The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-06
fereiyu Art Iu kusla nd,

Mr.. Macaulay notices the reign Of the
Lelys and knellers in England, and the
general dependence upon foreign artists Of
the Era
At the close Of the reign of Charles the
Second, there was nor single English
painter or statuary whose name is now re.
membered. This sterility is somewhat mys-
terious; for painters and statuaries were by
no means despised or an ill-paid class
Their social position was at least as high as
at present. Their gains, when compared
with the wealth Of the nation, and with the
remuneration Of other descriptions Of intel
lectual labor, were even larger than at pre-.
sent. Indeed the munihcent patronage
which was extended to artists drew them 10
our shores in multitudes. kelly, who has
preserved to US the rich curls, the full lips,
and the languishing eyes OF the frail beau.
ties celebrated by Hamilton. was West
phalian. He had died in 1880, having long
lived splendidly, having received the honor
Of knighthood, and having accumulated a
good estate out Of the fruits Of his SKILL
His noble collection Of drawings and pic.
lures was, after his decease, exhibited by
the royal permission in the Banqueting
House at Whitehall. and sold by auction
for the almost incredible sum Of twenty 81
thousand pounds. sum which bore a great
er proportion TO the fortunes of the rich
men Of that day than hundred thousand
pounds would bear to the fortunes of the
rich men Of our time. Lely was succeeded
by his countryman Godfrey Kneller, who
was made first knight, and then bsronet,
and who, after keeping up sumptnous es
adjustment, and after losing much money
by unlucky speculations, was still able to
bequeath u large fortune to his family
The two Vsndeveldes, natives of Holland,
had been induced by English liberality to
settle here, and had produced for the king
and his mobiles some of the finest sea pieces
in the world. Another Dutchman, Simon
varelst, painted glorious sunfowers and tu
lips for prices such as had never before been
known. Verio, Neapolitan, covered
ceilings and staircases with Gorgons and
Muses., Nymphs and Satyrs, Virtues and
Vices, Gods quaffing nectar, and laurelled
princes riding in triumph. The income
which he derived from his performances en-.
abled him to keep one Of the most expen.
sive tables in England. For his pieces al
Windsor alone he received seven thousand
pounds, sum then Sufficient to make
gentleman of moderate wishes perfectly easy
for life, sum greatly exceeding all that
Dryden, during a literary life of forty years,
obtained from the booksellers. Verrio's
chief assistant and successor, Lewis La.
guerre, came from France. The two most
celebrated sculptors Of that day were also
foreigners. Cibber, whose pathetic en-
blems Of Fury and Melancholy still adorn
Bedlam, was Dane. Gibbons, to whose
graceful fancy and delicate touch many OF
our palaces, colleges, and churches owe
their finest decorations. was Dutchman.
Even the designs for the coin were made by
French medalists. Indeed, it was not ill
the reign Of George the Second that our
country could glory in great painter; and
George the Third was on the throne before
she had reason to be proud of any of her
World.