The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-07-12
Miscellany.

Lord Byron Sitting TO HEr. West foa his
Portrait.
Now that the Countess Guiccioli Memoirs
are to be published, the following extract
from letter of Benjamin West will be read
with fresh interest. The letter was written
from Pisa, Italy, in 1922:
On the Gay appointed, / arrived at two
o'clock, and began the picture / found him
bad sitter He talked all the time, and ked
multitude of questions about America-how
liked Italy, what i thought of the Italians,
dc. When he was silent he was a worse sit.
ter than before; for he assumed counte-
nance that did not belong ID him, as though
he were thinking OF q trontispiece for Childe
Harold. In about an hour our first sitting
terminated, and l returned to Leshorn.
scarcely able TO persuade myself that this was
the naughty misanthrope whose character
had always appeared so enveoped in gloom
and myste4y, for do not remember ever to
have met with manners more gentle and at
tractive.
The next day returned and had another
sitting Of an hour, during which he seemed
anxious to know what should make olny I'M
dertaking. While I,was painting, the windoy
from which l received my light became sud-
denly darkened, and heard a voice exclaim,
re troppo bellow l turned and discovered a
beautiful woman STOPPING down to look in,
the ground on the outside being on a level
with the bottom of the window. Her long
golden hair hung down about her face and
shoulders, her complexion Was exquisite, and
her smile completed one of the most romar-
tic-lo liking heads, set off, as it was. by the
bright sun behind it, which | had ever be-
held. Lord Byron invited her TO come in
and introduced her to me as the Countess
oulccloH' ne seemed very fond of her, and 1
was Slad OF her presence, for the playful man
ner he assumed toward her made him a much
better sitter.
Tine next day was pleased to find that the
progress which had made in his likeness had
gwen satisfaction, for, when we were alone
ne said that he had particular favor to re-
quest OF me-woald / grant 1t? said
should be happy 10 oblige him, and he enjoin-
edme to the fiattering task of painting the
Countess Guiccioli's portrait for him. on the
following morning | began it, and alter thai
tney sat alternately. He gave me the whole
that be hoped it would last forever: at anv
rate, it should not be his fault if it did not
His other attachments had been broken offbv
no fault of his. "
was by this time sufficiently intimate with
hin to answer his questions as to what +
thought OF him before had seen him. He
laughed much at the idea which had formed
oi MN, anu SAID, wen, you lind me like
other people, do you p" He often atterward
repeated, And SO you thought me finer
fellow, did you?" remember once telling him,
that notwithstanding his vivacity, l thourht
myself correct in at least one estimate which
had made ofhim, for l still Conceived that he
was not happy man. He inquired earnest
iy what reason had for thinking so, and i
asked him if he hal never observed in little
children, after paroxysm of grief, thatEthat
they had at intervals convuisive or tremu-
lous manner Of drawing in long BREATH
Wherever l had observed this in persons
OF Whatever age, / had always found that it
came rom sorrow. He said the thought was
it. 'S "Se VI