FINE ARTS.
SUFFOLK STREET GALLERY. (coxciarniin.)
J. SIMPSON has finished two portraits of the Duke of Gordon (6), and the Earl of Jersey (81), the heads of which were painted by the late Sir TIIONIAS LAWRENCE; and the arrangement and completion of the pic- tures are highly creditable to his skill and judgment. Mr. SIMPSON having been in the habit of painting for the law President, has -become acquainted with his style and manner, and may be suppused, therefore, to be peculiarly competent to the delicate and difficult task. This artist's portrait of J. Carew, Esq. (1C7) has good living character, and is cle- verly painted. R. B. FAur.x.x.en has a "Portrait of a Gentleman " (166), which is well drawn, and admirable for ease, nature, and expression : it has an air of animation, and a direct look, as though the individual bad turned to address some one ; and it possesses a calm intelligence which makes a portrait interesting and valuable. It is, in the full sense of the term, "a speaking portrait." Mr. PAU LKNElt has several other portraits of great merit—I36, 191, 120, &c.—which are natural in character and unpretending in style ; but we perceive- a tendency to brownness in the colouring of sonic of them, and a sketchiness also, which detracts from their pictorial merit. G. CLIN r, A.R.A. has two female portraits of great merit-158 and 165 ; the latter a likeness of Mrs. G. Lance, the expression of which is vividly portrayed, and. the face well modelled. There is a coldness and crudity about the colouring, which render it less pleasing as a picture; and the other, also, is low in tone, though otherwise well painted. J. LONSDALE has several portraits in his accustomed hard manner ; they seem cut out of cheese. That of Lord Chancellor Brougham, in his robes, is the most interesting; but Mr. LoNsDALE has not done justice to the learned Lord in this literal and somewhat vulgar likeness. The face Is more like wood than flesh ; and the hard lines, by means of which the fea- tures are made out, give. an exaggerated appearance to the peculiarities- of the Chancellor's physiognomy, almost amounting to a grave caricature. The best portrait by Mr. LONSDALE in this exhibition is, in our opinion, that of Mr. John Heath the engraver, because it has the force of likeness which the artist conveys in his best pictures, and less of that edgy manner which deforms too many of his productions. As examples of this beset- ting sin of Sir. Loxsom.E's portraits, we refer to 133 and S03 ; than which last we can conceive nothing more disagreeable. Mrs. W. CARPENTER'S "Portrait of a Young Lady" (206) is natural, easy, and bears' the appearance of being a true resemblance both as re- gards features and character : the hands are nicely painted, and the treatment of the picture is good ; it is simple and unaffected.
" Portrait of Miss E. Tree," by J. W. WRIGHT, is a pleasing repre- sentation of this interesting actress, and a well-painted picture. It is a fa face ; the flesh tints are clear and bright, and the eyes have living character: there seems to be somewhat of a poke in the position of the lead.
J. Wool) has one of his gaily-coloured portraits of a Lady (60). We -regret to see this young artist fascinated by the meretricious attractions of colour, to the detriment of his taste, as well as the nature of his pic- tures. " Sans Souci" (20), J. WARRINGTON, has very pretty expression. " The Rambler" (56), T. C. THOMPSON, is a clever portrait of a Gentle- man with a Dog. "An Interior, with a portrait of H. Bone, Esq., the enamel painter," by R. F. BONE (100), is also clever. We had marked, in addition, portraits by C. AMB ROSE (123 and 124) ; by F. HOWARD, of Captain Mingaye (244) ; by W. PATTEN, of a Child and Dog (414); by T. HOWELL (252) ; by H. HAWKINS (310); by R. S. E. GALLON (91) ; by J. H. MILLINGTON (216) ; by H. MEYER, of T. Webster, co- median (19); by G. Scorr, of a Girl and Pet Rabbit, hard, but good expression.
Among the pictures of Still-Life, we must include Miss HAGUE'S " Cottage Girl" (62). It is a very cleverly painted picture in this re- spect; but the child's face is too like the red earthenware. The most ex- traordinarily deceptive imitation is W. DERBY'S " Christmas Present" (233), which consists of a sirloin of beef, a couple of fowls, apples, rai- sins, &c. The beef is all but real, but the fowls are quite so : it is pro- vokingly clever. This class of subjects admits of such perfection of imitation, that we always regret having to praise so highly pictures of excellence in this department, lest success should invite rivalry and increase the number of aspirants to reputation in this lowest walk of art.
G. LA.Nes's "Larder" (220) is painted with his accustomed truth and vividness. He is not a literal painter of still-life; he does not merely imitate the objects, but makes pictures of them, and treats the subjects in a superior manner and a painter-like style. His " Fruit" (144), and " Wounded Heron" (308), are also excellent. LONSDAT.E junior has a picture of still-life (181), which possesses great neatness and brilliancy. G. STEVENS has several of his carefully finished pictures of Dead Game. But we have only been able to notice the more extraordinary specimens—all these subjects will find but too many admirers.
The Water-colour and Miniature Room we recommend to the atten- tion of the visiter, though we have not space to enter into a minute -examination of its contents. We would notice in particular some clever drawings by ROBERTS, four in a frame (749), and some clever .sketches of Trees (616), by him also. Miss F. CORBEAUE'S " Juliet's (709), and "Rebecca'' (742), are rather showy drawings of costume and accessories, than representations of the ideal persons they are in- tended for ; but in "The Shrew," an attempt is made to convey the expression of the characters, which is by no means unsuccessful.. These ambitions performances of a young lady deserve notice : we would, how- ever, counsel the fair artist to modify the gaudiness of her colouring, and attend more to the drawing and expression of her pictures, and also to the torrectneas• of the costumes—we would not have her promise spoiled by meretticimis taste. Miss M. A. Swart's." Countess of Leicester and Janet Foster" (756) is .a rich and beautiful drawing, and embodies Well the subject. D. M'CLISE has some clever portraits (761 and 796); J- HOLLAND, a masterly study of a " Greenwich Pensioner" (776); J. W. lAratour, an excellent drawing of "Miss E. Tree, as Christina, in the Youthful Queen " (777),—but it looks rather sickly in colour amidst the highly-coloured works around it; J. P. Kruonr, " An Itinerant Potter," with his old man's • face as before. There- are many other works worthy of notice, but our space precludes an enumeration of them. In the Sculpture Room, there is a grand display of Busts by Joscrn, most of which we have seen and noticed before : those of Dr. Baird and J. Laing, Esq. are simple, bold, and truthful representations of natural character. Much of the Sculpture also we have seen before : among the new busts are those of Mr. Hart Davis and Dr. Styles, by Boatows ; of Hayter senior, by T. SHARP; of W. J. Adams, Esq., by HENNING junior. R. W. Strusa's " Faun" (884) is a good ornamental figure. C. Rossi's " Musidora" is pretty, but the head is badly set on the shoulders ; his bust of the late G. Dance, RA., is rather hard, but we dare say is like. I'. M‘Downi.i.'s "Bacchus " is a graceful figure.
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