Hình ảnh trang
PDF
ePub

tham by Sherwin, &c. from Copley, was finished in September 1790, and has been ever since at the rolling prefs for the subscribers who are to receive proofs in the order of their subscriptions.

This is, perhaps, the greatest work, in the line of historical portrait in engraving, that was ever published. It contains sixty actual portraits of persons of eminence or rank, who were present when lord Chatham was seized with a fit, after having exhausted the powers of his enervated body in replying to the Duke of Richmond. Chatham is supported by his son, the present premier, his eldest son being then in Canada. The figure

of the Duke of Richmond occupies, perhaps, too much the attention of the spectator; and in the picture, the glare of the robes is very adverse to the good keeping and repose of the piece.

But these defects are concealed in the print by its want of colour, which gives an additional value to the engraving. Subscription tickets for this print, of an early date, entitling the holders to first proofs, have been, it is said, frequently sold for fifteen guineas, being five times the original subscription.

The Voyage Pittoresque de la France, par l'Amy, in eight volumes folio, lately published, and dedicated to the Constituting Assembly of the nation, is a most splendid and interesting work, and worthy of general attention, though its price puts it out of the power of the poor admirer of elegance. The plan of the late worthy John Knox, which proved abortive by his death, would have matched this noble work, in Britains

lacks of rupees are flowing into our island, ar we are quite smothered by Burks and Bishops taste extinguished, but that for royalty and bo pitts and cockfighting.

Mr Tafsie, that wonderful pupil of nature i by art, in modelling and sculpture, has latel a confiderable stay in Scotland to visit his at Glasgow, where, and at Edinburgh, he has led several portraits of eminent persons, and imprefsions of curious gems, not yet exec paste. This extraordinary man, who has don than any man in Europe, by the multiplication similies of the beautiful gems of antiquity, to i the taste of the middling ranks of people in Brit making them cheaply acquainted with the ftores sic elegance in sculpture, has now verified above thousand originals of Egyptian, Greek, and Rom whereof near twelve thousand were purchased for binet of the Czarina, and deposited in a cabinet imperial majesty by Mr Raspe, who wrote a catalog plaining the nature of the various emblems and su which has been lately published for the use of o tors, and the instruction of the curious. These ar Greek and Roman sculptures, convey many usefu sons of morality and politics, as well as gratify eye of the virtuoso. I fhall exemplify this obs tion, by the description of a seal now lying before the original of which is, I believe, in the collecti the grand duke of Tuscany.

To the first blush of remark, it exhibits no r than a portrait of Alexander of Macedon, preposter ly, but commonly called the Great, on account of

having butchered an uncommon number of men; but who is only worthy of being called Great, on account of his patronage of literature and the fine arts, and his scheme for facilitating commerce.

Upon a closer inspection, however, you perceive that the head, though denoted by a B. A. king Alexander, is a head of Pallas or Minerva, ifsuing from the head of Jupiter.

Jupiter, it was said, at a celestial banquet, fell in love with Metis the goddefs of counsel, who being afterwards pregnant, his godship took her up, and quaffed her off with a goblet of nectar. Soon after, in the course of celestial affairs, he found himself to be, as gods would not wish to be, who love their characters, in a state of cephalic pregnancy. His head ached accordingly most consumedly, and, in despair, he ordered Vulcan to give him a stroke with his fore hammer. The smith did his part, and out sprung Minerva, the goddess of perfect prudence and wisdom.

Now the moral of all this is pretty.

If a first magistrate or king takes counsel, he is to smuggle the author, make the upshot of it, if successful, tend to his own honour, and conceal the matter altogether if he fails.

We ought not to omit mentioning Mr Wedgewood on this occasion, who has perhaps done more for improving the taste, and perfecting some of the manufactures of this country, than any other person. Having studied with great attention the fine Etruscan vases, and other beautiful models of ancient art, introduced into Britain by Sir William Hamilton, he soon gave to his earthen vases, and other vessels, an elegance of form till then unknown, and to the figures with which they were adorned, a delicacy and perfection that had never VOL. Vii.

K

uses, of surprising beauty and elegance. taste of the most illiterate improved.

Thi

The portraits of Sir Joshua Reynolds, now known by every one through the medium o and the delicate designs of Cipriani, rendered by the same means, have also contributed th towards the forming a national taste. Owing and other lefser causes co-operating, no nation, ever made such rapid advances in the elegant Britain has done within the last twenty or thirt Boydell's Shakespeare.

Thirty years ago it was retailed in ever on painting, that the climate of Britain was to prevent her from ever being able to indu hope that ever the would be able to produ painter who could be deemed eminent in his pro and though we cannot perhaps yet boast of arti have attained, in every respect, the utmost de perfection, yet it will be pretty generally ad that there are at present a greater number of ex artists in Britain, or of that school, than in an country whatever.

The superb edition of Shakespeare by Boyd perhaps, the noblest enterprize that ever was att by an individual in the line of the fine arts, and a monument to future ages, not only of the taste times, and the stage to which the fine arts had a at this time in Britain, but also of the energy th turally results from freedom, and a perfect secu property. Most of our readers probably know

[ocr errors]

dred guineas. The paintings are to be preserved in a hall built on purpose, called Shakespeare's gallery, which is now open for the inspection of the public. Some numbers of the work are already delivered to the subcribers; and as the prints are to be given exactly in the order of the subscriptions, so eager are the public for obtaining the finest imprefsions, that those who subscribed early, have it now in their power to obtain a very considerable premium to part with their copies to others.

Boydell's Milton and Thomson.

Encouraged by the succefs of this undertaking, no lefs than two proposals have been already offered to the public, for an edition of the works of Milton, and Thomson on the same plan. One of these was proposed by a set of artists of considerable eminence. The other by Meffrs Boydells, the editors of Shakespeare. Which of the two will succeed, time will determine.

These works will exhibit to future ages, perhaps the fairest specimen of the present state of the fine arts in Britain, that ever was produced in any nation; as it does not contain only the works of one artist, chiefly, and his school, like the gallery of Farnese, and several others in Italy, but will exhibit specimens of the performances of all the artists of eminence in this country, who are thus stimulated to yie with each other for present emolument, as well as futu.e fame. Nor is it the painters alone, but the engravers also, whose works and names will thus be perpetuated. So that future ages will be able to judge very exactly of our present attainments in these respects.

« TrướcTiếp tục »