1800.) 
probably have arifen from an ambition of 
reading the mind’s conftrudtion in the eye, 
and reafoning from the philofophy of phy- 
fiognomy on the analogy between the 
features and the difpofition. Be that asit 
may, the rage has confiderably increafed ; 
and the publication of Granger’s Biogra- 
phical Hiftory giving a kind of clue to 
young colleétors, where to find the differ- 
ent portraits ; books of every defcription 
have been ranfacked for portraits for the 
port-folio, which has been again defpoiled 
to illu(trate either hiftory or biography ; 
and Clarendon’s Hiftory, or indeed any 
other book, has been decorated with thofe 
Jabours of Faithorne, Holiar, Pafs, or 
Veriue, which were originally defined to 
volumes of inferior note. To fuch a pitch 
has this been carried, that the la‘e Mr. 
Gullion told the writer of this article, that 
he poflefled upwards of three and twenty 
thoufard portraits of either Englithmen or 
fuch eminent perfons as had at {ome pe- 
riod of their lives vifited this ifland. But 
his prints were affembled at a time when 
collecting portraits was neither fo univer- 
fal, nor fo violently followed, as it has been 
fince ; by which means the chofen few who 
were feized with the holy zeal of illuftra- 
tion, had a larger field than the labourers 
of the prefent day, who, coming at the 
tenth hour, find that, though the mine is 
not entirely exhaufted, the moft fcarce and 
valuable articles are very rarely brought 
into the market. A grand opportunity 
will be prefented next month, by the fale 
of a colleétion which took the proprietor 
more than forty years to affemble, and 
which, as the catalcgue informs us, will 
be iold by auction by Mr. Richardfon, in 
somewhat lefs than thofe many days. The 
fale of part 1ft commences on Monday, 
February 3, and continues for the feven- 
teen following days. The fecond part 
begins on the 3d of March, and continues 
for the twelve following days. 
The catalogue contains a moft extenfive 
collection of Englifh portraits, forming a 
regular feries from Egbert the Great to the 
prefent time, and comprizing the choicett 
works of Delarum, Elfkacke, Faithorne, 
Hollar, Loggan, Lumley, the Pafles, Place, 
Smith, Robert White, &c. and nearly the 
whole that have been engraved after Sir 
Jothua Reynolds, and other modern ar- 
titts, moit of them proofs, many private 
plates, and unique prints, not to be found 
in any other colleétion. 
The catalogue, it muft be fuppofed, is 
very large; it is fold at Richardfon’s ; 
at Clarke’s, Bond-fireet ; and Cooper, 82, 
Lombard-ftreet. 
Retrofpeét of the Progrefs of the Fine Arts. 
999 
Miss STaRKE, the ingenious and intel- 
ligent author of the Widow of Malabar, 
the Tournament, &c. has juft publithed 
her Letters from Italy, written between the 
years 1792 and 17983 containing a view 
of the revolutions, &c. and pointing out 
the matchlefs works of art which ftill em- 
bellifh Pifa, Florence, Sienna, Rome, Na- 
ples, Bologna, Venice, &c. with infruc- 
tions for the ufe cf invalids and families 
who may not choofe to incur the expence 
attendant upon travelling with a courier. 
Of the pictures there is avery good ac- 
count, in which the fair authore{s acknow- 
ledges herfelf to have been materially af- 
fitted by the judgment of Mr. Artaud, a 
young painter of much promife, who is 
traveiling at the expence of our Royal 
Academy. 
_ For Valetudinarians, who are averfe to 
going into churches that are damp or un- 
wholefome, and therefore at fome feafons 
ought not to be vilited, there are {ome very 
ufeful hints. 
CaMBIaG1, a very active patron of li- 
terary underéakings, has redeemed from 
mortgage, at the expence of 200 {cudi, five 
hundred and fifty plates of the vafes of 
Ankarville.’ He will foon republith this 
work, like the firft edition, in four vos 
lumes; the, price will be from twenty to 
thirty ducats. To be dedicated to the 
Antiquary Hamilton. He means to de. 
dicate another publication on the works of 
art in Tranfaipine Italy to the French 
Direétory. 
DorRF MEISTER,a young Aufrian paints 
er, full of talent, fire, and originality, has 
prefented a beautiful altar-piece, and has 
happily painted the family of the Grand 
Duke. He evinced much {kill, particu- 
larly in the figure of the Grand Duchefs, 
whom he has drawn in a lace-dre{s, by 
which he has greatly relieved the palenefs 
of her countenance, and reprefented it 
fai hiully and with ut flattery. His co- 
Jouring is warm and pleafing; his draw- 
ing full cf ftrength and invention: he is 
the pupil of Fiigers, of whom he {peaks 
with zeal and enthufiilm, and with a gra- 
titude feldom felt, and never but in great 
minds. 
Mifs Huts, from Frankfort on the 
Maine, is a fcholar of the excellent Schutz, 
and—her genius was foltered under the 
noble La Roche, who loved her with the 
enthufialm of a mother. 
In the learned and induftrious Puccy- 
Ni the Gallery of Intagitos and Antiqui- 
ties at Flerence has a direftor which it 
would be fortunate if every other collec- 
tion of art could poffels. Under his direce 
| 6M 2 tion 
