The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-04-24 00:00:00

NATIONAL INSTITUTE.

•••••••11
LIEPOIh ON THE PROGRESS OF THE PINS ARTS)
►ROM THE EPOCH OF TIIE TRENCH REVOLUTION,
(1789), TO THE YEAR 1808, RADE BY A CORI..
/CUSTOM OF THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE,
ORDER or THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.

•
His Majesty being in Council, (1) a deputation
from the class of rte Fine Arts of the Institute
was presented by the Minister of the Home De-
partment, and admitted to the Bar of the Coun.
cil.
The Deputation was composed of M. M. Der-
vie, President; Vincent, Vice-President; I. Le-
breton, Perpetual Secretary ; Vien, a Senator;
Muitre, Ileurtier, Gossec, Jeutfroy, Grandiner.,
'ail, Visconti, Dufourny, Peyre, and Chautlett,l
kAftet a speech from the President, the followlegl
Report was read by the Secretary:
Szae—The view which we submit to your Ma.
testy, hating for its object not only to describe
' what the arts have produced within the last twenty
rears, but also to point out what may influence
their ptroaperity, we have thought that, in order
the tetter to second' the generous intentions of
your Imperial Decree, it would be proper to trace
farther back the causes which have contributed
to their prosperity, or their declihe, in Flange.
—The sciences connect their !abusers, and the
truths deduced from them, with incontestible prin-
ciples : we are obliged to appeal to examples, in
order to establish rules, and to convince. May
we then be permitted to consult ferk moment our
ancient annals 1
At the epdch of 1789, the fine arts had cont.
pleted in France their entire revolution. Brilliant
with youth, strength, and grace, under Francis 1.
whe naturalized them, and under Henry 11. who
without luring them as much as his father, equally.
'protected them, the arts still threw a lustre on
the only noble passion of Catharine de -Medicis,
her taste for magnificence. Thus, in less than a
century, were raised and embellished the palaces
of the Louvre, the Thuilleries, Fontainbleau,
the Luxemhourgh, for royal residences; the castle
of Ecouen, perhaps more perfect, fur the most
famous of the Montmorencies ; and Anct, which
appeared to be the work of the Graces,. for the
woman. who, to the greatest loveliness, and the
Most charms, united the greatest dignity of cha.
racter, Diana of Poitiers.
The horrors of the massacre of St. Bartholo-
mew, and its fatal consequences, caused France
to retrograde towards barbarism. Athens, Rome,
Florence, might preserve the irts in the midst of
Pelittcal troubles, and even obtain .'beautiful mo.
numents from them; but religious wars spare no.
thing that is liberal. When Androuet du CerCeatt,
one of the restorers of architecture, forced to
quit his country or to abjurei his mode of worship,
preferred exile ; when *John Goujon was assassi.
nated as a Huguenot, while working at those
beautiful pieces of acelpture of • Which our school
is so proud, France was no Wager worthy of
possessing the hue arts.
We must pass to the age of Louis XIII. to wit.
ness their revival. Not that Henry IV. did not
protect and support them ; his natural iticlinatious,
and his generous character, made bins their friend.
He assembled the ablest artists, and gave them
apartments in the Louvre, where he often visited
.them; but the misfortunes of all kinds which the
ciad war had left for him to 'repair, his plausof
policy, and death, which cut him off in the midst
of 'his glorious career, prevented him from giving
mem* impulse to the arts.
Richelieu encouraged them all I be 'cited the
sacred fire which John Conlin had happily pre.
served during the dark reigns of Francis 11.
Charles IX. and Henry 111. His vigorous admi.
vistration impeessed on the fine arts a there deei.
ded character, and greater • perfection, titan they
had under Louis XIV. who, it is true, conferred
on them greater magaificenoe.
The Cardinal de Rithelieu prevailed on Le Potts.
iln to quit Rome, in order to devote his talents to
the reign whist that Minister wished also to render
illustrious by die fine arts ; and during a residence
of two years, that great painter composed car.
loons for taileiltry 'allegorical subjects for the de.
COTitiloll of-the greet gallery of the Louvre, frau.
tispieces for the floe editions produced by the roy.
al presses, recently estabashed. Exceeding the
ordinary dimensions of his forks, he drew the
only great pictures that are still extant by him.
At the same time, Le Sueur painted the cloister of
the Carthusian! ; Philip de Champagne executed
his pictures and portraits, so natural and so full
of truth; the Luxembourg was finished; the
equestrian statue of Louis XIII. was erected.
Waria struck the finest coins.used by the moderns;
while the gold and silversmiths produced excellent
models. Such was the indectice of Richelieu on
the arts at the commencement of the 17th cen.
tury. But when he was no more, they began to
• decline: that profound knowledge of design, the
taste, the grace, which characterized the time of
Francis I. and Henry 11. disappeared.
If the fine arts had so greatly degenerated since
the time of Louis XIV. it was sot because their
administratiou -bad experienced any apparently
great alteration, In the stab of degradation is
which we have just seen them reducedi their orga-
nization was very nearly the same as awoke Col.
ben : they had &wits for their adonieistratoe the
Director-General of the Xing's buildings • (board

fs.

I)s9ffçs

r.1at!r4.a7411,41

‘41,1%1.2