ANECDOTES of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. I.
Painters in the Reign of Charles II.

THE arts were in a manner expelled with the Royal Family from Britain. The anecdotes of a Civil War are the hiſtory of Deſtruction. In all ages the mob have vented their hatred to Tyrants, on the pomp of Tyranny. The magnificence the people have envied, they grow to deteſt, and miſtaking conſequences for cauſes, the firſt objects of their fury are the palaces of their maſters. If Religion is thrown into the quarrel, the moſt innocent arts are cata⯑logued with ſins. This was the caſe in the conteſts between Charles and his parliament. As he had blended affection to the ſciences with a luſt of power, nonſenſe and ignorance were adopted into the liber⯑ties of the ſubject. Painting became idolatry; monuments were deemed carnal pride, and a venerable cathedral ſeemed equally contra⯑dictory to Magna Charta and the Bible. Learning and wit were con⯑ſtrued to be ſo heathen, that one would have thought the Holy Ghoſt could endure nothing above a pun. What the fury of Henry VIII. had ſpared, was condemned by the Puritans: Ruin was their harveſt, and they gleaned after the Reformers. Had they countenanced any of the ſofter arts, what could thoſe arts have repreſented? How pictu⯑reſque [2] was the figure of an Anabaptiſt? But ſectaries have no oſten⯑ſible enjoyments; their pleaſures are private, comfortable and groſs. The arts that civilize ſociety are not calculated for men who mean to riſe on the ruins of eſtabliſhed order. Jargon and auſterities are the weapons that beſt ſerve the purpoſes of hereſiarcs and innovators. The ſciences have been excommunicated from the Gnoſtics to Mr. Whitfield.

The reſtoration of royalty brought back the arts, not taſte. Charles II. had a turn to mechanics, none to the politer ſciences. He had learned ^* to draw in his youth; in the imperial library at Vienna is a view of the iſle of Jerſey, deſigned by him; but he was too indo⯑lent even to amuſe himſelf. He introduced the faſhions of the court of France, without it's elegance. He had ſeen Louis XIV. counte⯑nance Corneille, Moliere, Boileau, Le Sueur, who forming themſelves on the models of the ancients, ſeemed by the purity of their writings to have ſtudied only in ^† Sparta. Charles found as much genius at home, but how licentious, how indelicate was the ſtyle he permitted or demanded! Dryden's tragedies, are a compound of bombaſt and he⯑roic obſcenity, incloſed in the moſt beautiful numbers. If Wycherley [3] had nature, it is nature ſtark naked. The painters of that time veiled it but little more; Sir Peter Lely ſcarce ſaves appearances but by a bit of fringe or embroidery. His nymphs, generally repoſed on the turf, are too wanton and too magnificent to be taken for any thing but maids of honour. Yet fantaſtic as his compoſitions ſeem, they were pretty much in the dreſs of the times, as is evident by a puritan tract publiſhed in 1678, and intituled, "Juſt and reaſonable Reprehen⯑ſions of naked Breaſts and Shoulders." The court had gone a good way beyond the faſhion of the preceding reign, when the galantry in vogue was to wear a lock of ſome favorite object; and yet Prynne had thought that mode ſo damnable, that he publiſhed an abſurd piece againſt it, called, The Unlovelineſs of Love-locks ^*.

The ſectaries, in oppoſition to the king, had run into the extreme againſt politeneſs: The new court, to indemnify themſelves and mark averſion to their rigid adverſaries, took the other extreme. Elegance and delicacy were the point from which both ſides ſtarted different ways; and taſte was as little ſought by the men of wit, as by thoſe who called themſelves the men of God. The latter thought that to demoliſh was to reform; the others, that ridicule was the only rational corrective; and thus while one party deſtroyed all order, and the other gave a looſe to diſorder, no wonder the age produced ſcarce any work of art, that was worthy of being preſerved by poſterity, Yet in a hiſtory of the arts, as in other hiſtories, the times of confuſion and barbariſm muſt have their place to preſerve the connection, and to aſcertain the ebb and flow of genius. One likes to ſee through what [4] clouds broke forth the age of Auguſtus. The pages that follow will preſent the reader with few memorable names; the number muſt atone for merit, if that can be thought any atonement. The firſt ^* perſon who made any figure, and who was properly a remnant of a better age, was

ISAAC FULLER,

Of his family or maſters, I find no account, except that he ſtudied many years in France under Perrier, who engraved the antique ſtatues. Graham ſays "he wanted the regular improvements of travel to conſider the antiques, and underſtood the anatomic part of painting, perhaps equal to Michael Angelo, following it ſo cloſe, that he was very apt to make the muſcelling too ſtrong and promi⯑nent." But this writer was not aware that the very fault he objects to Fuller did not proceed from not having ſeen the antiques, but from having ſeen them too partially, and that he was only to be compa⯑red to Michael Angelo from a ſimilitude of errors, flowing from a ſimilitude of ſtudy. Each caught the robuſt ſtyle from ancient ſtatu⯑ary, without attaining it's graces. If Graham had avoided hyperbole,

[5] he had not fallen into a blunder. In his hiſtoric compoſitions Fuller is a wretched painter, his colouring was raw and unnatural, and not compenſated by diſpoſition or invention. In portraits his pencil was bold, ſtrong, and maſterly: Men who ſhine in the latter, and miſcarry in the former, want imagination. They ſucceed only in what they ſee. Liotard is a living inſtance of this ſterility. He cannot paint a blue ribband if a lady is dreſſed in purple knots. If he had been in the priſon at the death of Socrates, and the paſſions were as permanent as the perſons on whom they act, he might have made a finer picture than Nicolò Pouſſin.

Graham ſpeaks of Fuller as extravagant and burleſque in his man⯑ners, and ſays, that they influenced the ſtyle of his works ^*. The former character ſeems more true than the latter. I have a picture of Ogleby by him, in which he certainly has not debaſed his ſubject, but has made Ogleby appear a moonſtruck bard, inſtead of a con⯑temptible one. The compoſition has more of Salvator than of Brau⯑wer. His own ^† portrait in the gallery at Oxford is capricious, but touched with great force and character. His altar-pieces at ^‡ Mag⯑dalen and All-ſouls colleges in Oxford are deſpicable. At Wadham college is an altar-cloth in a ſingular manner, and of merit: It is juſt bruſhed over for the lights and ſhades, and the colours melted in with a hot iron. He painted too the inſide of St. Mary Abchurch in Canon-ſtreet.

[6] While Fuller was at Oxford he drew ſeveral portraits, and copied Dobſon's decollation of St. John, but varying the faces from real per⯑ſons. For Herodias, who held the charger, he painted his own miſ⯑treſs; her mother for the old woman receiving the head in a bag, and the ruffian, who cut it off, was a noted bruiſer of that age. There was beſides a little boy with a torch, which illuminated the whole picture. Fuller received 60 pieces for it. In king James's catalogue is men⯑tioned a picture by him, repreſenting Fame and Honour treading down Envy. Colonel Seymour ^* had a head of Pierce, the carver, by Fuller. He was much employed to paint the great taverns ^† in London; particularly the mitre in Fenchurch-ſtreet, where he adorn⯑ed all the ſides of a great room in pannels, as was then the faſhion. The figures were as large as life; a Venus, Satyr and ſleeping Cupid; a boy riding a goat and another fallen down, over the chimney; this was the beſt part of the performance, ſays Vertue; Saturn devouring a child, Mercury, Minerva, Diana, Apollo; and Bacchus, Venus, and Ceres embracing; a young Silenus fallen down, and holding a goblet, into which a boy was pouring wine; the ſeaſons between the win⯑dows, and on the ceiling two angels ſupporting a mitre, in a large circle; this part was very bad, and the colouring of the Saturn too raw, and his figure too muſcular. He painted five very large pictures, the hiſtory of the king's eſcape after the battle of Worceſter; they coſt a great ſum, but were little eſteemed.

Vertue had ſeen two books with etchings by Fuller; the firſt, Caeſar [7] Ripa's Emblems; ſome of the plates by Fuller, others by Henry Cooke and Tempeſta. The ſecond was called, Libro da Diſegnare; 8 or 10 of the plates by our painter.

He died in Bloomſbury-ſquare, July 17, 1672, and left a ſon, an in⯑genious but idle man, according to Vertue, chiefly employed in coach-painting. He led a diſſolute life and died young.

Fuller had one Scholar, Charles Woodfield; who entered under him at Oxford, and ſerved ſeven years. He generally painted views, buildings, monuments, and antiquities, but being as idle as his maſ⯑ter's ſon, often wanted neceſſaries. He died ſuddenly in his chair in the year 1724, at the age of 75.

CORNELIUS BOLL,

A painter of whom I find no particulars, but that he made views of London before the fire, which proves that he was here early in this reign if not in the laſt; theſe views were at Sutton-place in Surrey, and repreſented Arundel-houſe, Somerſet-houſe and the Tower. Vertue, who ſaw them, ſays, they were in a good free taſte.

JOHN FREEMAN,

An hiſtoric painter, was a rival of Fuller, which ſeems to have been his greateſt glory. He was thought to have been poiſoned in the Weſt-indies, but however died in England, after having been em⯑ployed in painting ſcenes for the theatre in Covent-garden ^*.

[8]REMÈE or REMIGIUS VAN LEMPUT,

Was born at Antwerp, and arrived at ſome excellence by copying the works of Vandyck; he imitated too with ſucceſs the Flemiſh maſters, as Stone did the Italians; and for the works of Lely, Remèe told that maſter that he could copy them better than Sir Peter could himſelf. I have already mentioned his ſmall picture from Holbein, of the two Henrys and their queens, and that his purchaſe in king Charles's ſale of the king on horſeback was taken from him, by a ſuit at law, after he had demanded 1500 guineas for it at Antwerp and been bid 1000. The earl of Pomfret at Eaſton had a copy of Ra⯑phael's Galatea by him, and at Penſhurſt is a ſmall whole length of Francis earl of Bedford aet. 48, 1636, from Vandyck. Mr. Stevens, hiſtoriographer to the king, had ſome portraits of his family painted by Remèe. The latter had a well-choſen collection of prints and drawings ^*. He died in Nov. 1675, and was buried in the church-yard of Covent-garden, as his ſon Charles had been in 1651. His daughter was a paintreſs, and married to Thomas, brother of

ROBERT STREATER,

Who was appointed ſerjeant painter at the reſtoration. He was the ſon of a painter and born in Covent-garden, 1624, and ſtudied under Du Moulin. Streater did not confine himſelf to any branch of his art, but ſucceeded beſt in architecture, perſpective, landſcape and ſtill life. Graham calls him the greateſt and moſt univerſal painter that ever

[9] England bred, but with about as much judgment, as where he ſays that Streater's being a good hiſtorian contributed not a little to his perfection in that way of painting. He might as well ſay that read⯑ing the Rape of the Lock would make one a good hair-cutter. I ſhould rely more on Sanderſon, who ſpeaking of landſcape, ſays "of our own nation I know none more excellent but Streater, who indeed is a compleat maſter therein, as alſo in other arts of etching, ^* graving, and his work of architecture and perſpective; not a line but is true to the rules of art and ſymmetry ^†." And again, comparing our own countrymen with foreigners, in different branches, he adds, "Streater in all paintings ^‡." But from the few works that I have ſeen of his hand, I can by no means ſubſcribe to theſe encomiums: The Theatre at Oxford, his principal performance, is a very mean one; yet Streater was as much commended for it, as by the authors I have mentioned for his works in general. One Robert Whitehall ^¶, a poetaſter of that age, wrote a poem called Urania, or a deſcription of the painting at the top of the Theatre at Oxford, which concluded with theſe lines,

At Oxford Streater painted too the chapel at All-ſouls, except the Reſurrection, which is the work of Sir James Thornhill. Vertue [10] ſaw a picture, which he commends, of a Dr. Prujean ^*, in his gown and long hair, one hand on a death's head, and the other on ſome books, with this inſcription, Amicitiae ergo pinxit Rob. Streater: And in the poſſeſſion of a captain Streater, the portrait of Robert by him⯑ſelf, of his brother Thomas, by Lankrink; and of Thomas's wife, the daughter of Remèe, by herſelf. Vertue had alſo ſeen two letters, directed to ſerjeant Streater at his houſe in Long-acre; the firſt from the ^† earl of Cheſterfield dated june 13, 1678, mentioning a picture of Mutius Scaevola, for which he had paid him 20l. and offering him 160l, if he would paint ſix ſmall pictures with figures. His lordſhip commends too the ſtory of Rinaldo, bought of Streater, but wiſhes the idea of the Hero had been taken from the duke of Monmouth or ſome very handſome man. The other letter was from the ^‡ earl of Briſtol at Wimbledon, about ſome paintings to be done for him.

^‖ Other works of Streater, were ceilings at Whitehall; the war of the giants at Sir Robert Clayton's, Moſes and Aaron at St. Michael's []

[11] Cornhill, and all the ſcenes at the old playhouſe. He died in 1680, at the age of 56 not long after being cut for the ſtone, though Charles II. had ſo much kindneſs for him as to ſend for a ſurgeon from Paris to perform the operation. He had a good collection of Italian books, prints, drawings and pictures, which, on the death of his ſon in 1711, were ſold by auction. Among them were the following by Streater himſelf, which at leaſt ſhow the univerſality of his talent; Lacy the player; a hen and chickens; two heads; an eagle; a landſcape and flowers; a large pattern of the king's arms; Iſaac and Re⯑becca; fruit-pieces; Abraham and Iſaac; the nativity; Jacob's viſion; Mary Magdalen; building and figures; two dogs. They ſold, ſays Vertue, for no great price; ſome for five pounds, ſome for ten.

HENRY ANDERTON ^*,

Was diſciple of Streater, whoſe manner he followed in landſcape and ſtill life. Afterwards he travelled to Italy, and at his return took to portrait-painting, and having drawn the famous Mrs. Stuart, ducheſs of Richmond, he was employed by the king and court, and even in⯑terfered with the buſineſs of Sir Peter Lely. Anderton died ſoon after the year 1665.

FRANCIS VANSON, or VANZOON,

Was born at Antwerp, and learned of his father, a flower painter, but he came early into England, and marrying Streater's neice ſuc⯑ceeded to much of her uncle's buſineſs. Vertue and Graham com⯑mend [12] the freedom of his pencil, but his ſubjects were ill-choſen. He painted ſtill-life, oranges and lemons, plate, damaſk curtains, cloths of gold, and that medley of familiar objects that ſtrike the ignorant vulgar. In Streater's ſale, mentioned above, were near thirty of Vanſon's pieces, which ſold well; among others, was the crown of England, and birds in water-colours. Vanſon's patron was the ^* earl of Radnor, who at his houſe in St. James's ſquare, had near eighteen or twenty of his works, over doors and chimnies, &c. there was one large piece, loaded with fruit, flowers, and dead game by him, and his own portrait in it, painted by Laguerre, with a hawk on his fiſt. The ſtair-caſe of that houſe was painted by La⯑guerre, and the apartments were ornamented by the principal artiſts then living, as Edema, Wyck, Roeſtraten, Danckers, old Griffier, young Vandevelde and Sybrecht. The collection ^† was ſold in 1724. Some of his pictures were eight or nine feet high, and in them he propoſed to introduce all the medicinal plants in the phyſic garden at Chelſea, but grew tired of the undertaking, before he had com⯑pleated it. He lived chiefly in Long-acre, and laſtly in St. Alban's-ſtreet, where he died in the year 1700, at paſt fifty years of age.

[13]SAMUEL VAN HOOGSTRATEN,

Was another of thoſe painters of ſtill life, a manner at that time in faſhion. It was not known that he had been in England, till Vertue diſcovered it by a picture of his hand at a ſale in Covent-garden 1730. The ground repreſented a walnut-tree board, with papers, pens, pen⯑knife and an Engliſh almanack of the year 1663, a gold medal, and the portrait of the author in a ſuppoſed ebony frame, long hair in⯑clining to red, and his name, S. V. Hoogſtraten. The circumſtance of the Engliſh almanack makes it probable that this painter was in England at leaſt in that year, and Vertue found it confirmed by Hou⯑braken his ſcholar, who in his lives ^* of the painters ſays, that Hoog⯑ſtraten was born at Dordrecht in 1627, was firſt inſtructed by his fa⯑ther, and then by Rembrandt. That he painted in various kinds, particularly ſmall portraits, and was countenanced by the emperor and king of Hungary. That he travelled to Italy, and came to England; that he was author of a book on painting, called Zichtbare Waerelt geſelt worden, and died at Dordrecht in 1678.

BALTHAZAR VAN LEMENS,

Was among the firſt that came over after the reſtoration, when a re⯑eſtabliſhed court promiſed the revival of arts, and conſequently advan⯑tage to artiſts, but the poor man was as much diſappointed as if he had been uſeful to the court in it's depreſſion. He was born at An⯑twerp [14] in 1637, and is ſaid ^* to have ſucceeded in ſmall hiſtories; but not being encouraged, and having a fruitful invention and eaſy pencil, his beſt profit was making ſketches for others of his profeſſion. He lived to 1704, and was buried in Weſtminſter. His brother, who reſided at Bruſſels, painted a head of him.

ABRAHAM HONDIUS,

Was born at Rotterdam in 1638: when he came to England or who was his maſter is not known. His manner indeed ſeems his own; it was bold and free, and except Rubens and Snyder, few maſters have painted animals in ſo great a ſtyle. Though he drew both figures and landſcape, dogs and huntings were his favorite ſubjects. Vertue ſays he was a man of humour, and that one of his maxims was, that the goods of other men might be uſed as our own; and that finding another man's wife of the ſame mind, he took and kept her till ſhe died; after which he married. He lived on Ludgate-hill, but died of a ſevere courſe of the gout in 1695, at the blackmore's head over-againſt Water-lane Fleet-ſtreet. One of his firſt pictures was the burning of Troy; and he frequently painted candle-lights. His beſt was a dog-market, ſold at Mr. Halſted's auction in 1726: Above on ſteps were men and women well executed. My father had two large pieces of his hand, the one a boar, the other a ſtag-hunting, very capital. Vertue mentions beſides a landſcape painted in 1666; Diana returned from hunting, and a bull-baiting, dated 1678.

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[15] Jodocus Hondius, probably the grand-father of Abraham, had been in England before, and was an engraver of maps. He execu⯑ted ſome of Speed's, and ^* one of the voyages of Thomas Cavendiſh and Sir Francis Drake round the globe. He alſo engraved a genea⯑logic chart of the houſes of York and Lancaſter, with the arms of the knights of the garter to the year 1589, drawn by Thomas Talbot; a map of the Roman empire; another of the Holy-land, and particu⯑larly the celeſtial and terreſtrial globes, the largeſt that had then ever been printed. I ſhall ſay nothing more of him in this place (as the catalogue of Engliſh engravers I reſerve for a ſeperate volume) but that he left a ſon Henry, born in London, whom I take for the father of Abraham Hondius, and who finiſhed ſeveral things that had been left imperfect by Jodocus.

Mr. WILLIAM LIGHTFOOT ^†,

An Engliſh painter of perſpective, landſcape and architecture, in which laſt ſcience he practiced too, having ſome ſhare in the Royal-exchange. He died about 1671.

Sir PETER LELY,

Not only the moſt capital painter of this reign, but whoſe works are admitted amongſt the claſſics of the art, was born at Soeſt in Weſt⯑phalia, where his father, a captain of Foot, was in garriſon. His name was Vander Vaas, but being born at the Hague in a perfumer's ſhop, the ſign of the Lilly, he received the appellation of captain Du [16] Lys or Lely, which became the proper name of the ſon. He re⯑ceived his firſt inſtructions in painting from one De Grebber, and began with landſcape and hiſtoric figures leſs than life; but coming to England in 1641, and ſeeing the works of Vandyck, he quitted his former ſtyle and former ſubjects, and gave himſelf wholly to portraits in emulation of that great man. His ſucceſs was conſi⯑derable, though not equal to his ambition; if in nothing but ſimpli⯑city, he fell ſhort of his model, as Statius or Claudian did of Virgil. If Vandyck's portraits are often tame and ſpiritleſs, at leaſt they are natural. His laboured draperies flow with eaſe, and not a fold but is placed with propriety. Lely ſupplied the want of taſte with clin⯑quant; his nymphs trail fringes and embroidery through meadows and purling ſtreams. Add, that Vandyck's habits are thoſe of the times; Lely's a ſort of fantaſtic night-gowns, faſtened with a ſingle pin ^*. The latter was in truth the ladies-painter; and whether the age was improved in beauty or in ^† flattery, Lely's women are cer⯑tainly much handſomer than thoſe of Vandyck. They pleaſe as much more, as they evidently meaned to pleaſe; he caught the reigning character, and

[17] I don't know whether even in ſoftneſs of the fleſh he did not excell his predeceſſor. The beauties at Windſor are the court of Paphos, and ought to be engraved for the memoires of it's charming hiſtorio⯑grapher ^*, count Hamilton. In the portraits of ^† men, which he ſel⯑domer painted, Lely ſcarce came up to Sir Antony; yet there is a whole length of Horatio lord Townſhend by the former, at Rainham, which yields to few of the latter.

At lord Northumberland's at Sion, is a remarkable picture of king Charles I. holding a letter, directed, "au roi monſeigneur," and the Duke of York aet. 14. preſenting a penknife to him to cut the ſtrings. It was drawn at Hampton-court, when the king was laſt there, by Mr. Lely, who was ^‡ earneſtly recommended to him. I ſhould have taken it for the hand of Fuller or Dobſon. It is certainly very ^‖ un⯑like [18] Sir Peter's latter manner, and is ſtronger than his former. The king has none of the melancholy grace which Vandyck alone, of all his painters, always gave him. It has a ſterner countenance, and expreſſive of the tempeſts he had experienced.

Lely drew the riſing fun, as well as the ſetting. Captain Winde told Sheffield duke of Buckingham that Oliver certainly ſat to him, and while ſitting, ſaid to him, "Mr. Lely, I deſire you would uſe all your ſkill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all; but remark all theſe roughneſſes, pimples, warts, and every thing as you ſee me, otherwiſe I never will pay a farthing for it."

It would be endleſs to recapitulate the ^* works of this maſter: though ſo many have merit, none are admirable or curious enough to be particularized. They are generally portraits to the knees, and moſt of them, as I have ſaid, of ladies ^†

Few of his hiſtoric pieces [19] are known; at Windſor is a Magdalen, and a naked Venus aſleep; the duke of Devonſhire has one, the ſtory of Jupiter and Europa; lord Pomfret had that of Cimon and Iphigenia, and at Burleigh is Su⯑ſanna with the two Elders. In Streater's ſale was a Holy Family, a a ſketch in black and white, which ſold for five pounds; and Vertue mentions and commends another, a Bacchanal of four or five naked boys, ſitting on a tub, the wine running out; with his mark [...]. Lens made a mezzotinto from a Judgment of Paris by him; another, was of Suſanna and the Elders. His deſigns are not more common; they are in Indian ink, heightened with white. He ſometimes painted in crayons, and well; I have his own head by himſelf: Mr. Methuen has Sir Peter's and his family in oil. They repreſent a concert in a landſcape. A few heads are known by him in water-colours, boldly and ſtrongly painted: they generally have his cypher to them.

He was knighted by Charles II. and married a beautiful Engliſh⯑woman of family, but her name is not recorded, In town he lived in Drury-lane, in the ſummer at Kew ^*, and always kept a handſome [20] table. His ^* collection of pictures and drawings was magnificent; he purchaſed many of Vandyck's and the earl of Arundel's; and the ſecond Villiers pawned many to him, that had remained of his father the duke of Buckingham's. This collection, after Sir Peter's death, was ſold by auction ^†, which laſted forty days, and produced 26,000l. He left beſides an eſtate in land of 900l. a year ^‡. The drawings he had collected may be known by his initial letters P. L.

In 1678 Lely encouraged one ^‖ Freres, a painter of hiſtory, who had been in Italy, to come from Holland. He expected to be em⯑ployed at Windſor, but finding Verrio preferred, ^§ returned to his own country. Sir Peter had diſguſts of the ſame kind from Simon Varelſt, patronized by the duke of Buckingham; from Gaſcar who was brought over by the ducheſs of Portſmouth; and from the riſing merit of Kneller, whom the French author I have mentioned, ſets with little reaſon far below Sir Peter. Both had too little variety in airs of heads; Kneller was bolder and more careleſs, Lely more de⯑licate in finiſhing. The latter ſhowed by his pains how high he could [21] arrive: It is plain that if Sir Godfrey had painted much leſs and ap⯑plied more, he would have been the greater maſter. This perhaps is as true a parallel, as the French author's, who thinks that Kneller might have diſputed with Lely in the beauty of his head of hair. Deſcamps is ſo weak as to impute Sir Peter's death to his jealouſy of Kneller, though he owns it was almoſt ſudden; an account which is almoſt nonſenſe, eſpecially as he adds that Lely's phyſician, who knew not the cauſe of his malady, heightened it by repetitions of Kneller's ſucceſs. It was an extraordinary kind of ſudden death!

Sir Peter Lely ^* died of an apoplexy as he was drawing the ducheſs of Somerſet, 1680, and in the 63d year of his age. He was buried in the church of Covent-garden, where is a monument with his buſt, carved by Gibbons, and a ^† latin epitaph by Flatman.

[22]JOSEPH BUCKSHORN,

A Dutchman, was ſcholar of Lely, whoſe works he copied in great perfection, and ſome of Vandyck's, particularly the earl of Strafford, which was in the poſſeſſion of Watſon earl of Rockingham. Vertue mentions the portraits of Mr. Davenant and his wife, ſon of Sir Wil⯑liam, by Buckſhorn. He painted draperies for Sir Peter, and dying at the age of 35 was buried at St. Martin's.

JOHN GREENHILL ^*,

The moſt promiſing of Lely's ſcholars, was born at ^† Saliſbury of a good family, and at twenty copied Vandyck's picture of Killigrew with the dog, ſo well that it was miſtaken for the original ^‡. The print of Sir William Davenant, with his noſe flattened, is taken from a painting of Greenhill. His heads in crayons were much admired, and that he ſometimes engraved, appears from a print of his brother Henry, a merchant of Saliſbury, done by him in 1667; it has a long inſcription in latin. At firſt he was very laborious, but becoming ac⯑quainted with the players, he fell into a debauched courſe of life, and coming home late one night from the Vine tavern, he tumbled into a kennel in Long-acre, and being carried to Parrey Walton's, the

[23] painter, in Lincoln's-inn-fields, where he lodged, ^* died in his bed that night, in the flower of his age. He was buried at St. Giles's, and Mrs. Behn, who admired his perſon and turn to poetry, wrote an elegy on his death.

Graham tells a ſilly ſtory of Lely's being jealous of him, and re⯑fuſing to let Greenhill ſee him paint, till the ſcholar procured his maſ⯑ter to draw his wife's picture, and ſtood behind him while he drew it. The improbability of this tale is heightened by an anecdote which Walton told Vertue; or if true, Sir Peter's generoſity appears the greater, he ſettling forty pounds a year on Greenhill's widow, who was left with ſeveral Children and in great indigence. She was a very handſome Woman; but did not long enjoy that bounty, dying mad in a ſhort time after her huſband.

[...] DAVENPORT,

Another Scholar of Lely, and good imitator of his manner, lived afterwards with his fellow diſciple Greenhill; and beſides painting had a talent for muſic and a good voice. He died in Saliſbury-court, in the reign of king William, aged about 50.

PROSPER HENRY LANKRINK ^†,

Of German extraction, born about 1628; his father, a ſoldier of for⯑tune, brought his wife and this his only ſon into the Netherlands, and obtaining a commiſſion there, died at Antwerp. The widow deſigned [24] the boy for a monk, but his inclination to painting diſcovering itſelf early, he was permitted to follow his genius. His beſt leſſons he obtained in the academy at Antwerp, and from the collection of Mynheer Van Lyan. The youth made a good choice, chiefly draw⯑ing after the deſigns of Salvator Roſa. On his mother's death, from whom he inherited a ſmall fortune, he came to England, and was pa⯑tronized by Sir Edward Spragge, and Sir William Williams, whoſe houſe was filled with his works; but being burned down, not much remains of Lankrink's hand, he having paſſed great part of his time in that gentleman's ſervice. His landſcapes are much commended. Sir Peter Lely employed him for his back-grounds, A ſingle ceiling of his was at Mr. Kent's at Cauſham, in Wiltſhire near Bath. He ſometimes drew from the life, and imitated the manner of Titian, in ſmall figures for his landſcapes. Some of thoſe were in the hands of his patrons, Mr. Henly, Mr. Trevor, Mr. Auſten, and Mr. Hewitt, the latter of whom had a good collection of pictures. So had Lan⯑krink himſelf, and of drawings, prints and models. He bought much at Lely's ſale, for which he borrowed Money of Mr. Auſten; to diſcharge which debt Lankrink's collection was ſeized after his death and ſold. He went deep into the pleaſures of that age, grew idle and died in 1692 in Covent-garden, and was buried at his own requeſt under the porch of that church. A limning of his head was in Strea⯑ter's ſale.

JOHN BAPTIST GASPARS,

Was born at Antwerp, and ſtudied under Thomas Willeborts Boſſaert, a diſciple of ^* Rubens. Baptiſt Gaſpars, (who muſt not be confound⯑ed

[25] with Baptiſt Monoyer, the flower-painter) came into England du⯑ring the civil war, and entered into the ſervice of general Lambert; upon the reſtoration he was employed by Sir Peter Lely to paint his poſtures, and was known by the name of Lely's Baptiſt. He had the ſame buſineſs under Riley and Sir Godfrey Kneller. He drew well, and made good deſigns for tapeſtry. The portrait of Charles II. in Painter's-hall, and another of the ſame prince, with mathema⯑tical inſtruments, in the hall of St. Bartholomew's hoſpital, were painted by this Baptiſt, who died in 1691, and was buried at St. James's.

JOHN VANDER EYDEN ^*,

A portrait painter of Bruſſels, copied and painted draperies for Sir Peter, till marrying he ſettled in Northamptonſhire, where he was much employed, particularly by the earls of Rutland and Gainſbo⯑rough and the lord Sherard, at whoſe houſe he died about 1697, and was buried at Staplefort in Leiceſterſhire.

Mrs. ANNE KILLIGREW,

Daughter of Dr. Henry Killigrew ^† maſter of the Savoy, and one of the Prebendaries of Weſtminſter, was born in St. Martin's-lane, London, a little before the reſtoration. Her family was remarkable for it's loyalty, accompliſhments, and wit, and this young lady pro⯑miſed [26] to be one of it's faireſt ornaments. Antony Wood ſays ſhe was a grace for beauty, and a muſe for wit. Dryden has celebrated her genius for painting and poetry in a very long ode, in which the rich ſtream of his numbers has hurried along with it all that his luxuriant fancy produced in his way; it is an harmonious hyperbole compoſed of the fall of Adam, Arethuſa, Veſtal Virgins, Diana, Cupid, Noah's⯑ark, the Pleiades, the valley of Jehoſaphat and the laſt Aſſizes: Yet Antony Wood aſſures us "there is nothing ſpoken of her, which ſhe was not equal to, if not ſuperior;" and his proof is as wiſe as his aſſertion, for, ſays he, "if there had not been more true hiſtory in her praiſes, than compliment, her father would never have ſuffered them to paſs the preſs." She was maid of honour to the ducheſs of York, and died of the ſmall-pox in 1685, in the 25th year of her age.

Her poems were publiſhed after her death in a thin quarto, with a print of her, taken from her portrait drawn by herſelf, which, with the leave of the authors I have quoted, is in a much better ſtyle than her poetry, and evidently in the manner of Sir Peter Lely. She drew the pictures of James II. and of her miſtreſs, Mary of Modena; ſome pieces of ſtill-life and of hiſtory; three of the latter ſhe has recorded in her own poems, St. John in the wilderneſs, Herodias with the head of that ſaint, and two of Diana's nymphs. At admiral Killi⯑grew's ſale 1727, were the following pieces by her hand; Venus and Adonis; a Satyr playing on a pipe; Judith and Holofernes; a wo⯑man's head; the Graces dreſſing Venus; and her own portrait: "Theſe pictures, ſays Vertue, I ſaw but can ſay little."

She was buried in the chapel of the Savoy, where is a monument to her memory, with a latin epitaph, which, with the tranſlation, may be [27] ſeen prefixed to her poems, and in Ballard's Memoires of learned ladies, p. 340.

[...] BUSTLER ^*,

A Dutch painter of hiſtory and portraits. Mr. Elſum of the Temple, whoſe tracts on painting I have mentioned, had a picture of three boors painted by this man, the landſcape behind by Lankrink, and a little dog on one ſide by Hondius.

DANIEL BOON,

Of the ſame country, a droll painter, which turn he meaned to expreſs both in his large and ſmall pieces. He lived to about the year 1700. There is a mezzotinto of him playing on a violin.

ISAAC PALING ^†,

Another Dutchman, Scholar of Abraham Vander Tempel, was many years in England, and practiced portrait painting. He returned to his own country in 1682.

HENRY PAERT or PEART,

Diſciple of Barlow, and afterwards of Henry Stone, from whom he contracted a talent for copying. He exerted this on moſt of the hiſto⯑ric pieces of the royal collection. I ſuppoſe he was an indifferent per⯑former, [28] for Graham ſays he wanted a warmth and beauty of colour⯑ing, and that his copies were better than his portraits. Vertue men⯑tions a half length of James earl of Northampton, copied from a head by Paert, who then lived in Pall-mall ^*. He died in 1697, or 98.

HENRY DANKERS,

Of the Hague, was bred an engraver, but by the perſuaſion of his brother John, who was a painter of hiſtory, he turned to landſcape, and having ſtudied ſome time in Italy, came to England, where he was countenanced by Charles II. and employed in drawing views of the royal palaces, and the ſea-ports of England and Wales. Of his firſt profeſſion there is a head after Titian, with his name Henricus Dan⯑kers Hagienſis ſculpſit. Of the latter, were ſeveral in the royal col⯑lection; James II. had no fewer ^† than twenty-eight ^‡ views and landſcapes by him; one of them was a ſliding piece before a picture of Nell Gwynn. In the publick dining-room at Windſor is the mar⯑riage of St. Catherine by him. In lord Radnor's ſale were other views of Windſor, Plymouth, Penzance, &c. and his name HDankers, F. 1678, 1679. He made beſides ſeveral deſigns for Hollar. Being a Roman Catholic, he left England in the time of the Popiſh plot, and died ſoon after at Amſterdam ^‖.

[]

[29]PARREY WALTON, ^*

Though a diſciple of Walker, was little more than journeyman to the arts. He underſtood hands, and having the care of the royal col⯑lection, repaired ſeveral pictures in it. His ſon was continued in the ſame employment, and had an apartment in Somerſet-houſe. The copy, which is at St. James's, of the Cyclops by Luca Giordano at Houghton, was the work of the latter. The father painted ſtill-life, and died about the year 1700.

THOMAS FLATMAN,

Another inſtance of the union of poetry and ^† painting, and of a pro⯑feſſion that ſeldom accords with either, was bred at the Inner-temple, but I believe neither made a figure nor ſtaid long there; yet among Vertue's MSS. I find an epigram written by Mr. Oldys on Flatman's three vocations, as if he had ſhone in all, though in truth he diſtin⯑guiſhed himſelf only in miniature;

Mr. Tooke, ſchool-maſter of the Charter-houſe, had a head of his father by Flatman, which was ſo well painted, that Vertue took it for [30] Cooper's; and lord Oxford had another limning of a young knight of the Bath in a rich habit, dated 1661, and with the painter's initial letter F. which was ſo maſterly, that Vertue pronounces Flatman equal to Hoſkins, and next to Cooper.

Mrs. Hoadley, firſt wife of the late biſhop of Wincheſter, and a miſtreſs of painting herſelf, had Flatman's own head by him. Ano⯑ther ^* was finiſhed by Mrs. Beale, Dec. 1681, as appears by her huſ⯑band's pocket-book, from which I ſhall hereafter give ſeveral other extracts. The ſame perſon ſays, "Mr. Flatman borrowed of my wife her copy of lady Northumberland's picture from Sir Peter Lely."

Flatman was born in Alderſgate-ſtreet, and educated in Wykeham's ſchool near Wincheſter, and in 1654 was elected fellow of New-col⯑lege, but left Oxford without taking a degree. Some of his poems were publiſhed in a volume with his name; others with ſome ſingular circumſtances relating to them, are mentioned by Antony ^† Wood. Flatman had a ſmall eſtate at Tiſhton near Dis in Norfolk, and dying Dec. 8, 1688, was buried in St. Bride's London, where his eldeſt ſon had been interred before him; his father, a clerk in Chancery, and then fourſcore, ſurviving him.

CLAUDE LE FEVRE,

A man of indigent circumſtances, ſtudied firſt in the palace of Fon⯑tainbleau where he was born in 1633, and then at Paris under Le

[31] Sueur and Le Brun, the latter of whom adviſed him to adhere to portraits for which he had a particular talent. The French author ^*, from whom I tranſcribe, ſays that in that ſtyle he equalled the beſt maſters of that country, and that paſſing into England he was reckoned a ſecond Vandyck. If he was thought ſo then, it is entirely forgotten. Both Graham and Vertue knew ſo little of him, that the firſt mentions him not, and the latter confounded him with Valentine Le Fevre of Bruſſels, who never was here; yet mentions a mezzo⯑tint of Alexandre Boudan imprimeur du roi, done at Paris by Sarabe, the eyes of which were printed in blue and the face and hands in fleſh-colour. From hence I conclude that Graham made another miſtake in his account of

LE FEVRE DE VENISE,

Whoſe chriſtian name was Roland, and who he ſays gained the favour of prince Rupert by a ſecret of ſtaining marble. As that prince in⯑vented mezzotinto, I conclude it was Claude who learned it of his highneſs, during his intercourſe with him, and communicated it to Sarabe at Paris. Le Fevre de Veniſe certainly was in England and died here, as Claude did. Vertue ſays that his Le Fevre painted chiefly portraits and hiſtories in ſmall, in the manner of Vandyck, the latter of which were not always very decent. As I am deſirous of adjuſting the pretenſions of the three Le Fevres, and ſhould be un⯑willing to attribute to either of the wrong what his modeſty might make him decline, I mean the laſt article, I am inclined to beſtow the nudities on Roland, qui ſe plaiſoit, ſays ^† my author, à deſſiner [32] en caricatures les characters & les temperamens de ceux qu'il conoiſ⯑ſoit, imitant en cela Annibal Caracci.—One knows what ſort of tem⯑peramens Annibal painted.

Claude died in 1675 at the age of forty-two; Roland died in Bear-ſtreet near Leiceſter-fields in 1677, about the 69th year of his age, and was buried at St. Martin's.

Mercier, painter to the late prince of Wales, bought at an auction the portrait of Le Fevre, in a ſpotted-furr-cap, with a pallet in his hand; I ſuppoſe painted by himſelf; and at Burlington-houſe is the picture of Rouſſeau the painter, by Le Fevre; I ſuppoſe Roland.

JOHN HAYLS ^*,

Remarkable for copying Vandyck well, and for being a rival of Lely. A portrait of himſelf in water-colours, purchaſed by colonel Seymour at Mr. Bryan's ſale, ill drawn but ſtrongly coloured, induced Vertue to think that Lely was not the only perſon whom Hayls had an am⯑bition to rival, but that this was a firſt eſſay in competition with Cooper. However I find by a note in a different volume, that ſome thought this miniature was by Hoſkins. At Woburn is the portrait of colonel John Ruſſel, (of whom there is a better picture in the Me⯑moires de Grammont) third ſon of Francis earl of Bedford; and ano⯑ther of lady Diana, ſecond daughter of William the firſt duke of that houſe, both by Hayls, and he drew the father of ſecretary Pepys. He lived in Southampton-ſtreet Bloomſbury, and dying there ſuddenly in 1679, was buried in St. Martin's.

[33]HENRY GASCAR,

Another competitor of Sir Peter, was a French portrait-painter, pa⯑tronized by the ducheſs of Portſmouth, and in compliment to her much encouraged. Graham ſpeaks of his tawdry ſtyle, which was more the fault of the age than of the painter. The pomp of Louis XIV. infected Europe; and Gaſcar, whoſe buſineſs was to pleaſe, ſucceeded as well in Italy as he had in England, from whence he car⯑ried above 10,000l. At Cheſterton Vertue ſaw a head in armour of Edmund Verney, with Gaſcar's name to it. His beſt performance was a half length at lord Pomfret's of Philip earl of Pembroke, which he drew by ſtealth, by order of his patroneſs, whoſe ſiſter lord Pembroke had married. I ſuppoſe this deſire of having her brother-in-law's picture was dated before a quarrel ſhe had with him for ill-uſage of her ſiſter: The ducheſs threatened to complain to the king; the earl told her, if ſhe did, he would ſet her upon her head at Charing-croſs, and ſhow the nation it's grievance.

SIMON VARELST,

A real ornament of Charles's reign, and one of the few who have ar⯑rived at capital excellence in that branch of the art, was a Dutch flower-painter. It is not certain in what year he arrived in England; his works were extremely admired, and his prices the greateſt that had been known in this country. The duke of Buckingham patronized him, but having too much wit to be only beneficent, and perceiving the poor man to be immoderately vain, he piqued him to attempt portraits. Varelſt thinking nothing impoſſible to his pencil, fell into [34] the ſnare, and drew the duke himſelf, but crouded it ſo much with fruits and ſun-flowers, that the king, to whom it was ſhowed, took it for a flower-piece. However, as it ſometimes happens to wiſer buf⯑foons than Varelſt, he was laughed at till he was admired, and Sir Peter Lely himſelf became the real ſacrifice to the jeſt: he loſt much of his buſineſs, and retired to Kew, while Varelſt engroſſed the faſhion, and for one half length was paid an hundred and ten pounds. His portraits were exceedingly laboured, and finiſhed with the ſame deli⯑cacy as his flowers, which he continued to introduce into them. Lord chancellor Shaftſbury going to ſit, was received by him with his hat on. Don't you know me? ſaid the peer. Yes, replied the pain⯑ter, you are my lord chancellor. And do you know me? I am Va⯑relſt. The king can make any man chancellor, but he can make no⯑body a Varelſt. Shaftſbury was diſguſted and ſat to Greenhill. In 1680 Varelſt, his brother Harman, Henny and Parmentiere, all painters, went to Paris, but ſtaid not long. In 1685 Varelſt was a witneſs on the divorce between the duke and ducheſs of Norfolk; one who had married Varelſt's half ſiſter was brought to ſet aſide his evidence, and depoſed his having been mad and confined. He was ſo, but not much more than others of his profeſſion have been; his lunacy was ſelf-admiration; he called himſelf the ^* God of Flowers; and went to Whitehall ſaying he wanted to converſe with the king for

[35] two or three hours. Being repulſed, he ſaid, "He is king of England, I am king of painting, why ſhould not we converſe together familiarly?" He ſhowed an hiſtoric piece on which he had laboured twenty years, and boaſted that it contained the ſeveral manners and excellencies of Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and Vandyck. When Va⯑relſt, Kneller and Jervaſe have been ſo mad with vanity, to what a de⯑gree of phrenzy had Raphael pretenſions!—But he was modeſt. Varelſt was ſhut up towards the end of his life, but recovered his ſenſes at laſt, not his genius, and lived to a great age, certainly as late as 1710, and died in Suffolk-ſtreet. In king James's collection were ſix of his hand, the king, queen, and ducheſs of Portſmouth, half lengths, a landſcape, flowers, and fruit: In lord Pomfret's were nine flower-pieces.

His brother Harman Varelſt lived ſome time at Vienna, till the Turks beſeiged it in 1683. He painted hiſtory, fruit and flowers, and dying about 1700 was buried in St. Andrew's Holbourn. He left a ſon of his profeſſion called Cornelius, and a very accompliſhed daughter, who painted in oil, and drew ſmall hiſtories, portraits both in large and ſmall, underſtood muſic, and ſpoke Latin, German, Ita⯑lian, and other languages.

ANTONIO VERRIO,

A Neapolitan; an excellent painter for the ſort of ſubjects on which he was employed, that is, without much invention, and with leſs taſte, his exuberant pencil was ready at pouring our gods, goddeſſes, kings, emperors and triumphs, over thoſe public ſurfaces on which the eye never reſts long enough to criticize, and where one ſhould be ſorry to place the works of a better maſter, I mean, cielings and ſtair-caſes. [36] The New Teſtament or the Roman Hiſtory coſt him nothing but ultra-marine; that and marble columns, and marble ſteps he never ſpared. He firſt ſettled in France, and painted the high altar of the Carmelites at Thoulouſe, which is deſcribed in Du Puy's Traitè ſur la Peinture, p. 219. Thoul. 1699.

Charles II. having a mind to revive the manufacture of tapeſtry at Mortlack, which had been interrupted by the civil war, ſent for Verrio to England; but changing his purpoſe, conſigned over Windſor to his pencil. The king was induced to this by ſeeing ſome of his paint⯑ing at lord Arlington's, at the end of St. James's-park, where at pre⯑ſent ſtands Buckingham-houſe. The firſt picture Verrio drew for the king was his majeſty in naval triumph, now in the public dining⯑room in the caſtle. He executed moſt of the ceilings there, one whole ſide of St. George's-hall, and the chapel. On the ceiling of the form⯑er he has pictured Antony earl of Shaftſbury, in the character of Fac⯑tion, diſperſing libels; as in another place he revenged a private quar⯑rel with the houſe-keeper Mrs. Marriot, by borrowing her ugly face for one of the furies. With ſtill greater impropriety he has introdu⯑ced himſelf, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Bap. May, ſurveyor of the works, in long periwigs, as ſpectators of Chriſt healing the ſick. He is recorded as operator of all theſe gawdy works in a large inſcription over the tribune at the end of the hall ^*;

[37] The king paid him generouſly. Vertue met with a memorandum of monies he had received for his performances ^* at Windſor: As the compariſon of prices in different ages may be one of the moſt uſeful parts of this work, and as it is remembered what Annibal Caracci re⯑ceived for his glorious labour in the Farneſe palace at Rome, it will not perhaps be thought tedious if I ſet down this account;

[38] The king's bounty did not ſtop here; Verrio had a place of maſ⯑ter-gardiner, and a lodging at the end of the park, now Carleton-houſe. He was expenſive, and kept a great table, and often preſſed the king for money with a freedom which his majeſty's own frankneſs indulged. Once at Hampton-court, when he had but lately received an advance of a thouſand pounds, he found the king in ſuch a circle that he could not approach. He called out, Sire, I deſire the favour of ſpeaking to your majeſty.—Well, Verrio, ſaid the king, what is your requeſt? Money, Sir, I am ſo ſhort in caſh, that I am not able to pay my workmen, and your majeſty and I have learned by expe⯑rience, that pedlars and painters cannot give credit long. The king ſmiled, and ſaid he had but lately ordered him 1000l. Yes, Sir, re⯑plied he, but that was ſoon paid away, and I have no gold left. At that rate, ſaid the king, you would ſpend more than I do, to main⯑tain my family. True, anſwered Verrio, but does your majeſty keep an open table as I do?

He gave the deſigns for the large equeſtrian picture of that monarch in the hall at Chelſea-college; but it was finiſhed by Cook, and pre⯑ſented by lord Ranelagh.

On the acceſſion of James II. Verrio was again employed at Wind⯑ſor, in Wolſey's Tomb-houſe, then deſtined for a Romiſh-chapel. He painted that king and ſeveral of his courtiers, in the hoſpital of Chriſt-church London. Among other portraits there is Dr. Hawes, a phyſician; Vertue ſaw the original head from whence he tranſlated it into the great piece, which Verrio preſented to the hoſpital. He painted too at that of St. Bartholomew.

The revolution was by no means agreable to Verrio's religion or principles. He quitted his place, and even refuſed to work for king [39] William. From that time he was for ſome years employed at the lord Exeter's at Burleigh, and afterwards at Chatſworth. At the former he painted ſeveral chambers, which are reckoned among his beſt works. He has placed his own portrait in the room where he repre⯑ſented the hiſtory of Mars and Venus; and for the Bacchus beſtriding a hogſhead, he has, according to his uſual liberty ^*, borrowed the countenance of a dean, with whom he was at variance. At Chatſ⯑worth is much of his hand. The altar-piece in the chapel is the beſt piece I ever ſaw of his; the ſubject, the incredulity of St. Thomas. He was employed too at Lowther-hall, but the houſe has been burnt. At laſt by perſuaſion of lord Exeter he condeſcended to ſerve king William, and was ſent to Hampton-court, where among other things he painted the great ſtair-caſe, and as ill, as if he had ſpoiled it out of principle. His eyes failing him *, queen Anne gave him a penſion of 200l. a year for life, but he did not enjoy it long, dying at Hampton-court in 1707.

Scheffers of Utrecht was employed by Verrio for twenty-five years. At his firſt arrival he had worked for picture-ſellers. Lanſcron was another painter in Verrio's ſervice, and aſſiſted him ſeven or eight years at Windſor. ^†

[40]JAMES HUYSMAN or HOUSMAN ^*

Was born at Antwerp in 1656, and ſtudied under Bakerel, a ſcholar of Rubens, and competitor of Vandyck. Bakerel was a poet too, and a ſatyric one, and having writ an invective againſt the Jeſuits, was obliged to fly. Huyſman, deprived of his maſter, came to England, and painted both hiſtory and portraits. In the latter he rivalled Sir Peter Lely, and with reaſon. His picture of lady Byron over the chimney in the beauty-room at Windſor, is at leaſt as highly finiſhed and coloured with as much force as Sir Peter's works in that chamber, tho' the ^† lady who ſat for it is the leaſt handſome of the ſet. His Cupids were admired; himſelf was moſt partial to his pic⯑ture of queen Catherine. There is a mezzotinto from it, repreſenting her like St. Catherine. King James ^‡ had another in the dreſs of a ſhepherdeſs; and there is a third in Painter's-hall. He created himſelf the queen's painter, and to juſtify it, made her ſit for every Madonna or Venus that he drew. His capital work was over the [41] altar of her chapel at St. James's, now the French church. He died in 1696, and was buried in St. James's-church.

Vertue mentions another painter of the ſame ſurname, whom he calls Michlaer Huyſman of Mecklin, and ſays he lived at Antwerp; that he ſtudied the Italians, and painted landſcapes in their manner, which he adorned with buildings and animals. He came to England, and brought two large landſcapes, which he kept to ſhew what he could do; for theſe he had frames richly carved by Gibbons, and gave the latter two pictures in exchange. In a ſale in 1743 Vertue ſaw three ſmall landſcapes and figures by him of great merit. On the revolution he returned to Antwerp, and died there 1707, aged near 70.

MICHAEL WRIGHT,

Was born in Scotland, but came to London at the age of 16 or 17, and proved no bad portrait-painter. In 1672 he drew for Sir Robert Vyner a whole length of prince Rupert in armour with a large wig. On the back he wrote the prince's titles at length, and his own name thus, Jo. Michael Wright Lond. pictor regius pinxit 1672. The earl of Oxford had a half length by him of Sir Edward Turner, ſon of Sir Edward, ſpeaker of the Houſe of Commons and chief baron. On that he called himſelf Joſ. Michael Wright Anglus, 1672, but on the portraits of the judges in Guildhall he wrote Scotus. Sir Peter Lely was to have drawn theſe pictures, but refuſing to wait on the judges at their own chambers, Wright got the buſineſs, and received 60l. for each piece. Two of his moſt admired works were a highland laird and an Iriſh tory, whole lengths in their proper dreſſes, of which ſeve⯑ral [42] copies were made. At Windſor is his large picture of John Lacy the comedian in three different characters, Parſon Scruple in the Cheats, Sandy in the Taming of the Shrew, and Monſieur de Vice in the Country Captain. It was painted in 1675, and ſeveral copies taken from it. He twice drew a duke of Cambridge ſon of king James ^*, perhaps the two children who bore that title; one of them is in the king's cloſet at St. James's. He painted too a cieling in the king's bedchamber at Whitehall.

Wright attended Roger Palmer earl of Caſtlemain, as ſteward of his houſhold, on his embaſſy to the Pope, ^† and at his return publiſhed a pompous account of it, firſt in Italian, then in Engliſh. He had been in Italy before. At his return from the embaſſy he was morti⯑fied to find that Sir Godfrey Kneller had engroſſed moſt of his buſi⯑neſs. In 1700, upon a vacancy of the king's painter in Scotland, he ſollicited to ſucceed, but a ſhop-keeper was preferred—and in truth Wright had not much pretenſions to favour in that reign—yet as good as his fellow-labourer Tate, who wrote panegyrics in Wright's edition of the embaſſy, and yet was made Poet Laureat to king Wil⯑liam. [43] Orlandi mentions Wright; "Michaele ^* Rita Ingleſe notato nel Catalogo degli Academici di Roma nel anno 1688." Wright left a ſon at Rome, who was maſter of languages and died there. He had a nephew too of his own name, educated at Rome, but who ſettled in Ireland, where he had ſo much ſucceſs, that he gained 900l. the firſt year, and was always paid 10l. a head. Pooley and Magda⯑len Smith were there at the ſame time; the latter and young Wright were rivals.

Wright the uncle had a fine collection of gems and coins, which were purchaſed by Sir Hans Sloane after his death, which happened about the year 1700, in James-ſtreet Covent-garden. He is buried in that church.

EDMUND ASHFIELD ^†,

Scholar of Wright, was well deſcended, and painted both in oil and crayons, in which he made great improvements for multiplying the tints. He inſtructed Lutterel, who added the invention of uſing crayons on copper plates. Vertue had ſeen a head of Sir John Ben⯑net, afterwards lord Oſſulſton, painted neatly by Aſhfield, tho' not in a good manner: but at Burleigh is a ſmall portrait of a lady Herbert by him highly finiſhed and well painted.

[44]PETER ROESTRATEN ^*,

Was born at Harlem in 1627, and learned of Francis Hals, whoſe daughter he married, and whoſe manner for ſome time he followed; but afterwards taking to ſtill life, painted little elſe. Sir Peter Lely was very kind ^† to him at his arrival in England, and introduced him to king Charles, but it does not appear that he was encouraged at court, nothing of his hand appearing in the palaces or royal cata⯑logues; he found more countenance from the nobility. There is a good picture by him at Kiveton, the ſeat of the duke of Leeds, one at Chatſworth, and two were at lord Pomfret's. At lord Radnor's fale in 1724 were three or four of his pictures, particularly one repre⯑ſenting the crown, ſcepter and globe. He was particularly fond of drawing wrought plate. At the counteſs of Guildford's at Walde⯑ſhare in Kent are ſome of his works. I have one, well coloured, con⯑taining an ivory tankard, ſome figures in bronze, and a medal of Charles II. appendent to a blue ribband. It is certain that he arrived early in this reign, for he hurt his hip at the fire of London and went lame for the reſt of his life. Graham ſays, that having promiſed to ſhow a whole length by Francis Hals to a friend, and the latter grow⯑ing impatient, he called his wife, who was his maſter's daughter, and

[45] ſaid, "there is a whole length by Hals." Theſe are trifling circum⯑ſtances, but what more important happens in ſedentary and retired lives? They are at leaſt as well worth relating as the witticiſms of the old philoſophers. Roeſtraten died in 1698, in the ſame ſtreet with Michael Wright, and was buried in the ſame church.

GERARD SOEST, called ZOUST,

Was born in Weſtphalia, and came to England probably before the reſtoration, ^* for Sanderſon mentions him as then of eſtabliſhed reputation. By what I have ſeen of his hand, particularly his own head at Houghton, he was an admirable maſter. It is animated with truth and nature; round, bold, yet highly finiſhed. His dra⯑peries were often of ſattin, in which he imitated the manner of Ter⯑burgh, a Dutch painter of converſations, but enlarged his ideas, on ſeeing Vandyck. He was inliſted among the rivals of Sir Peter Lely; the number of them is ſufficient honour to the latter. Emulation ſel⯑dom unites a whole profeſſion againſt one, unleſs he is clearly their ſuperior. Soeſt is commended by Vertue and Graham for his por⯑traits of men: Both confeſs that his taſte was too Dutch and ungrace⯑ful, and his humour too rough to pleaſe the ſofter ſex. The gentle manners of Sir Peter carried them all from his competitor. Soeſt who was capricious, ſlovenly and covetous, often went to the door himſelf, and if he was not in a humour to draw thoſe who came to ſit, [46] or was employed in the meaner offices of his family, he would act the ſervant and ſay his maſter was not at home: his dreſs made him eaſily miſtaken. Once when he lived in Curſitor's-alley, he admitted two ladies, but quitted the houſe himſelf.—His wife was obliged to ſay, that ſince he could not pleaſe the ladies, he would draw no more of them. Greenhill carried ^* Wildt the painter to Soeſt, who then lived at the corner houſe in Holbourn-row, and he ſhowed them a man and horſe large as life on which he was then at work, out of humour with the public and the fairer half of it. In Jervaſe's ſale was a portrait of Mr. John Norris by Soeſt, which Jervaſe eſteemed ſo much, that he copied it more than once, and even imitated it in his firſt pictures. On the back was written 1685, but that was a miſtake; Soeſt died in Feb. 1681. I have a head by him, I believe of Griffiere; it has a mantle of purple ſattin, admirably coloured. At the Royal Society is a head of Dr. John Wallis; at Draper's-hall Sheldon Lord Mayor, whole length; in the audit-room of Chriſt-church Oxford, a head of Fuller biſhop of Lincoln; and at Wimpole was a good double half⯑length of John earl of Bridgwater and Grace, his counteſs, ſitting. Vertue deſcribes another head of Sir Francis Throckmorton, in a full wig and a cravat tied with a ribband, and the painter's name; a fine head of Loggan the engraver; and another which he commends ex⯑tremely of a gentleman in a full dark-perriwig, and pink-coloured drapery: on the ſtraining frame was writ

[47] Vertue ſaw too a ſmall oval painted on paper and paſted on board, the portrait of a Mr. Thompſon. Soeſt was not only an able maſter himſelf, but formed Mr. Riley.

[...] Reader,

Another ſcholar of Soeſt, was ſon of a clergyman and born at Maid⯑ſtone in Kent. He lived ſometime at a nobleman's in the weſt of England, and at laſt died poor in the Charter-houſe.

JOHN LOTEN,

A Dutch landſcape-painter, lived here long and painted much; chiefly glades, dark oaken groves, land-ſtorms and water-falls; and in Swiſ⯑ſerland, where he reſided too, he drew many views of the Alps. He died in London about 1680. In king James's catalogue, where are mentioned three of his landſcapes, he is called Loaton; except this little notice, all the reſt is taken from Graham, as are the three next articles entirely.

THOMAS MANBY,

An Engliſh landſcape-painter, who had ſtudied in Italy, from whence he brought a collection of pictures that were ſold in the Banquetting⯑houſe. He lived ten years after the preceding.

[48]NICHOLAS BYER,

Born at Dronthem in Norway, painted both hiſtory and portraits. He was employed by Sir William Temple for three or four years, at his houſe at Shene near Richmond where he died. All that Graham knew remarkable relating to him, was that he was the firſt man bu⯑ried in St. Clement's Danes after it was re-built, which had been founded by his country-men.

ADAM COLONI,

Of Roterdam, lived many years in England, and was famous for ſmall figures, country-wakes, cattle, fire-pieces, &c. He copied many pictures of Baſſan, particularly thoſe in the royal collection. He died in London 1685, at the age of 51, and was buried in St. Martin's.

His ſon Henry Adrian Coloni, was inſtructed by his father and by his brother-in-law Vandieſt, and drew well. He ſometimes painted in the landſcapes of the latter, and imitated Salvator Roſa. He was buried near his father in 1701, at the age of 33.

JOHN GRIFFIERE,

An agreable painter, called the gentleman of Utrecht, was born at Amſterdam in 1645, and placed apprentice to a carpenter, a profeſ⯑ſion not at all ſuiting his inclination. He knew he did not like to be a carpenter, but had not diſcovered his own bent. He quitted his maſter, and was put to ſchool, but becoming acquainted with a lad [49] who was learning to paint earthen-ware, young Griffiere was ſtruck with the ſcience tho' in ſo rude a form, and paſſed his time in aſſiſt⯑ing his friend inſtead of going to ſchool, yet returning regularly at night as if he had been there. This deception however could not long impoſe on his father, who prudently yielded to the force of the boy's genius, but while he gratified it, hoped to ſecure him a profeſ⯑ſion, and bound him to the ſame maſter with his friend the tyle⯑painter. Griffiere improved ſo much even in that coarſe ſchool, that he was placed with a painter of flowers, and then inſtructed by one Roland Rogman, whoſe landſcapes were eſteemed. He received oc⯑caſional leſſons too from Adrian Vandevelde, Ruiſdale, and Rem⯑brant, whoſe peculiarity of ſtyle, and facility of glory, acquired rather by a bold trick of extravagant chiaro ſcuro than by genius, captiva⯑ted the young painter, and tempted him to purſue that manner. But Rogman diſſuaded him, and Griffiere tho' often indulging his taſte, ſeems to have been fixed by his maſter to landſcapes, which he execu⯑ted with richneſs and neat colouring, and enlivened with ſmall figures, cattle and buildings.

When he quitted Rogman and Utrecht, he went to Roterdam, and ſoon after the fire of London, came to England, married and ſettled here; received ſome inſtructions from Loten, but eaſily excelled him. He drew ſome views of London, Italian ruins and proſpects on the Rhine. Such mixed ſcenes of rivers and rich country were his favo⯑rite ſubjects. He bought a yatch, embarked with his family and his pencils, and paſſed his whole time on the Thames, between Wind⯑ſor, Greenwich, Graveſend, &c. Beſides theſe views, he excelled in copying Italian and Flemiſh maſters, particularly Polenburgh, Teni⯑ers, Hondecooter, Rembrandt and Ruyſdale.

[50] After ſtaying here many years, he ſailed in his own yatch to Roter⯑dam, but being tempted by a pilot who was coming to England, ſuddenly embarked again for this country, but was ſhipwrecked, and loſt his whole cargo except a little gold which his daughter had wrap⯑ped in a leathern girdle. He remained in Holland ten or twelve years: and returning to England, ſtruck upon a ſand-bank, where he was eight days before he could get off. This new calamity cured him of his paſſion for living on the water. He took a houſe in Millbank, where he lived ſeveral years, and died in 1718, aged above 72. ^* In lord Orford's collection are two pretty pictures by him, a ſea-port and a landſcape. He etched ſome ſmall plates of birds and beaſts from drawings of Barlow, and five large half-ſheet plates of birds in a ſet of twelve; the other ſeven were done by Fr. Place.

Robert Griffiere, his ſon, born in England 1688, was bred under his father, and made good progreſs in the art. He was in Ireland when his father was ſhip-wrecked, and going to him in Holland, imi⯑tated his manner of painting and that of Sachtleven. John Griffiere, a good copyiſt of Claud Lorrain, and who died in Pall-mall a few years ago, was, I believe, the younger ſon of old Griffiere.

GERARD EDEMA,

Born according to Vertue in Frieſland; Graham ſays at Amſterdam, [51] was ſcholar of Everding, whoſe manner he followed, and of whom there is a ſmall book of mountainous proſpects, containing ſome 50 plates. Edema came to England about 1670, and made voyages both to Norway and Newfoundland, to collect ſubjects for his pictures among thoſe wildneſſes of nature; he delighting in rocky views, falls of water, and ſcenes of horrour. For figures and buildings he had no talent, and where he wanted them was aſſiſted by Wyck. The latter, Vandevelde and Edema lived ſome time at Mount-Edgcumbe with Sir Richard, grandfather of the preſent lord Edgcumbe, and painted ſeveral views of the mount in concert, which are now in a manner decayed. Edema's temper was not ſo unſociable as his ge⯑nius; he loved the bottle, and died of it at Richmond about the year 1700; Graham ſays in the 40th year of his age, which probably is a miſtake, if he came to England in 1670—he could not have learnt much of Everding, if he quitted his ſchool at ten years old.

THOMAS STEVENSON,

Scholar of Aggas ^*, who painted landſcape in oil, figures and archi⯑tecture in diſtemper. The latter is only a dignified expreſſion, uſed by Graham, for ſcene painting, even in which kind, he owns, Steven⯑ſon's works grew deſpiſed. The deſigns for the pageant, called Goldſmith's Jubilee, on the mayoralty of Sir Robert Vyner, were given by this man.

[52]PHILIP DUVAL,

A French man, ſtudied under Le Brun, and afterwards in Italy the Venetian ſchool. He came to England, and painted ſeveral pictures. One for the famous Mrs. Stuart ducheſs of Richmond repreſented Venus receiving armour from Vulcan for her ſon. The head-dreſs of the goddeſs, her bracelets, and the Cupids had more the air of Ver⯑ſailles than Latium. On the anvil was the painter's name, and the date 1672. Notwithſtanding the good breeding of his pencil, Duval was unſucceſsful, but Mr. Boyle finding in him ſome knowledge of chymiſtry, in which he had hurt his ſmall fortune, generouſly allowed him an annuity of 50l. On the death of his patron Duval fell into great indigence, and at laſt became diſordered in his ſenſes. He was buried at St. Martin's about 1709.

EDWARD HAWKER,

Succeeded Sir Peter Lely in his houſe, not in his reputation. He painted a whole length of the duke of Grafton, from which there is a print and a head of Sir Dudley North; was a poor knight of Windſor, and was living in 1721, aged fourſcore. The reader muſt excuſe ſuch brief or trifling articles. This work is but an eſſay towards the hiſtory of our arts: All kind of notices are inſerted to lead to farther diſcoveries, and if a nobler compendium ſhall be formed, I willingly reſign ſuch minutes to oblivion.

Sir JOHN GAWDIE,

Born in 1639, was deaf and dumb, but compenſated part of theſe [53] misfortunes by a talent for painting, in which he was not unſucceſſ⯑ful. He had learned of Lely, intending it for his profeſſion, but on the death of his elder brother, only continued it for his amuſement.

[...] FLESSIERE,

Another obſcure painter mentioned by Vertue, and a frame-maker too, lived in the Strand near the Fountain-tavern; yet probably was not a very bad performer, as a large piece of fruit painted by him was thought worthy of a place in Sir Peter Lely's collection.

BENEDETTO GENARO,

Nephew and diſciple of Guercino, and if that is much merit, reſem⯑bling him in his works. He imitated his uncle's extravagantly dark ſhades, caught the roundneſs of his fleſh, but with a diſagreable livid⯑neſs, and poſſeſſed at leaſt as much grace and dignity. He came to England, and was one of Charles's painters. In king James's cata⯑logue are mentioned twelve of his hand; moſt of them, I believe, are ſtill in the royal palaces, four are at Windſor. At Chatſworth are three by him; and Lot and his daughters at Coudray. His Hercules and Deianira was ſold at Streater's ſale for 11 l. He was born in 1633, and died in 1715. It is ſaid that he had a miſtreſs of whom he was jealous, and whom he would not ſuffer the king to ſee.

GASPAR NETSCHER ^*,

painted ſmall portraits in oil. He was invited to England by Sir [54] William Temple and recommended to the king, but ^* ſtaid not long here. Vertue mentions five of his pictures: one, a lady and a dog, with his name to it: another of a lady, her hands joined, oval on copper: the third, lord Berkeley of Stratton, his lady, and a ſervant, in one piece, dated 1676. The others, ſmall ovals on copper of king William and queen Mary, painted juſt before the revolution, in the collection of the duke of Portland. Netſcher died of the gravel and gout in 1684.

[55]JACOB PEN,

A Dutch painter of hiſtory, commended by Graham. There is a St. Luke by him in Painter's-hall. He died about 1686.

[...] SUNMAN,

Of the ſame country with the preceding, came to England in the reign of Charles II. and got into good buſineſs after the death of Sir Peter Lely, but having drawn the king with leſs applauſe than Riley, he was diſguſted and retired to Oxford, where he was employed by the Univerſity, and painted for them the large pictures of their founders now in the picture-gallery. He drew dean Fell, father of the biſhop, and Mr. William Adams, ſon of him who publiſhed the Villare Anglicanum. In term-time Sunman went conſtantly to Ox⯑ford; the reſt of the year he paſſed in London, and died at his houſe in Gerard-ſtreet about 1707.

[...] SHEPHARD,

An Engliſh artiſt, of whom I can find no record, but that he lived in this reign, near the Royal-exchange, painted Thom. Killigrew with his dog, now at lord Godolphin's, and retired into Yorkſhire, where he died.

[...] STEINER,

A Swiſs, ſcholar of one Warner, whoſe manner he imitated, was [56] alſo an architect. Standing on the walls at the ſeige of Vienna, he was wounded in the knee. The latter part of his time he lived in England, and died at Mortlack.

PETER STOOP,

A Fleming, was ſettled with his family at Liſbon, from whence they followed Catherine of Portugal to England. Peter painted bat⯑tles, huntings, proceſſions, &c. and his brothers Roderigo and Theo⯑dore engraved them. If the pictures were equal to the plates from them, which are extremely in the manner of Della Bella, Peter was an artiſt of great merit. Graham ſays ſo, but that his reputation de⯑clined on the arrival of Wyck. Stoop was employed by one Doily, a dealer in pictures, ſtuffs, &c. and gave ſome inſtructions in paint⯑ing to Johnſon that admirable old comedian, the moſt natural and of the leaſt geſticulation I ever knew, ſo famous for playing the grave⯑digger in Hamlet, Moroſe, Noll Bluff, Biſhop Gardiner, and a few other parts, and from whom Vertue received this account. Stoop lived in Durham-yard, and when an aged man retired to Flanders about 1678, where he died eight years afterwards. Vertue does not ſay directly that the other two were brothers of Stoop; on the con⯑trary he confounds Roderigo with Peter, but I conclude they were his brothers or ſons, from the prints etched by them about the very time of Peter's arrival in England. They are a ſet of eight plates contain⯑ing the public entry of admiral Sandwich into Liſbon, and all the circumſtances of the queen's departure, arrival, and entries at White⯑hall and Hampton-court. I have never been able to meet but with two of them; one, the entry of the earl, is dedicated to him by [57] Theodore Stoop, ipſius regiae majeſtatis pictor, and is the only one to which Vertue mentions the name of Theodore. The other in my poſſeſſion is the queen's arrival at Hampton-court; but the name is wanting. Vertue deſcribes beſides a picture, ſeven feet wide and two high, containing the king's cavalcade through the gates of the city the day before his coronation, but printed in 1662. He ſays not where he ſaw it, but calls the painter Roderigo Stoop, as he does the engra⯑ver of the reſt of the above-mentioned plates. It is not impoſſible but Peter might have aſſumed the Portugueſe name of Roderigo at Liſbon. Some of the plates, among Hollar's, to Ogleby's Aeſop, were done by the ſame perſon, but very poorly.

[...] WAGGONER,

Another unknown name, by whom there is a view of the fire of Lon⯑don in Painter's-hall. ^*

ALEXANDER SOUVILLE,

A French-man, as little known as the preceding, and diſcovered only by Vertue from a memorandum in the account-books at the Temple;

"Oct. 17, 1685. The eight figures on the north-end of the paper-buildings in the King's-bench-walks in the Inner-temple, were painted by Monſieur Alexander Souville."

[58]WILLIAM VANDEVELDE,

Diſtinguiſhed from his more famous ſon of the ſame name, by the ap⯑pellation of the Old, was born at Leyden in 1610, and learned to paint ſhips by a previous turn to navigation. It was not much to his ho⯑nour that he conducted the Engliſh fleet, as is ſaid, to burn Schelling. Charles II. had received him and his ſon with great marks of favour; it was puſhing his gratitude too far to ſerve the king againſt his own country. Dr. Rawlinſon the Antiquarian, gave Vertue a copy of the following privy-ſeal, purchaſed among the papers of ſecretary Pepy's;

"Charles the ſecond, by the grace of God, &c. to our dear couſin prince Rupert, and the reſt of our commiſſioners for executing the place of lord high-admiral of England, greeting. Whereas wee have thought fitt to allow the ſalary of one hundred pounds per annum unto William Vandevelde the elder for taking and making draughts of ſea-fights; and the like ſalary of one hundred pounds per annum unto William Vandevelde the younger for putting the ſaid draughts into colours for our particular uſe; our will and pleaſure is, and wee do hereby authorize and require you to iſſue your orders for the pre⯑ſent and future eſtabliſhment of the ſaid ſalaries to the aforeſaid Wil⯑liam Vandevelde the elder and William Vandevelde the younger, to be paid unto them and either of them during our pleaſure, and for ſo doing theſe our letters ſhall be your ſufficient warrant and diſcharge. Given under our privy-ſeal at our pallace of Weſtminſter, the 20th day of February in the 26th year of our reign."

The father who was a very able maſter, painted chiefly in black and white, and latterly always put the date on his works. He was buried in St. James's-church: on the grave-ſtone is this inſcription;

[59] "Mr. William Vandevelde, ſenior, late painter of ſea-fights to their majeſties king Charles II. and king James dyed 1693."

William Vandevelde, the ſon, was the greateſt man that has appear⯑ed in this branch of painting; the palm is not leſs diſputed with Ra⯑phael for hiſtory, than with Vandevelde for ſea-pieces: Annibal Ca⯑racci and Mr. Scott have not ſurpaſſed thoſe chieftains. William was born at Amſterdam in 1633, and wanted no maſter but his father, till the latter came to England; then for a ſhort time he was placed with Simon de Vlieger, an admired ſhip-painter of that time, but whoſe name is only preſerved now by being united to his diſciple's. Young William was ſoon demanded by his father, and graciouſly entertained by the king, to whoſe particular inclination his genius was adapted. William, I ſuppoſe, lived chiefly with his father at Greenwich, who had choſen that reſidence as ſuited to the ſubjects he wanted. In king James's collection were eighteen pieces of the father and ſon; ſeveral are at Hampton-court and at Hinchinbrook. At Buckingham-houſe was a view of ^* Solebay-fight by the former, with a long inſcrip⯑tion. But the beſt choſen collection of theſe maſters is in a chamber at Mr. Skinner's in Clifford-ſtreet Burlington-gardens, aſſembled at great prices by the late Mr. Walker. Vandevelde the ſon having painted the junction of Engliſh and French fleets at the Nore, whither king Charles went to view them, and where he was repreſented going on board his own yatch, two commiſſioners of the Admiralty agreed to beg it of the king, to cut it in two, and each to take a part. The painter, in whoſe preſence they concluded this wiſe treaty, took away the picture and concealed it, till the king's death, when he offered it to [60] Bullfinch, the printſeller (from whom Vertue had the ſtory) for four⯑ſcore pounds. Bullfinch took time to conſider, and returning to the purchaſe, found the picture ſold for 130 guineas. Afterwards it was in the poſſeſſion of Mr. Stone, a merchant retired into Oxfordſhire.

William the younger died in 1707, as appears by this inſcription under his print; Gulielmus Vanden Velde junior, navium & proſpec⯑tuum marinarum pictor, et ob ſingularem in illâ arte peritiam à Ca⯑rolo and Jacobo 2do. Magnae Britanniae regibus annuâ mercede dona⯑tus. Obiit 6 Apr. A. D. 1707. aet. ſuae 74.

William the elder had a brother named Cornelius ^*, who like him painted ſhipping in black and white, was employed by king Charles and had a ſalary.

The younger William left a ſon, a painter too of the ſame ſtyle, and who made good copies from his father's works, but was otherwiſe no conſiderable performer. He went to Holland and died there. He had a ſiſter who was firſt married to Simon Du Bois, whom I ſhall mention hereafter, and then to Mr. Burgeſs. She had the portraits of her grandfather and father by Sir Godfrey Kneller, of her brother by Wiſſing, and of her great uncle Cornelius.

JOHN VOSTERMAN ^†,

Of Bommel, ſon of a portrait-painter and diſciple of Sachtleven, was

[61] a neat and excellent painter of ſmall landſcapes in oil, as may be ſeen by two views of Windſor, ſtill in the gallery there. After the rapid conqueſts of the French in 1672 he removed from Utrecht to Nime⯑guen, and pleaſing the marquis de Bethune, was made his major⯑domo, employed to purchaſe pictures, and carried by him to France, from whence he paſſed into England, and painted for king Charles a chimney-piece at Whitehall, and a few other things ^*; but demand⯑ing extravagant prices, as 150 and 200l. for his pictures, he had not many commiſſions from court; and being as vain in his expence as of his works, he grew into debt and was arreſted. He ſued in vain to the king for delivery: his countrymen freed him by a contribution. Sir William Soames being ſent embaſſador to Conſtantinople by James II. Voſterman accompanied him, intending to paint the delights of that ſituation; but Sir William dying on the road, it is not cer⯑tain what became of the painter: it is ſaid that before his departure from England, he had been invited to Poland by his old patron the marquis de Bethune, and probably went thither on the death of the embaſſador ^†.

WILLIAM WISSING,

Was born at Amſterdam and bred under Dodaens an hiſtoric painter of the Hague, from whence Wiſſing paſſed into France, contracted [62] the furbelowed ſtyle of that country and age, and came into England, where at leaſt he learned it in it's perfection from Sir Peter Lely for whom he worked, and after whoſe death he grew into faſhion. He drew all the royal family, and particularly the duke of Monmouth ſe⯑veral times, which ingratiated him with the king and the ladies. Sir Godfrey Kneller, then the riſing genius, was a formidable rival, but death put an end to the conteſt in the thirty-firſt year of Wiſſing's age, who deceaſed at Burleigh, the lord Exeter's, in 1687. He was buried at the expence of that earl in St. Martin's Stamford, where againſt a pillar in the middle iſle of the church, is a monumental table to his memory; the inſcription may be ſeen in Graham. There are ſeveral prints from his works, particularly one of queen Catherine with a dog. Prior ^* wrote a poem on the laſt picture he painted. A mezzotinto of Wiſſing is thus inſcribed; Gulielmus Wiſſingus, inter pictores ſui ſaeculi celeberrimos, nulli ſecundus, artis ſuae non exiguum decus & or⯑namentum. immodicis brevis eſt aetas.

ADRIAN HENNY or HENNIN,

One of the laſt painters who arrived in the reign of Charles II. little is known of him, but that having been two years in France, he adop⯑ted the manner of Gaſpar Pouſſin. Vertue thought he came in 1680; if ſo, the title-plate to a hiſtory of Oxford deſigned by him, and en⯑graved by White in 1674, muſt have been done antecedent to his ar⯑rival. [63] He painted much at Eythorp, the ſeat of Dormer lord Carnar⯑von, now of Sir William Stanhope, and died here in 1710.

HERBERT TUER

Was ſecond ſon of Theophilus Tuer, by Catherine, neice of Mr. George Herbert the poet: his grandfather and great-grandfather were vicars, the former of Elſenham in Eſſex, the latter of Sabridge⯑worth in Hertfordſhire, towards the latter end of Elizabeth. Herbert, who received his name from his maternal uncle, withdrew with his youngeſt brother Theophilus, into Holland, after the death of Charles 1ſt. The latter followed arms; Herbert applied to painting, and made good progreſs in portraits, as appears by ſome ſmall ones of himſelf and family, now in England, where however they are little known. A print of Sir Lionel Jenkins, probably drawn at Nime⯑guen, is from a picture by Tuer. He married two wives, Mary Van Gameren, daughter of a procurer of Utrecht, and Elizabeth Van Hey⯑menbergh. John, his ſon by the firſt, was reſident at Nimeguen with his mother-in-law in 1680, at which time Herbert was dead. It is believed that he died at Utrecht, where in the Painter's-hall is ſaid to be a head finely coloured by him.

TEMPESTA and TOMASO,

Two painters who worked at Wilton, painting cielings and pannels of rooms. Tempeſta was I believe, ſon of a well-known painter of the ſame name. Tomaſo, and a brother of his, who was employed at Wilton too, were brought over by Sir Charles Cotterel, for which rea⯑ſon [64] I have placed them here, tho' I do not know exactly whether their performances were not dated a little later than this period. I find no other mention of them ^* or Tempeſta in England. There are at Wil⯑ton two pieces of tapeſtry after the Cartoons of Raphael, with the workman's name Stephen Mayn, and his arms, a croſs of St. George; probably executed long before this period, and perhaps not in England.

If our painters in oil were not of the firſt rate during the period I have been deſcribing, in water-colours that reign has the higheſt pre⯑tenſions.

SAMUEL COOPER,

Owed great part of his merit to the works of Vandyck, and yet may be called an original genius, as he was the firſt who gave the ſtrength and freedom of oil to miniature. Oliver's works are touched and re⯑touched with ſuch careful fidelity that you cannot help perceiving they are nature in the abſtract; Cooper's are ſo bold that they ſeem per⯑fect nature only of a leſs ſtandard. Magnify the former, they are ſtill diminutively conceived: if a glaſs could expand Cooper's pictures to the ſize of Vandyck's, they would appear to have been painted for that proportion. If his portrait of ^† Cromwell could be ſo enlarged, I don't know but Vandyck would appear leſs great by the compariſon. To make it fairly, one muſt not meaſure the Fleming by his moſt admired

[65] piece, cardinal Bentivoglio: The quick fineſſe of eye in a florid Ita⯑lian writer was not a ſubject equal to the protector; but it would be an amuſing trial to balance Cooper's Oliver and Vandyck's lord Straf⯑ford. To trace the lineaments of equal ambition, equal intrepidity, equal art, equal preſumption, and to compare the ſkill of the maſters in repreſenting the one exalted to the height of his hopes, yet perplex⯑ed with a command he could ſcarce hold, did not dare to relinquiſh, and yet dared to exert; the other, daſhed in his career, willing to avoid the precipice, ſearching all the receſſes of ſo great a ſoul, to break his fall, and yet ready to mount the ſcaffold with more dignity than the other aſcended the throne. This parallel is not a picture drawn by fancy; if the artiſts had worked in competition, they could not have approached nigher to the points of view in which I have traced the characters of their heroes.

Cooper with ſo much merit had two defects. His ſkill was confi⯑ned to a meer head; his drawing even of the neck and ſhoulders ſo incorrect and untoward, that it ſeems to account for the numbers of his works unfiniſhed. It looks as if he was ſenſible how ſmall a way his talent extended. This very poverty accounts for the other, his want of grace: A ſignal deficience in a painter of portraits—yet how ſeldom poſſeſſed! Bounded as their province is to a few tame atti⯑tudes, how grace attones for want of action! Cooper, content, like his countrymen, with the good ſenſe of truth, neglected to make truth engaging. Grace in painting ſeems peculiar to Italy. The Flemings and the French run into oppoſite extremes. The firſt never approach the line, the latter exceed it, and catch at moſt but a leſſer ſpecies of it, the genteel, which if I were to define, I ſhould call familiar grace, as grace ſeems an amiable degree of majeſty. Cooper's [66] women, like his model Vandyck's, are ſeldom very handſome. It is Lely alone that excuſes the galantries of Charles II. He painted an apology for that Aſiatic court.

The anecdotes of Cooper's life are few; nor does it ſignify; his works are his hiſtory. He was born in 1609 and inſtructed, with his brother Alexander, by their uncle Hoſkins, who, ſays Graham, was jealous of him, and whom he ſoon ſurpaſſed. The variety of tints that he introduced, the clearneſs of his carnations, and looſe management of hair exceed his uncle, though in the laſt Hoſkins had great merit too. The author I have juſt quoted mentions another capital work of Cooper, the portrait of one Swingfield, which recommended the artiſt to the court of France, where he painted ſeveral pieces larger than his uſual ſize, and for which his widow received a penſion during her life. He lived long in France, and Holland, and dying in London May 5, ^* 1672 at the age of 63 was buried in Pancras-church, where is a monu⯑ment for him. The inſcription is in Graham, who adds that he had great ſkill in muſic, and played well on the lute.

His works are too many to be enumerated, ſeven or eight are in queen Caroline's cloſet at Kenſington; one of them, a head of Moncke, is capital; but unfiniſhed. Lord Oxford had a head of

[67] archbiſhop Sheldon; and the buſt of lord chancellor Shaftſbury on his monument by Ryſbrach was taken from a picture of Cooper.

It is an anecdote little known, I believe, and too trifling but for ſuch a work as this, that Pope's mother was ſiſter of Cooper's wife. Lord Carleton had a portrait of Cooper in crayons, which Mrs. Pope ſaid was not very like, and which, deſcending to lord Burlington, was given by his lordſhip to Kent. It was painted by one Jackſon, a re⯑lation of Cooper, of whom I know nothing more, and who, I ſup⯑poſe, drew another head of Cooper, in crayons, in queen Caroline's cloſet, ſaid to be painted by himſelf; but I find no account of his eſ⯑ſays in that way. He did once attempt oil, as Murray the painter told Vertue, and added, that Hayles thereupon applied to miniature, which he threatened to continue, unleſs Cooper deſiſted from oil; which he did—but ſuch menaces do not frighten much, unleſs ſe⯑conded by want of ſucceſs. Among Orinda's poems is one to Cooper on drawing her friend Lucaſia's picture, in 1660.

RICHARD GIBSON,

The Dwarf, being page to a lady at Mortlack, was placed by her with Franceſco Cleyne, to learn to draw, in which he ſucceeded, per⯑fecting himſelf by copying the works of Sir Peter Lely, who drew Gibſon's picture leaning on a buſt, 1658, another evidence of Sir Peter being here before the reſtoration. It was in the poſſeſſion of Mr. Roſe ^* the jeweller, who had another head of the dwarf by Dob⯑ſon, and his little wife in black, by Lely. This diminutive couple were married in the preſence of Charles I. and his queen, who be⯑ſpoke [68] a diamond ring for the bride, but the troubles coming on ſhe never received it. Her ^* name was Anne Shepherd. The little pair were each three feet ten inches high. Waller has celebrated their nuptials in one of his prettieſt poems. The huſband was page to the king, and had already attained ſuch excellence, that a picture of the man and loſt ſheep painted by him, and much admired by the king, was the cauſe of Vanderdort's death, as we have ſeen in the pre⯑ceeding volume. Thomas ^† earl of Pembroke had the portraits of the dwarfs hand in hand by Sir Peter Lely, and exchanging it for another picture, it fell into the poſſeſſion of Cock the auctioneer, who ſold it to Mr. Gibſon the painter in 1712. It was painted in the ſtyle of Vandyck. Mr. ^‡ Roſe had another ſmall piece of the dwarf and his maſter Franceſco Cleyne, in green habits as archers, with bows and arrows, and he had preſerved Gibſon's bow, who was fond of archery. Gibſon taught queen Anne to draw, and went to Holland to inſtruct her ſiſter the princeſs of Orange. The ſmall couple had nine chil⯑dren, five of which lived to maturity, and were of a proper ſize. Richard the father died in the 75th year of his age, and was buried ^‖ at Covent-garden: his little widow lived till 1709, when ſhe was 89 years old.

WILLIAM GIBSON,

Nephew of the preceding, was taught by him and Sir Peter Lely, and [69] copied the latter happily; but chiefly practiced miniature. He bought great part of Sir Peter's collection, and added much to it. Dying of a lethargy in 1702 at the age of 58, he was buried at Rich⯑mond, as was

EDWARD GIBSON,

I ſuppoſe, ſon of the dwarf. This young man began with painting portraits in oil, but changed that manner for crayons. His own pic⯑ture done by himſelf in this way 1690, was at Tart-hall. Edward died at the age of 33.

JOHN DIXON

Scholar of Sir Peter Lely, painted both in miniature and crayons, but moſtly the former. In the latter was his own head. In water-colours there are great numbers of his works; above ſixty were in lord Oxford's collection, both portraits and hiſtories, particularly, Diana and her Nymphs bathing, after Polenburg, and a ſleeping Venus, Cupids, and a Satyr. Theſe were his beſt works. He was keeper of the king's picture-cloſet; and in 1698 was concerned in a bubble Lottery. The whole ſum was to be 40,000l. divided into 1214 prizes, the higheſt prize in money 3000l. the loweſt 20l. One prize, a collection of limnings, he valued ſo highly, that the perſon to whom it ſhould fall, might, in lieu of it, receive 2000l. each ticket twenty ſhillings. Queen Anne, then princeſs, was an adven⯑turer. This affair turned out ill, and Dixon, falling into debt, re⯑moved for ſecurity from St. Martin's-lane, where he lived, to the [70] King's-bench-walks in the Temple, and latterly to a ſmall eſtate he had at Thwaite near Bungay in Suffolk, where he died about 1715; and where his widow and children were living in 1725. Dixon, adds Vertue, once bought a picture for a trifle at a broker's, which he ſold to the duke of Devonſhire for 500l. but does not ſpecify the hand or ſubject.

ALEXANDER MARSHAL

Another performer in water-colonrs, who painted on velom a book of Mr. Tradeſcant's ^* choiceſt flowers and plants. At Dr. Friend's Vertue ſaw ſeveral pretty large pieces after Vandyck, the fleſh painted very carefully. He mentions too one Joſhua Marſhall, a ſculptor, who in 1664, executed the monument of Baptiſt lord Noel and his lady in Glouceſterſhire.

WILLIAM HASSEL

Another painter known only to the induſtry of Mr. Vertue, who ſaw an oval miniature of a Scotch gentleman, which being engraved by P. Vanderbank was falſely inſcribed lord Marr. The mark on the picture was W. H. 1685. This, ſays Vertue, I think, was William Haſſel. Since the firſt edition I am informed that Mr. Haſſel not only painted in miniature but in oil, in which way he executed an oval head of Mr. Hughes, author of the ſeige of Damaſcus, who joined the ſiſter arts, and painted ſeveral ſmall pieces in water-colours for his

[71] amuſement. That ſeraphic dame, Mrs. Rowe, alſo painted. A gen⯑tleman from whom I received theſe notices has a buſt of the above⯑mentioned Mr. Hughes done by her in Indian ink. There lived a⯑bout the ſame time one Conſtantine, a landſcape-painter, and Mr. White, a limner: Mr. Hughes addreſſed a poem to the former.

MATTHEW SNELLING

A gentleman who painted in miniature, and that (being very galant) ſeldom but for ladies. In Mr. Roſe's ſale 1723 was a head of Snel⯑ling by Cooper 1644, finely painted, but the hands and drapery poor. Mr. Beal mentious him in one of his pocket-books ^*, for ſending pre⯑ſents of colours to his wife in 1654, and 1658; and that in 1678, Mr. Snelling offered him thirty guineas for a Venus and Cupid after Rottenhamer, for which he aſked forty guineas and was worth fifty. I do not know whether this perſon was related to Thomas Snelling, a poet recorded in Wood's Athenae, vol. ii. p. 135.

MARY BEALE

Was daughter of Mr. Cradock, miniſter of Walton ^† upon Thames, and learned the rudiments of painting from Sir Peter Lely, and had ſome inſtructions, as Vertue thought, from Walker. She painted in oil, water-colours and crayons, and had much buſineſs; her portraits were in the Italian ſtyle which ſhe acquired by copying ſeveral pic⯑tures and drawings from Sir Peter Lely's and the royal collections. [72] Her maſter was ſuppoſed to have had a tender attachment to her, but as he was reſerved in communicating to her all the reſources of his pencil, it probably was a galant paſſion, rather than a ſucceſsful one. Dr. Woodfall wrote ſeveral poems to her honour, under the name of Beleſia; but the fulleſt hiſtory of her life and works was re⯑corded by her own huſband, who in ſmall almanac-pocket-books minuted down almoſt daily accounts of whatever related to himſelf, his buſineſs, and his wife's pictures. Of theſe almanacs there were above thirty, which with moſt of Mr. Beale's papers came into the hands of Carter, colourman, to whom Beale bequeathed them. Some were ſold to Mr. Brooke a clergyman. His ſhare Carter lent to a low painter, whoſe goods being ſeized the pocket-books were loſt, but ſeven of them a friend of Vertue's met with on a ſtall, bought, and lent to him. Moſt of his extracts I ſhall now offer to the reader, without apprehenſion of their being condemned as trifling or tireſome. If they are ſo, how will this whole work eſcape? When one writes the lives of artiſts, who in general were not very eminent, their pocket-books are as important as any part of their hiſtory—I ſhall uſe no farther apology—if even thoſe that are loſt ſhould be regretted!

"The firſt is 1672. 20 April. Mr. Lely was here with Mr. Gib⯑ſon and Mr. Skipwith, to ſee us, and commended very much her (Mrs. Beale's) coppy after our Saviour praying in the garden, &c. after Anto. da Correggio: her coppy in little after Endimion Porter his lady and three ſons he commended extraordinarily, and ſaid (to uſe his own words) it was painted like Vandyke himſelf in little, and that it was the beſt coppy he ever ſaw of Vandyke. Alſo he very well liked her two coppyes in great of Mr. Porter's little ſon Phil. He [73] commended her other works, coppyes and thoſe from the life. Both he and Mr. Gibſon both commended her works.

"Mr. Lely told me at the ſame time as he was moſt ſtudiouſly looking at my biſhop's picture of Vandyke's, and I chanced to aſk him how Sir Antony cou'd poſſibly diviſe to finiſh in one day a face that was ſo exceeding full of work, and wrought up to ſo extraordinary a perfection—I believe, ſaid he, he painted it over fourteen times. And upon that he took occaſion to ſpeake of Mr. Nicholas Laniere's picture of Sr. Anto. V. D. doing, which, ſaid he, Mr. Laniere him⯑ſelf told me he ſatt ſeaven entire dayes for it to Sr. Anto. and that he painted upon it of all thoſe ſeaven dayes both morning and afternoon, and only intermitted the time they were at dinner. And he ſaid like⯑wiſe that tho' Mr. Laniere ſatt ſo often and ſo long for his picture, that he was not permitted ſo much as once to ſee it, till he had per⯑fectly finiſhed the face to his own ſatisfaction. This was the picture which being ſhow'd to king Charles the firſt cauſed him to give order that V. Dyck ſhou'd be ſent for over into England.

^* "20 Feb. 1671-2. My worthy and kind Friend Dr. Belk cauſed the excellent picture of Endimion Porter, his lady and three ſons altogether done by Sr. Anto. Vandyke, to be brought to my houſe that my deare heart might have opportunity to ſtudy it, and coppy what ſhee thought fitt of itt. Alſo at the ſame time wee re⯑turn'd Mrs. Cheek's picture of Mr. Lely's painting back to my lord Chamberlain.

"Pink remaining in ſtock Sept. 1672. Some parcells containing ſome pds. weight of tryalls made July 1663.

[74] 19 April, 1672. My deareſt painted over the third time a ſide face. This Mr. Flatman liked very well.

"24 April, 1672. My moſt worthy friend Dr. Tillotſon ſat to Mr. Lely for his picture for me, and another for Dr. Cradock. He drew them firſt in chalk rudely, and afterwards in colours, and rubbed upon that a little colour very thin in places for the ſhadows, and laid a touch of light upon the heightning of the forehead. He had done them both in an hour's time.

"Lord biſhop of Cheſter's picture painted by Mrs. Beale for lord George Berkeley.

"Sunday May 5th, 1672. Mr. Samuel Cooper, the moſt famous limner of the world for a face, dyed.

"18 May, 1672. Pd. Mr. Tho. Burman in part, due for my honoured father and mother's monument ſet up for them at Walton in Bucks, at the expence of my brother Henry Beale and myſelf, the whole coſt paid in full 45l.

"23. Ld. and lady Cornbury's pictures dead colour'd. Dr. Si⯑denham's picture began.

"5 June, Dr. Tillotſon ſat about three hours to Mr. Lely for him to lay in a dead colour of his picture for me. He apprehending the colour of the cloth upon which he painted was too light before he began to lay on the fleſh-colour, he glazed the whole place, where the face and haire were drawn in a colour over thin, with Cullen's-earth, and a little bonn black (as he told us) made very thin with varniſh.

"June 1672. Received for three pictures of Sir Rob. Viner, his lady and daughter 30l.

"20 June. My moſt worthy friend Dr. Tillotſon ſat in the morn⯑ing [75] about three hours to Mr. Lely, the picture he is doing for me. This is the third ſetting.

"Mr. Fuller the painter died 17 July, 1672, as Mr. Manby told me.

"22 July. Mrs. Beale painted her own picture, ſecond ſetting.

"23 July. Received of Col. Giles Strangeways ^* for Dr. Pierce's, Dr. Cradock's, Dr. Tillotſon's, Dr. Stillingfleet's, Mr. Crumholem's pictures 25l. ^†

"1 Aug. 1672. Dr. Tillotſon ſat to Mr. Lely about three hours for the picture he is doing for me, this is the fourth time, and I be⯑lieve he will paint it (at leaſt touch it) over again. His manner in the painting of this picture this time eſpecially, ſeem'd ſtrangely dif⯑ferent both to myſelf and my deareſt heart from his manner of paint⯑ing the former pictures he did for us. This wee thought was a more conceiled miſterious ſcanty way of painting then the way he uſed form⯑erly, which wee both thought was a far more open and free, and much more was to be obſerved and gain'd from ſeeing him paint then, then my heart cou'd with her moſt carefull marking learn ^‡ from his [76] painting either this, or Dr. Cradock's picture of his doing for Dr. Patrick.

"Delivered to Mr. Lely one ounce of Ultramarine at 2l. 10s. one ounce towards payment for Dr. Tillotſon's picture for me.

"30 Sept. I carryd my two boys Charles and Batt. to Mr. Lely's and ſhewed them all his pictures, his rare collection. 1 Octob. I went again to Mr. Lely's, and ſhewd Mr. W. Boneſt the ſame excel⯑lent pictures. This perſon was a learner then.

"I have paid Mr. Lely towards the pictures of Mr. Cos. Brooke Bridges and Dr. Tillotſon which he is doing for me, by ſeveral par⯑cells of Lake of my own makeing which he ſent for 17 Aug. 1671, and Ultramarine and money, 13l. 12s.

"Received this year 1672 moneys at intereſt, rents, or for co⯑lours, upon Mrs. Beale's account, 101l. 11s. Received this year for pictures done by my deareſt heart 202l. 5s.

Then follows a liſt of pictures done from the life by Mrs. Beale ſince 1671-2, with the months in which they were painted. There were thir⯑ty-five paid for, beſides ſeveral begun and not paid for; among the former were, portraits of Sr. Rob. Viner and his daughter in one piece, Dr. Tillotſon, and Dr. Stillingfleet, Dr. Outram, Dr. Patrick, Col. Strangways; and a Magdalen painted from Moll Trioche, a young woman who died 1672. Among the latter, his ſiſter's, his wife's own, lady Falconberg, and lady Eliz. Howard's pictures.

From the almanac of 1674, were the following memorandums:

"In Auguſt Mr. Lely had one ounce of Ultramarine the richeſt at 4l. 10s. per oz. in part of payments betwixt us for dean of Cant. Tillotſon, and Dr. Stillingfleet, which he has done for me, and by [77] Lakes and Ultramarins, according to account of the particulars 1673—

So there is due to him 1l. 1s. in full payment for the two fore-mentioned pictures.

"Aug. 1674. Mr. Lely dead-colour'd my ſon Charles picture— took a drawing upon paper after an ^* Indian gown which he had put on his back, in order to the finiſhing the drapery of it.

"Nov. Borrowed of Wm. Chiffinch eſq eleaven of his majeſties Italian drawings.

"1674. Received this yeare for pictures done by my deareſt, 216l. 5s.

At the end of this book are more liſts of pictures begun or finiſhed by Mrs. Beale.

From the almanac of 1677.

"June 4. Mr. Comer the painter being at our houſe told my dear⯑eſt as a ſecret that he uſed black chalk ground in oil inſtead of blue black and found it much better and more innocent colour.

"22 May. Mr. Francis Knollys came himſelf and fetched away the original picture of the old earl of Strafford and Sr. Philip Man⯑waring which had been left here for ſome years. It was carried away by two of the lord Hollis's ſervants whom Mr. Knollys brought with him for that purpoſe.

"April. I ſaw at Mr. Bab May's lodgings at Whitehall theſe pictures of Mr. Lely's doeing; 1. The king's picture in buff half⯑length. [78] 2. Firſt dutches of York, h. l. 3. Dutches of Portſmouth, h. l. 4. Mrs. Gwin with a lamb. h. l. 5. Mrs. Davis with a gold pot, h. l. 6. Mrs. Roberts, h. l. 7. Dutches of Cleveland being as a Madonna and a babe. 8. Mrs. May's ſiſter, h. l. 9. Mr. Wm. Finch, a head by Mr. Hales. 10. Dutches of Richmond, h. l. by Mr. Anderton.

"Jan. 1676-7. Mr. Lely came to ſee Mrs. Beale's paintings, ſe⯑veral of them he much commended, and upon obſervation ſaid Mrs. Beale was much improv'd in her painting.

"Mrs. Beale painted Sr. Wm. Turner's picture from head to foot for our worthy friend Mr. Knollys. He gave it to be ſett up in the hall at Bridewell, Sir Wm. Turner haveing been preſident in the year he was lord-mayor of London.

"Feb. 16. I gave Mr. Manby two ounces of very good lake of my making, and one ounce and half of pink, in conſideration of the landſkip he did in the Counteſs of Clare's picture.

"Feb. Borrow'd ſix Italian drawings out of the king's collection for my ſons to practice by.

"Monday 5th March. I ſent my ſon Charles to Mr. Flatman's in order to his beginning to learn to limme of him. The ſame time I ſent my ſon's Barth. picture done by my deareſt for Charles to make an eſſay in water-colours. Lent my ſon Charles 3l. which he is to work out.

"Moneys paid my ſon Barth. for work, laying in the draperys of his mother's pictures, from the beginning of this year 1676-7. About twenty-five half-lengths, and as many more heads layd in. Paid my ſon Charles upon the ſame account, near as many. The father, Charles Beale had ſome employment in the board of Green-cloth. This year [79] Mrs. Beale had great buſineſs, and received for pictures 429l. among others whoſe portraits ſhe drew were, the earl of Clarendon, lord Cornbury, Bp. Wilkins, Counteſs of Derby, Sr. Stephen Fox, lord Halifax, duke of Newcaſtle, Lady Scarſdale, earl of Bolinbroke, lady Dorcheſter, lady Stafford, Mr. Th. Thynne, Mr. ſecretary Coventry, ſeveral of the family of Lowther, earl of Clare, Mr. Finch ſon of the chancellor, and Mr. Charles Stanley, ſon of the Counteſs of Derby.

In the almanac of 1661 are no accounts of portraits painted by her, as if ſhe had not yet got into buſineſs, but there are memorandums of debts paid, and of implements for painting bought, and an inventory of valuable pictures and drawings in their poſſeſſion. Mention too is made of three portraits by Walker, her own, her huſband's and her father's; of Sr. Peter Lely's by himſelf, half-length, price 20l. Han⯑neman's picture and frame 18l. Item. Given ſeveral ways to Mr. Flatman for limning my own picture, my daughter Mall's, father Cradock, and the boys, 30l. It concludes with an inventory of their goods, furniture, colours, plate, watches, &c.

Another pocket-book.

"May 19, 1676, Mr. Greenhill the painter dyed.

"3d of May. I made exchange with Mr. Henny, half an ounce of Ultramarine for four pound of his Smalt which he valued at eight ſhillings a pound, being the beſt and fineſt ground Smalt that ever came into England.

"Sep. Lent to Mr. Manby a little Italian book Il Partito di Donni ^* about painting.

"26. Sent Mr. Lely an ounce of my richeſt Lake in part of pay⯑ment for Mr. Dean of Cant. Dr. Stillingfleet's and my ſon Charles picture which he did for me.

[80] Then follow liſts of lives of painters which he thought to tranſlate, and of pictures begun that year, as, the earl of Athol's, lady Nor⯑thumberland's, &c. and of pictures copied from Sr. Peter, as the ducheſs of York, lady Cleveland, lady Mary Cavendiſh, lady Eliz. Percy, lady Clare, lady Halifax, Mrs. Gwin &c. and of others from which ſhe only copied the poſtures.

Another book, 1681.

"The king's half-length picture which I borrow'd of Sir Peter was ſent back to his executors, to Sr. Peter Lely's houſe.

"March. Dr. Burnet ^* preſented the ſecond volume of the Hiſtory of the Reformation to Mrs. Beale as he had done the firſt volume.

"April. Lent Mr. Tho. Manby my Leonardo da Vinci, which I had from Mr. Flatman.

"July. My dear heart finiſht the firſt copy of the half-length of lady Ogle's picture, after Sr. P. Lely at Newcaſtle-houſe—3d paint⯑ing— both lord and lady Ogle's pictures.

"Nov. My dear heart and ſelf and ſon Charles ſaw at Mr. ^† Walton's the lady Carnarvon's picture half-length, by Vandyk in blue ſatin, a moſt rare complexion exceeding fleſhy done without any ſhadow. It was lately bought by Mr. Riley for 35l. alſo another lady in blue ſatin, another lady, black; others, and a rare head by Holben of the lord Cromwell Hen. VIII. dayes.

[81] "Feb. 11, 1680-1. Mr. Soeſt the painter died. Mr. Fleſſiere the frame-maker ſaid he believed he was neare 80 years old when he died.

"April 1681. Paid by Mr. Hancock's order for two quarters expence at Clare-hall for my ſon for half a year's charges ending at Lady-day 12l. 2s. 6d. paid the ſame ſum at Clare-hall.

"Paid my ſon Charles for what he had done to the pictures of lord and lady Ogle at Newcaſtle-houſe, after Sr. P. Lely.

"Our worthy friend the dean of Peterburgh Moor's picture, one of the beſt pictures for painting and likeneſs my deareſt ever did.

"Dec. 1681. Mr. Flatman's picture finiſht. Lent Thomas Flat⯑man, eſq my wife's coppy in little half-length of the counteſs of Northumberland's picture after Sr. P. Lely.

"Pictures begun in 1681. Lady Dixwell. Dr. Nicholas. Earl of Shaftſbury half-length for lord Paget. Dutcheſs of Newcaſtle h. l. Lord Downe, &c. in all amounting to 209l. 17s. At the end of this book ſome notes in ſhort characters of monies put into the poor's⯑box for charitable uſes, theſe good people beſtowing this way about two ſhillings in the pound.

Mrs. Beale died in Pall-mall at the age of 65, Dec. 28, 1697, and was buried under the communion-table in St. James's-church. Her ſon Bartholomew had no inclination for painting, and relinquiſhing it, ſtudied phyſic under Dr. Sydenham, and practiced at Coventry where he and his father died. The other ſon

[82]CHARLES BEALE,

Who was born May 28, 1660, painted both in oil and water-colours, but moſtly in the latter, in which he copied the portrait of Dr. Til⯑lotſon. His cypher he wrote thus on his works (B. The weakneſs in his eyes did not ſuffer him to continue his profeſſion above four or five years. He lived and died over-againſt St. Clement's at Mr. Wilſon's a banker, who became poſſeſſed of ſeveral of his pictures for debt; particularly of a double half-length of his father and mother, and a ſingle one of his mother, all by Lely. I have Mrs. Beale's head and her ſon Charles's, in crayons by her; they were Vertue's: And her own and her ſon's, in water-colours, ſtrongly painted, but not ſo free as the crayons.

ELIZABETH NEAL

Is only mentioned in De Bie's Golden Cabinet, publiſhed in 1662; he ſpeaks of her as reſiding in Holland, and ſays ſhe painted flowers ſo well, that ſhe was likely to rival their famous Zeghers; but he does not ſpecify whether ſhe worked in oil or water-colours.

ANECDOTES of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. II.
Statuaries, Carvers, Architects, and Medalliſts, in the Reign of Charles II.

THOMAS BURMAN

IS only known by being the maſter of Buſhnell, and by his epi⯑taph in the church-yard of Covent-garden;

"Here lyes interred Thomas Burman, ſculptor, of the pariſh of St. Martin's in the Fields, who departed this life March 17th. 1673-4, aged 56 years."

He is mentioned above in Mr. Beale's notes for executing a tomb at Walton upon Thames.

BOWDEN, LATHAM and BONNE,

Three obſcure ſtatuaries in this reign, of whom I find few particu⯑lars; the firſt was a captain of the trained-bands, and was employed at Wilton; ſo was ^* Latham; his portrait leaning on a buſt was [84] painted by Fuller. Latham and Bonne worked together on the mo⯑nument of Archbiſhop Sheldon. The figure of John Sobieſki which was bought by Sr. Robert Vyner and ſet up at Stock's-market for Charles II. came over unfiniſhed, and a new head was added by Latham, but the Turk on whom Sobieſki was trampling remained with the whole groupe, till removed to make way for the lord-mayor's manſion-houſe.

WILLIAM EMMETT

Was ſculptor to the crown before Gibbons, and had ſucceeded his uncle, one Philips. There is a poor mezzotinto of Emmett by himſelf.

CAIUS GABRIEL CIBBER, or CIBERT,

Son of a cabinet-maker to the king of Denmark, was born at Flenſ⯑burg in the duchy of Holſtein, and diſcovering a talent for ſculpture was ſent at the king's expence to Rome. More of his early hiſtory is not known. He came to England not long before the Reſtoration, and worked for John Stone, ſon of Nicholas, who going to Holland, and being ſeized with a palſey, Cibber his foreman was ſent to con⯑duct him home. We are as much in the dark as to the reſt of his life; that ſingularly-pleaſing biographer his ſon, who has dignified ſo many trifling Anecdotes of players by the expreſſive energy of his ſtyle, has recorded nothing of a father's life who had ſuch merit in his profeſſion. I can only find that he was twice married, and that by his ſecond

[85] wife deſcended from the ancient family of ^* Colley in Rutlandſhire, he had 6000l. and ſeveral children, among whom was the well-known laureat, born in 1671 at his father's houſe in Southampton-ſtreet facing Southampton-houſe. Gabriel Cibber the ſtatuary was carver to the king's cloſet and died about 1700 at the age of 70. His ſon had a portrait of him by old Laroon, with a medal in his hand. I have one in water-colours with a pair of compaſſes, by Chriſtian Richter; probably a copy from the former, with a ſlight variation. What is wanting in circumſtances, is more than compenſated by his works. The moſt capital are the two figures of melancholy and raving madneſs before the front of Bedlam. The baſreliefs ^† on two ſides of the monument are by his hand too. So are the fountain in Soho-ſquare and one of the fine vaſes at Hampton-court, ſaid to be done in competition with a foreigner who executed the other, but no⯑body has told us which is Cibber's. He carved moſt of the ſtatues of kings round the Royal-exchange, as far as king Charles, and that of Sir Thomas Greſham in the piazza beneath. The firſt duke of Devon⯑ſhire employed him much at Chatſworth; where two ſphinxes on large baſes, well executed and with ornaments in good taſte are of his work, and till very lately there was a ſtatue of Neptune in a fountain, ſtill better. He carved there ſeveral door-caſes of alabaſter with rich fo⯑liage, and many ornaments in the chapel; and on each ſide of the altar is a ſtatue by him, Faith and Hope; the draperies have great [86] merit, but the airs of the heads are not ſo good as that of the Neptune. Cibber built the Daniſh church in London and was buried there him⯑ſelf, with his ſecond wife, for whom a monument was erected in 1696. The ſon will be known as long as the Careleſs Huſband and the Me⯑moires of his own Life exiſt, and ſo long the injuſtice of calling the figures at Bedlam‘—his brazen brainleſs brothers,’and the peeviſh weakneſs of thruſting him into the Dunciad in the room of Theobald, the proper hero, will be notorious.

FRANCIS DU SART

Of Hanau, is mentioned in De Bie's Golden Cabinet, who ſays, he was employed by the king of England to adorn his palace with works in marble and models in clay, and that he died in London 1661. It is uncertain whether this king was Charles the firſt, or whether Du Sart came over and died ſoon after the Revolution.

GRINLING ^* GIBBONS,

An original genius, a citizen of nature; conſequently, it is indifferent where ſhe produced him. When a man ſtrikes out novelty from himſelf, the place of his birth has little claim on his merit. Some become great poets or great painters becauſe their talents have capital models before their eyes. An inventor is equally a maſter, whether born in Italy or Lapland. There is no inſtance of a man before Gibbons who gave to wood the looſe and airy lightneſs of flowers, and

[87] chained together the various productions of the elements with a free diſorder natural to each ſpecies: Vertue had received two different accounts of his birth; from Murray the painter, that he was born in Holland of Engliſh parents, and came over at the age of nineteen; from Stoakes (relation of the Stones) that his father was a Dutchman, but that Gibbons himſelf was born in Spur-alley in the Strand. This is circumſtantial, and yet the former teſtimony ſeems moſt true, as Gibbons is an Engliſh name, and Grinling probably Dutch. He afterwards lived, added Stoakes, in Belſavage-court on Ludgate-hill, where he carved a pot of flowers which ſhook ſurprizingly with the motion of the coaches that paſſed by. It is certain that he was em⯑ployed by Betterton on the decorations of the Theatre in Dorſet⯑garden, where he carved the capitals, cornices and eagles. He lived afterwards at Deptford, in the ſame houſe with a muſician, where the beneficent and curious Mr. Evelyn found and patronized them both. This gentleman, Sir Peter Lely, and Bap. May, who was ſomething of an architect himſelf, recommended Gibbons to Charles II. who though too indolent to ſearch for genius, and too indiſcriminate in his bounty to confine it to merit, was always pleaſed, when it was brought home to him. He gave the artiſt a place in the board of works, and employed his hand on the ornaments of moſt taſte in his palaces, particularly at Windſor, where in the chapel the ſimplicity of the carver's foliage at once ſets off and atones for the glare of Verrio's paintings. Gibbons in gratitude made a preſent of his own buſt in wood to Mr. Evelyn who kept it at his houſe in Dover-ſtreet. The piece that had ſtruck ſo good a judge was a large carving in wood of St. Stephen ſtoned, long preſerved in the ſculptor's own houſe, and afterwards purchaſed and placed by the duke of Chandos at Cannons. [88] At Windſor too, Gibbons, whoſe art penetrated all materials, carved that beautiful pedeſtal in marble for the equeſtrian ^* ſtatue of the king in the principal court. The fruit, fiſh, implements of ſhipping are all exquiſite: the ^† man and horſe may ſerve for a ſign to draw a paſſenger's eye to the pedeſtal. The baſe of the figure at Charing⯑croſs was the work of this artiſt; ſo was the ^‡ ſtatue of Charles II. at the Royal-exchange—but the talent of Gibbons, though he prac⯑ticed in all kinds, did not reach to human figures, unleſs the brazen [89] ſtatue of James II. in the Privy-garden be, as I have reaſon to believe it, of his hand. There is great eaſe in the attitude, and a claſſic ſim⯑plicity. Vertue met with an agreement, ſigned by Gibbons himſelf, for a ſtatue of James II. the price 300l. half to be paid down on ſign⯑ing the agreement; 50l. more at the end of three months, and the reſt when the ſtatue ſhould be compleat and erected. Annexed were receipts for the firſt 200l. Aug. 11, 1687. The paymaſter Tobias Ruſtat ^*.

Gibbons made a magnificent tomb for Baptiſt Noel Viſcount Camden, in the church of Exton in Rutlandſhire; it coſt 1000l. is 22 feet high, and 14 wide. There are two figures of him, and his lady, and baſreliefs of their children. The ſame workman performed the wooden throne at Canterbury, which coſt 70 l. and was the dona⯑tion of archbiſhop Teniſon. The foliage in the Choir of St. Paul's is of his hand. At Burleigh is a noble profuſion of his carving, in pic⯑ture-frames, chimney-pieces, and door-caſes, and the laſt Supper in alto relievo, finely executed. At Chatſworth, where a like taſte col⯑lected ornaments by the moſt eminent living maſters, are many by Gib⯑bons, particularly in the chapel; in the great anti-chamber are ſeveral dead fowl over the chimney, finely executed, and over a cloſet door, a pen not diſtinguiſhable from real feather. When Gibbons had [90] finiſhed his works in that palace, he preſented the duke with a point cravat, a woodcock, and a medal with his own head, all preſerved in a glaſs-caſe in the gallery. I have another point cravat by him, the art of which arrives even to deception, and Herodias with St. John's head, alto relievo in ivory. In Thoreſby's collection was Elijah under the juniper-tree ſupported by an Angel, ſix inches long and four wide. ^* At Houghton two chimneys are adorned with his foliage. At Mr. Norton's at Southwick in Hampſhire was a whole gallery embroider⯑ed in pannels by his hand—but the moſt ſuperb monument of his ſkill is a large chamber at Petworth enriched from the cieling, between the pictures, with feſtoons of flowers and dead game, &c. all in the higheſt perfection and preſervation. Appendant to one is an antique vaſe with a baſrelief, of the pureſt taſte, and worthy the Grecian age of Cameos. Selden, one of his diſciples and aſſiſtants—for what one hand could execute ſuch plenty of laborious productions? loſt his life in ſaving this carving when the ſeat was on fire. The font in St. James's-church was the work of Gibbons.

If theſe encomiums ^† are exaggerated, the works are extant to con⯑tradict me. Let us now ſee how well qualified a man, who vaunts his having been in England, was, to ſpeak of Gibbons. It is the author of the Abregè whom I have frequently mentioned. "Les Anglois, ^‡ ſays he, n'ont eu qu'un bon ſculpteur, nommè Gibbons, mais il n'etoit pas excellent. La figure de marbre de Charles II. pla⯑cêe au milieu de la bourſe à Londres eſt de ſa main." What would this author have ſaid of him, if he had waſted his art on ribbands [91] sand ringlets flowing in one blended ſtream from the laurel of Louis XIV. to the tip of his horſe's tail ^*?

Gibbons died Aug. 3d, 1721, at his houſe in Bow-ſtreet, Covent⯑garden, and in November of the following year, his collection, a very conſiderable one, of pictures, models, &c. was ſold by auction. Among other things, were two chimney-pieces of his own work, the one valued at 100l. the other at 120; his own buſt in marble, by him⯑ſelf, but the wig and cravat extravagant; and an original of Simon the engraver by Sir Peter Lely, which had been much damaged by the fall of Gibbons's houſe.

There are two different prints of Gibbons by Smith, both fine; the one with his wife, after Cloſterman; the other from a picture at Houghton by Sir Godfrey Kneller, who has ſhown himſelf as great in that portrait as the man was who ſat to him.

Gibbons had ſeveral diſciples and workmen; Selden I have men⯑tioned; Watſon aſſiſted chiefly at Chatſworth, where the boys and many of the ornaments in the chapel were executed by him. Dievot of Bruſſels, and Laurens of Mechlin were principal journeymen— Vertue ſays they modelled and caſt the ſtatue I have mentioned in the Privy-garden, which confirms my conjecture of it's being the figure intended in the agreement. If either of them modelled it, and not Gibbons himſelf, the true artiſt deſerves to be known. They both retired to their own country on the Revolution; Laurens performed much both in ſtatuary and in wood, and grew rich. Dievot lived till 1715 and died at Mechlin.

[92]LEWIS PAYNE

Engraved two fignet ſeals for Charles II. to be uſed in Scotland by the duke of Lauderdale. Dr. Rawlinſon had the original warrant for them ſigned by the king; one was to have been in ſteel, the other in ſilver. At top was the draught and magnitude, neatly drawn, and a memorandum that they were finiſhed and delivered in Oct. 1678.

CHRISTIAN RESIN

The celebrated ſeal-cutter, beſt known by his baptiſmal name, was born at Drontheim in Norway and bred a ſilver-ſmith. He was driven by a ſtorm on the coaſt of Scotland, tho' intending for England. He worked two years at Aberdeen for one Melvin a ſilver-ſmith, and ar⯑rived in London the third day of the Conflagration 1666. He had never attempted to engrave ſtones till ſettled in England. He was confined in the Tower for four years on ſuſpicion of engraving dies for coining, but was releaſed without a trial. Theſe imperfect notes are all I find relative to this Artiſt, whom Mr. Vertue calls Reſin Senior, whence and from it's more modern air I conclude the Mezzo⯑tinto exhibits his ſon, who probably followed his father's profeſſion.

ARCHITECTURE,

Though in general the taſte was bad, and corrupted by imitations of the French, yet as it produced St. Paul's, may be ſaid to have flouriſhed in this reign: whole countries, an age often gets a name [93] for one capital work. Before I come to Sir Chriſtopher Wren, I muſt diſpatch his ſeniors.

JOHN WEBB,

A name well-known as a ſcholar of Inigo Jones, and yet I cannot find any particulars of his life ^*. He built the ſeat of lord Mountford at Horſeheath in Cambridgeſhire, and added the portico to the Vine in Hampſhire for Chaloner Chute, ſpeaker to Richard Cromwell's par⯑liament, and now belonging to his deſcendent John Chute, eſq Am⯑breſbury in Wiltſhire was executed by him from the deſigns of his maſter. Mr. Talman had a quarto volume, containing drawings in Indian ink of capitals and other ornaments in architecture, which Webb had executed in ſeveral houſes. The frontiſpiece (contain⯑ing architecture and figures) to Walton's Polyglot Bible, was deſigned by Webb, and etched by Hollar. Vertue ſays that Mr. Mills, one of the four ſurveyors appointed after the fire of London, built the large houſes in Queen-ſtreet Lincoln's-inn-fields—but this muſt be a miſ⯑take, as we have ſeen in the preceding volume, that Gerbier, a cotem⯑porary and rival, aſcribed them to Webb. Gerbier's own ſcholar was

Captain WILLIAM WINDE,

Who was born at Bergen-opzoom. His performances were, the houſe at Cliefden, the duke of Newcaſtle's in Lincoln's-inn-fields, Coomb⯑abbey for lord Craven, and he finiſhed Hempſtead Marſhal for the [94] ſame peer, which had been begun by his maſter, and in the plans of which he made ſeveral alterations. In his ſon's ſale of drawings and prints in 1741, were ſeveral of the father's deſigns for both theſe latter houſes. They were dated from 1663 to 1695.

[...] MARSH,

Says Vertue, deſigned the additional buildings at Bolſover, erected after the Reſtoration, and was the architect of Nottingham-caſtle. Salmon in his account of Eſſex, p. 329, mentions a Dr. Morecroft, who he ſays died in 1677, as architect of the manor-houſe of Fitz⯑walters.

Monſieur POUGET,

A French architect, conducted the building of Montagu-houſe in 1678. What it wants in grace and beauty, is compenſated by the ſpaciouſneſs and lofty magnificence of the apartments. It is now the Britiſh Muſeum.

Sir CHRISTOPHER WREN,

Is placed here, as his career was opened under Charles II.—The length of his life enriched the reigns of ſeveral princes—and diſgraced the ^* laſt of them. A variety of knowledge proclaims the univerſality, a multiplicity of works the abundance, St. Paul's the greatneſs of Sir Chriſtopher's genius. The nobleſt temple, the largeſt

[95] palace, the moſt ſumptuous hoſpital in ſuch a kingdom as Britain are ^* all works of the ſame hand. He ^† reſtored London, and re⯑corded it's fall. I do not mean to be very minute in the account of Wren even as an architect. Every circumſtance of his ſtory has been written and repeated. Biſhop Sprat, Antony Wood, Ward in his lives of the Greſham Profeſſors, the General Dictionary, and the New Deſcription of London and the Environs, both in the hands of every body, are voluminous on the article of Sir Chriſtopher: above all a deſcendent of his own has given us a folio, called Parentalia, which leaves nothing to be deſired on this ſubject. Yet in a work of ſuch a nature as this, men would be diſappointed, ſhould they turn to it, and receive no ſatisfaction. They muſt be gratified, though my province becomes little more than that of a meer tranſcriber.

Sir Chriſtopher Wren, of an ancient family in the Biſhoprick of Durham, was ſon of a dean of Windſor, and nephew of Matthew, biſhop, ſucceſſively, of Hereford, Norwich, Ely. He was born at London in 1632, and educated at Oxford. His mathematical abili⯑ties unfolded themſelves ſo early, that by twenty he was elected pro⯑feſſor of aſtronomy at Greſham-college, and eight years afterwards Savilian profeſſor of aſtronomy at Oxford. His diſcoveries in philo⯑ſophy, mechanics, &c. contributed to the reputation of the new eſtabliſhed Royal-ſociety, and his ſkill in architecture had raiſed his own name ſo high, that in the firſt year of the Reſtoration he was ap⯑pointed coadjutor to Sir John Denham ſurveyor of the works, whom he ſucceeded in 1668. Three years before that he had viſited France— and unfortunately went no farther—the great number of drawings [96] he made there from their buildings, had but too viſible influence on ſome of his own—but it was ſo far lucky for Sir Chriſtopher, that Louis XIV. had erected palaces only, no churches. St. Paul's eſcaped, but ^* Hampton-court was ſacrificed to the god of falſe taſte. In 1680 he was choſen preſident of the Royal-ſociety; was in two parliaments, was twice married, had two ſons and a daughter, and died ^† in 1723, at the age of ninety-one, having lived to ſee the completion of St. Paul's; a fabric, and an event, which one cannot wonder left ſuch an impreſſion of content on the mind of the good old man, that being carried to ſee it once a year, it ſeemed to recall a memory that was almoſt deadened to every other uſe. He was buried under his own fabric, with four words that comprehend his merit and his fame; ſi quaeras monumentum, circumſpice!

Beſides from his works ^‡ in architecture, which I am going to men⯑tion, Wren is intitled to a place in this catalogue by his talent for de⯑ſign. He drew a view of Windſor, which was engraved by Hollar; and eight or ten plates for Dr. Willis's anatomy of the brain 1664. Vertue thinks they were engraved by Loggan. He found out a ſpeedy was of etching, and was the inventor of drawing pictures by miſcroſcopic glaſſes; and he ſays himſelf, that he invented ſerpentine-rivers. [97] ^* His other diſcoveries ^† may be ſeen at large in the authors I have quoted. His principal buildings were,

The Library of Trinity-college Cambridge, and a piece of architec⯑ture oppoſite to it, to diſguiſe the irregularity of that end. Over the library are four figures by Cibber.

The Chapel of Pembroke-hall.

The Theatre at Oxford. ^‡

The Tower of St. Dunſtan's-church, attempted in the Gothic ſtyle with very poor ſucceſs.

The ^‖ Church of St. Mary at Warwick, in the ſame manner, but ſtill worſe. Yet he was not always ſo wide of his mark;

The great Campanile at Chriſt-church Oxford is noble, and though not ſo light as a gothic architect would perhaps have formed it, does [98] not diſgrace the modern. His want of taſte in that ancient ſtyle is the beſt excuſe for another fault, the union of Grecian and Gothic. The Ionic Colonade that croſſes the inner quadrangle of Hampton-court is a glaring blemiſh by it's want of harmony with the reſt of Wolſey's fabric. Kent was on the point of repeating this incongruity in the ſame place in the late reign, but was over-ruled by my father.

Chriſt-church-hoſpital London, re-built, and the old Cloyſter re⯑paired by him.

St. Mary-le-bow. The ſteeple is much admired—for my part I never ſaw a beautiful modern ſteeple. They are of Gothic origine, and have frequently great merit either in the ſolid dignity of towers, or in the airy form of taper ſpires. When broken into unmeaning parts, as thoſe erected in later times are, they are a pile of barbarous uglineſs, and deform the temples to which they are coupled. Sir Chriſtopher has ſhown how ſenſible he was of this abſurdity impoſed on him by cuſtom, by avoiding it in his next beautiful work,

St. Stephen Walbroke—but in vain—the Lord-mayor's Man⯑ſion-houſe has revenged the cauſe of ſteeples.

The new royal apartments at Hampton-court.

Greenwich-hoſpital.

Chelſea-hoſpital.

The palace at Wincheſter—one of the ^* uglieſt piles of building in the iſland. It is a royal manſion running backward upon a preci⯑pice, and has not an inch of garden or ground belonging to it. Charles II. choſe the ſpot for health, and preſſed ^† Sir Chriſtopher to have it [99] finiſhed in a year. The impropriety of the ſituation and the haſte of the execution are ſome excuſe for the architect—but Sir Chriſtopher was not happy in all kind of buildings. He had great abilities rather than taſte. When he has ſhewed the latter, it was indeed to advan⯑tage. The circular porticos and other parts of St. Paul's are truly gracefull; and ſo many great architects as were employed on St. Peter's have not left it upon the whole a more perfect edifice than this work of a ſingle mind. The gawdineſs of the Romiſh religion has given St. Peter's one of it's chief advantages. The exceſs of plainneſs in our cathedral diſappoints the ſpectator after ſo rich an ap⯑proach. The late prince of Wales, I have heard, intended to intro⯑duce tombs into it, and to begin with that of his grandfather. Con⯑ſidering that Weſtminſter-abbey is overſtocked, and that the moſt venerable monuments of antiquity are daily removed there to make room for modern (a precedent that one ſhould think would diſcourage even the moderns from dealing with the chapter) St. Paul's would afford a new theatre for ſtatuaries to exert their genius—and the Abbey would ſtill preſerve it's general cuſtomers, by new recruits of waxen puppets. The towers of the laſt mentioned fabric, and the propoſed ſpire were deſigned by Sir Chriſtopher.

The Monument. The architect's intention was to erect the ſtatue of Charles II. on the ſummit, inſtead of that ſilly pot of flames; but was over-ruled, as he often was by very inferior judgments.

The Theatre in Drury-lane; and the old Theatre in Saliſbury-court. The reſt of his churches, publications, deſigns, &c. may be ſeen at large in the Parentalia. Among the latter was the mauſo⯑leum of Charles I. It was curious piety in Charles II. to erect a mo⯑nument for the imaginary bones of Edward V. and his brother, and [100] to ſink 70,000l. actually given by parliament for a tomb for his father!

Many drawings by Sir Chriſtopher, particularly for St. Paul's, were ſold in his ſon's auction a few years ago.

The medalliſts in this reign lie in a narrow compaſs, but were not the worſt Artiſts.

The ROTIERS

Were a family of medalliſts. The father, a goldſmith and banker, aſſiſted Charles II. with money during his exile, in return for which the king promiſed, if he was reſtored, to employ his ſons, who were all gravers of ſeals and coins. The Reſtoration happened; and Charles, diſcontent with the inimitable Simon, who had ſerved Crom⯑well and the Republic, ſent for Rotier's ſons. The two eldeſt, John and Joſeph, arrived (not entirely with their father's conſent who wiſhed to have them ſettle in France, of which I ſuppoſe he was a native) They were immediately placed in the mint, and allowed a ſalary and a houſe, where they ſoon grew rich, being allowed 200 l. for each broad ſeal, and gaining 300l. a year by vending great num⯑bers of medals abroad. On their ſucceſs, Philip the third brother came over, and worked for the government too. He is the only one of the three, though John was reckoned the beſt artiſt, who has left his name ^* or initials on any of our medals; and he it was I believe, who being in love with the fair Mrs. Stuart, ducheſs of Richmond, ^† repreſented her likeneſs, under the form of Britannia, on the re⯑verſe [101] of a large medal with the king's head. Simon, diſcontent with ſome reaſon at the preference of ſuch inferior performers, made the famous crown-piece, which though it did not explode the others, re⯑covered his own ſalary, and from that time he and his rivals lived amicably together. It was more than they themſelves did. John had three ſons, the eldeſt of which he loſt, but James and Norbert, being much employed by him, their uncles grew jealous and left England, Joſeph going to France, Philip to Flanders, where each being entertained by the reſpective governments, the three brothers were at the ſame time in the ſervice of three kings, of England, France and Spain. James Rotier being hurt by a fall from his horſe, and retiring to Bromley for the air, caught cold and died. Norbert and his father remained working for the crown till the Revolution, when, though offered to be continued in his poſt, no ſollicitation could pre⯑vail on John the father to work for king William. This rendering him obnoxious, and there being ſuſpicions ^* of his carrying on a trea⯑ſonable [102] correſpondence, guards were placed round his houſe in the Tower, and lord Lucas, who commanded there, made him ſo uneaſy that he was glad to quit his habitation. He was rich and very infirm, labouring under the ſtone and gravel, additional reaſons for his re⯑tiring. He took a houſe in Red-lion-ſquare. Norbert, leſs difficult, executed ſome things for the government, particularly, ^* as Vertue thinks, the coronation medal for William and Mary, and ſome dies for the copper money. On the proofs were the king's and queen's heads on different ſides, with a roſe, a ſhip, &c. but in 1694 it was reſolved, that the heads ſhould be coupled, and Britannia be on the reverſe. Hence aroſe new matter of complaint—Some penetrating eyes thought they diſcovered a Satyr's head ^† couched in the king's. This made much noiſe, and gave riſe to a report that king James was in England, and lay concealed in Rotier's houſe in the Tower. Nor⯑bert on theſe diſſatisfactions left England, and retiring into France, where he had been educated in the academy, was received and em⯑ployed [103] by Louis XIV. where, whatever had been his inclinations here, he certainly made ſeveral medals of the young chevalier.

John, the father, ſurvived king William. A medal being ordered of the new queen, Harris a player who ſucceeded Rotier, and was in⯑capable of the office, employed workmen to do the buſineſs, among whom was Mr. Croker, who afterwards obtained the place. Sir Godfrey Kneller drew a profile of the queen, and Mr. Bird the ſtatu⯑ary modelled it. Her majeſty did not like the eſſay, and recollected Rotier, but was told the family had left England or were dead. Sir Godfrey being ordered to inſpect the work, and going to the Tower, learned that John Rotier was ſtill living, whom he viſited and ac⯑quainted with what had happened. The old man, in a paſſion, began a die, but died before he could finiſh it, in 1703, and was buried in the Tower. The unfiniſhed die, with others of the twelve caeſars, were ſent to France to his relations, whence two of them arrived, hoping to be employed. One of them modelled the face of Sir Hans Sloane, and ſtruck a ſilver medal of the duke of Beaufort; but not meeting with ſucceſs, they returned. This entire account Vertue re⯑ceived in 1745 from two ſurviving ſiſters of Norbert Rotier. Their mother, who had a portrait of her huſband John, which the daughters ſent for, died in Flanders about 1720.

Of the works of the Rotiers, ſome may be ſeen in Evelyn. John made a large milled medal of duke Lauderdale in 1672, with the graver's own name. Norbert, a medal of Charles I. (ſtruck about the time of the Revolution) and another of his queen. One of them, I know not which, graved a large medal of a Daniſh admiral, in the reign of king James. A cornelian ſeal with the heads of Mars and Venus, which Vertue ſaw, was cut by John Rotier. Of Joſeph, there [104] is a print, while he was in the ſervice of the French king, and calling him, "Cydevant graveur de la monoye de Charles II. d'Angleterre."

[...] DU FOUR.

Nothing is known of his hand, but a ſilver medal of lord Berkeley's head in a peruke, reverſe his arms, 1666. Du Four f.

GEORGE BOWER,

Probably a volunteer artiſt, ſtruck a large ſilver medal of Charles II. profile in a peruke, the queen's head on the reverſe. G. Bower f.

Another on the duke of York's ſhipwreck. V. Evelyn.

Another of James, as king, and one of his queen, rather ſmaller.

Medals of the dukes of Albemarle, Ormond, and Lauderdale, and of the earl of Shaftſbury—this laſt is one of Bower's beſt works.

ANECDOTES of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. III.
Artiſts in the Reign of James II.

THE ſhort and tempeſtuous reign of James, though he him⯑ſelf ſeems to have had much inclination to them, afforded ſmall encouragement to the arts. His religion was not of a complexion to exclude decoration; but four years, crouded with in⯑ſurrections, proſecutions, innovations, were not likely to make a figure in a hiſtory of painting. Several performers, that had reſided here in the preceding reign, continued through that of James: ſuch as may peculiarly be aſcribed to his ſhort period, I ſhall recapitulate.

WILLIAM FERGUSON

A Scot, who lived long in Italy and France, painted ſtill life, dead fowl, &c. while in Italy he compoſed two pictures, ſold in Andrew Hay's ſale, repreſenting baſreliefs, antique ſtones, &c. on which the light was thrown, ſays Vertue, in a ſurprizing manner. His name and the date 1679 were on them. On another was the year 1689; [106] for which reaſon I have placed him between theſe periods. He worked very cheap and died here.

JACQUES ROUSSEAU ^*,

Of Paris, ſtudied firſt under Swanevelt, who had married one of his relations, and then improved himſelf by a journey to Italy, practicing ſolely in perſpective, architecture and landſcape. On his return home he was employed at Marly, but being a proteſtant, he quitted his work on the perſecution of his brethren, and retired to Swiſſerland. Louvois invited him back; he refuſed, but ſent his deſigns, and re⯑commended a proper perſon to execute them. After a ſhort ſtay in Swiſſerland, he went to Holland, whence he was invited over by Ralph duke of Montagu to adorn his new houſe in Bloomſbury, where he painted much, and had the ſuperviſal of the building, and even a hand in it. His work amounted to 1500 l. in lieu of which the duke allowed him an annuity for his life of 200 l. a year. He re⯑ceived it but two years, dying ^† in Soho-ſquare at the age of 68 about 1694. Some of his pictures, both in landſcape and architecture, are over doors at Hampton-court; and he etched after ſome of his own deſigns. He left a widow, but bequeathed moſt of what he had to his fellow-ſufferers, the Refugèes. Lord Burlington had a portrait of him by Le Fevre.

CHARLES DE LA FOSSE,

A name little known in England, but of great celebrity in France.

[107] The author of the Abregè calls him Un des plus grans coloriſtes de l'e⯑cole Francoiſe. He might be ſo, and not very excellent: colouring is the point in which their beſt maſters have failed. La Foſſe was in⯑vited to England by the duke of Montagu, mentioned in the preced⯑ing article, and painted two cielings for him, the Apotheoſis of Iſis, and an Aſſembly of the Gods. The French author ſays that king William preſſed him to ſtay here, but that he declined the offer, in hopes of being appointed firſt painter to his own monarch. Parmen⯑tiere aſſiſted La Foſſe in laying the dead colours for him, in his works at Montagu-houſe. La Foſſe who arrived in the reign of James, re⯑turned at the Revolution, but came again to finiſh what he had begun, and went back when he had finiſhed.

N. HEUDE

Lived about this time, and painted in the manner of Verrio, to whom he is ſaid to have been aſſiſtant. He painted a ſtair-caſe at the lord Tyrconnel's in Arlington-ſtreet, now demoliſhed, and a cieling at Bulſtrode, in both which he placed his own portrait and name. He was maſter of Mr. Carpenter, the ſtatuary.

WILLIAM DE KEISAR,

Of Antwerp, was bred a jeweller, in which profeſſion he became very eminent, but having been well educated and taught to draw, he had a ſtrong bent towards that profeſſion, and employed all his leiſure on it, practicing miniature, enamel, and oil-colours, both in ſmall and large. Vertue ſays he fixed at laſt wholly on the former: Graham that he [108] painted in little after the manner of Elſheimer, that he imitated va⯑rious manners, drew cattle and birds, and painted tombs and baſre⯑liefs in imitation of Vergazon, and that he worked ſome time with Loten the landſcape-painter. This laſt circumſtance is not very pro⯑bable; for Vertue, who was acquainted with his daughter, gives a very different account of his commencing painter by profeſſion. Having painted ſome altar-pieces at Antwerp, his buſineſs called him to Dunkirk, where he drew a picture for the altar of the Engliſh nuns. They were ſo pleaſed with it, that they perſuaded Keiſar to go to England, and gave him letters of recommendation to lord Melfort, then in favour with king James. The enthuſiaſtic painter could not reſiſt the propoſal; he embarked on board an Engliſh veſſel, and without acquainting his wife or family, ſailed for England. His re⯑ception was equal to his wiſhes. He was introduced to the king who promiſed to countenance him, and ſeveral perſons of rank, who had known him at Antwerp, encouraged him in his new vocation. Tran⯑ſported with his proſpect, he ſent for his wife, ordering her to diſmiſs his workmen, and convert his effects into money.—Within half a year the bubble burſt; the Revolution happened, Keiſar's friends could no longer be his protectors, his buſineſs decreaſed, and the purſuit of the Philoſopher's ſtone, to which he had recourſe in his deſpair, compleated his ruin. He died at the age of 45 in four or five years after the Re⯑volution. He left a daughter whom he had taken great pains to in⯑ſtruct in his favorite ſtudy, and with ſucceſs. She painted ſmall por⯑traits in oil and copied well; but marrying one Mr. Humble a gen⯑tleman, he would not permit her to follow the proſeſſion. After his death ſhe returned to it, and died in December 1724. She had ſeve⯑ral pictures by her father's hand, particularly a St. Catherine, painted

[109] for the queen dowager's chapel at Somerſet-houſe, and his own head in water-colours by himſelf.

[...] LARGILLIERE

A French portrait-painter, was in England in this reign, but went away on the Revolution. He drew the king and queen, Sir John Warner, his daughter, and grand-daughter, and Vander Meulen and Sybrecht the painters. Vertue mentions a ſmall piece (about two feet and an half high) highly finiſhed by him repreſenting himſelf, his wife and two children. The painter is ſtanding and leans on a pedeſ⯑tal; his wife is ſitting; one of the children ſtands, the other ſits play⯑ing with fruit and flowers: there is a peacock, and a landſcape be⯑hind them.

JOHN SYBRECHT ^*

Of Antwerp, painted landſcapes, and had ſtudied the views on the Rhine, his drawings of which in water-colours are more common than his pictures. The duke of Buckingham returning through Flanders from his embaſſy to Paris, found Sybrecht at Antwerp, was pleaſed with his works, invited him to England and employed him at Clief⯑den. In 1686 he made ſeveral views of Chatſworth. At Newſtede-abbey, lord Byron's, are two pieces by this hand; the firſt, a land⯑ſcape in the ſtyle of Rubens's ſchool; the other, which is better, a [110] proſpect of Longleate, not unlike the manner of Wouverman. Sy⯑brecht died in 1703, aged 73, and was buried in St. James's.

HENRY TILSON

Was grandſon of Henry Tilſon biſhop of Elphin, born in Yorkſhire, and who died in 1655. Young Henry was bred under Sir Peter Lely, after whoſe death he went to Italy in company with Dahl, and ſtaid ſeven years, copying the works of the beſt maſters with great di⯑ligence. He ſucceeded in portraits, both oil and crayons, and was likely to make a figure, when he grew diſordered in his ſenſes and ſhot himſelf at the age of 36. He was buried at St. Dunſtan's in the Weſt. He painted his own portrait two or three times; once with a pencil in his hand leaning on a buſt. Behind it was written H. Til⯑ſona. Roma, 1687. He drew a large family-picture, of his father, mother, a younger brother, a ſiſter and himſelf. Dahl gave Tilſon his own picture, inſcribed behind, "Memoria per mio caro amico Henrico Tilſon fatto Roma 1686."

[...] FANCATI

An Italian, copied the portraits of James and his queen with a pen, from the originals of Kneller. They were highly laboured, and came into the poſſeſſion of Mr. George Clarke of Oxford.

THOMAS BENIERE,

A young ſtatuary who flouriſhed in this reign, was born in England of French parents in 1663. His models and ſmall works in marble

[111] are much commended. The anatomic figure commonly ſeen in the ſhops of apothecaries was taken from his original model. He carved portraits in marble from the life for two guineas. He lived and died near Fleet-ditch in 1693.

[...] QUELLIN

Eldeſt ſon of a good ſtatuary of Antwerp, ſettled here and was con⯑cerned in ſeveral works which by the only ſpecimen Vertue mentions, I ſhould think were very indifferent, for he carved Mr. Thynne's mo⯑nument in Weſtminſter-abbey. He lived in a large old houſe in Tower-ſtreet St. Giles's, near the Seven-dials, and died at the age of 33. His widow married Van Oſt of Mechlin, another ſtatuary. Quel⯑lin's younger brother, who followed the ſame buſineſs, worked at Copenhagen, Dantzick and Hamburgh, and in ten years made a con⯑ſiderable fortune; and died at Antwerp.

In a book called the Art of Painting by Marſhall Smith, ſecond edit. fol. 1693, mention is made of William De Ryck, a diſciple of Quellin, who ſeems to have been a painter, and to have come to England, for recapitulating ſome of this man's works, the author ſpe⯑cifies, "a Magdalen, or the lady of Winchelſea;" and adds, "his daughter Mrs. Katherine comes behind none of her fair ſex in the art." There is a large ſheet print, the condemnation of St. Catherine, de⯑ſigned, painted and engraved by William De Ryck 1684, and dedica⯑ted to a biſhop of Antwerp.

THOMAS EAST

Was engraver of the ſeals to James II. and had learned of Thomas Simon. Eaſt was ſucceeded by his nephew Mr. John Roos, who con⯑tinued in that office till the acceſſion of George I.

ANECDOTES of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. IV.
Painters in the Reign of King William.

THIS prince, like moſt of thoſe in our annals, contributed nothing to the advancement of arts. He was born in a country where taſte never flouriſhed, and nature had not given it to him as an embelliſhment to his great qualities. He courted Fame, but none of her miniſters. Holland owed it't preſervation to his heroic virtue, England it's liberty to his ambition, Europe it's in⯑dependence to his competition with Louis the fourteenth; for, how⯑ever unſucceſsful in the conteſt, the very ſtruggle was ſalutary. Being obliged to draw all his reſources from himſelf, and not content to ac⯑quire glory by proxy, he had no leiſure, like his rival, to preſide over the regiſters of his fame. He fought his own battles, inſtead of chooſing mottoes for the medals that recorded them; and though my lord Halifax promiſed ^* him that his wound in the battle of the Boyne ‘Should run for ever purple in our looms,’ [113] His majeſty certainly did not beſpeak a ſingle ſuit of tapeſtry in me⯑mory of the action. In England he met with nothing but diſguſts. He underſtood little of the nation, and ſeems to have acted too much upon a plan formed before he came over, and however neceſſary to his early ſituation, little adapted to ſo peculiar a people as the Engliſh. He thought that valour and taciturnity would conquer or govern the world, and vainly imagining that his new ſubjects loved liberty better than party, he truſted to their feeling gratitude for a bleſſing which they could not help ſeeing was conferred a little for his own ſake. Reſerved, unſociable, ill in his health, and ſowered by his ſituation, he ſought none of thoſe amuſements that make the hours of the happy much happier. If we muſt except the palace at Hampton-court, at leaſt it is no monument of his taſte; it ſeems erected in emulation of, what it certainly was meant to imitate, the pompous edifices of the French monarch. We are told that

In general I believe his majeſty patronized neither painters, nor ^* poets, though he was happy in the latter—but the caſe is different; [114] a great prince may have a Garth, a Prior, a Montagu, and want Titians and Vandycks, if he encourages neither—You muſt addreſs yourſelf to a painter, if you wiſh to be flattered—a poet brings his incenſe to you. Mary ſeems to have had little more propenſity to the arts than the king: the good queen loved to work and talk, and con⯑tented herſelf with praying to God that her huſband might be a great hero, ſince he did not chuſe to be a fond huſband. A few men of genius flouriſhed in their time, of whom the chief was

Sir GODFREY KNELLER,

A man leſſened by his own reputation, as he choſe to make it ſubſer⯑vient to his fortune ^*. Had he lived in a country where his merit had been rewarded according to the worth of his productions, inſtead of the number, he might have ſhone in the roll of the greateſt maſ⯑ters; but he united the higheſt vanity with the moſt conſummate ne⯑gligence of character—at leaſt, where he offered one picture to fame, he ſacrificed twenty to lucre; and he met with cuſtomers of ſo little judgment, that they were fond of being painted by a man, who would gladly have diſowned his works the moment they were paid for. Ten ^† ſovereigns ſat to him; not one of them diſcovered

[115] that he was fit for more than preſerving their likeneſs. We however, who ſee king William, the Czar Peter, Marlborough, Newton, Dry⯑den, Godolphin, Somers, the ducheſs of Grafton, lady Ranelagh, and ſo many ornaments of an illuſtrious age, tranſmitted to us by Kneller's pencil, muſt not regret that his talent was confined to portraits— Perhaps the treaſure is greater, than if he had decorated the chambers of Hampton-court with the wars of Aeneas or the enchanted palace of Armida: and when one conſiders how ſeldom great maſters are wor⯑thily employed, it is better to have real portraits, than Madonnas without end. My opinion of what Sir Godfrey's genius could have produced, muſt not be judged by the hiſtoric picture of king William in the palace juſt mentioned: it is a tame and poor performance. But the original ſketch of it at Houghton is ſtruck out with a ſpirit and fire equal to Rubens. The hero and the horſe are in the heat of battle: In the large piece, it is the king riding in triumph, with his uſual phlegm. Of all his works, Sir Godfrey was moſt proud of the con⯑verted Chineſe at Windſor; but his portrait of Gibbons is ſuperior to it. It has the freedom and nature of Vandyck, with the harmony of colouring peculiar to Andrea Sacchi; and no part of it is neglected. In general, even where he took pains, all the parts are affectedly kept down, to throw the greater force into the head—a trick unworthy ſo [116] great a maſter. His draperies too are ſo ^* careleſly finiſhed, that they reſemble no ſilk or ſtuff the world ever ſaw. His airs of heads have extreme grace; the hair admirably diſpoſed, and if the locks ſeem un⯑naturally elevated, it muſt be conſidered as an inſtance of the painter's art. He painted in an age when the women erected edifices of three ſtories on their heads. Had he repreſented ſuch prepoſterous attire, in half a century his works would have been ridiculous. To lower their dreſs to a natural level when the eye was accuſtomed to pyra⯑mids, would have ſhocked their prejudices and diminiſhed the reſem⯑blance.—He took a middle way and weighed out ornament to them of more natural materials. Still it muſt be owned, there is too great a ſameneſs in his airs, and no imagination at all in his compoſitions. See but a head, it intereſts you—uncover the reſt of the canvaſs, you wonder faces ſo expreſſive could be employed ſo inſipidly. In truth, the age demanded nothing correct, nothing compleat. Capable of taſting the power of Dryden's numbers, and the majeſty of Kneller's heads, it overlooked doggrel and daubing. What pity that men of fortune are not bleſt with ſuch a pen or ſuch a pencil! That a genius muſt write for a bookſeller, or paint for an alderman!

Sir Godfrey Kneller was born at Lubec, about the year 1648. His [117] ^* grandfather had an eſtate near Hall in Saxony; was ſurveyor gene⯑ral of the mines and inſpector of count Mansfeldt's revenues. By his wife of the family of Crowſen, he had one ſon Zachary, educated at Leipſic, and for ſome time in the ſervice of Guſtavus Adolphus's widow. After her death, he removed to Lubec, married, profeſſed architecture, and was chief ſurveyor to his native City. He left two ſons, John Zachary, and Godfrey. The latter, who at firſt was de⯑ſigned for a military life, was ſent to Leyden, where he applied to mathematics and fortification; but the predominance of nature deter⯑mining him to painting, his father acquieſced and ſent him to Amſter⯑dam, where he ſtudied under Bol, and had ſome inſtructions from Rembrandt. Vertue nor any of his biographers take notice of it, nor do I aſſert it, but I have heard that one of his maſters was Francis Hals. It is certain that Kneller had no ſervility of a diſciple, nor imitated any of them. Even in Italy whither he went in 1672, he mimicked no peculiar ſtyle, nor even at Venice where he reſided moſt and was eſteemed and employed by ſome of the firſt families, and where he drew cardinal Baſſadonna. If he caught any thing, it was inſtructions not hints. If I ſee the leaſt reſemblance in his works to any other maſter, it is in ſome of his earlieſt works in England, and thoſe his beſt, to Tintoret. A portrait at Houghton of Joſeph Carreras, a poet and chaplain to Catherine of Liſbon, has the force and ſimplicity of that maſter, without owing part of it's merit to Tin⯑toret's univerſal black drapery, to his own, afterwards, neglected draperies, or to his maſter Rembrandt's unnatural Chiaro Scuro. Latterly Sir Godfrey was thought to give into the manner of Rubens; [118] I ſee it no where but in the ſketch of king William's equeſtrian figure, evidently imitated from Rubens's deſign of the cieling for the Ban⯑quetting-houſe, which, as I have ſaid, in the life of that painter, was in Kneller's poſſeſſion. The latter had no more of Rubens's rich colouring, than of Vandyck's delicacy in habits; but he had more beauty than the latter, more dignity than Sir Peter Lely. The latter felt his capacity in a memorable inſtance; Kneller and his brother came to England in 1674 without intending to reſide here, but to re⯑turn through France to Venice. They were recommended to Mr. Banks, a Hamburgh-merchant, and Godfrey drew him and his family. The pictures pleaſed. Mr. Vernon, ſecretary to the duke of Mon⯑mouth, ſaw them, and ſat to the new painter, and obtained his maſ⯑ter's picture by the ſame hand. The duke was ſo charmed, that he engaged the king his father to ſit to Kneller, at a time that the duke of York had been promiſed the king's picture by Lely. Charles un⯑willing to have double trouble, propoſed that both the artiſts ſhould draw him at the ſame time. Lely as an eſtabliſhed maſter, choſe the light he liked: the ſtranger was to draw the picture as he could; and performed it with ſuch facility and expedition, that his piece was in a manner finiſhed, when Lely's was only dead-coloured. The novelty pleaſed—yet Lely deſerved moſt honour, for he did juſtice to his new competitor; confeſſed his abilities and the likeneſs. This ſuc⯑ceſs fixed Kneller here. The ſeries of his portraits prove the continu⯑ance of his reputation.

Charles II. ſent him to Paris to draw Louis XIV. but died in his abſence. The ſucceſſor was equally favorable to him, and was ſitting for his picture for ſecretary Pepys, when he received the news that the prince of Orange was landed.

[119] King William diſtinguiſhed Kneller ſtill more; for ^* that prince he painted the beauties at Hampton-court, and was knighted by him in 1692, with the additional preſent of a gold medal and chain weighing 300l. and for him Sir Godfrey drew the portrait of the Czar; as for queen Anne he painted the king of Spain, afterwards Charles VI. ſo poor a performance that one would think he felt the fall from Peter to Charles. His works in the gallery of ^† Admirals were done in the ſame reign, and ſeveral of them worthy ſo noble a memorial. The Kit-cat-club, generally mentioned as a ſet of wits, in reality the patri⯑ots that ſaved Britain, were Kneller's laſt works in that reign, and his laſt public work. He lived to draw George I. was made a baronet by him, and continued to paint during the greater part of his reign; but in 1722 Sir Godfrey was ſeized with a violent fever, from the im⯑mediate danger of which he was reſcued by Dr. Meade. The hu⯑mour however fell on his left arm; and it was opened. He remained in a languiſhing condition and died Oct. 27, 1723. His body lay in ſtate, and was buried at Witton, but a monument was erected in Weſtminſter-abbey ^‡, where his friend Mr. Pope, as if to gratify an extravagant vanity dead, which he had ridiculed living, beſtowed on [120] him a tranſlation of Raphael's epitaph—as high a compliment as even poetry could be allowed to pay to the original; a ſilly hyperbole when applied to the modern. This was not the only inſtance in which the poet incenſed the painter. Sir Godfrey had drawn for him the ſtatues of Apollo, Venus and Hercules; Pope paid for them with theſe lines,

He was in the right to ſuppreſs them—what idea does muſcular friendſhip convey? It was not the ſame ^* warmth of friendſhip that made Pope put Kneller's vanity to the ſtrongeſt trial imaginable. The former laid a wager that there was no flattery ſo groſs but his friend would ſwallow. To prove it, Pope ſaid to him as he was painting, "Sir Godfrey, I believe if God Almighty had had your aſſiſtance, the world would have been formed more perfect." "Fore God, Sir, replied Kneller, I believe ſo." This impious anſwer was not extraor⯑dinary in the latter.—His converſation on religion was extremely free.—His ^† paraphraſe on a particular text of ſcripture, ſingular. "In my father's houſe are many manſions;" which Sir Godfrey interpre⯑ted [121] thus. "At the day of judgment, ſaid he, God will examine man⯑kind on their different profeſſions: to one he will ſay, Of what ſect was you? I was a Papiſt—go you there. What was you? A Pro⯑teſtant—go you there.—And you?—A Turk—go you there.—And you, Sir Godfrey?—I was of no ſect—then God will ſay, Sir Godfrey, chuſe your place." His wit was ready; his bonmots deſervedly ad⯑mired. In great Queen-ſtreet ^* he lived next door to Dr. Ratcliffe; Kneller was fond of flowers, and had a fine collection. As there was great intimacy between him and the phyſician, he permitted the latter to have a door into his garden, but Ratcliffe's ſervants gathering and deſtroying the flowers, Kneller ſent him word he muſt ſhut up the door. —Ratcliffe replied peeviſhly, "Tell him he may do any thing with it but paint it.—And I, anſwered Sir Godfrey, can take any thing from him but phyſic." Sir Godfrey at Witton acted as Juſtice of Peace, and was ſo much more ſwayed by Equity than Law, that his judgments accompanied with humour are ſaid to have occaſioned thoſe lines by Pope.

This alluded to his diſmiſſing a ſoldier who had ſtolen a joint of meat, and accuſed the butcher of having tempted him by it. Whenever Sir Godfrey was applied to, to determine what pariſh a poor man belong⯑ed to, he always inquired which pariſh was the richer, and ſettled the poor man there; nor wou'd ever ſign a warrant to diſtrain the goods [122] of a poor man, who could not pay a tax. Theſe inſtances ſhowed the goodneſs of his heart; others, even in his capacity of juſtice, his peculiar turn; a handſome young woman came before him to ſwear a rape; ſtruck with her beauty, he continued examining her, as he ſat painting, till he had taken her likeneſs. If he diſliked interruption, he would not be interrupted. Seeing a conſtable coming to him at the head of a mob, he called to him, without inquiring into the af⯑fair; "Mr. Conſtable, you ſee that turning; go that way, and you will find an ale-houſe, the ſign of the king's head—go, and make it up."

He married Suſannah Cawley, daughter of the miniſter of Henley upon Thames. She out-lived him and was buried at Henley, where are monuments for her and her father. Before his marriage, Sir Godfrey had an intrigue with a Quaker's wife, whom he purchaſed of her huſband, and had a daughter, whoſe portrait he drew like St. Agnes with a lamb; there is a print of it by Smith. Kneller had amaſſed a great fortune, though he lived magnificently, and loſt 20,000l. in the South-ſea; yet he had an eſtate of near 2000l. a year left. Part he bequeathed to his wife, and entailed the reſt on Godfrey Huckle, his daughter's ſon, with orders that he ſhould aſſume the name of Knel⯑ler. To three neices at Hamburgh, the children of his brother, he left legacies; and an annuity of 100l. a year to Bing, an old ſervant, who with his brother had been his Aſſiſtants. Of theſe he had many, as may be concluded from the quantity of his works, and the badneſs of ſo many. His chief performers were, Pieters, Vander Roer, and Bakker—ſometimes he employed Baptiſt and Vergazon. His prices were fifteen guineas for a head, twenty if with one hand, thirty for a half, and ſixty for a whole length.

[123] Kneller frequently drew his own portrait; my father had one, a head when young, and a ſmall one of the ſame age, very maſterly; it is now mine. It was engraved by Becket. Another in a wig; by Smith. A half-length ſent to the Tuſcan gallery. A half-length in a brocaded waiſtcoat with his gold chain; there is a mezzotinto of it, accompanying the Kit-cat-heads. Another head with a cap; a half⯑length preſented to the gallery at Oxford, and a double piece of him⯑ſelf and his wife. Great numbers of his works have been engraved, particularly by Smith, who has more than done juſtice to them; the draperies are preferable to the originals. The firſt print taken from his works was by White of Charles II. He had an hiſtoric piece of his own painting before he went to Italy, Tobit and the Angel. At his ſeat at Witton were many of his own works, ſold ſome years after his death. He intended that Sir James Thornhill ſhould paint the ſtaircaſe there, but hearing that Sir Iſaac Newton was ſitting to Thorn⯑hill, Kneller was offended, ſaid, no portrait-painter ſhould paint his houſe, and employed Laguerre.

Pope was not the only bard that ſoothed this painter's vain-glory. Dryden repaid him for a preſent of Shakeſpeare's picture with a copy of verſes full of luxuriant but immortal touches; the moſt beautiful of Addiſon's poetic works was addreſſed to him: the ſingular happi⯑neſs of the alluſions, and applications of fabulous theology to the prin⯑ces drawn by Kneller, is very remarkable:

For Charles II.—And for James,

[124] And the reſt on William and Mary, Anne, and George I. are all ſtamped with the moſt juſt reſemblance.

Prior complimented Kneller on the duke of Ormond's picture; Steele wrote a poem to him at Witton; Tickell another; and there is one in the third part of Miſcellaneous Poems 8vo. Lond. 1693, on the portrait of the lady Hyde. Can one wonder a man was vain, who had been flattered by Dryden, Addiſon, Prior, Pope and Steele? Jo⯑ſeph Harris dedicated to him his Tragi-comedy of the Miſtakes or Falſe Report in 1690, in which Dryden, Tate, and Mountford had aſſiſted. And John Smith (I ſuppoſe the celebrated mezzotinter) ad⯑dreſſed his tranſlation of Le Brun's Conference on the Paſſions to Sir Godfrey. On his death was written another Poem printed in a Miſ⯑cellany publiſhed by D. Lewis, 8vo. in 1726. His Brother

JOHN ZACHARY KNELLER,

Who was thirteen years older than Sir Godfrey, came to England with him, and painted in freſco, architecture, and ſtill-life, ſmall pieces in oil, and laſtly in water-colours, in which he copied ſeveral of his bro⯑ther's heads. Sir Godfrey drew his portrait, one of his beſt works. Of John's was a piece of ſtill-life with a great tankard in the mid⯑dle; and a ſmall head of Wyck, almoſt profile in oil, in the poſſeſſion of Dr. Barnard biſhop of Derry, with the names of both artiſts, dated 1684. John Kneller died in 1702 in Covent-garden and was buried in that church.

JOHN JAMES BAKKER

Painted draperies for Kneller, and went to Bruſſels with him in 1697, [125] where Sir Godfrey drew the elector of Bavaria on a white horſe. I don't know whether Bakker ever practiced for himſelf. He was bro⯑ther of Adrian Bakker, who painted hiſtory and portraits at Amſter⯑dam and died in 1686.

JACOB VANDER ROER,

Another of Kneller's aſſiſtants, was ſcholar of J. De Baan, and lived many years in London; died at Dort. See an account of him in the third volume of Deſcamps.

JOHN PIETERS

Was born at Antwerp, and learned of Eykens, a hiſtory-painter. He came to England in 1685, at the age of eighteen ^*, and was recom⯑mended to Sir Godfrey, for whom he painted draperies, and whom he quitted in 1712, and was employed in the ſame ſervice by others; but his chief buſineſs was in mending drawings and old pictures, in which he was very ^† ſkilfull. Pieters and Bakker were both kind to Vertue in his youth, and gave him inſtructions, which he acknow⯑ledges with great gratitude. Pieters loved his bottle, and was impro⯑vident, and towards the end of his life was poor and gouty. He died in 1727, and was buried in the church-yard of St. Martin's.

[126]JOHN BAPTIST MONOYER ^*,

One of the greateſt maſters that has appeared for painting flowers. They are not ſo exquiſitely finiſhed as Van Huyſum's, but his colour⯑ing and compoſition are in a bolder ſtyle. He was born at Liſle in 1635, and educated at Antwerp as a painter of hiſtory, which he ſoon changed for flowers, and going to Paris in 1663 was received into the academy with applauſe; and though his ſubjects were not thought elevated enough to admit him to a profeſſorſhip, he was in conſidera⯑tion of his merit made a counſellor; a ſilly diſtinction, as if a great painter in any branch, was not ſitter to profeſs that branch, than give advice on any other. He was employed at Verſailles, Trianon, Marly, and Meudon; and painted in the hotel de Bretonvilliers at Paris, and other houſes. The duke of Montagu brought him to England, where much of his hand is to be ſeen, at Montagu-houſe, Hampton-court, the duke of St. Albans's at Windſor, Kenſington, lord Carliſle's, Bur⯑lington-houſe, &c. The author of the Abregè ſpeaking of Baptiſt, La Foſſe and Rouſſeau, ſays, theſe three French painters have extort⯑ed a ſincere confeſſion from the Engliſh, "Qu'on ne peut aller plus loin en fait de peinture." Baptiſt is undoubtedly capital in his way— but they muſt be ignorant Engliſhmen indeed, who can ſee any thing maſterly in the two others. Baptiſt paſſed and repaſſed ſeveral times between France and England, but having married his daughter to a French painter who was ſuffered to alter and touch upon his pictures, Baptiſt was offended and returned to France no more. He died in Pallmall in 1699. His ſon Antony, called young Baptiſt, painted in his father's manner, and had merit. There is a good print by White

[127] from a fine head of Baptiſt by Sir Godfrey Kneller. At the ſame time with Baptiſt, was here Montingo, another painter of flowers; but I find no account of his life or works.

HENRY VERGAZON ^*,

A Dutch painter of ruins and landſcapes, with which he ſometimes was called to adorn the back-grounds of Kneller's pictures, though his colouring was reckoned too dark. He painted a few ſmall portraits, and died in France.

PHILIP BOUL,

A name of whom I find but one note. Vertue ſays he had ſeen a pocket-book almoſt full of ſketches and views of Derbyſhire, the Peak, Chatſworth, &c. very freely touched and in imitation of Salvator Roſa, whoſe works this perſon ſtudied. Whether he executed any thing in painting I know not.

EDWARD DUBOIS,

Was born at Antwerp, and ſtudied under Groenwegen, a landſcape-painter, who had been in Italy, and ſeveral years in ^† England—a courſe of travels purſued by the diſciple, who after a ſtay of eight years in the former, where he ſtudied the antique, and painted for Charles Emanuel duke of Savoy, came to England, where he profeſſed [128] landſcape and hiſtory-painting. He died here about 1699, at the age of 77, and was buried at St. Giles's. His younger brother,

SIMON DUBOIS,

Was a better maſter. He lived 25 years at home, but came to England as early as 1685, ſeveral ſmall heads in oil being dated in that year; they are commonly diſtinguiſhed by the faſhion of that time, laced cravats. Portrait however was not his excellence; origi⯑nally he painted battles, ſmall, and in the Italian manner; afterwards, horſes ^* and cattle, with figures, the faces of which were ſo neatly finiſhed, that a lady perſuaded him to try likeneſſes, and ſat to him herſelf. He ſold many of his pieces for originals by Italian hands, ſaying ſenſibly, that ſince the world would not do him juſtice, he would do it himſelf; his works ſold well, when his name was con⯑cealed. Lord Somers diſtinguiſhed better; he went unknown and ſat to Dubois; and going away gave him 50 guineas, ordered the robes of chancellor, and when the picture ^† was finiſhed, gave him as much more. The two brothers lived together in Covent-garden without any ſervant, working in obſcurity, and heaping up money, both being avaricious. When Edward died, Simon, left without ſociety, began to work for Vandevelde, and one day in a fit of gene⯑roſity, offered to draw the portrait of his eldeſt daughter. This drew on a nearer acquaintance, and the old man married her, but died in a year, leaving her his money, and a fine collection of pictures, and naming his patron lord Somers executor; he was buried May 26, 1708. His young widow married again, and diſſipated the fortune

[129] and collection. Dubois drew a whole length of archbiſhop Teniſon, now at Lambeth, and Vandervaart the painter had his own head by himſelf.

HENRY COOKE

Was born in 1642, and was thought to have a talent for hiſtory. He went to Italy, and ſtudied under Salvator Roſa. On his return, neither rich nor known, he lived obſcurely in Knave's-acre, in part⯑nerſhip with a houſe-painter. Lutterel introduced him to Sir Godfrey Copley, who was pleaſed with his works, and carried him into York⯑ſhire where he was building a new houſe, in which Cooke painted, and received 150l. He then lived five years with the father of Antony Ruſſel, whom I have mentioned in the preceding volume, but quarrel⯑ling with a man about a miſtreſs whom Cooke kept, by whom he had children, and whom he afterwards married, Cooke killed him and fled. He then went to Italy and ſtaid ſeven years, and returning, lived privately, till the affair was forgot. Towards the end of his life he was much employed. By order of King William he repaired the ^* Cartoons, and other pictures in the royal collection, though Walton had the ſalary. He finiſhed the equeſtrian portrait of Charles II. at Chelſea-college, and painted the choir of New-college-chapel, Ox⯑ford, the ſtaircaſe at Ranelagh-houſe, the cieling of a great room at the water-works at Iſlington, and the ſtaircaſe at lord Carliſle's in Soho-ſquare, where the aſſemblies are now kept ^†. He had ſome⯑times [130] painted portraits, but was ſoon diſguſted with that buſineſs, from the caprices of thoſe that ſat to him. He died Nov. 18, 1700, and was buried at St. Giles's. I have his own head by him, touched with ſpirit, but too dark, and the colouring not natural.

PETER BERCHETT

Was born in France, 1659, and beginning to draw at the age of 15 under La Foſſe, he improved ſo faſt, that in three years he was em⯑ployed in the royal palaces. He came to England in 1681, to work under Rambour, a French painter of architecture, who, ſays Vertue, was living in 1721, but then ſtaid only a year, and returned to Marli. He came again, and painted for ſome perſons of rank in the weſt. King William building a palace at Loo, ſent Berchett thither, where he was engaged fifteen months, and then came a third time to Eng⯑land, where he had ſufficient buſineſs. He painted the cieling in the chapel of Trinity-college, Oxford, the ſtaircaſe at the duke of Schom⯑berg's in Pallmall, and the ſummer-houſe at Ranelagh. His drawings in the academy were much approved. Towards the end of his life, being troubled with a ptyſic, he retired to Marybone and painted only ſmall pieces of fabulous hiſtory; his laſt was a bacchanalian, to which he put his name the day before he died; it was in January 1720, at Marybone, where he was buried. He left a ſon that died ſoon after him at the age of ſeventeen.

LOUIS CHERON,

Born at Paris in 1660, was ſon of Henry Cheron, an enamel painter, [131] and brother of Elizabeth Sophia Cheron, an admired paintreſs, and who engraved many ancient gems. Louis went to Italy, and ſays the * author of his life, "A toujours cherchè Raphael & Jules Romain." —A purſuit in which he was by no means ſucceſsfull. He came to England on account of his religion in 1695, and was employed at the duke of Montagu's at Boughton, at Burleigh, and at Chatſworth, where he painted the ſides of the gallery, a very poor performance. He had before fallen into diſeſteem, when he painted at Montagu-houſe, where he was much ſurpaſſed by Baptiſt, Rouſſeau and La Foſſe. On this ill-ſucceſs he turned to painting ſmall hiſtories; but his beſt employment was deſigning for the painters and engravers of that time; few books appeared with plates, but from his drawings. Vanderbank, Vandergutch, Simpſon, Kirkall, &c. all made uſe of him. His drawings are ſaid to be preferable to his paintings. He etched ſeveral of his own deſigns, as the labours of Hercules, which were afterwards retouched with the burin by his diſciple, Gerard Van⯑dergutch; and towards the end of his life Cheron etched from his own drawings a ſuite of twenty-two ſmall hiſtories for the life of David; they were done for, or at leaſt afterwards purchaſed by P. F. Giffart, a bookſeller at Paris, who applied them to a verſion of the Pſalms in French metre, publiſhed in 1715. Some time before his death, Cheron ſold his drawings from Raphael, and his academic figures to the earl of Derby for a large ſum. He was a man of a fair character, and dying in 1713 of an apoplexy, left 20l. a year to his maid, and the reſt of his fortune to his relations and to charitable uſes. He was buried from his lodgings in the piazza of Covent-garden, and lies in the great porch of that church.

[132]JOHN RILEY

One of the beſt native painters that has flouriſhed in England, whoſe talents while living were obſcured by the fame, rather than by the merit of Kneller, and depreſſed ſince by being confounded with Lely; an honour unlucky to his reputation. Graham too ſpeaks of him with little juſtice, ſaying he had no excellence beyond a head; which is far from true. I have ſeen both draperies and hands painted by Riley, that would do honour to either Lely or Kneller. The portrait of lord-keeper North at Wroxton is capital throughout. Riley, who was humble, modeſt, and of an amiable character, had the greateſt diffidence of himſelf, and was eaſily diſguſted with his own works, the ſource probably of the objections made to him. With a quarter of Sir Godfrey's vanity, he might have perſuaded the world he was as great a maſter.

He was born ^† in 1646, and received inſtructions from Fuller and Zouſt, but was little noticed till the death of Lely, when Chiffinch being perſuaded to ſit to him, the picture was ſhown, and recom⯑mended him to the king. Charles ſat to him, but almoſt diſcouraged the baſhfull artiſt from purſuing a profeſſion ſo proper for him. Looking at the picture he cried "Is this like me? then, od's fiſh, I am an ugly fellow." This diſcouraged Riley ſo much, that he could not bear the picture, though he ſold it for a large price. James and his queen ſat to him. So did their ſucceſſors, and appointed him

[133] their painter. But the gout put an early end to Riley's progreſs: He died in 1691 at the age of 45, and was buried in Biſhopſgate-church; in which pariſh he was born. Richardſon married a near relation of Riley, and inherited about 800l. in pictures, drawings and effects.

JOHN CLOSTERMAN.

Son of a painter, was born at Oſnabrugh, and with his countryman, one Tiburen, went to Paris in 1679, where he worked for De Troye. In 1681, they came to England, and Cloſterman at firſt painted dra⯑peries for Riley, and afterwards they painted in conjunction, Riley ſtill executing moſt of the heads. On his death Cloſterman finiſhed ſeve⯑ral of his pictures, which recommended him to the duke of Somerſet, who had employed Riley. He painted the duke's children, but loſt his favour on a diſpute about a picture of Guercino which he had bought for his grace, and which was afterwards purchaſed by lord Halifax; and on which occaſion the duke patronized Dahl. Cloſter⯑man however did not want buſineſs. He drew Gibbons the carver and his wife in one ^* piece, which pleaſed, and Cloſterman was even ſet in competition with Sir Godfrey. He painted the duke and ducheſs of Marlborough and all their children in one picture, and the duke on horſe-back, on which ſubject however he had ſo many diſ⯑putes with the ducheſs, that the duke ſaid, "It has given me more trouble to reconcile my wife and you, than to fight a battle." Cloſ⯑terman, who ſought reputation, went to Spain, where he drew the king and queen, and from whence he wrote ſeveral letters on the pic⯑tures in that country to Mr. Richard Graham. He alſo went twice [134] to Italy, and brought over ſeveral good pictures. The whole length of queen Anne at Guildhall is by him, and another at Chatſworth of the firſt duke of Rutland; and in Painter's-hall a portrait of Mr. Saunders. Elſum has beſtowed an epigram on his portrait of Dryden; yet Cloſterman was a very moderate performer; his colouring ſtrong, but heavy, and his pictures without any idea of grace. Latterly he married a woman who waſted his fortune, and diſordered his under⯑ſtanding: He died ſometime after 1710, and was buried in Covent⯑garden where he lived.

WILLIAM DERYKE ^*,

Of Antwerp, was bred a jeweller, but took to painting hiſtory, which he practiced in England, and died here about 1699, leaving a daugh⯑ter whom he had brought up to his art.

DIRK MAAS or THEODORE MAAS,

A Dutch painter of landſcapes and battles, was in England in this reign, and painted the battle of the Boyne for the earl of Portland. There was a print in two ſheets from that picture.

PETER VANDER MEULEN

Brother of the battle-painter, ſo well known for his pictures of the military hiſtory of Louis quatorze. Peter who came into England in 1670, lived to be employed in the ſame manner by Louis's rival, king William. Originally this Vander Meulen was a ſculptor. Largil⯑liere

[135] ^* and Peter Van Bloemen followed him into England; the former drew the portrait of Peter Vander Meulen, from which there is a mezzotinto by Becket.

PAUL MIGNART,

Another painter who overflowed to us from France, was ſon of Nicho⯑las Mignart of Avignon, and nephew of the celebrated Mignart. There is a print by ^† Paul Vanſomer, from a picture of the counteſs of Meath, painted by Paul Mignart and another, by the ſame hands, of the ladies Henrietta and Anne, the two eldeſt daughters of the duke of Marlborough.

EGBERT HEMSKIRK ^‡

Of Harlem, a buffoon painter, was ſcholar of De Grebber, but lived in England, where he painted what were called, pieces of humour; that is, drunken ſcenes, Quaker's-meetings, wakes, &c. He was patronized by lord Rocheſter, and died in London 1704, leaving a ſon of his profeſſion.

FREDERIC ^‖ KERSEBOOM.

Was born at Solingen in Germany in 1632, and went to Amſterdam [136] to ſtudy painting, and from thence to Paris in 1650, where he worked for ſome years under Le Brun, till he was ſent to Rome at the ex⯑pence of the chancellor of France, who maintained him there four⯑teen years, two of which he paſſed with Nicolo Pouſſin, whoſe man⯑ner he imitated; not ſo well, I ſhould ſuppoſe, as Graham aſſerts, ſince having been ſupported ſo long by a French miniſter, he probably would have fixed in France if he had made any progreſs proportion⯑able to that expence. On the contrary he came to England to paint hiſtory, in which not meeting with much encouragement, he turned to portraits. Graham ſays he was the firſt who brought over the art of painting on glaſs.—I ſuppoſe he means, painting on looking-glaſs. Kerſeboom died in London in 1690, and was buried in St. Andrew's Holbourn.

SEVONYANS,

A name ^* of which I have heard, but can learn nothing, except that he painted a ſtaircaſe in a houſe called little Montagu-houſe, the corner of Bloomſbury-ſquare, and the head of Dr. Peter of St. Martin's-lane. Yet from his own portrait, in the poſſeſſion of Mr. Eckardt the paint⯑er, he appears to have been an able maſter.

Sir JOHN MEDINA

Was ſon of Medina de L'Aſturias, a Spaniſh captain who had ſettled at Bruſſels, where the ſon was born, and inſtructed in painting by

[137] Du Chatel. He married young and came into England in 1686, where he drew portraits for ſeveral years. The earl of Leven encou⯑raged him to go to Scotland, and procured him a ſubſcription of 500l. worth of buſineſs. He went, carrying a large number of bodies and poſtures, to which he painted heads. He came to England for a ſhort time, but returned to and died in Scotland, and was buried in the church-yard of the Grey-friars at Edinburgh in 1711, aged 52. He painted moſt of the Scotch nobility, but was not rich, having twenty children. The portraits of the profeſſors in the ſurgeon's-hall at Edinburgh were painted by him and are commended. At Went⯑worth-caſtle is a large piece containing the firſt duke of Argyle and his ſons, the two late dukes, John and Archibald, in Roman habits; the ſtyle Italian, and ſuperior to moſt modern performers. In Sur⯑geon's-hall are two ſmall hiſtories by him. The duke of Gordon preſented ſir John Medina's head to the great duke for his collection of portraits by the painters themſelves; the duke of Gordon too was drawn by him with his ſon the marquis of Huntley and his daughter lady Jane in one piece. Medina was capable both of hiſtory and landſcape. He was knighted by the duke of Queenſberry, lord high commiſſioner, and was the laſt knight made in Scotland before the Union. The prints in the octavo edition of Milton were deſigned by him, and he compoſed another ſet for Ovid's Metamorphoſis, but they were never engraved.

MARCELLUS LAROON

Was born at the Hague in 1653, and learned to paint of his father, with whom he came young into England. Here he was placed with [138] one La Zoon, a portrait-painter, and then with Fleſhiere, but owed his chief improvement to his own application. He lived ſeveral years in Yorkſhire; and when he came to London again, painted draperies for ſir Godfrey Kneller, in which branch he was eminent; but his greateſt excellence was in imitating other maſters, and thoſe conſiderable. My father had a picture by him that eaſily paſſed for Baſſan's. He painted hiſtory, portraits, converſations, both in large and ſmall. Several prints were made from his works, and ſeveral plates he etched and ſcraped himſelf. A book of fencing, the cries of London, and the proceſſion at the coronation of William and Mary were deſigned by him. He died of a conſumption March 11th, 1702. His ſon, captain Laroon, who had a genius both for painting and muſic, had his father's picture painted by himſelf ^*.

THOMAS PEMBROKE ^†

Was diſciple of Laroon, and imitated his manner both in hiſtory and portraits. He painted ſeveral pictures for Granville earl of Bath, in conjunction with Woodfield ^‡, and died at the age of 28.

FRANCIS LE PIPER,

A gentleman ^§ artiſt, with whoſe lively converſation Graham was ſo ſtruck, that he has written a life of him five times longer than moſt

[139] of thoſe in his work. The ſubſtance of it is, that though born to an eſtate, he could not reſiſt his impulſe to drawing, which made him ramble over great part of Europe to ſtudy painting, which he ſcarcely ever practiced, drawing only in black and white, and carried him to Grand Cairo, where, as he could ſee no pictures, I am ſurprized he did not take to painting. Moſt of his performances were produced over a bottle, and took root where they were born: the Mitre Tavern at Stock's market, and the Bell at Weſtminſter were adorned by this jovial artiſt. At the former was a room called the Amſterdam, from the variety of ſects Mr. Le Piper had painted in it, particularly a Jeſuit and a Quaker. One branch of his genius, that does not ſeem quite ſo good humoured as the reſt of his character, was a talent for caricaturas. He drew landſcapes, etched on ſilver plates for the to⯑bacco-boxes of his friends, and underſtood perſpective. Towards the end of his life, his circumſtances were reduced enough to make him glad of turning his abilities to ſome account.—Becket paid him for deſigning his mezzotintos. Several heads of grand ſigniors in ſir Paul Rycaut's hiſtory were drawn by him, and engraved by Elder. At laſt, Le Piper took to modelling in wax, and thought he could have made a figure in it, if he had begun ſooner. On the death of his mother, his fortune being re-eſtabliſhed, he launched again into a courſe of pleaſure, contracted a fever, and being bled by an ignorant ſurgeon who pricked an artery, he died of it in 1698, in Alderman⯑bury, and was buried in the church of St. Mary Magdalen Bermond⯑ſey in Southwark. Vertue had a large picture by Fuller, containing the portraits of ſeveral painters and of one woman; the perſon in the middle was Le Piper.

[140] [...] SADLER

Was educated in painting at the expence of Dr. Sydenham, whoſe picture he drew for the earl of Saliſbury, to whom the doctor recom⯑mended him, and in which family he lived as ſteward to his death, continuing his art. A print of John Bunyan after Sadler has been lately publiſhed in mezzotinto. His ſon Mr. Thomas Sadler was de⯑puty clerk of the Pells, and drew too. His fine collection of agates, ſhells, drawings, &c. were ſold a few years ago on his death.

GODFREY SCHALKEN,

A great maſter, if tricks in an art, or the mob, could decide on merit; a very confined genius, when rendering a ſingle effect of light was all his excellence ^*. What ſhould one think of a poet, if he wrote nothing but copies of verſes on a rainbow? He was born at Dort in 1643; his father who was a ſchool-maſter, wiſhed to bring him up to the ſame profeſſion, but finding the boy's diſpoſition to painting, he placed him with Solomon Van Hoogſtraten, and afterwards with ^† Gerard Dou, from whom he caught a great delicacy in finiſhing— but his chief practice was to paint candle-lights. He placed the object and a candle in a dark room, and looking through a ſmall hole, painted by day-light, what he ſaw in the dark chamber. Sometimes

[141] he did portraits, and came with that view to England, but found the buſineſs too much engroſſed by Kneller, Cloſterman and others. Yet he once drew king William, but as the piece was to be by candle⯑light, he gave his majeſty the candle to hold, till the tallow ran down upon his fingers. As if to juſtify this ill-breeding, he drew his own picture in the ſame ſituation. Delicacy was no part of his character— having drawn a lady who was marked with the ſmall-pox but had handſome hands, ſhe aſked him, when the face was finiſhed, if ſhe muſt not ſit for her hands.—"No, replied Schalken, I always draw them from my houſe-maid." Robert earl of Sunderland employed him at Althorp; at Windſor is a well-known picture in the gallery. He came over twice, the laſt time with his wife and family, and ſtaid long, and got much money. He returned to Holland, and was made painter to the king of Pruſſia with a penſion, which he enjoyed two or three years, and died at Dort in 1706. Smith made mezzotintos from his Magdalen praying by a lamp, and from another picture of a woman ſleeping.

ADRIAN VANDIEST

Was born at the Hague and learned of his father, a painter of ſea-pieces. Adrian came to England, at the age of ſeventeen, and fol⯑lowed both portrait and landſcape-painting, but was not much encou⯑raged, except by Granville earl of Bath, for whom he worked at his ſeat, and drew ſeveral views and ruins in the weſt of England. One cannot think him a deſpicable painter, for ſeven of his landſcapes were in Sir Peter Lely's collection. His own portrait with a kind of ragged ſtuff about his head, and a landſcape in his hand, was painted by him⯑ſelf. [142] He began a ſet of prints after views from his own deſigns, but the gout put an end to an unhappy life in the 49th year of his age, and he was buried in St. Martin's 1704 ^*. He left a ſon, who painted portraits, and died a few years ago.

GASPAR SMITZ ^†,

A Dutch painter, who came to England ſoon after the reſtoration, and who from painting great numbers of Magdalens, was called, Magdalen Smith. For theſe penitents ſat a woman that he kept and called his wife. A lady, whom he had taught to draw, carried him to Ireland, where he painted ſmall portraits in oil, had great buſineſs and high prices. His flowers and fruit were ſo much admired, that one bunch of grapes ſold there for 40l. In his Magdalens he gene⯑rally introduced a thiſtle on the fore-ground. In Painter's-hall is a ſmall Magdalen, with this ſignature [...] 1662. He had ſeveral ſcho⯑lars, particularly Maubert and one Gawdy of Exeter. However, notwithſtanding his ſucceſs, he died poor in Ireland 1707.

THOMAS VAN WYCK

Was born at Harlem 1616, and became an admired painter of ſea-ports, ſhipping and ſmall figures. He paſſed ſome years in Italy, and imitated Bamboccio. He came to England about the time of the re⯑ſtoration.

[143] Lord Burlington ^* had a long proſpect of London and the Thames, taken from Southwark, before the fire, and exhibiting the great manſions of the nobility then on the Strand. Vertue thought it the beſt view he had ſeen of London. Mr. Weſt has a print of it, but with ſome alterations. This Wyck painted the fire of London more than once. In Mr. Halſted's ſale was a Turkiſh proceſſion large as life, and lord Ilcheſter has a Turkiſh camp, by him. His beſt pieces were repreſentations of chymiſts and their laboratories, which Vertue ſuppoſed ingeniouſly were in compliment to the faſhion at court, Charles II. and prince Rupert having each their laboratory. Captain Laroon had the heads of Thomas Wyck and his wife by Francis Hals. ^† Wyck died in England in 1682. He ought to have been introduced under the reign of Charles II, but was poſtponed to place him here with his ſon.

JOHN VAN WYCK,

An excellent painter of battles and huntings, his ſmall figures, and his horſes ^‡ particularly, have a ſpirit and neatneſs ſcarce inferior to Woverman's; the colouring of his landſcapes is warm, and chear⯑ful. Sometimes he painted large pieces, as of the battle of the Boyne, the ſiege of Namur ^‖, &c. but the ſmaller his pictures, the greater [144] his merit. At Houghton is a grey-hound's head by him, of admi⯑rable nature; in king James's collection was a battle by him. He painted ſeveral views in Scotland, and of the iſle of Jerſey, and drew a book of hunting and hawking. John Wyck married in England, and died at Mortlack in 1702. Beſides that eminent diſciple Mr. Wootton, he had another ſcholar

Sir MARTIN BECKMAN,

Who drew ſeveral views, and pieces of ſhipping. He was engineer to Charles II, and planned Tilbury-fort and the works at Sheerneſs ^*.

HENRY VAN STRAATEN

A Landſcape-painter, reſided in London about the year 1690 and afterwards. He got much money here, but ſquandered it as faſt. One day ſitting down to paint, he could do nothing to pleaſe him⯑ſelf. He made a new attempt, with no better ſucceſs. Throwing down his pencils, he ſtretched himſelf out to ſleep, when thruſting his hand inadvertently into his pocket, he found a ſhilling; ſwearing an oath, he ſaid, it is always thus when I have any money. Get thee gone, continued he, throwing the ſhilling out of the window, and re⯑turning to his work, produced one of his beſt pieces. This ſtory he related to the gentleman who bought the picture. His drawings are in the ſtyle of Ruiſdale and Berghem.

[145]J. WOOLASTON

Born in London about 1672, was a portrait-painter, and happy in taking likeneſſes, but I ſuppoſe never excellent, as his price was but five guineas for a ¾ cloth. He married the daughter of one Green, an attorney, by whom he had ſeveral children, of which one ſon fol⯑lowed his father's profeſſion. In 1704 the father reſided in Warwick⯑lane, and afterwards near Covent-garden. He died an aged man in the Charter-houſe. Beſides painting, he performed on the violin and flute, and played at the concert held at the houſe of that extraordinary perſon, Thomas Britton, the ſmallcoal-man, whoſe picture he twice drew, one of which portraits was purchaſed by Sir Hans Sloane, and is now in the Britiſh Muſeum. There is a mezzotinto from it. T. Britton, who made much noiſe in his time, conſidering his low ſtation and trade, was a collector of all ſorts of curioſities, particularly draw⯑ings, prints, books, manuſcripts on uncommon ſubjects, as myſtic divinity, the philoſopher's ſtone, judicial aſtrology, and magic; and muſical inſtruments, both in and out of vogue. Various were the opinions concerning him: Some thought his muſical aſſembly only a cover for ſeditious meetings; others for magical purpoſes. He was taken for an Atheiſt, a Preſbyterian, a Jeſuit. But Woolaſton the painter and the father of a gentleman from whom I received this ac⯑count, and who were both members of the muſic-club, aſſured him that Britton was a plain, ſimple, honeſt man, who only meaned to a⯑muſe himſelf. The ſubſcription was but ten ſhillings a year: Britton found the inſtruments, and they had coffee at a penny a diſh. Sir Hans Sloane bought many of his books, and MSS. (now in the Mu⯑ſeum) [146] when they were ſold by auction at Tom's coffee-houſe near Ludgate.

JOHN SCHNELL,

Of whom, or of his works, ſays Vertue, I never heard, except from his epitaph in St. James's-church-yard at Briſtol. H. S. E. John Schnell, portrait-painter, born at Baſil April 28, 1672, died Nov. 24, 1714. One Linton was a painter of ſeveral citizens in this reign, from whoſe works there are prints. Theſe trifling notices, as I have ſaid, are only inſerted, to lead to farther diſcoveries, or to aſſiſt fami⯑lies in finding out the painters of their anceſtors. The reſt of this reign muſt be cloſed with a few names, not much more important.

Sir RALPH COLE

Appears as the painter of a picture of Thomas Windham, eſq from which there is a mezzotinto.

[...] HEFELE

A German, came over as a ſoldier in king William's Dutch troops, obtained his diſcharge, and remained here ſeveral years, dying, it is ſaid, in queen Anne's reign. He painted landſcapes, flowers and in⯑ſects neatly in water-colours, but with too little knowledge of chiaro ſcuro. He ſold a few of his works to collectors, and the reſt, being very poor, to printſellers. They are now very ſcarce. Mr. Willett, a merchant and virtuoſo in Thames-ſtreet, has about thirty, and Mr. Chadd, jeweller in Bond-ſtreet, about a dozen.

[147]The BISHOP of ELY,

Vertue ſays he had ſeen two drawings in black-lead by the biſhop of Ely, the one of arch-biſhop Dolben from Loggan, the other of arch⯑biſhop Teniſon from White, but he does not ſpecify the name of the biſhop. If theſe portraits were done at the time of Teniſon being pri⯑mate, it was probably Simon Patrick biſhop of Ely, who, ſays his epitaph, was illuſtrious, Optimis artibus colendis promovendiſque. But if it was the biſhop, living when Vertue's MS. is dated, which is, 1725, it was Dr. Thomas Green. Graham mentions another prelate,

SIMON DIGBY

^* Biſhop of Elfin in Ireland, whoſe limnings he much commends. ^†

SUSAN PENELOPE ROSE,

Daughter of Gibſon the dwarf and wife of a jeweller, painted in water⯑colours with great freedom. In Mr. Roſe's ſale 1723, was a half⯑length miniature of an embaſſador from Morocco, eight inches by ſix, painted by her in 1682, with the embaſſador's names on it; he ſat to her and to Sir Godfrey Kneller at the ſame time. I have the portrait [148] of biſhop Burnet in his robes as chancellor of the garter, by her. She died in 1700, at the age of 48, and was buried in Covent-garden.

MARY MORE,

A lady, who, I believe, painted for her amuſement, was grand⯑mother of Mr. Pitfield; in the family are her and her huſband's por⯑traits by herſelf. In the Bodleian Library at Oxford is a picture that ſhe gave to it, which by a ſtrange miſtake is called Sir Thomas More, though it is evidently a copy of Cromwell earl of Eſſex. Nay, Ro⯑bert Whitehall, a poetaſter, wrote verſes to her in 1674, on her ſend⯑ing this ſuppoſed picture of Sir Thomas More. ^*

The other arts made no figure in this reign; I ſcarce find even names of Profeſſors.

JOHN BUSHNELL,

An admired ſtatuary in his own time, but only memorable to us by a capricious character. He was ſcholar of Burman, who having de⯑bauched his ſervant-maid, obliged Buſhnell to marry her. The lat⯑ter in diſguſt left England, ſtaid two years in France, and from thence went to Italy. He lived ſome time at Rome and at Venice; in the laſt city he made a magnificent monument for a Procuratore di San Marco, repreſenting the ſeige of Candia, and a naval engage⯑ment between the Venetians and Turks. He came home through Germany by the way of Hamburgh. Some of his firſt works after his return were the Statues of Charles I, and II, at the Royal-ex⯑change, [149] and Sir Thomas Greſham there above ſtairs. His beſt were the kings at Temple-bar. He carved ſeveral marble monuments, particularly one for lord Aſhburnham in Suſſex; one for Dr. Grew's wife in Chriſt-church London, one for lord Thomond in Northamp⯑tonſhire; Cowley's and Sir Palmes Fairborn's in Weſtminſter-abbey, and cut a head of Mr. Talman. He had agreed to compleat the ſet of kings at the Royal-exchange, but hearing that another perſon (I ſuppoſe, Cibber) had made intereſt to carve ſome of them, Buſhnell would not proceed, though he had begun ſix or ſeven. Some of his profeſſion aſſerting that, though he was ſkillfull in drapery, he could not execute a naked figure, he engaged in an Alexander the Great, which ſerved to prove that his rivals were in the right, at leaſt in what he could not do. His next whim was to demonſtrate the poſſibility of the Trojan horſe, which he had heard treated as a fable that could not have been put in execution. He undertook ſuch a wooden receptacle, and had the dimenſions made in timber, intending to cover it with ſtucco. The head was capable of containing twelve men ſitting round a table; the eyes ſerved for windows. Before it was half com⯑pleated, a ſtorm of wind overſet and demoliſhed it, and though two Vintners, who had contracted with him to uſe his horſe as a drinking booth, offered to be at the expence of erecting it again, he was too much diſappointed to recommence. This project coſt him 500l. Another, of veſſels for bringing coals to London, miſcarried too, with deeper coſt. Theſe ſchemes, with the loſs of an eſtate that he had bought in Kent, by a law-ſuit, quite overſet his diſordered brain. He died in 1701, and was buried at Paddington, leaving two ſons and a daughter. The ſons, of whom one had 100l. a year, the other 60l. were as great humouriſts as the Father; they lived in a large [150] houſe fronting Hyde-park, in the lane leading from Piccadilly to Tyburn, which had been built by the father, but was unfiniſhed, and had neither ſtair-caſe nor floors. Here they dwelt like hermits, re⯑cluſe from all mankind, ſordid and impracticable, and ſaying the world had not been worthy of their father. Vertue in one of his MSS. dated 1725, begins thus; After long expectations I ſaw the inſide of John Buſhnell's houſe, the ſons being abroad both." He deſcribes it particularly, and what fragments he ſaw there, particularly a model in plaiſter of Charles II. on horſeback, deſigned to have been caſt in braſs, but almoſt in ruins: the Alexander and the unfiniſhed kings. Againſt the wall a large piece of his painting, a triumph, almoſt obliterated too. He was deſired to take particular notice of a bar of iron, thicker than a man's wriſt, broken by an invention of Buſhnell.

THOMAS STANTON,

A ſtatuary, made a tomb in the church of Stratford upon Avon, which Vertue ſays is in a good taſte.

D. LE MARCHAND

Was a carver in ivory born at Dieppe; was many years in England, and cut a great number of heads in baſ-relief, and ſome whole figures in ivory: Mr. Weſt has his head carved by himſelf, oval. Lord Oxford had the buſt of lord Somers by him. He alſo did one of Sir Iſaac Newton, another was a profile of Charles Marbury, ſet in a frame of looking-glaſs. Mr. Willet has another head of a gentle⯑man, pretty large, with the initial letters, D. L. M. He died in 1726.

[151]WILLIAM TALMAN,

Born at Weſt-Lavington in Wiltſhire, where he had an eſtate, was comptroller of the works in the reign of king William, but of his life I find ſcarce any particulars, though he was an architect employed in conſiderable works. In 1671 he built Thoreſby-houſe in Notting⯑hamſhire, burned a few years ago, Dynham-houſe in Glouceſterſhire 1698, and Chatſworth; the elegance and lightneſs of the latter front do great honour to the artiſt; the other ſides are not equally beautiful. The flight of ſteps by which you aſcend from the hall to the apart⯑ments was thought noble enough by Kent to be borrowed for Holkam. His ſon John Talman reſided much in Italy, and made a large col⯑lection of prints and drawings, particularly of churches and altars, many of which were done by himſelf. Mr. Sadler had many altars and inſides of churches at Rome, waſhed by him in their proper co⯑lours, and very well executed. In the ſame manner he drew ſeveral of lord Oxford's curioſities. A few of his drawings are in the library of the Antiquarian Society.

Sir WILLIAM WILSON

Was an architect, and re-built the ſteeple of Warwick-church, after it had been burned.

ANECDOTES of PAINTING, &c.
CHAP. V.
Painters and other Artiſts in the Reign of Queen Anne.

THE reign of Anne ſo illuſtrated by heroes, poets and authors, was not equally fortunate in artiſts. Except Kneller, ſcarce a painter of note. Weſtminſter-abbey teſtifies there were no eminent ſtatuaries. One man there was, who diſgraced this period by his architecture, as much as he enlivened it by his wit. Formed to pleaſe both Auguſtus, and an Egyptian monarch who thought nothing preſerved fame like a ſolid maſs of ſtone, he produced the Relapſe and Blenheim! Party, that ſharpened the genius of the age, diſhonoured it too—a half-penny print of Sacheverel would have been preferred to a ſketch of Raphael. Lord Sunderland and lord Oxford collected books; the duke of Devonſhire and lord Pembroke, pictures, ^* medals, ſtatues: the performers of the time [153] had little pretenſions to be admitted into ſuch cabinets. The period indeed was ſhort; I ſhall give an account of what I find in Vertue's notes.

[...] PELEGRINI

Was brought from Venice in this reign by the duke of Mancheſter, for whom he painted a ſtaircaſe in Arlington-ſtreet, now deſtroyed. He performed ſeveral works of this kind, for the duke of Portland and lord Burlington, a ſalon, ſtaircaſe, and cielings at Caſtle Howard, the ſtaircaſe at Kimbolton, and a hall at Sir Andrew Fountain's at Narford in Norfolk. He made ſeveral deſigns for painting the dome of St. Paul's, and was paid for them, though they were not executed, and was choſen one of the directors of the academy. He painted be⯑ſides many ſmall pieces of hiſtory, before he left England ^*, whither he returned in 1718, but quitted it again in 1721, and entered into the ſervice of the elector palatine. With him arrived

[154]MARCO RICCI, or RIZZI,

Who painted ruins in oil, and better in water-colours; and land⯑ſtorms. He and Pelegrini diſagreeing, Marco went to Venice and perſuaded his uncle to come over, Sebaſtian Ricci, who had been Pelegrini's maſter, and who was ſoon preferred to the diſciple. Ricci's works are ſtill admired, though there is little excellence in them; his colouring is chalky and without force. He painted the chapel at Bulſtrode for the duke of Portland, and in the laſt ſupper has introduced his own portrait in a modern habit. At Burlington-houſe the hall and ſome cielings are by him, and a piece of ruins in the manner of Viviano. Ricci and Caſſini, another painter here at that time ^*, paſſed off ſeveral of their own compoſitions, as the works of greater maſters. Sebaſtian painted the altar-piece in the chapel of Chelſea-college; but left England on finding it was determined that Sir James Thornhill ſhould paint the cupola of St. Paul's. Marco Ricci died at Venice in 1730.

[...] BAKER

Painted inſides of churches, and ſome of thoſe at Rome. In Mr. Sykes's ſale was a view of St. Paul's ſince it was re-built, but with a more ſplendid altar.

[155]JAMES BOGDANI,

Was born of a genteel family in Hungary; his father, a deputy from the ſtates of that country to the emperor. The ſon was not brought up to the profeſſion, but made conſiderable progreſs by the force of his natural abilities. Fruit, flowers, and eſpecially birds were his ex⯑cellence. Queen Anne beſpoke ſeveral of his pieces, ſtill in the royal palaces. He was a man of a gentle and fair character, and lived between forty and fifty years in England, known at firſt only by the name of the Hungarian. He had raiſed an eaſy fortune, but being perſuaded to make it over to his ſon, who was going to marry a re⯑puted fortune, who proved no fortune at all, and other misfortunes ſucceeding, poverty and ſickneſs terminated his life at his houſe in Great Queen-ſtreet. His pictures and goods were ſold by auction at his houſe, the ſign of the golden eagle, in Great Queen-ſtreet, Lin⯑coln's-inn-fields. His ſon is in the board of Ordnance, and formerly painted in his father's manner.

WILLIAM CLARET

Imitated Sir Peter Lely, from whom he made many copies. There is a print from his picture of John Egerton earl of Bridgwater, done as early as 1680. Claret died at his houſe in Lincoln's-inn-fields in 1706, and being a widower, made his houſe-keeper his heireſs.

THOMAS MURRAY

Painted many portraits. At the Royal-ſociety is a picture of Dr. Halley by him, and the earl of Halifax had one of Wycherley. There is a mezzotinto of Murray.

[156]HUGH HOWARD,

Better known by Prior's beautiful verſes to him, than by his own works, was ſon of Ralph Howard doctor of phyſic, and was born in Dublin Feb. 7, 1675. His father being driven from Ireland by the troubles that followed the Revolution, brought the lad to England, who diſcovering a diſpoſition to the arts and Belles Lettres, was ſent to travel in 1697, and on his way to Italy, paſſed through Holland in the train of Thomas earl of Pembroke, one of the plenipotentiaries at the treaty of Ryſwick. Mr. Howard proceeded as he had intended, and having viſited France and Italy, returned home in October 1700.

Some years he paſſed in Dublin, but the greateſt and latter part of his life he ſpent entirely in England, practicing painting, at leaſt with applauſe; but having ingratiated himſelf by his fame and knowledge of hands with men of the firſt rank, particularly the duke of Devon⯑ſhire and lord Pembroke, and by a parſimonious management of his good fortune and of what he received with his wife, he was enabled to quit the practical part of his profeſſion for the laſt twenty years of his life, the former peer having obtained for him the poſts of keeper of the ſtate-papers and pay-maſter of his majeſty's palaces. In this plea⯑ſing ſituation he amuſed himſelf with forming a large collection of prints, books and medals, which at his ^* death (March 17, 1737) he bequeathed to his only brother Robert Howard biſhop of Elphin, who tranſported them to Ireland.

Mr. Howard's picture was drawn by Dahl, very like, and publiſhed in mezzotinto about a year before his death. Howard himſelf etched, from a drawing of Carlo Maratti, a head of Padre Reſta, the collector, with his ſpectacles on, turning over a book of drawings.

[157]JAMES PARMENTIER,

A Frenchman born in 1658, was nephew of Bourdon by whom he was firſt inſtructed, but his uncle dying, he came to England in 1676, and was employed at Montagu-houſe by La Foſſe to lay his dead co⯑lours. King William ſent Parmentier to his new palace at Loo, but he quarrelled with Marot, the ſurveyor of the buildings, and returned to London, where not finding much employment, he went into York⯑ſhire, and worked ſeveral years, both in portrait and hiſtoric paint⯑ing. The altar-piece in a church at Hull, and another in St. Peter's at Leeds, Moſes receiving the law, much commended by Thoreſby, are of his hand. His beſt work was the ſtaircaſe at Workſop. To Painter's- hall he gave the ſtory of Diana and Endymion. On the death of Laguerre in 1721, he returned to London, in hopes of ſuc⯑ceeding to the buſineſs of the latter. He died in indifferent circum⯑ſtances Dec. 2, 1730, as he was on the point of going to Amſterdam, whither he had been invited by ſome relations. He was buried in St. Paul's Covent-garden.

JOHN VANDER VAART

Of Harlem, came to England in 1674, and learned of Wyck the father, but did not confine himſelf to landſcape. For ſome time he painted draperies for Wiſſing, and portraits ^* for himſelf, and ſtill⯑life. He was particularly famous for repreſentations of partridges and dead game. In old Devonſhire-houſe in Piccadilly he painted a [158] violin againſt a door, that deceived every body. When the houſe was burned, this piece was preſerved and is now at Chatſworth. In 1713 he ſold his collection, and got more money by mending pictures than he did in the former part of his life by painting them. He built a houſe in Covent-garden of which pariſh he was an inhabitant above fifty years. He was a man of an amiable character, and dying of a fever in 1721 at the age of ſeventy-four, was buried in the right⯑hand iſle of the church of Covent-garden. Prints were taken from ſeveral of his works; ſome he executed in mezzotinto himſelf, and others from Wiſſing; in which art he gave inſtructions to the cele⯑brated John Smith. Vander Vaart, who was a batchelor, left a nephew, Arnold, who ſucceeded him in the buſineſs of repairing pictures.

RHODOLPHUS SHMUTZ

Was born at Baſil in Swiſſerland, and in 1702 came into England, where he painted portraits: Vertue ſays, "They were well-coloured, his draperies pleaſant, and his women gracefull. He died in 1714, and was buried at Pancras.

[...] PREUDHOMME,

Born at Berlin of French parents, and educated in the academy there, went for ſome time to Italy, returned to Berlin and from thence came to England in 1712, where he was much employed in copying pic⯑tures, and making drawings in chalk from Italian maſters for engra⯑vers. There was a deſign of engraving a ſet of prints from all the [159] beſt pictures in this country, and Preudhomme went to Wilton with that view, where, after an irregular life, he died in 1726 at the age of forty. He had contracted a French ſtyle in his pictures from his maſter Monſieur Peſne.

Colonel SEYMOUR,

Nearly related to the preſent duke of Somerſet and the earl of Hert⯑ford, had ſome fine pictures, and painted in water-colours and cray⯑ons. In the latter he copied from Cooper a head of Sir John Robin⯑ſon lieutenant of the Tower. He alſo drew many hiſtoric heads, and portraits with a pen. He lived in the houſe in Hyde-park at the end of Kenſington-garden.

[...] BOIT,

Well-known for his portraits in enamel, in which manner he has never perhaps been ſurpaſſed but by his predeceſſor Petitot, and his ſucceſſor Zincke. Before I give an account of him, I muſt premiſe that I do not anſwer for the truth of ſome parts of his ſtory, which to me ſeem a little incredible. I give them as I find them in two dif⯑ferent MSS. of Vertue, who names his authors, Peterſon, a ſcholar of Boit and another perſon. Vertue was incapable of falſhood—per⯑haps he was too credulous.

Boit, whoſe father was a Frenchman, was born at Stockholm, and bred a jeweller, which profeſſion he intended to follow here in Eng⯑land, but changed for painting, but was upon ſo low a foot, that he went into the country, and taught children to draw. There he had engaged one of his ſcholars, a gentleman's daughter to marry him, [160] but the affair being diſcovered, Boit was thrown ^* into priſon. In that confinement, which laſted two years, he ſtudied enamelling; an art to which he fixed on his return to London, and practiced with the greateſt ſucceſs: Dahl chiefly recommended him. His prices are not to be believed. For a copy of colonel Seymour's picture by Kneller, he had thirty guineas; for a lady's head not larger, double that ſum, and for a few plates 500 l. If this appears enormous, what will the reader think of the following anecdote? He was to paint a large plate of the queen, prince George, the principal officers and ladies of the court, and Victory introducing the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene; France and Bavaria proſtrate on the ground; ſtandards, arms, trophies. The ſize of the plate to be from 24 to 22 inches high, by 16 to 18 inches wide. Laguerre actually painted the deſign for it in oil. Prince George, who earneſtly patronized the work, pro⯑cured an advance of 1000 l. to Boit, who took a ſpot of ground in May-fair, and erected a furnace, and built convenient rooms adjoyn⯑ing to work in. He made ſeveral eſſays before he could even lay the enamelled ground, the heat neceſſary being ſo intenſe that it muſt cal⯑cine as much in a few hours, as furnaces in glaſs-houſes do in 24 hours. In theſe attempts he waſted ſeven or eight hundred pounds. In the mean time the prince, who had often viſited the operation, died. This put a ſtop to the work for ſome time; Boit however began to lay colours on the plate; but demanded and obtained 700 l. more. This made conſiderable noiſe, during which happened the revolution at court, extending itſelf even to Boit's work. Their graces of Marlborough were to be diſplaced even in the enamel, and her majeſty ordered Boit, [161] to introduce Peace and Ormond, inſtead of Victory and Churchill. Theſe alterations were made in the ſketch, which had not been in the fire, and remained ſo in Peterſon's hands, when he related the ſtory to Vertue. Prince Eugene refuſed to ſit. The queen died. Boit ran in debt, his goods were ſeized by execution, and he fled to France; where he changed his religion, was countenanced by the regent, ob⯑tained a penſion of 250 l. per ann. and an apartment, and was much admired in a country where they had ſeen no enameller ſince Petitot. Boit died ſuddenly at Paris, about Chriſtmas 1726. Though he never executed the large piece in queſtion, there is one at Kenſington of a conſiderable ſize, repreſenting queen Anne ſitting, and prince George ſtanding by her. At Bedford-houſe is another very large plate of the duke's father and mother. I have a good copy by him of the Venus, Cupid, Satyr and Nymphs, by Luca Jordano at Devonſhire-houſe, and a fine head of admiral Churchill; and miſs Reade, the paintreſs, has a very fine head of Boit's own daughter, enamelled by him from a picture of Dahl. This daughter was married to Mr. Graham, apothecary, in Poland-ſtreet.

LEWIS CROSSE,

A painter in water-colours, who is not to be confounded with ^* Mi⯑chael Croſſe or De La Crux, whom I have mentioned in the reign of Charles I. Lewis Croſſe painted ſeveral portraits in miniature in queen Anne's time, many of which are in the collection of the ducheſs of Portland, the counteſs of Cardigan, &c. This Croſſe repaired a little picture of the queen of Scots in the poſſeſſion of duke Hamilton, [162] and was ordered to make it as handſome as he could. It ſeems, a round face was his idea of perfect beauty, but it happened not to be Mary's ſort of beauty. However, it was believed a genuine picture, and innumerable copies were made from it. It is the head in black velvet trimmed with ermine. Croſſe had a valuable collection of mi⯑niatures, the works of Peter Oliver, Hoſkins and Cooper. Among them was a fine picture of a lady Sunderland by the latter, his own wife, and a head almoſt profile in crayons of Hoſkins; a great curio⯑ſity, as I neither know of any other portrait of that maſter, nor where the picture itſelf is now. That collection was ſold at his houſe the ſign of the blue anchor in Henrietta-ſtreet Covent-garden Dec. 5, 1722, and Croſſe died in October 1724.

Statuary in this reign, and for ſome years afterwards, was in a manner monopolized by

FRANCIS BIRD.

The many public works by his hand, which inſpire nobody with a curioſity of knowing the artiſt, are not good teſtimonies in his favour. He was born in Piccadilly 1667, and ſent at eleven years of age to Bruſſels, where he learned the rudiments of his art from one Cozins, who had been in England. From Flanders he went to Rome, and ſtudied under Le Gros. At nineteen, ſcarce remembring his own language, he came home, and worked firſt for Gibbons, then for Cib⯑ber. He took ^* another ſhort journey to Italy, and at his return ſet up for himſelf. The performance that raiſed his reputation, was the [163] monument of Buſby. The latter had never permitted his picture to be drawn. The moment he was dead, his friends had a caſt in plaiſ⯑ter taken from his face, and thence a drawing in crayons, from which White engraved his print, and Bird carved his image. His other principal works, which are all I find of his hiſtory, were,

The converſion of St. Paul in the pediment of that cathedral. Any ſtatuary was good enough for an ornament of that height, and a great ſtatuary had been too good.

The baſ-reliefs under the portico.

The ſtatue of queen Anne, and the four figures round the pedeſtal, before the ſame church. The author of the Abregè, ſpeaking of Engliſh artiſts, ſays, "à l'egard de la ſculpture, le marbre gemit pour ainſi dire, ſous des ciſeaux auſſi peu habiles que ceux qui ont executé le groupe de la reine Anne, placè devant l'Egliſe de St. Paul, & les tombeaux de l'Abbaye de Weſtminſter." This author had not ſeen the works of Ryſbrach and Roubiliac; and for the ſatire on the groupe of queen Anne, we may pardon the ſculptor who occaſioned it, as it gave riſe to another ſatire, thoſe admirable lines of Dr. Garth.

The ſtatue of cardinal Wolſey at Chriſt-church.

The brazen figure of Henry VI. at Eton-college—a wretched performance indeed!

A magnificent monument in Fulham-church for the lord viſcount Mordaunt. Bird received 250l. for his part of the ſculpture.

The ſumptuous monument of the laſt duke of Newcaſtle in Weſt⯑minſter-abbey, erected by the counteſs of Oxford, his daughter. The cumbent figure is not the worſt of Bird's works.

At lord Oxford's auction was ſold his copy of the faun. Bird died in 1731, aged 64.

[164]Sir JOHN VANBRUGH

Belongs only to this work in a light that is by no means advantage⯑ous to him. He wants all the merit of his writings, to protect him from the cenſure due to his deſigns. What Pope ſaid of his come⯑dies, is much more applicable to his buildings—‘How Van wants grace!—’Grace! He wanted eyes, he wanted all ideas of proportion, conve⯑nience, propriety. He undertook vaſt deſigns, and compoſed heaps of littleneſs. The ſtyle of no age, no country, appears in his works; he broke through all rule and compenſated for it by no imagination. He ſeems to have hollowed quarries rather than to have built houſes; and ſhould his edifices, as they ſeem formed to do, out-laſt all record, what architecture will poſterity think was that of their anceſtors? The laughters, his cotemporaries, ſaid, that having been confined in the baſtile, he had drawn his notions of building from that fortified dun⯑geon. That a ſingle man ſhould have been capricious, ſhould have wanted taſte, is not extraordinary. That he ſhould have been ſelected to raiſe a palace ^*, built at the public expence, for the hero of his country, ſurpriſes one. Whoſe thought it was to load every avenue to that palace with inſcriptions, I do not know; altogether, they form an edition of the acts of parliament in ſtone. However partial the court was to Vanbrugh, every body was not ſo blind to his defects. Swift ridiculed both his own diminutive houſe at Whitehall, and the

[165] ſtupendous pile at Blenheim; of the firſt he ſays,

And of the other

Thus far the ſatyriſt was well founded; party-rage warped his un⯑derſtanding, when he cenſured Vanbrugh's plays, and left him no more judgment to ſee their beauties, than Sir John had, when he perceived not that they were the only beauties he was formed to com⯑poſe. Nor is any thing ſillier than Swift's pun on Vanbrugh's being Clarenceux-herald, which the dean ſuppoſes enabled him to build houſes. Sir John himſelf had not a worſe reaſon for being an archi⯑tect. The faults of Blenheim did not eſcape the ſevere Dr. Evans, though he lays them on the maſter, rather than on the builder;

Theſe invectives perhaps put a ſtop to Vanbrugh's being employed on any more buildings for the crown, though he was ſurveyor of the works at Greenwich, comptroller general of the works, and ſurveyor of the gardens and waters. His other deſigns were,

St. John's-church, Weſtminſter, a wonderful piece of abſurdity.

Durable as theſe edifices are, the Relapſe, the Provoked Wife, the Confederacy and Aeſop, will probably out-laſt them; nor, ſo tranſlated, is it an objection to the two laſt that they were tranſlations. If Vanbrugh had borrowed from Vitruvius as happily as from Dancour, Inigo Jones ^* would not be the firſt architect of Britain.

Sir John Vanbrugh died at Whitehall March 26, 1726. In his character of architect, Dr. Evans beſtowed on him this epitaph,

[...] ROBERTI,

An architect, who built the ſtaircaſe at Coudray, the lord Monta⯑cute's; Pelegrini painted it.

[167] [...] BAGOTTI

Is mentioned by Vertue, but not with much juſtice, for admirable execution of a cieling in ſtucco, at Caſhiobury, lord Eſſex's ſeat. It repreſents Flora, and other figures, and boys in alto-relievo ſup⯑porting feſtoons.

JOHN CROKER,

Was bred a jeweller, which profeſſion he changed for that of medal⯑liſt. He worked for Harris; and ſucceeding him, graved all the medals from the end of king William's reign, of whom he ſtruck one large one, all thoſe of queen Anne and George the firſt, and thoſe of George the ſecond, though Croker died many years before him, but none of our victories in that reign were ſo recorded.