'2 ^he earlieft Accounts of 



ings of an art more tlian it's produdions in 

 a riper age. The inventor may have had 

 more genius, but the performances of the 

 improver muft be more perfedl. Mr. Vertue 

 had taken great pains to prove that painting 

 exifted in England before the refloration of 

 it in Italy by Cimabue. If what we pofTefTed 

 of it in thofe ignorant times could be called 

 painting, I fuppofe Italy and every nation 

 in Europe retained enough of the deformity 

 of the art to contefl with us in point of anti- 

 quity. That We had gone backwards in 

 the fcience farther almofl than any other 

 country, is evident from our coins, on 

 which there is no more of hinnan fimilitude, 

 than an infant's firfl fcrawl of the profile of 

 a face ; and fo far therefore as badnefs of 

 drawing approaches to antiquity of igno-- 

 rance, we may lay in our claim to very 

 ancient polTefTion. As Italy has fo long ex- 

 celled us in the refinement of the art, flie 

 may leave us the enjoy m.ent of original im- 

 perfeflion. 



However, as Mr. Vertue's partiality flow- 

 ed from love of his country, and as this is 

 defigned for a work of curiofity, not of fpe- 

 culation and reafoning, I fliall faithfully lay 



before 



