Portrait of Noel Desenfans, Esq.
Northcote.

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian,
Guido.

Head of an Old Woman, D. Teniers.
Head of an Old Man. D. Teniers.
Portrait of Mrs. Siddons in the Cha-

racter of the Tragic Muse *, Sir J.
Reynolds.

Two Saints, L. Caracci.

The Virgin and Child, Correggio.
The Virgin, Christ, and Saint John,
A. Carucci.

Salvator Mundi, Guercino.

The Judgment of Paris, A. Vander-
werf.

Assumption of the Virgin, Murillo.
A Cardinal blessing a Priest, P. Ve-

ronese.

The Adoration of the Shepherds, A.
Caracci.

Christ bearing his Cross, Morales.
The Woman taken in Adultery,
Guercino.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

SIR,-As an admirer of the Arts, I cannot but most sincerely regret that a more worthy share of patronage should not have been in this country bestowed upon that walk in them which is indisputably the highest and most deserving of patronage,-namely, the historical, or grand style of painting.

That this walk has ever in this country received not only a most unworthy proportion of patronage from those from whom patronage ought to flow, and that its advancement and encouragement in our literary periodicals has ever since the establishment of the English school of painting met with indifference and neglect, must be acknowledged by all, and to every admirer of this most intellectual branch in painting be matter of sincere and deep regret. So far indeed has the neglect in this country of historical painting been notorious, that it has procured for us the opinion on the Continent of being incapable of producing an historical painter; and while Shakspeare and Milton, and the many others who have illumined our literary annals, have shone forth so brilliantly as our countrymen, we have been adjudged unable to produce scarcely one painter of high genius or imagination.

That the want of patronage of this branch of painting is the sole cause of our deficiency in it, is at once apparent from a survey of the efforts of those of the English school in this branch, who were decoyed, or rather driven into a more futile path by the discouragements which were presented to them in the more honourable one. And we cannot but lament that such artists and such men as were Reynolds, Lawrence,

Sce Library of the Fine Arts, vol. i. p. 94.

us.

Northcote, Harlow, and many others who have flourished in this country, who were all of them capable,-had their ideas been directed to higher and nobler pursuits in the Arts than they followed,-of the most sublime and magnificent undertakings,—should be so far for ever lost to Could we imagine to ourselves, had they met with worthy encouragement in the higher walk of painting, what might have been the productions of those great men? Could we imagine to ourselves the grand and masterly performances which would have emanated from the mind of the painter of the Tragic Muse,-enthusiastic in his admiration, in his adoration of Michael Angelo, as he was, and who, at the close of a long and glorious and successful career in the department of the Arts which he had followed, breaks forth with the declaration, "that though he had followed a path more suited" (as he thought) "to his abilities and to the taste of the times in which he lived, yet, however unequal he felt himself to the attempt, were he then to begin the world again, he would tread in the steps of that great master (Michael Angelo), that to kiss the hem of his garment, to catch the slightest of his perfections, would be glory and distinction enough for an ambitious man!"

It is also obvious, from the genius in his very childhood displayed by the late admirable Sir Thomas Lawrence for historical designing and composition, although in his later historical productions he is adjudged to have fallen short of what might have been expected from him, that had his studies been directed to that higher branch in painting, his success there would have been complete; and that it was alone from the pursuit of minor objects that he became unadapted for more noble undertakings.

It affords but a "melancholy pleasure" to look back upon the efforts of those whose devotion to, and enterprise in, that higher walk in the Arts, bearing them forward against every discouragement, and through every trial, gained for them little more than the praise and pity of the few who can appreciate them,-who lived by the world unnoticed, unpatronized, and unadmired, and who exchanged with their more honourable pursuit, all the trials of want and poverty for the luxury and affluence of their taste-serving contemporaries.

Far be it from me to debase or to attempt to debase the study of portrait-painting, or to deny the intellectuality of that branch of art. Far be it from me to express in any way my indifference, that by the works of Reynolds and of Lawrence, those great characters whose forms they have immortalized should have been thus handed down to posterity, and should be presented to us in all the expression and similitude with which they have so admirably described them. But I cannot but lament

that those great ornaments to our school, who possessed so large an acquaintance with human nature, and human passions and feelings, and who were so calculated by their high endowments to express what they saw and felt, should have lived and should have died having left us, not only no fruits of their great original powers, but no proofs worthy of those powers, of what they felt and saw.

Deeply, therefore, do I regret that such has been their fortune, and that such is still the practice with regard to the discouragement and neglect of historical painting in this country. That this branch of painting is the highest, is the noblest, and is the most worthy of the patronage of a great and mighty nation, no admirer of the arts will deny. That this branch of painting ever has nevertheless met with a share of patronage and encouragement the most unworthy of it, is a reality but too well established. Whence are our exhibition rooms ever filled with common-place portraits, and landscapes, and subjects the most trifling and uninteresting? Are the generality of works there displayed of that character which can raise the English school of painting as a school of high and intellectual merit? Is it that our artists are men incapable of great ideas or imaginations, that the character of the English school of painting stands no higher than it now does? Is it not that the mean and paltry patronage that is afforded to historical painting does not afford encouragement, nay, hope of any other than discouragement and want, to those who devote themselves to the study of it? and how, unless there are those who will devote themselves to that all-absorbing study;—and how, unless a portion at least of that patronage so lavishly bestowed upon inferior subjects be shared with this most noble and most worthy of patronage of all the walks in the arts,—may we of the English school ever look forward to becoming, not the imitators of those great masters whom we must ever look up to with admiration and reverence, but their rivals and their equals, with whom we may be acknowledged worthy to be compared! I am Sir, your very obedient servant,

A CONNOISSEUR.

London, April 7th, 1832.

MR. EDITOR, Trusting that a small space in your "Library" may be allotted to the following, I venture to give you a piece of information which I conceive will be highly interesting to your readers. A short time since I was introduced, through the kindness of a friend, as a visitor to a most useful society in Gray's-Inn-Lane, called the "Artists' Society for the Study of Historical, Poetical, and Rustic Figures ;"-the meet

ings of which are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, from six to eight o'clock. I found so much pleasure in its proceedings, and was so highly impressed with a conviction of its utility, that I could not resist the opportunity of surveying its laws, and obtaining some information respecting its objects. It is composed of ten members and ten subscribers, and out of the former number is elected a President and a Committee: the office of Secretary is permanent, and is held by a most zealous and active individual, a Mr. Brough, the principal founder of the Society. Its object is to supply a clothed living figure, or group of figures in character, which is the subject of study for three evenings: the light thrown upon it is brilliant in the extreme, and reminds one strongly of the colour and effect of Sir Joshua's best pictures: brilliancy of colour and breadth of effect are the consequence of this arrangement, and must create a rapid improvement in the practice of those individuals of the Society who avail themselves (by a constant attendance) of its advantages. Some of its members are artists of high talent and reputation, numbering as it does in the list, the names of Knight, Purser, J. D. Harding, Derby, Lance, &c. &c.

I remain, Mr. Editor, respectfully yours,

X. A CONSTANT READER.

AND

LAWS RELATING TO THE SCHOOLS, THE LIBRARY,
THE STUDENTS OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS, IN
LONDON.

[We have been so often requested, especially by our country readers, to give the Rules of the different Societies, according to our original intention as stated in the "Preliminary Observations," that we accede to the request, though fearing we may hear of some objections to such an occupation of our pages. At the same time we must express our continued opinion of the propriety of introducing such information into this work.]

THE Schools of the Royal Academy are intended to provide the means of studying the human form, with respect both to anatomical knowledge and taste of design. They consist of two departments; the one appropriated to the study of the best remains of ancient sculpture, and the other to the study of living models. To these has been added a School of Painting.