sure, without injury. The duration of this kind of painting is also an advantage; the colours are not liable to fade and change; no damp, or corrosive substance can affect them; they have no tendency to crack; and if by accident they receive injury, they can be easily repaired.

A new kind of painting, called the Elydoric, which name it derives from oil and water being both used in its execution, was invented a few years ago by M. VINCENT, of France. The great advantages of this invention are, that, by means of it the artist is enabled to give a very high finishing to small figures in oil, and to add to the mellowness of oil-painting, the greatest beauty of water-colours in miniature; and to do this in such a manner that it appears like a large picture seen through a diminishing glass."

The art of Painting on Glass was revived in Great-Britain during the eighteenth century, and brought, by the artists of that country, to as great, if not greater, perfection than it had ever before attained. In effecting this revival, the celebrated JERVAS, a British painter, was, among others, much distinguished.

The invention of a more perfect manner of preparing Water-Colours, about the year 1778, by Mr. THOMAS REEVES, of Great-Britain, also deserves to be mentioned as an important event in the history of modern painting. The numerous advantages conferred on the art of drawing in water-colours, by this invention, are generally known, and can scarcely be too highly appreciated.

In the year 1787 was announced the invention of what is called Polygraphic Painting, by which paintings in oil may be multiplied, by a chemical

g See Encyclopædia, art. Encaustic Painting.

b Ibid. art. Painting.

and mechanical operation, to a wonderful extent, The numerous copies obtained, by means of this invention, are said to possess great excellence. The utility of this art, if its merits be such as have been mentioned, is too obvious to require explanation..

A method was invented not long since by Mr. ROBERT SALMON, of Bedfordshire, in England, of transferring valuable paintings from the substance on which they were originally painted, to another and more eligible one. The utility and importance of this invention will be readily appreciated by every intelligent reader.

Numerous experiments have also been made, during the last age, with respect to the best mode of preparing and laying on Colours. For these, the art of painting is indebted to several chemists and practical artists. But they are too numerous, and would require too much minuteness of detail to be explained in the present sketch.

Finally, to this section belongs some notice of the art of imitating pictures in Needle-work, which has been brought to greater perfection during the eighteenth century than ever before. In very early times we read of specimens of needle-work, by the hands of celebrated females, which attracted much attention, and which were exhibited as decorations of dwellings, and as monuments of ingenious industry. But within a few years past, improvements have been made in this elegant art, which far surpass the most renowned productions of the same kind in former ages. The

The laborious and ingenious experiments made by modern artists, particularly those directed towards the recovery of the celebrated Venetian mode of colouring, have not been attended with so much success as might have been expected. Mr. WEST has been much engaged in this inquiry, but without, as yet, attaining the desired object. His colours, however, are good and permanent. The same cannot be said in favour of Sir JOSHUA REYNOLDS. His colouring, though much praised in his day, is now found to fade exceedingly. M. S. note of Mr. J. R. MURRAY.

names of several ladies might be mentioned, who have much distinguished themselves by contributing to these improvements; but among these, the genius and works of Miss LINWOOD, of Great-Britain, hold an undisputed pre-eminence. The needle, in the hands of this lady, has become a " formidable rival of the pencil." The pieces she has wrought so far transcend, both in number and excellence, all preceding attempts, that they may, with great justice, be placed among the distinguishing honours of the period under review.

SCULPTURE.

In this art, the eighteenth century, though it has produced some respectable masters, yet falls far short of those renowned monuments which do so much honour to Grecian and Roman genius. Of that portion of skill in sculpture which has fallen to the lot of modern artists, the largest share, as in former periods, belongs to those of Italy. In that country CHERACCHI, COMOLLI, CARLINI, ALGARDI, and above all, CANOVA, have been much distinguished. Besides these, ROUBILLIAC, La MOITT, CHAUDET, HOUDON, and BoIzoт, of France; RYSBRACH and FIAMINGO, of Flanders; SCHADDAU, of Berlin; BACON, NOLLEKENS, WILTON, FLAXMAN, MOORE, BANKS, and the honourable Mrs. DAMER, of Great-Britain; SERGEL, of Sweden; and a few others, in different parts of

k

j CANOVA resides at Rome. The author is informed, by Mr. MURRAY, that this artist is undoubtedly the greatest sculptor now living, and fully equal to the second class of Grecian sculptors. Mr. MURRAY, when at Rome, was often in the workshop of CANOVA, and declares, that, on comparing a statue of Perseus, executed by him, with a casting from the Belvidere Apollo, placed in the same room, the former suffered very little by the comparison.

Mrs. DAMER is the first instance, in the annals of sculpture, of a fe male attaining distinction in this art. Some of her works do her great

honour.

Europe, have attained, within the period in quesa tion, considerable celebrity.

The art of taking human likenesses in Wax, though not absolutely peculiar to the eighteenth century, has been carried to a degree of perfection during this period, which was never before known. In this art, Mrs. WRIGHT, an ingenious American lady; Mr. GOSSETT, and his nephew, of GreatBritain; and several others on the continent of Europe, have gained very honourable distinction.

The various compositions for Busts and other kinds of statuary, which modern genius has invented, are worthy of notice in this brief sketch of the peculiarities of the last age. Those, in particular, by WEDGEWOOD and BENTLEY, of GreatBritain, are entitled to the highest praise. Modern artists are also distinguished above all others by the facility and accuracy with which they take copies of antique specimens of sculpture in common plastic materials. The utility as well as elegance of this mode of multiplying the monuments of ancient genius make it worthy of being noticed among the honours of the eighteenth century.

In France a new method of representing the human figure has been lately adopted. GUIRHARD and DEHL, of that country, in 1800, completed a human figure in Porcelain, of four feet high. This is probably the largest made of the same material ever seen. They can, however, still magnify them to the size of life. The advantages to be derived from adopting this kind of statuary, are durability, cheapness, and expedition and ease of production. Porcelain is as hard as silex, and less liable to injury than marble. These figures may be prepared in a mould, by which means the statues of great men may be multiplied with little labour and at a small expense.'

I GARNETT's Annals of Philosophy, &c. for 1800.

Mr. JAMES TASSIE, of London, with a view to the further advancement of the imitative arts, has discovered a method of transferring the figures and heads of antique and modern engraved gems into coloured glass and enamel, similar to the originals in colour, durability and brilliancy. This has been pronounced by some connoisseurs to be a discovery of great value for perpetuating the works of miniature sculpture. By means of it, many remains of ancient genius which were lost to the world, in general, may be universally diffused in all their original beauty and excellence."

Towards the close of the century under consideration, a collection was made, in Paris, of all the Monuments of Sculpture which France could afford, from the eighth to the eighteenth century, and arranged according to the order of centuries. This is the first, and the only collection of the kind ever made. It is the only school in which the progress of sculpture during the middle ages can be advantageously studied."

ENGRAVING.

This art, which was not known prior to the middle of the fifteenth century, was brought, in the course of the eighteenth, to a degree of refinement and perfection which forms one of the signal honours of the age. And although some specimens of this art, of a very early date, display the spirit of the painting they were intended to copy, with

m Monthly Magazine, Lond. vol. vii.

n Description Historique et Chronologique des Monumens de Sculpture, reunia au Musee des Monumens Français; par ALEXANDRE Lenoir.

• The ancients, it is true, practised engraving on precious stones and chrystals, with very good success; but this is rather a species of sculpture. The art of engraving on plates of metal, and blocks of wood, from which to take prints or impressions, was not known till the period above mentioned.