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expressed by Mr. Angerstein, and Wilkie was immediately ranked among the most eminent of his profession.

On the first day of the exhibition, when our young artist went to gratify himself with a survey of the latest productions of the British school, he met Mr. Fuseli, the master of the academy, whose attention to his students is as honourable to his character as his professional excellence is to his genius. He had always taken the most friendly notice of Wilkie. Addressing him on this occasion, he pointed to his performance, observing that it was a very dangerous picture; for, if he did not surpass it in his next attempt, it would prove fatal to his newly-acquired reputation."Young man," continued he, "this day will prove either the most auspicious or the most unfortunate of your life." By this emphatic expression, Mr. Fuseli, it is presumed, intended to convey a most important lesson to the mind of his youthfhl and inexperienced pupil. He meant to say, "This day, on which your talents are for the first time displayed to the world, will open you a path to fortune, fame, and eminence, if by assiduous study you endeavour to mature the abilities you possess, and make prudence and modesty the guides of your future conduct. If, on the contrary, you indulge that arrogance and self-sufficiency which success is apt to excite; if you listen to the needy flatterers which never fail to surround rising eminence; if you suffer yourself to be drawn aside by their allurements into the paths of indolence, dissipation, and vice, inevitable destruction awaits you; and the more conspicuous your talents, the more signal will be the ruin in which you will be involved."

A most striking illustration of the truth of this advice may be found in the history of the late unfortunate George Moriand.

It has been already observed that the "Village Politicians" was painted by Mr. Wilkie for the Earl of Mansfield. We regret that truth obliges us to state that his lordship's conduct with regard to this picture was not calculated to confer any honour on his character, either as a man of fortune or a patron of the arts. Having hesitated to give the very low sum of ten guineas, at first required by Mr. Wilkie, the latter, after the merits of the piece were universally acknowledged, thought himself justified in demanding an advance upon the price he had before asked. His lordship, with a truly mercantile spirit,

was a considerable time in coming to a decision; and such was the high sense of honour entertained by our young artist, that, among the various offers made by gentlemen who were eager to possess this juvenile master-piece, he even refused one of two hundred guineas! The price he received from Lord Mansfield was fifteen guineas.

The promise of future excellence held out by the "Village Politicians,," was confirmed by his next production, which served to convince the public that Mr. Wilkie's former picture was not a work of accident, a mere lucky casualty, but that his powers are those of a regular, steady, and improving genius.

The subject is a "Blind Fiddler, playing on his fiddle, in a house where he has stopped to rest himself, for the entertainment of the master, his wife, and children." The fiddler is seated in the act of playing; next to him is his wife, with her child on her lap, and at her feet a basket, containing the little pedlary wares which she has to sell. At the feet of the fiddler lie his fiddle-case, and some scattered domestic utensils, and kitchen herbs, just brought in for the use of the family. The group of. figures at the end of the picture, which balances in composition that of the fiddler and his wife, consists of the mistress of the house, and her child on her lap; the, master of the house snapping his fingers, and looking with great glee upon his child, with the design of inviting it to laugh and dance, and exhibit its perception of youthful joy at the sound of the fiddle. Near the master of the house, stands, with his back to the fire, a sober, thinking man, seemingly the grandfather of the younger part of the family. He listens with great complacency to the rustic musician, but is evidently more impressed with humane compassion at the situation of the Poor Fiddler, than delighted with the efforts of his skill. At the fire-place sits a young lad, in the train of the fiddler, wrapt up in the comforts of the chimney-corner, and indifferent to every thing besides. Between the mother and the Fiddler are two children, a boy and a girl; the girl exhibits a fondness for music, and presses forward with an eager familiarity; but the boy is peevish and sulky, and shews that he neither likes the music nor the company of the fiddler and his family. Behind the mother is the eldest boy, about twelve years old: he has in his hand a small pair of bellows, which he has placed under his chin, in

imitation of the blind man's fiddle, and with a stick, in mockery of the bow, is ridiculously aping the fiddler. Near him is a girl, somewhat older than himself, who rebukes him for the unmannerliness of his jest, and is endeavouring to shame him out of it. There are altogether twelve figures. The front of the chimney forms the centre of the back ground, on which are shelves, containing a variety of domestic utensils, and upon the uppermost shelf are books, in the midst of which is a plaster bust, in appropriate colours, of a dissenting clergyman; and in order to shew that the family are not without a taste for the fine arts, besides that of music, the walls are ornamented with drawings on pieces of paper, representing soldiers, ships, and horses, evidently the manufacture of the boy above noticed. Near the boy, who is mocking the fiddler, is his dog, in deep dudgeon at this disturbance and intrusion upon his domestic repose. The light and shade of this picture are equally fortunate with the expression of the characters. The principal light, as well as the brilliancy of colour, falls upon the mistress of the house and her child; this is balanced by a second light at the other end of the picture, behind the fiddler, which is admitted by the door, and thus, by means of these two principal lights, the fiddler is placed in a kind of half tint, which gives a surprising breadth and repose to the compo sition; whilst the shadow occasioned by the group of the busband, the grandfather and the children, gives to the whole a general and accumulated force, and renders the half tint over the fiddler clear and transparent. The general tone over the back ground is a cool aerial tint, which gives great relief and strength to the colours of the draperies.

When we contemplate the different characters of the figures, we find in the fiddler, the man who has no other pursuit than the occupation of his present trade; in his wife, the care of her child, asleep upon her lap, and the charge committed to her of the little pedlary articles, impresses her countenance with perfect impassiveness as to any enjoyment for the music, and does away all concern but of that which might be the compensation of her husband's talents, and their treatment upon the conclusion of the tune. The master and mistress of the house seem to have no other pleasure than that which the music is supposed to give to their child.

These are the leading points in one of the most extra

ordinary pictures, in this line of art, which has ever made its appearance in England by a native. Whether we consider the ingenious manner of bringing the materials of this picture together, the diversity and justness of the characters and expressions of the figures, with the correctness of drawing, even to the most minute parts; the light and shade, as well as the truth of colour, and the neatness of execution,-whatever parts we singly consider, it would be matter of difficulty upon which we should most fix our admiration. The picture in the late exhibition, the Card Player, possesses perhaps a still superior degree of excellence.

It is generally supposed that Mr. Wilkie has imitated the style of the celebrated Teniers, but we believe he had never seen a picture by that master when he produced his representation of the Fair; though there is a similarity in the manner, which may, however, be easily accounted for. Teniers drew from nature, and it is nature that our youthful artist has made the object of his study. Of the former it has been justly said, that "he studied nature in every shape, with a most curious and critical observation, and as he generally composed his subjects from persons in low stations, he accustomed himself to frequent their meetings, at sports and pastimes; and by that means had an opportunity of remarking the simplicity of their manners, and the various actions, attitudes, characters, and passions of every age and sex. From such observations, he had nature always present to his imaginati in whatever he composed; and was enabled to give his figures such truth and such expression as must for ever ensure his works the approbation of the best `judges." These observations may with equal propriety be applied to Mr. Wilkie. He has been no less curious in his observation of the peasantry in the neighbourhood of the place of his nativity; and, even in the streets of the metropolis, he has been seen to stop and to pay great attention to groups of low characters. He has constant recourse to nature for every individual part, and even the minutest objects, in his composi tions; and this method must necessarily give his work a great degree of truth and precision. He engages

such characters as he accidently meets, or thinks adapted to his purpose; and we have been informed that the old man in spectacles in the " Village Politicians," was painted from a person who cries brooms in the streets of London.

THE ARTS.

No. XVII.

MR. CHARLES GRIGNION.

THE LONG CELEBRATED ENGRAVER.

THERE are few men who have contributed more to public amusement than this celebrated Artist. The number of books he has embellished with prints are beyond calculation; but his merits have not ended here, for he was the first that introduced legitimate art into literary publications: he was the first that led the way to that excellence to which the English engravers have since arrived in small book plates; and, if it be considered how much the sale of books has been increased by the insertion of prints, Mr. Grignion will be found to have greatly increased the public revenue, enriched the bookseller, improved the taste of the public, and added greatly to its fund of rational, elegant, cheap, and innocent pleasures.

Seldom have the people of England been appealed to in vain for protection against the miseries attendant on old age and penury; and never was preferred a claim on its justice and generosity more fairly founded than that of Mr. Grignion. Whilst nature left him powers, he exerted them for the public, but the great number of his years has now destroyed his energies, and he is left with a wife and a daughter (the latter nearly blind) dependant on him for support, after having out of ninety years, devoted upwards of seventy to the rational pleasures of the nation. Surely, that nation will not suffer his tottering steps to the grave to be imbittered with want and wretchedness. Long, and much too long, has he suffered the deprivation of those comforts of life which age demands as necessaries, before his modesty, and that natural independence of spirit which accompanies great abilities, would make them known; absolute necessity has now compelled him to lay them before a generous public, to whom age, infirmity, and wretchedness have never implored in vain, where they have had to recommend them purity of moral character, and virtuous industry.

Several Bankers, Booksellers, and Artists of respectability, have kindly offered to receive benefactions for this respectable and unfortunate man.

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