,,art ,,in ,,england  ,notes and        
,studies  by  ,,dutton ,,cook4          
,london ,sampson ,low1 ,son1 and ,arston
 ,milton ,house1 ,ludgate ,hill4 #ahfi4 
,edinburgh3 ,t4 ,constable1 ,printer to 
the ,queen1 and to the ,university4     
,,contents4                             
,,page ,,early ,,art-,,schools ,,in     
,,england                       #a      
,,verrio ,,and ,,laguerre               
#ae ,a ,,sculptor',s ,,life ,,in ,,the  
,,last ,,century             #bh ,,the  
,,rise ,,of ,,the ,,royal ,,academy     
#ee ,,widow ,,hogarth ,,and ,,her       
,,lodger                     #ajd       
,,allan ,,ramsay1 ,,junior              
#abc ,,george ,,romney                  
#adb ,,cosway1 ,,the                    
,,miniature-,,painter                   
#age ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a              
,,scene-,,painter                       
#bja ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,an ,,engraver 
#bcj ,,sir ,,joshua',s ,,pupil          
#bdd ,,hoppner ,,and ,,lawrence         
#bfj ,,the ,,pupil ,,of ,,sir ,,thomas  

,,lawrence                 #bie ,,turner
 ,,and ,,ruskin                         
#caf     ,,preface4   ,it will be       
readily understood that this little     
volume does not affect to set forth     
anything like a formal history of the   
rise and progress of ,art in ,england4  
,the fitting treatment of such a theme  
would need much more space--not to      
mention other requirements--than ,i have
 here at command4 ,i have designed      
merely to submit in a manner that may1  
,i trust1 be acceptable to the general  
reader1 and not wholly without value to 
the student1 some few excerpts and      
chapters from the chronicles of the     
nation's ,art1 with biographical studies
 of certain of its artists4  ,in this   
way ,i have felt myself bound so to     
select my materials as to avoid more    
travelling over familiar ground than    
seemed absolutely necessary4 ,i have    
therefore assumed the reader's          
acquaintance with the lives and         
achievements of the great leaders of    

native ,art--,hogarth1 ,reynolds1       
,gainsborough1 for instance--and have   
forborne to occupy my pages with        
directly rehearsing their famous        
memoirs4 ,it seemed to me desirable     
rather to call attention to the stories 
of artists who1 though less renowned1   
less prominent in popular estimation1   
were yet of mark in their periods1 and  
had distinct influence on the character 
and progress of ,art in ,england4 ,many 
of these artists were contemporaries1   
however1 and in dealing with their      
careers severally1 it has hardly been   
possible to escape repetition of the    
mention of incidents pertaining to the  
times in which they conjointly          
'flourished1'--to employ the favourite  
term of ,biographical ,dictionaries4 ,i 
must ask the reader's pardon if he      
should find these repetitions           
intrusively frequent4 ,but the papers   
herein contained have1 for the most     
part1 already appeared in print1 when it
 was deemed advisable to make each as   

complete in itself as was practicable4  
,they are now reproduced after revision1
 and1 in some cases1 considerable       
extension1 but their original form      
cannot be wholly suppressed or vitally  
interfered with4 ,i can only hope that  
what was a merit in their isolated state
 may not be accounted too grievous a    
defect now that they come to be         
congregated4  ,finally1 ,i would        
suggest--referring with all due modesty 
to my own efforts in this               
direction--that the lives and labours of
 our ,art worthies form wholesome as    
well as curious subjects for popular    
study4 ,i do not desire to set up the   
artist--merely in right of his          
professing himself an artist--as        
peculiarly or romantically entitled to  
public regard4 ,but a nation's ,art is1 
in truth1 an important matter4 ,to its  
value and significance the community is 
more awake than was heretofore the case1
 and what was once but the topic of a   
clique has become of very general       

concern and interest4 ,sympathy with    
,art must necessarily with more or less 
force extend to the professors and      
practisers of ,art4 ,surveying the past1
 one cannot but note that often         
patronage and public favour have been   
strangely perverted--now cruelly        
withheld1 now recklessly bestowed4 ,here
 genius1 or a measure of talent nearly  
amounting to genius1 has languished     
neglected and suffering--here           
charlatanry has prospered triumphantly4 
,something of this kind may be happening
 now amongst us1 or may occur again by  
and by4 ,acquaintance with the past     
history of native ,art--its struggles1  
trials1 troubles1 and successes--will   
surely prove of worth in considering its
 present and future position and        
prospects4 ,as some slight aid to the   
diffusion of information on the subject1
 these otherwise unpretending pages are 
respectfully submitted to the reader4   
,d4,c4     ,,early ,,art ,,schools ,,in 
,,england4   ,charles the ,first appears

 to have been the first ,english        
,sovereign who regarded art1 not merely 
as an aid to the splendour of the       
throne1 but for its own sake4 ,as       
,walpole says1 ',queen ,elizabeth was   
avaricious with pomp1 ,james the ,first 
lavish with meanness4' ,to neither had  
the position of the painter been a      
matter of the slightest concern4 ,but   
from ,charles the ,first dates truly the
 dawn of a love of art in ,england1 the 
proper valuing of the artist-mind1 and  
the first introduction into the country 
of the greatest works of the continental
 masters4  ,at the present day a        
complaint is constantly arising1 that   
artists are found to be deficient in    
general education1 while what may be    
called for distinction's sake the       
educated classes are singularly wanting 
in artistic knowledge4 ,the             
,universities do not teach art2#a the   
,art-schools do not teach anything else4
 ,as a result1 speaking generally1 the  
painters are without mental culture1 the

 patrons are without art-acquirements4  
7,this supposes the patrons to be of the
 upper classes2 but of course at the    
present time a large share of           
art-patronage comes from the rich middle
 or manufacturing classes1 whose        
uninformed tastes are even less likely  
to tend to the due appraisement and     
elevation of art47 ,mr4 ,ruskin1 giving 
evidence before the commissioners       
inquiring into the position of the      
,royal ,academy 7#ahfc71 says1 ',the    
want of education on the part of the    
upper classes in art1 has been very much
 at the bottom of the abuses which have 
crept into all systems of education     
connected with it4 ,if the upper classes
 could only be interested in it by being
 led into it when young1 a great        
improvement might be looked for2' and   
the witness goes on to urge the         
expediency of appointing professors of  
art at the ,universities4 ,upon the     
question of infusing a lay-element into 
the ,royal ,academy by the addition of  

non-professional academicians1 ,mr4     
,ruskin takes occasion to observe3--',i 
think if you educate our upper classes  
to take more interest in art1 which     
implies of course to know something     
about it1 they might be most efficient  
members of the ,academy2 but if you     
leave them1 as you leave them now1 to   
the education which they get at ,oxford 
and ,cambridge1 and give them the sort  
of scorn which all the teaching there   
tends to give of art and artists1 the   
less they have to do with an ,academy of
 ,art the better4'  #a ,the ,slade      
,professorship1 recently instituted1 is 
a step towards mending this matter1     
however4  ,it is somewhat curious after 
this to consider an attempt made by     
,king ,charles the ,first1 in the       
eleventh year of his reign1 to supply   
these admitted deficiencies of          
,university instruction3 to found an    
,academy in which general and fine-art  
education should be combined4  ,a       
committee1 consisting of the ,duke of   

,buckingham and others1 had been        
appointed in the ,house of ,lords for   
taking into consideration the state of  
the public schools1 and their method of 
instruction4 ,what progress was made by 
this committee is not known4 ,one result
 of its labours1 however1 was probably  
the establishment of the ,musaeum       
,minervae1 under letters-patent from the
 king1 at a house which ,sir ,francis   
,kynaston had purchased1 in ,covent     
,garden1 and furnished as an ,academy4  
,this was appropriated for ever as a    
college for the education of nobles and 
gentlemen1 to be governed by a regent   
and professors1 chosen by               
'balloting-box1' who were made a body   
corporate1 permitted to use a common    
seal1 and to possess goods and lands in 
mortmain4 ,kynaston1 who styled himself 
,corporis ,armiger1 and who had printed 
in #afce a translation into ,latin verse
 of ,chaucer's ,troilus and ,cressida1  
was nominated the first regent of the   
,academy1 and published in #afcf its    

constitution and rules1 addressed 'to   
the noble and generous well-wishers to  
vertuous actions and learning4' ,the    
,academy--'justified and approved by the
 wisdom of the ,king's most sacred      
,majesty and many of the lords of his   
,majesty's most honourable privy        
council1'--its constitution and         
discipline being ratified under the     
hands and seals of the ,right           
,honourable the ,lord ,keeper of the    
,great ,seal of ,england and the two    
,lord ,chief ,justices--professed to be 
founded 'according to the laudable      
customs of other nations1' and for 'the 
bringing of virtue into action and the  
theory of liberal arts into more        
frequent practice4' ,its aims were      
directed to the end that ,england might 
be as well furnished for the virtuous   
education and discipline of her own     
natives as any other nation of ,europe2 
it being 'sufficiently known that the   
subjects of his ,majesty's dominions    
have naturally as noble minds and as    

able bodies as any nation of the earth1 
and therefore deserve all accommodation 
for the advancing of them1 either in    
speculation or action4' ,it was         
considered that a peculiar institution  
was required for teaching those 'most   
useful accomplishments of a             
gentleman'--the sciences of navigation1 
riding1 fortification1 architecture1    
painting1 etc41 which1 if taught1 were  
yet not practised in the universities or
 courts of law4 ,many of these sciences1
 it was admitted1 were taught in        
,london1 'in dispersed places2' but it  
was convenient to reduce and unite them 
in one certain place1 and not to teach  
them perfunctorily and rather for gain  
than for any other respect--desirable1  
too1 that youth should have1 in a       
virtuous society1 generous and fitting  
recreations as might divert them from   
too much frequenting places of expense  
and of greater inconvenience4 ,the      
intention of the ,academy was also to   
benefit gentlemen going abroad1 by      

giving them language and instruction1   
with other ornaments of travel4 ',there 
is no understanding man1' says the      
prospectus or advertisement of the      
institution1 'but may resent how many of
 our noblemen and young gentlemen travel
 into foreign countries before they have
 any language or knowledge to make      
profit of their time abroad1 they not   
being any way able to get knowledge for 
want of language1 nor language for want 
of time2 since going over so young1     
their years of license commonly expire  
before they can obtain to sufficient    
ripeness of understanding2 which no     
nation is known to do but the ,english3 
for what children of other nations come 
over to us before they are of able age  
and ripeness8' ,another inconvenience   
arising from the want of the ,musaeum   
,minervae was stated to be the necessity
 many gentlemen were under of sending   
their sons beyond seas for their        
education1 'where1 through change of    
climate and dyat1 and for want of years 

of discretion1 they become more subject 
to sickness and immature death4'  ,it   
was required of gentlemen admitted into 
the ,musaeum that they should pay fees  
of at least ,l#e each1 and should bring 
a testimonial of their arms and gentry1 
and their coat armour1 'tricked on a    
table1 to be conserved in the museum4'  
,there was to be a ,liber ,nobilium     
always kept1 in which benefactors and   
their benefits were to be recorded1     
beginning with ,king ,charles1 'our     
first and royal benefactor2' and it was 
provided that if any gentleman should   
have any natural experiment or secret1  
and should communicate it to the        
,musaeum and upon trial it should be    
found true and good1 his name and       
experiment should be recorded in ,liber 
,nobilium for a perpetual honour to him4
  ,the regent was required to instruct  
personally1 or to superintend           
instruction in 'heraldry1 blazon of     
coates and armes1 practical knowledge of
 deedes1 and evidences1 principles and  

processes of common law1 knowledge of   
antiquities1 coynes1 medalls1           
husbandry1' etc4 ,the ,doctor of        
,philosophy and ,physic was to read and 
profess physiology1 anatomy1 or any     
other parts of physic4 ,the ,professor  
of ,astronomy was to teach astronomy1   
optics1 navigation1 and cosmography4    
,instruction in arithmetic1 analytical  
algebra1 geometry1 fortification1 and   
architecture1 was to be given by the    
,professor of ,geometry4 ,a ,professor  
of ,music was to impart skill in        
singing1 and music to play upon organ1  
lute1 viol1 etc4 ,hebrew1 ,greek1       
,latin1 ,italian1 ,french1 ,spanish1 and
 ,high ,dutch were to be taught by the  
,professor of ,languages4 ,in addition1 
a ,professor of ,defence inculcated     
skill at all weapons and wrestling 7but 
not pugilism apparently71 and ample     
instruction was to be afforded in       
riding1 dancing1 and behaviour1         
painting1 sculpture1 and writing4 ,a    
preparatory school was also to be       

annexed for the young gentlemen whose   
parents were desirous of having them    
brought up in the ,musaeum from their   
first years4 ,finally1 it was expressly 
provided that no degrees were to be     
given1 and the ,academy was not to be   
conceived in any way prejudicial 'to the
 ,universities and ,inns of ,court1     
whose foundations have so long and so   
honourably been confirmed4'  ,for no    
long time did the ,musaeum ,minervae    
flourish4 ,the ,king's troubles began2  
and in the storms of civil war the      
,academy for teaching the upper classes 
science and the fine arts1 manners and  
accomplishments1 fell to the ground and 
disappeared utterly4 ,so bitter and     
inveterate was the feeling against the  
,king1 that1 as ,walpole says 7and      
,walpole1 be it remembered1 cherished no
 reverence for ,charles the             
,first--quite otherwise--under a        
facsimile of the warrant for the ,king's
 execution1 he wrote ',magna ,charta1'  
and he often found pleasure in          

considering the monarch's fall71 'it    
seems to have become part of the        
religion of the time to war on the arts 
because they had been countenanced at   
,court4' ,so early as #afde1 the        
,parliament had begun to sell the       
pictures at ,york ,house4 ,on the #bc;d 
,july in that year votes were passed    
ordering the sale1 for the benefit of   
,ireland and the ,north1 of all such    
pictures at ,york ,house 'as were       
without any superstition4' ,pictures    
containing representations of the       
,second ,person in the ,trinity1 or of  
the ,virgin ,mary1 were judged to be    
superstitious1 and ordered to be burned 
forthwith4 ,immediately after the       
,king's death1 votes were passed for the
 sale of all his pictures1 statues1     
jewels1 hangings1 and goods4 ,cromwell1 
however1 on his obtaining sole power1   
made some effort to stay the terrible   
sacrifice that was being made of the    
royal collections4  ,there was thus an  
end of ,king ,charles's ,musaeum        

,minervae4 ,yet1 if not absolutely      
founded on its ruins1 at any rate in    
some measure following its example1 we  
soon find record of the rise of a       
similar institution4 ,one ,sir          
,balthazar ,gerbier1 without ,government
 aid or countenance1 but acting entirely
 on his own responsibility1 had opened  
an ,academy 'on ,bednall-green without  
,aldgate4' ,this was probably in the    
year #afdi4  ,sir ,balthazar ,gerbier1  
architect and painter1 'excellent in    
either branch1' says a biographer1 had  
led a somewhat curious life4 ,in a      
pamphlet published in ,paris1 in #afdf1 
addressed 'to all men that loves        
,truth1'--singularly rich1 thanks to the
 ,french printers1 in blunders1         
orthographic and grammatical1--,sir     
,balthazar gives some account of his    
family and himself4 ,he was born about  
#aeia1 at ,middelburg in ,zeeland1 the  
son of ,anthoine ,gerbier1 a baron of   
,normandy1 and ,radegonde1              
daughter-in-law to the ,lord of ,blavet 

in ,picardy4 ',it pleaseth ,god1' writes
 ,sir ,balthazar1 'to suffer my parents 
to fly the bluddy persecutions in       
,france1 against those which the ,roman 
,catholics call the ,huguenots4 ,my said
 parents left and lost all for that     
cause4' ,he came to ,england when about 
twenty-one1 and entered the service of  
,george ,villiers1 'newly become        
favourite to ,king ,james1 being        
immediately after ,baron1 ,viscount1    
,earle1 and afterwards created ,marquis 
and ,duke of ,buckingham4' ,he          
accompanied ,buckingham to ,spain1 and  
was employed in the famous treaty of    
marriage1 though ostensibly acting only 
as a painter4 ,while in ,spain he       
executed a miniature portrait of the    
,infanta1 which was sent over to ,king  
,james4 ,the ,duchess of ,buckingham    
wrote to her husband in ,spain1 ',i pray
 you1 if you have any idle time1 sit to 
,gerbier for your picture1 that ,i may  
have it well done in time4' ,after the  
accession of ,charles1 it appears that  

,gerbier was employed in ,flanders to   
negotiate privately a treaty with       
,spain1 in which ,rubens was            
commissioned to act on the part of the  
,infanta2 the business ultimately       
bringing the great painter to ,england4 
,in #afbh1 ,gerbier was knighted at     
,hampton ,court1 and1 according to his  
own account1 was promised by ,king      
,charles the office of                  
,surveyor-,general of the works after   
the death of ,inigo ,jones4 ,in #afcg1  
he was employed at ,brussels in some    
private state negotiation with the ,duke
 of ,orleans1 the ,french ,king's       
brother1 and in #afda he obtained a bill
 of naturalization1 and took the oaths  
of allegiance and supremacy4 ,according 
to ,vertue1 he was much hated and       
persecuted by the anti-monarchic party1 
for his loyalty and fidelity to the     
,king and his son4 ,at the sale of the  
royal collection he made purchases to   
the amount of ,l#cej4 ,the suspension of
 all art-patronage during the           

,commonwealth1 probably necessitated the
 establishment of his ,academy at       
,bethnal ,green1 as a means of obtaining
 a livelihood4 ,painters did not        
flourish very much under the rule of the
 ,puritans4  ,a fly-sheet1 undated1     
which may be found in the ,british      
,museum1 sets forth the plan of         
,gerbier's ,academy4 ,he addresses      
himself 'to all ,fathers of ,noble      
,families and ,lovers of ,vertue1'      
desires public notice of his great      
labours and exertions1 and informs the  
world that 'the chiefe ,famous          
,forraigne ,languages1 ,sciences1 and   
,noble ,exercises' are taught in his    
establishment4 ',all ,lovers of         
,vertue1' of what age soever1 are       
received and instructed1 and each of    
them may select such studies1 exercises1
 and sciences as are most consonant to  
his genius4 ,public lectures are        
announced to be read gratis every       
,wednesday afternoon1 in the summer at  
three1 in the winter at two o'clock4 ,a 

competent number of children of 'decayed
 families' are taught without fee4      
',lovers of ,vertue' are stated to be   
thus freed from the dangers and         
inconveniences incident to travellers1  
who repair to foreign parts to improve  
themselves1 and leave the honour of     
their education to strangers1 running   
'the hazzard of being shaken in the     
fundamental points of their religion1   
and their innate loyalty to their native
 country4' ,the nation is therefore     
exhorted to reflect seriously on ,sir   
,balthazar's proffers2 to embrace them  
vigorously and constantly to countenance
 and promote them1 'since that the      
languages declared to be taught in the  
,academy are3--,hebrew1 ,greek1 ,latin1 
,french1 ,italian1 ,spanish1 ,high      
,dutch1 and ,low ,dutch1 both ,ancient  
and ,modern ,histories1 jointly with the
 ,constitutions and ,governments of the 
most famous ,empires and ,dominions in  
the ,world1 the true ,natural and       
,experimental ,philosophy1 the          

,mathematicks1 ,arithmetic and the      
,keeping of ,bookes of ,accounts by     
,debitor and ,creditor1 all ,excellent  
,handwriting1 ,geometry1 ,cosmography1  
,geography1 ,perspective1 ,architecture1
 ,secret ,motions of ,scenes1           
,fortifications1 the ,besieging and     
,defending of ,places1 ,fireworks1      
,marches of ,armies1 ,ordering of       
,battailes1 ,fencing1 ,vaulting1 ,riding
 the ,great ,horse1 ,music1 ,playing on 
all sorts of ,instruments1 ,dancing1    
,drawing1 ,painting1 ,limning1 and      
,carving1' etc4 ,certainly ,sir         
,balthazar's was a sufficient catalogue 
of arts1 sciences1 and accomplishments4 
,the lectures 'composed for the good of 
the public' were afterwards printed1 and
 to be obtained at ,robert ,ibbitson's  
house in ,smithfield1 near ,hosier      
,lane4 ,it may be noted that a lecture  
upon the art of well-speaking1 brought  
upon the lecturer the derision of       
,butler1 author of ,hudibras4  ,in the  
winter the ,academy was moved from      

,bethnal ,green to ,whitefriars4 ,sir   
,balthazar issued advertisements as to  
his lectures4 ,it is to be feared his   
good intentions were not always         
appreciated by the public of the day4   
,in one of his advertisements we find   
him complaining bitterly of 'the        
extraordinary concourse of unruly people
 who robbed him1 and treated with savage
 rudeness his extraordinary services4'  
,something of a visionary1 too1 was ,sir
 ,balthazar2--yet1 with all his vanity  
as to his own merits--his coxcombry     
about his proceedings1--a sort of       
reformer and benefactor also in a small 
way4 ,at one time we find him           
advertising that1 besides lecturing     
gratis1 he will lend from one shilling  
to six1 gratis1 'to such as are in      
extreme need1 and have not wherewithal  
to endeavour their subsistence1 whereas 
week by week they may drive on some     
trade4' ,by-and-by1 however1 ,sir       
,balthazar was probably more disposed to
 borrow than to lend4 ,his ,academy met 

with little support--with ridicule      
rather than encouragement2 was indeed a 
total failure2 and he left ,england for 
,america4 ,for some years nothing was   
heard of him4  ,in #affj1 however1 we   
find him publishing at ,rotterdam 'a    
sommary description1 manifesting that   
greater profits are to be done in the   
hott than in the cold parts of          
,america4' ,this contains an account of 
his journey with his family to settle at
 ,surinam4 ,but there1 it seems1 he was 
seized by the ,dutch1 treated with much 
violence 7one of his children being     
killed71 and brought to ,holland4 ,he   
attempted1 but in vain1 to obtain       
redress from the ,states for this       
strange treatment of him4 ,he probably  
returned to ,england with ,charles      
,,ii41 for he is said to have aided in  
designing the triumphal arches erected  
at the ,restoration4  ,gerbier's name is
 attached to a long list of books and   
pamphlets4 ,some of these are of a      
controversial character2 the author was 

a stout ,huguenot1 fond of denouncing   
the ,pope2 oftentimes alarmed at plots  
against himself on account of his       
religion1 and now publishing a letter of
 remonstrance to his three daughters    
who1 in opposition to his will1 had     
entered a nunnery in ,paris4 ,other     
works relate to architecture and        
fortifications1 the languages1 arts1 and
 noble exercises taught in his ,academy1
 or contain advice to travellers1 or    
deal with political affairs4 ,mr4 ,pepys
 records in his diary1 under date the   
#bhth ,may #affc3--';,at the ,coffee    
,house in ,exchange ,alley ,i bought a  
little book1 ,counsell to ,builders1 by 
,sir ,balth4 ,gerbier4 ,it is dedicated 
almost to all the men of any great      
condition in ,england1 so that the      
dedications are more than the book      
itself2 and both it and them1' the      
diarist adds somewhat severely1 'not    
worth a farthing6'  ,sir ,balthazar died
 in #affg1 at ,hempsted-,marshall       
,house1 which he had himself designed1  

the seat of ,lord ,craven1 and was      
buried in the chancel of the adjoining  
church4 ,portraits of ,gerbier were     
painted by ,dobson#b--the picture was   
sold for ,l#dd at the sale of ,betterton
 the actor--and by ,vandyke4 ,the work  
by ,vandyke also contained portraits of 
,gerbier's family1 and was purchased in 
,holland by command of ,frederick1      
,prince of ,wales1 and brought to       
,leicester ,house4  #b ,a portrait of   
,gerbier1 ,sir ,charles ,cotterel1 and  
,w4 ,dobson1 painted by ,dobson1 the    
property of the ,duke of                
,northumberland1 was exhibited at ,south
 ,kensington in #ahfh4  ,for something  
like half-a-century after ,sir          
,balthazar ,gerbier's time we find no   
trace of another ,art ,academy in       
,england4     ,,verrio ,,and ,,laguerre4
   ,pope1 denouncing the vanity of      
wealth and the crimes committed in the  
name of taste1 visits ,lord ,timon's    
villa1 and finds plenty of pegs on which
 to hang criticism--ample scope for     

satire4 ,with depreciating eyes he      
surveys the house and grounds1 their    
fittings and garniture1 almost as though
 he were going to make a bid for them4  
',he that blames would buy1' says the   
proverb4 ,then he passes to the         
out-buildings1 taking notes like a      
broker in possession under a fi4 fa4    
',and now the chapel's silver bell you  
hear1     ,that summons you to all the  
pride of prayer3     ,light quirks of   
music1 broken and uneven1     ,make the 
soul dance upon a jig to heaven4     ,on
 painted ceiling you devoutly stare1    
,where sprawl the saints of ,verrio or  
,laguerre1     ,on gilded clouds in fair
 expansion lie1     ,and bring all      
paradise before the eye1' etc4  ,who was
 ,verrio8 ,who was ,laguerre8  ,,antonio
 ,,verrio was born in ,lecce1 a town in 
the ,neapolitan province of ,terra di   
,otranto1 in the year #afci4 ,early in  
life he visited ,venice to study the    
colouring of the ,venetian masters4 ,he 
returned a successful1 not a meritorious

 painter4 ,in #affj he was at ,naples1  
where he executed a large fresco work1  
',christ healing the ,sick1' for the    
,jesuit ,college4 ,this painting1 we are
 told1 was conspicuous for its brilliant
 colour and forcible effect4            
,subsequently the artist was in ,france1
 painting the high altar of the         
,carmelites at ,toulouse4 ,dominici says
 that ',verrio had such a love for      
travelling that he could not remain in  
his own country4'  ,charles ,,ii41      
desiring to revive the manufacture of   
tapestry at ,mortlake1 which had been   
stopped by the civil war1 invited       
,verrio to ,england2 but when he arrived
 the king changed his plans1 and        
intrusted the painter with the          
decoration in fresco of ,windsor        
,castle4 ,charles was induced to this by
 seeing a work of ,verrio's at ,lord    
,arlington's house at the end of ,st4   
,james's ,park1 the site of ,buckingham 
,house4 ',in possession of the ,cartoons
 of ,raphael1' ,fuseli lectured1        

angrily1 on the subject1 years          
afterwards1 'and with the magnificence  
of ,whitehall before his eyes1 he       
suffered ,verrio to contaminate the     
walls of his palaces4' ,but there was   
raging then a sort of epidemical belief 
in native deficiency and in the absolute
 necessity of importing art talent4 ,in 
his first picture ,verrio represented   
the king in a glorification of naval    
triumph4 ,he decorated most of the      
ceilings of the palace1 one whole side  
of ,st4 ,george's ,hall and the ,chapel2
 but few of his works are now extant4   
,hans ,jordaens' lively fancy and ready 
pencil induced his critics to affirm of 
him1 'that his figures seemed to flow   
from his hand upon the canvas as from a 
pot-ladle4' ,certainly1 from ,verrio's  
fertility in apologue and allegory1 and 
the rapidity of his execution1 it might 
have been said that he spattered out his
 works with a mop4 ,nothing daunted him4
 ,he would have covered an acre of      
ceiling with an acre of apotheosis4 ,as 

,walpole writes1 ',his exuberant pencil 
was ready at pouring out gods1          
goddesses1 kings1 emperors1 and triumphs
 over those public surfaces on which the
 eye never rests long enough to         
criticise1 and where one should be sorry
 to place the works of a better master4 
,i mean ceilings and staircases4 ,the   
,new ,testament or the ,roman ,history  
cost him nothing but ultramarine2 that  
and marble columns and marble steps he  
never spared4'  ,he shrunk from no      
absurdity or incongruity4 ,his taste was
 even worse than his workmanship4 ,he   
delighted to avenge any wrong he had    
received1 or fancied he had received1 by
 introducing his enemy1 real or         
imaginary1 in his pictures4 ,thus1 on   
the ceiling of ,st4 ,george's ,hall1 he 
painted ,anthony1 ,earl of ,shaftesbury1
 in the character of ,faction dispersing
 libels2 in another place1 having a     
private quarrel with ,mrs4 ,marriott1   
the housekeeper1 he borrowed her face   
for one of his ,furies4 ,painting for   

,lord ,exeter1 at ,burleigh1 in a       
representation of ,bacchus bestriding a 
hogshead1 he copied the head of a dean  
with whom he was at variance4 ,it is    
more excusable1 perhaps1 that1 when     
compelled by his patron to insert a     
,pope in a procession little flattering 
to his religion1 he added the portrait  
of the ,archbishop of ,canterbury then  
living4 ,in a picture of the ',healing  
of the ,sick1' he was guilty of the     
folly and impropriety of introducing    
among the spectators of the scene1      
portraits of himself1 ,sir ,godfrey     
,kneller1 and ,mr4 ,may1 surveyor of the
 works1 all adorned with the profuse    
periwigs of the period4 ,but he could   
not transfer to his pictures a decorum  
and a common sense that had no place in 
his mind4 ,hence he loved to depict a   
garish and heterogeneous whirl of saints
 and sinners1 pan-pipes1 periwigs1      
cherubim1 silk stockings1 angels1       
small-swords1 the naked and the clothed1
 goddesses1 violoncellos1 stars1 and    

garters4 ,a ,latin inscription in honour
 of the painter and his paintings       
appeared over the tribune at the end of 
,st4 ,george's ,hall3--',antonius       
,verrio ,neapolitanus non ignobili      
stirpe natus1 ad honorem ,dei1          
,augustissimi ,regis ,caroli ,secundi et
 ,sancti ,georgii1 molem hanc           
felicissima manu decoravit4'  ,the king 
lavished kindness upon this pretentious 
and absurd ,italian4 ,he was appointed  
to the place of master-gardener1 and    
lodgings in a house in ,st4 ,james's    
,park1 to be afterwards known as        
,carlton ,house1 were set apart for his 
use4 ,here he was visited by ,evelyn1   
who records that 'the famous ,italian   
painter' was 'settled in ,his ,majesty's
 garden at ,st4 ,james's1 which he had  
made a very delicious paradise4' ,the   
artist also dined with the author1 and  
was regaled with ',china oranges off my 
own trees1 as good1 ,i think1 as ever   
were eaten4' ,for works executed in     
,windsor ,castle between the years #afgf

 and #afha1 he received the sum of      
,l#fhde1 #hs4 #d;d4 ,vertue copied the  
account 'from a half-sheet of paper     
fairly writ in a hand of the time4' ,it 
particularizes the rooms decorated1 and 
the cost4 ,for the king's guard chamber1
 ,l#cjj2 for the king's presence        
chamber1 ,l#bjj2 for the queen's        
drawing-room1 ,l#bej2 for the queen's   
bed-chamber1 ,l#ajj2 and so on1 until   
the enormous total is reached4 ,of his  
paintings in ,st4 ,george's ,hall       
,evelyn writes1 ',verrio's invention is 
admirable1 his ordnance full and        
flowing1 antique and heroical2 his      
figures move2 and if the walls hold     
7which is the only doubt1 by reason of  
the salts1 which in time and in this    
moist climate prejudice71 his work will 
preserve his name to ages4' ,he employed
 many workmen under him1 was of         
extravagant habits1 and kept a great    
table4 ,he considered himself as an     
art-monarch entitled to considerable    
state and magnificence4 ,he was constant

 in his applications to the ,crown for  
money to carry on his works4 ,with the  
ordinary pertinacity of the dun1 he     
joined a freedom which would have been  
remarkable1 if the king's indulgence and
 good humour had not done so much to    
foster it4 ,once1 at ,hampton ,court1   
having lately received an advance of a  
thousand pounds1 he found the king so   
encircled by courtiers that he could not
 approach4 ,he called out loudly and    
boldly--  ',sire6 ,i desire the favour  
of speaking to your ,majesty4'  ',well1 
,verrio1' the king inquired1 'what is   
your request8'  ',money1 sire6 ,i am so 
short in cash that ,i am not able to pay
 my workmen1 and your ,majesty and ,i   
have learned by experience that pedlars 
and painters cannot give credit long4'  
,the king laughed at this impudent      
speech1 and reminded the painter that he
 had but lately received a thousand     
pounds4  ',yes1 sire1' persisted        
,verrio1 'but that was soon paid away4' 
',at that rate1 you would spend more    

than ,i do to maintain my family4'      
',true1 sire1' answered the painter2    
'but does your ,majesty keep an open    
table as ,i do8'  ,verrio designed the  
large equestrian portrait of the king   
for the hall of ,chelsea ,college1 but  
it was finished by ,cooke1 and presented
 by ,lord ,ranelagh4 ,on the accession  
of ,james ,,ii4 he was again employed at
 ,windsor in ,wolsey's tomb-house1 which
 it was intended should be used as a    
,roman ,catholic chapel4 ,he painted the
 king and several of his courtiers in   
the hospital of ,christchurch1 ,london1 
and he painted also at ,st4             
,bartholomew's ,hospital4  ,but soon    
there was an end of his friends and     
patrons1 the ,stuarts4 ,james had fled2 
,william of ,orange was on the throne2 a
 revolution had happened little         
favourable to ,signor ,verrio's religion
 or political principles4 ,there is a   
commendable staunchness in his adherence
 to the ruined cause3 in his abandoning 
his post of master-gardener1 and his    

refusal to work for the man he regarded 
as a usurper2 though there is something 
ludicrous in the notion of punishing    
,king ,william by depriving him of      
,verrio's art4 ,he did not object1      
however1 to work for the nobility4 ,for 
some years he was employed by ,lord     
,exeter at ,burleigh1 and afterwards at 
,chatsworth4 ,he was true to his old    
execrable style4 ,he introduced his own 
portrait in a picture-history of ,mars  
and ,venus1 and in the chapel at        
,chatsworth he produced a dreadful      
altar-piece representing the incredulity
 of ,st4 ,thomas4 ,he painted also at   
,lowther ,hall4 ,for his paintings at   
,burleigh alone he was paid more money  
than ,raphael or ,michael ,angelo       
received for all their works4 ,verrio   
was engaged on them for about twelve    
years1 handsomely maintained the while1 
with an equipage at his disposal1 and a 
salary of ,l#aejj a year4 ,subsequently1
 on the persuasion of ,lord ,exeter1    
,verrio was induced to lend his aid to  

royalty once more1 and he condescended  
to decorate the grand staircase at      
,hampton ,court for ,king ,william4     
,walpole suggests that he accomplished  
this work as badly as he could1 'as if  
he had spoiled it out of principle4'    
,but this is not credible4 ,the painting
 was in the artist's usual manner1 and  
neither better nor worse--and his best  
was bad enough1 in all conscience4 ,his 
usual faults of gaudy colour1 bad       
drawing1 and senseless composition were 
of course to be found2 but then1 these  
were equally apparent in all his other  
works4 ,later in life his sight began to
 fail him1 and he received from ,queen  
,anne a pension of ,l#bjj a year for his
 life4 ,to the last royal favour was    
extended to him1 and he was selected to 
superintend the decorations of          
,blenheim4 ,but death intervened4 ,the  
over-rated1 overpaid1 and most          
meretricious painter died at ,hampton   
,court in #agjg4 ,there is evident error
 in ,dominici's statement that the old  

man met his death from drowning on a    
visit to ,languedoc4 ,walpole1 summing  
up his merits and demerits1 says1 rather
 curiously1 ',he was an excellent       
painter for the sort of subjects on     
which he was employed1 without much     
invention and with less taste6'  ,the   
father of ,,louis ,,laguerre was by     
birth a ,catalan1 and held the          
appointment of ,keeper of the ,royal    
,menagerie at ,versailles4 ,to his son1 
born at ,paris in #affc1 ,louis ,,xiv4  
stood godfather1 bestowing on the child 
his distinguished ,christian name4 ,the 
young ,laguerre received his education  
at a ,jesuit ,college1 with the view of 
entering the priesthood1 but a confirmed
 impediment in his speech demonstrated  
his unfitness for such a calling4 ,he   
began to evince considerable            
art-ability1 and1 on the recommendation 
of the fathers of the college1 he       
eventually embraced the profession of   
painting4 ,he then entered the ,royal   
,academy of ,france1 and studied for a  

short time under ,charles ,le ,brun4 ,in
 #afhc he came to ,england with one     
,picard1 a painter of architecture4 ,at 
this time ,verrio was in the acme of his
 prosperity4 ,he was producing          
allegorical ceilings and staircases by  
wholesale4 ,he had a troop of workmen   
under him1 obedient to his instructions1
 dabbing in superficial yards of pink   
flesh1 and furlongs of blue clouds4     
,verrio was happy to secure forthwith so
 efficient an assistant as ,laguerre1   
and soon found him plenty to do4 ,in    
nearly every work of ,verrio's after    
this date1 it is probable that ,laguerre
 had a hand4 ,he seems to have been an  
amiable1 kindly1 simple-minded man1     
without much self-assertion or any      
strong opinions of his own4 ,he was     
quite content to do as ,verrio bid him1 
even imitating him and following him    
through his figurative mysteries1 and   
floundering with him in the mire of     
graceless drawing and gaudy colour and  
ridiculous fable4 ,he had at least as   

much talent as his master--probably even
 more4 ,but he never sought to outshine 
or displace him4  ',a modest1           
unintriguing man1' as ,vertue calls him1
 he was quite satisfied with being      
second in command1 no matter how        
ignorant and inefficient might be his   
captain4  ,john ,tijon1 his             
father-in-law1 a founder of iron        
balustrades1 said of him1 ',god has made
 him a painter1 and there left him4'    
,he worked under ,verrio in ,st4        
,bartholomew's ,hospital1 and at        
,burleigh2 he executed staircases at old
 ,devonshire ,house1 in ,piccadilly1 at 
,buckingham ,house1 and at ,petworth2   
assisted in the paintings at            
,marlborough ,house1 ,st4 ,james's      
,park2 decorated the saloon at          
,blenheim2 and in many of the apartments
 at ,burleigh on the ,hill 'the walls   
are covered with his ,caesars4'         
,william of ,orange gave the painter    
lodgings at ,hampton ,court1 where it   
seems he painted the ,labours of        

,hercules in chiaro-oscuro1 and repaired
 ,andrea ,mantegna's pictures of the    
,triumphs of ,julius ,caesar4  ,the     
commissioners for rebuilding ,st4       
,paul's ,cathedral unanimously chose    
,laguerre to decorate the cupola with   
frescoes4 ,subsequently this decision   
was abandoned in favour of ,thornhill2  
but1 as ,walpole says1 'the preference  
was not ravished from ,laguerre by      
superior merit4'  ,sir ,james ,thornhill
 received payment for his paintings in  
the dome of ,st4 ,paul's at the rate of 
forty shillings the square yard4 ,the   
world has still the opportunity of      
deciding upon the merits or demerits of 
those works4 ,vertue thinks that ,sir   
,james was indebted to ,laguerre for his
 knowledge of historical painting on    
ceilings1 etc4 ,for decorating the      
staircase of the ,south ,sea ,company's 
,house1 ,sir ,james received only       
twenty-five shillings per square yard4  
,by speculating in the shares of the    
same ,company1 it may be stated that    

another artist1 ,sir ,godfrey ,kneller1 
lost ,l#bj1jjj4 ,but prosperous ,sir    
,godfrey could afford to lose2 his      
fortune could sustain even such a shock 
as that2 at his death he left an estate 
of ,l#bjjj per annum4 ,he had intended  
that ,thornhill should decorate the     
staircase of his seat at ,wilton1 but   
learning that ,newton was sitting to    
,sir ,james1 he grew angry4 ',no        
portrait painter shall paint my house1' 
cried ,sir ,godfrey1 and he gave the    
commission to ,laguerre1 who did his    
very best for his brother artist4  ,on  
the union of ,england and ,scotland1    
,laguerre received an order from ,queen 
,anne to design a set of tapestries     
commemorative of the event1 introducing 
portraits of her ,majesty and her       
,ministers4 ,he executed the requisite  
drawings2 but it does not appear that   
the work was ever carried out4  ,in     
#agaa he was a director of an academy of
 drawing instituted in ,london1 under   
the presidency of ,kneller4 ,on the     

resignation of ,kneller1 there was a    
probability of ,laguerre being elected  
in his place2 but he was again defeated 
by his rival1 ,thornhill1 probably as   
much from his own want of management and
 self-confidence1 as from any other     
cause4  ,he drew designs for engravers1 
and etched a ,judgment of ,midas4 ,round
 the room of a tavern in ,drury ,lane1  
where was held a club of virtuosi1 he   
painted a ,bacchanalian procession1 and 
presented the house with his labours4   
,he had many imitators2 for there are   
followers of bad as well as of good     
examples4 ,among others1 ,riario1       
,johnson1 ,brown1 besides ,lanscroon1   
,scheffers1 and ,picard1 who worked with
 him under ,verrio4  ,his son and pupil1
 ,john ,laguerre1 manifested            
considerable ability1 and engraved a    
series of prints of ',hob in the        
,well1'#c which had a large popularity1 
though they were but indifferently      
executed4 ,he was fond of the theatre1  
with a talent for music and singing2    

painted scenery and stage decorations4  
,he even appeared upon the boards as a  
singer4  #c ,a favourite old ballad     
farce by ,dogget1 the comedian4         
,laguerre1 in his age1 feeble and       
dropsical1 attended ,drury ,lane on the 
#bjth ,april #agba1 to witness his son's
 performance in a musical version of    
,beaumont and ,fletcher's ',island      
,princess2' but1 before the curtain     
rose1 the poor old man was seized with  
an apoplectic fit1 and died the same    
night4 ,he was buried in the ,churchyard
 of ,st4 ,martin's-in-the-,fields4 ,the 
son subsequently quitted the stage1 and 
resumed his first profession4 ,he etched
 a plate1 representing ,falstaff1       
,pistol1 and ,doll ,tearsheet1 with     
other theatrical characters1 in allusion
 to a quarrel between the players and   
patentees4 ,he died in very indigent    
circumstances1 in ,march #agdh4  ,time  
and the white-washer's double-tie brush 
have combined to destroy most of the    
ceilings and staircases of ,signor      

,verrio and ,monsieur ,laguerre4 ,for   
their art1 there was not worth enough in
 it to endow it with any lasting        
vitality4 ,they are remembered more from
 ,pope's lines1 than on any other       
account--preserved in them1 like        
uncomely curiosities in good spirits4   
,to resort to the poet for verses       
applicable1 though familiar3--          
',pretty in amber to observe the forms  
,of hair1 or straws1 or dirt1 or grubs1 
or worms2     ,the things we know are   
neither rich nor rare1     ,but wonder  
how the devil they got there6'     ,a   
,,sculptor',s ,,life ,,in ,,the ,,last  
,,century4   ,horace ,walpole1 in his   
,anecdotes of ,painting1 having deplored
 the low ebb to which the arts had sunk 
in ,britain during the time of ,george  
the ,first1 proceeds to consider the    
succeeding reign with greater           
complacency3 accounting it1 indeed1 as a
 new and shining era4 ,under ,george the
 ,second he found architecture revived  
'in antique purity2' sculpture redeemed 

from reproach2 the art of gardening1 or1
 as he prefers to call it1 'the art of  
creating landscape1' pressed forward to 
perfection2 engraving much elevated2 and
 painting1 if less perceptibly advanced1
 still 7towards the close of the reign1 
at any rate7 ransomed from insipidity by
 the genius of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4  
,the king himself1 it was conceded1 had 
'little propensity to refined pleasure2'
 but his consort1 ,queen ,caroline1 was 
credited with a lively anxiety to reward
 merit and to encourage the exertions of
 the ingenious4  ,this glowing picture  
of the period in its relation to the    
fine arts1 contrasts somewhat violently 
with what we learn elsewhere concerning 
the poverty of ,richard ,wilson1 the    
ill-requited labours of ,william        
,hogarth1 the struggles and sufferings  
of ,james ,barry1 and generally1 of the 
depressed condition of native professors
 of art during the eighteenth century4  
,that the portrait-painter 7the         
'face-painter' as ,hogarth delighted    

contemptuously to designate him7 found  
sufficient occupation is likely enough2 
but1 otherwise1 the ,british artist had 
perforce to limit the aspirations of his
 genius to the decoration of ceilings   
and staircases1 and to derive his chief 
emoluments from painting the sign-boards
 of the ,british tradesman3 if not a    
very dignified still a remunerative     
employment2 for in those days every     
,london shop boasted its distinct       
emblem4  ,nevertheless it is certain    
that in ,george the ,second's reign     
,fashion began to take up with ,taste4  
,dilettanteism became the vogue4        
,objects of virtu were now1 for the     
first time1 indispensable appendages of 
the houses of the aristocratic and the  
rich4 ,a rage for 'collecting' possessed
 the town1 and led to an expenditure as 
profuse as it was injudicious4 ,of the  
vast sums disbursed1 however1 but a     
small share came to the native artist4  
,his works were passed over as beneath  
the notice of the cognoscenti4 ,the     

'quality' gave their verdict against    
modern art and in favour of the ancient 
masters4 ,a race of old picture-brokers 
and jobbers in antiquities sprang into  
existence to supply the increasing      
demand for such chattels4 ,the ,london  
,magazine for #agcg1 in an article      
attributed to ,william ,hogarth1        
inveighs bitterly against these         
speculators and their endeavours to     
depreciate every ,english work in order 
to enhance the value of their imported  
shiploads of ,dead ,christs1 ,holy      
,families and ,madonnas3 the sweepings  
of the continental art-markets4         
,auction-rooms were opened in all parts 
of ,london for the exhibition and sale  
of choice objects of every kind1 and    
became the resort and rendezvous of all 
pretending to wealth and fashion4       
,agents were to be found at the chief   
foreign cities eagerly exhuming         
antiquities for transmission to         
,england3 certain of immediate sale and 
enormous profit there4 ,the prevailing  

appetite seemed to grow by what it fed  
on4 ,and then1 of course1 unscrupulous  
people took to manufacturing            
antiquities2 and1 so doing1 drove a     
brisk and remarkably remunerative trade4
  ,the neglected ,british artist        
naturally made protests and wrote       
pamphlets more or less angry in tone1   
according to the state of his purse and 
his temper and the extent of his        
self-appreciation4 ,the press of the    
period raised its voice3 a less         
portentous and sonorous organ than it   
has since possessed4 ,even the players  
ventured to be satirical on the subject4
 ,it was early in #ageb that ,mr4       
,foote's comedy of ,taste was brought   
upon the stage of ,drury ,lane ,theatre1
 ,david ,garrick both writing and       
speaking the prologue4 ,probably the    
satire soared rather above the heads of 
the audience4 ,foote admits as much in  
his preface to the published play3 ',i  
was always apprehensive that the subject
 of the following piece was too         

abstracted and singular for the         
comprehension of a mixed assembly4      
,juno1 ,lucina1 ,jupiter ,tonans1       
,phidias1 ,praxiteles1 with the other   
gentlemen and ladies of antiquity1 were1
 ,i daresay1 utterly unknown to my very 
good friends of the gallery2 nor1 to    
speak the truth1 do ,i believe they had 
many acquaintances in the other parts of
 the house4' ,accordingly ,taste1 on its
 first production1 was only repeated    
some four nights1 and1 though revived   
once or twice afterwards1 never took    
rank as a stock piece4 ,yet1 as ,mr4    
,john ,forster says of it1 ,foote's play
 is legitimate satire1 and also         
excellent comedy4  ,there is little or  
no plot4 ,foote did not care for        
continuous story2 he could generally    
secure the favour of the audience by the
 wit of his dialogue and a quick        
succession of lively incidents4 ,in the 
first act ,lady ,pentweazle sits for her
 portrait in a broadly humorous scene4  
,puff is an impudent trader in sham     

antiquities and objects of virtu2       
,carmine1 an artist constrained by      
poverty to aid and abet him in his      
nefarious proceedings2 ,brush is another
 confederate4 ,in the second act a sale 
by auction is represented4 ,carmine     
appears as ,canto the auctioneer2 ,puff 
figures as the ,baron de ,groningen1 who
 is travelling to purchase pictures for 
the ,elector of ,bavaria4 ,lord ,dupe1  
,bubble1 ,squander1 and ,novice1 are    
fashionable patrons and collectors of   
art4 ,the pictures to be submitted for  
sale are inspected4 ,one of them is     
particularly admired2 but is ultimately 
discovered to be 'a modern performance1 
the master alive1 and an ,englishman4'  
',oh1 then1' says ,lord ,dupe1 changing 
his tone1 ',i would not give it         
house-room6' ,the antiquities are then  
brought forward4 ',the first lot1'      
announces the auctioneer1 'consists of a
 hand without an arm1 the first joint of
 the forefinger gone1 supposed to be a  
limb of the ,apollo ,delphos4 ,the      

second1 half a foot1 with the toes      
entire1 of the ,juno ,lucina4 ,the      
third1 the ,caduceus of the ,mercurius  
,infernalis4 ,the fourth1 the half of   
the leg of the ,infant ,hercules4 ,all  
indisputable antiques1 and of the       
,memphian marble4' ,one critic objects  
to a swelling on the foot of ,juno as a 
defect in its proportion2 but the       
auctioneer informs him that the swelling
 is intended to represent a corn1 and   
the defect is thereupon pronounced an   
absolute master-stroke4 ,presently the  
auctioneer proceeds3 ',bring forward the
 head from ,herculaneum4444 ,now1       
gentlemen1 here is a jewel4444 ,the very
 mutilations of this piece are worth all
 the most perfect performances of modern
 artists4 ,now1 gentlemen1 here is a    
touchstone for your taste6' ,he is asked
 whether the head is intended to        
represent a man or a woman4 ',the       
connoisseurs differ1' he answers4 ',some
 will have it to be the ,jupiter ,tonans
 of ,phidias1 and others the ,venus of  

,paphos from ,praxiteles2 but ,i don't  
think it fierce enough for the first1   
nor handsome enough for the last4444    
,therefore ,i am inclined to join with  
,signor ,julio de ,pampedillo1 who1 in a
 treatise dedicated to the ,king of the 
,two ,sicilies1 calls it the ,serapis of
 the ,egyptians1 and supposes it to have
 been fabricated about eleven hundred   
and three years before the ,mosaic      
account of the creation4' ,a bystander  
inquires what has become of the nose of 
the bust8 ',the nose8 ,what care ,i for 
the nose8' cries an enthusiastic        
amateur4 ',why1 sir1 if it had a nose ,i
 wouldn't give sixpence for it6 ,how the
 devil should we distinguish the works  
of the ancients if they were perfect8   
,why1 ,i don't suppose but1 barring the 
nose1 ,,roubiliac could cut as good a   
head every whit4444 ,a man must know    
d----d little of statuary that dislikes 
a bust for want of a nose6'  ,it must be
 admitted that this is satire of a good 
trenchant sort4 ,the reader will find   

plenty more of it if he will only turn  
to the comedy for himself4 ,our         
immediate purpose is with the sculptor  
for whose name ,mr4 ,foote has found a  
place in his play4  ,the rage for       
collecting antiquities was only equalled
 by the passion for 'restoring' them    
when collected4 ,to disinter a torso    
here1 and a head there1 and then to make
 a sort of forced marriage of the       
fragments2 to graft new feet upon old   
legs2 to dovetail stray hands upon odd  
arms2 to reset broken limbs1 and patch  
and piece mutilations and deficiencies1 
constituted the delights and the        
triumphs of the amateurs4 ,in           
accomplishing these exploits the        
services of foreign workmen were        
extensively employed2 for1 by a curious 
piece of reasoning1 the foreign         
sculptor1 no matter how limited his     
capacity1 was held to be far more       
competent to restore antiquities than   
the ,english artist of whatever         
reputation4 ,it was1 doubtless1 in      

consequence of this demand for foreign  
labour1 and the liberal manner in which 
its exertions were recognised and       
requited1 that ,louis ,francis          
,roubiliac found his way to this        
country4  ,in his account of the        
sculptor1 ,walpole is singularly brief2 
supplies very meagre information2 yet   
when he was compiling his ,anecdotes the
 fame of ,roubiliac was at its highest2 
he was freshly remembered on all sides1 
and the facts of his early life could   
have been collected1 one would imagine1 
without much difficulty4 ,he was born1  
from all accounts1 at ,lyons1 about the 
close of the seventeenth century2 was a 
pupil of ,balthazar of ,dresden1        
sculptor to the ,elector of ,saxony1 and
 came to ,england in #agbj4 ,that he was
 without repute in his native land is   
evidenced by the fact that no mention of
 him appears in ,d',argenville's ,lives 
of the most ,eminent ,sculptors of      
,france1 published in #aghg4 ,of his    
parentage nothing is known4 ,he had     

apparently received a fair education2   
was found to possess a considerable     
acquaintance with the literature of his 
native land2 more especially was        
conversant with the works of the best   
,french poets1 and himself produced     
original verse of a respectable quality4
 ,yet1 notwithstanding his long         
residence in ,england1 he never mastered
 the ,english language so as to be able 
to use it freely2 and in all the        
anecdotes extant of him he is           
represented as employing the broken     
dialect common to foreigners4  ,for some
 years after his arrival in ,england his
 occupation would appear to have been   
little better than that of a journeyman 
sculptor1 employed under various masters
 in botching antiquities4 ,mr4 ,john    
,thomas ,smith1 in his ,life of         
,nollekens1 informs us that when ,mr4   
,roubiliac had to mend an antique1 he   
'would mix ,gloucester cheese with his  
plaster1 adding the grounds of porter1  
and the yolk of an egg3 which mixture   

when dry forms a very hard cement4'     
,walpole states that the artist had     
little business until ,sir ,edward      
,walpole 7,sir ,robert's second son3    
,horace was the third7 recommended him  
to execute half the busts in ,trinity   
,college1 ,dublin2 but the date of this 
act of patronage is not supplied4 ,a    
story attributed to ,sir ,joshua        
,reynolds1 and set forth in his ,life by
 ,northcote1 relates that ,roubiliac    
first secured the patronage of ,sir     
,edward ,walpole by picking up and      
restoring a pocket-book he had dropped  
at ,vauxhall1 containing bank-notes and 
other papers of value4 ,the artist      
declined to receive any reward for this 
service1 although ultimately he was     
persuaded to accept the annual present  
of a fat buck1 as a testimony of        
gratitude and regard2 further1 he became
 the object of ,sir ,edward's constant  
patronage4 ,horace ,walpole says nothing
 of this story2 but the brothers1 it was
 well known1 were not friends1 seldom if

 ever met1 and probably were not closely
 informed of each other's proceedings4  
,in a letter written in #agde to his    
friend ,george ,montagu1 ,horace        
,walpole gives an amusing description of
 the patron of ,roubiliac1 and1         
incidentally1 reveals the not very      
brotherly terms subsisting between      
himself and the knight3 ',you propose   
making a visit to ,englefield ,green'   
where ,sir ,edward lived1 'and ask me if
 ,i think it right8 ,extremely so4 ,i   
have heard it is a very pretty place4   
,you love a jaunt--have a pretty chaise1
 ,i believe1 and ,i dare swear1 very    
easy2 in all probability you will have a
 fine evening2 and added to all this1   
the gentleman' ,sir ,e4,w4 'you would go
 to see is very agreeable and           
good-humoured1444 plays extremely well  
on the bass-viol1 and has generally     
other people with him4444 ,he is        
perfectly master of all the quarrels    
that have been fashionably on foot about
 ,handel1 and can give you a very       

perfect account of all the modern rival 
painters4444 ,in short1 ,i can think of 
no reason in the world against your     
going there but one3 do you know his    
youngest brother88 ,if you happen to be 
so unlucky1 ,i can't flatter you so far 
as to advise you to make him a visit3   
for there is nothing in the world the   
,baron of ,englefield has such an       
aversion for as for his brother6'  ,it  
was probably some years before this that
 ,roubiliac had obtained employment from
 ,mr4 ,jonathan ,tyers1 who in #agcb had
 become the proprietor of ,vauxhall     
,gardens4 ,the ',new ,spring ,gardens at
 ,fox ,hall' had in the previous century
 been a resort of ,mr4 ,samuel ,pepys1  
who has left on record his approval of  
the place4 ',it is very pleasant and    
cheap going thither1' he writes in      
#affg1 'for a man may go to spend what  
he will or nothing1 as all one4 ,but to 
hear the nightingale and the birds1 and 
here fiddles and there a harp1 and here 
a ,jew's-trump and here laughing1 and   

there fine people walking1 is mighty    
divertising4' ,since the ,pepys period1 
however1 the gardens had fallen into    
disrepute2 had indeed been closed during
 many seasons4 ,mr4 ,tyers took the     
place in hand1 bent upon restoring its  
fame and fashion4 ,he erected an        
orchestra1 with an organ1 engaged the   
best singers and musicians of the day1  
built alcoves for the company1 and      
secured paintings by ,messrs4 ,hayman   
and ,hogarth for the further            
embellishment of the gardens4 ,then he  
discussed with his friend1 ,mr4 ,cheere1
 as to adding works of statuary4 ,mr4   
,cheere dealt largely in painted leaden 
figures1 then much employed in 'the art 
of creating landscape4' ,he was 'the man
 at ,hyde ,park ,corner' of whom ,lord  
,ogleby in the comedy#d makes mention   
when he says3 ',great improvements1     
indeed1 ,mr4 ,sterling6 ,wonderful      
improvements6 ,the four ,seasons in     
lead1 the flying ,mercury1 and the basin
 with ,neptune in the middle1 are in the

 very extreme of fine taste4 ,you have  
as many rich figures as the man at ,hyde
 ,park ,corner6' ,mr4 ,cheere advised   
,mr4 ,tyers to set up a statue of       
,handel4 ,there was some difficulty     
about the expense4 ,but ,mr4 ,cheere    
introduced a clever artist1 a           
,frenchman1 content to work upon very   
moderate terms4 ,this was1 of course1   
,louis ,francis ,roubiliac2 who         
accordingly produced his statue of      
,handel3 greatly to the admiration of   
the habitues of ,vauxhall4 ,it stood1 in
 #agdd1 on the south side of the        
gardens1 under an enclosed lofty arch1  
surmounted by a figure playing on the   
violoncello1 attended by two boys2 it   
was then screened from the weather by a 
curtain1 which was drawn up when the    
visitors arrived4 ,mr4 ,tyers's plans   
were crowned with success4 ,fashion was 
enthusiastic on the subject of          
,vauxhall4 ,royalty patronized2 the     
nobility protected and promoted2 and the
 general public crowded ,mr4 ,tyers's   

handsome pleasure-grounds4 ,the ladies  
promenaded in their hoops1 sacques1 and 
caps1 as they appeared in their own     
drawing-rooms3 the beaux of the period  
were in attendance1 with swords and     
powdered bag-wigs1 their three-cornered 
hats under their arms4 ,read ,walpole's 
account 7in another letter to ,george   
,montagu7 of his visit in #agej4 ,he    
accompanied ,lady ,caroline ,petersham  
and little ,miss ,ashe--or 'the ,pollard
 ,ashe1' as it pleases him to describe  
her4 ,the ladies had just put on their  
last layer of rouge1 'and looked as     
handsome as crimson could make them4'   
,they proceed in a barge1 a boat of     
,french horns attending1 and little     
,miss ,ashe singing4 ,parading some time
 up the river they at last debark at    
,vauxhall1 and there pick up ,lord      
,granby1 'arrived very drunk from       
,jenny's ,whim'--a tavern at ,chelsea   
frequented by his lordship and other    
gentlemen of fashion4 ,assembled in     
their supper-box1 ,lady ,caroline1      

'looking gloriously jolly and handsome1'
 minces seven chickens in a china dish  
7,lord ,orford1 ,horace's brother1      
assisting71 and stews them over a lamp1 
with three pats of butter and a flagon  
of water1 stirring1 and rattling1 and   
laughing3 the company expecting the dish
 to fly about their ears every minute4  
,then ,betty1 the famous fruit-woman    
from ,st4 ,james's ,street1 is in       
attendance with hampers of strawberries 
and cherries1 waits upon the guests1 and
 afterwards sits down to her own supper 
at a side table4 ,the company become1   
by-and-by1 a little boisterous in their 
merriment1 and attract the attention of 
the other visitors2 there is soon quite 
a concourse round ,lady ,caroline's box1
 till ,harry ,vane fills a bumper and   
toasts the bystanders1 and is proceeding
 to treat them with still greater       
freedom4 ',it was three o'clock before  
we got home1' concludes ,walpole4 ,such 
was a fashionable frolic at ,vauxhall   
under ,mr4 ,tyers's management3 when    

,roubiliac's statue of ,handel stood in 
the midst4  #d ',the ,clandestine       
,marriage4'  ,vauxhall vanished some ten
 or a dozen years since4 ,its latter    
days were dreary1 down-at-heel1 and     
disreputable enough4 ,the statue had    
departed long previously4 ',it was      
conveyed to the house of ,mr4 ,barrett1 
at ,stockwell1' records ,mr4 ,j4,t4     
,smith in #ahbi1 'and thence to the     
entrance-hall of the residence of his   
son1 the ,rev4 ,jonathan ,tyers         
,barrett1 ,d4,d41 of ,no4 #ad ,duke     
,street1 ,westminster4' ,mr4 ,henry     
,phillips1 in his ,musical and ,personal
 ,recollections 7#ahfd71 regrets that   
when ,roubiliac's ,handel 'was brought  
to the hammer1 and sold by ,mr4 ,squibb 
on the #afth ,march #ahcb1 for two      
hundred and five guineas1 the ,sacred   
,harmonic ,society did not purchase it  
in place of its being bought by ,mr4    
,brown1 of ,university ,street4'        
,nollekens used to value the statue at  
one thousand guineas4 ,the plaster model

 became the property of ,hudson1 the    
preceptor of ,reynolds1 who possessed a 
collection of models at his house at    
,twickenham4 ,upon the death of ,hudson 
and the sale of his collection1 the     
model was bought for five pounds by the 
father of ,mr4 ,j4,t4 ,smith1 a pupil of
 ,roubiliac's1 and it then passed into  
the possession of ,nollekens4 ,when     
,nollekens's effects were sold1 the     
plaster ,handel was knocked down by ,mr4
 ,christie to ,hamlet1 the famous       
silversmith4 ,its further history has   
not been traced4  ,the statue of        
,handel1 the first original work that   
can1 with any certainty1 be ascribed to 
,roubiliac1 may be regarded as a fair   
specimen of the artist's manner4 ,he was
 of the school of ,bernini4 ,he followed
 the sculptors who infinitely prefer    
unrest to repose in art4 ,he dearly     
enjoyed a tour de force in stone4 ,he   
liked to deal with marble as though it  
were the most plastic of materials3 to  
twist it this way and that1 and rumple  

and flutter it as though it were merely 
muslin4 ,to have carved a wig in a gale 
of wind would have been a task          
particularly agreeable to this class of 
artists2 they would have done their best
 to represent each particular hair      
standing on end4 ,they adored minutiae3 
a shoulder-knot of ribbons1 the         
embroidery of a sword-belt1 the stitches
 of a seam1 the lace of a cravat1 were  
achievements to be gloried in4 ,and yet1
 with all this realism in detail1 their 
works are unreal and artificial in      
general effect2 as a glance at any      
statue by ,roubiliac will sufficiently  
demonstrate4  ,this arises possibly from
 the artist's fondness for attitude4 ,he
 seems to have regarded posture-making  
as a peculiar attribute of genius4 ,his 
figures are always in a constrained and 
over-studied pose3 twisting about in the
 throes of giving birth to a great idea3
 filled with the divine afflatus1 even  
to the bursting of their buttonholes and
 the snapping of their braces4 ,his     

,handel is in a state of exceeding      
perturbation3 his clothes in staring    
disorder1 his hair floating in the      
breeze4 ,the intention was to represent 
the composer in the act of raptured     
meditation upon music2 but1 as ,allan   
,cunningham remarks1 he looks much more 
like a man alarmed at an apparition4    
,but then this exaggeration of demeanour
 was very much the artist's own manner  
in actual life4 ,the ,frenchman has     
always a sort of innate histrionic      
faculty3 he is for ever1 perhaps        
unconsciously1 playing a part4 ,so      
,roubiliac was himself incessantly      
acting and attitudinizing1 much after   
the fashion of his statues4 ,he seemed  
to hold that it was expedient1 for the  
better preventing of mistakes about the 
matter1 that genius should always in    
such way advertise itself2 there was    
danger lest it should not be believed in
 if it left off making grimaces and     
striking attitudes4 ,perhaps from his   
own point of view1 and in his own time1 

the artist was right4 ,it was necessary 
then to do something to arrest the      
attention of a public apathetic on the  
subject of art-talent1 unless1 as ,peter
 ,pindar sang1 the artist 'had been dead
 a hundred years4' ,possibly1 the only  
way for a man in those days to gain     
credit as a genius was by affecting     
eccentricity and unconventionality3     
taking heed that all his proceedings    
were as unlike other people's as        
possible4 ,thereupon the world argued3  
geniuses are not as we are2 this person 
is not as we are2 therefore he must be a
 genius4 ,q4,e4,d4  ,consequently1 we   
find ,roubiliac--a thin1 olive-skinned  
,frenchman1 with strongly-marked1       
arching eyebrows1 mobile features1 and  
small1 sharp1 dark eyes--liable at all  
times to fits of abstraction1 attacks of
 inspiration4 ,he will drop his knife   
and fork while at dinner1 sink back in  
his chair1 assume an ecstatic           
expression3 the fit is on him2 he must  
abandon his meal and hurry away at once 

to lock himself in his studio1 and place
 upon record the superb idea which has  
so inconveniently visited him4 ,his     
companions make allowances for him3 men 
of genius are often thus4 ,at other     
times he is absorbed in meditation upon 
his art3 address him1 and he makes no   
reply1 fails to hear4 ,while engaged    
upon his statue of ,handel1 he decides  
that the great musician must have       
possessed an ear of exceeding symmetry1 
and searches everywhere for a model4 ,he
 scrutinizes the ears of all his        
acquaintances4 ,suddenly he pounces upon
 ,miss ,rich1 the daughter of the       
,covent ,garden manager4 ',miss ,rich1' 
he cries1 ',i must have your ear for my 
,handel6' ,in ,westminster ,abbey he    
permits himself to be 'discovered'--to  
use an appropriate theatrical term--lost
 in contemplation of the kneeling figure
 at the north-west corner of ,sir       
,francis ,vere's monument4 ,his servant1
 having thrice delivered a message1     
without receiving a word in reply1 finds

 his arm suddenly seized1 and his master
 whispering mysteriously in his ear1    
while he points to the statue3 ',hush6  
hush6 he vill speak presently6' ,at     
another time he invites a friend to     
occupy a spare bed at his house1 gives  
him his candle1 and bids him good-night4
 ,presently the friend is heard crying  
aloud in great excitement and alarm2 the
 bed is already occupied3 the dead body 
of a negress is laid out upon it4 ',i   
beg your pardon1' says the artist1 ',i  
quite forgot poor ,mary vas dere4 ,poor 
,mary6 she die yesterday vid de         
small-pox4 ,she was my housemaid for    
five1 six years4 ,come along2 ,i vill   
find you a bed somevhere else4' ,all    
this was but acting up to the idea ,mr4 
,roubiliac had formed of the            
abstractedness and eccentricity of      
genius4  ,serene1 sedate ,flaxman1 who  
adored the antique1 who held that       
sculpture should be nothing if not calm 
and classical1 was little likely to     
sympathize with ,roubiliac1 or to       

comprehend his close following of       
,bernini1 or indeed to care at all for  
his productions4 ',his thoughts are     
conceits2 his compositions epigrams1'   
says ,flaxman4 ,and then he is astounded
 that ,roubiliac1 who1 at the ripe age  
of fifty1 accompanied by ,hudson the    
painter1 also arrived at a period of    
life somewhat advanced for study1       
visited ,italy1 should presume to return
 unmoved and unenlightened by what he   
had seen4 ',he was absent from home     
three months1 going and returning1'     
relates ,flaxman1 with an air of        
indignation2 'stayed three days in      
,rome1 and laughed at the sublime       
remains of ancient sculpture6'          
,positively laughed6 ,to ,flaxman1 who  
was certainly a bigot in regard to the  
beauties of the antique1 if ,roubiliac  
was something of a scoffer in that      
respect1 this seemed flat blasphemy4    
,yet it was hardly to be expected that  
,roubiliac1 at the height of a          
successful career1 would admit his whole

 system of art to have been founded on  
error--would consent humbly to          
recommence his profession1 and forthwith
 prostrate himself at the feet of       
ancient sculpture4 ,his admiration for  
,bernini--whom of course ,flaxman       
cordially detested--was genuine enough4 
,the ,italian's florid manner chimed in 
with his own ,french1 gesticulating1    
mercurial notions of art4 ,if excess of 
self-satisfaction prevented him from    
rendering due homage to the relics of   
the past--and possibly his early toils  
as a 'restorer' further tended to blind 
him to their value--he was careful to   
pay tribute to the merits of the artist 
he had selected for his prototype4      
,hazlitt mentions1 on the authority of  
,northcote1 that when ,roubiliac1       
returned from ,rome1 went to look at his
 own works in ,westminster ,abbey1 he   
cried out in his usual vehement way1    
',by ,god6 they look like tobacco-pipes 
compared to ,bernini6' ,and he was not  
without honest admiration for the       

production of other artists more nearly 
of his own time4 ,whenever he visited   
the city he was careful to go round by  
the gates of ,bethlehem ,hospital1 in   
,moorfields1 over which stood ,caius    
,gabriel ,cibber's figures of ,raving   
and ,melancholy ,madness3 ,colley       
,cibber's 'brazen1 brainless brothers1' 
as ,pope called them1 ignorant1 possibly
 from their having become so begrimed   
with ,london smoke1 that they were      
really carved in stone4 ,roubiliac      
highly esteemed these statues4 ,though  
in idea evidently borrowed from ,michael
 ,angelo1 they were yet strictly        
realistic in treatment1 and were reputed
 to be modelled from ,oliver ,cromwell's
 giant porter1 at one time a patient in 
the ,hospital4 ,when ,bethlehem was     
removed to ,st4 ,george's ,fields the   
surface of these figures was renovated  
by ,bacon1 the sculptor4 ,they are now  
deposited in the ,south ,kensington     
,museum4  ,indeed1 what ,flaxman        
intended as a reproach1 may sound in    

modern ears much more like approval4    
',he copied vulgar nature with zeal1 and
 some of his figures seem alive4'       
,roubiliac constantly had recourse to   
the living forms about him2 ,flaxman    
preferred instead to turn to the        
antique4 ,we hear of ,roubiliac's       
fondness for modelling the arms of      
,thames watermen and the legs of        
chair-porters3 in each case the         
particular employment inducing great    
muscular development of the limbs to be 
moulded4 ,and this desire for           
independent study was really creditable 
to the artist4 ,he sought to arrive at  
the correctness of the ancients by a    
pathway of his own3 to check1 by a      
distinct reckoning1 an individual       
reference to nature1 and1 if need was1  
fearlessly to depart from1 what they had
 registered as the result of their      
investigations4 ,a more legitimate      
charge against him was that he was      
negligent in his choice of forms for    
imitation2 undervalued refinement of    

idea2 took altogether a somewhat mean   
view of nature1 or adulterated it with  
too large an infusion of the            
dancing-master4 ,certainly he was fonder
 of fritter than of breadth2 and his    
draperies are often meagre in effect    
from the multiplicity of their folds1   
and his attempt at rendering texture in 
marble4 ,this may be noticed in his     
statue of ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 at       
,cambridge1 where an excess of labour1  
seems expended on the silk mantle of the
 figure--all the small creases and      
plaitings of the light material being   
represented1 and the surface highly     
polished1 still further to increase the 
resemblance4  ,this statue1 however1 was
 highly admired by ,chantrey1#e and to  
it1 in his ,prelude1 ,wordsworth has    
dedicated laudatory lines4  #e          
',chantrey esteemed highly the works of 
,roubiliac2 he admired his busts2 and   
thought the statue of ,newton at        
,cambridge of the best character of     
portrait sculpture4 ,the simplicity of  

the figure1 united with the apparent    
intelligence and thought in the         
countenance1 he considered as quite     
satisfactory2 and although he generally 
disliked the imitation of any particular
 material in drapery1 he was reconciled 
to the college dress of the philosopher4
 ,from its perfect arrangement1 the     
imitation is so complete that the person
 who shows the statue at ,cambridge     
always informs the visitor that it only 
requires to be black to render it a     
deception4 ,he was inclined to tolerate 
anything that displayed ingenuity       
without violating possibility1 yet he   
could never endure such extraneous and  
uninteresting matter as the shot1 the   
barrel of powder1 and the bent chamber  
of a piece of artillery in the monument 
to ,lord ,shannon1 in ,walton ,church1  
which1 with much to commend in the two  
figures1 has a profusion of objects1 and
 a grey marble background1 representing 
a tent1 altogether unnecessary and      
derogatory to the purity of sculpture4  

,still ,roubiliac was rich in thought   
and reason1 for1 in his monument in     
,westminster ,abbey1 where he has       
represented ,death as a skeleton1 he    
felt that the thin and meagre bones     
would be as offensive as impracticable2 
therefore judiciously involved the      
greater part of the emblem in a shroud  
or drapery1 adding thereby to his       
allegory and aiding his art4 ,however   
hostile this style may be to the        
simplicity of sculpture1 the ability of 
the artist in the conception and        
execution deserves high praise4 ,the    
beadle of ,worcester ,cathedral informed
 a friend of ,chantrey's1 that when the 
sculptor was in that city he always went
 to see the monument to ,bishop ,hurd by
 ,roubiliac1 and remained a long time in
 intent observation of the work1 for he 
thought the artist's power over the     
material surprising1 though he disliked 
polishing the marble4'-,recollections of
 ,chantrey1 by ,george ,jones1 ,r4,a4   
,the cast taken by ,roubiliac from the  

face of ,newton is in the ,hunterian    
,museum1 ,glasgow4  ,there is no        
necessity for running through a list of 
,roubiliac's works4 ,but his statue of  
,shakespeare is deserving of a passing  
notice4 ,it of course fails to satisfy  
the students of the bard1 who delight to
 pay equal homage to his philosophy as  
to his poetry4 ,there is nothing of the 
sage about the work3 it is wholly of the
 stage indeed4 ,it is replete with      
,roubiliac's established ecstatic       
super-elegant manner2 with a strong     
tinge of theatricalism1 possibly added  
by ,garrick1 for whose temple at        
,hampton the statue was undertaken2 who 
attitudinized in aid1 as he imagined1 of
 the sculptor's labours1 with a cry of  
',behold the swan of ,avon6' and who1 it
 must be said1 at all times entertained 
a very 'footlight' view of the poet4    
,the price paid for the work was three  
hundred guineas only4 ,roubiliac was to 
supply the best marble he could for the 
money4 ,unfortunately the block turned  

out to be much spotted and streaked2 the
 head was especially disfigured with    
blue stains4 ',what6' cried ,garrick1   
'was ,shakespeare marked with           
mulberries8' ,it became necessary to    
sever the head from the shoulders and   
replace it with one of purer marble4    
,the statue was completed in #ageh4     
,under the terms of ,garrick's will1 it 
became1 on the death of his widow1 the  
property of the nation1 and it now      
stands in the entrance-hall of the      
,british ,museum4 ,after the purists and
 the exacting have said their worst     
against the statue1 it will yet be      
found--from the spirit of its execution1
 its cleverness1 and 'go1' to resort to 
a vulgarism--charming a very large class
 of uncritical examiners4  ,as ,lord    
,chesterfield said of ,roubiliac1 'he   
was the only statuary of his day2 all   
other artists were mere stone-cutters4' 
,it is very desirable1 in estimating his
 merits1 to bear in mind that he stood  
alone2 his rivals1 ,rysbrach and        

,scheemakers1 he had completely         
outstripped2 and1 apart from his        
following of ,bernini1 he was clearly an
 artist of an original and creative     
kind4 ,what is hard to forgive in him1  
however1 and what indeed has much       
detracted from his reputation1 is the   
fact that a long list of allegorical    
monstrosities was in some sort the      
result of his example4 ,charmed with    
certain of his works1 and possessed just
 then by particular memories it deemed  
deserving of monumental celebration1 the
 nation rushed recklessly to its        
stone-cutters4 ,the terrible works which
 blemish and blister the walls of our   
cathedrals and churches were the        
consequences4 ,verrio and ,laguerre had 
long set the fashion of disfiguring     
ceilings and staircases with their      
incomprehensible compositions4          
,roubiliac carved similar parabolic     
productions in marble and set them up in
 ,westminster ,abbey and elsewhere4 ,in 
these1 heathen divinities jostle        

,christian emblems2 ,paganism is seen   
abreast of true religion4 ,in the aisle 
of a ,gothic abbey1 ,john1 ,duke of     
,argyle and ,greenwich1 warrior and     
orator1 expires at the foot of a        
pyramid1 on which ,history1 weeping1    
writes his deeds1 while ,minerva 7or    
,britannia7 mourns at the side1 and     
,eloquence above1 tossing white arms in 
the air1 deplores the loss she has      
sustained4 ,here we find ,hercules      
placing the bust of ,sir ,peter ,warren 
upon a pedestal1 while ,navigation      
prepares to crown it with a laurel      
wreath2 a ,british flag forming the     
background and a horn of plenty emptying
 its contents beside an anchor and a    
cannon4 ,in the monument to ,marshal    
,wade1 ,time is endeavouring to destroy 
a pillar adorned with military trophies1
 which fame as zealously protects4 ,the 
famous ,nightingale memorial represents 
a husband shielding a dying wife from   
the attack of ,death3 a grinning        
skeleton levelling a javelin as he      

issues from the opening iron door of a  
tomb4 ,the admirable execution of these 
works cannot blind the critic to the    
utter unfitness and folly of their      
conception4  ,but ,roubiliac's          
successors far outbid him in absurdity4 
,to a number of people a precedent is   
always a point of departure--an example 
to be imitated with violent             
exaggeration4 ,after our sculptor came a
 deluge of imbecility4 ,we are then     
among stone-cutters who shrink from     
nothing2 we are treated then to clouds  
that look like muffins--to waves that   
resemble pancakes4 ,apotheosis becomes  
preposterous2 allegory goes fairly mad4 
,glancing at certain post-,roubiliac    
achievements1 we long for an earthquake4
 ,nicholas ,read1 the least competent of
 his pupils1 upon the sculptor's death  
occupied his studio1 advertised himself 
as successor to ,mr4 ,roubiliac1 and1   
strange to say1 was largely employed3   
the execution of the monuments to       
,admiral ,tyrrell and the ,duchess of   

,northumberland1 in ,westminster ,abbey1
 being intrusted to him4 ,during his    
master's life the apprentice had boasted
 of the great deeds he would do when he 
had served his time4 ,roubiliac cried   
scornfully1 in his broken ,english3     
',ven you do de monument1 den de vorld  
vill see vot von d----d ting you vill   
make of it6' ,his words were justified  
by ,read's monument to ,admiral         
,tyrrell3 possibly the most execrable   
work in stone in existence2 which is    
saying a good deal4 ,as ,nollekens would
 often remark of it3 ',read's admiral   
going to heaven looks for all the world 
as though he were hanging from a gallows
 with a rope round his neck4'  ,as      
,roubiliac's first work was a statue of 
,handel for ,vauxhall ,gardens1 so his  
last was a statue of the same great     
composer for ,westminster ,abbey4 ,he   
died on the #aath ,january #agfb1 and   
was buried in ,st4 ,martin's            
,churchyard1 'under the window of the   
,bell ,bagnio4' ,his funeral was        

attended by the leading members of the  
,society of ,artists1 then meeting at   
the ,academy in ,peter's ,court1 ,st4   
,martin's ,lane3 the room they occupied1
 it may be noted1 having been           
,roubiliac's first workshop4 ,the       
artists following the funeral           
were3--,mr4 7afterwards ,sir ,joshua7   
,reynolds1 ,moser1 ,hogarth1 ,tyler1    
,sandby1 ,hayman1 ,wilton1 ,bartolozzi1 
,cipriani1 ,payne1 ,chambers 7afterwards
 ,sir ,william71 ,serres1 ,ravenet1 the 
elder ,grignon1 ,meyer1 and ,hudson2 and
 the dead master's three pupils1 ,john  
,adkins1 ,nicholas ,read1 and ,nathaniel
 ,smith4  ,roubiliac died poor2 indeed1 
seriously in debt4 ,yet he had married  
well1 it would seem4 ,an old newspaper1 
under date ,january #ageb1 records3     
',married ,mr4 ,roubiliac1 the statuary 
in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 to ,miss       
,crossley of ,deptford1 worth           
,l#aj1jjj4' ,no particulars of his      
married life have come down to us1      
however4 ,it is probable that his wife  

predeceased him4 ,the money was spent in
 any case4 ,perhaps she never possessed 
so much as the world gave her credit    
for4 ,the sale of his effects1 after    
payment of his funeral expenses1 left   
only about one-and-sixpence in the pound
 to his creditors4 ,though constantly   
employed1 the prices he received were   
small2 and a thoroughly conscientious   
artist1 he never spared time or labour  
upon the commissions he had undertaken4 
,he was not1 it is stated1 extravagant  
in his habits2 did not waste his means  
in the support of a pretentious         
establishment4 ,on the contrary1 his    
method of life was very modest3 his     
tastes were simple enough4 ,society was 
not yet prepared to admit the           
professions to her salons2 her somewhat 
costly caresses were reserved for the   
ingenious of a succeeding generation4   
,roubiliac was content to live that easy
 pleasant tavern life favoured by the   
men of letters and artists of the       
eighteenth century1 and with which      

,johnson and ,boswell have made us so   
intimately acquainted4 ,a bottle of     
claret and a game of whist solaced his  
leisure hours2 and these were not       
numerous3 he was constantly to be found 
in his studio1 late at night1 hard at   
work long after his assistants had      
retired3 a vivacious1 honest1           
warm-hearted man1 much and justly       
esteemed by his friends and             
contemporaries4  ,he was a familiar     
acquaintance of ,goldsmith1 who in his  
,chinese letters speaks of him kindly as
 'the little sculptor4' ,he was fond of 
music1 and ,goldsmith would play the    
flute to him4 ,as ,sir ,john ,hawkins   
records1 the sculptor once tricked the  
poet by pretending to set down the notes
 on paper as ,goldsmith played them4    
,goldsmith looked over the paper        
afterwards with seeming great attention1
 said it was quite correct1 and that if 
he had not seen him do it he never could
 have believed his friend capable of    
writing music after him4 ,roubiliac had 

jotted down notes at random4 ,neither   
had any real knowledge of music1 and    
,goldsmith played entirely by ear4  ,his
 intimate and fellow-sculptor--a painter
 also--,adrien ,charpentier1 executed a 
characteristic portrait of ,roubiliac4  
,he is represented at work upon a       
small-size model of his ,shakespeare4   
,he is touching the eye of the figure   
with his modelling tool1 and the task1  
one of some delicacy and difficulty1    
adds to the animation of the operator4  
,his head1 where it is not covered by   
the fanciful loose head-dress affected  
by poets and artists of the period1 is  
bald3 possibly shaven1 for the          
convenience of wig-wearing1 after the   
custom of the time4 ,his dress is       
disordered1 his bosom bare1 his         
wristbands loose4 ,had ,roubiliac carved
 his own statue in stone1 it would      
probably1 in treatment1 have closely    
followed ,charpentier's picture4  ,a    
portrait of ,roubiliac1 painted by      
himself1 was sold for three-and-sixpence

 only at the sale of his effects4 ,the  
prices1 indeed1 at this sale seem to    
have been desperately low4 ,there were  
no antiquities or objects of virtu      
brought to the hammer3 and ,mr4 ,canto  
was not the auctioneer6 ,a copy by      
,reynolds of the ,chandos portrait of   
,shakespeare1 with seven other pictures1
 was knocked down for ten shillings     
only1 the father of ,john ,flaxman being
 the purchaser4 ,reynolds had painted   
the picture as a present to his friend1 
,mr4 ,roubiliac4 ,it afterwards became  
the property of ,mr4 ,edmond ,malone4   
,,the ,,rise ,,of ,,the ,,royal         
,,academy4   ,the famous artists of the 
,continent almost invariably organize   
schools of art1 converting their studios
 into miniature academies1 surrounding  
themselves with pupils and disciples who
 sit at their feet1 listen to their     
teaching1 assist them by painting for   
them the less important portions of     
their works1 adopt their processes1 and 
follow their styles of drawing and      

colouring4 ,there is something to be    
said for the system4 ,it is an advantage
 to the young student to be constantly  
brought into contact with a real master 
of the art2 to have the opportunity of  
working under his supervision1 and1 on  
the other hand1 of watching him at his  
labours1 and of witnessing the birth1   
growth1 and completion of his best      
pictures4 ,the main objection to the    
plan is that it may develop merely      
imitative ability rather than stimulate 
genuine originality2 that it inclines   
the student to follow too scrupulously a
 beaten track rather than strike out a  
fresh pathway for himself4 ,he may      
reproduce the virtues of his exemplar's 
art1 but he will certainly copy its     
vices as well4 ,and then the difficult  
question arises3 when is he to assert   
his independence8 ,at what period in his
 career is he to cease leaning on his   
teacher1 and to pursue his own devices  
unaided and alone8 ,he may have tied his
 leading-strings so tightly about him   

that liberty of thought and action has  
become almost impossible to him1 and the
 free use of his limbs1 so to speak1 has
 gone from him4 ,it is quite true that  
the artist should be a student all his  
life2 but then he should be a student of
 art generally1 not of any one professor
 of art in particular1 or he will be    
simply the pupil of a great master to   
the end of the chapter1 never a great   
master himself4  ,objection to a system 
of instruction that may tend to         
perpetuate mannerism1 to cramp          
originality1 and fetter genius1 has of  
late years led to considerable          
opposition to art-academies generally1  
whenever more is contemplated by them   
than the mere school-teaching of the    
pupil1 and the affording him assistance 
at the outset of his professional life4 
,haydon was fond of declaring 'that     
academies all over ,europe were signals 
of distress thrown out to stop the decay
 of art1' but that they had failed      
egregiously1 and rather hastened the    

result they had intended to hinder4     
,fuseli asserted that 'all schools of   
painters1 whether public or private1    
supported by patronage or individual    
contribution1 were and are symptoms of  
art in distress1 monuments of public    
dereliction and decay of taste4' ,he    
proceeded afterwards to defend such     
schools1 however1 as the asylum of the  
student1 the theatre of his exercises1  
the repositories of the materials1 the  
archives of art1 whose principles their 
officers were bound to maintain1 and for
 the preservation of which they were    
responsible to posterity1 etc4 ,dr4     
,waagen was of opinion that the academic
 system gave an artificial elevation to 
mediocrity2 that it deadened natural    
talent1 and introduced into the freedom 
of art an unsalutary degree of authority
 and interference4 ,the late ,horace    
,vernet entertained similar views1      
recommending the suppression of the     
,french ,academy at ,rome4 ,m4 ,say 7the
 ,adam ,smith of ,france7 held that all 

,academies were in truth hostile to the 
fine arts2 and a report of a committee  
of the ,english ,house of ,commons      
7#ahcf7 went far in the same direction1 
venturing to predict the probability    
'that the principle of free competition 
in art as in commerce would ultimately  
triumph over all artificial             
institutions1' and that 'governments    
might at some future period content     
themselves with holding out prizes or   
commissions to the different but        
co-equal societies of artists1 and      
refuse the dangerous gift of            
pre-eminence to any4'  ,in ,england the 
school of the individual great artist   
upon the continental plan seems to have 
had no counterpart4 ,favourite          
portrait-painters have1 now and then1   
employed a staff of subordinates to     
paint the draperies1 and fill in the    
backgrounds of their works1 but the     
persons thus employed have been         
mechanicians rather than artists4       
,northcote was the pupil of ,reynolds1  

and ,harlowe was taught by ,lawrence2   
but in neither case was there much      
attempt at maintaining a school of      
manner1 as it would be understood out of
 ,england4 ,the works of ,northcote and 
,harlowe contain traces of the teaching 
of their preceptors little more than do 
the productions of their contemporaries1
 and they certainly bequeathed no       
distinct traditions of style to their   
successors4 ,in ,england the foundation 
of a ,national ,academy1 or of an       
institution in any measure manifesting  
the characteristics of a ,national      
,academy1 took place long subsequent to 
the rise of the foreign ,academies4 ,and
 the ,english ,royal ,academy1 as at    
present constituted1 cannot be said to  
occupy a position analogous to that of  
foreign academies4 ,as was expressed in 
the ,report of the ,parliamentary       
,committee of #ahcf3 ',it is not a      
public national institution like the    
,french ,academy1 since it lives by     
exhibition and takes money at the door1 

yet it possesses many of the privileges 
of a public body without bearing the    
direct burthen of public                
responsibility4' ,or1 as was succinctly 
explained by ,mr4 ,westmacott1 himself  
an academician1 before the commissioners
 appointed in #ahfc to inquire into the 
position of the ,royal ,academy3 ',when 
we wish not to be interfered with we are
 private1 when we want anything of the  
public we are public2' and then he goes 
on to say3 ',the ,academy is distinctly 
a private institution1 and1 admitting it
 is not perfect1 doing great public good
 all for nothing1' i4e41 without charge4
 ,mr4 ,westmacott was unconsciously     
pleading guilty to ,haydon's accusation 
that 'the academicians constituted in   
truth a private society1 which they     
always put forward when you wish to     
examine them1 and they always proclaim  
themselves a public society when they   
want to benefit by any public vote4'    
,for long years the sentiment had       
prevailed in ,england that art was no   

affair of the ,state1 had no sort of    
interest for the governing power of the 
country1 or indeed for the general      
public2 and it was1 of course1 left to  
those persons to whom an ,academy of    
,art was in any way a matter of         
necessity or importance1 to found such  
an institution for themselves4          
,certainly the encouragement given to   
the painter during the first half of the
 eighteenth century was insignificant   
enough4 ,he was viewed much as the      
astrologer or the alchemist2 his        
proceedings1 the world argued1 were     
sufficiently foolish and futile1 but    
still harmless2 he was not particularly 
in anybody's way1 and therefore it was  
not worth anybody's while to molest or  
displace him4 ,but as for patronizing1  
or valuing1 or rewarding him1 turning   
upon him the light of the royal         
countenance1 or cheering him with       
popular applause1 those were quite other
 matters4 ,king1 and ,court1 and people 
had vastly different things to think    

about4 ,he was just suffered1 not       
succoured in any way4 ,he must get on as
 well as he could1 educating1 improving1
 helping himself4 ,as for aid from the  
,state1 that was absolutely out of the  
question4  ,for the benefit of his      
brother artists and of himself1         
therefore1 ,sir ,godfrey ,kneller1 who  
had lived in happier times1 so far as   
art was concerned--for the ,stuarts had 
some love for poetry and painting1      
though the ,hanoverian sovereigns had   
not--instituted a private drawing       
,academy in ,london in the year #agaa4  
,of this ,academy1 ,vertue1 who         
collected the materials for the         
',anecdotes of ,painting1' which        
,walpole digested and published1 was one
 of the first members1 studying there   
some years2 and it was probably of this 
institution that ,hogarth wrote in      
#agfj1 describing it as founded by some 
gentlemen painters of the first rank1   
who1 in imitation of the ,academy of    
,france1 introduced certain forms and   

solemnities into their proceedings which
 were objectionable to several members1 
and led to divisions and jealousies in  
the general body4 ,finally1 the         
president and his followers1 finding    
themselves caricatured and opposed1     
locked out their opponents and closed   
the ,academy4  ,sir ,james ,thornhill1  
who had headed the most important of the
 parties into which the institution had 
become divided1 and who held the        
appointment of historical painter to    
,george ,i41 then submitted to the      
,government of the day a plan for the   
foundation of a ,royal ,academy which   
should encourage and educate the young  
artists of ,england4 ,he proposed that a
 suitable building1 with apartments for 
resident professors1 should be erected  
at the upper end of the ,king's ,mews1  
,charing ,cross4 ,the cost of carrying  
out this plan was estimated at little   
more than three thousand pounds2 but    
although ,lord ,treasurer ,halifax gave 
his support1 the ,government negatived  

the proposition1 and declined to find   
the necessary means4  ,sir ,james1 not  
altogether daunted by his ill success1  
determined to do what he could on his   
own responsibility1 and without aid from
 the ,treasury4 ,he opened a ,drawing   
,academy1 therefore1 at his house in    
,james ,street1 ,covent ,garden1 on the 
east side1 where1 as a writer in #ahjd  
describes the situation1 'the back      
offices and painting-room abutted upon  
,langford's 7then ,cock's7 ,auction     
,room in the ,piazza1' and gave tickets 
to all who desired admission4 ,it is to 
be feared that ,sir ,james's generosity 
was somewhat abused4 ,certain it is that
 dissensions arose in his ,academy as in
 ,kneller's2 that one ,vandrebank headed
 an opposition party1 and at length     
withdrew with his adherents to found a  
rival school4 ,according to ,hogarth1   
'he converted an old meeting-house into 
an ,academy1 and introduced a female    
figure to make it more inviting to      
subscribers4' ,but this establishment   

did not last long1 the subscriptions    
were not forthcoming1 and the fittings  
and furniture of the school were seized 
for debt4 ,upon the death of ,sir       
,james1 in #agcd1 his ,academy was also 
closed4  ,but a school had now become   
indispensably necessary to the artists  
of the day4 ,after a time they forgot   
their differences1 and again united4    
,hogarth had become possessed of his    
father-in-law ,sir ,james ,thornhill's  
furniture1 which he was willing to lend 
to an association of artists founding a 
new school2 a subscription was          
accordingly arranged1 and a room 'large 
enough to admit of thirty or forty      
persons drawing after a naked figure1'  
was hired in the house of ,mr4 ,hyde1 a 
painter in ,greyhound ,court1 ,arundel  
,street1 ,strand4 ,hogarth1 attributing 
the failure of preceding academies to an
 assumption of superior authority on the
 part of members whose subscriptions    
were of largest amount1 proposed that   
all members should equally contribute to

 the maintenance of the establishment1  
and should possess equal rights of      
voting on all questions relative to its 
affairs4 ,for many years this academy1  
which1 in #agch1 removed to more        
convenient premises#f in ,peter's       
,court1 ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 existed in
 a most satisfactory manner4 ,to this   
school of ,hogarth's1 as we may fairly  
consider it1 the majority of the        
,english painters of the reign of       
,george ,,ii4 and the early part of     
,george ,,iii41 owed much of their art  
education4 ,perhaps the success of the  
school was due in great part to the     
discretion and good management of the   
artist who had been nominated its chief 
instructor3 ,george ,michael ,moser1 a  
gold and silver chaser1 enameller and   
modeller1 ,swiss by birth4 ,something   
also it owed to its unpretentious yet   
practical and utilitarian character4    
,the artists were bound together by     
mutual convenience2 their school1       
conferring no degrees1 aiming at no     

distinction1 was of equal advantage to  
all4 ,it was strictly a private         
institution1 in no way attracting to    
itself public notice or asking for aid  
from the public purse4  #f ,roubiliac's 
first workshop4  ,in #agcd there had    
been founded in ,england the ,dilettanti
 ,society1 composed of noblemen and     
gentlemen who had travelled abroad1 and 
professed a taste for the fine arts4 ,in
 #agdi1 this society found itself rich  
and influential enough to contemplate   
the establishment of an academy of art1 
and even took steps to obtain a site on 
the south side of ,cavendish ,square1   
and to purchase ,portland stone for the 
erection there of a building adapted to 
the purpose1 on the plan of the ,temple 
at ,pola4 ,the society then put itself  
in correspondence with the ,school of   
,painters in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1      
asking for co-operation and assistance  
in the carrying out of the project4 ,the
 painters1 however1 according to ,sir   
,robert ,strange's account of the       

transaction1 held back3 they objected to
 aid in the formation of an academy of  
art which was not to be under the       
absolute rule and government of artists4
 ,thereupon the ,dilettanti ,society    
declined to find funds for the          
foundation of an institute over which1  
when completed1 they were to possess no 
influence whatever1 in the management of
 which they were to be absolutely       
without voice2 and the negotiation was  
accordingly brought to an abrupt        
conclusion4 7,we may note here that1    
curiously enough1 the ,royal ,commission
 of #ahfc proposed1 in some degree1 a   
reversion to this abortive project1 and 
recommended the introduction of a lay   
element into the governing body of the  
present ,royal ,academy47  ,the proposal
 of the ,dilettanti ,society1 though    
rejected1 seems yet1 after the lapse of 
a few years1 to have tempted the        
painters in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane to     
enlarge the boundaries of their         
institution4 ,in #agec they fancied the 

time had come when1 with the support of 
the general body of artists in ,england1
 an effort might be made to found a     
national academy4 ,a circular was       
addressed to all the well-known artists 
by ,francis ,milner ,newton1 the        
secretary of the school in ,st4         
,martin's ,lane1 calling their attention
 to a scheme for establishing a public  
academy of painting1 sculpture and      
architecture1 for erecting a suitable   
building1 receiving subscriptions1      
appointing professors1 making           
regulations for the instruction of      
students1 etc4 ,the circular concluded  
by requesting attendance at a meeting to
 be held at the ,turk's ,head1 in       
,gerard ,street1 ,soho1 when the        
election of thirteen painters1 three    
sculptors1 one chaser1 two engravers1   
and two architects1 in all twenty-one1  
for the purposes of the academy1 would  
be proceeded with4 ,but this scheme met 
with little support1 and was abandoned4 
,its projectors1 defeated and           

ridiculed--the subjects of several      
caricatures of the period--had to fall  
back again among their fellow-artists1  
probably with little advantage to the   
harmony of the general body4  ,yet the  
plan of an academy1 though it had met   
with very inconsiderable encouragement1 
was not suffered to die out absolutely2 
somehow the thing took root1 and even   
grew1 in a measure1 making no very great
 sign of vitality however4 ,but it      
produced a pamphlet now and then--found 
unexpected advocates here and there1    
dragged on a sickly1 invalid sort of    
existence4 ,in #agee1 a committee of    
artists resumed the idea1 but this time 
they appeared to the sympathies of the  
general public1 proposing to raise an   
academy as charitable institutions are  
established1 by aid of popular          
benevolence1 and to apply for a charter 
of incorporation from the ,crown1 the   
terms of the charter being formally     
drawn up1 and even published4 ,the      
prospectus made handsome mention of the 

pecuniary assistance which had been some
 time before proffered by the           
,dilettanti ,society2 whereupon the     
society renewed its promise of support1 
and re-opened negotiations with the     
committee of artists4 ,but difficulties 
again arose4 ,sir ,robert ,strange1 who 
attended the meetings of the parties1   
found on the part of the ,dilettanti    
,society 'that generosity and           
benevolence which are peculiar to true  
greatness2' but on the side of the      
majority of the artists1 he regretted to
 observe 'motives apparently limited to 
their own views and ambition to govern4'
 ,again the negotiation was broken off1 
the project went to pieces1 and now the 
hope of establishing a national academy 
in ,england seemed in its worst         
plight--hopeless--gone down to zero4    
,in #ageg1 ,hogarth1 on the resignation 
of his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,thornhill1 
was appointed1 in the sixtieth year of  
his age1 painter to the king4 ,hogarth1 
it may be noted1 had always opposed the 

attempt to found an academy4 ,he        
supported the plan of an art-school1    
deeming such an institution of practical
 value to the painter4 ,but he appears  
to have thought that an academy would   
only multiply portrait painters1 of whom
 there was quite a sufficiency1 would   
not create a demand for works of real   
art-value1 or improve the taste of      
patrons in that respect4 ,in #ageh1     
,hogarth's idea of an art-school met    
with unexpected support in the opening  
of the ,duke of ,richmond's ,gallery of 
,casts and ,statues at ,whitehall4      
,invitation to students was given by    
public advertisements4 ,for a time      
,cipriani gave instruction in the       
gallery1 and it is recorded that the    
result was a purer taste among ,british 
artists in the drawing of the human     
figure than they had previously         
displayed4  ,and now help was to come to
 the plan of an academy from a most     
unexpected source1 in a most accidental 
way4 ,in the reign of ,george ,,ii41 if 

little was done for art and artists1    
great interest was displayed in works of
 public benevolence4 ,from that period  
dates the rise of very many national    
hospitals and charitable institutions of
 various kinds4 ,among others1 the      
,london ,foundling ,hospital1 which was 
incorporated in #agci1 and received     
especial favour and support from the    
legislature and the public4 ,to the     
sympathy with the objects of this       
charity displayed by the artists1 are   
attributable the first recognition of   
them by the nation as a community       
meriting regard and assistance2 and     
ultimately the rise and progress of an  
,academy of ,art in ,england4  ,in      
#agdj1 when ,handel came forward to aid 
the funds of the charity by the         
performance of his oratorios1 ,hogarth  
presented to the governors of the       
institution his famous portrait of      
,captain ,coram1 and designed an        
emblematical decoration to be placed    
over the chief entrance of the hospital1

 then in ,hatton ,garden4 ,in #agde1 the
 west wing of the present edifice in    
,guildford ,street being completed1     
other artists followed ,hogarth's       
example1 and presented1 or promised to  
present1 to the hospital specimens of   
their art4 ,in #agdf1 the grateful court
 of the charity elected its             
artist-benefactors--,hayman1 ,hudson1   
,allan ,ramsay1 ,lambert 7the           
scene-painter71 ,wilson1 ,moser1 ,pine1 
,hogarth1 and ,rysbrack 7the sculptor71 
among them--to be governors1 with leave 
to dine at the hospital1 at their own   
expense1 on the #eth of ,november in    
each year1 to commemorate the landing of
 ,king ,william ,,iii41 and 'to consider
 what further ornaments might be added  
to the building without expense to the  
charity4' ,for many years the artists   
availed themselves of this              
opportunity--met1 dined1 drank claret   
and punch1 and discussed professional   
affairs to their hearts' content4  ,the 
,foundling had become quite a pet       

charity with ,parliament and people4 ,it
 was assisted by donations from the     
,crown and grants from ,government2     
while voluntary contributions from the  
public flowed liberally into its        
treasury4 ,from #agef to #agfj nearly   
#ae1jjj children were received into the 
asylum4 ,the open1 uninquiring system1  
still existing on the ,continent1 then  
prevailed4 ,a basket hung at the gate1  
in which to deposit the child1 on whose 
behalf the aid of the institution was to
 be invoked2 a bell was then rung to    
give notice was forthwith received and  
provided for4 ,the hospital to the      
officers of the establishment1 and the  
foundling became the resort and         
rendezvous of all classes4 ,the public  
seemed never to weary of watching over  
and visiting its proteges1 and the      
donations of the artists which adorned  
the walls of the hospital1 were greatly 
admired and talked about1 and soon      
became of themselves a decided source of
 attraction4 ,the nation began to       

appreciate the fact that it possessed   
some really excellent ,english painters1
 and the painters made the discovery    
that there existed a large public       
interested in them and in their doings1 
and prepared to give favour and support 
to an exhibition of works of art4  ,in  
,november #agei1 a meeting was held at  
the ,turk's ,head1 ,gerard ,street1     
,soho1 which seems to have been a sort  
of house of call for artists1 as well as
 for literary men1#g when it was        
resolved that once in every year1 at a  
place to be appointed by a committee1   
chosen annually1 for carrying the design
 into execution1 there should be held an
 exhibition of the performances of      
painters1 sculptors1 architects1        
engravers1 chasers1 seal-cutters1 and   
medallists1 the profits to be expended  
in charity--'towards the support of     
those artists whose age and infirmities1
 or other lawful hindrances1 prevent    
them from being any longer candidates   
for fame2' the charge for admittance to 

be one shilling each person4 ,a         
committee of sixteen was chosen1        
consisting of six painters1 two         
sculptors1 two architects1 two          
engravers1 one seal-cutter1 one chaser1 
one medallist1 and the secretary1 to    
which office ,mr4 ,francis ,william     
,newton had been appointed1 to carry out
 the views of the meeting4  #g ,it was  
at the ,turk's ,head that were held the 
meetings of the famous ,,literary       
,,club1 founded by ,reynolds4 ,johnson1 
,burke1 ,dr4 ,nugent1 ,beauclerk1       
,langton1 ,goldsmith1 ,mr4 ,chamier1 and
 ,sir ,john ,hawkins were the other     
original members4  ,application was then
 made to the ,society of ,arts1 which   
had been established five years         
previously by ,mr4 ,shipley1 of         
,northampton 7brother of the bishop of  
,st4 ,asaph71 to permit the use of its  
rooms1 then in the ,strand1 opposite    
,beaufort ,buildings1 for the purposes  
of the proposed exhibition4 ,the        
,society gave its consent1 deciding that

 the period of exhibition should be from
 the #bast of ,april to the #hth of     
,may1 and only objecting to the proposal
 that money should be taken at the doors
 for admission4 ,this objection was     
removed by admitting the public gratis1 
and charging sixpence for the catalogue 
of the works of art on view4 ,sixty-nine
 artists sent works to the exhibition4  
,the number of works exhibited was #acj4
 ,the ,society's rooms were crowded to  
inconvenience2 the exhibition was a     
great success4 ,there was a sale of     
#fehb catalogues2 the proceeds enabling 
the committee to defray all expenses1 to
 purchase ,l#ajj consols1 and to retain 
a small balance in hand4 ,no record was 
kept of the number of visitors to the   
exhibition2 the purchase of catalogues  
was not obligatory1 so the amount sold  
is hardly a clue to the number of       
visitors4 ,many doubtless dispensed with
 catalogues altogether1 and many        
borrowed from their friends4 ,but the   
results of the exhibition satisfied its 

warmest well-wishers4  ,there was but   
one drawback to the general             
satisfaction4 ,the ,society of ,arts    
conceived itself at liberty to exhibit  
among the other works the drawings of   
certain of its students1 whose industry 
and merit had entitled them to gold     
medals and other rewards4 ,the untutored
 public1 misled by the talk about       
prizes1 persisted in regarding these    
juvenile essays as the works judged by  
the cognoscenti to be the most          
meritorious of the whole exhibition1 and
 rendered them the homage of            
extraordinary attention and admiration  
accordingly4 ,mature professors of art  
had to endure the mortification of      
finding their best productions passed   
over by the unskilful multitude1 and the
 highest praises awarded to mere        
beginners4 ,the newspapers of the       
day--newspapers have never been very    
learned in art matters--fell into the   
same delusion1 and in their notices of  
the exhibition1 paid attention only to  

these most over-rated prize-holders4    
,but1 altogether1 the artists had good  
cause to be satisfied4 ,they had held   
the first exhibition of works of art in 
,england1 and the exhibition had        
thoroughly succeeded4 ,they had opened  
up a new source of profit to themselves 
in the display of their productions4    
,they had obtained from the general     
public recognition of themselves and    
their profession4 ,the ,crown might be  
negligent of them1 the ,state might be  
apathetic as to affairs of art1         
aristocratic patrons might be led astray
 by the ignis fatuus of love of the old 
masters1 by the fashionable tastes for  
antiquities2 but here was 'the million' 
on the side of its artist compatriots2  
the voice of the nation had declared    
itself in favour of the nation's art4   
,really there seemed at last to be hope1
 if not something more1 for the ,english
 painter1 and the long-looked-for       
,english academy appeared fairly        
discernible on the horizon4  ,the       

decided success of the exhibition in the
 ,strand was yet attended by certain    
disadvantages4 ,ill-fortune would       
probably have closely united the        
artists2 prosperity seems to have       
divided them--to have engendered among  
them jealousies and dissensions4 ,the   
proceeds of the exhibition soon proved a
 source of encumbrance and difficulty to
 the exhibitors4 ,their original        
intention had been to apply their       
profits to the relief of distressed     
painters4 ,but now among a certain party
 a strong feeling was manifested in     
favour of devoting the money to the     
advancement of art4 ,finally it was     
resolved that the matter should stand   
over until the funds should have        
accumulated to the amount of ,l#ejj1 and
 that a vote of the majority of artists 
should then decide the question4        
,further evidences of disorganization   
and want of definite aim were to come4  
,while many artists desired to continue 
relations with the ,society of ,arts1   

others regarded the conditions imposed  
by that ,society as vexatious and       
embarrassing4 ,particularly they        
objected to the introduction into their 
exhibition of the works of the          
,society's students4 ,they represented  
further that the exhibition had been    
'crowded and incommoded by the intrusion
 of persons whose stations and          
educations disqualified them for judging
 of statuary and painting1 and who were 
made idle and tumultuous by the         
opportunity of attending a show2' and by
 way of remedy1 proposed that in future 
the price of the catalogue should be one
 shilling1 and that no person should be 
admitted without one1 but that a        
catalogue once purchased should serve as
 a ticket of admission during the       
season4 ,the ,society of ,arts1 however1
 distinctly refused assent to these     
changes4 ,the dispute quickened1 waxed  
warm4 ,finally a large and distinguished
 section of the artists1 comprising in  
its ranks the committee of sixteen who  

had managed the first exhibition1       
determined to sever their connexion with
 the ,society of ,arts1 and to assert   
their independence4 ,they accordingly   
engaged a room of an auctioneer in      
,spring ,gardens for a display of their 
works during ,may #agfa4 ,the more timid
 party still clung to the friendly      
,society in the ,strand1 and there held 
a second exhibition4 ,from the spring of
 #agfa1 therefore1 there were two       
exhibitions of works of art in ,london4 
,the exhibitors in ,spring ,gardens     
styled themselves the ',society of      
,artists of ,great ,britain2' the old   
committee of sixteen being at the head  
of the affairs of the new society4 ,the 
designs on their catalogue by ,wale and 
,hogarth demonstrated their intention to
 devote their revenue to the relief of  
the distressed4 ,of the catalogue1      
rendered attractive by these            
embellishments1 #ac1jjj copies were     
sold4 ,no charge was made for admission2
 but the purchase of a catalogue was    

made imperative4 ,the catalogue1        
however1 was a ticket of admission for  
the season4 ,the receipts of the        
exhibition of #agfa amounted to ,l#fej4 
,at the other exhibition in the ,strand1
 to which sixty-five artists            
contributed1 the old system prevailed4  
,visitors were at liberty to purchase a 
catalogue or not1 as they chose2 but a  
check was placed upon the indiscriminate
 admission of all classes by requiring  
from visitors the production of tickets 
which had been distributed gratuitously 
by the exhibitors1 and were readily     
obtainable4 ,after defraying all        
expenses the exhibition produced upwards
 of ,l#aej1 which sum was appropriated  
in benefactions--to the ,middlesex      
,hospital ,l#ej1 to the ,british        
,lying-in ,hospital ,l#ej1 to the       
,asylum for ,female ,orphans ,l#ej1 the 
small balance remaining after these     
donations being distributed among       
distressed artists4 ,in the following   
year the ,strand exhibitors took the    

first practical measures for founding a 
provident society for the benefit of    
,british artists by forming themselves  
into an organized body1 with a          
constitution and rules for their proper 
government1 and assuming the title of   
',the ,free ,society of ,artists1       
,associated for the ,relief of the      
,distressed and ,decayed ,brethren1     
their ,widows and ,children4' ,the      
society was to be maintained by the sale
 of the catalogues of an annual         
exhibition1 or by charging for admission
 to such exhibition1 as a committee of  
management to be chosen every year      
should determine2 such committee having 
also power to reject the works sent in  
that they might deem unworthy of        
exhibition1 and to hang or dispose of   
accepted works 'without respect to      
persons4' ,every artist who contributed 
works to the exhibition for five years  
in succession1 intermission by reason of
 illness or absence from the country not
 being a disqualification1 was to be a  

perpetual member of the society and     
entitled to share in its benefits and   
privileges4 ,in #agfc the institution   
took legal shape1 and was 'enrolled of  
record in ,his ,majesty's ,court of     
,king's ,bench1' fifty members signing  
the roll4  ,meanwhile the rival         
association had not been idle4 ,it had  
increased the number of its committee   
from sixteen to twenty-four2 this       
committee exercising absolute authority 
over the affairs of the society4        
,vacancies in its numbers were filled up
 by the remaining committee-men1 without
 reference to the society1 while it     
enjoined upon its members that its      
transactions should be kept a profound  
secret from the general body of the     
society4 ,already a love of rule seems  
to have gained upon this committee4 ,its
 members began to regard themselves in  
the light of academicians for life--as  
perpetual governors1 rather than        
officers of the society1 removable at   
its pleasure3 an erroneous view of their

 position which led to much trouble in  
the sequel4 ,other changes had taken    
place--a charge of one shilling was made
 for admission to the exhibition of     
#agfb1 the catalogue being given gratis1
 and appended to the catalogue appeared 
an address written on behalf of the     
society by ,dr4 ,johnson1 explaining the
 objects of the exhibition1 the reason  
for charging for admission to it1 and a 
change that had been determined upon in 
regard to the appropriation of the      
society's revenues4 ',the purpose of    
this exhibition1' declared the address1 
'is not to enrich the artists1 but to   
advance the art2 the eminent are not    
flattered by preference1 nor the obscure
 insulted with contempt4 ,whoever hopes 
to deserve public favour is here invited
 to display his merit4' ,when the terms 
of admission were low1 it was stated1   
the rooms 'were thronged with such      
multitudes as made access dangerous1 and
 frightened away those whose approbation
 was most desired4' ,a curious plan for 

appropriating the expected profits was  
then set forth4 ,the works sent in for  
exhibition were to be reviewed by the   
committee of management1 and a price    
secretly set on every work and          
registered by the secretary4 ,at the    
close of the exhibition the works were  
to be sold by auction2 if they sold for 
more than the price fixed by the        
committee1 the artists were to receive  
the increased amount1 but if they sold  
for less1 then the deficiency was to be 
made up to the artists out of the       
profits of the exhibition4 ,for the most
 part the pictures at the subsequent    
sale by auction did not realize the     
prices set upon them by the committee1  
and upwards of ,l#abj had to be paid to 
the artists out of the exhibition funds4
 ,upon the whole1 the plan did not work 
very well4 ,the society's attempt to    
come between buyer and seller satisfied 
neither party4 ,after this one          
experiment1 the scheme was abandoned4   
,the society had1 however1 little reason

 to complain of want of public support4 
,in #agfb the exhibition produced over  
,l#ebj1 and in #agfc1 ,l#efj4 ,in #agfd1
 the receipts rose to ,l#gfj4 ,but the  
internal economy of the institution was 
in a less satisfactory state4 ,many     
members expressed discontent at the     
arbitrary power exercised by the        
committee--a permanent body1 not always 
recruited from the best sources1 for    
many of the most eminent artists        
declined to accept office1 or were      
neglectful of their duties as           
committee-men1 so that ultimately there 
seemed to be danger of the whole        
government of the society falling into  
the hands of the least competent1 if the
 most active1 of its members4 ,and the  
society was much in want of a distinct  
legal status4 ,after all1 it was but a  
private sort of corporation most        
imperfectly constituted2 it was growing 
rich without its property being         
regularly secured to it4 ,enrolment was 
not regarded as sufficiently answering  

this object1 and it was proposed at a   
general meeting of the members that the 
,crown should be solicited to           
incorporate the society by charter4 ,the
 committee1 content with the existing   
state of things under which they        
exercised extreme authority1 opposed    
these projects4 ,however1 the general   
body proved too strong for them2 the    
charter was petitioned for and granted  
on the #bfth of ,january #agfe4 ,in     
substance it followed the terms of the  
charter which had been proposed by the  
artists ten years before1 when an       
attempt had been made to establish an   
academy 'on general benevolence4' ,it   
placed no limit to the number of the    
society's members1 or ',fellows1' as    
they were thenceforward to be called2   
the committee-men being designated      
',directors4' ,it gave the society arms1
 a crest1 a constitution1 power to hold 
land 7not exceeding the yearly value of 
,l#ajjj71 to sue and to be sued1 etc42  
and it authorized the society1 every    

,st4 ,luke's ,day1 to elect ,directors  
to serve for the ensuing year4 ,in other
 respects the charter was somewhat      
indefinite2 but it was presumed that    
under the power to make bye-laws1 all   
points in dispute might be finally dealt
 with and adjusted4 ,the ',fellows' were
 disposed to be conciliatory4 ,they     
elected the late committee to be the    
first ',directors1' under the charter4  
,everything seemed to promise well4 ,two
 hundred and eleven artists signed the  
roll of the society1 promising to the   
utmost of their power to observe and    
conform to the statutes and orders1 and 
to promote the honour and interest of   
the ',society of ,incorporated ,artists 
of ,great ,britain4'  ,but between the  
,fellows and the ,directors there seems 
to have been but a hollow truce after   
all4 ,they were bent upon different     
plans and objects4 ,the ,fellows        
entertained practical views enough4 ,the
 only academy of art was still the very 
inadequate private school in ,st4       

,martin's ,lane--a distinct institution1
 a common resort of artists1 whether    
members of a society or not4 ,the       
,fellows desired out of the funds of    
their society to found a public academy 
of a high class1 that should be of real 
value to the profession4 ,the           
,directors1 among whom the architects   
,chambers and ,payne were remarkably    
active1 proposed1 on the other hand1    
'that the funds should be laid out in   
the decoration of some edifice adapted  
to the objects of the institution4' ,the
 ,fellows declared that in this project 
the society1 as a whole1 had no         
interest2 and at a general meeting in   
,march #agfg1 they carried a resolution 
'that it should be referred to the      
,directors to consider a proper1 form   
for instituting a public academy1 and to
 lay the same before the meeting in     
,september next4' ,an attempt was then  
made on the part of the ,directors to   
comply with the terms of this           
resolution1 and yet to reserve the funds

 of the society for the future carrying 
out of their own pet scheme4  ,dalton1  
an artist of very inconsiderable fame1  
who held the appointment of librarian to
 the ,king1 was treasurer to the        
,incorporated ,society1 and a leading   
member of its direction4 ,he had1 some  
time previously1 attempted to establish 
a print warehouse in ,pall ,mall1 but   
the speculation had signally failed2    
accordingly the speculator had been left
 with very expensive premises on his    
hands4 ,he now conceived that his       
warehouse might readily be converted    
into a very respectable academy of arts1
 and he contrived to obtain the ,king's 
encouragement of the plan4 ,soon1 at    
another general meeting1 the ,fellows   
were informed that the ,king intended to
 take the fine arts under his special   
protection1 and to institute a public   
academy under royal patronage4 ,at these
 good tidings opposition ceased4 ,the   
resolution passed at the ,march meeting 
of the society was at once repealed4    

,universal satisfaction prevailed2 there
 was great rejoicing among the ,fellows 
at the brilliant prospects dawning upon 
art and artists4 ,the words ',royal     
,academy' were substituted for ',print  
,warehouse' over the door of ,mr4       
,dalton's house in ,pall ,mall4 ,the    
subscribers to the school in ,st4       
,martin's ,lane1 on the representation  
of ,mr4 ,moser that they would          
thenceforward have free access to the   
,royal ,academy1 that their school would
 be thus superseded1 and that their     
furniture would consequently be of no   
further use to them1 were prevailed upon
 to assign to him their anatomical      
figures1 busts1 statues1 lamps1 and     
other effects and fittings1 which were  
forthwith removed to ,pall ,mall4 ,but  
bitter disappointment was to follow all 
this hopefulness and satisfaction4 ,it  
soon appeared that there was no money   
applicable to the support of the royal  
establishment4 ,the ,king had given     
nothing4 ,the ,directors would consent  

to no outlay from the society's funds4  
,the ,royal ,academy was to be          
self-supporting4 ,the artists had in    
truth gained not at all--were in a      
somewhat worse position than before4    
,they were required to pay an annual fee
 of one guinea to an academy in which   
their comfort and convenience were less 
studied than in the old school in ,st4  
,martin's ,lane4 ,for now the disturbing
 element of non-professional membership 
was permitted4 ,any person1 not         
intending to study1 was allowed entrance
 to the academy1 on payment of an annual
 guinea4 ,the discontent of the artists 
was extreme1 and was vehemently         
expressed4  ,public interest in the     
society1 however1 had meanwhile in no   
way abated4 ,the exhibition of #agfg    
produced over eleven hundred pounds4    
,but the dissensions of the ,directors  
and ,fellows had become notorious---    
arrested general attention1 and         
attracted the comments and censures of  
the newspapers4 ,the ,fellows forthwith 

determined to effect a change in the    
composition of the directorate1 whose   
oppression and mismanagement had been1  
as they judged1 so fatal to the         
interests of the general body4 ,it was  
proposed that a bye-law should be       
passed1 rendering compulsory the        
retirement of eight out of the          
twenty-four ,directors every year1 and  
that the retiring ,directors should be  
replaced by other members of the        
society4 ,but this not unreasonable     
proposition was strenuously resisted by 
the ,directors1 who argued that by the  
terms of the charter exclusive authority
 to originate new laws was vested in    
them absolutely4 ,it was at length      
determined between the contending       
parties that the question should be     
decided by a reference to the opinion of
 the ,attorney-,general4 ,the           
,directors1 after much procrastination1 
drew up and submitted their case4 ,the  
,attorney-,general 7,mr4 ,william de    
,grey1 afterwards ,lord ,walsingham7 was

 of opinion1 in answer to the questions 
put to him1 that under the charter the  
,directors were to make laws1 and the   
general body to approve or reject the   
same1 and that1 therefore1 the          
,directors were not bound to take into  
consideration a resolution of a general 
meeting in order to form it into a      
bye-law4 ,but it was suggested that the 
,directors should consider how far it   
might be prudent to accept such a       
resolution1 'since the same majority    
that resolved might unite in electing   
,directors of the same opinion with     
themselves1 especially in the case of   
resolutions that appeared to be         
reasonable and proper2' the             
,attorney-,general being further of     
opinion that the proposed bye-law was   
not in any way inconsistent with the    
terms of the society's charter4 ,upon   
this opinion the ,fellows acted4 ,they  
submitted to the ,directors the         
enactment of a bye-law rendering no more
 than sixteen of the existing ,directors

 capable of being re-elected for the    
year ensuing4 ,the ,directors were      
obstinate3 they declared that the       
proposed law would be an attack on the  
freedom of elections1 a dangerous       
innovation1 and an ungrateful return for
 all the exertions they had made on     
behalf of the society4 ,at the general  
meeting following this1 held on ,st4    
,luke's day1 the #ahth of ,october      
#agfh1 the struggle terminated3 the     
,fellows1 made less moderate by         
opposition1 elected sixteen of their    
number to fill the places of sixteen old
 ,directors1 who were superseded and    
deposed4 ,mr4 ,joshua ,kirby was        
appointed president in the room of ,mr4 
,hayman1 who had succeeded to that post 
on the death of ,mr4 ,lambert in #agfe2 
,mr4 ,newton and ,mr4 ,dalton were      
removed from the offices of secretary   
and treasurer4 ,on the #ajth ,november  
the eight remaining of the old          
,directors declared that they could not 
act with their new colleagues1 believing

 them bent upon measures repugnant to   
the charter and tending to the          
destruction of the society2 and         
accordingly they placed their           
resignations in the hands of ,mr4       
,kirby1 the new president4 ,they desired
 to be understood1 however1 as not      
objecting to all the new ,directors4 ,on
 the contrary1 they professed to        
entertain the highest esteem for ,mr4   
,kirby himself and 'some others1' who   
had been elected to their offices       
without taking part in any intrigue1 and
 who1 as being men of honour and ability
 in their professions1 were extremely   
proper persons to fill the places they  
occupied4 ,the conflict was thus brought
 to a close4 ,the ,fellows had delivered
 their society from the persistent      
misrule under which it had so long      
suffered4 ,the price of this            
emancipation was1 in the first place1   
the loss of all the twenty-four         
,directors4 ,further and more important 
results1 however1 were to be            

forthcoming4  ,meanwhile1 brief mention 
must be made of the transactions of the 
smaller institution--the ,free ,society 
of ,artists4 ,adherence to the ,society 
of ,arts1 though it brought with it     
restriction as to charging for admission
 to the annual exhibitions1 and made the
 sale of catalogues almost its only     
source of revenue1 was yet maintained by
 the ,free ,society for four years4     
,but1 in #agfe1 the ,free ,society no   
longer availed itself of the premises of
 the ,society of ,arts4 ,an independent 
exhibition was then opened at a large   
room1 hired for the purpose1 in ,maiden 
,lane1 ,covent ,garden1 being part of   
the warehouse of ,mr4 ,moreing1 an      
upholsterer2 and the exhibition of the  
following year was also held in the same
 place4 ,in #agfg and #agfh the ,society
 exhibited in two large rooms at the    
bottom of the ,haymarket1 ,pall ,mall4  
,the ,society published from time to    
time statements of its progress4 ,in one
 of these the growth of the ,society1   

its utility1 and purposes1 are plainly  
set forth4 ,every member afflicted with 
illness and applying for relief had been
 assisted with donations of from three1 
five1 ten1 fifteen1 twenty1 up to one   
hundred guineas4 ,the ,society possessed
 funds applicable to the purposes of    
benevolence to the amount of ,l#abjj4   
,with a continuance of public favour the
 ,society trusted to be able in a few   
years1 not only to provide for its      
distressed1 but 'to found an academy1   
and to give premiums for the            
encouragement of every branch in the    
polite arts4' ,up to #agfh one hundred  
members had signed the ,society's roll4 
,the story of the two societies has thus
 been brought down to #agfh4 ,from that 
year dates the rise of a third          
society--the ,royal ,academy of ,arts3  
an institution which has long outlived  
its rivals1 which has indeed fed upon   
and gained strength from their decay and
 decease1 as at the outset it owed its  
existence to the success of their       

previous efforts1 and which1 in spite of
 constant opposition and bitterest      
attack1 flourishes still1 as though     
possessed of that longevity which is    
proverbially the attribute of the       
threatened4 ',the ,academy1' said       
,haydon1 'originated in the very basest 
intrigue4' ,undoubtedly there was       
intrigue in connexion with its origin1  
but not necessarily of the 'very basest'
 character4 ,some allowance must be made
 for 'poor human nature4' ,the contest  
dividing the ,incorporated ,society had 
been a very keen one--had been          
distinguished by much angry feeling and 
acrimonious spirit4 ,it was hardly to be
 supposed that the defeated party1 the  
sixteen expelled ,directors and the     
additional eight who retired in sympathy
 with the expulsion of their colleagues1
 would sit down patiently under their   
defeat3 their disgrace as they          
considered it4 ,they had declined to    
regard themselves as members of a       
fluctuating committee1 although such was

 distinctly their legal position1       
removable at the will of the society4   
,for eight years they had held the reins
 of power2 the supposition that these   
were to be theirs for life had some     
excuse1 and they argued that their      
displacement1 if in accordance with the 
letter of the law1 was yet contrary to  
its spirit4 ,it was true a majority was 
against them2 but they found fault with 
the composition of the majority4 ,there 
had been1 they declared1 too            
indiscriminate an admission of ,fellows4
 ,inferior practitioners1 troublesome1  
pragmatical1 jealous1 anxious for power1
 had availed themselves of the loose    
terms of the charter1 to creep into the 
society1 and conspire against the       
legitimate influence of the respectable 
members4 ,this was the ,directors' view 
of the case4 ,what was now to be their  
course8 ,should they submit1 serve where
 they had once ruled1 sink into simple  
,fellows1 and thus1 as it were1 grace   
the triumph of their foes8 ,perish the  

thought6 ,they would found a rival      
society6  ,it must not be understood    
that the ,directors1 as opposed to the  
,fellows1 were wholly without friends in
 the society4 ,though outnumbered1 they 
had yet a certain small following2 while
 many held aloof from both parties1     
ill-pleased at the virulence with which 
their dissensions had been conducted4   
,reynolds in particular declined all    
interference in the contentions which   
were rending in twain the society4 ,he  
had long withdrawn himself from the     
meetings of the ,directors1 declaring   
himself no friend to their proceedings1 
and when he discovered their intention  
'to raise up a schism in the arts1' as  
,sir ,robert ,strange phrases it1 and   
make a separate exhibition1 he declared 
that he would exhibit with neither body4
  ,an exhibition of the works of the    
ex-,directors in competition with the   
exhibition of the ,fellows would have   
been fair play enough--a perfectly      
legitimate and honourable proceeding4   

,it would then have rested with the     
public to declare which exhibition      
displayed the greater amount of merit   
and was the more worthy of their        
encouragement and support4 ,further1 the
 attempt on the part of the ,directors  
to obtain the favour of the ,king for   
their undertaking was hardly to be      
blamed4 ,but what was distinctly        
unjustifiable in their proceedings was  
their intriguing to secure a monopoly of
 this favour3 to possess themselves     
exclusively of the royal patronage1 to  
the detriment and ultimate ruin1 not    
merely of the society their own         
connexion with which had been so        
violently severed1 but of the           
unoffending and praiseworthy smaller    
institution--the ,free ,society4 ,in    
this matter1 however1 it must be said1  
the ex-,directors were not alone to     
blame4 ,other patrons of art may exhibit
 themselves1 if they please1 as         
partisans1 but a royal patron should not
 condescend to a position at once so    

inequitable and so undignified4 ,to this
 derogation1 however1 ,george ,,iii41   
good-humouredly weak or pertinaciously  
obtuse1 suffered himself to be brought4 
,he became the patron of a clique1 and  
even yielded himself as an instrument to
 be employed for the injury of that     
clique's antagonists4 ,whatever had been
 the faults of the other societies as   
against the founders of the ,royal      
,academy--and it must be admitted that  
the ,free ,society was1 perfectly       
blameless in that respect1--as against  
the ,crown they had done nothing to     
merit royal displeasure1 but1 on the    
contrary1 were entitled1 with the other 
enlightened institutions of the country1
 to count upon the ,king's              
encouragement4  ,some such demon as1    
whispering in the ear of ,visto1 bade   
him ',have a taste6' had been wheedling 
,george in4 ,the ,king proclaimed       
himself a patron of the arts1 and then  
proceeded to assume the airs of a       
connoisseur4 ,certainly he did not      

distinguish himself much in that        
capacity2 his pretensions were not      
backed by any real learning4 ,he made   
woeful mistakes4 ,for instance1 he never
 appreciated ,reynolds1#h whose merits  
one would think were sufficiently       
patent--needed not a conjurer to        
perceive them--passing him over to      
appoint ,allan ,ramsay serjeant painter1
 when ,hogarth dying vacated that       
honorary office4 ,he preferred ,west's  
works1 because they were smoother--and  
,dance's1 because they were cheaper6  #h
 ,it has been alleged that the ,king    
objected to ,reynolds on account of the 
painter's friendship for ,burke and     
,fox4  ,west was the ,king's pet        
painter4 ,dr4 ,drummond1 ,archbishop of 
,york1 had obtained for him1 in         
,february #agfh1 the honour of an       
audience4 ,the artist took with him to  
the palace a picture1 ',agrippina       
landing with the ,ashes of ,germanicus1'
 which he had executed for the          
archbishop4 ,the ,king greatly admired  

the work1 and ,west forthwith received  
the royal command to paint ',the        
,departure of ,regulus for ,rome4'      
,later in the year a sketch of the      
picture was submitted to the ,king4 ,at 
this time the newspapers were full of   
the dissensions of the ,incorporated    
,society4 ,concerning these the ,king   
inquired of ,west4 ,the artist--one of  
the eight ,directors who had voluntarily
 quitted the ,society after the ejection
 of their sixteen colleagues--related to
 the ,king the history of the ,society's
 proceedings from the ,directors' point 
of view4 ,whereupon the ,king stated    
'that he would gladly patronize any     
association that might be found better  
calculated to improve the arts4'  ,west 
returned from the palace full of this   
royal announcement4 ,he at once put     
himself in communication with three     
ex-,directors of the ,incorporated      
,society1--,cotes1 a fashionable        
portrait-painter2 ,chambers1 who had    
been instructor in architecture to the  

,king when ,prince of ,wales2 and       
,moser1 the gold-chaser and enameller1  
who had taught the ,king drawing4 ,these
 four artists formed themselves into a  
committee to arrange the plan of an     
academy4 ,the ,king1 it is stated1 took 
great personal interest in the scheme1  
and even drew up several laws with his  
own hand4 ,he expressed great anxiety   
that the design should be kept a        
profound secret1 lest it should be      
converted into a vehicle of political   
influence4 ,the artists did not object  
to this secrecy2 they rather preferred  
that their plan should1 as it were1 open
 fire upon their foes unexpectedly1 with
 the suddenness of a battery promptly   
unmasked4  ,we now come to the          
well-known story of the arrival at      
,windsor ,castle of ,kirby1 the         
,president of the ,incorporated         
,society1 at a time when the ,king is   
inspecting ,west's completed picture of1
 ',regulus4' ,kirby joins in the general
 admiration of the work2 he turns to    

,west1 and trusts that it is the        
artist's intention to exhibit the       
picture4 ,west replies that the question
 of exhibition must rest with his       
,majesty1 for whom the picture has been 
painted4 ',assuredly1' says the ,king1  
',i shall be happy to let the work be   
shown to the public4' ',then1 ,mr4      
,west1 you will send it to my           
exhibition1' adds the ,president of the 
,incorporated ,society4 ',no6' his      
,majesty interposes1 'it must go to my  
exhibition--to the ,royal ,academy6'    
,mr4 ,kirby is thunderstruck1--the      
battery had been unmasked4 ,profoundly  
humiliated he at once retires from the  
royal presence1 not to survive the shock
 very long1 says the story4 ,however1 he
 lived to #aggd4  ,mr4 ,kirby was a     
landscape painter of repute in his day4 
,author of a work on perspective1 and   
the friend of ,gainsborough1 he had     
risen from quite humble life to a       
position of some eminence1 entirely by  
his own exertions4 ,it was admitted that

 he had attained the post of ,president 
of the ,incorporated ,society without   
intrigue on his part1 and that both by  
reason of his professional skill and his
 private worth1 he was entitled to the  
respect alike of the friends and foes of
 that institution4 ,the ,king           
condescended to play an ignoble part    
when he took pains to mortify and       
distress so honest a gentleman4 ,rival  
artists might conspire against the      
,society from which they had seceded1   
and seek to mine its position2 but his  
,majesty stooped very low when he lent  
his royal hand to the firing of the     
train4 ,however1 he had thrown himself  
heart and soul into the project for     
founding a new society--the ,royal      
,academy4 ,so that he reared that       
edifice1 he seemed to care little how he
 might sully his fingers in the process4
 ,in this1 as in some other occurrences 
in the course of his reign1 he          
demonstrated sufficiently that he could 
on occasion be obstinate and fatuous1   

wanting both in discrimination and in   
dignity4  ,after the scene at ,windsor  
,castle1 in which poor ,mr4 ,kirby had  
been demolished1 a meeting was held at  
the house of ,wilton1 the sculptor1 of  
some thirty artists1 including1 of      
course1 the twenty-four ex-,directors of
 the ,incorporated ,society1 to hear    
,chambers1 the architect1 read the      
proposed academy's code of laws which   
had been prepared under the immediate   
inspection of the ,king1 and to nominate
 the officers of the institution4 ,some 
uneasiness had been felt during the day 
as to whether ,reynolds would or not    
join the academy4 ,he had hitherto      
abstained from all part in the          
proceedings2 but that he should be the  
first president had been decided by the 
,king in consultation with the other    
conspirators4 ,penny1 the               
portrait-painter1 had visited ,reynolds 
to sound him on the subject1 but found  
him obdurate4 ,west was then deputed to 
wait upon the greatest ,english painter1

 and to leave no means untried in the   
way of persuading him to join the new   
association4 ,for a time ,reynolds was  
cold and coy enough1 but influenced at  
last by the allurement of probable      
knighthood1 or the force of other       
arguments1 he permitted himself to be   
carried in ,west's coach to the meeting 
at ,wilton's4 ,he was at once declared  
president2 ,chambers being appointed    
treasurer1 ,newton secretary1 ,moser    
keeper1 ,penny professor of painting1   
and ,dr4 ,william ,hunter professor of  
anatomy4 ,reynolds1 however1 deferred   
his acceptance of the post of president 
until he had consulted his friends ,dr4 
,johnson and ,mr4 ,burke upon the       
subject1 and it was not until a         
fortnight after his election that he    
finally consented to fill the proposed  
office4  ,the first formal meeting of   
the ,royal ,academy was held in ,pall   
,mall on the #adth ,december #agfh4 ,mr4
 ,chambers read a report to the artists 
assembled1 relating the steps that had  

been taken to found the ,academy4 ,no   
allusion was made in this report to the 
secret negotiations and consultations   
with the ,king2 but it was set forth    
that on the previous #bhth ,november1   
,messrs4 ,chambers1 ,cotes1 ,moser1 and 
,west had had the honour of presenting a
 memorial to the ,crown1 signed by      
twenty-two artists1 soliciting the royal
 assistance and protection in           
establishing a new society for promoting
 the arts of design4 ,the objects of the
 society were stated to be 'the         
establishing a well-regulated school or 
academy of design1 for the use of       
students in the arts1 and an annual     
exhibition1 open to all artists of      
distinguished merit1 where they may     
offer their performances to public      
inspection1 and acquire that degree of  
reputation and encouragement which they 
shall be deemed to deserve4' ',we       
apprehend1' the memorialists had        
proceeded1 'that the profits arising    
from the last of these institutions will

 fully answer all the expenses of the   
first3 we even flatter ourselves they   
will be more than necessary for that    
purpose1 and that we shall be enabled   
annually to distribute somewhat in      
useful charities4 ,your ,majesty's      
avowed patronage and protection is      
therefore all that we at present humbly 
sue for2 but should we be disappointed  
in our expectations1 and find that the  
profits of the society are insufficient 
to defray its expenses1 we humbly hope  
that your ,majesty will not deem that   
expense ill-applied which may be found  
necessary to support so useful an       
institution4' ,this memorial1 so the    
report went on to state1 the ,king had  
received very graciously3 saying that he
 considered the culture of the arts as a
 national concern1 and that the         
memorialists might depend upon his      
patronage and assistance in carrying    
their plan into execution2 further1 he  
desired that a fuller statement in      
writing of their intentions might be    

laid before him4 ,accordingly1 ,mr4     
,chambers had drawn up a sketch of his  
plan1 and1 having obtained its approval 
by as many artists as the shortness of  
time would allow1 had submitted it to   
the ,king1 who1 on the #ajth of         
,december #agfh1 signified his          
approbation1 ordered that the plan      
should be carried into execution1 and   
with his own hand signed ,mr4           
,chambers's plan--'the ,instrument1' as 
it was then1 and has ever since been    
called4 ,mr4 ,chambers then read the    
,instrument to the meeting1 after which 
the artists present signed an obligation
 or declaration1 promising to observe   
all the laws and regulations contained  
in the ,instrument1 and all future laws 
that might be made for the better       
government of the society1 and to employ
 their utmost endeavours to promote the 
honour and interest of the              
establishment1 so long as they should   
continue members thereof4 ,the ,academy 
thus obtained its constitution1 and     

assumed such form of legal existence as 
it has ever possessed4  ,the ,instrument
 is simply a document on parchment1     
signed by the ,king1 but unsealed and   
unattested4 ,it recites that sundry     
eminent professors of painting1         
sculpture1 and architecture had         
solicited the ,king's patronage and     
assistance in establishing a society for
 promoting the arts of design1 and that 
the utility of the plan had been fully  
and clearly demonstrated4 ,therefore the
 ,king1 being desirous of encouraging   
every useful undertaking1 did thereby   
institute and establish the said        
,society under the name of the ',royal  
,academy of ,arts in ,london1'          
graciously declaring himself the patron1
 protector1 and supporter thereof1 and  
commanding it should be established     
under the forms and regulations         
thereinafter set forth1 which had been  
humbly laid before his ,majesty1 and had
 received his royal assent and          
approbation4 ,the rules declared that   

the ,academy should consist of forty    
members only1 who should be called      
,academicians2 they were to be at the   
time of their admission painters1       
sculptors1 or architects of reputation  
in their professions1 of high moral     
character1 not under twenty-five years  
of age1 resident in ,great ,britain1 and
 not members of any other society of    
artists established in ,london4 ,under  
this rule1 it will be noted1 that       
engravers could not aspire to the       
honours of the ,academy4 ,sir ,robert   
,strange regarded this as a direct      
affront to the members of his           
profession1 and attributed it to his    
well-known attachment to the            
,incorporated ,society and hostility to 
the designs of the ex-,directors of that
 body4 ,the provision that members of   
other societies were to be disqualified 
from becoming members of the ,academy1  
was of course aimed at the rival        
institutions1 and undoubtedly a severe  
restriction upon the general body of    

artists4 ,of the forty members who were 
to constitute the ,academy1 the         
,instrument named thirty-six only2 a    
circumstance which justified suspicion  
that the leaders in the enterprise had  
so small a following that they could not
 muster in sufficient force to complete 
the prescribed number of original       
members3 or they may have purposely left
 vacancies to be supplied as artists of 
eminence were detached from the rival   
societies or otherwise became eligible4 
,among the thirty-six1#i while many     
artists of fame appear1 it must also be 
said that many very obscure persons     
figure1 whose names1 but for their      
registry upon the list of original      
,academicians1 would probably never have
 been known to posterity in any way4    
,nearly a third of the number are       
foreigners4 ,there are two ladies1      
,mesdames ,angelica ,kauffman and ,mary 
,moser1 the first and last female       
,academicians4 ,then there are coach1   
and even sign-painters1 a medallist1 and

 an engraver--,bartolozzi1 whose        
nomination was in direct contravention  
of the ,academy's constitution and an   
additional injustice to ,sir ,robert    
,strange4 ,the originators of the plan  
must surely have felt that they were    
marching through ,coventry with rather a
 ragged regiment at their heels4 ,the   
number of reputable names missing from  
their list was remarkable3 ,allan       
,ramsay1 serjeant-painter to the ,king2 
,hudson1 ,reynolds's preceptor1 and     
,romney1 his rival2 ,scott1 the marine  
painter2 ,pine1 the portrait painter2   
and the engravers ,strange1 ,grignon1   
and ,woollett2 beside such artists as   
,edward ,edwards1 ,joseph ,farington1   
,ozias ,humphrey1 ,john ,mortimer1      
,robert ,smirke1 ,francis ,wheatleigh1  
and many others 7members of the         
,incorporated ,society for the most     
part71 who1 though ultimately connected 
with the ,academy1 had no share in its  
foundation4  #i ,the thirty-six members 
nominated by the ,instrument            

were3--,joshua ,reynolds1 ,benjamin     
,west1 ,thomas ,sandby 7architect71     
,francis ,cotes 7portrait painter71     
,john ,baker 7coach panel painter71     
,mason ,chamberlin 7portrait painter71  
,john ,gwyn 7architect71 ,thomas        
,gainsborough1 ,j4 ,baptist ,cipriani   
7,italian71 ,jeremiah ,meyer 7,german1  
miniature painter71 ,francis ,milner    
,newton 7portrait painter71 ,paul       
,sandby 7water-colour painter and       
engraver71 ,francesco ,bartolozzi       
7,italian1 engraver71 ,charles ,catton  
7coach panel painter71 ,nathaniel ,hone 
7portrait painter71 ,william ,tyre      
7architect71 ,nathaniel ,dance 7portrait
 painter71 ,richard ,wilson1 ,g4        
,michael ,moser 7,swiss1 gold-chaser and
 enameller71 ,samuel ,wale 7sign painter
 and book illustrator71 ,peter ,toms    
7portrait and heraldic painter71        
,angelica ,kauffman 7,swiss71 ,richard  
,yeo 7sculptor of medallions1 engraver  
to the ,mint71 ,mary ,moser 7,swiss1    
flower painter71 ,william ,chambers     

7architect71 ,joseph ,wilton 7sculptor71
 ,george ,barrett 7landscape painter71  
,edward ,penny 7portrait painter        
chiefly71 ,agostino ,carlini 7,italian1 
sculptor71 ,francis ,hayman1 ,dominic   
,serres 7,french1 landscape painter71   
,john ,richards 7landscape painter71    
,francesco ,zucarelli 7,italian1        
landscape painter71 ,george ,dance      
7architect71 ,william ,hoare 7historical
 and portrait painter1 father of ,prince
 ,hoare71 and ,johan ,zoffany 7,german1 
historical and portrait painter74 ,the  
number of forty was not completed until 
#aggb1 when were added ,edward ,burch   
7gem sculptor and wax modeller71        
,richard ,cosway 7miniature painter71   
,joseph ,nollekens 7sculptor71 and      
,james ,barry 7historical painter74     
,seven of the original thirty-six       
,academicians do not appear on the roll 
of the ,incorporated ,society in #agff1 
viz41 ,baker1 ,cipriani1 ,toms1 ,a4     
,kauffman1 ,m4 ,moser1 ,penny1 and      
,hoare4  ,having named the original     

members1 the ,instrument proceeded to   
lay down rules for the further          
government of the institution2 to       
prescribe the manner of electing future 
members1 a council1 and president1 a    
secretary and keeper 7the treasurer was 
to be nominated by his ,majesty1 'as the
 ,king is graciously pleased to pay all 
deficiencies'71 the appointment of      
different professors1 the establishment 
of schools1 a library for the free use  
of students1 and of an annual exhibition
 of works of art to be 'open to all     
artists of distinguished merit4' ,new   
laws and regulations were to be framed  
from time to time1 but to have no force 
until 'ratified by the consent of the   
general assembly and the approbation of 
the ,king4' ,at the end of the          
,instrument the ,king wrote1 ',i approve
 of this plan2 let it be put in         
execution'--adding his signature4  ,this
 ,instrument1 with the bye-laws and     
regulations made upon its authority1    
cannot be said to possess the           

characteristics or incidents of a       
charter1 still less of an ,act of       
,parliament1 or indeed1 to present any  
very formal or legal basis upon which to
 found a national society4 ,the         
,commissioners of #ahfc1 while they     
recommended the grant of a charter to   
define satisfactorily the position of   
the ,academy1 considered the ,instrument
 as a solemn declaration by the original
 members of the main objects of their   
society1 to which succeeding members had
 also practically become parties1 and   
were of opinion that its legal effects  
would be so regarded in a court of law  
or equity4 ,it did not appear1 however1 
that the ,academy itself was in favour  
of the objects of its institution being 
more clearly defined by means of a      
charter4 ,in #ahcf1 ,haydon boldly      
accused the ,academicians that they     
'cunningly refused ,george ,,iv4's offer
 of a charter1 fearing it would make    
them responsible to ,parliament and the 
nation4' ,the charge would seem to have 

some truth in it4 ,certainly the        
,academy has made no attempt to obtain a
 precise definition of its position in  
regard to the crown and the public4     
,the ,incorporated ,society viewed with 
natural alarm the rise of a rival       
institution1 favoured in so marked a    
manner by the patronage of the crown4   
,sir ,robert ,strange at once proposed  
the presentation of a petition1 setting 
forth in plain terms the grievances that
 would be entailed upon the ,society1   
and upon artists generally1 by the      
illiberal constitution of the ,academy  
and its apprehended monopoly of the     
royal protection4 ,sir ,robert's        
proposition was1 however1 not accepted4 
,a petition of a more cautious nature1  
from which everything likely to offend  
had been carefully eliminated1 was      
presented to the ,king by ,mr4 ,kirby1  
the president4 ,his ,majesty replied to 
the prayer of the petition1 'that the   
,society already possessed his          
,majesty's protection2 that he did not  

mean to encourage one set of men more   
than another2 that1 having extended his 
favour to the ,society incorporated by  
charter1 he had also encouraged the new 
petitioners2 that his intention was to  
patronize the arts2 that the ,society   
might rest assured his royal favour     
should be equally extended to both1 and 
that he should visit the exhibitions as 
usual4' ,this reply was gracious enough3
 but it was not ingenuous4 ,the ,king   
was not as good as his word4 ,he did    
mean 'to encourage one set of men more  
than another4' ,he visited the          
exhibition of the ,incorporated ,society
 in #agfi for the last time4 ,in the    
same year he presented the funds of the 
,society with ,l#ajj1 his last donation4
 ,meanwhile his visits to the ,royal    
,academy were constant1 his preference  
for that institution clearly manifested2
 between #agfi and #aghj he presented to
 its funds from his privy purse upwards 
of ,l#ejjj4  ,the ,incorporated         
,society1 shut out from studying in the 

,royal ,academy1 determined to open an  
art-school for themselves and their     
pupils4 ,application was made to the    
,academy for a return of the properties 
which ,mr4 ,moser had carried away it   
was now alleged1 under false pretences1 
from the ,st4 ,martin's ,lane ,academy4 
,it was intimated that payment should be
 made for the chattels in question1 or  
that they should be restored4 ,the      
,royal ,academy1 however1 took no steps 
in the matter4 ,tired of waiting1 the   
,incorporated ,society at last fitted up
 at great expense a new studio for      
themselves at premises in ,maiden ,lane1
 ,covent ,garden1 occupied in more      
modern times by the ,cyder ,cellars4    
,early in #agfi the ,academy opened its 
art-schools in ,pall ,mall2 ,reynolds   
presiding1 read his first discourse4    
,one grave defect in the ,academy's     
constitution was then in a measure      
remedied4 ,the art of engraving was     
recognised3 a law was passed1 by which  
not more than six engravers could be    

admitted as 'associates of the ,royal   
,academy4' ,in ,april the first         
exhibition was held4 ,the number of     
works exhibited was #acf4 ,among these  
were four portraits by ,reynolds1 seven 
by ,cotes 7some of them in crayons1 in  
which he was supposed to excel71 and    
three by ,gainsborough4 ,west sent two  
pictures--the ',regulus1' of which      
mention has already been made--the      
firebrand work which brought about      
indirectly so much mischief and         
discussion--and a ',venus lamenting the 
,death of ,adonis4' ,there were also    
landscapes by ,barrett1 ,gainsborough1  
,sandby1 ,serres1 ,wilson1 and          
,zucarelli1 and 'poetical and historical
 works by ,cipriani1 ,bartolozzi1 and   
,miss ,kauffman4 ,the exhibitors were   
fifty in number2 ,mr4 ,pye1 in his      
',patronage of ,british ,art1' divides  
them into1 ',members of the ,royal      
,academy1 #cc2 non-members1 having no   
interest in the revenue1 #ag4' ,a glance
 at recent catalogues will demonstrate  

the changed proportion now existing     
between exhibiting members and          
exhibiting non-members1 as compared with
 the first exhibition of the ,royal     
,academy4#aj ,by this exhibition a clear
 profit of nearly ,l#fjj was realized4  
,a sum of about ,l#aej was expended in  
charity2 the surplus was applied towards
 the general expenses of the ,academy4  
,these1 however1 so far exceeded the    
receipts as to necessitate a grant from 
the privy purse to the amount of ,l#ijj4
 ,the ,king and ,queen visited the      
,academy exhibition in ,may1 accompanied
 by a guard of honour4 ,from this       
incident arose the practice1 still      
existing1 of stationing sentries at the 
doors of the ,academy during the        
exhibition4  #aj ',in the year #ahfb    
there were #aadb works exhibited2 of    
these #adf were the works of            
academicians1 leaving #iif for the      
non-academicians4'--,sir ,charles       
,eastlake's ,examination before the     
,royal ,academy ,commission1 #ahfc4  ,in

 addition to a charge of sixpence for   
the catalogue1 visitors were required to
 pay one shilling for admission to the  
exhibition4 ,in explanation of this     
charge1 the following curious           
advertisement preceded the list of      
pictures3 ',as the present exhibition is
 a part of the institution of an academy
 supported by royal munificence1 the    
public may naturally expect the liberty 
of being admitted without any expense4  
,the ,academicians1 therefore1 think it 
necessary to declare that this was very 
much their desire1 but they have not    
been able to suggest any other means    
than that of receiving money for        
admittance to prevent the rooms being   
filled by improper persons1 to the      
entire exclusion of those for whom the  
exhibition is apparently intended4'     
,this advertisement1 which was repeated 
in the ,academy catalogue of #aghj1     
would seem at the first sight to suggest
 that the ,academicians had failed to   
comprehend their exact position4 ,or had

 the ,king in his enthusiasm for their  
cause led them to believe that he       
intended to defray their expenses wholly
 from the privy purse without aid from  
the public8 ,however this may be1 it has
 long been understood that the amounts  
taken at the doors of the exhibition for
 admission1 and the sales of catalogues1
 form the real support of the ,academy4 
,a gross income of at least ,l#aj1jjj is
 thus produced1 half of which amount1 as
 clear profit1 the ,academy is enabled  
every year to add to its ever increasing
 store of wealth4#aa  #aa ,out of its   
accumulated riches the ,academy has     
defrayed1 the cost of its new ,galleries
 in ,burlington ,gardens1 first opened  
in #ahfi4  ,concerning the destinies of 
the rival institutions but brief mention
 must suffice4 ,their downfall dates    
from the rise of the ,royal ,academy4   
,still1 they died lingering deaths4 ,the
 ,incorporated ,society struggled       
gallantly though vainly against the     
superior advantages and the royal       

preference enjoyed by the ,academy4 ,in 
#aggb1 the ,society built the large     
room1 the ,lyceum1 in the ,strand1 at an
 outlay of ,l#gejj4 ,but in a year or   
two the decrease in its revenues        
compelled it to part with the building  
at a sacrifice4 ,in #aggf1 the ,society 
held no exhibition4 ,in #aggg and #aggh 
it exhibited at a room in ,piccadilly1  
near ,air ,street4 ,in #aggi1 it again  
did not exhibit4 ,in #aghj1 it appeared 
once more at its old quarters in ,spring
 ,gardens4 ,but its existence now was of
 a very intermittent kind4 ,in #agha and
 #aghb it made no sign4 ,in #aghc1 and  
again in #agij1 it held exhibitions at  
the ,lyceum4 ,in #agia1 it made its     
farewell appearance in public at the    
rooms in ,spring ,gardens4 ,in #ahcf1   
,mr4 ,robert ,pollard1 the last         
surviving member of the ,society1 being 
then #ha1 handed over its books1 papers1
 letters1 documents1 and charter1 to the
 ,royal ,academy4 ,this was the formal  
surrender of the ,incorporated ,society2

 but in truth the struggle had been     
decided against it long and long before4
  ,the ,free ,society dragged on its    
existence1 making feeble annual         
exhibitions until #aggi inclusive2 but  
at that time it had long outlived public
 notice4 ,in #agfi1 it had built a room 
next to ,cumberland ,house1 ,pall ,mall4
 ,but this1 ill-fortune probably        
compelled it to surrender1 as in #agge  
its exhibition was held in ,st4 ,alban's
 ,street4 ,the provident1 praiseworthy1 
modest aims of the ,free ,society ought 
to have saved it from ruin--ought to    
have excited public sympathy on its     
behalf4 ,but this was not to be4 ,the   
,royal ,academy was left master of the  
field4 ,in the success of the ,king's   
exhibition1 the older institutions were 
forgotten and lost4     ,,widow         
,,hogarth ,,and ,,her ,,lodger4  ,on the
 #bfth day of ,october #agfd1 died      
,william ,hogarth4 ,very ailing and     
feeble in body1 but still with his heart
 up and his mind1 as ever1 alert and    

vigorous and full of life1 he had moved 
on the day before from his pleasant snug
 cottage at ,chiswick to his town house 
in ,leicester ,fields4 ,he turned now   
and then in his bed uneasily1 as he felt
 the venomous slanders of ,wilkes and   
,churchill still wounding and stinging  
him like mosquito bites2 else was the   
good little man at peace4 ',i have      
invariably endeavoured to make those    
about me tolerably happy4' ',my greatest
 enemy cannot say ,i ever did an        
intentional injury4' ,so he wrote at the
 close of his life4 ,and there was much 
love for him in the world--culminating  
in his own household4 ,his servants all 
had been years and years in his service2
 he had painted their portraits and hung
 these on his walls2 there is credit to 
both master and servants in the fact4   
,after all1 a man may1 if he chooses1 be
 a hero even to his valet-de-chambre4   
,none could have dreamt the end was so  
near4 ,it is not known that any doctor  
was attending him4 ,he had read and     

answered a letter in the morning2       
fatigued with the effort1 he had retired
 to bed4 ,he was alone when the fatal   
attack came on3 the 'suffusion of blood 
among the arteries of the heart4'       
,starting up1 he rang the bell with a   
violence that broke it in pieces2 they  
had not thought so much strength        
remained to him4 ,he fell back fainting 
in the arms of ,mary ,lewis1 his wife's 
niece2 she had lived in his house all   
her life1 and was his confidential      
assistant in publishing and selling his 
prints4 ,she supported the poor creature
 for two hours1 and he drew his last    
breath in her arms4  ,widow ,hogarth    
wore her deep crape1 be sure1 with an   
aching void in her heart1 and an acute  
sense of the painful wrench to her life 
caused by this bereavement4 ,a fine     
stately1 woman still1 though she was now
 fifty-five4 ,but six years back she had
 sat for ,sigismunda3 the dreadful      
mistake in historical art which poor    
,hogarth had vainly perpetrated in      

emulation of ,correggio4 ,something of  
the beauty of the ,jane ,thornhill1 who 
thirty years before had stolen away with
 her lover to be married at the little  
village church of ,paddington1 must have
 yet remained4 ,the interment1 as all   
the world knows1 took place in ,chiswick
 ,churchyard2 a quiet funeral1 with more
 tears than ostrich-plumes1 more sorrow 
than black silk4 ,it was not for some   
six or seven years after1 that the      
sculptured tomb was erected1 and        
,garrick and ,johnson calmly discussed  
the wording of the epitaph4 ,it is 'no  
easy thing1' wrote the doctor4 ,time had
 something numbed their sense of loss   
when they sat down to exchange poetical 
criticism2 though habit is overpowering1
 and it would have taken a good deal1 at
 any time1 to have disturbed ,johnson   
from his wonted pose of reviewer2 just  
as the dying sculptor in the story1     
receiving extreme unction from his      
priest1 found time to complain of the   
mal-execution of the crucifix held to   

his lips4 ',pictured morals1' the doctor
 wrote1 'is a beautiful expression1 but 
learn and mourn cannot stand for rhymes4
 ,art and ,nature have been seen        
together too often4 ,in the first stanza
 is feeling1 in the second feel4 ,if    
thou hast neither is quite prose1 and   
prose of the familiar kind1' etc4 etc4  
,hogarth dead and buried1 the window    
shutters re-opened1 and heaven's glad   
light once more permitted to stream into
 the rooms1 the red eyes of the         
household a little cooled and staunched1
 came the widow's dreadful task of      
examining the property of the deceased1 
of picking up the fragments that        
remained4 ,how to live8 ,survivors have 
often to make that painful inquiry4     
,there was little money in the house4   
,the painter's life had been            
hard-working enough2 the labourer was   
willing1 but the harvest was very       
scanty4 ,such a limited art public6 such
 low prices6 ,the six ',mariage a la    
,mode' pictures had been sold for one   

hundred and twenty guineas1 including   
,carlo ,maratti frames that had cost the
 painter four guineas each4 ,the eight  
',rake's ,progress' pictures had fetched
 but twenty-two guineas each4 ,the six  
',harlot's ,progress1' fourteen guineas 
each4 ,the ',strolling ,players' had    
gone for twenty-six guineas6 ,o purblind
 connoisseurs6 ,dullard dillettanti6    
,still there was something for the      
widow2 not her wedding portion--that    
seems to have long before melted away4  
,sir ,james ,thornhill had been         
forgiving1 kind1 and generous after a   
time--two years--and opened to the      
runaway lovers his heart and his purse4 
,but there was little to show for all   
that now4 ,there hung on the walls      
various works by the dead hand4         
,portraits of the ,miss ,hogarths1 the  
painter's sisters2 they had kept a      
ready-made clothes shop at ,little      
,britain gate4 ,portraits of the        
daughter of ,mr4 ,rich1 the comedian2 of
 ,sir ,james and ,lady ,thornhill2 of   

the six servants2 and his own likeness1 
with his bull-dog and palette2 besides  
these there was the great effort1 ',bill
 ,hogarth's ,sigismunda1 not to be sold 
under ,l#ejj2' so he had enjoined4      
,alas6 who would give it8 7,at the sale 
after the widow's death it was knocked  
down to ,alderman ,boydell for fifty    
guineas67 ,indeed1 it would be very hard
 to sell all these4 ,and she did not4   
,she clung to the precious relics1 till 
death relaxed her grasp1 when the       
auctioneer's hammer made short work of  
the painter's remains1 even to his      
maul-stick4 ,but to live8 ,there were   
seventy-two plates1 with the copyright  
secured to her for twenty years by ,act 
of ,parliament4 ,these were hers        
absolutely under her husband's will4    
,here at least was subsistence2 indeed1 
the sale of prints from the plates      
produced1 for sometime1 a respectable   
income4 ,and then1 too1 there was the   
gold ticket of admission to ,vauxhall   
,gardens 7for the admission of six      

persons1 or 'one coach'71 presented by  
the proprietor in his gratitude for the 
designs of the ',four ,parts of the     
,day' 7copied by ,hayman71 and the two  
scenes of ',evening1' and ',night1' with
 representations of ,henry the ,eighth  
and ,anne ,boleyn4  ,and the house at   
,chiswick was a possession of           
,hogarth's4 ,it was not then choked up  
with buildings1 but stood cosy and      
secluded in its well-stored garden of   
walnut1 mulberry1 and apple trees1 with 
the head-stones to the poor fellow's    
pets--the bullfinch and dog ,dick1 who  
died the same year as his master2 and a 
very old mulberry tree stricken by      
lightning1 and only held together by the
 iron braces made by his directions1    
perhaps applied with his own hands4 ,how
 full of memorials of the dead painter6 
,pen-and-ink sketches on the panels of  
the wainscoted room on the ground floor3
 and the painting-room over the stables1
 with its large window1 probably one of 
his improvements on first taking the    

house1 looking on to the pleasant garden
 below4 ,doubtless the widow locked up  
the painting-room1 and kept the key on  
the ring at her girdle4 ,years after1   
,sir ,richard ,phillips jotted down his 
memories of ,chiswick--how he1 a        
schoolboy then with his eyes just above 
the pew door1 the bells in the old tower
 chiming for church1 watched ',widow    
,hogarth and her maiden relative1       
,richardson1 walking up the aisle1      
draped in their silken sacks1 their     
raised head-dresses1 their black        
calashes1 their lace ruffles1 and their 
high crooked canes1 preceded by their   
aged servant ,samuel3 who after he had  
wheeled his mistress to church in her   
,bath-chair1 carried the prayer-books up
 the aisle1 and opened and shut the     
pew4' ,state and dignity still remained 
to the widow2 and there1 up in the organ
 loft1 was the quaint group of          
choristers ,hogarth had so admirably    
sketched1 headed by the ,sexton         
,mortefee1 grimacing dreadfully as he   

leads on his terrible band to discord4  
,a square1 ugly church enough1 with the 
great ,devonshire pew--a small parlour  
with the roof off--half blocking up the 
chancel3 a thing to be forgiven then1   
for the lovely ,duchess sat there1 and  
the sight of her angel head was surely  
enough to give new zest to the          
congregation's prayers and praises4 ,a  
church such as ,hogarth often drew1 with
 its 'three-decker' arrangement of      
desks3 the clerk1 the reader1 and the   
preacher1 rising one above the other1   
and1 top of all1 one of those           
old-fashioned massive1 carved           
sounding-boards1 which gave so queer a  
,jack-in-the-box aspect to the pulpit1  
and prompted dreamers in dreary sermons1
 heedless of ,george ,herbert's counsel 
that if nothing else1 the sermon        
'preacheth patience1' to speculate on   
severing the iron rod that supported the
 board1 letting it fall1 and so1 by one 
process shutting up1 so to speak1 both  
preacher and preaching4  ,the house in  

,leicester ,fields also remained3 the   
house on the east side of the square1   
called the ',golden ,head1' with its    
sign cut by ,hogarth himself from pieces
 of cork glued together1 and gilded     
over4 ,he often took his evening walk in
 the enclosure in his scarlet roquelaire
 and cocked hat1 now and then1 no doubt1
 casting admiring glances at his gaudy  
emblem4 ,the ,fields were only just     
merging into the ,square4 ,we learn that
 in #agde1 the streets were so thinly   
built in the neighbourhood1 that 'when  
the heads of the ,scottish rebels were  
placed on ,temple ,bar1 a man stood in  
,leicester ,fields1 with a telescope1 to
 give persons a sight of them for a     
halfpenny a piece4' ,just as we are     
sometimes offered a view of ,saturn's   
rings from ,charing ,cross6 ,hogarth's  
house now forms part of a ,french       
,hotel4 ,the lean ,french cook          
staggering under the roast beef in the  
',gates of ,calais' picture has been    
amply revenged4 ,the fumes of ,french   

ragouts incessantly rise1 on the site   
where the cruel caricature was drawn4#ab
  #ab ,the ,sabloniere ,hotel1 however1 
is now 7#ahfi7 in course of demolition4 
,it is hard to say when the widow's     
income first began to droop--when the   
demand for ,william ,hogarth's prints   
slackened4 ,they circulated largely1 but
 their price was never high4 ,the eight 
prints of the ',rake's ,progress' could 
be purchased at ,mrs4 ,hogarth's house1 
in ,leicester ,fields1 for one guinea2  
',lord ,lovat1' ',beer ,street1' and    
',gin ,lane1' for a shilling each only1 
and all the others could be obtained    
upon like easy terms4 ,it cannot be told
 when the bill first appeared in ,widow 
,hogarth's window--',lodgings to ,let4' 
,but eight years after ,hogarth's death 
there was certainly a lodger in the     
house in ,leicester ,fields--a lodger   
who could exclaim1 ',i also am a        
painter6'  ,alexander ,runciman was born
 in ,edinburgh in #agcf4 ,his father an 
architect1 of course the baby soon began

 to play with the parental pencils4     
,that is not remarkable--but he         
evidenced rather more ability than the  
average baby artist4 ,at twelve he was  
out in the fields with paints and       
brushes1 filling a sketch-book with     
crude representations of rocks1 clouds1 
trees1 and water4 ,at fourteen he was a 
student under ,john ,norris1 whom it    
pleased the period to regard as an      
eminent landscape painter4 ,he was the  
wildest enthusiast in the studio--and   
there are generally a good many wild    
enthusiasts in a studio4 ',other        
artists1' said one of his comrades1     
'talked meat and drink1 but ,runciman   
talked landscape6' ,at nineteen he      
renounced further tutelage1 and started 
on his own account as a landscape       
painter4 ,he commenced to exhibit his   
works4 ,every one praised1 but          
unfortunately no one purchased4 ,the    
market seemed to be only for the show1  
not the sale of goods4 ,the notion      
prevailed absolutely that art was an    

absurd luxury1 which but very few could 
afford to indulge in4 ,a middle-class   
man would have been considered very     
eccentric and extravagant1 who in those 
days bought a picture1 unless it        
happened to be his own portrait4 ,there 
was some demand for portrait            
painting--that paid--especially if you1 
the painter1 were nearly at the head of 
your profession4 ,poor ,wilson had given
 up portraiture1 and soon found himself 
painting landscapes1 and starving the   
while4 ,so ,runciman also discovered    
quickly enough--and with characteristic 
un-reason abandoned landscapes and took 
to historical art1 which1 being in much 
less request even than landscape        
painting1 rather enhanced and quickened 
his chances of ruin4 ,but somehow he    
struggled on4 ,at thirty it occurred to 
him that he had never been to ,rome1 and
 that the fact had probably confined his
 powers and limited his prosperity4 ,he 
packed up his things--an easy task--and1
 with a very small purse--that he should

 have had one at all was a marvel--set  
out for the south4 ,he was soon1 of     
course1 on his knees1 in the regular    
way1 doing homage to ,raphael and ,m4   
,angelo4 ,there are always professional 
conventionalisms4 ,it was as necessary  
then for the artist to be rapt and      
deliriously enthusiastic about his      
calling as for the lawyer to wear a wig 
and gown4  ,at ,rome he swore friendship
 with ,fuseli4 ,the ,scot was the elder1
 but the ,swiss the more learned4 ,they 
had probably both quite made up their   
minds about art before they met1 and    
what drew them together was very much   
the similarity of their opinions4       
,neither was liable to change of view1  
let who would be the teacher4 ,runciman 
no more took his style from ,fuseli1    
than ,fuseli from ,runciman1 and the    
unquestionable resemblance between their
 works was only the natural result of a 
similarity of idiosyncrasy4 ,they both  
worked hard together1 making painstaking
 copies of the great masters4 ',runciman

 ,i am sure you will like1' ,fuseli     
wrote home1 'he is one of the best of us
 here4' ,no doubt ,fuseli found him     
quite a kindred spirit--mad as himself  
about heroic art--given to like insane  
ecstasies--like pell-mell               
execution--like whirling1 extravagant   
drawing--like wild ideas interpreted by 
a like wild hand1 and in a like         
execrable nankeen and slate tone of     
colour4 ,runciman returned in #agga1 and
 proceeding to ,edinburgh1 arrived just 
in time to receive the vacant situation 
of professor of painting to the academy 
established in ,edinburgh ,college1 in  
the year #agfj4 ,the salary was ,l#abj a
 year4 ,the artist accepted the         
appointment gleefully1 and1 had his     
knowledge and his taste been equal to   
his enthusiasm1 few could have better   
fulfilled the duties of his office4     
,soon he began to dream of a series of  
colossal pictures that should make his  
name live for ever in the annals of art4
 ,the dream took form4 ,there were but  

two or three men in ,scotland who would 
even hear out the project4 ,fortunately 
he lighted on one of these4 ,sir ,james 
,clerk consented to the embellishment of
 his hall at ,penicuik with a series of 
pictures illustrative of ,ossian1 by the
 hand of ,runciman4  ,ossian was the    
rage--quotations from the blind bard of 
,morven were in every one's mouth4      
,true1 ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson had        
denounced the whole thing as an         
imposition 'as gross as ever the world  
was troubled with4' ,dr4 ,blair wrote in
 defence1 ',could any man1 of modern    
age1 have written such poems8' ',why    
yes1 sir1' was the answer--',many men1  
many women1 and many children4'         
,macpherson wrote offensively and       
violently to ,dr4 ,samuel1 who replied  
heartily enough--',i received your      
foolish and impudent letter 444,i hope  
,i shall never be deterred from         
detecting what ,i think a cheat1 by the 
menaces of a ruffian 444,i thought your 
book an imposture4 ,i think so still4   

,your rage ,i defy1' etc4 etc4 ,what was
 all this to ,runciman8 ,he had no      
learning--he cared nothing for          
antiquarianism4 ,he took for granted    
that ,ossian was authentic4 ,many north 
of the ,tweed looked upon it merely as a
 national question4 ,macpherson was a   
,scotchman1 therefore it was the duty of
 ,scotchmen to side with him4 ,his      
condemners were ,english1 and were      
jealous1 of course1 and wrong no doubt4 
,runciman was hard at work at ,penicuik1
 painting as for his life1 while all    
this discussion was going on1 and       
,macpherson and his friends were        
striving might and main to produce an   
ancient manuscript anything like the    
published poem1 and so confute and      
silence ,johnson1 ,goldsmith1 ,burke1   
,garrick1 and lastly ,boswell1 who did  
not even pair with the doctor on the    
occasion1 though the question did affect
 ,scotland4 ,runciman had sketched out  
and commenced his twelve great pictures4
 #a4 ,ossian singing to ,malvina4 #b4   

,the valour of ,oscar4 #c4 ,the ,death  
of ,oscar1 etc4 etc4 ,who reads ,ossian 
now8 ,who cares about ,agandecca1 'with 
red eyes of tears'--'with loose and     
raven locks8' ',starno pierced her side 
with steel4 ,she fell like a wreath of  
snow which slides from the rocks of     
,ronan4' ,who knows anything now about  
,catholda1 and ,corban ,cargloss1 and   
,golchossa and ,cairbar of the gloomy   
brow8 ,for some time the poems held     
their own1 retained their popularity2   
their partisans fought with their       
opponents for every inch of ground1 even
 though discovery was mining them4 ,and 
some fragments found their way in a     
fashion to the stage4 ,but a little     
while ago there was living a            
ballet-master1 who owed his baptismal   
name to parental success in the grand   
ballet of ',oscar and ,malvina1 or the  
,cave of ,fingal6' ,but this must have  
been produced years after ,runciman4    
,the poems had merit1 and that floated  
them for a long time2 but the leak of   

falsehood made its way--they sunk at    
last4 ,and ,macpherson8 ,well1 if a poet
 will be an impostor1 he must prepare to
 be remembered by posterity rather for  
his fraud than his poetry4  ,he found   
time to paint some other subjects as    
well4 ,an ',ascension' on the ceiling   
over the altar of the ,episcopal chapel 
in the ,cowgate of ,edinburgh--a wild   
and ungraceful work according to        
,cunningham1 speaking of it from        
recollection1 though ,runciman thought  
very highly of it4 ,and he had patrons  
and critics loud in their applause4 ,in 
his picture of ',the ,princess ,nausicaa
 and her ,nymphs surprised at the river 
side by ,ulysses1' one connoisseur      
detected 'the fine drawing of ,julio    
,romano1' another1 'the deep juicy      
lustre of ,tintoret1' and a third 'a    
feeling and air altogether the painter's
 own2' which last is probable4 ,in #aggb
 he exhibited some pictures in ,london4 
,at all events1 there was no bill in    
,widow ,hogarth's window then1 for the  

lodgings were let1 and ,alexander       
,runciman was the lodger4  ',she let    
lodgings for subsistence3' so runs the  
story4 ,the demand for ,william         
,hogarth's prints was still bringing in 
some income1 however4 ,lord ,charlemont 
wrote to ,edmund ,malons from ,dublin1  
,june #bith1 #agha3--',that men of task 
should wish for good impressions of     
,hogarth's prints is not at all         
surprising1 as ,i look upon him to have 
been in his way1 and that too an        
original way1 one of the first of       
geniuses4 ,neither am ,i much surprised 
at the rage you mention1 as ,i am by    
experience well acquainted with the     
collector's madness4 ,excepting only the
 scarce portrait1 my collection goes no 
further than those which ,mrs4 ,hogarth 
has advertised1 and even of them a few  
are wanting1 which ,i wish you would    
procure for me1 viz41 ,the ,cock-,match1
 ,the ,five ,orders of ,periwigs1 ,the  
,medley1 ,the ,times1 ,wilkes1 and ,the 
,bruiser4 ,as my impressions are        

remarkably good1 having been selected   
for me by ,hogarth himself1 ,i should   
wish to have these the best that can be 
had2 and if ,mr4 ,stevens1 who promised 
me his assistance1 should happen to meet
 with any of these prints of which ,i am
 not possessed--,i mean such            
compositions as do honour to the author1
 as for instance1 ,the ,satire on the   
,methodists1 ,the ,masquerade1 etc4--,i 
should be much obliged to him to        
purchase them for me44444 ,i have no    
objection to suffering ,the ,lady's     
,last ,slake to be engraved1 but1 on the
 contrary1 should be happy to do        
anything which might contribute to add  
to the reputation of my deceased friend4
 ,but then it must be performed in such 
a manner as to do him honour2 for       
otherwise ,i should by no means consent4
 ,one great difficulty would be to      
procure a person equal to the making a  
drawing from it1 as the subject is a    
very difficult one4 ,hogarth had it for 
a year with an intention to engrave it1 

and even went so far as almost to finish
 the plate1 which1 as he told me        
himself1 he broke into pieces upon      
finding that after many trials he could 
not bring the woman's head to answer his
 idea1 or to resemble the picture4' ,the
 lady1 let us note1 is a portrait of    
,miss ,hester ,lynch ,salusbury1        
afterwards ,mrs4 ,thrale and ,madame    
,piozzi4 ,later his ,lordship wrote     
again3--',i have this moment received a 
letter from ,mrs4 ,hogarth requesting   
that if ,i should permit any one to make
 an engraving of ',the ,lady's ,last    
,stake1' ,i would give the preference to
 a young gentleman who lodged in her    
house1 as by such preference she should 
be greatly benefited4 ,on this          
application ,i consider it necessary to 
immediately inform you1 as the affection
 ,i bore towards her deceased husband1  
my high regard for his memory1 and1     
indeed1 common justice will most        
certainly prevent me from preferring any
 one else whatsoever to her in a matter 

of this nature4 ,at the same time1 ,i   
must add1 that whoever shall make a     
drawing from my picture must do it in   
,dublin1 as ,i cannot think of sending  
it to ,london4  ',will you1 my dear     
,malone1 be so kind in your morning walk
 as to call on this lady and read to her
 the above paragraph1 as such           
communication will be the most          
satisfactory answer ,i can give to her  
letter8 ,the same time you will be so   
kind as to mention the circumstances1   
and my resolution to the person in whose
 behalf the postscript in your letter   
was written4 ,perhaps matters may be    
settled amicably between him and ,mrs4  
,hogarth1 in which case ,i have no      
objection1 provided the execution be    
such as not to disgrace the picture or  
its author1 that the drawing be made in 
,dublin1 and that ,mrs4 ,hogarth be     
perfectly contented1 and shall declare  
her satisfaction by a certificate in her
 own handwriting4 ,i know your goodness 
will pardon all this trouble from1' etc4

 etc4  ,these letters are extracted from
 ,prior's ,life of ,malone4 ,to the last
 letter1 it is to be noted1 ,mr4 ,prior 
assigns the date of #aghg1--surely a    
misprint for #agha4 ,etchings by        
,runciman are extant1 and it is clear   
that ,mrs4 ,hogarth had looked to his   
executing an engraving of ',the ,lady's 
,last ,stake1' possibly by way of       
settling an account owing to her for his
 lodgings4 ,the plan fell through1      
however4 ,it was perhaps not worth ,mr4 
,runciman's while to journey to ,dublin 
to engrave the picture4  ,but twenty    
years after ,william ,hogarth's death   
the copyrights had expired--the poor    
woman's income from this source was     
clean gone4 ,she was then absolutely    
'living by her lodgings2' and it was not
 until three years more 'that the ,king 
interposed with the ,royal ,academy1 and
 obtained for her an annuity of forty   
pounds4' ,poor ,widow ,hogarth6 ,yet she
 would not sell her ,william's pictures 
left in his house6  ,much of the        

untamed1 unmanageable1 heterodox nature 
of ,runciman's art pertained to his life
 generally4 ,gay1 free-thinking1        
prankish--with a tendency to late-houred
 habits that must have often scandalized
 his landlady--and a talent for         
conversation rare amongst artists1 who1 
as a rule1 express their thoughts better
 by their brushes than by word of mouth2
 kind-hearted1 sociable1 never behind in
 passing the bottle--no wonder he       
gathered round him a group of eminent   
men of his day1 most of them with       
attributes much like his own1 who did   
not flinch from strong outspeaking1 who 
were not shocked by many things4 ,kames1
 ,monboddo1 ,hume1 and ,robertson       
knocked at the late ,william ,hogarth's 
door1 and paid their respects to ,widow 
,hogarth's lodger4 ,did she ever stand  
before his easel and contemplate his    
works8 ,doubtless often enough when the 
painter was out firing off his smart    
cracker sayings1 and making away with   
his port wine4 ,and what did she think  

of his art8 ,how different from         
,william's6 ,she could understand him   
always4 ,there was always nature on his 
canvas1 and meaning and common          
sense--there was always a story plainly1
 forcibly told4 ,but ,mr4 ,runciman's   
meanings were not so clear4 ,what was   
all the smoke about1 and the waving     
arms1 and the distorted features1 and   
the ,bedlamite faces1 and1 oh6 the long 
legs and the flying draperies8 ,surely  
draperies never did fly like that--at   
least ,william ,hogarth never painted   
them so4 ,and then--really this was too 
much--he1 ,alexander ,runciman1 under   
that roof had presumed to paint a       
',sigismunda weeping over the heart of  
,tancred1' with ,william's treatment of 
the same great subject actually in the  
house6 ,to bed1 ,widow ,hogarth1 in a   
rage4  ,of course ,runciman had his     
opinion about ,hogarth and his art1     
despising both1 no doubt1 and agreeing  
with ,fuseli in deeming him a           
caricaturist merely1 and his works 'the 

chronicle of scandal and the history    
book of the vulgar4' ,it was so much    
nobler to portray wild-contortions from 
,ossian1 demoniac nightmares and lower  
region revelations1 than to paint simply
 the life around they had but to stretch
 out a hand to grasp4 ,yet with all     
their talk1 in the humbler merits of    
colour1 expression1 and handling1 they  
were miles behind ,hogarth4 ,he has been
 so praised as a satirist1 there is a   
chance of his technical merits as a     
painter being overlooked4 ,one only of  
the ',mariage a la ,mode' pictures1 for 
all that is really valuable in art1     
might be safely backed against all that 
was ever done by both ,fuseli and       
,runciman put together4 ,yet they looked
 upon him as rather a bygone sort of    
creature--a barbarian blind to poetic   
art4 ,could ,william ,hogarth have seen 
the works of ,fuseli and ,runciman1 he  
would probably have had something to say
 about them6  ,after a time1 ,runciman  
was again back at ,penicuik4 ,perhaps   

his fervour about his subject had a     
little cooled1 or the incessant         
discussions in regard to it had         
disturbed his faith4 ,in fact the       
,ossian swindle was getting to be1 in   
common phrase1 a little blown upon4 ,his
 health was failing him2 his mode of    
life had never been very careful4 ,he   
fell ill2 he neglected himself4 ,he     
worked on steadily1 but with a palpable 
failure of heart in the business4 ,he   
achieved his task4 ,yet the painting of 
the great ceiling1 to effect which he   
had to lie on his back in an almost     
painful position1 brought on an illness 
from which he never fairly recovered4   
,some time he lingered1 growing very    
pale and wan1 and his strength giving   
way until he could barely crawl about4  
,on the #bast of ,october #aghe1 he fell
 down dead at the door of his lodgings  
in ,west ,nicolson ,street4  ,four years
 more of life to ,widow ,hogarth--still1
 as ever1 true to her husband's memory  
and herself4 ,horace ,walpole sought to 

buy forgiveness for his attack on the   
',sigismunda1'--he had called it a      
'maudlin fallen virago'--by sending to  
the widow a copy of his ',anecdotes2'   
but she took no heed of him or his gift4
 ,four years more1 and then another     
interment in the ,chiswick sepulchre4   
,the widow's earthly sorrows are at an  
end2 and beneath the name of ',william  
,hogarth1 ,esq41' they now engrave on   
the stone1 ',mistress ,jane ,hogarth1   
wife of ,william ,hogarth1 ,esq4 ,obiit 
#acth of ,november #aghi4 ,a,etat4 #hj  
years4' ,in #ahef1 on the restoration of
 the monument1 which from the sinking of
 the earth threatened to fall in pieces1
 the grave was opened1 and there were   
seen the 'little' coffin of the painter 
and the larger coffin of his widow4     
,there too was seen1 literally1 'the    
hand' ,johnson wrote of in his projected
 epitaph3--      ,the hand of him here  
torpid lies1       ,that drew the       
essential forms of grace2     ,here     
closed in death the attentive eyes1     

,that saw the manners in the face4      
,,allan ,,ramsay1 ,,junior4   ,allan    
,ramsay1 the author of the ,gentle      
,shepherd1--'the best pastoral that had 
ever been written1' said ,mr4 ,boswell1 
whose judgments upon poetry1 however1   
are not final1--,allan ,ramsay1 the     
poet1 father of ,allan ,ramsay1         
principal painter to ,king ,george the  
,third1 claimed descent from the noble  
house of ,dalhousie2 he was the         
great-grandson of the laird of ,cockpen4
 ,his claim was admitted by the         
contemporary earl1 who ever took pride  
in recognising1 as a relative1 the      
'restorer of ,scottish national poetry4'
 ,certainly the poetical branch of the  
family tree had been in some danger of  
being lost altogether--the clouds of    
obscurity had so gathered round it--the 
sunshine of good fortune had so ceased  
to play upon it4 ,the laird's           
descendants appear to have been of the  
humblest class1 dwelling in a poor      
hamlet on the banks of the ,glengoner1 a

 tributary of the ,clyde among the hills
 between ,clydesdale and ,annandale4    
,the father of the ,gentle ,shepherd is 
said to have been a workman in ,lord    
,hopetoun's lead-mines1 and the ,gentle 
,shepherd himself1 as a child1 employed 
as a washer of ore4 ,early in the last  
century he was in ,edinburgh1 a barber's
 apprentice4 ,in #agab he married       
,christina ,ross1 daughter of a legal   
practitioner in that city4 ,in #agbi he 
had published his comic pastoral1 and   
was then in a bookseller's shop in the  
,luckenbooths4 ,here he used to amuse   
,gay1 famous for his ,newgate pastoral1 
with pointing out the chief characters  
and literati of the city as they met    
daily in the forenoon at the ,cross1    
according to custom4 ,here ,gay first   
read the ,gentle ,shepherd1 and studied 
the ,scottish dialect1 so that1 on his  
return to ,england1 he was able to      
explain to ,pope the peculiar merits of 
the poem4 ,and the poets1 ,gay and      
,ramsay1 spent much time and emptied    

many glasses together at a twopenny     
alehouse opposite ,queensberry ,house1  
kept by one ,janet ,hall1 called more   
frequently ,janet ,ha'4  ,it was at     
,edinburgh that ,allan ,ramsay1 junior1 
was born1 the eldest of seven children1 
in the year #agac4 ,late in life he was 
fond of understating his age as people  
somehow will do3  ',i am old enough1' he
 said once1 with the air of making a    
very frank avowal1 ',i am old enough to 
have been a contemporary of ,pope4'     
,which was not remarkable1 considering  
that ,pope did not die until #agdd1 when
 ,mr4 ,ramsay must have been thirty-one4
  ,he had a natural talent for art4 ,he 
began to sketch at twelve4 ,but his     
father was poor1 with a large family to 
support1--it was not possible to afford 
much of an education to the young       
artist4 ,he had to develop his abilities
 as he best could4 ,in #agcf1 the father
 wrote of him thus simply and tenderly3 
',my son ,allan has been pursuing his   
science since he was a dozen years auld3

 was with ,mr4 ,hyffidg1 in ,london1 for
 some time about two years ago2 has     
since been painting here like a         
,raphael2 sets out for the seat of the  
,beast beyond the ,alps within a month  
hence to be away two years4 ,i am sweer'
 7i4e41 loath7 'to part with him1 but   
canna stem the 'current which flows from
 the advice of his patrons and his own  
inclinations4' ,this letter was         
addressed to one ,john ,smybert1 also a 
self-taught artist4 ,he had commenced in
 ,edinburgh as a house-painter1 and1    
growing ambitious1 found himself after a
 time in ,london1 choosing between      
starvation and the decoration of grand  
coach-panels in ,long ,acre factories4  
,in #agbh he settled in ,boston1 and    
shares with ,john ,watson1 another      
,scotchman1 who had preceded him some   
years1 the honour of founding painting  
as an art--from a ,european point of    
view--in the ,new ,world4  ,those who   
had hesitated in their patronage of the 
poet were not disinclined to aid the    

painter4 ,it is much less difficult a   
matter to have one's portrait painted   
than to be able to appreciate a poem4   
,means were forthcoming to enable the   
art-student to quit ,edinburgh in #agcf 
for ,rome4 ,he remained there during    
three years1 receiving instruction from 
,francesco ,solimena1 called also       
l',abate ,ciccio1 and one ,imperiali1 an
 artist of less fame4 ,of both it may be
 said1 however1 that they did little    
enough to stay the downfall of ,italian 
art4  ,on the return of ,allan ,ramsay1 
junior1 to ,scotland1 we learn little   
more of him than that he painted        
portraits of ,duncan ,forbes1 of his own
 sister1 ,miss ,janet ,ramsay1 and      
,archibald1 ,duke of ,argyle1 in his    
robes as ,lord of ,session4 ,finally he 
removed to ,london4  ,he was so         
fortunate as to find many valuable      
friends4 ,the ,earl of ,bridgewater was 
an early patron1 followed by ,lord      
,bute1 whose powerful position at court 
enabled him to introduce the painter to 

the heir-apparent of the crown1         
,frederick1 ,prince of ,wales4 ,two     
portraits of ,his ,royal ,highness were 
commanded--full-length1 and one         
remarkable for being in profile4 ,still 
greater fame accrued to him1 however1   
from his portrait of ,lord ,bute1 who   
was reputed to possess the handsomest   
leg in ,england4 ,his lordship was      
conscious of his advantage1 and1 during 
the sitting to ,ramsay for his          
whole-length portrait1 engraved by      
,ryland1 was careful to hold up his     
robes considerably above his right knee1
 so that his well-formed limbs should be
 thoroughly well exhibited2 while1 as   
though to direct the attention of the   
spectator1 with the forefinger of his   
right hand he pointed down to his leg1  
and in this position remained for an    
hour4 ,the painter availed himself to   
the full of the opportunity1 and        
humoured the minister to the top of his 
bent4 ,the picture was a genuine        
triumph4 ,reynolds1 never popular at    

court1 grew jealous of his rival's      
success1 and alarmed lest it should lead
 to extraordinary advancement4 ,when the
 ,marquis of ,rockingham was posed      
before ,sir ,joshua for the full-length 
picture1 engraved by ,fisher1 the       
nobleman asked the painter if he had not
 given a strut to the left leg4 ',my    
lord1' replied ,sir ,joshua with a      
smile1 ',i wish to show a leg with      
,ramsay's ,lord ,bute4'  ,the painter   
prospered steadily1 and1 of course1 was 
well abused2 for success is apt to bring
 with it envy and satire4 ,mr4 ,william 
,hogarth1 who objected strongly to      
competitors1 sought to jest down the    
advancing ,scotchman with a feeble pun  
about a ,ram's eye6 ,hogarth was very   
much less clever when he had a pen in   
his hand than when he was wielding a    
brush or an etching needle4  ,the       
,reverend ,charles ,churchill1 very     
angry with ,north ,britons generally1   
wrote sneering lines in the ,prophecy of
 ,famine3--      ,thence came the       

,ramsays1 men of worthy note1     ,of   
whom one paints as well as t'other      
wrote4  ,by-and-by these two critics    
forgot ,ramsay1 however1 they were so   
busy with each other1 bandying abuse and
 interchanging mud4 ,the court painter  
heeded little their comments4 ,he was   
putting money in his purse4 ,there were 
always sitters in his studio3 he had as 
much work as he could do2 while yet he  
found time for self-cultivation4 ,he    
must have possessed an active restless  
mind4 ,he was not content with being    
merely a clever1 hard-working1          
money-making painter4 ,even at ,rome he 
had studied other things beside art4 ,as
 ,mr4 ,fuseli states magniloquently1    
after his manner1 'he was smit with the 
love of classic lore1 and desired to    
trace1 on dubious vestiges1 the haunts  
of ancient genius and learning4' ,he    
made himself a good ,latin1 ,french1 and
 ,italian scholar2 indeed1 he is said to
 have mastered most of the modern       
,european languages1 with the exception 

of ,russian4 ,his ,german he found of no
 slight service to him in the court of  
the ,guelphs4 ,later in life he studied 
,greek1 and acquitted himself as a      
commendable scholar4  ,artists1 less    
accomplished1 were inclined to charge   
him with being above his business1 and  
more anxious to be accounted a person of
 taste and learning than to be valued as
 a painter4 ,just as ,congreve          
disclaimed the character of a poet1     
declaring he had written plays but for  
pastime1 and begged he might be         
considered merely as a gentleman4 ,there
 was no one to say to ,ramsay1 however1 
as ,voltaire--nothing1 if not           
literary--said to ,congreve1 ',if you   
had been merely a gentleman1 ,i should  
not have come to see you4' ,on the      
contrary1 the world in general applauded
 ,ramsay for qualities quite apart from 
professional merits4  ',i love ,ramsay1'
 said ,samuel ,johnson to his           
biographer4 ',you will not find a man in
 whose conversation there is more       

instruction1 more information1 and more 
elegance than in ,ramsay's4'  ,perhaps  
it may be noted that this remark of the 
,doctor's upon his friend follows       
curiously close upon his satisfactory   
comment upon an entertainment at the    
house of the painter4  ',well1 sir1     
,ramsay gave us a splendid dinner6'     
',what ,i admire in ,ramsay1' says ,mr4 
,boswell1 'is his continuing to be so   
young6'  ,johnson concedes3 ',why1 yes1 
sir1 it is to be admired4 ,i value      
myself upon this1 that there is nothing 
of the old man in my conversation4 ,i am
 now sixty-eight1 and ,i have no more of
 it than at twenty-eight4' ,and the good
 ,doctor runs on rather garrulously1 it 
must be owned1 ending with--',i think   
myself a very polite man6'  ,it was to  
,mr4 ,ramsay's house--,no4 #fg ,harley  
,street--that ,mr4 ,boswell sent a      
letter for his friend3 ',my dear        
sir1--,i am in great pain with an       
inflamed foot' 7why not have said       
plainly 'the gout1' ,mr4 ,boswell87 'and

 obliged to keep my bed1 so ,i am       
prevented from having the pleasure to   
dine at ,mr4 ,ramsay's to-day1 which is 
very hard1 and my spirits are sadly     
sunk4 ,will you be so friendly as to    
come and sit an hour with me in the     
evening8'  ,and it was from ,ramsay's   
house the kind old man despatched his   
rather stiff reply3 ',mr4 ,johnson      
laments the absence of ,mr4 ,boswell1   
and will come to him4'  ,after dinner   
the ,doctor goes round to the invalid1  
laid up in ,general ,paoli's house in   
,south ,audley ,street1 and brings with 
him ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 whom it is  
pleasant to find is a frequent guest at 
his great rival's hospitable board4     
,ramsay prospers--his reputation        
increases--he is largely employed1 not  
only in portraiture1 but in decorating  
walls and ceilings4 ,he has a staff of  
workmen under him4 ,a second time he    
visits ,rome1 making a stay of some     
months2 and journeys to ,edinburgh1     
residing there long enough to establish1

 in #aged1 ',the ,select ,society4' ,he 
grows wealthy too4 ,poor ,allan ,ramsay1
 senior1 dies much in debt in #ageg2 the
 painter takes upon himself his father's
 liabilities1 and pensions his unmarried
 sister1 ,janet ,ramsay1 who survived to
 #ahjd4 ,he is possessed1 it is said1 of
 an independent fortune to the amount of
 ,l#dj1jjj2 and this before the         
accession of ,king ,george the ,third1  
and his extraordinary patronage of the  
painter4  ,the office of painter to the 
crown was one of early date4 ,in #aeej  
,antonio ,more was painter to ,queen    
,mary4 ,for his portrait of the ,queen  
sent to ,philip of ,spain1 he was       
rewarded with one hundred pounds1 a gold
 chain1 and a salary of one hundred     
pounds a quarter as court-painter to    
their ,majesties4 ,there is some        
obscurity about the appointments of     
painters to the king during the reign of
 ,george the ,second4 ,jervas was       
succeeded by ,kent1 who died in #agdh4  
,shackleton succeeded ,kent4 ,yet it is 

probable that the king had more than one
 painter at the same time4 ,for we find 
,hogarth1 who is said to have succeeded 
his brother-in-law1 ,john ,thornhill1#ac
 the son of ,sir ,james1 appointed in   
#ageg1 while ,mr4 ,shackleton did not   
die until #agfg1 when1 as ,mr4          
,cunningham relates the story of the    
,london studios1 he died of a broken    
heart on learning that ,ramsay was      
appointed in his stead to be painter to 
,george ,,iii4 ,this was certainly about
 the date of ,ramsay's appointment4 ,and
 now there grew to be quite a rage for  
portraits by ,ramsay--there was a run   
upon him as though he had been a sinking
 bank4 ,he was compelled to call in the 
aid of all sorts of people1 painting the
 heads only of his sitters with his own 
hand2 and at last abandoning even much  
of that superior work to his favourite  
pupil1 ,philip ,reinagle4 ,so that in   
many of ,ramsay's pictures there is     
probably but a very few strokes of      
,ramsay's brush4 ,the names of certain  

of his assistants have been recorded4   
,mrs4 ,black1 'a lady of less talent    
than good taste4' ,vandyck1 a ,dutchman1
 allied more in name than in talent with
 him of the days of ,charles the ,first4
 ,eikart1 a ,german1 clever at          
draperies4 ,roth1 another ,german1 who  
aided in the subordinate parts of the   
work4 ,vesperis1 an ,italian1 who was   
employed occasionally to paint fruits   
and flowers4 ,and ,davie ,martin1 a     
,scotchman1 a favourite draughtsman and 
helper1 and conscientious servant4 ,mr4 
,reinagle probably furnished ,mr4       
,cunningham with these particulars4 ,it 
will be noted that the ,english artist's
 employment of foreign mercenaries was  
considerable4 ,this must have been      
either from the fact of such assistance 
being procurable at a cheaper rate1 or  
that the old notion still prevailed as  
to the necessity of looking abroad for  
art-talent4  #ac ,concerning the merits 
and career of ,john ,thornhill1         
biography has been curiously silent4    

,ramsay succeeded at ,court4 ,he was    
made of more yielding materials than    
,reynolds2 assumed more the airs of a   
courtier--humoured the king4 ,perhaps   
like ,sir ,pertinax he had a theory upon
 the successful results of 'booing and  
booing4' ,he never contradicted2 always 
smiled acquiescence2 listened           
complacently to the most absurd opinions
 upon art of his royal master4 ,reynolds
 was bent upon asserting the dignity of 
his profession4 ,he did not stoop to    
conceal his appreciation of the fact    
that as a painter at any rate he was the
 sovereign's superior--he would be1 to  
use a popular phrase1 'cock on his own  
dunghill4' ,when the painter's friends  
spoke on the subject to ,johnson1 he    
said stoutly ',that the neglect could   
never prejudice him3 but it would       
reflect eternal disgrace on the king not
 to have employed ,sir ,joshua4' ,but   
,reynolds received only one royal       
commission3 to paint the king and queen1
 whole-lengths1 for the council-room of 

the ,royal ,academy1 'two of the finest 
portraits in the world1' as ,northcote  
declared4 ,the king1 who was an early   
riser1 sat at ten in the morning4 ,the  
entry in ,reynolds' pocket-book is      
',friday1 ,may #ba 7#aggi71 at #aj--the 
king4' ,the queen's name does not occur 
until ,december4 ,the king1 who was     
near-sighted1 and looked close at a     
picture1 always complained that         
,reynolds' paintings were rough and     
unfinished4 ,but ,reynolds heeded not4  
,be sure ,ramsay and ,west were careful 
to paint smoothly enough after that4    
,northcote said that the balance of     
greatness preponderated on the side of  
the subject1 and the king was annoyed at
 perceiving it2 and disliked extremely  
the ease and independence of manner of  
,reynolds--always courteous1 yet always 
unembarrassed--proceeding with his      
likenesses as though he were copying    
marble statues4 ',do not suppose1' adds 
his pupil1 'that he was ignorant of the 
value of royal favour4 ,no4 ,reynolds   

had a thorough knowledge of the world2  
he would have gladly possessed it1 but  
the price would have cost him too much4'
  ,the court-painter had soon enough to 
do1 for the king had a habit of         
presenting portraits of himself and his 
queen to all his ambassadors and        
colonial governors4 ,he sat1 too1 for   
his coronation portrait1 as it was      
called1 in ,buckingham ,palace4 ,the    
bland1 obsequious1 well-informed ,ramsay
 became a great favourite4 ,he always   
gave way to the king--would have        
sacrificed his art to his advancement   
any day4 ,and he was almost the only    
person about the ,court1 except the     
servants1 who could speak ,german1 and  
the queen was especially fond of        
chatting with him in her native         
language4 ,their ,majesties soon gave   
over being dignified4 ,indeed1 few      
persons were more prone to forget their 
grandeur1 although they did not like    
anybody else to do so4 ,with his own    
hands the king would help ,west to place

 his pictures in position on the easel4 
,the queen--plain1 snuff-taking1 her    
face painted like a mask1 and her eyes  
rolling like an automaton1 as           
eyewitnesses have described her later in
 life--called on ,mrs4 ,garrick one day 
at ,hampton ,court1 and found the widow 
of the ,roscius very busy peeling onions
 for pickling4 ',the queen1 however1    
would not suffer her to stir1 but       
commanded a knife to be brought1        
observing that she would peel an onion  
with her1 and actually sat down in the  
most condescending manner and peeled    
onions4' ,the king1 interrupting his    
sittings to dine off his favourite      
boiled mutton and turnips1 would make   
,ramsay bring easel and canvas into the 
dining-room1 so that they might continue
 their conversation during the royal    
meal4 ,when the king had finished1 he   
would rise and say1 ',now1 ,ramsay1 sit 
down in my place and take your dinner4' 
,when he was engaged on his first       
portrait of the queen1 it is recorded   

that all the crown jewels and the       
regalia were sent to him4 ,the painter  
observed that jewels and gold of so     
great a value deserved a guard1 and     
accordingly sentinels were posted day   
and night in front and rear of his      
house4 ,his studio was composed of a set
 of rooms and haylofts in the mews at   
the back of ,harley ,street1 all thrown 
into one long gallery4  ,peter ,pindar1 
in his ',lyric ,odes to the ,royal      
,academicians for #aghb1' writes3--     
',i've heard that ,ramsay when he died1 
,left just nine rooms well stuffed with 
,queens and ,kings1       ,from whence  
all nations might have been supplied    
,that longed for valuable things4       
,viceroys1 ambassadors1 and plenipos1   
,bought them to join their raree-shows  
,in foreign parts2       ,and show the  
progress of the ,british arts4          
,whether they purchased by the pound or 
yard1       ,i cannot tell because ,i   
never heard3       ,but this ,i         
know--his shop was like a fair1         

,and dealt most largely in this ,,royal 
,,ware4       ,see what it is to gain a 
monarch's smile1       ,and hast thou   
missed it1 ,,reynolds1 all this while8  
,how stupid6 ,pray thee seek the        
courtiers' school1       ,and learn to  
manufacture oil of fool4'  ,according to
 ,dr4 ,walcot1 ,king ,george the ,third 
sat to ,mr4 ,dance in preference to     
,reynolds as a matter of economy4 ,dance
 charged fifty pounds for a picture4    
,sir ,joshua's price was over a hundred4
 ,the king decided upon patronizing the 
painter whose charge was the lower4     
,pindar says3--      ',thank ,god6 that 
monarchs cannot taste control1     ,and 
make each subject's poor submissive soul
     ,admire the works that judgment oft
 cries fie on6         ,had things been 
so1 poor ,,reynolds we had seen         
,painting a barber's pole1 an ale-house 
queen1     ,the ,cat and ,gridiron or   
the ,old ,red ,lion2     ,at ,plympton1 
perhaps1 for some grave ,doctor ,slop   
,painting the pots and bottles of the   

shop2     ,or in the drama to get meat  
to munch1     ,his brush divine had     
pictured scenes for ,punch2     ,while  
,,west was whelping 'midst his paints   
,moses and ,aaron1 and all sorts of     
saints1     ,adams1 and ,eves1 and      
snakes1 and apples2     ,and devils1 for
 beautifying certain chapels2     ,but  
,,reynolds is no favourite1 that's the  
matter1     ,he has not learnt the noble
 art to flatter4'  ,the doctor was never
 weary of launching his satirical shafts
 at the king4 ,it has been suggested1   
however1 that political considerations  
influenced the direction of the royal   
patronage4 ,reynolds was on terms of    
intimacy with ,fox1 ,burke1 and other   
prominent members of the ,opposition4   
,this1 in the eyes of the king1 was a   
grave offence1 hardly to be pardoned1   
notwithstanding all the great merits of 
the offender in other respects4  ,ramsay
 kept an open house and a liberal table1
 but more it would seem for his friends'
 pleasure than his own2 for though fond 

of delicate eating1 and as great a      
consumer of tea as ,doctor ,johnson1 he 
had little taste for stronger potations1
 and we are told that 'even the smell of
 a bottle of claret was too much for    
him4' ,the ,doctor entertained different
 opinions3 he spoke with contempt of    
claret1--',a man would be drowned by it 
before it made him drunk1' adding1      
',poor stuff6 ,no1 sir1 claret is the   
liquor for boys3 port for men3 but he   
who aspires to be a hero must drink     
brandy6' ,most toper sentiments6 ,but   
,ramsay did not stint his guests4 ,and  
these were constantly of a noble order4 
,lord ,bute1 the ,duke of ,newcastle1   
,lord ,bath1 ,lord ,chesterfield1 and   
the ,duke of ,richmond were often at the
 painter's table1 discussing all sorts  
of political questions with him4 ,every 
man was a politician in those days2     
especially after dinner4 ,but ,ramsay   
was not content to be simply a talker   
upon the topics of the day--he became   
also a writer4 ,many clever papers by   

him upon history1 politics1 and         
criticism were published at various     
times1 under the signature              
',investigator1' and were subsequently  
reprinted and collected into a volume4  
,upon the question which had agitated   
,london for some months1 as to the truth
 of the charge brought against the gipsy
 woman ,mary ,squire1 of aiding in the  
abduction of the servant girl ,elizabeth
 ,canning1 ,ramsay wrote an ingenious   
pamphlet4 ,the same subject had also    
employed the pen of no less a person    
than ,henry ,fielding4 ,ramsay          
corresponded with ,voltaire and         
,rousseau1 both of whom he visited4 ,his
 letters1 we are told1 were elegant and 
witty4 ,the painter to the king was a   
man of society4  ,a third time he visits
 ,rome1 accompanied on this occasion by 
his son1 afterwards to rise to          
distinction in the army4 ,he employed   
himself1 however1 more as a savant than 
an artist--in examining and copying the 
,greek and ,latin inscriptions in the   

,vatican4 ,the ,president of the ,roman 
,academy introduced the painter to the  
,school of ,art1 and was rather pompous 
about the works of his students4        
,ramsay's national pride was piqued4 ',i
 will show you1' he said1 'how we draw  
in ,england4' ,he wrote to his ,scotch  
assistant1 ,davie ,martin1 to pack up   
some drawings and journey at once to    
,rome4 ,on his arrival1 ,ramsay arranged
 his drawings1 and then invited the     
,president and his scholars to the      
exhibition4 ,the king's painter was     
always fond of declaring that it was the
 proudest moment of his life1 'for1' he 
said1 'the ,italians were confounded and
 overcome1 and ,british skill           
triumphant6' ,perhaps the ,italian      
account of the transaction1 could we    
obtain it1 might not exactly tally with 
that of the king's painter4  ,soon      
,ramsay was again in ,england resuming  
his prosperous practice4 ,then occurred 
the accident which hindered all further 
pursuit of his art4 ,reading an account 

of a calamitous fire1 he was so         
impressed with the idea of showing his  
household and pupils the proper mode of 
effecting their escape1 in the event of 
such an accident befalling his own      
house1 that he ascended with them to the
 top storey1 and pushing a ladder       
through the loft door1 mounted quickly1 
saying3 ',now ,i am safe--,i can get to 
the roofs of the adjoining houses4' ,as 
he turned to descend he missed his step 
and fell1 dislocating his right arm     
severely4 ,at this time he was engaged  
upon the portrait of the king for the   
,excise-office4 ,with extraordinary     
courage he managed to finish the        
picture1 working most painfully1 and    
supporting as he best could his right   
arm with his left4 ,he declared it to be
 the finest portrait he had ever        
painted2 and his friends echoed his     
opinion4 ,but it was the last he was    
ever to put his hand to4  ,his          
constitution yielded2 his spirits left  
him2 his shoulder gave him great pain2  

his nights were sleepless4 ,the painter 
to ,king ,george ,,iii4 was evidently   
sinking4 ,yet he lingered for some      
years--a shattered invalid4 ,again he   
visited ,rome1 leaving his pupil        
,reinagle to complete his long list of  
royal commissions4 ,reinagle's style was
 so admirably imitative of his master's1
 that it was difficult to distinguish   
one from the other4 ,the pupil was      
instructed to complete fifty pairs of   
kings and queens at ten guineas each6   
,the task seemed endless1 and was six   
years in hand4 ,midway1 wearied to death
 with the undertaking1 ,reinagle wrote  
to complain that the price was not      
sufficient4 ,ramsay trebled it2 but the 
pupil was wont to confess afterwards    
that he looked back with a sort of      
horror at his labours in connexion with 
the royal portraits4  ,the court-painter
 never recovered his lost health4 ,he   
wrote from ,italy to many of his        
friends--the first men of the day1 both 
in ,france and ,england4 ,then came the 

home-sickness1 which so often precedes  
dissolution4 ,in the summer of #aghd he 
set out on his journey to ,england1     
hoping to reach it by short and easy    
stages4 ,he reached ,paris with         
difficulty3 the fatigue brought on a low
 fever he had not the strength to       
support4 ,he died on the #ajth of       
,august1 at ,dover1 in the #gast year of
 his age4  ',poor ,ramsay6' ,johnson    
wrote touchingly to ,reynolds4 ',on     
which side soever ,i turn1 mortality    
presents its formidable frown4 ,i left  
three old friends at ,lichfield when ,i 
was last there1 and now ,i found them   
all dead4 ,i no sooner lost sight of    
dear ,allan than ,i am told that ,i     
shall see him no more6 ,that we must all
 die1 we all know4 ,i wish ,i had sooner
 remembered it4 ,do not think me        
intrusive or importunate if ,i now call1
 dear sir1 on you1 to remember it6'  ,a 
handsome1 acute1 accomplished gentleman1
 outstripping all the painters of his   
age in the extent of his learning and   

the variety of his knowledge--an artist 
of delicacy and taste1 rather than of   
energy and vigour--pale in colour and   
placid in expression1 yet always        
graceful and refined--there was a charm 
about ,ramsay's works that his          
contemporaries thoroughly understood1   
though they could not always themselves 
achieve it4 ,northcote gave a close and 
clever criticism on the king's painter  
in this wise3--',sir ,joshua used to say
 that he was the most sensible among all
 the painters of his time2 but he has   
left little to show it4 ,his manner was 
dry and timid4 ,he stopped short in the 
middle of his work because he knew      
exactly how much it wanted4 ,now and    
then we find hints and sketches1 which  
show what he might have done if his hand
 had been equal to his conceptions4 ,i  
have seen a picture of his of the queen 
soon after she was married--a profile1  
and slightly done3 but it was a paragon 
of elegance4 ,she had a fan in her hand4
 ,lord1 how she held that fan6 ,it was  

weak in execution and ordinary in       
features--all ,i can say of it is1 that 
it was the farthest possible removed    
from everything like vulgarity4 ,a      
professor might despise it1 but in the  
mental part ,i have never seen anything 
of ,vandyke's equal to it4 ,i could have
 looked at it for ever4 ,i don't know   
where it is now3 but ,i saw enough in it
 to convince me that ,sir ,joshua was   
right in what he said of ,ramsay's great
 superiority4 ,i should find it         
difficult to produce anything of ,sir   
,joshua's that conveys an idea of more  
grace and delicacy4 ,reynolds would have
 finished it better2 the other was      
afraid of spoiling what he had done1 and
 so left it a mere outline4 ,he was     
frightened before he was hurt4' ,this   
was high praise of the king's painter1  
coming as it did from his rival's pupil4
     ,,george ,,romney4   ',a curious   
book might be written on the reputation 
of painters1' says ,mr4 ,croker in a    
note to his edition of ,boswell2        

',horace ,walpole talked at one time of 
,ramsay as of equal fame with ,reynolds2
 and ,hayley dedicated his lyre 7such as
 it was7 to ,romney4 ,what is a picture 
of ,ramsay or ,romney now worth8'#ad    
#ad ,the remark has reference to certain
 odes by ,cumberland in honour of       
,romney1 and to ,johnson's comment      
thereupon3--',why1 sir1 they would have 
been thought as good as odes commonly   
are if ,cumberland had not put his name 
to them2 but a name immediately draws   
censure1 unless it be a name that bears 
down everything before it4 ,nay1        
,cumberland has made his odes subsidiary
 to the fame of another man4 ,they might
 have run well enough by themselves2 but
 he has not only loaded them with a     
name--he has made them carry double4'   
,that fortune is inconstant and that    
reputation is a bubble1 it was hardly   
necessary for ,mr4 ,croker to assure us4
 ,unquestionably the fame of the        
painter1 as of other people1 undergoes  
vicissitudes3 varies very much          

accordingly as it is appraised by       
contemporaries or posterity4 ,but it may
 be open to doubt whether the editor of 
,boswell does not undervalue the artists
 specified in illustration of his       
proposition3 more especially ,romney4   
,that any benefit has accrued to        
,romney's fame from the unsafe sort of  
embalmment it has received in the rhymes
 of such poetasters as ,hayley and      
,cumberland cannot be contended4 ,even  
,pope's verse1 though it has saved a    
name from oblivion1 has failed to redeem
 it from contempt4 ,the great poet      
condescended to sing the praises of     
,jervas1 the pupil of ,kneller2 but the 
renown of the painter1 ,pope's praises  
notwithstanding1 was fleeting enough4   
,we read of ,miss ,reynolds marvelling  
at the complete disappearance of        
,jervas's pictures4 ',my dear1' said    
,sir ,joshua1 in explanation1 'they are 
all up in the garrets now4' ,for just as
 humble guests resign their places1     
content with very inferior              

accommodation1 when more distinguished  
visitors arrive upon the scene1 so bad  
pictures yield to better works of art1  
and quit the walls of galleries and     
saloons to take refuge in servants'     
bedrooms1 back attics1 and stable lofts2
 suffering much neglect and contumely in
 comparison with their former high      
estate and fortune4  ,if we may assume  
that ,romney's pictures are now but     
lightly valued1 it must be conceded that
 the time has been when they were very  
differently estimated4 ,for in his day  
,romney was the admitted rival of       
,reynolds1 whose pupil and biographer   
,northcote1 an unwilling witness1       
admitting with reluctance anything to   
his preceptor's disadvantage1 says1     
expressly3--',certain it is that ,sir   
,joshua was not much employed in        
portraits after ,romney grew in         
fashion4' ,reynolds1 it cannot be       
doubted1 was jealous of ,romney1 and    
spoke of him always rather acridly as   
'the man in ,cavendish ,square2' just as

 ,barry was at one time fond of         
designating ,reynolds 'the man in       
,leicester ,fields4' ',there are two    
factions in art1' said ,lord ,chancellor
 ,thurlow2 ',romney and ,reynolds divide
 the town2 and ,i am of the ,romney     
faction4' ,in his own day1 indeed1 the  
recognition of the artist was           
remarkable4 ,flaxman1 the sculptor1     
maintained him to be 'the first of all  
our painters for poetic dignity of      
conception4' ',between ourselves1' wrote
 ,hayley to ,romney's son1 ',i think    
your father as much superior to         
,reynolds in genius as he was inferior  
in worldly wisdom4' ,upon his death     
three biographies of ,romney were given 
to the world4 ,cumberland wrote a brief 
but able memoir4 ,hayley produced an    
elaborate life1 embellished with        
engravings and epistles in verse4 ,and  
the ,reverend ,john ,romney published an
 interesting1 if not an impartial1      
account of his father's career4 ,yet    
these works have not prevented the      

painter's name from gradually losing its
 hold upon the public memory1 nor his   
pictures from sinking far beneath the   
valuation originally set upon them4     
,accident1 and the want of a permanent  
public gallery in which the best        
achievements of ,english painters may be
 stored and studied and admired by their
 countrymen1 have contributed to these  
results4 ,upon the great occasions when 
,english pictures have been assembled   
for exhibition1 somehow ,romney has been
 but inadequately represented4 ,in the  
,fine ,art ,gallery of the ,great       
,exhibition of #ahfb there was but one  
portrait by ,romney to thirty-four      
examples of ,reynolds4 ,in the finer and
 more complete collection at            
,manchester1 in #aheg1 there were five  
,romneys to thirty-eight pictures by    
,reynolds4 ,altogether ,sir ,joshua's   
memory has been amply avenged for any   
neglect he endured in his lifetime by   
reason of the undue ascendancy of       
,romney4  ,george ,romney was born at   

,beckside1 near ,dalton1 ,lancashire1 on
 the #aeth ,december #agcd1 the son of  
,john ,romney1 a carpenter and          
cabinet-maker1 who1 above his station in
 taste and knowledge1 is alleged to have
 introduced into the county various     
improvements in agricultural            
engineering4 ,of his union with ,ann    
,simpson1 the daughter of a ,cumberland 
yeoman1 four sons were born3--,william1 
who died on the eve of his departure to 
the ,west ,indies1 in the employ of a   
merchant there2 ,james1 who rose to the 
rank of a lieutenant-colonel in the     
service of the ,east ,india ,company2   
,peter1 who gave promise of considerable
 art-talent1 but died in his            
thirty-fourth year2 and ,george1 the    
painter1 under mention4  ,of a sedate   
and steady disposition1 but somewhat    
dull and 'backward' at his books1       
,george ,romney1 in his eleventh year1  
was taken from school1 and1 until he    
arrived at twenty-one1 was employed in  
his father's workshop4 ,the lad had     

manifested skill as a carver in wood2   
had constructed a violin for himself1   
and read with deep interest ,da ,vinci's
 ,treatise on ,painting1 making copies  
of the engravings4 ,his natural talent  
soon further developed itself4 ,his     
father had a business acquaintance with 
one ,mr4 ,alderman ,redman1 of ,kendal1 
upholsterer4 ,the ,alderman's sister1 a 
,mrs4 ,gardner1 chanced to see some of  
young ,romney's drawings1 was struck    
with their cleverness1 and encouraged   
him to persevere1 and to make his first 
essay in portraiture by taking her      
likeness4 ,the boy produced a drawing   
that was much extolled2 further         
evidences of his enthusiasm for art were
 forthcoming2 and eventually ,john      
,romney was induced to take his son to  
,kendal1 and apprentice him to an       
itinerant painter named ,christopher    
,steele1 a showy gentleman1 who had been
 in ,paris1 aped ,french manners1 wore  
fantastic clothes1 and was popularly    
known as ,count ,steele--a sort of      

art-,dulcamara1 in fact4 ,articles of   
apprenticeship were duly signed1 sealed1
 and delivered between ,john ,romney1   
cabinet-maker1 and ,george his son1 of  
the one part1 and ,christopher ,steele1 
painter1 of the other part4 ,george     
,romney was bound for the term of four  
years1 to serve his master faithfully   
and diligently1 to obey his reasonable  
commands1 and keep his secrets2 ,john   
,romney was to provide his son with     
'suitable and necessary clothes1 both   
linen and woollen2' and ,christopher    
,steele1 in consideration of twenty-one 
pounds1 covenanted to instruct his      
apprentice in the art or science of a   
painter1 and to find him meat1 drink1   
washing1 and lodging during the said    
term4 ,steele was no great artist1      
though he had studied under ,carlo      
,vanloo1 of ,paris4 ,he troubled himself
 little enough as to his pupil's        
progress1 employing him for the most    
part in grinding colours and in the     
drudgery of the studio4 ,but ,george    

,romney made the best of his            
opportunities4 ,and he was not unhappy4 
,he had fallen in love with ,mary       
,abbott1 one of two sisters living with 
their widowed mother1 in humble         
circumstances1 at ,kendal4 ,but soon    
,steele was bent on quitting ,kendal1   
had made up his mind to move to ,york1  
and directed his pupil to prepare to    
accompany him forthwith4 ,the lovers1 of
 course1 were in despair at the thought 
of their approaching separation4 ,in the
 end they secured their mutual fidelity 
by a hasty and private marriage4        
,reproved for his precipitancy and      
imprudence1 ,romney replied that his    
marriage would surely act as a spur to  
his application3 ',my thoughts being now
 still and not obstructed by youthful   
follies1 ,i can practise with more      
diligence and success than ever4' ,while
 at ,york he zealously devoted himself  
to his art4 ,his wife1 left at ,kendal1 
assisted him with such small sums as she
 could spare1 sending him half a guinea 

at a time1 hidden under the seal of a   
letter2 in return he forwarded to her   
his own portrait1 his first work in oil4
  ,after staying nearly a year in ,york1
 ,steele and his apprentice moved to    
,lancaster4 ,meeting with little        
encouragement there1 ,steele1 always    
restless and embarrassed1 determined to 
try his fortune in ,ireland4 ,the pupil 
was now very anxious to be quit of his  
preceptor2 he longed to be practising on
 his own account4 ,he had at different  
times lent ,steele small sums of money1 
amounting altogether to ten pounds4 ,he 
now proposed that both debt and articles
 of apprenticeship should be            
cancelled--that the release of the      
debtor should be the consideration for  
the freedom of the apprentice4 ,steele  
consented1 and ,george ,romney became   
his own master4  ,his prices until he   
went to ,london were certainly not high3
 two guineas for a three-quarter        
portrait and six for a whole figure on a
 kit-cat canvas4 ,the only way of making

 this poor tariff remunerative was by   
extreme rapidity of execution2 and few  
men have ever painted so rapidly as     
,romney4 ,but this rapid manner has its 
disadvantages4 ,if habitually persisted 
in1 it in time renders thorough finish  
impossible to the painter4 ,an absolute 
necessity in ,romney's early life1 it   
became a distinct vice in his after     
works4 ,to this were in part            
attributable the crowd of incomplete    
canvases the painter left behind him at 
his death1 and the characteristic       
sketchiness traceable even in his most  
esteemed pictures4  ,at ,york he        
disposed of twenty pictures by a        
lottery1 which produced little more than
 forty pounds4 ,among these works was a 
scene from ,tristram ,shandy1 upon which
 he had bestowed some pains2 for at     
,york ,romney had attracted the notice  
of ,laurence ,sterne 7whose portrait    
,steele had painted71 and received at   
his hands marks of attention and        
friendship4  ,twenty-seven years old1   

,romney began to weary of provincial    
triumphs1--to long for the wider field  
of exertion and the more enlightened    
recognition he could only find in the   
capital4 ,he had toiled early and late  
to acquire money and skill sufficient   
for a creditable appearance in town4 ,a 
son and daughter had been born of his   
marriage1 yet his domestic ties could   
not bind him to the north1 while his    
ambition was prompting him so urgently  
to seek certain fame and fortune in the 
south4 ,he managed to raise a sum of one
 hundred pounds4 ,taking fifty for his  
travelling expenses1 he left the balance
 for the support of his wife and        
children1 and without a single letter of
 recommendation or introduction1 set    
forth to try his chances alone in       
,london4 ,he was soon obliged to send   
for twenty pounds more1 of the fifty he 
had left with his wife4 ,he started     
southward on the #adth of ,march #agfb1 
in company with two other ,kendal       
gentlemen1 on horseback4 ,he stayed a   

day at ,manchester1 where he met his old
 master ,count ,steele1 who warmly      
greeted his pupil1 and rode with the    
party next day as far as ,stockport4    
,after much alarm from highwaymen--for  
in those days country banks were not1   
and every traveller was his own         
purse-bearer--,mr4 ,romney and his      
friends arrived safely at the ,castle   
,inn1 ,london1 on the #bast ,march4 ,the
 painter remained at the inn for a      
fortnight1 until he was able to settle  
down comfortably in lodgings1 in ,dove  
,court1 ,mansion ,house4 ,he was soon   
hard at work upon ',the ,death of       
,rizzio1' adorning his walls with       
pictures he had brought with him or sent
 for afterwards from ,kendal1 such as   
',king ,lear1' ',elfrida1' ',the ,death 
of ,lefevre1' and a few portraits of    
friends4 ,the ,rizzio picture has been  
represented as 'a work of extraordinary 
merit1 combining energetic action with  
strong expression4' ,its fate was sad   
enough2 attracting no notice1 producing 

no profit1 and at length becoming an    
incumbrance in the studio1 the painter  
destroyed it with his own hands2 or1    
more probably1 cut it up and sold it    
piecemeal1 for one of his biographers   
mentions having seen certain heads by   
,romney in which terror was strongly    
depicted1 and which had evidently formed
 portions of some larger work4 ,in the  
,august following his arrival in town he
 quitted ,dove ,court for ,bearbinder's 
,lane4 ,here he executed several        
portraits at three guineas each1 and    
painted his ',death of ,wolfe1' to which
 was awarded a prize of fifty guineas by
 the ,society of ,arts4 ,out of this    
picture arose much controversy4 ,adverse
 critics objected that the work could   
not with propriety be regarded as an    
historical composition1 because1 in     
point of fact1 no historian had yet     
recorded the event it pretended to      
represent2 ,wolfe's death1 however      
glorious and memorable1 was too recent  
to be within the legitimate scope of    

high art6 ,further1 ,mr4 ,romney's work 
was condemned as 'a mere coat and       
waistcoat picture1' and much fault was  
found with his accurate rendering of the
 regimentals of the officers and        
soldiers and the silk stockings of the  
general4 ,a few years later ,benjamin   
,west was greatly praised for his       
treatment of the same subject2          
,reynolds1 after much deliberation and  
the statement1 in the first instance1 of
 a directly contrary opinion1 avowing   
that the young ,american's picture would
 occasion 'a complete revolution in     
art4' ,it had been the plan1            
theretofore1 in pictures of historical  
events of whatever period1 to portray   
the characters engaged in the garb 7or  
no garb7 of antiquity2 but ,west had    
declined1 in placing upon his canvas an 
event of the year #agei1 to introduce   
the costume of classic times2 altogether
 disregarding the dislike of the        
connoisseurs to cocked hats1            
cross-belts1 laced-coats1 and bayonets1 

and their demands for bows and arrows1  
helmets1 bucklers1 and nakedness4 ,but1 
in truth1 ,west was merely following in 
the footsteps of ,george ,romney1 who   
had already produced a ',death of       
,wolfe' in the correct dress of the     
period4 ,there were few to laud poor    
,romney1 however4 ,even the decision    
which gave him the prize was reversed1  
and the premium ultimately awarded to   
,mortimer1 who had exhibited at the same
 time a picture of ',edward the         
,confessor seizing the ,treasurer of his
 mother4' ,romney was obliged to be     
content with a gratuity of twenty-five  
guineas4  ,the painter's friends at once
 charged ,reynolds with an active share 
in effecting this result2 and indeed it 
seems clear that the reversal of the    
decision was due to his interference4   
,they averred that he was anything but  
an impartial judge2 that he was well    
aware the ',death of ,wolfe' was the    
work of a portrait painter2 that he     
could not bear the thought of a rival   

near his throne1 and had laid down the  
principle 'that it was impossible for   
two painters in the same department of  
the art to be long in friendship with   
each other4' ,he would not permit an    
obscure painter from the country to     
carry off a prize from a student of     
,mortimer's pretensions4 ,with ,mortimer
 he was on terms of friendship3 his     
fellow-pupil under ,hudson1 and1 above  
all1 no portrait painter4 ,what measure 
of truth there may have been in these   
allegations it is now difficult to      
decide4 ,thenceforward ,reynolds and    
,romney were certainly enemies4 ,between
 the two painters1 indeed1 there never  
existed the slightest intercourse of any
 kind4  ,the curious treatment he had   
received from the ,society of ,arts made
 much stir1 however1 and brought the    
young painter friends and patrons4      
,probably the next best thing to        
securing the friendship of the future   
,president of the ,academy was the      
reputation of having incurred his       

enmity4 ',the ,death of ,wolfe' was     
purchased by ,mr4 ,rowland ,stephenson1 
the banker1 who presented it to         
,governor ,varelst1 by whom it was      
placed in the ,council-,chamber at      
,calcutta4 ,romney moved from the city  
to the ,mews-gate1 ,charing ,cross1     
probably to be nearer the exhibition in 
,spring ,gardens1 and the ,artists'     
,academy in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane4 ,at   
this time1 it may be noted1 ,dance and  
,mortimer were living in ,covent        
,garden1 while ,hogarth and ,reynolds   
had set up their easels in ,leicester   
,fields4 ,romney now raised his prices  
for portraits to five guineas1 and saved
 money sufficient to enable him to pay a
 long-dreamt-of visit to ,paris4 ,he was
 absent six weeks2 and on his return    
took chambers in ,gray's ,inn1 where he 
painted several portraits of ,members of
 the legal profession1 including ,sir   
,joseph ,yates1 one of the judges of the
 ,court of the ,king's ,bench4 ,in      
,gray's ,inn1 too1 he painted his       

picture of the ',death of ,king         
,edmund1' which1 in #agfe1 obtained a   
prize of fifty guineas from the ,society
 of ,arts4 ,for this work1 however1 he  
was unable to find a purchaser4 ,in     
#agfg his circumstances had so far      
improved that he felt himself justified 
in moving to a house in ,great ,newport 
,street1 within a few doors of          
,reynolds1 where he remained until his  
visit to ,italy1 in #aggc4 ,meanwhile   
his friends were loud in their laudation
 of the prodigy who1 in historical      
works1 they declared1 promised to rival 
the great masters1 and in portraiture   
threatened to wrest the palm from       
,reynolds himself4 ,he now raised his   
prices again1 charging twelve guineas   
for a three-quarter portrait1 and found 
no lack of sitters at the increased     
rate4 ,whether or not he sought for     
academic honours is not clear2 certain  
it is they were not conferred upon him3 
and he invariably chose to send his     
pictures to the rooms of the ,chartered 

,society1 in ,spring ,gardens1 rather   
than to the exhibitions of the ,royal   
,academy4 ,artists1 in every way his    
inferiors1 were welcomed to the ranks of
 'the forty2' but to ,romney never were 
granted even the poorer dignities of    
associateship4 ,this neglect of him he  
always ascribed to the sinister         
influence of ,reynolds and his          
followers1 among whom1 in this instance1
 must be numbered ,fuseli1 who was much 
given to sneering at ,romney as 'a coat 
and waistcoat painter1' and who1 in his 
edition of ,pilkington1 says1 pertly1   
',romney was made for his times1 and his
 times for him4' ,allan ,cunningham     
suggests1 what is probably true1 that   
,romney was a man likely to take a sort 
of morbid pleasure in his isolation1 and
 in the odium which would necessarily   
devolve upon the ,academy by its neglect
 of an artist of his eminence4 ,his name
 has gone to swell the list of painters 
of mark who have ventured to defy the   
influence and opposition of the         

,academy1 and have single-handed fought 
their way to success notwithstanding4   
,in #agga1 through the introduction of  
,cumberland1 ,mrs4 ,yates1 the actress1 
sat to ,romney for a picture of the     
',tragic ,muse4' ,of course1 this work  
was completely eclipsed by ,reynolds's  
',tragic ,muse1' painted some thirteen  
years later4 ,notwithstanding the       
demerits of the ,president's picture1   
the plagiarism of the pose and draperies
 from ,michael ,angelo's ,joel in the   
,capella ,sistina1 the incongruities of 
the theatrical state-chair in the       
clouds1 the gold lace1 plaited hair1    
imperial tiara and strings of           
pearls1--still the majestic beauty of   
his model1 her classical features1 broad
 brow1 grand form and superb eyes1      
enabled him to surpass immeasurably the 
effort of his younger and less favoured 
rival4 ,mrs4 ,yates1 though an          
accomplished actress1 was far from      
possessing the personal gifts of the    
,kembles' sister4 ,to ,romney's studio  

,cumberland also brought ,garrick1 with 
some hope that the great actor might    
interest himself in favour of the       
painter4 ,but ,garrick was too closely  
allied with ,sir ,joshua2 he was        
wilfully blinded to the merits of       
,romney4 ,he criticised with most       
impertinent candour the works he found  
in the studio1 pausing before a large   
family group of portraits and with an   
affected imitation of the attitude of   
the chief figure1 saying1 ',upon my     
word1 ,mr4 ,romney1 this is a very      
regular1 well-ordered family2 and this  
is a very bright-rubbed mahogany table1 
at which that motherly1 good lady is    
sitting2 and this worthy good gentleman 
in the scarlet waistcoat is doubtless a 
very excellent subject--to the state1 ,i
 mean 7if all these are his             
children7--but not for your art1 ,mr4   
,romney1 if you mean to pursue it with  
that success which ,i hope will attend  
you6' ,his 'pasteboard ,majesty of      
,drury ,lane1' in truth1 knew nothing of

 the painter's art2 and from any other  
than ,romney would have incurred1 as he 
well merited1 most unceremonious        
ejection from the studio4 ,he was safe  
enough with ,romney1 however1 as he     
probably well knew4 ,the painter1 deeply
 mortified1 silently turned the family  
picture with its face to the wall4 ,he  
was extremely sensitive3 a curious      
diffidence mingled with his conviction  
of his own cleverness4 ,he was readily  
disconcerted3 at a laugh1 a jest1 a few 
words of satiric criticism1 he lost     
faith in himself1 interest in his works2
 the subject which had promised so much 
pleasure now seemed to him fruitful only
 in pain and disappointment2 he would   
seek at once a new occupation1 and add  
another to a growing pile of canvases   
which the ridicule and captiousness of  
others1 and his own weakness and        
caprice1 had combined to leave for ever 
incomplete4 ,perhaps it was by way of   
balm for the wound he had unwittingly   
inflicted1 by bringing ,garrick to the  

studio1 that ,cumberland published in   
the ,public ,advertiser his verses upon 
the painters of the day1 with especial  
mention of ,romney and his picture of   
',contemplation1' which work1 the poet  
says in a note1 'the few who attended   
the unfashionable exhibition in ,spring 
,gardens may possibly recollect4'       
,already the success of the ,royal      
,academy was telling disastrously upon  
the ',society of ,artists of ,great     
,britain' to which ,romney had attached 
himself4  ,in #aggc1 our painter1 in his
 thirty-ninth year1 and in receipt of an
 income of some twelve hundred pounds1  
derived solely from his profession1 set 
sail for ,italy1 bearing with him       
letters of introduction from the ,dukes 
of ,gloucester and ,richmond to the     
,pope1 and accompanied by his close     
friend1 ,humphrey1 the                  
miniature-painter4 ,his ,holiness gave  
gracious permission to the artist to    
erect scaffolds in the ,vatican1 the    
better to make copies of the ,raphaels  

which decorate the palace4  ,among the  
pictures executed during ,romney's      
,italian tour was a portrait of the     
eccentric ,wortley ,montagu 7,lady      
,mary's son71 who had assumed the       
manners and attire of a ,turk1 and who1 
shortly after his sitting to the        
painter1 died from a bone sticking in   
his throat4 ,another work which he      
brought back with him to ,england was a 
daring attempt to represent ',providence
 brooding over chaos4' ,in later years1 
when ,lord ,george ,gordon and his mob  
were sacking the ,roman ,catholic       
chapels throughout ,london1 and         
plundering the houses of all suspected  
of sympathy with the ,latin ,church1    
,romney became alarmed lest his picture 
should attract the attention of the     
rioters1 and1 regarded by them as an    
evidence of idolatrous devotion1 lead to
 the destruction of his house and       
property4 ,the canvas was at once       
removed out of sight4 ,at the sale of   
his works1 on the death of the painter1 

his son changed the name of the picture 
to ',jupiter ,pluvius1' under which more
 marketable guise it soon found a       
purchaser4  ,on the #gth of ,june #agge1
 ,romney arrived again in ,england3 his 
return being celebrated by glowing      
strains from ,cumberland's ready muse4  
,as ,gibbon said of the poetic praises  
of the painter's friends--',if they did 
not contribute much to his professional 
prosperity1 they might be justly called 
an elegant advertisement of his merit4' 
,sitters of all ranks now crowded to his
 studio4 ,if his absence from ,england  
had done nothing else for him1 it had   
wonderfully enhanced his reputation4    
,but persons of taste and quality were  
of opinion that his visit to ,italy had 
wrought marvels4 ,they pretended to see 
a striking improvement1 not merely in   
the mechanical1 but also in the mental  
part of his work2 his conceptive powers 
were found to be strengthened and       
enriched1 and his method of painting    
benefited beyond measure by his ,italian

 studies2 he was no longer cold1 and    
harsh1 and heavy2 all was now warmth and
 light1 tenderness and beauty4 ,it was  
at this time that ,reynolds began to    
speak of ,romney as 'the man in         
,cavendish ,square4' ,he had established
 himself in the spacious mansion which  
the death of ,cotes1 the ,royal         
,academician1 had left vacant1 and      
which1 it may be noted1 after the expiry
 of ,romney's tenancy1 was occupied by  
,sir ,martin ,archer ,shee4 ,not without
 considerable anxiety1 however1 did     
,romney enter upon possession of his new
 abode4 ,he was seized with an          
irrepressible misgiving that he was     
embarking upon a career of far greater  
expense than his success had warranted1 
or than the emoluments of his profession
 would enable him to maintain4 ',in his 
singular constitution1' his biographer  
,hayley here finds occasion to observe1 
'there was so much nervous timidity     
united to great bodily strength and to  
enterprising and indefatigable ambition1

 that he used to tremble1 when he walked
 every morning in his new habitation1   
with a painful apprehension of not      
finding business sufficient to support  
him4 ,these fears were only early       
flutterings of that hypochondriacal     
disorder which preyed in secret on his  
comfort during many years1 and which1   
though apparently subdued by the        
cheering exhortations of frendship and  
great professional prosperity1 failed   
not to show itself more formidably when 
he was exhausted by labour in the       
decline of life4' ,his trepidation was  
quite groundless1 however4 ,he had no   
lack of patrons or employment2 the ,duke
 of ,richmond gave him generous         
encouragement and support1 sat for his  
own picture1 in profile1 and            
commissioned portraits of ,admiral      
,keppel1 ,mr4 ,burke1 the ,honourable   
,mrs4 ,damer1 ,lord ,john ,cavendish1   
,lord ,george ,lennox1 and others4 ,the 
painter's income soon sprung up to      
between three and four thousand a year1 

produced by portraits only4 ,in #aggf he
 was seriously ill from a violent cold  
caught by standing in the rain1 amongst 
the crowd outside ,drury ,lane ,theatre1
 waiting to witness ,garrick's farewell 
performance4 ,he was cured1 however1 by 
,sir ,richard ,jebb1 the eminent        
physician1 who prescribed a bottle of   
,madeira to his patient1 and attended   
him from that time forward in every     
illness1 but generously declined to     
accept a fee for his services4  ,and the
 ,mary ,abbott whom ,george ,romney had 
married years before and left behind at 
,kendal1 with his son and daughter and  
thirty pounds1 while he sought his      
fortune alone in ,london--the wife1 his 
union with whom was to be as 'a spur to 
his application'--was she to be denied  
the sight of her husband's success1 a   
share in his prosperity1 a place in his 
house in ,cavendish ,square8 ,it is hard
 to understand the utter unmanliness and
 heartlessness of ,romney's conduct in  
this respect4 ,there is no word of      

accusation against her--- no hint       
affecting her character--no question as 
to her being in any way unworthy of his 
love and trust1 and of her rightful     
position by his side4 ,his separation   
from her1 in the first instance1 was1   
under all the circumstances of the case1
 no doubt justifiable2 and it is hardly 
possible to believe that his original   
withdrawal from ,kendal was in pursuance
 of a plan of deliberate abandonment of 
his family4 ,but for the protraction of 
this separation1 after the first        
necessity for it had passed away1 there 
would seem to be absolutely no excuse4  
,his son1 the ,rev4 ,john ,romney1 with 
a laudable desire to serve his father's 
memory1 urges1 as some faint apology for
 the painter's cruelty1 that his affairs
 were at all times less prosperous than 
they seemed2 that his brothers were a   
heavy burden upon him and drained him of
 his savings2 that his professional     
journeys to ,paris and ,rome consumed   
all the money he could raise2 and that  

thus a 'succession of untoward          
circumstances threw impediments in the  
way of good intent1 till time and       
absence became impediments also4'  ,in  
truth1 ,romney appears to have been     
always curiously timid and reticent2 to 
have suffered from excessive moral      
cowardice4 ,on his first arrival in     
,london and association with the young  
painters of the day1 he began to feel   
some shame at his early imprudence1 and 
some alarm lest it should present any   
hindrance to his professional           
advancement4 ,he had given 'hostages to 
fortune1' and dreaded the result4 ,he   
was thus persistently silent on the     
subject2 and1 as time went on1 it became
 more and more difficult for him to avow
 the marriage he had from the first made
 so much a matter of mystery4 ,and then1
 too1 the prosperous unions of other    
artists1 his contemporaries1 excited his
 jealousy and increased his             
apprehensions4 ,he began to think it    
indispensable to the success of a       

painter that he should marry well4      
,nathaniel ,dance had been united to    
,mrs4 ,drummer1 known as 'the ,yorkshire
 fortune1' with eighteen thousand a     
year4 ,john ,astley had secured the hand
 of ,lady ,duckenfield1 with an income  
of almost equal value4 ,then1 from his  
literary and poetic friends he was      
little likely to receive encouragement  
to act justly in such a matter4         
,laurence ,sterne was no especially good
 exemplar of conjugal fidelity4 ,mr4    
,hayley and the rest indulged in        
extremely poetic views concerning the   
privileges and prerogatives of genius2  
were opposed to trammels and scruples of
 any kind in such respect2 and poured   
round the painter dense showers of      
versified adulation1 so infused with    
ideality and ,platonism that the simple 
rules of right and wrong were quite     
washed away by the harmonious and       
transcendental torrent4 ,romney1 weak1  
vain1 selfish1 suffered himself to be   
led down paths which1 however flowery   

and pleasant1 were yet mean and         
contemptible enough1 and listening to   
the twanging of ,hayley's lyre1 turned a
 deaf ear to the pining of the poor     
woman fading away1 alone and deserted in
 the north--the ,mary ,abbott whom he   
had vowed in his youth until death      
should them part to love1 honour1 and   
cherish4 ,for some thirty years the     
husband and wife never set eyes upon    
each other--were absolutely separated4  
,he had now as much work as he could    
possibly execute4 ,he was often at his  
easel for thirteen hours a day1         
beginning at eight in the morning1      
lighting his lamp when the daylight had 
gone1 and toiling on sometimes until    
midnight4 ,he had five1 and occasionally
 six1 sitters a day4 ,he generally      
completed a three-quarter portrait in   
three or four sittings1 and could       
accomplish this easily1 provided no     
hands were introduced into the picture4 
,the sittings varied in duration from   
three-quarters of an hour to an hour and

 a half each4 ,his only time now for    
ideal or historical art was in the      
interval between the departure and      
arrival of his sitters1 or when they    
failed to keep their engagements with   
him2 but he would regard such           
disappointments with pleasure1 having   
always at hand a spare canvas upon which
 he could employ himself with some fancy
 subject4 ,of course1 this close        
application was not without injurious   
effect upon him in the end4 ',my        
health1' he wrote1 at a later period of 
his life1 'is not at all constant4 ,my  
nerves give way1 and ,i have no time to 
go in quest of pleasure to prevent a    
decline of health4 ,my hands are full1  
and ,i shall be forced to refuse new    
faces at last1 to be enabled to finish  
the numbers ,i have in an unfinished    
state4 ,i shall regret the necessity of 
forbearing to take new faces2 there is a
 delight in novelty greater than in the 
profit gained by sending them home      
finished4 ,but it must be done4' ,his   

annual retirement for a month's holiday 
to ,hayley's house at ,eartham was of   
little real service to his health4 ,he  
was compelled the while to attitudinize 
incessantly as a genius4 ,hayley1 in    
globose language1 was always entreating 
his guest to moderate his intense spirit
 of application1 conjuring him to rest  
from his excess of labour 'in the name  
of those immortal powers the ,beautiful 
and the ,sublime1' etc41 while he was at
 the same time urging the painter to new
 and greater toils1 teasing the jaded   
man with endless suggestions1           
bewildering him with a jabber of sham   
sentimentality and hazy aestheticism4   
',whenever ,romney was my guest1' writes
 ,hayley1 ',i was glad to put aside my  
own immediate occupation for the        
pleasure of searching for and presenting
 to him a copious choice of such        
subjects as might happily exercise his  
powers4' ,poor ,romney was permitted no 
rest4 ,hayley was for ever in close     
attendance gratifying his own inordinate

 vanity at the painter's cost4 ,he      
produced four representations of        
,serena1 the heroine of ,hayley's       
,triumphs of ,temper4 ,he painted a     
scene from the ,tempest for ,boydell's  
,shakespeare ,gallery1 which project    
,romney always claimed to have          
originated1 and ,hayley was in the      
studio sitting for ,prospero4 ,at       
,hayley's house a small coterie of      
poetasters1 male and female1 assembled  
for purposes of mutual glorification in 
the most windbag sort of verse1 and were
 glad to buy portraits and sketches from
 the painter with such small coin as    
sonnets and stanzas1 and poetic         
epistles4 ,romney executes a likeness of
 ,mrs4 ,hayley1 and is rewarded with    
eighty-eight glowing lines by her       
husband1 who calls to his aid ,eolus1   
,orion1 ,boreas1 ,auster1 ,zephyr1      
,eurus1 ,famine1 and ,ceres for the     
better decoration of his verse4 ,he     
paints a portrait of ,miss ,seward1 and 
the lady's gratitude gushes forth in    

eulogy of      4444the pleasures of the 
,hayleyan board1     ,where1 as his     
pencil1 ,romney's soul sublime          
,glows with bold lines1 original and    
strong1 etc4  ',beloved and honoured    
,titiano6' she wrote1 some years later2 
'how that name recalls the happy1 happy 
hours ,i passed with you at ,eartham2   
when by the title ',muse' you summoned  
me to the morning walk6' ,amongst the   
drossy twaddle which passed current as  
poetry at ,eartham1 a sonnet in         
,romney's honour by a true              
poet--,william ,cowper--may be counted  
as pure gold4  ,in the beginning of     
#aghb ,emma ,lyon1 then known as ,mrs4  
,hart1 afterwards as ,lady ,hamilton1   
first sat to ,mr4 ,romney4 ,painters and
 poets enough had already been busy     
celebrating her loveliness1 the lady    
nothing loth4 ,she took pleasure in the 
full display of her charms3 holding     
probably that her beauty was not given  
her for herself alone1 but that the     
whole world1 if it listed1 might at     

least look on it and adore4 ,at one time
 indeed she was rumoured to have        
personated the ,goddess of ,health1 when
 the 'celestial' ,doctor ,graham was    
giving his strange and indecorous       
lectures in ,pall ,mall2 but that       
scandal has been contradicted4 ,certain 
it is1 however1 that her witcheries     
effectually subjugated ,romney and      
,hayley4 ,the painter went fairly mad   
about her2 could not see her often      
enough2 was restless and miserable out  
of her presence2 reduced the number of  
his sitters1 and admitted no visitors   
until noon1 that he might have time     
sufficient to devote to the beautiful   
,emma and her portraits4 ,this          
infatuation endured for years4 ',at     
present1' he wrote to ,hayley1 in #agia1
 'and the greatest part of the summer1  
,i shall be engaged in painting pictures
 from the divine lady4 ,i cannot give   
her any other epithet2 for ,i think her 
superior to all womankind4' ,for a long 
time he seemed to be able only to paint 

,emma ,lyon4 ,his son enumerates some   
two dozen portraits1 in which she       
appears as ,circe1 ,iphigenia1 ,st4     
,cecilia1 ,sensibility1 a ,bacchante1   
,alope1 the ,spinstress1 ,cassandra 7for
 the ,shakespeare ,gallery71 ,calypso1 a
 ,pythoness1 ,joan of ,arc1 a ,magdalen1
 etc42 some of these were left          
unfinished4 ,but at one time the form   
and features of his beautiful model     
appeared upon the painter's canvas1 let 
him try to paint what he would4 ,the    
fair ,emma had absolutely enthralled    
him4 ,absent from the object of his     
adoration1 he was reduced to despair4   
,he writes to ,hayley1 complaining that 
he has discovered an alteration in his  
,emma's conduct3 'a coldness and neglect
 seemed to have taken the place of her  
repeated declaration of regard4' ,hayley
 sends up some verses for the painter to
 copy and sign1 beginning ',gracious    
,cassandra1' and asking pitifully1      
4444 what cruel clouds have darkly      
chilled     ,thy favour that to me was  

vital fire8       ,oh1 let it shine     
again3 or worse than killed     ,thy    
soul-sunk artist feels his art expire6  
,the poet seems to have been not less   
love-stricken4 ',her features1' he      
writes1 'like the language of           
,shakespeare1 could exhibit all the     
feelings of nature and all the          
gradations of every passion with a most 
fascinating truth and felicity of       
expression4' ,presently the lady has    
given her hand to ,sir ,william         
,hamilton and set sail for ,naples4 ,she
 makes peace with the painter1 however1 
before her departure2 calls upon him1   
resumes her former kindness of manner1  
is as cordial with him as ever1 and sits
 to him for a portrait he is to paint as
 a present to her mother4 ,poor ,romney6
  ,in #agid there were symptoms of decay
 in the painter's constitution2 his     
mental infirmities increased4 ,he became
 the victim of a sort of intellectual   
superfetation4 ,he was perpetually      
planning labours of a magnitude which1  

from the first1 rendered them hopelessly
 impracticable4 ,his brain was morbidly 
active1 while his hand grew tremulous   
and uncertain1 and his sight dimmed4    
,his manner became irritable1 and more  
than ever timid and suspicious4 ,he     
wrote to his son3 ',i have made many    
grand designs2 ,i have formed a system  
of original subjects1 moral and my own1 
and ,i think one of the grandest that   
has been thought of2 but nobody knows   
it4 ,hence1 it is my view to wrap myself
 in retirement and pursue these plans1  
as ,i begin to feel ,i cannot bear      
trouble of any kind4' ,he quits his     
house in ,cavendish ,square and becomes 
the purchaser of a retreat at ,holly    
,bush ,hill1 ,hampstead1 after          
abandoning a project he at one time     
entertained for the purchase of four    
acres near the ,edgware ,road1 and      
covering them with a group of fantastic 
buildings of his own design4 ,to the    
house at ,hampstead he made many        
whimsical additions1 however1 erecting a

 large picture and sculpture-gallery1 a 
wooden arcade or covered ride1 a        
dining-room close to the kitchen1 with a
 buttery hatch opening into it1 so that 
he and his guests might enjoy beefsteaks
 'hot and hot' upon the same plan as    
prevailed at the ,beefsteak ,club1 then 
occupying a room in the ,lyceum         
,theatre4 ,the cost of these changes    
amounted to nearly three thousand       
pounds4 ,with quite a childish eagerness
 he took possession of his new house    
before the walls were dry1 and while the
 workmen were still completing the      
changes he had ordered4 ,still he had   
not room enough for his numberless      
art-treasures4 ,his pictures were       
crammed and huddled away any and        
everywhere4 ,some were arranged along   
the wooden arcade1 where1 exposed to the
 open air1 and to the alternate action  
of moisture and frost1 they were almost 
entirely destroyed in the course of the 
winter1 while some were deliberately    
stolen4 ,the painter could do little    

work now3 he could begin1 but was unable
 to finish or even to resume his        
undertaking4 ,his appetite for art      
seemed to fail him2 he ceased to have   
faith in himself2 he was preyed on by   
nervous dejection2 weighed down with    
dark alarms and vague forebodings4 ,soon
 his head is swimming and his right hand
 numb with incipient paralysis4 ,hayley 
visits him for the last time in ,april  
#agii1 and had 'the grief of perceiving 
that his increasing weakness of body and
 mind afforded only a gloomy prospect   
for the residue of his life4' ,he lays  
down his brush for ever4 ,suddenly1     
without a word to any one of his        
intentions1 he takes the northern coach 
and arrives at ,kendal4 ,fainting and   
exhausted1 he is received with the      
utmost tenderness and affection by his  
wife4 ,no word of reproach for the      
neglect and solitude to which he had    
doomed her for so many years escapes her
 lips4 ,with unremitting solicitude1    
with religious earnestness1 this loving1

 forgiving woman tends the sick-bed of  
the sinking man4 ,his mind expires      
before his body2 for months he remains  
hopelessly imbecile1 free from          
suffering1 but wholly unconscious2      
breathing his last at ,kendal on the    
#aeth of ,november #ahjb1 in the        
sixty-eighth year of his age4  ,the     
inconsistency manifest between ,romney's
 wanton cruelty in his domestic         
character1 and his reputation among his 
intimates and contemporaries for great  
kindliness of nature1 generosity1 and   
general worth1 is remarkable enough4    
,there are many men1 however1 who appear
 to the least advantage when seen by the
 light of their own fireside4 ,hayley   
says much of his friend's extreme       
sensibility3' his lips1' writes the     
poet1 'quivered with emotions of pity at
 the sight of distress or at the        
relation of a pathetic story4'          
,cumberland mentions that the painter   
was1 'by constitution1 prone to tears4' 
,yet his charity was not for home wear2 

the distress he did not see troubled him
 very little4 ,it is vain to seek for   
any sufficient apology for ,romney's    
shameful treatment of his wife and      
children4 ,if it were possible to forget
 this deep stain upon his character he  
would seem1 in all other relations of   
life1 to be entitled to esteem and      
commendation4 ,for the poor and needy he
 was ready1 not merely with his         
sensibility1 but with his purse4 ,to his
 friends he was ever faithful and       
liberal4 ,after attaining professional  
eminence he was almost indifferent to   
the emoluments of his art1 prizing money
 much less for its own sake than for the
 recognition of his position and        
abilities that it demonstrated2 while to
 all young artists he was especially    
kind and indulgent4 ,he was the first to
 encourage ,flaxman1 and to appreciate  
and applaud his works2 was ever the     
cordial and loving friend of the        
sculptor1 as their correspondence amply 
testifies4 ',i always remember1' says   

,flaxman1 ',mr4 ,romney's notice of my  
boyish years and productions with       
gratitude2 his original and striking    
conversation2 his masterly1 grand1 and  
feeling compositions are continually    
before me2 and ,i still feel the        
benefits of his acquaintance and        
recommendations4'  ,romney's historical 
pictures are very numerous2 though      
comparatively few of them can be        
considered as completely finished works4
 ,according to ,allan ,cunningham's     
estimate1 for one really finished there 
are five half done1 and for five half   
done there are at least a dozen merely  
sketched out on the canvas4 ,the painter
 was all impulse2 very eager and        
impatient at the beginning1 but soon    
wearied1 and only by painful efforts and
 extraordinary labour ever arriving at  
the conclusion of his undertakings4     
,there was a want of concentrative power
 about him2 he was ever frittering away 
his undeniable abilities upon a number  
of hastily adopted projects1 crudely    

conceived1 and remorselessly abandoned  
when the temperature of his enthusiasm  
lowered1 or any unlooked-for            
difficulties appeared in his path4 ,how 
the erratic and desultory nature of his 
mind was fostered and aggravated by     
,hayley's mischievous efforts has       
already been shown4 ,that the glowing   
eulogium pronounced by ,flaxman upon his
 friend's productions will be endorsed  
by modern critics is hardly to be       
expected4 ,indeed1 the characteristics  
upon which ,flaxman especially dwells as
 worthy of the highest praise will be   
rather accounted as defects in the      
present day4 ,the severe imitation of   
the antique2 the artificial simplicity  
of composition2 the bare background2 the
 bas-relief style of treatment2 the     
pseudo-purity which rejected natural    
feeling and action in favour of a       
conventionally ideal expression--these  
were precious gifts in ,flaxman's eyes2 
to modern artists they will appear      
rather errors of judgment pertaining to 

a past school of art3 false fashions    
which the present generation of painters
 have happily outgrown and abandoned4   
,at the same time1 however1 it should   
not be forgotten that the majority of   
,romney's works of this class will bear 
comparison with the best productions of 
his contemporaries1 and that some of    
them evince in a remarkable degree his  
grace of manner1 skill in expression1   
and loftiness of aim4  ,as a portrait   
painter ,romney will be more prized and 
remembered1 although it is not likely   
that any existing connoisseurs will be  
found to proclaim themselves with ,lord 
,thurlow1 of 'the ,romney faction1' as  
opposed to the school of ,reynolds4 ,in 
contrasting the works of the rival      
painters1 it is easy to see that however
 close a race for fame they seemed to be
 running in their own time1 there exists
 in truth a wide distance between the   
president of the ,academy and 'the man  
in ,cavendish ,square4' ,it is not only 
that ,romney had not the variety of     

,reynolds2 that he could not give to    
portrait painting the new life with     
which ,reynolds had so happily invested 
it3--he did not hit character nearly so 
well2 he could not endow his sitters    
with the air of repose1 ease1 and       
elegance peculiar to the ,reynolds      
portraits2 he failed to give interest to
 his backgrounds1 generally too near and
 flat1 and heavily painted2 and he had  
not ,sir ,joshua's success in subduing  
the eccentricities of costume of the    
day1 and bestowing a certain grace and  
beauty upon even the most exuberant     
capes1 cuffs1 ruffles1 wigs1 cravats1   
and frills1 prevalent a century ago4    
,there is an air of fashion about many  
of ,romney's portraits as opposed to the
 look of nobility1 which is the especial
 attribute of ,reynolds's pictures4 ,in 
contemplating a ,sir ,joshua there will 
be found a propriety1 an integrity about
 the work which effectually prevents all
 thought of the parts played by the     
tailor or the milliner at the toilet of 

the sitter4 ,this is not always the case
 with ,romney's portraits2 pattern1 and 
cut1 and vogue do not fail to assert    
themselves4 ,in colour ,romney is very  
unequal2 in his own day it was          
notoriously inferior to ,reynolds's1    
though in spite of some instances of    
chalkiness and thinness1 generally rich1
 pure1 and lustrous4 ,but the           
,president's recourse to meretricious   
methods of obtaining beauty of tint has 
ruined the majority of his works1       
rendering their glories fleeting as     
photographs4 ,romney prudently adhered  
to a safer manner4 ,many of his pictures
 can even now be hardly less fresh and  
glowing in colour than when they first  
left his easel4 ,his carnations and     
flesh tints are often singularly fine4  
,his small portraits possess dignity1   
with force and manliness1 however1      
rather than absolute ease or refinement4
 ,but his chief success was in his      
female heads4 ,in quick and distinct    
appreciation of beauty he was not behind

 ,reynolds2 while1 occasionally1 he     
attained a certain poetic height of     
expression it would be difficult to     
parallel among ,sir ,joshua's works4    
,the fluctuation in fame which ,romney  
has suffered has1 of course1 fallen to  
the fate of many of his professional    
brethren4 ,we read1 for instance1 that  
,sir ,godfrey ,kneller sometimes        
received in payment for a portrait a    
considerable sum in hard cash1 with a   
couple of ,rembrandt's thrown in by way 
of makeweight4 ,yet now a single        
specimen of ,rembrandt exceeds in value 
a whole gallery of ,knellers4 ,and      
,rembrandt died insolvent1 while ,sir   
,godfrey amassed a fortune6 ,no one will
 dispute the justice of the reversal of 
judgment which has taken place2 the     
elevation of ,rembrandt at the expense  
of ,kneller4 ,but it may be a question  
whether ,george ,romney has not been    
unfairly abased1 even though it may be  
agreed on all hands that ,sir ,joshua   
,reynolds has not been unduly exalted4  

,possibly1 however1 when a man rises or 
is lifted up to a high pitch of         
celebrity1 it is inevitable that he     
should in some degree mount upon the    
prostrate and degraded reputations of   
his contemporaries4     ,,cosway1 ,,the 
,,miniature-,,painter4   ,biographers   
seem often to choose between two        
weaknesses4 ,they are fond of asserting 
that the hero of their narration comes  
in truth of a gentle stock1 however the 
clouds of misfortune may for a time have
 veiled from general observation the    
glories of his family tree1--or1 failing
 this1 they take a sort of pride in     
dwelling upon and exaggerating the      
humbleness of his descent and condition4
 ,he is a somebody1 or he is a nobody2 a
 gentleman of distinguished origin or an
 utterly unknown creature with the      
vaguest views about his lineage3 a waif 
of the wayside1 a stray of the streets1 
his rise from obscurity to eminence     
being entirely attributable to his own  
intrinsic merits and exertions4  ,to    

this last-mentioned method of           
biographical treatment has been         
subjected ,richard ,cosway1 painter and 
,royal ,academician of the last century3
 a man of fame in his day1 though that  
fame may not have come down to us in a  
very good state of preservation4 ,the   
fact that in his prime he was a man of  
fashion1 a 'personage' in society1 the  
companion of princes1 and an artist of  
eminence1 has given a sort of impetus to
 the fancy of tracing him back to a     
vastly inferior state of life4 ,writers 
dealing with the painter's story1 and   
prepared to point to him presently as   
the occupant and ornament of a 'gilded  
saloon1' have found a preliminary       
pleasure in dilating upon his earlier   
and humbler position as an errand-boy in
 a drawing academy4 ,the contrast was   
effective1 picturesque--dramatic4       
,contemplate this scene of gloom and    
degradation2 now turn to this other     
canvas1 all sunshine and prosperity4 ,is
 not the comparison impressive8 ,but    

then it ought to be true4  ,this black  
and white view of the vicissitudes of   
,cosway's career is due1 in the first   
instance1 to ,mr4 ,j4,t4 ,smith1        
engraver1 antiquarian1 and author of the
 ,life of ,nollekens and other books4   
,mr4 ,shipley1 from ,northampton1       
brother of the ,bishop of ,st4 ,asaph1  
and founder of the ,society of ,arts1   
had established a drawing school at ,no4
 #bbi in the ,strand4 ,cosway1 when     
quite a lad1 says ,smith1 obtained the  
notice of ,shipley1 and was engaged by  
him to attend in the studio and carry to
 and fro the tea and coffee with which  
the housekeeper of the establishment was
 permitted to provide the students at a 
cost of threepence per head4 ,nollekens 
and the father of ,smith were among the 
students1 and good-naturedly1 the story 
goes on to say1 gave the boy ,richard   
,cosway instruction in drawing1 and     
encouraged him to compete for the prizes
 he afterwards obtained from the        
,society of ,arts4 ,these particulars   

probably ,smith obtained from his father
 or from ,nollekens--if indeed they be  
not wholly due not so much to his own   
invention as to the confusion of names  
and misconception of incidents to which 
every one is liable who puts too great a
 strain upon his memory4 ,allan         
,cunningham1 it may be observed1 relates
 facts concerning ,cosway's origin and  
youth which go far towards controverting
 the errand-boy episode in his life1 as 
chronicled by ,smith4  ,richard ,cosway 
was born in #agdj1 at ,tiverton1 in     
,devonshire1 a county singularly        
productive of famous artists1 having    
given birth among others to ,haydon1    
,northcote1 and ,reynolds4 ,the father  
of ,cosway was the master of the        
grammar-school at ,tiverton3 his uncle  
was for some time mayor2 and the family1
 originally ,flemish1 and engaged in    
woollen manufactures1 was possessed of  
considerable property in the town and   
neighbourhood4 ,to the connexion of the 
,cosways with ,flanders was ascribed    

their ownership of certain valuable     
works by ,rubens1 which first lit up a  
love of painting in the heart of young  
,cosway1 and made him an idle schoolboy 
and an indefatigable artist4 ,the master
 of ,tiverton school was naturally      
indignant at the want of scholarly      
application of his son and pupil2 was   
for birching him into better behaviour1 
forbidding him to ply his pencil at all 
under heavy penalties4 ,the boy's uncle1
 the mayor1 and a judicious friend and  
neighbour1 one ,mr4 ,oliver ,peard1 seem
 to have better appreciated the         
situation4 ,they interposed on behalf of
 the young artist1 and succeeded in     
obtaining for him permission to make    
drawings during such times as he could  
be spared from the grammar-school4 ,but 
at last it appears to be agreed on all  
hands that the boy must close his books3
 he is wilful1 and must have his        
way--become an artist3 there is no hope 
whatever of his succeeding in any other 
line of life4 ,he is to be humoured to  

the top of his bent4 ,his passion is to 
be cured by indulging it4 ,if he        
succeeds--well and good1--there is      
nothing more to be said4 ,if he fails1  
his failure will sober him1 his friends 
argue3 render him docile and tractable1 
obedient to parental commands for the   
future4  ,he was sent up to ,london1 at 
thirteen1 to study under ,hudson1       
,reynolds's preceptor 7and more         
remarkable on that account than on any  
other1 though his merits as a           
portrait-painter are less contemptible  
than many suppose72 all expenses were to
 be defrayed by the ,mayor of ,tiverton 
and kindly ,mr4 ,oliver ,peard4 ,after a
 year under ,hudson1 young ,cosway      
entered ,shipley's ,academy1 already    
mentioned4 ,probably he was a somewhat  
puny1 insignificant-looking lad1 and was
 therefore made the butt and fag of the 
robuster students1 compelled to attend  
upon them and obey their behests1 even  
to performing menial offices1 just as   
younger boys do in other academies--for 

might is right in the world of          
school--and thus ,mr4 ,smith's          
errand-boy story may have originated4   
,but it can be scarcely said to be      
substantiated by the further facts he   
proceeds to narrate3 how that young     
,cosway in the course of a few years    
obtained no less than five premiums1    
some of five and one of ten guineas1    
from the ,society of ,arts3 the first   
awarded when he was only fourteen years 
old1 the last when he was under four-and
 twenty4 ,the unskilled errand-boy could
 scarcely have received a prize         
instantly on his commencing to study4   
,quitting ,shipley's1 he became for a   
time a teacher at ,parr's ,drawing      
,school1 but was soon busily employed on
 his own account in supplying the       
jewellers' shops with miniature         
paintings on ivory2 pretty heads and    
fancy subjects or mythological scenes to
 be framed with gold or set with        
diamonds2 the beau of the day was       
incomplete without a costly snuff-box   

adorned with a lid1 the prettiness of   
which1 perhaps1 somewhat surpassed its  
pudicity4 ,cosway seems to have been    
just the artist to supply a demand of   
this sort4 ,he was industrious1 fond of 
money1--but rather because it ministered
 to habits1 which were inclined to be   
extravagant1 than for any very sordid   
reasons--and was without high views as  
to his art4 ,he did not mind debasing it
 a little1 accommodating his friends the
 shopkeepers1 and filling his own       
pockets4 ,and his execution was very    
rapid and adroit2 he could put just as  
much work into his subjects as would    
give them in uneducated eyes the effect 
of high finish1 while in truth they     
occupied but little of his time1 and    
provided him with most ample profits4   
,but1 if slight1 they were certainly    
elegant2 if not very pure in art1 they  
were unquestionably pleasing to a large 
and important class4 ,the demand for    
specimens of ,mr4 ,cosway's ingenious   
taste became at last almost in excess of

 his powers of supply4  ,first1 by his  
snuff-box subjects1 and afterwards by   
his portraits--on ivory or in red and   
black chalk--after the manner           
,bartolozzi had introduced--,cosway     
earned large sums4 ,for many years he   
was reputed to have been in possession  
of a handsomer income than could be     
secured by the efforts of all his       
artist-brethren put together4 ,but it   
must be said for him that he worked very
 hard4 ,at the height of his fame he    
would sometimes boast as he sat down to 
dinner1 that he had during the day      
despatched some twelve or fourteen      
sitters4 ,he would often complete       
portraits at three sittings of half an  
hour each4 ,but then his finish was of  
the slightest kind1 and many of his     
miniatures can only be regarded1 from a 
modern point of view1 as tinted         
sketches1 after allowance has been made 
for the perishable nature of the        
pigments he employed4 ,he seems to have 
possessed a trick of enriching the      

colours of the eyes1 lips1 and cheeks of
 his sitters1 by reducing every other   
hue in the picture to a cold blue-grey  
tone4 ,by this system of violent        
contrast any hint of positive colour    
gained in warmth and brilliance to a    
remarkable degree4 ,the miniature       
painter can hardly help improving and   
refining the subjects he deals with2 for
 one reason1 because the delicate nature
 of the material upon which he works1   
its exquisite surface and delicate      
texture1 imparts a marked purity to all 
his tints4 ,the coarsest complexion     
gains in lustre and smoothness when     
attempt is made to render it upon ivory2
 the dainty groundwork gleams through   
and gives beauty and clearness to the   
swarthiest hues4 ,and then1 in addition 
to this1 ,cosway had in full the        
portrait-painter's faculty of flattering
 his sitters4 ,he could hardly fail to  
please them4 ,he understood thoroughly  
how1 while preserving a real            
resemblance1 to catch the happiest      

expression2 to subdue unattractive      
lines2 to modify plain features2 to     
conceal weaknesses2 bringing out the    
really good points of a face2 to light  
up dull eyes1 and flush pale lips and   
cheeks4 ,the faults of his portraits    
consist in their over-conscious         
graciousness2 they smile and sparkle and
 are arch and winning to an excess that 
sometimes approaches inanity4 ,and he   
was disposed1 perhaps1 to record the    
fashions of his time with too intense   
insistence4 ,there was a rage then1 as  
we know1 for a piling up on the head of 
all sorts of finery3 feathers1 lace1    
ribbons1 velvet hats1 mob-caps1 and     
strings of pearls4 ,cosway will hold    
back from us none of these adornments1  
rather he will force upon us a          
redundancy of them1 and contemplating   
the aspects of the grandmothers and     
great-grandmothers of the present       
generation as they appear to us         
according to ,cosway's art1 we are led  
to the conclusion that the dear old     

ladies were in truth most killing       
coquettes1 with quite an extravagant    
regard for the dictates of their        
fashion-books1 and occupied by a passion
 for ogling their fellow-creatures to an
 extent that was decidedly              
reprehensible4  ,but it must be allowed 
that ,cosway suited his customers1 and1 
moreover1 in the main satisfied the     
art-demands of his period4 ,however     
stern critics might censure1 or rival   
painters scoff1 his success was assured4
 ,and in artistic facility and accuracy 
of drawing1 when he cared to be         
particular in that respect1 he could    
hardly be said to be behind his         
contemporaries4 ,his copies from the    
antique were both graceful and correct1 
owing to his frequent practice in the   
,duke of ,richmond's gallery1 and his   
outlines received the fervent admiration
 of ,bartolozzi and ,cipriani4 ,he tried
 his hand now and then at the high      
historic order of art of ,barry and     
,fuseli1 but his ambition was probably  

limited to a less pretentious           
range1--'the little pleasing paradise of
 miniature1' as ,allan ,cunningham      
phrases it2 he cared rather for the     
caresses of the world of fashion than   
the applause of the cognoscenti4 ,in    
society he was a power2 for could he not
 by means of his pencil bestow1 as it   
were1 a certificate of beauty upon whom 
he would8 ,have not many of his sitters 
acquired1 thanks to him1 a reputation   
for good looks which has survived even  
to our day1 and which1 but for his      
skilful flattery1 they never could have 
possessed at all8 ,so1 in drawing-rooms 
and boudoirs he was feted1 and fondly   
greeted1 and made much of1 while plenty 
of money was slipped into his pocket1   
and so1 according to one of his         
biographers1 from the gold he gained and
 the gaiety of the company he kept1 he  
rose from one of the dirtiest of boys to
 be one of the smartest of men4  ,he    
was1 indeed1 coxcombical in his         
smartness4 ,but then he lived in days   

when1 among a large class1 a love of    
fine clothes had risen to quite a       
passion4 ,patronized by the ,prince of  
,wales1 what could he do but imitate his
 patron--who was nothing if not         
'dressy8' ',the ,macaronis' were        
furnishing the sensation of the hour4 ,a
 party of young gentlemen who had made  
the grand tour had formed themselves    
into a club1 and from their always      
having upon their table a dish of       
macaroni--a comestible then but little  
known in ,england--they acquired the    
name of the ,macaroni ,club2 at least   
their name has been generally thus      
accounted for4 ,the ,macaroni ,club was 
to the last century what ,crockford's   
was to this4 ',it was composed1' says   
,walpole1 'of all the travelled young   
men who wear long curls and spying      
glasses4' ,in matters of fashion the    
,macaronis claimed absolute supremacy4  
,they ruled the world of ton--especially
 interesting themselves in toilet       
matters4 ,to wear a style of dress that 

had not been sanctioned by the ,macaroni
 ,club was to be scouted as an outer    
barbarian4 ,for a time everything was 'a
 la ,macaroni4' ,it became the phrase of
 the hour--springing into existence as  
suddenly1 possessing the town as wholly1
 and disappearing at last as completely 
as such phrases always do4 ,of course   
,cosway must be in the fashion1--must   
chime in with the universal humour4 ,he 
dressed in the height of the ,macaroni  
vogue4 ,his small plain person was to be
 seen in all public places clothed in a 
mulberry silk coat profusely embroidered
 with scarlet strawberries1 with sword  
and bag and a small three-cornered hat  
perched on the top of his powdered      
toupee4 ,he assumed a mincing1 affected 
air--a tone of excessive refinement and 
exquisite sensibility4 ,he pretended to 
an absurd superiority over his fellows1 
and striving to conceal his real and    
more honest situation as a hard-working 
artist1 posed himself incessantly as a  
creature of fashion4 ,of course in the  

end he disgusted his brother painters1  
while he did not really conciliate 'the 
quality4' ,the former scorned him1 his  
fine clothes1 splendid furniture1 and   
black servants--the more satirical      
holding him up to ridicule in the shop  
windows1 by laughable caricatures1 such 
as ',the ,macaroni ,miniature ,painter2 
or1 ,billy ,dimple sitting for his      
picture3' the latter came to his feasts1
 drank his wines1 won his money from him
 at hazard1 stimulated his extravagance 
to the utmost1 while they made mouths at
 him behind his back1 and condemned in  
secret and among themselves the folly of
 his conduct4 ,it must be said for the  
artist1 however1 that he toiled         
earnestly and successfully to make his  
professional earnings keep pace in some 
sort with his lavish private habits4    
,cipriani used to relate1 that after    
whole nights had been wasted by ,cosway 
in the most frivolous and worthless of  
pursuits1 he was yet to be found at an  
early hour in his studio1 sedulously    

toiling to redeem lost time and money1  
very penitent for the past1 full of the 
best intentions for the future3 all of  
course to be abandoned and forgotten    
when the evening came1 the chandeliers  
were lighted1 the cards strewed the     
table1 and the world of society gathered
 round him in his drawing-room again4   
,a less honest source of emolument than 
his own pencil provided1 ,cosway found  
in helping to supply the demand then    
existing for specimens of the old       
masters4 ,the love of the connoisseurs  
for ancient art1 even to its most       
suspicious examples1 had survived the   
satire of ,hogarth and the indignation  
of ,barry4 ,the patrons of the day were 
warmer friends to the picture-dealers   
than to the painters4 ,modern works of  
any pretence were at an alarming        
discount3 the productions of the past   
were at high premium4 ,cosway skilfully 
contrived to reap profits in the double 
capacity of dealer and painter4 ,he     
joined the ranks of those whom ,barry1  

in a tone of bitter complaint1 describes
 as 'artful men both at home and abroad 
who have not failed to avail themselves 
of this passion for ancient art 444 for 
vending in the name of those great      
masters the old copies1 imitations1 and 
studies of all the obscure artists that 
have been working in ,italy1 ,france1   
and other places1 for two hundred years 
past4' ,cosway went into the market of  
doubtful old masters1 and purchased     
largely2 about many of his specimens    
there was probably no doubt whatever4   
,these he repaired1 re-touched1         
re-varnished1 re-framed1 and sold for   
good prices1 as 'masterpieces of ancient
 art1' to such noble and gentle patrons 
as had galleries to fill1 or walls to   
cover1 and money to part with4 ,this    
method of proceeding was doubtless      
profitable rather than honourable4      
,cosway's apologists--,hazlitt among    
them--say for him1 that he was ',fancy's
 child1' the dupe of his own deceptions1
 that he really believed in the         

genuineness1 the pure originality of the
 old masters he had with his own hand   
worked upon1 almost past identification4
 ,but self deception which is so        
decidedly a source of profit to the     
deceiver has1 to say the least of it1 a 
suspicious element about it4  ,cosway at
 first occupied a house in ,orchard     
,street1 ,portman ,square2 but as his   
income improved1 he moved to ,no4 #d    
,berkeley ,street1 opposite the ,duke of
 ,devonshire's wall1 and at that time1  
according to ,smith1 he was attended by 
a negro servant remarkable for having   
published an octavo volume on the       
subject of slavery4 ,it was in ,berkeley
 ,street that ,cosway was first noticed 
by the ,prince of ,wales and his royal  
brothers1 whose liberal patronage of the
 painter brought him into fashionable   
and general estimation4 ,he was         
appointed painter in ordinary to the    
,prince2 and in #agga he was elected a  
,royal ,academician4  ,cosway married   
,maria ,hatfield1 the daughter of an    

,englishman who had made a fortune by   
keeping an hotel at ,leghorn4 ,there is 
a tinge of tragedy about the lady's     
story4 ,four elder children had been    
secretly murdered by a half insane      
maid-servant1 whose crime remained      
undiscovered until she was overheard    
threatening the life of the child       
,maria4 ,upon interrogation1 the        
murderess confessed her guilt1 and was  
condemned to imprisonment for life4     
,other children were subsequently born  
to the ,hatfields4 ,charlotte1 who lived
 to become the unhappy wife of ,coombe1 
the author of ,dr4 ,syntax1 and a son1  
afterwards known as an artist of some   
promise4 ,maria ,hatfield was educated  
in a convent1 where she learnt music and
 drawing4 ,subsequently she studied     
painting at ,rome1 and there made the   
acquaintance of ,battoni1 ,maron1       
,fuseli1 ,wright of ,derby1 and other   
artists4 ,upon her father's death she   
had resolved to return to the cloister2 
but her mother brought her on a visit to

 ,london1 and a friendship she then     
formed with the popular ,angelica       
,kauffman induced her finally to        
renounce all idea of a nun's life4 ,soon
 she became the wife of ,richard        
,cosway4 ,the marriage took place at    
,st4 ,george's1 ,hanover ,square2       
,charles ,townley1 of ,townley ,marble  
celebrity1 giving away the bride4  ,she 
possessed beauty1--she was a fair       
,anglo-,italian with profuse golden     
hair--talent1 and money4 ,the year of   
her marriage she exhibited certain      
highly-admired miniatures at the ,royal 
,academy4 ,her fame spread4 ,the youth1 
the loveliness1 the genius of ,mrs4     
,cosway became town talk4 ,her husband's
 house was thronged with people of      
fashion who came to see1 admire the lady
 artist1 and purchase specimens of her  
art4 ,but ,cosway1 probably from pride1 
though it might be from an acute        
perception of the greater advantages to 
be derived from reserve in such a       
matter1 would not permit his wife to    

paint professionally4 ,a favoured few   
might now and then become the possessors
 of some slight sketches by ,mrs4       
,cosway2 occasionally she might honour a
 lady of rank by painting her portrait2 
but ,mrs4 ,cosway's ability1 it was to  
be distinctly understood1 was not placed
 at the service of the general public4  
,of course this exclusive system        
enhanced the market value of the lady's 
works considerably1 and while the       
majority of people were lauding ,mr4    
,cosway as a husband too fond and       
indulgent to permit his sweet wife to   
ruin her health by harassing work at her
 easel1 a judicious minority were       
perhaps doing ,mr4 ,cosway stricter     
justice in accounting him a very cunning
 practitioner indeed1 in the way of     
making the most of ,mrs4 ,cosway's      
talent4  ,for this1 it must be said1    
however1 that as the times went1 it did 
not really need such careful nursing2 it
 was strong enough1 or very nearly so1  
to run alone3 it was of a highly        

respectable order4 ,the lady possessed  
poetic feeling1 with considerable       
artistic facility4 ,her sketches of     
scenes from ,spenser1 ,shakespeare1     
,virgil1 and ,homer compare not         
unfavourably with the designs of many of
 her contemporaries4 ,and her portraits 
were of real merit2 one of the fair     
,duchess of ,devonshire1 painted as the 
,cynthia of ,spenser1 extorted unbounded
 admiration from the critics and        
connoisseurs of the period4  ,from      
,berkeley ,street ,cosway removed to the
 south side of ,pall ,mall1 occupying   
part of the large mansion originally    
erected by the ,duke of ,schomberg--that
 'citizen of the world1' as ,macaulay   
calls him1 who was made a ,duke1 a      
,knight of the ,garter1 and ,master of  
the ,ordnance by ,william the ,third1   
and falling by his master's side at the 
battle of the ,boyne1 was1 according to 
,lord ,macaulay1 buried in ,westminster 
,abbey2 but1 in truth1 it would seem    
that his remains were deposited in the  

,cathedral of ,st4 ,patrick1 ,dublin1   
,dean ,swift and the ,chapter erecting  
there a monument to his memory1 and the 
,dean writing more suo a sarcastic      
epitaph#ae on the heirs who had         
neglected to do their duty by their     
great ancestor4 ,schomberg ,house--after
 the ,duke's death divided into three   
separate houses1 and still existing1    
though in a somewhat changed and        
mutilated form1 part of it being now    
occupied by the ,war ,office--has       
sheltered many artists of fame under its
 roof4 ,here ,jervas painted--the pupil 
of ,kneller1 and the admired of ,pope1  
whose deformity the painter in his      
portrait of the poet did his best to    
mend and conceal2 here lived mad ,jack  
,astley1 who made so prosperous a       
marriage with the rich ,lady            
,duckenfield2 and ,nathaniel ,hone1 the 
,royal ,academician1 retaining on the   
premises a negress model1 famous for her
 exquisite symmetry of form2 then       
,cosway--and1 greatest of all1 ,thomas  

,gainsborough1 dying in an upper room on
 the #b;d of ,august #aggh4 ,in the     
spacious saloons of ,schomberg ,house1  
,cosway thought he should find ample    
room and verge enough both for himself  
and his fashionable friends4  #ae ,this 
epitaph may be read in ,mr4 ,samuel     
,lucas's ,secularia2 or1 ,surveys on the
 ,mainstream of ,history1 p4 #bic4  ,and
 room was becoming very necessary2 for  
,mrs4 ,cosway's receptions were now the 
town rage--were crowded to              
inconvenience4 ,they were marked by what
 was then a speciality2 though it has   
since become a common enough            
characteristic of such assemblies4      
',lions' were to be met with            
there--literary1 artistic1 and          
otherwise4 ,the last new poets1         
painters1 players1 were to be seen with 
their honours in their newest gloss2 the
 latest discoverers1 navigators1 and    
travellers--freshly escaped from        
shipwreck or cannibals--the rising stars
 of the ,house of ,commons--anybody and 

everybody of the least note1 with the   
provision1 possibly1 that they should be
 'elegant and ingenious1'--these        
thronged the charming ,mrs4 ,cosway's   
drawing-rooms4 ,the elect of society1   
for the first time on the same floor and
 under the same roof1 met and shook     
hands1 deriving a curious piquant sort  
of pleasure from the proceeding1        
with--,bohemia2 the word must be used1  
though not an agreeable one1 much       
misused and liable to be misinterpreted1
 and above all1 though in the ,cosway   
period it was altogether unknown and    
unheard of4 ,especially were to be noted
 among the guests the ,whig adherents of
 the ,prince of ,wales1 the politicians 
of the buff and blue school3 little     
,cosway1 busy in the midst of them1     
attempting a statesman-like attitude1   
sympathizing with revolution1 and       
affecting to discover in the convulsions
 of the ,french nation the dawn of an   
empire of reason and taste1 in which    
genius and virtue alone would be        

honoured4 ,possibly the painter         
expressed too unreservedly his views in 
these respects4 ,a prince may be        
permitted to masquerade as a proletaire2
 but for a bystander to talk red        
republicanism to a royal heir-apparent  
is rather doubtful taste1 to say the    
least of it4 ,by-and-by wild ,prince    
,hal came to power1 and shrunk from his 
old associates4 ,the ,regent abandoned  
his buff and blue friends1 looked coldly
 upon his whilom political companions3  
withdrawing his favour from ,cosway     
among the rest4 ,the painter troubled   
himself little about the matter4 ,he was
 too proud or too indifferent to make   
any effort to regain the royal          
patronage4 ,if he had done little to    
merit its bestowal upon him in the first
 instance1 certainly he had done nothing
 to deserve its withdrawal from him at  
last4  ,a frequent guest at ,mrs4       
,cosway's during the last ten years of  
his life was ,horace ,walpole1 very     
pleased at receiving 'little ,italian   

notes of invitation' from the winning   
lady4 ,he relates to the ,countess of   
,ossory1 in #aghf1 his meeting 'la      
,chevaliere d',eon1' after many years'  
interval1 at ,mrs4 ,cosway's4 ,he found 
'la ,chevaliere' noisy and vulgar2 'in  
truth1' he writes1 ',i believe she had  
dined a little en dragon4 ,the night was
 hot1 she had no muff or gloves1 and her
 hands and arms seem not to have        
participated of the change of sexes1 but
 are fitter to carry a chair than a     
fan4' ,at another time he admits3       
',curiosity carried me to a concert at  
,mrs4 ,cosway's--not to hear ,rubinelli1
 who sang one song at the extravagant   
price of ten guineas1 and whom1 for as  
many shillings1 ,i have heard sing      
half-a-dozen at the ,opera ,house2 no1  
but ,i was curious to see an ,english   
,earl ,cowper who had passed thirty     
years at ,florence1 and who is more     
proud of a pinchbeck principality and a 
paltry order from ,wirtemberg than he   
was of being a peer of ,great ,britain  

when ,great ,britain was something4'    
,elsewhere he speaks admiringly of ,mrs4
 ,cosway1 and describes her reception as
 a ,diet at which representatives of all
 the princes of ,europe assemble4  ,from
 ,pall ,mall ,cosway moved to a larger  
mansion at the south-west corner of     
,stratford ,place1 ,oxford ,street4 ,a  
carved stone lion stood on guard at the 
entrance--a fact which incited some wag 
to affix to the door the following      
lines1 generally attributed to ,peter   
,pindar3--      ',when a man to a fair  
for a show brings a lion1     ',tis     
usual a monkey the sign-post to tie on4 
,but here the old custom reversed is    
seen1     ,for the lion's without1 and  
the monkey's within4'  ,according to    
,smith1 a certain ape-like look in      
,cosway's face in a measure justified   
the satire4 ,irritated by the attack1   
the painter moved once more--to ,no4 #bj
 in the same street4  ,dr4 ,wolcot      
7,peter ,pindar71 who had been busy     
throwing mud and stones at the ,royal   

,academicians1 did not of course spare  
either ,cosway or his wife4 ,in the     
lines beginning--      ',fie1 ,cosway6  
,i'm ashamed to say1     ,thou own'st   
the title of ,r4,a4'  he recommends the 
painter to find some more honest        
calling1 and bids ,mrs4 ,cosway mend    
shirts and stockings1 and mind her      
kitchen1 rather than expose her daubs to
 the public4 ,then1 as though repenting 
of his rudeness1 he proceeds3--         
',muse1 in this criticism ,i fear       
,thou really hast been too severe3      
,cosway paints miniatures with decent   
spirit1     ,and ,mrs4 ,cosway boasts   
some trifling merit4'  ,the furniture   
and fittings of ,cosway's house in      
,stratford ,place seem to have been of a
 most extravagant kind4 ,he surrounded  
himself with suits of armour1 ,genoa    
velvet1 mother-of-pearl1 ebony and      
ivory1 carving and gilding4 ,his rooms  
were crowded with mosaic cabinets set   
with jasper1 bloodstone1 and            
lapis-lazuli1 ormolu escritoires1 buhl  

chiffoniers1 ,japanese screens1 massive 
musical clocks1 damask ottomans1 with   
,persian carpets and ,pompadour rugs on 
the floor1 and costly tapestries on the 
walls2 enamelled caskets set with       
onyxes1 rubies1 opals1 and emeralds     
loaded the tables2 the chimney-pieces1  
sculptured by ,banks1 were decked with  
bronzes1 cut-glass1 models in wax and   
terra-cotta1 ,nankin1 ,dresden1 and     
,worcester china3 altogether the place  
must have been quite a broker's         
paradise4 ,yet the painter was immensely
 proud of it2 never seemed to weary of  
adding new curiosities to his           
overcrowded collection4  ,the failing   
health of his wife compelled him at last
 to tear himself away from his splendid 
and beloved upholstery4 ,he carried the 
ailing lady to ,flanders and to ,paris4 
,during the tour his conduct was of the 
most lordly kind4 ,he possessed1 and    
highly prized1 certain cartoons         
attributed to ,julio ,romano1 having    
refused a liberal offer for them from   

,russia1 because1 as he explained1 'he  
would not sell works of elegance to     
barbarians4' ,impressed with the size   
and emptiness of the ,louvre ,gallery1  
however1 he now offered his cartoons to 
the ,french ,king as a gift4 ,they were 
accepted1 and four splendid specimens of
 ,gobelin tapestry were bestowed upon   
the painter in token of royal           
recognition and gratitude4 ,these       
tapestries ,cosway1 objecting to retain 
them1 possibly lest they should seem to 
represent a price paid for his cartoons1
 forthwith presented to the ,prince of  
,wales4 ,it was the humour of the grand 
little man to oblige royalty1 the while 
he was moved by a keen regard for his   
own dignity4 ,while at ,paris he        
painted1 by desire of the ,duchess of   
,devonshire1 portraits of the ,duchess  
of ,orleans and family1 and the ,duchess
 of ,polignac2 yet1 when applied to for 
portraits of the ,king or ,queen1 he    
declined the commission1 stating that he
 had come abroad for the sake of his    

wife's health and his own amusement1 and
 not with professional objects in view4 
,for a season ,mrs4 ,cosway seemed      
benefited by the change1 and returned   
home2 but a second attack of illness    
compelled her again to leave ,england1  
this time accompanied by her brother--a 
young artist whose skill in design had  
gained him the gold medal of the ,royal 
,academy4 ,walpole writes to the ,miss  
,berrys at ,florence3 ',i am glad ,mrs4 
,cosway is with you4444 but surely it is
 odd to drop her child and husband and  
country all in a breath6' ,the lady was 
absent three years1 constantly expecting
 her husband to rejoin her2 but he was  
prevented by various causes from        
quitting ,england4 ,during her stay     
abroad her daughter died1 an only child4
 ,it was some relief to the grieving    
mother to resume her art-labours1 and   
she painted several large pictures for  
foreign churches4 ,at ,lyons she was    
persuaded by ,cardinal ,fesch to attempt
 the founding of a college for young    

ladies1 but the war hindered her        
efforts1 although she succeeded         
subsequently in carrying out a similar  
design at ,lodi4  ,to their one child   
the parents were tenderly attached1     
although ,walpole1 while he admits ,mrs4
 ,cosway's affliction to be genuine1    
goes on to say rather cruelly1--'the man
 ,cosway does not seem to think that    
much of the loss belonged to him4'      
,according to ,smith1 however1 he was   
dotingly fond of his little girl2 was   
for ever painting her picture2 and in   
one portrait of her asleep1 he          
introduced the figure of a guardian     
angel rocking the cradle4 ,the body of  
the child was embalmed and preserved in 
a marble sarcophagus which stood in the 
drawing-room in ,stratford ,place4 ,it  
was not until the return of ,mrs4       
,cosway to ,england that the interment  
took place in ,bunhill ,row ,burial     
,ground4  ,of ,cosway and his wife1 it  
is stated by the biographer of ,mrs4    
,inchbald1 who numbered them among her  

most intimate friends1 that they were   
both 'mystics1' and 'could say almost as
 much of the unintelligible world as of 
this4' ,hazlitt describes the painter as
 a ,swedenborgian1 a believer in animal 
magnetism--professing to possess the    
faculty of second sight1 crediting      
whatever is incredible4 ,had he lived in
 these our days1 he would probably have 
been a spiritualist1 an                 
electro-biologist1 a table-turner4 ,he  
was wont to proclaim his ability to     
converse with the dead or the distant1  
'to talk with his lady at ,mantua1' says
 ,hazlitt1 'through some fine vehicle of
 sense1 as we speak to a servant        
down-stairs through a conduit pipe4'    
,smith tells us that he had often heard 
,cosway relate quite seriously1 and with
 an air of conviction that was          
unimpeachable1 conversations he         
professed to have held with ,king       
,charles the ,first6 ,sometimes he would
 startle sober people by asserting that 
he had just come from interviews with   

,apelles and ,praxiteles4 ,four years   
after ,pitt's death1 ,cosway1 at the    
dinner of the ,royal ,academy1 professed
 to have been that morning visited by   
the deceased minister1 who declared     
himself prodigiously hurt1 that during  
his sojourn upon earth he had not given 
greater encouragement to the artist's   
talents4 ,another ,academician1 however1
 rather outdid this story4 ',how can you
 talk such trash1 ,cosway8' he asked4   
',you know all you have uttered to be   
lies2 ,i can prove it4 ,for this very   
morning1 after ,pitt had been with you  
he called upon me and said1 ,i know     
,cosway will mention my visit to him at 
your dinner to-day1 but don't believe a 
word he says1 for he'll tell you nothing
 but lies4' ,this unlooked-for          
counter-statement took ,cosway by       
surprise1 and left him without a reply4 
,walpole once said of him1 happily1 that
 'he romanced with his usual veracity4' 
,hazlitt thought a 'mystic' character   
was common to artists1 instancing       

,loutherbourg1 ,sharp1 ,varley1 ,blake1 
and others1 'who seemed to relieve the  
literalness of their professional       
studies by voluntary excursions into the
 regions of the preternatural1 to pass  
their time between sleeping and waking1 
and whose ideas were like a stormy night
 with the clouds driven rapidly across1 
and the blue sky and stars gleaming     
between4'  ,for ,cosway's wonderful     
collection of articles of art1          
antiquarianism1 and vertu1 ,hazlitt has 
only good-natured banter4 ,of what a    
strange jumble of apocryphal treasures  
the painter believed himself the        
possessor6 ,and he was without the      
doubts and anxieties of ordinary        
collectors4 ,they strive to believe and 
to cast aside all suspicion4 ,but       
,cosway believed without the slightest  
effort2 he was troubled by no hint of   
suspicion4 ,his relics and curiosities  
were in his eyes absolutely and         
unquestionably genuine4 ,his was the    
crucifix that ,abelard prayed to2 a lock

 of ,eloisa's hair2 the dagger with     
which ,felton stabbed the ,duke of      
,buckingham2 the first finished sketch  
of the ,jocunda2 ,titian's colossal     
outline of ,peter ,aretine2 a mummy of  
an ,egyptian king2 a feather of a       
,phoenix2 a piece of ,noah's ,ark1 etc4 
',were the articles authentic8' asks    
,hazlitt2 and he answers his own        
question--',what matter8 ,cosway's faith
 in them was true6'  ,credit is due to  
the painter for his indomitable good    
spirits and buoyancy of heart4 ,his     
later years were passed in much pain4   
,he had been twice stricken with        
paralysis1 and the use of his right hand
 had gone from him4 ,though removed from
 want1 his old extravagant habits had   
considerably impaired his fortune4 ,he  
had long left ,stratford ,place for a   
humbler1 cheaper house in the ,edgeware 
,road4 ,and he had somewhat outlived his
 reputation4 ,he had to endure severe   
criticism upon his artistic merits3 much
 calling in question of his position as 

a painter4 ,still he was always bright  
and gay and kindly4 ,he would hold up   
the crippled1 wasted hand that had      
painted lords and ladies--the kings and 
queens of society--for some sixty years1
 and smile with unabated good humour at 
the vanity of human wishes4 ,so ,hazlitt
 relates3 going on to say of him--',his 
soul appeared to possess the life of a  
bird2 and such was the jauntiness of his
 air and manner1 that to see him sit to 
have his half boots laced on1 you would 
fancy 7by the help of a figure7 that    
instead of a little withered old        
gentleman1 it was ,venus attired by the 
,graces4' ,his nature was generous and  
frank4 ,he gave liberally and cheerfully
 to almost everybody who applied to him 
for money4 ,the number of letters he    
received requesting pecuniary assistance
 was stated to be almost incredible4 ,of
 borrowers who never repaid what they   
borrowed of him1 and of patrons in      
default1 of whom he was too proud to    
make repeated claims for what was       

strictly his due1 a long catalogue might
 have been made4  ,he died suddenly at  
last of a third attack of paralysis1 on 
the #dth day of ,july #ahba4 ,the       
seizure occurred as he was taking a     
carriage drive to ,edgeware1 and he     
expired without a groan in a few        
minutes4 ,he had long been in doubt as  
to whether he should prefer to be buried
 in his native ,devonshire or with his  
favourite ,rubens at ,antwerp4 ,but     
struck with the orderly plan of a       
funeral in the vaults of a ,london      
,church1 he had said1 ',i prefer this to
 ,antwerp or ,st4 ,paul's3 bury me      
here4' ,he was interred accordingly at  
,marylebone ,new ,church 7the work of   
young ,smirke1 son of his brother       
academician71 a select number of his    
professional and personal friends1 and a
 long line of the carriages of his      
aristocratic patrons1 following the     
funeral4  ,mrs4 ,cosway erected1 on the 
north wall1 under the gallery of the    
church1 a monument by ,westmacott1 to   

her husband's memory4 ,the following    
indifferent epitaph by the painter's    
brother-in-law1 ',syntax' ,coombe1 was  
inscribed upon the marble3--      ',art 
weeps1 ,taste mourns1 and ,genius drops 
the tear     ,o'er him so long they     
loved who slumbers here4     ,while     
colours last1 and ,time allows to give  
,the all-resembling grace1 his name     
shall live4'  ,after the death of her   
husband ,mrs4 ,cosway quitted ,england1 
and took up her abode at her ,ladies'   
,college at ,lodi1 where she was much   
loved and respected4 ,how long she      
survived seems uncertain4 ,some accounts
 relate that she died the same year as  
,cosway4 ,but ,allan ,cunningham1       
writing in #ahcc1 described her as still
 living4     ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a      
,,scene-,,painter4   ,when1 in the      
middle of the seventeenth century1 ,sir 
,william ,davenant1 manager of the      
theatre in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1     
discarded the 'traverses' and tapestries
 which had theretofore been accepted as 

sufficient for the purposes of stage    
illusion1 and substituted regular scenes
 'painted in perspective1' without doubt
 there were to be found many            
conservative old playgoers who lifted up
 their voices against the startling     
innovation1 and prophesied the          
approaching downfall of the drama4 ,if  
the grandsons present marvelled how     
elder generations could for so long have
 gone without such useful and necessary 
appliances1 assuredly the grandsires    
were complaining that now things had    
come to a pretty pass indeed1 when a    
parcel of beardless1 empty-pated boys1  
not content with stage fittings such as 
had been esteemed good and sufficient by
 the late ,mr4 ,william ,shakespeare and
 his great brother-dramatists1 demanded 
foolish paintings and idle garniture1   
that diverted attention from the efforts
 of the players and the purpose of the  
playwrights1 and had never been dreamt  
of1 and would never have been tolerated 
in the good1 and simple1 and palmy days 

gone by4 ,unquestionably1 the first     
'painting in perspective' brought upon  
the boards was1 in the judgment of      
many1#af the thin end of a wedge1 which1
 as it thickened1 was certain to drive  
forth and destroy all that was          
intellectually and vitally precious in  
the drama1 and to lead the way to a last
 scene of all in the eventful history of
 the stage1 which should be 'second     
childishness and mere oblivion4'  #af   
',i decidedly concur with ,malone in the
 general conclusion that painted        
moveable scenery was unknown on our     
early stage2 and it is a fortunate      
circumstance for the poetry of our old  
plays that it was so3 the imagination of
 the auditor only was appealed to1 and  
we owe to the absence of painted canvas 
many of the finest descriptive passages 
in ,shakespeare1 his contemporaries1 and
 immediate followers4 ,the introduction 
of scenery gives the date to the        
commencement of the decline of our      
dramatic poetry4'--,annals of the       

,stage1 by ,j4 ,payne ,collier1 vol4    
iii4 p4 #cff4  ,but the scene-painter   
having set foot within the theatre was  
not to be expelled4 ,the intruder soon  
won for himself a large popularity2 held
 his ground against criticism and       
opposition4 ,he was no mere journeyman  
dauber4 ,from the first he had taken    
distinct rank as an artist4 ,lustrous   
names adorn the muster-roll of          
scene-painters4 ,inigo ,jones planned   
machinery and painted scenes for the    
masques1 written by ,ben ,jonson1 for   
performance before ,anne of ,denmark and
 the ,court of ,james the ,first4       
,evelyn lauds the 'very glorious scenes 
and perspectives1 the work of ,mr4      
,streeter1' serjeant-painter to ,king   
,charles the ,second4 ,in ,february     
#affd1 the ,diarist saw ,dryden's       
,indian ,queen acted 'with rich scenes  
as the like had never been seen here1 or
 haply1 except rarely1 elsewhere on a   
mercenary theatre4' ,mr4 ,pepys--most   
devoted of playgoers--notes occasionally

 of particular plays1 that 'the machines
 are fine and the paintings very        
pretty4' ,in ,october #affg1 he records 
that he sat in the boxes for the first  
time in his life1 and discovered that   
from that point of view 'the scenes do  
appear very fine indeed1 and much better
 than in the pit1' to which part of the 
house he ordinarily resorted4 ,the names
 of the artists who won ,mr4 ,pepys'    
applause have not come down to us4 ,but 
previously to #afgi1 one ,robert ,aggas1
 a painter of some fame1 was producing  
scenes for the theatre in ,dorset       
,gardens4 ,nicholas ,thomas ,dall1 a    
,danish landscape-painter1 settled in   
,london in #agfj1 was engaged as        
scene-painter at ,covent ,garden        
,theatre1 and was elected an ,associate 
of the ,royal ,academy in #agga4 ,for   
the same theatre1 ,john ,richards1 a    
,royal ,academician1 appointed secretary
 to the ,academy in #aggh1 painted      
scenes for many years4 ,michael ,angelo 
,rooker1 pupil of ,paul ,sanby1 and one 

of the first ,associates of the         
,academy1 was scene-painter at the      
,haymarket4 ,other names of note might  
be mentioned before the modern          
reputations of ,roberts and ,stanfield1 
,beverley and ,callcott1 ,grieve and    
,telbin are approached2 and especially  
over one intermediate name are we       
desirous of lingering a little4 ,the    
story of the scene-painter of the last  
century1 who was well known to his      
contemporaries as 'the ingenious ,mr4   
,,de ,,loutherbourg1' presents incidents
 of singularity and interest that will  
probably be found to warrant our turning
 to it for purposes of inquest and      
comment4  ,the biographers of ,philip   
,james de ,loutherbourg are curiously   
disagreed as to the precise period of   
his birth4 ,five different writers have 
assigned five different dates to that   
occurrence3 #agbh1 #agcj1 #agcd1 #agdj1 
and #agda2 and it has been suggested1 by
 way of explanation of this diversity1  
that the painter's fondness for         

astrological studies may have induced   
him to vary occasionally the date of his
 birth1 in order that he might indulge  
in a plurality of horoscopes1 and in    
such way better the chance of his       
predictions being justified by the      
actual issue of events4 ,he was born1 at
 ,strasbourg1 the son of a miniature    
painter1 who died at ,paris in #agfh4   
,intended by his father for the army1   
while his mother desired that he should 
become a minister of the ,lutheran      
,church1 he was educated at the ,college
 of ,strasbourg in languages and        
mathematics4 ,subsequently he chose his 
own profession1 studying under          
,tischbein the elder1 then under ,vanloo
 and ,francesco ,casanova2 the latter1 a
 painter of battle pieces after the     
style of ,bourgognone4 ,by his          
landscapes exhibited at the ,louvre1 ,de
 ,loutherbourg acquired fame in ,paris1 
and in #agfc was elected a member of the
 ,french ,academy of ,painting1 being   
then eight years below the prescribed   

age for admission to that distinction1  
say the biographers who date his birth  
from #agdj4 ,quitting ,france1 he       
travelled in ,germany1 ,switzerland1 and
 ,italy1 and in #agga came to ,england1 
moved hitherward probably by the opinion
 then prevalent both at home and abroad1
 that 7as ,edwards puts it in his       
,anecdotes of ,painting7 'some natural  
causes prevented the ,english from      
becoming masters either in painting or  
sculpture4' ,shortly after his arrival  
in ,england he was engaged by ,garrick  
to design and paint scenes and          
decorations for ,drury ,lane ,theatre1  
at a salary of ,l#ejj2 a sum            
considerably larger than had been       
thitherto paid to any artist for such   
services4  ,of gorgeous scenery and gay 
dresses ,garrick was as fond as any     
manager of our own day2 he knew that    
these were never-failing allurements to 
the general public4 ,yet as a rule he   
confined his spectacle to the           
after-pieces2 did not1 after the modern 

fashion1 illustrate and decorate what he
 regarded as the legitimate             
entertainments of the theatre4 ,for new 
as for old plays1 the stock scenery of  
the house generally sufficed1 and some  
of the scenes employed were endowed with
 a remarkable longevity4 ,tate          
,wilkinson1 writing in #agij1 mentions a
 scene as then in use which he          
remembered so far back as the year      
#agdg4 ',it has wings and flat of       
,spanish figures at full length1 and two
 folding doors in the middle4 ,i never  
see those wings slide on but ,i feel as 
if seeing my old acquaintance           
unexpectedly4' ,of the particular plays 
assisted by ,de ,loutherbourg's brush1  
small account has come down to us4 ,they
 were1 no doubt1 chiefly of a pantomimic
 and ephemeral kind4 ,for the           
',christmas ,tale1' produced at ,drury  
,lane in #aggc--the composition of which
 has been generally assigned to         
,garrick1 though probably due to        
,charles ,dibdin--,de ,loutherbourg     

certainly painted scenes1 and the play  
enjoyed a considerable run1 thanks      
rather to his merits than the author's4 
,some years later1 in #aghe1 for the    
scenery of ,o',keeffe's ,omai1 produced 
at ,covent ,garden ,theatre1 the painter
 furnished the designs1 for which he was
 paid by the manager one thousand       
pounds1 says ,mr4 ,j4,t4 ,smith2 one    
hundred pounds1 says ,mr4 ,o',keeffe2 so
 stories differ6 ,the scenery of ,omai  
was appropriate to the then newly       
discovered islands in the ,south        
,pacific1 and the play concluded with a 
kind of apotheosis of ,captain ,cook4   
,in the course of ,omai1 ,wewitzer1 the 
actor who played a chief warrior of the 
,sandwich ,islands1 delivered a grand   
harangue in gibberish1 which of course1 
for all the audience knew to the        
contrary1 was the proper language of the
 natives2 a sham ,english translation of
 the speech being printed with the book 
of the songs4 ,the harangue was received
 with enormous applause6  ,as a         

scene-painter1 ,de ,loutherbourg was    
decidedly an innovator and reformer4 ,he
 was the first to use set-scenes1 and   
what are technically known as 'raking   
pieces4' ,before his time the back scene
 was invariably one large 'flat' of     
strained canvas extending the whole     
breadth and height of the stage4 ,he    
also invented transparent scenes1       
introducing representations of          
moonlight1 sunshine1 fire1 volcanoes1   
etc41 and effects of colour by means of 
silk screens of various hues1 placed    
before the foot and side lights4 ,he was
 the first to represent mists1 by       
suspending gauzes between the scene and 
the audience4 ,he made something of a   
mystery of the artifices he had recourse
 to1 was careful to leave behind him at 
the theatre no paper or designs likely  
to reveal his plans1 and declined to    
inform any one beforehand as to the     
nature of the illusions he desired to   
produce4 ,he secretly held small cards  
in his hand which he now and then       

consulted to refresh his recollection1  
as his assistants carried out his       
instructions4  ,after ,garrick had      
quitted the stage 7in #aggf7 and sold   
his share in the management of ,drury   
,lane to ,sheridan and his partners1 it 
was proposed to ,de ,loutherbourg to    
continue in his office of chief         
scene-painter1 his salary being reduced 
one half4 ,this illiberal scale of      
remuneration the artist indignantly     
declined1 and forthwith left the        
theatre4 ,he is said1 however1 by ,parke
 in his ,musical ,memoirs1 to have      
painted the scenes for the successful   
burletta of ,the ,camp1 produced by     
,sheridan1 at ,drury ,lane1 in #aggh4ag 
,but he now devoted himself more        
exclusively to the production of        
easel-pictures4 ,he had1 in #aggc1      
become a contributor to the ,exhibition 
of the ,royal ,academy4 ,in #aghj he was
 elected an ,associate2 in the following
 year he arrived at the full honours of 
academicianship4 ,peter ,pindar1 in his 

',lyrical ,odes to the ,royal           
,academicians for #aghb1' finds a place 
for ,de ,loutherbourg4 ,having denounced
 the unlikeness of ,mason ,chamberlin's 
portraits1 he satirizes the style of art
 of the landscape painter3--      ',and 
,loutherbourg1 when ,heaven so wills1   
,to make brass skies and golden hills1  
,with marble bullocks in glass pastures 
grazing3       ,thy reputation too will 
rise1       ,and people gaping with     
surprise1     ,cry ,monsieur            
,loutherbourg is most amazing6'  #ag    
,mr4 ,puff in the ,critic1 giving a     
specimen of 'the puff direct' in regard 
to a new play1 says3 ',as to the        
scenery1 the miraculous powers of ,mr4  
,de ,loutherbourg are universally       
acknowledged4 ,in short1 we are at a    
loss which to admire most1 the          
unrivalled genius of the author1 the    
great attention and liberality of the   
managers1 the wonderful abilities of the
 painter1 or the incredible exertions of
 all the performers4'  ,and in another  

ode he derides the artist's pictures as 
'tea-boards1' 'varnished waiters1' and  
avows that his rocks are 'paste-board1' 
while his trees resemble 'brass wigs1'  
and his fleecy flocks 'mops4'  ,probably
 the quiet of his studio oppressed our  
painter somewhat4 ,the simple effects   
attainable in an easel-picture did not  
satisfy him4 ,he missed the appliances  
of the stage3 the coloured lights1 the  
transparent scenes1 the descending      
gauzes1 and cleverly combined           
set-pieces4 ,he would not go back to    
,drury ,lane1 however2 as to that he was
 fully determined4 ,he would not toil   
for ungrateful managers1 or paint       
backgrounds merely to supplement and    
enrich the exertions of the actors4 ,he 
decided upon providing ,london with a   
new entertainment2 upon opening an      
exhibition that should be all scene     
painting4  ,charles ,dibdin1 the famous 
sea song writer1 who was also a         
dramatist1 a composer of music1 an      
actor1 a scene painter1 and a manager1  

had constructed in ,exeter ,change what 
he whimsically called ',the ,patagonian 
,theatre3' in truth1 a simple           
puppet-show1 upon the plan of that      
contrived years before by ,mr4 ,powell1 
under the ,piazza1 ,covent ,garden1 and 
concerning which ,steele had written    
humorously in the ,spectator4 ,dibdin1  
assisted by one ,hubert ,stoppelaer1    
humorist and caricaturist1 wrote        
miniature plays for the doll performers1
 recited their parts1 composed the      
music1 played the accompaniments upon a 
smooth-toned organ1 and painted the     
scenes4 ,the stage was about six feet   
wide and eight feet deep2 the puppets   
some ten inches high2 the little theatre
 was divided into pit1 boxes1 and       
gallery1 and held altogether about two  
hundred persons4 ,for half a century no 
exhibition of the kind had appeared in  
,london4 ,the puppet show was old enough
 to be a complete novelty to the        
audience of the day4 ,for a time it     
thrived wonderfully2 then managers and  

public seem both1 by degrees1 to have   
grown weary4 ,dibdin and his friend     
departed2 the exhibition fell into the  
hands of incompetent persons2 then      
closed its doors4 ,the dolls1           
properties1 scenery1 and dresses were   
brought to the hammer by merciless      
creditors2 and there was an end of the  
puppet-show4 ,in #aghb ,de ,loutherbourg
 took the theatre for the exhibition of 
his ,,eidophusikon4  ,de ,loutherbourg  
had professedly two objects in view3 to 
display his skill as a scene-painter    
well versed in dioramic effects1 and to 
demonstrate to the ,english people the  
beauties of their own country4 ,he      
averred 'that no ,english               
landscape-painter needed foreign travel 
to collect grand prototypes for his     
study4' ,the lakes of ,cumberland1 the  
rugged scenery of ,north ,wales1 and the
 mountainous grandeur of ,scotland1     
furnished1 he said1 inexhaustible       
occupation for the pencil4 ,he opposed  
the prejudice then rife among artists   

and amateurs alike1 that ,england       
afforded no subjects for the higher     
display of the painter's art4 ,he       
confined the ,eidophusikon for the most 
part to the exhibition of ,english      
landscapes under different conditions of
 light and shadow4  ,a chief view       
exhibited was from the summit of ,one   
,tree ,hill1 ,greenwich4 ,there was     
cleverness evinced in the selection of  
this landscape4 ,a large public are     
always prepared to be pleased when they 
are shown something with which they are 
well acquainted4 ,each spectator found  
himself1 as it were1 individually       
appealed to4 ,each had seen ,one ,tree  
,hill1 and could bring to bear upon the 
subject his own personal knowledge and  
observation1 and so test and certify to 
the painter's skill4 ,the view was a    
set-scene with a moveable sky at the    
back3 a large canvas twenty times the   
surface of the stage1 stretched on      
frames1 and rising diagonally by means  
of a winding machine4 ,de ,loutherbourg 

excelled in his treatment of clouds2 he 
secured in this way ample room and verge
 enough to display his knowledge and    
ingenuity4 ,by regulating the action of 
his windlass he could control the       
movements of his clouds1 allow them to  
rise slowly from the horizon and sail   
obliquely across the heavens1 or drive  
them swiftly along1 according to their  
supposed density and the power to be    
attributed to the wind4 ,an arrangement 
of set-pieces cut in pasteboard         
represented the objects in the middle   
distance3 the cupolas of ,greenwich     
,hospital1 the groups of trees in the   
park1 the towns of ,greenwich and       
,deptford1 and the shipping in the      
,pool2 due regard being had to size and 
colour1 so that the laws of perspective 
in distance and atmosphere might not be 
outraged2 the immediate foreground being
 constructed of cork broken into rugged 
and picturesque forms1 and covered with 
minute mosses and lichens1 'producing1' 
says a critic of the period1 'a         

captivating effect amounting indeed to  
reality4'  ,in his method of            
illuminating his handiworks1 ,de        
,loutherbourg was especially adroit4 ,he
 abandoned the unnatural system         
7introduced by ,garrick on his return   
from the ,continent in #agfe7 of        
lighting the stage by means of a flaming
 line of footlights1 and ranged his     
lamps above the proscenium1 out of sight
 of the audience4 ,before his lamps he  
placed slips of stained glass--yellow1  
red1 green1 blue1 and purple2 and by    
shifting these1 or happily combining    
them1 was enabled to tint his scenes so 
as to represent various hours of the day
 and different actions of light4 ,his   
',storm at ,sea with the loss of the    
,halsewell1 ,east-,indiaman1' was       
regarded as the height of artistic      
mechanism4 ,the ship was a perfect      
model1 correctly rigged1 and carrying   
only such sail as the situation         
demanded4 ,the lightning quivered       
through the transparent canvas of the   

sky4 ,the waves1 carved in soft wood    
from models made in clay1 coloured with 
great skill and highly varnished to     
reflect the lightning1 rose and fell    
with irregular action1 flinging the foam
 now here1 now there1 diminishing in    
size and fading in colour as they       
receded from the spectator4 ,then we    
read--',de ,loutherbourg's genius was as
 prolific in imitations of nature to    
astonish the ear as to charm the sight4 
,he introduced a new art3 the           
picturesque of sound4' ,that is to say1 
he simulated thunder by shaking one of  
the lower corners of a large thin sheet 
of copper suspended by a chain2 the     
distant firing of signals of distress he
 imitated by striking1 suddenly1 a large
 tambourine with a sponge affixed to a  
whalebone spring--- the reverberations  
of the sponge producing a curious echo1 
as from cloud to cloud1 dying away in   
the distance4 ,the rushing sound of the 
waves was effected by turning round and 
round an octagonal pasteboard box1      

fitted with shelves1 and containing     
small shells1 peas1 and shot2 while two 
discs of strained silk1 suddenly pressed
 together1 emitted a hollow1 whistling  
sound1 in imitation of loud gusts of    
wind4 ,cylinders loosely charged with   
seed and small shot1 lifted now at one  
end1 now at the other1 so as to allow   
the contents to fall in a pattering     
stream1 represented the noise of hail   
and rain4 ,the moon was formed by a     
circular aperture cut in a tin box      
containing a powerful ,argand lamp1     
which was placed at the back of the     
scene1 and brought near or carried far  
from the canvas as the luminary was     
supposed to be shining brightly or to be
 veiled by clouds4 ,these contrivances1 
from a modern point of view1 may strike 
the reader as constituting quite the ,a 
,b ,c of theatrical illusion4 ,but then 
it must be remembered that they were1   
for the most part1 distinctly the       
inventions of ,de ,loutherbourg1 and1   
upon their first introduction1 were     

calculated to impress the public of his 
day very remarkably4  ,for two seasons  
,de ,loutherbourg's ,eidophusikon1      
exhibited at the ,patagonian ,theatre in
 ,exeter ,change1 and afterwards at a   
house in ,panton ,square1 was attended  
with singular success4 ,crowds flocked  
to the new entertainment2 the artist    
world especially delighting in it4 ,sir 
,joshua ,reynolds1 who was a frequent   
visitor1 loudly extolled ,mr4 ,de4      
,loutherbourg's ingenuity2 recommending 
him to the patronage of the most eminent
 men of the time1 and counselling all   
art-students to attend the exhibition as
 a school of the wonderful effects of   
nature4 ,gainsborough's ready sympathies
 were completely enlisted4 ,for a time1 
after his manner1 he could talk of      
nothing else1 think of nothing else2 and
 he passed evening after evening at the 
exhibition4 ,he even constructed a      
miniature ,eidophusikon of his          
own--moved thereto by ,de               
,loutherbourg's success and the beauty  

of a collection of stained glass1 the   
property of one ,mr4 ,jarvis--and       
painted various landscapes upon glass   
and transparent surfaces1 to be lighted 
by candles at the back1 and viewed      
through a magnifying lens upon the      
peep-show principle4 ,but at last the   
fickle public wearied of the            
,eidophusikon1 as it had been wearied of
 ,mr4 ,dibdin's puppets4 ,the providers 
of amusement had1 in those days1 to be  
ever stirring in the production of      
novelties4 ,the sight-seeing public was 
but a limited and exhaustible body then1
 little recruited by visitors from the  
provinces or travellers from the        
,continent4 ,long runs of plays or other
 entertainments--the rule with us--were 
then almost unknown4 ,the ,eidophusikon 
ceased to attract4 ,the amount received 
at the doors was at last insufficient to
 defray the expenses of lighting the    
building4 ,it became necessary to close 
the exhibition and provide a new        
entertainment4 ,soon the room in ,exeter

 ,change was crowded with visitors4     
,wild beasts were on view1 and all      
,london was gaping at them4  ,meanwhile 
,de ,loutherbourg prospered as an       
artist4 ,his reputation grew2 his       
pictures were in request2 he was        
honoured with the steady patronage of   
,king ,george ,,iii41 and was personally
 an acknowledged favourite at court3 a  
thoroughly successful man indeed4 ,then 
we come down to the year #aghi1 and find
 the artist of the ,eidophusikon        
assuming a new character4 ,he has become
 a physician--a seer--a fanatic--and1 it
 must be said1 a quack2 a disciple of   
,mesmer1 a friend of ,cagliostro2       
practising animal magnetism1 professing 
to cure all diseases1 and indulging in  
vaticination and second sight4  ,towards
 the close of the eighteenth century1   
credulity and imposition shook hands    
heartily and held a great festival4     
,throughout civilized ,europe a sort of 
carnival of empiricism prevailed4 ,quack
 was king4 ,a spurious leaven of        

charlatanism was traceable in politics1 
in science1 in religion--pervaded all   
things indeed4 ,the world was mad to    
cheat or to be cheated4 ,the mountebank 
enjoyed his saturnalia4 ,never had he   
exhibited his exploits before an        
audience so numerous and so             
sympathetic--so eager to be swindled1 so
 liberal in rewarding the swindler4     
,gravely does ,miss ,hannah ,more       
address ,mr4 ,horace ,walpole1          
concerning what she terms the           
'demoniacal mummery'--'the operation of 
fraud upon folly' which then occupied   
the country4 ',in vain do we boast of   
the enlightened eighteenth century1 and 
conceitedly talk as if human reason had 
not a manacle left about her1 but that  
philosophy had broken down all the      
strongholds of prejudice1 ignorance1 and
 superstition2 and yet1 at this very    
time1 ,mesmer has got a hundred thousand
 pounds by animal magnetism in ,paris1  
and ,mainaduc is getting as much in     
,london4 ,there is a fortune-teller in  

,westminster who is making little less4 
,lavater's physiognomy books sell at    
fifteen guineas a set4 ,the diving      
divining8 rod is still considered as    
oracular in many places4 ,devils are    
cast out by seven ministers2 and1 to    
complete the disgraceful catalogue1     
slavery is vindicated in print and      
defended in the ,house of ,peers6 ,poor 
human nature1 when wilt thou come to    
years of discretion8' ,mr4 ,walpole     
writes back 7he has always a proper tone
 for ,miss ,more1 reserving his levity  
and license for less staid              
correspondents73--',alas6 while ,folly  
has a shilling left1 there will be      
enthusiasts and quack doctors2' and he  
adds1 airing his pet affectation--a     
hatred of royalty1 a love for           
republicanism--'and there will be slaves
 while there are kings or               
sugar-planters4'  ,joseph ,balsamo--more
 generally known by his pseudonym of    
,count ,alexander ,de ,cagliostro1      
expelled from ,france1 after nine       

months' durance in the ,bastille1 on    
account of his complicity in the diamond
 necklace fraud and scandal--had taken  
refuge in ,england1 bringing with him a 
long list of quackeries and impostures2 
among them1 his art of making old women 
young again2 his system of ',egyptian   
freemasonry1' as he termed it1 by virtue
 of which the ghosts of the departed    
could be beheld by their surviving      
friends2 and the secrets and discoveries
 of the great ,dr4 ,mesmer in the       
so-called science of animal magnetism4  
,walpole at once proclaims the man a    
rascal1 and proposes to have him locked 
up for his mummeries and impositions4   
,miss ,more laments that people will    
talk of nothing else4 ',cagliostro and  
the cardinal's necklace1' she writes1   
'spoil all conversation1 and destroyed a
 very good evening at ,mr4 ,pepys's last
 night' ,a discussion of such subjects  
was by no means compatible with ,miss   
,more's notion of a good evening4  ,what
 could have induced simple-minded ,mr4  

,de ,loutherbourg to put trust in this  
arch-juggler8 ,can it have been that    
from the painter's native ,strasbourg   
had come to him unimpeachable accounts  
of ,cagliostro's feats during his stay  
there1 which had preceded his nefarious 
expedition to ,paris8 ,but the artist is
 ever excitable1 receptive1             
impressible--the ready prey of the      
dealer in illusion and trickery4 ,de    
,loutherbourg is soon at the feet of the
 quack ,gamaliel2 soon he is proclaiming
 himself an inspired physician1         
practising mesmerism4 ,cosway and his   
wife declared themselves clairvoyants4  
,other painters of the period were      
dreaming dreams and seeing visions4 ,nor
 was it only the artist world that took 
up with1 and made much of1 ,count       
,cagliostro and his strange doings4     
,wiser people than ,mr4 ,de             
,loutherbourg were led astray by the    
mountebank1 though they did not wander  
so far from the paths of reason and     
right1 nor publish so glaringly the fact

 of their betrayal into error4          
,cagliostro was the rage of the hour4   
,the disciples of ,dr4 ,mesmer were     
without number4 ,it was in ridicule of  
general rather than class credulity that
 ,mrs4 ,inchbald wrote 7or adapted7 her 
comedy of ,animal ,magnetism1 produced  
on the stage of ,covent ,garden in      
#aghh4  ,a curious fanatical pamphlet1  
by one ,mary ,pratt1 of ,portland       
,street1 ,marylebone1 was published in  
#aghi4 ,it was entitled1 ,a ,list of    
,curses performed by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 de  
,loutherbourg1 of ,hammersmith ,terrace1
 without ,medicine3 ,by a ,lover of the 
,lamb of ,god1 and was dedicated to the 
,archbishop of ,canterbury in very      
high-flown terms4 ,mr4 ,de ,loutherbourg
 was described as 'a gentleman of       
superior abilities1 well known in the   
scientific and polite assemblies for his
 brilliancy of talents as a philosopher 
and painter1' who1 with his wife1 had   
been made proper recipients of the      
'divine manuductions1' and gifted with  

power 'to diffuse healing to the        
afflicted2 whether deaf1 dumb1 lame1    
halt1 or blind4' ,the ,archbishop was   
therefore entreated to compose a form of
 prayer to be used in all churches and  
chapels1 that nothing might prevent the 
inestimable power of the ,de            
,loutherbourgs from having its free     
course1 and to order public thanksgiving
 to be offered up for the same4 ,in her 
preface1 ,mrs4 ,pratt stated that her   
pamphlet had been published without the 
consent of ,mr4 ,de ,loutherbourg1 and  
that he had reprimanded her on account  
of it1 and enjoined her positively to   
suppress it2 but that on mature         
reflection she had considered it more   
advisable to offend an individual rather
 than permit thousands of her           
fellow-creatures to remain strangers to 
the precious gifts of the painter4 ',i  
judged by my own private feelings1' she 
writes1 'that had ,i any relative either
 deaf1 dumb1 blind1 or lame1 how        
thankful ,i should be to find a cure    

7more especially gratis72 therefore ,i  
suffered the pamphlet to be sold1 in    
hopes that by circulating these most    
solemn truths1 many poor afflicted      
people might come and be healed4'  ,the 
cures enumerated in ,mrs4 ,pratt's list 
would be marvellous enough if the       
slightest credit could be attached to   
the lady's wild statements4 ,de         
,loutherbourg's treatment of the        
patients who flocked to him was         
undoubtedly founded on the practice of  
,mesmer1 though ,horace ,walpole appears
 to draw a distinction between the      
curative methods of the two doctors1    
when he writes to the ,countess of      
,ossory in ,july #aghi3 ',loutherbourg  
the painter is turned an inspired       
physician1 and has three thousand       
patients4 ,his sovereign panacea is     
barley water4 ,i believe it is as       
efficacious as mesmerism4 ,baron        
,swedenborg's disciples multiply also4  
,i am glad of it4 ,the more religions   
and the more follies the better3 they   

inveigle proselytes from one another4'  
,in a subsequent letter he writes1 in   
reference to a new religion advocated by
 ,taylor the ,platonist3--',he will have
 no success4 ,not because nonsense is   
not suited to making proselytes--witness
 the ,methodists1 ,moravians1 ,baron    
,swedenborg1 and ,loutherbourg the      
painter--but it should not be learned   
nonsense1 which only the literate think 
they understand after long study4       
,absurdity announced only to the ear and
 easily retained by the memory has other
 guess operation4 ,not that ,i have any 
objection to ,mr4 ,taylor for making    
proselytes3 the more religions the      
better4 ,if we had but two in the island
 they would cut one another's throats   
for power4 ,when there is plenty of     
beliefs the professors only gain        
customers here and there from rival     
shops1 and make more controversies than 
converts4' ,this letter was also written
 to the ,countess of ,ossory4 ,it was   
hardly in so free a vein on such a      

subject that the writer would have      
ventured to address ,miss ,hannah ,more2
 with whom ,mr4 ,walpole was fond of    
corresponding about this period4  ,in   
,mrs4 ,pratt's ,list we read of a lad   
named ,thomas ,robinson1 suffering from 
the king's evil1 and dismissed from ,st4
 ,bartholomew's ,hospital as incurable1 
brought before ,mr4 ,de ,loutherbourg1  
who 'administered to him yesterday in   
the public healing-room1 amidst a large 
concourse1 among whom were some of the  
first families of distinction in the    
kingdom1' and wholly cured the sufferer4
 ,the two daughters born deaf and dumb  
of ,mrs4 ,hook1 ,stable ,yard1 ,st4     
,james's1 waited upon ,mrs4 ,de         
,loutherbourg1 'who looked upon them    
with an eye of benignity and healed     
them4' ',i heard them both speak1' avers
 ,mrs4 ,pratt1 by way of settling the   
matter4 ,among other cures we find 'a   
man with a withered arm which was       
useless1 cured in a few minutes by ,mr4 
,de ,loutherbourg in the public         

healing-room at ,hammersmith2' ',mr4    
,williams1 of ,cranbourne ,street1 ill  
of a fever1 had kept his bed ten weeks1 
was cured instantly2' 'a gentleman1     
confined with gout in his stomach1 kept 
his bed1 was cured instantly2' 'a       
green-grocer in ,weymouth ,street1      
,marylebone1 next door to the ,weavers' 
,arms1 cured of lameness in both        
legs--went with crutches--is perfectly  
well2' 'a ,miss ,w----1 a public vocal  
performer1 cured1--but had not goodness 
of heart enough to own the cure         
publicly2' 'a child cured of blindness1 
at ,mr4 ,marsden's1 cheesemonger1 in the
 borough4' ,other cases are set forth2  
but the reader will probably consider   
that specimens enough have been culled  
from ,mrs4 ,pratt's pamphlet4  ,that the
 proceedings of the ,de ,loutherbourgs  
attracted extraordinary attention is    
very certain4 ,crowds surrounded the    
painter's house at ,hammersmith1 so that
 it was with difficulty he could go in  
or out4 ,particular days were set apart 

and advertised in the newspapers as     
'healing days1' and a portion of the    
house was given up as a 'healing-room4' 
,patients were admitted to the presence 
of the artist-physician by tickets only1
 and to obtain possession of these1 it  
is said that three thousand people were 
to be seen waiting at one time4 ,mrs4   
,pratt recounts 'with horror and        
detestation 'the wickedness of certain  
speculators in the crowd1 who1 having   
procured tickets gratis1 unscrupulously 
sold them1 at a profit ranging from two 
to five guineas1 to buyers who were     
tired of waiting4 ,de ,loutherbourg     
complained bitterly that out of the     
thousands he professed to have cured1   
but few returned to thank him for the   
great benefits he had conferred upon    
them4 ,he preferred to believe in the   
ingratitude of his patients rather than 
adopt the more obvious and reasonable   
course of questioning the perfect virtue
 of his curative powers1 ,mrs4 ,pratt1  
in concluding her pamphlet1 entreats the

 magistracy or governors of the police  
to wait on ,mr4 ,de ,loutherbourg and   
consult with him as to a proper mode of 
promoting his labours1 and suggests that
 a ',bethesda' should be forthwith built
 for the reception of the sick1 and that
 officers should be appointed to        
preserve decorum1 and to facilitate the 
efforts of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,de           
,loutherbourg1 'without so much         
crowding4' ,finally she exhorts the     
world at large to contribute generously 
to the promotion of these beneficial    
objects4  ,but even at the date of ,mrs4
 ,pratt's pamphlet the tide was         
turning--had turned4 ,the nine days'    
wonder was over4 ,the mania was dying of
 exhaustion4 ,incidentally1 the lady    
relates that 'having suffered all the   
indignities and contumely that man could
 suffer1' the inspired physician had for
 a time retired from practice into the  
country4 ',i have heard1' she continues1
 'people curse him and threaten his     
life1 instead of returning him thanks4' 

,in truth1 as the public credulity      
waned1 the doctor's cures failed4 ,his  
labours were of no avail2 his prophecies
 were falsified4 ,his patients rose     
against him2 the duped grew desperate2  
the mob became exceeding wroth4 ,the    
house in ,hammersmith ,terrace was      
attacked2 stones were thrown1 and       
windows smashed4 ,not much further      
mischief was done1 however4 ,de         
,loutherbourg and his wife prudently    
withdrew from public                    
observation--quitted the kingdom4 ,they 
were next heard of in company with their
 friend ,count ,cagliostro in           
,switzerland2 ,madame ,cagliostro having
 accompanied them in their journey from 
,england4 ,but ,count ,cagliostro's     
career of jugglery and fraud was nearly 
over4 ,on the night of the #bgth        
,december #aghi1 he was arrested in     
,rome1 and shut up in the ,castle of    
,st4 ,angelo1 whence he never emerged   
alive4  ,in the curious and scarce ,life
 and ,adventures of ,joseph ,balsamo1   

commonly called ,count ,cagliostro1     
translated from the ,italian1 and       
published in ,london in #agia1 copies   
are given of certain strange papers     
found in his possession1 concerning     
which he was examined by the            
,inquisition during his imprisonment4   
,in one of these documents there is     
unquestionable reference to ,de         
,loutherbourg1 though the painter's name
 is not given at length1 and appears    
surrounded by the jargon of             
,cagliostro's so-called system of       
,egyptian freemasonry1 of which it is   
not possible to render any satisfactory 
interpretation4 ,we extract from the    
paper the following3--       ',on the   
twentieth day of the eighth month--     
',the ,grand ,master being employed in  
his operations1 after the usual         
ceremonies1 the ,pupil1 before seeing   
the angel1 said1 ,i find      myself in 
a dark room4       ',i see a golden     
sword suspended over my head4       ',i 
perceive ,louth--g arrive4       ',he   

opens his breast and shows a wound in   
his heart2 he holds out      a poniard  
to me4       ',grand ,master4 ,is he    
employed in the service of the ,grand   
,cophte8       ',pupil4 ,yes4       ',g4
 ,m4 ,what else do you see8       ',p4  
,i see a star4       ',i see two4       
',i see seven4       ',g4 ,m4 ,proceed4 
',p4 ,louth--g has retired--the scene   
changes1 ,i see seven      angels1 etc4 
etc4  ,cagliostro was ordered by the    
,inquisition to explain the meaning of  
this paper4 ,he professed the           
profoundest ignorance as to its purport4
 ,there will probably be no great harm  
in concluding1 therefore1 that it did   
not possess meaning of any kind4 ,but   
the reader is left to form his own      
opinion on the subject4  ,soon ,de      
,loutherbourg was found to be again in  
,england4 ,but he practised no more as  
an inspired physician2 he now followed  
sedulously his legitimate profession4   
,his eccentricities and escapades were  
overlooked2 it seems to have been agreed

 that he had been more fool than        
knave--that he had imposed upon himself 
quite as much as upon other people4  ,a 
highly esteemed painter1 he was         
permitted to resume his place in        
society4 ,in proof of the regard in     
which he was held1 it may be noted that 
the guardians of the ,de ,quinceys      
deemed it worth while to pay ,de        
,loutherbourg a premium of one thousand 
guineas1 to receive as a pupil ,william1
 the elder brother of ,thomas ,de       
,quincey1 who had given promise of skill
 in drawing4 ,the young fellow died1    
however1 in his sixteenth year1 about   
#agie1 in the painter's house at        
,hammersmith4 ,a more moderate sum had  
some years previously been demanded of  
,mr4 ,charles ,bannister1 the actor1 for
 the art-education of his son ,john4    
,for a payment of fifty pounds per annum
 for four years1 it was agreed that     
,john ,bannister should be taught1      
boarded1 and lodged4 ,but the           
arrangement came to nothing4 ,de        

,loutherbourg demanded the payment of   
the money in advance4 ,he mistrusted the
 players4 ,they had caricatured him on  
the stage as ',mr4 ,lanternbug1' in     
,general ,bourgoyne's comedy1 ,the ,maid
 of the ,oaks2 and then his mocking     
artist brethren caught at the nickname1 
corrupting it1 however1 to              
',leatherbag4' ,mr4 ,bannister was      
unable or unwilling to comply with the  
painter's requirements3 so young ,john  
was sent to the school of the ,royal    
,academy1 which he soon deserted1 and   
finally trod the boards1 and charmed the
 town as an actor4 ,another pupil of ,de
 ,loutherbourg1 and a close imitator of 
his worst manner1 who is yet worthy of  
public notice as the founder of the     
,dulwich ,gallery1 was ,francis         
,bourgeois1 knighted by the ,king of    
,poland4 ,edward ,dayes1 artist1 critic1
 and biographer of artists1 is said to  
have exclaimed eccentrically in         
reference to ,sir ,francis3 ',dietricy  
begat ,casanova1 ,casanova begat ,de    

,loutherbourg1 ,de ,loutherbourg begat  
,franky ,bourgeois1 a dirty dog1 who    
quarrelled with nature1 and bedaubed her
 works6'  ,by his pictures of ',lord    
,howe's ,victory on the #ast of ,june   
#agid1' and ',the ,storming of          
,valenciennes1' ,de ,loutherbourg       
acquired great popularity4#ah ,for      
,macklin's ,bible 7most luxurious of    
editions1 in seven folio volumes1       
published in seventy parts at one guinea
 each67 he painted ',the ,angel         
destroying the ,assyrian ,host1' and    
',the ,deluge2' the latter a            
particularly spirited and effective     
performance4 ,dayes1 his contemporary1  
suggests1 however1 that he was made a   
historical painter by the printsellers1 
rather than by the sufficiency of his   
own genius in that respect4 ,for the    
higher purposes of art1 his composition 
was too defective1 his drawing not      
masterly enough1 and his execution too  
small and delicate4 ,but ,dayes greatly 
admired ,de ,loutherbourg's ',review of 

,warley ,camp1' in the ,royal           
,collection2 especially praising the    
animals introduced1 and the cool grey of
 the general effect2 the painter as a   
rule being prone to a somewhat coppery  
tone of colour4  #ah ',july #beth1      
#agih4 ,went with ,geiseveiller to see  
the picture of the ,siege of            
,valenciennes by ,loutherbourg4 ,he went
 to the scene of action accompanied by  
,gilray1 a ,scotchman1 famous among the 
lovers of caricature2 a man of talents1 
however1 and uncommonly apt at sketching
 a hasty likeness4 ,one of the merits of
 the picture is the portraits it        
contains1 ,english and ,austrian4 ,the  
,duke of ,york is the principal figure  
as the supposed conqueror2 and the      
,austrian general1 who actually directed
 the siege1 is placed in a group1 where1
 far from attracting attention1 he is   
but just seen4 ,the picture has great   
merit2 the difference of costume1       
,english and ,austrian1 ,hulan1 etc41 is
 picturesque4 ,the horse drawing a cart 

in the foreground has that faulty       
affected energy of the ,french school1  
which too often disgraces the works of  
,loutherbourg4 ,another picture by the  
same artist1 as a companion to this1 is 
the victory of ,lord ,howe on the first 
of ,june2 both were painted at the      
expense of ,mechel1 printseller at      
,basle1 and of ,v4 and ,r4 ,green1      
purposely for prints to be engraved from
 them4 ,for the pictures they paid      
,l#ejj each1 besides the expenses of    
,gilray's journeys to ,valenciennes1    
,portsmouth1 etc'--,diary of ,,thomas   
,,holcroft4  ,in #ahjh1 ,turner1        
appointed ,professor of ,perspective to 
the ,royal ,academy1 went to live at    
,hammersmith1 in order1 it has been     
suggested1 to be near ,de ,loutherbourg1
 of whose works he was known to be an   
admirer4 ,that he should have aided in  
the art-training and forming of the     
greatest of landscape painters is a real
 tribute to the merits of ,de           
,loutherbourg4 ,it is something to have 

been even the fuel that helped the fire 
of a great genius to burn the more      
brightly4  ,the characteristics of the  
old scene-painter's art which attracted 
the attention of ,turner1 were doubtless
 the boldness and strength of his       
effects3 his rolling clouds and tossing 
waters2 his sudden juxta-positions of   
light and shade2 his bright and         
transparent1 if occasionally impure and 
unnatural1 system of colour4 ,he was of 
another and inferior school to ,richard 
,wilson1 ,gainsborough1 and ,constable1 
who1 differing widely in their points of
 view and in their methods of art1 are  
yet linked together by a common love of 
the natural aspects of the objects they 
studied1 and a preference for a tender  
and temperate over what may be called a 
hectic and passionate rendering of      
landscape4 ,but succeeding or failing1  
,de ,loutherbourg certainly aimed at the
 reproduction of certain pictorial tours
 de force which they would never have   
attempted4 ,he was an innovator in the  

studio as on the stage4 ,according to   
modern modes of thought he was not1 of  
course1 a conscientious worker4 ,his    
landscapes were indeed begun1 continued1
 and completed in his painting-room4 ,a 
few crude pencil lines upon a card were 
enough for him to take home with him2   
for the rest he relied upon his memory  
or his invention4 ,but in such wise was 
the general method of his time4         
,painters produced their representations
 of land and sea after close toil by    
their firesides4 ,there was not much    
taking of canvases into the open air in 
the days of ,de ,loutherbourg4 ,pursuing
 such a system1 he became1 necessarily1 
very mannered2 and yet1 with other and  
greater men1 he helped to destroy a     
conventional manner in art4 ,rules had  
been laid down restricting the artist to
 an extent that threatened to oust      
nature altogether from painting4 ,it had
 been decreed1 for instance1 that in    
every landscape should appear a first1  
second1 and third light1 and1 at least1 

one brown tree4 ,departure from such a  
principle was1 according to ,sir ,george
 ,beaumont and others1 flat heresy4 ,de 
,loutherbourg avowed himself a heretic4 
,and he ventured to object to the       
old-established1 well-known             
classically-composed landscape1 which   
was becoming an art nuisance4 ,the thing
 has disappeared now1 but the reader has
 probably a dim acquaintance with the   
classically-composed landscape4 ,it was 
somewhat in this wise3 in no particular 
country1 a temple of ruins on the right 
hand was balanced by a trio of towering 
firs on the left4 ,in the middle        
distance was raised another temple in a 
more tenantable state of repair1 above a
 river crossed by a broken bridge1 the  
ragged arches strongly reflected in the 
water2 at the back1 in the centre of the
 horizontal line 7gracefully waved with 
lilac mountains71 was the sun1 rising or
 setting1 it was never quite certain    
which2 whilst little ill-drawn1         
inch-high figures straggled about in the

 foreground1 and furnished a name to the
 picture3 ,a,eneas and ,dido1 ,venus and
 ,adonis1 ,cephalus and ,aurora1 ,apollo
 and ,daphne1 etc4 etc4 ,de             
,loutherbourg's dashing sea-views and   
stormy landscapes1 although they might  
savour a little of the lamp and the     
theatre1 did service in hindering the   
further production of the 'classical    
compositions' of the last century4  ,de 
,loutherbourg died on the #aath ,march1 
#ahab1 at the house in ,hammersmith     
,terrace1 which had been the scene of   
his exploits as an inspired physician4  
,he was buried in ,chiswick churchyard1 
near the grave of ,william ,hogarth4    
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,an ,,engraver4     
,the father of ,john ,keyse ,sherwin was
 a hard-working man1 living humbly      
enough at ,eastdean1 ,sussex1 earning   
his subsistence by cutting and shaping  
wooden bolts for shipbuilders4 ,up to   
his seventeenth year the son1 born in   
#agea1 helped the father in his labours4
 ,a fine1 sturdy1 well-grown lad1 with  

abundant self-confidence1 young ,sherwin
 seems to have acquired1 now one knows  
exactly how1 an inclination for art4    
,shown one day1 at the house of a rich  
employer1 a miniature painting of some  
value1 the youth stoutly asserts his    
conviction that1 if provided with proper
 materials1 he can produce a fair       
imitation of the work before him4       
,drawing-paper is given him1 and a      
pencil is thrust into a hand that has   
grown so hard and horny with constant   
hewing of wood that it scarcely         
possesses sensitiveness sufficient to   
grasp and ply the slim little           
art-implement4 ,the young fellow        
perseveres1 however1 and finally        
produces a tolerable copy of the        
picture4  ,much surprise and interest   
are excited by this achievement of the  
woodcutter's son4 ,in ,sherwin's days   
'the patron' was a part which rich      
people were rather fond of playing4 ,the
 fact of having discovered a new artist 
was in itself a sort of certificate of  

the discoverer's acumen and taste4 ,if  
the patronized succeeded1 the patron    
forthwith took high rank as a           
connoisseur2 while on the other hand1 if
 the efforts of the protege resulted in 
failure1 no great harm accrued to any   
one2 a little money was spent to no     
purpose3 that was all4 ,the mania for   
patronizing was harmless enough2 if     
based upon some vain glory1 there was   
still a fair leaven of kindliness about 
it4 ,in the present case1 the patron had
 lighted upon a really clever fellow4   
,young ,sherwin was well worth all the  
money and pains spent upon him by his   
first employer and friend1 ,mr4 ,william
 ,mitford1 of the ,treasury2 and but for
 some inherent flaw in his moral        
constitution1 would have done his patron
 and himself unquestionable credit4     
,the young man was taken from wooden    
bolt-making1 sent up to ,london1 and    
placed under ,bartolozzi1 an            
accomplished and very thriving designer 
and engraver1 who formed one of the     

original members of the ,royal ,academy 
on its institution in #agfh4 ,bartolozzi
 found his pupil apt4 ,he made1 indeed1 
rapid progress1 and about #aggb received
 the ,academy gold medals for drawings  
of ',coriolanus taking leave of his     
family1' and ',venus soliciting ,vulcan 
to make armour for her son4' ,from #aggd
 to #aghj his name is to be found in the
 catalogues of the ,academy as an       
exhibitor of various drawings1 original 
and copied1 in red and black chalks1    
after the manner his master had rendered
 popular4 ,sherwin had proved himself a 
vigorous1 dashing draughtsman1 standing 
high in his preceptor's good opinion1   
higher still in his own1 and surely     
gaining the applause of the town4       
,quitting ,bartolozzi1 he set up for    
himself1 taking an expensive house in   
,st4 ,james's ,street4 ,he there        
commenced a desultory system of         
designing1 painting1 and engraving2     
doing less engraving than anything else1
 however4 ,it was his most legitimate   

occupation1 but it was laborious1 took  
time1 was not very highly remunerated1  
and he wanted to make money--as much and
 as quickly as possible4 ,he had patrons
 in plenty1 eager for his graceful1     
facile drawings1 prepared to pay good   
prices for them2 and the man himself    
became a favourite in society4 ,he was  
handsome1 ready1 good-natured2 well     
pleased to array his shapely person in  
smart raiment1 disport himself in the   
drawing-rooms of the noble and rich1 and
 add his name to the unprofitable list  
of fashion's votaries4  ,he had fallen  
upon 'dressy' times4 ,a handsome young  
,prince of ,wales was preaching1 by     
example1 that costliness of attire was  
indispensable among gentlemen2 and the  
woodcutter's son set up decidedly for   
being a gentleman4 ,a record of his     
costume on one occasion1 when he was    
engaged to dine at his friend ,sir      
,brook ,boothby's1 has come down to us4 
,a superfine scarlet lapelled coat1 with
 gilt dollar-sized buttons2 a profuse   

lace frill frothing over the top of his 
white satin1 jasmin-sprigged waistcoat2 
small-clothes of the glossiest black    
satin1 with ,bristol diamond buckles2   
silk stockings1 tinged with ,scott's    
liquid-dye blue1 and decorated with     
,devonshire clocks2 long ruffles1       
falling over hands once so worn with    
rude labour2 extravagant buckles        
covering his instep2 and his hair piled 
up high in front1 with three rows of    
side curls1 pomatumed and powdered1 and 
tied into a massive club at the back of 
his head4 ,be sure that ,mr4 ,sherwin1  
thus adorned1 presented an imposing     
aspect2 while his morning dress was     
scarcely less striking4 ,scarlet and    
nankeen were the colours chiefly        
favoured for the spring costume of the  
exquisites of the period4 ,to the taste 
of a man of fashion1 ,mr4 ,sherwin added
 an artist's discrimination4 ,he was    
very difficult to please in regard to   
shades of colour4 ,it is told of him    
that he had four scarlet coats made for 

him before his delicate perception in   
this respect could be altogether        
satisfied4 ,he would have the right tone
 of scarlet1 or none at all4            
',fortunately1' observes a critic       
personally acquainted with the          
fastidious gentleman1 'he had as many   
brothers as rejected coats4' ,and       
,sherwin was really kind-hearted and    
generous4 ,there seems to have been no  
false pride about him4 ,with all his    
success and prosperity1 his airs of     
fashion and pretentiousness1 he was not 
ashamed of his less fortunate           
relatives--his wood-cutting father and  
brothers4 ,he befriended them as long as
 he was able2 tried to lift them up to  
his own position2 brought them up to    
town1 and did what he could to make fine
 gentlemen of them4 ,his efforts were   
not attended with much success1 however4
 ,possibly the world of fashion found   
that one member of the ,sherwin family  
was quite as much as it wanted4         
,besides1 by reason of his abilities1   

the artist had a right to notice and    
distinction2 his relatives were without 
any such title4 ,they were simple       
labouring people1 much amazed at the    
luxury and splendour with which they    
found their kinsman surrounded4 ,a story
 is told of their dining with the       
successful artist2 when one of the      
younger lads1 without waiting or asking 
for a spoon1 thrusts his fingers into a 
dish of potatoes to help himself4 ,the  
father of the family1 however1 was quick
 to perceive his son's offence against  
good manners1 and corrected him in a    
loud whisper3 ',moosn't grabble yer han'
 'moong the 'tators here6'  ,at this    
time ,sherwin was making about twelve   
hundred pounds a year4 ,with industry he
 might have doubled that sum4 ,but he   
was incorrigibly idle2 was without rule 
or system4 ,for one day that he worked  
he would waste three in sauntering      
about1 calling on his friends1 and in   
all sorts of frivolous pursuits4 ,and   
then the dissipations of the evening    

were as so many heavy mortgages upon the
 labour of the morning4 ,his expenditure
 was profuse4 ,he gave away money       
liberally in charity2 was especially    
fond of relieving the distressed widows 
and orphans of clergymen1 observing that
 the children of a poor curate were more
 to be pitied than those of a ,london   
artist--since the latter generally had  
some qualification by which they could  
gain a livelihood4 ,all this had been   
well enough if ,mr4 ,sherwin had been a 
man of independent fortune1 or had even 
pursued prudently his own profession4   
,but1 his plan of life considered1 he   
had1 in truth1 no money to give away4   
,his charity was only another form of   
prodigality1 ,he was a gambler1 too4    
,such money as he gained when he would  
condescend to work was quickly swept    
from him at the hazard-table4 ,he was   
soon deeply in debt2 his creditors      
growing more and more impatient and     
angry every day4  ,as an artist1 his    
rapidity and cleverness were remarkable4

 ,the late ,mr4 ,j4,t4 ,smith1 who was  
for some years keeper of the prints in  
the ,british ,museum1 was in early life 
a pupil of ,sherwin's1 and bore         
testimony to the singular ability of his
 master4 ,he was ambidexterous4         
,occupied upon a large engraving1 he    
would often commence a line with his    
right hand1 then1 tossing the graver    
into his left1 would meet and finish the
 line at the other end of the plate with
 marvellous accuracy4 ,he had great     
knowledge of the human form1 and would  
sometimes begin a figure at the toe1    
draw upwards1 and complete it at the top
 of the head in a curiously adroit      
manner4 ,if he had but worked6          
,commissions poured in upon him1 yet he 
left them unexecuted4 ,he undertook     
contracts1 yet could seldom be persuaded
 to execute them4 ,sometimes when the   
fit seized him1 or when his need of     
ready money was very urgent1 he would   
apply himself with extraordinary energy1
 commencing a plate one day1 sitting up 

all night1 and producing it finished at 
breakfast-time the next morning4 ,but   
this industry was only occasional and   
accidental4 ,speedily he relapsed again 
into slothfulness and self-indulgence4  
,people of note and fashion at one time 
thronged ,mr4 ,sherwin's studio4 ,it was
 his boast1 that from five to           
five-and-twenty of the most beautiful   
women in ,london were to be seen every  
spring morning at his house4 ,for one   
day he hit upon a notable device1 which 
would probably have made his fortune if 
he had but given the thing fair play4   
,he had made a drawing of the finding of
 ,moses4 ,no ordinary illustration of a 
scene from ,biblical history1 however4  
,mr4 ,sherwin did not depend upon merely
 the intrinsic merits of his design2 for
 ,pharaoh's daughter was a portrait of  
the ,princess-,royal of ,england1 and   
grouped round her were all the most     
distinguished ladies of the ,english    
court--the ,duchess of ,devonshire1 the 
,duchess of ,rutland1 ,lady ,duncannon1 

,lady ,jersey1 ,mrs4 ,townley ,ward1 and
 others--some fifteen in all4 ,even tiny
 ,moses was said to be a portrait of    
some baby of distinction1 born          
conveniently at the time4 ,the picture  
was a great success4 ,popular taste had 
been cunningly measured and fitted4     
,this ingenious interleaving of the     
,bible and the ,peerage found a host of 
admirers4 ,there were some malcontents1 
of course3 ladies whose claims to be    
ranked among court beauties had been    
summarily passed over by the painter2   
for he has rather an invidious task     
before him who undertakes to decide who 
are the fifteen most beautiful of       
,english women of quality4 ,he is       
certain to make hundreds of enemies if  
he makes fifteen friends2 and he cannot 
rely for certain upon doing even that   
much1 for1 as happened in the present   
instance1 jealousies may spring up among
 the chosen fifteen4 ,mr4 ,sherwin was  
charged by certain of the ladies        
portrayed in the picture with partiality

 and favouritism4 ,one beauty had been  
shown too prominently in the design1    
greatly to the prejudice of other       
beauties1 who were unfairly restricted  
to the background4 ,and why should one  
lady be displayed so advantageously--in 
a light so brilliant--while other ladies
 not less attractive1 as they opined1   
were exhibited in so strangely subdued a
 way1 with ugly shadows marring the     
lustre of their loveliness8 ,and then   
why1 was indignantly asked1 why had the 
artist arranged the portraits so        
cruelly8 ,why was this charming fair    
one1 whose graces were of an irregular  
pattern--whose nose has a heavenward    
inclination--who pretends to no         
strictness of beauty1 according to      
absurd rules laid down in               
drawing-books--why is she brought into  
such fatal juxtaposition with this other
 severe and classical-looking and       
statuesque lady6 ,to be merely a foil8  
,much obliged1 ,mr4 ,sherwin6 ,the      
offended belle expressing angry and     

ironic gratitude sweeps from the        
painter's studio1 gathering her rustling
 skirts together that they may not be   
soiled by the least contact with the    
canvases and plaster casts1 and other   
art-paraphernalia and rubbish about the 
place4  ,the picture was without real   
artistic value1 though undoubtedly      
pretty and graceful4 ,it was a mere     
acted charade of the ',finding of       
,moses1' got up impromptu as it were2   
the ladies being in ball-room attire1   
with high powdered heads1 strung with   
pearls and surmounted with feathers2    
their silken dresses trimmed with laces1
 and frills1 and furbelows2 their faces 
well whitened and rouged1 according to  
the mode of the day4 ,it was more like a
 plate from a fashion-book than a scene 
from ,scripture history4 ,true1 some    
small attempt at imparting 'local       
colour' and air of truth to the thing   
was just discernible4 ,there was an     
affectation of ,orientalism about the   
background--a line of palm-trees and    

plenty of pyramids and temples1 presumed
 to be ,egyptian1 their style of        
architecture being nondescript          
otherwise2 but these only made the      
foreground figures appear more utterly  
preposterous4 ,still1 the picture       
pleased the town4 ,it was something to  
see in one group portraits of the       
prettiest women in the country4 ,there  
was a great demand for copies of the    
engraving4 ,and yet it was with         
difficulty the harebrained artist could 
be induced to complete the plate1 and   
supply his patrons and subscribers with 
prints in return for their guineas4 ,the
 thriftless1 flighty fellow seemed to   
persist in misconceiving his situation1 
undervaluing his artist abilities2      
forgetting that but for these he would  
still have been peg-cutting in the      
,sussex woods4 ,he would regard himself 
as a gentleman of independent property1 
with whom art was simply a pastime--not 
at all an indispensable means of winning
 his sustenance4 ,he seemed1 indeed1 to 

treat his talent as a sort of obstacle  
in his path1 blamed the world for having
 made him an artist1 and was fond of    
asserting that1 for his own part1 he    
should have preferred the army as a     
profession6  ,he was a sort of          
,twelfth-,night ,king of ,art4 ,for a   
brief span his success seemed to be     
without limits4 ,his house was daily    
besieged by beaux and belles of quality4
 ',horses and grooms1' says ,miss       
,hawkins in her ,memoirs1 'were cooling 
before the door2 carriages stopped the  
passage of the street2 and the narrow   
staircase ill sufficed for the number   
that waited the cautious descent or the 
laborious ascent of others4' ,but1 of   
course1 this state of things did not    
last very long4 ,mr4 ,sherwin1 by his   
indolence--and indolence in his         
situation was a sort of insolence--soon 
put himself out of fashion4 ,fortune    
showered her gifts at his feet1 but he  
was too superb a gentleman to stoop and 
pick them up2 so the goddess1 wearying  

of conferring favours that were so      
ill-appreciated1 turned away from him in
 quest of more reverential votaries4    
,when the footmen of the quality had    
done with playing fantasias upon his    
doorknocker1 the duns took their turn1  
and brought less pleasant music out of  
it4  ,a troublesome time had the        
fashionable artist4 ,he had to give all 
his attention now to the question how   
his creditors could be evaded4 ,for he  
preferred evasion to payment4 ,it never 
seems to have occurred to him that the  
last was as efficacious a mode of       
silencing a dun's complaint as keeping  
out of his way2 while it was infinitely 
preferable to the creditor4 ,but either 
he had not the money by him at the right
 moment1 or he wanted it for some other 
purpose--to spend in punch1             
probably--for he was now devoting       
himself steadily to the consumption of  
that deleterious compound4 ,he had      
become too idle now to work for more    
than the necessities of the moment--to  

supply himself with pocket-money        
sufficient for his immediate            
requirements4 ,his argument was1 that if
 he could only postpone payment1 he was 
quite justified in postponing work4 ,the
 main thing was to avoid1 put off1 and  
distance his duns4 ,curious stories are 
told of his efforts and exploits in this
 respect4 ,an old engraver1 one         
,roberts1 purblind from incessant poring
 over copper-plates1 after repeated     
calls1 finds at last his mercurial      
debtor at home1 and demands the         
settlement of his little bill for work  
done4 ,sherwin is very civil and        
obliging1 promises to settle forthwith  
the account against him2 then1 taking   
base advantage of his creditor's        
defective vision1 he makes good his     
escape1 leaving ,roberts confronting the
 lay-figure of the studio decked for the
 occasion with its proprietor's coat and
 wig4 ,imagine the indignation of the   
creditor upon the discovery of the      
imposture6 ,upon another occasion the   

artist1 splendidly attired--for he is   
engaged to dine at ,sir ,brook          
,boothby's--is prisoned in his room1    
prevented from stirring forth by the    
fact that a ,german tailor1 a determined
 creditor who will take no denial1 who  
will listen to no more excuses1 has sat 
down at the chamber door1 to starve the 
debtor into surrender4 ,time passes2    
there is no exit from the house but     
through the studio1 and there is posted 
the inexorable dun1 who has already     
waited five hours1 who will wait five   
more--fifty more1 if need be--but he    
will see his debtor4 ,and ,mr4 ,sherwin 
has no money4 ,what is he to do8        
,presently the siege is raised4         
,good-natured ,lord ,fitzwilliam enters1
 appreciates the situation1 produces his
 pocket-book1 and satisfies the tailor's
 demand4 ',here1 ,mr4 ,sherwin1' says   
his lordship to the relieved and        
grateful engraver1 'here is a present   
for you4 ,your tailor's receipt for     
making a fine gentleman6' ,and ,mr4     

,sherwin is free at last to go to his   
dinner-party with what appetite he may4 
,we have another glimpse of the         
artist--mad with drink1 and up all      
night1 alarming the neighbourhood by    
firing off pistols out of the window to 
testify his devotion to his patrons of  
the house of ,cavendish1 his joy that an
 heir had been born to the titles and   
honours of the dukedom of               
,devonshire--and then he falls1         
disappears4 ,invitations no longer come 
from ,sir ,brook ,boothby and other     
grand friends2 or1 if they come1 they   
don't find ,mr4 ,sherwin at home4 ,as   
long as he can he keeps his creditors at
 bay2 then takes to flight--hides to    
escape arrest4 ,he binds himself to work
 for a publisher who harbours and       
supports him4 ,but it is too late2 he   
cannot work now if he would4 ,he is     
greatly changed1 his constitution has   
yielded at last to his repeated and     
reckless attacks upon it4 ,his sight is 
dim1 and his hand is palsied4 ,he has   

yielded all claim to be accounted an    
'exquisite2' the fashions are nothing to
 him now2 he is simply a broken-down1   
worn-out1 prematurely old man4 ,his     
courage has left him1 his gay air of    
confidence has quite gone2 he cannot    
look his misfortunes in the face2 he    
shrinks from1 shivers at1 and1 in his   
weakness and despair1 exaggerates them  
wildly2 they prey upon him1 go near to  
driving him mad4 ,pursued and tracked to
 his publisher's house--or is it merely 
his fears that mislead him8--he quits   
his place of refuge1 breaks cover1 and  
flies he hardly knows whither4 ,george  
,steevens1 the editor of ,shakespeare1  
wrote on the first ,october #agij to a  
correspondent at ,cambridge3 ',i am     
assured that ,sherwin the engraver died 
in extreme poverty at ,the ,hog in the  
,pound1 an alehouse at the corner of    
,swallow ,street2 an example of great   
talents rendered useless by their       
possessor4' ,miss ,hawkins follows this 
narrative1 and the artist's decease is  

announced in the ,gentleman's ,magazine 
of the same year4 ,it is proper to      
state1 however1 that ,mr4 ,smith1 his   
pupil1 has recorded a less melancholy   
account of ,sherwin's death1 which took 
place1 he says1 'at the house of the    
late ,mr4 ,robert ,wilkinson1 the       
printseller in ,cornhill1 who kindly    
attended him1 afforded him every        
comfort1 and paid respect to his        
remains1 his body having been conveyed  
to ,hampstead and buried in a           
respectable manner in the churchyard1   
near the east corner of the front       
entrance4'  ,he was barely forty when he
 died4 ,prints from his engravings are  
still highly esteemed by collectors4 ,if
 his talent was not of the very first   
class1 it was still of too valuable a   
kind to be flung in the kennel--utterly 
degraded and wasted4     ,,sir          
,,joshua',s ,,pupil4   ,a young         
apprentice with very little heart in the
 study of his craft1 after the manner of
 young apprentices1 toiling in a watch  

and clock-maker's shop in the town of   
,devonport1 heard one day the fame of   
great ,sir ,joshua's achievements in    
,london sounding through the            
county--became conscious that the good  
folks of the shire took pride in the son
 of the ,rev4 ,samuel ,reynolds1 ,master
 of ,plympton ,grammar ,school4 ,why    
should not he1 the apprentice1 become as
 great1 or nearly so1 a credit to       
,devonport1 his birthplace1 as was ,sir 
,joshua to ,plympton1 his birthplace8   
,could one man only have art abilities  
and ambitions1 and make for himself the 
opportunity to employ and gratify them8 
,so the apprentice asked himself4 ,and  
he must have been a clever fellow that  
apprentice6 ,he soon convinced          
himself--that was easy3 but he convinced
 his family2 he convinced several of his
 townsmen--a more difficult task1--that 
the best thing they could do with him   
was to send him up to town to study     
under his countryman1 ,sir ,joshua1 and 
to become1 like him1 a great painter4   

,he had his way at last4 ,in his        
twenty-fifth year he was painting in the
 studio of ,reynolds1 living under his  
roof4  ,after all1 his dearest wishes   
gratified1 perhaps the pupil was little 
better off4 ,if cleverness1 like fever1 
were contagious1 it had been all very   
well4 ,but the master was but an        
indifferent master4 ,he could not1 or   
would not1 instruct4 ,he was himself    
somewhat deficient in education--had few
 rules--only a marvellous love and      
perception of the beautiful1 and an     
instinctive talent for its reproduction 
on his canvas4 ,it was as certain as it 
was innate1 but not to be expressed in  
words1 or communicated or reasoned upon 
in any way4 ,the deeds of genius are    
things done1 as of course1 for no why or
 wherefore1 but simply because there is 
no help for it but to do them4 ,so the  
pupils painted in the studio of their   
pseudo-preceptor for a certain number of
 years1 copying his works2 or1 when     
sufficiently advanced1 perhaps working  

at his backgrounds1 brushing away at    
draperies1 or such conventional fillings
 in of pictures1 and then went their    
ways to do what they listed1 and for the
 most part to be heard of no more in art
 chronicles4 ,they had probably been of 
more use to the painter than he had been
 to them4 ,certainly our friend the     
clockmaker's apprentice was4 ,for when  
there arose a cry of ',who wrote ,sir   
,joshua's discourses1 if not ,burke8'   
this pupil could give satisfactory      
evidence in reply4 ,he had heard the    
great man1 his master1 walking up and   
down in the library1 as in the intervals
 of writing1 at one and two o'clock in  
the morning4 ,a few hours later1 and he 
had the results in his hands4 ,he was   
employed to make a fair copy of the     
lecturer's rough manuscript for the     
reading to the public4 ,he had noted    
,dr4 ,johnson's handwriting1 for he had 
revised the draft1 sometimes altering to
 a wrong meaning1 from his total        
ignorance of the subject and of art3 but

 never a stroke of ,burke's pen was     
there to be seen4 ,the pupil1 it must be
 said for him1 never lost faith in his  
master4 ,vandyke1 ,reynolds1 ,titian--he
 deemed these the great triumvirate of  
portraiture4 ,comparing them1 he would  
say1 that ,vandyke's portraits were like
 pictures1 ,sir ,joshua's like the      
reflections in a looking-glass1 and     
,titian's like the real people4 ,and he 
was useful to the great painter in      
another way1 for he sat for one of the  
children in the ,count ,ugolino picture 
7the one in profile with the hand to the
 face74 ,while posed for this1 he was   
introduced as a pupil of ,sir ,joshua's 
to ,mr4 ,edmund ,burke1 and turned to   
look at that statesman4 ',he is not only
 an artist1 but has a head that would do
 for ,titian to paint1' said ,mr4       
,burke4 ,he served1 too1 another        
celebrated man4 ,with ,ralph1 ,sir      
,joshua's servant1 he went to the       
gallery of ,covent ,garden ,theatre1 to 
support ,dr4 ,goldsmith's new comedy1   

,she ,stoops to ,conquer1 on the first  
night of its performance4 ,while his    
friends are trooping to the theatre1 the
 poor author is found sick and shivering
 with nervousness1 wandering up and down
 the ,mall in ,st4 ,james's ,park4 ,he  
can hardly be induced to witness the    
production of his own play4 ,johnson's  
lusty laugh from the front row of a side
 box gives the signal to the worthy     
claque1 who applaud to an almost        
dangerous extent1 in their zeal for     
their friend1 because there runs a      
rumour that ,cumberland and ,ossian     
,macpherson and ,hugh ,kelly are getting
 up a hiss in the pit4  ',how did you   
like the play8' asked ,goldsmith of the 
young painter1 who had been clapping his
 hands until they ached1 in the gallery 
by the side of good ,mr4 ,ralph4  ',i   
wouldn't presume to be a judge in such a
 matter1' the art-student answered4     
',but did it make you laugh8'  ',oh1    
exceedingly4'  ',that's all ,i require1'
 said ,goldsmith1 and sent him box      

tickets for the author's benefit night1 
that he might go and laugh again4  ,sir 
,joshua's pupil was ,james ,northcote1 a
 long-lived man1 born at ,devonport in  
#agdf1 and dying at his ,london house1  
in ,argyll ,place1 ,regent ,street1 in  
#ahca4 ,if he had a ,titianesque look in
 his youth1 he possessed it still more  
in his age4 ,brilliant eyes1 deeply set2
 grand projecting nose2 thin1 compressed
 lips2 a shrewd1 cat-like1 penetrating  
look2 fine1 high1 bald forehead1 yellow 
and polished1 though he often hid this  
with a fantastic green velvet painting  
cap1 and straggling bunches of quite    
white hair behind his ears4 ,a little1  
meagre man1 not more than five feet     
high1 in a shabby1 patched              
dressing-gown1 almost as old as himself1
 leading a quiet1 cold1 penurious life4 
,he never married4 ,he had never even   
been in love4 ,he had never had the     
time1 or he had never had the passion   
necessary for such pursuits1 or he was  
too deeply devoted to his profession4   

,he was always1 brush in hand1 perched  
up on a temporary stage1 painting       
earnestly1 fiercely1 'with the          
inveterate diligence of a little devil  
stuccoing a mud wall6' cried flaming    
,mr4 ,fuseli4  ,haydon1 with a letter of
 introduction from ,prince ,hoare1      
called upon ,northcote4 ,he was shown   
first into a dirty gallery1 then        
up-stairs into a dirtier painting-room1 
and then1 under a high window1 with the 
light falling full on his bald grey     
head1 stood a diminutive wizened figure 
in an old blue striped dressing-gown1   
his spectacles pushed up on his         
forehead4 ,looking keenly with his      
little shining eyes at his visitor1 he  
opened the letter1 read it1 and with the
 broadest ,devon dialect1 said--  ',zo  
you mayne tu bee a peinter1 doo 'ee8    
,what zort of peinter8'  ',historical   
painter1 sir4'  ',heestoricaul peinter6 
,why1 ye'll starve with a bundle of     
straw under yeer head4'  ,presently he  
read the note again4  ',mr4 ,hoare zays 

you're studying anatomy2 that's no      
use--,sir ,joshua didn't know it4 ,why  
should you want to know what he didn't8'
  ',but ,michael ,angelo did1 sir4'     
',michael ,angelo6 what's he tu du here8
 ,you must peint portraits here6'       
,haydon was roused to opposition4  ',but
 ,i won't6'  ',won't1' screamed the     
little man1 'but you must6 ,your vather 
isn't a moneyed man1 is he8'  ',no1 sir1
 but he has a good income1 and will     
maintain me for three years4'  ',will   
hee8 ,hee'd better make 'ee mentein     
yeerzelf4'  ',do you think1 sir1 that ,i
 ought to be a pupil to anybody8'       
',no1' said ,northcote4 ',who's to teach
 'ee here8 ,it'll be throwing your      
vather's money away4'  ',mr4 ,opie1 sir1
 says ,i ought to be4'  ',hee zays zo1  
does hee8 ha1 ha1 ha1 ha6 he wants your 
vather's money4'  ,he received many     
visitors in his studio4 ,he was         
constantly at home1 and liked to talk   
over his work1 for he never paused on   
account of the callers4 ,he never let go

 his palette even4 ,he went to the door 
with a ',gude ,god6' his favourite      
exclamation in his west country dialect1
 'what1 is it you8 ,come in3' and then  
climbed his way back to his canvas1     
asking and answering in his cool1       
self-possessed way1 all about the news  
of the day4 ,yet he was violent and     
angry1 and outspoken sometimes1 was ,sir
 ,joshua's loyal pupil4  ',look at the  
feeling of ,raphael6' said some one to  
him4  ',bah6' cried the little man4     
',look at ,reynolds2 he was all feeling6
 ,the ancients were baysts in feeling1  
compared to him4' ,and again3 ',i tell  
'ee the ,king and ,queen could not bear 
the presence of he4 ,do you think he was
 overawed by they8 ,gude ,god6 ,he was  
poison to their sight4 ,they felt ill at
 ease before such a being--they shrunk  
into themselves1 overawed by his        
intellectual superiority4 ,they inwardly
 prayed to ,god that a trap-door might  
open under the feet of the throne1 by   
which they might escape--his presence   

was too terrible6'  ,certainly he was   
possessed by no extravagant notions of  
the divinity of blood-royal4  ',what do 
you know1' he was asked1 'of the ,prince
 of ,wales1 that he so often speaks of  
you8'  ',oh1 he knows nothing of me1 nor
 ,i of him--it's only his bragging6' the
 painter grandly replied4  ,he could    
comprehend the idea of distinction of   
ranks little more than old ,mr4         
,nollekens1 who would persist in        
treating the royal princes quite as     
common acquaintances1 taking them by the
 button-hole1 forgetful altogether of   
the feuds of the king's family1 and     
asking them how their father did8 with  
an exclamation to the heir-apparent of1 
',ah6 we shall never get such another   
when he's gone6' ,though there was      
little enough veneration for the king in
 this1 as ,nollekens proved1 when he    
measured the old monarch1 sitting for   
his bust1 from the lip to the forehead1 
as though he had been measuring a block 
of marble1 and at last fairly stuck the 

compasses into his ,majesty's nose4     
,even the king1 who was not very quick  
at a joke1 could not fail to see the    
humour of the situation1 and laughed    
immensely4  ,modern taste prefers       
,northcote's portraits to his more      
pretentious works4 ,the glories of ,mr4 
,alderman ,boydell's ,shakespeare       
,gallery have pretty well passed away4  
,however1 ,northcote's pictures were    
among the best of the collection4 ,his  
',arthur and ,hubert1' and the ',murder 
of the ,princes in the ,tower1' and     
',the ,interment of the ,bodies by      
torchlight1' were very forcible and     
dramatic works of art1 and possessed    
more natural attractions than the       
pictures of many of his competitors4    
,his pupilage with ,sir ,joshua         
prevented his falling into the washed   
leather and warm drab errors of tone    
that then distinguished the ,english    
school of historical painting4 ,in the  
picture of the ,burial of the ,princes1 
,fuseli criticised--  ',you shouldn't   

have made that fellow holding up his    
hands to receive the bodies4 ,you should
 have made him digging a hole for them4 
,how awfully grand2 with a pickaxe1     
digging1 dump1 dump1 dump6'  ',yes1'    
,northcote answered2 'but how am ,i to  
paint the sound of dump1 dump1 dump8'   
,the ,boydell pictures were for a long  
time very popular1 and the engravings of
 them enjoyed a large sale4  ,of course1
 ,northcote despised ,hogarth4 ,abuse of
 that painter seemed to be one of the   
duties of the ,british historical artist
 of that day4 ,yet he paid him homage2  
he painted a series of pictures1        
,hogarthian in subject1 and proved to   
the satisfaction of everybody1 one would
 think1 the absolute superiority of     
,hogarth4 ,mr4 ,northcote's moral       
subjects1 illustrative of vice and      
virtue1 in the progress of two young    
women1 are not to be mentioned in the   
same breath with the ',mariage a la     
,mode4' ,not merely were they deficient 
in expression--they were not equal in   

point of art-execution1 though of course
 the more modern painter had planned to 
excel in both these qualities4 ,but     
,northcote's portraits are really       
admirable--broad and vigorous--with much
 of ,sir ,joshua's charm of colour1 if  
not his charm of manner exactly4  ,for  
fifty years he lived in ,argyll ,place1 
passing the greatest part of that time  
in his studio--a small room not more    
than nine feet by twelve1 crowded with  
the conventional articles of vertu that 
were then considered to be the          
indispensable properties of a painter4  
,his maiden sister--',northcote in      
petticoats1' she was often called1 she  
was so like him in face1 figure1 and    
manner--superintended his frugal        
household4 ,its economy was simple      
enough4 ,the brother and sister were of 
one opinion4 ',half the world died of   
over-feeding1' they said4 ,they went    
into an opposite extreme1 and nearly    
starved themselves4 ,when there was a   
cry in the land about scarcity of food1 

they did not heed the panic2 they were  
accustomed to a minimum of sustenance1  
they could hardly be deprived of that4  
,fuseli1 who sowed his satire broadcast1
 exclaimed one day3 ',what6 does        
,northcote keep a dog8 ,what does he    
live upon8 ,why1 he must eat his own    
fleas6' ,but the painter did not attempt
 to force his opinions upon others1 so  
the kennel and the kitchen fared better 
than the parlour4 ,the servants were    
indulgently treated1 permitted to eat as
 they pleased1 and die in their own     
fashion--of repletion or apoplexy1 if it
 seemed good to them4  ,if he was cold  
and callous and cynical to the rest of  
the world1 he was ever good and kind to 
the pinched elderly lady his sister4 ,by
 his will he gave directions that       
everything in his house should remain   
undisturbed1 that there should be no    
sale of his property in her lifetime4   
,he was counselled by considerate       
friends to have all his pictures sold   
immediately after his funeral while his 

name was fresh in the memory of the     
public2 it was urged that his estate    
would benefit very much by the adoption 
of such a course4 ',gude ,god1 no6' the 
old man would cry2 ',i haven't patience 
with ye6 ,puir thing6 d'ye think she'll 
not be sufficiently sad when my coffin  
be borne away1 and she be left desolate6
 ,tearing my pictures from the walls1   
and ransacking every nook and corner1   
and packing up and carting away what's  
dearer to her than household gods1 and  
all for filthy lucre's sake6 ,no2 let   
her enjoy the few years that will be    
spared to her2 when she walks about the 
house let her feel it all her own1 such 
as it be1 and nothing missing but her   
brother4 ,i'd rather my bones were torn 
from my grave1 and scattered to help    
repair the roads1 than that a single    
thing should be displaced here to give  
her pain4 ,ye'll drive me mad6'  ,one   
day there was a great crowd in ,argyll  
,place4 ,not to see the painter1 not    
even to see a royal carriage that had   

just drawn up at his door1 nor a popular
 prince of the blood who occupied the   
carriage1 but to catch a glimpse of one 
about whom the town was then quite      
mad--raving mad3 a small good-looking   
schoolboy1 a theatrical homunculus1 the 
,infant ,roscius1 ,master ,william      
,henry ,betty4 ,of course rages and     
panics and manias seem to be very       
foolish things1 contemplated by the cool
 grey light of the morning after4 ,it   
seems rather incredible now1 that crowds
 should have assembled round the theatre
 at one o'clock to see ,master ,betty   
play ,barbarossa in the evening2 that he
 should have played for twenty-eight    
nights at ,drury ,lane1 and drawn       
,l#ag1jjj into the treasury of the      
theatre4 ,he was simply a handsome boy  
of thirteen with a fine voice1 deep for 
his age1 and powerful but monotonous4   
,surely he was not very intellectual1   
though he did witch the town so         
marvellously4 ',if they admire me so    
much1 what would they say of ,mr4       

,harley8' quoth the boy1 simply4 ,mr4   
,harley being the head tragedian of the 
same strolling company--a large-calved1 
leather-lunged player1 doubtless1 who   
had awed provincial groundlings for many
 a long year4 ,yet the boy's performance
 of ,douglas charmed ,john ,home1 the   
author of the tragedy4 ',the first time 
,i ever saw the part of ,douglas played 
according to my ideas of the character6'
 he exclaimed1 as he stood in the wings2
 but he was then seventy years of age4  
',the little ,apollo off the pedestal6' 
cried ,humphreys1 the artist4 ',a       
beautiful effusion of natural           
sensibility1' said cold ,northcote2 'and
 then that graceful play of the limbs in
 youth--what an advantage over every one
 else6' ,as the child grew1 the charm   
vanished2 the crowds that had applauded 
the boy fled from the man4 ,byron       
denounced him warmly4 ',his figure is   
fat1 his features flat1 his voice       
unmanageable1 his action ungraceful1    
and1 as ,diggory says 7in the farce of  

,all the ,world's a ,stage71 ,i defy him
 to extort that d----d muffin face of   
his into madness6' ,happy ,master       
,betty6 ,hapless ,mister ,betty6  ,opie 
had painted the ,infant as the shepherd 
so well known to nursery prodigies      
watching on the ,grampian ,hills the    
flocks of his father1 'a frugal swain1  
whose constant care1' etc4 etc4 ,his    
,royal ,highness the ,duke of ,clarence1
 who was a patron of the stage--or the  
people on it1 or some of them--brought  
the boy to ,northcote1 to be represented
 in a ',vandyke costume retiring from   
the altar of ,shakespeare1'--rather an  
unmeaning ceremonial4 ,but the picture  
was a great success1 and the engraving  
of it published and dedicated to the    
duke4 ,he was then about forty--a       
hearty1 bluff gentleman1 supposed to be 
free and breezy in his manliness from   
his service at sea1--kindly and         
unaffected in manner1 had not the       
slightest knowledge of art1 but regarded
 ,northcote as 'an honest1 independent1 

little1 old fellow1' seasoning that     
remark with an oath1 after the          
quarter-deck manner of naval gentlemen  
of the period4  ,the prince sat in the  
studio while the artist drew the        
,infant4 ,northcote was not a man to    
wear a better coat upon his back for all
 that his back was going to be turned   
upon royalty4 ,he still wore the ragged1
 patched dressing-gown he always worked 
in4 ,the painting of ,master ,betty was 
amusing at first1 but it seemed1 in the 
end1 to be but a prolonged and tedious  
business to the not artistic looker-on4 
,he must divert himself somehow4        
,certainly ,northcote's appearance was  
comical4 ,suddenly the painter felt a   
twitching at his collar4 ,he turned1    
frowned angrily1 but said nothing4 ,the 
prince persevered4 ,presently he touched
 lightly the painter's rough white      
locks4  ',mr4 ,northcote1 pray how long 
do you devote to the duties of the      
toilet8'  ,it was very rude of his      
,royal ,highness1 but then he was so    

bored by the sitting4  ,the little old  
painter turned round full upon him4  ',i
 never allow any one to take personal   
liberties with me4 ,you are the first   
that ever presumed to do so4 ,i beg your
 ,royal ,highness to recollect that ,i  
am in my own house4'  ,he spoke warmly1 
glanced haughtily1 then worked at his   
canvas again4 ,there was silence for    
some minutes4 ,quietly the duke opened  
the door and left the room4 ,the painter
 took no notice4  ,but the royal        
carriage had been sent away4 ,it would  
not be required until five o'clock4 ,it 
was not yet four2 and it was raining6   
,the duke returned to the studio4  ',mr4
 ,northcote1 it rains4 ,will you have   
the kindness to lend me an umbrella8'   
,calmly the painter rang the bell4      
',bring your mistress's umbrella4'      
,miss ,northcote's umbrella was the only
 silk one in the house4 ,the servant    
showed the prince down-stairs1 and he   
left the house protected from the shower
 by ,miss ,northcote's umbrella4  ',you 

have offended his ,royal ,highness1'    
said some one in the room4  ',i am the  
offended party1' the painter answered   
with dignity4  ,next day he was alone in
 his studio when a visitor was          
announced4  ',mr4 ,northcote1' said the 
duke1 entering1 ',i return ,miss        
,northcote's umbrella you were so kind  
as to lend me yesterday4'  ,the painter 
bowed1 receiving it from the royal      
hands4  ',i have brought it myself1 ,mr4
 ,northcote1' the duke continued1 'that 
,i might have the opportunity of saying 
that ,i yesterday took a liberty which  
you properly resented4 ,i am angry with 
myself4 ,i hope you will forgive me1 and
 think no more of it4'  ,the painter    
bowed his acceptance of the apology4    
',gude ,god6' he exclaimed1 afterwards  
telling the story1 'what could ,i say8  
,he could see what ,i felt4 ,i could    
have given my life for him6 ,such a     
prince is worthy to be a king6'  ,more  
than a quarter of a century passed1 and 
then the ,duke of ,clarence was the     

,king of ,england--,william the ,fourth4
 ,the old painter was still living1 at  
work as usual1 though weak and bent     
enough now3 but with his brain still    
active1 his tongue still sharp1 his eyes
 still very brilliant in his lined      
shrunken face4 ',a poor creature1' he   
said of himself1 'perhaps amusing for   
half an hour or so1 or curious to see   
like a little dried mummy in a museum4' 
,he employed himself in the preparation 
of a number of illustrations to a book  
of fables published after his death4 ,he
 collected prints of animals1 and cut   
them out carefully2 then he moved about 
such as he selected for his purpose on a
 sheet of plain paper1 and1 satisfying  
himself at last as to the composition of
 the picture1 he fixed the figures in   
their places with paste1 filled in      
backgrounds with touches of his pencil1 
and then handed the curious work to ,mr4
 ,harvey1 the engraver1 to be copied on 
wood and engraved4 ,the success of the  
plan was certainly as remarkable as its 

eccentricity4  ,he employed his pen as  
well as his pencil3 contributed papers  
to the ,artist1 and published1 in #ahac1
 a life of ,sir ,joshua4 ,a year before 
his death he produced a ,life of        
,titian1 the greater part of which1     
however1 was probably written by his    
friend and constant companion ,hazlitt4 
,about the same time ,hazlitt reprinted 
from the ,morning ,chronicle his        
,conversations with ,northcote1 a work  
of much interest and value4  ,he was in 
his small studio1 brush in hand1 very   
tranquil and happy1 within two days of  
his death4 ,it seemed as though he had  
been forgotten4 ',if ,providence were to
 leave me the liberty of choosing my    
heaven1 ,i should be content to occupy  
my little painting-room with the        
continuance of the happiness ,i have    
experienced there1 even for ever4' ,he  
spoke of his works without arrogance4   
',everything one can do falls short of  
,nature4 ,i am always ready to beg      
pardon of my sitters after ,i have done1

 and to say ,i hope they'll excuse it4  
,the more one knows of the art1 and the 
better one can do1 the less one is      
satisfied4'  ,sir ,joshua's pupil--',of 
all his pupils ,i am the only one who   
ever did anything at all'--died on the  
#acth ,july #ahca1 in the eighty-sixth  
year of his age4     ,,hoppner ,,and    
,,lawrence4   ,i4  ,there have always   
been factions in art2 and while the     
schools have battled separately1 there  
has been no lack of single combats      
between individual painters4  ,pordenone
 painting his frescoes in the cloisters 
of ,st4 ,stefano at ,venice with his    
sword drawn and his buckler at hand1    
prepared for the violence of ,titian1 is
 a sample of the masters who found it   
necessary to combine profession of the  
fine arts with the business of a bravo4 
,domenico ,veniziano was brutally       
assaulted by ,andrea del ,castagno2     
,annibale ,caracci1 ,cesari1 and ,guido 
were driven from ,naples1 and their     
lives threatened by ,belisario1         

,spagnoletto1 and ,caracciolo4 ,agostino
 ,beltrano1 surpassed in painting by his
 own wife1 ,amelia di ,rosa 7the niece  
of an artist of eminence71 murdered her 
in a fit of jealous rage2 ,michael      
,angelo was envious of the growing fame 
of ,sebastiano del ,piombo2 ,hudson#ai  
quarrelled with his pupil ,reynolds1 who
 in his turn was made uneasy by the     
progress of his rival ,romney2 and      
,hoppner1 on his deathbed1 writhed under
 the polite attentions of ,sir ,thomas  
,lawrence4 ',in his visits1' said the   
poor sick man bitterly1 'there is more  
joy at my approaching death than true   
sympathy with my sorrows4'  #ai ,a story
 to this effect has been generally      
credited2 but in the ,life of ,reynolds 
by ,messrs4 ,leslie and ,taylor1 #ahfe1 
a different version is given of the     
relations subsisting between ,sir       
,joshua and his preceptor1 and the      
notion of the one regarding the other   
with any sort of animosity is rejected1 
if not altogether disproved4   ,,ii4    

,the mother of ,,john ,,hoppner was one 
of the ,german attendants at the ,royal 
,palace4 ,he was born in ,london in the 
summer of #agei4 ,george the ,third took
 a strong personal interest in the      
bringing up and education of the child1 
whose sweet musical voice and correct   
ear soon won for him the post and white 
stole of a chorister in the royal       
chapel4 ,of course there were motives   
attributed in explanation of the king's 
kindness and benevolence1 and the boy   
himself1 it would appear1 was not eager 
to contradict a slander which ascribed  
to him illustrious1 if illicit1 descent4
 ,the world chose to see confirmation of
 the rumours in this respect1 in the    
favour subsequently extended to the     
young man by the ,prince of ,wales1 who 
supported him actively against such     
formidable rivals as ,lawrence1 ,owen1  
and ,opie1 and was the means of         
directing a stream of aristocratic      
patronage to his studio4 ,he entered as 
a probationer the school of the ,royal  

,academy--passing gradually through the 
various stages of studentship1 and      
emerging at last a candidate for the    
highest prizes of the institution4 ,he  
underwent few of the privations of the  
beginner--knew little of the trials and 
struggles of the ordinary student4      
,almost 'a royal road' was opened for   
him4 ,so soon as he could draw and      
colour decently1 patrons were ready for 
him4 ,mrs4 ,jordan sat--now as the      
,comic ,muse--now as ,hippolyte2 a 'lady
 of quality' was depicted as a          
,bacchante4 ,then came portraits of the 
,duke and ,duchess of ,york1 the ,prince
 of ,wales1 and the ,duke of ,clarence4 
,he lived in ,charles ,street1 close to 
,carlton ,house1 and wrote himself      
',portrait painter to the ,prince of    
,wales4' ,the king and queen were quite 
willing to favour their son's favourite1
 particularly as they believed1 with    
many other people of the time1 that the 
heir-apparent 'had a taste4' ,but soon  
obstacles came between them and the     

painter4 ,they had never liked          
,reynolds4 ,hoppner1 full of honest     
admiration of ,sir ,joshua1 did not     
hesitate to sound his praises even in   
the unwilling eyes of royalty4 ,the     
question1 as he held1 was one of art1   
not of kingly predilection4 ,it was     
uncourtierlike1 and the monarch was much
 displeased4 ,he could not endure       
contradiction or opposition even in     
regard to matters of which he knew      
nothing whatever1 such as art for       
instance4 ,then the giddy proceedings of
 the minor and rival court at ,carlton  
,house were desperately annoying to     
plain ',farmer ,george2' and in a small 
way ,hoppner had become celebrated in   
the ,prince's circle3 for the painter   
was gaily disposed1 witty1 and          
high-spirited4 ,the ,prince of ,wales   
having thrown himself into the open arms
 of the ,whigs1 ,mr4 ,hoppner must needs
 become a zealous politician1 espousing 
the principles of the party opposed to  
the king4 ,he could expect little from  

their most gracious majesties after     
that4 ,he obtained nothing4 ,certainly  
he was imprudent4 ,what had a painter to
 do with politics8 ,he thus diminished  
gravely the area of his prospects4 ,it  
became quite impossible for ,tory       
noblemen and gentlemen of distinction to
 bestow patronage upon1 sit for their   
pictures to1 a ,whig portrait-painter4  
,why1 he might caricature them6 ,and    
after painting all his ,whig friends and
 associates1 what was he to do8 with a  
rival in the field by no means to be    
despised or held cheaply4   ,,iii4  ,in 
the last century it behoved everybody   
who desired to be accounted 'a          
personage1' or to be ranked amongst     
'people of quality1' to quit ,london at 
a certain season of the year1 and repair
 to the city of ,bath1 or 'the ,bath1'  
as it was frequently called4 ,now a     
journey to ,bath in those days was no   
trifling matter3 it involved frequent   
stoppages by the way1 and the inns and  
posting-houses upon the road became1    

necessarily1 very important1 and        
oftentimes very profitable concerns4    
,miss ,burney1 the author of ,evelina1  
records in her diary the particulars of 
her journey to ,bath with ,mrs4 ,thrale1
 in the year #aghj4 ,she stopped the    
first night at ,maidenhead ,bridge2     
slept at ,speen ,hill the second1 and   
,devizes the third2 arriving at ,bath on
 the fourth day of her journey4 ,the inn
 patronized by ,miss ,burney at ,devizes
 was the ,black ,bear1 of which one     
,thomas ,lawrence was the landlord4 ,it 
is in regard to this establishment we   
have to request that the reader will    
give us his attention for a few minutes4
  ,mr4 ,lawrence had been by turns a    
solicitor1 a poet1 an artist1 an actor1 
a supervisor of excise1 a farmer1 an    
innkeeper1 and1 of course1 a bankrupt4  
,probably he might have retired from the
 ,black ,bear with a fortune1 but that  
he had a numerous family of sixteen     
children to support1 and that he was not
 particularly well qualified to succeed 

as an innkeeper4 ,he seems to have set  
up for being 'a character1' and his     
neighbours were inclined to ridicule and
 censure him for giving himself airs4 ,a
 bustling1 active1 good-humoured man1 he
 was prone now and then to play the     
scholar and the fine gentleman1 the     
while he lost sight of his more         
recognised position as a landlord4 ,he  
wore a full-dress suit of black1        
starched ruffles1 and a very grand      
periwig2 was ceremonious and stately in 
his manners1 affected an inordinate love
 of literature and an air of            
connoisseurship that contrasted rather  
strangely with his calling4 ,certainly  
there was not such another landlord to  
be seen upon the road between ,london   
and ,bath2 if1 indeed1 anywhere else4   
,he was proud of his elocutionary       
powers1 and in a full1 sonorous voice he
 would read aloud select passages from  
,shakespeare and ,milton to all such    
persons as evinced an inclination to    
listen to him--sometimes1 indeed1 to    

people who did not in the least wish to 
hear him4 ,it is hardly to be wondered  
at that divers of the ,black ,bear's    
customers occasionally felt indignant   
and outraged when1 travel-worn and      
hungry1 eager for the bill of fare and  
supper1 they were met by the landlord's 
proposal to expatiate for their benefit 
upon the beauties of the poets1 or to   
recite for their entertainment certain  
most elegant extracts4 ,it was food for 
the body they desiderated1 not solace   
for the mind2 and it was1 perhaps1 only 
natural that they should treat ,mr4     
,lawrence's suggestions rather curtly4  
,not that the innkeeper was prompt to   
take offence4 ,the man who rides a      
hobby-horse seldom heeds or perceives   
the criticism of bystanders upon the    
paces or proportions of his steed4 ,mr4 
,lawrence could obtain a hearing from   
other quarters4 ,once a week he visited 
,bath1 and passed an evening in the     
green-room of the theatre there4 ,the   
actors would listen to him1 or pretend  

to do so2 some of them would permit him 
to read their parts to them1 and give   
them counsel as to the manner in which  
these should be rendered on the stage1  
purposing to revenge themselves         
afterwards1 the rogues1 by availing     
themselves of the comforts of the ,black
 ,bear1 without calling for their       
accounts when they quitted that         
hostelry4  ,but even a greater celebrity
 at ,devizes than ,mr4 ,lawrence was his
 son ,thomas1 born in #agfi1 youngest of
 the sixteen children4 ,he seems to have
 been regarded on all hands as a sort of
 infant prodigy of great use in         
attracting visitors to the inn4 ,he     
could stand on a chair and recite       
poetry1 or he could wield his blacklead 
pencil and take the portrait of any one 
who would condescend to sit to him4 ',a 
most lovely boy1' writes ,miss          
,burney1--with long1 luxuriant1         
girl-like tresses1 that tumbled down and
 hid his face when he stooped to draw4  
',he can take your likeness1 or repeat  

you any speech in ,milton's             
,pandemonium1' the proud father would   
cry1 'although he is only five years    
old4' ,and at this age he is stated to  
have produced a striking likeness of    
,mr4 7afterwards ,lord7 ,kenyon4 ,at    
seven the portrait of the prodigy was   
taken1 and engraved by ,mr4 ,sherwin1   
the artist4 ,at eight1 it seems1 his    
education was finished4 ,his            
recitations--he had no doubt been       
carefully instructed by his father--were
 pronounced to be 'full of              
discrimination1 feeling1 and humour1 set
 off by the various tones of a voice    
full1 harmonious1 and flexible4' ,pretty
 well this1 for such a mere baby as he  
was at the time6 ,he recited on various 
occasions before ,garrick1 ,foote1 ,john
 ,wilkes1 ,sheridan1 ,burke1 ,johnson1  
,churchill1 and other famous people1    
resting for the night or to change      
horses at ,devizes on their road to     
,bath4 ,old ,lawrence lost no           
opportunity of talking to his customers1

 and of exhibiting his wonderful son4   
,all are alleged to have been charmed   
with him4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,garrick       
passing through the town1 would retire  
to a summer-house in the garden of the  
,black ,bear1 and amuse themselves for  
some time with the recitations of the   
little fellow4 ',tommy has learned one  
or two new speeches since you were here1
 ,mr4 ,garrick1' the father would       
exclaim1 bringing forward his precocious
 boy4 ',there was something about him1' 
says an authority1 'which excited the   
surprise of the most casual observer4   
,he was a perfect man in miniature2 his 
confidence and self-possession smacked  
of one-and-twenty4'  ,young ,lawrence1  
however1 was not able at this time to   
read at random any passages from the    
poets that might be selected for him4   
,he had been instructed in particular   
speeches1 and to these1 as a rule1 he   
was obliged to restrict his efforts4    
,for a long time he had been wishing to 
learn ',satan's ,address to the ,sun1' a

 favourite recitation of his father's2  
but old ,lawrence had declined to       
intrust him with so important a subject4
 ,nevertheless the boy had acquainted   
himself with the tone and manner        
appropriate to the piece1 and announced 
that he was prepared to deliver it in   
imitation of the elder orator4 ,a family
 in ,devizes1 known to the ,lawrences1  
giving a party one evening1 requested   
that the boy might be permitted to      
attend and entertain the company with   
his readings and recitations4 ,old      
,lawrence consented1 on condition that  
the child was not asked to read other   
than the pieces with which he was       
acquainted1 and cautioned his son by no 
means to attempt anything in which he   
was not perfect1 and particularly to    
avoid the address of ,satan4 ,in the    
evening young ,lawrence walked to the   
house with ,shakespeare and ,milton     
under his arm1 and went through his     
performances amid general applause4 ,he 
was then asked which was his favourite  

recitation in ,milton8 ,he replied that 
he preferred ',satan's ,address to the  
,sun1' but that his father would not    
permit him to repeat it4 ,on this       
account1 and to ascertain whether the   
child merely performed parrot-fashion1  
the company were especially anxious to  
hear the forbidden reading4 ,young      
,lawrence's dutiful scruples1 however1  
were not overcome until all present had 
promised to intercede on his behalf and 
obtain for him his father's forgiveness4
 ,as he turned to the interdicted page a
 slip of paper fell from the book4 ,a   
gentleman picked it up and read         
aloud--',tom1 mind you don't touch      
,satan4' ,it was some time before the   
astonished boy could be induced to      
proceed2 yet he is said to have         
eventually dealt with the subject very  
creditably and discreetly4  ,they were  
strange people these ,lawrences1 and the
 ,black ,bear must have been a curious  
kind of inn4 ,miss ,burney was greatly  
surprised at hearing the sounds of      

singing and pianoforte-playing while she
 was beneath its roof4 ,it was only the 
,miss ,lawrences practising--but the    
inn-keepers' daughters of the last      
century were not generally possessed of 
such accomplishments4 ,then1 still very 
wonderful for an inn1 'the house1' says 
,miss ,burney1 'was full of books as    
well as paintings1 drawings1 and music1 
and all the family seem not only        
ingenious and industrious1 but amiable2 
added to which they are strikingly      
handsome4 ,i hope1' the lady concludes1 
'we may return the same road1 that we   
may see them again4'  ,as ,garrick said 
of him1 young ,lawrence's walk in life  
was at this time 'poised between the    
pencil and the stage4' ,to which did he 
incline8 ,would he be a player or a     
painter8 ,it was hard to say4 ,he had   
been taken to town on a visit to ,mr4   
,hugh ,boyd 7who at one time was        
supposed to be one of the authors of    
',junius'71 introduced to the great     
painters of the day1 and most kindly    

received by them4 ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds
 had pronounced him 'the most promising 
genius he had ever met with4' ,mr4      
,hoare had been so charmed with the     
boy's drawings1 that he proposed to send
 him to ,italy with his own son4 ,on the
 other hand1 he had been a frequent     
visitor in the green-room of the ,bath  
,theatre4 ,placed upon the table there1 
the centre of a group of amused actors1 
he would recite ',hamlet's ,advice to   
the ,players1' and other passages4 ,on  
one of these occasions1 ,henderson the  
tragedian was present1 and expressed    
warm approval of the child's efforts4   
,then1 in return for the civilities and 
compliments he received1 young ,lawrence
 would beg that he might take the       
portraits of his friends among the      
company4 ,we are told of his attempt to 
draw the face of ,edwin1 the comedian1  
who the while grimaced and distorted his
 features1 constantly shifting the      
expression of his countenance1 greatly  
to the bewilderment of the boy artist4  

,finally he stood silent and motionless1
 watching his model with a kind of      
despair1 until it became necessary to   
explain the joke that had been          
practised4 ,it should be said1 however1 
that stories are current in relation to 
similar jokes played by humourists upon 
other artists4  ,old ,lawrence had been 
compelled to abandon the ,black ,bear1  
and had retreated to ,bath with his     
family4 ',bath1' we are informed1 'was  
at that time ,london devoid of its mixed
 society and vulgarity4 ,it contained   
its selection of all that was noble1    
affluent1 or distinguished in the       
metropolis2 and amongst this circle our 
artist was now caressed4' ,it became a  
kind of fashion to sit to him for oval  
crayon likenesses at a guinea and a half
 apiece4 ,portraits from his pencil of  
,mrs4 ,siddons and ,admiral ,barrington 
were now engraved1 the artist being as  
yet only thirteen years of age4 ,his    
success as a portrait-painter seemed    
quite assured2 he was making money      

rapidly1 largely contributing to the    
support of his family4 ,yet he was not  
satisfied4 ,he was greatly tempted to   
try his fortune on the stage4 ,his view 
was1 that he could earn more1 and so    
could further assist his father by      
deserting the studio for the theatre4   
,possibly1 too1 the display and         
excitement and applause which pertain to
 the career of the successful           
player--and of course he thought he     
should succeed--were very alluring to   
the young gentleman4 ,he was now little 
more than sixteen4 ,he took counsel of a
 friendly actor1 ,mr4 ,john ,bernard1#bj
 and favoured him with a private        
recitation of the part of ,jaffier in   
the tragedy of ,venice ,preserved4 ,mr4 
,bernard1 it seems1 was not much        
impressed by this performance2 at least 
he did not detect sufficient dramatic   
ability in the young man to justify his 
proposed change of profession4 ,the     
actor1 however1 did not openly express  
his opinion on the subject1 but merely  

said he would bear the case in mind and 
speak to his manager1 ,mr4 ,palmer1 in  
regard to it4 ,meanwhile he disclosed   
what had passed to old ,lawrence4       
,acquainted by experience with the      
precariousness of an actor's fortunes1  
and appreciative also of the value of   
his son's talents as an artist1         
,lawrence entreated ,bernard to exert   
all his influence in dissuading the     
young man from his design4 ,it was      
determined at last to cure the          
stage-struck hero by means of a         
trick--to pre-arrange his failure1 in   
fact4 ,palmer1 the manager1 entered into
 the plan4 ,an appointment was made at  
,bernard's house1 in order that young   
,lawrence might have a private interview
 with the manager4 ,in an adjoining room
 were secreted his father and a party of
 friends4 ,bernard introduced the young 
man to ,palmer1 who presently desired a 
specimen of the aspirant's dramatic     
abilities1 and took his seat at the end 
of the room in the character of auditor 

and judge4 ,a scene from ,venice        
,preserved was selected1 and young      
,lawrence commenced a recitation4 ,for  
several lines he proceeded perfectly1   
but soon he became nervous1 confused--he
 stammered1 coughed1 and at last stopped
 outright4 ,bernard had the book in his 
hand1 but he would not prompt1 he       
withheld all assistance4 ,young         
,lawrence began again1 but his          
self-possession was gone--his failure   
was more decided and humiliating than   
before4 ,at this juncture his father    
abruptly entered the room1 crying out1  
',you play ,jaffier1 ,tom8 ,hang me if  
you're fit to appear as a               
supernumerary6'--or some such           
speech--and then young ,lawrence found  
that his mortification had not been     
without witnesses4  #bj ,the father of  
,mr4 ,bayle ,bernard the dramatist4  ,it
 was very trying to his vanity4 ,he had 
to listen to remonstrances and appeals  
of all kinds4 ,palmer1 the manager1     
assured him that he did not possess the 

advantages requisite for success on the 
stage4 ,bernard spoke with bitter       
truthfulness of the trials and sorrows  
of an actor's life4 ,other friends drew 
attention to the brilliant prospect open
 to the successful painter4 ,young      
,lawrence gave way at last4 ,the theatre
 may thus have lost an agreeable player1
 but1 thanks to the manoeuvre of old    
,lawrence1 ,bernard1 and ,palmer1 a     
famous portrait-painter was secured to  
the world of art4   ,,iv4  ,in #aghe he 
received a medal from the ,society of   
,arts for his crayon drawing of         
',raphael's ,transfiguration4' ,in      
#aghg1 being then seventeen1 he         
exhibited seven pictures at the ,royal  
,academy4 ,he painted his own portrait1 
and wrote concerning it to his mother1  
',to any but my own family ,i certainly 
should not say this2 but1 excepting ,sir
 ,joshua for the painting of the head1  
,i would risk my reputation with any    
painter in ,london4' ,the picture was   
broadly painted1 three-quarter size1    

with a ,rembrandtish effect1 as ,sir    
,joshua detected when the canvas was    
shown to him4 ',you have been looking at
 the old masters2 take my advice and    
study nature4' ,he dismissed the young  
artist with marked kindness1 however4   
,in #aghi1 ,martin ,archer ,shee        
described him as 'a genteel1 handsome   
young man1 effeminate in his manner2'   
adding1 'he is wonderfully laborious1   
and has the most uncommon patience and  
perseverance4' ,about this time he      
painted the ,princess ,amelia1 and ,miss
 ,farren1 the actress1 afterwards       
,countess of ,derby1 'in a white satin  
cloak and muff2' and full-length        
portraits of the ,king and ,queen1 to be
 taken out by ,lord ,macaulay as        
presents to the ,emperor of ,china4 ,in 
#agia he was1 at the express desire1 it 
was said1 of the ,king and ,queen1 after
 one defeat1 admitted an associate of   
the ,royal ,academy by a suspension of  
the law prohibiting the admission of an 
associate under the age of twenty-four4 

,he was opposed by many of the          
academicians1 and bitterly attacked by  
,peter ,pindar4  ,dr4 ,wolcot was       
especially angry at the alleged         
interference of royalty in the election4
 ,in his satiric poem ,the ,rights of   
,kings1 he expostulates ironically with 
certain academicians who ventured to    
oppose the nominee of the ,court3--     
',how1 sirs1 on majesty's proud corns to
 tread6     ,messieurs ,,academicians1  
when you're dead1       ,where can your 
impudences hope to go8      ',refuse a  
monarch's mighty orders6     ,it smells 
of treason--on rebellion borders6       
',s death1 sirs6 it was the ,queen's    
fond wish as well1        ,that ,master 
,,lawrence should come in6     ,against 
a queen so gentle to rebel6        ,this
 is another crying sin6             99  
99       99       99       99           
',behold1 his majesty is in a passion1  
,tremble1 ye rogues1 and tremble all the
 nation6     ,suppose he takes it in    
his1 royal head     ,to strike your     

academic idol dead--     ,knock down    
your house1 dissolve you in his ire1    
,and strip you of your boasted          
title--,,squire4#ba             99      
99       99       99       99      ',go1
 sirs1 with halters round your wretched 
necks1     ,which some contrition for   
your crime bespeaks1       ,and         
much-offended majesty implore3     ,say1
 piteous1 kneeling in the royal view1   
,have pity on a sad abandoned crew1     
,and we1 great king1 will sin no more2  
,forgive1 dread sir1 the crying sin1    
,and ,mister ,,lawrence shall come in6' 
#ba ,the diplomas of the ,academicians  
constituted them ,,esquires4 ,in the    
last century this designation was       
conferred and employed by society with  
more scrupulousness than obtains at     
present4  ,the academicians had1 it     
seems1 in the first instance1 elected   
,,francis ,,wheatley1 painter of rural  
and domestic subjects1 in preference to 
,lawrence4 ,there had been then sixteen 
votes for ,wheatley1 and but three for  

,lawrence4      ',yet opposition1       
fraught to royal wishes1        ,quite  
counter to a gracious king's commands1  
,behold the ,,academicians1 those       
strange fishes1        ,for ,,wheatley  
lifted their unhallowed hands4     ,so  
then1 these fellows have not leave to   
crawl1     ,to play the spaniel lick the
 foot and fawn4'                        
,etc4 etc4 etc4  ,in #agib1 he attended 
the funeral of ,sir ,joshua in ,st4     
,paul's ,cathedral1 when ,mr4 ,burke    
attempted to thank the members of the   
,academy for the respect shown to the   
remains of their president1 but1        
overcome by his emotions1 was unable to 
utter a word4 ,in #agie1 ,mr4 ,lawrence 
was elected a full member of the        
,academy1 having previously succeeded   
,sir ,joshua as painter in ordinary to  
the ,king--,benjamin ,west being elected
 to the presidential chair4  ',sir      
,joshua1' writes ,northcote in his ,life
 of ,reynolds1 'expected the appointment
 of painter in ordinary would be offered

 to him on the death of ,ramsay1 and    
expressed his disapprobation with regard
 to soliciting it2 but he was informed  
that it was a necessary point of        
etiquette with which he complied1 and   
seems to have pleased ,johnson by so    
doing4'  ,burke1 reforming the ,king's  
household expenses1 had reduced the     
salary of ,king's painter from ,l#bjj to
 ,l#ej per annum4 ,but the office was   
nevertheless a valuable source of       
emolument1 derived in great part from   
the number of ,state portraits of the   
sovereign1 required1 by usage1 for the  
adornment of certain official           
residences1 and the duty and profit of  
executing which devolved1 as of right1  
on the painter in ordinary4 ,thus the   
mansion of every ambassador of the      
crown1 in the capital of the foreign    
court to which he was accredited1       
exhibited in its reception rooms        
whole-length portraits of the ,king and 
,queen of ,england4 ,and these works    
were not fixtures in the official       

residence1 but were considered as gifts 
from the sovereign to the individual    
ambassador1 and remained his            
property--his perquisites on the        
cessation of his diplomatic functions4  
,each new appointment among the corps   
diplomatique1 therefore1 brought grist  
to the mill of the painter in ordinary  
in the shape of a new commission for a  
royal whole-length1 usually a replica of
 a previous work1 but to be charged and 
paid for according to the artist's usual
 scale of prices for original pictures4 
,when ,reynolds1 late in his career1    
accepted the appointment1 its pecuniary 
advantages were a matter of indifference
 to him1 or he did not care to be for   
ever reduplicating or reproducing the   
'counterfeit presentment' of the        
sovereign1 and a fashion sprung up of   
compensating the ambassador with a fixed
 sum of money1 the estimated market     
value of the royal portrait2 his        
excellency not being in the least       
unwilling to accept the specie in lieu  

of the picture4 ,but ,lawrence did not  
find it expedient to follow ,sir        
,joshua's example4 ,he claimed a right  
to execute the portraits1 however       
numerous1 of the sovereign1 let the     
diplomatists be ever so willing to take 
money instead4 ,this claim was admitted1
 and he reaped large profits            
accordingly4#bb  #bb ,see ,life of ,sir 
,m4,a4 ,shee1 vol4 i4 p4 #dda4  ,add to 
his unquestionable art-abilities1 that  
he was courtly in manner1 an            
accomplished fencer and dancer1 with a  
graceful figure and a handsome face2    
that he possessed an exquisitely        
modulated voice2 and large1 lustrous    
expressive eyes--the light in which     
seemed to be always kindling and        
brilliant4  ,george the ,fourth1 indeed1
 pronounced him 'the most finished      
gentleman in my dominions4' ,and then1  
though he had abandoned all thought of  
the stage as a means of obtaining       
profit1 there was nothing to prevent his
 distinguishing himself in back         

drawing-rooms as an unprofessional      
player4 ,he was certified by no less a  
person than ,sheridan to be 'the best   
amateur actor in the kingdom4' ,lawrence
 had greatly distinguished himself in   
that respect at a theatrical fete given 
by the ,marquis of ,abercorn in #ahjc4  
',shall ,i give you an account of it8'  
writes the painter to his sister4 ',it  
was projected by a woman of great       
cleverness and beauty--,lady ,caher4444 
,it was determined to do it in a quiet  
way1 and more as an odd experiment of   
the talents of the party than anything  
else2 but this and that friend would be 
offended2 and at last it swelled up to a
 perfect theatre 7in a room71 and a     
,london audience4 ,the ,prince1 the     
,duke and ,duchess of ,devonshire1 ,lord
 and ,lady ,melbourne1 their sons1 ,lord
 and ,lady ,essex1 ,lord and ,lady      
,amherst1 with a long et cetera1 and1   
amongst the rest1 ,sheridan1 were       
present4' ,the plays performed were ,the
 ,wedding ,day1 and ,who's the ,dupe8   

,lawrence represented ,lord ,rakeland in
 the one1 and ,grainger in the other4   
,the orchestra was behind the scenes4   
,lady ,harriet ,hamilton played the     
organ1 ,lady ,maria the piano2 ,lady    
,catherine the tambourine1 the          
,honourable ,mr4 ,lamb the violoncello2 
other instrumentalists were hired--'a   
most perfect orchestra--with admirable  
scenery1 and light as day4' ',the       
,prince then came in1 and of course the 
orchestra struck up ,god save the ,king4
 ,then a little terrifying bell         
rang--the curtain drew up--and ,the     
,wedding ,day began4 ,at first1 ,i will 
own to you1 ,sheridan's face1 the grave 
,duke of ,devonshire1 and two or three  
staunch critics1 made me feel           
unpleasantly3 for ,i opened the piece4  
,however1 this soon wore off2 our set   
played extremely well--like persons of  
good sense without extravagance or      
buffoonery1 and yet with sufficient     
spirit4 ,lady ,caher1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,madox1  
and ,g4 ,lamb were the most             

conspicuous--the first so beautiful that
 ,i felt love-making very easy4 ,a      
splendid supper closed the business4'   
,lawrence seems to have fancied that the
 propriety of his joining in the        
theatricals might be questioned4        
,although his father and mother had both
 been dead some years1 their admonitions
 in respect of his old love for the     
stage were still sounding in his ears4  
,so he writes with an air of apology to 
his sister--his senior by some          
years--',you know me too well1 dear     
,anne1 to believe that ,i should be of  
such a scheme under any but very        
flattering circumstances2 as it is1 ,i  
was right to join in it4 ,lord ,abercorn
 is an old ,jermyn ,street friend--a    
staunch and honourable one1 and         
particularly kind to me in real services
 and very flattering distinctions4      
,these all formed one strong reason for 
joining in the thing2 and another secret
 one was1 that whatever tends to        
heighten a character for general talent 

7when kept in prudent bounds7 is of use 
to that particular direction of it which
 forms the pursuit of life4 ,i have     
gained1 then1 and not lost by this 7to  
you7 singular step4 ,i am not going to  
be a performer in other families4 ,i    
stick to ,lord ,abercorn's3 and for the 
rest ,i pursue my profession as quietly 
and more steadily than ever4' ,certainly
 ,lawrence seemed a likely man to       
achieve successes1 both social and      
artistic4 ,and he did succeed           
unquestionably4  ,byron did not         
criticise leniently his contemporaries1 
but he records in his diary3 ',the same 
evening 7he is writing of the year      
#ahad7 ,i met ,lawrence the painter1 and
 heard one of ,lord ,grey's daughters   
play on the harp so modestly and        
ingenuously1 that she looked music4 ,i  
would rather have had my talk with      
,lawrence1 who talked delightfully1 and 
heard the girl1 than have had all the   
fame of ,moore and me put together4 ,the
 only pleasure of fame is1 that it paves

 the way to pleasure1 and the more      
intellectual the better for the pleasure
 and us too4'   ,v4  ,it is clear that  
,mr4 ,hoppner1 'portrait-painter to the 
,prince of ,wales1' had no mean opponent
 in ,mr4 ,lawrence1 'portrait-painter in
 ordinary to ,his ,majesty4'  ,for a    
time the rivalry was continued in a     
spirit of much moderation4 ,the painters
 were calm and forbearing1 and          
scrupulously courteous to each other4   
,lawrence was too gentle and polite ever
 to breathe a word against his          
antagonist1 if1 indeed1 he did not      
respect his talents too highly to       
disparage them4 ,perhaps he was         
conscious that victory would be his in  
the end2 as ,hoppner might also have a  
presentiment that he was to be defeated4
 ,he was of a quick temper2 was a       
husband and a father2 entirely dependent
 on his own exertions1 though he could  
earn five thousand a year easily when   
fully employed4 ,but certainly the      
innkeeper's son was stealing away his   

sitters3 even his good friends the      
,whigs4 ,he chafed under this4 ,he began
 to speak out4 ,he denounced ,lawrence's
 prudent abstinence from all political  
feeling as downright hypocrisy4 ,he     
thought it cowardice to side with       
neither faction1 and be ready and       
willing to paint the faces of both4 ,and
 then he commenced to talk              
disrespectfully of his rival's art4 ,he 
claimed for his own portraits greater   
purity of look and style4 ',the ladies  
of ,lawrence1' he said1 'show a gaudy   
dissoluteness of taste1 and sometimes   
trespass on moral as well as            
professional chastity4' ,this was       
purposed to be a terrible blow to       
,lawrence4 ,of course there was plenty  
of repetition of the remark1 and people 
laughed over it a good deal4 ,but in the
 end it injured ,hoppner rather than    
,lawrence4 ,the world began to wonder   
how it was that the painter to the      
purest court in ,europe should depict   
the demure and reputable ladies of ,st4 

,james's with such glittering eyes and  
carmine lips--a soupcon of wantonness in
 their glances1 and a rather needless   
undraping of their beautiful shoulders2 
while the painter to the ,prince was    
bestowing on the giddy angels of        
,carlton ,house a decency that was      
within a little of dull1 a simplicity   
that was almost sombreness1 a purity    
that was prudery6 ,the beauties of      
,george ,,iii4's court were not         
displeased to be pictorially credited   
with a levity they did not dare to live 
up or down to2 and the ladies of the    
,prince's court1 too honest to assume a 
virtue they had not1 now hastened to be 
represented by an artist who appeared so
 admirably to comprehend their          
allurements4 ,poor ,mr4 ,hoppner was    
deserted by the ,whig ladies2 he had    
only now the ,whig lords to paint3      
unless he took up with landscape art1   
for which he had decided talent1 as many
 of the backgrounds to his pictures     
demonstrate4 ,he grew peevish and       

irritable4 ,he took to abusing the old  
masters1 and cried out at the neglect of
 living men4 ,examining a modern work1  
he would say3 ',ay1 it's a noble        
picture1 but it has one damning         
defect--it's a thing of to-day4 ,prove  
it to be but two hundred years old1 and 
from the brush of a famous man1 and     
here's two thousand guineas for it4'    
,northcote tells of him3 ',i once went  
with him to the hustings1 to vote for   
,home ,tooke1 and when they asked me    
what ,i was1 ,i said1 ,a painter4 ,at   
this ,hoppner was very mad all the way  
home1 and said ,i should have called    
myself a portrait-painter4 ,i replied   
that the world had no time to trouble   
their heads about such distinctions4'   
,hoppner now produced but few pictures1 
and these met with small success4 ,he   
looked thin and haggard1 talked         
incoherently1 gave way to bitter        
repinings and despondency4 ,he resented 
and misinterpreted1 as has been shown1  
,lawrence's inquiries as to his health4 

,certainly there is every appearance of 
feeling in ,lawrence's letter1 where he 
writes to a friend1 ',you will be sorry 
to hear it4 ,my most powerful           
competitor1 he whom only to my friends  
,i have acknowledged as my rival1 is1 ,i
 fear1 sinking to the grave4 ,i mean1 of
 course1 ,hoppner4 ,he was always       
afflicted with bilious and liver        
complaints 7and to these must be greatly
 attributed the irritation of his mind71
 and now they have ended in a confirmed 
dropsy4 ,but though ,i think he cannot  
recover1 ,i do not wish that his last   
illness should be so reported by me4    
,you will believe that ,i can sincerely 
feel the loss of a brother-artist from  
whose works ,i have often gained        
instruction1 and who has gone by my side
 in the race these eighteen years4'     
,hoppner died on the #bc;d ,january     
#ahaj1 in the fifty-first year of his   
age4 ,to quote ,lawrence's letters      
again3 ',the death of ,hoppner leaves   
me1 it is true1 without a rival1 and    

this has been acknowledged to me by the 
ablest of my present competitors2 but ,i
 already find one small misfortune      
attending it--namely1 that ,i have no   
sharer in the watchful jealousy1 ,i will
 not say hatred1 that follows the       
situation4' ,a son of ,hoppner's was    
consul at ,venice1 and a friend of ,lord
 ,byron's in #ahai4  ',hoppner1' says   
,haydon1 'was a man of fine mind1 great 
nobleness of heart1 and an exquisite    
taste for music2 but he had not strength
 for originality4 ,he imitated          
,gainsborough for landscape1 and        
,reynolds for portraits4' ,he held      
,northcote1 ,sir ,joshua's pupil1       
however1 in great aversion4 ',i can     
fancy a man fond of his art who painted 
like ,reynolds1' ,hoppner would say2    
'but how a man can be fond of art who   
paints like that fellow ,northcote1     
,heaven only knows6' ,there was no love 
lost between them4 ',as to that poor    
man-milliner of a painter ,hoppner1'    
said ,northcote1 ',i hate him1 sir1 ,i  

ha-a-ate him6'  ,according to ,haydon1  
he was bilious from hard work at        
portraits and the harass of fashionable 
life4 ,and his post of portrait-painter 
to the ,prince had its trials4 ,the     
,carlton ,house porter had been ordered 
to get the railings fresh painted4 ,in  
his ignorance the man went to ,hoppner  
to request his attention to the matter4 
,wasn't he the ,prince's painter8       
,hoppner was furious6   ,,vi4  ,the     
factions of ,reynolds and ,romney lived 
again in the rivalry of ,hoppner and    
,lawrence4 ,the painters appeared to be 
well matched4 ,hoppner had the advantage
 of a start of ten years1 though this   
was nearly balanced by the very early   
age at which ,lawrence obtained many of 
his successes4 ,hoppner was also a      
handsome man1 of refined address and    
polished manner2 he1 too1 possessed     
great conversational powers1 while in   
the matter of wit and humour he was     
probably in advance of his antagonist4  
,he was well read--'one of the          

best-informed painters of his time1'    
,mr4 ,cunningham informs us--frank1     
out-spoken1 open-hearted1 gay1 and      
whimsical4 ,he had all the              
qualifications for a social success1 and
 was not without some of those          
',corinthian' characteristics which were
 indispensable to a man of fashion1 from
 the ,prince of ,wales's point of view4 
,with ,edrige1 the associate            
miniature-painter1 and two other        
artists1 he was once at a fair in the   
country where strong ale was abounding1 
and much fun1 and drollery1 and din4    
,hoppner turned to his friends4 ',you   
have always seen me1'he said1 'in good  
company1 and playing the courtier1 and  
taken me1 ,i daresay1 for a deuced      
well-bred fellow1 and genteel withal4   
,all a mistake4 ,i love low company1 and
 am a bit of a ready-made blackguard4'  
,he pulls up his collar1 twitches his   
neckcloth1 sets his hat awry1 and with a
 mad humorous look in his eyes1 is soon 
in the thickest of the crowd of rustic  

revellers4 ,he jests1 gambols1 dances1  
soon to quarrel and fight4 ,he roughly  
handles a brawny waggoner1 a practised  
boxer1 in a regular scientific set-to2  
gives his defeated antagonist half a    
guinea1 rearranges his toilet1 and      
retires with his friends amidst the     
cheers of the crowd4 ,it is quite a     
,tom-and-,jerry scene4 ,gentlemen       
delighted to fight coal-heavers in those
 days4 ,somehow we always hear of the   
gentlemen being victorious2 perhaps if  
the coal-heavers could tell the story1  
it would sometimes have a different     
denouement4 ,unfortunately for ,hoppner1
 he had to use his fingers1 not his     
fists1 against ,lawrence--to paint him  
down1 not fight him4  ,he was a skilful 
artist1 working with an eye to ,sir     
,joshua's manner1 and following him     
oftentimes into error1 as well as into  
truth and beauty4 ,ridiculing the loose 
touches of ,lawrence1 he was frequently 
as faulty1 without ever reaching the    
real fascination of his rival's style4  

,he had not the ,lawrence sense of      
expression and charm2 he could not give 
to his heads the vivacity and flutter1  
the brilliance and witchery1 of ,sir    
,thomas's portraits4 ,they both took up 
,reynolds's theory about it being 'a    
vulgar error to make things too like    
themselves1' as though it were a merit  
to paint untruthfully4 ,and painting    
people of fashion1 they had to          
paint--especially in their earlier      
days--strange fashions2 and an          
extravagant1 and fantastic1 and         
meretricious air clings as a consequence
 to many of their pictures2 for the     
,prince of ,wales had then a grand head 
of hair 7his own hair71 which he        
delighted to pomatum1 and powder1 and   
frizzle2 and1 of course1 the gentlemen  
of the day followed the mode2 and then  
the folds and folds of white muslin that
 swathed the chins and necks of the     
sitters2 and the coats1 with fanciful   
collars and lapels2 and the waistcoats1 
many-topped and many-hued1 winding about

 in tortuous lines4 ,it is not to be    
much marvelled at that such items of    
costume as ',cumberland corsets1'       
',petersham trousers1' ',brummel        
cravats1' ',osbaldistone ties1' and     
',exquisite crops1' should be only      
sketchily rendered in paint4 ,of course1
 ,mr4 ,opie1 who affected thorough ,john
 ,bullism in art1 who laid on his       
pigments steadily with a trowel1 and    
produced portraits of ladies like       
washerwomen1 and gentlemen liking       
,wapping publicans--of course1          
unsentimental1 unfashionable ,mr4 ,opie 
denounced the degeneracy of his         
competitor's style4 ',lawrence makes    
coxcombs of his sitters1 and they make a
 coxcomb of him4' ,still 'the quality'  
flocked to the studios of ,messrs4      
,hoppner and ,lawrence1 and the rival   
easels were long adorned with the most  
fashionable faces of the day4   ,,vii4  
,for twenty years ,lawrence reigned     
alone4 ,after the final defeat of       
,napoleon1 the artist was commissioned  

by the ,regent to attend the congress of
 sovereigns at ,aix-la-,chapelle1 and   
produce portraits of the principal      
persons engaged in the great war4 ,these
 ,european portraits--twenty-four in    
number--now decorate the ,waterloo ,hall
 at ,windsor4 ,in #ahae he was knighted 
by the ,regent2 in addition he was      
admitted to the ,academy of ,st4 ,luke  
in ,rome1 and became in #ahag a member  
of the ,american ,academy of the ,fine  
,arts1 an honour he repaid by painting  
and presenting to the ,academy a        
portrait of their countryman ,benjamin  
,west4 ,the ,academies of ,venice1      
,florence1 ,turin1 and ,vienna          
subsequently added his name to their    
roll of members1 while1 through the     
personal interposition of ,king         
,christian ,frederick1 he was presented 
with the diploma of the ,academy of     
,denmark4 ,he was nominated a ,chevalier
 of the ,legion of ,honour in ,france1  
,george ,,iv4 giving him permission to  
wear the cross of the order4 ,charles   

,x4 further presented the painter with a
 grand ,french clock nearly two feet    
high1 and a dessert service of ,sevres  
porcelain1 which ,sir ,thomas bequeathed
 to the ,royal ,academy4 ,from the      
,emperor of ,russia he received a superb
 diamond ring of great value2 from the  
,king of ,prussia a ring with his       
,majesty's initials1 ,f4,r41 in         
diamonds4 ,he also received splendid    
gifts from the foreign ministers        
assembled at ,aix-la-,chapelle1 and from
 the ,archduchess ,charles and ,princess
 ,metternich at ,vienna2 from the ,pope 
a ring and a colosseum in mosaic with   
his ,holiness's arms over the centre of 
the frame2 from the ,cardinal ,gonsalvi1
 besides other presents1 a gold watch1  
chain1 and seals of intaglios1 and many 
beautiful bon-bon boxes of valuable     
stones set in gold2 gold snuff-boxes1   
etc42 a breakfast set of porcelain from 
the ,dauphin in #ahbe1 with magnificent 
casts and valuable engravings from      
,canova at ,rome4 ,was ever painter so  

feted and glorified6 ,and then he had   
been1 on the death of ,west1 in #ahbj1  
elected to the presidentship of the     
,academy4 ',well1 well1' said ,fuseli1  
who growled at everything and everybody1
 but was yet a friend to ,lawrence1     
'since they must have a face-painter to 
reign over them1 let them take          
,lawrence2 he can at least paint eyes6' 
,in #ahbi1 he exhibited eight portraits2
 but his health was beginning to        
decline4 ,he died on the #gth ,june     
#ahcj4 ,he had been painting on the     
previous day another portrait of ,george
 ,,iv4 in his coronation-dress4  ',are  
you not tired of those eternal robes8   
asked some one4  ',no1' answered the    
painter2 ',i always find variety in     
them--the pictures are alike in outline1
 never in detail4 ,you would find the   
last the best4'  ,in the night he was   
taken alarmingly ill4 ,he was bled1 and 
then seemed better2 but the bandage     
slipped--he fell from his chair into the
 arms of his valet1 ,jean ,duts1 a      

,swiss4  ',this is fainting1' said the  
valet1 in alarm4  ',no1 ,jean1 my good  
fellow1' ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence politely
 corrected him1 'it is dying4' ,and he  
breathed his last4   ,,viii4  ,the      
obsequies of the departed ,president    
were of an imposing kind4 ,his remains  
were removed from his house in ,russell 
,square to ,somerset ,house4 ,there the 
body was received by the ,council and   
officers of the ,academy1 and deposited 
in the model-room1 which was hung with  
black cloth and lighted with wax candles
 in silver sconces4 ,at the head of the 
coffin was raised a large hatchment of  
the armorial bearings of the deceased2  
and the pall over the coffin bore       
escutcheons of his arms1 wrought in     
silk4 ,the members of the ,council and  
the family having retired1 the body lay 
in state--the old servant of the        
,president watching through the night   
the remains of his master4  ,the body   
was interred in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1
 in the ',painters' ,corner' of the     

south crypt1 near the coffins of the    
former ,presidents1 ,reynolds and ,west4
 ,the ,earl of ,aberdeen1 ,earl ,gower1 
,sir ,robert ,peel1 ,lord ,dover1 ,sir  
,george ,murray1 the ,right ,honourable 
,j4,w4 ,croker1 ,mr4 ,hart ,davis1 and  
,earl ,clanwilliam were pall-bearers4   
,etty1 who followed with the other      
academicians1 writes3 ',since the days  
of ,nelson there has not been so marked 
a funeral4 ,the only fine day we have   
had for a long time was that day4 ,when 
the melancholy pageant had entered the  
great western door1 and was half way up 
the body of the church1 the solemn sound
 of the organ and the anthem swelled on 
the ear1 and vibrated to every heart4   
,it was deeply touching4444 ,the organ  
echoed through the aisles4 ,the sinking 
sun shed his parting beams through the  
west window--and we left him alone4     
,hail1 and farewell6'  ,the produce of  
the sale by auction of his collection of
 art works and treasures1 etc41 was     
between fifteen and sixteen thousand    

pounds4 ,the estate of the dead man was 
only just equal to the demands upon it1 
however4 ,his popularity ought to have  
brought him wealth1 but1 strange to say1
 he was always embarrassed4 ,yet he did 
not gamble1 was never dissipated1 never 
viciously extravagant2 but he kept no   
accounts1 was prodigal in kindness to   
his brother-artists1 and in responding  
to the many appeals to his charity4     
,perhaps1 too1 he rather affected an    
aristocratic indifference to money4 ,he 
spent much time in gratuitous drawing   
and painting for presents to his        
friends4 ,it is probable that his death 
was hastened by his incessant work1 to  
meet the demands made upon him for      
money4 ,washington ,irving saw him a few
 days before his death1 and relates that
 'he seemed uneasy and restless1 his    
eyes were wandering1 he was as pale as  
marble1 the stamp of death seemed on    
him4 ,he told me he felt ill1 but he    
wished to bear himself up4' ,in one of  
his letters the painter wrote3 ',i am   

chained to the oar1 but painting was    
never less inviting to me--business     
never more oppressive to me than at this
 moment4' ,still he could play his      
courtier part in society1 and was always
 graceful and winning4 ,haydon1 who     
never loved a portrait-painter much1 yet
 says of ,lawrence1 that he was         
'amiable1 kind1 generous1 and           
forgiving4' ,further on he adds3 ',he   
had smiled so often and so long1 that at
 last his smile had the appearance of   
being set in enamel4' ,but then1 ,mr4   
,haydon prided himself on his           
coarseness1 defiance1 and hatred of     
conventionality1 deeming these fitting  
attributes of the high artist4  ,it is  
only as a portrait-painter that ,sir    
,thomas can now be esteemed2 and1 as a  
portrait-painter1 his reputation has    
much declined of late years4 ,his       
drawing was often very incorrect1 and   
his execution slovenly4 ,his colour was 
hectic and gaudy2 and in composition he 
possessed little skill4 ,he was a master

 of expression1 however4 ,his heads are 
wonderfully animated1 and he invested   
his sitters with an air of high life    
peculiar to himself4 ,conscious and a   
little affected they might be1 but      
certainly1 through his art1 they        
proclaimed themselves people of quality 
and distinction4 ,his attempts in       
another line of art were few and not    
successful4 ,his ',homer reciting his   
,poems' was chiefly remarkable for its  
resemblance to ,mr4 ,westall's manner1  
and for containing a well-drawn figure  
of ,jackson the pugilist4 ,of his       
',satan calling up the ,legions1'       
,anthony ,pasquin cruelly wrote1 that   
'it conveyed an idea of a mad ,german   
sugar-baker dancing naked in a          
conflagration of his own treacle4' ,over
 an attempt at a ,prospero and ,miranda1
 he subsequently painted on the same    
canvas a portrait of ,kemble as ,rolla4 
,and was he a male coquette8 ',no1'     
answers a lady --and it is a question   
that requires a lady's answer--'he had  

no plan of conquest4444 ,but it cannot  
be too strongly stated that his manners 
were likely to mislead without his      
intending it4 ,he could not write a     
common answer to a dinner invitation    
without its assuming the tone of a      
billet-doux4 ,the very commonest        
conversation was held in that soft low  
whisper1 and with that tone of deference
 and interest which are so unusual1 and 
so calculated to please4 ,i am myself   
persuaded that he never intentionally   
gave pain4'  ,perhaps he was not capable
 of very deep feeling1 and liked to test
 the effects of his fine eyes4 ,he wooed
 the two daughters of ,mrs4 ,siddons1   
never being quite clear in his own mind 
which he really loved4 ,he tired of the 
one and was dismissed by the other1 or  
so rumour told the story2 however1 his  
friendly relations with the family do   
not appear to have ceased4 ,one of the  
sisters died4 ',from the day of her     
death to that of his own1' writes a     
biographer1 'he wore mourning1 and      

always used black sealing-wax4          
,uncontrollable fits of melancholy came 
over him1 and he mentioned not her name 
but to his most confidential friend1 and
 then always with tenderness and        
respect4' ,it would have been more      
desirable1 perhaps1 that he should have 
exhibited a little more feeling during  
the lifetime of the lady2 but perhaps   
marriage was not in the programme of    
,hoppner's courtly rival1 of the painter
 'that began where ,reynolds left off1' 
as the sinking ,sir ,joshua is reported 
to have declared of him1 rather too     
flatteringly4   ,,ix4  ,haydon notes in 
his diary1 under date #beth ,may #ahcb1 
',i passed ,lawrence's house 7,russell  
,square74 ,nothing could be more        
melancholy or desolate4 ,i knocked1 and 
was shown in4 ,the passages were dusty2 
the paper torn2 the parlours dark2 the  
painting-room1 where so much beauty had 
once glittered1 forlorn2 and the whole  
appearance desolate and wretched--the   
very plate on the door green with       

mildew4  ',i went into the parlour1     
which used to be instinct with life2    
,poor ,sir ,thomas2 always in trouble1  
said the woman who had the care of the  
house1 always something to worrit him4  
,i saw his bed-room--small --only a     
little bed--the mark of it was against  
the wall4 ,close to his bed-room was an 
immense room 7where was carried on his  
manufactory of draperies1 etc471        
divided1 yet open over the partitions4  
,it must have been five or six small    
rooms turned into one large workshop4   
,here his assistants worked4 ,his       
painting-room was a large back          
drawing-room2 his show-room a large     
front one4 ,he occupied a parlour and a 
bed-room2 all the rest of the house was 
turned to business4 ,any one would think
 that people of fashion would visit from
 remembrance the house where they had   
spent so many happy hours4 ,not they4   
,they shun a disagreeable sensation4    
,they have no feeling--no poetry4 ,it is
 shocking4 ,it is dirty6'  ,bitter ,mr4 

,haydon4 ,perhaps it was not that he    
loved ,lawrence more1 but that he loved 
his patrons less4 ,for the people of    
fashion who were caring so little about 
the dead ,lawrence1 cared not at all for
 the living ,haydon4     ,,the ,,pupil  
,,of ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence4   ,in   
,st4 ,james's ,street1 ,london1 on the  
#ajth ,june #aghg1 was born ,george     
,henry ,harlow4 ,his father1 an ,east   
,india merchant for a time ,resident at 
,canton1 had been dead about four       
months4 ,the widowed mother1 only       
twenty-seven1 and of remarkable personal
 attractions1 was fortunately left with 
an ample dower4 ,mourning her husband1  
she devoted herself to her              
children--five very young girls and the 
new-born son4 ,perhaps it was not       
unnatural that to the youngest child1   
born under such circumstances--the only 
boy--the largest share of her maternal  
affection and solicitude should be      
given4  ,he was first placed at the     
classical school of ,dr4 ,barrow in     

,soho ,square1 then under the tuition of
 ,dr4 ,roy in ,burlington ,street2 for  
some time he was at ,westminster4 ,in   
after-life1 in boastful moments1 he was 
pleased to speak grandly of his         
classical attainments2 of these1        
however1 he could never adduce any      
notable evidence4 ,it is probable that  
he was at no time a very eager student2 
he had tastes and ambitions not         
compatible with school-learning1 and an 
over-indulgent mother was little likely 
to rebuke his want of application1 or to
 desire that her darling's attention    
should be fixed upon his books in too   
earnest a manner4 ,certainly before he  
was sixteen he had left school1 and even
 then he had devoted much of his time to
 other than scholastic pursuits4  ,he   
was a smart1 clever boy1 with a lively  
taste for art1 a constant visitor at the
 picture-galleries1 already able to ply 
his pencil to some purpose2 yet bent1   
perhaps1 upon acquiring the manner and  
the trick of others rather than of      

arriving at a method of his own by a    
hard study of nature4 ,he almost        
preferred a painted to a real human     
being--a picture landscape to a view    
from a hill-top4 ,he was satisfied that 
things should come to him filtered      
through the canvases of his             
predecessors--content to see with their 
eyes4 ,he was apt to think painting was 
little higher than legerdemain1 was a   
conjurer's feat to be detected by       
constantly watching the performer1 was a
 secret that he might be told by others 
or might discover for himself by        
examining their works3 not a science    
open under certain conditions to all who
 will take the trouble to learn4 ,these 
were not very noble nor very healthy    
opinions to entertain upon the subject2 
but at least at the foundation of them  
was a certain fondness for art1 and     
there was without doubt promise in the  
performances of the young man4 ,of this 
,mrs4 ,harlow was speedily satisfied1   
and the friends she consulted confirmed 

her opinion4 ,it was determined that he 
should enter the studio of a painter4   
,not much care was exercised in the     
selection of a preceptor4 ,a ,dutch     
artist1 named ,henry ,de ,cort1 had     
settled in ,london2 he produced         
landscapes of a formal1 artificial      
pattern--compositions in which ,italian 
palaces and waterfalls and ruins        
appeared prominently1 formal in colour1 
neat in finish1 the animals and figures 
being added to the pictures by other    
,dutchmen4 ,there was rather a rage at  
one time for ,italian landscape seen    
through a ,dutch medium3 a fashion in   
favour of which there is little to be   
said4 ,it was not a very good school in 
which to place ,george ,henry ,harlow4  
,de ,cort was pretentious and           
conceited--worse1 he was dull4 ,the     
student loved art1 but he could not     
fancy such a professor as ,de ,cort4 ,he
 began to feel that he could learn      
nothing from such a master--that he was1
 indeed1 wasting his time4 ,he quitted  

,de ,cort1 and entered the studio of    
,mr4 ,drummond1 ,a4,r4,a4 ,he applied   
himself assiduously1 'with an ardour    
from which even amusements could not    
seduce him1' says a biographer4 ,for1   
alas6 young ,mr4 ,harlow was becoming as
 noted for his love of pleasure as for  
his love of his profession4 ,he remained
 a year with ,mr4 ,drummond1 and then   
commenced to sigh for a change4  ,there 
is a story that the beautiful ,georgiana
 ,duchess of ,devonshire interested     
herself in the studies of the young man1
 and that owing to her influence and    
interposition he was admitted into the  
studio of ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence in     
,greek ,street4 ,another account has it 
that ,mr4 ,harlow and his mother visited
 the various painters with the view of  
selecting one with whom the student     
would be content to remain until his    
period of pupilage was at an end1 and   
that he himself finally selected ,sir   
,thomas ,lawrence4 ,a premium of one    
hundred guineas was paid4 ,for this sum 

the student was to have free access to  
his master's house 'at nine o'clock in  
the morning1 with leave to copy his     
pictures till four o'clock in the       
afternoon1 but was to receive no        
instruction of any kind4' ,it was       
supposed1 apparently1 that the example  
of ,sir ,thomas was instruction enough4 
,but it is possible that ,lawrence1     
while1 with his innumerable engagements1
 he was unable to bestow much time upon 
a pupil1 was also1 like ,sir ,joshua1   
unable to communicate art instruction4  
,he knew very little of rules1 he was   
little imbued with academic             
prescriptions1 he painted rather from an
 instinctive love of beauty and from a  
purely natural quickness in observing   
expression4 ,harlow might have said of  
,lawrence as ,northcote said of         
,reynolds3 ',i learnt nothing from him  
while ,i was with him4' ,though it seems
 hard to say that a student could be    
long in the studio of either master and 
benefit in no way4  ,the friends of the 

late ,mr4 ,harlow were greatly          
distressed that his son should follow   
the unprofitable business of the ,fine  
,arts4 ,they hastened to rescue him from
 ruin1 as they believed4 ,they offered  
him a writership in ,india4 ,he declined
 their assistance4 ',i care not for     
riches1' he said2 'give me fame and     
glory6' ,they could not comprehend an   
ambition so absurd2 they thought the    
young man out of his senses1 and left   
him accordingly4 ,they were even angry  
with their friend's son that he would   
not permit them to tear him from the    
profession of his choice4  ,harlow was  
excitable1 impulsive1 enthusiastic4 ,he 
was well acquainted with his own        
ability2 indeed he was inclined to set  
almost too high a value upon it4 ,he    
could bear no restraint4 ,if ,lawrence  
had attempted to impart instruction to  
him1 he would probably have resisted it 
with all his might2 he was ill at ease  
under even the semblance of pupilage2 he
 declined to recognise his own          

inferiority2 he was angry with the      
position he occupied in the studio of   
,sir ,thomas4 ,it would seem to have    
been difficult to quarrel with one who  
was always so courtier-like in manner1  
so gentle and suave and forbearing as   
was ,lawrence4 ,but it is possible these
 very characteristics were matters of   
offence to ,harlow4 ,he could not give  
credit for ability to a man who was so  
calm and elegant and placid amidst all  
the entrancements of his profession4 ,he
 thought a great painter should         
gesticulate more1 should sacrifice the  
gentlemanly to the eccentric as he did1 
should be feverish and frothy and       
unconventional and absurd as he was4    
,and then he possessed a quick mimetic  
talent4 ,he had soon acquired great part
 of ,lawrence's manner4 ,people are     
always prone to think themselves equal  
to those they can imitate1 and he was   
far ahead of all the other young        
gentlemen who entered the studio2 indeed
 it may be said that no one has ever    

approached more closely to the peculiar 
style and character of ,lawrence's art  
than his pupil ,harlow4 ,the master     
admitted this himself--if not in words1 
at least in conduct4 ,he employed       
,harlow upon his portraits1 to paint    
replicas1 and even to prepare in dead   
colours the originals4 ,of course the   
painting of backgrounds and accessories 
was the customary occupation of the     
pupils4  ,for eighteen months ,harlow   
remained in the studio of ,sir ,thomas4 
,a portrait had been painted of ,mrs4   
,angerstein4 ,in this ,lawrence had     
introduced a ,newfoundland dog1 so      
skilfully represented as to excite the  
warmest admiration4 ,harlow1 perhaps1   
had had a share in the painting of this 
dog1 and he loudly claimed credit for   
it4 ,he is said even to have intruded   
himself upon the ,angerstein family1 and
 to have represented to them how greatly
 the success of the picture was due to  
his exertions4 ,of course this conduct  
on the part of a pupil amounted to flat 

mutiny4 ,sir ,thomas informed of it1    
sought out his pupil1 and said to him3  
',you must leave my house immediately4  
,the animal you claim is among the best 
things ,i ever painted4 ,of course you  
have no need of further instruction from
 me4' ,harlow withdrew abruptly4 ,in a  
day or two afterwards he was heard of1  
living magnificently1 at the ,queen's   
,head1 a small roadside inn on the left 
hand as you leave ,epsom for ,ashstead4 
,when the host approached with the      
reckoning1 it was found that the painter
 was without the means of liquidating   
it4 ,it was agreed that the account     
should be paid by his executing a new   
sign-board4 ,he painted both sides3 on  
one a full-face view of ,queen          
,charlotte1 a dashing caricature of ,sir
 ,thomas's manner2 on the other a back  
view of the ,queen's head1 as though she
 were looking into the sign-board1 while
 underneath was inscribed ',t4,l41      
,greek ,street1 ,soho4' ,sir ,thomas1   
informed of this eccentric proceeding1  

said to ,harlow3--  ',i have seen your  
additional act of perfidy at ,epsom1 and
 if you were not a scoundrel ,i would   
kick you from one end of the street to  
the other4'  ',there is some privilege  
in being a scoundrel1 then1' answers the
 pupil1 'for the street is very long4'  
,so we read of the quarrel of ,lawrence 
and ,harlow1 one of those stories so    
easy to relate and so difficult to      
disprove4 ,but there are incoherencies  
about it4 ,the portrait of ,mrs4        
,angerstein was exhibited at the ,royal 
,academy in the year #ahjj1 some years  
before ,harlow had become a pupil of    
,lawrence's4 ,the speech about the      
kicking is a very unlikely one to have  
proceeded from ,lawrence1 while it is   
still more unlikely that ,harlow would  
have received it so quietly4 ,had such  
language passed between them it is      
hardly possible they could have been on 
the footing of anything like friendship 
afterwards1 yet we find ,lawrence       
assisting ,harlow in his picture of the 

,kemble family in quite an intimate way4
 ,certainly there was a quarrel1 and    
,harlow quitted ,sir ,thomas4 ,a living 
writer says1 in reference to the        
sign-board story3--       ',i remember  
to have seen it as early as #ahae4 ,some
 twenty years      after1 missing this  
peculiar sign from the suspensory iron  
7where a      written board had been    
substituted71 ,i made inquiry at the inn
 as      to the fate of ,harlow's       
,queen's ,head1 but could not learn     
anything      of its whereabouts4'  ,it 
is not probable that ,lawrence was      
disposed to condemn this more severely1 
than as one of those artistic freaks    
which clever caricaturing students are  
every day indulging in4  ,thenceforth   
,harlow determined to set up as a       
painter on his own account4 ,he would be
 a student no longer4 ,he refused to    
avail himself of the advantages offered 
by the ,academy--he would not draw      
there--would not enrol himself as a     
student4 ,he would toil no more in the  

studios of others--he was now a         
full-blown artist himself4 ,so he       
argued4 ',naturally vain4' writes ,j4,t4
 ,smith1 one of his biographers1 'he    
became ridiculously foppish1 and by     
dressing to the extreme of fashion was  
often the laughing-stock of his brother 
artists1 particularly when he wished to 
pass for a man of high rank1 whose      
costume he mimicked2 and that folly he  
would often venture upon without an     
income sufficient to pay one of his many
 tailors' bills4' ,he seemed bent upon  
exaggerating even the extravagances of  
fashion4 ,there is a story of his having
 been seen with such enormously long    
spurs that he was obliged to walk down  
stairs backwards to save himself from   
falling headlong4 ,he had a craving for 
notoriety4 ,if the public would not     
notice his works1 at least they should  
notice him4 ,somehow he would be singled
 out from the crowd4 ,people should ask 
who he was1 no matter whether censure or
 applause was to follow the inquiry4 ,so

 he dressed with wild magnificence and  
swaggered along the streets and laughed 
loudly and talked with an audacious     
freedom that was often the cause of his 
expulsion from respectable company4 ,a  
glass or two of wine seemed quite to    
turn his brain2 he was alert then for   
any frivolity1 and he was not always    
content with so restricted a libation1  
when the consequences were even more to 
be deplored4  ,he now offered himself as
 a candidate for ,academic honours4 ,he 
was not a likely man to succeed1 yet he 
did all he could to conciliate the more 
influential ,academicians1 and certainly
 he had merits that entitled him fairly 
to look for the distinction4 ,he painted
 a portrait of ,northcote1 said to be   
the best that had ever been taken of the
 veteran artist1 and the number of      
portraits of him was very great4 ,he    
also painted ,stothard and ,nollekens1  
and the well-known and admirable        
portrait of ,fuseli4 ,with this he took 
extraordinary pains1 had numerous       

sittings1 and was two whole days engaged
 upon the right hand only--a long time  
according to the art-opinion of his day1
 when it was the fashion to finish a    
portrait in a very dashing style of     
execution1 after one sitting1 and in a  
few hours' time4 ,mr4 ,leslie allowed   
,harlow's portrait of ,fuseli to be the 
best4 ',but1' he said1 'it would have   
required a ,reynolds to do justice to   
the fine intelligence of his head4 ,his 
keen eye of the most transparent blue ,i
 shall never forget4' ,but the ,academy 
would not think favourably of ,harlow4  
,in later days ,northcote sturdily      
declaimed3 ',the ,academy is not an     
institution for the suppression of ,vice
 but for the encouragement of the ,fine 
,arts4 ,the dragging morality into      
everything in season and out of season1 
is only giving a handle to hypocrisy1   
and turning virtue into a byword for    
impertinence4' ,there was only one      
,academician who could be found to give 
a vote for ,harlow4 ,this was1 of       

course1 ,fuseli4 ,he was accused of it1 
and vindicated himself--',i voted for   
the talent1 not for the man6' ,he was   
seeking to estimate the fitness of the  
claimant for art-honours1 by means of   
perhaps the fairest criterion4 ,the     
,academy tested on a different plan4 ,it
 was hard to say that ,harlow's moral   
character rendered him unfit to         
associate with the painters of his day2 
yet such was the effect of the decision 
of the ,academy4  ,of course he was     
cruelly mortified1 deeply incensed2 of  
course he swore in his wrath that he    
would wreak a terrible vengeance upon   
his enemies4 ,but what could he do8 ,he 
could privately abuse the academicians  
corporately and severally wherever he   
went2 and publicly he would paint them  
down4 ,he would demonstrate their       
imbecility and his own greatness by his 
works4 ,he took to large historical     
paintings--',bolingbroke's ,entry into  
,london' and ',the ,quarrel between     
,queen ,elizabeth and the ,earl of      

,essex4' ,unfortunately the merits of   
these achievements were not sufficient  
to carry dismay into the hearts of his  
oppressors4 ,and what was even worse1 no
 purchaser came for these ambitious     
works4 ,he was driven to portrait       
painting again4 ,he was dexterous in    
delineating character1 was rapid in     
execution1 had a respectable            
appreciation of colour4 ,his first      
exhibited portrait was one of his       
mother2 she lived to see him1 in a great
 measure1 successful1 and died when he  
was twenty-two years old4 ,a deep       
affection seems to have subsisted       
between the mother and the son4 ,he was 
greatly moved at her death1 and always  
mentioned her name with tenderness4 ,he 
had soon no lack of sitters4 ,he was    
recognised as being1 in a certain style 
of portraiture1 second to ,lawrence     
only4 ,and he next achieved a           
considerable success in a higher order  
of art4 ,his ',arthur and ,hubert' was  
highly applauded by the public4 ,it was 

painted for ,mr4 ,leader1 at the price  
of one hundred guineas4 ,the patron1    
however1 was less pleased with the      
vigour and glow of colour of the work   
than were the critics1 and was not sorry
 to exchange the picture for portraits  
of his children4 ,this was sufficiently 
galling to the painter's pride1 but he  
was not rich enough to resent such      
conduct4 ,he could not afford to close  
all dealing with his patron1 as he would
 greatly have preferred to do4  ,the    
next picture--and the one by which of   
all his works he is the most popularly  
known--was that combination of          
historical art and portraiture known as 
the ',trial of ,queen ,katherine4' ,the 
work was commissioned by ,mr4 ,welsh the
 professor of music4 ,it was commenced  
during the progress of the artist's     
portrait of ,fuseli1 who1 examining the 
first drawing of the picture1 said3--',i
 do not disapprove of the general       
arrangement of your work1 and ,i see you
 will give it a powerful effect of light

 and shade4 ,but you have here a        
composition of more than twenty figures1
 or1 ,i should rather say1 parts of     
figures1 because you have not shown one 
leg or foot1 which makes it very        
defective4 ,if you do not know how to   
draw feet and legs1 ,i will show you4'  
,and with a crayon he made drawings on  
the wainscot of the room4  ,however     
inclined ,harlow may have been to       
neglect counsel1 given in rather an     
imperious tone1 he did not hesitate to  
profit by ,fuseli's comments1 and       
accordingly he re-arranged the grouping 
in the foreground of his picture4 ,on a 
subsequent visit ,fuseli remarked the   
change3 ',so far you have done well1' he
 said1 'but now you have not introduced 
a back-figure to throw the eye of the   
spectator into the picture4' ,and he    
then proceeded to point out by what     
means this might be managed4            
,accordingly1 we learn1 ,harlow         
introduced the two boys who are taking  
up the cushion2 the one with his back   

turned is altogether due to ,fuseli1 and
 is1 no doubt1 the best drawn figure in 
the whole picture4  ,fuseli was         
afterwards desirous that the drawing of 
the arms of the principal object--,queen
 ,katherine--should be amended1 but this
 it seems was not accomplished4 ',after 
having witnessed many ineffectual       
attempts of the painter to accomplish   
this1 ,i remarked1 ,it is a pity that   
you never attended the antique academy4'
 ,it was only ,fuseli who would have    
presumed to address such an observation 
to ,harlow2 while it was only from      
,fuseli that it would have been received
 with even the commonest patience4  ,the
 ,kemble family are represented in this 
picture2 and it is probable that the    
painter was more anxious for the        
correctness of their portraits1 and an  
accurate representation of the scene1 as
 it was enacted at ,covent ,garden      
,theatre1 than for any of the higher    
characteristics of historical art4 ,mrs4
 ,siddons is the ,katherine2 ,john      

,kemble is ,wolsey2 ,charles ,kemble1   
,cromwell2 while ,stephen ,kemble1 who  
was reputed to be fat enough to appear  
as ,falstaff1 'without stuffing1' here  
represents the ,king4 ,these are all    
admirable portraits of a strikingly     
handsome family1 firmly and grandly     
painted1 and full of expression4        
,perhaps the best of all is ,mrs4       
,siddons'1 and the next ,charles        
,kemble's4 ,the whole picture is a      
highly commendable work of art1 and     
enjoyed during many years an            
extraordinary popularity4  ,it was with 
,john ,kemble1 however1 that the artist 
had his greatest difficulty1 and it was 
here that ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence        
rendered assistance to ,harlow4 ,kemble 
steadily refused to sit1 and great was  
the distress of the painter4 ,at last   
,sir ,thomas advised his pupil to go to 
the front row of the pit of the theatre 
7there were no stalls in those days1 it 
should be remembered71 four or five     
times successively1 and sketch the great

 actor's countenance1 and thus make out 
such a likeness as he could introduce   
into the painting4 ,this expedient was  
adopted1 and not only was a very good   
likeness secured1 but the artist was    
successful in obtaining the expression  
of the ,cardinal at the exact point of  
his surprise and anger at the defiance  
of the ,queen4 ,had ,mr4 ,kemble sat for
 his portrait1 ,harlow would probably   
have experienced the difficulty         
,northcote complained of3--  ',when     
,kemble sat to me for ,richard ,,iii41  
meeting the children1 he lent me no     
assistance whatever in the expression ,i
 wished to give1 but remained quite     
immoveable1 as if he were sitting for an
 ordinary portrait4 ,as ,boaden said1   
this was his way4 ,he never put himself 
to any exertion except in his           
professional character4 ,if any one     
wanted to know his idea of a part1 or of
 a particular passage1 his reply always 
was1 ,you must come and see me do it4'  
,harlow had much of that talent for     

painting eyes which was so lauded in the
 case of his master ,lawrence4 ,a critic
 has described the eyes in certain of   
,lawrence's portraits as 'starting from 
their spheres4' ,the opinion is rather  
more extravagant than complimentary1 or 
true4 ,there is a winning sparkle about 
them which may occasionally be carried  
to excess1 but1 as a rule1 they are     
singularly life-like4  ,sir ,joshua had 
laid it down as a fixed principle that1 
to create the beautiful1 the eyes ought 
always to be in mezzotint4 ,to this rule
 ,sir ,thomas did not adhere very       
rigorously1 and indeed1 by a departure  
from it1 frequently arrived at the      
effect he contemplated4  ,ambitious at  
one time of exhibiting his learning1    
,harlow thought proper to express       
surprise at a scholar like ,fuseli      
permitting the engravers to place       
translations under his classical        
subjects4  ',educated at ,westminster   
school1' he said1 rather affectedly1 ',i
 should prefer to see the quotations    

given in the original language2' and he 
was rash enough to instance the print   
from the death of ,o,edipus1 as a case  
in point4 ,the unfortunate part of this 
was1 that1 on the plate in question1 the
 passage was really engraved in ,greek  
characters under the mezzotint4 ,fuseli 
heard of this criticism3 ',i will soon  
bring his knowledge to the test1' he    
said4  ,on the next occasion of his     
sitting to ,harlow he wrote with chalk  
in large letters1 on the wainscot1 a    
passage from ,sophocles3 ',read that1'  
he said to ,harlow4 ,it soon became     
evident that ,mr4 ,harlow was quite     
unable to do this4 ,fuseli thought the  
occasion a worthy one for administering 
a rebuke4 ',that is the ,greek quotation
 inscribed under the ,o,edipus1 which   
you believed to be absent from the      
plate1 and a word of which you are      
unable to read4 ,you are a good         
portrait-painter2 in some ways you stand
 unrivalled4 ,don't then pretend to be  
what you are not1 and1 probably1 from   

your avocations1 never can be1--a       
scholar4'  ,mr4 ,fuseli was inclined to 
be censorious1 but possibly his severity
 was1 in a great measure1 deserved in   
the case of poor1 vain1 pretentious     
,harlow4  ,in ,june #ahah1 in his       
thirty-first year1 ,harlow set out for  
,italy1 bent on study and               
self-improvement4 ,an interesting and   
characteristic account of his life in   
,rome is contained in his letter dated  
the #bc;d ,november1 addressed to ,mr4  
,tomkisson1 the pianoforte-maker of     
,dean ,street1 ,soho1 who was in several
 ways connected with artists1 and       
interested in art4  ',the major part of 
my labours are now at an end1 having    
since my arrival made an entire copy of 
the ,transfiguration2 the next was a    
composition of my own1 of fifteen       
figures which created no small sensation
 here4 ,canova requested to have the    
picture at his house for a few days1    
which was accordingly sent1 and1 on the 
#ajth ,november1 upwards of five hundred

 persons saw it2 it was then removed to 
the academy of ,st4 ,luke's1 and        
publicly exhibited4 ,they unanimously   
elected me an ,academician1 and ,i have 
received the diploma4 ,there are many   
things which have made this election    
very honourable to me1 of which you     
shall hear in ,england4 ,you must       
understand that there are two degrees in
 our academy--one of merit1 the other of
 honour2 mine is of merit1 being one of 
the body of the academy4 ,the same night
 of my election the ,king of ,naples    
received his honorary degree 7being then
 in ,rome on a visit to the ,pope7 in   
common with all the other sovereigns of 
,europe1 and ,i am happy to find the    
,duke of ,wellington is one also4 ,west1
 ,fuseli1 ,lawrence1 ,flaxman1 and      
myself1 are the only ,british artists   
belonging to ,st4 ,luke's as            
academicians4 ,this institution is      
upwards of three hundred years standing4
 ,raffaelle1 the ,caracci1 ,poussin1    
,guido1 ,titian1 and every great master 

that we esteem1 were members4 ,i had the
 high gratification to see my name      
enrolled in the list of these           
illustrious characters4 ,now1 my dear   
friend1 as this fortunate affair has    
taken place1 ,i should wish it added to 
the print of ,katherine's ,trial3 you   
will perhaps have the kindness to call  
on ,mr4 ,cribb1 the publisher1 in       
,tavistock ,street1 ,covent ,garden1 and
 have it worded thus3 ,member of the    
,academy of ,st4 ,luke's at ,rome4'     
7,this1 of course1 was by way of        
reproach to the ,royal ,academy of      
,great ,britain47 ',i mention this as it
 is a grand plate1 and indeed ought to  
be added4 ,i expect to be in ,england by
 ,christmas-,day or near it4 ,i shall   
have an immensity to talk over4 ,i was  
much pleased with ,naples2 stayed ten   
days2 went over to ,portici2            
,herculaneum and ,pompeii1 and ascended 
,mount ,vesuvius3 this was a            
spectacle--the most awful and grand that
 ,i had ever witnessed--the fire        

bursting every two minutes1 and the     
noise with it like thunder3 red-hot     
ashes came tumbling down continually    
where ,i stood sketching1 many of which 
,i brought away1 and different pieces of
 the old lava which ,i hope to show you4
 ,the eruption took place a week or two 
after ,i left4 ,but ,pompeii exhibits   
now the most extraordinary remains of   
antiquity in the world2 a whole city    
laid open to view2 the habitations are  
unroofed1 but1 in other respects1 are   
quite perfect4 ,the house of ,sallust1  
the ,roman historian1 was particularly  
gratifying to me1 unaltered in every    
respect1 except the furniture 7which ,i 
believe is now in ,portici71 the same as
 it was eighteen hundred and fifty years
 ago when inhabited by him4 ,there are  
many shops2 in one the amphorae which   
held the wine are curious1 and marks of 
the cups they used upon the slabs are   
distinctly seen3 a milkshop with the    
sign of a goat is perfectly preserved   
with the vessels1 and also several other

 shops in the same perfect state4 ,rome 
has been a scene of the utmost gaiety   
lately1 during the stay of the ,king of 
,naples4 ,i was at three splendid balls 
given at the different palaces4 ,we were
 obliged to appear in court-dresses1 and
 the cardinals added very much to the   
richness and grandeur of the party4 ,the
 ladies looked peculiarly striking1 but 
they did not wear hoops as in the       
,english court4 ,we had ,french and     
,english dances1 etc41 and the fireworks
 surpassed all my expectations4 ,upon   
the whole1 the entertainments were very 
novel and very delightful4 ,i am to be  
presented to the ,pope either on the    
#b;d or #c;d of next month4 ,cardinal   
,gonsalvi will let me know when the day 
is fixed1 and ,i leave ,rome directly   
after2 perhaps the next day--a day that 
,i most sincerely dread--for ,i have    
become so attached to the place and the 
people that ,i expect a great struggle  
with myself4 ,i should be the most      
ungrateful of human beings if ,i did not

 acknowledge the endless favours they   
have bestowed on me4 ,it is the place of
 all others for an artist1 as he is sure
 to be highly appreciated if he has any 
talent2 and ,i shall speak of the       
country to the end of my days with the  
most fervent admiration4 ,the           
,transfiguration1 ,i think1 will make a 
stare in ,england6'  ,it was of this    
same copy of the ,transfiguration that  
,canova had spoken so applaudingly3     
',this1 sir1 seems rather the work of   
eighteen weeks than of eighteen days4'  
,he gave a picture of ',the             
,presentation of the ,cardinal's ,hat to
 ,wolsey in ,westminster ,abbey' to the 
,academy of ,st4 ,luke's at ,rome1 and  
his own portrait to the ,academy of     
,florence1 in acknowledgment of having  
been elected a member4 ,he embarked for 
,england in ,january #ahai4 ,lord       
,burghersh1 the ,english ambassador at  
,florence1 had paid him marked          
attentions4 ,lord ,liverpool gave       
instructions that the painter's packages

 should be passed at the ,custom ,house4
 ,he established himself in a house1    
,no4 #hc ,dean ,street1 ,soho4          
,everything seemed to promise to him a  
happy and prosperous future1 when       
suddenly he sickened with the disease1  
known popularly as the mumps4 ,he died  
on the #dth ,february #ahai1 and was    
buried under the altar of ,st4 ,james's 
,church1 ,piccadilly4 ,in the churchyard
 had been buried1 a year or two         
previously1 an artist of less           
merit1--,james ,gillray1 the            
caricaturist4  ,it is not possible to   
lay great stress upon the early failings
 of ,harlow2 errors1 after all1 rather  
of manners than of morals4 ,had he      
lived1 it is likely that a successful   
career would have almost effaced the    
recollection of these1 while it would   
certainly have contradicted them as     
evidences of character4 ,as ,lawrence   
said of his dead pupil1 generously yet  
truthfully1 'he was the most promising  
of all our painters4' ,there was the    

material for a great artist in ,harlow4 
,he died too young for his fame1 and for
 his art4 ,a proof engraving of one of  
his best works 7a portrait of           
,northcote7 was brought to ,lawrence to 
touch upon3--  ',harlow had faults1' he 
said1 'but we must not remember the     
faults of one who so greatly improved   
himself in his art4 ,it shall never be  
said that the finest work from so great 
a man went into the world without such  
assistance as ,i can give4'     ,,turner
 ,,and ,,ruskin4   ,the difficulty the  
vulgar have experienced in comprehending
 that kings and queens1 and generally   
persons high in authority1 are simply   
men and women after all--their ordinary 
appearance1 dress1 manners1 and habits  
not greatly different from those of the 
rest of mankind--has been a frequent    
subject of remark and ridicule4 ,years  
back1 at the ,american theatres1        
spectators in the pit were often gravely
 asking each other1 whether the         
sovereign of ,england was really        

accustomed to appear in the ,london     
streets1 wearing a similar wonderful    
costume to that in which ,mr4 ,lucius   
,junius ,booth was then strutting and   
ranting as ,richard the ,third2 the fact
 of the ,drury ,lane copies of the      
dresses worn at the coronation of       
,george ,,iv4 having been taken to the  
other side of the ,atlantic1 and ,the   
,coronation performed at most of the    
chief cities1 supplying1 perhaps1 an    
apology for the reasoning which prompted
 the inquiry4 ,but the popular notion1  
that a monarch habitually walks about   
carrying on his head a jewelled crown of
 enormous value and weight1 finds a     
reflection in higher stages of culture  
and intelligence4 ,an analogous delusion
 is traceable amongst people occupying  
very reputable rounds upon the social   
ladder4 ,a state of confusion between a 
man and his office1 or his works1 is by 
no means confined to those whom it is   
the fashion to designate as 'the        
masses4' ,are we not continually meeting

 ladies and gentlemen1 of otherwise     
commendable intellectual endowments1    
bent upon bewildering themselves with   
the notion1 that the sentimental        
novelist is necessarily a creature of   
sentiment--that the comic actor1 out of 
his part and off his stage1 is still    
laughable and amusing--that the writer  
of poetry1 as a consequence1 lives      
poetry1 and the career of the painter is
 inevitably picturesque8  ,how mistaken 
is this kind of opinion we have hardly  
need to point out4 ,how prosaic may be a
 poet's life our readers will probably  
not care to question4 ,and if any doubt 
haloed the artist with an unreal        
interest and charm1 the biography of the
 late ,mr4 ,turner#bc will pretty well  
disperse anything of the kind4 ,a       
statement of the plain facts of the     
matter clears away all mirage of fancy  
and romance1 and1--as in cruelly        
restored pictures1 the beautiful glazing
 well scoured off1--we come then to the 
mere raw paint1 and coarse canvas1      

unattractiveness1 even ugliness4  #bc   
,in #ahfa was published ,the ,life of   
,j4,m4,w4 ,turner1 ,r4,a41 founded on   
letters and papers furnished by his     
friends and ,fellow ,academicians2 by   
,walter ,thornbury4 ,in a more recent   
work1 ,haunted ,london 7#ahfe71 ,mr4    
,thornbury has himself passed judgment  
upon his ,life of ,turner1 pronouncing  
it to be 'a careless book1 but still    
containing much curious1 authentic1 and 
original anecdote4'  ,in truth1 the     
sunshine pictures of ,turner were       
evolved from a life as dingy and        
uncomely as could well be4 ,it is       
difficult to conceive any               
correspondence1 any rapport between     
workmanship so exquisite1 and a workman 
in every way so unattractive1 so little 
estimable4 ,but just as from the small  
dusky insect in the hedges at night     
proceeds a phosphorescent flame of great
 power and beauty--just as from a       
miserable-looking1 coarse1 common flint 
are emitted sparks of superb            

brilliance1--so from the hands of this  
strange1 sordid1 shambling man came     
art-achievements almost without         
precedent in the history of painting4   
,joseph ,mallord ,william ,turner was   
born on the #bc;d ,april 7,st4 ,george's
 day7 #agge1 in a house 7recently pulled
 down and reconstructed7 opposite what  
used to be called the ,cider ,cellars in
 ,maiden ,lane1 ,covent ,garden4        
,through a narrow arched passage1 closed
 by an iron gate1 was formerly obtained1
 by a narrow door on the left-hand side1
 access to the small but respectable    
shop of ,william ,turner1 barber1 the   
father of the painter4 ,the trade could 
hardly have been an unprosperous one in 
those days of perukes and powder and    
pomatumed edifices of hair1 and when1   
moreover1 'the ,garden' was a not       
unfashionable locality4 ,the new-born   
was baptized on the #adth ,may          
following1 in the parish church of ,st4 
,paul's1 where also1 it may be said1 his
 father had been married 7by license7 to

 ,mary ,marshall1 also of the same      
parish1 on the #bith ,august #aggc4 ,the
 registers recording these important    
events are still extant4  ,the barber's 
position was plebeian1 though there are 
no indications of its having been one of
 poverty4 ,he came originally from      
,devonshire4 ,inquiry as to the descent 
of the artist's mother is balked by the 
widely differing stories that present   
themselves4 ,from one account we learn  
that she was a native of ,islington2    
from another that she came of a good    
,nottinghamshire family living at       
,shelford ,manor-house1 while yet we    
learn in another direction that her     
brother was a butcher at ,brentford4 ,we
 are involved in doubt at last as to    
whether1 after all1 her name was not    
,mallord rather than ,marshall1 and     
hence the second ,christian name of her 
son1 which else there seems no way of   
accounting for4 ,all this is obscure    
enough4 ,certainly1 in the latter part  
of her life1 the poor woman was insane  

and in confinement4 ,turner was         
uncommunicative upon most subjects2 but 
in regard to his mother and her family  
he preserved a reticence of unusual     
severity4  ,mr4 ,ruskin has amused      
himself with a fanciful contrast between
 the boyhood of ,giorgione at ,venice1  
and of ,turner in ,covent ,garden4      
,there is no reason to believe that any 
disadvantage accrued to ,turner from his
 somewhat uncheerful birthplace4 ,it is 
hardly the ,venetians who are the most  
alive to the beauties of ,venice4 ,but  
,mr4 ,ruskin is fond of mounting a      
richly-caparisoned charger of the       
imagination1 and caracoling round a     
crotchety circus2 and his feats in this 
respect are so elegantly and admirably  
fantastic1 that we almost forbear to    
smile1 out of deference to so perfect a 
non-perception of humour1 when we find  
him tracing the painter back to ,covent 
,garden ,market in all his paintings4   
,mr4 ,ruskin detects in the corners of  
,turner's foregrounds 'always a         

succulent cluster or two of             
green-grocery6' ,the artist's           
,hesperides gleam with ,covent ,garden  
oranges2 in his ,shipwrecks chests of   
them are flung upon the waters2 and in  
his ,st4 ,gothard a litter of stones    
reflects ,covent ,garden wreck after the
 market6 ,what wonder ,mr4 ,turner was  
tempted to exclaim now and then about   
his arch-critic--',he knows a great deal
 more about my pictures than ,i do4 ,he 
puts things into my head1 and points out
 meanings in them that ,i never         
intended4'  ,a silver salver1 engraved  
with heraldic devices1 seen at the house
 of ,mr4 ,tomkisson1 the famous         
piano-forte-maker1 is said to have first
 inspired the boy ,turner with a love   
for art4 ,he commenced to imitate the   
drawing of a certain rampant lion that  
especially took his fancy4 ,very soon   
after this the father announced that his
 son ,william was going to be a painter4
 ,the reader will note that the early   
ambitions of the boy were at once       

humoured4 ,there would seem to have been
 no attempt usual with poor parents     
anxious for the commercial success of a 
child1 to thrust the boy into a trade or
 employment which1 though distasteful1  
would have been profitable to him4 ,old 
,mr4 ,turner probably knew little enough
 of art1 and could have had but a poor  
opinion1 in a pecuniary sense1 of the   
profession to which his son was desirous
 of attaching himself4 ,but no obstacles
 were thrown in his path2 he was soon   
placed with ,mr4 ,thomas ,malton1 a     
perspective draughtsman1 who kept a     
school in ,longacre1 and was the son of 
the author of a practical book on       
,geometry and ,perspective4 ,certainly  
his poverty and low birth in no way     
hindered the painter2 had he been born  
to rank and wealth1 he could only have  
had his will3 and he had it without     
these4  ,the little education he ever   
received was obtained at a school at    
,brentford2 but he could never write or 
spell correctly4 ,it is probable that   

his passion for art absorbed his every  
thought4 ,not that he succeeded with his
 perspective studies1 however1 for ,mr4 
,malton brought the boy back to his     
father as a pupil quite beyond all hope4
 ,yet the real talent of the young      
painter was already developing itself4  
,some of his drawings exhibited in the  
,maiden ,lane shop found purchasers     
among his father's customers4 ,an       
engraver employed him to colour prints4 
,two or three architects engaged him to 
fill in skies and backgrounds to their  
plans4 ,soon he had entered the office  
of ,mr4 ,hardwick1 the architect1 who   
regularly employed him4  ,it is curious 
to learn that1 later in life1 ,turner1  
pointing admiringly to a green          
mezzotinto of a ,vandevelde--a large    
vessel bearing up against the           
waves--would exclaim1 ',that made me a  
painter6' ,yet he stood before the work 
of one of those ',van-somethings and    
,back-somethings1' who1 ,mr4 ,ruskin    
tells us1 have 'more especially and     

malignantly libelled the sea4' ',i feel 
utterly hopeless in addressing the      
admirers of these men1 because ,i do not
 know what it is in their works which is
 supposed to be like nature4' ,it seems 
that ,turner was more catholic in his   
tastes than his panegyrist4  ,in #aghi1 
following the advice of ,mr4 ,hardwick1 
,turner became a student of the ,royal  
,academy4 ,in the same year ,reynolds   
ceased to paint1 owing to the failure of
 his sight4 ,that ,turner1 who had been 
admitted to the ,president's studio to  
copy portraits1 was present when the    
great painter laid aside his brush with 
the solemn words1 ',i know all things on
 earth must come to an end1 and now ,i  
am come to mine1' is one of those       
suppositions in which biographers are   
prone to indulge1 but which few readers 
will be found to credit4 ,in these days 
,turner's drawing was in advance of his 
colour3 an order of things which was    
afterwards reversed4  ,in #agij he first
 exhibited at ,somerset ,house3 the     

picture being ',lambeth ,palace4' ,from 
that time1 down to #ahej inclusive1     
hardly a season being missed1 ,turner's 
name appears in the catalogues of the   
,academy4 ,in all1 two hundred and      
fifty-seven pictures by ,turner were    
hung on the walls of the ,academy       
exhibitions1 while nearly twenty more   
were to be seen at the ,british         
,institution4 ,he relinquished all idea 
of becoming a portrait-painter about the
 time of the death of ,reynolds4 ,his   
own portrait in the ,national ,gallery  
was painted when he was seventeen4 ,it  
is executed with skill1 although without
 any charm of colour4 ,it represents a  
young man of large heavy features1 but  
of a not unattractive appearance        
altogether4  ,upon a story of a love    
affair in the painter's early life1 we  
are inclined to lay no great stress4    
,there is no evidence that it affected  
his after-life1 or that any excuse can  
be found in it for the faults of his    
character4 ,speaking of his own love of 

money1 he would sometimes say           
apologetically1 ',dad never praised me  
for anything but saving a halfpenny4' ,a
 disappointment in love is more likely  
to make a man a profligate than a miser2
 if it affects him at all seriously1 it 
will more likely produce a reckless     
waste than a sordid passion for         
money-making4 ,the painter was          
prospering4 ,he taught in schools1 first
 charging five shillings a lesson1 then 
raising his terms to ten shillings1 next
 charging a guinea4 ,what system of     
painting did he teach1 this suspicious  
jealous man1 who always worked with     
locked doors--who would never permit    
another even to see him draw--who seemed
 to hold 7but it was a then prevalent   
belief with his profession7 that art was
 producible by some occult process--was 
a mystery and a secret1 like a          
conjurer's trick8 ,he founded his style 
very much on that of his friend and     
contemporary ,girtin1 the water-colour  
painter4 ,both delighted in a golden    

yellowness of tone which it is probable 
,girtin had originated4 ,turner's regard
 and reverence for him and his works    
seem to have been very great4 ,he always
 spoke kindly of him as 'poor ,tom6' ,of
 one of his drawings in the ,british    
,museum1 ,turner said1 ',i never in my  
whole life could make a drawing like    
that2 ,i would at any time have given   
one of my little fingers to have made   
such a one4' ,at another time he said1  
',if ,tom ,girtin had lived1 ,i should  
have starved6' ,girtin died in #ahjb2 in
 the same year ,turner was made a ,royal
 ,academician2 he had been two years    
before admitted to the honours of       
,associateship4 ,the influence of       
,girtin upon ,english art has hardly    
been sufficiently recognised4 ,mr4      
,ruskin has had too little to say on    
behalf of one to whom it is evident that
 ,turner owed very much4  ,turner's     
rapid advance in his profession may be  
traced in his frequent change of        
residence4 ,in #agif he had quitted his 

father's house in ,hand ,court1 to      
occupy rooms at ,no4 #bf ,maiden ,lane4 
,in #ahjj he was at ,no4 #fd ,harley    
,street4 ,the following year he had     
moved to ,no4 #ge ,norton ,street4 ,in  
#ahjd he was back again in ,harley      
,street4 ,in #ahjh he was ,professor of 
,perspective1 of ,harley ,street1 and of
 ,west ,end1 ,upper ,mall1 ,hammersmith4
 ,he moved to ,queen ,anne ,street in   
#ahab1 and that continued to be his     
address in the ,academy catalogues up to
 the time of his death4 ,but from the   
year #ahad to #ahbf he was also the     
tenant of a house at ,twickenham1 which 
he first called ',solus1' and afterwards
 ',sandycombe' ,lodge4 ,he died in      
,december #ahea1 at a small house near  
,cremorne ,gardens1 ,chelsea4 ,this he  
first tenanted probably about the year  
#ahde4  ,a few continental visits1 and  
tours in ,england1 ,scotland1 and       
,wales1 all undertaken apparently with  
professional objects1--incessant        
squabblings with his engravers1 the most

 wearisome haggling with                
picture-dealers1 genuine hard work1 and 
the production of very perfect specimens
 of landscape art1 and the outlines of  
,turner's life seem to be fairly        
sketched4 ,his passion for his          
profession was intense1 yet with it was 
the keenest love of its emoluments4 ,his
 industry was beyond all praise1 his    
energy indefatigable2 he seemed to live 
perpetually before his easel1 or with   
his sketch-book in his hands1 and yet he
 had a broker's view as to the worth of 
everything he did2 he appraised his     
every pencil-stroke1 with the full      
determination of having his price for   
it4 ,there is hardly a story of his ever
 giving away a drawing4 ,a lady1 in     
whose house he was residing1 playfully  
asked him to make a sketch of her       
favourite spaniel4 ',my dear madam1'    
said the painter1 astounded and         
indignant1 'you don't know what you     
ask6' ,he once gave three sketches to   
aid an amateur artist1 and most intimate

 friend and patron1 who had brought his 
painting into an embarrassed condition2 
the sketches showed him the way out of  
his difficulty4 ,undoubtedly this action
 was very kind2 but in the end the miser
 prevailed over the gentleman4 ,turner  
growlingly asked for his sketches back  
again6  ,the details of his life are not
 agreeable1 and not of much more        
interest than the outlines4 ,mr4 ,ruskin
 fixes the following as the main        
characteristics of ,turner--uprightness1
 generosity1 tenderness of heart        
7extreme71 sensuality1 obstinacy        
7extreme71 irritability1 infidelity4'   
,by the light of all these ',seven      
,lamps1' few people will have seen      
,turner besides ,mr4 ,ruskin4 ,of the   
last four characteristics the painter   
will be generally found guilty2 the     
first three remain as yet1 at best1 not 
proven4 ,we are not tempted1 just now1  
to account highly the uprightness of a  
man who could1 and did1 defraud the     
public by the sale of 'sham proofs' of  

the engravings of his pictures--of the  
generosity which made provision for his 
own memorial in stone in ,st4 ,paul's1  
yet left without bread his surviving    
'housekeepers' and natural children--of 
the tenderness of heart which permitted 
that his father1 moved from the shop1   
should play a servant's part in the     
gallery in ,queen ,anne ,street1        
straining canvases1 varnishing pictures1
 and showing in visitors1 with a        
suspicion that he cooked the dinner even
 if he did not take the shillings at the
 door4 ',look'ee here1' said the poor   
old man1 who1 it is right to state1 saw 
no humiliation in acting lackey to his  
prosperous son1 ',i have found out a way
 at last of coming up cheap from        
,twickenham1 to open my son's gallery4  
,i found out the inn where the          
market-gardeners baited their horses2 ,i
 made friends with one on 'em1 and now1 
for a glass of gin a day1 he brings me  
up in his cart on the top of the        
vegetables6' ,as a set-off to all this1 

we have now and then a spasmodic act of 
kindness3 he rebukes ,wilkie for talking
 about the fine effect of the snow      
falling while poor ,lawrence's coffin   
was being lowered into the grave in the 
crypt of ,st4 ,paul's3 he drives away   
the boys who injure his blackbirds3 he  
sometimes gives half-a-crown when others
 would only offer a penny3 and there is 
a story 7very vague indeed7 of his once 
lending ,l#bj1jjj without security4 ,but
 these are but the halfpennyworth of    
bread compared to the vast quantity of  
sack4 ,the matter seems fairly summed up
 in the story of the man who said1      
',turner is not ungenerous2 he once paid
 the toll over ,waterloo ,bridge for    
me6'  ,mr4 ,ruskin charges ,turner's    
faults upon his contemporaries and the  
public who failed to appreciate his     
genius4 ,but is this for a moment       
sustainable8 ,was he unappreciated8 ,his
 rise could hardly have been more rapid4
 ,he was a ,royal ,academician when he  
was twenty-seven4 ,his merits were      

recognised almost immediately upon his  
becoming an exhibitor4 ,anthony ,pasquin
 7,williams71 who did not speak well of 
every one1 loudly commends ,turner's    
genius1 and judgment1 and originality1  
in #agig4bd ,he was quite early a       
favourite with the public and the       
critics4 ,his prices were always high4  
,mr4 ,ruskin has declared in his        
,economy of ,art1 that more than one    
hundred pounds should never be given for
 a water-colour drawing1 nor more than  
five hundred for an oil-painting4 ,but  
the sums ,turner received were greatly  
in excess of these limits4 ,for the     
',rise and ,fall of ,carthage' he was   
offered ,l#ejjj4 ,there is no evidence  
of his complaining of want of           
recognition by the public4 ,he was      
dissatisfied1 it is true1 at the time of
 ,shee's death1 that he had not been    
made ,president2 but this1 as he well   
knew1 was a matter that rested entirely 
with the ,academy4 ',what has the       
,academy done for me8' he would ask     

petulantly2 'they knighted ,calcott1 why
 don't they knight me8' ,this involved  
no charge against his critics4 ,he was  
passed over for the same reason that    
,paley was neglected2 because1 as the   
courtly phrase went1 he was not a       
'producible man4' ,in fine1 though he   
began with nothing1 a barber's son in   
,hand ,court1 ,maiden ,lane1 he died    
worth ,l#adj1jjj1 and was buried in ,st4
 ,paul's6 ,this hardly looks like want  
of appreciation4  #bd ,it may be noted1 
however1 that in ',the ,georgian ,era'  
7#ahcd7 occurs the following            
passage3--',some have gone the length of
 saying that in marine views ,turner has
 wrested the palm from all competitors2 
but with this1 few1 surely1 will agree  
who have seen the sea pieces of ,powell1
 an artist who1 though but recently     
deceased1 has had no biographer to      
commemorate his poverty or his genius4' 
,the works of ,powell1 however          
admirable1 are not likely now to be     
preferred to ,turner's4 ',the ,georgian 

,era' is not a work of much repute4  ,it
 has been the fashion to talk as though 
,mr4 ,ruskin had discovered ,turner4    
,nothing can be further from the fact4  
,turner had been an exhibitor for more  
than fifty years when ,mr4 ,ruskin      
commenced to write about his pictures4  
,he had reached the ,rock ,limpet stage 
of his career4 ,he could then produce   
little beyond frantic whirls of colour1 
and there was a not unnatural tendency  
to smile at these achievements in the   
galleries1 and the ,hanging ,committee  
were often puzzled to know whether they 
had or not hung the pictures upside     
down4 ,all that ,mr4 ,ruskin could do1  
and he did it superbly1 was to bring    
people to think less of what ,turner    
then was1 and more of what he had been4 
,it is all very well to denounce        
severely those who smiled at1 or the    
critics who said they could not         
comprehend1 the later ,turners4 ,it is  
presumable that pictures are sent to    
exhibitions to be applauded or          

condemned1 as the world may judge4 ,mr4 
,thackeray may be rated for his         
confession1 in a magazine article of the
 day1 that he did not understand the    
,rock ,limpet1 though he added a kindly 
longing 'for the old day1 before ,mr4   
,turner had lighted on the ,fallacies1  
and could see like other people4'#be    
,but was ,mr4 ,ruskin in any better     
plight8 ,was he any nearer the painter's
 meaning8 ,hear his own story3--  ',he  
7,turner7 tried hard one day1 for a     
quarter of an hour1 to make me guess    
what he was doing in the picture of     
,napoleon before it had been exhibited1 
giving me hint after hint in a rough    
way4 ,but ,i could not guess1 and he    
wouldn't tell me6' ,it is hard after    
this to censure so amiable a jester as  
the late ,mr4 a',beckett1 for           
burlesquing the strange picture called  
',hurrah for the whaler ,erebus--another
 fish6' in the words proposed to be     
substituted--',hallo1 there--the oil and
 vinegar--another lobster salad6'#bf    

#be ',what can ,i say of the ,napoleon  
of ,mr4 ,turner8 called 7with frightful 
satire7 ,the ,exile and the ,rock       
,limpet4 ,he stands in the midst of a   
scarlet tornado looking at least forty  
feet high4 ,ah6 says the mysterious poet
 from whom ,mr4 ,turner loves to quote--
      ,ah6 thy tent-formed shell is like
     ,the soldier's nightly bivouac1    
alone     ,amidst a sea of blood4444444 
444444but you can join your comrades6   
,,fallacies ,,of ,,hope4  ',these       
remarkable lines entirely explain the   
meaning of the picture2 another piece is
 described by lines from the same poem1 
in a metre more regular--      ,the     
midnight torch gleamed o'er the         
steamer's side1     ,and merit's corse  
was yielded to the tide4  7,this was the
 burial of ,wilkie at sea3 now in the   
,national ,gallery47  ',when the        
pictures are re-hung1 as sometimes ,i   
believe is the case1 it might1 perhaps1 
be as well to turn these upside down and
 see how they would look then4 ,the     

,campo ,santo of ,venice1 when examined 
closely1 is scarcely less mysterious2 at
 a little distance1 however1 it is a    
most brilliant1 airy1 and beautiful     
picture4 ,o for the old days before ,mr4
 ,turner had lighted on ,the ,fallacies 
and could see like other people6'--,an  
,exhibition ,gossip1 by ,michael ,angelo
 ,titmarsh1 ,ainsworth's                
,magazine1#ahdc4  #bf ,the ,almanack of 
the ,month1 #ahdf--;in which see also a 
comical drawing1 by ,mr4 ,richard       
,doyle1 of ',turner painting one of his 
pictures1' and the accompanying         
letterpress3--',considerable discussion 
has arisen as to the mode in which      
,turner goes to work to paint his       
pictures4 ,some think he mixes a few    
colours on his canvas instead of on his 
palette1 and sends the result to be     
exhibited4 ,another ingenious theory is 
that he puts a canvas in a sort of      
pillory1 and pelts it with eggs and     
other missiles1 when appending to the   
mess some outrageous title1 he has it   

hung in a good position at the ,academy4
 ,our own idea is1 that he chooses four 
or five good places in which he hangs up
 some regularly framed squares of blank 
canvas2 a day or so before the opening  
of the ,exhibition1 we believe he goes  
down to the ,academy with a quantity of 
colours and a nine pound brush1 with    
which he dabs away for a few minutes1   
and his work is finished1' etc4 etc4    
',cut off in great part1' says ,mr4     
,ruskin1 'from all society1 first by    
labour and last by sickness1 hunted to  
his grave by the malignities of small   
critics and the jealousies of hopeless  
rivalry1 he died in the house of a      
stranger4' ,as ,mr4 ,leslie1 his        
fellow-academician1 remarks upon this   
passage truly enough1 ',this was        
,turner's own fault4 ,no death-bed could
 be more surrounded by attentive friends
 than his might have been1 had he chosen
 to let his friends know where he       
lived4' ,but he seldom answered letters2
 his place of residence was a profound  

mystery to all2 and he was living under 
an assumed name4 ,to the ,chelsea       
street-boys he was known as ',puggy     
,booth1' and by his neighbours he was   
deemed to be an old admiral in reduced  
circumstances4 ,his house in ,queen     
,anne ,street was closed1 terribly out  
of repair--black with dirt4 ,after much 
knocking at the door it was opened1 if  
at all1 by an old woman1 her face       
half-concealed1 owing to some cancerous 
disfigurement2 she had kept the visitor 
waiting while she assumed a large       
apron--hung always behind the door on a 
peg1 handy for the purpose1--which hid  
the grimy and tattered state of her     
dress4 ,the drawing-room was tenanted by
 half-a-dozen ,manx cats4 ,in the other 
rooms1 rats and mice made havoc with    
hoarded drawings and engravings4 ,many  
of the pictures in the gallery were     
warped and cracked1 and mildewed by     
neglect and damp4 ,at ,sandycombe       
,lodge1 a few of the academicians1      
including ,mr4 ,mulready1 had once been 

regaled with tea2 and ,mr4 ,pye1 the    
engraver1 had been treated to cheese and
 porter2 but of the hospitalities of    
,queen ,anne ,street there are no       
records4 ,rogers1 poet and satirist1    
expressed his wonder at a beautiful     
table adorning the painter's parlour4   
',but how much more wonderful it would  
be1' he went on1 'to see any of his     
friends sitting round it6' ,and there is
 the story of the visitor who praised   
the wine of which he had had two        
glasses1 a year intervening between     
them4 ',it ought to be good1' said      
,turner2 'it's the same bottle you      
tasted before6' ,true or false1 and     
their accuracy has been much questioned1
 that such stories could be repeated at 
all1 says quite enough for the kind of  
life led by the painter at his gallery4 
,and what claims upon society had the   
man who chose to conduct himself towards
 it after this manner8  ,yet it is      
curious to note that ,turner was in many
 ways fitted to be socially successful4 

,he had very considerable humour1 and   
highly appreciated the jests of others1 
even when they were directed against    
himself4 ,he sat for a long time shaking
 with laughter1 on a high seat at the   
,academy1 one varnishing day1 when      
,mulready had said 'that his cows were  
like the dough pigs1 with currant eyes1 
in the bakers' shops4' ,he was gay and  
playful at times1 and shone in careless 
conversation4 ,personally he was not    
less liked than as a painter he was     
respected by his fellow-academicians2   
and yet1 from some mental warp1 he      
closed his doors against the world1     
shunned his friends1 preferred to live  
miserably and obscurely1 hoarding his   
money1 and treasuring his works4 ,it is 
difficult to believe that he was not    
afflicted1 late in life1 with some      
morbid affection of mind that amounted  
almost to insanity1 not alleviated by a 
manner of life that was far from        
regular1 and habits that were anything  
but temperate4 ,the more he avoided     

refined society1 the more he found      
pleasure in dissipation of the lowest   
kind4 ',melancholy' ,burton derived     
relief and amusement listening to the   
ribaldry of the bargemen4 ,turner found 
these and other solaces1 it would seem1 
in his occasional mysterious absences   
from home1 and indecorous sojournings at
 ,wapping and elsewhere4  ,it is with a 
sense of relief we turn from the        
contemplation of the imperfect man to   
consider the nearly perfect artist4 ,the
 meanness1 the squalor1 the degradation 
of his morale and life are not          
discernible in his works4 ,the affluence
 of beauty of some of these is indeed   
marvellous4 ,but this fallen man had    
extraordinary gifts as a painter1 and   
these he heightened and intensified by  
labour and industry the most ceaseless4 
,it would be difficult to conceive any  
one endowed with a keener sensibility to
 colour1 or with a more devotional love 
for its glories2 it would be equally    
hard to estimate the enhancement of the 

worth of ,english art effected by the   
colour of ,turner4 ,it should be        
remembered that he appeared at a time   
when coldness of tone was almost a      
fashion in painting4 ,the chilliness of 
the shadows of ,lawrence and his        
followers was remarkable4 ,turner raised
 the chord of colour a whole octave1 if 
it is permissible to say so1            
illustrating one art by the terms of    
another4 ,mr4 ,ruskin ascribes to him   
the discovery of the scarlet shadow4 ,it
 was in truth less a new discovery than 
the re-awakening of an old one4 ,the    
early masters were well aware of the    
value of warmth in this respect4 ,wilkie
 comments in his journal on the great   
picture of ,correggio3 ',and here ,i    
observe hot shadows prevail1 not cold1  
as some of us would have it4 ,this he   
has to a fault1 making parts of his     
figures look like red chalk drawings1   
but the sunny and dazzling effect of the
 whole may be attributed to this        
artifice4'#bg ,if we look for a         

prevalent tone in ,turner's             
pictures--though a prevalent tone is    
always a vice in a painter1 nature being
 without bias in the question of hue--we
 shall find it to be yellow1 which he   
himself declared to be his favourite    
colour1 and which occasioned those jokes
 about the 'mustard-pot' as a source of 
inspiration1 to which art-students were 
at one time addicted4 ,but1 indeed1     
,turner's sense of all colour was very  
limitless4 ,a ,mrs4 ,austin once said to
 him1 ',i find1 ,mr4 ,turner1 that1 in  
copying one of your works1 touches of   
blue1 red1 and yellow appear all through
 the work4' ,he answered3 ',well1 don't 
you see that yourself in nature1        
because1 if you don't1 ,heaven help     
you6' ,mr4 ,ruskin writes3 ',other      
painters had rendered the golden tones  
and blue tones of the sky2 ,titian      
especially the latter in perfection4    
,but none had dared to paint--none seem 
to have seen--the scarlet and purple4'  
,in representing the glare of sunlight1 

,turner surpassed even ,claude4 ,cuyp   
hardly attempted this feat1 his suns    
generally gleaming through a mist2      
though ,turner standing before a        
splendid example of ,cuyp1 exclaimed3   
',i would give a thousand pounds to have
 painted that' ,in atmospheric          
perspective he was perfect2 but in      
linear faulty and ill grounded1 although
 he had held the appointment of         
,professor of ,perspective at the       
,academy for some years4 ,the drawbacks 
to his pictures consist in their        
frequent sacrifice of truth to effect4  
,from this cause he constantly failed to
 satisfy critics who were well          
acquainted with the scenes and subjects 
he attempted to represent4 ,a tar said  
of his ,battle of ,trafalgar at         
,greenwich3 ',what a ,trafalgar6 it's a 
d----d deal more like a brick-field6'   
while ,sir ,thomas ,hardy used to call  
it a 'street scene1' as the ships had   
more the effect of houses than          
men-of-war4 ,of the wreck of the        

,minotaur1 ,admiral ,bowles complained  
'that no ship or boat could live in such
 a sea4'  #bg ,in a letter to ,phillips 
he adds1 ',no one knew the value of this
 treatment better than ,turner4'  ,to   
,turner's credit must be placed many    
acts of consideration for1 and kindness 
towards1 his brother artists4 ,he has   
been known to displace one of his own   
pictures to make room for the work of a 
promising beginner4 ,his love for art is
 the real redeeming point in his        
history4 ,he was devoted to the         
,academy1 which had recognised his      
genius at an early date1 and was wholly 
conservative in his opinion upon all    
academic questions4 ,yet his zeal did   
not blind him4 ,haydon1 whose life had  
been a gallant though almost fruitless  
struggle against the despotic           
exclusiveness of the ,academy1 drew     
back1 we are told1 in the midst of his  
exultation at a brief victory gained    
over his opponents1 and said calmly3    
',but ,turner behaved well1 and did me  

justice4'  ,turner's biographer1 with a 
scrupulousness that looks a little like 
timidity1 has abstained steadily from   
all demur to the dicta of ,mr4 ,ruskin4 
,mr4 ,thornbury's volumes represent     
rather elaborations than contradictions 
of the ,ruskin opinions1 just as what   
are known as 'variations' in music are  
rather amplifications of1 than          
departures from1 the original theme4    
,but we are by no means sure that ,mr4  
,thornbury has strengthened the case in 
the painter's favour4 ,we believe that1 
at the bar1 the junior counsel has been 
sometimes found to injure the effect of 
his chief's advocacy1 by entering into  
and disclosing matters of detail which  
had been purposely left untouched by    
him4 ,something of the same sort has    
happened in the present instance4 ,mr4  
,ruskin bade us worship his hero1       
classically screened in a cloud4 ,mr4   
,thornbury unveils the idol1 and the too
 apparent deformity disclosed renders   
adoration no longer possible4 ,mr4      

,ruskin's five volumes of ,modern       
,painters will therefore probably still 
be considered to comprise the true      
',turneriad4' ,a more imposing monument 
to ,turner's memory than is afforded by 
this book1 with all its defects1 can    
hardly be4 ,for something like a quarter
 of a century ,mr4 ,ruskin employed     
himself in examining and lauding the    
achievements of ,turner4 ,he did not    
complete his self-imposed task until the
 great painter had been dead some ten   
years4  ,it is really curious to go back
 to the beginning of this remarkable    
work4  ,in #ahdc appeared the first     
volume of ',modern ,painters3 their     
,superiority in the ,art of ,landscape  
,painting to all the ,ancient ,masters4 
,by a ,graduate of ,oxford4' ,a further 
volume was issued three years           
afterwards1 to accompany an extended and
 amended edition of the first4 ,a ten   
years' pause1 and third and fourth      
portions were given to the world4 ,then 
came #ahfj1 and the final volume4 ,not1 

as the author avowed1 that his subject  
was concluded1 for 'he had been led by  
it into fields of infinite inquiry1     
where it was only possible to break off 
with such imperfect results as may at   
any given moment have been attained4'   
,he stopped because he must stop at some
 time or other4 ,the future art-writings
 of ,mr4 ,ruskin will no longer bear the
 collective title of ,modern ,painters4 
,perhaps that is all that the 'finis' at
 the end of the fifth volume really     
amounts to4  ,in his fifth volume1 ,mr4 
,ruskin has narrated the history of the 
birth and growth of his book4 ,he has   
ascribed to himself from his earliest   
years1 'the gift of taking pleasure in  
landscape4' ,this1 he says1 ',i         
assuredly possess in a greater degree   
than most men1 it having been the ruling
 passion of my life1 and the reason for 
the choice of its field of labour4'     
,certain articles in a review           
condemnatory of the pictures of ,turner 
offended keenly so ardent an admirer of 

the king of landscape painters4 ,mr4    
,ruskin addressed a letter to the editor
 of the review1 'reprobating the matter 
and style of those critiques1 and       
pointing out their dangerous tendency2' 
for 'he knew it to be demonstrable that 
,turner was right and true1 and that his
 critics were wrong1 false1 and base4'  
,the letter grew to be a book2 the      
defence expanded into an attack4 ,what  
began as a few comments upon a          
particular branch of painting ended in  
being the most elaborate ,english       
dissertation upon art1 in its widest and
 weightiest significance4 ,the title    
originally selected for the book was    
,turner and the ,ancients2 and it was   
not then proposed to refer in it to any 
other modern painter than ,turner4 ,but 
the design enlarged1--',the title was   
changed1 and notes on other living      
painters inserted in the first volume1  
in deference to the advice of friends2  
probably wise1 for unless the change had
 been made1 the book might never have   

been read at all4' ,so writes the author
 in his last pages2 and returning to his
 first love1 it is hard to say whether  
from fickleness or from constancy he    
adds1 ',so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i   
regretted the change then1 and regret it
 still4'  ,to this book1 then1 commenced
 almost without a plan1 time            
subsequently gave form and pattern4 ,at 
a certain period of his labour ,mr4     
,ruskin paused to map out the future of 
his work1 to define the limits of his   
undertaking4 ,but in examining the      
concluding volume it will be seen that  
the waywardness of the beginning        
characterizes also the end4 ,time has   
taken away its gift2 the scheme has     
fallen through2 the book ends2 but the  
design it had gathered to itself as it  
advanced1 which had budded out from it  
unexpectedly as it were1 remains in a   
large measure uncompleted4 ,over the    
boundaries he had himself imposed1 his  
eloquent diffuseness long since surged3 
the book doubled its promised length2   

and now the author stays his hand1 turns
 from his toil1 and leaves unfinished   
and shapeless the long-expected 'section
 on the sea1' holding out but vague     
promise of his ever being able to       
accomplish1 even in a separate work1 his
 intentions in regard to that portion of
 his project4  ,it is almost of         
necessity that there should be deviation
 from the original planned economy of a 
work occupying more than a score of     
years2 but ,mr4 ,ruskin is more than    
ordinarily susceptible to vicissitude4  
,it is part of his idiosyncrasy to start
 impulsively with an ill-digested       
project1 and to run off the lines of his
 argument upon the slightest provocation
 and at the earliest opportunity4 ,so   
that in his case time and his own temper
 have combined to exaggerate the        
vibration of his book4 ,his manner of   
progression is very much what ,mr4      
,assheton ,smith's huntsman used to     
denominate 'zedding4' ,he cannot proceed
 straightforwardly4 ,he must wander from

 the direct track2 as a consequence1 he 
is betrayed into all sorts of culs de   
sac1 wrong turnings1 and roundabout     
roads2 and in the end1 although much    
ground is gone over1 very little advance
 is made4 ,he is as the bee which does  
not make its final burglarious headlong 
plunge into the calyx until after a     
protracted course of circuitous buzzing 
and much prefatory waste of time3 and   
this with all the insect's credit for   
industry4 ,so over-perverse a traveller1
 so ultra-dilatory a bee as the author  
of ,modern ,painters1 must shorten his  
journey1 must leave much honey          
unfilched4 ,he is as the army which     
commences in orderly retreat and ends in
 rabble-like riot and demoralization1   
gaining a place of safety at last1 with 
the sacrifice of much baggage and       
treasure4 ,so1 as has been said1 ,mr4   
,ruskin flings away altogether a large  
division of his idea4 ,in one place he  
writes1--  ',i find it convenient in    
this volume1 and ,i wish ,i had thought 

of the expedient before1 whenever ,i get
 into a difficulty to leave the reader  
to work it out2' and in another we are  
stopped by such a half-indolent         
half-arrogant1 ',no ,thoroughfare' as   
this4 ,he has been discoursing on the   
leaf1--then follows an inquiry into the 
conditions of the stem4 ,then he tells  
us3--  ',i intended to have given a     
figure to show the results of the       
pressure of the weight of all the       
leafage on a great lateral bough in     
modifying its curves1 the strength of   
timber being greatest where the leverage
 of the mass tells most4 ,but ,i find   
nobody ever reads things which it takes 
any trouble to understand1 so that it is
 no use to write them4'  ,in a higher   
tone he had once announced the aim and  
principle of his book1 claiming for it a
 difference from most books1 and 'a     
chance of being in some respects better 
for the difference1 in that it had not  
been written either for fame1 or for    
money1 or for conscience' sake1 but of  

necessity4' ',i saw an injustice done   
and tried to remedy it4 ,i heard a      
falsehood taught and was compelled to   
deny it4 ,nothing else was possible to  
me4' ,in that good time there was no    
question as to whether people would or  
would not take the trouble to           
understand4 ,they were taught what the  
teacher deemed to be true1 and the risk 
was on their own heads if they neglected
 the teaching4 ,it was of use to write  
then1 intelligibly or unintelligibly1   
truly and wholly2 but this was before   
,mr4 ,ruskin had strayed very much from 
his road1 or broken off1 breathless and 
worn out1 from a journey1 doubled by    
aberrations1 rendered wearisome by the  
most wilful wandering1 and stopped at   
last1--not perfected4  ,in extenuation  
of the delay in the completion of the   
work1 the author pleads his many        
employments during five years3--his book
 on the ,elements of ,drawing2 his      
addresses at ,manchester1 and his       
examination1 'with more attention than  

they deserved1' of some of the theories 
of political economy referred to in     
those addresses2 the ,manchester        
,exhibition1 'chiefly in its magnificent
 ,reynolds' constellation2' a visit to  
,scotland1 to look at ,dunblane and     
,jedburgh1 and other favourite sites of 
,turner's2 and the arrangement of the   
,turner drawings1 the property of the   
nation1 for the trustees of the         
,national ,gallery4 ,to this last task  
,mr4 ,ruskin set himself with           
characteristic enthusiasm4 ,in the lower
 room of the ,national ,gallery1 when he
 began his work1 there were 'upwards of 
nineteen thousand pieces of paper drawn 
upon by ,turner in one way or           
other1'--many on both sides1 some with  
four1 five1 or six subjects on each     
side1--'some in chalk1 which the touch  
of the finger would sweep away1 others  
in ink rotted into holes1 others eaten  
away by damp and mildew1 and falling    
into dust at the edges1 in cases and    
bags of fragile decay1 others           

worm-eaten1 some mouse-eaten1 many torn 
halfway through1 numbers doubled        
7quadrupled ,i should say7 into four1   
being ,turner's favourite mode of       
packing for travelling2 nearly all      
rudely flattened out from the bundles in
 which ,turner had finally rolled them  
up and squeezed them into his drawers in
 ,queen ,anne ,street' ,in the edges of 
these flattened bundles lay the 'dust of
 thirty years' accumulation1 black1     
dense1 and sooty4' ,with two assistants1
 ,mr4 ,ruskin was at work1 all the      
autumn and winter of #aheg1 'every day  
all day long1 and often far into the    
night4' ,then1 by way of resting        
himself1 ,mr4 ,ruskin proceeded to hunt 
down ,turner subjects along the course  
of the ,rhine on the north of           
,switzerland4 ,he crossed ,lombardy     
afterwards1 and found1 unexpectedly1    
some good ,paul ,veroneses at ,turin4   
,he had been troubled by many questions 
respecting the 'real motives of         
,venetian work1' which he had planned to

 work out in the ,louvre2 but 'seeing   
that ,turin was a good place wherein to 
keep out of people's way1' he settled   
there instead4 ',with much              
consternation1 but more delight1' he    
discovered that he 'had never got to the
 roots of the moral power of the        
,venetians2' that for this a stern      
course of study was required of him4    
,the book was given up for the year4    
',the winter was spent mainly in trying 
to get at the mind of ,titian4' ,the    
issue necessitated his going in the     
spring to ,berlin1 'to see1' as he tells
 us1 ',titian's portrait of ,lavinia    
there1 and to ,dresden to see the       
,tribute ,money1 the elder ,lavinia1 and
 girl in white with the flag-fan4       
,another portrait at ,dresden1 of a lady
 in a dress of rose and gold1 by me     
unheard of before1 and one of an admiral
 at ,munich1 had like to have kept me in
 ,germany all the summer4' ,how         
expositive is all this of the unstable  
fashion of ,mr4 ,ruskin's temper and    

writings6  ,it is not to be marvelled at
 that the term ',ruskinism' should be   
evolved from a system of opinions so    
impassioned and earnest1 so thorough and
 deep-rooted1 and1 at the time at which 
they were first broached1 so singular   
and courageous1 as those of the author  
of ,modern ,painters4 ,when ,mr4 ,ruskin
 took up his pen1 the 'old masters' were
 the religion1 and the creed1 and the   
idols1 of the connoisseurs4 ,it was of  
landscape he was particularly writing1  
but his fiery condemnation in one       
sentence of such names as ',claude1     
,gaspar ,poussin1 ,salvator ,rosa1      
,cuyp1 ,berghem1 ,both1 ,ruysdael1      
,hobbima1 ,teniers 7in his landscapes71 
,paul ,potter1 ,canaletti1 and the      
various ,van-,somethings and            
,back-,somethings1 more especially and  
malignantly those who had libelled the  
sea1' carried dismay into the hearts of 
collectors1 and he was denounced as     
guilty of an art sacrilege scarcely more
 marvellous for its impiety than its    

daring4 ,his opinions1 however1 have    
passed through a burning fiery furnace  
of criticism1 and have survived the     
ordeal4 ,earnestness is half success2   
and the truth that was the substratum of
 that earnestness has accomplished the  
rest4 ',ruskinism1' in its least        
invective and censorious form1 has a    
host of followers and disciples4 ,take  
as its text the noble view of it        
contained in the following words        
descriptive of the book3--',it declares 
the perfectness and eternal beauty of   
the works of ,god1 and tests all works  
of man by concurrence with or subjection
 to that4'  ,time1 that has given and   
changed the plan1 has also been at work 
with certain of the judgments of the    
book4 7,it is with the fifth volume we  
are especially dealing1--for this may   
fairly be regarded as the 'summing up'  
of the divers opinions scattered through
 the earlier portions of the work47 ,the
 author of a book long in hand becomes  
himself the president of a court of     

appeal1 in which his own earlier        
sentences are to be reversed or         
confirmed4 ,it is one of the results of 
the heat and passion of first opinions  
that they seem to be harshly and cruelly
 framed when the time comes to tone down
 and qualify them2 and the question     
arises1 was it indispensable to be so   
savage1--was it absolutely necessary    
that what seemed to be the sword of     
justice should be wielded so angrily and
 without the slightest tempering of     
mercy8 ,still is there worth in the     
author's apology1 'that the oscillations
 of temper and progressions of discovery
 ought not to diminish the reader's     
confidence in the book2' 'that unless   
important changes are occurring in his  
opinions continually all his life long1 
not one of those opinions can be on any 
questionable subject true2 all true     
opinions are living1 and show their life
 by being capable of nourishment1       
therefore of change4 ,but their change  
is that of a tree1 not of a cloud4'     

,so1 then1 come repentance and          
recantation4 ,mr4 ,ruskin's 'boy        
veneration for ,rubens's physical art   
power1' and the 'strong expression of   
admiration for him1 which to his great  
regret occur in the first volume1' are  
now solemnly withdrawn4 ,rubens is now  
only a 'healthy1 worthy1 kind-hearted1  
courtly-phrased animal4' ,but the fault 
lies as much at the door of the time1 as
 at that of the man4 ,the ,reformation  
had come and gone4 ,the reformers had   
cast out the errors1 and rent in twain  
the fallacies of the ,roman ,catholic   
,church4 ,then came a standing still2 a 
paralysis of religion4 ,the             
,evangelicals despised the arts2 effete 
and insincere ,roman ,catholicism had   
lost its hold on men4 ,the painters sunk
 into rationalism2 they became men of   
the world1 'with no belief in spiritual 
existence1 no interests or affections   
beyond the grave4' ,they painted        
religious subjects1 of course2 these    
were duly supplied as per order1        

especially martyrdom2 they liked the    
vigorous cruelty of them1 and painted   
atrocities with gusto1 deeming they were
 illustrating religion2 and they painted
 'virgins in blue1' and ',st4 ,johns in 
red1' as many as were wanted1--but all  
utterly cold1 and soul-less1 and        
irreverential4 ',happily1' remarks ,mr4 
,ruskin1 'there is just this difference 
between the men of this modern period   
and the ,florentines or ,venetians1 that
 whereas the latter never exert         
themselves fully except on a sacred     
subject1 the ,flemish and ,dutch masters
 are always languid unless they are     
profane4 ,leonardo is only to be seen in
 the ',cena'2 ,titian only in the       
',assumption'2 but ,rubens only in the  
',battle of the ,amazons'2 and ,vandyck 
only at court2 and he adds1 his         
indignation mounting as he proceeds1    
'absolutely now at last we find         
ourselves without sight of ,god in all  
the world6'  ,in another place ,mr4     
,ruskin's old enemy1 ,salvator1 receives

 more lenient treatment than of yore4   
,true1 he still regards him as a lost   
spirit1 rendering ,michelet's1 ',ce     
damne ,salvator' tenderly as 'that      
condemned ,salvator4' ,but ,mr4 ,ruskin 
now perceives in him the 'last traces of
 spiritual life in the art of ,europe1  
the last man to whom the thought of a   
spiritual existence presented itself as 
a conceivable reality4 ,all succeeding  
men1 however powerful1--,rembrandt1     
,rubens1 ,vandyck1 ,reynolds1--would    
have mocked at the idea of a spirit4    
,they were men of the world1 they are   
never in earnest1 and they are never    
appalled4 ,but ,salvator was capable of 
pensiveness1 of faith1 and of fear4'    
',he would have acknowledged religion   
had he seen any that was true1 anything 
rather than that baseness which he did  
see4' ',if there is no other religion   
than this of popes and cardinals1 let us
 to the robber's ambush and the dragon's
 den4' ',a little early sympathy1 a word
 of true guidance1 perhaps had saved    

him4 ,what says he of himself8 ,despiser
 of wealth and of death4 ,two grand     
scorns2 but1 oh6 condemned ,salvator1   
the question is not for man what he can 
scorn1 but what he can love6' ,again    
further on1--',in ,salvator you have an 
awakened conscience and some spiritual  
power contending with evil1 but         
conquered by it and brought into        
captivity to it4' ,generally there is in
 this last volume a disposition to judge
 of the painter's art merits1 especially
 in relation to his faculty of          
imitation1 with more kindness and       
respect than in the earlier volumes4    
,this tendency to greater calmness and  
generosity of view in the case of       
,salvator 7not to recite evidences of   
similar nature in other cases7 is a sign
 of healthful mental progression4       
,opinions taken up in the first         
instance1 possibly as much from impulse 
as conviction1 grown from floating      
speculations into recognised realities1 
require to be defended less strenuously 

than in the early doubtful phase of     
their being1 and still less need for    
their support virulent onslaughts upon  
antagonistic views4 ,it is no longer    
necessary to degrade some painters      
utterly for the proper exaltation of    
some others2 or it may be better to say1
 to deify one by the damnification of   
the whole balance of the fraternity4    
,there have been victims enough on the  
shrine of ,turner1 and his manes are now
 appeased and his wrongs avenged4 ,what 
need of further holocausts8 ,so ,mr4    
,ruskin loosens his grip and half       
sheaths his knife1 and becomes more     
merciful and pitiful1 though yet unable 
to do full justice to those who oppose  
him3 for it is one of his marked        
peculiarities that he is unable to shift
 his point of view4 ,he judges always by
 his own modern ex post facto standard2 
he cannot see with ,salvator's eyes1 or 
with the eyes of his contemporaries1 and
 determine how fully he met the         
requirements of his age and time1 how   

honestly he won the applause of the men 
about him4 ,mr4 ,ruskin asks two        
questions only--',are these works       
accurate renderings of nature1 as ,i by 
education and study now know nature to  
be8' and next1 ',are these high art in  
its purest1 and most ideal1 and most    
godly form8' ,by such ,procrustean      
measurements he adjusts his decisions1  
and so misses the swarthy romance1 the  
dramatic coarse fire of ,salvator1 and  
fails to appreciate the vigorous1       
affluent1 gorgeous majesty of ,rubens1  
before whose luxurious pageant canvas it
 always seems that1 of right1 pompous   
coronation music should be played1 and  
multitudes huzza and banners wave4      
,perhaps some such feelings as these    
,mr4 ,ruskin himself at one time        
experienced1 until1 shocked by what he  
deemed the excessive mundaneness1 the   
intense unspirituality of the great     
,fleming1--he revolted to the           
thoughtful1 attenuated poetry of        
,angelico and the early ,italian        

painters1 to be in time again driven by 
the too intense asceticism and archaic  
debility of this school1 to the robust  
excellence and the more real and        
material1 though pure and refined1      
beauty of the ,venetians4 ,with them he 
has now found his golden mean4  ,to turn
 more particularly to the contents of   
,mr4 ,ruskin's concluding volume1 and   
their invariable bearing upon ,turner4  
,the first half is divided into         
considerations of ',leaf' and ',cloud   
,beauty1' respectively3 ',the leaf      
between earth and man1 as the cloud is  
between man and heaven4' ,many fanciful 
headings are given to the chapters on   
these subjects4 ,in the ',earth ,veil'  
,mr4 ,ruskin discourses in very delicate
 poetry1 of trees and flowers1 which    
form on the surface of the earth a veil 
of vegetation2 'of strange intermediate 
being2 which breathes1 but has no voice2
 moves1 but cannot leave its appointed  
place2 passes through life without      
consciousness2 to death without         

bitterness2 wears the beauty of youth   
without its passion1 and declines to the
 weakness of age without its regret'    
,passing on1 then1 to the 'orders of the
 leaf1' he arranges plants in two       
classes1--the ,,tented ,,plants1 which  
live on the ground1 as lilies1 or crawl 
on the rocks1 as lichen and mosses1     
leading ever an arab life1 and so       
passing away and perishing2 and the     
,,building ,,plants1 which soar above   
the earth in the 'architectural edifices
 we call trees4' ,and the builders are  
again curiously subdivided4 ,there are  
the 'builders with the shield1' with    
their leaves1 shield-shaped1 raised     
above1 and sheltering their buds as they
 rise4 ,gentle1 and pleasant1 and       
conciliatory builders are these1 living 
in pleasant places1 and providing food  
and shelter for man4 ,and there are also
 the 'builders with the sword1' with    
sharp-pointed leaves stuck fearlessly   
out sword fashion1 the bud growing amid 
the points1 dwelling in savage places1  

and of little aid to man1 none in the   
way of food4 7,they are called 'pines1' 
we may explain1 vernacularly47 ,mr4     
,ruskin then goes on to the ',bud1' and 
is at some pains to explain its gradual 
development and the scheme of its       
growth4 ',leaves' he explains to be     
'broadly divisible into mainsails and   
studding-sails4' ,many diagrams are     
given explanatory of the leaf system1   
its form and manner and charm1 and the  
'laws of deflection1 of succession1 of  
resilience1' all fanciful theories      
arising from the subject1 are in turn   
laid down4 ,in our progress to          
'tree-structure1' we come to 'leaf      
aspects4' ,then perhaps the object of   
this elaborate teaching transpires1 and 
,mr4 ,ruskin speaks of the              
',pre-,raphaelites who1 some years back1
 began to lead our wondering artists    
back into the eternal paths of all great
 art1 and showed that whatever men drew 
at all ought to be drawn accurately and 
knowingly1 not blunderingly nor by guess

 7leaves of trees among other things71' 
proceeding to the following curious     
dictum1--',if you can paint one leaf you
 can paint the world4' ,the             
,pre-,raphaelite laws 'lay stern on the 
strength of ,apelles and ,zeuxis1 put   
,titian to thoughtful trouble1 are      
unrelaxed yet1 and unrelaxable for ever4
 ,paint a leaf indeed6--the above-named 
,titian has done it4 ,corregio1         
moreover1 and ,giorgione and ,leonardo1 
very nearly1 trying hard4 ,holbein three
 or four times1 in precious pieces1     
highest wrought4 ,raphael1 it may be1 in
 one or two crowns of ,muse or ,sibyl4  
,if any one else in later times1 we have
 to consider4' ,there is no endeavour to
 show how or why accurate drawing of the
 leaf leads to general accuracy in      
drawing2 no analogy is attempted1 for   
instance1 between the human and         
vegetable anatomies4 ,perhaps this is as
 well2 only it will strike even the most
 casual and unprofessional reader that a
 student may be able by practice to     

become a very apt draughtsman of the    
leaf skeleton1 and yet be a feeble      
renderer of the human4 ,mr4 ,ruskin     
argues1 unsoundly enough1 from effects2 
the great ,italian designers of the     
figure all drew leaves thoroughly well4 
,among the ,dutch painters the leaf     
painting degenerates in proportion to   
the diminishing power in the figure2    
therefore1 who can draw the leaf can    
draw the figure4 ,next comes sharp      
criticism of the ,dutch leaf-treatment  
generally1 and elaborate demonstration1 
by the aid of many plates1 of the       
infinite superiority of ,turner1 closing
 with what sounds a strange admission   
after such teachings and such           
arguments3--',remember always that      
,turner's greatness and rightness in all
 these points successively depend on no 
scientific knowledge4 ,he was entirely  
ignorant of all the laws we have been   
developing4 ,he had merely accustomed   
himself to see impartially1 intensely1  
and fearlessly4'  ,the fact is that ,mr4

 ,ruskin is disposed to lay far too     
heavy a stress on the mere mechanical   
accuracy of the draughtsman1 to think   
too much of his hand1 too little of his 
head4 ,he has been surrounded by a      
number of supple admirers and           
unquestioning students1 who1 placing    
their whole time and labour at his      
disposal1 have rather pampered1 by such 
ultra-allegiance1 his inclination to be 
dogmatic on these points4 ',study this  
for half an hour1' he says of one       
illustration2 ',look here for a good    
five minutes1' of another2 'or1 better  
still1 get pen and paper and draw it    
yourself3 take care you make it as      
nearly as you can quite right1' and so  
on4 ,there is something almost          
ludicrous1 only ,mr4 ,ruskin has little 
perception of the humorous1 about the   
strained care1 the exaggeration of      
painstakings1 bestowed on some of the   
drawings4 ,instance plate #eh1 drawn by 
one of his pupils at the ,working ,man's
 ,college 7a joiner by trade71 'an      

unprejudiced person1' states ,mr4       
,ruskin1 always posing himself as       
addressing a suspicious and jealous     
audience1 who would rise against him and
 turn him off the judgment seat1 by fair
 means or foul1 if they dared1 or could4
 ,the student was set to work in the    
spring1 the subject being a lilac branch
 of its real size as it grew1 before it 
budded4 ,it will tell how long this     
rather simple lesson occupied the       
student1 that 'before he could get it   
quite right1 the buds came out and      
interrupted him4' ,yet ,mr4 ,ruskin     
makes strong objection to the word      
'niggling4' ',i should be glad if it    
were entirely banished from service and 
record4 ,the only essential question    
about drawing is whether it be right or 
wrong2 that it be small or large1 swift 
or slow1 is a matter of convenience     
only4' ,he reserves to himself1 however1
 the right to apply the 'ugly word' to  
,hobbima4 ',a single dusty roll of      
,turner's brush is more truly expressive

 of the infinitude of foliage than the  
niggling of ,hobbima could have rendered
 his canvas if he had worked on it till 
doomsday4' ',no man before 7,turner7    
painted a distant tree rightly1 or a    
full-leaved branch rightly4'  ,chapters 
on the 'branch1' the 'stem1' the 'leaf  
monuments1' the 'leaf shadows1' and     
'leaves motionless1' conclude the first 
division of the book4 ,they are all in  
elaboration of his 'leaf-beauty' theory1
 and are rich in exquisite fancy and    
admirable writing1 but it cannot be that
 they should be detailed or examined    
here4 ,as a specimen of feeling and     
poetry1 here are a few lines from many  
on the lichen3--',as in one sense the   
humblest1 in another they are the most  
honoured1 of the earth's children3      
unfading as motionless1 the worm frets  
them not1 and the autumn wastes not4    
,strong in lowliness1 they neither      
blanch in heat nor pine in frost4 ,to   
them1 slow-fingered1 constant-hearted1  
is intrusted the weaving of the dark    

eternal tapestries of the hills2 to them
 slow1 iris-eyed1 the tender framing of 
their endless imagery4 ,sharing the     
stillness of the unimpassioned rock1    
they share also its endurance2 and while
 the winds of departing spring scatter  
the white hawthorn blossom like drifted 
snow1 and summer dims on the parched    
meadow the drooping of its cowslip gold1
 far above among the mountains1 the     
silver lichen-spots rest star-like on   
the stone1 and the gathering orange     
stain upon the edge of yonder western   
peak reflects the sunsets of a thousand 
years4'  ,in treating of the second     
portion of the first half of the book1  
',cloud ,beauty1' briefness is now      
indispensable4 ,and first of ',cloud    
,balancings4'  ,why is the soft1 level1 
floating1 white mist so heavy8 ,why so  
light 'the colossal pyramids1 huge and  
grim1 with outlines as of rocks1 and    
strength to bear the beating of the high
 sun full on their fiery flanks8' ,what 
are clouds8 ,water in some fine form or 

other4 ,but water is heavier than       
air1--cannot float on it4 ,may1 then1   
clouds be formed of minute hollow       
globules of water swimming in the air1  
balloon-like8 ,these and a hundred other
 questions2 and what is the use of      
asking them8 ',i enjoy them1' says our  
author2 'perhaps the reader may--,i     
think he ought1 and not love less the   
clouds of morning or the summer rain    
because they come to him with hard      
questions1 with only a syllable or two  
of answer illuminated here and there on 
the heavenly scroll4' ,and ,mr4 ,ruskin 
takes credit to himself for not being   
'dogmatic' on the subject of clouds4    
,then of ',cloud ,flocks1'--upper       
clouds1 detached1 bird-like1 with       
flame-like curves1 tender1 various1     
pointing1 inquiring4 ,and why do they   
assume these forms8 ,not driven by      
eddies of wind1 they move along1        
unhurried1 compressed in a phalanx1     
fifty thousand separate groups in half  
of a morning sky1 all obedient to one   

rule of harmonious progress4 ,and so of 
',cloud ,perspective1' cleverly set     
forth and illustrated1 but appealing    
perhaps too exclusively to the          
art-student for transfer here1 and of   
',cloud ,colours4' ,is it well to watch 
them like ,turner8 or to neglect them   
with ,claude1 ,salvator1 ,ruysdael1     
,wouvermans1 never to look nor portray8 
,then of the ',cloud ,chariot1' or      
cumulus1--not to be drawn1 not to be    
explained2 even ,turner attempted not   
that4 ,mountain-like1 electric1         
brilliant beyond power of colour1       
endless in variety of form1 transitory  
as a dream2 and estimates of weight and 
movement1 and of a chariot cloud which  
soared #bj1jjj feet from behind ,berne  
,cathedral6 ,next of the ',angel of the 
,sea1' the author's epithet for rain4   
',is ,english wet weather one of the    
things which we would desire to see art 
give perpetuity to8' ,assuredly1 answers
 ,mr4 ,ruskin2 and under five heads he  
ranges the climates into which the globe

 is divided with respect to their       
fitness for art4 ,see the result3--     
,wood lands   ,shrewd intellect    ,no  
art4     ,sand lands   ,high intellect  
,religious art4     ,vine lands         
,highest intellect   ,perfect art4      
,field lands  ,high intellect           
,material art4     ,moss lands   ,shrewd
 intellect    ,no art4  ,the table is   
worthy of study4  ,the second half of   
the volume treats of ',ideas of         
,relation4' ,it deals with ,art in its  
relation to ,god and man1 and with its  
work in the help of human beings and the
 service of their ,creator1 and inquires
 into 'the various powers1 conditions1  
and aims of mind involved in the        
conception or creation of pictures1 in  
the choice of subject1 and the mode and 
order of its history2 the choice of     
forms1 and the modes of their           
arrangement4' ,very forcible and        
significant are the reflections upon    
invention1 the 'greatest and rarest of  
all the qualities of art2' and on       

',composition4' ,if one part be taken   
away1 all the rest are helpless and     
valueless2 yet true composition is      
inexplicable--to be felt1 not reasoned  
upon4 ',a poet or creator is1 therefore1
 a person who puts things together2 not 
as a watchmaker1 steel2 or a shoemaker1 
leather3 but who puts life into them4'  
,in the chapter entitled the ',task of  
the ,least1' the author argues1 adroitly
 enough1 'that the minutest portion of a
 great composition is helpful to the    
whole1' and examples from ,turner's     
compositions furnish good evidence in   
this respect4 ,under the titles of the  
',lance of ,pallas1' and the ',wings of 
the ,lion1' the ,greek and ,venetian art
 inspirations are descanted upon4 ,these
 are chapters of great interest to the  
student4 ,mr4 ,ruskin finds the         
,venetian mind perfect in its belief1   
its width1 and its judgment4 ,yet it    
passed away4 ,not desiring the religion1
 but the delight only of its art1 in    
proportion to the greatness of the power

 of the ,venetians was the shame of     
their fall4 ,chapters follow on         
representative painters--,durer and     
,salvator1 ,claude and ,poussin1 with   
comments on the 'faithless' and         
'degraded' system of classical          
landscape--,rubens and ,cuyp4 ,the next 
discourse is on ',vulgarity4' ,a        
striking exemplification of it ,mr4     
,ruskin finds in the expression of the  
butcher's dog in ,landseer's ',low      
,life1' and ,cruikshank's ,noah         
,claypole in the plates to ,oliver      
,twist4 ,he counts 'among the reckless  
losses of the right service of          
intellectual power with which the       
century must be charged1 the employing  
to no higher purpose than the           
illustration of ,jack ,sheppard'and the 
,irish ,rebellion1 the great1 grave     
7using the words deliberately and with  
large meaning71 and singular genius of  
,cruikshank1' though the works selected 
are hardly fair specimens of the        
artist's general illustrative labours1  

and the ',irish ,rebellion' is surely   
worthy of art record and rendering4 ,the
 most fatal form of vulgarity is        
described as dulness of heart and       
dulness of bodily sense1 general        
stupidity being its material            
manifestation4 ',one of the forms of    
death1' suggests ,mr4 ,ruskin's         
'keen-minded friend1' ,mr4 ,brett1 the  
painter--a vague enough definition--but 
it pleases ,mr4 ,ruskin1 though he      
amends it1 and settles at last on the   
term 'earthful selfishness1' as         
embracing all the most fatal and        
essential forms of mental vulgarity4    
,hastening to an end1 it can only now be
 simply stated that chapters on         
,wouvermans and ,angelico succeed4 ,then
 the 'two boyhoods1' an interesting and 
highly-wrought comparison of the early  
lives of ,turner and ,giorgione1 and of 
the different circumstances under which 
their art-minds severally dawned and    
developed4 ,the remainder of the book is
 almost wholly devoted in glowing       

strains1 like the pompous glory of the  
crowning movement of a ,beethoven       
symphony1 to loving yet deferential     
homage to ,turner4 ,his works and life  
are traced out and lingered over1 not   
with biographical exactness1 but with   
some effort to make them explicable of  
the character of the great painter4     
',much of his mind and heart ,i do not  
know--perhaps never shall know2 but this
 much ,i do1 and if there is anything in
 the previous course of this work to    
warrant trust in me of any kind1 let me 
be trusted when ,i tell you that ,turner
 had a heart as intensely kind and as   
nobly true as ever ,god gave to one of  
his creatures4' ,and in a tone replete  
with the most solemn and impassioned    
poetry and feeling1 the author brings   
his great work to an end4 ,emphatically 
a great work--a noble jewel in the crown
 of art literature1 resplendent enough  
to have its flaws dwelt upon and some   
imperfections and shortcoming in its    
setting pointed out1 and yet to lose    

little in estimation after the utmost   
has been said and done in these         
respects4     ,,edinburgh3 ,t4          
,,constable1 ,,printer ,,to ,,the       
,,queen1 ,,and ,,to ,,the ,,university4