- 66 
mons, in the year 1800, many ancient 
‘paintings, curious fragments of architec- 
tural ornaments, specimens of painted 
glass, &c. were discovered behind 1t. 
Mr Smith, considering them as very in- 
teresting pieces of antiquity, wished to 
engrave “them, and for that purpese ob- 
tained permission to copy them; these 
copies, with the necessary observations 
and memoranda relative to the whole, he 
fortunately completed previous to a large 
apes ot them. being destroyed by the 
workmen’s repairing the building. 
When this work was begun, it was not 
thought that it would have required ex- 
tension to its present length; but the pro- 
prietor finding it encouraged, and wishing 
to render it more worthy of public patro- 
nage, has inereased the number of his 
plates, and instead of seventeen which 
were at first intended, the book econ- 
tains forty-four; and the letter-press, 
which was not expected to be more than 
about one hundred and fifty pages, 1s ex- 
tended'to two hundred and seventy-six. 
The work is deliv ered to the subscribers, 
of whom there is a very numerous and 
respectable list, at the original price of 
4l.4s. To non-subscribers it is sold for 
61. 6s. 
The principal object of this Retrospect 
is to notice the prints, and the prints 
in this volume exhibit specimens of 
engraving on every sort of metal which 
has hitherto been used, 
every variety of manner ; tiley are on 
copper, iron, stone, and wood 3 in line, 
in aqua-tin ta, etching, mezzotinto, &c, 
The exterior and interior vjews of an- 
cient buildings im the old city of West- 
minster, are in general adinirably en- 
graved ; the copies from the specimens 
of painting, sculpture, stained glass, 
ape bearings, &c. discovered in 
t. Stephen’s Chapel, are extremely cu- 
ave and must be interesting, not only 
to the ¢ antiquary, but to every man of taste 
who wishes to enquire intg_the early state 
of the arts in this country; these being 
"as far back as the reign of Edward IIL. 
7 he grotesque paintings are of a very lu- 
dicrous description; and the whole are, 
7 begin, gilding, &c. coloured in ex- 
= ly the same manner as the originals, 
he lest print in the book is a w ood-cut, 
pepiee ie Edward IL. commissioning 
Hugh De St. Alban, John Athelard, and 
Benedict Noi le, to collect. painters 
for St. Stephen’s Chapel, built by that mo- 
narch. In the common process of a 
wood-cut, a drawing is made by the pain- 
ter, and then traced on the block by the 
“engraver 5 but in this, the drawing was 
1 
ee 
Monthly Retrospect of the Fine Aris. 
and are in 
fAug. Tr, 
made on the block, by Thomas Stothard,. 
esq. R. A. and bis lines exactly follow ed, 
in the print, which was engraved by Mr. 
Berryman. 
No. 5 of Progressive Lesson on the Art 
of Drawing Landscapes, by J. Bryan, is 
jast published by Mr. Ackermann; and 
we were pleased to see that the continua- 
tron adheres to the plan originally pro- 
posed; the numbers are really pregres- 
sive. They began with a delineatiow 
of such parts of rural scenery as a student 
might easily comprehend and copy, and 
are contmued by rising from one step ta 
another, to a finished landscape ; ; and he 
is instructed how to arrange the different 
_objects in various points of view, amd thus 
form a new composition. 
The valuable collection of a well known 
patron of the arts in Herttordshire, which 
was lately advertised to be brougl ht to the 
hammer, has been purchased by the Mar- 
quis of Stafford. With that anxious de- 
sire which has ever characterised this mu- 
nificent and. patriotic nobleman, he has 
exhibited as many of them as there was 
room for in his superb gallery, for the in~ 
struction. and improvement of junior art- 
ists. 
The exhibition for the sale of the works 
of British painters, in the British Gallery, 
closed the begimning of last month. “The 
rooms will now be opened with a few se- 
lect pictures by the old masters, for the 
study of younger painters, 
This institution has been of infinite ser- 
vice to painters of the English school, but 
it has imatenelly injured the dealers In 
old pictures, cargoes of which were for- 
miserly imported from the continent, . 1 
such numbers as seemed to give promise. 
of our speedily having almost as many- 
yards of par ty-coloured canvas, as we 
haveacresof land. The pictured canvas, 
being digmified with the name of some 
great antient master, by a modern bap- 
tism, was brought to view, and being bia- 
zoned with the most extravagant and un- 
qualified encomiums, produced i inmense 
sums, at a time when it was asserted 
that there was something in the’ air of 
this country in‘mical to genius, and that 
no man born in Great Britain could paint 
a picture fit to be exhibited in a magni- 
ficent collection. This unaceountable i in= 
fatuation, we hope and believe, is now 
done away,,and that proteetion and en- 
couragement will henceforth be given to 
such native artiats as.are worthy of it; 
and capital pictures, though they are by 
English painters, find their value. In- 
deed i it must be acknowledged that severak 
which may be thus classed, have, since 
the: 
7 
