Oleographs from De Neuville : 1, "Saving the Colours ;
" 2, "Last Sleep of the Brare."—M. de Neuville, the well-known French battle- painter, has just executed two pictures which are likely to have con- siderable popularity, representing, as they do, the scenes of one of the few incidents in the late Cape war to which Englishmen can look back with unmitigated satisfaction. The disaster, or rather the defeat, at Isandula, had its side-issues of victory ; and of these, the "Saving the Colours" by Lieutenants Melville and Coghill, and the subsequent death of these soldiers, was, perhaps, the most thrilling incident. English gentlemen who "sit at home at ease" could hardly help feeling sentimental, for a few minutes, over the story of how the two officers fought their way through the Zulus; how they rode away, wounded to the death, with the colours they bad saved ; and how they were found in the early morning lying dead, side by side, still holding the torn flag. The incident is one which requires no School-board to explain its meaning, or any philosophy to appreciate its beauty. It is just one of those sparks of derring-do, which help to make a tradition for the race, rather than obtain any very definite end. M. de Neuville has illustrated the moment when the heroes of this little drama are breaking their way through the masses of Zulus, and that, when they are being found dead by a troop of Lancers. We are writing of these with reproductions of the pictures in oleograph before us ; but we have seen the originals, and can testify to the fidelity of the copy. With the .exception of the' unpleasant, sticky quality that an oleograph always possesses, thew leave nothing to be desired ; they are as good of their kind as could well be desired. The artistic merit of M. de .Neuville's compositions we do not propose to enter upon, beyond saying that the work is manly and vigorous, and that the second picture (called "The Last Sleep of the Brave ") is a very touching one. The originals are on exhibition at Messrs. Dowdswell'e, hi Bond Street ; and the reproductions are published by Mr. Murdoch, of the National Fine-Art Association, Farringdon Road.
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