Page:Men of the Time, eleventh edition.djvu/304

 COPE.

287

tinct classes, — ^the historical and domestic; the latter treated in a l^^r manner than is now common. " Hagar and Ishmael/' in 1836, al- ternated with " The Cronies/' and "Paolo and Francesca," in 1837, with "Osteria di Campagna, near Eome," in 1838, and the " Flemish Mother," in 1839. A visit to Italy and Flanders had preceded the latter. These pictures were fol- lowed by — "Help thy Father in his Age, in 1840 ; " Almsgiving," " Poor -Law Guardians," and "Childhood." in 1841. Subjects suggested by the poets have always been favourites with him ; such as — " The Schoolmaster," from Gold- smith J " Hope — ' Her silent Watch the anxious Mother keeps ; ' " Gold- smith's delightful lines on "The Hawthorn Bush" (all in 1842), and " The Cotter's Saturday Night." in 1843. In the summer of 1843, his cartoon, the " First Trial by Jury," gained one of the first three prizes of je300 in the Westminster Hall competition. In the fresco compe- tition of 1844, his "Meeting of Jacob and Bachel" obtained for him a commission to prepare a desi^ for one of the six frescoes destined to adorn the new House of Lords. In 1845 his simple cartoon, fresco, and coloured sketch for " Edward the Black Prince receiv- ing the Order of the Garter," ex- hibited in Westminster Hall, were approved of. That subject was in due time successfully executed. To it succeeded a private commission from Prince Albert, for the " Last Days of Cardinal Wolsey." Mr. Cope was elected Associate of the Boyal Academy in 1844, and B.A. in 1848. Further commissions for the New Palace followed: — "Gri- selda's First Trial," " Prince Henry's Submission to the Law," &c. While these ably executed works were in progress, others in the domestic class proceeded from his easel— the " Young Mother," in 1847 ; " Girl at ftayer," and "^Maiden Meditati<»i/' in 1847$

"L' Allegro and U Penseroso," in 1848; "Fireside Musings," and the " First-bom," in 1849 ; " Mil- ton's Bream," in 1850 ; " Creeping like Snail unwillingly to School, ' and "Florence Cope at Dinner- time," in 1852. Mr. Cope's love of children and his habit of looking to his own hearth for his best in- spirations, are manifested in his " Study of a Child's Head," "Baby's Turn," in 1854, ""The Friends," and a boy and girl re- galing on " Bobinson Crusoe." • The technical mastery and native powers are as legible in these as in the "Cardinal Wolsey," the " King Lear and Cordelia " (of 1850), or his compositions in fresco, a medium of which he) has happily conquered the difficulties. This artist produced "Boyal Prisoners," " Deadi of the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I.," in 1855; " Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers," painted in both oil and fresco, in 1856 ; " Burial of Charles I.," fresco, in 1857; " Upward Ga- zing," in 1858 ; " Cordelia receiving the news of her Father's Tll-trea^ ment," " Elder Sister," " Eepose," " Parting of Lord and Lady Bus- sell," in fresco, 1859; "Evening Prayer," "Best," in I860; "Part- ing of Lord and Lady Bussell," in 1861 ; " Convalescent," and "Scholar's Mate," in 1862. The eight frescoes in the Peers' Corri- dor are now completed, and the whole form a series of subjecte from English history, illustrating the important changes in the Con- stitution during the great struggles in the time of Charles I., &c. The four on each side illustrate the op- posite parties : — 1. " The Baising of the Boyal Standard;" 2. "De- fence of Basing House ; " 3. " Ex- pulsion of Fellows from Orford for refusing to sign the Covenant;" and 4. " Burial of Charles I." On the other side are : — 1. " Speaker Lenthall asserting the Privileges of the Commons;" 2. "March of the Train-bands to relieve the Siege