-^ige.^' 



184 A. D. 1789. 



from thofe of the moll: illuftrious painters of Italy, are univerfally 

 known and admired *. But his meritorious exertions were confined to 

 the labours of his own hands : and feveral years elapfed, before the pro- 

 ductions of our engravers came to be in general eftimation, either at 

 home or in foreign countries. It was referved for the fpirit and perfe- 

 vering zeal of Alderman Boydell to turn the balance of chalcographic 

 fame, and of the confequent commercial advantages, in favour of Great 

 Britain. 



That gentleman, who began bufinefs as an importer of foreign prints, 

 chiefly from France, made it the great objecS of his unceafing endea- 

 vours to call into attion, and into view, the talents of the mofl; promif- 

 ing painters and engravers of this country ; in fliort, to create a British 



SCHOOL OF HISTORICAL PAINTING, and a BRITISH SCHOOL OF ENGRAVING. 



His patriotic zeal and Attention, and his liberal patronage of rifing ge- 

 nius, have been crowned with the deferved fuccels : and he has had the 

 fatisfadion to fee Britifli artifl:s elevated from humiliating inferiority to 

 acknowleged fuperiority over the rival artifls of the continent, and Brit- 

 i(h prints fought for in every part of the globe enlivened by any rays 

 of tafle and Icience f. With refpect to the trade with foreign nations 

 in the article of prints, the imports, which ufed to be confiderable, are 

 now fo fmall, and the exports fo great, that the value of the later is ef- 

 timated to be to that of the former as five hundred to one ; a circum- 

 fiance, which, if we confider fine prints merely as a manufacture, is of 

 confiderable importance in a commercial view. And confequences vaft- 

 ly more important may be expedled to flow from it : for if a country fo 

 far abounds with the works of art as to attradl the vlfits of foreigners, 

 the money expended by them during their refidence becomes the fmall- 

 efl: part of the national advantages derived from fuch vifits : they ac- 

 quire a tafle for the manufactures, and carry home to their own coun- 

 tries the choicefl fpecimens of them, whereby they acquire more extenf- 

 ive celebrity, and confequently a greater fale, than they could other- 

 ways have had. But, independent of every confideration of profit, the 

 honour conferred upon the country by fo remarkable a reflux in the 

 bufinefs of fine prints muft give real pleafure to every well-wifher to the 

 profperity of Great Britain. 



Mr. Boydell, having publifhed feveral capital prints, and coUedlions 



* In the year 1761 Mr. Strange's own merit j- As one article makes way for another, it is 



procured him the intcreft of Prince Rezzonico, worthy of obfervation, that the gentlemen of the 



who prevailed on his uncle, the pope, to permit embafty to China in the year 1792 found the (hops 



hiin to creft fcaffolding in order to copy the paint- in Rio Janiero filled with Britirti manufaftures, 



jngs of Rafael, though an edidl was then in force among which even the caricature prints, which 



againft the ereftion of any fcaffolding. By the here live but a few days, w^re expofed for fale 



light of his works he alfo furmounted fimllar ob- along with other Britifli prints of more value. 



Rruftions to the progrcfs of his ftudies at Naples. \_Stauntons Embajfy to China, V. i, /. 177.3 

 And both the pope and the king of Naples affign- 

 ed handfome apartments in their own palaces to 

 our BritiHi artilh a 



