The National Register. — London, England, 1809-09-03 00:00:00

.5 FPI. 3, mass. oug to be held, we har:.'!y know, but certainly thc - ,' oug ht ri); to be held as an n'.l . lcted lady holds her 1;;1)- bill and conceitedlv torkPd into 1 1 ;, folds of her robes, when Catalani scr?anis out her hitrl:-:st note at the Opera House. IVe think 1)e genius of ilas beei. curbed in this de6gn : it is more ina!iimate than any thing we ever beheld of his; -we recolle , .;. countenances of his Edward and Eiianort,—we 1 , .. - cu gazed with admiration on the cxp ring le.::.tures of his Faulknor,—and we look upon the fi:cc of his Meli-Jmene with rea: iisappc in' 7uent ;—we look in vain tOr that wangled agita'ion which belongs to the ruse of l'i-agedy ; and RLeh we are certain that the cl - ikw'. of Rossi could have bes;owed. The neck is ill i:as a very unnatural juttines:f in the middle; the left aril is Yeey stiff and feehle,—it bends inelegantly : the whole figure, though majeslic, is somewhat chinsy. It is a cou!inon piacc figure . ; and though very few sculptors would lave carved such a figure as Flaxman'sfor Comedy, ny co:minon sculptor would and could have carved such a figure as Itossi's Tragedy. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER. SI a—Having already given )ott my opinion pretty copiously on the group. of 65 , ,nres lately erected by the side of Russell square, I shall not intrude upon your oatirmce by any further comments on that particular subject, except by draw ing your 4 .tention to the practice of cal* in metal, and how far that mac be congenial to the interests of British Artists, and the fu tare advoncement of Fine Arts in this Country ; this I have pit:Aimed may not be unworthy of your consideration, as you seem by the loyalty continually dispayed in your sheets to be completely a well-wisher to your native land. The practice being rather novel in England may, perhaps, among the crowd, gain some admirers, but sure I am, the moment it is considered either in a classical or political point of view, no English Gen-. tleman possessed of taste or liberality can approve that which must end in the sacrifice of genius and prostitution of talent. — But, Sir, as assertion without proof is beneath my aim, I go o to state that in no one point of view can the casting in copper or bronze vie with the sublime, the soul enlivening resplendent Art of Sculpture, the only true model which, independent of Nature, can t each the young Artist nr Ihe experienced painter the real effect of light and shade. Metal can have but one advantage, and that consists in its durability, and even that may he disputed, as metal is liable to cancer nad decay on the outer surface, by which means the beauties of the work may be lost in metal as well as in mar We. Perhaps I may he told that I am like the man of leather, who was . for repairing the walls of his city with the remnants of his swop—granted.—l wish the brass founder no ill, may hi! , business flourish, and may our steeples resound with the effects of his merry melting pot ;. but, Sir, while I would allow him all the benefit his unwholesome employment can furnish him with, let him not rob the inTenious Artist of that which might make him merry too, for if the founder toils all the - day, the real Artist must frequently labonr all night. To the credit, however, of the Patrons of Polite Art, we have at present not many specimens or modern bronze in this country, for which I hope they will accept my hearty thanks, and when I recollect the sample in St. James's-square, which by the bye I think would have a fine effect, surrounded by very high trees; such specimens I say are not very likely to charm John E it into any great affection for it, But here it may be but a fair tr Ate to the memory of that excellent artist the late Mr. Bacon, to notice the figure of Thames, in Somerset- Place, than which I ht.iieve modern times cannot exhibit a finer example of knowledge, iu the way of art—but, alas! it is bronze, it is black 571 and its beauties are lost. The ancient bronzes certainly far ex_ ceeded ours; even mechanically considered, the reason is evident; they adopted another process, which although known to us, we do not practise, notwithstanding it 4s followed on the Conti nent to this day, and with much better effect ; the method I allude to, is that of casting their statues whole, instead of run ning them in separate pieces and soldering or burning them toge ther, and to this, in a great measure, are owing many of the dis proportions and contortions mentioned in my last; and thoegk it may be urged that bronze, being an immediate cast or impres. sion from any given work, must of course preserve more pure the real effect of the original model ; the contrary i s the fact, because the process which must naturally take place, must more or less affect the metal cast, and the least fault in any one joint may so affect the whole, that it is no longer a fac-simile, but the spurious production . of a bell-founder, or mechanic, and the uofortuatnae artist is no longer master of his own work, but must submits' first to see his original Idea spoiled by a rough shapeless mass , nearly as mous as a sponge, ana afterwards more damaged by the hand of a Birmingham chaser, who is better practised in the art of making a pokes or a shovel than in the study of the human figure. AU those objections are hpwever trifling, com pared with the disadvantage that must acrue to the artist, wilds of course may lay aside his chisel in disgust, as the profit upoq which he formerly existed is wasted upon a medal which Wimp. him nothing hut vexation ; the fine art of the statuary will oe longer ornament our isle, and the groupe which was formedy the production of real genius and study, is to be replaced by the filthy iinitations of the coppersmith. To all this may be ans wered, it is not new, it was the practice of the ancients. Yes but where are the works which will recrimmend the practice>, Are any of their most excellent performances in bronze ? Are the statues of the Venus de Medici, the Apollo, the Lae. coon, the Gladiator, the no less *admirable statues now in the posseFsion of Lord Elgin ? Or, indeed, have we a single ancient specimen of any magnitude or consequence in that composition ? No, Sir, the ancients were tali classical, too polished, and too great encouragers of real art, to submit to such a degradation of taste. I ain well aware that the task I have undertaken is little short of washing the blackmoor white; but being somewha t flattered by the remarks I have had the pleasure of hearing made stn the letter you have already done me the favour of iusertiug, begin perii4s too fondly to imagine there is a fitiat prospect that our progeny may witness a better taste than it seem pos sible for us, from local circumstances, to enjoy. I am, Sir, (what I believe you may perceive), an ENGLISH Aftrur. FEMALE VAsHIONS, zukc_ SEPTEMBER. Motra N n D (LESS ES.—A slight mourning habit is compos ed of black gossamer net, or imperial gauze, worn oiler a whiles satin slip. A demi-train. A. round frock front, and short French sleeves, each edged with rich Vandyke lace. A centre of white satin, edgel with gold bullion, finiglid in front with 4 rich cord and cone tassels, suspended from topaz studs. Pearl necklace and bracelets, with topaz snaps. lac in the eastern st% le, with a Spartan diadem, and comb of topaz or gold, Circassian scarf of grey Spanish silk, with a Tuscan border in black embroidery, and tassels ,to correspond, confined dill one shoulder with a topaz broach. Shoes of grey catiu, with claps of jet, or rosettes of black bugles. White gloves of French kid, and fan of black crape, with gold spangled devices. In deep mourning, the robe should be formed of black crape„ and worn over black sarsnet. The ornaments and Atiittioings or every description must be of bugles er jet. The shoes of Queen's silk. Tile scarf, black crave arimperial silk, sputtcd aria b u z. (tired to itb bugles. 4el taLLOi 4114 broach. • . THE NATIONAL REGISTER.