1803. ] 
witnefles of the fcenes they defcribe, 
renders fuch books of Travels, as. are 
written by intelligent and obferving men, 
fo generally interefting. A faithful deli- 
neation of interefting {cenes, at which the 
painter was himfelf prefent, by’an artift 
‘whofe pencil difplays fo precile a mirror 
of the objects he paints, as that of Mr. 
Zoffanii, muft, upon this ground, be pe- - 
culiarly curious. This is an exceedingly 
fine mezzotinto: all the figures, except 
two or three pedeftrians, are mounted upon 
elephants ; the whole party furround. the 
tiger, and, by degrees, contract their circle, 
until their victim becomes an eafy prey. 
The Englifh gentlemen are furnifhed with 
fire-arms; fuch of the natives as are 
armed, have {fpears. Among other 
ftriking peculiarities, a female elephant. 
carries a fan to cool herfeff on the march, 
A more incongruous, or ludicrous object, 
than fo unwieldy an animal with fuch an 
ornament, cannot well be conceived ; yet, 
when the animal. is chafed or heated, it 
may have its ufe. Every figure is inter- 
efting: theelephants, their harnefs, riders, 
and drivers—the country—the general 
fubject all is valuable, becaufe we 
know it is an authentic reprefentation of 
nature, in a point of view entirely novel , 
to the generality of Europeans. 
With all this, the picture wants. tafe: 
there is nothing of that ever. varying line, 
which conftitutes air and motion, A man, 
intended to be reprefented in the aét of 
running, feems to be enly holding up one 
leg, and {upporting himfelf on the other. 
Another, reprefented in the a€tion of 
hurling a fpear, merely holds it up in the 
air, without conveying the leaft idea, that 
he has any intention of parting with it. 
What are we to infer from this: did the 
artilt copy from a clay-figure, or employ 
a man to ftand in the attitudes ‘he intended 
to paint? Thele queries occur to us from 
our knowing that Mr. Zoffaniit gives a 
more correct reprefentation of the objects 
he profeffles to delineate than any artift of 
the prefent day. However, be the caufe 
whatever it may, thefe faults, pervading 
the whole, give a general coldnefs and 
Riffnefs to a picture, which would other- 
wife be ineftimable. 
men are all portraits ; and, for the reafons 
above ftated, we dare fay they are ftriking 
likenefles of the originals. Of the en- 
graving, it would bedifncult to {peak in 
teims too high. Earlom has done it in 
his belt ftyle. 
Sir. J. Fitzpatrick, M.D. InfpeGtor-General of 
Health to bis Majefty’s Land Forces. &. 
Drummond pinxit. W. Barnard feulpt. 
From the almoft invariable fidelity of 
MonTuiy Mas. No, 98, ; 
Retrofpe of Fine Arts. 
‘The Englifh gentle-. 
LAN. 
Drummond’s pencil, we fhould judge that 
this has a ftrong refemblance to the ori- _ 
ginal: and Barnard has engraved it ina 
very good ftyle of mezzotinto. The 
painter has evinced profeffional abilities of 
great refpectability in other works of art; 
and this print is worthy of his former 
productions. 
Mrs. Billington as St. Cecilia. Painted by Sir 
Fafoua Reynolds. Engraved by fF. Ward. 
This print is engraved from a picture, 
faid ta be intended as a companion to that 
of Mrs. Siddons in the character of the 
Tragic Mule. It is very fine; 3 chorus 
of angels, finging with her, are wonder- 
fully animated and beautiful. Ward has 
. exerted himfelf with great fuccels in the 
mezzotinto: it gives a very faithful an 
fpirited reprefentation of the origina 
picture, which .is in the poffeffion of M. 
Bryan, efq. Notwithftanding all this, 
we cannot’ look at it without recolleéting 
the divine portrait of the late. Mrs. She- 
ridan in the character of St. Cecilia, 
which was alfo painted by Sir Jofhua 
Reynolds ; in which the face beams with 
fuch charaéteriftic, fuch celeftial ex- 
preffion, as no portrait of Mrs. Billington 
can ever convey. 
The Rev. Hugh Blair, from a Pi€iure in the 
poljeffion of Sir Fobn Macpherfon, Barts 
Painted by Raeburn, and engraved by Bar- 
tolozsi. 
The firft pifture of Mr. Raeburn’s, with 
which we were much ftruck,was a portrait 
of Sir John Clarke and his Lady; which 
picture was fome years ago ient from 
Edinburgh, to be exhibited at the Royal 
Academy ; but arriving too late, remained 
a few weeks at the Shakefpeare Gallery. 
From thefe portraits, we then pronounced, 
that the artift would mark himfelf, and 
foon obtain high refpectability in his pro-~ 
feffion ; and the event has juftified our 
prediction. Raeburn’s pictures are now 
in high eftimation—and they deferve 
it. The portrait of this venerable and 
ingenious writer, is marked with, pe-= 
culiar goodnefs and philanthropy; and this 
renders it ina degree interefting, even as a 
picture. It is extremely well engraved 
in the chalk manner. 
Francis Bartoloazi, Efg. R.A, W. Artaud 
pinxit. P. W. Tomkins feulpt. 
_ This may be fairly denominated a good 
print from a good picture; but it wants 
what is, or ought to be, the leading excei= 
lence of a portrait—charaderifiic refem- 
blance. Wedo not fay the features are 
not like the man. Perhaps, confidered as 
a map of the face, they are; but Mr. 
Bartolozzi was remarkable for fimplicity, 
x and. 
it 
iM 
i 
; 
ee 
ee 
