Lord Byron at the age of nineteen.
This is the portrait prefixed to the second volume of Mr. MoottE's Life of Lord Byron. It represents the noble poet in a sailor's dress, standing on the sea-shore, in an attitude of studied propriety, an atten- dant holding the bow of a.boat, and a vessel in the distance, with a back- ground of mountain scenery. The resemblance is flattered, with a look of mantling self-complacency ; and the hair is fresh from the toilet, glossy, and tastefully disarranged. The silk neckerchief floats on the gale with all the weight of lutestring ; the waistcoat and jacket flap open with nonchalance, to display the snowy cambric of the shirt ; and the trowsers flow with exemplary neatness and a restrained freedom, revealing the symmetrical form of the limbs, and falling negligently over broad- buckled shoes, fitted to two well-formed feet. In short, it is a very affected portrait. The engraving is elaborate, but, on the whole, heavy ; and is more remarkable for care than spirit in the execution. The poet's figure, however, is well brought out, and, with the face, is beautifully engraved.
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