100 



Fine Arts' Exhibitions. 



[|JuLY, 



is the person represented : we feel it enough 

 to know tliat he must have been one bent, 

 like another Atlas, beneath a world of 

 human thoughts and contemplation. 



The female portrait is equally character- 

 istic, and full of intellectual expression ; 

 but the expression is that of feehng, not of 

 thought — as it is in every case of female 

 character as exhibited in a painted portrait. 

 These two noble works are wliole lengths, 

 and nearly the size of life. Nos. 29 and 59 

 are two exquisite examples of Claude : — the 

 liret, though very imperfect, is fuU of truth 

 and beauty ; but the second, divine. 

 Among the other landscapes in this room 

 may be named, as pecidiarly worthy of a 

 studious attention, 25 and 40, both by Cuyp ; 

 the first, exquisite for the artful simplicity 

 of its composition, and the second, pecuhar 

 for tlie elaborate beauty of its details. 

 No. 48, The Virgin and Child, is one of 

 those singular productions of Murillo, the 

 very merits of which are their sole defects. 

 The staring and bare truth of the A-^irgin 

 and the Child in this picture are wonderful ; 

 bur they are, at the same time, as disagree- 

 able as they are inappropriate. 



Passing by a noble picture of St. Francis, 

 by A. Carracci, (CO), and a grand Holy 

 Family, by Camillo Procaccini, (61), we 

 reach the only two other works in the north 

 room that call for particular mention from 

 us : these are (71), a little picture by Carlo 

 Dolce, which, with all tlie faidts and affecta- 

 tions of his style, exhibits an intense and 

 passionate feeling for natural expression, 

 and great skill in depicting it ; and (73), 

 Portrait of a Lady, by Rembrandt — a work 

 ■which, for an almost miraculous truth and 

 veracity of character, added to an extraordi- 

 nary degree of individuality, we liave never 

 seen suqiassed, and rarely equalled. This 

 wonderfiil portrait may be looked upon as 

 one of the chiefgemsof the collection. 



In the middle room we meet with some 

 exquisite landscapes. That by Hobbima, 

 which includes a Church, (80), is one of 

 tlie most exquisitely natural and unaffected 

 works of the most natural and unaffected 

 of all the old landscape painters. The 

 beauty of Hobbima's scenes to an English 

 eye, and of this one in particular, is, that 

 you can scarcely believe the scenes they 

 represent to be other than English. AVhere 

 the artist found them, out of England, we 

 are at a loss to imagine. It is certain that 

 he would be troubled to find them any 

 where else noiv. 



Near the exquisite landscape just named, 



hangs one of the very finest of Titian's por- 

 traits, and one the subject of which renders it 

 singularly valuable and interesting ; we 

 mean (83), a Portrait of Ignatius Loyola. 

 There is a steadfastness of purpose in this 

 face, and at the same time a far-darting 

 look about the eyes, which is singularly 

 fine and characteristic. 



But what an exquisite contrast do we 

 meet with to this picture, (and to almost 

 every thing about it, except the pure scenes 

 of external nature,) in Murillo's St. John, 

 (87). This is a picture vying with any 

 thing we are acquainted with for purity and 

 sweetness of character, no less in the 

 expression than in every other quality — the 

 handling, the coloiuring, the composition, 

 the conception. 



Close beside these divine works hangs the 

 charming landscape by Gainsborough that 

 we noticed at the outset, and another 

 curious and most interesting specimen of 

 the same master — a copy of the celebrated 

 picture of the Pembroke Family, by Van- 

 dyke, at M'ilton House. 97, a Portrait of 

 a Venetian Senator, offers another striking 

 contrast to the two or three last-named, in 

 all its features. In noble severity of style it 

 is a worthy companion to the Ignatius 

 Loyola noticed above. 



The only other work our limits will per- 

 mit us to notice this month is (HO), " A 

 Shepherd with a Lamb," by Spagnolette. 

 It is long since we have seen so noble a pic- 

 ture by this noble and in all respects 

 admirable artist. There is a vigour and 

 spirit in the handling, a serene beauty in 

 the colouring, and a grand simplicity in the 

 composition and expression of this picture, 

 wliich cause it to rank among the finest in 

 the collection. 



Wt shall conclude our notice of this ex- 

 hibition next month. 



Portrait of Mrs. Arbuthnol. — This 

 fifty-fifth number of the portraits in La 

 Belle Asseinblic, tliough not so elaborate 

 in execution as many which have pre- 

 ceded it of the same series, will, by many, 

 be esteemed worthy to rank among the best. 

 There is a bland simplicity and nature about 

 the character which is very striking, and which 

 forms an agreeable contrast to the fashion- 

 able blandishments of many of the portraits 

 which have gone before it in the series. The 

 original is by Sir Thomas Lawrence, and 

 the engraving by Giller, in mezzotint — a 

 style well adapted to Sir Thomas's works. 



