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Art
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"Emma wished to go
to work directly, and therefore produced the portfolio containing her
various attempts at portraits..."
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Art
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"Emma wished to go
to work directly, and therefore produced the portfolio containing her
various attempts at portraits..."
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| Art Forgeries | Portrait Painters | ||
| Gainsborough (anecdote) | Visiting Angelique Kauffman | ||
| Miniature Portraits (advert.) | Visiting Benjamin West | ||
| Painting for sale (advert.) | Your Worst Nightmare | ||
Visit with Angelique
Kauffman
(from the Grand Tour of Katherine Wilmot, France/Italy 1801- 03)
April 17th, 1803, Rome. Place d’Espagne, Hotel Pio.
You may imagine us for hours together rooting like moles in the bowels of the earth, or visiting thousands of palaces full of fine paintings, or walking through galleries or sculptured gods, goddesses, heroes and heroines. In short, since the creation of Rome to the present day, as far as vestiges can represent reality, you may fancy us each minute passing from century to century, from Paganism to Christianity, from Jupiters to Crucifixions, from Heroes to Saints, from Rhea’s Sylvias to Virgin Marys, from Pantheons to Vaticans, and so on, in such perpetual succession that you will begin to forget that I too am not cut out of a block of marble.
So much of sculpture have I passed through, and so much of admiration have I experienced that, If wonder had any petrifying powers, I might long since have turn’d into stone. Indeed I suspect this metamorphosis did take place, and but for a visit I paid to Angelique Kauffman, I might have remain’d so till doomsday, but her promethean influence which animates everything she touches, tingled me into existence once again, nor can I think of her without a flash of admiration such as her nature is calculated to inspire, independent of the talent which has rendered her name so celebrated.
She allows us to sit with her often in the mornings, as her delicate state of health makes confinement necessary. Her appearance has so much more of mind than body, that one forgets she is more than half way past to another world, which seems anticipated in her countenance, tho’ view’d through so much fancy that genius counteracts her piety and in advance she seems a mythologic heaven reflected in her imagination. Her delightful mildness of manners and sweetness of voice soothes one like the effect of plaintive musick, and the pale transparency of her complexion, one attributes less to her declining health, than to the idea that no other light has ever shone on her, but the silver beams of the moon.
She speaks when you like of her profession, but it is so secondary an object in one’s visit to her house, that we forgot to ask for her pictures till the third time we were in her company. She still continues painting, tho’ but slowly, and she seems highly consider’d amongst modern artists. One of her pictures of the latest invention, is The Parting of Cariolanus and his Family, which is extremely beautiful in the design as well as in the execution. However, in general, portraits are what occupy her pencil, and more her pencil than her genius.
Art Forgeries
(from Ackermann's "Microcosm of London", vol. I, 1809)
The late edict of the emperor for selling the pictures of which he has despoiled the convents, will be a very fortunate circumstance for many of the artists in this country, whose sole employment is painting of old pictures; and this will be a glorious opportunity for introducing the modern antiques into the cabinets of the curious.
A Most indefatigable dealer, apprehensive that there might be a difficulty and enormous expence in procuring from abroad a sufficient quantity to gratify the eagerness of the English connoisseurs, has taken the more economical method of having a number painted here. The bill of one of his workmen, which came into my hands by an accident, I think worth preservation, and I have taken a copy for the information of future ages. Every picture is at present most sacredly preserved from the public eye, but in the course of a few months they will be smoked into antiquity, and roasted into old age, and may probably be announced in manner and form following:
To the Lovers of Virtu.
"Mr.---has the heartfelt pleasure of congratulating the lovers of fine arts upon such an opportunity of enriching their collections, as no period, from the days of the divine Apelles to the present irradiated era, ever produced; nor is it probable that there ever will be in any future age so splendid, superb, brilliant, and matchless an assemblage of unrivalled pictures, as he begs leave to announce to the connoisseurs, are now exhibiting at his great room in--------; being the principal part of that magnificent bouquet, which has been accumulating for so many ages, been preserved with religious care, and contemplated with pious awe, while they had an holy refuge in the peaceful gloom of the convents of Germany. BY the edict of the emperor, they are banished from their consecrated walls, and are now emerged from their obscurity with undiminished lustre! with all their native charms mellowed by the tender softening pencil of time, and introduced to his emporium of taste! this favourite seat of the arts! this exhibition-room of the universe! and need only to be seen to produce the most pleasing and delightful sensations.
When it is added, that they were selected by that most judicious and quick-sighted collector, Monsieur D________, it will be unnecessary to say more; his penetrating eye and unerring judgment, his boundless liberality and unremitting industry, have insured him the protection of a generous public, ever ready to patronise exertions made solely for their gratification.
N.B. Descriptive catalogues, with the names of the immortal artists, may be had as above."
"THE BILL"
| Monsieur Varnish, | To Benjamin Bistre, |
Dr.
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| To painting the Woman caught in Adultery, on a green ground, | £ | ||
| by Hans Holbein..................................................................... |
3
|
3
|
0
|
| To Solomon's wise Judgment, on pannel, by Michael | |||
| Angelo.................................................................................... |
2
|
12
|
6
|
| To painting and canvass for a naked Mary Magdalen, | |||
| in the undoubted style of Paul Veronese.................................. |
2
|
2
|
0
|
| To brimstone for smoking ditto............................................... |
0
|
2
|
6
|
| Paid Mrs. W________for a live model to sit for Diana | |||
| bathing, by Tintoreto.............................................................. |
0
|
16
|
8
|
| Paid for the hire of a layman, to copy the Robes of | |||
| a Cardinal, for a Vandyke..................................................... |
0
|
5
|
0
|
| Portrait of a Nun doing Penance, by Albert........................... |
0
|
2
|
2
|
| Paid the female figure for sitting thirty minutes in | |||
| a wet sheet, that I might give the dry | |||
| manner of a Vandyke............................................................ |
0
|
10
|
0
|
| The Tribute Money rendered with all the exactness of | |||
| Quintin Mestius, the famed blacksmith of Antwerp................ |
2
|
12
|
6
|
| To Ruth at the Feet of boaz, on an oak board, by | |||
| Titian.................................................................................. |
3
|
3
|
0
|
| St. Anthony preaching to the Fishes, by Salvator | |||
| Rosa.................................................................................. |
3
|
10
|
0
|
| The Martyrdom of St. Winifred, with a view of | |||
| Holywell Bath, by Old Frank.............................................. |
1
|
11
|
6
|
| To a large allegorical Altar-piece, consisting of Men | |||
| and Angels, Horses and River-gods; 'tis thought | |||
| most happily hit off for a Rubens......................................... |
5
|
5
|
0
|
| To Susannah bathing; the two Elders in the back | |||
| ground, by Castiglione....................................................... |
2
|
2
|
0
|
| To the Devil and St. Dunstan, high finished, by | |||
| Teniers.............................................................................. |
2
|
2
|
0
|
| To the Queen of Sheba falling down before Solo- | |||
| mon, by Murillio................................................................ |
2
|
12
|
6
|
| To Judith in the Tent of Holofernes, by Le Brun................. |
1
|
16
|
0
|
| To a Sisera in the Tent of Jael, its companion, by | |||
| the same.......................................................................... |
1
|
16
|
0
|
| Paid for admission into the House of Peers, to take | |||
| a sketch of a great character, for a picture of Moses | |||
| breaking the Tables of the Law, in the darkest | |||
| manner of Rembrandt, not yet finished.............................. |
2
|
6
|
Mr. URBAN,
NOtwithstanding the rapid progress towards perfection which the fine arts have lately made in this kingdom, I cannot, as an Englishman, but greatly lament our manifest inferiority in this respect to the countries around us. The Italians have long been considered as our superiors in general; in most instances the French are something more than our rivals, whilst in some walks the Germans have borne off the palm. Were I to descend to particulars, it would, I know, be immediately asked, What country can boast an equal to Reynolds or Romney? Very far be it from me to detract from the merit of these admirable masters! But, though I would give them every praise that is their due, yet have they not, in portrait-painting at least, carried the love of ornament to excess. The chief value of a portrait is to represent a friend, not in a fictitious or imaginary character, but in the simple undress of life, when his sentiments show forth from his heart, and his countenance expresses the lineaments of his soul. The language of poetry may be endured on the stage, and its heroes be allowed to appear at a mast; but we love to converse with our friends in plain prose, and to see them in their proper persons. Though I should be ridiculed for my opinion, yet I cannot bet prefer the faithful portraits of ANTONY GRAFF, to all the historical ones I have hitherto seen.
And as I have mentioned the portraits of this excellent painter, I cannot forbear observing that the prints from them by BAUSE, particularly those of Ernesti and Spalding, possess uncommon merit. That happy union of truth, sweetness, and spirit, by which they are distinguished, may perhams have been equalled, but, I think, not excelled. Heads of the present German Literati are but little known in England, but may be met with, I believe, At Mr. Payne's in Pall-Mall.
X
June 19.-- I have this morning called on Mr. West. I found this indefatigable man in his painting-room with his pallet on his thumb and his pencil in his fingers. I was conducted to this apartment through a long gallery of statues and paintings, the very appropriate decorations of the hall of a great master. In the room where Mr. West was, were many fine paintings. I was particularly struck with one which represented Phaeton s soliciting the reins of the solar chariou; the hours, in the form of beautiful women ,are leading out the impetuous coursers, to harness them to the chariot of the golrious luminary, while he is pouring out a flood of light on the opening heavens, and on the gods, who are assembled to witness this enterprise of youthful temerity.
There was another, representing our Saviour at the last supper. In the mild resignation of his countenance you may read, "not my will, but thine be done." A third exhibited Cicero, with the magistrates of Syracuse, ordering the tomb of Archimedes to be cleared of the shrubs and tress with which it was overgrown. But I may betedious while I give only a faint impression of the beauties which must have their access to the heart through the eye.
Mr. West received me with much kindness, and conversed with the most engaging freedom. He seems to be engrosssed by his profession, and it is easy to see that the state of the fine arts makes a very conspicuous figure in all his estimates of national improvement.
He spoke in the highest terms of Trumbull. "His sortie of Gibraltar (said he) was done in this room; it is a great production--it is one of the great things of modern times. Trumbull has fine talents for painting, and he adorns them by the most finished manners."
Bath, May 10, 1785.
To C H U R C H W A R D E N S
A Large and Capital PICTURE, designed for an ALTAR-PIECE, representing the EASTERN MAGI making their offerings to CHRIST. This picture, by a mistake in the measure, is on the Proprietor's hands;( having painted another for the church it was intended for). It is esteemed a capital performance both for the grandeur of the design and effect, and any church it will suit.
Further particulars may be known of Mr. WILLIAMS, Portrait and Landscape-Painter, No. 2, Westgate-Buildings; where that picture, with many other capital paintings may be viewed any time during day-light.
N.B. An ingenious Youth is wanted as a pupil. He must have made some progress in drawing. He will have have an opportunity of being instructed in any branch of the art he may be particularly inclined to.------Enquire as above.
PICTURES in CRAYONS on IVORY and
in WAX
The GENTLEMEN that take Likenesses in Miniature Profyle, at No. 64, Dame-street, present their grateful Respects to the Nobility and others that have honoured them by sitting for their Pictures, inform them that they paint with Crayons and on Ivory in a Manner hitherto unknown, which for Cheapness and Certainty of Likeness cannot be paralleled in this or any other Kingdom. Half an Hour's sitting insures a Likeness.
*** Also, Likenesses modelled in Wax by the only PUPIL the late ingenious and much regretted Mr. Cunningham ever had. Demonstration will prove the Artist's Abilities.
The several Specimens to be seen. No. 64, Dame-street, between
Crow-street and Temple-lane.
This artist dined one day at Abel's, the musician, where the company drank very freely. Although much intoxicated, Gainsborough insisted on going home alone. It being late, and dark, in his way thither, he fell upon the pavement, and, being unable to rise, he lay till he fell asleep. One of those unhappy beings who earn a wretched subsistence by nocturnal prostitution, seeing a man of respectable appearance in that situation, from motives of compassion, with assistance, placed him in a coach, and, having taken him to her lodgings, put him, insensible, to bed. In the morning Gainsborough awoke, amazed to find himself in a strange room, with a woman, to whom he was unknown, and ignorant of the manner in which he got there. He now began to reflect on his situation, and, getting silently out of bed, examined his pockets, when he found his pocketbook with its contents gone, and also his gold watch. Alarmed for the loss of these, and doubtful how to act, he got again into bed. In a short time after, the woman awoke, and finding her guest restless, and apparently uneasy, inquired the cause. He told her of his loss, and that in the book were bills to the amount of four hundred and thirty pounds, which he had received the day before. She told him the book and watch were in her possession, and then informed him of the manner of finding him, and the following circumstances: It was her misfortune, she said, to be connected with a young man of bad habits and disposition, who, had he returned the preceding night, as she expected, would have robbed him of everything valuable. After pressing him to breakfast with her, she returned him his property. Mr. Gainsborough very generously gave her the thirty pounds, and having politely thanked her for her care and attention, departed. He continued a friend to this woman till her death.
The Professorship of Painting in the Royal Academy, which had become vacant by the resignation of Mr. Tresham, has been resumed by Mr. FUSELI, who has been lately giving some very learned and ingenious Lectures.
