It is not unpleasing to think that Goldsmith's hand should have been tracing that unfinished line, when illness struck the pen from it for ever.

REYNOLDS AND BARRY.

Sir Joshua, supreme head as he was of the Royal Academy, was doomed to vexations; but his sagacious spirit and tranquil temper brought him off triumphant. Barry differed with Reynolds in everything but his admiration of Michael Angelo. Barry had become Professor of Painting, but having neglected to deliver the stipulated lectures, Reynolds, in performance of his duty as President, inquired if they were composed. Barry, a consequential little man, rose on tiptoe, and clenching his fist, exclaimed, "If I had only in composing my lectures to produce such poor mistaken stuff as your Discourses, I should have my work done, and ready to read." To reply suited neither the dignity nor the caution of Reynolds, and his fiery opponent very properly received a large share of public censure for his offensive conduct.

MR. HONE, R.A. SATIRIZES SIR JOSHUA.

In 1775, Reynolds's pre-eminence drew upon him the envy of Nathaniel Hone, a miniature-painter, who, about this time, commenced oil-painting on a large scale. He did not succeed, and finding that Reynolds monopolised the chief patronage, Hone sent to the Exhibition a picture which he termed The Conjuror displaying his whole art of Optical Deception, intended as a satire upon Sir Joshua's method of composing his pictures. It was rejected with becoming scorn by the Academicians, as a malicious attack upon their President. Hone then determined to have his own Exhibition, and the Conjuror was shown in a great room nearly opposite New Slaughter's Coffee-house, in St. Martin's-lane. There was

introduced some indelicacy in the centre of the picture, in allusion to a slanderous report concerning Angelica Kauffman. This intention Hone denied: he, however, made out but a discreditable case; Nollekens refused to join him against Reynolds, adding: "you're always running your rigs against Sir Joshua; and you may say what you please, but I have never had any opinion of you ever since you painted that picture of the Conjuror, as you called it. I don't wonder they

turned it out of the Academy. And pray, what business had you to bring Angelica into it? You know it was your intention to ridicule her, whatever you, or your printed papers, or your affidavits may say: however, you may depend upon it, she won't forget it, if Sir Joshua does."

DESIGNS FOR THE OXFORD WINDOW.

In 1779, Sir Joshua sent to the Exhibition his picture of the Nativity, designed for the window of New College chapel, Oxford; and emblematical figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity. The grand piece of the Nativity was immediately purchased by the Duke of Rutland for 1,200 guineas, the Duke saying it was a larger price than was ever paid before for a picture painted in England. It was, unfortunately, destroyed by fire at Belvoir Castle, in 1816: it was engraved by Earlom. Two of the emblematical figures were subsequently purchased by the Earl of Normanton, at Lady Thomond's sale: Charity was bought for Lord Normanton for 1,575l.; Justice for 1,1557. The easel of Sir Joshua was also sold on this occasion.

As a proof of the rapid increase in the value of Sir Joshua's works, Mr. Cotton states that the seven allegorical figures, and other compartments of the Oxford window, which (it is said) had been offered to a nobleman for 300%, were sold, after Reynolds's death, for upwards of 12,000l.

Walpole says: "Jarvis's Window, from Sir Joshua's Nativity, is glorious. The room being darkened and the sun shining through the transparencies, realised the illumination that is supposed to be diffused from the glory, and has a magic effect." But, at Oxford, Walpole states that the effect was just the reverse of the glorious appearance it made in the dark chambers in Pall Mall.

Again, he says of this window: "the old and the new are mismatched as an orange and a lemon, and destroy each other; nor is there room enough to retire back, and see half of the new; and Sir Joshua's washy 'Virtues' make the 'Nativity' a dark spot from the darkness of the Shepherds, which happened, as I knew it would, from most of Jarvis's colours not being transparent."

REYNOLDS'S PORTRAIT OF SHERIDAN.

This fine portrait was engraved, in 1791, by John Hall, who was then living at No. 83, in Berwick-street, Soho. Raimbach, Hall's pupil, relates that Sheridan came twice or thrice during the engraving; "and," says Raimbach, "my

memory dwells with pleasure to this hour on the recollection of his having said a few kindly and encouraging words to me when a boy, drawing at the time in the study. I was, however, most struck with what seemed to me, in such a man, an undue and unbecoming anxiety about his good looks in the portrait to be executed. The efflorescence in his face had been indicated by Sir Joshua in the picture, not, it may be presumed, à bon gré on the part of Sheridan, and it was strongly evident that he deprecated its transfer to the print. I need scarcely observe that Hall set his mind at ease on that point."

LORD HOLLAND'S PORTRAIT.

The unfinished appearance of some of Reynolds's pictures, when they were sent home, caused occasional disappointment. It is said that Lord Holland, when, he received his portrait, could not help remarking that it had been hastily executed; and making some demur about the price, asked Reynolds how long he had been painting it, when the offended artist replied, "All my life, my Lord."-Northcote's M.S. in the Plymouth Library.

GEORGE III. AND SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.

On one of Sir Joshua Reynolds's friends observing to Dr. Johnson that it was extraordinary the King should have taken so little notice of him, having on all occasions employed Ramsay, West, &c. in preference to Sir Joshua, he said he thought it a matter of little consequence; "His Majesty's neglect could never do him any prejudice; but it would reflect eternal disgrace on the King not to have employed Sir Joshua Reynolds."

In 1779, the King and Queen honoured Reynolds by sitting for their portraits, at His Majesty's particular request, for the Council of the Royal Academy. The King, who was an early riser, sat at ten in the morning. The entry in Reynolds's pocket-book is: "Friday, May 21, at 10, the King." The Queen's name does not occur until December. These, Mr. Cotton believes, were the only portraits of their Majesties painted by Reynolds: he was never the Court-painter, nor were his pictures much admired by George III., who, being near-sighted, and consequently obliged to look close at them, said they appeared to be rough and unfinished.

PORTRAITS OF GIBBON AND GOLDSMITH.

In 1779, Sir Joshua painted Gibbon's portrait, which hung over the chimney-piece in his house at Lausanne. M. Rogers says, in this wonderful portrait, while the oddness and vulgarity of the features are refined away, the likeness is perfectly preserved.

Cotton states that Miss Reynolds remarked Sir Joshua never gave a more striking proof of his excellence in portraitpainting than in giving dignity to Dr. Goldsmith's countenance, and at the same time preserving a strong likeness. To this treatment all Reynolds's sitters were subjected, so that even the most deficient in grace came off his easel ladies and gentlemen.

PORTRAIT OF ADMIRAL KEPPEL.

This picture was presented to Mr. Burke by Admiral Keppel himself, at his trial at Portsmouth, in February, 1779. Of his full and honourable acquittal, Sir Joshua, in a letter to the Admiral, says: "The illuminations were universal, I believe, with the exception of a single house. Lord North and Lord Bute had their windows broken. The Admiralty gates were unhinged: to-night, I hear, Sir Hugh (Palliser) is to be burnt in effigy before your door. I have taken the liberty to lend your picture to an engraver, to make a print from it."

Sir Joshua painted Keppel's portrait, con amore, several times.

THE LADIES WALDEGRAVE.

Of this celebrated work Walpole wrote, in 1780: "Sir Joshua has begun a charming picture of my three fair nieces, the Waldegraves, and very like. They are embroidering and winding silk; I rather wished to have them drawn like the Graces adorning a bust of the Duchess as Magna Mater; but my ideas are not adopted."

This very fine picture is still at Strawberry Hill. lucky that Sir Joshua did not adopt Walpole's idea, or we should have had something as still and formal as the Blessington picture, by the same hand, of the three daughters of Sir William Montgomery, as "The Graces decorating a terminal figure of Hymen," now in the National Gallery. "Sir Joshua

gets avaricious in his old age," Walpole remarked to Pinkerton. "My picture of the young ladies Waldegrave is doubtless very fine and graceful, but it cost me 800 guineas."

"MUSCIPULA."

Count d'Adhemar was the original purchaser of Sir Joshua's Muscipula (the Girl with the Mousetrap). Reynolds, who fancied that he was bargaining for a different and less important picture, told him that the price was fifty guineas; and on discovering the mistake, allowed him to have Muscipula for that sum. Fox had been anxious to possess Muscipula when it was first painted, and he bought it at the ambassador's sale for (I believe) fifty guineas. It is now at St. Anne's Hill. It would fetch, in the present day, a thousand guineas. -Rogers.

"THE TRAGIC MUSE."

In 1784, about sixteen months after Sir Joshua's paralytic attack, he sent to the Exhibition his noble picture of Mrs. Siddons, as "The Tragic Muse," which Lawrence, in 1823, pronounced to be a work of the highest epic character, and indisputably the finest female portrait in the world. It was valued by Sir Joshua at 1,000 guineas, but was sold to Mr. Smith, M.P. for Norwich, for the sum of 7007., and subsequently purchased by Lord Grosvenor for 1,760%., in whose Gallery it remains. In the Dulwich Gallery is a duplicate of this celebrated picture; for this Sir Joshua received 800 guineas, although it is allowed to be very inferior to the other. The Dulwich picture was purchased of Reynolds by M. De Calonne at the sale of his collection in 1795, it was purchased, together with the Spanish Flower-girl of Murillo, by Mr. Noel Desenfans, and bequeathed by his heir, Sir. F. Bourgeois, to Dulwich College.

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When Mrs. Siddons sat for this portrait, she was in her twenty-eighth year, "in the prime of her glorious beauty, and in the full blaze of her popularity."

It is said that Sir Joshua took a hint from the Isaiah of Michael Angelo, as the basis of his figure of Mrs. Siddons; but Phillips states that Mrs. Siddons told him it was the production of pure accident. Sir Joshua had begun the head and figure in a different way, and while he was preparing some colour, she changed her position to look at a picture