568 On the Art of Painting 



Mrs. Siddons is reprefented by Sir Jofhiia in 

 the chara6ler (as it is faid) of the tragic mufe : 

 Ihe is placed in an old fafhioned arm chair j this 

 arm chair is fupported by clouds, fufpended in 

 the air; on each fide of her head, is a figure, not 

 unapt to fugged the idea of the attendant imps 

 of an enchantrefs : of thefe figures, one is fup- 

 pofed to reprefent comedy, and the other tra- 

 gedy ; Mrs. Siddons herfelf is decently attired, 

 in the fafliionable habiliments of twenty or thirty 

 years ago. 



If this be a pifture of the tragic mufe, flie 

 ought not to appear in a modern drefs, nor 

 ought flie to be feated in an old arm chair. If 

 this be a portraiture of Mrs. Siddons, fhe has no 

 bufinefs in the clouds, nor has flie any thing to 

 do with her aerial attendants. If this be Mrs. 

 Siddons in the charadler of the tragic mufe, ,the 

 firft fet of objeftions apply, for fhe is depidled 

 out of charadlcr : if this be the tragic mufe in 

 the fimilitude of Mrs. Siddons, the fecond ob- 

 jeflions apply, for Ihe is placed in a fituation 

 where Mrs. Siddons could never be. 



In the death of Dido Sir Jofliua introduces 

 her fifter lamenting over the corpfe of the unfor- 

 tunate queen — this is pofTible : bur he has alfo 

 introduced Atropos cutting Dido's hair with a 

 pair of fcilTars, a being equally real and apparent 

 in the painting with Dido or her fifter : this 

 appears to me a grofs offence againft mytho- 

 logical 



