THE 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 



No. 137.] 



JANUARY 1, I806. [6 of Vol. 20. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



A T the preftnt period, when Britifli 

 j[\V valour has fo much to claim fiom 

 BriJfh gratitude ; when many fiunptiious 

 moniiments atteft net only the liiserality 

 of the pubic, hut a refpeft and a dawning 

 tal^e for the fine-arts; I am induced to 

 offer a few hints and obfervalions, in the 

 hope that they may not be found wholly 

 ur.interelUiig to youc readers, or foreign 

 to the caufe of good tafte and found criii- 

 cifm . 



What IS fo attraflive to the imagina- 

 tion as the memorial raifed to a great man 

 by his adniiiing country ? Generous ap- 

 plaufe is the true ftimulus of noble minds j 

 tie infpirer of that heroic enthufiafm, 

 which, proudly annihilating ail felfifh 

 confiderations, enamoured v.-jth danger, 

 has no eyes, no ears, no apprehenfions, 

 but for glory. 



•* Defire of praife firft broke the patriot's reft, 

 - And made a bulwark of the warrior's breaft." 



Monuments are the appropriate rewards 

 cf virtue, the cheap defence of rations. 



But, to the artilt, fubjcds of this kind 

 are furrcunded with peculiar difficulties ; 

 he is embariafled with coftume, reftrained 

 with portrait, and betrayed into the frigid 

 wikls of allegory. 



Of what nature fhoulJ thefe monu- 

 ments be ? What fhould they contain ? 

 — It is natural to expeff, in the firft 

 place, to find the effigies of the hero ; 

 grati;ude loves to perpetuate the traits of 

 the countenance, as wtl! as the aftions of 

 the life and the charafter of the mind. — 

 But a fingle figure is not fufficient ; we 

 require a group to give mafs and dignity 

 to the monument 5 fymbols to explain the 

 motives of its ereftion, the profefiion, and 

 afti«ns, of the object : befides, that a 

 portiait-ftatue is an ungrateful fubjcft to 

 the artift. The allegory fliowld be clear 

 end (imple ; a fabh; which ftrikes at a 

 glance, not an enigma to be dtcjphercd j 

 uniting the figun;s in one confident K^tion, 

 and concentrating the interelt arimnd the 

 hero. 



Monthly Mag No, 137. 



A monument lately erefled in St. Paul's 

 cathedral to the memory ot IVIaioi -Gene- 

 ral Duudas, will afford a fubjecf of com- 

 ment. Here we oblerve Britannia, known 

 by her ufuai fymbols, who crowns a buit 

 of the warrior : fb far a.l is plsin and in- 

 telligible. But whai- are we to thirk of 

 another fiauie, a female, who is iianding 

 befide Eiitaniiia, and regards with tarneft 

 attention a plant which flic holds. . A 00- 

 taniit might perhaps dilcover that this 

 platit is the mimofa pudica, liie (tindtiv^- 

 plant ; and, this being a tolerable tmblein 

 of (eniibility, misht i;iler that the figure 

 peilb'ifies that quc^jity. Tnus toeexpia-- 

 cation Oi the defign leenis to be, that Ba- 

 tannia, promjted by Seniibility, dec rates 

 the buft <if the hero ; but what a frigid 

 and flimfy iill^gory is this? Unltfs Bri- 

 tannia were fenlible to the merit, and 

 grateful for the fervices, of the warrior, 

 would fne raife his monument, and in- 

 wreathe his image ? i hen why is thij 

 unmeaning figuie introddced ? But, leav- 

 ing the confideration of the defign, let us 



iee how the artili has treated liis idea 



Britannia crowns the bull ; and Stnlib.Iity, 

 what dees flie do ? Why, nuly, uiiinov- 

 ed in tiic- preitnce of the oivinl'y, regard- 

 lefs of the hero, her temper fyupaihies are 

 engaged in coiiteinplatmg a plant. Oh 1 

 exquifite erablrm of the clafs of lentimen- 

 tahlh, who, with " feelings ;ill ;V,o deb- 

 caie for ule," can fympathize in any thing 

 but manly virtue and iv.iinly A.lFmi g. 



The introduction of a bufi or mid llir.n 

 among cmplete figures apjears to me an 

 incongruity which iSellroys illiifion. Tn.s 

 pofiticn I fee! difficult to exp ain, but will 

 endeav.ur to illuiirate. Scuiptuic, tiiough 

 it imitates with complete leniiiy the ob- 

 jefts it leprel'ents in foim, yet departs fu 

 widely fr.Ki) them in colour, that g.e^t ait 

 u nicefiaiy to fupportthe iliulion required 

 wPeii figures arc grouped and put inio ac- 

 tion, rhe ancients were lb ienlible of 

 the want ofillufion in ft'.ilpiurc, that they 

 freqiienily inlaid the eyes, and cclouicj 

 the checks, of their (taioes ; a pra6tice 

 vhich appears 10 us Ufcoutji, »nd i yen 

 3 ^ Uibaioiii, 



