1801.] 
fufficiently inftructed in the fcience of per- 
fpective, which, however, is indifpenfably 
neceflary for them ; more rarely ffill do 
we fee them conquer their averfion for 
the profound inveftigation: of it. - It is 
pofible that the elementary books which 
treat of it, containing fcarcely any thing 
but geometrical demonftrations and for- 
mulz, require, in order to be underftood 
by a young artift, ome previous acquifi- 
tions which are not always readily within 
his reach. Perhaps alfo, in thofe fame 
books, the phyfical caufes, which the ma- 
thematical demonftrations explain, deter- 
mine and appreciate the effects of, not be- 
ing explicitly handled in the proem, the 
mathematical theory, altho’ exaét, remains 
liable to-be mifapplied in pra€tice, and of 
courfe becomes itfelf a fource of errors. 
Hence it comes that a painter verfed in the 
{cience of perfpe€tive, and inftructed by 
long prattife in the art, knowing better 
than the moft fkilful mathematicians the 
degree of intelligence, the wants, the ha- 
bitudes, and the particular language of 
the artifts, would fucceed, perhaps, more 
eafily than the latter, in giving inftruétions 
on the theory of the {cience, and above all, 
the manner of applying it. However this 
may be, the Report, or to call it better, 
the very extenfive and detailed Mezzoir, 
read by Citizen Vincent, in the name of 
the Commiffion, accurately delineates the 
object and the progrefs of Citizen Valen- 
ciennes, the plan and the divifion of his 
Work. 9 + @iter irk part treats: ‘x. OF 
linear perfpeétive, and of the application 
of that part of the fcience to painting. 
2. Of aerial perfpective, and of the ef- 
fects of perfpective at the theatre, in opti- 
cal machines, and in gardens, On this 
“part, the Commiflaries have made a num- 
ber of obfervations. Without fuffering 
themfelves to be too advantageoufly pre. 
-poffeffed by a multitude of fenfible precepts 
and excellent examples, which prefent 
themfelves at almoft every page in the 
book of Citizen Valenciennes, they have 
freely marked the paflages wherein they 
think they can efpy errors and a defeét 
of perfpicuity. The lat part, in which 
the author defcribes the method of ftudy, 
which he conceives to be the beft’ to fol- 
low, both of painting in general, and of 
Jand{cape tn particular, has been no lefs 
{crupuloufly examined. 
ealogiums, always founded, and fometimes 
mixed with criticifm or refutations, con- 
tained in the Report made in the name of. 
the Commiffion ; it is reafonable to think 
that the Elements of Practical Perfpec- 
tive of Citizen Valenciennes will be 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
According to the 
got 
very ufeful to all painters; ahd principally 
to thofe who devote themfelves to jand- 
f{cape. ‘This work, it is highly probable, 
cannot fail, at firft, to affift the artift in 
acquiring a thorough knowledge of the 
theory of perfpeétive, both lineal and 
aerial ; afterwards to give him generally 
juft ideas on the application of this fcience 
to painting ; and laftly, to inculcate on 
his mind the neceffity of fudying  atten- 
tively, and obferving tong before he pro- 
ceeds to execute. 
‘s It is from the date of this trimeffre,” 
here exclaims Citizen la Porte du Thiel, 
‘that Paris has feen opened the pompous 
theatre, in which the chefd’@uvres cf the 
antique are aftonifhed to fee themfelves 
fixed among us, and fhining with a 
luftre alogether new. Always mute, yet 
always eloquent; from henceforth they 
will repeat without ceafing, that nothing 
was impofible to French valour; and, 
donbtlefs, one day, their prefence in thefe 
places, of itfelf fufficient to convince in- 
credulous pofterity, will force it to be- 
lieve in almoft incredible exploits. All 
the artifis who compofe the collective ad- 
miniftration of the Mufeum, have made 
a common canfe of the labours and at- 
tentions; let them all be equally paid by 
the gratitude of the friends of the coun- 
try. but (he adds,) it is ourduty here to 
indicate what e (pecially the Members of — 
the National Inftitute have done for the 
glory of the arts, as well as for the pro- 
grefs of l-tters. We thall fay then, that 
the figure of Minerva, which adorns 
the keyjione of the grand arcade, above 
the principal portal, is the produc- 
tion of Citizen MoirTe; and certainly 
this labour of the French chifel, placed in 
front of the moft famous models, will not 
caufe our age to blufh. 
« To difengage a multitude of faloons 
obftruéted in all their dimenfions, to dif- 
tribute with grandiofity (avec grandiofité) 
a local till then milerably divided, to 
conduct to their end difficult and even 
dangerous cperations,—fuch was the tafk 
that the archite&t of the Mufeum, Citizen 
RayYMonD, had to perform; the public 
voice adds; and fuch is the tafk that he 
every where has pertormed. We have 
feen the wall demolifhed, which formerly 
contracted the new fpacious hall of Lao. 
coon :—already fome had begun to regret. 
the painting in frefeo, which reprefented 
on this wall, Abafuerus encouraging Efther 
intimidated, the work of Remanelli, a 
compolition full of grace and refinement : 
but this frefco fhall be affuredly tranfmit- 
ted to our pofterity. The portion 
oF 
