ITALIAN SCHOOL OF ENGRAVING. 



fame on'ginal, and his own ftrong rccolledions of Vandyke's 

 picture, has Schiavonetti produced an engraving of very ex- 

 traordinary merit, though on a much fmaller fcale than lie 

 had originally projoftcd. What he intended to have en- 

 graven on an ample f';ale, for liimfelf and the public at large, 

 he was compelled by circumllances, which legiflators and 

 patrons would do well to attend to, to enijrave fmall, and 

 part with to the proprietors of the Freiich national mufeum. 



A very few years before his death, he formed an inten- 

 tion, -which he communici.ted to his friends, of returning to 

 Italy, or at leall of removing to a more fo\;therly climate; 

 not that any ferious apprclienfions were then entertained on 

 the fcore of his delicate health, but becaufe he felt the 

 weight of taxes, and the want of encoiiragemont : and, per- 

 haps, — obferving how well the quackeries of mountebank 

 pretenfion fuccecded in this metropolis, and feeling how ill 

 merit in his profeflion was rewarded, — he thought there was 

 iefs of folid appreciation among us, than rea.Iy exifled. 

 What delayed his departure, or altogether withheld him 

 from going, the prefent writer can only conjecture ; for he 

 was (hortly after difappointed of engraving a large p'ate 

 from Mr. Devis's picture of " The Death of Lord Nel- 

 fon," — not bccaufe the fifteen hundred guineas, which he 

 required for tl:e performance of the taflc, was too much, — 

 but becaufe the fum which Mr, Bromley afked was too 

 little. Perhaps he lingered here, and only delayed his de- 

 parture on account of the continental war, and confeq-.ent 

 difficulties of emigration ; or, perhaps, he had reafim latterly 

 to entertain a better opinion of the taile and apprccia ion of 

 the Brjtifh public than he iiad before conceived, and began 

 to find himfeif and his talents more an object of attention than 

 his modefty had allowed him to fufped. 



That l;e did nut go, is, on the whole, to be regretted, 

 as the foft air and genial climate of Italy would probably 

 have lengthened his life ; and with length of life, his re- 

 putation would have increafed, and the public at large have 

 been proportionably benefited : for it has been julUy faid of 

 his latter produttions, that they were m.arked by a wonder- 

 ful degree of improvement, and that, had his life been pro- 

 longed, the fruits of this improvement would probably have 

 been multiplied in abundance. The circumftance of his 

 premature death gives, therefore, frcfli caufe to lament tliat 

 the patrimony and the acquifition of genius are unalienable, 

 and can never be bequeathed ; and that talents, however 

 rich, and however verfatile, muil inevitably perilh with 

 their poffe'ror. 



Ke'd.ed at his houfe at Brompton, of a pulmonary com- 

 plaint, which had for feme time been gradually undermining 

 his conftitution, en the 14th day of June i8jc, and was at- 

 tended to his grave, in Paddington church-yard, by a long 

 and numerous proccflion of artiils and amateurs, who loved 

 and honoured his merit as an artiiV and his probity as a man. 



In his perfon, Schiavonetti was rather tall ;, the fine pro- 

 portion in the diviUons of his figure gave him a graceful 

 movement ; his manners were gentle ; in his addrefs tliere 

 was fweetnefs and affability ; and perfuafion hung on his 

 lips. He was dignified without aufterity, and meek with- 

 out infipidity. tils whole deportment was marly. H.'s 

 amiable modelly of character, equability of temper, and 

 promptnefs to oblige, won the goodwill of all who faw and 

 converfed with hlr.t. In company with his brother artiils, 

 he feemcd unconfi.i->;:s of bis own fuperiorily :. though fitted 

 to rank with the higheft, he exaAed no diiliaCtion of notice, 

 but kept himfcif on a level with the lowcll ; and by 

 the deference with which he fpoke his opinions, made 

 every one feel at cafe in his fociety. This urbanity of 

 manaero, is but too cc.nitnonly au eslriiific accomgliramtnt ; 



but in him it was the unaffefted exprcfiion of innate goodnefi 

 of heart, and liberality of mind. It was not the varnifh of 

 a coarfe material, but the polifli of a fine one. Many ads 

 of his private life might be adduced in fupport of what is 

 here faid m his praife : — one may he feledled that exhibits a 

 trait iilullrative of his whole charader. As foon as he be- 

 gan to derive proiit from his profeflion, he devoted a portior* 

 of it to the fupport of his poorer relatives in Italy; ai.d of 

 late years he conilantly remitted to liis ajed parent a llipend 

 fufiicient to enfure him ecmfort and refpcftabiliiy. 



The lame energy and- elegant fimplicity, which was ob- 

 fervable in the perfonal charadler of our artift, predominated 

 alfo in his engravings. He poflefled, in very high perfec- 

 tion, that lirlt reqv.ifite both in painting and engraving, 

 freedom blended with accuracy of delineation. This power, 

 united to the grace and dignity which charafteri/.ed his ft vie, 

 enabled him to treat every fubjedl on which he exercifed his. 

 talents, with a truth, diftindtnefs, and propriety of exprcf- 

 fion, rarely to be found in the works of other artiils. By 

 a varied choice of models, and a bold and independent habit 

 of thinking, in particular, by fixing his attention ilrongly on 

 the merits of tiie beft works of our countrymen Strange 

 and Sharp, he enfranchifcd his mind from the dogmas of 

 fchool diicipUnc, (which h faid without any particular re- 

 ference to his early tutors,) and ilood forth an original, and - 

 if not a ftlf-taught, a felf-reformed engraver. In the works 

 of common artiils, we fee only the labour of the hand ; but 

 in his, the li:i: a is maniR illy direfted and controlled by the 

 mind. \\ ';;::!atum, was only his inftrument : 



he haml > ,1 command ; he thought aver if 



with nic;- ; and as flagnation in the world of 



art, as well asm t!ij phyfical «or!d, engenders corruption,! 

 a;'.d as mcnmr is the corruption of Jiyk, Schiavonetti has 

 entitled himfeif to all the praife that Mr. Cromek (from 

 whofe m.cmoir of this artift our account is partlj- exttacled) 

 has bellow-ed on him, for the dignified cafe with which he 

 kept far aloof from that mechanical famencfs on all occa- 

 fions, which we denote by this term,, and for always prc- 

 ferving that fuperintending mental delicacy, that florc of 

 knowledge, and that fine Rate of nerves, which enabled him 

 to vary and adapt tiie language of his art to the peculiar 

 beauties and merits ot the various originals, which iro:n 

 time to time he had to tranfiatc. Some of his Iefs informed 

 critics have praifed the iiauty of his manual execution. It 

 is beautiful ; but to fay io, is like praifing the perfonal 

 beauty of Lncretia. Dazzled by the fun-beams which 

 glitter on its furface, they fathom not the depth, and know 

 not the navigable benefits, of the current.- But perhaps 

 pollerity will but gradually learn to appreciate his merits as 

 they deterve^ 



That his powers were not Iefs verfatile than vigoroi;s, 

 may be fcen by comparing his etchings with his chalk en- 

 gravings, and both with his cxquifitely finiflied plates in 

 lines ; of which latter, owing to the bad tallc that has hither- 



'r 



liled fince lis arrival in this countirv, the 1 



unfortunately fmall. 



His principal eit^rav'wgs in the Chall mcnr.tr, are, two, of 

 "The Five Stnfes," which, with the frontifpiecc, form a fet 



of fix plates, in fmall folio, all from his own deligns ; " The 

 •ling Thunder,' • af'er R. Weib.ll, R. A. for Bo y- 



ot lix pi: 

 Meffiahl 



dell's edition of Milton, large xto. ; " '1 he Body of Tippc 

 Sultan recognized by his Family, after theCaptmcof Seringa- 

 patam," from R. K. Pcrter, in large foho; a fet of iheCriesof 

 London, in large 4to.; three, of a fet of the fiirr:m ents, after 

 R. Wellall; " Puck, fcated on aMufiircom," atlcr fir Joduia. 

 Reynolds ; a fit of four folio plates, from the dcfgns of Be- 

 nnzcch, of " The Sulaniigs of Louis XA I. during his Cap- 

 tivity 



