But the proper idea of a devil has fuch an excefs of evil in it as cannot be exaggerated; in all fuch cafes it is fufficient if all be done that can be done. The painter muft fhew what he aims at, he must give him that fees the picture all the affiftance he can, and then leave him to fupply the reft in his own imagination. There are other characters which though inferior to thefe are fo noble, that he must be a happy man who can conceive them juftly, but more fo if he can exprefs them: fuch are those of Mofes, Homer, Xenophon, Alcibiades, Scipio, Cicero, Rafaelle, &c. If we fee thefe pretended to be given in picture, we expect to fee them Comely, and in act Raifed, as of Jome great matter to begin. As when of old fome orator renowned In Athens, or free Rome, where eloquence MILTON. We expect all that greatnefs, and grace I have been recommending; all is neceffary here in order to fatisfy us that the hiftory is truly related: as the pleasure we take in having our minds filled with fine and extraordinary ideas is a fufficient reafon for raifing all the more inferior characters. Life would be an infipid thing indeed if we never faw or had ideas of any thing but what we commonly fee; a company doing what is of no confequence but to themfelves in their own little affairs; and to fee fuch in picture can give no great pleafure to any that have a true, and refined tafte. A history painter muft defcribe all the various characters, real, or imaginary; and that in all their fituations, pleafed, grieved, angry, hoping, fearing, &c. A face-painter has to do with all the real characters, except only fome few of the meaneft, and the moft fub lime, but not with that variety of fentiments as the other. The whole bufinefs of his life is to defcribe the golden age, when Univerful Pan Knit with the graces, and the hours in dance Led on th' eternal Spring. Every one of his people must appear pleased, and in good humour, but varied fuitably to the railed character of the perfon drawn; whether this tranquility and delight be fuppofed to arife from the fight of a friend, a reflection upon a scheme well laid, a battle gained, fuccefs in love, a confcioufnefs of one's own worth, beauty, wit, agreeable news, truth discovered, or from whatever other caufe. If a devil were to have his portrait made, he must be drawn as abftracted from his own evil, and ftupidly good; (to ufe Milton's words once again.) If fome grave characters require an air of thoughtfulness, as if engaged in a diligent search after truth, or in fome important project, they must however not appear displeased, unless in fome rare instances, as Van Dyck has put fomething of forrow in one picture of his unfortunate patron King Charles I. (I mean that at Hamptoncourt) which I believe was done when he was entering into his troubles, and which is therefore in that refpect hiftorical. general, the painting room must be like Eden before the fall, like Arcadia, the joy lefs, turbulent paffions must not enter there. In Thus to raise the character: to divest an unbred perfon of his rufticity, and give him fomething at least of a gentleman. To make one of a moderate fhare of good fenfe appear to have a competency, a wife man to be more wife, and a brave man to be more fo, a modeft, difcreet woman to have an air fomething angelical, and fo of the reft; and then to add that joy, or peace of mind at least, and in fuch a manner as is fuitable to the feveral characters, is absolutely lutely neceffary to a good face-painter: but it is the most difficult part of his art, and the laft attained; perhaps it is never fo much. as thought of by fome: all that they aim at is to make fuch a likeness of the face as fhall be known immediately, and that it be young, fair, and handfome; and frequently thofe for whom the pictures are made expect no more; whether the characters of wifdom, or folly be impreffed upon them it matters not. Accordingly we fee portraits which are perfe&t burlesques upon the minds of the perfons drawn; a wife man shall appear with the air of a fop; a man of fpirit, and wit, like a fmart, or a pretty fellow; a modeft ingenious man like a beau, a virtuous lady as a mere coquet. The late Duke of Buckingham when he heard a lady commended for her goodness, fwore fhe was ugly; because beauty being a woman's top-character, he concluded that would have been infifted on if there was any ground for it. A painter fhould observe, and pronounce ftrongly the brighteft part of the character of him he draws. To give an air of youth, and gaiety to the portrait of one who is entitled to nothing higher is well enough; but to overlook a noble and fublime character, and fubftitute this in the place of it is deteftable. The only fuppofing a man capable of being pleafed with fuch a piece of falfe flattery, is a lampoon upon his underftanding. Nor is the beauty of the face, and perfon, whether as to the age, features, fhape, or colour to be unregarded, or (where it can be done) unimproved: indeed fomething of this will naturally fall in when the mind is expreffed, which cannot be done to advantage without giving fome to the body. But the face-painter is under a greater conftraint in both refpects. than he that paints hiftory; the additional grace, and greatnefs he is to give, above what is to be found in the life, muft not be thrown in too profufely, the refemblance must be preferved, and appear with vigour; the picture must have both. Then it may be faid, that the gentleman, or lady makes a fine, or a handfome picture but the likenefs not being regarded it is not they, but the painter that makes it; nor is there any great difficulty in making fuch fine pictures. I was lately obferving with a great deal of pleasure how the ancients had fucceeded in the three feveral ways of managing portraits I happened to have then before me (amongst others) feveral medals of the Emperor Maximinus, who was particularly remarkable for a long chin: one medal of him had that, but that the artist might be fure of a likeness he had exaggerated it: another had a mind to flatter, and he had pared off about half of it: but thefe as they wanted the juft refemblance, fo there was a poverty in them; they were deftitute of that life, and spirit which the other had, where nature feems to have been more closely followed. In making portraits we must keep nature in view; if we launch out into the deep we are loft. Even a copy after a picture from the life, though done by the fame hand, fhall want fomething which the original has; for here is one remove from nature, a copy from this copy fhall fill be worfe: and fo on. What it is that gives the grace and greatness I am treating of, whether in hiftory or portraits, is hard to fay. The following rules may however be of fome use on this occafion. The airs of the heads must especially be regarded. This is commonly the first thing taken notice of when one comes into company, or into any public affembly, or at the first fight of any particular perfon; and this firft ftrikes the eye, and affects the mind when we fee a picture, a drawing, &c. The fame regard muft be had to every action, and motion. The figures muft not only do what is proper, and in the most commodious manner, but as people of the best fenfe, and breeding (their character being confidered) would, or fhould perform fuch actions. The painter's people must be good actors; they must have learned to to use a human body well; they must fit, walk, lie, falute, do every thing with grace. There must be no awkward, heepish, or affected behaviour, no ftrutting, or filly pretence to greatnefs; no bombaft in action: nor muft there be any ridiculous.contorfions of the body, nor even fuch appearances, or fore-fhortnings as are difpleafing to the eye, though the fame attitude in another view night be perfectly good. Not that it is poffible that every part of a picture, or even of a fingle figure can be equally well disposed; fomething may not be as one might with it; yet in the main it may be better than if it were otherwife; more may be loft than gained by the alteration; it is here as it is in life; we are frequently uneafy under certain circumftances, but those being removed, we with ourselves as we were before; the present grievance ftrikes ftrongly on our minds, we either do not fee, or are not fo lively affe&ted with the confequences of a change. The contours must be large, fquare, and boldly pronounced to produce greatnefs; and delicate, and finely waved, and contrasted to be gracious. There is a beauty in a line, in the fhape of a finger, or toe, even in that of a reed, or leaf, or the most inconfiderable things in nature: I have drawings of Giulio Romano of fomething of this kind; his infects, and vegetables are natural, but as much above thofe of other painters as his men are: there is that in these things which common eyes fee not, but which the great mafters know how to give, and they only. The draperies muft have broad maffes of light, and fhadow, and noble large folds to give a greatnefs; and thefe artfully fubdivided, add graces. As in that admirable figure of St. Paul preaching, of which I have already spoken, the drapery would have had a greatnefs, if that whole broad light had been kept, and that part which is flung over his fhoulder, and hangs down his back had been omitted; but that adds alfo a grace. Not only the large folds, and maffes |