COPIES OP THE OLD PICTURES.
THE annual exhibition of the attempts made at copying the works of the Old Masters took place on Wednesday, at the British Institution; and, as usual, it was a melancholy sight. Among the few picture! " left for execution," were —that wonderful portrait of LORENZO Puccr. the Grand Penitentiary, ascribed to RAPHAEL; the little Spa. nish Prince, Don Balthazar, son of Philip the Fourth, by VELAsoeez; St. Francis and St. Jerome, by Aleatuo ; the Apotheosis of St. Paul, by Gesitemo; the large sea-piece by BACHIIUYSEN; and a CANALETTI. Of about a score copies of the VELASQUEZ, there was not one at all like it in feature, expression, or style of painting: in timer, none of the copyists seemed to know how to set about the task. The formidable dispenser of indulgences fared no better ; and the monks of Menit.so much worse. There were two or three clever approaches to the Dutch marine-piece, and the CANALETTI; but they were merely mechanical performances; and tbe rest were unmet!. tionably bad. As we have before said, it is sheer absurdity and waste of time for people " learning to paint " to copy the great masters. It is amazing to think how they can produce abortions so ludicrously unlike, and not be conscious of the failure : but, like the sculptor who actually chiselled a foot with six foes, without perceiving it till it was pointed out, we eimppwe they lo.e their sense of the whole in trying to imitate details. Indeed, we question the advantage of copying, under any circumstances,. as it system of study : it makes painters mere imitators of others' pecu. liarities. Free, slight sketches of fine pictures, are valuable as memo. randa; and it benefits the eye and band to make studies of the colour. jug and design of the great masters : but servile copying to any extent, especially of the works of any one master, tends to destroy originality. Instead of running after this and that master, and trying to do what they did, the student would be better occupied with endeavouring to imitate what he sees in nature, in his own way.
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