68 THE THREE PRESIDENTS. 



joyment derived from them equalled the present satisfaction. Our 

 countryman possesses a charm which excites the mind as vividly as 

 any of the works of the Roman, Florentine, Venetian, Flemish, and 

 Butch Schools. 18. The Strawberry Girl, is like Rembrandt, (whom 

 Reynolds took every opportunity to abuse,) but the great Dutch poet 

 of Chiaroscuro never gave the world such a dear little funny thing as 

 this. Of 16. The Sleeping Girl, 41. Robinetta, 43. The Infant Samuel, 

 44. The Laughing Girl, Robinetta carries the day, for she is a cha- 

 racter and a prettier creature than the others besides there is the bird. 

 3. Girl with a Muff; those round eyes seem to be wondering and 

 laughing at once ; wondering at the President with his palette on his 

 thumb, looking so eagerly at her, and laughing at her own situation. 

 Young painter, whoever thou art that readest these notes, attend to our 

 advice ; be not misled in thy warranted admiration of Sir Joshua by 

 his neglect of form, to undervalue the solid acquirement of drawing, 

 nor in copying his pictures, extract the dross, leaving behind the gold. 

 What wretched things have we seen done from this crowning glory of 

 the Gallery Cymon and Iphigenia ! If any person will take the 

 trouble to walk from this miracle of colour to the other extremity of 

 the rooms and look for a moment at West's Venus and Adonis, he 

 must be blind indeed not to perceive the difference between richness 

 and poverty, splendour and dulness. How beautifully is the head of 

 Iphigenia turned backward ; a fore- shortened profile, coming sharp 

 against the deep bit of shadow it throws upon the arm ! What warmth 

 and breadth does this intense shadow produce by its contact with the 

 light! This arm is wretchedly drawn, but one's eye is absorbed 

 by the colour of the flesh and forgets the outline ; a living soul 

 breathes through the glowing skin, perfect harmony lulls the mind 

 into a willing forgetfulness of partial negligence. The effect of this 

 picture is really magical: so brilliant is the body of the fair Grecian 

 maiden, that the sun struggling through the trees as if to look upon 

 her, is dim in comparison. Sir Joshua has glazed him down. This is 

 snatching a grace beyond the reach of nature ; nevertheless, the trick 

 is a fine piece of poetical gallantry. 



22. The Fortune Teller. Sir Joshua's usual feeling is not visible 

 in this picture. If he began it he certainly is not guilty of 

 having finished it perhaps young Northcote helped to spoil it. 

 Either this is a bad duplicate or Sherwin's engraving is much better 

 than the original picture ; but even that we never liked very much 

 as a composition. 19. The Death of Dido, though powerfully painted 

 and richly coloured, is not equal to the Iphigenia. Sir Thos. Law- 

 rence took the pains to trace to the original source all Sir Joshua's 

 compositions for he stole them every one as Rubens purloined 

 many, of his from Raffaelle and the Carrici, but it was to invest them 

 with an original beauty, to consecrate them anew, under another 

 sovereignty. 14. Ugolino. The Count's head is evidently painted 

 from nature. The remainder of the picture suffers in comparison. 

 One of the children is a copy of one of the young Niobes, but the 

 gaunt grey head of the famishing father, presenting a sickly focus of 

 light, is fine. Like the Laocoon, Ugolino is absorbed in his own 

 sufferings, paying no attention to his agonized family, the wild stare 



