1810. 
rincipal merit, seemed to Carstens to 
be very far beneath the character of real 
genius. 
Carstens staid a month at Florence; 
and here he had a foretaste of the rich 
banguet which he expected to enjoy at 
Rome, He became acquainted with 
the works of the Florentine painters who 
preceded Michael Angelo and Raphael. 
It was in the chapel of the Deposit: of the 
church of St. Lawrence, that the genius 
of Michael Angelo appeared before him 
Jn allits pomp. ~The view of the master- 
pieces which adorn that building, was 
well adirsted to call forth the powers of 
his imagination; and accordingly he 
formed the plan of a rich composition 
representing the Battle of the Lapithe 
and the Centaurs. 
In September 1792, Carstens arrived 
at Rome; and he conceived himself to 
contemplate all Rome in the Vatican: 
considering the rest of the admirable 
works contained in that city, as merely 
the rays encircling this glorious centre of 
Night. He found the master-piece of Mi- 
chael Angelo, in the Sistine chapel, 
greatly above his expectation in_ style 
and force of expression, and even in 
colouring. The Last Judgment, indeed, 
seemed to him harsh and unpleasing. 
With regard to Raphael, his fresco 
paintings contributed eminently to’ de- 
velope the genius of Carstens, which may 
be said to have hitherto had no favour. 
able opportunity for taking an unre- 
strained flight, The sub slimity and rich. 
ness of Michael Angelo drove him to 
despair; but the grace of Raphael at- 
tracted him, and excited his emulation. 
During the earlier period of his resi-. 
* dence at Rome, Carstens visited © the. 
Vatican daily, till he had acquired a per- 
fect knowledge of the master-pieces which 
it contained ; and afterward he still de- 
voted some hours of every week to this 
temple of genius. The study of Na- 
pheel at length determined him to the 
style which he adopted; and he gradually 
relinquished the violent attachment 
Which he had formerly entertained for 
allegorical composition. He could nor 
however conciliate the unreserved goods 
will of his countrymen. It was impos- 
sible for him to applaud their method of 
composition: he percéived in their works 
nothing of that pure, simple, and ma- 
Jestic taste, which shone in the compo- 
sitions of Raphael and Michael Angelo. 
The custom which had been introduced, 
of putting in motion sinall figures for the 
purpose of assisting the imagination in 
Monxtury Mac, No, 199, 
‘Sophocles. 
Memoirs of the Life and Works of Carstens. A5? 
the choice of attitudes, be thought an- 
expedient unworthy of true genius; and 
by condemning these erroneous prin- 
ciples and practices, he excited a spirit 
of censure which was vigorously directed 
against the first work that be executed at 
Rome, the Visit of the Argonauts to the 
Centaur Chiron. 
Carstens had fixed on the spring of 
1795 for the exhibition of his works; 
and accordingly, in the month of April, 
he invited the public to visit the nume- 
rous assembiage of them in his gallery, 
Most of them-were taken from classical 
mythology. The judgmént of the con- 
noisseurs on this occasion, was very 
honourable to the artist. 
no oil-painting among the pieces, he had 
the advantage of not being liable to be 
compared with any but Michael Angelo 
or Raphael; and though he was certainly 
very far inferior to those celebrated mass 
ters, still it was a great point gained to 
be brought into a comparison with them, 
Baron Heinitz, on learning the success 
that. Carstens had met with, solicited 
him to send some of his designs to’ Ber= 
lin. Carstens complied with this ins 
vitation; but he, at the same time, sig- 
nified to the minister that he intended to 
prolong his stay at Rome. This circume 
stance excited some warm discussions 
between the minister and Carstens, who 
in the result found himself deprived of 
the allowance which had been granted to 
him, and left entirely independant of the 
academy. Henceforth therefore he sub- 
sisted on the produce of his works. 
During 1795 and 1796, Carstens exes 
cuted several large pieces, principally 
on classical subjects: but these were the 
last years in which he was able to pro- 
secute his labours with assiduity; fora 
disorder of the breast, with which he 
had been long affected, gave him very 
little respite im 1797. Even in that 
year however, he produced a number of 
designs, the most remarkable of which 
were -twenty-four on the expedition of 
the Argonauts, from Pindar, Orpheus, 
and Apollonius Rhodius: these latter 
are meré outlines, which death prevented 
him from perfecting. 
In his fatal illness, Carsteris painted 
his picture of Gidipus Tyrannus, from 
This was thé last of his 
works that he was able to finish. Du. 
ring the first months of 1798, he ap- 
peared to regain some strength, ile 
then endeavouted to give his mind some 
_relaxation by reading Ifesiod, and formed 
the plan of a magnificent des sign repre= 
oN senting 
As there was > 
