Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/623

TO 1760.] for his wonderfully-finished heads, especially of old people, and Theodore Netscher, the son of Gaspar Netscher, all painted in England in the earlier part of the eighteenth century. Boit—a painter of French parentage—Liotard, and Zincke, were noted enamel painters. Peter Tillemans, who painted English landscapes, seats, busts, roses, &c., died in 1734; and the celebrated Canaletti came hither in 1746, and staid about two years, but was not very successful, the English style of architecture, and, still more, the want of the transparent atmosphere of Italy, being unfavourable to his peculiar talent.

There was also a vast deal of decorations of ceilings and staircases still going on, and foreign artists still flocked over to execute it. Laguerre, a Frenchman, succeeded Verrio in this department, and his works still remain at Hampton Court, Burleigh, Blenheim, and other places. Laguerre was appointed to paint the cupola of St. Paul's, designs having been offered also by Antonio Pelligrini, who had thus embelished Castle Howard; but their claims were overruled in favour of Sir James Thornhill. Besides these, there was Lafosse, who had decorated Montagu House, Amiooni, a Venetian, and others, who executed many hundred square yards of such work in England. Such was the fashion for those foreign decorators, that when a native artist appeared equal to any one of them in skill and talent, and superior to most, he found himself paid at a very inferior and insulting rate. This was the ease with Sir James Thornhill, of Thornhill, near Weymouth. His father, however, had spent his fortune and sold the estate, and Sir James, being fond of art, determined to make it his profession to regain his property. His uncle, the celebrated Dr. Sydenham, assisted him in the scheme. He studied in London, and then travelled through Flanders, Holland, and France. On his return he was appointed by queen Anne to paint the history of St. Paul in the dome of the new cathedral of St Paul, in eight pictures in chiaroscura, with the lights hatched in gold. So much was the work approved, that he was made historical painter to the queen. The chief works of the kind of Sir James were the princess's apartment at Hampton Court, the gallery and several ceilings in Kensington Palace, a hall at Blenheim, a chapel at lord Oxford's, at Wimpole, a saloon of Mr. Styles, at Moorpark, and the ceilings of the great hall at Greenwich Hospital. On the ceiling of the lower hall appear, amid much allegorical scenery, the portraits of William and Mary, of Tycho Brahe, Copernicus, Newton, and others; on that of the upper hall appear the portraits of queen Anne and her husband, the prince of Denmark; and paintings of the landing of William at Torbay, the arrival of George I., and others of George I. and two generations of his family. Besides these vast pictures. Sir James painted the altar-piece of All Souls, Oxford, and one presented to his native town, Weymouth. He also copied two sets of the cartoons of Raffaelle, the largest of which is in the gallery of the Royal Academy, and some portraits, amongst others, a portrait of Sir Christopher Wren, presented at Oxford. Thornhill had great invention and freedom of pencil, and is much more chaste in his style than his foreign rivals, yet he was meanly paid in comparison with them. Walpole says, "High as was his reputation and laborious his works, he was far from being generously rewarded for some of them, and for others he found it difficult to obtain the stipulated prices. His demands were contested at Greenwich; and though Lafosse received two thousand pounds for his work at Montagu House, and was allowed five hundred pounds for his diet besides. Sir James could obtain but forty shillings per square yard for the cupola of St. Paul's, and, I think, no more for Greenwich. When the affairs of the South Sea Company were made up, Thornhill, who had painted their staircase and a little hall by order of Mr. Knight, their cashier, demanded one thousand five hundred pounds; but the directors, learning that he had been paid but twenty-five shillings a yard for the hall at Blenheim, would allow no more. He had a longer contest with Mr. Styles, who had agreed to give him three thousand five hundred pounds; but, not being satisfied with the execution, a lawsuit commenced, and Dahl, a Swedish artist, Richardson, and others, were appointed to inspect the work. They appeared in court, bearing testimony to the merit of the performance. Mr. Styles was condemned to pay the money, and five hundred pounds more for decorations about the house, and for Thornhill acting as surveyor of the building."

Other English artists of this period were John Riley, an excellent and original painter, who died in 1691; Murray, a Scotchman; Charles Jervas, the friend of Pope, a man much overrated by his acquaintance; and Jonathan Richardson, a much superior artist to Jervas, and author of the valuable "Essay on the Art of Criticism, as it relates to Painting." Thomas Hudson, a pupil of Richardson, and his son-in-law, was an admirable painter of heads, and had the honour of being the instructor of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Henry Cooke, like Thornhill, was a decorator, and painted the choir of New College Chapel, at Oxford, and the ceiling of a large room at the New River head. He was a pupil of Salvator Rosa. Luke Cradock, a flower and fruit painter; John Wootton, a popular animal painter; Francis Hayman, an historical painter and designer for book-plates—those for "Don Quixote" being his best; and George Lambert, one of the first English landscape painters of any mark.

Far above all other English artists of this period, however, stood William Hogarth. There is no artist of that or any former age in England—and we may also say the same down to our own day—who is so thoroughly English. He is a John Bull from head to foot—sturdy, somewhat headstrong, opinionated, and satirical. He is, indeed, the great satirist of the brush; but his satire, keen as it is, is employed as the instrument of the moralist; the things which he denounces and derides are crimes, follies, and perverted tastes. In his own conduct, as on his canvas, he displayed the same spirit, often knocking down his own interests rather than not express his indignant feeling of what was spurious in art, or unjust towards himself. Hogarth was the first English painter who attracted much notice amongst foreigners, and he still remains amongst our painters one of the most original in genius. His subjects are not chosen from the loftier regions of life and imagination, but from the very lowest or the most corrupted ones of the life of his country and time. "The Harlots Progress," "The Rake's Progress," "Marriage à la Mode," "The March to Finchley," "Gin Lane," "Beer Lane," &c., present a series of subjects from