The life and writings of Henry Fuseli Volume I Part 15

Unfortunately for Fuseli, some of the newspapers of the day were so inimical to this exhibition that it was difficult for him to get an advertis.e.m.e.nt inserted, and even money would not induce the editors to give a place to any paragraph which his friends wished to insert in its favour. The beautiful lines (which will be found in the Appendix) from the pen of William Roscoe, Esquire, lay in the hands of the editor of a popular paper for some weeks before he gave them insertion.

The sum charged the public for viewing this Gallery was one shilling, and for the descriptive catalogue, sixpence. The receipts of the exhibition during the first month amounted only to one hundred and seventeen pounds, and the two succeeding ones were each even less than this sum; so that when it was closed, at the end of July, the whole of the money taken at the doors was not adequate to the payment of the rent of the premises and the expenses incurred for advertis.e.m.e.nts and attendants. Fuseli was somewhat dismayed by this, and thus expressed himself: "I have dreamt of a golden land, and solicit in vain for the barge which is to carry me to its sh.o.r.e." But the consciousness of his own merit did not allow him to sink under the disappointment; he determined to try the effect of another season, and laboured diligently upon pictures to be then added to the Gallery.

Barry, who was at this time professor of painting to the Royal Academy, had for a long period made himself obnoxious to the members, first by his undeserved attacks upon the works of his earliest and best friend in the art, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and afterwards by occasionally delivering in his lectures the most severe criticisms upon the works of living artists, and among others upon those of West, the then President, and Fuseli. The latter were, however, in some degree provoked by the frequent although just sallies of wit, which Fuseli employed on Barry's pretensions to learning. The President and Council of the Academy pointed out the impolicy of such proceedings, and indeed reprimanded Barry; but this, instead of checking, had the effect of increasing the violence of his abuse. A meeting of the whole body of the Academicians was consequently summoned, and they not only dispossessed him of the Chair as Professor, but expelled him the Academy. The Chair of the Professor of Painting being by this resolution vacant, Opie intimated an intention of offering himself as a candidate; but, upon being told that Fuseli intended to do the same thing, he immediately withdrew his name, paying at the same time this merited compliment to his genius and talents: "I would not," said he, "have surrendered my pretensions to any other artist but Fuseli," who was therefore elected on the 29th of June 1799. The powers which he had displayed in the pictures of "The Milton Gallery," his learning and well-known critical knowledge, were the causes which influenced the Academicians in their choice.

It has been insidiously a.s.serted, that after Fuseli left Zurich in 1779, he was not on friendly terms with the members of his family; and that they took little or no interest in the success of his efforts in the Fine Arts. The following translation of a letter from his eldest brother, Rodolph, proves the a.s.sertion to be unfounded.

"Vienna, May 7th, 1799.

"DEAREST BROTHER,

"Benedetti, the engraver, brought me last year, (in _September_,) a letter from you, in which you a.s.sured me of your unchanged, brotherly affection, and invited me to write to you sometimes, and to acquaint you with an opportunity of sending over to me some works of art. In October I answered your letter, and named at the same time two London printsellers, with whom the printsellers here, (Artaria and Co., and Mollo and Co.) are in correspondence. Half a year, however, has already elapsed, without my having heard from you. I can well understand that, pending the great work which you have undertaken, and will, I now hope, soon have finished, you may have had but little time for letter-writing; but I do not ask a formal letter of you, but only a line or two, to a.s.sure me you are well, and have not quite forgotten me. If, therefore, your fraternal love is not chilled, I hope to be gratified in this respect, before the scythe overtakes me, of which, at my time of life, when we are continually fancying we hear it behind us, one cannot be too distrustful.

"Much as I value your works of art, you must not think that what you promised me is the occasion of my now writing. No, my dear brother, I am not so selfish; your good health, and the success of your great undertaking, are to me matters of far greater concern than any works of art you could send me; and upon these two points I beseech you to set my mind at ease, be your letter ever so short.

"The affairs of our country wear a lamentably gloomy aspect; and I much fear that our fellow-countrymen will act as imprudently, and as awkwardly in the sequel, as they did at the commencement of the _Swiss Revolution_, thereby drawing a foreign power into the country. They then played a wretched part, and I only hope they will not do the same again. I do not know whether the new German books upon matters of art are to be had in London, or not; if you should meet with the first part of my Critical Catalogue of Engravings after cla.s.sical masters, peruse it with indulgence. The second part will be better managed. In characterising Rafael, Correggio, and t.i.tian, I have made use of the writings of Mengs; because I know that he has studied all his life after these three masters, and (in my opinion) writes philosophically on their styles of art; but for the rest, I confess, I do not consider Mengs to be that great artist which the world makes him, as laborious study is too evident in his works, and (according to my feeling) there is a _something_ in them of an undecided and timid character.

"We have materials here for the advancement of art, which are no where to be had better--the Court spends (even now in war-time) twenty-six thousand florins yearly on the Academy; we have casts of all ancient statues of importance, which were to be seen in Rome, Florence, or Portici; also of more than a hundred of the most beautiful busts; models of individuals distinguished for beauty of person, taken from the life; skeletons; moveable anatomical figures. The great rooms, like halls, are filled with collections of these kinds; stipends, premiums are given; and, in short, every thing that can be desired for the encouragement of a school of art is here; and, nevertheless, hitherto without having produced any apparent advantage; for, where there is no susceptibility for the beautiful, every thing is to no purpose, and will probably be always to no purpose.

"Your London publications are every where held in the highest esteem, especially on account of the elegance of their execution, and the typographical splendour of the impressions. But they are all so high in price, that a private individual of moderate means cannot buy any of them, and must content himself with looking at the best in the collections of the great and rich.

"_Fuger_, whom you may perhaps have known in Rome, is now director of the Academy of Arts here. He has exhibited a series of twenty designs from Klopstock's 'Messiah;' amongst which, some of particular interest. Our engravers, with the exception of Schmuzer, who has published four good prints from Rubens, are of no importance, and are for the most part to be looked upon as mere mechanics; and even if some of them have talent, they are obliged to engrave from insignificant things, in order to earn their bread.

"The other day, I found many people collected before the shop of my printseller, and staring at something in the window. I pressed through the crowd, and found your representation of "Hamlet's Ghost" was exposed in the window, of which all present, each in his way, were expressing their admiration. Now that I have prosed on to you of different things, I will spare you any more prosing.--Farewell, and be happy, and think sometimes, when in a good humour, of your ever-loving brother,

"Rodolph."

"If it should ever come into your head to write me a line, direct, Fuessli, on the Nienn Laurenzer-House, No. 34, on the first floor, in _Vienna_.

"N. B.--The _Nienn_ is a little river which flows by my house."

The "Milton Gallery" was re-opened on the 21st of March 1800; but as it did not attract the public, and as many of the members of the Royal Academy lamented deeply the ill success which attended it, and considered the apathy which was shown towards these grand specimens of art would in the end be fatal to the progress of history painting in this country, so they induced the Academy to which they belonged to come to the resolution of patronizing the undertaking, which caused the following circular to be issued:--

"Royal Academy, May 2, 1800.

"Messrs. Dance, Banks, and Opie, the Stewards, request the favour of your company to dine with the President, Council, and the rest of the Members of the Royal Academy, at the 'Milton Gallery,' on Sat.u.r.day, the 17th of May, at five o'clock.

"Tickets, price fifteen shillings, to be had at the 'Milton Gallery,' and at the 'Freemasons' Tavern,' till Sat.u.r.day, the 10th of August. Any Member desirous of introducing a friend, may be accommodated with a ticket for that purpose.

"The favour of an answer is desired as soon as possible."

This dinner was numerously attended; the seven pictures which had been added to those of the last exhibition were much admired; but all that Fuseli got on the occasion, to use his own terms, was "mouth honour."

The following are the subjects of the pictures which were not in the exhibition of the former year:--

PARADISE LOST.

PICTURE XLI.

SIN receiving the Key of h.e.l.l.

----Down they fell, Driven headlong from the pitch of heav'n, down Into this deep, and in the general fall I also: at which time this powerful key Into my hand was giv'n.

Book II. v. 771.

In the possession of Samuel Cartwright, Esq.

PICTURE XLII.

SATAN'S first Address to EVE.

----Eve separate he spies, Veil'd in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood, Half spy'd, so thick the roses blushing round About her glow'd, oft stooping to support Each flower of tender stalk, &c.

He bolder now, uncall'd, before her stood, But as in gaze admiring-- His gentle dumb expression turn'd at length The eye of Eve---- Book IX. v. 424, 523.

PICTURE XLIII.

ADAM and EVE meeting after her Seduction.

----By the tree Of knowledge he must pa.s.s, there he her met, Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand A bough of fairest fruit---- ----in her face excuse Came prologue, and apology too prompt, Which with bland words at will she thus addressed.

----The Serpent wise Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become Endued with human voice, and human sense.

----I Have also tasted, and have also found ----opener mine eyes, Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart, And growing up to G.o.dhead----

On the other side, Adam Astonied stood and blank---- From his slack hand the garland wreath'd for Eve Down dropt---- Book IX. v. 848.

ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF A FAIR INFANT.

PICTURE XLIV.

WINTER carrying off a Maid.

O fairest flow'r, no sooner blown but blasted!

Soft silken primrose, fading timelessly!

Summer's chief honour, if thou hadst out-lasted Bleak Winter's force that made thy blossom dry; For he, being amorous, on that lovely dye That did thy cheek envermeil, thought to kiss; But kill'd, alas! and then bewail'd his fatal bliss.

L'ALLEGRO.

PICTURE XLV.