1803.) 
of the real ftudent, or any mifreprefenta- 
tions ufhered in fplendid poinp before the 
weaknels of the nation. 
Tt may be thought I am prejudiced in 
thinking the Italians pufh, what they call 
gracetulnefs, to excels, the Germans 
cluinfinefS, and the French their anima- 
tion or theatrical energy 5 while I hope from 
the patience, knowledge, and modefty of 
Englith artifts to find limbs to climb the 
fteep afcent of fober rational perfection ; 
but it can never, I hope, be a crime to 
wifh to fee in my own country, not the 
mere luccefs of the meretricious branches 
of fine.art, but the meanet utenfil we ufe, 
the humbleft tool we make, marked and 
ttamped with appropriate form and orna- 
ment. To accomplihh this grand, and, at 
once, no lefs creditable than profitable 
object, has hitherto been the motive of all 
my writings and {tudies on the fubject ; 
and hence it is, I wifh to make our com- 
mercial nation turn its eyes ferioufly to 
an objeét, that can alone fecure to it its 
juft fhare of the commerce of the world. 
Let a real fchool of {culpture be opened, 
conducted by men whole intereft it is to 
haften its perfeétion ; and that feed will 
be fet, which fhall not only bear noble 
fruit on the fummit of the branches that 
fhall arife from it ; but whofe meaneff pro- 
duéts will be fufficiently alluring to create 
a demand for them at the fartheit quarters 
of the globe. Had the advice I gave, in 
the year 1793, in my Pian for improving 
the Arts in this Country, been happily 
followed, we fhould, long before this pe- 
riod, have pofleffed the fineft collection of 
plafter-cafts from the works of the an- 
cients in the whole world ; a public gal- 
lery, that could not have failed to inttill 
into the, general mind, among all ranks, a 
chaftened tafte, and genuine admiration 
of corret performances ; whereas now, 
wherever we adopt it, we fhall find Italy 
ranfacked, and with difficulty procure, 
without being under obiigations to France, 
but a few of the fineft productions. That 
fcheme has. been hitherto poftponed, 
through the influence of felf-interefted’ 
~fninds, alarmed at that, which, to the 
generous, the feeling, and the patriotic, 
an, is ever a {ubje& of gratification. 
To have the credit of raifing {cholars that 
furpafs ourfelves, ought to be the ambi- 
tion of ali fcientific men and artifts. To 
have furpaffed all, and left none to fol- 
low them, feems to be eager hope of the 
‘vain and weak practitioneis of our times. 
It is become, therefore, the duty of thofe 
Wha feel that the cowntry ie injured by 
Letter from Mr. Cumberland. 
103 
thefe miftakes, to correct the evil, by 
taking the direction of art out cf their 
hands, and placing it with better guar- 
dians. 
Painting and fculpture have been faid 
to be fifter arts, and they may with pro- 
priety be fo called, as far as they {pring 
from one parent, which has the defire, 
common to both, of imitating forms: 
but, hike other fitters of other families, 
their features widely differ ; for not only 
‘are they of effentially different characters, 
but very confiderably in their ufes and 
ends.—Sculpture may exift, and be car- 
ried to perfection, where painting is un- 
known; but Painting has now no mode 
of commencing her exiftence, without hér 
elder fifter’s aid and inftru€tions. As to 
their utility, I believe, no one will place 
the art of imitating any thing in compa- 
rifon with the thing the art was invented 
to imitate; or, fora moment, equal the 
imitation with the production of tangible 
form, What then muft we think of the 
confufed ideas of thofe ftatefmen, who 
form clubs or academies, where they 
bend the higheft branch of fine art under 
the tuition of the inferior, and degrade 
that geometrical, I had almof faid ma- 
thematical, {cience, the attempt to create 
faultlefs forms, by putting her, like a 
parifh apprentice, within the undefined 
precingts of what they are pleafed to 
abufe the word, by caliing it an Academy 
of Painting. 
Sculpture, like arithmetic, muft be fime 
ple and almoft demonttratively true; but 
painting can hide the greateft deformities 
under a coloured veil; an agreeable co- 
quet, that changes her admirers every 
day, but has but few refleCting friends ; 
{corned often, and exchanged by thofe 
who beft fupport her fame, while the noble 
dignified matron, fculpture, never forfeits 
the affections of even thofe whom, after 
long wooing, fhe rejeéts ; and moves ma- 
jeftically through ages, ever afcending, 
till the eyes of mortals can no longer fol- 
Jow her apotheofis. 
Should thefe refke€tions into which [ 
have been drawn, when I only, at ferting 
out, intended a line to correct what I 
conceived ta be an abufe of the public 
credulity, and an impediment to the per- 
fetting of our arts, be found compatible 
with the obje&t of your Magazine; and 
that the fecuring a pre-eminence to our 
arts make apart of your liberal plans, it will 
give me pleafure occafionally to continue 
them; and I fhall confider your infertion 
asa favour, as far as it contributes to 
O2 the 
