,,the ,,complete ,,works ,,of ,,john ,,ruskin ,,volume ,,xxiii ,,arrows ,,of ,,the ,,chace ,,volumes ,i-,,ii ,illustration3 ,,room ,,at ,,brantwood ,,showing ,,pictures ,,of ,,the ,,boy ,,ruskin ,,and ,,his ,,parents ,,from ,a ,,photograph ,,arrows ,,of ,,the ,,chace ,,being ,a ,,collection ,,of ,,scattered ,,letters ,,published ,,chiefly ,,in ,,the ,,daily ,,newspapers #ahdj-ahhj ,,volume ,i4 ,,letters ,,on ,,art ,,and ,,science 8,i ,,never ,,wrote ,a ,,letter ,,in ,,my ,,life ,,which ,,all ,,the ,,world ,,are ,,not ,,welcome ,,to ,,read ,,if ,,they ,,will40 ,fors ,clavigera1 ,letter #ei1 #ahge4 ,,contents ,,of ,,volume ,i4 ,,page ,,author',s ,,preface ix ,,editor',s ,,preface xiii ,,chronological ,,list ,,of ,,the ,,letters ,,in ,,volume ,i xviii ,,letters ,,on ,,art3 ,i4 ,,art ,,criticism ,,and ,,art ,,education4 8,modern ,painters20 a ,reply4 #ahdc #c ,art ,criticism4 #ahdc #aj ,the ,arts as a ,branch of ,education4 #aheg #bd ,art-,teaching by ,correspondence4 #ahfj #cb ,,ii4 ,,public ,,institutions ,,and ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 ,danger to the ,national ,gallery4 #ahdg #cg ,the ,national ,gallery4 #aheb #de ,the ,british ,museum4 #ahff #eb ,on the ,purchase of ,pictures4 #ahhj #ee ,,iii4 ,,pre-,,raphaelitism4 ,the ,pre-,raphaelite ,brethren4 #ahea 7,may #ac7 #ei ,the ,pre-,raphaelite ,brethren4 #ahea 7,may #cj7 #fc 8,the ,light of the ,world10 ,holman ,hunt4 #ahed #fg 8,the ,awakening ,conscience10 ,holman ,hunt4 #ahed #ga ,pre-,raphaelitism in ,liverpool4 #aheh #gc ,generalization and the ,scotch ,pre-,raphaelites4 #aheh #gd ,,iv4 ,,turner4 ,the ,turner ,bequest4 #ahef #ha ,turner's ,sketch ,book4 #aheh #hf1 note ,the ,turner ,bequest and the ,national ,gallery4 #aheg #hf ,the ,turner ,sketches and ,drawings4 #aheh #hh ,the ,liber ,studiorum4 #aheh #ig1 note ,the ,turner ,gallery at ,kensington4 #ahei #ih ,turner's ,drawings4 #ahgf 7,july #e7 #ajj ,turner's ,drawings4 #ahgf 7,july #ai7 #ajd ,copies of ,turner's ,drawings4 #ahgf #aje ,copies of ,turner's ,drawings--,extract4 #aheg #aje1 note ,copy of ,turner's ,fluelen ibid4 8,turners10 ,false and ,true4 #ahga4 #ajf ,the ,character of ,turner4 #aheg4 #ajg ,thornbury's ,life of ,turner4 #ahfa4 #ajh ,v4 ,,pictures ,,and ,,artists4 ,john ,leech's ,outlines4 #ahgb4 #aaa ,ernest ,george's ,etchings4 #ahgc4 #aac ,the ,frederick ,walker ,exhibition4 #ahgf4 #aaf ,,vi4 ,,architecture ,,and ,,restoration4 ,gothic ,architecture and the ,oxford ,museum4 #aheh4 #abe ,gothic ,architecture and the ,oxford ,museum4 #ahei4 #aca ,the ,castle ,rock 7,edinburgh74 #aheg 7,sept4 #ad7 #ade ,edinburgh ,castle4 #aheg 7,sept4 #bg7 #adg ,castles and ,kennels4 #ahga 7,dec4 #bb7 #aea ,verona v4 ,warwick4 #ahga 7,dec4 #bd7 #aeb ,notre ,dame de ,paris4 #ahga #aec ,mr4 ,ruskin's ,influence--,a ,defence4 #ahgb 7,march #ae7 #aed ,mr4 ,ruskin's ,influence--,a ,rejoinder4 #ahgb 7,march #ba7 #aef ,modern ,restorations4 #ahgg #aeg ,ribbesford ,church4 #ahgg #aeh ,circular relating to ,st4 ,mark's1 ,venice4 #ahgi4 #aei ,letters relating to ,st4 ,mark's1 ,venice4 #ahgi4 #afi1 note4 ,,letters ,,on ,,science3 ,i4 ,,geological4 ,the ,conformation of the ,alps1 #ahfd #agc ,concerning ,glaciers4 #ahfd4 #age ,english versus ,alpine ,geology4 #ahfd #aha ,concerning ,hydrostatics4 #ahfd #ahe ,james ,david ,forbes3 ,his ,real ,greatness4 #ahgd4 #ahg ,,ii4 ,,miscellaneous4 ,on ,reflections in ,water4 #ahdd #aia ,on the ,reflection of ,rainbows4 #ahfa #bja ,a ,landslip ,near ,giagnano4 #ahda #bjb ,on the ,gentian4 #aheg #bjd ,on the ,study of ,natural ,history 7undated7 #bjd ,,author',s ,,preface4 ,my good ,editor insists that this book must have an ,author's ,preface2 and insists further that it shall not contain compliments to him on the editorship4 ,i must leave1 therefore1 any readers who care for the book1 and comprehend the trouble that has been spent on it1 to pay him their own compliments1 as the successive service of his notes may call for them3 but my obedience to his order1 not in itself easy to me1 doubles the difficulty ,i have in doing what1 nevertheless1 ,i am resolved to do--pay1 that is to say1 several extremely fine compliments to myself1 upon the quality of the text4 ,for of course ,i have read none of these letters since they were first printed3 of half of them ,i had forgotten the contents1 of some1 the existence2 all come fresh to me2 and here in ,rouen1 where ,i thought nothing could possibly have kept me from drawing all ,i could of the remnants of the old town1 ,i find myself1 instead1 lying in bed in the morning1 reading these remnants of my old self--and that with much contentment and thankful applause4 ,for here are a series of letters ranging over a period of1 broadly1 forty years of my life2 most of them written hastily1 and all in hours snatched from heavier work3 and in the entire mass of them there is not a word ,i wish to change1 not a statement ,i have to retract1 and1 ,i believe1 few pieces of advice1 which the reader will not find it for his good to act upon4 ,with which brief preface ,i am1 for my own part1 content2 but as it is one of an unusual tenor1 and may be thought by some of my friends1 and all my foes1 more candid than graceful1 ,i permit myself the apologetic egotism of enforcing one or two of the points in which ,i find these letters so well worth--their author's--reading4 ,in the building of a large book1 there are always places where an indulged diffuseness weakens the fancy1 and prolonged strain subdues the energy3 when we have time to say all we wish1 we usually wish to say more than enough2 and there are few subjects we can have the pride of exhausting1 without wearying the listener4 ,but all these letters were written with fully provoked zeal1 under strict allowance of space and time3 they contain the choicest and most needful things ,i could within narrow limits say1 out of many contending to be said2 expressed with deliberate precision2 and recommended by the best art ,i had in illustration or emphasis4 ,at the time of my life in which most of them were composed1 ,i was fonder of metaphor1 and more fertile in simile1 than ,i am now2 and ,i employed both with franker trust in the reader's intelligence4 ,carefully chosen1 they are always a powerful means of concentration2 and ,i could then dismiss in six words1 8thistledown without seeds1 and bubbles without color10 forms of art on which ,i should now perhaps spend half a page of analytic vituperation2 and represent1 with a pleasant accuracy which my best methods of outline and exposition could now no more achieve1 the entire system of modern plutocratic policy1 under the luckily remembered image of the ,arabian bridegroom1 bewitched with his heels uppermost4 ,it is to be remembered also that many of the subjects handled can be more conveniently treated controversially than directly2 the answer to a single question may be made clearer than a statement which endeavors to anticipate many2 and the crystalline vigor of a truth is often best seen in the course of its serene collision with a trembling and dissolving fallacy4 ,but there is a deeper reason than any such accidental ones for the quality of this book4 ,since the letters cost me1 as aforesaid1 much trouble2 since they interrupted me in pleasant work which was usually liable to take harm by interruption2 and since they were likely almost1 in the degree of their force1 to be refused by the editors of the adverse journals1 ,i never was tempted into writing a word for the public press1 unless concerning matters which ,i had much at heart4 ,and the issue is1 therefore1 that the two following volumes contain very nearly the indices of everything ,i have deeply cared for during the last forty years2 while not a few of their political notices relate to events of more profound historical importance than any others that have occurred during the period they cover2 and it has not been an uneventful one4 ,nor have the events been without gravity2 the greater1 because they have all been inconclusive4 ,their true conclusions are perhaps nearer than any of us apprehend2 and the part ,i may be forced to take in them1 though ,i am old1--perhaps ,i should rather say1 because ,i am old1--will1 as far as ,i can either judge or resolve1 be not merely literary4 ,whether ,i am spared to put into act anything here designed for my country's help1 or am shielded by death from the sight of her remediless sorrow1 ,i have already done for her as much service as she has will to receive1 by laying before her facts vital to her existence1 and unalterable by her power1 in words of which not one has been warped by interest nor weakened by fear2 and which are as pure from selfish passion as if they were spoken already out of another world4 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,rouen1 ,st4 ,firmin's ,day1 #ahhj4 ,,editor',s ,,preface4 ,some words are needed by way of a general note to the present volumes in explanation of the principles upon which they have been edited4 ,it is1 however1 first due to the compiler of the ,bibliography of ,mr4 ,ruskin's writings1#a to state in what measure this book has been prompted and assisted by his previous labors4 ,already acquainted with some few of the letters which ,mr4 ,ruskin had addressed at various times to the different organs of the daily press1 or which had indirectly found their way there1 it was not until ,i came across the ,bibliography that ,i was encouraged to complete and arrange a collection of these scattered portions of his thought4 ,when ,i had done this1 ,i ventured to submit the whole number of the letters to their author1 and to ask him if1 after taking two or three of them as examples of the rest1 he would not consider the advisability of himself republishing1 if not all1 at least a selected few4 ,in reply1 he was good enough to put me in communication with his publisher1 and to request me to edit any or all of the letters without further reference to him4 ,i have1 therefore1 to point out that except for that request1 or rather sanction2 for the preface which he has promised to add after my work upon the volumes is finished2 and for the title which it bears1 ,mr4 ,ruskin is in no way responsible for this edition of his letters4 ,i knew1 indeed1 from the words of 8,fors ,clavigera0 which are printed as a motto to the book1 that ,i ran little risk of his disapproval in determining to print1 not a selection1 but the whole number of letters in question2 and ,i felt certain that the completeness of the collection would be considered a first essential by most of its readers1 who are thus assured that the present volumes contain1 with but two exceptions1 every letter mentioned in the last edition of the bibliography1 and some few more beside1 which have been either printed or discovered since its publication4 ,the two exceptions are1 first1 the series of letters on the ,lord's ,prayer which appeared in the pages of the ,contemporary ,review last ,december2 and1 secondly1 some half-dozen upon 8,a ,museum or ,picture ,gallery10 printed in the ,art ,journal of last ,june and ,august4 ,it seemed that both these sets of letters were really more akin to review articles cast in an epistolary form1 and would thus find fitter place in a collection of such papers than in the present volumes2 and for the omission of the second set there was a still further reason in the fact that the series is not yet completed4#b ,on the other hand1 the recent circular on the proposed interference with ,st4 ,mark's1 ,venice1 is included in the first1 and one or two other extraneous matters in the second volume1 for reasons which their connection with the letters amongst which they are placed will make sufficiently clear4 ,the letters are reprinted word for word1 and almost stop for stop1 from the newspapers and other pages in which they first appeared4 ,to ensure this accuracy was not an easy matter1 and to it there are a few intentional exceptions4 ,a few misprints have been corrected1 such as that of 8,fat ,bard0 for 8,fort ,bard0 7vol4 i4 p4 #adg73 and now and then the punctuation has been changed1 as on the #befth page of the same volume1 where a comma1 placed in the original print of the letter between the words 8visibly0 and 8owing10 quite confused the sentence4 ,to these slight alterations may be added others still less important1 such as the commencement of a fresh paragraph1 or the closing up of an existing one1 to suit the composition of the type1 which the number of notes rendered unusually tiresome4 ,the title of a letter1 too1 is not always that provided it by the newspaper2 in some cases it seemed well to rechristen1 in others it was necessary to christen a letter1 though the former has never been done where it was at all possible that the existing title 7for which reference can always be made to the bibliography7 was one given to it by ,mr4 ,ruskin himself4 ,the classification of the letters is well enough shown by the tables of contents4 ,the advantages of a topical over a chronological arrangement appeared beyond all doubt2 whilst the addition to each volume of a chronological list of the letters contained in it1 and the further addition to the second volume of a similar list of all the letters contained in the book1 and of a full index1 will1 it is hoped1 increase the usefulness of the work4 ,the beautiful engraving which forms the frontispiece of the first volume originally formed that of 8,the ,oxford ,museum40 ,the plate was but little used in the apparently small edition of that book1 and was thus found to be in excellent state for further use here4 ,the woodcut of the chestnut spandril 7vol4 i4 p4 #add7 is copied from one which may also be found in 8,the ,oxford ,museum40 ,the facsimile of part of one of the letters is not quite satisfactory1 the lines being somewhat thicker than they should be1 but it answers its present purpose4 ,lastly1 the chief difficulty of editing these letters has been in regard to the notes1 and has lain not so much in obtaining the necessary information as in deciding what use to make of it when obtained4 ,the first point was1 of course1 to put the reader of the present volumes in possession of every fact which would have been common knowledge at the time when such and such a letter was written2 but beyond this there were various allusions1 which might be thought to need explanation2 quotations1 the exact reference to which might be convenient2 and so forth4 ,some notes1 therefore1 of this character have been also added2 whilst some few which were omitted1 either intentionally or by accident1 from the body of the work1 may be found on reference to the index4#c ,the effort to make the book complete has induced the notice of slight variations of text in one or two cases1 especially in the reprint of the ,st4 ,mark's ,circular4 ,the space occupied by such notes is small1 the interest which a few students take in the facts they notice really great1 and the appearance of pedantry to some readers is thus risked in order to meet the special wish of others4 ,the same effort will account for the reappearance of one or two really unimportant letters in the ,appendix to the second volume1 which contains also some few letters the nature of which is rather personal than public4 ,i have asked ,mr4 ,ruskin to state in his preface to the book the value he may set upon it in relation to his other and more connected work2 and for the rest1 ,i have only to add that the editing of it has been the pleasant labor of my leisure for more than two years past1 and to express my hope that these scattered arrows1 some from the bow of 8,an ,oxford ,graduate10 some from that of an ,oxford ,professor1 may not have been vainly winged anew by ,,an ,,oxford ,,pupil4 ,october1 #ahhj4 ,,chronological ,,list ,,of ,,the ,,letters ,,contained ,,in ,,the ,,first ,,volume4 ,,note4--,in the second and third columns the bracketed words and figures are dating of more or less certainly conjectured2 whilst those unbracketed give the actual the letter4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,,title ,,of ,,letter4 ,,where ,,written4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,a ,,landslip ,,near ,,giagnano ,naples ,,modern ,,painters3 ,a ,,reply ,denmark ,hill ,,art ,,criticism ,denmark ,hill ,,on ,,reflections ,,in ,,water ,denmark ,hill ,,danger ,,to ,,the ,,national ,,gallery ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren1 ,i4 ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren1 ,,ii4 ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,national ,,gallery ,herne ,hill1 ,dulwich 8,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,world0 ,denmark ,hill 8,,the ,,awakening ,,conscience0 ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ,denmark ,hill ,,on ,,the ,,gentian ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ,,national ,,gallery ,denmark ,hill ,,the ,,castle ,,rock 7,,edinburgh7 ,dunbar ,,the ,,arts ,,as ,a ,,branch ,,of ,,education ,penrith ,,edinburgh ,,castle ,penrith ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,turner ,,pre-,,raphaelitism ,,in ,,liverpool ,,generalization ,,scotch ,,pre-,,raphaelites ,,gothic ,,architecture ,,oxford ,,museum1 ,i4 ,,the ,,turner ,,sketches ,,and ,,drawings ,,turner',s ,,sketch ,,book 7,,extract7 ,,the ,,liber ,,studiorum 7,,extract7 ,,gothic ,,architecture ,,oxford ,,museum1 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,turner ,,gallery ,,at ,,kensington ,denmark ,hill ,,mr4 ,,thornbury',s 8,,life ,,of ,,turner0 7,,extract7 ,lucerne ,,art ,,teaching ,,by ,,correspondence ,denmark ,hill ,,on ,,the ,,reflection ,,of ,,rainbows ,,the ,,conformation ,,of ,,the ,,alps ,denmark ,hill ,,concerning ,,glaciers ,denmark ,hill ,,english versus ,,alpine ,,geology ,denmark ,hill ,,concerning ,,hydrostatics ,norwich ,,the ,,british ,,museum ,denmark ,hill ,,copies ,,of ,,turner',s ,,drawings 7,,extract7 ,,notre ,,dame ,,de ,,paris ,denmark ,hill 8,,turners0 ,,false ,,and ,,true ,denmark ,hill ,,castles ,,and ,,kennels ,denmark ,hill ,,verona v4 ,,warwick ,denmark ,hill1 ,s4 ,e4 ,,mr4 ,,ruskin',s ,,influence3 ,a ,,defence ,denmark ,hill ,,mr4 ,,ruskin',s ,,influence3 ,a ,,rejoinder ,denmark ,hill ,,john ,,leech',s ,,outlines ,,ernest ,,george',s ,,etchings ,denmark ,hill ,,james ,,david ,,forbes3 ,,his ,,real ,,greatness ,,the ,,frederick ,,walker ,,exhibition ,,copies ,,of ,,turner',s ,,drawings ,peterborough ,,turner',s ,,drawings1 ,i4 ,brantwood ,,turner',s ,,drawings1 ,,ii4 ,brantwood1 ,coniston1 ,lancashire ,,modern ,,restoration ,venice ,,ribbesford ,,church ,brantwood1 ,coniston1 ,lancashire ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,venice--,,circular ,,relating ,,to ,brantwood ,,st4 ,,mark',s ,,venice--,,letters ,brantwood ,,on ,,the ,,purchase ,,of ,,pictures ,brantwood ,,copy ,,of ,,turner',s 8,,fluelen0 ,london ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,natural ,,history ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- ,,when ,,written4 ,,where ,,and ,,when ,,first ,,published4 ,,page4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- ,february #g1 #ahda ,proceedings of the ,ashmolean ,society #bjb ,about ,sept4 #ag1 #ahdc ,the ,weekly ,chronicle1 ,sept4 #bc1 #ahdc #c ,december1 #ahdc ,the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 #ahdd #aj ,january1 #ahdd ,the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 #ahdd #aia ,january #f #ahdg ,the ,times1 ,january #g1 #ahdg #cg ,may #i #ahea ,the ,times1 ,may #ac1 #ahea #ei ,may #bf #ahea ,the ,times1 ,may #cj1 #ahea #fc ,december #bg #aheb ,the ,times1 ,december #bi1 #aheb #de ,may #d #ahed ,the ,times1 ,may #ae1 #ahed #fg ,may #bd #ahed ,the ,times1 ,may #be1 #ahed #ga ,october #bg #ahef ,the ,times1 ,october #bh1 #ahef #ha ,february #aj #aheg ,the ,athenum1 ,february #ad1 #aheg #bjd ,july #h1 #aheg ,the ,times1 ,july #i1 #aheg #hf #adth ,september1 #aheg ,the ,witness 7,edinburgh71 ,sept4 #af1 #aheg #ade ,september #be1 #aheg 8,new ,oxford ,examinations1 etc410 #aheh #bd #bgth ,september #aheg ,the ,witness 7,edinburgh71 ,sept4 #cj1 #aheg #adg #aheg ,thornbury's ,life of ,turner4 ,preface1 #ahfa #ajg ,january1 #aheh ,the ,liverpool ,albion1 ,january #aa1 #aheh #gc ,march4 #aheh ,the ,witness 7,edinburgh71 ,march #bg1 #aheh #gd ,june1 #aheh 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 #ahei4 #abe ,november1 #aheh ,the ,literary ,gazette1 ,nov4 #ac1 #aheh #hh #aheh ,list of ,turner's ,drawings1 ,boston1 #ahgd #hf n4 #aheh ,list of ,turner's ,drawings1 ,boston1 #ahgd #ig n4 ,january #bj1 #ahei 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 #ahei #aca ,october #bj #ahei ,the ,times1 ,october #ba1 #ahei #ih ,december #b1 #ahfa ,thornbury's ,life of ,turner4 ,ed4 #b1 ,pref4 #ajh ,november1 #ahfj ,nature and ,art1 ,december #a1 #ahff #cb #gth ,may1 #ahfa ,the ,london ,review1 ,may #af1 #ahfa #bja #ajth ,november1 #ahfd ,the ,reader1 ,november #ab1 #ahfd #agc ,november #ba #ahfd ,the ,reader1 ,november #bf1 #ahfd #age #bith ,november #ahfd ,the ,reader1 ,december #c1 #ahfd #aha #eth ,december #ahfd ,the ,reader1 ,december #aj1 #ahfd #ahe ,jan4 #bf #ahff ,the ,times1 ,january #bg1 #ahff #eb #ahfg ,list of ,turner's ,drawings1 ,boston1 #ahgd #aje n4 ,january #ah1 #ahga ,the ,daily ,telegraph1 ,january #ai1 #ahga #aec ,january #bc #ahga ,the ,times1 ,january #bd1 #ahga #ajf ,december #bj #ahga ,the ,daily ,telegraph1 ,december #bb1 #ahga #aea #bdth 7for #beth7 ,dec4 #ahga ,the ,daily ,telegraph1 ,december #be1 #ahga #aeb ,march #ae #ahgb ,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette1 ,march #af1 #ahgb #aed ,march #ba #ahgb ,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette1 ,march #ba1 #ahgb #aef #ahgb ,the ,catalogue to the ,exhibition1 #ahgb #aaa ,december1 #ahgc ,the ,architect1 ,december #bg1 #ahgc #aac #ahgd 8,rendu's ,glaciers of ,savoy10 #ahgd #ahg ,january1 #ahgf ,the ,times1 ,january #bj1 #ahgf #aaf ,april #bc #ahgf ,the ,times1 ,april #be1 #ahgf #aje ,july #c #ahgf ,the ,daily ,telegraph1 ,july #e1 #ahgf #ajj ,july #af #ahgf ,the ,daily ,telegraph1 ,july #ai1 #ahgf #ajd #aeth ,april1 #ahgg ,the ,liverpool ,daily ,post1 ,june #i1 #ahgg #aeg ,july #bd1 #ahgg ,the ,kidderminster ,times1 ,july #bh1 #ahgg #aeh ,winter #ahgi ,see the ,circular #aei ,winter #ahgi ,birmingham ,daily ,mail1 ,nov4 #bg1 #ahgi #afi ,january #ahhj ,leicester ,chronicle1 ,january #ca1 #ahhj #ee #bjth ,march1 #ahhj ,lithograph copy issued by ,mr4 ,ward1 #ahhj #aje n4 ,undated ,letter to ,adam ,white unknown #bjd ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,i4 ,,art ,,criticism ,,and ,,art ,,education4 8,,modern ,,painters02 ,a ,,reply4 #ahdc4 ,,art ,,criticism4 #ahdc4 ,,the ,,arts ,,as ,a ,,branch ,,of ,,education4 #aheg4 ,,art ,,teaching ,,by ,,correspondence4 #ahfj4 ,,arrows ,,of ,,the ,,chace4 ,i4 ,,art ,,criticism ,,and ,,art ,,education4 ,from 8,the ,weekly ,chronicle10 ,september #bc1 #ahdc4 8,,modern ,,painters20 ,a ,,reply4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,weekly ,chronicle40 ,,sir3 ,i was much gratified by reading in your columns of the #aeth#d instant a piece of close1 candid1 and artistical criticism on my work entitled 8,modern ,painters40 ,serious and well-based criticism is at the present day so rare1 and our periodicals are filled so universally with the splenetic jargon or meaningless praise of ignorance1 that it is no small pleasure to an author to meet either with praise which he can view with patience1 or censure which he can regard with respect4 ,i seldom1 therefore1 read1 and have never for an instant thought of noticing1 the ordinary animadversions of the press2 but the critique on 8,modern ,painters0 in your pages is evidently the work of a man both of knowledge and feeling2 and is at once so candid and so keen1 so honest and so subtle1 that ,i am desirous of offering a few remarks on the points on which it principally touches--they are of importance to art2 and ,i feel convinced that the writer is desirous only of elucidating truth1 not of upholding a favorite error4 ,with respect first to ,gaspar's painting of the 8,sacrifice of ,isaac40 ,it is not on the faith of any single shadow that ,i have pronounced the time intended to be near noon#e--though the shadow of the two figures being very short1 and cast from the spectator1 is in itself conclusive4 ,the whole system of chiaroscuro of the picture is lateral2 and the light is expressly shown not to come from the distance by its breaking brightly on the bit of rock and waterfall on the left1 from which the high copse wood altogether intercepts the rays proceeding from the horizon4 ,there are multitudes of pictures by ,gaspar with this same effect--leaving no doubt whatever on my mind that they are all manufactured by the same approved recipe1 probably given him by ,nicholas1 but worked out by ,gaspar with the clumsiness and vulgarity which are invariably attendant on the efforts of an inferior mind to realize the ideas of a greater4 ,the ,italian masters universally make the horizon the chief light of their picture1 whether the effect intended be of noon or evening4 ,gaspar1 to save himself the trouble of graduation1 washes his sky half blue and half yellow1 and separates the two colors by a line of cloud4 ,in order to get his light conspicuous and clear1 he washes the rest of his sky of a dark deep blue1 without any thoughts about time of day or elevation of sun1 or any such minuti2 finally1 having frequently found the convenience of a black foreground1 with a bit of light coming in round the corner1 and probably having no conception of the possibility of painting a foreground on any other principle1 he naturally falls into the usual method--blackens it all over1 touches in a few rays of lateral light1 and turns out a very respectable article2 for in such language only should we express the completion of a picture painted throughout on conventional principles1 without one reference to nature1 and without one idea of the painter's own4 ,with respect to ,salvator's 8,mercury and the ,woodman10#f your critic has not allowed for the effect of time on its blues4 ,they are now1 indeed1 sobered and brought down1 as is every other color in the picture1 until it is scarcely possible to distinguish any of the details in its darker parts2 but they have been pure and clean1 and the mountain is absolutely the same color as the open part of the sky4 ,when ,i say it is 8in full light10 ,i do not mean that it is the highest light of the picture 7for no distant mountain can be so1 when compared with bright earth or white clouds71 but that no accidental shadow is cast upon it2 that it is under open sky1 and so illumined that there must necessarily be a difference in hue between its light and dark sides1 at which ,salvator has not even hinted4 ,again1 with respect to the question of focal distances1#g your critic1 in common with many very clever people to whom ,i have spoken on the subject1 has confused the obscurity of objects which are laterally out of the focal range1 with that of objects which are directly out of the focal distance4 ,if all objects in a landscape were in the same plane1 they should be represented on the plane of the canvas with equal distinctness1 because the eye has no greater lateral range on the canvas than in the landscape1 and can only command a point in each4 ,but this point in the landscape may present an intersection of lines belonging to different distances--as when a branch of a tree1 or tuft of grass1 cuts against the horizon3 and yet these different distances cannot be discerned together3 we lose one if we look at the other1 so that no painful intersection of lines is ever felt4 ,but on the canvas1 as the lines of foreground and of distance are on the same plane1 they will be seen together whenever they intersect1 painfully and distinctly2 and1 therefore1 unless we make one series1 whether near or distant1 obscure and indefinite1 we shall always represent as visible at once that which the eye can only perceive by two separate acts of seeing4 ,hold up your finger before this page1 six inches from it4 ,if you look at the edge of your finger1 you cannot see the letters2 if you look at the letters1 you cannot see the edge of your finger1 but as a confused1 double1 misty line4 ,hence in painting1 you must either take for your subject the finger or the letters2 you cannot paint both distinctly without violation of truth4 ,it is of no consequence how quick the change of the eye may be2 it is not one whit quicker than its change from one part of the horizon to another1 nor are the two intersecting distances more visible at the same time than two opposite portions of a landscape to which it passes in succession4 ,whenever1 therefore1 in a landscape1 we look from the foreground to the distance1 the foreground is subjected to two degrees of indistinctness3 the first1 that of an object laterally out of the focus of the eye2 and the second1 that of an object directly out of the focus of the eye2 being too near to be seen with the focus adapted to the distance4 ,in the picture1 when we look from the foreground to the distance1 the foreground is subjected only to one degree of indistinctness1 that of being out of the lateral range2 for as both the painting of the distance and of the foreground are on the same plane1 they are seen together with the same focus4 ,hence we must supply the second degree of indistinctness by slurring with the brush1 or we shall have a severe and painful intersection of near and distant lines1 impossible in nature4 ,finally1 a very false principle is implied by part of what is advanced by your critic--which has led to infinite error in art1 and should therefore be instantly combated whenever it were hinted--that the ideal is different from the true4 ,it is1 on the contrary1 only the perfection of truth4 ,the ,apollo is not a false representation of man1 but the most perfect representation of all that is constant and essential in man--free from the accidents and evils which corrupt the truth of his nature4#h ,supposing we are describing to a naturalist some animal he does not know1 and we tell him we saw one with a hump on its back1 and another with strange bends in its legs1 and another with a long tail1 and another with no tail1 he will ask us directly1 ,but what is its true form1 what is its real form8 ,this truth1 this reality1 which he requires of us1 is the ideal form1 that which is hinted at by all the individuals--aimed at1 but not arrived at4 ,but never let it be said that1 when a painter is defying the principles of nature at every roll of his brush1 as ,i have shown that ,gaspar does1 when1 instead of working out the essential characters of specific form1 and raising those to their highest degree of nobility and beauty1 he is casting all character aside1 and carrying out imperfection and accident2 never let it be said1 in excuse for such degradation of nature1 that it is done in pursuit of the ideal4 ,as well might this be said in defence of the promising sketch of the human form pasted on the wainscot behind the hope of the family--artist and musician of equal power--in the 8,blind ,fiddler40#i ,ideal beauty is the generalization of consummate knowledge1 the concentration of perfect truth--not the abortive vision of ignorance in its study4 ,nor was there ever yet one conception of the human mind beautiful1 but as it was based on truth4 ,whenever we leave nature1 we fall immeasurably beneath her4 ,so1 again1 ,i find fault with the 8ropy wreath0 of ,gaspar1#aj not because he chose massy cloud instead of light cloud2 but because he has drawn his massy cloud falsely1 making it look tough and powerless1 like a chain of ,bologna sausages1 instead of gifting it with the frangible and elastic vastness of nature's mountain vapor4 ,finally1 ,sir1 why must it be only 8when he is gone from us0#aa that the power of our greatest ,english landscape painter is to be acknowledged8 ,it cannot1 indeed1 be fully understood until the current of years has swept away the minor lights which stand around it1 and left it burning alone2 but at least the scoff and the sneer might be lashed into silence1 if those only did their duty by whom it is already perceived4 ,and let us not think that our unworthiness has no effect on the work of the master4 ,i could be patient if ,i thought that no effect was wrought on his noble mind by the cry of the populace2 but1 scorn it as he may1 and does1 it is yet impossible for any human mind to hold on its course1 with the same energy and life1 through the oppression of a perpetual hissing1 as when it is cheered on by the quick sympathy of its fellow-men4 ,it is not in art as in matters of political duty1 where the path is clear and the end visible4 ,the springs of feeling may be oppressed or sealed by the want of an answer in other bosoms1 though the sense of principle cannot be blunted except by the individual's own error2 and though the knowledge of what is right1 and the love of what is beautiful1 may still support our great painter through the languor of age--and ,heaven grant it may for years to come--yet we cannot hope that he will ever cast his spirit upon the canvas with the same freedom and fire as if he felt that the voice of its inspiration was waited for among men1 and dwelt upon with devotion4 ,once1 in ruder times1 the work of a great painter#ab was waited for through days at his door1 and attended to its place of deposition by the enthusiasm of a hundred cities2 and painting rose from that time1 a rainbow upon the ,seven ,hills1 and on the cypressed heights of ,fisole1 guiding them and lighting them forever1 even in the stillness of their decay4 ,how can we hope that ,england will ever win for herself such a crown1 while the works of her highest intellects are set for the pointing of the finger and the sarcasm of the tongue1 and the sole reward for the deep1 earnest1 holy labor of a devoted life1 is the weight of stone upon the trampled grave1 where the vain and idle crowd will come to wonder how the brushes are mimicked in the marble above the dust of him who wielded them in vain8 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your most obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,from the 8,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine0 7edited by ,e4 ,v4 ,rippingille71 ,january1 #ahdc1 pp4 #bhj-bhg4 ,,art ,,criticism4 ,to the ,editor of the 8,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine40 ,,sir--,anticipating1 with much interest1 your reply to the candid and earnest inquiries of your unknown correspondent1 ,matilda ,y41#ac ,i am led to hope that you will allow me to have some share with you in the pleasant task of confirming an honest mind in the truth4 ,subject always to your animadversion and correction1 so far as ,i may seem to you to be led astray by my peculiar love for the works of the artist to whom her letter refers1 ,i yet trust that in most of the remarks ,i have to make on the points which have perplexed her1 ,i shall be expressing not only your own opinions1 but those of every other accomplished artist who is really acquainted--and which of our ,english masters is not8--with the noble system of poetry and philosophy which has been put forth on canvas1 during the last forty years1 by the great painter who has presented us with the almost unparalleled example of a man winning for himself the unanimous plaudits of his generation and time1 and then casting them away like dust1 that he may build his monument--re perennius4 ,your correspondent herself1 in saying that mere knowledge of pictures cannot qualify a man for the office of a critic1 has touched the first source of the schisms of the present1 and of all time1 in questions of pictorial merit4 ,we are overwhelmed with a tribe of critics who are fully imbued with every kind of knowledge which is useful to the picture-dealer1 but with none that is important to the artist4 ,they know where a picture has been retouched1 but not where it ought to have been2 they know if it has been injured1 but not if the injury is to be regretted4 ,they are unquestionable authorities in all matters relating to the panel or the canvas1 to the varnish or the vehicle1 while they remain in entire ignorance of that which the vehicle conveys4 ,they are well acquainted with the technical qualities of every master's touch2 and when their discrimination fails1 plume themselves on indisputable tradition1 and point triumphantly to the documents of pictorial genealogy4 ,but they never go quite far enough back2 they stop one step short of the real original2 they reach the human one1 but never the ,divine4 ,whatever1 under the present system of study1 the connoisseur of the gallery may learn or know1 there is one thing he does not know--and that is nature4 ,it is a pitiable thing to hear a man like ,dr4 ,waagen1#ad about to set the seal of his approbation1 or the brand of his reprobation1 on all the pictures in our island1 expressing his insipid astonishment on his first acquaintance with the sea4 8,for the first time ,i understood the truth of their pictures 7,backhuysen's and ,van de ,velde's71 and the refined art with which1 by intervening dashes of sunshine1 near or at a distance1 and ships to animate the scene1 they produce such a charming variety on the surface of the sea40 ,for the first time6--and yet this gallery-bred judge1 this discriminator of colored shreds and canvas patches1 who has no idea how ships animate the sea1 until--charged with the fates of the ,royal ,academy--he ventures his invaluable person from ,rotterdam to ,greenwich1 will walk up to the work of a man whose brow is hard with the spray of a hundred storms1 and characterize it as 8wanting in truth of clouds and waves06 ,alas for ,art1 while such judges sit enthroned on their apathy to the beautiful1 and their ignorance of the true1 and with a canopy of canvas between them and the sky1 and a wall of tradition1 which may not be broken through1 concealing from them the horizon1 hurl their darkened verdicts against the works of men1 whose night and noon have been wet with the dew of heaven--dwelling on the deep sea1 or wandering among the solitary places of the earth1 until they have 8made the mountains1 waves1 and skies a part of them and of their souls40 ,when information so narrow is yet the whole stock in trade of the highest authorities of the day1 what are we to expect from the lowest8 ,dr4 ,waagen is a most favorable specimen of the tribe of critics2 a man1 we may suppose1 impartial1 above all national or party prejudice1 and intimately acquainted with that half of his subject 7the technical half7 which is all we can reasonably expect to be known by one who has been trained in the painting-room instead of in the fields4 ,no authority is more incontrovertible in all questions of the genuineness of old pictures4 ,he has at least the merit--not common among those who talk most of the old masters--of knowing what he does admire1 and will not fall into the same raptures before an execrable copy as before the original4 ,if1 then1 we find a man of this real judgment in those matters to which his attention has been directed1 entirely incapable1 owing to his ignorance of nature1 of estimating a modern picture1 what can we hope from those lower critics who are unacquainted even with those technical characters which they have opportunities of learning8 ,what1 for instance1 are we to anticipate from the sapient lucubrations of the critic--for some years back the disgrace of the pages of 8,blackwood0--who in one breath displays his knowledge of nature1 by styling a painting of a furze bush in the bed of a mountain torrent a specimen of the 8high pastoral10 and in the next his knowledge of ,art1 by informing us that ,mr4 ,lee 8reminds him of ,gainsborough's best manner1 but is inferior to him in composition06#ae ,we do not mean to say anything against ,mr4 ,lee2 but can we forbear to smile at the hopeless innocence of the man's novitiate1 who could be reminded by them of landscapes powerful enough in color to take their place beside those of ,rembrandt or ,rubens8 ,a little attention will soon convince your correspondent of the utter futility or falsehood of the ordinary critiques of the press2 and there could1 ,i believe1 even at present1 be little doubt in her mind as to the fitting answer to the question1 whether we are to take the opinion of the accomplished artist or of the common newsmonger1 were it not for a misgiving which1 be she conscious of it or not1 is probably floating in her mind--whether that can really be great ,art which has no influence whatsoever on the multitude1 and is appreciable only by the initiated few4 ,and this is the real question of difficulty4 ,it is easy to prove that such and such a critic is wrong2 but not so1 to prove that what everybody dislikes is right4 ,it is fitting to pay respect to ,sir ,augustus ,callcott1 but is it so to take his word against all the world8 ,this inquiry requires to be followed with peculiar caution2 for by setting at defiance the judgment of the public1 we in some sort may appear to justify that host of petty scribblers1 and contemptible painters1 who in all time have used the same plea in defence of their rejected works1 and have received in consequence merciless chastisement from contemporary and powerful authors or painters1 whose reputation was as universal as it was just4 8,mes ouvrages10 said ,rubens to his challenger1 ,abraham ,janssens1 8ont t exposs en ,italie1 et en ,espagne1 sans que j'aie reu la nouvelle de leur condamnation4 ,vous n'avez qu' soumettre les votres la mme preuve40#af 8,je dfie10 says ,boileau1 8tous les amateurs les plus mcontents du public1 de me citer un bon livre que le public ait jamais rebut1 moins qu'ils ne mettent en ce rang leur crits1 de la bont desquels eux seuls sont persuads40 ,now the fact is1 that the whole difficulty of the question is caused by the ambiguity of this word--the 8public40 ,whom does it include8 ,people continually forget that there is a separate public for every picture1 and for every book4 ,appealed to with reference to any particular work1 the public is that class of persons who possess the knowledge which it presupposes1 and the faculties to which it is addressed4 ,with reference to a new edition of ,newton's ,principia1 the 8public0 means little more than the ,royal ,society4 ,with reference to one of ,wordsworth's poems1 it means all who have hearts4 ,with reference to one of ,moore's1 all who have passions4 ,with reference to the works of ,hogarth1 it means those who have worldly knowledge to the works of ,giotto1 those who have religious faith4 ,each work must be tested exclusively by the fiat of the particular public to whom it is addressed4 ,we will listen to no comments on ,newton from people who have no mathematical knowledge2 to none on ,wordsworth from those who have no hearts2 to none on ,giotto from those who have no religion4 ,therefore1 when we have to form a judgment of any new work1 the question 8,what do the public say to it80 is indeed of vital importance2 but we must always inquire1 first1 who are its public8 ,we must not submit a treatise on moral philosophy to a conclave of horse-jockeys1 nor a work of deep artistical research to the writers for the ,art ,union4 ,the public1 then1 we repeat1 when referred to with respect to a particular work1 consist only of those who have knowledge of its subject1 and are possessed of the faculties to which it is addressed4 ,if it fail of touching these1 the work is a bad one2 but it in no degree militates against it that it is rejected by those to whom it does not appeal4 ,to whom1 then1 let us ask1 and to what public do the works of ,turner appeal8 ,to those only1 we reply1 who have profound and disciplined acquaintance with nature1 ardent poetical feeling1 and keen eye for color 7a faculty far more rare than an ear for music74 ,they are deeply-toned poems1 intended for all who love poetry1 but not for those who delight in mimickries of wine-glasses and nutshells4 ,they are deep treatises on natural phenomena1 intended for all who are acquainted with such phenomena1 but not for those who1 like the painter ,barry1 are amazed at finding the realities of the ,alps grander than the imaginations of ,salvator1 and assert that they saw the moon from the ,mont ,cenis four times as big as usual1 8from being so much nearer to it06#ag ,and they are studied melodies of exquisite color1 intended for those who have perception of color2 not for those who fancy that all trees are ,prussian green4 ,then comes the question1 ,were the works of ,turner ever rejected by any person possessing even partially these qualifications8 ,we answer boldly1 never4 ,on the contrary1 they are universally hailed by this public with an enthusiasm not undeserving in appearance--at least to those who are debarred from sharing in it1 of its usual soubriquet--the ,turner mania4 ,is1 then1 the number of those who are acquainted with the truth of nature so limited8 ,so it has been asserted by one who knew much both of ,art and ,nature1 and both were glorious in his country4#ai 4 4 1 1 2 4 4 4 1 2 4 4 ,,hippias ,,major4 ,now1 we are not inclined to go quite so far as this4 ,there are many subjects with respect to which the multitude are cognizant of truth1 or at least of some truth2 and those subjects may be generally characterized as everything which materially concerns themselves or their interests4 ,the public are acquainted with the nature of their own passions1 and the point of their own calamities--can laugh at the weakness they feel1 and weep at the miseries they have experienced2 but all the sagacity they possess1 be it how great soever1 will not enable them to judge of likeness to that which they have never seen1 nor to acknowledge principles on which they have never reflected4 ,of a comedy or a drama1 an epigram or a ballad1 they are judges from whom there is no appeal2 but not of the representation of facts which they have never examined1 of beauties which they have never loved4 ,it is not sufficient that the facts or the features of nature be around us1 while they are not within us4 ,we may walk day by day through grove and meadow1 and scarcely know more concerning them than is known by bird and beast1 that the one has shade for the head1 and the other softness for the foot4 ,it is not true that 8the eye1 it cannot choose but see10 unless we obey the following condition1 and go forth 8in a wise passiveness10#ba free from that plague of our own hearts which brings the shadow of ourselves1 and the tumult of our petty interests and impatient passions1 across the light and calm of ,nature4 ,we do not sit at the feet of our mistress to listen to her teaching2 but we seek her only to drag from her that which may suit our purpose1 to see in her the confirmation of a theory1 or find in her fuel for our pride4 ,nay1 do we often go to her even thus8 ,have we not rather cause to take to ourselves the full weight of ,wordsworth's noble appeal-- 8,vain pleasures of luxurious life6 ,forever with yourselves at strife1 ,through town and country1 both deranged ,by affections interchanged1 ,and all the perishable gauds ,that heaven-deserted man applauds4 ,when will your hapless patrons learn ,to watch and ponder1 to discern ,the freshness1 the eternal youth ,of admiration1 sprung from truth1 ,from beauty infinitely growing ,upon a mind with love overflowing3 ,to sound the depths of every art ,that seeks its wisdom through the heart80#bb ,when will they learn it8 ,hardly1 we fear1 in this age of steam and iron1 luxury and selfishness4 ,we grow more and more artificial day by day1 and see less and less worthiness in those pleasures which bring with them no morbid excitement1 in that knowledge which affords us no opportunity of display4 ,your correspondent may rest assured that those who do not care for nature1 who do not love her1 cannot see her4 ,a few of her phenomena lie on the surface2 the nobler number lie deep1 and are the reward of watching and of thought4 ,the artist may choose which he will render3 no human art can render both4 ,if he paint the surface1 he will catch the crowd2 if he paint the depth1 he will be admired only--but with how deep and fervent admiration1 none but they who feel it can tell--by the thoughtful and observant few4 ,there are some admirable observations on this subject in your ,december number 78,an ,evening's ,gossip with a ,painter0#bc72 but there is one circumstance with respect to the works of ,turner which yet further limits the number of their admirers4 ,they are not prosaic statements of the phenomena of nature--they are statements of them under the influence of ardent feeling2 they are1 in a word1 the most fervent and real poetry which the ,english nation is at present producing4 ,now not only is this proverbially an age in which poetry is little cared for2 but even with those who have most love of it1 and most need of it1 it requires1 especially if high and philosophical1 an attuned1 quiet1 and exalted frame of mind for its enjoyment2 and if dragged into the midst of the noisy interests of every-day life1 may easily be made ridiculous or offensive4 ,wordsworth recited1 by ,mr4 ,wakley1 in the ,house of ,commons1 in the middle of a financial debate1 would sound1 in all probability1 very like ,mr4 ,wakley's#bd own verses4 ,wordsworth1 read in the stillness of a mountain hollow1 has the force of the mountain waters4 ,what would be the effect of a passage of ,milton recited in the middle of a pantomime1 or of a dreamy stanza of ,shelley upon the ,stock ,exchange8 ,are we to judge of the nightingale by hearing it sing in broad daylight in ,cheapside8 ,for just such a judgment do we form of ,turner by standing before his pictures in the ,royal ,academy4 ,it is a strange thing that the public never seem to suspect that there may be a poetry in painting1 to meet which1 some preparation of sympathy1 some harmony of circumstance1 is required2 and that it is just as impossible to see half a dozen great pictures as to read half a dozen great poems at the same time1 if their tendencies or their tones of feeling be contrary or discordant4 ,let us imagine what would be the effect on the mind of any man of feeling1 to whom an eager friend1 desirous of impressing upon him the merit of different poets1 should read successively1 and without a pause1 the following passages1 in which lie something of the prevailing character of the works of six of our greatest modern artists3 ,,landseer4 8,his hair1 his size1 his mouth1 his lugs1 ,show'd he was nane o' ,scotland's dougs1 ,but whalpit some place far abroad ,whar sailors gang to fish for cod40#be ,,martin4 8,far in the horizon to the north appear'd1 ,from skirt to skirt1 a fiery region1 stretched ,in battailous aspct1 and nearer view ,bristled with upright beams innumerable ,of rigid spears1 and helmets throng'd1 and shields ,various1 with boastful argument portray'd40 ,,wilkie4 8,the risin' moon began to glowr ,the distant ,cumnock hills out owre2 ,to count her horns1 wi' a' my pow'r1 ,i set mysel'2 ,but whether she had three or fowr1 ,i couldna tell40 ,,eastlake4 8,and thou1 who tell'st me to forget1 ,thy looks are wan1 thine eyes are wet40 ,,stanfield4 8,ye mariners of ,england1 ,who guard our native seas1 ,whose flag has braved a thousand years ,the battle and the breeze40 ,,turner4 8,the point of one white star is quivering still1 ,deep in the orange light of widening dawn1 ,beyond the purple mountains4 ,through a chasm ,of wind-divided mist the darker lake ,reflects it1 now it fades3 it gleams again1 ,as the waves fall1 and as the burning threads ,of woven cloud unravel in pale air1 ',tis lost6 and through yon peaks of cloudlike snow ,the roseate sunlight quivers40 ,precisely to such advantage as the above passages1 so placed1#bf appear1 are the works of any painter of mind seen in the ,academy4 ,none suffer more than ,turner's1 which are not only interfered with by the prosaic pictures around them1 but neutralize each other4 ,two works of his1 side by side1 destroy each other to a dead certainty1 for each is so vast1 so complete1 so demandant of every power1 so sufficient for every desire of the mind1 that it is utterly impossible for two to be comprehended together4 ,each must have the undivided intellect1 and each is destroyed by the attraction of the other2 and it is the chief power and might of these pictures1 that they are works for the closet and the heart--works to be dwelt upon separately and devotedly1 and then chiefly when the mind is in its highest tone1 and desirous of a beauty which may be food for its immortality4 ,it is the very stamp and essence of the purest poetry1 that it can only be so met and understood2 and that the clash of common interests1 and the roar of the selfish world1 must be hushed about the heart1 before it can hear the still1 small voice1 wherein rests the power communicated from the ,holiest4#bg ,can1 then1 will be1 if ,i mistake not1 the final inquiry of your correspondent1--can1 then1 we ordinary mortals1--can ,i1 who am not ,sir ,augustus ,callcott1 nor ,sir ,francis ,chantrey1 ever derive any pleasure from works of this lofty character8 ,heaven forbid1 we reply1 that it should be otherwise4 ,nothing more is necessary for the appreciation of them1 than that which is necessary for the appreciation of any great writer--the quiet study of him with an humble heart4 ,there are1 indeed1 technical qualities1 difficulties overcome and principles developed1 which are reserved for the enjoyment of the artist2 but these do not add to the influence of the picture4 ,on the contrary1 we must break through its charm1 before we can comprehend its means1 and 8murder to dissect40 ,the picture is intended1 not for artists alone1 but for all who love what it portrays2 and so little doubt have we of the capacity of all to understand the works in question1 that we have the most confident expectation1 within the next fifty years1 of seeing the name of ,turner placed on the same impregnable height with that of ,shakespeare4#bi ,both have committed errors of taste and judgment4 ,in both it is1 or will be1 heresy even to feel those errors1 so entirely are they overbalanced by the gigantic powers of whose impetuosity they are the result4 ,so soon as the public are convinced1 by the maintained testimony of high authority1 that ,turner is worth understanding1 they will try to understand him2 and if they try1 they can4 ,nor are they1 now1 as is commonly thought1 despised or defied by him4 ,he has too much respect for them to endeavor to please them by falsehood4 ,he will not win for himself a hearing by the betrayal of his message4 ,finally1 then1 we would recommend your correspondent1 first1 to divest herself of every atom of lingering respect or regard for the common criticism of the press1 and to hold fast by the authority of ,callcott1 ,chantrey1 ,landseer1 and ,stanfield2 and this1 not because we would have her slavishly subject to any authority but that of her own eyes and reason1 but because we would not have her blown about with every wind of doctrine1 before she has convinced her reason or learned to use her eyes4 ,and if she can draw at all1 let her make careful studies of any natural objects that may happen to come in her way1--sticks1 leaves1 or stones1--and of distant atmospheric effects on groups of objects2 not for the sake of the drawing itself1 but for the sake of the powers of attention and accurate observation which thus only can be cultivated4 ,and let her make the study1 not thinking of this artist or of that2 not conjecturing what ,harding would have done1 or ,stanfield1 or ,callcott1 with her subject2 not trying to draw in a bold style1 or a free style1 or any other style2 but drawing all she sees1 as far as may be in her power1 earnestly1 faithfully1 unselectingly2 and1 which is perhaps the more difficult task of the two1 not drawing what she does not see4 ,oh1 if people did but know how many lines nature suggests without showing1 what different art should we have6 ,and let her never be discouraged by ill success4 ,she will seldom have gained more knowledge than when she most feels her failure4 ,let her use every opportunity of examining the works of ,turner2 let her try to copy them1 then try to copy some one else's1 and observe which presents most of that kind of difficulty which she found in copying nature4 ,let her1 if possible1 extend her acquaintance with wild natural scenery of every kind and character1 endeavoring in each species of scenery to distinguish those features which are expressive and harmonious from those which are unaffecting or incongruous2 and after a year or two of such discipline as this1 let her judge for herself4 ,no authority need then1 or can then1 be very influential with her4 ,her own pleasure in works of true greatness#cj will be too real1 too instinctive1 to be persuaded or laughed out of her4 ,we bid her1 therefore1 heartily good-speed1 with this final warning3 ,let her beware1 in going to nature1 of taking with her the commonplace dogmas or dicta of art4 ,let her not look for what is like ,titian or like ,claude1 for composed form or arranged chiaroscuro2 but believe that everything which ,god has made is beautiful1 and that everything which nature teaches is true4 ,let her beware1 above everything1 of that wicked pride which makes man think he can dignify ,god's glorious creations1 or exalt the majesty of his universe4 ,let her be humble1 we repeat1 and earnest ,truth was never sealed1 if so sought4 ,and once more we bid her good-speed in the words of our poet-moralist3 8,enough of ,science and of ,art3 ,seal up these barren leaves2 ,come forth1 and bring with you a heart ,that watches1 and receives40#ca ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient humble servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,from 8,some ,account of the ,origin and ,objects of the ,new ,oxford ,examinations for the ,title of ,associate in ,arts and ,certificates10 by ,t4 ,d4 ,acland1 late ,fellow of ,all ,souls' ,college1 ,oxford1#cb #aheh1 pp4 #ed-fj4 ,,the ,,arts ,,as ,a ,,branch ,,of ,,education4 ,,penrith1 ,sept4 #be1 #aheg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have just received your most interesting letter1 and will try to answer as shortly as ,i can1 saying nothing of what ,i feel1 and what you must well know ,i should feel1 respecting the difficulty of the questions and their importance2 except only this1 that ,i should not have had the boldness to answer your letter by return of post1 unless1 in consequence of conversations on this subject with ,mr4 ,acland and ,dr4 ,acland1 two months ago1 ,i had been lately thinking of it more than of any other4#cc ,your questions fall under two heads3 7#a7 ,the range which an art examination can take2 7#b7 ,the connection in which it should be placed with other examinations4 ,i think the art examination should have three objects3 7#a7 ,to put the happiness and knowledge which the study of art conveys within the conception of the youth1 so that he may in after-life pursue them1 if he has the gift4 7#b7 ,to enforce1 as far as possible1 such knowledge of art among those who are likely to become its patrons1 or the guardian of its works1 as may enable them1 usefully to fulfil those duties4 7#c7 ,to distinguish pre-eminent gift for the production of works of art1 so as to get hold of all the good artistical faculty born in the country1 and leave no ,giotto lost among hill-shepherds4#cd ,in order to accomplish the first object1 ,i think that1 according to ,mr4 ,acland's proposal1 preliminary knowledge of drawing and music should be asked for1 in connection with writing and arithmetic2 but not1 in the preliminary examination1 made to count towards distinction in other schools4 ,i think drawing is a necessary means of the expression of certain facts of form and means of acquaintance with them1 as arithmetic is the means of acquaintance with facts of number4 ,i think the facts which an elementary knowledge of drawing enables a man to observe and note are often of as much importance to him as those which he can describe in words or calculate in numbers4 ,and ,i think the cases in which mental deficiency would prevent the acquirement of a serviceable power of drawing would be found as rare as those in which no progress could be made in arithmetic4 ,i would not desire this elementary knowledge to extend far1 but the limits which ,i would propose are not here in question4 ,while ,i feel the force of all the admirable observations of ,mr4 ,hullah on the use of the study of music1 ,i imagine that the cases of physical incapacity of distinguishing sounds would be too frequent to admit of musical knowledge being made a requirement2 ,i would ask for it1 in ,mr4 ,acland's sense2 but the drawing might1 ,i think1 be required1 as arithmetic would be4 #b4 ,to accomplish the second object is the main difficulty4 ,touching which ,i venture positively to state3 ,first4 ,that sound criticism of art is impossible to young men1 for it consists principally1 and in a far more exclusive sense than has yet been felt1 in the recognition of the facts represented by the art4 ,a great artist represents many and abstruse facts2 it is necessary1 in order to judge of his works1 that all those facts should be experimentally 7not by hearsay7 known to the observer2 whose recognition of them constitutes his approving judgment4 ,a young man cannot know them4 ,criticism of art by young men must1 therefore1 consist either in the more or less apt retailing and application of received opinions1 or in a more or less immediate and dextrous use of the knowledge they already possess1 so as to be able to assert of given works of art that they are true up to a certain point2 the probability being then that they are true farther than the young man sees4 ,the first kind of criticism is1 in general1 useless1 if not harmful2 the second is that which the youths will employ who are capable of becoming critics in after years4 ,secondly4 ,all criticism of art1 at whatever period of life1 must be partial2 warped more or less by the feelings of the person endeavoring to judge4 ,certain merits of art 7as energy1 for instance7 are pleasant only to certain temperaments2 and certain tendencies of art 7as1 for instance1 to religious sentiment7 can only be sympathized with by one order of minds4 ,it is almost impossible to conceive of any mode of examination which would set the students on anything like equitable footing in such respects2 but their sensibility to art may be generally tested4 ,thirdly4 ,the history of art1 or the study1 in your accurate words1 8about the subject10 is in no wise directly connected with the studies which promote or detect art-capacity or art-judgment4 ,it is quite possible to acquire the most extensive and useful knowledge of the forms of art existing in different ages1 and among different nations1 without thereby acquiring any power whatsoever of determining respecting any of them 7much less respecting a modern work of art7 whether it is good or bad4 ,these three facts being so1 we had perhaps best consider1 first1 what direction the art studies of the youth should take1 as that will at once regulate the mode of examination4 ,first4 ,he should be encouraged to carry forward the practical power of drawing he has acquired in the elementary school4 ,this should be done chiefly by using that power as a help in other work3 precision of touch should be cultivated by map-drawing in his geography class2 taste in form by flower-drawing in the botanical schools2 and bone and limb drawing in the physiological schools4 ,his art1 kept thus to practical service1 will always be right as far as it goes2 there will be no affectation or shallowness in it4 ,the work of the drawing-master would be at first little more than the exhibition of the best means and enforcement of the most perfect results in the collateral studies of form4 ,secondly4 ,his critical power should be developed by the presence around him of the best models1 into the excellence of which his knowledge permits him to enter4 ,he should be encouraged1 above all things1 to form and express judgment of his own2 not as if his judgment were of any importance as related to the excellence of the thing1 but that both his master and he may know precisely in what state his mind is4 ,he should be told of an ,albert ,drer engraving1 8,that is good1 whether you like it or not2 but be sure to determine whether you do or do not1 and why40 ,all formal expressions of reasons for opinion1 such as a boy could catch up and repeat1 should be withheld like poison2 and all models which are too good for him should be kept out of his way4 ,contemplation of works of art without understanding them jades the faculties and enslaves the intelligence4 ,a ,rembrandt etching is a better example to a boy than a finished ,titian1 and a cast from a leaf than one of the ,elgin marbles4 ,thirdly4 ,i would no more involve the art-schools in the study of the history of art than surgical schools in that of the history of surgery4 ,but a general idea of the influence of art on the human mind ought to be given by the study of history in the historical schools2 the effect of a picture1 and power of a painter1 being examined just as carefully 7in relation to its extent7 as the effect of a battle and the power of a general4 ,history1 in its full sense1 involves subordinate knowledge of all that influences the acts of mankind2 it has hardly yet been written at all1 owing to the want of such subordinate knowledge in the historians2 it has been confined either to the relation of events by eye-witnesses 7the only valuable form of it71 or the more or less ingenious collation of such-relations4 ,and it is especially desirable to give history a more archological range at this period1 so that the class of manufactures produced by a city at a given date should be made of more importance in the student's mind than the humors of the factions that governed1 or details of the accidents that preserved it1 because every day renders the destruction of historical memorials more complete in ,europe owing to the total want of interest in them felt by its upper and middle classes4 ,fourthly4 ,where the faculty for art was special1 it ought to be carried forward to the study of design1 first in practical application to manufacture1 then in higher branches of composition4 ,the general principles of the application of art to manufacture should be explained in all cases1 whether of special or limited faculty4 ,under this head we may at once get rid of the third question stated in the first page--how to detect special gift4 ,the power of drawing from a given form accurately would not be enough to prove this3 the additional power of design1 with that of eye for color1 which could be tested in the class concerned with manufacture1 would justify the master in advising and encouraging the youth to undertake special pursuit of art as an object of life4 ,it seems easy1 on the supposition of such a course of study1 to conceive a mode of examination which would test relative excellence4 ,i cannot suggest the kind of questions which ought to be put to the class occupied with sculpture2 but in my own business of painting1 ,i should put1 in general1 such tasks and questions as these3 7#a7 8,sketch such and such an object0 7given a difficult one1 as a bird1 complicated piece of drapery1 or foliage7 8as completely as you can in light and shade in half an hour40 7#b7 8,finish such and such a portion of it0 7given a very small portion7 8as perfectly as you can1 irrespective of time40 7#c7 8,sketch it in color in half an hour40 7#d7 8,design an ornament for a given place and purpose40 7#e7 8,sketch a picture of a given historical event in pen and ink40 7#f7 8,sketch it in colors40 7#g7 8,name the picture you were most interested in in the ,royal ,academy ,exhibition of this year4 ,state in writing what you suppose to be its principal merits--faults--the reasons of the interest you took in it40 ,i think it is only the fourth of these questions which would admit of much change2 and the seventh1 in the name of the exhibition2 the question being asked1 without previous knowledge by the students1 respecting some one of four or five given exhibitions which should be visited before the ,examination4 ,this being my general notion of what an ,art-,examination should be1 the second great question remains of the division of schools and connection of studies4 ,now ,i have not yet considered--,i have not1 indeed1 knowledge enough to enable me to consider--what the practical convenience or results of given arrangements would be4 ,but the logical and harmonious arrangement is surely a simple one2 and it seems to me as if it would not be inconvenient1 namely 7requiring elementary drawing with arithmetic in the preliminary ,examination71 that there should then be three advanced schools3 ,a4 ,the ,school of ,literature 7occupied chiefly in the study of human emotion and history74 ,b4 ,the ,school of ,science 7occupied chiefly in the study of external facts and existences of constant kind74 ,c4 ,the ,school of ,art 7occupied in the development of active and productive human faculties74 ,in the school ,a1 ,i would include ,composition in all languages1 ,poetry1 ,history1 ,archology1 ,ethics4 ,in the school ,b1 ,mathematics1 ,political ,economy1 the ,physical ,sciences 7including ,geography and ,medicine74 ,in the school ,c1 ,painting1 ,sculpture1 including ,architecture1 ,agriculture1 ,manufacture1 ,war1 ,music1 ,bodily ,exercises 7,navigation in seaport schools71 including laws of health4 ,i should require1 for a first class1 proficiency in two schools2 not1 of course1 in all the subjects of each chosen school1 but in a well-chosen and combined group of them4 ,thus1 ,i should call a very good first-class man one who had got some such range of subjects1 and such proficiency in each1 as this3 ,english1 ,greek1 and ,medival-,italian ,literature ,high4 ,english and ,french ,history1 and ,archology ,average4 ,conic ,sections ,thorough1 as far as learnt4 ,political ,economy ,thorough1 as far as learnt4 ,botany1 or ,chemistry1 or ,physiology ,high4 ,painting ,average4 ,music ,average4 ,bodily ,exercises ,high4 ,i have written you a sadly long letter1 but ,i could not manage to get it shorter4 ,believe me1 my dear ,sir1 ,very faithfully and respectfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,rev4 ,f4 ,,temple4 ,perhaps ,i had better add what to you1 but not to every one who considers such a scheme of education1 would be palpable--that the main value of it would be brought out by judicious involution of its studies4 ,this1 for instance1 would be the kind of ,examination ,paper ,i should hope for in the ,botanical ,class3 #a4 ,state the habit of such and such a plant4 #b4 ,sketch its leaf1 and a portion of its ramifications 7memory74 #c4 ,explain the mathematical laws of its growth and structure4 #d4 ,give the composition of its juices in different seasons4 #e4 ,its uses8 ,its relations to other families of plants1 and conceivable uses beyond those known8 #f4 ,its commercial value in ,london8 ,mode of cultivation8 #g4 ,its mythological meaning8 ,the commonest or most beautiful fables respecting it8 #h4 ,quote any important references to it by great poets4 #i4 ,time of its introduction4 #aj4 ,describe its consequent influence on civilization4 ,of all these ten questions1 there is not one which does not test the student in other studies than botany4 ,thus1 #a1 ,geography2 #b1 ,drawing2 #c1 ,mathematics2 #d1 #e1 ,chemistry2 #f1 ,political ,economy2 #g1 #h1 #i1 #aj1 ,literature4 ,of course the plants required to be thus studied could be but few1 and would rationally be chosen from the most useful of foreign plants1 and those common and indigenous in ,england4 ,all sciences should1 ,i think1 be taught more for the sake of their facts1 and less for that of their system1 than heretofore4 ,comprehensive and connected views are impossible to most men2 the systems they learn are nothing but skeletons to them2 but nearly all men can understand the relations of a few facts bearing on daily business1 and to be exemplified in common substances4 ,and science will soon be so vast that the most comprehensive men will still be narrow1 and we shall see the fitness of rather teaching our youth to concentrate their general intelligence highly on given points than scatter it towards an infinite horizon from which they can fetch nothing1 and to which they can carry nothing4 ,from 8,nature and ,art10 ,december #a1 #ahff4 ,,art-,,teaching ,,by ,,correspondence4 ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,williams3#ce ,i like your plan of teaching by letter exceedingly3 and not only so1 but have myself adopted it largely1 with the help of an intelligent under-master1 whose operations1 however1 so far from interfering with1 you will much facilitate1 if you can bring this literary way of teaching into more accepted practice4 ,i wish we had more drawing-masters who were able to give instruction definite enough to be expressed in writing3 many can teach nothing but a few tricks of the brush1 and have nothing to write1 because nothing to tell4 ,with every wish for your success1--a wish which ,i make quite as much in your pupils' interest as in your own1-- ,believe me1 always faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,november1 #ahfj4 ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,,ii4 ,,public ,,institutions ,,and ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 ,,danger ,,to ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 #ahdg4 ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 #aheb4 ,,the ,,british ,,museum4 #ahff4 ,,on ,,the ,,purchase ,,of ,,pictures4 #ahhj4 ,,ii4 ,,public ,,institutions ,,and ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,january #g1 #ahdg4 ,,danger ,,to ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4#cf ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,as ,i am sincerely desirous that a stop may be put to the dangerous process of cleaning lately begun in our ,national ,gallery1 and as ,i believe that what is right is most effectively when most kindly advocated1 and what is true most convincingly when least passionately asserted1 ,i was grieved to see the violent attack upon ,mr4 ,eastlake in your columns of ,friday last2 yet not less surprised at the attempted defence which appeared in them yesterday4#cg ,the outcry which has arisen upon this subject has been just1 but it has been too loud2 the injury done is neither so great nor so wilful as has been asserted1 and ,i fear that the respect which might have been paid to remonstrance may be refused to clamor4 ,i was inclined at first to join as loudly as any in the hue and cry4 ,accustomed1 as ,i have been1 to look to ,england as the refuge of the pictorial as of all other distress1 and to hope that1 having no high art of her own1 she would at least protect what she could not produce1 and respect what she could not restore1 ,i could not but look upon the attack which has been made upon the pictures in question as on the violation of a sanctuary4 ,i had seen in ,venice the noblest works of ,veronese painted over with flake-white with a brush fit for tarring ships2 ,i had seen in ,florence ,angelico's highest inspiration rotted and seared into fragments of old wood1 burnt into blisters1 or blotted into glutinous maps of mildew2#ch ,i had seen in ,paris ,raphael restored by ,david and ,vernet2 and ,i returned to ,england in the one last trust that1 though her ,national ,gallery was an ,european jest1 her art a shadow1 and her connoisseurship an hypocrisy1 though she neither knew how to cherish nor how to choose1 and lay exposed to the cheats of every vender of old canvas--yet that such good pictures as through chance or oversight might find their way beneath that preposterous portico1 and into those melancholy and miserable rooms1 were at least to be vindicated thenceforward from the mercy of republican1 priest1 or painter1 safe alike from musketry1 monkery1 and manipulation4 ,but whatever pain ,i may feel at the dissipation of this dream1 ,i am not disposed altogether to deny the necessity of some illuminatory process with respect to pictures exposed to a ,london atmosphere and populace4 ,dust an inch thick1 accumulated upon the panes in the course of the day1 and darkness closing over the canvas like a curtain1 attest too forcibly the influence on floor and air of the 8mutable1 rank-scented1 many40 ,it is of little use to be over-anxious for the preservation of pictures which we cannot see2 the only question is1 whether in the present instance the process may not have been carried perilously far1 and whether in future simpler and safer means may not be adopted to remove the coat of dust and smoke1 without affecting either the glazing of the picture1 or1 what is almost as precious1 the mellow tone left by time4 ,as regards the 8,peace and ,war10#ci ,i have no hesitation in asserting that for the present it is utterly and forever partially destroyed4 ,i am not disposed lightly to impugn the judgment of ,mr4 ,eastlake1 but this was indisputably of all the pictures in the ,gallery that which least required1 and least could endure1 the process of cleaning4 ,it was in the most advantageous condition under which a work of ,rubens can be seen2 mellowed by time into more perfect harmony than when it left the easel1 enriched and warmed1 without losing any of its freshness or energy4 ,the execution of the master is always so bold and frank as to be completely1 perhaps even most agreeably1 seen under circumstances of obscurity1 which would be injurious to pictures of greater refinement2 and1 though this was1 indeed1 one of his most highly finished and careful works 7to my mind1 before it suffered this recent injury1 far superior to everything at ,antwerp1 ,malines1 or ,cologne71 this was a more weighty reason for caution than for interference4 ,some portions of color have been exhibited which were formerly untraceable2 but even these have lost in power what they have gained in definiteness--the majesty and preciousness of all the tones are departed1 the balance of distances lost4 ,time may perhaps restore something of the glow1 but never the subordination2 and the more delicate portions of flesh tint1 especially the back of the female figure on the left1 and of the boy in the centre1 are destroyed forever4 ,the large ,cuyp#dj is1 ,i think1 nearly uninjured4 ,many portions of the foreground painting have been revealed1 which were before only to be traced painfully1 if at all4 ,the distance has indeed lost the appearance of sunny haze1 which was its chief charm1 but this ,i have little doubt it originally did not possess1 and in process of time may recover4 ,the 8,bacchus and ,ariadne0#da of ,titian has escaped so scot free that1 not knowing it had been cleaned1 ,i passed it without noticing any change4 ,i observed only that the blue of the distance was more intense than ,i had previously thought it1 though1 four years ago1 ,i said of that distance that it was 8difficult to imagine anything more magnificently impossible1 not from its vividness1 but because it is not faint and arial enough to account for its purity of color4 ,there is so total a want of atmosphere in it1 that but for the difference of form it would be impossible to distinguish the mountains from the robe of ,ariadne40#db ,your correspondent is alike unacquainted with the previous condition of this picture1 and with the character of ,titian distances in general1 when he complains of a loss of arial quality resulting in the present case from cleaning4 ,i unfortunately did not see the new ,velasquez#dc until it had undergone its discipline2 but ,i have seldom met with an example of the master which gave me more delight1 or which ,i believe to be in more genuine or perfect condition4 ,i saw no traces of the retouching which is hinted at by your correspondent 8,verax10 nor are the touches on that canvas such as to admit of very easy or untraceable interpolation of meaner handling4 ,his complaint of loss of substance in the figures of the foreground is1 ,i have no doubt1 altogether groundless4 ,he has seen little southern scenery if he supposes that the brilliancy and apparent nearness of the silver clouds is in the slightest degree overcharged2 and shows little appreciation of ,velasquez in supposing him to have sacrificed the solemnity and might of such a distance to the inferior interest of the figures in the foreground4 ,had he studied the picture attentively1 he might have observed that the position of the horizon suggests1 and the lateral extent of the foreground proves1 such a distance between the spectator and even its nearest figures as may well justify the slightness of their execution4 ,even granting that some of the upper glazings of the figures had been removed1 the tone of the whole picture is so light1 gray1 and glittering1 and the dependence on the power of its whites so absolute1 that ,i think the process hardly to be regretted which has left these in lustre so precious1 and restored to a brilliancy which a comparison with any modern work of similar aim would render apparently supernatural1 the sparkling motion of its figures and the serene snow of its sky4 ,i believe ,i have stated to its fullest extent all the harm that has yet been done1 yet ,i earnestly protest against any continuance of the treatment to which these pictures have been subjected4 ,it is useless to allege that nothing but discolored varnish has been withdrawn1 for it is perfectly possible to alter the structure and continuity1 and so destroy the arial relations of colors of which no part has been removed4 ,i have seen the dark blue of a water-color drawing made opaque and pale merely by mounting it2 and even supposing no other injury were done1 every time a picture is cleaned it loses1 like a restored building1 part of its authority2 and is thenceforward liable to dispute and suspicion1 every one of its beauties open to question1 while its faults are screened from accusation4 ,it cannot be any more reasoned from with security2 for1 though allowance may be made for the effect of time1 no one can calculate the arbitrary and accidental changes occasioned by violent cleaning4 ,none of the varnishes should be attacked2 whatever the medium used1 nothing but soot and dust should be taken away1 and that chiefly by delicate and patient friction2 and1 in order to protract as long as possible the necessity even for this all the important pictures in the gallery should at once be put under glass1#dd and closed1 not merely by hinged doors1 like the ,correggio1 but permanently and securely4 ,i should be glad to see this done in all rich galleries1 but it is peculiarly necessary in the case of pictures exposed in ,london1 and to a crowd freely admitted four days in the week2 it would do good also by necessitating the enlargement of the rooms1 and the bringing down of all the pictures to the level of the eye4 ,every picture that is worth buying or retaining is worth exhibiting in its proper place1 and if its scale be large1 and its handling rough1 there is the more instruction to be gained by close study of the various means adopted by the master to secure his distant effect4 ,we can certainly spare both the ground and the funds which would enable us to exhibit pictures for which no price is thought too large1 and for all purposes of study and for most of enjoyment pictures are useless when they are even a little above the line4 ,the fatigue complained of by most persons in examining a picture gallery is attributable1 not only to the number of works1 but to their confused order of succession1 and to the straining of the sight in endeavoring to penetrate the details of those above the eye4 ,every gallery should be long enough to admit of its whole collection being hung in one line1 side by side1 and wide enough to allow of the spectators retiring to the distance at which the largest picture was intended to be seen4 ,the works of every master should be brought together and arranged in chronological order2 and such drawings or engravings as may exist in the collection1 either of1 or for1 its pictures1 or in any way illustrative of them1 should be placed in frames opposite each1 in the middle of the room4 ,but1 ,sir1 the subjects of regret connected with the present management of our national collection are not to be limited either to its treatment or its arrangement4 ,the principles of selection which have been acted upon in the course of the last five or six years have been as extraordinary as unjustifiable4 ,whatever may be the intrinsic power1 interest1 or artistical ability of the earlier essays of any school of art1 it cannot be disputed that characteristic examples of every one of its most important phases should form part of a national collection3 granting them of little value individually1 their collective teaching is of irrefragable authority2 and the exhibition of perfected results alone1 while the course of national progress through which these were reached is altogether concealed1 is more likely to discourage than to assist the efforts of an undeveloped school4 ,granting even what the shallowest materialism of modern artists would assume1 that the works of ,perugino were of no value1 but as they taught ,raphael2 that ,john ,bellini is altogether absorbed and overmastered by ,titian2 that ,nino ,pisano was utterly superseded by ,bandinelli or ,cellini1 and ,ghirlandajo sunk in the shadow of ,buonaroti3 granting ,van ,eyck to be a mere mechanist1 and ,giotto a mere child1 and ,angelico a superstitious monk1 and whatever you choose to grant that ever blindness deemed or insolence affirmed1 still it is to be maintained and proved1 that if we wish to have a ,buonaroti or a ,titian of our own1 we shall with more wisdom learn of those of whom ,buonaroti and ,titian learned1 and at whose knees they were brought up1 and whom to their day of death they ever revered and worshipped1 than of those wretched pupils and partisans who sank every high function of art into a form and a faction1 betrayed her trusts1 darkened her traditions1 overthrew her throne1 and left us where we are now1 stumbling among its fragments4 ,sir1 if the canvases of ,guido1 lately introduced into the gallery1#de had been works of the best of those pupils1 which they are not2 if they had been good works of even that bad master1 which they are not2 if they had been genuine and untouched works1 even though feeble1 which they are not2 if1 though false and retouched remnants of a feeble and fallen school1 they had been endurably decent or elementarily instructive--some conceivable excuse might perhaps have been by ingenuity forged1 and by impudence uttered1 for their introduction into a gallery where we previously possessed two good ,guidos1#df and no ,perugino 7for the attribution to him of the wretched panel which now bears his name is a mere insult71 no ,angelico1 no ,fra ,bartolomeo1 no ,albertinelli1 no ,ghirlandajo1 no ,verrochio1 no ,lorenzo di ,credi--7what shall ,i more say1 for the time would fail me87 ,but now1 ,sir1 what vestige of apology remains for the cumbering our walls with pictures that have no single virtue1 no color1 no drawing1 no character1 no history1 no thought8 ,yet #b1jjj guineas were1 ,i believe1 given for one of those encumbrances1 and #e1jjj for the coarse and unnecessary ,rubens1#dg added to a room half filled with ,rubens before1 while a mighty and perfect work of ,angelico was sold from ,cardinal ,fesch's collection for #a1ejj4dh ,i do not speak of the spurious ,holbein1#di for though the veriest tyro might well be ashamed of such a purchase1 it would have been a judicious addition had it been genuine2 so was the ,john ,bellini1 so was the ,van ,eyck2 but the mighty ,venetian master1 who alone of all the painters of ,italy united purity of religious aim with perfection of artistical power1 is poorly represented by a single head2#ej and ,i ask1 in the name of the earnest students of ,england1 that the funds set apart for her gallery may no longer be played with like pebbles in ,london auction-rooms4 ,let agents be sent to all the cities of ,italy2 let the noble pictures which are perishing there be rescued from the invisibility and ill-treatment which their position too commonly implies1 and let us have a national collection which1 however imperfect1 shall be orderly and continuous1 and shall exhibit with something like relative candor and justice the claims to our reverence of those great and ancient builders1 whose mighty foundation has been for two centuries concealed by wood1 and hay1 and stubble1 the distorted growing1 and thin gleaning of vain men in blasted fields4 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,january #f4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,december #bi1 #aheb4 ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,i trust that the excitement which has been caused by the alleged destruction of some of the most important pictures in the ,national ,gallery will not be without results1 whatever may be the facts of the case with respect to the works in question4 ,under the name of 8restoration10 the ruin of the noblest architecture and painting is constant throughout ,europe4 ,we shall show ourselves wiser than our neighbors if the loss of two ,claudes and the injury of a ,paul ,veronese#ea induce us to pay so much attention to the preservation of ancient art as may prevent it from becoming a disputed question in future whether they are indeed pictures which we possess or their skeletons4 ,as to the facts in the present instance1 ,i can give no opinion4 ,sir ,charles ,eastlake and ,mr4 ,uwins#eb know more than ,i of oil paintings in general1 and have far more profound respect for those of ,claude in particular4 ,i do not suppose they would have taken from him his golden armor that ,turner might bear away a dishonorable victory in the noble passage of arms to which he has challenged his rival from the grave4#ec ,nor can the public suppose that the ,curators of the ,national ,gallery have any interest in destroying the works with which they are intrusted4 ,if1 acting to the best of their judgment1 they have done harm1 to whom are we to look for greater prudence or better success8 ,are the public prepared to withdraw their confidence from ,sir ,c4 ,eastlake and the members of the ,royal ,academy1 and entrust the national property to ,mr4 ,morris ,moore1 or to any of the artists and amateurs who have inflamed the sheets of ,the ,times with their indignation8 ,is it not evident that the only security which the nation can possess for its pictures must be found in taking such measures as may in future prevent the necessity of their being touched at all8 ,for this is very certain1 that all question respecting the effects of cleaning is merely one of the amount of injury4 ,every picture which has undergone more friction than is necessary at intervals for the removal of dust or dirt1 has suffered injury to some extent4 ,the last touches of the master leave the surface of the color with a certain substantial texture1 the bloom of which1 if once reached under the varnish1 must inevitably be more or less removed by friction of any kind--how much more by friction aided by solvents8 ,i am well assured that every possessor of pictures who truly loves them1 would keep--if it might be--their surfaces from being so much as breathed upon1 which may1 indeed1 be done1 and done easily4 ,every stranger who enters our ,national ,gallery1 if he be a thoughtful person1 must assuredly put to himself a curious question4 ,perceiving that certain pictures--namely1 three ,correggios1 two ,raphaels and a ,john ,bellini--are put under glass1#ed and that all the others are left exposed1 as oil pictures are in general1 he must ask himself1 8,is it an ascertained fact that glass preserves pictures2 and are none of the pictures here thought worth a pane of glass but these five8#ee ,or is it unascertained whether glass is beneficial or injurious1 and have the ,raphaels and ,correggios been selected for the trial--#8,fiat experimentum in corpore vili8'0 ,some years ago it might have been difficult to answer him2 now the answer is easy1 though it be strange4 ,the experiment has been made4 ,the ,raphaels and ,correggios have been under glass for many years3 they are as fresh and lovely as when they were first enclosed2 they need no cleaning1 and will need none for half a century to come2 and it must be1 therefore1 that the rest of the pictures are left exposed to the ,london atmosphere1 and to the operations which its influence renders necessary1 simply because they are not thought worth a pane of plate glass4 ,no3 there is yet one other possible answer--that many of them are hung so high1 or in such lights1 that they could not be seen if they were glazed4 ,is it then absolutely necessary that they should be hung so high8 ,we are about to build a new ,national ,gallery2 may it not be so arranged as that the pictures we place therein may at once be safe and visible8 ,i know that this has never yet been done in any gallery in ,europe1 for the ,european public have never yet reflected that a picture which was worth buying was also worth seeing4 ,some time or other they will assuredly awake to the perception of this wonderful truth1 and it would be some credit to our ,english common-sense if we were the first to act upon it4 ,i say that a picture which is worth buying is also worth seeing2 that is1 worth so much room of ground and wall as shall enable us to see it to the best advantage4 ,it is not commonly so understood4 ,nations1 like individuals1 buy their pictures in mere ostentation2 and are content1 so that their possessions are acknowledged1 that they should be hung in any dark or out-of-the-way corners which their frames will fit4 ,or1 at best1 the popular idea of a national gallery is that of a magnificent palace1 whose walls must be decorated with colored panels1 every one of which shall cost #a1jjj1 and be discernible1 through a telescope1 for the work of a mighty hand4 ,i have no doubt that in a few years more there will be a change of feeling in this matter1 and that men will begin to perceive1 what is indeed the truth--that every noble picture is a manuscript book1 of which only one copy exists1 or ever can exist2 that a national gallery is a great library1#ef of which the books must be read upon their shelves2 but every manuscript ought1 therefore1 to be placed where it can be read most easily2 and that the style of the architecture and the effect of the saloons are matters of no importance whatsoever1 but that our solicitude ought to begin and end in the two imperative requirements--that every picture in the gallery should be perfectly seen and perfectly safe2 that none should be thrust up1 or down1 or aside1 to make room for more important ones2 that all should be in a good light1 all on a level with the eye1 and all secure from damp1 cold1 impurity of atmosphere1 and every other avoidable cause of deterioration4 ,these are the things to be accomplished2 and if we set ourselves to do these in our new ,national ,gallery1#eg we shall have made a greater step in art-teaching than if we had built a new ,parthenon4 ,i know that it will be a strange idea to most of us that ,titians and ,tintorets ought1 indeed1 all to have places upon 8the line10 as well as the annual productions of our ,royal ,academicians2 and ,i know that the coup d'il of the ,gallery must be entirely destroyed by such an arrangement4 ,but great pictures ought not to be subjects of 8coups d'il40 ,in the last arrangement of the ,louvre1 under the ,republic1 all the noble pictures in the gallery were brought into one room1 with a ,napoleon-like resolution to produce effect by concentration of force2 and1 indeed1 ,i would not part willingly with the memory of that saloon1 whose obscurest shadows were full of ,correggio2 in whose out-of-the-way angles one forgot1 here and there1 a ,raphl2 and in which the best ,tintoret on this side of the ,alps was hung sixty feet from the ground6#eh ,but ,cleopatra dissolving the pearl was nothing to this2 and ,i trust that1 in our own ,gallery1 our poverty1 if not our will1 may consent to a more modest and less lavish manner of displaying such treasures as are intrusted to us2 and that the very limitation of our possessions may induce us to make that the object of our care which can hardly be a ground of ostentation4 ,it might1 indeed1 be a matter of some difficulty to conceive an arrangement of the collections in the ,louvre or the ,florence ,gallery which should admit of every picture being hung upon the line4 ,but the works in our own1 including the ,vernon and ,turner bequests1#ei present no obstacle in their number to our making the building which shall receive them a perfect model of what a ,national ,gallery ought to be4 ,and the conditions of this perfection are so simple that if we only turn our attention to these main points it will need no great architectural ingenuity to attain all that is required4 ,it is evident1 in the first place1 that the building ought to consist of a series of chambers or galleries lighted from above1 and built with such reference to the pictures they are to contain1 as that opposite a large picture room enough should be allowed for the spectator to retire to the utmost distance at which it can ever be desirable that its effect should be seen2 but1 as economy of space would become a most important object when every picture was to be hung on a level with the eye1 smaller apartments might open from the larger ones for the reception of smaller pictures1 one condition being1 however1 made imperative1 whatever space was sacrificed to it--namely1 that the works of every master should be collected together1 either in the same apartment or in contiguous ones4 ,nothing has so much retarded the advance of art as our miserable habit of mixing the works of every master and of every century4 ,more would be learned by an ordinarily intelligent observer in simply passing from a room in which there were only ,titians1 to another in which there were only ,caraccis1 than by reading a volume of lectures on color4 ,few minds are strong enough first to abstract and then to generalize the characters of paintings hung at random4 ,few minds are so dull as not at once to perceive the points of difference1 were the works of each painter set by themselves4 ,the fatigue of which most persons complain in passing through a picture gallery1 as at present arranged1 is indeed partly caused by the straining effort to see what is out of sight1 but not less by the continual change of temper and of tone of thought1 demanded in passing from the work of one master to that of another4 ,the works of each being1 therefore1 set by themselves1#fj and the whole collection arranged in chronological and ethnological order1 let apartments be designed for each group large enough to admit of the increase of the existing collection to any probable amount4 ,the whole gallery would thus become of great length1 but might be adapted to any form of ground-plan by disposing the whole in a labyrinthine chain1 returning upon itself4 ,its chronological arrangement would necessitate its being continuous1 rather than divided into many branches or sections4 ,being lighted from above1 it must be all on the same floor1 but ought at least to be raised one story above the ground1 and might admit any number of keepers' apartments1 or of schools1 beneath2 though it would be better to make it quite independent of these1 in order to diminish the risk of fire4 ,its walls ought on every side to be surrounded by corridors1 so that the interior temperature might be kept equal1 and no outer surface of wall on which pictures were hung exposed to the weather4 ,every picture should be glazed1 and the horizon which the painter had given to it placed on a level with the eye4 ,lastly1 opposite each picture should be a table1 containing1 under glass1 every engraving that had ever been made from it1 and any studies for it1 by the master's own hand1 that remained1 or were obtainable4 ,the values of the study and of the picture are reciprocally increased--of the former more than doubled--by their being seen together2 and if this system were once adopted1 the keepers of the various galleries of ,europe would doubtless consent to such exchanges of the sketches in their possession as would render all their collections more interesting4 ,i trust1 ,sir1 that the importance of this subject will excuse the extent of my trespass upon your columns1 and that the simplicity and self-evident desirableness of the arrangement ,i have described may vindicate my proposal of it from the charge of presumption4 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,,herne ,,hill1 ,,dulwich1 ,dec4 #bg4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,january #bg1 #ahff4 ,,the ,,british ,,museum4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,as ,i see in your impression of yesterday that my name was introduced in support of some remarks made1 at the meeting of the ,society of ,arts1 on the management of the ,british ,museum1#fa and as the tendency of the remarks ,i refer to was depreciatory of the efforts and aims of several officers of the ,museum--more especially of the work done on the collection of minerals by my friend ,mr4 ,nevil ,s4 ,maskelyne#fb--you will1 ,i hope1 permit me1 not having been present at the meeting1 to express my feeling on the subject briefly in your columns4 ,there is a confused notion in the existing public mind that the ,british ,museum was partly a parish school1 partly a circulating library1 and partly a place for ,christmas entertainments4 ,it is none of the three1 and1 ,i hope1 will never be made any of the three4 ,but especially and most distinctly it is not a 8preparatory school10 nor even an 8academy for young gentlemen10 nor even a 8working-men's college40 ,a national museum is one thing1 a national place of education another2 and the more sternly and unequivocally they are separated1 the better will each perform its office--the one of treasuring and the other of teaching4 ,i heartily wish that there were already1 as one day there must be1 large educational museums in every district of ,london1 freely open every day1 and well lighted and warmed at night1 with all furniture of comfort1 and full aids for the use of their contents by all classes4 ,but you might just as rationally send the ,british public to the ,tower to study mineralogy upon the ,crown jewels as make the unique pieces of a worthy national collection 7such as1 owing mainly to the exertions of its maligned officers1 that of our ,british ,museum has recently become7 the means of elementary public instruction4 ,after men have learnt their science or their art1 at least so far as to know a common and a rare example in either1 a national museum is useful1 and ought to be easily accessible to them2 but until then1 unique or selected specimens in natural history are without interest to them1 and the best art is as useless as a blank wall4 ,for all those who can use the existing national collection to any purpose1 the ,catalogue as it now stands is amply sufficient3 it would be difficult to conceive a more serviceable one4 ,but the rapidly progressive state of 7especially mineralogical7 science1 renders it impossible for the ,curators to make their arrangements in all points satisfactory1 or for long periods permanent4 ,it is just because ,mr4 ,maskelyne is doing more active1 continual1 and careful work than1 as far as ,i know1 is at present done in any national museum in ,europe--because he is completing gaps in the present series by the intercalation of carefully sought specimens1 and accurately reforming its classification by recently corrected analyses--that the collection cannot yet fall into the formal and placid order in which an indolent ,curator would speedily arrange and willingly leave it4 ,i am glad that ,lord ,h4 ,lennox referred to the passage in my report on the ,turner ,collection in which ,i recommended that certain portions of that great series should be distributed1 for permanence1 among our leading provincial towns4#fc ,but ,i had rather see the whole ,turner ,collection buried1 not merely in the cellars of the ,national ,gallery1 but with ,prospero's staff fathoms in the earth1 than that it should be the means of inaugurating the fatal custom of carrying great works of art about the roads for a show4 ,if you must make them educational to the public1 hang ,titian's ,bacchus up for a vintner's sign1 and give ,henry ,,vi4's ,psalter#fd for a spelling-book to the ,bluecoat ,school2 but1 at least1 hang the one from a permanent post1 and chain the other to the boys' desks1 and do not send them about in caravans to every annual ,bartholomew ,fair4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,jan4 #bf4 ,from 8,the ,leicester ,chronicle and ,mercury10 ,january #ca1 and reprinted in 8,the ,times10 ,february #b1 #ahhj4 ,,on ,,the ,,purchase ,,of ,,pictures4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,your letter is deeply interesting to me1 but what use is there in my telling you what to do8 ,the mob won't let you do it4 ,it is fatally true that no one nowadays can appreciate pictures by the ,old ,masters6 and that every one can understand ,frith's 8,derby ,day0--that is to say1 everybody is interested in jockeys1 harlots1 mountebanks1 and men about town2 but nobody in saints1 heroes1 kings1 or wise men--either from the east or west4 ,what can you do8 ,if your ,committee is strong enough to carry such a resolution as the appointment of any singly responsible person1 any well-informed gentleman of taste in your neighborhood1 to buy for the ,leicester public just what he would buy for himself--that is to say1 himself and his family--children being the really most important of the untaught public--and to answer simply to all accusation--that is1 a good and worthy piece of art 7past or present1 no matter which7--make the most and best you can of it4 ,that method so long as tenable will be useful4 ,i know of no other4 ,faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4#fe ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,,iii4 ,,pre-,,raphaelitism4 ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren4 #ahea 7,may #i74 ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren4 #ahea 7,may #bf74 8,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,world10 ,,holman ,,hunt4 #ahed4 8,,the ,,awakening ,,conscience10 ,,holman ,,hunt4 #ahed4 ,,pre-,,raphaelitism ,,in ,,liverpool4 #aheh4 ,,generalization ,,and ,,the ,,scotch ,,pre-,,raphaelites4 #aheh4 ,,iii4 ,,pre-,,raphaelitism4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,may #ac1 #ahea4 ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,your usual liberality will1 ,i trust1 give a place in your columns to this expression of my regret that the tone of the critique which appeared in ,the ,times of ,wednesday last on the works of ,mr4 ,millais and ,mr4 ,hunt1 now in the ,royal ,academy1 should have been scornful as well as severe4#ff ,i regret it1 first1 because the mere labor bestowed on those works1 and their fidelity to a certain order of truth 7labor and fidelity which are altogether indisputable71 ought at once to have placed them above the level of mere contempt2 and1 secondly1 because ,i believe these young artists to be at a most critical period of their career--at a turning-point1 from which they may either sink into nothingness or rise to very real greatness2 and ,i believe also1 that whether they choose the upward or the downward path1 may in no small degree depend upon the character of the criticism which their works have to sustain4 ,i do not wish in any way to dispute or invalidate the general truth of your critique on the ,royal ,academy2 nor am ,i surprised at the estimate which the writer formed of the pictures in question when rapidly compared with works of totally different style and aim2 nay1 when ,i first saw the chief picture by ,millais in the ,exhibition of last year1#fg ,i had nearly come to the same conclusion myself4 ,but ,i ask your permission1 in justice to artists who have at least given much time and toil to their pictures1 to institute some more serious inquiry into their merits and faults than your general notice of the ,academy could possibly have admitted4 ,let me state1 in the first place1 that ,i have no acquaintance with any of these artists1 and very imperfect sympathy with them4 ,no one who has met with any of my writings will suspect me of desiring to encourage them in their ,romanist and ,tractarian tendencies4#fh ,i am glad to see that ,mr4 ,millais' lady in blue#fi is heartily tired of her painted window and idolatrous toilet table2 and ,i have no particular respect for ,mr4 ,collins' lady in white1 because her sympathies are limited by a dead wall1 or divided between some gold fish and a tadpole--7the latter ,mr4 ,collins may1 perhaps1 permit me to suggest en passant1 as he is already half a frog1 is rather too small for his age74 ,but ,i happen to have a special acquaintance with the water plant1 ,alisma ,plantago1 among which the said gold fish are swimming2 and as ,i never saw it so thoroughly or so well drawn1 ,i must take leave to remonstrate with you1 when you say sweepingly that these men 8sacrifice truth as well as feeling to eccentricity40 ,for as a mere botanical study of the water-lily and ,alisma1 as well as of the common lily and several other garden flowers1 this picture would be invaluable to me1 and ,i heartily wish it were mine4 ,but1 before entering into such particulars1 let me correct an impression which your article is likely to induce in most minds1 and which is altogether false4 ,these pre-,raphaelites 7,i cannot compliment them on common-sense in choice of a nom de guerre7 do not desire nor pretend in any way to imitate antique painting as such4 ,they know very little of ancient paintings who suppose the works of these young artists to resemble them4#gj ,as far as ,i can judge of their aim--for1 as ,i said1 ,i do not know the men themselves--the pre-,raphaelites intend to surrender no advantage which the knowledge or inventions of the present time can afford to their art4 ,they intend to return to early days in this one point only--that1 as far as in them lies1 they will draw either what they see1 or what they suppose might have been the actual facts of the scene they desire to represent1 irrespective of any conventional rules of picture-making2 and they have chosen their unfortunate though not inaccurate name because all artists did this before ,raphael's time1 and after ,raphael's time did not this1 but sought to paint fair pictures1 rather than represent stern facts2 of which the consequence has been that1 from ,raphael's time to this day1 historical art has been in acknowledged decadence4 ,now1 sir1 presupposing that the intention of these men was to return to archaic art instead of to archaic honesty1 your critic borrows ,fuseli's expression respecting ancient draperies 8snapped instead of folded10 and asserts that in these pictures there is a 8servile imitation of false perspective40 ,to which ,i have just this to answer3 ,that there is not one single error in perspective in four out of the five pictures in question2 and that in ,millais' 8,mariana0 there is but this one--that the top of the green curtain in the distant window has too low a vanishing-point2 and that ,i will undertake1 if need be1 to point out and prove a dozen worse errors in perspective in any twelve pictures1 containing architecture1 taken at random from among the works of the popular painters of the day4 ,secondly3 that1 putting aside the small ,mulready1 and the works of ,thorburn and ,sir ,w4 ,ross1 and perhaps some others of those in the miniature room which ,i have not examined1 there is not a single study of drapery in the whole ,academy1 be it in large works or small1 which for perfect truth1 power1 and finish could be compared for an instant with the black sleeve of the ,julia1 or with the velvet on the breast and the chain mail of the ,valentine1 of ,mr4 ,hunt's picture2 or with the white draperies on the table of ,mr4 ,millais' 8,mariana10 and of the right-hand figure in the same painter's 8,dove returning to the ,ark40 ,and further3 that as studies both of drapery and of every minor detail1 there has been nothing in art so earnest or so complete as these pictures since the days of ,albert ,drer4 ,this ,i assert generally and fearlessly4 ,on the other hand1 ,i am perfectly ready to admit that ,mr4 ,hunt's 8,silvia0 is not a person whom ,proteus or any one else would have been likely to fall in love with at first sight2 and that one cannot feel very sincere delight that ,mr4 ,millais' 8,wives of the ,sons of ,noah0 should have escaped the ,deluge2 with many other faults besides1 on which ,i will not enlarge at present1 because ,i have already occupied too much of your valuable space1 and ,i hope to enter into more special criticism in a future letter4 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,may #i4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,may #cj1 #ahea4 ,,the ,,pre-,,raphaelite ,,brethren4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,your obliging insertion of my former letter encourages me to trouble you with one or two further notes respecting the pre-,raphaelite pictures4 ,i had intended1 in continuation of my first letter1 to institute as close an inquiry as ,i could into the character of the morbid tendencies which prevent these works from favorably arresting the attention of the public2 but ,i believe there are so few pictures in the ,academy whose reputation would not be grievously diminished by a deliberate inventory of their errors1 that ,i am disinclined to undertake so ungracious a task with respect to this or that particular work4 ,these points1 however1 may be noted1 partly for the consideration of the painters themselves1 partly that forgiveness of them may be asked from the public in consideration of high merits in other respects4 ,the most painful of these defects is unhappily also the most prominent--the commonness of feature in many of the principal figures4 ,in ,mr4 ,hunt's 8,valentine defending ,sylvia10 this is1 indeed1 almost the only fault4 ,further examination of this picture has even raised the estimate ,i had previously formed of its marvellous truth in detail and splendor in color2 nor is its general conception less deserving of praise3 the action of ,valentine1 his arm thrown round ,sylvia1 and his hand clasping hers at the same instant as she falls at his feet1 is most faithful and beautiful1 nor less so the contending of doubt and distress with awakening hope in the half-shadowed1 half-sunlit countenance of ,julia4 ,nay1 even the momentary struggle of ,proteus with ,sylvia just past1 is indicated by the trodden grass and broken fungi of the foreground4 ,but all this thoughtful conception1 and absolutely inimitable execution1 fail in making immediate appeal to the feelings1 owing to the unfortunate type chosen for the face of ,sylvia4 ,certainly this cannot be she whose lover was 8,as rich in having such a jewel1 ,as twenty seas1 if all their sands were pearl40#ga ,nor is it1 perhaps1 less to be regretted that1 while in ,shakspeare's play there are nominally 8,two ,gentlemen10 in ,mr4 ,hunt's picture there should only be one--at least1 the kneeling figure on the right has by no means the look of a gentleman4 ,but this may be on purpose1 for any one who remembers the conduct of ,proteus throughout the previous scenes will1 ,i think1 be disposed to consider that the error lies more in ,shakspeare's nomenclature than in ,mr4 ,hunt's ideal4 ,no defence can1 however1 be offered for the choice of features in the left-hand figure of ,mr4 ,millais' 8,dove returning to the ,ark40 ,i cannot understand how a painter so sensible of the utmost refinement of beauty in other objects should deliberately choose for his model a type far inferior to that of average humanity1 and unredeemed by any expression save that of dull self-complacency4 ,yet1 let the spectator who desires to be just turn away from this head1 and contemplate rather the tender and beautiful expression of the stooping figure1 and the intense harmony of color in the exquisitely finished draperies2 let him note also the ruffling of the plumage of the wearied dove1 one of its feathers falling on the arm of the figure which holds it1 and another to the ground1 where1 by the bye1 the hay is painted not only elaborately1 but with the most perfect ease of touch and mastery of effect1 especially to be observed because this freedom of execution is a modern excellence1 which it has been inaccurately stated that these painters despise1 but which1 in reality1 is one of the remarkable distinctions between their painting and that of ,van ,eyck or ,hemling1 which caused me to say in my first letter that 8those knew little of ancient painting who supposed the works of these men to resemble it40 ,next to this false choice of feature1 and in connection with it1 is to be noted the defect in the coloring of the flesh4 ,the hands1 at least in the pictures in ,millais1 are almost always ill painted1 and the flesh tint in general is wrought out of crude purples and dusky yellows4 ,it appears just possible that much of this evil may arise from the attempt to obtain too much transparency--an attempt which has injured also not a few of the best works of ,mulready4 ,i believe it will be generally found that close study of minor details is unfavorable to flesh painting2 it was noticed of the drawing by ,john ,lewis1 in the old water-color exhibition of #ahejgb 7a work which1 as regards its treatment of detail1 may be ranged in the same class with the pre-,raphaelite pictures71 that the faces were the worst painted portions of the whole4 ,the apparent want of shade is1 however1 perhaps the fault which most hurts the general eye4 ,the fact is1 nevertheless1 that the fault is far more in the other pictures of the ,academy than in the pre-,raphaelite ones4 ,it is the former that are false1 not the latter1 except so far as every picture must be false which endeavors to represent living sunlight with dead pigments4 ,i think ,mr4 ,hunt has a slight tendency to exaggerate reflected lights2 and if ,mr4 ,millais has ever been near a piece of good painted glass1 he ought to have known that its tone is more dusky and sober than that of his ,mariana's window4 ,but for the most part these pictures are rashly condemned because the only light which we are accustomed to see represented is that which falls on the artist's model in his dim painting room1 not that of sunshine in the fields4 ,i do not think ,i can go much further in fault-finding4 ,i had1 indeed1 something to urge respecting what ,i supposed to be the ,romanizing tendencies of the painters2 but ,i have received a letter assuring me that ,i was wrong in attributing to them anything of the kind2 whereupon1 all that ,i can say is that1 instead of the 8pilgrimage0 of ,mr4 ,collins' maiden over a plank and round a fish-pond1 that old pilgrimage of ,christiana and her children towards the place where they should 8look the ,fountain of ,mercy in the face10 would have been more to the purpose in these times4 ,and so ,i wish them all heartily good-speed1 believing in sincerity that if they temper the courage and energy which they have shown in the adoption of their systems with patience and discretion in framing it1 and if they do not suffer themselves to be driven by harsh or careless criticism into rejection of the ordinary means of obtaining influence over the minds of others1 they may1 as they gain experience1 lay in our ,england the foundations of a school of art nobler than the world has seen for three hundred years4#gc ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,may #bf4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,may #e1 #ahed4 8,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,world40 ,,by ,,holman ,,hunt4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,i trust that1 with your usual kindness and liberality1 you will give me room in your columns for a few words respecting the principal pre-,raphaelite picture in the ,exhibition of the ,royal ,academy this year4 ,its painter is travelling in the ,holy ,land1 and can neither suffer nor benefit by criticism4 ,but ,i am solicitous that justice should be done to his work1 not for his sake1 but for that of the large number of persons who1 during the year1 will have an opportunity of seeing it1 and on whom1 if rightly understood1 it may make an impression for which they will ever afterwards be grateful4#gd ,i speak of the picture called 8the ,light of the ,world10 by ,mr4 ,holman ,hunt4 ,standing by it yesterday for upwards of an hour1 ,i watched the effect it produced upon the passers-by4 ,few stopped to look at it1 and those who did almost invariably with some contemptuous expression1 founded on what appeared to them the absurdity of representing the ,saviour with a lantern in his hand4 ,now1 it ought to be remembered that1 whatever may be the faults of a pr-,raphaelite picture1 it must at least have taken much time2 and therefore it may not unwarrantably be presumed that conceptions which are to be laboriously realized are not adopted in the first instance without some reflection4 ,so that the spectator may surely question with himself whether the objections which now strike every one in a moment might not possibly have occurred to the painter himself1 either during the time devoted to the design of the picture1 or the months of labor required for its execution2 and whether1 therefore1 there may not be some reason for his persistence in such an idea1 not discoverable at the first glance4 ,mr4 ,hunt has never explained his work to me4 ,i give what appears to me its palpable interpretation4 ,the legend beneath it is the beautiful verse1 8,behold1 ,i stand at the door and knock4 ,if any man hear my voice1 and open the door1 ,i will come in to him1 and will sup with him1 and he with me40--,rev4 iii4 #bj4 ,on the left-hand side of the picture is seen this door of the human soul4 ,it is fast barred3 its bars and nails are rusty2 it is knitted and bound to its stanchions by creeping tendrils of ivy1 showing that it has never been opened4 ,a bat hovers about it2 its threshold is overgrown with brambles1 nettles1 and fruitless corn--the wild grass 8whereof the mower filleth not his hand1 nor he that bindeth the sheaves his bosom40 ,christ approaches it in the night-time--,christ1 in his everlasting offices of prophet1 priest1 and king4 ,he wears the white robe1 representing the power of the ,spirit upon him2 the jewelled robe and breast-plate1 representing the sacerdotal investiture2 the rayed crown of gold1 inwoven with the crown of thorns2 not dead thorns1 but now bearing soft leaves1 for the healing of the nations4 ,now1 when ,christ enters any human heart1 he bears with him a twofold light3 first1 the light of conscience1 which displays past sin1 and afterwards the light of peace1 the hope of salvation4 ,the lantern1 carried in ,christ's left hand1 is this light of conscience4 ,its fire is red and fierce2 it falls only on the closed door1 on the weeds which encumber it1 and on an apple shaken from one of the trees of the orchard1 thus marking that the entire awakening of the conscience is not merely to committed1 but to hereditary guilt4 ,the light is suspended by a chain1 wrapt about the wrist of the figure1 showing that the light which reveals sin appears to the sinner also to chain the hand of ,christ4 ,the light which proceeds from the head of the figure1 on the contrary1 is that of the hope of salvation2 it springs from the crown of thorns1 and1 though itself sad1 subdued1 and full of softness1 is yet so powerful that it entirely melts into the glow of it the forms of the leaves and boughs1 which it crosses1 showing that every earthly object must be hidden by this light1 where its sphere extends4 ,i believe there are very few persons on whom the picture1 thus justly understood1 will not produce a deep impression4 ,for my own part1 ,i think it one of the very noblest works of sacred art ever produced in this or any other age4 ,it may1 perhaps1 be answered1 that works of art ought not to stand in need of interpretation of this kind4 ,indeed1 we have been so long accustomed to see pictures painted without any purpose or intention whatsoever1 that the unexpected existence of meaning in a work of art may very naturally at first appear to us an unkind demand on the spectator's understanding4 ,but in a few years more ,i hope the ,english public may be convinced of the simple truth1 that neither a great fact1 nor a great man1 nor a great poem1 nor a great picture1 nor any other great thing1 can be fathomed to the very bottom in a moment of time2 and that no high enjoyment1 either in picture-seeing or any other occupation1 is consistent with a total lethargy of the powers of the understanding4 ,as far as regards the technical qualities of ,mr4 ,hunt's painting1 ,i would only ask the spectator to observe this difference between true pr-,raphaelite work and its imitations4 ,the true work represents all objects exactly as they would appear in nature in the position and at the distances which the arrangement of the picture supposes4 ,the false work represents them with all their details1 as if seen through a microscope4 ,examine closely the ivy on the door in ,mr4 ,hunt's picture1 and there will not be found in it a single clear outline4 ,all is the most exquisite mystery of color2 becoming reality at its due distance4 ,in like manner examine the small gems on the robe of the figure4 ,not one will be made out in form1 and yet there is not one of all those minute points of green color1 but it has two or three distinctly varied shades of green in it1 giving it mysterious value and lustre4 ,the spurious imitations of pr-,raphaelite work represent the most minute leaves and other objects with sharp outlines1 but with no variety of color1 and with none of the concealment1 none of the infinity of nature4 ,with this spurious work the walls of the ,academy are half covered2 of the true school one very small example may be pointed out1 being hung so low that it might otherwise escape attention4 ,it is not by any means perfect1 but still very lovely--the study of a calm pool in a mountain brook1 by ,mr4 ,j4 ,dearle1 ,no4 #aia1 8,evening1 on the ,marchno1 ,north ,wales40#ge ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir4 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,may #d4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,may #be1 #ahed4 8,,the ,,awakening ,,conscience40 ,,by ,,holman ,,hunt4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,your kind insertion of my notes on ,mr4 ,hunt's principal picture encourages me to hope that you may yet allow me room in your columns for a few words respecting his second work in the ,royal ,academy1 the 8,awakening ,conscience40 ,not that this picture is obscure1 or its story feebly told4 ,i am at a loss to know how its meaning could be rendered more distinctly1 but assuredly it is not understood4 ,people gaze at it in a blank wonder1 and leave it hopelessly2 so that1 though it is almost an insult to the painter to explain his thoughts in this instance1 ,i cannot persuade myself to leave it thus misunderstood4 ,the poor girl has been sitting singing with her seducer2 some chance words of the song1 8,oft in the stilly night10 have struck upon the numbed places of her heart2 she has started up in agony2 he1 not seeing her face1 goes on singing1 striking the keys carelessly with his gloved hand4 ,i suppose that no one professing the slightest knowledge of expression could remain untouched by the countenance of the lost girl1 rent from its beauty into sudden horror2 the lips half open1 indistinct in their purple quivering2 the teeth set hard2 the eyes filled with the fearful light of futurity1 and with tears of ancient days4 ,but ,i can easily understand that to many persons the careful rendering of the inferior details in this picture cannot but be at first offensive1 as calling their attention away from the principal subject4 ,it is true that detail of this kind has long been so carelessly rendered1 that the perfect finishing of it becomes a matter of curiosity1 and therefore an interruption to serious thought4 ,but1 without entering into the question of the general propriety of such treatment1 ,i would only observe that1 at least in this instance1 it is based on a truer principle of the pathetic than any of the common artistical expedients of the schools4 ,nothing is more notable than the way in which even the most trivial objects force themselves upon the attention of a mind which has been fevered by violent and distressful excitement4 ,they thrust themselves forward with a ghastly and unendurable distinctness1 as if they would compel the sufferer to count1 or measure1 or learn them by heart4 ,even to the mere spectator a strange interest exalts the accessories of a scene in which he bears witness to human sorrow4 ,there is not a single object in all that room--common1 modern1 vulgar 7in the vulgar sense1 as it may be71 but it becomes tragical1 if rightly read4 ,that furniture so carefully painted1 even to the last vein of the rosewood--is there nothing to be learnt from that terrible lustre of it1 from its fatal newness2 nothing there that has the old thoughts of home upon it1 or that is ever to become a part of home8 ,those embossed books1 vain and useless1--they also new1--marked with no happy wearing of beloved leaves2 the torn and dying bird upon the floor2 the gilded tapestry1 with the fowls of the air feeding on the ripened corn2 the picture above the fireplace1 with its single drooping figure--the woman taken in adultery2 nay1 the very hem of the poor girl's dress1 at which the painter has labored so closely1 thread by thread1 has story in it1 if we think how soon its pure whiteness may be soiled with dust and rain1 her outcast feet failing in the street2 and the fair garden flowers1 seen in that reflected sunshine of the mirror--these also have their language-- 8,hope not to find delight in us1 they say1 ,for we are spotless1 ,jessy--we are pure40#gf ,i surely need not go on4 ,examine the whole range of the walls of the ,academy1--nay1 examine those of all our public and private galleries1--and while pictures will be met with by the thousand which literally tempt to evil1 by the thousand which are directed to the meanest trivialities of incident or emotion1 by the thousand to the delicate fancies of inactive religion1 there will not be found one powerful as this to meet full in the front the moral evil of the age in which it is painted2 to waken into mercy the cruel thoughtlessness of youth1 and subdue the severities of judgment into the sanctity of compassion4 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,,denmark ,,hill4 ,from 8,the ,liverpool ,albion10 ,january #aa1 #aheh4 ,,pre-,,raphaelitism ,,in ,,liverpool4 ,i believe the ,liverpool ,academy has1 in its decisions of late years1 given almost the first instance on record of the entirely just and beneficial working of academical system4 ,usually such systems have degenerated into the application of formal rules1 or the giving partial votes1 or the distribution of a partial patronage2 but the ,liverpool awards have indicated at once the keen perception of new forms of excellence1 and the frank honesty by which alone such new forms can be confessed and accepted4 ,i do not1 however1 wonder at the outcry4 ,people who suppose the pre-,raphaelite work to be only a condition of meritorious eccentricity1 naturally suppose1 also1 that the consistent preference of it can only be owing to clique4 ,most people look upon paintings as they do on plants or minerals1 and think they ought to have in their collections specimens of everybody's work1 as they have specimens of all earths or flowers4 ,they have no conception that there is such a thing as a real right and wrong1 a real bad and good1 in the question4 ,however1 you need not1 ,i think1 much mind4 ,let the ,academy be broken up on the quarrels2 let the ,liverpool people buy whatever rubbish they have a mind to2 and when they see1 as in time they will1 that it is rubbish1 and find1 as find they will1 every pre-,raphaelite picture gradually advance in influence and in value1 you will be acknowledged to have borne a witness all the more noble and useful1 because it seemed to end in discomfiture2 though it will not end in discomfiture4 ,i suppose ,i need hardly say anything of my own estimate of the two pictures on which the arbitrament has arisen1 ,i have surely said often enough1 in good black type already1 what ,i thought of pre-,raphaelite works1 and of other modern ones4 ,since ,turner's death ,i consider that any average work from the hand of any of the four leaders of pre-,raphaelitism 7,rosetti1 ,millais1 ,hunt1 ,john ,lewis7 is1 singly1 worth at least three of any other pictures whatever by living artists4 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,witness0 7,edinburgh71 ,march #bg1 #aheh4 ,,generalization ,,and ,,the ,,scotch ,,pre-,,raphaelites4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,witness40 ,i was very glad to see that good and firm defence of the pre-,raphaelite ,brothers in the ,witness#gg the other day2 only1 my dear ,editor1 it appears to me that you take too much trouble in the matter4 ,such a lovely picture as that of ,waller ,paton's must either speak for itself1 or nobody can speak for it4 ,if you ,scotch people don't know a bit of your own country when you see it1 who is to help you to know it8 ,if1 in that mighty wise town of ,edinburgh1 everybody still likes flourishes of brush better than ferns1 and dots of paint better than birch leaves1 surely there is nothing for it but to leave them in quietude of devotion to dot and faith in flourish4 ,at least ,i can see no other way of dealing4 ,all those platitudes from the ,scotsman1 which you took the pains to answer1 have been answered ten thousand times already1 without the smallest effect--the kind of people who utter them being always too misty in their notions ever to feel or catch an answer4 ,you may as well speak to the air1 or rather to a ,scotch mist4 ,the oddest part of the business is1 that all those wretched fallacies about generalization might be quashed or crushed in an instant1 by reference to any given picture of any great master who ever lived4 ,there never was anybody who generalized1 since paint was first ground1 except ,opie1 and ,benjamin ,west1 and ,fuseli1 and one or two other such modern stars--in their own estimates1--night-lights1 in fact1 extinguishing themselves1 not odoriferously at daybreak1 in a sputter in the saucer4 ,titian1 ,giorgione1 ,veronese1 ,tintoret1 ,raphael1 ,leonardo1 ,correggio1--never any of them dreamt of generalization1 and would have rejected the dream as having come by the horn gate1#gh if they had4 ,the only difference between them and the pre-,raphaelites is1 that the latter love nature better1 and don't yet know their artist's business so well1 having everything to find out for themselves athwart all sorts of contradiction1 poor fellows2 so they are apt to put too much into their pictures--for love's sake1 and then not to bring this much into perfect harmony2 not yet being able to bridle their thoughts entirely with the master's hand4 ,i don't say therefore--,i never have said--that their pictures are faultless--many of them have gross faults2 but the modern pictures of the generalist school1 which are opposed to them1 have nothing else but faults3 they are not pictures at all1 but pure daubs and perfect blunders2 nay1 they have never had aim enough to be called anything so honorable as blunders2 they are mere emptinesses and idlenesses--thistledown without seeds1 and bubbles without color2 whereas the worst pre-,raphaelite picture has something in it2 and the great ones1 such as ,windus's 8,burd ,helen10#gi will hold their own with the most noble pictures of all time4 ,always faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,by the way1 what ails you at our pre-,raphaelite ,brothers' conceits8 ,windus's heart's-ease might have been a better conceit1 ,i grant you2#hj but for the conceits themselves1 as such1 ,i always enjoy them particularly2 and ,i don't understand why ,i shouldn't4 ,what's wrong in them8 ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,,iv4 ,,turner4 ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest4 #ahef4 ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ,,and ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 #aheg4 ,,the ,,turner ,,sketches ,,and ,,drawings4 #aheh4 ,,the ,,turner ,,gallery ,,at ,,kensington4 #ahei4 ,,turner',s ,,drawings4 #ahgf 7,july #e74 ,,turner',s ,,drawings4 #ahgf 7,july #ai74 ,,copies ,,of ,,turner',s ,,drawings4 #ahgf4 8,,turners10 ,,false ,,and ,,true4 #ahga4 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,turner4 #aheg4 ,,iv4 ,,turner4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,october #bh1 #ahef4 ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,as active measures are being now#ha taken to give the public access to the pictures and drawings left by the late ,mr4 ,turner1 you will perhaps allow me space in your columns for a few words respecting them4 ,i was appointed by ,mr4 ,turner one of his executors4 ,i examined the will1 and the state of the property needing administration1 and1 finding that the questions arising out of the obscurity of the one and the disorder of the other would be numerous and would involve a kind of business in which ,i had no skill or knowledge1 ,i resigned the office2 but in the course of the inquiry ,i catalogued the most interesting of the drawings which are now national property1 and respecting these the public will1 ,i think1 be glad of more definite information than they at present possess4 ,they are referable mainly to three classes4 #a4 ,finished water-color drawings4 #b4 ,studies from nature1 or first thoughts for pictures2 in color4 #c4 ,sketches in pencil or pen and ink4 ,the drawings belonging to the two latter classes are in various stages of completion1 and would contain1 if rightly arranged1 a perfect record of the movements of the master's mind during his whole life4 ,many of them were so confused among prints and waste-paper that ,i could neither collect nor catalogue them all in the time ,i had at my disposal2 some portfolios ,i was not able even to open4 ,the following statement1 therefore1 omits mention of many1 and ,i believe even of some large water-color drawings4 ,there are in the first class forty-five drawings of the 8,rivers of ,france20 fifty-seven illustrating ,rogers' ,poems2 twenty-three of the 8,river ,scenery0 and 8,harbors of ,england20 four marine vignettes2 five middle-sized drawings 7including the beautiful 8,ivy ,bridge072 and a drawing1 some three feet by two1 finished with exquisite care1 of a scene in the ,val d',aosta2 total1 #ace4 ,it would occupy too much of your space if ,i were to specify all the various kinds of studies forming the second class4 ,many are far carried1 and are1 to my mind1 more precious and lovely than any finished drawings2 respecting some1 there may be question whether ,turner regarded them as finished or not4 ,the larger number are light sketches1 valuable only to artists1 or to those interested in the processes of ,turner's mind and hand4 ,the total number of those which ,i catalogued as important is #a1geg4 ,the sketches of the third class are usually more elaborate than the colored ones4 ,they consist of studies from nature1 or for composition1 in firm outline1 usually on gray paper1 heightened with white4 ,they include1 among other subjects1 more or less complete1 fifty of the original drawings for the ,liber ,studiorum1 and many of the others are of large folio size4 ,the total of those ,i consider important is #a1cbb4 ,now the value of these sketches to the public consists greatly1 first1 in the preservation of each1 as far as possible1 in the state in which ,turner left it2 secondly1 in their careful arrangement and explanation2 thirdly1 in convenience of general access to them4 ,permit me a word on each of these heads4 ,turner was in the habit of using unusual vehicles1 and in the colored studies many hues are wrought out by singular means and with singular delicacy--nearly always in textures which the slightest damp 7to which the drawings would necessarily be subjected in the process of mounting7 would assuredly alter4 ,i have made many experiments in mounting1 putting colored drawings1 of which ,i had previously examined the tones1 into the hands of the best mounters1 and ,i have never yet had a drawing returned to me without alteration4 ,the vast mass of these sketches1 and the comparative slightness of many1 would but too probably induce a carelessness and generalization in the treatment they might have to undergo still more fatally detrimental to them4 ,secondly1 a large number are without names1 and so slight that it requires careful examination and somewhat extended acquaintance with ,turner's works to ascertain their intention4 ,the sketches of this class are nearly valueless1 till their meaning is deciphered1 but of great interest when seen in their proper connection4 ,thus there are three progressive studies for one vignette in ,rogers' ,italy#hb 7,hannibal passing the ,alps71 which ,i extricated from three several heaps of other mountain sketches with which they had no connection4 ,thirdly1 a large number of the drawings are executed with body color1 the bloom of which any friction or handling would in a short period destroy4 ,their delicate tones of color would be equally destroyed by continuous exposure to the light or to smoke and dust4 ,drawings of a valuable character1 when thus destructible1 are in ,european museums hardly accessible to the general public4 ,but there is no need for this seclusion4 ,they should be inclosed each in a light wooden frame1 under a glass the surface of which a raised mount should prevent them from touching4 ,these frames should slide into cases1 containing about twelve drawings each1 which would be portable to any part of the room where they were to be seen4 ,i have long kept my own smaller ,turner drawings in this manner2 fifteen frames going into the depth of about a foot4 ,men are usually accused of 8bad taste10 if they express any conviction of their own ability to execute any given work4 ,but it would perhaps be better if in people's sayings in general1 whether concerning others or themselves1 there were less taste1 and more truth2 and ,i think it1 under the circumstances1 my duty to state that ,i believe none would treat these drawings with more scrupulous care1 or arrange them with greater patience1 than ,i should myself2 that ,i am ready to undertake the task1 and enter upon it instantly2 that ,i will furnish1 in order to prove the working of the system proposed1 a hundred of the frames1 with their cases1 at my own cost2 and that within six weeks of the day on which ,i am permitted to begin work 7illness or accident not interfering71 ,i will have the hundred drawings arranged1 framed1 accompanied by a printed explanatory catalogue1 and ready for public inspection4 ,it would then be in the power of the commissioners intrusted with the administration of this portion of the national property to decide if any1 or how many more of the sketches1 should be exhibited in the same manner1 as a large mass of the less interesting ones might be kept as the drawings are at the ,british ,museum1 and shown only on special inquiry4 ,i will only undertake this task on condition of the entire management of the drawings1 in every particular1 being intrusted to me2 but ,i should ask the advice of ,mr4 ,carpenter1 of the ,british ,museum1#hc on all doubtful points1 and intrust any necessary operations only to the person who mounts the drawings for the ,british ,museum4 ,i make this offer#hd in your columns rather than privately1 first1 because ,i wish it to be clearly known to the public2 and ,illustration also because ,i have no time to make representations in official ways1 the very hours which ,i could give to the work needing to be redeemed by allowing none to be wasted in formalities4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,oct4 #bg4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,july #i1 #aheg4 ,,the ,,turner ,,bequest ,,and ,,the ,,national ,,gallery4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,i am sorry that accident has prevented my seeing the debate of ,friday last#he on the vote for the ,national ,gallery until to-day4 ,will you permit me1 thus late1 to correct the statement made by ,lord ,elcho1 that ,i offered to arrange ,turner's pictures1 or could have done so as well as ,mr4 ,wornum#hf ,i only offered to arrange the sketches1 and that ,i am doing2 but ,i never would have undertaken the pictures1 which were in such a state of decay that ,i had given up many for lost2 while1 also1 most of them belonged to periods of ,turner's work with which ,i was little acquainted4 ,mr4 ,wornum's patience and carefulness of research in discovering their subjects1 dates of exhibition1 and other points of interest connected with them1 have been of the greatest service2 and it will be long before the labor and judgment which he has shown in compiling1 not only this1 but all the various catalogues now used by the public at our galleries1 will be at all justly appreciated4 ,i find more real1 serviceable1 and trustworthy facts in one of these catalogues1 than in half a dozen of the common collections of lives of painters4 ,permit me to add further1 that during long residence in ,venice1 ,i have carefully examined the ,paul ,veronese lately purchased by the ,government4#hg ,when ,i last saw it1 it was simply the best ,veronese in ,italy1 if not in ,europe 7the 8,marriage in ,cana0 of the ,louvre is larger and more magnificent1 but not so perfect in finish72 and1 for my own part1 ,i should think no price too large for it2 but putting my own deep reverence for the painter wholly out of the question1 and considering the matter as it will appear to most persons at all acquainted with the real character and range of ,venetian work1 ,i believe the market value of the picture ought to be estimated at perhaps one-third more than the ,government have paid for it4 ,without doubt the price of the ,murillo lately purchased at ,paris was much enhanced by accidental competition2 under ordinary circumstances1 and putting both the pictures to a fair trial of market value1 ,i believe the ,veronese to be worth at least double the ,murillo2 in an artistical point of view1 the latter picture could not be put in any kind of comparison whatever with the ,veronese4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,oxford1 ,july #g4 ,from 8,the ,literary ,gazette10 ,november #ac1 #aheh--partly reprinted in 8,the ,two ,paths10 ,appendix iv4 ,,the ,,turner ,,sketches ,,and ,,drawings#hh ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,literary ,gazette40 ,,sir3 ,i do not think it generally necessary to answer criticism2 yet as yours is the first sufficient notice which has been taken of the important collection of sketches at ,marlborough ,house1 and as your strictures on the arrangement proposed for the body of the collection1 as well as on some statements in my catalogue1 are made with such candor and good feeling1 will you allow me to offer one or two observations in reply to them8 ,the mode of arrangement to which you refer as determined on by the trustees has been adopted1 not to discourage the study of the drawings by the public1 but to put all more completely at their service4 ,drawings so small in size and so delicate in execution cannot be seen1 far less copied1 when hung on walls4 ,as now arranged1 they can be put into the hands of each visitor1 or student1 as a book is into those of a reader2 he may examine them in any light1 or in any position1 and copy them at his ease4 ,the students who work from drawings exhibited on walls will1 ,i am sure1 bear willing witness to the greater convenience of the new system4 ,four hundred drawings are already thus arranged for public use2 framed1 and disposed in eighty portable boxes1 each containing five sketches1 so that eighty students might at once be supplied with five drawings apiece4 ,the oil paintings at ,marlborough ,house1 comprising as they do the most splendid works which ,turner ever produced1 and the #cci drawings exhibited beside them1 are surely enough for the amusement of loungers--for do you consider as anything better than loungers those persons who do not care enough for the ,turner drawings to be at the trouble of applying for a ticket of admission1 and entering their names in a book--that is to say1 who will not1 to obtain the privilege of quiet study of perfect art1 take1 once for all1 as much trouble as would be necessary to register a letter1 or book1 or parcel8 ,i entirely waive for the moment the question of exposure to light4 ,i put the whole issue on the ground of greatest public convenience4 ,i believe it to be better for the public to have two collections of ,turner's drawings than one2 nay1 it seems to me just the perfection of all privilege to have one gallery for quiet1 another for disquiet2 one into which the curious1 idle1 or speculative may crowd on wet or weary days1 and another in which people desirous of either thinking or working seriously may always find peace1 light1 and elbow-room4 ,i believe1 therefore1 that the present disposition of these drawings will be at once the most convenient and the most just1 even supposing that the finest works of ,turner would not be injured by constant exposure4 ,but that they would be so admits of no debate4 ,it is not on my judgment nor on any other unsupported opinion1 that the trustees have acted1 but in consideration of facts now universally admitted by persons who have charge of drawings4 ,you will find that the officers both of the ,louvre and of the ,british ,museum refuse to expose their best drawings or missal-pages to light1 in consequence of ascertained damage received by such drawings as have been already exposed2 and among the works of ,turner ,i am prepared to name an example in which1 the frame having protected a portion while the rest was exposed1 the covered portion is still rich and lovely in colors1 while the exposed spaces are reduced in some parts nearly to white paper1 and the color in general to a dull brown4 ,you allude to the contrary chance that some hues may be injured by darkness4 ,i believe that some colors are indeed liable to darken in perpetual shade1 but not while occasionally exposed to moderate light1 as these drawings will be in daily use2 nor is any liability to injury1 even by perpetual shade1 as yet demonstrable with respect to the ,turner drawings2 on the contrary1 those which now form the great body of the national collection were never out of ,turner's house until his death1 and were all kept by him in tight bundles or in clasped books2 and all the drawings so kept are in magnificent preservation1 appearing as if they had just been executed1 while every one of those which have been in the possession of purchasers and exposed in frames are now faded in proportion to the time and degree of their exposure2 the lighter hues disappearing1 especially from the skies1 so as sometimes to leave hardly a trace of the cloud-forms4 ,for instance1 the great ,yorkshire series is1 generally speaking1 merely the wreck of what it once was4#hi ,that water-colors are not injured by darkness is also sufficiently proved by the exquisite preservation of missal paintings1 when the books containing them have been little used4 ,observe1 then1 you have simply this question to put to the public3 8,will you have your ,turner drawings to look at when you are at leisure1 in a comfortable room1 under such limitations as will preserve them to you forever1 or will you make an amusing exhibition of them 7if amusing1 which ,i doubt7 for children and nursery-maids2 dry your wet coats by them1 and shake off the dust from your feet upon them1 for a score or two of years1 and then send them to the waste-paper merchant80 ,that is the simple question2 answer it1 for the public1 as you think best4 ,permit me to observe farther1 that the small interest manifested in the existing ,turner collection at ,marlborough ,house does not seem to justify any further effort at exhibition4 ,there are already more paintings and drawings placed in those rooms than could be examined properly in years of labor4 ,but how placed8 ,thrust into dark corners1 nailed on spare spaces of shutters1 backs of doors1 and tottering elongations of screens2 hung with their faces to the light1 or with their backs to the light1 or with their sides to the light so that it 8rakes0 them 7,i use an excellent expression of ,sir ,charles ,eastlake's71 throwing every irregularity of surface into view as if they were maps in relief of hill countries2 hung1 in fine1 in every conceivable mode that can exhibit their faults1 or conceal their meaning1 or degrade their beauty4 ,neither ,mr4 ,wornum nor ,i are answerable for this2 we have both done the best we could under the circumstances2 the public are answerable for it1 who suffer such things without care and without remonstrance4 ,if they want to derive real advantage from the treasures they possess1 let them show some regard for them1 and build1 or at least express some desire to get built1 a proper gallery for them4 ,i see no way at present out of the embarrassments which exist respecting the disposition of the entire national collection2 but the ,turner gallery was intended by ,turner himself to be a distinct one1 and there is no reason why a noble building should not be at once provided for it4 ,place the oil pictures now at ,marlborough ,house in beautiful rooms1 each in a light fit and sufficient for it1 and all on a level with the eye2 range them in chronological order2 place the sketches at present exhibited1 also in chronological order1 in a lateral gallery2 let illustrative engravings and explanations be put in cases near them2 furnish the room richly and gracefully1 as the ,louvre is furnished1 and ,i do not think the public would any longer complain of not having enough to amuse them on rainy days4 ,that we ought to do as much for our whole national collection is as certain as that we shall not do it for many a year to come1 nor until we have wasted twice as much money as would do it nobly in vain experiments on a mean scale4 ,i have no immediate hope in this matter1 else ,i might perhaps ask you to let me occupy your columns with some repetition1 in other words 7such repetition being apparently always needed in these talking days71 of what ,i have already stated in the ,appendix to my ,notes on the oil-pictures#ij at ,marlborough ,house4 ,but ,i will only1 being as ,i say hopeless in the matter1 ask you for room for a single sentence4 8,if ever we come to understand that the function of a picture1 after all1 with respect to mankind1 is not merely to be bought1 but to be seen1 it will follow that a picture which deserves a price deserves a place2 and that all paintings which are worth keeping1 are worth1 also1 the rent of so much wall as shall be necessary to show them to the best advantage1 and in the least fatiguing way for the spectator4 8,it would be interesting if we could obtain a return of the sum which the ,english nation pays annually for park walls to inclose game1 stable walls to separate horses1 and garden walls to ripen peaches2 and if we could compare this ascertained sum with what it pays for walls to show its art upon40 ,i ask you to reprint this1 because the fact is that if either ,mr4 ,wornum at the ,national ,gallery1 or ,mr4 ,carpenter at the ,british ,museum1 had as much well-lighted wall at their disposal as most gentlemen's gardeners have1 they could each furnish the public with art enough to keep them gazing from one year's end to another's4 ,mr4 ,carpenter has already made a gallant effort with some screens in a dark room2 but in the ,national ,gallery1 whatever mode of exhibition may be determined upon for the four hundred framed drawings1 the great mass of the ,turner sketches 7about fifteen thousand1 without counting mere color memoranda7 must lie packed in parcels in tin cases1 simply for want of room to show them4 ,it is true that many of these are quite slight1 and would be interesting to none but artists4 ,there are1 however1 upwards of five thousand sketches in pencil outline1#ia which are just as interesting as those now exhibited at ,marlborough ,house2 and which might be constantly exhibited1 like those1 without any harm1 if there were only walls to put them on4 ,i have already occupied much of your space4 ,i do not say too much1 considering the importance of the subject1 but#ib ,i must with more diffidence ask you to allow me yet leave to reply to the objections you make to two statements and to one omission in my ,catalogue1 as those objections would otherwise diminish its usefulness4 ,i have asserted that in a given drawing 7named as one of the chief in the series71 ,turner's pencil did not move over the thousandth of an inch without meaning2 and you charge this expression with extravagant hyperbole4 ,on the contrary1 it is much within the truth1 being merely a mathematically accurate description of fairly good execution in either drawing or engraving4 ,it is only necessary to measure a piece of any ordinarily good work to ascertain this4 ,take1 for instance1 ,finden's engraving at the #ahjth page of ,rogers' poems1#ic in which the face of the figure1 from the chin to the top of the brow1 occupies just a quarter of an inch1 and the space between the upper lip and chin as nearly as possible one-seventeenth of an inch4 ,the whole mouth occupies one-third of this space1 say1 one-fiftieth of an inch2 and within that space both the lips and the much more difficult inner corner of the mouth are perfectly drawn and rounded1 with quite successful and sufficiently subtle expression4 ,any artist will assure you1 that in order to draw a mouth as well as this1 there must be more than twenty gradations of shade in the touches2 that is to say1 in this case1 gradations changing1 with meaning1 within less than the thousandth of an inch4 ,but this is mere child's play compared to the refinement of any first-rate mechanical work1 much more of brush or pencil drawing by a master's hand4 ,in order at once to furnish you with authoritative evidence on this point1 ,i wrote to ,mr4 ,kingsley1 tutor of ,sidney-,sussex ,college1 a friend to whom ,i always have recourse when ,i want to be precisely right in any matter2 for his great knowledge both of mathematics and of natural science is joined1 not only with singular powers of delicate experimental manipulation1 but with a keen sensitiveness to beauty in art4 ,his answer1 in its final statement respecting ,turner's work1 is amazing even to me2 and will1 ,i should think1 be more so to your readers4 ,observe the successions of measured and tested refinement2 here is ,no4 #a3 8,the finest mechanical work that ,i know of is that done by ,nobert in the way of ruling lines4 ,i have a series of lines ruled by him on glass1 giving actual scales from 4#jjjjbd and 4#jjjjaf of an inch1 perfectly correct to these places of decimals299 and he has executed others as fine as 4#jjjjab1 though ,i do not know how far he could repeat these last with accuracy40 99 ,that is to say1 accurate in measures estimated in millionths of inches4 ,this is ,no4 #a1 of precision4 ,mr4 ,kingsley proceeds to ,no4 #b3 8,but this is rude work compared to the accuracy necessary for the construction of the object-glass of a microscope such as ,rosse turns out40 ,i am sorry to omit the explanation which follows of the ten lenses composing such a glass1 8each of which must be exact in radius and in surface1 and all have their axes coincident20 but it would not be intelligible without the figure by which it is illustrated1 so ,i pass to ,mr4 ,kingsley's ,no4 #c3 8,i am tolerably familiar10 he proceeds1 8with the actual grinding and polishing of lenses and specula1 and have produced by my own hands some by no means bad optical work2 and ,i have copied no small amount of ,turner's work1 and ,i still look with awe at the combined delicacy and precision of his hand2 it beats optical work out of sight4#ie ,in optical work1 as in refined drawing1 the hand goes beyond the eye199 and one has to depend upon the feel2 and when one has once learned what a delicate affair touch is1 one gets a horror of all coarse work1 and is ready to forgive any amount of feebleness1 sooner than the boldness which is akin to impudence4 ,in optics the distinction is easily seen when the work is put to trial2 but here too1 as in drawing1 it requires an educated eye to tell the difference when the work is only moderately bad2 but with #8bold' work nothing can be seen but distortion and fog1 and ,i heartily wish the same result would follow the same kind of handling in drawing2 but here1 the boldness cheats the unlearned by looking like the precision of the true man4 ,it is very strange how much better our ears are than our eyes in this country3 if an ignorant man were to be #8bold' with a violin1 he would not get many admirers1 though his boldness was far below that of ninety-nine out of a hundred drawings one sees40 99 ,in case any of your readers should question the use1 in drawing1 of work too fine for the touches to be individually1 ,i quote a sentence from my 8,elements of ,drawing409999 8,all fine coloring1 like fine drawing1 is delicate2 so delicate1 that if at last you see the color you are putting on1 you are putting on too much4 ,you ought to feel a change wrought in the general tone by touches which are individually too pale to be seen40 9999 ,see the 8,elements of ,drawing10 ,letter ,,iii4 on ,color and ,composition1 p4 #bcb4 ,the words which ,i have italicized#if in the above extract are those which were surprising to me4 ,i knew that ,turner's was as refined as any optical work1 but had no idea of its going beyond it4 ,mr4 ,kingsley's word 8awe10 occurring just before1 is1 however1 as ,i have often felt1 precisely the right one4 ,when once we begin at all to understand the work of any truly great executor1 such as that of any of the three great ,venetians 7,tintoret1 ,titian1 and ,veronese71 ,correggio1 or ,turner1 the awe of it is something greater than can be felt from the most stupendous natural scenery4 ,for the creation of such a system as a high human intelligence1 endowed with its ineffably perfect instruments of eye and hand1 is a far more appalling manifestation of ,infinite ,power than the making either of seas or mountains4 ,after this testimony to the completion of ,turner's work1 ,i need not at length defend myself from the charge of hyperbole in the statement that1 8as far as ,i know1 the galleries of ,europe may be challenged to produce one sketch#ig that shall equal the chalk study ,no4 #de1 or the feeblest of the memoranda in the #gast and following frames20#ih which memoranda1 however1 it should have been observed1 are stated at the forty-fourth page to be in some respects 8the grandest work in gray that he did in his life40 ,for ,i believe that1 as manipulators1 none but the four men whom ,i have just named 7the three ,venetians and ,correggio7 were equal to ,turner2 and1 as far as ,i know1 none of these four men put their full strength into sketches4 ,but whether they did or not1 my statement in the ,catalogue is limited by my own knowledge1 and as far as ,i can trust that knowledge3 it is not an enthusiastic statement1 but an entirely calm and considered one4 ,it may be a mistake1 but it is not an hyperbole4 ,lastly1 you object that the drawings for the 8,liber ,studiorum0 are not included in my catalogue4 ,they are not so1 because ,i did not consider them as1 in a true sense1 drawings at all2 they are merely washes of color laid roughly to guide the mezzotint engraver in his first process2 the drawing1 properly so called1 was all put in by ,turner when he etched the plates1 or superadded by repeated touchings on the proofs4 ,these brown 8guides10 for they are nothing more1 are entirely unlike the painter's usual work1 and in every way inferior to it2 so that students wishing to understand the composition of the 8,liber0 must always work from the plates1 and not from these first indications of purpose4#ii ,i have put good impressions of two of the plates in the same room1 in order to show their superiority2 and for the rest1 thought it useless to increase the bulk of the ,catalogue by naming subjects which have been published and well known these thirty years4#ajj ,permit me1 in conclusion1 to thank you for drawing attention to the subject of this great national collection2 and1 again asking your indulgence for trespassing so far upon your space1 to subscribe myself1 ,very respectfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,october #ba1 #ahei4 ,,the ,,turner ,,gallery ,,at ,,kensington#aja ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,at the time of my departure for the ,continent some months ago ,i had heard it was proposed to light the ,turner ,gallery1 at ,kensington1 with gas2 but ,i attached no importance to the rumor1 feeling assured that a commission would be appointed on the subject1 and that its decision would be adverse to the mode of exhibition suggested4 ,such a commission has1 ,i find1 been appointed2 and has1 contrary to my expectations1 approved and confirmed the plan of lighting proposed4 ,it would be the merest presumption in me to expect weight to be attached to any opinion of mine1 opposed to that of any one of the gentlemen who formed the commission2 but as ,i was officially employed in some of the operations connected with the arrangement of the ,turner ,gallery at ,marlborough ,house1 and as it might therefore be supposed by the public that ,i at least concurred in recommending the measures now taken for exhibition of the ,turner pictures in the evening1 at ,kensington1 ,i must beg your permission to state in your columns that ,i take no share in the responsibility of lighting the pictures either of ,reynolds or ,turner with gas2 that1 on the contrary1 my experience would lead me to apprehend serious injury to those pictures from such a measure2 and that it is with profound regret that ,i have heard of its adoption4 ,i specify the pictures of ,reynolds and ,turner1 because the combinations of equal coloring material employed by both these painters are various1 and to some extent unknown2 and also because the body of their colors shows peculiar liability to crack1 and to detach itself from the canvas4 ,i am glad to be able to bear testimony to the fitness of the gallery at ,kensington1 as far as could be expected under the circumstances1 for the exhibition of the ,turner pictures by daylight1 as well as to the excellence of ,mr4 ,wornum's chronological arrangement of them in the three principal rooms4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,oct4 #bj4 ,p4,s4--,i wish the writer of the admirable and exhaustive letter which appeared in your columns of yesterday on the subject of ,mr4 ,scott's design for the ,foreign ,office would allow me to know his name4#ajb ,from 8,the ,daily ,telegraph10 ,july #e1 #ahgf4 ,,turner',s ,,drawings4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,daily ,telegraph40 ,,sir3 ,i am very heartily glad to see the subject of ,turner's drawings brought more definitely before the public in your remarks on the recent debate#ajc in ,parliament4 ,it is indeed highly desirable that these drawings should be made more accessible1 and ,i will answer your reference to me by putting you in possession of all the facts which it is needful that the public should know or take into consideration respecting them1 in either judging what has been hitherto done by those entrusted with their care1 or taking measures for obtaining greater freedom in their use4 ,their use1 ,i say1 as distinguished from the mere pleasure of seeing them4 ,this pleasure1 to the general public1 is very small indeed4 ,you appear not to be aware that three hundred of the finest examples1 including all the originals of the ,liber ,studiorum1 were framed by myself1 especially for the public1 in the year #aheh1 and have been exhibited every day1 and all day long1 ever since in ,london4 ,but the public never stops a moment in the room at ,kensington where they hang2 and the damp1 filth1 and gas 7under the former management of that institution7#ajd soiled their frames and warped the drawings1 8by friend remembered not40 ,you have been also misinformed in supposing that 8for some years these aquarelles were unreservedly shown1 and in all the fulness of daylight40 ,only the 8,seine0 series 7rivers of ,france71 the rivers of ,england1 the harbors of ,england1 and the ,rogers' vignettes 7about a hundred drawings in all71 were exhibited in the dark under-room of ,marlborough ,house1 and a few larger and smaller examples scattered up and down in the room of the ,national ,gallery1 including ,fort ,bard1 ,edinburgh1 and ,ivy ,bridge4#aje ,these drawings are all finished1 most of them have been engraved2 they were shown as the choicest of the collection1 and there is no question but that they should always be perfectly accessible to the public4 ,there are no other finished drawings in the vast mass of the remaining material for exhibition and means of education4 ,but these are all the drawings which ,turner made during his lifetime1 in color1 chalk1 pencil1 and ink1 for his own study or delight2 that is to say1 pencil sketches to be counted by the thousand 7how many thousands ,i cannot safely so much as guess71 and assuredly upwards of two thousand colored studies1 many of exquisite beauty2 and all instructive as no other water-color work ever was before1 or has been since2 besides the ink and chalk studies for all his great ,academy pictures4#ajf ,there are in this accumulation of drawings means of education in the noblest principles of elementary art and in the most accomplished science of color for every drawing-school in ,england1 were they properly distributed4 ,besides these1 there are the three hundred chosen drawings already named1 now at ,kensington1 and about two hundred more of equal value1 now in the lower rooms of the ,national ,gallery1 which the ,trustees permitted me to choose out of the mass1 and frame for general service4 ,they are framed as ,i frame exercise-drawings at ,oxford1 for my own schools4 ,they are1 when in use1 perfectly secure from dust and all other sources of injury2 slide1 when done with1 into portable cabinets2 are never exposed to light1 but when they are being really looked at2 and can be examined at his ease1 measured1 turned in whatever light he likes1 by every student or amateur who takes the smallest interest in them4 ,but it is necessary1 for this mode of exhibition1 that there should be trustworthy persons in charge of the drawings1 as of the ,,mss4 in the ,british ,museum1 and that there should be attendants in observation1 as in the ,print ,room of the ,museum1 that glasses may not be broken1 or drawings taken out of the frames4 ,thus taken care of1 and thus shown1 the drawings may be a quite priceless possession to the people of ,england for the next five centuries2 whereas those exhibited in the ,manchester ,exhibition were virtually destroyed in that single summer4#ajg ,there is not one of them but is the mere wreck of what it was4 ,i do not choose to name destroyed drawings in the possession of others2 but ,i will name the vignette of the ,plains of ,troy in my own1 which had half the sky baked out of it in that fatal year1 and the three drawings of ,richmond 7,yorkshire71 ,egglestone ,abbey1 and ,langharne ,castle1#ajh which have had by former exposure to light their rose-colors entirely destroyed1 and half of their blues1 leaving nothing safe but the brown4 ,i do not think it necessary to repeat my former statements respecting the injurious power of light on certain pigments rapidly1 and on all eventually4 ,the respective keepers of the ,print ,room and of the ,manuscripts in the ,british ,museum are the proper persons to be consulted on that matter1 their experience being far larger than mine1 and over longer epochs4 ,i will1 however1 myself undertake to show from my own collection a water-color of the eleventh century absolutely as fresh as when it was laid--having been guarded from light2 and water-color burnt by sunlight into a mere dirty stain on the paper1 in a year1 with the matched piece from which it was cut beside it4 ,the public may1 therefore1 at their pleasure treat their ,turner drawings as a large exhibition of fireworks1 see them explode1 clap their hands1 and have done with them2 or they may treat them as an exhaustless library of noble learning4 ,to this end1 they need1 first1 space and proper light--north light1 as clear of smoke as possible1 and large windows2 and then proper attendance--that is to say1 well-paid librarians and servants4 ,the space will of course be difficult to obtain1 for while the ,british public of the upper classes are always ready to pay any money whatever for space to please their pride in their own dining-rooms and ball-rooms1 they would not1 most of them1 give five shillings a year to get a good room in the ,national ,gallery to show the national drawings in4 ,as to the room in which it is at present proposed to place them in the new building1 they might just as well1 for any good that will ever be got out of them there1 be exhibited in a railway tunnel4 ,and the attendants will also be difficult to obtain4 ,for--and this is the final fact to which ,i beg your notice--these drawings now in question were1 as ,i above stated1 framed by me in #aheh4 ,they have been perfectly 8accessible0 ever since1 and are so now1 as easily as any works#aji in the shops of ,regent ,street are accessible over the counter1 if you have got a shopman to hand them to you4 ,and the ,british public have been whining and growling about their exclusion from the sight of these drawings for the last eighteen years1 simply because1 while they are willing to pay for any quantity of sentinels to stand in boxes about town and country1 for any quantity of flunkeys to stand on boards for additional weight to carriage horses1 and for any quantity of footmen to pour out their wine and chop up their meat for them1 they would not for all these eighteen years pay so much as a single attendant to hand them the ,turner drawings across the ,national ,gallery table2 but only what was needful to obtain for two days in the week the withdrawal from his other duties in the ,gallery of the old servant of ,mr4 ,samuel ,rogers4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,brantwood1 ,july #c4 ,from 8,the ,daily ,telegraph10 ,july #ai1 #ahgf4 ,,turners ,,drawings4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,daily ,telegraph40 ,,sir3 ,in justice to our living water-color artists1 will you favor me by printing the accompanying letter1#aaj which ,i think will be satisfactory to many of your readers1 on points respecting which my own may have given some of them a false impression8 ,in my former letter1 permit me to correct the misprint of 8works0 in ,regent ,street for 8wares40 ,i have every reason to suppose ,mr4 ,collingwood ,smith's knowledge of the subject entirely trustworthy2 but when all is conceded1 must still repeat that no water-color work of value should ever be constantly exposed to light1 or even to the air of a crowded metropolis1 least of all to gaslight or its fumes4 ,i am1 ,sir1 yours1 etc41 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,brantwood1 ,,coniston1 ,,lancashire1 ,july #af4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,april #be1 #ahgf4 ,,copies ,,of ,,turner',s ,,drawings4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,you will oblige me by correcting the misstatement in your columns of the #bb;d1#aaa that 8only copies of the copies0 of ,turner exhibited at #adh ,new ,bond ,street1 are for sale4 ,the drawings offered for sale by the company will1 of course1 be always made by ,mr4 ,ward from the originals1 just as much as those now exhibited as specimens4 ,you observe in the course of your article that 8surely such attempts could not gratify any one who had a true insight for ,mr4 ,turner's works80 ,but the reason that the drawings now at #adh ,new ,bond ,street are not for sale is that they do gratify me1 and are among my extremely valued possessions2 and if among the art critics on your staff there be1 indeed1 any one whose 8insight for ,mr4 ,turner's work0 you suppose to be greater than mine1 ,i shall have much pleasure in receiving any instructions with which he may favor me1 at the ,national ,gallery1 on the points either in which ,mr4 ,ward's work may be improved1 or on those in which ,turner is so superior to ,titian and ,correggio1 that while the public maintain1 in ,italy1 a nation of copyists of these second-rate masters1 they are not justified in hoping any success whatever in representing the work of the ,londoner1 whom1 while he was alive1 ,i was always called mad for praising4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,,peterborough1 ,april #bc4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,january #bd1 #ahga4 8,,turners10 ,,false ,,and ,,true4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,times40 ,,sir3 ,i have refused until now to express any opinion respecting the picture ,no4 #djaab in the ,exhibition of the ,old ,masters1 feeling extreme reluctance to say anything which its kind owner1 to whom the ,exhibition owes so much1 might deem discourteous4 ,but ,i did not suppose it was possible any doubt could long exist among artists as to the character of the work in question2 and1 as ,i find its authenticity still in some quarters maintained1 ,i think no other course is open to me than to state that the picture is not by ,turner1 nor even by an imitator of ,turner acquainted with the essential qualities of the master4 ,i am able to assert this on internal evidence only4 ,i never saw the picture before1 nor do ,i know anything of the channels through which it came into the possession of its present proprietor4 ,no4 #bce is1 on the contrary1 one of the most consummate and majestic works that ever came from the artist's hand1 and it is one of the very few now remaining which have not been injured by subsequent treatment4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,jan4 #bc4 ,from 8,the ,life of ,turner10 by ,walter ,thornbury4 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,turner4#aac ,the following admonition1 sent by ,mr4 ,ruskin in #aheg to ,mr4 ,thornbury1 and coupled with the advice that for the biographer of ,turner there was no time to be lost1 8for those who knew him when young are dying daily10 forms a fit conclusion to this division of the letters4 ,fix at the beginning the following main characteristics of ,turner in your mind1 as the keys to the secret of all he said and did4 ,uprightness4 ,generosity4 ,tenderness of heart 7extreme74 ,sensuality4 ,obstinacy 7extreme74 ,irritability4 ,infidelity4 ,and be sure that he knew his own power1 and felt himself utterly alone in the world from its not being understood4 ,don't try to mask the dark side4444 ,yours most truly1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,see the preface to the first edition of the 8,life of ,turner20 that to the second contains the following estimate of ,mr4 ,thornbury's book3#aad 8,lucerne1 ,dec4 #b1 #ahfa4--;,i have just received and am reading your book with deep interest4 ,i am much gratified by the view you have taken and give of ,turner4 ,it is quite what ,i hoped4 ,what beautiful things you have discovered about him6 ,thank you for your courteous and far too flattering references to me40 ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,v4 ,,pictures ,,and ,,artists4 ,,john ,,leech',s ,,outlines4 #ahgb4 ,,ernest ,,george',s ,,etchings4 #ahgc4 ,,the ,,frederick ,,walker ,,exhibition4 #ahgf4 ,v4 ,,pictures ,,and ,,artists4 ,from the 8,catalogue of the ,exhibition of ,outlines by the late ,john ,leech1 at the ,gallery1 #i ,conduit ,street1 ,regent ,street40 #ahgb4aae ,,john ,,leech',s ,,outlines4 ,i am honored by the request of the sister of ,john ,leech that ,i should give some account of the drawings of her brother1 which remain in her possession2 and ,i am able to fulfil her request without departing from the rule which has always bound me1 not to allow any private interest to weigh with me in speaking of matters which concern the public4 ,it is merely and simply a matter of public concern that the value of these drawings should be known and measures taken for their acquisition1 or1 at least1 for obtaining a characteristic selection from them1 as a ,national property4 ,it cannot be necessary for me1 or for any one1 now to praise the work of ,john ,leech4 ,admittedly it contains the finest definition and natural history of the classes of our society1 the kindest and subtlest analysis of its foibles1 the tenderest flattery of its pretty and well-bred ways1 with which the modesty of subservient genius ever amused or immortalized careless masters4 ,but it is not generally known how much more valuable1 as art1 the first sketches for the woodcuts were than the finished drawings1 even before those drawings sustained any loss in engraving4 ,john ,leech was an absolute master of the elements of character1--but not by any means of those of chiaroscuro1--and the admirableness of his work diminished as it became elaborate4 ,the first few lines in which he sets down his purpose are invariably of all drawing that ,i know the most wonderful in their accurate felicity and prosperous haste4 ,it is true that the best possible drawing1 whether slight or elaborate1 is never hurried4 ,holbein or ,titian1 if they lay only a couple of lines1 yet lay them quietly1 and leave them entirely right4 ,but it needs a certain sternness of temper to do this4 ,most1 in the prettiest sense of the word1 gentle artists indulge themselves in the ease1 and even trust to the felicity of rapid--and even in a measure inconsiderate--work in sketching1 so that the beauty of a sketch is understood to be consistent with what is partly unintentional4 ,there is1 however1 one condition of extreme and exquisite skill in which haste may become unerring4 ,it cannot be obtained in completely finished work2 but the hands of ,gainsborough1 ,reynolds1 or ,tintoret often nearly approach completion at full speed1 and the pencil sketches of ,turner are expressive almost in the direct ratio of their rapidity4 ,but of all rapid and condensed realization ever accomplished by the pencil1 ,john ,leech's is the most dainty1 and the least fallible1 in the subjects of which he was cognizant4 ,not merely right in the traits which he seizes1 but refined in the sacrifice of what he refuses4 ,the drawing becomes slight through fastidiousness not indolence1 and the finest discretion has left its touches rare4 ,in flexibility and lightness of pencilling1 nothing but the best outlines of ,italian masters with the silver point can be compared to them4 ,that ,leech sketched ,english squires instead of saints1 and their daughters instead of martyrs1 does not in the least affect the question respecting skill of pencilling2 and ,i repeat deliberately that nothing but the best work of sixteenth century ,italy with the silver point exists in art1 which in rapid refinement these playful ,english drawings do not excel4 ,there are too many of them 7fortunately7 to be rightly exemplary--,i want to see the collection divided1 dated carefully1 and selected portions placed in good light1 in a quite permanent arrangement in each of our great towns in connection with their drawing schools4 ,i will not indeed have any in ,oxford while ,i am there1 because ,i am afraid that my pupils should think too lightly of their drawing as compared with their other studies1 and ,i doubt their studying anything else but ,john ,leech if they had him to study4 ,but in our servile schools of mechanical drawing1 to see what drawing was indeed1 which could represent something better than machines1 and could not be mimicked by any machinery1 would put more life into them than any other teaching ,i can conceive4 ,it is1 therefore1 with the greatest pleasure that ,i accept the honor of having my name placed on the committee for obtaining funds for the purchase of these drawings2 and ,i trust that the respect of the ,english public for the gentle character of the master1 and their gratitude for the amusement with which he has brightened so many of their days1 will be expressed in the only way in which expression is yet possible by due care and wise use of the precious possessions he has left to them4 7,signed7 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,architect10 ,december #bg1 #ahgc4 ,,ernest ,,george',s ,,etchings4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,architect40 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i am entirely glad you had permission to publish some of ,mr4 ,ernest ,george's etchings2#aaf they are the most precious pieces of work ,i have seen for many a day1 though they are still1 like nearly everything the ,english do best in art1 faultful in matters which might have been easily conquered1 and not a little wasteful1 sometimes of means and time2 ,i should be glad1 therefore1 of space enough in your columns to state1 with reference to these sketches1 some of the principles of etching which ,i had not time to define in the lectures on engraving ,i gave this year1 at ,oxford1#aag and which are too often forgotten even by our best draughtsmen4 ,i call ,mr4 ,george's work precious1 chiefly because it indicates an intense perception of points of character in architecture1 and a sincere enjoyment of them for their own sake4 ,his drawings are not accumulative of material for future use2 still less are they vain exhibitions of his own skill4 ,he draws the scene in all its true relations1 because it delights him1 and he perceives what is permanently and altogether characteristic in it4 ,as opposed to such frank and joyful work1 most modern architectural drawings are mere diagram or exercise4 ,i call them precious1 in the second place1 because they show very great powers of true composition4 ,all their subjects are made delightful more by skill of arrangement than by any dexterities of execution2 and this faculty is very rare amongst landscape painters and architects1 because nearly every man who has any glimmering of it naturally takes to figure painting--not that the ambition to paint figures is any sign of the faculty1 but that1 when people have the faculty1 they nearly always have also the ambition4 ,and1 indeed1 this is quite right1 if they would not forsake their architecture afterwards1 but apply their power of figure design1 when gained1 to the decoration of their buildings4 ,to return to ,mr4 ,george's work4 ,it is precious1 lastly1 in its fine sense of serene light and shade1 as opposed to the coruscations and horrors of modern attempts in that direction4 ,but it is a pity--and this is the first grand principle of etching which ,i feel it necessary to affirm--when the instinct of chiaroscuro leads the artist to spend time in producing texture on his plate which cannot be ultimately perfect1 however labored4 ,all the common raptures concerning blots1 burr1 delicate biting1 and the other tricks of the etching trade1 merely indicate imperfect feeling for shadow4 ,the proper instrument of chiaroscuro is the brush2 a wash of sepia1 rightly managed1 will do more in ten minutes than ,rembrandt himself could do in ten days of the most ingenious scratching1 or blurt out by the most happy mixtures of art and accident4#aah ,as soon as ,mr4 ,george has learned what true light and shade is 7and a few careful studies with brush or chalk would enable him to do so71 he will not labor his etched subjects in vain4 ,the virtue of an etching1 in this respect1 is to express perfectly harmonious sense of light and shade1 but not to realize it4 ,all fine etchings are done with few lines4 ,secondly--and this is a still more important general principle 7,i must let myself fall into dictatorial terms for brevity's sake7--,let your few lines be sternly clear1 however delicate1 or however dark4 ,all burr and botch is child's play1 and a true draughtsman must never be at the mercy of his copper and ink4 ,drive your line well and fairly home2 don't scrawl or zigzag2 know where your hand is going1 and what it is doing1 to a hairbreadth2 then bite clear and clean1 and let the last impression be as good as the first4 ,when it begins to fail break your plate4 ,third general principle4 ,don't depend much on various biting4 ,for a true master1 and a great purpose1 even one biting is enough4 ,by no flux or dilution of acid can you ever etch a curl of hair or a cloud2 and if you think you can etch the gradations of coarser things1 it is only because you have never seen them4 ,try1 at your leisure1 to etch a teacup or a tallow candle1 of their real size2 see what you can make of the gradations of those familiar articles2 if you succeed to your mind1 you may try something more difficult afterwards4 ,lastly4 ,for all definite shades of architectural detail1 use pencil or charcoal1 or the brush1 never the pen point4 ,you can draw a leaf surface rightly in a minute or two with these--with the pen point1 never1 to all eternity4 ,and on you knowing what the surface of a form is depends your entire power of recognizing good work4 ,the difference between thirteenth-century work1 wholly beautiful1 and a cheap imitation of it1 wholly damnable1 lies in gradation of surface as subtle as those of a rose-leaf1 and which are1 to modern sculpture1 what singing is to a steam-whistle4 ,for the rest1 the limitation of etched work to few lines enables the sketcher to multiply his subjects1 and make his time infinitely more useful to himself and others4 ,i would most humbly solicit1 in conclusion1 such advantageous use of his gifts from ,mr4 ,george4 ,he might etch a little summer tour for us every year1 and give permanent and exquisite record of a score of scenes1 rich in historical interest1 with no more pains than he has spent on one or two of these plates in drawing the dark sides of a wall4 ,yours faithfully1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,times10 ,january #bj1 #ahgf4 ,,the ,,frederick ,,walker ,,exhibition4 ,,dear ,,mr4 ,,marks3#aai ,you ask me to say what ,i feel of ,frederick ,walker's work1 now seen in some collective mass1 as far as anything can be seen in black-veiled ,london4 ,you have long known my admiration of his genius1 my delight in many passages of his art4 ,these1 while he lived1 were all ,i cared to express4 ,if you will have me speak of him now1 ,i will speak the whole truth of what ,i feel--namely1 that every soul in ,london interested in art ought to go to see that ,exhibition1 and1 amid all the beauty and the sadness of it1 very diligently to try and examine themselves as to the share they have had1 in their own busy modern life1 in arresting the power of this man at the point where it stayed4 ,very chief share they have had1 assuredly4 ,but he himself1 in the liberal and radical temper of modern youth1 has had his own part in casting down his strength1 following wantonly or obstinately his own fancies wherever they led him4 ,for instance1 it being ,nature's opinion that sky should usually be blue1 and it being ,mr4 ,walker's opinion that it should be the color of buff plaster1 he resolutely makes it so1 for his own isolated satisfaction1 partly in affectation also1 buff skies being considered by the public more sentimental than blue ones4 ,again1 the laws of all good painting having been long ago determined by absolute masters1 whose work cannot be bettered nor departed from--,titian having determined forever what oil-painting is1 ,angelico what tempera-painting is1 ,perugino what fresco-painting is1 two hundred years of noble miniature-painting what minutest work on ivory is1 and1 in modern times1 a score of entirely skillful and disciplined draughtsmen what pure water-color and pure body-color painting on paper are 7,turner's ,yorkshire drawing of ,hornby ,castle1 now at ,kensington1 and ,john ,lewis's 8,encampment under ,sinai10#abj being nameable at once as unsurpassable standards71 here is ,mr4 ,walker refusing to learn anything from any of those schools or masters1 but inventing a semi-miniature1 quarter fresco1 quarter wash manner of his own--exquisitely clever1 and reaching1 under such clever management1 delightfullest results here and there1 but which betrays his genius into perpetual experiment instead of achievement1 and his life into woeful vacillation between the good1 old1 quiet room of the ,water-,color ,society1 and your labyrinthine magnificence at ,burlington ,house4 ,lastly1 and in worst error1 the libraries of ,england being full of true and noble books--her annals of true and noble history1 and her traditions of beautiful and noble--in these scientific times ,i must say1 ,i suppose1 8mythology0--not religion--from all these elements of mental education and subjects of serviceable art1 he turns recklessly away to enrich the advertisements of the circulating library1 to sketch whatever pleases his fancy1 barefooted1 or in dainty boots1 of modern beggary and fashion1 and enforce1 with laboriously symbolical pathos1 his adherence to ,justice ,shallow's sublime theology that 8all shall die40 ,that theology has indeed been preached by stronger men1 again and again1 from ,horace's days to our own1 but never to so little purpose4 8,let us eat and drink1 for to-morrow we die10 said wisely in his way1 the ,latin farmer3 ate his beans and bacon in comfort1 had his suppers of the gods on the fair earth1 with his servants jesting round the table1 and left eternal monuments of earthly wisdom and of cricket-song4 8,let us labor and be just1 for to-morrow we die1 and after death the ,judgment10 said ,holbein and ,durer1 and left eternal monuments of upright human toil and honorable gloom of godly fear4 8,let us rejoice and be exceeding glad1 for to-morrow we die1 and shall be with ,god10 said ,angelico and ,giotto1 and left eternal monuments of divinely-blazoned heraldry of ,heaven4 8,let us smoke pipes1 make money1 read bad novels1 walk in bad air1 and say sentimentally how sick we are in the afternoon1 for to-morrow we die1 and shall be made ourselves clay pipes10 says the modern world1 and drags this poor bright painter down into the abyss with it1 vainly clutching at a handful or two of scent and flowers in the ,may gardens4 ,under which sorrowful terms1 being told also by your grand ,academicians that he should paint the nude1 and1 accordingly1 wasting a year or two of his life in trying to paint schoolboys' backs and legs without their shirts or breeches1 and with such other magazine material as he can pick up of sick gypsies1 faded gentlewomen1 pretty girls disguised as paupers1 and the red-roofed or gray remnants of old ,english villages and manor-house1 last wrecks of the country's peace and honor1 remaining yet visible among the black ravages of its ruin1 he supplies the demands of his temporary public1 scarcely patient1 even now that he has gone1 to pause beside his delicate tulips or under his sharp-leaved willows1 and repent for the passing tints and fallen petals of the life that might have been so precious1 and1 perhaps1 in better days1 prolonged4 ,that is the main moral of the ,exhibition4 ,of the beauty of the drawings1 accepting them for what they aim at being1 there is little need that ,i should add anything to what has been already said rightly by the chief organs of the ,london ,press4 ,nothing can go beyond them in subtlety of exhibited touch 7to be distinguished1 however1 observe always from the serene completion of master's work1 disdaining the applause to be gained by its manifestation72 their harmonies of amber-color and purple are full of exquisite beauty in their chosen key2 their composition always graceful1 often admirable1 and the sympathy they express with all conditions of human life most kind and true2 not without power of rendering character which would have been more recognized in an inferior artist1 because it would have been less restrained by the love of beauty4 ,i might1 perhaps1 in my days of youth and good fortune1 have written what the public would have called 8eloquent passages0 on the subjects of the ,almshouse and the ,old ,gate2#aba being now myself old and decrepit 7besides being much bothered with beggars1 and in perpetual feud with parish officers71 and having seen every building ,i cared for in the world ruined1 ,i pass these two pictures somewhat hastily by1 and try to enjoy myself a little in the cottage gardens4 ,only one of them1 however1--,no4 #ga1--;has right sunshine in it1 and that is a sort of walled paddock where ,i begin directly to feel uncomfortable about the lamb1 lest1 perchance1 some front shop in the cottages belong to a butcher4 ,if only it and ,i could get away to a bit of thymy hill-side1 we should be so much happier1 leaving the luminous--perhaps too ideally luminous--child to adorn the pathetic paddock4 ,i am too shy to speak to either of those two beautiful ladies among the lilies 7#cg1 #fg71 and take refuge among the shy children before the 8,chaplain's ,daughter0 7#bj7--;delightfullest1 it seems to me1 of the minor designs1 and a piece of most true and wise satire4 ,the sketches of the 8,daughter of ,heth0 go far to tempt me to read the novel2 and1 ashamed of this weakness1 ,i retreat resolutely to the side of the exemplary young girl knitting in the 8,old ,farm ,garden0 7#cc71 and would instantly pick up her ball of worsted for her1 but that ,i wouldn't for the world disappoint the cat4 ,no drawing in the room is more delicately completed than this unpretending subject1 and the flower-painting in it1 for instantaneous grace of creative touch1 cannot be rivalled2 it is worth all the ,dutch flower-pieces in the world4 ,much instructed1 and more humiliated1 by passage after passage of its rapidly-grouped color1 ,i get finally away into the comfortable corner beside the salmon-fishers and the mushrooms2 and the last-named drawing1 despise me who may1 keeps me till ,i've no more time to stay1 for it entirely beats my dear old ,william ,hunt in the simplicity of its execution1 and rivals him in the subtlest truth4 ,i say nothing of the 8,fishmonger's ,stalls0 7#ieb71 though there are qualities of the same kind in these also1 for they somewhat provoke me by their waste of time--the labor spent on one of them would have painted twenty instructive studies of fish of their real size4 ,and it is well for artists in general to observe that when they do condescend to paint still life carefully--whether fruit1 fungi1 or fish--it must at least be of the real size4 ,the portrait of a man or woman is only justifiably made small that it may be portable1 and nobody wants to carry about the miniature of a cod2 and if the reader will waste five minutes of his season in ,london in the ,national ,gallery1 he may see in the hand of ,perugino's ,tobias a fish worth all these on the boards together4 ,some blame of the same kind attaches to the marvellous drawing ,no4 #fh4 ,it is all very well for a young artist to show how much work he can put into an inch1 but very painful for an old gentleman of fifty-seven to have to make out all the groups through a magnifying-glass4 ,i could say something malicious about the boat1 in consequence of the effect of this exertion on my temper1 but will not1 and leave with unqualified praise the remainder of the lesser drawings to the attention which each will variously reward4 ,nor1 in what ,i have already1 it may be thought1 too bluntly said1 ought the friends of the noble artist to feel that ,i am unkind4 ,it is because ,i know his real power more deeply than any of the admirers who give him indiscriminate applause1 that ,i think it right distinctly to mark the causes which prevented his reaching heights they did not conceive1 and ended by placing one more tablet in the street of tombs1 which the passionate folly and uninstructed confusion of modern ,english society prolong into dark perspective above the graves of its youth4 ,i am1 dear ,marks1 always very faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,letters ,,on ,,art4 ,,vi4 ,,architecture4 ,,gothic ,,architecture ,,and ,,the ,,oxford ,,museum4 #aheh4 ,,gothic ,,architecture ,,and ,,the ,,oxford ,,museum4 #ahei4 ,,the ,,castle ,,rock 7,,edinburgh74 #aheg 7,sept4 #ad74 ,,edinburgh ,,castle4 #aheg 7,sept4 #ag74 ,,castles ,,and ,,kennels4 #ahga 7,dec4 #bb74 ,,verona v4 ,,warwick4 #ahga 7,dec4 #bd74 ,,notre ,,dame ,,de ,,paris4 #ahga4 ,,mr ,,ruskin',s ,,influence--,a ,,defence4 #ahgb 7,march #ae74 ,,mr ,,ruskin',s ,,influence--,a ,,rejoinder4 #ahgb 7,march #ba74 ,,modern ,,restoration4 #ahgg4 ,,ribbesford ,,church4 #ahgg4 ,circular relating to ,,st4 ,,mark',s1 ,,venice4 #ahgi4 ,,vi4 ,,architecture4 ,from 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 by ,h4 ,w4 ,acland and ,j4 ,ruskin4 #ahei4 pp4 #dd-ef4 ,,gothic ,,architecture ,,and ,,the ,,oxford ,,museum4#abb ,,dear ,,acland3 ,i have been very anxious1 since ,i last heard from you1 respecting the progress of the works at the ,museum1 as ,i thought ,i could trace in your expressions some doubt of an entirely satisfactory issue4 ,entirely satisfactory very few issues are1 or can be2 and when the enterprise1 as in this instance1 involves the development of many new and progressive principles1 we must always be prepared for a due measure of disappointment1--due partly to human weakness1 and partly to what the ancients would have called fate1--and we may1 perhaps1 most wisely call the law of trial1 which forbids any great good being usually accomplished without various compensations and deductions1 probably not a little humiliating4 ,perhaps in writing to you what seems to me to be the bearing of matters respecting your ,museum1 ,i may be answering a few of the doubts of others1 as well as fears of your own4 ,i am quite sure that when you first used your influence to advocate the claims of a ,gothic design1 you did so under the conviction1 shared by all the seriously-purposed defenders of the ,gothic style1 that the essence and power of ,gothic1 properly so called1 lay in its adaptability to all need2 in that perfect and unlimited flexibility which would enable the architect to provide all that was required1 in the simplest and most convenient way2 and to give you the best offices1 the best lecture-rooms1 laboratories1 and museums1 which could be provided with the sum of money at his disposal4 ,so far as the architect has failed in doing this2 so far as you find yourself1 with the other professors1 in anywise inconvenienced by forms of architecture2 so far as pillars or piers come in your way1 when you have to point1 or vaults in the way of your voice1 when you have to speak1 or mullions in the way of your light1 when you want to see--just so far the architect has failed in expressing his own principles1 or those of pure ,gothic art4 ,i do not suppose that such failure has taken place to any considerable extent2 but so far as it has taken place1 it cannot in justice be laid to the score of the style1 since precedent has shown sufficiently1 that very uncomfortable and useless rooms may be provided in all other styles as well as in ,gothic2 and ,i think if1 in a building arranged for many objects of various kinds1 at a time when the practice of architecture has been somewhat confused by the inventions of modern science1 and is hardly yet organized completely with respect to the new means at his disposal2 if1 under such circumstances1 and with somewhat limited funds1 you have yet obtained a building in all main points properly fulfilling its requirements1 you have1 ,i think1 as much as could be hoped from the adoption of any style whatsoever4 ,but ,i am much more anxious about the decoration of the building2 for ,i fear that it will be hurried in completion1 and that1 partly in haste and partly in mistimed economy1 a great opportunity may be lost of advancing the best interest of architectural1 and in that1 of all other arts4 ,for the principles of ,gothic decoration1 in themselves as simple and beautiful as those of ,gothic construction1 are far less understood1 as yet1 by the ,english public1 and it is little likely that any effective measures can be taken to carry them out4 ,you know as well as ,i1 what those principles are2 yet it may be convenient to you that ,i should here state them briefly as ,i accept them myself1 and have reason to suppose they are accepted by the principal promoters of the ,gothic revival4 ,i4 ,the first principle of ,gothic decoration is that a given quantity of good art will be more generally useful when exhibited on a large scale1 and forming part of a connected system1 than when it is small and separated4 ,that is to say1 a piece of sculpture or painting1 of a certain allowed merit1 will be more useful when seen on the front of a building1 or at the end of a room1 and therefore by many persons1 than if it be so small as to be only capable of being seen by one or two at a time2 and it will be more useful when so combined with other work as to produce that kind of impression usually termed 8sublime10--as it is felt on looking at any great series of fixed paintings1 or at the front of a cathedral1--than if it be so separated as to excite only a special wonder or admiration1 such as we feel for a jewel in a cabinet4 ,the paintings by ,meissonier in the ,french ,exhibition of this year were bought1 ,i believe1 before the ,exhibition opened1 for #bej guineas each4 ,they each represented one figure1 about six inches high--one1 a student reading2 the other1 a courtier standing in a dress-coat4 ,neither of these paintings conveyed any information1 or produced any emotion whatever1 except that of surprise at their minute and dextrous execution4 ,they will be placed by their possessors on the walls of small private apartments1 where they will probably1 once or twice a week1 form the subject of five minutes' conversation while people drink their coffee after dinner4 ,the sum expended on these toys would have been amply sufficient to cover a large building with noble frescoes1 appealing to every passer-by1 and representing a large portion of the history of any given period4 ,but the general tendency of the ,european patrons of art is to grudge all sums spent in a way thus calculated to confer benefit on the public1 and to grudge none for minute treasures of which the principal advantage is that a lock and key can always render them invisible4 ,i have no hesitation in saying that an acquisitive selfishness1 rejoicing somewhat even in the sensation of possessing what can ,,not be seen by others1 is at the root of this art-patronage4 ,it is1 of course1 coupled with a sense of securer and more convenient investment in what may be easily protected and easily carried from place to place1 than in large and immovable works2 and also with a vulgar delight in the minute curiosities of productive art1 rather than in the exercise of inventive genius1 or the expression of great facts or emotions4 ,the first aim of the ,gothic ,revivalists is to counteract1 as far as possible1 this feeling on all its three grounds4 ,we desire 7,a7 to make art large and publicly beneficial1 instead of small and privately engrossed or secluded2 7,b7 to make art fixed instead of portable1 associating it with local character and historical memory2 7,c7 to make art expressive instead of curious1 valuable for its suggestions and teachings1 more than for the mode of its manufacture4 ,,ii4 ,the second great principle of the ,gothic ,revivalists is that all art employed in decoration should be informative1 conveying truthful statements about natural facts1 if it conveys any statement4 ,it may sometimes merely compose its decorations of mosaics1 checkers1 bosses1 or other meaningless ornaments3 but if it represents organic form 7and in all important places it will represent it71 it will give that form truthfully1 with as much resemblance to nature as the necessary treatment of the piece of ornament in question will admit of4 ,this principle is more disputed than the first among the ,gothic ,revivalists themselves4 ,i1 however1 hold it simply and entirely1 believing that ornamentation is always1 cteris paribus1 most valuable and beautiful when it is founded on the most extended knowledge of natural forms1 and conveys continually such knowledge to the spectator4#abc ,,iii4 ,the third great principle of the ,gothic ,revival is that all architectural ornamentation should be executed by the men who design it1 and should be of various degrees of excellence1 admitting1 and therefore exciting1 the intelligent co-operation of various classes of workmen2 and that a great public edifice should be1 in sculpture and painting1 somewhat the same as a great chorus of music1 in which1 while1 perhaps1 there may be only one or two voices perfectly trained1 and of perfect sweetness 7the rest being in various degrees weaker and less cultivated71 yet all being ruled in harmony1 and each sustaining a part consistent with its strength1 the body of sound is sublime1 in spite of individual weaknesses4 ,the ,museum at ,oxford was1 ,i know1 intended by its designer to exhibit in its decoration the working of these three principles2 but in the very fact of its doing so1 it becomes exposed to chances of occasional failure1 or even to serious discomfitures1 such as would not at all have attended the adoption of an established mode of modern work4 ,it is easy to carve capitals on models known for four thousand years1 and impossible to fail in the application of mechanical methods and formalized rules4 ,but it is not possible to appeal vigorously to new canons of judgment without the chance of giving offence2 nor to summon into service the various phases of human temper and intelligence1 without occasionally finding the tempers rough and the intelligence feeble4 ,the ,oxford ,museum is1 ,i believe1 the first building in this country which has had its ornamentation1 in any telling parts1 trusted to the invention of the workman3 the result is highly satisfactory1 the projecting windows of the staircases being as beautiful in effect as anything ,i know in civil ,gothic3 but far more may be accomplished for the building if the completion of its carving be not hastened2 many men of high artistic power might be brought to take an interest in it1 and various lessons and suggestions given to the workmen which would materially advantage the final decoration of leading features4 ,no very great ,gothic building1 so far as ,i know1 was ever yet completed without some of this wise deliberation and fruitful patience4 ,i was in hopes from the beginning that the sculpture might have been rendered typically illustrative of the ,english ,flora3 how far this idea has been as yet carried out ,i do not know2 but ,i know that it cannot be properly carried out without a careful examination of the available character of the principal genera1 such as architects have not hitherto undertaken4 ,the proposal which ,i heard advanced the other day1 of adding a bold entrance-porch to the faade1 appeared to me every way full of advantage1 the blankness of the faade having been1 to my mind1 from the first1 a serious fault in the design4 ,if a subscription were opened for the purpose of erecting one1 ,i should think there were few persons interested in modern art who would not be glad to join in forwarding such an object4 ,i think ,i could answer for some portions of the design being superintended by the best of our modern sculptors and painters2 and ,i believe that1 if so superintended1 the porch might and would become the crowning beauty of the building1 and make all the difference between its being only a satisfactory and meritorious work1 or a most lovely and impressive one4 ,the interior decoration is a matter of much greater difficulty2 perhaps you will allow me to defer the few words ,i have to say about it till ,i have time for another letter3 which1 however1 ,i hope to find speedily4 ,believe me1 my dear ,acland1 ever affectionately yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin#abd ,from 8the ,oxford ,museum10 pp4 #fj-ij4 ,gothic ,architecture and the ,oxford ,museum4 ,january #bj1 #ahei4 ,,my ,,dear ,,acland3 ,i was not able to write1 as ,i had hoped1 from ,switzerland1 for ,i found it impossible to lay down any principles respecting the decoration of the ,museum which did not in one way or other involve disputed points1 too many1 and too subtle1 to be discussed in a letter4 ,nor do ,i feel the difficulty less in writing to you now1 so far as regards the question occurring in our late conversations1 respecting the best mode of completing those interior decorations4 ,yet ,i must write1 if only to ask that ,i may be in some way associated with you in what you are now doing to bring the ,museum more definitely before the public mind--that ,i may be associated at least in the expression of my deep sense of the noble purpose of the building--of the noble sincerity of effort in its architect--of the endless good which the teachings to which it will be devoted must1 in their ultimate issue1 accomplish for mankind4 ,how vast the range of that issue1 you have shown in the lecture which ,i have just read1 in which you have so admirably traced the chain of the physical sciences as it encompasses the great concords of this visible universe4#abe ,but how deep the workings of these new springs of knowledge are to be1 and how great our need of them1 and how far the brightness and the beneficence of them are to reach among all the best interests of men--perhaps none of us can yet conceive1 far less know or say4 ,for1 much as ,i reverence physical science as a means of mental education 7and you know how ,i have contended for it1 as such1 now these twenty years1 from the sunny afternoon of spring when ,ehrenberg and you and ,i went hunting for infusoria in ,christchurch meadow streams1 to the hour when the prize offered by ,sir ,walter ,trevelyan and yourself for the best essay on the ,fauna of that meadow1 marked the opening of a new era in ,english education#abf7--much1 ,i say1 as ,i reverence physical science in this function1 ,i reverence it1 at this moment1 more as the source of utmost human practical power1 and the means by which the far-distant races of the world1 who now sit in darkness and the shadow of death1 are to be reached and regenerated4 ,at home or far away--the call is equally instant--here1 for want of more extended physical science1 there is plague in our streets1 famine in our fields2 the pest strikes root and fruit over a hemisphere of the earth1 we know not why2 the voices of our children fade away into silence of venomous death1 we know not why2 the population of this most civilized country resists every effort to lead it into purity of habit and habitation--to give it genuineness of nourishment1 and wholesomeness of air1 as a new interference with its liberty2 and insists vociferously on its right to helpless death4 ,all this is terrible2 but it is more terrible yet that dim1 phosphorescent1 frightful superstitions still hold their own over two-thirds of the inhabited globe1 and that all the phenomena of nature which were intended by the ,creator to enforce ,his eternal laws of love and judgment1 and which1 rightly understood1 enforce them more strongly by their patient beneficence1 and their salutary destructiveness1 than the miraculous dew on ,gideon's fleece1 or the restrained lightnings of ,horeb--that all these legends of ,god's daily dealing with ,his creatures remain unread1 or are read backwards1 into blind1 hundred-armed horror of idol cosmogony4 ,how strange it seems that physical science should ever have been thought adverse to religion6 ,the pride of physical science is1 indeed1 adverse1 like every other pride1 both to religion and truth2 but sincerity of science1 so far from being hostile1 is the path-maker among the mountains for the feet of those who publish peace4 ,now1 therefore1 and now only1 it seems to me1 the ,university has become complete in her function as a teacher of the youth of the nation to which every hour gives wider authority over distant lands2 and from which every rood of extended dominion demands new1 various1 and variously applicable knowledge of the laws which govern the constitution of the globe1 and must finally regulate the industry1 no less than discipline the intellect1 of the human race4 ,i can hardly turn my mind from these deep causes of exultation to the minor difficulties which beset or restrict your undertaking4 ,the great work is accomplished2 the immediate impression made by it is of little importance2 and as for my own special subjects of thought or aim1 though many of them are closely involved in what has been done1 and some principles which ,i believe to be1 in their way1 of great importance1 are awkwardly compromised in what has been imperfectly done--all these ,i am tempted to waive1 or content to compromise when only ,i know that the building is in main points fit for its mighty work4 ,yet you will not think that it was matter of indifference to me when ,i saw1 as ,i went over ,professor ,brodie's#abg chemical laboratories the other day1 how closely this success of adaptation was connected with the choice of the style4 ,it was very touching and wonderful to me4 ,here was the architecture which ,i had learned to know and love in pensive ruins1 deserted by the hopes and efforts of men1 or in dismantled fortress-fragments recording only their cruelty--here was this very architecture lending itself1 as if created only for these1 to the foremost activities of human discovery1 and the tenderest functions of human mercy4 ,no other architecture1 as ,i felt in an instant1 could have thus adapted itself to a new and strange office4 ,no fixed arrangements of frieze and pillar1 nor accepted proportions of wall and roof1 nor practised refinement of classical decoration1 could have otherwise than absurdly and fantastically yielded its bed to the crucible1 and its blast to the furnace2 but these old vaultings and strong buttresses--ready always to do service to man1 whatever his bidding--to shake the waves of war back from his seats of rock1 or prolonged through faint twilights of sanctuary1 the sighs of his superstition--he had but to ask it of them1 and they entered at once into the lowliest ministries of the arts of healing1 and the sternest and clearest offices in the service of science4 ,and the longer ,i examined the ,museum arrangements1 the more ,i felt that it could be only some accidental delay in the recognition of this efficiency for its work which had caused any feeling adverse to its progress among the members of the ,university4 ,the general idea about the ,museum has perhaps been1 hitherto1 that it is a forced endeavor to bring decorative forms of architecture into uncongenial uses2 whereas1 the real fact is1 as far as ,i can discern it1 that no other architecture would1 under the required circumstances1 have been possible2 and that any effort to introduce classical types of form into these laboratories and museums must have ended in ludicrous discomfiture4 ,but the building has now reached a point of crisis1 and it depends upon the treatment which its rooms now receive in completion1 whether the facts of their propriety and utility be acknowledged by the public1 or lost sight of in the distraction of their attention to matters wholly external4 ,so strongly ,i feel this1 that1 whatever means of decoration had been at your disposal1 ,i should have been inclined to recommend an exceeding reserve in that matter4 ,perhaps ,i should even have desired such reserve on abstract grounds of feeling4 ,the study of ,natural ,history is one eminently addressed to the active energies of body and mind4 ,nothing is to be got out of it by dreaming1 not always much by thinking--everything by seeking and seeing4 ,it is work for the hills and fields1--work of foot and hand1 knife and hammer1--so far as it is to be afterwards carried on in the house1 the more active and workmanlike our proceedings the better1 fresh air blowing in from the windows1 and nothing interfering with the free space for our shelves and instruments on the walls4 ,i am not sure that much interior imagery or color1 or other exciting address to any of the observant faculties1 would be desirable under such circumstances4 ,you know best2 but ,i should no more think of painting in bright colors beside you1 while you were dissecting or analyzing1 than of entertaining you by a concert of fifes and cymbals4 ,but farther3 ,do you suppose ,gothic decoration is an easy thing1 or that it is to be carried out with a certainty of success at the first trial1 under new and difficult conditions8 ,the system of the ,gothic decorations took eight hundred years to mature1 gathering its power by undivided inheritance of traditional method1 and unbroken accession of systematic power2 from its culminating point in the ,sainte ,chapelle1 it faded through four hundred years of splendid decline2 now for two centuries it has lain dead--and more than so--buried2 and more than so1 forgotten1 as a dead man out of mind2 do you expect to revive it out of those retorts and furnaces of yours1 as the cloud-spirit of the ,arabian sea rose from beneath the seals of ,solomon8 ,perhaps ,i have been myself faultfully answerable for this too eager hope in your mind 7as well as in that of others7 by what ,i have urged so often respecting the duty of bringing out the power of subordinate workmen in decorative design4 ,but do you think ,i meant workmen trained 7or untrained7 in the way that ours have been until lately1 and then cast loose on a sudden1 into unassisted contentions with unknown elements of style8 ,i meant the precise contrary of this2 ,i meant workmen as we have yet to create them3 men inheriting the instincts of their craft through many generations1 rigidly trained in every mechanical art that bears on their materials1 and familiarized from infancy with every condition of their beautiful and perfect treatment2 informed and refined in manhood1 by constant observation of all natural fact and form2 then classed1 according to their proved capacities1 in ordered companies1 in which every man shall know his part1 and take it calmly and without effort or doubt1--indisputably well1 unaccusably accomplished1 mailed and weaponed cap--pie for his place and function4 ,can you lay your hand on such men8 or do you think that mere natural good-will and good-feeling can at once supply their place8 ,not so3 and the more faithful and earnest the minds you have to deal with1 the more careful you should be not to urge them towards fields of effort1 in which1 too early committed1 they can only be put to unserviceable defeat4 ,nor can you hope to accomplish by rule or system what cannot be done by individual taste4 ,the laws of color are definable up to certain limits1 but they are not yet defined4 ,so far are they from definition1 that the last1 and1 on the whole1 best work on the subject 7,sir ,gardiner ,wilkinson's7 declares the 8color concords0 of preceding authors to be discords1 and vice vers4#abh ,much1 therefore1 as ,i love color decoration when it is rightly given1 and essential as it has been felt by the great architects of all periods to the completion of their work1 ,i would not1 in your place1 endeavor to carry out such decoration at present1 in any elaborate degree1 in the interior of the ,museum4 ,leave it for future thought2 above all1 try no experiments4 ,let small drawings be made of the proposed arrangements of color in every room2 have them altered on the paper till you feel they are right2 then carry them out firmly and simply2 but1 observe1 with as delicate execution as possible4 ,rough work is good in its place1 three hundred feet above the eye1 on a cathedral front1 but not in the interior of rooms1 devoted to studies in which everything depends upon accuracy of touch and keenness of sight4 ,with respect to this finishing1 by the last touches bestowed on the sculpture of the building1 ,i feel painfully the harmfulness of any ill-advised parsimony at this moment4 ,for it may1 perhaps1 be alleged by the advocates of retrenchment1 that so long as the building is fit for its uses 7and your report is conclusive as to its being so71 economy in treatment of external feature is perfectly allowable1 and will in nowise diminish the serviceableness of the building in the great objects which its designs regarded4 ,to a certain extent this is true4 ,you have comfortable rooms1 ,i hope sufficient apparatus2 and it now depends much more on the professors than on the ornaments of the building1 whether or not it is to become a bright or obscure centre of public instruction4 ,yet there are other points to be considered4 ,as the building stands at present1 there is a discouraging aspect of parsimony about it4 ,one sees that the architect has done the utmost he could with the means at his disposal1 and that just at the point of reaching what was right1 he has been stopped for want of funds4 ,this is visible in almost every stone of the edifice4 ,it separates it with broad distinctiveness from all the other buildings in the ,university4 ,it may be seen at once that our other public institutions1 and all our colleges--though some of them simply designed--are yet richly built1 never pinchingly4 ,pieces of princely costliness1 every here and there1 mingle among the simplicities or severities of the student's life4 ,what practical need1 for instance1 have we at ,christchurch of the beautiful fan-vaulting under which we ascend to dine8 ,we might have as easily achieved the eminence of our banquets under a plain vault4 ,what need have the readers in the ,bodleian of the ribbed traceries which decorate its external walls8 ,yet1 which of those readers would not think that learning was insulted by their removal8 ,and are there any of the students of ,balliol devoid of gratitude for the kindly munificence of the man who gave them the beautiful sculptured brackets of their oriel window1 when three massy projecting stones would have answered the purpose just as well8 ,in these and also other regarded and pleasant portions of our colleges1 we find always a wealthy and worthy completion of all appointed features1 which ,i believe is not without strong1 though untraced effect1 on the minds of the younger scholars1 giving them respect for the branches of learning which these buildings are intended to honor1 and increasing1 in a certain degree1 that sense of the value of delicacy and accuracy which is the first condition of advance in those branches of learning themselves4 ,your ,museum1 if you now bring it to hurried completion1 will convey an impression directly the reverse of this4 ,it will have the look of a place1 not where a revered system of instruction is established1 but where an unadvised experiment is being disadvantageously attempted4 ,it is yet in your power to avoid this1 and to make the edifice as noble in aspect as in function4 ,whatever chance there may be of failure in interior work1 rich ornamentation may be given1 without any chance of failure1 to just that portion of the exterior which will give pleasure to every passer-by1 and express the meaning of the building best to the eyes of strangers4 ,there is1 ,i repeat1 no chance of serious failure in this external decoration1 because your architect has at his command the aid of men1 such as worked with the architects of past times4 ,not only has the art of ,gothic sculpture in part remained1 though that of ,gothic color has been long lost1 but the unselfish--and1 ,i regret to say1 in part self-sacrificing--zeal of two first-rate sculptors1 ,mr4 ,munro and ,mr4 ,woolner1 which has already given you a series of noble statues1 is still at your disposal1 to head and systematize the efforts of inferior workmen4 ,i do not know if you will attribute it to a higher estimate than yours of the genius of the ,o',shea family1#abi or to a lower estimate of what they have as yet accomplished1 that ,i believe they will1 as they proceed1 produce much better ornamental sculpture than any at present completed in the ,museum4 ,it is also to be remembered that sculptors are able to work for us with a directness of meaning which none of our painters could bring to their task1 even were they disposed to help us4 ,a painter is scarcely excited to his strength1 but by subjects full of circumstance1 such as it would be difficult to suggest appropriately in the present building2 but a sculptor has room enough for his full power in the portrait statues1 which are necessarily the leading features of good ,gothic decoration4 ,let me pray you1 therefore1 so far as you have influence with the delegacy1 to entreat their favorable consideration of the project stated in ,mr4 ,greswell's appeal--the enrichment of the doorway1 and the completion of the sculpture of the ,west ,front4 ,there is a reason for desiring such a plan to be carried out1 of wider reach than any bearing on the interests of the ,museum itself4 ,i believe that the elevation of all arts in ,england to their true dignity1 depends principally on our recovering that unity of purpose in sculptors and architects1 which characterized the designers of all great ,christian buildings4 ,sculpture1 separated from architecture1 always degenerates into effeminacies and conceits2 architecture1 stripped of sculpture1 is at best a convenient arrangement of dead walls2 associated1 they not only adorn1 but reciprocally exalt each other1 and give to all the arts of the country in which they thus exist1 a correspondent tone of majesty4 ,but ,i would plead for the enrichment of this doorway by portrait sculpture1 not so much even on any of these important grounds1 as because it would be the first example in modern ,english architecture of the real value and right place of commemorative statues4 ,we seem never to know at present where to put such statues4 ,in the midst of the blighted trees of desolate squares1 or at the crossings of confused streets1 or balanced on the pinnacles of pillars1 or riding across the tops of triumphal arches1 or blocking up the aisles of cathedrals--in none of these positions1 ,i think1 does the portrait statue answer its purpose4 ,it may be a question whether the erection of such statues is honorable to the erectors1 but assuredly it is not honorable to the persons whom it pretends to commemorate2 nor is it anywise matter of exultation to a man who has deserved well of his country to reflect that he may one day encumber a crossing1 or disfigure a park gate4 ,but there is no man of worth or heart who would not feel it a high and priceless reward that his statue should be placed where it might remind the youth of ,england of what had been exemplary in his life1 or useful in his labors1 and might be regarded with no empty reverence1 no fruitless pensiveness1 but with the emulative1 eager1 unstinted passionateness of honor1 which youth pays to the dead leaders of the cause it loves1 or discoverers of the light by which it lives4 ,to be buried under weight of marble1 or with splendor of ceremonial1 is still no more than burial2 but to be remembered daily1 with profitable tenderness1 by the activest intelligences of the nation we have served1 and to have power granted even to the shadows of the poor features1 sunk into dust1 still to warn1 to animate1 to command1 as the father's brow rules and exalts the toil of his children4 ,this is not burial1 but immortality4 ,there is1 however1 another kind of portraiture1 already richly introduced in the works of the ,museum2 the portraiture1 namely1 of flowers and animals1 respecting which ,i must ask you to let me say a few selfish1 no less than congratulatory words--selfish1 inasmuch as they bear on this visible exposition of a principle which it has long been one of my most earnest aims to maintain4 ,we ,english call ourselves a practical people2 but1 nevertheless1 there are some of our best and most general instincts which it takes us half-centuries to put into practice4 ,probably no educated ,englishman or ,englishwoman has ever1 for the last forty years1 visited ,scotland1 with leisure on their hands1 without making a pilgrimage to ,melrose2 nor have they ever1 ,i suppose1 accomplished the pilgrimage without singing to themselves the burden of ,scott's description of the ,abbey4 ,nor in that description 7may it not also be conjectured7 do they usually feel any couplets more deeply than the-- 8,spreading herbs and flowerets bright ,glistened with the dew of night4 ,no herb nor floweret glistened there ,but was carved in the cloister arches as fair40 ,and yet1 though we are raising every year in ,england new examples of every kind of costly and variously intended buildings1--ecclesiastical1 civil1 and domestic1--none of us1 through all that period1 had boldness enough to put the pretty couplets into simple practice4 ,we went on1 even in the best ,gothic work we attempted1 clumsily copying the rudest ornaments of previous buildings2 we never so much as dreamed of learning from the monks of ,melrose1 and seeking for help beneath the dew that sparkled on their 8gude kail0 garden4#acj ,your ,museum at ,oxford is literally the first building raised in ,england since the close of the fifteenth century1 which has fearlessly put to new trial this old faith in nature1 and in the genius of the unassisted workman1 who gathered out of nature the materials he needed4 ,i am entirely glad1 therefore1 that you have decided on engraving for publication one of ,o',shea's capitals2#aca it will be a complete type of the whole work1 in its inner meaning1 and far better to show one of them in its completeness than to give any reduced sketch of the building4 ,nevertheless1 beautiful as that capital is1 and as all the rest of ,o',shea's work is likely to be1 it is not yet perfect ,gothic sculpture2 and it might give rise to dangerous error1 if the admiration given to these carvings were unqualified4 ,i cannot1 of course1 enter in this letter into any discussion of the question1 more and more vexed among us daily1 respecting the due meaning and scope of conventionalism in treatment of natural form2 but ,i may state briefly what1 ,i trust1 will be the conclusion to which all this 8vexing0 will at last lead our best architects4 ,the highest art in all kinds is that which conveys the most truth2 and the best ornamentation possible would be the painting of interior walls with frescos by ,titian1 representing perfect ,humanity in color2 and the sculpture of exterior walls by ,phidias1 representing perfect ,humanity in form4 ,titian and ,phidias are precisely alike in their conception and treatment of nature--everlasting standards of the right4 ,beneath ornamentation1 such as men like these could bestow1 falls in various rank1 according to its subordination to vulgar uses or inferior places1 what is commonly conceived as ornamental art4 ,the lower its office1 and the less tractable its material1 the less of nature it should contain1 until a zigzag ,illustration3 ,,british ,,ferns4 becomes the best ornament for the hem of a robe1 and a mosaic of bits of glass the best design for a colored window4 ,but all these forms of lower art are to be conventional only because they are subordinate--not because conventionalism is in itself a good or desirable thing4 ,all right conventionalism is a wise acceptance of1 and compliance with1 conditions of restraint or inferiority3 it may be inferiority of our knowledge or power1 as in the art of a semi-savage nation2 or restraint by reason of material1 as in the way the glass painter should restrict himself to transparent hue1 and a sculptor deny himself the eyelash and the film of flowing hair1 which he cannot cut in marble3 but in all cases whatever1 right conventionalism is either a wise acceptance of an inferior place1 or a noble display of power under accepted limitation2 it is not an improvement of natural form into something better or purer than ,nature herself4 ,now this great and most precious principle may be compromised in two quite opposite ways4 ,it is compromised on one side when men suppose that the degradation of a natural form which fits it for some subordinate place is an improvement of it2 and that a black profile on a red ground1 because it is proper on a water-jug1 is therefore an idealization of ,humanity1 and nobler art than a picture of ,titian4 ,and it is compromised equally gravely on the opposite side1 when men refuse to submit to the limitation of material and the fitnesses of office--when they try to produce finished pictures in colored glass1 or substitute the inconsiderate imitation of natural objects for the perfectness of adapted and disciplined design4 ,there is a tendency in the work of the ,oxford ,museum to err on this last side2 unavoidable1 indeed1 in the present state of our art-knowledge--and less to be regretted in a building devoted to natural science than in any other3 nevertheless1 ,i cannot close this letter without pointing it out1 and warning the general reader against supposing that the ornamentation of the ,museum is1 or can be as yet1 a representation of what ,gothic work will be1 when its revival is complete4 ,far more severe1 yet more perfect and lovely1 that work will involve1 under sterner conventional restraint1 the expression not only of ,illustration3 ,from 8,the ,oxford ,museum40 p4 #hi4 natural form1 but of all vital and noble natural law4 ,for the truth of decoration is never to be measured by its imitative power1 but by its suggestive and informative power4 ,in the annexed spandril of the iron-work of our roof1 for instance1 the horse-chestnut leaf and nut are used as the principal elements of form3 they are not ill-arranged1 and produce a more agreeable effect than convolutions of the iron could have given1 unhelped by any reference to natural objects4 ,nevertheless1 ,i do not call it an absolutely good design2 for it would have been possible1 with far severer conventional treatment of the iron bars1 and stronger constructive arrangement of them1 to have given vigorous expression1 not of the shapes of leaves and nuts only1 but of their peculiar radiant or fanned expansion1 and other conditions of group and growth in the tree2 which would have been just the more beautiful and interesting1 as they would have arisen from deeper research into nature1 and more adaptive modifying power in the designer's mind1 than the mere leaf termination of a riveted scroll4 ,i am compelled to name these deficiencies1 in order to prevent misconception of the principles we are endeavoring to enforce2 but ,i do not name them as at present to be avoided2 or even much to be regretted4 ,they are not chargeable either on the architect1 or on the subordinate workmen2 but only on the system which has for three centuries withheld all of us from healthy study2 and although ,i doubt not that lovelier and juster expressions of the ,gothic principle will be ultimately aimed at by us1 than any which are possible in the ,oxford ,museum1 its builders will never lose their claim to our chief gratitude1 as the first guides in a right direction2 and the building itself--the first exponent of the recovered truth--will only be the more venerated the more it is excelled4 ,believe me1 my dear ,acland1 ,ever affectionately yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,witness0 7,edinburgh71 ,september #af1 #aheg4 ,,the ,,castle ,,rock4 ,,dunbar1 #adth ,september1 #aheg4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,witness40 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,as ,i was leaving ,edinburgh this morning1 ,i heard a report which gave me more concern than ,i can easily express1 and very sufficiently spoiled the pleasure of my drive here4 ,if there be no truth in the said report1 of course take no notice of this letter2 but if there be real ground for my fears1 ,i trust you will allow me space in your columns for a few words on the subject4 ,the whisper--,i hope ,i may say1 the calumny--regarded certain proceedings which are taking place at the ,castle4 ,it was said to be the architect's intention to cut down into the brow of the ,castle rock1 in order to afford secure foundation for some new buildings4#acb ,now1 the ,castle rock of ,edinburgh is1 as far as ,i know1 simply the noblest in ,scotland conveniently approachable by any creatures but sea-gulls or peewits4 ,ailsa and the ,bass are of course more wonderful2 and1 ,i suppose1 in the ,west ,highlands there are masses of crag more wild and fantastic2 but people only go to see these once or twice in their lives1 while the ,castle rock has a daily influence in forming the taste1 or kindling the imagination1 of every promising youth in ,edinburgh4 ,even irrespectively of its position1 it is a mass of singular importance among the rocks of ,scotland4 ,it is not easy to find among your mountains a 8craig0 of so definite a form1 and on so magnificent a scale4 ,among the central hills of ,scotland1 from ,ben ,wyvis to the ,lammermuirs1 ,i know of none comparable to it2 while1 besides being bold and vast1 its bars of basalt are so nobly arranged1 and form a series of curves at once so majestic and harmonious1 from the turf at their base to the roots of the bastions1 that1 as long as your artists have that crag to study1 ,i do not see that they need casts from ,michael ,angelo1 or any one else1 to teach them the laws of composition or the sources of sublimity4 ,but if you once cut into the brow of it1 all is over4 ,disturb1 in any single point1 the simple lines in which the walls now advance and recede upon the tufted grass of its summit1 and you may as well make a quarry of it at once1 and blast away rock1 ,castle1 and all4 ,it admits of some question whether the changes made in the architecture of your city of late years are in every case improvements2 but very certainly you cannot improve the architecture of your volcanic crags by any explosive retouches4 ,and your error will be wholly irremediable4 ,you may restore ,trinity ,chapel1 or repudiate its restoration1 at your pleasure1 but there will be no need to repudiate restoration of the ,castle rock4 ,you cannot re-face nor re-rivet that1 nor order another in a 8similar style40 ,it is a dangerous kind of engraving which you practise on so large a jewel4 ,but ,i trust ,i am wasting my time in writing of this3 ,i cannot believe the report1 nor think that the people of ,edinburgh1 usually so proud of their city1 are yet so unaware of what constitutes its chief nobleness1 and so utterly careless of the very features of its scenery1 which have been the means of the highest and purest education to their greatest men1 as to allow this rock to be touched4 ,if the works are confined to the inside of the wall1 no harm will be done2 but let a single buttress1 or a single cleft1 encumber or divide its outer brow1 and there is not a man of sensibility or sense in ,edinburgh who will not blush and grieve for it as long as he lives4 ,believe me1 my dear ,sir1 very faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,witness0 7,edinburgh71 ,september #cj1 #aheg4 ,,edinburgh ,,castle4 ,,penrith1 #bgth ,september4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,witness0 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i see by some remarks in the ,literary ,gazette#acc on the letter of mine to which you gave a place in your columns of the #afth1 that the design of the proposed additions to ,edinburgh ,castle is receiving really serious consideration4 ,perhaps1 therefore1 a few words respecting the popular but usually unprofitable business of castle-building may be of some interest to your readers4 ,we are often a little confused in our ideas respecting the nature of a castle--properly so called4 ,a 8castle0 is a fortified dwelling-house containing accommodation for as many retainers as are needed completely to defend its position4 ,a 8fortress0 is a fortified military position1 generally understood to be extensive enough to contain large bodies of troops4 ,and a 8citadel10 a fortified military position connected with a fortified town1 and capable of holding out even if the town were taken4 ,it is as well to be clear on these points3 for certain conditions of architecture are applicable and beautiful in each case1 according to the use and character of the building2 and certain other conditions are in like manner inapplicable and ugly1 because contrary to its character1 and unhelpful to its use4 ,now this helpfulness and unhelpfulness in architectural features depends1 of course1 primarily on the military practice of the time2 so that forms which were grand1 because rational1 before gunpowder was invented1 are ignoble1 because ridiculous1 in days of shell and shot4 ,the very idea and possibility of the castle proper have passed away with the arms of the middle ages4 ,a man's house might be defended by his servants against a troop of cavalry1 if its doors were solid and its battlements pierced4 ,but it cannot be defended against a couple of field-pieces1 whatever the thickness of its oak1 or number of its arrow-slits4 ,i regret1 as much as any one can regret1 the loss of castellated architecture properly so called4 ,nothing can be more noble or interesting than the true thirteenth or fourteenth century castle1 when built in a difficult position1 its builder taking advantage of every inch of ground to gain more room1 and of every irregularity of surface for purposes of outlook and defence2 so that the castle sate its rock as a strong rider sits his horse--fitting its limbs to every writhe of the flint beneath it2 and fringing the mountain promontory far into the sky with the wild crests of its fantastic battlements4 ,of such castles we can see no more2 and it is just because ,i know them well and love them deeply that ,i say so4 ,i know that their power and dignity consists1 just as a soldier's consists1 in their knowing and doing their work thoroughly2 in their being advanced on edge or lifted on peak of crag1 not for show nor pride1 but for due guard and outlook2 and that all their beautiful irregularities and apparent caprices of form are in reality their fulfilments of need1 made beautiful by their compelled association with the wild strength and grace of the natural rock4 ,all attempts to imitate them now are useless--mere girl's play4 ,mind1 ,i like girl's play1 and child's play1 in its place1 but not in the planning of military buildings4 ,child's play in many cases is the truest wisdom4 ,i accept to the full the truth of those verses of ,wordsworth's#acd beginning-- 8,who fancied what a pretty sight ,this rock would be1 if edged around ,with living snowdrops8--circlet bright6 ,how glorious to this orchard ground6 ,was it the humor of a child80 etc4 ,but ,i cannot apply the same principles to more serious matters1 and vary the reading of the verses into application to the works on ,edinburgh ,castle1 thus3 8,who fancied what a pretty sight ,this rock would be1 if edged around ,with tiny turrets1 pierced and light1 ,how glorious to this warlike ground60 ,therefore1 though ,i do not know exactly what you have got to do in ,edinburgh ,castle1 whatever it may be1 ,i am certain the only right way to do it is the plain way4 ,build what is needed--chapel1 barracks1 or dwelling-house--in the best places1 in a military point of view1 of dark stone1 and bomb-proof1 keeping them low1 and within the existing line of ramparts4 ,that is the rational thing to do2 and the inhabitants of ,edinburgh will find it in the end the picturesque thing4 ,it would be so under any circumstances2 but it is especially so in this instance2 for the grandeur of ,edinburgh ,castle depends eminently on the great1 unbroken1 yet beautifully varied parabolic curve in which it descends from the ,round ,tower on the ,castle ,hill to the terminating piece of impendent precipice on the north4 ,it is the last grand feature of ,edinburgh left as yet uninjured4 ,you have filled up your valley with a large chimney1 a mound1 and an ,institution2 broken in upon the ,old ,town with a ,bank1 a ,college1 and several fires2 dwarfed the whole of ,princes ,street by the ,scott ,monument2 and cut ,arthur's ,seat in half by the ,queen's ,drive4 ,it only remains for you to spoil the curve of your ,castle1 and your illustrations of the artistic principle of breadth will be complete4 ,it may appear at first that ,i depart from the rule of usefulness ,i have proposed1 in entreating for the confinement of all buildings undertaken within the existing ramparts1 in order to preserve the contour of the outside rock4 ,but ,i presume that in the present state of military science1 and of ,european politics1 ,edinburgh ,castle is not a very important military position2 and that to make it a serviceable fortress or citadel1 many additional works would be required1 seriously interfering with the convenience of the inhabitants of the ,new ,town1 and with the arrangements of the ,railroad ,company4 ,and1 as long as these subordinate works are not carried out1 ,i do not see any use in destroying your beautiful rock1 merely to bring another gun to bear1 or give accommodation to another company4 ,but ,i both see1 and would earnestly endeavor to advocate1 the propriety of keeping the architecture of the building within those ramparts masculine and simple in style1 and of not allowing a mistaken conception of picturesqueness to make a noble fortress look like a child's toy4 ,believe me1 my dear ,sir1 very faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,daily ,telegraph10 ,december #bb1 #ahga4 ,,castles ,,and ,,kennels4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,daily ,telegraph40 ,,sir3 ,i was astonished the other day by your article on taverns1 but never yet in my life was so much astonished by anything in print as by your to-day's article on castles4#ace ,i am a castle-lover of the truest sort4 ,i do not suppose any man alive has felt anything like the sorrow or anger with which ,i have watched the modern destruction by railroad and manufacture1 helped by the wicked improvidence of our great families1 of half the national memorials of ,england1 either actually or in effect and power of association--as ,conway1 for instance1 now vibrating to ruin over a railroad station4 ,for ,warwick ,castle1 ,i named it in my letter of last ,october1 in 8,fors ,clavigera10#acf as a type of the architectural treasures of this ,england of ours known to me and beloved from childhood to this hour4 ,but1 ,sir1 ,i am at this hour endeavoring to find work and food for a boy of seventeen1 one of eight people--two married couples1 a woman and her daughter1 and this boy and his sister--who all sleep together in one room1 some #ah ft4 square1 in the heart of ,london2 and you call upon me for a subscription to help to rebuild ,warwick ,castle4 ,sir1 ,i am an old and thoroughbred ,tory1 and as such ,i say1 8,if a noble family cannot rebuild their own castle1 in ,god's name let them live in the nearest ditch till they can40 ,i am1 ,sir1 your faithful servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,dec4 #bj4 ,from 8,the ,daily ,telegraph10 ,december #be1 #ahga4 ,,verona v4 ,,warwick4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,daily ,telegraph40 ,,sir3 ,of lodging for poor and rich you will perhaps permit a further word or two from me1 even in your close columns for ,christmas morning4 ,you think me inconsistent because ,i wanted to buy ,verona1 and do not want to restore ,warwick4#acg ,i wanted1 and still want1 to buy ,verona4 ,i would give half my fortune to buy it for ,england1 if any other people would help me4 ,but ,i would buy it1 that what is left of it might not be burned1 and what is lost of it not restored4 ,it would indeed be very pleasant--not to me only1 but to many other sorrowful persons--if things could be restored when we chose4 ,i would subscribe willingly to restore1 for instance1 the manger wherein the ,king of ,judah lay cradled this day some years since1 and not unwillingly to restore the poorer cradle of our ,english ,king-maker1 were it possible4 ,but for the making of a new manger1 to be exhibited for the edification of the religious ,british public1 ,i will not subscribe4 ,no2 nor for the building of mock castles1 or mock cathedrals1 or mocks of anything4 ,and the sum of what ,i have to say in this present matter may be put in few words4 ,as an antiquary--which1 thank ,heaven1 ,i am--,i say1 8,part of ,warwick ,castle is burnt--'tis pity4 ,take better care of the rest40 ,as an old ,tory--which1 thank ,heaven1 ,i am--,i say1 8,lord ,warwick's house is burned4 ,let ,lord ,warwick build a better if he can--a worse if he must2 but in any case1 let him neither beg nor borrow40 ,as a modern renovator and ,liberal--which1 thank ,heaven1 ,i am not--,i would say1 8,by all means let the public subscribe to build a spick-and-span new ,warwick ,castle1 and let the pictures be touched up1 and exhibited by gaslight2 let the family live in the back rooms1 and let there be a table d'hte in the great hall at two and six every day1 #bs4 #f;d4 a head1 and let us have ,guy's bowl for a dinner bell40 ,i am1 ,sir1 your faithful servant1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,s4,e41 #bdth 7for #beth7 ,december4 ,from 8,the ,daily ,telegraph10 ,january #ai1 #ahga4 8,,notre ,,dame ,,de ,,paris40 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,daily ,telegraph40 ,,sir3 ,it may perhaps be interesting to some of your readers1 in the present posture of affairs round ,paris1 to know1 as far as ,i am able to tell them1 the rank which the ,church of ,notre ,dame holds among architectural and historical monuments4 ,nearly every great church in ,france has some merit special to itself2 in other countries1 one style is common to many districts2 in ,france1 nearly every province has its unique and precious monument4 ,but of thirteenth-century ,gothic--the most perfect architectural style north of the ,alps--there is1 both in historical interest1 and in accomplished perfectness of art1 one unique monument--the ,sainte ,chapelle of ,paris4 ,as examples of ,gothic1 ranging from the twelfth to the fourteenth century1 the cathedrals of ,chartres1 ,rouen1 ,amiens1 ,rheims1 and ,bourges1 form a kind of cinque-foil round ,notre ,dame of ,paris1 of which it is impossible to say which is the more precious petal2 but any of those leaves would be worth a complete rose of any other country's work except ,italy's4 ,nothing else in art1 on the surface of the round earth1 could represent any one of them1 if destroyed1 or be named as of any equivalent value4 ,central among these1 as in position1 so in its school of sculpture2 unequalled in that specialty but by the porch of the north transept of ,rouen1 and1 in a somewhat latter school1 by the western porches of ,bourges2 absolutely unreplaceable as a pure and lovely source of art instruction by any future energy or ingenuity1 stands--perhaps1 this morning1 ,i ought rather to write1 stood#ach--,notre ,dame of ,paris4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your faithful servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette10 ,march #af1 #ahgb4 ,,mr4 ,,ruskin',s ,,influence3 ,a ,,defence4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette40 ,,sir3 ,i receive many letters just now requesting me to take notice of the new theory respecting ,turner's work put forward by ,dr4 ,liebreich in his recent lecture at the ,royal ,institution4#aci ,will you permit me to observe in your columns1 once for all1 that ,i have no time for the contradiction of the various foolish opinions and assertions which from time to time are put forward respecting ,turner or his pictures8 ,all that is necessary for any person generally interested in the arts to know about ,turner was clearly stated in 8,modern ,painters0 twenty years ago1 and ,i do not mean to state it again1 nor to contradict any contradictions of it4 ,dr4 ,liebreich is an ingenious and zealous scientific person4 ,the public may derive much benefit from consulting him on the subject of spectacles--not on that of art4 ,as ,i am under the necessity of writing to you at any rate1 may ,i say further that ,i wish your critic of ,mr4 ,eastlake's book#adj on the ,gothic revival would explain what he means by saying that my direct influence on architecture is always wrong1 and my indirect influence right2 because1 if that be so1 ,i will try to exercise only indirect influence on my ,oxford pupils4 ,but the fact to my own notion is otherwise4 ,i am proud enough to hope1 for instance1 that ,i have had some direct influence on ,mr4 ,street2 and ,i do not doubt but that the public will have more satisfaction from his ,law ,courts#ada than they have had from anything built within fifty years4 ,but ,i have had indirect influence on nearly every cheap villa-builder between this#adb and ,bromley2 and there is scarcely a public-house near the ,crystal ,palace but sells its gin and bitters under pseudo-,venetian capitals copied from the ,church of the ,madonna of ,health or of ,miracles4 ,and one of my principal notions for leaving my present house is that it is surrounded everywhere by the accursed ,frankenstein monsters of1 indirectly1 my own making4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,march #ae4 ,from 8,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette10 ,march #ba1 #ahgb4 ,,mr4 ,,ruskin',s ,,influence3 ,a ,,rejoinder4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,pall ,mall ,gazette40 ,,sir3 ,i am obliged by your critic's reply to my question1 but beg to observe that1 meaning what he explains himself to have meant1 he should simply have said that my influence on temper was right1 and on taste wrong2 the influence being in both cases equally 8direct40 ,on questions of taste ,i will not venture into discussion with him1 but must be permitted to correct his statement that ,i have persuaded any one to prefer ,venetian to ,english ,gothic4 ,i have stated that ,italian--chiefly ,pisan and ,florentine--,gothic is the noblest school of ,gothic hitherto existent1 which is true2 and that one form of ,venetian ,gothic deserves singular respect for the manner of its development4 ,i gave the mouldings and shaft measurements of that form1#adc and to so little purpose1 that ,i challenge your critic to find in ,london1 or within twenty miles of it1 a single ,venetian casement built on the sections which ,i gave as normal4 ,for ,venetian architecture developed out of ,british moral consciousness ,i decline to be answerable4 ,his accusation that ,i induced architects to study sculpture more1 and what he is pleased to call 8expressional character0 less1 ,i admit4 ,i should be glad if he would tell me what1 before my baneful influence began to be felt1 the expressional character of our building was2 and ,i will reconsider my principles if he can point out to me1 on any modern building either in ,london or1 as aforesaid1 within twenty miles round1 a single piece of good sculpture of which the architect repents1 or the public complains4 ,i am1 ,sir1 your faithful servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,march #ba4 ,from 8,the ,liverpool ,daily ,post10 ,june #i1 #ahgg4 ,,modern ,,restoration#add ,,venice1 #aeth ,april1 #ahgg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,it is impossible for any one to know the horror and contempt with which ,i regard modern restoration--but it is so great that it simply paralyzes me in despair1--and in the sense of such difference in all thought and feeling between me and the people ,i live in the midst of1 almost makes it useless for me to talk to them4 ,of course all restoration is accursed architect's jobbery1 and will go on as long as they can get their filthy bread by such business4 ,but things are worse here than in ,england3 you have little there left to lose--here1 every hour is ruining buildings of inestimable beauty and historical value--simply to keep stone-lawyers#ade at work4 ,i am obliged to hide my face from it all1 and work at other things1 or ,i should die of mere indignation and disgust4 ,ever truly yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,kidderminster ,times10 ,july #bh1 #ahgg4 ,,ribbesford ,,church4 ,,brantwood1 ,,coniston1 ,,lancashire1 ,july #bd1 #ahgg4 ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,kidderminster ,times40 ,,sir3 ,it chanced that1 on the morning of the ,sunday1 when the appearances of danger in the walls of ,ribbesford ,church began seriously to manifest themselves 7according to the report in your columns of the #bast inst471#adf ,i was standing outside of the church1 listening to the singing of the last hymn as the sound came through the open door 7with the ,archer ,knight sculptured above it71 and showing to the friend who had brought me to the lovely place the extreme interest of the old perpendicular traceries in the freehand working of the apertures4 ,permit me to say1 with reference to the proposed restoration of the church1 that no modern architect1 no mason either1 can1 or would if they could1 8copy0 those traceries4 ,they will assuredly put up with geometrical models in their place1 which will be no more like the old traceries than a ,kensington paper pattern is like a living flower4 ,whatever else is added or removed1 those traceries should be replaced as they are1 and left in reverence until they moulder away4 ,if they are already too much decayed to hold the glass safely 7which ,i do not believe71 any framework which may be necessary can be arranged to hold the casements within them1 leaving their bars entirely disengaged1 and merely kept from falling by iron supports4 ,but if these are to be 8copied10 why in the world cannot the congregation pay for a new and original church1 to display the genius and wealth of the nineteenth century somewhere else1 and leave the dear old ruin to grow gray by ,severn side in peace8 ,i am1 ,sir1 your faithful servant1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,hang ,,circular#adg ,,respecting ,,memorial ,,studies ,,of ,,st4 ,,mark',s1 ,,venice1 ,,now ,,in ,,progress ,,under ,,mr4 ,,ruskin',s ,,direction4 ,this circular will be given to visitors to the ,old ,water-color ,society's ,exhibition1 ,pall ,mall ,east1 or on application to the ,fine ,art ,society1 #adh ,new ,bond ,street4 ,my friends have expressed much surprise at my absence from the public meetings called in defence of ,st4 ,mark's4 ,they cannot1 however1 be too clearly certified that ,i am now entirely unable to take part in exciting business1 or even1 without grave danger1 to allow my mind to dwell on the subjects which1 having once been dearest to it1 are now the sources of acutest pain4 ,the illness which all but killed me two years ago#adh was not brought on by overwork1 but by grief at the course of public affairs in ,england1 and of affairs1 public and private alike1 in ,venice2 the distress of many an old and deeply regarded friend there among the humbler classes of the city being as necessary a consequence of the modern system of centralization1 as the destruction of her ancient civil and religious buildings4 ,how far forces of this national momentum may be arrested by protest1 or mollified by petition1 ,i know not2 what in either kind ,i have felt myself able to do has been done two years since1 in conjunction with one of the few remaining representatives of the old ,venetian noblesse4#adi ,all that now remains for me is to use what time may be yet granted for such record as hand and heart can make of the most precious building in ,europe1 standing yet in the eyes of men and the sunshine of heaven4 ,the drawing of the first two arches of the west front1 now under threat of restoration1 which1 as an honorary member of the ,old ,water-color ,society1 ,i have the privilege of exhibiting in its rooms this year1 shows with sufficient accuracy the actual state of the building1 and the peculiar qualities of its architecture4#aej ,the principles of that architecture are analyzed at length in the second volume of the 8,stones of ,venice10 and the whole faade described there with the best care ,i could1 in hope of directing the attention of ,english architects to the forms of ,greek sculpture which enrich it4#aea ,the words have been occasionally read for the sound of them2 and perhaps1 when the building is destroyed1 may be some day1 with amazement1 perceived to have been true4 ,in the mean time1 the drawing just referred to1 every touch of it made from the building1 and left as the color dried in the spring mornings of #ahgg1 will make clear some of the points chiefly insisted on in the 8,stones of ,venice10 and which are of yet more importance now4#aeb ,of these1 the first and main ones are the exquisite delicacy of the work and perfection of its preservation to this time4 ,it seems to me that the ,english visitor never realizes thoroughly what it is that he looks at in the ,st4 ,mark's porches3 its glittering confusion in a style unexampled1 its bright colors1 its mingled marbles1 produce on him no real impression of age1 and its diminutive size scarcely any of grandeur4 ,it looks to him almost like a stage scene1 got up solidly for some sudden festa4 ,no mere guide-book's passing assertion of date--this century or the other--can in the least make him even conceive1 and far less feel1 that he is actually standing before the very shafts and stones that were set on their foundations here while ,harold the ,saxon stood by the grave of the ,confessor under the fresh-raised vaults of the first ,norman ,westminster ,abbey1 of which now a single arch only remains standing4 ,he cannot1 by any effort1 imagine that those exquisite and lace-like sculptures of twined acanthus--every leaf-edge as sharp and fine as if they were green weeds fresh springing in the dew1 by the ,pan-droseion#aec--were1 indeed1 cut and finished to their perfect grace while the ,norman axes were hewing out rough zigzags and dentils round the aisles of ,durham and ,lindisfarne4 ,or nearer1 in what is left of our own ,canterbury--it is but an hour's journey in pleasant ,kent--you may compare1 almost as if you looked from one to the other1 the grim grotesque of the block capitals in the crypt with the foliage of these flexile ones1 and with their marble doves--scarcely distinguishable from the living birds that nestle between them4 ,or1 going down two centuries 7for the fillings of the portico arches were not completed till after #abjd71 what thirteenth-century work among our gray limestone walls can be thought of as wrought in the same hour with that wreath of intertwined white marble1 relieved by gold1 of which the tenderest and sharpest lines of the pencil cannot finely enough express the surfaces and undulations8 ,for indeed1 without and within1 ,st4 ,mark's is not1 in the real nature of it1 a piece of architecture1 but a jewelled casket and painted reliquary1 chief of the treasures in what were once the world's treasuries of sacred things1 the kingdoms of ,christendom4 ,a jewelled casket1 every jewel of which was itself sacred4 ,not a slab of it1 nor a shaft1 but has been brought from the churches descendants of the great ,seven of ,asia1 or from the ,christian-,greek of ,corinth1 ,crete1 and ,thrace1 or the ,christian-,israelite in ,palestine--the central archivolt copied from that of the church of the ,holy ,sepulchre1 and the opposing lions or phnixes of its sculptures from the treasury of ,atreus and the citadel of ,tyre4 ,thus1 beyond all measure of value as a treasury of art1 it is also1 beyond all other volumes1 venerable as a codex of religion4 ,just as the white foliage and birds on their golden ground are descendants1 in direct line1 from the ivory and gold of ,phidias1 so the ,greek pictures and inscriptions1 whether in mosaic or sculpture1 throughout the building1 record the unbroken unity of spiritual influence from the ,father of light--or the races whose own poets had said 8,we also are his offspring0--down to the day when all their gods1 not slain1 but changed into new creatures1 became the types to them of the mightier ,christian spirits2 and ,perseus became ,st4 ,george1 and ,mars ,st4 ,michael1 and ,athena the ,madonna1 and ,zeus their revealed ,father in ,heaven4 ,in all the history of human mind1 there is nothing so wonderful1 nothing so eventful1 as this spiritual change4 ,so inextricably is it interwoven with the most divine1 the most distant threads of human thought and effort1 that while none of the thoughts of ,st4 ,paul or the visions of ,st4 ,john1 can be understood without our understanding first the imagery familiar to the ,pagan worship of the ,greeks2 on the other hand1 no understanding of the real purport of ,greek religion can be securely reached without watching the translation of its myths into the message of ,christianity4 ,both by the natural temper of my mind1 and by the labor of forty years given to this subject in its practical issues on the present state#aed of ,christendom1 ,i have become1 in some measure1 able both to show and to interpret these most precious sculptures2 and my health has been so far given back to me that if ,i am at this moment aided1 it will1 so far as ,i can judge1 be easily possible for me to complete the work so long in preparation4 ,there will yet1 ,i doubt not1 be time to obtain perfect record of all that is to be destroyed4 ,i have entirely honest and able draughtsmen at my command2 my own resignation#aee of my ,oxford ,professorship has given me leisure2 and all that ,i want from the antiquarian sympathy of ,england is so much instant help as may permit me1 while yet in available vigor of body and mind1 to get the records made under my own overseership1 and registered for sufficient and true4 ,the casts and drawings which ,i mean to have made will be preserved in a consistent series in my ,museum at ,sheffield1 where ,i have freehold ground enough to build a perfectly lighted gallery for their reception4 ,i have used the words 8,i want10 as if praying this thing for myself4 ,it is not so4 ,if only some other person could and would undertake all this1 ,heaven knows how gladly ,i would leave the task to him4 ,but there is no one else at present able to do it3 if not now by me1 it can never be done more4--,and so ,i leave it to the reader's grace4 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,all subscriptions to be sent to ,mr4 ,g4 ,allen1 ,sunnyside1 ,orpington1 ,kent4 ,,postscript4#aef ,by the kindness of the ,society of ,painters in ,water-colors ,i am permitted this year1 in view of the crisis of the fate of the faade of ,st4 ,mark's1 to place in the exhibition-room of the ,society ten photographs1 illustrative of its past and present state4 ,i have already made use of them1 both in my lectures at ,oxford and in the parts of ,fors ,clavigera intended for ,art-teaching at my ,sheffield ,museum2 and all but the eighth are obtainable from my assistant1 ,mr4 ,ward 7#b ,church ,terrace1 ,richmond71 who is my general agent for photographs1 either taken under my direction 7as here1 ,nos4 #d1 #i1 and #aj71 or specially chosen by me for purposes of ,art ,education4 ,the series of views here shown are all perfectly taken1 with great clearness1 from the most important points1 and give1 consecutively1 complete evidence respecting the faade4 ,they are arranged in the following order3 #a4 ,,the ,,central ,,porch4 #b4 ,,the ,,two ,,northern ,,porches4 ,arranged in one #c4 ,,the ,,two ,,southern ,,porches4 frame4 #d4 ,,the ,,northern ,,portico4 #e4 ,,the ,,southern ,,portico4 ,before restoration4 #f4 ,,the ,,west ,,front1 ,,in ,,perspective4 ,seen from the ,north4 #g4 ,,the ,,west ,,front1 ,,in ,,perspective4 ,seen from the ,south4 #h4 ,,the ,,south ,,side4 ,before restoration4 #i4 ,,detail ,,of ,,central ,,archivolt4 #aj4 ,,the ,,cross ,,of ,,the ,,merchants ,,of ,,venice4 ,this last photograph is not of ,st4 ,mark's but is of the inscription which ,i discovered1 in #ahgg1 on the ,church of ,st4 ,james of the ,rialto4 ,it is of the #ith or #ajth century 7according to the best antiquarians of ,venice71 and is given in this series1 first1 to confirm the closing paragraph in my notes on the ,prout drawings in ,bond ,street2#aeg and secondly to show the perfect preservation even of the hair-strokes in letters carved in the ,istrian marble used at ,venice a thousand years ago4 ,the inscription on the cross is-- 8,sit crux vera salus huic tua ,christe loco40 7,be ,thy ,cross1 ,o ,christ1 the true safety of this place47 ,and on the band beneath-- 8,hoc circa templum sit jus mercantibus quum1 ,pondera nec vergant nec sit conventio prava40 7,around this temple let the merchants' law be just1 ,their weights true1 and their contracts fair47 ,the bearing of this inscription on the relations of ,antonio to ,shylock may perhaps not be perceived by a public which now--consistently and naturally enough1 but ominously--considers ,shylock a victim to the support of the principles of legitimate trade1 and ,antonio a 8speculator and sentimentalist40 ,from the series of photographs of ,st4 ,mark's itself1 ,i cannot but think even the least attentive observer must receive one strong impression--that of the singular preservation of the minutest details in its sculpture4 ,observe1 this is a quite separate question from the stability of the fabric4 ,in our northern cathedrals the stone1 for the most part1 moulders away2 and the restorer usually replaces it by fresh sculpture1 on the faces of walls of which the mass is perfectly secure4 ,here1 at ,st4 ,mark's1 on the contrary1 the only possible pretence for restoration has been1 and is1 the alleged insecurity of the masses of inner wall--the external sculptures remaining in faultless perfection1 so far as unaffected by direct human violence4 ,both the ,greek and ,istrian marbles used at ,venice are absolutely defiant of hypthral influences1 and the edges of their delicatest sculpture remain to this day more sharp than if they had been cut in steel--for then they would have rusted away4 ,it is especially1 for example1 of this quality that ,i have painted the ornament of the ,st4 ,jean d',acre pillars1 ,no4 #ajg1 which the reader may at once compare with the daguerreotype 7,no4 #ajh7 beside it1 which are exhibited1 with the ,prout and ,hunt drawings1 at the ,fine ,art ,society's rooms4#aeh ,these pillars are known to be not later than the sixth century1 yet wherever external violence has spared their decoration it is sharp as a fresh-growing thistle4 ,throughout the whole faade of ,st4 ,mark's1 the capitals have only here and there by casualty lost so much as a volute or an acanthus leaf1 and whatever remains is perfect as on the day it was set in its place1 mellowed and subdued only in color by time1 but white still1 clearly white2 and gray1 still softly gray2 its porphyry purple as an ,orleans plum1 and the serpentine as green as a greengage4 ,note also1 that in this throughout perfect decorated surface there is not a loose joint4 ,the appearances of dislocation1 which here and there look like yielding of masonry1 are merely carelessness in the replacing or resetting of the marble armor at the different times when the front has been retouched--in several cases quite wilful freaks of arrangement4 ,the slope of the porphyry shaft1 for instance1 on the angle at the left of my drawing1 looks like dilapidation4 ,were it really so1 the building would be a heap of ruins in twenty-four hours4 ,these porches sustain no weight above--their pillars carry merely an open gallery2 and the inclination of the red marble pilasters at the angle is not yielding at all1 but an originally capricious adjustment of the marble armor4 ,it will be seen that the investing marbles between the arch and pilaster are cut to the intended inclination1 which brings the latter nearly into contact with the upper archivolt2 the appearance of actual contact being caused by the projection of the dripstone4 ,there are1 indeed1 one or two leaning towers in ,venice whose foundations have partly yielded2 but if anything were in danger on ,st4 ,mark's ,place1 it would be the campanile--three hundred feet high--and not the little shafts and galleries within reach--too easy reach--of the gaslighter's ladder4 ,and the only dilapidations ,i have myself seen on this porch1 since ,i first drew it forty-six years ago1 have been1 first1 those caused by the insertion of the lamps themselves1 and then the breaking away of the marble net work of the main capital by the habitual clattering of the said gaslighter's ladder against it4 ,a piece of it which ,i saw so broken off1 and made an oration over to the passers-by in no less broken ,italian1 is in my mineral cabinet at ,brantwood4 ,before leaving this subject of the inclined angle1 let me note--usefully1 though not to my present purpose--that the entire beauty of ,st4 ,mark's campanile depends on this structure1 there definitely seen to be one of real safety4 ,this grace and apparent strength of the whole mass would be destroyed if the sides of it were made vertical4 ,in ,gothic towers1 the same effect is obtained by the retiring of the angle buttresses1 without actual inclination of any but the coping lines4 ,in the ,photograph ,no4 #e the slope of the angles in the correspondent portico1 as it stood before restoration1 is easily visible and measurable1 the difference being1 even on so small a scale1 full the twentieth of an inch between the breadth at base and top1 at the angles1 while the lines bearing the inner arch are perfectly vertical4 ,there was1 indeed1 as will be seen at a glance1 some displacement of the pillars dividing the great window above1 immediately to the right of the portico4 ,but these pillars were exactly the part of the south front which carried no weight4 ,the arch above them is burdened only by its own fringes of sculpture2 and the pillars carried only the bit of decorated panelling1 which is now bent--not outwards1 as it would have been by pressure1 but inwards4 ,the arch has not subsided2 it was always of the same height as the one to the right of it 7the ,byzantine builders throwing their arches always in whatever lines they chose72 nor is there a single crack or displacement in the sculpture of the investing fringe4 ,in ,no4 #c 7to the right hand in the frame7 there is dilapidation and danger enough certainly2 but that is wholly caused by the savage and brutal carelessness with which the restored parts are joined to the old4 ,the photograph bears deadly and perpetual witness against the system of 8making work10 too well known now among ,english as well as ,italian operatives2 but it bears witness1 as deadly1 against the alleged accuracy of the restoration itself4 ,the ancient dentils are bold1 broad1 and cut with the free hand1 as all good ,greek work is2 the new ones1 little more than half their size1 are cut with the servile and horrible rigidity of the modern mechanic4 ,this quality is what ,m4 ,meduna1 in the passage quoted from his defence of himself#aei in the ,standard1 has at once the dulness and the audacity actually to boast of as 8plus exacte06 ,imagine a ,kensington student set to copy a picture by ,velasquez1 and substituting a ,nottingham lace pattern1 traced with absolute exactness1 for the painter's sparkle and flow and flame1 and boasting of his improvements as 8plus exacte06 ,that is precisely what the ,italian restorer does for his original2 but1 alas6 he has the inestimable privilege also of destroying the original as he works1 and putting his student's caricature in its place6 ,nor are any words bitter or contemptuous enough to describe the bestial stupidities which have thus already replaced the floor of the church1 in my early days the loveliest in ,italy1 and the most sacred4 ,in the ,photograph ,no4 #g there is1 and there only1 one piece of real dilapidation--the nodding pinnacle propped on the right4 ,those pinnacles stand over the roof gutters1 and their bracket supports are1 of course1 liable to displacement1 if the gutters get choked by frost or otherwise neglected4 ,the pinnacle is not ten feet high1 and can be replaced and secured as easily as the cowl on a chimney-pot4 ,the timbers underneath were left there merely to give the wished-for appearance of repairs going on4 ,they defaced the church front through the whole winter of #ahgf4 ,i copied the bills stuck on them one ,sunday1 and they are printed in the #ghth number of ,fors ,clavigera1 the first being the announcement of the ,reunited agencies for information on all matters of commercial enterprise and speculation1 and the last the announcement of the loss of a cinnamon-colored little bitch1 with rather long ears 7coll' orecchie pitosto lunghe74 ,i waited through the winter to see how much the ,venetians really cared for the look of their church2 but lodged a formal remonstrance in ,march with one of the more reasonable civic authorities1 who presently had them removed4 ,the remonstrance ought1 of course1 to have come from the clergy2 but they contented themselves with cutting flower-wreaths on paper to hang over the central door at ,christmas-time4 ,for the rest1 the pretence of rottenness in the walls is really too gross to be answered4 ,there are brick buildings in ,italy by tens of thousands1 ,roman1 ,lombardic1 ,gothic1 on all scales and in all exposures4 ,which of them has rotted or fallen1 but by violence8 ,shall the tower of ,garisenda stand1 and the ,campanile of ,verona1 and the tower of ,st4 ,mark's1 and1 forsooth1 this little fifty feet of unweighted wall be rotten and dangerous8 ,much more ,i could say1 and show2 but the certainty of the ruin of poor ,bedlamite ,venice is in her own evil will1 and not to be averted by any human help or pleading4 ,her ,sabba delle streghe has truly come2 and in her own words 7see ,fors1 letter #ggth73 8,finalmente la ,piazza di ,s4 ,marco sar invasa e completamente illuminata dalle ,fiamme di ,belzeb4 ,perch il ,sabba possa riuscire pi completo1 si raccomanda a tutti gli spettatori di fischiare durante le fiamme come anime dannate40 ,meantime1 in what ,saturday pause may be before this ,witches' ,sabbath1 if ,i have1 indeed1 any ,english friends1 let them now help me1 and my fellow-workers1 to get such casts1 and colorings1 and measurings1 as may be of use in time to come4 ,i am not used to the begging tone1 and will not say more than that what is given me will go in mere daily bread to the workers1 and that next year1 if ,i live1 there shall be some exposition of what we have got done1 with the best account ,i can render of its parts and pieces4 ,fragmentary enough they must be1--poor fallen plumes of the winged lion's wings1--yet ,i think ,i can plume a true shaft or two with them yet4 ,some copies of the second edition of this circular had printed at the top of its last and otherwise blank page the words1 8,present ,state of ,subscription ,lists3--10 a printer's error1 mistaken by some readers for a piece of dry humor4 ,subscriptions were collected by ,mr4 ,g4 ,allen1 as above intimated1 and also by ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,pullen1 secretary to the ,ruskin ,society of ,manchester1 under the authority of the following letter1 which was printed and distributed by him3 8,november #bi1 #ahgi4--;,,dear ,,mr4 ,,pullen3 ,i am very glad to have your most satisfactory letter1 and as gladly give you authority to receive subscriptions for drawings and sculptures of ,st4 ,mark's4 ,mr4 ,bunney's large painting of the whole west faade1 ordered by me a year and a half ago1 and in steady progress ever since1 is to be completed this spring4 ,it was a #ejj commission for the ,guild1 but ,i don't want to have to pay it with ,guild capital4 ,i have the power of getting casts1 also1 in places where nobody else can1 and have now energy enough to give directions1 but can no more pay for them out of my own pocket4 ,ever gratefully yours1 ,j4 ,r4 ,as a formal authority1 this had better have my full signature--,,john ,,ruskin40 ,in a further letter to ,manchester on the subject1 ,mr4 ,ruskin wrote as follows3 8,it is wholly impossible for me at present to take any part in the defence--at last1 though far too late--undertaken by the true artists and scholars of ,england--of the most precious ,christian building in ,europe2 444 nor is there any occasion that ,i should1 if only those who care for me will refer to what ,i have already written1 and will accept from me the full ratification of all that was said by the various speakers1 all without exception men of the most accurate judgment and true feeling1 at the meeting held in ,oxford4 ,all that ,i think it necessary for you to lay1 directly from myself1 before the meeting you are about to hold1 is the explicit statement of two facts of which ,i am more distinctly cognizant from my long residences in ,italy at different periods1 and in ,venice during these last years1 than any other person can be--namely1 the ,infidel--7malignantly and scornfully ,infidel and anti-religionist7 aim of ,italian #8restoration'--and the totality of the destruction it involves1 of whatever it touches40 ,so again1 in a second and despairing letter1 he wrote3 8,you cannot be too strongly assured of the total destruction involved1 in the restoration of ,st4 ,mark's4444 ,then the plague of it all is1 ,what can you do8 ,nothing would be effectual1 but the appointment of a ,procurator of ,st4 ,mark's1 with an enormous salary1 dependent on the ,church's being let alone4 ,what you can do by a meeting at ,manchester1 ,i have no notion4 ,the only really practical thing that ,i can think of would be sending me lots of money to spend in getting all the drawings ,i can of the old thing before it goes4 ,i don't believe we can save it by any protests40 ,see the ,birmingham ,daily ,mail1 ,nov4 #bg1 #ahgi4 ,the reader is also referred to 8,fors ,clavigera10 ,new ,series1 ,letter the ,fourth1 pp4 #abe-f4 ,the meeting in ,oxford alluded to above was held in the ,sheldonian ,theatre on ,november #ae1 #ahgi4 ,amongst the principal speakers were the ,dean of ,christ ,church 7in the chair71 ,dr4 ,acland1 the ,professor of ,fine ,art 7,mr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,richmond71 ,mr4 ,street1 ,mr4 ,william ,morris1 and ,mr4 ,burne ,jones4 ,,letters ,,on ,,science4 ,i4 ,,geological4 ,,the ,,conformation ,,of ,,the ,,alps4 #ahfd ,,concerning ,,glaciers4 #ahfd4 ,,english versus ,,alpine ,,geology4 #ahfd4 ,,concerning ,,hydrostatics4 #ahfd4 ,,james ,,david ,,forbes3 ,,his ,,real ,,greatness4 #ahgd4 ,,ii4 ,,miscellaneous4 ,,on ,,reflections ,,in ,,water4 #ahdd4 ,,on ,,the ,,reflection ,,of ,,rainbows4 #ahfa4 ,a ,,landslip ,,near ,,giagnano4 #ahda4 ,,on ,,the ,,gentian4 #aheg4 ,,on ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,natural ,,history4 7,undated47 ,i4 ,,geological4 ,from 8,the ,reader10 ,november #ab1 #ahfd4 ,,the ,,conformation ,,of ,,the ,,alps4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 #ajth ,november1 #ahfd4 ,my attention has but now been directed to the letters in your ,october numbers on the subject of the forms of the ,alps4#afj ,i have1 perhaps1 some claim to be heard on this question1 having spent1 out of a somewhat busy life1 eleven summers and two winters 7the winter work being especially useful1 owing to the definition of inaccessible ledges of strata by new-fallen snow7 in researches among the ,alps1 directed solely to the questions of their external form and its mechanical causes2 while ,i left to other geologists the more disputable and difficult problems of relative ages of beds4 ,i say 8more disputable0 because1 however complex the phases of mechanical action1 its general nature admits1 among the ,alps1 of no question4 ,the forms of the ,alps are quite visibly owing to the action 7how gradual or prolonged cannot yet be determined7 of elevatory1 contractile1 and expansive forces1 followed by that of currents of water at various temperatures1 and of prolonged disintegration--ice having had small share in modifying even the higher ridges1 and none in causing or forming the valleys4 ,the reason of the extreme difficulty in tracing the combination of these several operative causes in any given instance1 is that the effective and destructive drainage by no means follows the leading fissures1 but tells fearfully on the softer rocks1 sweeping away inconceivable volumes of these1 while fissures or faults in the harder rocks of quite primal structural importance may be little deepened or widened1 often even unindicated1 by subsequent aqueous action4 ,i have1 however1 described at some length the commonest structural and sculptural phenomena in the fourth volume of 8,modern ,painters10 and ,i gave a general sketch of the subject last year in my lecture#afa at the ,royal ,institution 7fully reported in the ,journal de ,genve of #b;d ,september1 #ahfc71 but ,i have not yet thrown together the mass of material in my possession1 because our leading chemists are only now on the point of obtaining some data for the analysis of the most important of all forces--that of the consolidation and crystallization of the metamorphic rocks1 causing them to alter their bulk and exercise irresistible and irregular pressures on neighboring or incumbent beds4 ,but1 even on existing data1 the idea of the excavation of valleys by ice has become one of quite ludicrous untenableness4 ,at this moment1 the principal glacier in ,chamouni pours itself down a slope of twenty degrees or more over a rock two thousand feet in vertical height2 and just at the bottom of this ice-cataract1 where a water-cataract of equal power would have excavated an almost fathomless pool1 the ice simply accumulates a heap of stones1 on the top of which it rests4 ,the lakes of any hill country lie in what are the isolated lowest 7as its summits are the isolated highest7 portions of its broken surface1 and ice no more engraves the one than it builds the other4 ,but how these hollows were indeed first dug1 we know as yet no more than how the ,atlantic was dug2 and the hasty expression by geologists of their fancies in such matters cannot be too much deprecated1 because it deprives their science of the respect really due to it in the minds of a large portion of the public1 who know1 and can know1 nothing of its established principles1 while they can easily detect its speculative vanity4 ,there is plenty of work for us all to do1 without losing time in speculation2 and when we have got good sections across the entire chain of the ,alps1 at intervals of twenty miles apart1 from ,nice to ,innspruch1 and exhaustive maps and sections of the lake-basins of ,lucerne1 ,annecy1 ,como1 and ,garda1 we shall have won the leisure1 and may assume the right1 to try our wits on the formative question4 ,j4 ,,ruskin4#afb ,from 8,the ,reader10 ,november #bf1 #ahfd4 ,,concerning ,,glaciers4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,november #ba4 ,i am obliged to your ,scottish correspondent for the courtesy with which he expresses himself towards me2 and1 as his letter refers to several points still 7to my no little surprise7 in dispute among geologists1 you will perhaps allow me to occupy1 in reply1 somewhat more of your valuable space than ,i had intended to ask for4 ,i say 8to my no little surprise10 because the great principles of glacial action have been so clearly stated by their discoverer1 ,forbes1 and its minor phenomena 7though in an envious temper1 which1 by its bitterness1 as a pillar of salt1 has become the sorrowful monument of the discovery it denies7#afc so carefully described by ,agassiz1 that ,i never thought there would be occasion for much talk on the subject henceforward4 ,as much as seems now necessary to be said ,i will say as briefly as ,i can4 ,what a river carries fast at the bottom of it1 a glacier carries slowly at the top of it4 ,this is the main distinction between their agencies4 ,a piece of rock which1 falling into a strong torrent1 would be perhaps swept down half a mile in twenty minutes1 delivering blows on the rocks at the bottom audible like distant heavy cannon1#afd and at last dashed into fragments1 which in a little while will be rounded pebbles 7having done enough damage to everything it has touched in its course7--this same rock1 ,i say1 falling on a glacier1 lies on the top of it1 and is thereon carried down1 if at fullest speed1 at the rate of three yards in a week1 doing usually damage to nothing at all4 ,that is the primal difference between the work of water and ice2 these further differences1 however1 follow from this first one4 ,though a glacier never rolls its moraine into pebbles1 as a torrent does its shingle1 it torments and teases the said morain very sufficiently1 and without intermission4 ,it is always moving it on1 and melting from under it1 and one stone is always toppling1 or tilting1 or sliding over another1 and one company of stones crashing over another1 with staggering shift of heap behind4 ,now1 leaving out of all account the pulverulent effect of original precipitation to glacier level from two or three thousand feet above1 let the reader imagine a mass of sharp granite road-metal and paving-stones1 mixed up with boulders of any size he can think of1 and with wreck of softer rocks 7micaceous schists in quantities1 usually71 the whole1 say1 half a quarter of a mile wide1 and of variable thickness1 from mere skin-deep mock-moraine on mounds of unsuspected ice--treacherous1 shadow-begotten--to a railroad embankment1 passenger-embankment1 one eternal collapse of unconditional ruin1 rotten to its heart with frost and thaw 7in regions on the edge of each71 and withering sun and waste of oozing ice2 fancy all this heaved and shovelled1 slowly1 by a gang of a thousand ,irish laborers1 twenty miles downhill4 ,you will conjecture there may be some dust developed on the way8--some at the hill bottom8 ,yet thus you will have but a dim idea of the daily and final results of the movements of glacier moraines--beautiful result in granite and slate dust1 delivered by the torrent at last in banks of black and white slime1 recovering itself1 far away1 into fruitful fields1 and level floor for human life4 ,now all this is utterly independent of any action whatsoever by the ice on its sustaining rocks4 ,it has an action on these indeed2 but of this limited nature as compared with that of water4 ,a stone at the bottom of a stream1 or deep-sea current1 necessarily and always presses on the bottom with the weight of the column of water above it--plus the excess of its own weight above that of a bulk of water equal to its own2 but a stone under a glacier may be hitched or suspended in the ice itself for long spaces1 not touching bottom at all4 ,when dropped at last1 the weight of ice may not come upon it for years1 for that weight is only carried on certain spaces of the rock bed2 and in those very spaces the utmost a stone can do is to press on the bottom with the force necessary to drive the given stone into ice of a given density 7usually porous72 and1 with this maximum pressure1 to move at the maximum rate of about a third of an inch in a quarter of an hour6 ,try to saw a piece of marble through 7with edge of iron1 not of soppy ice1 for saw1 and with sharp flint sand for felspar slime71 and move your saw at the rate of an inch in three-quarters of an hour1 and see what lively and progressive work you will make of it6 ,i say 8a piece of marble20 but your permanent glacier-bottom is rarely so soft--for a glacier1 though it acts slowly by friction1 can act vigorously by dead-weight on a soft rock1 and 7with fall previously provided for it7 can clear masses of that out of the way1 to some purpose4 ,there is a notable instance of this in the rock of which your correspondent speaks1 under the ,glacier des ,bois4 ,his idea1 that the glacier is deep above and thins out below1 is a curious instance of the misconception of glacier nature1 from which all that ,forbes has done cannot yet quite clear the public mind1 nor even the geological mind4 ,a glacier never1 in a large sense1 thins out at all as it expires4 ,it flows level everywhere for its own part1 and never slopes but down a slope1 as a rapid in water4 ,pour out a pot of the thickest old white candied1 but still fluent1 honey you can buy1 over a heap of stones1 arranged as you like1 to imitate rocks4#afe ,whatever the honey does on a small scale1 the glacier does on a large2 and you may thus steady the glacier phenomena of current--though1 of course1 not those of structure or fissure--at your ease4 ,but note this specially3 ,when the honey is at last at rest1 in whatever form it has taken1 you will see it terminates in tongues with low rounded edges4 ,the possible height of these edges1 in any fluid1 varies as its viscosity2 it is some quarter of an inch or so in water on dry ground2 the most fluent ice wall stand at about a hundred feet4 ,next1 from this outer edge of the stagnant honey1 delicately skim or thin off a little at the top1 and see what it will do4 ,it will not stand in an inclined plane1 but fill itself up again to a level from behind4 ,glacier ice does exactly the same thing2 and this filling in from behind is done so subtly and delicately1 that1 every winter1 the whole glacier surface rises to replace the summer's waste1 not with progressive wave1 as 8twice a day the ,severn fills20 but with silent1 level insurrection1 as of ocean-tide1 the gray sea-crystal passes by4 ,and all the structural phenomena of the ice are modified by this mysterious action4 ,your correspondent is also not aware that the ,glacier des ,bois gives a very practical and outspoken proof of its shallowness opposite the ,montanvert4 ,very often its torrent1 under wilful touch of ,lucina-sceptre1 leaps to the light at the top of the rocks instead of their base4#aff ,that fiery ,arveron1 sometimes1 hearing from reconnoitring streamlets of a nearer way down to the valley than the rounded ice-curve under the ,chapeau1 fairly takes bit in teeth1 and flings itself out over the brow of the rocks1 and down a ravine in them1 in the wildest cataract of white thunder-clouds 7endless in thunder1 and with quiet fragments of rainbow for lightning71 that ,i have ever blinded myself in the skirts of4 ,these bare rocks1 over which the main river sometimes falls 7and outlying streamlets always7 are of firm-grained1 massively rounded gneiss4 ,above them1 ,i have no doubt1 once extended the upper covering of fibrous and amianthoidal schist1 which forms the greater part of the south-eastern flank of the valley of ,chamouni4 ,the schistose gneiss is continuous in direction of bed1 with the harder gneiss below4 ,but the outer portion is soft1 the inner hard1 and more granitic4 ,this outer portion the descending glaciers have always stripped right off down to the hard gneiss below1 and in places1 as immediately above the ,montanvert 7and elsewhere at the brows of the valley71 the beds of schistose gneiss are crushed and bent outwards in a mass 7,i believe7 by the weight of the old glacier1 for some fifty feet within their surface4 ,this looks like work2 and work of this sort1 when it had to be done1 the glaciers were well up to1 bearing down such soft masses as a strong man bends a poplar sapling2 but by steady push far more than by friction4 ,you may bend or break your sapling with bare hands1 but try to rub its bark off with your bare hands6 ,when once the ice1 with strength always dependent on pre-existent precipice1 has cleared such obstacles out of its way1 and made its bed to its liking1 there is an end to its manifest and effectively sculptural power4 ,i do not believe the ,glacier des ,bois has done more against some of the granite surfaces beneath it1 for these four thousand years1 than the drifts of desert sand have done on ,sinai4 ,be that as it may1 its power of excavation on a level is proved1 as ,i showed in my last letter1 to be zero4 ,your correspondent thinks the glacier power vanishes towards the extremity2 but as long as the ice exists1 it has the same progressive energy1 and1 indeed1 sometimes1 with the quite terminal nose of it1 will plough a piece of ground scientifically enough2 but it never digs a hole3 the stream always comes from under it full speed downhill4 ,now1 whatever the dimensions of a glacier1 if it dug a big hole1 like the ,lake of ,geneva1 when it was big1 it would dig a little hole when it was little--7not that this is always safe logic1 for a little stone will dig in a glacier1 and a large one build2 but it is safe within general limits7--which it never does1 nor can1 but subsides gladly into any hole prepared for it in a quite placid manner1 for all its fierce looks4 ,i find it difficult to stop1 for your correspondent1 little as he thinks it1 has put me on my own ground4 ,i was forced to write upon ,art by an accident 7the public abuse of ,turner7 when ,i was two-and-twenty2 but ,i had written a 8,mineralogical ,dictionary0 as far as ,c1 and invented a shorthand symbolism for crystalline forms1 before ,i was fourteen3 and have been at stony work ever since1 as ,i could find time1 silently1 not caring to speak much till the chemists had given me more help4#afg ,for1 indeed1 ,i strive1 as far as may be1 not to speak of anything till ,i know it2 and in that matter of ,political ,economy also 7though forced in like manner to write of that by unendurable circumfluent fallacy71 ,i know my ground2 and if your present correspondent1 or any other1 will meet me fairly1 ,i will give them uttermost satisfaction upon any point they doubt4 ,there is free challenge3 and in the knight of ,snowdoun's vows 7looking first carefully to see that the rock be not a glacier boulder71 8,this rock shall fly ,from its firm base1 as soon as ,i40 ,j4 ,,ruskin4#afh ,from 8,the ,reader10 ,december #c1 #ahfd4 ,,english ,,versus ,,alpine ,,geology4 ,,denmark ,,hill1 #bith ,nov4 ,i scarcely know what reply to make1 or whether it is necessary to reply at all1 to the letter of ,mr4 ,jukes in your last number4 ,there is no antagonism between his views and mine1 though he seems heartily to desire that there should be1 and with no conceivable motive but to obtain some appearance of it suppresses the latter half of the sentence he quotes from my letter4#afi ,it is true that he writes in willing ignorance of the ,alps1 and ,i in unwilling ignorance of the ,wicklow hills2 but the only consequent discrepancy of thought or of impression between us is1 that ,mr4 ,jukes1 examining 7by his own account7 very old hills1 which have been all but washed away to nothing1 naturally1 and rightly1 attributes their present form1 or want of form1 to their prolonged ablutions1 while ,i1 examining new and lofty hills1 of which1 though much has been carried away1 much is still left1 as naturally and rightly ascribe a great part of their aspect to the modes of their elevation4 ,the ,alp-bred geologist has1 however1 this advantage1 that 7especially if he happen at spare times to have been interested in manual arts7 he can hardly overlook the effects of denudation on a mountain-chain which sustains ,venice on the delta of one of its torrents1 and ,antwerp on that of another2 but the ,english geologist1 however practised in the detection and measurement of faults filled in by cubes of fluor1 may be pardoned for dimly appreciating the structure of a district in which a people strong enough to lay the foundation of the liberties of ,europe in a single battle1#agj was educated in a fissure of the ,lower ,chalk4 ,i think1 however1 that1 if ,mr4 ,jukes can succeed in allaying his feverish thirst for battle1 he will wish to withdraw the fourth paragraph of his letter1#aga and1 as a general formula1 even the scheme which it introduces4 ,that scheme1 sufficiently accurate as an expression of one cycle of geological action1 contains little more than was known to all leading geologists five-and-twenty years ago1 when ,i was working hard under ,dr4 ,buckland at ,oxford2#agb and it is so curiously unworthy of the present state of geological science1 that ,i believe its author1 in his calmer moments1 will not wish to attach his name to an attempt at generalization at once so narrow1 and so audacious4 ,my experience of mountain-form is probably as much more extended than his1 as my disposition to generalize respecting2 it is less2#agc and1 although indeed the apparent limitation of the statement which he half quotes 7probably owing to his general love of denudation7 from my last letter1 to the chain of the ,alps1 was intended only to attach to the words 8quite visibly10 yet1 had ,i myself expanded that statement1 ,i should not have assumed the existence of a sea1 to relieve me from the difficulty of accounting for the existence of a lake2 ,i should not have assumed that all mountain-formations of investiture were marine2 nor claimed the possession of a great series of stratified rocks without inquiring where they were to come from4 ,i should not have thought 8even more than one0 an adequate expression for the possible number of elevations and depressions which may have taken place since the beginning of time on the mountain-chains of the world2 nor thought myself capable of compressing into ,ten ,articles1 or even into ,thirty-nine1 my conceptions of the working of the ,power which led forth the little hills like lambs1 while it rent or established the foundations of the earth2 and set their birth-seal on the forehead of each in the infinitudes of aspect and of function which range between the violet-dyed banks of ,thames and ,seine1 and the vexed ,fury-,tower of ,cotopaxi4 ,not but that large generalizations are1 indeed1 possible with respect to the diluvial phenomena1 among which my antagonist has pursued his--7scarcely amphibious87--investigations4 ,the effects of denudation and deposition are unvarying everywhere1 and have been watched with terror and gratitude in all ages4 ,in physical mythology they gave tusk to the ,gr1 claw to the ,gorgons1 bull's frontlet to the floods of ,aufidus and ,po4 ,they gave weapons to the wars of ,titans against ,gods1 and lifeless seed of life into the hand of ,deucalion4 ,herodotus 8rightly spelled0 of them1 where the lotus rose from the dust of ,nile and leaned upon its dew2 ,plato rightly dreamed of them in his great vision of the disrobing of the ,acropolis to its naked marble2 the keen eye of ,horace1 half poet's1 half farmer's 7albeit unaided by theodolite71 recognized them alike where the risen brooks of ,vallombrosa1 amidst the mountain-clamors1 tossed their champed shingle to the ,etrurian sea1 and in the uncoveted wealth of the pastures1 8,qu ,liris quiet2 ,mordet aqu1 taciturnus amnis40#agd ,but the inner structure of the mountain-chains is as varied as their substance2 and to this day1 in some of its mightier developments1 so little understood1 that my ,neptunian opponent himself1 in his address delivered at ,cambridge in #ahfb1 speaks of an arrangement of strata which it is difficult to traverse ten miles of ,alpine limestone without finding an example of1 as beyond the limits of theoretical imagination4#age ,i feel tempted to say more2 but ,i have at present little time even for useful1 and none for wanton1 controversy4 ,whatever information ,mr4 ,jukes can afford me on these subjects 7and ,i do not doubt he can afford me much71 ,i am ready to receive1 not only without need of his entreaty1 but with sincere thanks4 ,if he likes to try his powers of sight1 8as corrected by the laborious use of the protractor10 against mine1 ,i will in humility abide the issue4 ,but at present the question before the house is1 as ,i understand it1 simply whether glaciers excavate lake-basins or not4 ,that1 in spite of measurement and survey1 here or elsewhere1 seems to remain a question4 ,may we answer the first1 if answerable8 ,that determined1 ,i think ,i might furnish some other grounds of debate in this notable cause of ,peebles against ,plainstanes1 provided that ,mr4 ,jukes will not in future think his seniority gives him the right to answer me with disparagement instead of instruction1 and will bear with the ,english 8student's0 weakness1 which induces me1 usually1 to wish rather to begin by shooting my elephant than end by describing it out of my moral consciousness4#agf ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,the ,reader10 ,december #aj1 #ahfd4 ,,concerning ,,hydrostatics4 ,,norwich1 #eth ,december4 ,your pages are not1 ,i presume1 intended for the dissemination of the elements of physical science4 ,your correspondent 8,m4 ,a4 ,c40 has a good wit1 and1 by purchasing any common treatise on the barometer1 may discover the propriety of exercising it on subjects with which he is acquainted4 8,g4 ,m40 deserves more attention1 the confusion in his mind between increase of pressure and increase of density being a very common one4#agg ,it may be enough to note for him1 and for those of your readers whom his letter may have embarrassed1 that in any incompressible liquid a body of greater specific gravity than the liquid will sink to any depth1 because the column which it forms1 together with the vertical column of the liquid above it1 always exceeds in total weight the column formed by the equal bulk of the liquid at its side1 and the vertical column of liquid above that4 ,deep-sea soundings would be otherwise impossible4 8,g4 ,m40 may find the explanation of the other phenomena to which he alludes in any elementary work on hydrostatics1 and will discover on a little reflection that the statement in my last letter#agh is simply true4 ,expanded1 it is merely that1 when we throw a stone into water1 we substitute pressure of stone-surface for pressure of water-surface throughout the area of horizontal contact of the stone with the ground1 and add the excess of the stone's weight over that of an equal bulk of water4 ,it is1 however1 very difficult for me to understand how any person so totally ignorant of every circumstance of glacial locality and action1 as 8,g4 ,m40 shows himself to be in the paragraph beginning 8,it is very evident10 could have had the courage to write a syllable on the subject4 ,i will waste no time in reply1 but will only assure him 7with reference to his assertion that ,i 8get rid of the rocks10 etc471 that ,i never desire to get rid of anything but error1 and that ,i should be the last person to desire to get rid of the glacial agency by friction1 as ,i was1 ,i believe1 the first to reduce to a diagram the probable stages of its operation on the bases of the higher ,alpine aiguilles4#agi ,permit me to add1 in conclusion1 that in future ,i can take no notice of any letters to which the writers do not think fit to attach their names4 ,there can be no need of initials in scientific discussion1 except to shield incompetence or license discourtesy4 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,from 8,rendu's ,theory of the ,glaciers of ,savoy10 ,macmillan1 #ahgd4 ,,james ,,david ,,forbes3 ,,his ,,real ,,greatness4#ahj ,the incidental passage in 8,fors10 hastily written1 on a contemptible issue1 does not in the least indicate my sense of the real position of ,james ,forbes among the men of his day4 ,i have asked his son's#aha permission to add a few words expressive of my deeper feelings4 ,for indeed it seems to me that all these questions as to priority of ideas or observations are beneath debate among noble persons4 ,what a man like ,forbes first noticed1 or demonstrated1 is of no real moment to his memory4 ,what he was1 and how he taught1 is of consummate moment4 ,the actuality of his personal power1 the sincerity and wisdom of his constant teaching1 need no applause from the love they justly gained1 and can sustain no diminution from hostility2 for their proper honor is in their usefulness4 ,to a man of no essential power1 the accident of a discovery is apotheosis2 to him1 the former knowledge of all the sages of earth is as though it were not2 he calls the ants of his own generation round him1 to observe how he flourishes in his tiny forceps the grain of sand he has imposed upon ,pelion4 ,but from all such vindication of the claims of ,forbes to mere discovery1 ,i1 his friend1 would1 for my own part1 proudly abstain4 ,i do not in the slightest degree care whether he was the first to see this1 or the first to say that1 or how many common persons had seen or said as much before4 ,what ,i rejoice in knowing of him is that he had clear eyes and open heart for all things and deeds appertaining to his life2 that whatever he discerned1 was discerned impartially2 what he said1 was said securely2 and that in all functions of thought1 experiment1 or communication1 he was sure to be eventually right1 and serviceable to mankind1 whether out of the treasury of eternal knowledge he brought forth things new or old4 ,this is the essential difference between the work of men of true genius and the agitation of temporary and popular power4 ,the first root of their usefulness is in subjection of their vanity to their purpose4 ,it is not in calibre or range of intellect that men vitally differ2 every phase of mental character has honorable office2 but the vital difference between the strong and the weak--or let me say rather1 between the availing and valueless intelligence--is in the relation of the love of self to the love of the subject or occupation4 ,many an ,alpine traveller1 many a busy man of science1 volubly represent to us their pleasure in the ,alps2 but ,i scarcely recognize one who would not willingly see them all ground down into gravel1 on condition of his being the first to exhibit a pebble of it at the ,royal ,institution4 ,whereas it may be felt in any single page of ,forbes' writing1 or ,de ,saussure's1 that they love crag and glacier for their own sake's sake2 that they question their secrets in reverent and solemn thirst3 not at all that they may communicate them at breakfast to the readers of the ,daily ,news--and that1 although there were no news1 no institutions1 no leading articles1 no medals1 no money1 and no mob1 in the world1 these men would still labor1 and be glad1 though all their knowledge was to rest with them at last in the silence of the snows1 or only to be taught to peasant children sitting in the shade of pines4 ,and whatever ,forbes did or spoke during his noble life was in this manner patiently and permanently true4 ,the passage of his lectures in which he shows the folly of ,macaulay's assertion that 8,the giants of one generation are the pigmies of the next10#ahb beautiful in itself1 is more interesting yet in the indication it gives of the general grasp and melodious tone of ,forbes' reverent intellect1 as opposed to the discordant insolence of modernism4 ,his mind grew and took color like an ,alpine flower1 rooted on rock1 and perennial in flower2 while ,macaulay's swelled like a puff-ball in an unwholesome pasture1 and projected itself far round in deleterious dust4 ,i had intended saying a few words more touching the difference in temper1 and probity of heart1 between ,forbes and ,agassiz1 as manifested in the documents now#ahc laid before the public4 ,and as far as my own feelings are concerned1 the death of ,agassiz#ahd would not have caused my withholding a word4 ,for in all utterance of blame or praise1 ,i have striven always to be kind to the living--just to the dead4 ,but in deference to the wish of the son of ,forbes1 ,i keep silence3 ,i willingly leave sentence to be pronounced by time1 above their two graves4 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,the following letters1#ahe one from ,forbes to myself1 written ten years ago1 and the other from one of his pupils1 received by me a few weeks since1 must1 however1 take their due place among the other evidence on which such judgment is to be given4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,ii4 ,,miscellaneous4 ,from 8,the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine0 7edited by ,e4 ,v4 ,rippingille71 ,february #ahdd1 pp4 #cad-cai4 ,,reflections ,,in ,,water4#ahf ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine40 ,,sir3 ,the phenomena of light and shade1 rendered to the eye by the surface or substance of water1 are so intricate and so multitudinous1 that had ,i wished fully to investigate1 or even fully to state them1 a volume instead of a page would have been required for the task4 ,in the paragraphs#ahg which ,i devoted to the subject ,i expressed1 as briefly as possible1 the laws which are of most general application--with which artists are indeed so universally familiar1 that ,i conceived it altogether unnecessary to prove or support them3 but since ,i have expressed them in as few words as possible1 ,i cannot afford to have any of those words missed or disregarded2 and therefore when ,i say that on clear water1 near the eye1 there is no shadow1 ,i must not be understood to mean that on muddy water1 far from the eye1 there is no shadow4 ,as1 however1 your correspondent appears to deny my position in toto1 and as many persons1 on their first glance at the subject1 might be inclined to do the same1 you will perhaps excuse me for occupying a page or two with a more explicit statement1 both of facts and principles1 than my limits admitted in the 8,modern ,painters40 ,first1 for the experimental proof of my assertion that 8on clear water1 near the eye1 there is no shadow40 ,your correspondent's trial with the tub is somewhat cumbrous and inconvenient2#ahh a far more simple experiment will settle the matter4 ,fill a tumbler with water2 throw into it a narrow strip of white paper2 put the tumbler into sunshine2 dip your finger into the water between the paper and the sun1 so as to throw a shadow across the paper and on the water4 ,the shadow will of course be distinct on the paper1 but on the water absolutely and totally invisible4 ,this simple trial of the fact1 and your explanation of the principle given in your ninth number1#ahi are sufficient proof and explanation of my assertion2 and if your correspondent requires authority as well as ocular demonstration1 he has only to ask ,stanfield or ,copley ,fielding1 or any other good painter of sea2 the latter1 indeed1 was the person who first pointed out the fact to me when a boy4 ,what then1 it remains to be determined1 are those lights and shades on the sea1 which1 for the sake of clearness1 and because they appear such to the ordinary observer1 ,i have spoken of as 8horizontal lines10 and which have every appearance of being cast by the clouds like real shadows8 ,i imagined that ,i had been sufficiently explicit on this subject both at pages #ccj and #cfc3aij but your correspondent appears to have confused himself by inaccurately receiving the term shadow as if it meant darkness of any kind2 whereas my second sentence--8every darkness on water is reflection1 not shadow0--might have shown him that ,i used it in its particular sense1 as meaning the absence of positive light on a visible surface4 ,thus1 in endeavoring to support his assertion that the shadows on the sea are as distinct as on a grass field1 he says that they are so by contrast with the 8light reflected from its polished surface20 thus showing at once that he has been speaking and thinking all along1 not of shadow1 but of the absence of reflected light--an absence which is no more shadow than the absence of the image of a piece of white paper in a mirror is shadow on the mirror4 ,the question1 therefore1 is one of terms rather than of things2 and before proceeding it will be necessary for me to make your correspondent understand thoroughly what is meant by the term shadow as opposed to that of reflection4 ,let us stand on the sea-shore on a cloudless night1 with a full moon over the sea1 and a swell on the water4 ,of course a long line of splendor will be seen on the waves under the moon1 reaching from the horizon to our very feet4 ,but are those waves between the moon and us actually more illuminated than any other part of the sea8 ,not one whit4 ,the whole surface of the sea is under the same full light1 but the waves between the moon and us are the only ones which are in a position to reflect that light to our eyes4 ,the sea on both sides of that path of light is in perfect darkness--almost black4 ,but is it so from shadow8 ,not so1 for there is nothing to intercept the moonlight from it3 it is so from position1 because it cannot reflect any of the rays which fall on it to our eyes1 but reflects instead the dark vault of the night sky4 ,both the darkness and the light on it1 therefore--and they are as violently contrasted as may well be--are nothing but reflections1 the whole surface of the water being under one blaze of moonlight1 entirely unshaded by any intervening object whatsoever4 ,now1 then1 we can understand the cause of the chiaro-scuro of the sea by daylight with lateral sun4 ,where the sunlight reaches the water1 every ripple1 wave1 or swell reflects to the eye from some of its planes either the image of the sun or some portion of the neighboring bright sky4 ,where the cloud interposes between the sun and sea1 all these luminous reflections are prevented1 and the raised planes of the waves reflect only the dark under-surface of the cloud2 and hence1 by the multiplication of the images1 spaces of light and shade are produced1 which lie on the sea precisely in the position of real or positive light and shadows--corresponding to the outlines of the clouds--laterally cast1 and therefore seen in addition to1 and at the same time with1 the ordinary or direct reflection1 vigorously contrasted1 the lights being often a blaze of gold1 and the shadows a dark leaden gray2 and yet1 ,i repeat1 they are no more real lights1 or real shadows1 on the sea1 than the image of a black coat is a shadow on a mirror1 or the image of white paper a light upon it4#aia ,are there1 then1 no shadows whatsoever upon the sea8 ,not so4 ,my assertion is simply that there are none on clear water near the eye4 ,i shall briefly state a few of the circumstances which give rise to real shadow in distant effect4 ,i4 ,any admixture of opaque coloring matter1 as of mud1 chalk1 or powdered granite renders water capable of distinct shadow1 which is cast on the earthy and solid particles suspended in the liquid4 ,none of the seas on our south-eastern coast are so clear as to be absolutely incapable of shade2 and the faint tint1 though scarcely perceptible to a near observer1#aib is sufficiently manifest when seen in large extent from a distance1 especially when contrasted1 as your correspondent says1 with reflected lights4 ,this was one reason for my introducing the words--8near the eye40 ,there is1 however1 a peculiarity in the appearances of such shadows which requires especial notice4 ,it is not merely the transparency of water1 but its polished surface1 and consequent reflective power1 which render it incapable of shadow4 ,a perfectly opaque body1 if its power of reflection be perfect1 receives no shadow 7this ,i shall presently prove72 and therefore1 in any lustrous body1 the incapability of shadow is in proportion to the power of reflection4 ,now the power of reflection in water varies with the angle of the impinging ray1 being of course greatest when that angle is least3 and thus1 when we look along the water at a low angle1 its power of reflection maintains its incapability of shadow to a considerable extent1 in spite of its containing suspended opaque matter2 whereas1 when we look down upon water from a height1 as we then receive from it only rays which have fallen on it at a large angle1 a great number of those rays are unreflected from the surface1 but penetrate beneath the surface1 and are then reflected#aic from the suspended opaque matter3 thus rendering shadows clearly visible which1 at a small angle1 would have been altogether unperceived4 ,,ii4 ,but it is not merely the presence of opaque matter which renders shadows visible on the sea seen from a height4 ,the eye1 when elevated above the water1 receives rays reflected from the bottom1 of which1 when near the water1 it is insensible4 ,i have seen the bottom at seven fathoms1 so that ,i could count its pebbles1 from the cliffs of the ,cornish coast2 and the broad effect of the light and shade of the bottom is discernible at enormous depths4 ,in fact1 it is difficult to say at what depth the rays returned from the bottom become absolutely ineffective--perhaps not until we get fairly out into blue water4 ,hence1 with a white or sandy shore1 shadows forcible enough to afford conspicuous variety of color may be seen from a height of two or three hundred feet4 ,,iii4 ,the actual color of the sea itself is an important cause of shadow in distant effect4 ,of the ultimate causes of local color in water ,i am not ashamed to confess my total ignorance1 for ,i believe ,sir ,david ,brewster himself has not elucidated them4 ,every river in ,switzerland has a different hue4 ,the lake of ,geneva1 commonly blue1 appears1 under a fresh breeze1 striped with blue and bright red2 and the hues of coast-sea are as various as those of a dolphin2 but1 whatever be the cause of their variety1 their intensity is1 of course1 dependent on the presence of sun-light4 ,the sea under shade is commonly of a cold gray hue2 in sun-light it is susceptible of vivid and exquisite coloring3 and thus the forms of clouds are traced on its surface1 not by light and shade1 but by variation of color by grays opposed to greens1 blues to rose-tints1 etc4 ,all such phenomena are chiefly visible from a height and a distance2 and thus furnished me with additional reasons for introducing the words--8near the eye40 ,,iv4 ,local color is1 however1 the cause of one beautiful kind of chiaro-scuro1 visible when we are close to the water--shadows cast1 not on the waves1 but through them1 as through misty air4 ,when a wave is raised so as to let the sun-light through a portion of its body1 the contrast of the transparent chrysoprase green of the illuminated parts with the darkness of the shadowed is exquisitely beautiful4 ,hitherto1 however1 ,i have been speaking chiefly of the transparency of water as the source of its incapability of shadow4 ,i have still to demonstrate the effect of its polished surface4 ,let your correspondent pour an ounce or two of quicksilver into a flat white saucer1 and1 throwing a strip of white paper into the middle of the mercury1 as before into the water1 interpose an upright bit of stick between it and the sun3 he will then have the pleasure of seeing the shadow of the stick sharply defined on the paper and the edge of the saucer1 while on the intermediate portion of mercury it will be totally invisible#aie4 ,mercury is a perfectly opaque body1 and its incapability of shadow is entirely owing to the perfection of its polished surface4 ,thus1 then1 whether water be considered as transparent or reflective 7and according to its position it is one or the other1 or partially both--for in the exact degree that it is the one1 it is not the other71 it is equally incapable of shadow4 ,but as on distant water1 so also on near water1 when broken1 pseudo shadows take place1 which are in reality nothing more than the aggregates of reflections4 ,in the illuminated space of the wave1 from every plane turned towards the sun there flashes an image of the sun2 in the un-illuminated space there is seen on every such plane only the dark image of the interposed body4 ,every wreath of the foam1 every jet of the spray1 reflects in the sunlight a thousand diminished suns1 and refracts their rays into a thousand colors2 while in the shadowed parts the same broken parts of the wave appear only in dead1 cold white2 and thus pseudo shadows are caused1 occupying the position of real shadows1 defined in portions of their edge with equal sharpness3 and yet1 ,i repeat1 they are no more real shadows than the image of a piece of black cloth is a shadow on a mirror4 ,but your correspondent will say1 8,what does it matter to me1 or to the artist1 whether they are shadows or not8 ,they are darkness1 and they supply the place of shadows1 and that it is all ,i contend for40 ,not so4 ,they do not supply the place of shadows2 they are divided from them by this broad distinction1 that while shadow causes uniform deepening of the ground-tint in the objects which it affects1 these pseudo shadows are merely portions of that ground-tint itself undeepened1 but cut out and rendered conspicuous by flashes of light irregularly disposed around it4 ,the ground-tint both of shadowed and illumined parts is precisely the same--a pure pale gray1 catching as it moves the hues of the sky and clouds2 but on this1 in the illumined spaces1 there fall touches and flashes of intense reflected light1 which are absent in the shadow4 ,if1 for the sake of illustration1 we consider the wave as hung with a certain quantity of lamps1 irregularly disposed1 the shape and extent of a shadow on that wave will be marked by the lamps being all put out within its influence1 while the tint of the water itself is entirely unaffected by it4 ,the works of ,stanfield will supply your correspondent with perfect and admirable illustrations of this principle4 ,his water-tint is equally clear and luminous whether in sunshine or shade2 but the whole lustre of the illumined parts is attained by bright isolated touches of reflected light4 ,the works of ,turner will supply us with still more striking examples1 especially in cases where slanting sunbeams are cast from a low sun along breakers1 when the shadows will be found in a state of perpetual transition1 now defined for an instant on a mass of foam1 then lost in an interval of smooth water1 then coming through the body of a transparent wave1 then passing off into the air upon the dust of the spray--supplying1 as they do in nature1 exhaustless combinations of ethereal beauty4 ,from ,turner's habit of choosing for his subjects sea much broken with foam1 the shadows in his works are more conspicuous than in ,stanfield's1 and may be studied to greater advantage4 ,to the works of these great painters1 those of ,vandevelde may be opposed for instances of the impossible4 ,the black shadows of this latter painter's near waves supply us with innumerable and most illustrative examples of everything which sea shadows are not4 ,finally1 let me recommend your correspondent1 if he wishes to obtain perfect knowledge of the effects of shadow on water1 whether calm or agitated1 to go through a systematic examination of the works of ,turner4 ,he will find every phenomenon of this kind noted in them with the most exquisite fidelity4 ,the ,alnwick ,castle1 with the shadow of the bridge cast on the dull surface of the moat1 and mixing with the reflection1 is the most finished piece of water-painting with which ,i am acquainted4 ,some of the recent ,venices have afforded exquisite instances of the change of color in water caused by shadow1 the illumined water being transparent and green1 while in the shade it loses its own color1 and takes the blue of the sky4 ,but ,i have already1 ,sir1 occupied far too many of your valuable pages1 and ,i must close the subject1 although hundreds of points occur to me which ,i have not yet illustrated#aif4 ,the discussion respecting the ,grotto of ,capri is somewhat irrelevant1 and ,i will not enter upon it1 as thousands of laws respecting light and color are there brought into play1 in addition to the water's incapability of shadow4#aig ,but it is somewhat singular that the ,newtonian principle1 which your correspondent enunciates in conclusion1 is the very cause of the incapability of shadow which he disputes4 ,i am not1 however1 writing a treatise on optics1 and therefore can at present do no more than simply explain what the ,newtonian law actually signifies1 since1 by your correspondent's enunciation of it1 8pellucid substances reflect light only from their surfaces10 an inexperienced reader might be led to conclude that opaque bodies reflected light from something else than their surfaces4 ,the law is1 that whatever number of rays escape reflection at the surface of water1 pass through its body without further reflection1 being therein weakened1 but not reflected2 but that1 where they pass out of the water again1 as1 for instance1 if there be air-bubbles at the bottom1 giving an under-surface to the water1 there a number of rays are reflected from that under-surface1 and do not pass out of the water1 but return to the eye2 thus causing the bright luminosity of the under bubbles4 ,thus water reflects from both its surfaces--it reflects it when passing out as well as when entering2 but it reflects none whatever from its own interior mass4 ,if it did1 it would be capable of shadow4 ,i have the honor to be1 ,sir1 ,your most obedient servant1 ,,the ,,author ,,of 8,,modern ,,painters40 ,from 8,the ,london ,review10 ,may #af1 #ahfa4 ,,the ,,reflection ,,of ,,rainbows ,,in ,,water4#aih ,to the ,editor of 8,the ,london ,review40 ,,sir3 ,i do not think there is much difficulty in the rainbow business4 ,we cannot see the reflection of the same rainbow which we behold in the sky1 but we see the reflection of another invisible one within it4 ,suppose ,a and ,b1 ,fig4 #a1 are two falling raindrops1 and the spectator is at ,s1 and ,x ,y is the water surface4 ,if ,r ,a ,s be a sun ray giving1 we will say1 the red ray in the visible rainbow1 the ray1 ,b ,c ,s1 will give the same red ray1 reflected from the water at ,c4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4 ,it is rather a long business to examine the lateral angles1 and ,i have not time to do it2 but ,i presume the result would be1 that if a m b1 ,fig4 #b1 be the visible rainbow1 and ,x ,y the water horizon1 the reflection will be the dotted line c e d1 reflecting1 that is to say1 the invisible bow1 c n d2 thus1 the terminations of the arcs of the visible and reflected bows do not coincide4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4 ,the interval1 m n1 depends on the position of the spectator with respect to the water surface4 ,the thing can hardly ever be seen in nature1 for if there be rain enough to carry the bow to the water surface1 that surface will be ruffled by the drops1 and incapable of reflection4 ,whenever ,i have seen a rainbow over water 7sea1 mostly71 it has stood on it reflectionless2 but interrupted conditions of rain might be imagined which would present reflection on near surfaces4 ,always very truly yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 #gth ,may1 #ahfa4 ,from 8,the ,proceedings of the ,ashmolean ,society10 ,may #aj1 #ahda4 ,a ,,landslip ,,near ,,giagnano4 8,the ,secretary read a letter#aii from ,j4 ,ruskin1 ,esq41 of ,christ ,church1 dated ,naples1 ,february #g1 #ahda1 and addressed to ,dr4 ,buckland1#bjj giving a description of recent landslip near that place1 which had occasioned a great loss of life3 it occurred at the village of ,giagnano1 near ,castel-a-mare1 on the #bb;d of ,january last4 ,the village is situated on the slope of a conical hill of limestone1 not less than #adjj feet in height1 and composed of thin beds similar to those which form the greater part of the range of ,sorrento4 ,the hill in question is nearly isolated1 though forming part of the range1 the slope of its sides uniform1 and inclined at not less than #dj4 ,assisted by projecting ledges of the beds of rock1 a soil has accumulated on this slope three or four feet in depth1 rendering it quite smooth and uniform4 ,the higher parts are covered in many places with brushwood1 the lower with vines trellised over old mulberry trees4 ,there are slight evidences of recent aqueous action on the sides of the hill1 a few gullies descending towards the east side of the village4 ,after two days of heavy rain1 on the evening of ,january #bb1 a torrent of water burst down on the village to the west of these gullies1 and the soil accumulated on the side of the hill gave way in a wedge-shaped mass1 the highest point being about #fjj feet above the houses1 and slid down1 leaving the rocks perfectly bare4 ,it buried the nearest group of cottages1 and remained heaped up in longitudinal layers above them1 whilst the water ran in torrents over the edge towards the plain1 sweeping away many more houses in its course4 ,to the westward of this point another slip took place of smaller dimensions than the first1 but coming on a more crowded part of the village1 overwhelmed it completely1 occasioning the loss of #aaf lives40 ,from 8,the ,athenum10 ,february #ad1 #aheg4 ,,the ,,gentian4#bja ,,denmark ,,hill1 ,feb4 #aj4 ,if your correspondent 8,y4 ,l4 ,y40 will take a little trouble in inquiring into the history of the gentian1 he will find that1 as is the case with most other flowers1 there are many species of it4 ,he knows the dark blue gentian 7,gentiana acaulis7 because it grows1 under proper cultivation1 as healthily in ,england as on the ,alps4 ,and he has not seen the pale blue gentian 7,gentiana verna7 shaped like a star1 and of the color of the sky1 because that flower grows unwillingly1 if at all1 except on its native rocks4 ,i consider it1 therefore1 as specially characteristic of ,alpine scenery1 while its beauty1 to my mind1 far exceeds that of the darker species4 ,i have1 etc41 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,date and place of original publication unknown4 ,,on ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,natural ,,history4 ,to ,adam ,white1 of ,edinburgh4 ,it would be pleasing alike to my personal vanity and to the instinct of making myself serviceable1 which ,i will fearlessly say is as strong in me as vanity1 if ,i could think that any letter of mine would be helpful to you in the recommendation of the study of natural history1 as one of the best elements of early as of late education4 ,i believe there is no child so dull or so indolent but it may be roused to wholesome exertion by putting some practical and personal work on natural history within its range of daily occupation2 and1 once aroused1 few pleasures are so innocent1 and none so constant4 ,i have often been unable1 through sickness or anxiety1 to follow my own art work1 but ,i have never found natural history fail me1 either as a delight or a medicine4 ,but for children it must be curtly and wisely taught4 ,we must show them things1 not tell them names4 ,a deal chest of drawers is worth many books to them1 and a well-guided country walk worth a hundred lectures4 ,i heartily wish you1 not only for your sake1 but for that of the young thistle buds of ,edinburgh1 success in promulgating your views and putting them in practice4 ,always believe me faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,,ruskin4 ,,end ,,of ,,volume #a4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,footnotes3 #a 8,the ,bibliography of ,ruskin3 a bibliographical list1 arranged in chronological order1 of the published writings of ,john ,ruskin1 ,m4,a4 7,from #ahcd to #ahgi470 ,by ,richard ,herne ,shepherd4 #b ,the letter out of which it took its rise1 however1 will be found on the #hb;d page of the first volume2 and with regard to it1 and especially to the mention of ,mr4 ,frith's picture in it1 reference should be made to part of a further letter in the ,art ,journal of this month4 8,i owe some apology1 by the way1 to ,mr4 ,frith1 for the way ,i spoke of his picture in my letter to the ,leicester committee1 not intended for publication1 though ,i never write what ,i would not allow to be published1 and was glad that they asked leave to print it40 7,art ,journal1 ,august1 #ahhj1 where this sentence is further explained47 #c ,some of the notes1 it will be remarked1 are in larger type than the rest2 these are ,mr4 ,ruskin's original notes to the letters as first published1 and are in fact part of them2 and they are so printed to distinguish them from the other notes1 for which ,i am responsible4 #d ,it should be #afth1 the criticism having appeared in the preceding weekly issue4 #e ,see 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 p4 #aei 7,pt4 ,,ii4 #b1 cap4 #b1 #e74 8,again1 take any important group of trees1 ,i do not care whose1--,claude's1 ,salvator's1 or ,poussin's1--with lateral light 7that in the ,marriage of ,isaac and ,rebecca1 or ,gaspar's ,sacrifice of ,isaac1 for instance72 can it be supposed that those murky browns and melancholy greens are representative of the tints of leaves under full noonday sun80 ,the picture in question is1 it need hardly be said1 in the ,national ,gallery 7,no4 #ca74 #f ,see 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 pp4 #aeg-h 7,pt4 ,,ii4 ii41 cap4 #b1 #d74 ,the critic of the ,chronicle had written that the rocky mountains in this picture 8are not sky-blue1 neither are they near enough for detail of crag to be seen1 neither are they in full light1 but are quite as indistinct as they would be in nature1 and just the color40 ,the picture is ,no4 #hd in the ,national ,gallery4 #g ,see 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 p4 #ahd 7,pt4 ,,ii4 ii41 cap4 #d1 #f74 8,turner introduced a new era in landscape art1 by showing that the foreground might be sunk for the distance1 and that it was possible to express immediate proximity to the spectator1 without giving anything like completeness to the forms of the near objects4 ,this1 observe1 is not done by slurred or soft lines 7always the sign of vice in art71 but by a decisive imperfection1 a firm but partial assertion of form1 which the eye feels indeed to be close home to it1 and yet cannot rest upon1 nor cling to1 nor entirely understand1 and from which it is driven away of necessity to those parts of distance on which it is intended to repose40 ,to this the critic of the ,chronicle had objected1 attempting to show that it would result in ,nature being 8represented with just half the quantity of light and color that she possesses40 #h ,the passage in the ,chronicle ran thus3 8,the ,apollo is but an ideal of the human form2 no figure ever moulded of flesh and blood was like it40 ,with the objection to this criticism we may compare 8,modern ,painters0 7vol4 i4 p4 #bg71 where the ideal is defined as 8the utmost degree of beauty of which the species is capable40 ,see also vol4 ii4 p4 #ii3 8,the perfect idea of the form and condition in which all the properties of the species are fully developed is called the ,ideal of the species20 and 8,that unfortunate distinctness between ,idealism and ,realism which leads most people to imagine that the ,ideal is opposed to the ,real1 and therefore false40 #i ,this picture of ,sir ,david ,wilkie's was presented to the ,national ,gallery 7,no4 #ii7 by ,sir ,george ,beaumont1 in #ahbf4 #aj ,the bank of cloud in the 8,sacrifice of ,isaac0 is spoken of in 8,modern ,painters0 7vol4 i4 p4 #bbg1 ,pt4 ,,ii41 iii41 cap4 #c1 #g71 as 8a ropy1 tough-looking wreath40 ,on this the reviewer commented4 #aa 8,we agree10 wrote the ,chronicle1 8with the writer in almost every word he says about this great artist2 and we have no doubt that1 when he is gone from among us1 his memory will receive the honor due to his living genius40 ,see also the postscript to the first volume of 8,modern ,painters0 7pp4 #dbb-c71 written in ,june1 #ahea4 #ab ,cimabue4 ,the quarter of the town is yet named1 from the rejoicing of that day1 ,borgo ,allegri499 7,original note to the letter3 see editor's preface47 99 ,the picture thus honored was that of the ,virgin1 painted for the ,church of ,santa ,maria ,novella1 where it now hangs in the ,rucellai ,chapel4 8,this work was an object of so much admiration to the people1 444 that it was carried in solemn procession1 with the sound of trumpets and other festal demonstrations1 from the house of ,cimabue to the church1 he himself being highly rewarded and honored for it4 ,it is further reported1 and may be read in certain records of old painters1 that whilst ,cimabue was painting this picture in a garden near the gate of ,san ,pietro1 ,king ,charles the ,elder1 of ,anjou1 passed through ,florence1 and the authorities of the city1 among other marks of respect1 conducted him to see the picture of ,cimabue4 ,when this work was shown to the king1 it had not before been seen by any one2 wherefore all the men and women of ,florence hastened in great crowds to admire it1 making all possible demonstrations of delight4 ,the inhabitants of the neighborhood1 rejoicing in this occurrence1 ever afterwards called that place ,borgo ,allegri2 and this name it has since retained1 although in process of time it became enclosed within the walls of the city4--,vasari1 8,lives of ,painters40 ,bohn's edition4 ,london1 #ahej4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #da4 ,this well-known anecdote may also be found in ,jameson's 8,early ,italian ,painters10 p4 #ab4 #ac ,this letter was written in reply to one signed 8,matilda ,y410 which had been printed in the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 p4 #bfe1 ,december1 #ahdc1 and which related to the opposite opinions held by different critics of the works of ,turner1 which were praised by some as 8beautiful and profoundly truthful representations of nature10 whilst others declared them to be 8executed without end1 aim1 or principle40 8,may not these contradictions10 wrote the correspondent1 in the passage alluded to by ,mr4 ,ruskin1 8be in a great measure the result of extreme ignorance of art in the great mass of those persons who take upon themselves the office of critics and reviewers8 ,can any one be a judge of art whose judgment is not founded on an accurate knowledge of nature8 ,it is scarcely possible that a mere knowledge of pictures1 however extensive1 can qualify a man for the arduous and responsible duties of public criticism of art40 #ad ,gustav ,friedrich ,waagen1 ,director of the ,berlin ,gallery from #ahcb until his death in #ahfh4 ,he was the author of various works on art1 amongst them one entitled 8,works of ,art and ,artists in ,england0 7,london1 #ahch71 which is that alluded to here4 ,the passage quoted concludes a description of his 8first attempt to navigate the watery paths10 in a voyage from ,hamburg to the ,london ,docks 7vol4 i4 p4 #ac74 ,his criticism of ,turner may be found in the same work 7vol4 ii4 p4 #hj71 where commenting on ,turner's 8,fishermen endeavoring to put their fish on board10 then1 as now1 in the gallery of ,bridgewater ,house 7,no4 #afi71 and which was painted as a rival to the great sea-storm of ,vandevelde1 he writes1 that 8in the truth of clouds and waves0 444 it is inferior to that picture1 compared with which 8it appears like a successful piece of scene-painting4 ,the great crowd of amateurs1 who ask nothing more of the art1 will always far prefer ,turner's picture40 ,dr4 ,waagen revised and re-edited his book in a second1 entitled1 8,treasures of ,art in ,great ,britain0 7#ahed71 in which these passages are repeated with slight verbal alterations 7vol4 i4 p4 #c1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ec74 ,in this work he acknowledges his ignorance of ,turner at the time the first was written1 and gives a high estimate of his genius4 8,buildings10 he writes1 8he treats with peculiar felicity1 while the sea in its most varied aspects is equally subservient to his magic brush066 ,he adds1 that but for one deficiency1 the want of a sound technical basis1 he 8should not hesitate to recognize ,turner as the greatest landscape painter of all time06 ,with regard1 however1 to the above-named picture1 it may be remembered that ,mr4 ,ruskin has himself instanced it as one of the marine pictures which ,turner spoiled by imitation of ,vandevelde 78,pre-,raphaelitism10 p4 #de74 #ae ,see the ,preface to the second edition of 8,modern ,painters0 7vol4 i4 p4 xix41 etc47 ,frederick ,richard ,lee1 ,r4,a41 died in ,june1 #ahgi4 #af ,abraham ,janssens1 in his jealousy of ,rubens1 proposed to him that they should each paint a picture1 and submit the rival works to the decision of the public4 ,mr4 ,ruskin gives ,rubens' reply1 the tenor of which may be found in any life of the artist4 ,see ,hasselt's 8,histoire de ,rubens0 7,brussels1 #ahdj71 p4 #dh1 from which ,mr4 ,ruskin quotes2 ,descamps1 vol4 i4 p4 #cjd2 ,walpole's 8,anecdotes of ,painting10 ,bonn's octavo edition1 p4 #cjf4 #ag ,this is a singular instance of the profound ignorance of landscape in which great and intellectual painters of the human form may remain2 an ignorance1 which commonly renders their remarks on landscape painting nugatory1 if not false4#ah #ah ,the amazement of the painter is underrated3 8,you will believe me much nearer heaven upon ,mount ,cenis than ,i was before1 or shall probably be again for some time4 ,we passed this mountain on ,sunday last1 and about seven in the morning were near the top of the road over it1 on both sides of which the mountain rises to a very great height1 yet so high were we in the valley between them that the moon1 which was above the horizon of the mountains1 appeared at least five times as big as usual1 and much more distinctly marked than ,i ever saw it through some very good telescopes40--,letter to ,edmund ,burke1 dated ,turin1 ,sept4 #bd1 #agff4 ,works of ,james ,barry1 ,r4,a41 #b vols41 quarto 7,london1 #ahji71 vol4 i p #eh4 ,he died in #ahjf4 #ai ,plato4--8,hippias4 ,men do not commonly say so4 ,socrates4 ,who do not say so--those who know1 or those who do not know8 ,hippias4 ,the multitude4 ,socrates4 ,are then the multitude acquainted with truth8 ,hippias4 ,certainly not4 ,the answer is put into the mouth of the sophist2 but put as an established fact1 which he cannot possibly deny4#bj #bj ,plato3 ,hippias ,major1 #bhd ,e4 ,steph4 #ba ,wordsworth4 8,poems of ,sentiment and ,reflection10 i4 8,expostulation and ,reply40 #bb 8,memorials of a ,tour in ,scotland4 #ahad4 iii4 ,effusion40 #bc ,see the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 p4 #bdh4 ,the article named was written in dualogue1 and in the passage alluded to 8,palette10 an artist1 points out to his companion 8,chatworthy10 who represents the general public1 that 8next to the highest authorities in ,art are the pure1 natural1 untainted1 highly educated1 and intelligent few0 ,the argument is continued over some pages1 but although the ,magazine is not now readily accessible to the ordinary reader1 it will not be thought necessary to go further into the discussion4 #bd ,mr4 ,thomas ,wakley1 at this time ,m4,p4 for ,finsbury1 and coroner for ,middlesex4 ,he was the founder of the ,lancet1 and took a deep interest in medicine1 which he at one time practised4 ,i do not find1 however1 that he published any volume of poems1 though he may well have been the author1 as the letter seems to imply1 of some occasional verses4 ,he died in #ahfb4 #be ,the references to this and the five passages following are 7#a7 ,burns1 8,the ,twa ,dogs20 7#b7 ,milton1 8,paradise ,lost10 vi4 #gi2 7#c7 ,burns1 8,death and ,doctor ,hornbook20 7#d7 ,byron1 8,hebrew ,melodies10 8,oh6 snatched away in beauty's bloom20 7#e7 ,campbell2 and 7#f7 ,shelley1 8,prometheus ,unbound10 ,act ii4 sc4 #a4 #bf ,it will be felt at once that the more serious and higher passages generally suffer most4 ,but ,stanfield1 little as it may be thought1 suffers grievously in the ,academy1 just as the fine passage from ,campbell is ruined by its position between the perfect tenderness of ,byron and ,shelley4 ,the more vulgar a picture is1 the better it bears the ,academy4 #bg 8,although it is in verse that the most consummate skill in composition is to be looked for1 and all the artifices of language displayed1 yet it is in verse only that we throw off the yoke of the world1 and are1 as it were1 privileged to utter our deepest and holiest feelings4 ,poetry in this respect may be called the salt of the earth4 ,we express in it1 and receive in it1 sentiments for which1 were it not for this permitted medium1 the usages of the world would neither allow utterance nor acceptance40--,southey's ,colloquies#bh ,such allowance is never made to the painter4 ,in him1 inspiration is called insanity--in him1 the sacred fire1 possession4 #bh 8,sir ,thomas ,more2 or1 ,colloquies on the ,progress and ,prospects of ,society40 ,colloquy xiv4 7vol4 ii4 p4 #cii1 in ,murray's edition1 #ahbi74 #bi 8,this ,turner1 of whom you have known so little while he was living among you1 will one day take his place beside ,shakespeare and ,verulam1 in the annals of the light of ,england4 8,yes3 beside ,shakespeare and ,verulam1 a third star in that central constellation1 round which1 in the astronomy of intellect1 all other stars make their circuit4 ,by ,shakespeare1 humanity was unsealed to you2 by ,verulam the principles of nature2 and by ,turner1 her aspect4 ,all these were sent to unlock one of the gates of light1 and to unlock it for the first time4 ,but of all the three1 though not the greatest1 ,turner was the most unprecedented in his work4 ,bacon did what ,aristotle had attempted2 ,shakespeare did perfectly what schylus did partially2 but none before ,turner had lifted the veil from the face of nature2 the majesty of the hills and forests had received no interpretation1 and the clouds passed unrecorded from the face of the heavens which they adorned1 and of the earth to which they ministered10--8,lectures on ,architecture and ,painting10 by ,john ,ruskin2 published #ahed2 pp4 #ahj1 #aha4 #cj ,we have not sufficiently expressed our concurrence in the opinion of her friend1 that ,turner's modern works are his greatest4 ,his early ones are nothing but amplifications of what others have done1 or hard studies of every-day truth4 ,his later works no one but himself could have conceived3 they are the result of the most exalted imagination1 acting with the knowledge acquired by means of his former works4 #ca ,wordsworth4 8,poems of ,sentiment and ,reflection40 ii4 8,the ,tables ,turned0 7#agih71 being the companion poem to that quoted ante1 p4 #ag4 ,the second line should read1 8,close up these barren leaves40 #cb ,this work related to ,university co-operation with schemes for middle-class education1 and included letters from various authorities1 amongst others one from ,mr4 ,hullah on ,music4 ,the present letter was addressed to the ,rev4 ,f4 ,temple 7now ,bishop of ,exeter71 and was written in reply to a statement of certain points in debate between him and ,mr4 7now ,sir ,thomas7 ,acland4 ,in forwarding it to his opponent1 ,mr4 ,temple wrote as follows3 8,the liberal arts are supreme over their sciences4 ,instead of the rules being despotic1 the great artist usually proves his greatness by rightly setting aside rules2 and the great critic is he who1 while he knows the rule1 can appreciate the #8law within the law' which overrides the rule4 ,in no other way does ,ruskin so fully show his greatness in criticism as in that fine inconsistency for which he has been so often attacked by men who do not see the real consistency that lies beneath40 #cc ,in the following year ,mr4 ,ruskin wrote a paper for the ,national ,association for the ,promotion of ,social ,science1 on 8,education in ,art0 7,transactions1 #aheh1 pp4 #caa-caf71 now reprinted in the eleventh volume of ,mr4 ,ruskin's works1 8,a ,joy for ,ever10 p4 #ahe4 ,to this paper the reader of the present letter is referred4 #cd 8,giotto passed the first ten years of his life1 a shepherd-boy1 among these hills 7of ,fisole72 was found by ,cimabue1 near his native village1 drawing one of his sheep upon a smooth stone2 was yielded up by his father1 #8a simple person1 a laborer of the earth1' to the guardianship of the painter1 who1 by his own work1 had already made the streets of ,florence ring with joy2 attended him to ,florence1 and became his disciple40--8,giotto and his ,works in ,padua10 by ,john ,ruskin1 #ahed1 p4 #ab4 #ce ,this letter was1 it appears1 originally addressed to an artist1 ,mr4 ,williams 7of ,southampton71 and was then printed1 some years later1 in the number of ,nature and ,art above referred to4 #cf ,some words are necessary to explain this and the following letter4 ,in the autumn of #ahdf a correspondence was opened in the columns of ,the ,times on the subject of the cleaning and restoration of the national pictures during the previous vacation4 ,mr4 7afterwards ,sir ,charles7 ,eastlake was at this time ,keeper of the ,gallery1 though he resigned office soon after this letter was written1 partly in consequence of the attacks which had been made upon him4 ,he was blamed1 not only for restoring good pictures1 but also for buying bad ones1 and in particular the purchase of a 8libel on ,holbein0 was quoted against him4 ,the attack was led by the picture-dealer1 and at one time artist1 ,mr4 ,morris ,moore1 writing at first under the pseudonym of 8,verax10 and afterwards in his own name4 ,he continued his opposition through several years1 especially during #ahej and #aheb4 ,he also published some pamphlets on the subject1 amongst them one entitled 8,the ,revival of ,vandalism at the ,national ,gallery1 a reply to ,john ,ruskin and others0 7,london1 ,ollivier1 #ahec74 ,the whole discussion may be gathered in all its details from the ,parliamentary ,report of the ,select ,committee on the ,national ,gallery in #ahec4 #cg ,the 8violent attack0 alludes to a letter of 8,verax10 in ,the ,times of ,thursday 7not ,friday71 ,december #ca1 #ahdf1 and the 8attempted defence0 to another letter signed 8,a4 ,g40 in ,the ,times of ,january #d1 two days 7not the day7 before ,mr4 ,ruskin wrote the present letter4 #ch 8,the ,crucifixion1 or ,adoration of the ,cross10 in the church of ,san ,marco4 ,an engraving of this picture may be found in ,mrs4 ,jameson's 8,history of our ,lord10 vol4 i4 p4 #ahi4 #ci ,no4 #df in the ,national ,gallery4 #dj 8,landscape1 with ,cattle and ,figures--,evening0 7,no4 #ec74 ,since the bequest of the somewhat higher 8large ,dort0 in #ahgf 7,no4 #ifa71 it has ceased to be 8the large ,cuyp40 #da ,no4 #ce in the ,national ,gallery4 ,this and the two pictures already mentioned were the typical instances of 8spoilt pictures10 quoted by 8,verax40 #db 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 p4 #adf4 #dc 8,philip ,,iv4 of ,spain1 hunting the ,wild ,boar0 7,no4 #aig71 purchased in #ahdf4 #dd ,on this and other collateral subjects the reader is referred to the next letter2 to ,mr4 ,ruskin's evidence before the ,national ,gallery ,commission in #aheg2 and to the ,appendix to his ,notes on the ,turner ,gallery at ,marlborough ,house1 #ahef-g4 ,it is hardly necessary to state that a very large number of the national pictures1 especially the ,turners1 are now preserved under glass4 ,of the other strictures here pronounced1 some are no longer deserved2 and it may well be remembered that at the time this letter was written the ,national ,gallery had been founded less than five-and-twenty years4 #de 8,lot and his ,daughters ,leaving ,sodom0 7,no4 #aic71 bequeathed to the gallery in #ahdd1 and 8,susannah and the ,elders0 7,no4 #aif71 purchased in the same year4 #df ,the 8two good ,guidos0 previously possessed are the 8,st4 ,jerome0 7,no4 #aa7 and the 8,magdalen0 7,no4 #agg74 ,the 8wretched panel0 is ,no4 #aha1 8,the ,virgin and ,infant ,christ with ,st4 ,john40 ,for the rest1 the gallery now includes two other ,peruginos1 8,the ,virgin adoring the ,infant ,christ1 the ,archangel ,michael1 the ,archangel ,raphael and ,tobias0 7,no4 #bhh71 three panels1 purchased in #ahef1 and the very recent 7#ahgi7 purchase of the 8,virgin and ,child with ,st4 ,jerome and ,st4 ,francis0 7,no4 #ajge74 ,it boasts also two ,angelicos--8,the ,adoration of the ,magi0 7,no4 #ehb7 and 8,christ amid the ,blessed0 7,no4 #ffc71 purchased in #aheg and #ahfj2 one ,albertinelli1 8,virgin and ,child 87,no4 #fde71 also purchased in #ahfj2 and two ,lorenzo di ,credis1 both of the 8,virgin and ,child0 7,nos4 #eic and #fdh71 purchased in #aheg and #ahfe4 ,but it still possesses no ,fra ,bartolomeo1 no ,ghirlandajo1 and no ,verrochio4 #dg 8,the ,judgment of ,paris0 7,no4 #aid71 purchased from ,mr4 ,penrice's collection in #ahdf4 #dh 8,the ,last ,judgment20 its purchaser was the ,earl of ,dudley1 in whose possession the picture1 now hanging at ,dudley ,house in ,london1 has ever since remained4 ,an engraving of this work 7pronounced the finest of ,angelico's four representations of this subject71 may be found in ,mrs4 ,jameson's 8,history of our ,lord10 vol4 ii4 p4 #dad4 ,cardinal ,fesch was ,archbishop of ,lyons1 and the uncle of ,napoleon ,buonaparte4 ,his gallery contained in its time the finest private collection of pictures in ,rome4 #di ,the 8libel on ,holbein0 was bought as an original1 from ,mr4 ,rochard1 in #ahde4 ,it now figures in the ,national ,gallery as 8,a ,medical ,professor1--artist unknown0 7,no4 #aie74 #ej ,the ,bellini is the 8,portrait of ,doge ,leonardo ,loredano0 7,no4 #ahi71 purchased in #ahdd2 four more examples 7,nos4 #bhj1 #gbf1 #hjh1 #hab7 of the same 8mighty ,venetian master0 have since been introduced1 so that he is no longer 8poorly represented by a single head40 ,the ,van ,eyck is the 8,portrait of ,jean ,arnolfini and his ,wife0 7,no4 #ahf71 purchased in #ahdb4 #ea ,claude's 8,marriage of ,isaac and ,rebecca0 7,no4 #ab71 and his 8,queen of ,sheba0 picture 7,no4 #ad1 ,seaport1 with figures74 ,the only pictures of ,veronese which the ,gallery at this time contained1 were the 8,consecration of ,st4 ,nicholas0 7,no4 #bf71 and the 8,rape of ,europa0 7,no4 #ig74 ,it is the former of these two that is here spoken of as injured 7see the report of the ,national ,gallery ,committee in #ahec74 #eb ,mr4 ,thomas ,uwins1 ,r4,a41 had succeeded ,sir ,charles ,eastlake as ,keeper of the ,national ,gallery in #ahdg2 and resigned1 for a similar reason1 in #ahee4 #ec ,the public may not1 perhaps1 be generally aware that the condition by which the nation retains the two pictures bequeathed to it by ,turner1 and now in the ,national ,gallery1 is that 8they shall be hung beside ,claude's4099 99 8,dido building ,carthage0 7,no4 #dih71 and 8,the ,sun rising in a ,mist0 7,no4 #dgi74 ,the actual wording of ,turner's will on the matter ran thus3 8,i direct that the said pictures1 or paintings1 shall be hung1 kept1 and placed1 that is to say1 always between the two pictures painted by ,claude1 the ,seaport and the ,mill40 ,accordingly they now hang side by side with these two pictures 7,nos4 #e and #ab7 in the ,national ,gallery4 #ed ,see p4 #db1 note4 #ee ,query1 a misprint8 as six pictures are mentioned4 #ef 8,the ,art of a nation is1 ,i think1 one of the most important points of its history1 and a part which1 if once destroyed1 no history will ever supply the place of2 and the first idea of a ,national ,gallery is that it should be a ,library of ,art1 in which the rudest efforts are1 in some cases1 hardly less important than the noblest40--,national ,gallery ,commission1 #aheg3 ,mr4 ,ruskin's evidence4 #eg ,it was at this time proposed to remove the national pictures from ,trafalgar ,square to some new building to be erected for them elsewhere4 ,this proposal was1 however1 negatived by the commission ultimately appointed 7#aheg7 to consider the matter1 and to some extent rendered unnecessary by the enlargement of the gallery1 decided upon in #ahff4 #eh ,the galleries of the ,louvre were reorganized on their being declared national instead of crown property1 after the ,revolution of #ahdh2 and the choicest pictures were then collected together in the 8grand salon carr10 which1 although since rearranged1 still contains a similar selection4 ,the 8best ,tintoret on this side of the ,alps0 is the 8,susannah and the ,elders10 now ,no4 #cdi in that room4 #ei ,the gift of ,mr4 ,robert ,vernon1 in #ahdg1 consisted of #aeg pictures1 all of them1 with two exceptions only1 of the ,british school4 ,the ,turner bequest included #aje finished oil paintings1 in addition to the numerous sketches and drawings4 #fj ,an example of a cognate school might1 however1 be occasionally introduced for the sake of direct comparison1 as in one instance would be necessitated by the condition above mentioned attached to part of the ,turner bequest4 #fa ,at the meeting of the ,society1 in the ,hall1 ,adelphi1 ,lord ,henry ,lennox read a paper on 8,the ,uses of ,national ,museums to ,local ,institutions10 in which he spoke of ,mr4 ,ruskin's suggestions 8adopted and recommended to ,parliament in annual reports1 and in obedience to distinct ,commissions10 as having been unwarrantably disregarded since #aheh4 ,see ,mr4 ,ruskin's official report on the ,turner ,bequest1 printed in the 8,report of the ,director of the ,national ,gallery to the ,lords of the ,treasury1 #aheh10 ,appendix vii4 #fb ,professor ,nevil ,story-,maskelyne 7now ,m4,p4 for ,cricklade7 was then1 and till his recent resignation1 ,keeper of ,mineralogy at the ,museum4 #fc ,in ,mr4 ,ruskin's official report already mentioned1 and which was made at the close of his labors in arranging the ,turner drawings1 and dated ,march #bg1 #aheh1 he divided the collection into three classes1 of which the third consisted of drawings available for distribution among provincial ,schools of ,art4 ,the passage of the report referred to is as follows3 8,the remainder of the collection consists of drawings of miscellaneous character1 from which many might be spared with little loss to the collection in ,london1 and great advantage to students in the provinces4 ,five or six collections1 each completely illustrative of ,turner's modes of study1 and successions of practice1 might easily be prepared for the academies of ,edinburgh1 ,dublin1 and the principal ,english manufacturing towns40--,see also the similar recommendation with regard to the 8,outlines of ,john ,leech10 in the letter on that subject4 #fd ,titian's 8,bacchus and ,ariadne0--already mentioned1 p4 #dj4 ,henry ,,vi4's ,psalter is in the ,british ,museum 78,domitian ,a4 #ag10 in the ,cottonian ,catalogue74 ,it is of early fifteenth century work1 and was executed in ,england by a ,french artist for the then youthful king1 from whom it takes its name4 #fe ,this letter was written in reply to one requesting ,mr4 ,ruskin's views on the best means of forming a public ,gallery at ,leicester4 #ff ,that the critique was sufficiently bitter1 may be gathered from the following portions of it3 8,these young artists have unfortunately become notorious by addicting themselves to an antiquated style and an affected simplicity in painting4444 ,we can extend no toleration to a mere senile imitation of the cramped style1 false perspective1 and crude color of remote antiquity4 ,we want not to see what ,fuseli termed drapery #8snapped instead of folded2' faces bloated into apoplexy1 or extenuated to skeletons2 color borrowed from the jars in a druggist's shop1 and expression forced into caricature4444 ,that morbid infatuation which sacrifices truth1 beauty1 and genuine feeling to mere eccentricity1 deserves no quarter at the hands of the public40 #fg ,a sacred picture 7,no4 #eah7 upon the text1 8,and one shall say unto him1 ,what are these wounds in thine hands8 ,then he shall answer1 ,those with which ,i was wounded in the house of my friends0 7,zechariah xiii4 #f74 ,he had two other pictures in the ,academy of #ahej1 namely1 8,portrait of a gentleman and his grandchild0 7,no4 #dbi71 and 8,ferdinand lured by ,ariel0 7,no4 #ejd7--,shakespeare1 8,tempest10 ,act ii4 sc4 #b4 #fh ,see the next letter1 p4 #if4 ,with regard to the religious tone of some parts of ,mr4 ,ruskin's early writings1 it is worth noting that in the recent reissue 7#ahhj7 of the 8,seven ,lamps of ,architecture10 8some pieces of rabid and utterly false ,protestantism 444 are cut from text and appendix alike40--7,preface1 p4 #a2 and see the note on one such omission on p4 #ai47 ,so again in the preface to the final edition of 8,modern ,painters10 issued in #ahgc1 ,mr4 ,ruskin stated that his objection to republishing unrevised the first two volumes of that work was that 8they are written in a narrow enthusiasm1 and the substance of their metaphysical and religious speculation is only justifiable on the ground of its absolute sincerity40--,see also 8,sesame and ,lilies10 #ahga ed41 ,preface1 p4 #b4 #fi ,the pre-,raphaelite pictures exhibited in the ,academy of this year1 and referred to here and in the following letter1 were the 8,mariana0 7,no4 #efa7 of ,millais1 8,the ,return of the ,dove to the ,ark0 7,no4 #fea71 and 8,the ,woodman's ,daughter0 7,no4 #gii71 7see ,coventry ,patmore's ,poems1 vol4 i4 p4 #ahd--d vol4 ed41 #ahgi71 both also by ,millais2 the 8,valentine receiving 7rescuing87 ,sylvia from ,proteus0 7,no4 #eid71 of ,holman ,hunt2 and the 8,convent ,thoughts0 7,no4 #dic7 of ,mr4 ,c4 ,collins1 to which were affixed the lines from 8,midsummer ,night's ,dream0 7,act i4 sc4 #a71 8,thrice blessed they1 that master so their blood ,to undergo such maiden pilgrimage20 and the verse 7,psalm cxliii4 #e71 8,i meditate on all ,thy works2 ,i muse on the work of ,thy hands40 ,the last-named artist also had a portrait of ,mr4 ,william ,bennett 7,no4 #gah7 in the ,exhibition--not1 however1 alluded to in this letter4 ,mr4 ,charles ,allston ,collins1 who was the son of ,william ,collins1 ,r4,a41 and the younger brother of ,mr4 ,wilkie ,collins1 subsequently turned his attention to literature1 and may be remembered as the author of 8,a ,cruise upon ,wheels10 8,the ,eye-,witness10 and other writings4 #gj ,compare 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 p4 #dae1 note1 where allusion is made to the painters of a society which 8unfortunately1 or rather unwisely1 has given itself the name of #8,pre-,raphaelite2' unfortunately1 because the principles on which its members are working are neither pre- nor post-,raphaelite1 but everlasting4 ,they are endeavoring to paint with the highest possible degree of completion1 what they see in nature1 without reference to conventional established rules2 but by no means to imitate the style of any past epoch40 #ga 8,two ,gentlemen of ,verona10 ,act ii4 sc4 #d4 ,the scene of the picture was taken from ,act v4 sc4 #d4 #gb 8,the ,hhareem0 7,no4 #adg71 noticed1 partly to the above effect1 in ,the ,times1 ,may #a1 #ahej4 ,it will be remembered that ,john ,lewis is1 with ,turner1 ,millais1 ,prout1 ,mulready1 and ,edwin ,landseer1 one of the artists particularly mentioned in ,mr4 ,ruskin's pamphlet on 8,pre-,raphaelitism0 7#ahea71 p4 #cc2 and see also 8,academy ,notes10 ,,iii41 #aheg1 p4 #dh4 #gc 8,i have great hope that they may become the foundation of a more earnest and able school of art than we have seen for centuries40--8,modern ,painters10 vol4 i4 p4 #dae1 note4 #gd ,of the two pictures described in this and the following letter1 8,the ,light of the ,world0 is well known from the engraving of it by ,w4 ,h4 ,simmons4 ,it was originally purchased by ,mr4 ,thomas ,combe1 of ,oxford1 whose widow has recently presented it to ,keble ,college1 where it now hangs1 in the library4 ,the subject of the second picture1 which is less well known1 and which has never been engraved1 sufficiently appears from the letter describing it4 #ge ,mr4 ,dearle informs me that this picture was bought from the walls of the ,academy by a prize-holder in the ,art ,union of ,london4 ,he adds that the purchaser resided in either ,america or ,australia1 and that the picture is now1 therefore1 presumably in one or other of those countries4 #gf ,shenstone3 ,elegy xxvi4 ,the subject of the poem is that of the picture described here4 ,the girl speaks-- 8,if through the garden's flowery tribes ,i stray1 ,where bloom the jasmines that could once allure1 ,hope not10 etc4 ,the prize of the ,liverpool ,academy was awarded in #aheh to ,millais's 8,blind ,girl40 ,popular feeling1 however1 favored another picture1 the 8,waiting for the ,verdict0 of ,a4 ,solomon1 and a good deal of discussion arose as to whether the prize had been rightly awarded4 ,as one of the judges1 and as a member of the ,academy1 ,mr4 ,alfred ,hunt addressed a letter on the matter to ,mr4 ,ruskin1 the main portion of whose reply was sent by him to the ,liverpool ,albion and is now reprinted here4 ,mr4 ,solomon's picture had been exhibited in the ,royal ,academy of #aheg 7,no4 #efb71 and is mentioned in ,mr4 ,ruskin's ,notes to the pictures of that year 7p4 #cb74 #gg ,the defence was made in a second notice 7,march #f1 #aheh7 of the ,exhibition of the ,royal ,scottish ,academy1 then open to the public4 ,the picture of ,mr4 ,waller ,paton 7now ,r4,s4,a47 alluded to here was entitled 8,wild ,water1 ,inveruglass0 7#afa72 he also exhibited one of 8,arrochar ,road1 ,tarbet0 7#cad74 ,the platitudes of the ,scotsman against the pre-,raphaelites were contained in its second notice of the ,exhibition 7,february #bj1 #aheh74 #gh ,there must be some error here1 as it is the true dreams that come through the horn gate1 while the fruitless ones pass through the gate of ivory4 ,the allusion is to ,homer 7,odyssey1 xix4 #efb74 #gi ,in illustration of the old ,scottish ballad of 8,burd ,helen10 who1 fearing her lover's desertion1 followed him1 dressed as a foot-page1 through flood1 if not through fire-- 8,lord ,john he rode1 ,burd ,helen ran1 ,the live-lang sumer's day1 ,until they cam' to ,clyde's ,water1 ,was filled frae bank to brae4 8#8,see'st thou yon water1 ,helen1' quoth he1 #8,that flows frae bank to brim8' #8,i trust to ,god1 ,lord ,john1' she said1 #8,you ne'er will see me swim4'0 ,this picture 7,no4 #ada in the ,edinburgh ,exhibition of #aheh7 was first exhibited in the ,royal ,academy of #ahef4 ,in the postscript to his ,academy ,notes of that year1 ,mr4 ,ruskin1 after commenting on the 8crying error of putting it nearly out of sight10 so that he had at first hardly noticed it1 estimates this picture as second only to the 8,autumn ,leaves0 of ,mr4 ,millais in that exhibition4 ,the following is a portion of his comment on it3 8,i see just enough of the figures to make me sure that the work is thoughtful and intense in the highest degree4 ,the pressure of the girl's hand on her side2 her wild1 firm1 desolate look at the stream--she not raising her eyes as she makes her appeal1 for fear of the greater mercilessness in the human look than in the glaze of the gliding water--the just choice of the type of the rider's cruel face1 and of the scene itself--so terrible in haggardness of rattling stones and ragged heath1--are all marks of the action of the very grandest imaginative power1 shortened only of hold upon our feelings1 because dealing with a subject too fearful to be for a moment believed true40 ,the picture was originally purchased by ,mr4 ,john ,miller1 of ,liverpool2 at the sale of whose collection by ,christie and ,manson1 two years later1 in #aheh1 it fetched the price of two hundred guineas4 ,at the same sale the 8,blind ,girl10 alluded to in the previous letter1 was sold for three hundred4 ,for the poem illustrated by the picture1 see ,aytoun's 8,ballads of ,scotland10 i4 #bai1 where a slightly different version of it is given3 it may also be found in 8,percy's ,reliques0 7vol4 iii4 p4 #ei71 under the title of 8,child ,waters40 ,other versions of this ballad1 and other ballads of the same name1 and probably origin1 may be found in ,jameson's collection1 vol4 i4 p4 #aag1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cgf1 in ,buchan's 8,ancient ,ballads of the ,north10 ii4 #bi 7#ahgi ed47 and in 8,four ,books of ,scottish ,ballads10 ,edin41 #ahfh1 ,bk4 ii4 p4 #ba1 where it is well noted that 8,burd ,helen0 corresponds to the 8,proud ,elise0 of northern minstrels1 8,la ,prude ,dame ,elise0 of the ,french1 and the 8,gentle ,lady ,elise0 of the ,english--7,burd1 ,prud1 ,preux74 ,it is also possible that it is a corruption of ,burdalayn1 or ,burdalane1 meaning an only child1 a maiden1 etc4 #hj ,the ,witness had objected to the 8astonishing fondness0 of the pre-,raphaelite school for 8conceits10 instancing as typically far-fetched that in the picture of 8,burd ,helen10 where ,lord ,john was represented 8pulling to pieces a heart's-ease10 as he crosses the stream4 #ha ,the first exhibition of ,turner's pictures after his death was opened at ,marlborough ,house early in ,november1 #ahef1 seven months subsequent to the final decision as to the proper distribution of the property1 which was the subject of ,turner's will4 #hb ,see ,rogers' 8,italy10 p4 #bi4 #hc ,william ,hookham ,carpenter1 for many years ,keeper of the prints and drawings at the ,british ,museum4 ,he died in #ahff4 #hd ,mr4 ,ruskin's offer was accepted1 and he eventually arranged the drawings1 and1 in particular1 the four hundred now exhibited in one of the lower rooms of the ,national ,gallery1 and contained in the kind of cases above proposed1 presented by ,mr4 ,ruskin to the ,gallery4 ,mr4 ,ruskin also printed1 as promised1 a descriptive and explanatory catalogue of a hundred of these four hundred drawings4 7,catalogue of the ,turner ,sketches in the ,national ,gallery4 ,for private circulation4 ,part #a4aheg4--,only one hundred copies printed1 and no further parts issued47 ,writing 7#aheh7 to ,mr4 ,norton of his whole work in arranging the ,turner drawings1 ,mr4 ,ruskin said3 8,to show you a little what my work has been1 ,i have facsimiled for you1 as nearly as ,i could1 one of the nineteen thousand sketches 7comprised in the ,turner bequest74 ,it1 like most of them1 is not a sketch1 but a group of sketches1 made on both sides of the leaf of the note-book4 ,the note-books vary in contents from sixty to ninety leaves3 there are about two hundred books of the kind--three hundred and odd note-books in all2 and each leaf has on an average this quantity of work1 a great many leaves being slighter1 some blank1 but a great many also elaborate in the highest degree1 some containing ten exquisite compositions on each side of the leaf1 thus 7see facsimile71 each no bigger than this--and with about that quantity of work in each1 but every touch of it inestimable1 done with his whole soul in it4 ,generally the slighter sketches are written over it everywhere1 as in the example inclosed1 every incident being noted that was going on at the moment of the sketch40--8,list of ,turner's ,drawings shown in connection with ,mr4 ,norton's ,lectures40 ,boston3 #ahgd4 p4 #aa4 ,the facsimile alluded to by ,mr4 ,norton is reproduced here4 #he ,july #c1 #aheg1 upon the vote of #bc1afe for the ,national ,gallery4 #hf ,the late ,mr4 ,ralph ,nicholson ,wornum1 who succeeded ,mr4 ,uwins as ,keeper of the ,national ,gallery in #ahee1 and retained that office till his death in #ahgh4 #hg 8,the family of ,darius at the feet of ,alexander after the ,battle of ,issus10 purchased at ,venice from the ,pisani collection in #aheg4 ,lord ,elcho had complained in the course of the debate that the price1 #ac1fej1 paid for this picture1 had been excessive2 and in reply allusion was made to the still higher price 7#bc1jjj7 paid for the 8,immaculate ,conception0 of ,murillo1 purchased for the ,louvre by ,napoleon ,,iii41 in #aheb1 from the collection of ,marshal ,soult4--,of the great ,veronese1 ,mr4 ,ruskin also wrote thus3 8,it at once1 to my mind1 raises our ,national ,gallery from a second-rate to a first-rate collection4 ,i have always loved the master1 and given much time to the study of his works1 but this is the best ,i have ever seen40 7,turner ,notes1 #aheg1 ed4 v41 p4 #hi1 note47 ,so again before the ,national ,gallery ,commission1 earlier in the same year1 he had said1 8,i am rejoiced to hear 7of its rumored purchase74 ,if it is confirmed1 nothing will have given me such pleasure for a long time4 ,i think it is the most precious ,paul ,veronese in the world1 as far as the completeness of the picture goes1 and quite a priceless picture40 #hh ,the present letter was written in reply to a criticism1 contained in the ,literary ,gazette of ,november #f1 #aheh1 on ,mr4 ,ruskin's 8,catalogue of the ,turner ,sketches and ,drawings exhibited at ,marlborough ,house #aheg-h40 ,the subjects of complaint made by the ,gazette sufficiently appear from this letter4 ,they were1 briefly1 first1 the mode of exhibition of the ,turner ,drawings proposed by ,mr4 ,ruskin in his official report already alluded to1 pp4 #gh and #hj1 note2 and1 secondly1 two alleged hyperboles and one omission in the ,catalogue itself4 #hi ,the cloud-forms which have disappeared from the drawings may be seen in the engravings4 #ij 8,notes on the oil pictures10 to be distinguished from the later catalogue of the ,turner sketches and drawings with which this letter directly deals4 ,see ante1 p4 #hh1 note4 #ia ,by the way1 you really ought to have given me some credit for the swivel frames in the desks of ,marlborough ,house1 which enable the public1 however rough-handed1 to see the drawings on both sides of the same leaf4#id #ib ,the rest of this letter may1 with the exception of its two last paragraphs1 and the slight alterations noted1 be also found in 8,the ,two ,paths10 ,appendix iv41 8,subtlety of ,hand0 7pp4 #bbf-i of the new1 and pp4 #bfc-f of the original edition71 where the words bracketed sic in this reprint of it are1 it will be seen1 omitted4 #ic ,from a vignette design by ,stothard of a single figure1 to illustrate the poem 8,on a ,tear40 7,rogers' ,poems1 ,london1 #ahcd ed47 #id ,the identical frames1 each containing examples of the sketches in pencil outline to which the letter alludes1 may be seen in the windows of the lower rooms of the ,national ,gallery1 now devoted to the exhibition of the ,turner drawings4 #ie ,doubly emphasized in 8,the ,two ,paths10 where the words are printed thus3 8,i still look with awe at the combined delicacy and precision of his hand2 ,,it ,,beats ,,optical ,,work ,,out ,,of ,,sight40 #if 8,the ,two paths0 reprint has 8put in italics40 #ig ,the following note is here added to the reprint in 8,the ,two ,paths30 8,a sketch1 observe--not a printed drawing4 ,sketches are only proper subjects of comparison with each other when they contain about the same quantity of work3 the test of their merit is the quantity of truth told with a given number of touches4 ,the assertion in the ,catalogue which this letter was written to defend was made respecting the sketch of ,rome1 ,no4 #aja40 #ih ,no4 #de was a 8,study of a ,cutter40 ,mr4 ,ruskin's note to it in the ,catalogue is partly as follows3 8,i have never seen any chalk sketch which for a moment could be compared with this for soul and power4444 ,i should think that the power of it would be felt by most people2 but if not1 let those who do not feel its strength1 try to copy it40 ,see the ,catalogue under ,no4 #de1 as also under ,no4 #ga1 referred to above4 #ii ,in a letter to ,mr4 ,norton written in the same year as this one to the ,literary ,gazette1 ,mr4 ,ruskin thus speaks of the value of these plates3 8,even those who know most of art may at first look be disappointed with the ,liber ,studiorum4 ,for the nobleness of these designs is not more in what is done than in what is not done in them4 ,every touch in these plates is related to every other1 and has no permission of withdrawn1 monastic virtue1 but is only good in its connection with the rest1 and in that connection infinitely and inimitably good4 ,the showing how each of these designs is connected by all manner of strange intellectual chords and nerves with the pathos and history of this old ,english country of ours1 and with the history of ,european mind from earliest mythology down to modern rationalism and irrationalism--all this was what ,i meant to try and show in my closing work2 but long before that closing ,i felt it to be impossible40--,extract from a letter of ,mr4 ,ruskin1 #aheh1 quoted in the 8,list of ,turner ,drawings1 etc410 already mentioned1 p4 #e4 #ajj ,the ,literary ,gazette of ,november #bj1 #aheh1 contains a reply to this letter1 but as it did not provoke a further letter from ,mr4 ,ruskin1 it is not noticed in detail here4 #aja ,there was at the date of this and the following letter an exhibition of ,turner drawings at the ,south ,kensington ,museum4 ,these pictures have1 however1 been since removed to the ,national ,gallery1 and the only works of ,turner now at ,kensington1 are some half dozen oil paintings belonging to the ,sheepshanks collection1 and about the same number of water-color drawings1 which form part of the historical series of ,british water-color paintings4 #ajb ,this refers to a letter signed 8,e4 ,a4 ,f40 which appeared in ,the ,times of ,october #ai1 #ahei1 advising the adoption of ,mr4 ,gilbert ,scott's ,gothic design for the ,foreign ,office in preference to any ,classic design4 ,the writer entered at some length into the principles of ,gothic and ,classic architecture1 which he briefly summed up in the last sentence of his letter3 8,gothic1 then1 is national2 it is constructively real2 it is equally adapted to all sorts of buildings2 it is convenient2 it is cheap4 ,in none of these does ,italian surpass it2 in most of them it is very inferior to it40 ,see the letters on the ,oxford ,museum as to the adaptability of ,gothic--included in ,section vi4 of these ,letters on ,art4 ,with regard to the cheapness of ,gothic1 the correspondent of ,the ,times had pointed out that while it may be cheap and yet thoroughly good so far as it goes1 ,italian must always be costly4 #ajc ,hardly a debate4 ,lord ,francis ,hervey had recently 7,june #cj1 #ahgf7 put a question in the ,house of ,commons to ,lord ,henry ,lennox 7,first ,commissioner of ,works7 as to whether it was the fact that many of ,turner's drawings were at that time stowed in the cellars of the ,national ,gallery1 and had never been exhibited4 ,the ,daily ,telegraph in a short article on the matter 7,july #a1 #ahgf7 appealed to ,mr4 ,ruskin for his opinion on the exhibition of these drawings4 #ajd ,now ,i trust1 under ,mr4 ,poynter and ,mr4 ,sparkes1 undergoing thorough reform499 99 ,mr4 ,poynter1 ,r4,a41 was then1 as now1 ,director1 and ,mr4 ,sparkes ,head ,master1 of the ,art ,school at the ,south ,kensington ,museum4 #aje ,for notes of these drawings see the ,catalogue of the ,turner ,sketches and ,drawings already mentioned--7a7 ,the ,battle of ,fort ,bard1 ,val d',aosta1 p4 #cb2 7b7 the ,edinburgh1 p4 #cj2 and 7c7 the ,ivy ,bridge1 ,devon1 p4 #cb4 #ajf ,i have omitted to add to my note 7p4 #hd7 on ,mr4 ,ruskin's arrangement of the ,turner drawings a reference to his own account of the labor which that arrangement involved1 and of the condition in which he found the vast mass of the sketches4 ,see 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 v41 ,preface1 p4 vi4 #ajg ,the ,art ,treasures ,exhibition in #aheg1 being the year in which the lectures contained in the 8,political ,economy of ,art0 were delivered4 7,see 8,a ,joy for ,ever0--,ruskin's ,works1 vol4 xi4 p4 #hj47 #ajh 8,the ,plains of ,troy20--see for a note of this drawing ,mr4 ,ruskin's ,notes on his own 8,turners10 #ahgh1 p4 #de1 where he describes it as 8one of the most elaborate of the ,byron vignettes1 and full of beauty10 adding that 8the meaning of the sunset contending with the storm is the contest of the powers of ,apollo and ,athene20 and for the engraving of it1 see ,murray's edition of ,byron's ,life and ,works 7#ahcb1 seventeen volumes71 where it forms the vignette title-page of vol4 vii4 ,for the ,richmond and the ,egglestone ,abbey1 also in the possession of ,mr4 ,ruskin1 see the above mentioned ,notes1 p4 #bi 7,nos4 #bf and #bg74 ,the ,langharne ,castle was formerly in the possession of ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,bigg1 at the sale of whose collection in #ahfh it was sold for #dea4 #aji ,a misprint for 8wares20 see next letter1 p4 #ajd4 #aaj ,addressed to ,mr4 ,ruskin by ,mr4 ,collingwood ,smith1 and requesting ,mr4 ,ruskin to state in a second letter that the remarks as to the effect of light on the water colors of ,turner did not extend to water color drawings in general2 but that the evanescence of the colors in ,turner's drawings was due partly to the peculiar vehicles with which he painted1 and partly to the gray paper 7saturated with indigo7 on which he frequently worked4 ,mr4 ,ruskin complied with this request by thus forwarding for publication ,mr4 ,collingwood ,smith's letter4 #aaa ,the references to ,the ,times allude to an article on the 8,copies of ,turner ,drawings10 by ,mr4 ,william ,ward1 of #b ,church ,terrace1 ,richmond1 ,surrey1 which were then1 as now1 exhibited for sale in the rooms of the ,fine ,art ,society4 ,of these copies of ,turner1 ,mr4 ,ruskin says3 8,they are executed with extreme care under my own eye by the draughtsman trained by me for the purpose1 ,mr4 ,ward4 ,everything that can be learned from the smaller works of ,turner may be as securely learned from these drawings4 ,i have been more than once in doubt1 seeing original and copy together1 which was which2 and ,i think them about the best works that can now be obtained for a moderate price1 representing the authoritative forms of art in landscape40--,extract from letter of ,mr4 ,ruskin1 written in #ahfg4 ,list of ,turner ,drawings1 etc41 shown in connection with ,mr4 ,norton's lectures4 ,boston1 #ahgd1 p4 #i4 7,see also 8,ariadne ,florentina10 p4 #bba1 note47 ,the following comment of ,mr4 ,ruskin on one of ,mr4 ,ward's most recent copies is also interesting as evidence that the opinions expressed in this letter are still retained by its writer3 8,london1 #bjth ,march1 #ahhj4--,the copy of ,turner's drawing of #8,fluelen1' which has been just completed by ,mr4 ,ward1 and shown to me to-day1 is beyond my best hopes in every desirable quality of execution2 and is certainly as good as it is possible for care and skill to make it4 ,i am so entirely satisfied with it that1 for my own personal pleasure--irrespective of pride1 ,i should feel scarcely any loss in taking it home with me instead of the original2 and for all uses of artistic example or instruction1 it is absolutely as good as the original4--,,john ,,ruskin40--,the copy in question is from a drawing in the possession of ,mr4 ,ruskin 7see the ,turner ,notes1 #ahgh1 ,no4 #gj71 and was executed for its present proprietor1 ,mr4 ,t4 ,s4 ,kennedy1 of ,meanwoods1 ,leeds4 #aab 8,italy10 a reputed ,turner1 lent by the late ,mr4 ,wynn ,ellis4 ,no4 #bce was 8,a ,landscape10 with ,cattle1 in the possession of ,lord ,leconfield4 #aac ,see also 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 v4 pp4 #cde-cdg1 and 8,lectures on ,architecture and ,painting10 pp4 #aha-ahh1 where the character of ,turner is further explained1 and various anecdotes given in special illustration of his truth1 generosity1 and kindness of heart4 #aad ,the book was also referred to in 8,modern ,painters10 vol4 v4 p4 #cdd1 where ,mr4 ,ruskin speaks of this 8,life of ,turner10 then still unpublished1 as being written 8by a biographer1 who will1 ,i believe1 spare no pains in collecting the few scattered records which exist of a career so uneventful and secluded40 #aae ,nearly eight years after ,leech's death on ,october #bi1 #ahfd4 #aaf ,the number of the ,architect in which this letter was printed contained two sketches from ,mr4 ,george's 8,etchings on the ,mosel0--those1 viz41 of the ,elector's ,palace1 ,coblentz1 and of the interior of ,metz ,cathedral4 ,the intention of the ,architect to reproduce these etchings had apparently been previously communicated to ,mr4 ,ruskin1 who wrote the present letter for the issue in which the etchings were to be given4 ,mr4 ,george has since published other works of the same kind--e4g41 8,etchings in ,belgium10 8,etchings on the ,loire0 7see ,mr4 ,ruskin's advice to him at the end of this letter1 p4 #aaf74 #aag ,the reference must1 ,i think1 be to 8,ariadne ,florentina3 ,six ,lectures on ,wood and ,metal ,engraving given before the ,university of ,oxford1 ,michaelmas ,term1 #ahgb10 and afterwards published1 #ahgc-f4 ,the lectures given in the year #ahgc were upon ,tuscan ,art1 now published in 8,val d',arno40 #aah ,the value of ,rembrandt's etchings is always in the inverse ratio of the labor bestowed on them after his first thoughts have been decisively expressed2 and even the best of his chiaroscuros 7the spotted shell1 for instance7 are mere child's play compared to the disciplined light and shade of ,italian masters4 #aai ,this letter was written to ,mr4 ,h4 ,stacy ,marks1 ,a4,r4,a41 in answer to a request that ,mr4 ,ruskin would in some way record his impression of the ,frederick ,walker ,exhibition1 then open to the public4 ,frederick ,walker died in ,june1 #ahge1 at the early age of thirty-five1 only four years after having been elected an ,associate of the ,royal ,academy4 #abj ,the 8,hornby ,castle0 was executed1 together with the rest of the 8great ,yorkshire series10 for ,whitaker's 8,history of ,richmondshire0 7,longman1 #ahbc74--,the picture of ,john ,lewis here alluded to is described in ,mr4 ,ruskin's 8,academy ,notes10 #ahef1 ,no4 ,,ii41 p4 #cg4 #a4 8,the ,almshouse0--,no4 #eb--;called 8,the ,house of ,refuge40 ,oil on canvas4 ,a garden and terrace in quadrangle of almshouses2 on left an old woman and girl2 on right a mower cutting grass4 ,exhibited ,r4 ,a4 #ahgb4 #b4 8,the ,old ,gate0--,no4 #dh--oil on canvas4 ,lady in black and servant with basket coming through the gate of old mansion2 four children at play at foot of steps2 two villagers and dog in foreground4 ,exhibited ,r4 ,a4 #ahfi4 #c4 8,the ,cottage ,gardens0--,no4 #ga1 8,the ,spring of ,life40 ,water-color4 ,lady in a garden with two children and a lamb2 a cherry-tree in blossom4 ,exhibited at the ,water-,color ,society1 ,winter #ahff-g4 ,see also ,nos4 #ad and #ba4 #d4 8,ladies and ,lilies0--,no4 #cg1 8,a ,lady in a ,garden1 ,perthshire40 ,water-color4 ,a lady seated on a knoll on which is a sun-dial2 greyhound on left2 background1 old manor-house4 ,no4 #fg1 8,lilies40 ,water-color4 ,lady in a garden watering flowers1 chiefly lilies4 ,exhibited at the ,water-,color ,society1 ,winter #ahfi-gj and #ahfh-i respectively4 #e4 8,the ,chaplain's ,daughter0--,no4 #bj1 subject from ,miss ,thackeray's 8,jack the ,giant-killer40 ,exhibited at the ,water-,color ,society1 ,summer #ahfh4 #f4 8,daughter of ,heth10 by ,w4 ,black4 ,no4 #hg4 8,do ye no ken this is the ,sabbath80 ,young lady at piano2 servant enters hurriedly4 7,study in black and white1 executed in #ahgb47--,see vol4 i4 p4 #da4 8#8,preserve us a'1 lassie1 do ye ken what ye're doing8 ,do ye no ken that this is the ,sabbath1 and that you're in a respectable house8' ,the girl turned round with more wonder than alarm in her face3 #8,is it not right to play music on ,sunday8'0--7,no4 #aca4 ,three more studies for the same novel47 #g4 8,the ,old ,farm ,garden0--,no4 #cc--,water-color4 ,a girl1 with cat on lawn1 knitting3 garden path bordered by tulips2 farm buildings in background4 ,painted in #ahga4 #h4 8,salmon-fishers0--,no4 #dg--8;,fisherman and ,boy0--,water-color4 ,keeper and boy on bank of river4 ,glen ,spean4 ,salmon in foreground4 ,exhibited at the ,water-,color ,society1 ,summer #ahfg4 #i4 ,mushrooms and ,fungi--,no4 #da--,water-color4 ,painted in #ahgc4 #aj4 8,fishmonger's ,stalls0--,nos4 #i and #fb 7not #ieb7--viz41 ,no4 #i1 8,a ,fishmonger's ,shop40 ,water-color4 ,painted in #ahgc2 and ,no4 #fb1 also 8,a ,fishmonger's ,shop40 ,water-color4 ,fishmongers selling fish2 lady and boy in costumes of about #ahjj4 ,exhibited at ,water-,color ,society1 ,winter #ahgb-c4 7,the 8,tobias0 of ,perugino has been already alluded to1 p4 #dd1 note47 #aa4 ,no4 #fh4 8,the ,ferry40 ,water-color4 ,sight size1 #aa ,x #ah in4 ,a ferry boat1 in which are two figures1 a boatman and a lady1 approaching a landing-place2 on the bank figures of villagers1 and children feeding swans4 ,exhibited at ,water-,color ,society1 ,winter #ahgj-ga4 #abb ,in #aheh the ,oxford ,museum was in course of building1 its architects being ,sir ,thomas ,deane and ,mr4 ,woodward1 and its style modern ,gothic1 whilst amongst those chiefly interested in it were ,dr4 ,acland 7the ,regius ,professor of ,medicine7 and ,mr4 ,ruskin4 ,the present letter1 written in ,june1 #aheh1 was read by ,dr4 ,acland at a lecture given by him in that summer 8to the members of the ,architectural ,societies that met in ,oxford0 at that time4 ,i am permitted to reprint the following passage from ,dr4 ,acland's preface to the printed lecture1 as well as one or two passages from the lecture itself 7see below1 pp4 #acj and #acb73 8,many have yet to learn the apparently simple truth1 that to an ,artist his ,art is his means of probation in this life2 and that1 whatever it may have of frivolity to us1 to him it is as the two or the five talents1 to be accounted for hereafter4 ,i might say much on this point1 for the full scope of the word ,art seems by some to be even now unrecognized4 ,before the period of printing1 ,art was the largest mode of permanently recording human thought2 it was spoken in every epoch1 in all countries1 and delivered in almost every material4 ,in buildings1 on medals and coins1 in porcelain and earthenware1 on wood1 ivory1 parchment1 paper and canvas1 the graver or the pencil has recorded the ideas of every form of society1 of every variety of race and of every character4 ,what wonder that the ,artist is jealous of his craft1 and proud of his brotherhood80--,see 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 p4 #d4 ,the reader is also referred to 8,sesame and ,lilies10 #ahga ed4 #ajc-d4 #abc ,see next letter1 pp4 #aca seqq4 #abd ,after reading this letter to his audience ,dr4 ,acland thus continued3 8,the principles thus clearly enumerated by ,mr4 ,ruskin are1 on the main1 those that animate the earnest student of ,gothic4 ,it is not for me especially to advocate ,gothic ,art1 but only to urge1 that if called into life1 it should be in conformity to its own proper laws of vitality4 ,if week after week1 in my youth1 with fresh senses and a docile spirit1 ,i have drank in each golden glow that is poured by a ,mediterranean sun from over the blue gan upon the ,athenian ,parthenon1--if1 day by day1 sitting on ,mars' ,hill1 ,i have watched each purple shadow1 as the temple darkened in majesty against the evening sky1--if so1 it has been to teach me1 as the alphabet of all ,art1 to love all truth and to hate all falsehood1 and to kiss the hand of every ,master who has brought down1 under whatever circumstance1 and in whatever age1 one spark of true light from the ,beauty and the subtle ,law1 which stamps the meanest work of the ,ever living1 ,ever-working ,artist40--8,the ,oxford ,museum10 pp4 #ef-g4 #abe ,see 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 pp4 #ag-bc4 ,the following is a portion of the passage alluded to3 8,without the ,geologist on one side1 and the ,anatomist and ,physiologist on the other1 ,zoology is not worthy of its name4 ,the student of life1 bearing in mind the more general laws which in the several departments above named he will have sought to appreciate1 will find in the collections of ,zoology1 combined with the ,geological specimens and the dissections of the ,anatomist1 a boundless field of interest and of inquiry1 to which almost every other science lends its aid3 from each science he borrows a special light to guide him through the ranges of extinct and existing animal forms1 from the lowest up to the highest types1 which1 last and most perfect1 but preshadowed in previous ages1 is seen in ,man4 ,by the aid of physiological illustrations he begins to understand how hard to unravel are the complex mechanisms and prescient intentions of the ,maker of all2 and he slowly learns to appreciate what exquisite care is needed for discovering the real action of even an apparently comprehended machine4 ,and so at last1 almost bewildered1 but not cast down1 he attempts to scrutinize in the rooms devoted to ,medicine1 the various injuries which man is doomed to undergo in his progress towards death2 he begins to revere the beneficent contrivances which shine forth in the midst of suffering and disease1 and to veil his face before the mysterious alterations of structure1 to which there seem attached pain1 with scarce relief1 and a steady advance1 without a check1 to death4 ,he will look1 and as he looks1 will cherish hope1 not unmixed with prayer1 that the great ,art of ,healing may by all these things advance1 and that by the progress of profounder science1 by the spread among the people of the resultant practical knowledge1 by stricter obedience to physiological laws1 by a consequent more self-denying spirit1 some disorders may at a future day be cured1 which cannot be prevented1 and some1 perhaps1 prevented1 which never can be cured40 #abf ,christian ,gottfried ,ehrenberg1 the naturalist and author of many works1 of which those on infusoria may be especially noted here4 ,he was born in #agie1 and in #ahdb was elected ,principal ,secretary to the ,berlin ,academy of ,science1 which post he held till his death in #ahgf4 ,the late ,sir ,walter ,calverley ,trevelyan1 ,bart41 will also be remembered in connection with the study of natural science1 as well as for his efforts in philanthropy4 ,he died in ,march1 #ahgi4 ,i have been unable to find any further information as to the prize mentioned by ,mr4 ,ruskin1 or as to the essay which obtained it4 #abg ,mr4 ,brodie1 who succeeded his father as ,sir ,benjamin ,brodie in #ahfg1 was appointed ,professor of ,chemistry at ,oxford in #ahee4 #abh ,sir ,gardner ,wilkinson's book 8,on ,color and the ,diffusion of ,taste0 was published in #aheh4 #abi ,see note to p4 #adb4 #acj 8,the monks of ,melrose made good kail ,on ,friday1 when they fasted40 ,the kail leaf is the one principally employed in the decorations of the abbey4 7,original note to 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 p4 #hc47 #aca ,this engraving1 which formed the frontispiece of 8,the ,oxford ,museum10 will be found facing the title page of the present volume1 the original plate having proved in excellent condition4 ,o',shea was1 together with others of his name and family1 amongst the principal workmen on the building4 ,the capital represents the following ferns3 the common hart's-tongue 7scolopendrium vulgare71 the northern hard-fern 7blechnum boreale71 and the male fern 7filix mas74 #acb ,a new armory was to be added to the ,castle4 #acc ,the ,literary ,gazette of ,september #bf1 #aheg1 after quoting a great part of the previous letter1 stated that the new armory was not to be built without all due regard to the preservation of the rock1 and that there was therefore no real cause for alarm4 #acd 8,poems of the ,fancy10 xiv4 7#ahjc74 ,the quotation omits two lines after the fourth3 8,who loved the little rock1 and set ,upon its head this coronet80 ,the second stanza then begins3 8,was it the humor of a child80 etc4 #ace ,the article on taverns occurred in the ,daily ,telegraph of the #hth ,december1 and commented on a recent meeting of the ,licensed ,victuallers' ,protection ,society4 ,there was also a short article upon drunkenness as a cause of crime in the ,daily ,telegraph of ,december #i--referred to by ,mr4 ,ruskin in a letter which will be found in the second volume of this book4 ,the article on castles concluded with an appeal for public subscriptions towards the restoration of ,warwick ,castle1 then recently destroyed by fire4 #acf ,the passage alluded to is partly as follows4 8,it happened also1 which was the real cause of my bias in after-life1 that my father had a real love of pictures4444 ,accordingly1 wherever there was a gallery to be seen1 we stopped at the nearest town for the night2 and in reverentest manner ,i thus saw nearly all the noblemen's houses in ,england2 not indeed myself at that age caring for the pictures1 but much for castles and ruins1 feeling more and more1 as ,i grew older1 the healthy delight of uncovetous admiration1 and perceiving1 as soon as ,i could perceive any political truth at all1 that it was probably much happier to live in a small house and have ,warwick ,castle to be astonished at1 than to live in ,warwick ,castle1 and have nothing to be astonished at2 and that1 at all events1 it would not make ,brunswick ,square in the least more pleasantly habitable to pull ,warwick ,castle down4 ,and1 at this day1 though ,i have kind invitations enough to visit ,america1 ,i could not1 even for a couple of months1 live in a country so miserable as to possess no castles40 #acg ,in a second article upon the same subject the ,daily ,telegraph had expressed surprise at ,mr4 ,ruskin's former letter4 8,who does not remember10 it wrote1 8his proposal to buy ,verona1 so as to secure from decay the glorious monuments in it80 #ach ,this letter1 it will be noticed1 was written during the bombardment and a few days before the capitulation of ,paris in #ahga4 #aci ,on ,friday1 ,march #h1 #ahgb1 entitled 8,turner and ,mulready--,on the ,effect of certain ,faults of ,vision on ,painting1 with especial reference to their ,works40 ,the argument of the lecturer1 and distinguished oculist1 was that the change of style in the pictures of ,turner was due to a change in his eyes which developed itself during the last twenty years of his life4 7,see 8,proceedings of the ,royal ,institution10 #ahgb1 vol4 vi41 p4 #dej47 #adj 8,a ,history of the ,gothic ,revival40 ,by ,charles ,l4 ,eastlake1 ,f4,r4,i4,b4,a4 ,london1 ,longman and ,co41 #ahgb4--;,in this work ,mr4 ,eastlake had estimated very highly ,mr4 ,ruskin's influence1 on modern architecture1 whilst his reviewer was 8disposed to say that ,mr4 ,ruskin's direct and immediate influences had almost always been in the wrong2 and his more indirect influences as often in the right40 ,it is upon these words that ,mr4 ,ruskin comments here1 and to this comment the critic replied in a letter which appeared in the ,pall ,mall ,gazette of the #bjth inst4 ,the main portion of his reply was as follows3 8,the direct influences1 then1 which ,i had principally in my mind were those which had resulted in a preference for ,venetian over ,english ,gothic1 in the underrating of expressional character in architecture1 and the overrating of sculptured ornament1 especially of a naturalistic and imitative character1 and more generally in an exclusiveness which limited the due influence of some1 as ,i think1 noble styles of architecture4 ,by the indirect influences ,i meant the habit of looking at questions of architectural art in the light of imaginative ideas2 the recognition of the vital importance of such questions even in their least important details2 and generally an enthusiasm and activity which could have resulted from no less a force than ,mr4 ,ruskin's wondrously suggestive genius40 ,to this explanation ,mr4 ,ruskin replied in his second letter on the subject4 #ada ,mr4 ,street's design for the ,new ,law ,courts was1 after much discussion1 selected1 ,may #cj1 #ahfh1 and approved by commission1 ,august1 #ahgj4 ,the building was not1 however1 begun till ,february1 #ahgd1 and the hope expressed in this letter is therefore1 unfortunately1 no expression of opinion on the work itself4 #adb ,denmark ,hill4 #adc ,see 8,arabian ,windows in the ,campo ,santa ,maria1 ,mater ,domini10 ,plate ii4 of the 8,examples of the ,architecture of ,venice10 selected and drawn to measurement from the edifice1 #ahea4 ,and see1 too1 8,stones of ,venice10 vol4 ii41 chap1 vii41 ,gothic ,palaces4 #add ,this letter was originally received by 8a ,liverpool gentleman10 and sent inclosed in a long letter signed 8,an ,antiquarian10 to the ,liverpool ,daily ,post4 #ade ,an obvious misprint for 8stone-layers40 #adf ,ribbesford ,church was finally closed after the morning service on ,sunday1 ,july #ae1 #ahgg4 ,it was then restored1 and was reopened and reconsecrated on ,june #ae1 #ahgi4 ,the ,kidderminster ,times of the #bast inst4 contained an account of a meeting of the ,ribbesford parishioners to consider the restoration of the church4 ,hence the allusions in this letter to 8copying0 the traceries4 #adg ,this circular1 which was distributed as above noted during the winter of #ahgi-hj1 is here reprinted by ,mr4 ,ruskin's permission1 in connection with the preceding letters upon restoration in architecture4 ,see the ,notes on ,prout and ,hunt1 #ahgi-hj1 p4 #ga4 #adh ,in ,february1 #ahgh2 see the 8,turner ,notes0 of that year1 and 8,fors ,clavigera10 ,new ,series--,letter the ,fourth1 ,march1 #ahhj4 #adi ,count ,alvise ,piero ,zorzi1 the author of an admirable and authoritative essay on the restoration of ,st4 ,mark's 7,venice1 #ahgg74 #aej ,this drawing 7,no4 #bh in the ,exhibition7 was of a small portion of the west front4 #aea 8,stones of ,venice10 vol4 ii41 chapter #d1 of original edition1 and vol4 i41 chapter #d1 of the smaller edition for the use of travellers4 #aeb ,in the first edition of this circular this sentence ran as follows3 8,in the mean time1 with the aid of the drawing just referred to1 every touch of it from the building1 and left1 as the color dried in the morning light of the #ajth ,may1 #ahgg1 some of the points chiefly insisted on in the #8,stones of ,venice1' are of importance now40 #aec ,printed 8,pan-choreion0 in the first edition4 #aed ,for 8state10 the first edition reads 8mind10 and for 8have become1 in some measure1 able10 it has 8have qualified myself40 ,so again for 8am at this moment aided10 it reads 8am asked1 and enabled to do so40 #aee ,early in #ahgi #aef ,printed in the second edition only4 #aeg ,the reference is to the closing paragraph of the ,preface to the ,notes1 which runs as follows3 8,athena1 observe1 of the ,agora1 or ,market ,place4 ,and ,st4 ,james of the ,deep ,stream or ,market ,river4 ,the ,angels of ,honest ,sale and ,honest ,porterage2 such honest porterage being the grandeur of the ,grand ,canal1 and of all other canals1 rivers1 sounds1 and seas that ever moved in wavering morris under the night4 ,and the eternally electric light of the embankment of that ,rialto stream was shed upon it by the ,cross--know you that for certain1 you dwellers by high-embanked and steamer-burdened ,thames4 ,and learn from your poor wandering painter this lesson--for the sum of the best he had to give you 7it is the ,alpha of the ,laws of true human life7--that no city is prosperous in the sight of ,heaven1 unless the peasant sells in its market--adding this lesson of ,gentile ,bellini's for the ,omega1 that no city is ever righteous in the ,sight of ,heaven unless the ,noble walks in its street40--,notes on ,prout and ,hunt1 p4 #dd4 #aeh ,see the 8,notes on ,prout and ,hunt10 p4 #gh4 #aei ,see the ,standard 7,dec4 #c1 #ahgi74 ,m4 ,meduna was the architect who carried out the 8restoration0 of the ,south faade of the ,cathedral4 #afj ,the ,reader of ,october #ae contained an article 8,on the ,conformation of the ,alps10 to which in the following issue of the journal 7,october #bb7 ,sir ,roderick ,murchison replied in a letter dated 8,torquay1 #afth ,october10 and entitled 8,on the ,excavation of ,lake ,basins in solid rocks by ,glaciers10 the possibility of which he altogether denied4 #afa 8,on the ,forms of the ,stratified ,alps of ,savoy10 delivered on ,june #e1 #ahfc4 ,the subject was treated under three heads4 #a4 ,the material of the ,savoy ,alps4 #b4 ,the mode of their formation4 #c4 ,the mode of their subsequent sculpture4 7,see the report of the lecture in the 8,proceedings of the ,royal ,institution10 #ahfc1 vol4 iv41 p4 #adb4 ,it was also printed by the ,institution in a separate form1 p4 #d47 #afb ,in reply to this letter1 the ,reader of ,november #ai1 #ahfd1 published one from a ,scottish correspondent1 signed 8,tain ,caimbeul10 the writer of which declared that1 whilst he looked on ,mr4 ,ruskin 8as a thoroughly reliable guide in all that relates to the external aspects of the ,alps10 he could not 8accept his leadership in questions of political economy or the mechanics of glacier motion40 #afc ,see below1 8,forbes3 his real greatness10 pp4 #ahg seqq41 and the references given in the notes there4 #afd ,even in lower ,apennine1 8,dat sonitum saxis1 et torto vertice torrens4099 99 ,virgil1 neid1 vii4 #efg4 #afe ,see 8,deucalion10 vol4 i4 p4 #ic4 #aff ,there twice a day the ,severn fills2 ,the salt sea-water passes by1 ,and hushes half the babbling ,wye1 ,and makes a silence in the hills4 ,,tennyson1 8,in ,memoriam10 xix4 #afg ,see 8,deucalion10 vol4 i4 p4 #c 7,introduction74 #afh ,following this letter in the same number of the ,reader was one from the well-known geologist ,mr4 ,joseph ,beete ,jukes1 ,f4,r4,s41 who1 writing from 8,selly ,oak1 ,birmingham1 ,nov4 #bb10 described himself as 8the originator of the discussion40 ,he therefore was no doubt the author of the article in the ,reader alluded to above 7p4 #agc1 note74 ,mr4 ,jukes died in #ahfi4 #afi ,the following is the sentence from ,mr4 ,jukes' letter alluded to3 8,therefore when ,mr4 ,ruskin says that #8the forms of the ,alps are quite visibly owing to the action of elevatory1 contractile1 and expansive forces1' ,i would entreat him to listen to those who have had their vision corrected by the laborious use of chain and theodolite and protractor for many toilsome years over similar forms40 #agj ,the ,battle of ,sempach 7874 ,see the letters on 8,the ,italian ,question10 at the beginning of the second volume4 #aga ,to the effect that 8the form of the ground is the result wholly of denudation40 ,for the 8scheme10 consisting of ten articles1 see the note #agb below4 #agb ,dr4 ,william ,buckland1 the geologist1 and at one time ,dean of ,westminster4 ,he died in #ahef4 ,see 8,fors ,clavigera10 #ahgc1 ,letter #cd1 p4 #ai4 #agc ,this and the following sentences allude to parts of the above-mentioned scheme4 8,the whole question10 wrote ,mr4 ,jukes1 8depends on the relative dates of production of the lithological composition1 the petro-logical structure1 and the form of the surface10 ,the scheme then attempts to sketch the 8order of the processes which formed these three things10 in ten articles1 of which the following are specially referred to by ,mr4 ,ruskin3 8#a4 ,the formation of a great series of stratified rocks on the bed of a sea4444 #c4 ,the possible intrusion of great masses of granitic rock0 in more or less fluent state2 and #f1 #g1 #h1 #i1 which dealt with alternate elevation and depression1 of which there might be 8even more than one repetition40 #agd ,see ,herodotus1 ii4 #ib2 ,plato1 ,critias1 #aab2 and ,horace1 ,od4 i4 #ca4 #age ,the address was delivered by ,mr4 ,jukes as ,president of the ,geological ,section of the ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 which met in #ahfb at ,cambridge4 7,see the ,report of the ,association1 vol4 xxxii4 p4 #ed47 #agf ,mr4 ,jukes' letter had concluded by recommending ,english geologists to pursue their studies at home1 on the ground that 8a student1 commencing to learn comparative anatomy1 does not think it necessary to go to ,africa and kill an elephant40 ,in the following number of the ,reader 7,dec4 #aj7 ,mr4 ,jukes wrote1 in answer to the present letter1 that he had not intended to imply any hostility towards ,mr4 ,ruskin1 with whose next letter the discussion ended4 #agg 8,m4 ,a4 ,c40 wrote 8,concerning ,stones10 and dealt--or attempted to deal--with 8atmospheric pressure0 in addition to the pressure of water alluded to in ,mr4 ,ruskin's letter of ,november #bf4 ,the letter signed 8,g4 ,m40 was entitled 8,mr4 ,ruskin on ,glaciers20 see next note4 ,both letters appeared in the ,reader of ,december #c1 #ahfd4 #agh ,not in the 8last letter10 but in the last but one--see ante1 p4 #agg1 8,a stone at the bottom of a stream10 etc4 ,the parts of 8,g4 ,m4's0 letter specially alluded to by ,mr4 ,ruskin are as follows3 8,it is very evident that the nearer the source of the glacier1 the steeper will be the angle at which it advances from above1 and the greater its power of excavation4444 ,mr4 ,ruskin gets rid of the rocks and dbris on the under side of the glacier by supposing that they are pressed beyond the range of action in the solid body of the ice2 but there must be a limit to this1 however soft the matrix40 #agi ,see 8,modern ,painters10 ,part v41 chap4 #ac1 8,on the ,sculpture ,mountains10 vol4 iv4 p4 #agd4 #ahj ,in connection with the question of glacier-motion1 ,mr4 ,ruskin's estimate of ,professor ,forbes and his work is here reprinted from ,rendu's 8,glaciers of ,savoy0 7,macmillan1 #ahgd71 pp4 #bje-bjg4 ,for a passage on the same subject which was reprinted in the 8,glaciers of ,savoy10 in addition to the new matter republished here1 and for a statement of the course of glacier-science1 and the relation of ,forbes to ,agassiz1 the reader is referred to 8,fors ,clavigera10 #ahgc1 ,letter #cd1 pp4 #ag-bf4 ,the 8incidental passage0 consists of a review of ,professor ,tyndall's 8,forms of ,water0 7,london1 #ahgb71 and the 8contemptible issue0 was that of his position and ,forbes' amongst geological discoverers4 #aha ,george ,forbes1 ,b4,a41 ,professor of ,natural ,philosophy in the ,andersonian ,university1 ,glasgow1 and editor of 8,the ,glaciers of ,savoy40 #ahb ,this saying of ,macaulay's occurred in an address which1 as ,m4,p4 for that city1 he delivered at the opening of the ,edinburgh ,philosophical ,institution1 #ahdf 7,nov4 #d74 ,forbes' criticism of it and of the whole address may be found in a lecture introductory to a course on ,natural ,philosophy1 delivered before the ,university of ,edinburgh 7,nov4 #a and #b1 #ahdh71 and entitled 8,the ,danger of ,superficial ,knowledge20 under which title it was afterwards printed1 together with a newspaper report of ,macaulay's address 7,london and ,edinburgh1 #ahdi74 ,in the edition of ,macaulay's speeches revised by himself1 the sentence in question is omitted1 though others of a like nature1 such as 8,the profundity of one age is the shallowness of the next10 are retained1 and the whole argument of the address remains the same4 7,see ,macaulay's ,works1 #h vol4 ed41 ,longmans1 #ahff4 ,vol4 viii4 p4 #chj1 8,the ,literature of ,great ,britain407 ,for a second mention of this saying by ,mr4 ,ruskin1 see also 8,remarks addressed to the ,mansfield ,art ,night ,class10 #ahgc1 now reprinted in 8,a ,joy for ,ever0 7,ruskin's ,works1 vol4 xi4 p4 #bja74 ,the following are parts of the passage 7extending over some pages7 in ,forbes' lecture alluded to by ,mr4 ,ruskin3 8,how false1 then1 as well as arrogant1 is the self-gratulation of those1 who1 forgetful of the struggles and painful efforts by which knowledge is increased1 would place themselves1 by virtue of their borrowed acquirements1 in the same elevated position with their great teachers--nay1 who1 perceiving the dimness of light and feebleness of grasp1 with which1 often at first1 great truths have been perceived and held1 find food for pride in the superior clearness of their vision and tenacity of their apprehension60 ,then1 after quoting some words from ,dr4 ,whewell's 8,philosophy of the ,inductive ,sciences10 vol4 ii4 p4 #ebe1 and after some further remarks1 the lecturer thus continued3 8,the activity of mind1 the earnestness1 the struggle after truth1 the hopeless perplexity breaking up gradually into the fulness of perfect apprehension1--the dread of error1 the victory over the imagination in discarding hypotheses1 the sense of weakness and humility arising from repeated disappointments1 the yearnings after a fuller revelation1 and the sure conviction which attends the final advent of knowledge sought amidst difficulties and disappointments1--these are the lessons and the rewards of the discoverers who first put truth within our reach1 but of which we who receive it at second hand can form but a faint and lifeless conception40 7,see pp4 #ci-da of 8,the ,danger of ,superficial ,knowledge407 #ahc ,in the edition of ,rendu's 8,glaciers of ,savoy0 already alluded to4 #ahd ,forbes died ,dec4 #ca1 #ahfh2 ,agassiz in #ahgc2 and ,de ,saussure in #ahde4 #ahe ,the letter from ,forbes to ,mr4 ,ruskin 7dated ,december #b1 #ahfd7 was presumably elicited by the allusions to ,forbes in ,mr4 ,ruskin's letter to the ,reader of ,november #bf1 #ahgd 7see ante1 pp4 #bei and #bfc74 8,advancing years and permanently depressed state of health10 ran the letter1 8have taken the edge off the bitterness which the injustice ,i have experienced caused me during many years4 ,but 444 the old fire revives within me when ,i see any one willing and courageous1 like you1 to remember an old friend1 and to show that you do so40--,the second letter speaks of the writer's 8boyish enthusiasm0 for ,agassiz1 an expression to which ,mr4 ,ruskin appends this note3 8,the italics are mine4 ,i think this incidental and nave proof of the way in which ,forbes had spoken of ,agassiz to his class1 of the greatest value and beautiful interest4--,j4 ,r40 #ahf ,in the first edition of 8,modern ,painters0 7vol4 i4 p4 #ccj7 it was stated that 8the horizontal lines cast by clouds upon the sea are not shadows1 but reflections20 and that 8on clear water near the eye there can never be even the appearance of shadow40 ,this statement being questioned in a letter to the ,art ,union ,journal 7,november1 #ahdc71 and that letter being itself criticised in a review of 8,modern ,painters0 in the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 p4 #bfb 7,december1 #ahdc71 there appeared in the last-named periodical two letters upon the subject1 of which one was from ,j4 ,h4 ,maw1 the correspondent of the ,art ,union1 and the other--that reprinted here--a reply from 8,the ,author of #8,modern ,painters4'0 #ahg ,the passages in 8,modern ,painters0 referred to in this letter were considerably altered and enlarged in later editions of the work1 and the exact words quoted are not to be found in it as finally revised4 ,the reader is1 however1 referred to vol4 i41 part ii41 v41 chap4 i41 8,of ,water as painted by the ,ancients10 in whatever edition of the book he may chance to meet with or possess4 #ahh ,see the ,artist and ,amateur's ,magazine1 p4 #cac1 where the author of the letter1 to which this is a reply1 adduced in support of his views the following experiment1 viz43 to put a tub filled with clear water in the sunlight1 and then taking an opaque screen with a hole cut in it1 to place the same in such a position as to intercept the light falling upon the tub4 ,then1 he argued1 cover the hole over1 and the tub will be in shadow2 uncover it again1 and a patch of light will fall on the water1 proving that water is not 8insusceptible of light as well as shadow40 #ahi ,in the review of 8,modern ,painters0 mentioned above4 #aij ,of the first edition of the first volume of 8,modern ,painters40 ,the size of the book 7and consequently the paging7 was afterwards altered to suit the engravings contained in the last three volumes4 #aia ,it may be worth noting that the optical delusion above explained is described at some length by ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer 78,the ,study of ,sociology10 p4 #aia1 ,london1 #ahgd7 as one of the commonest instances of popular ignorance4 #aib ,of course1 if water be perfectly foul1 like that of the ,rhine or ,arve1 it receives a shadow nearly as well as mud4 ,yet the succeeding observations on its reflective power are applicable to it1 even in this state4 #aic ,it must always be remembered that there are two kinds of reflection1--one from polished bodies1 giving back rays of light unaltered2 the other from unpolished bodies1 giving back rays of light altered4 ,by the one reflection we see the images of other objects on the surface of the reflecting object2 by the other we are made aware of that surface itself4 ,the difference between these two kinds of reflection has not been well worked by writers on optics2 but the great distinction between them is1 that the rough body reflects most rays when the angle at which the rays impinge is largest1 and the polished body when the angle is smallest4 ,it is the reflection from polished bodies exclusively which ,i usually indicate by the term2 and that from rough bodies ,i commonly distinguish as 8positive light20 but as ,i have here used the term in its general sense1 the explanation of the distinction becomes necessary4 ,all light and shade on matter is caused by reflection of some kind2 and the distinction made throughout this paper between reflected and positive light1 and between real and pseudo shadow1 is nothing more than the distinction between two kinds of reflection4 ,i believe some of ,bouguer's#aid experiments have been rendered inaccurate--not in their general result1 nor in ratio of quantities1 but in the quantities themselves--by the difficulty of distinguishing between the two kinds of reflected rays4 #aid ,pierre ,bouguer1 author of1 amongst other works1 the 8,trait d',optique sur la ,gradation de la ,lumire40 ,he was born in #afih1 and died in #ageh4 #aie ,the mercury must of course be perfectly clean4 #aif ,among other points1 ,i have not explained why water1 though it has no shadow1 has a dark side4 ,the cause of this is the ,newtonian law noticed below1 that water weakens the rays passing through its mass1 though it reflects none2 and also1 that it reflects rays from both surfaces4 #aig ,the review of 8,modern ,painters0 had mentioned the ,grotto of ,capri1 near ,naples1 as 8a very beautiful illustration of the great quantity of light admitted or contained in water10 and on this ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,maw had commented4 #aih ,the ,london ,review of ,may #d contained a critique of the ,exhibition of the ,society of ,water-colors1 which included a notice of ,mr4 ,duncan's 8,shiplake1 on the ,thames0 7,no4 #eb74 ,in this picture the artist had painted a rainbow reflected in the water1 the truth of which to nature was questioned by some of his critics4 ,mr4 ,ruskin's was not the only letter in support of the picture's truth4 #aii ,the present letter is the earliest in date of any in these volumes4 #bjj ,see note to p4 #ahb4 #bja ,in the 8,notes on the ,turner ,gallery at ,marlborough ,house10 #ahef 7p4 #bc71 ,mr4 ,ruskin speaks of the 8pale ineffable azure0 of the gentian4 ,the present letter was written in reply to one signed 8,y4 ,l4 ,y40 in the ,athenum of ,february #g1 #aheg1 in which this expression was criticised4 ,in a subsequent issue of the same journal 7,february #ba7 ,mr4 ,ruskin's querist denied the ignorance imputed to him1 and still questioned the propriety of calling the gentian 8pale10 without at the same time distinguishing the two species4 99 99 99 99 99 ,typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber3 but their sensiblity to art but their sensibility to art pg #bg whatever space was sacrified to it whatever space was sacrificed to it pg #ej ,admitedly it contains the finest ,admittedly it contains the finest pg #aaa thirteenth or fourteeth century thirteenth or fourteenth century pg #adh and naturally eneugh and naturally enough pg #afe betwen their agencies between their agencies pg #agf