But

the early part of his life had been in England. At the age of 22 Dahl was brought over by Mr. Pouters, a merchant, who five years afterwards introduced Boit from the same country. After a year's residence here, Dahl continued his travels in search of improvement, staid about a year at Paris, and bestowed about three more on the principal cities in Italy. At Rome he painted the portrait of P. F. Garroli, a sculptor and architect, under whom Gibbs studied for some time. it was more flattering to Dahl to be employed by one that had been his sovereign, the famous Queen Christina. As he worked on her picture, she asked what he intended she should hold in her hand? He replied, a fan. Her majesty, whose ejaculations were rarely delicate, vented a very gross one, and added, "a fan! give me a lion; that is fitter for the Queen of Sweden." I repeat this, without any intention of approving it. It was a pedantic affectation of spirit in a woman who had quitted a crown to ramble over Europe in a motley kind of masculine masquerade, assuming a right of assassinating her galants, as if tyranny as well as the priesthood were an indelible character, and throwing herself for protection into the bosom of a church she laughed at, for the comfortable enjoyment of talking indecently with learned men, and of living so with any other men. Contemptible in her ambition by abandoning the happiest opportunity of per

forming great and good actions, to hunt for venal praises from those parasites the litterati, she attained, or deserved to attain, that sole renown which necessarily accompanies great crimes or great follies in persons of superior rank. Her letters discover no genius or parts, and do not even wear that now trite mantle of the learned, the affectation of philosophy. Her womanish passions and anger display themselves without reserve, and she is ever mistaking herself for a Queen, after having done every thing she could to relinquish and disgrace the character.*

Dahl returned to England in 1688, where he found Sir Godfrey Kneller rising to the head of the profession, and where he had yet merit enough to distinguish himself as no mean competitor. His colouring was good, and attempting nothing beyond portraits, he has certainly left many valuable pictures, especially as he did not neglect every thing but the head like Kneller, and drew the rest of the figure much better than Richardson. Some of Dahl's works are worthy of Riley. The

* [The Memoirs of Q. Christina, of Sweden, have been published in four very large volumes, in 4to. by Archenholtz, Librarian to the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. He has printed 220 of the Royal Epistles, and two original works, 1. "Ouvrage de loisir, Maximes et Sentences," 2. " Reflexions sur la vie et les actions du Grand Alexandre," to whom, in her conversations, she had a habit of comparing herself. Her life and memoirs have engaged other authors, but the best is that by Lacombe, 1762, 12mo.]

large equestrian picture of his sovereign Charles the eleventh at Windsor has much merit, and in the gallery of admirals at Hampton-court he suffers but little from the superiority of Sir Godfrey. In my mother's picture at Houghton there is great grace, though it was not his most cominon excellence. At Petworth are several whole lengths of ladies by him extremely well coloured.* The more universal talents of Kneller and his assuming presumption carried away the croud from the modest and silent Dahl, yet they seem to have been amicable rivals, Sir Godfrey having drawn his portrait. He did another of himself, but Vertue owns that Sir Godfrey deserved the preference for likeness, grace, and colouring. Queen Anne sat to him, and Prince George was much his patron.

Virtuous and esteemed, easy in his circumstances and fortunate in his health, Dahl reached the long term of eighty-seven years, and dying October 20, 1743, was buried in St. James's church. He left two daughters, and about three years before lost his only son, who was a very inferior

* [These portraits, which merit Mr. W's commendation, are 1, Lady Anne Hervey, daughter of Ralph, Duke of Montagu. 2. Barbara Talbot, Lady Longueville. 3. Rachel Russel, Duchess of Devonshire. She was the daughter of William Lord Russel. 4. Anne Capel, Countess of Carlisle. 5. Margaret Sawyer, Countess of Pembroke. 6. Mary Somerset, Duchess of Ormond. 7. Juliana Allington, Lady Howe. 8. Jane Temple, Countess of Portland.]

painter, called the younger Dahl, but of whose life I find no particulars among Vertue's collections.

PETER ANGELIS

worked in a very different style from the two preceding painters, executing nothing but conversations and landscapes with small figures, which he was fond of enriching with representations of fruit and fish. His manner was a mixture of Teniers and Watteau, with more grace than the former, more nature than the latter. His pencil was easy, bright, and flowing, but his colouring too faint and nerveless. He afterwards adopted the habits of Rubens and Vandyck, more picturesque indeed, but not so proper to improve his productions in what their chief beauty consisted, familiar life. He was born at Dunkirk in 1685, and visiting Flanders and Germany in the course of his studies, made the longest stay at Dusseldorpe, enchanted with the treasures of painting in that city. He came to England about the year 1712, and soon became a favourite painter; but in the year 1728 he set out for Italy, where he spent three years. At Rome his pictures pleased extremely, but being of a reserved temper, and not ostentatious of his merit, he disgusted several

* After making an auction of his pictures, amongst which were copies of the four markets, then at Houghton, by Rubens and Snyder.

by the reluctance with which he exhibited his works his studious and sober temper, inclining him more to the pursuit of his art, than to the advantage of his fortune. Yet his attention to the latter prevented his return to England as he intended, for stopping at Rennes in Bretagne, a rich and parliamentary town, he was so immediately overwhelmed with employment there, that he settled in that city, and died there in a short time, in the year 1734, when he was not above forty-nine years of age. Huyssing painted his picture while he was in England.

ANTONY RUSSEL

Is recorded by Vertue, as one of Riley's school, [consequently a painter of portraits] as were Murray and Richardson, though he owns with less success and less merit: nor does he mention any other facts relating to him, except that he died in July 1743, aged above fourscore. I should not be solicitous to preserve such dates, but that they sometimes ascertain the hands by which pictures have been painted-and yet I have lived long enough since the first volumes of this work were printed, to see many pieces ascribed to Holbein and Vandyck in auctions, though bearing dates notoriously posterior to the deaths of those masters: such notices as these often helping more men to cheat than to distinguish.