J 843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



275 



and his diligence, that he deservedly earned the affection and the respect of 

 all his superiors, and all his superiors lauded him as an example to all other 

 young men. Now though there were and had been eminent men, West, 

 Hussey, Barry and Fuseli, not one of them had so deeply and scientifically 

 mastered the figure, and at that time, 1803, though there always had been 

 lectures on anatomy, the skeleton had never been in the antique, and it was 

 from the repeated entreaties of young Ardor, and his fellow students, and 

 the keeper's repeated remonstrances to the council, that the council at last 

 wisely yielded to the wish. 



Ardor suon got into high life, and was the wonder of its coteries — went to 

 four routs of a night— was told by the women he had an antique head, and 

 lay in bed late next day ; but finding this species of fascination not conducive 

 to application, by degrees he weaned himself from its fascinating attractions— 

 though if he had waited a year, he would have been utterly forgotten, and 

 " left alone in his glory," as hundreds of Ardors had been before, and will 

 be again whilst that delightful class pursue novelty in preference to excel- 

 lence. Such was the repute Ardor got in his native town, that a boy named 

 Caution was rouzed to come up : up he came too, drank tea with Ardor, and 

 went away so fired by Ardor's enthusiasm, that the next day he called and 

 said, " I'll be a painter. Ardor." 



Ardor loved his art better than himself always, and said, " Caution, if you 

 will, I'll tell you all I know." Caution put himself at once under Ardor, 

 Ardor lent him a plaister hand, his anatomical drawings, admitted him at all 

 hours, made him his friend, his pupil, his companion, and poured forth all 

 he had got himself by hard work ; as Ardor said, " If I can advance the art, 

 and reform design, my end will be answered." Caution was a good and moral 

 youth, and was very grateful, and so were Caution's friends. Caution went 

 to Italy, and found all the principles Ardor had taught him of the greatest 

 utility in comprehending the great works he saw. In the mean time Ardor 

 took other pupils, and made them go through the same course : and thought 

 it a good plan if two cartoons could be got up from Hampton Court at the 

 Gallery for the use of his pupils. An influential friend approved of the plan, 

 applied to Lord Farnborough and the late Duke of Sutherland, who in an 

 audience of the King, got leave ; and Mr. West was ordered to see two car- 

 toons moved up, as keeper of his Majesty's pictures : and St. Paul at Athens, 

 and the boats, were those Mr. West chose. 



The moment the cartoons came to the gallery, Ardor sent in all his pupils, 

 who made chalk cartoons the full size ; and such was their excellence, and 

 such their impression in the town, that the crowd was obliged to be stopped, 

 and the doors shut, to prevent injury to Raffael's works. Ardor on this 

 moved the cartoons of his pupils to St. James's Street — gave a splendid pri- 

 vate day to the nobility— the Arch-Duke Maximilian came with Lord Aber- 

 deen—all the women of fashion praised Ardor more than ever, and Ardor and 

 his pupils became the fashion of the day, and it was said nothing could stop 

 Ardor's career. Unfortunately Ardor had got very angry with the Royal 

 Academy, where he had educated himself, and shared its favours, and Ardor 

 in his fury against the members of that body, had so provoked them by the 

 truth and exposure of their abuses, that they one and all put their power- 

 ful influence against Ardor's attempt to found a school, and they denied 

 Ardor had any merit at all — they abused his pupils — drove Ardor to ruin, 

 and involved two of his pupils in equal ruin with himself. People of fashion 

 did not know why Ardor was so abused, but concluded forty men must be 

 right, and Ardor deserved it ; and so they let Ardor alone and forgot his 

 works, and Ardor was four times ruined and four times again on the field, so 

 that at last it was considered, to ruin Ardor, was a folly. During all this 

 time Caution had been in Rome, and having been severely bitten by Ger- 

 mans, who dressed like Raphael, returned to England, with a resolution to 

 bite his old master, and all his friends too ; but he found Ardor so high in 

 the public feeling, and so inveterate in sound art, that there was no intro- 

 ducing the new insanity but by biting or burking Ardor, and it was therefore 

 agreed, between Caution and Namby Pamby his friend, that Ardor must be 

 burked as he would not be bitten. 



It mast be told, that one night in 1812, Ardor was in the house of Lords, 

 and when Lord Wellesley was speaking, he put himself in the attitude of St. 

 Paul at Athens; Ardor thought of the cartoons and of the Vatican, and he 

 looked up and saw the Spanish armada. Ardor directly planned the decora- 

 tion of the old house, laid a plan before the ministers, petitioned both 



houses, never ceased persecuting all the authorities— the old house was 

 burnt down— Ardor petitioned for the new, till at last it was resolved the 

 new houses should be adorned— a Commission was Lrmed, Caution became 

 secretary, as he deserved, Namby Pamby gave lectures, and the plan of 

 burking was immediately put in practice, for in the lectures of the one or 

 the reports of the other, Ardor was entirely extinguished. Now this was 

 very hard, for Ardor had fought the battle, when Caution and Namby ran 

 away, and the people said it was a great shame to burke Ardor, whatever 

 might have been Ardor's enthusiasm ; but Caution had a great game to play, 

 and as Caution knew the safest game to play is always to go with the cur- 

 rent, and Ardor's love of truth being obnoxious to all. Caution burked Ardor 

 as well as his works. In the mean time some people wanted the Germans, 

 as the English could not draw— Ardor opposed it, and these people said, as 

 the;/ can't draw, let us make them compete in cartoons ! then we know they 

 will fail, and then no one can object to the Germans coming, who can draw. 

 The plan was eagerly seized, cartoons were prepared, the youth of England 

 were suddenly called from their daily habits of getting their daily bread, 

 and the follow ing year produced works, which astonished their enemies, de- 

 lighted their friends, and settled for ever the question of their genius. 

 Ardor was so delighted to see the realization of all his struggles, this con- 

 firmation of the plan he had successfully began twenty-four years before, 

 that he died of joy in the 57th year of his age, and fell a victim to the 

 danger of telling truth to power, under whatever circumstances of provoca- 

 tion. — Hail and farewell to him. 



I had a great regard for him, and was very sorry, so I wrote his epitaph 

 out of regard to his memory, but before he died I am happy to say he had 

 completed his remarks on the cartoon exhibition, as well as some valuable 

 observations on fresco and design, which shall appear now or hereafter, as it 

 suits. 



Epitaph. 



Here lies the body of 



HENRY ARDOR, 



An English Historical Painter, 



Who died in the midst of a desperate struggle to make Sovereign, 



Legislature and People do their duty to the higher walks of design. 



" active and nervous was his gait, 



And his whole body breathed intelligence." 



Wordsworth. 



This little romantic history of Henry Ardor was absolutely necessary be- 

 fore proceeding to lay before your readers his remarks on the cartoon exhi- 

 bition — 1st. As to the degree of hope cartoons are justified in generating ; 

 2nd. As to the degree of merit the present exhibition exhibits ; 3rd. As to 

 the question of oil or fresco for the houses ; 4th. As to what is the style to 

 be chosen either in fresco or oil, and 5th. On the danger of delaying much 

 longer a decided plan of decoration. 



1st. As to merit : — 



Could the Germans at such a sudden call for specimens of colour, and 

 light, and shadow, and surface, have answered as we have answered this ; 

 the one is no more unjust than the other— the Germans know no more of 

 colour, and light, and shadow-, and handling, than the English w ere sup- 

 posed to know ot form : could the Germans have answered the call of colour 

 as the English have answered this ? — I reply in a voice of thunder, 2 No ! nor 

 any other nation on earth ! This, then, is a glory, in spite of the solemn in- 

 anities of a timid press!— this is a glory you have achieved, young men. by 

 your own innate bottom. Tire Rout of Comus (63) ; Alfred in the Camp : the 

 Death of Lear ; St. Augustine ; the Skirmish of the Picts ; the Plague (138) ; 

 the Caractacus (84) ; the Una and Satyrs (10) ; the Constance ; the First Jury ; 

 Alfred and the Witan; the Curse (33) : and Edward & John (118) entering 

 London, through Southampton ; would honour any school in any cartoon 

 contest, in any city in Europe : yet cartoons are a delusive fascination, hardly 

 any hopes raised on cartoons alone have answered expectation ; for the practice 

 of the brush is so different from the port crayon, that it may almost be 

 taken as an axiom, that the more attractive the cartoon the less attractive 

 will be the fresco; and I have never found any pupil who made hard over- 



- Very characteristic of Ardor.) 



