1830.] 



Fine Arts' Exhibitions. 



471 



tion, this is one of not more than half-a- 

 dozen that will bear to be mentioned in 

 terms of common respect. It is a promis- 

 ing work ; there is an airiness and grace of 

 style about it, and a light vivacious mode 

 of handling, the want of which are the bane 

 of this important class of art in the present 

 day. 



No. 29. The Empty Wallet. J. Inskipp. 

 This is one of several pictures by the same 

 artist, all of which evince considerable 

 knowledge of art, power of hand, force, and 

 originality of conception ; if, indeed, that 

 can be called original, which is evidently 

 grounded on a previously-existing style 

 that of Sir Joshua Reynolds. We should 

 be disposed to say, that the little pieces 

 now alluded to, comprising Nos. 29, T\, 

 201, 225, 302, 435, are, in point of force 

 and truth of delineation, worth nearly all 

 the rest of the collection put together. Still 

 they are far from what may reasonably be 

 looked for at the artist's hands ; and what 

 they are especially deficient in, is that great 

 secret of art the agreeable. The very 

 best of these little studies (for they have 

 the air of studies merely, and can scarcely 

 be regarded as works exhibiting any com- 

 pleteness in themselves, except the two 

 least meritorious, " The Sportsman," (201) 

 and " The Legend," (225) by far the best 

 of them; and, at the same time, the least 

 agreeable) is " The Harvesters," (435). 

 But in all there is great truth of character 

 and force of style. 



No. 40. Welcome Friends. J. Knight. 

 This is, without exception, the best picture 

 in these rooms ; and it is one that would 

 have deserved particular commendation in 

 whatever company it might have appeared. 

 It represents the meeting of old (and young) 

 friends in a Highland cottage ; and the 

 conception of character and delicately true 

 delineation of that character, in the three 

 old people, are excellent ; the breadth of 

 handling, throughout, is strikingly superior 

 to that of any other artist of the day, who 

 devotes his efforts to similar scenes, Wilkie 

 alone excepted ; and, finally, the colouring 

 is clear, rich, and harmonious. The com- 

 position, however, is very defective, particu- 

 larly in relation to the principal seated 

 figure, who is taking a hearty hand-shake, 

 with one hand, and a glass of ale with the 

 other, at one and the same moment. The 

 young couple forming the right hand 

 group have little to recommend them, and 

 have, indeed, no business in the compo- 

 sition. This is by no means so good a pic- 

 ture, on the whole, as the same artist's 

 " Auld Robin Gray ;" but it has great 

 and peculiar merit, nevertheless. 



No. 55. Reflection. E. T. Panis. This 

 is a female figure, full of grace and senti- 

 ment, by the artist of the Colosseum pano- 

 rama. It is seldom that two so opposite 

 styles proceed from one hand, as that which 

 aims at mere distant effect, and that which 



works out its object by careful and elaborate 

 finishing, as in the instance before us. 



No. 74. Plunder. G. Lance and H. 

 Slons. This is among the most striking 

 and best executed pictures in the collection ; 

 but it aims at that incongruous mixture of 

 incompatible qualities, which shews either 

 a mischievous or an insufficient degree of 

 confidence in the artists who have planned it. 

 It represents a wounded and bleeding sol- 

 dier, on the field of battle, watching, sword 

 in hand, a pile of plunder, in the shape of a 

 whole coach load of gilt tankards, cups, 

 plates and dishes, &c., which seem to have 

 been just deposited on the spot, by Messrs. 

 Rundle and Bridge, while the still proceed- 

 ing battle is seen in the distance. And 

 the mischief is, that the great merit of the 

 work consists in the extremely clever man- 

 ner in which all this " plunder" is exe- 

 cuted. This is elevating into a leading 

 and distinguishing feature what should be 

 passed by with a hint merely ; or it is at- 

 tempting to invest with a moral interest that 

 which appeals to the senses alone. 



No. 139. Naples. W. Linton. The 

 artist has shewn much taste and skill in 

 depicting this favourite scene of all artists 

 this common-place of the painters' art the 

 Bay of Naples ; but if he has contrived to 

 give an original character to it, he has suc- 

 ceeded at the expense of truth and nature. 

 The scene has a formal, artificial, and clas- 

 sical air, which is not to be found in the 

 lovely original. Nevertheless, the picture 

 is one of the three or four most meritorious 

 works in the collection. 



No. 143. Interior of a Polish Synagogue. 

 S. A. Hart. There is considerable breadth 

 and force of style in this picture, and some 

 brilliant colouring. By means of a better 

 chosen subject, the artist (whose name is 

 new to us) might produce a striking and 

 original work. 



No. 161. Portrait of Marquis Clanri- 

 carde. J. Lonsdale. This is one of the 

 only three strikingly good portraits in this 

 exhibition, the others being, one we have 

 noticed above, by S. Howell (22), and a por- 

 trait of A. White, Esq., by J. Simpson 

 (197). The present work is full of viva- 

 cious truth of character, and is without that 

 crying sin of portrait-painting, an affectation 

 of unmeaning refinement, and of unnatural 

 force of intellectual expression. 



On entering the north room, we find it 

 extremely difficult to restrain the expression 

 of that almost unmingled disapprobation 

 which nearly the whole of its contents are 

 calculated to call forth. The general want 

 of merit, or rather the positive presence of 

 the direct opposite of merit, is so conspi- 

 cuous, and almost universal, that it might 

 well be deemed invidious if we were to par- 

 ticularize. We shall, therefore, merely state, 

 that we find scarcely any thing in this and 

 the south room which will bear even a mo- 

 derate degree of commendation, except a 

 pleasing Moonlight Scene, by Hofland (269); 



