ON THE GENIUS OF JOHN MARTIN. 37 



pile of gems and gold which has been raised for their destruction. 

 This part of the picture is one of stirring and touching interest ; 

 and the artist has lavished all his powers, and nobly too, in de- 

 picting it the parting grief of Azubah the terror and fear of 

 Huzzab, the captive queen, are beautifully contrasted with the 

 firm determination and bearing of Sardanapalus himself. The 

 vast funereal pile, rising up from amidst the glare of innumerable 

 torches, and the dark shadowy figures of the priests all combine 

 to render this scene the concentring one of the whole, and gives 

 a fine finish to so noble arid magnificent a picture. 



We have heard an opinion given, and we believe on just grounds, 

 that Martin never stooped to copy a fine figure, or even embar- 

 rassed the keen and rich temper of his imagination by the study 

 of artistical anatomy. We are willing to grant that to him, this 

 might have been a matter of great drudgery, and that whilst em- 

 ployed in the acquisition of so important and essential a branch 

 of his art, he might have lost many a valuable hour in which the 

 graphic ideas of his imagination might have been employed on 

 some rich scene for another Nineveh. Yet we cannot, in this 

 respect entirely absolve him from, nor can he clearly disprove the 

 charge of, wilful negligence and ignorance, which might here be 

 brought against him, for not devoting his attention more particu- 

 larly to a branch of his art, ignorance in which is not only culpa- 

 ble, but must have proved highly injurious to him. In the 

 drawing, colouring, and attitude of his figures, he is always found 

 to fail the first is generally incorrect, the second is cold and 

 statue-like, the third is almost always unnatural. It has ge- 

 nerally been asserted, that the figure of Sardanapalus, in the Fall 

 of Nineveh, formed a great exception to the sweeping asseverations 

 which we have just made; but, for our own parts, we could never 

 be brought to give our unqualified admiration to this figure. The 

 attitude was stiff and formal, and the whole seemed to our eye to 

 glare viciously on us from the canvass. And if further proof were 

 yet required of the justness of our strictures on this point, we 

 need only refer to the unqualified censure and reprobation which 

 were heaped upon Mr. Martin's figure of Leila, in the last exhi- 

 bition of the British Institution. W T e trust, however, that it is 

 not yet too late for these great errors, which we have pointed out 

 of incorrect drawing, coldness of colouring, and unnatural attitude, 

 to be retrieved and remedied by this (in every other branch of art) 

 truly great master. 



