Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-03-14
WEST AND BYRON.


This fine artist, known all over the
earth now, wherever Byron has been
heard Of, is best known by his pOtraits
of that unhappy man, and his chere
annie, the Countess Guiecioli | met
with him first in London, where much
Of his time was spent in multiplying
copies of his Lordship, at FIVE hundred
guineas apiece, and of the countess for
something less than half price Lady
Caroline Lamb, who, itmust be acknowl-
edged, knew Byron well, and had reason
to know him, used to come and sit down
before his picture, and stay hour after
hour, breathing hard, and wiping her
eyes when she thought herself unobser-
we'd, saying that it was the only likeness
of his Lordship that had ever been
painted; that by Phillips being a carl
cature, and half score of others only
suppositions-all the painters being de-
termined to represent the poet instead of
the man. West gave him with full,
pleasant face, clear complexion, large
blue eyes, | say, though | may be mis-
taken, for the eyes of West were won
ders,- s,-irideseent, clear and ehangeable,
but there was no pouting, nor sulkiRg,
as if somebody else had {" got a bigger
bun, to borrow an idea of Mrs.
Leigh Hunt (which Byron never for
got nor forgave And here it may not
be amiss to give some of Vests reminis-
eences that just occur to me.
The first time he ever saw Guieeioh,
she came to a window and looked in,
while he was painting Byron. He was
quite startled, thinking the face that of
young girl, out for romp among the
daisies and bettercups, and never dream
ing that the Countess herself was there,
overseeing his work with her innocent,
girlish face. Byron was sad dog at
the best, and used to speak of her Just
as he did Of little plump chamber
maid, with whom he was on rather
familiar terms, sometimes acknowledging
preference for the coatadina while
coquetting with the coatessa.
Once Byron eOmplimented West ex-
travagantly on his courage, because he
did not hide himself when servant Of
his Lordship was running a muck
through the courtyard and threatening
everybody that came in his Way-all
which ended with mans kissing and
hugging his Lordship. Byron had re-
treated to his chamber, but West, be-
heveing it only bit of acting, a mere
flourish on the part of Pietro, went forth
and met him in the midst of his tan
trums, whereupon, after a few more ex-
travaganeies, he burst into tears, and
finished by beslObbering his Lordship,
who met him at the top of the stairs,
after the fit was over. Of course we all
remember how Byron. eomplimented
Lady Hester Stanhope for her horseman-
ship, when she was mounted en a very
commonplace animal, neither vicious nor
spirited, which anybody might have
ridden. ~.
One day when West was hard at work
on his Cupid and Psyche, which was
soon after engraved for a London
annual, sculptor tried to borrow the
idea, but West said, "No; if you
should out live me, l may be charged
with borrowing from you, and he ap
pealed to me. | took the same view.
While chatting with him at this time,
he told me that Byron liked borrowing,
as he proved, and that he said something
West admired very much in Childe
Harold was "gin, only gin" But one
of the richest things he told me was
the following: He was engaged on the
portrait of young and beautiful girl,
and had nearly finished when the mother
came to see it, bringing with her a sister
from the country. After looking at the
picture for several minutes without
speaking, the sister exclaimed, Why,
Maria, why didn't you have blue eyes ?"
" Blue eyes! why, my eyes are brown"
80, but blue eyes are so much pFet-
tier"
Not long after this, he undertook my
portrait, chiefly, I dare say, that might
be led to unsay what | had published
about his chalkiness. The drawing was
beautiful. The coloring bad but long
before he had fnised what everybody
who knew US both acknowledged to be
one of his triumphs, he managed to in
troduce yellow pocket handkerchief
with small red stars in it, which COM
pletely dimOralized the picture. | never
saw it again. He was incorrigible, and
what nature had denied no study or
labor could give him.-JohR Neal, IN
the atlantic Monthly for March.
Transactions in the New York Gold
Room net almost So, ,000,0 900 daily.