Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/347

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S. I. APRIL 23, '98. ]

NOTES AND QUEEIES.

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i- terne, it is otherwise with John Hall Stevenson ( Sugenius), whose life necessarily supplements the ether. With Smollett and the writers in the Critical Review, his latest biographer treats him vith caustic contempt. Another life of much i iterest is that of George Steevens, whose "fantastic a 3rimony" Mr. Lee admits, while holding that more damaging allegations are not supported by evidence, and denying what was stated against him by Tom I >avies, the biographer of Garrick. Interesting and valuable literary biographies are those of Stanley, t le translator of Anacreon ; Stanyhurst, translator of Virgil ; Howard Staunton, chess-player and Shakspearian editor; and Still, the author of 'Gammer Gurton's Needle.' With the exception of a life of Dugald Stewart, who, it is conceded, "represents rather the decline than the develop- ment of a system of philosophy," Mr. Leslie Stephen confines himself almost entirely to the biographies of men of his own name and family, a sufficiently distinguished group. Many lives of much value and interest by Mr. Thomas Seccombe lead on with a description of the wild and romantic career of Lady Hester Stanhope. Active interest attends the life of Robert Louis Stevenson, recently removed from among us. It is written in an appreciative strain by Mr. Sidney Colvin, whose knowledge of the writer was intimate. The life of Steele is written with much judgment and with admirable taste by Mr. Austin Dobson, one of the men most qualified oi all to deal competently with it. John Sterling is necessarily safe in the hands of Dr. Garnett, whose most important contribution it is. i The life of Henry Stebbing is one of the best of Mr. W. P. Courtney's contributions. One of the most valuable historical articles is that by Miss Kate ! Norgate on King Stephen. Mr. C. H. Firth supplies many noteworthy lives, writing on, among others, i Philip Stanhope, first and second Earls of Chester- field <Ae Earl of Chesterfield is in the hands of Mr. i Lee and Sir Philip Stapleton, the Presbyterian i soldier. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley is presented by i Mr. R. E. Prothero, various historical Stanleys
 * being distributed among different writers. Of the

I numerous Stewarts very many are in the hands of Mr. T. F. Henderson. Mr. Henry Bradley supplies an excellent account of George Stephens, the archae- ologist. Space naturally fails us to dwell upon the many biographies of interest furnished by Prof. Laughton, Col. Vetch, Dr. Norman Moore, and other specialists. The names of the Rev. W. Hunt, r. Thompson Cooper, Mr. Thomas Bayne, Mr. M. O'Donoghue, Miss Lee, and other well-known ntributors are still pleasantly prominent. It is edless to say that the customary and exemplary unctuality was displayed in the appearance of the lume.

he Royal GaHery at Hampton Court Illustrated. By Ernest Law, B.A. (Bell & Sons.)

SERVICEABLE and delightful appendix to his listory of Hampton Court Palace is supplied by r. Law in his catalogue raisonne of the pictures in e Queen's collection at that palace. To the merits

Mr. Law's 'History' we have frequently drawn le attention of our readers. Without being ex- tly intended as a companion to that excellenl ork, the present volume is to some extent a sup- ement, adding greatly to its value and, we doubt ot, to its popularity. In saying this we are neither enying nor qualifying its direct claims upon admi ation as a separate wprk, dealing historically with

he origin of the gallery, classifying the contents, ind depicting the greatest treasures of a collection which, reduced as it is, constitutes still a precious >ossession. For the manner in which the collection vas established, and for the part in its formation dispersal of the pictures by Puritan ignorance and prejudice, we must refer our readers to Mr. Law's ntroduction. To the interposition of Cromwell it is due in part that what was then, perhaps, the finest collection in the world did not entirely disappear. Among those which owed their preservation to >omwell was the ' Triumph of Julius Caesar' of yiantegna, concerning which a correspondence is at present being conducted in these columns. Besides liring a man at half-a-crown a day to break the painted glass in the church windows, the Rpimd- leads sold pictures which, under these conditions even, realized no smaller a sum than 38.00W., the pictures at Hampton Court, 382 in number, being sold for 4,675. 16s. We may dismiss, however, this terrible episode in art history, which cleared the galleries of veritable masterpieces and opened them bo receive the graceless beauties of succeeding Stuart kings. Mr. Law's historical introduction ^ives all the information accessible as to the steps subsequently taken to repair Roundhead devasta- tion. The writer then proceeds seriatim through the various rooms, enumerating the contents, de- scribing the pictures^ giving, where it is possible, the name of the artist, and furnishing such par- ticularsbiographical, literary, and historical as are at command. By means of photogravure and other processes one hundred of the most noted pictures are reproduced, assigning thus a permanent arid, as time will probably prove, an augmenting value to the book. Very few of the fine Italian pictures at Hampton Court have previously been reproduced. A selection has been, moreover, made from the historical portraits of all styles, ages, and schools gathered together at Hampton Court in such plenty as to excel in interest "those in any collection, public or private, with the single excep- tion, of course, of the National Portrait Gallery." Great pains have been spent upon the task of assigning the pictures to their respective artists, with the result that a hundred and fifty erroneous attributions in previous lists have, it is believed, been corrected, and that twenty -five historical por- traits which were wrongly named have had their true names supplied. The misnomers in some cases extend to the time of Charles I. In these and other alterations and additions the author has had the assistance of the late Sir George Scharf, of M. Niel, Mr. Lionel Gust, and other specialists. Mr. Gust would, had such a course been feasible, have arranged the pictures under the heads of schools of painting. In the case of works however, scattered about in different rooms, and only to be generally seen under inconvenient if indispensable restrictions, such a course seems in- expedient. The arrangement according to the con- secutive numbers on the labels is such as will best suit public convenience. Among the illustrations to the volume are many of great beauty and extreme interest. The frontispiece consists of a charming photogravure of Correggio's ' St. Catherine Read- ing,' which is followed by one no less beautiful of Cariani s Venus Recumbent.' yandyck's ' Charles the First (the ascription of which is queried), the fourth and fifth pictures from Mantegna's 'Tri- umph,' religious pictures of the Palmas, Vecchio and
 * aken by successive monarchs, as well as for the