Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1820, 1817-11-22
MIR. " est's Painting.
From the .4,i.e,ican Daiiy advertiser

Mn. PoULs0N,
You tsuviug given my last so early
an insertion, encourages me to add
few more observations on this merito-
rious production. For let it b.
viewed as a gift from the Artist to his
native country. to an highly beneficial
and humane institution, or as an in
valuable specia.en Of the Fine Arts
II must be allowed, Mir. West merits
our warn,est Acknowledgements. ant
that this superb Picture is donation
of the highest consideration, to tn,
Pennsylvania Hospital. this city, and
the Union at iarse.-What was it gave
cylebrity to ancient Greece and Rome
Most assuredly, the Fine Arts, III
preference to their sanguinary con
fiji, IS both by sea and land. ii Is true.
all their Paintings have persisted ex-
ccpt seine few Fresco's preserved in
the ruins Of Pompeii, Hcrruianaum,
AMI in the tombs Of the S,ipio's, &c.
But let US reason from analogy, and
from the remains Of statuaFy spared
to us? We may fairly infer from these
beautiful relies, that Zeuxis and A.
p,i.es, must have been worthy Of all!
thai has been handed down TO US FROM
the writers Of that remote period
The ruins so abnndantly spread over
Skx kAii tNnclJ i,,nvo np stn,,ht mr., tt..,
mind, o. THESE countries having attain
ed to the utmost pinnacle Of perfec-
ton in Sculpture and Architecture
Witness her Venues. her Apoifo's,
Hercules. &c. her .rthenon's, he.
palmyra's, Rotundas. Be. and tho
mutl!aled ami dcspoiled by barbarian
foes, still enough remains to strike the
beboider with awe, and with astOnish-
n.ent Oft here stood confer pla
ting some ofthese stupendous remains
ahs' ract d. lost, totally absorbed
The close Of the day has found mt
seated in the midst OF the mighty Co
HsGum, or Philosophizing under tn,
shade Of the ruined columns OF Jnpite,
Sidtor Or, whether in Rome, or j,
Athens. or under the Walls OF Fpsium
my ideas have ever been, that th,
Iiac Arts are passport to glory ant
renown And tho my fellow citizens
we may not have gained 81 high :
name in the scale Of Nations as lh
Grecians or Romans. remember, 'Tbt,
seus Was but man. and that the in,
mortal City emerged from the Ma
of the INTERESTINGLY we boast
Washington. and numerous other wos
thys, equal (and surprising in virtue
their greatest heroes Vest, Trum
bull and Stewart, are ours, beside
many others, who only want en,ou
vagcment, to gain the iaurels of fame
Encourage then the Beaur o.4rtes
emerge from the Mud of mere POI
trait and Sign Painting. Would tina
l could weld the pen efficiently, so a
to pursua,ie our State Legislatures I
catch the fire of example from tn
Congress, and set about adjoining GU
public buildings, with the dcati,ies
deeds nj cur Naval, Military and Ct
vii Characters most assurcdiy GU
portentous histury furnishes ampl
scope for the Sculpt and the Pen
Gil ani my fellow citizens, we sIl, uIt
(no houaO have horne off the palm {
Sculpture as we'll as Painting. hut 70
want of dur encouragement. IN
.HJn who would have cnulatrd (per
haps have cIualled) Il Canoya and
Bacon, has hccr chained down 10
Block vi Wo0tl all the morning Of hi
days. Oh that he would have stu
died what 1 nave seen, how that vita
spark. that divine energy. would nav
shot forth. and we Should no, have liza
to send TO Italy for an Artist TO a,lor
the Ccipt 81 oi the Cnpitai OF tie IVES
tern WorilOi Tempora. o Mcrcs
j hope this very Picture may serve a
stimulus, AMI have no Doubt os il
arrival being marked IN the fiilnr
history Of the Fine Arts, as All E.pov
worthy Of being noted.
This picture is conceived in nobl
and ehaste sti.c. IL is all his o7cn. n
serS'le copying, Do mcretrir ipus arr
to catch Vulgar attention., all is a,
po.itr. all is sober, elevated aud hep I
tiiul Here eonih launch out isi
all that How Of technical lore. so oite
made use Of, by the Amateur. and in
posed on his readers, whose vorai,
larry may nat be at hand. shall there
fore spare myself the trouble .
searching for words TO expires, m
mpani,a> ,pn urn.a.i Nth :, g.. 40 -,