~S 
126 
ledge, went hand in hand, and whose 
zeal and’ patriotisin: peculiarly caleulated 
hom for the high and honourable office 
to which he was elected. The endow- 
ments of Sir Joshua were such as fail to 
the lot of few individuals ; and except in 
the single instance of Rubens, painting 
could never before perhaps boast of so 
aecomplished a professor. He was a 
profeund scholar, a finished artist, anda 
polished gentleman.* 
With such aman at its head, it was 
matural to expect that the Royal Aca- 
demy of London would at least have 
kept pace with the other seminaries of 
painting then existing 5 but it did miore: 
it soon surpassed them. 
Hogarth, who was hostile to this in- 
stitution, predicted, that the establish- 
sent of a school of painting, to whieh 
there was such easy access, pote it be- 
rainous to the profession ; as painters 
would then be as numerous as mechanics, 
and print-shops as plenty as porter- 
houses. It is veedless to inform the 
reader of the total failure of Hogarth’s 
prediction, and that the arts, instead of 
being ruined, have risen to a degree of 
npportance, ‘and. the professors to a 
height of respectability, w hich, i in their 
most sanguine moments, they could 
neyer have hoped to attain. 
Although the advantages of the Royal 
Academy may be sufficiently obvious ; 
yet 1 may not be amiss to inform the 
general. reader, in what its superiority to 
all former institutions in this .country 
more particularly consists. First then, 
the academic body is composed of sixty 
artists, who are. chosen from : among the 
annual exhibitors, most distinguished for 
their superior merit. These members 
are divided, into two classes ; Academi- 
cians, and Associates : the Academicians, 
of whom there are forty, form the higher 
class, and the Assvciates, of whom there 
are twenty, the inferior. 7 The first ad- 
vance fo academic honors, is that. of 
being elected an Associate; and the 
next, or higher, that of R Loyal Acade- 
a! ‘The Associates, as before re- 
lated, are selected from the mass of ex- 
hibitors: and when a vacancy occurs in 
the bigher class, it is filled up by an 
‘election fiom the Associates. “The 0° 
Wernment of be Royal Academy, i 
wholly” ‘vested’ in; the. ie 
oe Léonatdo da Vinci was certainly a very 
learned. painteré, but his theory surpassed his 
= practice § his science was Breen than, his 
“Rracution. 
Pe? he we 
t 
Anecdotes of Pamimg. 
[March 1, 
from whom eight members are chosen, 
who form a, council, and who may be 
considered the executive’ government. 
The members of this pouneil are annually 
-elected, or rather come in by rotation, 
from the Academic body. The Ass0- 
ciates derive neither ” advantase nor 
eclat from their iminediate situation. ; 
save only their standing in that grada- 
tion, which isthe next: step to the rank 
of Royal Academician, and bemg com- 
plimented:with a diploma, and a ticket: 
for the dinner, or annual gala, given at 
Somerset Piace, previous to the opening | 
of the exhibition. But they have neither 
vote at its elections, voice in its councils, 
nor any Influence whatever in the inter- 
nal regulations of the Royrl Acadeiny. | 
The president, professors, and different 
‘officers of the Royal Academy, are chosen 
from among the Royal Academicians, 
who all, except the president, have sa~ 
laries annexed to. their appointments, 
The professors are those of painting, 
perspective, architecture, and anatomy,, 
who each deliver six annual lectures in 
their several departments, to the students 
of the Royal Academy. | : 
Besides those. prefessors, there are 
other officers attached to this establish- 
ment, such as the “keepers or master 
of the drawing-school, thie secretary, au- 
ditors, secretary for foreign ie gH 
dence, &c.” 
There are also a ntimber of inferior 
officers, servants, porters, &c. on this 
grand national establishment; the whole 
expenses of which are defrayed out of 
those funds accumulated from the annua 
exhibitions. Those exhibitions of fate 
years have been eminently productive; 
and instead of “gaining two thousand 
pounds a-year from shillings,”* they 
often now net four thousand pounds.’ 
Having gone ‘thus far into the consti- 
tution ofthe Royal Academy, it may not 
be amiss to point out the various ad- 
vantages which the students in painting 
derive from being dmitted into this 
Temple of the Mus ie 
The first and most ieee advantage 
arising to the student of the Royal Aca= 
demy, is the access to so’ extensive and 
grand, a collection of Casts from the An- 
tique, (many of which are no wise in- 
ferior to the originals,) which in “any 
other than a national institution must be 
unattainable, He has also the poets 7 
of studying from the living: models; 0 
lectures on painting, perspective,” aed 
* Redes Pindas. 
Syed pares © 
tomy, 
