MAJOR'S Cabinet Gallery does not support its pretensions this month.
The St. John, after ANNIBALE Cananea in the National Gallery, and the Dutch Lady with Fruit, by Boa, are positively bad, and unworthy of the work. The Landscape called the Market Waggon, a fine picture by GAINSBOROUGH, now in the exhibition in Suffolk Street, is good as regards the effect. This landscape unites the wild and homely with the beautiful and poetical in scenery: it is a pleasing composition, and has a rich natural effect.
The Gallery of Portraits, for begety, cheapness, and interest, surpasses all similar works. We nowhere find such uniform excellence as is here combined. The finest portraits, by the best masters, of some of the greatest men, are engraved in a manner that admits of no improvement, either as regards the character of the likeness or the execution of the plate. Corneille and Sully—especially the latter—are noble heads, and admirably painted by old French artists. Halley is comparatively a feeble portrait by DAHL; we cannot think it like. Sully's clear, compact, and vigorous countenance, with its subtle expression, bespeaks the truth of the likeness. Comeille's bold manly features are tinged with fretfulness ; and Halley looks sour..
The Portraits of Modems in the National Portrait Gallery look very puling and feeble after these masculine intellects. Lord Palmerston's face has a milk-and-watery aspect in this stiff portrait by Lucas. Sir Thomas Trowbridge, after BEECHEY, is respectable. Jeremy Bentham's benevolent placidity and intelligence are poorly expressed in the portrait by WORTHINGTON, which is equally bad as a drawing. Ben.. tham was a fine subject for such a painter as JACKSON.
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