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Leader (1850-1860), 24th June 1854, Edition 1 of 1, Page 595, Untitled Article

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      placing ( be . most beautiful colours on the moot beautiful parts of the figureiowflm *» * he ejtes , the moat beautiful wrte , w « re apt painted purple * but black—we should , aoswei lusa fcjy sayio ^ . Clever fellow ! do not suppose we mse te pain * eyes so beautifully that t&ey Hiould apt anpw to lie eyes / " tflfoto , ** De Repub . " lib . iv . near the beginning . ) Tins passage would long ago haye settled the question , had not the moderns been pww > ecupted with the itelief that the Greeks did ra > r paint their taftnes . 3 £ hey , therefore , veacl < fee passage-in another senser many translators » ead " pfet « res" fcr ^ ststuesf * but the Qreek ward etvdpias- signifies" statue , and la newer bse&to signify " pieture . ** It means « t * tue , and * statuary is called the maker « f snch statues , m > 9 ptnrroiratos . ( Ifr . Davis , in Bonn ' s English edition of **! Biat ©^ avoid * the ^ Realty by translating : it " humanflgwre * . ' *)

      Mere * a passage wMeh net onfy « rt «» li 6 h « B t&e sense of the onetw Pferto , ** *« t wbifewncquiToeaHy ( feeiariagthat the ancients painted their statues , gives theaseaso * why the paint , is mo seldom dbeorerablein the antique lamaias . It i # f «© iu Butareh C * ^ ipst Koiaan , " xeriii . « t the end ) -. " It ia Beeesaary to fee «« $ eaarifwU © f fltataw y ,, otherwise the vermUkm vrith which the aacient statue * mtre \ cofowredmm q ^ kty , dis 0 § &wS .,+ * * ' " Vijjg&ju * ajaepjgraH ^ i ^ , onJ ^ jQfieWiTenus a marbk statue of Amor , thewingrs m which flii&Il be many-Qolonrej * , oa 4 the quiver painted , but he wtixwtefc thati 4 &i 8 sha&beoo , because , it & customary ;—" Marj&ocsusaue tibi , I > ea , verstcpterifaw alis J » mwew pictS stabit Ana « rpTiaretcSl . ¦ ; &nd hi the seventh ^ Eclogue , TOrell , sfpeaklng of the statue of DiaoB , describes ! it as of marble , with scarlet sandalsisoand round the Teg as high as tbe calf . " Si pm > pHfttn h * c faint , l » vi d » marmore tota ' : Puniceo stabis suras evinctacothnrno . "

      And there is a passage in T * Kny , wnleh is decisive * a » * ooit as we understand ! ibe allusianw Spiking ; « rf Nicia * # ib- xxxr . cap . H > . ** « ny ^ that ! gtasttetee ,: ^ hen asked which * f hia m » rbte woiksbest satisfied ainj , replied , "XbosewWch , 2 &eJaa : haa had and ** hj& hiw * a * , » » So . ttweJv" add * PJ » y * « did h * , po * e the teshing ofNicias *—fan / uwt ^ rewnii / iw ejuts tribudxit . The , meaning of this paesajfe nan ^ a on thje word circumfiti * , IHne&elmaran ibMews the mass oPeomment&tB . tors In understanding iMa as referring ^ ibsoaie 1 » odejQf £ ^ Aimr tfee : « tntues ; but Quatremere de Quiocey , in Ms magnificent work , * LejHp * ter Olyrapfen , ^ salftla&OTiry afcowe this , to te TW * tenaHe , not «« 4 y because no sculptor eevbf tWalt ^ of pgrefcrtteg « ueh of We « t « t » e » as fc * d . fceea tettrogotiid ^ tot als * fcgeaa * Ificwsbolnjra p <* ht * r , » ot a sculptor , bis « wri «» 'Hm ^ l » aR « i ? ieeorifcoee o £ * 4 Kn Bt £ R r

      What wwe they | Jgvaas war « a awtmstiti ^ anaka , aadnence it sejems . dear that hjg ctrawatttio—iM 3 mode- « £ tei « hh « th * « tat » i »» « o W ^»\ ynwaeA ijyj ^ susdlele *—muet Jx « v : e : be « a the Application of « ncaustio pauating . to < tbose parts which tbe sculptQC wished to haye ornaweafad ., £ or , itiia qiute idie taauppewe j a sculptor like jPraxiteles , vould allow another atfuJntor to Jinush hU works . The ] tQJDgb work maj be done by other hands ^ bjit the finishing is always left to t ^ el artist ' . The statue completed ; there atillxenaained the j > ainter * s ai ^ t to be em--yfeyed , an 4 fer that NieiaR was renowned ; 'i Even VfinckelmiaBft (« € tesehicte der Ktmst , " Tsueh . i . kap . 2 ) , « rfter noting ; fc © w the ancients -were aooustomed to dress their statues ^ afc&B , '" - 'Tliis gare rise ; to the painting of those pasts of the tnariAe statues which vepvesented the v ^ eth ^ B , as ma | r het seeo j » the Biana found at HereuAanaam , isJt ? 60 ; The hair is blonde ; the 4 istp » ries white » « ritk a triple border ,. « ae of , gold * th « other of purple , with festoon * of fl « n « r » * the third plain Hurpfe * " .

      There are atill txajee * visible of gilOing in the hair of stajbues . Ey «» # 19 Yeowts ^ e Medici Tiaa such . And the hor ^ dv ears , apeak pUinly &t eAxrin , g » ., While the testimony Qf anjaijuity is rthua expUcit , theie is the &till more c « nvSncing testimony of living eyes , which bare seen this painting / on stataxea- TCiiQ celebrated Swedish traveller , AkerDtad , jays , <* I am convinced that the practice ef cekNrrinjg- nuorDIie statues and : tttildlngs was tpuch more fre ^ nen , t t&m is supposed . The second tinae I visited Antem , X had opportunity of narrowiy inspecting the frieze of the Temple of Theseus , and I c&me away conrraeed it had been painted . * ' Quatnenaere de Quincey naentions statues he lias seen , and refers especially to the Apollo in the ILouvre , made of Pentelic marble , almost all over the naked surfaces of which & twee of red was faintly perceptible : the same with a Diana at Versailles ; hut he adds , " these traces grow daily ftiitttei ? , " The eyca and mouth of the colossal Dallas de Velletri sijtl retain the violet colour .

      Socaase a few of the evidences . Onexamiaingthem we ^ flud them not only unequivocal in themashret , but complementary of each othen . Liiving testimony , supposiwg it to he accepted without denuur , would not suffice to settle the question of what iraa the ancient firafitice ^ foe it might not wjceasanably be argued thai , tbeea i { race » oS painty on tba « bat « es mm on ] gr eyidencef of a degenerate taste like our wbitewaehuig of « athftdrals—^* od ao ^ evidence of Gjreek artists h-ariog perpetrated such oflJBqcef ¦ ngotoi ^ t taste . Hut . when it ig seen , by the testimony of ancient writers , each as Plato , Pliny , Plutarch , « nd VirgU , that the Gi $ ek artists did colour tjheh * statuea * the fact of the jstajtues being discovered'with traces of colour ia explained , while on the other b-Aitd this fact helps to clear avway alt trace of doubt which might linger in a supposed « jittiv © ortliie » & in- the pasaagee from ancient writers . G . B , Ljswjes .

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      BOYA& ACADEMY . EoinwrH JfoarM » - ~ l * OBTBArT « . Iw aoH « in # i * the power -of design oaar « requisite thaa in portvait-patntrng . The mejecntw of our portraits ar ^ ao eonrtructed tbat it may bo said , the photograph , baa . wore of the qualities of design than the painted picture ; and foe tjbti * reason . Fuwid as . tho sitter ia , before the photographic machine ; XD&gitwikcal m the process , is , the muscurianr acttoa in the moveable parts of ttve f * oe and o § the figure lias , lees time to become QH-bmisted and die away , than under th . e > . te » diou » proeesft of being enthroned while the portraits painter " copies' * the lineaments . It is this preservation of action in the rooveo&le portions of the fij . ee which so often gives the appearance of actual

      life to the pbotograph . As we have often said , the medium of art sigoifiee much less than consistency to th& i ^ g ^ iiama - Size and colour % re > often fbrgotton when the spectator hits becamo thoroughly imbued with bh& spirit of the picture * XUeve ia many a tutted jphoAograpk whitsh eoajes in the letter ne «< r « r to the oooaplexiotx of the original , but has alltbe aspiect of the painted < loll , and does nu > t for a moment psroduce illusion . On , the other hand , although ne&uc&k to a ^ bousiundth part of the eubic size of the ori g inal , and left wiitU BJAeh . colour as no amen or women ever had , yet the plain photograph , — © spocially if the imago be correetty taken by a reversing process , and still more , iX it be seen through some obscurity which the glass itself may lend , — will for the jnom . en . fc so « m like the real presence of tho original , ready to speak , it oivwy aecm actually moving . The teason . is that the traite of Ufb

      being actually caiight , and Udi » g essentiaU ^ r associated , to the senses as well asjto "the mind , "—with speech and action , they make an impression infinitely more powerful : and store positive than -the mere size , —in rtselPvague and « 4 ten faikwicMia ^—or the quality of eoloer easily modified under tftwrage lighta at a ^ Bsteniee ^ osbq&x through a false aeimn . TJbe figure « ughti «> k gtsay and small ; tat a certain opening action of t ^ e ey « Ai ( te t » lifting -gf the cteekyiat rouwL the inouta * * pAcjuliir pja ^ of the lqis , Mve jxtfliap * . nexer been seen in the oosrinaL excent in connection wirti scum * ngr » b > nloi > amA ^ nn

      some familiaT expression of face ; and tence , having before you the ojirktence of life m i * s most : familiar afid living conditfen , you hare , in * roth , so ^ r as eyasicht i * concerned , anartnitl pro » uce . The painted |> ortra » t , witii Its Ihaawfly iinjed eyelids , its 4 nechAnio » Uy fi ^ ed nMMitik * ox rn ^ n o liniwcm ^ til , after ail , nothing but ft coBaniled -doU ^ . And a&t with » tu » diag , th » Utm ^ tA accordance with the ori g inal , i » size , ma ^ ematical form , or colour , it-falls so far short in the evidenee of organic life , that the Ulusioa is . not realb ^ —tbepneture does "nor * m > e& o » % reaiffie /* . ;

      Ttiere are few portraits Aat in theaa resp « ets can « on » pare nrit % -tfre designs ia some few of the pbtaras . We will p « t altogfitarrwit of ttaaecowtt Kolmau Hunt ' s powerful , bu * t . unequal Tlmiypn , und ttk \ rnm tim itniUii ^ ¦ lni matter-of-fact production of Mr . £ . JVt Ward ' s « Laft Sleep <^ jA | a || e . This we hold to be afair nxo 4 el of a portrait as an ^ Sndish . P ^ iT ! aT ^ t tti lf i and should execute it . It is an en ^ ejavour b y all conc ^ vftbLevtralta of ^ w * - ganic action , in the forms of fee © and bands , tn the < 3 n ^ 0 Bal ^ cd % tuane ari the bed drapery , " to- create tb « particuiar axprestion and con * tfoflt o ^ 'the nwawaut , witU » H tbje coU # t * r * l eonseqaeneea wiiidb stand £ « ewiaaaoe to ^ he spectator of what Jibeltfe !» «* . It ia by an Eairlirfi painter , and i ^ ai JEaeUsh

      painter , if he were to design a portrait as he hasf designedLthi * Juguxft waul 4 be able to produce aueh a . , sneaking realitj as we 4 ^ 4 iu ^ e vorks q ^ the tn ^ hest masters . Some approach to this again is seen * itttifrouga # « areat > l 6 to best it teocri mc * e engb % from the height c ^ the picture , fe FVan 5 is * a portrait of Lord Gougfc . " 1 > h « aQtk ) mis ftoe , the military jwwawell caught , the « et of tbe eouatestanoe « du « otosr « ye the idea of iMui » g tJ ^« oni of couMoaad * Jn ahoxt * th . & figure is fifc « g ? ie < l » and th « c « £ ) EKrft * hfl iMMknit u ammatea and expressive ^ .. . ; , In -what weiaave said ^ we have spoken lridTependentT y of"tbjB xt tpi ^ ioi ^ l ^ an ^ sseiKtialpaiftt , but not-the highest riart o ^ poritrate ; STojbt 1 ^ 16 iii ^ qLes d ^ nendo tKi nn manv thinmi . AnA > <*« -tnnsfr MaAntfnf *« M * a 1 i u » wl . rtWtt ^ i *''^ iw U ^

      « onvejed ! M « e ti . ose wMch perfeain tto the ; character of ffie ' oi ^ iiiiL ^ 'It fi | said that when OomweB toofcjiis seat ^^ befor © Sir Pete ? Lej ^ j ^^ nS ^ rti . tecter commanded that eomrplaisant artist , to paint iu » exact ^ is tre ^ apeeared , with « JI liis mjoglmesses-and defects . *^ y o ^ b ^ jed . " ; flii £ aiil ^ lassitude was perhaps strong- up by the ambition of the naoto , eiit , i he endeavoured to paint tfee Purkan leader as he actually was , ana the be&seiatience is , that instead of a painted inanity , like so many of Levy ' s pictured 'jS ^ f ^ t ^ before jou 1 * e rough floiaieT-Btateamaan , - whose countenance isl « g « r , ifeam , and yet full of generous emotion . It is a portrait admirablv design ^ aud Hk& bJEenes * is iHttdjBrstood to be complete . The photograph would tel ! a different tale of ** Lord John Rus » eU firom tbat which FraaefsOrant hf » t 6 W ; and so it ^ v-ould oi " * Thomas B ^ bln ^ Maoautaj . " Grant bas " improred * npon mature ; buthls pate ^ p ^ ocflffiap pears to us to fee inferior t-o lU the oH original . " We confess that ; tTord Jobn « symnaetry conforms more to rttlte nt the picture rfchan in fact ; t ^ e TifeBdWiaot 00 l »* are , the less are looser . < &e shoulders are somewhat morB Inanorii&nt .

      The *" points would be better kx tb «« yes of a recruiting officer , a 3 wl | il the Essex Ki ^ BHgad ^ this ! Lc > rdJobTiiaigbt pass among the bill , men . But tjiteh ber ^ is the mistake—Lord J ohn is -wot-a . man whose repute , still leig-vi ^ hoset character , rest * upon his -passings rjnostcr for the Essex Etifle , Brjjjf ^ e . or anV other brigade whatsoever . He is a , man witJi a large "head on a jUttau t > ckflj ^ an intellect acti-re rather than iclear- ; a strong sympath y for bJa l ^ n ^ L ; but a powerful diffidence checks his expression , ; and-while big ambadon and bis faculties have p laced htm fts leader of the Commons , that j » jfZU ^| a ^ hettQ diffidence mark * bis delivery with a erarnpad ,, hesitating manner , and forces him magnetically to flutter between the table to ^ wrhichEia trenjbliiifij fingem cling and the Treasury bend ^ -upon which he seems each momeQt ttbont to retire . White the want off a cool mastery over his language play ? havoc with bis syntax , a deficient physique depi * ives his voice of volulme and his attitude of majesty . But in spite of these obvious defects , the powex * of tins of those

      man , his syaapftniy wt * b the feeling ^ around nun , his licuities , M 9 genutne devotion to English principles , have made biiu , reattv as ^ reH as 111 ? he honorary sense , leader of rate popular representative body of the ^ nsSuh people . He is so by virtue of his active understanding ana his , q troo ^ Teel ings , 8 «« n in a powerfully moulded , Head , surmounting a flail bodjj ^ and in a face more earnest , brave , and anxious , than smiling or reposing . We liave been describing what ought to be the portrait of tho man , but Mir . Francis Grant has thought fitter to consult the preconceived idea of the recruiting sergeant . He has " flattered"' Lord John , ftod toe consequence is , that the future historian will be able to compile from Hansard and the history of ti ^ q House of Commons a better portrait of the statesman than has been supplied by Mr . Francis ( arrant—who had tfce man before him !

      It is the same with Macaulay , only in a minor degree . Mr . Crrattt has refined the coarse fea ) bur « d Seotobman , and has enabled the spectator to see something of the rejiaenienl ; which marks the essayist , but hm deprived him of any means of conjeeturing the power of the historian or the > orator . Middletori ' a portrait of the " Ji-m . peror Napoleon TIL , " appears to u % frona recollection of the original , to partake the defects of the usual '' flattery' *' and of the copyist style , though perhaps in a minor degree . We suspect that the Imperial tailor would give a different measurement lor tRto £ nv «

      perial legs from that wUiah w $ we before us . lt > is the most obvaoua defect of the inscrutable Napoloou to wear a heavy appearance , aad . it is . th « i ( V ^' ect of MiddletorTs manner to be heavy . Here , the fault of the artist brings forth one of the most remarkable historical aspects of tne origioai , <©» , At all evente , does not exaggerate it , on the contrary , there is perhaps too , oa ' uch o f an official smile ; but then the Emperor must sometime ? smile officially . " His face , ' * said one who had seen , him at meetings of tho Royal Society ,, ' * & life © a corpse . " " Tes sir , " said another , " but it was a corpse with a fijcedl idea . " Middleton has cauglit , but softened tbe first Ualf of this exntveeaiQQ : for the " fixed idea ** we must still refer to history .

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      Junb 24 » 1 ^ 54 ] THE LEADER m&

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 24, 1854, page 595, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2044/page/19/