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duced in a picture ; and that no painter 

 who had his choice, would hesitate a mo- 

 ment between that and a ruin. 



Were this really the case, we must give 

 up Claude as a landscape painter ; for lie 

 not only has introduced a number of per- 

 fect, regular, and smooth pieces of archi- ' 

 tecture into his pictures, but into the most 

 conspicuous parts of them. I should even 

 doubt whether he may not have painted 

 more entire buildings as principal objects, 

 than he has ruins, though more of the 

 latter where they are only subordinate. 



Claude delighted in representing scenes 

 of festive pomp and magnificence, as well 

 as of pastoral life and retirement; but if 

 we conceive those temples and palaces 

 which he painted in their perfect state, and 

 which he accompanied with every mark 

 of a flourishing and populous country to 

 be deserted and in ruins, the whole cha- 

 racter of those splendid compositions, 

 which have so much contributed to raise 

 him above the level of a mere landscape 

 painter, would be destroyed. Mr. Gilpin 

 a a 4 



