1799-] 
Eaygs sd 
MONTHLY RETROSPECT or toe PROGRESS orf rug 
FINE ARTS. 
HOUGH we propofe this Article to 
be generally Englith—Engli/,, Sirs, 
Srom top to toe ; 2 
Yet, as the conclufion of fummer is 
generally rather the feafon of preparing, 
than publifhing capital prints,—and few . 
characters of confequence are in town to 
fit for their portraits ; we fhall poftpone the 
few we have noticed until next month, and 
embrace this opportunity of making a 
flight inquiry into the ftate of the arts in 
fome of the furrounding nations. This 
will enable our readers to form a compara- 
tive eftimate of the relative merit of the 
Englith fchool, and afift us in inquiring 
how far it has improved, or is improving, 
in the great and leading principles of the 
art. 
Notwithftanding the boafted civilization 
of modern times, there are (till countries 
{and thofe claffed as highly civilized) 
where the Arts are barely tolerated ; and 
their profeffors looked upen as beings who 
have no other ufe than merely to fill up 
the catalogue of frivolous amufements, 
and furnifh the idle and the diffipated with 
topics of converlation. The munificence 
of the late Emprefs prevented this being 
precifely the cafe in Rufia. .. How far 
her fucceffor will in this refpect be her 
imitator, time only can determine. 
One Lampe, a Tyrolefe portrait-painter, 
was recommended to her Ruffian Majefty~ 
by Potemkin. This was a fuficient 
paffport to the whole court; and Lampe, 
though a very mediocre artift, became all 
the fafhion, and was paid whatever prices 
he demanded, fo that he in a very fhort 
fpace of time acquired 150,000 roubles. 
His portraits are not wholly deftitute of 
merit, but they have no portion of that 
nice difcrimination which ought to per- 
vade every imitation of Nature. The 
flefh, drapery, accompaniments, and back 
ground, are in the fame ftyle, brought 
equally forward, and finifhed without fufh- 
cient attention to their real varieties. 
Doyen, the celebrated hiftorical painter, 
came to Peterfburgh while Lampe’s repu- 
tation was in its meridian. His bold and 
verlatile talents formed a ftriking contraft 
_ to the feeble powers of his coadjutor ; but 
whether it was owing to his extreme mo- 
. defty, or is to be attributed to that referve 
_ which ufually accompanies confcious fu- 
» periority, he was very little noticed in 
Ruffia. For four ceilings which he painted 
in the winter palace of the Emperor, it has 
been faid he was never paid, although, 
from their fuperlative merit, thefe per- 
formances were worthy of the nobleft res 
compence. 
Le Brun, another eminent artift, former- 
ly firft ftatuary to the king of Poland, now 
refides at Peterfburgh. This artift was 
formerly in high eftimation at Rome, where 
his bufts of the Pope and feveral of the 
Cardinals were confidered as equal to the 
productions of Bernini and Le Moine ;—= 
but while thus admired in the metropolis 
of tafte, at Peterfburgh his works were 
{carcely noticed. The honour of modelling 
the Emprefs he never could obtain ; and 
while Madame Le Brun was recently 
painting a portrait of that fovereign, he 
was permitted as a {pecial favour to ftand 
behind the paintrefs, and enjoy the fu- 
preme fatisfaction of feeing a cup of coffee 
handed to her, without any notice being 
taken of himfelf. 
Madame Le Brun is not deftitute of ta- 
lents, but fhe is totally ignorant of the 
grammar of her art. Her itudies' have 
gone no farther than the furtace,—with 
the principles fhe is unacquainted. Her. 
conception is inean, her colouring chalky. 
Thefe defeéts appear more glaring by her 
portraits of the young princeffes being in- 
judicioufly placed in the Hermitage, on the 
fame wall with the Works of Rubens, Van- 
dyke, Rembrandt, and other Maftezs of the 
Flemtifh fehool ! : 
Madame Le Brun has the reputation of 
cloathing her females with infinite tafte ; 
but though we fee at firft fighr, that this 
painter attends peculiarly to the toilette of 
thofe fhe delineates, her portraits are al- 
moft invariably covered with a fhaw}, a 
fpecies of drapery, which cannot be indif- 
crimininately adopted without a facrafice of 
variety, or an injury to fome of the perfons 
reprefented. 
M. D’ Elamber was once member of the 
Academy at Paris ; he is now Profeffor of 
that at Peterfburg. The Revolution 
having banifhed him from France, he re- 
tired to Augfburg, his native country ; 
the war extending over Germany, threat- 
ening this afylum, he accepted the place he 
now holds in Ruffia, for three years only ; 
and it does not feem probable that he will 
be ambitious of retaining his fituation much 
longer. The life of the late Emprefs 
might have prolonged his ftay ; for, as he 
is one of the firft engravers in Europe, {lve 
had propofed to him many conlidera 
works; her demife was the death-o' a! 
thefe profpeéts 5 and he is at preent or 
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