Star.
London, England, 1807-05-07 00:00:00


ROT 4L Ac AD Emr.

EXHI arrloN :207. .
Monday frowning the doors of this fplendid
School (if Britilh Art were thrown open to the Public,
and from the flight glance we have been able to
take at tha produtlions exhibited, we lielitate not to
pronounce the difplay very gratifying to national
,pride. There are fewer portraits, and more works
of genius and fancy than have appeared for feveral
years. Our attention is principally drawn to feveral
admirable pictures, the productions of the recently de-
ce +fed and much-lamented On e, molt of which ale
equal, and. fame, we think, fuperior to any of his
former works, as we fhall have occafion to Janice
more particularly when we come to (peak of them
in detail.
Mr. LAULENCE is !timid( again, and WErreat. all
- that he ever was ; he has feveral pictures tnd draw-
ings which will dais with the belt productions of
the age in Which he lives.
The PRESIDENT maintains his rank as the moll
fcholatlic painter the country ever produced.
Loora Visayan has produced four beautiful land-
(capes, painted with all that force and fplendour for
which his works are at atimei diainguifhed.
WILKIE, the young Scotch main, whore Vearetry
Politicians were fo noticed ha year, again Rands
forward, in a fimilar department of the art, as the
votary of Nature and Truth.
TURNER, CALCOTT, and Sir GIORGI 1311•11SSONT,
have produced feveral landfcapes.
NORTISCOTE has painted an equeflrian portrait of
the King, of the particular merits of which we (hail
(peak hereafter.
°wax lets before the Public eight pieurera one of
which is particularly beautiful.
Toossysom, HOPPNER, SHEE, and BEecnev, have
added confiderably to their reputation as Portrait
Painters.
Some young artifls have come for ward, of whcfe
labours we (hall have occafion to !peak in the courfe
.of our Review very highly.
115. Chefs players, J. NORTHCOTE, R. A.—There
is much dilplay of mind in the compofition of this
picture, and it is defigned and coloured in the bell
Pile of the artift a hnt we are at a lnfs to conceive
why the charatlers introduced, which we are given
to uriderfland are portraits, are elided in the col
turves of different ages.
135. at Country Blacifrnith, difputing with a Butehes
refreaing the price charged fur fioeing his Poney.--J. M.
W. TURNER, R. A.—'This lung defcription in the
Catalogue is abfohitely requifite to the well under-
Minding the drift of the pain' r, and had he condor-
fcended further to attach labels to fume of the objects
in this blackfmith's (hop, we (hould have been more
obliged to him: the picture, however, is well defign-
ed, the lights and (hallows are happily difiributed,
and the whale is executed with a bold and mailed,
touch ; but the mangier of the artift is flavenly and
coarfe, and the colouring is not true to nature.
sag. Flora :invaded by the Zrphyrs.—R. WESTALL,
R. A.—A moll beautiful cabinet picture, in which
the rutin has manifefted profound knowledge in the
fcience of colctoirg, though perhaps the reds are
rather too predom'na .t.
No. 147, Blind Filer—D WILKII.—As laft year, ,
Mr. Wilkie again deferves the firth notice. This;
pature furpaffes in merit that ofthe rillage Politicians. I
The defign is moll felicitous. A blind mufician, ac.
comps:led by his wife, is reprefented as feated by a
cottage fire4de, in the as of calling forth " dulcit
founds" for the amufement cf a relic family ; every
member of which l. happily occupied: the mother, a
very interefling figure, is dancing an infant on her
knee, while the father is (napping his fingers in con-
cert with the infirm:lei:Lin order to fix the attention of
the child—an older 'girl R liftening with rapture over
the •beek of the mother's chair, and a waggifh boy is
imitating the aaion a the fidle', by pretending to play
on a pair of bellows. On a cupboard door behind this
youth are fame rude delineations in chalk, &c. fuppofed
to be the off-piing of his wanton fancy ; and every part
of the room is arewed with appropriate utenfils art-
mirably grouped, and coloured with a local coerea-
nels which is hardly exceeded in the bell produdionw
of the Flernifh Ilhool. This chalming produtlion was
painted at the requea, and is the property of Sir
George Beaumont.—The price Mr. Wilkie received
for it was, we believe, 5o guineas, for which he en-
gaged, under no reatieicais in regard to fize or fob-
rat, to produce a picture, the real value of which
mull be left to the ,:eterinination of future amateur:.
154. An I qu'llrian Portrait of &s irlifily.....-S Able
ARTIST.—This is a very faithful likenets of the King,
when about ten years younger than he is at relent,
and tie boric is boldly defigned and executed, but
in attempting the poetics!, the painter Lems to have
boil fume of the natural eh ratter of the animal, the
legs and feet of which are cl.p roportioned, and other•
t
wife incurred. This is - e largeil pieure in the
Exhibition, and occupies what is ufually called the
putt of honour in the Grand &Joan.
210. Portraits of Sir F. Baring and fru: Friends,
T. Lawrie/4cm, R. A.—We have here a very correct
likenefs of the worthy Baronet. as alto of two other
Gentlemen connected with him is his great commer•
cial puifaits. All t• e. figures are ieprelented at a
table, tranfaeing hufinefs. That of Sir F. is parti-
cularly dillinguithed by an elevativa of the left hand
to the ear on the fame fide, which, we will not fay
.3.7tpgy, charaSerifes the Eleafnefs under which the
original labours.—The first inftance we ever witneffed
in a pieure of an ollentatiaus difplay of a phyfical
defed which might have been concealed !—ln other
refpees this is One of the ben executed converfatinn
pieces. the Englifh School has to boaß : in it Mr.
Lawrerice has combined the rich Riles of Vandyke
and Sir jothua Reynolds.

From a great portion of a late 20,0001. Prize hav-
ing centered among the members of two clubs, (eve.
ral other focietks have become candidates, while
Fortune is in this fociAlliurnour for her gifts. Would
clubs. indeed, in general contemplate ►he immenfe
wealth, at prefcnt, of her wheel, and confider that
not one of the greater floating Capitals is yet come
up,next Tuefday's drawing, efpecially as it commen-
ces with a Prize of 20,0001. cannot but appear to
them as moil highly interefling and important.
Thurfday night, about eight o'clock, there was a
fever: (form of thunder and lightning, near Edin-
burgh. a angular circumfiance at this feafon. The
thunder was very loud, and the lightning vivid.