PORTRAITS.
Mr. Wittlx, whose portraits in crayons of the size of life have been so much and justly admired for their boldness of style and force of resemblance, has availed himself of his practice in lithography to put 11;s skill in the use of the crayon to the severest test, by drawing portraits of a smaller size upon the stone from the life, without an intermediate sketch. The great advantage of this mode is, that every impression is an original ; and the feeling and spirit of the drawing are not lost, as is too often the case where a copy has to be made, though
it be by the artist himself, who can rarely produce a perfect fac-simile even of his own work. • This practice is not uncommon among the Continental artists, who are in general perfect masters of' the crayon—. many of GREVEDON'S beautiful heads, which are admirable for breadth of style and purity of tint, being drawn in this way ; but among English artists, who are as remarkable for their deficiency of skill in this respect as their Continental brethren are for their proficiency, Mr. Wrtrist, we believe, has alone been successful in this difficult accomplishment. His portraits of the Duke of Devonshire, the Marquis of Stafford, Lords Leveson Gower, Uxbridge, &c., are favourable specimens of his style, which is fleished and effective. Among the portraits of others of the nobility, there. are two or three recently engraved from pictures by LavaExcE, the most beautiful of which is a mezzotint, by COUSINS, of the Countess Gower and Infant ; the original of which IS one of the painter's most successful and charming productions. An engraving of it in miniature appeared in one of the Annuals ; the present is of a size to correspond NVith the series of full-length portraits from LAWRENCIL The heads both oftnother and child are beautifully true to the original, and the flesh tints are such as no other mezzotint engraver can produce.
The portrait of Sir RobertPeel's Lady, which also adorned one of the Annuals, has been brilliantly rendered in mezzotint, on a larger scale, by Cousixs, in his best style; and it forms a very attractive print.
That excellent likeness of the Duke of Bedford, one of the best heads painted by LAWRENCE, both as regards style and expression, has been engraved on a small scale by DEAN, in his finest manner, and with great fidelity of resemblance. The plate is intended to illustrate a forthcoming work of Historical Memoirs of the House of Russell; but a few proofs are published separately. LANE has made a lithographic sketch, from a portrait by LAWRENC4* of Lady Harriet Chive; which is not distinguished by his usual deli- cacy of style. His more finished drawing of Lady Mary Dundas, front GEORGE HArrEn, has a rich broad effect, and is an attractive picture. The lady is playing on the harp (though her look is not in accordance with the action); and the print is not very felicitously entitled "La Musique." A. characteristic portrait of 'Wordsworth, by BOXALL, Will be wel- come to all the admirers of the poet. Its expression (a rare quality in modern portraits) enhances the value of the resemblance ; and in this re- spect the mezzotint is worthy of BROMLEY, though it is positively muddy..
LINNELL has engraved, in mezzotint, his admirable portrait of Callcott the painter, in a style and with a spirit of fidelity worthy of his talent. His likenesses are exact; forcible and true in feature and expression. Besides a lithographic sketch, by SLATER, of Sir James Mackintosh,' we have also a group of Musical Portraits. • Horsley, lithographed by LANE, from an excellent likeness by one of the composer's, family; F. Cramer, a delicate lithograph by ST.ATER ; and J. B. Cramer and the Chevalier Neukomm, nicely engraved by Hot!. from Wrvrtn's drawings, in the same style as those, by the same artist, of Welsh and his pupil Miss Shirreff, Parry junior, &c. . WrvEr.t.'s likenesses are ,excellent; forcible in style, and with a reality of character that strikes common observers, while it pleases artists also. A portrait of Barry Cornwall, is being engraved as a pendant print to that of Neukomm. A lithographic sketch of Madame Schroeder-Devrient, as Leonora in Fidelio, conveys a good general idea of the appearance of that delight.. fully natural and powerful actress. It is great praise of the likeness to say, that it did not suffer much by comparison with the vivid impres- sion made by that fine performance. The artist (whose name is not given) evidently comprehended-its spirit and beauty.
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