The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-29 00:00:00

ART-UNION OF LONDON.

The folL wing Report was read at the meeting on
Tuesday, by Mr. Godwin, the honorary secretary:—
When the council met the subscribers last year, the
existence of the Art-Union of London was seriously
threatened.. Strong, however, in their opinion of the
great value of the association, and determined to use
every legitimate means in their power to ensure its con-
tinuance, they ventured, at the close of the report then
read to augur for it many years of increasing usefulness.
This augury it may now be confidently believed, will
not prove false.
Immediately after the general meeting, a deputation
from the council, headed by our illustrious presides t..
attended Sir 4obert Peel, then prime minister, vith the
view of removing the objections to Art-Unioas enter-
tained by some part of her Majesty's Government. Not
succeeding in this, every effort was made to enable mem-
bers of the legislature to arrire at a just, conclusion on
Mr. Wyae's Bill, for legalizing Art-Unions, which was
then before the House of Commons, and, without enter-
ing further into detail, suffice it to say, that the Bill
ultimately passed both houses, and received the Royal
Assent on the 13th of August, 1846.

This Act first setting forth that associations for the pur-
chase of works of art to be distributed by chance to the
subscribers, or for raising sums of money by subscrip-
tion to be afterwards allotted by chance amongst the
contributors solely for the purchase of works of art may
be deemed to come within the provision of the Acts of
Parliament for the prevention of lotteries,—declares the
same legal, so long as they are carried on in good faith
for the encouragement of the fine arts, provided that a
Royal charter of incorporation shall have been obtained,
or that the instrument constituting such association, and
the rules governing it, shall have been approved of by a
committee of her Majesty's Privy Council and deposited
with them.

Your council therefore immediately took the neces-
sary steps to comply with this provision of the Act, and
on the Ist of December last, " The Art-Union of Lon-
don" was incorporated by Royal charter,—long it is
hoped, to exercise a beneficial educational influence,—
to open the enjoyments of art to thousands to whom they
have been hitherto denied, to spread abroad a knowledge
and love of art, to offer encouragement to artists, beyond
that afforded by private purchases, as well by forming a
more appreciating public as by the provision of funds,
and so to assist materially the progress and elevation of
the fine arts in the United Kingdom. The charter will
be found to state the broad and disinterested principles
which should guide the proceedings of all such societies.
To our illustrious President the warm thanks of every
member of the society and of every friend to the diffusion
of art are eminently due, for his Royal Highness's most
important assistance in obtaining this successful issue. To
the Most Noble the Marquis of Northampton, V.P., the
the Right Hon. Lord Monteagle, V.P., and Thomas
Wyse, Esq., M.P., now a member of the council, similar
thanks are also due ; and having thus discharged the
agreeable duty of acknowledging these important
services, the Council proceed to report to the subscribers,
according to custom, the financial condition of the
association, and the general proceedings during the past
year.

- This is the eleventh annual general meeting. At every
preceding meeting the Council have had to report a
constant increase in the amount of the subscriptions,
ranging frOm 4891, the sum collected in the first year, to
16,9791. On the present occasion, notwithstanding a
season of unexampled and lamentable scarcity in parts of
the kingdom, and much +financial embarrassment, the
subscriptions amount to the sum of 17,8711.
The greatness of the amount may bs attributed partiy
to the increased interest in the fine arts induced by the
operations of the society, and partly to the increased
exertions of the provincial and colonial secretaries, from
whom a larger sum has been received than on any former
occasion. The number of provincial secretaries is now
398. St. Lucia. Qaebee, Australia, Sidney, and Jamaica,
have been added to the list of places where the society
has an honorary agent active in its behalf. The list
before included parts of Germany, New York, Mexico,
Montreal, New 13runseick, Ceylon, Singapore, Bombay,
Dominica, Monte Video, a7d China.
258 works of art were selected by the prizeholders of
last year, and were exhibited, as usual, for four weeks,
including a certain number of evenings. This exhibi-
tion was visited by upwards of 200,000 persons.
The council art :ndueed again to remark that the
annual exhibition of works of fine art, thus opened
cratuitously to the public, may be regarded as one of
the most important results of the association. They
would gladly see greater facilities for the enjoyment of
works of art elsewhere, afforded to the people genert.lly
than now exist.

For the premium of 5001. offered by the couneil last
year for a group or single figure in marble, twenty
models, sent in on the Ist of July last, were exhibited
to the subscribers and their friends in the Princess's
Concert-room.

After due consideration, the premium was awarded to
the statue, " The Dancing Girl Reposing," which, on
opening the letter accompanying it, was found to be the
work of Mr. Calder Marshall, A.R.A. Mr. Marshall is
now executing the model in marble, and it will form one
of the prizes for an ensuing year,—to which year's sub-
scription of course, the amount of the premium will be
charged.
In order to express their high opinion of a second
statue, " Innocence," the council awarded to the author

of it, afterwards found to be Mr. J. H. Foley, the sum
of MI., on condition of receiving from him a reduced
copy of the figure, and the right of re-producing it in
statuary porcelain. The reduced model is now on the
table, and fifty copies of it, in the beautiful material
mentioned, will be allotted to-day.
A third statute, submitted in competition, " Iris As-
cending," found to be by Mr. Kirk, was considered by
the council well adapted for working in bronze, and they
accordingly at ranged with the sculptor to furnish a mo-
del of the required size. A copy in bronze has been
produced by Mr. Hatfield, and the right to twenty such
will form part of the present distribution. Mr. 11. C.
Scions prize painting from the selected cartoon, " Queen
Philippa interceding for the lives of the Burgesses of
Calais," is finished, and will be exhibited with the prizes
of the year. The mode of appropriating it is not yet
determined on.

The Chantrey medals have been distributei to those
subscribers who were entitled to them. The Wren me-
dal, allotted last year, has been delayed by the indispo-
sition of the engraver, Mr. Wilson, but may now be
expected in a short time. The council are taking steps
to obtain other medals,—commemorative of Hogarth,
Inigo Jones, and Banks, the scepter.
The council have now to speak of the engravings.
" jeptha's Daughter," and the illustrations of " Ger-
trude of Wyonaing,!' due to the subscribers of last year,
have been distributed.

The plate of " The Convalescent from Waterloo,"
ue for the preceding year, and kept back by circutn-
stances beyond control, is now in the printer's bands.
Impressions from it will be distributed as soon as the
.
required number can be obtained.
The prints for the current year. " The Last Embrace"
and the " Neapolitan Wedding," engraved by Mr. C.
Rolls, and Mr. F. A. Heath, after Mr. Uwiias, R.A ,
and the outlines from seven of the cartoons submitted
in competition for the premium of 5001., are in the same
stage of forwardness.
The council, taking into consideration the importance
of encouraging every branch of art, and of varying their
plans, with a view to the pleasure of the members, pro-
pose to issue for the ensuing year a • series of thirty il-
lustrations of Milton's L'Allegro and II Penseroso, en-
graved on wood in the best manner. The following
artists have already undertaken to supply designs :
J. Absoloa, E. H. Corbould, M. Claxton, W. Dyce,
E. Duncan, A. Elonore, J. Franklin, F. Goodall, J. Gil-
bert, J. P. Knight, R. A., W. L. Leitch, Kenny Mea-
dows, H. O'Neil, F. Pickersgill, J. N. Paton, P. F. Poole,
H. C. Selous, F. W. Topham, W. C. Thomas, J. Ten-
niel, E. H. Wehnert, H. Warren, E. M. Ward. Every
subscriber will receive a copy of this work for each
guinea subscribed.
For a future year, Mr. Frost's " Sabrina," engraved
by Mr. Lightfoot, is in progress ; and the council have
arranged with Mr. William Finden to produce for the
association an engraving of large size, and in his best
manner, after Hilton's picture, " The Crucifixion," now
in the possession of the Corporation of Liverpool.
A statement of the engraving account, still open, will
be printed with this report.
The council alluded in the last report to their in-
tention of producing some work of acknowleged excel
lence in cast-iron, with the view of further promoting
the connexion between manufactures and art. In ac-
cordance with this desire they commissioned Mr. Nixon,
sculptor, to make a reduced model of a figure of " Tha-
lia," in the gallery of antiquities at the British Museum,
which has been ably done, and is now ready for casting
The right to thirty copies of it will be allotted to-day.
Since the last meeting, the council have been de-
prived by death of the valued assistance of Mr. Mo-
rant, one of the earliest members of the Society. Sir
John Jervis, M.P., her Majesty's Attorney-General, has
been elected to fill the vacancy thus created.
Under g bye-law in a code recently mule for the re-