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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. f ■•>: >^> ^ 5^) 3 > 3 *>X>^ 3 >3X> :> *r> ^ » > \ 3 3ST> » 3) > _^ \ > 5> 3) > > -> -)3 ^» » > > > » >33> ^ o)3 >3 l53 ' ) O 33 >33) ► 03.33 .jS» 3> 3^» >^ >Z?>; >^^ J>>3'^3> ^) >3> 3>^- -.^^ 3^3^ 3 , >330J >3>_3> 3 O^ > 33 3 O o > > > 33 T> 3 3 > > p 33 Z> >J 3) > ^ 3 3 33 >5 > 3 3 33_-». , ^ 3 3 JO 3T 3 )3 3 33 3 j>;) 3P 3 » > 3 > J>3 - 3 , OPL» > §>> ' ^3 J? £>3?» J >.TSsfTfc J J> J*)3> '5 -> >J>o 3» 3 ) ■ s _3* »■ T —s*-^?^ > > r "^> a> T ^>^l»>: O > ">)>" >X^ ^ > 5 > ^Cr^ 3 33 2»3 3 ; ^V5&y? > y 3 .0 ^> >$ ~T> > ;» j»o ^ >> dftljSy p^->j> a* j> 3 y v -"* >-' ,"=»;- »3>r>>^_> •> >j , ^* M* > 2* ^»r> ^ >■ i* 2 n) J 3 ■>-!> _ >Ws?P :> V. ■» 3 ^> =« ■■ >:>_>.■ ^> — *_>j>j>>> 2> V ; ■ ^> "^k "< - > >> >>> > ys > ■J _-* e j> >5 >»>3 3 a 5 -^ j* 2> ~^i X> 35> ^> -^-i — ^ * V3^*3 > 53 > ^fXrx>* ~"> 5 y >-^SB& O 3 CO 3 ^ ^S>3 »>>3 3>3 3>3>^ ^3 22> '» SB*?" 3^ CHARACTERISTICS OF PAINTERS. CHARACTERISTICS PAINTERS. HENRY REEVE, ESQ " Jeder Character wird Dir ein eigenes Gemahlde seyn, und Du wirst eine herrliche Gallerie von Bildnissen zum Spiegel Deines Geistes um Dich her versammelt haben." Tieck's Phantasien. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. M.DCCC.XLIL ■ TR^'t H* 7j KJ r THESE compositions were first written down as a kind of sport In art, to describe the painters to whom they severally relate, by some awakened association with a favourite picture, or some general characteristic of the artist's genius. They are here preserved, because It Is pleasant to connect the Impression produced on the mind by a work of art with any familiar expression In lan- guage which the mind may chance to have retained. Some of these little sketches have become more serious than the design which prompted them : In some perhaps the tone of criticism has deadened the lively flow of sen- timent which they were meant to convey : / am content If In any of them the Idea of the great works and minds of Artists has been partially approached. This little Volume was privately printed two years ago, and circulated amongst those of his friends in whose thoughts the author might claim some place, when they chanced to return to the works of the masters which are here described : and to their indulgence at such times he then commended it. It is now addressed to a somewhat wider class of readers, if books of such slender preten- tension are read by any class ; but he still pleases him- self with the thought, that it may chance to win the favour of a strangers eye, by reviving some reminiscences of a beauty in art far above its own. London, January 1842. CONTENTS. Page A DRAWING BY GIOTTO 1 FRA ANGELICO DA FIESOLE 2 PIETRO PERUGINO 3 FRANCESCO FRANCIA 4 FRA BARTOLOMEO DI SAN MARCO 5 THE TWO ANGELS 6 MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAROTTI 7 SEBASTIAN DEL PIOMBO 8 RAFFAELLE 9 LEONARDO DA VINCI 10 CORREGGIO 11 ANDREA DEL SARTO 12 DOMENICHINO 13 GIORGIONE 14 PAOLO VERONESE 15 TITIAN 16 ALBRECHT DURER 17 Page GIULIO ROMANO 18 THE CARACCI 19 ALBANO 20 MICHAEL ANGELO CARAVAGGIO 21 GUIDO RENI 22 SALVATOR ROSA 23 CLAUDE LORRAINE 24 NICOLAS POUSSIN 25 GASPAR POUSSIN 26 RUBENS 27 REMBRANDT 28 RUYSDAEL 29 ALBERT CUYP 30 WOUVERMANS 31 VANDYKE, REYNOLDS AND TITIAN 32 MORALES . . 33 VELASQUEZ 34 MURILLO 35 A DRAWING BY GIOTTO, DATED 1315. Credette Cimabue nella pittura Tener lo campo ; ed ora ha Giotto il grido, Si che la fama di colui s' oscura. Dante, Purg. xi. 97. O'er these faint lines perchance did Dante bend, And watch'd the pencil of his solemn friend ; Smiled in his sacred musings as he saw New forms conceived in love, evoked in awe. Such as in visions he himself had known- — Giotto's the lines — the spirit was his own. FRA ANGELICO DA FIESOLE Dum visibiliter Deum cognoscimus, per hunc in invisibilium amorem rapiamur, cogitando scilicet apparentes has pulchritudines arcanorum esse decorum effigies. Corderius, in Dionys. Areop. Whenever Angels wore a Saint's disguise, And heavenly love looked forth from human eyes, The hood which half concealed the ecstatic face — Adoring image of eternal grace — Allowed the bright unearthly hair to fall In curls of softness so angelical, That all who marvell'd at the sight divine Knew 'twas some Seraph, or a work of thine. PIETRO PERUGINO. Sacrifico laudem Sanctificatori meo, quoniam pulchra trajecta per animas in manus artificiosas ab ilia pulchritudine veniunt quae super animas est, cui suspirat anima mea die ac nocte. Sanct. Augustin. Confess, x. 34. How calm and beautiful, when Art was young, The Seraph-sisters o'er the Painter hung, Ere his deep power was strain'd by passions rude, Or scattered in delicious lassitude ! Pure as the lily in her own long hands, Bent like some humbler flower, the Virgin stands, Whilst by the grace which from her forehead shone The Church made Art's great progeny its own. b 2 FRANCESCO FRANCIA The golden casket and the chisell'd bowl Were no fit tasks for that religious soul ; For he was of the nobler brotherhood, Whose colours have the touch of time withstood. None ever traced so well that finest grief Which e'en from Angels' bosoms sought relief, Or better limh'd that pale majestic face Whose death-pang was salvation to our race. FRA BARTOLOMEO DI SAN MARCO Antonio. Meint ihr, dass unsre Kunst so viel vermag ? Silvestro. Sie ist die schone Briicke, Regenbogen Die zwischen Erd' und Himmel ausgespannt ist. Antonio. Das ist die Religion. Correggio, von (Ehlenschlager. By gnawing fasts, by vigils kept apart, The Monk subdued the blandishments of Art, Lest he should lend the transient grace of Earth To the pure Mother of her Maker's birth. Yet cherubs linger o'er the sad abode, And penance 5 self reserves a smile for God : Till Art in beatific visions saw Those forms which congregate in Love and awe Around the Virgin's high and holy throne, And Faith look'd up entranced, and knew her own. THE TWO ANGELS. Adam ! I therefore came : nor art thou such Created, or such place hast here to dwell, As may not oft invite, though Spirits of Heaven, To visit thee. Parad. Lost, book v. The two Archangels who have thrones above, The one as Lord of Power, the one of Love, In their great service from Creation's birth, Have been the watchers and the friends of Earth, To hurl the Dragon from his guilty seat, To make the breath of life more wise and sweet ; And thus when Art was deckt by hands divine, Power still was Michael's gift — Love, Raphael, thine MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAROTTI 'Ev avdpuv, ev Oewv yevos' eic Mias de -Kveo\iev Marpos afityoTepoi, Aieipyei oe 7ra \2» ^ 30 x» 3 :> 33» ^33^»-« >2> 'ICB© 3I3»2> Khkupi J>3 3> 0> ;d»>:»2> >M> 3>5> ^ 2>£i33S» 3>_>-?J> >.^.3>> %3 J> > 'S*2X>.i43> j ^3Fv ; ^ ~3> J>ZJ/H> > . £> ;>5o ^ -^3»4 » _3g> S ;£3i» <» ' 3 ^3S> - J>_2> ' ->>> 3 > DP* ~? 23 > 3j>^ _>>> J> J3t» ->^^ > v gC»->- 3> >^>; J> ^£>~> jzm» 2> > >~SS> > J ~> Jg J> --=z£ ) _X»>3* 3X> 3^ 3 wm i ~|B 3Sj 3> '^> 3i .3 '>? _3> 3> > i^ J> _J> >js» jt :■■ j>~> JS2? i) ^JO) >^E» _> > > *> T> "^^^t)' ~>» 3 3>2 >3> >\> > TS> > j> O -y, ^"^^ i y^.P "".XO->X> 3^1>> >< J>3 > > > x> ^r^3-^ -^ 2> 3 > > 3 >0> ) ^ ^ J> » E> >' 33 2»2g> > > 0»JD > ^> >>»£> > » »J£> 3 3 ^ 52 o, 3 3 3 I> > :o> > > :> ) >>::> ^ yr> >I3s> 3 >~> >33 = > 3 3 y>3 3 C33. *J vDDD * £W>3 IB >3 r> 3 -.!»)>■ SV35>3> ^> 3 ^ >«i->: >3> >^> > 5> -'>->".z> "J> " r>^» s ^^> ^3 33» > 3£>3 • »>H> 3 ► 3 ^> >^Z»> ^» > > > > ^> yj> ^vS , »n ^> )M) 3 3> »^ >^> 1 y>^ >3> W> J30 ^£J ► 3> :>;:. z>y ^>» ►3t> 3> 3>^> EDP3 ~ > s» >^» ? 3 u^ :> OOK) S> 3^> 3 I 3 > ^ • i ->r~^. n =x> >^>i> 5P> "> ? k3 :> »3» >3 > 3> >3 D uv>> —£; j» > ^> • ^ >^3^ ' ^^ y^nm p» 5» 3> >3- > »3^ r> Sf?>T3 5> s > 33 3 » X> 3 3> 1 ^> >> > _» ^ .> » « 3 » » 2? .> > >J J 2> > > P > » 1> .» i> 3 > ■» o > "> .>> 3 » > > > • > > ;> > 1 ;> > J ^ ■;» > ^ -> j J) .» ^ ? ); D > ;> >> ;>;> ? > ;> 3> -> J> > o : •> .■■->>->>:> J> > . > .3 J> ~> > J> } t> J • ..> > > ^ >>3>S > £3CS3 3 < < -J -> ->* -\'^> > >, >' > J .:->_^> >? > >" ^^^S ' ) > .> 3 > »3 •^ ■> 5 » '^S ' ' ^* >>"■') ~~SM > z» > >>• 15 3 > _> > > R ' ■ ' : ■> >> ^ £ — C N > > ^> ^>3 > ., _-> .V> > _>3> £z >0 i ^y> , Jt> > ' ~> "2»"> > 138) ' >> > >3 US j ^ ) > "S^> :» L ^ J 3xo ;. » 3) >z: > 2 » 3 > ^ S > - ^ ^ > < - > 3 ) 3 > 33V> » TS>"D i>2» > 53 : 3> i» > > ^> ^» > 13 3»> > - r> 3fc> >t, ,-'s' * -> > . i •■ ;»»>> - ^ r>Ti »>3» > > ' > 3fe^ sioe> > > 3 g> ^OD:» ">~ >3 > ^i -^-> J ^>Z3S»^>v-i - -- ^^^ >^>^» 3 STV 3T^» >^> T»))> LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 527 124 1