ANECDOTES OF A DETENU. 



Antipathy of David the Painter to Wigs. I had frequent opportuni- 

 ties of visiting David during his residence at Brussels. A friendof mine, 



Mr. P , had requested him to paint the full-length portrait of his 



mother a lady nearly eighty years of age ; who, however, wished 

 to be represented in the splendid attire she wore when first presented 

 at the court of Louis XV. It is well known that David had the 

 greatest aversion to paint persons in the costume of modern times. 

 I have heard him say, that he had once intended to have exhibited 

 Napoleon, in his painting of " The Crossing the Alps/' without a 

 cocked hat, which might, he observed, be supposed to have been 

 blown off by a gust of wind ; then, said he, the fine head of the hero 

 would have been seen to much greater advantage. " I will not 

 prostitute my pencil in drawing falbalas, hoops, and powdered 

 periwigs," exclaimed David with violent rage, when my friend 

 requested him to humour the whim of the old lady; " Sir, under 

 somewhat similar circumstances I once gave great offence to Napo- 

 leon, to the Pope, to Talleyrand, and to Cardinal Caprara ; but not- 

 withstanding solicitations, and even menaces, I carried the point. 

 These are the facts : At the period of Napoleon's coronation, while 

 the Pope was in Paris, I received an order from the Emperor to 

 paint a large picture of the coronation.* I represented Cardinal 

 Caprara, the Pope's minister, bareheaded. It was, in the opinion of 

 every one, a striking resemblance ; but the Cardinal, only anxious 

 about his vile perruque, begged of me, in the most pressing terms, to 

 paint him wearing it. ' I will never consent to do so,' said I to the 

 Cardinal. ' I have depicted your head as God made it, and I will 

 not spoil his work.' The Cardinal applied to Talleyrand, who was 

 then minister for foreign affairs, and several diplomatic notes passed 

 between them on the occasion. The former insisted upon appearing 

 with his wig, and he assured the minister, that to him it was a mat- 

 ter of great political importance. The Pope alone does not wear a 

 wig ; and it might appear that, in the event of the papal chair 

 becoming vacant, he had some pretensions to fill it. Talleyrand sent 

 for me, and told me that it was the Emperor's wish that I should 

 represent the Cardinal with his wig. f I do not care,' said I, ' who 

 requests me to put on his wig: he is without one, and without one he 

 shall remain/ In order to conciliate all parties, Talleyrand sent for 

 another painter, and ordered him to adapt a periwig to the head of 

 the Cardinal. This was accordingly done. Napoleon, the Pope, 

 and Caprara, were all satisfied ; but no sooner had his holiness left 

 Paris than the wig disappeared having only been painted in colours 

 d-la-gouache, which a little water easily effaced." 



I once asked David why he placed the \ettersfac. at the bottom of 

 his pictures, instead of fee. which is used by other painters. 

 "Because," said he, " I consider no production of man to be perfect; 



* This is now at New York. 



