SMITH, JOHN RAPHAEL. 



SMITH, JOHN THOMAS. 



650 



then a rare attainment with English divines, and especially with those 

 of the Nonconformist body, attracted great attention to the work, and 

 though some of the positions of the author were regarded as question- 

 able by many theologians who agreed with him in his general theolo- 

 gical views, it at once took a high place, and eventually came to be 

 pretty generally regarded as a standard work on the subject of the 

 divinity of Christ, and as perhaps the most important work of the 

 kind on the orthodox side of the question. In subsequent editions 

 the work was in parts considerably enlarged, and in some respects 

 modified; and in its final shape it may be regarded as embodying 

 almost the wholo of the erudition on the important subject of which 

 it treats. The fourth edition was published in 1847. Among his other 

 works, several of which were of a controversial character, may be 

 enumerated ' The adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ vindicated 

 from the Charge of Idolatry, a Sermon,' 1811. ' Four Discourses on 

 the Sacrifice and Priesthood of Jesus Christ,' third edition, 1827. 

 ' On the Personality and Divinity of the Holy Spirit, a Sermon,' 1831. 

 ' The Mosaic account of the Creation and the Deluge, illustrated by 

 the Discoveries of Modern Science,' 1837. ' On the Relation between 

 the Holy Scriptures and some parts of Geological Science,' fourth 

 edition, 1848. Dr. Pye Smith was a Fellow of the Royal Society and 

 of the Geological Society, and took a deep interest in the philan- 

 thropic and religious movements of the day. 



SMITH, JOHN RAPHAEL, son of a respectable landscape-painter, 

 who, from the place of his residence, is commonly known as Smith of 

 Derby, was born about the middle of the last century. His father, 

 Thomas Smith (who died in 1769), has been stated to be one of the 

 first artists " who explored and displayed the charming scenery of 

 his native county," and he was unquestionably a painter of considerable 

 ability. Several of his pictures were engraved by Vivares. He 

 intended to make an artist of his eldest son Thomas, who had given 

 early indications of inclination towards painting, and apprenticed the 

 subject of this notice to a linen-draper. Time however proved that 

 he was mistaken in his selection ; for Thomas never advanced beyond 

 mediocrity, while John Raphael forsook the counter, and became 

 eminent as a mezzotinto engraver and also as a painter. Very little is 

 recorded of his history, and the few circumstances which are narrated 

 are conflicting. It appears however that he was in full practice as an 

 artist in London about 1778. He executed many beautiful engravings 

 from pictures by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and several from his own. 

 Among the latter are whole-length portraits of Charles James Fox and 

 Earl Stanhope. Latterly Smith devoted himself chiefly to the pro- 

 duction of slight crayon portraits, which he executed with great facility. 

 Dayes, a contemporary artist, observes in his ' Professional Sketches of 

 Modern Artists," " The number of slight heads he has painted at a 

 guinea are incalculable ; one of the family told me he had done as 

 many in one week as brought him forty pounds, and each of them I 

 know he could finish in an hour." While residing in London, he 

 became a publisher and printseller; but during the latter years of his 

 life he travelled about the country a good deal as a portrait-painter. 

 He died in March 1812, in his sixtieth year, according to a brief notice 

 of his life and works in vol. iv. of the ' Library of the Fine Arts.' 

 Unhappily his habits and character were not such as to excite respect. 

 Ho was much given to low sports and practices. With a taste for such 

 pursuits, it is not surprising to find him on intimate terms with 

 Morlaud, whom he assisted in bringing into notice. 



SMITH, JOHN STAFFORD, a composer of great eminence, was 

 born about 1750, in Gloucester, of which cathedral his father was 

 organist, and by whom he was prepared for his final instructions in 

 music under Dr. Boyce. At an early age he was appointed ooe of the 

 gentlemen of the Chapel-Royal ; of which on the decease of Dr. 

 Arnold, in 1802, he became organist. In 1805 Dr. Ayrton resigned to 

 him the mastership of the Children of the Chapel, an office which he 

 relinquished in 1817, when he withdrew from all his professional 

 engagements and enjoyed a moderate but well-earned independence 

 till his death, which took place in 1836. 



At the age of twenty-three Mr. Smith gained a prize-medal from the 

 Catch-Club, for a composition which had nothing to recommend it 

 but that kind of grossncss so much admired in " the good old times ; " 

 but the following year produced his fine glee for four voices, ' Let 

 happy lovers fly where pleasures call,' on which a similar medal was 

 much more properly bestowed. The same honour was with equal 

 discrimination conferred in the three succeeding years, on his glees, 

 ' Blest pair of Syrens,' ' While fools their time in stormy strife employ,' 

 and ' Return, blest days.' He obtained in the wholo eight of these 

 honourable distinctions ; but his very delightful glees, ' Let us, my 

 Lesbia, live and love,' and, ' As on a Summer's day,' missed the reward 

 due to their merits. Mr. Smith was also author of a madrigal, 'Flora 

 now calleth forth each flower,' a work which may compete with any- 

 thing of the kind extant. He published, between the year 1777 and 

 1785, five collections of glee?, a volume of anthems, 'Musiea Au-tiqua/ 

 and ' Autieut Songs of the Fifteenth Century,' the two last of which 

 bear indisputable evidence of his industry and research, and now form 

 a part of every good musical library. 



SMITH, JOHN THOMAS, for many years keeper of the prints 

 and drawings in the British Museum, was the son of Nathaniel Smith, 

 formerly a sculptor, and afterwards a well-known printseller in Great 

 May's Buildings, St. Martin's Lane. Nathaniel Smith had been when 



young tho playfellow of Nollekens ; and they had learned drawing 

 together. In August 1755, Smith was placed with Roubiliac, the 

 sculptor; and about 1759 and 1760 he and Nollekens, who had become 

 a pupil of Scheemakers in 1750, obtained some of the best prizes of 

 the Society of Arts. Nathaniel Smith, who gained many prizes from 

 the Society, carved three of the heads of the river-gods which adorn 

 the arches of Somerset House, from designs by Cipriani. The friend- 

 ship existing between him and Nollekens occasioned the subject of 

 this article, who was born on the 23rd of June, 1766, to be very early 

 noticed by the eccentric sculptor, who, while he was yet a boy, used 

 to take him to see various parts of London, pointing out curious 

 vestiges of antiquity, and thus probably exciting that peculiar taste 

 by which Smith was subsequently known. His mother dying in 1779, 

 young Smith was invited to the studio of Nollekens, to whom his 

 father was then chief assistant. After enjoying this privilege for 

 three years, during which time he had much practice in drawing, he 

 became a student at the Royal Academy. About this time he made 

 pen-drawings in imitation of the etchings of Rembrandt and Ostade, 

 and these through the introduction of Dr. Hinchliffe, then Bishop of 

 Peterborough, obtained a liberal offer from Sherwin, in consequence 

 of which Smith became a pupil of that skilful engraver. For some 

 years after being with him, Smith was chiefly engaged as a drawing- 

 master. 



He married at the age of twenty-two years, and soon afterwards 

 commenced the publication, in numbers, of his first work, the ' Anti- 

 quities of London and its Environs,' a collection of representations 

 of houses, monuments, statues, and other interesting remnants of 

 antiquity ; unaccompanied by letter-press descriptions, but having 

 short accounts, with references to Pennant and other writers, engraved 

 under each subject. This work was commenced in January 1791, and 

 completed in 1800; the whole series consisting of ninety-six plates 

 of a quarto size. A complete list of the subjects is given in Upcott's 

 ' Bibliogi-aphical Account of the Principal Works relating to English 

 Topography,' vol. ii. p. 886. While this was in course of publication, 

 Smith brought out his ' Remarks on Rural Scenery,' a thin quarto 

 volume, illustrated with twenty etchings of cottages, some of which 

 are very prettily executed. 



Smith's next work for the illustration of the early architecture of 

 the metropolis was his 'Antiquities of Westminster,' comprising the 

 old Palace, St. Stephen's Chapel, &c., and containing engravings of 

 246 topographical objects, of which, at the time of its publication 

 (1807), 122 were no longer in existence. This series of engravings is 

 comprised in 38 plates and six wood-cuts, of which a particular 

 account is given by Upcott, vol. ii p. 835, et seq. " This task," it is 

 observed by Mr. Smith's biographer, in the ' Gentleman's Magazine,' 

 " appears to have been determined on in the year 1800 ; when on 

 occasion of the Union with Ireland, it becoming necessary to remove 

 the wainscoting for the enlargement of the House of Commons, some 

 very curious paintings were discovered, on the llth of August. The 

 next day," the narrative proceeds to inform us, " Dr. Charles Gower 

 and Mr. Smith visited the paintings. Mr. Smith immediately deter- 

 mined to publish engravings from them; and, permission being 

 obtained, on the 14th he commenced bis drawings. It was his custom 

 to go there as soon as it was light, and to work till nine o'clock in tho 

 morning, when he was obliged to give way to the workmen, who 

 often followed him so close in their operations as to remove in the 

 course of the same day on which he had made his drawing, the paint- 

 ing which he had been employed in copying that very morning." 

 Antiquaries will long esteem the name of John Thomas Smith, were 

 it not only for the service he rendered in snatching these curious 

 paintings from complete oblivion. The plates of the ' Antiquities of 

 Westminster,' which comprise coloured copies of several of these 

 paintings, are accompanied by descriptions of considerable length, a 

 great part of which were written by J. Sidney Hawkins, F.S.A. ; 

 although, owing to a misunderstanding which led to the publication 

 of much angry correspondence, portions of which are often bound up 

 with the work, it was completed by Smith alone. A disastrous fire 

 at Bensley's printing-office destroyed 400 copies of this work, and 

 5600 prints, occasioning a loss to Mr. Smith which he estimated at 

 3000Z. In 1809 appeared sixty-two additional plates _ to the above 

 work, forming a second volume, but without any description, or even 

 a list of subjects. The latter however has been supplied by Mr. 

 Upcott, in the work above alluded to, vol. ii. p. 839, &c. 



These works were followed by another, in imperial 4to., entitled 

 ' Ancient Topography of London,' the publication of which was com- 

 menced in October 1810, although it was not completed until 1815. 

 This, which is considered Smith's best work, contains 32 plates, very 

 boldly etched, in a style somewhat resembling that of Piranesi, and 

 accompanied by descriptions of the buildings represented. The 

 author intended to extend it somewhat further, but never did so. 

 In 1816 Mr. Smith received his appointment as keeper of the prints in 

 the British Museum ; and in the next year published his ' Vagabon- 

 diana, or Anecdotes of Mendicant Wanderers through the Streets of 

 London,' illustrated with about thirty portraits, and with an intro- 

 duction by Mr. Douce. 



The last literary production of Mr. Smith was the amusing but not 

 very honourable or trustworthy book entitled 'Nollekens and his 

 Times,' which appeared in 1828, and soon ran through three editions. 



