The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-27 00:00:00

from copies, ornament shaded from
Meade, figure outlined from copies and from
models, and shaded from models; flowers drawn
from nature, ornament painted in monochrome from
casts, Gowen and fruit painted from copies. The
exhibitiee sontains many hundreds of drawings,
which ccestitute, upon the whole, the most promising
tee: We yet seen in connexion with these
all of this large collection is more
et him mlflssiias, and many of the drawings are
thinkable, sad really very surprising, as the
reassure of the short courses of instruction
tkrosgh whisk moat of the students appear
Is have gees. From nine to twelve months
Moms to have been about the average period,
Wording to the notice affixed to each drawing,
=by the students in acquiring their proficiency,
is certainly much greater, in the majority of
GINA than is commonly acquired in a course of pd.
me instruction of the same duration. Thise
such for the methods of instructioo, but we doubt
whether the spirit of emulation, wet *hiss*
fostered by public exhibition., prism, dies, hes test
dose more towards evoking the
ties of the scholars than could ever have
been effected by the best course of tuition. This
plan of public exhibition is an admirable one. We re-
member that it was posited in the very earliest days
of the Schools of Design, when the drawings of the
Somerset-house students used to be stuck up round
the walla woe a mouth. We had opportunities at that
time elbowing how isflicient this plan was; of cotes,
the present mode of exhibition will be as much
more efficient as it is more public than the
old way. The rooms yesterday were thronged,
although the view was a private one, and we
doubt not that the free exhibition, which commences
to-day, will be numerously attended. We were
somewhat surprised at the paucity of copies sup-
plied by the authorities to the schools. There are
see or two figures, one or two lumps of medicos.'"
foliage, and one oe two fragments of renaissance
frieze, with fruit and flower, each of which has
supplied, we should say from memory, between flee-
sad-twenty and fifty of the drawings now exhibited :
yet these models are not of merit so t ranscendant as
to give them claim to such a monopoly of attention.

In one room there are several sumptuous pieces of
cabinet-work, several of them the property of the
Queen, lent for the purpose of affording models for
the students of the metropolis. We cannot agree
with the taste which has selected some of these
examples. It certainly seems to us that, in this case,
as in the case on which we have before remarked, of
I the little museum at Marlborough-house, the ex-

maples have been selected with ;Al unnecessary re-
ference to their money value, which, in many cases,
must be enormous. It would be much more profit-
able, we imagine, to supply the students with
models of cabinet-work w h.& could be reproduced
at a coat not precluding such reproductions from
ail abodes but those of her Majesty and the wealthiest
aristocracy. We trust, ere long, to witness a great
change for the better in tie really important, but as
yet wholly despised matter of artistical upholstery
but the change will not lzp brought about by the
study of objects like those now at Oore-hosuse. In
upholstery, nothing that cannot be executed in English
oak or American birch is of much popular imt-
asce ; but there is no reason why we should not have
as gout art in these materials as in buhl," Seim,
dura, ormolu, ebony, or ivory, though, of course, of a
different kind and elaborately minute execution.
There are great openings just now for really
great artists, if we have such. One is upholstery
and another pottery,. both of which are at present
in the hands of utter ignoramuses or utter dilettanti.

MR. DIBRARLFB REFORM BILL.