FINE ARTS.
ROYAL EXCHANGE STATUARY.
MR- LOUGH'S statue of Queen Victoria, just erected in the centre of the Merchants' Court, completes the show of statuary at the Royal Exchange —and is the crowning ugliness of the whole collection. The formal in- auguration of this colossal caricature of the Queen took place on Tuesday, the anniversary of the opening of the new building; and the uncovering of the marble effigy, we are told, was greeted with "loud cheers" by the Gresham Committee. Whether delight at the appearance of the statue had any share in this burst of loyalty, we can only guess; but the Ambu- latory has since resounded with very mocking echoes of the official gram- lations. The comments of the curious who have this week crowded to see their Sovereign on 'Change, would have proved amusing as well as edifying
they been noted down,—judging, at least, from the few passing remarks that we chanced to overhear.
The Queen in royal robes, wearing a regal diadem, (not the imperial crown,) stands bolt upright, with both hands extended; the right holding a copper sceptre so loosely that one wonders it does not slip through the fingers, and the left supporting (not grasping) a marble ball and cross. The expression of the face is " speaking," undoubtedly; but it seems to say, in angry remonstrance, "See what a figure you 'ye made of me! Is this proper treatment for the Queen of England?" And her Majesty has reason to complain; for the sculptor has libelled the Royal person in lime- stone, and converted the pedestal into a pillory. That the features are recognizable only aggravates the offence; for otherwise the statue might have been taken for a dumpy effigy of that "vast Queen" bight Dollollolla, in no very agreeable humour. If the sculptor wished to embody his idea of what Queen Victoria might be twenty years hence, he had no right to suppose that the lapse of time would convert our gentle lady into a mas- culine virago. Her own sex vote the likeness "frightful," and remark upon a deficiency of "bustle"; and the more than matronly amplitude of bust presents so strong a contrast to the flatness of the back that the profile of the torso is of a piano-convex form. The sceptre ought properly to be gilt; but perhaps it was thought that gilding might tempt some treacherous knave to snatch the emblem of regal sway from the hand that does not grasp it. Next to the Sovereign the illustrious founder of the Bourse claims atten- tion: a pleasanter but more difficult task; for the colossal statue of Sir Thomas Gresham is placed in a niche of the clock-tower, at such a height that one cannot get far enough from the East front to have a good view of it. This is the more to be regretted because it is really a good piece of sculpture, and the chef d'ceuvre of the artist, Mr. Behnes. The merchant prince in doublet and trunk-hose, wearing the short cloak and flat cap of his time, his ample beard falling over the starched ruff, stands leaning one hand upon a pile of books and papers, the other hidden beneath his cloak. The figure is bold, massive, and manly; the face is animated, and strongly marked with the sagacity and energy of Gresham's physiognomy; in short, it represents a real living man of a bygone age, worthy to be the type of the London merchants of old. The only good view of this statue is from the upper windows of the handsome range of red brick buildings opposite; and seen from thence the chief objection to the figure is the con- cealment of one hand behind the cloak. A statue much more than a por- trait, requires both hands to be visible. The bad effect of hiding one hand is shown in this instance by the figure appearing from one point of view as if the hands were tied 'behind its back.
The statues of Sir Hugh Middleton, by Joseph, 'and Sir Richard Whit- tington, by Carew, on the North front of the Royal Exchange, have been erected long enough to have struck every passer-by with their theatrical character. Old Sir Hugh looks like a stage-representative of some pro- found politician; while Dick Whittington might be mistaken for some Oriental despot at Astley's making a flaming speech to a group of captives. When will our sculptors learn to embody character and represent cos- tume with simplicity, avoiding the extremes of finical affectation of grace and vulgar assumption of dignity?
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