574 



Fine Arts' Exhibitions. 



hct, where Prospero shews the effect of liis 

 art to Ferdinand and IMiranda, by calling 

 up tlie masque, in which Juno and Ceres 

 bless the love of the youthful pair. The 

 various parts of this scene are finely 

 balanced one against the other, and the 

 whole is embued with the true poetical 

 spirit of the original. No. 19, of the spirits 

 hunting Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo, 

 is a failure ; but No. 20, the concluding 

 scene, is equally fine with 18. It depicts, 

 at one moment of time, and by means of 

 one group, the consummation of the tale, in 

 the introduction of Miranda to the King by 

 Ferdinand, the parting of Prospero and 

 Ariel, and the thwarting of tlie schemes of 

 Sebastian and Antonio, by the discovery of 

 the lost Duke in Prospero, &c. 



"W^e have thus gone through one number 

 of this interesting work, as the best method 

 we could devise of conveying to our readers 

 a just impression of what the whole is likely 

 to be when completed. We need only add, 

 that, taking the whole fifteen numbers that 

 are published up to this time, their merits 

 and attractions are at least equal, on an 

 average, to those of the number which we 

 have examined : and we have no hesitation 

 in saying that the work, when complete, 

 will be at once the most appropriate, com- 

 prehensive, and satisfactory set of illustra- 

 tions of the plays of Shakspeare that has 

 ever been offered to the public. A number 

 of the work is published every two months, 

 at the price of twelve shillings — each num- 

 ber containing an average of 20 plates, be- 

 sides the letter-press reference to the text 

 from which each plate is taken. 



National Portrait Gallery. — Fisher, 



Son, and Co We have now to introduce 



to the reader a work of no less permanent 

 value than of immediate interest, five num- 

 bers of which have already been published 

 under the above title. Each number of the 

 work contains tliree highly-finished portraits 

 of persons who have become distinguished 

 during our own day ; that is to say, during 

 the first quarter of the nineteenth century ; 

 and to eacli portrait is appended an auto- 

 graph of the person represented, and a brief 

 but comprehensive biographical sketch : so 

 that the work, when completed, will be 

 found no less valuable as a book of reference 

 and utility, than gratifying as a collection 

 of the effigies of persons about whom every 

 one of us must have felt more or less 

 personally interested — seeing that they all 

 either have lived, or still continue to live, 

 in our own day. The biographical sketches 

 occupy from four to eiglit pages ; and we 

 are happy to add that the collection does not 

 exclude female portraits ; neither is it con- 

 fined to any particular class of persons, but is 

 intended to include all who may be fairly in- 

 cluded under the epithets of " illustrious and 

 eminent." Indeed, if we may anticipate a 

 fault in the work, (we are not sure that we 

 may not already impute such a fault,) it is 

 that of evincing a disposition, on the part of 



[^Nov. 



its conductors, to be rather too indiscriminate 

 in theirchoiceofsubjects. To mention names 

 would be invidious ; but there are two or 

 three among those already chosen whom we 

 should not have looked for in a collection of 

 this nature. It is not necessary to go 

 through, in detail, the fifteen portraits that 

 are before us in the five numbers already 

 published ; but we must add that all of 

 them are highly creditable to the state both 

 of portrait painting and of engraving among 

 us in the present day, and that several of 

 them are of a character which shews those 

 arts, respectively, to have reached a pitch of 

 excellence which has never been much sur- 

 passed in any day or country, and which 

 sets competition at defiance in our own day 

 in any other country. It is true the French 

 have some admirable engravers among 

 them ; though we doubt if they have one 

 who could produce specimens including such 

 mingled force and delicacy as are to be 

 found in the portrait of Dr. Wollaston, in 

 No. 2, and that of Sir Humphrey Davy, in 

 No. 5. But if there may be a question as 

 to the capacity of any other country but 

 England to have produced the engraving of 

 these two portraits, there can be none as to 

 the painting of them ; yet neither of them 

 is by our most distinguished artist in this 

 department : that of Davy being painted by 

 Lonsdale, and that of WoUaston by Jack- 

 son : the engravings are, in both cases, by 

 Thomson. 



^^'ith respect to the literary merit of the 

 biographical sketches appended to these por- 

 traits, it is what scarcely falls within this de- 

 partment of our work foremark on ; butasthey 

 are not of a character to require separate notice, 

 we may add, that they display all that is re- 

 quired in sketches of this kind, and indeed 

 all that is admissible consistently with their 

 plan — namely, information as to subject, 

 perspicuity in manner, and impartiality of 

 rem;rk, wherever the latter is called for. In 

 conclusion, we may add that the " National 

 Portrait Gallery" will be found a very fit 

 and useful appendage to Lodge's splendid 

 work of a similar nature. It should be 

 mentioned also, that the work is published 

 under three different forms, corresponding 

 with the different prices fixed upon it — 

 namely, in demy 8vo., at 2s. each number ; 

 in imperial 8vo., at 'is. ; and proofs, on 

 India paper, 5*. 



Great Britain Illustrated. Tilt This 



is another illustrated work of some interest, 

 twelve numbers of which have been pub- 

 lished, at the almost incredible price (con- 

 sidering its style of execution) of \s. each 

 number, containing four plates, and a portion 

 of descriptive letter-press to each plate. 

 The design of the work is, as its name in. 

 dicates, no less comprehensive that that of 

 illustrating the whole of the principal cities 

 and public and private buildings of Great 

 Britain. The designs are by AV. WestaU, 

 and the engravings by E. Finden ; and the 

 work is of a character to secure for it marked 



