a 805.] 



( 359 ) 



MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE FINE ARTS. 



The Loan of all ne<w Prints and Communications of Ar licks of Intelligenc* are rtquefled. 



■ ESSRS. Boydell's Shakefpeare, Bow- 

 yefs Hifl ly, Macklin's Poets, and 

 fome other great works, being coinpleted 

 tvithoiit any fimilar eftablirtiments in '.heir 

 room ; and tlie convulfions of Europe 

 having afforded i'o many facilities to luch 

 as purchafe ancient and foreign piiiuresin 

 preference to thcfe of our own living ar- 

 tiiis pielcnts but a dreary profpeft to the 

 Ergllfti prottflors of either painting or en- 

 graving. '1 hough it mult be admitted, 

 that in fome inllances our home-made 

 prodnflions were not wortliy f the fiibjefls 

 /elected from tne poet, or 'he prices paid 

 bj the employer, yet it niuft alio be ad- 

 mitted, that among a few genuine fpcci- 

 mens cf fine art, which have been con- 

 figned from abroad, there have been many 

 inteiior and damaged pi<5iuies, and many 

 fabricated copies, fmoked into aniiquity, 

 and fold at treble the prices, for which 

 A.perior piflures from Engiifli painters 

 msgl.t have been purchafed. 



To counteraft thefe alarming circum- 

 flances, the Britifh Inftituiion, now efta- 

 blifhed at whit was lately the Shakefpeare 

 Gallery in Pall-mall, embrace's a number 

 of objects thit promife efTcntial benefit to. 

 the En-g'ifli fchool. 



Tiie plan, which was printed a (hort 

 time fince, and is not we believe altered 

 in any effential paniculars, is ss. follows. 



I. The objri5l of tiie eftablifhment is to 

 facilitate by a public exhibition thefale of 

 the produ(ffion'> of Britifh artifts, — to en- 

 courage the talents of young artifts, by 

 premiums, — and by the annual application 

 of fuel) funds as may be obt.iined fcr that 

 pnrpofe \ to endeavo'ir to foini a ^reatand 

 public gnlleiy of tiie works of Britifh 

 artilis, togetht* with a few felect fpecimens 

 of the grcAC fchools. 



•L. The exhibition and the gallery to be 

 exdiifively confined to the produclions of 

 artiffs of, or refideot in the united king- 

 dom, 



3. Hilloiical pif^uresand landfcapes to 

 be the preferable lubjecfs oJ premiums and 

 of purchalcs for the gallery; but o;her 

 work^ of the above-mentioned artifts to be 

 admiffibJe, if dtemed Wiyrthy. 



4. A preference to be gven to fuch 

 ri'.tiuiea 3ii have bteii exliibiied at the 

 Koyal Academy. 



5. The ''unds to be deriveJ from bene- 

 faSions, — from an iial fuMcriptions,— 

 from fmall fees on recepion of the 

 piffures, — and commifliuns on the fale 

 of them. 



6. The members of the effabliihment to 

 be admiited in feven different chfTcb- 

 1. Benefactors of one hundred guineas or 

 moie in one liim. 2. B.iufaifors of 

 of ih'rty guine s m o f liim. ' 3. Annual 

 fubicribcrs of five guineas or more. 4. 

 BtnefaClors of thirty guine:Js in one futa. 



5. Annual f'nbicribers of three guin-^as. 



6. Benefailors of ten guineas in one fum. 



7. Annual fubfcribers of one guinea a 

 year. Thefe rulei are followed by feveral 

 others relative to the admiflion of fub- 

 fcribrrs,&c. and it is ftated that benefaflors 

 of one hundred guineas or upwards, fhall 

 have the fame privileges as the others in 

 perpetuity, and be the hereditary patron* 

 cf the eftablifliment ; and out of that body 

 the prefident and treafurer is to be annually 

 elefled ; the whole to be unffer the gcvtrn- 

 ment of a committee confifting of fifteen 

 direilors. It is further Itateci, that tb« 

 reception fees on niiTtures that are exhi- 

 bited, (hall be in proportion to the fizeot' 

 the picture, and not to its intrinfir valuer 

 and that the commifTion on tiie (ale is to 

 be one fhilling in the pound ; and that the 

 rooms are to be fhut up during the time of 

 the annual exhibition of the Koyal Aca- 

 demy. 



Several of our fii fl rate artifis, among 

 whom, we have hean', are Sir Win. 

 Beechey and Mr. Weftajl, are preparing 

 piftures for this inliitutionj and Mr. 

 James Waid, No. 6, Newman- (fieet, by 

 the advice of the Marquis of Stafford, 

 (who gave him fifty guineas for tiie rri- 

 ginal (ketch,) exhibits the picture of 7X/ 

 Lyhoya Serpent feizing its prey; the fize 

 of which is upwards of twelve ftet by 

 nine. The fame aitilt has l.nely painted 

 f')r Lord Somerville, two landfcapes, com- 

 prifing very piflureique views, taken from 

 part of his lordfiiip's eftjte in Somerfet- 

 fliire ; alfo, two dogs and a puppy, of 

 the Dalmatian bre-d, the property of 

 Capiaii) Bafliit ; this i« painted in the 

 manner o! Hondiiif, and is a moft fpirited 

 pertormance. Fiom (eeing a very capital 

 piilura of a White Horfe by Vandyke, in 



the 



