^rt of Painting in France. 257 



will long retain this estimable artist. Posterity will be un- 

 able to conceive how one man could have found time to 

 make all the drawings which go by his name. The indus- 

 trious man who is endowed with genius, produces he knows 

 not how. 



His brother, known by the name of Moreau the landscape 

 painter, died a long time ago : he painted with great facility, 

 but was not alwavs careful in his works : his lone is not 

 always the truest in the world. 



Wille, the engraver, is still alivex. He is the patriarch 

 of artists, and is now 92 years old. The revolution de- 

 stroyed his fortune, and only his life was saved : if to have 

 laboured much and well, and to have done great service to 

 the arts, deserves a recompense, it is surely Wille who de- 

 serves it. He was the reviver of engraving in France, which 

 seemed to have been lost since the days of Edelinck, Audran, 

 Drevct, and others. The " Musiciens amlulam" and his 

 " Cleopatra" will always entitle him to enjoy the epithets 

 we have now given him. All that Europe can boast of in 

 point of engraving has come from his school. His leisure 

 hours were employed in designing, and generally in study- 

 ing rural scenes. 



Wille junior has done several pictures ; but for these .some 



years past he has not painted any thing : he handles his 



pencil in a most wonderful maimeri His designs in black 



'crayons are carefully done j and there are some coloured 



ones to which the same remark applies. 



La Fontaine is one of the best painters of domestic scenery- 

 Ganda would have been far forward as an artist by this time, 

 if he had not died too soon ; I am in possession of a very pre- 

 cious w'ork of his; it is his Travels in Italy, comprising more 

 than 400 studies and designs. Banks was educated by Casas, 

 and travelled in Italy for him : he excelled in water colours. 

 Laurentz designs animals very well, and seizes upon effects 

 with propriety: his pencil is astonishing. Mandewar is a 

 landscape painter; he is chiefly known for the light and 

 agreeable manner in which he works with lead pencils. Bcra 

 designs natural history well ; he is a pupil of Redoutc, and 

 he endeavours to follow the footsteps of his master. Bri- 

 R 2 janda. 



