74 Jine arts. 'Jan. ii. 



been seen in this country. Other inferior artists have 

 imitated, him, in this respect j so that at the present 

 time, the meanest mechanic has it in his power to con- 

 template figures, on the most common implements he 

 uses, of surprising beauty and elegante. Thus is the 

 taste of the most illiterate improved. 



The portraits of Sir Jofhua Reynolds, novf generally- 

 known by every one through the medium of prints, 

 and the delicate designs of Cipriani, rendered familiar 

 by the same means, have also contributed their (hare 

 towards the forming a national taste. Owing to these 

 and other lefser causes co-operating, no nation, perhaps, 

 ever made such rapid advances in the elegant arts, as 

 Britain has done within the last twenty or thirty years. 

 BoydeWs Shakespeare. 



Thirty years ago it was retailed in every book 

 on painting, that the climate of Britain was such, as 

 to prevent her from ever being able to indulge the 

 hope that ever (he would be able to produce one 

 painter who could be deemed eminent in his profefsion j 

 and though we cannot perhaps yet boast of artists who 

 have attained, in every respect, the utmost degree of 

 perfection, yet it will be pretty generally admitted, 

 that there are at present a greater number of excellent 

 artists in Britain, or of that school, than in any other 

 country whatever. 



The superb edition of Shakespeare by Boydell, is, 

 perhaps, the noblest enterprize that ever was attempted 

 by 2X -individual in the line of the fine arts, and will be 

 t» monument to future ages, not only of the taste of the 

 times, and the stage to which the fine arts had arrived 

 at this time in Britain, but also of tlie energy that na- 

 turally results from freedom, and a perfect security of 

 property. Most of our readers probably know, that 



