REYNOLDS. 



develope principles, and elucidate them by practice ; and 

 competent as he was to explain the operations of his own 

 mind ; could not fail of being intereftmg and ufeful in the 

 highelt degree. One of thefe detached ideas we have quoted 

 above, and" lament that any of them fhould be withheld from 

 publication. , u i 



In 1781, during the fummer, he made a tour through Hol- 

 land and the Netherlands, with a view of examining critically 

 the works of the celebrated mafters of the Dutch and 

 Flemilh fchools. An account ot this journey, written by 

 himfelf, containing much excellent cnticifm 011 the works 

 of Rubens, Vandyke, Rembrandt, Sec. in the churches and 

 different collections at Antwerp, Bruffels, Ghent, the Dui- 

 feldorf gallery, and at Amlterdam, was pubhfhed after his 

 death ; it concludes with a mallerly drawn charader of 



Rubens. _. c 



In 1783, in confequence of the emperor's lupprcilion ot 

 fome religious houfes, he again vifited Flanders, purchafed 

 fomc piftures by Rubens, and devoted feveral more days to 

 the contemplation and further inveftigation of the per- 

 formances of that great man. On his return, he remarked 

 that his own pictures wanted force and brilliancy, and ap- 

 peared, by his fubfequent praftice, to have benefited by the 

 obfervations he had made. This year, on the death of Ram- 

 fay, he was made principal painter in ordinary to his majeity, 

 and continued fo till his death. 



For a very long period he had enjoyed an almoit uninter- 

 rupted Hate of good health, except that in the year 1782 he 

 was for a fhort time afflicted with a paralytic ftrokc. A 

 few weeks, however, perfedly reltored him, and he fuflered 

 no inconvenience from it afterwards. But in July 1789, 

 whilft he was painting the portrait of lady Beauchamp, he 

 found his fight fo much affcaed, that it was with difficulty 

 he could proceed with his work ; and notwithltanding every 

 affiftance that could be procured, he was in a few months to- 

 tally deprived of the ufe of his left eye. After fome ftrug- 

 gles, he determined, left his remaining eye fhould alfo fufter, 

 to paint no more : and though he was thus deprived of a con- 

 ftant employment and amufement, he retained his ufual faints, 

 and partook of the fociety of his friends with apparently the 

 fame pleafure to which he had been accuftomed ; and was 

 amufed by reading, or hearing others read to him. In Oc- 

 tober 1 79 1, however, his fpirits began to fail him, and he- 

 became dejeaed, from an apprehenfion that an in lamed tu- 

 mour, which took place over the eye that had penlhed, 

 might occaf.on the deflation of the other alfo Meanwhile 

 he laboured under a more dangerous difeafe, which deprived 

 him both of his fpirits and his appetite. During this period 

 of great affliaion to all his friends, his malady was by many 

 fupDofed to be imaginary, and it was crroneoufly conceived, 

 that by exertion he might (hake it off; for he was wholly 

 unable to explain to the phyficians the nature or feat of his 

 diforder. It was only about a fortnight before his death that 

 it was found to be in the liver; the inordinate growth of 

 which, as it afterwards appeared, had incommoded all the 

 funaions of life. Of thi. difeafe, which he bore With great 

 fortitude and patience, hedied, after a c«Si«»tc£ttaee 

 months, at his h mfc in Leicelter-fquare on Thuriday 

 evening, February 23, I79*s nt the age ot 69. 



In Lure, fir Jofhua Reynolds was rather under the mid- 

 dle fizc, of a florid complexion, roundlfll, blunt features, 

 and a 1 vely pleafing afpeS i not corpulent, though fomc- 

 what inclined to it ? an3 extremely a&.ve. With manner 

 uncommonly polifh A and agreeab e, he pofteffed a cdnftant 

 flow of fpirits, . ' ich rendered h.m at all times a moil de- 

 firable companion : always ready to be amufed, and to con- 

 tribute to the amufement of others, and anxious to receive 



information on every fubject that prefenteditfelf : and though 

 he had been deaf almoit from the time of his return from 

 Italy ; yet, by the aid of an ear trumpet, he was enabled to 

 partake of the converfation of his friends with great facility 

 and convenience. On the 3d of March his remains were 

 interred in the crypt of St. Paul's, near the tomb of lir 

 Chriftopher Wren, with every honour that could be (hewn 

 to worth and genius by an enlightened nation ; a great 

 number of the moft diftinguilhed perfons attending the fune- 

 ral ceremony, and his pall being fupported by three dukes, 

 two marquilfes, and five other noblemen. 



In many refpeas, both as a man and a painter, fir Jofhua 

 Reynolds cannot be too much ltudied, praifed, and imitated 

 by every one who wifhes to attain the like eminence. His 

 inceffant induftry was never wearied into defpondency by 

 mifcarriage, nor elated into neglea by fuccefs. Either in 

 his painting-room, or wherever elfe he paffed his time, his 

 mind was devoted to the charms of his profeffion. All na- 

 ture, and all art, was his academy, and his reffcaion was 

 ever on the wing, comprehenfive, vigorous, difcriminating, 

 and retentive. With talte to perceive all the varieties of the 

 pitturefque, judgment to feledt, and fkill to combine what 

 would ferve hispurpofe, few have ever been empowered by 

 nature to do more from the fund of his own genius : and 

 none ever endeavoured more to take advantage of the labours 

 of others. He made a fplendid and ufeful collection, in 

 which no expence was fpared. His houfe was filled, to the 

 remoteit corners, with cafts from the antique ftatues, pic- 

 tures, drawings, and prints, by various mafters of all the 

 different fchools. Thofe he looked upon as his library, at 

 once objeas of amufement, of lludy, and competition. Af- 

 ter his death they were fold by auction, with his unclaimed 

 and unfinifhed works, and, together, produced the fum of 

 16,947/. js. 6d. The fubftance of his whole property, accu- 

 mulated entirely by his pencil, and left behind after a life in 

 which he freely parted with his wealth, amounted to about 



80,000/. . 



It remains to fpeak of his ltyle as an artift, which u pre- 

 cifely that, denominated in his leaures the ornamental ltyle ; 

 but which, beautiful and feducing as it undoubtedly is, can- 

 not be recommended in fo unreferved a degree as his induftry 

 both in ftudy and praaice : that which he charaaeriitically 

 terms his own uncertainty, both in defign and in execution, 

 operates too frequently and too powerfully againft its entire 

 adoption. In the higher attainments of the art, colouring 

 and chiaro-fcuro were undoubtedly elements which he fa- 

 voured, and in which he moved uncontrolled. Drawing, as 

 he himfelf candidly confefled, was the part of the art is 

 which he was moft defective ; and from a defire perhaps to hide 

 this defea, with an over-folicitude to produce a fuperabund- 

 ant richnefs of effea, he was fometimes tempted to fritter 

 his lights, and break up his compofition, particularly if it 

 happened to be large, into too many parts : yet, m general, his 

 talte in lines and forms was at the fame time grand and grace- 

 ful ■ and the tafte and Ikill with which he drew and let to- 

 gether the features of the human face, has never been fur- 

 pa fled by any artilt. We would be underftood to fpeak of 

 his fineft produaions ; of the ordinary clafs among them, 

 we mult allow, that the marking fevours of manner, and 

 the fubftance is not always charatlcnltic of flcfh. 



In execution, though he wanted the lirmnefs and breadth 

 winch appertain to tfie highelt ftyle of art, vet the fpint 

 j r ... V_..r., „» Lie ,„„,.l, w.re admirable, and would I 



bee 



uch appertain to tne nigucii uj u. «. -», ;-- - — -r — 

 d fweetnefs of his touch were admirable, and would have 

 en more remarkable, had he been more a mailer of draw- 



• but not being able readily to determine his forms, he 



wis obliged to go over and oyer the fame part, till fome of 



vacity of his handling was frequently loll ; his la- 



S 2 hour, 



ing 

 va; 

 the vi 



