1829.] 



Fine Arts' Exhibitionx. 



341 



so much admire — realize, in a certain sense, 

 (though not exactly in the one intended by 

 the poet) the phrase — 



"Tongues in the trees, books in , the running 

 brooks, 

 Sermons in stones," &c. 



His trees, and lakes, and rocks, and clouds, 

 and ground — all the inanimate objects be- 

 longing to his pictures have a tongue ; they 

 speak, they hold high converse with the in- 

 stincts and associations that are within us, 

 relative to all the objects of external na- 

 ture. 153 is one of Cuyj/s exquisitely 

 glowing, yet tender and aerial works ; one 

 of that class in the production of wliich he 

 excelled all other artists that ever lived, not 

 excepting Claude himself. But what shall 

 we say to 161, Titian's Daughter, by 

 Titian himself? It is one of the most ex- 

 traordinary productions of art, in its way, 

 reversing, as it were, the laws of nature, in 

 presenting an effect almost without a cause, 

 a picture of the most striking and admira- 

 ble character, including all tlie highest pro- 

 perties to which the highest class of pic- 

 tures aspires, yet with scarcely any of the 

 appliances and means usually employed. 

 Here is no skill of conception or design — no 

 power or peculiarity of expression — no grace 

 of air or of attitude — no harmony of colour- 

 ing — no contrast or reUef, even, of any kind 

 whatever. Here is nothing but a somewhat 

 stiff and not over-refined — a sort of milk- 

 maid beauty, standing bolt upright — in a 

 green dress, with yellow hair, and a Vene- 

 tian complexion ; that is to say, not of the 

 clearest ; yet the figure catches and rivets 

 the attention from the first instant of look- 

 ing upon it, and you can scarcely get away 

 from before it, or get it out of youi: head 



when you are away, so intense is the gusto 

 with which it is executed — so resistless 

 the force of style and of execution with 

 which it is transferred, as if by a single blow, 

 from nature to the canvas. There can have 

 been no sitting or standing (for it is a whole 

 length) for this picture. It looks as if the 

 original had presented herself at the door of 

 the artist's study as if by accident, and 

 had been metamorphosed at once, by some 

 wondrous magic, from a living being into a 

 picture — yet scarcely less alive under the 

 one form than the other. It is to be feared 

 that no written criticism can convey any 

 impression of, much less explain and illus- 

 trate, this wonderful work : we sliall there- 

 fore merely add, generally, that it strikes 

 us as being tlie most extraordinary single 

 figure with which we are acquainted in the 

 whole circle of modern art. 



The only other works that we shall no- 

 tice, are two which bear, in point of mere 

 execution, a striking resemblance to, and 

 analogy with, the above ; and they, more- 

 over, offer the finest and fairest opportunity 

 we have for a long while enjoyed, of com- 

 paring together tlie powers of two of the 

 noblest painters tliat ever lived. We allude 

 to 160 and 108, each representing the sin- 

 gle figure of a INIagdalene — the first by Paul 

 Veronese, the second by Titian. For gran- 

 deur of design, and subdued force of expres- 

 sion, we know of few things finer ; but we 

 cannot help thinking, that in the first, tho 

 grandeur is artificial — that it is tinged with 

 affectation — whereas, in the second, it is 

 the pure and aliaost involuntary result of 

 that natural elevation of mind, wliich com- 

 municated itself to all things which became 

 the subject of its earnest contemplation. 



VARIETIES, SCIENTIFIC AND MISCELLANEOUS. 



German Aristocrats. — Dr. Buckland, in 

 his Reliquias Diluvianae, has given a detailed 

 descTiption and drawing of the cave of 

 Kuhloch, in Franconia. The enormous 

 quantity of black animal earth derived from 

 pulverized bones constituted its peculiar 

 feature ; and the eminent professor endea- 

 voured to explain the causes of this pecu- 

 liarity by the form and features of its en- 

 trance. In the course of June last two 

 English travellers visited the spot, and 

 ascertained the melancholy fact of the total 

 destruction of the deposit of bones in the 

 caves of KUhloch and Rabenstein. His 

 majesty the king of Bavaria having an- 

 nounced his intention to visit Rabenstein, 

 the owner of that castle has tliought lit to 

 prepare these two caves for liis reception ; 

 in order to do which he has broken up the 

 whole of the floors, pounding the larger 

 .stones and bones to the bottom for a foun- 

 dation, and spreading the earth and finer 

 particlcH to form a smooth surface over them. 

 On arriving at Kiihloch, they found thirly 

 men at work wheeling out the animal earth 



to level the inclination of the entrance, by 

 which Dr. Buckland so satisfactorily ex- 

 plained the phenomena of the absence of 

 pebbles and diluvial loam in this remarkable 

 cavern. There was not a bone to be found 

 there when they arrived — some few, how- 

 ever, were obtained from the workmen. In 

 the cave of Rabenstein they found very few 

 bones, but a great many old coins and iron 

 instruments. 



Physiology. — A curious fact has been 

 communicated to the Academy of Sciences 

 in Paris, namely, that tlie liiccough can be 

 artificially produced in animals. The fol- 

 lowing novel experiment, which the autlior 

 relates, he stumbled ujion by accident. 

 Cause a dog to fast for eight or ten hours, 

 tlien turn it on its back, and throw cold 

 water upon its stomach, and the hiccough 

 will be produced immediately. Tliis suc- 

 ceeded upon twenty-two dogs out of twenty- 

 tliree ujion wliom tJie autlior, J\Ir. Daniel, 

 operated. Tlie same result followed when 

 trial was made of calves and bidls without 

 any exception. 



