Nature and Art, August 1, 1866.] 
COIN. 
95 
Saviour’s face. We soon reach — for there were resting- 
places for our painter in intervening ages, although Archi- 
tecture then flourished — the period of the grand illuminators 
and altar-painters, of Cimabue, of Giotto, of Giottino, of 
Simon Memmi, and of Orcagna. The half-sized copy of an 
altar-piece in Florence by the latter gives an idea of the 
devotion the artist has brought to his work, and pleases us 
by the assurance that such devotion met with the great 
reward, self-approval. He leads us by easy steps, pausing 
at Dello Delli, Ucelli, and Masolino, all frescoists, to 
Masaccio, whose beautiful head of Santa Caterina and 
Brancacci “Temptation” he has delightfully rendered. One 
of the most elaborate works of the series here arrests us, a 
grand copy, by the Princess de Croy, a pupil of Mr. Wheel- 
wright’s, from the “Coronation of the Virgin” by Fra 
Angelico. This work, with the seven surprisingly minute 
panel-pictures at its foot, gives the spectator a good idea of 
the religious fervour and unspared conscientious labour of 
the Mediaeval painters. Among the most interesting speci- 
mens of sixteenth-century art, we find a noble portrait, by 
himself, of the apparently-loveable Andrea del Sarto, a 
splendid copy of his Pieta from the Palazzo Pitti ; a monk’s 
head — alive, we might say, — by Perugino ; and copies of 
well-known and immortal works by the gigantic trinity, 
Michael Angelo, Leonardo, and Raffaelle. In the words of 
Mr. George Bedford, who has written a worthy guide to a 
collection we hope again to traverse under his auspices, 
“ Mr. Wheelwright has set himself strenuously to work 
with the determination to be absolutely true to the master 
before him. Ho would add nothing, nor leave out anything ; 
and, above all, he has endeavoured to obtain, by long and 
thoughtful study, such an insight into the feeling and 
manner of each master, as to give to his copy the inestima- 
ble quality of truth, without which all would be worse than 
useless.” 
The First Number of a new series of the Fine Arts 
Quarterly Review, brought out under the accomplished 
editorship of Mr. B. B. Woodward, Her Majesty’s 
Librarian, claims the notice of all votaries of the arts. The 
list of effective contributories, and the luxurious appliances, 
as respects paper and type, at the editor’s command, would 
seem to assure its taking a position among the classes who 
have the intelligence and courage to fathom the depths of 
art, and the means to indulge in valuable books. The 
opening article is a satisfactory, though too curtailed, 
review of Leslie and Taylor’s “Reynolds and his Times,” 
by W. B. Donne, Esq., illustrated by a Mezzotint portrait 
of the great president. A valuable antiquarian paper, by 
Mr. C. Ruland, on the forty miniatures, or, as they would 
be vulgarly called, illuminations, by Jehan Fouquet, in the 
possession of Mr. L. Brentano, is illustrated very beautifully 
in chromo-lithography. We could with pleasure extract 
much quotable matter from the sensible iloye on Sir Charles 
L. Eastlake, by F. T. Palgrave. Nor is the anonymous 
article “About Etching” less interesting to the mass of 
readers who are now taking an interest in that pleasing 
art. The “Studio-talk” article on landscape-painting, 
although a little unstudio-like, will find a certain limited 
circle of admirers outside of the author’s set. Not being 
addressed to the general, and in fact launched far over 
their heads, no much wider popularity could be expected. 
The rest of the number is pleasantly written ; and the very 
useful Quarterly Chronique of additions to the National 
Gallery and South Kensington Museum reminds us that a 
monthly publication of such particulars by the respective 
departments might long ago have been commanded by 
the Trustees of those institutions, and published by their 
officers. 
A case of hardship, not to say grievance, has just come 
under our notice, which we think ought to reach the 
directors of the Crystal Palace in the shape of printer’s ink, 
through however unobtrusive a channel. It seems that the 
very interesting Gallery at the Palace, under the manage- 
ment of Mr. Wass, is recruited from time to time by in- 
vitation from the directors to artists in general. The fact 
that a season ticket is issued to each exhibitor, is fair 
evidence that the company considers itself to a certain 
extent the obliged party in the transaction. But even this 
pleasant courtesy, with the contingent advantage to the 
artist of occasional sales (for which the company receives 
its due honorarium ), is not a set-off against the dilapida- 
tion — nay almost destruction — of works of art. We write 
in front of a canvas three feet by two, on which, whether 
by the action of sunlight, or through want of ventilation — 
and most probably the former — the painted texture appears 
“ perished,” split, and riven to the very canvas ground. It 
might be set up that this were possible through the prema- 
ture application of varnish by the painter ; but, as we 
observe that the gilding of the frame has also peeled off in 
the same position (and without any such excuse), and as, 
moreover, we are credibly informed that this is a frequent 
case, we think the eminently politic and well-disposed 
directors in question should have the matter brought to 
their notice, if possible, unfiltered through strata of manage- 
ment, sub-management, and red-tapery. What has occurred 
to our informant may have occurred to hundreds of his co- 
exhibitors, or, even to a still more helpless class, the 
purchasing public ; and it surely indicates the want of a 
canvas or calico cover to the glazed roof, or of some other 
scheme for abstracting from a picture gallery the in'operties 
of a bakehouse. The cost of the appliance would, we are 
sure, be comparatively insignificant, beside the loss of so 
great an attraction as the Art-Gallery or a few well-fought 
claims for damage ; but wo apprehend there is no need for 
any appeal so enforced to a Board which has blazoned 
“ Fine Arts ” so conspicuously on its ensign. 
COIN RECENTLY ACQUIRED BY THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 
T HE silver coin of which the accompanying 
photograph is given, is one of the recent 
additions to the British Museum, and of a large 
and valuable collection lately bequeathed to that 
institution by Mr. Woodhouse, of Corfu. It has 
been supposed to be a dodekadrachm of Athens, but 
its weight does not quite answer that denomination. 
The usual large coins of Athens are the tetra- 
drachms, or pieces of “4 drachms,” weighing 270 
grains Troy ; only one larger piece, a dekadrachm , 
or “ 10-drachm” piece, in the British Museum, 
weighing 675 grains, being known. The weight of 
the present coin, according to Mr. Vaux, is 744 
grains, and its size 9 "3 of the numismatic scale. 
The head on the obverse is that of Athene Polios, 
or Minerva, protectress of the city, probably copied 
