76 SIjR EDWIN LANDSEER, R.A. 



painter of the dog, quite as much as Turner is the poet-painter of the glorious scenery 

 of nature ; yet whereas the latter may not unfrequently be regarded as an idealist, the 

 former is ever the exponent of truth in the abstract, though sometimes expressed in a 

 manner contrary to the usual habits of the animal ; as, for example, in such a work as 

 " Alexander and Diogenes." 



Then, if we accompany him to the Scottish Highlands, and follow him as our guide 

 over heathery moorland, and through the glen of the forest where the red-deer makes 

 its home, he shows us the antlered monarch in mist and sunshine, joy and sorrow, 

 triumphant and defeated, browsing on the mountain, or struggling for life in the deep 

 waters of the loch. As he studied the dog in the kennel-yard, or waiting the approach 

 of his master, or battling with some strong opponent, or sleeping on a couch of velvet, 

 so he must have watched the deer from behind blocks of granite, or trunks of stately 

 trees, or from clumps of graceful ferns, to make himself acquainted with their " cus- 

 toms, manners, and habits;" and d'ten, it maybe presumed, to stretch the beautiful 

 animal low on the greensward with his deadly rifle. It is a noticeable feature in 

 Landseer's pictures, whether of dogs or deer, that we rarely see them in action ; almost 

 invariably they are in repose. 



And to pass from the matter of Landseer's art to its manner, how wonderful is its 

 imitation of the reality ; and yet there is rarely any sign of elaboration. The most minute 

 details seem to be only the result of rapid, yet most decided, sweeps of the pencil, 

 handled with a perfect knowledge of what they will effect, whether it be the gloss on 

 the skin of a well-groomed horse or the curve of a bird's feather. A writer said of 

 him many years ago: — "Veronese is marvellous with the twilled linen of his bishops 

 and priests, Titians in his flesh, Teniers in his brass stew-pans, Vandyke in his silks 

 and velvets ; but no one can represent the hair of animals better than Landseer. He 

 knows the exact flexibility and strength of deer's hair, of otter's fur, of swan's down, 

 or a tefrrier's stiff curls; of a horse's coat, of a bird's plumage." It may also be 

 remarked that the landscape portions of his compositions are painted with as much 

 feeling for the picturesque, and show as close observation of nature, as do the various 

 objects which give to them spirit and life. 



It may be a question to what extent time may affect the colour of his works. 

 Some, and especially a few of his latest period, are painted in a low key, and these 

 will probably become lower : moreover, his colouring is often thin, and, therefore, it is 

 only reasonable to infer that it cannot be very durable. The compiler of the catalogue 

 of the pictures in the South Kensington Museum makes the following remarks, having 

 reference to this point : — " The pictures of Landseer and Leslie are very interesting in 

 connection with the question of the preservation of British works of art, since we can 

 compare the present state of these painters' works with the vehicle which has been 

 used in painting them. Generally, the pictures of both these artists are perfectly 



