cipally in shadow, had it not been for a powerful reflexion from a strong light on the breast, which throws it into half-tint ;—and such a half-tint! Never was canvas enriched with a tone more warm, tender and harmonious. So thoroughly concealed however is the art, that it is probable many young painters, not aware of the complication of means of which that delicious tone is the result, will fancy that any body may do the same thing. We would address to them the significant monosyllable with which Mr. Grattan replied to a gentleman who was depreciating Jephson's dramatic talents, and declaring that any body could write such a play as the Count de Narbonne.—“ TRY!” The subordinate parts of this charming picture are freely and delightfully executed; and essentially contribute to the impression made by the whole, which is as cheerful, and has as genial an influence on the feelings, as one of the late sunny mornings after many months of wintry cold and gloom. It seems that the inhabitants of Antwerp were much enraged when they discovered that they were about to lose the ornament and glory of their city. We do not wonder at their vexation. Above three thousand guineas were given for the Chapeau de Paille by an English gentleman of the name of Smith. Had it cost three millions it would not have been too much--Money! What has so base a thing as money in common with the splendid works of genius? What is their sole equivalent?-The admiration, the respect and the gratitude of the countries which they render illustrious. INTELLIGENCE RELATIVE TO THE FINE ARTS, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, FOREIGN. Paris. Two eminent artists, Messrs. Bouton and Daguerre, have been conjointly endeavouring to enlarge the sphere of the application of oil-painting, or thus increase the objects to which oil-painting is at present applicable. Mons. Prevost justly acquired celebrity by his invention of the Panorama, and Messrs. Bouton and Daguerre will acquire equal fame by the invention of the Diorama. It must, however, be confessed, that the Diorama owes its existence to the Panorama. The inventer of the Panorama transports the spectator to the middle of a fine landscape or of a celebrated city, and places him on an elevated situation from whence his view has no other boundary than the horizon. The inventer of the Diorama presents to the spectator the interior of a great building, or the view of a fine valley, but after he is seated and has beheld what was placed before him, there is nothing further for him to see. At the Panorama the spectator changes his position, and views the numerous objects from the spot in which he stands, and the word Panorama is indicative of a general view. The word Diorama, derived from the same language, signifies a spot from which only two views are to be seen, and the spectator beholds but two objects which the inventer has had ingenuity enough to vary. In their other principles the Panorama and the Diorama are nearly the same, or differ only in the following particulars. In the Panorama, the painting is circular, the spectator is in the center, and he arrives at his position by passing under the picture, and not by passing through it, and the light on the canvass appears strong to him in consequence both of the darkness of his position, and of the darkness of the passage through which he has passed to it; and finally, in order to give the proper effect of distance, a dark cloth generally extends from the place where the spectator stands to the bottom of the painting. In the Diorama, the spectator ascends a staircase lighted by one solitary lamp, and enters a round space handsomly decorated, and divided into a pit and boxes. This space or hall receives the daylight from the top, moderated by a beautiful blind. The spectator then looks through a window, and the view is the interior of Trinity Chapel in the Cathedral Fine Arte of Canterbury; the hall in which the spectator is placed then changes of itself, and the spectator finds himself opposite another window, from which he beholds the valley of Sarnen, in the canton of Underweld, These two views are each 80 feet by 45, they are lighted from the side as well as the top, and the effect produced is perfectly natural. The view of the chapel is a chefd'œuvre, Monsieur Bouton being so celebrated in the academy for his interior of buildings. The view of Sarnen produces a greater variety of effects; the light of the sun glittering upon the lake in the centre of the valley, and glowing upon the snow on the tops of the mountains, form the body of the picture. Presently the clouds obscure the heavens, the lake is no longer illuminated by the rays of the sun, and the snowy tops of the mountains cease to reflect its tints, when the clouds again begin to separate, and the sun successively shines upon the numerous objects of the view until the whole landscape is again illuminated by its unobstructed rays. On the right and near the spectator is a brook, forming a small cascade, the action being continued by mechanical means. Diorama has had great The at Paris, and the proprietor purposes to change the views every three months. success The celebrated statue of Louis XIV, in Paris, which was displaced on the 10th of August, 1792, was erected by the Marshal Duke de Feuillade. This nobleman purchased the ground which now forms the Place des Victoires, which was built by Mansard at the expense of the city of Paris, and the statue was inaugurated on the 28th of March, 1786, it was a pedestrian figure dressed in regal robes, and trampling upon a Cerberus. A Victory with wings, with one foot upon a globe, was crowning the statue with laurel, whilst in the other hand she held a branch of palm and olive. The group was executed by Desjar dins, and was of gilded lead. At the angles of the pedestal were four bronze figures of 12 feet high, representing slaves loaded with chains. These figures have been deprived of the chains, and now ornament the [MARCH, on façade of the Hotel des Invalides. The total height of the monument intended to replace the old is the was 35 feet. The new monument work of Monsieur Bosio, a member bronze statue representing_Louis of the Institute. It is an equestrian XIV. in the costume of a Roman emperor, with the laurel wreath his brow, and with one hand holding the bridle and with the other a baton. The statue is large and conceals the figure of the rider from bold, but the rearing of the horse exposes the horse in an unfavoura those standing in front, whilst it rearing position, or any representable or disagreeable attitude. A tion in a statue of what can be in unpleasant, and the difficulty of nature but a momentary action, is supporting a horse in the attitude of rearing has induced the artist tail and fixing it in the pedestal, to balance it, by drawing down the The statue of Henry IV. by Monwhich is remarkably inelegant.sieur Lemot was cast in one piece, the present statue is cast in three divisions. The arts have just suffered a great loss by the death of Monsieur Prevost, at Paris. This gentleman's landscapes are held in high estima tion by connoisseurs, and he was the painter of several fine Panoramas. This latter species of work provements were so he found in its infancy, but his imconsiderable, that no country can rival bis proM. Prevost's illness was long and ductions in this branch of the art. painful; he was held in high es talents render his death a subject of teem by all his friends, and his regret with every artist. Sitting of the Academy of the Fine PAINTING. Subject.-Ovid de be falling by the arrows of Apollo SCULPTURE.-The family of Nioand Dianna.-Prize won by Fr. Soand Gio Piazza, both pupils of the maini, a Swiss, resident at Milan, academy. ENGRAVING.Venus Embracing Love.-Mic. Besi, of Milan, a pupil of the Academy. DESIGN OF FIGURES.-The Funeral of Patroclus, from Homer.Vitale Sala, of Milan, á pupil of the Academy. DESIGN OF ORNAMENTS.-A Lamp for the Table, with several spouts or beaks.-Giac. Cattaneo, of Milan, pupil of the Academy. The General Council of the De partment of the Upper Rhine voted, in their last Session, the sum of 2,000 francs for the purpose of commencing the establishment of a School of Architecture. This school is to be organised by M. de Puymaigre, the prefect of the department. Twenty-four pupils are already admitted, and receive gratuitous instruction in those branches of the art most useful in the trades to which they are destined. GREAT BRITAIN. MR. WEST'S GALLERY. This splendid exhibition of the works of the late Benjamin West, Esq. P.R.S. was re-opened on the 10th instant. We have availed ourselves of the opportunity of again admiring these extraordinary efforts of genius, and were happy to find that their attraction has been increased by the addition of a room containing sixty-two drawings by this super-eminent artist. This collection is without comparison as the production of a single individual; and when we consider that it does not contain one half of the paintings which this eminent artist produced, we are at a loss which to admire most, his industry and perseverance or his transcendant talents. The drawings, which are now added to the collection, are eminently worthy of praise as works of art and more highly interesting to those who delight in tracing the greatest works of genius to their earliest source. The whole of this collection is the sole property of Mr. West's Sons excepting about twelve pictures, which belong to his Majesty. No visitor of the metropolis, who has the least taste for the fine arts or who would be thought to possess a cultivated mind, can refrain from visiting this splendid gallery of pictorial art. The drawings are vigorous forethoughts of his great and completed works; and consist of the following subjects: The Death of General Wolfe. Battle of the Boyne. Ear. Mag. Murch, 1823. R. WESTMACOTT, Esq. R.A. has in preparation for the approaching exhibition, at Somerset House, some specimens of sculpture which are expected to be worthy of his distinguished reputation. Socrates before the Judges, in relief; the figures about a foot and a half high. Horace's Dream, in relief; an allegorical and classical subject.-Cupid, a beautiful statue, which would be a worthy companion to the universally admired Psyche. Mr. Westmacott is also engaged on a stupendous vase for his Majesty, to be decorated with thick and thronging groups of small figures illustrative of our successes in the late war. The clay model is finished or nearly so; and the designs are striking and spirited, worthy of the artist and his Patron. Canova's works, engraved in outline by H. Moses..-The third and fourth numbers of this work are as creditable to the artist as the first and second. Among other subjects of classic interest, they contain the Statue of the Mother of Napoleon the back view of the Venus Victorious, Canova's own favourite sculpture-A Nymph awakened by Cupid's Lyre, the property of his Majesty Psyché, considered from the purity of the style, as one of the most Grecian of Canova's works-Theseus and the Minotaur, the earliest performance of this distinguished Venetian sculptor, whose private virtues were at par with his professional merits, one striking proot of which was displayed in his applying 3,000 piastres of rente (given to him when the Pope created him a Marquis) to the support of distressed artists. "THE CHAPEAU DE PAILLE."The following is the explanation of the name of this celebrated painting, so remarkably at variance with what is really represented:-The original one was Span'sh Huth, which means, in Flemish, Spanish hat; Span Huth, in the same language, means straw hat. The picture was so much known and talked of among the Flemish of all classes, that the above 'corruption was the consequence, probably through persons who had never seen it. The French are the cause of the misnomer, by translating it Chapeau de Paille, by which name it is, and probably ever will be, known by all the admirers of art. MR, DAY'S EXHIBITION. - In drawing the atttention of our readers to subjects in the fine arts, our object is to impress on the public mind the necessity of cultivating a taste for the purest and finest efforts of genius. It is with this view we can. not but congratulate the public on the re-opening of Mr. Day's Exhibition of specimens of the greatest masters in painting and sculpture at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. These specimens have never been previously exhibited in this country, and they are certainly examples of the purest taste, and models of imitation. Among the additions which Mr. Day has made to his collection, we noticed the following most interesting subjects. PAINTINGS.-The Circumcision, by Palma Vecchia, from the Aldobrandini Cabinet at Rome.-Solomon instructing Youth, by Giorgoni, from the Aldobrandini Cabinet at Rome. CASTS. The Colossal Group on Mount Cavallo, at Rome; an Heroic Equestrian Group cast by Canova's moulder. Melpomene, the Tragic Muse, the original of which is now in the Louvre at Paris, and is one of the most entire of ancient statuēs. The Apotheosis of Homer, formerly in the Colonna Palace at Rome, now in the British Museum.-The Horse's Head, by Phidias, from the original among the Elgin marbles in the British Museum, &c. &c. ARTISTS' ANATOMICAL SOCIETY. -On Tuesday the 11th instant, Sir Anthony Carlisle, Abraham Cooper, Esq. R.A., and R. H. Solly, Esq. F.R.S. &c. were present, C. Warren, Esq. the President being in the Chair. The Lecturer, after some preliminary observations on Anatomy, and mentioning the various branches into which it is divided, described the nature and composition of bones, with the manner in which they are articulated, and of what motions they are capable; he then proceeded to examine the members on the bones composing the skeleton, questioning them on the various parts to which muscles are connected, and in what manner they are attached, with their relative situations. Atthe close of the lecture, Sir Anthony Carlisle addressed the meeting, and expressed the high gratification he felt at witnessing the excel lent plan and manner of the society's proceedings; he also greatly approved of the method adopted by the Lecturer, and complimented him on the success which had attended his exertions. The learned professor concluded by strongly recommending the members to persevere in the course they had so well commenced, and offered his best assistance at all times in promoting the objects and interests of the society. In this opinion of Sir Anthony Carlisle the other visitors entirely concurred, and expressed themselves much pleased with the progress the society had evidently made since their visit in November last. ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC.The object of this institution, which is under the patronage of His Majesty, is to afford the best instruction to children who may evince an early aptitude for the science, and to enable them afterwards to acquire a reputable support. It purposes to receive 40 boys and 40 girls, and is to be supported by voluntary subscription, the annual subscribers to be of four classes, respectively paying 100, 50, 30, or 12 guineas each. No pupil is to be admitted before 10, or after 15 years of age, and it will be required that each pupil at the time of entrance be capable of reading and writing. Moral and religious instruction will be attended to, and the pupils will be taught grammar, Italian, writing, arithmetic, singing, the piano, and the laws of harmony and of musical composition. There will be several concerts every year, in which the performance will be by the best pupils. On days of public examination medals and prizes will be distributed, the value of which will be fixed by the members of the council. ABRAHAM COOPER, Esq. R.A. is painting the following pictures for the approaching exhibition at Somerset House. The Siege of Colchester; Lord Capel defending it for the King (Charles I.) for the Earl of Essex. A group of Draught Horses, for that liberal patron of the arts Sir John Edward Swinborne, Bart. Mr. Cooper is also painting a picture of Sir William Lambton, defending himself at Marston Moor, for J. G. Lambton, Esq. M.P. Mr. GOLDING, the engraver of the picture of the Princess Charlotte, is now employed on that fine whole length portrait of Sir William Grant, by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Mr. WILLIAM LEWIS is preparing for the ensuing exhibition at the Royal Academy, several Cambrian scenes, among which are the "Alpine Bridge," near Beddgelist and Harlech Castle, which is perhaps the most romantic for situation in North Wales. A Grove Scene, by moonlight, nearly completed, is one of the best productions of his pencil. We have been much delighted with a medallion, just finished by a young artist of the name of BAIN, from Chantrey's admirable bust of Sir Walter Scott. The resemblance is accurately preserved, and the execution is in the best possible taste, being distinguished for its breadth and simplicity, qualities which warrant the expectation of Mr. Bain's future excellence. Works of art for the next exhibition of the northern society at Leeds, which will open on or about the 15th of May, 1823, will be received from the 14th to the 23rd of April next. |