REYNOLDS SETTLES IN LONDON.

In October, 1752, Reynolds returned to England, and after visiting Devonshire for a few weeks, at the solicitation of Lord Edgcumbe, the painter established himself in London, hiring a large house, No. 5, on the north side of Newportstreet, Long Acre, then inhabited partly by gentry. He had to surmount such opposition as genius is commonly doomed to meet with the boldness and freedom of his conceptions, and the brilliancy of his colouring, were innovations upon the old style of portrait manufacture which raised a swarm of objectors. Hudson, Reynolds's former master, vowed that he did not paint so well as when he left England; and another portrait-maker, who had studied under Kneller, said, “Ah! Reynolds, this will never answer. Why, you don't paint in the least like Sir Godfrey." This and other sharp treatment, in which the names of Lely and Kneller were frequently bandied, begat in Reynolds a dislike of these two popular painters, which he retained through life.

Reynolds was now abundantly employed, and soon gained celebrity. He painted the second Duke of Devonshire, and thus increased his fame. He next painted Commodore Keppel -a noble, whole-length portrait: he is represented just escaped from shipwreck, walking on the sea-beach in a storm, his hair dishevelled, and everything indicative of a high wind. The likeness is perfect; and in this picture Reynolds was the first English painter who ventured to enliven the backgrounds of his portraits by momentary action and expression.

REYNOLDS REMOVES TO LEICESTER SQUARE.

Early in the year 1760, Reynolds once more removed his residence to the house No. 47, on the west side of Leicester Square.* It appears from his pocket-book + for this year, that the house was purchased on the 3d of July, for we find the following entry, "house bought," and on the 11th of September, "paid the remainder of the purchase-money, 1,000l." We learn from Farington, that he gave 1,6507. for a lease of forty-seven years, and laid out 1,500l. more in the

* Called Leicester Fields until the year 1714, when it began to be called Leicester Square.-A Journey through England, 1724.

+Mr. Cotton's access to Sir Joshua's pocket-books for many years, has enabled him to give many interesting data in his work.

erection of a gallery and painting-room. The house was subsequently the residence of the Earl of Inchiquin, who married Miss Palmer, Sir Joshua's favourite niece, to whom he left the bulk of his large fortune, estimated at 80,000%. He was created Marquis of Thomond, and died in 1808. After the death of his widow, the Marchioness of Thomond, in 1821, her pictures, containing a larger number of Reynolds's works than had been before offered, were sold at Christie's; and there was a second sale of drawings, sketch-books, oil sketches, and unfinished pictures, by Sir Joshua. Three previous sales of his pictures by ancient masters, his own subjects and unclaimed portraits, and drawings and prints-in 1794, 1796, and 1798, produced nearly 17,000Z.

Allan Cunningham tells us that

Sir Joshua's study was octagonal, some 20 feet long, 16 broad, and about 15 feet high. The window was small and square, and the sill 9 feet from the floor. His sitter's chair moved on castors, and stood above the floor a foot and a-half. He held his palettes by handles, and the sticks of his brushes were 18 inches long. He wrought standing, and with great celerity; he rose early, breakfasted at 9, entered his study at 10, examined designs, or touched unfinished portraits till 11 brought a sitter, painted till 4, then dressed, and gave the evening to company.

After the death of the Marchioness of Thomond, the house in Leicester-square was let to the Western Literary and Scientific Institution, and during their occupation some premises in the rear of the house, in Spur-street, were taken down, and a Theatre built for the Society, from the designs of Mr. George Godwin, the architect. The house is now let to Messrs. Puttick and Simpson, the book-auctioneers.

PORTRAITS OF KITTY FISHER.

The beauty of this celebrated courtezan has been preserved on canvas by Reynolds, who painted her portrait several times. Her name occurs three times in his pocket-book for 1759;* and on the end leaf is : "Miss Fisher's portrait is for Sir Charles Bingham."

There is a pleasing portrait of Kitty, by Reynolds, at Petworth she has her arms crossed, and is apparently rumina

*In the same year Reynolds painted the celebrated beauty. Miss Gunning, (Duchess of Hamilton,) to look at whom the noble mob in the Queen's drawing-room clambered on tables and chairs.

ting on a letter which lies before her. and on the open fold of which is written: "My dear Kitty Fisher, June 9, 1782."

Another portrait of Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra dissolving the Pearl, is in the collection of the Earl of Morley, at Saltram. Some one wrote under it :

"To her fam'd character how just thy right!

Thy mind as wanton, and thy form as bright."

Kitty Fisher, we are told, spent in nine months 12,000%.: she lived in 1779, in Carrington-street, May Fair.

She appears to have been a favourite model of Sir Joshua's. A half-length, with doves, was sold in 1845 for 190 guineas, and sent to America. A repetition of this picture is in the collection of H. A. Munro, Esq.; and at Lansdowne House, there is a portrait supposed to be of the same person, a halflength with a bird. At the British Institution, in 1841, a portrait of Kitty Fisher was also exhibited by Lord Crewe. She was called a "huckaback" beauty through the exquisite pictures of her from the pencil of Reynolds.

PORTRAIT OF STERNE.

In the same year (1761,) that Reynolds exhibited the large equestrian portrait of Lord Ligonier, now in the National Gallery, he also exhibited the half-length of Sterne, seated, and leaning on his hand. This portrait was painted for the Earl of Ossory, and afterwards came into the possession of Lord Holland, on whose death, in 1840, it was purchased for 500 guineas, by the Marquis of Lansdowne. "This," says Mrs. Jameson, "is the most astonishing head for truth of character I ever beheld; I do not except Titian; the character, to be sure, is different: the subtle evanescent expression of satire round the lips, the shrewd significance in the eye, the earnest contemplative attitude,—all convey the strongest impression of the man, of his peculiar genius, and peculiar humour."

PORTRAITS OF GARRICK.

Garrick related to Reynolds that he once sat to Gainsborough, whose talents he did not admire, and whom he puzzled by altering the expression of his face. Every time the artist turned his back, the actor changed his countenance, till the former in a passion dashed his pencils on the floor, and cried, "I believe I am painting from the devil rather than a man!"

Garrick often sat to Reynolds for different portraits; and on one of these occasions complained wofully of the unceasing sarcasms of Foote. "Never mind him," replied the shrewd painter, "he only shows his sense of his own inferiority: it is ever the least in talent who becomes malignant and abusive."

COPIES AND ORIGINALS.

In 1763, the eminent portrait-painter, the Chevalier Vanloo, being in England, boasted to Reynolds of his accurate knowledge and experience in the works of the great masters: saying, he could never be deceived or imposed upon by a copy. Reynolds then showed him the head of an old woman, which he had himself copied from a picture by Rembrandt, asking his opinion of it, and was highly amused when Vanloo pronounced it to be an undoubted original.

Reynolds himself was very nearly deceived in the following instance, thus related by him in a letter to Mr. C. Smith, a nephew of Mr. Caleb Whiteford: "I saw the other day, at Mr. Bromel's, a picture of a child with a dog, which, after pretty close examination, I thought was my own painting; but it was a copy, it appears, made by you many years ago.'

Sir Joshua said of Gainsborough, that he could copy Vandyke so exquisitely, that, at a little distance, he could not distinguish the copy from the original.—Abridged from Cotton's Sir Joshua Reynolds and his Works.

CHARACTER IN PORTRAITS.

Of mere likeness in portraiture, says Cotton, Reynolds thought very little, and used to say that he could instruct any boy that chance might throw in his way, to paint a likeness in half-a-year; but to give an impressive and just expression and character to a picture, or to paint it like Velasquez, was quite another thing.— -"What we are all," he said, "attempting to do with great labour, he does at once."

REYNOLDS AND ROMNEY.

It may be said of Reynolds that he could not bear a rival near his throne. He had a great antipathy to Romney, who commenced his career in London by painting heads for four guineas. In 1763, he obtained the prize of the Society of Arts for his picture of the Death of Wolfe; but through the influence of Reynolds, the decision was reversed in favour of

a picture by Mortimer. Romney received a present of twentyfive guineas. This circumstance is said to have made Romney and Reynolds ever after enemies.

66

Romney became the acknowledged rival of the President in portraits. Northcote says: "Certain it is that Sir Joshua was not much employed in portraits after Romney grew in fashion." Lord Thurlow is also reported to have said: Reynolds and Romney divide the town: I am of the Romney fashion." These were factions of form and colour— the former being that of Romney.* Reynolds grew jealous of him, and spoke of him as "the man in Cavendish-square," where he lived in the house No. 32, afterwards Sir Martin Archer Shee's. Northcote represents Garrick as saying of Cumberland, the dramatist, "He hates you, Sir Joshua, because you do not admire the painter whom he considers a second Correggio." "Who is that?" said Reynolds. "Why, his Correggio," answered Garrick, "is Romney, the painter."

FRIENDSHIP OF REYNOLDS AND DR. JOHNSON.

Few men in the world have more highly appreciated the value of friendship, especially in exerting an important influence upon his mind, than Reynolds. From the friendship of Burke and Johnson he learnt much to supply the deficiencies of his early education. Although Johnson was profoundly ignorant of art, Reynolds derived much from him: "he qualified my mind," he says, "to think justly. The observations he made on poetry, on life, and on everything about us, I applied to our art, with what success others must judge." This mode of adapting the knowledge possessed by others to our own requirements is one of the greatest benefits which men derive from intercourse with each other.

To no one, perhaps, was Reynolds more indebted than to his countryman, the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, Vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth,—a man, (says Dr. Johnson,) “equally eminent for his virtues and abilities, at once beloved as a

* The secret was this. Romney had painted Lord Chancellor Thurlow, a whole-length, and a handsomer man than he had appeared in the halflength of Reynolds. Romney avoided all indication of the suppressed temper that was so apt to explode in violent paroxysms, and thus rendered his picture more acceptable to the original. But he missed what Reynolds alone could give-that extraordinary sapience which made Charles Fox say, "No man could be so wise as Lord Thurlow looked."-Leslie's Handbook, p. 301.