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numerous, and none can tell how many of those piers and door pieces are his which are discovered in Paris every day at the demolition of old houses. Although in painting he was Watteau's son, he was, nevertheless, his contemporary. Like the painter of Valenciennes, he had studied in the studio of Gillot. He left it to rejoin Watteau, just as the latter had obtained the brevet rank of Peintres des Fêtes Galantes. Without following in the track of this great artist, Lancret followed him in a more modest side path, which led equally to the Academy. He was received there, as we have already said, under the same title as the founder of his school. He did not marry till he was fifty-two years of age. object of his choice was the daughter of the poet Boursault, the author of "Esop at Court;" but he died two years after the union, on the 14th of September, 1743. In spite of the tortures which he inflicted upon the straight line, Lancret will live even for his defects. He was another Watteau, colder and more diminutive perhaps than the original; but

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agreeable, civilised, and historical. How can he perish when his theme was gallantry, his contemporaries the madcaps of

With Lancret the French school of painters, whose pencils were dedicated to love and gallantry, may be said to have

expired. Those who came after him were too gross to entitle them to a place in the same category with him and Watteau. When he died, the sentiment of old France died with him, and the debauchery, unrelieved by one ray of taste or elegance, which ended in the revolution, except we allow it to have received a temporary blow from the amiable and unfortunate Louis XV., began to have free course. The painter of this latter period was Boucher; but how great the contrast between his creations and those of the amiable painter of the fêtes galantes. He admired him, studied him, copied and engraved him, it is true, and perhaps displayed no less talent; but he had fallen on a more evil time. The one belonged to an age in which vice was compelled at least to veil itself, and be pastoral and Arcadian; but the other, to an age in which decency was outraged to the last degree. In the works of Watteau, Lancret, and Boucher, we have a full history of the reigns of Louis XIV. and Louis XV. We see in them follies,

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gaieties, weaknesses, and virtues or the old regime. The picture is a sad one, no doubt; but there is a vast difference between the frailty of Mademoiselle de la Vallière, and the licentiousness of Pompadour and Dubarry. No one can ever read the story of the first without some touch of admiration and regret; but no one ever mentions the two last without regret. The simplicity, constancy, and truthfulness of La Vallière, her sorrowful and repentant end, are all full of an interest which the blasé weariness of Pompadour, or the horrible death of Dubarry, can never afford. The two last were the goddesses of Boucher, while Lancret was inspired by the elegance of De Prie, and the beauty and grace, rather than the license, of the court of the Grand Monarque. Lan

grown stones, picturesquely disposed, perhaps, but nothing more: he saw the moss which time had planted on them, but was blind to the halo with which history had enveloped them; and gladly did he take leave of the former abodes of the illustrious dead, in order once more to indulge in the light, frivolous, and profligate amusements of a generation of powdered triflers, who knew not the real value of life till they heard it from the lips of death itself, at the outbreak of that terrible revolution which their vices had had so great a share in bringing about.

But supposing what we say as to the picture of the old regime presented by these three painters being a true and faithful one being correct, what a horrible picture it is, refine

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cret, we know, was an enthusiastic admirer of the old masters, and could, when he pleased, infuse into his conventional formalism some portion of admiration for stirring remi. niscences, great names, or ennobling memories. But it was not so with Boucher. When he went to Rome, he found nothing to interest him there. For him the ruins of the imperial city-for him the streets through which the mighty Cæsar once swept along, in all the pride and pomp of a Roman triumph, to the capitol-for him the Forum, in which Cicero once held his hearers fascinated as by an irresistible spell-for him the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and all the other monuments of a sovereign race now passed away for ever, possessed no charms, nor caused any other sensation in his breast than what would be produced by mere heaps of moss

or gloss over it as we may! What astonishment should we not feel at the blind stupidity which deplores the revolution as a calamity for the human race-at the shortsightedness of the great orator who saw in it the destruction of chivalry and of manly sentiment. Even if all we hear and know of the miseries of the people, of the reckless waste of the public money, of the corruption which reigned in every department of the administration, were totally untrue, the downfall of a socie.y in which such manners prevailed in private was a blessing and a cause for rejoicing.

"Lancret, Boucher, and Carle Vanloo," says Gault de St. Germain, "were the three artists who furnished most abundant materials to the Tremblins and the Beccots-picturedealers, who lived in the houses formerly covering the Pont

Nôtre Dame. These dealers were famous for the quantity of rubbish which they got manufactured after the designs of Lancret and Boucher to go over doors, or over mirrors, and after those of Carle Vanloo for country churches. The traced outline adopted in these establishments, and which the unhappy artists, who got their bread by working there, were obliged to follow, was filled up in a colouring raw and bright, laid on smoothly and without any sign of touch or execution. The word daub (croute) was supplanted by that of Pont Nôtre Dame,' more expressive at that time, since it recalled the bad taste which prevailed there, and which some artists, who commenced in these shops, afterwards carried into the Academy."

In the first volume of the "Archives of French Art," published at Paris in 1852, there is a curious fragment, which we extract, relative to this painter. The precise period to which it refers has been ascertained by M. Mantz.

"During the queen's journey, a great many accidents took place, particularly between Provins and Montereau, where the second of the ladies' carriages stuck fast in the mud to such a degree that it could not be extricated.

"Six of the court ladies were therefore obliged to get into a cart filled with straw, though they were in full costume, and had their hair dressed; the six ladies must be represented as grotesquely as possible, in the style in which calves are carried to market, and the attendants must be made as ragged as, possible.

"There must be another lady upon a cart-horse, harnessed in the usual way, but very lean and tired; and another across another cart-horse, like a sack, her hoop raised so high above the panniers that you may see her garters; all accompanied by some cavaliers who have been upset in the mud, and taterdamalions holding lighted wisps of straw as torches.

"The carriage must be seen in the distance, stuck in the mud; and the whole scene must have as much grotesqueness and absurdity as the painter can put into it."

In the margin the following appears, in the handwriting of the eighteenth century:-" Copied from the original sent by the Duke d'Antin to the Sieur Lancret, who has executed the drawing." From this, however, M. Mantz has managed to extract conclusions, of the accuracy of which there can hardly be any doubt. The fragment relates to the journey made by Maria Leczinska, in 1725, for the purpose of joining her future husband, Louis XV., at the Tuileries. The Duke d'Antin was then Superintendent of Buildings, and it would have fallen within the sphere of his duty to order Laneret to execute a painting for the amusement of the young king and the court ladies. The heroines of the episode were the élite of the nobility-Tallard, Bethune, D'Epernon, De Prie, De, Matignon, De Nesle-and to have seen them all in this plight, marchionesses, duchesses, and all, stuck in the mud, their hair dishevelled, their hoops raised, and their legs displayed, assisted by boors and lighted with straw, must have given a very lively turn to the wedding gossip, and furnished subject matter for merriment even to the ladies themselves, who, having started from Chantilly in the royal carriages, little expected to come back in carts, "in the way in which calves are carried to market."

It is Lancret's good fortune to have been reproduced by engravers as able as himself, and who, moreover, rendered immortal the splendid works of his master. Jacques Philippe Lebas, Cochin, De Larmessin, Consinet, George F. Schmidt, of Berlin, have engraved Lancret's finest works, and we might almost say that he loses nothing by the transition. The principal engravings after him are:

"The Agreeable Conversation," by Jacques Philippe Lebas. This was the name given to Lancret's reception piece at the Academy. It was previously known as Country Amuse

ments."

"The Italian Repast," by the same.

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"The Game at Blind Man's Buff," by C. N. Cochin. "Mesdemoiselles Sallé and Camargo, executing pas in a

Garden, surrounded by Musicians," by De Larmessin. This is one of the painter's best works, and is a real picture, though he only intended to make a portrait of it.

"One should never consider," by the same engraver. "The Gascon Punished," "The Maidservant Justified," "The Five Senses," by the same.

"The Amorous Turk," by G. F. Schmidt, of Berlin. "The Beautiful Greek," by the same.

"The Mill of Quinquengrogne," by Elizabeth Crasinet. "The Ages and the Elements," by Desplaces, Tardieu senior, Benoit Audran, jun.

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Lancret's drawings are very like those of Watteau, but they display greater finish; and for that very reason, perhaps, have less freedom and warmth. "His figures," says Argenville, are not wanting in length; and in this he has surpassed Watteau." He shows, however, correctness, lightness of touch, and gracefulness. His love for his art caused him to enter into the minutest details. The style of his paintings may serve to indicate that of his drawings.

The works of Lancret, in forty-six pieces-a far greater number is counted at the present day-were sold for only about £2 10s. at the Lorangère sale, under the direction of Gersaint, in 1744, a year after the painter's death. At the present day, these same engravings would bring four or five times that

sum.

At that same sale, two of Lancret's paintings, one representing thieves plundering a traveller, only reached about £3 5s.; but it is right to add, that "The Chateau of Teniers," one of Teniers' works, sold, on the same occasion, for only about £8 16s. At the Lalive de Jully sale, in 1770, a "A Pic-nic," engraved by Moitte, reached little more than £8.

Like those of Watteau, which at the same time were hardly any dearer, Lancret's paintings were for a long time sold as screens for fire-places.

In 1845, at the Vasserot sale, "The Pleasures of Angling” sold for £52, and "The Archers" for £16.

In the same year, at the Cypierre sale, three of Lancret's paintings were sold:-1. "A Fancy Ball in the Rotunda at Trianon," £129; 2. "A Ball in the Garden at Trianon," £146; 3. "A Young Shepherdess," life size, in a landscape, £20.

PRACTICAL AND ORNAMENTAL ART.

ONE prominent effect of the Great Exhibition was that of showing more clearly than before, that in the arts of ornamentation and design England was far behind her continental neighbours, and that she might learn much even from the study of ornamental works produced by the rice-fed and half-naked Indian artisan. Englishmen saw-not with-. out regret that though pre-eminent as manufacturers, and famous all over the world for cheapness and good workmanship, they were no match for other countries in point of elegance and taste; and that unless some great effort was made with a view to improvement in these respects, they would, at no distant period, be in danger of losing their proud position as manufacturers for the rest of inankind. Thinking men perceived this, journalists were not slow to make the fact patent in print, capitalists and employers of labour saw it, government also observed it, and took the only course left open to them, which was to raise up and educate, in the true principles of decorative art, an army of young men and women, so that, in a few years, England might regain the ground it had lost, and once more go into the markets of the world with not only the cheapest but the best of goods.

It was thus that the Museum of Practical and Ornamental Art came to be formed. A parliamentary grant of £5,000 was placed at the disposal of the Board of Trade for the purchase of articles from the Great Exhibition; a committee of taste, consisting of Mr. Pugin, the architect (since deceased), Mr. Owen Jones, Mr. Redgrave, R.A., and Mr. Cole, C.B., was formed, with power to select and purchase from the Exhibition

such articles as they considered necessary to form the nucleus of an Art Museum; and Marlborough House, which had been vacant since the death of the Queen Dowager, was appropriated to the reception of the objects purchased. On Monday, the 6th day of September, 1852, the museum, rendered as perfect as possible by the gift or loan of many valuable articles illustrative of the decorative arts, in addition to the £5,000 worth of purchases, was opened to the public. On Mondays and Tuesdays, and during Easter and Christmas weeks, the public are admitted free; on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, persons not students are admitted on payment of

sixpence each, with liberty to copy any article on payment of an additional sixpence; and manufacturers may, by payment of a guinea annually, obtain a transferable ticket for any of their several firms or any person employed by them. Besides all this, classes for art education were speedily brought into active operation, and schools of design were formed all over the kingdom.

The objects which the promoters of this department of art have in view are threefold:-First, to bring together such specimens as will best serve to illustrate the history of various manufactures; secondly, to show, by examples selected from numerous sources and belonging to separate periods and countries, an approximation to the true principles of art in decoration, form, and colour; and thirdly, to teach in classes, by means of lectures and the employment of efficient masters, the following arts:-1, woven fabrics of all kinds, including embroidery, lace, and paper-staining; 2, the principles and practice of ornamental art applied to furniture, metals, jewellery, and enamels; 3, pottery and its kindred manufactures; 4, painting on porcelain; 5, instruction in the art of engraving on wood; 6, chromo-lithography; 7, the study of artistic anatomy, including drawing, painting, and modelling the human figure, with practical demonstrations; 8, architectural details and practical construction; and 9, practice in the various processes of casting and moulding. All these classes are open to both male and female students, except those for teaching wood engraving and chromo-lithography, which are at present confined to females. In a word, the instruction afforded at Marlborough House consists, briefly, of-the study and examination of the finest specimens of ornamental art; attendance at lectures, &c., on the principles and practice of art; and the study and practice of those special processes of manufacture which govern the character of design and lead to its production. This very comprehensive course is conducted by the most efficient teachers, assisted by a museum and library expressly formed for such students, who are permitted to study any one or more of the arts on payment of a very moderate scale of fees. In each of the classes, it is the aim of the teacher to render the most efficient service to the pupil,so as to fit him to go at once into the world, properly qualified for whatever branch of manufacture or art he may select.

To show, for instance, the methods pursued in these classes, we may extract so much of the prospectus issued by the council as relates to pictorial anatomy (No. 7), which is under the superintendence of J. Walsh, Esq. :-"The study of artistic anatomy, with practical demonstrations in drawing, painting, and modelling, are conducted in the following groups :

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"1. Drawing in chalk or charcoal, with a view to the correct study of structure through light and shadow. The study of the antique and of nature will, therefore, be prosecuted step by step, in careful comparison with the bony and muscular frame-work, from casts, prints, &c.

"2. Modelling in clay and in wax. In this class the principles of relievo are taught, and the study from the round, whether of original figures, or from fine examples, is carried on with constant reference to the test of anatomy. In both the above classes, the method of analysis is adopted, so that, according to the occasion, the drawing or model, or selected portions of it, are anatomically rendered.

"3. The Painting class comprehends the various methods of painting in water colour, tempera, oil, or fresco; commencing with

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The Art Museum at Marlborough House, which is thus thrown open for the instruction of the studious of both sexes and the public, is considered as yet far from perfect; but even now it contains a larger number of objects having a directly educational tendency than any collection hitherto brought together.

"The great sources of error," says Mr. Redgrave, in his

essay on design, affixed to the Reports of the Jurors of the Exhibition of 1851, "in designing for garment fabrics are over ornamentation. The designs are too large for the fabric, or the colours are too violent, or the taste in the choice of both is questionable. The up-and-down' patterns best suit the motion of the wearers, while the horizontal direction of pronounced forms quarrels with all the motions of the human figure, as well as with the long folds in the skirts of the garment. For this reason, large and pronounced

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checks, however fashionable, are often in very bad taste, and interfere with the graceful arrangement of any material as drapery." So, likewise, those cross-barred cloths so much worn by gentlemen are ungraceful and outré, because their horizontal lines interfere with the motions and form of the wearer. "If we look at the details of Indian patterns we shall be surprised at their extreme simplicity, and be led to wonder at their rich and satisfactory effect. It will soon be evident, however, that their beauty results from adherence to the true principles of decoration. The parts themselves are often poor, ill-drawn, and common-place; yet, from the knowledge of the design, due attention to the just ornamentation of the fabric, and the refined delicacy evident in the selection of the quantity and the choice of tints, both for the ground and the ornamental forms, the fabrics, individually and as a whole, are lessons to our designers and manufacturers, given by those from whom we least expected it."

Of the £5,000 placed at the disposal of the Board of Trade, £2,075 was expended on articles exhibited on the foreign side of the building; £893 on articles from the British side; and £1,501 on objects from the Indian collection. The apportionment of the sum may be thus epitomised:-Mixed fabrics, £1,080; metal works,, £1,426; enamels, £844; porcelain, £348; and wood carvings, furniture, &c., £771; leaving a small portion of the parliamentary grant in hand for expenses. In the museum all these articles are catalogued and arranged for exhibition and study. Here are works in the precious and other metals-in pottery, glass, wood, and woven fabrics "chosen for qualities which illustrate true principles of design or display high excellence in workmanship." These are arranged in the several rooms and passages in such a manner as to best display their several excellences. Thus, on the staircase are carpets from India, tapestry from Hampton Court (lent by her Majesty), copies of Raphael's arabesques from the Vatican, and wall tiles from the manufactory of Messrs. Minton, of Stoke-upon-Trent; and in the gallery are casts of celebrated antique sculpture and ancient ornament, together (in the hall) with a collection of examples illustrating the stages of studies pursued in the schools of design in London and the provinces.

In addition to the statues, statuettes, friezes, basso-relievos, busts, &c., &c., in various parts of the building, there are arranged in the council room, for the use of the students, a large and valuable collection of prints and drawings, illustrative of the styles of the old and modern masters, the architecture of the most famous buildings of ancient times, and illustrations of the various uses of colours in decoration.

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library of works on art is also rapidly approaching a degree of excellence worthy the institution; and in specimens of lacework, embroidery, patterns for garments, and kindred articles of manufacture, the collection may already be said to be unrivalled.

In our small space, it is impossible to do more than indicate the principal sources of attraction in this noble museum, and our hope is, that it may become the first school of ornamental

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