Part 1

ANECDOTES

OF

PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS,

Sculptors and Architects,

AND

CURIOSITIES OF ART.

BY

SHEARJASHUB SPOONER, A. B., M. D.,

AUTHOR OF “A BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL DICTIONARY OF PAINTERS, ENGRAVERS, SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS, FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN TIMES.”

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

New York:

PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR,

BY G. P. PUTNAM & COMPANY, 10 PARK PLACE.

1853.

PREFACE.

This work is not a mere compilation, or republication of anecdote. It will be found to contain much original matter, and much of the most interesting and instructive portions of the history of art. For a list of authorities, the reader is referred to the author’s Dictionary of Painters, etc., and for a convenient reference, to the Index at the end of vol. iii. The author has studied his subject _con amore_, for many years, and has gathered abundant materials for three more volumes, should these be favorably received. But he fears lest in these romance-loving days, the recital of the trials, misfortunes, achievements and exaltations of those men of genius and fine sensibilities, to whom the world is indebted for the creation and development of the most beautiful arts, will fail to arrest the attention or move the heart.

Although it does not become a man to prate of himself, yet the author trusts he will be pardoned when he speaks of his _labors_ and their _object_. For a long period, his labors have been directed to the great object of the restoration and publication of Napoleon’s magnificent works, the Musée Français and the Musée Royal, a notice of which may be found in vol. iii., page 302, of this work. He trusts he may soon be able to present the first numbers to the public. These, and his other achieved undertakings, have made his life one of the most untiring industry. In order to find time for these enterprises, and still attend to the calls of his profession, he has been obliged to deprive himself of repose and relaxation; and during the five years he was engaged in publishing Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, and in preparing his Dictionary for the press, he spent but one evening out of his study, except those of the Sabbath, relinquishing his toil only at midnight, to be resumed at dawn.

These self-imposed labors have not been assumed through any mercenary or selfish motives. His experience has taught him the precarious results of literary and publishing enterprises of the nature undertaken by him, in the present state of the Fine Arts in our country. The amount of capital and labor he has invested has been enormous, and the risks proportionate; his books admonish him that he has already embarked many thousands of dollars which he can never hope to regain. Still, what he has accomplished is to him a theme of pride and exultation; it has also been a labor of love. His reward is the consciousness of having done something toward awakening a love for, and an interest in art and artists, and that he will leave to his countrymen, for their delight and instruction, so many world-renowned and world-approved specimens of the highest art. Posterity must be his judge; but he cannot forbear to add, that can he now succeed in restoring the great works before mentioned, and leave them as a rich legacy to his country, for the promotion of the Fine Arts in coming time, he will have accomplished his every earthly aspiration.

CONTENTS.

Infelicities of Artists--an Extract from the American Edition of Boydell’s Illustrations of Shakspeare, containing anecdotes of Torregiano, Banks, Barry, Blake, Proctor, &c., 1

Advantages of the Cultivation of the Fine Arts to a Country, 6

Antiquity of the Fine Arts, 12

The Pœcile at Athens, 13

Mosaics, 15

The Olympian Jupiter, 17

Painting from Nature, 18

Apelles, 18

Apelles and the Cobbler, 23

Apelles’ Foaming Charger, 24

Apelles and Alexander, 25

Apelles and Protogenes, 25

Benjamin West’s Ancestry, 28

West’s Birth, 29

West’s first remarkable Feat, 30

Little Benjamin and the Indians, 30

West’s Cat’s Tail Pencils, 30

West’s First Picture, 31

West’s first Visit to Philadelphia, 32

West’s Ambition, 33

West’s first Patron, 34

West’s Education, 35

West’s Dedication to Art, 36

West’s Early Prices, 38

West’s Arrival at Rome, 39

West’s Early Friends, 41

West’s Course of Study, 43

A Remarkable Prophecy, 43

West’s Fondness for Skating, 44

West’s “Death of Wolfe,” 45

Michael Angelo, 47

Michael Angelo and Julius II., 50

St Peter’s Church, 50

Michael Angelo and Lorenzo the Magnificent, 52

The Cartoon of Pisa, 53

Michael Angelo’s Last Judgment, 54

Michael Angelo’s Coloring, 56

Michael Angelo’s Grace, 57

Michael Angelo’s Oil Paintings, 58

Michael Angelo, his “Prophets,” and Julius II., 58

Bon-Mots of Michael Angelo, 59

Washington Allston, 60

Allston and Vanderlyn, 62

American Patronage at Home and Abroad, 66

Raffaelle Sanzio di Urbino, 70

Raffaelle’s Ambition, 70

Raffaelle and Michael Angelo, 71

Raffaelle’s Transfiguration, 72

Death of Raffaelle, 74

Character of Raffaelle, 74

La Bella Fornarina, 75

The Genius of Raffaelle, 76

Raffaelle’s Model for his Female Saints, 76

Raffaelle’s Oil Paintings, 77

Portraits of Pope Julius II., 78

Manners of Raffaelle, 78

Peter Paul Rubens, 79

Rubens’ Visit to Italy, 80

Rubens’ Enthusiasm, 80

Rubens’ Return to Antwerp, 81

Rubens’ Habits, 82

Rubens’ Detractors, 82

The Gallery of the Luxembourg, 83

Rubens sent as Ambassador to the Courts of Spain and England, 83

Death of Rubens, 85

Rubens’ Numerous Works, 86

The first Picture brought to Rome, 88

Etruscan Sculpture, 90

Campus Martius, 91

Electioneering Pictures at Rome, 91

Dramatic Scenery at Rome, 93

Apelles of Ephesus and Ptolemy Philopator, 93

Apelles’ famous Picture of Calumny, 94

Sir Godfrey Kneller, 96

Kneller and James II., 97

Kneller’s Compliment to Louis XIV., 97

Kneller’s Wit, 98

Kneller’s Knowledge of Physiognomy, 99

Kneller as Justice of the Peace, 99

Kneller and Clostermans, 100

The Cavaliere Bernini, 101

Bernini’s Precocity, 101

Bernini’s Striking Prediction, 101

Bernini and Louis XIV., 102

Bernini’s Works, 103

Bernini and the Verospi Hercules, 104

Fanaticism destructive to Art, 104

Paintings Evanescent, 106

The English National Gallery, 107

The Nude Figure, 109

Different Schools of Painting Compared, 110

The Old Masters, 111

Prices of Galleries, 112

Love makes a Painter, 112

John Wesley Jarvis, 113

The Biggest Lie, 118

Jarvis and Bishop Moore, 119

Jarvis and Commodore Perry, 119

Jarvis and the Philosopher, 120

Jarvis and Dr. Mitchell, 120

Jarvis’ Habits, 121

Robert Fulton, 122

An Exalted Mind and True Patriot, 123

Gilbert Charles Stuart, 124

Stuart goes to London, 125

Stuart as Organist, 126

Stuart’s Introduction to West, 126

Stuart and West, 128

Stuart’s Scholarship, 131

Stuart’s Rule of the Payment of Half-Price at the First Sitting, 131

Stuart’s Powers of Perception, 132

Stuart’s Conversational Powers, 133

Stuart in Ireland, 136

Stuart’s Return to America, 137

Stuart and Washington, 137

Stuart’s Last Picture, 138

Stuart’s Reputation, 139

Stuart’s Drawing, 139

Stuart a Punster, 140

Stuart born in a Snuff-Mill, 140

Stuart’s Nose, 140

Stuart’s Sitters, 141

Stuart’s Mark, 142

Stuart and his Dog, 142

The Temple of Diana at Ephesus, 144

The Dying Gladiator, 144

Fabius Maximus, 145

Love of the Arts among the Romans, 146

Comparative Merits of the Venus de Medici and the Venus Victrix, 147

The Effect of Painting on the Mind, 147

Pausias, 148

The Garland Twiner, 148

Protogenes, the great Rhodian Painter, 149

Parrhasius, 150

The Demos, and other Works of Parrhasius, 150

Parrhasius and the Olynthian Captive, 151

The Vanity of Parrhasius, 152

The Invention of the Corinthian Capital, 152

The Invention of Sculpture, 153

Praxiteles, 154

Praxiteles and Phidias compared, 154

The Works of Praxiteles, 155

The Venus of Cnidus, 155

Praxiteles and Phryne, 156

The King of Bithynia and the Venus of Cnidus, 157

Phidias, 157

Phidias and Alcamenes, 159

Ingratitude of the Athenians, 159

The Jupiter of Phidias, 160

Phidias’ Model for the Olympian Jupiter, 161

Apollodorus, the Athenian, 162

Apollodorus, the Architect, 163

Trajan’s Column, 164

The Death of Apollodorus, 165

Hogarth, 166

Hogarth’s Apprenticeship, 167

Hogarth’s Revenge, 168

Hogarth’s Method of Sketching, 168

Hogarth’s Marriage, 168

Successful Expedient of Hogarth, 169

Hogarth’s Picture of the Red Sea, 170

Hogarth’s Courtesy, 171

Hogarth’s Absence of Mind, 171

Hogarth’s March to Finchley, 172

Hogarth’s unfortunate Dedication of a Picture, 172

Hogarth’s manner of selling his Pictures, 172

Hogarth’s Last Work, 175

Jacques Louis David, 176

David’s Picture of the Coronation of Napoleon, 178

David and the Duke of Wellington, 184

David and the Cardinal Caprara, 185

David at Brussels, 185

Pierre Mignard, 186

Sir Joshua Reynolds, 188

Reynolds’ New Style, 189

Reynolds’ Prices, 191

Reynolds’ in Leicester Square, 192

The Founding of the Royal Academy, 194

Reynolds and Dr. Johnson, 195

Dr. Johnson’s Friendship for Reynolds, 196

Johnson’s Apology for Portrait Painting, 197

The Literary Club, 198

Johnson’s Portrait, 198

Johnson’s Death, 199

Reynolds and Goldsmith, 199

The Deserted Village, 200

Goldsmith’s “Retaliation,” 200

Pope a Painter, 201

Reynolds’ First Attempts in Art, 202

The Force of Habit, 202

Paying the Piper, 203

Reynolds’ Modesty, 203

Reynolds’ Generosity, 203

Reynolds’ Love of his Art, 204

Reynolds’ Criticism on Rubens, 205

Reynolds and Haydn’s Portrait, 206

Rubens’ Last Supper, 206

Reynolds’ Skill in Compliments, 207

Excellent Advice, 208

Sir Joshua Reynolds and his Portraits, 208

Reynolds’ Flag, 209

Burke’s Eulogy, 209

Reynolds’ Estimate and Use of Old Paintings, 210

Influence of the Inquisition upon Spanish Painting, 211

A Melancholy Picture of the State of the Fine Arts in Spain, 217

Don Diego Velasquez, 226

Velasquez honored by the King of Spain, 227

Velasquez’s Slave, 228

Luis Tristan, 229

Tristan and El Greco, 230

Alonso Cano, 230

Cano’s Liberality, 231

Cano’s Eccentricities, 231

Cano’s Hatred of the Jews, 232

Cano’s Ruling Passion strong in Death, 234

Ribalta’s Marriage, 235

Aparicio, Canova, and Thorwaldsen, 236

Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, 236

Murillo and Velasquez, 236

Murillo’s Return to Seville, 237

Murillo and Iriarte, 238

Murillo’s Death, 238

Murillo’s Style, 239

Murillo’s Works, 240

Murillo’s Assumption of the Virgin, 241

Castillo’s Tribute to Murillo, 242

Correggio, 243

Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Church of St. John at Parma, 244

Correggio’s Grand Cupola of the Cathedral at Parma, 246

Correggio’s Fate, 249

Annibale Caracci’s Opinion of Correggio’s Grand Cupola at Parma, 253

Correggio’s Enthusiasm, 255

Correggio’s Grace, 255

Correggio and the Monks, 256

Correggio’s Muleteer, 256

Duke of Wellington’s Correggio captured at Vittoria, 257

Correggio’s Ancona, 257

Portraits of Correggio, 258

Did Correggio ever visit Rome? 259

Singular Fate of Correggio’s Adoration of the Shepherds, 261

Curious History of Correggio’s “Education of Cupid,” 262

Magdalen by Correggio, 264

Discovery of a Correggio, 265

Lionardo da Vinci, 266

Precocity of Da Vinci’s Genius, 266

Extraordinary Talents of Da Vinci, 268

Da Vinci’s Works at Milan, 268

Da Vinci’s “Battle of the Standard,” 270

Lionardo da Vinci and Leo X., 271

Lionardo da Vinci and Francis I., 271

Death of Da Vinci, 272

Da Vinci’s Learning, 272

Da Vinci’s Writings, 273

Da Vinci’s Sketch Books, 275

The Last Supper of Lionardo da Vinci, 276

Copies of the Last Supper of Da Vinci, 278

Da Vinci’s Discrimination, 279

Da Vinci’s Idea of Perfection in Art, 280

Da Vinci and the Prior, 282

Da Vinci’s Drawings of the Heads in his celebrated Last Supper, 284

Francis I. and the Last Supper of Da Vinci, 284

Authenticated Works of Da Vinci, 285

Works in Niello, 286

Sir Christopher Wren, 290

Wren’s Self-Command, 290

Wren’s Restraints in designing his Edifices, 292

The Great Fire in London, 293

St. Paul’s Cathedral, 294

Wren’s Death, 295

Wren and Charles II., 295