Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

Peintre-Graveur tolerably illustrated!!!-But if, thrice happy! the fairies sung at your birth, and the former is your aspiration, listen to the advice of Horam, the son of Asmar, I beg pardon-listen to the advice of him yclept by the gods-(my little girl is reading the Tales of the Genii close by my side, and my eye caught the) yelept by the gods Janus Weathercock, and by men Thomas Rugg!"

A

[merged small][ocr errors]

This bare enumeration, brief as it is, may perhaps cause some alarm to the Student, and distrust of the possibility of annexing characteristic ideas to such a Babylonish entanglement of unwonted sounds: but be of good cheer, and turn diligently the leaves of Fuseli's Pilkington (second edition, 1810), regarding as apocryphal all articles, having neither initial asterisks, nor conclusive F's. The six Discourses of the learned Keeper, (4to. 1820) will warm and elevate your fancy, and stimulate your exertions ;-and therein the second lecture is to be perpetually consulted as the most correct chart of your exhilarating voyage yet laid down.

Youth of promise! be it your first study to clear your mind out thoroughly, so that it may be a pure apartment wherein the giants of old shall have due honours. Beware of dreaming of errors in those mighty beings for, at the least, two years; and esteem it much, if in so short a pro-bation you view the shadow of their glory afar off. The great planets of modern art, under whose aspects we may always walk in safety, are these; -Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Raffaello, Tiziano, Correggio, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt. And they have their attendant stars, their moons; Luino, Gio. di Bologna, Giulio, Tibaldi, Perino, Polidoro, Primatic-writer, which have been much discio, Tintoretto, Paolo, Parmigianino, Gaspar, La Sueur, Bourdon, Vandyke, Diepenbeke, Watteau, Elsheimer, &c. (How their names relish in the mouth!) All these are components of one grand harmonious sys

tem.

"

The lights of Germany and the low countries seem to belong to another hemisphere, or if mysteriously connected, with links too fine for such poco curante eyes as mine. Their designations are hard and cramped as their emanations-Franz von Bockholt, Zingel, Israel van Mecken, Martin Schöngauer, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach, Lucas van Leyden, Burgmair, Altorfer; or, strange and preposterous;-Karl Van Mander, Bloemart, Heynz, Hans Abach, Goltzius, and Bartholomew Spranger. There were other great masters, whose inventions (truly so termed) lie for the most part buried in heavy German Biblical epitomes and translations from Livy and Josephus. Switzerland claims them, and envies Italia her Raffaello and Giulio the less, when possessing the

Let me also place on your study table the works of Sir Joshua-and trouble not your head about the futile cavillings, and the commixture of involuntary and wilful misrepresentations against that judicious and acute

seminated by hasty, half-dipped, and avowedly prejudiced persons, doubtless, with a sordid view to pull down Art from her lofty Quadriga to crawl on her belly and eat the dust of the earth all the days of her life. Blind owls and cuckoos! but we lose ourselves somewhat in making mention of their barbarous noise.

The first movement of an ardent and sincere mind on perusing the above books, will be to pant after (both metaphorically and literally) engravings from the pictures selected as most marked with the features of their respective parents, against which consummation several obstacles are arrayed. One grows from the slight touch that rather hints at, than describes and defines, the picture in 'question as where for instance a Christ's Agony," by Durer, is mentioned in Fuseli (Lectures, page 87), without any token to discriminate it among four or five representations of the same scene by the same artist. Another originates in the print-vender; who is (generally speaking) rather acquainted

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

*N. B. No connection with any person of the same name formerly at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden.

with engravers than their proto types.

During my noviciate I used to wander about in great distress, seek ing every where for what I could not find-Giulio Romanos. At last my good (nay! but bad) angel-or Bartsch, thrust me against portfolios of Bonasoni, Ghisi, Æneæ Vici, overpassed by me at least twice a day for the previous six months! Thence did they pour beyond control of my purse. The third and most insuperable let, is the depressing fact, that from many pictures (and those highly desirable) no prints whatever have been made! or so inadequately as to illustrate with the light of a dark lantern, as our friend Malowny wittily conceiteth. Perhaps the men tion of these difficulties was unnecessary, as their existence possesses cre dibility from the witness of this present paper-for truly were the pursuit

66 open to the meanest capaci ties," the herein proffered assistance would be officiously needless.

Dear reader! I assume the fact that you are a man of observation and reflection; and having ventured to lay down that proposition, I deem it not fool hardy also to assume that it has not 'scaped you, how shamefully disproportioned is the facility of rolling down hill, to the toil of straining up! Don't laugh, if you please! but apply this incontrovertible circumstance to beauty and deformity in the plastic and graphic arts. Hard to climb, and slippery, is the high-heaven-piercing tower of the former,-but easy easy-Oh! how easy to dive into the murky dungeons of the latter. In plain English, imbue and saturate your mind with the ever-varying, endless loveliness of the antique statues. Submit yourself to their influence as a child to its parents-let them again be divinities to youbrush away every pitiful doubt of their transcendent excellence,-tremble to blaspheme their celestial radiance, lest thou be thrown into the hell of Egbert Hemskerch where nought is, save the moppes and mowes, and chatterings of apes. If we would reach any worthy degree either of perception or execution in any noble art-(and what art is not noble, if understood and followed in its height?) that wretched vice of a profligate age that carping!-not

mirth-that scoffing!-must be eschewed utterly. That invention— that device-all epithets are too honourable-that TRICK of imbecile and indurated grovellers to drag down and belute in their miry pool, all that is exalted in moral principle, deep in feeling, and generously devoted in action!-Cast it out-loath and spit upon it-believing that your trusting love shall at the end work out its own reward.

Is this the chosen room dedicated to carved and painted poetry?—Very good!-Its height I take it is about fourteen feet, six inches-pity it had not three more but we must darken your windows for the space of nine feet upwards from the floor at least! Would we had a sky-light! Your carpet is too spotty and dazzling— be contented with a sober ash-grey drugget. We shall do now I fancyso let the men bring in the pedestals. Hollo! without there! (a mighty scraping and shuffling, stamping, puffing, bumping, wheezing and grunting, is heard in the hall—the door opens and various ponderosities are borne in and set down, as wrongly as usual. Janus and Collector bestir themselves with shoulder and voice, and the things are at length arranged. C. orders the men something to drink, and they retire uncouthly grateful.).

Come, Sir! the work warms, much is done, but more remains to do! (This is a clever contrivance, isn't it? Look! these larger pedestals open, and are shelved to hold all the portfolios-you will have.) The altars are ready, but where are the gods? at Mazzoni's and Papera's, I trow! “Ah! dear W. now your taste and judgment are indispensable! direct my choice, thou male mundane muse!"-Hither for such purpose am I come!-First the Deity of the Belvedere shall from this loftiest state overlook the apartment; his own consecrated temple-Royal Apollo! The unshorn Phoebus! King of the fiery arrow and tough string! Whom e'en the gods themselves fear when

he goes Through Jove's high house: and when his goodly bows

He goes to bend, all from their thrones arise And cluster near t'admire his faculties.

Homeric Hymn to Apollo.

On this low oaken couch let us spread the leopard skin whereon

Hermaphroditus is wont to recline
the inexplicable, bewildering attrac-
tion of his delicate limbs;-though
perhaps, his twin brother, surnamed
of the mattrass, may better please the
visual ray. But no!

Sweet flowers of equal bloom,
Invidious praise or blame
Shall never sunder ye!

Far be it from me to disturb those fair poppied lids with paltry technical bickerings:-sleep on in your innocent nakedness,-unconscious of gazing admiration! Sleep on in the shrine of your coy grace! God-like conjunctions, sleep on!*

And do thou! Saturnian Aphro dite! or whatever name may more delight thine ear, Cyprides, Venus, or Astarte, Cytherea with the vio let crown,-do thou, O genial queen, pour round thy son the sanctuary of thy benumbing beauty!For here, over his rest, will we erect the bending statue that enchants the world! (Where breathes the wretched man that can resist the force of Venus swimming all in gold?') Do the rap tures of Byron seem exaggerated?

There too the goddess loves in stone, and

fills

The air around with beauty; we inhale

[blocks in formation]

The following lines, by the lamented Keats, illustrate the precious Florentine gem representing this mixture of wonderous mood."

After a thousand mazes overgonė,

At last, with sudden step, he came upon
A chamber myrtle wall'd, embower'd high,
Full of light, incense, tender minstrelsy,
And more of beautiful and strange beside :
For on a silken couch of rosy pride,
In midst of all, there lay a sleeping youth
Of fondest beauty;

Sideway his face reposed
On one white arm, and tenderly unclosed,
By tenderest pressure, a faint damask mouth
To slumbery pout; just as the morning south
Disparts a dew-lipp'd rose. Above his head,
Four lily stalks did their white honours wed
To make a coronal; and round him grew
All tendrils green, of every bloom and hue,
Together intertwined and trammel'd fresh:

*

*

[blocks in formation]

the sensitive touch, the thrilling ap prehension!) who now bendest over this shallow page the rich curls of thy amaranthine hair, do thou! believe me for the honour of true natural feeling! A poet worthy of thee soon shall sing, how once of old a Grecian maid died for the love of Pythius-unseen his image, save in the mirror of great Phidias.*

I leave to learned fingers and wise hands, The artist and his ape, to teach and tell How well his connoisseurship understands The graceful bend, and the voluptuous swell:

Let these describe the undescribable,

Byron.

But we have not time to dwell on

these jewels now. I have five or six visits to make before dinner (a very common case with authors), and can but just manage to run over the contents of this list, and see if they are all right. First, the grand bust of Zeus, with deathless brow bent forward under the shade of black ambrosial curls, awfully beautifullikest to some huge hill, wood-covered! A capital cast-not at all dear at five guineas!-I see but one of the crouching nymphs (or Venuses)! We must have the other, who wards off the foliage-piercing sun-beams from her antelope eyes with the right hand, while the left compresses the water from her crinite veil!-With regard to the Antinous, I cannot bring my judgment to allow its indispensibility. Suppose, then, we exchange him for the Two Decii, as they are vulgarly called. They are more poetical, richer in suggestions. Yon bracket must be lowered a foot, to show properly that noble helmeted head of Pelides, the terriblest of men! -the loved seducer of Deidamia !

Where shall we find a light sufficiently pervading for my exquisite coquette, my alluring bashfulness, who with such ravishing affectation gathers sidelong the thin robes high

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]

Is nature now worn out ?-or wert thou always, as now, a vision of desire, the flower of a mind burning with the idea of beauty (never to be realised, but by its own faint reflection) et præterea nihil.-Frequent in my dreams of day and night do those braided locks," so simply elegant," arise as from a warm gloom, an odorous shroud. That retorted neck,-those plump shoulders,-that bosom indevirginate!

In Fouque's pure romance, The Minstrel Love, the forms of the Greek divinities (as raised up by the magician Ultramonte) interweave themselves so thoroughly with the brain-fibres of a young visionary, as to become essential to his sanity their momentary disappearance induces frightful convulsions!-I am not quite so far gone-yet I protest I know not how to pass them by even with so desirable an end as brevity.-Let us try again-The Torso of Eros, usually designated the Genius of the Capitol (at least, it is so in Volpato's Arte del Desegno). The bust of the Monte Cavallo Colossus.

Ditto of Juno, or Roma with the Diadem (engraved by Morghen and Volpato). The little Capitoline Apollo, without drapery, leaning on a stump, the right-hand raised and pressed behind the head.Item. Pallas Athenæ in the helmet with a fixed visor, impressed with a ram's head: Bust, size of life. Item. The noted group of Cupid and Psyche.—Item. The famous Borghese Vase, rough with the holy madness of the vintage. Item. The Boy extracting the

Another instance in our time. A young German (Müller) undertook to engrave the noble Madonna del Sisto, of Raffaello. Like a true disciple, he wedded his soul to the object of his choice so completely, that all faculties of mind were absorbed, and finally exhausted. He finished his labour and-died! His heart fracted and corroborate through hopeless love!-The guiltless murderess has a conspicuous place in Colnaghi's room;-but I rarely look at it :-the desolate fate of the enthusiast is too depressing for my crazy nerves!

+No one who knows any thing of any thing, can apply the above imperfect pinch of character to any statue but the misnomed Grecian Shepherdess, or Venus Kallipyga. The simplex Munditiis of Flaccus, is thus feelingly rendered by Elton,

Thorn from his Foot.-Item. Phocion. Bust-Item. The tremendous warrior of Agasias, nick-named the “Fighting Gladiator."-Item. The Little Venus, Mus. Brittan. Torso, of the highest period of art.-Item, The youngest daughter of Niobe, Bust. And finally, lastly, to conclude."-Item. The Huntress of the Ortygian groves! to whose glory and memory we will, so please you, chaunt the following Homeric hymn, venerable Chapman's version. My work always goes on better after a song! Does not your's?

Diana praise, muse!—that in darts delights→→→

Lives still a maid,and had nutritial rites With her born-brother, the far shooting sun, That doth her all-of-gold-made chariot run In chase of game, from Meles, that abounds In black-brow'd bulrushes, (and where her hounds

She first uncouples, joining there her horse), Through Smyrna, carried in most fiery course To grape-rich Claros :--where (in his rich home

And constant expectation she will come) Sits Phoebus that the silver bow doth bear, To meet with Phoebe, that doth darts trans !fer

[ocr errors]

As far as he his shafts as far then be Thy chaste fame shot, O Queen of Archery! You are now provided with a noble band of tutelaries, and I heartily envy you the virgin delight of contemplating them by lamp light, from the ease of your morocco fauteuil. But pleasures require intermission and variation, therefore it is necessary to convert that chiffoniere into a little store closet for Tassie's cameos and intaglios (or rather a se lection out of his immense catalogue). Suppose you put in the following as nest eggs they are among the finest, both in scientific drawing, harmony of composition, grace of outline (in which they stand unrivalled from the restoration of art in Italy, downwards), and masterly workmanship. To appreciate these qualities, attention must be directed to throwing them into a forcible and appropriate chiaroscuro, and the general rule is, that the light should stream over the

[merged small][ocr errors]

The enumeration below hath no allurement, but pardon it for utility's sake. I will begin, more Hesiodi, with far-heard Jove!-the sublime head of Jupiter giochus, in which I almost regard as supernatural the quality of intense observation, comparison, and technic grasp, evidenced by the junction and harmonization of opposing essences, activity and repose, the unbroken bloom of youth, and deep council of age.* Next in worth, but not in size, I rank the fragment (but a nose, mouth, and chin) of Apollo (2773). The large high breasted Minerva (1647), or rather Aspasia flattered with her attributes, a gem of unsurpassable refinement. ladium (to be studied with a magThe exquisite Diomedes with the Palnifier). Hercules (Theseus) with the Marathonian Bull. The Hercules and Iole of the Palais Pitti. Female crouching, with a laver (6266). The grand Front of Serapis, or Pluto. The dancing Bacchus (4290), justly deemed, by Mr. Cumberland, the ne plus ultra of Greek art. The portentous Sphinx (51), still and minacious as a growing storm-cloud. Heracles destroying the blood-feasting cranes of Stympalus-he kneels by the haunted lake, and looses the thrilling string on the obscene fowl, vainly beating with loud wings the air. Near the Theban hero we will place his latest friend, Philoctetes, left lonely in rude sea-girt Lemnos, wasted with lean disease, and tortured with the poison of the serpent's tooth! Squalid, naked, the miserable creature lies drooping over the putrid wound, cooling its fever with a bird's wing, a situation of desolate wretchedness too heavy for pity. Turn to one whose name has brighter associations,-dark-haired Sappho, she that felt the stings of Cupid's either arrow! the twi-flamed torch, therefore so soon, alas, burnt out! The Lesbian is placed on an

In the history of the fine arts among the Greeks, their development was subjected to an invariable law of separating, in the most rigid manner, every thing dissimilar, and afterwards combining and elevating the similar, by internal excellence, to one independent and harmonious whole. Hence the various departments, with them, are all confined within their natural boundaries, and the different styles distinctly marked.

+ Thoughts on Outline, 4to. 26 plates. 1796.

A. W. Schlegel.

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »