NOLLEKENS 
 AND HIS TIMES: 
 
 COMPREHENDING A 
 
 LIFE OF THAT CELEBRATED SCULl»TOR; 
 
 AND MEMOIRS OF SEVERAL 
 
 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, 
 
 FROM THE TIME OF 
 
 ROUBILIAC, HOGARTH, AND REYNOLDS, 
 
 TO THAT OF 
 
 FUSELI, FLAXMAN, AND BLAKE. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN THOMAS SMITH, 
 
 KEEPER OF THE PRINTS AND DRAWINGS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. 11. 
 
 LONDON: 
 HENRV^ COLBURN, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 1828. 
 
LOND0>f : 
 S'RINTED BY S. AND K. BKNTLKY, 
 Dorset Street, Fleet Street. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 OF 
 
 THE SECOND VOLUME. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Cause of Mr. Nollekens dismissing his Confessor. Songs 
 of his youthful days. His bed. Unquiet nights produc- 
 tive of charity. Liberality to his domestics. Coarseness 
 of his food and manner of eating. Inferiority of his ward- 
 robe, and meanness of his domestic arrangements. Cha- 
 racter of his drawings and those of other Sculptors. His 
 Monumental designs and models. Infirmity of his latter 
 days and death. Attested copy of his Will and Codi- 
 cils . . p. 1 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Funeral of Mr, Nollekens. His wardrobe. List of his in- 
 tended bequests. Professional anecdotes of him. Model- 
 ling in full dress. Taking casts from dead subjects. His 
 mask of Mr. Pitt. Statue erected at Cambridge. Mrs. 
 Siddons's remarks on it. Economy and profits of the Sculp- 
 tor. Bust of Lord Londonderry. Economy in fuel. 
 Fuseli's opinion of Nollekens, His bust of Mr. Coutts ; 
 anecdotes of its execution. His collection of casts and 
 
 a 
 
iv 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 models. Wigs painted by Lely and Kneller. WycTierley 
 and Fielding wigs. Old system of wig-stealing. Mr. 
 Nollekens's features and likeness in his busts. His busts of 
 Mr. Fox 35 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Sale of Mr. Nollekens's collection of Sculpture. Mending 
 antiques. Sale of his prints, &c. Account of his seated 
 female figure. Patrons of modern English Sculptors. 
 Antique foot. Sir Joshua Reynolds's throne-chair. List 
 of busts, monuments, and statues, executed by Nollekens. 
 Chronological list of all his sculptures exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy, from 1771 to 1816. Conclusion . 61 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND NECDOTES 
 OF SEVERAL ARTISTS AND OTHERS, CON- 
 TEMPORARY WITH NOLLEKENS. 
 
 Page 
 
 ROUBILIAC . 
 SCHEEMAKERS 
 RYSBRACK 
 LIART . 
 CERACCHI 
 LOCATELLI 
 PROCTER 
 
 100 
 114 
 117 
 119 
 122 
 
CONTENTS, V 
 
 Page 
 
 ZOPFANY ... . . 133 
 
 SHERWIN ... .139 
 
 GAINSBOROUGH . . . . 149 
 
 BACON . . , .166 
 
 WILTON . . . . . 167 
 
 BANKS . . . .185 
 
 CARLINI . . . . .202 
 
 WARE, AND HIS COMPANIONS at OLD 
 SLAUGHTER'S 206 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF PUBLIC CHARAC- 
 TERS SOMETIME Inhabitants of St. Mar- 
 tin's Lane ..... 221 
 
 STRANGE .... .245 
 
 VIVARES AND WOOLLETT . . 249 
 
 ZUCCARELLI . . . .254 
 
 LAROON . . . . .255 
 
 MACKLIN , . . . . 275 
 
 PATTERSON, the Auctioneer . . 278 
 
 CUSSANS ... . . 284 
 
 OPIE . . . . . . 286 
 
 REYNOLDS . . .291 
 
 KEATE . . . . . 300 
 
 DEARE . . . . .302 
 
 MAJOR . . . . . 333 
 
 MORLAND . . . ,336 
 
 HOGARTH . . . . 340 
 
 BARRY . . . .346 
 
 LEGAT . . . . . 351 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 
 PdgC. 
 
 HUMPHREY . 
 
 357 
 
 WEST 
 
 . 369 
 
 HALL 
 
 389 
 
 COSWAY 
 
 .392 
 
 HARLOW 
 
 408 
 
 FUSELI . 
 
 415 
 
 FLAXMAN 
 
 . 434 
 
 BLAKE 
 
 454 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 AND 
 
 HIS TIMES. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Cause of Mr. Nollekens dismissing his Confessor. — Songs 
 of his youthful days. — His bed. — Unquiet nights produc- 
 tive of charity. — Liberality to his domestics. — Coarseness 
 of his food and manner of eating. — Inferiority of his ward- 
 robe, and meanness of his domestic arrangements. — Cha- 
 racter of his drawings and those of other Sculptors. — His 
 Monumental designs and models. — Infirmity of his latter 
 days, and death. — Attested copy of his Will and Codicils. 
 
 One rainy morning, Nollekens, after confes- 
 sion, invited his holy father to stay till the 
 weather cleared up. The wet, however, con- 
 tinued till dinner was ready, and Nollekens felt 
 obliged to ask the Priest to partake of a bird, 
 one of the last of a present from his Grace the 
 Duke of Newcastle. Down they sat ; the 
 
 VOL. II. B 
 
2 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 reverend man helped his host to a wing, and 
 then carved for himself, assuring Nollekens 
 that he never indulged in much food ; though 
 he soon picked the rest of the bones. " I have 
 no pudding," said NoUekens, "but won't you 
 have a glass of wine? Oh, you have got 
 some ale." However, Bronze brought in a 
 bottle of wine ; and on the remove, Nollekens, 
 after taking a glass, went, as usual, to sleep. 
 The priest, after enjoying himself, was desired 
 by NoUekens, while removing the handker- 
 chief from his head, to take another glass. 
 " Tank you, Sare, I have a finish de bottel." — 
 " The devil you have !" mutte'red NoUekens. 
 " Now, Sare," continued his Reverence, " ass 
 de rain be ovare, I vil take my leaf." — " Well, 
 do so," said NoUekens, who was not only deter- 
 mined to let him go without his coffee, but 
 gave strict orders to Bronze not to Jet the old 
 rascal in again. " Why, do you know," con- 
 tinued he, " that he ate up all that large bird, 
 for he only gave me one wing ; and he swal- 
 lowed all the ale ; and out of a whole bottle of 
 wine, I had only one glass !" 
 
 After this, being without a Confessor, Mrs. 
 Holt, his kind attendant, read his prayers to 
 him ; but when she had gone through them, his 
 feelings were so little affected by his religious 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 3 
 
 duties, that he always made her conclude her 
 labours by reading either " Gay's Fables," or 
 
 The Beggar's Opera !" at the latter of which, 
 when she came to certain songs, he would 
 laugh most heartily, saying, " I used to sing 
 them songs once; and it was when I was court- 
 ing my Polly." 
 
 I recollect that the bedstead upon which Mr. 
 NoUekens slept of late years was four-posted ; 
 the curtains being yellow, orange, red, and black, 
 and when first put up, they made a most 
 gorgeous display : though he had for many 
 years but one counterpane, of which he was so 
 extremely choice, that he would not suffer it 
 to be washed, but Mrs. Holt, being ashamed to 
 see it, put on one of her own of a much supe- 
 rior quality. When he saw it upon the bed, 
 he swore at her, and asked her why it had 
 been washed? but upon her informing him 
 that it was one of her own, he allowed it to 
 remain, saying, " Well, indeed, it does look 
 very comfortable." * 
 
 * When this counterpane required washing, Mrs. Holt put 
 on his own, at which he angrily cried out, " I won't have it 
 on, I always sleep better without one ; I don't like a counter- 
 pane ;" to which she answered, that " The poorest creature in 
 a workhouse had a rug on his bed, and that she would have 
 it on." 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Mrs. Holt, to whom I am obliged for many 
 particulars in these volumes, who had by her 
 amiable disposition and strict attention to clean- 
 liness, rendered the two last years of Mr. Nol- 
 lekens's life more comfortable than any period 
 of his existence, informed me that when he 
 could not rest in his bed, he would frequently 
 endeavour to raise himself up, and call to her 
 to know if she was asleep. Mrs. Holt, who 
 rested upon a hard sofa by the side of his bed, 
 would answer, " I 'm here. Sir ; can I give you 
 any thing?" — Nollehens. "Sit up; I can't 
 sleep : I can't rest. Is there any body that I 
 know that wants a little money to do 'em 
 good?" — Mrs. Holt " Yes, Sir, there is Mrs. 
 ." — Nollehens. "Well, in the morn- 
 ing I '11 send her ten pounds." — " That 's a 
 good old boy," said she, patting him on the 
 back, " you will eat a better dinner for it to- 
 morrow, and enjoy it." And Mrs. Holt has 
 added, that she never knew him to forget his 
 promise. 
 
 With all his propensity for saving, he in- 
 dulged for many years in the gratification of 
 making his household domestics a present of 
 a little sum of money on his birth-day ; and 
 lately, upon this occasion, he became even more 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 5 
 
 generous, by bestowing on them, to their great 
 astonishment, ten and twenty pounds each. 
 
 A broad- necked gooseberry-bottle, leather- 
 bunged, containing coffee, which had been pur- 
 chased and ground full forty years, was brought 
 out when he intended to give a particular 
 friend a treat ; but it was so dried to the sides 
 of the bottle, that it was with difficulty he 
 could scrape together enough for the purpose, 
 and even when it was made, time had so al- 
 tered its properties, from the top having been but 
 half closed, that it was impossible to tell what 
 it had originally been. He used to say, how- 
 ever, of this turbid mixture, " Some people fine 
 their coffee with the skin of a sole, but for my 
 part, I think this is clear enough for any body !" 
 
 Mrs. Wilson, a most amiable lady, one of the 
 daughters of Mr. Major, the late celebrated 
 Engraver of the Stamp-Office, was once asked to 
 stay and drink tea with him. As Mr. Nollekens 
 was putting in more tea than he would for him- 
 self, he was stopped by Mrs. Wilson, who ob- 
 served, that she was afraid he had misunderstood 
 her, for she could not stay : on which he mut- 
 tered, " Oh ! I 'm glad you spoke," and then 
 returned half the tea out of the pot to the 
 canister. I do not wonder that so elegant a 
 
6 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 woman as Mrs. Wilson declined his invitation, 
 particularly at this time, when the paralytic 
 seizures which he had undergone, rendered his 
 society at some times insupportable ; for, inde- 
 pendent of his natural stupidity and ignorance 
 in conversation, his bodily humours appeared 
 in several parts of his person as well as his face, 
 which was seldom free from scorbutic eruptions, 
 particularly about his mouth. Indeed, poor 
 man ! his appearance and want of decent man- 
 ners rendered it impossible for any one accus- 
 tomed to tolerable society, to associate with 
 him ; and yet there were persons, whose ser- 
 vants would send such an object from their 
 master's door, who actually sat down and par- 
 took of his boiled rabbit smothered with par- 
 sley and butter, even when he had thick napkins 
 four times doubled under his chin. For my 
 own part, I must say, I always declined accept- 
 ing an invitation, though I have seen ladies ar- 
 rive in their carriages, with an expectation of 
 being remembered when next he made his Will ; 
 for it was pretty well known, that in the course 
 of the last twenty-five years, he had made seve- 
 ral, in some of which he had remembered all 
 his old friends. However, I shall for the pre- 
 sent drop this subject, and state to my readers 
 the few amusements which he enjoyed at this 
 period. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 7 
 
 His principal attendant, Goblet, who at this 
 time was empowered with the full control of the 
 studio, stone-yard, and gate, cleared a space of 
 ground which he formed into a small garden, pur- 
 posely to be viewed from a window of an upper 
 room, , into which he and Mrs. Holt, and some- 
 times poor Bronze, guided the castored-chair 
 with the man who had for years repeatedly pro- 
 mised to make them all happy for life. Of these 
 three persons, Mr. NoUekens made the most free 
 with Bronze ; he listened to her silly nonsense 
 with the full expectation of hearing what she had 
 often said, and then would joke in his way in 
 return ; and though she was not over-cleanly in 
 her domestic habits or person, he voraciously 
 ate the food prepared by her hands. His atten- 
 dant, Mrs. Holt, always cooked her own dinner ; 
 for lately, though NoUekens's savoury dish was 
 sometimes relished by a crafty visitor, she de- 
 clined eating with him, well knowing how neg- 
 ligent Bronze was as to the state of her culi- 
 nary articles before she used them. Indeed, 
 Bronze, in her grey-haired state, became ad- 
 dicted to drinking, and then Mrs. Holt would 
 not allow her to dress any thing more for her 
 master, but kindly cooked his dinner herself. 
 
 Perhaps there never was a Royal Academi- 
 cian, or even a servant of one, whose wardrobes 
 
8 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 were so scantily provided with change of dress 
 as those of Mr. NoUekens and his old servant 
 Bronze. He had but one night-cap, two shirts, 
 and three pairs of stockings ; two coats, one of 
 them his Pourpre de Pape, one pair of small- 
 clothes, and two waistcoats. His shoes had 
 been repeatedly mended and nailed ; they were 
 two odd ones, and the best of his last two pair. 
 This was the amount of his dress : indeed, so nig- 
 gardly was he as to his clothes, that when Mrs. 
 Holt took possession of his effects, she declared 
 she would not live with him, unless he had a 
 new coat and waistcoat. With this reasonable 
 request he complied, saying nothing about any 
 other part of his dress. Poor Bronze, who 
 had to support herself upon what were called 
 board-wages, had barely a change, and look- 
 ed more like the wife of a chimney-sweeper 
 than any other kind of human being. As for 
 table linen, two small breakfast napkins and a 
 large old tablecloth, a descendant in the family, 
 which, when used, was always folded into four, 
 was the whole of his stock ; for he possessed 
 no doileys ; and Bronze declared to me that she 
 had never seen such a thing as a jack-towel in 
 the house, nor even the nail-holes where one had 
 been. She always washed without soap : there 
 were no hearth-stones nor black-lead dust for the 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 9 
 
 stoves ; nor a cake of whitening for the kitchen- 
 grate; nor even a yard of oil-cloth to preserve 
 the stones from grease, much less an old bit of 
 bed-side carpet, to keep the bones of poor old 
 Bronze free from rheumatism. 
 
 In this state, Mrs. Holt found things at No. 
 9, Mortimer-street, and in a worse condition did 
 they appear when the secrets of the prison- 
 house were laid open, as will be found after the 
 insertion of Mr. NoUekens's Will in a future 
 page of this volume. 
 
 Of late years he diverted himself with several 
 sketch-books filled with outlines and measure- 
 ments of busts, statues, groups, and basso-relievos, 
 which he had most industriously and carefully 
 made during his residence in Italy from nume- 
 rous fragments, and several celebrated antiques 
 in the Vatican, the Palaces, and Villas Bassano, 
 Belvidere, Bologna, Borghese, Frascati, Gius- 
 tiniani, Loretto, Mantua, Massani, Tivoli, &;c. 
 
 These sketch-books, which are now mostly 
 in the possession of Mrs. Palmer, may very 
 justly be considered to contain some of his best 
 drawings, and are beyond doubt most valuable 
 memoranda. Of the interesting subjects deli- 
 neated, — particularly as to their measurements, 
 which in my belief are strictly accurate, — the 
 outlines in my mind bear too visibly the cold 
 
10 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 hand of perseverance only, since they are not 
 executed with any thing like the feeling with 
 which Flaxman drew ; and when compared 
 with his Italian studies, also made from some 
 of the same antiques, they fall far short of the 
 mind visible in every thing Flaxman touched, 
 even in his earliest years. However this may 
 be, and feebly as Nollekens's copies were made, 
 he unquestionably not only considerably out- 
 stripped his master Scheemakers, but, to do 
 him only common justice, his strides were con- 
 .sidered greatly beyond the usual extent of the 
 abilities in drawing of the Sculptors of his early 
 days ; Rysbrack excepted, whose drawings, 
 though certainly considerably mannered, pos- 
 sess a fertility of invention, and a spirit of style 
 in their execution, seldom emanating from the 
 hand of a Sculptor of modern times.* They 
 are for the most part washed in bistre, and are 
 frequently to be met with. Michel Angelo's 
 
 * Painters, and. indeed Engravers^ at that time were much 
 better draughtsmen than the Sculptors. There were Moser, 
 Mortimer^ Cipriani, West, Barry, Bartolozzi, Sherwin, Ry- 
 land, Strutt, Legat, and Grignon, who drew the figure well. 
 Since their time we have been enabled to boast of Blake, Flax- 
 man, Lawrence, Stothard, Burney, Ryley, Howard, Hilton^ 
 Etty, Briggs, and Morton, all faithful and constant delineators 
 of form and muscular action. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 11 
 
 productions as a draughtsman were divinely 
 magnificent, and they are pre-eminently placed 
 in all collections where they are to be found ; he 
 drew with the pen or charcoal, and also in red " 
 chalk, but most of his finest drawings are in 
 black chalk, in which he seemed to delight, if 
 we may judge from the exquisite manner in 
 which many of them are finished.* 
 
 During Nollekens's juvenile practice, he re- 
 ceived a few lessons in drawing from a Sculp- 
 tor, now but little known, Michel Henry Spang, 
 a Dane,f who drew the figure beautifully and 
 with anatomical truth ; a most essential compo- 
 nent of the art, indispensably requisite for all 
 those who would climb to the summit of Fame ; 
 but this invaluable acquirement was neglected 
 by I^JoUekens, nor did he at any period of his 
 
 * When I had the honour of viewing Sir Thomas Law- 
 rence's princely collection of drawings by Michel Angelo and 
 RalFaelle, their productions alone engaged my admiration from 
 seven o'clock till past eleven. Jeremiah Harman, Esq. has 
 also some most powerful drawings by Michel Angelo, which 
 were brought into England by W. Y. Ottley, Esq. 
 
 t Spang, who produced that small anatomical figure so well 
 known to every draughtsman who assiduously studies his art. 
 He also designed and executed the figures on the pediment 
 of Earl Spencer's house in the Green-park, and the deco- 
 rations on the screen at the Admiralty. 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 life venture to carve a subject in which a know- 
 ledge of anatomy would have been extensively 
 wanted : his naked figures were of the most sim- 
 ple class, being either a young Bacchus, a Diana, 
 or a Venus, with limbs sleek, plump, and round ; 
 but I never knew him, like Banks, to attempt 
 the grandeur of a Jupiter, or even the strength 
 of a gladiator. His monumental effigies, too, 
 were always so draped and placid, that very 
 little expression of muscle was exercised. Nol- 
 lekens's large academical drawings, made when 
 he was Visitor in the Royal Academy, were 
 feebly executed, his men were destitute of ani- 
 mation, and his females often lame in the 
 joints ; their faces were usually finished-up at 
 home from his wife, and in compliment to 
 her, he generally contrived to give them little 
 noses. 
 
 -There were in the Academy at the time when 
 Mr.Nollekens was visitor, three young Sculptors, 
 who drew remarkably well, Flaxman, Proctor, 
 and Deare; whose abilities were so much noticed 
 by their fellow-students, that NoUekens gave up 
 his practice of drawing for that of modelling the 
 figure in basso-relievo, and many of his produc- 
 tions possessed great merit. Having throughout 
 his long life had fewer vexations than most men 
 by reason of his natural imbecility, he was on all 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 13 
 
 occasions industriously inclined to his art, and 
 was never known to riot in dissipation ; on the 
 contrary, whenever he was not engaged in mo- 
 delling, he employed himself, particularly in the 
 evening, in making designs upon the backs of 
 letters, and other scraps of paper, for every de- 
 scription of monument of the simple kind, such 
 as a female weeping or entwining festoons of 
 flowers over an urn, or a child with an inverted 
 torch ; and for one and the same monument I 
 have known him make half a dozen or more 
 trials * These sketches were often in pencil, 
 or sometimes finished in Indian-ink, but many 
 of his later ones were drawn only with charcoal ; 
 he kept them always at hand, to show to a gen- 
 tleman who had lost his wife, or a lady who 
 had been deprived of her husband or child ; 
 and he has often been heard to say, when he 
 has received an order for a monument, " You 
 see I take 'em when the tear's in the eye." 
 
 The greatest pleasure our Sculptor ever re- 
 ceived, was when modeUing small figures in 
 
 * Quantities of these sketches were purchased at his auc- 
 tion by Mrs. Palmer, who, having so many of his works, at 
 one time had an idea of building a room for their reception ; 
 as I have been informed by Mr. Taylor, the pupil of Frank 
 Hayman, who still continues an inquisitive and communica- 
 tive man, notwithstanding his great age, which now and then 
 screens him from the retort-courteous. 
 
14 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 clay, either singly or in groups, which he had 
 baked ; and in consequence of his refusing to 
 sell them, and giving very few away, they be- 
 came so extremely numerous, that they not 
 only afforded a great display of his industry, but 
 considerable entertainment to his friends. 
 
 His talent in this way was esteemed superior 
 to many things executed by him of a large 
 size; and it would ill become me, after ventur- 
 ing to amuse my readers with my old master's 
 weaknesses, if I were, by my silence upon these 
 beautiful models, to deprive him of one particle 
 of that share of praise to which he was so 
 deservedly entitled for their composition and 
 spirit ; for though he was but a poor artist as 
 a draughtsman, no one equalled him in his 
 time as a modeller, particularly in his Venuses. 
 There is in some of them, notwithstanding 
 their want of that grace, which he might have 
 derived from the antique, a luxuriant display of 
 Nature's elegance, of which there was then no 
 sculptor better able to make a selection. His 
 models towards the decline of his practice, were 
 not possessed of much variety of composition ; 
 and as for his attempts in his latter years, 
 they very much resembled the productions of a 
 dozing man. However, I will still do him the 
 justice to own, that they were in some points 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 15 
 
 natural, and to the last evinced a strong attach- 
 ment to his branch of the art, although pro- 
 duced in his second childhood. As a proof of 
 my assertion. Sir WiUiam Beechey has a little 
 group possessing much merit, which NoUekens 
 modelled from his design only a short time before 
 his last attack; though he would then occasion- 
 ally leave off, and give Bronze, his poor old ser- 
 vant, money to dance his favourite cat, " Jenny 
 Dawdle," round about the room to please him ; 
 and at which he would always laugh himself 
 heartily into a fit of coughing, and continue to 
 laugh and cough, with tears of pleasure trick- 
 ling down his cheeks upon his bib, until Bronze 
 declared the cat to be quite tired enough for 
 that morning.* 
 
 In this state of imbecility, he continued to 
 exist for a considerable time, under the kind 
 superintendence of his housekeeper Mrs. Holt, 
 who deserves the highest praise for the feeling 
 manner in which she watched over him. As 
 
 * This cat, the favourite of her master, his constant com- 
 panion at his breakfast and dinner-table, hemg no longer 
 praised and petted by her master's visitors after his death, was 
 kindly rescued from unthinking boys, or the stealers of cats 
 for the sake of their skins, by Mrs. Holt, who took her to her 
 home, which she had left to oblige Mr. NoUekens, where it 
 now enjoys a warm-hearted fireside friend. As for the fate 
 of poor Bronze, alas ! a future page will declare it. 
 
16 
 
 NOLLE KENS 
 
 for his faithful servant poor Betty, whose 
 name was dropped at the beginning of this 
 work for that of Bronze, she was too old and 
 feeble to do much ; her hair had become grey 
 in his service, and she was not altogether unlike 
 the figure of the poor old soul so wretchedly 
 employed in lighting the fire in the miser's 
 room, represented by Hogarth in his first plate 
 of the Rake's Progress. Goblet, his principal 
 carver, who had slept in the house for some 
 months, was at all times ready, night and day, 
 to render him every assistance in his power, for 
 which he had been induced to give up his own 
 domestic comforts. His medical attendant was 
 Sir Anthony Carlisle, who for a long time had 
 visited him at all hours, and who was always 
 with him at the shortest possible notice ; and 
 whose kind and skilful hand frequently reliev- 
 ed his sufferings, for he had been visited in the 
 course of his life with three paralytic seizures. 
 
 Under these circumstances, Mr. Nollekens at 
 length departed this life in the drawing-room 
 on the first floor, at the south-east corner of 
 his house, April 23d, 1823, in the presence of 
 Mrs. Holt and Mr. Goblet, who immediately 
 sent to inform the three Executors ; of which 
 number he had, upon the death of my honour- 
 ed friend the Kev. Edward Balme, chosen me to 
 
AND HIS TJMES. 
 
 17 
 
 be one. I considered it my duty to attend the 
 same day, when I found Sir William Beechey. 
 The next day Mr. Douce met us ; and the 
 Will was read. Of this document the fol- 
 lowing is an attested copy, without the least 
 animadversion : — 
 
 " This is the last Will and Testament of me, 
 Joseph Nollekens, of Mortimer-street, in the 
 Parish of Saint Mary-le-bone, in the County of 
 Middlesex, Esquire : I desire that my body be 
 decently deposited in the vault under the parish 
 church of Paddington, in the said County ; and 
 that there be not any scarfs given at my fune- 
 ral, but that I be buried in a plain black coffin 
 without any gilt ornaments. And that all 
 such just debts as I shall owe at the time of 
 my decease, and my funeral and testamentary 
 charges and expenses be paid and satisfied. I 
 give to Mrs. Frances Burslem, of Michleover, 
 in the County of Derby, the sum of two hun- 
 dred pounds. I give to Mrs. Mary Lee, late 
 the widow of my esteemed friend, Caleb 
 Whitefoord, Esquire, deceased, the sum of one 
 hundred pounds, to be paid into her own pro- 
 per hands, for her sole and separate use, and 
 for which her receipt alone (notwithstanding 
 her coverture) shall be a sufficient discharge to 
 
 VOL. II. c 
 
18 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 my Executors hereinafter named. I give to 
 Mr. Lee, the husband of the said Mary Lee, 
 the sum of five hundred pounds, in trust for 
 Maria Whiteford, Caleb Whiteford, Charles 
 Whiteford, Harriet Whiteford, and John 
 Whiteford, children of the said Mary Lee, 
 by her said former husband, in equal shares, 
 and to be paid them at their respective ages of 
 twenty-one years; but if any, or either of 
 them, shall happen to die before attaining that 
 age, then as to the parts of him, her, or them, 
 so dying, in trust for the survivors or survivor 
 of them, equally between such survivors, if 
 more than one ; and the interest of their said 
 several shares to be in the mean time paid or 
 applied towards their respective maintenance 
 or education. And I direct that the receipt 
 of the said Mr. Lee shall be a sufficient dis- 
 charge to my Executors for the same legacy. 
 And that they shall not afterwards be liable 
 to see to the application or disposition of the 
 said legacy, or any part thereof, I give to 
 the said Mr. Lee, the sum of one hundred 
 pounds, as an acknowledgement for the trou- 
 ble he will have in the execution of the afore- 
 said trust. I give to Mary Ann Bonomi, 
 Agnes Bonomi, Justina Bonomi, Ignatius Bo- 
 nomi, Joseph Bonomi, and Charles Bonomi, 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 19 
 
 children of my late friend, Mrs. Rosa Bo- 
 nomi, one hundred pounds each, to be paid 
 them at their respective ages of twenty-one 
 years ; but if any, or either of them, shall 
 happen to die before attaining that age, then I 
 give the aforesaid legacy or legacies of him, 
 her, or them, so dying, unto the survivors or 
 survivor of them, equally between such survi- 
 vors, if more than one. And I direct that the 
 interest of their said several legacies may, if 
 deemed necessary, be in the mean time paid or 
 applied towards their respective maintenance 
 or education. I give to my friend, Mrs. Mary 
 Lloyd, widow of the late Captain Hugh Lloyd, 
 one hundred pounds. I give to my friend. Sir 
 William Beechey, two hundred pounds. 1 give 
 to Mrs. Mary ZofFany, three hundred pounds. 
 I give to Mrs. Green, widow of the late Valen- 
 tine Green, one hundred pounds. I give to 
 my worthy friend, Francis Douce, Esquire, 
 the book of all my prints by Albert Durer, 
 together with the print of the Triumphant Arch 
 of the Emperor Maximilian ; also the golden 
 medallion which I obtained at Rome, in the year 
 One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-eight; 
 but I request that he do, at his decease, leave and 
 bequeath the said prints unto the British Muse- 
 um. I give to my worthy friend, the Reverend 
 
 c 2 
 
NOLLE KENS 
 
 Mr. Kerrick, one hundred pounds ; and I desire 
 that he the said Mr. Kerrick do select from my 
 Prints of Reubens, twelve of them for his collec- 
 tion, and which twelve Prints I hereby bequeath 
 to him. I give to my old friend, Benjamin 
 West, Esquire, one hundred pounds, with the 
 model of his bust. I give to my old friend, 
 Richard Cosway, Esquire, one hundred pounds. 
 I give to the Reverend Mr. Wollaston, of South 
 Weale, one hundred pounds, as a token of my 
 regard for him. I give to my old friend, Mr. 
 J. Taylor, of Cirencester-place, Mary-le-bone, 
 one hundred pounds. I give and remit to my 
 friend, Mrs. Elizabeth Rumsey, the principal 
 and interest due from her to me, on her pro- 
 missory note for one hundred pounds ; and I 
 direct that the said note be delivered up to her 
 to be cancelled. I give to my esteemed friend, 
 Mrs. Walford, one hundred pounds. I give to 
 Mr. Charles Robertson, of Great Marlborough- 
 street, fifty pounds, as a testimony of the re- 
 gard 1 have for him. I give to Mrs. Byrne, 
 widow of the late Mr. Byrne, Engraver, one 
 hundred pounds. I give to Miss Susanna De- 
 vins, two hundred pounds. I give to the Re- 
 verend Doctor Charles Symmons, two hundred 
 pounds. I give to Mr. John Woodcock, cousin 
 of my late dear wife, three hundred pounds. I 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 21 
 
 give to Mr. John Soilleux, of Notting-hill, 
 Kensington, one hundred pounds. I give to 
 Doctor Rudeman, of Bryanstone-street, fifty 
 pounds. I give to Mrs. Mary Holt, fifty pounds. 
 I give to Mrs. Gerrard, nineteen guineas. I 
 give to Hancock, my Hair- dresser, nineteen 
 guineas. I give to Mary Bailleux, now in 
 Saint George's workhouse, forty pounds. I 
 give to Mrs. Henshall, nineteen guineas. I 
 give to EHzabeth Clements, my servant, nine- 
 teen guineas. I give to Mary Fearey, my late 
 servant, all my wearing apparel, clothes, and 
 body-linen. I give to Sebastian Gahagan, 
 Alexander Goblet, and George Lupton, three 
 of my workmen, one hundred pounds each, to 
 be paid as soon as convenient after my decease ; 
 and to George Gahagan, another of my said 
 workmen, twenty pounds, to be paid in like 
 manner. I give to Louisa Goblet, daughter of 
 the said Alexander Goblet, thirty pounds. I 
 give to the said Mary Fearey, to Ann Clibbon, 
 my late servant, and to Dodemy, (another of 
 my workmen) an annuity of thirty pounds 
 to each of them, for their respective lives, 
 to be paid by equal half yearly payments, 
 the first of such payments to be made at the 
 end of six calendar months next after my de- 
 cease. I give to the Trustees or Treasurer, for 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 the time being, of the Saint Patrick Orphan 
 Charity School, three hundred pounds for the 
 benefit of the said school. I give to the Trea- 
 surer or Treasurers of the Middlesex Hospital, 
 three hundred pounds for the benefit of the 
 said hospital. I give to the Treasurer or Trea- 
 surers of the Parish Charity School of Saint 
 Mary4e-bone, three hundred pounds for the 
 benefit of the said school. I give to the Trea- 
 surer or Treasurers of the Society for the Relief 
 of Persons imprisoned for Small Debts, three 
 hundred pounds, for the purposes of the said 
 society. I give to the Treasurer or Treasurers of 
 the Meeting or Contribution for the Kelief of 
 distressed Seamen, held at the King's Head 
 Tavern in the Poultry, nineteen guineas, to be 
 applied for the purposes of the said meeting. 
 I desire that my collection of virtu in antiques, 
 marbles, busts, models, printed books, prints, 
 and drawings, (except such books and prints 
 as I have hereinbefore given) be sold by public 
 auction ; and that the said Alexander Goblet 
 be employed to arrange, repair, and clean my 
 said marbles, busts, and models, to fit them 
 for sale, under the direction of my executors ; 
 and that he, the said Alexander Goblet, be 
 paid for his trouble therein, at the rate of one 
 guinea per day, during such time as he shall be 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 2$ 
 
 SO engaged, and which I suppose may be effect- 
 ed in three or four days ; and I desire that my 
 said antiques, marbles, busts, models, books, 
 prints, and drawings, (except as aforesaid,) be 
 sold by Mr. Christie, of Pall Mall. I give to 
 the said Francis Douce, Esquire, and to the 
 Reverend Edward Balme, the Executors of 
 this my Will, five hundred pounds each, as an 
 acknowledgement for their trouble. I give to 
 Mrs. Sadler my leasehold house, situate and 
 being No. 66, Great Portland-street, now in her 
 occupation ; and all my estate, term, and interest 
 therein. I give to Mrs. Hawkins my leasehold 
 house, situate in Edward-street, Manchester- 
 square, now in her occupation; and all my 
 estate, term and interest therein. I give to 
 Jasper Peck, Esquire, my four leasehold houses, 
 situate in St. James's-street; my four other 
 houses, situate in Edw^ard-street, aforesaid; my 
 two ground-rents of two houses, in the same 
 street ; my leasehold house in INIargaret-street, 
 Cavendish-square ; and my two corner houses 
 in Norton-street and Clipstone-street, and all 
 my estate and interest therein respectively. 
 And as to my property in the funds at the 
 Bank of England, the monies to arise by the 
 sales hereinbefore directed, the debts that shall 
 be owing to me at my decease, and all other 
 
24 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 the residue of my estate and effects whatsoever, 
 I give the same to Mr. Francis Russell Palmer, 
 of Cumberland-place, New-road, and the said 
 Francis Douce, and Mr. Edward Balme, equally 
 to be divided between them. And I appoint 
 the said Francis Douce and Edward Balme, 
 Executors of this my Will. And I declare 
 that they, or either of them, or their respective 
 Executors, shall not be charged or chargeable 
 with, or answerable or accountable for any loss 
 or damage that may happen of or to my estate 
 and effects, or any part thereof, so as the same 
 happens without their wilful neglect or default ; 
 and that they, or any, or either of them, shall 
 not be answerable or accountable for the others 
 or other of them, or for the receipts, payments, 
 acts, neglects, or defaults of the others or other 
 of them, but each of them only for himself, 
 and his own receipts, payments, acts, neglects, 
 and defaults. And that they my said Execu- 
 tors, and their respective Executors, shall and 
 may, by, from, and out of my estate and effects, 
 or any part thereof, deduct, retain, and reim- 
 burse himself and themselves respectively; all 
 such costs, charges, and expenses as they shall 
 respectively pay, sustain, or be put unto, in 
 or about the execution of this my Will or relat- 
 ing thereto. And I do hereby revoke and 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 25 
 
 make void all and every other will and wills by 
 me at any time or times heretofore made, and 
 do publish and declare this to be my last Will 
 and Testament. In witness whereof, I have to 
 this my last Will and Testament contained in 
 three sheets of paper, set my hand and seal 
 (that is to say) have set my hand to the two first 
 sheets, and to this third and last sheet have 
 set my hand and seal, this twenty-first day of 
 March, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
 eight hundred and eighteen. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l.s. 
 Signed, sealed, published and declared by 
 the said Joseph Nollekens the Testator, 
 as and for his last Will and Testament in 
 the presence of us who at his request in 
 his presence, and in the presence of each 
 other, have subscribed our names as 
 witnesses thereto. 
 
 Henuy Jeanneuet, I Golden-square. 
 Edward Gary Grojan, ) 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 I give to Mrs. Harness of Stanmore in the 
 County of Middlesex a Cousin of my late dear 
 wife Mary Nollekens, three hundred pounds 
 and I publish and declare this to be a Codicil to 
 
26 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 my foregoing Wilt witness my hand and seal 
 this twenty seventh day of March one thou- 
 sand eight hundred and eighteen. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l. s. 
 Signed sealed and published by the 
 said Joseph Nollekens in the pre- 
 sence of us 
 
 Henry Jeanneret, 
 W. T. Stubbs. 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 I will and direct that the annuity of thirty 
 pounds by my Will given to Mary Fearey 
 therein named be increased to an annuity of 
 fifty pounds and that the annuity of thirty 
 pounds by my said Will given to Ann Clibbon 
 therein also named be increased to an annuity 
 of forty pounds which increased annuities I 
 give to them respectively (in lieu of the said 
 annuities given them by my said Will) and to 
 be paid half yearly as in my said Will men- 
 tioned I give to Mr. Henshall of Mortimer 
 street Stone Mason (over and above the legacy 
 by my said Will given to Mrs. Henshall his 
 wife) the sum of one hundred pounds and I 
 publish and declare this to be a further Codicil 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 27 
 
 to my said Will, witness my hand and seal this 
 twenty fourth day of June, one thousand eight 
 hundred and eighteen. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l. s. 
 Signed, sealed, and pubhshed, by the 
 said Joseph NoUekens, in the pre- 
 sence of us, 
 
 Henry Jeanneret, 
 Edw. Gary Grojan. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 Has a presant to Maria Verninck daughter 
 of the Reverend Doctor and the Honorable 
 Mrs. Verninck, of Camberwell who was the 
 Goddaughter of my late dear wife Mrs. Nolle- 
 kens and was in May last six years of age the 
 sum of two hundred pounds Also, I have 
 given to Sophia Baroness de Belmont the sum 
 of two hundred pounds as a remembrance I 
 had of her late worthy father God bless them 
 boath. These are boath paid October the 29th, 
 1818. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 I desire that Mr. Carlisle the Surgent be 
 presented with a note of fifty pounds for his 
 attendance on me. 
 
28 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 It is my desier and request that my execu- 
 tors do make a presant of the sum of two hun- 
 dred pounds to each of the daughters of Mr. 
 John Woodcock cousens of my late dear wife 
 Maria Nollekens, that they shall not be at the 
 expence of the legacy duty videlicet, Mary Ann 
 Woodcock and her sister Mrs. Cockell, wife of 
 Mr. Cockell, Surgen, of Bronwick Terrace, 
 Hackney Road this SOth day of November 
 1818. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 
 (Witness) 
 
 Wm. Wing field, 
 George street, Hanover-square. 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 I revoke the legacy or bequest in my fore- 
 going WiU contained of my property in the 
 funds at the Bank of England the monies to 
 arise by the sales in my said Will, directed the 
 debts that shall be owing to me at my decease, 
 and all other the residue of my estate and ef- 
 fects to Mr. Francis Russell Palmer, Mr. Francis 
 Douce, and Mr. Edward Balme equally between 
 them ; and in lieu and stead thereof, I give and 
 bequeath my said property in the funds at the 
 Bank of England the said monies to arise by 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 29 
 
 the aforesaid sales, the said debts that shall be 
 owing to me at my decease and all other the 
 said residue of my estate and effects whatso- 
 ever unto the said Francis Russell Palmer 
 Francis Douse Edward Balme and the Reve- 
 rend Mr. Kerrick in my said Will named 
 equally to be divided between them the said 
 Francis Russell Palmer Francis Douse Ed- 
 ward Balme and Mr. Kerrick And I publish 
 and declare this to be a further Codicil to my 
 said Will Witness my hand and seal this 
 twenty-ninth day of January, One thousand 
 eight hundred and nineteen. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l. s. 
 Signed, sealed, and published by the 
 said Joseph NoUekens in the pre- 
 sence of us, 
 
 Henry Jeanneret. 
 W. T. Stubbs. 
 
 No. 6. 
 
 I do hereby revoke every legacy and be- 
 quest by my Will or Codicils given to or in 
 favor of, Dodemy, and also the legacy of 
 one hundred pounds to Alexander Goblet and 
 instead of the said last legacy, I give to the 
 said Alexander Goblet an annuity of thirty 
 pounds for his life to commence from my de- 
 
30 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 cease, and to be payable half-yearly. Witness 
 my hand and seal the fifteenth day of April, 
 1819. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l. s. 
 (Witness) 
 Henry Jeanneret. 
 Joseph Bonomi. 
 
 No. 7. 
 
 Mortimer street 27th September 1819. 
 
 It is my desire that my executors do give 
 as a present from me to Mrs. Elizabeth Gee 
 widow of No. 4, King-street, Golden-square 
 the sum of fifty pounds, as a token of my re- 
 gard for her. 
 
 And it is my desire that my executors do 
 give, in the same manner as above, the sum of 
 fifty pounds to Mrs. Ray, the wife of Lieut. 
 Ray as a token of my regard for her and her 
 ffamily like of my friend Mr. Trumbold in 
 America. 
 
 And it is my desire that twenty pounds shall 
 be given to Mrs Rouw the wife of Mr. Rouw 
 the Modler for the regard I have for her, 
 for her sole use and benefit, and the lonir slabb 
 of marble in my yard shall be given to him for 
 his own use. Also, that young Pastorini shall 
 be given twenty pounds as a token of my re- 
 gard for him. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 And it is my request that in case of the 
 demise of my hair dresser Hancock a legacy 
 of twenty pounds shall be given to his 
 daughter. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 (Signed in the presence of me) 
 John Worninck, D.D. &c. 
 Camberwell Grove. 
 
 No. 8. 
 
 Whereas, by a former memorandum I had 
 directed that the marble in the yard and the 
 working tools in the study should be equally 
 divided and one-half of the same given to Mr. 
 Alexander Goblet I do hereby revoke such 
 former direction and instead thereof do hereby 
 will and direct that the whole of the said marble 
 and all the working tools in the study be deli- 
 vered by my Executors to the said Alexandei 
 Goblet for his sole use and benefit in conside- 
 ration of his care and attention to me. 
 
 And whereas in the aforesaid memorandum, 
 I had directed that my books drawings and 
 prints should be sold by auction by Mr. King 
 I do hereby direct that they be so sold by Mr. 
 Evans, of Pall Mall. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 
 February the 7th, 1820. 
 
32 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 No. 9. 
 
 It is my desier that I wish that my execu- 
 tors will give as a presant the sum of fifty 
 guineas unto Henry Goblet for the servises he 
 has done for me. 
 
 J. NoLLEKENS. 
 
 August 14th, 1820. 
 
 No. 10. 
 
 All the working tools in the shop I give to 
 his father with the marble in the yard and the 
 boards and utenserals for working the jack I 
 lent to Lupto above a year ago he ought to 
 return it I have paid and for what. — 
 
 J. NoLLEKENS. 
 
 This 14th of August, 1820. 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 This 28th day of January 1822. 
 Memorandum that in case of my death all 
 the marble in the yard the tools in the shop 
 Bankers mod tools for carving the rasp in the 
 draw with and the draw in the parlour shall 
 be the property of Alex. Goblet. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 
 (Witness my hand.) 
 Mary Holt. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 33 
 
 No. 12. 
 
 Codicil to my Will. 
 
 It is my request that the legacy of fifty 
 pounds per annum which I have left in my 
 Will, besides my cloaths and body linen left to 
 Mary Fiery, now Mrs. Edmonds, be revoked, 
 and I give the said fifty pounds per annum to 
 Mary Holt for her life, together with my 
 cloaths and body linen, for the care she has 
 taken of me in my weak state of body. This 
 is my desire, to which I set my hand and seal, 
 this thirtieth day of July, Eighteen Hundred 
 and Twenty-two. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens, l.s. 
 
 (Witness) 
 A. H. Chambers. 
 Wm. Gadsby. 
 
 No. 13. 
 
 Since executing this Will, the Reverend 
 Edward Balme, one of the Executors therein 
 named, has departed this life, and I do there- 
 fore appoint as my Executors Sir WiUiam 
 Beechy, Knight; Francis Douce, Esquire ; and 
 Thomas Smith, Esquire, of the British Museum, 
 the joint Executors of this my Will ; and I do 
 now hereby give to the said Sir WilHam 
 
 VOL. II. D 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 Beechy the sum of one hundred pounds for his 
 trouble, and to the said Thomas Smith one 
 hundred pounds for his trouble ; I do likewise 
 hereby give and bequeath to Henry Francis 
 Goblet, the son of Alexander Goblet, one 
 hundred pounds, and to Mrs. Mary Holt the 
 additional sum of one hundred pounds to what 
 I may have already given her by this Will, 
 which I do in all other respects hereby confirm ; 
 as witness my hand, this sixth day of De- 
 cember, One Thousand Eight Hundred and 
 Twenty-two. 
 
 J. NoLLEKENS. 
 
 (Signed in the presence of us) 
 John Meakin. 
 Thomas Matthew. 
 
 No. 14. 
 
 It is my desire that my Executors pay to 
 Mr. Peter Rouw, the Modeller, the sum of one 
 hundred pounds. As witness my hand, this 
 twenty-eighth day of December, One Thou- 
 sand Eight Hundred and Twenty-two. 
 
 Joseph Nollekens. 
 
 Died 23rd April, 1823. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 35 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Funeral of Mr. NoUekens. — His wardrobe. — List of his in- 
 tended bequests. — Professional anecdotes of him. — Model- 
 ling in full dress. — Taking casts from dead subjects. — His 
 mask of Mr. Pitt. — Statue erected at Cambridge. — Mrs. 
 Siddons's remarks on it. — Economy and profits of the Sculp- 
 tor. — Bust of Lord Londonderry. — Economy in fuel. — 
 Fuseli's opinion of Nollekens. — His bust of Mr. Coutts ; 
 anecdotes of its execution. — His collection of casts and 
 models. — Wigs painted by Lely and Kneller. — Wycherley 
 and Fielding wigs. — Old system of wig-stealing. — Mr. 
 Nollekens's features of likeness in his busts. — His busts of 
 Mr. Fox. 
 
 On the day of the funeral. May the 1st, 
 1823, at eleven o'clock, the hour proposed for 
 the meeting of the carriages invited to attend 
 it, only four appeared, namely, the Hon. Tho- 
 mas Grenville's, Mr. Chambers', Mr. Palmer's ; 
 and last of all, that which the mob saluted as my 
 Lord Mayor's. The cry was, " Lord Mayor ! 
 Lord Mayor !" — " Lord Mayor !" rejoined the 
 stately coachman, drawing on his sable glove ; 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 " the Duke of Wellington's, if you please, — 
 Lord Mayor, indeed !" and really the coach and 
 dressings were truly splendid and worthy of so 
 noble a Duke. The Rev. Thomas Kerrick, or, 
 in true spelling, Kerrich, Principal Librarian to 
 the University of Cambridge, did not appear. 
 The mourners were all in waiting; and Mr. 
 Douce arrived at twelve. The street-lamp-irons 
 and windows were thronged to see " The Mi- 
 ser's Funeral ;" and all was now in silent mo- 
 tion. The first coach contained Francis Douce, 
 Esq. an Executor, and one of the residuary- 
 legatees. Sir William Beechey, also an Execu- 
 tor, but not a residuary -legatee, was obliged to 
 attend his own interests in touching up his pic- 
 tures in the Royal Academy-room, previous to 
 the opening of the Exhibition. The second in 
 the coach was the late Dr. Simmonds, of Chis- 
 wick, an old and steady friend to the deceased ; 
 the third was Russel Palmer, Esq. the son of 
 Mrs. Palmer, an acquaintance of some standing 
 with the deceased ; and the fourth was myself, 
 an Executor, but, like Sir WiUiam Beechey, no 
 residuary-legatee. The other mourners were, 
 Mr. Woodcock, a cousin of Mrs. Nollekens, to 
 whom a small legacy had been left ; Mr. Nelson 
 Beechey, for his father ; Mr. Christie, the auc- 
 tioneer, the gentleman who sold part of the pro- 
 perty ; Raphael and Benjamin West, Esquires, 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 37 
 
 sons of the late venerable President ; the Rev. 
 Stephen Weston ; Mr. Jeanneret, who was sent 
 for after Mr. NoUekens's death to read the will ; 
 Mr. Gahagan ; Mr. Goblet sen. and his son ; 
 Mr. Kouw, Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Soilleux.* 
 Being now in a state of motion, the conversa- 
 tion between Dr. Simmonds and myself fell 
 upon the notices in the newspapers respecting 
 the very extraordinary manner in which it was 
 stated that Mr. NoUekens's money was to be 
 distributed. As the coach in which I was, turn- 
 ed round Harley-street, I had a perfect view of 
 the procession, and the crowd that followed the 
 Duke of Wellington's carriage was immense ; 
 it was a new one, built for state occasions. By 
 the time we got into the New Koad, the con- 
 course of people was beyond all conception ; for 
 it was May-day, and the chimney-sweepers in 
 their trappings, and the Jacks-in-the-green, or 
 Bunter's Garland, had all followed what they 
 still looked upon as my Lord Mayor's coach. 
 Indeed, so strongly was this believed by the 
 drivers of the Paddington stages, whose horses 
 
 * Early on the day of the funeral, when Sir William 
 Beechey and myself found that Mr. Peck, one of Mr. NoUe- 
 kens's two nearest relations^ had not been included in the list 
 of those invited, we immediately directed Mr. Turner, the 
 undertaker, to send a coach to the Temple for that gentle- 
 man, but it arrived too late for him to attend. 
 
38 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 were gaily decked with ribbons of various dyes, 
 that they, out of respect or fear of the City 
 magistrate, fell back and slowly followed the 
 Duke's coach. 
 
 By the time we had arrived at the Yorkshire 
 Stingo, a crowd of milk-maids and inferior maid- 
 servants, who had been dancing and drinking 
 on the green all the morning, so choked up the 
 turnpike, that for some time a stoppage took 
 place. At last, the mob, finding it to be only 
 a funeral, and that it was going to Paddington, 
 the greater part of our company left us to fol- 
 low their accustomed gambols. On our arrival 
 at the church-yard, Old Dodimy was waiting 
 to see the last of his master, with whom had 
 he remained, most likely he would have had 
 the annuity of thirty pounds once bequeathed 
 him; but since transferred to Lewis Goblet, 
 Sculptor, as a reward for his long and faithful 
 services. Before this time, however. Goblet 
 was not noticed, though he had received many 
 assurances from Mr. NoUekens that he had 
 left him and his family comfortably in his 
 will. When the funeral was over, Mr. Douce 
 returned from the church-yard to his house in 
 Kensington-square, and most of the other 
 mourners returned to the house of the de- 
 ceased, in order to hear the Will read. This I, 
 as an Executor, firmly insisted upon, and it was 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 39 
 
 accordingly read in the presence of many per- 
 sons now living. 
 
 Some time was employed by two of the 
 Executors and the three solicitors, in looking 
 over Mr. Nollekens's property, before the Will 
 was proved. At one of these meetings, Mr. 
 Nollekens's wardrobe was inspected, when we 
 found it to consist of his court- coat of Pour pre 
 de Pape, in which he was married ; his hat, 
 sword, and bag ; two shirts ; two pairs of worsted 
 stockings, one table-cloth, three sheets, and two 
 pillow-cases, but all these were in such a state 
 of decay, that, with other rags, Mrs. Holt in- 
 formed me she could only procure one pound 
 Jive shillings for her legacy. His smart green 
 velvet-cap, one of the two kindly presented to 
 him by a lady, Mrs. Holt presented to a friend. 
 
 During the investigation of his papers, I was 
 in anxious expectation of finding a Will subse- 
 quent to the one produced, as he had been for 
 years in the habit of signing many Wills, in all 
 of which he assured me he had recollected me 
 and my family. " That you may depend upon, 
 Tom," were his words. In the year 1810, he 
 showed me a list of the names of one hundred 
 persons, to every one of whom he said he in- 
 tended to leave one thousand pounds ! 
 
 Of this list, which was in his own handwrit- 
 ing, he said 1 might make a copy to show to my 
 
40 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 wife ; but I only drew out the names of those 
 persons whom I knew, and as I never destroy 
 any paper of the least moment, I am enabled to 
 insert the following copy. 
 
 Mr. Arnald. 
 
 Mr. Chantrey. 
 
 Sir William Beechey. 
 
 Mr. Christie. 
 
 Lady Beechey. 
 
 Mr. Collins. 
 
 Countess de Belmont. 
 
 Mr. Colnaghi. 
 
 Mr. Bone. 
 
 Mr. Combe. 
 
 Mrs. Bone. 
 
 Mr. Cosway. 
 
 Joseph Bonomi. 
 
 Mrs. Cosway. 
 
 Bonomi, Jun. 
 
 Mr. Peter Coxe. 
 
 Mrs. Bonomi. 
 
 Charles Cranmer.f 
 
 Miss Bonomi. 
 
 Mr. Dean. 
 
 Agnes Bonomi. 
 
 Mr. Devall. 
 
 Mr. Browne. 
 
 Mr. Partington. 
 
 Mrs. Byrne. 
 
 Mrs. Fox. 
 
 Mr. Byrne. 
 
 Mr. Gahagan. 
 
 Miss Byrne. 
 
 Mr. Gahagan, Jun. 
 
 Mr. Carlisle. 
 
 Miss Gerrard. 
 
 Lady Chambers.* 
 
 Mr. Gregory. 
 
 Mr. Chambers. 
 
 Mr. Goblet. 
 
 Mrs. Chambers. 
 
 Mrs. Goblet. 
 
 Miss Chambers. 
 
 Henry Goblet. 
 
 * The wife of Sir Robert Chambers, Chief-Justice of In- 
 dia. Sir Robert and his lady are mentioned by Boswell, in 
 his Life of Doctor Johnson. Lady Chambers is the daughter 
 of the late Joseph Wilton, Esq. R.A. 
 
 t One of the early models at the Royal Academy, who 
 sat to Angelica Kauffmann when she resided with her fa- 
 ther in Golden-square. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 41 
 
 Louisa Goblet. 
 
 Mr. Rossi. 
 
 Mr. Harness. 
 
 Mr. Rouw. 
 
 Mr. Adair Hawkins. 
 
 Mrs. Rouw. 
 
 Mr. Henshall. 
 
 Mr. N. Smith. 
 
 Mr. Howard. 
 
 Mr. J. T. Smith. 
 
 Mr. Joseph. 
 
 Mrs. Smith. 
 
 Mr. Kenrick. 
 
 N. J. Smith, Jun. 
 
 Mr. Knight, Jun. 
 
 Jane Smith. 
 
 Sir Thomas Lawrence. 
 
 Johanna Smith. 
 
 Mr. Lonsdale. 
 
 Mr. Sharp. 
 
 Mrs. Lloyd. 
 
 Dr. Simmonds. 
 
 Mr. Lupton. 
 
 Mr. John Taylor. 
 
 Mr. Northcote. 
 
 Mr. Ward. 
 
 Mrs. Palmer. 
 
 Mr. West. 
 
 Mr. Palmer. 
 
 Mrs. West. 
 
 Mr. William Pether. 
 
 Mrs. Wilson. 
 
 Mr. Panzetta. 
 
 Mr. Wivell. 
 
 Mr. Planta. 
 
 Mr. Woodcock. 
 
 Mr. Poingnon. 
 
 Mrs; ZofFany.* 
 
 Mr. Richards. 
 
 
 Having illustrated the peculiar manners of 
 Mr. ^oUekens in his ordinary life, I shall now 
 introduce a few professional anecdotes of him 
 
 * Mr. NoUekens, who had been extremely intimate with 
 Mr. ZolFany, when approaching his 80th year offered his hand 
 to his widow, who very civilly declined it, prudently ob- 
 serving, " No, Sir, the world would then say, she has married 
 him for his money." Mrs. Zoffany, when she found poor 
 Bronze had been set down in his Will for only 19/. 19*. 
 very generously gave Mrs. Holt a guinea for her, long before 
 she received her own legacy. 
 
42 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 as an artist, which will probably be not less 
 amusing to the reader. 
 
 During the time an illustrious personage was 
 sitting for his bust, he could not refrain from 
 smiling at his friend, who stood behind Nol- 
 lekens, at the truly ridiculous manner in which 
 the artist had inconvenienced himself for the 
 occasion. His powdered toupet,* which was 
 stiffly pomatumed, stood pointedly erect ; and 
 he had, for the first time, put on a coat, to 
 which the tailor had given an enormously high 
 buckram ed cape, so that, like Allscrip's, in 
 
 The Heiress," his head appeared as if it were in 
 the pillory. To look over this cape, Nollekens 
 had for some time painfully exerted himself, by 
 stretching his neck to its fullest possible ex- 
 tent ; but, as he proceeded with his model, his 
 body by degrees relaxed, and his head at last 
 was so completely buried within the cape, that 
 nothing but the pinnacle of his toupet was vi- 
 sible above it. This ridiculous exit of NoUe- 
 kens's head so operated upon the risibility of 
 the noble sitter, that, at last, he irresistibly in- 
 dulged in a liberal fit of laughter, which so 
 
 * Mr. Nollekens, when at Rome, wore his long hair tied 
 up in a club ; when he arrived in England he commenced 
 wearing hair-powder, and continued the use of it till his 
 hair became thin ; he then, at the recommendation of Caleb 
 Whitefoord, had it all cut off, and wore a natural wig without 
 powder. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 43 
 
 irritated the little Sculptor, who had for some 
 time noticed their smiles, that, instead of good- 
 temperedly finding fault with the tailor, he lost 
 sight of propriety, and thrusting his thumb 
 into the mouth of the model, impetuously ex- 
 claimed, with a treble wag of his head, " If you 
 laugh, I'll make a fool of ye /" 
 
 NoUekens, after reading the death of any 
 great person in the newspaper, generally or- 
 dered some plaster to be got ready, so that he 
 might attend at a minute's notice. One day, 
 when a lady who had sent for him desired him 
 not to make so free with her dear husband's 
 corpse, he observed, " Oh, bless ye, you had 
 better let me close his eyelids ; for then, when 
 I cast him in my mould, he '11 look for all the 
 world as if he was asleep. Why do you take 
 on so? you do wrong to prey upon such a 
 dismal prospect ; do leave the room to me and 
 my man ; I am used to it, it makes no impres- 
 sion on me ; I have got a good many noted 
 down in my journal." 
 
 Mr. Sebastian Gahagan, the Sculptor, Mr. 
 Nollekens's assistant, attended him to cast the 
 face of Lord Lake, after his decease ; his Lord- 
 ship's brother was then inconsolably pacing the 
 room, but Mr. Nollekens shook him by the 
 elbow, and applied to him for a little sweet-oil, a 
 large basin, some water, and pen, ink, and paper. 
 
44 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 The gentleman, astonished at his want of de- 
 cency, referred him to the servant; and Nol- 
 lekens, after he had taken the mask, muttered 
 the following soliloquy : " Now, let me see, I 
 must begin to measure him ; where 's my cal- 
 lipers ? I must take him from his chin to the 
 upper pinnacle of his head ; I '11 put him down 
 in ink; ay, that will do; now, I must have 
 him from his nose to the back part of his skull ; 
 well, now let 's take his shoulders ; now for his 
 neck ; well, now I 've got him all." 
 
 On Mr. NoUekens's return from Putney 
 Common, after taking Mr. Pitt's mask, he ob- 
 served to Mr. Gahagan, pointing to it on the 
 opposite seat of the coach, " There, I would not 
 take fifty guineas for that mask, I can tell ye." 
 He would have done wrong if he had ; for 
 from this mask and Hoppner's picture, which 
 was lent him by Lord Mul grave, he was enabled 
 to produce the statue erected in the Senate-house 
 of Cambridge, for which he received three 
 thousand guineas.* 
 
 * Mr. Gahagan carved this statue of Pitt, for which Mr. 
 Nollekens paid him^ I am sorry to say, a miserably small sum ; 
 and I really think, those who now bask in the sunshine of Mr. 
 Nollekens's immense wealth should take into consideration, 
 the letter which he addressed to the Executors shortly after 
 the death of his old master. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 4.5 
 
 Mr. George Lupton, the Statuary, of Keppel- 
 row, New-road, informed me that he went to 
 Cambridge with his men to put up Mr. Pitt's 
 monument ; and when he had erected the pe- 
 destal upon which it was to stand, he wrote 
 to JNlr. Nollekens and informed him of its being 
 ready ; but as he did not come immediately, 
 Mr. Lupton placed the figure upon it. Soon 
 after this, Mr. NoUekens arrived, and exclaimed, 
 " Thank God ! it is up." He went to Cam- 
 bridge in a very shabby coat, notwithstanding 
 he intended to accept the invitation of the 
 heads of the University, and to feed upon what 
 Lupton called " The fat of the land ; " the Rev. 
 Thomas Kerrich being one of his feeders. It is 
 said thatNoUekens charged one thousand pounds 
 for Pitt's pedestal ; but Lupton assured me that 
 he had only twelve pounds for the working ex- 
 penses, and that Nollekens bought the stone re- 
 markably cheap at Mr. Deval's sale, he thinks 
 at about nine shillings the cube foot. He also 
 farther observed that Chantrey was nothing to 
 Nollekens, with respect to his charges. 
 
 The erection of this effigy was thus no- 
 ticed by Prince Hoare, Esq. in his Academic 
 Annals of 1809. " Statue of the Right Hon. 
 William Pitt ; to be placed in the Senate- 
 house in the University of Cambridge : by ge- 
 
46 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 neral subscription of the Members of the Uni- 
 versity. (Executed by Joseph NoUekens, 
 R.A.) This great statesman and orator is re- 
 presented in the act of speaking, holding a roll 
 of paper in his left hand. The attitude is 
 designed to convey an idea of that commanding 
 energy and decision, with which he was accus- 
 tomed to address the House of Commons. He 
 is habited in the gown worn by the Masters of 
 Arts in the University. The statue is to be 
 erected in the Senate-House, at the eastern end 
 of the room, in the place where the figure of 
 Glory at present stands." 
 
 The " Guide through the University of Cam- 
 bridge," published in 1814, after describing the 
 statue of the Duke of Somerset, by Rysbrack, 
 states, "that on the right is a statue of the 
 Right Hon. W. Pitt, erected at the expense of 
 different Members of the University ; upwards 
 of 7OOOZ. being subscribed for that purpose. 
 This statue was executed by NoUekens, and is 
 considered by many good judges to be his chef- 
 d'oeuvre.^' 
 
 Mr. Knight, one of the principal superinten- 
 dents of the works at the New London Bridge, 
 informed me that when Mrs. Siddons arrived 
 to look at this statue, Mr. Nollekens was touch- 
 ing up the drapery ; and that he heard that 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 47 
 
 lady remark to the Sculptor, that in her opinion 
 he was frittering the folds. NoUekens at first 
 replied only by a kind of a double grunt ; but 
 when that lady left the studio, he declared that 
 he was glad she was gone, for she knew no- 
 thing about the matter. Now, in the opinion 
 of several artists of eminence, Mrs. Siddons, who 
 has very fine taste, and a considerable share of 
 talent as a modeller, was perfectly correct.* 
 
 When Mr. Nollekens had finished the monu- 
 ment of the three Captains, ordered by Govern- 
 ment to be erected in Westminster Abbey, it 
 remained in his studio for nearly fourteen years, 
 waiting for the inscription ; and he being at 
 last out of all patience, petitioned the late 
 King, then at Weymouth, to take it into his 
 royal consideration. The late Mr. Pitt was so 
 highly displeased at his interference, that he 
 never would sit to Mr. Nollekens for his bust, 
 nor recommend him in any way whatever ; and 
 yet it is a fact, that after the decease of that 
 great statesman, Mr. Nollekens made no less a 
 sum by him than 15,000/., according to the fol- 
 lowing calculation. The statue and pedestal for 
 
 * Many of my readers may remember the head of Adam, 
 which Mrs. Siddons exhibited at the Royal Academy, some 
 years back ; but very few can recollect that performance with 
 more pleasure than myself. 
 
48 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Trinity College, Cambridge, four thousand 
 pounds. He also executed at least seventy- 
 four busts in marble, for almost every one of 
 which he had one hundred and twenty guineas ; 
 and there were upwards of six hundred casts 
 taken at six guineas each. The marble for the 
 figure did not ultimately cost him more than 
 twenty pounds ; for he had so cunningly eco- 
 nomized the block, that he cut out from the 
 corners several pieces for various busts : and 
 even farther than this, the block not being 
 long enough by the depth of Mr. Pitt's head, 
 he contrived to drill out a lump from between 
 the legs large enough for the head, which he 
 put on the shoulders of the block. The arm 
 was also carved from a single piece ; and yet 
 for this figure, pieced in a manner which the 
 sculptors of Italy would have been ashamed of, 
 he received the unheard-of price of three thou- 
 sand guineas, and one thousand for the pedestal ; 
 giving the Sculptor who carved it, only the odd 
 three hundred pounds for his trouble. For the 
 busts in marble, he paid Gahagan, Goblet, and 
 another Sculptor of inferior merit, twenty-four 
 pounds each, upon the average. 
 
 When the late Marquis of Londonderry was 
 sitting for his bust, coals were at an enormous 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 49 
 
 price; and the noble Lord, who had been for 
 some time shivering in his seat, took the oppor- 
 tunity, when the Sculptor went out for more 
 clay, of throwing some coals upon the fire. 
 " Oh ! my good Lord, I don't know what Mr. 
 NoUekens will say !" exclaimed Mrs. NoUekens, 
 who was bolstered up and bound to an old night- 
 chair by the fireside : " Never mind, my good 
 lady," answered his Lordship ; " tell him to 
 put them into my bill." — Lonsdale, the Portrait- 
 painter, who found him one severe winter's 
 evening starving himself before a handful of 
 fire, requested to be permitted to throw a few 
 coals on ; and before Mr. NoUekens could reply, 
 on they were. Lonsdale, strongly suspecting 
 that they would be taken off as soon as he was 
 gone, was determined to be convinced ; and 
 when he had reached the street-door, pretended 
 to have forgotten something, re-ascended to the 
 room, and found him, as he suspected, taking 
 them off with the fire-feeder, so strongly recom- 
 mended to him by the Bishop of St. Asaph ; at 
 the same time muttering to himself, " Shameful I 
 shameful extravagance !" He never left the 
 kind-hearted Lonsdale a legacy ; at least, I 
 know of none ; though it was his intention to 
 have put him down in a former Will for 1000/. 
 John Knowles, Esq. the friend, and for many 
 
 VOL. II. E 
 
50 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 years the constant companion, of Fuseli, com- 
 municated to me the remarks which that artist 
 made to him respecting the talents of NoUekens. 
 
 " Mr, Coutts said to me yesterday," observed 
 Fuseli, * My family have urged me to sit for a 
 bust to be executed in marble. Now, as you 
 know, Fuseli, that the price is not an object, 
 pray tell me who you think will execute it 
 best ?' I had no difficulty in doing this ; for 
 although NoUekens is superannuated in many 
 particulars, yet in a bust he stands unrivalled. 
 If Mr. Coutts had required a group of figures, 1 
 should have recommended Flaxman ; but for a 
 bust, give me NoUekens." 
 
 This bust of the late Mr. Coutts, the Banker, 
 was one of NoUekens's last productions, and 
 one in which he appeared to take much plea- 
 sure : but I must say that, as to likeness, it is 
 certainly ridiculously severe. In my mind, it 
 displays the distorted features of a distressed 
 person labouring under the heavy pangs of po- 
 verty, penury, or peevishness, neither of which 
 cheerless characteristics did Mr. Coutts at any 
 period of his life possess. Indeed, it is what 
 I deem a Cruikshank-caricature countenance. 
 Chantrey has succeeded much better, and, in- 
 deed, completely, in his statue of him.* Mrs. 
 
 * This statue is placed in the Duchess of St. Alban's draw- 
 ing-roonij in her Grace's town-house, Piccadilly. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 51 
 
 Nollekens assured me, that during the numerous 
 sittings which that wealthy man gave Mr. Nol- 
 lekens, no one could be more attentive to him 
 than Mrs. Coutts, who never failed to bring 
 with her in her carriage some of the most de- 
 licious and comforting soups or refreshments 
 that could possibly be made ; which she herself 
 warmed in a saucepan over the parlour fire : 
 " and I declare, my good Sir," continued Mrs. 
 Nollekens, " I believe it did me as much good 
 to see old Mr. Coutts enjoy every spoonful of 
 it, as it would have done had it passed through 
 my own mouth." 
 
 These savoury-soup scenes must have been 
 comically curious, as well as truly melancholy ; 
 for at that time Mrs. Nollekens was in her last 
 stage of existence, with her spine nearly bent 
 double. A wry neck had much twisted her 
 head, which, in the best possible position, re- 
 clined upon a wing of a nurse's old-fashioned 
 high-backed night-chair,* covered with a broad 
 
 * In the latter part of Mrs. NoUekens's life, her husband 
 would frequently make drawings of her, either in her chair, 
 or as her maid was leading her up or down stairs : these 
 sketches he showed to Mr. Jackson ; observing to him, even 
 in her presence, " Only see how much she has altered in a 
 short time ! That drawing I made in July, and this in Au- 
 gust." — " Ay, Sir," observed Mrs. Nollekens, who was almost 
 bent double in the great arm-chair, " you never would make 
 a drawing of me when I was fit to be seen." 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 chequered red and white stuff ; and her swollen 
 legs, which were almost useless, were placed upon 
 a stool for the day, by her " flesh-brush rubber," 
 a woman who regularly attended her for an hour 
 every morning. Then Mr. Coutts was blowing 
 his broth, attended by Mrs. Coutts, a lively wo- 
 man, most fashionably dressed; whilst NoUe- 
 kens, to use the commonest of all similes, nearly 
 as deaf as a post, was prosecuting his bust, 
 and at the same time, repeating his loud inter- 
 rogations as to the price of stocks to his sitter ; 
 who had twice most good-temperedly stayed 
 the spoon, when it was considerably more than 
 half-way to his mouth, and turned his head 
 to answer him. As for the old conversation 
 upon his early amusement of bell-tolling, that 
 was a pleasure our Artist had given up, ever 
 since he became a patient of the celebrated 
 Aurist, Mr. Maule, who advised him by all 
 means to keep his ears well stuffed with cotton. 
 
 Mr. Henning, the Sculptor, when employed by 
 Lady Moira to make a model in wax from Lord 
 Moira's bust by NoUekens, was under the ne- 
 cessity of going to the artist's house to take the 
 likeness ; and he was in hope, from a man stand- 
 ing so high in his profession, that he should de- 
 rive considerable benefit from his conversation ; 
 but in this expectation he was, after repeatedly 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 53 
 
 trying to bring him into discourse, most grie- 
 vously disappointed.* 
 
 Fiamingo's models of boys were great favou- 
 rites with Mr. NoUekens : he had several ori- 
 ginals in clay, which he procured from Ant- 
 werp ; and upon which he placed so high a 
 value, that, though frequent and considerable 
 offers were made, he would not part with 
 them. Indeed he would not even listen to his 
 flattering friend Angelica Kauffmann, who 
 practised her wheedlings to the fullest extent of 
 her fascinating powers, to become mistress of 
 only one of the most inferior of his collection. 
 He laid out little money in England in plaster 
 casts, for most of those he possessed he brought 
 from Rome; unless Papera, who, in the com- 
 mencement of his career, carried the new things 
 round to the artists in baskets, brought him a 
 Flamingo child which he had never seen. I 
 
 * Mr. Henning had been previously introduced to Mr. 
 Nollekens by his old friend, James Dawkins, Esq. who would 
 now and then joke him as to his Venuses. Mr. Henning 
 informed me, that Mr. Dawkins assured him, that his uncle's 
 work of Palmyra and Balbeck had cost him no less a sum than 
 fifty thousand pounds ; his attendants in the Deserts being so 
 numerous, that he seldom had fewer than three hundred men 
 to protect him and assist in his discoveries. Surely this noble 
 enterprise demands the most liberal notice of the future bio- 
 grapher of Mr. Dawkins. 
 
54 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 recollect a basso-relievo of boys, which he ad- 
 mired very much, until Papera named John 
 Deare as the modeller: when his admiration, 
 I am sorry to say, decreased into the following 
 remarks : — " Yes, it is ; he is a clever fellow, 
 certainly ; but 1 don't see the wonderful merit 
 in his Marine Venus that Sir Richard Worsley 
 talks so much about ; and there 's Mr. Penn, 
 with his Landing of Julius Csesar ; it 's a clever 
 thing, and so I have always told him." 
 
 Nollekens, whenever he could contrive it, 
 avoided a representation of flowing hair in mar- 
 ble, particularly in curled wigs ; though in his 
 bust of Lord Chancellor Bathurst, he was oblig- 
 ed to attend strictly to costume. The manner 
 in which the wig of that bust is modelled, 
 proves what I firmly believe to be the fact, that 
 such profusion of hair either perplexed him, or 
 was too expensive in the workmanship. Indeed, 
 his master, Scheemakers, never shone in the art 
 of wig-making, as his bust of Sir Hans Sloan e, 
 in the British Museum, sufficiently proves. His 
 predecessor. Bird, in the wig of Sir Cloudesley 
 Shovel, in Westminster Abbey, bad as it is, was 
 more successful in its tooling. That of Doctor 
 Lockyer, in Saint Mary Overies, and those on 
 the statues of Sir John Cutler, in the College of 
 Physicians, and Grocers' Hall, are very little su- 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 55 
 
 perior. Roubiliac's statue of Sir John Cass, at 
 Saint Botolph's, Aldgate, exhibits a particularly- 
 tasteful wig;* but, notwithstanding his skill dis- 
 played in that instance, he w^as not fond of in- 
 troducing it, and endeavoured to persuade his 
 sitters to take their wigs off. His busts of Pope, 
 Lord Bohngbroke, Martin Folkes, Doctors 
 Mead and Frewin, and numerous others of men 
 of literature, are without wigs. Jonathan Rich- 
 ardson has etched his own portrait and that of 
 Lord Somers in flowing wigs ; and these two 
 prints exhibit more flow of curl and spirit of 
 needle than any I can instance. Indeed, they 
 are complete specimens of tasteful flowing hair; 
 and yet Richardson has also etched his own head, 
 and many more of Lord Bolingbroke and Pope, 
 without wigs ; which proves that he preferred 
 the natural shape of the head. 
 
 Nollekens's bust of Doctor Johnson is with- 
 out his wig, but with very thick and heavy locks, 
 which much displeased the Doctor, who insisted 
 upon it that all persons should be pourtrayed as 
 they are seen in company ; adding, that though 
 a man for ease may wear a night-cap in his 
 own chamber, he ought not to look like one 
 
 * This fine statue has lately been most villainously painted 
 of various colours, in order to make it appear as natural as life, 
 or like the Westminster Abbey wax-work. 
 
56 
 
 NOI.LEKENS 
 
 who had taken physic. I recollect that Wil- 
 kie, the Academician, once observed to an art- 
 ist who was about to paint his own portrait 
 without his cravat, with his shirt-collar thrown 
 open to exhibit his neck, " Oh don't do that ; 
 you '11 look as if you were going to be shaved." 
 
 In the representation of hair, the spirited 
 Painter has a decided superiority over the most 
 exquisite and dexterous Sculptor ; not only in 
 colour and texture, but also as to time. The 
 former is enabled to produce in one hour with 
 his elastic and oily pencil, as much as would 
 take the latter six weeks with his chisel and 
 drill ; as may be seen in the beautifully flowing 
 hair of Vandyke, Dobson, Lely, and Kneller, 
 and the laboured works of the best Sculptors. 
 The difference in a Lely wig from that of a 
 Kneller, is, that the former generally falls down 
 the shoulders in front, and the latter is thrown 
 over the shoulders behind. 
 
 It must, however, be understood, that though 
 Kneller and Lely thus differed, they did not 
 paint all their sitters according to their own 
 fashion of wearing their wigs. On the con- 
 trary, we find by Blooteling's print of Thomas 
 Earl of Danby, that his wig was peculiar. At 
 the bottom of the sides of the wig, which falls 
 over the front of the shoulders, there are three 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 57 
 
 regularly distinct curls stiffly rolled up. But of 
 all the wig-dandies of those days, the Duke of 
 Ormond appears to have been the most fanci- 
 ful ; and I am supported in this conjecture by 
 the four different portraits of that nobleman, 
 engraven by Faithorne, Loggan, Williams, and 
 White ; which, though they all have large and 
 flowing wigs, conspicuously vary in their modes 
 of curling. 
 
 It may possibly be within the recollection 
 of some few of my readers, when gentlemen 
 indulged in an immensely expensive purchase 
 of deep and flowing curled wigs, such as Wy- 
 cherley and " Beau Fielding " wore ; and I have 
 been credibly informed, that the enormous sum 
 of fifty guineas was given by the best-dress- 
 ing men of the time for a truly fashionable 
 wig of the above description. Such wigs con- 
 tinued to be worn by many men of the old 
 school during the latter part of the profession 
 of Zincke, the Enamel-painter, whose portraits 
 exhibit many of them. Sir James Thornhill 
 and Jonathan Richardson wore flowing wigs, 
 and so likewise did Sir James's son-in-law Ho- 
 garth, in the early part of his professional career. 
 In the latter years of his life, he wore a Busby- 
 wig when dressed ; though, whilst painting, he 
 preferred a velvet cap. There are persons now 
 
58 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 living, who recollect seeing the father of the 
 late Mr. Prime, of Witton,* wearing a flowing 
 wig, or what is better known in the Burletta of 
 Tom Thumb, a Doodle and a Noodle. Mrs. 
 NoUekens has frequently been heard to relate, 
 that during the early part of Mr. Welch's ma- 
 gistracy, gentlemen were continually annoyed, 
 and frequently robbed of their wigs in the 
 open street and in mid-day. She stated that 
 this method of wig-stealing was singularly dar- 
 ing, as well as laughably curious. A man 
 dressed like a baker, bending beneath a large 
 loaded bread-basket, which he had hoisted upon 
 his shoulders, waited until the first gentleman 
 wearing a costly wig was about to turn the 
 corner of a street in a crowded thoroughfare; 
 and then, just as an accomplice ran forcibly 
 against him, a boy concealed in the baker's bas- 
 ket, knocked off the gentleman's gold-laced 
 hat, and instantly snatched his wig. Whilst the 
 gentleman was stooping to pick up his hat, the 
 fictitious baker made off, with his dexterous 
 assistant, till he came to the first convenient 
 turning, where he released the boy, who walked 
 aw ay with his booty neatly folded up in a school- 
 
 * This gentleman resided in the house which had been the 
 mansion of Sir Godfrey Kneller ; the staircase of which, paint- 
 ed by that artist, remains perfectly in its original state. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 59 
 
 boy's satchel, which he threw carelessly over 
 his shoulder, as if slowly going to school, with 
 his round, " shining, morning face ;" leaving 
 the baker with a loaf or two in his basket, pre- 
 tending to be waiting at a customer's door, at 
 which it was supposed he had knocked. After 
 numerous depredations of this kind, the bakers' 
 men, who were avoided by the Wycherleys,* 
 were determined not to be mistaken ; and no 
 longer carried their baskets hoisted on their 
 shoulders, but swung them over the arm, and 
 have ever since carried them at their backs ; so 
 that the wearers of wigs might see the contents 
 of their bread-baskets. 
 
 But to return to our Sculptor : in my opi- 
 nion, Mr. NoUekens trusted more to the eyes, 
 
 * From Smith's portrait of Wycherley, engraven in 1703, 
 we may conclude that he was, as reported, a very handsome 
 man ; and by the sleekness of the curls of his wig, that he took 
 great pains with it ; indeed, so much was it the fashion to at- 
 tend to the easy grace of the curls, that it was his custom, while 
 standing in the pit of the theatre conversing with ladies in 
 the boxes, to comb and adjust his discomposed locks. Wig- 
 combs, which were made of most beautiful specimens of tor- 
 toise-shell, and most fancifully engraven with representations 
 of flowers and birds, and indeed sometimes inlaid with 
 mother-of-pearl with their owners' names, were contained in 
 a side-pocket case of the size of a thin octavo volume, for the 
 purpose of having them always about their persons. 
 
60 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 nose, and mouth, for a likeness, than to the 
 bones of the head; and in this belief I am 
 supported most powerfully by the mask taken 
 from Mr. Fox after his death. In his busts of 
 that statesman,* the foreheads are low and rug- 
 ged ; whilst that of the mask is even, high, and 
 prominent, full of dignified grandeur, and more 
 so, perhaps, with the exception of Lord Bacon, 
 than that of any other statesman of equal cele- 
 brity. The reader may be convinced of the 
 correctness of this remark, by visiting Mr. De- 
 ville's Gallery in the Strand, where there are 
 casts taken from both examples. 
 
 * Mr. Nollekens modelled and carved two different busts 
 of Mr. Fox. The first was with a toupet and curls above 
 the ears, as that gentleman wore his hair about 1783, just as 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds has painted him ; of which bust there 
 are several engravings, the carving being by T. Gaugain. The 
 second bust is with his hair cut close ; and of this there are 
 two plates ; one by Skelton, for the small edition of Fox's 
 Life of King James the Second, and the other by Evans, from 
 a beautiful drawing by Mr. Howard, for the large edition of 
 the same work. Of the mask taken by Nollekens after death, 
 I am not aware of there being any engraving ; ghastly as it 
 is, and totally unlike as the features are to those of Mr. Fox 
 when living, still the shape of the forehead is truly remark- 
 able and interesting. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 61 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Sale of Mr. NoUekens's collection of Sculpture.— Mending 
 antiques.— Sale of his prints, &c — Account of his seated 
 female figure.— Patrons of modern English Sculptors.— 
 Antique foot.— Sir Joshua Reynolds's throne-chair.— List 
 of busts, monuments, and statues, executed by Nollekens. 
 —Chronological list of all his sculptures exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy, from 1771 to 1816.— Conclusion. 
 
 The sale of Mr. NoUekens's unsold works, 
 and collection of antique and modern sculp- 
 tures, took place under the hammer of Mr. 
 Christie, on the premises in Mortimer-street, on 
 Thursday July 3d, 1823, and at the Auctioneer's 
 room in Pall-Mall, on the two days following. 
 The collection consisted of many of Mr. NoUe- 
 kens's original models, carvings in marble, and 
 works by Italian and other artists, particularly 
 Michel Angelo and Flamingo. 
 
 Mr. NoUekens's statue of a standing Venus in 
 marble, pouring ambrosia on her hair, was pur- 
 chased by Mrs. Palmer for 231/. ;* and his model 
 
 * This figure is by no means so good as the one of Venus 
 
62 
 
 XOLLEKENS 
 
 of a sitting Venus, was bought by the Earl of 
 Egremont. The antique marbles consisted of a 
 statue of Minerva ; a noble bust of Commodus, 
 in perfect condition, and several other Imperial 
 busts ; one of Mercury ; and a very spirited 
 head of a Faun ; chiefly purchased at the sales 
 of the late B. Bond Hopkins, Esq. at Pain's Hill ; 
 and at the Earl of Besborough's, at Roehamp- 
 ton. These antiques, which were mostly pur- 
 chased by the Duke of Newcastle, brought full 
 thirty times the money they had cost Mr. NoUe- 
 kens. His method of mending antiques was 
 rather curious : he would mix the dust of the 
 sort of stone he was mending, with his plaster ; 
 so that when dry, if the antiques were of Pen- 
 tallic marble, the sparkling of the stone-dust in 
 a great measure disguised the joining or mend- 
 ed parts. Mr. Roubiliac, when he had to mend 
 a broken antique, would mix grated Gloucester 
 cheese with his plaster, adding the grounds of 
 porter and the yolk of an egg ; which mixture, 
 when dry, forms a very hard cement. 
 
 Mr. NoUekens's prints, drawings, and books 
 of prints, were sold by Mr. Evans, in Pall Mall, 
 on Thursday, December 4th, 1823. They 
 principally consisted of nearly the entire works 
 
 chiding Cupid, executed by the same artist for his liberal 
 patron Lord Yar borough. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 63 
 
 of Nicolas Poussin ; a fine collection of the en- 
 gravings after Sir Joshua Reynolds's pictures ; 
 several sketch-books filled by Mr. Nollekens 
 when at Rome, and numerous drawings, also by 
 him, made upon the backs of letters. 
 
 NoUekens's figure with the sandal, carved for 
 Lord Yarborough, was considerably the greatest 
 favourite with the public of all his female fi- 
 gures ; but that which he himself took the great- 
 est delight in showing, was seated with her arms 
 round her legs. Lot 21, purchased at his sale at 
 Mr. Christie's, by the Earl of Egremont, for the 
 sum of eighty-four pounds ; his Lordship giving 
 it the preference to others by the same artist. 
 He engaged Mr. Rossi, the Academician, to exe- 
 cute it in marble, with strict injunctions that 
 no alteration whatever, not even an improve- 
 ment upon the model, should be attempted. 
 In giving this order, his Lordship was, in my 
 humble opinion, perfectly correct ; for, if im- 
 provements had been made, it could no longer 
 have been esteemed as a production of NoUe- 
 kens's mind ; though I am perfectly convinced, 
 that had the figure been carved under his own 
 eye, it would in many instances have been be- 
 nefited by those corrections which most Sculp- 
 tors are induced to make whilst they are exe- 
 cuting finished carvings from their models. 
 
64 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Mr. Williams, who carved this figure under 
 the superintendence of Mr. Rossi, assured me, 
 that in no instance could he have been engaged 
 upon a more difficult task, especially in carving 
 parts that were so intricately undercut ; as the 
 right hand of the figure placed before the right 
 leg, was within a quarter of an inch of the shin- 
 bone, and he had to invent tools of the most 
 singular shapes to enable him to cut and file 
 away the stone. It was the opinion of most 
 artists, that many parts of this figure could have 
 been much improved : they thought the ankles 
 unquestionably too thick; and that, to have 
 given it an air of the antique, the right thigh 
 wanted flesh to fill up the ill-formed nature 
 which NoUekens had strictly copied. The ab- 
 domen was far from good ; and the face was too 
 old, and of a common character ; but the back 
 was considered extremely beautiful. The atti- 
 tude was a natural one, and acquired by mere 
 chance, as good attitudes often are. 
 
 The woman from whom it was modelled, 
 after standing for some time to Mr. Nollekens 
 for parts of a figure upon which he was then en- 
 gaged, was desired to dress ; and, upon her seat- 
 ing herself on the ground, to put on her stock- 
 ings, her posture so pleased the Sculptor, that 
 he immediately cried, " Stop, don't move ; I 
 must model you as you now sit :" and it is a 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 65 
 
 curious fact, that he, being at that time Visitor 
 of the Royal Academy, placed the woman, who 
 sat as the model there, precisely in the same 
 position. It is also rather singular, that the 
 above-mentioned Mr. Williams, who carved the 
 figure for Mr. Rossi, is in possession of a draw- 
 ing made by his father at the Academy, from 
 the female who was so placed. 
 
 When Mr. Nollekens had completed this 
 model, the late Earl of Carlisle purchased it, 
 with an intention of having it carved in marble, 
 and placed with the numerous other works of 
 Art at Castle Howard ; but upon some family 
 objections being made, his Lordship gave the 
 artist a portion of the purchase-money to re- 
 sign his bargain, and it actually remained un- 
 sold for many years previous to the death of 
 our Sculptor. It is now, however, honoured 
 with a pedestal at Petworth, amidst nu- 
 merous specimens of modern Art, of which 
 Lord Egremont, to his eternal honour be it 
 spoken, is a most liberal encourager. This 
 Nobleman is not only in possession of Mr. 
 Rossi's beautiful group of Celadon and Ame- 
 lia ; but, I am happy to state, has also commis- 
 sioned the same artist to execute another figure 
 for him. His Lordship will likewise have the 
 good fortune to possess the group of the Angel 
 
 VOL. II. F • 
 
66 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Michael and Satan, one of the grandest works 
 of the late Professor Flaxman, and perhaps 
 equal to the productions of this, or any age of 
 former times. The modern Sculptors, however, 
 are not only indebted to the patronage of the 
 above Nobleman, but also to that of their 
 Graces the Dukes of Devonshire, Bedford, and 
 Newcastle, who are in possession of some of the 
 finest specimens of their abilities. Indeed our 
 Sculptors of talent have so glorious a Patron in 
 his Most Gracious Sovereign, that the greatest 
 part of the Nobility and persons of opulence en- 
 deavour to vie with each other in the decora- 
 tion of their halls and galleries ; and in a few 
 years, it may reasonably be expected, the man- 
 sions of wealthy Englislimen will exhibit such 
 a display of native talent, that it will at once 
 astonish and confound most of our Continental 
 visitors and riA^als. 
 
 Sir Thomas Lawrence is the fortunate pos- 
 sessor of an antique foot, valued by NoUekens 
 as highly as any specimen in his collection ; of 
 which precious relique he has been heard to 
 tell the following story. When he was at 
 Rome, he often endeavoured to persuade Car- 
 dinal Albani, to whom it belonged, to part 
 with it, but without success. At last, when 
 NoUekens was about to come to England, the 
 Cardinal, who kne^f no other way of getting 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 67 
 
 possession of a female Torso, winch NoUekens 
 possessed, gave him the foot for it. 
 
 It has also been stated, that the Cardinal 
 stole the foot in order to give it to NoUekens ; 
 and some, who stick at nothing, have said that 
 NoUekens stole it from the Cardinal. This, 
 however, I do not believe, as I never will en- 
 courage the thought of his being dishonest, or 
 even in the slightest degree dishonourable. It 
 is now kept by Sir Thomas Lawrence, under a 
 glass shade ; and it must have measured one 
 foot five inches and a quarter from the heel to 
 the great toe, before the tip of that member was 
 mutilated. Sir Thomas Lawrence, when first he 
 acquired it, was inclined to consider it as belong- 
 ing to the famous Torso ; the marble being the 
 same, and the proportions agreeing most per- 
 fectly : but, upon a little reflection, the Presi- 
 dent gave up that pleasing idea, perfectly satis- 
 fied that it never could have belonged to that 
 fragment, as the foot treads flat upon the 
 ground, and is unquestionably in the action of 
 a standing figure about to walk, which does not 
 accord with the action of the thighs of the 
 Torso, which, the reader will recollect, is seated. 
 
 I was the means of Sir Thomas acquiring 
 another interesting relique of art, as wiU appear 
 by the following statement. 
 
 F 2 ' 
 
6S 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Twelve months after the death of Dr. Fryer, 
 I found, by a catalogue of his household pro- 
 perty, that Sir Joshua Reynolds's throne-chair 
 was inserted for sale by auction ; and though I 
 had many friends who were ignorant of that 
 circumstance, and whose love for the Arts 
 would have induced them to have gone to a 
 high price for it, particularly one gentleman of 
 rank and fortune, from whom I and my family 
 have received repeated instances of kindness, — 
 I considered it my duty, as an artist, to apprise 
 Sir Thomas Lawrence of its approaching expo- 
 sition ; and, for that proper attention, I had the 
 honour of receiving his warmest thanks. How- 
 ever, on the day of sale, the President had 
 nearly lost it ; as the lot was actually about 
 to be knocked down for the paltry sum of 
 ten shillings and sixpence, just as the rescuing 
 bidder entered the room ; which enabled him, 
 after a slight contest of biddings, to place the 
 treasure on that very day by Sir Thomas's fire- 
 side in Russell-square. Last year, in the ever- 
 memorable sale of the Leicester Gallery of Pic- 
 tures, consisting entirely of the productions of 
 British artists, a comparatively diminutive chair 
 of French character was conspicuously adver- 
 tised as the throne-chair of Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 Sir Thomas Lawrence, as soon as possible, per- 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 69 
 
 sonally acquainted Mr. Christie with the ab- 
 surd mistake ; who, upon coming to the lot, 
 with his usual manly fairness, acknowledged 
 the error to the whole company, informing 
 them that the real unostentatious chair was in 
 the possession of the President of the Royal 
 Academy. 
 
 Some time before Doctor Fryer's death, I re- 
 quested him to give me a specimen of Barry's 
 hand-writing, to insert in Boswell's Life of Dr. 
 Johnson, which my wife has for several years 
 been engaged in illustrating ; when he most 
 liberally gave me that artist's first sketch of the 
 letter which he addressed to Lord and Lady 
 Inchiquin, upon their honouring him with 
 the presentation of the above-mentioned chair. 
 And as many of my readers may not be in pos- 
 session of Dr. Fryer's Life of Barry, where the 
 perfect letter is inserted, I here give a copy of 
 the first confused draught which now adorns 
 my wife's book. 
 
 " Mr. Barry presents his respectful compli- 
 ments to Lord and Lady Inchiquin, with every 
 acknowledgment and thanks for their inesti- 
 mable favour conferred on him this morning, 
 in the gift of Sir Joshua's chair. 
 
 " Alas ! this chair, that has had such a glorious 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 career of fortune, instrumental as it has been in 
 giving the most advantageous stability to the 
 otherwise fleeting, perishable graces of a Lady 
 Sarah Bunbury, or a Waldegrave, or in perpe- 
 tuating the negligent, honest exterior of the 
 authors of the Rambler, the Traveller, and of 
 almost every one whom the public admiration 
 gave a currency for abilities, beauty, rank, or 
 fashion : the very chair that is immortalized 
 in Mrs. Siddons' tragic muse, where it will 
 have as much celebrity as the chair of Pindar, 
 which for so many ages was shown in the Porch 
 at Olympia. 
 
 " This chair, then, of Sir Joshua Reynolds 
 may rest, very well satisfied with the reputation 
 it has gained ; and although its present possessor 
 may not be enabled to grace it with any new or- 
 nament, yet it can surely count upon finding a 
 most affectionate, reverential conservator, whilst 
 God shall permit it to remain under his care." 
 
 " Jan. 30, 1794. 
 
 No. 36, Castle-street, Oxford-market." 
 
 The next record which 1 shall insert concern- 
 ing Mr. Nollekens, is, a list of his principal 
 performances, which I have arranged alphabeti- 
 cally, in order that the reader may readily find 
 the bust, statue, or monument of any particular 
 individual. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 71 
 
 BUSTS. 
 
 A 
 
 A. 
 
 Bedrord, John Duke or 
 
 Aberdeen, Lord 
 
 Bedford, Duchess of 
 
 Acklancl, Miss 
 
 Barrington, Lord 
 
 Adam, Mr. 
 
 Berwick, Lady 
 
 Alban s, Duchess or bt. 
 
 *Besborough, Lord 
 
 A J T J 
 
 Andover, Lady 
 
 xJolton, Uuke oi 
 
 *Ansonjf Hon. Thomas 
 
 Borrows, Master 
 
 Argyle, Duchess of 
 
 xSraaeii, Mrs. 
 
 Arkwright, Mr. 
 
 Brook, Lord 
 
 Arkwright, Mrs. 
 
 Brownlow, Lord 
 
 A 1 r>' 1- ^ 
 
 Asaphj isishop or 
 
 "O 1 X J 
 
 Brownlow, Lady 
 
 Aubyn, hir John bt. 
 
 T> 1 T 1 
 
 Brownlow, Lady 
 
 Aubyn, Lady bt. 
 
 *Burney, Admiral 
 
 Auckland, Miss 
 
 *Burney, M. D. 
 
 Aufrere, Mr. 
 
 *Burney, Rev, Doctor 
 
 Aylesford, Lady 
 
 C. 
 
 B. 
 
 ♦Canning, Hon. George 
 
 Baillie, Doctor 
 
 Carlisle, Lord 
 
 Banks, Sir Joseph 
 
 Carr, Mr. John 
 
 Bathurst, X Lord Chancel- 
 
 Castlereagh, Lord 
 
 lor 
 
 Cavendish, Lord Frederic 
 
 Beaufort, Duchess of 
 
 *Cavendish, Lord George 
 
 *Bedford, Duke of 
 
 Chambers, Doctor 
 
 + Mr. Deville, of the Strand, having purchased of Mr. 
 Goblet, Mr. Nollekens's principal assistant, the moulds of those 
 Busts marked with a (*), the reader will be gratified by know- 
 ing, that casts of them may now be had as above, at a very 
 reasonable rate. 
 
 X This bust is in the Registrar's room of the Six Clerks' 
 Office, Chancery-lane. In the Committee room, under the 
 same roof, is a whole-length portrait of the same Chancellor 
 in his robes, by Dance ; which has been severely cut at the 
 lower part of the picture. 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 Cliarles II. » King of Eng- 
 
 Denison, Mr. 
 
 ld.nd 
 
 -t-/C V Uliollll V J -L/LIJVC Ul 
 
 
 Till Inn TiftTn 
 
 *Charleniontj Lord. 
 
 Donegal^ Marquis 
 
 ll n 51 Ti PTYi nn f + T in n v 
 
 Tjnrspi" TIiikP ot 
 
 Clflir Miss Lp 
 
 Drummoiid^ Provost 
 
 Coke, Mr. 
 
 Dunning, Mr. 
 
 I jrttTinvs ArtTTiii'Ql 
 
 livsnrt' TiQfiv 
 
 Coote, Sir Eyre 
 
 E. 
 
 *Cornelli, Mrs. 
 
 Ellis, Mrs, 
 
 Coutts, Mr. 
 
 J_JX oJVlllC?^ X^XJl Li. 
 
 *Cowper, Lord 
 
 F. 
 
 Cromwell, Oliver 
 
 Farr, Hon. Edward 
 
 Cumberland, his R. H. 
 
 Finch, Mr. Thomas 
 
 William Duke of 
 
 *Fitzpatrick, General 
 
 D. 
 
 Fitzwilliam, Lord 
 
 Darnley, Lord 
 
 Foley, Mr. 
 
 *Darnley, Lady 
 
 Folkes, Lady 
 
 Dashwood, Mr. Bateman. 
 
 Fox, Hon. Charles James 
 
 t I have heard Northcote declare, that, in his opinion, the 
 bust of Lady Charlemont is the finest of NoUekens's produc- 
 tions ; and, indeed, that he considered it equal to any antique. 
 
 X George Drummond, so often Provost of Edinburgh, 
 ranks very high among the benefactors to the Royal Infirmary 
 in that city. In memory of its obligations, a bust of him has 
 been placed in the Hall. It was done by NoUekens, and bears 
 the highly complimentary inscription, of ' George Drummond, 
 to whom his country is indebted for all the benefits which it 
 derives from the Royal Infirmary.' " — History of Edinburgh. 
 
 § It is said that the Empress Catherine of Russia placed 
 Fox's bust by NoUekens between those of Cicero and De- 
 mosthenes, She had no fewer than twelve busts of Mr. Fox 
 in marble, all executed by NoUekens to give as presents. 
 
 " To the memory of Charles James Fox," written by Mr. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 73 
 
 Fraine, Mr. 
 
 Greeorv, Mr. 
 
 Fraser, Simon 
 
 * Gwydir, Lord 
 
 G. 
 
 H. 
 
 *George III. King of Eng- 
 
 Hamilton, Mr. 
 
 land. 
 
 Harringdon, Mr. 
 
 Gainsborough, Lord 
 
 Hawkesbury, Lady 
 
 Garrick, Mr. David 
 
 Heartley, Lady Louisa 
 
 Gower, Lord 
 
 * Helen's, Lord St. 
 
 Gower, Lord G. L. 
 
 Hillesbury, Lord 
 
 *Go\verj Lady- 
 
 Holford, Mr. Robert 
 
 Gordon, Duke of i" 
 
 *Holland, Lord 
 
 Goldsmith, Oliver 
 
 Howard, the Hon. Mrs. 
 
 Grafton, Duke of 
 
 Howard, Mrs. 
 
 •Granby, Marquis 
 
 J. 
 
 * Granville, Lord 
 
 Johnson, Bishop 
 
 *Greville, Hon. Thomas 
 
 *Johnson, Doctor ;{: 
 
 Grey, Lord 
 
 Jersey, Lord 
 
 Roscoe, under a bust of him by Nollekens, in a Temple 
 erected to his memory, upon the banks of the Clyde, by Mr. 
 Todd, of Glasgow. 
 
 " Champion of Freedom ! whose exalted mind 
 Grasp'd at the general good of human kind ! 
 Patriot ! whose view could stretch from pole to pole. 
 And, whilst he bless'd his country, loved the whole !" 
 
 t This bust of the Duke of Gordon is considered one of 
 Nollekens's linest works. 
 
 X At Nollekens's sale, Mr. Chantrey requested me to bid 
 for the first cast of this head of Dr. Johnson. Upon my asking 
 him how far he would go for it, he observed, " You buy it, for 
 I shall think it cheap at any price ; as it is, in my opinion, by 
 far the finest head our friend ever produced ;" and, indeed, it 
 seemed to be considered so by another bidder, who made me 
 pay ten guineas for it, almost four times the money Nollekens 
 charged for the common casts. 
 
NOLLEKENS 
 
 K. 
 
 Meath, Bishop 
 
 Keate, George 
 
 *Milton, Lord 
 
 Keith, Lord 
 
 Mitford, Master 
 
 Key, Rev. Mr. 
 
 Moira, Lord 
 
 Keebel, Mr. 
 
 Monck, Lady Elizabeth 
 
 King, Admiral 
 
 Montagu, Mr. 
 
 Kirby, Mrs. 
 
 *Mulgrave, Lord 
 
 L. 
 
 N. 
 
 Lake, Lord 
 
 N^eal, General 
 
 Lauderdale^ Lord 
 
 *N^ewcastle, Duke of 
 
 Levi, Moses 
 
 Newborough, Lord 
 
 Lee, Mr. 
 
 Newborough, Lady 
 
 *Liverpool, Lord 
 
 North, Hon. Dudley 
 
 Liverpool, Lady 
 
 O. 
 
 Lucan, the Daughter of 
 
 Orme, Robert 
 
 Lord 
 
 P. 
 
 M. 
 
 Paoli, General 
 
 Madox, Mr. 
 
 Parr, Count 
 
 Malone, Anthony 
 
 Peranesi, J, B. 
 
 ♦Mansfield, Lord 
 
 Pelham, Hon. Mr. 
 
 Mansolini, Anna, at Bo- 
 
 Pelham, Hon. Mrs. 
 
 logna 
 
 *Perceval, Hon. Spencer f 
 
 Manners, Lady 
 
 Percy, Lord 
 
 Mathias, Mr. 
 
 Petre, Lord 
 
 Marchant, Master 
 
 *Pitt, Hon. William+ 
 
 Maud, Mr. 
 
 Popham, Mr. 
 
 Maud, Mr. 
 
 Pringle, Sir John 
 
 t In a letter by Nollekens, dated November 27th, 1812, 
 with which I have lately been favoured by the Rev. Henry 
 Crowe, of Bath, to whom it is addressed, it is stated that his 
 price for a bust in marble was then one hundred and fifty 
 guineas ; to which he adds that he had at that time orders for 
 fifteen busts of Mr. Perceval at that price. 
 
 % The busts of Pitt and Fox, according to the theatrical 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 75 
 
 R. 
 
 Richards, Mr. 
 Richards, Mr. John 
 Roberts, Doctor 
 Robinson, Sir William 
 Robinson, Sir Sept. 
 Rockingham, Marquis of 
 Roos, Lord 
 Rutland, Duke of 
 Rutland, Duchess of 
 Rutland, Duchess of, Isa- 
 bella 
 
 Russia, Empress of 
 S. 
 
 Salesbury, Lady 
 Saville, Sir George 
 Simmonds, Daughter of 
 Mr. 
 
 Somerset, Duke of 
 Spencer, Lord 
 Spencer, Lord Robert 
 Stanhope, Sir William 
 Stafford, Marquis of 
 *Sterne, Rev. Laurence 
 Stonor, Mr. 
 Stroonlof, General 
 Stuart, Lord Henry 
 Stuart, Sir John 
 Sykes, Sir Christopher 
 T. 
 
 * Taylor, Mr. 
 
 Townley, Mr. Charles 
 Townley, Mr. John 
 Trevor, Bishop 
 Tulmarsh, Mr. 
 
 W. 
 
 *Wales, His Royal High- 
 ness Prince of 
 *Wales, Her Royal High- 
 ness Princess of 
 Waddell, Mr. William 
 *Warwick, Lord 
 Welch, Mr. Saunders 
 Welch, Mrs. wife to the 
 
 above 
 Wellesley, Marquis 
 *Wellesley, Hon. Pole 
 
 * Wellesley, Hon. William 
 *Wellington, Duke of 
 
 West, B. P. R. A. 
 *Whitbread, Samuel 
 
 Woodburne, Colonel 
 
 Woodhouse, Mr. 
 *Wyndham, Hon. William 
 
 * Wynne, Sir W. W. 
 William III. King of 
 
 England 
 
 Y. 
 
 *York, His Royal High- 
 ness Duke of 
 York, Her Royal High- 
 ness Duchess of 
 
 phrase, were called " Nollekens's stock pieces," for they were 
 always in requisition. 
 
76 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 MONUMENTS EXECUTED BY MR. NOLLEKENS. 
 
 A. 
 
 Dashwood, Sir John 
 
 Ashburton, Lord 
 
 Davenport, 
 
 B. 
 
 Dorset, Duke of 
 
 Bathurst, Lord 
 
 Dysart, Lord 
 
 Barwell, Henry 
 
 E. 
 
 Bateman, Lord 
 
 Earl, Mrs. 
 
 Baring, John 
 
 Elwes, Mr. 
 
 Besborough, Lord 
 
 F. 
 
 Boston, Lord 
 
 Finch, Rev. Dr. 
 
 Boscawen, Mr. 
 
 FuUer John 
 
 Birch, Taylor 
 
 G. 
 
 Bodwell, Mr. 
 
 Goldsmith, Oliver 
 
 Booth, Sir Charles 
 
 H. 
 
 Boyn, Lady 
 
 Howard, Mrs. X 
 
 Boyde, Lady 
 
 Hill, Joseph 
 
 Buckworth, Mr. 
 
 I. 
 
 C. 
 
 Irwin, Lady 
 
 Coke, Mrs.t 
 
 Irby, Mrs. 
 
 Champion, Major 
 
 J. 
 
 Chase, Mr. 
 
 Jervoise, Mrs. 
 
 CunlifFe, Sir Foster 
 
 K. 
 
 D. 
 
 Keate, George 
 
 Darby, Mrs. 
 
 Kent, H. R. H. Duke of 
 
 t This monument cost about 2000Z. The whole of the 
 figures were carved by Goblet. 
 
 ^ It has been roundly asserted, that Nollekens took the 
 composition of this monument from that erected to the Car- 
 dinal Richelieu. Be this as it may, the figure of the child 
 alone is equal to any thing ancient or modern, and the praise 
 bestowed on that, Nollekens is unequivocally entitled to. The 
 figure of Religion, in this monument, was carved by Goblet. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 77 
 
 L. 
 
 Leigh, Lord 
 Long, Charles* 
 Lovaine, Lord 
 M. 
 
 Mackenzie, Stewart 
 Manners, Lord Robert 
 Mitford, Mrs. 
 Mordant, Sir J . 
 Mortman, Mr. 
 Mynell, 
 
 N. 
 
 Noel, General 
 P. 
 
 Pinfold, Sir Thomas 
 Pringle, Sir John 
 R. 
 
 Robinson, Sir Sept. 
 S. 
 
 Salesbury, Sir Thomas 
 
 Sand, Lord 
 Standish, Mr. 
 Sayer, Admiral 
 Southell, Edward 
 Seymour, Lady Anne 
 Spencer, Earl 
 Shipley, Mrs.f 
 Stuart, Sir Charles 
 T. 
 
 Talbot, Lady 
 Trevers, Lord 
 Tyrell, Sir J. 
 W. 
 
 Willis, Dr. Robert 
 Wyndham, William 
 Wyndham, Family 
 Worcester, Bishop 
 Wynn, Lady 
 
 STATUES EXECUTED BY MR. NOLLEKENS 
 
 IN MARBLE. 
 
 Denison, Robert ) ^ , 
 
 > For a Mausoleum. 
 Denison, William 3 
 
 * This monument, consisting of a boy with an inverted 
 torch, was erected at Saxmundham : for a notice and draw- 
 ing of which I have been obliged to the Rev. John Mitford, 
 Editor of an edition of Gray's Works, published in 1814. 
 
 t The wife of the late Bishop of St. Asaph, who was a 
 brother of Shipley, the drawing-master, of the Strand, where 
 Nollekens went to draw of an evening when a boy. 
 
78 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 Diana Marquis of Rockingham. 
 
 Juno Ditto. 
 
 Mercury Lord Yarborough. 
 
 Pitt, Hon. William Senate house, Cambridge. 
 
 Rockingham, Marquis of... Earl Fitzwilliam. 
 
 Venus* Marquis of Rockingham. 
 
 Venus chiding Cupidt Lord Yarborough. 
 
 Venus Mr. Chamberlayne, Hampshire. 
 
 Venus anointing her hair. . . Bought at Mr. Nollekens's auc- 
 tion by Mrs. Palmer. 
 
 Among the few chimney-pieces executed by 
 Mr. Nollekens, one of a superior kind was sent 
 to Edinburgh for Mr. Scott. 
 
 Mr. Nollekens also executed five masks upon 
 keystones for Somerset House, after drawings 
 made purposely by Mr. Cipriani. He likewise 
 executed orders of a very inferior kind, by put- 
 ting them out to be done by the masons of the 
 New-road ; the profits of which were not in- 
 considerable, as he never gave them more than 
 a quarter of what he charged himself. 
 
 * A noble Lord when viewing Mr. Nollekens's statue of 
 Venus perfuming her hair, asked the artist from whence he 
 took the idea of thus employing her. Surely it must have 
 been from Homer Nollekens made no reply ; in fact, he 
 knew very little of Homer. 
 
 t Nollekens was so provoked by an accident which hap- 
 pened to one of his figures during the exhibition at Somer- 
 set House, that he threatened F. M. Newton, the Secretary, 
 who made light of the affair, should this Venus be in any 
 way injured, to break every bone in his skin. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 79 
 
 As the manner in which every man of talent 
 advances in his art is interesting to the enqui- 
 ring mind, I have extracted, from a set of the 
 Royal Academy Exhibition Catalogues, the 
 subjects produced by Mr. NoUekens as they 
 stand chronologically. 
 
 No. 1771- 
 
 139 A bust of a nobleman, in marble. 
 
 140 A model of Bacchus. 
 
 141 A ditto, Paetus and Arria, a group. 
 
 1772. 
 
 168 A bust of a gentleman, in marble. 
 
 169 A statue of Bacchus, ditto.* 
 
 1773. 
 
 211 A statue in marble, representing Venus taking off her 
 
 sandal. 
 
 212 Cupid and Psyche, in basso-relievo. 
 
 213 Hope leaning on an urn. 
 
 214 Portrait of a young lady. 
 
 1774. 
 
 190 A bust of his Majesty, in marble. 
 
 ' 1775. 
 
 208 A bust of a nobleman, in marble. 
 
 209 Venus chiding Cupid, a model. 
 
 210 A bust, ditto. 
 
 1776 
 
 199 A statue of Juno, in marble. 
 
 200 A bust, ditto. 
 
 * The original beautiful little model from which this statue 
 Avas carved, is in the possession of my friend John Gawler 
 Bridge, Esq. 
 
80 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 201 A bust, in marble. 
 
 202 A ditto. 
 
 1777. 
 
 249 A bust of a nobleman^ in marble. 
 
 250 Ditto of a gentleman, ditto. 
 
 251 Ditto ditto ditto. 
 
 252 A bust of a gentleman, in marble. 
 
 253 Ditto of a lady, a model. 
 
 254 Ditto of a gentleman, ditto. 
 
 1778. 
 
 216 A marble group of Venus chiding Cupid. 
 
 217 A statue of Diana. 
 
 218 A model of two children, designed for a monument. 
 
 219 A bust of a gentleman. 
 
 1779. 
 
 217 A bust of a nobleman, in marble. 
 
 218 Ditto of a general. 
 
 219 A model of a monumental figure. 
 
 1782. 
 
 529 A monumental bas-relievo. 
 
 535 A figure of Adonis. 
 
 556 A Cupid sharpening his arrow. 
 
 1783. 
 
 464 Figure of Mercury, in marble. 
 
 1784. 
 
 497 Bust of a lady. 
 
 498 Bust of a nobleman. 
 520 Bust of a lady. 
 
 1785. 
 
 635 Busto of a gentleman. 
 
 1788. 
 
 597 A monumental figure. 
 605 A monumental figure. 
 647 Figure of Britannia. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 81 
 
 1789. 
 
 605 Bust of a gentleman. 
 
 1790. 
 
 660 Lord Robert Manners expiring in the arms of Victory, 
 intended by the late Duke of Rutland for a monu - 
 ment to be placed in the chapel at Belvoir Castle. 
 
 1791. 
 
 632 Bust of a gentleman. 
 
 633 Bust of a lady. 
 
 1792. 
 
 498 A bust of a lady. 
 
 1793. 
 
 585 Bust of a lady. 
 
 652 Bust of a gentleman. 
 
 1799. 
 
 622 Bust of a lady of quality. 
 933 Bust of a nobleman. 
 940 Bust of a lady. 
 951 Bust of a nobleman. 
 961 Bust of a nobleman. 
 972 A Venus. 
 
 1800. 
 
 988 Bust of a gentleman. 
 
 989 Bust of a nobleman. 
 1031 Venus anointing her hair. 
 
 1082 A monumental group, to the memory of a lady who 
 died in child-bed, supported by Religion. 
 
 1801. 
 
 999 Portrait of Mr. John Townley, in the form of a Ter- 
 minus. 
 
 1001 Bust of his Grace the Duke of Bedford. 
 VOL. II. G 
 
82 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 1002 Bust of a young gentleman. 
 
 1007 A bust of Lady Hawkesbury. 
 
 1008 Bust of a young gentleman, 
 
 1009 Bust of Lord Petre, 
 
 1024 A sepulchral bas-relief to the memory of the late Duke 
 of Dorset. 
 
 1802. 
 
 1059 Bust of Dr. Burney. 
 
 1063 A design for a monument to the memory of a late ce- 
 
 lebrated general, supported by Wisdom and Justice. 
 
 1064 A sketch ; The Graces. 
 
 1065 Bust of the late Duke of Bedford. * 
 
 1066 A sketch, Adam and Eve. 
 
 1067 A sketch of a monument for a naval oflftcer expiring in 
 
 the arms of Victory. 
 
 1073 Bust of the Hon. C. J. Fox. 
 
 1074 A sketch ; the Slaughter of the Innocents. 
 
 1803. 
 
 924 Pudicity : a sketch. 
 
 925 Bust of Mr. Stonor. 
 
 930 Lot and his two Daughters : a sketch. 
 
 931 Daedalus and Icarus : a sketch. 
 
 932 The Judgment of Paris : a sketch. 
 1024 Bust of Lord Moira. 
 
 1804. 
 
 947 Portrait of the Hon. C. Grey. 
 
 948 Portrait of Miss C. Symmons. 
 
 949 Portrait of the Right Hon. General Fitzpatrick. 
 
 950 Portrait of the Earl of Lauderdale. 
 
 951 Portrait of Lord R. Spencer. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 83 
 
 1805. 
 
 689 A sketch of an Hercules. 
 
 690 A sketch of a Faun playing. 
 
 693 A medallion of the late Miss Ackland, daughter of J. 
 
 Acklandj Esq. 
 
 694 A sketch of Laocoon and his Sons. 
 
 695 A bust of the Marquis of Stafford. 
 
 711 A design of a monument, intended for Westminster Ab- 
 
 hej, to the memory of two naval officers. 
 783 A bust of the late C. Townley, Esq. 
 789 A bust of T. W. Coke, Esq. 
 
 1808. 
 
 969 Bust of the Hon. Mr. Pelham. 
 
 970 Bust of the Earl of Darnley. 
 
 971 Bust of the Marquess Wellesley. 
 
 972 Bust of his Grace the Duke of Bedford. 
 
 978 Bust of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. 
 
 979 Bust of Sir W. W. Wynne, Bart. 
 
 1810. 
 
 753 His Grace the Duke of Rutland. 
 
 766 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Brownlow. 
 
 874 Bust of the Hon. Mrs. Pelham. 
 
 875 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Grenville. 
 
 876 Bust of Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland. 
 
 885 Bust of the Countess of Charleniont. 
 
 886 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Mulgrave. 
 
 1811. 
 
 926 A model of a monument of the late Mrs. Coke of 
 Holkham. 
 
 938 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Castlereagh. 
 940 Bust of the Right Hon. Earl of Chatham. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 
 
 NOLLEKENS 
 
 941 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Grenville Leveson Gower. 
 
 948 Bust of the Right Hon. W. Wellesley Pole. 
 
 949 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Roos. 
 
 951 Bust of the Right Hon. George Canning. 
 
 952 Bust of Admiral Sir Colpoys, K. B. 
 
 1812. 
 
 933 Bust of the Countess of Charlemont.* 
 
 934 Bust of Benjamin West, Esq. President of the Royal 
 
 Academy. 
 
 936 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord Brooke. 
 
 937 Bust of Lord Gwydir. 
 
 1813. 
 
 919 Bust of the Right Hon. Spencer Perceval. 
 
 925 Bust of the Right Hon. Lord G. Cavendish. 
 
 926 Bust of H. R. H. the Duke of York. 
 
 935 Bust of the Marquess of Wellington. 
 
 1814. 
 
 781 Bust of S. Whitbread, Esq. M. P. 
 
 789 Bust of the Earl of Charlemont. 
 
 792 Bust of his Grace the Duke of Grafton. 
 
 800 Bust of Earl Cowper. 
 
 801 Bust of the Earl of Aberdeen. 
 
 1815. 
 
 888 Bust of Lord Erskine. 
 
 889 Bust of the Rev. C. Burney, D.D. 
 895 Bust of the Earl of Egremont. 
 
 * In order to account for the recurrence of the same bust, 
 it may be proper to remark that Mr. Nollekens in many in- 
 stances exhibited the model one year, and a carving from it 
 in marble the next. 
 
AND HIS TIMES. 
 
 85 
 
 1816. 
 
 932 Bust of Lord St. Helen's. 
 
 950 Bust of T, Coutts, Esq. 
 
 951 Bust of the Earl of Liverpool, 
 
 961 Bust of his Grace the Duke of Newcastle. 
 
 Such, and so numerous, are the works of 
 NoUekens, who will long be remembered, not 
 only as having held a conspicuous rank among 
 contemporary Artists, in an era abounding in 
 men of genius; but as having, by assiduity 
 rarely surpassed, and parsimony seldom equal- 
 led, amassed a princely fortune; from which, 
 however, his avaricious spirit forbade him to de- 
 rive any comfort or dignity, excepting the poor 
 consolation of being surrounded, in his dotage, 
 by parasites who administered to his unintel- 
 lectual enjoyments, and flattered even his infir- 
 mities, in the hope of sharing the vast property 
 which Death would force him to resign. 
 
1 W , W"^ 
 
 { 
 
 I 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 
 AND ANECDOTES 
 
 OF SEVERAL 
 
 ARTISTS AND OTHERS 
 
 CONTEMPORARY WITH NOLLEKENS. 
 
89 
 
 ROUBILIAC. 
 
 Let it be remembered, by those who visit 
 the monuments in Westminster Abbey, that 
 there are no less than six of them by the hand 
 of Roubiliac ; viz. those of Argyle, Hargrave, 
 Fleming, Nightingale, Handel, and Warren. 
 Roubiliac, whose fame needs no farther testi- 
 monial than that of his works, has sculptured in 
 his figure of Eloquence, in the Duke of Argyle's 
 monument, such a memorial of his powers, 
 that even his friend Pope could not have equal- 
 led it by an epitaph.* Roubiliac studied na- 
 ture carefully ; but he was not very choice in his 
 selection, nor did he in general evince much 
 
 * Mr. Flaxman, however, has given a different opinion of 
 this artist in the following words. " Roubiliac was an enthusiast 
 in his art,'possessed of considerable talents : he copied vulgar 
 nature with zeal, and some of his figures seem alive ; but their 
 characters are mean, their expressions grimace, and their 
 forms frequently bad : his draperies are worked with great 
 diligence and labour, from the most disagreeable examples in 
 nature, the folds being either heavy or meagre, frequently 
 without a determined form, and hung on his figures with 
 little meaning. He grouped two figures together (for he 
 never attempted more) better than most of his contempora- 
 ries ; but his thoughts are conceits, and his compositions epi- 
 grams." — See The Artist, No. 12, vol. i. p;ige 14. 
 
90 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 refinement or elevation of idea. The legs of 
 the figure of Hercules, supporting the bust of 
 Sir Peter Warren, were copied from a chair- 
 man's, and the arms from those of a water- 
 man ; the muscles of every limb being forci- 
 bly strengthened by their respective employ- 
 ments. Roubiliac seldom modelled his dra- 
 pery for his monumental figures, but carved it 
 from the linen itself, which he dipped into 
 warm starch- water, so that when he had pleased 
 himself, he left it to cool and dry, and then 
 proceeded with the marble; this, my father 
 assured me, he did with all the drapery in Night- 
 ingale's monument. As a proof of Roubiliac's 
 enthusiasm for his art, the late Mr. Gayfere, 
 Abbey-Mason, related to me the following 
 anecdote. 
 
 One day, during the time he was putting up 
 Mrs. Nightingale's monument, Roubiliac's ser- 
 vant, who had a message to deliver, found his 
 master with his arms folded and eyes riveted 
 to the kneeling figure at the north-west corner 
 of Lord Norris's monument. The man, after 
 he had three times requested an answer, was 
 seized by the arm by his master, who softly 
 whispered, " Hush ! hush ! he vil speak pre- 
 sently !" 
 
 This monument of Lord Norris, and also that 
 
IIOUBILIAC. 
 
 91 
 
 truly-exquisite one in the same chapel to the 
 memory of Sir Horace Vere, are supposed to 
 have been the production of an Englishman. 
 They are of the time of James the First ; and, 
 in style of art, not unlike the monument of 
 Camden in Poet's Corner, and that erected 
 to the memory of Shakspeare in the church of 
 Stratford-upon-Avon. 
 
 About the year 1794, I had the pleasure of 
 passing many happy hours at the table of John 
 Horsley, Esq. late of Epping Forest, the 
 brother of the Bishop of Rochester ; and one 
 day, when the conversation happened to fall 
 upon the shapes of ears, I was agreeably inter- 
 rupted in the following manner. After having 
 stated that Roubiliac had declared, that as 
 Handel, — whose monumental figure he was 
 then modelling, — had so fine an ear for music, 
 he would look for the best he could find for 
 him; and that soon after this determination, 
 when dining with his friend Rich, he exclaim- 
 ed, " Miss Rich, I vil have your ear" — when 
 I had proceeded thus far with my story, " Bless 
 me ! he did mould my ear," cried Mrs. Hors- 
 ley, to my great surprise ; for, until that mo- 
 ment, I was ignorant that I had so often been 
 in the company of Rich's daughter. This 
 lady's first husband was Mr. Morris, a woollen- 
 
92 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 draper, who succeeded Mr. Rich, conjointly 
 with Mr. Beard, in the management of Covent- 
 garden Theatre. 
 
 As to the Vauxhall statue of Handel, which 
 has so often been moved from its original place, 
 it stood, in 1744, on the south side of the Gar- 
 dens, under an inclosed lofty arch, surmounted 
 by a figure playing the violoncello, attended by 
 two boys; and it was then skreened from the 
 weather by a curtain, which was drawn up 
 when the visitors arrived. The ladies then 
 mostly walked in these and Marylebone Gar- 
 dens in their hoops, sacques, and caps, as they 
 appeared in their own drawing-rooms; whilst 
 the gentlemen were generally uncovered, with 
 their hats under their arms, and swords and 
 bags, as displayed in Canaletti's, Chatelain's, 
 and Wale's truly interesting drawings, publish- 
 ed at the time, and which are now extremely 
 rare. Impressions of these plates are, however, 
 preserved in Mr. Crowle's " Illustrated Pen- 
 nant," in the British Museum. The statue of 
 Handel, of which there is a beautiful engraving 
 by Bartolozzi, after being moved to various situ- 
 ations in the Gardens, was at length conveyed 
 to the house of Mr. Barrett, at Stockwell ; and 
 thence to the entrance-hall of the residence of his 
 son, the Rev. Jonathan Tyers Barrett, D.D, of 
 
K.OUBILIAC. 
 
 93 
 
 No. 14, Duke-street, Westminster.* The mo- 
 del was the property of Mr. Hudson, the Pain- 
 ter, Sir Joshua Heynolds's master, who had it 
 conveyed with a large collection of models to his 
 house at Twickenham, where they remained for 
 several years after Hudson's decease. This col- 
 lection was sold by the elder Christie, in Pail- 
 Mall, at which time my father purchased the 
 above-mentioned model for five pounds ; and 
 at Mr. Nollekens's particular request allowed 
 him to have it. It was resold by Christie at 
 that Artist's auction in Pall-Mall, for the sum 
 of 10/. lO^.f At Hudson's sale, Mr. Nollekens 
 purchased two models, representing Painting 
 and Sculpture, which Roubiliac had made for 
 the corners of Hudson's parlour chimney-piece ; 
 when that artist resided in Great Queen-street, 
 Lincoln's Inn Fields. These models were re- 
 sold at Mr. Nollekens's sale, and bought by 
 Mr. Rowe, the inimitable modeller of portraits 
 in wax, who is at present in possession of them. 
 
 * This statue, though the production of a foreigner, ought, 
 as it pourtrays the figure of the immortal Handel, to be pur- 
 chased for some public situation. It is now to be sold, and 
 may be seen in the hall of Mr. Newton's private house. No. 69, 
 Dean-street, Soho. When Mr. Nollekens was asked by the 
 late Mr. Tyers, what he considered that statue to be worth, 
 he immediately answered, " A thousand guineas." 
 
 t Bought by Mr. Hamlet, the Silversmith. 
 
94 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 I find from a manuscript in my father's hand- 
 writing, that Mr. Roubiliac owed his introduc- 
 tion to Mr. Jonathan Tyers to his friend Cheere, 
 with whom he worked before he ventured upon 
 his own account. It happened in the follow- 
 ing manner. At the time Mr. Tyers had en- 
 gaged in the Vauxhall-garden speculation, he 
 requested the advice of Mr. Cheere as to the 
 best mode of decoration. " I conclude you will 
 have Music," observed Cheere, " therefore you 
 cannot do better than to have a carving of an 
 Apollo. What do you say to a figure of Han- 
 del?" — "Good," replied Jonathan, "but that 
 will be too expensive, friend Cheere." — " No," 
 answered the Sculptor ; " I have an uncom- 
 monly clever fellow working for me now, and 
 introduced to me by Sir Edward Walpole ; em- 
 ploy him, and he will produce you a fine statue." 
 This he did, and the following copy of a re- 
 ceipt will at once prove the kind way in which 
 he assisted him. 
 
 " June the 9th, 1750. 
 " I promise to pay Jona. Tyers, or order, twenty pounds 
 on demand, value received. 
 
 £.20 00*. " L. F. ROUBILIAC."* 
 
 * The original of this receipt is in the splendid collection 
 of autographs possessed by my friend William Upcott, Esq. 
 of the London Institution, by whose indefatigable researches 
 and liberal expenditure, many literary treasures have been 
 
ROUBILIAC. 
 
 95 
 
 My father related the following anecdote of 
 Mr. Roubiliac, who generally was so studiously 
 wrapt up and absorbed in his art, as to lose all 
 individual recollection whatever of person and 
 place unconnected with the subject immediately 
 on his mind. One day, at dinner, during the 
 time he was so intently engaged in modelling 
 the figure of Mr. Nightingale warding off the 
 dart of Death from his wife, he suddenly drop- 
 ped his knife and fork on his plate, fell back in 
 his chair, and then in an instant darted forward 
 and threw his features into the strongest possible 
 expression of fear ; at the same moment fixing 
 his piercing eye so expressively on the country 
 lad who waited at table, that the fellow was as 
 much astonished as the boy listening to the 
 Cock-lane Ghost story, so exquisitely painted 
 by Zoffany, in his picture of the Farmer's Re- 
 turn from London, which is so admirably en- 
 graven by J. G. Haid. 
 
 A gentleman who had stayed one night at 
 
 rescued from oblivion and destruction, to the great joy of the 
 biographer and historian. Indeed, but for his zeal in this 
 pursuit, the public would probably have known nothing of 
 that valuable work, '^'Evelyn's Diary and Correspondence/' 
 which, after passing through two editions in quarto, is now 
 reprinted in five volumes octavo. Mr. Upcott has also pro- 
 duced an excellent publication in three volumes, octavo, 
 entitled, " A Bibliographical Account of the Principal Works 
 relating to English Topography. Lond. 1818." 
 
96 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 Slaughter's Coffee-house until past twelve 
 o'clock, discovered that he had forgotten the 
 street-door key of the house where he lodged ; 
 and as he had agreed with his landlady not to 
 disturb her other inmates beyond that hour, 
 was prevailed on by Roubiliac to take the other 
 rubber, and sleep in a spare bed much at his 
 service. The gentleman accepted his invita- 
 tion, and upon Roubiliac showing him the 
 room, wished him a good night ; but just as he 
 was nearly undressed, he was horror-stricken at 
 the sight of the corpse of a black woman laid 
 out upon the bed. He immediately vociferated 
 the name of Roubiliac, who upon coming into 
 the room, exclaimed, " Oh dear ! my good 
 fren, I beg your pardon ! I did not remember 
 poor Mary vas dare : poor Mary ! she die yes- 
 terday vid de small-poc ! Come, come, and you 
 must take part vid my bed — come — poor Mary 
 vas my hos-maid for five six year — more." 
 
 The statue of Shakspeare, now in the Hall 
 of the British Museum, was executed by Rou- 
 biliac for Mr. Garrick, who placed it in a tem- 
 ple erected for that purpose in his garden at 
 Hampton, where it was to remain during the 
 life of his widow, and at her death was to be- 
 come the property of the British Museum, as 
 may be seen by his Will, dated the 24th of 
 
ROUBILIAC. 
 
 97 
 
 September, 1778, printed at the end of the se- 
 cond volume of Davies's Life of Garrick. Mr. 
 Garrick agreed to give Mr. Roubiliac three 
 hundred guineas for it, and the artist was to 
 make use of the best marble he could afford 
 for the money ; unfortunately, however, the 
 block turned out full of veins, which rendered 
 the face so hideous to Mr. Garrick, that he de- 
 clared he could not put it up, as persons might 
 ask, " What ! was Shakspeare marked with 
 mulberries ?" Roubiliac assured Mr. Garrick 
 that it was the best marble he could use for 
 the price of the figure ; but that, in order to 
 make it agreeable to him, he would cut off the 
 head, and replace it with another, carved from 
 a fine clear piece of marble, which he did, to 
 the great pleasure of his employer.* 
 
 It is truly remarkable, that the first figure 
 carved by this Sculptor in England, was that 
 of Handel, and that the last work on which he 
 was engaged was a monument to the memory of 
 the same Composer. 
 
 I shall now close the present sketch of this 
 
 * On the upper part of the pedestal upon which this figure 
 of Shakspeare rests, the following inscription is cut in the 
 marble : — 
 
 L. F. Roubiliac inv^ et scu^. 1758. 
 VOL. II. H 
 
98 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 very eminent Sculptor, with the following in- 
 formation, which I received from my father. 
 
 Lewis Francis Roubiliac, born at Lyons, was 
 a pupil of Balthazar, of Dresden, Sculptor to 
 the Elector of Saxony ; and he died on the 11th 
 of January, 1762, and was buried on the 15th, in 
 St. Martin's Church-yard, under the window of 
 the Bell Bagnio. His funeral was attended by 
 the leading members of the Academy in Peter's- 
 court, St. Martin's-lane ; and it is rather remark- 
 able, that the very apartment occupied by that 
 Society, was the first work-shop of Roubiliac, 
 after he had left Mr. Cheere, when he sought 
 the public patronage on his own account. The 
 room has since been taken down, rebuilt, and is 
 now occupied as a meeting-house for the So- 
 ciety of Friends. The following is a list of 
 those artists who attended the funeral of the 
 Sculptor : — Mr. Reynolds, (afterwards Sir 
 Joshua,) Moser, Hogarth, Tyler, Sandby, Hay- 
 man, Wilton, Bartolozzi, Cipriani, Payne, 
 Chambers, (afterwards Sir William,) Serres, Ra- 
 venet, the elder Grignon, Meyer, and Hudson ; 
 and also his three pupils, John Adkins, Nicholas 
 Read, and my father, Nathaniel Smith. 
 
 Roubiliac's sale took plj^ce on June 11th, 
 1762, in which were sold his own portrait, paint- 
 ed by himself, which brought three shillings 
 
ROUBILIAC. 
 
 99 
 
 and sixpence ; and a copy of the Chandos pic- 
 ture of Shakspeare, by Reynolds, which, with 
 seven other pictures, brought only ten shillings ! 
 This last lot of eight pictures was bought by 
 my godfather, Old Flaxman, a most wwthy 
 man, and father of the late John Flaxman, Esq. 
 P. S. R. A. Mr. Flaxman sold the portrait of 
 Shakspeare immediately, in the sale-room, to 
 an unknown gentleman for three guineas. Mr. 
 Edmond Malone afterwards became possessed 
 of this picture, when he showed it to Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, who acknowledged that he had paint- 
 ed it for his friend Mr. Roubiliac. Poor Rou- 
 biliac died so seriously in debt, that his effects, 
 after all expenses were defrayed, paid only one 
 shilling and sixpence in the pound ! 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 ScHEEMAKEiis was a native of Antwerp, a 
 disciple of old Delvaux, and I have frequently- 
 heard his pupil Mr. Nollekens relate the follow- 
 ing recollections of his life. Scheemakers, when 
 a young man, had so ardent a love for the art 
 of Sculpture, that, notwithstanding his slender 
 means, he was determined to quit Antwerp, and 
 walk to Rome. He commenced his journey in 
 the year 1728, but, before he had accomplished 
 the task, his purse was so considerably reduced, 
 that absolute necessity frequently obliged him 
 to sell a shirt from his knapsack.* During his 
 stay in Italy he was much noticed and encou- 
 raged, exercising his talent with great avidity, 
 in making numerous small models from most 
 of the celebrated statues and groups in and 
 about that city, which he brought to England, 
 
 It has usually been a practice with me, to 
 ask questions of aged persons, or those who 
 have travelled, and to put down their answers 
 
 * It has also been related of Francis Perrier, who, in 1638, 
 produced a book of Antique Statues^ in folio, that his poverty- 
 was so great, that he accompanied a blind beggar, as his guide, 
 from France to Rome, purposely to study in that splendid 
 school of ancient and modern Sculpture. 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 101 
 
 as nearly as possible in the words in which they 
 were delivered ; and I have invariably found, 
 that the best mode of gaining information from 
 those who are advanced in years, is by having 
 a series of questions ready prepared, so that a 
 long story might not deprive me of the points 
 I might be anxious to obtain. This method 
 I now and then observed with Mr. NoUekens, 
 from whom I received the following answers, 
 as to his master Scheemakers.* 
 
 " Was Mr. Scheemakers a native of Ant- 
 werp ?"— " Yes." 
 
 " Is it true that he walked to Rome?" — 
 " He went from Antwerp to Denmark, where 
 he worked as a journeyman, and where he fell 
 ill, and was so reduced, that he was obliged to 
 sell his shirts ; when he recovered, he walked to 
 Rome, selling more of his things." 
 
 " About what time did he go to Rome?"— 
 " About the year 1700, when he remained but 
 a very short time ; he then walked to England, 
 where he found work, and then he went to 
 
 * At the time I was thus questioning Mr. Nollekens, I 
 was engaged in collecting materials for a work now greatly ad- 
 vanced, and which I hope hereafter to publish, under the title 
 
 " J. T. Smith's Walks in London so that, unfortunately 
 for the present publication, my inquiries were confined to 
 Scheemakers's productions in the metropolis. 
 
102 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Rome again, where he stayed longer, about 
 two years ; and then he came back to England. 
 
 " What works did he execute for London ?" 
 — " He did Dr. Chamberlain's monument in 
 Westminster Abbey; the statue of Sir John 
 Barnard in the Royal Exchange ; the statue in 
 the India House, of Admiral Pocock, Major 
 Lawrence, and Lord Clive the statue of 
 Guy, a bronze, in Guy's Hospital; and the 
 statue of Edward the Sixth, a bronze, in one 
 of the open courts of St. Thomas's Hospital." 
 
 " Did he die in England ?" — " No, he went 
 to Antwerp, about a year after I returned to 
 England, from Rome (1769), and there he died ; 
 he had grown so fat, that when he was kneel- 
 ing down to say his prayers, he placed his legs 
 under him with his hands." 
 
 Scheemakers, on his way to England, visited 
 his birth-place, bringing with him several roots 
 of brocoli, a dish till then little known in per- 
 fection at our tables. 
 
 He resided in Westminster, in those pre- 
 mises which stood to the north of Henry the 
 Seventh's Chapel, and south-east of St. Mar- 
 garet's Church, which premises were subse- 
 quently occupied by his pupil Henry Cheere, 
 
 * Upon this figure Mr. Nollekens said he himself worked, 
 just before he went to Rome. 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 103 
 
 who was afterwards knighted. From this 
 house, Scheemakers moved to Vine-street, as 
 appears by an advertisement in " The London 
 Daily Post and General Advertiser," of Tues- 
 day, December 22nd, 1741, stating, that " Mr. 
 Scheemakers, the Statuary, is removed from 
 Old Palace-yard to Vine-street, Piccadilly." 
 
 In 1756, Mr. Langford had two days' sale of 
 Mr. Scheemakers's pictures, models, and mar- 
 bles, at his rooms under the Piazza, Covent- 
 garden, in which. Lot 1 5, of the first day, con- 
 sisted of "two landscapes, with figures and 
 cattle, by Old NoUekens."* Mr. Langford fol- 
 
 * Till lately, several pictures painted by Old Nollekens for 
 the first Earl of Tilney, were preserved at Wanstead-house. 
 They were sold by auction in 1822;, and are thus described in 
 the Catalogue of the magnificent furniture, &c. of that princely 
 mansion. I have added the prices they produced. — Lot 10, 
 " A pair — the Juvenile Artists and Companion, a Boy spin- 
 ning his Top," 251. Lot 16. " A pair — the Juvenile Parties ; 
 Card-builders and Players at Tetotum," 17/. Lot 138. 
 " Dancing Figures, a sketch, in a French carved frame," 11. 2s. 
 Lot 225. " Rural Recreations, painted with all the taste and 
 elegance of Watteau," 61. 6s. Lot 307. " A Boy beating a 
 Drum, and a small Landscaspe, and two curious models of the 
 Stag and Fox in wax," 8/, 15*. Lot 308. " The Wine- 
 Traders, painted with the tasteful elegance of Watteau," 
 31/. 10*. Lot 311. " Females Bathing, in a Landscape, with 
 a distant view of Wanstead-house," 8/. 18*. 6d. Lot 314- 
 " Landscape, Buildings," &c. 7/- Lot 316. " Landscape and 
 Figures, with a youth playing the guitar ; painted in the 
 
104 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 lowed this sale with another, which he adver- 
 tised thus : 
 
 " To be sold by Auction, by Mr. Langford, at his house in 
 the Great Piazza, Covent-garden, on Wednesday and Thurs- 
 day, the 18th and 19th inst. the remainder of the genuine 
 and curious collection of marbles, models, and casts, in groups, 
 figures, and busts, of Mr. Peter Scheemakers, statuary. 
 
 " The said collection will be exhibited to public view, on 
 Monday, the 16th inst., and every day after, till the time of 
 Sale, which will begin each day punctually at twelve o'clock. 
 
 Catalogues of which will be delivered gratis, on Saturday, 
 the 14th, at Mr. Langford's aforesaid." — Daily Advertiser, 
 May 6th, 1757- 
 
 Of Scheemakers's models I have frequently 
 heard my father speak with considerable plea- 
 sure, when he used to state, that they were 
 placed upon tables, stands, and shelves, covered 
 witli green baize, round the auction-room, and 
 
 tasteful style of Watteau," 15/. Lot 317. "A Fete Cham- 
 petre and Companion ; painted with a free pencil and very 
 gracefully drawn," 26/. 15^. Qd. Lot 318. " Interior of the 
 Saloon at Wanstead-house, with an assemblage of Ladies and 
 Gentlemen. A Conversazione," 127/. Lot 320. " A 
 Masquerade, painted with great freedom and natural expres- 
 sion," 21/. 10*. Lot 321. " The Game of Blindman's Buff, 
 in a Landscape," 17/. Qs. 6d. The above paintings were sold 
 by Mr. Robins. There were also some specimens at Stowe, 
 executed for Lord Temple, Richard Lord Cobham, and the 
 Earl of Egremont, who is in possession of one which his Lord- 
 ship purchased at the late Mr. Nollekens's sale at Mr. Chris- 
 tie's. The Marquess of Stafford has several pictures by Old 
 Nollekens, at Trentham. They were painted for his Lord- 
 ship's father. 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 105 
 
 made a most beautiful appearance. One of them 
 was a small copy of the Laocoon in marble, 
 which was bought by the Earl of Lincoln. 
 After the sale, some of the purchasers gave the 
 moulders leave to make casts of what they had 
 bought, so that the students could procure them 
 at a reasonable rate, and study from them in 
 their own apartments. 
 
 Vevini, a Figure-maker, then living in St. 
 James's-street,made a fine mould of the Laocoon, 
 the very first cast of which is at present in the 
 possession of Mr. John Taylor, of No. 12, Ciren- 
 cester-place, who has been already frequently 
 mentioned in this work : he is now in his 89th 
 year, and is styled the " Father of the Painters ;" 
 having been a pupil of Francis Hayman. Schee- 
 makers, for some time, shared the patronage of 
 the great with Roubiliac and Rysbrack ; and not 
 many require to be informed that the statue of 
 Shakspeare in A¥estminster Abbey was carved 
 by Scheemakers from the design of Kent the 
 Architect ; but very few persons appear to be 
 aware, that the beautiful little bronze statue of 
 King Edward VI. in the court-yard of St. 
 Thomas's Hospital, is also by the hand of the 
 same Sculptor. For my own part, I never go 
 into the Borough without indulging myself 
 with a sight of that truly elegant production of 
 Art. Some other specimens of this Artist 
 
106 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 were in the collection at Wanstead House, and 
 were sold on Friday, 21st June, 1822, in the 
 tenth day's sale of that mansion, and were as 
 follows : Lot 369, " a very splendid Medicean- 
 shaped vase, four feet six inches high, of sta- 
 tuary marble, finely sculptured in high relief, 
 representing a Sacrifice to Apollo, upon a stone 
 pedestal, with carved heads and festoons." Lot 
 370, " A ditto, with the subject of the Sacri- 
 fice of Iphigenia, uppn a stone pedestal, same 
 as the last." 
 
 In the Temple Church, there is a monument 
 by Scheemakers to the memory of Doctor 
 Mead, with his bust. 
 
 My amiable and highly-respected friend, 
 Henry Smedley, Esq. the correctness of whose 
 communications is always implicitly to be de- 
 pended upon, has favoured me with the follow- 
 ing information concerning some other works 
 of this Sculptor. 
 
 " Sanctuary, October 13, 1827. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " The six busts by Scheemakers, of which 
 1 promised you an account, are in the library 
 at Staunton Harold, the seat of Earl Ferrers, 
 and are noticed in Nichols's "Leicestershire." 
 They represent, 1. Hon. Lawrence Shirley, 
 tenth son of first Earl Ferrers. 2. Anne his 
 wife^ daughter of Sir Walter Clayes, Bart., and 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 107 
 
 four of their children, viz. : 3. Lawrence, af- 
 terwards fourth Earl Ferrers. 4. Washington 
 (the "Admiral) afterwards fifth Earl Ferrers. 
 5. Elizabeth Shirley, died unmarried. 6. Anne 
 Shirley. 
 
 " You are, of course, aware that Scheemakers 
 was also the artist who did the monument of 
 Sir Henry Belasyse, in St Paul's Chapel, West- 
 minster Abbey. 
 
 " I am, my dear Sir, 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 Henry Smedley." 
 
 Scheemakers and Delvaux jun. were also 
 both considerably employed in decorating the 
 gardens belonging to the sumptuous palace at 
 Stowe; and the following is a particular de- 
 scription of their works there, with which I 
 have been favoured by my worthy friend, Wil- 
 liam James Smith, Esq.* who has kindly writ- 
 ten it from the sculptures themselves. 
 
 There are," says he, " two groups in white 
 marble, now in the Flower-garden, said to have 
 been executed as a trial of mastery between 
 them ; and according to the tradition, the palm 
 was given to Delvaux : the subjects are ' Ver- 
 tumnus and Pomona,' and * Venus and Ado- 
 nis,' the figures rather less than half the size 
 
 * Librarian at Stowe. 
 
108 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of life. In the Temple of Antient Virtue, are 
 statues, life-size, of Lycurgus, Socrates, Homer, 
 and Epaminondas, all by Scheemakers. Under 
 all, are inscriptions in Latin : I will transcribe 
 them in English. 
 
 " Under Lycurgus^ — ' Who having planned, 
 with consummate wisdom, a system of laws 
 firmly secured against every encroachment of 
 corruption ; and having by the expulsion of 
 riches, banished luxury, avarice and intemper- 
 ance ; established in the state for many ages, 
 perfect liberty and inviolable purity of man- 
 ners. — The father of his country.' 
 
 " Under Socrates^ — ' Who, innocent in the 
 midst of a most corrupted people ; the encourager 
 of the good ; a worshipper of the one God ; from 
 useless speculations, and vain disputes, restored 
 philosophy to the duties of life, and the benefit 
 of society. — The wisest of men.' 
 
 " Under Homer, — ' The first and greatest of 
 poets ; the herald of virtue, the giver of im- 
 mortality ; who, by his divine genius, known 
 to all nations, incites all nobly to dare, and 
 firmly to suffer.' 
 
 " Under Epaminondas, — * By whose valour, 
 prudence, and modesty, the Theban common- 
 wealth gained liberty and empire, military dis- 
 cipline, civil and domestic policy; all which, 
 by losing him, she lost.' 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 109 
 
 " In the front of the pediment of the Temple 
 of Concord and Victory, is a piece of alto- 
 relievo by Scheemakers, representing the four 
 quarters of the world, bringing their various 
 products to Britannia. 
 
 " In the Temple of British Worthies are four- 
 teen busts with English inscriptions under 
 them. I cannot find the name of Scheemakers 
 -upon any of them, nor can I ascertain whether 
 they are really by him, or not ; though, judging 
 from the style of them, I think it most proba- 
 ble. I will add the inscriptions, some of which 
 are interesting. 
 
 " 'Alexander Pope, — Who, uniting the cor- 
 rectness of judgment to the fire of genius, by the 
 melody and power of his numbers, gave sweet- 
 ness to sense, and grace to philosophy : he em- 
 ployed the pointed brilliancy of wit to chasten 
 the vices, and the eloquence of poetry to exalt 
 the virtues, of human nature, and, being with- 
 out a rival in his own age, imitated, and trans- 
 lated, with a spirit equal to the originals, the 
 best poets of antiquity.' 
 
 " ' Sir Thomas Gresham, — Who, by the ho- 
 nourable profession of a merchant, having en- 
 riched himself, and his country ; for carrying 
 on the commerce of the world, built the Royal 
 Exchange.' 
 
 " ' Ignatius Jones, — Who, to adorn his coun- 
 
110 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 try, introduced, and rivalled the Greek and 
 Roman architecture.' 
 
 '"^John Milton, — Whose sublime and un- 
 bounded genius equalled a subject that carried 
 him beyond the limits of the world.' 
 
 " * William Shakspeare, — Whose excellent 
 genius opened to him the whole heart of man, 
 all the mines of fancy, all the stores of nature ; 
 and gave him power beyond all other writers to 
 move, astonish, and delight mankind.' 
 
 " * John Locke y — Who, best of all philoso- 
 ^ phers, understood the powers of the human 
 mind ; the nature, end, and bounds of civil go- 
 vernment ; and with equal sagacity, refuted 
 the slavish system of usurped authority over 
 the rights, the consciences, or the reason of 
 mankind.' 
 
 " * Sir Isaac Newton, — Whom the God of 
 nature made to comprehend his works.' 
 
 " ^ Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam ; — 
 Who, by the strength and light of superior 
 genius, rejecting vain speculation, and fallacious 
 theory, taught to pursue truth, and improve 
 philosophy by the certain method of experi- 
 ment.' 
 
 " ' King Alfred, — The mildest, justest, most 
 benevolent of Kings ; who drove out the Danes, 
 secured the seas, protected learning, established 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 juries, crushed corruption, guarded liberty, and 
 was the founder of the English constitution.' 
 
 " * Edward Prince of Wales, — The terror of 
 Europe, the delight of England; who pre- 
 served unaltered, in the height of glory and 
 fortune, his natural gentleness and modesty.' 
 
 " * Queen EU%aheth, — Who confounded the 
 projects, and destroyed the power that threat- 
 ened to oppress the liberties of Europe ; shook 
 off the yoke of ecclesiastical tyranny ; restored 
 religion from the corruptions of popery ; and by 
 a wise, a moderate, and a popular government 
 gave wealth, security, and respect to England.' 
 
 " * King William the Third, — Who, by his 
 virtue and constancy, having saved his country 
 from a foreign master, by a bold and generous 
 enterprise, preserved the liberty and religion 
 of Great Britain.' 
 
 " ' Sir Walter Raleigh, — A valiant soldier and 
 an able statesman, who endeavouring to rouse 
 the spirit of his master, for the honour of his 
 country, against the ambition of Spain, fell a 
 sacrifice to the influence of that Court, whose 
 arms he had vanquished, and whose designs he 
 opposed.' 
 
 " * Sir Francis Drake, — Who, through many 
 perils, was the first of Britons that ventured to 
 sail round the globe, and carried into unknown 
 
112 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 seas and nations the knowledge and glory of 
 the English name.' 
 
 " ' John Hampden,— Who, with great spirit 
 and consummate abilities, began a noble oppo- 
 sition to an arbitrary court, in the defence of 
 the liberties of his country, supported them in 
 Parliament, and died for them in the field.' 
 
 Sir John Barnard, — Who distinguished 
 himself in Parliament by an active and firm 
 opposition to the pernicious and iniquitous prac- 
 tice of stockjobbing: at the same time exert- 
 ing his utmost abilities to increase the strength 
 of his country, by reducing the interest of the 
 National Debt, which he proposed to the House 
 of Commons in the year 17:^7 ; and, with the 
 assistance of Government, carried into effect in 
 the year 1750, on terms of equal justice to par- 
 ticulars and to the state, notwithstanding all 
 the impediments which private interest could 
 oppose to public spirit.' 
 
 " Here endeth the list of British Worthies. 
 In the Mason's-yard, there is a statue, larger 
 than life, of George II. crowned, in his robes, by 
 Scheemakers : it formerly stood in the gardens 
 on a handsome Corinthian column, which was 
 taken down to prevent its falling from decay. 
 To my mind, there is much merit in this sta- 
 tue. Queen Caroline yet stands in a retired 
 
SCHEEMAKERS. 
 
 113 
 
 part of the gardens — aloft, supported by four 
 Corinthian columns, she is surrounded by trees, 
 and too high to be examined — but the simi- 
 larity of style is in favour of Scheemakers as 
 the sculptor. 
 
 " In the Temple of Friendship, are several 
 busts in white marble. I can discover names, 
 however, upon two only — Richard Grenville, 
 late Earl Temple, by Scheemakers, and the 
 Earl of Westmoreland, by one ' Thomas Ady, 
 1742.' Very probably some of the others are 
 by Scheemakers ; they possess considerable me- 
 rit, and are as follow : — Frederick, Prince of 
 Wales, the Earls of Chesterfield and March- 
 mont, the Lords Cobham, Gower, and Batlmrst, 
 William Pitt, late Earl of Chatham, and George 
 Lyttelton, late Lord Lyttelton. 
 
 " I believe I have now enumerated all that 
 are, or are suspected to be, the work of Schee- 
 makers," * 
 
 * This Sculptor's statue of Shakspeare, similar in compo- 
 sition to that erected in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, 
 which has been recently set up over the principal entrance of 
 Drury-lane Theatre, is of lead, and was executed by Cheere, 
 " the leaden-figure man," formerly so highly celebrated at 
 Hyde Park Corner, mentioned in the first volume of this 
 work. This figure has been on the premises, ever since the 
 time of Mr. Whitbread, who gave it to the Theatre. For 
 this information, I am indebted to my friend, Mr. Winston. 
 
 VOL. II. I 
 
114 
 
 RYSBRACK. 
 
 Roubiliac and [Scheemakers's contemporary, 
 John Michael Rysbrack, was born at Brussels, 
 and was the son of a Landscape-painter, by whom 
 there are several truly spirited etchings. He 
 studied under Theodore Balant, a famous Sculp- 
 tor; came to England in 1720, and resided in 
 Vere-street, Oxford-street, where he had exten- 
 sive workshops, which his great run of business 
 required. On these premises he died, and was 
 buried in Marylebone church-yard, near the 
 Church, January 11th, 1770. After his decease, 
 there were sales by auction held at his house, 
 in one of which was an immense number of 
 his own drawings mounted with uniform bor- 
 ders executed in bistre ; and some of the most 
 excellent of them are still to be found in the 
 portfolios of collectors. I shall now insert a 
 few contemporary notices respecting some of 
 his works in Sculpture, which have not hitherto 
 been brought together in print, viz. : — 
 
 " Mr. Rysbrack carved the monument erected to the me- 
 mory of Mrs. Oldfield, in the cloisters of Westminster Ab- 
 bey." — Daili/ Advertiser, March 4th, 1730. 
 
 " Sir Isaac Newton's monument (in Westminster Abbey) 
 was designed by Kent and executed by Rysbrack ; the scaf- 
 
IIYSBIIACK. 115 
 
 • 
 
 folding was taken from before it, on Saturday, April 24th, 
 1731." — From the same paper. 
 
 John Holies, Duke of Newcastle, Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Matthew Prior, ditto. 
 
 Admiral Vernon, ditto. 
 
 Earl Stanhope, ditto. 
 
 "^Sir Godfrey Kneller's monument was designed and exe- 
 cuted in Westminster Abbey by Michael Rysbrack and Lord 
 Bingley." — Morning Advertiser, March, 1757- 
 
 " Cambridge, July 14th, 1756. A very fine marble statue, 
 done by Rysbrack, of the late Duke of Somerset, presented 
 by the Duke's illustrious daughters, the Marchioness of 
 Granby and Lady Guernsey." — Public Advertiser, July 20th, 
 1756. 
 
 "The noble statue of an Hercules, executed by the inge- 
 nious Mr. Rysbrack, is sent down to Sturton (Stourhead), in 
 Wiltshire, the seat of Mr. Hoare, who has built a magnifi- 
 cent temple to receive it." — Public Advertiser, Jan. 12, 1757- 
 
 There is also a statue of Flora, by Rysbrack, at Stour- 
 head. 
 
 " Rysbrack executed an elegant statue of that universally- 
 beloved Governor of the Island of Barbadoes, the Hon. Henry 
 Grenville, which was put up in the Town-Hall, anno 1756." 
 
 " A fine statue of that great and learned man, Mr. Locke, 
 who was educated in Christ Church College, Oxon, is finished 
 by Mr. Rysbrack, to be sent to that University." — Public 
 Advertiser, Jan. 20, 1757- 
 
 Sir Hans Sloane, Physic-garden, Chelsea. 
 
 Ditto, a bust in the British Museum. 
 
 Charles, Duke of Somerset, and his Duchess, Salisbury 
 Cathedral. 
 
 Lady Folkstone, Coleshill, Berks. 
 
 Lady Besborough, Derby. 
 
 I 2 
 
116 MOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Henry second Duke of Beaufort, Badminton, Gloucester- 
 shire. 
 
 Henry third Duke, and Charles the fourth Duke, ditto. 
 
 John Duke of Marlborough, and his Duchess, Blenheim. 
 
 Doctor Radciiffe, Library, Oxford. 
 
 King Charles I. for George Selwyn. 
 
 Martin Folkes, a bust in the British Museum. 
 
 King George II. Greenwich Hospital. 
 
 Palladio, Inigo Jones, and Flamingo, at the Duke of De- 
 vonshire's, Chiswick. 
 
 Statue of John Willett, Esq. uncle to Ralph Willett, Esq, 
 whole-length, size of life, in the entrance-hall at Merly- 
 House, in Dorsetshire : stands in niche at the south end. 
 
 The first sale of this artist's effects took 
 place on April 18th, 1767, at his house in Vere- 
 street, Oxford-street ; the second on March 12th 
 1770 ; and the third on the 28th of the same 
 month, in which there were not fewer than 
 three hundred drawings by him, chiefly wash- 
 ed in bistre. Mr. Rysbrack presented Mr. Gar- 
 rick with one of his drawings, the subject being 
 the Three Witches in Macbeth. This drawing 
 is touched with great freedom, and is now in 
 the possession of Mr. Dunn, Treasurer to Drury 
 Lane Theatre. 
 
117 
 
 LIART. 
 
 Bryan, in his " Dictionary of Painters and 
 Engravers," speaking of Matthew Liart, the 
 Engraver, erroneously states that " This artist 
 was horn at Paris in 1736, hut came to England 
 when very young, where he was employed in 
 engraving some plates for Mr. Boydell's eollee- 
 tion." Matthew Liart was born in London, in 
 a house built by his grandfather, a respectable 
 periwig-maker and barber, on the south-west cor- 
 ner of Compton-street and Crown-street* which 
 was, until 1762, called Hog-lane. Liart's fami- 
 ly, as well as many other natives of France, 
 settled upon this spot after the Edict of Nantz. 
 The barber's son, Liart's father, who was a 
 maker of survelois, a relishing kind of sausage, 
 placed him with the celebrated Monsieur Rave- 
 net, the Engraver, with whom he remained 
 
 * Near an old house with pillars before it, then standing 
 on the site of the entrance to the present chapel in Moor- 
 street : it was called " the French Change," being a place 
 much frequented, and indeed surrounded by natives of France, 
 Avho came to England after the Edict of Nantz. Here they 
 met, and communicated with each other upon their several 
 concerns ; and hence arose the establishment of the nume- 
 rous a-la-mode beef shops for the convenience of the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
118 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 seven years. Liart then occupied his father's 
 second-floor front room, in which he engraved 
 all his plates. 
 
 He drew at the Royal Academy, where he 
 gained the silver medal for a drawing of a 
 figure from the life ; and he also obtained a prize 
 from the Society of Arts. Mr. West has de- 
 clared that Liart drew the human figure well, 
 and he has frequently been heard to observe, 
 that had he studied the historical and highest 
 class of the art, he was quite certain he would 
 have succeeded. He died about the year 1782, 
 in Compton-street, in the house in which he was 
 born, and in the room in which he engraved, 
 and was buried at Paddington. Mr. Audinet, 
 the Engraver, from whom I received some of 
 the above particulars, and who has a spirited 
 portrait of him painted by Laurenson, is per- 
 fectly satisfied that Liart Jiever even saw the sea. 
 
 Of the various plates engraven by Liart, the 
 two from Mr. West's pictures of Venus and 
 Adonis, and Cephalus and Procris, are unques- 
 tionably his best. 
 
119 
 
 CERACCHI. 
 
 During the time I was under the tuition 
 of Mr. Nollekens, Signor Giuseppe Ceracchi, a 
 Roman, often visited the studio. He came to 
 England in 1773, with letters of recommenda- 
 tion from Nulty, a Sculptor at Rome; was 
 employed by Carlini; and, when he first ex- 
 hibited at the Royal Academy, his residence 
 was stated to be at that artist's house, in King- 
 square Court, now Carlisle-street, Soho-square.* 
 
 Mr. R. Adam, the architect, employed Ce- 
 racchi to model a basso-rehevo, fourteen feet in 
 length by six feet in height, of the Sacrifice 
 of Bacchus, consisting of twenty figures, in 
 Adams's composition, — a mixture of cement 
 with oil, which is now called mastic, and simi- 
 lar to that used on the columns of the Theatre 
 in the Hay-market, — for the back front of the 
 house of Mr. Desenfans, in Portland-road ; at 
 whose decease it was sold by auction to the 
 
 * Soho-square was at one time called King's-square ; and 
 it is a curious fact, that King's-square-court, now Carlisle- 
 street, was once called ** Merry Andrew Street," as appears 
 in a rare little view of Soho-square, in the possession of 
 William Packer, Esq. of Great Baddow, Essex,— in which 
 Monmouth House is to be seen. 
 
120 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOEARIES. 
 
 proprietors of Coade's Artificial Stone IManu- 
 factory in that part of the New Road called 
 " Tottenham Court ;" and it is very tastefully 
 modelled. The bust of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 sold by the figure-casters, Mr. Northcote in- 
 forms me, was also modelled by Ceracchi. Ba- 
 retti, in his " Guide through the Royal Aca- 
 demy," when describing the Strand front of 
 Somerset House, thus speaks of him : "The two 
 figures nearest the centre, were made by Sig- 
 nor Carlini ; the two at the extremities, by 
 Signor Ceracchi, an Italian Sculptor, who re- 
 sided some time in London, whose abilities the 
 architect (Sir William Chambers) wished to en- 
 courage and keep among us ; but the little em- 
 ployment found in England for Sculptors, 
 however excellent, frustrated his intentions." 
 Ceracchi had, when I was taken to see him, 
 very extensive premises at No. 76, Margaret- 
 street, Cavendish-square ; he was a short thin 
 man, with a piercing black eye, and a very blue 
 beard. He was the Honourable Mrs. Damer's 
 master in Sculpture, as that lady declared to 
 me herself.* 
 
 Ceracchi, highly gifted as he certainly was, 
 
 * He modelled a statue of his pupil, which, since the de- 
 cease of Lord Frederick Campbell, has been carved in laarble, 
 and placed in the Hall of the British Museum. 
 
CERACCHI. 
 
 121 
 
 met with so little encouragement in this country, 
 that after disposing of his property in Margaret- 
 street, he quitted England for Rome, where 
 he continued to practise as a Sculptor until the 
 breaking out of the French Revolution, when 
 he became so violent a partizan and so despe- 
 rate, that he was condemned to death as the 
 leader of the conspirators connected with the 
 infernal machine contrivance, and was guillo- 
 tined at Paris in 1801. Ceracchi continued so 
 frantic to the last, that he actually built him- 
 self a car, in which he was drawn to the place 
 of execution in the habit of a Roman Empe- 
 ror. David, the French Painter, with whom 
 Ceracchi had lived in intimacy, was called to 
 speak to his character ; but he declared he knew 
 nothing of him beyond his fame as a Sculptor. 
 
122 
 
 LOCATELLI. 
 
 John Baptist Locatelli was a native of 
 Verona, and when he came to England first 
 lodged at No. 9, in the Haymarket, with the 
 father of Charles Rossi, Esq. now an Academi- 
 cian. His next residence was in Bentinck-street, 
 Berwick-street; and his last in England was in 
 Union -street, at the back of Middlesex Hospi- 
 tal, which had been, before the year 1776, the 
 time he entered the premises, occupied by an- 
 other Italian Sculptor of the name of Angelini ; 
 and there it was that the friendly Rossi was 
 placed under Locatelli's roof, as his pupil ; but 
 from whom, I can safely say, Rossi acquired no 
 part of his present excellence as a Sculptor. 
 Angelini was an artist of superior talent. He 
 carved a group of the Virgin and Child, in 
 marble, as large as Hfe, and of which he un- 
 fortunately could find no better mode of dis- 
 posing than by lottery. He also carved for 
 NoUekens, and was often, to the no little mor- 
 tification of his employer, mistaken by stran- 
 gers as the master of the studio, not only 
 from his superior manners, but by his dash- 
 ing mode of dressing in a fashionable coat 
 and red morocco slippers. Locatelli became an 
 
LOCATELLI. 
 
 123 
 
 object of some notoriety, by a dispute which 
 arose between him and his kind patron, the 
 Earl of Orford, against whom the Sculptor was 
 so highly enraged, that he extensively distri- 
 buted an octavo pamphlet consisting of one 
 hundred and twenty-five pages in Italian and 
 English, entitled, " A Dissertation of a Colossal 
 group of John Baptist Locatelli." By this lit- 
 tle work, which is written in some parts with 
 the spleen and acrimony of a disappointed man, 
 and which was printed without date, it ap- 
 pears that in the year 1782, the Earl of Orford 
 bespoke a colossal group of this Sculptor, with- 
 out asking what it was to come to. When the 
 subject was named, his Lordship approved of 
 it ; but when the model was produced, he re- 
 fused to take it, although he had advanced the 
 artist 350/. on account. The design was The- 
 seus offering assistance to Hercules. 
 
 It also appears by this narrative, that a 
 committee of about fifteen gentlemen, among 
 whom were Sir James Wright, Mr. Locke, 
 Mr. Sheldon the Anatomist, (as some of the 
 limbs were stated to have been broken, and 
 others out of joints,) Mr. West, Mr. Cipriani, 
 Mr. Fuseli, and Mr. Procter the Sculptor, 
 had agreed to give their opinions upon it. 
 Fuseli and Procter were rather severe with 
 
124 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the Artist, particularly the latter, who certainly 
 had produced some models of Ixion, &;c. which 
 were highly spoken of. Locatelli declared in 
 his pamphlet, by way of setting himself off, 
 that he had been much noticed by the Eng- 
 lish when at Verona and Venice, and that, 
 during his residence at Milan, he was employ- 
 ed by Count Firmin, M. Tilot, and Cardinal 
 Crescenzi, and that he had executed upwards 
 of seventy statues and groups for the brothers 
 Battoni, &c. 
 
 So much may be gathered from this pamph- 
 let ; but as there are always two stories, at 
 least, to be told in every dispute, the reader is 
 requested to put that of Lord Orford into the 
 other scale of evidence. 
 
 His Lordship, who had been extremely kind 
 to Locatelli when abroad, by purchasing several 
 of his models from the antique, the size of life, 
 at one hundred guineas each, a much better price 
 than he had before been accustomed to receive, 
 — particularly noticed the Artist when he ar- 
 rived in England. Finding that he was unem- 
 ployed, he ordered him to model the above sub- 
 ject, as suggested by Locatelli, never asking the 
 price; but concluding in his own mind that the 
 sum would be proportionally more from being 
 modelled in England, being a much dearer 
 
LOCATELLI. 
 
 125 
 
 country to live in than Italy. Locatelli had, 
 by degrees, obtained money from his patron, 
 amounting altogether to the sum of 350/. when 
 his Lordship visited his Artist's studio to see 
 what he was about, and, to his great surprise, 
 he found the group was colossal, and, in his 
 opinion, very bad. A dispute then arose, and 
 his Lordship, notwithstanding the majority of 
 the committee had given it against Locatelli, 
 generously paid him a farther sum, and sent the 
 model to Houghton ; where it was destroyed, 
 when that mansion unfortunately suffered by 
 fire. 
 
 NoUekens's remarks upon this group of The- 
 seus and Hercules, were sometimes laughable 
 enough : he said, " The figures look like the 
 dry skins of two brick-makers stuffed with 
 clotted flocks from an old mattress;" and at 
 other times he observed, " I think Locatelli 
 must have studied Goltzius's Hercules;" a figure 
 well known to the collectors of engravings 
 under the appellation of the potatoe-man, in 
 consequence of his muscles appearing more like 
 that root, than any thing produced either above 
 or below the earth. Mr. Smith, the Sculptor, 
 who designed and executed the cenotaph, erect- 
 ed by the munificent Citizens of London, to 
 the memory of Lord Nelson, in their Guildhall, 
 
126 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 was the pupil of this artist; and his son, 
 Charles, a highly-talented Sculptor, has, in his 
 studio in the New Road, some fragments of 
 Locatelli's models, which exhibit very little 
 merit, particularly the portions of a small one 
 of Lord Orford's group, above mentioned. 
 
 Robert Adam, the Architect, who occasion- 
 ally gave Locatelli commissions, among other 
 things employed him to execute a chimney- 
 piece for Harewood House in Yorkshire. 
 
 In August 1780, Mr. NoUekens was advised 
 to go to Harrowgate for the benefit of his 
 health ; in consequence of which, Mr. Rossi in- 
 forms me, he carved, under the direction of his 
 master, Locatelli, the basso-relievos, put up by 
 NoUekens, on the outside of the Sessions-house 
 on Clerkenwell Green. 
 
 Locatelli, in 1796, left England for Milan, 
 where Buonaparte not only patronized him, but 
 granted him a pension for life. Of his death, 
 Mr. Rossi, my principal informant, is at present 
 ignorant. 
 
127 
 
 PROCTER. 
 
 Thomas Procter was born at Settle, in the 
 West-Riding of Yorkshire, April 22nd, 1753. 
 His father, being in humble circumstances, ap- 
 prenticed him to a tobacconist at Manchester, 
 of whose occupation he soon became tired, and 
 ventured to London, where he procured an en- 
 gagement in the counting-house of Messrs. Har- 
 rison and Ansley, merchants. After remaining 
 in this house for some time, he quitted it to 
 study the arts of Painting and Sculpture ; and, 
 after his departure, the partners of the firm, in 
 consequence of his having conducted himself 
 so well, continued their kindness towards him, 
 by giving him money, and receiving him as one 
 of the family, whenever he pleased, at their 
 houses at Tottenham and Clapham. On the 
 30th of September, 1777, he was admitted a 
 student at the Royal Academy. He was in- 
 duced, from seeing Barry's picture of Venus 
 rising from the Sea, to paint a large subject of 
 Adam and Eve, from Milton's " Paradise Lost." 
 In 1782, he obtained a premium from the So- 
 ciety of Arts ; in 1783, he gained a silver me- 
 dal at the Royal Academy ; and, in 1784, the 
 gold medal was voted him for an Historical 
 
128 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 picture. He also painted a picture of the Ap- 
 proach of Venus to the Island of Cyprus. 
 At the time Procter was a candidate for the 
 Koyal Academy gold medal, it was much doubt- 
 ed whether he or another brother-student would 
 be successful. When the students on Procter's 
 side found that the prize was awarded to him, 
 they agreed to seize and carry him down-stairs 
 in triumph ; which they not only accomplished, 
 but proceeded with him publicly on their 
 shoulders all about the quadrangle of Somerset- 
 place, at the same time vociferating, " Procter ! 
 Procter !" Upon this, Barry, who heartily en- 
 joyed the sight, exclaimed, with the usual oath 
 of a blunt Irishman, " The lads have caught the 
 true spirit of the ancient Greeks." 
 
 Procter likewise produced a very extraordi- 
 nary model of Ixion on the wheel, which was 
 thought so well of by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. 
 West, and Sir Abraham Hume, that the worthy 
 Baronet purchased it. He also executed a fine 
 model of Diomedes thrown to his horses, but 
 unfortunately of so large a size, that no one 
 was tempted to buy it ; and, as he could not 
 afford to pay for a place to keep it in, he 
 actually knocked it to pieces. 
 
 In 1794, when the period arrived at which 
 the Royal Academy was to send a student to 
 
PROCTER. 
 
 129 
 
 Rome, they fixed upon Procter, but no one 
 knew where to find, or hear any thing of him. 
 However, Mr. West, with his usual zeal, after 
 much inquiry, discovered him in an obscure 
 lodging in a deplorably reduced state. Upon 
 this, he instantly relieved him, invited him to 
 dinner, and promised him letters of introduction 
 to his Roman friends : but alas ! during the short 
 preparation for his departure, Mr. West received 
 the sad intelligence of his being found dead in 
 his bed, at his humble lodgings, opposite the 
 Cider-cellar, in Maiden-lane, Coven t-garden. 
 He died in his forty-first year, and was buried 
 in Hampstead church-yard. 
 
 Mr. Middiman, the celebrated Landscape-en- 
 graver, who is now in his seventy-seventh year, 
 related to me the following anecdote of poor 
 Procter. Mr. Rising, a painter and picture- 
 cleaner, one of Procter's most intimate friends, 
 witnessing his disturbed state of mind, arising 
 from pecuniary embarrassment, and a most 
 honourable and anxious wish to leave England 
 for Rome free of every debt, went privately 
 to a gentleman, who held a note for money 
 lent, to whom he represented Procter's distress. 
 The gentleman, whose heart, like those of many 
 other EngHshmen, was in its right place, beg- 
 ged of him to desire Procter to make himself 
 
 VOL. II. K 
 
130 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 perfectly easy on his account ; and to convince 
 him of his safety, immediately threw the note 
 into the fire. Early the next morning, the 
 friendly Rising hastened to communicate the li- 
 berahty of the gentleman ; when, alas ! he found 
 that Procter had died in the preceding night. 
 Procter was short in stature, remarkably well- 
 proportioned, and firmly built. His hair and 
 whiskers were of a jet black, the latter of which 
 he suffered to grow with a preposterous projec- 
 tion from his cheeks. His skin was swarthy, but 
 his black eyes were piercingly energetic, parti- 
 cularly when a grand idea had struck his mind, 
 which was well stored with classic reading. He 
 then instantly grappled with his clay ; upon 
 which he was sure to leave vigorous marks of 
 superior genius. Mr. West classed him with 
 the first-rate modellers ; and indeed he thought 
 so well of him, that when the Royal Academi- 
 cians agreed to send him to Rome, Mr. West 
 made up his mind to send his son Raphael 
 with him, concluding that by their high talents 
 they would enjoy a most interesting intercourse. 
 I received the following anecdote of him from 
 the venerable Northcote, who is in his eighty- 
 second year.* Procter sent an immense pic- 
 
 • Mr. Northcote was born in Market-street, Plymouth, 
 October 22cl, old style, 1746. 
 
PROCTER. 
 
 131 
 
 ture to the Royal Academy to be exhibited ; the 
 subject of which, to the best of his recollection, 
 was Druidical. This performance, however, 
 was so indifferent, that the Academicians on the 
 Council advised him to improve it ; and, as it 
 was so large a work, accommodation was given 
 him somewhere on the premises. After he had 
 been at work upon it for several days, some of 
 the Council, who were not at all pleased with 
 what he had done, begged of Mr. Northcote to 
 go and look at it ; but it was so very deficient 
 in the requisite of painting, that they could not 
 admit it into any of their show-rooms. How- 
 ever, as they thought that it would hurt his 
 feelings to reject it for its want of a painter's ex- 
 pression, they very kindly allowed him to think, 
 that as it was so large, there was no room for it. 
 
 As a painter, Mr. Northcote assured me that 
 he could not praise Procter, and yet he said 
 there was mind in most of the things he produ- 
 ced ; but as a modeller, he spoke in the highest 
 terms of his talents. During the time Procter 
 was engaged upon his figure of Ixion, Nolle - 
 kens, who was not then far advanced in life, 
 made the following remark. " I don't see why 
 Procter should make Ixion going round on the 
 wheel, with his eyes almost closed : I am sure I 
 could not sleep under such torture." 
 
 K 2 
 
132 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 I heard Nollekens once ask a painter, who was 
 modelling a figure of Time on the ground strug- 
 gling with a female, why he made Time sprawl- 
 ing on the ground with her, " You should not 
 do that. Time is always on the wing : no, no, 
 you should make Time pursuing the girl." Mr. 
 NoUekens used to say, that Procter had less 
 merit as a modeller than a painter ; though this 
 was not the opinion of Professor Westmacott, 
 who applied to Sir Abraham Hume for the 
 loan of the group of Pirithous and the figure 
 of Ixion on the Wheel, two of Procter's highly- 
 esteemed and best models. These he generous- 
 ly and openly exhibited during his last Lec- 
 ture delivered at the Royal Academy, expa- 
 tiated upon them as works of true genius, 
 and declared them to be in many respects 
 highly worthy the attention of the students in 
 Sculpture. 
 
133 
 
 ZOFFANY. 
 
 The history of ZofFany, the painter of that 
 inimitable picture of the Members of the Royal 
 Academy, in the King's most splendid collec- 
 tion, being but little known ; I shall introduce 
 the following account of him, received partly 
 from the lips of my friend, Philip Audinet, a 
 pupil of John Hall, the Engraver, whose son, 
 the Rev. Doctor Hall, is now Master of Pem- 
 broke College, Oxford ; and partly from other 
 sources of equal veracity. 
 
 Mr. Audinet's father served his time with 
 Rimbault, a celebrated Musical Clock-maker, 
 who lived in Great St. Andrew's-street, near 
 the Seven Dials. He principally traded to Hol- 
 land, and made, what were at that time called, 
 " Twelve-tuned Dutchmen ;" viz. clocks which 
 played twelve tunes, with moving figures, va- 
 riously occupied, having scenery painted be- 
 hind them. As these machines were very com- 
 plicated, and tlierefore required a combination 
 of talents, the pricking of the barrels was exe- 
 cuted by a famous hand of the name of Bellodi, 
 an Italian, who at that period lived in Short's- 
 gardens, Drury-lane : his son, an excellent maker 
 of barrel-organs, died lately at Pentonville. This 
 
134 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 person solicited Rimbault in favour of a poor 
 man, an artist, who was almost starving in a gar- 
 ret, and an inmate of his house. " Let him come 
 to me," said Rimbault ; he accordingly went to 
 him, and produced such extraordinary speci- 
 mens of his talent, that he received immediate 
 employment in painting the fronts of musical 
 clocks. 
 
 In the course of time, when the employer 
 and employed became better acquainted with 
 each other, this clock-face 'painter proposed to 
 paint his patron's face ; which he did so admi- 
 rably, that it raised him considerably in the 
 opinion of Rimbault, who exerted himself to 
 the fullest extent of his ability to serve him.* 
 Benjamin Wilson, who, at this period, resided 
 in Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, No. 56, in 
 the house in which Mr. Philip Audinet now 
 lives, being anxious to procure an assistant who 
 could draw the figure well, a branch of his art 
 in which Wilson was extremely deficient, hav- 
 ing confined his talent to the head only, — it so 
 happened that he encountered the above painter 
 
 * This tnily animated portrait of Rimbault, by ZoiJany, is 
 carefully preserved over the chimney-piece of his nephew's 
 front parlour, at No. 9, Denmark-street, Soho. Mr. Rim- 
 bault is the Organist to Saint Giles's in the Fields, and one of 
 the most extensive collectors of Rowlandson's drawings. 
 
ZOFFANY. 
 
 135 
 
 of clock-faces, and, finding his qualifications ex- 
 actly to his purpose, engaged him at a salary of 
 about forty pounds a-year, but enjoined him to 
 profound secrecy. Now it happened that Gar- 
 rick was so convinced that a picture which was 
 exhibiting of himself and Miss Bellamy, in 
 Romeo and Juliet, was not the production of 
 Benjamin Wilson, whose name was to it, that 
 he was determined to find out the painter, and 
 by his perseverance discovered his name to be 
 Zoffany. 
 
 Mr. Garrick, then, with that kindness which 
 he always exercised towards artists of talent, 
 gave him immediate employment, and intro- 
 duced him to his friends, particularly to Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, whose liberal conduct in his 
 favour, mentioned in Miss Moser's letter, at 
 page 66 of the first volume of this work, was 
 so highly honourable to that immortal painter. 
 
 Mr. Zoffany was as fortunate in having Gar- 
 rick for his study, as the public are in the pos- 
 session of that painter's delineations of so won- 
 derful an actor ; and I believe most persons will 
 agree with me, that, with all the powerful dis- 
 play of the pictorial talent of Reynolds, Dance, 
 Gainsborough, Loutherbourg, and Qint, the 
 pencil of Zoffany in theatrical representations has 
 been unrivalled. Nor, indeed, do I believe, that 
 
136 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOIIAUIES. 
 
 at any period, the painter could have had supe- 
 rior assistance in handing his fame to posterity, 
 than from those artists who have engraved his 
 pictures; for the accuracy of which assertion, 
 1 shall appeal to the recollection of my reader, 
 by presenting him with a list of the engrav- 
 ings which have been executed from ZofFany's 
 works, which I have arranged according to 
 their date of publication. 
 
 Zoffany, pinxt. Jas. M'Ardell, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Gibber, in the characters of 
 Jqffier and Belvidera. — Venice Preserved, Act 4, Scene 2. 
 
 Published March 25^ 1764, according to Act of Parliament, 
 sold by J. M'Ardell, at the corner of Henrietta-street, in 
 Covent-garden. 
 
 Zoffany, pinxt. J. Boydell, excudt. J. G. Haid, fecit. 
 
 ]\Ir. FooTE, in the character of Major Sturgeon, in the 
 Mayor of Garret. 
 
 Published according to Act of Parliament, August 14th, 
 1765, by John Boydell, Engraver, in Cheapside, London. 
 
 Zoffany, pinxt. J. Boydell, excudt. J. G. Haid, fecit. 
 Mr. Garkick, in the Farmer s Return. 
 Published according to Act of Parliament, March 1st, 1766, 
 by J. Boydell, Engraver, in Cheapside, London. 
 
 J. Zoffany, pinxt. Published Nov. 1st, 1768. J. Finlay- 
 son, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Garrick, in the character of Sir John Brute. 
 Mr. Vaughan, Mr. HuUet, Mr. Cough, Mr. Parsons, Mr. 
 Watkens, and Mr. Phillips, as Watchmen. 
 
ZOFFANY. 
 
 137 
 
 J. ZolFany, pinxt. Published March 1st, 1768. J. Fin- 
 lay son, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Shuter, Mr. Beard, and Mr. Dunstall, in the 
 characters of Justice Woodcock, Hawthorn, and Hsdge. — Love 
 in a Village, Act 1, Scene 6. 
 
 Sold by Mr. ZofFany, in Lincoln's-inn-fields, Mr. Finlay- 
 son, in Berwick-street, Soho, and Mr. Parker, at No. 82, in 
 CornhiU. 
 
 J. ZolFany, pinxt. J. Finlayson, fecit. 
 
 Mr. FooTE and Mr. Weston, in the characters of the Pre- 
 sident and Dr. Last. 
 
 J. ZolFany, pinxt. 
 
 Mr. Garrick, in the character of Abel Drugger, Mr. Bur- 
 ton, and Mr. Palmer, in the characters of Subtle and Face. 
 — Alchymist, Act 2, Scene 6. 
 
 To Frederick Howard, Earl of Carlisle, this plate is hum- 
 bly inscribed, by his Lordship's obedient servant- 
 Published according to Act of Parliament, January the 
 12th, 1771» by John Dixon, in Kemp's Row, opposite Rane- 
 lagh, Chelsea ; and sold by A. Davy, in Duke's-court, St. 
 Martin's-lane, C. Bowles, in St. Paul's Church-yard, and J. 
 Boydell, Cheapside. 
 
 J. Zoffany, pinxt. R, Earlom, sculpt. 
 
 Mr. King and Mrs. Baddeley, in the characters of Lord 
 Ogleby and Miss Fanny Sterling. — Clandestine Marriage> 
 Act 4. 
 
 " O, thou amiable creature ! command my heart, for it is 
 vanquished." 
 
 Published as the Act directs, Nov. 1, 1772, by Robert 
 Sayer, No. 53, in Fleet-street, London. 
 
138 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Published March 30th, 1776, by J. Boydell, Engraver, in 
 
 Cheapside, London. 
 J. ZofFany, pinxt. V. Green, Engraver to his Majesty, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Pritchard, in the tragedy of 
 Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3. 
 
 From the original picture painted by Zoffany, in the pos- 
 session of George Keate, Esq. to whom this plate is dedicated 
 by his most humble servant, John Boydell. 
 
 Sold by J. Watson, in Litchfield-street, Soho. 
 ZofFany, pinxt. Marchie, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Moody, in the character of Foigard. 
 
 ZofFany, pinxt. T. Simson, excudit. J. Young, sculpt. 
 
 Mr. Bransby, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Watkins, in the cha- 
 racters of JEsop, Old Man, and Servant. — Lethe. 
 
 Published April 9th, 1788, by T. Simpson, St. Paul's 
 Church-yard. 
 
 J. ZofFany, pinxt. J. Dixon, fecit. 
 
 Mr. Garrick, in the character of Abel Drugger, in the 
 Alchf/mist. 
 
 Published 1 Jan. 1791, by R. Sayer, and Co. Fleet-street. 
 
 Painted by J. ZofFany. Engraved by John Young, En- 
 
 graver in Mezzotinto to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 The chara,cter of Puff, in the Critic, as represented by 
 . , Thomas King, 
 
 Who, with most profound respect, and the utmost gratitude, 
 dedicates this print to those illustrious encouragers of the 
 liberal arts, 
 
 Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York. 
 London, Nov. 1803, published by Thomas King, No. 9, 
 New Store-street, Bedford-square. 
 
139 
 
 SHERWIN. 
 
 After I had studied about three years under 
 Mr. NoUekens, I became so dehghted with the 
 art of engraving, that I endeavoured to imi- 
 tate several of the etchings of celebrated painters, 
 particularly those of Rembrandt and Ostade ; 
 some of which I copied so closely, that my fa- 
 ther's old patron. Dr. HinchclifiPe, then Bishop of 
 Peterborough, kindly showed them to Sherwin, 
 who was so pleased with them, that he offered 
 to take me at half the usual premium, and I 
 became his domestic pupil. In consequence of 
 Sherwin being frequently from home, it fell to 
 my lot, alternately with my two fellow-pupils, 
 Newnham and M*Kenzie, to attend the visitors 
 to the painting-room, and to answer their ques- 
 tions. Being considered a good-tempered lad, 
 the ladies noticed me ; and young as I was, in 
 consequence of my studying the human figure, 
 I became tolerably familiar with beautiful 
 forms, which knowledge often induced me to 
 contemplate the graceful figures and fascinating 
 features of the fashionable women, who daily 
 thronged to see a drawing which Sherwin was 
 then engaged upon, the subject being the Find- 
 ing of Moses. 
 
140 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOIIAIIIES. 
 
 The ideas of this extraordinary artist were 
 generally elegant, and always pleasing ; which 
 led him to introduce in this picture the portrait 
 of the Princess Royal of England, as Pharaoh's 
 daughter, and those of the ladies of our Court 
 most distinguished for their beauty as her atten- 
 dants. Lady Duncannon, and her sister, the 
 Duchess of Devonshire, were in the centre of 
 the composition, surrounded by the rest who 
 composed the group. In this drawing, were 
 exhibited Ladies Jersey, &c ; but the most con- 
 spicuous figure was that of her Grace the 
 Duchess of Rutland, the present Dowager. 
 
 Being frequently in the room when these 
 elegant fashionables came to sit, I had most en- 
 viable opportunities of seeing them near ; and 
 lovely as most of them unquestionably were, 
 none, in my opinion, eclipsed her Grace of 
 Rutland. I remember placing an engraving of 
 the three Ladies Waldegrave on the carpet be- 
 fore her Grace, by the desire of Sherwin, who 
 was then at his easel, and I must declare that 
 I never beheld a more dignified and beautiful 
 woman : and, indeed, when I last had the ho- 
 nour of seeing her Grace, only a very few years 
 since, I still remained of the same opinion. 
 
 Sherwin's drawing, however, fascinating as it 
 certainly was, though it procured him many 
 friends, by the preference which he had given 
 
SHERWIN. 
 
 141 
 
 to the ladies selected, made those who were un- 
 solicited his enemies ; and he found to his cost, 
 that paying a woman of high title a compliment 
 at the expense of a greater beauty of inferior 
 rank, was one of the great errors of his life. 
 Indeed, on the other hand, he gave much offence 
 even to some of those ladies whose portraits he 
 had introduced, by placing that of Mrs. Town- 
 ley Ward, whose features were certainly of the 
 grand cast, near to a Duchess, whose beauty 
 could not stand the comparison. 
 
 The attraction of this drawing became so great, 
 that footmen were continually thundering at 
 Sherwin's door ; and, during the spring months, 
 the succession of carriages was so incessant, 
 that the passers-by would often return to see 
 a celebrated beauty alight or depart. I was 
 much pleased, one morning, by the visit of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Nollekens, who named most of the 
 portraits ; and was highly delighted when Mr. 
 Sherwin desired me to look out a fine proof of 
 his engraving of the Bishop of Peterborough's 
 picture of the Holy Family, painted by N. Pous- 
 sin, and give it to my old master : with which 
 attention he was so much pleased, that he in- 
 vited Sherwin to his studio, and offered him 
 the loan of any of his busts to engrave from. 
 
 Sherwin had gained the gold medal for an his- 
 torical picture at the Koyal Academy ; and Nol- 
 
142 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 lekens used to observe, that it was by painting 
 a picture that Bartolozzi became a Royal Aca- 
 demician, and not as an Engraver. However, 
 my old master, upon this occasion, said little, 
 being in the presence of Mrs. NoUekens, to 
 whose advice he now and then paid attention. 
 
 Sherwin had a most wonderful faculty in de- 
 lineating the human form ; for I have often seen 
 him begin a figure at the toe, draw upwards, 
 and complete it at the top of the head in a most 
 correct and masterly manner. He had also an 
 extraordinary command over the use of both his 
 hands ; and whenever he has been engaged on 
 a very large plate that was difficult to turn, he 
 would let the plate remain before him, throw 
 the graver over from his right hand into his 
 left, and accurately meet the sweeping line 
 he had commenced with the former. His ap- 
 plication to his art was by no means regular ; he 
 would draw for several days, then walk about 
 and visit his friends, or at other times paint : and 
 one of his best pictures of a female was a whole- 
 length of the beautiful Miss Collins, a daughter 
 of Dr. Collins, of Winchester, afterwards Lady 
 St. John, which is admirably painted. His most 
 spirited one of a gentleman was that of Kin- 
 naird, the Magistrate, father of my friend the 
 Architect, who has lately edited Stuart's Athens. 
 His mode of engraving was rapid in the ex- 
 
SHERWIN. 
 
 143 
 
 treme; for I have often seen him begin a 
 little plate for a ticket, sit up all night, and 
 finish it the next day by breakfast-time. Tom 
 Davies, the Bookseller, applied to him, one 
 Saturday, to engrave a head of Garrick, for 
 that actor's life, at the price of fifteen guineas, 
 and it was to be done immediately. Sherwin, 
 who was, I am sorry to say, too much like 
 many other artists, fond of working upon Sun- 
 days, sent this plate of Garrick home on the 
 Monday morning, completely finished, to the 
 great astonishment of Davies, and every one 
 else who knew the fact. Perhaps, however, 
 the plate which he executed in the shortest 
 time, considering its quantity of work, is the 
 portrait of the late Earl of Carlisle, painted by 
 Romney : this engraving Sherwin produced in 
 four days, though he had promised it for more 
 than three months before. It is a beautiful 
 piece of art, and the plate being a private one, 
 the property of the family, and given only to 
 particular friends, it is considered as a great 
 rarity among portrait-collectors. There is a 
 pretty tolerable copy of it in the European Ma- 
 gazine for November 1785, vol. viii. page 327. 
 
 Sherwin drew tastefully in red and black 
 chalks, in the style which was afterwards con- 
 siderably improved and practised by Cosway, 
 who derived from it larger emoluments, than 
 
144 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Sherwin and all the other artists of his day put 
 together. 
 
 In Sherwin's studio, I have frequently seen 
 Mrs. Robinson, when in her full bloom ; and he 
 actually engraved her portrait at once upon the 
 copper, without any previous drawing. Here I 
 also saw Mrs. Siddons sit, in an attitude of the 
 highest dignity, in the character of the Grecian 
 Daughter ;* which portrait he also engraved in 
 a similar way. 
 
 John Keyse Sherwin was born at Eastdean, 
 in Sussex, and was noticed, early in life, by 
 William Mitford, Esq. of the Treasury, who 
 was his best friend ; and this gentleman is in 
 possession of the historical picture which Sher- 
 win painted, when he obtained the gold medal 
 in the Royal Academy ; the subject being Ve- 
 nus soliciting Vulcan to make armour for her 
 son. Perhaps no artist was more noticed by the 
 first families of his time than Sherwin ; nor was 
 any man more blessed with sincere friends, 
 among whom was the gentleman above-men- 
 tioned, and Doctors Bever, Collins, Chelsum, 
 Wynne, Vyse, Stevens, &c. 
 
 Various and often singularly interesting were 
 
 * Upon her re-appearance at Drury-lane Theatre, where 
 she had not acted since the days of Garrick ; with whom she 
 had played many parts during the last year of his performance. 
 
SHERWIN. 
 
 145 
 
 the scenes which I witnessed during my short stay 
 with Sherwin ; and a recollection of some of 
 them, even now, affords me no small degree of 
 pleasure in my evening walks. I well remember 
 one in particular, which always occurs to me 
 whenever I hear the late Lord Fitzwilliam men- 
 tioned. One afternoon, his Lordship was shown 
 into our studio, with full expectation of find- 
 ing Sherwin, according to the declaration of 
 the lad who had opened the door ; but, upon 
 his Lordship's being assured that he was not in 
 the house, a huge elephant of a man arose from 
 his seat, and addressed the nobleman nearly in 
 the following manner : " Sare, he is at home ; 
 my name is Elbell ; I am un taileur un habit- 
 maker; I live at No. 65, Veils-street, Oxford- 
 market ; he ordere me to come here for amount 
 of my bill ; an I have been vaiting here no less 
 dan dese five hour ; an until I am distinctly sa- 
 tisfy, I vill not go avay vidout my money. I 
 make for Colonel Topham, Sare, an Major 
 Hanger; an dey never vill serve me in such 
 a vay." Lord Fitzwilliam, after requesting to 
 know the amount of his bill, desired him to 
 write a receipt, and paid him. 
 
 As soon as Elbell left the room, his Lord- 
 ship rang the bell, and ordered the lad to tell 
 his master that the tailor was gone, and that 
 
 VOL. II. L 
 
146 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Lord Fitzwilliam wished to see him. In a few 
 minutes, Sherwin, who had been dressing for 
 Sir Brook Boothby's, entered the room in a 
 scarlet-lapelled coat, with large gilt buttons the 
 size of a half-crown, a white satin waistcoat 
 embroidered with sprigs of jasmine, a pair of 
 black satin small-clothes with Bristol-stone knee- 
 buckles, a pair of Scott's liquid-dye blue silk 
 stockings with Devonshire clocks, long-quartered 
 shoes with large square buckles, which covered 
 the whole of the lower front of his instep down 
 to his toes ; a shirt with a frill and ruffles of lace, 
 his hair pomatumed and powdered with an im- 
 mense toupee, three curls on a side, and tied up 
 with a tremendous club behind. Lord Fitz- 
 william exclaimed, "Well, Sherwin, you cer- 
 tainly are a handsome fellow ; but most extra- 
 vagantly dressed. Pray, whose levee are you 
 for now ? There, I will for once make you a 
 present of Orator Elbell's receipt for making a 
 fine gentleman." 
 
 Of all the men I ever knew, Sherwin was 
 the most difficult to get money from, as he ge- 
 nerally lost it in gambling as soon as he got 
 it. His manoeuvres to rid himself of a dun 
 were sometimes whimsically ingenious. I re- 
 collect a purblind Engraver, of the name of 
 Roberts, the artist who etched the fifty small 
 
SHERWIN. 
 
 147 
 
 views round London, from drawings made by 
 Chatelain, and who had frequently importuned 
 him for cash, being prevailed upon to partake 
 of a bottle of wine, in order to drink success 
 to the Arts, before he paid him. Sherwin, after 
 the second glass, wishing to leave him, and 
 knowing that Roberts could not see correctly 
 beyond the bottle, moved his lay-figure, upon 
 which he had put an old coat, from the corner 
 of the room, and placed it as Roberts's com- 
 panion ; but before he stole out of the studio, 
 he requested Mr. Roberts to keep the bottle by 
 him, and to finish it whilst he wrote answers to 
 some letters for the post. Roberts, who had 
 no idea of his having quitted the table, now 
 and then, as he took an occasional glass, silently 
 bowed, respectfully acknowledging the presence 
 of his host. At last, after some time had 
 elapsed, he ventured to observe that he had a 
 great way to go ; but receiving no remark, he 
 got up, walked round the table, and modestly 
 requested payment. Upon no answer being 
 returned, he went close enough to whisper the 
 real state of his situation, when, discovering 
 the trick, he left the house indignantly. How- 
 ever, Sherwin, who had been that evening lucky 
 at play, upon our informing him of poor Ro- 
 berts's distressed situation, sent him the money 
 
 L 2 
 
148 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 early the next morning,with an additional guinea 
 for the time he had lost, with which he was de- 
 sired to drink the King's health. 
 
 I must here declare, that though Sherwin 
 was so imprudent in his way of living, he was 
 a generous man, and that I have known him 
 to give liberally in charitable contributions, par- 
 ticularly to distressed widows of clergymen, 
 whose melancholy situations I have often heard 
 him deplore; observing that the children of 
 a poor country curate were more to be pitied 
 than those of a London artist ; since the latter 
 generally had some qualification by which they 
 could get a living. 
 
 Happily for the honour of our country, our 
 societies have augmented, and funds are fast in- 
 creasing for the better provision of the help- 
 less widows and offspring of debilitated artists, 
 as well as for those who are left destitute by the 
 less fortunate in the Church. It gives me great 
 pleasure to state, that the Artists' Fund dinners 
 are attended by persons of the highest rank 
 and fortune in the kingdom, who most conde- 
 scendingly undertake the office of stewards ; and 
 I fully trust, that in a few years a foundation 
 upon a plan similar to that for the sons and 
 daughters of the Clergy, in St. John's AVood, 
 will be established for the orphans of artists. 
 
149 
 
 GAINSBOROUGH. 
 
 The grandfather of Thomas Gainsborough 
 was a schoolmaster ; and the young artist, who 
 was the most unpromising pupil he had, was 
 never better pleased than when he could prevail 
 upon his father to request a holiday for him ; for 
 which he wrote in the following manner, " Give 
 Tom a holiday." Tom, not wishing to apply 
 to his father so often as he desired a day's 
 sketching, hit upon the expedient of forgery, 
 and copied this order to the extent of about 
 fifty ; but not having any place to put them 
 in, thought of secreting them in the warming- 
 pan, concluding that, as it was the summer sea- 
 son, that utensil would not be in requisition, 
 and, as it hung up in the kitchen, he could 
 watch an opportunity of taking out an order as 
 he wanted it. In this supposition, however, he 
 was disappointed, as one of the family being 
 taken ill during his absence, the warming-pan was 
 to be made use of ; and no sooner was it taken 
 down, than the remaining stock of these forged 
 papers was scattered over the place, to the no 
 small surprise of those present ; and, upon their 
 being shown to his father, he observed, from 
 
150 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 their nicety of imitation, that Tom would cer- 
 tainly come to an untimely end. 
 
 In consequence of this discovery, the next 
 time he was absent from school, his father, who 
 knew nothing of his sketching-days, watched 
 him, suspecting that he kept idle company, but 
 in this he was agreeably astonished, when he saw 
 him seat himself upon the side of a bank, and 
 begin to make a drawing of a cluster of dock- 
 leaves ; and, upon his return home, he found a 
 quantity of his son's sketches of stumps of trees, 
 styles, sheep, and shepherd boys, which had 
 been secreted in various holes and corners.* 
 
 Mr. Gainsborough was a lively writer, as we 
 may see in the two following letters addressed 
 to his friend Henderson, the Actor, inserted in 
 "Letters and Poems, by the late Mr. John 
 Henderson, by John Ireland," printed for John- 
 son, St. Paul's Church-yard, in 1786. 
 
 " Bath, 27tli June, 1773. 
 
 " DEAR HENDERSON, 
 
 " If you had not wrote to me as you 
 did, I should have concluded you had been laid 
 down ; pray, my boy, take care of yourself this 
 
 * For this anecdote, as well as several others, I, am obliged 
 to my friend John Jackson, Esq. R.A. who is in possession of 
 several beautiful portraits by Gainsborough. 
 
GAINSBOROUGH. 
 
 151 
 
 hot weather, and don't run about London streets, 
 fancying you are catching strokes of Nature, at 
 the hazard of your constitution. It was my 
 first school, and deeply read in petticoats I am, 
 therefore you may allow me to caution you. 
 
 " Stick to Garrick as close as you can, for 
 your life : you should follow his heels like his 
 shadow in sunshine. 
 
 " No one can be so near him as yourself, 
 when you please ; and I 'm sure, when he sees it 
 strongly as other people do, he must be fond of 
 such an ape. You have nothing to do now but 
 to stick to the few great ones of the earth, who 
 seem to have offered you their assistance in 
 bringing you to light, and to brush off all the 
 low ones as fast as they light upon you. You 
 see I hazard the appearing a puppy in your 
 eyes, by pretending to advise you, from the real 
 regard and sincere desire I have of seeing you 
 a great and happy man. Garrick is the greatest 
 creature living, in every respect : he is worth 
 studying in every action. Every view, and 
 every idea of him is worthy of being stored up 
 for imitation; and I have ever found him a 
 generous and sincere friend. Look upon him, 
 Henderson, with your imitative eyes, for when 
 he drops, you '11 have nothing but poor old Na- 
 ture's book to look in. You'll be left in the 
 
152 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 dark, or by a farthing candle. Now is your 
 time, my lively fellow ! And, do ye hear, don't 
 eat so devilishly ; you '11 get too fat when 
 you rest from playing, or get a sudden jigg by 
 illness to bring you down again. 
 
 " Adieu, my dear H. 
 
 " Believe me your's, &;c. 
 
 " T. G. " 
 
 " Bath, July 18, 1773. 
 
 " DEAR HENDERSON, 
 
 " If I may judge by your last spirited 
 epistle, you are in good keeping; no one eats 
 with a more grateful countenance, or swallows 
 with more good-nature than yourself. 
 
 " If this does not seem sense, do but recollect 
 how many hard-featured fellows there are in 
 the world that frown in the midst of enjoy- 
 ment, chew with unthankfulness, and seem to 
 swallow with pain instead of pleasure; now 
 any one who sees you eat pig and plum sauce, 
 immediately ^^/^ that pleasure which a plump 
 morsel, smoothly gliding through a narrow glib 
 passage into the regions of bhss, and moistened 
 with the dews of imagination, naturally creates. 
 
 " Some iron-faced dogs, you know, seem to 
 chew dry ingratitude, and swallow discontent. 
 Let such be kept to imder parts, and never 
 
GAINSBOROUGH. 
 
 158 
 
 trusted to support a character. In all but eat- 
 ing stick to Garrick ; in that let him stick to 
 you, for I '11 be curst if you are not his master ! 
 Never mind the fools who talk of imitation and 
 copying ; all is imitation, and if you quit that 
 natural likeness to Garrick, which your mother 
 
 bestowed upon you, you '11 be flung Ask 
 
 Garrick else. 
 
 " Why, Sir, what makes the difference be- 
 tween man and man, is the real performance, 
 and not genius or conception. There are a 
 thousand Garricks, a thousand Giardinis, and 
 Fishers, and Abels. Why only one Garrick 
 with Garrick's eyes, voice, &c. ? One Giardini 
 with Giardini's fingers, &;c. ? But one Fisher 
 with Fisher's dexterity, quickness, &c. ? Or 
 more than one Abel with Abel's feeling upon 
 the instrument ? All the rest of the world are 
 mere hearers and see'ers. 
 
 " Now, as I said in my last, as Nature seems 
 to have intended the same thing in you as in 
 Garrick, no matter how short or how long, her 
 kind intention must not be crossed. If it is, 
 she will tip the wink to Madam Fortune, and 
 you 11 be kicked down-stairs. 
 
 ' Think on that. Master Ford.' 
 
 " God bless you, 
 
 " T. G. " 
 
154 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAEIES. 
 
 Gainsborough, when advising Henderson to 
 copy Garrick, forgot that Nature had been his 
 own idol; and also the remark so often attri- 
 buted to Michel Angelo, that * The man who 
 walks after another, must always be behind 
 him.' Did Shakspeare serve an apprentice- 
 ship to any one? Who taught Hogarth to 
 paint the pictures of the Marriage A-la-mode f 
 Did Garrick follow the manner of any actor ? 
 Was not Wilson, the Landscape-painter, Na- 
 ture's child? Did Kemble act in the style of 
 others ? Did not Sir Joshua, who held the 
 palette as the first of painters, after all his at- 
 tention to the works of the old masters, both in 
 design and colouring, acknowledge Nature to 
 be his loveliest mistress ? The pulses of my 
 young countrymen must ever beat high, when 
 they recollect that all the persons above-men- 
 tioned were Englishmen horn and hred^ and 
 may correctly, I believe, be considered six of' 
 the greatest men the world has produced. Sir 
 Joshua has observed, that " too much attention 
 to other men's thoughts, by filling the mind, 
 extinguishes the natural power, like too much 
 fuel on fire." The reader will recollect, too, in a 
 letter from Sir Joshua to N. Pocock, given by 
 Northcote in his second edition of Sir Joshua's 
 Works, at page 90 of the second volume, that 
 
GAINSBOROUGH. 
 
 155 
 
 he says, " I would recommend to you, above 
 all things, to paint from nature instead of draw- 
 ing; to carry your palette and pencils to the 
 water-side. This was the practice of Vernet, 
 whom I knew at Rome ; he then showed me 
 his studies in colours, which struck me very 
 much, for that truth which those works only 
 have, which are produced while the impression 
 is warm from nature." 
 
 Gainsborough was interred at Kew, on the 
 9th of August, 1788. 
 
156 
 
 BACON. 
 
 Before I commence a biographical sketch 
 of this celebrated Artist, who was one of the 
 earliest exhibitors in the Royal Academy, and 
 the first individual who received the gold me- 
 dal as a Modeller in that institution, I think 
 my readers will be interested by the following 
 song, relative to the formation of the Academy 
 itself. It was written by the Rev. Dr. Frank- 
 lin, who was chosen the first Chaplain to the 
 Establishment, and was sung by Mr. Beard at 
 its institutory dinner. As it was never printed 
 accurately, I here introduce a copy from the 
 original manuscript, with which I was favoured 
 by the author's daughter, Maria Franklin. 
 
 THE PATRONS. 
 
 A SONG. 
 
 Here's a health to the Great, who are Patrons of Arts, 
 Who for good British hands have true British hearts ; 
 Abroad who disdain for their pleasures to roam. 
 But encourage true merit and genius at Home. 
 
 If I was not mistaken, I heard some folks say. 
 That our guests seem'd to relish the feast of to-dajr ; 
 That with candour they own, we at least have aim'd well. 
 And those deserve praise who but strive to excel. 
 
 But our artists, — the fact to our shame is well-kmwn, — 
 Like our wives, are neglected, because they 're our own ; 
 
BACON. 
 
 157 
 
 Whilst Italia's fair harlots with rapture we view, 
 And embrace the dear strangers — to show our Virtu. 
 
 When good Master Christie tricks out his fine show, 
 All is not pure gold which there glitters, we know ; 
 But with pompous fine titles he humbugs the town, 
 If the names are but foreign, the trash will go down : 
 
 For this purpose^, some shrewd picture-merchants, they say. 
 Keep many a good Raphael and Rubens in pay ; 
 And half the Poussins and Correggios you meet 
 Were daub'd in a garret in Aldersgate-street : 
 
 There with pencils and brushes they drive a snug trade ; 
 There Ancients are form'd and Originals made ; 
 New trifles are shelter 'd beneath an old name. 
 And pictures, like bacon, are smoked into fame. 
 
 Such arts we disclaim, and such tricks we despise. 
 On their own little pinions our eaglets shall rise ; 
 And upheld by your praises, perchance they may soar 
 To the summit of Fame, which they ne'er reach'd before. 
 
 When strong prepossession no longer shall blind. 
 Nor the shackles of Prejudice fetter the mind ; 
 The beauties of Truth then old Tirne shall unveil. 
 And merit o'er folly and fashion prevail . 
 
 Then let 's drink to the Great, who are Patrons of Arts, 
 Who for good British hands have good British hearts ; 
 Abroad who disdain for their pleasures to roam. 
 But encourage true merit and genius at Home. 
 
 The meetings of the Koyal Academy, at its 
 commencement, were at seven o'clock in the 
 evening, as will appear from the following in- 
 vitation, which was sent to Benjamin West, Esq. 
 
158 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 " Royal Academy, 30th day of Oct. 1769. 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " You are desired to meet the President, 
 and the rest of the Visitors, at the Royal Aca- 
 demy, in Pali-Mall, on Friday next, the 3d day 
 of November, at seven o'clock in the evening, 
 to examine the layman. 
 
 I am Sir, 
 *' Your most humble servant, 
 
 " F. M. Newton, Sec. R.A." 
 
 John Bacon, whose father Thomas, was a 
 Cloth-worker, was born in London on the 24th 
 of November, 1740, and was employed, when a 
 boy, in a Pottery at Lambeth, and afterwards 
 by Mrs. Coade, in her Artificial Stone Manufac- 
 tory,* during which time he obtained no fewer 
 than nine prizes in the Society of Arts. Mr. 
 Bacon commenced carving in marble in 1763. 
 
 * Mrs. Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory was erected 
 in the year 1769, at the King's Arms Stairs, Narrow Wall, 
 Lambeth. In a descriptive catalogue of the contents of this 
 manufactory, published in 1784, what were at that time 
 deemed the advantages of Artificial Stone, are minutely set 
 forth. At page 82, of Nichols's " History and Antiquities of 
 the Parish of Lambeth," speaking of this establishment, the 
 author says, " Here are many statues, which are allowed by 
 the best judges to be master-pieces of Art, from the models 
 of that celebrated artist, John Bacon, Esq." 
 
BACON. 
 
 159 
 
 He then resided in George-yard, near Soho- 
 square, in Oxford-road, and exhibited at the 
 Royal Academy a medallion of King George 
 the Third, and a group of Bacchanalians. In 
 [the succeeding year, he produced a model in 
 i bas-relief, the subject the Good Samaritan. 
 
 In 1771, he was elected an Associate of the 
 Royal Academy ; and exhibited a cast from 
 his model of Mars, a very beautiful perform- 
 ance, of which he carved in marble a statue as 
 large as life, for the Hon. Mr. Pelham, after- 
 wards Lord Yarborough, now in the hall of 
 the present Lord's town-residence in Arling- 
 ton-street ; where there are also numerous busts 
 in marble by NoUekens. The following year, 
 Bacon exhibited a model of a Child ; and in 
 1773, a bust in marble, and a design for his 
 own door-plate in artificial stone. 
 
 Johnson, the builder of Berners-street, who 
 had been extremely kind to Bacon in the early 
 part of his life, made a purchase of very ex- 
 tensive premises in Newman-street purposely 
 for him, but entirely without his knowledge. 
 As soon as he communicated to him what he 
 had done. Bacon exclaimed, " How could you 
 do so ? I am not able to enter upon any thing 
 of the kind." — " Yes, you are," replied John- 
 son. " Go into them, and I shall never expect 
 
160 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the money, unless you are quite capable of re- 
 imbursing me."* In 1774, Mr. Bacon took 
 possession of these premises, No. 17, Newman- 
 street, and exhibited a bust of King George III. 
 in marble. In 1775, he produced a model for 
 a marble statue of Minerva in artificial stone ; 
 and in 1778, he was chosen an Academician, 
 and presented to the Royal Academy a bust 
 representing Sickness as his reception-piece. 
 
 The principal of his other public works are, 
 a bronze statue of King George III. in the 
 court-yard of Somerset-place, and also the attic 
 decorations on the street, and back fronts of 
 the same edifice;! the cenotaph in Guildhall; 
 and the monument in Westminster Abbey, 
 
 * In what way this act of kindness ended, I am ignorant ; 
 but I have been also credibly informed, that after Johnson 
 became a banker in Bond-street, and when he feared a serious 
 run upon his house, Bacon stepped nobly forward, and lent 
 his kind benefactor forty thousand pounds ! ! ! From this cir- 
 cumstance, whether the loan amounted to such a suim or not, 
 we are to conclude, that a man of Bacon's integrity must have 
 repaid his truly kind friend, Johnson, in the sum he had ad- 
 vanced for the purchase of his premises, before he offered to 
 lend him money. 
 
 t So states the late Joseph Baretti, when Secretary for 
 Foreign Correspondence to the Royal Academy, in his 
 work, entitled, " A Guide through the Royal Academy," 
 This curious and rare pamphlet is unfortunately printed 
 without a date ; but, from internal evidence, I conjecture it 
 
BACON. 
 
 161 
 
 erected to the memory of the Earl of Chat- 
 ham ;* the figure of King Henry VL in the 
 Ante-chapel of Eton College ; a monument to 
 the memory of Guy, erected in the Chapel of his 
 Hospital ; and also two figures at the front of 
 that building. In 1795, he executed a statue 
 of the great and good Dr. Samuel Johnson, for 
 
 to have been published about the year 1780. The following 
 extracts are from pages 6 and 8. 
 
 " The attic terminates with a group, consisting of the Arms 
 of the British Empire, supported on one side by the Genius of 
 England, on the other by Fame sounding her trumpet. The 
 whole is a much approved performance of Mr. Bacon.'" 
 
 Speaking of the south, or quadrangular front, the same 
 Author observes, ''The Couronnement, or attic finishing, by 
 Mr. Bacon, like that of the Strand front, is composed of the 
 British Arms, placed on a cartel, surrounded with sedges and 
 sea-weeds. It is supported by Tritons armed with tridents, 
 and holding a festoon of nets filled with fish and other marine 
 productions." 
 
 * I have been informed by a gentleman, who declared he 
 knew it to be a fact, that the engraved inscription of Chat- 
 ham's monument, in Westminster Abbey, was partly written 
 by Bacon; and he stated the circumstance to have taken 
 place thus : — Bacon had waited a considerable time for the 
 inscription, which had undergone so many alterations, that at 
 last he was bold enough to venture on its completion himself, 
 which, with his usual diffidence, he submitted to the consi- 
 deration of his employers ; and his proposed completion meet- 
 ing their entire approbation, it was accordingly ordered to be 
 cut upon the tablet. 
 
 VOL. II. M 
 
162 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 St. Paul's Cathedral, which was the first monu- 
 ment permitted to be raised in that stupendous 
 fabric. He also" executed a statue of Howard 
 the Philanthropist, in the same Church ; a mo- 
 nument to the memory of Sterne's Eliza in 
 Bristol Cathedral ; one in Salisbury Cathedral 
 to the memory of James Harris, the author of 
 " Hermes," which consists of a figure of Moral 
 Philosophy contemplating a medallion portrait ; 
 a statue of Judge Blackstone, for All Souls 
 College, Oxford ; a bust of Milton, erected 
 against a column on the north side of St. Giles's, 
 Cripplegate ; a statue of Lord Rodney, erected 
 at Kingston, Jamaica ; a statue of Lord Corn- 
 wallis for India, sent thither after the Sculp- 
 tor's death ; a design for the monument of 
 Captain Duff, to be erected in St. Paul's Ca- 
 thedral ; a memorial in honour of the late Mar- 
 quis Cornwallis, by public subscription at Bom- 
 bay ; a group in honour of the most noble Mar- 
 quess Wellesley, to be erected at Calcutta, by 
 order of the British inhabitants of that place ; a 
 design for the statue, &c. in honour of the same 
 nobleman, to be erected at Bombay, by order of 
 the British inhabitants ; and a monument of 
 Lord Lavington, (late) Governor of the Lee- 
 ward Islands, voted by the Council and Assem- 
 bly of Antigua. 
 
BACON. 
 
 163 
 
 As an invitation to the youth of talent to 
 persevere assiduously in his studies, I shall now 
 give a chronological list of the various prizes 
 adjudged to Bacon during his unremitted ap- 
 plication to his beloved art. To his eternal 
 honour be it spoken, he received the whole of 
 these encouragements between the age of nine- 
 teen and thirty -seven — a period of seventeen 
 of his earliest years, which, in the life of man, 
 I regret to say, have hitherto been seldom filled 
 with so much credit. 
 
 
 £. 
 
 «. 
 
 d. 
 
 1759, For a model in clay 
 
 . 10 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 1760, For a model in clay 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 0 
 
 1 761, For a model in clay 
 
 . 15 
 
 15 
 
 0 
 
 1763, For a basso-relievo in clay 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 1 764, A basso-relievo in clay 
 
 . 15 
 
 15 
 
 0 
 
 1765, A basso-relievo in clay 
 
 21 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 1771 J For a human figure as large as life 
 
 . 21 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 1774, For a human figure as large as life 
 
 . 52 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 1776, For a human figure as large as life 
 
 . 52 
 
 10 
 
 0 
 
 
 £215 
 
 5 
 
 0 
 
 My reader will recollect, that Bacon was the 
 first artist who had the honour of being pre- 
 sented, in 1769, with the gold medal from the 
 Royal Academy, as a modeller. Such a dis- 
 tinguished mark of the estimation of his talents 
 by so honourable a body, consisting of the most 
 
 M 2 
 
164 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 eminent artists of his day, together with the 
 preceding sums amounting to 215/. 5s. voted 
 to him by the Society of Arts, must excite 
 a blush upon the cheek of those who have 
 trifled away their time, whilst it also acts as 
 a stimulus to others, who are only commencing 
 their career. 
 
 Mr. Thornton, a gentleman already mention- 
 ed in this work, who married a daughter of 
 Bacon, had frequent conversations with his 
 father-in-law, respecting the works of Roubi- 
 liac; particularly upon two of the six monu- 
 ments erected in Westminster Abbey, viz. Mrs. 
 Nightingale's, and that of the Duke of Argyle. 
 Of the former, Mr. Bacon said, that, fine as it 
 was, he considered it to be far inferior to that 
 of the latter. The figure of Eloquence he looked 
 upon as the finest specimen of Sculpture, and 
 acknowledged its merit to be such, that he was 
 sure he could never equal it. In his opinion 
 of this figure, Mr. Bacon is not singular, as 
 every person of taste who stands before it for 
 five minutes will be convinced.* 
 
 Mr. Bacon died on the seventh of August, 
 
 * Canova spoke of Waterloo-bridge in the highest terms of 
 approbation ; and whenever he had occasion to speak of 
 Sculpture, he declared that the figure of Eloquence in Rou- 
 
BACON. 
 
 165 
 
 1799, and was buried in Whitefield's Chapel, 
 Tottenham-court-road, under the north gal- 
 lery, where the following inscription has been 
 cut to his memory : — • 
 
 What I was as an Artist, 
 Seemed to me of some importance 
 While I lived ; 
 But 
 
 What I really was as a Believer 
 
 In Christ Jesus, 
 Is the only thing of importance 
 To me now." 
 
 There is an animated bust of Bacon, modelled 
 by his son, a cast of which is preserved with the 
 utmost veneration, by the Sculptors old and 
 worthy friend, John Simmons, Esq. 
 
 In a letter to Prince Hoare, Esq. dated from 
 Newman-street, January 1, 1809, and printed 
 in that gentleman's work entitled " Academic 
 Annals," Bacon's son, and successor, John, gives 
 the folloAving notices of the works he had in 
 hand at that time. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " The tedious continuance of our works 
 under the brain and the chisel, often makes one 
 
 biliac's monument in Westminster Abbey, was the finest 
 work of modern art which he had seen in this country. 
 
166 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 year's description of the works in hand the de- 
 scription of a second, a third, and even a fourth 
 year, (I refer to our more extensive works). 
 
 " Those which I shall presently describe are 
 still unfinished. My equestrian statue in bronze 
 of King William III. is completed, and placed 
 in the situation designed for it, in the centre of 
 St. James's-square. 
 
 " Believe me to remain. 
 Sir, &c. &c. 
 
 John Bacon. 
 
 " P. S. 1 have just now in commencement a 
 statue in marble of our beloved King, a little 
 above the size of life, to be placed in the Bank 
 of Ireland, by order of the Directors. This 
 commission I glory in.* 
 
 " To Prince Hoare, Esq. &c." 
 
 * The father of the benevolent Archdeacon IMarkham, the 
 late Archbishop of York, was the elder Bacon's greatest pa- 
 tron ; and that amiable divine prevailed upon King George 
 III. to sit to the Sculptor for his bust. 
 
167 
 
 WILTON. 
 
 Joseph Wilton was born in London, July 
 I6th, 1722. He was the son of a plasterer, who, 
 by a vast increase of income, arising principally 
 from a manufactory, in imitation of that in 
 France, which he established for making the 
 papier-mache ornaments for chimney-pieces, 
 and frames for looking-glasses, was enabled to 
 rebuild his premises on the south-west corner 
 of Hedge-lane, Charing-cross ;* at the same time 
 enlarging his workshops on the west side of 
 Edward'Street, Cavendish-square, where his or- 
 namental works were carried on : in which hun- 
 dreds of people, including children as well as 
 grown persons, were for several years constantly 
 employed . 
 
 Joseph, having a strong natural inclination 
 to become a Sculptor, was carried by his father 
 to Nivelle, in Brabant, to study under Laurent 
 Delvaux, an artist who had for several years 
 resided in London. From Nivelle, in 1744, 
 he went to Paris, where he assiduously studied 
 
 * These premises, for many years after Wilton left them, 
 were occupied by a glass-manufacturer of the name of Han- 
 cock, for whom Doctor Samuel Johnson wrote a shop-bill. 
 
168 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 in the Academy directed by the famous Sculp- 
 tor Pigalle, so warmly patronised by Voltaire, 
 of whom Pigalle made a truly spirited bust, 
 casts of which may be had at the plaster-figure 
 shops. 
 
 In 1747, after gaining the silver medal, and 
 having acquired the power of cutting marble, 
 he, accompanied by Roubiliac, the Sculptor, 
 went to Rome; where, in 1750, he not only 
 had the honour of receiving the Jubilee gold 
 medal, engraven by Hamerani, given by Pope 
 Benedict XIV. but acquired the patronage of 
 William Locke, Esq.* 
 
 * The Locke family was always pre-eminently conspicu- 
 ous for superior talents, as well as elegance of manners. The 
 above-mentioned gentleman, who was a descendant of the fa- 
 mous author of the " Essay on the Human Understanding," 
 in addition to an amiable disposition, not only exercised his 
 taste for the Fine Arts during his travels, by purchasing an- 
 tiques, models in terracotta, and fine pictures, which he 
 brought into England, but also by his patronage of modern 
 artists. To Wilton he was generous ; and when in Italy, they 
 were inseparable companions ; Barrett, the Royal Academi- 
 cian, he employed in painting that beautiful room at his seat 
 in Norbury Park ; f and in him, Cipriani found so generous a 
 friend, that for years he took most of the drawings which 
 that artist made, for, whenever Cipriani had filled a book with 
 sketches, he received a draft for twice the amount he asked 
 
 t It gives me great pleasure to state, that the present 
 possessor of this classic spot, in his recent repairs, has left 
 Barrett's room uncontaminated. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 169 
 
 In 1751, Wilton travelled to Florence, where 
 he executed numerous statues from the antique, 
 as large as the originals, which he sold to fo- 
 reigners, as well as to noblemen and gentlemen 
 of high rank in England, by whom he was 
 always highly noticed and his works esteemed. 
 In 1755, he returned to his native city, accom- 
 panied by Giovanni Baptista Cipriani, William 
 
 for it. England is much indebted to Mr. Locke for many 
 fine specimens of Sculpture ; and among others, for the statue 
 of the Discobolus, now the property of Mr. Duncombe, the 
 possessor of the marble called Alcibiades' Dog, which was con- 
 signed to this country by Noel Constantine Jennings, Esq. a 
 very singular character, but a gentleman of high taste, who 
 expended a large fortune in works of virtU. Mr. Locke also 
 brought to England that beautiful picture, by Claude, of Saint 
 Ursula, now in the British Gallery ; and possessed Zuccarelli's 
 picture of Macbeth and the Witches, that Painter's master- 
 piece, so admirably engraven by Woollett. This picture was 
 afterwards the property of tlie late Mr. Purling, at whose sale 
 it was purchased by Hanbury Tracey, Esq. Benjamin West, 
 Esq. the second son of the late venerable President, showed 
 me the original pen-and-ink study for the principal figures in 
 this picture, which is a truly spirited drawing. I have now an 
 opportunity of correcting a popular opinion as to Claude's in- 
 capacity of introducing the human figure into his landscapes. 
 There are in the British Museum altogether nearly two hun- 
 dred and fifty drawings by Claude, in about three-fourths of 
 which there are figures evidently drawn with the same hand 
 and pen as designed the landscapes^, and in many instances 
 most spiritedly executed. It is astonishing to me that persons 
 should have fallen into this error, when so many of Claude's 
 beautiful etchings, which have ever been before the eyes of the 
 
170 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Chambers,* and Capitsoldi, a Sculptor, who 
 modelled in a very superior style.']' Upon 
 Wilton's arrival in London, his familj and 
 friends received him with open arms; and he 
 occupied his father's house at Charing-cross, 
 where he remained carrying on his works, which 
 at that time were in very high requisition. 
 
 In 1758, in conjunction with his amiable 
 friend Cipriani, he was chosen, by his Datron 
 the Duke of Richmond, Director to his Grace's 
 Statue-Gallery in Privy-Gardens.:]: Being ap- 
 
 publicj contain figures most beautifully introduced, anl by the 
 same hand and needle which etched the trees. 
 
 * Mr. Chambers, (afterwards Sir William,) before je came 
 to this country, was a supercargo of a Swedish East-Indiaman, 
 and soon after his arrival commenced the trade of a carpen- 
 ter. How he acquired the knowledge in architecture to 
 qualify him for the situation of Surveyor-general, I ha^e never 
 been able to learn. 
 
 f Capitsoldi, upon his arrival, took the attic sttry of a 
 house in Warwick-street, Golden-square, and being short of 
 furniture, painted chairs, pictures, and window-curtaiis, upon 
 the walls of his sitting-room, most admirably decepdve ; so 
 that with two chairs and a small table, he entertained i friend 
 witli a breakfast, or an oyster and a pot of porter, ii a room 
 completely furnished. At such repasts my father las fre- 
 quently been his companion. Capitsoldi was a scaolar of 
 Algardi, a Roman Sculptor. He subsequently returned to 
 Italy, where he died. 
 
 X This Gallery was most liberally erected for th« use of 
 students in the Arts. It consisted of about thirty caits from 
 
WILTON. 
 
 171 
 
 pointed State-coach Carver to the King, he 
 erected suitable and extensive workshops op- 
 
 antique statues and basso-relievos ; and premiums for merit 
 were promised by the noble Duke, but in consequence of his 
 Grace receiving orders to join his regiment immediately, there 
 was no time for their distribution. Upon which, some of the 
 students most shamefully posted up the following notice against 
 the studio door : 
 
 " The Right Honourable the Duke of Richmond, being 
 obliged to join his regiment abroad, will pay the premiums as 
 soon as he comes home." 
 
 This paper was very properly taken down, but, upon the 
 Duke's return from Germany, his Grace found one stuck up,- 
 apologizing for his poverty, and expressing his sorrow for 
 having promised premiums. For this most malicious conduct 
 of the students concerned, his Grace, for a time, shut up the 
 Gallery, and some of the casts became the property of the 
 Royal Academy, upon its establishment. The above account 
 I received from my father, who was one of many other stu- 
 dents who suffered by the misconduct of his disorderly com- 
 panions. 
 
 The Duke's liberality is thus extolled by Hayley in his 
 Epistle to his friend Romney, who was one of the most con- 
 stant and well-behaved students in his Grace's gallery. 
 " The youthful noble, on a princely plan. 
 Encouraged infant art, and first began 
 Before the studious eye of youth to place 
 The ancient models of ideal grace." 
 Doctor Smollett, who was his Grace's chaplain, states that 
 premiums were given by the Duke, but in this the Doctor 
 is certainly in error. The following letter from WooUett, the 
 Engraver, which was inserted in " The Public Advertiser " 
 of Tuesday, August 14th, 1770, will show how sensible the 
 
172 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 posite Marylebone-fields, on the south side of 
 what was afterwards named Queen Anne- 
 street East, now called Foley-place, and occu- 
 pied the large house now remaining at the 
 south-east corner of Portland-street adjoining. 
 Here King George the Third's state-coach for 
 his coronation was built, as it has been before 
 stated ; the small model of which, I, when a 
 boy, was carried to see by Mr. Nollekens and 
 my father, it then being preserved in a back- 
 shop where it remained for many years. Wil- 
 
 Society of Artists was of his Grace's liberality in re-opening 
 his Gallery. 
 
 " His Grace the Duke of Richmond, having been pleased 
 to put his Statue-room under the direction of the Society of 
 Artists of Great Britain, the Society, at their last general 
 meeting, resolved on presenting the following letter to his 
 Grace." 
 
 " TO HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF RICHMOND. 
 " MY LORD, 
 
 " We, the President, Directors, and Fellows of the 
 Incorporated Society of Artists of Great Britain, beg your 
 Grace will be pleased to accept our best and sincerest acknow- 
 ledgments for the many and efficacious instances of encou- 
 ragement and attention to the Fine Arts in general, for 
 which your Grace is so eminently distinguished, and for that 
 very valuable degree of both now bestowed on our Body in 
 particular. 
 
 " The pleasing consideration, that so many of the most 
 eminent and promising geniuses these kingdoms can boast of, 
 have imbibed their excellencies from those inestimable foun- 
 tains of science afforded them by your Grace's munificence, en- 
 
WILTON. 
 
 173 
 
 ton copied the antique with correct measure- 
 ment, and he also cut the stone with freedom 
 and fleshiness ; and his abilities as a designer, 
 if we may judge from models which he brought 
 with him to England from Rome and Florence, 
 bade fair to have produced something highly 
 superior in Sculpture to any thing by an Eng- 
 lishman of his own times. 
 
 Notwithstanding he had received some sit- 
 tings from the King, who had farther honoured 
 him by appointing him his Sculptor, the edge of 
 his inclination for Art was considerably blunted 
 
 courages us to hope that the number may be happily and consi- 
 derably increased by the advantage and assistance your Grace's 
 admirable collection of statues must afford to the endeavours 
 of this Society. Few of those illustrious personages who have 
 introduced, or were the first encouragers of the Arts, have 
 lived to see them brought to any degree of perfection. But it 
 is your Grace's peculiar happiness to see those Arts, which you 
 found in their infancy, carried, through your judicious assist- 
 ance, to a degree of maturity, which posterity will hardly 
 believe possible for them to have attained in so small a num- 
 ber of years. That your Grace may long enjoy the glorious 
 satisfaction of supporting dawning genius, and protecting 
 merit, is the earnest and unanimous wish of this grateful 
 Society. 
 
 " I have the honour of subscribing myself, 
 Your Grace's most devoted, 
 
 And obedient servant, 
 Wm. Woollett, Sec. 
 Academy, Maiden-lane, By order of the Society. 
 
 August 9th, 1770." 
 
174 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 by his father leaving him a great portion of his 
 property ; which induced him to comply with 
 the fashionable habits of his friends, by living 
 in rather a sumptuous manner. I recollect his 
 having a house at Snaresbrook, and, in 1785, 
 occupying one in the Mall at Hammersmith, 
 as well as a town-residence ; a family-coach, a 
 phaeton, and numerous saddle-horses, for him- 
 self and his sons, to whom he gave a University 
 education. His daughter, Miss Wilton, was 
 thus noticed by Dr. Johnson to Boswell, in a 
 letter dated March 5th, 1774. "Chambers is 
 either married, or almost married, to Miss Wil- 
 ton, a girl of sixteen, exquisitely beautiful, 
 whom he has, with his lawyer's tongue, per- 
 suaded to take her chance with him in the 
 East."* 
 
 Wilton produced a few busts; but Nolle- 
 kens, soon after his arrival in England, deprived 
 him of that part of the encouragement of the 
 country. Amongst those of eminent men, mo- 
 delled by Wilton, are the following : Sir Francis 
 Bacon, Oliver Cromwell, from the famous mask 
 nt Florence, Lord Camden, Lord Dartrey, Tho- 
 mas Holhs, Admiral Holmes, the Earl of Hun- 
 tingdon, Doctor Hokey, Martinelli, Sir Isaac 
 
 * They were married ; and Mr. Chambers, afterwards Sir 
 Robert, dying, Lady Chambers returned to England, and is 
 now residing at Putney. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 175 
 
 Newton, Swift, General Wolfe, Admiral West, 
 and the Earl of Chatham. 
 
 Some of his busts have considerable merit 
 as to character, particularly that of the famous 
 Earl of Chesterfield, carved by my father, 
 which now adorns the south-west chimney-piece 
 of the Print -room in the British Museum, the 
 invaluable treasures of which I have now had 
 the honour and heartfelt pleasure of having had 
 the care of for upwards of twelve years. 
 
 As for Wilton's statues, few of them afforded 
 him a favourable opportunity of displaying his 
 anatomical knowledge ; that of our late King, 
 in the dress of a Roman Emperor, lately taken 
 down from its niche in the south-west corner 
 of the Royal Exchange, was by no means a suc- 
 cessful performance.* The monument erected 
 in Ireland, to the memory of Lady Anne Daw- 
 son, the first wife of the late amiable Lord Dar- 
 trey, afterwards Earl of Cremorne, is, in many 
 
 * The vacant niche lately occupied by the above-mentioned 
 marble statue, is the last on the eastern side towards the south. 
 Why it was taken down I have not been able to learn ; but I 
 fully trust that the Mercers' Company will not suffer the 
 " Royal Exchange" to remain long without a statue of our 
 late beloved Monarch. Upon farther inquiry, I find the statue 
 is in the possession of Mr. George Bubb, of Grafton-street, 
 the artist employed, by the Mercers' Company, to execute the 
 statues and other ornaments lately put up on the front of the 
 Royal Exchange. 
 
176 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 respects, admirable ; but I believe, of all his pro- 
 ductions, that of Wolfe's monument, in West- 
 minster Abbey, may fairly be considered his 
 masterpiece ;* though that of Admiral Holmes 
 has also been well spoken of. Whilst Wilton 
 was living in splendour, for I believe few artists, 
 or even men of considerable fortune, supported 
 a more liberal table, or could be happier in the 
 company of his friends, his house was fre- 
 quented by men of the first celebrity ; such 
 as the late Lord Charleraont, Doctor Johnson, 
 the late Mr. Locke of Norbury Park, Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, Sir William Chambers, Bar- 
 tolozzi, Cipriani, the immortal Landscape-pain- 
 ter Richard Wilson, to whom he was truly kind, 
 and Joseph Baretti, who, at that time, lived 
 
 * Mr. Wilton has been frequently found fault with in 
 respect to this monument, for having entirely stripped the 
 figure of General Wolfe of his shirt and stockings, and, at the 
 same moment, for suffering the soldier in the background to 
 remain in his uniform, in the presence of a figure of Fame, 
 who proclaims the victory, and is ready to crown the victor 
 with a wreath of laurels. My father, who was employed for 
 the space of three years in carving this figure of General Wolfe, 
 and the surrounding attendants, informed me, that Wilton's 
 motive for exhibiting the figure without his clothes, was pur- 
 posely to display his anatomical knowledge. The figures of 
 the General and the Grenadier are carved out of one block. 
 The spirited and interesting bronze basso-relievo, inlaid in the 
 lower part of this monument, exhibiting the siege of Quebec, 
 was designed and modelled by Capitsoldi. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 177 
 
 at No 10, Edward-street, Cavendish-square.* 
 Thislast-mentioned visitor was not like the former 
 characters, since he never waited for invitation, 
 being what is generally called a "mutton-fix- 
 ture ;" for at Wilton's he always found a plate 
 at the table,! and a chair by the fire, as well as 
 at Mr. Thrale's and Sir Joshua Reynolds's. He 
 was a fawning flatterer, and, upon some occa- 
 sions, very awkwardly puffed off" his host ; as 
 the reader will perceive by the way in which he 
 attempted to flatter him, in the following pas- 
 sages, extracted from his pamphlet, entitled 
 " A Guide through the Royal Academy." 
 
 At page 5, speaking of the colossal masks on 
 the Strand-front of Somerset-place, represent- 
 ing Ocean and the eight great Rivers, he says, 
 " The last of these is the work of Signor Car- 
 
 * Edward-street Avas taken down some time since, to make 
 way for Langham-place ; the site of Baretti's house is now 
 occupied by Marks's Carriage Repository. 
 
 t At the end of Union-street, Middlesex Hospital, stood 
 two magnificent rows of elms, one on each side of a rope- 
 walk ; and beneath their shade I have frequently seen Joseph 
 Baretti and Richard Wilson perambulate, until Portland 
 Chapel clock announced " five," the hour of Joseph Wilton's 
 dinner. I have the figures of these men still in my mind's eye. 
 Baretti was of a middling stature, squabby, round-shoulder- 
 ed^ and near-sighted ; and the Landscape-painter was rather 
 tall, square-shouldered, and well-built, but with a nose, poor 
 man, that had increased to an enormous size. Thev both wore 
 cocked-hats, and walked with canes. 
 
 VOL. rr. N 
 
178 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 lini ; the other four of Mr. Wilton, all executed 
 with a taste and skill that do great credit to 
 these two able artists." Here he boldly ranks 
 the productions of Wilton with those of Car- 
 lini, a very superior artist in every point of 
 view. Again, on the same page, after describing 
 the mask of the Tweed, he observes, " And 
 though it be the last,is certainly not the least able 
 performance of INIr. Wilton." Again, at page 8, 
 "The statues of the attic represent the four 
 parts of the globe; America, armed, and breath- 
 ing defiance; the rest loaded with tributary 
 fruits and treasures. They are all executed in 
 a very masterly manner by Mr. Wilton."* 
 
 Again, at page 15, speaking of a cast of Mr. 
 Locke's beautiful Torso, which that gentleman 
 gave to the Royal Academy, Baretti says, 
 " Venus, that is, the Torso, or Body of a Vir- 
 
 * It is very curious to see how far some people will venture 
 out of their depth to pay a fulsome compliment. In the above 
 instance, Baretti has fallen deeply into the pit ; as it is well 
 known that the whole of the carvings on the various fronts 
 of Somerset-place, — excepting Bacon's bronze statue of King 
 George III. and the figure of Father Thames, below his Ma- 
 jesty's feet,— were carved from finished drawings made by Ci- 
 priani. What is still more, John Atkins, who, in 1761, gain- 
 ed the first premium of thirty guineas given by the Society of 
 Arts for an historical basso-relievo in Sculpture, and Natha- 
 niel Smith, my father, modelled and carved the whole of them 
 for Wilton, immediately from the drawings, he never having 
 put a tool to them : not that they are perhaps the better for 
 this circumstance ; but such is the fact. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 179 
 
 gin, the original of which is in Mr. Locke's col- 
 lection, at his house in Portman-square, restored 
 by M?'. Wilton, in his usual masterly manner, 
 and made again into a whole statue. In Ci- 
 priani's opinion, and I heard him say it several 
 times, this body is more beautiful than that of 
 the Medicean Venus, of which we shall speak 
 when in the next room. It is easily to be re- 
 marked, that the Medicean exhibits a young 
 mother, but Mr. Locke's a virgin ; and this, I 
 suppose, contributes to give a superiority in 
 point of beauty to this over that, which really 
 appears somewhat heavy, or goffa, as the Italians 
 term it, when examined by the side of Mr. 
 Locke's. This Torso was found at Nettimo, a 
 town in the Roman territory, near the spot 
 where ancient Antium stood, and where Nero 
 had a palace, containing a choice collection of 
 antique statues. The Apollo Pythias, and the 
 Gladiator repellens, to be mentioned anon, were 
 also found at Nettuno. Hence the probable 
 supposition, that, like this virgin-Venus, they 
 belonged to that collection. This cast was a 
 present of IMr. Locke's to the Royal Academy." 
 
 Restored, as Baretti boldly asserts this Torso 
 to have been, by being made again into a whole 
 statue by Wilton, in his usual masterly manner, 
 I can assure my reader, that soon after it was 
 sent home to Mr. Locke, the parts added by 
 
 N 2 
 
180 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Wilton were taken away, and the Torso was 
 suffered to remain ever after uncontaminated by 
 modern limbing. Of the latter history of this 
 beautiful specimen of art, 1 beg leave to offer 
 the following statement. 
 
 At the time that Mr. Locke was parting with 
 his valuable collection of pictures and antiques, 
 he sold the above Torso to his Grace the Duke 
 of Richmond for a considerable sum of money, 
 though certainly not more than it was worth. In 
 consequence of a fall, during a fire which had 
 taken place in a part of Richmond House, this 
 Torso had been broken into many pieces, which 
 were, however, put together by Mr. Wilton, at 
 the wish of his Grace ; but, unfortunately, the 
 mutilated joinings were so visible, that the 
 Torso was no longer pleasing to the Duke, 
 who ordered it to be put down in a lower 
 apartment. Here it remained unnoticed for 
 many years, until an auction which took place 
 after the late Duke's death, in Richmond 
 House, in Privy-Gardens, just before that 
 stately mansion was taken down to make way 
 for the present terrace. Mazzoni, the well- 
 known Figure-moulder, bought the Torso for 
 one guinea ; and, after he had taken it home, 
 the late Mr. A. W. Devis, the artist who paint- 
 ed the picture of Nelson's death, now in the 
 Hall of Greenwich Hospital, purchased it of him. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 181 
 
 for fifteen guineas. One day, shortly after- 
 wards, when I was dining with Devis, he said, 
 " Smith, the Museum ought to have that Torso> 
 and the Trustees may give me their own price." 
 I consequently requested my colleague, the late 
 Mr. Combe, to propose it ; but as no price was 
 fixed, the Hon. Trustees declined the offer ; 
 upon which, Mr. Devis said they should have 
 it at the price he gave for it ; it was then ac- 
 cepted, I was commissioned by Mr. Combe to 
 pay that sum to Mr. Devis, and it is now in 
 the gallery of the British Museum. 
 
 I am sorry to declare, that that miserable 
 specimen of leaden -figure taste, the equestrian 
 statue of King George III. lately standing in 
 the centre of Berkeley-square, was executed 
 under the direction of Mr. Wilton, on his pre- 
 mises, in Queen Anne-street, East. It was mo- 
 delled by a French artist, of the name of Beau- 
 pre, recommended to Wilton by Pigalle, as an 
 excellent carver of flowers. 
 
 Mr. Wilton, who was for many years exten- 
 sively employed in producing richly ornament- 
 ed chimney-pieces, for most of the mansions 
 which were then building by his intimate 
 friend, Sir William Chambers,* had considerable 
 
 * Charlemont -house, Dublin, was built by Sir William 
 Chambers. It has a most magnificent library, the ceiling of 
 which was painted by Cipriani; at one end, stands Wilton's 
 
182 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 dealings with the Carrara Marble merchants, 
 which enabled him frequently to accommodate 
 his brother artists with marble. Mr. Nollekens, 
 who always avoided the possession of too great 
 a stock, was now and then his customer. At 
 one of their dealings, a dispute arising between 
 them respecting the measurement of the last- 
 copy of the Venus de' Medici^ carved in marble, the size of 
 the original, the bust of the Marquess of Rockingham, and 
 many others by the same artist. The_. copy of Venus, beau- 
 tiful as it is, I have been informed, loses much of the effect 
 of the original by being highly polished. In this splendid man- 
 sion there is also one of Sir Joshua Reynolds's finest pictures ; 
 a portrait of Lord Aylesbury holding a letter addressed to his 
 friend Lord Charlemont. It will be recollected by lovers of 
 painting, who have visited the mansion, that in a bedchamber 
 of this house hangs that most beautiful of all Hogarth's pic- 
 tures, called " The Lady's last Stake." My friend Colonel 
 Phillips was informed by the late Lord Charlemont, with 
 whom he had been extremely intimate, that Hogarth had pro- 
 mised his Lordship to write a description of his plates, which 
 he said the public had most ignorantly misconceived ; and it 
 was his intention, at one time, to have given a breakfast lec- 
 ture upon them in the presence of his Lordship, Horace Wal- 
 pole, Topham Beauclerk, and others ; but time passed on, 
 and the promise, like many others made by great geniuses, 
 was never put into execution. I most sincerely wish that 
 this notice may invite H. P. Standly, Esq. who is in posses- 
 sion of such rich materials, both in prints and manuscripts, to 
 favour the admirers of Hogarth with an explanation of his sub- 
 jects as far as he can go. I am sure that that gentleman's 
 remarks alone could throw much valuable light upon his 
 works, which if not drawn out within fifty years, perhaps that 
 grim-visaged visitor, the Grand Ma&ter of all the Lodges, 
 may shut it up for ever. 
 
WILTON. 
 
 183 
 
 delivered block, Mr. Wilton commissioned his 
 agent to toss up with Mr. NoUekens, whether 
 it should stand at the measurement delivered 
 with it ; and though it was doubtful whether 
 the difference would amount to one shilling, 
 NoUekens accepted the proposed mode of deci- 
 sion, which, unfortunately for him, was declared 
 in favour of Mr. Wilton. 
 
 After the close of the American War, fewer 
 monuments were wanted ; and Mr. Wilton, find- 
 ing his extensive premises by much too great 
 a concern, without an increase of orders, parti- 
 cularly so for a man declining in years, sold 
 his property by auction, which principally con- 
 sisted of blocks of marble, models, and busts, 
 and several elegantly-ornamented chimney- 
 pieces, which had been executed upon specu- 
 lation. Mr. Wilton, not liking the idea of re- 
 tiring from society, accepted the Keeper's chair 
 in the Royal Academy, vacated by the demise 
 of Signor Carlini. This seat he filled till his 
 death, which took place on the 25th of Novem- 
 ber, 1803, in his apartments in Somerset-place. 
 His funeral was most respectfully attended by 
 many old friends, who saw him interred at Wans- 
 tead, in Essex, on the 2d of December, 1803. 
 
 Mr. Wilton was in height about five feet ten 
 inches, portly and well-looking: he always dress- 
 ed in the height of fashion, and for many years 
 
184 
 
 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 wore a bag-wig, which, in his latter days, he 
 changed for one with a long tail, and walked, as 
 Gay might have said, with dignity and a gold- 
 headed cane.* As to his manners, they were 
 perfectly gentlemanlike, which rendered him 
 an agreeable companion. He was one of the 
 Founders of the Royal Academy, and con- 
 tinued to exhibit with that honourable body of 
 artists until he was appointed Keeper. Rou- 
 biliac modelled a bust of Wilton, in which he 
 introduced his right arm, with a sculptor's ham- 
 mer in his hand. It was sent by Mr. Wilton's 
 daughter. Lady Chambers, to Mr. NoUekens's 
 to be repaired, previous to that Lady's pre- 
 senting it to the Royal Academy ; on the front 
 of the pedestal is the following inscription, dic- 
 tated by Lady Chambers. 
 
 " Joseph Wilton, 
 
 Died Nov. 25, 1803. 
 This bust, by Roubiliac, 
 Is presented to the Royal Academy 
 By his daughter. Lady Chambers." 
 
 Mr. Wilton's models and casts were sold 
 June the 8th and 9th, 1786 ; Lot 40, consisted 
 of masks of Garrich, Roubiliac, and Hogarth, 
 which sold for two pounds seven shillings. I 
 have endeavoured to ascertain the purchaser, 
 but have been unsuccessful. 
 
 * " Wrapt in my virtue and a good surtout." — Gay's Trivia. 
 
185 
 
 BANKS. 
 
 Before I commence giving some account of 
 this gentleman, I beg leave to introduce a few- 
 remarks upon the early state of Sculpture in 
 England ; which may not, perhaps, be consider- 
 ed irrelevant to our subject, as they will tend 
 to prove, that, however respectable were the 
 talents of the two artists, whose works I 
 have just mentioned, England had no great 
 Sculptor of mind until the appearance of Tho- 
 mas Banks. 
 
 Perhaps there are few classes of biography 
 for which it is more difficult to obtain mate- 
 rials, than that of the early English Sculptors ; 
 particularly those who flourished under the first 
 Henrys and Edwards, prior to whose reigns Eng- 
 land can boast of little sculptural skill. In the 
 time of the above splendid monarchs, numer- 
 ous sacred images and monumental effigies 
 were executed; and nearly all our cathedrals 
 and churches, even to the remotest parts of 
 our land, were adorned and enriched by the 
 sculptor's as well as by the painter's art. I am 
 willing to agree with many of my friends, in 
 believing that the greater number of works of 
 that description, produced in the reign of Henry 
 the Third, were the productions of foreigners ; 
 
186 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAIIIES. 
 
 we must, in those early days, have derived 
 our knowledge from them ; but, at the same 
 time, I cannot help stating, that many of our ex- 
 quisite works were from the hands of English- 
 men, particularly in the reigns of Edward III., 
 Henry IV., and Richard II. Indeed I was 
 enabled to prove that to be the case, during 
 my inquiries for the materials for the Antiqui- 
 ties of Westminster, as I met with an astonish- 
 ing series of particulars, not only as to the stone 
 and the various articles used in painting and 
 glass-staining in those days, but also with the 
 names of the master-mason and others eng-ag-ed, 
 as well as the subjects of their proposed de- 
 signs ; and the true Englishman will feel plea- 
 sure, when he is assured that every artist em- 
 ployed upon the decorations of the Palace of 
 Westminster, was a native of this country. 
 
 For instance, in the reign of Edward III. 
 Master Thomas, of Canterbury, was Master- 
 mason in the rebuilding of St. Stephen's Cha- 
 pel, Westminster ; and John, of Coventry, and 
 Henry, of St. Alban's, were his assistants : Mas- 
 ter Richard, of Reading, made two images of 
 Saint Edward and Saint John, for which he 
 received the sum of three pounds six shillings 
 and eight-pence : Hugh de St. Alban's was 
 master of the painters, and John de Chester was 
 master of the glaziers. These names, however. 
 
BANKS. 
 
 187 
 
 are not mentioned by Lord Orford, nor his la- 
 bouring-oar Vertue ; and perhaps they neither 
 knew where to look, nor had the power of ob- 
 taining such valuable information ; but it is 
 much to be regretted that our early historians, 
 Camden, Stow, Speed, &c. have not, like Vasari, 
 handed down to us the names of the artists their 
 contemporaries. The biographer of such per- 
 sons finds, in that valuable and most interesting 
 of all books upon the arts, not only the names 
 of hundreds of artists, but in some instances 
 an accurate description of their works. We 
 certainly read of our Odos, as the proposed 
 constructors of sacred images and decorators of 
 tombs, but we have no proof of their being ac- 
 tually the artists ; and my opinion is, that as 
 they are named as the King's Goldsmiths, they 
 were similar to our present goldsmiths, Messrs. 
 Rundell and Bridge, and, like them, employed 
 their Flaxmans and their Stothards in the pro- 
 duction of works in art. We ought not to sup- 
 pose that our Odos were positively carvers in 
 stone and ivory ; nor indeed that they were the 
 actual lapidaries or inlayers of the precious 
 stones, or even setters of their splendid works 
 of jewellery : but how delighted should we be, 
 if the Keepers of our Public Records were to 
 give us an account of our ancient English Ca- 
 vallinis, our Torregianos, and our Benvenuti 
 
188 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Cellinis ! They know well where to search for 
 treasures ; and if they are allowed to derive pro- 
 fit by the publication of certain documents, I 
 do most earnestly entreat of them, for the ho- 
 nour of our country, to produce and publish 
 such accounts as they may discover of the early 
 English artists. I am quite certain, that such 
 materials of rare and valuable information, which 
 wait only to be drawn from their concealment, 
 would, in a great measure, set aside the wretch- 
 ed repetitions of the miserably poor mass of ma- 
 terials which our presses at present are so often 
 employed to produce. 
 
 So shamefully negligent, however, were the 
 older English writers as to inquiries after the his- 
 tory, or even the names of the greater part of the 
 Sculptors whose works they had seen, and pos- 
 sibly admired, that they have handed very little 
 or nothing to us concerning them. As to the 
 names of Cavallini and Torregiano, which are 
 the first mentioned without the appellation of 
 Goldsmith, I firmly believe more works are at- 
 tributed to those great men, than they could 
 have executed had they lived to the present 
 time; but they were foreigners, and though 
 they practised in this country, are distant from 
 my present purpose. 
 
 Nicholas Stone, born at Woodbury, near 
 Exeter, in 1586, is, I believe, according to print- 
 
BANKS. 
 
 189 
 
 ed authority, the first to be mentioned with any 
 certainty ; and he has, among numerous truly 
 praiseworthy productions, distributed in vari- 
 ous places, enabled us to judge of his abilities, 
 or of those he employed, more particularly by 
 the best of his monuments, which he erected in 
 November, 1615, in the Chapel of the Charter- 
 House, to perpetuate the memory of its benevo- 
 lent founder, " Good Old Thomas Sutton." If 
 we could discover the names of the Sculptors 
 who executed the monument to the memory of 
 Shakspeare, at Stratford-upon-Avon, and of 
 that put up to Camden, in Westminster Ab- 
 bey, as well as many others which I could name, 
 probably they might take precedence of Stone 
 in talent, as well as in date, as I strongly con- 
 jecture them to have been Englishmen also. 
 
 Francis Bird, born in Piccadilly in 1667, 
 was second ; but though tolerable in some re- 
 spects, especially in the monument to the me- 
 mory of the noted Dr. Busby, erected in West- 
 minster Abbey, yet he ought not in any way to 
 be compared with his predecessor, or the artists 
 employed by him. His Conversion of Saint 
 Paul, and the style of the other figures, parti- 
 cularly that of the statue of Queen Anne,* raised 
 as ornaments to our Metropolitan church, are 
 so despicable, that I am inclined to believe, that 
 * Lately repaired by John Henning Jun. 
 
190 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOllARIES 
 
 the praise due to Busby's figure, for surely no 
 other part of the monument merits notice, 
 should be attributed to the skill of some one 
 employed by him, who, like many a flower, 
 was " born to blush unseen." The miserable 
 effigy of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, by Bird, the 
 statues of Cutler, in the College of Physicians 
 and Grocers' Hall, together with a host of such 
 trash, sufficiently testify the deplorable state in 
 which Sculpture was in his time : and I sin- 
 cerely believe, anxious as I am to ascertain the 
 names of ancient Sculptors, that it will not be 
 in my power to give an instance of very supe- 
 rior strength of mind, till the starting of that 
 most worthy man, the late Thomas Banks ; who 
 was noticed by Sir Joshua Reynolds as the first 
 of our country who had produced any thing 
 like classic Sculpture in England, — farther ob- 
 serving, that his mind was employed upon sub- 
 jects worthy of an ancient Greek ! 
 
 Banks was born in Lambeth, on the 22d of 
 December, 1738, and served his apprenticeship 
 to a Wood-carver, during which time he ob- 
 tained several premiums in the Society of Arts. 
 In 1770, he received the gold medal from the 
 hand of his warm friend. Sir Joshua Reynolds ; 
 and exhibited with the Royal Academicians in 
 Pall-Mail, two very superior models in clay of 
 
BANKS. 
 
 Mneas and Anchises escaping from Troy, at dif- 
 ferent points of time. He produced, in the 
 following year, a Cherub decorating an urn, 
 and also an excellent likeness of an old man, 
 who stood as a model in the Academy, whose 
 wife was the first housekeeper of that honour- 
 able establishment. In 1772, he sent for exhi- 
 bition his group of Mercury, Argus, and lo, 
 which was highly spoken of by the public at 
 large, but more particularly by those Academi- 
 cians who could so well feel its merits, and who 
 had voted so liberally for his going to Rome at 
 the expense of the Royal Academy. Among 
 many other friends, my father gave him a letter 
 of introduction to his old fellow-student Capit- 
 soldi, an artist whose discernment could fairly 
 appreciate Banks's merit. In the same year, he 
 and his wife left their modest mansion in Bird- 
 street, Oxford-street, for the splendid Vatican, 
 where they arrived in the month of August. 
 The following extracts from a letter addressed 
 to my father, dated Rome, July 31st, 1773, 
 may probably be considered as interesting. 
 
 " Among the students in Painting, Fuseli 
 cuts the greatest figure ; last season he had 
 pictures bespoke to the amount of 1300/., good 
 encouragement for a student, yet nothing more 
 than, from his great abilities, he is justly en- 
 
192 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOUARIES. 
 
 titled to. Little Wickstead has had most of 
 the portraits to paint last season, owing to the 
 endeavours of Messrs. Norton and Byres to 
 carry every gentleman they could get hold of 
 to see him ; but Barron arriving here the be- 
 ginning of the season, and having great merit 
 in the portrait way, and a good correspondence 
 with the gentlemen, got so many portraits to 
 paint, as proved no small mortification to the 
 aforesaid gentleman, as well as his helpers.* 
 
 * Philip Wickstead received instructions from ZofFany ; he 
 painted small whole-length portraits with great taste, but 
 his large pictures wanted that force, which few persons accus- 
 tomed to paint in miniature can acquire. Cosway's large 
 pictures, for instance, were too feebly painted for their size, 
 and betrayed the hand of one who had been more familiar 
 with small things, in which he shone so conspicuously beyond 
 most artists of his time. The same objections may be made 
 to the large works of Cipriani ; but Angelica Kauffmann, when 
 she was employed upon pictures beyond her usual size, gave 
 more force than either, particularly in colour, as may be seen 
 in those she painted on the ceiling of the Council-room in the 
 Royal Academy ; of which Baretti, in his Guide through that 
 edifice, thus speaks. " The four large oval pictures which 
 adorn the two extremities of the ceiling, are works of the 
 celebrated Angelica Kanffmann, whose various accomplish- 
 ments, as well as her great skill in the art she professes, have 
 long been the subject of admiration. They represent Inven- 
 tion, Composition, Design, and Colouring, and are executed 
 with all that grace, elegance, and accuracy, which distinguish 
 the best productions of this extraordinary lady." 
 
BANKS. 
 
 193 
 
 Barron is a young man of very conspicuous 
 merit, has the most of Sir Joshua's fine manner 
 of any of his pupils, and it is beyond a doubt, 
 that when he returns to England, he will cut a 
 great figure in his way.* Since I have been in 
 Rome, there has arrived here the above-men- 
 tioned Mr. Barron, Mr. Marchant, and Mr. 
 
 * Hugh Barron played beautifully on the violin ; and he 
 waSj as Mr. Banks has stated, a good portrait-painter, and a 
 truly amiable man ; being well known to my father. He was 
 unfortunate in having exercised his mimic powers upon Ed- 
 ward Edwards, so as to draw down that little man's ill opinion 
 of his works ; and my father related the following anecdote 
 of his imitative skill, as delivered in two voices by Barron. 
 First, however, I must premise, that Mortimer the Painter 
 was remarkably tall, and Edwards a very short man, and, 
 unfortunately, deformed ; though he always stood erect, to 
 make the most of himself. 
 
 These Artists painted each a picture of the same subject, 
 the Cavern of Despair, from Spenser, which they sent to the 
 Society of Arts for a prize : and during the time their works 
 were hanging up, it happened that Mortimer and Edwards 
 were standing by the side of each other, looking at Edwards's 
 picture. Edwards, quite erect, with his usual importance, 
 striking his cane perpendicularly on the floor, at arms-length, 
 thus addressed his antagonist ; " Well, Mr. Mortimer ! how 
 do you like my picture?" — " Sir, there are some good parts 
 in it ; but why did you make your reptiles so small 1" Ed- 
 wards, putting his left-hand upon his hip, or, what may be 
 better conceived, his arm a-kimbo, looking up to Mortimer, 
 observed, " The smaller the more venomous." 
 
 VOL. II. O 
 
194 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Townley ; Mr. Whalley, Mr. Darner, and Mr. 
 Keene, and, lastly, Messrs. Humphrey and 
 Romney : I had forgot one Mr. Foy though — 
 a Sculptor, a very ingenious worthy young man; 
 he is doing a copy of the Apollo Belvidere in 
 marble, about five feet and a half high." 
 
 In another letter to my father, dated Fe- 
 bruary 4th, in the following year, he says, 
 " Your good friend Capitsoldi has been truly 
 kind to me ; he has improved me much by the 
 instructions he has given me in cutting the 
 marble, in which the Italians beat us hollow." 
 
 In 1779, Banks returned to England, and 
 ventured to take the house. No. 5, Newman- 
 street;* soon after which he went to St. Peters- 
 burg, where he was received by the Empress Ca- 
 therine with high marks of favour ; and he had 
 the honour of leaving, among other specimens 
 of his art, a beautiful model of Cupid pursuing 
 a Butterfly. On his return to England, he ex- 
 hibited, in 1782, a portrait of her Royal High- 
 ness the Duchess of Gloucester, in terracotta ; 
 and the next year a head of a majestic beauty, 
 composed on Mr. Cozens's principles. In 1784 
 
 * Upon the death of Mr. Banks, my worthy friend Mr. 
 Howard, the Historical-painter, and Secretary to the Royal 
 Academy, took the house, and has continued to reside in it 
 to the present day. 
 
BANKS. 
 
 195 
 
 he produced a figure of Achilles enraged for 
 the loss of Briseis ;* and, in 1785, he was chosen 
 an Academician, to the Council-room of which 
 establishment he sent his Falling Giant; a 
 work far superior to any before produced in 
 England, and which, perhaps, never will be sur- 
 passed. 
 
 His principal works are a colossal figure 
 of Achilles, a model ; a basso-relievo of Shaks- 
 peare, on the front of the Shakspeare Gal- 
 lery, executed for Alderman Boydell ;f a sta- 
 tue of General Coutts, in the India House; 
 the Dipping of Achilles, for Col. Johnes, of 
 Cardiganshire; a monument of Bishop New- 
 ton, in Bow Church ; a monument of Mr. 
 Hand, in Cripplegate Church ; the monument 
 of Woollett, in the cloisters of Westminster 
 Abbey ; the moimment of Baretti, erected un- 
 der the South Gallery of Saint Mary-le-bone Old 
 Church ; the monument of Sir Eyre Coote, in 
 Westminster Abbey ; and the monument of 
 Captain Westcott, in St. Paul's. 
 
 * This basso-relievo, commonly called " The Frantic Achil- 
 les," is to be found in the halls of Jackson, Baily, and other 
 persons of eminence in the Arts. 
 
 t This beautiful specimen of English art is still remaining 
 in its original place. The building is now better known un- 
 der the appellation of the British Gallery. 
 
 o 2 
 
196 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 The following prizes were awarded to Banks 
 by the Society of Arts. . 
 
 £. s. d. 
 
 In 1763, For a basso-relievo in Portland stone . 31 10 0 
 
 1765, For a basso-relievo in marble ... 26 5 0 
 
 1766, For a basso-relievo in marble . . . 10 10 0 
 
 1769, For a model in clay 21 0 0 
 
 1769, For a design for ornamental furniture . 21 0 0 
 
 £.110 5 0 
 
 Opposite as Nollekens and Banks were in 
 their modes of study, they were on very good 
 terms as neighbours ; the latter frequently vi- 
 sited the former, and would stand over him 
 when he was modelling a bust, conversing upon 
 the abilities of the rising generation. Banks was 
 ever warm in his praises of Flaxman, whose ta- 
 lents, he said, would shine beyond any thing at 
 present visible in modern art. " He blends," said 
 Banks, "a deep knowledge of the antique, with 
 native beauty in its simplest state. I perceive no 
 violation of form, no strained exertion, excepting 
 when nervous energy is called for." — Nollekens. 
 " I don't like him ; he holds me very cheap, and 
 he 's always talking of the simple line in the 
 antique : why, he has never been at Rome ; he 
 has never been over the Alps ; he has never 
 been at the top of Mount Vesuvius, where I 
 have washed my hands in the clouds : what 
 
BANKg. 
 
 197 
 
 can he know about the matter ? he never stays 
 a minute longer than to speak with Smith, when 
 he comes into my studio." — Banks. " Well, 
 well, we shall see he will be going to Rome one 
 of these days." — Nollehens. " Pray did you go 
 to Christie's, to see the fine collection of models 
 that belonged to Hudson, Sir Joshua's master ? 
 he had some pictures and some bronzes." — 
 Banks. " No." — Nollekens. " Why, they was 
 sold in February last ; I bought a very pretty 
 lot, of two figures of Painting and Sculpture, 
 that Roubiliac modelled for Hudson's front 
 parlour chimney-piece." — Banks. " What did 
 you give for them?" — Nollekens. " Why, one 
 pound, three shillings. Lot 36, the model Rou- 
 biliac made for Mr. Garrick's figure of Shak- 
 speare at Hampton, was bought by Monsieur 
 Le Brun. Nat Smith bought lot 37, the model 
 of Handel's figure in Vauxhall Gardens ; he 
 gave five guineas for it, and he 's going to let 
 me have it at the same money."* 
 
 * This sale took place February 25th and 26th, in 1785, 
 several years after tlie death of Thomas Hudson : it consist- 
 ed partly of numerous models by Roubiliac, which had been 
 mostly purchased at that Artist's sale, which took place in 
 Saint Martin's-lane, immediately after his death. They had 
 been left by Hudson to a gentleman who resided many years 
 after the death of Hudson in his house at Twickenham. 
 
 Hudson observed to his pupil, Sir Joshua Reynolds, who 
 
198 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 In order to show the benevolence of Banks, 
 and how truly happy he must have been in 
 rendering assistance to modest genius, I shall 
 request the reader's pardon for the insertion of 
 an anecdote, related in an interesting little book, 
 written by a celebrated author under a feigned 
 name, entitled, " The Looking-Glass : a True 
 History of the Early Years of an Artist ; cal- 
 culated to awaken the attainment : particularly 
 in the cultivation of the Fine Arts. By 
 Theophilus Marcliffe." 
 
 The author, in Chapter VIII. states the visits 
 made to Mr. Banks by a youth, who wished, 
 at the age of thirteen years, to gain admittance 
 to draw in the Koyal Academy, in the follow- 
 ing words. " He remembered the lesson he 
 had learned of exercising the knocker of the 
 door in such a manner, as to announce to the 
 people within, that it was a person not to be 
 despised who stood on the outside. By some 
 inadvertence or perturbation, the knocker slip- 
 ped from his hand after a single rap. Remark- 
 ing his error, he now raised it again, and from 
 
 had a villa on the summit of Richmond-hill, " Little did I 
 think we should ever have had country -houses opposite to 
 each other :" to whom Sir Joshua replied, " Little did I 
 think, when I was a young man, that I should at any time 
 look down upon Mr. Hudson." 
 
BANKS. 
 
 199 
 
 the same perturbation, produced a much louder 
 report than he had intended. Mrs. Banks, or a 
 servant, opened the door to him, and inquired 
 his business. He answered articulately and at 
 full, that he wanted to know whether Mr. 
 Thomas Banks, R. A. and Sculptor to the Boyal 
 Academy, Hved there. Mr. Banks made his 
 appearance. Our little fortune-hunter could 
 not have met with a more gentle and friendly- 
 hearted man, to whom to open his adventurous 
 application. 
 
 " * Well, my little man,' said Mr. Banks, 
 ' what is your business with me ? ' — * I want. 
 Sir, that you should get me to draw at the 
 Royal Academy.' — ' That is not in my power. 
 Things are not, in that respect, as they used to 
 be. Nobody is admitted to draw there but by 
 ballot ; and T am only one of the persons upon 
 whose pleasure it depends. But what have 
 you got there? Let me look at your draw- 
 ing.' — Mr. Banks looked at it. * Humph ! 
 Ay ! Time enough yet, my little man ! Do 
 you go to school?'—* Yes, Sir.' — * Well ; go 
 home, and mind your schooling ; and try and 
 make a better drawing of the Apollo ; and in a 
 month you may come again and let me see it.' 
 
 " He now applied with threefold diligence ; 
 thought and thought again, sketched and obli- 
 
200 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 terated ; and at last, as nearly as possible at the 
 expiration of the month, repeated his visit to 
 Mr. Banks. Mr. Banks was better pleased with 
 his second specimen. He now took him into 
 his study, bade him look about him, and asked 
 him what he thought of one thing and another. 
 He encouraged him, told him to go on with his 
 drawing, and said he might come again in a 
 week. Under the eye of Mr. Banks, the boy's 
 proficiency was visible, and the artist began to 
 conceive a kindness for him." — Little did Mr. 
 Banks think, when he was questioning this 
 youth, that Nature had enriched him with some 
 of her choicest gifts, and that the Koyal Aca- 
 demy would in him, at this moment, have had 
 to boast of one of its brightest members, in the 
 name of Mulready. — Mr. Banks* died at his 
 
 * Shortly after Mr. Banks's death, the present Mr. Chris- 
 tie, while selling the contents of his studio, incurred the mo- 
 mentary displeasure of Flaxman, by the following observation, 
 made when expatiating upon the fine form of the antique. 
 / You see in these the beauties which our late artist has 
 incorporated in his works." Flaxman hastily, and perhaps 
 with more warmth than he was accustomed to exercise, said, 
 in rather a high tone, " Mr. Banks wanted no assistance;" so 
 highly were his talents appreciated by our late departed 
 Phidias. 
 
 In this auction, the late Mr. Blundell, of Ince, bought a 
 large fragment of an antique figure, supposed to have been 
 
BANKS. 
 
 201 
 
 house, No. 5, Newman-street, and was buried at 
 Paddington, February 8th, 1805, aged 67. 
 
 one of the Arundel Marbles, which was discovered in the fol- 
 lowing curious manner. When Sir William Chambers was 
 extending the embankment of Somerset-place into the Thames, 
 to dig a foundation for the Terrace of the present building of 
 Somerset-place, the above fragment was dug up. After 
 many conjectures, it was recollected that the Earl of Arundel, 
 who had moved the fragments 'of his fine collection from his 
 house in the Strand, over to' a garden which he then had on 
 the opposite shore, might have lost this in the attempt to 
 convey it thither. As it was marble, it was sent to Mr. Banks 
 by Sir William. Upon comparing this fragment with the 
 etchings of several of the Arundelian fragments given in Ni- 
 chols's History of Lambeth, it was found to corroborate in 
 marble and style of sculpture. These gardens were after- 
 wards held by Boydell Cuper, a gardener of the Earl's, and 
 were for many years well-known as a place of public resort 
 for music, dancing, &c. under the appellation of Cuper's Gar- 
 dens; and occasionally, as they were frequented bv several 
 fine women, they were called " Cupid's Gardens." I walked 
 over them, when they were occupied by Messrs. Beaufoy, by 
 their Wine and Vinegar Works, and I then saw many of the 
 old lamp-irons along the paling of the gardens. The road on 
 the Surrey side of Waterloo-Bridge passes over the site of 
 these gardens. 
 
202 
 
 CARLINI. 
 
 Agostino Carlini, though an Italian who 
 associated mostly with foreigners, as an early 
 member of our Royal Academy, should not be 
 forgotten in this work. He lived and died in 
 the house, now No. 14, in Carlisle-street, Soho, 
 at the corner of King's-square-court. 
 
 Carlini was a man of talent ; he executed 
 the colossal masks, representing the rivers Dee, 
 Tyne, and Severn, three of the nine on the key- 
 stones of the Strand front of Somerset-place, and 
 likewise the two centre statues against the same 
 edifice. The statue of Doctor Ward,* who 
 
 * Joshua Ward, for whom Dr. Johnson had a most sove- 
 reign contempt, was originally a Friar, and not only maker 
 of that popular nostrum usually called Friar's Balsam," but 
 also of the drops well known under his name. He lived in 
 Pall Mall ; gave advice to the poor, gratis, at Whitehall ; and 
 boldly and extensively styled himself, " The Restorer of 
 Health, and Father to the Poor." He was large and cumber- 
 ous, highly consequential, and that kind of person denomi- 
 nated by some people a comely man, but he had, unfortunately 
 for his features, what is called a claret face ; though that, like 
 Bardolph's nose, was a perpetual advertisement to him ; for, 
 wherever he went, this mark of Fortune's frolic was noticed 
 by the passengers, and drew upon him the blessing of every gin- 
 drinking, furmity woman, or shoe-black, who at that time stood 
 at the corners of most of the streets in London. But not- 
 withstanding this popularity, which he had gained by throwing 
 
CARLINI. 
 
 203 
 
 was commonly called a quack, and which was 
 presented to the Society of Arts, is, though it 
 possesses no small share of foreign affectation, a 
 pretty fair specimen of his abilities ; but perhaps 
 the design for Beckford's cenotaph, of which 
 there is a large bold engraving by his friend 
 Bartolozzi, is the best of his works. Carlini 
 was extremely intimate with Cipriani, to whom, 
 according to the usual modern mode of slan- 
 dering the Sculptors, it has been said, he was 
 often indebted for his designs. 
 
 money to them from his splendid coach, to impede his progress 
 when in great haste to visit a patient, he was often annoyed 
 by the rude and sometimes pointedly witty remarks made upon 
 his claret face ; and Hogarth did not suffer him to pass unno- 
 ticed. His vanity induced him to have his portrait frequent- 
 ly painted by Bardwell, Loving, &c. ; but as these portrayings 
 exhibited his peculiar stigma, he hit upon an expedient of 
 handing himself down to posterity without it, by having his 
 effigy carved in white marble. He therefore employed his old 
 friend Carlini, who had frequently, in early days, assisted him 
 in preparing his Balsam, to produce a statue of him, as large 
 as life, in his usual dress and pompous wig ; and in order to 
 make this statue talked of, and seen at the Sculptor's studio, 
 he proposed to allow Carlini two hundred guineas per annum, 
 to enable him to work at it occasionally till it was finished ; 
 and this sum the Artist continued annually to receive till his 
 death. The statue was then sent to the Society of Arts, where 
 it was fixed in their great room, in the presence of Barry's 
 grand pictures, so immortalized by Doctor Johnson for their 
 "grasp of mind;" though some of my readers will recollect, that 
 the Doctor never professed any knowledge as to painting. 
 
204 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 My father, who also made a model, and Car- 
 lini, were the unsuccessful candidates for Beck- 
 ford's monument; and Moore, then living in 
 Wells-street, Oxford-street, was employed to 
 execute the cenotaph in Guildhall — a glaring 
 specimen of marble spoiled ; of which scandal 
 said, the task was given to him because he was 
 a native of Hanover. This report, however, 
 when we consider its total want of plausibility, 
 ought never again to be circulated ; for is it 
 likely that the City would have given the pre- 
 ference to a native of Hanover for the Sculp- 
 tor, out of compliment to the King, when they 
 were about to engrave upon its tablet the very 
 speech which must have been most obnoxious 
 to the Monarch ? * 
 
 Carhni also made an excellent model, about 
 two feet in height, of William Duke of Cum- 
 
 * J. F. Moore was the Sculptor who carved the figure of Mrs. 
 Macauley, for the monument put up in St. Stephen's, Wal- 
 brook, by her doating admirer, Dr. Thomas Wilson ; which, 
 it is said, the same divine had pulled down when that lady 
 offended him by marrying a brother of Graham, the Quack 
 Doctor. I believe the Bishop insisted upon its removal, 
 though some one ordered the figure to be given back to 
 Moore, with full permission to do whatever he pleased with it. 
 
 The Doctor also employed Moore to execute a monument to 
 the memory of his wife, leaving the dexter side of the tablet 
 plain, for the insertion of his own death. It was put up in 
 
CARLINI. 
 
 205 
 
 berland, with a peculiar three-cornered hat, 
 commonly called the " Cumberland Cock." It 
 was purchased by my father at the Sculptor's 
 sale, after his death, which took place in 1790. 
 
 Among Carlini's best works were, a model 
 of an equestrian statue of King George III. 
 and an emblematical figure representing Mari- 
 time power and riches. When Carlini was 
 Keeper of the Royal Academy, he used to 
 walk from his house to Somerset-place, with a 
 broken tobacco-pipe in his mouth, and dressed 
 in a deplorable great coat ; but when he has 
 been going to the Academy-dinner, I have seen 
 him getting into a chair, and full-dressed in a 
 purple silk coat, scarlet gold-laced waistcoat, 
 point-lace ruffles, and a sword and bag. 
 
 the chancel of the same church of St. Stephen, in March 1773, 
 eleven years previous to the Doctor's death, which took place 
 on the 15th of April, 1784. This monument is full as worth- 
 less a specimen of the Sculptor, as that erected to Alderman 
 Beckford, in Guildhall. 
 
206 
 
 WARE, AND HIS COMPANIONS 
 AT OLD SLAUGHTER'S. 
 
 I NEVER pass Whitehall without recollecting 
 the following anecdote, related to me by my 
 father nearly in these words. 
 
 A thin sickly little boy, a chimney-sweeper, 
 was amusing himself one morning by drawing, 
 with a piece of chalk, the street-front of 
 Whitehall upon the basement- stones of the 
 building itself, carrying his delineations as high 
 as his little arms could possibly reach ; and this 
 he was accomplishing by occasionally running 
 into the middle of the street to look up at the 
 noble edifice, and then returning to the base of 
 the building to proceed with his elevation. It 
 happened that his operations caught the eye 
 of a gentleman of considerable taste and for- 
 tune, as he was riding by. He checked the 
 carriage, and after a few minutes' observation, 
 called to the boy to come to him ; who, upon 
 being asked as to where he lived, immediately 
 burst into tears, and begged of the gentleman 
 not to tell his master, assuring him he would 
 wipe it all off. " Don't be alarmed," answered 
 the gentleman, at the same time throwing him 
 a shilling, to convince him he intended him no 
 harm. 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 207 
 
 His benefactor then went instantly to his 
 master, in Charles-court, in the Strand, who 
 gave the boy a most excellent character, at the 
 same time declaring him to be of little use to 
 him, in consequence of his natural bodily weak- 
 ness. He said that he was fully aware of his 
 fondness for chalking^ and showed his visitor 
 what a state his walls were in, from the young 
 artist having drawn the portico of St. Martin's 
 Church in various places upon them. The gen- 
 tleman purchased the remainder of the boy's 
 time ; gave him an excellent education ; then 
 sent him to Italy ; and, upon his return, em- 
 ployed him, and introduced him to his friends 
 as an architect. 
 
 This narrative my father heard the Architect 
 himself relate, while he was sitting to Mr. 
 Roubiliac for his bust. He became possessed 
 of considerable property, and built himself a 
 country mansion at Westbourn, north of Bays- 
 water, the very house in which Mr. Cockerell, 
 the Architect, now resides. His town-residence 
 at that time was in Bloom sbury -square, on the 
 western side, in the first house from Hart-street, 
 in which Mr. D'Israeli, the author of several 
 esteemed literary works, now resides. When 
 he was at the height of his celebrity, he com- 
 piled a Palladio, in folio, prefixed to which 
 
208 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the anxious reader will find his name — Isaac 
 Ware * 
 
 Ware was a pretty constant visitor of Old 
 Slaughter's Coffee-house, St. Martin's-lane, for- 
 merly the rendezvous of Pope, Dryden, and 
 other wits, and much frequented by several 
 eminently clever men of his day; and as the 
 reader, if I may judge from my own curiosity, 
 may like to know some of their names, I shall 
 here insert a few, with their places of residence 
 at the time they and Ware made this their 
 house of meeting. 
 
 Gravelot lived on the south side of the 
 Strand, nearly opposite to Southampton-street, 
 where he kept a drawing-school. The designs 
 of this artist are numerous, and all of them taste- 
 ful ; particularly those which he etched him- 
 self for Sir John Hanmer's smallest edition 
 of Shakspeare. His drawings were always mi- 
 nutely finished ; as if he had said, " I will leave 
 the engraver nothing to conjecture ;" and he was 
 particularly fortunate in having so decided an 
 etcher and engraver in poor old Charles Grig- 
 nion, though indeed their advantages were mu- 
 tual, and their names, when the works they 
 embellished are mentioned, are inseparable. 
 
 * Early in life, I engraved a very indifferent plate of Ware's 
 bust, which was one of Roubiliac's best performances. I have 
 heard my father declare, that Ware retained the stain of soot 
 in his skin to the day of his death. 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 209 
 
 John Gwynn resided in Little-court, Castle- 
 street, Leicester-fields. He was an Architect, 
 and he built, among other works, the bridge at 
 Shrewsbury ; with which the inhabitants were 
 so much pleased, that a portrait of him was 
 voted to be put up in their Town-hall. He 
 was supported by his steady friend Doctor 
 Johnson, who wrote several powerful letters con- 
 cerning his talent and integrity ; particularly 
 when Gwynn held a long and serious competi- 
 torship with Milne for the designing and build- 
 ing of Blackfriars-bridge. Gwynn was the pro- 
 fessed author of that most ingenious and enter- 
 taining work, entitled, " London and West- 
 minster Improved." His friend, the Doctor, 
 wrote the preface, and, in many instances, cor- 
 rected the book ; and, to the credit of this pro- 
 duction, the public have availed themselves 
 of his suggestions, and very copiously too, in 
 the late extensive and liberal improvements 
 of New London, for so it must now be consi- 
 dered. 
 
 Hogarth, at the Golden-head,* on the east- 
 ern side of Leicester-fields, now the northern 
 half of Sabloniere's Hotel. 
 
 * This head he cut out himself, from pieces of cork glued 
 and bound together. I well remember that it was placed over 
 the street-door. 
 
 VOL. II. P 
 
210 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 RouBiLiAC, was an opposite eastern neigh- 
 bour of Old Slaughter's. His house and other 
 preniises were behind the houses in Saint Mar- 
 tin's-lane, the approach to which was by a long 
 passage and gateway, under tenements in the 
 street which were not occupied by him. 
 
 Hudson lived in Great Queen-street, Lin- 
 coln's-Inn-fields, in the house in which Hoole, 
 the Translator of Tasso, lived, and the one lately 
 occupied by Chippendale. It is now divided 
 into Nos. 55 and 56. Hudson painted most of 
 the numerous portraits of the Dilettanti Society, 
 which now surround their dining-room at the 
 Thatched-house Tavern, in St. James's-street. 
 His manner of painting was woolly, possessing 
 little variety of attitude, and no depth of 
 knowledge in reflected lights. All that Hud- 
 son was famous for was, that, in consequence of 
 his having money at his command, he was ena- 
 bled to purchase many fine drawings by the great 
 painters, of which he possessed a choice collec- 
 tion ; particularly from the powerful hand of 
 Rembrandt, a master so mighty, that his pro- 
 ductions in drawing, etching, and painting, 
 have been increasing in value, ever since his 
 death, to a tenfold degree. I conclude, how- 
 ever, that Rembrandt made but little money, as 
 I have been assured, that at his death his pic- 
 tures and effects were sold by an order of the 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 211 
 
 magistrate, or some person empowered, in order 
 that the produce should be distributed among 
 his creditors. I have also been informed, that 
 there is a printed copy of the sale-catalogue still 
 extant, but I have never been able to meet with 
 one. Hudson's name is frequently mentioned, 
 when Sir Joshua Reynolds is spoken of, as hav- 
 ing been his master ; but Sir Joshua's mind and 
 talent were his own, and a host of Hudsons 
 could have rendered him but little service. 
 
 M'Ardell resided at the Golden Ball, Hen- 
 rietta-street, Covent-garden. Of the numerous 
 and splendid productions of this excellent en- 
 graver from pictures by Sir Joshua, nothing can 
 be said after the declaration of Reynolds hims^f, 
 that * M^Ardell's prints would immortaUze him.* 
 However, I will venture to indulge in one re- 
 mark more, namely, that that Engraver has con- 
 ferred immortahty also upon himself in his won- 
 derful print from Hogarth's picture of Captain 
 Coram, the founder of the FoundHng Hospital. 
 A brilliant proof of this head, in its finest pos- 
 sible state of condition, in my humble opinion, 
 surpasses any thing in mezzotinto now extant. 
 
 Luke Sullivan, a native of Ireland, lodged 
 at the White Bear, Piccadilly. I believe no- 
 thing has ever surpassed his etching of the 
 March to Finchley, from Hogarth's picture in 
 the Foundling Hospital. It is full of the Pain- 
 
 p 2 
 
212 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAUIES. 
 
 ter's effect, and though only an etching, every 
 part is perfectly made out ; and I most heartily 
 wish, fine as the finished plate unquestionably 
 is, that Hogarth had also published it in its 
 earliest state. Of this beautiful etching I have 
 an impression under my care in the British Mu- 
 seum ; it formerly belonged to my old and sted- 
 fast friend, William Packer, Esq. of Great Bad- 
 dow, Essex ; whose collections of Hogarth's 
 works the Honourable Trustees were pleased to 
 purchase for the Print-room, Luke Sullivan 
 was also a most exquisite Miniature-painter, 
 particularly of females. He was a handsome 
 lively fellow ; but, being too much attached to 
 w^at are denominated the good things of this 
 world, he died in a miserable state of disease 
 and poverty. 
 
 Theodore Gardell lived on the south 
 side of Leicester-fields, now No. 36. Gardell 
 was a Portrait-painter, and was executed for 
 the murder of Mrs. King, his landlady. In 
 Samuel Ireland's Graphic Illustrations of Ho- 
 garth, there is a head of a man with a white 
 cap on, said to have been taken by Hogarth 
 from Gardell on the day of his execution. 
 Foote has noticed the gibbet of Gardell in his 
 " Mayor of Garret." 
 
 Old Moser dwelt in Craven-buildings, 
 Drury-lane. At this time he was Keeper of 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 213 
 
 the Drawing Academy in Peter's-court, St. 
 Martin's-lane ; held in the very room which 
 Roubiliac occupied before he moved to the 
 premises opposite to Slaughter's, where he died, 
 and where his effects were sold to pay his fu- 
 neral and other debts. 
 
 Richard Wilson, the Landscape-painter, 
 lodged in the Great Piazza, Covent-garden. He 
 occupied the front apartments, now used as 
 breakfast-rooms by the proprietor of the Tavis- 
 tock Hotel ; having held these rooms before he 
 left England, and also on his return from Rome. 
 He was not a regular customer of Old Slaughter. 
 His favourite house was the Constitution, Bed- 
 ford-street, Covent-garden ; where he could in- 
 dulge in a pot of porter more freely, and enjoy 
 the fun of Mortimer, the Painter, who also pre- 
 ferred this house, as it was at no great distance 
 from his own in Church-passage. Wilson told 
 the late Sir George Beaumont, who repeated 
 the anecdote to me the very last time I had the 
 honour of seeing him, that Mortimer made Dr. 
 Arne, who had a very red face with staring eyes, 
 furiously angry, by telling him, that " his eyes 
 looked like two oysters just opened for sauce 
 put upon an oval side-dish of beet-root." 
 
 Parry resided on the eastern side of the Hay- 
 market, within a door of the Orange Coffee- 
 house. He was a Welsh Harper, and was much 
 
214 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 noticed by Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, who 
 was unfortunately killed by a fall from his 
 horse. Although Parry was totally blind, he 
 was acknowledged to be one of the first draught- 
 players in England, and occasionally played with 
 the frequenters of Old Slaughter's. He had a 
 son, an Historical painter, whom Sir Watkin 
 sent to Italy ; and the copy of Raffaelle's grand 
 picture of the Transfiguration, which now 
 adorns the staircase of Sir Watkin's house, in 
 St. James's-square, was painted by young Parry, 
 of whom there is a small portrait, etched by 
 Edwards.* 
 
 Nathaniel Smith, my father, at this time 
 lodged with Mr. Roubiliac. He obtained, in 
 the course of four years, six premiums for pro- 
 ductions in art, all whilst under nineteen years 
 of age if in his twenty-first year, in consequence 
 of a bet at Old Slaughter's, he was introduced 
 
 * Of the blind father, there is a pretty little etching by 
 his son, wherein he is seated playing the harp. 
 
 t Those readers who have been deprived of the society of 
 a valuable parent, will readily pardon the enumeration of the 
 premiums voted by the Society of Arts to my father. In 
 1758, for a model in clay of Saint Andrew, he received 15/. ; 
 in 1759, for a drawing in black and white chalk, 5/. 5*. ; in 
 the same year, for a drawing of Sheep, in Indian ink, 3/. 3*. ; 
 in I76O, for a model of a Buck and Hounds, 9/. 95. ; in 1761, 
 for a model of the Continence of Scipio, 15/. 15s. ; and in 
 1762, for a model of Coriolanus and his Mother, 211. 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 215 
 
 by Mr. Roubiliac, to play at draughts with the 
 famous Parry, above-mentioned, which game 
 lasted about half an hour. My father, perceiv- 
 ing the venerable blind man to be much agitated, 
 would most willingly have lost the game ; but 
 as there were bets depending on it, his integrity 
 overpowered his inclination, and he won the 
 game. This circumstance being made known 
 to the other famous players, Sturges, Batridge, 
 &c. my father was soon annoyed with challenges. 
 The Dons at the Barn, a public-house then so 
 called, in St. Martin's-lane, nearly opposite to 
 the church, invited him to become a member; 
 but all these temptations he withstood for the 
 Arts, which he then studied with avidity. The 
 Barn, for many years, was frequented by all the 
 noted players of chess and draughts, and it was 
 there that they often decided games of the first 
 importance, played between persons of the 
 highest rank living in different parts of the 
 world. 
 
 T. Rawle* lived in the Strand, and was 
 the inseparable companion of Captain Grose, 
 the Antiquary. 
 
 * Shortly after the demise of Mr. Rawle, who was one of 
 his Majesty's Accoutrement-makers, a sale of his effects took 
 place at Mr. Hutchins's, in King-street^ Covent-garden, 
 among which were a helmet, a sword, and several letters of 
 Oliver Cromwell ; and also an article declared to have been 
 
216 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 A report is current, with respect to Slaughter's 
 Coffee-house, that there never had been a per- 
 son of that name as master of the house ; but 
 that it received its appellation of Slaughter 
 from its earliest period, on account of its having 
 been erected for the use of the men who 
 slaughtered the cattle for the butchers of New- 
 port-market, in an open space then adjoining. 
 This may be the fact, if we believe that coffee 
 was taken as refreshment by slaughter-men, in- 
 stead of purl or porter ; or that it was so called 
 
 the identical doublet in which Cromwell dissolved the Long 
 Parliament. Another singular lot was a large black wig, with 
 long flowing curls, which was stated to have been worn by 
 King Charles 11., for which Suett the Actor, a great collector 
 of wigs, was a bidder, and to prove to the company that it 
 would suit him better than his harum-scarum opponent, put 
 it upon his head^ and thus dignified, went on with his bid- 
 dings, which were sometimes sarcastically serious, and at 
 others ludricrously comic. The company, however, though so 
 highly amused, thought it ungenerous to prolong the bid- 
 dings, and therefore one and all declared that it ought to be 
 knocked down to him before he took it off his head : upon 
 this Suett immediately attempted to take it off, but the ivory 
 hammer, with the ruffled hand of the auctioneer, after being 
 once flourished over his head, gave it in favour of the eccen- 
 tric comedian. Suett continued to act in this wig for many 
 years in Tom Thumb, and other pieces, till, unfortunately, it 
 was burnt when the Theatre at Birmingham was destroyed 
 by fire. Mrs. Booth, the mother of the justly celebrated 
 actress, my informant, was met by Suett, the morning after 
 the conflagration, who accosted her by exclaiming, Mrs. 
 Booth, my wig 's gone !" 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 
 
 217 
 
 by the neighbouring butchers, in derision of the 
 numerous and fashionable coffee-houses of the 
 day ; as for instance, " The Old Man's Coffee- 
 house," and " The Young Man's Coffee-house ;" 
 or just as the Italian Operas were satirised, by 
 the introduction of that by Gay, entitled " The 
 Beggar's Opera." 
 
 Be this as it may, in my father's time, and 
 also within memory of the most aged people, 
 this Coffee-house was called " Old Slaughter's," 
 and not The Slaughter, or The Slaughterers 
 Coffee-house. As for the other Coffee-house 
 lower down the lane, over which is now 
 written " New Slaughter's," that was formerly 
 called Young Slaughter's, by way of distinction ; 
 which, in my opinion, unquestionably indicates 
 that there might have been persons of that 
 name, and perhaps of the same family, masters 
 of each concern. 
 
 On May 2nd, 1827, in the fifteen days' sale of 
 the Rev. Theodore Williams's valuable library, 
 which took place at Messrs. Stewart, Wheatley, 
 and Adlard's, a picture, lot 1947, attributed to 
 the pencil of Hogarth, was knocked down for 
 the sum of one hundred and fifty guineas. 
 The catalogue, in which it was most lavishly 
 extolled, stated that it was a conversation over 
 a bowl of punch at Old Slaughter's Coffee- 
 house, in St. Martin's-lane, and that the figures 
 
218 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 were portraits of the Painter, Doctor Monsey,* 
 and the landlord, Old Slaughter. 
 
 From the favourable opinion of the merit of 
 this picture, entertained by my friend Mr. Lewis, 
 of Sussex-place, Kegent's-park, I was induced to 
 make some inquiries concerning it, and, to my 
 great surprise, found it to be a picture that had 
 been for the first eleven years of my life in my 
 sleeping-room ; and it gives me no small grati- 
 fication to state, that this picture, so roundly as- 
 serted to be from the pencil of Hogarth, was 
 
 * For the following anecdote, I am obliged to my intelli- 
 gent friend. Colonel Molesworth Phillips. 
 
 Doctor Monsey, with whom the Colonel was intimately 
 acquainted, went to one of Mrs. Montague's evening-parties 
 in a filthy dirty shirt, attended by his old servant, who had 
 the care of a clean one, which the Doctor, upon his arrival at 
 that lady's house in Portman-square, requested to put on in 
 a private room. He and his man, as most of the apartments 
 were occupied, were put into a small one, which occasionally 
 opened into that where the company were to assemble. The 
 Doctor, thinking he heard some one coming, instead of his 
 giving his shirt to his servant to tie up, put it into one of 
 several china jars, closing it with its cover, in order to know 
 where to find it when he retired. The evening being ex- 
 tremely sultry, and Mrs. Montague's party exceeding her 
 expectation in number, she not only ordered the doors to be 
 thrown open which led into the room in which the Doctor had 
 changed his shirt, but, recollecting she had placed some exqui- 
 sitely delicious pot-pourri into one of her china jars, unfortu- 
 nately to the exposure of the poor old Doctor's infirmity, 
 opened the one into which he had stuflfed, what the laundry- 
 maid might strictly consider foul linen. 
 
WARE AND HIS COMPANIONS. 219 
 
 produced by Mr. Highmore. I agree with Mr. 
 Lewis as to its being wonderfully well painted ; 
 indeed, it is equal, in my opinion, to many pro- 
 ductions of Hogarth in the portrait way: but the 
 picture was painted by Highmore for Nathaniel 
 Oldham, my father's godfather, and one of the 
 Artist's patrons. It is neither a scene at Old 
 Slaughter's, nor are the characters depicted por- 
 traits of the persons to whom they are attri- 
 buted in Messrs. Stewart's catalogue. 
 
 My father's account of this picture was, that 
 Mr. Oldham had invited three friends to dine 
 with him at his house at Ealing ; but being a 
 famous and constant sportsman, he did not ar- 
 rive till they had dined ; and then he found 
 them so comfortably seated with their pipes 
 over a bowl of negus, that he commissioned 
 Highmore to paint the scene, and desired that 
 he might be introduced in it just as he then 
 appeared. 
 
 A man on the right, with a white wig and 
 black coat, was an old schoolmaster ; and one 
 opposite to him a farmer, both of Ealing; 
 another in the middle, in a red cap, was the 
 artist Highmore ; and one with his hat on, be- 
 hind the farmer's chair, was Nathaniel Old- 
 ham. When Mr. Oldham died, his property 
 was sold ; but this and one or two other family 
 pictures were given to a relative, of whom my 
 
220 NOI-LEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 father purchased it, as it contained the portrait 
 of his godfather. It afterwards became the 
 property of Mr. Bellamy, a Linen-draper, re- 
 siding in Queen-street, by the Mansion-house. 
 
 In thus again incidentally speaking of Ho- 
 garth, I will take the opportunity of introducing 
 to the reader the following observation concern- 
 ing him, of my friend H. R. Willett, Esq.* with 
 which I was so much gratified, that I requested 
 that gentleman to favour me with it in his own 
 words. 
 
 " A curious instance of Hogarth's attention 
 to most minute traits of character, occurs in the 
 sixth plate of the Marriage -a-la-mode ; where, 
 as a farther instance of the avarice and miserable 
 penury of the Alderman, who is stripping his 
 dying daughter of her trinkets, a close observer 
 will perceive, that the servant lad is clothed in 
 one of his master s old coats, which has been 
 shortened, and that the cloth cut off' is turned 
 and made into new cuffs : this is more plainly 
 seen in the picture, by the contrast of the colour 
 of them with the faded hue of the coat." 
 
 * Mr. Willett, whose taste fully appreciates excellence in 
 art, has, at his seat at Shooter's Hill, a room filled with Ho- 
 garth's pictures ; among which is a grand view of St. James's 
 Park, exhibiting numerous figures of ladies and gentlemen 
 walking in front of Rosamond's Pond. This Pond was filled 
 up in 1770. 
 
221 
 
 RECOLLECTIONS 
 OF PUBLIC CHARACTERS, 
 
 SOMETIME INHABll-ANTS OP ST. MARTIn's-LANE. 
 
 Saint Martin's-lane affords so rich a mine 
 for anecdote, that I never pass through it with- 
 out receiving a ray of recollection from almost 
 every window. I shall therefore venture to re- 
 late a few of these reminiscences, as they have 
 at various times occurred to me, confining my- 
 self principally to those connected with the 
 Fine Arts. 
 
 The first house from the corner of Newport- 
 street, on the right hand, leading to Charing- 
 cross, now Reid and Go's Hotel, was for many 
 years inhabited by Beard, the famous singer, 
 who married Lady Harriet Powis ; * and after- 
 
 * This lady was interred in tlie church-yard of St. Pancras, 
 where an expensive monument was erected to her memory, 
 upon which is engraven the following inscription : — 
 Sacred to the remains 
 Of Lady Henrietta Beard, 
 Only daughter of James, late Earl of Waldegrave. 
 In the year 1734, 
 She was married to Lord Edward Herbert, 
 Second son to William Marquis of Powis, 
 By whom she had issue one daughter, 
 Barbara, now Countess of Powis. 
 On the 8th of January, 1738-9, 
 She became the wife of Mr. John Beard, 
 
2S2 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 wards became a son-in-law of Mr. Rich, of 
 Coven t-garden Theatre. The parlour of this 
 house has two windows facing the south. In 
 this room, my father, who had accompanied 
 Roubiliac, smoked his pipe with Rich, Quin, 
 Woodward, and George Lambert, the founder 
 of the original Beef-steak Club, which was first 
 held in the painting-room of Covent-garden 
 Theatre. Some of Lambert's scenes were ex- 
 tremely beautiful ; but they were unfortunately 
 all consumed when that theatre was burned, 
 September 20, 1808. 
 
 Next to Reid's is the Coffee-house before- 
 mentioned, still retaining the appellation of 
 " Old Slaughter's." The next house of attrac- 
 tion is a spacious mansion, now divided into 
 two : No. 76 is inhabited by F. Thomas, and 
 No. 77 by Dr. Golding. It was built by old 
 Payne, the architect, who designed Salisbury- 
 street, in the Strand, and also the original Ly- 
 ceum, &c. ; and here he resided. Payne was 
 very friendly to Gwynn, the Architect, and also 
 
 Who^ during an happy union of fourteen years, 
 Tenderly loved her person, and admired her virtue ; 
 Who sincerely feels and laments her loss. 
 And must for ever revere 
 Her memory, 
 To which he consecrates this monument. 
 Obiit 31 May MDCCLIII. JE. 36. 
 
PUBLIC CHARACTERS. 
 
 223 
 
 to Samuel Wale, Lecturer on Perspective in 
 the Royal Academy, who was the designer of 
 an immense number of subjects for books, which 
 were mostly engraved by Grignon. Mr. Payne 
 built two small houses, at the end of his gar- 
 den, purposely to accommodate Gwynn and 
 Wale : the entrances were in Little-court, Cas- 
 tle-street, and are still standing. No. 82, is 
 New Slaughter's Coffee-house ; No. 85, is now 
 occupied by J. Van Eyndhoven and Co. and 
 lately by Mr. Collick, hair-manufacturer, the 
 father of Mrs. Hatchet, late of Long-acre. 
 
 In former times, the street before these 
 houses, commencing at Beard's and extending 
 to a short distance beyond St. Martin's -court, 
 was called " The Pavement ;" and the road at 
 that time was about three feet lower than it is 
 at present. A bookseller, of the name of Hard- 
 ing, occupied one of these houses below Payne's, 
 and among other works, he published a little 
 book of Monograms of Engravers, in octavo. 
 He also sold old prints, for which Hudson, the 
 Painter, was one of his principal customers ; and 
 it was at this shop that he purchased Benjamin 
 Wilson's landscape, etched in imitation of the 
 manner of Bembrandt. I heard Wilson* relate 
 
 * This Benjamin Wilson, the father of the present Sir Ro- 
 bert Wilson, was a Portrait-painter, and was made Sergeant- 
 
224 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the circumstance to the late venerable Presi- 
 dent West, nearly in the following words ; 
 " Hudson upon all occasions maintained, that no 
 one could etch like Rembrandt, — here he was 
 right ; — that no one could deceive him, and that 
 he could always discover an imitation of Rem- 
 brandt directly he saw it; wherein I main- 
 tained he was wrong. To prove this, I one 
 evening scratched a landscape, and took a dirty 
 impression of it to a man who sold books and 
 prints upon the Pavement in Saint Martin's- 
 lane, and, after endeavouring to cry down 
 Rembrandt, showed him the impression, for 
 which he offered to give me a fine Vandyke 
 head. As the fellow caught the bait, the next 
 day I called to look at some more of Vandyke 
 heads, when he observed, that he had sold the 
 Rembrandt, but I could not obtain from him 
 the name of the purchaser ; however, it turned 
 out just as I expected. Hudson was showing 
 it about to his friends as a rare Rembrandt, not 
 
 painter to the King, when his Majesty withdrew that appoint- 
 ment from Hogarth, in consequence of his dedicating his print 
 of the March to Finchley to the King of Prussia, as " an 
 encourager of the Arts and Sciences !" Benjamin Wilson 
 was succeeded as Sergeant-painter by Mr. Pitt Cobbett^ of 
 Bedford-street, Covent-garden, who continues to enjoy the 
 appointment. 
 
ST. MARTINS LANE. 
 
 225 
 
 at all described in the Catalogue. He admired it 
 beyond every thing he possessed. When I told 
 Hogarth of this, ' D — n it !' said he, * let us ex- 
 pose the fat-headed fellow.' I took the hint, 
 and, without telling any one what I meant to 
 do, invited Hogarth, Scott, Lambert, and others, 
 to meet Hudson at supper; and I was wick- 
 ed enough to allow Kirby to partake of my 
 exultation, without stating to him that Hud- 
 son was coming, for they hated each other most 
 cordially. Before the cold sirloin was carried 
 in, I stuck it full of skewers, charged with 
 impressions ; and when supper was announced, 
 Scott, the Marine-painter, who followed Hud- 
 son, sang out 'A sail! a sail !' — JJ^esf. 'What did 
 Hogarth say, Sir?'—' He ! an impudent dog! he 
 did nothing but laugh with Kirby the whole 
 evening. — Hudson never forgave me for it.' " 
 
 I shall pass Young, now called New Slaugh- 
 ter's Coffee-house, to the houses now Nos. 88 and 
 89, built upon the site of a very large one, the 
 staircase of which was adorned with allegorical 
 subjects in brown, yellow, and white. This house 
 was inhabited by one of Hogarth's particular 
 friends, Pine, the publisher of the plates from 
 the tapestry in the House of Lords, exhibiting 
 the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Pine, the 
 Portrait-painter, who produced one of the best 
 
 VOL. n. Q 
 
226 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 likenesses of Garrick, succeeded his father in 
 this building ; and after him, Dr. Garthshore 
 resided in it for many years. 
 
 The house now No. 96, is one of the oldest 
 colour-shops in London, and has one of the very 
 few remaining shop-fronts, where the shutters 
 slide in grooves : the street door frame is of the 
 style of Queen Anne, with a spread-eagle, foli- 
 age, and flowers curiously and deeply carved in 
 wood over the entrance, similar to those remain- 
 ing in Carey -street, and in Great Ormond-street. 
 The late Mr. Powel, the colourman, and family, 
 inhabited it ; and I have heard him say, that his 
 mother, for many years, made a pipe of wine 
 from the grapes which grew in their garden, 
 which at that time was nearly one hundred feet 
 in length, before the smoke of so many sur- 
 rounding buildings destroyed their growth. 
 This house has a large staircase, curiously paint- 
 ed, of figures viewing a procession, which was 
 executed for the famous Dr. Misaubin, about 
 the year 17S2, by a painter of the name of 
 Clermont, a Frenchman, who boldly charged one 
 thousand guineas for his labour ; which charge, 
 however, was contested, and the artist was ob- 
 liged to take five hundred. Behind the house, 
 there is a large room, the inside of which Ho- 
 garth has given in his Rake's Progress, where 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 227 
 
 he has introduced portraits of the Doctor and 
 his Irish wife. This plate of Hogarth's, which 
 has never been understood by the collectors of 
 that Artist's works, Mr. Powel ventured to ex- 
 plain thus : — The Rake, who has accompanied 
 the girl to whom Dr. Misaubin had given his 
 vicious pills, is threatening to cane him. The 
 Doctor's wife, who has been cleaning a lancet 
 after a recent operation, eyes the Rake with a 
 full determination to enforce her vengeance, 
 should he offer to put his threats into execution.* 
 
 * Of this Dr. Misaubin who brought a famous pill into 
 England, there is a beautifully finished miniature, in the pos- 
 session of George Musgrave, Esq. of Apsley End House, 
 Bedfordshire, who, by the hand of our mutual friend, Henry 
 Moyley, Esq. of Gray's-inn-square, has favoured me with 
 the following interesting statement. 
 
 " The family picture of Dr. Misaubin contains the por- 
 traits of his father, wife, and son. The latter was murdered 
 when returning from Marylebone-gardens, aged twentv- 
 three years. This picture was bought of his grandson, Mr. 
 Angiband, of St. Martin's-lane, in the year 1799. 
 
 " Mr. Angiband died, aged ninety-nine years and three 
 weeks. Dr. Misaubin's father was a clergyman, and preach- 
 ed at the Spitalfields French Church ; he was rather a cele- 
 brated preacher. The Doctor realized a great fortune by 
 pills, &c. and left it all to his grandson, Angiband, who dissi- 
 pated it, and died in St. Martin's Workhouse : he supported 
 himself entirely by drinking gin, and died at last for want 
 of it — The picture alluded to is about seven inches by six, 
 painted in body-colour, by Joseph Goupy, and represents the 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 NOLI.EKENS'S CONTEMPOllAllIES. 
 
 The next house claiming attention is, No. 
 104, for many years kept by AVilliams, a But- 
 ton-maker. Here, in a large house behind. Sir 
 James Thornhill once lived, who painted the 
 staircase with subjects of allegory ; which pic- 
 tures are still upon the walls, and in very excel- 
 lent condition, as they have never been cleaned. 
 The Junior Van Nost, the Sculptor, afterwards 
 lived in it, who took the famous mask of Gar- 
 rick from his face, which my father had for 
 many years ; it afterwards became the property 
 of Mr. Thomas Grignion, and was, at his death* 
 purchased by Mr. Mathews, the Comedian, and 
 is now deposited in his curious and interesting 
 gallery of theatrical pictures, busts, &c. at his 
 villa, near the foot of Highgate-hill. In this 
 house, after Van Nost's time, Francis Hay- 
 man once lived; and also Sir Joshua Key- 
 Doctor in a library with his arm on a table, the hand holding 
 a pen, and with the other hand giving a letter to his wife, who 
 is standing by him, his son, apparently about seven years old, 
 standing at his knees, and his father, in canonicals, writing 
 at the table behind him. He himself is in a kind of lilac silk 
 coat, his son in sky blue and silver, and his wife in a stone - 
 colour gown. The name of the artist is on a book." 
 
 Mr. Standly is also in possession of an original drawing by 
 Hogarth, containing portraits of Dr. Misaubin and Dr. Ward, 
 which he has had engraved ; the plate being destroyed after 
 twelve impressions had been taken. 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 229 
 
 nolds, before his knighthood, and before he 
 went to live in the house, now No. 5, on the 
 north side of Great Newport-street, whence 
 he went to Leicester-fields, where he died. 
 Upon the site of the present Meeting-house for 
 Friends, vulgarly called Quakers, in Saint Pe- 
 ter's-court, stood the first studio of Roubiliac. 
 There, among other works, he executed that 
 famous statue of Handel, for Vauxhall Gardens. 
 Upon his leaving this studio, it was fitted up 
 as a drawing-academy, supported by a subscrip- 
 tion raised by numerous artists, Mr. Michael 
 Moser being unanimously chosen as their Keep- 
 er. Hogarth was much against this establish- 
 ment, though he presented to it several casts, 
 and other articles which had been the property 
 of his father-in-law, Sir James Thornhill. He 
 declared, that it was the surest way to bring 
 artists to beggary, by rendering their education 
 so easy as one guinea and a half, and two gui- 
 neas per quarter ; since it would induce hun- 
 dreds of foolish parents to send their boys to 
 keep them out of the streets, whether they 
 had talent or not. However, the school com- 
 menced. Reynolds, Mortimer, M*Ardell, Nol- 
 lekens, Spang, Taylor,* so frequently men- 
 
 * Richard Dalton, Esq. the late King's Librarian, gave this 
 Academy a Greek dress for the use of the students when they 
 
230 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOllARIES. 
 
 tioned in this work, and my father, with nume- 
 rous others, became members. 
 
 Independently of their possessing a tolerable 
 good collection of plaster casts, they had living 
 models, both male and female, and often group- 
 ed two and three men as combatants ; so that 
 Mr. Flaxman, who sometimes placed the mo- 
 dels in the Royal Academy, was not the first 
 artist who introduced that mode of study. 
 Upon the institution of the Royal Academy, 
 when this academy was fast declining, parents 
 found that they could send their sons to study 
 in a national establishment free of any expense 
 whatever.* 
 
 studied drapery. It was agreed by the members, that they 
 should ballot for the member who should put on this dress, 
 and stand for the space of one hour^ for the others to draw 
 from it. The black ball fell to Taylor, who remained in the 
 same position for that time without discomposing the folds, 
 and he declared to me that it was one of the most arduous 
 tasks he had ever performed. Nollekens, well knowing the 
 fatigue, always fought shy of his turn, by getting M'Ardell 
 to stand for him. 
 
 * I am happy to say, that the admission into the above esta- 
 blishment is not now so easy as it was originally. Now, a lad 
 must draw well, understand anatomy, and conduct himself 
 respectably ; so that, should he love his art, he will be atten- 
 tive, respect the Keeper, and conform to the regulations of 
 the Institution : indeed, the well-disposed parents of youths, 
 so cautiously admitted, will feel double satisfaction in know- 
 ing that their sons are strictly and properly disciplined. 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 231 
 
 The house, No. 112, now, and for many years 
 inhabited by Messrs. Woodburn, four highly 
 respectable brothers, was one of those old apo- 
 thecaries' shops where immense snakes were ex- 
 hibited in spirits, to allure the multitude. It 
 was in my boyish days kept by Leake, the in- 
 ventor of the '* Diet Drink ;" now, like Lock- 
 yer's once famous pills, nearly forgotten. The 
 house adjoining Messrs. Woodburn, now No. 
 113, was built upon the site of one for many 
 years held by Thomas Major, a good husband, 
 father, and a sincere friend. He was born in 
 London in 1719, studied at Paris under the 
 inimitable Le Bas, and was an excellent Engra- 
 ver, particularly in his subjects from Teniers. 
 Major left St. Martin's-lane for No. 6, Tavi- 
 stock-row, Covent-garden. Upon the death of 
 the Die-engraver to the Stamp-office, Major 
 was appointed his successor, a post which he 
 filled with the strictest integrity. He died in 
 1799, in his eightieth year, deeply regretted by 
 all who knew him, and was buried in Camber- 
 well Church-yard.* The large Cheesemon- 
 
 * Mr. and Mrs. Nollekens were very intimate with Mr. 
 Major and his family, and their visits were frequent in Mor- 
 timer-street. I once attended Mr. Nollekens Avhen he mould- 
 ed one of his daughter's arms, which were very heautiful, 
 and were frequently his examples for fine form, particularly 
 when a monumental figure gave him an opportunity of dis- 
 
232 NOJLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 ger's, No. 114, formerly Girdler and Slaugh- 
 ter's, but now Sloane, Leedham, and Go's., 
 stands upon the site of Salisbury-house, a 
 mansion occupied by several Earls of that title : 
 there were lately, before the recent alterations, 
 a few vestiges of the old building remaining, 
 particularly in the kitchen. It has been, I un- 
 derstand, a constant tradition, that in Lord Sa- 
 lisbury's house in St. Martin's-lane, in the reign 
 of James IIo the seven Bishops were lodged 
 before they were conveyed to the Tower. 
 
 Among the many hundred circumstances 
 which render the old Watch-house interesting 
 to me, I may notice two in particular ; the first 
 is a rare and curious etching, exhibiting its 
 
 playing it to advantage. I remember he copied it closely 
 whenever youthful round fleshiness was his aim. Mr. Major 
 was a celebrated Engraver of Landscapes, which display a 
 boldness of style peculiar to himself ; or, if we discern any 
 imitation of manner, possibly it may be that of Le Bas, under 
 whom he studied. His engravings of the Seasons, after ex- 
 quisitely finished pictures by Paul Ferg, one of the artists 
 employed Avith Sir James Thornhill and others in the Chelsea 
 China-manufactory, do him infinite credit. My father was 
 well acquainted Avith Ferg. Among other etchings by him, 
 there are seven small upright ones of pastoral figures, exe- 
 cuted with a clear and spirited needle, a little in touch like 
 the ten landscapes by Both ; they were not unfrequently to 
 be met with when I was a boy, but now old impressions are 
 rather scarce. Mr. Major's plates from Teniers's pictures 
 have great force, particularly those of the Four Seasons. 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 233 
 
 front during a riot ; the second, the elaborately- 
 carved stocks which, within my memory, were 
 standing near the wall of the Watch-house, op- 
 posite to the centre of the portico of the Church. 
 Upon the post or upright body of these stocks, 
 were two figures most admirably well executed, 
 of a man flogging another with the cat-o'-nine- 
 tails. The strength and energy with which the 
 executioner was scourging the culprit was as vi- 
 gorous as any design by Michel Angelo. These 
 stocks being much decayed, were taken down ; 
 but I was happy to see that the fragment of 
 this carving, though wretchedly mutilated, was 
 in some degree preserved in the vault under 
 the church, which also contains many interest- 
 ing portions of monuments taken down from 
 the old structure. It is a curious fact, that 
 Mrs. Rudd requested to be placed near the cof- 
 fins of the Perreaus. Melancholy as my visits 
 to this vault have been, 1 frankly own that 
 pleasant recollections have almost invited me 
 to sing, " Did you not hear of a jolly young 
 waterman ?" when passing by the coffin of my 
 father's old friend, Charles Bannister. Such 
 are the impressions made in youthful days. 
 
 I must now move on from the site of the 
 stocks to a building, the door-way of which has 
 been recently stopped up, the present entrance 
 to it being from the King's Mews. It was for 
 
234 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 many years called " The Barn," but is now 
 changed to the sign of " The Canteen :" which 
 Bam is the same before described as frequented 
 by the chess and whist players. 
 
 Before I begin with the other side of the lane, 
 I must invite the reader to accompany me to 
 the equestrian statue of King Charles I. at Cha- 
 ring-cross, to which I solicit his most particular 
 attention ; and this request I make, in order to 
 prove how persons are apt to take things for 
 granted from report only. This statue is the 
 production of Le Sueur ; and a report has been 
 industriously circulated that the horse is with- 
 out a girth, and that in consequence of the 
 omission the artist destroyed himself. This re- 
 port has been propagated by various persons ; 
 and, among others, Mr. Malcolm, the author of 
 " Londinium Redivivum," who roundly asserts 
 that the horse is without a girth. If my reader 
 will take the trouble, as Mr. Malcolm should 
 have done, to look under the horse, he will see 
 that there is a girth, and also that it presses 
 upon the veins of the animal. 
 
 Returning to the spot which we left, the plea- 
 sures of memory induce me to state that that 
 noble building, Northumberland-house, which 
 has lately undergone a total repair, can now vie 
 with some of our palaces in the splendour of 
 its internal architectural improvements, as well 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 2S5 
 
 as in its magnificence of furniture ; all of which, 
 with the exception of a foreign cabinet or two, 
 is of English manufacture. The staircase is 
 superb, and entirely new. The present Duke, 
 who condescended* to show me the house, gave 
 orders for many fine pictures to be brought out 
 from all the spare rooms and upper apartments, 
 which his Grace has had cleaned, framed, and 
 hung up : an example to the other great fami- 
 lies, who may at this moment have in their va- 
 rious country residences portraits which, if thus 
 rescued, might probably, in many instances, 
 prove of the highest moment to English his- 
 tory.f 
 
 I never think of rescued portraits without 
 recollecting with pleasure the truly spirited 
 manner in which Lord Colchester, when Speaker 
 of the House of Commons, established the Gal- 
 lery of portraits of Speakers ; and I am sure, 
 that if every formidable association, like the 
 Kit-cat Club, the Dilettanti Society, and the 
 Beef-steak Club, were to follow their examples, 
 
 * From the introduction of my worthy friend, JohnGawler 
 Bridge, Esq. of Ludgate-hill, whose house had supplied his 
 Grace with one of Flaxman's Shields of Achilles. 
 
 f In being permitted to examine Titian's picture of the 
 Cornaro Family, so often spoken of, I am perfectly convinced 
 that, under the hands of a proper cleaner, much of the filth 
 and colour with which it has been loaded, may be removed 
 with safety. If must have been gloriously painted. 
 
236 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 by procuring portraits of their former members, 
 and also to keep up the collection by sitting for 
 their portraits, we should then not only know 
 where to search for portraits of some of the 
 most celebrated characters of modern times, but 
 the resemblances of many persons would thus 
 be preserved, which might be otherwise for- 
 gotten or unknown. 
 
 The very next house east of the Duke of 
 Northumberland's, is No. 1 in the Strand; it 
 is rendered curious by being the first house in * 
 London that was numbered. The house oppo- 
 site to it is No. 487, standing at the south-west 
 corner of St. Martin's-lane, upon the site for 
 so many years occupied by Jeflfery, the Geo- 
 grapher to the late King. 
 
 I cannot pass the Church, without repeating 
 the observation made to me by the late Bishop 
 Horsley. — " Mr. Smith, I admire your attention 
 to old houses : my father was Clerk in Orders 
 of St. Martin's-in-the-fields, and I should hke to 
 live in the old house which he inhabited ; but 
 then I must have the old furniture just as it 
 stood when I was a boy." His Lordship added, 
 that in his father's time, the Church was literally 
 in the fields, and that he had often heard him 
 say that there was a turnpike in St. Martin's-lane, 
 leading to Covent-garden. No. 20, is a Pub- 
 lic-house, called " The Portobello," with the date 
 
St. martin's lane. 
 
 237 
 
 1638 on the front. I remember it had Admiral 
 Vernon's ship, extremely well painted by Mo- 
 nomy, for its sign. This Public-house, with 
 many other miserable dwellings, has given way 
 for the public improvements which are now in 
 progress. 
 
 Tradition states that the space of ground 
 called Moor's-yard, was in early times a place for 
 the execution of malefactors. The Turnpike- 
 house, mentioned by the Bishop of Rochester, 
 * stood, as I have been informed, on the site of 
 PuUen's Wine-vaults, No. 28 ; and it is stated 
 by many of the oldest inhabitants, that the Earl 
 of Salisbury, whose house stood nearly opposite, 
 compromised with the parish for its removal, it 
 being deemed so great a nuisance. The West- 
 minster Fire-office was first established in this 
 lane, and stood between Chandos-street and 
 May's-buildings ; it was then moved to Bed- 
 ford-street, and since to King- street. Coven t- 
 garden, upon the site originally occupied by 
 Lenthall, the Speaker. 
 
 May's-buildings, bearing the date of 1739, was 
 built by Mr. May, who ornamented the front 
 of No. 43, in Saint Martin's-lane, in which he 
 resided, consisting of two pilasters supporting a 
 cornice ; and it is, in my opinion, one of the 
 neatest specimens of architectural brick- work in 
 London. The site of the White Horse Livery. 
 
238 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 stables, now occupied by Hornby, was origin- 
 ally Tea-gardens ; and south of them was a hop- 
 garden, which still retains that appellation. The 
 house over-hanging Hornby's gateway, is sup- 
 posed to be the oldest building remaining in 
 the Lane, and from an inspection of the pre- 
 mises behind, I am inclined to consider that 
 supposition to be correct. The extensive pre- 
 mises, No. 60, now occupied by Mr. Stutely, the 
 Builder, were formerly held by Chippendale, 
 the most famous Upholsterer and Cabinet-ma- 
 ker of his day, to whose folio work on house- 
 hold-furniture the trade formerly made constant 
 reference. It contains, in many instances, spe- 
 cimens of the style of furniture so much in 
 vogue in France in the reign of Louis XIV. but 
 which, for many years past, has been discon- 
 tinued in England. However, as most fashions ^ 
 come round again, I should not wonder, not- 
 withstanding the beautifully classic change 
 brought in by Thomas Hope, Esq. if we were 
 to see the unmeaning scroll and shell-work, with 
 which the furniture of Louis's reign was so pro- 
 fusely incumbered, revive ; when Chippendale's 
 book will again be sought after with redoubled 
 avidity, and, as many of the copies must have 
 been sold as waste paper, the few remaining 
 will probably bear rather a high price. No. 63, 
 
ST. MAIITIN'S LANE. 
 
 239 
 
 in Roubiliac's time, accommodated him with a 
 distinct passage through to his premises, which 
 site is now held by three persons ; one is the 
 Printer of a Sunday paper entitled " The 
 Watchman." 
 
 Roubiliac, who was a perfectly honest and 
 generous man, once found a pocket-book con- 
 taining immense property, which he continued 
 constantly to advertise for a considerable time 
 before it was owned ; and then the only thing 
 he would receive beyond the advertising ex- 
 penses was a buck, which the gentleman sup- 
 plied him with annually. 
 
 In again noticing Roubiliac, I cannot forget 
 that I have several times heard my father relate 
 the following anecdotes concerning him. Gar- 
 rick, during the time he was Manager of Drury- 
 lane Theatre, carried a two-foot rule, like a car- 
 penter, in a small pocket made purposely for it. 
 Once in crossing Roubiliac's stone-yard, he 
 pinched him by the elbow, and bade him mind 
 how he would frighten that red-headed coun- 
 tryman who was sawing stone. Upon creeping 
 towards the fellow, he kept lowering himself, 
 at the same time putting on one of his tragedy 
 looks, and partly drawing out his two-foot rule, 
 as he would a pistol to shoot him. In that atti- 
 tude he remained for some time, disappointed 
 
240 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 and motionless, until the Yorkshireman stopped 
 his sawing, and after squirting out his tobacco- 
 water, coolly said, " What trick do you intend 
 to be at next?" 
 
 Upon Mr. Roubiliac's death, the premises 
 were taken by Read, the most deficient in talent 
 of all his pupils, but who, like a trunk-maker or 
 plumber and glazier, regularly advertised him- 
 self as the successor of Mr. Roubiliac ; modestly 
 concluding, that by occupying his studio, the 
 public would come to the old shop for johs in the 
 stone-carving line, fully satisfied that the busi- 
 ness must necessarily be as well executed by his 
 being one of the late man^s apprentices ! This, 
 I am shocked to declare, was in many instances 
 really the case, since he was employed to exe- 
 cute many large and most expensive monu- 
 ments ; as, for instance. Admiral Tyrrell's, and 
 one to the Duchess of Northumberland, in West- 
 minster Abbey, were from his chisel and work- 
 shop. Indeed, Read made so much money by 
 pretending to that which he understood not, 
 that he was enabled to increase his establish- 
 ment tenfold in what he certainly was excel- 
 lently Avell acquainted with ; namely, the trade 
 of purchasing old houses, fitting them up, and 
 then letting them at an immense increase of 
 rent. 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 241 
 
 The following anecdote affords a curious pre- 
 diction of Roubiliac's as to Read's efforts in the 
 art of Sculpture. Read, one day at dinner, had 
 the audacity to declare, that when he was out 
 of his time, he would show the world what a 
 monument ought to be. Upon this remark, 
 Roubiliac looked at him scornfully and said, 
 " Ven you do de monument, den de varld vill 
 see vot von d— d ting you vill make." This 
 was correctly the case in that of Admiral Tyr- 
 rell in Westminster Abbey ; for of all the 
 loads of marble spoiled in such effigies, of which 
 there are more in Westminster Abbey, power- 
 fully rich as it is in classic art, than in all the 
 other cathedrals of England, perhaps Tyrrell's 
 monument is the vilest instance. Nollekens, 
 who was not much addicted to exercise his sar- 
 casm upon works of art, particularly when 
 speaking of contemporary artists, could not re- 
 sist vociferating, whenever Read's name was men- 
 tioned, " That figure of his, of Admiral Tyrrell 
 going to Heaven out of the sea, looks for all the 
 world as if he was hanging from a gallows with 
 a rope round his neck." In which criticism I 
 consider him perfectly correct, as the figure 
 would, I am certain, impress nine children out 
 of ten with the same idea, were they left to 
 their own conclusions. 
 VOL n. R 
 
242 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Finding myself in want of information re- 
 specting the last two houses to be mentioned in 
 this place, which was in the power of a Mr. 
 Banks to furnish, I went to his house. No. 3, 
 Litchfield-street, when I particularly noticed 
 the ceiling of the principal room on his first 
 floor. It is divided into two compartments, 
 and I am much inclined to believe was painted 
 by the hand of Hogarth, not only from the 
 style of colouring and the spirited manner of 
 its penciling, but from the expression of the 
 heads of the figures so peculiar to him. 
 
 The subject of the largest portion of the ceil- 
 ing nearest the windows, consists of five figures 
 the size of life. They appear to me to be Time 
 rescuing Truth from Hatred, surrounded by 
 snakes; and Mahce, holding a dagger in one 
 hand, and a flaming torch in the other ; a boy 
 is flying above with the emblem of Eternity. 
 This subject is in a circle within a square, the 
 corners of which are decorated with busts and 
 flowers spiritedly painted. The smaller com- 
 partment consists of four boys in the clouds. 
 The principal one in the centre represents 
 Fame with a trumpet ; the others, Painting, 
 Sculpture, and Architecture. They are con- 
 fined within an oval border. At the west end, 
 are trophies of war, and at the east, two boys 
 supporting drapery. Mr. Banks informed me 
 
ST. martin's lane. 
 
 243 
 
 that the house had been the residence of Lady 
 Betty Paulet ; and that Lord Hinchinbrook, 
 who was then the owner of considerable pro- 
 perty in that quarter, assured him that it had 
 been a mansion originally of high importance. 
 When, about thirty years since, Mr. Banks made 
 the purchase, he found the cornice and even the 
 hinges of the doors gilt. From the heavy pa- 
 nelling of the rooms, and the large circular balls 
 on the staircase, I should conjecture the house 
 to have been built in the time of Oliver Crom- 
 well, or Charles the Second ; but the front is 
 evidently modern, and the premises originally 
 must have been more extensive. 
 
 In the large room behind Mr. Mouchet's, 
 now No. 70, Mr. Hone had his Exhibition. 
 
 The corner house of Long-acre, now No. 72, 
 formed a small part of the extensive premises 
 formerly occupied by that singularly haughty 
 character, Cobb, the Upholsterer, who occasion- 
 ally employed Banks, the Cellaret-maker, to 
 whom I applied for information respecting him. 
 Cobb, he said, was perhaps one of the proudest 
 men in England ; and always appeared in full 
 dress of the most superb and costly kind, in 
 which state he would strut through his work- 
 shops, giving orders to his men. He was the 
 person who brought that very convenient table 
 into fashion that draws out in front, with upper 
 R 2 
 
244 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 and inward rising desks, so healthy for those 
 who stand to write, read, or draw * The late 
 King frequently employed him, and often 
 smiled at his pomposity. One day, when Mr. 
 Cobb was in his Majesty's library at Bucking- 
 ham-house, giving orders to a workman, whose 
 ladder was placed before a book which the King- 
 wanted, his Majesty desired Cobb to hand him 
 the work, which instead of obeying, he called 
 to his man, " Fellow, give me that book !" The 
 King, with his usual condescension, arose, and 
 asked Cobb, what his man's name was. '* Jen- 
 kins," answered the astonished Upholsterer. 
 " Then," observed the King, " Jenkins, you 
 shall hand me the book."f 
 
 * The late Sir Nathaniel Dance Holland, when he was a 
 Portrait-painter, in Tavistock-row, Covent-garden, considered 
 Cobb's tables so useful, that he easily prevailed upon the 
 adonised Upholsterer, to allow him to paint his portrait for 
 one ; which picture, after it had remained in Cobb's show-room 
 for some time, purposely to be serviceable, as he said, to the 
 poor painter," he conveyed, in his own carriage^ to his seat 
 at Highgate. It is curious to notice how often little events 
 lead to others of high importance : it was in consequence of 
 this portrait of Cobb, that Mr. Garrick became acquainted 
 with Dance ; whose acquaintance produced his most excel- 
 lent picture of Richard the Third, which became the property 
 of Sir Watkin Williams Wynne^ Bart. 
 
 t His present Majesty, when passing through an avenue 
 in Windsor-park, leading to the Royal Lodge, was once as- 
 sailed by a rude boisterous fellow, standing astride with 
 
245 
 
 STRANGE. 
 
 The following anecdote of Sir Robert Strange 
 was related to me by the late Richard Cooper, 
 w^ho had the honour of instructing Queen Char- 
 lotte in drawing, and was for some time Draw- 
 ing-master to Eton School. I shall endeavour 
 to relate it as nearly as possible in his own 
 words. *• Robert Strange," said he, " was a 
 countryman of mine, a North Briton, who serv- 
 ed his time to my father as an engraver, and 
 was a soldier in the rebel army of 1745. It so 
 happened, when Duke William put them to 
 flight, that Strange, finding a door open, made 
 his way into the house, ascended to the first 
 floor, and entered a room where a young lady 
 was seated. She was at her needle-work and 
 singing. Young Strange implored her protec- 
 tion. The lady, without rising or being the least 
 disconcerted, desired him to get under her hoop.* 
 
 folded arms, who declared he would not pull off his hat to 
 any King. His Majesty stopped his curricle, took off his hat, 
 and with a smile said, " I will take off mine to the meanest 
 of my subjects!" which so completely subdued his rude 
 opponent, that he walked away hanging down his head with 
 shame. 
 
 * At that time ladies wore immense hoops, as may be 
 seen in all the portraits of the day, particularly in the print 
 of Kitty Clive, in the character of the Fine Lady in Lethe. 
 
246 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 He immediately stooped, and the amiable wo- 
 man covered him up. Shortly after this, the 
 house was searched ; the lady continued at her 
 work, singing as before, and the soldiers, upon 
 entering the room, considering Miss Lumsdale 
 alone, respectfully retired. 
 
 " Robert, as soon as the search was over, 
 being released from his covering, kissed the 
 hand of his protectress, at which moment, for 
 the first time, he found himself in love. He 
 married the lady ; and no persons, beset as they 
 were with early difficulties, lived more happily." 
 
 It has already been seen in the Memoir of 
 NoUekens, that this most excellent lady's vir- 
 tues were equally conspicuous in her married 
 state, and that she did not lose the sweetness of 
 her temper, even under the " chastening hand" 
 of Adversity : 
 
 " Stern rugged nurse ! thy rigid lore 
 With patience many a year she bore ; 
 What sorrow was, thou bad'st her know. 
 And from her own, she learn'd to melt at others' woe." 
 
 Strange afterwards became a loyal man ; 
 though for a length of time he sighed to be 
 pardoned by his King, who, however, was gra- 
 ciously pleased to be reconciled to him, and 
 afterwards knighted him. For this informa- 
 tion, I am obliged to my worthy friend, Ben- 
 
STRANGE. 
 
 247 
 
 jamin West, Esq. second son of the late vener- 
 able President of the Royal Academy. 
 
 Lady Strange, who continued her friendship 
 to Mrs. NoUekens, with whom she had been in- 
 timate ever since their youthful days, gave her 
 several impressions of the engravings of her 
 husband, who was unquestionably the best en- 
 graver England ever produced. Who can look 
 at his most wonderful print of St. Cecilia, from 
 RafFaelle, without astonishment at its brilliancy 
 of effect ? His close attention to the texture of 
 each particular article, the sky, the clouds and 
 earth, the linen, silk embroidered and woollen 
 draperies, the metallic and polished surfaces, the 
 hair of the youthful, the manly, and the robust 
 figures, comprising the composition, and the se- 
 veral varieties of flesh, perhaps no one in any 
 part of the world has ever equalled. 
 
 No man was more incessant in his application, 
 or fonder of his art, than Sir Robert Strange ; 
 nor could any publisher boast of more integrity 
 as to his mode of delivering subscription-im- 
 pressions. He never took off more proofs than 
 were really bespoken, and every name was put 
 upon the print as it came out of the press, unless 
 it were faulty ; and then it was destroyed,* not 
 
 * As Etchings and Proof impressions of Strange's plates 
 are considered great rarities, I shall, for the information of 
 
248 NOl.LEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 laid aside for future sale, as has been too much 
 the practice with some of our late publishers. 
 Impositions, I regret to say, amounting to 
 fraud, have been recently exercised upon the 
 liberal encouragers of the Art, by sordid pub- 
 lishers, who have taken hundreds of proofs 
 more than were subscribed for, purposely to 
 hoard them up for future profit. Nay, I am 
 shocked, w^hen I declare that some of our late 
 print-publishers have actually had plates touched 
 up after they have been worn out ; and have 
 taken the writing out, in order that impressions 
 might be taken off, which they have most bare- 
 facedly published and sold as original proof im- 
 pressions ! 
 
 Sir Robert Strange was born in 1721, and 
 died in 1792. 
 
 collectors, insert a list of those preserved in the British Mu- 
 seum : — The Offspring of Love, Etching and Proof ; Fortune, 
 Proof; Venus attired by the Graces, Etching; Cleopatra, 
 Proof ; Belisarius, Etchings ; King Charles the First with 
 his Horse, Etching and Proof ; Queen Henrietta Maria, (its 
 companion) Etching and Proof ; Apotheosis of Prince Octa- 
 vius, Etching and Proof. 
 
249 
 
 VIVARES AND WOOLLETT. 
 
 I WELL remember Vivares : he was a little 
 thin man, who usually wore a velvet cap, which 
 was the custom in his time. He lived in Great 
 Newport-street, in the house now No. 12. He 
 was a beautiful etcher of trees, and was often 
 assisted by Chatelain, a spirited picturesque 
 etcher. Woollett was also a little man, and 
 when I first saw him, lived in Green-street, 
 Leicester-fields, in the house now No. 11. 
 
 WooUett's plates, particularly his early ones, 
 are mostly engraved by himself ; and I will re- 
 late an anecdote concerning him, which I receiv- 
 ed from the late Mr. Alderman Boydell, during 
 the time he visited me, to notice the progress of 
 my work, entitled " Antiquities of Westmin- 
 ster," one of the most anxious and unfortunate 
 tasks of my life. 
 
 The Alderman assured me, that when he 
 himself commenced publishing, he etched small 
 plates of landscapes, which he produced in sets of 
 six, and sold for sixpence ; and that, as there 
 were very few print-shops at that time in Lon- 
 don, he prevailed upon the sellers of children's 
 toys, to allow his little books to be put in their 
 windows. These shops he regularly visited 
 
250 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 every Saturday, to see if any had been sold, 
 and to leave more. His most successful shop 
 was the sign of the " Cricket-bat," in Duke's- 
 court, St. Martin's-lane, where he found he had 
 sold as many as came to five shilhngs and six- 
 pence. With this success he was so pleased, 
 that, wishing to invite the shopkeeper to con- 
 tinue in his interest, he laid out the money in 
 a silver pencil-case ; which article, after he had 
 related the above anecdote, he took out of his 
 pocket, and assured me he never would part 
 with. He then favoured me with the follow- 
 ing history of WooUett's plate of the Niobe ; 
 and, as it is interesting, I shall endeavour to re- 
 late it in Mr. Boydell's own words. 
 
 " When I got a little forward in the world," 
 said the venerable Alderman, " I took a whole 
 shop, for at my commencement I kept only half 
 a one. In the course of one year I imported 
 numerous impressions of Vernet's celebrated 
 Storm, so admirably engraved by Lerpini^re ; 
 for which I was obliged to pay in hard cash, as 
 the French took none of our prints in return. 
 Upon Mr. Woollett's expressing himself highly 
 delighted with this print of the Storm, I was 
 induced, knowing his abihty as an engraver, to 
 ask him if he thought he could produce a print 
 of the same size, which I could send over, so 
 that in future I could avoid payment in money. 
 
VIVARES AND WOOLLETT. 251 
 
 and prove to the French nation that an Eng- 
 lishman could produce a print of equal merit ; 
 upon which he immediately declared that he 
 should like much to try. 
 
 " At this time, the principal conversation 
 among artists was upon Mr. Wilson's grand 
 picture of Niobe, which had just arrived from 
 Rome. I, therefore, immediately applied to his 
 Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, its 
 owner, and ]procured permission for WooUett 
 to engrave it. But before he ventured upon 
 the task, I requested to know what idea he had 
 as to the expense, and, after some consideration, 
 he said he thought he could engrave it for one 
 hundred guineas. This sum, small as it may 
 now appear, was to me," observed the Alder- 
 man, " an unheard-of price, being considerably 
 more than I had given for any copper-plate. 
 However, serious as the sum was, I bade him 
 get to work, and he proceeded with all possible 
 cheerfulness, for, as he went on, I advanced 
 him money ; and though he lost no time, I 
 found that he had received nearly the whole 
 amount before he had half finished his task. I 
 frequently called upon him, and found him 
 struggling with serious difficulties, with his 
 wife and family, in an Upper lodging in Green's- 
 court. Castle-street, Leicester-fields ; for there he 
 lived before he went into Green-street. How- 
 
252 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 ever, I encouraged him, by allowing him to 
 draw upon me to the extent of twenty-five 
 pounds more ; and, at length, that sum was paid, 
 and I was unavoidably under the necessity of 
 saying, * Mr. Woollett, I find we have made 
 too close a bargain with each other ; you have 
 exerted yourself, and I fear I have gone beyond 
 my strength, or, indeed, what I ought to have 
 risked, as we neither of us can be aware of the 
 success of the speculation. However, I am de- 
 termined, whatever the event may be, to enable 
 you to finish it to your wish ; at least to allow 
 you to work upon it as long as another twenty- 
 five pounds can extend, but there we positively 
 must stop.' The plate was finished ; and, after 
 taking a very few proofs, I published the print 
 at five shillings, and it succeeded so much 
 beyond my expectation, that I immediately 
 employed Mr. Woollett upon another engrav- 
 ing, from another picture by Wilson ; and I 
 am now thoroughly convinced, that had I con- 
 tinued in publishing subjects of their descrip- 
 tion, my fortune would have been increased 
 tenfold." 
 
 Of Woollett's glorious engraving of Niobe, we 
 have a most brilliant proof on India paper in 
 the British Museum, a similar one to which has 
 been sold for fifty pounds. Should this page 
 meet the eyes of Mr. Burke, and such liberal 
 
VIVARES AND WOOLLETT. 253 
 
 gentlemen who are willing to persevere in their 
 encouragement of Modern Art, I trust, for the 
 honour of England, should our Landscape-En- 
 gravers possess talent and inclination to pro- 
 duce similar works to those of Woollett's Niobe, 
 Phaeton, Celadon and Amelia, Ceyx and Al- 
 cyone, — productions hitherto standing alone, — 
 that they will sanction the labours of artists who 
 have, as well as our respectable publishers, so 
 seriously of late felt an unprecedented depres- 
 sion, in consequence of the most glaring mis- 
 conduct of several speculators : and 1 hope a time 
 will soon arrive, when the grand pictures of 
 Turner, Callcott, Arnald, &c. will be selected 
 by some spirited publishers, for the purpose of 
 producing other Woolletts. 
 
 As Mr. Strutt, in his Dictionary of Engra- 
 vers, has neither given the time of Vivares's 
 birth, death, nor place of burial, it will be some 
 information to state, that Francis Vivares v^as 
 born in the village of St. John, in France, 
 July 11th, 1709 ; that he came to England in 
 1718, where for some years he followed the 
 trade of a tailor ; and that he died November 
 26th, 1780, and was buried at Paddington. 
 
 William Woollett was born at Maidstone 
 August 27th, 1735, and died May 23d, 1785, 
 being buried in the church-yard of the old 
 church of St. Pancras. 
 
254 
 
 ZUCCARELLI. 
 
 ZuccARELLi was a native of Piligliano, 
 near Sienna. After studying under Morandi 
 and Nelli, he was much noticed by Mr. Smith, 
 the British Consul, who encouraged him to visit 
 England, where he was employed at the Opera- 
 house as a Scene-painter ; though he soon quit- 
 ted that employment for the patronage of the 
 late King, and some of the first nobility.* Most 
 of his pictures were painted in turpentine only, 
 covered with a coat of varnish, which always 
 produces a cheerful effect. The late venerable 
 President, Mr. West, who first met him at the 
 English Coffee-house at Rome, informed me 
 that he died at Florence, the 30th of December, 
 1788, at the advanced age of eighty-six. 
 
 Zuccarelli was one of the first members of 
 the Royal Academy ; and during the first three 
 years of its exhibition, resided in Piccadilly. 
 He is wholly unmentioned by Fuseli, in the 
 Appendix to his edition of Pilkington's Dic- 
 tionary. 
 
 * Frederick Prince of Wales collected his pictures ; and 
 those large circles which were engraved by Vivares^ and many 
 others formerly at Kew, are now in the royal apartments at 
 Windsor ; in which splendid palace there are also many by 
 Canaletti in his finest style. It is a curious fact, that the 
 latter Artist frequently painted the buildings in Zuccarelli's 
 Landscapes. 
 
255 
 
 LAROON. 
 
 Captain Laroon practised the Arts at 
 the same period as Hogarth ; and as he often 
 witnessed the nocturnal revels at Moll King's* 
 and Mother Douglass's, (alias Mother Cole,) 
 which so delighted Hogarth; the Captain's 
 productions often resemble in subject those 
 of the great painter of human character and 
 manners. 
 
 Laroon drew sometimes with red chalk, but 
 more frequently with a black-lead pencil. His 
 drawings are truly spirited, and display a liquid 
 flow of touch peculiar to himself ; but what is 
 highly honourable to his memory, is, that his 
 productions are entirely his own, not assisted 
 in the least by the hand of another man.f 
 
 • I have seen at Strawberry-hill a large and spirited draw- 
 ing, in red chalk, by Captain Laroon, exhibiting the inside 
 of Moll King's. Kirgate, Mr. Walpole's domestic printer, 
 bought it for him at an evening auction about forty years 
 ago. There is also an engraving of the same room, in which 
 a whole-length of Mr. Aprice is introduced in a full court- 
 dress. An impression of this plate, which is extremely rare, 
 is carefully preserved by H. P. Standly, Esq. of the Middle 
 Temple, as an addition to Hogarth's first print of the Four 
 Times of the Day, in which that Artist has introduced Moll 
 King's house. 
 
 t An ungentlemanlike practice often resorted to by some 
 
256 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Upon reference to Walpole's "Anecdotes of 
 Painting in England," and finding so little of the 
 Laroon family, and fortunately being in posses- 
 sion of a manuscript life drawn up by the Cap- 
 tain, in his own hand, 1 shall here insert a copy 
 of it, as a curious addition to Mr. Major's late 
 splendid edition of the work of Lord Orford ; 
 which the Editor, the Rev. James Dallaway, 
 has rendered more interesting by inserting lists 
 of the portraits executed by some of the prin- 
 cipal Painters, and also the names of their pre- 
 sent possessors ; which is valuable to the tra- 
 veller and collector, and particularly so to those 
 who illustrate the interesting reign of that 
 splendid patron of the Arts, King Charles the 
 First. 
 
 The following is Captain Laroon's state- 
 ment : — 
 
 " I write the following memorandums, not 
 as a regular account of battles, sieges, or other 
 
 of our would-be amateurs^ is regularly to invite three or four 
 artists separately to dine with them, in order to coax and 
 wheedle them to touch upon their pictures ; which they after- 
 wards have the barefaced audacity to display in public exhi- 
 bitions, as specimens of their own talented productions, and 
 positively declare themselves slighted if their pictures are 
 not hung in the best places, in preference to the works of 
 those men who avowedly make the Arts their profession^ and 
 support their establishments by their labours. 
 
lahoon. 
 
 257 
 
 actions I have seen, but for the satisfaction of 
 my particular friends, who, perhaps, might be 
 desirous to know how I have spent my life. I 
 leave out all private occurrences. My father's 
 as well as grandfather's name, was spelt Marcel- 
 lus Lauron ; I was christened by the same, but 
 being called Marcellus Laroon, I wrote my 
 name always so.* I was born the second day of 
 April, 1679, at my father's house in Bow-street, 
 in the parish of Covent-garden, London. My 
 grandfather, Marcellus Lauron, was a native 
 of France, by profession a painter, and lived in 
 Holland many years. It never came to my 
 knowledge where he married, or of what coun- 
 try his wife was. At the Hague, he had several 
 children. My father's elder brother, as well 
 as my father, was a Painter, and remained in 
 Holland and died there ; his performances were 
 not greatly esteemed. My father came to Eng- 
 land a young man ; he died at the age of fifty- 
 three, at Richmond in Surrey, and was buried 
 there. He studied closely and made great im- 
 provements, and the impartial must allow him 
 a great degree of merit, as some portraits, and 
 
 * " Pliny mentions the city or town of Lauron, and such 
 a place is also mentioned by Plutarch. It was in Spain, 
 and was besieged and taken by Sertorius, in the sight 
 of Pompey." 
 
 VOL. II. S 
 
258 KOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 many easel-pieces, demonstrate. He married 
 an Englishwoman, the daughter of Jeremiah 
 Keene, Builder, of Little Sutton, near Chiswick, 
 and by her had many children. We were three 
 sons left, brought up by him to painting, and 
 my father gave us other necessary learning 
 and accomplishments ; we had French-masters, 
 learned writing, arithmetic, fencing, and dan- 
 cing. He entertained in his house a very good 
 master of music, whose name was Moret, who 
 performed on several instruments, — with design, 
 as my father had a very good ear, to learn of him 
 to play on the six-stringed viol ; but my elder 
 brother, ten years old, took up the instrument, 
 and executing Moret's instructions better than 
 my father, he ordered him to teach my brother. 
 We had frequent concerts of music at our 
 house. I was then about seven or eight years of 
 age, and was judged to have an inclination to 
 music, by being often found scraping on a fid- 
 dle in some private place. I was then put under 
 Moret's discipline, to learn to play on the vioHn. 
 We both made such progress, that in about two 
 years we could perform a livre ouverte. 
 
 " We still went on with our painting. I 
 was about eighteen years of age, when the Con- 
 gress met at Ryswick. My father was willing 
 that I should see foreign parts, and I was made 
 
LAROON. 
 
 259 
 
 one of the six pages to Sir Joseph Williamson, 
 one of the English Plenipotentiaries. Mr. De 
 la Faye was then his Secretary. We set sail 
 for Helvoet Sluys, in company with a great 
 number of ships ; we were surprised by a violent 
 storm, which lasted three days, in a very dan- 
 gerous situation ; the wind blowing into land ; 
 we were near the coast of Holland and at an- 
 chor ; but the storm abating, we got safe on 
 shore. We went to the Hague, where Sir Joseph 
 resided till the peace was concluded. About 
 the time of signing the peace, the Earl of Man- 
 chester (then sent Ambassador to the Vene- 
 tians) passed through the Hague. My father 
 had taken measures to place me with the Earl, 
 and I was made his page. We were one and 
 twenty in family, almost all EngHsh. Mr. 
 Siangan was then with us as Secretary to the 
 Embassy. 
 
 " We passed through Cleves to Cologne, 
 where we all embarked on board' two large ves- 
 sels (fastened together, with all our baggage) 
 on the Rhine, and were drawn against that 
 strong stream by a great number of horses to 
 Frankfort, from whence my Lord and all his 
 suite travelled in different voitures by Inspruk, 
 and through the Tyrol mountains to Muran ; 
 from whence we were transported in proper 
 
 s 2 
 
260 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 vessels to Venice. My Lord's residence was 
 in a large palace upon Canal Regio ; he made 
 his entry in very magnificent gondolas, two 
 whereof were very richly carved, gilt, and or- 
 namented. We stayed at Venice about four 
 months, in which time I was at their operas, 
 and saw all that was usually shown to strangers. 
 My Lord then set out on his return to England. 
 We went from Venice to Padua, and passed on 
 to Verona, Vicenza, Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, 
 so to Turin, where we stayed three days ; then 
 we passed over Mount Cenis in very severe 
 weather; went by Montmellian, Verceil, and 
 embarked on the rapid river Rhone, and came 
 to Lyons ; from thence to Paris, where we stay- 
 ed some time, and from thence to Calais, where 
 we embarked, and landed safe in England. I 
 then returned to my father's house. The whole 
 expedition was in the compass of a year. 
 
 " As my father's circumstances were not such 
 as would enable him to give us fortunes, we 
 were obliged to learn to earn a living : we then 
 went on in painting ; but a quarrel I had with 
 my younger brother, (for we were three,) which 
 I thought unjustly supported on his side by 
 my father, made me resolve to leave him. 
 Having some knowledge in music, I threw 
 myself on the theatre in Drury-lane, about the 
 
LAROON, 
 
 261 
 
 year 1698, where I continued, not as an actor, 
 but a singer, for about two years. I grew 
 weary of that manner of life, left it, and re- 
 turned to painting, which I practised till the 
 year 1707, when I got acquainted with Colonel 
 Gorsuch, commandant of the battalion of Foot 
 Guards, then upon service in Flanders, in which 
 I resolved to carry arms. I was so happy as to 
 have for my friend Colonel Molesworth, aid-de- 
 camp to the Duke of Marlborough : with him I 
 had the favour to pass the sea in the yacht 
 with the Duke, to whom I was introduced on 
 board. We arrived safe in Holland. 
 
 " I then joined the battalion of Guards, with 
 Colonel Gorsuch, and did sometimes duty in 
 the regiment as a cadet ; and we took the field. 
 That campaign we had neither battle or siege : 
 the enemy, as it was rumoured, had formed a 
 design to attack the Duke of Marlborough's 
 quarters, to carry him off in the night. His quar- 
 ters being some distance from the grand army, 
 and covered only by the battalion of Guards, the 
 out-guards and sentries were doubled, and a 
 sentry was to be placed at the door of the 
 Duke's bedchamber. I desired to have that 
 post, and chose not to be relieved the whole 
 night, which passed without any disturbance 
 from the enemy. 
 
262 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 " At the end of this campaign, the Duke of 
 Marlborough gave me a Lieutenant's commis- 
 sion in the Earl of Orkney's first battalion, and 
 I was sent to England to raise recruits. The 
 next spring, 1 returned to Flanders with ten 
 men : I served the campaign in 1708 ; and 
 at the battle of Oudenarde, our regiment 
 was ordered to dislodge the enemy, who had 
 posted themselves in some very strong inclo- 
 sures, and we pushed them out with small loss. 
 We had a Lieutenant killed, and a few men 
 wounded. Our battalion made part of the de- 
 tachment, of about six thousand men, under the 
 command of General Webb. At the battle of 
 Winnendall, two spent musket-balls struck me, 
 one on the forehead, another on the left arm, 
 which caused a contusion, which was a month 
 healing. The enemy were about twenty thou- 
 sand men ; but we had the advantage of woods 
 on each side, into which were ordered two re- 
 giments, whose fire did great execution on the 
 enemy's flanks. As night came on, they retired 
 with considerable loss ; and the convoy of pro- 
 visions and ammunition to finish the siege of 
 Lisle, got safe to our grand army. I was left 
 that night witli thirty men on the skirts of our 
 camp. At the siege of Ghent I had the ad- 
 vanced-guard at the opening of the trenches. 
 
LAROON. 
 
 263 
 
 The morning after the trench was completed, I 
 was in conversation with some of our officers 
 and some of the battaUon of Guards : it being a 
 very thick fog, one of the town came and fired 
 among us, and shot me through the shoulder, 
 and the next day I was sent to Brussels. In 
 the campaign 1709, I served at the siege of 
 Tournay, and had the advanced-guard at the 
 opening the trenches; served in the trenches 
 the whole siege, several duties on battering- 
 pieces, and bomb-batteries. 
 
 " The latter end of 1709, I came to London. 
 Mr. Craggs desired me to go to Spain with 
 him and General Stanhope, who commanded 
 the EngHsh forces then in Spain. I quitted 
 my commission in Lord Orkney's regiment, 
 and attended General Stanhope to Spain. I 
 and Mr. Craggs's Secretary went post from 
 Utrecht through Germany to Genoa ; we stay- 
 ed at Genoa fifteen days, and then General 
 Stanhope, Mr. Craggs, and all the servants, bag- 
 gage, &c. went on board a man of war, accom- 
 panied by another, and sailed to Barcelona, and 
 I immediately took the field. The beginning 
 of the summer 1710, having no commission, 
 General Stanhope made me Deputy-quarter- 
 master-general of the Enghsh troops, in which 
 employment I served the whole campaign. 
 
264 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 "The enemy, whose army was superior to ours, 
 marched to Balaquer, where we were encamp- 
 ed. Marechal Staremberg drew up our troops 
 upon some hills, and posted the army advan- 
 tageously. At the foot of the eminence was 
 an old, demolished fort, where he had placed a 
 good detachment, and a battery of cannon. The 
 enemy came on in two lines upon an open 
 plain, and the battery from an old fort played 
 upon them with success. The hills were not 
 so difficult of ascent as to hinder the horse of 
 both armies from gaining the top, where their 
 cavalry and ours faced each other for two hours • 
 Colonel Borgard had planted a battery, from 
 which he fired with great slaughter among the 
 Spanish horse, who stood it with incredible 
 resolution for a considerable time. The enemy, 
 finding us in good posture to receive them, de- 
 clined the attack, and marched away. 
 
 " Some time after, happened the battle of 
 Almenara. Upon our march, we saw the enemy 
 advancing very fast to get possession of a high 
 hill. We marched with all expedition also, and 
 were met on the height of the mountain, upon 
 a plain scarce wide enough to draw up our foot 
 in two lines. The horse on both sides advanced 
 in two lines ; General Stanhope, turning to our 
 men, cried out, " In the name of God we will 
 
LAROON. 
 
 265 
 
 beat them !" and charged the enemy with great 
 resolution, broke through, and routed them en- 
 tirely ; many were driven, horse and man, down 
 the precipice ; and had not night come on, their 
 army would have suffered greatly : unhappily, 
 one of our batteries playing mistook Count 
 Hassan's regiment for the enemy, and by a 
 shot. Count Hassan, a cornet, and a dragoon 
 were killed. 
 
 " At the battle of Saragosa, as I had no com- 
 mission, I desired to go on a volunteer with 
 Colonel du Bourgay's regiment of foot, then 
 commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Burgess, to 
 whom I applied. He made me a compliment, 
 and lent me his own fusee, bayonet, and car- 
 touch-box. We lay on our arms all night. I 
 was placed on the right of the grenadiers ; our 
 regiment was in the front line. Upon the dis- 
 charge of a piece of artillery, which was the 
 sign for advancing towards the enemy, we 
 marched forward to meet them, they, at the 
 same time, advancing to meet us. We marched 
 upon a rising ground, and did not see the ene- 
 my till we were within twenty yards of him. 
 We had orders to receive their fire, and accord- 
 ingly went on with our arms recovered ; but, 
 being so near, it obliged one side to begin, which 
 they did, and gave us their full discharge, but 
 
266 NOLI-EKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 did not kill many of our men, for most of their 
 shot went over our heads, and killed more in 
 Dormer's regiment, which was in our rear. We 
 then levelled at them, and sent a well-directed 
 discharge among them, which broke their ranks, 
 and they fled. We pursued them with great 
 slaughter a great way, and took about five or 
 six thousand prisoners. We were then masters 
 of Saragosa. 
 
 " From thence we marched to Madrid, and 
 stayed some time ; and from thence eight or 
 nine regiments of dragoons, Harvey's horse, and 
 a battalion of the Scotch Guards, marched to 
 Brihuega, under the command of General Stan- 
 hope, all which regiments were very weak by 
 battles, sickness, and desertion. 
 
 " While we were at Madrid, not having in- 
 telligence, being in an enemy's country, we 
 were surprised and encompassed by the French 
 and Spanish forces ; General Stanhope imme- 
 diately sent Captain Cansby (one of his aid-de- 
 camps) to Marechal Staremberg, with an ac- 
 count of our situation. The enemy began to 
 fire from several batteries of cannon, and with 
 ease beat down an old Moorish wall of no 
 strength. Our men were all dismounted, and 
 defended bravely at the breach. The Scotch 
 Guards suffered much ; but notwithstanding the 
 
LAROON. 
 
 267 
 
 whole power of the enemy, if our men had not 
 been scanty of ammunition, they had not en- 
 tered the place. As we suspected no army 
 near us, that article had been neglected. 
 
 " During the preparations for our defence, 
 General Stanhope, General Carpenter, Colonel 
 Dormer, &c. &c. &c. from a tower, were viewing 
 their approaches : General Stanhope had order- 
 ed a parapet to be made for our men to fire 
 over ; he saw that it was not high enough, and 
 sent me with his orders to have it raised higher. 
 I had no way to go down to the officers but 
 through the gateway, and down the side of a 
 hill, quite exposed to the enemy ; which I did, 
 but received no hurt, though a good number of 
 shot were levelled at me. I delivered the or- 
 ders, and returned the same way, through 
 the same fire, to the General, with the answer 
 of the officer, that his orders should be obeyed ; 
 but it not being immediately done, I was a 
 second time sent, and, by great good fortune, 
 escaped many more shot that was discharged 
 at me. 
 
 " The Marshal not coming to our relief, the 
 enemy having entered some parts of the town. 
 General Stanhope ordered the chamade ; and 
 capitulated, that the generals and all the officers 
 should keep their own equipages, but the troops 
 
268 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 to surrender prisoners of war, and give up all 
 their horses and arms. Accordingly we march- 
 ed out prisoners ; General Stanhope and some 
 officers were sent to Valladolid, and the troops 
 were dispersed to different towns. 
 
 " King Philip (who, after the battle of Sara- 
 gosa, was on his way towards France,) return- 
 ed to Saragosa, where the Court was kept. 
 The Duke of Vendome, who commanded the 
 troops, was also there. General Stanhope was 
 sent for to Saragosa to treat upon the exchange 
 of the troops. The General went, attended by 
 Mr. Furly, his Secretary, Colonel Moyser, 
 Captain Killigrew, and myself. We stayed 
 there about a month, but nothing was con- 
 cluded ; and General Stanhope, with the same 
 suite and his servants, were sent to remain at 
 a town called Najera, upon the confines of Bis- 
 cay, where we remained, till we were ex- 
 changed : we were prisoners, with liberty to go 
 out where we pleased to divert ourselves, about 
 twenty months. 
 
 *' As soon as released, we passed by Pam- 
 peluna, over the Pyrenean Mountains, and came 
 to Pau in Bearne, where Henry the Fourth of 
 France was born. Here we stayed till the rati- 
 fication of the exchange of the prisoners was 
 completed; this was in the year 1712. We 
 
LAROON. 
 
 269 
 
 went from thence to Bordeaux, where at that 
 time the Marechal de Montrevil was Governor. 
 General Stanhope and his suite were invited to 
 dine with him; his entertainment was very- 
 noble. From Bordeaux, we travelled to Paris ; 
 myself and Captain Killigrew went post to 
 Paris, and from thence to Calais, and passed 
 the sea to Dover, and returned to London.* 
 
 " In the year 1715, when the Bebellion be- 
 gan in the North, several new regiments of 
 dragoons were raised ; Colonel William Stan- 
 hope (now Earl of Harrington) had one, in 
 which I was made Captain-lieutenant ; the regi- 
 ment was completed at Leicester, and we were 
 ordered to march to Lancashire. Our regiment 
 only was at Lancaster. When the rebels ad- 
 vanced towards us, we retired to Preston, and 
 from thence to Wigan, where General Wills 
 joined us with several regiments of dragoons, 
 and Colonel Preston's regiment of foot. We 
 then marched towards the enemy, and met him 
 in the road between Preston and Wigan. 
 They had a design of turning off towards Man- 
 chester, but finding us so near them, retired 
 with some precipitation to Preston, (without 
 
 * " At the latter end of the campaign 1710, General Stan- 
 hope made me Lieutenant of Dragoons^ which regiment was 
 afterwards broke." 
 
270 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 defending Kibble Bridge,) and barricaded the 
 avenues ; all the dragoons were dismounted, and 
 the horses were linked together and put into 
 the adjacent fields with a sufficient number 
 of men to take care of them. General Wills 
 then invested the place, and sent to Liverpool 
 for two or three pieces of cannon to force the 
 barricades. In the interim, he ordered an at- 
 tack to be made by Preston's regiment and a 
 good body of dragoons, but with bad success ; 
 they being quite exposed, and the enemy firing 
 from behind the barricades, and from windows, 
 and other holes under cover. They were 
 obliged to retire with great loss. General Car- 
 penter, with four regiments of dragoons, then 
 joined us, and the enemy surrendered. A court- 
 martial sat, and two or three of their officers 
 were commanded to be shot, which was exe- 
 cuted on two of them. Lord Murray, son to 
 the Duke of Athol, was recommended to his 
 Majesty for mercy ; the King was graciously 
 pleased to pardon him ; the rest of the prisoners 
 were sent to London. 
 
 " When this affair was over, Colonel Stan- 
 hope and Colonel Newton, with their regiments, 
 were ordered to march to Scotland, to join the 
 forces there commanded by the Duke of Ar- 
 gyle. Our regiment went to Glasgow, and 
 
LAllOON. 
 
 271 
 
 afterwards joined Lord Cadogan and the army 
 at Stirling, and marched, in very hard wea- 
 ther, towards the enemy. The Chevalier de 
 St. George was with him; he did not stay to 
 give battle, but embarked and went off to 
 Montrose. 
 
 " Their army then dispersed, and oiir's were 
 sent to different quarters ; but some time after, 
 some clans were again in arms, upon which a 
 sufficient number of troops were sent into the 
 Highlands, and about five hundred dragoons. 
 We marched by Badenoch, to the Blair of 
 Athol ; from thence to Inverness, where we en- 
 camped. The clans being dispersed, we march- 
 ed towards Edinburgh, and Colonel Stanhope's 
 regiment w^as quartered at Inerask, and Mus- 
 selburgh. From thence to Dumfries, where we 
 remained some time ; then marched to England, 
 and were quartered at York and the neighbour- 
 ing towns. The Colonel's troop was quartered 
 at Tadcaster. Our Lieutenant-colonel disposed 
 of his commission to our Major Manning. Cap- 
 tain Gardiner had the majority, and I had 
 the troop. The regiment broke in a short time 
 after. 
 
 " I continued on the half-pay about eight 
 years. Lord Cadogan got me the King's sign- 
 manual, for the first troop of dragoons that 
 
272 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 should become vacant in any of the regiments 
 then in Great Britain. I was disappointed of 
 two. In the year 1724, his Majesty gave me 
 a troop in Brigadier Kerr's dragoons, in which 
 station I served till the year 1732. Major Stew- 
 art, of the same regiment, having no troops, was 
 allowed by the King a pay of a troop till he 
 was provided for. I made over my troops to 
 him, and his Majesty was graciously pleased to 
 give me the pay of Captain of a troop, as was 
 before received by Major Stewart. 
 
 " Marcellus Laroon." 
 
 This veteran died at York, June 2nd, 1772, 
 in his ninety-third year. His family were fre- 
 quently mentioned by Mr. NoUekens, as one of 
 the most eccentric with whom his father and mo- 
 ther had been intimate. Mr. Welch observed, 
 that whenever Captain Laroon was named by 
 Henry Fielding, he said, " I consider him and 
 his friend Captain JMontague, and their constant 
 companion. Little Cazey, the Link-boy, as the 
 three most troublesome and difficult to ma- 
 nage of all my Bow-street visitors." The por- 
 traits of these three heroes are introduced in 
 Boitard's rare print of " The Coven t-garden 
 Morning Frolic." Captain Laroon is brandish- 
 ing an artichoke ; Captain Montague is seated 
 
LAROON. 
 
 in a drunken state, at the top of Bet Careless's 
 sedan ; which is preceded by " Little Cazey," as 
 a link-boy ; of whom there is also another por- 
 trait, in the character of Captain Macheath, be- 
 tween two women, as Polly and Lucy: but 
 this plate is by no means so rare as that first 
 mentioned. Cazey was transported for steaUng 
 a gentleman's gold watch. 
 
 There are the remains of a curiously-gilt fold- 
 ing-screen in the great room of Hornsey-Wood 
 House, most beautifully painted by Captain 
 Laroon ; upon which two of the figures are 
 particularly spirited and full of broad humour, 
 and represent a Quack Doctor and his Merry- 
 Andrew, claiming the attention of, and amus- 
 ing, the surrounding gaping and credulous 
 spectators. 
 
 Captain Laroon was Deputy-chairman, un- 
 der Sir Robert Walpole, of a club, consisting of 
 six gentlemen only, who met at stated times in 
 the drawing-room of Scott, the Marine-pain- 
 ter, in Henrietta-street, Covent-garden ; and it 
 was unanimously agreed by the members, that 
 they should be attended by Scott's wife only, 
 who was a remarkably witty woman. Captain 
 Laroon made a most beautiful drawing of the 
 Members of this club in conversation, of which 
 I was allowed to make a tracing when it was in 
 
 VOL. II. T 
 
274 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the possession of my late worthy friend James 
 Deacon, Esq. of James-street, Pimlico ; who 
 also had a remarkably fine portrait in oils of 
 his father, painted by Captain Laroon, under 
 whom he had studied the art of painting as an 
 amateur.* 
 
 * Mr. Deacon held a situation in the Excise Office, with 
 his friend Charles Rogers, when that gentleman was pre- 
 paring his work, published in 1778, in two volumes, entitled, 
 " A Collection of Prints in Imitation of Drawings," &c. ; for 
 which Mr. Deacon engraved two wood-blocks. The first is a 
 Combat of Lions, after a drawing by Luca Cambiaso, which 
 he executed in 1763 ; and the second is of a Ciborio, or Pyx, 
 for holding the Host, from a drawing by Carlo Maratti ; which 
 bears the date of 1765. Mr. Deacon assured me that he ac- 
 tually cut the whole of the two above engravings entirely 
 with a penknife ; and they were executed on Pear-tree, on 
 the side way of the grain. 
 
 Mr. Deacon's father succeeded Zincke, the famous En- 
 ameller, in his house in Covent-garden, and lost his life by a 
 jail fever, which he caught at the Old Bailey, in May 1750, 
 at the trial of Captain Clarke, when sixty-four persons lost 
 their lives ; of whom were Sir S. Pennant, Lord Mayor, Sir 
 Thomas Abney and Baron Clarke, Judges, and Sir Daniel 
 Lambert, Alderman. 
 
275 
 
 MACKLIN. 
 
 I RECOLLECT going to Covent-garden Thea- 
 tre to see Macklin take leave of the public. 
 Shy lock was the character he appeared in ; he 
 spoke very low, and was deficient several times ; 
 and at last, on his coming forward with a wish 
 to address the house, he could only utter, in a 
 tremulous voice, " My age, my age !" Upon 
 which simple and feeling appeal, the audience 
 encouraged him with reiterated plaudits. I 
 have seen in the possession of a theatrical friend, 
 a whole-length portrait of Macklin, in a High- 
 land dress, holding a dagger in his left hand, 
 entitled " Shylock turned Macbeth. Young 
 Vanity, inv. Old Envy, sculp." At the back of 
 this print, which is of a quarto size, a remark- 
 ably good likeness of that celebrated actor,* and 
 
 * Nollekens, by refusing to model a bust of Macklin, in- 
 i curred his bitterest displeasure. " Do I not see," demanded 
 I the Actor, " your bust of Garrick in every barber's shop- 
 window, as a block for wigs ?" — " No," answered Nollekens, 
 '« it is not my bust ; it 's Van Nost's. Mr. Garrick was al- 
 ways fond of patronising foreign artists : he employed Roubi- 
 liac to carve the figure of Shakspeare ; and he was frequently 
 sitting to Demar, the wax-modeller, who did hundreds of pro- 
 files of him. Zofi^ny and Loutherbourg he always recom- 
 mended, and he used to have them at his country-house." 
 
 T 2 
 
276 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 extremely rare, — for I know of no other impres- 
 sion, — some former possessor has made the fol- 
 lowing observations : 
 
 " Mr. Macklin, some short time before he 
 left tlie stage, thought himself capable of per- 
 forming Richard, Macbeth, and other of Shak- 
 speare's principal characters. He had been su- 
 perior in Shylock to almost any person who 
 had ever attempted it ; hut it certainly was too 
 late for him to attempt Macbeth, &c. Had he 
 been permitted to have proceeded without op- 
 position, the attempt would have died away of 
 itself; but opposition made him persist, though 
 he was at last obliged to give it up. No man 
 conceived the part better than Macklin; but 
 he was too old to carry his own ideas into exe- 
 cution. To commemorate this attempt of Mr. 
 Macklin's, many caricatures appeared, and this 
 among the number." 
 
 Within the last year of Macklin's life, I saw 
 him stand in Covent-garden, watching the 
 weight of some cherries, and heard him say, 
 " I will have my weight ; give me my weight.'' 
 It is a very remarkable fact, that when he 
 died, the persons who conducted his funeral 
 differed widely as to his age; and the coffin- 
 plate was, on that account, left blank, though 
 many persons had been applied to in order to 
 
MACKLIN. 
 
 277 
 
 ascertain the period of his birth. My amiable 
 friend, the late Thomas Grignon, attended the 
 funeral, and just as the men were lowering the 
 coffin into the vault, a letter, containing a copy 
 of the register of his birth, was put into the 
 hand of the chief-mourner, who immediately 
 took out his pen-knife, and scratched upon the 
 blank space 107. The following is a copy of 
 the inscription upon the monument erected 
 to his memory on the south wall, within the 
 church of St. Paul, Covent-garden, where he 
 was buried. 
 
 " Sacred to the Memory 
 Of Chakles Macklin, Comedian. 
 
 This Tablet is erected 
 (With the aid of Public Patronage) 
 By his affectionate widow, Elizabeth Macklin. 
 Obiit 11th July, 1797, eetatis 107. 
 
 Macklin ! the Father of the modern Stage, 
 Renown'd alike for Talents and for Age, 
 Whose Years a Century and longer ran, 
 Who liv'd and died ' as might become a Man,'^ — 
 This lasting tribute to thy worth receive, 
 'Tis all a grateful public now can give ; 
 Their loudest plaudits now no more can move ; 
 Yet hear thy Widow's ' still small voice ' of Love." 
 
278 
 
 PATTERSON, the Auctioneer. 
 
 In my boyish days, I was much noticed by 
 that walking-library, Samuel Patterson, when 
 he was an Auctioneer, and residing in King- 
 street, Covent-garden, after he had left his 
 rooms in Essex-street, in the Strand, formerly 
 the residence of Sir Orlando Bridgeman.* Pat- 
 terson was originally a Stay-maker ; he was a 
 most amiable man, and the best book-catalogue- 
 maker of his time. He was the earliest auction- 
 eer who sold books singly in lots ; the first bid- 
 ding for which was six-pence, the advance three- 
 
 * The late Mr. John Nichols favoured me with the follow- 
 ing card, which may now be considered as a great rarity. 
 
 " Mr. Patterson, at Essex-House, in Essex-street, in the 
 Strand, purposes to set out for the Netherlands, about the 
 middle of the month of May, and will undertake to execute 
 commissions of all sorts, literary or commercial, in any part 
 of Flanders, Brabant, or the United Provinces, with the 
 utmost attention and integrity, upon reasonable terms. 
 
 " Neither is it incompatible with his plan, to take charge 
 of a young gentleman, who is desirous of improving by travel ; 
 or to be the conductor and interpreter of any nobleman or man 
 of fortune, in that, or a longer tour, during the summer and 
 autumn vacation from his usual business. 
 
 To be spoke with every day, at Essex-House aforesaid- 
 " 27th March, 1775." 
 
PATTERSON. 
 
 279 
 
 pence each bidding, until five shillings were offer- 
 ed, when it rose to sixpence ; and by this man- 
 ner of disposing of property, no book was over- 
 looked. 
 
 Mr. Patterson's reading was so extensive, 
 that I firmly believe he had read most of the 
 works he offered for sale in the English lan- 
 guage ; and I was induced to believe so from the 
 following circumstance. I happened to be with 
 him one evening, after three cart-loads of books 
 had been brought into the auction-room, to be 
 catalogued for sale ; when, upon his taking up 
 one, which he declared to me he had never 
 seen, he called to the boy who attended him to 
 bring another candle and throw some coals 
 upon the fire, observing, that he meant to sit 
 up to read it. I have also frequently known 
 him, on the days of sale, call the attention of 
 the bidders to some book with which he con- 
 sidered that collectors were but little acquaint- 
 ed. In one instance, he addi'essed himself to 
 Dr. Lort nearly in the following words. " Dr. 
 Lort, permit me to draw your attention to this 
 little book. It contains, at page 47, a very 
 curious anecdote respecting Sir Edmondbury 
 Godfrey, of which I was not aware until I 
 read it during the time I was making my cata- 
 logue." I recollect two shillings had been of- 
 
280 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 fered for the book before he addressed the Doc- 
 tor, who requested to see it, and, as he turned 
 over the leaves, a three-penny bidding being 
 nodded by him, induced Dr. Gosset, who sat 
 opposite, also to request a sight of it ; another 
 nod was the consequence, and the biddings for 
 this book, which might at first have been 
 knocked down for a few shillings, increased to 
 the sum of one pound five. Mr. Patterson had 
 rather an impediment in his speech, which ren- 
 dered him incapable of pronouncing every word 
 with equal correctness ; but, notwithstanding, 
 his excellent judgment and extensive reading 
 were so great, that he delivered in his auction- 
 room a series of Lectures upon Shakspeare's 
 Plays, to which he admitted me gratis. They 
 were very well attended; George Steevens, 
 Edmund Malone, and Barry the Painter, bemg 
 among the auditors. 
 
 Mr. George Keate has observed, that a man 
 of business should not indulge in much read- 
 ing, if he wish to make money ; and it was cer- 
 tain, that Patterson gave up too much of his 
 time to the contents of his books, without look- 
 ing to the amount of his gains : indeed, so httle 
 did he profit by his occupation as an auctioneer, 
 that he was at length glad to become the Li- 
 brarian of the first Marquess of Lansdowne, 
 
PATTERSON. 
 
 281 
 
 with whom he remained until death deprived 
 him of his patron, at which time the Hbrary 
 was sold, and poor Patterson discharged. He 
 was an honourable and industrious man, and 
 subsequently supported himself by now and 
 then making book-catalogues. His friendship 
 for me knew no abatement ; and I had the pain- 
 ful duty of attending his funeral from Norton- 
 street, together with his old friends, Walker, 
 the Teacher of Elocution ; Mortimer, the Au- 
 thor of " Every Man his own Broker ;" Wal- 
 dron, well known as a collector of materials for 
 the Life of Ben Jonson ; John Ireland, who was 
 then preparing his Anecdotes of Hogarth; James 
 Pearson, the celebrated Glass-stainer, who mar- 
 ried Patterson's daughter JNIargaret, (lately de- 
 ceased) ; and Patterson's two sons, the youngest 
 of whom was Samuel, Dr. Johnson's godson, in 
 whose favour he wrote the letter to Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, given in Boswell's Life of Johnson. 
 
 Upon our arrival at the church-yard of St. 
 Paul, Covent-garden, it was discovered that 
 the vault, which had been made for Patterson's 
 wife, was at least six inches too short for his 
 own coffin ; we were, therefore, under the pain- 
 ful necessity of seeing the funeral ceremony 
 performed above-ground, in order that the cler- 
 gyman might not be detained ; and the corpse 
 
282 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 actually remained uninterred until a bricklayer 
 could enlarge the vault for its reception.* 
 
 Upon Patterson's leaving his Auction- room 
 in King-street, it was taken by the triumvirate, 
 King, Collins, and Chapman, who held it for 
 the sale of books and prints, but occasionally 
 let it out for an evening ; and it was here that 
 the veteran Collins gave what he called his 
 " Evening Brush," consisting principally of 
 anecdotes of persons who had left this world 
 before the birth of three-fourths of his audi- 
 ence. But what renders this room far more 
 memorable is, that it was under this roof 
 that Charles Dibdin commenced his *' London 
 Amusement;"! and here his pathetic and po- 
 pular song of " Poor Jack," was often encored : 
 a song of itself sufficient to immortaUze its 
 
 * I am shocked to state, that this is not a solitary in- 
 stance of inattention to measurement of graves ; since, as a 
 mourner, I also witnessed another at the interment of the 
 Rev. James Bean, late of the British Museum. 
 
 f Miss Welch, when she could not prevail on her sister, 
 Mrs. NoUekens, to accompany her, was generally seen seated 
 in the middle of Dibdin's room, attended by James Barry, the 
 Painter ; with whom she would now and then walk to the Ca- 
 tholic Chapel. She was often heard to speak of Barry with 
 more than common kindness, though she considered his con- 
 duct at times not altogether justifiable, particularly when he 
 was rude to Mr. West, a man whom she respected above most 
 of her acquaintance. 
 
PATTERSON. 
 
 283 
 
 author. This delightful composition was in such 
 requisition, that for months the printers could 
 not produce it fast enough ; and Dibdin actually 
 hired a stall, which then stood close to the 
 corner of the Piazza in Russell-street, such as 
 was formerly called a " by-stander," and similar 
 to those erected in front of the Royal Exchange 
 for the sale of newspapers, being large enough 
 for Wood, his man, to stand in to deliver out 
 the songs. The crowd and scramble to get 
 them, even wet from the press, was such, that I 
 have seen persons fight for their turn; while 
 others were glad to get out of the mob without 
 their change, congratulating themselves upon 
 the possession of "Poor Tom Bowling," or 
 " Poll and my Partner Joe." 
 
284 
 
 CUSSANS. 
 
 William Cussans, or Curzons, a native of 
 Barbadoes, who lived upon an income allowed 
 him by his family, was a most eccentric fellow, 
 perfectly good-tempered, and particularly well 
 known in Covent-garden and its vicinity. Mr. 
 Yerrel, my informant, knew him well. Cus- 
 sans once hired himself as potman, under Paddy 
 Moore, at the north-west corner of Russell- 
 street, in Covent-garden ; where he fined the 
 beer, served it out, and collected in the pots, re- 
 ceiving the half-pence people thought proper to 
 give him ; these he put by, and upon his depar- 
 ture, at the expiration of his stipulated time, he 
 distributed them amongst the servants of the 
 house. During this and several other whims, 
 he never was known to smile, nor would he at- 
 tend to any thing but the business in which he 
 was engaged. He once went as a coal-heaver 
 for a month, and whatever he said he would do, 
 he steadfastly performed. He made an excel- 
 lent chimney-sweeper at the masquerades at the 
 Pantheon and the Opera-house ; and was author 
 of the popular song of Robinson Crusoe, though, 
 since his death, it has been claimed by several 
 other persons. One of the verses runs thus : 
 
CUSSANS. 
 
 285 
 
 " He got all the wood 
 That ever he could^ 
 
 And he stuck it together with glue so ; 
 He made him a hut, 
 And in it he put 
 
 The carcase of Robinson Crusoe." 
 
 One evening, when walking in the Temple- 
 gardens, he accosted three ladies, by asking 
 them if they ever saw a man swim ; " No," 
 said one, " nor do we wish to see such a sight." 
 " But you shall," said he, and immediately 
 jumped into the water with his clothes on ; 
 upon which they were alarmed, and he, after 
 some time swimming about, upon coming to 
 shore, made them a most elegant bow, and 
 though in his dripping state, was recognized as 
 the eccentric Mr. Cussans. He then joined his 
 friends at Jemmy Yerrel's, at the " Saluta- 
 tion,"* in Tavistock-street, and commenced his 
 nightly quantum of wine : he would sometimes 
 take eight pints at a sitting without being the 
 least intoxicated. Cussans subsequently went 
 to Barbadoes, where he stayed about three years, 
 after which, on his return to England, he died. 
 
 * The old sign of tlie Salutation, at the corner of Tavis- 
 tock-court, Tavistock-street, was pulled down by Mr. Yerrel, 
 the landlord ; who informed me that it consisted of two gen- 
 tlemen saluting each other, dressed with flowing wigs and 
 square pockets, large enough to hold folio books, and swords 
 at their sides, being the dress of the time when the sign was 
 put up, which is supposed to have been about 1707, that being 
 the date on a stone at the Covent-garden end of the Court. 
 
286 
 
 OPIE. 
 
 Opie, or Oppy, as his name was pronounced 
 in Cornwall, was a native of Truro, and certain- 
 ly owed his success in the commencement of 
 his career to Dr. Wolcott, then practising as a 
 physician at Foy ; who compassionately took 
 him as a lad to clean knives, feed the dog, &c. 
 purposely to skreen him from the beating his fa- 
 ther would now and then give him for chalking 
 the saw-pit all over with stars, which were at that 
 time known under the denomination of " Duke 
 Williams." Oppy, for so we must for the pre- 
 sent call him, always stayed a long time when 
 he went to the slaughter-house for paunches for 
 the dog ; at last, the Doctor was so wonderfully 
 pleased by John's bringing home an astonishing 
 likeness of his friend, the carcase-butcher, that 
 he condescended to sit to him, and the produc- 
 tion was equally surprising. The Doctor then 
 showed these specimens to his neighbours ; and 
 a friend of the name of Phillips, a gentleman 
 who possessed great taste in the Arts, wrote to 
 his brother George, the late Bookseller in 
 George-yard, Lombard-street, to send him co- 
 lours, pencils, and every other requisite for a 
 painter. This he accordingly did, and with 
 these, to the great astonishment of the inhabit- 
 
OPIE. 
 
 287 
 
 ants of Foy, Oppy painted a portrait of a par- 
 rot walking down his perch, so cleverly, that 
 the artist received the greatest compliments that 
 possibly could be paid to him, by all the parrots 
 in the town continuing to notice it whenever it 
 was presented to them. Dr. Wolcott assured 
 my father, that when he asked the lad how he 
 liked painting, his answer was " Better than 
 my bread and meat." 
 
 The Doctor, finding such genius in his boy 
 John, no longer employed him as his servant ; 
 but introduced him generally to his friends, 
 most of whom had their portraits painted by 
 him at seven-and-sixpence each ; and when the 
 Doctor came to London he brought Oppy with 
 him, who could then boast of having thirty 
 guineas in his pocket, which he had carefully 
 preserved. 
 
 Before John entered London, his friend the 
 Doctor, who had tried to place him with several 
 artists as their pupil, thinking the pronuncia- 
 tion of Oppy rather vulgar, and well knowing 
 the importance of first impressions, had sufficient 
 music in his squI to change it to Opie, a name 
 owned by an old Cornish family. By this name 
 he was introduced to Sir Joshua Reynolds, who 
 was so highly pleased with his performances, that 
 he gave him his advice for some time before he 
 was announced as " the wonderful Cornish ffe- 
 
288 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 nius." In the year 1782, he exhibited for the 
 first time at the Royal Academy. His picture 
 was an Old Man's Head, and certainly displayed 
 great talent. At this time he lived in Orange- 
 court, Leicester-fields, where he met with great 
 encouragement from the late Sir Richard and 
 Lady Hoare, the late Sir Merrick Burrell, the 
 Misses Wyatt, of East Grinstead, &c.* whose 
 portraits he was employed to paint for my la- 
 mented friend Richard Wyatt, Esq. of Milton- 
 place, Egham, the patron of Opie, and of many 
 other eminent artists, and from whom I received 
 the following anecdote. 
 
 Opie once painted a child asleep, over which 
 a ghastly assassin stood in the act of striking 
 it with a poniard; upon his showing his pa- 
 tron this performance, Mr, Wyatt exclaimed, 
 " Shocking ! shocking ! the child is so beau- 
 tiful, that even those who do not love children 
 would shudder at the idea." He therefore ad- 
 vised the Artist, who had painted it upon spe- 
 culation, to put out the villain, introduce a ve- 
 nerable old man, and call it " Age and Infancy." 
 This he did, and the picture immediately met 
 with a purchaser. 
 
 * Mr. Northcote informs me, that at the time Opie lived 
 in Orange-court, the adjoinring streets were thronged with 
 carriages, filled with the highest rank and beauty, to sit to 
 the Cornish wonder. 
 
OPIE. 
 
 289 
 
 Opie's appearance at this time was uncouth 
 in the extreme, and the manner in which he 
 sometimes conveyed his remarks to elegant 
 females was vulgar and coarse ; nor was his ad- 
 dress much improved by marriage. His first 
 wife was in no respect like his second ; in whom 
 he found an elegant friend, who took great 
 pleasure in his improvement, and in whatever 
 delighted or comforted him. After his mar- 
 riage with her, he lectured on Painting at the 
 Royal Institution; and his Lecture was not only 
 well received, but its delivery gave him confi- 
 dence, and enabled him to ascend the rostrum 
 of the Royal Academy ; in which he delivered 
 his ideas with a manly firmness, to the great sa- 
 tisfaction of the eminent members of that truly 
 national establishment : which at present holds, 
 and I trust ever will hold, a high superiority 
 over the boasted talents of all the foreign schools 
 and associations united. 
 
 It is a curious fact that Opie's picture of the 
 Right Honourable Charles James Fox was not 
 wholly painted from the life ; since Opie was 
 obliged, in consequence of the few sittings 
 which that minister could allow him, to borrow 
 Nollekens's bust to finish it from. 
 
 Dr. Wolcott, who certainly had been Opie's 
 great and earliest friend, was of late frequently 
 
 VOL. II. U 
 
290 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 heard to complain of his want of gratitude ; and 
 indeed Opie, who was never at a loss when the 
 retort-courteous was called for, has been often 
 known to observe, when any one spoke of the 
 Doctor, "Ay, in time you will know him." 
 Wolcott certainly was a very capricious and 
 irreligious man, and, I am sorry to say, like 
 other sordid persons, ridiculed his best friends 
 when they were not present to defend them- 
 selves. He said of Twiss, the Traveller, when 
 a friend praised him, " Yes, Sir, he is clever, but 
 his dealings are all in the small ware." To some 
 of the artists who had been civil to him, he 
 was fretful and uncertain. No man could have 
 been kinder to him than Mr. Bone, the cele- 
 brated Enameller, who has ever maintained a 
 station, not only pre-eminent in his Art, but 
 also as a husband, a father, and a friend ; yet 
 this gentleman he used extremely ill. The 
 Doctor had been intimate with Richard Wilson, 
 and became possessed of several beautiful little 
 pictures from the pencil of " Red-nosed Dick," 
 which now contribute so great a lustre to the 
 small, but well-chosen collection of modern 
 British art, made by that worthy son of Old 
 Drury, John Bannister. 
 
291 
 
 REYNOLDS. 
 
 Op all the various styles of engraving, Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds considered that of mezzo- 
 tinto as the best calculated to express a painter- 
 like feeling, particularly in portraits ; and I have 
 often heard him declare, that the productions of 
 M*Ardell would perpetuate his pictures when 
 their colours should be faded and forgotten. 
 Fortunate are those collectors who can boast of 
 proof-impressions from the portraits of Sir 
 Joshua; they of themselves form a brilliant 
 school of Art, not only for the grace displayed 
 in their attitudes, but also for the grandeur of 
 their chiaro-scuro, and for the delightful por- 
 tions of landscape with which many of them 
 are embelhshed, and which are not only highly 
 appropriate, but are often as rich as those of 
 Titian, Rubens, or Rembrandt. Mr. Nollekens 
 was in possession of a very good collection ; but 
 I believe that of Lord Braybrooke to be the 
 most complete as to the number and excellence 
 of its impressions. 
 
 As much of the interest of many of Sir 
 Joshua's pictures is annually lessened by the 
 fading of his colours, I am sure that the reader 
 will join me in congratulating the public upon 
 
 u 2 
 
292 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOllARIES. 
 
 the surest method of handing down to posterity 
 that great Artist's fascinating style of colouring, 
 by the correct copies which Mr. Bone, the Koy- 
 al Academician, has made of them in enamel. 
 That gentleman has favoured me with the fol- 
 lowing list of his copies, the dates of the years 
 in which they were painted, and the names of 
 their possessors. 
 
 Subjects. Possessors. 
 
 1793 Lord Heathfield . . Myself. (Mr. Bone) 
 
 1794 Sleeping Girl . . Doctor Wolcott. 
 
 1795 Boy Reading . . Doctor Wolcott and myself. 
 
 1796 Sir Joshua Reynolds . Colonel Thornton. 
 
 1797 Lord Eglintoun . . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 
 1798 John Hunter (Surgeon) Mrs. Hunter. 
 Girl and Kitten . . Mr. Gosling. 
 
 1801 Lady Caernarvon and") ^^^^^^ jj^^^^^^ 
 
 Lord Porchester j 
 ■ Mr. T. Tomkins, W.M. Mr. Tomkins. 
 
 1803 Lord Mansfield . . Lord Mansfield. 
 
 1804 Cupid and Psyche . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 Death of Dido . . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 
 f His R. H. the Price of Wales, 
 J"^^'^^ Reynolds ^ j^^^^^ Academy. 
 
 1806 Cymon and Iphigenia . His R.H. the Prince of Wales. 
 Marquess of Lansdown Lord Gardiner. 
 
 1807 Nymph and Cupid . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 Marquis of Lansdown . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 
 1808 Hope and Love . . His R. H. the Prince of Wales. 
 
 1809 The late Lady Dysart . Lord Dysart. 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds . Myself, {with Spectacles.) 
 
REYNOLDS. 
 
 293 
 
 Subjects. Possessors. 
 
 1810 Colina (Lady G. Fitz-U.^d Gardiner. 
 
 patrick) . . > 
 
 1811 Duke of Devonshire . Duchess of Devonshire. 
 Sylvia (Lady A. Fitz- ) j^^^^ Gardiner. 
 
 patrick) . . ) 
 1814 Laurence Sterne . Myself. 
 1817 St. John . . . Myself. 
 
 . Lady Baker . . Miss Baker. 
 
 1820 John Gawler, Esq. . Mr. Ker. 
 Hon. Caroline Gawler Ditto. 
 
 • ^^^^^^ ^'^•l I one picture. Ditto. 
 
 John B. Ker . > 
 
 1822 Countess of Dysart . Countess of Dysart. 
 
 Countess Powis . . Duke of Northumberland. 
 
 1824 John, fourth Duke of| ^^^^^ of Bedford. 
 
 Bedford . .> 
 
 ■ Marquess of Tavistock Ditto. 
 
 ■ Marchioness of Tavi- ) Ditto 
 
 stock . . .J 
 ] 825 Duchess of Gordon . Duchess of Bedford <a: myself. 
 1826 The King, (when 7 ^^^^^^ 
 
 Prince of Wales) J 
 
 The following anecdote, relating to a picture 
 by Reynolds, was communicated to me by the 
 Rev. Henry Crowe, Vicar of Buckingham. — 
 " The Marquess of Drogheda was painted in 
 early life by Sir Joshua Reynolds. The Mar- 
 quess shortly after went abroad, and remained 
 there between twenty or thirty years ; during 
 which time he ran into excesses, became bilious, 
 and returned to Ireland with a shattered con- 
 
294 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 stitution. He then found that the portrait and 
 original had faded together, and corresponded, 
 perhaps, as well as when first painted." 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds used great quantities of 
 snuff, and he would take it so freely when he 
 was painting, that it frequently inconvenienced 
 those sitters who were not addicted to it : so 
 that by sneezing they much deranged their po- 
 sitions, and often totally destroyed expressions 
 which might never return. Colonel Phillips 
 assured me, that during the time Sir Joshua 
 was engaged in painting the large picture of the 
 Marlborough Family at Blenheim, the Duchess 
 ordered a servant to bring a broom and to sweep 
 up Sir Joshua's snufF from the carpet ; but Sir 
 Joshua, who always withstood the fantastic 
 head-tossings of some of his sitters, by never 
 suffering any interruption to take place during 
 his application to his Art, when the man en- 
 tered the room, desired him to let the snuff re- 
 main till he had finished his picture, observing, 
 that the dust raised by the broom would do 
 much more injury to his picture than the snuff 
 could possibly do the carpet. 
 
 Samuel Rogers, Esq. Author of the " Plea- 
 sures of Memory," amidst an inestimable mass of 
 fine works of Art, possesses the following seven 
 most celebrated and perfect pictures from the 
 
REYNOLDS. 
 
 295 
 
 pencil of Sir Joshua Reynolds. The Straw- 
 berry Girl, the favourite picture of Sir Joshua ; 
 the Girl with a bird closed in her hands ; the 
 Sleeping Girl, given by Sir Joshua to Dr. Wol- 
 cott ; Cupid and Psyche ; Puck, painted for 
 Boydell's Shakspeare ; and two Landscapes : 
 one of which is the view Sir Joshua painted 
 from the window of his villa at Kichmond. 
 When I informed Mr. West of Mr. Rogers's 
 purchase of Puck, he exclaimed, " Sir ! that man 
 has taste, he runs away with all the fine things." 
 
 Henry Rogers, Esq. his brother at Highbury, 
 among other beautiful specimens of Art, is in 
 possession of Sir Joshua's first picture of the Girl 
 sitting for her portrait, in Lord Palmerston's 
 celebrated picture of the " Infant Academy ;" 
 and also that lovely picture of the Girl sketch- 
 ing from Nature. 
 
 I once heard Ramsay, the Painter, say, that 
 Lord Bute's leg was allowed to be the hand- 
 somest in England; and that whilst he was 
 standing to him for his whole-length portrait, 
 engraved by Ryland, his Lordship held up his 
 robes considerably above his right knee, so that 
 his leg should be entirely seen ; in which posi- 
 tion he remained for the space of an hour. And 
 it is a very remarkable fact, that the fore-finger 
 of the hand supporting the robe is pointing 
 
296 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 down the leg. When the Marquess of Rock- 
 ingham was standing to Sir Joshua Reynolds 
 for his whole-length portrait, engraved by Fish- 
 er, his Lordship asked the Painter if he had 
 not given a strut to the left leg ; " My Lord," 
 replied Sir Joshua," I wish to show a leg with 
 Ramsay's Lord Bute." 
 
 Jn January, 1803, Mr. NoUekens was flat- 
 tered by an application which he received from 
 Lord and Lady Thomond, who wished him, 
 above all other Sculptors, to execute a statue of 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, intended for St. Paul's 
 Cathedral. This proposition he, however, de- 
 clined, by stating that his avocations would not 
 allow him to undertake it, and that it would in- 
 terfere too much with a large monument which 
 he then had in hand to the memory of Mrs. 
 Coke, of Holkham. Mr. Flaxman was then ap- 
 plied to, and the statue was executed by him. 
 
 To the mutual honour of Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence, I cannot re- 
 frain from the temptation of inserting the fol- 
 lowing extract from an address delivered by the 
 latter President to the students of the Royal 
 Academy, on the evening of the 10th of Decem- 
 ber, 1823. Sir Thomas, in allusion to the ex- 
 hibition of Sir Joshua's pictures at the British 
 Institution, Pall Mall, said : 
 
REYNOLDS. 
 
 297 
 
 " With what increased splendour did that genius lately re- 
 appear amongst us ! Many of us remember, when, after long 
 absence, the great tragic Actress of our time returned for a 
 season to the stage, to correct the forgetfulness of taste, and 
 restore the dignity of her art : it was so with the return — the 
 recovered glories of Sir Joshua ! They who believed them- 
 selves best acquainted with his works, and entitled by their 
 knowledge to speak of them with enthusiasm, felt how much 
 of that knowledge they had forgotten ; how inadequate to 
 their merits was the praise they had bestowed. The preju- 
 dices, so injurious to modern Art, were gone. Time seemed 
 to have advanced the future with double speed, and, present- 
 ing Truth, invested her with new radiance ! The few remain- 
 ing competitors and scholars of this great Artist, saw him then 
 with the eyes of posterity, and beheld, in their own narrow 
 period, the sure stability of his fame. 
 
 " It is singular, that the judgment, the unpretending sense 
 and manly simplicity, so generally acknowledged to have 
 marked the character of Sir Joshua, should have been im- 
 pugned only on those opinions upon Art, which seem to have 
 been the most deliberately formed, and were enforced by him 
 with parental zeal, as his last remembrance to this Academy. 
 Sufficient proof of the sincerity of his admiration of Michel 
 Angelo, had previously existed in the actions of some of his 
 finest groups having been taken from him ; but we want no 
 other evidence of its truth, than his picture of Mrs. Siddons — 
 a work of the highest epic character, and indisputably the 
 finest female portrait in the world. 
 
 " The link that united him to Michel Angelo, was the sense 
 of ideal greatness; the noblest of all perceptions. It is this 
 sublimity of thought, that marks the first-rate genius ; this 
 impelling fancy, which has no-where its defined form, yet 
 every where its image ; and while pursuing excellence too 
 perfect to be attained, creates new beauty that cannot be sur- 
 
298 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 passed ! It belongs only to that finer sagacity, which sees the 
 essence of the beautiful or grand, divested of incongruous de- 
 tail ; and whose influence on the works of the great President 
 is equally apparent in the calm, firm Defender of the national 
 Rock, as in the dying Queen of Virgil, or the grandeur of the 
 Tragic Muse. 
 
 " To a mind so enlarged and liberal as. Sir Joshua's, who de- 
 cried not the value of an Art that gave the world its Shak- 
 speare, and in whose society, a Garrick and a Kemble lived 
 in grateful intercourse with Mr. Burke and Dr. Johnson, we 
 may well imagine how gratifying were the contemplation and 
 progress of that divine work ; and allowing much to antici- 
 pated fame, we may equally believe, that part of the noble 
 purpose was protection of the genius he admired ! to aflix to 
 passing excellence an imperishable name ; extend the justice 
 withheld by the limits of her art ; and in the beauty of that 
 unequalled countenance, fixed in the pale abstraction of some 
 lofty vision, whose ' bodiless creations' are crowding on her 
 view, and leave in suspended action the majestic form, to 
 verify the testimony of tradition, and by the mental grandeur 
 that invests her, record in resistless evidence the enchantment 
 of her power ! 
 
 " That the works. Gentlemen, of this illustrious man, should 
 have the strongest influence upon you, cannot be matter of 
 surprise : that the largest style of painting that perhaps is 
 known, should captivate the scholar as it has charmed the 
 teacher, is the most natural result that could have been pro- 
 duced in minds of sensibility and taste ; but let it not mislead 
 them. If they determine to make the labours of Sir Joshua 
 their example, let them first examine by what only means 
 their excellence was acquired. 
 
 His early pictures bear evidence of the utmost delicacy of 
 finishing ; the most careful imitation. That sensitiveness of 
 taste, which probably from boyhood he possessed, could never 
 
KEYNOLDS. 
 
 299 
 
 have permitted him to enter into the mean details of Denner ; 
 or content himself with the insipidity of Cornelius J ansen : 
 but in mere finishing he was inferior to neither ; and the his- 
 tory of the greatest masters is but one. Truth is the key of 
 Art, as Knowledge is of Power : within the portals you have 
 ample range, but each apartment must be opened by it. The 
 noblest work that perhaps was ever yet projected, the loftiest 
 in conception, and executed with as unequalled breadth,, is 
 the ceiling of Michael Angelo : the miniatures of J ulio Clovio, 
 are not more finished than his studies. 
 
 " On you. Gentlemen, who, with the candidates of this even- 
 ing, are entering on the first department of the Art, the con- 
 duct of Sir Joshua should act with treble force. Mr. Burke 
 says of him, ' In painting portraits, he appeared not to be 
 raised upon that platform, but to descend to it from a higher 
 sphere.' To that sphere let his example guide you, and it 
 will lead you to the highest : to Correggio, to Titian, to Raf- 
 faelle, to Michel Angelo ! To * those divine men, in whose 
 presence,' (to use his own language,) 'it is impossible to 
 think, or to invent in a mean manner ; and by the contem- 
 plation of whose works, a state of mind is acquired, that is 
 disposed to receive those ideas of art only, which relish of 
 grandeur or simplicity.' " 
 
 As a proof of the rapid increase in the value 
 of Sir Joshua's pictures, it may be stated, that 
 the compartments of the Oxford window, which 
 he painted for Jarvis to copy from, and which 
 Sir Joshua offered to a Nobleman for 300/. pro- 
 duced upwards of 12,000/. after his death. 
 
300 
 
 KEATE. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. NoUekens's old friend, George 
 Keate, Esq. was born at Trowbridge, in Wilt- 
 shire, November SO, 1730. Early in life he 
 went to Geneva, where he remained some years ; 
 and then he returned to England, when he was 
 articled to Palmer, the steward of the Duke 
 of Bedford, and became a Bencher of the 
 Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Mr. 
 Keate's knowledge of the Continent gave him 
 many superior advantages over those persons 
 with whom he associated. Rome was his residence 
 in 1755. He had passed the Alps with the re- 
 flecting eye of a poet, and was personally acquaint- 
 ed with Voltaire. Among his various poems 
 he wrote an epistle to Angelica Kauffmann. 
 
 His work entitled, " Sketches from Nature," 
 was certainly generally read ; bat of all his 
 writings, " The Pelew Islands" gained him the 
 greatest celebrity. Most of his publications 
 were printed by Boyer, though some were pub- 
 lished by Dodsley. His attainments were va- 
 rious, for he was a naturalist, a poet, an anti- 
 quary, and a draughtsman ; and was one of the 
 first Honorary Exhibitors in the Royal Aca- 
 demy upon its establishment. 
 
KEATE. 
 
 301 
 
 Mr. Keate died at his house, now No. 10, in 
 Charlotte-street, Bloomsbury, June 17th, 1797, 
 and was buried at Isleworth ; in which Church, 
 on the east wall of the chancel, there is a 
 small monument, with his likeness on a me- 
 dallion, sculptured by NoUekens. There is an 
 engraving of him by Sherwin, from a picture 
 painted by his intimate friend Plott, Nathaniel 
 Hone's pupil, prefixed to his " Sketches from 
 Nature."* 
 
 * The following is a list of Keate's works^ with their dates 
 of publication. 
 
 Ancient and Modern Rome, 1760. History and Laws of 
 Geneva, 1761. Epistle of Lady Jane Grey, 1762. The 
 Alps, 1763. Netley Abbey, 1764 ; enlarged, 1769. Poem 
 on Rome, 1765. The Temple Student ; an Epistle to a 
 Friend, 1765 ; in which, it has been supposed, he pourtrayed 
 himself. On Mrs. Gibber's Death, 1767- Ferney ; an Epis- 
 tle to Voltaire, 1769. Monument in Arcadia ; a Dramatic 
 Poem, in two parts, 1773, of which the idea was taken from 
 Poussin's picture of Arcadian Shepherds and Shepherdesses 
 contemplating a monument, inscribed, " Et iti Arcadia ego." 
 Sketches from Nature ; taken and coloured in a journey to 
 Margate, two volumes, published from the original design. 
 Poetical Works, in two volumes, 12mo. Epistle to Angelica 
 KaufFmann, 1781. The Distressed Poet, in three Cantos, 
 1787- Account of the Pelew Islands, 1788. In Vol. VI. of 
 the " Archseologia," are some observations by him on Roman 
 earthenware found in the sea on the Kentish coasts. He 
 also wrote Prologues and Epilogues for Mr. Newcome's 
 Scholars in Hackney ; complimentary verses in the European 
 Magazine, &c. 
 
302 
 
 DEARE. 
 
 Dr. Clarke, in Vol. V. page 24, of the 
 fourth edition of his Travels, speaking of Queen 
 Eleanor sucking the poison from King Edward's 
 arm, says, 
 
 " The tradition, however, which, after all, is not disproved 
 by the evidence Fuller *^ has adduced, has given rise to one of 
 the finest specimens of modern sculpture existing in the 
 world : and as it affords, perhaps, the only remaining proof of 
 the surprising abilities of an English artist, (snatched from 
 the pursuit of fame in the very opening of a career which 
 might have classed him with the best sculptors of Ancient 
 Greece,') the author considers it a patriotic duty to pay some 
 tribute to its merit, and, thereby, to the memory of its au- 
 thor, John Deare, who, at a very early period of life, at- 
 tained to a surprising degree of perfection in sculpture and 
 design. He died a few years ago, at Rome, at the very time 
 when the first proofs of his genius began to obtain the patron- 
 age necessary for its full development. The particular work 
 alluded to is a bas-relief, executed in the marble of Carrara. 
 It was purchased by Sir Corbet Corbet, an English Baronet, 
 and belongs now to his collection. 
 
 " This brief allusion to a young artist, who would have 
 been an honour to his country, is perhaps the only biographi- 
 cal document concerning him likely to be made public." 
 
 Had my honoured friend, the author of the 
 
 * Fuller's Historie of the Holie Warre, book iv, chap. 29, 
 p. 220. Camb. 1651. 
 
DEARE. 
 
 303 
 
 above, been aware of the existence of the fol- 
 lowing particulars relating to Deare, it would 
 have given him the greatest pleasure to have 
 found his last paragraph respecting our justly 
 lamented Sculptor useless. 
 
 John Deaiie was born at Liverpool, on the 
 18th of October, 1760. 
 
 The dawn of his genius gleamed early ; for 
 his inquisitive mind was seldom engaged in 
 casting of dumps, or bowling marbles through 
 the arches of a bridge, regarding such childish 
 amusements only as frivolities. 
 
 His leisure time was mostly occupied in con- 
 templating the forms and construction of things ; 
 and so extraordinary were his juvenile ta- 
 lents, that at the age of ten years he sedulously 
 studied from the skeleton of a full-grown per- 
 son, from which he made a copy in wood, 
 wholly cut out with his penknife. This curious 
 production, which alone would evince his early 
 talents, measures six inches and a half, and is 
 now most carefully preserved by Joseph, the 
 youngest son of his brother Edward. I have seen 
 it, and it is a most extraordinary piece of carv- 
 ing ; for, setting aside the youthful period in 
 which it was produced, and the very imperfect 
 instrument with which it was cut, the anatomy 
 is strictly correct, the ribs and double bones 
 
304 KOLLEKENS'S COKTEMFORARIES. 
 
 are most minutely perforated, and the limbs, 
 fingers, and toes, are connected by the slightest 
 ligaments left in the wood ; for in no instance 
 has it the assistance of wires. It is carved from 
 one piece of wood ; and so beautiful is this spe- 
 cimen of Deare's correctness of eye and per- 
 severance, that I can hardly think it was possi- 
 ble for him in his maturer age to have excelled 
 this juvenile production. He continued most 
 sedulously to amuse himself between school- 
 hours, by making drawings from the best prints 
 which his indulgent father could procure ; and 
 as nothing less than the most elevated subjects 
 engaged his attention, his mind became habi- 
 tually illuminated by studying the Forge of 
 Vulcan, the glittering Shield of Achilles, or the 
 Thunderbolt of Jupiter ; and when he has, in 
 his maturer years, described his feelings as a 
 lad, whenever the Siege of Troy was mentioned, 
 I have seen his nostrils expand, as if he had 
 been brandishing the mighty spear over tens of 
 thousands of Grecian warriors. 
 
 He was articled to Thomas Carter, of Picca- 
 dilly, then residing in a small house on the site 
 of No. 101; and at the age of sixteen he was 
 employed in carving ornaments for chimney- 
 pieces, in the exquisite performance of which 
 he astonished the oldest practitioners. But 
 
DEAllE, 
 
 305 
 
 Deare's ambition soared to the highest sphere, 
 and soon burst into envied notoriety by his at- 
 tention to the human figure and historical sub- 
 jects ; in which his natural abilities appeared so 
 pre-eminent, that on the 28th of November, 
 1780, he received the gold medal at the Royal 
 Academy, for a most beautiful model of Adam 
 and Eve, as described by Milton : and, what 
 was more extraordinary, he was at that time 
 only in his twentieth year, and the youngest 
 artist to whom that honour had ever been 
 awarded. John's eldest brother, Edward Deare, 
 Esq. and Joseph, the youngest of his amiable 
 nephews, have very kindly allowed me to make 
 the following extracts from a series of his letters, 
 written to his family at Liverpool ; and, as they 
 are arranged in strictly chronological order, the 
 reader will be able to keep pace with our truly 
 intellectual artist, from the time he was placed 
 with Carter to the hour of his death at Rome. 
 
 To his Father, dated London, May 1st, 1776. 
 
 " One of the men bid me tell you, that Mr. Carter would 
 give me half-a-guineaj at least, a week, for the first part of 
 my time, and fifteen shillings for the latter part ; but you 
 will write to him, and ask him what he proposes : he is, 
 just as they say, a blustering fellow, but a good man. I have 
 seen two men hanged, and one with his breast cut open at 
 Surgeons' Hall. The other being a fine subject, they took 
 
 VOL. II. X 
 
306 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 him to the Royal Academy, and covered him with plaster of 
 Paris, after they had put him in the position of the Dying 
 Gladiator. In this Hall there are some casts from Nature that 
 are cut from the middle of the forehead down to the lower part 
 of the body, one part excoriated, and the other whole." 
 
 To the same, dated London, June 3rd, 1776. 
 " Nollekens got most of his money by buying and selling 
 antiques. Van Gildar, who cut that large figure in our shop, 
 and is considered one of the best hands in London at foliage, 
 was seven years in saving a thousand pounds, by keeping men 
 at work at his own house, while he got two guineas a week at 
 Mr. Carter's ; he has now set up for himself." (In Riding- 
 house Lane.) 
 
 To the same, dated 24th March, 1777- 
 " In my last, I promised you a description of the Royal Aca- 
 demy. It is in Somerset-house, Strand, formerly a palace. 
 There is one large room for the Plaster Academy ; one for the 
 Life, where two men sit two hours each night, by turns, every 
 week ; a large room; in which Lectures are given every Mon- 
 day night, by Dr. Hunter on Anatomy, Wale on Perspective, 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds on Painting, and Thomas Sandby on 
 Architecture ; and, among many other apartments, there is a 
 choice Library. The plaster figures are placed on pedestals, 
 that run on castors." 
 
 To the same, dated London, PJth May, 1777. 
 " One of the men recommended his Doctor to me, and the 
 clerk sets down the time ; Carter gave me no more than for 
 the time I had worked, and I asked him for no more ; for, 
 like most others, touch his pocket and you touch his heart. 
 We are on good terms, and I will go through the course of the 
 antiques, of men, women, and children. Michel Angelo, at 
 ten years of age, said he improved every day." 
 
DEARE. 
 
 307 
 
 To the same, dated March 23rd, 177^. 
 ** When Mr. Ralph called on me, I was working upon a 
 monument for General Burgoyne's Lady, to be put up in the 
 Abbey ; which has got me into great credit with Carter." 
 
 To the same, dated London, Nov. 28th, 1780. 
 
 [This year our young artist was employed, in his over- 
 hours, in producing a model for the Gold Medal, offered as a 
 premium for the best historical design.] 
 
 " There are two others oppose me ; the German that work- 
 ed at our shop formerly (you remember him) is one,* the other 
 has much more merit, and they are both as old and big again as 
 I am. The fifteenth of this month the German and I attend at 
 the Royal Academy, as customary, to make a proof sketch, in 
 clay, in five hours ; the painters go likewise, but they have not 
 the same subject. There are several put into a cup, the 
 Painters take first, the Sculptors next ; so that we do not 
 know, till we get there, what story we have to design. 
 
 " The German has shamefully lost it, both in large model 
 and sketch. He that I was afraid of was ill, and could not 
 
 * The name of this German Sculptor was Ecstein ; he de- 
 signed and carved the two figures and basso-relievo in Towns- 
 end's monument, erected by Carter, on the south wall of 
 Westminster Abbey. It is a very extraordinary fact, that 
 the late Mr. Flaxman said, he would give something to be in 
 possession of the name of the artist who designed and exe- 
 cuted the sculptured parts of this monument, which he con- 
 sidered as one of the finest specimens of Art in the Abbey. 
 NoUekens, whenever this monument was mentioned, declared 
 it to be a beautiful production ; at the same time observing, 
 that Tom Carter always had a clever fellow with him to pro- 
 duce his work. 
 
 X 2 
 
308 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 then attend, but will make his sketch this week. I have re- 
 ceived the most intoxicating compliments from every body ; I 
 am told I shall beat them : and I also hear that my youth is 
 against me, for, if they give it me, it will make me conceited 
 and neglect my studies." 
 
 To the same, dated London, Dec. 13th, 1780. 
 ** I have carried my point, and suppose my antagonists 
 never were beaten so shamefully before ; the rooms rang with 
 the compliments of my well-wishers. The President, Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, standing up, declared the medal adjudged 
 to the model marked E, the production of Mr. John Deare. 
 The Secretary calling John Deare, I bustled through some 
 hundreds of persons, and received it from the hand of Sir 
 Joshua.* The successful candidates stood before him and 
 the Council till he had finished his Lecture ; we were then 
 dispersed. I am to return the medal, when I please, to have 
 my name engraven round its edge. The models and paint- 
 ings remain at the Academy, until they are carried to Buck- 
 ingham-house for the inspection of the King and Queen." 
 
 To the same, dated London, Sept. 24th, 1781. 
 
 " I beg of you, for my sake, not to part with that Devil, but 
 keep him in the family whilst you live ; then, either Joe or 
 Ned," (two of his brothers) " should they survive, have ability 
 and taste enough to think it a gem."t 
 
 * The subject of this model was from the Fourth Book of 
 Milton's Paradise Lost, when the Angels surprise Satan in 
 the bower of Eve at her ear. 
 
 f This head of the Devil is an admirable specimen of our 
 Sculptor's feeling, and was actually modelled from his own 
 features, distorted into his conception of the character he had 
 
DEARE. 
 
 30^ 
 
 To the same, dated London, June 16th, 1783. 
 
 " As for Carter, I do him a job when he has it to do ; the 
 last was a rich tablet for a chimney-piece, I worked it task for 
 twenty-four guineas. It is a custom with him to make large 
 promises to young fellows, by which means he has gained 
 grease to keep his carriage going." 
 
 To the same, dated July 19th, 1783. 
 
 " I told you of a tablet which I worked for Carter, (a task 
 job,) and so well have I done it, that I have had almost all the 
 carvers in London to come and see it. It has pleased Carter 
 so, that he is going to have another worked, although we dis- 
 agree about the price, for he wanted to quirk me out of four 
 guineas ; but I told him I would not go on with it unless he 
 would deal as a gentleman with me, well knowing he could 
 get nobody else to finish it in the same style, which he thought 
 
 proper to do. 1 have had a good deal of modelling to do, 
 
 and am promised more. By this you will see that I have 
 been very lucky lately ; and I find the amazing advantage of 
 keeping up my consequence, for they don't dream of bring- 
 ing me twopenny-halfpenny jobs. I have made a resolution 
 lately of being very saving, for the purpose of furnishing 
 apartments of my own to launch out more in style, to be able 
 
 worked his mind up to ; — like Garrick, who threw his face 
 into so strong a likeness of Henry Fielding, that, when he put 
 on a wig which had been worn by him, Hogarth, who was in 
 want of his likeness for a bookseller, drew that excellent head 
 which has been handed to us as a genuine portrait of the 
 great Novelist. Little did Deare think, when he expressed 
 a wish that this head of the Devil should remain in the fa- 
 mily, that a nephew of his would be born to possess it, and 
 one whose abilities have enabled him to receive a similar gold 
 medal in the same Royal Academy. 
 
310 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 to introduce a gentleman to see my collection ; for at present 
 I have but one room, and that so filled with curiosities, that 
 
 they must either stand or sit on the bed. 1 can please 
 
 your public spirit, by telling you how much I am talked of 
 among the Sculptors, and those who know me. The Sculp- 
 tors allow me to be the first young fellow in the kingdom, and 
 sometimes come with a model, for me to do them the very 
 great favour of giving it a touch. Next year I mean to shine 
 forth in the Exhibition, but this will be a great expense to 
 me. I have been trying lately to get the Prince of Wales 
 
 to sit to me, but he is very busy. 1 keep company with 
 
 none but gentlemen here; you will probably laugh; but 
 this 'twixt you and me, for it would appear vanity to any 
 body else." 
 
 To the same, dated London, August 16th, 1783. 
 Since I worked Carter's tablet, I have had seven guineas 
 and a half worth of modelling to do ; and last Thursday I got 
 a job from a Proctor in the Commons, that came to twenty- 
 two guineas modelling, it is to be cast in plaster, painted, and 
 put into the pediment of his country-house at Hounslow. He 
 is rich, a man of good taste, and of consequence among the 
 citizens, so that should I please him I may naturally expect 
 his interest. I made a drawing some time ago of a Spanish 
 nobleman's arms, and it is gone to Spain for his inspection ; 
 as soon as we get an answer, that will be a job of eight or 
 ten guineas for me : it is a very rich piece of work, three feet 
 high, in brass, gold, and jewellery. I shall model the figures 
 which they cast in brass. Only think of their sending from 
 Spain to have such a thing done !" 
 
 To the same, dated London, Sept. 15th, 1783. 
 " I have left Carter for some time, but am on the best 
 terms of friendship with him. Last week but one, I model- 
 
DEABE. 
 
 311 
 
 led a figure of Cupid, three feet three inches high, for Mr. 
 Cheere ; and whilst I was there, Mr. Bacon came after me, 
 and wanted me to model him some figures for a monument, 
 which I agreed to do, at the rate of two guineas per week, hut 
 I would not tie myself down to any length of time. This 
 you must think no small honour, for the first man in the 
 kingdom in sculpture to come after me himself. With Bacon 
 all my wits must be at work." 
 
 At this time, Deare's applications to his art 
 were so incessant, that wherever he lodged, the 
 good housewife was in perpetual anxiety as to 
 his candles; as his hours of study were not 
 confined to those usually occupied, and gene- 
 rally denominated regular. He seldom was 
 known to sleep till after the hour of three ; and I 
 have of a morning frequently seen ten or twelve 
 designs, which had been made between the 
 time he reached home from the theatre, and a 
 late period of night. He drew with precision 
 and clearness of outline, and his dexterity was 
 beyond behef. His choice of subjects, which 
 at that time was too much neglected by artists, 
 was from those contained in Shakspeare's solilo- 
 quies, an author with whom he was so delight- 
 ed, that he rarely allowed an evening to pass 
 when his plays were performed, without his 
 attendance : and to indulge in this most edify- 
 ing of all theatrical representations, he has ac- 
 knowledged to me, when we were leaving the 
 
312 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 theatre, that he frequently went without his 
 dinner. 
 
 Deare was an excellent anatomist, and paid 
 particular attention to the workings of the hu* 
 man features in their expressions of the various 
 passions ; but more particularly to those of 
 malefactors, as they approached the gallows, and 
 when they arrived at it. He once prevailed 
 upon a relative of an executed criminal, to whom 
 the care of the body had been consigned, to 
 allow him the loan of his head for a night ; and 
 he actually cut it off, and conveyed it to the 
 back wash-house of a work-shop belonging to 
 Mr. Cheere, the leaden figure-maker, then living 
 next door to his master Carter's : where he re- 
 solved, by the connivance of the keeper of the 
 yard, to sit up to mould it at midnight. After 
 he had finished his task, he carried the head to 
 the sink, and whilst he was pumping upon it to 
 clear the clotted hair from some bits of plaster, 
 he had so filled the head with water and relaxed 
 its muscles, that the jaws opened. Deare was 
 not at all frightened at this natural consequence, 
 but he was most seriously alarmed when an 
 immense and fierce yard-dog, who had heard 
 the working of the pump, commenced barking : 
 go out he durst not, so there he remained, after 
 putting out iiis light, till the workmen arrived 
 
DEARE. 
 
 313 
 
 in the morning. The cast of this head I saw 
 the next day, and the character was truly terrific. 
 
 He modelled four basso-relievos of the Sea- 
 sons, measuring two feet eight inches long, by 
 eight inches high, each consisting of eight 
 naked boys, variously employed, according to 
 the season they were designed to represent, 
 being intended as tablets for chimney-pieces, 
 and executed with the greatest rapidity ; and 
 though they are certainly by far the most in- 
 ferior of Deare's productions, yet they are above 
 the generality of things of their kind ; for, at 
 that time, England could not boast of an artist 
 to compare with Fiamingo in any way. Sartij 
 of Greek-street, is in possession of Summer and 
 Autumn, two of the moulds of the above basso- 
 relievos ; and I may likewise add, that Sarti is 
 also in possession of the moulds of fifty-two va^ 
 rieties of Fiamingo's children. Gainsborough's 
 friend, Collins, of Tothill-fields, was indeed the 
 most famous modeller of chimney-tablets, of his 
 day, but his figures were mostly clothed, and 
 exhibited pastoral scenes, which were under* 
 stood by the most common observer ; such, for 
 instance, as a shepherd's boy eating his dinner 
 under an old stump of a tree, with his dog beg- 
 ging before him ; shepherds and shepherdesses 
 seated upon a bank, surrounded by their flocks ; 
 
314 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 anglers, reapers, &;c. — as may be seen in nume- 
 rous chimney-pieces, executed in the early part 
 of the last century, and which are still to be 
 found in houses erected about that time. 
 
 Deare also modelled two oval basso-relievos, 
 measuring sixteen inches by fourteen, in his 
 best manner ; particularly the one of Cupid and 
 Psyche, a cast of which is in the possession of 
 Baily the Sculptor. The figures are so beau- 
 tiful, that our students would do well to follow 
 the practice of their superiors, and study them 
 as works of the most tasteful art. 
 
 Let us now resume the series of our artist's 
 letters. 
 
 To his Father, dated London^, Dec. 8th, 1783. 
 " I left Bacon soon after I wrote to you, and am astonished 
 at my own prosperity ; one job comes in before I can finish 
 the other. I have now fifty or sixty pounds worth of model- 
 ling to do, beforehand ; and this week I got a chimney-piece, 
 of sixty guineas value, to do for a gentleman of Manchester." 
 
 To the same, dated London, June 27th, 1784. 
 The job I was going to put up in the country, was a 
 bas-relief in plaster of Paris, oiled and painted, twenty-one 
 feet long, for a pediment of a gentleman's house, which his 
 father had purchased from the Duke of Argyle. I have 
 pleased him vastly with it : the subject is the Giants war ; 
 the figures as large as life. I thought it would introduce 
 something else, for I have since sold him ten guineas worth of 
 models, and we are treating about a chimney-piece. You 
 
DEARE. 
 
 315 
 
 would be pleased to see how I am respected ; although there 
 are numbers of workmen about the house, only I and my man 
 
 are suffered to fish in the pond. You, perhaps, would be 
 
 wicked enough to laugh, were you to see me ring the bell, 
 and desire the servant to bring me a bottle of wine out of my 
 vault, where you would likewise see a chaldron of coals. 
 Don't you think I have some merit in doing this so soon V 
 
 To the same, dated London, Dec. 14th, 1784. 
 " I have given in my name as one who wishes to go to 
 Italy, as the Academy intend sending one out next summer ; 
 
 but I find I cannot have an answer till after Christmas. 
 
 The students are sent out for three years, with an allowance 
 of sixty pounds per annum, and sixty pounds to take and 
 bring them back." 
 
 To the same, dated London, May 15th, 1785. 
 " This morning I breakfasted with Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 who introduces me by letter to Sir Horace Mann, our Consul 
 at Florence ; where I shall remain till the rains in September 
 come on, and when the hot weather at Rome is over. I have 
 just parted from my company, who are enjoying themselves in 
 the next room, on purpose to write to you. It is now nine 
 
 o'clock at night, and we set off at five for Dover. 1 have 
 
 been so busy that I have been obliged to work all this day." 
 
 To the same, dated Paris, May 25th, 1785. 
 " To-day I went to the Combat des Animaux Terocts, or 
 place where they fight all sorts of beasts against one another. 
 I saw six battles between mastiffs and bull-dogs ; one between 
 an ass and a bull-dog ; one between a wolf and a mastiff ; one 
 between a bear and dogs ; ditto between a horse and an ass, 
 with fireworks on their backs, and several large dogs ; ditto 
 
316 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 bear and mastiff ; and lastly, a display of firework, with an' 
 English boule douge, as they spell it, who fastens to one of 
 the fireworks and hangs an amazing time, swinging by his 
 mouth amongst fire, twenty feet from the ground, until they 
 take him down." 
 
 To the same, Rome, date torn off. 
 " You will wonder at this letter being dated Rome, when 
 I told you I should pass the summer at Florence ; but the 
 rain and mild spring made me hurry to Rome. I took notice 
 of a little child with a black thing round its head, to keep it 
 
 from harm in falling.* 1 live in the Corso, which is the 
 
 principal street in Rome. The middling and poor people of 
 
 Italy dress their hair still in the antique manner, in circular 
 plaits, fastened at the back of the head with a bodkin ; they 
 all wear veils of difi^erent sorts, which have a pretty eflTect. 
 
 15th, arrived at Bologna, in the Pope's territories, a fine 
 
 city : here I saw the statue of Neptune, by John di Bologna, 
 in the principal square, reckoned his best work. I saw the 
 Specolo, or Museum, in which is the wonderful collection of 
 natural curiosities, collected by Aldrovandus ; the rooms are 
 
 finely painted by Tibbaldi, the master of the Carracci. 
 
 I saw in the Zampieri Palace, three pictures painted in fresco, 
 on the ceiling, by the three Carracci in competition ; several 
 fine ones by Guide ; two fine groups of boys by Algardi, the 
 
 famous Sculptor. In the quarries about Sienna, they reckon 
 
 there are thirty-two different sorts of marbles. Saint 
 
 Peter's is a fine building, but I don't like the outside so well 
 as Saint Paul's, London ; but the inside is covered with mar- 
 ble, mosaic, pictures, and fine monuments. I stared to see 
 one of the Queen of Great Britain, France, and Ireland ; 
 
 * This was similar to those called puddings, noticed by M r. 
 Nollekens in the first volume of the present work. 
 
DEARE. 
 
 317 
 
 and, on inquiry, found it to be the wife of the late Pretender, 
 who was daughter of John Sobieski, the famous King of 
 Poland." 
 
 To the same, Rome, date torn off. 
 
 " Rome is supposed to contain about 160,000 people, with 
 very little trade or business amongst them, and a great deal 
 of laziness, which the climate seems to produce ; here indo- 
 lence, or repose, itself is a luxury, but in England we must 
 have good cheer added to repose before it amounts to luxury, 
 so that the beggars here are very numerous and comfortable. 
 Many of the nobility are very rich, and their palaces large 
 and splendid beyond conception, and some of their galleries 
 are filled with an astonishing collection of first-rate pictures, 
 and others with sculptures ; but this is nothing when com- 
 pared to the ruins of the antique. On the outside of modern 
 Rome is the Palatine Hill, which was formerly covered 
 entirely by the Imperial Palace, but at present it is a vine- 
 yard, with a few of the antique vaults and subterraneous 
 passages, and on the top a great number of fragments of capi- 
 tals, friezes, and cornices, admirably worked, which declare 
 its ancient grandeur. There are likewise the Baths of Livia ; 
 I could not see them the day I was there, but when I do, 
 will give you an account of them. A little farther is the 
 Colosseum, or Amphitheatre of Titus ; it is so large and 
 grand, that I don't know how to describe it ; but I and an 
 English architect climbed up to the top of it, and I will give 
 you an account of the view from it as well as I can. A view 
 from the top to the inside fills the mind beyond any thing 
 that words can express ; it is an oval, and open at the top, 
 with three galleries or passages round it, and over these pas- 
 sages are rows of seats, descending from the outside wall 
 down to the centre, so that the bottom row of seats is on the 
 dens of wild beasts which run round the pit or platform, 
 
.S]8 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 where the beasts and gladiators used to perform. In one of 
 the best situations, we took notice of a small room that had 
 been stuccoed and elegantly ornamented, which I suppose was 
 for the umpire and his attendants ; the workmanship is equal- 
 ly excellent as great. Titus, after he had conquered Jerusa- 
 lem, brought over great numbers of captives, and 20,000 Jews 
 worked at this for a great number of years. In the beginning 
 of Christianity, many Christians were martyred here by wild 
 beasts, or other cruelties, for the diversion of the Romans, 
 which occasioned it to be consecrated (I believe) to All Saints ; 
 however, there are fourteen altars and pictures round it, at 
 each of which they sing a prayer every evening with children, 
 women, and pilgrims assisting, which sounds divinely in so 
 large an oval space, confined by large stone walls ; and this 
 music is ancient, and of that melancholy turn, which, added to 
 the serene sky, gives a charming enthusiasm. On the out- 
 side of it is a small circular building, which I have heard was a 
 fountain or bath for the gladiators, after they had done exer- 
 cising ; and about ten yards farther is the Arch of ConstaAtine, 
 which is composed of the ruins of Trajan's Arch. — —If you 
 look out of Rome, you see it surrounded with beautiful views 
 of the Apennine mountains, on the sides of which the an- 
 cient Romans used to have their villas or summer retreats. 
 You distinguish Albano, Frescati, and Tivoli, with views of 
 the Mediterranean in a clear day. At Tivoli, the Emperor 
 Adrian had a villa, which is mentioned in history ^s one of 
 the greatest curiosities that ever was seen, and replete with 
 every thing rare in art. Here the antiquaries have been 
 digging for some time, and with various success ; but history 
 relates, that, when Christianity was getting the better of 
 Paganism, they declared war against their gods, and ac- 
 cordingly mutilated all their statues, and threw them into 
 rivers and ponds. An antiquary, on examining the ground. 
 
DEARE. 
 
 319 
 
 thought that there was an appearance of there having been a 
 pond there anciently, so set about digging, and accordingly 
 found vast treasures in sculpture, and some other things. All the 
 statues and busts of their gods were mutilated^ but not those 
 
 of the Emperors and great men, for they had not time. 
 
 On going along the streets, I observed, every ten or fifteen feet, 
 pieces of antique columns sticking out of the ground, which 
 serve as our posts or stops, of all sizes and sorts : when I con- 
 sider the vast quantity of these, and that all the modern build- 
 ings have antique columns, and those chiefly granite, it throws 
 me into such commiserating reveries, that I become low- 
 spirited in the cause. Then in the Capitol and Vatican 
 are some curiosities of large columns in Oriental, and other 
 valuable marbles and alabaster. I shall just mention the 
 Pantheon, built by Agrippa ; it is a prodigious circular build- 
 ing, with a dome at the top, and portico with granite columns 
 before ; and the inside of this is equally grand and simple, 
 and now consecrated to modern Saints, instead of all the 
 gods. But as to these general things, almost every history 
 mentions them." 
 
 To the same, dated Rome, 7th Nov. 1785. 
 
 " Please to make my compliments to Mr. Holland, and 
 likewise those of his old friend Mr. Robinson, who wishes to 
 know if he is married ; tell him that we live on the same floor 
 
 in a palace, and that B is much improved indeed. 1 
 
 have finished the large work I was about, but have been un- 
 successful in the moulding ; however, I have gained great 
 credit, if I am not monstrously flattered. I have put it by 
 to repair the plaster, till I have done Mr. Blundell's model, 
 which I am now about, and must send to the next Exhibi- 
 tion, or perhaps I may lose my pension ; for I received a letter 
 a long time ago, stating that, if I did not do that, it would 
 
320 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOIIAIIIES. 
 
 be stopped.* In the Library is the finest collection of 
 
 Mannscripts existing. There I saw the famous manuscript 
 Virgil, with illustrations, or drawings in water-colours, and 
 several letters of Henry VIII. In this Library, is the finest 
 collection of Etruscan vases in Europe, with a vast number 
 of antique curiosities." 
 
 To his Father, dated Rome, May 1st, 1786. 
 
 " Mr. Blundell called on me here, and I dined with him 
 several times. He gave me a commission to model him some- 
 
 * My worthy friend, Rossi, the Academician, has favoured 
 me with a letter sent to him when at Rome with Mr, Deare' 
 of which the following is a copy. 
 
 " Royal Academy, Somerset-place, 
 London, 10th Nov. 1785. 
 " Sir ; — I communicated Mr. Deare's letter to the Coun- 
 cil, informing me of the safe arrival of yourself and him at 
 Rome, on 2nd July last. 
 
 " By order of the Council, I am directed to send you the 
 following orders. That the Academicians may be satisfied of 
 your attention and industry, and that they may see what pro- 
 gress you make in your studies, you are ordered to send home 
 annually a performance for the Exhibition ; beginning with 
 that which will be in the year 1787- This if you neglect to 
 do, I am ordered to acquaint you that your salary will be no 
 longer continued. 
 
 "You are desired to notify to the Council (by letter di- 
 rected to me) your acquiescence with these orders. 
 
 " J am. Sir, your most humble Servant, 
 P. M. Newton, R.A. Sec. 
 " P. S. I hope this will find you enjoying your health. 
 Accept my best wishes. 
 
 " Mr. Charles Rossi." 
 
DEARE. 
 
 321 
 
 thing to the value of twenty guineas. All boys of com- 
 mon sense or virtue find the loss of home by leaving it. 
 
 I was introduced to my Lord Bristol, who called on me and 
 offered me ten pounds per annum in addition to my pension, 
 which, I politely refused, as it was such a trifle ; and as I 
 thought he did it only to afllront the King and Academicians, 
 
 as he is an ex-ministerial man. A little way out of 
 
 Rome is the Fountain of the Nymph Egeria, with good part 
 of the brickwork still remaining, where Numa used to con- 
 sult the nymph. Here the country people meet every J\Jay 
 morning and drink the water, and bring something with 
 them to eat and make merry. This is one of the great num- 
 ber of ancient Roman customs the modern Italians have, 
 which has been handed down ever since the time of Numa, 
 who constituted a festival on every May-day, in honour of 
 the nymph," 
 
 To his Father, dated Rome, 1786. 
 
 " I am now very busy about a large bas-relief, eleven feet 
 by five, which I am ordered to send to the Exhibition of 
 1787. The subject is the Judgment of Jupiter, when Juno, 
 Venus, and Minerva, appeal to him to know who deserves the 
 golden apple, with the inscription " Let it be given to the 
 fairest." Discord is flying off^, who had thrown in the apple 
 amongst the Gods, because they had forgot to invite her to the 
 general feast on account of the marriage of Thetis, the sea- 
 goddess, to Peleus. Jupiter points to earth, and sends them 
 with Mercury to be judged by Paris, who gives it to Venus, 
 which occasions the Trojan war. Behind the throne of 
 Jupiter are the three Fates, in great agitation, pointing to 
 Thetis and Peleus, who were the parents of Achilles. By 
 their agitation, I suppose them to be telling that war would 
 be the consequence of the decision ; and by their pointing to 
 Thetis and Peleus, that their son would be a principal agent 
 
 VOL. II. Y 
 
322 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 in the Trojan war. Hercules, Mars, Neptune, &c. attend- 
 ing. In all, about thirty figures." 
 
 To his Brother Joseph, dated Rome, June 27th, 1788. 
 
 " My doubt about coming home was, and is, owing to the 
 uncertainty of the arrival of a piece of stone from the quar- 
 ries of Carrara ; on which I am to work my large bas-relief 
 for Sir Richard Worseley, Bart.- for which I am to have 
 470/. The moment I am certain of this, I shall either stay 
 a little longer to finish this, or come home immediately. 
 
 You will hardly believe me, when I tell you that I have 
 had the desperate resolution to learn to dance since I have 
 been here, which I have often regretted I neglected to do when 
 I was younger and had more philosophy. You would laugh 
 if vou could see me on a Sunday night dancing among the 
 Roman ladies, with all the airs and graces of the Italians. 
 
 The 24th of this month my three years expired, which 
 have been a severe apprenticeship to me. I assure you I 
 never worked so hard in my life. I have laboured like a 
 giant to pick up information and execution in my art. I 
 mention this to encourage you not to sicken with labour and 
 knowledge, till you are a leading man in your line, let it be 
 what it may. Don't lose an hour without picking up infor- 
 mation ; keep your mind awake to knowledge till it becomes 
 a habit, and of course a pleasure ; and you will rejoice twenty 
 years hence, when you will become more indifferent about 
 every thing." 
 
 To his Father, dated Rome, May 15th, 1789. 
 
 ' "I have been from day to day expecting the marble for 
 Sir Richard Worseley's bas-relief; and I was determined 
 not to write till it arrived, that I might the better explain 
 my situation to you, which is, that the marble arrived two 
 days ago, and is paid for, which cost me or him 427 crowns." 
 
DEAKE. 
 
 323 
 
 To the same, Avithout date. 
 " I am afraid you will think I put off writing for no other 
 purpose than to gain time to find an excuse : first then^ on 
 the 20th of February, I received 50/. more from Sir Richard 
 Worseley, Bart, which has at the same time confirmed the 
 commission and enabled me to go on; secondly, I received 
 commissions to the amount of 270/. from the Earl of Bristol, 
 who had given a great many commissions besides to the dif- 
 ferent artists here ; and just as we all expected orders on his 
 banker, his Lordship suddenly (as usual) left Rome without 
 giving any one orders; however, I am told he is gone to 
 Venice to settle or adjust all the commissions he has given 
 here, and will send us orders on his banker from Venice, by 
 a person he has taken with him for that purpose, and when 
 he does, I will not fail to let you know. I expect two other 
 little things to the amount of 90/, in a week or two ; I have 
 got the best study in Rome, and am doing very well." 
 
 To his Brother Joseph, dated Rome, July 13th, 1791. 
 " As to my marrying here, 'tis true that I am very fond of 
 
 a clever little Roman girl, who is at least my equal. 
 
 I have been so extremely fortunate this last winter, in getting 
 commissions to execute in marble, that I have near 1200/. 
 worth of work to do. I have received a great deal of money, 
 with which I have purchased a good quantity of marble, 
 which I mean to turn into gold as quickly as possible. 
 
 I have several men at work for me, and a boy who acts 
 as my servant. I have the best study in Rome, and live like 
 a gentleman ; keep a handsome saddle-horse to ride out on of 
 
 an evening after I am tired of application. Since I wrote 
 
 you last, Mr. Penn (the descendant of the celebrated Pen- 
 sylvania Penn) took me to Naples in his own carriage, to see 
 an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the antiquities in and 
 about Naples, which are so wonderful, that I dare not at- 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 tempt any description of them. I have 470/. worth of work 
 to do for him." 
 
 To the same, dated Rome, May 19th, 1792. 
 " All the English travellers have left Rome now, except 
 the Duke of Manchester, Lady E. Monck, and Lady Hat- 
 ton, with whom I have been to Tivoli for two days on a 
 party of pleasure, and with Sir Robert Waller, Bart, who 
 rode my horse (I might have said my grey stallion, as I am 
 talking large). I have sold a basso-relievo I had finished for 
 120/. to Sir Corbet Corbet, Bart. This is a part of the marble 
 I told you in my last I intended turning into gold. I have 
 a small group of Adam and Eve to execute in marble for a 
 Mr. Boehm, of London, for which I am to have 250/. ; and a 
 small basso-relievo of Bacchus for Mr. Poore, for 45/.; and 
 with these and several other little things I have received 
 commissions to the amount of 537/- this winter. I can say 
 now, what I never could say before, that I am worth several 
 
 hundred pounds. We Romans enjoy the appearance of 
 
 religion and the reality of art. We have a subscription 
 
 paper once a week from London, for us artists ; but I observe 
 that all articles from Rome are either false or wrong : no 
 monument has been executed here for Collins the poet." 
 
 To the same, dated Rome, July 11th, 1795. 
 " I shall give you little account of myself, excepting that 
 I have been very fortunate, having sold three rich chimney- 
 pieces to the Prince of Wales; and one to the Earl of Bristol. 
 I am now executing the bust of his Royal Highness Augus- 
 tus Frederick, the King's fifth son, who is now here, and 
 another of Lady Webster. I believe that I told you I was 
 copying the Apollo Belvidere * and the Venus de' Medici, 
 the size of the originals, in marble, for Lord Berwick." 
 
 For this statue of Apollo, Lord Berwick paid Deare 700/. 
 
DEARE. 
 
 325 
 
 To his Father. 
 
 " I have my Edward and Eleanor to execute in marble, 
 for which I have 100/. I have modelled the bust (size of 
 life, or little larger) of Madame Martinville, a Lancashire 
 lady born, and one of the Dickensons, who, I understood, are, 
 or have been, celebrated for their beauty. She left England 
 at two years of age, and has lived in France, where she now 
 is, ever since : this I have very near finished in marble, and 
 I am to have 40Z. for it. These two go to Paris, to be put 
 in a house built by a Mr. Lattin, a young Irish Catholic 
 gentleman,^and a captain in the Irish Brigade in the service 
 of France, who is my patron and employer in these two. 
 
 I had two small basso-relievos to do for Madame Martin- 
 ville, to the amount of 40/. ; but I suppose the troubles of 
 France will put a stop to these two last, as her property lies 
 in France, and his in Ireland. I have to execute in marble 
 a copy of the famous bust of Ariadne in the Capitol, size of 
 original, for which I am to have 35/., for Mr. Latouche, son 
 
 of the great Irish banker. About a fortnight ago, the 
 
 Duchess of Albany, natural and adopted daughter to the 
 late Pretender, died at Bologna of an abscess in the side. She 
 was an amiable woman, and beloved by every body. There 
 is now remaining only the Pretender's brother, who is Car- 
 dinal York and Bishop of Frascati, an old man and a bigot, 
 but who lives like a sovereign." 
 
 The reader, who has no doubt perused the 
 preceding extracts with interest and pleasure^ 
 will join me in regretting that death so soon 
 after deprived the Arts of one of their most 
 brilliant ornaments, as will appear in the follow- 
 ing letter, written to Mr. Joseph Deare, by one 
 of his late brother's most intimate companions. 
 
326 
 
 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOllAUIES. 
 
 " Rome, Aug. 20th, 1798. 
 " Sib ; — I flatter myself no apology will be necessary for 
 my addressing you, though entirely unknown to you, 'Tis now 
 many years since I first had the satisfaction to be known to 
 your worthy brother, Mr. John Deare ; indeed I may venture 
 to assert, that I possessed a considerable share of his friendship. 
 I was particularly induced to address you on this occasion, 
 rather than either of his excellent parents, convinced that you 
 would take upon you the brotherly and filial part of breaking 
 to the rest of the family the misfortune that has befallen them. 
 You will immediately imagine that this is no other than his 
 lamented death, which took place on Saturday morning last, 
 the 17th, at about ten and a half of the clock, after a very 
 short illness of about eight days, of a bilious fever. 
 
 " I make no comment on his merits as a man or artist ; 
 they are universally admitted by all who were acquainted 
 with him. For the satisfaction of his family, I would wish 
 them assured that he had every medical assistance, and that 
 his remains were attended by a few select friends to the Pro- 
 testant burying-ground in this city, where his body was de- 
 posited with the greatest decency, though without unnecessary 
 expense. He has left a very young widow, six months ad- 
 vanced in her pregnancy, and a charming little daughter of 
 about three years old. A few of his select friends thinking 
 that there was the greatest propriety in his family in Eng- 
 land being immediately acquainted with his demise, I have 
 undertaken the melancholy task ; likewise strongly induced 
 to it by the unanimous opinion of those friends, that it was 
 highly necessary that every precaution should be used that 
 his effects should not be dissipated. 
 
 " His widow being, as I before said, very young, unex- 
 perienced, and surrounded by poor relations of very little 
 education ; they conceive in consequence, that the most pru- 
 dent steps would be, that his worthy father should furnish 
 
DEARE. 
 
 327 
 
 the person mentioned in the enclosed paper, (Signor Antonio 
 Leonetti) with a proper authority, agreeably to the tenor of 
 that writing, to enable him legally to act, and to stop any im- 
 proper proceedings that might be prejudicial to the interest 
 of the infant children ; not that we have any absolute reason 
 to suppose that any such will happen, as the young woman 
 always behaved towards her husband with extreme affection, 
 and is infinitely afflicted at his death, and we have no doubt, 
 if left to herself will be equally affectionate towards her 
 infants. 
 
 " His friends are, however, unanimously of opinion, that 
 the measure just mentioned will be prudent, especially in the 
 present disturbed state of affairs ; and cannot be productive 
 of any but the most salutary effects. It may not be improper 
 to mention the names of these friends : Edward Gordon, 
 Esq. Mr. Christopher, Sculptor, and Mr. Robert Fagan, 
 Painter : the characters of these gentlemen are well known, 
 and will, I trust, sufficiently authorize the advice I have 
 ventured to give. 
 
 " The gentleman mentioned in the enclosed paper, into 
 whose hands we have put our friend's papers, is an advocate, 
 who has a very extensive acquaintance among the English 
 of the best fashion that visited Rome, and is universally known 
 for a man of abilities and integrity. You will, no doubt, see 
 the propriety of favouring me as soon as possible with an an- 
 swer. In the mean time, 
 
 I remain, 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 
 Charles Gbignon." 
 
 " Direct 
 
 Persicapito al Caffe 
 
 Di Giuseppe Giulj 
 
 Piazza di Spagna." 
 
S2S NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Deare's true character was that of a lively, 
 open-hearted man, naturally generous ; and 
 always candid when other artists requested his 
 opinion of their works. 
 
 His exertions were unremitting and unequal- 
 led, and his superior mind and historical know- 
 ledge as a modeller, was displayed in every 
 thing he did; whilst his taste as a Sculptor 
 greatly surpassed the other artists of his time. 
 Perhaps no modeller was more rapid, nor ever 
 possessed a more spirited touch, than Deare. 
 His attention to the extremities was so much 
 beyond any artist of his time, that it was fre- 
 quently noticed by the late venerable West, 
 when Visitor of the Academy, who directed 
 the students to Deare's models, as examples of 
 correct attention to hands and feet. He car- 
 ried his admiration of beautiful hair to such an 
 excess, that he has frequently been known to 
 travel from twenty to thirty miles on foot, 
 under a scorching sun, to mould an antique 
 head of hair, of which no cast had been made ; 
 and when he had accomplished the task, re- 
 turned to Home the same day. 
 
 His temper was certainly sometimes consi- 
 dered rather hasty, particularly by those with 
 whom he occasionally differed, persons unques- 
 tionably, in some instances, jealous of his superior 
 
DEARE. 
 
 329 
 
 talent, and the encouragement he received in his 
 art ; for his extraordinary powers were noticed 
 by visitors of the first rank for taste and fortune, 
 as the preceding extracts clearly demonstrate.* 
 The Author of the little work entitled " The 
 Stranger in Liverpool," is under no small mis- 
 take, in stating that Deare's works are little 
 known in England, and that the best of them 
 are abroad. His talents are well known in this 
 country, where the finest of his productions are 
 deposited. The only foreigner mentioned in 
 the whole of his letters is Madame Martinville : 
 in all other instances where his patrons are 
 named, they happen, for the honour of our 
 country, to be Englishmen. His Marine Ve- 
 nus, of which Canova spoke in ecstasy, is in 
 the Isle of Wight ; and his Landing of Julius 
 Csesar, unquestionably his finest production, is 
 let into the wall over the chimney-piece of 
 the dining parlour of John Penn, Esq. at his 
 beautiful mansion at Stoke Park. The same 
 author also erroneously states that he was 
 neglected by those who sent him out, but 
 
 * Deare was sometimes eccentric in his ideas : he consi- 
 dered persons wrong in offering their prayers with their 
 clothes on : he insisted that our bodies should be entirely 
 uncovered when engaged in addressing our Blaker, and he 
 strictly followed that practice when at his devotions. This 
 is the custom of the religious sect called the Adamiani. 
 
330 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAIHES. 
 
 this was not the fact. His merits were at all 
 times acknowledged, and his rich talents were 
 so highly noticed, that he died under the 
 fullest protection of patronage by his own 
 countrymen, and by no means in poor cir- 
 cumstances ; since, to my knowledge, there 
 was property at Rome at his death, waiting 
 the arrival of his friends to claim. Mr. Cum- 
 berland's exclamation of " Such, alas ! was the 
 artist whom the Academy abandoned and for- 
 got ! " is unworthy of the writer. The Acade- 
 my never abandoned him; and Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds, Mr. West, and numerous other leading 
 members of that honourable body, spoke of 
 Deare's powers in the warmest terms of approba- 
 tion and respect. What he gained, too, was by 
 his own labours as an artist, and not as a broker 
 in antiques ; his mind was too elevated to suffer 
 him to descend to the grovelling speculations of 
 fixing heads and arms upon trunks to which 
 they never had belonged, purposely to amass 
 money. If such had been his inclinations, he 
 might, with his superior knowledge as a Sculp- 
 tor, have pocketed thousands of pounds with 
 the greatest ease. 
 
 Thomas Grignon, brother of Charles, in whose 
 arms Deare expired, informed me that our 
 Sculptor's death was occasioned by the following 
 
DEARE. 
 
 331 
 
 silly and most eccentric experiment. Among 
 many blocks of marble which he had just pur- 
 chased, there was one of a singular shape, from 
 which he believed he could carve a figure in a 
 peculiar and interesting attitude ; but, in order 
 to be quite certain of the possibility of the 
 block affording the full extension of the limbs 
 according to his imagination, he was determined 
 to make it his bed for the whole of the night, so 
 that he might receive fresh hints from the visi- 
 tation of dreams, well knowing how inspiring 
 their suggestions had been to some of the great- 
 est men of talent. This determination he put 
 into execution ; but after remaining upon the 
 stone all night, he found he had entirely chilled 
 the whole of his frame : his death was soon 
 apprehended, and in a few days was the conse- 
 quence of his fatal experiment. 
 
 Notwithstanding my predetermination not 
 to glance at the many admirable works of liv- 
 ing artists, who do not at present enjoy the de- 
 grees attached to our Royal Academy, I am sure 
 all my contemporaries will pardon my noticing 
 the high talent of their fellow-student Joseph 
 Deare, particularly as he is the nephew of the 
 admirable Sculptor above-mentioned. 
 
 The young artist alluded to, after having 
 gained the whole series of silver medals in the 
 
322 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Royal Academy, had, like his uncle, the ho- 
 nour of receiving the gold medal for the best 
 model of an original design of David and Go- 
 liah ; casts of which may be had at his father's 
 house, No. 12, Great St. Helen's, where several 
 other of his productions may be seen. 
 
333 
 
 MAJOR. 
 
 That very eminent collector of engravings, 
 Thomas Wilson, Esq. son of Major's amiable 
 daughter, in a catalogue of his collection, of 
 which he has had a limited impression for 
 private distribution, has given the following 
 account of this artist. 
 
 " Thomas Major was born in London, in 
 1719. He was directly descended, as appears 
 from a pedigree compiled by Mr. White, of 
 Selborne, from that Richard Major, of Hursley, 
 whose daughter was married to the Protector, 
 Richard Cromwell. Major went to Paris to 
 study engraving under Le Bas, and acquired 
 great proficiency. Being there with Wilton, 
 the Statuary, during the memorable battle of 
 Culloden, it was determined to imprison the 
 English as reprisals for the capture of an Irish 
 regiment in the service of France. Wilton, 
 being more alert or earlier informed, escaped 
 over the roof of the house where they lodged ; 
 but Major was taken ; and humorously de- 
 scribes the pomp with which he, a diminutive 
 individual, about five feet high, was conveyed 
 by a troop of gendarmes to the Bastile. In this 
 prison he remained about three months, — long 
 
334 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAIIIES. 
 
 enough to taste the pleasures of soUtary con- 
 finement, — till the Marquis d'Argenson, the go- 
 vernor, finding him to be a man of talent, pro- 
 cured his release. Major afterwards engraved 
 several of the Marquis's fine pictures. On his 
 return to England, he was appointed Engraver 
 to the Prince of Wales, and subsequently to the 
 King, and Die-engraver to the Stamp-office. 
 On the 24th of March, 1784, the Great Seal of 
 England was stolen, — by whom it is not known ; 
 — and Major, being sent for by the Minister, 
 offered to provide another in the shortest pos- 
 sible time. In twenty hours he furnished a 
 perfect substitute of brass, and took it to the 
 Minister's levee : it was not, however, paid for 
 till after his decease. 
 
 " Major afterwards made a Great Seal of 
 Silver, which was in use till the union with 
 Ireland. In 1792, the temporary seal of brass 
 was returned to him, and was converted into a 
 tea-urn, in wdiich state it remains ; and as it is 
 seldom used, produces, perhaps, less hot-water 
 than it would have done as a Great-Seal. 
 
 " Our Artist was intimate with Hogarth, 
 Strange, and all the men of talent of his day. 
 There is a scarce portrait of him when young, 
 engraved by himself, from a French drawing. 
 Walpole pays him a just compliment in the 
 
MAJOR. 
 
 335 
 
 last page of his Catalogue of Engravers in 
 England. He died in 1799^ at the advanced 
 age of eighty." 
 
 In addition to the above notices by Mr. Wil- 
 son, who kindly permitted me to copy them for 
 this work from a proof-sheet, before his own 
 catalogue was printed, I insert the following 
 particulars, which will probably be found, as 
 well as numerous others in this work, useful 
 to the future biographers of Artists. 
 
 Major, in the early part of his life, lived in 
 West-street, St. Anne's, Soho ; then in St. 
 Martin's-lane ; and afterwards in Tavistock- 
 row, Covent-garden, now No. 5, where he died 
 in the front room of the second floor, and was 
 buried in Camberwell churchyard. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Nollekens, Mr. and Mrs. Major and family, 
 were extremely intimate, until the latter family 
 perceived legacy -hunters in Mortimer-street ; 
 and then, as they did not wish to be considered 
 of that description, they, by degrees, declined 
 their visits. However, they continued fre- 
 quently to send to know how their old friends 
 did, but with a full determination never to ac- 
 company their inquiries with presents. 
 
336 
 
 MORLAND. 
 
 As there is scarcely a work upon Art without 
 anecdotes of George Morland, I shall only insert 
 a few, confining myself to those which have 
 fallen within my own knowledge, and which I 
 am pretty sure have never appeared in print. 
 
 During the short time Morland drew at the 
 Royal Academy, I was his fellow-student; and, 
 as we were close neighbours, we frequently 
 walked home together. He was, from a boy, 
 naturally idle, nor would he exert himself but 
 when closely driven. The late Mr. Franks, 
 the Builder, was one of the first persons who 
 encouraged his juvenile applications; and to that 
 gentleman's house, whenever young Morland 
 wanted half-a-crown, he would go to drink 
 tea, and by drawing carts, horses, and dogs, by 
 memory, he would thus provide himself. Mr. 
 Franks's widow, late of Percy-street, Rathbone- 
 place, showed me several of these sketches; 
 they were in black-lead pencil, and displayed 
 considerable promise. His father, who lived in 
 Chapel-street, Wardour-street, was a clever 
 painter of heads in crayons, representing Wash- 
 erwomen, Clear-starchers, Bellmen, &c. ; and for 
 many years was a constant contributor to the 
 
MORLAND. 
 
 337 
 
 early exhibitions. He was also a maker of most 
 excellent crayons, which went by his name. 
 
 Young George was of so unsettled a dis- 
 position, that his father, being fully aware of 
 his extraordinary talent, was determined to 
 force him to get his own living, and gave him 
 a guinea, with something like the following 
 observation : " I . am determined to encourage 
 your idleness no longer; there, take that guinea, 
 and apply to your art and support yourself." 
 This Morland told me, and added that from 
 that moment he commenced and continued 
 wholly on his own account. 
 
 I was at this time patronized by my honour- 
 ed friend the late Sir James Winter Lake, 
 Bart, who very liberally attended to my wishes, 
 by allowing young Morland to paint several 
 small pictures for him, particularly one of a 
 favourite dog. For many years after this, we 
 lost sight of each other, in consequence of the 
 money he gained, which led him into extrava- 
 gance, and the company he kept being of the 
 lowest description.* However, I again became 
 acquainted with him through his brother 
 Henry, the Wine-merchant, in order to intro- 
 duce him to my friends Mr. Wigston, of Trent- 
 
 * His companions were jockeys, ostlers, and carters^ mo- 
 ney-lendersj abandoned women, and gipsies. 
 VOL. II. Z 
 
338 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 park, Enfield, and the late Mr. Townsend, of 
 Bruce-castle, Tottenham. For these gentle- 
 men, he painted several pictures ; and they, by 
 purchasing others, at the Morland Gallery, 
 Bond-street, were enabled to fit up an apart- 
 ment in their respective mansions, which they 
 called the Morland-room. Most of these pic- 
 tures were disposed of by Mr. Christie, during 
 last June. 
 
 Morland married Miss Ward, a sister of the 
 late WilHam Ward, the Associate Engraver, and 
 James Ward, the present Royal Academician. 
 She was a beautiful girl, and of the most 
 exemplary conduct; but could not live with 
 him, from the shamefully-cruel manner in which 
 he for a length of time continued to treat her ; 
 and yet he was a man by no means wanting in 
 sense or information : and I am certain, had he 
 embraced the friendship of those persons of in- 
 tellect and sound integrity who wished to serve 
 him, he might have been an ornament to so- 
 ciety. But, in consequence of his associating 
 with people of the lowest habits, he became 
 equally vicious and an habitual drunkard ; and 
 I firmly believe that he was powerfully intox- 
 icated with gin when he died, which he latterly 
 took in half-pints at a time. It is a melancholy 
 truth that he departed this life in a spunging- 
 
MORLAND. 
 
 339 
 
 house on Eyre-street-hill, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Hatton-garden. This event occurred 
 in 1804, when Morland was only forty-two 
 years of age. His wife, whose health was most 
 seriously impaired from his cruel treatment, 
 was still attached to him, but was living by 
 herself in the most private manner at her lodg- 
 ings in Winchester-row, Paddington, when she 
 heard of his wretched and disgraceful death, 
 which afflicted her so powerfully, that in two 
 days she died of a broken heart. He departed 
 on Monday, and she on the Wednesday follow- 
 ing. They were both buried in the same grave 
 in St. James's burial-ground, Hampstead-road. 
 
 There is no inscription to their memory, 
 though one had been prepared by Mr. Col- 
 lins, the father of William Collins, the present 
 Royal Academician. 
 
 Morland was a man of true genius, and was 
 the first artist who gave the sturdy oak its pe- 
 culiar character in landscape-painting. There 
 are several etchings attributed to this painter, 
 of which a half- sheet plate of Pigs asleep, is 
 undoubtedly his, and is a truly spirited per- 
 formance. 
 
 z 2 
 
340 
 
 HOGARTH. 
 
 I BELIEVE that in no instance has the name 
 of a Painter been so freely used as that of 
 Hogarth. His reputation has become public pro- 
 perty, and is considered fair game ; since many 
 a picture exhibiting a large white wig, a three- 
 cornered Macheath-hat, an old apothecary's 
 capeless coat, with immense basket-buttons on 
 the sleeves, and flap-pockets, rolled up stock- 
 ings and square-toed buckle- shoes, — has been, 
 without hesitation, ascribed to his pencil, which, 
 if examined, would very soon be proved the 
 contrary. Mercier, Van Hawkin, Highmore, 
 Pugh, or that drunken pot-house Painter, the 
 younger Hemskirk, who was a singer at Sad- 
 ler's Wells, are artists now rarely mentioned ; 
 though several of their performances have been 
 elevated by the second-rate picture-dealers and 
 brokers in old panels, as the works of Hogarth : 
 and even a head from a picture by Rosalba, 
 has lately been engraven and published as the 
 genuine production of that painter. 
 
 For myself I am decidedly of opinion, that 
 several of the copies of prize-fighting and play- 
 house benefit-tickets, published in Samuel Ire- 
 land's Graphic Illustrations of Hogarth, are from 
 plates neither designed nor etched by him. They 
 
HOGARTH. 
 
 341 
 
 are, in fact, the vilest of the vile, being totally- 
 destitute of either talent or wit ; both of which 
 qualifications Hogarth possessed in a super- 
 eminent degree, even in his youthful days, when 
 he engraved ornaments and coats-of-arms for his 
 master Gamble : and for his wit, where can we 
 find any prints to equal most of the plates for 
 the small set of Hudibras, which were some of his 
 earliest productions ? They are full of charac- 
 ter, well drawn, spiritedly etched, and most of 
 them possessing admirable effect ; and 1 must 
 say, as a supporter of the honour of Hogarth as 
 an artist, that until Mr. Samuel Ireland raked 
 up many of the wretched things, which he caused 
 to be copied for a publication unquestionably 
 with a view to raise money, — no collectors ad- 
 mitted the originals into their portfolios as the 
 works of Hogarth. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Ireland was a gentlemanly man 
 in appearance, of manners rather pleasing, who 
 well knew that novelty would go a great way 
 towards making money. I am also credibly in- 
 formed, that there is even at this moment an 
 artist who finds it rather a successful occupa- 
 tion to make spirited drawings from Hogarth's 
 prints, which he most ingeniously deviates from 
 by the omission of some figure or other object, 
 or insertion of an additional one, in order to 
 
342 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOEARIES. 
 
 give his drawing the appearance of a first 
 thought, upon which Hogarth is to be supposed 
 to have made some alteration in his plate as 
 an improvement. These drawings are disco- 
 loured, put into old black frames, and then, 
 after passing them through several hands, are 
 finally sold, accompanied with a very long story, 
 to those over-cunning collectors destitute of 
 sufficient knowledge to enable them to detect 
 the forgery. 
 
 Having ventured in a former page to men- 
 tion my own opinion as to Hogarth's want of 
 morality, I must not for a moment allow the 
 reader even to suppose that I am, in any de- 
 gree, wanting in my respect for his powerful 
 talents as an artist. His easy and perfectly na- 
 tural mode of grouping, his sweetness and har- 
 mony of colouring, his exquisite pencilling 
 and general brilliancy of effect, must be per- 
 ceived and felt by every one possessing a sin- 
 gle spark of taste, when viewing that inesti- 
 mable series of pictures entitled "The Mar- 
 riage A-la-mode," which forms a part of our 
 National Gallery. 
 
 The prints by this Artist, in freedom of etch- 
 ing and vigour of tooling, display his powers to 
 the highest advantage ; though I think I may, 
 without incurring the displeasure of my bro- 
 
HOGARTH. 
 
 343 
 
 ther Burinists, consider the plates of Southwark 
 Fair and the Cockpit, as productions unrival- 
 led in this or any other country. For the 
 information of those who are not acquainted 
 with the fact, I must observe, that the former 
 of these displays most conspicuously the four 
 classes of composition in Art, namely, the di- 
 verging, the S-like, or line of beauty, the fes- 
 toon, and the triangle, or pyramidal. I re- 
 member, when I was a lad, asking the late 
 venerable President West, what he thought of 
 Hogarth's Analysis of Beauty ; and his answer 
 was, " It is a work, my man, of the highest 
 value to every one studying the Art. Ho- 
 garth was a strutting, consequential little man, 
 and made himself many enemies by that book ; 
 but now that most of them are dead, it is 
 examined by disinterested readers, unbiassed by 
 personal animosities, and it will be yet more 
 and more read, studied, and understood."* 
 
 * Stacey, the famous jockey, who kept the Bedford Arms 
 in Covent-garden, informed me that it was at his house that 
 Hogarth and Churchill quarrelled, and that it was over a rubber 
 of shilling whist. Woodward, the Comedian, who mostly re- 
 sided at the Bedford Arms, was particularly intimate with 
 Stacey ; and gave him his portrait with a mask in his hand, 
 one of the early pictures of Sir Johua Reynolds. Stacey, 
 to whom I was introduced by old Watkins, a Barber, late of 
 Tottenham-court-road, gave me also the following anecdote. 
 
344 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Of the numerous collectors of Hogarth's 
 plates, there are many who contaminate their 
 volumes by stuffing in every sort of trash re- 
 commended to them ; and there are some who 
 totally disregard the state of impression, while 
 others are perfectly satisfied with the touched- 
 up plates. From a catalogue, however, which 
 I have seen of the King's Collection, I conclude 
 it must be a good one ; and Lord Charlemont's 
 and Lord Orford's, I understand, are very 
 choice, particularly that of the former, who was 
 one of Hogarth's best friends : but these I have 
 not seen. The late Mr. Wyndham's, formerly 
 Mr. Steevens's; Mr. Cricket's, made up by Mr. 
 Ingham Foster; the present Mr. Willett's; and 
 the one made up by Mr. Packer, of Great Bad- 
 dow, purchased by the Honourable Trustees of 
 the British Museum — all of which I have seen 
 — contain their respective rarities, and are all 
 highly valuable ; but curious as these are, they 
 are far exceeded by one lately formed by H. 
 P. Standly, Esq. of the Temple. That gentle- 
 He was allowed to play an excellent game at whist. One morn- 
 ing, about two o'clock, one of his waiters awoke him, to tell 
 him that a nobleman had knocked him up, and had desired 
 him to call his master down to play a rubber with him for one 
 hundred guineas. Stacey got up , dressed himself, won the 
 money, and was in bed again and asleep, all within an hour. 
 
HOGARTH. 
 
 345 
 
 man has been extremely fortunate in selecting 
 from four eminent collections made by Mr. 
 Sayer, Mr. Moor, Mr. Baker, and Messrs. Col- 
 naghi, of Pall-mall East. Mr. Standly has been 
 particularly attentive to the brilliancy of im- 
 pression, as well as to the rarity and variety of 
 their states and condition. That gentleman 
 has also been singularly fortunate in obtaining 
 not only many fine drawings by Hogarth, but 
 an immense quantity of his original manu- 
 scripts, illustrative of many of his most inter- 
 esting works. Colonel Durrant has also some 
 fine specimens of this favourite Artist; and 
 Mr. Wilson has given in his catalogue, a list 
 of his Hogarths, many of which are extremely 
 curious. 
 
346 
 
 BARRY. 
 
 The following anecdote was communicated 
 to me by a gentleman who had received it from 
 Mr. Burke, Barry's early and steady friend. 
 This great orator, with whom the Painter had 
 frequently dined, being aware of most of his 
 eccentricities, and wishing much to see in what 
 way he conducted his household concerns, 
 requested to be asked to dinner. Barry re- 
 plied, " Sir, you know I live alone, but, if 
 you will partake of a steak, I can answer for 
 your having it hot, and from the best rump in 
 the most classic market in London." — " I will 
 dine with you," replied Mr. Burke ; " but 
 mind, you must not let me put you in the 
 least out of your way." — " You shall dine as 
 I do. Sir," observed Barry : " there shall be 
 no auxiliaries," turning his head to the side- 
 board of glittering plate and glass. A day was 
 then fixed. 
 
 Upon Mr. Burke's arrival at No. 36, Castle- 
 street, Oxford-market, his host conducted him 
 into the painting-room, which had undergone 
 no alteration whatever from the period when 
 it had been used as a carpenter's workshop. It 
 was partly occupied by his large picture of 
 
BARRY. 
 
 347 
 
 Pandora;* but principally with whole-length 
 portraits of the persons who sat to him for his 
 Adelphi pictures, together with numerous old 
 straining-frames ; a printing press, for he print- 
 ed his own plates ; and thousands of cobwebs, 
 nearly as thick as those dowlas specimens for- 
 merly shown to the visitors of the late wine- 
 cellars under the Thames, near London-bridge, 
 which belonged to what were called "The 
 Shades." 
 
 Most of the windows of this painting-room 
 were either cracked or broken ; the tiles of its 
 ceiling-less roof were as wide apart and as much 
 mutilated, as those which appear in the first state 
 of Hogarth's print of the strolling actresses in a 
 barn; and the small fire-place was filled with a 
 grate large enough for the carpenter's glue-pot. 
 However, it was under this roof that the great 
 Burke was to dine. The fire burned clear, the 
 steaks were put on, and Barry, who assumed no 
 false pomp, though he had means of comfort 
 within his reach, after spreading a towel upon 
 a small, round, three-legged deal table, just large 
 
 * The original drawing of this powerful design is in the 
 possession of William Henderson, Esq. of No. 33, Charlotte- 
 street, Fitzroy-square, a gentleman whose taste can fully 
 appreciate its merit. Mr. Henderson is also in possession of 
 some of Barry's original drawings for the Adelphi pictures. 
 
348 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 enough for two plates, the beer, and bread, put 
 a pair of tongs into his visitor's hand, request- 
 ing him to turn the steaks while he went for a 
 pot of porter; and, upon his return, with his 
 usual consistency of bluntness, swore that the 
 wind had taken off the head just as he was 
 crossing Titchfield-street. — 1 have often thought 
 that this scene alone was an admirable contrast 
 between the stern and stubborn character of 
 "this diamond in the rough, and the eloquent 
 author of " The Sublime and Beautiful ;" who, 
 upon any other occasion, would have been shock- 
 ed at being so entrapped, even if requested to 
 partake of pot-luck by a constituent when he 
 was soliciting his vote, — a moment when great- 
 ness is generally discovered to be elastic. 
 
 Barry, who had been, nearly all his life, ac- 
 customed to dine at Cooks'-shops, was taken ill 
 at the French Eating-house, then on the right 
 hand side of Wardour-street from Oxford-street. 
 He was conveyed to the dwelling of his steadfast 
 friend, Bonomi, in Titchfield-street, who took 
 the greatest care of him . A s there is a most able 
 Life of Barry, written by the late Dr. Fryer, I 
 shall state only that he died February S^nd^ 
 1806; not in a condition of pauperism, as some 
 malignant people have thought proper to report, 
 but with forty pounds in his pocket. His body 
 
BARKY. 
 
 349 
 
 lay in state in the centre of the great room in 
 the Adelphi, surrounded by his pictures, which 
 will, as long as canvass lasts, be the best monu- 
 ment to his memory. He was buried in Saint 
 Paul's Cathedral, near the ashes of Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, with whom he died in peace, though 
 he had upon some occasions violently differ- 
 ed with him. It is true, he was expelled the 
 Royal Academy, for misconducting himself in 
 a most outrageous manner ; * but it must appear 
 an ungracious neglect of those artists with whom 
 he parted on friendly terms, that not even one 
 of his old friends, members of the Academy, 
 attended his funeral. 
 
 One evening, after I had related to Miss 
 Welch, that Barry would not suffer Mr. Udney, 
 of Teddington, to take away a set of the etch- 
 ings from the Adelphi pictures, before he 
 put down the money for them, she observed, 
 " My good Sir, Barry's politeness is as rare as 
 a bit of Peg Woffington's writing." This ob- 
 servation, perhaps, amounts to an impossibility 
 
 * A friend has obliged me with the following extract from 
 the books of the Royal Academy relative to this expulsion : — 
 
 " I have struck out the adjoining name, in consequence of 
 the opinion entered in the minutes of the Council, and of the 
 general meeting, which I fully approve. April 23, 
 
 G. R." 
 
350 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of his having been polite at any time, for it is 
 said that Peggy could not even write her own 
 name : that, however, was not the case with 
 her formidable antagonist Catherine Clive, since 
 I have seen several of Kitty's letters, and they 
 are not only spiritedly written, but bumper-full 
 of the most luxuriant wit. 
 
351 
 
 LEGAT. 
 
 All that Bryan has said as to the biography 
 of Legat, is contained in the following sixteen 
 words : — " If this artist was not a native of 
 England, he resided in London about the year 
 1780." I must, therefore, conclude, that, if ever 
 a second edition of Bryan's Dictionary should 
 be called for, the Editor will be enabled, by the 
 assistance of these pages, to insert the follow- 
 ing particulars, which I have collected from 
 several persons now living, with whom Legat 
 had been particularly intimate. 
 
 Francis Legat was a North Briton, and was 
 educated at Edinburgh, under Alexander Run- 
 ciman, an artist, intimate with John Brown, the 
 designer, and highly esteemed by Fuseli. 
 
 In 1780, Legat lodged in the second-floor of 
 No. 221, Charles-street, Westminster ; and in 
 1789, declared himself to one of my informants, 
 who lodged in the first-floor of the same house, 
 to be then in his twenty-fifth year. Here he 
 engraved Mary Queen of Scots resigning her 
 Crown, for which plate Bos well applied by let- 
 ter to Dr. Johnson for an inscription. In these 
 lodgings he also engraved that fine plate from 
 Northcote's celebrated picture of the Children 
 in the Tower, now in the possession of the Earl 
 
S52 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of Egremont. By the success of this engrav- 
 ing, and the liberal manner in which Boy dell 
 remunerated him, he was enabled to send to 
 Scotland for his mother, to whom through life 
 his filial conduct was truly exemplary. 
 
 About the latter end of 1790, he left Charles- 
 street for Sloane-square, taking with him the 
 plate of the death of Cordelia, after a picture by 
 Barry. Here he remained till 1797, when he 
 moved with the plate of Lady Hamilton, as Cas- 
 sandra, to No. 21, Pleasant-row, Camden-town ; 
 where, about the year 1799, his mother died. 
 From thence, he went to lodge in the first floor 
 of Mr. Procter, at No. 2, Charles-street, Middle- 
 sex Hospital, where he engraved Ophelia before 
 the King and Queen, after West's picture; which 
 plate procured him the honour of being appoint- 
 ed Historical-Engraver to his Royal Highness 
 the Prince of Wales. As the burin of Legat 
 had always been employed by publishers, who 
 lived in splendour, he was induced to conclude, 
 that he would make more money by engraving 
 plates on his own account. By way of trial, he 
 bespoke a picture of Stothard, the subject being 
 the death of General Sir Ralph Abercrombie ; 
 then popular not only from his ever-memorable 
 battle, but also from the song which Braham still 
 continues to sing in full vigour. In this plate. 
 
LEGAT. 
 
 353 
 
 Legat was far advanced, before he discovered 
 that the public, like the Mayor of the City of 
 London, was accustomed to be spoken to only 
 by the Recorder, and that print-collectors were 
 not accustomed to subscribe to engravers. 
 
 Under this disappointment, his spirits gra- 
 dually gave way, and, after burying his aunt, he 
 died, in the back-room of the first-floor of Mr. 
 Procter's house, in Charles-street, on the 4th of 
 April, 1809, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, 
 and was buried in the church-yard of Saint 
 Pancras Old Church ; Stothard, the Academi- 
 cian, was one of the mourners. The father of 
 the present General Kemp, who was his steady 
 friend, paid his debts, and took possession of 
 the plate of Abercrombie. It became the pro- 
 perty of Mr. Bowyer, of the Historic Gallery, 
 Pall-mall, who has had it finished for publica- 
 tion. Bryan mentions only the three following 
 plates from the graver of Legat, viz. 
 
 Mary Queen of Scots resigning her Crown, 
 after a picture by Gavin Hamilton. 
 
 The Continence of Scipio, after Poussin ; and. 
 
 The King, Queen, and Laertes, in Hamlet, 
 after a very fine picture by West. 
 
 To the above may be added the following 
 plates, equally large, the first two of which are 
 generally considered, by persons well qualified 
 
 VOL. II. 2 A 
 
354 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 to judge of their merit, as the finest of his 
 works, viz. 
 
 The Murder of the Princes in the Tower, 
 after a picture by Northcote * 
 
 Cassandra, after a picture by Roinney. 
 
 The Death of Cordeha, after a picture by 
 Barry. 
 
 Though all the above engravings are upon 
 a large scale, and in a grand style, he executed 
 two very pretty vignettes for Bell's British Thea- 
 tre ; one for the Hypocrite, after a design by 
 Smirke, the other for Tancred and Sigismunda, 
 after a design by Fuseli. Mr. Legat was a 
 sensible intelligent man, gentle in his manners, 
 and serious, except when enhvened by the con- 
 versation of his friends. On such occasions, he 
 was remarkably cheerful, and seldom objected 
 to join any party of pleasure, provided the com- 
 pany was such as he approved. He wrote se- 
 veral short pieces of poetry on various subjects, 
 which were considered good specimens ; but 
 there is much doubt whether any of them are 
 now preserved. His style of engraving is pow- 
 erful and clear, particularly in the figure of 
 Cassandra ; but I do not mean to compare any 
 
 * Northcote painted three pictures of this composition : 
 for one of which Boydell gave him forty pounds, and for 
 which the Earl of Egremont afterwards gave 200/. at an 
 auction. 
 
LEGAT. 
 
 355 
 
 of his works to Strange's extraordinary prints 
 after Guido, Venus attired by the Graces, or 
 Woollett's La Hogue, or Sharpe's John Hunter, 
 after Sir Joshua Reynolds ; but next to those 
 specimens, I know of no work of engraving 
 executed with more skill and effect, than the 
 head and helmet of one of the murderers, from 
 Northcote's picture, the chiaro-'scuro of which, 
 unquestionably, is most admirably calculated 
 for a fine print. 
 
 Although Legat drew better than engravers 
 in general, he had inclination to improve him- 
 self still farther ; and argued differently from 
 those engravers who endeavour to cloak their 
 ignorance, by insisting that an accurate eye in 
 copying was quite enough. " No," said he, " a 
 line-engraver's business in copying a picture, 
 goes beyond that of a mere copyist. The en- 
 graver should understand the anatomy of the 
 human figure, to enable him to arrange his lines, 
 from the origin, the direction, and insertion of 
 the muscles. What would an engraver of a piece 
 of architecture make of his buildings, without 
 a knowledge of lineal perspective ? A painter 
 may make a good copy of a picture, but a tho- 
 rough knowledge of lineal perspective is indis- 
 pensably necessary in an engraver." 
 
 I ought, perhaps, to apologize for thus ex- 
 posing a negligence or want of ability in many 
 
 2 A 2 
 
356 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of our engravers, a valuable class of artists, 
 though at the same time it is my duty to de- 
 clare, that the most eminent of the present day 
 are far better draughtsmen than their prede- 
 cessors; and, I am sure, that all who know 
 what Art is, will join me in the assertion, that 
 an indifferent engraver, who draws well, cannot 
 produce a plate wholly destitute of merit.* 
 Legat made repeated applications to his neigh- 
 bour Nollekens for the loan of some of his casts 
 from the antique. " What !" said the Sculptor, 
 " do you suppose I can relish a head when it 
 comes home with its nose off? No, no; I 
 brought most of mine with me from Rome, 
 when I was in Italy. You may hire casts at 
 Papera's and Genelli's." 
 
 There is a small engraved portrait of Legat, 
 by T. Prescott, after a drawing by Runciman, 
 published by C. Dyer, Printseller, St. James's- 
 street, near the Thatched House. 
 
 * Several instances of this may be seen in the whole of 
 Barry's Etchings ; which, coarse as we know they are styled 
 by persons in general, are in possession of a grand depth of 
 knowledge, as to the direction of the lines so admirably 
 describing the origin and insertion of the muscles of the 
 human figure. In this respect they are much better than 
 the metallic manner in which the flesh parts of Wille's plates 
 are effected ; which are still cried up by foreigners as the 
 finest specimens of the engraver's art. 
 
357 
 
 HUMPHREY. 
 
 Mr. Humphrey, who was descended from 
 an ancient and highly honourable family of the 
 time of Edward HI. was son of George and 
 Elizabeth Humphrey, and was born at Honi- 
 ton, in Devonshire, on the 8th of September, 
 1742. He was christened Ozias, and was edu- 
 cated at the Grammar-school of that town. 
 Having a strong natural talent for drawing, he 
 was placed with Mr. Samuel Collins, a very in- 
 different Miniature-painter, and what was worse, 
 a man of gay and expensive habits ; with whom 
 he stayed only two years, though his master 
 had received a considerable premium for three.* 
 Young Humphrey, when his master left him, 
 returned to Honiton, and after remaining a 
 short time, requested his mother to furnish him 
 with a guinea, observing, that he had resolved 
 with that small sum to begin the world. His 
 mother complied with his request, and with 
 it he proceeded to Exeter, where he took 
 lodgings of Jackson, the autnor of that charm- 
 ing composition, " Time has not thinned my 
 flowing hair." Here he made beautiful Nature 
 
 * This man fled from his creditors, and left his pupil Ozias 
 without a protector. 
 
358 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 his only mistress ; and, by applying steadfastly 
 to her fascinating allurements, he soon found 
 encouragement, and was enabled to visit Lon- 
 don. With a view to further his improvement, 
 he became a student in Shipley's Drawing- 
 school, in the Strand, where his talents pro- 
 cured him the intimacy of Mortimer, and, in- 
 deed, all those who stood high in the Academy, 
 which was then the best in England. Having 
 a wish to try his fortune at Bath, he went 
 thither, in 1762, and took lodgings with Lind- 
 ley, the Musician, whose lovely daughter, Eliza- 
 Anne (afterwards Mrs. Sheridan, the Saint Ce- 
 cilia of Sir Joshua), was then in her ninth year. 
 She knew all the songs in " Thomas and Sally," 
 "The Beggar's Opera," "The Chaplet," and 
 " Love in a Village," and these she would sing so 
 sweetly, that many a day, at the young Painter's 
 soHcitation, she chanted them, seated at the 
 foot of his easel, looking up to him, uncon- 
 scious of her heavenly features : with such fea- 
 tures and such looks, as prevailed upon the 
 motley visitors of Bath, when she so gracefully 
 held up her little basket, with her father's bene- 
 fit-tickets, at the door, as they passed in and 
 out of the Pump-room. After remaining some 
 time at Bath, Mr. Humphrey again visited Lon- 
 don, and being a great admirer of Mr. Reynolds 
 
HUMPHREY. 
 
 359 
 
 (afterwards Sir Joshua), he ventured to show 
 him some of his miniatures. The great Painter 
 was so much pleased with his talent and gen- 
 tlemanly deportment, that he received him with 
 the utmost cordiality, and requested to know 
 from what county he came, and what his pa- 
 rents were. When Reynolds heard that he 
 was from Devonshire, and that his mother was 
 a lace-maker, he exclaimed, " Born in my 
 county, and your mother a lace-maker ! why, 
 Vandyke's mother was a maker of lace !" at the 
 same time adding, that he should be welcome 
 to copy any of his Vandykes. " Or perhaps," 
 said he, " you had better allow me to lend you 
 some of mine, as they are better suited by their 
 dress to answer your present purpose." 
 
 This generous offer was accepted with the 
 greatest ecstasy, and after copying several pic- 
 tures, which highly improved his natural taste 
 for richness of colouring, he produced a minia- 
 ture from Reynolds's famous head of King 
 Lear in the storm, which so highly pleased 
 him, that he exclaimed, "This is a beautiful 
 copy ; it is so finely painted, that you must 
 allow me to purchase it. What is your price ? 
 it will enable me to serve you." The Artist, 
 glowing with modesty, begged of his patron to 
 accept of it. No ; that, he said, he could not 
 
360 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 think of. " Three guineas then, Sir, is the 
 price," replied he. — " That is too little," ob- 
 served the great Painter ; " I shall give you 
 five, and let that be your price for such a pic- 
 ture." At the same time, he advised him to 
 take lodgings near him ; and accordingly, in 
 1768, he took the house now No. 21, in 
 King-street, Covent-garden. It is in the cor- 
 ner opposite Setchell's, where he remained till 
 1771 ; during which time he fell sincerely 
 in love with the daughter of James Payne, 
 the Architect, at that time living in Saint 
 Martin's-lane ; though she, poor girl, was 
 obliged by her father's shuffling, sordid, and 
 dirty conduct, to marry Tilly Kettle, the Por- 
 trait-painter, who practised his art in Old Bond- 
 street. In consequence of this shameful treat- 
 ment of himself and the girl of his heart, Mr. 
 Humphrey resolved to leave his house and go 
 abroad ; he therefore sold off all his house- 
 hold furniture, reserving his plate, which he 
 never parted with ; and, for a short time, in 
 1772, took lodgings at the Golden-head, the 
 usual sign of artists, in Great Newport-street ; 
 and, on the 20th of March, in 1773, accom- 
 panied by Romney, the Painter, left London 
 for Rome. 
 
 Our artists passed their first night at Seven- 
 
HUMPHKEY. 
 
 361 
 
 oaks, and on the next day were entertained by 
 their mutual friend the Duke of Dorset at 
 Knowle. They resided in Paris three weeks, 
 ^nd, after having nearly been lost in the Gulph 
 of Pisa, arrived at Rome on the 18th of June. 
 Humphrey, after an absence of four years, in- 
 creasing his friends wherever he went, once 
 more settled in London ; where, in 1777, the 
 postman rapped at his door. No. 29, Rathbone- 
 place, with a letter from Dr. Wolcott (alias 
 Peter Pindar), dated October 25th, from Truro, 
 in which, after complimenting — or flattering, I 
 should have said — the Painter upon his high 
 talents, the satirist asked that which he de- 
 clared he should consider as an indelible obli- 
 gation if granted. The application, he said, was 
 in favour of an uncouth, raw-boned country 
 lad, about fifteen years of age, with whom, by 
 the by, he found he had incumbered himself, 
 and who, to use the Doctor's own words, had 
 " run mad with paint." This youth offered his 
 services to Mr. Humphrey, to clean his brushes 
 and palette, and make himself useful in the 
 common concerns of his house, and all for the 
 pleasure of being with a painter of his know- 
 ledge and eminence. He said, that " he wanted 
 no wages, for that if he would give him his 
 food and a little money to keep the devil out 
 
S62 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of his pocket, he would be perfectly contented." 
 This interesting letter, which is curious in other 
 particulars, is in the possession of Mr. Upcott, 
 who, with his accustomed liberality, furnished 
 me with many of these particulars relating to 
 his godfather Ozias Humphrey. But I think I 
 hear the reader ask, " Who was this aspiring 
 youth ?" Reader, believe thine ears, he was no 
 less a person than John Oppy, alias Opie, after- 
 wards an Esquire and R.A., and Lecturer on 
 Painting to the Royal Academy. This emi- 
 nent artist's society was sincerely enjoyed by 
 his second wife, the authoress now residing 
 at Norwich, and who is in possession of some 
 of his best works.* 
 
 My honoured friend, James Northcote, Esq. 
 R.A., with his usual kindness, gave me two 
 original letters of Mr. and Mrs. Opie ; and, as 
 epistolary correspondence from persons of emi- 
 nence is at all times gratifying to the public, I 
 shall here insert a copy from the one by Opie, 
 and an extract from that of his friendly widow.f 
 
 * He was honoured with a most splendid funeral ; and his 
 ashes are now mingling in St, Paul's Cathedral with those of 
 Vandyck, Wren, Sir Joshua, Barry, and West. 
 
 t Mrs. Opie has entered that silent and most respectable 
 community denominated Friends, commonly called Quakers. 
 
HUMPHREY. 
 
 363 
 
 " Sunday Aug. 23. 
 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 f< Without pretending to feeling or sentiment, I am 
 really grieved at my treatment of you, but by G — d ! I can- 
 not help it : — I am served by others worse. 
 
 " I am now in the state of a losing gamester, and must 
 consent to throw away all my journey if I do not put a day 
 or two more to it. To attempt to make any more engage- 
 ments would be ridiculous and contemptible ; if you should 
 not go the day you propose and v/ill let me have a line of 
 information, 1 will endeavour to meet you, but I cannot 
 desire you to place any confidence in one who has none in 
 himself. I am your humble servant, 
 
 " J. Opie." 
 
 " That I ever familiarly associated with Mr, 
 
 Hoare and you, seems now a sort of traditionary history to 
 me ; a pleasant dream, which, like many others, is passed 
 away for ever ; but while I regret that it is so, I have at least 
 the satisfaction of knowing that Avhile I did enjoy the society 
 of Mr. Hoare and yourself, I most fully felt and appreciated 
 its value. 
 
 " With my compliments to Miss Northcote, 
 Believe me. Dear Sir, 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 Amelia Opie. 
 
 " Norwich, 7th of Oct. 1814." 
 
 In 1785, Mr. Humphrey went to India, 
 where he painted numerous persons of the 
 highest rank ; but in 1788, he returned again to 
 England, and took lodgings at the north-west 
 corner of St. James's-street, in Piccadilly, a house 
 made still more fashionable by Hoby, the Boot- 
 maker. In 1790, he was chosen a member of 
 
364. NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the Royal Academy, and afterwards resided in 
 Newman-street, and latterly in Thornliaugh- 
 street, at Mrs. Spicer's, No. 39, where he died, 
 in the front-room of the second-floor, on Fri- 
 day, March 9th, 1810, between the hours of 
 five and six in the morning. He was buried in 
 the ground behind the Chapel-of-Ease to St. 
 James's, Piccadilly, in the Hampstead-road, but 
 without any grave-stone ; his death and place 
 of bm'ial being most respectfully recorded by 
 his brother,* on the family tombstone at Ho- 
 niton. 
 
 There is a remarkably fine likeness of Mr. 
 Humphrey at Knowle, painted by Romney. 
 Of this picture there are two engravings : one in 
 mezzotinto, by William Pether, of a large folio 
 size ; the other quarto, by Caroline Watson, a 
 private plate. After Mr. Humphrey's return 
 from India, his manner, at times, was considered 
 rather pompous ; but, however that may have 
 been, true it is, that he recollected with the sin- 
 cerest gratitude every favour conferred upon 
 him, and never designedly hurt the feelings of 
 any one. His sympathetic tenderness extend- 
 ed itself to objects slighted by others, and fre- 
 quently in silence softened the sufferings of the 
 most neglected and necessitous ; and 1 am quite 
 
 * To this gentleman, the Duke of Dorset, Ozias's honoured 
 patron, gave a living. 
 
HUMPHREY. 
 
 365 
 
 certain that no one could retain a higher circle 
 of friends to the hour of his death than Ozias 
 Humphrey. Much against his inclination, he 
 once agreed to accompany Mr. William Pether, 
 the Mezzotinto-engraver, to whom he had al- 
 ways been extremely liberal, to second his ap- 
 plication to Mr. Nollekens for permission to 
 engrave a plate from his celebrated bust of Mr. 
 Fox, which was then a topic of conversation in 
 all the fashionable circles. Mr. NoUekens, who 
 at that time, notwithstanding his natural imbe- 
 cility, seldom spared a man when he had taken 
 a disHke to him, fell upon Humphrey imme- 
 diately that he discovered what had brought 
 him into his house. He wished, with his ac- 
 customed bluntness, to know what had induced 
 him to expect any favour. " You," observed 
 NoUekens, " who are always crying up Flax- 
 man here, and Flaxman there, and coddUng close 
 to him at the councils ; you know very well 
 that you told me, Mr. Townley, and Mr. Owen 
 Cambridge, that you thought Flaxman the 
 greatest sculptor that had ever lived ; you know 
 very well you did. I told Mrs. NoUekens 
 what you said, when I came home from Mr. 
 Blundell's ; you said the same to him of the 
 great Mr. Flaxman : do you think I can like 
 it?" Mr. Humphrey observed, that he had 
 never made those observations to offend him ; 
 
366 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 but that he certainly was still of the same opi- 
 nion, and wished him a good morning, leaving 
 Mr. Pether to present a letter of introduction 
 which he had brought from Mr. West. " Well, 
 Mr. Pether," said Nollekens, " I '11 do it for 
 him ;" to which acquiescence Mrs. Nollekens, 
 who had hitherto sat silently engaged in string- 
 ing a few French-beans with her silver-bladed 
 fruit-knife, observed, as she was cutting them 
 into a basin of water, " Mr. Nollekens, you act, 
 Sir, with the most perfect rectitude, and I am 
 sure that Mr. West will fully appreciate the 
 favour you have conferred upon his recommen- 
 dation. Won't you sit down, Mr. Pether : I 
 believe, Sir, Mr. Edridge was your pupil ; he 
 gave Mr. Nollekens a very pretty miniature of 
 Sir Joshua Keynolds. He is a very clever 
 young man ; his brother, I believe, was a butcher 
 in Saint James's Market ?"— " Yes, he was. Mr. 
 Edmunds, the Upholsterer, of Compton-street, 
 bound him to me. Dayes, the Draughtsman, 
 was also one of my pupils." 
 
 The most fascinating of all the lovely women 
 painted by Ozias Humphrey, was the famous 
 Kitty Frederick, who at that time lived in the 
 house the Duke of Queensbury furnished forher, 
 near Park-lane, in Piccadilly, now No. 133 ; and 
 of one of Mr. Humphrey's portraits of " charm- 
 
HUMPHREY. 
 
 367 
 
 ing Kate Fred," we have an exquisite engrav- 
 ing by llyder. The late Mr. Udney related 
 the following anecdote of Mr. Humphrey, with 
 whom he was extremely intimate, to Mr. West. 
 
 One morning, on the arrival of Ozias at Ted- 
 dington, Mrs. Udney accosted him with, " Well, 
 Mr. Humphrey, I am glad you are come to-day, 
 for we are to have the Stadholder to view our 
 gallery of pictures." — " God preserve me, you 
 don't say so ! " exclaimed Mr. Humphrey. 
 " Well then, if that 's the case, I will go and 
 take a nap, that I may be brilliant in the even- 
 ing." He then retired to the room usually al- 
 lotted to him, and fell fast asleep. At night, 
 when the yard-dog was about to be let loose, 
 Mrs. Udney, whose mind had been continually 
 running upon the Stadholder and his suite, re- 
 collected, for the first time, the morning arrival 
 of Mr. Humphrey, and sent a servant to look 
 for him. The man, after repeated knockings 
 at his chamber-door, receiving no answer, went 
 in. Mr. Humphrey, who had taken as long a 
 dose as FalstafF's, awoke, and upon the ser- 
 vant's drawing back the curtain, his first ques- 
 tion was to know if the Stadholder was come ? 
 " Come, Sir !" replied Andrew ; " Lord bless 
 ye, why he has been gone these six hours ; it 's 
 eleven o'clock !" 
 
368 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Another anecdote of this eminent Miniature- 
 painter, I received from the late Sir George 
 Beaumont. When Mr. West was engaged in 
 painting his beautiful picture of Achilles for 
 Thomas Hope, Esq. Mr. Humphrey, who was 
 then declining in life, upon entering the paint- 
 ing-room, bending his knees and throwing his 
 head and shoulders back, exclaimed " Hoighty- 
 toity! what have we here?" Mr. West re- 
 plied ; " Sir, this is epic." — " Heaven preserve 
 me ! you don't say so ; " and upon seeing a 
 lady seated by the fire, took no farther notice 
 of the picture, but cried out, " Well, Mrs. 
 West, how do you do, Ma'am ?" 
 
 Hay ley, in his Life of Romney, thus men- 
 tions Mr. Humphrey : — 
 
 " Thy graces, Humphrey, and thy colours clear. 
 From miniature's small circle disappear. 
 May their distinguish'd merit still prevail, 
 And shine with lustre on the larger scale." 
 
 The truly benevolent Owen Cambridge, Esq. 
 addressed lines to Ozias Humphrey, two of 
 which are : — 
 
 " But, Humphrey, by whom shall your labours be told. 
 How your colours enliven the young and the old .''"* 
 
 * See Archdeacon Cambridge's edition of his father's works, 
 page 319. 
 
369 
 
 WEST. 
 
 Benjamin West, Sir Joshua Reynolds's 
 successor as President of the Royal Acade- 
 my, was born on the 10th of October, 1738, at 
 Springfield, in Chester County, Pennsylvania^ 
 and was the youngest of thirteen children. To 
 Mr. West's well known liberality I owe the 
 best portion of the little knowledge I possess 
 in the art of Painting; which, small as it is, 
 has qualified me to see with my own eyes ; 
 the independent exercise of which I often find 
 useful. Mr. W est^ whose name ought never to 
 be mentioned but with grateful respect, often, 
 in the kindest manner possible, gave up whole 
 mornings to the instruction of those students 
 who solicited his opinion of their productions. 
 I have frequently known him correct their 
 errors with his own hand ; and 1 am clearly of 
 opinion, that there are very few artists now 
 basking in the sunshine of patronage, who have 
 not benefited essentially by his generous and 
 able communications. Mr. West's numerous 
 works are too well known to the man of true 
 taste to need any encomiums ; 1 shall therefore 
 observe only, that WooUett's engraving of his 
 " Death of General Wolfe" has been sold for 
 
 VOL. II, 2 B 
 
370 NOLLEKENS'S COMTEMPOllARIES. 
 
 more money, in this and every other country, 
 than any modern print whatever; and that I 
 have frequently heard Wilkie declare, that the 
 Battle of La Hogue was, in his estimation, a 
 complete work of Art. Certain it is that 
 WooUett considered his engraving of it in 
 every respect his masterpiece. 
 
 Ever anxious to exert his rare talent as an 
 Engraver to its fullest stretch, upon every sub- 
 ject on which he was engaged, Woollett, after 
 repeatedly presenting proof-impressions of this 
 famous plate to the Painter of the picture, 
 (fully trusting each time that Mr. West could 
 render it some assistance,) once more, and, as 
 he was told, for the last time, submitted ano- 
 ther proof to the Artist, when they were 
 mutually of opinion that nothing more could 
 improve it. However, Woollett modestly so- 
 licited Mr. West to reconsider the effect, and 
 also requested him to mark, according to his 
 usual custom, those parts with white and black 
 chalk which he considered might still be im- 
 proved. Mr. West, well knowing the danger 
 of overworking a subject, was fearful of dis- 
 turbing effects so fortunate, and therefore com- 
 menced cautiously by strengthening and lower- 
 ing parts, till, by degrees, he had worked upon 
 it about a quarter of an hour, when he put 
 
WEST. 
 
 371 
 
 down his port-crayon, and said, "There, Sir, 
 I can now do no more for it; but I much 
 fear the alterations will give you some little 
 trouble." — " Sir," exclaimed Woollett, " you 
 have given me six months' work ! but, as my 
 print will be so wonderfully improved by your 
 corrections, I am determined, were they to 
 take me twelve months, most cheerfully to go 
 through the task :" which he did conscien- 
 tiously, and with that persevering patience and 
 pleasure inseparable in artists of true feeling 
 for their future fame. 
 
 I was at Mr. West's one morning, when the 
 following observations were directed to Mr. 
 NoUekens : " We, Sir," said the President, " have 
 not many good works of statues to refer to. 1 
 believe, after Bishop's are mentioned, it will be 
 impossible to name another of equal merit. 
 That artist was a good draughtsman and an 
 excellent etcher, so that he knew perfectly well 
 how to execute that which he had undertaken : 
 and every artist's shelf should support and pro- 
 tect his book as an inestimable treasure. Be- 
 lieve me. Sir, our friend Townley did wrong in 
 employing young students and inexperienced 
 artists to make drawings of his statues. Such 
 fine specimens of art should have been attended 
 by the experienced physician — artists of the 
 2 B 2 
 
NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOllARIES. 
 
 highest talents. How is it possible for a tyro 
 to translate Dante like Carey ? No, Sir, such 
 artists as Howard," continued Mr. West, "those 
 who have arrived at the pinnacle of excellence, 
 are the men to be employed :— men, who can 
 not only feel the beauties of the Antique, but 
 produce an uncontaminated outUne for the En- 
 o-raver ; whose business it is to attend to the 
 nicely-delineated discrimination of the origmal 
 parts, in contrast to the harsh, and often un- 
 meaning modern botchings, of those jobbing 
 carvers who would do any thing for money. 
 And, Sir, the Engravers in general, I am sorry 
 to say, pay as much attention to the finishing 
 of the vile modern additions, as they do to tlie 
 antique parts. Sir, it would give me great 
 pleasure to see a work of statues drawn in out- 
 line by Mr. Howard, in his chaste and honest 
 manner, discriminating the superior excellence 
 of the fine antique parts, and the vulgar addi- 
 tions, and then I would have them steadfastly 
 etched by Moses. This, Sir, would be a most 
 desirable and valuable work, and by being in 
 outline only, like those which he has done from 
 my pictures, might be published at a cheap 
 rate ; so that artists as well as collectors might 
 possess the book, and the pubUsher be better 
 and sooner reimbursed." 
 
 I fully trust the eminent English Engravers, 
 
WEST. 
 
 373 
 
 whose productions are the pride of our coun- 
 try, and the universal envy of foreigners, will 
 not be offended at my promulgating the above 
 observations ; as the confinement of the works 
 of Sculpture to outline delineations, will not at 
 all interfere with their more elevated pursuits. 
 Their talents may be more properly called for, 
 and confined, to the engravings of fine pictures 
 by our modern English Artists, in water-colours, 
 as well as in oil, from whose easels we have 
 annually a copious choice of subjects, both in 
 Historical and Landscape-painting, as well as 
 in Portraits. If an associated body of the most 
 eminent of our Engravers, were to proceed with 
 a publication of some of the works of our best 
 Historical, Landscape, and Portrait-painters of 
 the size of West's " Death of Wolfe," Wilson's 
 " Niobe," and Sir Joshua's " John Hunter," 
 prints which would alone immortalise those 
 great men, I am quite certain such an under- 
 taking would succeed in a commercial point of 
 view, and thereby enable them to found an un- 
 precedented School of native talent. 
 
 When the late venerable President was sit- 
 ting to Mr, Nollekens for a bust, which the 
 Members of the British Institution had re- 
 quested to have. His Royal Highness the Duke 
 of York arrived, accompanied by his Royal bro- 
 ther, the Duke of Cumberland. The Duke of 
 
374 NOLT.EKENS'S CONTEMPORAllIES. 
 
 York, at that time, was also sitting for his bust, 
 when Mr. West heard Nollekens inquire of 
 him, "How's your Father?" — on which the 
 Duke, with his usual condescension, smilingly 
 informed him that the King was better. The 
 Duke of Cumberland then asked Mr. Nolle- 
 kens, why a man of his years wore so high a 
 toupee to his wig ? Mr. Nollekens, instead of 
 answering, wished to know, why His Royal 
 Highness wore those mustaquies f The Duke 
 of York smiled and said, " You have it now, 
 Cumberland." 
 
 To return, however, to Mr. West, the fol- 
 lowing is a translation, by a friend, from a 
 letter written in Italian, by the President, to 
 Can ova at Rome. 
 
 " London, May 1st, 1816. 
 
 " Three English ladies, sisters, of the name of King, ani- 
 mated solely by the desire of admiring Italy, — that Italy, 
 which constitutes the delight of civilized nations for every 
 species of perfection in the Fine Arts, — will do themselves at 
 once the honour and pleasure to present to you this letter. 
 
 " The high esteem and value in which the Fine Arts are 
 held at Rome, and in the other cities of Italy, are the princi- 
 pal motives to this attraction ; since, to those of a refined 
 taste, it forms, as it were, a source from whence the cultivat- 
 ed mind derives additional refinement, nutrition, and vigour. 
 It is with this view that the three sisters visit Italy ; and your 
 name being celebrated, not only in England but elsewhere, for 
 
WEST. 
 
 375 
 
 excellence in your Art, you will render them a great favour 
 by any kindness you shall please to show them, and at the 
 same time will lay me under an obligation, of which I shall 
 ever retain a deep sense. 
 
 " Through the medium of our Secretary of State, I have 
 received a paper, announcing to me the honour conferred on 
 me at Rome, by the honourable Academy of St. Luke, in 
 electing me one of its members ; for which honour I shall 
 ever hold myself indebted to your friendship. I shall not 
 fail, through the same channel, to express to the Academy in 
 adequate terms, my gratitude for the distinguished mark of 
 approbation with which it has honoured me, and also to re- 
 turn my cordial thanks to all the Academicians. Lastly, I 
 beg you to be assured of my very great respect, and of the 
 many obligations I owe you. 
 
 " Permit me, with every sentiment of entire friendship, 
 the honour of subscribing myself, 
 
 " Your friend, 
 " Benjamin West, President R. A." 
 
 I trust that I shall ever remember, as I 
 ought, Mr. West's kindness to me upon my 
 being appointed Keeper of the Prints and 
 Drawings in the British Museum. He shook 
 hands with me upon that occasion ; and re- 
 questing me to wait a little, he went into the 
 next room, and on his return, he put a mo- 
 rocco-case into my hand, saying, " That con- 
 tains a medal of me ; keep it for my sake, and 
 remember I gave it you upon your appoint- 
 ment. You know I exerted myself in your 
 
376 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 favour when you were candidate for the Draw- 
 ing-master's situation in the school of Christ's 
 Hospital." 
 
 Here I begin to blush, but as I am really 
 proud of what the venerable President said of 
 me in my testimonial, presented to the Gover- 
 nors of Christ's Hospital, I shall here insert it, 
 since the friendly reader will, I trust, bear with 
 my weakness ; and as for my enemies, I shall 
 console myself against what they may say, by 
 the recollection of an observation made by the 
 late facetious George Phillips, of George-yard, 
 Lombard-street, when hearing the lamentations 
 of an author who had been roughly treated by 
 the Reviewers. " Never mind, friend, what 
 they say ; words will neither break thy bones 
 nor bruise thy skin." 
 
 My testimonial runs thus. 
 
 We, whose names are subscribed, having seen specimens 
 of drawings by John Thomas Smith, are of opinion that he is 
 qualified for the office of Drawing-master in the school of 
 Christ's Hospital. 
 
 " I not only think him qualified as an artist, but greatly to 
 be respected as a man. 
 
 Benjamin West, President R. A." 
 
 It also gives me infinite pleasure to have it 
 in my power to select the two following sub- 
 
WEST. 
 
 377 
 
 scriptions, from the numerous set of names of 
 the most eminent artists, which farther honour 
 my testimonial. 
 
 " I have long been acquainted with Mr. J. T. Smith's 
 merits as a good artist and a worthy man. 
 
 "John Flaxman, Jun. Sculptor, 
 Associate R. A., R. A. of Florence and Carrara." 
 
 " I have known him from a child, and think him an honest 
 man, and well qualified for the office. 
 
 " Joseph Nollekens, R. A. 1798." 
 
 Mr. West may justly be considered the 
 founder of Historical Engraving in England ; 
 for, beautiful as WooUett's productions from 
 Wilson's sublime landscapes must be consi- 
 dered, yet his plates of the Death of General 
 Wolfe, and the Battle of La Hogue, from 
 West's pictures, stand unrivalled. The fame 
 of Mr. Hall, the Engraver, a pupil of Ravenet, 
 was not completely established until he produced 
 his plate of Oliver Cromwell dissolving the 
 Parliament, from West's picture; though the 
 engraving of Penn's Treaty with the Indians 
 possesses great merit. One observation more 
 I can safely make from my own knowledge : 
 that no Engravers could possibly be more cheer- 
 fully attentive to the remarks of the painter 
 
378 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 whose works they were copying, than Woollett 
 and Hall were to those of Mr. West, as I have 
 been present whole mornings when he has been 
 touching upon their proofs. All the collectors 
 of exquisite engravings know what I assert to 
 be true, that no prints from the works of one 
 master surpass, or even equal, those by the two 
 Historical-Engravers abovementioned ; though 
 Sharp's Witch of Endor, and Lear in the Storm, 
 are wonderfully fine things, and are also both 
 from pictures by West. 
 
 The career of this excellent man and great 
 Painter was not closed till he was full of years 
 and honour. Mr. West died, in the presence 
 of his sons Raphael and Benjamin, on the 10th 
 of March, 1820, between eleven and twelve 
 o'clock at night, on the sofa, on which he was 
 accustomed to sleep, in the front drawing-room, 
 at his house. No. 14, Newman-street, surrounded 
 by some of the choicest specimens of ancient 
 Art, both in pictures and drawings. He was 
 in his eighty-second year. He continued his 
 fondness for his two volumes of Fra Barto- 
 lomeo's drawings with such zeal, that within 
 four days of his death, when I last felt the warm 
 pressure of his friendly hand, one book lay 
 open upon, and the other resting against, a small 
 settee within his reach, so that he could conve- 
 
WEST. 
 
 379 
 
 niently turn them over and enjoy them from 
 his pillow. 
 
 Mr. West's family having witnessed the pro- 
 found respect paid to their late father, by per- 
 sonages of the highest rank and eminence in 
 this country, empowered Mr. Henderson, the 
 professional gentleman who then managed their 
 affairs, to send invitations to all the noblemen 
 and gentlemen then in town, with whom the 
 President had been on terms of intimacy ; of 
 which the following is a copy of the one ad- 
 dressed to Sir George Beaumont, Bart. 
 
 " The honour of your presence is requested at Somerset- 
 house, on Wednesday morning, the 29th of March, at half- 
 past ten o'clock, to attend, with the Members of the Royal 
 Academy, the interment of their late President, Benjamin 
 West, Esq. in St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 " The favour of an answer is desired on or before Friday, 
 the 24th of March, to be addressed to J. H. Henderson, 
 Esq. 23, John-street, Bedford-row. 
 
 The members of the Royal Academy, anxious 
 to pay every possible respect to the remains of 
 their late venerable President, voted the fol- 
 lowing circular to be sent to all the members of 
 their Institution. 
 
 " Royal Academy, 20th March, 1820. 
 " Sir ; — It being the intention of the Royal Academy to 
 attend the funeral of their late President, you are requested 
 
380 
 
 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 to inform me, by the 22d inst. whether it will be convenient 
 to you to join the rest of the Members on that occasion. 
 
 "The procession will leave the Academy at half -past Ten 
 in the morning of Wednesday the 29th inst. 
 "I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 Henry Howard, R.A. Sec." 
 
 After lying in state at the Royal Academy 
 with all possible academic honours, he was 
 buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, near the honour- 
 ed dust of Sir Christopher Wren, Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds, and the Professors Barry and Opie. 
 Mrs. Benjamin West, to whom I am indebted 
 for many communications, has enabled me to 
 lay the following order of her father's funeral, 
 with the names of the mourners, before the 
 reader. 
 
 Six Constables, by threes. 
 Four Marshalmen, two and two. 
 City Marshal on horseback. 
 Undertaker on horseback. 
 Six Cloak-men on horseback, by twos. 
 
 Four Mutes on horseback, by twos. 
 Lid of feathers, with attendant pages. 
 Hearse and Six, with rich trappings, feathers, and velvets, 
 attended by eight pages. 
 Two Mourning Coaches and four, with attendant pages, 
 conveying the Pall-bearers. 
 Mourning Coach and four, with attendant pages, conveying 
 the sons and grandsons of the deceased, as 
 Chief Mourners. 
 
WEST. 
 
 381. 
 
 Mourning Coach and four, with attendant pages, conveying 
 
 the family Trustees and Executors of the deceased. 
 Mourning Coach and four, with attendant pages, conveying 
 the Reverends the Vicar of Mary-le-bone, the Chap- 
 lain to the Lord Mayor, and the medical atten- 
 dant of the deceased. 
 Then followed sixteen Mourning Coaches and pairs, with 
 attendant pages, conveying the Right Reverend the 
 Chaplain, the Secretary for Foreign Correspon- 
 dence, and the Members of the Royal 
 Academy and Students. 
 Twenty Mourning Coaches and pairs, with attendant pages, 
 conveying the Mourners and Private Friends 
 of the deceased. 
 The private carriages attending were those of the follow- 
 ing persons of rank : — The Lord Mayor, the Archbishop of 
 York, the Dukes of Norfolk, Northumberland, and Argyll ; 
 the Marquesses of Lansdown and Stafford ; the Earls of 
 Liverpool, Essex, Aberdeen, Carlisle, Dartmouth, Powis, 
 Mulgrave, Darnley, and Carysfort ; Viscount Sidmouth ; the 
 Bishops of London, Salisbury, Carlisle, and Chester ; Admi- 
 ral Lord Radstock ; the Right Honourables Sir William Scott, 
 Charles Manners Sutton, and Charles Long ; the American 
 Ambassador; the Hon. General Phipps, Augustus Phipps ; 
 Sir George Beaumont, J. Fleming Leicester, Thomas Baring, 
 and Henry Fletcher; the Solicitor- General, Sir Robert Wil- 
 son, Dr. Heslop, Dr. Bailey, Aldermen Birch and Wood, Mr. 
 Chamberlain Clarke, Henry Banks, Esq. M.P. Richard Hart 
 Davis, Esq. M.P. George Watson Taylor, Esq. M.P. Jesse 
 Watts Russell, Esq. M.P. Henry Fauntleroy, Esq. Archibald 
 Hamilton, Esq. Thomas Coutts, Esq. John Penn, Esq. Thomas 
 Hope, Esq. Samuel Boddington, Esq. Walter Fawkes, Esq. 
 George Hibbert, Esq. John Yenn, Esq. John Soane, Esq. 
 Francis Chantrey, Esq. Henry Sansom, Esq. John Nash, Esq. 
 
SS2 NOI.LEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 John Edwards, Esq. George Sheddon, Esq. James Dunlop, 
 Esq. Joseph Ward, Esq. Henry Meux, Esq. &c. &c. 
 The Hon. and Rev. Dr. Wellesley performed the service. 
 
 Fall-bearers. 
 
 Earl of Aberdeen . Right Hon. Sir W. Scott 
 
 H. E. the American Am- g< Hon. Gen. Phipps 
 
 bassador y Sir George Beaumont 
 
 Hon. Augustus Phipps ^ Sir Robert Wilson 
 Sir Thomas Baring ^ 
 
 Chief' Mourners. 
 Raphael Lamarr West. 
 
 Benjamin West. 
 Benjamin West, Jun. 
 Robert Brunning (the old servant). 
 Henry Fauntleroy and James Henry Henderson, Esqrs. 
 Rev. Dr. Efeslop, Rev. Mr. Borradaile. 
 Joseph Hayes, the Medical Attendant. 
 Bishop of Salisbury. 
 Prince Hoare, Esq. 
 Academicians and Associates, two by two. 
 Students, two by two. 
 Alderman Wood, Alderman Birch, Rev. — Est, 
 Rev. Holt Oakes, Henry Banks, Esq. M.P. W. Smith, Esq.M.P. 
 Richard Hart Davis, Esq. M.P. 
 George Watson Taylor, Esq. M.P. 
 Jesse Watts Russell, Esq. M.P. 
 Archibald Hamilton, Esq. Thomas Hope, Esq. 
 Samuel Boddington, Esq. Richard Payne Knight, Esq. 
 Thomas Lister Parker, Esq. George Hibbert, Esq. 
 John Nash, Esq. John Edwards, Esq. 
 
 Major Payne Capt. Henry Wolseley 
 
 Capt. Francis Halliday James St. Aubyn, Esq. 
 
 Henry Sansom, Esq. — Magniac, Esq. 
 
 George Sheddon, Esq. James Dunlop, Esq. 
 
WEST. 
 
 383 
 
 Joseph Ward, Esq. 
 
 N. Ogle, Esq. 
 
 George Repton, Esq. 
 
 William Wadd, Esq. 
 
 Henry Woodthorpe, Jun. Esq. Christopher Hodgson, Esq 
 
 — Cockerell, Jun. Esq 
 
 Leigh Hunt, Esq. 
 
 P. Turnerelli 
 
 J. HolloAvay 
 
 Charles Heath 
 
 Henry Edridge 
 
 A. Robertson, Esq. 
 
 W. J. Newton, Esq. 
 
 John Taylor 
 
 T. Bonney 
 
 C. Muss 
 
 J. Martin 
 
 J, Green 
 
 John Gait 
 
 W. Carey 
 
 — Leslie 
 
 W. Behnes 
 
 George Samuel 
 
 John Young 
 
 Christopher Pack 
 
 W. Delamotte 
 
 E. Scriven 
 
 J. M. Davis. 
 
 C. Smart. 
 
 As I cannot possibly select from the pens 
 of West's numerous and able biographers, a 
 more sincere and eloquent eulogy than that 
 which the present President, Sir Thomas Law- 
 rence, passed upon the high talents of his pre- 
 decessor, when he delivered an Address to the 
 students of the Royal Academy, in 1823, I 
 shall here insert the following extract from a 
 privately-printed copy of that Lecture, which 
 Sir Thomas did me the honour to give me ; and 
 I most sincerely hope that it may induce the 
 religious part of the kingdom to visit the His- 
 toric Gallery, now open in Newman-street. 
 The President, at page 7 in his Address above 
 alluded to, says : — 
 
384 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 " The elevated philosophy of Sir Joshua Reynolds^ in those 
 golden precepts, which are now acknowledged as canons of 
 universal taste ; and that illustrious Society, of which he was 
 the centre, — combined with his genius to give a dazzling splen- 
 dour to his name, which seemed to leave him without com- 
 petitor ; yet the powers and knowledge of Mr. West de- 
 served not the contrast in their present fortunes. 
 
 " At an aera when Historical Painting was at the lowest ebb, 
 (with the few exceptions, which the claims of the beautiful 
 and the eminent permitted to the pencil of Sir Joshua,) Mr. 
 West, sustained by the beneficent patronage of his late Ma- 
 jesty, produced a series of compositions from sacred and pro- 
 fane history, profoundly studied, and executed with the most 
 facile power, which not only were superior to any former 
 productions of English Art, but, far surpassing contemporary 
 merit on the Continent, were unequalled at any period below 
 the schools of the Carracci. 
 
 " The picture of ' The Return of Regulus to Carthage,' 
 preserved with gracious attention in the Palace of Buck- 
 ingham-house, and of ' The Shipwreck of St. Paul,' in the 
 Chapel of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, are examples that 
 may securely be adduced in testimony of the fact. Towards 
 the close of an honoured and laborious life, and when his 
 advanced age might reasonably have deterred him from exer- 
 tion, he produced a large and interesting work, which, meet- 
 ing with liberal reward, so forcibly excited the admiration of 
 the public, as even by its attraction to add new means of pa- 
 tronage to the prompt benevolence that secured it. This 
 was succeeded by others, of still more arduous subject, of 
 greater magnitude, and, if possible, more powerfully im- 
 pressive. 
 
 The display of such astonishing ability in age, (for he was 
 employed on them in his eightieth year,) combined with the 
 sacred importance of his subjects, gave him celebrity at the 
 
WEST. 
 
 385 
 
 -close of his life, far greater than he had ever before enjoyed ; 
 and he became (almost to forgetfulness of deceased greatness) 
 the one popular painter of his country. Yet what slight cir- 
 cumstances may retard the effect usually produced by death 
 on the fame of the eminent and good ! It is now more than 
 three years that we have witnessed at his own residence an 
 exhibition of the accumulated labours of this venerable and 
 great artist, whose remains were honoured with a public fu- 
 neralj and whose loss was felt as a national calamity — totally 
 neglected and deserted ! the spacious rooms in which they 
 are arranged, erected in just respect to a parent's memory, 
 and due attention to the imagined expectations of the public, 
 as destitute of spectators as the vacant halls of some assem- 
 bly ; and but for the possession of other property of known 
 value, threatening to injure the remaining fortunes of the 
 filial love that raised them. But though unnoticed by the 
 public, the gallery of Mr. West remains. Gentlemen, for you, 
 and exists for your instruction ; while the extent of know- 
 ledge that he possessed, and was so liberal to convey ; the 
 useful weight of his opinions, in societies of the highest rank ; 
 the gentle humanity of his nature, and that parental fond- 
 ness, with which youth, and its young aspirings, were in- 
 structed and cherished by him, will render his memory sacred 
 to his friends, — and endeared to the schools of this Academy, 
 while respect for worth, and gratitude for invaluable service, 
 are encouraged in them. 
 
 " For myself, indebted to his friendship for no inconsider- 
 able portion of that service, I can truly say, that I never 
 estimated the comprehensive ability of that great Artist so 
 highly, as when comparing his labours in my memory, with 
 many of the most celebrated compositions, then before me, 
 of the revivers of modern art : and were the revered friend 
 now living, to whom my letters were addressed, his report 
 would be evidence of that impression. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 c 
 
386 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOKARIES. 
 
 " 1 hope it is impossible that the Nation should long con- 
 tinue its neglect ; and seem to prove by this indifference, that 
 the general enthusiasm so recently excited by those fine pro- 
 ductions, and the respect then shown to their venerated au- 
 thor, were but the impulse and fashion of an hour, dependent 
 on the mere convenience of place and distance, instead of the 
 rational tribute of the judgment, and the feeling protection of 
 an enlightened and just people. Yet, whatever, in extent of 
 fame, had been the successful rivalry of Mr. West with his 
 illustrious predecessor, the integrity of your late lamented 
 President would still have yielded the chief honours of the 
 English school to our beloved Sir Joshua! of whose works, 
 character, and conversation, he often spoke, in the last years 
 of the intercourse I had the honour to have with him, with 
 that pleased and proud remembrance, which great minds 
 always hold of the competitor who had most severely tasked 
 their powers, of the genius that had surpassed them." 
 
 From the year 1768 to 1801, Mr. West had 
 the honour of executing sixty-four pictures and 
 other designs for our late most gracious Sove- 
 reign King George III. amounting to 34,187^. 
 Though this sum is certainly a great one, yet 
 it must be recollected that Mr. West was 
 thirty-two years engaged upon them, and that 
 his private and public commissions were very 
 trifling until the year 1811, when his Royal 
 Highness the Prince Regent and thirty-nine 
 of the leading Members of the British Institu- 
 tion, subscribed the sum of three thousand gui- 
 neas for a picture from the easel of Mr. West ; 
 by far the largest sum ever given for a picture 
 
WEST. 
 
 387 
 
 by a modern artist in this or any other country. 
 To prove to the world how warmly Mr. West 
 felt this flattering and most distinguished mark 
 of favour, he presented each of the subscribers 
 with a medal, struck at Birmingham, from a 
 die sunk purposely by Mills, from a bust mo- 
 delled by Chantrey. The obverse of this me- 
 dal, which is the size of a crown piece, consists 
 of the likeness in profile, round which is in- 
 scribed, *' Benjamin West, President of the 
 Royal Academy, m.d.c.c.c.xv." 
 
 The inscription on the reverse is as follows : 
 " Respectfully to perpetuate the names of 
 those who, in m.d.c.c.c.xi, subscribed to pur- 
 chase the picture of Christ in the Temple for 
 the Gallery of the British Institution." 
 
 Within the inscription are the following 
 names, in eight compartments, running in cir- 
 cles to the centre, commencing with 
 
 H. R. H. P. Regent D. of Devonshire 
 
 M. of Stafford E. of Egremont 
 
 B. of Durham E. of Darnley 
 
 R. P. Knight L. Dundas 
 
 M. Camden J. Nash 
 
 J. J. Angerstein E. of Ashburnham 
 
 E. of Carlisle Sir T. Bernard 
 
 L. Brownlow Sir T. Baring 
 
 E. Spencer R. H. C. Long 
 
 H. P. Hope T. Coutts 
 
 2 C 2 
 
388 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 E, of Aylesford 
 D. of Bedford 
 Lady Lucas 
 
 L. G. L. Gower 
 Tho. Hope 
 
 C. J. Cholmondeley 
 Sir G. Beaumont 
 J. Hinckley 
 Sir A. Hume 
 W. Smith 
 
 D. of Bridgewater 
 Sir W. W. Wynne 
 
 E. of Hardwicke 
 
 C. Buncombe 
 W. Morland 
 R. H. Davis 
 
 Claude Scott 
 L. Kinnaird 
 
 Rev. W. Long 
 D. P. Watts." 
 
 In the centre of this reverse, within a wreath 
 of oak-leaves and acorns, are these words, 
 "Under the Regency." 
 
 About three hundred of these medals were 
 struck in bronze, round the edge of one of 
 which was engraven, " Presented by Mr. West 
 to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent." 
 
 Upon reflection, Mr. West considered this 
 bronze, though thus inscribed, an improper 
 offering to so noble a Prince ; he therefore had 
 one struck in the purest gold, which he had 
 the honour of presenting.* 
 
 About twelve of the bronzes were gilt, which 
 were distributed to his own family, and one or 
 two ladies of distinction. 
 
 * The discarded bronze medal, intended for his Royal 
 Highness the Prince Regent, Mr. West gave to his daughter, 
 Mrs. Benjamin West, who treasures it as an unquestionable 
 
 unique. 
 
389 
 
 HALL. 
 
 John Hall, when a lad, painted ornaments 
 upon china for the manufactories then in high 
 estimation at Chelsea, under the direction of Sir 
 Stephen Janson. 
 
 Ravenet, Hall's master, was also employed 
 to engrave copper-plates, from which the arti- 
 cles were stamped, consisting of scrolls, foliage, 
 shells, pastoral subjects, and figures of every 
 description. Of some of these productions, I 
 have seen impressions on paper, and they, as 
 well as every thing from the hand of Ravenet, 
 do him great credit. Hall remained with Ra- 
 venet about two years beyond his stipulated 
 time; and after gradually advancing in his 
 Art, he married Miss Gilles, a lady of French 
 extraction, by whom, as he acknowledged to 
 Peter Audinet, the Engraver, (his pupil,) now 
 living at No. 56, Great Russell-street, one of 
 my informants, he had thirteen children ; of 
 which number only six were then living, two 
 sons and four daughters. His eldest son, 
 George William, was educated for the Church, 
 and is now Master of Pembroke College, Ox- 
 ford. His daughter Mary married that delight- 
 
390 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOEARIES. 
 
 ful composer Stephen Storace, by whom she 
 had one child, now deceased. 
 
 In thus noticing Storace, I may observe that 
 his biographers are wrong as to his first public 
 piece : it was " The Doctor and Apothecary :" 
 "The Haunted Tower" was his second. A 
 monument has been erected to his memory in 
 Marylebone Church, the epitaph of which was 
 written by his sincere and valuable friend. 
 Prince Hoare, the Dramatic author, and Secre- 
 tary for Foreign Correspondence to the Royal 
 Academy. Mr. Hall, when he quitted his 
 house in Berwick-street, where he had resided 
 for a number of years, took one in Cumberland- 
 street, near the New-road, where it is said he 
 never enjoyed his health, from suffering so 
 much for the loss of his son-in-law Storace. 
 Mr. Hall was buried in his wife's family- vault 
 in Paddington Old Church-yard, upon the 
 tomb-stone of which is the following inscrip- 
 tion : — 
 
 " Mr. John Hall, died April 7tli, 1797, 
 Aged 57." 
 
 Mr. Hall, like his friend WooUett, arrived at 
 the summit of his Art ; and upon the produc- 
 tion of a proof of his plate from West's picture 
 of Oliver Cromwell Dissolving the Parliament, 
 
HALL. 
 
 391 
 
 the late King George the Third appointed him 
 his Historical-Engraver. By possessing a su- 
 perior mind, and always associating with per- 
 sons of worth and high literary talents, and 
 being a man of the strictest integrity, Mr. Hall 
 was highly respected through life by every one 
 who knew him. Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, 
 was one of his best friends ; of whom he en- 
 graved a most exquisite portrait, from a draw- 
 ing in black and red chalk, which he made from 
 a picture then at Buckingham-house, in the pos- 
 session of the late Queen. He also engraved 
 a portrait of Warburton, Bishop of Glouces- 
 ter, for his patron, Dr. Hurd. 
 
392 
 
 COSWAY. 
 
 Richard Cosway, when a boy, was noticed 
 by Mr. Shipley, the proprietor of the Drawing- 
 school in the Strand, already mentioned, who 
 took him to wait upon the students, and carry 
 in the tea and coffee, which Mr. Shipley's house- 
 keeper was allowed to provide, and for which 
 she charged three-pence per head. 
 
 The students, among whom were NoUekens 
 and my father, good-temperedly gave Dick, for 
 so he was called, instructions in drawing, and 
 also advised him, finding him to have some 
 talent, to try for a prize in the Society of Arts ; 
 and in 1755, he obtained a premium of 5l. 5s. 
 for a drawing. In 1757, he gained another pre- 
 mium of 4^. 4*. ; in 1758, one of 4/. 4*. ; in 
 1759, a premium of 9,1. 2s. ; and in 176O, when 
 he was under the age of twenty-four, another 
 premium of 10^. 10*. 
 
 Soon after this, he left his master, and be- 
 came a teacher in Parr's Drawing-school, in the 
 Strand. He was also employed to make draw- 
 ings of heads for the shops, as well as fancy- 
 miniatures, and free subjects for snuff-boxes 
 for the jewellers, mostly from ladies whom he 
 knew ; and from the money he gained, and the 
 gaiety of the company he kept, he rose, from 
 
COSWAY. 
 
 393 
 
 one of the dirtiest boys, to one of the smartest 
 of men. Indeed so ridiculously foppish did he 
 become, that Mat Darley, the famous carica- 
 ture printseller, introduced an etching of him in 
 his window, in the Strand, as " The Macaroni 
 Miniature-painter," He also was satirized by 
 Dighton, whose drawing was engraved in 
 mezzotinto, by the celebrated Earlom, when a 
 beginner, though without the names of the 
 artists ; and the print, which is entitled, " The 
 Macaroni Painter ; or, Billy Dimple sitting for 
 his picture," is now extremely rare. At the 
 time this print was published, Mr. Cos way 
 lived in Orchard-street, Portman-square, whence 
 he removed to the house in which Shackelton, 
 the Portrait-painter, had lived, of whom there 
 is a rare engraving in mezzotinto. In this 
 house, No. 4, Berkeley-street, opposite the 
 Duke of Devonshire's wall, I fii-st saw Mr. Cos- 
 way ; and at that time he kept a black servant, 
 who published an octavo work upon Slavery. I 
 have often seen Mr. Cosway at the Elder Chris- 
 tie's Picture-sales, full-dressed in his sword and 
 bag ; with a small three-cornered hat on the top 
 of his powdered toup6e, and a mulberry silk 
 coat, profusely embroidered with scarlet straw- 
 berries. It was in this house that his Royal 
 Highness the Prince of Wales and Royal bro- 
 thers first noticed and employed Cosway ; 
 
394 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 which brought his very tasteful works into 
 high estimation. He also collected old pic- 
 tures, in which he dealt with no inconsider- 
 able advantage ; and he was fond of ancient ar- 
 mour, and particularly old household furniture, 
 of which he possessed a prodigious quantity. 
 
 At this time, Cosway married Maria Hat- 
 field, one of two daughters of a native of 
 Shrewsbury, who kept an English hotel a short 
 distance from Florence ; she was married at St. 
 George's, Hanover-square, and her mother then 
 lived in the house now occupied by Thomas 
 Phillips, Esq. R. A., and Professor of Painting 
 to the Eoyal Academy. The late Charles 
 Townley, Esq. the collector of the Marbles now 
 in the British Museum, gave the bride away. 
 The other daughter, Charlotte, was a most 
 amiable woman, and upon quitting her hus- 
 band, the late Mr. Coombe, (the author of " Dr. 
 Syntax's Tour,") whom she had unfortu- 
 nately married, was invited into the agreeable 
 society of her steady friend, Mrs. Curtis, of 
 King's County, Ireland ; a lady remarkable for 
 her benevolence, literary attainments, and most 
 elegant manners; with whom she still resides, 
 and is treated with all the kindness of a sister. 
 
 From Berkeley-street, Mr. Cosway re- 
 moved to Pall-mall, and for many years re- 
 sided in the centre of three houses, which 
 
coswAY. 395 
 
 originally were only one ; being erected for the 
 Duke of Schomberg. In the middle part, as it 
 is now divided, lived Jarvis, the Painter, im- 
 mortalized by Pope, whose whole-length por- 
 trait he painted, without exposing much of his 
 deformity ; next by Ashley, the Painter, who 
 married Lady Duckenfield ; after him by 
 Nathaniel Hone, Esq. R.A.,* who kept a fa- 
 mous black woman in it as his model ; and 
 then by the " Celestial Doctor " Graham, the 
 
 * I take this opportunity of inserting Mr. Hone's Catalogue 
 of his Pictures, referred to in the first volume of this work. 
 
 " 1. A frame containing fifteen enamelled pictures, por- 
 traits. 2. A frame containing eleven pictures in enamel, 
 portraits. 3. A frame containing thirteen portraits in ena- 
 mel, copied from various painters : not one of the foregoing 
 enamels have been painted within these fifteen years, as Mr. 
 Hone gave up his leisure-hours from that time to painting in 
 oil. 4. An Old Man, in crayons, painted twenty-seven years 
 ago. 5. A Girl Drawing, painted above twenty years ago ; 
 this picture is a proof how little the colours have changed. 
 6. A Brickdust-man, the work of a day, in the first exhibi- 
 tion-room belonging to the Society of Arts, &c. 1760. 7- A 
 Chinese Man, the work of an hour, as may be seen by the 
 touch. 8. A Boy Deliberating on his Drawing, in the exhi- 
 bition at Spring-gardens, 1766. 9. A Girl with a Rabbit, 
 1767i at Spring-gardens. 10. Diogenes Looking for an Honest 
 Man, in the exhibition at Spring-gardens, 1768. 11. Signora 
 Zamperini, in the character of Cecchini, at Spring-gardens, 
 1768. 12. A small whole-length of a Gentleman, at the 
 Royal Academy, Pall-mall, 1769. 13. A Candlelight, " as if 
 she'd say, ''Tis time to bed, love, let 's away,' " at the Royal 
 Academy, 1769. 14. A Piping Boy, at the Royal Academy, 
 
396 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Lecturer; and in this house it has been said 
 the Doctor exhibited Emma Lyon, afterwards 
 Lady Hamilton, as the Goddess of Health ; 
 though this has been expressly and positively 
 
 1769. 15. A Young Gentleman, at the Royal Academy, 1769. 
 
 16. The Tripoline Ambassador, 1770, at the Royal Academy. 
 
 17. Two Gentlemen in masquerade, at the Royal Academy, 
 1770 ; the cross is here restored as at first intended, instead of 
 a punch-ladle, which was painted by order of the Council of 
 the Academy for its admittance. 18. A mezzotinto print of 
 the same, by Mr. Hone. 19. A Boy with a Garland, at the 
 Royal Academy, 1771- 20. A Girl with a Dog, at the 
 Royal Academy, 1771 ; in the collection of Richard Knight, 
 Esq. 21. A Boy with a Portfolio, at the Royal Academy, 
 1771- 22. A Student with a plaster of Paris head in his 
 hand, Royal Academy, 1771. 23. A Portrait of Mr. Hone's 
 mother, in the eightieth year of her age ; that of his father, in 
 the back- ground, he copied from a picture of his own paint- 
 ing, when he was quite unacquainted with the Art, but was a 
 strong likeness ; at the Royal Academy, 1771- 24. David, 
 when a shepherd, after he had freed his lamb from the lion, 
 at the Royal Academy, 1771- 25. A Girl with a Cat, at the 
 Royal Academy, 1772. 26. A Portrait of a Gentleman, at the 
 Royal Academy, 1773. 27. A Fisherman, at the Royal Aca- 
 demy, 1773. 28. A Young Lady, in a round frame, 1773. 
 29. A Lady at Church, at the Royal Academy, 1774. 30. A 
 Lady with a Nosegay, at the Royal Academy, 1774. 31. Por- 
 trait of an Officer, at the Royal Academy, 1774. 32. Portrait 
 of a Sheep bleating within the rails, at the Royal Academy, 
 1774. 33. Portrait of a General Officer, at one sitting, unfi- 
 nished. 34. Two Spaniels, belonging to John Bailey, Esq. of 
 Ramridge. 35. A Lady, in profile, at one sitting. 36. A 
 Profile of a Right Hon. Lady, copied from an enamelled mi- 
 
COS WAY. 
 
 397 
 
 contradicted by persons of the strictest veracity. 
 In this residence, Graham was succeeded by 
 Cosway ; and when he left it, the Polygraphic 
 Society occupied it for the exhibition of their 
 
 niature of Mr. Hone's painting several years ago. 37- A 
 Portrait of a Gentleman. 38. Copied from a Landscape of 
 Claude Lorraine, several years since, the original is in the 
 collection of Lord Scarsdale, at Kedleston. 39. Copied 
 from a Landscape of Salvator Rosa, in the collection of John 
 Barnard, Esq. done at once painting, as it is supposed the 
 original was. 40. A Winter Evening's Amusement, a drawing 
 in bister several years since. 41. A ditto. 42. A ditto. 
 43. A ditto, in black chalk. 44. A View from one of the Huts 
 on Sydenham Common, some years ago. 45. A Girl with a 
 Shell, this is the original ; the copy, at the Royal Academy, 
 is done by a young gentleman who has not been seven months 
 with Mr. Hone. 46. Mr. Hone's portrait, about five years 
 ago, painted to imitate the old dress of Henry the Eighth's 
 time, the dress unfinished. 47. A Hare. 48. A Pheasant, 
 unfinished. 49. A Lady with her Daughter. — These six fol- 
 lowing were intended to have been exhibited in the Royal 
 Academy this year, and were actually hung up there. 50. The 
 Daughter of a Peer, whole-length. 51. A lady with a lyre. 
 " Audire, et videor pios errare per lucos, amcenae quos et aquae 
 subeunt, et aurse. Hor. Carmen ad Calliopen. 52. A Lady 
 in a turban, with a musical instrument. 53. A Judge. 54. 
 St. Paviarius ; the head finished at once painting, from the same 
 man who sat for the Conjuror. — This poor but honest fellow, 
 was formerly a pavior, for which reason he is named, as have 
 heretofore been St. Veronica, St. Christopher, &c. from some, 
 particular action. 55. The Conjuror, refused by the Council 
 of the Royal Academy, though Mr. Hone had agreed to make 
 some alterations in the picture. 57. A Drawing of a Lady 
 
398 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 wretched copies of good pictures. Tliey put 
 up the figures at the porch, and then Bryan, 
 the Picture-dealer, adorned it with old pictures, 
 for the most part extensively retouched by my 
 old fellow student William Brooks. After 
 him came the friendly Peter Coxe, the Auc- 
 tioneer, and Author of that beautifully em- 
 bellished Poem entitled, " The Social Day :" 
 Mr. Payne, the owner of the house, came to 
 it from his father's premises at the Mews- 
 gate, so well known to the literati of the day. 
 He still, with his partner Mr. Foss, not only 
 occupies it as one of the most valuable book- 
 seller's shops in the Metropolis, but also enjoys 
 it under the friendly and enviable appellation 
 of "Honest Tom Payne's." When Cosway 
 lived in Pall-Mall, his Maria, of whom there 
 are several engraved portraits, held her con- 
 certs in it, which were sanctioned by his Royal 
 Highness the Prince of Wales, and some of 
 
 and Child. 58. A Drawing in bister, from Jacob Ruisdael.* 
 59. A Candlelight, in enamel. 60. A Locust, in the month 
 of August, 1748, was taken up in a street in London, in ena- 
 mel, 61. A Shell, in enamel. 62. A Candlelight, from G. 
 Dow, in enamel. 63. A Chinese figure, in enamel. 64. A 
 Moth and Butterfly, in enamel. 65. A Candlelight drawing. 
 66. St. Catherine, unfinished, in oil." 
 
 * So written by the artist himself upon his etchings — 
 Fuseli spells it Ruysdaal. 
 
COSWAY. 
 
 399 
 
 the highest fashionables of the day ; the pro- 
 fessional talents were of the first class, and Pail- 
 Mall, upon Sunday evenings, was hardly pass- 
 able. Amongst the numerous letters received 
 by Mrs. Cosway at this time, she was honoured 
 with the two following from her Grace Geor- 
 giana Duchess of Devonshire. 
 
 ** DEAR MRS. COSWAY, 
 
 " I AM extremely sorry that my Mother's illness pre- 
 vents my going out and coming to you to-night. If you 
 
 have the harp-woman, (I forget her hard name,) I wish you 
 would tell her that I hope to see her as soon as my Mother 
 is better. 
 
 " Believe me, yours ever, 
 
 " G. Devonshire." 
 
 " DEAR MRS. COSWAY, Thursday. 
 " Pray send to Mademoiselle Carotine, and tell her 
 I was sent for out of town on Election business, which will 
 prevent my seeing her at live to-day. 
 
 " I am, dear Mrs. Cosway, 
 Yours, 
 " G. Devonshire." 
 
 The following complimentary letter, is from 
 the celebrated Mrs. Cowley, one of the nume- 
 rous literary characters who also attended Mrs. 
 Cosway's concerts. 
 
 '* MY DEAR MRS. COSWAY, 
 
 *^ This morning I was informed by Mr. Mathew, who 
 received it from Mr. Hutton, that you have been extremely 
 ill. I am — how foolish to say * I am very sorry !* that phrase 
 is in the mouths of all the children of indifference. I am 
 
400 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 myself very ill, or, instead of my daughter, you would have 
 seen me. 
 
 " But how can you, whom I saw last Tuesday at Somerset- 
 house, so well, — how can you have been a long time ill ? 
 Yes, I saw you, yourself ! If you can draw every body, as 
 justly as the fair Maria, you will be the first portrait-painter 
 in the kingdom. It is identically you, without subtraction 
 or addition. 
 
 " Your Ossian is charming ! the Maid of Arragon is 
 placed too high ; — but 'tis a sweet, elegant picture ! , I could 
 not find the Love-sick damsel of the Sun ; — but I must go 
 aga,in. Pray let me know how you are ; — and tell me that some 
 morning of the coming week I shall be a welcome visitant. 
 
 " Your ever affectionate, 
 
 " H. Cowley." 
 
 " Powis-place. 
 " Sunday evening." 
 
 The next house inhabited by Cosway, was 
 one of those, with a lion by its side, at the en- 
 trance of Stratford-place, Oxford-street, and was 
 situate at the south-west corner. No sooner, 
 however, were his stoves fixed, but an unlucky 
 wight stuck the following lines upon his door, 
 said to have been written by Peter Pindar : 
 
 " When a man to a fair for a show brings a lion, 
 'Tis usual a monkey the sign-post to tie on : 
 But here the old custom reversed is seen. 
 For the Lion 's without — and the Monkey 's within !" 
 
 Cosway, though a well-made little man, was 
 certainly very much like a monkey in his face ; 
 and therefore, to avoid a repetition of this 
 
COS WAY. 
 
 401 
 
 attack, he left this lion-guarded mansion for No. 
 20, in the same street. I there recollect seeing 
 him stand at the fireside, upon one of Madame 
 Pompadour's rugs, leaning against a chimney- 
 piece, dedicated to the Sun, the ornaments of 
 whicli were sculptured by Banks, giving in- 
 structions to a Picture-dealer to bid for some of 
 the Merly drawings, at the memorable sale of 
 Ralph Willett, Esq. His new house he fitted 
 up in so picturesque, and, indeed, so princely a 
 style, that I regret drawings were not made of 
 the general appearance of each apartment ; for 
 many of the rooms were more like scenes of 
 enchantment, pencilled by a poet's fancy, than 
 any thing, perhaps, before displayed in a do- 
 mestic habitation. His furniture consisted of 
 ancient chairs, couches, and conversation-stools, 
 elaborately carved and gilt, and covered with 
 the most costly Genoa velvets; escritoires, of 
 ebony, inlaid with mother-of-pearl; and rich 
 caskets for antique gems, exquisitely enamelled, 
 and adorned with onyxes, opals, rubies, and 
 emeralds. There were also cabinets of ivory, 
 curiously wrought ; mosaic- tables, set with jas- 
 per, blood-stone, and lapis-lazuli, having their 
 feet carved into the claws of lions and eagles ; 
 screens of old raised oriental Japan; massive 
 musical-clocks, richly chased with or-molu and 
 
 VOL. II. 2 D 
 
402 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 tortoise-shell; ottomans, superbly damasked; 
 Persian and other carpets, with corresponding 
 hearth-rugs, bordered with ancient family crests, 
 and armorial ensigns in the centre; and rich 
 hangings of EngUsh tapestry. The chimney- 
 pieces were carved by Banks, and were farther 
 adorned with the choicest bronzes, models in 
 wax terracotta ; the tables covered with old 
 Sdvre, blue. Mandarin, Nankin, and Dresden 
 china ; and the cabinets were surmounted with 
 crystal cups adorned with the York and Lan- 
 caster roses, which might probably have graced 
 the splendid banquets of the proud Wolsey. 
 His specimens of armour were truly rich, but 
 certainly not to be compared with those in 
 Dr. Meyrick's splendid collection, of which the 
 public can form but little conception from the 
 work lately published : highly interesting and 
 useful as it most unquestionably is, particularly 
 to the antiquary, the historian, and above all, 
 to artists and theatrical managers. 
 
 Being in possession of three original letters, 
 addressed to Cosway by Tresham, Bourgeois, 
 and Fuseli, I shall venture to present the reader 
 with the following copies : — 
 
 " Ramsgate, Oct. 11th, 1801, 
 
 " No. 6, Chapel-place. 
 
 " Dear Cosway, 
 " Being detained here much longer than I had originally 
 intended, and not being, at present, able to determine the 
 
COS WAY. 
 
 4>02 
 
 time of my departure, I take up the pen to congratulate you 
 as an Artist, and humane man, on the pacification that has 
 taken place between rival nations, under the auspices of L(Ord 
 Hawkesbury and Buonaparte. Peace, peace, peace, is echoed 
 along the cliffs from this spot to Dover, from which place I have 
 just returned, and where I received much gratification from 
 visiting the Castle, and every thing interesting in the neigh- 
 bourhood : this has been my second visit. Your friend Mr. 
 Smith's house is situated in a most delightful and dangerous 
 spot. I am in love with a tenement that he lets for two gui- 
 neas a-year, cut out of the rock, and at present inhabited by 
 a healthy-looking man, who exults in, and practises the art of 
 drying flounders in the Dutch style. If this tenant should 
 make a fortune and retire from business, Mr. Smith shall 
 have an increase of rent, (indulging me with a preference in 
 the lease). I long to have possession, remove my colour-box 
 and books, sufi^er my beard to grow, and by becoming the 
 Dover Hermit, retire into celebrity : until this event takes 
 place, we must pursue the beaten-track ; therefore I request 
 you will favour me with a letter, replete with information on 
 Academical surmises, plans, arrangements, intended elections, 
 Thatched-house dinner-parties, and every thing that tends to 
 gratify a greedy inquirer. My intention is to be in London, 
 at farthest, on the first of November. An accident, which has 
 brought on a violent inflammation in my aunt's leg, attended 
 with alarming symptoms, has very much deranged our party, 
 and, waiting for favourable symptoms, detains me. The sur- 
 geon that attends, hopes in a fortnight to be able to check the 
 progress of mortification. 
 
 " 'Tis curious to observe the vicissitudes in the human 
 mind. My aunt now says that I am her only friend, and that 
 my leaving her would be her death ; that she expects from 
 my afi'ection what she never could purchase ; and attentions on 
 my side are the more meritorious, as she no longer has it in 
 
 2b2 
 
404 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 her power to reward them. Thus, my dear friend, am I si- 
 tuated : with regard to health, the sea air and warm sea-baths 
 have done me a great deal of service. 1 am firmer on my 
 legs, and think I am so fortified, that I shall be able now to 
 hold out a very long siege. If my name is not totally forgotten 
 by Mrs. Cosway, present her with my best compliments. Sir 
 William Beechey and Sir Francis Bourgeois have my very good 
 wishes ; when you see them, tell them I hope they sometimes 
 think of me ; and inform our excellent friend, honest Paul 
 Sandby, that I have a budget of verses for his perusal ; tell 
 him they were inspired by love, and are most delectable 
 trifles. Believe me to be with sincerity, 
 
 " Your friend, obedient, &c. &c. 
 
 " H. Tbesham. 
 " My best compliments to Miss Cosway." 
 
 My dear Sir, 
 
 " I BEG you will attend to-morrow the General Meeting 
 of the Royal Academy, ordered by Mr, West, contrary to 
 the laws of the Institution, which prohibit any one to enter the 
 rooms before the Exhibition opens, the Council and necessary 
 servants excepted. 
 
 " You know, that by the laws, no picture can be admitted 
 after it has been rejected by the Council, and that the said 
 Council has the entire direction and management of all the 
 business of the Society. 
 
 " I hope you will, on this occasion, prove, as usual, a steady 
 friend to the laws of our Institution ; and I am, 
 '* Dear Sir, 
 
 Your's truly, 
 
 " F. Bourgeois." 
 
 " April 24, 1803." 
 
COSWAY. 
 
 405 
 
 " Permit me to inform you that, after long consideration, 
 I venture to offer myself a Candidate for the place vacated 
 by the demise of Mr. Wilton. 
 
 " I am not vain enough to imagine, that the familiarity 
 with which you have honoured me, and the suffrage which, 
 on a former occasion, you have given in my favour, will ena- 
 ble me at present to expect your vote in preference to other 
 claimants. My hopes of some attention to my request, must 
 solely arise from your conviction that those persons whose 
 claims you might be inclined to support, cannot be successful 
 candidates. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 
 With the highest esteem, 
 " Berners-street, Your obedient, humble servant, 
 
 Dec. 7th, 1803." " H. Fuseli." 
 
 Unfortunately for Mr. Cos way, he had the 
 reputation of shooting with a long how, and some- 
 times his stories were in the wildest spirit of 
 supernatural agency, to which he was a devo- 
 tee, as will appear by the following anecdote. 
 One day, at the Royal Academy dinner, he as- 
 sured a brother Academician, that he had that 
 morning been visited by Mr. Pitt, who had 
 then been dead about four years. "Well," 
 asked the brother member, " and pray what did 
 he say to you?" — Cosway. "Why, upon en- 
 tering the room, he expressed himself prodi- 
 giously hurt that, during his residence on this 
 earth, he had not encouraged my talents." — 
 
406 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Academician. "How can you, Cosway, utter 
 such trash? You know all you have now 
 uttered to be lies, and 1 can prove it ; for this 
 very morning, after Mr. Pitt had been with 
 you, he called upon me and said, * 1 know that 
 Cosway will mention my visit to him at your 
 dinner to-day ; don't believe a word he says, 
 for he will tell you nothing but lies.' "—I have 
 heard Cosway relate conversations which he has 
 held with King Charles I. so seriously, that I 
 firmly believe he considered every thing he 
 uttered to be strictly true. 
 
 When Mrs. Cosway left England, Mr. Cos- 
 way had the care of their daughter, of whom 
 he was so doatingly fond, that he drew her por- 
 trait several times, and actually painted a pic- 
 ture of her when asleep, with a guardian angel 
 rocking her cradle. 
 
 Upon Mrs. Cosway 's return to England, 
 after an absence of several years, she caused the 
 body of their departed child, which her hus- 
 band had preserved in an embalmed state with- 
 in a marble sarcophagus, which stood in the 
 drawing-room of his house in Stratford-place, 
 to be conveyed to Bunhill-row, where it was 
 interred ; sending the sarcophagus to Mr. Nol- 
 lekens, requesting him to take care of it for a 
 time. 
 
COSWAY. 
 
 407 
 
 It is a curious coincidence, that at the same 
 hour this sarcophagus was removed from Mr. 
 NoUekens's residence, Mr. Cos way died* on the 
 road to Edgeware, in the carriage of liis old and 
 most disinterested friend. Miss Udney, who had 
 been accustomed during his infirm state occa- 
 sionally to give him an airing. 
 
 * Mrs. Cosway employed Mr. Westmacott to erect a 
 mural monument to the memory of her husband ; in the 
 centre of which he has placed a medallion portrait of the 
 Artist, surrounded by three children^ as Painting, Poetry, 
 and Nature. The following inscription was written ex- 
 pressly for it by Syntax Coombe : — 
 
 " To the Memory 
 Of Richard Cosway, Esquire, 
 Royal Academician ; 
 Principal Painter 
 To His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales. 
 He died July 4th, 1821, aged 80 years. 
 His Widow, Maria Cosway, 
 Erects this Memorial. 
 Art weeps. Taste mourns, and Genius drops the tear, 
 O'er him so long they loved, who slumbers here : 
 While colours last, and time allows to give 
 The all-resembling grace, his name shall live." 
 
 The monument is on the North wall under the gallery of 
 Marylebone New Church. 
 
408 
 
 HARLOW. 
 
 George Hentiy Harlow was placed by 
 his mother with Henry De Cort, a Landscape- 
 draughtsman, of slender abilities, but like such 
 people, rather conceited ; whose remains rest in 
 the Eastern part of Old St. Pancras Church- 
 yard.'* He next became the pupil of Samuel 
 Drummond, the Portrait-painter, now A. R. A. 
 under whose instruction he studied assiduously 
 and improved so rapidly, that Sir Thomas (then 
 Mr.) Lawrence, being highly pleased with his 
 productions, employed him to prepare some of 
 his pictures in the dead colouring, to advance 
 copies, &c. but whose repeated kindnesses, I am 
 sorry to acknowledge, were ill-requited. 
 
 Harlow, naturally vain, became ridiculously 
 foppish, and by dressing to the extreme of fa- 
 shion, was often the laughing-stock of his bro- 
 ther artists, particularly when he wished to pass 
 for a man of high rank, whose costume he 
 mimicked ; and that folly he would often ven- 
 ture upon without an income sufficient to pay 
 one of his many tailor's bills. 
 
 As he was not accustomed to drinking, two 
 
 * De Cort was a native of Antwerp^ and died June 28tli, 
 1810, aged 71. 
 
HARLOW. 
 
 409 
 
 or tliree glasses of wine would take such an 
 effect upon him, that in that state he held no 
 curb upon his licentious conversation ; which 
 was at times so gross, that many persons who 
 had for his rare talent invited him to their tables, 
 were so disgusted that they never asked him 
 again. However, notwithstanding all his fop- 
 pish foibles and several great improprieties, I 
 must own I feel the strongest impulse, when 
 viewing his uncommon powers as a painter dis- 
 played in his ever memorable picture of the 
 Kemble family, to join his numerous admirers, 
 who endeavour to obtain him the longest pos- 
 sible respite from condemnation. His pencil 
 was so rapid, and his eye for copying so quick, 
 that when at Rome, he actually commenced and 
 finished a copy of Raffaelle's Transfiguration, of 
 the size of the original, in only eighteen days. 
 
 Of the immense number of portraits painted 
 of Northcote, perhaps the one by Harlow may 
 fairly be appreciated as the best likeness, par- 
 ticularly of those taken in that veteran's latter 
 days : and of which there is an engraving, exe- 
 cuted in an uncommonly fine style, by Lewis, 
 so eminently successful in his fac-simile imita- 
 tions of Sir Thomas Lawrence's chalk portraits 
 of several persons of distinction ; of which those 
 of tlie late Duchess of Devonshire surpass the 
 
410 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 rest. Harlow also made a highly-spirited be- 
 ginning of a portrait of NoUekens, which is 
 now honoured with a place in the Duchess of 
 St. Alban's dressing-room, opening into the 
 garden at her Grace's mansion in Piccadilly. 
 
 The same Painter likewise produced one of 
 the most dignified and characteristic likenesses 
 of Fuseli, for which that artist threw himself 
 into a position, and gave the Painter every pos- 
 sible advantage, by affording him numerous sit- 
 tings. This truly brilliant and invaluable picture 
 is now in the possession of Mr. Knowles, one of 
 Fuseli's most intelligent as well as best friends ; 
 and it may, from its richness of colouring, gran- 
 deur of effect, and exquisite finishing, be fairly 
 considered as the chef-d'oeuvre of that highly- 
 talented Artist, though perhaps most improvi- 
 dent of men. 
 
 Mrs. Benjamin West has favoured me with 
 Harlow's letter addressed to her father-in-law, 
 the late President of the Royal Academy, of 
 which the following is a copy. 
 
 "Sir, 
 
 " Theke is a grand opening for me in Pall-Mail, 
 wherein I may exercise the Art, having a great desire to 
 make a copy of the celebrated head by Vandyck, and others, 
 which will require your kind recommendation ; if you think 
 well of it, a few words from you will be sufficient for my 
 
HARLOW. 
 
 411 
 
 admittance there. My being a pupil of Mr. Lawrence, 
 bound me to ask it of him, but his being out of town pre- 
 vented me. You may, perhaps, have forgot me ; I was the 
 person who painted Sebastian Grandi's head, which was 
 shown to you. Excuse the liberty I have taken — a few words 
 will be enough, and the act shall be considered a lasting obli- 
 gation by him that has the honour to remain, 
 
 " With much respect, 
 
 " George Haklow." 
 
 The reader will, however, be better pleased 
 with the following copy of a most interesting 
 letter, kindly communicated to me by my friend 
 Mr. Watts, Secretary to the Philharmonic So- 
 ciety, to whom the gentleman addressed had 
 presented the original. 
 
 " 4, Piazza Rosa secondo Piano 
 
 in casa di Polidori, 
 " Rome, November 23, 1818. 
 
 " My dear Sir, 
 " I OUGHT to have thanked you before this for the re- 
 ceipt of both your letters, which I assure you gave me great 
 pleasure ; you might probably have expected a letter between 
 this and then, and my reason for not writing was, as you will 
 easily suppose, being continually engaged from morning to 
 night ; however, the major part of my labours are now at an 
 end, having, since my arrival, made an entire copy of the 
 Transfiguration ; the next was a composition of my own, of 
 fifteen figures, which created no small sensation here. Ca- 
 nova requested to have the picture at his house for a few 
 days, which was accordingly sent, and, on the 10th of No- 
 vember, upwards of five hundred persons saw it ; it was then 
 
41^ NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 removed to the Academy of St. Luke's, and publicly exhi- 
 bited. They unanimously elected me an Academician^ and I 
 have received the diploma: there are many things which 
 have made this election very honourable to me, of which you 
 shall hear in England. You must understand, that there are 
 two degrees in our Academy, one of merit, the other of 
 honour ; mine is of merit, being one of the body of the Aca- 
 demy : the same night of my election, the King of Naples 
 received his honorary degree (being then in Rome on a visit 
 to the Pope) in common with all the other Sovereigns of Eu- 
 rope ; and I am happy to find the Duke of Wellington is one 
 also. West, Fuseli, Lawrence, Flaxman, and myself, are the 
 only British Artists belonging to St. Luke's, as Academicians. 
 This institution is upwards of three hundred years standing. 
 RalFaelle, the Carracci's, Poussin, Guido, Titian, and every 
 great master that we esteem, were members. I had the high 
 gratification to see my name enrolled in the list of these illus- 
 trious characters. Now, my dear friend, as this fortunate 
 affair has taken place, I should wish it added to the print of 
 Katherine's Trial ; you would, perhaps, have the kindness to 
 call on Mr. Cribb, the Publisher, in Tavistock-street, Covent- 
 garden, and have it worded thus. Member of the Academy of 
 St. Luke's, at Rome. I mention this, as it is a grand plate, 
 and indeed ought to be added. I expect to be in England 
 by Christmas-day, or near it ; I shall have an immensity to 
 talk over. I was much pleased with Naples, stayed ten days ; 
 went to Portici, Herculaneum, and Pompeii, and ascended 
 Mount Vesuvius ; this was a spectacle, the most awful and 
 grand that I had ever witnessed, the fire bursting every two 
 minutes, and the noise with it like thunder; red hot ashes 
 came tumbling down continually where I stood sketching, 
 many of which I brought away, and diflTerent pieces of the 
 old Lava, which I hope to show you ; the eruption took place 
 a week or two after I left. But Pompeii exhibits now 
 
HARLOW. 
 
 413 
 
 the most extraordinary remains of antiquity in the world ; a 
 whole city laid open to view; the habitations are unroofed, 
 but in other respects are quite perfect. The house of Sallust, 
 the Roman historian, was particularly gratifying to me, un- 
 altered, and in every respect, except the furniture, (which I 
 believe is now in Portici,) the same as it was eighteen hun- 
 dred and fifty years ago, when inhabited by him. There 
 are many shops ; in one, the amphorae, which held the wine, 
 are curious, and marks of the cups they used, upon the slabs, 
 are distinctly seen : a milk-shop, with the sign of a goat, 
 is perfectly preserved with the vessels, and also several 
 other shops in the same perfect state, Rome has been a 
 scene of the utmost gaiety lately, during the stay of the 
 King of Naples. I was at three splendid balls given at the 
 different palaces ; we were obliged to appear in court-dresses, 
 and the Cardinals added much to the richness and grandeur 
 of the party. The ladies looked peculiarly striking, but they 
 did not wear hoops, as in the English Court. We had French 
 and English dances, &c. and the fire-works surpassed all my 
 expectations. Upon the whole, the entertainments were 
 very novel and very delightful. I am to be presented to the 
 Pope either on the 2d or 3d of next month. Cardinal Gon- 
 salvi will let me know when the day is fixed, and I leave 
 Rome directly after ; perhaps the next day — a day that I most 
 sincerely dread, for I have become so attached to the place 
 and the people, that I expect a great struggle with myself. I 
 should be the most ungrateful of human beings, if I did not 
 acknowledge the endless favours they have bestowed on 
 me. It is the place of all others for an artist, as he is sure to 
 be highly appreciated if he has any talent ; and I shall speak 
 of the country to the end of my days with the most fervent 
 admiration. 
 
 I forgot to thank you for your kindness in calling on Mr- 
 West, and the trouble you so very kindly took for me. The 
 
414 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Transfiguration, I think, will make a stare in England : there 
 are other pictures, sketches, and prints, also two large Roman 
 casts of figures, and some porphyry and Egyptian granite 
 slabs, &c., which will be directed to Mr. Tijou, in Greek- 
 street ; and I hope you will remember me very kindly to him 
 and to all my friends. 
 
 " Your's very sincerely, 
 "Thomas Tomkison, Esq. " G. H. Harlow. 
 
 Dean-street, Soho-square, 
 London." 
 
 Mr. Harlow, after lingering under the se- 
 verest bodily affliction, departed this life at his 
 house, No. 83, Dean- street, Soho, on the 4th of 
 February, 1819, in his 32nd year. His funeral 
 was attended by the Rev. G. Vardon, C. M. 
 Cheere, Esq. M.P., Messrs. Cockerell, Fisher, 
 Andrews, Goldicutt, White, and his steady 
 friends, Messrs. Tijou, of Greek-street, &;c. 
 
415 
 
 FUSELI. 
 
 Henry Fuseli considered the works of Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds unequal. He said that a great 
 many of them were indifferent, though some 
 were so wonderfully fine, that nothing could 
 surpass them ;* but he observed, that even the 
 most inferior picture from the pencil of Sir 
 Thomas Lawrence was excellent. 
 
 Fuseli, speaking of NoUekens to me, said, 
 " He thinks himself a very cunning little fel- 
 low in his plagiarisms, but he can be detected 
 as well as other artists. Why, the principle of 
 the position of the Mercury he modelled from 
 you, he took from Stella's print after Poussin's 
 picture of the * Accusation of Peter.' " This ac- 
 cusation reached the ear of Nollekens, who ob- 
 served to me, that Fuseli had no occasion to make 
 such a remark ; " for I know," said he, " he 
 frequently steals things himself. Why, do you 
 know, he stole the idea of one of the figures for 
 Seward's Anecdotes, from a female in the back- 
 ground of Pesne's print after Poussin's Woman 
 at the Well. He sketched it in my parlour, 
 one evening, from my print, and showed it to 
 
 * Sir Joshua Reynolds and Doctor Armstrong were Fu- 
 seli's best friends ; the latter of whom frequently noticed him 
 in the newspapers. 
 
416 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 Mrs. NoUekens, and said it would do very well 
 for a figure in deep meditation ; so that I am 
 sure Fuseli need not talk of my taking a hint 
 for my Mercury. But he's always for ever 
 ridiculing me." As to the extent of the truth 
 of this, I shall not venture a remark : but this I 
 do know, and Mr. Knowles is my authority, that 
 when his friend, the late Mr. Coutts, requested 
 him to recommend a Sculptor to execute a bust 
 of him, Fuseli immediately answered, " Go to 
 Nollekens for a bust." 
 
 It is well known that Fuseh could put forth 
 his sting when he indulged his wit, as will ap- 
 pear in the following anecdote. Fuseli, hear- 
 ing that Northcote, the Painter, kept a dog, im- 
 mediately exclaimed, " What ? Northcote keep 
 a dog ! what must he feed upon ? Why he 
 must eat his own fleas." 
 
 Severe as Fuseli was, I should be sorry to 
 merit the lash of North cote, for his thong 
 would make any man's back tingle who dared 
 to kick him viciously ; indeed Fuseli has been 
 known to smart at even the twitch of North- 
 cote's retort-courteous. As for the dog alluded 
 to, I will answer for Duke, that he, poor fellow ! 
 was one of the most sagacious, faithful, best-bred, 
 and best-fed animals I ever knew. His very 
 eyes smiled at his master and mistress's friendly 
 
FUSEL r. 
 
 417 
 
 visitors. As I iiave said master and mistress, it 
 is proper that the biographer of a century to 
 come should not be misled, and conclude that 
 Mr. Northcote had been a married man. His 
 sister keeps his house, and their happiness seems 
 to exist in the society of each other ; they listen 
 to each other's anecdotes with the pleasure of 
 old friends, and receive their visitors with true 
 hospitality. 
 
 A late worthy friend, who would now and 
 then make my fireside-party smile, has declared, 
 that Mr. Northcote's sister appeared to him like 
 Northcote in petticoats ; and they certainly are 
 wonderfully alike. There is, indeed, one most 
 honourable circumstance which this celebrated 
 artist has to boast of, namely, that his pictures, 
 whenever they have been resold at auctions, 
 have always been knocked down for more than 
 four times their original price; and what is more, 
 they have generally been purchased by persons 
 of high rank and taste. Lord Egremont has, 
 perhaps, the finest specimens of his pencil. 
 
 One day, as Fuseli, Northcote, and Legat, the 
 Engraver, were walking from Hampstead to 
 London, the two latter gentlemen were extol- 
 ling the talent of Brown, the Draughtsman, who 
 was so much noticed by Mr. Townley. Fuseli, 
 after having listened to the Artist's praise, 
 VOL. n. % E 
 
418 NOI.LKKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 exclaimed, " Well Brown, Brown, we have had 
 enough of Brown ; let us now talk of Cipriani, 
 who is in hell !" Cipriani had been one of Fu- 
 seli's best friends when he first came to Eng- 
 land. Fuseli, whose wit was at all times spi- 
 rited and unexpected, upon entering the An- 
 tique Academy one evening, bruised his shin 
 against one of the student's boxes w^hich stood 
 in his way, but, instead of chiding the student 
 who had left it there, he very good-humour- 
 edly cried out, drawing his leg up to his body, 
 " Bless my heart ! bless my heart ! well, I see 
 one thing, I must now wear spectacles upon 
 my shins as well as upon my nose." 
 
 The students, whilst waiting to go into the 
 schools one evening, were making so great a 
 noise, that Fuseli came out of his office into the 
 hall, and called out in a voice of thunder, " By 
 G— d ! you are a pack of d— d wild beasts, and 
 I am your bl— st— d keeper !" upon which some 
 of the students laughing at the singularity of 
 the expression, the old gentleman was put into 
 so good a humour, that he went back without 
 saying any thing more. 
 
 Upon his entering the Model Academy, he 
 observed the pieces of a figure on the ground ; 
 " Who the devil has been doing this ?" A tell- 
 tale of a student, wishing to ingratiate himself 
 
FUSELI. 
 
 419 
 
 with the Keeper, told him it was Mr. Medland, 
 who had broken it by jumping over the rail. 
 However, the mischief-maker was disappointed 
 by the good-tempered manner in which the 
 communication was received by Fuseli, who 
 observed, " Well, if Mr. Medland is so fond of 
 jumping, I would advise him to go to Sadler's 
 Wells; that is the best academy I know of for 
 the improvement of agility." 
 
 Rembrandt, who painted and etched his own 
 portrait oftener than any other artist, in one of 
 his pictures, , represented himself with so large 
 a nose, that Fuseli exclaimed, upon seeing it, 
 " What a nose ! why his nose is as big as his 
 face! Well, he was a fine fellow; I like to 
 see a great man with a great nose. Richard 
 Wilson had a great nose." 
 
 A person wishing to see Mr. Fuseli upon 
 business wholly concerning himself, was so close 
 upon Sam Stowger's heels, that he announced 
 himself, hoping that he did not intrude. " You 
 do intrude," observed Fuseli.—" Then, Sir, I 
 will come to-morrow, if you please." — " No, 
 Sir," rephed Fuseh, " I don't wish you to come 
 to-morrow, for then you will intrude a second 
 time ; let me know your business now." 
 
 Mr. Northcote is in possession of a letter, 
 which he received from Fuseli when at Rome, 
 2 -E 2 
 
420 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 in 1778, concluding with " Love me,— Fuseli." 
 Kortlicote, in his dry manner, when noticing 
 this epistle, was heard to remark, " A pretty 
 creature to love, indeed ! but I admire his ta- 
 lents."* 
 
 Upon one of the private days for viewing 
 the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, Fuseli 
 coming in contact with Nollekens, who at that 
 time had a scorbutic eruption on half his mouth 
 and chin, fell back, and said, " Why, Nolle- 
 kens, what the devil's the matter with you? 
 you look like Valentine and Orson united ; one 
 half shaved and the other not at all." 
 
 The two following anecdotes were communi- 
 cated to me by my worthy friend Mr. Cooper, 
 the Academician. Mr. Nollekens greatly an- 
 noyed the members of the Academy by cough- 
 ing incessantly when they were engaged in re- 
 touching their pictures, before the opening of 
 an Exhibition. As he was passing Fuseli, after 
 coughing several times, he muttered, " Oh ! 
 dear, I am sure I shall die !" to which Fuseli 
 humorously replied, " While you have a cough, 
 Nollekens, you can never die!" — A student of 
 
 * Mr. Nortlicote recollects one of Armstrong's newspaper 
 paragraphs running something like this ; " Parry may learn 
 from Reynolds, but there is one now unknown and unpatro- 
 nized, who will astonish, terrify, and delight all Europe !" &c. 
 
FUSELI. 
 
 421 
 
 the Academy, when showing his drawing to 
 Mr. Fuseli, assured him that he had finished it 
 without using a crumb of bread. " Take my 
 advice," said Fuseli ; " go and buy a two-penny 
 loaf, and I think with that you will be able to 
 rub it all out." 
 
 Mrs. Fuseli being in a great rage, was advis- 
 ed by her husband to swear. " Harriet, my 
 dear, why don't you swear ? it will ease your 
 mind." 
 
 Fuseli thus reprimanded one of the porters 
 in the hall, for calling the students fellows. 
 " Fellows ! I would have you to know, that 
 those fellows, as you call them, may one day 
 or another be Academicians." 
 
 One morning, two members of the Royal 
 Academy, who had been disappointed in their 
 wishes for the election of Fuseli as a member 
 on the preceding evening, agreed to repeat their 
 assurances of their future exertions in his fa- 
 vour. Accordingly they made him a visit; and 
 as soon as the door was opened, Fuseli, who 
 stood in the passage, knowing how the election 
 had gone, with his accustomed humour, fiercely 
 exclaimed, " Come in, come in !" but finding 
 they continued to scrape their shoes, he again 
 cried out, " Why the devil don't you come in ? 
 if you don't come in, you will do me a great 
 injury." " How ?" asked one of them, " Why, 
 
422 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 if you stand there, my neighbour over the way 
 will say, ' I saw two blackguards stand at Fii- 
 seli's door ; I dare say he is going to prison !' " 
 Fuseli's severe criticisms upon the works of 
 his brother artists were often so pointedly witty, 
 that in some instances he rendered his best 
 friends both uneasy and ridiculous ; but as he 
 good-naturedly bore many sarcasms from Doc- 
 tor Wolcott and other critics of his time, so he 
 thought his friends would receive, with equal 
 good temper, whatever he said of them or their 
 productions. I must, however, do him the jus- 
 tice to say, that I firmly believe his observa- 
 tions were not kept in reserve to show off in 
 the presence of great people — a practice too 
 common with men viciously inclined; for some- 
 times his most stinging remarks were made to 
 those of the least perception : and I firmly be- 
 lieve that many of his best are now entirely 
 lost, though now and then Sam Stowger would 
 relate a few of them. One I recollect hearing 
 respecting Northcote's picture of the Judgment 
 of Solomon, in which the King's right hand 
 was raised, as ordering the executioner to di- 
 vide the living child. Mr. Northcote, to avoid 
 vulgarity, employed two fingers of the hand to 
 accompany the commands ; but, unfortunately, 
 these fingers Fuseli considered, as they were 
 
I USE LI. 
 
 423 
 
 wide apart, to be so much like an open pair of 
 shears, that he was heard to make the follow- 
 ing observation ; " Ay, King Solomon suits 
 his action to his words, he is saying, with his 
 fingers, cut him in two.'' 
 
 One year, during the time the artists were 
 touching up their pictures in the great room at 
 the Royal Academy, previous to the opening 
 of the Exhibition, Northcote was looking at 
 one of Fuseli's pictures, in which a man was 
 represented in the attitude of shooting at an- 
 other seated upon a throne. Fuseli, who ob- 
 served Northcote to stop at this performance, 
 went up to him, and said, " Well, Northcote, 
 what do you think of it ?" To which the an- 
 swer was, " He 'II never hit himr Fuseli, with- 
 out returning thanks for this pointed remark, 
 sullenly ascended the ladder, and after work- 
 ing upon it for nearly an hour descended, and 
 going to some distance to view it, was heard 
 to utter, emphatically, " He will hit him ! I say 
 he will hit him ! /" However, " Tit for tat." 
 Northcote had hit Fuseli in the wing, for he 
 could not fly, no, not even after the attempted 
 struggle, as the marksman's arrow was drawn 
 parallel to the top of the frame, perfectly hori- 
 zontal, and the man he wished to shoot was 
 seated in an inward angle of the composition ! 
 
424 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 and so the picture remained during the whole 
 time of exhibition. 
 
 Fuseh seeing a person for some time looking 
 steadfastly at one of his pictures in the Aca- 
 demy, went up to him and said, " He must be 
 a devilish clever fellow who painted that pic- 
 ture !" at which the gentleman smiled, know- 
 ing it to be the production of the artist who 
 accosted him. 
 
 Fuseli was heard to relate, that he begged a 
 curious fly of his friend Lady Guildford, for a 
 collector, to whom he had been under some ob- 
 ligations ; her Ladyship gave him the insect, 
 upon condition that his friend should not kill 
 it. Fuseli observed that he should not kill it ; 
 but, as a mental reservation, he got somebody 
 else to do it. 
 
 Fuseli once asked Cooper, who is an Entomo- 
 logist, " Well, have you taken Fraxina T'* — 
 '* No," said he, " I have not been so fortunate." — 
 " You can get it in Yorkshire," observed Fuseli; 
 " why don't you walk there ?" 
 
 All Fuseli's family had been Entomologists; 
 and so attached was he to the pursuit, that one 
 evening, late in life, when descending from the 
 rostrum, after he had delivered a Lecture on 
 Painting in the lioyal Academy, which had 
 
 * One of the Underwings. 
 
FUSELT. 
 
 425 
 
 almost exhausted him, he was so revived by 
 the sight of Cooper, who stood near him, that 
 he said with a smile, " What ! is it you, Cooper ? 
 well, how goes on entomology ?" 
 
 Fuseli has seldom been spoken of as a Pain- 
 ter beyond a chiaro-'scurist, nor was it until I 
 saw his picture of the Embrace of Sin and 
 Death, that I had any idea of his knowledge of 
 colouring; but, in that performance, he most 
 certainly has proved that he could colour most 
 beautifully, and why he neglected so essential 
 a branch of his art, after producing so brilliant 
 a specimen, is most extraordinary. This trea- 
 sure is in the possession of Mr. Knowles, who 
 has withstood every temptation to part with it, 
 even from his dearest friend Fuseli himself ; 
 who, upon all occasions, declared it to be by far 
 the best picture in every respect that he had 
 produced. In my opinion, it possesses a com- 
 bination of the style of Rembrandt and Titian ; 
 and is altogether, though not of so brown a 
 cast, not unlike the usual effect of Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds ; in particular, the right arm of the 
 female figure, which is altogether admirably 
 drawn, is a rich, clear, and perfect specimen of 
 flesh. There is neither name nor date upon 
 this picture; nor was it, Mr. Knowles informs 
 me, ever his custom to put his name either 
 
426 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 upon his pictures or drawings ; the latter he 
 would date, and state where they were made, 
 as " at Rome," " Putney-hill," &c. — I shall now 
 close the few anecdotes respecting this great 
 man, with a sincere wish that Mr. Knowles 
 may soon favour the public with his intended 
 Life of him, for the composition of which his 
 close intimacy with Mr. Fuseli afforded him 
 such excellent opportunities ; indeed 1 am con- 
 vinced, that no one is better qualified for the 
 work, nor in possession of a richer mine of 
 materials ; as I understand that he has six un- 
 printed Lectures, an abundance of papers of 
 the most interesting kind, and two hundred 
 original aphorisms, which, if we may judge 
 from Fuseli's pungent wit, would alone make 
 an entertaining volume. Mr. Knowles and 
 Fuseli were inseparable and bosom friends ; 
 and as a convincing proof how highly he is 
 respected by Mrs. Fuseli, that lady, who has so 
 much in her power to communicate, has pre- 
 sented him with the splendid silver cup, so 
 liberally designed by Flaxman for the Students 
 of the Royal Academy, who presented it to 
 their Keeper by subscription ; for, however 
 strange it may appear, though his manner was 
 at times so repulsive to them, they all seemed 
 to love him. Mr. Knowles kindly complied 
 
FUSELI. 
 
 4^27 
 
 with my request to insert, in this work, the 
 following inscriptions engraven upon it. 
 
 <« TO 
 
 HENRY FUSELI, ESQ. R.A. 
 
 KEEPER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY, 
 FROM 
 
 THE STUDENTS; 
 1807." 
 
 To the above inscription Mrs. Fuseli caused 
 the following to be added. 
 
 " GIVEN TO 
 
 JOHN KNOWLES, ESQ. F.R.S. 
 
 AT THE REQUEST OF 
 
 HENRY FUSELI, ESQ. R.A. 
 
 BY HIS WIDOW,"* 
 
 Another favour I now publicly ask of Mr. 
 Knowles, namely, that he will allow an engrav- 
 ing of his friend's portrait, painted by Harlow, 
 to accompany his life. For this picture, Fuseli 
 placed himself in a studious position, and the 
 Painter, who had numerous sittings, has suc- 
 ceeded beyond expression ; for it is not only 
 a fine specimen of colouring, but of most ex- 
 quisite finishing : he was two days engaged 
 upon his right hand only, which accords most 
 admirably in character with his face. Fuseli, 
 
 * The cup is a splendid one^ and was executed by Messrs, 
 Rundell and Bridge. 
 
428 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 severe as he certainly was in his remarks upon 
 modern art, was extremely serviceable to Har- 
 low, particularly in his picture of the Kemble 
 Family, which gained him so much fame, in con- 
 sequence of its extensive dissemination in the 
 print so beautifully engraven by Clint. When 
 Fuseli first saw this picture, which then contain- 
 ed thirty-one figures, they were all without feet, 
 but by his advice, Harlow immediately altered 
 it, and also introduced the back figure of a boy 
 in a diagonal direction across the picture, sug- 
 gested and actually drawn for him by Fuseli, 
 which immediately produced a connexion, and 
 perfected the composition. Harlow was unques- 
 tionably an artist of very high talent, but owing 
 to some circumstances, he did not make his way 
 into the Royal Academy, though he, like all 
 other Waltonites, attempted to tickle the trout, 
 by painting portraits of some of its members. 
 In addition to the one already mentioned of 
 Fuseli, he produced a capital likeness of North- 
 cote, of which Lewis has made an admirable 
 print : he also painted the one of Stothard, so 
 well engraved by Worthington ; and he began 
 one of Nollekens, which was never completed. 
 Harlow, unlike the generality of his brother 
 artists, was so ridiculously foppish in his atten- 
 tion to dress, that I have known him to follow 
 
I" USE LI. 
 
 429 
 
 the height of Fashion's follies so closely, that in 
 consequence of the enormous length of his 
 spurs, he has been inevitably obliged to walk 
 down-stairs backwards, to save himself from 
 falling headlong. 
 
 Fuseli, when in company, was frequently 
 teased by persons, who asked him what he 
 thought of such a work ? how he held the ta- 
 lents of such a man ? and, indeed, some would 
 go so far as to observe, " I wonder you can 
 suffer such trash to be praised." 
 
 To one of these persons he put the following 
 question : " Pray, Sir, do you think I am to 
 carry a shovel wherever I go, to clear away 
 every dunghill I meet with ? " 
 
 When Northcote was touching upon his ce- 
 lebrated picture of the lowering the Princes 
 down the steps to their place of burial, so spi- 
 ritedly engraved by Skelton for Boydell's Shaks- 
 peare, Fuseli objected to the hands belonging 
 to a figure below, raised to receive the victims. 
 " You should not," observed the critic, " have 
 the fellow's hands so employed ; he ought to be 
 digging the hole for them : only think how 
 awfully grand it would have been had you 
 made him with a pick-axe — dump — dump — 
 dump !" Upon which Northcote, who was fully 
 aware of his man, requested to know in what 
 
430 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 way he would paint the sound of dump 
 
 dump — dump. 
 
 Fuseli, upon hearing that a figure had been 
 broken in the Antique Academy, entered 
 the room with the following vociferation. 
 " Which is the man who broke the cast ? where 
 is he ? which is he ? — Well, Sir, it is you who 
 have broken the cast. Will you look round the 
 room, and see if there be any other you would 
 wish me to order out for you to break ?" 
 
 Fuseli, for a length of time, had been teased 
 by an idle and stupid student for his opinion of 
 his drawing. " It is bad ; take it into the fields 
 and shoot at it, that 's a good boy." 
 
 When Morton, the Portrait-painter, first stu- 
 died at the Academy, he commenced drawing 
 the sandal of a foot before he got in the toes. 
 Fuseli, after turning his drawing in every di- 
 rection, asked him what he intended it for. " Is 
 it a horse's bridle?" The assiduous student, 
 though he had considered his mode no bad wav 
 of drawing the foot, found, by the admonition 
 of the Keeper, that it was not the best way of 
 doing it. Some students would have been dis- 
 pleased at the remark, but upon Morton's exer- 
 tions it acted with so strong a stimulus, that 
 he had the honour of gaining two medals in 
 
lUSELI. 
 
 431 
 
 the Royal Academy for drawings of the hu- 
 man figure. 
 
 It has been reported that Fuseli and Lavater, 
 whose friendship commenced in their childhood, 
 were obliged to quit Switzerland when very 
 young, for most seriously and premeditatedly 
 frightening a young lady, by attempting to 
 produce the apparition of her deceased lover. 
 True it is, that no persons could more mutually 
 regard each other than Lavater and Fuseli, nor 
 was their attachment lessened till the death of 
 the Physiognomist, who certainly had paid 
 every compliment to the Artist; for he not 
 only introduced his portrait in his work, of 
 which he spoke in the highest terms,* but 
 
 * Lavater, speaking of Fuseli, says : 
 
 " The curve which describes the profile in whole, is ob- 
 viously one of the most remarkable ; it indicates an energetic 
 character, which spurns at the idea of trammels. The fore- 
 head, by its contours and position, is more suited to the poet 
 than the thinker. I perceive in it more force than gentle- 
 ness ; the fire of imagination rather than the coolness of rea- 
 son. The nose seems to be the seat of an intrepid genius. 
 The mouth promises a spirit of application and precision, 
 and yet it costs the original the greatest effort to give the 
 finishing touch to the smallest piece. His extreme vivacity 
 gets the better of that portion of attention and exactness 
 with which Nature endowed him, and which is still distin- 
 
432 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 placed the English translation of that interest- 
 ing book entirely under his direction. 
 
 Fuseli was short in stature, his eyes full, 
 prominent, and, like the eagle's, piercingly bril- 
 
 guishable in the detail of all his works. You will even some- 
 times find in them a degree of finishing almost over-curious, 
 and which, for this reason, affords a singular contrast with the 
 boldness of the whole. Any one may see, without my telling 
 it, that this character is not destitute of ambition, and that the 
 sense of his own merit escapes him not. It may also be sus- 
 pected that he is subject to impetuous emotions ; but will any 
 one say that he loves with tenderness, with warmth, to ex- 
 cess ? There is nothing, however, more true : though, on the 
 other hand, his sensibility has occasion continually to be kept 
 awake by the presence of the beloved object : absent, he for- 
 gets it, and troubles himself no more. The person to whom 
 he is fondly attached, Avhile near him, may lead him like a 
 child ; but, quit him, and the most perfect indiflTerence will 
 follow. He must be roused, be struck, in order to be carried 
 along. Though capable of the greatest actions, to him the 
 slightest complaisance is an efl!brt. His imagination is ever 
 aiming at the sublime, and delighting itself with prodigies. 
 
 The sanctuary of the Graces is not shut against him, but 
 he has no great skill in sacrificing to them, and gives himself 
 very little concern about it. Though formed to feel it, he 
 seldom reaches the sublime. Nature intended him for a 
 great poet, a great painter, a great orator ; but, to borrow his 
 own words, ' inexorable fate does not always proportion the 
 will to our powers ; it sometimes assigns a copious proportion 
 of will to ordinary minds, whose faculties are very contract- 
 ed ; and frequently associates with the greatest faculties, a 
 will feeble and impotent.' " 
 
FUSELI. 
 
 43S 
 
 liant. He dressed well, and at all times looked 
 like a superior man. His remarks were gene- 
 rally witty, and sometimes severely cutting; 
 but to the ladies, particularly those who were 
 qualified to give him the retort-courteous, he 
 was cautiously and precisely polite. In early 
 life, he suffered each of his many female admi- 
 rers to suppose herself the favourite fair. Miss 
 Moser, at one period, drew that conclusion, and 
 for a long time he flirted with Angelica Kauff- 
 mann; but he found at last that that lady's 
 glances were directed towards Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds and Mr. Parker. In Fuseh's marriage 
 state, Mrs. Wolstoncraft fell desperately in love 
 with him ; and many other ladies were ex- 
 tremely dehghted with his conversation, even 
 to the extent of a long hfe, for his company 
 was much courted. 
 
 One evening, when Mr. NoUekens accom- 
 panied Fuseli to dine with Mr. and Mrs. Coutts, 
 the lively hostess, who had dressed herself 
 as Morgiana, went round the room, after din- 
 ner, presenting a dagger to the breast of every 
 one of her visitors, as if she intended to stab 
 them ;* and when she came to NoUekens, Fu- 
 seli was heard to cry out, "You may strike 
 with safety ; Nolly was never known to bleed." 
 
 * This was what Fuseli told Nollekens was "play-acting." 
 VOL. II. 2 F 
 
434 
 
 FLAXMAN. 
 
 John Flaxman was born in York, July 
 6th, 1755, and when a boy, was not, like other 
 children, fond of toys ; but took the greatest 
 delight in every thing pertaining to Sculpture. 
 I have heard my father relate, that little John, 
 when only six . years of age, while standing 
 between his knees, made the following re- 
 quest : " Mr. Smith, will you let me take a 
 squeeze from your blue seal. My father has 
 given me several impressions, and allows me 
 to look at them when I am not engaged with 
 my Latin books." To this anecdote I also 
 subjoin the following, as it may be useful to 
 some future biographer, who may be inclined 
 to favour the public with a classic life of the 
 inimitable Flaxman. 
 
 I have heard my late friend, the Rev. H. 
 Mathew, relate, that in consequence of an ac- 
 cident which befel a model in his possession, he 
 applied to Mr. Flaxman, a plaster figure-maker, 
 who then lived in New-street, Covent-garden, 
 to have it repaired. After he had conversed 
 with him for some time in his shop, he heard a 
 child cough behind the counter, and looking 
 over, saw a little boy seated in a small chair 
 before a large one, upon which he had a book. 
 
FLAXMAX. 
 
 435 
 
 Mr. Mathew asked him what book he had. 
 " It is a Latin one, Sir," replied the interesting 
 little fellow, raising himself by the assistance 
 of his crutches : " I am trying to learn Latin, 
 Sir." — " Indeed !" observed the Divine ; " then 
 I will bring you a better book when I come 
 to-morrow ;" and from this incident Mr. Ma- 
 thew continued to notice him, and, as he grew 
 up, became his first and best friend. 
 
 When the boy could walk as far as Rath- 
 bone-place, (for, in consequence of a weak state 
 of body, it was many years before he could 
 take much exercise,) he was introduced to Mrs. 
 Mathew ; who was so kind as to read Homer to 
 him, whilst he made designs on the same table 
 with her at the time she was reading. These 
 were noticed by her friend Mr. Crutchley, of 
 Sunning-hill-park, who gave him a commission 
 to make a set of historical drawings for him in 
 black chalk, consisting of figures nearly two 
 feet in height, which now are in the possession 
 of my worthy friend Dr. Mathew, to whose 
 mother they had been given by Mr. Crutchley, 
 upon his leaving his town-residence in Clarges- 
 street. They are six in number, and the sub- 
 jects are : — 
 
 1. CEdipus conducted by his daughter Antigone to the 
 Temple of the Furies'; in which the uncertain step of CEdipus 
 
 2 F 2 
 
436 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 admirably expresses his blindness. 2. Dolon arrested as a 
 spy by Diomedes and Ulysses. 3. The Death of Hector, in 
 which are eight figures mourning over his body. 4. Alex- 
 ander taking the cup from Philip, his physician, to whom 
 Alexander has handed the accusation of an intention to poi- 
 son him ; wherein the Philosopher and aged Soldier are finely 
 delineated. 5. Alceste about to preserve the life of her Hus- 
 band, of whom and her Children she is taking leave ; and the 
 6th represents her release from the Infernal Regions, and her 
 restoration to her Husband by Hercules. The costume of 
 the above drawings, and their effect of light and shade, 
 prove the Artist's great attention to his subjects, even in 
 his youth. 
 
 Mrs. Mathew also introduced young Flax- 
 man to the late Mr. Knight, of Portland-place, 
 who became his first employer as a Sculptor. 
 For this gentleman he modelled a statue of 
 Alexander the Great ; and it is very remarkable, 
 that my father, between whose knees little 
 Flaxman had stood to request an impression 
 of his seal, was the Sculptor selected by him 
 to carve it. Mr. Flaxman's father had re- 
 moved from New-street to a house in the 
 Strand, opposite to Durham-yard, where Mr. 
 Flaxman .Tun. became his lodger ; but after his 
 marriage, he took a small house in Wardour- 
 street, now No. 27, and there he executed, as a 
 Sculptor, many works for his friend Mr. Knight, 
 who generously supplied him with money. 
 
 During his residence in this house, he was 
 chosen by the Parish of St. Anne, in which he 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 437 
 
 resided, as one of the Collectors for the Watch- 
 rate ; and I have often seen him, with an ink- 
 bottle in his button-hole, collecting the rate. 
 I also recollect reading in some newspaper the 
 following paragraph : " We understand that 
 Flaxman, the Sculptor, is about to leave his 
 modest mansion in Wardour-street for Home." 
 In 1787, he left England, and studied in Rome, 
 where he increased his friends and his fame, 
 and returned to England in 1794. Upon his 
 arrival, he took the premises in Buckingham- 
 street, Fitzroy-square, where he died ; and 
 perhaps no man of such high and distinguished 
 abilities had fewer enemies, nor a greater num- 
 ber of friends. 
 
 I cannot suffer the uninformed reader to con- 
 clude, that the carver's powers are not abso- 
 lutely requisite to the fame of the designer 
 and modeller ; for, without his tasteful finishing, 
 the most exquisite model may be totally de- 
 prived of its feeling, by the want of that flesh- 
 iness, which must ever charm the eye accus- 
 tomed to dwell upon the fine productions of 
 ancient Sculpture. The expression of a feature, 
 — an eye for instance, so fascinating to the be- 
 holder, in which the very focus and soul of the 
 modeller is seated, — if carelessly finished, might 
 be lost for ever, particularly if too much of 
 the stone were cut away. What an acquisi- 
 
438 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 tion, then, an excellent carver must be in the 
 studio of the classic Sculptor of high fame, 
 whose mind must necessarily be engaged upon 
 his designs ; and whose hand, had it once been 
 master of the tool, for the want of practice, 
 could not manage it with so much ease as that 
 of the artist who is continually employed on 
 the marble only; nor, indeed, could his numerous 
 commissions be executed by his hands alone. 
 How, then, ought the modeller to value that 
 carver, who possesses qualifications so highly 
 essential to his future fame ; and in the hour 
 of sickness or affliction, how wise it would be 
 in the employer, setting aside gratitude, which 
 ought to be the first mover, to be attentive to 
 the wants of one so useful to him ! 
 
 In this feeling NoUekens was extremely defi- 
 cient, for he seldom bestowed his encouragement, 
 even upon the most deserving person ; though 
 he would raise the wages of an idle fellow who 
 fed his dog, and suffer his most valuable assist- 
 ants to want. Poor Gahagan, for instance, who 
 carved his figure of Pitt, erected in the Senate- 
 house, at Cambridge, had only three hundred 
 pounds for the task, whenNoUekens's charge was 
 three thousand ! and when this excellent carver 
 applied to Nollekens iox fifty pounds more, stat- 
 ing that he had made a very hard bargain, his 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 439 
 
 answer was, that he would think of it ; and he 
 certainly did leave him a small sura in his will, 
 but Gahagan did not receive it until several 
 years had elapsed, during which time he had 
 undergone many serious vicissitudes of ill-for- 
 tune. Now, if the amount of the same sum 
 had been given at the moment, it might have 
 saved him many a cheerless and melancholy 
 day. I most sincerely lament, that it was not 
 in my power to render him that assistance, 
 which, in a letter addressed to me, he requested ; 
 but had I been a Residuary Legatee of Mr. 
 NoUekens's vast property, I can assert most 
 solemnly, that my first act should have been to 
 have requited him with the small sum which 
 he so modestly and so painfully solicited. To 
 the eternal honour of Flaxman be it recorded, 
 that whenever any of his assistants were ill, or 
 visited with misfortune, he made them frequent 
 presents, or sent them the full amount which 
 they would have received had they been occu- 
 pied for his interest ; nor did his humanity rest 
 here, for if it were deemed expedient to have 
 the opinion or advice of a physician, he always 
 paid for his attendance. 
 
 Independently of my own long personal 
 knowledge of Mr. Flaxman, I am enabled to 
 relate several anecdotes of his goodness, with 
 
440 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 which I have been favoured by his pupil Baily, 
 the Royal Academician, a native of Bristol, 
 who now stands so eminently conspicuous in 
 the Art of Sculpture. 
 
 In the early part of Flaxman's career, when 
 at Rome, he was much noticed by an English no- 
 bleman, who employed him to execute a group 
 of the Fury of Athamas, for which he was to 
 receive a very small recompense. The artist, 
 after working upon the marble for a consider- 
 able time, in conjunction with De Vere, whom 
 he paid liberally for his assistance, often com- 
 plained of the severe task which his inexperience 
 had induced him to undertake for so small a 
 sum of money ; but at the same time declaring, 
 that instead of giving it up, and returning to 
 England, he would persevere with all his pow- 
 ers to accomplish it, even though he were to 
 die by the block. 
 
 Modest as Flaxman in many instances cer- 
 tainly was, particularly in his later days, when 
 he would listen to the opinions of others, few 
 persons would believe that when he was a young 
 man, he was the most conceited artist of his 
 day ; which, however, he acknowledged to his 
 friend Baily to have been correctly the fact. He 
 said, that when he presented his model for the 
 gold medal at the Royal Academy, he believed. 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 441 
 
 what many students then told him, that to a 
 certainty he would gain the prize, and he con- 
 tinued to" entertain that opinion even to the 
 very hour of distribution ; though he had re- 
 ceived a pretty severe check on the day upon 
 which he and his antagonist were to try their 
 skill, by modelling a subject proposed by the 
 Council in the presence of the Keeper, in order 
 to convince the Academicians that each artist 
 was fully capable of producing models equal to 
 those they had sent in. Now it must be here 
 noticed, that the two candidates, Flaxman and 
 Engleheart, had agreed to allow each other to 
 see what he had produced, within a certain time 
 of the hours limited by the Council ; at the ex- 
 piration of the proposed time, Engleheart step- 
 ped forward to see what Flaxman, who had 
 worked rapidly, and with the fullest confidence, 
 had done; but when Flaxman walked round 
 to look at Engleheart's model, he found that he 
 had not even commenced ; upon which, he was 
 bold enough to conclude, that the medal must 
 unquestionably be adjudged to him. Engle- 
 heart, who had been deeply engaged in thought, 
 was not discouraged by what he had seen, but 
 received fresh vigour, and ultimately astonished 
 Flaxman, who, notwithstanding, was so perfect- 
 ly satisfied in his own mind of success, that he 
 
442 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 had boldly invited several friends to dine with 
 him on the day of distribution, and actually 
 left them with a view to go and take his medal, 
 and a promise to return as soon as he had receiv- 
 ed it. But, alas ! how fondly do we deceive our- 
 selves ! what was his chagrin, when, instead of 
 hearing the name of Flaxman, that of Engleheart 
 was pronounced as the successful candidate ! 
 
 This timely lesson, he declared, so effectually 
 operated upon his conceit, that he was deter- 
 mined ever after to talk less of his own ta- 
 lents, and to endeavour to do justice to those of 
 others, who were also aspiring to the pinnacle 
 of fame. — Sir Joshua Reynolds meeting Flax- 
 man soon after he had received the hand of Miss 
 Denman, in 1782, said to him, " So, Flaxman, 
 you are married ; there 's no going to Italy 
 now." Mr. Baily, my informant, added, that 
 it has been said, that it was in consequence of 
 this observation of the President, that he was 
 determined to visit Rome. Little di^ Sir Jo- 
 shua imagine that the Sculptor to whom he 
 then spoke, who at that time was only a stu- 
 dent in the Academy, and inhabiting No. 
 27, one of the smallest houses in Wardour- 
 street, would execute a statue to his memory, 
 and that it would be erected in the Cathedral 
 of St. Paul; nor could he ever suspect, great 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 443 
 
 as his fame was, that this statue would have 
 been as often visited as those of Pasquin and 
 Marforio, or that the pedestal would have dis- 
 played the signatures of some of the highest 
 characters in Europe, so justly celebrated for 
 their worth and talent. 
 
 Lord and Lady Inchiquin solicited Nolle- 
 kens to execute Sir Joshua's monument, which 
 he declined, by stating that his engagements 
 would not permit him to undertake it ; but I 
 never heard until lately, that he had recom- 
 mended it to Flaxman, as some have asserted. 
 For my own part, too, I do not believe it, as 
 they were never intimate, and their modes of 
 thinking and living were so diametrically oppo- 
 site, that it was not possible for a man with 
 Flaxman's elegant and benevolent feelings, to 
 associate with NoUekens. I am fully convinced 
 also, from the ignorant observations which I 
 have heard him make upon Flaxman, — whose 
 sublime ideas and conversations on Art he never 
 could understand, — that Flaxman never would 
 have been preferred by him to Scheemakers's 
 nephew, whose business of monument-making, 
 for so I must call it with him, arose entirely 
 from the overflowings of the studio of NoUe- 
 kens, his uncle's pupil. 
 
 At no period of Mr. Flaxman's life did he 
 
444 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 ever receive a present from any one beneath 
 himself ; and whenever he accepted any thing 
 from persons, even in the highest station, he 
 always selected something to give them in re- 
 turn, of at least double the value of that receiv- 
 ed : nor did he at any time, under any consider- 
 ation whatever, when making a purchase, give 
 less than what he conscientiously considered to 
 be the full value. On the contrary, he has fre- 
 quently been heard most vehemently to repro- 
 bate that detestable custom, so often practised 
 by sordid and speculative money-getting men, 
 of monopolizing articles, with a view of their 
 increasing enormously in value at some future 
 period. 
 
 Lavater, who has thought proper to judge of 
 the qualities of a man's mind, by many slight 
 peculiarities in the person's face or hand- writ- 
 ing, would have been perfectly safe, had he es- 
 timated the eminence of Flaxman's talents from 
 the simplicity of his dress. His hair was sim- 
 ply combed, he never at any time wore powder, 
 nor did he ever attempt to exhibit ornaments 
 of finery ; he never kept a servant in livery, 
 though sometimes his polisher of marble, John 
 Burge, stood behind his chair, at the Royal 
 Academy dinners, in his Sunday clothes. 
 
 It is not the practice of modern Sculptors to 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 445 
 
 use the carving-tool according to the custom of 
 the ancients : Michel Angelo was at times his 
 own boaster, and it has been said, that he would 
 carve a figure at once from the block, without 
 having any model to work from. Of Michel 
 Angelo's method of carving, our country can 
 boast of a noble specimen, in the exquisitely- 
 beautiful composition of the Holy Family, 
 brought to England by Sir George Beaumont, 
 and now erected by the worthy Baronet in his 
 gallery in Grosvenor-square. Its effect is so 
 imposing, that when the spectator is standing 
 at a little distance, this inestimable treasure, 
 though unfinished, appears more like the com- 
 mencement of a chiaro-oscuro picture, than a pro- 
 duction in any kind of stone. The style of the 
 whole Avork is square and bold beyond concep- 
 tion, and appears as if the great artist had play- 
 ed with his chisel, as he did with his modelling 
 tool ; the hand of the Virgin is inimitable. 
 
 NoUekens's time was mostly employed in 
 modelling, and in consequence of his great prac- 
 tice, he acquired such dexterity with his clay, 
 that he brought a bust wonderfully forward 
 with his thumb and finger only. Flaxman 
 also principally employed himself in modelling ; 
 but though not so dexterous as NoUekens, he 
 kneaded the clay in a rough manner with the 
 
446 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 hand, under the influence of a great mind. 
 The manner in which he produced that noble 
 specimen, the shield of Achilles, for Messrs. 
 Rundell and Bridge, the eternal monument of 
 his fame, was truly curious. He first modelled 
 the general design, without attending minutely 
 to the respective parts ; it was then moulded in 
 compartments, and cast in plaster, and he after- 
 wards finished it up, by cutting away to that 
 inimitable height of excellence, which enabled 
 his spirited employers to produce those splendid 
 casts of it in silver gilt, which adorn the side- 
 boards of the King, his Royal Highness the 
 Duke of York, his Grace the Duke of Nor- 
 thumberland, &c. 
 
 No one could be more blessed with the 
 friendship of men of worth than Flaxman. 
 Those highly esteemed characters William Hay- 
 ley, Thomas Hope, and Samuel Rogers, were 
 among his dear and inseparable friends ; the 
 latter of whom has not only the good fortune 
 of having the chimney-pieces and cornices of 
 the rooms of his elegant mansion in St. 
 James's-place, executed from the designs of 
 Flaxman, but is also, fortunately, in possession 
 of two figures of Cupid and Psyche ; which 
 works alone would do eternal honour to the 
 artist, and the liberal and tasteful possessor. 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 447 
 
 who bespoke them. The first monument by 
 Flaxman after his return to England, was that 
 of Lord Mansfield, erected in Westminster 
 Abbey. In 1804, he had two other public 
 monuments in hand ; one being to the memory 
 of Captain Montagu, for Westminster Abbey, 
 the other of Admiral Earl Howe. In 1808, he 
 was engaged in the following public works : — 
 A national monument, for St. Paul's, of Ad- 
 miral Viscount Nelson, in which the hero is 
 resting on an anchor, surrounded by figures of 
 the Seas ; and beside the pedestal, Britannia is 
 directing the attention of two boys to the Ad- 
 miral. A statue of Mr. Pitt, for Glasgow. A 
 statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds, for St. Paul's. 
 A monument of Mr. Pitt, for India, as Chan- 
 cellor of the Exchequer. 
 
 In 1820, the Duke of Bedford nobly con- 
 verted a building, erected in 1789 for a green- 
 house, into a gallery, for the reception of an- 
 cient and modern Sculpture. It measures one 
 hundred and thirty-eight feet in length, twenty- 
 five in breadth, and twenty-two by seven inches 
 in height ; and I shall here insert a quotation 
 from a magnificent foUo volume, privately 
 printed at the Duke's expense, entitled, " Out- 
 line Engravings and Descriptions of the Wo- 
 burn Abbey Marbles. 1822." 
 
448 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 " On the tympanum of the pediment of the portico of the 
 Temple of Liberty, is a beautiful allegorical group, composed 
 by Flaxman, representing the Goddess of Liberty, supporting 
 a spear with one hand, and elevating in the other her pileus, 
 or symbolical cap. On her right is Peace, holding a branch 
 of olive, and caressing a lamb, near which a lion is repo- 
 sing. On the left of the Goddess, are Genii, pouring out of 
 the horn of plenty the rich fruits of the earth ; near which 
 are a bale of merchandize and sheaves of corn." 
 
 Plate thirty-eighth of this costly work, ex- 
 hibits an outline of the above pediment, beauti- 
 fully etched by Moses, whose needle is sure to 
 enrich every work in which it is employed. 
 
 When the late Mr. Kemble retired from the 
 stage, several of his numerous friends, consider- 
 ing that some decided and permanent mark of 
 their high approbation of his dignified career 
 should be voted him, Mr. Flaxman was re- 
 quested to design a cup, or vase, which it was 
 agreed should be executed by Messrs. Rundell 
 and Bridge, and presented at the Farewell-din- 
 ner. Flaxman, entertaining the most profound 
 veneration for the grand and elevated talents of 
 Kemble, not only acquiesced in their wishes, by 
 commencing immediately upon the pleasing 
 task, but liberally presented the design as his 
 part of the subscription, which composition was 
 modelled by his pupil Mr. Baily. 
 
 The design is a tripod-stand, upon which a 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 449 
 
 cup or vase is placed, surmounted by a wreath 
 of laurels, standing erect. The first panel con- 
 tains a bust of Shakspeare on a therme.* A fi- 
 gure, representing Kemble, is seated, studying 
 with a book in his hands ; a winged figure, the 
 Genius of Shakspeare, has just descended to di- 
 rect his attention to the following characters of 
 the great dramatic poet, which are inscribed on 
 the therme in the following order ; viz. King 
 John, Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard, Hotspur, 
 Wolsey, Posthumus, Romeo, Brutus, and Co- 
 riolanus. The second side represents Mr. Kem- 
 ble, advanced in years, and just descended from 
 the stage, upon which he has left his senatorial 
 chair, and dropped his dagger, while a figure of 
 Tragedy, who has followed him, is crowning 
 him with laurels. Upon the third was engraven 
 the dedicatory inscription, composed by Mr. 
 Poole. The whole of the working-expenses 
 of this elegant tripod-cup and wreath, (weigh- 
 
 * Mr. Flaxman took this head of Shakspeare from Droe- 
 shout's print, which, if we may rely upon the testimony of 
 Ben Jonson, who was no flatterer, was considered an excel- 
 lent likeness of his rival. My own humble opinion is, that 
 most, if not all the pictures which have been engraved with 
 the greatest avidity, are most impudent impositions; produced, 
 as many of them can be proved, by well-known impostors and 
 needy men, whose necessitous families have urged them, like 
 the Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet, to sell the poison. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 G 
 
4)50 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 ing nearly four hundred ounces of silver, in 
 value about three hundred guineas) were libe- 
 rally presented by Messrs. Rundell and Bridge 
 as their subscription. 
 
 The cup not being finished, the drawing and 
 cast were produced, by Mr. Mathews and Mr. 
 Rae, at the Freemasons' Tavern, on June 27th, 
 1817, the day Mr, Kemble attended his Fare- 
 well-dinner, which was graced by the presence 
 of twenty-two Noblemen, nine Members of the 
 Royal Academy, William Locke, Samuel Ro- 
 gers, and other eminent and highly talented 
 characters. 
 
 Mr. Flaxman, after receiving the highest en- 
 comiums upon so classic and elegant a design, 
 in returning thanks, kept gradually walking up 
 to the noble President, and, when he had finish- 
 ed his address, returned to his seat, filled his 
 glass, with which he again advanced to the 
 noble Lord, and drank to the whole company 
 for the honour they had done him in drinking 
 his health. The address of Mr. Flaxman to 
 Lord Holland was, like most of his speeches, 
 short and nervous. He declared that the merit 
 of the design was highly increased by the name 
 of the man whose memory the cup was to per- 
 petuate ; and he also assured his Lordship, that 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 451 
 
 he felt proud in knowing that his name would 
 be hereafter associated with the object of that 
 day's commemoration. 
 
 When Mr. Kemble left this country for the 
 benefit of his health, which, by his theatrical 
 exertions, was most seriously impaired, he left 
 this elegant memento in the possession of his 
 celebrated sister, Mrs. Siddons. 
 
 Upon Mr. Flaxman seeing some of Mr. Sto- 
 thard's early and beautiful designs for the Novel- 
 ist's Magazine, in the course of its periodical pub- 
 lication, he observed to his father, that he should 
 like to know the artist ; an intimacy soon com- 
 menced, and they ever after entertained a mu- 
 tual friendship for each other. Wherever Mr* 
 Flaxman found superior talent, he upon all 
 occasions spake openly and nobly of its pos- 
 sessor. I recollect, when my father showed him 
 the early productions of Mr. Howard, the Aca- 
 demician, that he considered them as works of 
 the highest promise, and nothing could possibly 
 exceed the encomiums which Mr. Flaxman con- 
 tinued to express, till the end of his life, upon the 
 productions of that amiable artist : and I must 
 also declare, though I own in feeble language, 
 that the eloquent and honourable eulogium 
 passed vipon Mr. Flaxman, by the President of 
 2 G 2 
 
452 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the Royal Academy, did not surpass in esteem 
 and respect the manner in which Mr. Howard 
 has always mentioned the name of Flaxman. 
 
 I was present one evening, at the Argyll- 
 Rooms, when Pistrucci, the Improvisatore, re- 
 ceived, amongst other papers, from the au- 
 dience, a request for his ideas in poetry for the 
 composition of a monument to the memory of 
 Canova; after he had read the request, he 
 bowed to the centre of the second seat before 
 him, and passed an elegant encomium upon 
 our late British Phidias ; saying, he could not 
 think of delivering his ideas upon that subject, 
 while there was a Flaxman present, who could, 
 with a few lines of his pencil, far surpass ten 
 thousand lines of his verses. 
 
 To the eternal honour of Sir Thomas Law- 
 rence, the first English Artist who has followed 
 the noble example of Sir Peter Paul Rubens, 
 by liberally purchasing the works of contem- 
 porary artists, he has not only secured like- 
 nesses of Fuseli, Smirke, and Stothard, but un- 
 questionably one of the finest busts of Flax- 
 man extant, which are from the hand of Baily, 
 the Academician, Flaxman's favourite pupil. 
 Sir Thomas is also the fortunate possessor of 
 two figures, designed and modelled by Flaxman, 
 measuring about two feet in height ; one re- 
 
FLAXMAN. 
 
 453 
 
 presents Michel Angelo, the other RafFaelle. 
 These stand m his front-parlour, unconscious 
 of the inestimable treasures the cabinets of that 
 room contain from their immortal hands. 
 
 For some weeks previous to his decease, 
 though he was met in the street by several 
 friends only three days before his death, he 
 certainly was on the decline ; and yet his dis" 
 solution was unexpected. He departed in his 
 house in Buckingham-street, and was buried 
 in the church-yard of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, 
 next to that of St. Pancras Old Church. 
 
 The following inscription is cut upon an 
 altar-tomb erected to the memory of his wife 
 in the middle of the burial-ground : — 
 
 " John Flaxman, R.A.P.S.* 
 Whose mortal life 
 Was a constan| preparation 
 For a blessed immortality : 
 His angelic spirit returned to the Divine Giver, 
 On the 7th of December, 1826, 
 In the 72d year of his age." 
 
 * He was the first Professor of Sculpture in the Royal 
 Academy. 
 
454 
 
 BLAKE. 
 
 I BELIEVE it has been invariably the custom 
 of every age, whenever a man has been found 
 to depart from the usual mode of thinking, 
 to consider him of deranged intellect, and 
 not unfrequently stark staring mad; which 
 judgment his calumniators would pronounce 
 with as little hesitation, as some of the un- 
 charitable part of mankind would pass sen- 
 tence of death upon a poor half-drowned cur 
 who had lost his master, or one who had es- 
 caped hanging with a rope about his neck. 
 Cowper, in a letter to Lady Hesketh, dated 
 June 3d, 1788, speaking of a dancing-master's 
 advertisement, says, " The author of it had the 
 good hap to be crazed, or he had never pro- 
 duced any thing half so clever; for you will 
 ever observe, that they who are said to have 
 lost their wits, have more than other people." 
 
 Bearing this stigma of eccentricity, William 
 Blake, with most extraordinary zeal, commen- 
 ced his efforts in Art under the roof of No. 28, 
 Broad-street, Carnaby-market ; in which house 
 he was born, and where his father carried on 
 the business of a hosier. William, the subject 
 of the following pages, who was his second 
 son, showing an early stretch of mind, and a 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 455 
 
 strong talent for drawing, being totally desti- 
 tute of the dexterity of a London shopman, so 
 well described by Dr. Johnson, was sent away 
 from the counter as a booby, and placed under 
 the late Mr. James Basire, an Artist well known 
 for many years as Engraver to the Society of 
 Antiquaries. From him he learned the me- 
 chanical part of his art, and as he drew care- 
 fully, and copied faithfully, his master frequent- 
 ly and confidently employed him to make 
 drawings from monuments to be engraven. 
 
 After leaving his instructor, in whose house 
 he had conducted himself with the strictest 
 propriety, he became acquainted with Flaxman, 
 the Sculptor, through his friend Stothard, and 
 was also honoured by an introduction to the 
 accomplished Mrs. Mathew, whose house, No. 
 27, in Rathbone-place, was then frequented 
 by most of the literary and talented people of 
 the day. This lady, to whom I also had the 
 honour of being known, and whose door and 
 purse were constantly open and ready to 
 cherish persons of genius who stood in need 
 of assistance in their learned and arduous pur- 
 suits, worldly concerns, or inconveniences, — was 
 so extremely zealous in promoting the cele- 
 brity of Blake, that upon hearing him read 
 some of his early efforts in poetry, she thought 
 so well of them, as to request the Rev. Henry 
 
456 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAIIIES. 
 
 Mathew, her husband, to join Mr. Flaxman in 
 his truly kind offer of defraying the expense 
 of printing them; in which he not only ac- 
 quiesced, but, with his usual urbanity, wrote 
 the following advertisement, which precedes the 
 poems. 
 
 ^' The following sketches were the production of an un- 
 tutored youth, commenced in his twelfth, and occasionally 
 resumed by the author till his twentieth year ; since which 
 time, his talents having been wholly directed to the attain- 
 ment of excellence in his profession, he has been deprived of 
 the leisure requisite to such a revisal of these sheets, as might 
 have rendered them less unfit to meet the public eye. 
 
 " Conscious of the irregularities and defects to be found in 
 almost every page, his friends have still believed that they 
 possessed a poetical originality, which merited some respite 
 from oblivion. These, their opinions, remain, however, to be 
 now reproved or confirmed by a less partial public." 
 
 The annexed Song is a specimen of the juve- 
 nile playfulness of Blake's muse, copied from 
 page 10 of these Poems.* 
 
 SONG. 
 
 " How sweet I roam'd from field to field. 
 And tasted all the Summer's pride, 
 'Till I the Prince of Love beheld, 
 Who in the sunny beams did glide ! 
 
 * The whole copy of this little work, entitled " Poetical 
 Sketches, by W. B." containing seventy pages, octavo, bear- 
 ing the date of 1783, was given to Blake to sell to friends, or 
 publish, as he might think proper. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 457 
 
 He shovv'd me lilies for my hair, 
 
 And blushing roses for my brow ; 
 He led me through his gardens fair. 
 
 Where all his golden pleasures grow. 
 
 With sweet May-dews my wings were wet, 
 And Phcebus fired my vocal rage ; 
 
 He caught me in his silken net, 
 And shut me in his golden cage. 
 
 He loves to sit and hear me sing, 
 
 Then, laughing, sports and plays with me ; 
 
 Then stretches out my golden wing. 
 And mocks my loss of liberty." 
 
 But it happened, unfortunately, soon after this 
 period, that in consequence of his unbending 
 deportment, or what his adherents are pleased 
 to call his manly firmness of opinion, which cer- 
 tainly was not at all times considered pleasing by 
 every one, his visits were not so frequent. He 
 however continued to benefit by Mrs. Mathew's, 
 liberality, and was enabled to continue in part- 
 nership, as a Printseller, with his fellow-pupil, 
 Parker, in a shop. No. 27, next door to his 
 father's, in Broad-street ; and being extremely 
 partial to Robert, his youngest brother, consi- 
 dered him as his pupil. Bob, as he was fami- 
 liarly called, was one of my playfellows, and 
 much beloved by all his companions. 
 
 Much about this time, Blake wrote many 
 
458 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 other songs, to which he also composed tunes. 
 These he would occasionally sing to his friends; 
 and though, according to his confession, he was 
 entirely unacquainted with the science of music, 
 his ear was so good, that his tunes were some- 
 times most singularly beautiful, and were noted 
 down by musical professors. As for his later 
 poetry, if it may be so called, attached to his 
 plates, though it was certainly in some parts 
 enigmatically curious as to its application, yet 
 it was not always wholly uninteresting ; and I 
 have unspeakable pleasure in being able to state, 
 that though I admit he did not for the last 
 forty years attend any place of Divine worship, 
 yet he was not a Freethinker, as some invidious 
 detractors have thought proper to assert, nor 
 was he ever in any degree irreligious. Through 
 life, his Bible was every thing with him ; and 
 as a convincing proof how highly he reverenced 
 the Almighty, I shall introduce the following 
 lines with which he concludes his address to the 
 Deists. 
 
 " For a tear is an intellectual thing; 
 And a sigh is the sword of an Angel-King ; 
 And the bitter groan of a Martyr's woe 
 Is an arrow from the Almighty's bow." 
 
 Again, at page 77, in his address to the 
 Christians : 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 459 
 
 " I give you the end of a golden string ; 
 Only wind it into a ball, 
 It will lead you in at Heaven's gate. 
 Built in Jerusalem's wall." 
 
 ;> ~:' < ; * 
 ' ( ' ' 
 
 In his choice of subjects, and in his designs 
 in Art, perhaps no man had higher claim to ori- 
 ginaUty, nor ever drew with a closer adherence 
 to his own conception ; and from what I knew 
 of him, and have heard related by his friends, I 
 most firmly believe few artists have been guilty 
 of less plagiarisms than he. It is true, I have 
 seen him admire and heard him expatiate upon 
 the beauties of Marc Antonio and of Albert 
 Durer ; but I verily believe not with any view 
 of borrowing an idea ; neither do I consider him 
 at any time dependent in his mode of working, 
 which was generally with the graver only ; and 
 as to printing, he mostly took off his own im- 
 pressions. 
 
 After his marriage, which took place at Bat- 
 tersea, and which proved a mutually happy one, 
 he instructed his beloved, for so he most fre- 
 quently called his Kate,* and allowed her, till 
 
 * A friend has favoured me with the following anecdotes, 
 which he received from Blake, respecting his courtship. He 
 states that " Our Artist fell in love with a lively little girl, 
 who allowed him to say every thing that was loving, but 
 would not listen to his overtures on the score of matrimony. 
 
460 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 the last moment of his practice, to take off his 
 proof impressions and print his works, which 
 she did most carefully, and ever delighted in 
 the task : nay, she became a draughtswoman ; 
 and as a convincing proof that she and her hus- 
 band were born for each other s comfort, she 
 not only entered cheerfully into his views, but, 
 what is curious, possessed a similar power of 
 imbibing ideas, and has produced drawings 
 equally original, and, in some respects, inter- 
 esting. 
 
 Blake's peace of mind, as well as that of his 
 Catherine, was much broken by the death of their 
 brother Robert, who was a most amicable link 
 in their happiness ; and, as a proof how much 
 Blake respected him, whenever he beheld him 
 in his visions, he implicitly attended to his 
 opinion and advice as to his future projected 
 works. I should have stated, that Blake was 
 supereminently endowed with the power of 
 disuniting all other thoughts from his mind. 
 
 He was lamenting this in the house of a friend, when a gene- 
 rous-hearted lass declared that she pitied him from her 
 heart. ' Do you pity me ?' asked Blake. * Yes ; I do, 
 most sincerely.' — ' Then/ said he, ' I love you for that.' — 
 'Well,' said the honest girl, 'and I love you.' The con- 
 sequence was, they were married, and lived the happiest of 
 lives." 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 461 
 
 whenever he wished to indulge in thinking of 
 any particular subject; and so firmly did he 
 believe, by this abstracting power, that the ob- 
 jects of his compositions were before him in 
 his mind's eye, that he frequently believed 
 them to be speaking to him. This I shall now 
 illustrate by the following narrative. 
 
 Blake, after deeply perplexing himself as to 
 the mode of accomplishing the publication of 
 his illustrated songs, without their being sub- 
 ject to the expense of letter-press, his brother 
 Robert stood before him in one of his vision- 
 ary imaginations, and so decidedly directed 
 him in the way in which he ought to proceed, 
 that he immediately followed his advice, by 
 writing his poetry, and drawing his marginal 
 subjects of embellishments in outline upon the 
 copper-plate with an impervious liquid, and 
 then eating the plain parts or lights away with 
 aquafortis considerably below them, so that the 
 outlines were left as a stereotype. The plates 
 in this state were then printed in any tint that 
 he wished, to enable him or Mrs. Blake to co- 
 lour the marginal figures up by hand in imita- 
 tion of drawings. 
 
 The following are some of his works pro- 
 duced in this manner, viz. ; " Songs of Inno- 
 cence and Songs of Experience," *' The Book 
 
462 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 of Jerusalem," consisting of an hundred plates, 
 " The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," " Eu- 
 rope and America ;" and another work, which 
 is now very uncommon, a pretty little series of 
 plates, entitled ** Gate of Paradise." 
 
 Blake, like those artists absorbed in a be- 
 loved study, cared not for money beyond its 
 use for the ensuing day ; and indeed he and his 
 " beloved" were so reciprocally frugal in their 
 expenses, that, never sighing for either gilded 
 vessels, silver-laced attendants, or turtle's livers, 
 they were contented with the simplest repast, and 
 a little answered their purpose. Yet, notwith- 
 standing all their economy, Dame Fortune be- 
 ing, as it is pretty well known to the world, 
 sometimes a fickle jade, they, as well as 
 thousands more, have had their intercepting 
 clouds. 
 
 As it is not my intention to follow them 
 through their lives, I shall confine myself to a 
 relation of a few other anecdotes of this happy 
 pair; and as they are connected with the Arts, 
 in my opinion they ought not to be lost, as they 
 may be considered worthy the attention of fu- 
 ture biographers. 
 
 For his marginal illustrations of " Young's 
 Night Thoughts," which possess a great power 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 463 
 
 of imagination, he received so despicably low 
 a price, that Flaxman, whose heart was ever 
 warm, was determined to serve him when- 
 ever an opportunity offered itself ; and with 
 his usual voice of sympathy, introduced him to 
 his friend Hayley, with whom it was no new 
 thing to give pleasure, capricious as he was. 
 This gentleman immediately engaged him to 
 engrave the plates for his quarto edition of 
 "The Life of Cowper," published in 1803-4; 
 and for this purpose he went down to Felp- 
 ham, in order to be near that highly respected 
 Hermit. 
 
 Here he took a cottage, for which he paid 
 twenty pounds a-year, and was not, as has been 
 reported, entertained in a house belonging to 
 Mr. Hayley rent-free. During his stay he 
 drew several portraits, and could have had full 
 employment in that department of the Art; 
 but he was born to follow his own inclinations, 
 and was willing to rely upon a reward for the 
 labours of the day. 
 
 Mr. Flaxman, knowing me to be a collector of 
 autographs, among many others, gave me the 
 following letter, which he received from Blake 
 immediately after his arrival at Felpham, in 
 which he styles him 
 
464 NOLLEICENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 " Dear Sculptor of Eternity. 
 
 " We are safe arrived at our cottage, which is more 
 beautiful than I thought it, and more convenient. It is a per- 
 fect model for cottages, and, I think, for palaces of magnifi- 
 cence ; only enlarging, not altering, its proportions, and add- 
 ing ornaments and not principals. Nothing can be more 
 grand than its simplicity and usefulness. Simple without 
 intricacy, it seems to be the spontaneous effusion of humanity, 
 congenial to the wants of man. No other-formed house can 
 ever please me so well ; nor shall I ever be persuaded, I be- 
 lieve, that it can be improved either in beauty, or use. 
 
 "Mr. Hayley received us with his usual brotherly affection. 
 I have begun to work. Felpham is a sweet place for study, 
 because it is more spiritual than London. Heaven opens here 
 on all sides her golden gates ; her windows are not obstruct- 
 ed by vapours ,• voices of celestial inhabitants are more dis- 
 tinctly heard, and their forms more distinctly seen, and my 
 cottage is also a shadow of their houses. My wife and sister 
 are both well, courting Neptune for an embrace. 
 
 " Our journey was very pleasant ; and though we had a 
 great deal of luggage, no grumbling. All was cheerfulness 
 and good-humour on the road, and yet we could not arrive at 
 our cottage before half-past eleven at night, owing to the 
 necessary shifting of our luggage from one chaise to another ; 
 for we had seven different chaises, and as many different 
 drivers. We set out between six and seven in the morning 
 of Thursday, with sixteen heavy boxes, and portfolios full 
 of prints. 
 
 " And now begins a new life, because another covering of 
 earth is shaken off. I am more famed in Heaven for my 
 works than I could well conceive. In my brain, are studies 
 and chambers filled with books and pictures of old, which I 
 wrote and painted in ages of eternity, before my mortal life ; 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 465 
 
 and those works are the delight and study of archangels. 
 Why then should I be anxious about the riches or fame of 
 mortality ? The Lord, our father, will do for us and with 
 us according to his Divine will for our good. 
 
 " You, O dear Flaxman ! are a sublime Archangel, my 
 friend and companion from eternity. In the Divine bosom is 
 our dwelling-place. I look back into the regions of remi- 
 niscence, and behold our ancient days before this earth ap- 
 peared in its vegetated mortality to my mortal-vegetated 
 eyes. I see our houses of eternity which can never be sepa- 
 rated, though our mortal vehicles should stand at the remotest 
 corners of Heaven from each other. 
 
 " Farewell, my best friend ! Remember me and my wife 
 in love and friendship to our dear Mrs. Flaxman, whom we 
 ardently desire to entertain beneath our thatched roof of 
 rusted gold ; and believe me for ever to remain, 
 
 " Your grateful and affectionate, 
 
 William Blake." 
 
 "Felpham, Sept. 21st, 1800. 
 " Sunday morning." 
 
 In a copy of Hayley's " Triumphs of Tem- 
 per," illustrated by Stothard, which had been 
 the one belonging to the Author's son, and 
 which he gave after his death to Blake, are 
 these verses in MS. by the hand of the donor. 
 
 " Accept, my gentle visionary, Blake, 
 
 Whose thoughts are fanciful and kindly mild ; 
 Accept, and fondly keep for friendship's sake, 
 This favor'd vision, my poetic child. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 2 H 
 
466 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOKARIES. 
 
 " Rich in more grace than fancy ever won. 
 
 To thy most tender mind this book will be, 
 For it belong'd to my departed son ; 
 So from an angel it descends to thee. 
 
 " W. H. 
 July, 1800."* 
 
 Upon his return from Felpham, he addressed 
 the public, in page 3 of his Book of Jerusalem, 
 in these words, " After my three years' slumber 
 on the banks of the ocean, I again display my 
 giant-forms to the public," &c. 
 
 Some of the " giant-forms," as he calls them, 
 are mighty and grand, and if I were to compare 
 them to the style of any preceding artist, Mi- 
 chel Angelo, Sir Joshua's favourite, would be 
 the one ; and were I to select a specimen as a 
 corroboration of this opinion, I should instance 
 the figure personifying the " Ancient of Days," 
 the frontispiece to his " Europe, a Prophecy." 
 In my mind, his knowledge of drawing, as well 
 as design, displayed in this figure, must at once 
 convince the informed reader of his extraordi- 
 nary abilities. 
 
 I am now under the painful necessity of re- 
 lating an event promulgated in two different 
 ways by two different parties ; and as I enter- 
 
 * I copied the above from the book now in the possession 
 of Mrs. Blake. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 467 
 
 tain a high respect for the talents of both per- 
 sons concerned, I shall, in order to steer clear of 
 giving umbrage to the supporters of either, leave 
 the reader to draw his own conclusions, unbiass- 
 ed by any insinuation whatever of mine. 
 
 An Engraver of the name of Cromek, a 
 man who endeavoured to live by speculating 
 upon the talents of others, purchased a series 
 of drawings of Blake, illustrative of Blair's 
 " Grave," which he had begun with a view of 
 engraving and publishing. These were sold to 
 Mr. Cromek for the insignificant sum of one 
 guinea each, with the promise, and indeed under 
 the express agreement, that Blake should be 
 employed to engrave them ; a task to which he 
 looked forward with anxious delight. Instead 
 of this negotiation being carried into effect, the 
 drawings, to his great mortification, were put 
 into the hands of Schiavonetti. During the 
 time this artist was thus employed, Cromek 
 had asked Blake what work he had in mind to 
 execute next. The unsuspecting artist not only 
 told him, but without the least reserve showed 
 him the designs sketched out for a fresco pic- 
 ture; the subject Chaucer's "Pilgrimage to Can- 
 terbury;" with which Mr. Cromek appeared 
 highly delighted. Shortly after this, Blake dis- 
 covered that Stothard, a brother-artist to whom 
 
 2 H 2 
 
468 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 he had been extremely kind in early days, had 
 been employed to paint a picture, not only of 
 the same subject, but in some instances similar 
 to the fresco sketch which he had shown to 
 Mr. Cromek. The picture painted by Stot- 
 hard became the property of Mr. Cromek, 
 who published proposals for an engraving from 
 it, naming Bromley as the engraver to be em- 
 ployed. However, in a short time, that artist's 
 name was withdrawn, and Schiavonetti's substi- 
 tuted, who lived only to complete the etching ; 
 the plate being finished afterwards by at least 
 three different hands. Blake, highly indignant 
 at this treatment, immediately set to work, and 
 proposed an engraving from his fresco picture, 
 which he publicly exhibited in his brother 
 James's shop window, at the corner of Broad- 
 street, accompanied with an address to the 
 public, stating what he considered to be im- 
 proper conduct. 
 
 So much on the side of Blake.* On the 
 
 * In 1809, Blake exhibited sixteen poetical and historical 
 inventions, in his brother's first-floor in Broad-street ; eleven 
 pictures in fresco, professed to be painted according to the 
 ancient method, and seven drawings, of which an explanatory 
 catalogue was published, and is perhaps the most curious of 
 its kind ever written. At page the description of his 
 fresco painting of Geoffrey Chaucer's Pilgrimage commences. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 469 
 
 part of Stothard, the story runs thus. Mr. 
 Cromek had agreed with that artist to employ 
 him upon a picture of the Procession of Chau- 
 cer's Pilgrimage to Canterbury, for which he 
 first agreed to pay him sixty guineas, but in 
 order to enable him to finish it in a more ex- 
 quisite manner, promised him forty more, with 
 an intention of engaging Bromley to engrave 
 it ; but in consequence of some occurrence, his 
 name was withdrawn, and Schiavonetti was em- 
 ployed. During the time Stothard was paint- 
 ing the picture, Blake called to see it, and ap- 
 peared so delighted with it, that Stothard, sin- 
 cerely wishing to please an old friend with 
 whom he had lived so cordially for many years, 
 and from whose works he always most liberally 
 declared he had received much pleasure and edi- 
 fication, expressed a wish to introduce his por- 
 trait as one of the party, as a mark of esteem. 
 
 Mr. Hoppner, in a letter to a friend, dated 
 May 30th, 1807, says of it, 
 
 " This intelligent group is rendered still more interesting 
 by the charm of colouring, which though simple is strong, 
 and most harmoniously distributed throughout the picture. 
 
 This picture, which is larger than the print, is now in the 
 possession of Thomas Butts, Esq. a gentleman friendly to 
 Blake, and who is in possession of a considerable number of 
 his works. 
 
470 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES, 
 
 The landscape has a deep-toned brightness that accords most 
 admirably with the figures ; and the painter has ingeniously 
 contrived to give a value to a common scene and very ordi- 
 nary forms, that would hardly be found, by unlearned eyes, 
 in the natural objects. He has expressed too, with great 
 vivacity and truth, the freshness of morning, at that season 
 when Nature herself is most fresh and blooming — the Spring ; 
 and it requires no great stretch of fancy to imagine we per- 
 ceive the influence of it on the cheeks of the Fair Wife of 
 Bath, and her rosy companions, the Monk and Friar. 
 
 " In respect of the execution of the various parts of this 
 pleasing design, it is not too much praise to say, that it is 
 wholly free from that vice which painters term manner ; and 
 it has this peculiarity beside, which I do not remember to 
 have seen in any picture, ancient or modern, namely, that it 
 bears no mark of the period in which it was painted, but might 
 very well pass for the work of some able artist of the time of 
 Chaucer. This effect is not, I believe, the result of any as- 
 sociation of ideas connected with the costume, but appears in 
 primitive simplicity, and the total absence of all affectation, 
 either of colour or pencilling. 
 
 " Having attempted to describe a few of the beauties of 
 this captivating performance, it remains only for me to men- 
 tion one great defect. The picture is, notwithstanding ap- 
 pearances, a modern one. But if you can divest yourself of 
 the general prejudice that exists against contemporary talents, 
 you will see a work that would have done honour to any 
 school, at any period." * 
 
 In 1810, Stotbard, to his great surprise, found 
 that Blake had engraved and published a plate 
 
 * See the " Artist," by Prince Hoare, Esq. No. 13, Vol. I. 
 page 13. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 471 
 
 of the same size, in some respects bearing a si- 
 milarity to his own.* Such are the outlines of 
 this controversy. 
 
 Blake's ideas were often truly entertaining, 
 and after he had conveyed them to paper, his 
 whimsical and novel descriptions frequently 
 surpassed his delineations ; for instance, that of 
 his picture of the Transformation of the Flea 
 to the form of a Man, is extremely curious. 
 This personification, which he denominated a 
 Cupper, or Blood-sucker, is covered with coat of 
 armour, similar to the case of the flea, and is 
 represented slowly pacing in the night, with a 
 
 * I must do Mr. Stothard the justice to declare, that the 
 very first time I saw him after he had read the announcement 
 of Blake's death, he spoke in the handsomest terms of his ta- 
 lents, and informed me that Blake made a remarkably correct 
 and fine drawing of the head of Queen Philippa, from her 
 monumental eflSgy in Westminster Abbey, for Gough's Se- 
 pxxlchral Monuments, engraved by Basire. The collectors of 
 Stothard's numerous and elegant designs, will recollect the 
 name of Blake as the engraver of several plates in the No- 
 velist's Magazine, the Poetical Magazine, and also others for 
 a work entitled the Wit's Magazine, from drawings produced 
 by the same artist. Trotter, the engraver, who received 
 instructions from Blake, and who was a pattern-draughtsman 
 to the calico-printers, introduced his friend Stothard to Blake, 
 and their attachment for each other continued most cordially 
 to exist in the opinion of the public, until they produced their 
 rival pictures of Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrimage. 
 
472 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 thorn attached to his right hand, and a cup in 
 the other, as if ready to puncture the first person 
 whose blood he might fancy, like Satan prowl- 
 ing about to seek whom he could devour. Blake 
 said of the flea, that were that lively little fel- 
 low the size of an elephant, he was quite sure, 
 from the calculations he had made of his won- 
 derful strength, that he could bound from Do- 
 ver to Calais in one leap.* Whatever may be 
 the public opinion hereafter of Blake's talents, 
 when his enemies are dead, I will not presume 
 to predict ;f but this I am certain of, that on 
 the score of industry at least, many artists must 
 
 * This interesting little picture is painted in Fresco. It 
 is now the property of John Varley, the Artist, whose land- 
 scapes will ever be esteemed as some of the finest productions 
 in Art, and who may fairly be considered as one of the founders 
 of the Society of Artists in Water Colours ; the annual exhi- 
 bitions of which continue to surpass those of the preceding 
 seasons. 
 
 t Blake's talent is not to be seen in his engravings from the 
 designs of other artists, though he certainly honestly endea- 
 voured to copy the beauties of Stothard, Plaxman, and those 
 masters set before him by the few publishers who employed 
 him ; but his own engravings from his own mind are the pro- 
 ductions which the man of true feeling must ever admire, and 
 the predictions of Fuseli and Flaxman may hereafter be ve- 
 rified — " That a time will come when Blake's finest works 
 will be as much sought after and treasured up in the portfolios 
 of men of mind, as those of Michel Angelo are at present." 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 473 
 
 strike to him. Application was a faculty so en- 
 gendered in him that he took little bodily exer- 
 cise to keep up his health : he had few evening 
 walks and little rest from labour, for his mind 
 was ever fixed upon his art, nor did he at any 
 time indulge in a game of chess, draughts, or 
 backgammon ; such amusements, considered as 
 relaxations by artists in general, being to him 
 distractions. His greatest pleasure was derived 
 from the Bible, — a work ever at his hand, and 
 which he often assiduously consulted in several 
 languages. Had he fortunately lived till the 
 next year's exhibition at Somerset-house, the 
 public would then have been astonished at his 
 exquisite finishing of a Fresco picture of the 
 Last Judgment, containing upw^ards of one 
 thousand figures, many of them wonderfully 
 conceived and grandly drawn. The lights of 
 this extraordinary performance have the ap- 
 pearance of silver and gold ; but upon Mrs. 
 Blake's assuring me that there was no silver 
 used, I found, upon a closer examination, that a 
 blue wash had been passed over those parts of 
 the gilding which receded, and the lights of the 
 forward objects, which were also of gold, were 
 heightened with a warm colour, to give the ap- 
 pearance of the two metals. 
 
 It is most certain, that the uninitiated eye 
 
474 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 was incapable of selecting the beauties of Blake ; 
 his effusions were not generally felt ; and in 
 this opinion I am bprne out in the frequent as- 
 sertions of Fuseli and Flaxman. It would, 
 therefore, be unreasonable to expect the book- 
 sellers to embark in publications not likely to 
 meet remuneration. Circumstanced, then, as 
 Blake was, approaching to threescore years and 
 ten, in what way was he to persevere in his la- 
 bours ? Alas, he knew not ! until the liberali- 
 ty of Mr. Linnell, a brother-artist of eminence, 
 whose discernment could well appreciate those 
 parts of his designs which deserved perpetuity, 
 enabled him to proceed and execute in comfort 
 a series of twenty-one plates, illustrative of the 
 Book of Job. This was the last work he com- 
 pleted, upon the merits of which he received 
 the highest congratulations from the following 
 Royal Academicians : Sir Thomas Lawrence, 
 Mr. Baily, Mr. Philips, Mr. Chantrey, Mr. James 
 Ward, Mr. Arnald, Mr. Collins,^ Mr. Westma- 
 cott, and many other artists of eminence. 
 
 As to Blake's system of colouring, which I 
 have not hitherto noticed, it was in many in- 
 stances most beautifully prismatic. In this 
 branch of the art he often acknowledged 
 Apelles to have been his tutor, who was, he said, 
 so much pleased with his style, that once when 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 475 
 
 he appeared before him, among many of his 
 observations, he delivered the following : — " You 
 certainly possess my system of colouring ; and 
 I now wish you to draw my person, which has 
 hitherto been untruly delineated." 
 
 I must own that until I was favoured by Mr. 
 Upcott with a sight of some of Blake's works, 
 several of which I had never seen, I was not so 
 fully aware of his great depth of knowledge in 
 colouring. Of these most interesting specimens 
 of his art, which are now extremely rare, and 
 rendered invaluable by his death, as it is im- 
 possible for any one to colour them with his 
 mind, should the plates remain, Mr. Richard 
 Thomson, another truly kind friend, has favour- 
 ed me with the following descriptive lists. 
 
 Songs of ExrERiKNCE^ The author and printer, W. 
 Blake. Small octavo ; seventeen plates, including the title- 
 page. Frontispiece, a winged infant mounted on the shoulders 
 of a youth. On the title-page, two figures weeping over two 
 crosses. 
 
 Introduction. Four Stanzas on a cloud, with a night-sky 
 behind, and beneath, a figure of Earth stretched on a mantle. 
 
 Earth's Answer. Five Stanzas ; a serpent on the ground 
 beneath. 
 
 The Clod and the Pebble. Three Stanzas ; above, a head- 
 piece of four sheep and two oxen ; beneath, a duck and 
 reptiles. 
 
 A Poison Tree. Four Stanzas. The tree stretches up the 
 
476 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPOIIARIES. 
 
 right side of the page ; and beneath, a dead body killed hy its 
 influence. 
 
 The Fly. Five Stanzas. Beneath, a female figure with 
 two children. 
 
 Holi/ Thursday. Four Stanzas. Head-piece a female fi- 
 gure discovering a dead child. On the right-hand margin a 
 mother and two children lamenting the loss of an infant 
 which lies beneath. Perhaps this is one of the most tasteful 
 of the set. 
 
 The Chimney-Sweeper. Three Stanzas. Beneath, a figure 
 of one Avalking in snow towards an open door. 
 
 Londo7i. Four Stanzas. Above, a child leading an old 
 man through the street ; on the right-hand^ a figure warming 
 itself at a fire. If in any instance Mr. Blake has copied 
 himself, it is in the figure of the old man upon this plate, 
 whose position appears to have been a favourite one with him. 
 
 The Tiger. Six Stanzas. On the right-hand margin, the 
 trunk of a tree ; and beneath, a tiger walking. 
 
 A Little Boy Lost, Six Stanzas. Ivy-leaves on the right- 
 hand, and beneath, weeping figures before a fire, in which the 
 verses state that the child had been burned by a Saint. 
 
 The Human Abstract. Six Stanzas. The trunk of a tree 
 on the right-hand margin, and beneath, an old man in white 
 draAving a veil over his head. 
 
 The Angel. Four Stanzas. Head-piece, a female figure 
 lying beneath a tree, and pushing from her a winged boy. 
 
 My Pretty Rose Tree. Two stanzas : Succeeded by a small 
 vignette, of a figure weeping, and another lying reclined at 
 the foot of a tree. Beneath, are two verses more, entitled. 
 Ah ! Sun Flower; and a single stanza, headed The Lilly. 
 
 Nurse's Song, Two Stanzas. Beneath, a girl with a 
 youth and a female child at a door surrounded by vine-leaves. 
 
 A Little Girl Lost. Seven stanzas ; interspersed with 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 477 
 
 birds and leaves, the trunk of a tree on the right-hand 
 margin. 
 
 The whole of these plates are coloured in imitation of 
 fresco. The poetry of these songs is wild, irregular, and 
 highly mystical, but of no great degree of elegance or excel- 
 lence, and their prevailing feature is a tone of complaint of 
 the misery of mankind. 
 
 America : a Prophecy. Lambeth : Printed by William 
 Blake, in the year 1793; folio; eighteen plates or twenty 
 pages, including the frontispiece and title-page. After a 
 preludium of thirty-seven lines commences the Prophecy 
 of 226, which are interspersed with numerous head-pieces, 
 vignettes, and tail-pieces, usually stretching along the left- 
 hand margin and enclosing the text ; which sometimes ap- 
 pears written on a cloud, and at others environed by flames 
 and water. Of the latter subject a very fine specimen is 
 shown upon page 13, where the tail-piece represents the bot- 
 tom of the sea, with various fishes coming together to prey 
 upon a dead body. The head-piece is another dead body lying 
 on the surface of the waters, with an eagle feeding upon it 
 with outstretched wings. Another instance of Mr. Blake's fa- 
 vourite figure of the old man entering at Death's door, is con- 
 tained on page 12 of this poem. The subject of the text is a 
 conversation between the Angel of Albion, the Angels of the 
 Thirteen States, Washington, and some others of the Ameri- 
 can Generals, and " Red Ore," the spirit of war and evil. 
 The verses are without rhyme, and most resemble hexame- 
 ters, though they are by no means exact ; and the expressions 
 are mystical in a very high degree. 
 
 Europe : a Prophecy. Lambeth : Printed by William 
 Blake, 1794 ; folio ; seventeen plates on the leaves, inclusive 
 of the frontispiece and title-page. Coloured to imitate the 
 ancient fresco painting. The Preludium consists of thirty- 
 
478 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 three linesj in stanzas without rhyme, and the Prophecy of 
 two hundred and eight ; the decorations to which are larger 
 than most of those in the former book, and approach nearest 
 to the character of paintings, since, in several instances, they 
 occupy the whole page. The frontispiece is an uncommonly 
 fine specimen of art, and approaches almost to the sublimity 
 of RafFaelle or Michel Angelo. It represents " The Ancient 
 of Days," in an orb of light surrounded by dark clouds, as 
 referred to in Proverbs viii. 27, stooping down with an 
 enormous pair of compasses to describe the destined orb of 
 the world,* " when he set a compass upon the face of 
 the earth." 
 
 " in His hand 
 
 He took the golden compasses, prepar'd 
 In God's eternal store, to circumscribe 
 This universe and all created things : 
 One foot he center'd, and the other turn'd 
 Round through the vast profundity obscure ; 
 And said, " Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds. 
 This be thy just circumference, O World!" 
 
 Paradise Lost, Book vii. line 236. 
 
 * He was inspired with the splendid grandeur of this 
 figure, by the vision which he declared hovered over his head 
 at the top of his staircase ; and he has been frequently heard 
 to say, that it made a more powerful impression upon his 
 mind than all he had ever been visited by. This subject was 
 such a favourite with him, that he always bestowed more time 
 and enjoyed greater pleasure when colouring the print, than 
 any thing he ever produced. 
 
 Mr. F. Tatham employed him to tint an impression of it, 
 for which I have heard he paid him the truly liberal sum of 
 three guineas and a half. I say liberal, though the specimen 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 479 
 
 Another splendid composition in this work, are the two 
 angels pouring out the black spotted plague upon England, 
 on page 9 ; in which the fore- shortening of the legs, the 
 grandeur of their positions, and the harmony with which they 
 are adapted to each other and to their curved trumpets, are 
 perfectly admirable. The subject-matter of the work is 
 written in the same wild and singular measures as the pre- 
 ceding, and describes, in mystical language, the terrors of 
 plague and anarchy which overspread England during the 
 slumbers of Enitharmon for eighteen hundred years ; upon 
 whose awaking, the ferocious spirit Ore bursts into flames 
 " in the vineyards of red France." At the end of this poem, 
 are seven separate engravings on folio pages, without letter- 
 press, which are coloured like the former part of the work, 
 with a degree of splendour and force, as almost to resemble 
 sketches in oil-colours. The finest of these are a figure of an 
 angel standing in the sun, a group of three furies surrounded 
 
 is worth any price, because the sum was so considerably be- 
 yond what Blake generally had been accustomed to receive as 
 a remuneration for his extraordinary talents. Upon this truly 
 inestimable impression, which I have now before me, Blake 
 worked when bolstered-up in his bed only a few days before 
 he died ; and my friend F. Tatham has just informed me, 
 that after Blake had frequently touched upon it, and had as 
 frequently held it at a distance, he threw it from him, and 
 with an air of exulting triumph exclaimed, " There, that will 
 do! I cannot mend it." However, this was not his last pro- 
 duction ; for immediately after he had made the above decla- 
 ration to his beloved Kate, upon whom his eyes were stead- 
 fastly fixed, he vociferated, " Stay ! keep as you are ! you 
 have ever been an angel to me, I will draw you ;" and he ac- 
 tually made a most spirited likeness of her, though within so 
 short a period of his earthly termination. 
 
480 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 by clouds and fire, and a figure of a man sitting beneath a 
 tree in the deepest dejection ; all of ^which are peculiarly 
 remarkable for their strength and splendour of colouring. 
 Another publication by Mr. Blake, consisted only of a small 
 quarto volume of twenty-three engravings of various shapes 
 and sizes, coloured as before, some of which are of extraor- 
 dinary effect and beauty. The best plates in this series 
 are, — the first of an aged man, with a white beard sweeping 
 the ground, and writing in a book with each hand, naked ; 
 a human figure pressing out his brain through his ears ; and 
 the great sea-serpent ; but perhaps the best is a figure sink- 
 ing in a stormy sea at sun -set, the splendid light of which, 
 and the foam upon the black waves, are almost magical efi'ects 
 of colouring. Beneath the first design is engraven " Lam- 
 beth, -printed by W. Blake, 1794." 
 
 Blake's modes of preparing his ground, and 
 laying them over his panels for painting, mix- 
 ing his colours, and manner of working, were 
 those which he considered to have been prac- 
 tised by the earliest fresco-painters, whose pro- 
 ductions still remain, in numerous instances, 
 vivid and permanently fresh. His ground was 
 a mixture of whiting and carpenter's glue, 
 which he passed over several times in thin 
 coatings : his colours he ground himself, and 
 also united them with the same sort of glue, 
 but in a much weaker state. He would, in the 
 course of painting a picture, pass a very thin 
 transparent wash of glue-water over the whole 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 481 
 
 of the parts he liad worked upon, and then 
 proceed with his finishing.* 
 
 This process I have tried, and find, by using 
 my mixtures warm, that I can produce the same 
 texture as possessed in Blake's pictures of the 
 Last Judgment, and others of his productions, 
 particularly in Varley's curious picture of the 
 personified Flea. Blake preferred mixing his 
 colours with carpenter's glue, to gum, on ac- 
 count of the latter cracking in the sun, and 
 becoming humid in moist weather. The glue- 
 mixture stands the sun, and change of atmos- 
 
 * Loutherbourgh was alsOj in his way, very ingenious in 
 his contrivances. To oblige his friend Garrick, he enriched 
 a Drama, entitled " The Christmas Tale," with scenery 
 painted by himself, and introduced such novelty and bril- 
 liancy of effect, as formed a new era in that species of art. 
 This he accomplished by means of differently-coloured silks 
 placed before the lamps at the front of the stage, and by the 
 lights behind the side scenes. The same effects were used 
 for distance and atmosphere. As for instance. Harlequin in 
 a fog, was produced by tiffany hung between the audience 
 and himself Mr. Seguire, the father of the Keeper of the 
 King's Pictures, and those of the National Gallery, purchased 
 of Mr. Loutherbourgh ten small designs for the scenery of 
 Omiah, for which scenes the manager paid him one thousand 
 pounds. Mr. Loutherbourgh never would leave any paper or 
 designs at the theatre, nor would he ever allow any one to see 
 what he intended to produce ; as he secretly held small cards 
 in his hand, which he now and then referred to in order to 
 assist him in his recollections of his small drawings. 
 
 VOL. IL 2 I 
 
482 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 phere has no eifect upon it. Every carpenter 
 knows that if a broken piece of stick be joined 
 with good glue, the stick will seldom break 
 again in the glued parts. 
 
 That Blake had many secret modes of work- 
 ing, both as a colourist and an engraver, I have 
 no doubt. His method of eating away the 
 plain copper, and leaving his drawn lines of 
 his subjects and his words as stereotype, is in 
 my mind perfectly original. Mrs. Blake is in 
 possession of the secret, and she ought to receive 
 something considerable for its communication, 
 as I am quite certain it may be used to the 
 greatest advantage both to artists and literary 
 characters in general. 
 
 That Blake's coloured plates have more effect 
 than others where gum has been used, is, in my 
 opinion, the fact, and I shall rest my assertion 
 upon those beautiful specimens in the posses- 
 sion of Mr. Upcott, coloured purposely for that 
 gentleman's godfather, Ozias Humphrey, Esq. 
 to whom Blake wrote the following interesting 
 letter. 
 
 TO OZIAS HUMPHREY, ESQ. 
 
 The design of The Last Judgment, which I have com- 
 pleted by your recommendation for the Countess of Egre- 
 mont, it is necessary to give some account of ; and its various 
 parts ought to be described, for the accommodation of those 
 who give it the honour of their attention. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 483 
 
 " Christ seated on the Throne of Judgment : the Heavens 
 in clouds rolling before him and around him, like a scroll 
 ready to be consumed in the fires of the Angels ; who descend 
 before his feet, with their four trumpets sounding to the four 
 winds. 
 
 " Beneath, the Earth is convulsed with the labours of the 
 Resurrection. In the caverns of the earth is the Dragon with 
 seven heads and ten horns, chained by two Angels ; and above 
 his cavern, on the earth's surface, is the Harlot^ also seized and 
 bound by two Angels with chains, while her palaces are fall- 
 ing into ruins, and her counsellors and warriors are descending 
 into the abyss, in wailing and despair. 
 
 " Hell opens beneath the harlot's seat on the left hand, 
 into which the wicked are descending. 
 
 " The right hand of the design is appropriated to the Re- 
 surrection of the J ust : the left hand of the design is appro- 
 priated to the Resurrection and Fall of the Wicked. 
 
 " Immediately before the Throne of Christ, are Adam and 
 Eve, kneeling in humiliation, as representatives of the whole 
 human race ; Abraham and Moses kneel on each side beneath 
 them ; from the cloud on which Eve kneels, and beneath 
 Moses, and from the tables of stone which utter lightning, 
 is seen Satan wound round by the Serpent, and falling head- 
 long ; the Pharisees appear on the left hand pleading their 
 own righteousness before the Throne of Christ : The Book 
 of Death is opened on clouds by two Angels ; many groups of 
 figures are falling from before the throne, and from the sea of 
 fire, which flows before the steps of the throne ; on which are 
 seen the seven Lamps of the Almighty, burning before the 
 throne. Many figures chained and bound together fall through 
 the air, and some are scourged by Spirits with flames of fire 
 into the abyss of Hell, which opens to receive them beneath, 
 on the left hand of the harlot's seat ; where others are howl- 
 ing and descending into the flames, and in the act of drag- 
 
484 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 ging each other into Hell, and of contending in fighting with 
 each other on the brink of perdition. 
 
 " Before the Throne of Christ on the right hand, the Just, 
 in humiliation and in exultation, rise through the air, with 
 their Children and Families ; some of whom are bowing before 
 the Book of Life, which is opened by two Angels on clouds : 
 many groups arise with exultation ; among them is a figure 
 crowned with stars, and the moon beneath her feet, with six 
 infants around her, she represents the Christian Church. The 
 green hills appear beneath ; with the graves of the blessed, 
 which are seen bursting with their births of immortality ; pa- 
 rents and children embrace and arise together, and in exult- 
 ing attitudes tell each other^ that the New Jerusalem is ready 
 to descend upon earth ; they arise upon the air rejoicing ; 
 others newly awaked from the grave, stand upon the earth 
 embracing and shouting to the Lamb, who cometh in the 
 clouds with power and great glory. 
 
 " The whole upper part of the design is a view of Heaven 
 opened ; around the Throne of Christ, four living creatures 
 filled with eyes, attended by seven angels with seven vials 
 of the wrath of God, and above these seven Angels with the 
 seven trumpets compose the cloud, which by its rolling away 
 displays the opening seats of the Blessed, on the right and 
 the left of which are seen the four-and-twenty Elders seated 
 on thrones to judge the dead. 
 
 Behind the seat and Throne of Christ appears the Taber- 
 nacle with its veil opened, the Candlestick on the right, the 
 Table with Shew-bread on the left, and in the midst, the Cross 
 in place of the Ark, with the two Cherubim bowing over it. 
 
 " On the right-hand of the Throne of Christ is Baptism, 
 on his left is the Lord's Supper — the two introducers into 
 Eternal Life. Women with infants approach the figure of 
 an aged Apostle, which represents Baptism ; and on the left- 
 hand the Lord's Supper is administered by Angels, from the 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 485 
 
 hands of another aged Apostle ; these kneel on each side of 
 the Throne, which is surrounded by a glory : in the glory 
 many infants appear^ representing Eternal Creation flowing 
 from the Divine Humanity in Jesus ; who opens the Scroll of 
 Judgment upon his knees before the living and the dead. 
 
 " Such is the design which you, my dear Sir, have been the 
 cause of my producing, and which, but for you, might have 
 slept till the Last J udgment. 
 
 " William Blake. 
 
 "January 18, 1808." 
 
 Blake and his wife were known to have lived 
 so happily together, that they might unquestion- 
 ably have been registered at Dunmow. " Their 
 hopes and fears were to each other known," 
 and their days and nights were passed in each 
 other's company, for he always painted, drew, 
 engraved and studied, in the same room where 
 they grilled, boiled, stewed, and slept ; and so 
 steadfastly attentive was he to his beloved 
 tasks, that for the space of two years he had 
 never once been out of his house ; and his ap- 
 plication was often so incessant, that in the 
 middle of the night, he would, after thinking 
 deeply upon a particular subject, leap from his 
 bed and write for two hours or more ; and for 
 many years, he made a constant practice of 
 lighting the fire, and putting on the kettle for 
 breakfast before his Kate awoke. 
 
 During his last illness, which was occasioned 
 
486 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORARIES. 
 
 by the gall mixing with his blood, he was fre- 
 quently bolstered-up in his bed to complete his 
 drawings, for his intended illustration of Dante; 
 an author so great a favourite with him, that 
 though he agreed with Fuseli and Flaxman, in 
 thinking Carey's translation superior to all others, 
 yet, at the age of sixty-three years, he learned 
 the Italian language purposely to enjoy Dante 
 in the highest possible way. For this intended 
 work, he produced seven engraved plates of an 
 imperial quarto size, and nearly one hundred 
 finished drawings of a size considerably larger ; 
 which will do equal justice to his wonderful 
 mind, and the liberal heart of their possessor, 
 who engaged him upon so delightful a task at 
 a time when few persons would venture to give 
 him employment, and whose kindness softened, 
 for the remainder of his life, his lingering bo- 
 dily sufferings, which he was seen to support 
 with the most Christian fortitude. 
 
 On the day of his death, August ISth,* 1827, 
 he composed and uttered songs to his Maker so 
 sweetly to the ear of his Catherine, that when 
 she stood ta hear him, he, looking upon her 
 most affectionately, said, " My beloved, they 
 are not mine — no — they are not mine." He 
 
 * Not the 13th^ as has been stated by several Editors who 
 have noticed his death. 
 
BLAKE. 
 
 487 
 
 expired at six in the evening, with the most 
 cheerful serenity. Some short time before his 
 death, Mrs. Blake asked him where he should 
 like to be buried, and whether he would have 
 the Dissenting Minister, or the Clergyman of 
 the Church of England, to read the service : his 
 answers were, that as far as his own feelings 
 were concerned, they might bury him where 
 she pleased, adding, that as his father, mother, 
 aunt, and brother, were buried in Bunhill-row, 
 perhaps it would be better to lie there, but as 
 to service, he should wish for that of the 
 Church of England. 
 
 His hearse was foUowed by two mourning- 
 coaches, attended by private friends : Calvert, 
 Richmond, Tatham, and his brother, promising 
 young artists, to whom he had given instruc- 
 tions in the Arts, were of the number. Tatham, 
 ill as he was, travelled ninety miles to attend 
 the funeral of one for whom, next to his own 
 family, he held the highest esteem. Blake 
 died in his sixty-ninth year, in the back-room 
 of the first-floor of No. 3, Fountain-court, 
 Strand, and was buried in Bunhill-fields, on the 
 17th of August, at the distance of about twen- 
 ty-five feet from the north wall, numbered 
 eighty. 
 
 Limited as Blake was in his pecuniary cir- 
 
488 NOLLEKENS'S CONTEMPORAIIIES. 
 
 cumstances, his beloved Kate survives him clear 
 of even a sixpenny debt ; and in the fullest be- 
 lief that the remainder of her days will be ren- 
 dered tolerable by the sale of the few copies of 
 her husband's works, which she will dispose of 
 at the original price of publication ; in order to 
 enable the collector to add to the weight of his 
 book-shelves, without being solicited to pur- 
 chase, out of compassion, those specimens of her 
 husband's talents which they ought to possess. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, 
 Dorset Street, Fleet Street. 
 
GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 
 
 3 3125 00714 8105