manner in which she had discovered him, and the following circumstances:--"It was her misfortune," she said," to be connected with a young man of bad habits and disposition, who, had he visited her the preceding night, as she expected, would have robbed him of every thing valuable." After pressing him to breakfast with her, she returned him his property. Gainsborough gave her the odd 307., and having thanked her, departed. He continued a friend to her until his death.

TO THE

EDITOR OF THE SOMERSET HOUSE GAZETTE.

SIR,

As your weekly miscellany, more particularly than any other periodical, is addressed to the world of art, I take the liberty of suggesting, whether it would not add greatly to the interest of your pages, to insert detached parts at least from the biographical accounts of the artists scattered in different works, as well as from those expressly written by our own and foreign authors, to illustrate the lives of those ingenious men.

It is true that your work frequently affords a scrap of this kind; but what I would recommend is, to lay before your readers some biographical sketch every week, of an architect, painter, sculptor, or engraver, accompanied with such notes and addenda as you may have gathered, together with your own opinions and reflections. I feel confident you would, by adopting this plan, open a wide field for the instruction and entertainment of many of your readers. No period could be more congenial to this undertaking than the present, when conversations on the arts make a material feature in the table talk of all good society.

"To form a just estimate of Sir Joshua's powers as an artist, it should be recollected, that when he entered upon the study of painting, the art was in so low a state, that it was scarcely possible to procure, by instruction, the necessary and primary principles, by which the mind of a student could be formed; and to this circumstance it is owing that Sir Joshua never obtained a perfect or masterly knowledge of the human figure, a deficiency which he afterwards severely felt and candidly acknowledged.

"In this unprepared state he visited Rome, and was, as he owns in the fragment quoted by Mr. Malone, by no means gratified at the first sight of those works which he went to study. But as he, with great prudence, suspected this disappointment to originate in his own defective judgment, rather than in the productions of Raphael, he resolutely persevered in his examination and consideration of those examples, until he discovered their meriis, and profited by them.

"As history painting was not the branch of art which he then studied, he applied his whole attention to those parts only which suited his purpose as a portrait-painter, particularly as he wished to establish to himself a process and style superior to that wretched manner to which he had been initiated in his youth. For this purpose, he made several studies after the heads of those figures of Raphael, which are in the stanzas of the Vatican, and by these means acquired a power of marking the features of his portraits, in a style far superior to all the portrait-painters who were his contemporaries.

"To this masterly attainment in drawing the heads of his portraits, he also added an improved system of colouring, which he formed by his attention to the works of the Venetian masters. Though his first manner was imperfect in comparison with that to which he afterwards attained, yet it was infinitely superior to the general practice of the other artists in England; but as the brilliancy of his works was too much supported by glazing with transparent colours, many of his portraits, in a few years, lost something of their splendour. This circumstance occasioned that charge I forward with this a sketch of the character and pursuits || against him of the failure of his tints, which in a certaiu deof Sir Joshua Reynolds, written by the late Mr. Edwards, gree must be admitted. At the same time it should be reProfessor of Perspective to the Royal Academy, which, al-membered, that although his heads might fail in the splenthough not equal to the elegant portrait drawn by the pendour of their appearance, they yet retained their harmony of Mr. Malone, appears to describe his subject with honesty and transparency. and impartiality.

"Sir Joshua in his manners was the well-bred man of sense, equally free from affected consequence or supple compliance. In his conversation he was remarkably pleasant and unassuming. As he cultivated the acquaintance|| and friendship of men of the first literary talents, he consequently improved his own mental powers, so that in the society of those distinguished in the study of the Belles Lettres, he supported a character of great respectability; highly esteemed as a man, and venerated as an artist.

"To say that he was without fault, would be to decorate him with a character to which no man can have a claim. His general conduct was prudent and just, yet not without some alloy, from attention to his own interest. That he was fond of displaying among his friends of rank, his superiority in the government of the Royal Academy, cannot be denied, and it was owing to this weakness, that an unpleasant disagreement took place between him and the members of that institution, and which ultimately occasioned his resignation of the Presidency. But such was the respect which the Academicians entertained for his general conduct and great abilities, that he was invited to return to his seat in a manner by no means disgraceful to either party. His Majesty also signified that he should be pleased if he would resume the Presidency, and he very properly returned to the chair, from which he was soon after obliged to retire by ill health, and on the 10th of November, 1791, he deputed Mr. West to supply his place, and was never after able to resume that honourable situation.

"Whatever might be the defects of his process, or of the materials which he employed in the production of the portraits, painted in the early stages of his employment. no such failure can be found in the latter productions of his pencil; for he not only improved in the richness of his colouring, but so varied his process, that his latter pictures will be equally permanent with those of any other artist ancient or modern.

"It was not in the use of colours only that he surpassed his contemporaries, he also excelled in the chiaro oscuro, and in the decorations of his pictures, particularly where he introduced landscapes into the back-grounds of his whole-length portraits. These decorative parts were executed with great breadth, and freedom of penciling-rich in their colouring, and brilliant in their effect, and many of them are not inferior to the works of Titian and Paul Veronese. In the architectural parts he was not equally successful, a circumstance which must be attributed to his imperfect knowledge of that science; though even here his deficiencies were well concealed by his elegant taste.

When Sir Joshua is considered as an historical painter, he cannot be placed in the same rank which he holds in the line of portraiture, yet such was the partiality of his friends, that they did not hesitate to pronounce his works in that line of art as equal to the first masters of Italy, so erroneous are the decisions of a fond admiration.

"But however defective his historical works may be in accuracy and style of drawing, they must still be allowed to possess great taste, and some of them great expression.

Joshua never acquired by his own study and practice, but which he endeavoured to imitate from the sketches and designs of the ancient masters.

"In his light poetic pieces he much excelled his narrative or historic subjects. At the head of the former class, may be placed his Hope suckling Love; of the latter, The Nativity, for the Oxford window, claims precedence; The Holy Family is among the last of his historical but his principal picture is The Count Ugolino and his pictures; it consists of four figures, namely, the Virgin Sons, in the dungeon, which may be said to unite both the with Joseph, the Infant Christ, and St. John. The copoetic and the narrative. This picture is nobly composed,||louring of this picture is excellent, particularly the Infant, with strong expression, and rich colouring; and I will ven- and th whole has a most beautiful effect. The drawing is ture to assert, that the head of the youngest son, who is also more correct, than in the greater part of his works. represented as grasping the Count's knee, is equal to the The head of Joseph has rather a mean character, and production of any master. seems to have been painted from a model deficient in dignity. "This picture may be considered as one of Sir Joshua's best productions: it was purchased by Mr. Macklin, who published the splendid edition of the Bible, and he employed Mr. Sharp to engrave it. Afterwards he sold it to Lord Gwyder, who conveyed it to his seat at Beckenham

"Among his other historical pictures are the Hercules in the Cradle, and the Continence of Scipio, both painted for the Empress of Russia.

"The Cauldron Scene in Macbeth, and the Death of Cardinal Beaufort, both painted for the late Alderman Boydell's publication of Shakspeare.

To offer any criticism upon these works might, perhaps, be imprudent, or I should venture to suggest, that neither the picture of the Hercules in the Cradle, nor the Macbeth in the Cave, will hereafter confer any honour upon the pencil of Sir Joshua Reynolds.

"The Death of Cardinal Beaufort is an admirable specimen of colouring, but the introduction of the little Imp or Devil on the pillow of the Cardinal, as tormenting the wretched sinner in his last moments, is too ludicrous and puerile to escape censure; and it has been matter of great surprize, that a man of Sir Joshua's understanding could persevere in the admission of such an object, even against the advice of his friend Mr. Burke, to whose judgment he ever paid great deference.

"In enumerating the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, there are two other historical pictures which cannot be passed over unnoticed, namely, The Nativity, and The Holy Family.

"The former of these was executed as the original design for the painted window at the west end of the chapel of New College, Oxford.

"The centre of this window represents the interior of a ruined building, converted into a stable, in which Joseph and the Family are lodged. In the upper part of the picture is an Angel contemplating, with the text, which things he angels desire to look into.' On each side of the central compartment are some figures, representing the Shepherds: one of which is the portrait of Sir Joshua himself -the other, that of Mr. Jervaise who painted the glass.

"Under the principal subjects is a row of seven female figures, representing the four cardinal virtues, with Faith, Hope, and Charity: most of these figures are very graceful, and the whole work taken together is a very splendid production. The centre part of the window before it was taken to Oxford, was exhibited at the rooms which had been the Royal Academy, in Pall Mall, and produced a very noble effect.

"The whole of this window was engraved by the two brothers, G. S. and J. G. Facius, for the late Alderman Boydell, who published the work in 1785. In the prints, which are executed in the dotting manner, the compartments are given separately, and also together, as in the whole window.

"At the commencement of the work is a short description of the different subjects, which concludes with the following observation:

"It may, perhaps, be affirmed, that this admirable picture will stand in competition with, and even surpass any productions of the ancient masters."

6

"An excessive praise, which can only serve to betray the defective judgment of its author. For, surely, to say that the Nativity of Sir Joshua, may even surpass the productions of the ancient masters, could only be the assertion of those who prefer brilliancy of colouring, and the effect of light and shade, to the more important properties of grandeur of style and purity of outline,-qualities which Sir

||

in Kent.

"The last picture which I shall mention, and which may be classed among his historical subjects, is the figure of Puck, or Robin Good Fellow, from Shakspeare. It was bought by the late Alderman Boydell, who had it engraved, and introduced the subject into his edition of the works of that poet.

"This picture is a most excellent piece of art, and the poetic being, whom Shakspeare has made one of the principal agents in his play of Midsummer Night's Dream, is represented by a little naked boy, sitting upon a mushroom, in an exulting attitude, with his hands spread out, and an archness of character in the face which is inimitable. The colouring of this picture is also excellent, and the work may be considered as one of Sir Joshua's happiest productions.

"It will not be improper to remark, that Sir Joshua's manner of penciling was peculiarly adapted to the representation of children, in which he many times surpassed the works of the old Italian masters, who, in the marking of their infantine heads, were oftentimes so decided as to render their appearance hard and heavy. In this respect, and this only, he may be said to have frequently surpassed his Italian predecessors; but as a head can only be the part of a picture, the praise he merited for that part should not be extended to the whole, which was often very defective."

(To be continued.)

DOMINICHINO AND GUIDO.

DOMINICHINO is in as high esteem now as almost any of his and Guido's together, how much superior does he apthe modern painters at Rome. When you see any works of pear. Guido is often more showy; but Dominichino has more spirit, as well as more correctness.

ASSOCIATION.

There's not a wind, but whispers of thy name-
And not a flow'r that grows beneath the moon,
But in its hues and fragrance tells a tale
Of thee, my love, to thy Mirandola.

A BAD WIFE.

"My wife's so very bad," says Will,
"I fear she ne'er can hold it;
"She keeps her bed!"-" Mine's worse," quoth Phil,
"The jade has just now sold it.

character towards their conflux with the Sea. The style in which THE PRINCIPLES of MECHANICS; Explaining and

esteemed Picture of the Surprise, by MAES, in the collection of His THE CHEMIST, parts 1 to 6, price ls. each, published

A DICTIONARY of ARCHITECTURE, Historical, ARLISS'S POCKET MAGAZINE, New Series; is