1809.] 
demands great efforts, have of late much 
improved in this highly necessary branch 
of the elements of art. And for this, the 
country is indebted to the indefatigable 
and zealous exertions of Mr. Faseli, the 
present kéeper, and eminent lecturer on 
painting. At the time of his coming into 
his present situation in the academy, 
these same artists were daily losing ground. 
inthe elements of drawing the human 
hyure. But duly impressed with his in- 
valuable precepts, no less than by his 
example, they are daily improving them- 
selves by study after the antique, and the 
great model of the antique and all ex- 
cellency; NaTURE. 
Mr. West, the worthy and excellent 
president, who is undoubtedly at the 
head of our national school of arts, has 
contributed three pictures to the present 
exhibition, Milton’s Messiah (No. 68,) 
Gray’s Bard (No. 119,) and Narcissus in 
love with his own Imave, which he sees 
in the Water (No. 502). ‘They are in 
the usual animated style of this excellent 
master; the figure of the bard is particu- 
larly fine and energetic, and possesses a 
singular freshness of colouring. De Lou- 
therbourg’s Landscapes, are such uncom- 
mon productions of art, that no praise 
can fairly be adequate to their merits. 
Of the same rank are Turner’s, possessing 
andeed very different characteristics. No. 
105, Tabley, the seat of Sir John F. 
Leicester, bart. Wiidy Day, has an effect 
that ravishes as much by the novelty of 
its effect, as by its genuine representation 
of truth. In landscape painters we stand. 
pre-eminent, ‘To the former artists we 
may add, as particularly excelling in this 
department, Callcott— Arnald, whose 
Rossiyn Castle, by moonlight, has such a 
calm and true effect, which has’ seldom 
been excelled—Anderson. The best and 
most prominent portraits this year are, — 
Lady Kensington (No. 8) by Owen; 
the Bishop of Salisbury (No. 38) by NortA- 
cote; Mrs. and Miss Wetherell (No. 62), 
by Sur William Beechey; the Dowager 
Lady Beaumont (No. 78) by Owen; Wil- 
kie, the Painter (No. 93) by Sir Welliam 
Beechy; Sir Joseph Banks, bart. K.B. 
(No. 134) by Phillips; Mrs. Whitmore 
(No. 176) by the same artist, possessing 
such beauty and truth of colouring, cor- 
rect drawing, and verisimilitude of charac- 
ter, of one of the most lovely women in 
the creation; that it would be as dange- 
rous to the repose of the spectator to 
behold this charming portrait too long or 
too often, as the statue of Prometheus 
was to its maker. Mr. Blagdon (No, 
tows 4, , 
ed 
Monthly Retrospect of the Fine Aris. 
178) by Dawe, a young artist of most 
promising abilities, cand of rising reputas 
tion ; also a lady (No. 218) by the same 
artist, that is hardly inferior to any whole 
lengthin the exhibition. Mrs, Evans(No. 
233) as Cowslip, by Allen. Madame Catas- 
lani in the character of La Didone Aban- 
donnata (INo. 246) by Lonsdale; which | 
is unfortunately hung im such a.shame~ 
ful dark corner of the anti-room, that it 
can hardly be seen,and is aquestion of eve-~ 
ry one, whyso good a picture has receivétl 
so bad a place:—a question, that the 
hanging committee are best qualified to 
answer; for a better picture there is not 
im any.of the rooms; and there are at 
least twenty of inferior merit, even in 
the great room. It looks at present, 
while unexplained, too much like private 
pique. : 
: (To be continued. ) 
Intelligence relative to the Fine Arfs, 
Announcements, &c. 
The work that wos announced in this 
Mavazine a few months ago, called the 
Fine Arts of the English School, is in a 
state of forwardness. Report speaks high- 
ly ofsthe engravings of the first number, 
which are: 1.A Portrait of John Dunning 
Lord Ashburton, engraved by Bond, from . 
a picture by Sir Joshua Reynolds, accom- 
panied by a biographical memoir by Mr, 
Adolphus. 2. An historical composition, 
representing Thetis bearing the armour 
to Achilles; engraved vy Bond, from — 
the well-known picture by the President 
West. 3. A view of Lord Mansfield’s 
monumentin Westminster-Abbey church, 
by Flaxman. 4. An elevation of the West 
Front of St. Paul’s Cathedral church, 
London. 5. A plan of the substructure 
of the same building; Sir Christopher 
- Wren; both drawn from. actual measures 
ment, and accompanied by an essay tae 
wards an history and description of the 
‘edifice, by Mr. James Eimes, architect. 
Mr. Dawe has issued oroposals for 
publishing a print in mezzotinto, from 
his picture now exhibiting CNo. 89) in 
the ‘present. exhibition at the British 
Gallery, Pall Mall, and which obtain. 
ed the premium in the class of histori. 
cal and poetical subjects given by the 
British Institution 1809. This excellent 
picture was reviewed in this Maga- 
zine for last March, and has since bes 
come the property of H. P. Hope, esq. 
The subject is from Shakespeare’s Cym- 
beline: Imogen found at the Cave of 
Belarias. It will be about 26 inches by 
22, and the price to Subscribers, prints 
dl. Lis. 6d, 
