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now exhibited™ V ^ r fncat gill top edges, OT- 
 1 V ol, 4to, v "^f n p Sf TE W priced and 
 CUT EXTREMELY BABE, li" ^ 1816 
 
 Sitter satire upon * e t ^° t unrivalled master- 
 
 sss^^ati parts « i 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/catalogueraisoneOOrein 
 
CATALOGUE RAISONEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Pictures now Exhibiting 
 
 IN 
 
 PALL MALL. 
 
 Est genus hominum, qui esse primos se omnium rerum volunt. 
 Nec sunt. Hos consector; liisce ego non paro me ut rideant, 
 Sed eis ultro adrideo, et eorom ingenia adrairor siinul. 
 Quidquid dicunt, laudo: id rursum si negant, laudo id quoque. 
 Negat qnis? nego: ait? aio. Postremo, imperaTi egomet ruihi 
 Omnia assentari. Is quaestus nunc est multo uberriraus. 
 
 P. Terentii Eunuchus, Actus II. Sccna 2. 
 
 There is a sort of people in the world who set up for wits of the first rate, and yet have no more 
 brains than maggots: now these are (he men for my turn. If they say any thing, I cry it 
 up ; if thoy unsay it, I commend them for that too ; what they deny, I deny ; what they affirm, 
 I affirm. In fine, I have brought myself to be of their mind in every thing; and by this means I 
 get many a sweet bit, and many a sweet penny. Terence Eunuch. Act II. Sc. 2. 
 
 1816. 
 
THE PREFACE. 
 
 — «lltl»»-«IHU 
 
 IN our Catalogue oflast year, we pledged ourselves to be ready by tire first week 
 of the present Exhibition. Had not the most imperious necessity obliged us to 
 leave town at the commencement of the arrangement of the works now brought 
 before the Public, our promise would most probably have been literally fulfilled ; 
 but we now very sensibly perceive the folly of binding ourselves down to any 
 particular time. Our friend the Incendiary, however, who is apparently the most 
 implacably active rascal that breathes, wrote to us last Monday *, to say that he 
 should call for us on Saturday in his way to London. Saturday has arrived, and 
 here then we are again. What gentlemen ! No Preface to your Catalogue. What! 
 not a single word in banter of the Antients ! What, gentlemen ! not a single sneer 
 
 in favour of the Moderns! not a solitary frit at the Would-be's !!! —well, well, 
 
 you doubtless know best, and have some deep scheme, we dare say, in this 
 silence j our fear however is, lest the Public, resting merely on the surface, 
 should construe this unlooked-for omission, to your disadvantage. In one point 
 
 • As this letter bears the *' Ely" Post mark, we are able to form a pretty tolerable guess why we have not 
 been pestered with his company sooner. We rejoice to say that we believe he has not the slightest notion of 
 our suspicions on this point, and we therefore entertain the most sanguine hopes of very speedily bringing the- 
 villain to the gallows. 
 
iv THE PREFACE. 
 
 of view, said the Incendiary, it is much to be lamented the Directors have not 
 indulged us with a little of their usual prosing. And what view is that? The 
 present state of the question, cried he, as to the relative qualifications of the Ar- 
 tists, and the Connoisseurs to judge of the merits of art. Methinks, if your friends 
 the Directors had really that anxiety for the promotion of the Moderns you 
 would have us believe, they might, with advantage to the cause, have made some 
 slight allusion to the examinations which have lately taken place before the 
 Committee of the House of Commons, on the subject of the Elgin Marbles; 
 some cursory notice might have been taken of the superior consideration — The 
 higher character of remark on those admirable Works exhibited by the professional 
 men, and the silly, paltry, contemptible, mean views and estimations, so shame- 
 lessly delivered by Mr. P K_L_llT. In that very profound effusion, continued 
 he, prefixed to the Catalogue of Sir Joshua Reynolds's Works in 1313, the writer 
 instructs the Public that even the bad and faded pictures may be turned to good 
 account, by teaching the Collector what to avoid, and the Painter not to despair. 
 How! How! Mr. Defender! could your under Preface writer so sharply and 
 cunningly detect the advantage of selecting and pointing out bad and faded pic- 
 tures, and not discover the much more beneficial effects which would result from 
 holding up to derision bad Critics, and faded Connoisseurs. That very same notion, 
 said we, and an apprehension that our good friends may be supposed to have 
 taken alarm, are precisely our own reason for wishing they had on this occasion 
 said a something or other. Let us not be too hasty however, in our conclusions, 
 or quarrel with them without a little further insight into the matter; for the few 
 words they have prefixed, by way of Advertisement, convey a great deal more 
 than at first sight is generally supposed; we have some shrewd suspicion, upon a 
 
 moi-c minute investigation, we shall find this apparent " blow up" of Mr. P 
 
 K , is only one of the premeditated incidents in the great farce of these noble 
 
 Directors, and that nothing but an effective time, place, and opportunity, is a- 
 waited by the remaining leaders to follow the laudable example of their generous 
 and patriotic brother, to the confusion of the minor dunces whom they are so 
 artfully leading on to the scoffing place, 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 THOSE critics who are lovers of uniformity may deem our present Work compa- 
 ratively defective, if, like the last, it has not a Dedication in its front ; but as we 
 shall not indulge ourselves in any composition of this kind, after the brutal perver- 
 sion of our former elaborate performance, we shall, in its place, insert a few 
 observations on the statement sent about, (we have every reason to believe by the 
 Incendiary himself) , descriptive of the meeting held by the Directors in consequence 
 of the publication of our former Catalogue. We trust, as all the copies we saw 
 were manuscript, that the circulation of this tissue of his was not very extensive ; 
 yet lest it should have poisoned the minds of any of our noble friends, we beg to 
 say thus much in flat contradiction. First, that although a meeting such as is 
 stated to have taken place, did actually take place, and that the members at the 
 said meeting did stare at one another, and whisper to one another, and cry to one 
 
 another " What shall we do ?" And although we admit farther, that Mr. P 
 
 K , in a very pathetic and feeling address complained of the use to which his 
 
 * l Pig's tail" had been applied, and the violent twist ivhich had been given to it; still 
 the speech put into the mouth of this learned analyst in this paper, is by no means 
 correct to the letter: nor is it true that ivhen at the conclusion he begged to know 
 the general sense of the meeting relative to what he should do about this harassing 
 point of his rata " Pig's tail," that Sir B recommended him to 
 
vi ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 "salt It;" that the Parson said, u smoke it;" that Sir A. II cried, " let me wear 
 it;" that Lord A. exclaimed, i( dress it and eat it" or that Mr. T. H. wished it 
 should be " bronzed:" not one of these assertions are a bit more true, we undertake 
 to affirm, than is the following statement, that at the last suggestion, the noble 
 Director, recovering his depression, folded his treasure in his bosom, marched home, 
 laid it tvith the utmost tenderness in the pickle- tub, with the rest of his copper gods, 
 and that it noiv takes precedence of most of them, and would reasonably j)ass even 
 for one of the best of them, if it were not for a little turn which it has contracted 
 at the end, and which gives it rather a disabled appearance. 
 
 At this instant the Incendiary broke in upon us. " Come, come, (said he), do 
 not sit scribbling here: from the glance I have had I am impatient to get you to 
 the Institution; all your favourable feelings towards your friends ivill rush upon 
 you with double force, tvhen under the inspiring influence of that roof. As a 
 matter of policy, then, leave your defence till you get there." 
 
A CATALOGUE 
 
 For 1816. 
 
 INCENDIARY " Well, here we are! Why must I leave my umbrella, Sir?" 
 
 " The raw green, Sir, the Directors think " " Oh! very well, if the 
 
 Directors begin to think, there's nothing to be said. — This is a very short 
 
 Catalogue for a shilling, Sir!" " Why, Sir, the Directors think " "Oh! 
 
 if the Directors begin to think, there's nothing to be said. But Mr. What's 
 
 your name, Mr. Catalogue-vender, do not imagine I'm at all out of humour about 
 it; for to me — 
 
 The shorter the sweeter; 
 I swear by St. Peter. 
 
 Now then Ave mount. Malkin, my sweet spirit, and I." " Why, Mr. Defender, 
 
 you seem to chuckle!" "Truly, (said we), if the examination of this assem- 
 blage does but answer, in detail, our first impression, we shall have great reason 
 to applaud the choice of our friends; but you seem to fix your eyes on the 
 Cartoons as if you never intended to withdraw them." " Aye, (replied he), 
 Poor Raphael ! what would you have said if you had been told, that in the year 
 1816, an association of men totally incapable of appreciating thy merits were 
 destined to disturb thy remains, to expose them at this Bazaar for the irreverend 
 purpose of collecting shillings, and raking together, by lamp-light, an assemblage 
 of fashionable rubbish, who respect these thy efforts no more than they would the 
 scenes at a theatre." Now pray observe the present throng. Who is there fixe? 
 
8 
 
 an eye of admiration on these sacred relics? Oh ! I do see one.— Aye, He is an 
 Artist !_^Look at that mob of gazers to the right! — .What is the object of their 
 attention ? They look, and buz, and settle about the thing like so many flies. What 
 
 is it they nose so?" Oh, said we, catching a glance oh ! most exquisite fools ! 
 
 that is Sir Thomas Baring's Carlo Dolce. But stay, do not let us forestal ourselves. 
 Let us set to work regularly. 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 T7ie Miraculous draught of Fishes Cartoon. Raphael — 
 
 His Majesty. 
 
 SOME veiy invidious people have assiduously endeavoured to set afloat a notion 
 that our Catalogue of last year was in reality a satire on the Institution, under the 
 mask of a defence; we hereby beg leave to remark that all such persons, we have 
 good reason to believe, are secretly connected with the Incendiary. One noble- 
 man indeed, taking the question for granted, went so far as to tell us to our faces 
 (though he had no suspicion to whose faces he was telling it) that we had missed 
 the very object of our labour, by not specifying the merits, as well as the defects, 
 of the Pictures. Now, merely for the sake of argument, let us grant the asser- 
 tion That it was our intention to ridicule the institution ; and by pointing out the 
 
 faults of the Pictures, to deter their owners from publicly exposing their want of 
 judgment, and folly, in priding themselves on the possession of such trash, as ma- 
 ny of the most admired Works are; granting this point, we say, let us ask this 
 
 noble Lord Whether we have not succeeded in exciting some proper and modest 
 
 doubts in his own breast? Where are the contributions of the Earl of Ashburn- 
 ham this year ! 
 
 As the above silly kind of accusation, however, may continue to be blurted 
 out, we beg leave to announce that a new edition of our last year's Work is pre- 
 paring for the press, and will make its appearance with plates, now engraving in 
 outline at Paris, as soon as such plates can be finished. Our cousin Peter, who 
 taking up the above-mentioned ridiculous view of the subject, has formally set to 
 work to shew in an appendix (and he really carries on the irony with a very grave 
 
 face), that the whole is actually what these wise-acres assert a satire; by this 
 
 assumption he is able to apportion to each picture what merit it may possess, and 
 as he understands the subject very well, considering he is only our second cousin, 
 
9 
 
 we trust, therefore, that our labours, with this addition, will become more useful 
 than ever, in the hand of the student, and those gentlemen who have such reason 
 to lament the non-existence of that much to be regretted establishment at Chelsea, 
 where tradition tells us they formerly cured every body afflicted with the simples, 
 by the aid of a surgical operation. This being the case, we shall pass the Cartoons 
 unnoticed, and proceed to No. 2. t( Before you do so, pray tell me why the 
 Directors, (said the Incendiary), pitched on this in preference to the Charge to 
 
 Peter The Death of Annanias — The Paul and Barnabas at Lystra?" " We 
 
 know by whose direction this was done, (said we), but it is not worth while to 
 enter into the discussion. Let us leave that to Peter." 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 £Y. Peter, from the Barberini Palace. Guido. — The Rev. W. H. Carr. 
 
 TO what extent Guido was attached to the opinions of Plato, we have not the 
 means now of ascertaining; it is sufficiently plain, however, that at the period he 
 painted this picture, he must have thought a cock without feathers a very tolerable 
 definition of man. In as far, indeed, as regarded colour and surface, the simili- 
 tude is quite perfect. 
 
 No. 2 * 
 
 The Triumph of Galatea, a Fresco. — A. Carracci. T. Jf r . Coke, Esq. 
 
 IF we thought it would be doing no injury to the cause in which the Directors are 
 so earnestly engaged, viz. the encouragement of modern art, we would willingly 
 dilate a little on the high character of this production : we would enter very 
 minutely into its poetic conception, and the great and high gusts of its drawing 
 and execution. As it is, we think it much more advisable to dismiss all our 
 feelings as lovers of art, and look at it as moralists only : then it is that we cannot 
 but admire the high refinement to which our connoisseurs have arrived; the inno- 
 cent admiration they exhibit of nudities, from which the more gross and depraved 
 populace are seen to turn away with shame and disgust. For ourselves, notwith- 
 standing our constant struggle to conquer them, we are not without some remains 
 
 D 
 
10 
 
 of these low feelings. It happened that our first visit to the gallery was in the 
 society of several sisters, who are remarkable for this silly kind of delicacy: our 
 eye caught the top of the picture before we saw the bottom, when, on making the 
 point, what would we not have given for half an inch of rag. It has been kindly 
 suggested to us, as the Prince is so graciously disposed towards the Institution, 
 and is greatly desirous of adding to the respectability of his court, that on the 
 least hint, the Directors could get Polyphemus installed a knight of the Garter, 
 in^hich case he might in future wear the insignia below his knee; and the 
 bashful would then be told that the whole of their shame arose out of the 
 deductions of their own minds. 
 
 No. 3. 
 
 The Hu\y Family — A. del Sarto. Rev. W. H. Cart. 
 
 THE head of the infant Christ in this picture is particularly humorous; it is not 
 handsome certainly, but then it is full of that drunken expression of jollity and 
 fun, so just and appropriate to our established notions, if not of a divine child, 
 certainly of a young divine. We are in great distress, however, for poor little St. 
 John. Mr. Carr can perhaps inform us whether his short arm was the effect of 
 any accident, or of defective conception. A friend of very deep geneologic erudi- 
 tion, who is now engaged in tracing the family of Dr. Durlacher, our celebrated 
 little bandy-legged corn-cutter, if Mr. Carr is not in possession of sufficient data 
 already, may probably be of considerable assistance to him in ascertaining this 
 point. 
 
 No. 4. 
 
 Landscape, with Moses and the Burning Bush. Dominichino. 
 
 Viscount Anson. 
 
 WHEN we recollect the singular nature of the subject, nothing but the grossest 
 ignorance of scripture history could induce any one to $ conceive this picture to 
 represent a bird-catcher about to take a phoenix nest. 
 
11 
 
 No. 5. 
 
 St. Catharine, from the AMohrandini Palace Raphael Lord Nortluukh. 
 
 LET those who complain of the want of finishing in modern works, obsei-ve the 
 scarcely covered, and feebly executed marks of the chalk outline visible all over 
 the flesh of this picture. " It is by neglecting to notice the merits of such pictures 
 as this, (cried the Incendiary), that you call down the charge of partiality." 
 Well then, said we, take our acknowledgment for a sense of its deserving the 
 name of Raphael in every thing which regards the highest qualities af art, expres- 
 sion, and grace. If any one assumes that it has a claim to attention on any other 
 score, he may depend on it, something is the matter cither with his eye, or his 
 head. 
 
 No. 6. 
 
 Port rait of the Doge Cignani, 8$c — G. Bassano. — Earl of Mulgrave. 
 
 MY Lord Mulgrave, who is a great wag, has sent this picture to the Institution 
 under the feigned name of the Doge Cignani, &c. with a view to hoax those enviable 
 persons whose sagacity enables them to look grave upon the appearance of every 
 joke ; who always study wit as they do a mathematical problem, and never venture 
 to smile till the demonstration is complete. These people we are happy to say, 
 have all borne testimony to the successful effort of my Lord M. on the present 
 occasion ; not one having for a moment entertained the least suspicion, that the 
 picture is in reality a ludicrous representation of the ceremony of the 5th of No- 
 vember. The Doge personifying nothing more nor less than the celebrated Guy 
 Faux. " I thought this nobleman had himself been one of the would-be's," cried 
 the Incendiary; Why, to tell you the truth, said we, he is certainly an arrant 
 impostor in matters of taste, but we think it well to keep on good terms with him 
 at present. His friendship we foresee may be of considerable assistance to us in 
 our views upon the others. " I am told he is one of those profound critics, who, 
 having nothing to express, shelters his inanity under what the Italians call Mez- 
 
12 
 
 no termini, accompanied by shrugs and sawings of the hand." You have heard 
 rightly, said we, and if you will promise not to blab, we will shew you a letter of 
 instruction in this species of connoisseurship which has accidentally fallen into 
 our possession, and which was drawn up for one of his particular friends 
 
 My Dear A. 
 
 oratory, so I think action the first and principal object of study, which should 
 engage the attention of the modern connoisseur. Some, indeed, set to work in a 
 different way, and endeavour to stock their minds with useful observations by an 
 intercourse with professional men ; but independent of the excessive labour and 
 fatigue this mode presents, the interchange of ideas with such low people is ex- 
 ceedingly annoying, as you are obliged constantly to have your wits at work to keep 
 up with them, particularly if you feel the least necessity to reply in whole words. 
 Now this I never do, and I find my purpose answered quite as well as if I did; 
 but then I supply the void with action, as thus suppose the line A B to repre- 
 sent the surface of a picture, I first place myself at arm's length from it, and 
 extending my right hand with the palm downwards to the point A, I describe the 
 following figure — 
 
 " As Demosthenes deemed action the all in all of antient 
 
IS 
 
 ending at B, that is, carrying the action completely from one side of the picture 
 right across to the other. For a full-grown gentleman of six feet one inch, the 
 above diagram is on a scale of 3-tenths of an inch to a foot, so that any one, by 
 the simple doctrine of progressive ratios will be enabled to find the exact extent 
 of action which attaches to his particular height at any given distance from the 
 picture. When the arms are long or short for the size of the man, ascertain the 
 exact quantity of the excess or the deficiency, then find the square root and let it 
 be divided by A -f- 5, and added to the whole height. Our friend the honourable 
 
 C. L is of opinion that the cube root ought to be found and multiplied by the 
 
 square of the distances between the length of the subject's nose, and the little 
 finger of his left band; but this is evidently founded on the mistaken hypothesis, 
 that all noses bear a rational proportion to the whole man, which you know is quite 
 contrary to truth and experience. With respect to the precise mathematical figure 
 which the action describes, as it is 'extremely complex and wholly composed of 
 transcendental curves in an infinite and insensible progression, and as it would 
 require a very intimate acquaintance with the higher branches of geometry and 
 algebra fully to understand, I shall dismiss the subject by observing that if pains 
 be taken, regularly to practise for a few weeks on a set of conic sections drawn on 
 a tolerable large scale, observing to pass strictly from one curve to another, ac- 
 cording to the proportion the ordinates and abscissae of the conjunctive curves bear 
 arithmetically to each other, a tolerably correct action will doubtless be generated, 
 if, like yourself, the person so practising be of a quick and apt genius. In every 
 thing concerning the fine arts, much must of course depend on the natural talents 
 of the practitioner. With regard to the time of action, Connoisseurs vary in opi- 
 nion. There arc those who maintain that it would not occupy more than five se- 
 conds and 2-eighths, or less than two seconds and 4-ninths ; but others contend that 
 it may be practised with equal success in a variety of times : on the whole, however, 
 I think it had least effect when I exercised it on a certain picture exhibited in 
 June 1814, and where I detected a modern artist at my elbow, whistling in his 
 sleeve. 
 
 It will not be in my power to be with you on Tuesday as I proposed, but if you 
 will have a set of conic sections ready on Wednesday, 1 will be with you about 
 eleven and give you a lesson. 
 
14 
 
 No. 7- 
 
 Holy Family with St. Francis by S. del Piombo. 
 Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 WHEN we look round the gallery at the various families announced to be of holy 
 origin, and observe the impressive disregard which every individual evinces for 
 those with whom he is inframed, Ave cannot but be forcibly reminded of those two 
 celebrated worthies who so many years kept silence with each other in the Eddys- 
 tone light-house. Whether it be the perfection of such divine assemblages to be 
 free from all appearance of friendly intercourse and sensible occupation Ave know 
 not; but by the invariable practice of the antients, Ave are obliged to believe so. 
 We shall have opportunities of enforcing this observation as Ave proceed ; to the 
 present picture our remarks do not perhaps so strongly apply, for the St. Francis 
 is doubtless endeavouring to obtain the notice of the infant Christ, Avho, perhaps 
 Avhen he has time, and is satisfied with looking at the Directors' friends, may deign 
 to turn his head that Avay. We will not, hoAvever, positively swear to this result, 
 since the muscles of Avhich he is composed are of too rigid a nature, we think, to 
 admit of the least degree of motion ; the fingers of the Saint were certainly put on 
 prematurely, and before the palm of his hand had attained its proper size. 
 
 No. 8. 
 
 Landscape. G. Poussin. G. Watson Taylor, Esq. 
 
 THIS Taylor is a young collector and must mind Avhat he is about. The picture 
 before us is rather too little injured by cleaning, and by no means black enough 
 to merit great admiraticn. 
 
15 
 
 No. 9. 
 
 The Iteposo A. Carracci — Marquis of Stafford. 
 
 THIS Reposo, which we presume the Marquis meant to be called Riposo, deserves 
 particular attention from the spectator; instead of meriting the accusation con- 
 tained in our last critique, it calls forth a portion of our best admiration for the 
 painter's general capacity a? a man, and his particular powers as an artist. Here 
 the first point that strikes us, is that which would have struck us if we had been 
 
 in Egypt, and had seen the parties themselves namely the virgin stretching her 
 
 legs, here is the first proof of the painter's mind ; pray spectator look at the length 
 to which the painter has enabled her to stretch them, and marvel at his abilities 
 as an artist. Next observe Joseph, see how naturally he is made to act the part of 
 Sir Clement Cotterell to the jack-ass, :and introduce him to a puddle. Further 
 notice in the action of this animal, how admirably the mind of the spectator is 
 directed, at one and the same moment, to natural history and the classics. No- 
 thing shews the skill of the painter more than his ability to excite, by association, 
 pleasing recollections; Joseph, it will be seen, wishes the ass to drink, but the ass 
 every body knows, is an obstinate animal, Carracci has therefore very judiciously 
 made him exhibit a determination not to comply. Now who can witness this 
 trait of nature and not instantly recollect that beautiful effusion 
 
 A man may drive 
 
 An ass alive 
 Unto a living well, 
 
 But for to diink 
 
 As some may think, 
 No man can him compel. 
 
16 
 
 No. 10. 
 
 The marriage at Cana. ~-Muri!lo.— G. Hibbert, Esq. 
 
 TO those who entertain an idea that painting is* " a frivolous, and at best a mere 
 elegant amusement," we recommend the consideration of this work, from which 
 if they are able to appreciate merit duly, they will receive full as much instruction 
 as delight. No one, we will venture to assert, ever knew before, that it was a 
 Mahometan marriage to which our Saviour was invited at Gana. 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 Bacchus and Ariadne Titian. — Thomas Hamlet, Esq. 
 
 WE feel perfectly satisfied that the moderns will derive benefit in every way from 
 the introduction of this picture to the world ; its exquisite beauties are far removed 
 from public conception; while its nonsense and its defects are too gross not to be 
 immediately obvious. " I will tell you what, (said the Incendiary), you will 
 excite a conviction by the delivery of such criticism, that you are a most barbarous 
 Goth." Those who are interested will no doubt endeavour to make it appear so, 
 said we, but we are willing to let our conduct be judged by our intention; and as 
 ljng as we evince that we are accompanied in the performance of our task, by 
 knowledge and integrity, we have no doubt of the result being honourable to our 
 exertions. 
 
 • Vide. Mr. P K t's letter. 
 
17 
 
 No. 12. 
 
 The Angel ajypearing to Hagar in tlie Desart — F. Mola — -. 
 $ir A. Hume, Bart. 
 
 WE know a fac simile of this Hagar in the Desart and every one who is acquainted- 
 with it too, we can assure Sir A. Hume, knows which is which. 
 
 No. 13. 
 
 The Presentation in the Temple G. Bassano.— 
 
 The Marquis of Stafford. 
 
 THE Directors have very properly given notice in the advertisement prefixed to 
 their Catalogue, that they are not answerable this year, collectively, but only indi- 
 vidually, for the ignorance or falsehood which it may display. This step was 
 extremely necessary, as we shall have frequent occasion to shew, both in as much 
 as regards the misconception of the subject, as well as attributing the execution of 
 the pictures to painters who never saw them. Here, for instance, is what the owner 
 is pleased to call the H Presentation in the Temple," when it is evident by the 
 broken egg, that it was intended to exhibit the birth of Castor and Pollux. 
 
 No. 14. 
 
 Portrait of Lorenzo de Medicis. S. del Piombo. 
 
 Earl of Aberdeen. 
 
 IF Lorenzo de Medicis was like this, it is matter of great wonder to us, how S. del 
 Piombo was ever able to see him sufficiently well to be able to paint him. We 
 really think (had he lived in these days) he would have been classed immediately 
 after the Invisible Girl. " There is great grandeur of air (said the Incendiary) in 
 the look and action." " So we heard remarked more than once, (said we), but it 
 
 T 
 
18 
 
 lias generally been by persons who, from our own knowledge we have good rea- 
 son to suppose, never saw a full grown bug-a-boo." 
 
 " The nobleman who owns this picture, (said the Incendiary), was treated rather 
 severely by you last year." Not a bit more harshly than he deserved, (said we), 
 and if he flatters himself that his totally spoiled picture by Vandyke has derived 
 any consequence from being detained by the managing Directors for the use of 
 the students, he little knows the true estimation in which he ought to hold their 
 compliments. 
 
 No. 15. 
 
 Landscape, with the flight into Egypt. — A. Carracci. 
 
 Earl of Suffolk. 
 
 OH! most worthy and most renowned — most noble and most well-informed 
 Directors ! how low, how veiy low, do we bow to you for the selection of such a 
 thing as this ! 
 
 WE wish to know of the Earl of Suffolk, if he does not agree with us, that the 
 cherub and palm which divide the picture so gracefully in two, are not precisely 
 after the manner of the sign-painter's old receipt for a King Charles in the Oak. 
 Entertaining a just contempt for this silly piece of puerility, we cannot but imagine 
 it's owner may very possibly be of the class upon whom it is by no means difficult 
 for himself or others to impose; this being the case we would advise him to look 
 in his dictionary; he will there find besides the w r ord " palm" a substantive, the 
 word "palm" a verb; let him conjugate the latter through all its tenses and 
 derive that knowledge which the possession of such a picture shews he lacks most 
 egregiously. 
 
 No. 16. 
 
 Landscape, tvith Tohit and the Angel. Dominichino. — 
 
 Viscount Anson. 
 
 THIS is a companion to the Burning Bush, and for what it is worth, we hope it 
 will catch fire itself, as soon as the other deservedly begins to burn. 
 
19 
 
 No. 17- 
 
 Portrait of Cardinal Bibbiew Raphael 
 
 R. P. Knight, Esq. 
 
 THIS is a very pretty thing! pray what is to be done to the owner of this pretty 
 thing? " When it is known to all the world, (replied we), how exceedingly anxious 
 Mr. P. Knight is at this particular moment to impress upon the mind of the public 
 the "frivolity" of every pursuit relative to the fine arts, can you feel any wonder* 
 at seeing such a contribution from him to the exhibition of the British Gallery? 
 and is it actually his wish to establish such an hypothesis ? How can any one doubt 
 it?" The Incendiary looked at us very inquisitively and at last exclaimed — " There 
 is something in this I do not understand, I cannot help fancying I see a smile 
 lurking under that grave face. " Gome, now, answer me truly, are there not pecu- 
 liar circumstances — selfish motives, at the present instant, to induce Mr. Knight 
 apparently to undervalue every branch of this kind of knowledge — Has he not made 
 one mistake in his estimate? Is it not in his own views of the fine arts that he has 
 discovered this " frivolity" to exist, and not in the more generous and enlarged 
 pursuit of the fine arts themselves ? " It plainly requires, we returned with warmth, 
 a great deal more brains than you possess, to understand Mr. Knight's game — 
 Shall we never be able to beat into you the governing principle of the Directors, 
 that, to induce a proper attention to modern art, the first and leading object must 
 be the overthrow of presumption and connoisseurship ? Take this recollection with 
 
 you And what is there in any of the acts of this person or his colleagues, which 
 
 will not be perfectly intelligible; aye and not only intelligible, but meriting our 
 highest esteem and admiration for the extraordinary, generous, and noble self- 
 sacrifice, which they invariably exhibit? But more to the point by and by. Let 
 us now look at the picture — 
 
 The creature this piece of portrait planning represents, is a certain well known 
 cardinal of the name of Bibbicna who performed very successfully the office of 
 Jackal to Leo the tenth in his elevation to the popedom. Leo, sensible of the obli- 
 gation, very gratefully in return for the service had his friend poisoned, lest he 
 should succeed to the chair in the event of his death. 
 
 . It would have answered more fully the wishes of the spectator if there had likc- 
 
 / 
 
20 
 
 wise been a side section, and still better if, like a red herring, the painter had split 
 his subject so as to shew its internal, as well as external construction. The out- 
 houses self cultivated walking sticks ^library, the naked gentleman we take 
 
 for a St. Jerome, and freehold premises against which this animal sticks as close as 
 wax, very indecently (according to our sense of propriety) take upon themselves 
 to act the part of principals, and throw this singular and wretched object into that 
 obscurity which the insignificance of its nature ill befits it to bear. 
 
 No. 18. 
 
 The Virgin and Child. — Julio Romano — Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 TO those who object to the colour of the Virgin's face in this attractive work, (and 
 we are told there are many such), we beg to observe that it probably represents 
 the lady on her way to Egypt after a long day's journey; some have taken a dif- 
 ferent view of the painter's object, and insist that it was his intention to represent 
 the heat and fatigue arising from nursing so full grown a baby. We will not be 
 too tenacious of our own opinion. It may be as they say. 
 
 No. 19. 
 
 The Triumph of David. — .iV. Poussin.—Dulwich College. 
 
 THIS being in the class of pictures the Directors of the Institution are so desirous 
 the artists should emulate, it is very properly placed in a comer. 
 
 No. 20. 
 
 Christ in the Garden Albano. Jofoi Knight, Esq. 
 
 A MOMENT'S attention will render it obvious to every spectator, that in this 
 performance our Saviour has gone into the Garden without his breeches. Albano, 
 who well knew how to take advantage of any little accidental point to give force 
 
21 
 
 and interest to his composition, has seized with avidity on this incident; the com- 
 plete consciousness ofbeing found under such embarrassing circumstances, could 
 not be more forcibly depicted than in the action of this Christ; and the unity of 
 sentiment which pervades the whole picture (taking this as the leading idea) is 
 wonderful. Let no one imagine by such remarks, that it is our intention to turn 
 sacred things themselves into ridicule. There is agreat difference between laughing 
 at religion, and laughing at those who profane it by imbeeillity and folly. 
 
 No. 21. 
 
 The Flower Girl. Murillo. Dulwich College. 
 
 u HOW far is the public taste likely to be directed to the great and leading object 
 of history by the production of such works as this?" cried the Incendiary. 
 
 No. 22. 
 
 The Shepherds' offering. P. Veronese. Earl of Aberdeen. 
 
 " AND pray, (continued he), if we exclude colour, is there any thing but the most 
 absurd nonsense in this Pasticcio." 
 
 No. 23. 
 
 Landscape, with Diana and Nymphs. — Dominichino G. Bi/ng, Esq. 
 
 " WELL, well, (cried we), what do you think of this wonderful effort of Domini- 
 chino!" " 1 will tell you (cried he), this geographical landscape, patched over 
 with nymphs and totally devoid of all skill, feeling, or taste, I would have placed 
 in the same frame with No. 15, taking especial care that the faces of the two pic- 
 tures should be turned towards each other." " That is precisely what it merits, 
 (said we), but let us at any rate, thank the proprietor for sending it here, such 
 absurdities cannot fail to open the eyes of the public to a right sense of art." 
 
22 
 
 No. 24. 
 
 Portrait of Marin Raffalino Pq.rmigia.no 
 
 B. P. Knight, Esq. 
 
 AND really, now, has Mr. Knight the temerity to bring- forward this miserable 
 daub of Parmigiano as an example in art! — " Do you imagine, (exclaimed we), 
 that he has any real esteem for this Belle Sauvage." " I fear that he has, (said 
 the Incendiary) ; and fearing so, we cannot but write him down incorrigible;" we 
 really should have thought the gentleman had sufficiently exposed his arrogance and 
 ignorance of late, and that the correction he had received would have put a check 
 to that desire of appearing in his cap and bells any longer, but as the late Lord 
 Chatham observed, ' there are some who grow old in folly in spite of experience,' 
 and of this description we fear Mr. Knight is a very stubborn example. 
 
 " Now you speak of Mr. Knight's cap and bells, (said the Incendiary), do you 
 mean at all to enter on the question of his late defence?" — His defence! you 
 mean, said we, his defence of Mr. Bonelli — " Aye, Aye, (cried he), you knew well 
 enough what I meant, do you intend to favour us with any thing on that topic? 
 
 I have been anxiously waiting from the moment 1 joined you at ,but I do 
 
 not perceive that you are in the least desirous to begin." To tell you the truth, 
 replied we, the time which such a discussion must necessarily occupy, fdls us with 
 dread; besides we are apprehensive, if we expose too openly the self sacrifice of 
 the Directors, we shall have the would-be connoisseurs take alarm and fly off before 
 we are able to give them their final fall. " As there is not much fear, (cried he) 
 of their possessing foresight sufficient to induce them to do this, and you evidently 
 have resolved to keep your lips closed on this point, I shall just relate to you a 
 conversation 1 had with one of Mr. Knight's friends. I am aware like yourself 
 that it may divert our attention a little from the main object; but we need not go 
 through the whole relation at one time, we can drop it when we are tired and 
 resume it again when any lack of matter occurs among the objects of our criticism;" 
 Perceiving this proposal was only made by way of exordium, and that it would 
 answer no purpose to object, we were obliged to submit. " It happened lucky 
 enough, (resumed he) that when I went to secure my place in the mail to come to 
 you, who should I meet but Sir T. B. just arrived from town ! Now as things 
 
25 
 
 were all in a good train here, 1 thought this a most favourable opportunity to as- 
 certain the impression made by Mr. Knight's reply. That I might not appear 
 
 over impatient however, I said, pray when did you see lady B ? and how is 
 
 the old dowager? Has Sir William completed his repairs? — Did you come by 
 
 the way of or ? How did lady P 's ball go off? — and pray do you 
 
 know if Mrs. Popgun's pug has pupped yet? Then putting on a sudden air of 
 
 recollection I said, by the bye now I happen to think of it, tell me Mr. Knight 
 
 has published a defence in answer to the Quarterly Review ?" — " He has published 
 
 a defence of Mr. Bonelli" (said he.) O! of Mr. Bonelli; well and how is it? 
 
 " I suppose, said I, he gives them a pretty dressing." — " I think I never read such 
 an answer (said he) in the whole history of controversy." — " I wish you would be- 
 so kind as give me some notion of what it is like." — "Nothing will give me 
 greater pleasure, and that you may have as complete an idea as I can give you, I 
 will endeavour, as strictly as possible, to follow the arrangement of the letter 
 itself." 
 
 " In the first place you know, (continued he) the Reviewer accused Mr. Knight 
 of having substituted §= for y.sv y»p, making part of a sentence appear a complete 
 sentence in itself, for the purpose of concealing that, in Plutarch, this extract was 
 but one member of a longer sentence, all the members of which bore a relation 
 
 to each other." " I understand you, (said I) and it was really the fact, was it 
 
 not?" "yes, (said he) and he acknowledges it." — "Acknowledges it!" (said 
 
 I) " Aye, but then he does not do it without calling the Reviewers, Hoogoveens; 
 
 and not only Hoogoveens, but Heaven-bom Hoogoveens; and accuses them of 
 not knowing that a Greek initial and a consecutive connective, are like two first 
 cousins, reciprocally cousins to each other, and if considered as cousins abstract- 
 edly, one quite as good in point of cousinship as the other. After which he insists 
 that however he may have altered Plutarch's words, he has not altered his sense 
 
 in the slightest degree." " And has he not done so?" said I " Why this is a 
 
 very deep point indeed, for only mark! This word sense you may either take as 
 applying only to the part of the sentence extracted — when Mr. Knight's assertion 
 is perfectly true; or you may take it as applying to the whole sentence as it stands 
 in Plutarch, and then it is positively false. That is, if by the sense of a point, we 
 arc to understand the impression it conveys, the meaning it bears, and the sense 
 it derives from its conjunction with the other members of the sentence of which it 
 forms only a part ; now mind how well this, therefore, serves his purpose. The 
 public, says Mr. Knight to himself, will not be able to distinguish, and I shall to 
 
them appear to have denied the accusation in toto, while if I am detected, it is 
 only saying I intended the assertion merely to apply to the isolated passage I 
 gave." — " This is excellently done, (said I), but what is it he has found out about 
 
 Croto?" "Oh! a great deal, (said he), first of all he tells us that Croto lived 
 
 before the time of Phidias. Then that he made a Hercules of which we now know 
 nothing, except that it was copied on the coins of Crotona. But although we 
 know nothing more, this is quite sufficient for Mr. Knight. For this Hercules on 
 the coins being in the same action as the Theseus, and these coins being in exist- 
 ence before the time and after the time of Phidias, it is as plain as a pike-staff, the 
 Theseus cannot be by Phidias." — Good! (said I), a caviller might perhaps find 
 
 some objections to this kind of reasoning, but never mind ; what follows ? " Why, 
 
 Mr. Knight having given us, as we told you, to understand, that Croto lived before 
 the age of Phidias, next informs us that he perished before the reign of Hadrian; 
 and as he perished before Hadrian, there can be no doubt that his statue of Her- 
 cules was at Rome." — "What! (saidHHoAv! What! does Mr. Knight mean to 
 say that all the statues of the great sculptors who perished before the time of Ha- 
 drian were doubtless at Rome?" — "Oh no, (said he) Mr. Knight does not mean 
 to say all, he only requests you to believe this particular one was there; at present 
 
 he does not wish us to allow more than this." — " And is this allowed?" " That 
 
 I do not know (said he), but let us go on; now Croto's Hercules being at Rome 
 (without doubt) Hadrian, most probably, would have it copied; and as Hadrian 
 would most probably have Croto's Hercules copied, the Theseus is probably the 
 very copy that Hadrian had made." — " Really (said I), and does he mean with- 
 out doubt?" " I cannot answer exactly (said he), but I should think he did, for 
 
 he adds moreover, that Wheeler asserts this statue to have represented Hadrian, 
 and you know from the Committee's Report, he holds Wheelerfs evidence to be 
 
 very loose?" " So, (said I to myself), here is another new theory built upon the 
 
 basis of one doubtless assertion hashed up with two assumed probabilities. Well ! 
 it will serve for a time however." — He went on, " You have seen the Review, you 
 say," "Yes, I have." " You recollect the Reviewer begs the reader particu- 
 larly to observe that nothing could be more absurd than to suppose all the sculp- 
 tures of the Parthenon, to be the work of Phidias." — " He does so." « Well! 
 now then mark Mr. Knight's reply." — "As for believing (says he) this mass of 
 architectural* sculpture to be the work of Phidias, it is a sort of belief which defies 
 all argument," ."That is admirable (cried I), after such a declaration from the 
 
 * Mark the judicious choice of Ii La words. 
 
2j 
 
 Reviewer, lie could not do less than treat him with such an answer." Another 
 
 point with the Reviewer is to ascertain how the sublimity of the Ajax would have 
 been felt, if only a single brow had remained; and why this property of indicating 
 their original excellence is denied by Mr. Knight to the Elgin marbles. In expla- 
 nation of this apparent inconsistency, he retorts triumphantly — "Why, the Ajax 
 has both brows and features."—." That, (said I), is a very unexpected answer, the 
 
 Reviewer never will recover this." — " No, (said he), it is impossible." Then the 
 
 remains from the Parthenon consist, you recollect, of groups of whole figures and 
 extensive compositions; Mr. Knight therefore judiciously institutes a comparison 
 between them and this bust of Ajax, and as it only wants the nose, the chin, and 
 the upper lip, he of course gives it the preference. He then attacks the Reviewer 
 on his temerity with regard to the Beetle and Soros. Mr. Knight had asserted 
 
 they were worth ^800; the Reviewer said they were worth nothing. " If so, 
 
 (says Mr. Knight), why did lord Elgin bring them to England? 5 ' This is an answer 
 that would naturally suggest itself to any other person, but observe what follows: 
 the Reviewer in proof of these things being worth notice, asserts that lord Elgin 
 has made no charge for them ; " Why then, (retorts Mr. Knight) , does he expect the 
 public to pay for the?n?" " That is amazingly bold," said I. "Yes! Yes! (said 
 he), no man but a metaphysician as deep as Mr. Knight, would have thought of 
 
 accusing another with expecting that of which he had no expectation." " I agree 
 
 with you (cried 1), but is there not something further concerning the use of the 
 word EIPrASETO?" — "Yes, but I am not sure I rightly understand the merits 
 of the case; if it is a wilful misrepresentation, the Reviewer deserves all the op- 
 probrium Mr. Knight heaps upon him. It is possible, however, he may have taken 
 a wrong view of the point as I myself did." — " Now pray what was the view you 
 
 took?" "Why, I understood Mi*. Knight to have been asked, if he knew of any 
 
 instance in which EIPrASETO had been used to express the share a sculptor 
 might have had in a work;" to which he replied, "No;" adding afterwards, what I 
 really thought had nothing to do with the question, a reason why the artist him- 
 self would not inscribe it on his own works*. 
 
 • It is evidently not the intention of our author to assert that this is the actual state of the question; he 
 merely means to argue that such a conclusion may be drawn from the particular view of the subject here stated. 
 After all, this is only a point between Mr. Knight and the Reviewer. It is of litle consequence to the world, 
 whether the former did intend to mislead or whether he did not, but it is a matter of great moment to see how 
 far Mr. Knight is in possession of that judgment and taste, which assumes the right to dictate. It is a matter 
 •f seiious national importance to ascertain, whether those who have been elected to preside over the worke 
 
 H 
 
26 
 
 fe But, (said the Incendiary), I perceive you begin to get a little fidgetty, so let 
 us now for awhile go on with the Catalogue, we can take up Mr. Knight's case 
 again by and by.' 5 
 
 r 
 
 No. 25. 
 
 The Holy Famiii/.—A. del Sarto.—A. Champernotvne, Esq. 
 
 " I ACTUALLY think, (resumed the Incendiary), if we were to take all the Andrea 
 del Sartos in the Gallery, as Mr Knight took the Phigulian Marbles, ' foot by foot/ 
 they would not be worth twopence the rod." Now, the only thing worthy of par- 
 ticular notice in this picture, is the back ground, where the painter has ingenious- 
 ly shewn the smallest possible quantity of cloud required to carry an angel and his 
 fiddle j or, properly speaking, a fiddling angel. In Mr. Lee Hunt's " Masque of 
 Liberty," there is a passage which will perhaps greatly elucidate this curious point, 
 and instruct the reader, that these clouds, built for the accommodation of all de- 
 scriptions of heavenly sky-scrapers, are possibly like our English stage-coaches, 
 restricted by act of parliament not to exceed a specific number. The lines we al- 
 lude to are these, where one spirit is made to address another thus— 
 
 If yowr cloud holds two, 
 
 I'll coxae up aad ride witb you. 
 
 No. 26. 
 
 The Virgin and CMd X. da Vinci A. Bari n g, Esq. 
 
 AS in the case of Rembrandt's picture of " The Wise Men's Offering" last year, 
 we thought it hazardous to the cause of religion to suffer Dutch beggars and their 
 dirty brats to act the parts of Josephs, Virgins, Kings, and Wise Men ; so* we deem 
 
 which are to commemorate the achievements of our country, ate qualified for the judgment seats which thej 
 fca,ve> assumed; or whether ;hey are quacks without knowledge, wio seek shelter, hi the fastnesses of pedautfj, 
 ami hide their blunders and tbeir real ignorance, under, tbe refuse of learning. 
 
27 
 
 it equally scandalous to bring abortions from these bottles, to act as prototypes of 
 
 little St. Johns, and infant Christ.s. Behold, O! ye Connoisseurs Behold, O! 
 
 ye Artists Behold, O! ye Nobility, Gentry, and Public in general — what A. 
 
 Barins, Esq. has brought as a representation of — The Virgin and Child with An- 
 gels what he has been pleased to exhibit for the benefit of Modern Art! Was 
 
 there ever such a disgraceful libel seen before? Is there any living painter so lost 
 to decency, as not to turn with horror from his easel, if by accident his hand had 
 produced such a caricature of the founder of his religion ! " 1 quite agree with 
 you, (said the Incendiary), such deformities as are here brought before our eyes, 
 can only tend to excite sickening and unfavourable impressions of those whose 
 images ought to be present to us only in the purity of ideal abstraction." u Dis- 
 missing this serious view of the subject, (said we), if you observe, there is a most 
 amazingly refined idea in this picture. The infant is evidently quite fast, yet, sen- 
 sible of the divine music, the painter has most humorously made him dancing in 
 his sleep. 
 
 No. 27. 
 
 Landscape, with Tobit and the Angel — S. Rosa B. West, Esq. 
 
 BETTER than most of this master's works, and possibly not losing much from 
 being seen under its cloud of dirt. 
 
 No. 28. 
 
 Landscape,- with Procession and Sacrifice — Claude. — P. J. Miles Esq. 
 
 THIS Claude has very lately undergone a thorough repair, and is now presented 
 to the public with numerous additions and alterations. All those who, like our- 
 selves, remember this picture in the palace for which it was painted, must coin- 
 cide with us in opinion, that it may now, without scruple, be shewn as the most 
 mortifying specimen " extant," of the bungling botchery of modern picture clean- 
 ing. It has been most infamously rubbed out y and wretchedly grimed over, to 
 hide from the ignorant, the injuries it has undergone. As it now scarcely presents 
 
28 
 
 any thing to the learned and unprejudiced eye worth notice, we will suggest to its 
 nominal proprietor, that considerable advantage may result, and perhaps promote 
 a real sale of this landscape, if he can get a Dutch toyman to insert whistles in 
 the cows' tails. 
 
 No. 29. 
 
 JEuropa Titian — Earl of Darnley. 
 
 WHEN a lady is permitted to exhibit herself in this pickle, it would be but de- 
 cent to insist on her putting on clean linen. Of all the disgusting drabs we ever 
 saw, this bears away the bell. She is, however, very well matched in the bull. 
 What Jupiter could see in such a mawks, or what the mawks could see in such a 
 Jupiter, we are at a loss to comprehend. 
 
 No. 50. 
 
 The Virgin and Child and St. John. Raphael. — iSjrr T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 (< EXQUISITE!" cried the Incendiary. "Yet, (said we) you cannot but ac- 
 knowledge that the Virgin has an eye as well as the St. John, which would disgrace 
 in point of drawing, a school boy." " I have no hesitation (replied he) in granting 
 it, but you would never cavil at such pictures if you had not an object to answer. 
 The complaint which artists make is not so much against the exhibition of truly 
 great works, although it has been expressly deemed judicious by the Directors of the 
 Institution themselves, to promote a comparison of such, with the annual exhibi- 
 tion of the British Metropolis*. It is not, we repeat, to the public obtrusion of 
 great Works that the artists so much object, but to the exhibition of trash and 
 absurdity which can only serve to pollute the public taste under the sanction of 
 venerable names. In the finest pictures of the old masters there are gross defects 
 and constant failures (as in the points alluded to in this otherwise almost perfect 
 performance). Nay, if we except Raphael generally, and a few examples to be 
 found very thinly scattered . amongst the eompositions of the other painters, we 
 shall perceive that they seldom troubled themselves to think or to address their 
 
 • Vide the Preface to the Institution Catalogue of 1811. 
 
1 
 
 29 
 
 Works to any other sense than the eye. On such occasions as the present, the 
 public must not imagine then that the artists are busily employed to point out the 
 defects of the besi: things from any ignoble feeling of malignity, or from any en- 
 vious sense of delight at the errors and faults of their superiors. No! finding 
 their exertions annually forced into this unfair and ungenerous competition, where 
 prejudice, high sounding names, and the self-love — .self-importance, and self-in- 
 terest of the owners of the several Works are mustered in public array against 
 them ; self-preservation compels them in return, to shew that the greatest, even 
 of the antients, are not without defects which reduce them to a level with the mo- 
 derns; nor the moderns destitute of merits which entitle them, on some points, 
 and points of first importance — to take the lead. 
 
 No. 31. 
 
 Christ disputing ivith the Doctors L. da Vinci. Lord Northxvictc. 
 
 WHERE a man disputes with another, he generally directs his conversation to 
 the person from whom he differs. Here it will be seen that Christ does no such 
 
 thing. Now to account for this Who were the doctors, we ask, with whom 
 
 Christ disputed? were they not a set of asses ? were they worthy of Christs' atten- 
 tion? No! could such persons be treated with too much contempt? Assuredly 
 not. Can you treat a person with more contempt than by turning yonr back on 
 him when you give him the answer his folly deserves? Why then Leonardo has 
 surpassed our utmost wishes, for he has not only done this in the person of Christ 
 himself, but has nobly achieved it in every one of the doctors, who are all displaying 
 the same contempt for each other, which Christ is so judiciously made to shew 
 for them all. " I suppose (said the Incendiary) the dispute was of an arithmetical 
 
 nature, by the action of Christ's fingers. One and one make three. Is he not 
 
 saying this my Lord Northwick. 
 
30 
 
 No. 32. 
 
 The Virgin and Infant Saviour. — Raphael — Earl Cowper. 
 
 AN early picture of this Master, probably by the execution painted at ten years 
 old. " Let me beg you will not go on in that way, (cried the Incendiary), you 
 will get no credit when you speak the truth." " Well then (said we), take our 
 evidence for its being in point of feeling and expression, a great deal better than 
 we wish. We shall howeer vnot give up our previous assertion in as much as 
 regards it's feeble execution." 
 
 No. 33. 
 
 Ecce Homo.~~ Guido.Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 IF this was the state of Christ previous to his crucifixion, the Jews might have 
 spared themselves all trouble. According to one of the most learned medical 
 opinions of the day, he could not have more than a pint of blood in him. 
 
 No. 34. 
 
 The Virgin and Child and St. John. Raphael. — His Excellency E. Bourke. 
 
 THIS is not like No. 32, an ealry picture of the Master, but no picture of his at 
 all, notwithstanding the implicit faith of several Directors. 
 
51 
 
 No. 35. 
 
 Landscape, Storm, with Dido and JEneas. — G. Pouss'ot — , 
 Rev. JV. H. Carr. 
 
 IT is credibly reported that a large reward is about to be offered for the discovery 
 of the above mentioned antient personages. Whether this be true or not, we 
 think it a fortunate thing for the fine arts when the ignorant are called upon to 
 admire that which they cannot see. This may possibly be a landscape, and there 
 may perhaps, be such people in it as the Catalogue states. We feel as gentlemen, 
 bound to take Mr. Holwell Carr's sacred word for it that there are, but for our 
 part we are afraid the ground of the canvas, according to the usual tendency of 
 Italian pictures, and by the further assistance of repeated rubbing, has obtraded 
 itself to the surface in such an overpowering proportion, that no one will be able 
 to discover any thing to the advantage of G. Poussin, but the most egregious con- 
 noisseur, or think this specimen of " Gross Darkness" a bit better than a black 
 board. The Incendiary told us here it was whispered about on the best authority 
 that the firm of Day and Martin being in great lack of materials to supply the 
 present scarcity of ivory black, had entered into treaty wiah the owner of this 
 Work. On enquiry however, we believe that this is not really the case, since we 
 find that there is no such deficiency in the raw material above mentioned, and 
 we think it would hardly answer Mr. Holwell Carr's purpose to part with it in 
 Such a direction* 
 
 No. 36. 
 
 Portrait of Countess de Mattei.—A. del Sarto. Earl Grosvenon 
 
 THIS is called the Countess of Mattei. We know not what interest the world at 
 large may have in this countess's representation : for ourselves, we should not 
 miss her if she were to take herself off this instant. 
 
 • He might (to be sure) be induced to sell it to Day, but we are persuaded that nothing but a verj large 
 •um would tempt him to dispose of it to Martin. 
 
32 
 
 No. 3*. 
 
 Landscape, with Mercury and Battus. S. Rosa. Lady Lucas. 
 
 IF this impudent piece of bravura painting is to be held up as an example, farewell 
 all truths all delicacy, all refinement in art. 
 
 No. 38. 
 
 A Man drinking — Titian. Sir A. Hume, Bart. 
 
 A MAGDALEN in the disguise of Toby Philpot. This Picture was well known 
 as the property of Signor Alterizzi of Bologna previous to the French Revolution, 
 at which time we saw it frequently in his possession, the figure had not then got 
 the glass to her mouth or indeed any glass at all, but was simply a pathetic bottle- 
 holder, when her gender was changed and she first sank from the saint to the sinner, 
 by the addition of the shirt and the decanter is not perfectly certain. Signior 
 Alterizzi used iudeed to favour his visitors with an anecdote to prove the picture 
 to have been altered by Titian himself, but as the authority for this tale was not 
 quite unexceptionable and we fear from the distance of time we may not ourselves 
 be perfectly correct in the remembrance, we shall pass it over in silence, although 
 we are fully aware that if we could relate the story, it would fetch the worthy ba- 
 ronet and his family ten times more than he gave for it, and consequently according 
 to the best algebraical verification, eleven times more than it is worth. 
 
 No. 39- 
 
 Landscape. G. Poussin. — P. J. Miles^Esq. 
 
 THIS if it were low enough to be seen might be praised according to its deserts. 
 It is a fine picture and appears to be in excellent order. 
 
33 
 
 No. 40. 
 
 Landscape, with a Reposo* — F. Mola.— The Right Hon. C. Long. 
 A TOLERABLE picture of the master. 
 
 No. 41. 
 
 Study of Heads. Corregio Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 WE see the things which Sir Thomas is facetiously pleased to call heads, but we 
 have looked in vain for the study: they possess neither expression, drawing, nor 
 colour; and we are quite incapable of conceiving wherein they deserve the least 
 attention; and still less how he', as a just man, can allow them to bear the name 
 of such a master as Corregio. But God help him ! he's a man more sinned 
 against than sinning. 
 
 No- 42. 
 
 Landscape, with Nymphs and Satyrs. A. Carracci. 
 
 Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 WE recommend the Taylor to take example, and to look sharp. If he compares 
 his picture with this, he will, as we observed, learn to appreciate the old masters 
 properly. His is a clever picture, but we repeat, not sufficiently black in the 
 shadows. 
 
 * Riposo. 
 
34 
 
 No, 43. 
 
 The Plague at Athens N. Poussin Thomas Jones, Esq. 
 
 A CORRESPONDENT has favoured us with the following observations on No. -13. 
 
 " I am surprised that the Directors, who have among their fraternity a learned 
 and reverend Gierke, should not be informed, through him, (though they may be 
 ignorant of the fact themselves*), that what they call the Plague of Athens is the 
 punishment of the Philistines, as recorded in the first book of Samuel. It repre- 
 sents the most afflicting case of Hypercatharsis ever mentioned in history. Here 
 we see a whole people suffering under the horrors of Cholera Morbus, like a girl's 
 boarding school in a cheap and plentiful plum season. We fear in looking at it to 
 catch the contagion ; we smell, at a distance, the horrible stench, and fly from the 
 representation as we would from the reality. The tone of the picture is truly 
 poetical. None but a great man could have thus ably conceived the hue so admi- 
 rably adapted to bis subject: the variegated brown pervading the whole, gives it 
 the pathos of one vast cess-pool, one extensive field of dung and desolation. We 
 turned from this picture with regret, but from necessity; we felt ourselves so 
 irresistibly affected by it, that we withdrew to our closet for relief. Our bowels 
 ^earned for the miseries of man. 
 
 " One of the painting Directors had written down his observations on this 
 master-piece, and fancied he had discovered the nostrum used by Poussin. This 
 interesting and valuable memorandum was found by a lady one evening, at an 
 illuminated exhibition of the gallery. As I think it illiberal to withhold any 
 information from artists, I enclose it, and beg you will publish it for their use: I 
 hope it may be the means of producing some picture which may rival the present 
 object of our admiration. 
 
 IIS, Calomel, gr. 17> 
 
 Syr. Sacch. q. s.ft. Pil. node sumenda. 
 
 Postridie mane sume 
 
 Pulv Jalap, gr. 3i. 
 
 Alvum serva, impende libere. 
 
 * Our friend has paid no attention to the advertisement of the Directors. This is solely the ignorance of 
 the Proprietor ; u»less we think they should have interfered for the general reputation of the Institution. 
 
I do not know the different substances alluded to, but presume tliey may be 
 procured at any chemist's certainly at Apothecaries Hall." 
 
 In addition to these interesting communications, we have heard a number of 
 other conjectures respecting the present chef iV wuvre ; as some of them are inge- 
 nious, we will submit them without apology to the Public. 
 
 One acute observer remarks, that a picture of the same subject and size was 
 painted by Poussin at Rome, in 1683, for Matteo the sculptor. After passing 
 through several hands, it was sold to the Due de Richelieu, who resigned it to the 
 king of France. Since that period it has graced the Louvre, where it hangs at 
 the present day. He concludes, therefore, that this object of our attention is a 
 copy. 
 
 Another invidious speculator, taking advantage of this hint, broadly asserts that 
 it is a modern allegorical representation of the state of the British Institution : 
 and affects to explain it in the following manner. By the overthrow of Dagon, is 
 meant that of Richard Payne Knight: his co-directors are witnessing his fall with 
 consternation and dismay, as involving in its consequences the annihilation of 
 their importance. In the rats he discovers an allusion to those Directors who are 
 evacuating the falling premises. In the fore-ground he points out the melancholy 
 catastrophe of the little boys and girls whose golden hopes and expectations as 
 students have thus received their death blow. One or two charitable, well- 
 meaning men, (the authors, probably, of the Catalogue Raisonnee), are warning 
 the survivors Of their impending fate. 
 
 A third pretending to agree with the last in the belief that the picture is modern 
 and allegorical, explains it, with an assumed air of plausibility, in the following 
 manner. He contends that the Directors are perfectly right in naming this 
 
 painting the Plague of Athens. The building he insists is the Parthenon the 
 
 broken figure the Theseus or Ilissus the disorder which prevails is occasioned 
 
 by the overthrow of self-importance, vanity, ignorance, drawing-room virtu, and 
 
 female and infantine connoisseurs. The effect produced is perfectly intelligible 
 
 the consternation is tremendous the miasma insupportable. 
 
 Mr. Bonelli, however, we are happy to say, confirms the opinion of our friend 
 given at the commencement of this article, that it certainly represents the punish- 
 ment of the Philistines. He has now in his possession an undoubted and perfect 
 bronze emerod, which will shortly complete Mr. P. Knight's collection, and 
 immediately follow the $AAAOI in classification and arrangement. This precious 
 monument is believed to be unique; and was dug up in the ruins of Azot. 
 
36 
 
 * 
 
 No. 44. 
 
 Figures on Horseback. — Velasquez. His Excellency E. Bourke. 
 
 AN extraordinary picture! We beg the Public will examine it with great care: 
 if after so doing they should discover its merits, they will have an advantage we 
 cannot pretend to. 
 
 No. 45. 
 
 The Toilette of Venus. A. Carracci. Earl of Darnley. 
 
 WE never meet with such pictures as this, without feeling an anxious desire to 
 find the figures endued with clock-work, that they may move out of sight as 
 quickly as possible. The Love who has been to fetch water is a choice young 
 gentleman. 
 
 No. 46. 
 
 Figures in a Landscape. Velasquez.— His Excellency E. Bourke. 
 
 THOSE who do not know our friend Dr. Durlacher, the corn-cutter, alluded to 
 in our description of Mr. Holwell Carr's Andrea del Sarto, will, in this picture, 
 find a tolerable substitute. 
 
 No. 47- 
 
 Virgin and Child, with Angels Bartolomeo. Earl of Powis. 
 
 " AS this priggish virgin and her architectural supporters, (cried the Incendiary), 
 will not admit of much animadversion, she being too insignificant to call even for 
 censure, 1 think this is a time when I may resume my history of Mr. Knight's 
 defence of Mr. Bonelli. But to preserve a due connexion, let me, before 1 begin, 
 
37 
 
 briefly notice the items we have already gone overj you will find them about 
 eight. 
 
 The first contains Mr. Knight's acknowledgment of having changed a word, and 
 our demonstration for what purpose. 
 
 The second exhibits .an unsuccessful and an unwarrantable endeavour on the 
 part of Mr. Knight, to saddle the Reviewer with entertaining notions which he 
 had expressly stated to be absurd. 
 
 The third presents us with a series of highly fanciful syllogisms concerning 
 Croto, Phidias, and Hadrian ; which three gentlemen are barbarously made, by 
 Mr. Knight, to dance the hays, to no earthly purpose but the entertainment of 
 the reader, and his own confusion. At the end of this interlude, Mr. Wheeler is 
 brought on the stage, to shew that very loose evidence, when given in behalf of a 
 favourite hypothesis, is invaluable, when nothing better is to be had. 
 
 The fourth points out the propriety of drawing a parallel between things which 
 have no properties in common with each other, and are therefore, in Mr. Knight's 
 opinion, fit objects of comparison. 
 
 The fifth displays the unexpected retort of it has upon if it had only had, in 
 defiance of all decency and common sense. 
 
 The sixth gives us the only fair reply we have yet come to; but then it is un- 
 fortunately only a very paltry retort on the subject of the importation of the Beetle 
 and Soros. 
 
 The seventh shews us on the same miserable basis, that Mr. Knight considers 
 a non-expectant and an expectant to mean one and the same person. 
 
 The eighth offers to our view a moot point, in which, perhaps, Mr. K. may be 
 right. It exhibits*a contention between " No by itself no," and No, in conjunc- 
 tion with something which the Reviewer seems to have thought did not belong to 
 the question. 
 
 And now I again proceed on my kind of ride-and-tie statement. At the moment 
 
 I broke off, our friend Sir T. B was about to ask if I did not conceive the 
 
 points he had gone through were of great importance? " No doubt, (said I), but 
 
 you will see in the sequel, that it was not for what concerned Mr. K but for 
 
 the sake of Mr, Bonelli this defence was undertaken ; — Indeed, said I, All that re- 
 gards the next transaction I am now entei-ing upon, you will admit is wholly so : for 
 
 as Mr. K very justly remarks, such matter would have been of too trivial a nature 
 
 toobtrude on thepublic, had not the Reviewermade such an attackon the reputation 
 of this much injured foreigner, by the gross and continued falsehoods he has had the 
 
 L 
 
38 
 
 impudence to frame and bring forward." — " Gross and continued falsehoods," said 
 I, — "Yes," said he — " Pray how many of these gross and continued falsehoods 
 
 may there be?" — " How many do you suppose?" "I cannot say" said I. 
 
 " Guess/' said he. __" Fifty," said I " No," said he « Forty," said I "No" 
 
 said he " Thirty," said I "No," said he. —"Twenty," said I "No," said 
 
 he " Ten," said I " No," said he " Five," said I._" No," said he 
 
 " Three," said I "No," said he "The devil! (said I); what, not three to 
 
 warrant the adjective!" — " No, (said he), not three; all I can detect, for my life 
 
 are two." " Well, (said 1), although the mathematicians do not allow two to be 
 
 an abundant number, still it may be a sufficient number, if they are of a certain 
 strength. I trust their grossness makes up for their deficiency, in this respect 
 
 quality is always of more importance than quantity." " Yes ! Yes ! you will say 
 
 they are gross enough, I warrant. Come now, to how many pounds sterling do 
 you conceive the first lie amounts?" — " To how many pounds sterling! 1 do not 
 comprehend your question; and you perceive I am a very bad guesser, so be so 
 
 good as state it at once." " Why, would you believe it ! this Reviewer has in 
 
 the first of the continued falsehoods, lied to the tune of an hundred pounds I" 
 
 " Good Margery, is it possible!" " It is as true as you stand there: he has po- 
 sitively lied to the tune of around hundred." — "Well, (said I), what will men be 
 guilty of next! Alas! these are sad times! And what may the other falsehood 
 
 be equal to?" "The second gross faradiddle, (said he), does not exceed forty 
 
 pounds in value." — " That is no small untruth that is equal to forty pounds cried 
 I, but do not you think if the two lies had been rolled into one of ^140 the 
 statement would have produced more effect on the public?" — " Are you so blind 
 
 not to mark, that if Mr K had done this he must have given up that most 
 
 needful of all words " continued," a word upon which if you observe, we have 
 laid so much stress, and which forms one of the strongest points in this defence." — 
 " True, (said I), that did not occur to me; but tell me in what way has this wretch 
 of a Reviewer continued to commit this inexcusable error?" — "I thought you 
 told me you had read the Review." — " Oh! I have it now, (said I), you mean in 
 
 the price of the gem." " To be sum, (retorted he), does he not most grossly say 
 
 that Mr. K gave .=£250 for it, when he had given only ^150, and very pos- 
 sibly not that, since a portion of the payment was made in medals:" — " Some of 
 which, (said I), you mean to insinuate, would, if strictly examined, turn out no 
 more what they pretended to be, than the gem for which they were exchanged." 
 « Well, (said 1), this is certainly an outrageous case, yet 1 cannot help thinking too, 
 
39 
 
 that a man if he did not positively invent these surcharges, might escape without 
 such a very thundering Philippic against his moral turpitude. I remember Bayle 
 once committed a similar mistake, if we only suffer the term years to stand in the 
 place of the term pounds. What do you think he did ? Why he placed the birth of 
 Dante in his dictionary at 1265, instead of 1260, by which, at one and the same 
 time, he forced his mother to be delivered of her son five years after he was born, 
 and deprived the poor poet of five years of his life fifty-six years before he went 
 out of the world." " This comparison of the Reviewer's crime to Bayle's may 
 appear a little forced, as much very likely as that of the Ajax with the Panathenaic 
 procession, &c." " 1 acknowledge it, and my dear friend, (said I), I certainly 
 should never have thought of running such a comparison if Voltaire had not made 
 a reflection upon this circumstance, which is not quite inapplicable on the present 
 
 occasion : " I do not esteem Bayle, (says this author), more or less for thus being 
 
 mistaken in about five years; the great thing is not to err in point of taste or in 
 
 point of argument." " But, (said he), now I turn my attention back, I think I 
 
 recollect another charge which comes under this head of continued falsehoods." 
 
 " That will make three (said I), what is it?" — " Do not you remember the Re- 
 viewer says that when Mr K heard the gem was modern, he put himself in a 
 
 passion and persisted and blustered." " Egad, (cried I), and so the fellow did, 
 and he never blustered after all?" — " Blustered ! Oh ! no, (said he) — He bluster ! 
 no, no, on the contrary, you will find in the sequel, he was so highly delighted 
 that he expressed his satisfaction in Italian, at there being an artist of so much 
 
 merit as Signior Pistrucci." — "Well, (said I), I am glad to hear that." "Aye, 
 
 (said he), and then only observe how he next puts this libeller down this de- 
 tractor who so artfully thought to hide his design of ruining Mr. Bonelli under 
 
 the pretence of attacking Mr. Knight. " Mr. Bonelli (says he) gave no assurance 
 whatever of the gem being an original." — " But did the Reviewer, (exclaimed I), 
 say that Mr. Bonelli did give him such an assurance? I do not think by the by 
 
 that he did." " Very likely he did not," cried he; — "Very likely he did not! 
 
 (cried I), but why then, if he did not, does Mr. Knight say any thing about 
 
 this?" "Why? why to defend Mr. Bonelli." "Against what? (exclaimed 
 
 I." " Against what? (said he), why against the Reviewer to be sure." — "Against 
 
 the Reviewer ! But how against the Reviewer ?" " Why how confoundedly dull you 
 
 are !" said he " Oh, aye, 1 see — I see, (said i), but the devil of any thing could 
 
 I see, except that he was getting out of temper." — " Yes, yes, very true, very true, 
 (continued I) . Yes, yes, Aye, aye, — yes, yes, he had him there. What a capital 
 
40 
 
 defence, my dear friend it is when you come to understand it ; well, and how does 
 it go on? I am impatient to hear! pray proceed." — ." Now then observe the ef- 
 fect of this non-assurance upon Mr. Knight, and the " consulted-as-usuai" Mr. 
 Marchant, and other experienced persons. They all to a man held the gem to be 
 original." — "Good! good! (exclaimed I), in a tone of triumph, (taking the hand 
 of our friend and squeezing it), this, (said 1), is unanswerable. The authority of Mr. 
 Marchant is of the highest value, since he is dead and therefore cannot change his 
 opinion if he wished it." — "True, true, (said he), and there is still stronger reason 
 fox priding ourselves on this authority, since every body knows that, although a 
 living dog is better than a dead lion, it is quite the reverse with regard to artists 
 
 and their opinions" — " Certainly," cried I " But pray mark (he went on) if 
 
 this defence was not intended for Mr. Bonelli, do you imagine Mr. Knight would 
 have thought it Avorth his while to state that he gave him no assurance of a fact 
 for which Mr. Knight deems it ridiculous to think any assurance requisite?"— 
 
 "Certainly," said I "And do you'eonceive, said he again, that Mr. Knight 
 
 would have stated a circumstance, which if it prove any thing, only proves how 
 little importance Mr. Knight and his friends attach to Mr. Bonelli's opinion : would 
 he have stated such a circumstance if it had not been from an anxiety ta rescue 
 
 his friend from the grasp of this odious Reviewer," " You put the matter in the 
 
 clearest possible point of view, (said I), and I see plainly how much Mr. Bonelli 
 is indebted to Mr. Knighton this occasion." "Yes, (replied he), if this Mr. Bo- 
 nelli had been like that Mr. Bonelli whom Mr. Hart Davis some years ago, with 
 the assistance of the court of King's Bench, obliged to take back a parcel of simi- 
 lar works which he had unwittingly been induced to sell to that gentleman as 
 originals. — Had this Mr. Bonelli been like that Mr. Bonelli, it would not have been 
 very preposterous to. have suspected that such a silence might have proceeded 
 from nothing more than a judicious precaution arising out of past humiliation; but 
 here is a Bonelli acting an upright part, and not only gives Mr. Knight "no assu- 
 rances, but is willing to, take back all or any part of the things which he had sold 
 to him, and that even without any words whatever.". — "You, clearly shew how 
 necessary it was to defend Mr. Bonelli, (said I), for although the Reviewer has 
 not accused Mr. Bonelli with any of these things from which Mr. Knight 
 exculpates him, it was certainly Mr. Bonelli's downfal he had in view when 
 
 .he wrote this article." " I mentioned, (resumed he), some time back, 
 
 that you would see, in the course of my explanation, how little reason the 
 Reviewer had to charge Mr. Knight with blustering; and how delighted he was, 
 
41 
 
 on the contrary, to find a living artist that could execute so fine a piece of engrav- 
 ing." " I remember it all," said I " Well then, (returned he), no sooner had 
 
 Mr. Knight concluded expressing himself in Italian, but away he goes, full trot, 
 with the anxious view of promoting the artist's welfare, and urges Mr. Bonelli to 
 tell the truth. ' For admitting (said Mr. Knight) the work to be what I have 
 such reason to hope, and shall be so delighted to have proved, I can have no com- 
 plaint to make against you ; because the unique beauty of the stone is a sufficient 
 apology for the price, even should the work be by Mr. Pistrucci, to whom I have 
 just been expressing my satisfaction in Italian, at the prospect of finding it so.'__ 
 Mr. Bonelli, however, refused to realize the sanguine wishes of Mr. Knight, per- 
 sisting in not only having bought the gem amongst a parcel of others, but amongst 
 a parcel of others said to have belonged to Sir Robert Ainslie." — " This (exclaimed 
 
 I) is an extremely satisfactory history of the gem, indeed." " Very! (said he), 
 
 but notwithstanding, Mr. Knight was determined, if possible, not to have his 
 darling hopes frustrated, very satisfied of finding a modern artist of such powers; 
 
 and therefore he hit upon the following scheme to realize his heart's desire he 
 
 gave Mr. Pistrucci a commission to makeafac-simile." — " Ah! (said I), I fear." 
 u Yes, (said he), he was not aware that in the fine arts, (arts which are wholly 
 dependant on the feelings), too great an anxiety to do our best, frequently robs 
 even the greatest artist of the power to do well." — " That certainly must have 
 
 escaped his attention," said I " The event you have anticipated by your fear, 
 
 (said he). It robbed him totally of every atom of his former satisfaction the fac- 
 simile was miserable." " How exceedingly provoking! (said I), but I hope he 
 
 did not feel it too acutely." " No, (said he), no; on the whole, I think he bore the 
 
 disappointment with great fortitude. The only thing he lets fall which betrays 
 any want of temper throughout the discussion, is at the last, where, having found 
 that he had not found (what he had received such satisfaction from finding) a 
 modern 'artist able to execute so fine a work, he exclaims, in a kind of pettish 
 
 tone of disappointment, that it was quite indifferent to him who made it. Thus 
 
 far, (said Sir T B ), I believe I have given you a tolerable simple state- 
 ment of the case. If I now relate that Mr. Pistrucci refused to abide an arbitra- 
 tion of the most able artists, there being no able artist in this line— .if I add that 
 he likewise refused to abide the arbitration of the most experienced judges, not- 
 withstanding every one knows the preponderating influence of Mr. Knight in all 
 such decisions and if I further explain that Mr. Knight solemnly declares, that 
 
 M 
 
42 
 
 unless Mr. Pistrucci can bring other proof of his abilities to counterfeit (observe) 
 not the beauties of the antient sculpture, but the! slow effects of time on such 
 bodies, (Us oath will not avail against the assertions of such persons as 31r. 
 Bonelli, and such experienced and important judges as Mr. Knig lit. When I 
 have repeated to you these things, I shall have gone through all the leading points 
 of reasoning and fact upon which this letter touches. With respect to the 
 rhetorical flourishes, and declamatory effusions it contains — " " Before you go 
 into those, (said I), allow me to ask you a few questions." — " But I observe, said 
 the Incendiary), you are inclined to yawn, Mr. Defender, so let us break off here 
 again, and go on with the Catalogue. 
 
 No. 48. 
 
 St. Sebastian and St. Cecilia. Lav. Fontana. Rev. Jt. Sandford. 
 
 MR. SANDFORD certainly deserves the public thanks of the artists of the United 
 Kingdom, for his patriotism in sending for their study this truly exquisite speci- 
 men of china ware by L. Fontana. Had it been before the late improvements in 
 the arts at Worcester, it might have ranked tolerably high; but we fear that the 
 intention is all that we can thank the gentleman for now. 
 
 No. 49- 
 
 Bacchanalians in a Landscape N. Poussin.—John Knight, Esq. 
 
 THIS picture is far too good for its place. " I observe (cried the Incendiary) that 
 all the historical compositions of Poussin, the only compositions deserving that 
 name after Raphael's, in the gallery, are in corners, or on the west side of the 
 south room." " Don't you know (said we) those are the darkest places in the 
 gallery, and that these are proper things to put out of the way." 
 
43 
 
 No. 50. 
 
 St. John preaching in the Wilderness. Guido. Dulwich College. 
 
 AN academy figure and an academy landscape to match, to which we will add 
 (No. ), another specimen of Plato's cocks. " With these works before us, (said 
 the Incendiary), it will be well to notice a report which has reached me, relative 
 to a very excellent project which the Directors have in view for the improvement of 
 
 the fine arts. Sir Thomas B the founder of all things, happening the other 
 
 day to open the first edition of Mr. Knight's Analysis of Taste, at page 209, saw 
 the following passage : — 
 
 " In the gymnastic festivals, where men of high rank and liberal education 
 entered into contests of personal strength and agility, they (the artists) had 
 opportunities of seeing these models exhibited without reserve, not only in every 
 accidental variation of attitude and position, but in every mode and degree of 
 muscular effort and exertion. By studying and imitating these, and not by 
 applying to abstract rules on predeterminate lines of grace, elegance, or beauty, 
 the great sculptors of Greece appear to me to have produced those master-pieces 
 which have been the admiration of subsequent ages and generations of civilized 
 men." 
 
 No sooner had Sir Thomas B read this, than it occurred to him as extraordi- 
 nary that no one of the Directors had thought of remedying the evil under which the 
 moderns laboured. He instantly desired Mr. Gillam to w T rite a circular, and request 
 the attendance of the committee, to enable him to lay before them a project of the 
 greatest importance. They met immediately; when the worthy baronet made a 
 very pathetic speech in favor of the fine arts; in the course of which he took the 
 
 opportunity cf laying before them a review of the progress of the institution how 
 
 much it had effected in the way of patronage; stated the various sums which had 
 been received, the various sums which had been paid, added them, subtracted them, 
 multiplied them, divided them, put them on this side, and put them on that, till 
 there was really no knowing (as he truiy said) how much the Institution had done for 
 modern art. At length, either from the touching nature of the subject, or from a 
 melting sense of his own eloquence, the tears came in the eyes of the worthy 
 baronet, and finally overflowing, chased each other down his cheeks in such rapid 
 
 N 
 
44 
 
 succession, as to choak all utterance. In a few moments, however, he recovered 
 his usual tone of mind; he then read the above extract, and concluded by 
 moving the following resolutions That in consideration of the superior ad- 
 vantages possessed by the antient artists, from the free and easy way in 
 which gentlemen of rank and liberal education used formerly to stalk about 
 the world without any sort of covering, the Governors and Directors do come 
 to the determination of stripping as soon as possible, for the benefit of the 
 modern fine arts. This proposal was carried instantly, by acclamation. The 
 first exhibition is to be by lamp-light; and will take place as soon as their several 
 pedestals are made and arranged. The only difficulty that is at present unsur- 
 mounted, arises out of the various claims for centre places and good lights. Mr. 
 Seguier is ten times more plagued now on this score than ever; but it is pretty 
 
 well ascertained that the chief situations will be occupied by Sir Thomas B g, 
 
 Sir A. H e, Charles L g, H. C r, Lord M e, Sir George B t, 
 
 and the M s of S d. in the mean time the Directors, as well as the 
 
 Governoi-s, are all practising, like mad, as the phrase goes. We have not yet 
 obtained accurate information of all the characters which are to be assumed on 
 
 the first night, but it is currently reported that Mr. C. L g is trying his hand 
 
 at the Apollo; Mr. P. K t is to undertake the Laocoon, aided by Sir George 
 
 B t and Mr. H. C r; Lord M e not having much head, is making an 
 
 attempt at the Torso, but is greatly at a loss to know how to get rid of his legs, 
 
 and fears he shall be obliged to give it up after all, since, as M r of the 
 
 O ce, he cannot, he thinks, very well part with his arms. Until the committee 
 
 can receive an answer from Mrs.W — dd — 11, Sir Thomas B ghas undertaken 
 
 to play the part of the Venus KAAAinKTHS. Serious apprehensions are enter- 
 tained, however, for the M ^_s of S d; notwithstanding he has made 
 
 repeated trials, his recollection will not serve him to remember the action of any 
 one individual figure: indeed, it is said he makes very bad work of it. A friend 
 who called on him the other day, whilst he was practising, found him with the 
 legs of the gladiator Repellens, the left thigh of the Hercules, the right thigh of the 
 Antinous, the trunk of the Bacchus, the arms of the Venus, and the head of 
 the dancing Faunus, with the face fronting the wrong way. 
 
45 
 
 No. 51. 
 
 Christ and St. Peter A. Carracci Thomas Hamlet, Esq. 
 
 THIS picture, comprising a very eligible, compact, well-calved Christ, and three- 
 fourths of a St. Peter, is, no doubt, from the name of the possessor, to be sold, if 
 any body is to be found sufficiently deficient in taste to wish for its possession. 
 
 No. 52. 
 
 A Reposo. Murillo George Byng, Esq. 
 
 WE think M. Byng more happy in the selection of this Work than of the one we 
 were, for his sake so unfortunately, and for our own so fortunately, called upon to 
 remark before. 
 
 No. 53. 
 
 St. Jerome with the Angel. — Guido. — John Graves, Esq. 
 WE request the spectator's reference to No. 50. 
 
 No. 54. 
 
 The Nativity. A. Carracci. Sir T. Baring, Bart. 
 
 IN compliance with his own wish, and that of the Directors in general, Sir 
 Thomas has been induced to send this unrivalled and astonishing copy of 
 Carracci; it being positively its last appearance in the character of the original. 
 
 o 
 
46 
 
 No. 55, 
 
 Ecce Homo — Guido.~-B- West, Esq. 
 
 WHY is this most perfect specimen of the master in a corner; and made to give 
 place to such trash as No. 114? Has Guido then sunk below Carlo Dolce! 
 
 No. 56. 
 
 A small whole length Portrait in Armour, ~-Giorgione.~~B. West, Esq, 
 GOOD in itself; but why is it here? 
 
 END OF THE FIRST PART. 
 
CATALOGUE RAISONNE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Pictures now Exhibiting 
 
 IS 
 
 PALL MALL. 
 
 iJart Jrcront). 
 
 " These Pictures and many the like, which are by no means the measures of Truths 
 '* and Falsehoods, these men make the standards by which they accustom their 
 " understandings to judge. And thus they, falling into a habit of determining 
 " of Truth and Falsehood by such wrong measures, it is no wonder they should 
 " embrace error for certainty and be very positive in things they have no 
 " ground for. ' 
 
 Locke's Conduct of the Understanding: 
 
 1816.