COBXEILLE, THOMAa 



CORNELIUS, PETER VON. 



Ml 



phew of declamation, without point, and founded on a false morality ; 

 their only redeeming merit U ingenuity of conitruction. 



If we now peruM the * Cid,' we shall be at a Ion to discover the 

 cans* of that enthusiasm which iU appearance created in France, when, 

 as it u mid, all Part* law Chiraene (the heroine) with the eyes of 

 Koririguc (the hero). But it must be remembered that the French 

 stage wai in a wretched ttaU before the appearance of Corneille ; the 

 piece* of hi* predeeeewn were for the most part dull and heavy, and 

 without the slightest attempt at delineation of character. The chief 

 fult found with the 'fid' by contemporary critics wu the selection 

 of the subject. Don Rodrigue. to revenge a blow given to his father, 

 kilU the father of Cbimene, hi* mistrees. in a duel ; she at fint makes 

 every effort to accomplish his death, but at length, at the request of 

 the king of Spain, marries him. It U the contention between love and 

 duty in the hrart of the heroine which is the leading feature of the 

 drama. The Aristarchua of the ' Academic ' called the lady a monster 

 of filial impiety, and said that she had no right to love Hodrigue at 

 all ; the opposite party contended th.it the preservation of her early 

 lore under ail circumstances, was perfectly amiable and femiuiue. 

 This literary battle indeed seemed rather to ba fought for the morals 

 of the heroine than the merit* of the play. Those who would wish 

 to read the charge and its answer may turn to the ' Exomen ' above 

 referred to, and La Harpe's ' Cours de la Literature.' 



The other most celebrated piece of Corneille's is ' Horace,' the last 

 act of ' (.'in na ' being reckoned a chef-d'oauvre rather than the whole 

 phiy. Fontenelle's praise of ' Horace,' for the ingenuity of its con- 

 struction, it unquestionably just. " Corneille," says he, " has but a 

 cam hat to work upon, that of the Horatii and Curiatii, aud out of this 

 canty subject be constructs a tragedy." The prospect indeed was 

 but barren, yet the tragedian, by giving Horatius a sister of the Curiatii 

 to wife, while his own sister ii (according to the old story) betrothed 

 to one of these Curiatii, nnd by dwelling on the times immediately 

 preceding and pending the combat, has thrown an interest into his 

 piece which was scarcely to be anticipated. Here indeed his praise 

 ends, for the last two acts are occupied by the murder of Horatiug's 

 sitter, and its consequence*; hence, u La Harpe justly observes, they 

 form a separate plot, totally unconnected with the preceding part of 

 the play. The father of Horatius, as an illustration of the stern Roman 

 character, i* the most commended by the admirers of this tragedy. 



The general censure passed on Cornoillu's comedies docs not extend 

 to ' Le Meuteur," which u one of his later productions, and i* an ex- 

 ceuively humorous and amusing piece. The English know it well 

 from Foote's version, the ' Liar ; ' but it was introduced into this 

 country long before the time of Foote, an anonymous translation 

 having been acted in 1685, under the name of the 'Mistaken Beauty,' 

 and a subsequent adaptation was written by Sir R. Steele, called the 

 ' Lying Lover.' 



The chief merit which i* anigned to Corneille by his admirers is his 

 dignity : they allow that Racine may be more elegant, more touching, 

 but in a ' noble ferocity ' they say that Corneille stands alone. It 

 must be remembered that when Corneille wrote, the French tongue 

 was still in an uncultivated state ; he must not therefore be taken 

 as a model of French style, his verse being often defective, and bis 

 language disfigured by barbarism*. 



Voltaire, on learning that a great-niece of Cornell!* was entirely 

 without fortune and almost without friends, took her into his house 

 at Frrney. where she completed her education, and in a few yean 

 was married by Voltaire to a captain of dragoons. Beside* giving 

 her marriage-portion, Voltaire undertook to write a commentary 

 oa Corneille, for the benefit of his prot/gc-e. The work, which wa* 

 printed by subscription, and liberally patronised by the French king, 

 the Due de Choueul, Madame de Pompadour and others, brought 

 in 50,000 francs, us an addition to the young lady's marriage-portion. 

 Voluire, though a great admirer of Corneille, wa* not blind to hu 

 (ton* fault*, which be has pointed out at full length in his ' Com- 

 nentarie*' in two vol*., bvo (voU. xlviii. xlix.). Edition of Lequien, 

 Parim, 1826. 



CORNEILLE. THOMAS, brother of Pierre, wu twenty yean 

 younger, being born in the year 1625. H* distinguished himself in 

 early life by a comedy in I-mUn verse, which be composed during hi* 

 ' i at the JeeuiU' College. Like hi* brother, be began by 

 _ the Spanish dramatists, and in the course of hi* career pro- 

 I no lee* than forty-two piece*, tragedies and comedies. Nothing 

 eoold exceed the popularity of some of hi* plays, which however was 

 but tnnsimt, as they have, with about two exception*, been long 

 forgotten. The works by which he U chiefly remembered are Le 

 Cotnte d*Es**z,' and Ariane,' both tragedies. The former is much 

 MMinJ tat the ignorance which it display* of Kngliih history. The 

 ktUri*eommeiMie<l for the character of iU heroine; here however it* 

 OMriteoda, the reet of the dramtolit permia being mere nullities. On 

 U* death of bis brother, Thoma* Corneille took hi. place in the 

 Academic, and contributed to the ' DMionnaire.' He alto asetited 

 U* friend De Vice in editing the ' Mercuri. Galoot,' a noted periodical, 

 and became a member of the Academy of Inscription*. lie died at 

 Aodelys in 1709. having .hortly before lost hi* sight. 



COIiN K.I.I is. PKTER VON, waa bora at Duawldorf, September 

 16,1787. Hi* father, who wa* inspector of the picture gallery in that 

 city, gave him a superior education, and encouraged the boy'* early 



paasion for art But he died when young Cornelius was in his sixteenth 

 year, leaving his family in straitened circumstances; and as their 

 maintenance would necessarily devolve upon the future painter and 

 an older brother, his mother wa* strongly urged to place him with a 

 goldsmith, that trade promising, it was said, a quicker and more certain 

 means of obtaining a livelihood. HU mother however resolutely refused 

 to remove him from hi* chosen profession, and the young artist pursued 

 with redoubled zeal his darling studies. He had in the academy of 

 hU native city been insti uctod in the principles of design, and he now 

 devoted himself especially to the study of the works of lUBaelle, 

 exercising himself by reproducing from memory the composition* 

 which he saw of that master either in the originals or engravings. Ho 

 was soon able to produce design* of his own which manifested no 

 ordinary power, and when he was only nineteen years of age he was 

 employed to paint tha cupola of the old church of Neuas, near 

 Duateldorf, with figure* of colossal size in chiaroscuro ; and the work 

 displayed considerable grandeur of conception. 



Having removed to Frankfurt, he there, in 1810, commenced a series 

 of designs illustrative of the Faust of Gothe, to whom he dedicated 

 the engravings. These designs gained him a high reputation ; but hi* 

 view* of art were now greatly expanding, and he resolved to proceed 

 to the metropolis of art, there to bring his ideas into comparison 

 with the chief production* of the greatest masters. At Rome he 

 united himself in the closest friendship with a kindred genius, Frederic 

 Overbeck, and the two men looking forward to the regeneration of 

 German art, a work they were destined to accomplish, lived and 

 laboured together, while they were elaborating their lofty project, 

 They were joined by Philip Veit, Schadow, Schnorr, and other not 

 unworthy associates; and the new German school fixed on itself thu 

 attention of tho artists and connoisseurs of Rome, while the friendly 

 criticisms of Schlegel, Gothe, and others, ensured for it the sym- 

 pathies of their countrymen. Fitly to embody their designs, the 

 young painters arrived at the conclusion that only fresco the mat -rial 

 of the gittnte of old whom they sought at least to emulate was a 

 suitable material. They accordingly diligently applied themselves to 

 acquire mastery over the almost forgotten art, and M. Bartholdy, 

 the Prussian consul-general, afforded the desired opportunity of 

 testing their power, by commissioning the leading members of tho 

 school to paint the walls of his villa. To Cornelius two of the frescoes 

 were assigned 'Joseph interpreting the Dream of Pharaoh's Chief 

 Butler,' and ' Joseph recognising his Brethren.' These paintiuga 

 excited so much admiration, that the Marquis Massiui commissioned 

 Cornelius to adorn his residence with a series of frescoes from the 

 ' Divina Commedia ' of Dante. Cornelius prepared the designs, but 

 before he could commence the paintings lie received an invitation 

 from the Crown Prince of Bavaria, afterwards King Ludwig, to execute 

 the frescoes in the newly-erected Glyptothek at Munich ; aud at tho 

 same time he was appointed Director of the Academy at Diisseldorf. 

 The designs for the villa of Massini, though never painted, were 

 engraved by Schoefer, and published with a commentary by Dollenger; 

 and another elaborate series of designs illustrative of the Niebeluugeu 

 Lied, also made during his residence in Rome, was engraved by Amsler 

 and Lips. Later in life the great German painter made a series of 

 designs from the ' Gerusalemme Liberata ' of THSSO. 



Cornelius left Rome in 1819. His first duty was to remodel the 

 Academy of Diiiseldorf, and that accomplished, he proceeded to his 

 great work of painting the Glyptothek one of the noblest oppor- 

 tunities which had in recent times been afforded to a painter. Two 

 spacious bolls Were given him to paint : in one, the Hall of Heroes, 

 he represented in colossal proportion* the leading events in the 'Iliad' 

 of Homer ; in tho other, the Hall of the Gods, ho endeavoured to 

 symbolise the inner meaning as well as to depict the outward aspect 

 of the eveute of the Grecian mythology. In connected rooms, sub- 

 sidiary events and idea* were illustrated. It was in this vast under- 

 taking, which wa* completed in 1830, that the genius of Cornelius 

 fint found ample room to expatiate; and the completed work has 

 now for a quarter of a century commanded the homage of the artists 

 and judge* of art of all nation*. 



Whilst this great undertaking was in progress, Cornelius had com- 

 menced another magnificent work, the painting with frescoed the walls 

 of the new Ludwigs-Kirche. \>C these frescoes the moat important 

 was the ' Last Judgment,' a pointing which iu iuce exceeded e\vu the 

 famous ' Lait Judgment' of Michel Augelo in the Sistine Chapel, 

 being no lea* than 64 feet high by 30 feet wide. In severity of style 

 also it exceeds that great work ; and if it may not be put into close 

 comparison with it a* a picture, there can be little doubt that among 

 contemporary paintings it is without a rival. The execution of these 

 mat works rendered constant residence in Munich necessary, and 

 Cornelius resigned the directorship of the Diitscldorf Academy as soon 

 a* he had brought it into a satisfactory state. Shortly after doing so 

 be was made director of the Munich Academy. Munich under him 

 became a great school of art, and a band of devoted disciples placed 

 themselves under his guidance. It wo* by these that a Urge portion 

 of his frescoes in the Olyptothek and the Ludwigs-Kirche wa* executed. 

 The extensive aerie* of frescoes illustrative of the history of painting, 

 in the corridor of the Piuakothek, for which he prepared the cartoons, 

 ws* wholly painted by Zimtnerraauu, Scholthauer, aud other 

 under hi* supervision. 



