4 DECEMBER 1830, Page 20

NEW PORTRAITS.

Among the portraits lately published, are two good mezzotints; by C. TURS$n, of the Duke of Gordon, painted by J. M'KENzte ; and Wil. liaht Morgan, Esq., F.R.S., by Sir THoMAs LAWRENCE. Their only fault-iS the prevailing one in all Mr. TuassEtt's mezzotints—want of brilliaircv. A bola and clever profile sketch of J. Warton, engraved by P. C. LEWIS, from a drawing by Sir H. HOLLAND, possesses good character, and is interesting for the sake of the original, of whom we should judge it to be a striking likeness. We have also seen a very hard-featured resemblance of J. B. Cramer, in lithography, by SHARP ; a black-looking lithograph of Sir George Smart, by Hastaun Guli, after a painting by BRADLEY; and a very dis- agreeable portrait of Miss F. H. Kelly, as ". Marie Mignot," not im- proved by the dress or the ornaments in the hair. We will hope it does her injustice, on account of the expression of the eyes and the mouth: yet it is painted by a lady, Miss ELLEN Fainamitsf, and lithographed by HAMBURGER. The most extraordinary portrait, however, is a print professing to be " A true Likeness of our Saviour ! copied from the portrait carved on an emerald by order of Tiberius Caesar; which emerald the Emperor of the Turks (Bajazet II.) afterwards gave out of the treasury of Constantinople to Pope Innocent VIII. for the redemption of his brother, taken captive by the Christians." But we are suddenly trans. ported from Constantinople to Paternoster Row, and instead of Tiberius and Bajazet, we come in contact with Mr. SAMUEL BAGS T ER and N.. WHIT 'r OCK ; while by the same pantomimic process, the " emerald" is transmuted into worsted, which is in its turn translated into mezzotint ; for underneath the above account of the portrait, we read, " Drawn by N. Whittock, from an ancient tapestry in the possession of Mr. Samuel Bag,ster, and engraved on steel by J. Rogers." Not a few links are wanting in the chain of evidence to prove the tapestry a copy from the gem, even if we were to believe in the likeness of the emerald cut by some ancient Pistrucci. The tapestry picture (for we have seen it) is unquestionably ancient, and the character of the head resembles the re- ceived portraits of Jesus Christ in the flowing auburn hair and pointed. red beard, and also in the style of the features and their expression. The face is a profile, and does not therefore show the biparted beard, one of the characteristics of the pretended resemblances of our Saviour, which are as like each other as the various portraits of Shakspeare. The drawing is graceful ; the drapery is blue over a red vest or tunic. Miss LiNwoon should copy it in worsted : it is worthy that distinction as a fine fragment of tapestry. The mezzotint gives a very good idea of. the expression and general character of the tapestry, though the fea. tures are more prominent and strongly marked than in the original ; and the engraving is altogether too black and heavy to represent the light and faded colours of the worsted.