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cieling of Lord Radnor's gallery, and of my Gothic library, at Twickenham; the sides of Lord Strafford's eating-room in St. James's-square, from Raphael's loggie in the Vatican; and a cieling for Lord Northumberland at Sion. Clermont returned to his own country in 1754.

[ANTONIO] CANALLETTI,

Born 1697, Died 1768,

the well-known painter of views of Venice, came to England in 1746, when he was about the age of fifty, by persuasion of his countryman Amiconi, and encouraged by the multitudes of pictures he had sold to or sent over to the English.* He was

* [He etched fourteen views in Rome, published in 1735. His real name was CANALE, but after he had rendered himself famous for his views of Venice, he styled himself CANALETTO or Canaletti, for he used both designations. He was born in 1697, the son of a scene painter. At Rome he distinguished himself, and submitted a wild genius to the rules of art. When first he returned to Venice, he composed views so as to admit of the more celebrated buildings of Palladio, which were not strictly topographical. Joseph Smith, the English Resident at Venice, engaged Canaletti to work for him for a term of years at low prices, but retailed the pictures, at an enormous profit, to English travellers. The artist was aware of this injustice, and determined on a journey to England. Upon his arrival in London he was employed to make views on the river Thames, including St. Paul's, &c. Two of these are at Goodwood, Sussex. He had abandoned his bright Italian blue skies, and substituted for them, what indeed he saw, a dense English atmosphere. Finding that he could not paint Italian scenes,

then in good circumstances, and it was said came to vest his money in our stocks. I think he did not stay here above two years. I have a perspective by him of the inside of King's-college chapel.*

JOLI,

I think a Venetian, was in England in this reign, and painted ruins with historic figures, in the manner of Paolo Panini. At Joli's house I saw one of those pictures, in which were assembled as many blunders and improprieties as could be well contained in that compass. The subject was Alexander adorning the tomb of Achilles-on a gravestone was inscribed, Hic Jacet M. Achille, P. P. i. e. pater patriæ. The Christian Latin, the Roman M. for Marcus, the Pater Patriæ, and the Italian termination to Achilles, all this confusion of ignorance, made the picture a real curiosity.

excepting that they were before his eyes, he soon left this country to finish his commissions.

Mr. Smith's collection of gems, with many pictures by Canaletti and Zucharelli, was sold to his late Majesty for 20,000l. The "Dactyliotheca Smithiana," with dissertations by Gori, was published at Venice, in two volumes 4to. with engravings, in 1767.

Canaletti's works are not rare. The best of them perhaps are those in the Royal collection, and one purchased by Mr. Soane, the architect: Francesco Guardi, his scholar, and Marieschi, have imitated his manner very closely.

* [Of which Mr. Hawkins has a repetition.]

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GEORGE LAMBERT.

In a country so profusely beautified with the amænities of nature, it is extraordinary that we have produced so few good painters of landscape. As our poets warm their imaginations with sunny hills, or sigh after grottoes and cooling breezes, our painters draw rocks and precipices and castellated mountains, because Virgil gasped for breath at Naples, and Salvator wandered amidst Alps and Appenines. Our ever-verdant lawns, rich vales, fields of haycocks, and hop-grounds, are neglected as homely and familiar objects. The latter, which I never saw painted, are very picturesque, particularly in the season of gathering, when some tendrils are ambitiously climbing, and others dangling in natural festoons; while poles, despoiled of their garlands, are erected into easy pyramids that contrast with the taper and upright columns. In Kent such scenes are often backed by sand-hills that enliven the green, and the gatherers dispersed among the narrow alleys enliven the picture, and give it various distances.

Lambert,* who was instructed by Hassel, and at first imitated Wootton, was a very good master in the Italian style, and followed the manner of

* There is a print by Smith of one John Lambert, Esq.; painting an historic piece, from a portrait done by himself: I do not know whether he was related to George Lambert.

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