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(624 Account - the Matouilep Stafford’s Gallery of Pictures. 
DINING ROOM, VENETIAN SCHOOL OF 
PAINTERS. 
Dias and Actaon, andVenus rising from 
the Sea; both by Tuian. 
These two pictures represent to us the 
excellent warmth of colouring, which was 
customary with the Venetian school: but 
perfection of drawing is not, in these in- 
stances, to be at all found, and we are 
apt to exclaim, Where is the outline of 
Raphael, and where is the foreshortening 
of Correggio ? The Circumcision and Last 
Judgment, by Bassano, are painted in a: 
very masterly style, and with much rich- 
ness in the. draperies. In a similar style 
of excellence, and with more clearness 
in the colouring, is a picture of Christ at 
Emmaus, by Paul Veronese, in which the 
expression of the group is admirable, and 
the workings of the mind on the faces of 
the disciples is accurately observed and 
pointed out. This painter frequently 
adopted a style of architecture, in the 
back-grounds of his pictures, which gives 
a solemn dignity and variety to his sub- 
jects, such as Corinthian colonnades, 
porticos, large flights of steps, with vases, 
&c. which always impart an agreeable 
interest to the scene. ~ 
Diana and Calisto, by Titian. 
The same glaring faults occur in the 
drawing of this picture, as in those be- 
fore-mentioned, and it is probable that 
they were painted in his earliest time, 
long before he had visited the works of 
the Roman artists. 
Two Butile Pieces, by Bourgignone. 
The works of this painter are not very 
scarce, they are painted in a free and 
masterly style, and with a bold and rapid 
pencil, The dresses aiso are picturesque 
and well varied, and there isa chastity 
of colouring in the sky and distance, 
which is highly suitable to the whole. 
THE FLEMISH SCHCOL OF PAINTERS, 
A Flower Piece, by Van Huysum. 
There is an admirable freshness and 
lustre in the works of Van Huysum, 
which have a closer resemblance to the 
natura! appearance of flowers, than those 
by any other artist of that department, 
either before or since his tine. The 
roundness and pure colouriyg of his roses, 
the delicate neatness of his hand in the 
representation of insects, the force and 
relief which is observable in his white 
flowers, all conspire to place him as the 
highest in this walk of the imitatory art. 
The flowers of Baptist are too cold and 
heavy, those of Van Ost too transparent 
and flat, being painted very thin; whilst 
this artist properly choosing the medium, 
equally rejecting the heavy and the 
washy manner of these two, has exhibited 
to our view a picture which is in every 
way quite a deception. The soft and 
elegant bloom of the rose flourishes here 
in perpetual spring, the delicate blue of 
the harebell offers its gentle and inoffen- 
‘sive contrast; the rich Heur-de-lis crowns 
the whole with its spreading purple 
leaves. Upon the white rose is seen a 
curious species of insect, and the con- 
mon ant is observable in many parts of 
the piece, an animal very difficult to. 
imitate, and yet these seem to be quite 
alive ; a fly also in the upper part of the 
picture 1s completely tangible, and seems 
ready to start from the touch of the 
spectator. In what terms shall the la- 
borious and inimitable pictures of Van 
Huysuim be spoken of. They have this 
peculiar disadvantage attending them, 
that they make the critic dissatisfied 
with all other painters in the same walk ; 
and it is reported of this picture, that the 
original price was two thousand guineas, 
even during the painter's life. To gra~ 
tify, however, the curiosity of the ama- 
teur, we shall enter more particularly 
into a description of the parts, as it is 
allowed upon all hands to be one of the 
finest pictures in the collection. In his- 
torical subjects which form the epic 
style in painting, the mind 1s variously 
moved, and sometimes the contrast of the 
thoughts, is the subject cause of excel- 
lence ; but in the study of flower-pieces, 
there is a sense of pleasure throughout, 
from the beginning to the end. In the 
centre of the picture is represented a 
beautiful white rose, whose delicate 
shades are admirably relieved by another, 
which has a blushing tint adjoining; be- 
hind these the staring marygold and 
poppy are concealed, and to use the 
words of Blair, 
“© What would offend the eye, 
The painter casts discreetly into shade.” 
On one side the harebell reclines its 
head, as if it languished from envy of its 
fair rivals of the garden; opposite to it is 
a rose-bud, in the same situation, the em- 
blem of youth, cut off inits prime; above 
all, the flower-de-luce lifts its magic 
head, and through its half opening blos- 
som may be traced all its Linnean cha- 
racters. But the climax of the imitating 
art, lies chiefly in the drops of water, 
which it is said have frequently deceived 
evel’ connoisseurs, who have attributed 
them to a damp air existing in the room, 
instead of the true cause, the pictorial 
art. 
