii, 13, and 2d -Chron., ii, 14.) - - - - -THE PŒCILE AT ATHENS. - - -The stoa or celebrated Portico at Athens, called the Pœcile on account -of its paintings, was the pride of the Athenians. Polygnotus, Mycon, and -Pantænus adorned it with pictures of gods, heroes, benefactors, and the -most memorable acts of the Athenians, as the incidents of the siege and -sacking of Troy, the battle of Theseus against the Amazons, the battle -between the Athenians and Lacedæmonians at Œnoe in Argolis, the battle -of Marathon, and other memorable actions. The most celebrated of these -were a series of the Siege of Troy, and the Battle of Marathon by -Polygnotus, more especially the latter, which eclipsed all the others, -and gained the painter so much reputation that the Athenians offered him -any sum he should ask, and when he refused all compensation, the -Amphictyonic council decreed that wherever he might travel in Greece, he -should be received with public honors, and provided for at the public -expense. - -According to Pausanias, Polygnotus represented the hero Marathon, after -whom the plain was named, in the act of receiving Minerva, the patroness -of Athens, accompanied by Hercules, about to be joined by Theseus, whose -shade is seen rising out of the earth--thus claiming Attica as his -native soil. In the foreground, the Greeks and Persians are combating -with equal valor, but in extending the view to the middle of the -composition, the barbarians were seen routed and flying to the Phœnician -ships, which were visible in the distance, and to the marshes, while the -Greeks were in hot pursuit, slaying their foes in their flight. The -principal commanders of both parties were distinguished, particularly -Mardonius, the Persian general, the insertion of whose portrait -gratified the Athenians little less than that of their own commander, -Miltiades, along with whom were Callimachus, Echetlus, and the poet -Æschylus, who was in the battle that day. It is evident that the painter -did not strictly follow history, but treated his subject in a grand -poetic and heroic style, and that too, we may rest assured, with -consummate skill, to have elicited such applause from a people too -refined to be deceived by any meretricious trickery of art. - - - - -MOSAICS. - - -Mosaics are ornamented works, made in ancient times, of cubes of -variously colored stones, and in modern, more frequently of glass of -different colors. The art originated in the East, and seems first to -have been introduced among the Romans in the time of Sylla. It was an -ornament in great request by the luxurious Romans, especially in the -time of the Emperors, for the decoration of every species of edifice, -and to this day they continue to discover, in the ruins of the Imperial -Baths, and elsewhere, many magnificent specimens in the finest -preservation. In Pompeii, mosaic floors and pavements may be said to -have been universal among the wealthy. - -In modern times, great attention has been bestowed to revive and improve -the art, with a view to perpetuate the works of the great masters. In -this way, Guercino’s Martyrdom of St. Petronilla, and Domenichino’s -Communion of the dying St. Jerome, in St. Peter’s Church, which were -falling into decay, have been rendered eternal. Also, the -Transfiguration of Raffaelle, and other great works. Pope Clement VIII. -had the whole interior dome of St. Peter’s ornamented with this work. A -grand Mosaic, covering the whole side of a wall, representing, as some -suppose, the Battle of Platea; as others, with more probability, one of -the Victories of Alexander, was discovered in Pompeii. This work, now in -the Academy of Naples, is the admiration of connoisseurs and the -learned, not only from its antiquity, but from the beauty of its -execution. The most probable supposition is, that it is a copy of the -celebrated Victory of Arbela, by Philoxenes. - -Vasari says that the art of Mosaic work had been brought to such -perfection at Venice in the time of the Bianchini, famous mosaic -painters of the 16th century, that “it would not be possible to effect -more with colors.” Lanzi observes that “the church and portico of St. -Mark remain an invaluable museum of this kind of work; where, commencing -with the 11th century, we may trace the gradual progress of design -belonging to each age, up to the present, as exhibited in many works in -mosaic, beginning from the Greeks, and continued by the Italians. They -consist chiefly of histories from the Old and New Testaments, and at the -same time, furnish very interesting notices of civic and ecclesiastical -history.” There are a multitude of mosaic pictures in the churches, -galleries, and public edifices of Italy, especially at Venice, Rome, -Florence, Milan; and some of the greatest artists were employed to -furnish the designs. In delicate ornamental work, the pieces are -multiplied by sawing into thin slabs. Some specimens made of precious -stones, are of incredible value. - -In working, the different pieces are cemented together, and when dry the -surface is highly polished, which brings out the colors in great -brilliancy. The ancients usually employed different colored marbles, -stones, and shells; the Italians formerly employed brilliant stones, as -agate, jaspar, onyx, cornelian, &c., but now they employ glass -exclusively. - - - - -THE OLYMPIAN JUPITER. - - -The Greek masters in sculpture have been happily designated as -“Magicians in Marble.” The taste which the Grecian people possessed for -the beautiful, is well known. It stands among the chief of those -characteristics by which they designated persons of great eminence. -Their artists considered beauty as the first object of their studies; -and by this means they surpassed all other nations, and have become -models for all ages. - -Of Phidias, the most celebrated sculptor of Greece, the Athenians spoke -with rapture which knew no bounds. Lucian says, “We adore Phidias in his -works, and he partakes of the incense we offer to the gods he has made.” -Pausanias relates, that when this artist had finished his magnificent -statue of the Olympian Jupiter, Jupiter himself applauded his labors; -for when Phidias urged the god to show by some sign if the work was -agreeable to him, the pavement of the Temple was immediately struck -with lightning. Such incidents though fabulous, are valuable, inasmuch -as they serve to prove the exalted notions the people entertained of the -objects to which they relate. - - - - -PAINTING FROM NATURE. - - -Eupompus, the painter, was asked by Lysippus, the sculptor, whom, among -his predecessors, he should make the objects of his imitation? “Behold,” -said the painter, showing his friend a multitude of people passing by, -“behold my models. From nature, not from art, by whomsoever wrought, -must the artist labor, who hopes to attain honor, and extend the -boundaries of his art.” - - - - -APELLES. - - -Apelles, according to the general testimony of ancient writers, was the -most renowned painter of antiquity; hence painting is termed, by some of -the Romans, the Apellean art. He flourished in the last half of the -fourth century before Christ. Pliny affirms that he contributed more -towards perfecting the art than all other painters. He seems to have -claimed the palm in elegance and grace, or beauty, the _charis_ of the -Greeks, and the _venustas_ of the Romans; a quality for which, among the -moderns, perhaps Correggio is the most distinguished; but in the works -of Apelles, it was unquestionably connected with a proportionably -perfect design; a combination not found among the moderns. Pliny -remarks that Apelles allowed that he was equalled by Protogenes in all -respects save one, namely, in knowing when to take his hand from the -picture. From this we may infer that the deficiency in grace which he -remarked in the works of Protogenes, was owing to the excessive finish -for which that painter was celebrated. Lucian speaks of Apelles as one -of the best colorists among the ancient painters. - -Apelles was famed for his industry; he is said never to have allowed a -day to pass without exercising his pencil. “_Nulla dies sine linea_,” is -a saying that arose from one of his maxims. His principal works appear -to have been generally single figures, and rarely of more than a single -group. The only large compositions of his execution that are mentioned -by the ancient writers are, Diana surrounded by her Nymphs, in which he -was allowed to have surpassed the lines of Homer from which he took the -subject; and the Procession of the High Priest of Diana at Ephesus. - -In portraits, Apelles was unrivalled. He is said to have enjoyed the -exclusive privilege of painting Philip and Alexander the Great, both of -whom he painted many times. In one of his portraits of Alexander, which -was preserved in the temple of Diana at Ephesus, he represented him -wielding the thunderbolts of Jupiter: Pliny says the hand and lightning -appeared to start from the picture; and, judging from an observation in -Plutarch, the figure of the king was lighted solely by the radiance of -the lightning. Apelles received for this picture, termed the Alexander -Ceraunophorus, twenty talents of gold (about $20,000). The criticism of -Lysippus, upon this picture, which has been approved by ancients and -moderns, that a lance, as he had himself given the king, would have been -a more appropriate weapon in the hands of Alexander, than the lightnings -of Jupiter; is the criticism of a sculptor who overlooked the pictorial -value of the color, and of light and shade. The lightning would -certainly have had little effect in a work of sculpture, but had a lance -been substituted in its place in the picture of Apelles, a totally -different production would have been the result. This picture gave rise -to a saying, that there were two Alexanders, the one of Philip, the -invincible, the other of Apelles, the inimitable. - -Competent judges, says Pliny, decided the portrait of Antigonus (king of -Asia Minor) on horseback, the master-piece of Apelles. He excelled -greatly in painting horses, which he frequently introduced into his -pictures. The most celebrated of all his works was the Venus Anadyomene, -which was painted for the people of Coös, and was placed in the temple -of Æsculapius on that island, where it remained until it was removed by -Augustus, who took it in lieu of 100 talents tribute, and dedicated it -in the temple of Julius Cæsar. It was unfortunately damaged on the -voyage, and was in such a decayed state in the time of Nero, that the -Emperor replaced it with a copy by a painter named Dorotheus. This -happened about 350 years after it was executed, and what then became of -it is not known. This celebrated painting, upon which every writer who -has noticed it has bestowed unqualified praise, represented Venus naked, -rising out of the ocean, squeezing the water from her hair with her -fingers, while her only veil was the silver shower that fell from her -shining locks. This picture is said to have been painted from Campaspe, -a beautiful slave of Apelles, formerly the favorite of Alexander. The -king had ordered Apelles to paint her naked portrait, and perceiving -that the painter was smitten with the charms of his beautiful model, he -gave her to him, contenting himself with the painting. He commenced a -second Venus for the people of Coös, which, according to Pliny, would -have surpassed the first, had not its completion been interrupted by the -death of the painter: the only parts finished were the head and bust. -Two portraits of Alexander painted by Apelles, were dedicated by -Augustus, in the most conspicuous part of the forum bearing his name; in -one was Alexander, with Castor and Pollux, and a figure of Victory; in -the other was Alexander in a triumphal car, accompanied by a figure of -War, with her hands pinioned behind her. The Emperor Claudius took out -the heads of Alexander, and substituted those of Augustus. The following -portraits are also mentioned among the most famous works of this great -artist: Clitus preparing for Battle; Antigonus in armor, walking by the -side of his Horse; and Archelaus the General, with his wife and -daughter. Pausanias mentions a draped figure of one of the Graces by -him, which he saw in the Odeon at Smyrna. A famous back view of a -Hercules, in the temple of Antonius at Rome, was said to have been by -Apelles. He painted many other famous works: Pliny mentions a naked -figure by him, which he says challenged Nature herself. The same author -says he covered his pictures with a dark transparent liquid or varnish, -which had the effect of harmonising the colors, and also of preserving -the work from injury. - -Pliny says Apelles was the first artist who painted tetrachromes, or -paintings executed with four colors, viz.; lamp black, white chalk, -ruddle, and yellow ochre; yet, in describing his Venus Anadyomene, he -says she was rising from the green or azure ocean under a bright blue -sky. Zeuxis painted grapes so naturally as to deceive the birds. Where -got he his green and purple? There has been a great deal of useless -disquisition about the merits of ancient painters, and the materials -they employed. When we take into consideration their thorough system of -education; that the sister arts had been brought to such perfection as -to render them the models of all succeeding times; that these painters -enjoyed the highest honors and admiration of their polished countrymen, -who, it must be admitted, were competent to judge of the merits of -their works; that the Romans prized and praised them as much as the -Greeks themselves; that there were in Rome in the time of Pliny many -ancient paintings 600 years old, still retaining all their original -freshness and beauty, it can scarcely be doubted that the paintings of -the great Greek artists equaled the best of the moderns; that they -possessed all the requisite colors and materials; and, if they did not -possess all those now known, they had others unknown to us. It is -certain that they employed canvass for paintings of a temporary -character, as decorations; and that they treated every subject, both -such as required those colors suitable to represent the solemnity and -dignity of the gods, as well as others of the most delicate tints, with -which to depict flowers; for the Venus of Apelles, and the Flower-Girl -of Pausias must have glowed with Titian tints to have attracted such -admiration. Colonel Leake, in his Topography of Athens, speaking of the -temple of Theseus, says that the stucco still bears the marks or stains -of the ancient paintings, in which he distinctly recognized the blue -sky, vestiges of bronze and gold colored armor, and blue, green, and red -draperies. What then becomes of the tetrachromes of Apelles, and the -monochromes of previous artists? for Mycon painted the Theseum near 200 -years before the time of Apelles. - - - - -APELLES AND THE COBBLER. - - -It was customary with Apelles to expose to public view the works which -he had finished, and to hide himself behind the canvass, in order to -hear the remarks made by spectators. He once overheard himself blamed by -a shoemaker for a fault in the slippers of some figure; having too much -good sense to be offended with any objection, however trifling, which -came from a competent judge, he corrected the fault which the man had -noticed. On the following day, however, the shoemaker began to -animadvert upon the leg; on which Apelles, with some anger, looked out -from the canvass, and reproved him in these words, which are also become -a proverb, “_ne sutor ultra crepidam_”--“let the cobbler keep to his -last,” or “every man to his trade.” - - - - -APELLES’ FOAMING CHARGER. - - -In finishing a drawing of a horse, in the portraiture of which he much -excelled, a very remarkable circumstance is related of him. He had -painted a war horse returning from battle, and had succeeded to his -wishes in describing nearly every mark that could indicate a -high-mettled steed impatient of restraint; there was wanting nothing but -a foam of bloody hue issuing from the mouth. He again and again -endeavored to express this, but his attempts were unsuccessful. At last -in vexation, he threw against the mouth of the horse a sponge filled -with different colors, which produced the very effect desired by the -painter. A similar story is related of Protogenes, in painting his -picture of Jalysus and his Dog. - - - - -APELLES AND ALEXANDER. - - -Apelles was held in great esteem by Alexander the Great, and was -admitted into the most intimate familiarity with him. He executed a -portrait of this prince in the character of a thundering Jove; a piece -which was finished with such skill and dexterity, that it used to be -said there were “two Alexanders, the one invincible, the son of Philip, -and the other inimitable, the production of Apelles.” Alexander appears -to have been a patron of the fine arts more from vanity than taste; and -it is related, as an instance of those freedoms which Apelles was -permitted to use with him, that when on one occasion he was talking in -this artist’s painting room very ignorantly of the art of painting, -Apelles requested him to be silent lest the boys who ground his colors -should laugh at him. On another occasion, when he had painted a picture -of his famous war-horse, Alexander did not seem to appreciate its -excellence; but Bucephalus, on seeing his own portrait, began to prance -and neigh, when the painter observed that the horse was a better judge -of painting than his master. - - - - -APELLES AND PROTOGENES. - - -Apelles, being highly delighted with a picture of Jalysus, painted by -Protogenes of Rhodes, sailed thither to pay him a visit. Protogenes was -gone from home, but an old woman was left watching a large piece of -canvass which was fitted in a frame for painting. She told Apelles that -Protogenes was gone out, and asked him his name, that she might inform -her master who had inquired for him. “Tell him,” said Apelles, “he was -inquired for by this person,” at the same time taking up a pencil, and -drawing on the canvass a line of great delicacy. When Protogenes -returned, the old woman acquainted him with what had happened. The -artist, upon contemplating the fine stroke of the pencil, immediately -proclaimed that Apelles must have been there, for so finished a work -could be produced by no other person. Protogenes, however, drew a finer -line of another color; and as he was going away ordered the old woman to -show that line to Apelles if he came again, and to say, “This is the -person for whom you were inquiring.” When Apelles returned and saw the -line, he resolved not to be overcome, and in a color different from -either of the former, he drew some lines so exquisitely delicate, that -it was impossible for finer strokes to be made. Having done so, he -departed. Protogenes now confessed the superiority of Apelles; flew to -the harbor in search of him; and resolved to leave the canvass as it -was, with the lines on it, for the astonishment of future artists. It -was in after years taken to Rome, and was there seen by Pliny, who -speaks of it as having the appearance of a large black surface, the -extreme delicacy of the lines rendering them invisible, except on close -inspection. They were drawn with different colors, the one upon or -rather within, the other. This picture (continues Pliny), was handed -down, a wonder for posterity, but especially for artists; and, -notwithstanding it contained only those three scarcely visible lines -(_tres lineas_), still it was the most noble work in the Gallery, though -surrounded by many finished paintings by renowned masters. - -This celebrated contest of lines between Apelles and Protogenes, is a -subject which has greatly perplexed painters and critics; and in fact, -Carducci asserts that Michael Angelo and other great artists treated the -idea with contempt. The picture was preserved in the gallery of the -Imperial palace on the Palatine, and was destroyed by the first fire -that consumed that palace, in the time of Augustus; therefore it could -not have been seen by Pliny, and the account must have been related by -him from some other work. In regard to its vagueness, one of the -principal causes, undoubtedly, is a mutilation of the text; but the -whole thing is told with obscurity. Suffice it to say, that in the -opinion of Professor Tölken of Berlin, and the best modern critics, this -wonderful piece could not have contained only _three simple lines_, as -stated by Pliny, else how could it have been termed “the most noble work -in the gallery, and the wonder of posterity.” - -At the time this occurrence took place, Protogenes lived in a state of -poverty and neglect; but the generous notice of Apelles soon caused him -to be valued as he deserved by the Rhodians. Apelles acknowledged that -Protogenes was even in some respects his superior; the chief fault he -found with him was, that “he did not know when to take his hand from his -work;” a phrase which has become proverbial among artists. He -volunteered to purchase all the works he had by him, at any price he -should name, and when Protogenes estimated them far below their real -value, he offered him fifty talents, and spread the report that he -intended to sell them as his own. He thus opened the eyes of the -Rhodians to the merit of their painter, and they accordingly secured his -works at a still higher price. - -In Protogenes, the able rival of Apelles, the arts received one of the -highest tokens of regard they were ever favored with; for when Demetrius -Poliorcetes was besieging the city of Rhodes, and might have taken it by -assaulting it on the side where Protogenes resided, he forbore, lest he -should do an injury to his works; and when the Rhodians delivered the -place to him, requesting him to spare the pictures of this admired -artist, he replied, “that he would sooner destroy the images of his -forefathers, than the productions of Protogenes.” - - - - -ANECDOTES OF BENJAMIN WEST. - -HIS ANCESTRY. - - -Cunningham says, “John West, the father of Benjamin, was of that family -settled at Long-Crendon, in Buckinghamshire, which produced Colonel -James West, the friend and companion in arms of John Hampden. Upon one -occasion, in the course of a conversation in Buckingham palace, -respecting his picture of the Institution of the Garter, West happened -to make some allusion to his English descent, when the Marquis of -Buckingham, to the manifest pleasure of the king, declared that the -Wests of Long-Crendon were undoubted descendants of the Lord Delaware, -renowned in the wars of Edward the Third and the Black Prince, and that -the artist’s likeness had therefore a right to a place amongst those of -the nobles and warriors, in his historical picture.” - - - - -WEST’S BIRTH. - - -Galt says Benjamin’s birth was brought on prematurely by a vehement -sermon, preached in the fields, by Edward Peckover, on the corrupt state -of the Old World, which he prophesied was about to be visited with the -tempest of God’s judgments, the wicked to be swallowed up, and the -terrified remnant compelled to seek refuge in happy America. Mrs. West -was so affected that she swooned away, was carried home severely ill, -and the pains of labor came upon her; she was, however, safely -delivered, and the preacher consoled the parents by predicting that “a -child sent into the world under such remarkable circumstances, would -assuredly prove a wonderful man,” and admonished them to watch over -their son with more than ordinary care. - - - - -HIS FIRST REMARKABLE FEAT. - - -The first remarkable incident recorded of the infant prodigy, occurred -in his seventh year; when, being placed to watch the sleeping infant of -his eldest sister, he drew a sort of likeness of the child, with a pen, -in red and black ink. His mother returned, and snatching the paper which -he sought to conceal, exclaimed to her daughter, “I declare, he has made -a likeness of little Sally!” She took him in her arms, and kissed him -fondly. This feat appeared so wonderful in the eyes of his parents that -they recalled to mind the prediction of Peckover. - - - - -LITTLE BENJAMIN AND THE INDIANS. - - -When he was about eight years old, a party of Indians, who were always -kindly treated by the followers of George Fox, paid their summer visit -to Springfield, and struck with the rude sketches which the boy had made -of birds, fruit, and flowers, they taught him to prepare the red and -yellow colors with which they stained their weapons and ornamented their -skins; his mother added indigo, and thus he was possessed of three -primary colors. The Indians also instructed him in archery. - - -HIS CAT’S TAIL PENCILS. - -The wants of the child increased with his knowledge; he could draw, and -had colors, but how to lay them on skillfully, he could not conceive; a -pen would not answer, and he tried feathers with no better success; a -neighbor informed him that it was done with a camel’s hair pencil, but -as such a thing was not to be had, he bethought himself of the cat, and -supplied himself from her back and tail. The cat was a favorite, and the -altered condition of her fur was attributed to disease, till the boy’s -confession explained the cause, much to the amusement of his parents and -friends. His cat’s tail pencils enabled him to make more satisfactory -efforts than he had before done. - - - - -WEST’S FIRST PICTURE. - - -When he was only eight years old, a merchant of Philadelphia, named -Pennington, and a cousin of the Wests, was so much pleased with the -sketches of little Benjamin, that he sent him a box of paints and -pencils, with canvass prepared for the easel, and six engravings by -Gribelin. The child was perfectly enraptured with his treasure; he -carried the box about in his arms, and took it to his bedside, but could -not sleep. He rose with the dawn, carried his canvass and colors to the -garret, hung up the engravings, prepared a palette, and commenced work. -So completely was he under this species of enchantment, that he absented -himself from school, labored secretly and incessantly, and without -interruption, for several days, when the anxious inquiries of his -schoolmaster introduced his mother into his _studio_, with no pleasure -in her looks. He had avoided copyism, and made a picture, composed from -two of the engravings, telling a new story, and colored with a skill and -effect which, to her eyes, appeared wonderful. Galt, who wrote West’s -life, and had the story from the artist’s own lips, says, “She kissed -him with transports of affection, and assured him that she would not -only intercede with his father to pardon him for having absented himself -from school, but would go herself to the master, and beg that he might -not be punished. Sixty-seven years afterwards the writer of these -memoirs had the gratification to see this piece, in the same room with -the sublime painting of Christ Rejected (West’s brother had sent it to -him from Springfield), on which occasion the painter declared to him -that there were inventive touches of art in his first and juvenile -essay, which, with all his subsequent knowledge and experience, he had -not been able to surpass.” A similar story is told of Canova, who -visited his native place towards the close of his brilliant career, and -looking earnestly at his youthful performances, sorrowfully said, “I -have been walking, but not climbing.” - - - - -WEST’S FIRST VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA. - - -In the ninth year of his age, he accompanied his relative Pennington to -Philadelphia, and executed a view of the banks of the river, which so -much pleased a painter named Williams, that he took him to his studio, -and showed him all his pictures, at the sight of which he was so -affected that he burst into tears. The artist, surprised, declared like -Peckover that Benjamin would be a remarkable man; he gave him two books, -Du Fresnoy, and Richardson on Painting, and invited him to call whenever -he pleased, to see his pictures. From this time, Benjamin resolved to -become a painter, and returned home with the love of painting too firmly -implanted to be eradicated. His parents, also, though the art was not -approved by the Friends, now openly encouraged him, being strongly -impressed with the opinion that he was _predestinated_ to become a great -artist. - - - - -WEST’S AMBITION. - - -His notions of a painter at this time were also very grand, as the -following characteristic anecdote will show. One of his school-fellows -allured him, on a half holiday from school, to take a ride with him to a -neighboring plantation. “Here is the horse, bridled and saddled,” said -the boy, “so come, get up behind me.” “Behind you!” said Benjamin; “I -will ride behind nobody.” “Oh, very well,” replied the other; “I will -ride behind you, so mount.” He mounted accordingly, and away they rode. -“This is the last ride I shall have for some time,” said his companion; -“to-morrow I am to be apprenticed to a tailor.” “A tailor!” exclaimed -West; “you will surely never be a tailor?” “Indeed but I shall,” replied -the other; “it is a good trade. What do you intend to be, Benjamin?” “A -painter.” “A painter! what sort of a trade is a painter? I never heard -of it before.” “A painter,” said West, “is the companion of kings and -emperors.” “You are surely mad,” said the embryo tailor; “there are -neither kings nor emperors in America.” “Aye, but there are plenty in -other parts of the world. And do you really intend to be a tailor?” -“Indeed I do; there is nothing surer.” “Then you may ride alone,” said -the future companion of kings and emperors, leaping down; “I will not -ride with one who is willing to be a tailor!” - - - - -WEST’S FIRST PATRONS. - - -West’s first patron was Mr. Wayne, the father of General Anthony Wayne, -who gave him a dollar a piece for two small pictures he made on poplar -boards which a carpenter had given him. Another patron was Mr. Flower, a -justice of Chester, who took young West to his house for a short time, -where he was made acquainted with a young English lady, governess to Mr. -Flower’s daughters, who had a good knowledge of art, and told him -stories of Greek and Roman history, fit for a painter’s pencil. He had -never before heard of the heroes, philosophers, poets, painters, and -historians of Greece and Rome, and he listened while the lady spoke of -them, with an enthusiasm which he loved to live over again in his old -age. His first painting which attracted much notice was a portrait of -Mrs. Ross, a very beautiful lady, the wife of a lawyer of Lancaster. -The picture was regarded as a wonderful performance, and gained him so -much reputation, says Galt, “that the citizens came in such crowds to -sit to the boy for portraits, that he had some trouble in meeting the -demand.” At the same time, a gunsmith, named Henry, who had a classic -turn, commissioned him to paint a picture of the Death of Socrates. West -forthwith made a sketch which his employer thought excellent, but he now -began to see his difficulties, and feel his deficiencies. “I have -hitherto painted faces,” said he, “and people clothed. What am I to do -with the slave who presents the poison? He ought, I think, to be painted -naked.” Henry went to his shop, and returned with one of his workmen, a -handsome young negro man half naked, saying, “There is your model.” He -accordingly introduced him into his picture, which excited great -attention. - - - - -WEST’S EDUCATION. - - -West was now fifteen years old. Dr. Smith, Provost of the College at -Philadelphia, happened to see him at Lancaster, and perceiving his -wonderful talents, and that his education was being neglected, -generously proposed to his father to take him with him to Philadelphia, -where he proposed to direct his studies, and to instruct him in all the -learning most important for a painter to know. - - - - -WEST’S DEDICATION TO ART. - - -The art of painting being regarded by the Quakers as not only useless -but pernicious, “in preserving voluptuous images, and adding to the -sensual gratifications of man,” Mr. West determined to submit the matter -to the wisdom of the Society, before giving a positive answer. He -accordingly sent for his son to attend the solemn assembly. The Friends -met, and the spirit of speech first descended on John Williamson, who, -according to Galt, thus spake: “To John West and Sarah Pearson, a -man-child hath been born, on whom God hath conferred some remarkable -gifts of mind; and you have all heard that, by something amounting to -inspiration, the youth has been induced to study the art of painting. It -is true that our tenets refuse to own the utility of that art to -mankind, but it seemeth to me that we have considered the matter too -nicely. God hath bestowed on this youth a genius for art--shall we -question his wisdom? Can we believe that he gives such rare gifts but -for a wise and good purpose? I see the Divine hand in this; we shall do -well to sanction the art and encourage this youth.” The Quakers gave -their unanimous consent, and summoned the youth before them. He came, -and took his station in the middle of the room, his father on his right -hand, his mother on his left, while around him gathered the whole -assembly. One of the women first spake, but the words of Williamson, -says Galt, are alone remembered. “Painting,” said he, “has hitherto -been employed to embellish life, to preserve voluptuous images, and add -to the sensual gratifications of men. For this we classed it among vain -and merely ornamental things, and excluded it from amongst us. But this -is not the principle but the mis-employment of painting. In wise and -pure hands, it rises in the scale of moral excellence, and displays a -loftiness of sentiment, and a devout dignity, worthy of the -contemplation of Christians. I think genius is given by God for some -high purpose. What the purpose is, let us not inquire--it will be -manifest in His own good time and way. He hath in this remote wilderness -endowed with rich gifts of a superior spirit this youth, who has now our -consent to cultivate his talents for art; may it be demonstrated in his -life and works, that the gifts of God have not been bestowed in vain, -nor the motives of the beneficent inspiration, which induces us to -suspend the strict operations of our tenets, prove barren of religious -and moral effect!” At the conclusion of this address, says Galt, the -women rose and kissed the young artist, and the men, one by one, laid -their hands on his head. The scene made so strong an impression on the -mind of West, that he looked upon himself as expressly dedicated to art, -and considered this release from the strict tenets of his sect, as -enjoining on his part a covenant to employ his powers on subjects pure -and holy. The grave simplicity of the Quaker continued to the last in -his looks, manners, and deportment; and the moral rectitude and -internal purity of the man were diffused through all his productions. - - - - -WEST’S EARLY PRICES. - - -At about eighteen years of age, West commenced portrait painting as a -profession in Philadelphia. His extreme youth, the peculiar -circumstances of his history, and his undoubted merit, brought him many -sitters. His prices were very humble--$12.50 for a head, and $25 for a -full-length; all the money he thus laboriously earned, he carefully -treasured, to secure, at some future period, the means of travel and -study; for his sagacious mind perceived that travel not only influenced -public opinion, but was absolutely necessary for him if he wished to -excel, especially in historical painting. There were no galleries in -America; he knew that the masterpieces of art were in Italy, and he had -already set his heart on visiting that delightful country. He made a -copy of a picture of St. Ignatius, by Murillo, which had been captured -in a Spanish vessel, and belonged to Governor Hamilton; he also painted -a large picture for Mr. Cox, from the history of Susanna, the Elders, -and Daniel, in which he introduced no less than forty figures. This work -gained him great reputation, and West always considered it the -masterpiece of his youth; it was afterwards unfortunately destroyed by -fire. After having painted the portraits of all who desired it in -Philadelphia, he proceeded to New York, where he opened a studio, and -Dunlap says for eleven months he had all the portraits he could execute, -at double the prices he had charged in Philadelphia. An opportunity now -presented itself, which enabled him to gratify his long cherished desire -of going to Italy. The harvest had partially failed in that country, and -Mr. Allen, a merchant of Philadelphia, was loading a ship with wheat and -flour for Leghorn. He had resolved to send his son as supercargo, to -give him the benefit of travel, and West’s invaluable friend, Provost -Smith, made arrangements for the young painter to accompany the young -merchant. It happened that a New York merchant, of the name of Kelly, -was sitting for his portrait when this good news arrived, and West with -joy spoke to him of the great advantage he expected to derive from a -residence of two or three years in Italy. The portrait being finished, -Mr. Kelly paid him ten guineas, and gave him a letter to his agent in -Philadelphia, which, on being presented, proved to be an order from the -generous merchant to pay him fifty guineas, as “a present to aid in his -equipment for Italy.” - - - - -WEST’S ARRIVAL AT ROME. - - -West arrived at Rome on the 10th of July, 1760, in the 22d year of his -age. Cunningham thus describes his reception: “When it was known that a -young American had come to study Raffaelle and Michael Angelo, some -curiosity was excited among the Roman virtuosi. The first fortunate -exhibitor of this lion from the western wilderness was Lord Grantham, -the English ambassador, to whom West had letters. He invited West to -dinner, and afterwards took him to an evening party, where he found -almost all those persons to whom he had brought letters of introduction. -Among the rest was Cardinal Albani, who, though old and blind, had such -delicacy of touch that he was considered supreme in all matters of -judgment regarding medals and intaglios. ‘I have the honor,’ said Lord -Grantham, ‘to present you a young American, who has a letter for your -Eminence, and who has come to Italy for the purpose of studying the Fine -Arts.’ The Cardinal knew so little of the New World, that he conceived -an American must needs be a savage. ‘Is he black or white?’ said the -aged virtuoso, holding out both hands, that he might have the -satisfaction of touching, at least, this new wonder. Lord Grantham -smiled and said, ‘he is fair--very fair.’ ‘What! as fair as I am?’ -exclaimed the prelate. Now the complexion of the churchman was a deep -olive--that of West more than commonly fair; and as they stood together, -the company smiled. ‘As fair as the Cardinal,’ became for a while -proverbial. Others, who had the use of their eyes, seemed to consider -the young American as at most a better kind of savage, and accordingly -were curious to watch him. They wished to try what effect the Apollo, -the Venus, and the works of Raffaelle would have upon him, and thirty of -the most magnificent equipages in the capital, filled with some of the -most erudite characters in Europe, says Galt, conducted the young Quaker -to view the masterpieces of art. It was agreed that the Apollo should be -first submitted to his view; the statue was enclosed in a case, and when -the keeper threw open the doors, West unconsciously exclaimed, ‘My God! -a young Mohawk warrior!’ The Italians were surprised and mortified with -the comparison of their noblest statue to a wild savage; and West, -perceiving the unfavorable impression, proceeded to remove it. He -described the Mohawks, the natural elegance and admirable symmetry of -their persons, the elasticity of their limbs, and their motions free and -unconstrained. ‘I have seen them often,’ he continued, ‘standing in the -attitude of this Apollo, and pursuing with an intense eye the arrow -which they had just discharged from the bow.’ The Italians cleared their -moody brows, and allowed that a better criticism had rarely been made. -West was no longer a barbarian.” - - - - -WEST’S EARLY FRIENDS. - - -The excitement to which West was subjected at Rome, his intense -application, and his anxiety to distinguish himself, brought on a fever, -and for a time, interrupted his studies; by the advice of his -physicians, he returned to Leghorn, for the benefit of the sea air, -where, after a lingering sickness of eleven months, he was completely -cured. But he found his funds almost exhausted, and he began to despair -of being able to prosecute his studies according to the proposed plan. -He called on his agents, to take up the last ten pounds he had in the -world, when to his astonishment and joy, he was handed a letter of -unlimited credit from his old friends in Philadelphia, Mr. Allen and -Governor Hamilton; they had heard of his glorious reception at Rome, and -his success with the portrait of Lord Grantham. At a dinner, one day, -with Governor Hamilton, Mr Allen said, “I regard this young man as an -honor to his country, and as he is the first that America has sent out -to cultivate the Fine Arts, he shall not be frustrated in his studies, -for I shall send him whatever money he may require.” “I think with you, -sir,” replied Hamilton, “but you must not have all the honor to -yourself; allow me to unite with you in the responsibility of the -credit.” Those who befriend genius when it is struggling for -distinction, are public benefactors, and their names should be held in -grateful remembrance. The names of Hamilton, Allen, Smith, Kelly, -Jackson, Rutherford, and Lord Grantham, must be dear to all the admirers -of West; they aided him in the infancy of his fame and fortune, cheered -him when he was drooping and desponding; and watched over his person and -purse with the vigilance of true friendship. West always expressed his -deepest obligation to these generous men, and it was at his particular -request that Galt recorded their names, and their deeds. - - - - -WEST’S COURSE OF STUDY. - - -West now proceeded with redoubled alacrity, to execute the plan -recommended by Mengs. He visited Florence, Bologna, Parma, and Venice, -and diligently examined everything worth studying. He everywhere -received marks of attention, and was elected a member of the Academies -of Florence, Bologna, and Parma. In the latter city, he painted and -presented to the Academy, a copy of the famous St. Jerome by Correggio, -“of such excellence,” says Galt, “that the reigning prince desired to -see the artist. He went to court, and to the utter astonishment of the -attendants, appeared with his hat on. The prince was familiar with the -tenets of the Quakers, and was a lover of William Penn; he received the -young artist with complacency, and dismissed him with many expressions -of regard.” West returned to Rome, where he painted two pictures which -were highly commended, one of Cimon and Iphigenia, and the other of -Angelica and Medora. At Venice, he particularly studied the works of -Titian, and Cunningham says, “he imagined he had discovered his -principles of coloring.” - - - - -A REMARKABLE PROPHECY. - - -As West was conversing one evening with Gavin Hamilton in the British -Coffee House, at Rome, an old man, with a long and flowing beard and a -harp in his hand, entered and offered his services as an improvisatore -bard. “Here is an American,” said the wily Scot, “come to study the Fine -Arts in Rome; take him for your theme, and, it is a magnificent one.” -The minstrel casting a glance at West, who never in his life could -perceive what a joke was, commenced his song. “I behold in this youth an -instrument chosen by heaven to create in his native country a taste for -those arts which have elevated the nature of man--an assurance that his -land will be the refuge of science and knowledge, when in the old age of -Europe they shall have forsaken her shores. All things of heavenly -origin move westward, and Truth, and Art, have their periods of light -and darkness. Rejoice, O Rome, for thy spirit immortal and undecayed now -spreads towards a new world, where, like the soul of man in Paradise, it -will be perfected more and more.” The prediction of Peckover, the fond -expressions of his beloved mother, and his solemn dedication to art, -rushed upon West’s memory, and he burst into tears; and even in his -riper years, he was willing to consider the poor mendicant’s song as -another prophecy. - - - - -WEST’S FONDNESS FOR SKATING. - - -There are other minor matters, says Cunningham, which help a man on to -fame and fortune. West was a skillful skater, and in America had formed -an acquaintance on the ice with Colonel Howe. One day, the painter -having tied on his skates at the Serpentine, was astonishing the timid -practitioners of London with the rapidity of his motions, and the -graceful figure which he cut. Some one shouted “West! West!” It was -Colonel Howe. “I am glad to see you,” said he, “and not less so that you -came in good time to vindicate my praises of American skating.” He -called to him Lord Spencer Hamilton, and some of the Cavendishes, to -whom he introduced West as one of the Philadelphia prodigies of skating, -and requested him to show them what was called “the Salute.” He -performed this feat so much to their satisfaction that they spread the -praises of the American skater all over London. West was exceedingly -fond of this invigorating amusement, and used frequently to gratify -large crowds by cutting the Philadelphia Salute. Cunningham says, “Many -to the praise of skating, added panegyrics on his professional skill, -and not a few to vindicate their applause, followed him to his easel, -and sat for their portraits.” - - - - -WEST’S DEATH OF WOLFE. - - -A change was now to be effected in the character of British art. -Hitherto, historical painting had appeared in a masking habit; the -actions of Englishmen, says Cunningham, had all been performed, if -costume were to be believed, by Greeks and Romans. West dismissed at -once this pedantry, and restored nature and propriety in his noble work -of “the Death of Wolfe.” The multitude acknowledged its excellence at -once, on its being exhibited at the Royal Academy; but the lovers of -old art, or of the compositions called _classical_, complained of the -barbarism of boots, buttons, and blunderbusses, and cried out for naked -warriors, with bows, bucklers, and battering rams. Lord Grosvenor was so -pleased with the picture, that, disregarding the frowns of amateurs, and -the cold approbation of the Academy, he purchased it. Galt says that the -king questioned West concerning this picture, and put him on his defense -of this new heresy in art. “When it was understood,” said the artist, -“that I intended to paint the characters as they had actually appeared -on the scene, the Archbishop of York called on Reynolds, and asked his -opinion; they both came to my house to dissuade me from running so great -a risk. Reynolds began a very ingenious and elegant dissertation on the -state of the public taste in this country, and the danger which every -innovator incurred of contempt and ridicule, and concluded by urging me -earnestly to adopt the costume of antiquity, as more becoming the -greatness of my subject than the modern garb of European warriors. I -answered that the event to be commemorated happened in the year 1758, in -a region of the world unknown to the Greeks and Romans, and at a period -of time when no warriors who wore such costume existed. The subject I -have to represent is a great battle fought and won, and the same truth -which gives law to the historian, should rule the painter. If instead of -the facts of the action, I introduce fiction, how shall I be understood -by posterity? The classic dress is certainly picturesque, but by using -it, I shall lose in sentiment what I gain in external grace. I want to -mark the place, the time, and the people, and to do this, I must abide -by truth. They went away, and returned again when I had finished the -painting. Reynolds seated himself before the picture, examined it with -deep and minute attention for half an hour; then rising, said to -Drummond, ‘West has conquered; he has treated his subject as it ought to -be treated; I retract my objections. I foresee that this picture will -not only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution -in art.’ ‘I wish,’ said the king, ‘that I had known all this before, for -the objection has been the means of Lord Grosvenor’s getting the -picture; but you shall make a copy for me.’” - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO. - - -Michael Angelo was descended from the noble family of Canosa. From his -earliest infancy, he discovered a passion for drawing and sculpture. It -is said that his nurse was the wife of a poor sculptor, or as some say, -a mason. His father, Lodovico Simone Buonarotti, intended him for one of -the learned professions, and placed him in a grammar school at Florence. -Here young Angelo soon manifested the greatest fondness for drawing, and -became quite intimate with the students in painting. The decided bent -of his genius induced his parents, against their wishes, to place him at -the age of fourteen under the instruction of Domenico Ghirlandaio. He -made such rapid progress, that he soon not only surpassed all his fellow -disciples, but even his instructor, so that he was able to correct -Domenico’s drawing. - -While pursuing his studies under Ghirlandaio, he was accustomed to visit -the gardens of the Grand Duke, (Lorenzo the Magnificent) to study the -antique. One day, when he was about fifteen years of age, he found a -piece of marble in the garden, and carved it into the mask of a satyr, -borrowing the design from an antique fragment. Lorenzo, on seeing the -work, was struck with its excellence, and jestingly told the young -Angelo that he had made a mistake in giving a full set of teeth to an -old man. This hint was not lost; the next day it was found that the -artist had broken one of the teeth from the upper jaw, and drilled a -hole in the gum to represent the cavity left by the lost tooth. The -first work executed by Michael Angelo, on his return to Florence from -Bologna, where he had fled on account of the disturbances in the former -city, was a Sleeping Cupid, in marble, which considerably enhanced his -reputation; but so great was the prejudice in favor of the antique, that -by the advice of a friend, Michael Angelo sent his statue to Rome, to -undergo the process of burial, in order to give it the appearance of a -work of ancient art, before it should be submitted to public inspection. -This fraud, like many of a similar kind at this time practiced, -succeeded completely; and the Cupid was eagerly purchased by the -Cardinal St. Giorgio, for 200 ducats. It was not long before the -Cardinal was told that a trick had been played upon him, and he sent a -person to Florence, in order to ascertain, if possible the truth of the -charge. The latter repaired to the studios of the different artists in -that city, on the pretence of seeing their productions. On visiting the -_atelier_ of Michael Angelo, he requested to see a specimen of his work; -but not having anything finished at the time, he carelessly took up a -pen, and made a sketch of a hand. The Cardinal’s messenger, struck by -the freedom and grandeur of the style, inquired what was the last work -he had executed. The artist, without consideration, answered at the -moment, it was a Sleeping Cupid; and so minutely described the supposed -antique statue, that there remained no doubt whose work it was. The -messenger at once confessed the object of his journey, and so strongly -recommended Michael Angelo to visit Rome, that he soon after went to -that city, on the express invitation of the Cardinal St. Giorgio -himself. Here he executed several admirable works, among which the -Pietá, or dead Christ, has been highly extolled for the great knowledge -of anatomy displayed in the figure. He afterwards returned to Florence, -where he executed his celebrated marble statue of David. - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO AND JULIUS THE SECOND. - - -Julius the Second, a patron of genius and learning, having ascended the -papal throne, Michael Angelo was among the first invited to Rome, and -was immediately employed by the pope in the execution of a magnificent -mausoleum. On the completion of the design, it was difficult to find a -site befitting its splendor; and it was finally determined to rebuild -St. Peter’s, in order that this monument might be contained in a -building of corresponding magnificence. Thus originated the design of -that edifice, which was one hundred and fifty years in completion, and -which is now the noblest triumph of architectural genius the world can -boast. The completion of this grand monument was delayed by various -causes during the pontificates of several succeeding popes, until the -time of Paul III. It was not placed in St. Peter’s, as originally -intended, but in the church of S. Pietro, in Vincoli. On this monument -is the celebrated colossal statue of Moses, which ranks Michael Angelo -among the first sculptors, and has contributed largely to his renown. - - - - -ST. PETER’S CHURCH. - - -Michael Angelo’s greatest architectural work was the cupola of St. -Peter’s church. Bramante, the original architect, had executed his -design only up to the springing of the four great arches of the central -intersection. Giuliano di Sangallo, Giocondo, Raffaelle, Peruzzi, and -Antonio Sangallo, had been successively engaged, after Bramante’s -decease, to carry on the work; but during the inert sway of Adrian VI., -and amid the catastrophes of Clement VII., little had been accomplished. -At length Paul III. appointed Michael Angelo to the post of architect, -much against his will, as he was then seventy-two years of age. He -immediately laid aside all the drawings and models of his predecessors, -and taking the simple subject of the original idea, he carried it out -with remarkable purity, divesting it of all the intricacies and -puerilities of the previous successors of Bramante, and by its -unaffected dignity, and unity of conception, he rendered the interior of -the cupola superior to any similar work of modern times. He was engaged -upon it seventeen years, and at the age of eighty-seven he had a model -prepared of the dome, which he carried up to a considerable height; in -fact, to such a point as rendered it impossible to deviate from his -plan; and it was completed in conformity with his design, by Giacomo -della Porta, and Domenico Fontana. The work was greatly delayed in -consequence of the want of necessary funds, or else Michael Angelo would -have himself completed this great monument of his taste and skill. If we -are indebted to Bramante for the first simple plan of the Greek Cross of -St. Peter’s, and the idea of a cupola to crown the centre, still it must -be allowed that to Michael Angelo is due the merit of carrying out the -conception of the original architect, with a beauty of proportion, a -simplicity and unity of form, a combination of dignity and magnificence -of decoration, beyond what even the powers of Bramante could have -effected. - -Such was the unparalleled eminence which this wonderful genius attained -in the three sister arts of sculpture, architecture, and painting. His -chief characteristics were grandeur and sublimity. His powers were -little adapted to represent the gentle and the beautiful; but whatever -in nature partook of the sublime and the terrible, were portrayed by him -with such fidelity and grandeur as intimidates the beholder. Never -before nor since has the world beheld so powerful a genius. The name of -Michael Angelo will be immortal as long as the peopled walls of the -Sistine chapel endure, or the mighty fabric of St. Peter’s rears its -proud dome above the spires of the Eternal city. - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO’S FIRST PATRON. - - -Lanzi says that Lorenzo the Magnificent, desirous of encouraging the -statuary art, then on the decline in his country, had collected in his -gardens many antique marbles, which he committed to the care of -Bertoldo. He requested Ghirlandaio to send him a talented young man, to -be educated there, and he sent him Michael Angelo, then a youth of -sixteen. Lorenzo was so pleased with his genius that he took him into -his palace, rather as a relative than a dependent, placing him at the -same table with his own sons, with Poliziano and other learned men who -graced his residence. During the four years that he remained there, he -laid the foundation of all his acquirements. - - - - -THE CARTOON OF PISA. - - -According to Condivi, Michael Angelo devoted twelve years to the study -of anatomy, with great injury to his health, and this course “determined -his style, his practice, and his glory.” His perfect knowledge of the -human body was best shown in his famous Cartoon of the Battle of Pisa, -prepared in competition with Leonardo da Vinci, in the saloon of the -public palace at Florence. Angelo did not rest satisfied with -representing the Florentines, cased in armor, and mingling with their -enemies in deadly combat; but choosing the moment of the attack upon the -van, while bathing in the river Arno, he seized the opportunity of -representing many naked figures, as they rushed to arms from the water, -by which he was enabled to introduce a prodigious variety of -foreshortenings, and attitudes the most energetic--in a word, the -highest perfection of his peculiar excellence. Cellini observes of this -work, that “when Michael Angelo painted in the chapel of Julius II., he -did not reach half that dignity;” and Vasari says that “all the artists -who studied and designed after this cartoon, became eminent.” - -This sublime production has perished, and report, though not -authenticated, accuses Baccio Bandinelli of having destroyed it, either -that others might not derive advantage from its study, or, because of -his partiality to Vinci and his hatred to Buonarotti he wished to remove -a subject of comparison that might exalt the reputation of the latter -above that of the former. - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO’S LAST JUDGMENT. - - -Lanzi says, “In the succeeding pontificates (to that of Julius II.) -Michael Angelo, always occupied in sculpture and architecture, almost -wholly abandoned painting, till he was induced by Paul III. to resume -the pencil. Clement VII. had conceived the design of employing him in -the Sistine chapel, on two other grand historical pictures--the Fall of -the Angels, over the gate; and the Last Judgment, in the opposite -façade, over the altar. Michael Angelo had composed designs for the Last -Judgment, and Paul III. being aware of this, commanded, or rather -entreated, him to commence the work; for he went to his house, -accompanied by ten Cardinals,--an honor, except in this instance, -unknown in the annals of the art.” This sublime work was finished by -Michael Angelo in eight years, and was exhibited in 1541. Vasari says -that at the suggestion of Fra Sebastiano del Piombo, the Pope desired -that it should be painted in oil; but Michael Angelo positively declined -to undertake it, except in fresco, saying “that oil painting was an -employment only fit for women, or idlers of mean capacity.” Varchio in -his funeral oration says, “Such was the delicacy of his taste that no -artist could please him; and as in sculpture, every pincer, file, and -chisel which he used, was the work of his own hands, so in painting, he -prepared his own colors, and did not commit the mixing and other -necessary manipulations to mechanics and boys.” - -Lanzi says that Michael Angelo must be acknowledged supreme in that -peculiar branch of the profession (the nude), at which he aimed in all -his works, especially in his Last Judgment. “The subject appeared rather -_created_ than selected by him. To a genius so comprehensive, and so -skilled in drawing the human figure, no subject could be better adapted -than the Resurrection; and to an artist who delighted in the awful, no -story more suitable than the day of supernal terrors. He saw Raffaelle -preëminent in every other department of the art; he foresaw that in this -alone could he expect to be triumphant; and perhaps he indulged the hope -that posterity would adjudge the palm to him who excelled all others in -the most arduous walk of art.” - -“The Last Judgment,” says Lanzi, “was filled with such a profusion of -nudity that it was in great danger of being destroyed, from a regard to -the decency of the sanctuary. Paul IV. proposed to whitewash it, and was -hardly appeased with the correction of its most glaring indelicacies, by -some drapery introduced here and there by Daniello da Volterra, on whom -the facetious Romans, from this circumstance, conferred the nickname of -the _Breeches-maker_.” Other corrections were proposed by different -critics, and some alterations made. Angelo was censured for mixing -sacred with profane history; for introducing the angels of revelation -with the Stygian ferryman; Christ sitting in judgment, and Minos -assigning his proper station to each of the damned. To this profanity, -he added satire; in Minos, he portrayed the features of the Master of -Ceremonies, who in the hearing of the pope, had pronounced this picture -more suitable for a Bagnio than a church; and an officious Cardinal, he -placed among the damned, with a fiend dragging him by the testes down to -hell. - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO’S COLORING. - - -The coloring of Michael Angelo has been generally criticised as being -too cold and inharmonious, but the best critics now consider that it was -admirably adapted to his design. His chief characteristics were grandeur -and sublimity, and whatever partook of the sublime and the terrible, he -portrayed with a fidelity that intimidates the beholder. It is an error -to suppose that he could not color delicately and brilliantly when he -chose. During his residence at Florence, he painted an exquisite Leda -for Alphonso, Duke of Ferrara. Michael Angelo was so much offended at -the manner of one of the courtiers of that prince, who was sent to bring -it to Ferrara, that he refused to let him have it, but made it a present -to his favorite pupil, Antonio Mini, who carried it to France. Vasari -describes it as “a grand picture, painted in distemper, that seemed as -if it breathed on the canvass”; and Mariette, in his notes on Condivi, -affirms that he saw the picture, and that “Michael Angelo appeared to -have forgot his usual style, and approached the tone of Titian.” -D’Argenville informs us that the picture was destroyed by fire in the -reign of Louis XIII. Lanzi says, “In chiaro-scuro, Michael Angelo had -not the skill and delicacy of Correggio; but his paintings in the -Vatican have a force and relief much commended by Renfesthein, an -eminent connoisseur, who, on passing from the Sistine chapel to the -Farnesian gallery, remarked how greatly in this respect the Caracci -themselves were eclipsed by Buonarotti.” - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO’S GRACE. - - -“It is a vulgar error,” says Lanzi, “to suppose that Michael Angelo had -no idea of grace and beauty; the Eve in the Sistine chapel turns to -thank her Maker, on her creation, with an attitude so fine and lovely, -that it would do honor to the school of Raffaelle. Annibale Caracci -admired this, and many other naked figures in this grand ceiling, so -highly that he proposed them to himself as models in the art, and -according to Bellori, preferred them to the Last Judgment, which -appeared to him to be too anatomical.” - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO’S OIL PAINTINGS. - - -It has long been a disputed point whether Michael Angelo ever painted in -oil; but it has been ascertained by Lanzi that the Holy Family in the -Florentine gallery, which is the only picture by him supposed to be -painted in oil, is in reality in distemper. Many of his designs, -however, were executed in oil by his cotemporaries, especially -Sebastiano del Piombo, Jacopo da Pontormo, and Marcello Venusti. Fresco -painting was better adapted to the elevated character of his -composition, which required a simple and solid system of coloring, -rather subdued than enlivened, and producing a grand and impressive -effect, which could not have been expressed by the glittering splendor -of oil painting. There are many oil paintings erroneously attributed to -him in the galleries at Rome, Florence, Milan, the Imperial gallery at -Vienna, and elsewhere. (See Spooner’s Dict. of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects; table of _Imitators_.) - - - - -MICHAEL ANGELO, HIS PROPHETS, AND JULIUS II. - - -When Michael Angelo had finished the works in the Sistine chapel which -Julius II. had commanded him to paint, the Pope, not appreciating their -native dignity and simplicity, told him that “the chapel appeared cold -and mean, and there wanted some brilliancy of coloring, and some gilding -to be added to it.” “Holy father,” replied the artist, “formerly men did -not dress as they do now, in gold and silver; those personages whom I -have represented in my pictures in the chapel, were not persons of -wealth, but saints, who were divinely inspired, and despised pomp and -riches.” - - - - -BON-MOTS OF MICHAEL ANGELO. - - -Michael Angelo was a true poet. He was endowed with a ready wit and -consummate eloquence. His bon-mots, recorded by Dati, rival those of the -Grecian painters, and he was esteemed one of the most witty and lively -men of his time. - -When he had finished his statue of Julius II. for the Bolognese, the -Pope thought it too severe, and said to him, “Angelo, my statue appears -rather to curse than to bless the good people of Bologna.” “Holy -father,” replied the artist, “as they have not always been the most -obedient of your subjects, it will teach them to be afraid of you, and -to behave better in future.” - -Under the pontificate of Julius III., the faction of San Gallo went so -far, as to prevail upon the Pope to appoint a committee to examine the -fabric. Angelo paid no attention to the cavils of his enemies. Finally -the Pope summoned him before him, and told him that a particular part of -the church was too dark. “Who told you that, holy father?” said Angelo. -“I did,” interrupted the Cardinal Marcello. “Your eminence should -consider, then,” said the artist, casting at the prelate a look of cool -contempt, “that besides the window there is at present, I have designed -three more in the ceiling of the church!” “You did not tell me that,” -replied the Cardinal. “No indeed, I did not, sir. I am not obliged to -tell you; nor would I ever consent to be obliged to tell your eminence, -or any person whomsoever, anything concerning it. Your business is to -take care that money is plenty at Rome; that there are no thieves there; -to let me alone; and to permit me to go on with my plan as I please.” - -When asked why he did not marry, he replied that “his art was his -mistress, and gave him trouble enough.” Again, that “an artist should -never cease to learn.” When told that some one had performed a -remarkable feat in painting with his fingers, he said, “Why don’t the -blockhead use his brush?” When shown Titian’s Danaë, he observed, “What -a pity these Venetians do not study design.” Of the Gates of Ghiberti, -he said, “they are fit to adorn the portals of Paradise.” - - - - -WASHINGTON ALLSTON. - - -“Soon after Allston’s marriage with his first wife, the sister of the -late Dr. Channing, he made his second visit to Europe. After a residence -there of a little more than a year, his pecuniary wants became very -pressing and urgent--more so than at any other period of his life. On -one of these occasions, as he himself used to narrate the event, he was -in his studio, reflecting with a feeling of almost desperation upon his -condition. His conscience seemed to tell him that he had deserved his -afflictions, and drawn them upon himself, by his want of due gratitude -for past favors from heaven. His heart, all at once, seemed filled with -the hope that God would listen to his prayers, if he would offer up his -direct expressions of penitence, and ask for divine aid. He accordingly -locked his door, withdrew to a corner of the room, threw himself upon -his knees, and prayed for a loaf of bread for himself and his wife. -While thus employed, a knock was heard at the door. A feeling of -momentary shame at being detected in this position, and a feeling of -fear lest he might have been observed, induced him to hasten and open -the door. A stranger inquired for Mr. Allston. He was anxious to learn -who was the fortunate purchaser of the painting of “Angel Uriel,” -regarded by the artist as one of his masterpieces, and which had won the -prize at the exhibition of the Academy. He was told that it had not been -sold. “Can it be possible? Not sold! Where is it to be had?” “In this -very room. Here it is,” producing the painting from a corner, and wiping -off the dust. “It is for sale--but its value has never yet, to my idea -of its worth, been adequately appreciated--and I would not part with -it.” “What is its price?” “I have done affixing any nominal sum. I have -always, so far, exceeded my offers. I leave it for you to name the -price.” “Will four hundred pounds be an adequate recompense?” “It is -more than I have ever asked for it.” “Then the painting is mine.” The -stranger introduced himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and he became, -from that moment, one of the warmest friends of Mr. Allston. By him Mr. -A. was introduced to the society of the nobility and gentry; and he -became one of the most favored among the many gifted minds that adorned -the circle, in which he was never fond of appearing often. - -“The instantaneous relief thus afforded by the liberality of this noble -visitor, was always regarded by Allston as a direct answer to his -prayer, and it made a deep impression upon his mind. To this event he -was ever after wont to attribute the increase of devotional feelings -which became a prominent trait in his character.”--_Boston Atlas._ - - - - -ALLSTON’S DEATH. - - -“Notwithstanding the general respect which is manifested to the memory -of this distinguished artist, there are unsympathising, ice-hearted men -of the world who yet reproach him for uncontrollable events in his -career. - -The actions of the painter, the poet, and the musician, are dictated -often by other motives than those impelling the arm of the mechanic, or -the tongue of the advocate. Men of genius are of a more delicate -organization than those possessing inferior abilities, and are swayed by -emotions the most lofty that can actuate humanity. The world’s neglect, -the contempt of critics, depressed spirits induced by pecuniary -embarrassments, blast their hopes, enervate their energies, and deprive -them of the potency to cope with the heartless world. - -Men there are who would visit the generous Allston with censure, -because, while laboring under disappointments, ill health, and crushed -anticipations, he failed to finish his painting of Belshazzar’s Feast, a -theme that possibly became uncongenial to his pencil. May their ill -feeling be forgotten, and, if the fountain of their sympathies be not -wholly dried up, may it yield a little lenity towards one of America’s -noblest sons. - -It may not be inappropriate to insert a tribute to the memory of -Allston, which will serve to vindicate his character from his aspersers, -and exhibit it as traced by one for many years connected with him by the -dearest ties of friendship: - - ‘PARIS, November, 1843. - - The Duke de Luynes, a French nobleman, has lately given a - commission to Monsieur Ingres, the painter, recently Director of - the French Academy of Arts in Rome, to decorate his palace at - Dampierre with a series of pictures, the subjects of which I have - not heard. One hundred thousand francs are allowed to the artist - for this work. M. Ingres was a student at Rome, pensioned by his - government, at the time Mr. W. Allston and myself were there - pursuing the same studies--not, however, aided by a government. - - When the melancholy news of the death of my much regretted friend - and fellow artist reached here, which was about the time the above - favor was granted to M. Ingres, I could not but reflect on the less - fortunate destiny of our highly accomplished countryman, whose - muse, alas! was doomed to linger out a languid existence in a state - of society unfavorable to the arts, or at least where there was - little to encourage and sustain them, compared with the capitals in - Europe where he had lived and studied. Such an indifference to the - arts is not confined to one section of our country, but pervades - the whole United States. - - It is indeed a subject of regret that so highly-gifted an artist - should not have been commissioned to ornament some public building, - or private mansion of opulence, with a series of pictures in the - free style of fresco, comprising poetical designs and landscapes, - in which he was so superior, instead of being subjected to finish a - picture which, from some cause, he had become dissatisfied with, - for the prosecution of which he found himself debarred of even the - advantages of models and costume, not to mention those of a less - material nature--the absence of all the great models of art to - kindle and inspire his genius, etc. A work of the kind before - suggested would admit of a free execution, independent in a degree - of models and costume. Such a commission, I am persuaded, would - have cheered up his spirit, and called forth fresh images from his - fancy. It is ever to be regretted that he was not employed in this - way; had he been, our country would no doubt have had a beautiful - creation from a highly cultivated and poetic mind, now forever - lost. - - No one who was ever acquainted with the subject of this notice, but - must feel sincere regret, also, that so fair and amiable a - character was not soothed in his latter years with all the ease and - comfort of mind and body that the world could bestow, which thus - far has been seldom if ever the lot of his profession in our - country. How many there are who have not undergone half the - fatigue, physical or mental, endured by Mr. Allston--not to mention - the far greater amount of time and money expended in the - acquisition of his profession than in most other pursuits--yet have - secured to themselves the means to reach the decline of life in a - condition to assure ease and comfort. Such is the unequal - compensation of the world. - - When I look back some five or six-and-thirty years, when we were - both in Rome, and next-door neighbors on the _Trinita del Monte_, - and in the spring of life, full of enthusiasm for our art, and - fancying fair prospects awaiting us in after years--and few - certainly had more right than my worthy colleague to look towards - such a futurity--it is painful to reflect how far these hopes have - been from being realized. Such may be the lot of a great many; - still we may believe and hope that so melancholy an example rarely - occurs. - - J. VANDERLYN.” - -The Art-Union of New-York have struck a commemorative medal, with -Allston’s face on the obverse side; and thus is the great artist -rewarded. - -Genius, that breaks the fetters encircling the mind, is fated to drink -life’s bitterest cup to the dregs. After earth has flung the gem away, -she proclaims its value. - -Reformers must be martyrs. Every Socrates must quaff his hemlock--every -Burns pine in unpitied poverty. In life, the artist appears on the -reverse side of the world’s medal--in death, on the obverse.”--_Dewey -Fay._ - - - - -AMERICAN PATRONAGE AT HOME AND ABROAD. - - -The writer has frequently heard our artists bitterly complain of the -meanness of their countrymen in patronizing everything foreign, not only -at home but abroad. It is mortifying enough to them to see the palaces -of many of our merchant princes _disgraced_, not _adorned_, with a -multitude of modern flashy French pictures, without a single piece by a -native artist. How cutting then must be the slight to those young -artists, who, having gone to Italy for improvement, are visited in their -studios, by their countrymen, who, desirous of bringing home some copies -of favorite pictures, give their commissions to foreigners. Our young -artists, during their residence abroad, are generally poor, and -frequently undergo every privation to enable them to achieve the object -of their ambition. Weir says that at one time during his residence at -Rome, he was obliged “to live on ten cents a day for a month.” -Greenough, during his second visit to Italy, was almost driven to -despair. Mr. J. Fenimore Cooper found him in this deplorable state in -1829, and gave him a commission for his beautiful group of Chanting -Cherubs. He had already distinguished himself by several admirable busts -of John Quincy Adams, Chief Justice Marshall, Henry Clay, and others, -but this was the first commission he had ever received for a group. The -grateful sculptor says in a letter to Mr. Dunlap, “Mr. Fenimore Cooper -saved me from despair, after my second return to Italy. He employed me -as I wished to be employed; and has, up to this moment, been a father to -me in kindness.” - -Mr. Cooper, in a letter published in the New-York American, April 30, -1831, says: - -“Most of our people, who come to Italy, employ the artists of the -country to make copies, under the impression that they will be both -cheaper and better, than those done by Americans, studying here. My own -observation has led me to adopt a different course. I am well assured -that few things are done for us by Europeans, under the same sense of -responsibility, as when they work for customers near home. The very -occupation of the copyist, infers some want of that original capacity, -without which no man can impart to a work, however exact it may be in -its mechanical details, the charm of expression. In the case of Mr. -Greenough, I was led even to try the experiment of an original. The -difference in value between an original and a copy is so greatly in -favor of the former, with anything like approach to success, that I am -surprised that more of our amateurs are not induced to command them. The -little group I have sent home, (the Chanting Cherubs) will always have -an interest that can belong to no other work of the same character. It -is the first effort of a young artist who bids fair to build for himself -a name, and whose life will be connected with the history of the art in -that country which is so soon to occupy such a place in the world. It is -more; it is probably the first group ever completed by an American -sculptor.” - -When this beautiful group had been exhibited a sufficient time in the -United States, to bring its merits before the public, Mr. Cooper, in the -hope of influencing the government to employ Greenough on a statue of -Washington, wrote to the President, and to Mr. McLane the Secretary of -the Treasury, strongly urging the plan of a statue of the “Father of his -Country,” by the first American sculptor who had shown himself competent -to so great a task. He was successful, and Congress commissioned -Greenough to execute a statue of Washington for the Capitol. The -sculptor received the intelligence with transports of delight, but when -he had had time for reflection, he modestly began to doubt his ability -to do justice to his subject, and “answer all the expectations of his -friends.” “When I went,” says he, “the other morning, into the large -room in which I propose to execute my statue, I felt like a spoiled boy, -who, after insisting upon riding on horseback, bawled aloud with fright, -at finding himself in the saddle, so far from the ground!” - -Is it not a burning shame, that the most gifted artists of this great -and glorious country should be compelled to go abroad to seek both fame -and bread, not fortune? What merchant prince will set his countrymen an -example, and, like Sir George Beaumont, bribe Congress and his fellow -citizens to form a national gallery, by giving a collection of casts -from the antique, first class paintings and engravings, rare works of -art, and a library on art, worth 70,000 guineas? It is a mistaken -opinion, entertained by many, that the fine arts are of little -importance to our country. On the contrary, every person is directly -interested. A foreign writer observes that, “silver-plating in the -United States, is what tin-smithery is in Paris.” Fuseli terms Venice -“the toy-shop of Europe;” better Paris. What a multitude of people are -supported in that great city by the manufacture of ten thousand fabrics, -exquisitely designed and executed. The Parisians have a keen perception -of the beautiful, simply from being educated in a city abounding with -galleries and the best models of art, or as Reynolds terms it, “the -accumulated genius of ages.” - - - - -RAFFAELLE SANZIO DI URBINO. - - -By the general approbation of mankind, this illustrious artist has been -styled “the prince of modern painters.” He is universally acknowledged -to have possessed a greater combination of the excellencies of art than -has fallen to the lot of any other individual. It is a remarkable fact, -mentioned by many artists and writers, that the most capital frescoes of -Raffaelle in the Vatican, do not at first strike the beholder with -surprise, nor satisfy his expectations; but as he begins to study them, -he constantly discovers new beauties, and his admiration continues to -increase with contemplation. - - - - -RAFFAELLE’S AMBITION. - - -Raffaelle was inspired by the most unbounded ambition; the efforts of -Michael Angelo to supplant him only stimulated him to greater exertions; -and, on his death-bed, he thanked God he was born in the days of -Buonarotti. He was instructed in the principles of architecture for six -years by Bramante, that on his death he might succeed him in -superintending the erection of St. Peter’s. He lived among the ancient -sculptures, and derived from them not only the contours, drapery, and -attitudes, but the spirit and principles of the art. Not content with -what he saw at Rome, he employed able artists to copy the remains of -antiquity at Pozzuolo, throughout all Italy, and even in Greece. It is -also probable that he derived much assistance from living artists, whom -he consulted in regard to his compositions. The universal esteem which -he enjoyed, his attractive person, and his engaging manners, which all -authors unite in describing as incomparable, conciliated the favor of -the most eminent men of letters, as Bembo, Castiglione, Giovio, -Navagero, Ariosto, Fulvio, Calcagnini, etc., who set a high value on his -friendship, and were doubtless ready to supply him with many valuable -hints and ideas. - - - - -RAFFAELLE AND MICHAEL ANGELO. - - -“Michael Angelo, his rival,” says Lanzi, “contributed not a little to -the success of Raffaelle. As the contest between Zeuxis and Parrhasius -was beneficial to both, so the rivalship of Buonarotti and Sanzio aided -the fame of Michael Angelo, and produced the paintings in the Sistine -chapel; and at the same time contributed to the celebrity of Raffaelle, -by producing the pictures in the Vatican, and not a few others. Michael -Angelo, disdaining any secondary honors, came to the combat, as it were, -attended by his shield-bearer, for he made drawings in his grand style, -and then gave them to Fra Sebastiano del Piombo, the scholar of -Giorgione, to execute; and, by this means, he hoped that Raffaelle would -never be able to rival his productions, either in design or color. -Raffaelle stood alone, but aimed at producing works with a degree of -perfection beyond the united efforts of Michael Angelo and F. -Sebastiano, combining in himself a fertile imagination, ideal beauty -founded on a correct imitation of the Greek style, grace, ease, amenity, -and a universality of genius in every department of art. The noble -determination of triumphing in such a powerful contest animated him -night and day, and allowed him no respite. It also animated him to -surpass both his rivals and himself in every new work.” - - - - -RAFFAELLE’S TRANSFIGURATION. - - -“This great artist” (Michael Angelo), says Vasari, “had felt some -uneasiness at the growing fame of Raffaelle, and he gladly availed -himself of the powers of Sebastiano del Piombo, as a colorist, in the -hope that, assisted by his designs, he might be enabled to enter the -lists successfully with his illustrious antagonist, if not to drive him -from the field. With this view, he furnished him with the designs for -the Pietà in the church of the Conventuali at Viterbo, and the -Transfiguration and Flagellation, in S. Pietro in Montorio, at Rome, -which, as he was very tedious in the process, occupied him six years.” -It was at this juncture that the Cardinal de Medici commissioned -Raffaelle to paint a picture of the Transfiguration, and in order to -stimulate the rivalry, he engaged Sebastiano to paint one of the -Resurrection of Lazarus, of precisely the same dimensions, for his -Cathedral of Narbonne. That Sebastiano might enter the lists with some -chance of success, he was again assisted by Buonarotti, who composed and -designed the picture. On this occasion, Raffaelle exerted his utmost -powers, triumphed over both his competitors, and produced that immortal -picture which has received the most unqualified approbation of mankind -as the finest picture in the world. Both pictures were publicly -exhibited in competition, and the palm of victory was adjudged to -Raffaelle--the Transfiguration was pronounced inimitable in composition, -in design, in expression, and in grace. This sublime composition -represents the mystery of Christ’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. At -the foot of the Mount is assembled a multitude, among whom are the -Disciples of our Lord, endeavoring in vain to relieve a youth from the -dominion of an evil spirit. The various emotions of human doubt, -anxiety, and pity, exhibited in the different figures, present one of -the most pathetic incidents ever conceived; yet this part of the -composition does not fix the attention so much as the principal figure -on the summit of the mountain. There Christ appears elevated in the air, -surrounded with a celestial radiance, between Moses and Elias, while the -three favored Apostles are kneeling in devout astonishment on the -ground. The head and attitude of the Saviour are distinguished by a -divine majesty and sublimity, that is indescribable. - - - - -DEATH OF RAFFAELLE. - - -With his incomparable work of the Transfiguration, ceased the life and -the labors of Raffaelle; he did not live to entirely complete it, and -the few remaining parts were finished by his scholar, Giulio Romano. -While engaged upon it, he was seized with a fever, of which he died on -his birth-day, Good Friday, April 7th, 1520, aged 37 years. His body lay -in state in the chamber where he had been accustomed to paint, and near -the bier was placed the noble picture of the Transfiguration. The -throngs who came to pay their respects to the illustrious artist were -deeply affected; there was not an artist in Rome but was moved to tears -by the sight, and his death was deplored throughout Italy as a national -calamity. The funeral ceremony was performed with great pomp and -solemnity, and his remains were interred in the church of the Rotunda, -otherwise called the Pantheon. The Cardinal Bembo, at the desire of the -Pope, wrote the epitaph which is now inscribed on his tomb. - - - - -CHARACTER OF RAFFAELLE. - - -All cotemporary writers unite in describing Raffaelle as amiable, -modest, kind, and obliging; equally respected and beloved by the high -and the low. His beauty of person and noble countenance inspired -confidence, and strongly prepossessed the beholder in his favor at first -sight. Respectful to the memory of Perugino, and grateful for the -instructions he had received from him, he exerted all his influence -with the Pope, that the works of his master in one of the ceilings of -the Vatican might be spared, when the other paintings were destroyed to -make room for his own embellishments. Just and generous to his -cotemporaries, though not ignorant of their intrigues, he thanked God -that he had been born in the days of Buonarotti. Gracious towards his -pupils, he loved and instructed them as his own sons; courteous even to -strangers, he cheerfully extended his advice to all who asked it, and in -order to make designs for others, or to direct them in their studies, he -had been known to neglect his own works, rather than refuse them his -assistance. - - - - -LA BELLA FORNARINA. - - -Raffaelle was never married, though by no means averse to female -society. The Cardinal da Bibiena offered him his niece, which high -alliance he is said to have declined because the honors of the purple -were held out to him by the Pope, who favored him greatly, and made him -groom of his chamber. Early in life he became attached to a young woman, -the daughter of a baker at Rome, called by way of distinction, La Bella -Fornarina, to whom he was solely and constantly attached, and he left -her in his will sufficient for an independent maintenance. The rest of -his property he bequeathed to a relative in Urbino, and to his favorite -scholars, Giulio Romano, and Gio. Francesco Penni. - - - - -THE GENIUS OF RAFFAELLE. - - -Raffaelle possessed in an eminent degree all the qualities necessary to -constitute a preëminent painter. When we consider the number of his -paintings, and the multitude of his designs, (it is said he left behind -him 287 pictures, and 576 cartoons, drawings, and studies) to which he -devoted so much study, as is shown in his numerous sketches of Madonnas -and Holy Families, &c., and especially his great works in the Vatican, -in which, in many cases, he drew all the figures naked, in order the -better to adapt the drapery and its folds to their respective attitudes; -and further, his supervision of the building of St. Peter’s church, his -admeasurements of the ancient edifices of Rome with exact drawings and -descriptions, the preparation of designs for various churches and -palaces, with several collateral tasks, it seems incredible that even a -long life were sufficient for their execution; and when we further -reflect that he accomplished all this at an age when most men only begin -to distinguish themselves, we are struck with astonishment at the -wonderful fecundity of his genius. - - - - -RAFFAELLE’S MODEL FOR HIS FEMALE SAINTS. - - -“His own Fornarina,” says Lanzi, “assisted him in this object. Her -portrait by Raffaelle’s own hand was formerly in the Barberini Palace, -and it is repeated in many of his Madonnas, in the picture of St. -Cecilia at Bologna, and in many female heads.” - - - - -RAFFAELLE’S OIL PAINTINGS. - - -“Of his oil paintings,” says Lanzi, “a considerable number are to be -found in private collections, particularly on sacred subjects, such as -the Madonna and Child, and other compositions of the Holy Family. They -are in three styles, which we have before described: the Grand Duke of -Florence has some specimens of each. The most admired is that which is -named the Madonna della Seggiola. Of this class of pictures it is often -doubted whether they ought to be considered as originals or copies, as -some of them have been three, five, or ten times repeated. The same may -be said of other cabinet pictures by him, particularly the St. John in -the Desert, which is in the Grand Ducal gallery at Florence, and is -found repeated in many collections both in Italy and other countries. -This was likely to happen in a school where the most common mode was the -following:--The subject was designed by Raffaello, the picture prepared -by Giulio, and finished by the master so exquisitely, that one might -almost count the hairs of the head. When pictures were thus finished, -they were copied by the scholars of Raffaello, who were very numerous, -and of the second and third order; and these were also sometimes -retouched by Giulio and by Raffaello himself. But whoever is experienced -in the freedom and delicacy of the chief of this school, need not fear -confounding his productions with those of the scholars, or Giulio -himself; who, besides having a more timid pencil, made use of a darker -tint than his master was accustomed to do. I have met with an -experienced person, who declared that he could recognize the character -of Giulio in the dark parts of the flesh tints, and in the middle dark -tints, not of a leaden color as Raffaello used, nor so well harmonized; -in the greater quantity of light, and in the eyes designed more roundly, -which Raffaello painted somewhat long, after the manner of Pietro -Perugino.” - - - - -PORTRAITS OF POPE JULIUS II. - - -There are no less than eight portraits of Julius II. attributed to -Raffaelle. 1. The original, by Raffaelle’s own hand, is in the Palazzo -Pitti at Florence, the best of all; 2. a scarcely inferior one in the -Tribune of the Florentine Gallery; 3. one in the English National -Gallery, from the Falconieri Palace at Rome; 4. a very fine one, -formerly in the Orleans Gallery; 5. an inferior one in the Corsini -Palace at Rome; 6. a very fine one in the Borghese Gallery at Rome; 7. -one at Berlin, from the Giustinian Gallery; 8. one in the possession of -Count Torlonia at Rome. Most of these are doubtless copies by -Raffaelle’s scholars, some of them finished by himself. The original -cartoon is preserved in the Corsini Palace at Florence. - - - - -MANNERS OF RAFFAELLE. - - -Raffaelle had three manners; first, that of his instructor, Pietro -Perugino, hence many exquisite pictures in the style of that master are -erroneously attributed to him; second, the same, modified by his -residence and studies at Florence, which continued till his completion -of the Theology in the Vatican, though constantly improving; and the -third, his own grand original manner, commencing with the school of -Athens. For a very full life of Raffaelle, with Lanzi’s admirable -critique, see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, -and Architects. - - - - -PETER PAUL RUBENS. - - -This preëminent painter, accomplished scholar, and skillful diplomatist, -was born at Antwerp in 1577, on the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul, -for which reason he received at the baptismal font the names of those -Apostles. Rubens, in his earliest years, discovered uncommon ability, -vivacity of genius, literary taste, and a mild and docile disposition. -His father, intending him for one of the learned professions, gave him a -very liberal education, and on the completion of his studies, placed him -as a page with the Countess of Lalain, in order that his son might -acquire graceful and accomplished manners, so important to success in a -professional career. His father dying soon afterwards, young Rubens -obtained the permission of his mother, to follow the bent of his genius. -He studied under several masters, the last of whom was the celebrated -Otho Venius. He made such extraordinary progress, that when he had -reached his twenty-third year, Venius frankly told him that he could be -of no further service to him, and that nothing more remained for his -improvement but a journey to Italy, which he recommended as the surest -means of ripening his extraordinary talents to the greatest perfection. - - - - -RUBENS’ VISIT TO ITALY. - - -Rubens having secured the favor and patronage of the Archduke Albert, -governor of the Netherlands, for whom he executed several pictures, set -out for Italy, with letters from his patron, recommending him in the -most honorable manner to the Duke of Mantua, that at his court he might -have access to his admirable collection of paintings and antique -statues. He was received with the most marked distinction by the Duke, -who took him into his service, and appointed him one of the gentlemen of -his bed-chamber, an honor which was the more acceptable to Rubens, as it -gave him greater facility for studying the great works of Giulio Romano -in the Palazzo del Te, which were the objects of his particular -admiration. - - - - -RUBENS’ ENTHUSIASM. - - -Giulio Romano’s masterly illustrations of the sublime poetry of Homer -excited Rubens’ emulation in the highest degree. One day, while he was -engaged in painting the history of Turnus and Æneas, in order to warm -his imagination with poetic rapture, he repeated with great energy, the -lines of Virgil, beginning, - - “Ille etiam patriis agmen ciet,” &c. - -The Duke, overhearing his recitations, entered the apartment, and was -surprised to find the young painter’s mind richly stored with classical -literature. Rubens remained in the service of the Duke of Mantua, who -had conceived the strongest attachment to him, nearly eight years, -visiting Venice, Rome, Genoa, and other cities, executing many -commissions, and leaving everywhere superb specimens of his magic -pencil. In 1605, the Duke having occasion to send an envoy to the court -of Spain, employed Rubens as a person eminently fitted for the delicate -mission. He successfully accomplished the negotiations confided to him, -painted the portrait of Philip III., and received from that monarch the -most flattering marks of distinction. - - - - -RUBENS’ RETURN TO ANTWERP. - - -In 1608, after an absence of eight years, Rubens was suddenly recalled -to Antwerp by the severe illness of his mother, who died before his -arrival. The loss of his dearly beloved parent was a severe affliction -to him. He had proposed to return to Italy, but the Archduke Albert, and -the Infanta Isabella, induced him to settle at Antwerp, where he -married, built a magnificent house, with a saloon in the form of a -rotunda, which he embellished with a rich collection of antique statues, -busts, vases, and pictures by the greatest masters. This collection he -sold many years afterwards to the Duke of Buckingham for £10,000. Amidst -these select productions of art, he passed about twelve years in the -tranquil exercise of his great abilities, producing an astonishing -number of admirable pictures for the churches and public edifices of the -Low Countries. - - - - -RUBENS’ HABITS. - - -In order to continue his mental improvement, to enjoy the sweets of -friendly intercourse, and to economize his precious time, Rubens -regulated his affairs with a precision which nothing was permitted to -derange. He received company at stated times, took regular exercise out -of doors, usually on horseback, and it is said that he never painted -without having some one to read to him from a classic work of history or -poetry. He possessed an extraordinary memory, and understood the ancient -and several modern languages, writing and speaking them with ease and -fluency. His familiar acquaintance with ancient and modern literature, -had enriched his mind with inexhaustible resources. - - - - -RUBENS’ DETRACTORS. - - -Rubens’ great popularity naturally excited envy, and created enemies. -Generous and affable to all, and a liberal encourager of art, he found -himself assailed by those who were most indebted to him for assistance. -With the most audacious effrontery, they insinuated that he owed the -best part of his reputation in the great variety of his works, for which -he was celebrated, to the talents of two of his disciples, Snyders and -Wildens, whom he employed occasionally in forwarding the animals and -landscapes in his pictures. The principal of these vilifiers were -Abraham Janssens, Cornelius Schut, and Theodore Rombouts; the first had -the hardihood to challenge him to paint a picture in competition with -him. Rubens treated these attacks with a dignity and philanthropy that -shows his exalted mind, and the goodness of his heart; he relieved the -necessities of his accusers, and exposed his immortal production of the -Descent from the Cross. - - - - -THE GALLERY OF THE LUXEMBOURG. - - -In 1620, Mary of Medicis commissioned Rubens to decorate the gallery of -the Luxembourg with a series of emblematical paintings, in twenty-four -compartments, illustrative of the principal events of her life. The -series was painted at Antwerp, except two pictures, which he finished at -Paris in 1623, when he arranged the whole in the gallery. These great -works, executed in less than three years, are alone sufficient to attest -the abundant fertility of his genius, and the wonderful facility of his -hand. - - - - -RUBENS SENT AS AMBASSADOR TO THE COURTS OF SPAIN AND ENGLAND. - - -In 1628, the Infanta Isabella despatched Rubens on a delicate political -mission to the court of Spain, relative to the critical state of the -government of the Low Countries, and for instructions preparatory to a -negotiation of peace between Spain and England. On his arrival at the -Spanish capital, he was received in the most gracious manner by Philip -IV., acquitted himself of his diplomatic mission to the entire -satisfaction of the Infanta and the King, and completely captivated that -monarch, and his minister, the Duke de Olivares, by the magnificent -productions of his pencil. He executed several great works, for which he -was munificently rewarded, received the honors of knighthood, and was -presented with the golden key, as a Gentleman of the Royal Bed-Chamber. - -In 1629 he returned to Flanders, and was immediately despatched to -England by the Infanta, on a secret mission, to ascertain the -disposition of the government on the subject of peace. The king, Charles -I., an ardent lover of the fine arts, received the illustrious painter -with every mark of distinction, and immediately employed him in painting -the ceiling of the Banqueting House at Whitehall, where he represented -the Apotheosis of his father, James I., for which he received £3,000. -Here Rubens showed himself no less skillful as a diplomatist than as a -painter. In one of the frequent visits with which the king honored him -during the execution of the work, he alluded with infinite delicacy and -address to the subject of a peace with Spain, and finding the monarch -not averse to such a measure, he immediately produced his credentials. -Charles at once appointed some members of his council to negociate with -him, and a pacification was soon effected. The King was so highly -pleased with the productions of his pencil, and particularly with his -conduct in this diplomatic emergency, that he gave him a munificent -reward, and conferred upon him the honor of knighthood, Feb. 21, 1630. -On this occasion, the king presented Rubens with his own sword, enriched -with diamonds, his hat-band of jewels, valued at ten thousand crowns, -and a gold chain, which Rubens wore ever afterwards. - - - - -DEATH OF RUBENS. - - -Rubens, after having successfully accomplished the objects of his -missions to the courts of Spain and England, returned to Antwerp, where -he was received with all the honors and distinction due to his services -and exalted merit. He still continued to exercise his pencil with -undiminished industry and reputation till 1635, when he experienced some -aggravated attacks of the gout, to which he had been subject, succeeded -by an infirmity and trembling of the hand, which obliged him to decline -executing all works of large dimensions. Though he had now reached his -fifty-eighth year, and was loaded with deserved honors and wealth, he -nevertheless continued to instruct his pupils, to correspond with his -cherished friends, and to paint easel pictures when his torturing malady -would permit, till his death, in 1640, aged 63 years. He was buried -with extraordinary pomp and solemnity in the church of St. James, under -the altar of the private chapel, which he had decorated with one of his -finest pictures. A superb monument was erected to his memory. - - - - -RUBENS’ NUMEROUS WORKS. - - -The number of works executed by Rubens is truly astonishing; Smith, in -his Catalogue raisonné, vols. ii. and ix., describes about eighteen -hundred considered genuine by him, in the different public and private -collections of Europe. There can be no doubt that a great number of -these were executed by his numerous scholars and assistants, under his -direction, from his designs, and then finished by himself. It is well -known that he employed his pupils in forwarding many of his pictures, -and that Wildens, van Uden, and Mompers, in particular, assisted him in -his landscapes, and Snyders in his animals. His principal scholars were -Anthony Vandyck, Justus van Egmont, Theodore van Thulden, Abraham -Diepenbeck, Jacob Jordaens, Peter van Mol, Cornelius Schut, John van -Hoeck, Simon de Vos, Peter Soutman, Deodato Delmont, Erasmus Quellinus, -Francis Wouters, Francis Snyders, John Wildens, Lucas van Uden, and -Jodocus Mompers. Several other distinguished Flemish painters of the -period, who were not his pupils, imitated his style; the most eminent of -whom were Gerard Seghers, Gaspar de Crayer, and Martin Pepin. Besides -the genuine paintings of Rubens, there are a multitude of doubtful -authenticity, attributed to him, most of which were executed by his -pupils and imitators. Many such, fine pictures, are in the United -States. There are upwards of twelve hundred engravings after works -attributed to Rubens; some of which, however, are of doubtful -authenticity. Those executed by the Bolswerts, Paul Pontius, and other -cotemporary engravers who worked under Rubens’ supervision, are -undoubtedly genuine. There are a great number of his works in England in -the public galleries and the collections of the nobility; there are nine -in the National gallery, fourteen in the Dulwich gallery, and others at -Windsor, Hampton Court, and Whitehall. The enormous value set upon his -works at the present time, maybe seen by referring to the catalogue of -the National gallery; thus, the Brazen Serpent cost £1260; a Landscape, -called Rubens’ Chateau, £1500; Peace and War, £3000; the Rape of the -Sabines, £3000; and the Judgment of Paris, 4000 guineas. Many of the -works of Rubens, like those of other great masters, have suffered -greatly from the effects of time, but more from improper cleaning and -unskillful restoration, especially in retouching injured parts, by which -the original harmony of coloring has been destroyed. Thus his pictures -in the Banqueting house at Whitehall, have been three times cleaned, -repaired, and painted over, so that little of the original splendor of -coloring remains. - - - - -THE FIRST PICTURE BROUGHT TO ROME. - - -The first picture carried to Rome from Greece, according to Pliny, was -the famous Bacchus and Ariadne, painted by Aristides of Thebes. It was -painted on a heavy panel, and King Attalus offered for it, its weight in -gold, which excited the suspicion of the Consul Mummius that it -contained some secret charm. He accordingly broke off the bargain, and -took it himself to Rome, where he dedicated it in the temple of Ceres. -After this example, every Roman commander seems to have been ambitious -of adorning the city with the finest pictures and statues of Greece, -Asia Minor, Egypt, and Sicily. Julius Cæsar enshrined the two exquisite -pictures of Medea and Ajax, by Timomachus, in the Temple of Venus. -Augustus hung his forum with pictures of the horrors of war, and the -glories of a triumph; and he adorned the temple which he dedicated to -the deified Julius with many choice pictures, the most beautiful of -which was the Venus Anadyomene of Apelles. Another, scarcely less -celebrated, by the same painter, was one of Alexander in triumph, -leading War, bound and manacled. This picture was afterwards defaced by -Claudius, who caused the head of Alexander to be scraped out, and that -of Augustus to be inserted. Another picture of especial note, in the -same temple, was one of Castor and Pollux. - -Augustus also placed in the Comitium some excellent works, by Nicias of -Athens, and others. The Temple of Peace was rich in pictures of the -highest class. There was placed the most valued of all the works of -Protogenes, the hunter Jalysus with his dogs and game, the Cyclops of -Timanthes, and the sea-monster Scylla, by Nicomachus. - -In the Temple of Concord, there was a precious picture by Zeuxis--that -of Marsyas bound to a Tree; and the Muses and the Helen of the same -painter adorned some of the private villas at Rome. - -In the Temple of Minerva, on the Capitol, was the Theseus of Parrhasius, -with the Rape of Proserpine, and a Victory by Nicomachus. - -In the shrine of Ceres, where Mummius had placed the Bacchus and Ariadne -of Aristides, were several other works by the same painter. - -The Portico of Octavia was adorned with pictures of Greek mythology and -history by Antiphilus; and that of Pompey boasted a rare fragment by -Polygnotus, of a Soldier upon a Scaling Ladder, probably a part of some -great battle-piece, which that illustrious painter had executed in honor -of his countrymen. Some suppose it to have been taken from the Pœcile at -Athens, where the pictures were not painted in fresco, but on panels. -The Portico of Pompey was still further adorned with pictures by Nicias, -among which were a large portrait of Alexander, a picture of Calypso, -and some animals, which were much prized. There was also a beautiful -picture of Hyacinthus, by the same artist, which was so highly valued by -Augustus, that, after his death, Tiberius consecrated it to his memory, -in the temple dedicated to him. - -The Romans did not hesitate to carry off everything appertaining to the -fine arts in the countries they conquered. The greatest influx of Greek -pictures into Rome, at any one time, was during the edileship of -Scaurus, when, on account of a real or pretended debt owing by the -people of Sicyon to Rome, all the valuable pictures in that city were -seized and conveyed to Italy. Such were a few of the many pictures, the -spoils of war, which were carried to Rome, to adorn the temples, -palaces, and public places, not to speak of those which decorated the -villas of persons of rank and taste. - - - - -ETRUSCAN SCULPTURE. - - -The Romans were so fond of Etruscan statues that they collected them -from all quarters. At the taking of Volsinum (now Bolsena), they removed -two thousand bronze statues to Rome. The Etruscans were also much -employed by the Romans to make bronze statues of their divinities and -great personages. One of the most ancient remaining works executed by -them for Rome, is the bronze Wolf, “the thunder-stricken nurse of Rome,” -preserved in the Capitol, and of which Micali has given an excellent -figure. There was a colossal Etruscan Apollo, fifty feet high, placed in -the library of the Temple of Augustus, “the bigness of which,” says -Pliny, “is not so remarkable as the material and the workmanship; for -hard it is to say whether is most admirable, the beautiful figure of the -body, or the exquisite temperature of the metal” There was also a -colossal Jupiter of the Capitol, cast by Corovillius out of the brazen -armor taken from the dead bodies of the conquered Samnites. Pliny says -the first bronze statue cast in Rome, was that of the goddess Ceres, the -expense of which was defrayed by the forfeited goods of Spurius Capius, -who was put to death for aspiring to the dignity of king. - - - - -CAMPUS MARTIUS. - - -The Campus Martius was a large plain without the city of Rome, which was -adorned with a multitude of statues, the spoils of war; also with -columns, arches, and porticos. The public assemblies were held there, -the officers of state chosen, and audience given to foreign ambassadors; -there, also, the Roman youths performed their exercises, learned to -wrestle and box, to throw the discus, hurl the javelin, ride a horse, -drive a chariot, etc. - - - - -ELECTIONEERING PICTURES AT ROME. - - -The Roman commanders made a singular use of painting to advance their -interests. Their inordinate love of military fame discovered a mode of -feeding that ruling passion by means of this charming art. According to -Valerius Maximus, Massala was the first who, when he offered himself for -the consulship, instead of sitting in the market-place, dressed in the -white robe of humility, and pointing to his wounds like Coriolanus, - - “Show them the scars that I would hide, - As if I had received them for the hire - Of their breath only,” - -caused a picture to be hung up in the portico Hostilia, representing the -battle of Messana, where he had vanquished both the Carthagenians and -Syracusans. The picture told the story of his achievements to the best -advantage, and secured his election. Scipio Africanus was greatly -incensed against his brother, Lucius Scipio, for placing in the Capitol -a picture of the battle near Sardis, which won him the title of -Asiaticus, but in which, his nephew, the son of Africanus, was taken -prisoner. Again, Scipio Emilianus was highly offended at the display of -a picture of the Taking of Carthage, exhibited in the market-place by -Lucius Hostilius Mancinus. It appears that Mancinus was the first to -enter the city, and on his return to Rome, being desirous of the -consulship, he had a picture painted, representing the situation of the -town, its strong fortifications, all the machines used in the attack and -defense, and the actions of the besiegers, in which care was taken that -those of Mancinus should be most conspicuous. This he hung up in the -Forum, and personally explained to the people in such a manner, that he -won their good will, and gained the consulship. We learn from Quintilian -that the lawyers of Rome often made use of pictures in their pleadings -for the purpose of moving the judges. - - - - -DRAMATIC SCENERY AT ROME. - - -It is related that when Claudius Pulcher, during his edileship, -exhibited dramas publicly at Rome, the scenery, representing trees, -houses and other buildings was so naturally depicted, that the ravens -and other birds came to perch upon them. Many such anecdotes are related -as having occurred in all ages of the history of the art, but they are -not so sure a test of excellence as people generally imagine, for -animals are easily deceived. The writer has made experiments to satisfy -himself on this point; he has seen a whiffet dog bark obstreperously at -the portrait of a person it disliked; birds approach a picture of fruit, -and bees one of flowers. He has a picture of three dogs, so naturally -painted, that almost every dog, admitted into the room, not only looks -at it, but endeavors to _smell of it_. Every sportsman knows that it is -easy to decoy wild ducks with an artificial one. - - - - -APELLES OF EPHESUS AND PTOLEMY PHILOPATOR. - - -During a voyage in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, Apelles was -driven into Alexandria, in Egypt, by stress of weather. Not being in -favor with king Ptolemy, he did not venture to appear at the court; but -some of his enemies suborned one of the royal buffoons to invite him to -supper in the king’s name, Apelles attended accordingly, but Ptolemy, -indignant at the intrusion, demanded by whom he had been invited; -whereupon the painter, seizing an extinguished coal from the hearth, -drew upon the wall the features of the man who had invited him, with -such accuracy, that the king, even from the first lines, immediately -recognized the buffoon, and thenceforth received Apelles into his favor. - - - - -APELLES’ FAMOUS PICTURE OF CALUMNY. - - -According to Lucian, the reputation of Apelles, and the favor he enjoyed -at the court of Ptolemy, excited the jealousy of Antiphilus, a -celebrated Egyptian painter, who unjustly accused him of having -participated in the conspiracy of Theodotus of Tyre. Apelles was thrown -into the dungeon, and treated with great severity, but his innocence -being clearly established, Ptolemy endeavored to make reparation, -presented him with one hundred talents, and condemned Antiphilus to be -his slave. Apelles, however, was not satisfied with this reparation, and -on returning to Ephesus, painted in retaliation his famous picture of -Calumny, in which Ptolemy acted a principal part. Lucian saw this -picture, and thus describes it: - -“On the right, is seated a person of magisterial authority, to whom the -painter has given ears like Midas, who holds forth his hand to Calumny, -as if inviting her to approach. He is attended by Ignorance and -Suspicion, who stand by his side. Calumny advances in the form of a -beautiful female, her countenance and demeanor exhibiting an air of fury -and hatred; in one hand she holds the torch of discord, and with the -other, she drags by the hair a youth personifying Innocence, who, with -eyes raised to heaven, seems to implore succor of the gods. She is -preceded by Envy, a figure with a pallid visage and emaciated form, who -appears to be the leader of the band. Calumny is also attended by two -other figures who seem to excite and animate her, and whose deceitful -looks discover them to be Intrigue and Treachery. At last follows -Repentance clothed in black, and covered with confusion at the discovery -of Truth in the distance, environed with celestial light.” - -This sketch has been regarded as one of the most ingenious examples of -allegorical painting which the history of the art affords. Raffaelle -made a drawing from Lucian’s description, which was formerly in the -collection of the Duke of Modena, and was afterwards transferred to the -French Museum. - -Professor Tölken, of Berlin, has shown that this Apelles was not the -great cotemporary of Alexander, for the persons mentioned in connection -with the story, lived more than a hundred years after the death of -Alexander--or about the 144th Olympiad. This reconciles many -contradictory statements with regard to Apelles, both by ancient and -modern writers. See Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects. - - - - -SIR GODFREY KNELLER. - - -Soon after Kneller’s arrival in England, he painted the portrait of the -Duke of Monmouth, who was so much pleased with it that he persuaded the -king, his father (Charles II.) to have his portrait painted by the _new -artist_. The King had promised the Duke of York his portrait, to be -painted by Sir Peter Lely, and unwilling to go through the ceremony of a -double sitting, he proposed that both artists should paint him at the -same time. Lely, as the king’s painter, took the light and station he -liked; but Kneller took the next best he could find, and went to work -with so much expedition, that he had nearly finished his portrait, when -Lely had only laid in his dead coloring. This novelty pleased, and Lely -himself had the candor to acknowledge his merit. Kneller immediately -found himself in the possession of great reputation and abundant -employment, and the immense number of portraits he executed, proves the -stability of his reputation. He was equally patronized by Kings Charles, -James, and William, and he had the honor of painting ten sovereigns. His -best friend was King William, for whom he painted the beauties of -Hampton Court, and by whom he was knighted in 1692, and presented with a -gold chain and medal, worth £300. In the latter part of this reign, he -painted the portraits of the members of the famous Kit-cat Club, -forty-two in number, and the several portraits now in the gallery of the -Admirals. He lived to paint the portrait of George I., who made him a -Baronet. He died in 1723. His body lay in state, and he was buried at -his country-seat at Wilton; a monument was erected to his memory in -Westminster Abbey. - - - - -KNELLER AND JAMES II. - - -It was while sitting to this artist, that James the Second manifested a -most surprising instance of coolness and shrewdness united. Kneller was -painting his portrait as a present to Pepys, when suddenly intelligence -arrived of the landing of the Prince of Orange. The artist was -confounded, and laid down his brush. “Go on, Kneller,” said the king, -betraying no outward emotion; “I wish not to disappoint my friend -Pepys.” - - - - -KNELLER’S COMPLIMENT TO LOUIS XIV. - - -When Kneller painted the portrait of Louis XIV., the monarch asked him -what mark of his esteem would be most agreeable to him; whereupon he -modestly answered that he should feel honored if his Majesty would -bestow a quarter of an hour upon him, that he might execute a drawing of -his face for himself. The request was granted. Kneller painted Dryden in -his own hair, in plain drapery, holding a laurel, and made him a present -of the work; to which the poet responded in an epistle containing -encomiums such as few painters deserve. - - “Such are thy pictures, Kneller! such thy skill, - That nature seems obedient to thy will, - Comes out and meets thy pencil in the draught, - Lives there, and wants but words to speak the thought.” - - - - -KNELLER’S WIT. - - -The servants of his neighbor, Dr. Radcliffe, abused the liberty of a -private entrance to the painter’s garden, and plucked his flowers. -Kneller sent him word that he must shut the door up; whereupon the -doctor peevishly replied, “Tell him he may do any thing with it but -paint it.” “Never mind what he says,” retorted Sir Godfrey; “I can take -anything from him but physic.” He once overheard a low fellow cursing -himself. “God damn _you_, indeed!” exclaimed the artist in wonder; “God -may damn the Duke of Marlborough, and perhaps Sir Godfrey Kneller; but -do you think he will ever take the trouble of damning such a scoundrel -as you?” To his tailor, who proposed his son for a pupil, he said, “Dost -thou think, man, I can make thy son a painter? No, God Almighty only -makes painters.” He gave a reason for preferring portraiture to -historical painting, which forms an admirable _bon-mot_, for its -shrewdness, truthfulness, and ingenuity. “Painters of history,” said he, -“make the dead live, and do not begin to live till they are dead. I -paint the living, and they make me live!” - - - - -KNELLER’S KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSIOGNOMY. - - -In a conversation concerning the legitimacy of the unfortunate son of -James II., some doubts having been expressed by an Oxford Doctor, -Kneller exclaimed, with much warmth, “His father and mother have sat to -me about thirty-six times apiece, and I know every line and bit of their -faces. Mein Gott! I could paint King James _now_ by memory. I say the -child is so like both, that there is not a feature of his face but what -belongs either to father or mother; this I am sure of, and cannot be -mistaken; nay, the nails of his fingers are his mother’s, the queen that -was. Doctor, you may be out in your letters, but I cannot be out in my -lines.” - - - - -KNELLER AS A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE. - - -Sir Godfrey acted as a justice of the peace at Wilton, and his sense of -justice induced him always to decide rather by equity than law. His -judgments, too, were often accompanied with so much humor, as caused the -greatest merriment among his acquaintance. Thus, he dismissed a poor -soldier who had stolen a piece of meat, and fined the butcher for -purposely tempting him to commit the crime. Hence Pope wrote the -following lines: - - “I think Sir Godfrey should decide the suit, - Who sent the thief (that stole the cash) away, - And punished him that put it in his way.” - -Whenever he was applied to by paupers, he always inquired which were the -richest parishes, and settled them there. He could never be induced to -sign a warrant to distrain the goods of a poor man, who could not pay a -tax, and he took pleasure in assisting the honest poor with his advice -and purse. He disliked interruption, and if the case appeared trivial, -or was the result of a row, he would not be disturbed. Seeing a -constable coming to him one day, with two men, having bloody noses, and -a mob at his heels, he called out to him, “Mr. Constable, do you see -that turning? Go that way, and you will find an ale-house--the sign of -the King’s Head. Go and make it up.” A handsome young woman came before -him one day to swear a rape; struck with her beauty, he continued -examining her as he sat painting, till he had taken her likeness. -Perceiving from her manner that she was not free from guilt, he advised -her not to prosecute her suit, but seek some other mode of redress. -These instances show the goodness of his heart, and refute the many -absurd and malicious stories that are told of him. - - - - -KNELLER AND CLOSTERMANS. - - -When Clostermans, an inferior artist, sent a challenge to Kneller to -paint a picture in competition with him for a wager, he courteously -declined the contest, and sent him word that “he allowed him to be his -superior.” - - - - -THE CAVALIERE BERNINI. - - -Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, whose renown filled all Europe in the -seventeenth century, was called the Michael Angelo of his age, because, -like that great artist, he united in an eminent degree, the three great -branches of art--painting, sculpture, and architecture, though he was -chiefly renowned in the two last. - - - - -BERNINI’S PRECOCITY. - - -Bernini manifested his extraordinary talents almost in infancy. At the -age of eight years, he executed a child’s head in marble, which was -considered a wonder. When he was ten years old, his talents had become -so widely known, that Pope Paul V. wished to see the prodigy who was the -astonishment of artists, and on his being brought into his presence, -desired him to draw a figure of St. Paul, which he did in half an hour, -so much to the satisfaction of the pontiff that he recommended him to -Cardinal Barberini, saying, “Direct the studies of this child, who will -become the Michael Angelo of this century.” - - - - -BERNINI’S STRIKING PREDICTION. - - -During Bernini’s distinguished career, Charles I. of England endeavored -in vain to allure him to visit his court. Not succeeding in this, he -employed Vandyck to paint two excellent portraits of himself, one in -profile and the other in full face, and sent them to Bernini, to enable -him to execute his bust. The sculptor surveyed them with an anxious eye, -and exclaimed, “Something evil will befall this man; he carries -misfortune in his face.” The tragical termination of the monarch’s -career, verified the sculptor’s knowledge of physiognomy. Bernini made a -striking likeness, with which the king was so much pleased, that, in -addition to the stipulated price, six thousand crowns, he made him a -present of a diamond ring, worth six thousand more. - - - - -BERNINI AND LOUIS XIV. - - -Bernini received the most flattering and pressing invitations from Louis -XIV. to visit Paris. At length, he was persuaded by the great Colbert to -undertake the journey, and having with great difficulty obtained -permission of the Pope, he set out for France, at the age of -sixty-eight, accompanied by one of his sons, and a numerous retinue. -Never did an artist travel with so much pomp, and under so many -flattering circumstances. By order of the King, he was received -everywhere on his way with the honors due to a prince, and on his -arrival at Paris, he was received by the king with every mark of -distinction, and apartments assigned to him in the royal palace. Louis -defrayed all the expenses of his journey, and to immortalize the event, -had a medal struck, with the portrait of the artist, and on the reverse, -the Muses of the Arts, with this inscription, “_Singularis in -singularis; in omnibus, unicus_.” When he returned to Rome, Louis -presented him with ten thousand crowns, gave him a pension of two -thousand, and one of four hundred to his son, and commissioned him to -execute an equestrian statue of himself, in marble, of colossal -proportions. The statue was executed in four years, and sent to -Versailles, where it was afterwards converted into _Marcus Curtius_, and -where, as such, it still remains. - - - - -BERNINI’S WORKS. - - -Bernini designed and wrought with wonderful facility; his life was one -of continued exertion, and he lived to the great age of eighty-two -years, so that he was enabled to execute an astonishing number of works. -Richly endowed by nature, and favored by circumstances, he rose superior -to the rules of art, creating for himself an easy manner, the faults of -which he knew well how to disguise by its brilliancy; yet this course, -as must ever be the case, did not lead to a lasting reputation. “The -Cav. Bernini,” says Lanzi, “the great architect and skillful sculptor, -was the arbiter and dispenser of all the works at Rome, under the -pontificates of Urban VIII. and Innocent X. His style necessarily -influenced those of all the artists, his cotemporaries. He was affected, -particularly in his drapery. He opened the way to caprice, changed the -true principles of art, and substituted for them the false. At -different times, the study of painting has taken the same vicious -course; above all, among the imitators of Pietro da Cortona, some of -whom went so far as to condemn a study of the works of Raffaelle, and -even to decry, as useless, the imitation of nature.” Bernini lived in -splendor and magnificence, and left a fortune of 400,000 Roman crowns -(about $700,000), to his children. - - - - -BERNINI AND THE VEROSPI HERCULES. - - -When the Verospi statue of Hercules killing the Hydra was first -discovered, some parts of it, particularly the monster itself, were -wanting, and were supplied by Bernini. Some years after, in further -digging the same piece of ground, they found the hydra that originally -belonged to it, which differs very much from Bernini’s supplemental one; -yet the latter is given in Maffei’s Statues, and other books of prints, -as the antique. The statue was removed from the Verospi palace to the -Capitol, where it now is; and the original hydra, with a horned sort of -a human face, snakes for hair, and a serpentine body, is there also, in -the same court. - - - - -FANATICISM DESTRUCTIVE TO ART. - - -Queen Elizabeth was a bitter persecutor of art; she ordered all sacred -pictures in the churches to be utterly destroyed, and the walls to be -white-washed, so that no memorial of them might remain. In her reign, it -became fashionable to sally forth and knock pictures and images to -pieces. Flaxman says, “The commands for destroying sacred paintings and -sculpture prevented the artist from suffering his mind to rise to the -contemplation or execution of any sublime effort, as he dreaded a prison -or a stake, and reduced him to the lowest drudgery in his profession. -This extraordinary check to our national art occurred at a time which -offered the most essential and extraordinary assistance to its -progress.” Flaxman proceeds to remark, “the civil wars completed what -fanaticism had begun, and English art was so completely extinguished -that foreign artists were always employed for public or private -undertakings.” - -Charles I. was a great lover and patron of the fine arts, and during his -reign they made rapid advances in England; but the blind zeal of the -Puritans dispersed his splendid gallery, and destroyed almost every -vestige of art. In the Journal of the House, July 23d, 1645, it is -“Ordered, that all pictures having the second person of the Trinity, be -burnt.” Walpole relates that “one Blessie was hired at half-a-crown a -day to break the painted windows in Croydon church.” One _Dowsing_ was -employed from June 9th, 1642, to October 4th, 1644, in this _holy_ -business, and by calculation it is found that he and his agents had -destroyed about 4660 pictures, evidently not all glass, because when -they were glass he so specified them. - -“The result of this continued persecution,” says Haydon, “was the ruin -of high art, for the people had not taste enough to feel any sympathy -for it independently of religion, and every man who has pursued it -since, who had not a private fortune, and was not supported by a -pension, like West, became infallibly ruined.” - - - - -PAINTINGS EVANESCENT. - - -“Few works are more evanescent than paintings. Sculpture retains its -freshness for twenty centuries. The Apollo and the Venus are as they -were. But books are perhaps the only productions of man coeval with the -human race. Sophocles and Shakspeare can be produced and reproduced -forever. But how evanescent are paintings, and must necessarily be! -Those of Zeuxis and Apelles are no more, and perhaps they have the same -relation to Homer and Æschylus, that those of Raffaelle and Guido have -to Dante and Petrarch. - -“There is however, one refuge from the despondency of this -contemplation. The material part, indeed, of their works must perish, -but they survive in the mind of man, and the remembrances of them are -transmitted from generation to generation. The poet embodies them in his -creations, and the systems of philosophers are modeled to gentleness by -their contemplation; opinion, that legislator, is infected with their -influence; men become better and wiser; and the unseen seeds are perhaps -thus sown which shall produce a plant more excellent than that from -which they fell.”--_Shelley._ - -There is at least another _refuge_. Paintings are now rendered as -permanent as books by engraving, or statuary, by mosaics. In the time of -Pliny, there were Greek paintings in Rome 600 years old. There is a -painting at Florence dated 886. It is also to be hoped that christianity -and civilization have made such advances, that no more Goths, Vandals, -Turks, and fanatics, will take pleasure in demolishing works of art as -in ages past. - - - - -THE ENGLISH NATIONAL GALLERY. - - -“A fine gallery of pictures is a sort of illustration of Berkeley’s -theory of matter and spirit. It is like a palace of thought--another -universe, built of air, of shadows, of colors. Everything seems palpable -to feeling as to sight: substances turn to shadows by the arch-chemic -touch; shadows harden into substances; ‘the eye is made the fool of the -other senses, or else worth all the rest.’ The material is in some sense -embodied in the immaterial, or at least we see all things in a sort of -intellectual mirror. The world of art is an enchanting deception. We -discover distance in a glazed surface; a province is contained in a foot -of canvass; a thin evanescent tint gives the form and pressure of rocks -and trees; an inert shape has life and motion in it. Time stands still, -and the dead reappear by means of this so potent art! - -“What hues (those of nature mellowed by time) breathe around, as we -enter! What forms are there woven into the memory! What looks, which -only the answering looks of the spectator can express! What intellectual -stores have been yearly poured forth from the shrine of ancient art! The -works are various, but the names the same; heaps of Rembrandts frowning -from their darkened walls--Rubens’ glad gorgeous groups--Titian’s more -rich and rare--Claude always exquisite, sometimes beyond -compare--Guido’s endless cloying sweetness--the learning of Poussin and -the Caracci--and Raphael’s princely magnificence, crowning all. We read -certain letters and syllables in the catalogue, and at the well-known -magic sound a miracle of skill and beauty starts to view. - -“Pictures are a set of chosen images, a stream of pleasant thoughts -passing through the mind. It is a luxury to have the walls of our rooms -hung round with them, and no less so to have such a gallery in the -mind,--to con over the relics of ancient art bound up ‘within the book -and volume of the brain, unmixed, (if it were possible) with baser -matter.’ A life passed among pictures, in the study and love of art, is -a happy, noiseless dream: or rather it is to dream and to be awake at -the same time, for it has all ‘the sober certainty of waking bliss,’ -with the romantic voluptuousness of a visionary and abstracted being. -They are the bright consummate essence of things, and he who knows of -these delights, ‘to taste and interpose them oft, is not -unwise!’”--_Hazlitt._ - - - - -THE NUDE FIGURE. - - -“It is difficult to discover any settled rules of propriety in the -different modes of dress, as all ages and nations have fluctuated with -regard to their notions and fashions in this matter. The Greek statues -of the Laocoön, Apollo, Meleager, Hercules; the Fighting and Dying -Gladiator, and the Venus de Medicis, though altogether without drapery, -yet surely there is nothing in them offensive to modesty, nothing -immoral: on the contrary, looking on these figures, the mind of the -spectator is taken up with the surprising beauty or sublimity of the -personage, his great strength, vigorous and manly character; or those -pains and agonies that so feelingly discover themselves throughout the -whole work. It is not in showing or concealing the form that modesty or -the want of it depends; _that_ rises entirely from the choice and -intentions of the artist himself. The Greeks and other great designers -came into this practice (of representing the figure undraped) in order -to show in its full extent the idea of character they meant to -establish. If it was beauty, they show it to you in all the limbs; if -strength, the same; and the agonies of the Laocoön are as discernible in -his foot as in his face. This pure and naked nature speaks a universal -language, which is understood and valued in all times and countries, -where the Grecian dress, language, and manners are neither regarded or -known. It is worth observing also that many of the fair sex do sometimes -betray themselves by their over-delicacy (which is the want of all true -delicacy) in this respect. But I am ashamed to be obliged to combat such -silly affectations; they are beneath men who have either head or heart; -they are unworthy of women who have either education or simplicity of -manner; they would disgrace even waiting-maids and sentimental -milliners-.”--_Barry._ - -“There is no more potent antidote to low sensuality than the adoration -of beauty. All the higher arts of design are essentially chaste, without -respect of the object. They purify the thoughts, as tragedy, according -to Aristotle, purifies the passions. Their accidental effects are not -worth consideration. There are souls to whom even a vestal is not -holy.”--_A. W. von Schlegel._ - - - - -DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF PAINTING COMPARED. - - -“The painters of the Roman school were the best designers, and had more -of the antique taste in their works than any of the others, but -generally they were not good colorists. Those of Florence were good -designers, and had a kind of greatness, but it was not antique. The -Venetian and Lombard schools had excellent colorists, and a certain -grace, but entirely modern, especially those of Venice; but their -drawing was generally incorrect, and their knowledge in history and the -antique very little. And the Bolognese school of the Caracci is a sort -of composition of the others; even Annibal himself possessed not any -part of painting in the perfection which is to be seen in those from -whom his manner is composed, though, to make amends, he possessed more -parts than perhaps any other master, and all in a very high degree. The -works of those of the German school have a dryness and ungraceful -stiffness, not unlike what is seen amongst the old Florentines. The -Flemings were good colorists, and imitated nature as they conceived -it--that is, instead of raising nature, they fell below it, though not -so much as the Germans, nor in the same manner. Rubens himself lived and -died a Fleming, though he would fain have been an Italian; but his -imitators have caricatured his manner--that is, they have been more -Rubens in his defects than he himself was, but without his excellencies. -The French, excepting some few of them (N. Poussin, Le Sueur, Sebastian -Bourdon), as they have not the German stiffness nor the Flemish -ungracefulness, neither have they the Italian solidity; and in their -airs of heads and manners they are easily distinguished from the -antique, how much soever they may have endeavored to imitate -it.”--_Richardson._ - - - - -THE OLD MASTERS. - - -“The duration and stability of the fame of the old masters of painting -is sufficient to evince that it has not been suspended upon the slender -thread of fashion and caprice, but bound to the human heart by every -chord of sympathetic approbation.”--_Sir J. Reynolds._ - - - - -PRICES OF GALLERIES. - - -The prices given for the three great collections of paintings sold in -England within the last century, may perhaps not be uninteresting. The -Houghton gallery, of two hundred and thirty-two pictures, collected by -Sir Robert Walpole, was sold to the Empress Catharine of Russia for -£43,500. The Orleans gallery of two hundred and ninety-six pictures was -sold in London, in 1798, for £43,555; and the Angerstein collection of -thirty-eight pictures was bought by the British government, in 1823, for -£57,000. This last purchase was the commencement of the English National -Gallery. - - - - -LOVE MAKES A PAINTER. - - -Quintin Matsys, called the Blacksmith of Antwerp, was bred up to the -trade of a blacksmith or farrier, which business he followed till he was -twenty years of age, when, according to Lampsonius, his love for a -blue-eyed lass, whose cruel father, an artist, refused her hand to any -one but a painter, caused him to abandon his devotion to Vulcan, and -inspired him with the ambition to become a worshipper at the shrine of -the Muses. He possessed uncommon talents and genius, applied himself -with great assiduity, and in a short time produced pictures that gave -promise of the highest excellence, and gained him the fair hand for -which he sighed. The inscription on the monument erected to his memory -in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, at Antwerp, records in a few expressive -words the singular story of his life: - - “_Connubialis amor de Mulcibre fecit Apellem._” - - - - -JOHN WESLEY JARVIS. - - -Jarvis, though a wayward and eccentric man, unfortunately for himself -and the world too much given to strong potations, was “a fellow of -infinite jest, of most excellent fancy,” whose “gambols, songs, and -flashes of merriment were wont to set the table on a roar.” He was a -merry wag, and an inimitable story-teller and mimic. Some of his stories -were dramatized by Dunlap, Hackett, and Matthews, the best of which is -the laughable farce of Monsieur Mallet. Dunlap says, “Another story -which Matthews dressed up for John Bull, originated with Jarvis. From a -friend I have what I suppose to be the original scene. My friend was -passing the painter’s room, when he suddenly threw up the window, and -called him in, saying, ‘I have something for your criticism, that you -will be pleased with.’ He entered, expecting to see a picture, or some -other specimen of the fine arts, but nothing of the kind was -produced--he was, however, introduced with a great deal of ceremony, -to Monsieur B----, ‘celebrated for his accurate knowledge of the -English language, and intimate critical acquaintance with its -poetry--particularly Shakspeare.’ Mr. A----, as I shall call my friend, -began to understand Jarvis’ object in calling him in. After a little -preliminary conversation, Jarvis said, ‘I hope, Monsieur B----, you -still retain your love of the drama?’ ‘O certainly, sir, wid my life I -renounce it.’ ‘Mr. A----, did you ever hear Monsieur recite?’ ‘Never.’ -‘Your recitations from Racine, Monsieur B----, will you oblige us?’ - -“The polite and vain Frenchman was easily prevailed upon to roll out -several long speeches, from Racine and Corneille, with much -gesticulation and many a well-rounded _R_. This was only to introduce -the main subject of entertainment. ‘Monsieur B---- is not only -remarkable, as you hear, for his very extraordinary recitations from the -poets of his native land, but for his perfect conquest over the -difficulties of the English language, in the most difficult of all our -poets--Shakspeare. He has studied Hamlet and Macbeth thoroughly--and if -he would oblige us--do, ‘Monsieur B----, do give us, “To be, or not to -be.”’ ‘Sur, the language is too difficult--I make great efforts to be -sure, but still the foreigner is to be detected.’ This gentleman’s -peculiarities were in extreme precision and double efforts with the _th_ -and the other shibboleths of English. The unsuspecting and vain man is -soon induced to give Hamlet’s soliloquy, the _th_ forced out as from a -pop-gun, and some of the words irresistibly comic. ‘But, Monsieur B----, -you are particularly great in Macbeth--_that_ “if it were done, when it -is done,” and “peep through the blanket,”--come, let us have Macbeth.’ -Then followed Macbeth’s soliloquies in the same style. All this was -ludicrous enough, but upon this foundation Jarvis raised a -superstructure, which he carried as high as the zest with which it was -received by his companions, his own feelings, or other circumstances -prompted or warranted. The unfortunate Monsieur B---- was imitated and -caricatured with most laugh-provoking effect; but to add to the treat, -he was made not only to recite, but to comment and criticise. ‘If it -were done,’ ‘peep through the blanket,’ and, ‘catch with the sursease, -success,’ gave a rich field for the imaginary critic’s -commentaries--then he would expose, and overthrow Voltaire’s criticisms, -and give as examples of the true sublime in tragedy, the scene of the -witches in Macbeth. - -“‘Huen shall we thtree meet aggen?’ but, ‘mounched, and mounched, and -mounched,’ was a delicious feast for the critic--and ‘rrump fed -rronion,’ gave an opportunity to show that the English witch was a true -John Bull, and fed upon the ‘rrump of the beef,’ ‘thither in a sieve -I’ll sail and like a rat without a tail, I’ll do--I’ll do--I’ll do,’ -being recited in burlesque imitation, gives an opportunity for comment -and criticism, something in this manner. ‘You see not only how true to -nature, but to the science of navigation all this is. If the rat had a -tail, he could steer the sieve as the sailor steer his ship by the -rudder; but if he have no tail, he cannot command the navigation, that -is, the course of the sieve; and it will run round--and round--and -round--that is what the witch say--“I’ll do--I’ll do--I’ll do!”’ But how -can the humor of the story-teller be represented by the writer--or how -can I dispose my reader to receive a story dressed in cold black and -white--in formal type--with the same hilarity which attends upon the -table, and the warm and warming rosy wine? The reader has perceived the -want of these magical auxiliaries in the above.” - -Jarvis was equally ludicrous in his readings from Shakspeare, in -imitation of the stutterer and lisper. The venerable Dr. C. S. Francis, -who was intimately acquainted with the painter, says, “Dr. Syntax never -with more avidity sought after the sublime and picturesque, than did -Jarvis after the scenes of many-colored life; whether his subject was -the author of Common Sense or the notorious Baron von Hoffman. His -stories, particularly those connected with his southern tours, abounded -in motley scenes and ludicrous occurrences; there was no lacking of -hair-breadth escapes, whether the incidents involved the collisions of -intellect, or sprung from alligators and rattlesnakes. His humor won the -admiration of every hearer, and he is recognized as the master of -anecdote. But he deserves to be remembered on other accounts--his -corporeal intrepidity and his reckless indifference of consequences. I -believe there have been not a few of the faculty who have exercised, -with public advantage, their professional duties among us for a series -of years, who never became as familiar with the terrific scenes of -yellow fever and of malignant cholera as Jarvis did. He seemed to have a -singular desire to become personally acquainted with the details -connected with such occurrences; and a death-bed scene, with all its -appalling circumstances, in a disorder of a formidable character, was -sought after by him with the solicitude of the inquirer after fresh -news. Nor was this wholly an idle curiosity. Jarvis often freely gave of -his limited stores to the indigent, and he listened with a fellow -feeling to the recital of the profuse liberality with which that opulent -merchant of our city, the late Thomas H. Smith, supplied daily the wants -of the afflicted and necessitous sufferer during the pestilence of 1832. - -“We are indebted to Jarvis for probably the best, if not the only good -drawing of the morbid effects of cholera on the human body while it -existed here in 1832. During that season of dismay and danger our -professional artists declined visiting the cholera hospitals, and were -reluctant to delineate when the subject was brought to them. But it -afforded a new topic for the consideration of Jarvis, and perhaps also -for the better display of his anatomical attainments, he with -promptitude discharged the task. When making a drawing from the lifeless -and morbid organs of digestion, to one who inquired if he were not -apprehensive of danger while thus employed, he put the interrogatory, -‘Pray what part of the system is affected by the cholera?’ ‘The -digestive organs,’ was the reply. ‘Oh no, then,’ said Jarvis, ‘for now -you see I am doubly armed--- I am furnished with two sets.’” - - - - -THE BIGGEST LIE. - - -Jarvis resided a long time at Charleston, S. C., where his convivial -qualities made him a great favorite. On one occasion, at a large dinner -party, after the wine had freely circulated, banishing not only form, -but discretion, some one of the company proposed that they should make -up a prize to the man who would tell the greatest and most palpable -_lie_. It was purposely arranged that Jarvis should speak last. The -President began. They - - “Spoke of most disastrous chances, - Of moving accidents by flood and field.” - -Lie followed lie; and as it is easy to heap absurdity upon absurdity, -and extravagance on enormous exaggeration; and as easy to excite -laughter and command applause, when champaigne has been enthroned in the -seat of judgment, each lie was hailed with shouts of approbation and -bursts of merriment. One of the company, who sat next to Jarvis, had -exceeded all his competitors, and unanimous admiration seemed to ensure -him the prize. The _lie_ was so monstrous and palpable, that it was -thought wit or ingenuity could not equal it. Still, something was -expected from the famous story-teller, and every eye was turned on the -painter. He rose, and placing his hand on his breast and making a low -bow, gravely said, “Gentlemen, I assure you that I fully and -unequivocally believe every word the last speaker has uttered.” A burst -of applause followed, and the prize was adjudged to the witty artist. - - - - -JARVIS AND BISHOP MOORE. - - -Jarvis painted the portrait of Bishop Benjamin Moore, who used to relate -one of his quick strokes of humor with great glee. The good Bishop, -during one of the sittings, introduced the subject of religion, and -asked Jarvis some questions as to his belief or practice. The painter, -with an arch look, but as if intent upon catching the likeness of the -sitter, waved his hand and said, “Turn your face more that way, Bishop, -and _shut your mouth_.” - - - - -JARVIS AND COMMODORE PERRY. - - -When Jarvis painted the portrait of Commodore Perry, he wished to infuse -into the likeness of the hero the fire which he supposed animated him -during the terrible contest on Lake Erie. During two or three sittings -he tried in vain to rouse him by his lively conversation; he would soon -sink into a reverie; it was evident that his thoughts were far away. The -painter now had recourse to artifice. He deliberately laid down his -palette and pencils, got up, and seizing a chair, swung it over his head -in a menacing manner. This strange conduct instantly brought Perry to -his feet, his eyes flashing fire, and every feature lit up with the -desired expression. “There, that will do,” said the painter; “please sit -just as you are.” The result was the admirable picture which now adorns -our City Hall, representing the hero standing in his boat, with his flag -in one arm, triumphantly waving his sword, as he left the dismantled St. -Lawrence for the Niagara, to renew the contest, resolved to conquer or -die. - - - - -JARVIS AND THE PHILOSOPHER. - - -Jarvis was a great wag as well as an inimitable story-teller. Whenever -he met with an eccentric genius, he delighted to make him indulge in -strong potations, and then engage him on his favorite hobby. On one such -occasion, a gentleman who had a smattering of Zoology, declared it as -his opinion, that it was possible to change the nature of animals; for -instance, that by cutting off the end of dogs’ or monkeys’ tails for a -few generations, they would become tailless. “That is capital logic,” -said Jarvis, “I wonder that the Jews have now any _tails_!” The -philosopher shot out of the room amidst shouts of laughter. - - - - -JARVIS AND DR. MITCHELL. - - -Jarvis could not forbear to crack a joke on the learned Dr. Mitchell, -whose profundity sometimes led him to analyze cause and effect in a -hyper-philosophical manner. “Can you tell,” said he one day to the -learned Doctor, who was sitting for his portrait, “why white sheep eat -more than black ones?” “But is it a fact?” enquired the Doctor. “Most -assuredly,” said the painter, “as every farmer will tell you.” The -Doctor then went on to give sundry philosophical reasons why white sheep -might require more food than black ones. “Your reasons are -excellent--but I think I can give you a better one. In my opinion the -reason why white sheep eat more than black ones is, because there are -more of them!” - - - - -JARVIS’ HABITS. - - -Jarvis, in his more prosperous days, was always improvident and -recklessly extravagant. Dunlap says, “when he went to New Orleans for -the first time, (in 1833) he took Henry Inman with him. To use his own -words,--‘my purse and my pockets were empty; (when he went to N. O.) I -spent $3000 there in six months, and brought $3000 to New York. The next -winter I did the same.’ He used to receive six sitters a day. A sitting -occupied an hour. The picture was then handed to Inman, who painted upon -the background and drapery under the master’s directions. Thus six -portraits were finished each week.” His prices at this time were $100 -for a head, and $150 for head and hands. - -“Mr. Sully once told me,” says Dunlap, “that calling on Jarvis, he was -shown into a room, and left to wait some minutes before he entered. He -saw a book on the table amidst palette, brushes, tumblers, candlesticks, -and other heterogeneous affairs, and on opening it, he found a life of -Moreland. When Jarvis came into the room, Sully sat with the book in his -hand. ‘Do you know why I like that book?’ said Jarvis. ‘I suppose -because it is the life of a painter,’ was the reply. ‘Not merely that,’ -rejoined the other, ‘but because I think he was like myself.’” What a -commentary! Moreland was a man of genius, and might have shone as a -bright star in the history of art, had he not degraded himself by -dissipation, almost to a level with the pigs he delighted to paint. The -glory of both Stuart and Jarvis is obscured by the same fatal passion. -“O that men should put an enemy in their mouths, to steal away their -brains! that we should, with joy, revel, pleasure, and applause, -transform ourselves into beasts.” - -“Jarvis,” says Dunlap, “was fond of notoriety from almost any source, -and probably thought it aided him in his profession. His dress was -generally unique. His long coat, trimmed with furs like a Russian -prince, or a potentate from the north pole, and his two enormous dogs -which accompanied him through the streets, and often carried home his -market basket, must be remembered by many.” - - - - -ROBERT FULTON. - - -It is not generally known that this celebrated engineer was in his early -life a practical painter.--From the age of 17 to 21, he painted -portraits and landscapes in Philadelphia. In his 22d year, he went to -England to prosecute his studies under West, who received him with great -kindness, and was so much pleased with his genius and amiable qualities, -that he took him into his own house, as a member of his family. After -leaving West, he seems to have made painting his chief employment for a -livelihood for several years, though at this time, his mind was occupied -with various great projects connected with engineering. In 1797, he went -to Paris in prosecution of these projects, and to fill his empty -coffers, he projected the first panorama ever exhibited in that city. He -was a true lover of art, too, and endeavored to induce the citizens of -Philadelphia to get up a subscription to purchase some of West’s -choicest pictures, which then could have been bought very cheap, as the -commencement of a gallery in that city. - - - - -AN EXALTED MIND AND A TRUE PATRIOT. - - -Robert Fulton, after years of toil, anxiety, and ridicule, thus writes -to his friend, Joel Barlow, immediately after his first steam-boat -voyage from New York to Albany and back: - - “New York, August 2, 1807. - - “MY DEAR FRIEND--My steam-boat voyage to Albany and back, has - turned out rather more favorably than I had calculated. The - distance from New York to Albany is 150 miles; I ran it up in - thirty-two hours, and down in thirty hours; the latter is five - miles an hour. I had a light breeze against me the whole way, - goings and coming, so that no use was made of my sails, and the - voyage has been performed wholly by the power of the steam engine. - I overtook many sloops and schooners, beating to windward, and - passed them as if they had been at anchor. - - “The power of propelling boats by steam, is now fully proved. The - morning I left New York, there were not, perhaps, thirty persons, - who believed that the boat would move one mile an hour, or be of - the least utility; and while we were putting off from the wharf, - which was crowded with spectators, I heard a number of sarcastic - remarks. This is the way, you know, in which ignorant men - compliment what they call philosophers and projectors. - - “Having employed much time, money, and zeal, in accomplishing this - work, it gives me, as it will you, great pleasure, to see it so - fully answer my expectations. It will give a quick and cheap - conveyance to merchandize on the Mississippi, Missouri, and other - great rivers, which are now laying open their treasures to the - enterprise of our countrymen. Although the prospect of personal - emolument has been some inducement to me, yet I feel infinitely - more pleasure in reflecting on the immense advantages my country - will derive from the invention.” - - - - -GILBERT CHARLES STUART. - - -This preëminent portrait painter was born at Narragansett, Rhode Island, -in 1756. He received his first instruction from a Scotch painter at -Newport, named Alexander, who was so much pleased with his talents and -lively disposition, that he took him with him on his return to Scotland. -His friend dying soon after, the youth found himself pennyless in a -strange country, but undismayed, he resolved to return home, and found -himself obliged to work his passage before the mast. He had already made -considerable progress in art, and on his return commenced portrait -painting, although without meeting much encouragement. He was in Boston -at the time of the Battle of Lexington, but immediately left that city -and went to New York, where he painted the portrait of his grandmother -from memory, though she had been dead about ten years, which is said to -have been a capital likeness, and gained him some business. About this -time he painted his own portrait, the only one he ever took of himself, -to the excellence of which his friend Dr. Waterhouse bears ample -testimony. He says, “it was painted in his freest manner, and with a -Rubens’ hat,” and in another place, that “Stuart in his best days, said -he need not be ashamed of it.” - - - - -STUART GOES TO LONDON. - - -Not meeting with any adequate encouragement, and the country being in a -deplorable state, in the midst of the Revolution, Stuart set sail for -London in 1778, at the age of twenty-two, to try his fortunes in that -city. He was a wayward and eccentric genius, proud as Lucifer withal; -and on his arrival in that metropolis, he found himself full of poverty, -enthusiasm, and hope,--often a painter’s only capital. He expected to -have found Waterhouse, who would have helped him with his advice, and -purse if necessary, but he had gone to Edinburg. Instead of going -directly to West, as he should have done, he wandered about the “dreary -solitude” of London, as Johnson used to characterize the busy hum of -that crowded city to the poverty-stricken sons of genius, till he had -expended his last dollar. - - - - -STUART AN ORGANIST. - - -Stuart had a great taste for music, which he had cultivated, and was an -accomplished musician. One day, as he was passing a church in -Foster-Lane, hearing the sound of an organ, he stepped in, and -ascertaining that the vestry were testing the candidates for the post of -organist, he asked if he might try. Being told that he could, he did so, -and succeeded in getting the place, with a salary of thirty guineas a -year! - - - - -STUART’S INTRODUCTION TO WEST. - - -During all this time, for some unknown reason, Stuart never sought the -acquaintance of West, but the moment that excellent man heard of the -young painter and his circumstances, he immediately sent a messenger to -him with money to relieve his necessities, and invited him to call at -his studio. “Such was Stuart’s first introduction,” says Dunlap, “to -the man from whose instruction he derived the most important advantages -from that time forward; whose character he always justly appreciated, -but whose example he could not, or would not follow.” Stuart himself -says, “On application to West to receive me as a pupil, I was welcomed -with true benevolence, encouraged and taken into the family, and nothing -could exceed the attentions of the great artist to me--they were -paternal.” He was twenty-four years old when he entered the studio of -West. Before he left the roof of his benefactor and teacher, he painted -a full-length portrait of him, which elicited general admiration. It was -exhibited at the Royal Academy, and the young painter paid frequent -visits to the exhibition rooms. It happened that one day, as he stood -near the picture, surrounded by artists and students (for he had fine -wit, and was an inimitable story-teller), West came in and joined the -group. He praised the picture, and addressing himself to his pupil, -said, “you have done well, Stuart, very well; now all you have to do is -to go home and do better.” Stuart always expressed the obligations he -was under to that distinguished artist. When West saw that he was fitted -for the field, prepared for and capable of contending with the best -portrait painters, he advised him to commence his professional career, -and pointed out to him the way to fame and fortune. But Stuart did not -follow this wise counsel, preferring to indulge his own wayward fancy. -He had a noble, generous, and disinterested heart, but he was eccentric, -improvident, and extravagant, and consequently he was always in -necessitous circumstances. - - - - -STUART AND WEST. - - -“I used often to provoke my good old master,” said Stuart to Dunlap, -“though, heaven knows, without intending it. You remember the color -closet at the bottom of his painting-room. One day, Trumbull and I came -into his room, and little suspecting that he was within hearing, I began -to lecture on his pictures, and particularly upon one then on his easel. -I was a giddy, foolish fellow then. He had begun a portrait of a child, -and he had a way of making curly hair by a flourish of his brush, thus, -like a figure of three. “Here, Trumbull,” said I, “do you want to learn -how to paint hair? There it is, my boy! Our master figures out a head of -hair like a sum in arithmetic. Let us see--we may tell how many guineas -he is to have for this head by simple addition,--three and three make -six, and three are nine, and three are twelve--” How much the sum would -have amounted to, I can’t tell, for just then in stalked the master, -with palette-knife and palette, and put to flight my calculations. “Very -well, Mr. Stuart”--he always _mistered_ me when he was angry, as a man’s -wife calls him _my dear_, when she wishes him to the d----l,--“Very -well, Mr. Stuart! very well indeed!” You may believe that I looked -foolish enough, and he gave me a pretty sharp lecture, without my making -any reply. But when the head was finished, there were no _figures of -three in the hair_.” - -“Mr. West,” says Stuart, “treated me very cavalierly on one occasion: -but I had my revenge. My old master, who was always called upon to paint -a portrait of his majesty for every governor-general sent out to India, -received an order for one for Lord ----. He was busily employed upon one -of his _ten-acre_ pictures, in company with prophets and apostles, and -thought he could turn over the king to me. He could never paint a -portrait. - -“‘Stuart,’ said he, ‘it is a pity to make his majesty sit again for his -picture; there is the portrait of him that you painted; let me have it -for Lord ----. I will retouch it, and it will do well enough.’ ‘_Well -enough!_ very pretty,’ thought I; ‘you might be civil, when you ask a -favor.’ So I _thought_; but I _said_, ‘Very well, sir.’ So the picture -was carried down to his room, and at it he went. I saw he was puzzled. -He worked at it all that day. The next morning, ‘Stuart,’ says he, ‘have -you got your palette set?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Well, you can soon set another; -let me have it; I can’t satisfy myself with that head.’ - -“I gave him my palette, and he worked the greater part of that day. In -the afternoon I went into his room, and he was hard at it. I saw that he -had got up to the knees in mud. ‘Stuart,’ says he, ‘I don’t know how it -is, but you have a way of managing your tints unlike everybody else. -Here, take the palette, and finish the head.’ ‘I can’t, sir,’ ‘You -can’t?’ ‘I can’t indeed, sir, as it is; but let it stand till to-morrow -morning and get dry, and I will go over it with all my heart.’ The -picture was to go away the day after the morrow; so he made me promise -to do it early next morning. - -He never came down into the painting room until about ten o’clock, I -went into his room bright and early, and by half past nine I had -finished the head. That done, _Rafe_ (Raphael West, the master’s son) -and I began to fence; I with my maul-stick, and he with his father’s. I -had just driven Rafe up to the wall, with his back to one of his -father’s best pictures, when the old gentleman, as neat as a lad of wax, -with his hair powdered, his white silk stockings and yellow morocco -slippers, popped into the room, looking as if he had stepped out of a -band-box. We had made so much noise that we did not hear him come down -the gallery, or open the door. ‘There, you dog,’ says I to Rafe, ‘there -I have you, and nothing but your back-ground _relieves_ you.’ - -“The old gentleman could not help smiling at my technical joke, but -soon, looking very stern, ‘Mr. Stuart,’ says he, ‘is this the way you -use me?’ ‘Why! what’s the matter, sir? I have neither hurt the boy nor -the background.’ ‘Sir, when you knew I had promised that the picture of -his majesty should be finished to-day, ready to be sent away to-morrow, -thus to be neglecting me and your promise! How can you answer it to me -or to yourself?’ - -“‘Sir,’ said I, ‘do not condemn me without examining the easel. I have -finished the picture: please to look at it.’ He did so, complimented me -highly, and I had ample revenge for his, ‘It will do well enough.’” - - - - -STUART’S SCHOLARSHIP. - - -Trumbull, speaking of Stuart as he knew him in London, says, “He was a -much better scholar than I had supposed he was. He once undertook to -paint my portrait, and I sat every day for a week, and then he left off -without finishing it, saying, ‘he could make nothing of my d----d -sallow face.’ But during the time, in his conversation, I observed that -he had not only read, but remembered what he had read. In speaking of -the character of man, he said, ‘Linnæus is right; Plato and Diogenes -call man a biped without feathers; that’s a shallow definition. -Franklin’s is better--a tool-making animal; but Linnæus’ is the -best--homo, animal mendax, rapax, pugnax.’” - - - - -STUART’S RULE OF THE PAYMENT OF HALF PRICE AT THE FIRST SITTING. - - -Stuart thus explains how he came to adopt a custom, which, when -practicable, commends itself to others. “Lord St. Vincent, the Duke of -Northumberland, and Colonel Barre, came unexpectedly into my room, one -morning after my setting up an independent easel, and explained the -object of their visit. They understood that I was under pecuniary -embarrassment, and offered me assistance, which I declined. They then -said they would sit for their portraits; of course I was ready to serve -them. They then advised that I should make it a rule that half the price -must be paid at the first sitting. They insisted on setting the example, -and I followed the practice, ever after this delicate mode of their -showing their friendship.” - - - - -STUART’S POWERS OF PERCEPTION. - - -Stuart read men’s characters at a glance, and always engaged his sitters -on some interesting topic of conversation, and while their features were -thus lit up, he transferred them to his canvass, with the magic of his -pencil. Hence his portraits are full of animation, truth, and nature. -This trait is well illustrated by the following anecdote. Lord Mulgrave -employed him to paint his brother, General Phipps, who was going out to -India. When the portrait was finished, and the general had sailed, the -Earl called for the picture, and on examining it, he seemed disturbed, -and said, “This picture looks strange, sir; how is it? I think I see -insanity in that face!” “I painted your brother as I saw him,” replied -the painter. The first account Lord Mulgrave had of his brother was, -that insanity, unknown and unapprehended by any of his friends, had -driven him to commit suicide. Washington Allston, in his eulogium on -Stuart, says, “The narratives and anecdotes with which his knowledge of -men and the world had stored his memory, and which he often gave with -great beauty and dramatic effect, were not unfrequently employed by Mr. -Stuart in a way, and with an address peculiar to himself. From this -store it was his custom to draw largely, while occupied with his -sitters, apparently for their amusement; but his object was rather, by -thus banishing all restraint, to call forth, if possible, some -involuntary traits of natural character. It was this which enabled him -to animate his canvass, not with the appearance of mere general life, -but with that peculiar, distinctive life which separates the humblest -individual from his kind. He seemed to dive into the thoughts of -men--for they were made to rise and speak on the surface.” - - - - -STUART’S CONVERSATIONAL POWERS. - - -Dr. Waterhouse relates the following anecdote of Stuart. He was -traveling one day in an English stage-coach, with some gentlemen who -were all strangers, and at first rather taciturn, but he soon engaged -them in the most animated conversation. At length they arrived at their -place of destination, and stopped at an inn to dine. “His companions,” -says the Doctor, “were very desirous to know _who_ and _what_ he was, -for whatever Dr. Franklin may have said a half century ago about the -question-asking propensity of his countrymen, I never noticed so much -of that kind of traveling curiosity in New England as in Britain. To the -round-about inquiries to find out his calling or profession, Stuart -answered with a grave face and serious tone, - -“‘I sometimes dress gentlemen’s and ladies’ hair’ (at that time, the -high craped, pomatumed hair was all the fashion). - -“‘You are a hair-dresser, then?’ - -“‘What,’ said he, ‘do I look like a barber?’ - -“‘I beg your pardon, sir, but I inferred it from what you said. If I -mistook you, I may take the liberty to ask you what you are then?’ - -“‘Why, I sometimes brush a gentleman’s coat or hat, and sometimes adjust -a cravat.’ - -“‘O, you are a valet, then, to some nobleman?’ - -“‘A valet! Indeed sir, I am not. I am not a servant. To be sure, I make -coats and waistcoats for gentlemen.’ - -“‘O, you are a tailor?’ - -“‘A tailor! Do I look like a tailor? I assure you, I never handled a -goose, other than a roasted one.’ - -By this time they were all in a roar. - -“‘What are you, then?’ said one. - -“‘I’ll tell you,’ said Stuart. ‘Be assured, all I have told you is -literally true. I dress hair, brush hats and coats, adjust a cravat, and -make coats, waistcoats, and breeches, and likewise boots and shoes, at -your service.’ - -“‘O, ho! a boot and shoemaker after all!’ - -“Guess again, gentlemen. I never handled boot or shoe, but for my own -feet and legs; yet all I told you is true.’ - -“‘We may as well give up guessing.’ - -“‘Well then, I will tell you, upon my honor as a gentleman, my _bona -fide_ profession. I get my bread by making faces.’ - -He then screwed his countenance, and twisted the lineaments of his -visage in a manner such as Samuel Foote or Charles Matthews might have -envied. His companions, after loud peals of laughter, each took credit -to himself for having suspected that the gentleman belonged to the -theatre, and they all knew he must be a comedian by profession, when, to -their utter astonishment, he assured them he was never on the stage, and -very rarely saw the inside of a playhouse, or any similar place of -amusement. They all now looked at each other in utter amazement. Before -parting, Stuart said to his companions,-- - -“‘Gentlemen, you will find that all I have said of various employments -is comprised in these few words: _I am a portrait painter!_ If you will -call at John Palmer’s, York Buildings, London, I shall be ready and -willing to brush you a coat or hat, dress your hair _a la mode_, supply -you, if in need, with a wig of any fashion or dimensions, accommodate -you boots or shoes, give you ruffles or cravat, and make faces for -you.’” - - - - -STUART’S SUCCESS IN EUROPE. - - -Stanley, in his edition of Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers -says, “He rose into eminence, and his claims were acknowledged, even in -the life time of Sir Joshua Reynolds. His high reputation as a portrait -painter, as well in Ireland as in England, introduced him to a large -acquaintance among the higher circles of society, and he was in the road -of realizing a large fortune, had he not returned to America.” - - - - -STUART IN IRELAND. - - -“The Duke of Rutland,” says Dunlap, who had the story from the artist -himself, “invited Stuart to his house in Dublin. Stuart got money enough -together somehow to pay his passage to Ireland; but when he got there, -he found that the duke had died the day before. If anybody else had gone -there, the duke would have been just as sure to live, for something -extraordinary must happen to Stuart, of course. He soon got into the -debtors’ prison again; but he was a star still. He would not let people -give him money. Rich people and nobles _would_ be painted by him, and -they had to go to jail to find the painter. There he held his court; -flashing equipages of lords and ladies came dashing up to prison, while -their exquisite proprietors waited for their first sitting. He began the -pictures of a great many nobles and men of wealth and fashion, received -half price at the first sitting, and left their Irish lordships -imprisoned in effigy. Having thus liberated _himself_, and there being -no law that would justify the jailor in holding half-finished peers in -prison, the painter fulfilled his engagements, more at his ease, in his -own house, and in the bosom of his own family; and it is probable the -Irish gentlemen laughed heartily at the trick, and willingly paid the -remainder of the price.” - - - - -STUART’S RETURN TO AMERICA. - - -Miss Stuart, the daughter of the painter, says, “he arrived in Dublin in -1788, and notwithstanding the loss of his friendly inviter, he met with -great success, painted most of the nobility, and lived in a good deal of -splendor. The love of his own country, his admiration of General -Washington, and the very great desire he had to paint his portrait, was -his _only_ inducement to turn his back on his good fortunes in Europe.” -Accordingly, in 1793, he embarked for New York, where he took up his -abode for some months, and painted the portraits of Sir John Temple, -John Jay, Gen. Clarkson, John R. Murray, Colonel Giles, and other -persons of distinction. - - - - -STUART AND WASHINGTON. - - -In 1794, Stuart proceeded to Philadelphia, for the purpose of painting a -portrait of Washington, who received him courteously. He used to say -that when he entered the room where Washington was, he felt embarrassed, -and that it was the first time in his life he had ever felt awed in the -presence of a fellowman. Washington was then standing on the highest -eminence of earthly glory, and the gaze of the world was steadily fixed -upon the man, whom Botta terms “the Father of Freedom.” To leave to -posterity a faithful portrait of the Father of his country, had become -the most earnest wish of Stuart’s life. This he accomplished, but not at -the first time; he was not satisfied with the expression, and destroyed -the picture. The President sat again, and he produced that head which -embodies not only the features but the soul of Washington, from which he -painted all his other portraits of that great man. This picture is now -in the Boston Atheneum. - - - - -STUART’S LAST PICTURE. - - -After the removal of Congress to Washington, Stuart followed, and -resided there till 1806, when he went to Boston, and passed there the -rest of his days. He painted a great many portraits, which are scattered -all over the country. The last work he ever painted was a head of the -elder John Quincy Adams. He began it a full-length: but he was an old -man, and only lived to complete the head, which is considered one of his -best likenesses, and shows that the powers of his mind and the magic of -his pencil continued brilliant to the last. The picture was finished by -that eminent and highly gifted artist, Thomas Sully, who would not touch -the head, as he said, “he would have thought it little less than -sacrilege.” He died in 1828, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. - - - - -STUART’S REPUTATION. - - -As a painter of heads, Stuart stands almost unrivalled in any age or -country; beyond this he made no pretensions, and indeed bestowed very -little care or labor. He used to express his contempt for fine finishing -of the extremities, or rich and elegant accessories, which he used to -say was “work for girls.” Whether these were his real sentiments, or -affectation, it is difficult to determine. He was, however, totally -deficient in that academic education which is necessary to success in -the highest branch of the art--historical painting. He had genius enough -to have distinguished himself in any branch, but he could not, or would -not, brook the necessary toil. - - - - -STUART’S DRAWING. - - -Stuart never had patience to undergo the drudgery necessary to become a -skillful draughtsman. His kind instructor, Mr. West, urged upon him its -importance and necessity, and advised him to frequent the Royal Academy -for this purpose, which he neglected to do. Trumbull relates that -Fuseli, on being shown some of his drawings, observed in his usual -sarcastic manner, “young man, if this is the best you can do, you had -better go and make shoes.” - - - - -STUART A PUNSTER. - - -Stuart was an inveterate punster. Mr. Allston, calling on him a short -time before his death, asked him how he was. “Ah!” said he, drawing up -his pantaloons, and showing his emaciated leg, which in his youth had -been his pride, “you can judge how much I am _out of drawing_.” - - - - -STUART BORN IN A SNUFF-MILL. - - -Stuart was an inordinate snuff-taker. He used to jocosely apologize for -the habit, by saying that “he was born in a snuff-mill,” which was -literally true, for his father was a manufacturer of snuff. He said, “a -pinch of snuff had a wonderful effect upon a man’s spirits.” An old sea -captain once observed to him, “you see, sir, I have always a nostril in -reserve. When the right becomes callous after a few weeks’ usage, I -apply for comfort to the left, which having had time to regain its sense -of feeling, enjoys the _blackguard_ till the right comes to its senses.” -“Thank you,” said Stuart, “it’s a great discovery. Strange that I should -not have made it myself, when I have been voyaging all my life in these -channels.” - - - - -STUART’S NOSE. - - -Stuart always maintained that a likeness depended more on the _nose_, -than any other feature, and in proof of his theory, he would put his -thumb under his own large and flexible proboscis, and turning it up, -exclaim, “who would know my portrait with such a nose as this?” -Therefore, he is said to have generally painted a likeness, before -_putting in_ the eyes. On one occasion, a pert young coxcomb, who was -sitting for his portrait, stole a glance at the canvass and exclaimed, -“why, it has no eyes!” Stuart coolly observed, “It is not nine days old -yet,” referring of course to the time when a _puppy_ first opens its -eyes. - - - - -STUART’S SITTERS. - - -A portrait was once returned to Stuart with the grievous complaint, that -the muslin of the cravat was too coarsely executed. Stuart indignantly -observed to a friend, “I am determined to glue a piece of muslin of the -finest texture on the part that offends their _exquisite_ judgment, and -send it back again.” A lady once sat to him dressed in the extreme of -fashion, loaded with jewelry and gewgaws, besides an abundance of hair -powder and rouge. Stuart, being _hard up_ for cash, consented to “raise -a monument to her folly.” After the picture was completed, he observed -to a friend, “There is what I have all my life been endeavoring to -avoid,--vanity and bad taste.” - -A gentleman of note employed Stuart to paint his own portrait and that -of his wife, who, when he married her, was a very rich widow, but a very -ordinary looking person. The husband was handsome, and of a noble -figure, and the painter _hit him off_, to admiration. Not so with the -lady; he flattered her as much as he could without destroying the -likeness, but the husband was not satisfied, expressed his -dissatisfaction in polite terms, and requested him to try again. He did -so, without any better success. The husband now began to fret, when the -painter losing his patience, jumped up, laid down his palette, took a -huge pinch of snuff, and stalking rapidly up and down the room, -exclaimed, “What a d--d business is this of a portrait painter--zounds, -you bring a _potato_, and expect him to paint you a peach.” - - - - -STUART’S MARK. - - -Stuart, it is said, never signed but one picture in his life, and that -was his own portrait, before mentioned, on which he wrote _Gilbert -Charles Stuart_. Dr. Waterhouse says, “his parents named him after his -father, and Charles the Pretender, but Stuart soon dropt the Charles, as -he was a staunch republican. When asked why he did not sign his -pictures, he replied, “I mark them all over.” - - - - -STUART AND HIS DOG. - - -In the early part of Stuart’s career as a portrait painter in London, he -had for his attendant a wild boy, the son of a poor widow, who spent -half his time in frolicking with a fine Newfoundland dog belonging to -his master. The boy and dog were inseparable companions, and when Tom -went on an errand, Towzer must accompany him. Tom was a terrible -truant, and played so many tricks upon Stuart, that he again and again -threatened to discharge him. One day, out of all patience at his long -absence, he posted off to his mother, in a rage, to dismiss him. The old -woman, perceiving a tempest, _began first_, and told a pitiful story, -how his dog had upset her mutton pie, broke the dish, greased the floor, -and devoured the meat. “I am glad of it; you encourage the rascal to -come here, and here I will send him.” An idea struck Stuart, and he -consented to keep Tom, on condition that she kept his visit a profound -secret. When the boy returned, he found his master at his easel, and -being roundly lectured, he told a story that had no relation to his -mother, Towzer, or the pie. “Very well,” said the painter, “bring in -dinner, I shall know all about it by-and-by.” Stuart sat down to his -dinner, and Towzer took his accustomed place by his side, while Tom -stood in attendance. “Well, Towzer, your mouth don’t water for your -share; where have you been?” and he put his ear to the dog’s mouth, “I -thought so, with Tom’s mother, ha!” “Bow-wow.” “And have you had your -dinner?” “Bow.” “I thought so; what have you been eating? Put your mouth -nearer, sir. Mutton-pie; very pretty. So you and Tom have eaten Mrs. -Jenkins’ mutton-pie, have you?” “Bow-wow.” “He lies, sir,” exclaimed -Tom, in amazement, “I didn’t touch it; he broke mother’s dish, and eat -all the mutton!” From that time, Tom concluded that the devil must be in -the dog or the painter, and that he had no chance for successful lying. - - - - -THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EPHESUS. - - -This famous temple, according to Vitruvius, was designed and commenced -by Ctesiphon, a Cretan architect of great eminence. It was two hundred -years in building, and was accounted one of the seven wonders of the -world. The gods having designated the spot, according to tradition, -every nation of Asia Minor contributed to its completion, with the most -fervent zeal. It was ornamented with one hundred and twenty-seven -columns of Parian marble, of the Ionic order, sixty feet high, -thirty-seven of which were the gifts of as many kings, and were -exquisitely wrought. This great temple was finished by Demetrius and -Paonius of Ephesus. It was afterwards burned by Erostratus, in order to -immortalize his name. It was subsequently rebuilt, but was finally -destroyed totally by the barbarians, in the third or fourth century. - - - - -THE DYING GLADIATOR. - - -The most famous work of Ctesilas was the Dying Gladiator, which has -received the highest commendations from both ancient and modern writers. -It was long preserved at Rome, in the Chigi palace, but was taken to -Paris with the Laocoön and other antiques, in 1796. These works were -restored by the allies, in 1815. Ctesilas flourished about B. C. 432, -was a cotemporary of Phidias, and with him and others competed for the -prize offered for six statues of the temple of Diana at Ephesus; the -first was awarded to Polycletus, the second to Phidias, and the third to -Ctesilas. He also distinguished himself by a number of other works, -among which were a statue of Pericles, and a Wounded Amazon. - - - - -FABIUS MAXIMUS. - - -It was not until the second Punic war that the Romans acquired a taste -for the arts and elegancies of life: for though in the first war with -Carthage, they had conquered Sicily (which in the old Roman geography -made a part of Greece), and were masters of several cities in the -eastern part of Italy, (which were inhabited by Grecian colonies, and -adorned with pictures and statues in which the Greeks excelled all the -world,) they had hitherto looked on them with so careless an eye, that -they were not touched with their beauty. This insensibility long -remained, either from the grossness of their minds, or from -superstition, or (what is more likely) from a political dread that their -martial spirit and natural roughness might be destroyed by Grecian art -and elegance. When Fabius Maximus, in the second Punic war, captured -Tarentum, he found it full of riches, and adorned with pictures and -statues, particularly with some fine colossal figures of the gods -fighting against the rebel giants: Fabius ordered that the money and -plate should be sent to Rome, but that the statues and pictures should -be left behind. The Secretary, struck with the size and noble air of the -statues, asked whether they too were to be left with the rest? “Yes,” -replied he, “leave their angry gods to the Tarentines; we will have -nothing to do with them.” - - - - -LOVE OF THE ARTS AMONG THE ROMANS. - - -We may judge to what extent the love of the arts prevailed in Rome, by a -speech of Cato the Censor, in the Senate, about seventeen years after -the taking of Syracuse. In vain did Cato exclaim against the pernicious -taste, and its demoralizing effects; the Roman generals, in their -several conquests, seem to have striven who should bring away the most -statues and pictures to adorn their triumphs and the city of Rome. -Flaminius from Greece, and more particularly Æmilius from Macedonia, -brought a very great number of vases and statues. Not many years after, -Scipio Africanus destroyed Carthage, and transferred to Rome the chief -ornaments of that city. The same year, Mummius sacked Corinth, one of -the principal repositories of the finest works of art. Having but little -taste himself, he took the surest method not to be mistaken, for he -carried off all that came in his way, and in such quantities, that he -alone is said to have filled Rome with pictures and statues. Sylla, -besides many others, made vast additions to them afterwards, by the -taking of Athens, and by his conquests in Asia. - - - - -COMPARATIVE MERITS OF THE VENUS DE MEDICI, AND THE VENUS VICTRIX. - - -The Venus de Medici is placed in the tribune of the Florentine gallery, -between two other Venuses, the Celestial and the Victorious. “If you -observe them well,” says Spence, “you will find as much difference -between her air, and that of the celestial Venus, as there is between -Titian’s wife as a Venus, and as a Madonna, in the same room.” - - - - -THE EFFECT OF PAINTING ON THE MIND. - - -The effects of the pencil are sometimes wonderful. It is said that -Alexander trembled and grew pale on seeing a picture of Palamedes -betrayed to death by his friends. It doubtless brought to his mind a -stinging remembrance of his treatment of Aristonicus. - -Portia could bear with an unshaken constancy her last separation from -Brutus; but when she saw, a few hours after, a picture of the Parting of -Hector and Andromache, she burst into a flood of tears. Full as seemed -her cup of sorrow, the painter suggested new ideas of grief, or -impressed more strongly her own. - -An Athenian courtezan, in the midst of a riotous banquet with her -lovers, accidentally cast her eye on the portrait of a philosopher that -hung opposite to her seat; the happy character of temperance and virtue -struck her with so lively an image of her own unworthiness, that she -instantly quitted the room, and retiring home, became ever after an -example of temperance, as she had before been of debauchery. - - - - -PAUSIAS. - - -Pausias, an eminent Greek painter, was a native of Sicyon, and -flourished about B. C. 450. His most famous picture was one representing -the Sacrifice of an Ox, which, according to Pliny, decorated the Hall of -Pompey in his time. Pausanias mentions two of his paintings at -Epidaurus--the one a Cupid with a lyre in his hand; and the other a -figure of Methe, or Drunkenness, drinking out of a glass vessel, through -which his face is seen. These pictures were held in the highest -estimation by the Sicyonians, but they were compelled to give them up to -M. Scaurus, who took them to Rome. - - - - -THE GARLAND TWINER. - - -Pausias fell in love with a beautiful damsel, a native of his own city, -called Glycera, who gained a livelihood by making garlands of flowers, -and wreaths of roses. Her skill in this art induced Pausias, in a loving -rivalry, to attempt to compete with her, and he ultimately became an -inimitable flower painter. A portrait of Glycera with a garland of -flowers, called Stephanopolis, or the Garland Twiner, was reckoned his -masterpiece. So great was the fame of it, that Lucius Lucullus gave for -a copy, at Athens, two talents, or about two thousand dollars. - - - - -PROTOGENES, THE GREAT RHODIAN PAINTER. - - -The most famous of his works was the picture of Ialysus and his Dog, -which occupied him seven years. The dog, represented as panting and -foaming at the mouth, was greatly admired; and it is related that -Protogenes was for a long time unable to represent the foam in the -manner he wished, till at length he threw his sponge in a fury at the -mouth, and produced the very effect he desired! The fame of this -painting was so great, that, according to Pliny, Demetrius Poliorcetes, -when besieging Rhodes, did not assault that part of the city where -Protogenes lived, lest he should destroy the picture. His studio was -situated without the walls, where, to the astonishment of the besiegers, -he continued to paint with perfect tranquillity. This coming to the ears -of Demetrius, he ordered the artist to be brought to his tent, and -demanded how he could persist in the quiet exercise of his profession, -when surrounded by enemies? Protogenes replied that he did not consider -himself in any danger, convinced that a great prince like Demetrius did -not make war against the Arts, but against the Rhodians. - - - - -PARRHASIUS. - - -This great painter was a native of Ephesus, but became a citizen of -Athens, where he flourished about B. C. 390. He raised the art to a much -higher degree of perfection than it had before attained. Comparing his -three great predecessors with each other, he rejected their errors, and -adopted their excellencies. The classic invention of Polygnotus, the -magic tones of Apollodorus, and the exquisite design of Zeuxis, are said -to have been united in the works of Parrhasius. He reduced to theory the -practice of former artists, and all cotemporary and subsequent painters -adopted his standard of heroic and divine proportions; hence he was -called the _Legislator of Painting_. - - - - -THE DEMOS AND OTHER WORKS OF PARRHASIUS. - - -One of the most celebrated works of Parrhasius was his Demos, or an -allegorical picture of the Athenians. Pliny says that “it represented -and expressed equally all the good as well as the bad qualities of the -Athenians at the same time; one might trace the changeable, the -irritable, the kind, the unjust, the forgiving, the vain-glorious, the -proud, the humble, the fierce, the timid.” There has been considerable -dispute among critics whether this picture was a composition of one or -several figures. Supposing it to have been a single figure, Pliny’s -description is absurd and ridiculous, for it is impossible to represent -all the passions in a single figure. It does not seem, however, that -Parrhasius usually introduced many figures into his compositions. Pliny -mentions as among his principal works, a Theseus; a Telephus; an -Achilles; an Agamemnon; an Æneas; two famous pictures of Hoplites, or -heavily armed warriors, one in action, the other in repose; a Naval -Commander in his armor; Ulysses feigning insanity; Castor and Pollux; -Bacchus and Virtue; a Cretan nurse with an Infant in her arms; and many -others, apparently composed of one, two, or at most three figures. - -Parrhasius was equally celebrated for his small, or cabinet pictures of -libidinous subjects; hence he was called the _Pornograph_. His famous -picture of Archigallus, the priest of Cybele, mentioned by Pliny, is -supposed to have been of this description. Also the Meleager and -Atalanta mentioned by Suetonius. This picture was bequeathed to -Tiberius, on the condition that if he were offended with the subject, he -should receive in its stead one million sesterces (about forty thousand -dollars). The Emperor not only preferred the picture, but had it hung up -in his own chamber, where the Archigallus, valued at six hundred -thousand sesterces, was also preserved. - - - - -PARRHASIUS AND THE OLYNTHIAN CAPTIVE. - - -Seneca relates that Parrhasius, when about to paint a picture of -Prometheus Chained, crucified an old Olynthian captive, to serve as a -model, that he might be able to portray correctly the agonies of -Prometheus while the Vulture preyed upon his vitals. This story is -doubtless a fiction, as it is found nowhere but in the Controversies. -Olynthus was taken by Philip of Macedon, B. C. 347, about forty years -subsequent to the latest accounts of Parrhasius. - - - - -THE VANITY OF PARRHASIUS. - - -This great artist was well aware of his powers, but the applause which -he received, added to a naturally vain and conceited disposition, so -completely carried him away, that Pliny terms him “the most insolent and -the most arrogant of artists.” He assumed the title of _The Elegant_, -styled himself the _Prince of Painters_, wrote an epigram upon himself, -in which he proclaimed his birth, and declared that he had carried the -art to perfection. He clothed himself in purple, and wore a wreath of -gold on his head; and when he appeared on public occasions, particularly -at the Olympic games, he changed his robes several times a day. He went -so far as to pretend that he was descended from Apollo, one of whose -surnames was _Parrhasius_, and even to dedicate his own portrait as -Mercury in a temple, and thus received the adoration of the multitude. - - - - -THE INVENTION OF THE CORINTHIAN CAPITAL. - - -About B. C. 550, there died at Corinth a marriageable virgin; and her -nurse, according to the custom of the times, placed on her tomb a -basket containing those viands most agreeable to her when alive, -covering them with a tile, for better preservation. This basket was -unintentionally placed over the root of an acanthus, the spring leaves -and stems of which growing up, covered it in so elegant a manner as to -attract the notice of Callimachus, who, struck with the idea and novelty -of the figure, modelled from it the Corinthian capital, thus giving a -remarkable proof of the intimate connection between Art, and Nature--the -source of all true art--and producing that exquisitely graceful design -which for twenty-four centuries has charmed the civilized world. - - - - -THE INVENTION OF SCULPTURE. - - -Pliny relates a pleasing and highly poetic anecdote of the invention of -sculpture. Dibutades, the fair daughter of a celebrated potter of -Sicyon, contrived a private meeting with her lover, on the eve of a long -separation. After a repetition of vows of constancy, and a stay -prolonged to a very late hour, the youth fell fast asleep. The fair -nymph, whose imagination was on the alert, observing that her admirer’s -profile was strongly reflected on the wall by the light of a lamp, -eagerly snatched up a piece of charcoal, and, inspired by love, traced -the outline, that she might have the image of her lover before her -during his absence. Her father, when he chanced to see the sketch, -struck with its correctness, determined to preserve it, if possible, as -a memento of such a remarkable circumstance. With this view, he formed a -kind of clay model from it, and baked it; which, being the first essay -of the kind, was preserved in the public repository of Corinth, even to -the fatal day of its destruction by that enemy to the arts, Mummius -Achaicus. - - - - -PRAXITELES. - - -Praxiteles, one of the most eminent Grecian sculptors, was cotemporary -with Euphranor, and flourished, according to Pliny, in the one hundred -and fourth Olympiad, or B. C. 360. The place of his birth is not -mentioned. He lived in the period immediately subsequent to the age of -Phidias, but his genius took a different course from that style of -elevation and sublimity which distinguishes the Æschylus of Sculpture. -Praxiteles was the founder of a new school. His style was eminently -distinguished for softness, delicacy, and high finish; and he was fond -of representing whatsoever in nature appeared gentle, tender, and -lovely. Consequently his favorite subjects were the soft and delicate -forms of females and children, rather than the masculine forms of -athletes, warriors, and heroes. - - - - -PRAXITELES AND PHIDIAS COMPARED. - - -The peculiar abilities of Praxiteles were admirably displayed in the -Venus of Cnidus, which, with the exception of the Olympian Jupiter of -Phidias, has received higher and more unqualified eulogiums from ancient -writers, than any other work of Grecian art. These two great artists may -therefore be considered as standing at the head of their respective -schools; Praxiteles, the delicate and beautiful--Phidias, the grand and -sublime. - - - - -THE WORKS OF PRAXITELES. - - -Praxiteles was eminent for his works, both in bronze and marble, but he -seems to have had the highest reputation for his skill in the latter. -Among those in bronze, Pliny and Pausanias mention a statue of Bacchus; -and one of a Satyr so excellent, that it was called _Periboetos_, or the -Celebrated. He also made a statue of Venus; a statue of a Matron -weeping; and one of a Courtesan laughing, believed to be a portrait of -the celebrated Thespian courtesan, Phryne. His Apollo Sauroctonos (or -the Lizard Killer), was the finest of his works in bronze, and was -greatly distinguished for purity of style, and graceful beauty of form. -In the Vatican there is a well-authenticated marble copy of this work, -which is justly considered one of the greatest treasures of that -storehouse of art. Among the works in marble by Praxiteles, the famous -Venus of Cnidus takes the preëminence. - - - - -THE VENUS OF CNIDUS. - - -Praxiteles executed two statues of Venus--the one draped, and the other -naked. The people of Coös chose the former, as the most delicate; but -the Cnidians immediately purchased the latter. This work is mentioned by -Lucian as the masterpiece of Praxiteles; and it is also the subject of -numerous epigrams in the Greek Anthology. Its fame was so great that -travelers visited Cnidus on purpose to see it. The original work was -destroyed at Constantinople, in the fifth century, in the dreadful fire -which consumed so many of the admirable monuments of art, collected in -that city. - - - - -PRAXITELES AND PHRYNE. - - -Pausanias relates that the beautiful Phryne, whose influence over -Praxiteles seems to have been considerable, was anxious to possess a -work from his chisel, and when desired to choose for herself, not -knowing which of his exquisite works to select, devised the following -expedient. She commanded a servant to hasten to him, and tell him that -his workshop was in flames, and that with few exceptions, his works had -already perished. Praxiteles, not doubting the truth of the -announcement, rushed out in the greatest anxiety and alarm, exclaiming, -“all is lost, if my _Satyr and Cupid_ are not saved!” The object of -Phryne was answered--she confessed her stratagem, and chose the Cupid. - -Pliny mentions two figures of Cupids as among the finest works of -Praxiteles, one of which he ranks on an equality with the Venus of -Cnidus. It was made of Parian marble. There is an exquisite antique -Cupid in the Vatican, supposed to be a copy of the Cupid of Phryne. - - - - -THE KING OF BITHYNIA AND THE VENUS OF CNIDUS. - - -According to Lucian, Nicomedes, King of Bithynia, was so captivated with -the Venus of Cnidus, that he offered to pay a debt of the city, -amounting to one hundred talents, (about one hundred thousand dollars) -on condition of their giving up to him this celebrated statue; but the -citizens, to their honor, refused to part with it on any terms, -regarding it as the principal glory of the state. - - - - -PHIDIAS. - - -Phidias, the most renowned sculptor of antiquity, was born about B. C. -490. Quintilian calls him “the Sculptor of the Gods,” and others, “the -Æschylus of Sculpture,” from the character of grandeur and sublimity in -his works. The times in which he lived were peculiarly favorable to the -development of his genius. He was employed upon great public works -during the administration of Cimon, and subsequently, when Pericles -attained the height of his power, Phidias seems to have been consulted -in regard to the conduct of all the works in sculpture, as well as -architecture. Plutarch says, “It was Phidias who had the direction of -these works, although great architects and skillful sculptors were -employed in erecting them.” Among the most remarkable objects upon which -his talents were exercised, the Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, claims -preëminence. It was built by Callicrates and Ictinus, under the -superintendence of Phidias. Within the temple, Phidias executed his -celebrated statue, in gold and ivory, of Minerva, represented standing -erect, holding in one hand a spear, and in the other a statue of -Victory. The helmet was highly decorated, and surmounted by a sphinx; -the naked parts were of ivory; the eyes of precious stones; and the -drapery throughout was of gold. It is said there were forty talents -weight of this metal used in the statue. The people, being desirous of -having all the glory of the work, prohibited Phidias from inscribing his -name upon it; but he contrived to introduce his own portrait as an old -bald-headed man throwing a stone, in the representation of the combat -between the Athenians and Amazons, which decorated the shield. A -likeness of Pericles was also introduced in the same composition. The -exterior of the Parthenon was enriched with admirable sculptures, many -of which were from the hand of Phidias, and all of them executed under -his direction. A portion of these, termed the Elgin marbles, from their -having been taken to England by the Earl of Elgin, are now in the -British Museum. They have been highly commended by the most excellent -judges; and the eminent sculptor Canova, after visiting London, declared -that “he should have been well repaid for his journey to England, had -he seen nothing but the Elgin marbles.” - - - - -PHIDIAS AND ALCAMENES. - - -The comprehensive character of the genius of this preëminent sculptor, -is well attested by his contest with Alcamenes. It was intended to place -a statue of Minerva on a column of great height in the city of Athens; -and both these artists were employed to produce images for the purpose, -which were to be chosen by the citizens. When the statues were -completed, the universal preference was given to the work of Alcamenes, -which appeared elegantly finished, while that of Phidias appeared rude -and sketchy, with coarse and ill-proportioned features. However, at the -request of Phidias, the statues were successively exhibited on the -elevation for which they were intended, when all the minute beauties of -his rival’s work completely disappeared, together with the seeming -defects of his own; and the latter, though previously despised, seemed -perfect in its proportions, and was surveyed with wonder and delight. - - - - -INGRATITUDE OF THE ATHENIANS. - - -The enemies of Pericles, with the view of implicating that statesman, -accused Phidias of having misapplied part of the gold entrusted to him -for the statue of Minerva, and desired that he should be brought to -trial. The sculptor, however, by the prudent advice of Pericles, had -executed the work in such a manner that the gold might easily be -removed, and it was ordered by Pericles to be carefully weighed before -the people. As might have been expected, this test was not required, and -the malicious accusation was overthrown. They then declared the sculptor -guilty of sacrilege in placing his own portrait upon the shield of -Minerva; and some writers state that he was thrown into prison; others, -that he was banished. - - - - -THE JUPITER OF PHIDIAS. - - -Phidias fled from Athens to Elis, where he was employed to execute a -costly statue of the Olympian Jupiter, for the temple in Altis. This -statue was the most renowned of all the works of Phidias. It was of -colossal dimensions, being sixty feet in height; and seated on a throne; -the head was crowned with olive; the right hand held a small statue of -Victory, in gold and ivory; the left hand grasped a golden sceptre of -exquisite workmanship, surmounted by an eagle; the sandals and mantle -were also of the same material, the latter sculptured with every -description of flowers and animals; the pedestal was also of gold, -ornamented with a number of deities in bas-relief. In the front of the -throne was a representation of the Sphynx carrying off the Theban -youths; beneath these, the Fate of Niobe and her Children; and, on the -pedestal joining the feet, the Contest of Hercules with the Amazons, -embracing twenty-nine figures, among which was one intended to -represent Theseus. On the hinder feet of the throne were four Victories, -as treading in the dance. On the back of the throne, above the head of -the god, were figures of the Hours and Graces; on the seat, Theseus -warring with the Amazons, and Lions of gold. Its base, which was of -gold, represented various groups of Divinities, among which were Jupiter -and Juno, with the Graces leading on Mercury and Vesta; Cupid receiving -Venus from the Sea; Apollo with Diana; Minerva with Hercules; and, below -these, Neptune, and the Moon in her Chariot. On the base of the statue, -was the inscription, _Phidias, the son of Charmidas, made -me_.--Quintilian observes that this unparalleled work even added new -feelings to the religion of Greece. It was without a rival in ancient -times, all writers speaking of it as a production that none would even -dare to imitate. There is a tradition connected with this celebrated -work. Phidias, after the completion of his design, is said to have -prayed Jupiter to favor him with some intimation of his approbation, -whereupon a flash of lightning darted into the temple, and struck the -pavement before him. This was hailed as a proof of divine favor, and a -brazen urn or vase was placed upon the spot, which Pausanias mentions as -existing in his time. - - - - -PHIDIAS’ MODEL FOR THE OLYMPIAN JUPITER. - - -Phidias, being asked how he could conceive that air of divinity which he -had expressed in the face of the Olympian Jupiter, replied that he had -copied it from Homer’s celebrated description of him. All the personal -strokes in that description relate to the hair, the eye-brows, and the -beard: and indeed to these it is that the best heads of Jupiter owe most -of their dignity; for though we have now a mean opinion of beards, yet -all over the east a full beard carries the idea of majesty along with -it; and the Grecians had a share of this Oriental notion, as may be seen -in their busts of Jupiter, and the heads of kings on Greek medals. But -the Romans, though they held beards in great esteem, even as far down as -the sacking of Rome by the Goths, yet in their better ages held them in -contempt, and spoke disrespectfully of their bearded forefathers. They -were worn only by poor philosophers, and by those who were under -disgrace or misfortune. For this reason Virgil, in copying Homer’s -striking description of Jupiter, has omitted all the picturesque strokes -on the beard, hair, and eye-brows; for which Macrobius censures him, and -Scaliger extols him. The matter might have been compounded between them, -by allowing that Virgil’s description was the most proper for the -Romans, and Homer’s the noblest among the Greeks. - - - - -APOLLODORUS THE ATHENIAN. - - -Apollodorus, one of the most famous of the ancient Greek painters, was -born at Athens B. C. 440. Pliny commences his history of Greek painting -with this artist, terming him “the first luminary of the art.” He also -says of him, “I may well and truly say that none before him brought the -pencil into a glorious name and especial credit.” The two most famous -works of Apollodorus, were, a Priest in the act of Devotion, and Ajax -Oileus Wrecked, both remarkable, not only in coloring and chiaro-scuro, -but in invention and composition. These paintings were preserved at -Pergamos in the time of Pliny, six hundred years after they were -executed. Apollodorus was the first who attained the perfect imitation -of the effects of light and shadow invariably seen in nature. If we may -depend upon the criticisms of ancient writers, the works of this master -were not inferior in this respect to those of the most distinguished -moderns. His pictures riveted the eye, not merely from their general -coloring, but also from a powerful and peculiar effect of light and -shade, on which account he was called “the Shadower.” - - - - -APOLLODORUS THE ARCHITECT. - - -This great architect, who flourished about A. D. 100, was born at -Damascus. By his great genius he acquired the favor of the emperor -Trajan, for whom he executed many works. He built the great Square of -Trajan, to effect which, he leveled a hill, one hundred and forty-four -feet high; in the centre he raised the famous column, of the same height -as the hill that had been removed, which commemorated the victories of -Trajan, and served as a monument to that victorious Emperor. Around the -Square, he erected the most beautiful assemblage of buildings then known -in the world, among which was the triumphal arch commemorative of -Trajan’s victories. The marble pavements of this Square are fifteen feet -below the streets of modern Rome. Apollodorus also erected a college, a -theatre appropriated to music, the Basilica Nepia, a celebrated library, -the Baths of Trajan, aqueducts, and other important works at Rome. His -most famous work was a stone bridge over the Danube, in Lower Hungary, -near Zeverino. It was one mile and a half long, three hundred feet high, -forty feet wide, and was built upon twenty piers and twenty-two arches. -Its extremities were defended by two fortresses. Trajan had it -constructed to facilitate the passage of his troops, but his successor -dismantled it, fearing that the barbarians would use it _against the -Romans_. - - - - -TRAJAN’S COLUMN. - - -This column is one of the most celebrated monuments of antiquity. Its -height, including the pedestal and statue, is one hundred and forty-four -English feet. It was erected in the centre of the forum of Trajan, and -was dedicated to that emperor by the senate and people of Rome in -commemoration of his decisive victory over the Dacians. It is of the -Doric order, and its shaft is constructed of thirty-four pieces of Greek -marble, hollowed out in the centre for the stairs, and joined together -with cramps of bronze. For elegance of proportion, beauty of style, and -for simplicity and dexterity of sculpture, it is accounted the finest -column in the world. The sculptures on the pedestal are master-pieces of -Roman art. The shaft is embellished with bassi-rilievi, representing the -expedition of Trajan against the Dacians, which run spirally, -twenty-three times around the column, and which gradually increase in -size, so that those at the top appear to the spectator, to be of the -same size as those at the bottom. A spiral stair-case, of one hundred -and eighty-five steps, runs up the interior, and receives light from -sixty-three openings in the shaft. A gold medal, struck in commemoration -of the completion of the column, shows that it was formerly surmounted -by a statue of Trajan, holding in one hand a sceptre, and in the other a -globe, in which were deposited the ashes of that prince. Pope Sixtus V. -placed a statue of St. Peter, by the Cavaliere Fontana, in the place of -that of Trajan, which had been destroyed some centuries before. A -greater absurdity than placing the statue of a peaceful apostle over the -sculptured representation of the Dacian war, can scarcely be conceived. - - - - -THE DEATH OF APOLLODORUS. - - -Apollodorus fell a victim to the envy of Adrian, the successor of -Trajan, who himself dabbled in architecture, as well as the other arts. -According to Pliny, he ridiculed the proportions of the temple of Rome -and Venus, which had been built from Adrian’s designs, saying that “if -the goddesses who were placed in it should be disposed to stand up, they -would be in danger of breaking their heads against the roof, or if they -should wish to go out, they could not,” which so incensed the Emperor, -that he banished the architect, and had him put to death. Another -account is, that as Trajan was conversing about some of the buildings, -Adrian, who was present, made some remarks, on which the architect said, -“Go and paint pumpkins, for you know nothing about these matters,” an -affront which Adrian never forgot, and avenged by the death of the -architect when he became Emperor. What a return to the architect of -Trajan’s Column! - - - - -HOGARTH. - - -The talents of this eccentric genius were preëminent in burlesque and -satire. He therefore chiefly devoted himself to delineate the calamities -and crimes of private life, and the vices and follies of the age. He -portrayed vice as leading to disgrace and misery, while he represented -virtue as conducting to happiness and honor. His series of the “Harlot’s -Progress,” the “Rake’s Progress,” “Marriage à la Mode,” gained him great -reputation; and the prints which he engraved and published from them, -although rude specimens of the art, met with an enormous sale, greatly -to his own emolument. Lord Orford characterizes him as a painter of -comedy. “If catching the manners and follies of the age, ‘living as they -rise’; if general satire on vices and ridicules, familiarized by strokes -of nature, and heightened by wit, and the whole animated by just and -proper expressions of the persons, be comedy, Hogarth composed comedy as -much as Moliere.” Others have better characterized him as a great moral -preacher. Alderman Boydell was accustomed to say that every merchant, -shopkeeper, mechanic, and others who had youth in their employment, -ought to have some of Hogarth’s prints framed and hung up for their -admonition. - - - - -HOGARTH’S APPRENTICESHIP. - - -Hogarth was apprenticed, at an early age, to an engraver of arms on -plate. While thus engaged, his inclination for painting was manifested -in a remarkable manner. Going out one day with some companions on an -excursion to Highgate, the weather being very hot, they entered a public -house, where before long a quarrel occurred. One of the disputants -struck the other on the head with a quart pot, which cut him severely; -and the blood running down the man’s face, gave him a singular -appearance, which, with the contortions of his countenance, presented -Hogarth with a laughable subject. Taking out his pencil, he sketched the -scene in such a truthful and ludicrous manner, that order and good -feeling were at once restored. - - - - -HOGARTH’S REVENGE. - - -Hogarth, in his early career, was once greatly distressed to raise the -paltry sum of twenty shillings, to satisfy his landlady, who endeavored -to enforce payment. To be revenged on her, he painted her an ugly and -malicious hag, her features so truthfully drawn, that every person who -had seen her at once recognized the individual. Woe betided the man who -incurred his ire; he crucified him without mercy. In his controversy -with Wilkes, he caricatured him in his print of “The Times;” and -Churchill, the poet, he represented as a canonical bear, with a ragged -staff, and a pot of porter. - - - - -HOGARTH’S METHOD OF SKETCHING. - - -It was Hogarth’s custom to sketch on the spot any remarkable face that -struck him. A gentleman being once with him at the Bedford Coffee House, -observing him to draw something on his thumb nail, inquired what he was -doing, when he was shown the likeness of a comical looking person -sitting in the company. - - - - -HOGARTH’S MARRIAGE. - - -Hogarth married the only daughter of Sir James Thornhill, who was -dissatisfied with the match. Soon after this period, he began his -Harlot’s Progress, and was advised by Lady Thornhill to place some of -the prints in the way of his father-in-law. Accordingly, early one -morning, Mrs. Hogarth conveyed several of them into the dining room, -when Sir James inquired whence they came? Being told, he said, “Very -well, very well: the man who can produce representations like these, can -also maintain a wife without a portion.” He soon after became both -reconciled and generous to the young couple. - -The “Harlot’s Progress” was the first work which rendered the genius of -Hogarth conspicuously known. Above twelve hundred names were entered in -his subscription book. It was dramatized, and represented on the stage. -Fans were likewise embellished with miniature representations of all the -six plates. - - - - -SUCCESSFUL EXPEDIENT OF HOGARTH. - - -A nobleman, not remarkable for personal beauty, once sat to Hogarth for -his portrait, which the artist executed in his happiest manner, but with -rigid fidelity. The peer, disgusted at this exact counterpart of his -dear self, did not feel disposed to pay for the picture. After some time -had elapsed, and numerous unsuccessful attempts had been made to obtain -payment, the painter resorted to an expedient which he knew must alarm -the nobleman’s pride. He sent him the following card:-- - -“Mr. Hogarth’s dutiful respects to Lord ----. Finding he does not mean to -have the picture drawn for him, Lord ---- is informed again of Mr. -Hogarth’s pressing necessity for money. If, therefore, his Lordship -does not send for it in three days, it will be disposed of, with the -addition of a tail and some other appendages, to Mr. Pau, the famous -wild beast man; Mr. H. having given that gentleman a conditional promise -of it for an exhibition picture, on his Lordship’s refusal.” This -intimation had the desired effect; the picture was paid for, and -committed to the flames. - - - - -HOGARTH’S PICTURE OF THE RED SEA. - - -Hogarth was once applied to, by a certain nobleman, to paint on his -staircase a representation of the Destruction of Pharaoh’s host in the -Red Sea. In attempting to fix upon the price, Hogarth became disgusted -with the miserly conduct of his patron, who was unwilling to give more -than half the real value of the picture. At last, out of all patience, -he agreed to his terms. In two or three days the picture was ready. The -nobleman, surprised at such expedition, immediately called to examine -it, and found the space painted all over red. - -“Zounds!” said the purchaser, “what have you here? I ordered a scene of -the Red Sea.” - -“The Red Sea you have,” said the painter. - -“But where are the Israelites?” - -“They are all gone over.” - -“And where are the Egyptians?” - -“They are all drowned.” - -The miser’s confusion could only be equalled by the haste with which he -paid his bill. The biter was bit. - - - - -HOGARTH’S COURTESY. - - -Hogarth treated those who sat for their portraits with a courtesy which -is not always practiced, even now, in England. “When I sat to Hogarth,” -says Mr. Cole, “the custom of giving vails to servants was not -discontinued. On taking leave of the painter at the door, I offered his -servant a small gratuity; but the man politely refused it, telling me it -would be as much as the loss of his place if his master knew it. This -was so uncommon and so liberal in a man of Hogarth’s profession, at that -time, that it much struck me, as nothing of the kind had happened to me -before.” Nor is it likely that such a thing would happen again: Sir -Joshua Reynolds gave his servant six pounds annually as wages, and -offered him one hundred pounds a year for the door. - - - - -HOGARTH’S ABSENCE OF MIND. - - -Hogarth was one of the most absent minded of men. Soon after he set up -his carriage, he had occasion to pay a visit to the Lord Mayor. When he -went, the weather was fine; but he was detained by business till a -violent shower of rain came on. Being let out of the mansion house by a -different door from the one at which he had entered, he immediately -began to call for a hackney coach. Not being able to procure one, he -braved the storm, and actually reached his house in Leicester Fields, -without bestowing a thought on his carriage, till his wife, astonished -to see him so wet, asked him where he had left it. - - - - -HOGARTH’S MARCH TO FINCHLEY. - - -Hogarth disposed of this celebrated picture by lottery. There were -eighteen hundred and forty-three chances subscribed for; he gave the -remaining one hundred and sixty-seven tickets to the Foundling Hospital, -and the same night delivered the picture to the governors. - - - - -HOGARTH’S UNFORTUNATE DEDICATION OF A PICTURE. - - -Hogarth dedicated his picture of the March to Finchley to George II. The -following dialogue is said to have ensued, on this occasion, between the -sovereign and the nobleman in waiting: - -“Pray, who is this Hogarth?” - -“A painter, my liege.” - -“I hate painting, and poetry too; neither the one nor the other ever did -any good.” - -“The picture, please your majesty, must undoubtedly be considered as a -burlesque.” - -“What! burlesque a soldier? He deserves to be picketed for his -insolence. Take his trumpery out of my sight.” - - - - -HOGARTH’S MANNER OF SELLING HIS PICTURES. - - -Hogarth supported himself by the sale of his prints: the prices of his -pictures kept pace neither with his fame nor with his expectations. He -knew, however, the passion of his countrymen for novelty--how they love -to encourage whatever is strange and mysterious; and hoping to profit by -these feelings, the artist determined to sell his principal paintings by -an auction of a very singular nature. - -On the 25th of January, 1745, he offered for sale the six paintings of -the Harlot’s Progress, the eight paintings of the Rake’s Progress, the -Four Times of the Day, and the Strolling Actresses, on the following -conditions: - -“1. Every bidder shall have an entire leaf numbered in the book of sale, -on the top of which will be entered his name and place of abode, the sum -paid by him, the time when, and for what picture. - -2. That on the day of sale, a clock, striking every five minutes, shall -be placed in the room; and when it has struck five minutes after twelve, -the first picture mentioned in the sale book shall be deemed as sold; -the second picture when the clock has struck the next five minutes after -twelve; and so on in succession, till the whole nineteen pictures are -sold. - -3. That none advance anything short of gold at each bidding. - -4. No person to bid on the last day, except those whose names were -before entered on the book. As Mr. Hogarth’s room is but small, he begs -the favor that no person, except those whose names are entered on the -book, will come to view his paintings on the last day of sale.” - -This plan was new, startling, and unproductive. It was probably planned -to prevent biddings by proxy, and so secure to the artist the price -which men of wealth and rank might be induced to offer publicly for -works of genius. “A method so novel,” observes Ireland, “probably -disgusted the town; they might not exactly understand this tedious -formula of entering their names and places of abode in a book open to -indiscriminate inspection; they might wish to humble an artist who, by -his proposals, seemed to consider that he did the world a favor in -suffering them to bid for his works; or the rage for paintings might be -confined to the admirers of the old masters.” Be that as it may, he -received only four hundred and twenty-seven pounds seven shillings for -his nineteen pictures--a price by no means equal to their merit. - -The prints of the Harlot’s Progress had sold much better than those of -the Rake’s; yet the paintings of the former produced only fourteen -guineas each, while those of the latter were sold for twenty-two. That -admirable picture, Morning, brought twenty guineas; and Night, in every -respect inferior to almost any of his works, six and twenty. Such was -the reward, then, to which these patrons of genius thought his works -entitled. More has since been given, over and over again, for a single -painting, than Hogarth obtained for all his paintings put together. - - - - -HOGARTH’S LAST WORK. - - -A short time before Hogarth was seized with the malady which deprived -society of one of its brightest ornaments, he proposed to his matchless -pencil the work he has entitled the _Tail Piece_. The first idea of this -picture is said to have been started in company, while the convivial -glass was circulating round his own table. “My next undertaking,” said -Hogarth, “shall be the _end of all things_.” “If that is the case,” -replied one of his friends, “your business will be finished, or there -will be an end to the painter.” “The fact will be so,” answered Hogarth, -sighing heavily, “and therefore the sooner my work is done, the better.” -Accordingly he began the next day, and continued his design with a -diligence that seemed to indicate an apprehension that he should not -live to complete it. This however he did, and in the most ingenious -manner, by grouping everything that could denote the end of all things: -a broken bottle; an old broom worn to the stump; the butt-end of an old -musket; a cracked bell; a bow unstrung; a crown tumbled to pieces; -towers in ruins; the sign-post of a tavern called the World’s End -falling down; the moon in her wane; the map of the globe burning; a -gibbet falling, the body gone, and the chains which held it dropping -down; Phœbus and his horses lying dead in the clouds; a vessel wrecked; -Time, with his hour-glass and scythe broken; a tobacco-pipe, with the -last whiff of smoke going out; a play-book opened, with _exeunt omnes_ -stamped in the corner; an empty purse; and a statute of bankruptcy taken -out against Nature. “So far so good,” said Hogarth, on reviewing his -performance; “nothing remains but this;” taking his pencil, and -sketching the resemblance of a painter’s palette broken. “Finis!” he -then exclaimed, “the deed is done; all is over.” It is a very remarkable -fact, and not generally known, that Hogarth never again took the palette -in his hand, and that he died in about a month after he had finished -this _Tail Piece_. - - - - -JACQUES LOUIS DAVID. - - -This great painter was born at Paris in 1750. His countrymen have -conferred upon him the distinguished title of _The Head and Restorer of -the French School_, which he brought back from its previous gaudy and -affected style, to the study of nature and the antique. His reputation -was established as the first painter in France when the French -Revolution broke out, and filled with an ardent love of liberty, he lent -all his powers in overturning the government, and establishing the -Republic. For this purpose, in 1789, he executed his Brutus condemning -his sons to death. He also executed the designs for the numerous -republican monuments and festivals of the time. He was chosen a deputy -to the National Convention, and voted for the king’s death. During the -Reign of Terror, he was one of the most zealous Jacobins, wholly devoted -to Robespierre; and on the fall of that monster, he was thrown into -prison, and his great reputation as a painter alone saved him from the -guillotine. At length, disgusted with the excesses and revolting scenes -transpiring on all sides, and seeing no hopes of the Republic being -established on a permanent basis, he retired to private life, and -devoted himself exclusively to his pencil. When Napoleon came into -power, perceiving the advantage of employing such a painter as David to -immortalize his glorious victories on canvass, he appointed him his -chief painter, showed him every mark of his favor, and endeavored to -engage him to paint the successes of the French armies. But these -subjects were not congenial to his taste, which ran to the antique. “I -wish,” said he, “that my works may have so completely an antique -character, that if it were possible for an Athenian to return to life, -they might appear to him to be the productions of a Greek painter.” He -however painted several portraits of the Emperor and the members of the -Imperial family, and other subjects, the chief of which were, Napoleon -as First Consul crossing the Alps, and pointing out to his troops the -path to glory, and the Coronation of Napoleon. - -On the restoration of the Bourbons, David was included in the decree -which banished all the regicides forever from France, when he retired to -Brussels, where he continued to practice his profession till his death -in 1825. - - - - -DAVID’S PICTURE OF THE CORONATION OF NAPOLEON. - - -The largest picture ever known to have been executed, prior to this -production, is the celebrated Marriage at Cana by Paul Veronese, now at -the Louvre; being thirty-three feet long, and eighteen high: whereas the -present composition, containing two hundred and ten personages, eighty -of whom are whole lengths, is thirty-three feet long, and twenty-one -high. This performance occupied four years in its completion, during -which many impediments were thrown in the way of the artist’s labor, by -the clergy on the one hand, and the orders of the Emperor on the other. -Cardinal Caprara, for instance, who is represented bareheaded, producing -one of the finest heads in the picture, was very desirous of being -painted with the decoration of his wig; Napoleon had also ordered the -Turkish ambassador to be exhibited in company with the other envoys; but -he objected, because the law of the Koran forbids to Mahometans the -entrance into a Christian church. His consent, however, was at length -obtained, and these scruples removed, under the consideration that, in -the character of an ambassador, he belonged to no religious sect. - -During the execution of this colossal picture, M. David was incessantly -interrupted by applications from artists to witness the progress of his -work; amongst whom was Camucini, prince of the Roman school, and the -late famous statuary Canova, who daily presented themselves at the -artist’s painting gallery. At the last visit made by Camucini, he found -David surrounded by many of his pupils, and on taking leave of the -painter, he bowed to him in the most respectful manner, using the -following expressive words on the occasion: - - “Adio il piu bravo pittore di scholari ben bravi.” - -On Canova’s return to Italy, in order to fulfil what he conceived to be -a duty in regard to this artist, he proposed to the Academy of Saint -Luke, that he should be received as an honorary member; when the -academicians set aside their usual forms, and in honor of M. David, -unanimously elected him one of their body, Canova being chosen to -announce this pleasing intelligence to their new associate. - -The picture was completed in 1807, and prior to its public exposition -Napoleon appointed a day to inspect it in person, which was the fourth -of January, 1808; upon which occasion, in order to confer a greater -honor upon the artist, he went in state, attended by a detachment of -horse and a military band, accompanied by the Empress Josephine, the -princes and princesses of his family, and followed by his ministers and -the great officers of the crown. - -Several criticisms had been previously passed upon the composition, -which had gained the Emperor’s ear, and in particular, that it was not -the coronation of Napoleon, but of his consort; the moment selected by -the painter, however, was highly approved by his master, who, after an -attentive examination of the work, expressed himself in these words. - -“M. David, this is well; very well indeed; you have conceived my whole -idea; the Empress, my mother, the Emperor, all, are most appropriately -placed, you have made me a French knight, and I am gratified that you -have thus transmitted to future ages the proofs of affection I was -desirous of testifying towards the Empress.” After a silence of some -seconds, Napoleon’s hat being on, and Josephine standing at his right -hand, with M. David on his left, the Emperor advanced two steps, and -turning to the painter, uncovered himself, making a profound obeisance -while uttering these words in an elevated tone of voice, “_Monsieur -David, I salute you!_” - -“Sire,” replied the painter, “I receive the compliment of the Emperor, -in the name of all the artists of the empire, happy in being the -individual one, you deign to make the channel of such an honor.” - -In the month of October, 1808, when this performance was removed to the -museum, the Emperor wished to inspect it a second time; and M. David in -consequence attended in the hall of the Louvre, surrounded by his -pupils; upon which occasion, at the Emperor’s desire, having pointed out -the most conspicuous _éleves_, who received the decorations of the -Legion of Honor: “It is requisite,” said Napoleon, “that I should -testify my satisfaction to the master of so many distinguished artists; -therefore, I promote you to be an officer of the Legion of Honor: M. -Duroc, give a golden decoration to M. David!” “Sire, I have none with -me,” answered the grand marshal. “No matter,” replied the Emperor, “do -not let this day transpire without executing my order.” Duroc, although -no friend to the painter, was obliged to obey, and on the same evening -the insignia were forwarded to M. David. - -The King of Wurtemberg, at the suggestion of the Emperor, also waited -upon the artist to inspect his labor, who, on contemplating the -performance, and in particular, the luminous brightness spread over the -group in which are the pope and Cardinal Caprara, his majesty thus -expressed himself: “I did not believe that your art could effect such -wonders; white and black in painting afford but very weak resources. -When you produced this you had, no doubt, a sunbeam upon your pencil.” - -This compliment, which displayed great knowledge of the art, surprised -the painter, who, after offering his thanks, added: “Sire, your -conception, and the mode in which you express it, bespeak either the -practical artist or the well informed amateur. Your majesty has -doubtless learned to paint.”--“Yes,” said the king, “I sometimes occupy -myself with the art, and all my brothers possess a similar taste; that -one in particular, who frequently visits you, has acquired some -celebrity; for his performances are not like the generality of royal -paintings, they are worthy of the artist. M. David” added the monarch, -“I dare not hope to obtain a copy of this picture; but you may indemnify -me by placing my name at the head of the subscribers to the engraving, -pray do not forget me.” - -The personages represented in this picture are as follow: the Emperor; -the Empress Josephine; the Pope; Cambaceres, Duke of Parma, -arch-chancellor; the Duke of Plaisance, arch-treasurer; Mareschal -Berthier, Prince of Wagram; M. Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento, grand -chamberlain to the emperor; Prince Eugene Beauharnais, viceroy of the -kingdom of Lombardy; Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza, grand écuyer; -Mareschal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, and afterwards King of -Sweden; Cardinal Pacca, councillor of the pope; Cardinal Fesch, the -uncle of Napoleon; Cardinal Caprara, then the Pope’s legate at the court -of France; the Count D’Harville, senator and governor of the palace of -the Tuileries; Esteve, grand treasurer of the crown; Mareschal Prince -Murat, afterwards King of Naples; Mareschal Serrurier, governor of the -royal Hotel of Invalids; Mareschal Moncey, Duke of Cornegliane, -inspector-general of the gendarmerie; Mareschal Bessierre, Duke of -Treviso, general of the imperial guard; Compte Segur, grand master of -the Ceremonies; the beautiful and heroic Madame Lavalette, and the -Countess of La Rochefoucault, ladies of honor to the empress; Cardinal -du Belloy, archbishop of Paris; Maria Annunciade Carolina, wife of -Murat; Maria Paulina, wife of Prince Borghese, Duke of Guastalla; and -Maria Anna Elisa, Duchess of Tuscany, and Princess of Lucca and -Piombino;--the three sisters of Napoleon; Hortense Eugenia Beauharnais, -daughter of Josephine, and wife of Louis Napoleon, King of Holland, -together with her son Louis Napoleon; Maria Julia Clary, wife of Joseph -Napoleon; Junot, Duke of Abrantes, colonel-general of hussars; Louis -Napoleon, grand constable; Joseph Napoleon, grand electeur, King of -Spain, afterwards a citizen of the United States; Mareschal Le Febvre, -Duke of Dantzic; Mareschal Perignon, governor of Naples; Counts de Very, -de Longis, D’Arjuzen, Nansouty, Forbin, Beausset, and Detemaud, all -filling distinguished posts; Duroc, Duke of Frioul, grand mareschal of -the palace; Counts de Jaucourt, Brigade, de Boudy, and de Laville; the -Baron Beaumont; the Duke of Cossé Brissac; Madame, mother of the -emperor; Count Beaumont; Countess Fontanges; Madame la Mareschal Soult; -the Duke of Gravina, ambassador from Spain; Count Marescalchi, minister -of the kingdom of Lombardy; Count Cobenzel, Austrian ambassador; the -Turkish envoy; Mr. Armstrong, ambassador from the United States; the -Marquis of Luchesini, Prussian envoy; M. and Madame David; and the -senator Vien, master of the artist; of whom the emperor said, when -viewing the picture, “I perceive the likeness of the good M. Vien.” -Whereto the painter replied, “I was desirous to testify my gratitude to -my master, by placing him in a picture, which from its subject will be -the most important of my labors.” There were, besides, the poet Lebrun; -Gretry the musician; Monges, member of the Institute; Count D’Aubusson -de la Feuillade; chamberlain, etc., etc. - -The Bourbons, upon their restoration, unmindful of the arts, and -actuated by a mean spirit of vengeance, ordered this chef d’œuvre of -David to be destroyed, which was accordingly done!! When Napoleon -returned to Paris, the existing government, conceiving it important that -the picture should be replaced, requested David to repaint his former -picture, which he felt great repugnance to do, regarding it as not -within the province of real genius to repaint former productions. He -was, however, prevailed upon to acquiesce, and the government agreed to -pay the same price that he had received for the original, 100,000 -francs. Upon Napoleon’s second abdication, the Emperor Alexander, aware -of the history of the performance, made overtures to become possessed of -it, after David had completed it at Brussels; but, though his offers -were munificent, the painter refused to part with it, and left it to his -son, who subsequently exhibited it in London. - - - - -DAVID AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. - - -During David’s exile at Brussels, the Duke of Wellington called on him, -and said, “Monsieur David, I have called to have my portrait taken by -the illustrious painter of Leonidas at Thermopylæ.” David, eyeing -fiercely the man who had humbled his country, and dethroned her Emperor, -replied, “Sir, I cannot paint the English.” - - - - -DAVID AND THE CARDINAL CAPRARA. - - -David introduced the Cardinal Caprara, as the Pope’s legate, into the -picture of the Coronation of Napoleon, without his wig. The likeness was -exact, and the Cardinal remonstrated with David on the omission, -desiring him to supply it. The painter replied that he never had, and -never would paint a wig. The Cardinal then applied to the Minister of -Foreign Affairs, and represented that as no pope had hitherto worn a -wig, it might seem as if he (Caprara) had purposely left his own off, to -show his pretensions to the tiara. David however stood firm as a rock, -even before Talleyrand, and said, “his Eminence may think himself lucky -that nothing but his wig has been taken off.” - - - - -DAVID AT BRUSSELS. - - -David, then advanced in years, severely felt his exile at Brussels. He -lived very retired, saw little company, and seldom went abroad. It is -related that Talma, during a professional engagement at Brussels, got up -the tragedy of Leonidas, expressly to gratify his old friend, and -invited him to the theatre to see the performance. David consented to -go, but told Talma he must pardon him if he should happen to _nod_. As -soon as David was recognized in the theatre, the whole house rose _en -masse_, and gave three hearty cheers for the illustrious exile, which so -affected him that he burst into tears. When the performance commenced, -so far from giving way to sleep, he became completely absorbed in the -interest of the play, and when the curtain dropped, he exclaimed, -“Heavens! how glorious it is to possess such a talent.” - - - - -PIERRE MIGNARD. - - -There have been found occasionally some artists, who could so perfectly -imitate the spirit, the taste, the character, and the peculiarities of -great masters, that they have not unfrequently deceived the most -skillful connoisseurs. - -An anecdote of Pierre Mignard is singular. This great artist painted a -Magdalen on a canvass fabricated at Rome. A broker in concert with him, -went to the Chevalier de Clairville, and told him as a secret, that he -was to receive from Italy a Magdalen of Guido, and one of his -masterpieces. The Chevalier caught the bait, begged the preference, and -purchased the picture at a very high price. Some time afterwards, he was -informed that he had been imposed upon, for that the Magdalen was -painted by Mignard. Although Mignard himself caused the alarm to be -given, the amateur would not believe it; all the connoisseurs agreed it -was a Guido, and the famous Le Brun corroborated this opinion. The -Chevalier came to Mignard; “There are,” said he, “some persons who -assure me that my Magdalen is your work.” “Mine!” replied Mignard; “they -do me great honor. I am sure that Le Brun is not of that opinion.” “Le -Brun swears it can be no other than a Guido,” said the Chevalier; “you -shall dine with me, and meet several of the first connoisseurs.” On the -day of meeting, the picture was more closely inspected than ever. -Mignard hinted his doubts whether the piece was the work by Guido; he -insinuated that it was possible to be deceived, and added that, if it -was Guido’s, he did not think it in his best manner. “I am perfectly -convinced that it is a Guido, sir, and in his very best manner,” replied -Le Brun, with warmth; and all the critics unanimously agreed with him. -Mignard then said, in a firm tone of voice, “And I, gentlemen, will -wager three hundred louis that it is not a Guido.” The dispute now -became violent--Le Brun was desirous of accepting the wager. In a word, -the affair became such as could add nothing more to the glory of -Mignard. “No, sir,” replied the latter; “I am too honest to bet, when I -am certain to win. Monsieur le Chevalier, this piece cost you two -thousand crowns; the money must be returned--the painting is by my -hand.” Le Brun would not believe it. “The proof,” continued Mignard, “is -easy; on this canvass, which is a Roman one, was the portrait of a -Cardinal; I will show you his cap.” - -The Chevalier did not know which of the rival artists to believe; the -proposition alarmed him. “He who painted the picture shall mend it,” -said Mignard; and taking a pencil dipped in spirits, and rubbing the -hair of the Magdalen, he soon discovered the cap of the Cardinal. The -honor of the ingenious painter could no longer be disputed. - - - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. - - -This eminent painter was born at Plympton, in Devonshire, in 1723. He -was the son of the Rev. Samuel Reynolds, who intended him for the -medical profession; but his natural taste and genius for painting, -induced his father to send him to London to study painting under Hudson, -when he was seventeen years of age. In 1749, he accompanied Captain, -afterwards Lord Keppel to the Mediterranean, and passed about three -years in Italy. On his return to England, he established himself in -London, where he soon acquired a distinguished reputation, and rose to -be esteemed the head of the English school of painting. At the formation -of the Royal Academy in 1768, he was elected president, and received the -honor of knighthood. In 1781 he visited Holland and the Netherlands to -examine the productions of the Dutch and Flemish masters, by which he is -said to have improved his coloring. In 1784, on the death of Ramsay, he -was appointed principal painter to the King. He died in 1792, and his -remains were deposited in the crypt of St. Paul’s cathedral, near the -tomb of Sir Christopher Wren. He formed a splendid collection of works -of art, which, after his death, brought at public sale about £17,000; -and the whole of his property amounted to about £80,000, the bulk of -which he left to his niece, who married Lord Inchiquin, afterwards -Marquis of Thomond. He never married, but his sister Frances Reynolds -conducted his domestic affairs. He was fond of the society of literary -men, kept open house, and seldom dined without his table being graced by -the presence of some of the chosen spirits of the land. He was simple -and unostentatious in his habits, and affable in his deportment; and -while his table was abundantly supplied, there was an absence of all -ceremony, and each guest was made to feel himself perfectly at home, -which gave a delightful zest to his hospitality. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ NEW STYLE. - - -Soon after Reynolds’ return to England from Italy, in 1752, he commenced -his professional career in St. Martin’s Lane, London. He found such -opposition as genius is commonly doomed to encounter, and does not -always overcome. The boldness of his attempts, and the brilliancy of his -coloring, were considered innovations upon the established and orthodox -system of portrait manufacture, in the styles of Lely and Kneller. The -old artists first raised their voices. His old master Hudson called at -his rooms to see his Turkish Boy, which had caused quite a sensation in -the town. After contemplating the picture some minutes, he said with a -national oath,--“Why, Reynolds, you do not paint as well as you did when -you left England.” Ellis, an eminent portrait maker, who had studied -under Kneller, next lifted up his voice. “Ah, Reynolds,” said he, “this -will never answer, you do not paint in the least like Sir Godfrey.” When -the young artist vindicated himself with much ability, Ellis, finding -himself unable to give any good reasons for the objections he had made, -cried out in a rage, “Shakspeare in poetry, and Kneller in painting for -me,” and stalked out of the room. Reynolds’ new style, notwithstanding -the vigorous opposition he met with, took with the fashionable world, -his fame spread far and wide, and he soon became the leading painter in -London. In 1754, he removed from St. Martin’s Lane, the Grub-street of -artists, and took a handsome house on the north side of Great -Newport-Street, which he furnished with elegance and taste. Northcote -says his apartments were filled with ladies of quality and with men of -rank, all alike desirous to have their persons preserved to posterity by -one who touched no subject without adorning it. “The desire to -perpetuate the form of self-complacency, crowded the sitting room of -Reynolds with women who wished to be transmitted as angels, and with men -who wished to appear as heroes and philosophers. From his pencil they -were sure to be gratified. The force and facility of his portraits, not -only drew around him the opulence and beauty of the nation, but happily -gained him the merited honor of perpetuating the features of all the -eminent and distinguished men of learning then living.” - - - - -REYNOLDS’ PRICES. - - -“The price,” says Cunningham, “which Reynolds at first received for a -_head_ was five guineas; the rate increased with his fame, and in the -year 1755 his charge was twelve. Experience about this time dictated the -following memorandum respecting his art. ‘For painting the -flesh:--black, blue-black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow-ochre, -ultramarine, and varnish. To lay the palette:--first lay, carmine and -white in different degrees; second lay, orpiment and white ditto; third -lay, blue-black and white ditto. The first sitting, for expedition, make -a mixture as like the sitter’s complexion as you can.’ Some years -afterwards I find, by a casual notice from Johnson, that Reynolds had -raised his price for a head to twenty guineas. - -“The year 1758 was perhaps the most lucrative of his professional -career. The account of the economy of his studies, and the distribution -of his time at this period, is curious and instructive. It was his -practice to keep all the prints engraved from his portraits, together -with his sketches, in a large portfolio; these he submitted to his -sitters; and whatever position they selected, he immediately proceeded -to copy it on the canvass, and paint the likeness to correspond. He -received six sitters daily, who appeared in their turns; and he kept -regular lists of those who sat, and of those who were waiting until a -finished portrait should open a vacancy for their admission. He painted -them as they stood on his list, and often sent the work home before the -colors were dry. Of lounging visitors he had a great abhorrence, and, as -he reckoned up the fruits of his labors, ‘Those idle people,’ said this -disciple of the grand historical school of Raphael and Angelo, ‘those -idle people do not consider that my time is worth five guineas an hour.’ -This calculation incidentally informs us, that it was Reynolds’ -practice, in the height of his reputation and success, to paint a -portrait in four hours.” - - - - -REYNOLDS IN LEICESTER SQUARE. - - -Reynolds’ commissions continued to increase, and to pour in so -abundantly, that in addition to his pupils, he found it necessary to -employ several subordinate artists, skillful in painting drapery and -backgrounds, as assistants. He also raised his price to twenty-five -guineas a head. - -“In the year 1761,” says Cunningham, “the accumulating thousands which -Johnson speaks of, began to have a visible effect on Reynolds’ -establishment. He quitted Newport Street, purchased a fine house on the -west side of Leicester Square, furnished it with much taste, added a -splendid gallery for the exhibition of his works, and an elegant -dining-room; and finally taxed his invention and his purse in the -production of a carriage, with wheels carved and gilt, and bearing on -its pannels the Four Seasons of the year. Those who flocked to see his -new gallery, were sometimes curious enough to desire a sight of this gay -carriage, and the coachman, imitating the lackey who showed the gallery, -earned a little money by opening the coach-house doors. His sister -complained that it was too showy--‘What!’ said the painter, ‘would you -have one like an apothecary’s carriage?’ - -“By what course of study he attained his skill in art, Reynolds has not -condescended to tell us; but of many minor matters we are informed by -one of his pupils, with all the scrupulosity of biography. His study was -octagonal, some twenty feet long, sixteen broad, and about fifteen feet -high. The window was small and square, and the sill nine feet from the -floor. His sitter’s chair moved on castors, and stood above the floor a -foot and a half; he held his palettes by a handle, and the sticks of his -brushes were eighteen inches long. He wrought standing, and with great -celerity. He rose early, breakfasted at nine, entered his study at ten, -examined designs or touched unfinished portraits till eleven brought a -sitter; painted till four; then dressed, and gave the evening to -company. - -“His table was now elegantly furnished, and round it men of genius were -often found. He was a lover of poetry and poets; they sometimes read -their productions at his house, and were rewarded by his approbation, -and occasionally by their portraits. Johnson was a frequent and a -welcome guest: though the sage was not seldom sarcastic and overbearing, -he was endured and caressed, because he poured out the riches of his -conversation more lavishly than Reynolds did his wines. Percy was there -too with his ancient ballads and his old English lore; and Goldsmith -with his latent genius, infantine vivacity, and plum-colored coat. Burke -and his brothers were constant guests, and Garrick was seldom absent, -for he loved to be where greater men were. It was honorable to this -distinguished artist that he perceived the worth of such men, and felt -the honor which their society shed upon him; but it stopped not here--he -often aided them with his purse, nor insisted upon repayment.” - - - - -THE FOUNDING OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. - - -“The Royal Academy,” says Cunningham, “was planned and proposed in 1768 -by Chambers, West, Cotes, and Moser; the caution or timidity of Reynolds -kept him for some time from assisting. A list of thirty members was made -out; and West, a prudent and amiable man, called on Reynolds, and, in a -conference of two hours’ continuance, succeeded in persuading him to -join them. He ordered his carriage, and, accompanied by West, entered -the room where his brother artists were assembled. They rose up to a -man, and saluted him ‘President.’ He was affected by the compliment, but -declined the honor till he had talked with Johnson and Burke; he went, -consulted his friends, and having considered the consequences carefully, -then consented. He expressed his belief at the same time that their -scheme was a mere delusion: the King, he said, would not patronize nor -even acknowledge them, as his majesty was well known to be the friend of -another body--The Incorporated Society of Artists.” - -The truth is, the Royal Academy was planned at the suggestion of the -King himself. He had learned, through West, the causes of the indecent -bickerings in the Society of Artists, and declared to him that he was -ready to patronize any institution founded on principles calculated to -advance the interests of art. West communicated the King’s declaration -to some of the dissenters, who drew up a plan which the king corrected -with his own hand. See Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects, article West. - - - - -REYNOLDS AND DR. JOHNSON. - - -In the year 1754, Reynolds accidentally made the acquaintance of Dr. -Samuel Johnson, which ripened into a mutual and warm friendship, that -continued through life. Of the fruit which he derived from this -intercourse, Reynolds thus speaks, in one of his Discourses on Art: - -“Whatever merit these Discourses may have, must be imputed in a great -measure to the education which I may be said to have had under Dr. -Johnson. I do not mean to say, though it certainly would be to the -credit of these Discourses if I could say it with truth, that he -contributed even a single sentiment to them; but he qualified my mind to -think justly. No man had, like him, the art of teaching inferior minds -the art of thinking. Perhaps other men might have equal knowledge, but -few were so communicative. His great pleasure was to talk to those who -looked up to him. It was here he exhibited his wonderful powers. The -observations which he made on poetry, on life, and on everything about -us, I applied to one art--with what success, others must judge.” - - - - -DR. JOHNSON’S FRIENDSHIP FOR REYNOLDS. - - -In 1764, Reynolds was attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness. He was -cheered by the sympathy of many friends, and by the solicitude of -Johnson, who thus wrote him from Northamptonshire: - -“I did not hear of your sickness till I heard likewise of your recovery, -and therefore escaped that part of your pain which every man must feel -to whom you are known as you are known to me. If the amusement of my -company can exhilarate the languor of a slow recovery, I will not delay -a day to come to you; for I know not how I can so effectually promote my -own pleasure as by pleasing you, or my own interest as by preserving -you; in whom, if I should lose you, I should lose almost the only man -whom I can call a friend.” He to whom Johnson could thus write, must -have possessed many noble qualities, for no one could estimate human -nature more truly than that illustrious man. - - - - -JOHNSON’S APOLOGY FOR PORTRAIT PAINTING. - - -Johnson showed his kindly feelings for Sir Joshua Reynolds, by writing -the following apology for portrait painting. Had the same friendship -induced him to compliment West, he doubtless would have written in a -very different strain: - -“Genius,” said he, “is chiefly exerted in historical pictures, and the -art of the painter of portraits is often lost in the obscurity of the -subject. But it is in painting as in life; what is greatest is not -always best. I should grieve to see Reynolds transfer to heroes and -goddesses, to empty splendor and to airy fiction, that art which is now -employed in diffusing friendship, in renewing tenderness, in quickening -the affections of the absent, and continuing the presence of the dead. -Every man is always present to himself, and has, therefore, little need -of his own resemblance; nor can desire it, but for the sake of those -whom he loves, and by whom he hopes to be remembered. This use of the -art is a natural and reasonable consequence of affection: and though, -like all other human actions, it is often complicated with pride, yet -even such pride is more laudable than that by which palaces are covered -with pictures, which however excellent, neither imply the owner’s -virtue, nor excite it.” - - - - -THE LITERARY CLUB. - - -The Literary Club was founded by Dr. Johnson in 1764, and among many men -of eminence and talent, it numbered Reynolds. His modesty would not -permit him to assume to himself the distinction which literature -bestows, but his friends knew too well the value of his presence, to -lose it by a fastidious observance of the title of the club. Poets, -painters, and sculptors are all brothers; and had Reynolds been less -eminent in art, his sound sense, varied information, and pleasing -manners would have made him an acceptable companion in the most -intellectual society. - - - - -JOHNSON’S PORTRAIT. - - -In 1775, Sir Joshua Reynolds painted his famous portrait of Dr. Johnson, -in which he represented him as reading, and near-sighted. This latter -circumstance was very displeasing to the “Giant of Literature,” who -reproved Reynolds, saying, “It is not friendly to hand down to posterity -the imperfections of any man.” But Reynolds, on the contrary, considered -it a natural peculiarity which gave additional value to the portrait. -Johnson complained of the caricature to Mrs. Thrale, who to console him, -said that he would not be known to posterity by his defects only, and -that Reynolds had painted for her his own portrait, with the -ear-trumpet. He replied, “He may paint himself as deaf as he chooses, -but he shall not paint me as _blinking Sam_.” - - - - -JOHNSON’S DEATH. - - -“Amidst the applause,” says Cunningham, “which these works obtained for -him, the President met with a loss which the world could not -repair--Samuel Johnson died on the 13th of December, 1784, full of years -and honors. A long, a warm, and a beneficial friendship had subsisted -between them. The house and the purse of Reynolds were ever open to -Johnson, and the word and the pen of Johnson were equally ready for -Reynolds. It was pleasing to contemplate this affectionate brotherhood, -and it was sorrowful to see it dissevered. ‘I have three requests to -make,’ said Johnson, the day before his death, ‘and I beg that you will -attend to them, Sir Joshua. Forgive me thirty pounds, which I borrowed -from you--read the Scriptures--and abstain from using your pencil on the -Sabbath-day.’ Reynolds promised, and--what is better--remembered his -promise?” - - - - -REYNOLDS AND GOLDSMITH. - - -We hear much about “poetic inspiration,” and the “poet’s eye in a fine -frenzy rolling.” Reynolds use to tell an anecdote of goldsmith -calculated to abate our notions about the ardor of composition. - -Calling upon the poet one day, he opened the door without ceremony, and -found him engaged in the double occupation of tuning a couplet and -teaching a pet dog to sit upon its haunches. At one time he would glance -at his desk, and at another shake his finger at the dog to make him -retain his position. The last lines on the page were still wet; they -form a part of the description of Italy: - - “By sports like these are all their cares beguiled; - The sports of children satisfy the child.” - -Goldsmith, with his usual good humor, joined in the laugh caused by his -whimsical employment, and acknowledged that his boyish sport with the -dog suggested the stanza. - - - - -THE DESERTED VILLAGE. - - -When Dr. Goldsmith published his Deserted Village, he dedicated it to -Sir Joshua Reynolds, in the following kind and touching manner. “The -only dedication I ever made was to my brother, because I loved him -better than most other men; he is since dead. Permit me to inscribe this -poem to you.” - - - - -GOLDSMITH’S “RETALIATION.” - - -At a festive meeting, where Johnson, Reynolds, Burke, Garrick, Douglas, -and Goldsmith, were conspicuous, the idea of composing a set of -extempore epitaphs on one another was started. Garrick offended -Goldsmith so much by two very indifferent lines of waggery, that the -latter avenged himself by composing the celebrated poem Retaliation, in -which he exhibits the characters of his companions with great liveliness -and talent. The lines have a melancholy interest, from being the last -the author wrote. The character of Sir Joshua Reynolds is drawn with -discrimination and judgment--a little flattered, resembling his own -portraits, in which the features are a little softened, and the -expression a little elevated. - - “Here Reynolds is laid, and, to tell you my mind, - He has not left a wiser or better behind; - His pencil was striking, resistless, and grand; - His manners were gentle, complying, and bland; - Still born to improve us in every part, - His pencil our faces, his manners our heart.” - - - - -POPE A PAINTER. - - -Reynolds was a great admirer of Pope. A fan which the poet presented to -Martha Blount, and on which he had painted with his own hand the story -of Cephalus and Procris, with the motto “Aura Veni,” was to be sold at -auction. Reynolds sent a messenger to bid for it as far as thirty -guineas, but it was knocked down for two pounds. “See,” said the -president to his pupils, who gathered around him, “the painting of -Pope;--this must always be the case, when the work is taken up for -idleness, and is laid aside when it ceases to amuse; it is like the -work of one who paints only for amusement. Those who are resolved to -excel, must go to their work, willing or unwilling, morning, noon, and -night; they will find it to be no play, but very hard labor.” - - - - -REYNOLDS’ FIRST ATTEMPTS IN ART. - - -This excellent painter, in his boyhood, showed his natural taste for -painting, by copying the various prints that fell in his way. His -father, a clergyman, thought this an idle passion, which ought not to be -encouraged; he esteemed one of these youthful performances worthy of his -endorsement, and he wrote underneath it, “Done by Joshua out of pure -idleness.” The drawing is still preserved in the family. - -Dr. Johnson says that Sir Joshua Reynolds had his first fondness of the -art excited by the perusal of Richardson’s Treatise on Painting. - - - - -THE FORCE OF HABIT. - - -Portraits in the time of Hudson, the master of Reynolds, were usually -painted in one attitude--one hand in the waistcoat, and the hat under -the arm. A gentleman whose portrait young Reynolds painted, desired to -have his hat on his head. The picture was quickly despatched and sent -home, when it was discovered that it had two hats, one on the head, and -another under the arm! - - - - -PAYING THE PIPER. - - -“What do you ask for this sketch?” said Reynolds to a dealer in old -pictures and prints, as he was looking over his portfolio. The shrewd -tradesman, observing from his manner that he had found a gem, quickly -replied, “Twenty guineas, your honor.” “Twenty pence, I suppose you -mean.” “No, sir; it is true I would have sold it for twenty pence this -morning; but if you think it worth having, all the world will think it -worth buying.” Sir Joshua gave him his price. It was an exquisite -drawing by Rubens. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ MODESTY. - - -Sir Joshua Reynolds, like many other distinguished artists, was never -satisfied with his works, and endeavored to practice his maxim, that “an -artist should endeavor to improve over his every performance.” When an -eminent French painter was one day praising the excellence of one of his -pictures, he said, “_Ah! Monsieur, Je ne fais que des ebauches, des -ebauches._”--Alas! sir, I can only make sketches, sketches. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ GENEROSITY. - - -Sir Joshua Reynolds has been charged by his enemies with avarice; but -there are many instances recorded which show that he possessed a noble -and generous heart. - -When Gainsborough charged him but sixty guineas for his celebrated -picture of the Girl and Pigs, Reynolds, conscious that it was worth much -more, gave him one hundred. Hearing that a worthy artist with a large -family was in distress, and threatened with arrest, he paid him a visit, -and learning that the extent of his debts was but forty pounds, he shook -him warmly by the hand as he took his leave, and the artist was -astonished to find in his fingers a bank-note of one hundred pounds. -When Dayes, an artist of merit, showed him his drawings of a Royal -pageant at St. Paul’s, Reynolds complimented him, and said that he had -bestowed so much labor upon them that he could not be remunerated by -selling them, but told him that if he would publish them he would loan -him the necessary funds, and engage to get him a handsome subscription -among the nobility. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ LOVE OF HIS ART. - - -Reynolds was an ardent lover of his profession, and ever as ready to -defend it when assailed, as to add to its honors by his pencil. When Dr. -Tucker, the famous Dean of Gloucester, in his discourse before the -Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, -asserted that “a pin-maker was a more valuable member of society than -Raffaelle,” Reynolds was greatly nettled, and said, with some asperity, -“This is an observation of a very narrow mind; a mind that is confined -to the mere object of commerce--that sees with a microscopic eye, but a -part of the great machine of the economy of life, and thinks that small -part which he sees to be the whole. Commerce is the means, not the end -of happiness or pleasure; the end is a rational enjoyment by means of -arts and sciences. It is therefore the highest degree of folly to set -the means in a higher rank of esteem than the end. It is as much as to -say that the brick-maker is superior to the architect.” He might have -added that the artisan is indebted to the artist for the design of every -beautiful fabric, therefore the artist is a more “valuable member of -society” than the manufacturer or the merchant. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ CRITICISM ON RUBENS. - - -When Sir Joshua Reynolds made his first tour to Flanders and Holland, he -was struck with the brilliancy of coloring which appeared in the works -of Rubens, and on his return he said that his own works were deficient -in force, in comparison with what he had seen. “On his return from his -second tour,” says Sir George Beaumont, “he observed to me that the -pictures of Rubens appeared much less brilliant than they had done on -the former inspection. He could not for some time account for this -circumstance; but when he recollected that when he first saw them he had -his note-book in his hand, for the purpose of writing down short -remarks, he perceived what had occasioned their now making a less -impression than they had done formerly. By the eye passing immediately -from the white paper to the picture, the colors derived uncommon -richness and warmth; but for want of this foil they afterwards appeared -comparatively cold.” - - - - -REYNOLDS AND HAYDN’S PORTRAIT. - - -When Haydn, the eminent composer, was in England, one of the princes -commissioned Reynolds to paint his portrait. Haydn sat twice, but he -soon grew tired, and Reynolds finding he could make nothing out of his -“stupid countenance,” communicated the circumstance to his royal -highness, who contrived the following stratagem to rouse him. He sent to -the painter’s house a beautiful German girl, in the service of the -queen. Haydn took his seat, for the third time, and as soon as the -conversation began to flag, a curtain rose, and the fair German -addressed him in his native language with a most elegant compliment. -Haydn, delighted, overwhelmed the enchantress with questions; and -Reynolds, rapidly transferring to the canvass his features thus lit up, -produced an admirable likeness. - - - - -RUBENS’ LAST SUPPER. - - -Sir Joshua Reynolds relates the following anecdote, in his “Journey to -Flanders and Holland.” He stopped at Mechlin to see the celebrated -altar-piece by Rubens in the cathedral, representing the Last Supper. -After describing the picture, he proceeds:-- - -“There is a circumstance belonging to the altar-piece, which may be -worth relating, as it shows Rubens’ manner of proceeding in large works. -The person who bespoke this picture, a citizen of Mechlin, desired, to -avoid the danger of carriage, that it might be painted at Mechlin; to -this the painter easily consented, as it was very near his country-seat -at Steen. Rubens, having finished his sketch in colors, gave it as usual -to one of his scholars, (Van Egmont) and sent him to Mechlin to -dead-color from it the great picture. The gentleman, seeing this -proceeding, complained that he bespoke a picture of the hand of the -master, not of the scholar, and stopped the pupil in his progress. -However, Rubens satisfied him that this was always his method of -proceeding, and that this piece would be as completely his work as if he -had done the whole from the beginning. The citizen was satisfied, and -Rubens proceeded with the picture, which appears to me to have no -indications of neglect in any part; on the contrary, I think it _has -been_ one of his best pictures, though those who know this circumstance -pretend to see Van Egmont’s inferior genius transpire through Rubens’ -touches.” - - - - -REYNOLDS’ SKILL IN COMPLIMENTS. - - -When he painted the portrait of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, he -wrought his name on the border of her robe. The great actress, -conceiving it to be a piece of classic embroidery, went near to examine -it, and seeing the words, smiled. The artist bowed, and said, “I could -not lose this opportunity of sending my name to posterity on the hem of -your garment.” - - - - -EXCELLENT ADVICE. - - -Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his letter to Barry, observes, “Whoever has -great views, I would recommend to him, whilst at Rome, rather to live on -bread and water, than lose advantages which he can never hope to enjoy a -second time, and which he will find only in the Vatican.” - - - - -SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS AND HIS PORTRAITS. - - -When Sir Joshua was elected mayor of Plympton, his native town, he -painted an admirable portrait of himself and presented it to the mayor -and corporation, and it now hangs in the town-hall. When he sent the -picture, he wrote to his friend Sir Wm. Elford, requesting him to put it -in a good light, which he did, and to set it off he placed by its side, -what he considered to be a bad picture. When Sir William communicated to -Reynolds what he had done in order that the excellence of his picture -might have a more striking effect, the latter wrote his worthy friend -that he was greatly obliged to him for his pains, but that the portrait -he so much despised was painted by himself in early life. - - - - -REYNOLDS’ FLAG. - - -In the year 1770, a boy named Buckingham, presuming upon his father’s -acquaintance with Sir Joshua Reynolds, called on the president, and -asked him if he would have the kindness to paint him a flag to carry in -the procession of the next breaking up of the school. Reynolds, whose -every hour was worth guineas, smiled, and told the lad to call again at -a certain time, and he would see what could be done for him. The boy -accordingly called at the set time, and was presented with an elegant -flag a yard square, decorated with the King’s coat of arms. The flag was -triumphantly carried in procession, an honor as well as a delight to the -boys, and a still greater honor to him who painted it, and gave his -valuable time to promote their holiday amusements. - - - - -BURKE’S EULOGY. - - -Burke, in his eulogy on Reynolds, says, “In full affluence of foreign -and domestic fame, admired by the expert in art and by the learned in -science, courted by the great, caressed by sovereign powers, and -celebrated by distinguished poets, his native humility, modesty, and -candor never forsook him, even on surprise or provocation: nor was the -least degree of arrogance or assumption visible to the most scrutinizing -eye in any part of his conduct or discourse.” - - - - -REYNOLDS’ ESTIMATE AND USE OF OLD PAINTINGS. - - -He was fond of seeking into the secrets of the old painters; and -_dissected_ some of their performances, to ascertain their mode of -laying on color and finishing with effect. Titian he conceived to be the -great master spirit in portraiture; and no enthusiastic ever sought more -incessantly for the secret of the philosopher’s stone than did Reynolds -to possess himself of the whole theory and practice of the Venetian. “To -possess,” said he, “a real fine picture by that great master--I would -sell all my gallery--I would willingly ruin myself.” The capital old -paintings of the Venetian school destroyed by Sir Joshua’s _dissections_ -were not few; and his experiments of this kind can only properly be -likened to that of the boy who cut open the bellows to get at the wind! -He was ignorant of chemistry, so much so that he sometimes employed -mineral colors that reacted in a short time; and also vegetable colors; -and he mixed with these various vehicles, as megilips and different -kinds of varnishes or glazes, so that he had the misfortune of seeing -some of his finest works change and lose all their harmony, or become -cracked with unsightly seams. He kept his system of coloring a profound -secret. He lived to regret these experiments, and would never permit his -pupils to practice them. His method has been largely imitated, not only -in England, but in the United States, greatly to the injury of many -fine works and the reputation of the artist. The only true method for -excellence and permanence in coloring, is that employed by the great -Italian masters, viz: to use well prepared and seasoned canvass; then to -lay on a good heavy body-color; to employ only the best mineral colors, -which will not chemically react, giving the colors time to harden after -laying on each successive coat; and above all, to use no varnishes in -the process, nor after the completion of the work, till it is -sufficiently hardened by age. - - - - -THE INFLUENCE OF THE INQUISITION UPON SPANISH PAINTING. - - -A strong and enthusiastic feeling of a religious character has often -inspired the Fine Arts: we owe to such sentiments the finest and purest -productions of modern painting. Progress in art, however, implies the -study of nature; the study of nature and the exhibition of its results -have continually shocked the rigid asceticism of a severe morality--a -morality which makes indecency depend on the simple fact of exposure, -not on the feeling in which the work is conceived. Scrupulous persons -often appear unconscious that in this, as in other things, it is easy to -observe the letter, and to violate the spirit. A picture or statue may -be perfectly decent, so far as regards drapery, and yet suggest thoughts -and ideas far more objectionable than those resulting from the -contemplation of figures wholly unclothed. Still, it must be admitted -that such a jealousy of the fine arts might reasonably exist in Italy -at the end of the 15th, and the beginning of the 16th centuries, in the -days of Alexander VI., Julius II., and Leo X.; when all the abominations -of heathenism prevailed at Rome in practice, and when Christianity can -hardly be said to have existed more than in theory. It would have been -strange, amidst such universal depravity, that Art should escape -unsullied by the general pollution. Still, it was against the _abuses_ -of art that the efforts of the Catholic church under Paul IV. were -directed; and while those efforts gave a somewhat different character to -the subjects and to their treatment in later schools, they cannot be -said to have acted on either Painting or Sculpture with any _repressive_ -force. - -But in Spain the case was wholly different. There was no transient -insurrection of a purer morality against the vicious extravagancies of a -particular period, but a constant and uniform pressure exerted without -intermission on all the means of developing and cultivating the human -mind, or of imparting its sentiments to others. Painting and Sculpture -came in for their share of restriction, and the nature of the discipline -to which they were subjected may be gathered from the work of Pacheco, -(_Arte de la Pintura_) who was appointed in 1618, by a particular -commission from the Inquisition, “to denounce the errors committed in -pictures of sacred subjects through the ignorance or wickedness of -artists.” He was commissioned to “take particular care to visit and -inspect the paintings of sacred subjects which may stand in the public -places of Seville, and if anything objectionable appeared in them, to -take them before the Inquisition.” His rules, therefore, may properly be -received as a fair exponent of the strictures placed upon Art by the -Inquisition. In his work upon the Art of Painting, Pacheco censures the -nudity of the figures in Michael Angelo’s Last Judgment, as well as -other things. Thus he says: “As to placing the damned in the air, -fighting as they are one with another, and pulling against the devils, -when it is matter of faith that they must want the free gifts of glory, -and cannot, therefore, possess the requisite lightness or agility--the -impropriety of this mode of exhibiting them is self-evident. With -regard, again, to the angels without wings and the saints without -clothes, although the former do not possess the one and the latter will -not have the other, yet, as angels without wings are unknown to us, and -our eyes do not allow us to see the saints without clothes, as we shall -hereafter--there can be no doubt, that this again is improper. It is -moreover, highly indecent and improper, having regard to their nature, -to paint angels with beards.” - -On the general question of how an artist is to acquire sufficient skill -in the figure, without exposing himself to risks which the Inspector of -the Inquisition is bound to deprecate, Pacheco is somewhat embarrassed. -“I seem,” he says, “to hear some one asking me, ‘Senor Painter, -scrupulous as you are, whilst you place before us the ancient artists -as examples, who contemplated the figures of naked women in order to -imitate them perfectly, and whilst you charge us to paint as well, what -resource do you afford us?’ I would answer, ‘Senor Licentiate, this is -what I would do; I would paint the faces and hands from nature, with the -requisite beauty and variety, after women of good character; in which, -in my opinion, there is no danger. With regard to the other parts, I -would avail myself of good pictures, engravings, drawings, models, -ancient and modern statues, and the excellent designs of Albert Durer, -so that I might choose what was most graceful and best composed without -running into danger.’” So it appears that they might profit by the works -of other sinners, without incurring the same danger. - -Notwithstanding this advice, as the Inquisition always persecuted -nudity, Spain was deficient in models from the antique; wherefore -Velasquez, the head of the Spanish school, never designed an exquisite -figure; and the collection of models and casts which he made in Italy, -late in life, was allowed to go to destruction after his death! - -In discussing the proper mode of painting the Nativity of Christ, -Pacheco says he is always much affected at seeing the infant Jesus -represented naked in the arms of his mother! The impropriety of this, he -urges, is shown by the consideration that “St. Joseph had an office, -and it was not possible that poverty could have obliged him to forego -those comforts for his child, which scarcely the meanest beggars are -without.” Another fertile subject of dispute among the Spanish artists -and theologians, was the number of nails used in the Crucifixion, some -arguing for three, and some for four, and drawing their proofs on either -side from the vision of some saint! - -The precepts as to the proper modes of painting the Virgin, are -innumerable. The greatest caution against any approach to nudity is of -course requisite. Nay, Pacheco says, “What can be more foreign from the -respect which we owe to the purity of Our Lady the Virgin, than to paint -her sitting down, with one of her knees placed over the other, and often -with her sacred feet uncovered and naked?” We scarcely ever, therefore, -see the feet of the Virgin in Spanish pictures. Carducho speaks more -particularly on the impropriety of painting the Virgin unshod, since it -is manifest that she was in the habit of wearing shoes, as is proved by -“the much venerated relic of one of them, from her divine feet, in the -Cathedral of Burgos!” - -A painter had a penance inflicted on him at Cordova, for painting the -Virgin at the foot of the Cross in a hooped petticoat, pointed boddice, -and a saffron-colored head-dress; St. John had pantaloons, and a doublet -with points. This chastisement Pacheco considers richly deserved. Don -Luis Pasqual also erred greatly, in his Marriage of the Virgin, -representing her without any mantle, in a Venetian petticoat, fitting -very close in the waist, covered with knots of colored ribbon, and with -wide round sleeves,--“a dress,” adds Pacheco, “in my opinion highly -unbecoming the gravity and dignity of our Sovereign Lady.” Nor were -there wanting awful examples of warning to painters, as in the story -related by Martin de Roa, in his _State of Souls in Purgatory_. “A -painter,” so runs the legend, “had executed in youth, at the request of -a gentleman, an improper picture. After the painter’s death, this -picture was laid to his charge, and it was only by the intercession of -those Saints whom he had at various times painted, that he got off with -severe torments in Purgatory. Whilst there, however, he contrived to -appear to his confessor, and prevailed upon him to go to the gentleman -for whom this picture was painted, and entreat him to burn it. The -request was complied with, and the painter then got out of Purgatory!” - -The author cannot close this too lengthy article without citing the Life -of the Virgin written by Maria de Agreda, whose absurd and blasphemous -vagaries were “swallowed whole” by the Spanish nation--an unanswerable -proof and a fitting result of the blight inflicted by Jesuitism and the -Inquisition. Bayle says, “the only wonder is, that the Sorbonne confined -itself to saying that her proposition was false, rash, and contrary to -the doctrines of the Gospel, when she taught that God gave the Virgin -all he could, and that he could give her all his own attributes, except -the essence of the Godhead.” The condemnation of Maria de Agreda’s Life -of the Virgin was not carried in the Sorbonne without the greatest -opposition and tumult. The book was censured at Rome, notwithstanding -all the efforts of the Spanish ambassador. The Spanish feeling, with -reference to the Virgin, and more particularly to the doctrine of the -Immaculate Conception, went far beyond the rest of Papal Europe; it was -impossible for the Pope and the French Church to sanction at once the -absurdities that Spain was quite ready to adopt. (See Sir Edmund Head’s -Hand-Book of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting.) - - - - -A MELANCHOLY PICTURE OF THE STATE OF THE FINE ARTS IN SPAIN. - - -A most interesting article on the present state of the fine arts in -Spain, may be found in the Appendix to Sir Edmund Head’s Hand-Book of -the History of the Spanish and French schools of Painting. On the 13th -of June, 1844, a Royal ordinance was issued, establishing a Central -Commission “de Monumentos Historicos y Artisticos del Reino,” with local -or provincial commissions, to act in concert with the former body. The -chief object of the Commission was, to report upon the condition of -works of art, antiquities, libraries, etc., contained in the numerous -convents and monasteries, which had been suppressed, and what measures -had been adopted for their preservation. The members of the Commission -were divided into three sections, one for libraries and archives, -another for painting and sculpture, and a third for architecture and -archæology. - -The first annual report of the Central Commission to the Secretary of -State for the Home Department is printed in pamphlet form, and embraces -the proceedings of the Commission from July 1st, 1844, to July 1st, -1845. - - “Nothing can be more melancholy than the picture of Spain drawn by - this Commission. They tell us that the most valuable contents of - the conventual libraries had been thrown away or mutilated, and - that thousands of volumes had been sold as waste paper for three or - four reals the arroba, and had been exported to enrich foreign - libraries. A hope had been entertained of forming collections in - each province, of pictures and other works of art; the Commission - was soon undeceived as to the possibility of effecting this. Baron - Taylor and a host of foreign dealers had in some provinces carried - off all they could lay their hands upon; in others the - Commissioners tell us, ‘Many of the most esteemed works of art, the - glory and ornament of the most sumptuous churches, had perished in - their application to the vilest uses; in others scarcely any record - was preserved of what had been in existence at the time of the - dissolution of the monasteries, and no inventory or catalogue of - any kind had been made.’ Our only consolation perhaps is that these - books and works of art will be better appreciated in other - countries, and we may derive comfort from the views expressed by - Madame Hahn-Hahn.[A] - - “It is clear that in such a state of things the plunder and - destruction of pictures must have been enormous. In the summary of - the proceedings of the Commission with reference to pictures, - which I shall proceed to give, the reader will see that all sorts - of obstacles to any claim of the central government were raised by - the local authorities; such a course was sometimes no doubt the - result of genuine Spanish obstinacy, strong in local attachments, - and hating all interference; but it too often probably originated - in the desire to conceal peculation and robbery on the part of the - alcalde, or the parish priest, or the sacristan, or the porter of a - suppressed convent. Let us remember that in all probability no one - of these functionaries ever received the salary which was due to - him, and that the unfortunate monks turned out of their convents - had neither interest nor duty in protecting what had ceased to be - theirs. If they did not (as it may be hoped) themselves carry off - what they could, they would abandon it to the first plunderer. - Added to which, the habitual feeling of every Spaniard is, that - what belongs to the government is fair game, and may be stolen with - a safe conscience. - - “When all this is considered, it will not appear surprising that - bribery and robbery should have stripped the deserted convents, and - scattered the memorials of Spanish art and literature. It is - greatly to be feared too that the ignorance of the local - commissioners will cause many an interesting picture of early date - to be thrown on one side as barbarous and rude, and that few such - valuable records as the altar of the time of Don Jayme el - Conquistador, mentioned as rescued at Valencia, will be preserved - at all; indifferent second-rate copies, or imitations of the - Italian and Flemish masters, will probably pass current as the - staple article in most of the provincial museums, even where such - institutions are finally formed. At any rate, as a picture of the - state of Spain with reference to the Fine Arts, and as a sort of - guide to tourists, it may be useful to give, in alphabetical order, - as they are enumerated in the report, an abstract of the general - result as to the number of paintings got together in each - province.” - -Here follows the result of the labors of the Commission in forty-eight -provinces, alphabetically arranged, presenting a sorry picture indeed. -Only a few of them can be given here, which may be taken as specimens of -the whole: - - “_Almeria._--Here the existence of any local collection was denied, - but accidentally a catalogue was discovered containing a list of - one hundred and ninety-six pictures, which had been got together in - 1837, and had apparently disappeared. - - “_Burgos._--The Commissioners say, ‘On seeing the small number of - works of art in the province of Burgos, and after examining - carefully the communication of the “Gefe Político,” dated in April, - 1844, together with the inventory which accompanied it, containing - only sixty-nine pictures and thirteen coins, deposited in the - Literary Institution of the capital of the province, we could not - refrain from signifying our surprise at finding so poor a museum in - a province which was at one time one of the richest in Spain in - monasteries.’ - - “_Cáceres._--Here again the Central Commission could get no account - of the works of art which were known to have existed, more - especially in the magnificent Hieronymite Monastery of Guadalupe, - near Logrosan. The Provincial Commission, acting on the authority - of that in Madrid, proceeded to ascertain what still remained - within the walls of the convent, when they were resisted by the - ‘_Ayuntamiento_’ of the town of Guadalupe, who pretended that all - that was in the church and convent belonged to the parish, and not - to the state. - - “_Cadiz._--Those who first collected the pictures took care to - catalogue them without giving the subjects or the sizes, and mixed - up together paintings and prints, so that it was impossible to say - what had been stolen. The report goes on to say that the sale of - certain pictures was not less irregular and culpable in itself, - than the lawfulness of the manner in which the produce of the sale - was applied appeared doubtful. The Local Commission of Arts and - Sciences thought it prudent to abstain from criminal proceedings - against any one; but the pictures yet remaining were in such a - state of decay that to protect themselves they caused a _procès - verbal_ to be drawn up, setting forth their condition. - - “_Cuenca._--All sorts of plunder had gone on here, as elsewhere, - but the Local Commissioners seem to have exerted themselves to - rescue and place in safety what could yet be secured. The head of - the Priory of Santiago de Uclés resisted them. The number of - pictures collected is not given. - - “_Gerona._--In August, 1842, the ‘Gefe Político’ reported the - existence of certain pictures, as he said, of little merit; but, - bad or good, they seem to have disappeared by 1845. - - “_Granada._--Here a museum was formed in 1839, and in 1842 a - catalogue of eight hundred and eighty-four pieces of sculpture and - painting was transmitted to the Secretary of State. By January, - 1844, it would appear that some, probably many, of them had been - stolen, and the report does not tell us how many remained. - - “_Guadalajara._--It appears that out of four hundred and thirty - pictures, a few only were considered to be originals of any value, - and were attributed to Ribera, Zurbaran, Carreño, el Greco, and - others, for the most part Spanish masters. Twenty-five were - completely ruined. - - “_Guipuzcoa._--The civil war in this province has been the cause - and the pretext for the disappearance of many works of art. - ‘Since,’ says the report, ‘whilst many have been destroyed on the - one hand, on the other the state of affairs has thrown a shield - over those who have profited by the confusion, and have unjustly - appropriated the property of the state.’ - - “_Jaen._--The Local Commission of Jaen in the course of nine months - got together five hundred and twenty-three pictures, of which they - reported two hundred and eighty-five as worthless, and placed two - hundred and thirty-eight in the old Jesuit convent. The names of - Murillo, Zurbaran, Alonso Cano, Castillo, Orrente, Melgar, Juan de - Sevilla, Guzman, Coello, Titian, el Greco, and Albano, appear in - the catalogue. - - “_Leon._--‘The necessity,’ says the report, ‘of quartering troops - in the various convents of this province, and the scandalous tricks - which we know to have been played with the works of art in the - same, are the causes why the catalogue, which was framed in - September of last year, appeared so imperfect and so scanty, since - the number of objects was reduced to sixty-one pictures and three - pieces of sculpture, deposited in the convent of the so-called - “Monjas Catalinas.”’ No more favorable account seems to have been - received at the time the report was drawn up. - - “_Lérida._--Here too the civil war is said to have caused the - disappearance of most of the pictures in the convents; only - eighteen of any merit had been collected in April, 1844, but some - more were known to exist in the Seo de Urgel, where the local - authorities however refused to give them up to the government. The - Commission had not been able to obtain an accurate account even of - the eighteen. - - “_Malaga._--A miserable return of six pieces sculpture and four - pictures was all that could be obtained by the Central Commission, - and they attribute this result to ‘the natural indolence and purely - mercantile spirit of that district.’ Probably the facility for - exportation had a good deal to do with the disappearance of the - various works of art which the report affirms to have been once - collected and deposited in various public buildings.” - - - - -DON DIEGO VELASQUEZ. - - -This great painter, justly esteemed the Head of the Spanish school, was -born at Seville in 1594. He pursued almost every branch of painting, -except the marine, and excelled almost equally in all.--Philip IV. -conferred on him extraordinary honors, appointed him his principal -painter, and ordained that none but the modern Apelles should paint his -likeness. When Rubens visited Madrid in 1627, to discharge the duties of -his embassy, he formed an intimate and lasting friendship with -Velasquez, which continued through life. “There is something in the -history of this painter,” says Mrs. Jameson, “which fills the -imagination like a gorgeous romance. In the very sound of his name, _Don -Diego Rodriguez Velasquez de Silva_--there is something mouth-filling -and magnificent. When we read of his fine chivalrous qualities, his -noble birth, his riches, his palaces, his orders of knighthood, and what -is most rare, the warm, real, steady friendship of a king, and added to -this a long life, crowned with genius, felicity, and fame, it seems -almost beyond the lot of humanity. I know of nothing to be compared with -it but the history of Rubens, his friend and cotemporary, whom he -resembled in character and fortune, and in that union of rare talents -with practical good sense which ensures success in life.” For a full -life of this painter, see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects. - - - - -VELASQUEZ HONORED BY THE KING OF SPAIN. - - -Philip IV. relaxed the rigor of Spanish etiquette in favor of Velasquez, -as Charles V. had done with Titian. He had his studio in the royal -palace, and the King kept a private key, by means of which he had access -to it whenever he pleased. Almost every day Philip used to visit the -artist, and would sit and watch him while at work. When Velasquez -produced his celebrated picture of the Infanta Margarita surrounded by -her maids of honor, with a portrait of himself, standing near at his -easel, the King conferred upon him a very unusual honor. After the -picture had been greatly admired, Philip remarked, “There is one thing -wanting,” and taking the palette and pencils, he drew in with his own -hand upon the breast of Velasquez’s portrait, the much coveted Cross of -Santiago! The nobles resented this profanation of a decoration hitherto -only given to high birth; but all difficulties were removed by a _papal -dispensation and a grant of Hidalguia_. Velasquez’s portraits baffle -description or praise--they produce complete illusion, and must be seen -to be known. He depicted the _minds_ of men; they live, breathe, and -seem about to walk out of their frames. The freshness, individuality, -and identity of every person are quite startling; nor can we doubt the -anecdote related of Philip IV., who, mistaking for the original the -portrait of Admiral Pareja in a dark corner of Velasquez’s room, -exclaimed, as he had been ordered to sea, “What! still here? Did I not -send thee off? How is it that thou art not gone?” But seeing the figure -did not salute him, the King discovered his mistake. While Velasquez -sojourned in Rome, he painted the portrait of Innocent X., which is now -the gem of the Doria collection, and in which, says Lanzi, “he renewed -the wonders which are recounted of those of Leo X. by Raffaelle, and -Paul III. by Titian; for this picture so entirely deceived the eye as to -be taken for the Pope himself.” - - - - -VELASQUEZ’S SLAVE. - - -Juan de Pareja was the slave of Don Diego Velasquez. Palomino and -others, say he was born in Mexico, of a Spanish father and an Indian -mother; but Bermudez says he was born at Seville. From being employed in -his master’s studio to attend on him, grind his colors, clean his -palette, brushes, &c., he imbibed a passion for painting, and sought -every opportunity to practice during his master’s absence. He spent -whole nights in drawing and endeavoring to imitate him, for he durst not -let him know of his aspiring dreams. At length he had made such -proficiency, that he resolved to lay his case before the King, Philip -IV., who was not only an excellent judge, but a true lover, of art. It -was the King’s custom to resort frequently to the apartments of -Velasquez, and to order those pictures which were placed with the -painted side to the wall, to be turned to his view. Pareja placed one of -his own productions in that position, which the King’s curiosity caused -to be turned, when the slave fell on his knees and besought the monarch -to obtain his pardon from his master, for having presumed to practice -painting without his approbation. Philip, agreeably surprised at his -address, and well pleased with the work, bid Pareja to rest contented. -He interceded in his behalf, and Velasquez not only forgave him, but -emancipated him from servitude; yet such was his attachment and -gratitude to his master, that he would never leave him till his death, -and afterwards continued to serve his daughter with the same fidelity. -He is said to have painted portraits so much in the style of Velasquez, -that they could not easily be distinguished from his works. He also -painted some historical works, as the Calling of St. Matthew, at -Aranjuez; the Baptism of Christ, at Toledo, and some Saints at Madrid. - - - - -LUIS TRISTAN. - - -This eminent Spanish painter was born near Toledo, according to -Palomino, in 1594, though Bermudez says in 1586. He was a pupil of El -Greco, whom he surpassed in design and purity of taste. His instructor, -far from being jealous of his talents, was the first to applaud his -works, and to commend him to the public. He executed many admirable -works for the churches and public edifices at Toledo and Madrid. It is -no mean proof of his ability, that Velasquez professed himself his -admirer, and quitting the precepts of Pacheco, he formed his style from -the works of Tristan. - - - - -TRISTAN AND EL GRECO. - - -Tristan was the favorite pupil of El Greco, to whom his master made over -many commissions, which he was unable to execute himself. In this manner -he was employed to paint the Last Supper, for the Hieronymite monastery -of La Sisla. The monks liked the picture; but they thought the price -which the artist asked for it, of two hundred ducats, excessive. They -therefore sent for El Greco to value it; but when this master saw his -pupil’s work, he raised his stick and ran at him, calling him a -scoundrel and a disgrace to his profession. The monks restrained the -angry painter, and soothed him by saying that the young man did not know -what he asked, and no doubt would submit to the opinion of his master. -“In good truth,” returned El Greco, “he does not know what he has asked; -and if he does not get _five hundred_ ducats for the picture, I desire -it may be rolled up and sent to my house.” The Hieronymites were -compelled to pay the larger sum! - - - - -ALONSO CANO. - - -This eminent Spanish painter, sculptor, and architect, was born at -Granada, according to Bermudez, in 1601. He early showed a passion for -the fine arts, and exhibited extraordinary talents. He excelled in all -the three sister arts, particularly in painting. There are many -excellent works by Cano in the churches and public edifices at Cordova, -Madrid, Granada, and Seville, which rank him among the greatest Spanish -painters. As a sculptor, he manifested great abilities, and executed -many fine works, which excited universal admiration. He also gained -considerable reputation as an architect, and was appointed architect and -painter to the king. - - - - -CANO’S LIBERALITY. - - -Cano executed many works for the churches and convents gratuitously. -When he was young, he painted many pictures for the public places of -Seville, which were regarded as astonishing performances. For these he -would receive no remuneration, declaring that he considered them -unfinished and deficient, and that he wrought for practice and -improvement. - - - - -CANO’S ECCENTRICITIES. - - -Palomino relates several characteristic anecdotes of Cano. An Auditor of -the Chancery of Granada bore especial devotion to St. Anthony of Padua, -and wished for an image of that saint from the hands of Cano. When the -figure was finished, the judge liked it much. He inquired what money the -artist expected for it: the answer was, one hundred doubloons. The -amateur was astonished, and asked, “How many days he might have spent -upon it?” Cano replied, “Some five-and-twenty days.” “Well,” said the -Auditor, “that comes to four doubloons per day.” “Your lordship reckons -wrong,” said Cano, “for I have spent fifty years in learning to execute -it in twenty-five days.” “That is all very well, but I have spent my -patrimony and my youth in studying at the University, and in a higher -profession; now here I am, Auditor in Granada, and if I get a doubloon a -day, it is as much as I do.” Cano had scarce patience to hear him out. -“A higher profession, indeed!” he exclaimed; “the king can make judges -out of the dust of the earth, but it is reserved for God alone to make -an Alonso Cano.” Saying this, he took up the figure and dashed it to -pieces on the pavement; whereupon the Auditor escaped as fast as he -could, not feeling sure that Cano’s fury would confine itself to the -statue. - - - - -CANO’S HATRED OF THE JEWS. - - -Another characteristic of Cano, was his insuperable repugnance for any -persons tainted with Judaism. It appears that in Granada the unhappy -persons of that nation who were _penitenciados_ (i.e. who had been -subjected to penance by the Inquisition) were in the habit of getting -what they could to support themselves, by selling linen and other -articles about the streets; they wore of course the _sambenito_, or -habit prescribed by the Inquisition as the mark of their penance. If -Cano met one of these men in the street, he would cross to the other -side, or get out of his way into the passage of a house. Occasionally, -however, in turning a corner, or by mere accident, one of these persons -would sometimes brush the garment of the artist, who then instantly sent -his servant home for another, whether cloak or doublet, and gave the -_polluted_ one to his attendant. The servant, however, did not dare to -wear what he had thus acquired, or his master would have turned him out -of the house forthwith--he could only sell it. It is added that the -manifest profit which the servant derived from his master’s scruples, -made the people doubt whether in all cases the Jew had really brushed -against the artist, or whether the servant had himself twitched the -cloak as the Jew passed. At any rate the servant has been heard to -remonstrate, and urge that “it was the slightest touch in the world, -sir--it cannot matter.” “Not matter?--you scoundrel, in such things as -these, everything matters;” and the valet got the cloak. - -On one occasion, Cano’s housekeeper, with an excess of audacity, had -actually brought one of these _penitenciados_ into the house, and was -buying some linen of him; a dispute about the price caused high words, -and the master came, hearing a disturbance. What could he do? he could -not defile himself by laying hands on the miscreant, who got away while -the wrathful artist was looking for some weapon that he could use -without touching him. But the housekeeper had to fly to a neighbor’s; -and it was only after many entreaties, and performing a rigorous -quarantine, that she was received back again. - - - - -CANO’S RULING PASSION STRONG IN DEATH. - - -His passion for art, and his eccentric notions respecting the Jews, were -strongly manifested in his last sickness. He lived in the parish of the -city which contained the prison of the Inquisition. The priest of the -parish visited him upon his death-bed, and proposed to administer the -sacraments to him after confession, when the artist quietly asked him -whether he was in the habit of administering it to the Jews on whom -penance was imposed by the Inquisition. The priest replying in the -affirmative, Cano said, “Senor Licenciado, go your way, and do not -trouble yourself to call again; for the priest who administers the -sacraments to the Jews shall not administer them to me.” Accordingly he -sent for the priest of the parish of St. Andrew. This last, however, -gave offence in another form; he put into the artist’s hands a crucifix -of indifferent execution, when Cano desired him to take it away. The -priest was so shocked at this, that he thought him possessed, and was at -the point of exorcising him. “My son,” he said, “what dost thou mean? -this is the Lord who redeemed thee, and who must save thee.”--“I know -that well,” replied Cano, “but do you want to provoke me with that -wretched thing, so as to give me over to the devil? let me have a -simple cross, for with that I can reverence Christ in faith; I can -worship him as he is in himself, and as I contemplate him in my own -mind.” This was accordingly done, so that the artist was no longer -troubled by an indifferent specimen of sculpture. - - - - -RIBALTA’S MARRIAGE. - - -Francisco Ribalta, an eminent Spanish painter, studied first in -Valencia, where he fell in love with the daughter of his instructor. The -father refused his consent to the marriage; but the daughter promised to -wait for her lover while he studied in Italy. Ribalta accordingly went -thither and devoted himself to his art, studying particularly the works -of Raffaelle and the Caracci, and returned, after a considerable time, -to his native country. Quickened by love, he had attained a high degree -of excellence. On arriving at the city of Valencia, he went to the house -of his beloved, who meanwhile had proved faithful; and her father being -away from home, he finished the sketch of a picture in his studio, in -his mistress’ presence, and left it to produce its effect upon the -hitherto inflexible parent. The latter, on returning, asked his daughter -who had been there, adding, with a look at the picture, “This is the man -to whom I would marry thee, and not to that dauber, Ribalta.” The -marriage of course took place, immediately; and the fame of Ribalta soon -procured him abundant employment. - - - - -APARICIO, CANOVA, AND THORWALDSEN. - - -Aparicio, a Spanish painter who died in 1838, possessed little merit, -but great vanity. Among other works, he painted the Ransoming of 1700 -slaves at Algiers, which occurred in 1768, by order of Charles III. When -the picture was exhibited at Rome, Canova, who knew the man, told -Aparicio, “This is the finest thing in the world, and you are the first -of painters.” Soon after, Thorwaldsen came in and ventured a critique, -whereupon the Don indignantly quoted Canova. “Sir, he has been laughing -at you,” said the honest Dane, to whom Aparicio never spoke again. - - - - -BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO. - - -This preëminent Spanish painter was born at Pilas, near Seville, in -1613. There is a great deal of contradiction among writers as to his -early history, but it has been proved that he never left his own -country. He first studied under Don Juan del Castillo, an eminent -historical painter at Seville, on leaving whom, he went to Cadiz. It was -the custom of the young artists at that time to expose their works for -sale at the annual fairs, and many of the earliest productions of -Murillo were exported to South America, which gave rise to the -tradition, that he had proceeded thither in person. - - - - -MURILLO AND VELASQUEZ. - - -The fame of Velasquez, then at its zenith, inspired Murillo with a -desire to visit Madrid, in the hope to profit by his instruction. He -accordingly proceeded thither in 1642, and paid his court to Velasquez, -who received him with great kindness, admitted him into his academy, and -procured for him the best means of improvement beyond his own -instruction, by obtaining for him access to the rich treasures of art in -the royal collections, where his attention was particularly directed to -the works of Titian, Rubens, and Vandyck. - - - - -MURILLO’S RETURN TO SEVILLE. - - -After a residence of three years at Madrid, Murillo returned to Seville, -where he was commissioned to paint his great fresco of St. Thomas of -Villanuova distributing alms to the poor, in the convent of San -Francisco, consisting of sixteen compartments.--The subject suited his -genius, and gave full scope for the display of his powers, which were -peculiarly adapted to the representation of nature in her most simple -and unsophisticated forms. The Saint stands in a dignified posture, with -a countenance beaming with benevolence and compassion, while he is -surrounded by groups of paupers, eagerly pressing forward to receive his -charity, whose varied character and wretchedness are portrayed with -wonderful art and truthfulness of expression. This and other works -produced emotions of the greatest astonishment among his countrymen, -established his reputation as one of the greatest artists of his age, -and procured him abundant employment. - - - - -MURILLO AND IRIARTE. - - -About this time, Murillo was employed by the Marquis of Villamanrique, -to paint a series of pictures from the life of David, in which the -backgrounds were to be painted by Ignacio Iriarte, an eminent landscape -painter of Seville. Murillo rightly proposed that the landscape parts -should be first painted, and that he should afterwards put in the -figures; but Iriarte contended that the historical part ought to be -first finished, to which he would adapt the backgrounds. To put an end -to the dispute, Murillo undertook to execute the whole, and changing the -History of David to that of Jacob, he produced the famous series of five -pictures, now in the possession of the Marquis de Santiago at Madrid, in -which the beauty of the landscapes contends with that of the figures, -and which remain a monument of his powers in these different departments -of the art. - - - - -MURILLO’S DEATH. - - -The last work which Murillo painted was a picture of St. Catherine, in -the convent of the Capuchins at Seville, his death being hastened by a -fall from the scaffold. He died at Seville in 1685, universally -deplored--for he was greatly beloved, not merely for his extraordinary -talents, but for the generous qualities of his heart. Such was his noble -and charitable disposition, that he is said to have left but little -property, though he received large prices for his works. - - - - -MURILLO’S STYLE. - - -Few painters have a juster claim to originality of style than Murillo, -and his works show an incontestible proof of the perfection to which the -Spanish school attained, and the real character of its artists; for he -was never out of his native country, and could have borrowed little from -foreign artists; and this originality places him in the first rank among -the painters of every school. All his works are distinguished by a close -and lively imitation of nature. His pictures of the Virgin, Saints, -Magdalens, and even of the Saviour, are stamped with a characteristic -expression of the eye, and have a national peculiarity of countenance -and habiliments, which are very remarkable. There is little of the -academy discernible in his design or his composition. It is a chaste and -faithful representation of what he saw or conceived; truth and -simplicity are never lost sight of; his coloring is clear, tender, and -harmonious, and though it possesses the truth of Titian, and the -sweetness of Vandyck, it has nothing of the appearance of imitation. -There is little of the ideal in his forms or heads, and though he -frequently adopts a beautiful expression, there is usually a -portrait-like simplicity in his countenances. In short, his pictures are -said to hold a middle rank between the unpolished naturalness of the -Flemish, and the graceful and dignified taste of the Italian schools. - - - - -MURILLO’S WORKS. - - -The works of Murillo are numerous, and widely scattered over the world. -Most of his greatest works are in the churches of Spain; some are in the -Royal collections at Madrid, some in France and Flanders, many in -England, and a few in the United States. They now command enormous -prices. The National Gallery of London paid four thousand guineas for a -picture of the Holy Family, and two thousand for one of St. John with -the Lamb. The late Marshal Soult’s collection was very rich in -Murillos--the fruits of his campaigns in Spain. The famous Assumption of -the Virgin, considered the chef d’œuvre of the master, brought the -enormous sum of five hundred and eighty-six thousand francs, and was -bought by the French government to adorn the Louvre; but it should be -recollected that the heads of three governments--those of France, -Russia, and Spain--and an English Marquis, competed for it. Such works, -too, are esteemed above all price, as models of art, in a national -collection of pictures. Of the other Murillos in the Soult collection, -the principal brought the following prices: “The Ravages of the Plague,” -twenty thousand francs; “The Miracle of St. Diego,” eighty-five thousand -francs; “The Flight into Egypt,” fifty-one thousand francs; “The -Nativity of the Virgin,” ninety thousand francs; “The Repentance of St. -Peter,” fifty-five thousand francs; “Christ on the Cross,” thirty-one -thousand francs; “St. Peter in Prison,” one hundred and fifty-one -thousand francs; “Jesus and St. John--children,” fifty-one thousand -seven hundred and fifty francs. The two last were purchased for the -Emperor of Russia. The collection was sold in May, 1852. - -The works of Murillo have been largely copied and imitated, and so -successfully as to deceive even connoisseurs. - - - - -MURILLO’S ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN. - - -The Assumption of the Virgin is considered by all the Spanish writers as -the masterpiece of Murillo, and never, perhaps, did that great master -attain such sublimity of expression and such magnificent coloring, as in -this almost divine picture. It represents the Virgin in the act of being -carried up into Heaven. Her golden hair floats on her shoulders, and her -white robe gently swells in the breeze, while a mantle of blue -gracefully falls from her left shoulder. Groups of angels and cherubim -of extraordinary beauty, sport around her in the most evident -admiration, those below thronging closely together, while those above -open their ranks, as if not in any way to conceal the glory shed around -the ascending Virgin. The size of the picture is eight feet six inches -in height, by six feet broad, French measure. This picture was the gem -of the famous collection made by Marshal Soult, during his campaigns in -Spain, who used humorously to relate that it cost him _two monks_, which -he thus explained. One morning two of his soldiers were found with their -throats cut, and the deed being traced to the instigation of the monks, -near whose convent they had encamped, he immediately arraigned them -before a court-martial, sentenced two of the fraternity to expiate the -deed, and compelled them to designate the victims by lot. One of the -chances fell to the Prior, who offered Soult this peerless picture as -the price of their redemption. - - - - -CASTILLO’S TRIBUTE TO MURILLO. - - -Castillo was educated in the school of Zurbaran. After returning to his -native city, he flattered himself that he was the first Spanish painter -of the day; but subsequently, on a visit to Seville, he was painfully -undeceived. The works of Murillo struck him with astonishment, and when -he saw the St. Leander and St. Isidore, as well as the St. Anthony of -Padua by that master, he exclaimed, “It is all over with Castillo! Is it -possible that Murillo can be the author of all this grace and beauty of -coloring?” He returned to Cordova, and attempted to imitate and equal -Murillo, but felt satisfied that he had failed; and it is said that he -died in the following year, from the effects of envy and annoyance. - - - - -CORREGGIO. - - -The name of this great artist was Antonio Allegri, and he was born at -Correggio, a small town in the Duchy of Modena, in 1494; hence his -acquired name. It was for a long time the fashion to regard the divine -creations of Correggio as the mere product of genius and accident; -himself as a man born in the lowest grade of society; uneducated in the -elements of his art, owing all to the wondrous resources of his own -unassisted genius; living and dying in obscurity and poverty; ill paid -for his pictures; and at length perishing tragically. It has been proved -that there is no foundation for these popular fallacies. Correggio’s own -pictures are a sufficient refutation of a part of them; they exhibit not -only a classical and cultivated taste, but a profound knowledge of -anatomy, and of the sciences of optics, perspective, and chemistry, as -far as they were then carried. His exquisite chiaro-scuro and harmonious -blending of colors were certainly not the result of mere chance: all his -sensibility to these effects of nature would not have enabled him to -render them, without the profoundest study of the mechanical means he -employed. The great works on which he was employed--his lavish use of -the rarest and most expensive colors, and the time and labor he bestowed -in analyzing and refining them--the report that he worked on a ground -overlaid with gold--all refute the idea of his being either an ignorant -or a distressed man. Of the rank he held in the estimation of the -princes of his country we have evidence in a curious document discovered -in the archives of the city of Correggio--the marriage contract between -Ippolito (the son of Giberto, Lord of Correggio, by his wife, the -celebrated poetess Vittoria Gambara), and Chiara da Correggio, in which -we find the signature of the great painter as one of the witnesses. -Correggio was one of that splendid triumvirate of painters who, living -at the same time, were working on different principles, and achieving, -each in his own department, excellence hitherto unequalled; and if -Correggio must be allowed to be inferior to Raffaelle in invention and -expression, and to Titian in life-like color, he has united design and -color with the illusion of light and shadow in a degree of perfection -not then nor since approached by any painter. Hence Annibale Caracci, on -seeing one of his great pictures, exclaimed in a transport that he was -“the only _painter_!” - - - - -CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA OF THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN AT PARMA. - - -The admiration which the works of Correggio excited, induced the monks -of St. John to engage him in ornamenting the grand cupola, and other -parts of their church. The original agreement has not been discovered, -but various entries have been found in the books of the convent, between -1519 and 1536, which prove, that for adorning the cupola he received, -as Tiraboschi asserts, two hundred and seventy-two gold ducats, and two -hundred more for other parts of the fabric. The last payment of twenty -seven gold ducats was made on the 23d of January, 1524, and the -acknowledgment of the painter, under his own signature, is still extant. - -The subject is the Ascension of Christ in glory, surrounded by the -twelve Apostles, seated on the clouds; and in the lunettes the four -Evangelists and four Doctors of the Church. The situation for the -picture presented difficulties which none but so great an artist could -have overcome; for the cupola has neither sky-light nor windows, and -consequently the whole effect of the piece must depend on the light -reflected from below. The figures of the Apostles are chiefly naked, -gigantic, and in a style of peculiar grandeur. - -Besides the cupola, various parts of the same church were adorned by his -hand. He decorated the tribune, which was afterwards demolished to -enlarge the choir; and it was so highly esteemed, that Cesare Aretusi -was employed by the monks to copy it for the new tribune. He painted -also in fresco, the two sides of the fifth chapel on the right hand, the -first representing the Martyrdom of St. Placido and St. Flavia, and the -second a dead Christ, with the Virgin Mary swooning at his feet. Of -these paintings Mengs particularly admires the head of St. Placido and -the exquisite figure of the Magdalen in the last mentioned picture. - - - - -CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA OF THE CATHEDRAL AT PARMA. - - -The grand fresco painting in the cupola of the Cathedral of Parma, is -considered Correggio’s greatest work, and has ever been regarded as a -most wonderful production. - -The difficulties he had to encounter, were greater than those in the -church of St. John, and in overcoming them he displayed the most -consummate skill and judgment. This cupola, which is nearly thirty-nine -feet in diameter, is octagonal, the compartments diminishing as it -rises; and it is not surmounted with a lantern, but towards the lower -part is lighted by windows, approaching to an oval form. On this surface -he delineated numerous groups of figures, with extraordinary boldness -and effect; though, for the sake of variety, he partially adopted a -smaller scale than in the cupola of St. John. The subject is the -Assumption of the Virgin Mary. She is represented with an air in the -highest degree indicative of devotion and beatitude, as rising to meet -Christ in the clouds, surrounded by the heavenly choir of saints and -angels; while beneath, the apostles behold her reception into glory with -the most dignified expression of reverence and astonishment. Over the -whole is an effusion of light, which produces an impression truly -celestial. - -The figures which are depicted in the upper part of the dome, are -foreshortened with consummate skill. Mengs, who saw them near, and -judged of them as an artist, appears astonished at their boldness, which -he calls “sconcia terribile,” particularly that of Christ, which -occupies the centre. But the effect, when seen from below, proves that -the painter had deeply studied that delicate branch of the art; for -nothing can exceed the bold and exquisite management of the light and -shade, and the beautiful proportion in which the figures appear to the -eye, except the life and spirit with which they are animated, and the -general harmony of the whole. - -In decorating the lower part of the cupola, Correggio displayed -undiminished resources. He figured a species of socle, or cornice, which -runs round the whole cupola, yet at such a distance as to afford a space -between the windows for the apostles, who appear, some single, some in -pairs, surrounded with angels, and delineated in the same grand style as -those in the cupola of St. John. Yet, although placed on the very lines -of the angles, formed in the dome, they are so artfully disposed and -foreshortened, as to appear painted vertically on the cornice. To unite -these with the principal figures, he distributed above and on the socle, -between the gigantic figures of the apostles, and the light and airy -forms of the celestial choir above, groups of angels, of an intermediate -size, some with torches, and others bearing vases and censers. - -But a striking proof of his taste and skill is manifested in the four -lunettes between the arches supporting the cupola. Here he feigned the -architecture to form four capacious niches or shells, in which he -introduced the patrons of the city, St. John the Baptist, St. Hilary, -St. Thomas, and St. Bernard degli Uberti, in magnitude equal to the -Apostles, resting on clouds and attended by angels. In depicting the -light as transmitted from the groups above, he has thrown it so -naturally upon these figures and their angelic suite, that they appear -as if detached from the wall, and animated with more than human spirit -and grace. - -This great work was commenced about 1523, and finished in 1530, as -appears from the original agreements and receipts, preserved in the -archives of the Chapter, which were published by his biographer -Pungileoni, from a copy taken and authenticated by a Notary Public, in -1803. The work seems to have been delayed by the feuds and warfare which -agitated Parma at that time, and perhaps by other engagements of the -artist. The contract was signed on the 3d of November, 1522. In the plan -or estimate which Correggio drew up at the desire of the Chapter, and -which is still preserved in his own handwriting, he required twelve -hundred gold ducats, and one hundred for gold leaf; the scaffolding, -lime, and other requisites to be provided by the Chapter. But in the -contract itself, the price was reduced to one thousand ducats, exclusive -of the one hundred for gold leaf. For this sum he engaged to paint the -choir, and the cupola with its arches and pillars, as far as the altar; -also the lateral chapels, in imitation of living subjects, bronze and -marble, according to the plan, and in conformity to the nature of the -place, comprising in the whole a surface of one hundred and fifty-four -square perches (perteche). The Chapter, on their part, were to provide -the scaffolding and the lime, and to defray the expense of preparing the -walls. Thus Correggio received the sum of one thousand gold ducats -(about two thousand dollars) for his work, out of which he had to pay -for his colors, and the labors of his assistants. What then becomes of -the miserable story generally current, that this was his last work; that -when he went to receive payment, that he might take home the price of -his labors to his poverty-stricken family, the canons found fault with -his picture, and refused to pay him more than half the paltry sum -originally promised; that they paid him in copper coin; that he took the -heavy burden upon his shoulders, and walked a distance of eight miles to -his cottage, under the burning heat of an Italian sun, which together -with his despair threw him into a fever, of which he died, on his bed of -straw, in three days? It appears from the documents before cited, that -Correggio received payment in instalments, as his work progressed. - - - - -CORREGGIO’S FATE. - - -Vasari commiserates the fate of Correggio, whom he represents as of a -melancholy turn of mind timid and diffident of his own powers; -burthened with a numerous family, which, with all his prodigious -talents, he could scarcely support; illy recompensed for his works; and -to crown the sad story, we are told that, having received at Parma a -payment of sixty crowns in copper money, he caught a fever in the -exertion of carrying it home on his shoulders, which occasioned his -death. - -This picture, however, according to Lanzi, is exaggerated; for although -the situation of Correggio was far beneath his merits, yet it was by no -means deplorable. His family was highly respectable, and possessed -considerable landed property, which is said to have been augmented by -his own earnings; and so far from his having died of the fatigue of -carrying home copper money, he was usually paid in gold. For the cupola -and tribune of the church of St. John, he received four hundred and -seventy-two sequins; for that of the Cathedral, three hundred and fifty; -payments by no means inconsiderable in those times. For his celebrated -Notte he was paid forty sequins, and for the St. Jerome, which cost him -six months’ labor, forty-seven. It does not appear probable that he -acquired great riches, but there is no doubt that he was equally -screened from the evils attendant on penury and affluence. - -The researches and discoveries of the learned Tiraboschi, the -indomitable Dr. Michele Antonioli, and the zealous and impartial Padre -Luigi Pungileoni, have thrown much light upon the life of Correggio. -His father, Pellegrino Allegri, was a general merchant in Correggio, -esteemed by his fellow-citizens. His circumstances were easy, and he -intended Antonio for one of the learned professions, but his passion for -painting induced him to allow him to follow the bent of his genius. It -is not certainly known under whom he studied painting. Some of the -Italian writers say that he was instructed by Francesco Bianchi and -Giovanni Murani, called Il Frari; others that he was a pupil of Lionardo -da Vinci and Andrea Mantegna; Lanzi is decidedly of the opinion that he -formed his style by studying the works of Mantegna, who died in 1506, -which does away with the supposition that he could have studied with -him. “The manner,” says Lanzi, “in which Correggio could have imbibed so -exquisite a taste, has always been considered surprising and -unaccountable, prevailing everywhere, as we find in his canvass, in his -laying on his colors, in the last touches of his pictures; but let us -for a moment suppose him a student of Mantegna’s models, surpassing all -others in the same taste, and the wonder will be accounted for. Let us, -moreover, consider the grace and vivacity so predominant in the -compositions of Correggio, the rainbow as it were of his colors, that -accurate care in his foreshortenings, and of those upon ceilings; his -abundance of laughing boys and cherubs, of flowers, fruits, and all -delightful objects; and let us ask ourselves whether this new style does -not appear an exquisite completion of that of Mantegna, as the pictures -of Raffaelle and Titian display the progress and perfection of those of -Perugino and Giovanni Bellini.” The authentic documents revealed by the -three savans before mentioned, show that Correggio was most highly -esteemed by his cotemporaries, and that he associated with persons of -rank and letters. On two occasions he passed some time at Padua, with -the Marchese Manfredo, and the celebrated patroness of arts and letters, -Veronica Gambara, relict of Gilberto, Lord of Correggio. That he was -cheerful and lively, may be inferred from the expression of a writer -concerning him: “_La vivacitá e dal brio del nostro Antonio_;” yet -affectionate and gentle, as is evident from his being sponsor on three -occasions to infants of his friends (in 1511, 1516, and 1518), before he -had reached his twenty-second year. In 1520 he was admitted by diploma, -as a brother of the Congregation Cassinensi, in the monastery of St. -John the Evangelist, at Parma--the fraternity to which the illustrious -Tasso belonged. In the same year he married Girolama Merlini, a lady of -good family, amiable disposition, and great beauty, who was his model -for the Zingara, probably after the birth of his first child. By this -lady he had one son and three daughters. In 1529, to his great -affliction, she died, and was buried by her own request in the church of -St. John at Parma. Correggio did not marry again. He died suddenly on -the fifth day of March, 1534, aged forty years, and was buried with -solemnities worthy of his great endowments, in the church of San -Francesco, at the foot of the altar in the chapel of the Arrivabene. - - - - -ANNIBALE CARACCI’S OPINION OF CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA AT PARMA. - - -“I went,” says Annibale Caracci, in a letter to his cousin Lodovico, “to -see the grand cupola, which you have so often commended to me, and am -quite astonished. To observe so large a composition, so well contrived; -and seen from below with such great exactness; and at the same time, -such judgment, such grace, and coloring of real flesh, good God, not -Tibaldi, not Nicolini, nor even I may say, Raffaelle himself, can be -compared with him. I know not how many paintings I have seen this -morning; the Ancona, or altar-piece of St. John, and St. Catharine, and -the Madonna della Scodella going to Egypt, and I swear, I would change -none of these for the St. Cecilia. To speak of the graces of this St. -Catharine, who so gracefully lays her head on the feet of the beautiful -little Savior; is she not more lovely than the St. Mary Magdalen? That -fine old man St. Jerome, is he not grander, and at the same time more -tender than that St. Paul, which first appeared to me a miracle, and now -seems like a piece of wood, it is so hard and sharp. However you must -have patience even for your own Parmiggiano, because I now acknowledge -that I have learnt from this great man, to imitate all his grace, -though at a great distance; for the children of Correggio breathe and -smile with such a grace and truth, that one cannot refrain from smiling -and enjoying one’s self with them. - -“I write to my brother that he must come, for he will see things which -he could never have believed,--18th April, 1580. - -“I have been to the Steccata, and the Zocoli, and have observed what you -told me many times, and what I now confess to be true; but I will say -that, to my taste, Parmeggiano bears no comparison with Correggio, -because the thoughts and conceptions of Correggio were his own, -evidently drawn from his own mind, and invented by himself, guided only -by the original idea. The others all rest on something not their own; -some on models, some on statues or drawings: all the productions of the -others are represented as they may be; all of this man as they truly -are. - -“The opportunities which Agostino wished for, have not occurred; and -this appears to me a country, which one never could have believed so -totally devoid of good taste and of the delights of a painter, for they -do nothing but eat and drink, and make love. I promised to impart to you -my sentiments; but I confess I am so confused that it is impossible. I -rage and weep, to think of the misfortune of poor Antonio; so great a -man, if indeed he were a man, and not an angel in the flesh, to be lost -here, in a country where he was unknown, and though worthy of -immortality, here to die unhappily. He and Titian will always be my -delight: and if I do not see the works of the latter at Venice, I shall -not die content.--April 28, 1580.” - - - - -CORREGGIO’S ENTHUSIASM. - - -Among the many legends respecting Correggio, it is related that when he -first contemplated one of the masterpieces of Raffaelle, his brow -colored, his eye brightened, and he exclaimed, “I also am a painter!” -When Titian first saw the great works of Correggio at Parma, he said, -“Were I not Titian, I would wish to be Correggio.” - - - - -CORREGGIO’S GRACE. - - -No one can contemplate the works of Correggio, without being captivated -by that peculiar beauty which the Italians have very appropriately -distinguished by the epithet _Correggiesque_, for it was the complexion -of the individual mind and temperament of the artist, stamped upon the -work of his hand. No one approached him in this respect, if perhaps we -except Lionardo da Vinci. Though so often imitated, it remains in fact -inimitable; an attempt degenerating into affectation of the most -intolerable kind. It consists in the blending of sentiment in -expression, with flowing, graceful forms, an exquisite fullness and -softness in the tone of color, and an almost illusive chiaro-scuro, all -together conveying to the mind of the spectator the most delightful -impression of harmony, both spiritual and sensual. He is the painter of -_beauty_ par excellence; he is to us what Apelles was to the -ancients--the standard of the amiable and the graceful. - - - - -CORREGGIO AND THE MONKS. - - -The pleasure which the monks derived from the works of Correggio, even -in their incipient state, and the esteem which they had for him, is -manifested by a remarkable document. This is a letter or patent of -confraternity, passed in the general assembly of the order, held at -Pratalea, in the latter end of 1521; a privilege which was eagerly -sought at this and earlier periods, and was seldom conferred on persons -not eminent for rank or talents. It conveyed a participation in the -spiritual benefits derived from the prayers, masses, alms, and other -pious works of the community, and was coupled with an engagement to -perform the same offices for the repose of his soul, and the souls of -his family, as were performed for their own members. - - - - -CORREGGIO’S MULETEER. - - -It is said that Correggio painted a picture of a muleteer, as a sign to -a small public house, which was kept by a man who had frequently obliged -him, and who had been a muleteer. This picture was purchased by a person -sent to Italy many years ago to collect ancient paintings. It has all -the marks in the upper corner, of having been joined to a piece of wood, -and used for a sign; it cost five hundred guineas! - - - - -DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S CORREGGIO CAPTURED AT VITTORIA. - - -Cunningham warms into rapture in speaking of this picture. “The size is -small, some fifteen inches or so; but true genius can work miracles in -small compass. The central light of the picture is altogether heavenly; -we never saw anything so insufferably brilliant; it haunted us round the -room at Apsley House, and fairly extinguished the light of its companion -pictures.” - - - - -CORREGGIO’S ANCONA. - - -Correggio painted for the church of the Conventuali at Correggio, an -Ancona, (a small altar-piece in wood,) consisting of three pictures when -he was in his twentieth year, as appears, says Lanzi, from the written -agreement, which fixes the price at one hundred gold ducats, or one -hundred zecchins, and proves the esteem in which his talents were then -held. “He here represented St. Bartholomew and St. John, each occupying -one side, while in the middle compartment, he drew a Repose of the Holy -Family flying into Egypt, to which last was added a figure of St. -Francis. Francesco I., Duke of Modena, was so greatly delighted with -this picture, that he sent the artist Boulanger to copy it for him, and -thus obtaining possession of the original, he contrived dexterously to -substitute his own copy in its place.” The Duke satisfied the monks by -giving them more lands. It is supposed that it was afterwards presented -to the Medicean family, and by them given to the house of Este in -exchange for the Sacrifice of Abraham by Andrea del Sarto. It is now in -the Florentine gallery. - - - - -PORTRAITS OF CORREGGIO. - - -Correggio appears to have been far less solicitous than most other -painters, that his likeness should be transmitted to posterity, for of -him there is no unquestioned portrait extant. That which is prefixed to -his life, in the Roman edition of Vasari, is evidently false, for it -exhibits the head and countenance of a man aged seventy. It was taken -from a collection of designs, in the possession of Father Resta, to one -of which, representing a man and his wife with three sons and one -daughter, in mean apparel, he gave the name of the Family of Correggio, -forgetting that the family consisted of three daughters and one son. - -Another portrait, with the title, _Antonius Correggius_, and -consequently supposed to be painted by himself, was preserved in a villa -which belonged to the Queen of Sardinia, near Turin, and engraved by -Valperga; but its authenticity seems justly questioned by Lanzi and -Pungileoni. A third, which was sent from Genoa to England, bore an -inscription signifying that it was the portrait of Maestro Antonio da -Correggio, by Dosso Dossi, and was accordingly engraved for the memoirs -of Correggio by Ratti, who obtained a copy. Lanzi is inclined to infer, -however, that it is the portrait of Antonio Bernieri, the miniature -painter, who also bore the name of Antonio da Correggio. - -A copy of this portrait is still preserved in the Pinacotheca Bodoniana, -at Parma, and has been engraved, first by Asioli, and since as a -medallion, by Professor Rocca, of Reggio. Pungileoni, who is inclined to -consider it as genuine, has prefixed the medallion to his life of -Correggio. - -Tiraboschi and Pungileoni mention other supposed portraits and busts, of -questionable authenticity; and Pungileoni, in particular, adverts to a -portrait still preserved near a door of the cathedral at Parma, which is -exhibited as a likeness of Correggio. It is supposed to have been copied -in the middle of the seventeenth century, by Lattanzio Gambara, from a -more ancient one of this celebrated painter, in another part of the -cathedral; but its authenticity is questioned, merely on the ground that -it represents a man of more advanced age than Correggio, who only -attained his forty-first year. - - - - -DID CORREGGIO EVER VISIT ROME? - - -The question has been long agitated whether Correggio ever visited Rome, -and profited by the study of the antique, and the works of Raffaelle -and Michael Angelo; on this point, the only historical evidence which -has been adduced, is a tradition recorded by Father Resta, and said to -have been derived through three generations, from the information of -Correggio’s wife. As an authority so light and doubtful could not be -seriously advanced, his biographers and admirers have sought in his -works for more valid traces of the models to which he recurred. Mengs -contends that his paintings exhibit proofs of an acquaintance with the -antique, and the works of Raffaelle and Michael Angelo. In the head of -the Danaë, he traces a resemblance to that of Venus de Medici; and in -the St. Jerome, and Mercury teaching Cupid to read, he recognises -imitations of the Farnese Hercules and the Apollo Belvidere; he also -discovers a resemblance to one of the children of Niobe, in the young -man who endeavors to escape from the soldiers, in the picture -representing Christ betrayed in the garden. The countenance of the -Magdalen, in the St. Jerome, he considers as an imitation of Raffaelle; -and in the cupola of the church of St. John, he perceives a similitude -to the grand style of Michael Angelo, in the frescos of the Vatican. In -corroboration of this opinion, he adduces the sudden change which is -perceived in the style of Correggio at an earlier period, as a proof -that he must have seen and studied compositions superior to his own. -Ratti, the copyist of Mengs, coincides with him in opinion. Lanzi -cautiously adopts the same sentiment; and Tiraboschi, after comparing -the testimony on both sides, leaves the question unsettled. We cannot -decide with certainty, that Correggio never visited Rome, and yet there -is no argument to prove that he ever saw that Capital. Pungileoni, with -superior advantage of research, pronounces a contrary decision; and -affirms, from the evidence of the continued series of unquestionable -documents, in which his presence is mentioned at Parma, Correggio, and -other parts of Lombardy, during a number of years, that even if he did -visit Rome, his stay must have been limited to a very short period. -Finally, this opinion is corroborated in the assertion of Ortensio -Landi, who had resided some time at Correggio; and who, in his Sette -Libri de Cataloghi, printed at Venice by Giolito, as early as 1552, says -of Correggio, “He was a noble production of nature, rather than of any -master: he died young, without being able to see Rome.” Were all other -evidence wanting, this testimony of a cotemporary, who must have -collected his information on the spot, and who published it within -eighteen years after the death of Correggio, must be allowed to carry -great weight. - - - - -SINGULAR FATE OF CORREGGIO’S ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS. - - -A few days before the entry of the French into Seville, during the -Peninsular war, when the inhabitants in great consternation were packing -up their most valuable effects to send them to Cadiz, a masterpiece of -Correggio, in one of the convents, representing the Adoration of the -Shepherds, painted on wood, was sawn in two, for its more easy carriage -to a place of safety, to preserve it from the enemy. By some accident, -the two parts were separated on their way to Cadiz; and on their arrival -in that city, one part was sold to one connoisseur, with the promise -that the part wanting should subsequently be delivered to him; while the -other part was sold to another connoisseur under the same engagement. -Both the parts arrived in England, and the possessor of each maintained -that he was entitled to the other. - -It is somewhat remarkable that though the harmony of the picture is -somewhat broken by the separation, yet each part forms of itself an -admirable picture, and as the rival proprietors are rich and obstinate, -the parts are not likely to be united. The whole picture is reckoned to -be worth about 4,000 guineas. - - - - -CURIOUS HISTORY OF CORREGGIO’S “EDUCATION OF CUPID.” - - -Correggio’s picture of Mercury teaching Cupid to read, in the presence -of Venus, called the Education of Cupid, is one of the most celebrated -works of art extant. It now adorns the English National Gallery, and its -history is exceedingly interesting. It was painted for Federigo -Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, the predecessor of him who a hundred years -later patronized Rubens. When Charles I. of England, in 1630, purchased -the Mantuan collection for £20,000, this picture and three others by -Correggio were included in the bargain. On the sale of the king’s -effects by order of parliament, it was purchased by the Duke of Alva, -and from his family passed into the hands of the famous Godoy, Prince of -Peace. When his collection was sold at Madrid during the French -invasion, it was bought by Murat, who took it to Naples, where it -adorned the royal palace. On his fall from power, it was among the -precious effects with which his wife, Caroline Buonaparte, escaped to -Rome, and thence to Vienna, where her collection of pictures was bought -by the Marquis of Londonderry, the English ambassador, who instantly -dispatched the two Correggios--the Education of Cupid and the Ecce -Homo--to London. They were purchased of his Lordship by Parliament in -1834, for 10,000 guineas, and now adorn the English National Gallery. -Sir Thomas Lawrence was allowed a furtive glance at these pictures, at -Rome, in the hope that he would procure a purchaser for them. He says in -a letter, “I had them brought down to me, and placed them in all lights, -and I _know_ them to be most rare and precious.” By his recommendation, -Mr. Angerstein offered £6,500 for the two, which was declined. At the -time when the Marquis of Londonderry closed with General M’Donald, who -was chamberlain to Madame Murat, then known as Countess Lipona (this -was during the Congress of Sovereigns at Verona in 1822), the Emperor of -Russia was negociating for them, and supposing that he had a right to -them, messengers were despatched after Londonderry’s couriers, but -fortunately they were not overtaken, though pursued to the Hague. - - - - -MAGDALEN BY CORREGGIO. - - -In 1837, Mr. Atherstone bought at an auction mart in London, a genuine -picture of a Magdalen by Correggio, for a small sum. He found it among a -parcel of rubbish sent to be sold by a gentleman, who had bought the -picture in Italy for ten pounds, without knowing anything of its value. -It was in perfect preservation, executed in the greatest style of -Correggio, surpassing in beauty of coloring and depth of tone the famous -specimens in the National Gallery! - -The writer can tell an amusing story of a picture that was _not_ by -Correggio. It was a small picture of a Holy Family, on copper. It was -bought in Naples, for a very large sum, by a gentleman who resides not -many miles from New York, who smuggled it out of the country. On his -arrival home, wishing to improve the brilliancy of the coloring, which -appeared much obscured by the smoke and dust of many years, he sent it -to a skillful artist to be cleaned, who, on removing the plentiful coats -of varnish, soon discovered that it was nothing but _a transfer_. The -artist gently hinted to the _connoisseur_ that he had been duped. -“Zounds, sir, this cannot be; the picture was valued at $5,000 in -Naples, and I was offered very large prices for it by some of the best -judges in Paris.” The artist, with a little spirits, quickly brought the -lines of a print into full view, so that not even a glass was required -to see them! It is needless to say that the proprietor was greatly -chagrined, and vented his rage in curses loud and deep against foreign -impostors. Yet he ordered the coats of varnish to be replaced, and -afterwards sold the picture as an original Correggio. - - - - -DISCOVERY OF A CORREGGIO. - - -Among the numerous restorers of old pictures who resided at Rome about -1780, were two friends, an Italian named Lovera, and a German named -Hunterspergh. They were both pupils of the Cavaliere Mengs. They -frequented the sales of old pictures at the Piazza Nuova, as well to -purchase the works of the old masters at a low price, as to supply -themselves with old canvass, which they might repaint. On one occasion, -having bought a lot of old canvass and divided it between them, Lovera -received as a part of his share a very indifferent flower-piece. On -taking it home, he found that the ground scaled off, and to his surprise -discovered traces of a figure painted in an admirable style. He employed -himself with the utmost care in removing the ground which covered the -original picture, and thus restored a capital performance, representing -Charity, under the emblem of a Woman surrounded by three Children. The -report of this happy discovery soon spread; all the artists and amateurs -ran to behold it. The best judges, among whom was Mengs, acknowledged -the genuine style of Correggio, and valued the performance at £2,000. -The Earl of Bristol bought it from Lovera for about £1,500. An engraving -has since been made from it. The value was afterwards the subject of a -suit at law between Hunterspergh and Lovera. - - - - -LIONARDO DA VINCI. - - -This illustrious artist, denominated by Lanzi “the Father of Modern -Painting,” was also an eminent sculptor, architect, and engineer, the -natural son of Pietro da Vinci, notary to the Florentine Republic. -Vasari and his annotators place his birth in 1445; but Durazzini, in his -Panegyrics on Illustrious Tuscans, satisfactorily proves that he was -born in Lower Valdarno, at the castle of Vinci, in 1452. - - - - -PRECOCITY OF DA VINCI’S GENIUS. - - -At a very early age, Lionardo da Vinci showed remarkably quick abilities -for everything he turned his attention to, but more particularly for -arithmetic, music, and drawing. His drawings appeared something -wonderful to his father, who showed them to Andrea Verocchio, and that -celebrated artist, greatly surprised at seeing productions of such -merit from an uninstructed hand, willingly took Lionardo as a pupil. He -was soon much more astonished when he perceived the rapid progress his -pupil made; he felt his own inferiority, and when Lionardo painted an -angel in a picture of the Baptism of Christ, in S. Salvi at Vallombrosa, -so much superior to the other figures that it rendered the inferiority -of Verocchio apparent to all, he immediately relinquished the pencil for -ever. This picture is now in the academy at Florence. The first original -work by Lionardo, mentioned by Vasari, was the so-called Rotella del -Fico, a round board of a fig-tree, upon which his father requested him -to paint something for one of his tenants. Lionardo, wishing to astonish -his father, determined to execute something extraordinary, that should -produce the effect of the Head of Medusa; and having prepared the -rotella, and covered it with plaster, he collected almost every kind of -reptile, and composed from them a monster of most horrible appearance; -it seemed alive, its eyes flashed fire, and it appeared to breathe -destruction from its open mouth. The picture produced the desired effect -upon his father, who thought it so wonderful that he carried it -immediately to a picture dealer in Florence, sold it for a hundred -ducats, and purchased for a trifle an ordinary piece for his tenant. - - - - -EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS OF DA VINCI. - - -Lionardo da Vinci was endowed by nature with a genius uncommonly -elevated and penetrating, eager after discovery, and diligent in the -pursuit, not only in what related to painting, sculpture, and -architecture, but in mathematics, mechanics, hydrostatics, music, -poetry, botany, astronomy, and also in the accomplishments of -horsemanship, fencing, and dancing. Unlike most men of versatile talent, -he was so perfect in all these, that when he performed any one, the -beholders were ready to imagine that it must have been his sole study. -To such vigor of intellect he joined an elegance of features and -manners, that graced the virtues of his mind; he was affable with -strangers, with citizens, with private individuals, and with princes. -This extraordinary combination of qualities in a single man, soon spread -his fame over all Italy. - - - - -DA VINCI’S WORKS AT MILAN. - - -In 1494, Da Vinci was invited to Milan by the Duke Lodovico Sforza, who -appointed him Director of the Academy of Painting and Architecture, -which he had recently revived with additional splendor and -encouragement. During his residence there, he painted but little, with -the exception of his celebrated picture of the Last Supper, a -description of which will be found in a subsequent article. As Director -of the Academy, he banished all the dry, gothic principles established -by his predecessor, Michelino, and introduced the beautiful simplicity -and purity of the Grecian and Roman styles. Lanzi says that in this -capacity, “he left a degree of refinement at Milan, so productive of -illustrious pupils that this period may be ranked as the most glorious -era of his life.” The Duke engaged Lionardo in the stupendous project of -conducting the waters of the Adda, from Mortesana, through the -Valteline, and the valley of the Chiavenna to the walls of Milan, a -distance of nearly two hundred miles. Sensible of the greatness of this -undertaking, Lionardo applied himself more closely to those branches of -philosophy and mathematics which are most adapted to mechanics, and -finally accomplished this immense work, greatly to the astonishment and -admiration of all Italy. He executed the model for a colossal bronze -equestrian statue of the Duke’s father, Francesco Sforza, and would have -completed it, but the Duke’s affairs were becoming greatly embarrassed, -so that the necessary metal (200,000 lbs.) was not furnished. In 1500, -Lodovico Sforza was overthrown in battle by the French, made prisoner, -and conducted to France, where he soon after died in the castle of -Loches. The Academy was suppressed, the professors dispersed, and -Lionardo, after losing all, was obliged to quit the city, and take -refuge in Florence. - - - - -DA VINCI’S “BATTLE OF THE STANDARD.” - - -Soon after Lionardo’s return to Florence, in 1503, he was commissioned -by the Gonfalonière Soderini to decorate one side of the Council Hall of -the Palazzo Vecchio, while Michael Angelo was engaged to paint the -opposite side. Lionardo selected the battle in which the Milanese -general, Niccolo Piccinino, was defeated by the Florentines at Anghiari, -near Borgo San Sepolcro. This composition, of which he only made the -cartoon of a part, was called the Battle of the Standard; it represents -a group of horsemen contending for a standard, with various accessories. -Vasari praises the beauty and anatomical correctness of the horses, and -the costumes of the soldiers. Lanzi says it was never executed, after -his failing in an attempt to paint it in a new method upon the wall, but -Lucini afterwards represented it in a painting which is in the Ambrosian -Library at Milan, esteemed one of the finest works in that collection. -The fame of this contest between the two great artists, caused great -excitement, and induced Raffaelle, who had recently quitted the school -of Perugino, to visit Florence. The grace and delicacy of Lionardo’s -style, compared with the dry and gothic manner of Perugino, excited the -admiration of the young painter, and inspired him with a more modern -taste. - - - - -LIONARDO DA VINCI AND LEO X. - - -The patronage extended to the arts by Leo X., induced Lionardo to visit -Rome. Accordingly, in 1514, he went to that metropolis, in the train of -Duke Giuliano de Medici, by whom he was introduced to the Pope, who soon -after signified his intention of employing Lionardo’s pencil. Upon this, -the painter began to distil his oils and prepare his varnishes, which -the Pope seeing, exclaimed with surprise, that “nothing could be -expected of a painter who thought of finishing his works before he had -begun them.” This want of courtesy in the Pope offended Lionardo, and -according to Vasari, was the reason why he immediately quitted Rome in -disgust. It is probable, however, that the talents and fame of -Buonarotti and Raffaelle had more to do with producing the -dissatisfaction of this great painter, who was then declining into the -vale of years. - - - - -LIONARDO DA VINCI AND FRANCIS I. - - -Francis I. of France was not only a liberal patron of Lionardo da Vinci, -but entertained for him a strong personal friendship. He gave 4000 gold -crowns for his celebrated portrait of Mona Lisa, the wife of Francesco -Giocondo, which occupied Vinci four years. When Lionardo was advanced in -years, and his health declining, he took him into his service, treated -him with the greatest kindness, and gave him a pension of 700 crowns -annually. The King delighted in the society of Da Vinci, and when his -courtiers ventured to express their surprise that he should prefer his -company to theirs, he rebuked them by saying, that “he could make as -many lords as he chose, but that God alone could make a Lionardo da -Vinci.” - - - - -DEATH OF DA VINCI. - - -This great artist expired at Fontainbleau on the 2d day of May, 1519, -aged sixty-seven years. His health had been gradually failing for -several years, and Vasari relates, that Francis I. having honored him -with a visit in his dying moments, Lionardo, deeply affected at this -testimony of his regard, raised himself in the bed to express his thanks -and gratitude, when falling back exhausted, the King caught him, and he -expired in his arms. - - - - -DA VINCI’S LEARNING. - - -Lionardo da Vinci was one of the most learned, accomplished, and eminent -men of the 15th century. Hallam says of him, “The discoveries which made -Galileo and Kepler, Maestlin, Maurolicus, Castelli, and other names -illustrious, the system of Copernicus, the very theories of recent -geologists, are anticipated by Lionardo da Vinci, within the compass of -a very few pages, not perhaps in the most precise language, or on the -most conclusive reasoning, but so as to strike us with something like -the awe of preternatural knowledge. In an age of so much dogmatism, he -first laid down the grand principle of Bacon, that experiment and -observation must be the guides to just theory in the investigation of -nature.” His scientific knowledge proved the means of conferring -incalculable benefits upon the art of painting, one of the most -important of which was the invention of the chiaro-scuro. His intimate -acquaintance with mathematical studies enabled him to develope greatly -the knowledge of optics, and no one was better acquainted with the -nature of aërial perspective, which became a distinctive and hereditary -characteristic of his school. Lanzi says, “Being extremely well versed -in poetry and history, it was through him that the Milanese school -became one of the most accurate and observing in regard to antiquity and -to costume. Mengs has noticed that no artist could surpass Vinci in the -grand effect of his chiaro-scuro. He instructed his pupils to make as -cautious a use of light as of a gem, not lavishing it too freely, but -reserving it always for the best place. And hence we find in his, and in -the best of his disciples’ paintings, that fine relief, owing to which -the pictures, and in particular the countenances, seem as if starting -from the canvass.” - - - - -DA VINCI’S WRITINGS. - - -Almost of equal value with the pictures of this immortal artist, are his -writings, part of which, unfortunately, have been lost, and others have -remained in manuscript. His _Trattato della Pittura_, &c., appeared for -the first time in 1651. It was translated into English, and published by -John Senex, London, 1721. The most complete edition was published by -Manzi, in Italian, in 1817. The learned connoisseur, Count Algarotti, -esteemed this work so highly, that he regarded it the only work -necessary to be put into the hands of the student. “With a deep insight -into nature,” says Fiorillo, “Lionardo has treated in this book, of -light, shades, reflections, and particularly of backgrounds. He -perfectly understood, and has explained in the best way, that natural -bodies being bounded mostly by curved lines, which have a natural -softness, it is important to give this softness to the outlines; that -this can be done only by means of the ground on which the object is -represented; that the inner line of the surrounding ground, and the -outer line of the object, are one and the same; nay, that the figure of -the object becomes visible only by means of that which surrounds it; -that even the colors depend upon the surrounding objects, and mutually -weaken and heighten each other; that when objects of the same color are -to be represented, one before the other, different degrees of light must -be used to separate them from each other, since the mass of air between -the eye and the object lessens and softens the color in proportion to -the distance.” Among the works of Da Vinci, were Treatises on -Hydraulics, Anatomy, Perspective, Light and Shadow, and the Anatomy of -the Horse. The Ambrosian Library of Milan originally possessed sixteen -volumes of his manuscripts. The French, during their occupancy of Milan, -carried off twelve of these, (probably all there were then remaining) -but only three of them reached Paris, one of which was published under -the title of _Fragment d’un Traité sur les Mouvements du corps humain_. -Only one volume was returned to Milan by the Allies in 1815. What -abominable sacrilege! It is said that seven volumes more of his -manuscripts were in the collection of the King of Spain. - - - - -DA VINCI’S SKETCH BOOKS. - - -Da Vinci always carried in his pocket a book, in which he was in the -habit of sketching every remarkable face, object, and effect of nature -that struck his fancy; and these sketches supplied him with abundant -materials for his compositions. Caylus published a collection of -beautiful sketches and studies by Lionardo, under the title of _Recueil -de Tetes de Caractères et de Charges_, &c., 1730, of which there is also -a German edition. Two more were published at Milan in 1784, under the -titles of _Desseins de Leonardo da Vinci, Gravés par Ch. T. Gerli, and -Osservazioni sopra i Disegni di Lionardo dall’ Abbate Amoretti_, &c. -Besides these appeared in London in 1796, engravings of the numerous -sketches of Lionardo in the possession of the King of England, entitled -_Imitations of Original Designs of Lionardo da Vinci_, &c., published by -Chamberlaine, folio. See also the _Life of Lionardo da Vinci_ in German, -published at Halle in 1819. - - - - -THE LAST SUPPER OF LIONARDO DA VINCI. - - -“His Last Supper has been stated in history as an imperfect production, -although at the same time all history is agreed in celebrating it as one -of the most beautiful paintings that ever proceeded from the hand of -man. It was painted for the Refectory of the Dominican fathers at Milan, -and may be pronounced a compendium, not only of all that Lionardo taught -in his books, but also of what he embraced in his studies. He here gave -expression to the exact point of time best adapted to animate his -history, which is the moment when the Redeemer addresses his disciples, -saying, ‘One of you will betray me.’ Then each of his innocent followers -is seen to start as if struck with a thunderbolt; those at a distance -seem to interrogate their companions, as if they think they must have -mistaken what he had said; others, according to their natural -disposition, appear variously affected; one of them swoons away, one -stands lost in astonishment, a third rises in indignation, while the -very simplicity and candor depicted upon the countenance of a fourth, -seem to place him beyond the reach of suspicion. But Judas instantly -draws in his countenance, and while he appears as it were attempting to -give it an air of innocence, the eye rests upon him in a moment, as the -undoubted traitor. Vinci himself used to observe, that for the space of -a whole year he employed his time in meditating how he could best give -expression to the features of so bad a heart; and that being accustomed -to frequent a place where the worst characters were known to assemble, -he there met with a physiognomy to his purpose; to which he also added -the features of many others. In his figures of the two saints James, -presenting fine forms, most appropriate to the characters, he availed -himself of the same plan, and being unable with his utmost diligence to -invest that of Christ with a superior air to the rest, he left the head -in an unfinished state, as we learn from Vasari, though Armenini -pronounced it exquisitely complete. The rest of the picture, the -table-cloth with its folds, the whole of the utensils, the table, the -architecture, the distribution of the lights, the perspective of the -ceiling (which, in the tapestry of S. Pietro, at Rome, is changed almost -into a hanging garden), all was conducted with the most exquisite care; -all was worthy of the finest pencil in the world. Had Lionardo desired -to follow the practice of his age in painting in fresco, the art at this -time would have been in possession of this treasure. But being always -fond of attempting new methods, he painted this master-piece upon a -peculiar ground, formed of distilled oils, which was the reason that it -gradually detached itself from the wall. About half a century -subsequent to the execution of this wonderful work, when Armenini saw -it, it was already _half decayed_: and Scanelli, who examined it in -1642, declared that it ‘_was with difficulty he could discern the -history as it had been_.’ Nothing now remains except the heads of three -apostles, which may be said to be rather sketched than painted.”--_Lanzi._ - - - - -COPIES OF THE LAST SUPPER OF DA VINCI. - - -The great loss of the original picture is in some measure compensated by -several excellent copies, some of which are by Lionardo’s most eminent -disciples; the best are, that by Marco Uggione, at the Carthusians of -Pavia; another in the Refectory of the Franciscans at Lugano, by -Bernardino Luini; and one in La Pace at Milan, by Gio. Paolo Lomazzo. -Fuseli, lecturing on the copy by Marco Uggione, says, “the face of the -Saviour is an abyss of thought, and broods over the immense revolution -in the economy of mankind, which throngs inwardly on his absorbed -eye--as the Spirit creative in the beginning over the water’s darksome -wave--undisturbed and quiet. It could not be lost in the copy before us; -how could its sublime expression escape those who saw the original? It -has survived the hand of time in the study which Lionardo made in -crayons, exhibited with most of the attendant heads in the British -Gallery, and even in the feeble transcripts of Pietro Testa. I am not -afraid of being under the necessity of retracting what I am going to -advance, that neither during the splendid period immediately subsequent -to Lionardo, nor in those which succeeded to our own time, has a face of -the Redeemer been produced, which, I will not say equalled, but -approached Lionardo’s conception, and in quiet and simple features of -humanity, embodied divine, or what is the same, incomprehensible and -infinite powers.” In 1825, Prof. Phillips examined the remains of this -picture, and says, “Of the heads, there is not one untouched, and many -are totally ruined. Fortunately, that of the Saviour is the most pure, -being but faintly retouched; and it presents, even yet, a most perfect -image of the Divine character. Whence arose the story of its not having -been finished, is now difficult to conceive, and the history itself -varies among the writers who have mentioned it. But perhaps a man so -scrupulous as Lionardo da Vinci, in the definement of character and -expression, and so ardent in his pursuit of them, might have expressed -himself unsatisfied, where all others could only see perfection.” - - - - -DA VINCI’S DISCRIMINATION. - - -Lionardo da Vinci possessed the rare faculty of being able to ascertain -the just medium between hasty and labored work; and though very minute -in the finishing of his pictures, yet he painted in a free and -unrestrained style. The same master who consumed four years on the -portrait of Mona Lisa Giocondo, gave one of the earliest and best -lessons to the age, in the great style, in his memorable painting of the -Last Supper. This power of attending at the same moment to the minutiæ -of detail, and to the grand and leading principles of the art or science -in which a person may be employed, shows a species of universality of -power that may be reckoned among the highest perfections of the human -mind; and it places Da Vinci not merely in the rank of the first of -painters, but of the greatest of men. - - - - -DA VINCI’S IDEA OF PERFECTION IN ART. - - -Da Vinci was never satisfied with his works, and Lanzi finds the same -fault with him that Apelles did with Protogenes--his not knowing when to -take his hand from his work. Phidias himself, says Tully, bore in his -mind a more beautiful Minerva and a grander Jove than he was capable of -exhibiting with his chisel. It is prudent counsel that teaches us to -aspire to the best, but to rest satisfied with attaining what is good. -“Vinci,” says Lanzi, “was never satisfied with his labors, if he did not -execute them as perfectly as he had conceived them; and being unable to -reach the high point proposed with a mortal hand, he sometimes only -designed his work, or conducted it only to a certain degree of -completion. Sometimes he devoted to it so long a period as almost to -renew the example of the ancient who employed seven years over his -picture (Protogenes’ Ialysus and his Dog). But as there was no limit to -the discovery of fresh beauties in that work, so in the opinion of -Lomazzo it happens with the perfections of Vinci’s paintings, including -even those which Vasari and others allude to as left imperfect.” Lanzi -says it is certain that he left some of his works only half finished. -“Such is his Epiphany, in the Ducal Gallery at Florence, and his Holy -Family, in the Archbishop’s palace at Milan.” Others he finished in the -most exquisite manner. “He was not satisfied with only perfecting the -heads, counterfeiting the shining of the eyes, the pores of the skin, -the roots of the hair, and even the beating of the arteries; but he -likewise portrayed each separate garment, and every accessory, with -equal minuteness. Thus in his landscapes, also, there was not a single -herb, or leaf of a tree, which he had not taken, like a portrait, from -the face of nature; and even to his very leaves he gave a peculiar air, -fold, and position best adapted to represent their rustling in the wind. -While he bestowed his attention in this manner to minutiæ, he at the -same time, as is observed by Mengs, led the way to a more enlarged and -dignified style; entered into the most abstruse inquiries as to the -source and nature of expression--the most philosophical and elevated -branch of the art--and smoothed the way for the appearance of -Raffaelle.” Vinci spent four years on his portrait of Mona Lisa -Giocondo. - - - - -DA VINCI AND THE PRIOR. - - -The Last Supper of Lionardo da Vinci was painted in the Refectory of the -Dominican convent of S. Maria della Grazia, at Milan. It was considered -one of the proudest monuments of that city. While forming the plan of -its composition, Da Vinci meditated profoundly on the subject; and -having prepared himself by long study, and above all by a closer -examination of nature, he began the execution by repeated sketches, both -of the whole design, and of all its individual parts. He used to -frequent the accustomed haunts of persons resembling, in their character -and habits, those whom he was about to introduce in his picture; and as -often as he met with any attitudes, groups, or features which suited his -purpose, he sketched them in his tablets, which he always carried with -him. Having nearly finished the other apostles in this way, he had left -the head of Judas untouched for a long time, as he could find no -physiognomy which satisfied him, or came up to the ideas he had formed -of such a villainous and treacherous character. - -The prior of the convent grew impatient at being so long incommoded in -that essential branch of monastic discipline which was carried on in the -refectory or dining hall, where the picture was being painted, and -complained to the Grand Duke, who called on the artist to explain the -delay. Da Vinci excused himself by saying that he worked at it two -whole hours every day. The pious head of the house renewed his -representations with great warmth, and alleged that Lionardo had only -one head to finish; and that so far from working two hours a day, he had -not been near the place for almost twelve months. Again summoned before -the prince, the painter thus defended himself. “It is true I have not -entered the convent for a long time; but it is not less true that I have -been employed every day at least two hours upon the picture. The head of -Judas remains to be executed, and in order to give it a physiognomy -suitable to the excessive wickedness of the character, I have for more -than a year past been daily frequenting the Borghetto, morning and -evening, where the lowest refuse of the capital live; but I have not yet -found the features I am in quest of. These once found, the picture shall -be finished in a day. If, however,” he added, “I still am unsuccessful -in my search, I shall rest satisfied with the face of the Prior himself, -which would suit my purpose extremely well; only that I have for a long -time been hesitating about taking such a liberty with him in his own -convent.” It is hardly necessary to add that the Duke was perfectly -satisfied with this apology. The artist soon after met with his Judas, -and finished his great work. It is stated by several Italian writers -that Da Vinci, out of revenge, did actually take this liberty with the -prior. - - - - -DA VINCI’S DRAWINGS OF THE HEADS IN HIS CELEBRATED LAST SUPPER. - - -The series of drawings for the celebrated work of the Last Supper, which -were formerly in the Ambrosian Library at Milan, are now in the -possession of Sir Thomas Baring. From the great injuries which that -sublime composition has sustained, these may be considered as among the -most precious reliques of this master. The drawing which represents the -head of the Saviour is magnificent, and probably superior to the same -head in the picture, which is said to have been left unfinished. Whether -this circumstance arose from the troubles which then existed in Italy, -and in which the Sforza family were so immediately engaged, or from a -feeling on the part of the artist, that he had not been able to surpass -that sublimity of character to which he had attained in his first -design, and therefore left the same to a more happy moment, may now be -matter of speculative conjecture. - - - - -FRANCIS I. AND THE LAST SUPPER OF VINCI. - - -Francis I. was so struck with admiration when he first saw the Last -Supper of Da Vinci, that he resolved to carry it to France. For this -purpose he attempted to saw it from the wall; but finding that he could -not detach it without destroying the picture, he abandoned the project. - - - - -AUTHENTICATED WORKS OF DA VINCI. - - -The authenticated works of Da Vinci are exceedingly scarce; he bestowed -so much labor upon them that they were never very numerous, and time and -casualty has reduced the number. It is said that one of the proprietors -of the Orleans collection destroyed some of the most capital works of Da -Vinci and Correggio from conscientious scruples! The most celebrated are -the Mona Lisa Giocondo, in the Louvre; a lovely picture called La Vierge -aux Rochers; a Leda, in the collection of Prince Kaunitz at Vienna; -Christ disputing with the Doctors, in the Pamfili palace at Rome; John -the Baptist, formerly in the French Museum; the portrait of Lodovico -Maria Sforza, in the Dresden gallery. There are a few others in the -collections at Florence, Milan, and Rome. There are some in England; but -the authenticity of most of these, to say the least, is extremely -doubtful. The Christ disputing with the Doctors, in the National -gallery, is doubtless a copy by some one of his pupils. The original, as -before mentioned, is at Rome. Passavant says, “The numerous copies or -repetitions of this picture, now existing, imply the estimation in which -the original cartoon was held, and are additional proofs of its being an -original work. One of these I saw in the Spada gallery at Rome; two -others at Milan--one in the Episcopal palace, and the other in the house -of the Consigliere Commendatore Casati.” Most of the pictures claimed -to be original by Da Vinci, even in the public galleries of Europe, were -executed by his pupils and imitators, several of whom copied and -imitated him with great success. Lanzi says that Lorenzo di Credi -approached him so closely, that one of his copies of Lionardo could -hardly be distinguished from the original. For a list of his imitators, -see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, and -Architects, table of Imitators. - - - - -WORKS IN NIELLO. - - -The art of working in niello, which led Maso Finiguerra, a sculptor and -worker in gold and silver, to the invention of copper plate engraving, -was very early practiced in Italy. In the 15th century, and long before, -it was the practice to decorate the church and other plate with designs -in niello; and also caskets, sword and dagger hilts, and various kinds -of ornaments. The designs were hatched with a steel point in gold or -silver, then engraved with the burin, and run in while hot, with a -composition called _niello_, an Italian term derived from the Latin -_nigellum_--a compound of silver, lead, copper, sulphur, and borax, used -by the ancients, and easily fusible, and of a dark color. The -superfluous parts of the niello were then scraped away, and the surface -polished, when the engraved part appeared with all the effect of a -print. Lanzi says, “this substance (nigellum) being incorporated with -the silver, and the whole being polished, produced the effect of -shadows, which, contrasted with the clearness of the silver, gave the -entire work the appearance of a chiaro-scuro in silver.” There are many -very beautiful specimens of this species of work, particularly vases, -cups, and _paxes_, or images of Christ on the cross, which the people in -Catholic countries kiss after service, called the kiss of peace. The -most remarkable known specimen in niello, is a very curious cup, -preserved in the British Museum. Its total height, including the -statuette of a cherub on the top of the lid, is about three feet. It is -composed of silver, and the whole, except the border and statuette, is -embellished with various fanciful designs. For a long time it was the -property of the noble family of van Bekerhout, who made a present of it -to Calonia, the sculptor of the statue of John van Eyck, in the Academy -of Arts at Bruges. The widow of this artist sold it to Mr. Henry Farrer, -who afterwards disposed of it to the British Museum for the sum of £350. - -Remarkable as this process was, there arose out of it another -incalculably more so. It became a practice for goldsmiths, who wished to -preserve their designs, to take impressions of their plates with earth, -over which liquid sulphur was poured, and from which, when cold, the -earth was removed. But Maso Finiguerra, a goldsmith and sculptor of -Florence, and a pupil of the celebrated Masaccio, about the middle of -the 15th century, carried the process still further, for with a mixture -of soot and oil he filled the cavities of the engraving he had made, as -a preparation for niello, and by pressing damp paper upon it with a -roller, obtained impressions on the paper, having, as Vasari says, “Veni -vano come disegnate di penna”--all the appearance of drawings done with -a pen. Finiguerra was followed by Baccio Baldini, a goldsmith of -Florence, who, according to Vasari, employed the eminent artist Sandro -Botticelli, to design for him. - -Lanzi says in 1801, a pax from the collection of the Grand Duke of -Florence, supposed to have been executed by Matteo Dei, an eminent -worker in niello in the early part of the 15th century, was taken to -pieces to examine the workmanship. The embellishments upon its surface -represented the Conversion of St. Paul, and on the niello being -extracted, the engraved work was found not at all deep; and ink and -paper being provided, twenty-five fine proof prints were struck from it, -which were distributed among a few eminent artists and connoisseurs. One -of them is now in the collection of the senator Martelli at Florence. - -The arts are generally to be traced to a humble origin, and in these -works in niello, often discovering little taste, we recognize the cradle -of that of engraving on _copper_, to which engraving on _steel_ has -within the last few years succeeded. In the earliest efforts of this -kind, the lines produced were comparatively rude and unmeaning, and had -nothing more to recommend them than their merely representing a -particular sort of markings, or slight hatchings with a pen, without any -apparent degree of execution or expression. It was not long, however, -before this incipient art became indebted to the elegant etchings of the -great masters in painting, as well as to their drawings in pen and ink. -It acquired accuracy and taste from the drawings of Raffaelle, Michael -Angelo, and Lionardo da Vinci, which connoisseurs of our own time have -seen and admired. Some of those by Da Vinci were hatched in a square and -delicate manner, with a white fluid on dark colored paper; while those -of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle inclined more to the lozenge, in black -or brown ink. They even carried this style of hatching with the pencil -into their pictures, some of which adorn the Vatican, and into the -famous cartoons, which are the glory of the picture gallery at Hampton -Court; and by the persevering application of the graver, the art has -been advancing to the present period. - -When compared with painting, it appears but of recent invention, being -coeval only with the art of printing. - -It is for us to rejoice in the immense power that it now possesses, and -to avoid the error pointed out by Lord Bacon when he said: “We are too -prone to pass those ladders by which the arts are reared, and generally -to reflect all the merit to the last new performer.” - - - - -SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN. - - -This great architect, and learned man, was born in 1632. Though he was -of a weak bodily constitution in childhood, he possessed a most -precocious mind, and early manifested a strong inclination for the paths -of science and philosophy. At the age of thirteen, he invented an -astronomical instrument, a pneumatic engine, and another instrument of -use in gnomonics. When fourteen years old, he was entered as a gentleman -commoner at Wadham College, Oxford; and during the period of his -collegiate course, he associated with Hooke, (whom he assisted in his -_Micrographia_) and other scientific men, whose meetings laid the -foundation of the Royal Society. In 1653, he was elected a Fellow of All -Souls’ College; and by the age of twenty-four, he was known to the -learned of Europe, for his various theories, inventions, and -improvements, a list of which would be too long for insertion. In 1657 -he was appointed to the professor’s chair of astronomy at Gresham -College, London, and three years after, to that of the Savilian -professor at Oxford. On the establishment of the Royal Society, he -contributed largely to the success and reputation of that learned body. - - - - -WREN’S SELF-COMMAND. - - -Wren possessed great self-command, as appears from the following -anecdote of him and his uncle, the Bishop of Ely, whom the Parliament -had imprisoned in the Tower. Some time before the decease of Oliver -Cromwell, Wren became acquainted with Mr. Claypole, who married Oliver’s -favorite daughter. Claypole, being a lover of mathematics, had conceived -a great esteem for young Wren, and took all occasions to cultivate his -friendship, and to court his conversation, particularly by frequent -invitations to his house and table. It happened in one of these -conversations that Cromwell came into the room as they sat at dinner, -and without any ceremony, as was his usual way in his own family, he -took his place. After a little time, fixing his eyes on Wren, he said, -“Your uncle has been long confined in the Tower.” “He has so, sir,” -replied Wren, “but he bears his afflictions with great patience and -resignation.” “He may come out if he will,” returned Cromwell. “Will -your highness permit me to tell him so?” asked Wren. “Yes,” answered the -Protector, “you may.” As soon as Wren could retire with propriety, he -hastened with no little joy to the Tower, and informed his uncle of all -the particulars of his interview with Cromwell; to which the Bishop -replied with warm indignation, that “it was not the first time he had -received the like intimation from that miscreant, but he disdained the -terms proposed for his enlargement, which were a mean acknowledgment of -his favor, and an abject submission to his detestable tyranny: that he -was determined to tarry the Lord’s leisure, and owe his deliverance to -him only.” This expected deliverance was not far distant, for he was -released from confinement by the Restoration. - - - - -WREN’S RESTRAINTS IN DESIGNING HIS EDIFICES. - - -It is often seen, that when kings patronize genius, instead of allowing -it to develop itself according to its own laws, they hamper it according -to their own preconceived fancies. The palace at Hampton Court is -censured for its ill proportions; but Cunningham says that Wren moved -under sad restraints from the commissioners in one place, and the court -in the other. When the lowness of the cloisters under the apartments of -the palace was noticed by one of the courtiers, King William turned on -his heel like a challenged sentinel, and answered sharply, “Such were my -express orders!” The rebuked nobleman bowed, and acquiesced in the royal -taste. When St. Paul’s Cathedral was nearly completed, the “nameless -officials” called commissioners of that edifice, decided to have a stone -balustrade upon the upper cornice, and declared their determination to -that effect, “unless Sir Christopher Wren should set forth that it was -contrary to the principles of architecture.” To this resolution, in -which blind ignorance gropes its way, calling on knowledge to set its -stumblings right, Wren returned the following answer: “I take leave -first to declare I never designed a balustrade. Persons of little skill -in architecture did expect, I believe, to see something that had been -used in Gothic structures, and _ladies think nothing well without an -edging_.” After this deserved satire, he showed clearly, at considerable -length, that a balustrade was not in harmony with the general plan and -unique combinations of the edifice; but his opinion was disregarded, and -the balustrade was placed on the cornice. - - - - -THE GREAT FIRE IN LONDON. - - -While the discussions were going on whether St. Paul’s Cathedral should -be restored, or the entire edifice be rebuilt, the great fire in London, -in 1666, not only decided this question, but opened an extensive field -for the display of Wren’s talents in various other metropolitan -buildings. One of his immediate labors, arising from the conflagration, -was a survey of the whole of the ruins, and the preparation of a plan -for laying out the devastated space in a regular and commodious manner, -with wide streets, and piazzas at intervals, which he laid before -Parliament; but his plans were not adopted, and the new streets arose in -that dense and intricate maze of narrow lanes, which even now are but -slowly disappearing before modern improvements. Furthermore, instead of -the line of spacious quays along the Thames which Wren proposed, the -river is shut out from view by wharfs and warehouses, to such an extent -as to render any adequate scheme for the improvement of its banks hardly -practicable. London might have arisen from her ashes the finest city in -the world, had Wren’s plans been followed. - - - - -ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. - - -Wren prepared several designs and models for this great edifice. The -composition of his favorite plan was compact and simple, forming a -general octagonal mass, surmounted by a cupola, and extended on its west -side by a portico, and a short nave or vestibule within. The plan -adopted, exhibits an almost opposite mode of treatment, both as to -arrangement and proportions. While the first exhibits concentration and -uniform spaciousness, the other is more extended as to length, but -contracted in other respects, and the diagonal vistas that would have -been obtained in the other case, are altogether lost in this. The first -stone of the present edifice was laid June 21, 1675; the choir was -opened for divine service in December, 1697; and the whole was completed -in thirty-five years, the last stone on the summit of the lantern being -laid by the architect’s son Christopher, in 1710. Taken altogether, St. -Paul’s Cathedral is a truly glorious work, and its cupola is matchless -in beauty. There are few churches of the past or present day that can -vie with it in richness of design; and St. Peter’s, with its single -order and attic, appearing of much smaller dimensions than it really is, -cannot be put in comparison with it. For a description of this edifice, -see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, and -Architects. - - - - -WREN’S DEATH. - - -This illustrious artist died in 1723, and was buried in the vault of St. -Paul’s Cathedral, the most enduring monument of his genius, under the -south aisle of the choir. Inscribed upon his tomb are four words “that -comprehend,” says Walpole, “his merit and his fame,” sublimely and -eloquently expressed: “Si monumentum quæris, circumspice”--“If thou -inquirest for a monument, look around thee!” - - - - -WREN AND CHARLES II. - - -Wren’s small stature, and his intimacy with Charles II., are humorously -shown in an anecdote preserved by Seward. The king, on walking through -his newly erected palace at Newmarket, said, “These rooms are too low.” -Wren went up to the king and replied, “An please your majesty, I think -them high enough.” Whereupon Charles, stooping down to Sir Christopher’s -stature, answered with a smile, “On second thoughts, I think so too.” - - - - -THOMAS BANKS, THE ENGLISH SCULPTOR. - - -Among the friends of this gifted man, were Flaxman, Fuseli, and the -talented John Horne Tooke. His friendship with the last nearly proved -mischievous to Banks, and perhaps would certainly have been so, had it -not been for the uprightness of his character. During those perilous -days, when “revolution” and “mad equality” were causing such -commotions, suspicion fell upon the politician, who was subjected to an -official examination and a trial, Banks being also implicated in the -charge, although his offence consisted at most in listening to the -other’s declamations. “I remember,” says his daughter Lavinia, “when -Tooke, and Hardy, and others were arrested on the charge of high -treason, that an officer waited on my father with an order from the -Secretary of the State to go to his office. I chanced to be in the next -room, and the door being partly open, I heard all that passed. My father -only requested to be allowed to go into his study, and give directions -to his workmen; this was complied with, and he then accompanied the -messenger. I said nothing to my mother of what I had heard, since father -had been silent for fear of exciting unnecessary apprehensions; but I -sat with much trouble at heart for several hours, when to my -inexpressible joy I heard his well known knock at the door, and ran to -greet his return--a return rendered doubly happy, since his own simple -and manly explanation had acquitted him of all suspicion of treasonable -designs, or of a thought injurious to his country.” The intercourse -between Banks and his daughter Lavinia was of the most delightful -character. His chief pleasure for many years was in her instruction; he -superintended her education in all things, and more particularly in -drawing; she sat beside him whilst he modeled, accompanied him in his -walks, and in the evenings cheered him with music, of which he was -passionately fond. A most touching instance of filial and paternal love! - - - - -THE GENIUS OF BANKS - - -As Banks never received anything like the encouragement which he -deserved, the character of his genius must be sought more in the works -that he sketched, than those that he executed in marble. Among his -sketches, the poetical abounded, and these were founded chiefly on -Homer. Several splendid sketches are his Andromache lamenting with her -handmaidens over the body of Hector, the Venus rising from the Sea, -shedding back her tresses as she ascends, and a Venus bearing Æneas -wounded from the Battle. “In his classical sketches,” says Cunningham, -“the man fully comes out: we see that he had surrendered his whole soul -to those happier days of sculpture when the human frame was unshackled -and free, and the dresses as well as deeds of men were heroic; that the -bearing of gods was familiar to his dreams; and that it was not his -fault if he aspired in vain to be the classic sculptor of his age and -nation.” His monument to the only daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, now in -Ashbourne church, Derbyshire, represents the child when six years old, -lying asleep on her couch in all her innocence and beauty. “Simplicity -and elegance,” says Dr. Mavor, “appear in the workmanship, tenderness -and innocence in the image.” The sculptor’s daughter Lavinia says, “He -was a minute observer of nature, and often have I seen him stop in his -walk to remark an attitude, or some group of figures, and unconsciously -trace the outline in air with his finger as if drawing paper had been -before him. He would in the same way remark folds of drapery, and note -them in his mind, or sketch them on paper, to be used when occasion -called.” - - - - -BANKS’ KINDNESS TO YOUNG SCULPTORS. - - -His daughter Lavinia often marvelled at his patience in pointing out the -imperfections or beauties of drawings and models submitted by young -artists to his inspection. Even when little hope of future excellence -appeared, he was careful not to wound the feelings of a race whose -sensitiveness he too well knew. He would say, “This and better will -do,--but this and worse will never do,” and ended by recommending -industry and perseverance. One morning a youth of about thirteen years -of age, came to the door of Banks with drawings in his hand. Owing to -some misgiving of mind, the knock which he intended should be modest and -unassuming, was loud and astounding, and the servant who opened the door -was in no pleasant mood with what he imagined to be forwardness in one -so young. Banks, happening to overhear the chiding of the servant, went -out and said with much gentleness, “What do you want with me, young -man?” “I want, sir,” said the boy, “that you should get me to draw at -the academy.” “That,” replied the sculptor, “is not in my power, for no -one is admitted there but by ballot, and I am only one of those persons -on whose pleasure it depends. But you have got a drawing there--let me -look at it.” He examined it for a moment, and said, “Time enough for the -academy yet, my little man! go home and mind your schooling,--try and -make a better drawing of the Apollo, and in a month come again and let -me see it.” The boy went home, drew with three-fold diligence, and on -that day month appeared again at the door of Banks with a new drawing in -his hand. The sculptor liked this drawing better than he did the other, -gave him a week to improve it, encouraged him much, and showed him the -various works of art in his own study. He went away and returned in a -week, when the Apollo was visibly improved--he conceived a kindness for -the boy, and said if he were spared he would distinguish himself. The -prediction has been fulfilled,--the academician Mulready has attained -wide distinction. - - - - -THE PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER OF BANKS. - - -In person, Banks was tall, with looks silent and dignified, and an -earnestness of carriage that well became him; he spoke seldom; he had a -winning sweetness in his way of address, and a persuasive manner which -was not unfelt by his academic companions. He was simple and frugal in -his general style of living, yet liberal to excess in all that related -to the encouragement of art; his purse was open to virtuous sufferers, -and what is far more, he shrank not from going personally into the -houses of the poor and sick, to console and aid them in adversity. In -his younger days it was his custom to work at his marbles in the -solitude of the Sabbath morning, when his assistants were not at hand to -interrupt him; but as he advanced in life he discontinued the practice, -and became an example to his brother artists in the observance of the -Sabbath day. He grew strict in religious duty, and, like Flaxman, added -another to the number of those devout sculptors, whose purity of life, -and reach of intellect, are an honor to their country. - - - - -FLAXMAN’S TRIBUTE TO BANKS. - - -That Flaxman appreciated and honored Banks’ genius, he was ever ready to -give strong proof.--“We have had a sculptor,” he says in one of his -lectures, “in the late Mr. Banks, whose works have eclipsed the most, if -not all his continental cotemporaries.” On another occasion--that of the -sale of the sculptor’s models--Mrs. Siddons and Flaxman were seated -together, when the auctioneer began to expatiate upon the beauty of an -antique figure, saying, “Behold where the deceased artist found some of -his beauties.” “Sir,” exclaimed Flaxman, more warmly than was his wont, -“you do Mr. Banks much wrong, _he_ wanted no assistance.” - -Banks died in 1805. In Westminster Abbey a tablet is erected with this -inscription, “In memory of Thomas Banks, Esq., R. A., Sculptor, whose -superior abilities in the profession added a lustre to the arts of his -country, and whose character as a man reflected honor on human nature.” - - - - -JOSEPH NOLLEKENS, THE ENGLISH SCULPTOR. - - -Cunningham says, “He was passionately fond of drawing and modelling, and -labored early and late to acquire knowledge in his profession; yet he -was so free from all pride, or so obliging by nature, that he would run -on any errand; nor did he hesitate to relate, in the days of his wealth -and eminence, how he used to carry pots of porter to his master’s maids -on a washing day, and with more success than Barry did when he treated -Burke, ‘for,’ says he, ‘I always crept slowly along to save the head of -foam that the lasses might taste it in all its strength.’ Such traits as -these, however, I cannot consent to set down as incontrovertible proofs -of a mean and vulgar spirit; nay, they often keep company with real -loftiness of nature.” - - - - -NOLLEKENS’ VISIT TO ROME. - - -In 1760, Nollekens proceeded to Italy, by the way of Paris. On arriving -in the French capital, he presented himself at the house of an uncle -there, told his name, and claimed kindred. The old gentleman stood with -his door half opened, put a few cool questions, and seemed to doubt the -veracity of his story; but at length catching a glimpse of a gold -watch-chain, he invited him to dinner. The pride of the young artist, -however, had been deeply touched--he declined the invitation, and went -his way. On reaching Rome, the friendless youth found his stock reduced -to some twenty guineas; and dreading want, and what was worse, -dependence, he set about mending his fortune with equal despatch and -success. He modelled and carved in stone a bas-relief, which brought him -ten guineas from England; and in the next year the Society of Arts voted -him fifty guineas for his Timoclea before Alexander, which was in -marble. He was now noticed by the artists of Rome, and lived on friendly -terms with Barry, who was waging a useless and vexatious war with -interested antiquarians and visitors of wealth and virtu. Indeed, such -was the gentleness of his nature, and his mild and unassuming demeanor, -that he never made enemies except amongst those who could have done no -one credit as friends. - - - - -NOLLEKENS AND GARRICK. - - -During Nollekens’ residence at Rome, Garrick came one day into the -Vatican, and observing the young sculptor, said, “Ah! what? let me look -at you! You are the little fellow to whom we gave the prizes in the -Society of Arts? eh!” Nollekens answered, “Yes,” upon which the actor -shook him kindly by the hand, inquired concerning his studies, and -invited him to breakfast the next morning. He did more--he sat to him -for his bust, and when the model was finished, he gave him twelve -guineas. This was the first bust he ever modelled. - - - - -NOLLEKENS’ TALENTS IN BUST SCULPTURE. - - -The bust of Sterne, which he afterwards executed at Rome in terra cotta, -materially increased his reputation; and the applause that it received -probably warned the sculptor of his talents in that branch of the art, -in which he afterwards became so distinguished. It forms a truly -admirable image of the original, and Nollekens, to his last hour, -alluded to it with pleasure. “Dance,” he used to say, “made my picture -with my hand leaning on Sterne’s head--he was right.” This striking bust -is now in the collection of Mr. Agar Ellis. His talents in bust -sculpture were universally acknowledged, and when Mr. Coutts, the -banker, applied to Fuseli, then keeper of the Royal Academy, for the -best sculptor to execute his bust, the painter replied, “I can have no -difficulty in telling you; for though Nollekens is weak in many things, -in a bust he stands unrivalled. Had you required a group of figures, I -should have recommended Flaxman, but for a bust, give me Nollekens.” - - - - -NOLLEKENS’ BUST OF DR. JOHNSON. - - -While he was modelling the bust of Dr. Johnson, the latter came one day -accompanied by Miss Williams, a blind lady; and being very impatient of -the protracted sittings, he came quite late, which so displeased the -sculptor that he cried out, “Now, Doctor, you _did_ say you would give -my bust half an hour before dinner, and the dinner has been waiting this -long time.” “Nolly, be patient, Nolly,” said the sage, making his way to -the bust. “How is this, Nolly, you have loaded the head with hair.” “All -the better,” returned the artist, “it will make you look more like one -of the ancient sages or poets.--I’ll warrant now, you wanted to have it -in a wig.” The Doctor remonstrated seriously, saying, “a man, sir, -should be portrayed as he appears in company”--but the sculptor -persisted. The bust is an admirable work of art, besides being a -faithful likeness. - - - - -NOLLEKENS’ LIBERALITY TO CHANTREY. - - -When Chantrey sent his bust of Horne Tooke to the Exhibition, he was -young and unfriended; but the great merit of the work did not escape the -eye of Nollekens. He lifted it from the floor, set it before him, moved -his head to and fro, and having satisfied himself of its excellence, -turned to those who were arranging the works for the Exhibition, and -said, “There’s a very fine work: let the man who made it be -known--remove one of my busts, and put this in its place, for it well -deserves it.” Often afterwards, when desired to model a bust, he said in -his most persuasive way, “Go to Chantrey, he is the man for a bust; he -will make a good bust of you--I always recommend him.” He sat for his -bust to Chantrey, who always mentioned his name with tenderness and -respect. - - - - -NOLLEKENS AND THE WIDOW. - - -Smith gives a rather amusing account of a lady in weeds for her husband, -who “came drooping like a willow to the sculptor, desiring a monument, -and declaring that she did not care what money was expended on the -memory of one she loved so. ‘Do what you please, but oh! do it quickly,’ -were her parting orders. Nollekens went to work, made the design, -finished the model, and began to look for a block of marble to carve it -from, when in dropped the lady--she had been absent some three months. -‘Poor soul,’ said the sculptor, when she was announced, ‘I thought she -would come soon, but I am ready.’ The lady came light of foot, and -lighter of look. ‘Ah, how do you do, Mr. Nollekens? Well, you have not -commenced the model?’ ‘Aye, but I have though,’ returned the sculptor, -‘and there it stands, finished.’ ‘There it is, indeed,’ sighed the lady, -throwing herself into a chair; they looked at one another for a minute’s -space or so--she spoke first. ‘These, my good friend, are, I know, early -days for this little change’--she looked at her dress, from which the -early profusion of crape had disappeared,--‘but since I saw you, I have -met with an old Roman acquaintance of yours, who has made me an offer, -and I don’t know how he would like to see in our church a monument of -such expense to my late husband. Indeed, on second thoughts, it would -perhaps be considered quite enough, if I got our mason to put up a mural -tablet, and that you know he can cut very prettily.’ ‘My charge, madam, -for the model,’ said the sculptor, ‘is one hundred guineas.’ ‘Enormous! -enormous!’ said the lady, but drew out her purse and paid it.” The -mutability of human nature! - - - - -NOLLEKENS’ COMPLIMENTS. - - -Cunningham says that a portion of his sitters “were charmed into -admirers by the downright bluntness of his compliments, which they -regarded as so many testimonies on oath of their beauty. As a specimen -of his skill in the difficult art of pleasing, take the following -anecdotes. He was modelling the head of a lady of rank, when she forgot -herself, changed her position, and looked more loftily than he wished. -‘Don’t look so scorney, woman,’ said the sculptor, modelling all the -while, ‘else you will spoil my bust--and you’re a very fine woman--I -think it will make one of my very best busts.’ Another time he said to a -lady, who had a _serious_ squint, ‘Look for a minute the other way, for -then I shall get rid of a slight shyness in your eye, which, though not -ungraceful in life, is unusual in art.’ On another occasion, a lady with -some impatience in her nature was sitting for her portrait; every minute -she changed her position, and with every change of position put on a -change of expression, until his patience gave way. ‘Lord, woman!’ -exclaimed the unceremonious sculptor, ‘what’s the matter how handsome -you are, if you won’t sit still till I model you!’ The lady smiled, and -sat ever afterwards like a lay figure.” - - - - -AN OVERPLUS OF MODESTY. - - -It has been remarked by some close observer, that modesty is like shadow -in a picture--too much of it obscures real excellence, while the proper -medium exhibits all parts in agreeable relief. John Riley, an English -portrait painter who flourished in the latter part of the seventeenth -century, was a proof that one may have a superabundance of this in -itself excellent quality. Walpole says, “He was one of the best native -artists who had flourished in England; but he was very modest, had the -greatest diffidence of himself, and was easily disgusted with his own -works. His talents were obscured by the fame rather than by the merit of -Kneller, and with a quarter of the latter’s vanity, he might have -persuaded the world that he was as great a master.” He was but little -noticed until the death of Lely, when Chiffinch being persuaded to sit -to him, the picture was shown, and recommended him to the king. Charles -II. sat to him, but almost discouraged the bashful artist from pursuing -a profession so proper for him. Looking at the picture, he cried, “Is -this like me? Then od’s fish, I’m an ugly fellow!” This discouraged -Riley so much that he could not bear the picture, though he sold it for -a large price. However, he kept on, and had the satisfaction of painting -James II. and his Queen, and also their successors, who appointed him -their painter. Riley died three years after the accession of William and -Mary, in 1691. - - - - -THE ARTIST FOOTMAN. - - -Edward Norgate, an English painter of excellent judgment in pictures, -was sent into Italy by the Earl of Arundel to purchase works of art. On -returning, however, he was disappointed in receiving remittances, and -was obliged to remain some time in Marseilles. Being totally unknown -there, he used frequently to walk for several hours in a public part of -the city, with a most dejected air; and while thus engaged, he was -occasionally observed by a merchant, who, doubtless impelled by kind -feelings, ventured one day to speak to the wanderer, and told him that -so much walking would have soon brought him to the end of his journey, -when Norgate confessed his inability to proceed for want of money. The -merchant then inquired into his circumstances, and told him that -perceiving he was able to walk at least twenty miles a day, if he would -set out on his journey homeward, he would furnish him handsomely for a -foot traveler. By this assistance, Norgate arrived in his own country. - - - - -AN ARCHITECT’S STRATAGEM. - - -William Winde, a Dutch architect who visited England in the reign of -Charles II., erected, among other works, Buckingham House in St. James’ -Park, for the Duke of Bucks. He had nearly finished this edifice, but -the payment was most sadly in arrears. Accordingly Winde enticed the -Duke one day to mount upon the leads, to enjoy the grand prospect. When -there, he coolly locked the trapdoor and threw the key over the parapet, -addressing his astounded patron, “I am a ruined man, and unless I have -your word of honor that the debts shall be paid, I will instantly throw -myself over.” “And what is to become of me?” asked the Duke. “You shall -go along with me!” returned the desperate architect. This prospect of -affairs speedily drew from the Duke the wished-for promise, and the -trapdoor was opened by a workman below, who was a party in the plot. - - - - -THE FREEDOM OF THE TIMES IN THE REIGN OF CHARLES II. - - -The freedom allowed in social intercourse is well illustrated by a -sketch in the account of Graham. William Wissing, a Dutch painter who -succeeded Sir Peter Lely in fashionable portrait painting in England, -was noted for his complaisant manners, which recommended him to most -people’s esteem, “In drawing his portraits, especially those of the fair -sex, he always took the _beautiful_ likeness; and when any lady came to -sit to him whose complexion was in any ways pale, he would commonly take -her by the hand and dance her about the room till she became warmer; by -which means he heightened her natural beauty, and made her fit to be -represented by his hand”! - - - - -HANNEMAN’S PICTURE OF “PEACE” - - -Descamps says that Adrian Hanneman painted for the States of Holland an -emblematical subject of Peace, impersonated by a beautiful young female -habited in white satin, and seated on a throne. The picture was very -charming, so much so that the gallant burgomasters presented the living -model who served for it with a gratuity of 1000 florins! - - - - -WEESOP. - - -This Dutch painter is chiefly known in England, for his successful -imitations of Vandyck. He spent some time there, but left in 1649, -saying, “He would never stay in a country where they cut off their -king’s head, and were not ashamed of the action.” Walpole remarks that -it would have been more sensible to say, he would not stay where they -cut off the head of a king who rewarded painters, and then defaced and -sold his collection. - - -FOOTNOTE: - -[A] “I cannot forbear quoting Madame Hahn-Hahn’s reflections on the -Museum of Seville, and the custody of pictures in that city in 1841. - -“‘It is wretched to see how these invaluable jewels of pictures are -preserved! Uncleaned’ (this is at least some comfort), ‘without the -necessary varnish, sometimes without frames, they lean against the -walls, or stand unprotected in the passages where they are copied. -Every dauber may mark his squares upon them, to facilitate his drawing; -and since these squares are permanent in some pictures in order to -spare these admirable artists the trouble of renewing them, the threads -have, in certain cases, begun to leave their impression on the picture. -The proof of this negligence is the fact that we found to-day the -mark of a finger-nail on the St. Augustine, which was not there on -the first day that we saw it. We can only thank God if nothing worse -than a finger-nail make a scar on the picture! It stands there on the -ground, without a frame, leaning against the wall. One might knock it -over, or kick one’s foot through it! There is to be sure a kind of -ragged custode sitting by, but if one were to give him a couple of -dollars he would hold his tongue; he is, moreover, always sleeping, and -yawns as if he would put his jaws out. He does not forget, however, on -these occasions to make the sign of the cross with his thumb, opposite -his open mouth, for fear the devils should fly in--such is the common -belief. You see clearly that with this amount of neglect and want -of order, the same fate awaits all the Murillos here as has already -befallen Leonardo’s Last Supper at Milan. These are all collected in -two public buildings, in the church of the Caridad and in the Museum. - -‘The Caridad was a hospital or charitable institution. The pictures -were brought thither from Murillo’s own studio; there are five--Moses, -the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the St. Juan de Dios, a little -Salvator Mundi, and a small John the Baptist; the sixth, the pendant -to the St. Juan de Dios, the St. Elizabeth with the Sick, has been -carried to the Museum at Madrid. It is very questionable whether -these fine pictures will be still in the Caridad in ten years’ time. -Nothing would be easier than to smuggle out the two small pictures! A -painter comes--copies them--does not stand upon a few dollars more or -less--takes off the originals and leaves the copies behind in their -places, which are high up and badly lighted--the pictures are gone -for ever! This sort of proceeding is not impossible here, and Baron -Taylor’s purchases for Paris prove the fact. It cannot of course be -done without corruption and connivance on the part of the official -guardians; and after all one has hardly the courage to lament it. The -pictures are, in fact, saved--they are protected and duly valued; -whilst to me it is completely a matter of indifference whether a -custode, on account of this sort of sin, suffer a little more or a -little less in Purgatory.’”--Reisebriefe, ii. s. 126-8. - - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Charles I. of England, in 1530, purchased the Mantuan collection for -£20,000=> Charles I. of England, in 1630, purchased the Mantuan -collection for £20,000 {pg 263} - -Fragment d’un Traité sur les Moveuments du corp humain=> Fragment d’un -Traité sur les Mouvements du corps humain {pg 275} - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES OF PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, -SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS, AND CURIOSITIES OF ART *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects, and Curiosities of Art</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Shearjashub Spooner</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 8, 2021 [eBook #66010]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES OF PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS, AND CURIOSITIES OF ART ***</div> -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" height="500" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_i" id="page_i">{i}</a></span> </p> - -<h1>ANECDOTES<br /><br /> -<small><small>OF</small></small><br /><br /> -PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS,<br /><br /> -<span class="eng">Sculptors and Architects</span>,<br /><br /> -<small><small>AND</small></small><br /><br /> -CURIOSITIES OF ART.</h1> - -<p class="c">BY<br /> -<br /><big> -SHEARJASHUB SPOONER, A. B., M. D.,</big><br /> -<small>AUTHOR OF “A BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL DICTIONARY OF PAINTERS, -ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS, FROM ANCIENT -TO MODERN TIMES.”</small><br /><br /> -<br /> -I N T H R E E V O L U M E S.<br /><br /> -<big>VOL. I.</big><br /><br /> -<span class="eng"><big>New York</big></span>:<br /> -<small>PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR,</small><br /> -BY G. P. PUTNAM & COMPANY, 10 PARK PLACE.<br /> -1853.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ii" id="page_ii">{ii}</a></span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iii" id="page_iii">{iii}</a></span> </p> - -<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE.</h2> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_v.png" width="150" alt="" title="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">This</span> work is not a mere compilation, or republication of anecdote. It -will be found to contain much original matter, and much of the most -interesting and instructive portions of the history of art. For a list -of authorities, the reader is referred to the author’s Dictionary of -Painters, etc., and for a convenient reference, to the Index at the end -of vol. iii. The author has studied his subject <i>con amore</i>, for many -years, and has gathered abundant materials for three more volumes, -should these be favorably received. But he fears lest in these -romance-loving days, the recital of the trials, misfortunes, -achievements and exaltations of those men of genius and fine -sensibilities, to whom the world is indebted for the creation and -development of the most beautiful arts, will fail to arrest the -attention or move the heart.</p> - -<p>Although it does not become a man to prate of himself, yet the author -trusts he will be pardoned when he speaks of his <i>labors</i> and their -<i>object</i>. For a long period, his labors have been directed to the great -object of the restoration and publication of Napoleon’s magnificent -works, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_iv" id="page_iv">{iv}</a></span> Musée Français and the Musée Royal, a notice of which may be -found in vol. iii., page 302, of this work. He trusts he may soon be -able to present the first numbers to the public. These, and his other -achieved undertakings, have made his life one of the most untiring -industry. In order to find time for these enterprises, and still attend -to the calls of his profession, he has been obliged to deprive himself -of repose and relaxation; and during the five years he was engaged in -publishing Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, and in preparing his -Dictionary for the press, he spent but one evening out of his study, -except those of the Sabbath, relinquishing his toil only at midnight, to -be resumed at dawn.</p> - -<p>These self-imposed labors have not been assumed through any mercenary or -selfish motives. His experience has taught him the precarious results of -literary and publishing enterprises of the nature undertaken by him, in -the present state of the Fine Arts in our country. The amount of capital -and labor he has invested has been enormous, and the risks -proportionate; his books admonish him that he has already embarked many -thousands of dollars which he can never hope to regain. Still, what he -has accomplished is to him a theme of pride and exultation; it has also -been a labor of love. His reward is the consciousness of having done -something toward awakening a love for, and an interest in art and -artists, and that he will leave to his countrymen, for their delight and -instruction, so many world-renowned and world-approved specimens of the -highest art. Posterity must be his judge; but he cannot forbear to add, -that can he now succeed in restoring the great works before mentioned, -and leave them as a rich legacy to his country, for the promotion of the -Fine Arts in coming time, he will have accomplished his every earthly -aspiration.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_v" id="page_v">{v}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_v.png" width="150" alt="" title="" /> -</div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#INFELICITIES">Infelicities of Artists—an Extract from the American Edition of Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, containing anecdotes of Torregiano, Banks, Barry, Blake, Proctor, &c.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ADVANTAGES_OF_THE_CULTIVATION_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_TO_A_COUNTRY">Advantages of the Cultivation of the Fine Arts to a Country,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_6">6</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ANTIQUITY_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS">Antiquity of the Fine Arts,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_12">12</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_POECILE_AT_ATHENS">The Pœcile at Athens,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_13">13</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MOSAICS">Mosaics,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_15">15</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER">The Olympian Jupiter,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_17">17</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PAINTING_FROM_NATURE">Painting from Nature,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_18">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES">Apelles,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_18">18</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_AND_THE_COBBLER">Apelles and the Cobbler,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_23">23</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_FOAMING_CHARGER">Apelles’ Foaming Charger,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_24">24</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_AND_ALEXANDER">Apelles and Alexander,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_AND_PROTOGENES">Apelles and Protogenes,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ANECDOTES_OF_BENJAMIN_WEST">Benjamin West’s Ancestry,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_28">28</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_BIRTH">West’s Birth,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_29">29</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HIS_FIRST_REMARKABLE_FEAT">West’s first remarkable Feat,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LITTLE_BENJAMIN_AND_THE_INDIANS">Little Benjamin and the Indians,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HIS_CATS_TAIL_PENCILS">West’s Cat’s Tail Pencils,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_FIRST_PICTURE">West’s First Picture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_31">31</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vi" id="page_vi">{vi}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_FIRST_VISIT_TO_PHILADELPHIA">West’s first Visit to Philadelphia,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_32">32</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_AMBITION">West’s Ambition,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_33">33</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_FIRST_PATRONS">West’s first Patron,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_34">34</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_EDUCATION">West’s Education,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_35">35</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_DEDICATION_TO_ART">West’s Dedication to Art,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_36">36</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_EARLY_PRICES">West’s Early Prices,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_38">38</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_ARRIVAL_AT_ROME">West’s Arrival at Rome,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_39">39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_EARLY_FRIENDS">West’s Early Friends,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_41">41</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_COURSE_OF_STUDY">West’s Course of Study,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_43">43</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#A_REMARKABLE_PROPHECY">A Remarkable Prophecy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_43">43</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WESTS_FONDNESS_FOR_SKATING">West’s Fondness for Skating,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_44">44</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELO">Michael Angelo,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_47">47</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#page_50">Michael Angelo and Julius II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_50">50</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ST_PETERS_CHURCH">St Peter’s Church,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_50">50</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#page_52">Michael Angelo and Lorenzo the Magnificent,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_52">52</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_CARTOON_OF_PISA">The Cartoon of Pisa,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_53">53</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELOS_LAST_JUDGMENT">Michael Angelo’s Last Judgment,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_54">54</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELOS_COLORING">Michael Angelo’s Coloring,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_56">56</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELOS_GRACE">Michael Angelo’s Grace,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_57">57</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELOS_OIL_PAINTINGS">Michael Angelo’s Oil Paintings,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_58">58</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MICHAEL_ANGELO_HIS_PROPHETS_AND_JULIUS_II">Michael Angelo, his “Prophets,” and Julius II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_58">58</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BON-MOTS_OF_MICHAEL_ANGELO">Bon-Mots of Michael Angelo,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_59">59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WASHINGTON_ALLSTON">Washington Allston,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_60">60</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#page_62">Allston and Vanderlyn,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_62">62</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#AMERICAN_PATRONAGE_AT_HOME_AND_ABROAD">American Patronage at Home and Abroad,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_66">66</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLE_SANZIO_DI_URBINO">Raffaelle Sanzio di Urbino,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_70">70</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLES_AMBITION">Raffaelle’s Ambition,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_70">70</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLE_AND_MICHAEL_ANGELO">Raffaelle and Michael Angelo,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_71">71</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLES_TRANSFIGURATION">Raffaelle’s Transfiguration,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_72">72</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DEATH_OF_RAFFAELLE">Death of Raffaelle,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_74">74</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CHARACTER_OF_RAFFAELLE">Character of Raffaelle,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_74">74</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LA_BELLA_FORNARINA">La Bella Fornarina,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_75">75</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_vii" id="page_vii">{vii}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_GENIUS_OF_RAFFAELLE">The Genius of Raffaelle,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_76">76</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLES_MODEL_FOR_HIS_FEMALE_SAINTS">Raffaelle’s Model for his Female Saints,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_76">76</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RAFFAELLES_OIL_PAINTINGS">Raffaelle’s Oil Paintings,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_77">77</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PORTRAITS_OF_POPE_JULIUS_II">Portraits of Pope Julius II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_78">78</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MANNERS_OF_RAFFAELLE">Manners of Raffaelle,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_78">78</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PETER_PAUL_RUBENS">Peter Paul Rubens,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_79">79</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_VISIT_TO_ITALY">Rubens’ Visit to Italy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_80">80</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_ENTHUSIASM">Rubens’ Enthusiasm,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_80">80</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_RETURN_TO_ANTWERP">Rubens’ Return to Antwerp,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_81">81</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_HABITS">Rubens’ Habits,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_82">82</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_DETRACTORS">Rubens’ Detractors,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_82">82</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_GALLERY_OF_THE_LUXEMBOURG">The Gallery of the Luxembourg,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_83">83</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_SENT_AS_AMBASSADOR_TO_THE_COURTS_OF_SPAIN_AND_ENGLAND">Rubens sent as Ambassador to the Courts of Spain and England,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_83">83</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DEATH_OF_RUBENS">Death of Rubens,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_85">85</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_NUMEROUS_WORKS">Rubens’ Numerous Works,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_86">86</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_FIRST_PICTURE_BROUGHT_TO_ROME">The first Picture brought to Rome,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_88">88</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ETRUSCAN_SCULPTURE">Etruscan Sculpture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_90">90</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CAMPUS_MARTIUS">Campus Martius,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_91">91</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ELECTIONEERING_PICTURES_AT_ROME">Electioneering Pictures at Rome,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_91">91</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DRAMATIC_SCENERY_AT_ROME">Dramatic Scenery at Rome,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_93">93</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_OF_EPHESUS_AND_PTOLEMY_PHILOPATOR">Apelles of Ephesus and Ptolemy Philopator,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_93">93</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APELLES_FAMOUS_PICTURE_OF_CALUMNY">Apelles’ famous Picture of Calumny,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_94">94</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SIR_GODFREY_KNELLER">Sir Godfrey Kneller,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_96">96</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLER_AND_JAMES_II">Kneller and James II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_97">97</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLERS_COMPLIMENT_TO_LOUIS_XIV">Kneller’s Compliment to Louis XIV.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_97">97</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLERS_WIT">Kneller’s Wit,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_98">98</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLERS_KNOWLEDGE_OF_PHYSIOGNOMY">Kneller’s Knowledge of Physiognomy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_99">99</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLER_AS_A_JUSTICE_OF_THE_PEACE">Kneller as Justice of the Peace,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_99">99</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#KNELLER_AND_CLOSTERMANS">Kneller and Clostermans,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_100">100</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_CAVALIERE_BERNINI">The Cavaliere Bernini,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_101">101</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BERNINIS_PRECOCITY">Bernini’s Precocity,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_101">101</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BERNINIS_STRIKING_PREDICTION">Bernini’s Striking Prediction,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_101">101</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_viii" id="page_viii">{viii}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BERNINI_AND_LOUIS_XIV">Bernini and Louis XIV.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_102">102</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BERNINIS_WORKS">Bernini’s Works,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_103">103</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BERNINI_AND_THE_VEROSPI_HERCULES">Bernini and the Verospi Hercules,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_104">104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#FANATICISM_DESTRUCTIVE_TO_ART">Fanaticism destructive to Art,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_104">104</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PAINTINGS_EVANESCENT">Paintings Evanescent,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_106">106</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_ENGLISH_NATIONAL_GALLERY">The English National Gallery,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_107">107</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_NUDE_FIGURE">The Nude Figure,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_109">109</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DIFFERENT_SCHOOLS_OF_PAINTING_COMPARED">Different Schools of Painting Compared,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_110">110</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_OLD_MASTERS">The Old Masters,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_111">111</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PRICES_OF_GALLERIES">Prices of Galleries,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_112">112</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LOVE_MAKES_A_PAINTER">Love makes a Painter,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_112">112</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JOHN_WESLEY_JARVIS">John Wesley Jarvis,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_113">113</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_BIGGEST_LIE">The Biggest Lie,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_118">118</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JARVIS_AND_BISHOP_MOORE">Jarvis and Bishop Moore,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_119">119</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JARVIS_AND_COMMODORE_PERRY">Jarvis and Commodore Perry,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_119">119</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JARVIS_AND_THE_PHILOSOPHER">Jarvis and the Philosopher,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JARVIS_AND_DR_MITCHELL">Jarvis and Dr. Mitchell,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JARVIS_HABITS">Jarvis’ Habits,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ROBERT_FULTON">Robert Fulton,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_122">122</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#AN_EXALTED_MIND_AND_A_TRUE_PATRIOT">An Exalted Mind and True Patriot,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_123">123</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#GILBERT_CHARLES_STUART">Gilbert Charles Stuart,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_124">124</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_GOES_TO_LONDON">Stuart goes to London,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_125">125</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_AN_ORGANIST">Stuart as Organist,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_INTRODUCTION_TO_WEST">Stuart’s Introduction to West,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_126">126</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_AND_WEST">Stuart and West,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_128">128</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_SCHOLARSHIP">Stuart’s Scholarship,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_131">131</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_RULE_OF_THE_PAYMENT_OF_HALF_PRICE_AT_THE_FIRST_SITTING">Stuart’s Rule of the Payment of Half-Price at the First Sitting,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_131">131</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_POWERS_OF_PERCEPTION">Stuart’s Powers of Perception,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_132">132</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_CONVERSATIONAL_POWERS">Stuart’s Conversational Powers,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_133">133</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_IN_IRELAND">Stuart in Ireland,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_RETURN_TO_AMERICA">Stuart’s Return to America,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_137">137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_AND_WASHINGTON">Stuart and Washington,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_137">137</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_ix" id="page_ix">{ix}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_LAST_PICTURE">Stuart’s Last Picture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_138">138</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_REPUTATION">Stuart’s Reputation,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_139">139</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_DRAWING">Stuart’s Drawing,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_139">139</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_A_PUNSTER">Stuart a Punster,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_140">140</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_BORN_IN_A_SNUFF-MILL">Stuart born in a Snuff-Mill,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_140">140</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_NOSE">Stuart’s Nose,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_140">140</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_SITTERS">Stuart’s Sitters,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_141">141</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUARTS_MARK">Stuart’s Mark,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_142">142</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#STUART_AND_HIS_DOG">Stuart and his Dog,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_142">142</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_TEMPLE_OF_DIANA_AT_EPHESUS">The Temple of Diana at Ephesus,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_144">144</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_DYING_GLADIATOR">The Dying Gladiator,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_144">144</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#FABIUS_MAXIMUS">Fabius Maximus,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_145">145</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LOVE_OF_THE_ARTS_AMONG_THE_ROMANS">Love of the Arts among the Romans,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_146">146</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#COMPARATIVE_MERITS_OF_THE_VENUS_DE_MEDICI_AND_THE_VENUS_VICTRIX">Comparative Merits of the Venus de Medici and the Venus Victrix,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_147">147</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_EFFECT_OF_PAINTING_ON_THE_MIND">The Effect of Painting on the Mind,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_147">147</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PAUSIAS">Pausias,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_148">148</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_GARLAND_TWINER">The Garland Twiner,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_148">148</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PROTOGENES_THE_GREAT_RHODIAN_PAINTER">Protogenes, the great Rhodian Painter,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_149">149</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PARRHASIUS">Parrhasius,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_150">150</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_DEMOS_AND_OTHER_WORKS_OF_PARRHASIUS">The Demos, and other Works of Parrhasius,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_150">150</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PARRHASIUS_AND_THE_OLYNTHIAN_CAPTIVE">Parrhasius and the Olynthian Captive,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_151">151</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_VANITY_OF_PARRHASIUS">The Vanity of Parrhasius,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_152">152</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_INVENTION_OF_THE_CORINTHIAN_CAPITAL">The Invention of the Corinthian Capital,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_152">152</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_INVENTION_OF_SCULPTURE">The Invention of Sculpture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_153">153</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PRAXITELES">Praxiteles,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_154">154</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PRAXITELES_AND_PHIDIAS_COMPARED">Praxiteles and Phidias compared,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_154">154</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_WORKS_OF_PRAXITELES">The Works of Praxiteles,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS">The Venus of Cnidus,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PRAXITELES_AND_PHRYNE">Praxiteles and Phryne,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_156">156</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_KING_OF_BITHYNIA_AND_THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS">The King of Bithynia and the Venus of Cnidus,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PHIDIAS">Phidias,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_157">157</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PHIDIAS_AND_ALCAMENES">Phidias and Alcamenes,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_159">159</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_x" id="page_x">{x}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#INGRATITUDE_OF_THE_ATHENIANS">Ingratitude of the Athenians,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_159">159</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_JUPITER_OF_PHIDIAS">The Jupiter of Phidias,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_160">160</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PHIDIAS_MODEL_FOR_THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER">Phidias’ Model for the Olympian Jupiter,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_161">161</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APOLLODORUS_THE_ATHENIAN">Apollodorus, the Athenian,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_162">162</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APOLLODORUS_THE_ARCHITECT">Apollodorus, the Architect,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_163">163</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#TRAJANS_COLUMN">Trajan’s Column,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_164">164</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_DEATH_OF_APOLLODORUS">The Death of Apollodorus,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_165">165</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTH">Hogarth,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_166">166</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_APPRENTICESHIP">Hogarth’s Apprenticeship,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_167">167</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_REVENGE">Hogarth’s Revenge,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_168">168</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_METHOD_OF_SKETCHING">Hogarth’s Method of Sketching,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_168">168</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_MARRIAGE">Hogarth’s Marriage,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_168">168</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SUCCESSFUL_EXPEDIENT_OF_HOGARTH">Successful Expedient of Hogarth,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_169">169</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_PICTURE_OF_THE_RED_SEA">Hogarth’s Picture of the Red Sea,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_170">170</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_COURTESY">Hogarth’s Courtesy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_171">171</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_ABSENCE_OF_MIND">Hogarth’s Absence of Mind,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_171">171</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_MARCH_TO_FINCHLEY">Hogarth’s March to Finchley,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_172">172</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_UNFORTUNATE_DEDICATION_OF_A_PICTURE">Hogarth’s unfortunate Dedication of a Picture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_172">172</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_MANNER_OF_SELLING_HIS_PICTURES">Hogarth’s manner of selling his Pictures,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_172">172</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#HOGARTHS_LAST_WORK">Hogarth’s Last Work,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_175">175</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JACQUES_LOUIS_DAVID">Jacques Louis David,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_176">176</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DAVIDS_PICTURE_OF_THE_CORONATION_OF_NAPOLEON">David’s Picture of the Coronation of Napoleon,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_178">178</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DAVID_AND_THE_DUKE_OF_WELLINGTON">David and the Duke of Wellington,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_184">184</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DAVID_AND_THE_CARDINAL_CAPRARA">David and the Cardinal Caprara,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_185">185</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DAVID_AT_BRUSSELS">David at Brussels,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_185">185</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PIERRE_MIGNARD">Pierre Mignard,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_186">186</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS">Sir Joshua Reynolds,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_188">188</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_NEW_STYLE">Reynolds’ New Style,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_189">189</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_PRICES">Reynolds’ Prices,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_191">191</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_IN_LEICESTER_SQUARE">Reynolds’ in Leicester Square,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_192">192</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_FOUNDING_OF_THE_ROYAL_ACADEMY">The Founding of the Royal Academy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_AND_DR_JOHNSON">Reynolds and Dr. Johnson,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_195">195</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DR_JOHNSONS_FRIENDSHIP_FOR_REYNOLDS">Dr. Johnson’s Friendship for Reynolds,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_196">196</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xi" id="page_xi">{xi}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JOHNSONS_APOLOGY_FOR_PORTRAIT_PAINTING">Johnson’s Apology for Portrait Painting,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_197">197</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_LITERARY_CLUB">The Literary Club,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_198">198</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JOHNSONS_PORTRAIT">Johnson’s Portrait,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_198">198</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JOHNSONS_DEATH">Johnson’s Death,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_199">199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_AND_GOLDSMITH">Reynolds and Goldsmith,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_199">199</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_DESERTED_VILLAGE">The Deserted Village,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_200">200</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#POPE_A_PAINTER">Pope a Painter,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_201">201</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_FIRST_ATTEMPTS_IN_ART">Reynolds’ First Attempts in Art,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_202">202</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_FORCE_OF_HABIT">The Force of Habit,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_202">202</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PAYING_THE_PIPER">Paying the Piper,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_203">203</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_MODESTY">Reynolds’ Modesty,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_203">203</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_GENEROSITY">Reynolds’ Generosity,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_203">203</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_LOVE_OF_HIS_ART">Reynolds’ Love of his Art,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_204">204</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_CRITICISM_ON_RUBENS">Reynolds’ Criticism on Rubens,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_205">205</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_AND_HAYDNS_PORTRAIT">Reynolds and Haydn’s Portrait,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_206">206</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RUBENS_LAST_SUPPER">Rubens’ Last Supper,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_206">206</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_SKILL_IN_COMPLIMENTS">Reynolds’ Skill in Compliments,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_207">207</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#EXCELLENT_ADVICE">Excellent Advice,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_208">208</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS_AND_HIS_PORTRAITS">Sir Joshua Reynolds and his Portraits,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_208">208</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_FLAG">Reynolds’ Flag,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BURKES_EULOGY">Burke’s Eulogy,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_209">209</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#REYNOLDS_ESTIMATE_AND_USE_OF_OLD_PAINTINGS">Reynolds’ Estimate and Use of Old Paintings,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_210">210</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_INFLUENCE_OF_THE_INQUISITION_UPON_SPANISH_PAINTING">Influence of the Inquisition upon Spanish Painting,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_211">211</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#A_MELANCHOLY_PICTURE_OF_THE_STATE_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_IN_SPAIN">A Melancholy Picture of the State of the Fine Arts in Spain,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_217">217</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DON_DIEGO_VELASQUEZ">Don Diego Velasquez,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_226">226</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#VELASQUEZ_HONORED_BY_THE_KING_OF_SPAIN">Velasquez honored by the King of Spain,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_227">227</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#VELASQUEZS_SLAVE">Velasquez’s Slave,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_228">228</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LUIS_TRISTAN">Luis Tristan,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_229">229</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#TRISTAN_AND_EL_GRECO">Tristan and El Greco,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_230">230</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ALONSO_CANO">Alonso Cano,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_230">230</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CANOS_LIBERALITY">Cano’s Liberality,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_231">231</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xii" id="page_xii">{xii}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CANOS_ECCENTRICITIES">Cano’s Eccentricities,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_231">231</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CANOS_HATRED_OF_THE_JEWS">Cano’s Hatred of the Jews,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_232">232</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CANOS_RULING_PASSION_STRONG_IN_DEATH">Cano’s Ruling Passion strong in Death,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_234">234</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#RIBALTAS_MARRIAGE">Ribalta’s Marriage,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_235">235</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#APARICIO_CANOVA_AND_THORWALDSEN">Aparicio, Canova, and Thorwaldsen,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_236">236</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BARTOLOME_ESTEBAN_MURILLO">Bartolomé Estéban Murillo,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_236">236</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLO_AND_VELASQUEZ">Murillo and Velasquez,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_236">236</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLOS_RETURN_TO_SEVILLE">Murillo’s Return to Seville,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_237">237</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLO_AND_IRIARTE">Murillo and Iriarte,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLOS_DEATH">Murillo’s Death,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_238">238</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLOS_STYLE">Murillo’s Style,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_239">239</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLOS_WORKS">Murillo’s Works,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_240">240</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MURILLOS_ASSUMPTION_OF_THE_VIRGIN">Murillo’s Assumption of the Virgin,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_241">241</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CASTILLOS_TRIBUTE_TO_MURILLO">Castillo’s Tribute to Murillo,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_242">242</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIO">Correggio,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_243">243</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CHURCH_OF_ST_JOHN_AT_PARMA">Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Church of St. John at Parma,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_244">244</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CATHEDRAL_AT_PARMA">Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Cathedral at Parma,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_246">246</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_FATE">Correggio’s Fate,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_249">249</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ANNIBALE_CARACCIS_OPINION_OF_CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_AT_PARMA">Annibale Caracci’s Opinion of Correggio’s Grand Cupola at Parma,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_253">253</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_ENTHUSIASM">Correggio’s Enthusiasm,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_255">255</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_GRACE">Correggio’s Grace,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_255">255</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIO_AND_THE_MONKS">Correggio and the Monks,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_256">256</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_MULETEER">Correggio’s Muleteer,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_256">256</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DUKE_OF_WELLINGTONS_CORREGGIO_CAPTURED_AT_VITTORIA">Duke of Wellington’s Correggio captured at Vittoria,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_257">257</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#CORREGGIOS_ANCONA">Correggio’s Ancona,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_257">257</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PORTRAITS_OF_CORREGGIO">Portraits of Correggio,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_258">258</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SINGULAR_FATE_OF_CORREGGIOS_ADORATION_OF_THE_SHEPHERDS">Singular Fate of Correggio’s Adoration of the Shepherds,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_261">261</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiii" id="page_xiii">{xiii}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#MAGDALEN_BY_CORREGGIO">Magdalen by Correggio,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_264">264</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DISCOVERY_OF_A_CORREGGIO">Discovery of a Correggio,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_265">265</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LIONARDO_DA_VINCI">Lionardo da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_266">266</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#PRECOCITY_OF_DA_VINCIS_GENIUS">Precocity of Da Vinci’s Genius,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_266">266</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#EXTRAORDINARY_TALENTS_OF_DA_VINCI">Extraordinary Talents of Da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_268">268</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_WORKS_AT_MILAN">Da Vinci’s Works at Milan,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_268">268</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_LEO_X">Lionardo da Vinci and Leo X.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_271">271</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_FRANCIS_I">Lionardo da Vinci and Francis I.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_271">271</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DEATH_OF_DA_VINCI">Death of Da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_272">272</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_LEARNING">Da Vinci’s Learning,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_272">272</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_WRITINGS">Da Vinci’s Writings,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_273">273</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_SKETCH_BOOKS">Da Vinci’s Sketch Books,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_275">275</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_LIONARDO_DA_VINCI">The Last Supper of Lionardo da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_276">276</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#COPIES_OF_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_DA_VINCI">Copies of the Last Supper of Da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_278">278</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_DISCRIMINATION">Da Vinci’s Discrimination,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_279">279</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_IDEA_OF_PERFECTION_IN_ART">Da Vinci’s Idea of Perfection in Art,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_280">280</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCI_AND_THE_PRIOR">Da Vinci and the Prior,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_282">282</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#DA_VINCIS_DRAWINGS_OF_THE_HEADS_IN_HIS_CELEBRATED_LAST_SUPPER">Da Vinci’s Drawings of the Heads in his celebrated Last Supper,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_284">284</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#FRANCIS_I_AND_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_VINCI">Francis I. and the Last Supper of Da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_284">284</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#AUTHENTICATED_WORKS_OF_DA_VINCI">Authenticated Works of Da Vinci,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_285">285</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WORKS_IN_NIELLO">Works in Niello,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_286">286</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#SIR_CHRISTOPHER_WREN">Sir Christopher Wren,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_290">290</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WRENS_SELF-COMMAND">Wren’s Self-Command,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_290">290</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WRENS_RESTRAINTS_IN_DESIGNING_HIS_EDIFICES">Wren’s Restraints in designing his Edifices,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_292">292</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_GREAT_FIRE_IN_LONDON">The Great Fire in London,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_293">293</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#ST_PAULS_CATHEDRAL">St. Paul’s Cathedral,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_294">294</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WRENS_DEATH">Wren’s Death,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_295">295</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WREN_AND_CHARLES_II">Wren and Charles II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_295">295</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THOMAS_BANKS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR">Thomas Banks, the English Sculptor,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_295">295</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_GENIUS_OF_BANKS">The Genius of Banks,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_297">297</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_xiv" id="page_xiv">{xiv}</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#BANKS_KINDNESS_TO_YOUNG_SCULPTORS">Banks’ Kindness to Young Sculptors,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_298">298</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_PERSONAL_APPEARANCE_AND_CHARACTER_OF_BANKS">The Personal Appearance and Character of Banks,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_299">299</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#FLAXMANS_TRIBUTE_TO_BANKS">Flaxman’s Tribute to Banks,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_300">300</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#JOSEPH_NOLLEKENS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR">Joseph Nollekens, the English Sculptor,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_301">301</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_VISIT_TO_ROME">Nollekens’ Visit to Rome,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_301">301</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_AND_GARRICK">Nollekens and Garrick,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_302">302</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_TALENTS_IN_BUST_SCULPTURE">Nollekens’ Talent in Bust Sculpture,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_303">303</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_BUST_OF_DR_JOHNSON">Nollekens’ Bust of Dr. Johnson,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_LIBERALITY_TO_CHANTREY">Nollekens’ Liberality to Chantrey,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_304">304</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_AND_THE_WIDOW">Nollekens and the Widow,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_305">305</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#NOLLEKENS_COMPLIMENTS">Nollekens’ Compliments,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_306">306</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#AN_OVERPLUS_OF_MODESTY">An Overplus of Modesty,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_307">307</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_ARTIST_FOOTMAN">The Artist Footman,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_308">308</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#AN_ARCHITECTS_STRATAGEM">An Architect’s Stratagem,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_309">309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#THE_FREEDOM_OF_THE_TIMES_IN_THE_REIGN_OF_CHARLES_II">The Freedom of the Times in the Reign of Charles II.,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_309">309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="pdd"><a href="#WEESOP">Weesop,</a></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_310">310</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_1" id="page_1">{1}</a></span></p> - -<h1>ANECDOTES<br /><br /> -<small><small>OF</small></small><br /><br /> -PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS.</h1> - -<h2><a name="INFELICITIES"></a>EXTRACT FROM TEXT TO PLATE LIII OF THE AMERICAN EDITION OF BOYDELL’S -ILLUSTRATIONS OF SHAKSPEARE.</h2> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is deemed appropriate to devote this page to the infelicities which -often fall to the lot of men of genius, in hopes to strike a sympathetic -chord; since to them the world owes all that is beautiful as well as -useful in art. It is well known that men of fine imaginations and -delicate taste, are generally distinguished for acute sensibilities, and -for being deficient in more practical qualities; they are frequently -eccentric, and illy adapted to contend with the coldness and -indifference of the world, much less its sarcasm and enmity. The history -of Art is full of melancholy examples.</p> - -<p>When Torregiano, the cotemporary of Michael Angelo, had finished his -exquisite group of the Madonna and Child for the Duke d’Arcos, with the -as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_2" id="page_2">{2}</a></span>surance of a rich reward, the nobleman sent two servants, bearing two -well-filled bags of money, with orders to bring the work to his palace. -The sculptor, upon opening the bags, found nothing but brass maravedi! -Filled with just indignation, he seized his mallet, in a moment of -uncontrollable rage, and smashed the beautiful group into a thousand -pieces, saying to the servants, “Go, take your base metal to your -ignoble lord, and tell him he shall never possess a sculpture by my -hand!” The infamous nobleman, burning with shame, resolved on a terrible -revenge; he arraigned the unhappy artist before the Inquisition, on a -charge of sacrilege for destroying the sacred images. Torregiano was -imprisoned and condemned to death by torture; but to escape that awful -fate, he destroyed himself in the dungeon.</p> - -<p>It is not necessary to go back further than the history of this work, to -find melancholy examples of the trials of genius. Thomas Banks vainly -endeavored to introduce a lofty and heroic style of sculpture into his -native country. He could obtain no commissions to execute in marble his -most beautiful and sublime compositions, and was compelled to confine -himself to monumental sculpture. James Barry, after struggling with -poverty and neglect all his days, died in a garret, a raving maniac. A -subscription had been started for his relief; but it was all expended in -defraying his funeral expenses, and in erecting a monument to his memory -in St. Pau<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_3" id="page_3">{3}</a></span>l’s Cathedral, with this inscription,—“The Great Historical -Painter, <span class="smcap">James Barry</span>. Died, Feb. 1806, aged 65”! His remains were laid -out in state, in the Great Room of the Adelphi—the true and appropriate -monument of his genius. The Society had requested the members of the -Royal Academy to decorate their Room, and when all others declined, -Barry nobly came forward, and offered his services gratuitously, which -were gladly accepted. He spent seven long years in decorating this -apartment with fresco paintings, which the Society publicly declared was -“a national ornament, as well as a monument of the talents and ingenuity -of the artist”; and Dr. Johnson said, “They shew a grasp of mind that -you will find nowhere else.” Observe the contrast: Cunningham says, that -when he began this great work, he had but a shilling in his pocket, and -during its execution he lived on the coarsest fare, in a miserable -garret, subsisting by the sale of an occasional drawing, when he could -find a purchaser!</p> - -<p>The life of William Blake presents a picture no less melancholy. An -eccentric and extraordinary genius, he seemed, in the flights of his -wild imagination, to hold converse with the spirits of the departed; and -in some of his works there is a truly wonderful sublimity of conception -and grandeur of execution. Although not appreciated during his lifetime, -he toiled on in abject poverty with indefatigable industry, reveling in -visions of future fame. His Ancient of Days was his greatest favorite;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_4" id="page_4">{4}</a></span> -three days before his death, he sat bolstered up in bed, and touched it -over and over with the choicest colors, in his happiest style; then held -it off at arms’ length, exclaiming, “There! that will do! I cannot mend -it.” Observing his wife in tears, he said, “Stay, Kate! keep just as you -are; I will draw your portrait, for you have been an angel to me.” She -obeyed, and the dying artist made a fine likeness. He was cheerful and -contented to the last. “I glory,” said he, “in dying, and have no grief -but in leaving you, Katharine; we have lived happy and we have lived -long; we have ever been together, but we shall be divided soon. Why -should I fear death! Nor do I fear it. I have endeavored to live as -Christ commands, and have sought to worship God truly.” On the day of -his death, Aug. 12, 1827, he composed and sung hymns to his Maker, so -sweetly to the ear of his beloved Katharine, that she stood wrapt to -hear him. Observing this, he said to her, with looks of intense -affection, “My beloved, they are not mine—no, they are the songs of the -angels.”</p> - -<p>Young Proctor, the sculptor, was a student of the rarest promise, in the -Royal Academy. After obtaining two silver medals, the president, -Benjamin West, had the suggestion conveyed to him, that he had better -execute a historical composition. Accordingly, in the next year, Proctor -produced his model of “Ixion on the Wheel,” and in the following year, -“Pirithous slain by Cerberus,” both of which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_5" id="page_5">{5}</a></span> excited great admiration. -In the third year, he conceived a much bolder flight of imagination, -“Diomed torn in pieces by Wild Horses,” which was far more successful -than his previous efforts, approaching, in the opinion of the best -judges, the grandeur of Michael Angelo, and even the Phidian period of -Greek design. But this noble emanation of high native talent could not -find a purchaser, and at the close of the exhibition it was returned to -the studio of the sculptor, who, stung to the heart by this severe -disappointment, instantly destroyed his sublime creation. Derided by his -more favored but less deserving cotemporaries, Proctor shunned society, -and having exhausted all his means of support to produce this last work, -he was reduced to the greatest straits. When Mr. West, after some time, -succeeded in ascertaining the place of his obscure retreat, he stated -the circumstance to the Academy, who unanimously agreed to send Proctor -to Italy, with the usual pension, and fifty pounds besides, for -necessary preparations. This joyful intelligence was immediately -communicated to the despairing artist, but it came too late! his -constitution, undermined by want and vexation, was unable to bear the -revulsion of his feelings, and he shortly after breathed his last, “a -victim,” says his biographer, “to anti-national prejudices.”</p> - -<p>The life of Thomas Kirk, termed the “English Raffaelle,” is another -melancholy example of unappreciated genius. Chagrin and disappointment -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_6" id="page_6">{6}</a></span> his ambitious hopes, consigned him to an untimely grave. Taylor, in -his History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain, says, that a few years -ago, one of Hogarth’s pictures brought at public sale in London, more -money than the artist ever received for all his paintings together. -Nollekens, the sculptor, bought two landscapes of Richard Wilson, for -fifteen guineas, to relieve his pressing necessities. At the sale of the -effects of the former after his decease, they brought two hundred and -fifty guineas each!</p> - -<p>Shall instances like these stain the annals of American Art, or will -this free people accord to its gifted sons the encouragement they so -richly deserve? May the sympathies of those who can perceive in painting -and sculpture, most efficient means of mental culture, refinement, and -gratification, be enlisted by these sad memories, to render timely -encouragement to exalted genius! It adds to national and individual -profit, pride, and glory. How much does America owe Robert Fulton and -Eli Whitney? Millions, untold millions!</p> - -<h2><a name="ADVANTAGES_OF_THE_CULTIVATION_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_TO_A_COUNTRY" id="ADVANTAGES_OF_THE_CULTIVATION_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_TO_A_COUNTRY"></a>ADVANTAGES OF THE CULTIVATION OF THE FINE ARTS TO A COUNTRY.</h2> - -<p>The advantages which a country derives from the cultivation of the fine -arts, are thus admirably summed up by Sir M. A. Shee, late President of -the Royal Academy, London:—</p> - -<p>“It should be the policy of a great nation to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_7" id="page_7">{7}</a></span> liberal and -magnificent; to be free of her rewards, splendid in her establishments, -and gorgeous in her public works. These are not the expenses that sap -and mine the foundations of public prosperity, that break in upon the -capital, or lay waste the income of a state; they may be said to arise -in her most enlightened views of general advantage; to be amongst her -best and most profitable speculations; they produce large sums of -respect and consideration from our neighbors and competitors, and of -patriotic exultation among ourselves; they make men proud of their -country, and from priding it, prompt in its defense; they play upon all -the chords of generous feeling, elevate us above the animal and the -machine, and make us triumph in the powers and attributes of men.”</p> - -<p>Sir George Beaumont, in a letter to Lord Dover, on the subject of the -purchase of the Angerstein collection by the government, speaking of the -benefit which a country derives from the possession of the best works of -art, says, “My belief is that the Apollo, the Venus, the Laocoön, &c., -are worth many thousands a year to the country that possesses them.” -When Parliament was debating the propriety of buying the Angerstein -Collection for £60,000, he advocated the measure with enthusiasm, and -exclaimed, “Buy this collection of pictures for the nation, and I will -give you mine.” And this he nobly did, not in the form of a bequest, but -he transferred them at once as soon as the galleries<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_8" id="page_8">{8}</a></span> were prepared for -their reception, with the exception of one little gem, with him a -household god, which he retained till his death. This picture was a -landscape by Claude, with figures representing Hagar and her child, and -he was so much attached to it that he took it with him as a constant -traveling companion. When he died, it was sent to its place in the -Gallery. The value of this collection was 70,000 guineas. Such instances -of noble generosity for public benefaction, deserve to be held in -grateful remembrance, and should be “written in letters of gold on -enduring marble,” for the imitation of mankind.</p> - -<p>After the peace of Amiens, Benjamin West visited Paris, for the purpose -of viewing the world’s gems of art, which Bonaparte had collected -together in the Louvre. He had already conceived a project for -establishing in England a national institution for the encouragement of -art, similar to that of the Louvre, and he took occasion one day, while -strolling about the galleries in company with Mr. Fox, the British -minister, and Sir Francis Baring, to point out to them the advantages of -such an institution, not only in promoting the Fine Arts, by furnishing -models of study for artists, but he showed the propriety, in a -commercial point of view, of encouraging to a seven fold extent, the -higher department of art in England. Cunningham relates that Fox was so -forcibly struck with his remarks that he said, “I have been rocked in -the cradle of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_9" id="page_9">{9}</a></span> politics, but never before was so much struck with the -advantages, even in a political bearing, of the Fine Arts, to the -prosperity, as well as the renown of a kingdom; and I do assure you, Mr. -West, if I ever have it in my power to influence our government to -promote the Arts, the conversation which we have had to-day shall not be -forgotten.” Sir Francis Baring also promised his hearty coöperation. -West was mainly instrumental in establishing the Royal British -Institution. Taylor, in his History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain, -says, he battled for years against coldly calculating politicians for -its accomplishment; at length, his plan was adopted with scarcely an -alteration.</p> - -<p>“The commercial states of the classic ages of antiquity held the arts in -very high estimation. The Rhodians were deeply engaged in commerce, yet -their cultivation of the arts, more especially that of sculpture, was -most surprising. The people of Ægina were equally engaged in commercial -pursuits, but they were also admired for the correctness and elegance of -their taste and manners, as well as their sculpture. A more ancient -people still, the Phœnicians, Tyrians, Tyrrhenians, Etruscans, or -Carthagenians, who were all colonies from one race of men, long before -the foundation of Rome, understood and taught others the working in -metals, one instance of which is remarkable: Hiram, king of Tyre, cast -the brazen sea, and other immense objects in metal, for Solomon’s -temple. Let us cast our<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_10" id="page_10">{10}</a></span> eyes on Argos, Athens, Corinth, and Sicyon, -those ancient abodes of good taste and transcendent genius; each of them -were commercial states and cities. The remains of their -beautifully-sculptured marbles, which once were in profusion, and of -which we now strive to possess even the fragments, at almost any cost, -show evidently that their commercial pursuits and relations with other -countries had not narrowed, if it had not rather developed, the powers, -and given that elastic vigor to the human mind that can, under due -encouragement, overcome the greatest difficulties, and produce the -grandest or the most enchanting works of utility or imagination. The -marble quarries of Paros and Pentelicus were by such encouragements -transformed into the noblest temples and most exquisitely beautiful -statues of deities, heroes, and men, that it is possible to conceive. -Such was the case throughout all the cities on the coast of the Ægean -sea and of the Cyclades. Their arts increased their commerce; this was -the source of their wealth; and fully aware of these advantages, their -wealth reacted again on their arts, and thus there was kept alive that -healthful movement of the whole popular mind, directed to the useful and -elegant purposes of life.</p> - -<p>“Let us come down to much later times, and to states far less remote, -and ask what it was that gave such wealth and consequence to Venice, -Genoa, Holland, and Flanders, to Pisa, Florence, and Lucca, not one of -which states possessed much extent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_11" id="page_11">{11}</a></span> of territory, nor any large amount -of population? The answer is, ‘their commercial enterprise and industry -did it for them.’ True; but it is equally remarkable, that in all these -states and cities the fine arts gave their powerful aid to those -pursuits, as the splendid manufactures of these people testify. And -where have the arts been fostered with more parental solicitude, or in -what region have they shed more glory upon mankind, than they have done -in these comparatively small territories? But it was the same principle -that produced such splendid works in Greece: the cause and effect were -precisely the same, the mode only was changed. But the principles are -universal and eternal, and they may be brought to operate in other -countries, to the fullest extent, and with as much grandeur, grace, and -beauty, as they ever did attain, even in their most prosperous periods, -under the guidance of Pericles, when they reached the highest splendor -of Chryselephantine art, under the master minds of Phidias and -Praxiteles, Callicrates and Ictinus, and at a later period displayed the -equally resplendent genius of Apelles, Zeuxis, and Parrhasius, in the -time of Alexander—those splendid epochs of painting, sculpture, and -architecture, which shed an imperishable lustre upon the most -enlightened states of the Hellenodic confederacy, and on the throne of -the greatest conqueror of ancient times. We must not omit mentioning -their palmy state in the Augustan age of Rome, and their still more -glorious elevation there during the memorable <i>cinque cento</i>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_12" id="page_12">{12}</a></span></p> - -<p>“But to reach these proud eminences of intellectual grandeur and -extensive usefulness, the arts must be solicited, ample protection must -be afforded to them; similar inducements to those which produced these -great results must not only be offered, but substantially and -permanently provided for their use. This garden of the human intellect -must be regularly and assiduously cultivated with great care, and kept -clear of the noxious weeds that would deform its beauties. Under genial -treatment, all its charms develop themselves, and an endless variety of -interesting and charming creations are called into existence, -illustrating the high principles of religion, the noblest traits of -moral and heroic conduct, and the sweetest dreams of the poetic muse: -but the turmoils of war and high political contention are to them most -injurious, blasting their fairest bloom, as the poisonous simoon of the -desert withers the gardens of Palestine; and to these two causes, and -these only, aided by anti-English prejudice, can we attribute the very -slow advances which the arts had made among the natives of Britain until -the auspicious period of which we are now treating”—time of George -III.—<i>Taylor’s History of the Fine Arts in Great Britain</i>, vol. ii, p. -150.</p> - -<h2><a name="ANTIQUITY_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS" id="ANTIQUITY_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS"></a>ANTIQUITY OF THE FINE ARTS.</h2> - -<p>Homer, who flourished about B. C. 900, gives a striking proof of the -antiquity of the fine arts, in his description of that admirable piece -of chased and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_13" id="page_13">{13}</a></span> inlaid work—the shield of Achilles. Its rich design -could not have been imagined, unless the arts necessary to produce it -had arrived to a high degree of perfection in his country at the time he -wrote, though we may doubt whether, at the period of the Trojan war, -three hundred years before Homer, there existed artificers capable of -executing it.</p> - -<p>Within a century after the taking of Troy, the Greeks had founded many -new colonies in Asia Minor, and the Heraclidæ finally regained their -ancient seats in the Peloponnesus. It is worthy of remark that about -that period, David built his house of cedars, and Solomon adorned -Jerusalem with her magnificent first temple, and that Hiram, king of -Tyre, sent to Solomon “a cunning man, endued with understanding,” to -assist him in the building of the temple, but more especially to -superintend the execution of the ornaments. (1st Kings, vii, 13, and 2d -Chron., ii, 14.)</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_POECILE_AT_ATHENS" id="THE_POECILE_AT_ATHENS"></a>THE PŒCILE AT ATHENS.</h2> - -<p>The stoa or celebrated Portico at Athens, called the Pœcile on account -of its paintings, was the pride of the Athenians. Polygnotus, Mycon, and -Pantænus adorned it with pictures of gods, heroes, benefactors, and the -most memorable acts of the Athenians, as the incidents of the siege and -sacking of Troy, the battle of Theseus against the Amazons, the battle -between the Athenians and Lacedæmonians at Œnoe in Argolis, the battle -of Marathon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_14" id="page_14">{14}</a></span> other memorable actions. The most celebrated of these -were a series of the Siege of Troy, and the Battle of Marathon by -Polygnotus, more especially the latter, which eclipsed all the others, -and gained the painter so much reputation that the Athenians offered him -any sum he should ask, and when he refused all compensation, the -Amphictyonic council decreed that wherever he might travel in Greece, he -should be received with public honors, and provided for at the public -expense.</p> - -<p>According to Pausanias, Polygnotus represented the hero Marathon, after -whom the plain was named, in the act of receiving Minerva, the patroness -of Athens, accompanied by Hercules, about to be joined by Theseus, whose -shade is seen rising out of the earth—thus claiming Attica as his -native soil. In the foreground, the Greeks and Persians are combating -with equal valor, but in extending the view to the middle of the -composition, the barbarians were seen routed and flying to the Phœnician -ships, which were visible in the distance, and to the marshes, while the -Greeks were in hot pursuit, slaying their foes in their flight. The -principal commanders of both parties were distinguished, particularly -Mardonius, the Persian general, the insertion of whose portrait -gratified the Athenians little less than that of their own commander, -Miltiades, along with whom were Callimachus, Echetlus, and the poet -Æschylus, who was in the battle that day. It is evident that the painter -did not strictly follow his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_15" id="page_15">{15}</a></span>tory, but treated his subject in a grand -poetic and heroic style, and that too, we may rest assured, with -consummate skill, to have elicited such applause from a people too -refined to be deceived by any meretricious trickery of art.</p> - -<h2><a name="MOSAICS" id="MOSAICS"></a>MOSAICS.</h2> - -<p>Mosaics are ornamented works, made in ancient times, of cubes of -variously colored stones, and in modern, more frequently of glass of -different colors. The art originated in the East, and seems first to -have been introduced among the Romans in the time of Sylla. It was an -ornament in great request by the luxurious Romans, especially in the -time of the Emperors, for the decoration of every species of edifice, -and to this day they continue to discover, in the ruins of the Imperial -Baths, and elsewhere, many magnificent specimens in the finest -preservation. In Pompeii, mosaic floors and pavements may be said to -have been universal among the wealthy.</p> - -<p>In modern times, great attention has been bestowed to revive and improve -the art, with a view to perpetuate the works of the great masters. In -this way, Guercino’s Martyrdom of St. Petronilla, and Domenichino’s -Communion of the dying St. Jerome, in St. Peter’s Church, which were -falling into decay, have been rendered eternal. Also, the -Transfiguration of Raffaelle, and other great works. Pope Clement VIII. -had the whole interior dome of St. Peter’s ornamented with this work. A -grand<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_16" id="page_16">{16}</a></span> Mosaic, covering the whole side of a wall, representing, as some -suppose, the Battle of Platea; as others, with more probability, one of -the Victories of Alexander, was discovered in Pompeii. This work, now in -the Academy of Naples, is the admiration of connoisseurs and the -learned, not only from its antiquity, but from the beauty of its -execution. The most probable supposition is, that it is a copy of the -celebrated Victory of Arbela, by Philoxenes.</p> - -<p>Vasari says that the art of Mosaic work had been brought to such -perfection at Venice in the time of the Bianchini, famous mosaic -painters of the 16th century, that “it would not be possible to effect -more with colors.” Lanzi observes that “the church and portico of St. -Mark remain an invaluable museum of this kind of work; where, commencing -with the 11th century, we may trace the gradual progress of design -belonging to each age, up to the present, as exhibited in many works in -mosaic, beginning from the Greeks, and continued by the Italians. They -consist chiefly of histories from the Old and New Testaments, and at the -same time, furnish very interesting notices of civic and ecclesiastical -history.” There are a multitude of mosaic pictures in the churches, -galleries, and public edifices of Italy, especially at Venice, Rome, -Florence, Milan; and some of the greatest artists were employed to -furnish the designs. In delicate ornamental work, the pieces are -multiplied by sawing into thin slabs. Some spe<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_17" id="page_17">{17}</a></span>cimens made of precious -stones, are of incredible value.</p> - -<p>In working, the different pieces are cemented together, and when dry the -surface is highly polished, which brings out the colors in great -brilliancy. The ancients usually employed different colored marbles, -stones, and shells; the Italians formerly employed brilliant stones, as -agate, jaspar, onyx, cornelian, &c., but now they employ glass -exclusively.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER" id="THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER"></a>THE OLYMPIAN JUPITER.</h2> - -<p>The Greek masters in sculpture have been happily designated as -“Magicians in Marble.” The taste which the Grecian people possessed for -the beautiful, is well known. It stands among the chief of those -characteristics by which they designated persons of great eminence. -Their artists considered beauty as the first object of their studies; -and by this means they surpassed all other nations, and have become -models for all ages.</p> - -<p>Of Phidias, the most celebrated sculptor of Greece, the Athenians spoke -with rapture which knew no bounds. Lucian says, “We adore Phidias in his -works, and he partakes of the incense we offer to the gods he has made.” -Pausanias relates, that when this artist had finished his magnificent -statue of the Olympian Jupiter, Jupiter himself applauded his labors; -for when Phidias urged the god to show by some sign if the work was -agreeable to him, the pavement of the Temple was immediately struck<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_18" id="page_18">{18}</a></span> -with lightning. Such incidents though fabulous, are valuable, inasmuch -as they serve to prove the exalted notions the people entertained of the -objects to which they relate.</p> - -<h2><a name="PAINTING_FROM_NATURE" id="PAINTING_FROM_NATURE"></a>PAINTING FROM NATURE.</h2> - -<p>Eupompus, the painter, was asked by Lysippus, the sculptor, whom, among -his predecessors, he should make the objects of his imitation? “Behold,” -said the painter, showing his friend a multitude of people passing by, -“behold my models. From nature, not from art, by whomsoever wrought, -must the artist labor, who hopes to attain honor, and extend the -boundaries of his art.”</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES" id="APELLES"></a>APELLES.</h2> - -<p>Apelles, according to the general testimony of ancient writers, was the -most renowned painter of antiquity; hence painting is termed, by some of -the Romans, the Apellean art. He flourished in the last half of the -fourth century before Christ. Pliny affirms that he contributed more -towards perfecting the art than all other painters. He seems to have -claimed the palm in elegance and grace, or beauty, the <i>charis</i> of the -Greeks, and the <i>venustas</i> of the Romans; a quality for which, among the -moderns, perhaps Correggio is the most distinguished; but in the works -of Apelles, it was unquestionably connected with a proportionably -perfect design; a combination not found among the moderns. Pliny -re<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_19" id="page_19">{19}</a></span>marks that Apelles allowed that he was equalled by Protogenes in all -respects save one, namely, in knowing when to take his hand from the -picture. From this we may infer that the deficiency in grace which he -remarked in the works of Protogenes, was owing to the excessive finish -for which that painter was celebrated. Lucian speaks of Apelles as one -of the best colorists among the ancient painters.</p> - -<p>Apelles was famed for his industry; he is said never to have allowed a -day to pass without exercising his pencil. “<i>Nulla dies sine linea</i>,” is -a saying that arose from one of his maxims. His principal works appear -to have been generally single figures, and rarely of more than a single -group. The only large compositions of his execution that are mentioned -by the ancient writers are, Diana surrounded by her Nymphs, in which he -was allowed to have surpassed the lines of Homer from which he took the -subject; and the Procession of the High Priest of Diana at Ephesus.</p> - -<p>In portraits, Apelles was unrivalled. He is said to have enjoyed the -exclusive privilege of painting Philip and Alexander the Great, both of -whom he painted many times. In one of his portraits of Alexander, which -was preserved in the temple of Diana at Ephesus, he represented him -wielding the thunderbolts of Jupiter: Pliny says the hand and lightning -appeared to start from the picture; and, judging from an observation in -Plutarch, the figure of the king was lighted solely by the radiance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_20" id="page_20">{20}</a></span> -the lightning. Apelles received for this picture, termed the Alexander -Ceraunophorus, twenty talents of gold (about $20,000). The criticism of -Lysippus, upon this picture, which has been approved by ancients and -moderns, that a lance, as he had himself given the king, would have been -a more appropriate weapon in the hands of Alexander, than the lightnings -of Jupiter; is the criticism of a sculptor who overlooked the pictorial -value of the color, and of light and shade. The lightning would -certainly have had little effect in a work of sculpture, but had a lance -been substituted in its place in the picture of Apelles, a totally -different production would have been the result. This picture gave rise -to a saying, that there were two Alexanders, the one of Philip, the -invincible, the other of Apelles, the inimitable.</p> - -<p>Competent judges, says Pliny, decided the portrait of Antigonus (king of -Asia Minor) on horseback, the master-piece of Apelles. He excelled -greatly in painting horses, which he frequently introduced into his -pictures. The most celebrated of all his works was the Venus Anadyomene, -which was painted for the people of Coös, and was placed in the temple -of Æsculapius on that island, where it remained until it was removed by -Augustus, who took it in lieu of 100 talents tribute, and dedicated it -in the temple of Julius Cæsar. It was unfortunately damaged on the -voyage, and was in such a decayed state in the time of Nero, that the -Empe<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_21" id="page_21">{21}</a></span>ror replaced it with a copy by a painter named Dorotheus. This -happened about 350 years after it was executed, and what then became of -it is not known. This celebrated painting, upon which every writer who -has noticed it has bestowed unqualified praise, represented Venus naked, -rising out of the ocean, squeezing the water from her hair with her -fingers, while her only veil was the silver shower that fell from her -shining locks. This picture is said to have been painted from Campaspe, -a beautiful slave of Apelles, formerly the favorite of Alexander. The -king had ordered Apelles to paint her naked portrait, and perceiving -that the painter was smitten with the charms of his beautiful model, he -gave her to him, contenting himself with the painting. He commenced a -second Venus for the people of Coös, which, according to Pliny, would -have surpassed the first, had not its completion been interrupted by the -death of the painter: the only parts finished were the head and bust. -Two portraits of Alexander painted by Apelles, were dedicated by -Augustus, in the most conspicuous part of the forum bearing his name; in -one was Alexander, with Castor and Pollux, and a figure of Victory; in -the other was Alexander in a triumphal car, accompanied by a figure of -War, with her hands pinioned behind her. The Emperor Claudius took out -the heads of Alexander, and substituted those of Augustus. The following -portraits are also mentioned among the most famous works of this great -artist: Clitus<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_22" id="page_22">{22}</a></span> preparing for Battle; Antigonus in armor, walking by the -side of his Horse; and Archelaus the General, with his wife and -daughter. Pausanias mentions a draped figure of one of the Graces by -him, which he saw in the Odeon at Smyrna. A famous back view of a -Hercules, in the temple of Antonius at Rome, was said to have been by -Apelles. He painted many other famous works: Pliny mentions a naked -figure by him, which he says challenged Nature herself. The same author -says he covered his pictures with a dark transparent liquid or varnish, -which had the effect of harmonising the colors, and also of preserving -the work from injury.</p> - -<p>Pliny says Apelles was the first artist who painted tetrachromes, or -paintings executed with four colors, viz.; lamp black, white chalk, -ruddle, and yellow ochre; yet, in describing his Venus Anadyomene, he -says she was rising from the green or azure ocean under a bright blue -sky. Zeuxis painted grapes so naturally as to deceive the birds. Where -got he his green and purple? There has been a great deal of useless -disquisition about the merits of ancient painters, and the materials -they employed. When we take into consideration their thorough system of -education; that the sister arts had been brought to such perfection as -to render them the models of all succeeding times; that these painters -enjoyed the highest honors and admiration of their polished countrymen, -who, it must be admitted, were competent to judge of the merits of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_23" id="page_23">{23}</a></span> -their works; that the Romans prized and praised them as much as the -Greeks themselves; that there were in Rome in the time of Pliny many -ancient paintings 600 years old, still retaining all their original -freshness and beauty, it can scarcely be doubted that the paintings of -the great Greek artists equaled the best of the moderns; that they -possessed all the requisite colors and materials; and, if they did not -possess all those now known, they had others unknown to us. It is -certain that they employed canvass for paintings of a temporary -character, as decorations; and that they treated every subject, both -such as required those colors suitable to represent the solemnity and -dignity of the gods, as well as others of the most delicate tints, with -which to depict flowers; for the Venus of Apelles, and the Flower-Girl -of Pausias must have glowed with Titian tints to have attracted such -admiration. Colonel Leake, in his Topography of Athens, speaking of the -temple of Theseus, says that the stucco still bears the marks or stains -of the ancient paintings, in which he distinctly recognized the blue -sky, vestiges of bronze and gold colored armor, and blue, green, and red -draperies. What then becomes of the tetrachromes of Apelles, and the -monochromes of previous artists? for Mycon painted the Theseum near 200 -years before the time of Apelles.</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_AND_THE_COBBLER" id="APELLES_AND_THE_COBBLER"></a>APELLES AND THE COBBLER.</h2> - -<p>It was customary with Apelles to expose to public view the works which -he had finished, and to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_24" id="page_24">{24}</a></span> hide himself behind the canvass, in order to -hear the remarks made by spectators. He once overheard himself blamed by -a shoemaker for a fault in the slippers of some figure; having too much -good sense to be offended with any objection, however trifling, which -came from a competent judge, he corrected the fault which the man had -noticed. On the following day, however, the shoemaker began to -animadvert upon the leg; on which Apelles, with some anger, looked out -from the canvass, and reproved him in these words, which are also become -a proverb, “<i>ne sutor ultra crepidam</i>”—“let the cobbler keep to his -last,” or “every man to his trade.”</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_FOAMING_CHARGER" id="APELLES_FOAMING_CHARGER"></a>APELLES’ FOAMING CHARGER.</h2> - -<p>In finishing a drawing of a horse, in the portraiture of which he much -excelled, a very remarkable circumstance is related of him. He had -painted a war horse returning from battle, and had succeeded to his -wishes in describing nearly every mark that could indicate a -high-mettled steed impatient of restraint; there was wanting nothing but -a foam of bloody hue issuing from the mouth. He again and again -endeavored to express this, but his attempts were unsuccessful. At last -in vexation, he threw against the mouth of the horse a sponge filled -with different colors, which produced the very effect desired by the -painter. A similar story is related of Protogenes, in painting his -picture of Jalysus and his Dog.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_25" id="page_25">{25}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_AND_ALEXANDER" id="APELLES_AND_ALEXANDER"></a>APELLES AND ALEXANDER.</h2> - -<p>Apelles was held in great esteem by Alexander the Great, and was -admitted into the most intimate familiarity with him. He executed a -portrait of this prince in the character of a thundering Jove; a piece -which was finished with such skill and dexterity, that it used to be -said there were “two Alexanders, the one invincible, the son of Philip, -and the other inimitable, the production of Apelles.” Alexander appears -to have been a patron of the fine arts more from vanity than taste; and -it is related, as an instance of those freedoms which Apelles was -permitted to use with him, that when on one occasion he was talking in -this artist’s painting room very ignorantly of the art of painting, -Apelles requested him to be silent lest the boys who ground his colors -should laugh at him. On another occasion, when he had painted a picture -of his famous war-horse, Alexander did not seem to appreciate its -excellence; but Bucephalus, on seeing his own portrait, began to prance -and neigh, when the painter observed that the horse was a better judge -of painting than his master.</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_AND_PROTOGENES" id="APELLES_AND_PROTOGENES"></a>APELLES AND PROTOGENES.</h2> - -<p>Apelles, being highly delighted with a picture of Jalysus, painted by -Protogenes of Rhodes, sailed thither to pay him a visit. Protogenes was -gone from home, but an old woman was left watching a large piece of -canvass which was fitted in a frame<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_26" id="page_26">{26}</a></span> for painting. She told Apelles that -Protogenes was gone out, and asked him his name, that she might inform -her master who had inquired for him. “Tell him,” said Apelles, “he was -inquired for by this person,” at the same time taking up a pencil, and -drawing on the canvass a line of great delicacy. When Protogenes -returned, the old woman acquainted him with what had happened. The -artist, upon contemplating the fine stroke of the pencil, immediately -proclaimed that Apelles must have been there, for so finished a work -could be produced by no other person. Protogenes, however, drew a finer -line of another color; and as he was going away ordered the old woman to -show that line to Apelles if he came again, and to say, “This is the -person for whom you were inquiring.” When Apelles returned and saw the -line, he resolved not to be overcome, and in a color different from -either of the former, he drew some lines so exquisitely delicate, that -it was impossible for finer strokes to be made. Having done so, he -departed. Protogenes now confessed the superiority of Apelles; flew to -the harbor in search of him; and resolved to leave the canvass as it -was, with the lines on it, for the astonishment of future artists. It -was in after years taken to Rome, and was there seen by Pliny, who -speaks of it as having the appearance of a large black surface, the -extreme delicacy of the lines rendering them invisible, except on close -inspection. They were drawn with different colors, the one upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_27" id="page_27">{27}</a></span> or -rather within, the other. This picture (continues Pliny), was handed -down, a wonder for posterity, but especially for artists; and, -notwithstanding it contained only those three scarcely visible lines -(<i>tres lineas</i>), still it was the most noble work in the Gallery, though -surrounded by many finished paintings by renowned masters.</p> - -<p>This celebrated contest of lines between Apelles and Protogenes, is a -subject which has greatly perplexed painters and critics; and in fact, -Carducci asserts that Michael Angelo and other great artists treated the -idea with contempt. The picture was preserved in the gallery of the -Imperial palace on the Palatine, and was destroyed by the first fire -that consumed that palace, in the time of Augustus; therefore it could -not have been seen by Pliny, and the account must have been related by -him from some other work. In regard to its vagueness, one of the -principal causes, undoubtedly, is a mutilation of the text; but the -whole thing is told with obscurity. Suffice it to say, that in the -opinion of Professor Tölken of Berlin, and the best modern critics, this -wonderful piece could not have contained only <i>three simple lines</i>, as -stated by Pliny, else how could it have been termed “the most noble work -in the gallery, and the wonder of posterity.”</p> - -<p>At the time this occurrence took place, Protogenes lived in a state of -poverty and neglect; but the generous notice of Apelles soon caused him -to be valued as he deserved by the Rhodians. Apelles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_28" id="page_28">{28}</a></span> acknowledged that -Protogenes was even in some respects his superior; the chief fault he -found with him was, that “he did not know when to take his hand from his -work;” a phrase which has become proverbial among artists. He -volunteered to purchase all the works he had by him, at any price he -should name, and when Protogenes estimated them far below their real -value, he offered him fifty talents, and spread the report that he -intended to sell them as his own. He thus opened the eyes of the -Rhodians to the merit of their painter, and they accordingly secured his -works at a still higher price.</p> - -<p>In Protogenes, the able rival of Apelles, the arts received one of the -highest tokens of regard they were ever favored with; for when Demetrius -Poliorcetes was besieging the city of Rhodes, and might have taken it by -assaulting it on the side where Protogenes resided, he forbore, lest he -should do an injury to his works; and when the Rhodians delivered the -place to him, requesting him to spare the pictures of this admired -artist, he replied, “that he would sooner destroy the images of his -forefathers, than the productions of Protogenes.”</p> - -<h2><a name="ANECDOTES_OF_BENJAMIN_WEST" id="ANECDOTES_OF_BENJAMIN_WEST"></a>ANECDOTES OF BENJAMIN WEST.<br /><br /> -HIS ANCESTRY.</h2> - -<p>Cunningham says, “John West, the father of Benjamin, was of that family -settled at Long-Crendon, in Buckinghamshire, which produced Colonel -James West, the friend and companion in arms<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_29" id="page_29">{29}</a></span> of John Hampden. Upon one -occasion, in the course of a conversation in Buckingham palace, -respecting his picture of the Institution of the Garter, West happened -to make some allusion to his English descent, when the Marquis of -Buckingham, to the manifest pleasure of the king, declared that the -Wests of Long-Crendon were undoubted descendants of the Lord Delaware, -renowned in the wars of Edward the Third and the Black Prince, and that -the artist’s likeness had therefore a right to a place amongst those of -the nobles and warriors, in his historical picture.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_BIRTH" id="WESTS_BIRTH"></a>WEST’S BIRTH.</h2> - -<p>Galt says Benjamin’s birth was brought on prematurely by a vehement -sermon, preached in the fields, by Edward Peckover, on the corrupt state -of the Old World, which he prophesied was about to be visited with the -tempest of God’s judgments, the wicked to be swallowed up, and the -terrified remnant compelled to seek refuge in happy America. Mrs. West -was so affected that she swooned away, was carried home severely ill, -and the pains of labor came upon her; she was, however, safely -delivered, and the preacher consoled the parents by predicting that “a -child sent into the world under such remarkable circumstances, would -assuredly prove a wonderful man,” and admonished them to watch over -their son with more than ordinary care.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_30" id="page_30">{30}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="HIS_FIRST_REMARKABLE_FEAT" id="HIS_FIRST_REMARKABLE_FEAT"></a>HIS FIRST REMARKABLE FEAT.</h2> - -<p>The first remarkable incident recorded of the infant prodigy, occurred -in his seventh year; when, being placed to watch the sleeping infant of -his eldest sister, he drew a sort of likeness of the child, with a pen, -in red and black ink. His mother returned, and snatching the paper which -he sought to conceal, exclaimed to her daughter, “I declare, he has made -a likeness of little Sally!” She took him in her arms, and kissed him -fondly. This feat appeared so wonderful in the eyes of his parents that -they recalled to mind the prediction of Peckover.</p> - -<h2><a name="LITTLE_BENJAMIN_AND_THE_INDIANS" id="LITTLE_BENJAMIN_AND_THE_INDIANS"></a>LITTLE BENJAMIN AND THE INDIANS.</h2> - -<p>When he was about eight years old, a party of Indians, who were always -kindly treated by the followers of George Fox, paid their summer visit -to Springfield, and struck with the rude sketches which the boy had made -of birds, fruit, and flowers, they taught him to prepare the red and -yellow colors with which they stained their weapons and ornamented their -skins; his mother added indigo, and thus he was possessed of three -primary colors. The Indians also instructed him in archery.</p> - -<h2><a name="HIS_CATS_TAIL_PENCILS" id="HIS_CATS_TAIL_PENCILS"></a>HIS CAT’S TAIL PENCILS.</h2> - -<p>The wants of the child increased with his knowledge; he could draw, and -had colors, but how to lay them on skillfully, he could not conceive; a -pen would not answer, and he tried feathers with no bet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_31" id="page_31">{31}</a></span>ter success; a -neighbor informed him that it was done with a camel’s hair pencil, but -as such a thing was not to be had, he bethought himself of the cat, and -supplied himself from her back and tail. The cat was a favorite, and the -altered condition of her fur was attributed to disease, till the boy’s -confession explained the cause, much to the amusement of his parents and -friends. His cat’s tail pencils enabled him to make more satisfactory -efforts than he had before done.</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_FIRST_PICTURE" id="WESTS_FIRST_PICTURE"></a>WEST’S FIRST PICTURE.</h2> - -<p>When he was only eight years old, a merchant of Philadelphia, named -Pennington, and a cousin of the Wests, was so much pleased with the -sketches of little Benjamin, that he sent him a box of paints and -pencils, with canvass prepared for the easel, and six engravings by -Gribelin. The child was perfectly enraptured with his treasure; he -carried the box about in his arms, and took it to his bedside, but could -not sleep. He rose with the dawn, carried his canvass and colors to the -garret, hung up the engravings, prepared a palette, and commenced work. -So completely was he under this species of enchantment, that he absented -himself from school, labored secretly and incessantly, and without -interruption, for several days, when the anxious inquiries of his -schoolmaster introduced his mother into his <i>studio</i>, with no pleasure -in her looks. He had avoided copyism, and made a picture, com<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_32" id="page_32">{32}</a></span>posed from -two of the engravings, telling a new story, and colored with a skill and -effect which, to her eyes, appeared wonderful. Galt, who wrote West’s -life, and had the story from the artist’s own lips, says, “She kissed -him with transports of affection, and assured him that she would not -only intercede with his father to pardon him for having absented himself -from school, but would go herself to the master, and beg that he might -not be punished. Sixty-seven years afterwards the writer of these -memoirs had the gratification to see this piece, in the same room with -the sublime painting of Christ Rejected (West’s brother had sent it to -him from Springfield), on which occasion the painter declared to him -that there were inventive touches of art in his first and juvenile -essay, which, with all his subsequent knowledge and experience, he had -not been able to surpass.” A similar story is told of Canova, who -visited his native place towards the close of his brilliant career, and -looking earnestly at his youthful performances, sorrowfully said, “I -have been walking, but not climbing.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_FIRST_VISIT_TO_PHILADELPHIA" id="WESTS_FIRST_VISIT_TO_PHILADELPHIA"></a>WEST’S FIRST VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA.</h2> - -<p>In the ninth year of his age, he accompanied his relative Pennington to -Philadelphia, and executed a view of the banks of the river, which so -much pleased a painter named Williams, that he took him to his studio, -and showed him all his pictures, at the sight of which he was so -affected that he burst into<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_33" id="page_33">{33}</a></span> tears. The artist, surprised, declared like -Peckover that Benjamin would be a remarkable man; he gave him two books, -Du Fresnoy, and Richardson on Painting, and invited him to call whenever -he pleased, to see his pictures. From this time, Benjamin resolved to -become a painter, and returned home with the love of painting too firmly -implanted to be eradicated. His parents, also, though the art was not -approved by the Friends, now openly encouraged him, being strongly -impressed with the opinion that he was <i>predestinated</i> to become a great -artist.</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_AMBITION" id="WESTS_AMBITION"></a>WEST’S AMBITION.</h2> - -<p>His notions of a painter at this time were also very grand, as the -following characteristic anecdote will show. One of his school-fellows -allured him, on a half holiday from school, to take a ride with him to a -neighboring plantation. “Here is the horse, bridled and saddled,” said -the boy, “so come, get up behind me.” “Behind you!” said Benjamin; “I -will ride behind nobody.” “Oh, very well,” replied the other; “I will -ride behind you, so mount.” He mounted accordingly, and away they rode. -“This is the last ride I shall have for some time,” said his companion; -“to-morrow I am to be apprenticed to a tailor.” “A tailor!” exclaimed -West; “you will surely never be a tailor?” “Indeed but I shall,” replied -the other; “it is a good trade. What do you intend to be, Benjamin?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_34" id="page_34">{34}</a></span>” “A -painter.” “A painter! what sort of a trade is a painter? I never heard -of it before.” “A painter,” said West, “is the companion of kings and -emperors.” “You are surely mad,” said the embryo tailor; “there are -neither kings nor emperors in America.” “Aye, but there are plenty in -other parts of the world. And do you really intend to be a tailor?” -“Indeed I do; there is nothing surer.” “Then you may ride alone,” said -the future companion of kings and emperors, leaping down; “I will not -ride with one who is willing to be a tailor!”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_FIRST_PATRONS" id="WESTS_FIRST_PATRONS"></a>WEST’S FIRST PATRONS.</h2> - -<p>West’s first patron was Mr. Wayne, the father of General Anthony Wayne, -who gave him a dollar a piece for two small pictures he made on poplar -boards which a carpenter had given him. Another patron was Mr. Flower, a -justice of Chester, who took young West to his house for a short time, -where he was made acquainted with a young English lady, governess to Mr. -Flower’s daughters, who had a good knowledge of art, and told him -stories of Greek and Roman history, fit for a painter’s pencil. He had -never before heard of the heroes, philosophers, poets, painters, and -historians of Greece and Rome, and he listened while the lady spoke of -them, with an enthusiasm which he loved to live over again in his old -age. His first painting which attracted much notice was a portrait of -Mrs. Ross,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_35" id="page_35">{35}</a></span> a very beautiful lady, the wife of a lawyer of Lancaster. -The picture was regarded as a wonderful performance, and gained him so -much reputation, says Galt, “that the citizens came in such crowds to -sit to the boy for portraits, that he had some trouble in meeting the -demand.” At the same time, a gunsmith, named Henry, who had a classic -turn, commissioned him to paint a picture of the Death of Socrates. West -forthwith made a sketch which his employer thought excellent, but he now -began to see his difficulties, and feel his deficiencies. “I have -hitherto painted faces,” said he, “and people clothed. What am I to do -with the slave who presents the poison? He ought, I think, to be painted -naked.” Henry went to his shop, and returned with one of his workmen, a -handsome young negro man half naked, saying, “There is your model.” He -accordingly introduced him into his picture, which excited great -attention.</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_EDUCATION" id="WESTS_EDUCATION"></a>WEST’S EDUCATION.</h2> - -<p>West was now fifteen years old. Dr. Smith, Provost of the College at -Philadelphia, happened to see him at Lancaster, and perceiving his -wonderful talents, and that his education was being neglected, -generously proposed to his father to take him with him to Philadelphia, -where he proposed to direct his studies, and to instruct him in all the -learning most important for a painter to know.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_36" id="page_36">{36}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_DEDICATION_TO_ART" id="WESTS_DEDICATION_TO_ART"></a>WEST’S DEDICATION TO ART.</h2> - -<p>The art of painting being regarded by the Quakers as not only useless -but pernicious, “in preserving voluptuous images, and adding to the -sensual gratifications of man,” Mr. West determined to submit the matter -to the wisdom of the Society, before giving a positive answer. He -accordingly sent for his son to attend the solemn assembly. The Friends -met, and the spirit of speech first descended on John Williamson, who, -according to Galt, thus spake: “To John West and Sarah Pearson, a -man-child hath been born, on whom God hath conferred some remarkable -gifts of mind; and you have all heard that, by something amounting to -inspiration, the youth has been induced to study the art of painting. It -is true that our tenets refuse to own the utility of that art to -mankind, but it seemeth to me that we have considered the matter too -nicely. God hath bestowed on this youth a genius for art—shall we -question his wisdom? Can we believe that he gives such rare gifts but -for a wise and good purpose? I see the Divine hand in this; we shall do -well to sanction the art and encourage this youth.” The Quakers gave -their unanimous consent, and summoned the youth before them. He came, -and took his station in the middle of the room, his father on his right -hand, his mother on his left, while around him gathered the whole -assembly. One of the women first spake, but the words of Williamson, -says Galt, are alone remembered. “Painting,” said he, “has hitherto<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_37" id="page_37">{37}</a></span> -been employed to embellish life, to preserve voluptuous images, and add -to the sensual gratifications of men. For this we classed it among vain -and merely ornamental things, and excluded it from amongst us. But this -is not the principle but the mis-employment of painting. In wise and -pure hands, it rises in the scale of moral excellence, and displays a -loftiness of sentiment, and a devout dignity, worthy of the -contemplation of Christians. I think genius is given by God for some -high purpose. What the purpose is, let us not inquire—it will be -manifest in His own good time and way. He hath in this remote wilderness -endowed with rich gifts of a superior spirit this youth, who has now our -consent to cultivate his talents for art; may it be demonstrated in his -life and works, that the gifts of God have not been bestowed in vain, -nor the motives of the beneficent inspiration, which induces us to -suspend the strict operations of our tenets, prove barren of religious -and moral effect!” At the conclusion of this address, says Galt, the -women rose and kissed the young artist, and the men, one by one, laid -their hands on his head. The scene made so strong an impression on the -mind of West, that he looked upon himself as expressly dedicated to art, -and considered this release from the strict tenets of his sect, as -enjoining on his part a covenant to employ his powers on subjects pure -and holy. The grave simplicity of the Quaker continued to the last in -his looks, manners, and deportment; and the moral rec<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_38" id="page_38">{38}</a></span>titude and -internal purity of the man were diffused through all his productions.</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_EARLY_PRICES" id="WESTS_EARLY_PRICES"></a>WEST’S EARLY PRICES.</h2> - -<p>At about eighteen years of age, West commenced portrait painting as a -profession in Philadelphia. His extreme youth, the peculiar -circumstances of his history, and his undoubted merit, brought him many -sitters. His prices were very humble—$12.50 for a head, and $25 for a -full-length; all the money he thus laboriously earned, he carefully -treasured, to secure, at some future period, the means of travel and -study; for his sagacious mind perceived that travel not only influenced -public opinion, but was absolutely necessary for him if he wished to -excel, especially in historical painting. There were no galleries in -America; he knew that the masterpieces of art were in Italy, and he had -already set his heart on visiting that delightful country. He made a -copy of a picture of St. Ignatius, by Murillo, which had been captured -in a Spanish vessel, and belonged to Governor Hamilton; he also painted -a large picture for Mr. Cox, from the history of Susanna, the Elders, -and Daniel, in which he introduced no less than forty figures. This work -gained him great reputation, and West always considered it the -masterpiece of his youth; it was afterwards unfortunately destroyed by -fire. After having painted the portraits of all who desired it in -Philadelphia, he proceeded to New York, where he opened a stu<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_39" id="page_39">{39}</a></span>dio, and -Dunlap says for eleven months he had all the portraits he could execute, -at double the prices he had charged in Philadelphia. An opportunity now -presented itself, which enabled him to gratify his long cherished desire -of going to Italy. The harvest had partially failed in that country, and -Mr. Allen, a merchant of Philadelphia, was loading a ship with wheat and -flour for Leghorn. He had resolved to send his son as supercargo, to -give him the benefit of travel, and West’s invaluable friend, Provost -Smith, made arrangements for the young painter to accompany the young -merchant. It happened that a New York merchant, of the name of Kelly, -was sitting for his portrait when this good news arrived, and West with -joy spoke to him of the great advantage he expected to derive from a -residence of two or three years in Italy. The portrait being finished, -Mr. Kelly paid him ten guineas, and gave him a letter to his agent in -Philadelphia, which, on being presented, proved to be an order from the -generous merchant to pay him fifty guineas, as “a present to aid in his -equipment for Italy.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_ARRIVAL_AT_ROME" id="WESTS_ARRIVAL_AT_ROME"></a>WEST’S ARRIVAL AT ROME.</h2> - -<p>West arrived at Rome on the 10th of July, 1760, in the 22d year of his -age. Cunningham thus describes his reception: “When it was known that a -young American had come to study Raffaelle and Michael Angelo, some -curiosity was excited among the Roman virtuosi. The first fortunate -exhibitor of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_40" id="page_40">{40}</a></span> this lion from the western wilderness was Lord Grantham, -the English ambassador, to whom West had letters. He invited West to -dinner, and afterwards took him to an evening party, where he found -almost all those persons to whom he had brought letters of introduction. -Among the rest was Cardinal Albani, who, though old and blind, had such -delicacy of touch that he was considered supreme in all matters of -judgment regarding medals and intaglios. ‘I have the honor,’ said Lord -Grantham, ‘to present you a young American, who has a letter for your -Eminence, and who has come to Italy for the purpose of studying the Fine -Arts.’ The Cardinal knew so little of the New World, that he conceived -an American must needs be a savage. ‘Is he black or white?’ said the -aged virtuoso, holding out both hands, that he might have the -satisfaction of touching, at least, this new wonder. Lord Grantham -smiled and said, ‘he is fair—very fair.’ ‘What! as fair as I am?’ -exclaimed the prelate. Now the complexion of the churchman was a deep -olive—that of West more than commonly fair; and as they stood together, -the company smiled. ‘As fair as the Cardinal,’ became for a while -proverbial. Others, who had the use of their eyes, seemed to consider -the young American as at most a better kind of savage, and accordingly -were curious to watch him. They wished to try what effect the Apollo, -the Venus, and the works of Raffaelle would have upon him, and thirty of -the most magnificent equipages in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_41" id="page_41">{41}</a></span> the capital, filled with some of the -most erudite characters in Europe, says Galt, conducted the young Quaker -to view the masterpieces of art. It was agreed that the Apollo should be -first submitted to his view; the statue was enclosed in a case, and when -the keeper threw open the doors, West unconsciously exclaimed, ‘My God! -a young Mohawk warrior!’ The Italians were surprised and mortified with -the comparison of their noblest statue to a wild savage; and West, -perceiving the unfavorable impression, proceeded to remove it. He -described the Mohawks, the natural elegance and admirable symmetry of -their persons, the elasticity of their limbs, and their motions free and -unconstrained. ‘I have seen them often,’ he continued, ‘standing in the -attitude of this Apollo, and pursuing with an intense eye the arrow -which they had just discharged from the bow.’ The Italians cleared their -moody brows, and allowed that a better criticism had rarely been made. -West was no longer a barbarian.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_EARLY_FRIENDS" id="WESTS_EARLY_FRIENDS"></a>WEST’S EARLY FRIENDS.</h2> - -<p>The excitement to which West was subjected at Rome, his intense -application, and his anxiety to distinguish himself, brought on a fever, -and for a time, interrupted his studies; by the advice of his -physicians, he returned to Leghorn, for the benefit of the sea air, -where, after a lingering sickness of eleven months, he was completely -cured. But he found his funds almost exhausted, and he began to des<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_42" id="page_42">{42}</a></span>pair -of being able to prosecute his studies according to the proposed plan. -He called on his agents, to take up the last ten pounds he had in the -world, when to his astonishment and joy, he was handed a letter of -unlimited credit from his old friends in Philadelphia, Mr. Allen and -Governor Hamilton; they had heard of his glorious reception at Rome, and -his success with the portrait of Lord Grantham. At a dinner, one day, -with Governor Hamilton, Mr Allen said, “I regard this young man as an -honor to his country, and as he is the first that America has sent out -to cultivate the Fine Arts, he shall not be frustrated in his studies, -for I shall send him whatever money he may require.” “I think with you, -sir,” replied Hamilton, “but you must not have all the honor to -yourself; allow me to unite with you in the responsibility of the -credit.” Those who befriend genius when it is struggling for -distinction, are public benefactors, and their names should be held in -grateful remembrance. The names of Hamilton, Allen, Smith, Kelly, -Jackson, Rutherford, and Lord Grantham, must be dear to all the admirers -of West; they aided him in the infancy of his fame and fortune, cheered -him when he was drooping and desponding; and watched over his person and -purse with the vigilance of true friendship. West always expressed his -deepest obligation to these generous men, and it was at his particular -request that Galt recorded their names, and their deeds.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_43" id="page_43">{43}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_COURSE_OF_STUDY" id="WESTS_COURSE_OF_STUDY"></a>WEST’S COURSE OF STUDY.</h2> - -<p>West now proceeded with redoubled alacrity, to execute the plan -recommended by Mengs. He visited Florence, Bologna, Parma, and Venice, -and diligently examined everything worth studying. He everywhere -received marks of attention, and was elected a member of the Academies -of Florence, Bologna, and Parma. In the latter city, he painted and -presented to the Academy, a copy of the famous St. Jerome by Correggio, -“of such excellence,” says Galt, “that the reigning prince desired to -see the artist. He went to court, and to the utter astonishment of the -attendants, appeared with his hat on. The prince was familiar with the -tenets of the Quakers, and was a lover of William Penn; he received the -young artist with complacency, and dismissed him with many expressions -of regard.” West returned to Rome, where he painted two pictures which -were highly commended, one of Cimon and Iphigenia, and the other of -Angelica and Medora. At Venice, he particularly studied the works of -Titian, and Cunningham says, “he imagined he had discovered his -principles of coloring.”</p> - -<h2><a name="A_REMARKABLE_PROPHECY" id="A_REMARKABLE_PROPHECY"></a>A REMARKABLE PROPHECY.</h2> - -<p>As West was conversing one evening with Gavin Hamilton in the British -Coffee House, at Rome, an old man, with a long and flowing beard and a -harp in his hand, entered and offered his services as an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_44" id="page_44">{44}</a></span> improvisatore -bard. “Here is an American,” said the wily Scot, “come to study the Fine -Arts in Rome; take him for your theme, and, it is a magnificent one.” -The minstrel casting a glance at West, who never in his life could -perceive what a joke was, commenced his song. “I behold in this youth an -instrument chosen by heaven to create in his native country a taste for -those arts which have elevated the nature of man—an assurance that his -land will be the refuge of science and knowledge, when in the old age of -Europe they shall have forsaken her shores. All things of heavenly -origin move westward, and Truth, and Art, have their periods of light -and darkness. Rejoice, O Rome, for thy spirit immortal and undecayed now -spreads towards a new world, where, like the soul of man in Paradise, it -will be perfected more and more.” The prediction of Peckover, the fond -expressions of his beloved mother, and his solemn dedication to art, -rushed upon West’s memory, and he burst into tears; and even in his -riper years, he was willing to consider the poor mendicant’s song as -another prophecy.</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_FONDNESS_FOR_SKATING" id="WESTS_FONDNESS_FOR_SKATING"></a>WEST’S FONDNESS FOR SKATING.</h2> - -<p>There are other minor matters, says Cunningham, which help a man on to -fame and fortune. West was a skillful skater, and in America had formed -an acquaintance on the ice with Colonel Howe. One day, the painter -having tied on his skates at the Serpentine, was astonishing the timid -practitioners of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_45" id="page_45">{45}</a></span> London with the rapidity of his motions, and the -graceful figure which he cut. Some one shouted “West! West!” It was -Colonel Howe. “I am glad to see you,” said he, “and not less so that you -came in good time to vindicate my praises of American skating.” He -called to him Lord Spencer Hamilton, and some of the Cavendishes, to -whom he introduced West as one of the Philadelphia prodigies of skating, -and requested him to show them what was called “the Salute.” He -performed this feat so much to their satisfaction that they spread the -praises of the American skater all over London. West was exceedingly -fond of this invigorating amusement, and used frequently to gratify -large crowds by cutting the Philadelphia Salute. Cunningham says, “Many -to the praise of skating, added panegyrics on his professional skill, -and not a few to vindicate their applause, followed him to his easel, -and sat for their portraits.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WESTS_DEATH_OF_WOLFE" id="WESTS_DEATH_OF_WOLFE"></a>WEST’S DEATH OF WOLFE.</h2> - -<p>A change was now to be effected in the character of British art. -Hitherto, historical painting had appeared in a masking habit; the -actions of Englishmen, says Cunningham, had all been performed, if -costume were to be believed, by Greeks and Romans. West dismissed at -once this pedantry, and restored nature and propriety in his noble work -of “the Death of Wolfe.” The multitude acknowledged its excellence at -once, on its being exhibited<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_46" id="page_46">{46}</a></span> at the Royal Academy; but the lovers of -old art, or of the compositions called <i>classical</i>, complained of the -barbarism of boots, buttons, and blunderbusses, and cried out for naked -warriors, with bows, bucklers, and battering rams. Lord Grosvenor was so -pleased with the picture, that, disregarding the frowns of amateurs, and -the cold approbation of the Academy, he purchased it. Galt says that the -king questioned West concerning this picture, and put him on his defense -of this new heresy in art. “When it was understood,” said the artist, -“that I intended to paint the characters as they had actually appeared -on the scene, the Archbishop of York called on Reynolds, and asked his -opinion; they both came to my house to dissuade me from running so great -a risk. Reynolds began a very ingenious and elegant dissertation on the -state of the public taste in this country, and the danger which every -innovator incurred of contempt and ridicule, and concluded by urging me -earnestly to adopt the costume of antiquity, as more becoming the -greatness of my subject than the modern garb of European warriors. I -answered that the event to be commemorated happened in the year 1758, in -a region of the world unknown to the Greeks and Romans, and at a period -of time when no warriors who wore such costume existed. The subject I -have to represent is a great battle fought and won, and the same truth -which gives law to the historian, should rule the painter. If instead of -the facts of the ac<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_47" id="page_47">{47}</a></span>tion, I introduce fiction, how shall I be understood -by posterity? The classic dress is certainly picturesque, but by using -it, I shall lose in sentiment what I gain in external grace. I want to -mark the place, the time, and the people, and to do this, I must abide -by truth. They went away, and returned again when I had finished the -painting. Reynolds seated himself before the picture, examined it with -deep and minute attention for half an hour; then rising, said to -Drummond, ‘West has conquered; he has treated his subject as it ought to -be treated; I retract my objections. I foresee that this picture will -not only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution -in art.’ ‘I wish,’ said the king, ‘that I had known all this before, for -the objection has been the means of Lord Grosvenor’s getting the -picture; but you shall make a copy for me.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELO" id="MICHAEL_ANGELO"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO.</h2> - -<p>Michael Angelo was descended from the noble family of Canosa. From his -earliest infancy, he discovered a passion for drawing and sculpture. It -is said that his nurse was the wife of a poor sculptor, or as some say, -a mason. His father, Lodovico Simone Buonarotti, intended him for one of -the learned professions, and placed him in a grammar school at Florence. -Here young Angelo soon manifested the greatest fondness for drawing, and -became quite intimate with the students in painting. The decided<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_48" id="page_48">{48}</a></span> bent -of his genius induced his parents, against their wishes, to place him at -the age of fourteen under the instruction of Domenico Ghirlandaio. He -made such rapid progress, that he soon not only surpassed all his fellow -disciples, but even his instructor, so that he was able to correct -Domenico’s drawing.</p> - -<p>While pursuing his studies under Ghirlandaio, he was accustomed to visit -the gardens of the Grand Duke, (Lorenzo the Magnificent) to study the -antique. One day, when he was about fifteen years of age, he found a -piece of marble in the garden, and carved it into the mask of a satyr, -borrowing the design from an antique fragment. Lorenzo, on seeing the -work, was struck with its excellence, and jestingly told the young -Angelo that he had made a mistake in giving a full set of teeth to an -old man. This hint was not lost; the next day it was found that the -artist had broken one of the teeth from the upper jaw, and drilled a -hole in the gum to represent the cavity left by the lost tooth. The -first work executed by Michael Angelo, on his return to Florence from -Bologna, where he had fled on account of the disturbances in the former -city, was a Sleeping Cupid, in marble, which considerably enhanced his -reputation; but so great was the prejudice in favor of the antique, that -by the advice of a friend, Michael Angelo sent his statue to Rome, to -undergo the process of burial, in order to give it the appearance of a -work of ancient art, before it should be submitted to public inspection. -This fraud, like<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_49" id="page_49">{49}</a></span> many of a similar kind at this time practiced, -succeeded completely; and the Cupid was eagerly purchased by the -Cardinal St. Giorgio, for 200 ducats. It was not long before the -Cardinal was told that a trick had been played upon him, and he sent a -person to Florence, in order to ascertain, if possible the truth of the -charge. The latter repaired to the studios of the different artists in -that city, on the pretence of seeing their productions. On visiting the -<i>atelier</i> of Michael Angelo, he requested to see a specimen of his work; -but not having anything finished at the time, he carelessly took up a -pen, and made a sketch of a hand. The Cardinal’s messenger, struck by -the freedom and grandeur of the style, inquired what was the last work -he had executed. The artist, without consideration, answered at the -moment, it was a Sleeping Cupid; and so minutely described the supposed -antique statue, that there remained no doubt whose work it was. The -messenger at once confessed the object of his journey, and so strongly -recommended Michael Angelo to visit Rome, that he soon after went to -that city, on the express invitation of the Cardinal St. Giorgio -himself. Here he executed several admirable works, among which the -Pietá, or dead Christ, has been highly extolled for the great knowledge -of anatomy displayed in the figure. He afterwards returned to Florence, -where he executed his celebrated marble statue of David.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_50" id="page_50">{50}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELO_AND_JULIUS_THE_SECOND" id="MICHAEL_ANGELO_AND_JULIUS_THE_SECOND"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO AND JULIUS THE SECOND.</h2> - -<p>Julius the Second, a patron of genius and learning, having ascended the -papal throne, Michael Angelo was among the first invited to Rome, and -was immediately employed by the pope in the execution of a magnificent -mausoleum. On the completion of the design, it was difficult to find a -site befitting its splendor; and it was finally determined to rebuild -St. Peter’s, in order that this monument might be contained in a -building of corresponding magnificence. Thus originated the design of -that edifice, which was one hundred and fifty years in completion, and -which is now the noblest triumph of architectural genius the world can -boast. The completion of this grand monument was delayed by various -causes during the pontificates of several succeeding popes, until the -time of Paul III. It was not placed in St. Peter’s, as originally -intended, but in the church of S. Pietro, in Vincoli. On this monument -is the celebrated colossal statue of Moses, which ranks Michael Angelo -among the first sculptors, and has contributed largely to his renown.</p> - -<h2><a name="ST_PETERS_CHURCH" id="ST_PETERS_CHURCH"></a>ST. PETER’S CHURCH.</h2> - -<p>Michael Angelo’s greatest architectural work was the cupola of St. -Peter’s church. Bramante, the original architect, had executed his -design only up to the springing of the four great arches of the central -intersection. Giuliano di Sangallo, Giocondo, Raffaelle, Peruzzi, and -Antonio Sangallo, had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_51" id="page_51">{51}</a></span> successively engaged, after Bramante’s -decease, to carry on the work; but during the inert sway of Adrian VI., -and amid the catastrophes of Clement VII., little had been accomplished. -At length Paul III. appointed Michael Angelo to the post of architect, -much against his will, as he was then seventy-two years of age. He -immediately laid aside all the drawings and models of his predecessors, -and taking the simple subject of the original idea, he carried it out -with remarkable purity, divesting it of all the intricacies and -puerilities of the previous successors of Bramante, and by its -unaffected dignity, and unity of conception, he rendered the interior of -the cupola superior to any similar work of modern times. He was engaged -upon it seventeen years, and at the age of eighty-seven he had a model -prepared of the dome, which he carried up to a considerable height; in -fact, to such a point as rendered it impossible to deviate from his -plan; and it was completed in conformity with his design, by Giacomo -della Porta, and Domenico Fontana. The work was greatly delayed in -consequence of the want of necessary funds, or else Michael Angelo would -have himself completed this great monument of his taste and skill. If we -are indebted to Bramante for the first simple plan of the Greek Cross of -St. Peter’s, and the idea of a cupola to crown the centre, still it must -be allowed that to Michael Angelo is due the merit of carrying out the -conception of the original architect, with a beauty of proportion, a -simplicity and unity of form,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_52" id="page_52">{52}</a></span> a combination of dignity and magnificence -of decoration, beyond what even the powers of Bramante could have -effected.</p> - -<p>Such was the unparalleled eminence which this wonderful genius attained -in the three sister arts of sculpture, architecture, and painting. His -chief characteristics were grandeur and sublimity. His powers were -little adapted to represent the gentle and the beautiful; but whatever -in nature partook of the sublime and the terrible, were portrayed by him -with such fidelity and grandeur as intimidates the beholder. Never -before nor since has the world beheld so powerful a genius. The name of -Michael Angelo will be immortal as long as the peopled walls of the -Sistine chapel endure, or the mighty fabric of St. Peter’s rears its -proud dome above the spires of the Eternal city.</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_FIRST_PATRON" id="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_FIRST_PATRON"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO’S FIRST PATRON.</h2> - -<p>Lanzi says that Lorenzo the Magnificent, desirous of encouraging the -statuary art, then on the decline in his country, had collected in his -gardens many antique marbles, which he committed to the care of -Bertoldo. He requested Ghirlandaio to send him a talented young man, to -be educated there, and he sent him Michael Angelo, then a youth of -sixteen. Lorenzo was so pleased with his genius that he took him into -his palace, rather as a relative than a dependent, placing him at the -same table with his own sons, with Poliziano and other learned men who<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_53" id="page_53">{53}</a></span> -graced his residence. During the four years that he remained there, he -laid the foundation of all his acquirements.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_CARTOON_OF_PISA" id="THE_CARTOON_OF_PISA"></a>THE CARTOON OF PISA.</h2> - -<p>According to Condivi, Michael Angelo devoted twelve years to the study -of anatomy, with great injury to his health, and this course “determined -his style, his practice, and his glory.” His perfect knowledge of the -human body was best shown in his famous Cartoon of the Battle of Pisa, -prepared in competition with Leonardo da Vinci, in the saloon of the -public palace at Florence. Angelo did not rest satisfied with -representing the Florentines, cased in armor, and mingling with their -enemies in deadly combat; but choosing the moment of the attack upon the -van, while bathing in the river Arno, he seized the opportunity of -representing many naked figures, as they rushed to arms from the water, -by which he was enabled to introduce a prodigious variety of -foreshortenings, and attitudes the most energetic—in a word, the -highest perfection of his peculiar excellence. Cellini observes of this -work, that “when Michael Angelo painted in the chapel of Julius II., he -did not reach half that dignity;” and Vasari says that “all the artists -who studied and designed after this cartoon, became eminent.”</p> - -<p>This sublime production has perished, and report, though not -authenticated, accuses Baccio Bandinelli of having destroyed it, either -that others might<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_54" id="page_54">{54}</a></span> not derive advantage from its study, or, because of -his partiality to Vinci and his hatred to Buonarotti he wished to remove -a subject of comparison that might exalt the reputation of the latter -above that of the former.</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_LAST_JUDGMENT" id="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_LAST_JUDGMENT"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO’S LAST JUDGMENT.</h2> - -<p>Lanzi says, “In the succeeding pontificates (to that of Julius II.) -Michael Angelo, always occupied in sculpture and architecture, almost -wholly abandoned painting, till he was induced by Paul III. to resume -the pencil. Clement VII. had conceived the design of employing him in -the Sistine chapel, on two other grand historical pictures—the Fall of -the Angels, over the gate; and the Last Judgment, in the opposite -façade, over the altar. Michael Angelo had composed designs for the Last -Judgment, and Paul III. being aware of this, commanded, or rather -entreated, him to commence the work; for he went to his house, -accompanied by ten Cardinals,—an honor, except in this instance, -unknown in the annals of the art.” This sublime work was finished by -Michael Angelo in eight years, and was exhibited in 1541. Vasari says -that at the suggestion of Fra Sebastiano del Piombo, the Pope desired -that it should be painted in oil; but Michael Angelo positively declined -to undertake it, except in fresco, saying “that oil painting was an -employment only fit for women, or idlers of mean capacity.” Varchio in -his funeral oration says, “Such was the delicacy<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_55" id="page_55">{55}</a></span> of his taste that no -artist could please him; and as in sculpture, every pincer, file, and -chisel which he used, was the work of his own hands, so in painting, he -prepared his own colors, and did not commit the mixing and other -necessary manipulations to mechanics and boys.”</p> - -<p>Lanzi says that Michael Angelo must be acknowledged supreme in that -peculiar branch of the profession (the nude), at which he aimed in all -his works, especially in his Last Judgment. “The subject appeared rather -<i>created</i> than selected by him. To a genius so comprehensive, and so -skilled in drawing the human figure, no subject could be better adapted -than the Resurrection; and to an artist who delighted in the awful, no -story more suitable than the day of supernal terrors. He saw Raffaelle -preëminent in every other department of the art; he foresaw that in this -alone could he expect to be triumphant; and perhaps he indulged the hope -that posterity would adjudge the palm to him who excelled all others in -the most arduous walk of art.”</p> - -<p>“The Last Judgment,” says Lanzi, “was filled with such a profusion of -nudity that it was in great danger of being destroyed, from a regard to -the decency of the sanctuary. Paul IV. proposed to whitewash it, and was -hardly appeased with the correction of its most glaring indelicacies, by -some drapery introduced here and there by Daniello da Volterra, on whom -the facetious Romans, from this circumstance, conferred the nickname of -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_56" id="page_56">{56}</a></span> <i>Breeches-maker</i>.” Other corrections were proposed by different -critics, and some alterations made. Angelo was censured for mixing -sacred with profane history; for introducing the angels of revelation -with the Stygian ferryman; Christ sitting in judgment, and Minos -assigning his proper station to each of the damned. To this profanity, -he added satire; in Minos, he portrayed the features of the Master of -Ceremonies, who in the hearing of the pope, had pronounced this picture -more suitable for a Bagnio than a church; and an officious Cardinal, he -placed among the damned, with a fiend dragging him by the testes down to -hell.</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_COLORING" id="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_COLORING"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO’S COLORING.</h2> - -<p>The coloring of Michael Angelo has been generally criticised as being -too cold and inharmonious, but the best critics now consider that it was -admirably adapted to his design. His chief characteristics were grandeur -and sublimity, and whatever partook of the sublime and the terrible, he -portrayed with a fidelity that intimidates the beholder. It is an error -to suppose that he could not color delicately and brilliantly when he -chose. During his residence at Florence, he painted an exquisite Leda -for Alphonso, Duke of Ferrara. Michael Angelo was so much offended at -the manner of one of the courtiers of that prince, who was sent to bring -it to Ferrara, that he refused to let him have it, but made it a present -to his favorite pupil, Antonio Mini, who car<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_57" id="page_57">{57}</a></span>ried it to France. Vasari -describes it as “a grand picture, painted in distemper, that seemed as -if it breathed on the canvass”; and Mariette, in his notes on Condivi, -affirms that he saw the picture, and that “Michael Angelo appeared to -have forgot his usual style, and approached the tone of Titian.” -D’Argenville informs us that the picture was destroyed by fire in the -reign of Louis XIII. Lanzi says, “In chiaro-scuro, Michael Angelo had -not the skill and delicacy of Correggio; but his paintings in the -Vatican have a force and relief much commended by Renfesthein, an -eminent connoisseur, who, on passing from the Sistine chapel to the -Farnesian gallery, remarked how greatly in this respect the Caracci -themselves were eclipsed by Buonarotti.”</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_GRACE" id="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_GRACE"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO’S GRACE.</h2> - -<p>“It is a vulgar error,” says Lanzi, “to suppose that Michael Angelo had -no idea of grace and beauty; the Eve in the Sistine chapel turns to -thank her Maker, on her creation, with an attitude so fine and lovely, -that it would do honor to the school of Raffaelle. Annibale Caracci -admired this, and many other naked figures in this grand ceiling, so -highly that he proposed them to himself as models in the art, and -according to Bellori, preferred them to the Last Judgment, which -appeared to him to be too anatomical.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_58" id="page_58">{58}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_OIL_PAINTINGS" id="MICHAEL_ANGELOS_OIL_PAINTINGS"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO’S OIL PAINTINGS.</h2> - -<p>It has long been a disputed point whether Michael Angelo ever painted in -oil; but it has been ascertained by Lanzi that the Holy Family in the -Florentine gallery, which is the only picture by him supposed to be -painted in oil, is in reality in distemper. Many of his designs, -however, were executed in oil by his cotemporaries, especially -Sebastiano del Piombo, Jacopo da Pontormo, and Marcello Venusti. Fresco -painting was better adapted to the elevated character of his -composition, which required a simple and solid system of coloring, -rather subdued than enlivened, and producing a grand and impressive -effect, which could not have been expressed by the glittering splendor -of oil painting. There are many oil paintings erroneously attributed to -him in the galleries at Rome, Florence, Milan, the Imperial gallery at -Vienna, and elsewhere. (See Spooner’s Dict. of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects; table of <i>Imitators</i>.)</p> - -<h2><a name="MICHAEL_ANGELO_HIS_PROPHETS_AND_JULIUS_II" id="MICHAEL_ANGELO_HIS_PROPHETS_AND_JULIUS_II"></a>MICHAEL ANGELO, HIS PROPHETS, AND JULIUS II.</h2> - -<p>When Michael Angelo had finished the works in the Sistine chapel which -Julius II. had commanded him to paint, the Pope, not appreciating their -native dignity and simplicity, told him that “the chapel appeared cold -and mean, and there wanted some brilliancy of coloring, and some gilding -to be added to it.” “Holy father,” replied the artist, “formerly men did -not dress as they do now, in gold and sil<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_59" id="page_59">{59}</a></span>ver; those personages whom I -have represented in my pictures in the chapel, were not persons of -wealth, but saints, who were divinely inspired, and despised pomp and -riches.”</p> - -<h2><a name="BON-MOTS_OF_MICHAEL_ANGELO" id="BON-MOTS_OF_MICHAEL_ANGELO"></a>BON-MOTS OF MICHAEL ANGELO.</h2> - -<p>Michael Angelo was a true poet. He was endowed with a ready wit and -consummate eloquence. His bon-mots, recorded by Dati, rival those of the -Grecian painters, and he was esteemed one of the most witty and lively -men of his time.</p> - -<p>When he had finished his statue of Julius II. for the Bolognese, the -Pope thought it too severe, and said to him, “Angelo, my statue appears -rather to curse than to bless the good people of Bologna.” “Holy -father,” replied the artist, “as they have not always been the most -obedient of your subjects, it will teach them to be afraid of you, and -to behave better in future.”</p> - -<p>Under the pontificate of Julius III., the faction of San Gallo went so -far, as to prevail upon the Pope to appoint a committee to examine the -fabric. Angelo paid no attention to the cavils of his enemies. Finally -the Pope summoned him before him, and told him that a particular part of -the church was too dark. “Who told you that, holy father?” said Angelo. -“I did,” interrupted the Cardinal Marcello. “Your eminence should -consider, then,” said the artist, casting at the prelate a look of cool -contempt, “that besides the window<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_60" id="page_60">{60}</a></span> there is at present, I have designed -three more in the ceiling of the church!” “You did not tell me that,” -replied the Cardinal. “No indeed, I did not, sir. I am not obliged to -tell you; nor would I ever consent to be obliged to tell your eminence, -or any person whomsoever, anything concerning it. Your business is to -take care that money is plenty at Rome; that there are no thieves there; -to let me alone; and to permit me to go on with my plan as I please.”</p> - -<p>When asked why he did not marry, he replied that “his art was his -mistress, and gave him trouble enough.” Again, that “an artist should -never cease to learn.” When told that some one had performed a -remarkable feat in painting with his fingers, he said, “Why don’t the -blockhead use his brush?” When shown Titian’s Danaë, he observed, “What -a pity these Venetians do not study design.” Of the Gates of Ghiberti, -he said, “they are fit to adorn the portals of Paradise.”</p> - -<h2><a name="WASHINGTON_ALLSTON" id="WASHINGTON_ALLSTON"></a>WASHINGTON ALLSTON.</h2> - -<p>“Soon after Allston’s marriage with his first wife, the sister of the -late Dr. Channing, he made his second visit to Europe. After a residence -there of a little more than a year, his pecuniary wants became very -pressing and urgent—more so than at any other period of his life. On -one of these occasions, as he himself used to narrate the event, he was -in his studio, reflecting with a feeling of almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_61" id="page_61">{61}</a></span> desperation upon his -condition. His conscience seemed to tell him that he had deserved his -afflictions, and drawn them upon himself, by his want of due gratitude -for past favors from heaven. His heart, all at once, seemed filled with -the hope that God would listen to his prayers, if he would offer up his -direct expressions of penitence, and ask for divine aid. He accordingly -locked his door, withdrew to a corner of the room, threw himself upon -his knees, and prayed for a loaf of bread for himself and his wife. -While thus employed, a knock was heard at the door. A feeling of -momentary shame at being detected in this position, and a feeling of -fear lest he might have been observed, induced him to hasten and open -the door. A stranger inquired for Mr. Allston. He was anxious to learn -who was the fortunate purchaser of the painting of “Angel Uriel,” -regarded by the artist as one of his masterpieces, and which had won the -prize at the exhibition of the Academy. He was told that it had not been -sold. “Can it be possible? Not sold! Where is it to be had?” “In this -very room. Here it is,” producing the painting from a corner, and wiping -off the dust. “It is for sale—but its value has never yet, to my idea -of its worth, been adequately appreciated—and I would not part with -it.” “What is its price?” “I have done affixing any nominal sum. I have -always, so far, exceeded my offers. I leave it for you to name the -price.” “Will four hundred pounds be an adequate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_62" id="page_62">{62}</a></span> recompense?” “It is -more than I have ever asked for it.” “Then the painting is mine.” The -stranger introduced himself as the Marquis of Stafford; and he became, -from that moment, one of the warmest friends of Mr. Allston. By him Mr. -A. was introduced to the society of the nobility and gentry; and he -became one of the most favored among the many gifted minds that adorned -the circle, in which he was never fond of appearing often.</p> - -<p>“The instantaneous relief thus afforded by the liberality of this noble -visitor, was always regarded by Allston as a direct answer to his -prayer, and it made a deep impression upon his mind. To this event he -was ever after wont to attribute the increase of devotional feelings -which became a prominent trait in his character.”—<i>Boston Atlas.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="ALLSTONS_DEATH" id="ALLSTONS_DEATH"></a>ALLSTON’S DEATH.</h2> - -<p>“Notwithstanding the general respect which is manifested to the memory -of this distinguished artist, there are unsympathising, ice-hearted men -of the world who yet reproach him for uncontrollable events in his -career.</p> - -<p>The actions of the painter, the poet, and the musician, are dictated -often by other motives than those impelling the arm of the mechanic, or -the tongue of the advocate. Men of genius are of a more delicate -organization than those possessing inferior abilities, and are swayed by -emotions the most lofty that can actuate humanity. The world’s neglect,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_63" id="page_63">{63}</a></span> -the contempt of critics, depressed spirits induced by pecuniary -embarrassments, blast their hopes, enervate their energies, and deprive -them of the potency to cope with the heartless world.</p> - -<p>Men there are who would visit the generous Allston with censure, -because, while laboring under disappointments, ill health, and crushed -anticipations, he failed to finish his painting of Belshazzar’s Feast, a -theme that possibly became uncongenial to his pencil. May their ill -feeling be forgotten, and, if the fountain of their sympathies be not -wholly dried up, may it yield a little lenity towards one of America’s -noblest sons.</p> - -<p>It may not be inappropriate to insert a tribute to the memory of -Allston, which will serve to vindicate his character from his aspersers, -and exhibit it as traced by one for many years connected with him by the -dearest ties of friendship:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -‘<span class="smcap">Paris</span>, November, 1843.<br /> -</p> - -<p>The Duke de Luynes, a French nobleman, has lately given a -commission to Monsieur Ingres, the painter, recently Director of -the French Academy of Arts in Rome, to decorate his palace at -Dampierre with a series of pictures, the subjects of which I have -not heard. One hundred thousand francs are allowed to the artist -for this work. M. Ingres was a student at Rome, pensioned by his -government, at the time Mr. W. Allston and my<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_64" id="page_64">{64}</a></span>self were there -pursuing the same studies—not, however, aided by a government.</p> - -<p>When the melancholy news of the death of my much regretted friend -and fellow artist reached here, which was about the time the above -favor was granted to M. Ingres, I could not but reflect on the less -fortunate destiny of our highly accomplished countryman, whose -muse, alas! was doomed to linger out a languid existence in a state -of society unfavorable to the arts, or at least where there was -little to encourage and sustain them, compared with the capitals in -Europe where he had lived and studied. Such an indifference to the -arts is not confined to one section of our country, but pervades -the whole United States.</p> - -<p>It is indeed a subject of regret that so highly-gifted an artist -should not have been commissioned to ornament some public building, -or private mansion of opulence, with a series of pictures in the -free style of fresco, comprising poetical designs and landscapes, -in which he was so superior, instead of being subjected to finish a -picture which, from some cause, he had become dissatisfied with, -for the prosecution of which he found himself debarred of even the -advantages of models and costume, not to mention those of a less -material nature—the absence of all the great models of art to -kindle and inspire his genius, etc. A work of the kind before -suggested would admit of a free execution, independent in a degree -of models and costume. Such a commis<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_65" id="page_65">{65}</a></span>sion, I am persuaded, would -have cheered up his spirit, and called forth fresh images from his -fancy. It is ever to be regretted that he was not employed in this -way; had he been, our country would no doubt have had a beautiful -creation from a highly cultivated and poetic mind, now forever -lost.</p> - -<p>No one who was ever acquainted with the subject of this notice, but -must feel sincere regret, also, that so fair and amiable a -character was not soothed in his latter years with all the ease and -comfort of mind and body that the world could bestow, which thus -far has been seldom if ever the lot of his profession in our -country. How many there are who have not undergone half the -fatigue, physical or mental, endured by Mr. Allston—not to mention -the far greater amount of time and money expended in the -acquisition of his profession than in most other pursuits—yet have -secured to themselves the means to reach the decline of life in a -condition to assure ease and comfort. Such is the unequal -compensation of the world.</p> - -<p>When I look back some five or six-and-thirty years, when we were -both in Rome, and next-door neighbors on the <i>Trinita del Monte</i>, -and in the spring of life, full of enthusiasm for our art, and -fancying fair prospects awaiting us in after years—and few -certainly had more right than my worthy colleague to look towards -such a futurity—it is painful to reflect how far these hopes have -been from being realized. Such may be the lot of a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_66" id="page_66">{66}</a></span> many; -still we may believe and hope that so melancholy an example rarely -occurs.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">J. Vanderlyn.</span>”<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>The Art-Union of New-York have struck a commemorative medal, with -Allston’s face on the obverse side; and thus is the great artist -rewarded.</p> - -<p>Genius, that breaks the fetters encircling the mind, is fated to drink -life’s bitterest cup to the dregs. After earth has flung the gem away, -she proclaims its value.</p> - -<p>Reformers must be martyrs. Every Socrates must quaff his hemlock—every -Burns pine in unpitied poverty. In life, the artist appears on the -reverse side of the world’s medal—in death, on the obverse.”—<i>Dewey -Fay.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="AMERICAN_PATRONAGE_AT_HOME_AND_ABROAD" id="AMERICAN_PATRONAGE_AT_HOME_AND_ABROAD"></a>AMERICAN PATRONAGE AT HOME AND ABROAD.</h2> - -<p>The writer has frequently heard our artists bitterly complain of the -meanness of their countrymen in patronizing everything foreign, not only -at home but abroad. It is mortifying enough to them to see the palaces -of many of our merchant princes <i>disgraced</i>, not <i>adorned</i>, with a -multitude of modern flashy French pictures, without a single piece by a -native artist. How cutting then must be the slight to those young -artists, who, having gone to Italy for improvement, are visited in their -studios, by their countrymen, who, desirous of bringing home some copies -of favorite pictures, give their commissions to foreigners. Our young -artists, during their resi<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_67" id="page_67">{67}</a></span>dence abroad, are generally poor, and -frequently undergo every privation to enable them to achieve the object -of their ambition. Weir says that at one time during his residence at -Rome, he was obliged “to live on ten cents a day for a month.” -Greenough, during his second visit to Italy, was almost driven to -despair. Mr. J. Fenimore Cooper found him in this deplorable state in -1829, and gave him a commission for his beautiful group of Chanting -Cherubs. He had already distinguished himself by several admirable busts -of John Quincy Adams, Chief Justice Marshall, Henry Clay, and others, -but this was the first commission he had ever received for a group. The -grateful sculptor says in a letter to Mr. Dunlap, “Mr. Fenimore Cooper -saved me from despair, after my second return to Italy. He employed me -as I wished to be employed; and has, up to this moment, been a father to -me in kindness.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cooper, in a letter published in the New-York American, April 30, -1831, says:</p> - -<p>“Most of our people, who come to Italy, employ the artists of the -country to make copies, under the impression that they will be both -cheaper and better, than those done by Americans, studying here. My own -observation has led me to adopt a different course. I am well assured -that few things are done for us by Europeans, under the same sense of -responsibility, as when they work for customers near home. The very -occupation of the copyist, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_68" id="page_68">{68}</a></span>fers some want of that original capacity, -without which no man can impart to a work, however exact it may be in -its mechanical details, the charm of expression. In the case of Mr. -Greenough, I was led even to try the experiment of an original. The -difference in value between an original and a copy is so greatly in -favor of the former, with anything like approach to success, that I am -surprised that more of our amateurs are not induced to command them. The -little group I have sent home, (the Chanting Cherubs) will always have -an interest that can belong to no other work of the same character. It -is the first effort of a young artist who bids fair to build for himself -a name, and whose life will be connected with the history of the art in -that country which is so soon to occupy such a place in the world. It is -more; it is probably the first group ever completed by an American -sculptor.”</p> - -<p>When this beautiful group had been exhibited a sufficient time in the -United States, to bring its merits before the public, Mr. Cooper, in the -hope of influencing the government to employ Greenough on a statue of -Washington, wrote to the President, and to Mr. McLane the Secretary of -the Treasury, strongly urging the plan of a statue of the “Father of his -Country,” by the first American sculptor who had shown himself competent -to so great a task. He was successful, and Congress commissioned -Greenough to execute a statue of Washington for the Capitol. The -sculptor received the intelligence<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_69" id="page_69">{69}</a></span> with transports of delight, but when -he had had time for reflection, he modestly began to doubt his ability -to do justice to his subject, and “answer all the expectations of his -friends.” “When I went,” says he, “the other morning, into the large -room in which I propose to execute my statue, I felt like a spoiled boy, -who, after insisting upon riding on horseback, bawled aloud with fright, -at finding himself in the saddle, so far from the ground!”</p> - -<p>Is it not a burning shame, that the most gifted artists of this great -and glorious country should be compelled to go abroad to seek both fame -and bread, not fortune? What merchant prince will set his countrymen an -example, and, like Sir George Beaumont, bribe Congress and his fellow -citizens to form a national gallery, by giving a collection of casts -from the antique, first class paintings and engravings, rare works of -art, and a library on art, worth 70,000 guineas? It is a mistaken -opinion, entertained by many, that the fine arts are of little -importance to our country. On the contrary, every person is directly -interested. A foreign writer observes that, “silver-plating in the -United States, is what tin-smithery is in Paris.” Fuseli terms Venice -“the toy-shop of Europe;” better Paris. What a multitude of people are -supported in that great city by the manufacture of ten thousand fabrics, -exquisitely designed and executed. The Parisians have a keen perception -of the beautiful, simply from being educated in a city abounding with -galleries<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_70" id="page_70">{70}</a></span> and the best models of art, or as Reynolds terms it, “the -accumulated genius of ages.”</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLE_SANZIO_DI_URBINO" id="RAFFAELLE_SANZIO_DI_URBINO"></a>RAFFAELLE SANZIO DI URBINO.</h2> - -<p>By the general approbation of mankind, this illustrious artist has been -styled “the prince of modern painters.” He is universally acknowledged -to have possessed a greater combination of the excellencies of art than -has fallen to the lot of any other individual. It is a remarkable fact, -mentioned by many artists and writers, that the most capital frescoes of -Raffaelle in the Vatican, do not at first strike the beholder with -surprise, nor satisfy his expectations; but as he begins to study them, -he constantly discovers new beauties, and his admiration continues to -increase with contemplation.</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLES_AMBITION" id="RAFFAELLES_AMBITION"></a>RAFFAELLE’S AMBITION.</h2> - -<p>Raffaelle was inspired by the most unbounded ambition; the efforts of -Michael Angelo to supplant him only stimulated him to greater exertions; -and, on his death-bed, he thanked God he was born in the days of -Buonarotti. He was instructed in the principles of architecture for six -years by Bramante, that on his death he might succeed him in -superintending the erection of St. Peter’s. He lived among the ancient -sculptures, and derived from them not only the contours, drapery, and -attitudes, but the spirit and principles of the art. Not content with -what he saw at Rome, he employed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_71" id="page_71">{71}</a></span> able artists to copy the remains of -antiquity at Pozzuolo, throughout all Italy, and even in Greece. It is -also probable that he derived much assistance from living artists, whom -he consulted in regard to his compositions. The universal esteem which -he enjoyed, his attractive person, and his engaging manners, which all -authors unite in describing as incomparable, conciliated the favor of -the most eminent men of letters, as Bembo, Castiglione, Giovio, -Navagero, Ariosto, Fulvio, Calcagnini, etc., who set a high value on his -friendship, and were doubtless ready to supply him with many valuable -hints and ideas.</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLE_AND_MICHAEL_ANGELO" id="RAFFAELLE_AND_MICHAEL_ANGELO"></a>RAFFAELLE AND MICHAEL ANGELO.</h2> - -<p>“Michael Angelo, his rival,” says Lanzi, “contributed not a little to -the success of Raffaelle. As the contest between Zeuxis and Parrhasius -was beneficial to both, so the rivalship of Buonarotti and Sanzio aided -the fame of Michael Angelo, and produced the paintings in the Sistine -chapel; and at the same time contributed to the celebrity of Raffaelle, -by producing the pictures in the Vatican, and not a few others. Michael -Angelo, disdaining any secondary honors, came to the combat, as it were, -attended by his shield-bearer, for he made drawings in his grand style, -and then gave them to Fra Sebastiano del Piombo, the scholar of -Giorgione, to execute; and, by this means, he hoped that Raffaelle would -never be able to rival his productions, either<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_72" id="page_72">{72}</a></span> in design or color. -Raffaelle stood alone, but aimed at producing works with a degree of -perfection beyond the united efforts of Michael Angelo and F. -Sebastiano, combining in himself a fertile imagination, ideal beauty -founded on a correct imitation of the Greek style, grace, ease, amenity, -and a universality of genius in every department of art. The noble -determination of triumphing in such a powerful contest animated him -night and day, and allowed him no respite. It also animated him to -surpass both his rivals and himself in every new work.”</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLES_TRANSFIGURATION" id="RAFFAELLES_TRANSFIGURATION"></a>RAFFAELLE’S TRANSFIGURATION.</h2> - -<p>“This great artist” (Michael Angelo), says Vasari, “had felt some -uneasiness at the growing fame of Raffaelle, and he gladly availed -himself of the powers of Sebastiano del Piombo, as a colorist, in the -hope that, assisted by his designs, he might be enabled to enter the -lists successfully with his illustrious antagonist, if not to drive him -from the field. With this view, he furnished him with the designs for -the Pietà in the church of the Conventuali at Viterbo, and the -Transfiguration and Flagellation, in S. Pietro in Montorio, at Rome, -which, as he was very tedious in the process, occupied him six years.” -It was at this juncture that the Cardinal de Medici commissioned -Raffaelle to paint a picture of the Transfiguration, and in order to -stimulate the rivalry, he engaged Sebastiano to paint one of the -Resurrection of Lazarus, of precisely the same dimensions,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_73" id="page_73">{73}</a></span> for his -Cathedral of Narbonne. That Sebastiano might enter the lists with some -chance of success, he was again assisted by Buonarotti, who composed and -designed the picture. On this occasion, Raffaelle exerted his utmost -powers, triumphed over both his competitors, and produced that immortal -picture which has received the most unqualified approbation of mankind -as the finest picture in the world. Both pictures were publicly -exhibited in competition, and the palm of victory was adjudged to -Raffaelle—the Transfiguration was pronounced inimitable in composition, -in design, in expression, and in grace. This sublime composition -represents the mystery of Christ’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. At -the foot of the Mount is assembled a multitude, among whom are the -Disciples of our Lord, endeavoring in vain to relieve a youth from the -dominion of an evil spirit. The various emotions of human doubt, -anxiety, and pity, exhibited in the different figures, present one of -the most pathetic incidents ever conceived; yet this part of the -composition does not fix the attention so much as the principal figure -on the summit of the mountain. There Christ appears elevated in the air, -surrounded with a celestial radiance, between Moses and Elias, while the -three favored Apostles are kneeling in devout astonishment on the -ground. The head and attitude of the Saviour are distinguished by a -divine majesty and sublimity, that is indescribable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_74" id="page_74">{74}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DEATH_OF_RAFFAELLE" id="DEATH_OF_RAFFAELLE"></a>DEATH OF RAFFAELLE.</h2> - -<p>With his incomparable work of the Transfiguration, ceased the life and -the labors of Raffaelle; he did not live to entirely complete it, and -the few remaining parts were finished by his scholar, Giulio Romano. -While engaged upon it, he was seized with a fever, of which he died on -his birth-day, Good Friday, April 7th, 1520, aged 37 years. His body lay -in state in the chamber where he had been accustomed to paint, and near -the bier was placed the noble picture of the Transfiguration. The -throngs who came to pay their respects to the illustrious artist were -deeply affected; there was not an artist in Rome but was moved to tears -by the sight, and his death was deplored throughout Italy as a national -calamity. The funeral ceremony was performed with great pomp and -solemnity, and his remains were interred in the church of the Rotunda, -otherwise called the Pantheon. The Cardinal Bembo, at the desire of the -Pope, wrote the epitaph which is now inscribed on his tomb.</p> - -<h2><a name="CHARACTER_OF_RAFFAELLE" id="CHARACTER_OF_RAFFAELLE"></a>CHARACTER OF RAFFAELLE.</h2> - -<p>All cotemporary writers unite in describing Raffaelle as amiable, -modest, kind, and obliging; equally respected and beloved by the high -and the low. His beauty of person and noble countenance inspired -confidence, and strongly prepossessed the beholder in his favor at first -sight. Respectful to the memory of Perugino, and grateful for the -instructions he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_75" id="page_75">{75}</a></span> had received from him, he exerted all his influence -with the Pope, that the works of his master in one of the ceilings of -the Vatican might be spared, when the other paintings were destroyed to -make room for his own embellishments. Just and generous to his -cotemporaries, though not ignorant of their intrigues, he thanked God -that he had been born in the days of Buonarotti. Gracious towards his -pupils, he loved and instructed them as his own sons; courteous even to -strangers, he cheerfully extended his advice to all who asked it, and in -order to make designs for others, or to direct them in their studies, he -had been known to neglect his own works, rather than refuse them his -assistance.</p> - -<h2><a name="LA_BELLA_FORNARINA" id="LA_BELLA_FORNARINA"></a>LA BELLA FORNARINA.</h2> - -<p>Raffaelle was never married, though by no means averse to female -society. The Cardinal da Bibiena offered him his niece, which high -alliance he is said to have declined because the honors of the purple -were held out to him by the Pope, who favored him greatly, and made him -groom of his chamber. Early in life he became attached to a young woman, -the daughter of a baker at Rome, called by way of distinction, La Bella -Fornarina, to whom he was solely and constantly attached, and he left -her in his will sufficient for an independent maintenance. The rest of -his property he bequeathed to a relative in Urbino, and to his favorite -scholars, Giulio Romano, and Gio. Francesco Penni.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_76" id="page_76">{76}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_GENIUS_OF_RAFFAELLE" id="THE_GENIUS_OF_RAFFAELLE"></a>THE GENIUS OF RAFFAELLE.</h2> - -<p>Raffaelle possessed in an eminent degree all the qualities necessary to -constitute a preëminent painter. When we consider the number of his -paintings, and the multitude of his designs, (it is said he left behind -him 287 pictures, and 576 cartoons, drawings, and studies) to which he -devoted so much study, as is shown in his numerous sketches of Madonnas -and Holy Families, &c., and especially his great works in the Vatican, -in which, in many cases, he drew all the figures naked, in order the -better to adapt the drapery and its folds to their respective attitudes; -and further, his supervision of the building of St. Peter’s church, his -admeasurements of the ancient edifices of Rome with exact drawings and -descriptions, the preparation of designs for various churches and -palaces, with several collateral tasks, it seems incredible that even a -long life were sufficient for their execution; and when we further -reflect that he accomplished all this at an age when most men only begin -to distinguish themselves, we are struck with astonishment at the -wonderful fecundity of his genius.</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLES_MODEL_FOR_HIS_FEMALE_SAINTS" id="RAFFAELLES_MODEL_FOR_HIS_FEMALE_SAINTS"></a>RAFFAELLE’S MODEL FOR HIS FEMALE SAINTS.</h2> - -<p>“His own Fornarina,” says Lanzi, “assisted him in this object. Her -portrait by Raffaelle’s own hand was formerly in the Barberini Palace, -and it is repeated in many of his Madonnas, in the picture of St. -Cecilia at Bologna, and in many female heads.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_77" id="page_77">{77}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="RAFFAELLES_OIL_PAINTINGS" id="RAFFAELLES_OIL_PAINTINGS"></a>RAFFAELLE’S OIL PAINTINGS.</h2> - -<p>“Of his oil paintings,” says Lanzi, “a considerable number are to be -found in private collections, particularly on sacred subjects, such as -the Madonna and Child, and other compositions of the Holy Family. They -are in three styles, which we have before described: the Grand Duke of -Florence has some specimens of each. The most admired is that which is -named the Madonna della Seggiola. Of this class of pictures it is often -doubted whether they ought to be considered as originals or copies, as -some of them have been three, five, or ten times repeated. The same may -be said of other cabinet pictures by him, particularly the St. John in -the Desert, which is in the Grand Ducal gallery at Florence, and is -found repeated in many collections both in Italy and other countries. -This was likely to happen in a school where the most common mode was the -following:—The subject was designed by Raffaello, the picture prepared -by Giulio, and finished by the master so exquisitely, that one might -almost count the hairs of the head. When pictures were thus finished, -they were copied by the scholars of Raffaello, who were very numerous, -and of the second and third order; and these were also sometimes -retouched by Giulio and by Raffaello himself. But whoever is experienced -in the freedom and delicacy of the chief of this school, need not fear -confounding his productions with those of the scholars, or Giulio -himself; who, besides having a more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_78" id="page_78">{78}</a></span> timid pencil, made use of a darker -tint than his master was accustomed to do. I have met with an -experienced person, who declared that he could recognize the character -of Giulio in the dark parts of the flesh tints, and in the middle dark -tints, not of a leaden color as Raffaello used, nor so well harmonized; -in the greater quantity of light, and in the eyes designed more roundly, -which Raffaello painted somewhat long, after the manner of Pietro -Perugino.”</p> - -<h2><a name="PORTRAITS_OF_POPE_JULIUS_II" id="PORTRAITS_OF_POPE_JULIUS_II"></a>PORTRAITS OF POPE JULIUS II.</h2> - -<p>There are no less than eight portraits of Julius II. attributed to -Raffaelle. 1. The original, by Raffaelle’s own hand, is in the Palazzo -Pitti at Florence, the best of all; 2. a scarcely inferior one in the -Tribune of the Florentine Gallery; 3. one in the English National -Gallery, from the Falconieri Palace at Rome; 4. a very fine one, -formerly in the Orleans Gallery; 5. an inferior one in the Corsini -Palace at Rome; 6. a very fine one in the Borghese Gallery at Rome; 7. -one at Berlin, from the Giustinian Gallery; 8. one in the possession of -Count Torlonia at Rome. Most of these are doubtless copies by -Raffaelle’s scholars, some of them finished by himself. The original -cartoon is preserved in the Corsini Palace at Florence.</p> - -<h2><a name="MANNERS_OF_RAFFAELLE" id="MANNERS_OF_RAFFAELLE"></a>MANNERS OF RAFFAELLE.</h2> - -<p>Raffaelle had three manners; first, that of his instructor, Pietro -Perugino, hence many exquisite pic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_79" id="page_79">{79}</a></span>tures in the style of that master are -erroneously attributed to him; second, the same, modified by his -residence and studies at Florence, which continued till his completion -of the Theology in the Vatican, though constantly improving; and the -third, his own grand original manner, commencing with the school of -Athens. For a very full life of Raffaelle, with Lanzi’s admirable -critique, see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, -and Architects.</p> - -<h2><a name="PETER_PAUL_RUBENS" id="PETER_PAUL_RUBENS"></a>PETER PAUL RUBENS.</h2> - -<p>This preëminent painter, accomplished scholar, and skillful diplomatist, -was born at Antwerp in 1577, on the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul, -for which reason he received at the baptismal font the names of those -Apostles. Rubens, in his earliest years, discovered uncommon ability, -vivacity of genius, literary taste, and a mild and docile disposition. -His father, intending him for one of the learned professions, gave him a -very liberal education, and on the completion of his studies, placed him -as a page with the Countess of Lalain, in order that his son might -acquire graceful and accomplished manners, so important to success in a -professional career. His father dying soon afterwards, young Rubens -obtained the permission of his mother, to follow the bent of his genius. -He studied under several masters, the last of whom was the celebrated -Otho Venius. He made such extraordinary progress,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_80" id="page_80">{80}</a></span> that when he had -reached his twenty-third year, Venius frankly told him that he could be -of no further service to him, and that nothing more remained for his -improvement but a journey to Italy, which he recommended as the surest -means of ripening his extraordinary talents to the greatest perfection.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_VISIT_TO_ITALY" id="RUBENS_VISIT_TO_ITALY"></a>RUBENS’ VISIT TO ITALY.</h2> - -<p>Rubens having secured the favor and patronage of the Archduke Albert, -governor of the Netherlands, for whom he executed several pictures, set -out for Italy, with letters from his patron, recommending him in the -most honorable manner to the Duke of Mantua, that at his court he might -have access to his admirable collection of paintings and antique -statues. He was received with the most marked distinction by the Duke, -who took him into his service, and appointed him one of the gentlemen of -his bed-chamber, an honor which was the more acceptable to Rubens, as it -gave him greater facility for studying the great works of Giulio Romano -in the Palazzo del Te, which were the objects of his particular -admiration.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_ENTHUSIASM" id="RUBENS_ENTHUSIASM"></a>RUBENS’ ENTHUSIASM.</h2> - -<p>Giulio Romano’s masterly illustrations of the sublime poetry of Homer -excited Rubens’ emulation in the highest degree. One day, while he was -engaged in painting the history of Turnus and Æneas, in order to warm -his imagination with poetic rapture,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_81" id="page_81">{81}</a></span> he repeated with great energy, the -lines of Virgil, beginning,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Ille etiam patriis agmen ciet,” &c.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">The Duke, overhearing his recitations, entered the apartment, and was -surprised to find the young painter’s mind richly stored with classical -literature. Rubens remained in the service of the Duke of Mantua, who -had conceived the strongest attachment to him, nearly eight years, -visiting Venice, Rome, Genoa, and other cities, executing many -commissions, and leaving everywhere superb specimens of his magic -pencil. In 1605, the Duke having occasion to send an envoy to the court -of Spain, employed Rubens as a person eminently fitted for the delicate -mission. He successfully accomplished the negotiations confided to him, -painted the portrait of Philip III., and received from that monarch the -most flattering marks of distinction.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_RETURN_TO_ANTWERP" id="RUBENS_RETURN_TO_ANTWERP"></a>RUBENS’ RETURN TO ANTWERP.</h2> - -<p>In 1608, after an absence of eight years, Rubens was suddenly recalled -to Antwerp by the severe illness of his mother, who died before his -arrival. The loss of his dearly beloved parent was a severe affliction -to him. He had proposed to return to Italy, but the Archduke Albert, and -the Infanta Isabella, induced him to settle at Antwerp, where he -married, built a magnificent house, with a saloon in the form of a -rotunda, which he embellished with a rich collection of antique statues, -busts, vases, and pictures<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_82" id="page_82">{82}</a></span> by the greatest masters. This collection he -sold many years afterwards to the Duke of Buckingham for £10,000. Amidst -these select productions of art, he passed about twelve years in the -tranquil exercise of his great abilities, producing an astonishing -number of admirable pictures for the churches and public edifices of the -Low Countries.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_HABITS" id="RUBENS_HABITS"></a>RUBENS’ HABITS.</h2> - -<p>In order to continue his mental improvement, to enjoy the sweets of -friendly intercourse, and to economize his precious time, Rubens -regulated his affairs with a precision which nothing was permitted to -derange. He received company at stated times, took regular exercise out -of doors, usually on horseback, and it is said that he never painted -without having some one to read to him from a classic work of history or -poetry. He possessed an extraordinary memory, and understood the ancient -and several modern languages, writing and speaking them with ease and -fluency. His familiar acquaintance with ancient and modern literature, -had enriched his mind with inexhaustible resources.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_DETRACTORS" id="RUBENS_DETRACTORS"></a>RUBENS’ DETRACTORS.</h2> - -<p>Rubens’ great popularity naturally excited envy, and created enemies. -Generous and affable to all, and a liberal encourager of art, he found -himself assailed by those who were most indebted to him for assistance. -With the most audacious effrontery,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_83" id="page_83">{83}</a></span> they insinuated that he owed the -best part of his reputation in the great variety of his works, for which -he was celebrated, to the talents of two of his disciples, Snyders and -Wildens, whom he employed occasionally in forwarding the animals and -landscapes in his pictures. The principal of these vilifiers were -Abraham Janssens, Cornelius Schut, and Theodore Rombouts; the first had -the hardihood to challenge him to paint a picture in competition with -him. Rubens treated these attacks with a dignity and philanthropy that -shows his exalted mind, and the goodness of his heart; he relieved the -necessities of his accusers, and exposed his immortal production of the -Descent from the Cross.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_GALLERY_OF_THE_LUXEMBOURG" id="THE_GALLERY_OF_THE_LUXEMBOURG"></a>THE GALLERY OF THE LUXEMBOURG.</h2> - -<p>In 1620, Mary of Medicis commissioned Rubens to decorate the gallery of -the Luxembourg with a series of emblematical paintings, in twenty-four -compartments, illustrative of the principal events of her life. The -series was painted at Antwerp, except two pictures, which he finished at -Paris in 1623, when he arranged the whole in the gallery. These great -works, executed in less than three years, are alone sufficient to attest -the abundant fertility of his genius, and the wonderful facility of his -hand.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_SENT_AS_AMBASSADOR_TO_THE_COURTS_OF_SPAIN_AND_ENGLAND" id="RUBENS_SENT_AS_AMBASSADOR_TO_THE_COURTS_OF_SPAIN_AND_ENGLAND"></a>RUBENS SENT AS AMBASSADOR TO THE COURTS OF SPAIN AND ENGLAND.</h2> - -<p>In 1628, the Infanta Isabella despatched Rubens on a delicate political -mission to the court of Spain,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_84" id="page_84">{84}</a></span> relative to the critical state of the -government of the Low Countries, and for instructions preparatory to a -negotiation of peace between Spain and England. On his arrival at the -Spanish capital, he was received in the most gracious manner by Philip -IV., acquitted himself of his diplomatic mission to the entire -satisfaction of the Infanta and the King, and completely captivated that -monarch, and his minister, the Duke de Olivares, by the magnificent -productions of his pencil. He executed several great works, for which he -was munificently rewarded, received the honors of knighthood, and was -presented with the golden key, as a Gentleman of the Royal Bed-Chamber.</p> - -<p>In 1629 he returned to Flanders, and was immediately despatched to -England by the Infanta, on a secret mission, to ascertain the -disposition of the government on the subject of peace. The king, Charles -I., an ardent lover of the fine arts, received the illustrious painter -with every mark of distinction, and immediately employed him in painting -the ceiling of the Banqueting House at Whitehall, where he represented -the Apotheosis of his father, James I., for which he received £3,000. -Here Rubens showed himself no less skillful as a diplomatist than as a -painter. In one of the frequent visits with which the king honored him -during the execution of the work, he alluded with infinite delicacy and -address to the subject of a peace with Spain, and finding the monarch -not averse to such a measure, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_85" id="page_85">{85}</a></span> immediately produced his credentials. -Charles at once appointed some members of his council to negociate with -him, and a pacification was soon effected. The King was so highly -pleased with the productions of his pencil, and particularly with his -conduct in this diplomatic emergency, that he gave him a munificent -reward, and conferred upon him the honor of knighthood, Feb. 21, 1630. -On this occasion, the king presented Rubens with his own sword, enriched -with diamonds, his hat-band of jewels, valued at ten thousand crowns, -and a gold chain, which Rubens wore ever afterwards.</p> - -<h2><a name="DEATH_OF_RUBENS" id="DEATH_OF_RUBENS"></a>DEATH OF RUBENS.</h2> - -<p>Rubens, after having successfully accomplished the objects of his -missions to the courts of Spain and England, returned to Antwerp, where -he was received with all the honors and distinction due to his services -and exalted merit. He still continued to exercise his pencil with -undiminished industry and reputation till 1635, when he experienced some -aggravated attacks of the gout, to which he had been subject, succeeded -by an infirmity and trembling of the hand, which obliged him to decline -executing all works of large dimensions. Though he had now reached his -fifty-eighth year, and was loaded with deserved honors and wealth, he -nevertheless continued to instruct his pupils, to correspond with his -cherished friends, and to paint easel pictures when his torturing malady -would permit, till his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_86" id="page_86">{86}</a></span> death, in 1640, aged 63 years. He was buried -with extraordinary pomp and solemnity in the church of St. James, under -the altar of the private chapel, which he had decorated with one of his -finest pictures. A superb monument was erected to his memory.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_NUMEROUS_WORKS" id="RUBENS_NUMEROUS_WORKS"></a>RUBENS’ NUMEROUS WORKS.</h2> - -<p>The number of works executed by Rubens is truly astonishing; Smith, in -his Catalogue raisonné, vols. ii. and ix., describes about eighteen -hundred considered genuine by him, in the different public and private -collections of Europe. There can be no doubt that a great number of -these were executed by his numerous scholars and assistants, under his -direction, from his designs, and then finished by himself. It is well -known that he employed his pupils in forwarding many of his pictures, -and that Wildens, van Uden, and Mompers, in particular, assisted him in -his landscapes, and Snyders in his animals. His principal scholars were -Anthony Vandyck, Justus van Egmont, Theodore van Thulden, Abraham -Diepenbeck, Jacob Jordaens, Peter van Mol, Cornelius Schut, John van -Hoeck, Simon de Vos, Peter Soutman, Deodato Delmont, Erasmus Quellinus, -Francis Wouters, Francis Snyders, John Wildens, Lucas van Uden, and -Jodocus Mompers. Several other distinguished Flemish painters of the -period, who were not his pupils, imitated his style; the most eminent of -whom were Gerard Seghers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_87" id="page_87">{87}</a></span> Gaspar de Crayer, and Martin Pepin. Besides -the genuine paintings of Rubens, there are a multitude of doubtful -authenticity, attributed to him, most of which were executed by his -pupils and imitators. Many such, fine pictures, are in the United -States. There are upwards of twelve hundred engravings after works -attributed to Rubens; some of which, however, are of doubtful -authenticity. Those executed by the Bolswerts, Paul Pontius, and other -cotemporary engravers who worked under Rubens’ supervision, are -undoubtedly genuine. There are a great number of his works in England in -the public galleries and the collections of the nobility; there are nine -in the National gallery, fourteen in the Dulwich gallery, and others at -Windsor, Hampton Court, and Whitehall. The enormous value set upon his -works at the present time, maybe seen by referring to the catalogue of -the National gallery; thus, the Brazen Serpent cost £1260; a Landscape, -called Rubens’ Chateau, £1500; Peace and War, £3000; the Rape of the -Sabines, £3000; and the Judgment of Paris, 4000 guineas. Many of the -works of Rubens, like those of other great masters, have suffered -greatly from the effects of time, but more from improper cleaning and -unskillful restoration, especially in retouching injured parts, by which -the original harmony of coloring has been destroyed. Thus his pictures -in the Banqueting house at Whitehall, have been three times cleaned, -repaired, and painted over, so that little of the original splendor of -coloring remains.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_88" id="page_88">{88}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_FIRST_PICTURE_BROUGHT_TO_ROME" id="THE_FIRST_PICTURE_BROUGHT_TO_ROME"></a>THE FIRST PICTURE BROUGHT TO ROME.</h2> - -<p>The first picture carried to Rome from Greece, according to Pliny, was -the famous Bacchus and Ariadne, painted by Aristides of Thebes. It was -painted on a heavy panel, and King Attalus offered for it, its weight in -gold, which excited the suspicion of the Consul Mummius that it -contained some secret charm. He accordingly broke off the bargain, and -took it himself to Rome, where he dedicated it in the temple of Ceres. -After this example, every Roman commander seems to have been ambitious -of adorning the city with the finest pictures and statues of Greece, -Asia Minor, Egypt, and Sicily. Julius Cæsar enshrined the two exquisite -pictures of Medea and Ajax, by Timomachus, in the Temple of Venus. -Augustus hung his forum with pictures of the horrors of war, and the -glories of a triumph; and he adorned the temple which he dedicated to -the deified Julius with many choice pictures, the most beautiful of -which was the Venus Anadyomene of Apelles. Another, scarcely less -celebrated, by the same painter, was one of Alexander in triumph, -leading War, bound and manacled. This picture was afterwards defaced by -Claudius, who caused the head of Alexander to be scraped out, and that -of Augustus to be inserted. Another picture of especial note, in the -same temple, was one of Castor and Pollux.</p> - -<p>Augustus also placed in the Comitium some excellent works, by Nicias of -Athens, and others. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_89" id="page_89">{89}</a></span> Temple of Peace was rich in pictures of the -highest class. There was placed the most valued of all the works of -Protogenes, the hunter Jalysus with his dogs and game, the Cyclops of -Timanthes, and the sea-monster Scylla, by Nicomachus.</p> - -<p>In the Temple of Concord, there was a precious picture by Zeuxis—that -of Marsyas bound to a Tree; and the Muses and the Helen of the same -painter adorned some of the private villas at Rome.</p> - -<p>In the Temple of Minerva, on the Capitol, was the Theseus of Parrhasius, -with the Rape of Proserpine, and a Victory by Nicomachus.</p> - -<p>In the shrine of Ceres, where Mummius had placed the Bacchus and Ariadne -of Aristides, were several other works by the same painter.</p> - -<p>The Portico of Octavia was adorned with pictures of Greek mythology and -history by Antiphilus; and that of Pompey boasted a rare fragment by -Polygnotus, of a Soldier upon a Scaling Ladder, probably a part of some -great battle-piece, which that illustrious painter had executed in honor -of his countrymen. Some suppose it to have been taken from the Pœcile at -Athens, where the pictures were not painted in fresco, but on panels. -The Portico of Pompey was still further adorned with pictures by Nicias, -among which were a large portrait of Alexander, a picture of Calypso, -and some animals, which were much prized. There was also a beautiful -picture of Hyacinthus, by the same artist, which was so highly valued by -Augustus, that, after his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_90" id="page_90">{90}</a></span> death, Tiberius consecrated it to his memory, -in the temple dedicated to him.</p> - -<p>The Romans did not hesitate to carry off everything appertaining to the -fine arts in the countries they conquered. The greatest influx of Greek -pictures into Rome, at any one time, was during the edileship of -Scaurus, when, on account of a real or pretended debt owing by the -people of Sicyon to Rome, all the valuable pictures in that city were -seized and conveyed to Italy. Such were a few of the many pictures, the -spoils of war, which were carried to Rome, to adorn the temples, -palaces, and public places, not to speak of those which decorated the -villas of persons of rank and taste.</p> - -<h2><a name="ETRUSCAN_SCULPTURE" id="ETRUSCAN_SCULPTURE"></a>ETRUSCAN SCULPTURE.</h2> - -<p>The Romans were so fond of Etruscan statues that they collected them -from all quarters. At the taking of Volsinum (now Bolsena), they removed -two thousand bronze statues to Rome. The Etruscans were also much -employed by the Romans to make bronze statues of their divinities and -great personages. One of the most ancient remaining works executed by -them for Rome, is the bronze Wolf, “the thunder-stricken nurse of Rome,” -preserved in the Capitol, and of which Micali has given an excellent -figure. There was a colossal Etruscan Apollo, fifty feet high, placed in -the library of the Temple of Augustus, “the bigness of which,” says -Pliny, “is not so remarkable as the material and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_91" id="page_91">{91}</a></span> workmanship; for -hard it is to say whether is most admirable, the beautiful figure of the -body, or the exquisite temperature of the metal” There was also a -colossal Jupiter of the Capitol, cast by Corovillius out of the brazen -armor taken from the dead bodies of the conquered Samnites. Pliny says -the first bronze statue cast in Rome, was that of the goddess Ceres, the -expense of which was defrayed by the forfeited goods of Spurius Capius, -who was put to death for aspiring to the dignity of king.</p> - -<h2><a name="CAMPUS_MARTIUS" id="CAMPUS_MARTIUS"></a>CAMPUS MARTIUS.</h2> - -<p>The Campus Martius was a large plain without the city of Rome, which was -adorned with a multitude of statues, the spoils of war; also with -columns, arches, and porticos. The public assemblies were held there, -the officers of state chosen, and audience given to foreign ambassadors; -there, also, the Roman youths performed their exercises, learned to -wrestle and box, to throw the discus, hurl the javelin, ride a horse, -drive a chariot, etc.</p> - -<h2><a name="ELECTIONEERING_PICTURES_AT_ROME" id="ELECTIONEERING_PICTURES_AT_ROME"></a>ELECTIONEERING PICTURES AT ROME.</h2> - -<p>The Roman commanders made a singular use of painting to advance their -interests. Their inordinate love of military fame discovered a mode of -feeding that ruling passion by means of this charming art. According to -Valerius Maximus, Massala was the first who, when he offered himself for -the consulship, instead of sitting in the market-place,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_92" id="page_92">{92}</a></span> dressed in the -white robe of humility, and pointing to his wounds like Coriolanus,</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Show them the scars that I would hide,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">As if I had received them for the hire<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Of their breath only,”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">caused a picture to be hung up in the portico Hostilia, representing the -battle of Messana, where he had vanquished both the Carthagenians and -Syracusans. The picture told the story of his achievements to the best -advantage, and secured his election. Scipio Africanus was greatly -incensed against his brother, Lucius Scipio, for placing in the Capitol -a picture of the battle near Sardis, which won him the title of -Asiaticus, but in which, his nephew, the son of Africanus, was taken -prisoner. Again, Scipio Emilianus was highly offended at the display of -a picture of the Taking of Carthage, exhibited in the market-place by -Lucius Hostilius Mancinus. It appears that Mancinus was the first to -enter the city, and on his return to Rome, being desirous of the -consulship, he had a picture painted, representing the situation of the -town, its strong fortifications, all the machines used in the attack and -defense, and the actions of the besiegers, in which care was taken that -those of Mancinus should be most conspicuous. This he hung up in the -Forum, and personally explained to the people in such a manner, that he -won their good will, and gained the consulship. We learn from Quintilian -that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_93" id="page_93">{93}</a></span> lawyers of Rome often made use of pictures in their pleadings -for the purpose of moving the judges.</p> - -<h2><a name="DRAMATIC_SCENERY_AT_ROME" id="DRAMATIC_SCENERY_AT_ROME"></a>DRAMATIC SCENERY AT ROME.</h2> - -<p>It is related that when Claudius Pulcher, during his edileship, -exhibited dramas publicly at Rome, the scenery, representing trees, -houses and other buildings was so naturally depicted, that the ravens -and other birds came to perch upon them. Many such anecdotes are related -as having occurred in all ages of the history of the art, but they are -not so sure a test of excellence as people generally imagine, for -animals are easily deceived. The writer has made experiments to satisfy -himself on this point; he has seen a whiffet dog bark obstreperously at -the portrait of a person it disliked; birds approach a picture of fruit, -and bees one of flowers. He has a picture of three dogs, so naturally -painted, that almost every dog, admitted into the room, not only looks -at it, but endeavors to <i>smell of it</i>. Every sportsman knows that it is -easy to decoy wild ducks with an artificial one.</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_OF_EPHESUS_AND_PTOLEMY_PHILOPATOR" id="APELLES_OF_EPHESUS_AND_PTOLEMY_PHILOPATOR"></a>APELLES OF EPHESUS AND PTOLEMY PHILOPATOR.</h2> - -<p>During a voyage in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, Apelles was -driven into Alexandria, in Egypt, by stress of weather. Not being in -favor with king Ptolemy, he did not venture to appear at the court; but -some of his enemies suborned one of the royal buffoons to invite him to -supper in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_94" id="page_94">{94}</a></span> king’s name, Apelles attended accordingly, but Ptolemy, -indignant at the intrusion, demanded by whom he had been invited; -whereupon the painter, seizing an extinguished coal from the hearth, -drew upon the wall the features of the man who had invited him, with -such accuracy, that the king, even from the first lines, immediately -recognized the buffoon, and thenceforth received Apelles into his favor.</p> - -<h2><a name="APELLES_FAMOUS_PICTURE_OF_CALUMNY" id="APELLES_FAMOUS_PICTURE_OF_CALUMNY"></a>APELLES’ FAMOUS PICTURE OF CALUMNY.</h2> - -<p>According to Lucian, the reputation of Apelles, and the favor he enjoyed -at the court of Ptolemy, excited the jealousy of Antiphilus, a -celebrated Egyptian painter, who unjustly accused him of having -participated in the conspiracy of Theodotus of Tyre. Apelles was thrown -into the dungeon, and treated with great severity, but his innocence -being clearly established, Ptolemy endeavored to make reparation, -presented him with one hundred talents, and condemned Antiphilus to be -his slave. Apelles, however, was not satisfied with this reparation, and -on returning to Ephesus, painted in retaliation his famous picture of -Calumny, in which Ptolemy acted a principal part. Lucian saw this -picture, and thus describes it:</p> - -<p>“On the right, is seated a person of magisterial authority, to whom the -painter has given ears like Midas, who holds forth his hand to Calumny, -as if inviting her to approach. He is attended by Ig<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_95" id="page_95">{95}</a></span>norance and -Suspicion, who stand by his side. Calumny advances in the form of a -beautiful female, her countenance and demeanor exhibiting an air of fury -and hatred; in one hand she holds the torch of discord, and with the -other, she drags by the hair a youth personifying Innocence, who, with -eyes raised to heaven, seems to implore succor of the gods. She is -preceded by Envy, a figure with a pallid visage and emaciated form, who -appears to be the leader of the band. Calumny is also attended by two -other figures who seem to excite and animate her, and whose deceitful -looks discover them to be Intrigue and Treachery. At last follows -Repentance clothed in black, and covered with confusion at the discovery -of Truth in the distance, environed with celestial light.”</p> - -<p>This sketch has been regarded as one of the most ingenious examples of -allegorical painting which the history of the art affords. Raffaelle -made a drawing from Lucian’s description, which was formerly in the -collection of the Duke of Modena, and was afterwards transferred to the -French Museum.</p> - -<p>Professor Tölken, of Berlin, has shown that this Apelles was not the -great cotemporary of Alexander, for the persons mentioned in connection -with the story, lived more than a hundred years after the death of -Alexander—or about the 144th Olympiad. This reconciles many -contradictory statements with regard to Apelles, both by ancient and -modern<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_96" id="page_96">{96}</a></span> writers. See Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects.</p> - -<h2><a name="SIR_GODFREY_KNELLER" id="SIR_GODFREY_KNELLER"></a>SIR GODFREY KNELLER.</h2> - -<p>Soon after Kneller’s arrival in England, he painted the portrait of the -Duke of Monmouth, who was so much pleased with it that he persuaded the -king, his father (Charles II.) to have his portrait painted by the <i>new -artist</i>. The King had promised the Duke of York his portrait, to be -painted by Sir Peter Lely, and unwilling to go through the ceremony of a -double sitting, he proposed that both artists should paint him at the -same time. Lely, as the king’s painter, took the light and station he -liked; but Kneller took the next best he could find, and went to work -with so much expedition, that he had nearly finished his portrait, when -Lely had only laid in his dead coloring. This novelty pleased, and Lely -himself had the candor to acknowledge his merit. Kneller immediately -found himself in the possession of great reputation and abundant -employment, and the immense number of portraits he executed, proves the -stability of his reputation. He was equally patronized by Kings Charles, -James, and William, and he had the honor of painting ten sovereigns. His -best friend was King William, for whom he painted the beauties of -Hampton Court, and by whom he was knighted in 1692, and presented with a -gold chain and medal, worth £300. In the latter part of this reign, he -painted the portraits<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_97" id="page_97">{97}</a></span> of the members of the famous Kit-cat Club, -forty-two in number, and the several portraits now in the gallery of the -Admirals. He lived to paint the portrait of George I., who made him a -Baronet. He died in 1723. His body lay in state, and he was buried at -his country-seat at Wilton; a monument was erected to his memory in -Westminster Abbey.</p> - -<h2><a name="KNELLER_AND_JAMES_II" id="KNELLER_AND_JAMES_II"></a>KNELLER AND JAMES II.</h2> - -<p>It was while sitting to this artist, that James the Second manifested a -most surprising instance of coolness and shrewdness united. Kneller was -painting his portrait as a present to Pepys, when suddenly intelligence -arrived of the landing of the Prince of Orange. The artist was -confounded, and laid down his brush. “Go on, Kneller,” said the king, -betraying no outward emotion; “I wish not to disappoint my friend -Pepys.”</p> - -<h2><a name="KNELLERS_COMPLIMENT_TO_LOUIS_XIV" id="KNELLERS_COMPLIMENT_TO_LOUIS_XIV"></a>KNELLER’S COMPLIMENT TO LOUIS XIV.</h2> - -<p>When Kneller painted the portrait of Louis XIV., the monarch asked him -what mark of his esteem would be most agreeable to him; whereupon he -modestly answered that he should feel honored if his Majesty would -bestow a quarter of an hour upon him, that he might execute a drawing of -his face for himself. The request was granted. Kneller painted Dryden in -his own hair, in plain drapery, holding a laurel, and made him a present -of the work; to which the poet responded in an epistle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_98" id="page_98">{98}</a></span> containing -encomiums such as few painters deserve.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Such are thy pictures, Kneller! such thy skill,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That nature seems obedient to thy will,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Comes out and meets thy pencil in the draught,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Lives there, and wants but words to speak the thought.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="KNELLERS_WIT" id="KNELLERS_WIT"></a>KNELLER’S WIT.</h2> - -<p>The servants of his neighbor, Dr. Radcliffe, abused the liberty of a -private entrance to the painter’s garden, and plucked his flowers. -Kneller sent him word that he must shut the door up; whereupon the -doctor peevishly replied, “Tell him he may do any thing with it but -paint it.” “Never mind what he says,” retorted Sir Godfrey; “I can take -anything from him but physic.” He once overheard a low fellow cursing -himself. “God damn <i>you</i>, indeed!” exclaimed the artist in wonder; “God -may damn the Duke of Marlborough, and perhaps Sir Godfrey Kneller; but -do you think he will ever take the trouble of damning such a scoundrel -as you?” To his tailor, who proposed his son for a pupil, he said, “Dost -thou think, man, I can make thy son a painter? No, God Almighty only -makes painters.” He gave a reason for preferring portraiture to -historical painting, which forms an admirable <i>bon-mot</i>, for its -shrewdness, truthfulness, and ingenuity. “Painters of history,” said he, -“make the dead live, and do not begin to live till<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_99" id="page_99">{99}</a></span> they are dead. I -paint the living, and they make me live!”</p> - -<h2><a name="KNELLERS_KNOWLEDGE_OF_PHYSIOGNOMY" id="KNELLERS_KNOWLEDGE_OF_PHYSIOGNOMY"></a>KNELLER’S KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSIOGNOMY.</h2> - -<p>In a conversation concerning the legitimacy of the unfortunate son of -James II., some doubts having been expressed by an Oxford Doctor, -Kneller exclaimed, with much warmth, “His father and mother have sat to -me about thirty-six times apiece, and I know every line and bit of their -faces. Mein Gott! I could paint King James <i>now</i> by memory. I say the -child is so like both, that there is not a feature of his face but what -belongs either to father or mother; this I am sure of, and cannot be -mistaken; nay, the nails of his fingers are his mother’s, the queen that -was. Doctor, you may be out in your letters, but I cannot be out in my -lines.”</p> - -<h2><a name="KNELLER_AS_A_JUSTICE_OF_THE_PEACE" id="KNELLER_AS_A_JUSTICE_OF_THE_PEACE"></a>KNELLER AS A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.</h2> - -<p>Sir Godfrey acted as a justice of the peace at Wilton, and his sense of -justice induced him always to decide rather by equity than law. His -judgments, too, were often accompanied with so much humor, as caused the -greatest merriment among his acquaintance. Thus, he dismissed a poor -soldier who had stolen a piece of meat, and fined the butcher for -purposely tempting him to commit the crime. Hence Pope wrote the -following lines:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i3">“I think Sir Godfrey should decide the suit,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Who sent the thief (that stole the cash) away,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And punished him that put it in his way.”<br /></span> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100">{100}</a></span></div></div> -</div> - -<p>Whenever he was applied to by paupers, he always inquired which were the -richest parishes, and settled them there. He could never be induced to -sign a warrant to distrain the goods of a poor man, who could not pay a -tax, and he took pleasure in assisting the honest poor with his advice -and purse. He disliked interruption, and if the case appeared trivial, -or was the result of a row, he would not be disturbed. Seeing a -constable coming to him one day, with two men, having bloody noses, and -a mob at his heels, he called out to him, “Mr. Constable, do you see -that turning? Go that way, and you will find an ale-house—the sign of -the King’s Head. Go and make it up.” A handsome young woman came before -him one day to swear a rape; struck with her beauty, he continued -examining her as he sat painting, till he had taken her likeness. -Perceiving from her manner that she was not free from guilt, he advised -her not to prosecute her suit, but seek some other mode of redress. -These instances show the goodness of his heart, and refute the many -absurd and malicious stories that are told of him.</p> - -<h2><a name="KNELLER_AND_CLOSTERMANS" id="KNELLER_AND_CLOSTERMANS"></a>KNELLER AND CLOSTERMANS.</h2> - -<p>When Clostermans, an inferior artist, sent a challenge to Kneller to -paint a picture in competition with him for a wager, he courteously -declined the contest, and sent him word that “he allowed him to be his -superior.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101">{101}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_CAVALIERE_BERNINI" id="THE_CAVALIERE_BERNINI"></a>THE CAVALIERE BERNINI.</h2> - -<p>Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, whose renown filled all Europe in the -seventeenth century, was called the Michael Angelo of his age, because, -like that great artist, he united in an eminent degree, the three great -branches of art—painting, sculpture, and architecture, though he was -chiefly renowned in the two last.</p> - -<h2><a name="BERNINIS_PRECOCITY" id="BERNINIS_PRECOCITY"></a>BERNINI’S PRECOCITY.</h2> - -<p>Bernini manifested his extraordinary talents almost in infancy. At the -age of eight years, he executed a child’s head in marble, which was -considered a wonder. When he was ten years old, his talents had become -so widely known, that Pope Paul V. wished to see the prodigy who was the -astonishment of artists, and on his being brought into his presence, -desired him to draw a figure of St. Paul, which he did in half an hour, -so much to the satisfaction of the pontiff that he recommended him to -Cardinal Barberini, saying, “Direct the studies of this child, who will -become the Michael Angelo of this century.”</p> - -<h2><a name="BERNINIS_STRIKING_PREDICTION" id="BERNINIS_STRIKING_PREDICTION"></a>BERNINI’S STRIKING PREDICTION.</h2> - -<p>During Bernini’s distinguished career, Charles I. of England endeavored -in vain to allure him to visit his court. Not succeeding in this, he -employed Vandyck to paint two excellent portraits of himself, one in -profile and the other in full face, and sent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102">{102}</a></span> them to Bernini, to enable -him to execute his bust. The sculptor surveyed them with an anxious eye, -and exclaimed, “Something evil will befall this man; he carries -misfortune in his face.” The tragical termination of the monarch’s -career, verified the sculptor’s knowledge of physiognomy. Bernini made a -striking likeness, with which the king was so much pleased, that, in -addition to the stipulated price, six thousand crowns, he made him a -present of a diamond ring, worth six thousand more.</p> - -<h2><a name="BERNINI_AND_LOUIS_XIV" id="BERNINI_AND_LOUIS_XIV"></a>BERNINI AND LOUIS XIV.</h2> - -<p>Bernini received the most flattering and pressing invitations from Louis -XIV. to visit Paris. At length, he was persuaded by the great Colbert to -undertake the journey, and having with great difficulty obtained -permission of the Pope, he set out for France, at the age of -sixty-eight, accompanied by one of his sons, and a numerous retinue. -Never did an artist travel with so much pomp, and under so many -flattering circumstances. By order of the King, he was received -everywhere on his way with the honors due to a prince, and on his -arrival at Paris, he was received by the king with every mark of -distinction, and apartments assigned to him in the royal palace. Louis -defrayed all the expenses of his journey, and to immortalize the event, -had a medal struck, with the portrait of the artist, and on the reverse, -the Muses of the Arts, with this in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103">{103}</a></span>scription, “<i>Singularis in -singularis; in omnibus, unicus</i>.” When he returned to Rome, Louis -presented him with ten thousand crowns, gave him a pension of two -thousand, and one of four hundred to his son, and commissioned him to -execute an equestrian statue of himself, in marble, of colossal -proportions. The statue was executed in four years, and sent to -Versailles, where it was afterwards converted into <i>Marcus Curtius</i>, and -where, as such, it still remains.</p> - -<h2><a name="BERNINIS_WORKS" id="BERNINIS_WORKS"></a>BERNINI’S WORKS.</h2> - -<p>Bernini designed and wrought with wonderful facility; his life was one -of continued exertion, and he lived to the great age of eighty-two -years, so that he was enabled to execute an astonishing number of works. -Richly endowed by nature, and favored by circumstances, he rose superior -to the rules of art, creating for himself an easy manner, the faults of -which he knew well how to disguise by its brilliancy; yet this course, -as must ever be the case, did not lead to a lasting reputation. “The -Cav. Bernini,” says Lanzi, “the great architect and skillful sculptor, -was the arbiter and dispenser of all the works at Rome, under the -pontificates of Urban VIII. and Innocent X. His style necessarily -influenced those of all the artists, his cotemporaries. He was affected, -particularly in his drapery. He opened the way to caprice, changed the -true principles of art, and substituted for them the false. At<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104">{104}</a></span> -different times, the study of painting has taken the same vicious -course; above all, among the imitators of Pietro da Cortona, some of -whom went so far as to condemn a study of the works of Raffaelle, and -even to decry, as useless, the imitation of nature.” Bernini lived in -splendor and magnificence, and left a fortune of 400,000 Roman crowns -(about $700,000), to his children.</p> - -<h2><a name="BERNINI_AND_THE_VEROSPI_HERCULES" id="BERNINI_AND_THE_VEROSPI_HERCULES"></a>BERNINI AND THE VEROSPI HERCULES.</h2> - -<p>When the Verospi statue of Hercules killing the Hydra was first -discovered, some parts of it, particularly the monster itself, were -wanting, and were supplied by Bernini. Some years after, in further -digging the same piece of ground, they found the hydra that originally -belonged to it, which differs very much from Bernini’s supplemental one; -yet the latter is given in Maffei’s Statues, and other books of prints, -as the antique. The statue was removed from the Verospi palace to the -Capitol, where it now is; and the original hydra, with a horned sort of -a human face, snakes for hair, and a serpentine body, is there also, in -the same court.</p> - -<h2><a name="FANATICISM_DESTRUCTIVE_TO_ART" id="FANATICISM_DESTRUCTIVE_TO_ART"></a>FANATICISM DESTRUCTIVE TO ART.</h2> - -<p>Queen Elizabeth was a bitter persecutor of art; she ordered all sacred -pictures in the churches to be utterly destroyed, and the walls to be -white-washed, so that no memorial of them might remain. In her reign, it -became fashionable to sally forth<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105">{105}</a></span> and knock pictures and images to -pieces. Flaxman says, “The commands for destroying sacred paintings and -sculpture prevented the artist from suffering his mind to rise to the -contemplation or execution of any sublime effort, as he dreaded a prison -or a stake, and reduced him to the lowest drudgery in his profession. -This extraordinary check to our national art occurred at a time which -offered the most essential and extraordinary assistance to its -progress.” Flaxman proceeds to remark, “the civil wars completed what -fanaticism had begun, and English art was so completely extinguished -that foreign artists were always employed for public or private -undertakings.”</p> - -<p>Charles I. was a great lover and patron of the fine arts, and during his -reign they made rapid advances in England; but the blind zeal of the -Puritans dispersed his splendid gallery, and destroyed almost every -vestige of art. In the Journal of the House, July 23d, 1645, it is -“Ordered, that all pictures having the second person of the Trinity, be -burnt.” Walpole relates that “one Blessie was hired at half-a-crown a -day to break the painted windows in Croydon church.” One <i>Dowsing</i> was -employed from June 9th, 1642, to October 4th, 1644, in this <i>holy</i> -business, and by calculation it is found that he and his agents had -destroyed about 4660 pictures, evidently not all glass, because when -they were glass he so specified them.</p> - -<p>“The result of this continued persecution,” says<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106">{106}</a></span> Haydon, “was the ruin -of high art, for the people had not taste enough to feel any sympathy -for it independently of religion, and every man who has pursued it -since, who had not a private fortune, and was not supported by a -pension, like West, became infallibly ruined.”</p> - -<h2><a name="PAINTINGS_EVANESCENT" id="PAINTINGS_EVANESCENT"></a>PAINTINGS EVANESCENT.</h2> - -<p>“Few works are more evanescent than paintings. Sculpture retains its -freshness for twenty centuries. The Apollo and the Venus are as they -were. But books are perhaps the only productions of man coeval with the -human race. Sophocles and Shakspeare can be produced and reproduced -forever. But how evanescent are paintings, and must necessarily be! -Those of Zeuxis and Apelles are no more, and perhaps they have the same -relation to Homer and Æschylus, that those of Raffaelle and Guido have -to Dante and Petrarch.</p> - -<p>“There is however, one refuge from the despondency of this -contemplation. The material part, indeed, of their works must perish, -but they survive in the mind of man, and the remembrances of them are -transmitted from generation to generation. The poet embodies them in his -creations, and the systems of philosophers are modeled to gentleness by -their contemplation; opinion, that legislator, is infected with their -influence; men become better and wiser; and the unseen seeds are perhaps -thus sown which shall produce a plant more excellent than that from -which they fell.”—<i>Shelley.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107">{107}</a></span></p> - -<p>There is at least another <i>refuge</i>. Paintings are now rendered as -permanent as books by engraving, or statuary, by mosaics. In the time of -Pliny, there were Greek paintings in Rome 600 years old. There is a -painting at Florence dated 886. It is also to be hoped that christianity -and civilization have made such advances, that no more Goths, Vandals, -Turks, and fanatics, will take pleasure in demolishing works of art as -in ages past.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_ENGLISH_NATIONAL_GALLERY" id="THE_ENGLISH_NATIONAL_GALLERY"></a>THE ENGLISH NATIONAL GALLERY.</h2> - -<p>“A fine gallery of pictures is a sort of illustration of Berkeley’s -theory of matter and spirit. It is like a palace of thought—another -universe, built of air, of shadows, of colors. Everything seems palpable -to feeling as to sight: substances turn to shadows by the arch-chemic -touch; shadows harden into substances; ‘the eye is made the fool of the -other senses, or else worth all the rest.’ The material is in some sense -embodied in the immaterial, or at least we see all things in a sort of -intellectual mirror. The world of art is an enchanting deception. We -discover distance in a glazed surface; a province is contained in a foot -of canvass; a thin evanescent tint gives the form and pressure of rocks -and trees; an inert shape has life and motion in it. Time stands still, -and the dead reappear by means of this so potent art!</p> - -<p>“What hues (those of nature mellowed by time) breathe around, as we -enter! What forms are there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108">{108}</a></span> woven into the memory! What looks, which -only the answering looks of the spectator can express! What intellectual -stores have been yearly poured forth from the shrine of ancient art! The -works are various, but the names the same; heaps of Rembrandts frowning -from their darkened walls—Rubens’ glad gorgeous groups—Titian’s more -rich and rare—Claude always exquisite, sometimes beyond -compare—Guido’s endless cloying sweetness—the learning of Poussin and -the Caracci—and Raphael’s princely magnificence, crowning all. We read -certain letters and syllables in the catalogue, and at the well-known -magic sound a miracle of skill and beauty starts to view.</p> - -<p>“Pictures are a set of chosen images, a stream of pleasant thoughts -passing through the mind. It is a luxury to have the walls of our rooms -hung round with them, and no less so to have such a gallery in the -mind,—to con over the relics of ancient art bound up ‘within the book -and volume of the brain, unmixed, (if it were possible) with baser -matter.’ A life passed among pictures, in the study and love of art, is -a happy, noiseless dream: or rather it is to dream and to be awake at -the same time, for it has all ‘the sober certainty of waking bliss,’ -with the romantic voluptuousness of a visionary and abstracted being. -They are the bright consummate essence of things, and he who knows of -these delights, ‘to taste and interpose them oft, is not -unwise!’<span class="lftspc">”</span>—<i>Hazlitt.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109">{109}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_NUDE_FIGURE" id="THE_NUDE_FIGURE"></a>THE NUDE FIGURE.</h2> - -<p>“It is difficult to discover any settled rules of propriety in the -different modes of dress, as all ages and nations have fluctuated with -regard to their notions and fashions in this matter. The Greek statues -of the Laocoön, Apollo, Meleager, Hercules; the Fighting and Dying -Gladiator, and the Venus de Medicis, though altogether without drapery, -yet surely there is nothing in them offensive to modesty, nothing -immoral: on the contrary, looking on these figures, the mind of the -spectator is taken up with the surprising beauty or sublimity of the -personage, his great strength, vigorous and manly character; or those -pains and agonies that so feelingly discover themselves throughout the -whole work. It is not in showing or concealing the form that modesty or -the want of it depends; <i>that</i> rises entirely from the choice and -intentions of the artist himself. The Greeks and other great designers -came into this practice (of representing the figure undraped) in order -to show in its full extent the idea of character they meant to -establish. If it was beauty, they show it to you in all the limbs; if -strength, the same; and the agonies of the Laocoön are as discernible in -his foot as in his face. This pure and naked nature speaks a universal -language, which is understood and valued in all times and countries, -where the Grecian dress, language, and manners are neither regarded or -known. It is worth observing also that many of the fair sex do sometimes -be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110">{110}</a></span>tray themselves by their over-delicacy (which is the want of all true -delicacy) in this respect. But I am ashamed to be obliged to combat such -silly affectations; they are beneath men who have either head or heart; -they are unworthy of women who have either education or simplicity of -manner; they would disgrace even waiting-maids and sentimental -milliners-.”—<i>Barry.</i></p> - -<p>“There is no more potent antidote to low sensuality than the adoration -of beauty. All the higher arts of design are essentially chaste, without -respect of the object. They purify the thoughts, as tragedy, according -to Aristotle, purifies the passions. Their accidental effects are not -worth consideration. There are souls to whom even a vestal is not -holy.”—<i>A. W. von Schlegel.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="DIFFERENT_SCHOOLS_OF_PAINTING_COMPARED" id="DIFFERENT_SCHOOLS_OF_PAINTING_COMPARED"></a>DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF PAINTING COMPARED.</h2> - -<p>“The painters of the Roman school were the best designers, and had more -of the antique taste in their works than any of the others, but -generally they were not good colorists. Those of Florence were good -designers, and had a kind of greatness, but it was not antique. The -Venetian and Lombard schools had excellent colorists, and a certain -grace, but entirely modern, especially those of Venice; but their -drawing was generally incorrect, and their knowledge in history and the -antique very little. And the Bolognese school of the Caracci is a sort -of composition of the others; even Annibal himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111">{111}</a></span> possessed not any -part of painting in the perfection which is to be seen in those from -whom his manner is composed, though, to make amends, he possessed more -parts than perhaps any other master, and all in a very high degree. The -works of those of the German school have a dryness and ungraceful -stiffness, not unlike what is seen amongst the old Florentines. The -Flemings were good colorists, and imitated nature as they conceived -it—that is, instead of raising nature, they fell below it, though not -so much as the Germans, nor in the same manner. Rubens himself lived and -died a Fleming, though he would fain have been an Italian; but his -imitators have caricatured his manner—that is, they have been more -Rubens in his defects than he himself was, but without his excellencies. -The French, excepting some few of them (N. Poussin, Le Sueur, Sebastian -Bourdon), as they have not the German stiffness nor the Flemish -ungracefulness, neither have they the Italian solidity; and in their -airs of heads and manners they are easily distinguished from the -antique, how much soever they may have endeavored to imitate -it.”—<i>Richardson.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_OLD_MASTERS" id="THE_OLD_MASTERS"></a>THE OLD MASTERS.</h2> - -<p>“The duration and stability of the fame of the old masters of painting -is sufficient to evince that it has not been suspended upon the slender -thread of fashion and caprice, but bound to the human heart by every -chord of sympathetic approbation.”—<i>Sir J. Reynolds.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112">{112}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="PRICES_OF_GALLERIES" id="PRICES_OF_GALLERIES"></a>PRICES OF GALLERIES.</h2> - -<p>The prices given for the three great collections of paintings sold in -England within the last century, may perhaps not be uninteresting. The -Houghton gallery, of two hundred and thirty-two pictures, collected by -Sir Robert Walpole, was sold to the Empress Catharine of Russia for -£43,500. The Orleans gallery of two hundred and ninety-six pictures was -sold in London, in 1798, for £43,555; and the Angerstein collection of -thirty-eight pictures was bought by the British government, in 1823, for -£57,000. This last purchase was the commencement of the English National -Gallery.</p> - -<h2><a name="LOVE_MAKES_A_PAINTER" id="LOVE_MAKES_A_PAINTER"></a>LOVE MAKES A PAINTER.</h2> - -<p>Quintin Matsys, called the Blacksmith of Antwerp, was bred up to the -trade of a blacksmith or farrier, which business he followed till he was -twenty years of age, when, according to Lampsonius, his love for a -blue-eyed lass, whose cruel father, an artist, refused her hand to any -one but a painter, caused him to abandon his devotion to Vulcan, and -inspired him with the ambition to become a worshipper at the shrine of -the Muses. He possessed uncommon talents and genius, applied himself -with great assiduity, and in a short time produced pictures that gave -promise of the highest excellence, and gained him the fair hand for -which he sighed. The inscription on the monument erected to his memory -in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, at Antwerp, re<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113">{113}</a></span>cords in a few expressive -words the singular story of his life:</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="poem"> -“<i>Connubialis amor de Mulcibre fecit Apellem.</i>” -</div></div> - -<h2><a name="JOHN_WESLEY_JARVIS" id="JOHN_WESLEY_JARVIS"></a>JOHN WESLEY JARVIS.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis, though a wayward and eccentric man, unfortunately for himself -and the world too much given to strong potations, was “a fellow of -infinite jest, of most excellent fancy,” whose “gambols, songs, and -flashes of merriment were wont to set the table on a roar.” He was a -merry wag, and an inimitable story-teller and mimic. Some of his stories -were dramatized by Dunlap, Hackett, and Matthews, the best of which is -the laughable farce of Monsieur Mallet. Dunlap says, “Another story -which Matthews dressed up for John Bull, originated with Jarvis. From a -friend I have what I suppose to be the original scene. My friend was -passing the painter’s room, when he suddenly threw up the window, and -called him in, saying, ‘I have something for your criticism, that you -will be pleased with.’ He entered, expecting to see a picture, or some -other specimen of the fine arts, but nothing of the kind was -produced—he was, however, introduced with a great deal of ceremony, to -Monsieur B——, ‘celebrated for his accurate knowledge of the English -language, and intimate critical acquaintance with its -poetry—particularly Shakspeare.’ Mr. A——, as I shall call my friend, -began to understand Jarvis’ object in calling him in. After a lit<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114">{114}</a></span>tle -preliminary conversation, Jarvis said, ‘I hope, Monsieur B——, you -still retain your love of the drama?’ ‘O certainly, sir, wid my life I -renounce it.’ ‘Mr. A——, did you ever hear Monsieur recite?’ ‘Never.’ -‘Your recitations from Racine, Monsieur B——, will you oblige us?’</p> - -<p>“The polite and vain Frenchman was easily prevailed upon to roll out -several long speeches, from Racine and Corneille, with much -gesticulation and many a well-rounded <i>R</i>. This was only to introduce -the main subject of entertainment. ‘Monsieur B—— is not only -remarkable, as you hear, for his very extraordinary recitations from the -poets of his native land, but for his perfect conquest over the -difficulties of the English language, in the most difficult of all our -poets—Shakspeare. He has studied Hamlet and Macbeth thoroughly—and if -he would oblige us—do, ‘Monsieur B——, do give us, “To be, or not to -be.”<span class="lftspc">’</span> ‘Sur, the language is too difficult—I make great efforts to be -sure, but still the foreigner is to be detected.’ This gentleman’s -peculiarities were in extreme precision and double efforts with the <i>th</i> -and the other shibboleths of English. The unsuspecting and vain man is -soon induced to give Hamlet’s soliloquy, the <i>th</i> forced out as from a -pop-gun, and some of the words irresistibly comic. ‘But, Monsieur B——, -you are particularly great in Macbeth—<i>that</i> “if it were done, when it -is done,” and “peep through the blanket,”—come, let us have Macbeth.’ -Then followed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115">{115}</a></span> Macbeth’s soliloquies in the same style. All this was -ludicrous enough, but upon this foundation Jarvis raised a -superstructure, which he carried as high as the zest with which it was -received by his companions, his own feelings, or other circumstances -prompted or warranted. The unfortunate Monsieur B—— was imitated and -caricatured with most laugh-provoking effect; but to add to the treat, -he was made not only to recite, but to comment and criticise. ‘If it -were done,’ ‘peep through the blanket,’ and, ‘catch with the sursease, -success,’ gave a rich field for the imaginary critic’s -commentaries—then he would expose, and overthrow Voltaire’s criticisms, -and give as examples of the true sublime in tragedy, the scene of the -witches in Macbeth.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Huen shall we thtree meet aggen?’ but, ‘mounched, and mounched, and -mounched,’ was a delicious feast for the critic—and ‘rrump fed -rronion,’ gave an opportunity to show that the English witch was a true -John Bull, and fed upon the ‘rrump of the beef,’ ‘thither in a sieve -I’ll sail and like a rat without a tail, I’ll do—I’ll do—I’ll do,’ -being recited in burlesque imitation, gives an opportunity for comment -and criticism, something in this manner. ‘You see not only how true to -nature, but to the science of navigation all this is. If the rat had a -tail, he could steer the sieve as the sailor steer his ship by the -rudder; but if he have no tail, he cannot command the navigation, that -is, the course of the sieve; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116">{116}</a></span> it will run round—and round—and -round—that is what the witch say—“I’ll do—I’ll do—I’ll do!”<span class="lftspc">’</span> But how -can the humor of the story-teller be represented by the writer—or how -can I dispose my reader to receive a story dressed in cold black and -white—in formal type—with the same hilarity which attends upon the -table, and the warm and warming rosy wine? The reader has perceived the -want of these magical auxiliaries in the above.”</p> - -<p>Jarvis was equally ludicrous in his readings from Shakspeare, in -imitation of the stutterer and lisper. The venerable Dr. C. S. Francis, -who was intimately acquainted with the painter, says, “Dr. Syntax never -with more avidity sought after the sublime and picturesque, than did -Jarvis after the scenes of many-colored life; whether his subject was -the author of Common Sense or the notorious Baron von Hoffman. His -stories, particularly those connected with his southern tours, abounded -in motley scenes and ludicrous occurrences; there was no lacking of -hair-breadth escapes, whether the incidents involved the collisions of -intellect, or sprung from alligators and rattlesnakes. His humor won the -admiration of every hearer, and he is recognized as the master of -anecdote. But he deserves to be remembered on other accounts—his -corporeal intrepidity and his reckless indifference of consequences. I -believe there have been not a few of the faculty who have exercised, -with public advantage, their professional duties among us for a series -of years, who never be<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117">{117}</a></span>came as familiar with the terrific scenes of -yellow fever and of malignant cholera as Jarvis did. He seemed to have a -singular desire to become personally acquainted with the details -connected with such occurrences; and a death-bed scene, with all its -appalling circumstances, in a disorder of a formidable character, was -sought after by him with the solicitude of the inquirer after fresh -news. Nor was this wholly an idle curiosity. Jarvis often freely gave of -his limited stores to the indigent, and he listened with a fellow -feeling to the recital of the profuse liberality with which that opulent -merchant of our city, the late Thomas H. Smith, supplied daily the wants -of the afflicted and necessitous sufferer during the pestilence of 1832.</p> - -<p>“We are indebted to Jarvis for probably the best, if not the only good -drawing of the morbid effects of cholera on the human body while it -existed here in 1832. During that season of dismay and danger our -professional artists declined visiting the cholera hospitals, and were -reluctant to delineate when the subject was brought to them. But it -afforded a new topic for the consideration of Jarvis, and perhaps also -for the better display of his anatomical attainments, he with -promptitude discharged the task. When making a drawing from the lifeless -and morbid organs of digestion, to one who inquired if he were not -apprehensive of danger while thus employed, he put the interrogatory, -‘Pray what part of the system is affected by the cholera?’ ‘The -di<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118">{118}</a></span>gestive organs,’ was the reply. ‘Oh no, then,’ said Jarvis, ‘for now -you see I am doubly armed—- I am furnished with two sets.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_BIGGEST_LIE" id="THE_BIGGEST_LIE"></a>THE BIGGEST LIE.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis resided a long time at Charleston, S. C., where his convivial -qualities made him a great favorite. On one occasion, at a large dinner -party, after the wine had freely circulated, banishing not only form, -but discretion, some one of the company proposed that they should make -up a prize to the man who would tell the greatest and most palpable -<i>lie</i>. It was purposely arranged that Jarvis should speak last. The -President began. They</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">“Spoke of most disastrous chances,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of moving accidents by flood and field.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="nind">Lie followed lie; and as it is easy to heap absurdity upon absurdity, -and extravagance on enormous exaggeration; and as easy to excite -laughter and command applause, when champaigne has been enthroned in the -seat of judgment, each lie was hailed with shouts of approbation and -bursts of merriment. One of the company, who sat next to Jarvis, had -exceeded all his competitors, and unanimous admiration seemed to ensure -him the prize. The <i>lie</i> was so monstrous and palpable, that it was -thought wit or ingenuity could not equal it. Still, something was -expected from the famous story-teller, and every eye was turned on the -painter. He rose, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119">{119}</a></span> placing his hand on his breast and making a low -bow, gravely said, “Gentlemen, I assure you that I fully and -unequivocally believe every word the last speaker has uttered.” A burst -of applause followed, and the prize was adjudged to the witty artist.</p> - -<h2><a name="JARVIS_AND_BISHOP_MOORE" id="JARVIS_AND_BISHOP_MOORE"></a>JARVIS AND BISHOP MOORE.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis painted the portrait of Bishop Benjamin Moore, who used to relate -one of his quick strokes of humor with great glee. The good Bishop, -during one of the sittings, introduced the subject of religion, and -asked Jarvis some questions as to his belief or practice. The painter, -with an arch look, but as if intent upon catching the likeness of the -sitter, waved his hand and said, “Turn your face more that way, Bishop, -and <i>shut your mouth</i>.”</p> - -<h2><a name="JARVIS_AND_COMMODORE_PERRY" id="JARVIS_AND_COMMODORE_PERRY"></a>JARVIS AND COMMODORE PERRY.</h2> - -<p>When Jarvis painted the portrait of Commodore Perry, he wished to infuse -into the likeness of the hero the fire which he supposed animated him -during the terrible contest on Lake Erie. During two or three sittings -he tried in vain to rouse him by his lively conversation; he would soon -sink into a reverie; it was evident that his thoughts were far away. The -painter now had recourse to artifice. He deliberately laid down his -palette and pencils, got up, and seizing a chair, swung it over his head -in a menacing manner. This strange conduct instantly brought Perry to -his feet, his eyes flashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120">{120}</a></span> fire, and every feature lit up with the -desired expression. “There, that will do,” said the painter; “please sit -just as you are.” The result was the admirable picture which now adorns -our City Hall, representing the hero standing in his boat, with his flag -in one arm, triumphantly waving his sword, as he left the dismantled St. -Lawrence for the Niagara, to renew the contest, resolved to conquer or -die.</p> - -<h2><a name="JARVIS_AND_THE_PHILOSOPHER" id="JARVIS_AND_THE_PHILOSOPHER"></a>JARVIS AND THE PHILOSOPHER.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis was a great wag as well as an inimitable story-teller. Whenever -he met with an eccentric genius, he delighted to make him indulge in -strong potations, and then engage him on his favorite hobby. On one such -occasion, a gentleman who had a smattering of Zoology, declared it as -his opinion, that it was possible to change the nature of animals; for -instance, that by cutting off the end of dogs’ or monkeys’ tails for a -few generations, they would become tailless. “That is capital logic,” -said Jarvis, “I wonder that the Jews have now any <i>tails</i>!” The -philosopher shot out of the room amidst shouts of laughter.</p> - -<h2><a name="JARVIS_AND_DR_MITCHELL" id="JARVIS_AND_DR_MITCHELL"></a>JARVIS AND DR. MITCHELL.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis could not forbear to crack a joke on the learned Dr. Mitchell, -whose profundity sometimes led him to analyze cause and effect in a -hyper-philosophical manner. “Can you tell,” said he one day to the -learned Doctor, who was sitting for his portrait,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121">{121}</a></span> “why white sheep eat -more than black ones?” “But is it a fact?” enquired the Doctor. “Most -assuredly,” said the painter, “as every farmer will tell you.” The -Doctor then went on to give sundry philosophical reasons why white sheep -might require more food than black ones. “Your reasons are -excellent—but I think I can give you a better one. In my opinion the -reason why white sheep eat more than black ones is, because there are -more of them!”</p> - -<h2><a name="JARVIS_HABITS" id="JARVIS_HABITS"></a>JARVIS’ HABITS.</h2> - -<p>Jarvis, in his more prosperous days, was always improvident and -recklessly extravagant. Dunlap says, “when he went to New Orleans for -the first time, (in 1833) he took Henry Inman with him. To use his own -words,—‘my purse and my pockets were empty; (when he went to N. O.) I -spent $3000 there in six months, and brought $3000 to New York. The next -winter I did the same.’ He used to receive six sitters a day. A sitting -occupied an hour. The picture was then handed to Inman, who painted upon -the background and drapery under the master’s directions. Thus six -portraits were finished each week.” His prices at this time were $100 -for a head, and $150 for head and hands.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Sully once told me,” says Dunlap, “that calling on Jarvis, he was -shown into a room, and left to wait some minutes before he entered. He -saw a book on the table amidst palette, brushes, tumblers, candlesticks, -and other heterogeneous af<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122">{122}</a></span>fairs, and on opening it, he found a life of -Moreland. When Jarvis came into the room, Sully sat with the book in his -hand. ‘Do you know why I like that book?’ said Jarvis. ‘I suppose -because it is the life of a painter,’ was the reply. ‘Not merely that,’ -rejoined the other, ‘but because I think he was like myself.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> What a -commentary! Moreland was a man of genius, and might have shone as a -bright star in the history of art, had he not degraded himself by -dissipation, almost to a level with the pigs he delighted to paint. The -glory of both Stuart and Jarvis is obscured by the same fatal passion. -“O that men should put an enemy in their mouths, to steal away their -brains! that we should, with joy, revel, pleasure, and applause, -transform ourselves into beasts.”</p> - -<p>“Jarvis,” says Dunlap, “was fond of notoriety from almost any source, -and probably thought it aided him in his profession. His dress was -generally unique. His long coat, trimmed with furs like a Russian -prince, or a potentate from the north pole, and his two enormous dogs -which accompanied him through the streets, and often carried home his -market basket, must be remembered by many.”</p> - -<h2><a name="ROBERT_FULTON" id="ROBERT_FULTON"></a>ROBERT FULTON.</h2> - -<p>It is not generally known that this celebrated engineer was in his early -life a practical painter.—From the age of 17 to 21, he painted -portraits and landscapes in Philadelphia. In his 22d year, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123">{123}</a></span> went to -England to prosecute his studies under West, who received him with great -kindness, and was so much pleased with his genius and amiable qualities, -that he took him into his own house, as a member of his family. After -leaving West, he seems to have made painting his chief employment for a -livelihood for several years, though at this time, his mind was occupied -with various great projects connected with engineering. In 1797, he went -to Paris in prosecution of these projects, and to fill his empty -coffers, he projected the first panorama ever exhibited in that city. He -was a true lover of art, too, and endeavored to induce the citizens of -Philadelphia to get up a subscription to purchase some of West’s -choicest pictures, which then could have been bought very cheap, as the -commencement of a gallery in that city.</p> - -<h2><a name="AN_EXALTED_MIND_AND_A_TRUE_PATRIOT" id="AN_EXALTED_MIND_AND_A_TRUE_PATRIOT"></a>AN EXALTED MIND AND A TRUE PATRIOT.</h2> - -<p>Robert Fulton, after years of toil, anxiety, and ridicule, thus writes -to his friend, Joel Barlow, immediately after his first steam-boat -voyage from New York to Albany and back:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="r"> -“New York, August 2, 1807.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">My dear Friend</span>—My steam-boat voyage to Albany and back, has -turned out rather more favorably than I had calculated. The -distance from New York to Albany is 150 miles; I ran it up in -thirty-two hours, and down in thirty hours; the lat<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124">{124}</a></span>ter is five -miles an hour. I had a light breeze against me the whole way, -goings and coming, so that no use was made of my sails, and the -voyage has been performed wholly by the power of the steam engine. -I overtook many sloops and schooners, beating to windward, and -passed them as if they had been at anchor.</p> - -<p>“The power of propelling boats by steam, is now fully proved. The -morning I left New York, there were not, perhaps, thirty persons, -who believed that the boat would move one mile an hour, or be of -the least utility; and while we were putting off from the wharf, -which was crowded with spectators, I heard a number of sarcastic -remarks. This is the way, you know, in which ignorant men -compliment what they call philosophers and projectors.</p> - -<p>“Having employed much time, money, and zeal, in accomplishing this -work, it gives me, as it will you, great pleasure, to see it so -fully answer my expectations. It will give a quick and cheap -conveyance to merchandize on the Mississippi, Missouri, and other -great rivers, which are now laying open their treasures to the -enterprise of our countrymen. Although the prospect of personal -emolument has been some inducement to me, yet I feel infinitely -more pleasure in reflecting on the immense advantages my country -will derive from the invention.”</p></div> - -<h2><a name="GILBERT_CHARLES_STUART" id="GILBERT_CHARLES_STUART"></a>GILBERT CHARLES STUART.</h2> - -<p>This preëminent portrait painter was born at Narragansett, Rhode Island, -in 1756. He received his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125">{125}</a></span> first instruction from a Scotch painter at -Newport, named Alexander, who was so much pleased with his talents and -lively disposition, that he took him with him on his return to Scotland. -His friend dying soon after, the youth found himself pennyless in a -strange country, but undismayed, he resolved to return home, and found -himself obliged to work his passage before the mast. He had already made -considerable progress in art, and on his return commenced portrait -painting, although without meeting much encouragement. He was in Boston -at the time of the Battle of Lexington, but immediately left that city -and went to New York, where he painted the portrait of his grandmother -from memory, though she had been dead about ten years, which is said to -have been a capital likeness, and gained him some business. About this -time he painted his own portrait, the only one he ever took of himself, -to the excellence of which his friend Dr. Waterhouse bears ample -testimony. He says, “it was painted in his freest manner, and with a -Rubens’ hat,” and in another place, that “Stuart in his best days, said -he need not be ashamed of it.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_GOES_TO_LONDON" id="STUART_GOES_TO_LONDON"></a>STUART GOES TO LONDON.</h2> - -<p>Not meeting with any adequate encouragement, and the country being in a -deplorable state, in the midst of the Revolution, Stuart set sail for -London in 1778, at the age of twenty-two, to try his fortunes in that -city. He was a wayward and eccentric<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126">{126}</a></span> genius, proud as Lucifer withal; -and on his arrival in that metropolis, he found himself full of poverty, -enthusiasm, and hope,—often a painter’s only capital. He expected to -have found Waterhouse, who would have helped him with his advice, and -purse if necessary, but he had gone to Edinburg. Instead of going -directly to West, as he should have done, he wandered about the “dreary -solitude” of London, as Johnson used to characterize the busy hum of -that crowded city to the poverty-stricken sons of genius, till he had -expended his last dollar.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_AN_ORGANIST" id="STUART_AN_ORGANIST"></a>STUART AN ORGANIST.</h2> - -<p>Stuart had a great taste for music, which he had cultivated, and was an -accomplished musician. One day, as he was passing a church in -Foster-Lane, hearing the sound of an organ, he stepped in, and -ascertaining that the vestry were testing the candidates for the post of -organist, he asked if he might try. Being told that he could, he did so, -and succeeded in getting the place, with a salary of thirty guineas a -year!</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_INTRODUCTION_TO_WEST" id="STUARTS_INTRODUCTION_TO_WEST"></a>STUART’S INTRODUCTION TO WEST.</h2> - -<p>During all this time, for some unknown reason, Stuart never sought the -acquaintance of West, but the moment that excellent man heard of the -young painter and his circumstances, he immediately sent a messenger to -him with money to relieve his necessities, and invited him to call at -his studio. “Such<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127">{127}</a></span> was Stuart’s first introduction,” says Dunlap, “to -the man from whose instruction he derived the most important advantages -from that time forward; whose character he always justly appreciated, -but whose example he could not, or would not follow.” Stuart himself -says, “On application to West to receive me as a pupil, I was welcomed -with true benevolence, encouraged and taken into the family, and nothing -could exceed the attentions of the great artist to me—they were -paternal.” He was twenty-four years old when he entered the studio of -West. Before he left the roof of his benefactor and teacher, he painted -a full-length portrait of him, which elicited general admiration. It was -exhibited at the Royal Academy, and the young painter paid frequent -visits to the exhibition rooms. It happened that one day, as he stood -near the picture, surrounded by artists and students (for he had fine -wit, and was an inimitable story-teller), West came in and joined the -group. He praised the picture, and addressing himself to his pupil, -said, “you have done well, Stuart, very well; now all you have to do is -to go home and do better.” Stuart always expressed the obligations he -was under to that distinguished artist. When West saw that he was fitted -for the field, prepared for and capable of contending with the best -portrait painters, he advised him to commence his professional career, -and pointed out to him the way to fame and fortune. But Stuart did not -follow this wise counsel, preferring to indulge his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128">{128}</a></span> own wayward fancy. -He had a noble, generous, and disinterested heart, but he was eccentric, -improvident, and extravagant, and consequently he was always in -necessitous circumstances.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_AND_WEST" id="STUART_AND_WEST"></a>STUART AND WEST.</h2> - -<p>“I used often to provoke my good old master,” said Stuart to Dunlap, -“though, heaven knows, without intending it. You remember the color -closet at the bottom of his painting-room. One day, Trumbull and I came -into his room, and little suspecting that he was within hearing, I began -to lecture on his pictures, and particularly upon one then on his easel. -I was a giddy, foolish fellow then. He had begun a portrait of a child, -and he had a way of making curly hair by a flourish of his brush, thus, -like a figure of three. “Here, Trumbull,” said I, “do you want to learn -how to paint hair? There it is, my boy! Our master figures out a head of -hair like a sum in arithmetic. Let us see—we may tell how many guineas -he is to have for this head by simple addition,—three and three make -six, and three are nine, and three are twelve—” How much the sum would -have amounted to, I can’t tell, for just then in stalked the master, -with palette-knife and palette, and put to flight my calculations. “Very -well, Mr. Stuart”—he always <i>mistered</i> me when he was angry, as a man’s -wife calls him <i>my dear</i>, when she wishes him to the d——l,—“Very -well, Mr. Stuart! very well indeed!” You may<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129">{129}</a></span> believe that I looked -foolish enough, and he gave me a pretty sharp lecture, without my making -any reply. But when the head was finished, there were no <i>figures of -three in the hair</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. West,” says Stuart, “treated me very cavalierly on one occasion: -but I had my revenge. My old master, who was always called upon to paint -a portrait of his majesty for every governor-general sent out to India, -received an order for one for Lord ——. He was busily employed upon one -of his <i>ten-acre</i> pictures, in company with prophets and apostles, and -thought he could turn over the king to me. He could never paint a -portrait.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Stuart,’ said he, ‘it is a pity to make his majesty sit again for his -picture; there is the portrait of him that you painted; let me have it -for Lord ——. I will retouch it, and it will do well enough.’ ‘<i>Well -enough!</i> very pretty,’ thought I; ‘you might be civil, when you ask a -favor.’ So I <i>thought</i>; but I <i>said</i>, ‘Very well, sir.’ So the picture -was carried down to his room, and at it he went. I saw he was puzzled. -He worked at it all that day. The next morning, ‘Stuart,’ says he, ‘have -you got your palette set?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Well, you can soon set another; -let me have it; I can’t satisfy myself with that head.’</p> - -<p>“I gave him my palette, and he worked the greater part of that day. In -the afternoon I went into his room, and he was hard at it. I saw that he -had got up to the knees in mud. ‘Stuart,’ says he, ‘I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130">{130}</a></span> don’t know how it -is, but you have a way of managing your tints unlike everybody else. -Here, take the palette, and finish the head.’ ‘I can’t, sir,’ ‘You -can’t?’ ‘I can’t indeed, sir, as it is; but let it stand till to-morrow -morning and get dry, and I will go over it with all my heart.’ The -picture was to go away the day after the morrow; so he made me promise -to do it early next morning.</p> - -<p>He never came down into the painting room until about ten o’clock, I -went into his room bright and early, and by half past nine I had -finished the head. That done, <i>Rafe</i> (Raphael West, the master’s son) -and I began to fence; I with my maul-stick, and he with his father’s. I -had just driven Rafe up to the wall, with his back to one of his -father’s best pictures, when the old gentleman, as neat as a lad of wax, -with his hair powdered, his white silk stockings and yellow morocco -slippers, popped into the room, looking as if he had stepped out of a -band-box. We had made so much noise that we did not hear him come down -the gallery, or open the door. ‘There, you dog,’ says I to Rafe, ‘there -I have you, and nothing but your back-ground <i>relieves</i> you.’</p> - -<p>“The old gentleman could not help smiling at my technical joke, but -soon, looking very stern, ‘Mr. Stuart,’ says he, ‘is this the way you -use me?’ ‘Why! what’s the matter, sir? I have neither hurt the boy nor -the background.’ ‘Sir, when you knew I had promised that the picture of -his majesty should be finished to-day, ready to be sent away to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131">{131}</a></span>-morrow, -thus to be neglecting me and your promise! How can you answer it to me -or to yourself?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Sir,’ said I, ‘do not condemn me without examining the easel. I have -finished the picture: please to look at it.’ He did so, complimented me -highly, and I had ample revenge for his, ‘It will do well enough.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_SCHOLARSHIP" id="STUARTS_SCHOLARSHIP"></a>STUART’S SCHOLARSHIP.</h2> - -<p>Trumbull, speaking of Stuart as he knew him in London, says, “He was a -much better scholar than I had supposed he was. He once undertook to -paint my portrait, and I sat every day for a week, and then he left off -without finishing it, saying, ‘he could make nothing of my d——d -sallow face.’ But during the time, in his conversation, I observed that -he had not only read, but remembered what he had read. In speaking of -the character of man, he said, ‘Linnæus is right; Plato and Diogenes -call man a biped without feathers; that’s a shallow definition. -Franklin’s is better—a tool-making animal; but Linnæus’ is the -best—homo, animal mendax, rapax, pugnax.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_RULE_OF_THE_PAYMENT_OF_HALF_PRICE_AT_THE_FIRST_SITTING" id="STUARTS_RULE_OF_THE_PAYMENT_OF_HALF_PRICE_AT_THE_FIRST_SITTING"></a>STUART’S RULE OF THE PAYMENT OF HALF PRICE AT THE FIRST SITTING.</h2> - -<p>Stuart thus explains how he came to adopt a custom, which, when -practicable, commends itself to others. “Lord St. Vincent, the Duke of -Northumberland, and Colonel Barre, came unexpectedly into my room, one -morning after my setting up an inde<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132">{132}</a></span>pendent easel, and explained the -object of their visit. They understood that I was under pecuniary -embarrassment, and offered me assistance, which I declined. They then -said they would sit for their portraits; of course I was ready to serve -them. They then advised that I should make it a rule that half the price -must be paid at the first sitting. They insisted on setting the example, -and I followed the practice, ever after this delicate mode of their -showing their friendship.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_POWERS_OF_PERCEPTION" id="STUARTS_POWERS_OF_PERCEPTION"></a>STUART’S POWERS OF PERCEPTION.</h2> - -<p>Stuart read men’s characters at a glance, and always engaged his sitters -on some interesting topic of conversation, and while their features were -thus lit up, he transferred them to his canvass, with the magic of his -pencil. Hence his portraits are full of animation, truth, and nature. -This trait is well illustrated by the following anecdote. Lord Mulgrave -employed him to paint his brother, General Phipps, who was going out to -India. When the portrait was finished, and the general had sailed, the -Earl called for the picture, and on examining it, he seemed disturbed, -and said, “This picture looks strange, sir; how is it? I think I see -insanity in that face!” “I painted your brother as I saw him,” replied -the painter. The first account Lord Mulgrave had of his brother was, -that insanity, unknown and unapprehended by any of his friends, had -driven him to commit suicide. Washington<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133">{133}</a></span> Allston, in his eulogium on -Stuart, says, “The narratives and anecdotes with which his knowledge of -men and the world had stored his memory, and which he often gave with -great beauty and dramatic effect, were not unfrequently employed by Mr. -Stuart in a way, and with an address peculiar to himself. From this -store it was his custom to draw largely, while occupied with his -sitters, apparently for their amusement; but his object was rather, by -thus banishing all restraint, to call forth, if possible, some -involuntary traits of natural character. It was this which enabled him -to animate his canvass, not with the appearance of mere general life, -but with that peculiar, distinctive life which separates the humblest -individual from his kind. He seemed to dive into the thoughts of -men—for they were made to rise and speak on the surface.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_CONVERSATIONAL_POWERS" id="STUARTS_CONVERSATIONAL_POWERS"></a>STUART’S CONVERSATIONAL POWERS.</h2> - -<p>Dr. Waterhouse relates the following anecdote of Stuart. He was -traveling one day in an English stage-coach, with some gentlemen who -were all strangers, and at first rather taciturn, but he soon engaged -them in the most animated conversation. At length they arrived at their -place of destination, and stopped at an inn to dine. “His companions,” -says the Doctor, “were very desirous to know <i>who</i> and <i>what</i> he was, -for whatever Dr. Franklin may have said a half century ago about the -question-asking propensity of his countrymen, I never noticed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134">{134}</a></span> so much -of that kind of traveling curiosity in New England as in Britain. To the -round-about inquiries to find out his calling or profession, Stuart -answered with a grave face and serious tone,</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I sometimes dress gentlemen’s and ladies’ hair’ (at that time, the -high craped, pomatumed hair was all the fashion).</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>You are a hair-dresser, then?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What,’ said he, ‘do I look like a barber?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I beg your pardon, sir, but I inferred it from what you said. If I -mistook you, I may take the liberty to ask you what you are then?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Why, I sometimes brush a gentleman’s coat or hat, and sometimes adjust -a cravat.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>O, you are a valet, then, to some nobleman?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>A valet! Indeed sir, I am not. I am not a servant. To be sure, I make -coats and waistcoats for gentlemen.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>O, you are a tailor?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>A tailor! Do I look like a tailor? I assure you, I never handled a -goose, other than a roasted one.’</p> - -<p>By this time they were all in a roar.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What are you, then?’ said one.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I’ll tell you,’ said Stuart. ‘Be assured, all I have told you is -literally true. I dress hair, brush hats and coats, adjust a cravat, and -make coats, waistcoats, and breeches, and likewise boots and shoes, at -your service.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>O, ho! a boot and shoemaker after all!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135">{135}</a></span>’</p> - -<p>“Guess again, gentlemen. I never handled boot or shoe, but for my own -feet and legs; yet all I told you is true.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>We may as well give up guessing.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well then, I will tell you, upon my honor as a gentleman, my <i>bona -fide</i> profession. I get my bread by making faces.’</p> - -<p>He then screwed his countenance, and twisted the lineaments of his -visage in a manner such as Samuel Foote or Charles Matthews might have -envied. His companions, after loud peals of laughter, each took credit -to himself for having suspected that the gentleman belonged to the -theatre, and they all knew he must be a comedian by profession, when, to -their utter astonishment, he assured them he was never on the stage, and -very rarely saw the inside of a playhouse, or any similar place of -amusement. They all now looked at each other in utter amazement. Before -parting, Stuart said to his companions,—</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Gentlemen, you will find that all I have said of various employments -is comprised in these few words: <i>I am a portrait painter!</i> If you will -call at John Palmer’s, York Buildings, London, I shall be ready and -willing to brush you a coat or hat, dress your hair <i>a la mode</i>, supply -you, if in need, with a wig of any fashion or dimensions, accommodate -you boots or shoes, give you ruffles or cravat, and make faces for -you.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136">{136}</a></span>’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_SUCCESS_IN_EUROPE" id="STUARTS_SUCCESS_IN_EUROPE"></a>STUART’S SUCCESS IN EUROPE.</h2> - -<p>Stanley, in his edition of Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers -says, “He rose into eminence, and his claims were acknowledged, even in -the life time of Sir Joshua Reynolds. His high reputation as a portrait -painter, as well in Ireland as in England, introduced him to a large -acquaintance among the higher circles of society, and he was in the road -of realizing a large fortune, had he not returned to America.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_IN_IRELAND" id="STUART_IN_IRELAND"></a>STUART IN IRELAND.</h2> - -<p>“The Duke of Rutland,” says Dunlap, who had the story from the artist -himself, “invited Stuart to his house in Dublin. Stuart got money enough -together somehow to pay his passage to Ireland; but when he got there, -he found that the duke had died the day before. If anybody else had gone -there, the duke would have been just as sure to live, for something -extraordinary must happen to Stuart, of course. He soon got into the -debtors’ prison again; but he was a star still. He would not let people -give him money. Rich people and nobles <i>would</i> be painted by him, and -they had to go to jail to find the painter. There he held his court; -flashing equipages of lords and ladies came dashing up to prison, while -their exquisite proprietors waited for their first sitting. He began the -pictures of a great many nobles and men of wealth and fashion, received -half price at the first sitting, and left their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137">{137}</a></span> Irish lordships -imprisoned in effigy. Having thus liberated <i>himself</i>, and there being -no law that would justify the jailor in holding half-finished peers in -prison, the painter fulfilled his engagements, more at his ease, in his -own house, and in the bosom of his own family; and it is probable the -Irish gentlemen laughed heartily at the trick, and willingly paid the -remainder of the price.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_RETURN_TO_AMERICA" id="STUARTS_RETURN_TO_AMERICA"></a>STUART’S RETURN TO AMERICA.</h2> - -<p>Miss Stuart, the daughter of the painter, says, “he arrived in Dublin in -1788, and notwithstanding the loss of his friendly inviter, he met with -great success, painted most of the nobility, and lived in a good deal of -splendor. The love of his own country, his admiration of General -Washington, and the very great desire he had to paint his portrait, was -his <i>only</i> inducement to turn his back on his good fortunes in Europe.” -Accordingly, in 1793, he embarked for New York, where he took up his -abode for some months, and painted the portraits of Sir John Temple, -John Jay, Gen. Clarkson, John R. Murray, Colonel Giles, and other -persons of distinction.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_AND_WASHINGTON" id="STUART_AND_WASHINGTON"></a>STUART AND WASHINGTON.</h2> - -<p>In 1794, Stuart proceeded to Philadelphia, for the purpose of painting a -portrait of Washington, who received him courteously. He used to say -that when he entered the room where Washington was, he felt embarrassed, -and that it was the first time<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138">{138}</a></span> in his life he had ever felt awed in the -presence of a fellowman. Washington was then standing on the highest -eminence of earthly glory, and the gaze of the world was steadily fixed -upon the man, whom Botta terms “the Father of Freedom.” To leave to -posterity a faithful portrait of the Father of his country, had become -the most earnest wish of Stuart’s life. This he accomplished, but not at -the first time; he was not satisfied with the expression, and destroyed -the picture. The President sat again, and he produced that head which -embodies not only the features but the soul of Washington, from which he -painted all his other portraits of that great man. This picture is now -in the Boston Atheneum.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_LAST_PICTURE" id="STUARTS_LAST_PICTURE"></a>STUART’S LAST PICTURE.</h2> - -<p>After the removal of Congress to Washington, Stuart followed, and -resided there till 1806, when he went to Boston, and passed there the -rest of his days. He painted a great many portraits, which are scattered -all over the country. The last work he ever painted was a head of the -elder John Quincy Adams. He began it a full-length: but he was an old -man, and only lived to complete the head, which is considered one of his -best likenesses, and shows that the powers of his mind and the magic of -his pencil continued brilliant to the last. The picture was finished by -that eminent and highly gifted artist, Thomas Sully, who would not touch -the head, as he said, “he would have thought it lit<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139">{139}</a></span>tle less than -sacrilege.” He died in 1828, in the seventy-fifth year of his age.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_REPUTATION" id="STUARTS_REPUTATION"></a>STUART’S REPUTATION.</h2> - -<p>As a painter of heads, Stuart stands almost unrivalled in any age or -country; beyond this he made no pretensions, and indeed bestowed very -little care or labor. He used to express his contempt for fine finishing -of the extremities, or rich and elegant accessories, which he used to -say was “work for girls.” Whether these were his real sentiments, or -affectation, it is difficult to determine. He was, however, totally -deficient in that academic education which is necessary to success in -the highest branch of the art—historical painting. He had genius enough -to have distinguished himself in any branch, but he could not, or would -not, brook the necessary toil.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_DRAWING" id="STUARTS_DRAWING"></a>STUART’S DRAWING.</h2> - -<p>Stuart never had patience to undergo the drudgery necessary to become a -skillful draughtsman. His kind instructor, Mr. West, urged upon him its -importance and necessity, and advised him to frequent the Royal Academy -for this purpose, which he neglected to do. Trumbull relates that -Fuseli, on being shown some of his drawings, observed in his usual -sarcastic manner, “young man, if this is the best you can do, you had -better go and make shoes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140">{140}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_A_PUNSTER" id="STUART_A_PUNSTER"></a>STUART A PUNSTER.</h2> - -<p>Stuart was an inveterate punster. Mr. Allston, calling on him a short -time before his death, asked him how he was. “Ah!” said he, drawing up -his pantaloons, and showing his emaciated leg, which in his youth had -been his pride, “you can judge how much I am <i>out of drawing</i>.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_BORN_IN_A_SNUFF-MILL" id="STUART_BORN_IN_A_SNUFF-MILL"></a>STUART BORN IN A SNUFF-MILL.</h2> - -<p>Stuart was an inordinate snuff-taker. He used to jocosely apologize for -the habit, by saying that “he was born in a snuff-mill,” which was -literally true, for his father was a manufacturer of snuff. He said, “a -pinch of snuff had a wonderful effect upon a man’s spirits.” An old sea -captain once observed to him, “you see, sir, I have always a nostril in -reserve. When the right becomes callous after a few weeks’ usage, I -apply for comfort to the left, which having had time to regain its sense -of feeling, enjoys the <i>blackguard</i> till the right comes to its senses.” -“Thank you,” said Stuart, “it’s a great discovery. Strange that I should -not have made it myself, when I have been voyaging all my life in these -channels.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_NOSE" id="STUARTS_NOSE"></a>STUART’S NOSE.</h2> - -<p>Stuart always maintained that a likeness depended more on the <i>nose</i>, -than any other feature, and in proof of his theory, he would put his -thumb under his own large and flexible proboscis, and turning it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141">{141}</a></span> up, -exclaim, “who would know my portrait with such a nose as this?” -Therefore, he is said to have generally painted a likeness, before -<i>putting in</i> the eyes. On one occasion, a pert young coxcomb, who was -sitting for his portrait, stole a glance at the canvass and exclaimed, -“why, it has no eyes!” Stuart coolly observed, “It is not nine days old -yet,” referring of course to the time when a <i>puppy</i> first opens its -eyes.</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_SITTERS" id="STUARTS_SITTERS"></a>STUART’S SITTERS.</h2> - -<p>A portrait was once returned to Stuart with the grievous complaint, that -the muslin of the cravat was too coarsely executed. Stuart indignantly -observed to a friend, “I am determined to glue a piece of muslin of the -finest texture on the part that offends their <i>exquisite</i> judgment, and -send it back again.” A lady once sat to him dressed in the extreme of -fashion, loaded with jewelry and gewgaws, besides an abundance of hair -powder and rouge. Stuart, being <i>hard up</i> for cash, consented to “raise -a monument to her folly.” After the picture was completed, he observed -to a friend, “There is what I have all my life been endeavoring to -avoid,—vanity and bad taste.”</p> - -<p>A gentleman of note employed Stuart to paint his own portrait and that -of his wife, who, when he married her, was a very rich widow, but a very -ordinary looking person. The husband was handsome, and of a noble -figure, and the painter <i>hit him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142">{142}</a></span> off</i>, to admiration. Not so with the -lady; he flattered her as much as he could without destroying the -likeness, but the husband was not satisfied, expressed his -dissatisfaction in polite terms, and requested him to try again. He did -so, without any better success. The husband now began to fret, when the -painter losing his patience, jumped up, laid down his palette, took a -huge pinch of snuff, and stalking rapidly up and down the room, -exclaimed, “What a d—d business is this of a portrait painter—zounds, -you bring a <i>potato</i>, and expect him to paint you a peach.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUARTS_MARK" id="STUARTS_MARK"></a>STUART’S MARK.</h2> - -<p>Stuart, it is said, never signed but one picture in his life, and that -was his own portrait, before mentioned, on which he wrote <i>Gilbert -Charles Stuart</i>. Dr. Waterhouse says, “his parents named him after his -father, and Charles the Pretender, but Stuart soon dropt the Charles, as -he was a staunch republican. When asked why he did not sign his -pictures, he replied, “I mark them all over.”</p> - -<h2><a name="STUART_AND_HIS_DOG" id="STUART_AND_HIS_DOG"></a>STUART AND HIS DOG.</h2> - -<p>In the early part of Stuart’s career as a portrait painter in London, he -had for his attendant a wild boy, the son of a poor widow, who spent -half his time in frolicking with a fine Newfoundland dog belonging to -his master. The boy and dog were inseparable companions, and when Tom -went on an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143">{143}</a></span> errand, Towzer must accompany him. Tom was a terrible -truant, and played so many tricks upon Stuart, that he again and again -threatened to discharge him. One day, out of all patience at his long -absence, he posted off to his mother, in a rage, to dismiss him. The old -woman, perceiving a tempest, <i>began first</i>, and told a pitiful story, -how his dog had upset her mutton pie, broke the dish, greased the floor, -and devoured the meat. “I am glad of it; you encourage the rascal to -come here, and here I will send him.” An idea struck Stuart, and he -consented to keep Tom, on condition that she kept his visit a profound -secret. When the boy returned, he found his master at his easel, and -being roundly lectured, he told a story that had no relation to his -mother, Towzer, or the pie. “Very well,” said the painter, “bring in -dinner, I shall know all about it by-and-by.” Stuart sat down to his -dinner, and Towzer took his accustomed place by his side, while Tom -stood in attendance. “Well, Towzer, your mouth don’t water for your -share; where have you been?” and he put his ear to the dog’s mouth, “I -thought so, with Tom’s mother, ha!” “Bow-wow.” “And have you had your -dinner?” “Bow.” “I thought so; what have you been eating? Put your mouth -nearer, sir. Mutton-pie; very pretty. So you and Tom have eaten Mrs. -Jenkins’ mutton-pie, have you?” “Bow-wow.” “He lies, sir,” exclaimed -Tom, in amazement, “I didn’t touch it; he broke mother’s dish,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144">{144}</a></span> and eat -all the mutton!” From that time, Tom concluded that the devil must be in -the dog or the painter, and that he had no chance for successful lying.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_TEMPLE_OF_DIANA_AT_EPHESUS" id="THE_TEMPLE_OF_DIANA_AT_EPHESUS"></a>THE TEMPLE OF DIANA AT EPHESUS.</h2> - -<p>This famous temple, according to Vitruvius, was designed and commenced -by Ctesiphon, a Cretan architect of great eminence. It was two hundred -years in building, and was accounted one of the seven wonders of the -world. The gods having designated the spot, according to tradition, -every nation of Asia Minor contributed to its completion, with the most -fervent zeal. It was ornamented with one hundred and twenty-seven -columns of Parian marble, of the Ionic order, sixty feet high, -thirty-seven of which were the gifts of as many kings, and were -exquisitely wrought. This great temple was finished by Demetrius and -Paonius of Ephesus. It was afterwards burned by Erostratus, in order to -immortalize his name. It was subsequently rebuilt, but was finally -destroyed totally by the barbarians, in the third or fourth century.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DYING_GLADIATOR" id="THE_DYING_GLADIATOR"></a>THE DYING GLADIATOR.</h2> - -<p>The most famous work of Ctesilas was the Dying Gladiator, which has -received the highest commendations from both ancient and modern writers. -It was long preserved at Rome, in the Chigi palace, but was taken to -Paris with the Laocoön and other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145">{145}</a></span> antiques, in 1796. These works were -restored by the allies, in 1815. Ctesilas flourished about B. C. 432, -was a cotemporary of Phidias, and with him and others competed for the -prize offered for six statues of the temple of Diana at Ephesus; the -first was awarded to Polycletus, the second to Phidias, and the third to -Ctesilas. He also distinguished himself by a number of other works, -among which were a statue of Pericles, and a Wounded Amazon.</p> - -<h2><a name="FABIUS_MAXIMUS" id="FABIUS_MAXIMUS"></a>FABIUS MAXIMUS.</h2> - -<p>It was not until the second Punic war that the Romans acquired a taste -for the arts and elegancies of life: for though in the first war with -Carthage, they had conquered Sicily (which in the old Roman geography -made a part of Greece), and were masters of several cities in the -eastern part of Italy, (which were inhabited by Grecian colonies, and -adorned with pictures and statues in which the Greeks excelled all the -world,) they had hitherto looked on them with so careless an eye, that -they were not touched with their beauty. This insensibility long -remained, either from the grossness of their minds, or from -superstition, or (what is more likely) from a political dread that their -martial spirit and natural roughness might be destroyed by Grecian art -and elegance. When Fabius Maximus, in the second Punic war, captured -Tarentum, he found it full of riches, and adorned with pictures and -statues, particularly with some fine colossal figures of the gods<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146">{146}</a></span> -fighting against the rebel giants: Fabius ordered that the money and -plate should be sent to Rome, but that the statues and pictures should -be left behind. The Secretary, struck with the size and noble air of the -statues, asked whether they too were to be left with the rest? “Yes,” -replied he, “leave their angry gods to the Tarentines; we will have -nothing to do with them.”</p> - -<h2><a name="LOVE_OF_THE_ARTS_AMONG_THE_ROMANS" id="LOVE_OF_THE_ARTS_AMONG_THE_ROMANS"></a>LOVE OF THE ARTS AMONG THE ROMANS.</h2> - -<p>We may judge to what extent the love of the arts prevailed in Rome, by a -speech of Cato the Censor, in the Senate, about seventeen years after -the taking of Syracuse. In vain did Cato exclaim against the pernicious -taste, and its demoralizing effects; the Roman generals, in their -several conquests, seem to have striven who should bring away the most -statues and pictures to adorn their triumphs and the city of Rome. -Flaminius from Greece, and more particularly Æmilius from Macedonia, -brought a very great number of vases and statues. Not many years after, -Scipio Africanus destroyed Carthage, and transferred to Rome the chief -ornaments of that city. The same year, Mummius sacked Corinth, one of -the principal repositories of the finest works of art. Having but little -taste himself, he took the surest method not to be mistaken, for he -carried off all that came in his way, and in such quantities, that he -alone is said to have filled Rome with pictures and statues. Sylla,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147">{147}</a></span> -besides many others, made vast additions to them afterwards, by the -taking of Athens, and by his conquests in Asia.</p> - -<h2><a name="COMPARATIVE_MERITS_OF_THE_VENUS_DE_MEDICI_AND_THE_VENUS_VICTRIX" id="COMPARATIVE_MERITS_OF_THE_VENUS_DE_MEDICI_AND_THE_VENUS_VICTRIX"></a>COMPARATIVE MERITS OF THE VENUS DE MEDICI, AND THE VENUS VICTRIX.</h2> - -<p>The Venus de Medici is placed in the tribune of the Florentine gallery, -between two other Venuses, the Celestial and the Victorious. “If you -observe them well,” says Spence, “you will find as much difference -between her air, and that of the celestial Venus, as there is between -Titian’s wife as a Venus, and as a Madonna, in the same room.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_EFFECT_OF_PAINTING_ON_THE_MIND" id="THE_EFFECT_OF_PAINTING_ON_THE_MIND"></a>THE EFFECT OF PAINTING ON THE MIND.</h2> - -<p>The effects of the pencil are sometimes wonderful. It is said that -Alexander trembled and grew pale on seeing a picture of Palamedes -betrayed to death by his friends. It doubtless brought to his mind a -stinging remembrance of his treatment of Aristonicus.</p> - -<p>Portia could bear with an unshaken constancy her last separation from -Brutus; but when she saw, a few hours after, a picture of the Parting of -Hector and Andromache, she burst into a flood of tears. Full as seemed -her cup of sorrow, the painter suggested new ideas of grief, or -impressed more strongly her own.</p> - -<p>An Athenian courtezan, in the midst of a riotous banquet with her -lovers, accidentally cast her eye<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148">{148}</a></span> on the portrait of a philosopher that -hung opposite to her seat; the happy character of temperance and virtue -struck her with so lively an image of her own unworthiness, that she -instantly quitted the room, and retiring home, became ever after an -example of temperance, as she had before been of debauchery.</p> - -<h2><a name="PAUSIAS" id="PAUSIAS"></a>PAUSIAS.</h2> - -<p>Pausias, an eminent Greek painter, was a native of Sicyon, and -flourished about B. C. 450. His most famous picture was one representing -the Sacrifice of an Ox, which, according to Pliny, decorated the Hall of -Pompey in his time. Pausanias mentions two of his paintings at -Epidaurus—the one a Cupid with a lyre in his hand; and the other a -figure of Methe, or Drunkenness, drinking out of a glass vessel, through -which his face is seen. These pictures were held in the highest -estimation by the Sicyonians, but they were compelled to give them up to -M. Scaurus, who took them to Rome.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_GARLAND_TWINER" id="THE_GARLAND_TWINER"></a>THE GARLAND TWINER.</h2> - -<p>Pausias fell in love with a beautiful damsel, a native of his own city, -called Glycera, who gained a livelihood by making garlands of flowers, -and wreaths of roses. Her skill in this art induced Pausias, in a loving -rivalry, to attempt to compete with her, and he ultimately became an -inimitable flower painter. A portrait of Glycera with a gar<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149">{149}</a></span>land of -flowers, called Stephanopolis, or the Garland Twiner, was reckoned his -masterpiece. So great was the fame of it, that Lucius Lucullus gave for -a copy, at Athens, two talents, or about two thousand dollars.</p> - -<h2><a name="PROTOGENES_THE_GREAT_RHODIAN_PAINTER" id="PROTOGENES_THE_GREAT_RHODIAN_PAINTER"></a>PROTOGENES, THE GREAT RHODIAN PAINTER.</h2> - -<p>The most famous of his works was the picture of Ialysus and his Dog, -which occupied him seven years. The dog, represented as panting and -foaming at the mouth, was greatly admired; and it is related that -Protogenes was for a long time unable to represent the foam in the -manner he wished, till at length he threw his sponge in a fury at the -mouth, and produced the very effect he desired! The fame of this -painting was so great, that, according to Pliny, Demetrius Poliorcetes, -when besieging Rhodes, did not assault that part of the city where -Protogenes lived, lest he should destroy the picture. His studio was -situated without the walls, where, to the astonishment of the besiegers, -he continued to paint with perfect tranquillity. This coming to the ears -of Demetrius, he ordered the artist to be brought to his tent, and -demanded how he could persist in the quiet exercise of his profession, -when surrounded by enemies? Protogenes replied that he did not consider -himself in any danger, convinced that a great prince like Demetrius did -not make war against the Arts, but against the Rhodians.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150">{150}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="PARRHASIUS" id="PARRHASIUS"></a>PARRHASIUS.</h2> - -<p>This great painter was a native of Ephesus, but became a citizen of -Athens, where he flourished about B. C. 390. He raised the art to a much -higher degree of perfection than it had before attained. Comparing his -three great predecessors with each other, he rejected their errors, and -adopted their excellencies. The classic invention of Polygnotus, the -magic tones of Apollodorus, and the exquisite design of Zeuxis, are said -to have been united in the works of Parrhasius. He reduced to theory the -practice of former artists, and all cotemporary and subsequent painters -adopted his standard of heroic and divine proportions; hence he was -called the <i>Legislator of Painting</i>.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DEMOS_AND_OTHER_WORKS_OF_PARRHASIUS" id="THE_DEMOS_AND_OTHER_WORKS_OF_PARRHASIUS"></a>THE DEMOS AND OTHER WORKS OF PARRHASIUS.</h2> - -<p>One of the most celebrated works of Parrhasius was his Demos, or an -allegorical picture of the Athenians. Pliny says that “it represented -and expressed equally all the good as well as the bad qualities of the -Athenians at the same time; one might trace the changeable, the -irritable, the kind, the unjust, the forgiving, the vain-glorious, the -proud, the humble, the fierce, the timid.” There has been considerable -dispute among critics whether this picture was a composition of one or -several figures. Supposing it to have been a single figure, Pliny’s -description is absurd and ridiculous, for it is impossible to represent -all the passions in a single figure.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151">{151}</a></span> It does not seem, however, that -Parrhasius usually introduced many figures into his compositions. Pliny -mentions as among his principal works, a Theseus; a Telephus; an -Achilles; an Agamemnon; an Æneas; two famous pictures of Hoplites, or -heavily armed warriors, one in action, the other in repose; a Naval -Commander in his armor; Ulysses feigning insanity; Castor and Pollux; -Bacchus and Virtue; a Cretan nurse with an Infant in her arms; and many -others, apparently composed of one, two, or at most three figures.</p> - -<p>Parrhasius was equally celebrated for his small, or cabinet pictures of -libidinous subjects; hence he was called the <i>Pornograph</i>. His famous -picture of Archigallus, the priest of Cybele, mentioned by Pliny, is -supposed to have been of this description. Also the Meleager and -Atalanta mentioned by Suetonius. This picture was bequeathed to -Tiberius, on the condition that if he were offended with the subject, he -should receive in its stead one million sesterces (about forty thousand -dollars). The Emperor not only preferred the picture, but had it hung up -in his own chamber, where the Archigallus, valued at six hundred -thousand sesterces, was also preserved.</p> - -<h2><a name="PARRHASIUS_AND_THE_OLYNTHIAN_CAPTIVE" id="PARRHASIUS_AND_THE_OLYNTHIAN_CAPTIVE"></a>PARRHASIUS AND THE OLYNTHIAN CAPTIVE.</h2> - -<p>Seneca relates that Parrhasius, when about to paint a picture of -Prometheus Chained, crucified an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152">{152}</a></span> old Olynthian captive, to serve as a -model, that he might be able to portray correctly the agonies of -Prometheus while the Vulture preyed upon his vitals. This story is -doubtless a fiction, as it is found nowhere but in the Controversies. -Olynthus was taken by Philip of Macedon, B. C. 347, about forty years -subsequent to the latest accounts of Parrhasius.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_VANITY_OF_PARRHASIUS" id="THE_VANITY_OF_PARRHASIUS"></a>THE VANITY OF PARRHASIUS.</h2> - -<p>This great artist was well aware of his powers, but the applause which -he received, added to a naturally vain and conceited disposition, so -completely carried him away, that Pliny terms him “the most insolent and -the most arrogant of artists.” He assumed the title of <i>The Elegant</i>, -styled himself the <i>Prince of Painters</i>, wrote an epigram upon himself, -in which he proclaimed his birth, and declared that he had carried the -art to perfection. He clothed himself in purple, and wore a wreath of -gold on his head; and when he appeared on public occasions, particularly -at the Olympic games, he changed his robes several times a day. He went -so far as to pretend that he was descended from Apollo, one of whose -surnames was <i>Parrhasius</i>, and even to dedicate his own portrait as -Mercury in a temple, and thus received the adoration of the multitude.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_INVENTION_OF_THE_CORINTHIAN_CAPITAL" id="THE_INVENTION_OF_THE_CORINTHIAN_CAPITAL"></a>THE INVENTION OF THE CORINTHIAN CAPITAL.</h2> - -<p>About B. C. 550, there died at Corinth a marriageable virgin; and her -nurse, according to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153">{153}</a></span> custom of the times, placed on her tomb a -basket containing those viands most agreeable to her when alive, -covering them with a tile, for better preservation. This basket was -unintentionally placed over the root of an acanthus, the spring leaves -and stems of which growing up, covered it in so elegant a manner as to -attract the notice of Callimachus, who, struck with the idea and novelty -of the figure, modelled from it the Corinthian capital, thus giving a -remarkable proof of the intimate connection between Art, and Nature—the -source of all true art—and producing that exquisitely graceful design -which for twenty-four centuries has charmed the civilized world.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_INVENTION_OF_SCULPTURE" id="THE_INVENTION_OF_SCULPTURE"></a>THE INVENTION OF SCULPTURE.</h2> - -<p>Pliny relates a pleasing and highly poetic anecdote of the invention of -sculpture. Dibutades, the fair daughter of a celebrated potter of -Sicyon, contrived a private meeting with her lover, on the eve of a long -separation. After a repetition of vows of constancy, and a stay -prolonged to a very late hour, the youth fell fast asleep. The fair -nymph, whose imagination was on the alert, observing that her admirer’s -profile was strongly reflected on the wall by the light of a lamp, -eagerly snatched up a piece of charcoal, and, inspired by love, traced -the outline, that she might have the image of her lover before her -during his absence. Her father, when he chanced to see the sketch,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154">{154}</a></span> -struck with its correctness, determined to preserve it, if possible, as -a memento of such a remarkable circumstance. With this view, he formed a -kind of clay model from it, and baked it; which, being the first essay -of the kind, was preserved in the public repository of Corinth, even to -the fatal day of its destruction by that enemy to the arts, Mummius -Achaicus.</p> - -<h2><a name="PRAXITELES" id="PRAXITELES"></a>PRAXITELES.</h2> - -<p>Praxiteles, one of the most eminent Grecian sculptors, was cotemporary -with Euphranor, and flourished, according to Pliny, in the one hundred -and fourth Olympiad, or B. C. 360. The place of his birth is not -mentioned. He lived in the period immediately subsequent to the age of -Phidias, but his genius took a different course from that style of -elevation and sublimity which distinguishes the Æschylus of Sculpture. -Praxiteles was the founder of a new school. His style was eminently -distinguished for softness, delicacy, and high finish; and he was fond -of representing whatsoever in nature appeared gentle, tender, and -lovely. Consequently his favorite subjects were the soft and delicate -forms of females and children, rather than the masculine forms of -athletes, warriors, and heroes.</p> - -<h2><a name="PRAXITELES_AND_PHIDIAS_COMPARED" id="PRAXITELES_AND_PHIDIAS_COMPARED"></a>PRAXITELES AND PHIDIAS COMPARED.</h2> - -<p>The peculiar abilities of Praxiteles were admirably displayed in the -Venus of Cnidus, which, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155">{155}</a></span> the exception of the Olympian Jupiter of -Phidias, has received higher and more unqualified eulogiums from ancient -writers, than any other work of Grecian art. These two great artists may -therefore be considered as standing at the head of their respective -schools; Praxiteles, the delicate and beautiful—Phidias, the grand and -sublime.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_WORKS_OF_PRAXITELES" id="THE_WORKS_OF_PRAXITELES"></a>THE WORKS OF PRAXITELES.</h2> - -<p>Praxiteles was eminent for his works, both in bronze and marble, but he -seems to have had the highest reputation for his skill in the latter. -Among those in bronze, Pliny and Pausanias mention a statue of Bacchus; -and one of a Satyr so excellent, that it was called <i>Periboetos</i>, or the -Celebrated. He also made a statue of Venus; a statue of a Matron -weeping; and one of a Courtesan laughing, believed to be a portrait of -the celebrated Thespian courtesan, Phryne. His Apollo Sauroctonos (or -the Lizard Killer), was the finest of his works in bronze, and was -greatly distinguished for purity of style, and graceful beauty of form. -In the Vatican there is a well-authenticated marble copy of this work, -which is justly considered one of the greatest treasures of that -storehouse of art. Among the works in marble by Praxiteles, the famous -Venus of Cnidus takes the preëminence.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS" id="THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS"></a>THE VENUS OF CNIDUS.</h2> - -<p>Praxiteles executed two statues of Venus—the one draped, and the other -naked. The people of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156">{156}</a></span> Coös chose the former, as the most delicate; but -the Cnidians immediately purchased the latter. This work is mentioned by -Lucian as the masterpiece of Praxiteles; and it is also the subject of -numerous epigrams in the Greek Anthology. Its fame was so great that -travelers visited Cnidus on purpose to see it. The original work was -destroyed at Constantinople, in the fifth century, in the dreadful fire -which consumed so many of the admirable monuments of art, collected in -that city.</p> - -<h2><a name="PRAXITELES_AND_PHRYNE" id="PRAXITELES_AND_PHRYNE"></a>PRAXITELES AND PHRYNE.</h2> - -<p>Pausanias relates that the beautiful Phryne, whose influence over -Praxiteles seems to have been considerable, was anxious to possess a -work from his chisel, and when desired to choose for herself, not -knowing which of his exquisite works to select, devised the following -expedient. She commanded a servant to hasten to him, and tell him that -his workshop was in flames, and that with few exceptions, his works had -already perished. Praxiteles, not doubting the truth of the -announcement, rushed out in the greatest anxiety and alarm, exclaiming, -“all is lost, if my <i>Satyr and Cupid</i> are not saved!” The object of -Phryne was answered—she confessed her stratagem, and chose the Cupid.</p> - -<p>Pliny mentions two figures of Cupids as among the finest works of -Praxiteles, one of which he ranks on an equality with the Venus of -Cnidus. It was made of Parian marble. There is an exquisite an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157">{157}</a></span>tique -Cupid in the Vatican, supposed to be a copy of the Cupid of Phryne.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_KING_OF_BITHYNIA_AND_THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS" id="THE_KING_OF_BITHYNIA_AND_THE_VENUS_OF_CNIDUS"></a>THE KING OF BITHYNIA AND THE VENUS OF CNIDUS.</h2> - -<p>According to Lucian, Nicomedes, King of Bithynia, was so captivated with -the Venus of Cnidus, that he offered to pay a debt of the city, -amounting to one hundred talents, (about one hundred thousand dollars) -on condition of their giving up to him this celebrated statue; but the -citizens, to their honor, refused to part with it on any terms, -regarding it as the principal glory of the state.</p> - -<h2><a name="PHIDIAS" id="PHIDIAS"></a>PHIDIAS.</h2> - -<p>Phidias, the most renowned sculptor of antiquity, was born about B. C. -490. Quintilian calls him “the Sculptor of the Gods,” and others, “the -Æschylus of Sculpture,” from the character of grandeur and sublimity in -his works. The times in which he lived were peculiarly favorable to the -development of his genius. He was employed upon great public works -during the administration of Cimon, and subsequently, when Pericles -attained the height of his power, Phidias seems to have been consulted -in regard to the conduct of all the works in sculpture, as well as -architecture. Plutarch says, “It was Phidias who had the direction of -these works, although great architects and skillful sculptors were -employed in erecting them.” Among the most remarkable objects upon which -his talents were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158">{158}</a></span> exercised, the Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, claims -preëminence. It was built by Callicrates and Ictinus, under the -superintendence of Phidias. Within the temple, Phidias executed his -celebrated statue, in gold and ivory, of Minerva, represented standing -erect, holding in one hand a spear, and in the other a statue of -Victory. The helmet was highly decorated, and surmounted by a sphinx; -the naked parts were of ivory; the eyes of precious stones; and the -drapery throughout was of gold. It is said there were forty talents -weight of this metal used in the statue. The people, being desirous of -having all the glory of the work, prohibited Phidias from inscribing his -name upon it; but he contrived to introduce his own portrait as an old -bald-headed man throwing a stone, in the representation of the combat -between the Athenians and Amazons, which decorated the shield. A -likeness of Pericles was also introduced in the same composition. The -exterior of the Parthenon was enriched with admirable sculptures, many -of which were from the hand of Phidias, and all of them executed under -his direction. A portion of these, termed the Elgin marbles, from their -having been taken to England by the Earl of Elgin, are now in the -British Museum. They have been highly commended by the most excellent -judges; and the eminent sculptor Canova, after visiting London, declared -that “he should have been well repaid for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159">{159}</a></span> his journey to England, had -he seen nothing but the Elgin marbles.”</p> - -<h2><a name="PHIDIAS_AND_ALCAMENES" id="PHIDIAS_AND_ALCAMENES"></a>PHIDIAS AND ALCAMENES.</h2> - -<p>The comprehensive character of the genius of this preëminent sculptor, -is well attested by his contest with Alcamenes. It was intended to place -a statue of Minerva on a column of great height in the city of Athens; -and both these artists were employed to produce images for the purpose, -which were to be chosen by the citizens. When the statues were -completed, the universal preference was given to the work of Alcamenes, -which appeared elegantly finished, while that of Phidias appeared rude -and sketchy, with coarse and ill-proportioned features. However, at the -request of Phidias, the statues were successively exhibited on the -elevation for which they were intended, when all the minute beauties of -his rival’s work completely disappeared, together with the seeming -defects of his own; and the latter, though previously despised, seemed -perfect in its proportions, and was surveyed with wonder and delight.</p> - -<h2><a name="INGRATITUDE_OF_THE_ATHENIANS" id="INGRATITUDE_OF_THE_ATHENIANS"></a>INGRATITUDE OF THE ATHENIANS.</h2> - -<p>The enemies of Pericles, with the view of implicating that statesman, -accused Phidias of having misapplied part of the gold entrusted to him -for the statue of Minerva, and desired that he should be brought to -trial. The sculptor, however, by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160">{160}</a></span> prudent advice of Pericles, had -executed the work in such a manner that the gold might easily be -removed, and it was ordered by Pericles to be carefully weighed before -the people. As might have been expected, this test was not required, and -the malicious accusation was overthrown. They then declared the sculptor -guilty of sacrilege in placing his own portrait upon the shield of -Minerva; and some writers state that he was thrown into prison; others, -that he was banished.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_JUPITER_OF_PHIDIAS" id="THE_JUPITER_OF_PHIDIAS"></a>THE JUPITER OF PHIDIAS.</h2> - -<p>Phidias fled from Athens to Elis, where he was employed to execute a -costly statue of the Olympian Jupiter, for the temple in Altis. This -statue was the most renowned of all the works of Phidias. It was of -colossal dimensions, being sixty feet in height; and seated on a throne; -the head was crowned with olive; the right hand held a small statue of -Victory, in gold and ivory; the left hand grasped a golden sceptre of -exquisite workmanship, surmounted by an eagle; the sandals and mantle -were also of the same material, the latter sculptured with every -description of flowers and animals; the pedestal was also of gold, -ornamented with a number of deities in bas-relief. In the front of the -throne was a representation of the Sphynx carrying off the Theban -youths; beneath these, the Fate of Niobe and her Children; and, on the -pedestal joining the feet, the Contest of Hercules with the Amazons, -embra<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161">{161}</a></span>cing twenty-nine figures, among which was one intended to -represent Theseus. On the hinder feet of the throne were four Victories, -as treading in the dance. On the back of the throne, above the head of -the god, were figures of the Hours and Graces; on the seat, Theseus -warring with the Amazons, and Lions of gold. Its base, which was of -gold, represented various groups of Divinities, among which were Jupiter -and Juno, with the Graces leading on Mercury and Vesta; Cupid receiving -Venus from the Sea; Apollo with Diana; Minerva with Hercules; and, below -these, Neptune, and the Moon in her Chariot. On the base of the statue, -was the inscription, <i>Phidias, the son of Charmidas, made -me</i>.—Quintilian observes that this unparalleled work even added new -feelings to the religion of Greece. It was without a rival in ancient -times, all writers speaking of it as a production that none would even -dare to imitate. There is a tradition connected with this celebrated -work. Phidias, after the completion of his design, is said to have -prayed Jupiter to favor him with some intimation of his approbation, -whereupon a flash of lightning darted into the temple, and struck the -pavement before him. This was hailed as a proof of divine favor, and a -brazen urn or vase was placed upon the spot, which Pausanias mentions as -existing in his time.</p> - -<h2><a name="PHIDIAS_MODEL_FOR_THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER" id="PHIDIAS_MODEL_FOR_THE_OLYMPIAN_JUPITER"></a>PHIDIAS’ MODEL FOR THE OLYMPIAN JUPITER.</h2> - -<p>Phidias, being asked how he could conceive that air of divinity which he -had expressed in the face<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162">{162}</a></span> of the Olympian Jupiter, replied that he had -copied it from Homer’s celebrated description of him. All the personal -strokes in that description relate to the hair, the eye-brows, and the -beard: and indeed to these it is that the best heads of Jupiter owe most -of their dignity; for though we have now a mean opinion of beards, yet -all over the east a full beard carries the idea of majesty along with -it; and the Grecians had a share of this Oriental notion, as may be seen -in their busts of Jupiter, and the heads of kings on Greek medals. But -the Romans, though they held beards in great esteem, even as far down as -the sacking of Rome by the Goths, yet in their better ages held them in -contempt, and spoke disrespectfully of their bearded forefathers. They -were worn only by poor philosophers, and by those who were under -disgrace or misfortune. For this reason Virgil, in copying Homer’s -striking description of Jupiter, has omitted all the picturesque strokes -on the beard, hair, and eye-brows; for which Macrobius censures him, and -Scaliger extols him. The matter might have been compounded between them, -by allowing that Virgil’s description was the most proper for the -Romans, and Homer’s the noblest among the Greeks.</p> - -<h2><a name="APOLLODORUS_THE_ATHENIAN" id="APOLLODORUS_THE_ATHENIAN"></a>APOLLODORUS THE ATHENIAN.</h2> - -<p>Apollodorus, one of the most famous of the ancient Greek painters, was -born at Athens B. C. 440. Pliny commences his history of Greek painting -with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163">{163}</a></span> this artist, terming him “the first luminary of the art.” He also -says of him, “I may well and truly say that none before him brought the -pencil into a glorious name and especial credit.” The two most famous -works of Apollodorus, were, a Priest in the act of Devotion, and Ajax -Oileus Wrecked, both remarkable, not only in coloring and chiaro-scuro, -but in invention and composition. These paintings were preserved at -Pergamos in the time of Pliny, six hundred years after they were -executed. Apollodorus was the first who attained the perfect imitation -of the effects of light and shadow invariably seen in nature. If we may -depend upon the criticisms of ancient writers, the works of this master -were not inferior in this respect to those of the most distinguished -moderns. His pictures riveted the eye, not merely from their general -coloring, but also from a powerful and peculiar effect of light and -shade, on which account he was called “the Shadower.”</p> - -<h2><a name="APOLLODORUS_THE_ARCHITECT" id="APOLLODORUS_THE_ARCHITECT"></a>APOLLODORUS THE ARCHITECT.</h2> - -<p>This great architect, who flourished about A. D. 100, was born at -Damascus. By his great genius he acquired the favor of the emperor -Trajan, for whom he executed many works. He built the great Square of -Trajan, to effect which, he leveled a hill, one hundred and forty-four -feet high; in the centre he raised the famous column, of the same height -as the hill that had been removed, which commem<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164">{164}</a></span>orated the victories of -Trajan, and served as a monument to that victorious Emperor. Around the -Square, he erected the most beautiful assemblage of buildings then known -in the world, among which was the triumphal arch commemorative of -Trajan’s victories. The marble pavements of this Square are fifteen feet -below the streets of modern Rome. Apollodorus also erected a college, a -theatre appropriated to music, the Basilica Nepia, a celebrated library, -the Baths of Trajan, aqueducts, and other important works at Rome. His -most famous work was a stone bridge over the Danube, in Lower Hungary, -near Zeverino. It was one mile and a half long, three hundred feet high, -forty feet wide, and was built upon twenty piers and twenty-two arches. -Its extremities were defended by two fortresses. Trajan had it -constructed to facilitate the passage of his troops, but his successor -dismantled it, fearing that the barbarians would use it <i>against the -Romans</i>.</p> - -<h2><a name="TRAJANS_COLUMN" id="TRAJANS_COLUMN"></a>TRAJAN’S COLUMN.</h2> - -<p>This column is one of the most celebrated monuments of antiquity. Its -height, including the pedestal and statue, is one hundred and forty-four -English feet. It was erected in the centre of the forum of Trajan, and -was dedicated to that emperor by the senate and people of Rome in -commemoration of his decisive victory over the Dacians. It is of the -Doric order, and its shaft is constructed of thirty-four pieces of Greek -marble, hollowed out in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165">{165}</a></span> centre for the stairs, and joined together -with cramps of bronze. For elegance of proportion, beauty of style, and -for simplicity and dexterity of sculpture, it is accounted the finest -column in the world. The sculptures on the pedestal are master-pieces of -Roman art. The shaft is embellished with bassi-rilievi, representing the -expedition of Trajan against the Dacians, which run spirally, -twenty-three times around the column, and which gradually increase in -size, so that those at the top appear to the spectator, to be of the -same size as those at the bottom. A spiral stair-case, of one hundred -and eighty-five steps, runs up the interior, and receives light from -sixty-three openings in the shaft. A gold medal, struck in commemoration -of the completion of the column, shows that it was formerly surmounted -by a statue of Trajan, holding in one hand a sceptre, and in the other a -globe, in which were deposited the ashes of that prince. Pope Sixtus V. -placed a statue of St. Peter, by the Cavaliere Fontana, in the place of -that of Trajan, which had been destroyed some centuries before. A -greater absurdity than placing the statue of a peaceful apostle over the -sculptured representation of the Dacian war, can scarcely be conceived.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DEATH_OF_APOLLODORUS" id="THE_DEATH_OF_APOLLODORUS"></a>THE DEATH OF APOLLODORUS.</h2> - -<p>Apollodorus fell a victim to the envy of Adrian, the successor of -Trajan, who himself dabbled in architecture, as well as the other arts. -According to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166">{166}</a></span> Pliny, he ridiculed the proportions of the temple of Rome -and Venus, which had been built from Adrian’s designs, saying that “if -the goddesses who were placed in it should be disposed to stand up, they -would be in danger of breaking their heads against the roof, or if they -should wish to go out, they could not,” which so incensed the Emperor, -that he banished the architect, and had him put to death. Another -account is, that as Trajan was conversing about some of the buildings, -Adrian, who was present, made some remarks, on which the architect said, -“Go and paint pumpkins, for you know nothing about these matters,” an -affront which Adrian never forgot, and avenged by the death of the -architect when he became Emperor. What a return to the architect of -Trajan’s Column!</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTH" id="HOGARTH"></a>HOGARTH.</h2> - -<p>The talents of this eccentric genius were preëminent in burlesque and -satire. He therefore chiefly devoted himself to delineate the calamities -and crimes of private life, and the vices and follies of the age. He -portrayed vice as leading to disgrace and misery, while he represented -virtue as conducting to happiness and honor. His series of the “Harlot’s -Progress,” the “Rake’s Progress,” “Marriage à la Mode,” gained him great -reputation; and the prints which he engraved and published from them, -although rude specimens of the art, met with an enormous sale, greatly -to his own emolument. Lord<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167">{167}</a></span> Orford characterizes him as a painter of -comedy. “If catching the manners and follies of the age, ‘living as they -rise’; if general satire on vices and ridicules, familiarized by strokes -of nature, and heightened by wit, and the whole animated by just and -proper expressions of the persons, be comedy, Hogarth composed comedy as -much as Moliere.” Others have better characterized him as a great moral -preacher. Alderman Boydell was accustomed to say that every merchant, -shopkeeper, mechanic, and others who had youth in their employment, -ought to have some of Hogarth’s prints framed and hung up for their -admonition.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_APPRENTICESHIP" id="HOGARTHS_APPRENTICESHIP"></a>HOGARTH’S APPRENTICESHIP.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth was apprenticed, at an early age, to an engraver of arms on -plate. While thus engaged, his inclination for painting was manifested -in a remarkable manner. Going out one day with some companions on an -excursion to Highgate, the weather being very hot, they entered a public -house, where before long a quarrel occurred. One of the disputants -struck the other on the head with a quart pot, which cut him severely; -and the blood running down the man’s face, gave him a singular -appearance, which, with the contortions of his countenance, presented -Hogarth with a laughable subject. Taking out his pencil, he sketched the -scene in such a truthful and ludicrous manner, that order and good -feeling were at once restored.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168">{168}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_REVENGE" id="HOGARTHS_REVENGE"></a>HOGARTH’S REVENGE.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth, in his early career, was once greatly distressed to raise the -paltry sum of twenty shillings, to satisfy his landlady, who endeavored -to enforce payment. To be revenged on her, he painted her an ugly and -malicious hag, her features so truthfully drawn, that every person who -had seen her at once recognized the individual. Woe betided the man who -incurred his ire; he crucified him without mercy. In his controversy -with Wilkes, he caricatured him in his print of “The Times;” and -Churchill, the poet, he represented as a canonical bear, with a ragged -staff, and a pot of porter.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_METHOD_OF_SKETCHING" id="HOGARTHS_METHOD_OF_SKETCHING"></a>HOGARTH’S METHOD OF SKETCHING.</h2> - -<p>It was Hogarth’s custom to sketch on the spot any remarkable face that -struck him. A gentleman being once with him at the Bedford Coffee House, -observing him to draw something on his thumb nail, inquired what he was -doing, when he was shown the likeness of a comical looking person -sitting in the company.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_MARRIAGE" id="HOGARTHS_MARRIAGE"></a>HOGARTH’S MARRIAGE.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth married the only daughter of Sir James Thornhill, who was -dissatisfied with the match. Soon after this period, he began his -Harlot’s Progress, and was advised by Lady Thornhill to place some of -the prints in the way of his father-in-law. Accordingly, early one -morning, Mrs. Hogarth con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169">{169}</a></span>veyed several of them into the dining room, -when Sir James inquired whence they came? Being told, he said, “Very -well, very well: the man who can produce representations like these, can -also maintain a wife without a portion.” He soon after became both -reconciled and generous to the young couple.</p> - -<p>The “Harlot’s Progress” was the first work which rendered the genius of -Hogarth conspicuously known. Above twelve hundred names were entered in -his subscription book. It was dramatized, and represented on the stage. -Fans were likewise embellished with miniature representations of all the -six plates.</p> - -<h2><a name="SUCCESSFUL_EXPEDIENT_OF_HOGARTH" id="SUCCESSFUL_EXPEDIENT_OF_HOGARTH"></a>SUCCESSFUL EXPEDIENT OF HOGARTH.</h2> - -<p>A nobleman, not remarkable for personal beauty, once sat to Hogarth for -his portrait, which the artist executed in his happiest manner, but with -rigid fidelity. The peer, disgusted at this exact counterpart of his -dear self, did not feel disposed to pay for the picture. After some time -had elapsed, and numerous unsuccessful attempts had been made to obtain -payment, the painter resorted to an expedient which he knew must alarm -the nobleman’s pride. He sent him the following card:—</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hogarth’s dutiful respects to Lord ——. Finding he does not mean to -have the picture drawn for him, Lord —— is informed again of Mr. -Hogarth’s pressing necessity for money. If, there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170">{170}</a></span>fore, his Lordship -does not send for it in three days, it will be disposed of, with the -addition of a tail and some other appendages, to Mr. Pau, the famous -wild beast man; Mr. H. having given that gentleman a conditional promise -of it for an exhibition picture, on his Lordship’s refusal.” This -intimation had the desired effect; the picture was paid for, and -committed to the flames.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_PICTURE_OF_THE_RED_SEA" id="HOGARTHS_PICTURE_OF_THE_RED_SEA"></a>HOGARTH’S PICTURE OF THE RED SEA.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth was once applied to, by a certain nobleman, to paint on his -staircase a representation of the Destruction of Pharaoh’s host in the -Red Sea. In attempting to fix upon the price, Hogarth became disgusted -with the miserly conduct of his patron, who was unwilling to give more -than half the real value of the picture. At last, out of all patience, -he agreed to his terms. In two or three days the picture was ready. The -nobleman, surprised at such expedition, immediately called to examine -it, and found the space painted all over red.</p> - -<p>“Zounds!” said the purchaser, “what have you here? I ordered a scene of -the Red Sea.”</p> - -<p>“The Red Sea you have,” said the painter.</p> - -<p>“But where are the Israelites?”</p> - -<p>“They are all gone over.”</p> - -<p>“And where are the Egyptians?”</p> - -<p>“They are all drowned.”</p> - -<p>The miser’s confusion could only be equalled by the haste with which he -paid his bill. The biter was bit.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171">{171}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_COURTESY" id="HOGARTHS_COURTESY"></a>HOGARTH’S COURTESY.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth treated those who sat for their portraits with a courtesy which -is not always practiced, even now, in England. “When I sat to Hogarth,” -says Mr. Cole, “the custom of giving vails to servants was not -discontinued. On taking leave of the painter at the door, I offered his -servant a small gratuity; but the man politely refused it, telling me it -would be as much as the loss of his place if his master knew it. This -was so uncommon and so liberal in a man of Hogarth’s profession, at that -time, that it much struck me, as nothing of the kind had happened to me -before.” Nor is it likely that such a thing would happen again: Sir -Joshua Reynolds gave his servant six pounds annually as wages, and -offered him one hundred pounds a year for the door.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_ABSENCE_OF_MIND" id="HOGARTHS_ABSENCE_OF_MIND"></a>HOGARTH’S ABSENCE OF MIND.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth was one of the most absent minded of men. Soon after he set up -his carriage, he had occasion to pay a visit to the Lord Mayor. When he -went, the weather was fine; but he was detained by business till a -violent shower of rain came on. Being let out of the mansion house by a -different door from the one at which he had entered, he immediately -began to call for a hackney coach. Not being able to procure one, he -braved the storm, and actually reached his house in Leicester Fields, -without bestowing a thought on his carriage, till his wife,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172">{172}</a></span> astonished -to see him so wet, asked him where he had left it.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_MARCH_TO_FINCHLEY" id="HOGARTHS_MARCH_TO_FINCHLEY"></a>HOGARTH’S MARCH TO FINCHLEY.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth disposed of this celebrated picture by lottery. There were -eighteen hundred and forty-three chances subscribed for; he gave the -remaining one hundred and sixty-seven tickets to the Foundling Hospital, -and the same night delivered the picture to the governors.</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_UNFORTUNATE_DEDICATION_OF_A_PICTURE" id="HOGARTHS_UNFORTUNATE_DEDICATION_OF_A_PICTURE"></a>HOGARTH’S UNFORTUNATE DEDICATION OF A PICTURE.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth dedicated his picture of the March to Finchley to George II. The -following dialogue is said to have ensued, on this occasion, between the -sovereign and the nobleman in waiting:</p> - -<p>“Pray, who is this Hogarth?”</p> - -<p>“A painter, my liege.”</p> - -<p>“I hate painting, and poetry too; neither the one nor the other ever did -any good.”</p> - -<p>“The picture, please your majesty, must undoubtedly be considered as a -burlesque.”</p> - -<p>“What! burlesque a soldier? He deserves to be picketed for his -insolence. Take his trumpery out of my sight.”</p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_MANNER_OF_SELLING_HIS_PICTURES" id="HOGARTHS_MANNER_OF_SELLING_HIS_PICTURES"></a>HOGARTH’S MANNER OF SELLING HIS PICTURES.</h2> - -<p>Hogarth supported himself by the sale of his prints: the prices of his -pictures kept pace neither<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173">{173}</a></span> with his fame nor with his expectations. He -knew, however, the passion of his countrymen for novelty—how they love -to encourage whatever is strange and mysterious; and hoping to profit by -these feelings, the artist determined to sell his principal paintings by -an auction of a very singular nature.</p> - -<p>On the 25th of January, 1745, he offered for sale the six paintings of -the Harlot’s Progress, the eight paintings of the Rake’s Progress, the -Four Times of the Day, and the Strolling Actresses, on the following -conditions:</p> - -<p>“1. Every bidder shall have an entire leaf numbered in the book of sale, -on the top of which will be entered his name and place of abode, the sum -paid by him, the time when, and for what picture.</p> - -<p>2. That on the day of sale, a clock, striking every five minutes, shall -be placed in the room; and when it has struck five minutes after twelve, -the first picture mentioned in the sale book shall be deemed as sold; -the second picture when the clock has struck the next five minutes after -twelve; and so on in succession, till the whole nineteen pictures are -sold.</p> - -<p>3. That none advance anything short of gold at each bidding.</p> - -<p>4. No person to bid on the last day, except those whose names were -before entered on the book. As Mr. Hogarth’s room is but small, he begs -the favor that no person, except those whose names are entered on the -book, will come to view his paintings on the last day of sale.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174">{174}</a></span>”</p> - -<p>This plan was new, startling, and unproductive. It was probably planned -to prevent biddings by proxy, and so secure to the artist the price -which men of wealth and rank might be induced to offer publicly for -works of genius. “A method so novel,” observes Ireland, “probably -disgusted the town; they might not exactly understand this tedious -formula of entering their names and places of abode in a book open to -indiscriminate inspection; they might wish to humble an artist who, by -his proposals, seemed to consider that he did the world a favor in -suffering them to bid for his works; or the rage for paintings might be -confined to the admirers of the old masters.” Be that as it may, he -received only four hundred and twenty-seven pounds seven shillings for -his nineteen pictures—a price by no means equal to their merit.</p> - -<p>The prints of the Harlot’s Progress had sold much better than those of -the Rake’s; yet the paintings of the former produced only fourteen -guineas each, while those of the latter were sold for twenty-two. That -admirable picture, Morning, brought twenty guineas; and Night, in every -respect inferior to almost any of his works, six and twenty. Such was -the reward, then, to which these patrons of genius thought his works -entitled. More has since been given, over and over again, for a single -painting, than Hogarth obtained for all his paintings put together.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175">{175}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="HOGARTHS_LAST_WORK" id="HOGARTHS_LAST_WORK"></a>HOGARTH’S LAST WORK.</h2> - -<p>A short time before Hogarth was seized with the malady which deprived -society of one of its brightest ornaments, he proposed to his matchless -pencil the work he has entitled the <i>Tail Piece</i>. The first idea of this -picture is said to have been started in company, while the convivial -glass was circulating round his own table. “My next undertaking,” said -Hogarth, “shall be the <i>end of all things</i>.” “If that is the case,” -replied one of his friends, “your business will be finished, or there -will be an end to the painter.” “The fact will be so,” answered Hogarth, -sighing heavily, “and therefore the sooner my work is done, the better.” -Accordingly he began the next day, and continued his design with a -diligence that seemed to indicate an apprehension that he should not -live to complete it. This however he did, and in the most ingenious -manner, by grouping everything that could denote the end of all things: -a broken bottle; an old broom worn to the stump; the butt-end of an old -musket; a cracked bell; a bow unstrung; a crown tumbled to pieces; -towers in ruins; the sign-post of a tavern called the World’s End -falling down; the moon in her wane; the map of the globe burning; a -gibbet falling, the body gone, and the chains which held it dropping -down; Phœbus and his horses lying dead in the clouds; a vessel wrecked; -Time, with his hour-glass and scythe broken; a tobacco-pipe, with the -last whiff of smoke going out; a play-book opened, with <i>ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176">{176}</a></span>eunt omnes</i> -stamped in the corner; an empty purse; and a statute of bankruptcy taken -out against Nature. “So far so good,” said Hogarth, on reviewing his -performance; “nothing remains but this;” taking his pencil, and -sketching the resemblance of a painter’s palette broken. “Finis!” he -then exclaimed, “the deed is done; all is over.” It is a very remarkable -fact, and not generally known, that Hogarth never again took the palette -in his hand, and that he died in about a month after he had finished -this <i>Tail Piece</i>.</p> - -<h2><a name="JACQUES_LOUIS_DAVID" id="JACQUES_LOUIS_DAVID"></a>JACQUES LOUIS DAVID.</h2> - -<p>This great painter was born at Paris in 1750. His countrymen have -conferred upon him the distinguished title of <i>The Head and Restorer of -the French School</i>, which he brought back from its previous gaudy and -affected style, to the study of nature and the antique. His reputation -was established as the first painter in France when the French -Revolution broke out, and filled with an ardent love of liberty, he lent -all his powers in overturning the government, and establishing the -Republic. For this purpose, in 1789, he executed his Brutus condemning -his sons to death. He also executed the designs for the numerous -republican monuments and festivals of the time. He was chosen a deputy -to the National Convention, and voted for the king’s death. During the -Reign of Terror, he was one of the most zealous Jacobins, wholly devoted -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177">{177}</a></span> Robespierre; and on the fall of that monster, he was thrown into -prison, and his great reputation as a painter alone saved him from the -guillotine. At length, disgusted with the excesses and revolting scenes -transpiring on all sides, and seeing no hopes of the Republic being -established on a permanent basis, he retired to private life, and -devoted himself exclusively to his pencil. When Napoleon came into -power, perceiving the advantage of employing such a painter as David to -immortalize his glorious victories on canvass, he appointed him his -chief painter, showed him every mark of his favor, and endeavored to -engage him to paint the successes of the French armies. But these -subjects were not congenial to his taste, which ran to the antique. “I -wish,” said he, “that my works may have so completely an antique -character, that if it were possible for an Athenian to return to life, -they might appear to him to be the productions of a Greek painter.” He -however painted several portraits of the Emperor and the members of the -Imperial family, and other subjects, the chief of which were, Napoleon -as First Consul crossing the Alps, and pointing out to his troops the -path to glory, and the Coronation of Napoleon.</p> - -<p>On the restoration of the Bourbons, David was included in the decree -which banished all the regicides forever from France, when he retired to -Brussels, where he continued to practice his profession till his death -in 1825.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178">{178}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DAVIDS_PICTURE_OF_THE_CORONATION_OF_NAPOLEON" id="DAVIDS_PICTURE_OF_THE_CORONATION_OF_NAPOLEON"></a>DAVID’S PICTURE OF THE CORONATION OF NAPOLEON.</h2> - -<p>The largest picture ever known to have been executed, prior to this -production, is the celebrated Marriage at Cana by Paul Veronese, now at -the Louvre; being thirty-three feet long, and eighteen high: whereas the -present composition, containing two hundred and ten personages, eighty -of whom are whole lengths, is thirty-three feet long, and twenty-one -high. This performance occupied four years in its completion, during -which many impediments were thrown in the way of the artist’s labor, by -the clergy on the one hand, and the orders of the Emperor on the other. -Cardinal Caprara, for instance, who is represented bareheaded, producing -one of the finest heads in the picture, was very desirous of being -painted with the decoration of his wig; Napoleon had also ordered the -Turkish ambassador to be exhibited in company with the other envoys; but -he objected, because the law of the Koran forbids to Mahometans the -entrance into a Christian church. His consent, however, was at length -obtained, and these scruples removed, under the consideration that, in -the character of an ambassador, he belonged to no religious sect.</p> - -<p>During the execution of this colossal picture, M. David was incessantly -interrupted by applications from artists to witness the progress of his -work; amongst whom was Camucini, prince of the Roman school, and the -late famous statuary Canova, who daily presented themselves at the -artist’s painting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179">{179}</a></span> gallery. At the last visit made by Camucini, he found -David surrounded by many of his pupils, and on taking leave of the -painter, he bowed to him in the most respectful manner, using the -following expressive words on the occasion:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Adio il piu bravo pittore di scholari ben bravi.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>On Canova’s return to Italy, in order to fulfil what he conceived to be -a duty in regard to this artist, he proposed to the Academy of Saint -Luke, that he should be received as an honorary member; when the -academicians set aside their usual forms, and in honor of M. David, -unanimously elected him one of their body, Canova being chosen to -announce this pleasing intelligence to their new associate.</p> - -<p>The picture was completed in 1807, and prior to its public exposition -Napoleon appointed a day to inspect it in person, which was the fourth -of January, 1808; upon which occasion, in order to confer a greater -honor upon the artist, he went in state, attended by a detachment of -horse and a military band, accompanied by the Empress Josephine, the -princes and princesses of his family, and followed by his ministers and -the great officers of the crown.</p> - -<p>Several criticisms had been previously passed upon the composition, -which had gained the Emperor’s ear, and in particular, that it was not -the coronation of Napoleon, but of his consort; the moment selected by -the painter, however, was highly approved by his master, who, after an -attentive ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180">{180}</a></span>amination of the work, expressed himself in these words.</p> - -<p>“M. David, this is well; very well indeed; you have conceived my whole -idea; the Empress, my mother, the Emperor, all, are most appropriately -placed, you have made me a French knight, and I am gratified that you -have thus transmitted to future ages the proofs of affection I was -desirous of testifying towards the Empress.” After a silence of some -seconds, Napoleon’s hat being on, and Josephine standing at his right -hand, with M. David on his left, the Emperor advanced two steps, and -turning to the painter, uncovered himself, making a profound obeisance -while uttering these words in an elevated tone of voice, “<i>Monsieur -David, I salute you!</i>”</p> - -<p>“Sire,” replied the painter, “I receive the compliment of the Emperor, -in the name of all the artists of the empire, happy in being the -individual one, you deign to make the channel of such an honor.”</p> - -<p>In the month of October, 1808, when this performance was removed to the -museum, the Emperor wished to inspect it a second time; and M. David in -consequence attended in the hall of the Louvre, surrounded by his -pupils; upon which occasion, at the Emperor’s desire, having pointed out -the most conspicuous <i>éleves</i>, who received the decorations of the -Legion of Honor: “It is requisite,” said Napoleon, “that I should -testify my satisfaction to the master of so many distinguished artists; -there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181">{181}</a></span>fore, I promote you to be an officer of the Legion of Honor: M. -Duroc, give a golden decoration to M. David!” “Sire, I have none with -me,” answered the grand marshal. “No matter,” replied the Emperor, “do -not let this day transpire without executing my order.” Duroc, although -no friend to the painter, was obliged to obey, and on the same evening -the insignia were forwarded to M. David.</p> - -<p>The King of Wurtemberg, at the suggestion of the Emperor, also waited -upon the artist to inspect his labor, who, on contemplating the -performance, and in particular, the luminous brightness spread over the -group in which are the pope and Cardinal Caprara, his majesty thus -expressed himself: “I did not believe that your art could effect such -wonders; white and black in painting afford but very weak resources. -When you produced this you had, no doubt, a sunbeam upon your pencil.”</p> - -<p>This compliment, which displayed great knowledge of the art, surprised -the painter, who, after offering his thanks, added: “Sire, your -conception, and the mode in which you express it, bespeak either the -practical artist or the well informed amateur. Your majesty has -doubtless learned to paint.”—“Yes,” said the king, “I sometimes occupy -myself with the art, and all my brothers possess a similar taste; that -one in particular, who frequently visits you, has acquired some -celebrity; for his performances are not like the generality of royal -paintings, they are worthy of the artist. M. David” added<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182">{182}</a></span> the monarch, -“I dare not hope to obtain a copy of this picture; but you may indemnify -me by placing my name at the head of the subscribers to the engraving, -pray do not forget me.”</p> - -<p>The personages represented in this picture are as follow: the Emperor; -the Empress Josephine; the Pope; Cambaceres, Duke of Parma, -arch-chancellor; the Duke of Plaisance, arch-treasurer; Mareschal -Berthier, Prince of Wagram; M. Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento, grand -chamberlain to the emperor; Prince Eugene Beauharnais, viceroy of the -kingdom of Lombardy; Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza, grand écuyer; -Mareschal Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, and afterwards King of -Sweden; Cardinal Pacca, councillor of the pope; Cardinal Fesch, the -uncle of Napoleon; Cardinal Caprara, then the Pope’s legate at the court -of France; the Count D’Harville, senator and governor of the palace of -the Tuileries; Esteve, grand treasurer of the crown; Mareschal Prince -Murat, afterwards King of Naples; Mareschal Serrurier, governor of the -royal Hotel of Invalids; Mareschal Moncey, Duke of Cornegliane, -inspector-general of the gendarmerie; Mareschal Bessierre, Duke of -Treviso, general of the imperial guard; Compte Segur, grand master of -the Ceremonies; the beautiful and heroic Madame Lavalette, and the -Countess of La Rochefoucault, ladies of honor to the empress; Cardinal -du Belloy, archbishop of Paris; Maria<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183">{183}</a></span> Annunciade Carolina, wife of -Murat; Maria Paulina, wife of Prince Borghese, Duke of Guastalla; and -Maria Anna Elisa, Duchess of Tuscany, and Princess of Lucca and -Piombino;—the three sisters of Napoleon; Hortense Eugenia Beauharnais, -daughter of Josephine, and wife of Louis Napoleon, King of Holland, -together with her son Louis Napoleon; Maria Julia Clary, wife of Joseph -Napoleon; Junot, Duke of Abrantes, colonel-general of hussars; Louis -Napoleon, grand constable; Joseph Napoleon, grand electeur, King of -Spain, afterwards a citizen of the United States; Mareschal Le Febvre, -Duke of Dantzic; Mareschal Perignon, governor of Naples; Counts de Very, -de Longis, D’Arjuzen, Nansouty, Forbin, Beausset, and Detemaud, all -filling distinguished posts; Duroc, Duke of Frioul, grand mareschal of -the palace; Counts de Jaucourt, Brigade, de Boudy, and de Laville; the -Baron Beaumont; the Duke of Cossé Brissac; Madame, mother of the -emperor; Count Beaumont; Countess Fontanges; Madame la Mareschal Soult; -the Duke of Gravina, ambassador from Spain; Count Marescalchi, minister -of the kingdom of Lombardy; Count Cobenzel, Austrian ambassador; the -Turkish envoy; Mr. Armstrong, ambassador from the United States; the -Marquis of Luchesini, Prussian envoy; M. and Madame David; and the -senator Vien, master of the artist; of whom the emperor said, when -viewing the picture, “I perceive the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184">{184}</a></span> likeness of the good M. Vien.” -Whereto the painter replied, “I was desirous to testify my gratitude to -my master, by placing him in a picture, which from its subject will be -the most important of my labors.” There were, besides, the poet Lebrun; -Gretry the musician; Monges, member of the Institute; Count D’Aubusson -de la Feuillade; chamberlain, etc., etc.</p> - -<p>The Bourbons, upon their restoration, unmindful of the arts, and -actuated by a mean spirit of vengeance, ordered this chef d’œuvre of -David to be destroyed, which was accordingly done!! When Napoleon -returned to Paris, the existing government, conceiving it important that -the picture should be replaced, requested David to repaint his former -picture, which he felt great repugnance to do, regarding it as not -within the province of real genius to repaint former productions. He -was, however, prevailed upon to acquiesce, and the government agreed to -pay the same price that he had received for the original, 100,000 -francs. Upon Napoleon’s second abdication, the Emperor Alexander, aware -of the history of the performance, made overtures to become possessed of -it, after David had completed it at Brussels; but, though his offers -were munificent, the painter refused to part with it, and left it to his -son, who subsequently exhibited it in London.</p> - -<h2><a name="DAVID_AND_THE_DUKE_OF_WELLINGTON" id="DAVID_AND_THE_DUKE_OF_WELLINGTON"></a>DAVID AND THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.</h2> - -<p>During David’s exile at Brussels, the Duke of Wellington called on him, -and said, “Monsieur Da<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185">{185}</a></span>vid, I have called to have my portrait taken by -the illustrious painter of Leonidas at Thermopylæ.” David, eyeing -fiercely the man who had humbled his country, and dethroned her Emperor, -replied, “Sir, I cannot paint the English.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DAVID_AND_THE_CARDINAL_CAPRARA" id="DAVID_AND_THE_CARDINAL_CAPRARA"></a>DAVID AND THE CARDINAL CAPRARA.</h2> - -<p>David introduced the Cardinal Caprara, as the Pope’s legate, into the -picture of the Coronation of Napoleon, without his wig. The likeness was -exact, and the Cardinal remonstrated with David on the omission, -desiring him to supply it. The painter replied that he never had, and -never would paint a wig. The Cardinal then applied to the Minister of -Foreign Affairs, and represented that as no pope had hitherto worn a -wig, it might seem as if he (Caprara) had purposely left his own off, to -show his pretensions to the tiara. David however stood firm as a rock, -even before Talleyrand, and said, “his Eminence may think himself lucky -that nothing but his wig has been taken off.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DAVID_AT_BRUSSELS" id="DAVID_AT_BRUSSELS"></a>DAVID AT BRUSSELS.</h2> - -<p>David, then advanced in years, severely felt his exile at Brussels. He -lived very retired, saw little company, and seldom went abroad. It is -related that Talma, during a professional engagement at Brussels, got up -the tragedy of Leonidas, expressly to gratify his old friend, and -invited him to the theatre to see the performance. David consented to -go,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186">{186}</a></span> but told Talma he must pardon him if he should happen to <i>nod</i>. As -soon as David was recognized in the theatre, the whole house rose <i>en -masse</i>, and gave three hearty cheers for the illustrious exile, which so -affected him that he burst into tears. When the performance commenced, -so far from giving way to sleep, he became completely absorbed in the -interest of the play, and when the curtain dropped, he exclaimed, -“Heavens! how glorious it is to possess such a talent.”</p> - -<h2><a name="PIERRE_MIGNARD" id="PIERRE_MIGNARD"></a>PIERRE MIGNARD.</h2> - -<p>There have been found occasionally some artists, who could so perfectly -imitate the spirit, the taste, the character, and the peculiarities of -great masters, that they have not unfrequently deceived the most -skillful connoisseurs.</p> - -<p>An anecdote of Pierre Mignard is singular. This great artist painted a -Magdalen on a canvass fabricated at Rome. A broker in concert with him, -went to the Chevalier de Clairville, and told him as a secret, that he -was to receive from Italy a Magdalen of Guido, and one of his -masterpieces. The Chevalier caught the bait, begged the preference, and -purchased the picture at a very high price. Some time afterwards, he was -informed that he had been imposed upon, for that the Magdalen was -painted by Mignard. Although Mignard himself caused the alarm to be -given, the amateur would not believe it; all the connoisseurs agreed it -was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187">{187}</a></span> Guido, and the famous Le Brun corroborated this opinion. The -Chevalier came to Mignard; “There are,” said he, “some persons who -assure me that my Magdalen is your work.” “Mine!” replied Mignard; “they -do me great honor. I am sure that Le Brun is not of that opinion.” “Le -Brun swears it can be no other than a Guido,” said the Chevalier; “you -shall dine with me, and meet several of the first connoisseurs.” On the -day of meeting, the picture was more closely inspected than ever. -Mignard hinted his doubts whether the piece was the work by Guido; he -insinuated that it was possible to be deceived, and added that, if it -was Guido’s, he did not think it in his best manner. “I am perfectly -convinced that it is a Guido, sir, and in his very best manner,” replied -Le Brun, with warmth; and all the critics unanimously agreed with him. -Mignard then said, in a firm tone of voice, “And I, gentlemen, will -wager three hundred louis that it is not a Guido.” The dispute now -became violent—Le Brun was desirous of accepting the wager. In a word, -the affair became such as could add nothing more to the glory of -Mignard. “No, sir,” replied the latter; “I am too honest to bet, when I -am certain to win. Monsieur le Chevalier, this piece cost you two -thousand crowns; the money must be returned—the painting is by my -hand.” Le Brun would not believe it. “The proof,” continued Mignard, “is -easy; on this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188">{188}</a></span> canvass, which is a Roman one, was the portrait of a -Cardinal; I will show you his cap.”</p> - -<p>The Chevalier did not know which of the rival artists to believe; the -proposition alarmed him. “He who painted the picture shall mend it,” -said Mignard; and taking a pencil dipped in spirits, and rubbing the -hair of the Magdalen, he soon discovered the cap of the Cardinal. The -honor of the ingenious painter could no longer be disputed.</p> - -<h2><a name="SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS" id="SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS"></a>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.</h2> - -<p>This eminent painter was born at Plympton, in Devonshire, in 1723. He -was the son of the Rev. Samuel Reynolds, who intended him for the -medical profession; but his natural taste and genius for painting, -induced his father to send him to London to study painting under Hudson, -when he was seventeen years of age. In 1749, he accompanied Captain, -afterwards Lord Keppel to the Mediterranean, and passed about three -years in Italy. On his return to England, he established himself in -London, where he soon acquired a distinguished reputation, and rose to -be esteemed the head of the English school of painting. At the formation -of the Royal Academy in 1768, he was elected president, and received the -honor of knighthood. In 1781 he visited Holland and the Netherlands to -examine the productions of the Dutch and Flemish masters, by which he is -said to have improved his coloring. In 1784, on the death of Ramsay, he -was appointed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189">{189}</a></span> principal painter to the King. He died in 1792, and his -remains were deposited in the crypt of St. Paul’s cathedral, near the -tomb of Sir Christopher Wren. He formed a splendid collection of works -of art, which, after his death, brought at public sale about £17,000; -and the whole of his property amounted to about £80,000, the bulk of -which he left to his niece, who married Lord Inchiquin, afterwards -Marquis of Thomond. He never married, but his sister Frances Reynolds -conducted his domestic affairs. He was fond of the society of literary -men, kept open house, and seldom dined without his table being graced by -the presence of some of the chosen spirits of the land. He was simple -and unostentatious in his habits, and affable in his deportment; and -while his table was abundantly supplied, there was an absence of all -ceremony, and each guest was made to feel himself perfectly at home, -which gave a delightful zest to his hospitality.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_NEW_STYLE" id="REYNOLDS_NEW_STYLE"></a>REYNOLDS’ NEW STYLE.</h2> - -<p>Soon after Reynolds’ return to England from Italy, in 1752, he commenced -his professional career in St. Martin’s Lane, London. He found such -opposition as genius is commonly doomed to encounter, and does not -always overcome. The boldness of his attempts, and the brilliancy of his -coloring, were considered innovations upon the established and orthodox -system of portrait manufacture, in the styles of Lely and Kneller. The -old artists first raised their voices.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190">{190}</a></span> His old master Hudson called at -his rooms to see his Turkish Boy, which had caused quite a sensation in -the town. After contemplating the picture some minutes, he said with a -national oath,—“Why, Reynolds, you do not paint as well as you did when -you left England.” Ellis, an eminent portrait maker, who had studied -under Kneller, next lifted up his voice. “Ah, Reynolds,” said he, “this -will never answer, you do not paint in the least like Sir Godfrey.” When -the young artist vindicated himself with much ability, Ellis, finding -himself unable to give any good reasons for the objections he had made, -cried out in a rage, “Shakspeare in poetry, and Kneller in painting for -me,” and stalked out of the room. Reynolds’ new style, notwithstanding -the vigorous opposition he met with, took with the fashionable world, -his fame spread far and wide, and he soon became the leading painter in -London. In 1754, he removed from St. Martin’s Lane, the Grub-street of -artists, and took a handsome house on the north side of Great -Newport-Street, which he furnished with elegance and taste. Northcote -says his apartments were filled with ladies of quality and with men of -rank, all alike desirous to have their persons preserved to posterity by -one who touched no subject without adorning it. “The desire to -perpetuate the form of self-complacency, crowded the sitting room of -Reynolds with women who wished to be transmitted as angels, and with men -who wished to appear as heroes and philosophers. From his pencil<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191">{191}</a></span> they -were sure to be gratified. The force and facility of his portraits, not -only drew around him the opulence and beauty of the nation, but happily -gained him the merited honor of perpetuating the features of all the -eminent and distinguished men of learning then living.”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_PRICES" id="REYNOLDS_PRICES"></a>REYNOLDS’ PRICES.</h2> - -<p>“The price,” says Cunningham, “which Reynolds at first received for a -<i>head</i> was five guineas; the rate increased with his fame, and in the -year 1755 his charge was twelve. Experience about this time dictated the -following memorandum respecting his art. ‘For painting the -flesh:—black, blue-black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow-ochre, -ultramarine, and varnish. To lay the palette:—first lay, carmine and -white in different degrees; second lay, orpiment and white ditto; third -lay, blue-black and white ditto. The first sitting, for expedition, make -a mixture as like the sitter’s complexion as you can.’ Some years -afterwards I find, by a casual notice from Johnson, that Reynolds had -raised his price for a head to twenty guineas.</p> - -<p>“The year 1758 was perhaps the most lucrative of his professional -career. The account of the economy of his studies, and the distribution -of his time at this period, is curious and instructive. It was his -practice to keep all the prints engraved from his portraits, together -with his sketches, in a large port<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192">{192}</a></span>folio; these he submitted to his -sitters; and whatever position they selected, he immediately proceeded -to copy it on the canvass, and paint the likeness to correspond. He -received six sitters daily, who appeared in their turns; and he kept -regular lists of those who sat, and of those who were waiting until a -finished portrait should open a vacancy for their admission. He painted -them as they stood on his list, and often sent the work home before the -colors were dry. Of lounging visitors he had a great abhorrence, and, as -he reckoned up the fruits of his labors, ‘Those idle people,’ said this -disciple of the grand historical school of Raphael and Angelo, ‘those -idle people do not consider that my time is worth five guineas an hour.’ -This calculation incidentally informs us, that it was Reynolds’ -practice, in the height of his reputation and success, to paint a -portrait in four hours.”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_IN_LEICESTER_SQUARE" id="REYNOLDS_IN_LEICESTER_SQUARE"></a>REYNOLDS IN LEICESTER SQUARE.</h2> - -<p>Reynolds’ commissions continued to increase, and to pour in so -abundantly, that in addition to his pupils, he found it necessary to -employ several subordinate artists, skillful in painting drapery and -backgrounds, as assistants. He also raised his price to twenty-five -guineas a head.</p> - -<p>“In the year 1761,” says Cunningham, “the accumulating thousands which -Johnson speaks of, began to have a visible effect on Reynolds’ -establishment. He quitted Newport Street, purchased a fine house<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193">{193}</a></span> on the -west side of Leicester Square, furnished it with much taste, added a -splendid gallery for the exhibition of his works, and an elegant -dining-room; and finally taxed his invention and his purse in the -production of a carriage, with wheels carved and gilt, and bearing on -its pannels the Four Seasons of the year. Those who flocked to see his -new gallery, were sometimes curious enough to desire a sight of this gay -carriage, and the coachman, imitating the lackey who showed the gallery, -earned a little money by opening the coach-house doors. His sister -complained that it was too showy—‘What!’ said the painter, ‘would you -have one like an apothecary’s carriage?’</p> - -<p>“By what course of study he attained his skill in art, Reynolds has not -condescended to tell us; but of many minor matters we are informed by -one of his pupils, with all the scrupulosity of biography. His study was -octagonal, some twenty feet long, sixteen broad, and about fifteen feet -high. The window was small and square, and the sill nine feet from the -floor. His sitter’s chair moved on castors, and stood above the floor a -foot and a half; he held his palettes by a handle, and the sticks of his -brushes were eighteen inches long. He wrought standing, and with great -celerity. He rose early, breakfasted at nine, entered his study at ten, -examined designs or touched unfinished portraits till eleven brought a -sitter; painted till four; then dressed, and gave the evening to -company.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194">{194}</a></span></p> - -<p>“His table was now elegantly furnished, and round it men of genius were -often found. He was a lover of poetry and poets; they sometimes read -their productions at his house, and were rewarded by his approbation, -and occasionally by their portraits. Johnson was a frequent and a -welcome guest: though the sage was not seldom sarcastic and overbearing, -he was endured and caressed, because he poured out the riches of his -conversation more lavishly than Reynolds did his wines. Percy was there -too with his ancient ballads and his old English lore; and Goldsmith -with his latent genius, infantine vivacity, and plum-colored coat. Burke -and his brothers were constant guests, and Garrick was seldom absent, -for he loved to be where greater men were. It was honorable to this -distinguished artist that he perceived the worth of such men, and felt -the honor which their society shed upon him; but it stopped not here—he -often aided them with his purse, nor insisted upon repayment.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_FOUNDING_OF_THE_ROYAL_ACADEMY" id="THE_FOUNDING_OF_THE_ROYAL_ACADEMY"></a>THE FOUNDING OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY.</h2> - -<p>“The Royal Academy,” says Cunningham, “was planned and proposed in 1768 -by Chambers, West, Cotes, and Moser; the caution or timidity of Reynolds -kept him for some time from assisting. A list of thirty members was made -out; and West, a prudent and amiable man, called on Reynolds, and, in a -conference of two hours’ continuance, succeeded in persuading him to -join them. He ordered his carriage, and, accompanied by West, entered -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195">{195}</a></span> room where his brother artists were assembled. They rose up to a -man, and saluted him ‘President.’ He was affected by the compliment, but -declined the honor till he had talked with Johnson and Burke; he went, -consulted his friends, and having considered the consequences carefully, -then consented. He expressed his belief at the same time that their -scheme was a mere delusion: the King, he said, would not patronize nor -even acknowledge them, as his majesty was well known to be the friend of -another body—The Incorporated Society of Artists.”</p> - -<p>The truth is, the Royal Academy was planned at the suggestion of the -King himself. He had learned, through West, the causes of the indecent -bickerings in the Society of Artists, and declared to him that he was -ready to patronize any institution founded on principles calculated to -advance the interests of art. West communicated the King’s declaration -to some of the dissenters, who drew up a plan which the king corrected -with his own hand. See Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects, article West.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_AND_DR_JOHNSON" id="REYNOLDS_AND_DR_JOHNSON"></a>REYNOLDS AND DR. JOHNSON.</h2> - -<p>In the year 1754, Reynolds accidentally made the acquaintance of Dr. -Samuel Johnson, which ripened into a mutual and warm friendship, that -continued through life. Of the fruit which he derived from this -intercourse, Reynolds thus speaks, in one of his Discourses on Art:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196">{196}</a></span></p> - -<p>“Whatever merit these Discourses may have, must be imputed in a great -measure to the education which I may be said to have had under Dr. -Johnson. I do not mean to say, though it certainly would be to the -credit of these Discourses if I could say it with truth, that he -contributed even a single sentiment to them; but he qualified my mind to -think justly. No man had, like him, the art of teaching inferior minds -the art of thinking. Perhaps other men might have equal knowledge, but -few were so communicative. His great pleasure was to talk to those who -looked up to him. It was here he exhibited his wonderful powers. The -observations which he made on poetry, on life, and on everything about -us, I applied to one art—with what success, others must judge.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DR_JOHNSONS_FRIENDSHIP_FOR_REYNOLDS" id="DR_JOHNSONS_FRIENDSHIP_FOR_REYNOLDS"></a>DR. JOHNSON’S FRIENDSHIP FOR REYNOLDS.</h2> - -<p>In 1764, Reynolds was attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness. He was -cheered by the sympathy of many friends, and by the solicitude of -Johnson, who thus wrote him from Northamptonshire:</p> - -<p>“I did not hear of your sickness till I heard likewise of your recovery, -and therefore escaped that part of your pain which every man must feel -to whom you are known as you are known to me. If the amusement of my -company can exhilarate the languor of a slow recovery, I will not delay -a day to come to you; for I know not how I can so effectually promote my -own pleasure as by pleasing you,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197">{197}</a></span> or my own interest as by preserving -you; in whom, if I should lose you, I should lose almost the only man -whom I can call a friend.” He to whom Johnson could thus write, must -have possessed many noble qualities, for no one could estimate human -nature more truly than that illustrious man.</p> - -<h2><a name="JOHNSONS_APOLOGY_FOR_PORTRAIT_PAINTING" id="JOHNSONS_APOLOGY_FOR_PORTRAIT_PAINTING"></a>JOHNSON’S APOLOGY FOR PORTRAIT PAINTING.</h2> - -<p>Johnson showed his kindly feelings for Sir Joshua Reynolds, by writing -the following apology for portrait painting. Had the same friendship -induced him to compliment West, he doubtless would have written in a -very different strain:</p> - -<p>“Genius,” said he, “is chiefly exerted in historical pictures, and the -art of the painter of portraits is often lost in the obscurity of the -subject. But it is in painting as in life; what is greatest is not -always best. I should grieve to see Reynolds transfer to heroes and -goddesses, to empty splendor and to airy fiction, that art which is now -employed in diffusing friendship, in renewing tenderness, in quickening -the affections of the absent, and continuing the presence of the dead. -Every man is always present to himself, and has, therefore, little need -of his own resemblance; nor can desire it, but for the sake of those -whom he loves, and by whom he hopes to be remembered. This use of the -art is a natural and reasonable consequence of affection: and though, -like all other human actions, it is often complicated with pride, yet -even such pride is more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198">{198}</a></span> laudable than that by which palaces are covered -with pictures, which however excellent, neither imply the owner’s -virtue, nor excite it.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_LITERARY_CLUB" id="THE_LITERARY_CLUB"></a>THE LITERARY CLUB.</h2> - -<p>The Literary Club was founded by Dr. Johnson in 1764, and among many men -of eminence and talent, it numbered Reynolds. His modesty would not -permit him to assume to himself the distinction which literature -bestows, but his friends knew too well the value of his presence, to -lose it by a fastidious observance of the title of the club. Poets, -painters, and sculptors are all brothers; and had Reynolds been less -eminent in art, his sound sense, varied information, and pleasing -manners would have made him an acceptable companion in the most -intellectual society.</p> - -<h2><a name="JOHNSONS_PORTRAIT" id="JOHNSONS_PORTRAIT"></a>JOHNSON’S PORTRAIT.</h2> - -<p>In 1775, Sir Joshua Reynolds painted his famous portrait of Dr. Johnson, -in which he represented him as reading, and near-sighted. This latter -circumstance was very displeasing to the “Giant of Literature,” who -reproved Reynolds, saying, “It is not friendly to hand down to posterity -the imperfections of any man.” But Reynolds, on the contrary, considered -it a natural peculiarity which gave additional value to the portrait. -Johnson complained of the caricature to Mrs. Thrale, who to console him, -said that he would not be known to posterity<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199">{199}</a></span> by his defects only, and -that Reynolds had painted for her his own portrait, with the -ear-trumpet. He replied, “He may paint himself as deaf as he chooses, -but he shall not paint me as <i>blinking Sam</i>.”</p> - -<h2><a name="JOHNSONS_DEATH" id="JOHNSONS_DEATH"></a>JOHNSON’S DEATH.</h2> - -<p>“Amidst the applause,” says Cunningham, “which these works obtained for -him, the President met with a loss which the world could not -repair—Samuel Johnson died on the 13th of December, 1784, full of years -and honors. A long, a warm, and a beneficial friendship had subsisted -between them. The house and the purse of Reynolds were ever open to -Johnson, and the word and the pen of Johnson were equally ready for -Reynolds. It was pleasing to contemplate this affectionate brotherhood, -and it was sorrowful to see it dissevered. ‘I have three requests to -make,’ said Johnson, the day before his death, ‘and I beg that you will -attend to them, Sir Joshua. Forgive me thirty pounds, which I borrowed -from you—read the Scriptures—and abstain from using your pencil on the -Sabbath-day.’ Reynolds promised, and—what is better—remembered his -promise?”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_AND_GOLDSMITH" id="REYNOLDS_AND_GOLDSMITH"></a>REYNOLDS AND GOLDSMITH.</h2> - -<p>We hear much about “poetic inspiration,” and the “poet’s eye in a fine -frenzy rolling.” Reynolds use to tell an anecdote of goldsmith -calculated to abate our notions about the ardor of composition.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200">{200}</a></span></p> - -<p>Calling upon the poet one day, he opened the door without ceremony, and -found him engaged in the double occupation of tuning a couplet and -teaching a pet dog to sit upon its haunches. At one time he would glance -at his desk, and at another shake his finger at the dog to make him -retain his position. The last lines on the page were still wet; they -form a part of the description of Italy:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -“By sports like these are all their cares beguiled;<br /> -The sports of children satisfy the child.”<br /> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>Goldsmith, with his usual good humor, joined in the laugh caused by his -whimsical employment, and acknowledged that his boyish sport with the -dog suggested the stanza.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DESERTED_VILLAGE" id="THE_DESERTED_VILLAGE"></a>THE DESERTED VILLAGE.</h2> - -<p>When Dr. Goldsmith published his Deserted Village, he dedicated it to -Sir Joshua Reynolds, in the following kind and touching manner. “The -only dedication I ever made was to my brother, because I loved him -better than most other men; he is since dead. Permit me to inscribe this -poem to you.”</p> - -<h2><a name="GOLDSMITHS_RETALIATION" id="GOLDSMITHS_RETALIATION"></a>GOLDSMITH’S “RETALIATION.”</h2> - -<p>At a festive meeting, where Johnson, Reynolds, Burke, Garrick, Douglas, -and Goldsmith, were conspicuous, the idea of composing a set of -extempore epitaphs on one another was started. Garrick of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201">{201}</a></span>fended -Goldsmith so much by two very indifferent lines of waggery, that the -latter avenged himself by composing the celebrated poem Retaliation, in -which he exhibits the characters of his companions with great liveliness -and talent. The lines have a melancholy interest, from being the last -the author wrote. The character of Sir Joshua Reynolds is drawn with -discrimination and judgment—a little flattered, resembling his own -portraits, in which the features are a little softened, and the -expression a little elevated.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Here Reynolds is laid, and, to tell you my mind,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He has not left a wiser or better behind;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">His pencil was striking, resistless, and grand;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">His manners were gentle, complying, and bland;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Still born to improve us in every part,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">His pencil our faces, his manners our heart.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<h2><a name="POPE_A_PAINTER" id="POPE_A_PAINTER"></a>POPE A PAINTER.</h2> - -<p>Reynolds was a great admirer of Pope. A fan which the poet presented to -Martha Blount, and on which he had painted with his own hand the story -of Cephalus and Procris, with the motto “Aura Veni,” was to be sold at -auction. Reynolds sent a messenger to bid for it as far as thirty -guineas, but it was knocked down for two pounds. “See,” said the -president to his pupils, who gathered around him, “the painting of -Pope;—this must always be the case, when the work is taken up for -idleness, and is laid aside when it ceases to amuse; it is like the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202">{202}</a></span> -work of one who paints only for amusement. Those who are resolved to -excel, must go to their work, willing or unwilling, morning, noon, and -night; they will find it to be no play, but very hard labor.”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_FIRST_ATTEMPTS_IN_ART" id="REYNOLDS_FIRST_ATTEMPTS_IN_ART"></a>REYNOLDS’ FIRST ATTEMPTS IN ART.</h2> - -<p>This excellent painter, in his boyhood, showed his natural taste for -painting, by copying the various prints that fell in his way. His -father, a clergyman, thought this an idle passion, which ought not to be -encouraged; he esteemed one of these youthful performances worthy of his -endorsement, and he wrote underneath it, “Done by Joshua out of pure -idleness.” The drawing is still preserved in the family.</p> - -<p>Dr. Johnson says that Sir Joshua Reynolds had his first fondness of the -art excited by the perusal of Richardson’s Treatise on Painting.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_FORCE_OF_HABIT" id="THE_FORCE_OF_HABIT"></a>THE FORCE OF HABIT.</h2> - -<p>Portraits in the time of Hudson, the master of Reynolds, were usually -painted in one attitude—one hand in the waistcoat, and the hat under -the arm. A gentleman whose portrait young Reynolds painted, desired to -have his hat on his head. The picture was quickly despatched and sent -home, when it was discovered that it had two hats, one on the head, and -another under the arm!<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203">{203}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="PAYING_THE_PIPER" id="PAYING_THE_PIPER"></a>PAYING THE PIPER.</h2> - -<p>“What do you ask for this sketch?” said Reynolds to a dealer in old -pictures and prints, as he was looking over his portfolio. The shrewd -tradesman, observing from his manner that he had found a gem, quickly -replied, “Twenty guineas, your honor.” “Twenty pence, I suppose you -mean.” “No, sir; it is true I would have sold it for twenty pence this -morning; but if you think it worth having, all the world will think it -worth buying.” Sir Joshua gave him his price. It was an exquisite -drawing by Rubens.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_MODESTY" id="REYNOLDS_MODESTY"></a>REYNOLDS’ MODESTY.</h2> - -<p>Sir Joshua Reynolds, like many other distinguished artists, was never -satisfied with his works, and endeavored to practice his maxim, that “an -artist should endeavor to improve over his every performance.” When an -eminent French painter was one day praising the excellence of one of his -pictures, he said, “<i>Ah! Monsieur, Je ne fais que des ebauches, des -ebauches.</i>”—Alas! sir, I can only make sketches, sketches.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_GENEROSITY" id="REYNOLDS_GENEROSITY"></a>REYNOLDS’ GENEROSITY.</h2> - -<p>Sir Joshua Reynolds has been charged by his enemies with avarice; but -there are many instances recorded which show that he possessed a noble -and generous heart.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204">{204}</a></span></p> - -<p>When Gainsborough charged him but sixty guineas for his celebrated -picture of the Girl and Pigs, Reynolds, conscious that it was worth much -more, gave him one hundred. Hearing that a worthy artist with a large -family was in distress, and threatened with arrest, he paid him a visit, -and learning that the extent of his debts was but forty pounds, he shook -him warmly by the hand as he took his leave, and the artist was -astonished to find in his fingers a bank-note of one hundred pounds. -When Dayes, an artist of merit, showed him his drawings of a Royal -pageant at St. Paul’s, Reynolds complimented him, and said that he had -bestowed so much labor upon them that he could not be remunerated by -selling them, but told him that if he would publish them he would loan -him the necessary funds, and engage to get him a handsome subscription -among the nobility.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_LOVE_OF_HIS_ART" id="REYNOLDS_LOVE_OF_HIS_ART"></a>REYNOLDS’ LOVE OF HIS ART.</h2> - -<p>Reynolds was an ardent lover of his profession, and ever as ready to -defend it when assailed, as to add to its honors by his pencil. When Dr. -Tucker, the famous Dean of Gloucester, in his discourse before the -Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, -asserted that “a pin-maker was a more valuable member of society than -Raffaelle,” Reynolds was greatly nettled, and said, with some asperity, -“This is an observation of a very narrow mind; a mind that is confined -to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205">{205}</a></span> mere object of commerce—that sees with a microscopic eye, but a -part of the great machine of the economy of life, and thinks that small -part which he sees to be the whole. Commerce is the means, not the end -of happiness or pleasure; the end is a rational enjoyment by means of -arts and sciences. It is therefore the highest degree of folly to set -the means in a higher rank of esteem than the end. It is as much as to -say that the brick-maker is superior to the architect.” He might have -added that the artisan is indebted to the artist for the design of every -beautiful fabric, therefore the artist is a more “valuable member of -society” than the manufacturer or the merchant.</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_CRITICISM_ON_RUBENS" id="REYNOLDS_CRITICISM_ON_RUBENS"></a>REYNOLDS’ CRITICISM ON RUBENS.</h2> - -<p>When Sir Joshua Reynolds made his first tour to Flanders and Holland, he -was struck with the brilliancy of coloring which appeared in the works -of Rubens, and on his return he said that his own works were deficient -in force, in comparison with what he had seen. “On his return from his -second tour,” says Sir George Beaumont, “he observed to me that the -pictures of Rubens appeared much less brilliant than they had done on -the former inspection. He could not for some time account for this -circumstance; but when he recollected that when he first saw them he had -his note-book in his hand, for the purpose of writing down short -remarks, he perceived what had occasioned their now making a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206">{206}</a></span> less -impression than they had done formerly. By the eye passing immediately -from the white paper to the picture, the colors derived uncommon -richness and warmth; but for want of this foil they afterwards appeared -comparatively cold.”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_AND_HAYDNS_PORTRAIT" id="REYNOLDS_AND_HAYDNS_PORTRAIT"></a>REYNOLDS AND HAYDN’S PORTRAIT.</h2> - -<p>When Haydn, the eminent composer, was in England, one of the princes -commissioned Reynolds to paint his portrait. Haydn sat twice, but he -soon grew tired, and Reynolds finding he could make nothing out of his -“stupid countenance,” communicated the circumstance to his royal -highness, who contrived the following stratagem to rouse him. He sent to -the painter’s house a beautiful German girl, in the service of the -queen. Haydn took his seat, for the third time, and as soon as the -conversation began to flag, a curtain rose, and the fair German -addressed him in his native language with a most elegant compliment. -Haydn, delighted, overwhelmed the enchantress with questions; and -Reynolds, rapidly transferring to the canvass his features thus lit up, -produced an admirable likeness.</p> - -<h2><a name="RUBENS_LAST_SUPPER" id="RUBENS_LAST_SUPPER"></a>RUBENS’ LAST SUPPER.</h2> - -<p>Sir Joshua Reynolds relates the following anecdote, in his “Journey to -Flanders and Holland.” He stopped at Mechlin to see the celebrated -altar-piece by Rubens in the cathedral, representing the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207">{207}</a></span> Last Supper. -After describing the picture, he proceeds:—</p> - -<p>“There is a circumstance belonging to the altar-piece, which may be -worth relating, as it shows Rubens’ manner of proceeding in large works. -The person who bespoke this picture, a citizen of Mechlin, desired, to -avoid the danger of carriage, that it might be painted at Mechlin; to -this the painter easily consented, as it was very near his country-seat -at Steen. Rubens, having finished his sketch in colors, gave it as usual -to one of his scholars, (Van Egmont) and sent him to Mechlin to -dead-color from it the great picture. The gentleman, seeing this -proceeding, complained that he bespoke a picture of the hand of the -master, not of the scholar, and stopped the pupil in his progress. -However, Rubens satisfied him that this was always his method of -proceeding, and that this piece would be as completely his work as if he -had done the whole from the beginning. The citizen was satisfied, and -Rubens proceeded with the picture, which appears to me to have no -indications of neglect in any part; on the contrary, I think it <i>has -been</i> one of his best pictures, though those who know this circumstance -pretend to see Van Egmont’s inferior genius transpire through Rubens’ -touches.”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_SKILL_IN_COMPLIMENTS" id="REYNOLDS_SKILL_IN_COMPLIMENTS"></a>REYNOLDS’ SKILL IN COMPLIMENTS.</h2> - -<p>When he painted the portrait of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, he -wrought his name on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208">{208}</a></span> border of her robe. The great actress, -conceiving it to be a piece of classic embroidery, went near to examine -it, and seeing the words, smiled. The artist bowed, and said, “I could -not lose this opportunity of sending my name to posterity on the hem of -your garment.”</p> - -<h2><a name="EXCELLENT_ADVICE" id="EXCELLENT_ADVICE"></a>EXCELLENT ADVICE.</h2> - -<p>Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his letter to Barry, observes, “Whoever has -great views, I would recommend to him, whilst at Rome, rather to live on -bread and water, than lose advantages which he can never hope to enjoy a -second time, and which he will find only in the Vatican.”</p> - -<h2><a name="SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS_AND_HIS_PORTRAITS" id="SIR_JOSHUA_REYNOLDS_AND_HIS_PORTRAITS"></a>SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS AND HIS PORTRAITS.</h2> - -<p>When Sir Joshua was elected mayor of Plympton, his native town, he -painted an admirable portrait of himself and presented it to the mayor -and corporation, and it now hangs in the town-hall. When he sent the -picture, he wrote to his friend Sir Wm. Elford, requesting him to put it -in a good light, which he did, and to set it off he placed by its side, -what he considered to be a bad picture. When Sir William communicated to -Reynolds what he had done in order that the excellence of his picture -might have a more striking effect, the latter wrote his worthy friend -that he was greatly obliged to him for his pains, but that the portrait -he so much despised was painted by himself in early life.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209">{209}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_FLAG" id="REYNOLDS_FLAG"></a>REYNOLDS’ FLAG.</h2> - -<p>In the year 1770, a boy named Buckingham, presuming upon his father’s -acquaintance with Sir Joshua Reynolds, called on the president, and -asked him if he would have the kindness to paint him a flag to carry in -the procession of the next breaking up of the school. Reynolds, whose -every hour was worth guineas, smiled, and told the lad to call again at -a certain time, and he would see what could be done for him. The boy -accordingly called at the set time, and was presented with an elegant -flag a yard square, decorated with the King’s coat of arms. The flag was -triumphantly carried in procession, an honor as well as a delight to the -boys, and a still greater honor to him who painted it, and gave his -valuable time to promote their holiday amusements.</p> - -<h2><a name="BURKES_EULOGY" id="BURKES_EULOGY"></a>BURKE’S EULOGY.</h2> - -<p>Burke, in his eulogy on Reynolds, says, “In full affluence of foreign -and domestic fame, admired by the expert in art and by the learned in -science, courted by the great, caressed by sovereign powers, and -celebrated by distinguished poets, his native humility, modesty, and -candor never forsook him, even on surprise or provocation: nor was the -least degree of arrogance or assumption visible to the most scrutinizing -eye in any part of his conduct or discourse.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210">{210}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="REYNOLDS_ESTIMATE_AND_USE_OF_OLD_PAINTINGS" id="REYNOLDS_ESTIMATE_AND_USE_OF_OLD_PAINTINGS"></a>REYNOLDS’ ESTIMATE AND USE OF OLD PAINTINGS.</h2> - -<p>He was fond of seeking into the secrets of the old painters; and -<i>dissected</i> some of their performances, to ascertain their mode of -laying on color and finishing with effect. Titian he conceived to be the -great master spirit in portraiture; and no enthusiastic ever sought more -incessantly for the secret of the philosopher’s stone than did Reynolds -to possess himself of the whole theory and practice of the Venetian. “To -possess,” said he, “a real fine picture by that great master—I would -sell all my gallery—I would willingly ruin myself.” The capital old -paintings of the Venetian school destroyed by Sir Joshua’s <i>dissections</i> -were not few; and his experiments of this kind can only properly be -likened to that of the boy who cut open the bellows to get at the wind! -He was ignorant of chemistry, so much so that he sometimes employed -mineral colors that reacted in a short time; and also vegetable colors; -and he mixed with these various vehicles, as megilips and different -kinds of varnishes or glazes, so that he had the misfortune of seeing -some of his finest works change and lose all their harmony, or become -cracked with unsightly seams. He kept his system of coloring a profound -secret. He lived to regret these experiments, and would never permit his -pupils to practice them. His method has been largely imitated, not only -in England, but in the United States, greatly to the injury of many -fine<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211">{211}</a></span> works and the reputation of the artist. The only true method for -excellence and permanence in coloring, is that employed by the great -Italian masters, viz: to use well prepared and seasoned canvass; then to -lay on a good heavy body-color; to employ only the best mineral colors, -which will not chemically react, giving the colors time to harden after -laying on each successive coat; and above all, to use no varnishes in -the process, nor after the completion of the work, till it is -sufficiently hardened by age.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_INFLUENCE_OF_THE_INQUISITION_UPON_SPANISH_PAINTING" id="THE_INFLUENCE_OF_THE_INQUISITION_UPON_SPANISH_PAINTING"></a>THE INFLUENCE OF THE INQUISITION UPON SPANISH PAINTING.</h2> - -<p>A strong and enthusiastic feeling of a religious character has often -inspired the Fine Arts: we owe to such sentiments the finest and purest -productions of modern painting. Progress in art, however, implies the -study of nature; the study of nature and the exhibition of its results -have continually shocked the rigid asceticism of a severe morality—a -morality which makes indecency depend on the simple fact of exposure, -not on the feeling in which the work is conceived. Scrupulous persons -often appear unconscious that in this, as in other things, it is easy to -observe the letter, and to violate the spirit. A picture or statue may -be perfectly decent, so far as regards drapery, and yet suggest thoughts -and ideas far more objectionable than those resulting from the -contemplation of figures wholly unclothed. Still, it must be admitted -that such a jealousy of the fine arts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212">{212}</a></span> might reasonably exist in Italy -at the end of the 15th, and the beginning of the 16th centuries, in the -days of Alexander VI., Julius II., and Leo X.; when all the abominations -of heathenism prevailed at Rome in practice, and when Christianity can -hardly be said to have existed more than in theory. It would have been -strange, amidst such universal depravity, that Art should escape -unsullied by the general pollution. Still, it was against the <i>abuses</i> -of art that the efforts of the Catholic church under Paul IV. were -directed; and while those efforts gave a somewhat different character to -the subjects and to their treatment in later schools, they cannot be -said to have acted on either Painting or Sculpture with any <i>repressive</i> -force.</p> - -<p>But in Spain the case was wholly different. There was no transient -insurrection of a purer morality against the vicious extravagancies of a -particular period, but a constant and uniform pressure exerted without -intermission on all the means of developing and cultivating the human -mind, or of imparting its sentiments to others. Painting and Sculpture -came in for their share of restriction, and the nature of the discipline -to which they were subjected may be gathered from the work of Pacheco, -(<i>Arte de la Pintura</i>) who was appointed in 1618, by a particular -commission from the Inquisition, “to denounce the errors committed in -pictures of sacred subjects through the ignorance or wickedness of -artists.” He was commissioned to “take particular care to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213">{213}</a></span> visit and -inspect the paintings of sacred subjects which may stand in the public -places of Seville, and if anything objectionable appeared in them, to -take them before the Inquisition.” His rules, therefore, may properly be -received as a fair exponent of the strictures placed upon Art by the -Inquisition. In his work upon the Art of Painting, Pacheco censures the -nudity of the figures in Michael Angelo’s Last Judgment, as well as -other things. Thus he says: “As to placing the damned in the air, -fighting as they are one with another, and pulling against the devils, -when it is matter of faith that they must want the free gifts of glory, -and cannot, therefore, possess the requisite lightness or agility—the -impropriety of this mode of exhibiting them is self-evident. With -regard, again, to the angels without wings and the saints without -clothes, although the former do not possess the one and the latter will -not have the other, yet, as angels without wings are unknown to us, and -our eyes do not allow us to see the saints without clothes, as we shall -hereafter—there can be no doubt, that this again is improper. It is -moreover, highly indecent and improper, having regard to their nature, -to paint angels with beards.”</p> - -<p>On the general question of how an artist is to acquire sufficient skill -in the figure, without exposing himself to risks which the Inspector of -the Inquisition is bound to deprecate, Pacheco is somewhat embarrassed. -“I seem,” he says, “to hear some one asking me, ‘Senor Painter, -scrupulous as you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214">{214}</a></span> are, whilst you place before us the ancient artists -as examples, who contemplated the figures of naked women in order to -imitate them perfectly, and whilst you charge us to paint as well, what -resource do you afford us?’ I would answer, ‘Senor Licentiate, this is -what I would do; I would paint the faces and hands from nature, with the -requisite beauty and variety, after women of good character; in which, -in my opinion, there is no danger. With regard to the other parts, I -would avail myself of good pictures, engravings, drawings, models, -ancient and modern statues, and the excellent designs of Albert Durer, -so that I might choose what was most graceful and best composed without -running into danger.’<span class="lftspc">”</span> So it appears that they might profit by the works -of other sinners, without incurring the same danger.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding this advice, as the Inquisition always persecuted -nudity, Spain was deficient in models from the antique; wherefore -Velasquez, the head of the Spanish school, never designed an exquisite -figure; and the collection of models and casts which he made in Italy, -late in life, was allowed to go to destruction after his death!</p> - -<p>In discussing the proper mode of painting the Nativity of Christ, -Pacheco says he is always much affected at seeing the infant Jesus -represented naked in the arms of his mother! The impropriety of this, he -urges, is shown by the consideration that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215">{215}</a></span> “St. Joseph had an office, -and it was not possible that poverty could have obliged him to forego -those comforts for his child, which scarcely the meanest beggars are -without.” Another fertile subject of dispute among the Spanish artists -and theologians, was the number of nails used in the Crucifixion, some -arguing for three, and some for four, and drawing their proofs on either -side from the vision of some saint!</p> - -<p>The precepts as to the proper modes of painting the Virgin, are -innumerable. The greatest caution against any approach to nudity is of -course requisite. Nay, Pacheco says, “What can be more foreign from the -respect which we owe to the purity of Our Lady the Virgin, than to paint -her sitting down, with one of her knees placed over the other, and often -with her sacred feet uncovered and naked?” We scarcely ever, therefore, -see the feet of the Virgin in Spanish pictures. Carducho speaks more -particularly on the impropriety of painting the Virgin unshod, since it -is manifest that she was in the habit of wearing shoes, as is proved by -“the much venerated relic of one of them, from her divine feet, in the -Cathedral of Burgos!”</p> - -<p>A painter had a penance inflicted on him at Cordova, for painting the -Virgin at the foot of the Cross in a hooped petticoat, pointed boddice, -and a saffron-colored head-dress; St. John had pantaloons, and a doublet -with points. This chastisement Pacheco considers richly deserved. Don -Luis Pas<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216">{216}</a></span>qual also erred greatly, in his Marriage of the Virgin, -representing her without any mantle, in a Venetian petticoat, fitting -very close in the waist, covered with knots of colored ribbon, and with -wide round sleeves,—“a dress,” adds Pacheco, “in my opinion highly -unbecoming the gravity and dignity of our Sovereign Lady.” Nor were -there wanting awful examples of warning to painters, as in the story -related by Martin de Roa, in his <i>State of Souls in Purgatory</i>. “A -painter,” so runs the legend, “had executed in youth, at the request of -a gentleman, an improper picture. After the painter’s death, this -picture was laid to his charge, and it was only by the intercession of -those Saints whom he had at various times painted, that he got off with -severe torments in Purgatory. Whilst there, however, he contrived to -appear to his confessor, and prevailed upon him to go to the gentleman -for whom this picture was painted, and entreat him to burn it. The -request was complied with, and the painter then got out of Purgatory!”</p> - -<p>The author cannot close this too lengthy article without citing the Life -of the Virgin written by Maria de Agreda, whose absurd and blasphemous -vagaries were “swallowed whole” by the Spanish nation—an unanswerable -proof and a fitting result of the blight inflicted by Jesuitism and the -Inquisition. Bayle says, “the only wonder is, that the Sorbonne confined -itself to saying that her proposition was false, rash, and contrary to -the doctrines<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217">{217}</a></span> of the Gospel, when she taught that God gave the Virgin -all he could, and that he could give her all his own attributes, except -the essence of the Godhead.” The condemnation of Maria de Agreda’s Life -of the Virgin was not carried in the Sorbonne without the greatest -opposition and tumult. The book was censured at Rome, notwithstanding -all the efforts of the Spanish ambassador. The Spanish feeling, with -reference to the Virgin, and more particularly to the doctrine of the -Immaculate Conception, went far beyond the rest of Papal Europe; it was -impossible for the Pope and the French Church to sanction at once the -absurdities that Spain was quite ready to adopt. (See Sir Edmund Head’s -Hand-Book of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting.)</p> - -<h2><a name="A_MELANCHOLY_PICTURE_OF_THE_STATE_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_IN_SPAIN" id="A_MELANCHOLY_PICTURE_OF_THE_STATE_OF_THE_FINE_ARTS_IN_SPAIN"></a>A MELANCHOLY PICTURE OF THE STATE OF THE FINE ARTS IN SPAIN.</h2> - -<p>A most interesting article on the present state of the fine arts in -Spain, may be found in the Appendix to Sir Edmund Head’s Hand-Book of -the History of the Spanish and French schools of Painting. On the 13th -of June, 1844, a Royal ordinance was issued, establishing a Central -Commission “de Monumentos Historicos y Artisticos del Reino,” with local -or provincial commissions, to act in concert with the former body. The -chief object of the Commission was, to report upon the condition of -works of art, antiquities, libraries, etc., contained in the numerous -con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218">{218}</a></span>vents and monasteries, which had been suppressed, and what measures -had been adopted for their preservation. The members of the Commission -were divided into three sections, one for libraries and archives, -another for painting and sculpture, and a third for architecture and -archæology.</p> - -<p>The first annual report of the Central Commission to the Secretary of -State for the Home Department is printed in pamphlet form, and embraces -the proceedings of the Commission from July 1st, 1844, to July 1st, -1845.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Nothing can be more melancholy than the picture of Spain drawn by -this Commission. They tell us that the most valuable contents of -the conventual libraries had been thrown away or mutilated, and -that thousands of volumes had been sold as waste paper for three or -four reals the arroba, and had been exported to enrich foreign -libraries. A hope had been entertained of forming collections in -each province, of pictures and other works of art; the Commission -was soon undeceived as to the possibility of effecting this. Baron -Taylor and a host of foreign dealers had in some provinces carried -off all they could lay their hands upon; in others the -Commissioners tell us, ‘Many of the most esteemed works of art, the -glory and ornament of the most sumptuous churches, had perished in -their application to the vilest uses; in others scarcely any record -was preserved of what had been in existence at the time of the -dissolution of the monasteries, and no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219">{219}</a></span> inventory or catalogue of -any kind had been made.’ Our only consolation perhaps is that these -books and works of art will be better appreciated in other -countries, and we may derive comfort from the views expressed by -Madame Hahn-Hahn.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<p>“It is clear that in such a state of things the plunder and -destruction of pictures must have been enormous. In the summary of -the proceedings of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220">{220}</a></span> Commission with reference to pictures, -which I shall proceed to give, the reader will see that all sorts -of obstacles to any claim of the central government were raised by -the local authorities; such a course was sometimes no doubt the -result of genuine Spanish obstinacy, strong in local attachments, -and hating all interference; but it too often probably originated -in the desire to conceal peculation and robbery on the part of the -alcalde, or the parish priest, or the sacristan, or the porter of a -suppressed convent. Let us remember that in all probability no one -of these functionaries ever received the salary which was due to -him, and that the unfortunate monks turned out of their convents -had neither interest<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221">{221}</a></span> nor duty in protecting what had ceased to be -theirs. If they did not (as it may be hoped) themselves carry off -what they could, they would abandon it to the first plunderer. -Added to which, the habitual feeling of every Spaniard is, that -what belongs to the government is fair game, and may be stolen with -a safe conscience.</p> - -<p>“When all this is considered, it will not appear surprising that -bribery and robbery should have stripped the deserted convents, and -scattered the memorials of Spanish art and literature. It is -greatly to be feared too that the ignorance of the local -commissioners will cause many an interesting picture of early date -to be thrown on one side as barbarous and rude, and that few such -valuable records as the altar of the time of Don Jayme el -Conquistador, mentioned as rescued at Valencia, will be preserved -at all; indifferent second-rate copies, or imitations of the -Italian and Flemish masters, will probably pass current as the -staple article in most of the provincial museums, even where such -institutions are finally formed. At any rate, as a picture of the -state of Spain with reference to the Fine Arts, and as a sort of -guide to tourists, it may be useful to give, in alphabetical order, -as they are enumerated in the report, an abstract of the general -result as to the number of paintings got together in each -province.”</p></div> - -<p>Here follows the result of the labors of the Commission in forty-eight -provinces, alphabetically ar<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222">{222}</a></span>ranged, presenting a sorry picture indeed. -Only a few of them can be given here, which may be taken as specimens of -the whole:</p> - -<div class="blockquott"><p>“<i>Almeria.</i>—Here the existence of any local collection was denied, -but accidentally a catalogue was discovered containing a list of -one hundred and ninety-six pictures, which had been got together in -1837, and had apparently disappeared.</p> - -<p>“<i>Burgos.</i>—The Commissioners say, ‘On seeing the small number of -works of art in the province of Burgos, and after examining -carefully the communication of the “Gefe Político,” dated in April, -1844, together with the inventory which accompanied it, containing -only sixty-nine pictures and thirteen coins, deposited in the -Literary Institution of the capital of the province, we could not -refrain from signifying our surprise at finding so poor a museum in -a province which was at one time one of the richest in Spain in -monasteries.’</p> - -<p>“<i>Cáceres.</i>—Here again the Central Commission could get no account -of the works of art which were known to have existed, more -especially in the magnificent Hieronymite Monastery of Guadalupe, -near Logrosan. The Provincial Commission, acting on the authority -of that in Madrid, proceeded to ascertain what still remained -within the walls of the convent, when they were resisted by the -‘<i>Ayuntamiento</i>’ of the town of Guadalupe, who pretended that all -that was in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223">{223}</a></span> church and convent belonged to the parish, and not -to the state.</p> - -<p>“<i>Cadiz.</i>—Those who first collected the pictures took care to -catalogue them without giving the subjects or the sizes, and mixed -up together paintings and prints, so that it was impossible to say -what had been stolen. The report goes on to say that the sale of -certain pictures was not less irregular and culpable in itself, -than the lawfulness of the manner in which the produce of the sale -was applied appeared doubtful. The Local Commission of Arts and -Sciences thought it prudent to abstain from criminal proceedings -against any one; but the pictures yet remaining were in such a -state of decay that to protect themselves they caused a <i>procès -verbal</i> to be drawn up, setting forth their condition.</p> - -<p>“<i>Cuenca.</i>—All sorts of plunder had gone on here, as elsewhere, -but the Local Commissioners seem to have exerted themselves to -rescue and place in safety what could yet be secured. The head of -the Priory of Santiago de Uclés resisted them. The number of -pictures collected is not given.</p> - -<p>“<i>Gerona.</i>—In August, 1842, the ‘Gefe Político’ reported the -existence of certain pictures, as he said, of little merit; but, -bad or good, they seem to have disappeared by 1845.</p> - -<p>“<i>Granada.</i>—Here a museum was formed in 1839, and in 1842 a -catalogue of eight hundred and eighty-four pieces of sculpture and -painting was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224">{224}</a></span> transmitted to the Secretary of State. By January, -1844, it would appear that some, probably many, of them had been -stolen, and the report does not tell us how many remained.</p> - -<p>“<i>Guadalajara.</i>—It appears that out of four hundred and thirty -pictures, a few only were considered to be originals of any value, -and were attributed to Ribera, Zurbaran, Carreño, el Greco, and -others, for the most part Spanish masters. Twenty-five were -completely ruined.</p> - -<p>“<i>Guipuzcoa.</i>—The civil war in this province has been the cause -and the pretext for the disappearance of many works of art. -‘Since,’ says the report, ‘whilst many have been destroyed on the -one hand, on the other the state of affairs has thrown a shield -over those who have profited by the confusion, and have unjustly -appropriated the property of the state.’</p> - -<p>“<i>Jaen.</i>—The Local Commission of Jaen in the course of nine months -got together five hundred and twenty-three pictures, of which they -reported two hundred and eighty-five as worthless, and placed two -hundred and thirty-eight in the old Jesuit convent. The names of -Murillo, Zurbaran, Alonso Cano, Castillo, Orrente, Melgar, Juan de -Sevilla, Guzman, Coello, Titian, el Greco, and Albano, appear in -the catalogue.</p> - -<p>“<i>Leon.</i>—‘The necessity,’ says the report, ‘of quartering troops -in the various convents of this province, and the scandalous tricks -which we know<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225">{225}</a></span> to have been played with the works of art in the -same, are the causes why the catalogue, which was framed in -September of last year, appeared so imperfect and so scanty, since -the number of objects was reduced to sixty-one pictures and three -pieces of sculpture, deposited in the convent of the so-called -“Monjas Catalinas.”<span class="lftspc">’</span> No more favorable account seems to have been -received at the time the report was drawn up.</p> - -<p>“<i>Lérida.</i>—Here too the civil war is said to have caused the -disappearance of most of the pictures in the convents; only -eighteen of any merit had been collected in April, 1844, but some -more were known to exist in the Seo de Urgel, where the local -authorities however refused to give them up to the government. The -Commission had not been able to obtain an accurate account even of -the eighteen.</p> - -<p>“<i>Malaga.</i>—A miserable return of six pieces sculpture and four -pictures was all that could be obtained by the Central Commission, -and they attribute this result to ‘the natural indolence and purely -mercantile spirit of that district.’ Probably the facility for -exportation had a good deal to do with the disappearance of the -various works of art which the report affirms to have been once -collected and deposited in various public buildings.”</p></div><p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226">{226}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DON_DIEGO_VELASQUEZ" id="DON_DIEGO_VELASQUEZ"></a>DON DIEGO VELASQUEZ.</h2> - -<p>This great painter, justly esteemed the Head of the Spanish school, was -born at Seville in 1594. He pursued almost every branch of painting, -except the marine, and excelled almost equally in all.—Philip IV. -conferred on him extraordinary honors, appointed him his principal -painter, and ordained that none but the modern Apelles should paint his -likeness. When Rubens visited Madrid in 1627, to discharge the duties of -his embassy, he formed an intimate and lasting friendship with -Velasquez, which continued through life. “There is something in the -history of this painter,” says Mrs. Jameson, “which fills the -imagination like a gorgeous romance. In the very sound of his name, <i>Don -Diego Rodriguez Velasquez de Silva</i>—there is something mouth-filling -and magnificent. When we read of his fine chivalrous qualities, his -noble birth, his riches, his palaces, his orders of knighthood, and what -is most rare, the warm, real, steady friendship of a king, and added to -this a long life, crowned with genius, felicity, and fame, it seems -almost beyond the lot of humanity. I know of nothing to be compared with -it but the history of Rubens, his friend and cotemporary, whom he -resembled in character and fortune, and in that union of rare talents -with practical good sense which ensures success in life.” For a full -life of this painter, see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, -Sculptors, and Architects.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227">{227}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="VELASQUEZ_HONORED_BY_THE_KING_OF_SPAIN" id="VELASQUEZ_HONORED_BY_THE_KING_OF_SPAIN"></a>VELASQUEZ HONORED BY THE KING OF SPAIN.</h2> - -<p>Philip IV. relaxed the rigor of Spanish etiquette in favor of Velasquez, -as Charles V. had done with Titian. He had his studio in the royal -palace, and the King kept a private key, by means of which he had access -to it whenever he pleased. Almost every day Philip used to visit the -artist, and would sit and watch him while at work. When Velasquez -produced his celebrated picture of the Infanta Margarita surrounded by -her maids of honor, with a portrait of himself, standing near at his -easel, the King conferred upon him a very unusual honor. After the -picture had been greatly admired, Philip remarked, “There is one thing -wanting,” and taking the palette and pencils, he drew in with his own -hand upon the breast of Velasquez’s portrait, the much coveted Cross of -Santiago! The nobles resented this profanation of a decoration hitherto -only given to high birth; but all difficulties were removed by a <i>papal -dispensation and a grant of Hidalguia</i>. Velasquez’s portraits baffle -description or praise—they produce complete illusion, and must be seen -to be known. He depicted the <i>minds</i> of men; they live, breathe, and -seem about to walk out of their frames. The freshness, individuality, -and identity of every person are quite startling; nor can we doubt the -anecdote related of Philip IV., who, mistaking for the original the -portrait of Admiral Pareja in a dark corner of Velasquez’s room, -exclaimed, as he had been ordered to sea, “What! still here?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228">{228}</a></span> Did I not -send thee off? How is it that thou art not gone?” But seeing the figure -did not salute him, the King discovered his mistake. While Velasquez -sojourned in Rome, he painted the portrait of Innocent X., which is now -the gem of the Doria collection, and in which, says Lanzi, “he renewed -the wonders which are recounted of those of Leo X. by Raffaelle, and -Paul III. by Titian; for this picture so entirely deceived the eye as to -be taken for the Pope himself.”</p> - -<h2><a name="VELASQUEZS_SLAVE" id="VELASQUEZS_SLAVE"></a>VELASQUEZ’S SLAVE.</h2> - -<p>Juan de Pareja was the slave of Don Diego Velasquez. Palomino and -others, say he was born in Mexico, of a Spanish father and an Indian -mother; but Bermudez says he was born at Seville. From being employed in -his master’s studio to attend on him, grind his colors, clean his -palette, brushes, &c., he imbibed a passion for painting, and sought -every opportunity to practice during his master’s absence. He spent -whole nights in drawing and endeavoring to imitate him, for he durst not -let him know of his aspiring dreams. At length he had made such -proficiency, that he resolved to lay his case before the King, Philip -IV., who was not only an excellent judge, but a true lover, of art. It -was the King’s custom to resort frequently to the apartments of -Velasquez, and to order those pictures which were placed with the -painted side to the wall, to be turned to his view. Pareja placed one of -his own produc<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229">{229}</a></span>tions in that position, which the King’s curiosity caused -to be turned, when the slave fell on his knees and besought the monarch -to obtain his pardon from his master, for having presumed to practice -painting without his approbation. Philip, agreeably surprised at his -address, and well pleased with the work, bid Pareja to rest contented. -He interceded in his behalf, and Velasquez not only forgave him, but -emancipated him from servitude; yet such was his attachment and -gratitude to his master, that he would never leave him till his death, -and afterwards continued to serve his daughter with the same fidelity. -He is said to have painted portraits so much in the style of Velasquez, -that they could not easily be distinguished from his works. He also -painted some historical works, as the Calling of St. Matthew, at -Aranjuez; the Baptism of Christ, at Toledo, and some Saints at Madrid.</p> - -<h2><a name="LUIS_TRISTAN" id="LUIS_TRISTAN"></a>LUIS TRISTAN.</h2> - -<p>This eminent Spanish painter was born near Toledo, according to -Palomino, in 1594, though Bermudez says in 1586. He was a pupil of El -Greco, whom he surpassed in design and purity of taste. His instructor, -far from being jealous of his talents, was the first to applaud his -works, and to commend him to the public. He executed many admirable -works for the churches and public edifices at Toledo and Madrid. It is -no mean proof of his ability, that Velasquez professed himself his -admirer, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230">{230}</a></span> quitting the precepts of Pacheco, he formed his style from -the works of Tristan.</p> - -<h2><a name="TRISTAN_AND_EL_GRECO" id="TRISTAN_AND_EL_GRECO"></a>TRISTAN AND EL GRECO.</h2> - -<p>Tristan was the favorite pupil of El Greco, to whom his master made over -many commissions, which he was unable to execute himself. In this manner -he was employed to paint the Last Supper, for the Hieronymite monastery -of La Sisla. The monks liked the picture; but they thought the price -which the artist asked for it, of two hundred ducats, excessive. They -therefore sent for El Greco to value it; but when this master saw his -pupil’s work, he raised his stick and ran at him, calling him a -scoundrel and a disgrace to his profession. The monks restrained the -angry painter, and soothed him by saying that the young man did not know -what he asked, and no doubt would submit to the opinion of his master. -“In good truth,” returned El Greco, “he does not know what he has asked; -and if he does not get <i>five hundred</i> ducats for the picture, I desire -it may be rolled up and sent to my house.” The Hieronymites were -compelled to pay the larger sum!</p> - -<h2><a name="ALONSO_CANO" id="ALONSO_CANO"></a>ALONSO CANO.</h2> - -<p>This eminent Spanish painter, sculptor, and architect, was born at -Granada, according to Bermudez, in 1601. He early showed a passion for -the fine arts, and exhibited extraordinary talents. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231">{231}</a></span> excelled in all -the three sister arts, particularly in painting. There are many -excellent works by Cano in the churches and public edifices at Cordova, -Madrid, Granada, and Seville, which rank him among the greatest Spanish -painters. As a sculptor, he manifested great abilities, and executed -many fine works, which excited universal admiration. He also gained -considerable reputation as an architect, and was appointed architect and -painter to the king.</p> - -<h2><a name="CANOS_LIBERALITY" id="CANOS_LIBERALITY"></a>CANO’S LIBERALITY.</h2> - -<p>Cano executed many works for the churches and convents gratuitously. -When he was young, he painted many pictures for the public places of -Seville, which were regarded as astonishing performances. For these he -would receive no remuneration, declaring that he considered them -unfinished and deficient, and that he wrought for practice and -improvement.</p> - -<h2><a name="CANOS_ECCENTRICITIES" id="CANOS_ECCENTRICITIES"></a>CANO’S ECCENTRICITIES.</h2> - -<p>Palomino relates several characteristic anecdotes of Cano. An Auditor of -the Chancery of Granada bore especial devotion to St. Anthony of Padua, -and wished for an image of that saint from the hands of Cano. When the -figure was finished, the judge liked it much. He inquired what money the -artist expected for it: the answer was, one hundred doubloons. The -amateur was astonished, and asked, “How many days he might have spent -upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232">{232}</a></span> it?” Cano replied, “Some five-and-twenty days.” “Well,” said the -Auditor, “that comes to four doubloons per day.” “Your lordship reckons -wrong,” said Cano, “for I have spent fifty years in learning to execute -it in twenty-five days.” “That is all very well, but I have spent my -patrimony and my youth in studying at the University, and in a higher -profession; now here I am, Auditor in Granada, and if I get a doubloon a -day, it is as much as I do.” Cano had scarce patience to hear him out. -“A higher profession, indeed!” he exclaimed; “the king can make judges -out of the dust of the earth, but it is reserved for God alone to make -an Alonso Cano.” Saying this, he took up the figure and dashed it to -pieces on the pavement; whereupon the Auditor escaped as fast as he -could, not feeling sure that Cano’s fury would confine itself to the -statue.</p> - -<h2><a name="CANOS_HATRED_OF_THE_JEWS" id="CANOS_HATRED_OF_THE_JEWS"></a>CANO’S HATRED OF THE JEWS.</h2> - -<p>Another characteristic of Cano, was his insuperable repugnance for any -persons tainted with Judaism. It appears that in Granada the unhappy -persons of that nation who were <i>penitenciados</i> (i.e. who had been -subjected to penance by the Inquisition) were in the habit of getting -what they could to support themselves, by selling linen and other -articles about the streets; they wore of course the <i>sambenito</i>, or -habit prescribed by the Inquisition as the mark of their penance. If -Cano met one of these<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233">{233}</a></span> men in the street, he would cross to the other -side, or get out of his way into the passage of a house. Occasionally, -however, in turning a corner, or by mere accident, one of these persons -would sometimes brush the garment of the artist, who then instantly sent -his servant home for another, whether cloak or doublet, and gave the -<i>polluted</i> one to his attendant. The servant, however, did not dare to -wear what he had thus acquired, or his master would have turned him out -of the house forthwith—he could only sell it. It is added that the -manifest profit which the servant derived from his master’s scruples, -made the people doubt whether in all cases the Jew had really brushed -against the artist, or whether the servant had himself twitched the -cloak as the Jew passed. At any rate the servant has been heard to -remonstrate, and urge that “it was the slightest touch in the world, -sir—it cannot matter.” “Not matter?—you scoundrel, in such things as -these, everything matters;” and the valet got the cloak.</p> - -<p>On one occasion, Cano’s housekeeper, with an excess of audacity, had -actually brought one of these <i>penitenciados</i> into the house, and was -buying some linen of him; a dispute about the price caused high words, -and the master came, hearing a disturbance. What could he do? he could -not defile himself by laying hands on the miscreant, who got away while -the wrathful artist was looking for some weapon that he could use -without touching him. But the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234">{234}</a></span> housekeeper had to fly to a neighbor’s; -and it was only after many entreaties, and performing a rigorous -quarantine, that she was received back again.</p> - -<h2><a name="CANOS_RULING_PASSION_STRONG_IN_DEATH" id="CANOS_RULING_PASSION_STRONG_IN_DEATH"></a>CANO’S RULING PASSION STRONG IN DEATH.</h2> - -<p>His passion for art, and his eccentric notions respecting the Jews, were -strongly manifested in his last sickness. He lived in the parish of the -city which contained the prison of the Inquisition. The priest of the -parish visited him upon his death-bed, and proposed to administer the -sacraments to him after confession, when the artist quietly asked him -whether he was in the habit of administering it to the Jews on whom -penance was imposed by the Inquisition. The priest replying in the -affirmative, Cano said, “Senor Licenciado, go your way, and do not -trouble yourself to call again; for the priest who administers the -sacraments to the Jews shall not administer them to me.” Accordingly he -sent for the priest of the parish of St. Andrew. This last, however, -gave offence in another form; he put into the artist’s hands a crucifix -of indifferent execution, when Cano desired him to take it away. The -priest was so shocked at this, that he thought him possessed, and was at -the point of exorcising him. “My son,” he said, “what dost thou mean? -this is the Lord who redeemed thee, and who must save thee.”—“I know -that well,” replied Cano, “but do you want to provoke me with that -wretched thing, so as to give me over to the devil? let me<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235">{235}</a></span> have a -simple cross, for with that I can reverence Christ in faith; I can -worship him as he is in himself, and as I contemplate him in my own -mind.” This was accordingly done, so that the artist was no longer -troubled by an indifferent specimen of sculpture.</p> - -<h2><a name="RIBALTAS_MARRIAGE" id="RIBALTAS_MARRIAGE"></a>RIBALTA’S MARRIAGE.</h2> - -<p>Francisco Ribalta, an eminent Spanish painter, studied first in -Valencia, where he fell in love with the daughter of his instructor. The -father refused his consent to the marriage; but the daughter promised to -wait for her lover while he studied in Italy. Ribalta accordingly went -thither and devoted himself to his art, studying particularly the works -of Raffaelle and the Caracci, and returned, after a considerable time, -to his native country. Quickened by love, he had attained a high degree -of excellence. On arriving at the city of Valencia, he went to the house -of his beloved, who meanwhile had proved faithful; and her father being -away from home, he finished the sketch of a picture in his studio, in -his mistress’ presence, and left it to produce its effect upon the -hitherto inflexible parent. The latter, on returning, asked his daughter -who had been there, adding, with a look at the picture, “This is the man -to whom I would marry thee, and not to that dauber, Ribalta.” The -marriage of course took place, immediately; and the fame of Ribalta soon -procured him abundant employment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236">{236}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="APARICIO_CANOVA_AND_THORWALDSEN" id="APARICIO_CANOVA_AND_THORWALDSEN"></a>APARICIO, CANOVA, AND THORWALDSEN.</h2> - -<p>Aparicio, a Spanish painter who died in 1838, possessed little merit, -but great vanity. Among other works, he painted the Ransoming of 1700 -slaves at Algiers, which occurred in 1768, by order of Charles III. When -the picture was exhibited at Rome, Canova, who knew the man, told -Aparicio, “This is the finest thing in the world, and you are the first -of painters.” Soon after, Thorwaldsen came in and ventured a critique, -whereupon the Don indignantly quoted Canova. “Sir, he has been laughing -at you,” said the honest Dane, to whom Aparicio never spoke again.</p> - -<h2><a name="BARTOLOME_ESTEBAN_MURILLO" id="BARTOLOME_ESTEBAN_MURILLO"></a>BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO.</h2> - -<p>This preëminent Spanish painter was born at Pilas, near Seville, in -1613. There is a great deal of contradiction among writers as to his -early history, but it has been proved that he never left his own -country. He first studied under Don Juan del Castillo, an eminent -historical painter at Seville, on leaving whom, he went to Cadiz. It was -the custom of the young artists at that time to expose their works for -sale at the annual fairs, and many of the earliest productions of -Murillo were exported to South America, which gave rise to the -tradition, that he had proceeded thither in person.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLO_AND_VELASQUEZ" id="MURILLO_AND_VELASQUEZ"></a>MURILLO AND VELASQUEZ.</h2> - -<p>The fame of Velasquez, then at its zenith, inspired Murillo with a -desire to visit Madrid, in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237">{237}</a></span> hope to profit by his instruction. He -accordingly proceeded thither in 1642, and paid his court to Velasquez, -who received him with great kindness, admitted him into his academy, and -procured for him the best means of improvement beyond his own -instruction, by obtaining for him access to the rich treasures of art in -the royal collections, where his attention was particularly directed to -the works of Titian, Rubens, and Vandyck.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLOS_RETURN_TO_SEVILLE" id="MURILLOS_RETURN_TO_SEVILLE"></a>MURILLO’S RETURN TO SEVILLE.</h2> - -<p>After a residence of three years at Madrid, Murillo returned to Seville, -where he was commissioned to paint his great fresco of St. Thomas of -Villanuova distributing alms to the poor, in the convent of San -Francisco, consisting of sixteen compartments.—The subject suited his -genius, and gave full scope for the display of his powers, which were -peculiarly adapted to the representation of nature in her most simple -and unsophisticated forms. The Saint stands in a dignified posture, with -a countenance beaming with benevolence and compassion, while he is -surrounded by groups of paupers, eagerly pressing forward to receive his -charity, whose varied character and wretchedness are portrayed with -wonderful art and truthfulness of expression. This and other works -produced emotions of the greatest astonishment among his countrymen, -established his reputation as one of the greatest artists of his age, -and procured him abundant employment.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238">{238}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLO_AND_IRIARTE" id="MURILLO_AND_IRIARTE"></a>MURILLO AND IRIARTE.</h2> - -<p>About this time, Murillo was employed by the Marquis of Villamanrique, -to paint a series of pictures from the life of David, in which the -backgrounds were to be painted by Ignacio Iriarte, an eminent landscape -painter of Seville. Murillo rightly proposed that the landscape parts -should be first painted, and that he should afterwards put in the -figures; but Iriarte contended that the historical part ought to be -first finished, to which he would adapt the backgrounds. To put an end -to the dispute, Murillo undertook to execute the whole, and changing the -History of David to that of Jacob, he produced the famous series of five -pictures, now in the possession of the Marquis de Santiago at Madrid, in -which the beauty of the landscapes contends with that of the figures, -and which remain a monument of his powers in these different departments -of the art.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLOS_DEATH" id="MURILLOS_DEATH"></a>MURILLO’S DEATH.</h2> - -<p>The last work which Murillo painted was a picture of St. Catherine, in -the convent of the Capuchins at Seville, his death being hastened by a -fall from the scaffold. He died at Seville in 1685, universally -deplored—for he was greatly beloved, not merely for his extraordinary -talents, but for the generous qualities of his heart. Such was his noble -and charitable disposition, that he is said to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239">{239}</a></span> left but little -property, though he received large prices for his works.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLOS_STYLE" id="MURILLOS_STYLE"></a>MURILLO’S STYLE.</h2> - -<p>Few painters have a juster claim to originality of style than Murillo, -and his works show an incontestible proof of the perfection to which the -Spanish school attained, and the real character of its artists; for he -was never out of his native country, and could have borrowed little from -foreign artists; and this originality places him in the first rank among -the painters of every school. All his works are distinguished by a close -and lively imitation of nature. His pictures of the Virgin, Saints, -Magdalens, and even of the Saviour, are stamped with a characteristic -expression of the eye, and have a national peculiarity of countenance -and habiliments, which are very remarkable. There is little of the -academy discernible in his design or his composition. It is a chaste and -faithful representation of what he saw or conceived; truth and -simplicity are never lost sight of; his coloring is clear, tender, and -harmonious, and though it possesses the truth of Titian, and the -sweetness of Vandyck, it has nothing of the appearance of imitation. -There is little of the ideal in his forms or heads, and though he -frequently adopts a beautiful expression, there is usually a -portrait-like simplicity in his countenances. In short, his pictures are -said to hold a middle rank between the unpolished naturalness of the -Flemish,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240">{240}</a></span> and the graceful and dignified taste of the Italian schools.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLOS_WORKS" id="MURILLOS_WORKS"></a>MURILLO’S WORKS.</h2> - -<p>The works of Murillo are numerous, and widely scattered over the world. -Most of his greatest works are in the churches of Spain; some are in the -Royal collections at Madrid, some in France and Flanders, many in -England, and a few in the United States. They now command enormous -prices. The National Gallery of London paid four thousand guineas for a -picture of the Holy Family, and two thousand for one of St. John with -the Lamb. The late Marshal Soult’s collection was very rich in -Murillos—the fruits of his campaigns in Spain. The famous Assumption of -the Virgin, considered the chef d’œuvre of the master, brought the -enormous sum of five hundred and eighty-six thousand francs, and was -bought by the French government to adorn the Louvre; but it should be -recollected that the heads of three governments—those of France, -Russia, and Spain—and an English Marquis, competed for it. Such works, -too, are esteemed above all price, as models of art, in a national -collection of pictures. Of the other Murillos in the Soult collection, -the principal brought the following prices: “The Ravages of the Plague,” -twenty thousand francs; “The Miracle of St. Diego,” eighty-five thousand -francs; “The Flight into Egypt,” fifty-one thousand francs; “The -Nativity<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241">{241}</a></span> of the Virgin,” ninety thousand francs; “The Repentance of St. -Peter,” fifty-five thousand francs; “Christ on the Cross,” thirty-one -thousand francs; “St. Peter in Prison,” one hundred and fifty-one -thousand francs; “Jesus and St. John—children,” fifty-one thousand -seven hundred and fifty francs. The two last were purchased for the -Emperor of Russia. The collection was sold in May, 1852.</p> - -<p>The works of Murillo have been largely copied and imitated, and so -successfully as to deceive even connoisseurs.</p> - -<h2><a name="MURILLOS_ASSUMPTION_OF_THE_VIRGIN" id="MURILLOS_ASSUMPTION_OF_THE_VIRGIN"></a>MURILLO’S ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN.</h2> - -<p>The Assumption of the Virgin is considered by all the Spanish writers as -the masterpiece of Murillo, and never, perhaps, did that great master -attain such sublimity of expression and such magnificent coloring, as in -this almost divine picture. It represents the Virgin in the act of being -carried up into Heaven. Her golden hair floats on her shoulders, and her -white robe gently swells in the breeze, while a mantle of blue -gracefully falls from her left shoulder. Groups of angels and cherubim -of extraordinary beauty, sport around her in the most evident -admiration, those below thronging closely together, while those above -open their ranks, as if not in any way to conceal the glory shed around -the ascending Virgin. The size of the picture is eight feet six inches -in height, by six feet broad, French measure. This picture was the gem -of the famous collection<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242">{242}</a></span> made by Marshal Soult, during his campaigns in -Spain, who used humorously to relate that it cost him <i>two monks</i>, which -he thus explained. One morning two of his soldiers were found with their -throats cut, and the deed being traced to the instigation of the monks, -near whose convent they had encamped, he immediately arraigned them -before a court-martial, sentenced two of the fraternity to expiate the -deed, and compelled them to designate the victims by lot. One of the -chances fell to the Prior, who offered Soult this peerless picture as -the price of their redemption.</p> - -<h2><a name="CASTILLOS_TRIBUTE_TO_MURILLO" id="CASTILLOS_TRIBUTE_TO_MURILLO"></a>CASTILLO’S TRIBUTE TO MURILLO.</h2> - -<p>Castillo was educated in the school of Zurbaran. After returning to his -native city, he flattered himself that he was the first Spanish painter -of the day; but subsequently, on a visit to Seville, he was painfully -undeceived. The works of Murillo struck him with astonishment, and when -he saw the St. Leander and St. Isidore, as well as the St. Anthony of -Padua by that master, he exclaimed, “It is all over with Castillo! Is it -possible that Murillo can be the author of all this grace and beauty of -coloring?” He returned to Cordova, and attempted to imitate and equal -Murillo, but felt satisfied that he had failed; and it is said that he -died in the following year, from the effects of envy and annoyance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243">{243}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIO" id="CORREGGIO"></a>CORREGGIO.</h2> - -<p>The name of this great artist was Antonio Allegri, and he was born at -Correggio, a small town in the Duchy of Modena, in 1494; hence his -acquired name. It was for a long time the fashion to regard the divine -creations of Correggio as the mere product of genius and accident; -himself as a man born in the lowest grade of society; uneducated in the -elements of his art, owing all to the wondrous resources of his own -unassisted genius; living and dying in obscurity and poverty; ill paid -for his pictures; and at length perishing tragically. It has been proved -that there is no foundation for these popular fallacies. Correggio’s own -pictures are a sufficient refutation of a part of them; they exhibit not -only a classical and cultivated taste, but a profound knowledge of -anatomy, and of the sciences of optics, perspective, and chemistry, as -far as they were then carried. His exquisite chiaro-scuro and harmonious -blending of colors were certainly not the result of mere chance: all his -sensibility to these effects of nature would not have enabled him to -render them, without the profoundest study of the mechanical means he -employed. The great works on which he was employed—his lavish use of -the rarest and most expensive colors, and the time and labor he bestowed -in analyzing and refining them—the report that he worked on a ground -overlaid with gold—all refute the idea of his being either an ig<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244">{244}</a></span>norant -or a distressed man. Of the rank he held in the estimation of the -princes of his country we have evidence in a curious document discovered -in the archives of the city of Correggio—the marriage contract between -Ippolito (the son of Giberto, Lord of Correggio, by his wife, the -celebrated poetess Vittoria Gambara), and Chiara da Correggio, in which -we find the signature of the great painter as one of the witnesses. -Correggio was one of that splendid triumvirate of painters who, living -at the same time, were working on different principles, and achieving, -each in his own department, excellence hitherto unequalled; and if -Correggio must be allowed to be inferior to Raffaelle in invention and -expression, and to Titian in life-like color, he has united design and -color with the illusion of light and shadow in a degree of perfection -not then nor since approached by any painter. Hence Annibale Caracci, on -seeing one of his great pictures, exclaimed in a transport that he was -“the only <i>painter</i>!”</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CHURCH_OF_ST_JOHN_AT_PARMA" id="CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CHURCH_OF_ST_JOHN_AT_PARMA"></a>CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA OF THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN AT PARMA.</h2> - -<p>The admiration which the works of Correggio excited, induced the monks -of St. John to engage him in ornamenting the grand cupola, and other -parts of their church. The original agreement has not been discovered, -but various entries have been found in the books of the convent, between -1519 and 1536, which prove, that for adorning the cupola he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245">{245}</a></span> received, -as Tiraboschi asserts, two hundred and seventy-two gold ducats, and two -hundred more for other parts of the fabric. The last payment of twenty -seven gold ducats was made on the 23d of January, 1524, and the -acknowledgment of the painter, under his own signature, is still extant.</p> - -<p>The subject is the Ascension of Christ in glory, surrounded by the -twelve Apostles, seated on the clouds; and in the lunettes the four -Evangelists and four Doctors of the Church. The situation for the -picture presented difficulties which none but so great an artist could -have overcome; for the cupola has neither sky-light nor windows, and -consequently the whole effect of the piece must depend on the light -reflected from below. The figures of the Apostles are chiefly naked, -gigantic, and in a style of peculiar grandeur.</p> - -<p>Besides the cupola, various parts of the same church were adorned by his -hand. He decorated the tribune, which was afterwards demolished to -enlarge the choir; and it was so highly esteemed, that Cesare Aretusi -was employed by the monks to copy it for the new tribune. He painted -also in fresco, the two sides of the fifth chapel on the right hand, the -first representing the Martyrdom of St. Placido and St. Flavia, and the -second a dead Christ, with the Virgin Mary swooning at his feet. Of -these paintings Mengs particularly admires the head of St. Placido and -the exquisite figure of the Magdalen in the last mentioned picture.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246">{246}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CATHEDRAL_AT_PARMA" id="CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_OF_THE_CATHEDRAL_AT_PARMA"></a>CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA OF THE CATHEDRAL AT PARMA.</h2> - -<p>The grand fresco painting in the cupola of the Cathedral of Parma, is -considered Correggio’s greatest work, and has ever been regarded as a -most wonderful production.</p> - -<p>The difficulties he had to encounter, were greater than those in the -church of St. John, and in overcoming them he displayed the most -consummate skill and judgment. This cupola, which is nearly thirty-nine -feet in diameter, is octagonal, the compartments diminishing as it -rises; and it is not surmounted with a lantern, but towards the lower -part is lighted by windows, approaching to an oval form. On this surface -he delineated numerous groups of figures, with extraordinary boldness -and effect; though, for the sake of variety, he partially adopted a -smaller scale than in the cupola of St. John. The subject is the -Assumption of the Virgin Mary. She is represented with an air in the -highest degree indicative of devotion and beatitude, as rising to meet -Christ in the clouds, surrounded by the heavenly choir of saints and -angels; while beneath, the apostles behold her reception into glory with -the most dignified expression of reverence and astonishment. Over the -whole is an effusion of light, which produces an impression truly -celestial.</p> - -<p>The figures which are depicted in the upper part of the dome, are -foreshortened with consummate<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247">{247}</a></span> skill. Mengs, who saw them near, and -judged of them as an artist, appears astonished at their boldness, which -he calls “sconcia terribile,” particularly that of Christ, which -occupies the centre. But the effect, when seen from below, proves that -the painter had deeply studied that delicate branch of the art; for -nothing can exceed the bold and exquisite management of the light and -shade, and the beautiful proportion in which the figures appear to the -eye, except the life and spirit with which they are animated, and the -general harmony of the whole.</p> - -<p>In decorating the lower part of the cupola, Correggio displayed -undiminished resources. He figured a species of socle, or cornice, which -runs round the whole cupola, yet at such a distance as to afford a space -between the windows for the apostles, who appear, some single, some in -pairs, surrounded with angels, and delineated in the same grand style as -those in the cupola of St. John. Yet, although placed on the very lines -of the angles, formed in the dome, they are so artfully disposed and -foreshortened, as to appear painted vertically on the cornice. To unite -these with the principal figures, he distributed above and on the socle, -between the gigantic figures of the apostles, and the light and airy -forms of the celestial choir above, groups of angels, of an intermediate -size, some with torches, and others bearing vases and censers.</p> - -<p>But a striking proof of his taste and skill is manifested in the four -lunettes between the arches sup<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248">{248}</a></span>porting the cupola. Here he feigned the -architecture to form four capacious niches or shells, in which he -introduced the patrons of the city, St. John the Baptist, St. Hilary, -St. Thomas, and St. Bernard degli Uberti, in magnitude equal to the -Apostles, resting on clouds and attended by angels. In depicting the -light as transmitted from the groups above, he has thrown it so -naturally upon these figures and their angelic suite, that they appear -as if detached from the wall, and animated with more than human spirit -and grace.</p> - -<p>This great work was commenced about 1523, and finished in 1530, as -appears from the original agreements and receipts, preserved in the -archives of the Chapter, which were published by his biographer -Pungileoni, from a copy taken and authenticated by a Notary Public, in -1803. The work seems to have been delayed by the feuds and warfare which -agitated Parma at that time, and perhaps by other engagements of the -artist. The contract was signed on the 3d of November, 1522. In the plan -or estimate which Correggio drew up at the desire of the Chapter, and -which is still preserved in his own handwriting, he required twelve -hundred gold ducats, and one hundred for gold leaf; the scaffolding, -lime, and other requisites to be provided by the Chapter. But in the -contract itself, the price was reduced to one thousand ducats, exclusive -of the one hundred for gold leaf. For this sum he engaged to paint the -choir, and the cupola with its arches and pillars,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249">{249}</a></span> as far as the altar; -also the lateral chapels, in imitation of living subjects, bronze and -marble, according to the plan, and in conformity to the nature of the -place, comprising in the whole a surface of one hundred and fifty-four -square perches (perteche). The Chapter, on their part, were to provide -the scaffolding and the lime, and to defray the expense of preparing the -walls. Thus Correggio received the sum of one thousand gold ducats -(about two thousand dollars) for his work, out of which he had to pay -for his colors, and the labors of his assistants. What then becomes of -the miserable story generally current, that this was his last work; that -when he went to receive payment, that he might take home the price of -his labors to his poverty-stricken family, the canons found fault with -his picture, and refused to pay him more than half the paltry sum -originally promised; that they paid him in copper coin; that he took the -heavy burden upon his shoulders, and walked a distance of eight miles to -his cottage, under the burning heat of an Italian sun, which together -with his despair threw him into a fever, of which he died, on his bed of -straw, in three days? It appears from the documents before cited, that -Correggio received payment in instalments, as his work progressed.</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_FATE" id="CORREGGIOS_FATE"></a>CORREGGIO’S FATE.</h2> - -<p>Vasari commiserates the fate of Correggio, whom he represents as of a -melancholy turn of mind<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250">{250}</a></span> timid and diffident of his own powers; -burthened with a numerous family, which, with all his prodigious -talents, he could scarcely support; illy recompensed for his works; and -to crown the sad story, we are told that, having received at Parma a -payment of sixty crowns in copper money, he caught a fever in the -exertion of carrying it home on his shoulders, which occasioned his -death.</p> - -<p>This picture, however, according to Lanzi, is exaggerated; for although -the situation of Correggio was far beneath his merits, yet it was by no -means deplorable. His family was highly respectable, and possessed -considerable landed property, which is said to have been augmented by -his own earnings; and so far from his having died of the fatigue of -carrying home copper money, he was usually paid in gold. For the cupola -and tribune of the church of St. John, he received four hundred and -seventy-two sequins; for that of the Cathedral, three hundred and fifty; -payments by no means inconsiderable in those times. For his celebrated -Notte he was paid forty sequins, and for the St. Jerome, which cost him -six months’ labor, forty-seven. It does not appear probable that he -acquired great riches, but there is no doubt that he was equally -screened from the evils attendant on penury and affluence.</p> - -<p>The researches and discoveries of the learned Tiraboschi, the -indomitable Dr. Michele Antonioli, and the zealous and impartial Padre -Luigi Pungileoni, have thrown much light upon the life of Correggio.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251">{251}</a></span> -His father, Pellegrino Allegri, was a general merchant in Correggio, -esteemed by his fellow-citizens. His circumstances were easy, and he -intended Antonio for one of the learned professions, but his passion for -painting induced him to allow him to follow the bent of his genius. It -is not certainly known under whom he studied painting. Some of the -Italian writers say that he was instructed by Francesco Bianchi and -Giovanni Murani, called Il Frari; others that he was a pupil of Lionardo -da Vinci and Andrea Mantegna; Lanzi is decidedly of the opinion that he -formed his style by studying the works of Mantegna, who died in 1506, -which does away with the supposition that he could have studied with -him. “The manner,” says Lanzi, “in which Correggio could have imbibed so -exquisite a taste, has always been considered surprising and -unaccountable, prevailing everywhere, as we find in his canvass, in his -laying on his colors, in the last touches of his pictures; but let us -for a moment suppose him a student of Mantegna’s models, surpassing all -others in the same taste, and the wonder will be accounted for. Let us, -moreover, consider the grace and vivacity so predominant in the -compositions of Correggio, the rainbow as it were of his colors, that -accurate care in his foreshortenings, and of those upon ceilings; his -abundance of laughing boys and cherubs, of flowers, fruits, and all -delightful objects; and let us ask ourselves whether this new style does -not appear an exquisite completion<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252">{252}</a></span> of that of Mantegna, as the pictures -of Raffaelle and Titian display the progress and perfection of those of -Perugino and Giovanni Bellini.” The authentic documents revealed by the -three savans before mentioned, show that Correggio was most highly -esteemed by his cotemporaries, and that he associated with persons of -rank and letters. On two occasions he passed some time at Padua, with -the Marchese Manfredo, and the celebrated patroness of arts and letters, -Veronica Gambara, relict of Gilberto, Lord of Correggio. That he was -cheerful and lively, may be inferred from the expression of a writer -concerning him: “<i>La vivacitá e dal brio del nostro Antonio</i>;” yet -affectionate and gentle, as is evident from his being sponsor on three -occasions to infants of his friends (in 1511, 1516, and 1518), before he -had reached his twenty-second year. In 1520 he was admitted by diploma, -as a brother of the Congregation Cassinensi, in the monastery of St. -John the Evangelist, at Parma—the fraternity to which the illustrious -Tasso belonged. In the same year he married Girolama Merlini, a lady of -good family, amiable disposition, and great beauty, who was his model -for the Zingara, probably after the birth of his first child. By this -lady he had one son and three daughters. In 1529, to his great -affliction, she died, and was buried by her own request in the church of -St. John at Parma. Correggio did not marry again. He died suddenly on -the fifth day of March, 1534, aged forty years, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253">{253}</a></span> was buried with -solemnities worthy of his great endowments, in the church of San -Francesco, at the foot of the altar in the chapel of the Arrivabene.</p> - -<h2><a name="ANNIBALE_CARACCIS_OPINION_OF_CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_AT_PARMA" id="ANNIBALE_CARACCIS_OPINION_OF_CORREGGIOS_GRAND_CUPOLA_AT_PARMA"></a>ANNIBALE CARACCI’S OPINION OF CORREGGIO’S GRAND CUPOLA AT PARMA.</h2> - -<p>“I went,” says Annibale Caracci, in a letter to his cousin Lodovico, “to -see the grand cupola, which you have so often commended to me, and am -quite astonished. To observe so large a composition, so well contrived; -and seen from below with such great exactness; and at the same time, -such judgment, such grace, and coloring of real flesh, good God, not -Tibaldi, not Nicolini, nor even I may say, Raffaelle himself, can be -compared with him. I know not how many paintings I have seen this -morning; the Ancona, or altar-piece of St. John, and St. Catharine, and -the Madonna della Scodella going to Egypt, and I swear, I would change -none of these for the St. Cecilia. To speak of the graces of this St. -Catharine, who so gracefully lays her head on the feet of the beautiful -little Savior; is she not more lovely than the St. Mary Magdalen? That -fine old man St. Jerome, is he not grander, and at the same time more -tender than that St. Paul, which first appeared to me a miracle, and now -seems like a piece of wood, it is so hard and sharp. However you must -have patience even for your own Parmiggiano, because I now acknowledge -that I have learnt from this great man, to imitate all his grace,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254">{254}</a></span> -though at a great distance; for the children of Correggio breathe and -smile with such a grace and truth, that one cannot refrain from smiling -and enjoying one’s self with them.</p> - -<p>“I write to my brother that he must come, for he will see things which -he could never have believed,—18th April, 1580.</p> - -<p>“I have been to the Steccata, and the Zocoli, and have observed what you -told me many times, and what I now confess to be true; but I will say -that, to my taste, Parmeggiano bears no comparison with Correggio, -because the thoughts and conceptions of Correggio were his own, -evidently drawn from his own mind, and invented by himself, guided only -by the original idea. The others all rest on something not their own; -some on models, some on statues or drawings: all the productions of the -others are represented as they may be; all of this man as they truly -are.</p> - -<p>“The opportunities which Agostino wished for, have not occurred; and -this appears to me a country, which one never could have believed so -totally devoid of good taste and of the delights of a painter, for they -do nothing but eat and drink, and make love. I promised to impart to you -my sentiments; but I confess I am so confused that it is impossible. I -rage and weep, to think of the misfortune of poor Antonio; so great a -man, if indeed he were a man, and not an angel in the flesh, to be lost -here, in a country where he was unknown, and though worthy<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255">{255}</a></span> of -immortality, here to die unhappily. He and Titian will always be my -delight: and if I do not see the works of the latter at Venice, I shall -not die content.—April 28, 1580.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_ENTHUSIASM" id="CORREGGIOS_ENTHUSIASM"></a>CORREGGIO’S ENTHUSIASM.</h2> - -<p>Among the many legends respecting Correggio, it is related that when he -first contemplated one of the masterpieces of Raffaelle, his brow -colored, his eye brightened, and he exclaimed, “I also am a painter!” -When Titian first saw the great works of Correggio at Parma, he said, -“Were I not Titian, I would wish to be Correggio.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_GRACE" id="CORREGGIOS_GRACE"></a>CORREGGIO’S GRACE.</h2> - -<p>No one can contemplate the works of Correggio, without being captivated -by that peculiar beauty which the Italians have very appropriately -distinguished by the epithet <i>Correggiesque</i>, for it was the complexion -of the individual mind and temperament of the artist, stamped upon the -work of his hand. No one approached him in this respect, if perhaps we -except Lionardo da Vinci. Though so often imitated, it remains in fact -inimitable; an attempt degenerating into affectation of the most -intolerable kind. It consists in the blending of sentiment in -expression, with flowing, graceful forms, an exquisite fullness and -softness in the tone of color, and an almost illusive chiaro-scuro, all -together con<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256">{256}</a></span>veying to the mind of the spectator the most delightful -impression of harmony, both spiritual and sensual. He is the painter of -<i>beauty</i> par excellence; he is to us what Apelles was to the -ancients—the standard of the amiable and the graceful.</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIO_AND_THE_MONKS" id="CORREGGIO_AND_THE_MONKS"></a>CORREGGIO AND THE MONKS.</h2> - -<p>The pleasure which the monks derived from the works of Correggio, even -in their incipient state, and the esteem which they had for him, is -manifested by a remarkable document. This is a letter or patent of -confraternity, passed in the general assembly of the order, held at -Pratalea, in the latter end of 1521; a privilege which was eagerly -sought at this and earlier periods, and was seldom conferred on persons -not eminent for rank or talents. It conveyed a participation in the -spiritual benefits derived from the prayers, masses, alms, and other -pious works of the community, and was coupled with an engagement to -perform the same offices for the repose of his soul, and the souls of -his family, as were performed for their own members.</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_MULETEER" id="CORREGGIOS_MULETEER"></a>CORREGGIO’S MULETEER.</h2> - -<p>It is said that Correggio painted a picture of a muleteer, as a sign to -a small public house, which was kept by a man who had frequently obliged -him, and who had been a muleteer. This picture was purchased by a person -sent to Italy many years ago<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257">{257}</a></span> to collect ancient paintings. It has all -the marks in the upper corner, of having been joined to a piece of wood, -and used for a sign; it cost five hundred guineas!</p> - -<h2><a name="DUKE_OF_WELLINGTONS_CORREGGIO_CAPTURED_AT_VITTORIA" id="DUKE_OF_WELLINGTONS_CORREGGIO_CAPTURED_AT_VITTORIA"></a>DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S CORREGGIO CAPTURED AT VITTORIA.</h2> - -<p>Cunningham warms into rapture in speaking of this picture. “The size is -small, some fifteen inches or so; but true genius can work miracles in -small compass. The central light of the picture is altogether heavenly; -we never saw anything so insufferably brilliant; it haunted us round the -room at Apsley House, and fairly extinguished the light of its companion -pictures.”</p> - -<h2><a name="CORREGGIOS_ANCONA" id="CORREGGIOS_ANCONA"></a>CORREGGIO’S ANCONA.</h2> - -<p>Correggio painted for the church of the Conventuali at Correggio, an -Ancona, (a small altar-piece in wood,) consisting of three pictures when -he was in his twentieth year, as appears, says Lanzi, from the written -agreement, which fixes the price at one hundred gold ducats, or one -hundred zecchins, and proves the esteem in which his talents were then -held. “He here represented St. Bartholomew and St. John, each occupying -one side, while in the middle compartment, he drew a Repose of the Holy -Family flying into Egypt, to which last was added a figure of St. -Francis. Francesco I., Duke of Modena, was so greatly delighted with -this picture, that he sent<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258">{258}</a></span> the artist Boulanger to copy it for him, and -thus obtaining possession of the original, he contrived dexterously to -substitute his own copy in its place.” The Duke satisfied the monks by -giving them more lands. It is supposed that it was afterwards presented -to the Medicean family, and by them given to the house of Este in -exchange for the Sacrifice of Abraham by Andrea del Sarto. It is now in -the Florentine gallery.</p> - -<h2><a name="PORTRAITS_OF_CORREGGIO" id="PORTRAITS_OF_CORREGGIO"></a>PORTRAITS OF CORREGGIO.</h2> - -<p>Correggio appears to have been far less solicitous than most other -painters, that his likeness should be transmitted to posterity, for of -him there is no unquestioned portrait extant. That which is prefixed to -his life, in the Roman edition of Vasari, is evidently false, for it -exhibits the head and countenance of a man aged seventy. It was taken -from a collection of designs, in the possession of Father Resta, to one -of which, representing a man and his wife with three sons and one -daughter, in mean apparel, he gave the name of the Family of Correggio, -forgetting that the family consisted of three daughters and one son.</p> - -<p>Another portrait, with the title, <i>Antonius Correggius</i>, and -consequently supposed to be painted by himself, was preserved in a villa -which belonged to the Queen of Sardinia, near Turin, and engraved by -Valperga; but its authenticity seems justly questioned by Lanzi and -Pungileoni. A third, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259">{259}</a></span> was sent from Genoa to England, bore an -inscription signifying that it was the portrait of Maestro Antonio da -Correggio, by Dosso Dossi, and was accordingly engraved for the memoirs -of Correggio by Ratti, who obtained a copy. Lanzi is inclined to infer, -however, that it is the portrait of Antonio Bernieri, the miniature -painter, who also bore the name of Antonio da Correggio.</p> - -<p>A copy of this portrait is still preserved in the Pinacotheca Bodoniana, -at Parma, and has been engraved, first by Asioli, and since as a -medallion, by Professor Rocca, of Reggio. Pungileoni, who is inclined to -consider it as genuine, has prefixed the medallion to his life of -Correggio.</p> - -<p>Tiraboschi and Pungileoni mention other supposed portraits and busts, of -questionable authenticity; and Pungileoni, in particular, adverts to a -portrait still preserved near a door of the cathedral at Parma, which is -exhibited as a likeness of Correggio. It is supposed to have been copied -in the middle of the seventeenth century, by Lattanzio Gambara, from a -more ancient one of this celebrated painter, in another part of the -cathedral; but its authenticity is questioned, merely on the ground that -it represents a man of more advanced age than Correggio, who only -attained his forty-first year.</p> - -<h2><a name="DID_CORREGGIO_EVER_VISIT_ROME" id="DID_CORREGGIO_EVER_VISIT_ROME"></a>DID CORREGGIO EVER VISIT ROME?</h2> - -<p>The question has been long agitated whether Correggio ever visited Rome, -and profited by the study<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260">{260}</a></span> of the antique, and the works of Raffaelle -and Michael Angelo; on this point, the only historical evidence which -has been adduced, is a tradition recorded by Father Resta, and said to -have been derived through three generations, from the information of -Correggio’s wife. As an authority so light and doubtful could not be -seriously advanced, his biographers and admirers have sought in his -works for more valid traces of the models to which he recurred. Mengs -contends that his paintings exhibit proofs of an acquaintance with the -antique, and the works of Raffaelle and Michael Angelo. In the head of -the Danaë, he traces a resemblance to that of Venus de Medici; and in -the St. Jerome, and Mercury teaching Cupid to read, he recognises -imitations of the Farnese Hercules and the Apollo Belvidere; he also -discovers a resemblance to one of the children of Niobe, in the young -man who endeavors to escape from the soldiers, in the picture -representing Christ betrayed in the garden. The countenance of the -Magdalen, in the St. Jerome, he considers as an imitation of Raffaelle; -and in the cupola of the church of St. John, he perceives a similitude -to the grand style of Michael Angelo, in the frescos of the Vatican. In -corroboration of this opinion, he adduces the sudden change which is -perceived in the style of Correggio at an earlier period, as a proof -that he must have seen and studied compositions superior to his own. -Ratti, the copyist of Mengs, coincides with him in opinion. Lanzi -cautiously adopts the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261">{261}</a></span> sentiment; and Tiraboschi, after comparing -the testimony on both sides, leaves the question unsettled. We cannot -decide with certainty, that Correggio never visited Rome, and yet there -is no argument to prove that he ever saw that Capital. Pungileoni, with -superior advantage of research, pronounces a contrary decision; and -affirms, from the evidence of the continued series of unquestionable -documents, in which his presence is mentioned at Parma, Correggio, and -other parts of Lombardy, during a number of years, that even if he did -visit Rome, his stay must have been limited to a very short period. -Finally, this opinion is corroborated in the assertion of Ortensio -Landi, who had resided some time at Correggio; and who, in his Sette -Libri de Cataloghi, printed at Venice by Giolito, as early as 1552, says -of Correggio, “He was a noble production of nature, rather than of any -master: he died young, without being able to see Rome.” Were all other -evidence wanting, this testimony of a cotemporary, who must have -collected his information on the spot, and who published it within -eighteen years after the death of Correggio, must be allowed to carry -great weight.</p> - -<h2><a name="SINGULAR_FATE_OF_CORREGGIOS_ADORATION_OF_THE_SHEPHERDS" id="SINGULAR_FATE_OF_CORREGGIOS_ADORATION_OF_THE_SHEPHERDS"></a>SINGULAR FATE OF CORREGGIO’S ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS.</h2> - -<p>A few days before the entry of the French into Seville, during the -Peninsular war, when the inhabitants in great consternation were packing -up their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262">{262}</a></span> most valuable effects to send them to Cadiz, a masterpiece of -Correggio, in one of the convents, representing the Adoration of the -Shepherds, painted on wood, was sawn in two, for its more easy carriage -to a place of safety, to preserve it from the enemy. By some accident, -the two parts were separated on their way to Cadiz; and on their arrival -in that city, one part was sold to one connoisseur, with the promise -that the part wanting should subsequently be delivered to him; while the -other part was sold to another connoisseur under the same engagement. -Both the parts arrived in England, and the possessor of each maintained -that he was entitled to the other.</p> - -<p>It is somewhat remarkable that though the harmony of the picture is -somewhat broken by the separation, yet each part forms of itself an -admirable picture, and as the rival proprietors are rich and obstinate, -the parts are not likely to be united. The whole picture is reckoned to -be worth about 4,000 guineas.</p> - -<h2><a name="CURIOUS_HISTORY_OF_CORREGGIOS_EDUCATION_OF_CUPID" id="CURIOUS_HISTORY_OF_CORREGGIOS_EDUCATION_OF_CUPID"></a>CURIOUS HISTORY OF CORREGGIO’S “EDUCATION OF CUPID.”</h2> - -<p>Correggio’s picture of Mercury teaching Cupid to read, in the presence -of Venus, called the Education of Cupid, is one of the most celebrated -works of art extant. It now adorns the English National Gallery, and its -history is exceedingly interesting. It was painted for Federigo -Gonzaga,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263">{263}</a></span> Duke of Mantua, the predecessor of him who a hundred years -later patronized Rubens. When Charles I. of England, in 1630, purchased -the Mantuan collection for £20,000, this picture and three others by -Correggio were included in the bargain. On the sale of the king’s -effects by order of parliament, it was purchased by the Duke of Alva, -and from his family passed into the hands of the famous Godoy, Prince of -Peace. When his collection was sold at Madrid during the French -invasion, it was bought by Murat, who took it to Naples, where it -adorned the royal palace. On his fall from power, it was among the -precious effects with which his wife, Caroline Buonaparte, escaped to -Rome, and thence to Vienna, where her collection of pictures was bought -by the Marquis of Londonderry, the English ambassador, who instantly -dispatched the two Correggios—the Education of Cupid and the Ecce -Homo—to London. They were purchased of his Lordship by Parliament in -1834, for 10,000 guineas, and now adorn the English National Gallery. -Sir Thomas Lawrence was allowed a furtive glance at these pictures, at -Rome, in the hope that he would procure a purchaser for them. He says in -a letter, “I had them brought down to me, and placed them in all lights, -and I <i>know</i> them to be most rare and precious.” By his recommendation, -Mr. Angerstein offered £6,500 for the two, which was declined. At the -time when the Marquis of Londonderry closed with General M’Donald, who -was chamber<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264">{264}</a></span>lain to Madame Murat, then known as Countess Lipona (this -was during the Congress of Sovereigns at Verona in 1822), the Emperor of -Russia was negociating for them, and supposing that he had a right to -them, messengers were despatched after Londonderry’s couriers, but -fortunately they were not overtaken, though pursued to the Hague.</p> - -<h2><a name="MAGDALEN_BY_CORREGGIO" id="MAGDALEN_BY_CORREGGIO"></a>MAGDALEN BY CORREGGIO.</h2> - -<p>In 1837, Mr. Atherstone bought at an auction mart in London, a genuine -picture of a Magdalen by Correggio, for a small sum. He found it among a -parcel of rubbish sent to be sold by a gentleman, who had bought the -picture in Italy for ten pounds, without knowing anything of its value. -It was in perfect preservation, executed in the greatest style of -Correggio, surpassing in beauty of coloring and depth of tone the famous -specimens in the National Gallery!</p> - -<p>The writer can tell an amusing story of a picture that was <i>not</i> by -Correggio. It was a small picture of a Holy Family, on copper. It was -bought in Naples, for a very large sum, by a gentleman who resides not -many miles from New York, who smuggled it out of the country. On his -arrival home, wishing to improve the brilliancy of the coloring, which -appeared much obscured by the smoke and dust of many years, he sent it -to a skillful artist to be cleaned, who, on removing the plentiful coats -of varnish, soon discovered that it was nothing but <i>a transfer</i>. The -art<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265">{265}</a></span>ist gently hinted to the <i>connoisseur</i> that he had been duped. -“Zounds, sir, this cannot be; the picture was valued at $5,000 in -Naples, and I was offered very large prices for it by some of the best -judges in Paris.” The artist, with a little spirits, quickly brought the -lines of a print into full view, so that not even a glass was required -to see them! It is needless to say that the proprietor was greatly -chagrined, and vented his rage in curses loud and deep against foreign -impostors. Yet he ordered the coats of varnish to be replaced, and -afterwards sold the picture as an original Correggio.</p> - -<h2><a name="DISCOVERY_OF_A_CORREGGIO" id="DISCOVERY_OF_A_CORREGGIO"></a>DISCOVERY OF A CORREGGIO.</h2> - -<p>Among the numerous restorers of old pictures who resided at Rome about -1780, were two friends, an Italian named Lovera, and a German named -Hunterspergh. They were both pupils of the Cavaliere Mengs. They -frequented the sales of old pictures at the Piazza Nuova, as well to -purchase the works of the old masters at a low price, as to supply -themselves with old canvass, which they might repaint. On one occasion, -having bought a lot of old canvass and divided it between them, Lovera -received as a part of his share a very indifferent flower-piece. On -taking it home, he found that the ground scaled off, and to his surprise -discovered traces of a figure painted in an admirable style. He employed -himself with the utmost care in removing the ground which covered the -original picture, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266">{266}</a></span> thus restored a capital performance, representing -Charity, under the emblem of a Woman surrounded by three Children. The -report of this happy discovery soon spread; all the artists and amateurs -ran to behold it. The best judges, among whom was Mengs, acknowledged -the genuine style of Correggio, and valued the performance at £2,000. -The Earl of Bristol bought it from Lovera for about £1,500. An engraving -has since been made from it. The value was afterwards the subject of a -suit at law between Hunterspergh and Lovera.</p> - -<h2><a name="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI" id="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI"></a>LIONARDO DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>This illustrious artist, denominated by Lanzi “the Father of Modern -Painting,” was also an eminent sculptor, architect, and engineer, the -natural son of Pietro da Vinci, notary to the Florentine Republic. -Vasari and his annotators place his birth in 1445; but Durazzini, in his -Panegyrics on Illustrious Tuscans, satisfactorily proves that he was -born in Lower Valdarno, at the castle of Vinci, in 1452.</p> - -<h2><a name="PRECOCITY_OF_DA_VINCIS_GENIUS" id="PRECOCITY_OF_DA_VINCIS_GENIUS"></a>PRECOCITY OF DA VINCI’S GENIUS.</h2> - -<p>At a very early age, Lionardo da Vinci showed remarkably quick abilities -for everything he turned his attention to, but more particularly for -arithmetic, music, and drawing. His drawings appeared something -wonderful to his father, who showed them to Andrea Verocchio, and that -celebrated artist, great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267">{267}</a></span>ly surprised at seeing productions of such -merit from an uninstructed hand, willingly took Lionardo as a pupil. He -was soon much more astonished when he perceived the rapid progress his -pupil made; he felt his own inferiority, and when Lionardo painted an -angel in a picture of the Baptism of Christ, in S. Salvi at Vallombrosa, -so much superior to the other figures that it rendered the inferiority -of Verocchio apparent to all, he immediately relinquished the pencil for -ever. This picture is now in the academy at Florence. The first original -work by Lionardo, mentioned by Vasari, was the so-called Rotella del -Fico, a round board of a fig-tree, upon which his father requested him -to paint something for one of his tenants. Lionardo, wishing to astonish -his father, determined to execute something extraordinary, that should -produce the effect of the Head of Medusa; and having prepared the -rotella, and covered it with plaster, he collected almost every kind of -reptile, and composed from them a monster of most horrible appearance; -it seemed alive, its eyes flashed fire, and it appeared to breathe -destruction from its open mouth. The picture produced the desired effect -upon his father, who thought it so wonderful that he carried it -immediately to a picture dealer in Florence, sold it for a hundred -ducats, and purchased for a trifle an ordinary piece for his tenant.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268">{268}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="EXTRAORDINARY_TALENTS_OF_DA_VINCI" id="EXTRAORDINARY_TALENTS_OF_DA_VINCI"></a>EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS OF DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>Lionardo da Vinci was endowed by nature with a genius uncommonly -elevated and penetrating, eager after discovery, and diligent in the -pursuit, not only in what related to painting, sculpture, and -architecture, but in mathematics, mechanics, hydrostatics, music, -poetry, botany, astronomy, and also in the accomplishments of -horsemanship, fencing, and dancing. Unlike most men of versatile talent, -he was so perfect in all these, that when he performed any one, the -beholders were ready to imagine that it must have been his sole study. -To such vigor of intellect he joined an elegance of features and -manners, that graced the virtues of his mind; he was affable with -strangers, with citizens, with private individuals, and with princes. -This extraordinary combination of qualities in a single man, soon spread -his fame over all Italy.</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_WORKS_AT_MILAN" id="DA_VINCIS_WORKS_AT_MILAN"></a>DA VINCI’S WORKS AT MILAN.</h2> - -<p>In 1494, Da Vinci was invited to Milan by the Duke Lodovico Sforza, who -appointed him Director of the Academy of Painting and Architecture, -which he had recently revived with additional splendor and -encouragement. During his residence there, he painted but little, with -the exception of his celebrated picture of the Last Supper, a -description of which will be found in a subsequent article. As<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269">{269}</a></span> Director -of the Academy, he banished all the dry, gothic principles established -by his predecessor, Michelino, and introduced the beautiful simplicity -and purity of the Grecian and Roman styles. Lanzi says that in this -capacity, “he left a degree of refinement at Milan, so productive of -illustrious pupils that this period may be ranked as the most glorious -era of his life.” The Duke engaged Lionardo in the stupendous project of -conducting the waters of the Adda, from Mortesana, through the -Valteline, and the valley of the Chiavenna to the walls of Milan, a -distance of nearly two hundred miles. Sensible of the greatness of this -undertaking, Lionardo applied himself more closely to those branches of -philosophy and mathematics which are most adapted to mechanics, and -finally accomplished this immense work, greatly to the astonishment and -admiration of all Italy. He executed the model for a colossal bronze -equestrian statue of the Duke’s father, Francesco Sforza, and would have -completed it, but the Duke’s affairs were becoming greatly embarrassed, -so that the necessary metal (200,000 lbs.) was not furnished. In 1500, -Lodovico Sforza was overthrown in battle by the French, made prisoner, -and conducted to France, where he soon after died in the castle of -Loches. The Academy was suppressed, the professors dispersed, and -Lionardo, after losing all, was obliged to quit the city, and take -refuge in Florence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270">{270}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_BATTLE_OF_THE_STANDARD" id="DA_VINCIS_BATTLE_OF_THE_STANDARD"></a>DA VINCI’S “BATTLE OF THE STANDARD.”</h2> - -<p>Soon after Lionardo’s return to Florence, in 1503, he was commissioned -by the Gonfalonière Soderini to decorate one side of the Council Hall of -the Palazzo Vecchio, while Michael Angelo was engaged to paint the -opposite side. Lionardo selected the battle in which the Milanese -general, Niccolo Piccinino, was defeated by the Florentines at Anghiari, -near Borgo San Sepolcro. This composition, of which he only made the -cartoon of a part, was called the Battle of the Standard; it represents -a group of horsemen contending for a standard, with various accessories. -Vasari praises the beauty and anatomical correctness of the horses, and -the costumes of the soldiers. Lanzi says it was never executed, after -his failing in an attempt to paint it in a new method upon the wall, but -Lucini afterwards represented it in a painting which is in the Ambrosian -Library at Milan, esteemed one of the finest works in that collection. -The fame of this contest between the two great artists, caused great -excitement, and induced Raffaelle, who had recently quitted the school -of Perugino, to visit Florence. The grace and delicacy of Lionardo’s -style, compared with the dry and gothic manner of Perugino, excited the -admiration of the young painter, and inspired him with a more modern -taste.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271">{271}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_LEO_X" id="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_LEO_X"></a>LIONARDO DA VINCI AND LEO X.</h2> - -<p>The patronage extended to the arts by Leo X., induced Lionardo to visit -Rome. Accordingly, in 1514, he went to that metropolis, in the train of -Duke Giuliano de Medici, by whom he was introduced to the Pope, who soon -after signified his intention of employing Lionardo’s pencil. Upon this, -the painter began to distil his oils and prepare his varnishes, which -the Pope seeing, exclaimed with surprise, that “nothing could be -expected of a painter who thought of finishing his works before he had -begun them.” This want of courtesy in the Pope offended Lionardo, and -according to Vasari, was the reason why he immediately quitted Rome in -disgust. It is probable, however, that the talents and fame of -Buonarotti and Raffaelle had more to do with producing the -dissatisfaction of this great painter, who was then declining into the -vale of years.</p> - -<h2><a name="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_FRANCIS_I" id="LIONARDO_DA_VINCI_AND_FRANCIS_I"></a>LIONARDO DA VINCI AND FRANCIS I.</h2> - -<p>Francis I. of France was not only a liberal patron of Lionardo da Vinci, -but entertained for him a strong personal friendship. He gave 4000 gold -crowns for his celebrated portrait of Mona Lisa, the wife of Francesco -Giocondo, which occupied Vinci four years. When Lionardo was advanced in -years, and his health declining, he took him into his service, treated -him with the greatest kindness, and gave him a pension of 700 crowns -annually. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272">{272}</a></span> King delighted in the society of Da Vinci, and when his -courtiers ventured to express their surprise that he should prefer his -company to theirs, he rebuked them by saying, that “he could make as -many lords as he chose, but that God alone could make a Lionardo da -Vinci.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DEATH_OF_DA_VINCI" id="DEATH_OF_DA_VINCI"></a>DEATH OF DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>This great artist expired at Fontainbleau on the 2d day of May, 1519, -aged sixty-seven years. His health had been gradually failing for -several years, and Vasari relates, that Francis I. having honored him -with a visit in his dying moments, Lionardo, deeply affected at this -testimony of his regard, raised himself in the bed to express his thanks -and gratitude, when falling back exhausted, the King caught him, and he -expired in his arms.</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_LEARNING" id="DA_VINCIS_LEARNING"></a>DA VINCI’S LEARNING.</h2> - -<p>Lionardo da Vinci was one of the most learned, accomplished, and eminent -men of the 15th century. Hallam says of him, “The discoveries which made -Galileo and Kepler, Maestlin, Maurolicus, Castelli, and other names -illustrious, the system of Copernicus, the very theories of recent -geologists, are anticipated by Lionardo da Vinci, within the compass of -a very few pages, not perhaps in the most precise language, or on the -most conclusive reasoning, but so as to strike us with something like -the awe of pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273">{273}</a></span>ternatural knowledge. In an age of so much dogmatism, he -first laid down the grand principle of Bacon, that experiment and -observation must be the guides to just theory in the investigation of -nature.” His scientific knowledge proved the means of conferring -incalculable benefits upon the art of painting, one of the most -important of which was the invention of the chiaro-scuro. His intimate -acquaintance with mathematical studies enabled him to develope greatly -the knowledge of optics, and no one was better acquainted with the -nature of aërial perspective, which became a distinctive and hereditary -characteristic of his school. Lanzi says, “Being extremely well versed -in poetry and history, it was through him that the Milanese school -became one of the most accurate and observing in regard to antiquity and -to costume. Mengs has noticed that no artist could surpass Vinci in the -grand effect of his chiaro-scuro. He instructed his pupils to make as -cautious a use of light as of a gem, not lavishing it too freely, but -reserving it always for the best place. And hence we find in his, and in -the best of his disciples’ paintings, that fine relief, owing to which -the pictures, and in particular the countenances, seem as if starting -from the canvass.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_WRITINGS" id="DA_VINCIS_WRITINGS"></a>DA VINCI’S WRITINGS.</h2> - -<p>Almost of equal value with the pictures of this immortal artist, are his -writings, part of which, un<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274">{274}</a></span>fortunately, have been lost, and others have -remained in manuscript. His <i>Trattato della Pittura</i>, &c., appeared for -the first time in 1651. It was translated into English, and published by -John Senex, London, 1721. The most complete edition was published by -Manzi, in Italian, in 1817. The learned connoisseur, Count Algarotti, -esteemed this work so highly, that he regarded it the only work -necessary to be put into the hands of the student. “With a deep insight -into nature,” says Fiorillo, “Lionardo has treated in this book, of -light, shades, reflections, and particularly of backgrounds. He -perfectly understood, and has explained in the best way, that natural -bodies being bounded mostly by curved lines, which have a natural -softness, it is important to give this softness to the outlines; that -this can be done only by means of the ground on which the object is -represented; that the inner line of the surrounding ground, and the -outer line of the object, are one and the same; nay, that the figure of -the object becomes visible only by means of that which surrounds it; -that even the colors depend upon the surrounding objects, and mutually -weaken and heighten each other; that when objects of the same color are -to be represented, one before the other, different degrees of light must -be used to separate them from each other, since the mass of air between -the eye and the object lessens and softens the color in proportion to -the distance.” Among the works of Da Vinci, were Treatises on -Hydraulics, Anatomy, Per<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275">{275}</a></span>spective, Light and Shadow, and the Anatomy of -the Horse. The Ambrosian Library of Milan originally possessed sixteen -volumes of his manuscripts. The French, during their occupancy of Milan, -carried off twelve of these, (probably all there were then remaining) -but only three of them reached Paris, one of which was published under -the title of <i>Fragment d’un Traité sur les Mouvements du corps humain</i>. -Only one volume was returned to Milan by the Allies in 1815. What -abominable sacrilege! It is said that seven volumes more of his -manuscripts were in the collection of the King of Spain.</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_SKETCH_BOOKS" id="DA_VINCIS_SKETCH_BOOKS"></a>DA VINCI’S SKETCH BOOKS.</h2> - -<p>Da Vinci always carried in his pocket a book, in which he was in the -habit of sketching every remarkable face, object, and effect of nature -that struck his fancy; and these sketches supplied him with abundant -materials for his compositions. Caylus published a collection of -beautiful sketches and studies by Lionardo, under the title of <i>Recueil -de Tetes de Caractères et de Charges</i>, &c., 1730, of which there is also -a German edition. Two more were published at Milan in 1784, under the -titles of <i>Desseins de Leonardo da Vinci, Gravés par Ch. T. Gerli, and -Osservazioni sopra i Disegni di Lionardo dall’ Abbate Amoretti</i>, &c. -Besides these appeared in London in 1796, engravings of the numerous -sketches of Lionardo in the possession of the King<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276">{276}</a></span> of England, entitled -<i>Imitations of Original Designs of Lionardo da Vinci</i>, &c., published by -Chamberlaine, folio. See also the <i>Life of Lionardo da Vinci</i> in German, -published at Halle in 1819.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_LIONARDO_DA_VINCI" id="THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_LIONARDO_DA_VINCI"></a>THE LAST SUPPER OF LIONARDO DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>“His Last Supper has been stated in history as an imperfect production, -although at the same time all history is agreed in celebrating it as one -of the most beautiful paintings that ever proceeded from the hand of -man. It was painted for the Refectory of the Dominican fathers at Milan, -and may be pronounced a compendium, not only of all that Lionardo taught -in his books, but also of what he embraced in his studies. He here gave -expression to the exact point of time best adapted to animate his -history, which is the moment when the Redeemer addresses his disciples, -saying, ‘One of you will betray me.’ Then each of his innocent followers -is seen to start as if struck with a thunderbolt; those at a distance -seem to interrogate their companions, as if they think they must have -mistaken what he had said; others, according to their natural -disposition, appear variously affected; one of them swoons away, one -stands lost in astonishment, a third rises in indignation, while the -very simplicity and candor depicted upon the countenance of a fourth, -seem to place him beyond the reach of suspicion. But Judas instantly -draws in his countenance, and while he appears as it were at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277">{277}</a></span>tempting to -give it an air of innocence, the eye rests upon him in a moment, as the -undoubted traitor. Vinci himself used to observe, that for the space of -a whole year he employed his time in meditating how he could best give -expression to the features of so bad a heart; and that being accustomed -to frequent a place where the worst characters were known to assemble, -he there met with a physiognomy to his purpose; to which he also added -the features of many others. In his figures of the two saints James, -presenting fine forms, most appropriate to the characters, he availed -himself of the same plan, and being unable with his utmost diligence to -invest that of Christ with a superior air to the rest, he left the head -in an unfinished state, as we learn from Vasari, though Armenini -pronounced it exquisitely complete. The rest of the picture, the -table-cloth with its folds, the whole of the utensils, the table, the -architecture, the distribution of the lights, the perspective of the -ceiling (which, in the tapestry of S. Pietro, at Rome, is changed almost -into a hanging garden), all was conducted with the most exquisite care; -all was worthy of the finest pencil in the world. Had Lionardo desired -to follow the practice of his age in painting in fresco, the art at this -time would have been in possession of this treasure. But being always -fond of attempting new methods, he painted this master-piece upon a -peculiar ground, formed of distilled oils, which was the reason that it -gradual<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278">{278}</a></span>ly detached itself from the wall. About half a century -subsequent to the execution of this wonderful work, when Armenini saw -it, it was already <i>half decayed</i>: and Scanelli, who examined it in -1642, declared that it ‘<i>was with difficulty he could discern the -history as it had been</i>.’ Nothing now remains except the heads of three -apostles, which may be said to be rather sketched than -painted.”—<i>Lanzi.</i></p> - -<h2><a name="COPIES_OF_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_DA_VINCI" id="COPIES_OF_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_DA_VINCI"></a>COPIES OF THE LAST SUPPER OF DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>The great loss of the original picture is in some measure compensated by -several excellent copies, some of which are by Lionardo’s most eminent -disciples; the best are, that by Marco Uggione, at the Carthusians of -Pavia; another in the Refectory of the Franciscans at Lugano, by -Bernardino Luini; and one in La Pace at Milan, by Gio. Paolo Lomazzo. -Fuseli, lecturing on the copy by Marco Uggione, says, “the face of the -Saviour is an abyss of thought, and broods over the immense revolution -in the economy of mankind, which throngs inwardly on his absorbed -eye—as the Spirit creative in the beginning over the water’s darksome -wave—undisturbed and quiet. It could not be lost in the copy before us; -how could its sublime expression escape those who saw the original? It -has survived the hand of time in the study which Lionardo made in -crayons, exhibited with most of the attendant heads in the British -Gallery, and even in the feeble transcripts of Pietro Testa. I am not -afraid of being<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279">{279}</a></span> under the necessity of retracting what I am going to -advance, that neither during the splendid period immediately subsequent -to Lionardo, nor in those which succeeded to our own time, has a face of -the Redeemer been produced, which, I will not say equalled, but -approached Lionardo’s conception, and in quiet and simple features of -humanity, embodied divine, or what is the same, incomprehensible and -infinite powers.” In 1825, Prof. Phillips examined the remains of this -picture, and says, “Of the heads, there is not one untouched, and many -are totally ruined. Fortunately, that of the Saviour is the most pure, -being but faintly retouched; and it presents, even yet, a most perfect -image of the Divine character. Whence arose the story of its not having -been finished, is now difficult to conceive, and the history itself -varies among the writers who have mentioned it. But perhaps a man so -scrupulous as Lionardo da Vinci, in the definement of character and -expression, and so ardent in his pursuit of them, might have expressed -himself unsatisfied, where all others could only see perfection.”</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_DISCRIMINATION" id="DA_VINCIS_DISCRIMINATION"></a>DA VINCI’S DISCRIMINATION.</h2> - -<p>Lionardo da Vinci possessed the rare faculty of being able to ascertain -the just medium between hasty and labored work; and though very minute -in the finishing of his pictures, yet he painted in a free and -unrestrained style. The same master who consumed four years on the -portrait of Mona Lisa<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280">{280}</a></span> Giocondo, gave one of the earliest and best -lessons to the age, in the great style, in his memorable painting of the -Last Supper. This power of attending at the same moment to the minutiæ -of detail, and to the grand and leading principles of the art or science -in which a person may be employed, shows a species of universality of -power that may be reckoned among the highest perfections of the human -mind; and it places Da Vinci not merely in the rank of the first of -painters, but of the greatest of men.</p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_IDEA_OF_PERFECTION_IN_ART" id="DA_VINCIS_IDEA_OF_PERFECTION_IN_ART"></a>DA VINCI’S IDEA OF PERFECTION IN ART.</h2> - -<p>Da Vinci was never satisfied with his works, and Lanzi finds the same -fault with him that Apelles did with Protogenes—his not knowing when to -take his hand from his work. Phidias himself, says Tully, bore in his -mind a more beautiful Minerva and a grander Jove than he was capable of -exhibiting with his chisel. It is prudent counsel that teaches us to -aspire to the best, but to rest satisfied with attaining what is good. -“Vinci,” says Lanzi, “was never satisfied with his labors, if he did not -execute them as perfectly as he had conceived them; and being unable to -reach the high point proposed with a mortal hand, he sometimes only -designed his work, or conducted it only to a certain degree of -completion. Sometimes he devoted to it so long a period as almost to -renew the example of the ancient who employed seven years over his -picture<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281">{281}</a></span> (Protogenes’ Ialysus and his Dog). But as there was no limit to -the discovery of fresh beauties in that work, so in the opinion of -Lomazzo it happens with the perfections of Vinci’s paintings, including -even those which Vasari and others allude to as left imperfect.” Lanzi -says it is certain that he left some of his works only half finished. -“Such is his Epiphany, in the Ducal Gallery at Florence, and his Holy -Family, in the Archbishop’s palace at Milan.” Others he finished in the -most exquisite manner. “He was not satisfied with only perfecting the -heads, counterfeiting the shining of the eyes, the pores of the skin, -the roots of the hair, and even the beating of the arteries; but he -likewise portrayed each separate garment, and every accessory, with -equal minuteness. Thus in his landscapes, also, there was not a single -herb, or leaf of a tree, which he had not taken, like a portrait, from -the face of nature; and even to his very leaves he gave a peculiar air, -fold, and position best adapted to represent their rustling in the wind. -While he bestowed his attention in this manner to minutiæ, he at the -same time, as is observed by Mengs, led the way to a more enlarged and -dignified style; entered into the most abstruse inquiries as to the -source and nature of expression—the most philosophical and elevated -branch of the art—and smoothed the way for the appearance of -Raffaelle.” Vinci spent four years on his portrait of Mona Lisa -Giocondo.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282">{282}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCI_AND_THE_PRIOR" id="DA_VINCI_AND_THE_PRIOR"></a>DA VINCI AND THE PRIOR.</h2> - -<p>The Last Supper of Lionardo da Vinci was painted in the Refectory of the -Dominican convent of S. Maria della Grazia, at Milan. It was considered -one of the proudest monuments of that city. While forming the plan of -its composition, Da Vinci meditated profoundly on the subject; and -having prepared himself by long study, and above all by a closer -examination of nature, he began the execution by repeated sketches, both -of the whole design, and of all its individual parts. He used to -frequent the accustomed haunts of persons resembling, in their character -and habits, those whom he was about to introduce in his picture; and as -often as he met with any attitudes, groups, or features which suited his -purpose, he sketched them in his tablets, which he always carried with -him. Having nearly finished the other apostles in this way, he had left -the head of Judas untouched for a long time, as he could find no -physiognomy which satisfied him, or came up to the ideas he had formed -of such a villainous and treacherous character.</p> - -<p>The prior of the convent grew impatient at being so long incommoded in -that essential branch of monastic discipline which was carried on in the -refectory or dining hall, where the picture was being painted, and -complained to the Grand Duke, who called on the artist to explain the -delay. Da Vinci<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283">{283}</a></span> excused himself by saying that he worked at it two -whole hours every day. The pious head of the house renewed his -representations with great warmth, and alleged that Lionardo had only -one head to finish; and that so far from working two hours a day, he had -not been near the place for almost twelve months. Again summoned before -the prince, the painter thus defended himself. “It is true I have not -entered the convent for a long time; but it is not less true that I have -been employed every day at least two hours upon the picture. The head of -Judas remains to be executed, and in order to give it a physiognomy -suitable to the excessive wickedness of the character, I have for more -than a year past been daily frequenting the Borghetto, morning and -evening, where the lowest refuse of the capital live; but I have not yet -found the features I am in quest of. These once found, the picture shall -be finished in a day. If, however,” he added, “I still am unsuccessful -in my search, I shall rest satisfied with the face of the Prior himself, -which would suit my purpose extremely well; only that I have for a long -time been hesitating about taking such a liberty with him in his own -convent.” It is hardly necessary to add that the Duke was perfectly -satisfied with this apology. The artist soon after met with his Judas, -and finished his great work. It is stated by several Italian writers -that Da Vinci, out of revenge, did actually take this liberty with the -prior.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284">{284}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="DA_VINCIS_DRAWINGS_OF_THE_HEADS_IN_HIS_CELEBRATED_LAST_SUPPER" id="DA_VINCIS_DRAWINGS_OF_THE_HEADS_IN_HIS_CELEBRATED_LAST_SUPPER"></a>DA VINCI’S DRAWINGS OF THE HEADS IN HIS CELEBRATED LAST SUPPER.</h2> - -<p>The series of drawings for the celebrated work of the Last Supper, which -were formerly in the Ambrosian Library at Milan, are now in the -possession of Sir Thomas Baring. From the great injuries which that -sublime composition has sustained, these may be considered as among the -most precious reliques of this master. The drawing which represents the -head of the Saviour is magnificent, and probably superior to the same -head in the picture, which is said to have been left unfinished. Whether -this circumstance arose from the troubles which then existed in Italy, -and in which the Sforza family were so immediately engaged, or from a -feeling on the part of the artist, that he had not been able to surpass -that sublimity of character to which he had attained in his first -design, and therefore left the same to a more happy moment, may now be -matter of speculative conjecture.</p> - -<h2><a name="FRANCIS_I_AND_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_VINCI" id="FRANCIS_I_AND_THE_LAST_SUPPER_OF_VINCI"></a>FRANCIS I. AND THE LAST SUPPER OF VINCI.</h2> - -<p>Francis I. was so struck with admiration when he first saw the Last -Supper of Da Vinci, that he resolved to carry it to France. For this -purpose he attempted to saw it from the wall; but finding that he could -not detach it without destroying the picture, he abandoned the project.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285">{285}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="AUTHENTICATED_WORKS_OF_DA_VINCI" id="AUTHENTICATED_WORKS_OF_DA_VINCI"></a>AUTHENTICATED WORKS OF DA VINCI.</h2> - -<p>The authenticated works of Da Vinci are exceedingly scarce; he bestowed -so much labor upon them that they were never very numerous, and time and -casualty has reduced the number. It is said that one of the proprietors -of the Orleans collection destroyed some of the most capital works of Da -Vinci and Correggio from conscientious scruples! The most celebrated are -the Mona Lisa Giocondo, in the Louvre; a lovely picture called La Vierge -aux Rochers; a Leda, in the collection of Prince Kaunitz at Vienna; -Christ disputing with the Doctors, in the Pamfili palace at Rome; John -the Baptist, formerly in the French Museum; the portrait of Lodovico -Maria Sforza, in the Dresden gallery. There are a few others in the -collections at Florence, Milan, and Rome. There are some in England; but -the authenticity of most of these, to say the least, is extremely -doubtful. The Christ disputing with the Doctors, in the National -gallery, is doubtless a copy by some one of his pupils. The original, as -before mentioned, is at Rome. Passavant says, “The numerous copies or -repetitions of this picture, now existing, imply the estimation in which -the original cartoon was held, and are additional proofs of its being an -original work. One of these I saw in the Spada gallery at Rome; two -others at Milan—one in the Episcopal palace, and the other in the house -of the Consigliere Commendatore Casati.” Most of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286">{286}</a></span> pictures claimed -to be original by Da Vinci, even in the public galleries of Europe, were -executed by his pupils and imitators, several of whom copied and -imitated him with great success. Lanzi says that Lorenzo di Credi -approached him so closely, that one of his copies of Lionardo could -hardly be distinguished from the original. For a list of his imitators, -see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, and -Architects, table of Imitators.</p> - -<h2><a name="WORKS_IN_NIELLO" id="WORKS_IN_NIELLO"></a>WORKS IN NIELLO.</h2> - -<p>The art of working in niello, which led Maso Finiguerra, a sculptor and -worker in gold and silver, to the invention of copper plate engraving, -was very early practiced in Italy. In the 15th century, and long before, -it was the practice to decorate the church and other plate with designs -in niello; and also caskets, sword and dagger hilts, and various kinds -of ornaments. The designs were hatched with a steel point in gold or -silver, then engraved with the burin, and run in while hot, with a -composition called <i>niello</i>, an Italian term derived from the Latin -<i>nigellum</i>—a compound of silver, lead, copper, sulphur, and borax, used -by the ancients, and easily fusible, and of a dark color. The -superfluous parts of the niello were then scraped away, and the surface -polished, when the engraved part appeared with all the effect of a -print. Lanzi says, “this substance (nigellum) being incorporated with -the silver, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287">{287}</a></span> the whole being polished, produced the effect of -shadows, which, contrasted with the clearness of the silver, gave the -entire work the appearance of a chiaro-scuro in silver.” There are many -very beautiful specimens of this species of work, particularly vases, -cups, and <i>paxes</i>, or images of Christ on the cross, which the people in -Catholic countries kiss after service, called the kiss of peace. The -most remarkable known specimen in niello, is a very curious cup, -preserved in the British Museum. Its total height, including the -statuette of a cherub on the top of the lid, is about three feet. It is -composed of silver, and the whole, except the border and statuette, is -embellished with various fanciful designs. For a long time it was the -property of the noble family of van Bekerhout, who made a present of it -to Calonia, the sculptor of the statue of John van Eyck, in the Academy -of Arts at Bruges. The widow of this artist sold it to Mr. Henry Farrer, -who afterwards disposed of it to the British Museum for the sum of £350.</p> - -<p>Remarkable as this process was, there arose out of it another -incalculably more so. It became a practice for goldsmiths, who wished to -preserve their designs, to take impressions of their plates with earth, -over which liquid sulphur was poured, and from which, when cold, the -earth was removed. But Maso Finiguerra, a goldsmith and sculptor of -Florence, and a pupil of the celebrated Masaccio, about the middle of -the 15th century, carried the process<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288">{288}</a></span> still further, for with a mixture -of soot and oil he filled the cavities of the engraving he had made, as -a preparation for niello, and by pressing damp paper upon it with a -roller, obtained impressions on the paper, having, as Vasari says, “Veni -vano come disegnate di penna”—all the appearance of drawings done with -a pen. Finiguerra was followed by Baccio Baldini, a goldsmith of -Florence, who, according to Vasari, employed the eminent artist Sandro -Botticelli, to design for him.</p> - -<p>Lanzi says in 1801, a pax from the collection of the Grand Duke of -Florence, supposed to have been executed by Matteo Dei, an eminent -worker in niello in the early part of the 15th century, was taken to -pieces to examine the workmanship. The embellishments upon its surface -represented the Conversion of St. Paul, and on the niello being -extracted, the engraved work was found not at all deep; and ink and -paper being provided, twenty-five fine proof prints were struck from it, -which were distributed among a few eminent artists and connoisseurs. One -of them is now in the collection of the senator Martelli at Florence.</p> - -<p>The arts are generally to be traced to a humble origin, and in these -works in niello, often discovering little taste, we recognize the cradle -of that of engraving on <i>copper</i>, to which engraving on <i>steel</i> has -within the last few years succeeded. In the earliest efforts of this -kind, the lines produced were comparatively rude and unmeaning, and had -nothing more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289">{289}</a></span> to recommend them than their merely representing a -particular sort of markings, or slight hatchings with a pen, without any -apparent degree of execution or expression. It was not long, however, -before this incipient art became indebted to the elegant etchings of the -great masters in painting, as well as to their drawings in pen and ink. -It acquired accuracy and taste from the drawings of Raffaelle, Michael -Angelo, and Lionardo da Vinci, which connoisseurs of our own time have -seen and admired. Some of those by Da Vinci were hatched in a square and -delicate manner, with a white fluid on dark colored paper; while those -of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle inclined more to the lozenge, in black -or brown ink. They even carried this style of hatching with the pencil -into their pictures, some of which adorn the Vatican, and into the -famous cartoons, which are the glory of the picture gallery at Hampton -Court; and by the persevering application of the graver, the art has -been advancing to the present period.</p> - -<p>When compared with painting, it appears but of recent invention, being -coeval only with the art of printing.</p> - -<p>It is for us to rejoice in the immense power that it now possesses, and -to avoid the error pointed out by Lord Bacon when he said: “We are too -prone to pass those ladders by which the arts are reared, and generally -to reflect all the merit to the last new performer.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290">{290}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="SIR_CHRISTOPHER_WREN" id="SIR_CHRISTOPHER_WREN"></a>SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN.</h2> - -<p>This great architect, and learned man, was born in 1632. Though he was -of a weak bodily constitution in childhood, he possessed a most -precocious mind, and early manifested a strong inclination for the paths -of science and philosophy. At the age of thirteen, he invented an -astronomical instrument, a pneumatic engine, and another instrument of -use in gnomonics. When fourteen years old, he was entered as a gentleman -commoner at Wadham College, Oxford; and during the period of his -collegiate course, he associated with Hooke, (whom he assisted in his -<i>Micrographia</i>) and other scientific men, whose meetings laid the -foundation of the Royal Society. In 1653, he was elected a Fellow of All -Souls’ College; and by the age of twenty-four, he was known to the -learned of Europe, for his various theories, inventions, and -improvements, a list of which would be too long for insertion. In 1657 -he was appointed to the professor’s chair of astronomy at Gresham -College, London, and three years after, to that of the Savilian -professor at Oxford. On the establishment of the Royal Society, he -contributed largely to the success and reputation of that learned body.</p> - -<h2><a name="WRENS_SELF-COMMAND" id="WRENS_SELF-COMMAND"></a>WREN’S SELF-COMMAND.</h2> - -<p>Wren possessed great self-command, as appears from the following -anecdote of him and his uncle, the Bishop of Ely, whom the Parliament -had im<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291">{291}</a></span>prisoned in the Tower. Some time before the decease of Oliver -Cromwell, Wren became acquainted with Mr. Claypole, who married Oliver’s -favorite daughter. Claypole, being a lover of mathematics, had conceived -a great esteem for young Wren, and took all occasions to cultivate his -friendship, and to court his conversation, particularly by frequent -invitations to his house and table. It happened in one of these -conversations that Cromwell came into the room as they sat at dinner, -and without any ceremony, as was his usual way in his own family, he -took his place. After a little time, fixing his eyes on Wren, he said, -“Your uncle has been long confined in the Tower.” “He has so, sir,” -replied Wren, “but he bears his afflictions with great patience and -resignation.” “He may come out if he will,” returned Cromwell. “Will -your highness permit me to tell him so?” asked Wren. “Yes,” answered the -Protector, “you may.” As soon as Wren could retire with propriety, he -hastened with no little joy to the Tower, and informed his uncle of all -the particulars of his interview with Cromwell; to which the Bishop -replied with warm indignation, that “it was not the first time he had -received the like intimation from that miscreant, but he disdained the -terms proposed for his enlargement, which were a mean acknowledgment of -his favor, and an abject submission to his detestable tyranny: that he -was determined to tarry the Lord’s leisure, and owe his deliverance to -him only.” This expected deliver<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292">{292}</a></span>ance was not far distant, for he was -released from confinement by the Restoration.</p> - -<h2><a name="WRENS_RESTRAINTS_IN_DESIGNING_HIS_EDIFICES" id="WRENS_RESTRAINTS_IN_DESIGNING_HIS_EDIFICES"></a>WREN’S RESTRAINTS IN DESIGNING HIS EDIFICES.</h2> - -<p>It is often seen, that when kings patronize genius, instead of allowing -it to develop itself according to its own laws, they hamper it according -to their own preconceived fancies. The palace at Hampton Court is -censured for its ill proportions; but Cunningham says that Wren moved -under sad restraints from the commissioners in one place, and the court -in the other. When the lowness of the cloisters under the apartments of -the palace was noticed by one of the courtiers, King William turned on -his heel like a challenged sentinel, and answered sharply, “Such were my -express orders!” The rebuked nobleman bowed, and acquiesced in the royal -taste. When St. Paul’s Cathedral was nearly completed, the “nameless -officials” called commissioners of that edifice, decided to have a stone -balustrade upon the upper cornice, and declared their determination to -that effect, “unless Sir Christopher Wren should set forth that it was -contrary to the principles of architecture.” To this resolution, in -which blind ignorance gropes its way, calling on knowledge to set its -stumblings right, Wren returned the following answer: “I take leave -first to declare I never designed a balustrade. Persons of little skill -in architecture did expect, I believe, to see something that had been -used in Gothic structures, and <i>ladies<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293">{293}</a></span> think nothing well without an -edging</i>.” After this deserved satire, he showed clearly, at considerable -length, that a balustrade was not in harmony with the general plan and -unique combinations of the edifice; but his opinion was disregarded, and -the balustrade was placed on the cornice.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_GREAT_FIRE_IN_LONDON" id="THE_GREAT_FIRE_IN_LONDON"></a>THE GREAT FIRE IN LONDON.</h2> - -<p>While the discussions were going on whether St. Paul’s Cathedral should -be restored, or the entire edifice be rebuilt, the great fire in London, -in 1666, not only decided this question, but opened an extensive field -for the display of Wren’s talents in various other metropolitan -buildings. One of his immediate labors, arising from the conflagration, -was a survey of the whole of the ruins, and the preparation of a plan -for laying out the devastated space in a regular and commodious manner, -with wide streets, and piazzas at intervals, which he laid before -Parliament; but his plans were not adopted, and the new streets arose in -that dense and intricate maze of narrow lanes, which even now are but -slowly disappearing before modern improvements. Furthermore, instead of -the line of spacious quays along the Thames which Wren proposed, the -river is shut out from view by wharfs and warehouses, to such an extent -as to render any adequate scheme for the improvement of its banks hardly -practicable. London might have arisen from her ashes the finest city in -the world, had Wren’s plans been followed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294">{294}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ST_PAULS_CATHEDRAL" id="ST_PAULS_CATHEDRAL"></a>ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL.</h2> - -<p>Wren prepared several designs and models for this great edifice. The -composition of his favorite plan was compact and simple, forming a -general octagonal mass, surmounted by a cupola, and extended on its west -side by a portico, and a short nave or vestibule within. The plan -adopted, exhibits an almost opposite mode of treatment, both as to -arrangement and proportions. While the first exhibits concentration and -uniform spaciousness, the other is more extended as to length, but -contracted in other respects, and the diagonal vistas that would have -been obtained in the other case, are altogether lost in this. The first -stone of the present edifice was laid June 21, 1675; the choir was -opened for divine service in December, 1697; and the whole was completed -in thirty-five years, the last stone on the summit of the lantern being -laid by the architect’s son Christopher, in 1710. Taken altogether, St. -Paul’s Cathedral is a truly glorious work, and its cupola is matchless -in beauty. There are few churches of the past or present day that can -vie with it in richness of design; and St. Peter’s, with its single -order and attic, appearing of much smaller dimensions than it really is, -cannot be put in comparison with it. For a description of this edifice, -see Spooner’s Dictionary of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors, and -Architects.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295">{295}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="WRENS_DEATH" id="WRENS_DEATH"></a>WREN’S DEATH.</h2> - -<p>This illustrious artist died in 1723, and was buried in the vault of St. -Paul’s Cathedral, the most enduring monument of his genius, under the -south aisle of the choir. Inscribed upon his tomb are four words “that -comprehend,” says Walpole, “his merit and his fame,” sublimely and -eloquently expressed: “Si monumentum quæris, circumspice”—“If thou -inquirest for a monument, look around thee!”</p> - -<h2><a name="WREN_AND_CHARLES_II" id="WREN_AND_CHARLES_II"></a>WREN AND CHARLES II.</h2> - -<p>Wren’s small stature, and his intimacy with Charles II., are humorously -shown in an anecdote preserved by Seward. The king, on walking through -his newly erected palace at Newmarket, said, “These rooms are too low.” -Wren went up to the king and replied, “An please your majesty, I think -them high enough.” Whereupon Charles, stooping down to Sir Christopher’s -stature, answered with a smile, “On second thoughts, I think so too.”</p> - -<h2><a name="THOMAS_BANKS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR" id="THOMAS_BANKS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR"></a>THOMAS BANKS, THE ENGLISH SCULPTOR.</h2> - -<p>Among the friends of this gifted man, were Flaxman, Fuseli, and the -talented John Horne Tooke. His friendship with the last nearly proved -mischievous to Banks, and perhaps would certainly have been so, had it -not been for the uprightness of his character. During those perilous -days, when “rev<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296">{296}</a></span>olution” and “mad equality” were causing such -commotions, suspicion fell upon the politician, who was subjected to an -official examination and a trial, Banks being also implicated in the -charge, although his offence consisted at most in listening to the -other’s declamations. “I remember,” says his daughter Lavinia, “when -Tooke, and Hardy, and others were arrested on the charge of high -treason, that an officer waited on my father with an order from the -Secretary of the State to go to his office. I chanced to be in the next -room, and the door being partly open, I heard all that passed. My father -only requested to be allowed to go into his study, and give directions -to his workmen; this was complied with, and he then accompanied the -messenger. I said nothing to my mother of what I had heard, since father -had been silent for fear of exciting unnecessary apprehensions; but I -sat with much trouble at heart for several hours, when to my -inexpressible joy I heard his well known knock at the door, and ran to -greet his return—a return rendered doubly happy, since his own simple -and manly explanation had acquitted him of all suspicion of treasonable -designs, or of a thought injurious to his country.” The intercourse -between Banks and his daughter Lavinia was of the most delightful -character. His chief pleasure for many years was in her instruction; he -superintended her education in all things, and more particularly in -drawing; she sat beside him whilst he modeled, accompanied him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297">{297}</a></span> in his -walks, and in the evenings cheered him with music, of which he was -passionately fond. A most touching instance of filial and paternal love!</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_GENIUS_OF_BANKS" id="THE_GENIUS_OF_BANKS"></a>THE GENIUS OF BANKS</h2> - -<p>As Banks never received anything like the encouragement which he -deserved, the character of his genius must be sought more in the works -that he sketched, than those that he executed in marble. Among his -sketches, the poetical abounded, and these were founded chiefly on -Homer. Several splendid sketches are his Andromache lamenting with her -handmaidens over the body of Hector, the Venus rising from the Sea, -shedding back her tresses as she ascends, and a Venus bearing Æneas -wounded from the Battle. “In his classical sketches,” says Cunningham, -“the man fully comes out: we see that he had surrendered his whole soul -to those happier days of sculpture when the human frame was unshackled -and free, and the dresses as well as deeds of men were heroic; that the -bearing of gods was familiar to his dreams; and that it was not his -fault if he aspired in vain to be the classic sculptor of his age and -nation.” His monument to the only daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, now in -Ashbourne church, Derbyshire, represents the child when six years old, -lying asleep on her couch in all her innocence and beauty. “Simplicity -and elegance,” says Dr. Mavor, “appear in the workman<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298">{298}</a></span>ship, tenderness -and innocence in the image.” The sculptor’s daughter Lavinia says, “He -was a minute observer of nature, and often have I seen him stop in his -walk to remark an attitude, or some group of figures, and unconsciously -trace the outline in air with his finger as if drawing paper had been -before him. He would in the same way remark folds of drapery, and note -them in his mind, or sketch them on paper, to be used when occasion -called.”</p> - -<h2><a name="BANKS_KINDNESS_TO_YOUNG_SCULPTORS" id="BANKS_KINDNESS_TO_YOUNG_SCULPTORS"></a>BANKS’ KINDNESS TO YOUNG SCULPTORS.</h2> - -<p>His daughter Lavinia often marvelled at his patience in pointing out the -imperfections or beauties of drawings and models submitted by young -artists to his inspection. Even when little hope of future excellence -appeared, he was careful not to wound the feelings of a race whose -sensitiveness he too well knew. He would say, “This and better will -do,—but this and worse will never do,” and ended by recommending -industry and perseverance. One morning a youth of about thirteen years -of age, came to the door of Banks with drawings in his hand. Owing to -some misgiving of mind, the knock which he intended should be modest and -unassuming, was loud and astounding, and the servant who opened the door -was in no pleasant mood with what he imagined to be forwardness in one -so young. Banks, happening to overhear the chiding of the servant, went -out and said with much gentleness, “What do you want<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299">{299}</a></span> with me, young -man?” “I want, sir,” said the boy, “that you should get me to draw at -the academy.” “That,” replied the sculptor, “is not in my power, for no -one is admitted there but by ballot, and I am only one of those persons -on whose pleasure it depends. But you have got a drawing there—let me -look at it.” He examined it for a moment, and said, “Time enough for the -academy yet, my little man! go home and mind your schooling,—try and -make a better drawing of the Apollo, and in a month come again and let -me see it.” The boy went home, drew with three-fold diligence, and on -that day month appeared again at the door of Banks with a new drawing in -his hand. The sculptor liked this drawing better than he did the other, -gave him a week to improve it, encouraged him much, and showed him the -various works of art in his own study. He went away and returned in a -week, when the Apollo was visibly improved—he conceived a kindness for -the boy, and said if he were spared he would distinguish himself. The -prediction has been fulfilled,—the academician Mulready has attained -wide distinction.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_PERSONAL_APPEARANCE_AND_CHARACTER_OF_BANKS" id="THE_PERSONAL_APPEARANCE_AND_CHARACTER_OF_BANKS"></a>THE PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER OF BANKS.</h2> - -<p>In person, Banks was tall, with looks silent and dignified, and an -earnestness of carriage that well became him; he spoke seldom; he had a -winning sweetness in his way of address, and a persuasive<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300">{300}</a></span> manner which -was not unfelt by his academic companions. He was simple and frugal in -his general style of living, yet liberal to excess in all that related -to the encouragement of art; his purse was open to virtuous sufferers, -and what is far more, he shrank not from going personally into the -houses of the poor and sick, to console and aid them in adversity. In -his younger days it was his custom to work at his marbles in the -solitude of the Sabbath morning, when his assistants were not at hand to -interrupt him; but as he advanced in life he discontinued the practice, -and became an example to his brother artists in the observance of the -Sabbath day. He grew strict in religious duty, and, like Flaxman, added -another to the number of those devout sculptors, whose purity of life, -and reach of intellect, are an honor to their country.</p> - -<h2><a name="FLAXMANS_TRIBUTE_TO_BANKS" id="FLAXMANS_TRIBUTE_TO_BANKS"></a>FLAXMAN’S TRIBUTE TO BANKS.</h2> - -<p>That Flaxman appreciated and honored Banks’ genius, he was ever ready to -give strong proof.—“We have had a sculptor,” he says in one of his -lectures, “in the late Mr. Banks, whose works have eclipsed the most, if -not all his continental cotemporaries.” On another occasion—that of the -sale of the sculptor’s models—Mrs. Siddons and Flaxman were seated -together, when the auctioneer began to expatiate upon the beauty of an -antique figure, saying, “Behold where the deceased artist found some of -his beauties.” “Sir,” exclaimed Flaxman, more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301">{301}</a></span> warmly than was his wont, -“you do Mr. Banks much wrong, <i>he</i> wanted no assistance.”</p> - -<p>Banks died in 1805. In Westminster Abbey a tablet is erected with this -inscription, “In memory of Thomas Banks, Esq., R. A., Sculptor, whose -superior abilities in the profession added a lustre to the arts of his -country, and whose character as a man reflected honor on human nature.”</p> - -<h2><a name="JOSEPH_NOLLEKENS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR" id="JOSEPH_NOLLEKENS_THE_ENGLISH_SCULPTOR"></a>JOSEPH NOLLEKENS, THE ENGLISH SCULPTOR.</h2> - -<p>Cunningham says, “He was passionately fond of drawing and modelling, and -labored early and late to acquire knowledge in his profession; yet he -was so free from all pride, or so obliging by nature, that he would run -on any errand; nor did he hesitate to relate, in the days of his wealth -and eminence, how he used to carry pots of porter to his master’s maids -on a washing day, and with more success than Barry did when he treated -Burke, ‘for,’ says he, ‘I always crept slowly along to save the head of -foam that the lasses might taste it in all its strength.’ Such traits as -these, however, I cannot consent to set down as incontrovertible proofs -of a mean and vulgar spirit; nay, they often keep company with real -loftiness of nature.”</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_VISIT_TO_ROME" id="NOLLEKENS_VISIT_TO_ROME"></a>NOLLEKENS’ VISIT TO ROME.</h2> - -<p>In 1760, Nollekens proceeded to Italy, by the way of Paris. On arriving -in the French capital, he presented himself at the house of an uncle -there,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302">{302}</a></span> told his name, and claimed kindred. The old gentleman stood with -his door half opened, put a few cool questions, and seemed to doubt the -veracity of his story; but at length catching a glimpse of a gold -watch-chain, he invited him to dinner. The pride of the young artist, -however, had been deeply touched—he declined the invitation, and went -his way. On reaching Rome, the friendless youth found his stock reduced -to some twenty guineas; and dreading want, and what was worse, -dependence, he set about mending his fortune with equal despatch and -success. He modelled and carved in stone a bas-relief, which brought him -ten guineas from England; and in the next year the Society of Arts voted -him fifty guineas for his Timoclea before Alexander, which was in -marble. He was now noticed by the artists of Rome, and lived on friendly -terms with Barry, who was waging a useless and vexatious war with -interested antiquarians and visitors of wealth and virtu. Indeed, such -was the gentleness of his nature, and his mild and unassuming demeanor, -that he never made enemies except amongst those who could have done no -one credit as friends.</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_AND_GARRICK" id="NOLLEKENS_AND_GARRICK"></a>NOLLEKENS AND GARRICK.</h2> - -<p>During Nollekens’ residence at Rome, Garrick came one day into the -Vatican, and observing the young sculptor, said, “Ah! what? let me look -at you! You are the little fellow to whom we gave the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303">{303}</a></span> prizes in the -Society of Arts? eh!” Nollekens answered, “Yes,” upon which the actor -shook him kindly by the hand, inquired concerning his studies, and -invited him to breakfast the next morning. He did more—he sat to him -for his bust, and when the model was finished, he gave him twelve -guineas. This was the first bust he ever modelled.</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_TALENTS_IN_BUST_SCULPTURE" id="NOLLEKENS_TALENTS_IN_BUST_SCULPTURE"></a>NOLLEKENS’ TALENTS IN BUST SCULPTURE.</h2> - -<p>The bust of Sterne, which he afterwards executed at Rome in terra cotta, -materially increased his reputation; and the applause that it received -probably warned the sculptor of his talents in that branch of the art, -in which he afterwards became so distinguished. It forms a truly -admirable image of the original, and Nollekens, to his last hour, -alluded to it with pleasure. “Dance,” he used to say, “made my picture -with my hand leaning on Sterne’s head—he was right.” This striking bust -is now in the collection of Mr. Agar Ellis. His talents in bust -sculpture were universally acknowledged, and when Mr. Coutts, the -banker, applied to Fuseli, then keeper of the Royal Academy, for the -best sculptor to execute his bust, the painter replied, “I can have no -difficulty in telling you; for though Nollekens is weak in many things, -in a bust he stands unrivalled. Had you required a group of figures, I -should have recommended Flaxman, but for a bust, give me Nollekens.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304">{304}</a></span>”</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_BUST_OF_DR_JOHNSON" id="NOLLEKENS_BUST_OF_DR_JOHNSON"></a>NOLLEKENS’ BUST OF DR. JOHNSON.</h2> - -<p>While he was modelling the bust of Dr. Johnson, the latter came one day -accompanied by Miss Williams, a blind lady; and being very impatient of -the protracted sittings, he came quite late, which so displeased the -sculptor that he cried out, “Now, Doctor, you <i>did</i> say you would give -my bust half an hour before dinner, and the dinner has been waiting this -long time.” “Nolly, be patient, Nolly,” said the sage, making his way to -the bust. “How is this, Nolly, you have loaded the head with hair.” “All -the better,” returned the artist, “it will make you look more like one -of the ancient sages or poets.—I’ll warrant now, you wanted to have it -in a wig.” The Doctor remonstrated seriously, saying, “a man, sir, -should be portrayed as he appears in company”—but the sculptor -persisted. The bust is an admirable work of art, besides being a -faithful likeness.</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_LIBERALITY_TO_CHANTREY" id="NOLLEKENS_LIBERALITY_TO_CHANTREY"></a>NOLLEKENS’ LIBERALITY TO CHANTREY.</h2> - -<p>When Chantrey sent his bust of Horne Tooke to the Exhibition, he was -young and unfriended; but the great merit of the work did not escape the -eye of Nollekens. He lifted it from the floor, set it before him, moved -his head to and fro, and having satisfied himself of its excellence, -turned to those who were arranging the works for the Exhibition, and -said, “There’s a very fine work: let the man who made it be -known—remove one of my busts, and put this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305">{305}</a></span> in its place, for it well -deserves it.” Often afterwards, when desired to model a bust, he said in -his most persuasive way, “Go to Chantrey, he is the man for a bust; he -will make a good bust of you—I always recommend him.” He sat for his -bust to Chantrey, who always mentioned his name with tenderness and -respect.</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_AND_THE_WIDOW" id="NOLLEKENS_AND_THE_WIDOW"></a>NOLLEKENS AND THE WIDOW.</h2> - -<p>Smith gives a rather amusing account of a lady in weeds for her husband, -who “came drooping like a willow to the sculptor, desiring a monument, -and declaring that she did not care what money was expended on the -memory of one she loved so. ‘Do what you please, but oh! do it quickly,’ -were her parting orders. Nollekens went to work, made the design, -finished the model, and began to look for a block of marble to carve it -from, when in dropped the lady—she had been absent some three months. -‘Poor soul,’ said the sculptor, when she was announced, ‘I thought she -would come soon, but I am ready.’ The lady came light of foot, and -lighter of look. ‘Ah, how do you do, Mr. Nollekens? Well, you have not -commenced the model?’ ‘Aye, but I have though,’ returned the sculptor, -‘and there it stands, finished.’ ‘There it is, indeed,’ sighed the lady, -throwing herself into a chair; they looked at one another for a minute’s -space or so—she spoke first. ‘These, my good friend, are, I know, early -days for this little change’—she looked at her dress,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306">{306}</a></span> from which the -early profusion of crape had disappeared,—‘but since I saw you, I have -met with an old Roman acquaintance of yours, who has made me an offer, -and I don’t know how he would like to see in our church a monument of -such expense to my late husband. Indeed, on second thoughts, it would -perhaps be considered quite enough, if I got our mason to put up a mural -tablet, and that you know he can cut very prettily.’ ‘My charge, madam, -for the model,’ said the sculptor, ‘is one hundred guineas.’ ‘Enormous! -enormous!’ said the lady, but drew out her purse and paid it.” The -mutability of human nature!</p> - -<h2><a name="NOLLEKENS_COMPLIMENTS" id="NOLLEKENS_COMPLIMENTS"></a>NOLLEKENS’ COMPLIMENTS.</h2> - -<p>Cunningham says that a portion of his sitters “were charmed into -admirers by the downright bluntness of his compliments, which they -regarded as so many testimonies on oath of their beauty. As a specimen -of his skill in the difficult art of pleasing, take the following -anecdotes. He was modelling the head of a lady of rank, when she forgot -herself, changed her position, and looked more loftily than he wished. -‘Don’t look so scorney, woman,’ said the sculptor, modelling all the -while, ‘else you will spoil my bust—and you’re a very fine woman—I -think it will make one of my very best busts.’ Another time he said to a -lady, who had a <i>serious</i> squint, ‘Look for a minute the other way, for -then I shall get rid of a slight shyness in your eye, which,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307">{307}</a></span> though not -ungraceful in life, is unusual in art.’ On another occasion, a lady with -some impatience in her nature was sitting for her portrait; every minute -she changed her position, and with every change of position put on a -change of expression, until his patience gave way. ‘Lord, woman!’ -exclaimed the unceremonious sculptor, ‘what’s the matter how handsome -you are, if you won’t sit still till I model you!’ The lady smiled, and -sat ever afterwards like a lay figure.”</p> - -<h2><a name="AN_OVERPLUS_OF_MODESTY" id="AN_OVERPLUS_OF_MODESTY"></a>AN OVERPLUS OF MODESTY.</h2> - -<p>It has been remarked by some close observer, that modesty is like shadow -in a picture—too much of it obscures real excellence, while the proper -medium exhibits all parts in agreeable relief. John Riley, an English -portrait painter who flourished in the latter part of the seventeenth -century, was a proof that one may have a superabundance of this in -itself excellent quality. Walpole says, “He was one of the best native -artists who had flourished in England; but he was very modest, had the -greatest diffidence of himself, and was easily disgusted with his own -works. His talents were obscured by the fame rather than by the merit of -Kneller, and with a quarter of the latter’s vanity, he might have -persuaded the world that he was as great a master.” He was but little -noticed until the death of Lely, when Chiffinch being persuaded to sit -to him, the picture was shown, and recommended him to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308">{308}</a></span> king. Charles -II. sat to him, but almost discouraged the bashful artist from pursuing -a profession so proper for him. Looking at the picture, he cried, “Is -this like me? Then od’s fish, I’m an ugly fellow!” This discouraged -Riley so much that he could not bear the picture, though he sold it for -a large price. However, he kept on, and had the satisfaction of painting -James II. and his Queen, and also their successors, who appointed him -their painter. Riley died three years after the accession of William and -Mary, in 1691.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_ARTIST_FOOTMAN" id="THE_ARTIST_FOOTMAN"></a>THE ARTIST FOOTMAN.</h2> - -<p>Edward Norgate, an English painter of excellent judgment in pictures, -was sent into Italy by the Earl of Arundel to purchase works of art. On -returning, however, he was disappointed in receiving remittances, and -was obliged to remain some time in Marseilles. Being totally unknown -there, he used frequently to walk for several hours in a public part of -the city, with a most dejected air; and while thus engaged, he was -occasionally observed by a merchant, who, doubtless impelled by kind -feelings, ventured one day to speak to the wanderer, and told him that -so much walking would have soon brought him to the end of his journey, -when Norgate confessed his inability to proceed for want of money. The -merchant then inquired into his circumstances, and told him that -perceiving he was able to walk at least twenty miles a day, if he would -set out on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309">{309}</a></span> journey homeward, he would furnish him handsomely for a -foot traveler. By this assistance, Norgate arrived in his own country.</p> - -<h2><a name="AN_ARCHITECTS_STRATAGEM" id="AN_ARCHITECTS_STRATAGEM"></a>AN ARCHITECT’S STRATAGEM.</h2> - -<p>William Winde, a Dutch architect who visited England in the reign of -Charles II., erected, among other works, Buckingham House in St. James’ -Park, for the Duke of Bucks. He had nearly finished this edifice, but -the payment was most sadly in arrears. Accordingly Winde enticed the -Duke one day to mount upon the leads, to enjoy the grand prospect. When -there, he coolly locked the trapdoor and threw the key over the parapet, -addressing his astounded patron, “I am a ruined man, and unless I have -your word of honor that the debts shall be paid, I will instantly throw -myself over.” “And what is to become of me?” asked the Duke. “You shall -go along with me!” returned the desperate architect. This prospect of -affairs speedily drew from the Duke the wished-for promise, and the -trapdoor was opened by a workman below, who was a party in the plot.</p> - -<h2><a name="THE_FREEDOM_OF_THE_TIMES_IN_THE_REIGN_OF_CHARLES_II" id="THE_FREEDOM_OF_THE_TIMES_IN_THE_REIGN_OF_CHARLES_II"></a>THE FREEDOM OF THE TIMES IN THE REIGN OF CHARLES II.</h2> - -<p>The freedom allowed in social intercourse is well illustrated by a -sketch in the account of Graham. William Wissing, a Dutch painter who -succeeded Sir Peter Lely in fashionable portrait painting in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310">{310}</a></span> England, -was noted for his complaisant manners, which recommended him to most -people’s esteem, “In drawing his portraits, especially those of the fair -sex, he always took the <i>beautiful</i> likeness; and when any lady came to -sit to him whose complexion was in any ways pale, he would commonly take -her by the hand and dance her about the room till she became warmer; by -which means he heightened her natural beauty, and made her fit to be -represented by his hand”!</p> - -<h2><a name="HANNEMANS_PICTURE_OF_PEACE" id="HANNEMANS_PICTURE_OF_PEACE"></a>HANNEMAN’S PICTURE OF “PEACE”</h2> - -<p>Descamps says that Adrian Hanneman painted for the States of Holland an -emblematical subject of Peace, impersonated by a beautiful young female -habited in white satin, and seated on a throne. The picture was very -charming, so much so that the gallant burgomasters presented the living -model who served for it with a gratuity of 1000 florins!</p> - -<h2><a name="WEESOP" id="WEESOP"></a>WEESOP.</h2> - -<p>This Dutch painter is chiefly known in England, for his successful -imitations of Vandyck. He spent some time there, but left in 1649, -saying, “He would never stay in a country where they cut off their -king’s head, and were not ashamed of the action.” Walpole remarks that -it would have been more sensible to say, he would not stay where they -cut off the head of a king who rewarded painters, and then defaced and -sold his collection.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTE:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> “I cannot forbear quoting Madame Hahn-Hahn’s reflections on -the Museum of Seville, and the custody of pictures in that city in 1841. -</p><p> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It is wretched to see how these invaluable jewels of pictures are -preserved! Uncleaned’ (this is at least some comfort), ‘without the -necessary varnish, sometimes without frames, they lean against the -walls, or stand unprotected in the passages where they are copied. Every -dauber may mark his squares upon them, to facilitate his drawing; and -since these squares are permanent in some pictures in order to spare -these admirable artists the trouble of renewing them, the threads have, -in certain cases, begun to leave their impression on the picture. The -proof of this negligence is the fact that we found to-day the mark of a -finger-nail on the St. Augustine, which was not there on the first day -that we saw it. We can only thank God if nothing worse than a -finger-nail make a scar on the picture! It stands there on the ground, -without a frame, leaning against the wall. One might knock it over, or -kick one’s foot through it! There is to be sure a kind of ragged custode -sitting by, but if one were to give him a couple of dollars he would -hold his tongue; he is, moreover, always sleeping, and yawns as if he -would put his jaws out. He does not forget, however, on these occasions -to make the sign of the cross with his thumb, opposite his open mouth, -for fear the devils should fly in—such is the common belief. You see -clearly that with this amount of neglect and want of order, the same -fate awaits all the Murillos here as has already befallen Leonardo’s -Last Supper at Milan. These are all collected in two public buildings, -in the church of the Caridad and in the Museum. -</p><p> -‘The Caridad was a hospital or charitable institution. The pictures were -brought thither from Murillo’s own studio; there are five—Moses, the -Feeding of the Five Thousand, the St. Juan de Dios, a little Salvator -Mundi, and a small John the Baptist; the sixth, the pendant to the St. -Juan de Dios, the St. Elizabeth with the Sick, has been carried to the -Museum at Madrid. It is very questionable whether these fine pictures -will be still in the Caridad in ten years’ time. Nothing would be easier -than to smuggle out the two small pictures! A painter comes—copies -them—does not stand upon a few dollars more or less—takes off the -originals and leaves the copies behind in their places, which are high -up and badly lighted—the pictures are gone for ever! This sort of -proceeding is not impossible here, and Baron Taylor’s purchases for -Paris prove the fact. It cannot of course be done without corruption and -connivance on the part of the official guardians; and after all one has -hardly the courage to lament it. The pictures are, in fact, saved—they -are protected and duly valued; whilst to me it is completely a matter of -indifference whether a custode, on account of this sort of sin, suffer a -little more or a little less in Purgatory.’<span class="lftspc">”</span>—Reisebriefe, ii. s. -126-8.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="transcrib" id="transcrib"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="deprecated" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> -<tr><td> -1. Charles I. of England, in 1530, purchased the Mantuan collection for -£20,000=> Charles I. of England, in 1630, purchased the Mantuan -collection for £20,000 {pg 263}<br /><br /> - -2.Fragment d’un Traité sur les Moveuments du corp humain=> Fragment d’un -Traité sur les Mouvements du corps humain {pg 275} -</td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class="full" /> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANECDOTES OF PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS AND ARCHITECTS, AND CURIOSITIES OF ART ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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