The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-12 00:00:00

FINE ARTS

JOY'S PORTRAIT OF REAR-ADMIRAL SIR

CHARLES NAPIER, K.C.8.,
We were on Saturday admitted to the private view of
Mr. T. M. Joy's recently painted portrait of Admiral
Sir Charles Napier, at Mr. Meeson's Hanover Galleries,
33, George-street, Hanover-square. It is a full length,
and the gallant hero is represented in full uniform, in
the act of mounting the breach at the siege of Acre,
cheering and leading on his men, and animating them
by his example. As a portrait it is unmistakeably like.
It is the very hero of Acre himself, features, figure, atti-
tude, :expression—it is the very man as he is.
As a work of art it is very fine. The
artist has managed his lights and shades beautifully, so
as to bring out the figure strongly, and it is painted in
that broad style that is exactly suited for a public gal-
lery. The picture is intended for the Hall of Greenwich
Hospital, and when placed there it will constitute one of
the principal objects of attraction in that celebrated naval
portrait gallery. Her Majesty, to whom it has been
submitted, has expressed herself much pleased with it,
both as a portrait and a work of art.. Mr. Meeson is
about, we understand, to publish an engraving of this
portrait, from the burin of Mr. Carlos. It is one of
those pictures that is exactly suited for " black and
white," and we have no doubt but that. the engraving of
the portrait of the " gallant old Commodore" will be
sought after by persons of every degree throughout the
United Kingdom, from the peer to the peasant.

THE HEROINES OF SHAKSPERE.
Part XIV.
The mere enumeration of the names appended to
each engraving in this inimitable serial is in itself a
panegyric upon the genius of our great Shakspere.
Those names so fraught with the remembrance of
passion and of interest, so allied to the recollection of
poetry, now tender and now sublime, now sparkling into
wit and now dissolving into pathos ! Thirteen numbers
have already appeared, each containing the imaginary
portraits of three of the female creations of the most
wonderful of all poets, each portrait representing a
character complete in its individuality, and more
familiar to the popular imagination than the heroines
of any other dramatist. Still is the theme any-
thing but exhausted ; in the part just pub-
lished, for example, there are sketches of charac-
ters not less conspicuous than Cressida, Portia,
and Katharine, the first by Kenny Meadows, the
second by T. W. Wright, the third by A. Egg.
Katharine, though somewhat too sombre in attire, is
almost scornful enough to freeze the heart of the
jocund Petruchio, when he is bantering her thus by
playing on the pet abbreviation of her name :
" You are call'd plain Kate,
And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst ;
But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom,
Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,
For dainties are all cates."

We can fancy how Christopher Sly stared for the
nonce, how he wagged his frouzy head in his
velvet frill, how he called a second time, and with
more gusto yet—" For God's sake bring me a cup of
small beer !" when he looked on the tart visage of
Katharine and heard the saucy gibes of Petruchio.
Portia is the worthy daughter of Cato, and what is
much the same, the noble wife of Brutus. She is
saying to her lord gently and beseechingly, "Dwell
I but in the suburbs of your good pleasure."
gCrraecsesifdually drisaawnon wood i i
graceful limning of a face yet more
already
by the artist of
Tyas's Shakspere. She seems not likely to be num-
bered amongst those whom Troilus derides as—
" scanted with a single famish'd kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken tears."
Cressida has evidently just been correcting the
knuckles of the old demirep P. andarus, and is gazing
into the amorous eyes of Troilus.

THE ART-UNION JOURNAL.
As usual, here are an abundance of embellish-
ment, an abundance of criticism,, and an abund-
ance of artistic information. The leading article
is written in commemoration of that glorious edifice
which is still in progress on the banks of the
Thames at Westminster--a structure which will for
centuries be a memento of the enterprise and genius
of the age of Victoria. A bold likeness of Eugene
Neureuther, with sketches of some of his fantastic,
but most imaginative designs, and an effective biogra-
phical notice will be examined . with interest, as
will also the portraits and miniature memoirs
of Edward Mathew Ward, the painter of the cele-
brated picture of "Dr. Johnson reading the manu-
script of the Vicar of Wakefivld in the lodgings of
Oliver Goldsmith ;" and of E. H. Baily, the sculptor
of that incomparable gem of art, which has gained a
name like Thomson's " Seasons '—Baily's Eve at
the Fountain. Pyne's " Letters on Landscape"
and Mrs. S. C. Hall's fairy-tale are both continued,
the latter with, as usual, the most lavish illustration.