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absence of that vulgar flattery which debases modern portraiture. The

old masters were above this necessity : indeed it seems never to have ar and look foreign to the person whom he painted. All his male por. than remaining in it. To lay the scene of a novel in a world that traits have a chivalrous bearing, and his ladies are " of the court, courtly." may exist some hundreds or thousands of years hence, seems an KNELLER and LELY followed his example to excess, like courtiers easy way of becoming original ; but in reality it only enables one servilely aping the fashion of the monarch. Our own REYNOLDS gave to be fantastic. If life be painted such as the author has seen it, au air of assumed dignity to his portraits that did not always belong to it would be better, because more natural, that he should adapt his the original ; but it was only, as in the case of VANDYKE, when there framework to his matter. If he endeavour to draw upon his fancy, was no more intrinsic quality to embody. REYNOLDS delineated sense his preposterous, fiat, and lifeless abstractions, inspire no interest ; and beauty with sober truth ; and tisieseonouen was simplicity itself. and if he combine, as he must in all human probability, his ex- LAWRENCE lowered real greatness and elevated insignificance to the con- periences and his fancies, we have an incongruous mixture like ventional level of gentility. None of the works of these painters form the a'gri somnia against which the poet warns the student. The part of the present exhibition. The sterling impress of truth gives value only exception to this rule is in the case of satirical works, where to every portrait here. One sometimes thinks that TITIAN favoured his subjects intellectually, for we never see a weak or foolish the allegory adds clearness and piquancy to the ridicule it face Of his : but personal character in his time was more robust heightens. mid decided ; and that penetrating look which pierces like a sword Although the book before us displays evidences of a kind of off- is often but the expression of physical power and self-possession—it hand vigour and dummy, it does not tempt us to retract one iota is earnestness, formidable by its intensity, and not always remarkable from the dogma we have laid down. So far as we have read, the for sensibility or refinement or bespeaking profound thought or characters, incidents, ideas, and sentiments, though they may differ elevated character. The fact is, that the commonest face, in virtue of something from those of real life, differ nothing from those of its humanity, has in its best aspect a meaning that attracts sympathy many novels, except in a certain exaggeration, to which a writer m commands attention, and may well employ the skill of the greatest is naturally tempted, by the facility which a new social system of painter to portray. Even the Dutch housewives and burgomasters his own creation seems to afford him. So far as our exami-

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become interesting to us from the identity of the representation; the Dutch painters were no flatterers, though REMBRANDT gave to his Jews nation enables us to speak, Europe, in this " Prophecy of the an air of venerableness and a look of gravity amounting to grandeur. Future," has sunk into barbarism ; the system of North America Here is Philip the Second, by TITIAN, ($,) trussed in a coat. has become monarchal and aristocratical, though on a very grand armour, his sensual face "glistening with ungodly dew," and his dark, scale ; Southern Africa represents, but also exaggerated, America lustrous, well-opened eye, looking out at you with a calm casual glance, as it now exists, with its lucre-loving spirit, and its slavery ; and as if it had just rolled its orb in that direction. We see no assumption Australia, we guess, shadows forth a nation whose ancestors were of kingly state, no flattery in form, feature, or attitude; the man "rogues all." The method by which the countries are passed in stands before you " in his habit as he lived." The impression is as review, is by sending the hero, a son of one of the merchant- vivid as of the reality. TITIAN'S portrait of Navagero, a Venetian princes of Columbia, on his travels, to see the world and sell his nobleman, and celebrated Latin poet, (48,) is a profile only, and the father's cargo. He is accompanied by an attendant, whom we eye does not meet the spectator's ; but there is an air of life in the opine to be a lady-love in disguise; by a tutor and a doctor, who grave, thoughtful, and dignified face. There is more animation in the " Head of a Friar," by TITIAN, (P22,) a young man with sharp fee,- discourse a variety of speculations; and (which is very remarkable, tit es, and a quiet, subtle, smiling expression, like that of a disputant considering that merchants generally inquire into the character of who thinks he has the best of the argument. a man with whom they intrust their ships and their sons) by a Tisvoiterro's portraits have a look of antiquity beyond those of piratical captain ; whilst the ship is manned by some of this wor- any other painter : we fancy them to be the wotk of Ike TITIAN of thy's old officers and crew. After leaving the Cape and its rogue- im earlier age. Nicholas Cappellus, Admiral of the Venetian fleet, nes behind, the pirates rise, master the well-disposed, and carry (2,) has the aspect of a veteran of eld, or a champion of romance: them to Madagascar ; where we leave them, having just effected the Archbishop of Spalatro, (17,) looks like a primitive pedagogue; their escape, through the agency of Zebra, or as we should say, and Vcsalius, (49,) must have lived before biographies were written. the disguised Eureka. Not that the characters are deficient in vitality, but they seem to be- long to a remote period. FINE ARTS. VELASQUE1, the Spanish TITIAN, has transplanted a scion of royalty

to his canvas, where it lives for ever in perpetual youth and innocence

PORTRAITS OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA. —Don Balthazar, son of Philip the Fourth, (25,) an urchin prince of A GOOD portrait of the Princess Victoria, Spain. He looks directly at you, with the full, open gaze of child- 'Tim expectancy arid rose of the fair stale," hood : his eye has that unreserved purposeless intelligence so cha- is a national desideratum. Hitherto we have seen none worthy of ratteristic of ingenuousness and inexperience. VANDYKE has pre. -universal acceptance, though there are several extant ; but as our served this expression in his pictures of the children of Charles readers may be interestLd in an opinion of the merits of those the First and of the Duke of Buckingham—though they look like that have any pretension to authenticity, we will briefly characterize courtiers in embryo. LAWRENCE substituted for it a precocious them. aspect of contemplation, in his famous poi trait of Master Lambton; The full-length portrait, painted by GEORGE HAYTER, was taken a which, together with the attitude, and the velvet dress among rocks, few years ago, when the Princess bad just entered her teens : it is gives it an affected air, very different from the genuine simplicity of this what would be called a pleasing likeness of girlhood, but without de- picture of childhood by VELAseteez. Another of the royal children culed character ; and the picture is lumbered up with accessories of of Spain, lying swathed up in its state cradle, (1890 has the infantile study and royalty. stare of babyhood. This is in the South Room ; at the end of which A. sketch by the same artist in lithography, representing the Princess, is an equestrian portrait, by VELAsourz, of Don Luis de Haro, :Minis- still young in her teens, standing by the side of her mother, who is ter to Philip the Fourth, (l54.) Ile has taken off his broad Spanish seated with one hand round her daughter's waist, conveys a better like- hat, as though sultan% some one, and waves it with a priucely air of

gracefulness, his face beaming with frank intelligence. In this room also are two most elaborately-finished whole-length portraits--Charles the First, by CORNELIUS JANSEN, 0670 and Mary Queen of Scots, by FREDERICK ZUCCHERO, (178.) The costumes as well as the heads are wrought like a miniature ; but the eye is not, as in modern

portraits, attracted by the dress more than the face. Charles's swarthy, melancholy countenance, bears a stronger resemblance to his son, the Second Charles, than in the portraits of VANDYKE ; who we may see by this has given the unhappy king a gallant swagger and an elate air, at variance with his natural character. ZUC- CHEM) has let out the truth of Mary Stuart's nature, in the sly, watchful eye, and the sensual expression of the lower part of the face : her beauty amounts only to fairness in feature and complexion ; it has not that innocence, sensibility, and natural sweetness, which are the charm of true feminine loveliness. The dress is very quaintly sumptuous the petticoat looks like a golden extinguisher, and the boddice of crim- son velvet is stiff with padding within and embroidery and jewels with- out. All the great portrait-painters took immense pains with costume, but still more with the wearer : the reality of the dress increased the living identity of the person. We have treated of the portraits in this exhibition, not only as being most interesting in themselves, and including the finest specimens of painting, but in order to contrast the portraits of the old masters with those of the moderns, and show wherein the difference consists. The present race of painters aim at pleasing by flattery ; but they overlook the best mode of flattering even—namely, to bring out the noblest part of individual nature, the mind. This is the only way of over- coming physiognomical defects of feature and expression : but we fear there are few living painters that have the art to accomplish it. They may assent to the truth of the proposition that character is more interesting than unmeaning comeliness, but object, that sitters who pay to be set off to the best advantage will not give up the false- hood that tickles their vanity for the truth that might shock their self- love. Few persons, we fear, would look complacently on themselves if we had the power

"To see ourselves as others see

and the attempt to tell truth on canvas might lead to fresh icono- clastic assaults on pictures. The SOANES, whose conceit had been wounded by truth-telling Macsisrs, would declare" war to the knife," and sing in chorus, parodying the rogues' ditty,

" For Jerdan's sharp penknife shall set us at ease, And every ma led race shall he painted to please."

But all sitters are not old, ugly, foolish, and vain; and that same veil of blissful delusion which hides from us our moral ugliness, would prevent the individual from perceiving the latent defects of character indicated by the expression of the face. We dare say Mary Queen of Scots found no CSUie of offence in ZUCCHERO'S portrait, though all who knew her could trace in its features the character of the woman.

A view of the rest of the old pictures will form the subject of another notice, when opportunity serves.