RULES FOR CONNOISSEURSHIP IN PAINTING.
GOLDSMITH makes one of his characters say, that in order to pass for a connoisseur in painting, it was only necessary to observe, on viewing a picture, "that the artist might have done better if he had taken more pains ; and to praise the works of PIETRO PERUGII40." Since his time, however, the aspirants to this faculty, and the superficial admirers of the art, must mount at least two steps beyond this suggestion. A very few years ago, the perusal of some twenty catalogues raisonnes, a course of auctions at CHRISTIE'S and Plaittips's, and, above all, a frequent communion with picture-brokers and vampers, were fully sufficient to the desired end. Now, people have travelled; and they have been in great numbers at Rome, Dresden, Munich, and other places. Some of them, from the true impression of the perfect art—others from having their attention strictly called to the objects before them—have at least a notion of the scope of the several masters, and of their comparative merits : but still these are not recognized as connoisseurs—unless by those who cheat them in picture-dealing, or intend to do so.
We wished to have presented a synoptical plan of the short cuts to the knowledge which procures so much of gratifying consideration for those who can make either a munificent or a discreet use of it: but this was found very difficult. Another reflection, too, turned us from the attempt—we dreaded to incur the charge of partiality. De PILES was blamed for distributing relative excellences in such a way as to make the same total for RAPHAEL and for RUBENS ; and although neither nationality nor anything else would induce us to award an equal amount to the clear VAN DYE of other days, mid to the opaque (though meritorious) LAWRENCE of our own, yet such an arrangement might induce a suspicion of bias : beside all which, people might not understand the bases of the calculations, or they might suppose numerals to be inappropriate to the object. We shall therefore, with one exception, adopt precepts. These will bear analysis ; and we assure whomsoever may form pretensions upon them, that, although thus promulgated, they are of a stamp which will make them pass current and be deemed original on repetition, for very many years to come.
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