460 
whom we ought not to confound with the 
others 8 
The Clafs has propofed to the govern- 
ment, in order to encourage and fupport 
the art of engraving, to do what Louis 
XIV. did with the fame views; he fent 
Gerard Audran, to fiudy at Rome, and 
above all, to scquaint himfelf with what 
is called the grandiofe on-the fubjet of 
the arts. From henceforth, it is our in- 
tention, likewife, to decree a confiderable 
prize for engraving, which fhall enjoy the- 
fame advantages as the other great prizes, 
that is to fay, a penfion and arefidence in 
the fchool at Rome. There will be al- 
ternately, a grand prize for engraving in 
taille-douce, and for fine ftones and me- 
dals. Thefe two laft kinds, {0 interefting 
for the ftudy of hiftory, are yet further to 
be recommended by the circumftances 
wherein we now live ;  circumftances 
which will exhibit fo many glorious titles 
to immortality, fo many famous events 
to tranfmit to pofterity. 
Next to this principal advantage, in fa- 
vour of engraving, we have obtained one 
for the other arts, equally defirable. The 
revoluticnary war having interrupted the 
Jabours of the French-fchool at Rome ; 
thofe who had obtained confiderable 
prizes, were, for a long time, difenabled 
from deriving what may be confidered as 
the molt valuable advantage accruing from 
it, that of going to complete their ftudies 
in Italy.. But.on the peace, the above 
{chool was overcharged with pupils, which 
induced the minifter of the Interior to ren- 
der the competition triennial, until the 
ordinary courfe ¢ould be refumed. But 
this was too confiderable a reduction of 
the neceflary encouragements. The clafs 
of fine-arts has undertaken to fulfil all 
points, by demanding of the minifter 
prizes analogous to thole that are decreed 
by the other clafles of the Inftitute, and 
which are conferred as an honour on the 
man of letters and of fcience. This de- 
mand has been equally fuccefsful with 
that which the Inititute addrefled to the 
Firft Conful, for the encouragement of - 
engraving. ‘The minifter has, moreover, 
granted an indemnity to the clafs for the 
charges to which the candidates or compe- 
titors are liable. And, lafily, the Firft 
Conful has exceeded our hopes, by a gra- 
tification of the medal that was ftruck foy 
the inauguration of the Venus de Medicis 
to the young artilts who fhall be crowned 
in the fitting. y Another favour of a more 
ecent date has been likewife obtained. 
A letter from the Minifter of the Interior 
has juft granted an encouragement of Goo 
francs to the young artift who obtaingd 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
[June 1; 
the fecond prize of painting, and which 
was then under the infpection of the Infti- 
tute. 
_ After thefe primary cafes, and having 
made different regulations for the feveral 
competitions, in the fine-arts, conftantly 
fucceeding each other, from the firft day 
of Germinal to the end of the year, the 
clafs has refumed the exccution of anarrét, 
by which government has demanded of the 
National Inftitute “¢ the prefent ftate of 
the {ciences, of letters and arts in France, 
at the epoch of 1789, of their progrefs 
fiom that epoch to the aft of Vindemiatre, 
year 10 3 and the views of the Inititute for 
their advancement, encouragement, and 
perfection.” 
Two of the {tions of the Arts, Decla- 
mation and Painting, had made their Re- 
port before the changes which have re- 
cently taken place in the Inftitute. In 
the one, Citizen Grandmefnil had difplay- 
ed the refults of long and learned experi- 
ence in his art; and in the other, Citizen 
Vincent had traced an hiftorical and de- 
{criptive {ketch of painting, from the time 
of Francis I. whofe charaéter and perfonal 
qualities attraéted the able artifts whom he 
invited from Italy, towards the middle of 
the XVth century. Thefe artilts pro- 
duced others amongft us who furpaffed 
their archetypes. Vouet, le Pouffin, Le 
Sueur, Le Brun, Mignard, were the fir 
generation. Since that time, the French 
{chool has fhone with diftinguithed luftre. 
At firf, a number of painters formed 
tnemfelves into a fociety, from an inhe- 
rent love of the art, with a view to direct 
the pupils by a regular courfe of inftruc- 
tion. This fociety was erected into an 
academy, in the year 1653; and twen- 
ty years aiter, Colbert annexed to it a 
{choal of the fine-arts, at Rome. 
Undoubtedly Lewis XIV. and his mi- 
nifter were not fo énamoured of the arts 
as Francis I. but they did more for their 
eftablifhment, by founding them upon 
inflitutions. Notwithtianding this, paint- 
ing, and the arts in general, have declined 
fince that reign; the caufes of which have 
not been hitherto well explained. 
The feétion of painting confiders as one 
of the principal remoras, tke diétatorfhip 
exercifed over the arts, by one man, whole 
genius, however, contributed to their il- 
luftration; Charles Le Bran, fupported 
by the favour and authority of the Prince, 
erected himfelf into an arbiter and difpen- 
fer, both of the labours and the favours, 
and exacted from the other artifts an entire 
fubmiffion to his own tafte, which was 
an exclufive one, and to his charaéter 
which was imperious: they were under 
: a necef- 
