Mr. SPECTATOR, Dec. 4. 1712. HE Academy of Painting, lately established in London, having done you and themselves the Honour to chufe you one of their Dire• &tors, that noble and lovely Art, which before was entitled to your Regards, as a Spectator, has an additional Claim to you, and you seem to be under a double Obligation to take fome care of her Interests.

"THE Honour of our Country is alfo concerned in the matter I am going to lay before you: we (and 6 perhaps other Nations as well as we) have a National falfe Humility as well as a National Vain-Glory, and though we boaft our felves to excel all the World in things wherein we are out-done abroad, in other things we attribute to others a Superiority which we our felves poffefs. This is what is done, particularly, in the • Art of Portrait or Face-Painting. :PAINTING is an Art of a vaft Extent, too great by much for any ⚫ mortal Man to be in full Poffeffion of, in all its parts; 'tis enough if any one fucceed in painting Faces, Hiftory, C 2

Battels,

"Battels, Landscapes, Sea-pieces, Fruit, 'Flowers, or Drolls, &c. Nay, no Man ever was excellent in all the Branches (though many in number) of these feveral Arts, for a distinct Art I take upon me to call every one of those se• veral kinds of Painting.

AND as one Man may be a good • Landscape-Painter, but unable to paint a Face or a Hiftory tolerably well, and fo of the reft; one Nation may excel in fome kinds of Painting, and • other kinds may thrive better in other Climates.

• ITALY may have the Preference of all other Nations for Hiftory-Painting; Holland for Drolls, and a neat finished manner of Working, France, for Gay, Janty, Fluttering Pictures; and England for Portraits: but to give the Honour of every one of these kinds of Painting to any one of thofe Nations on account of their • Excellence in any of these Parts of it, is like adjudging the Prize of Heroick, Dramatick, Lyrick or Burlesque Poetry, to him who has done well in any one of them.

WHERE there are the greatest . Genius's, and moft Helps and Encouragements,

ragements, 'tis reasonable to fuppofe an Art will arrive to the greateft Per'fection: By this Rule let us confider our own Country with refpect to Face-Painting. No Nation in the • World delights fo much in having their own, or Friends, or Relations 'Pictures; whether from their National Good-nature, or having a love to Painting, and not being encouraged in that great Article of Religious Pi&tures, which the Purity of our Worship refuses the free ufe of, or from whatever other Caufe. Our Helps are not inferior to those of any other People, but rather they are greater; for what the Antique Statues and • Bas-reliefs which Italy enjoys are to the Hiftory-Painters, the Beautiful and noble Faces with which England is confeffed to abound, are to Face• Painters; and befides, we have the greatest number of the Works of the beft Mafters in that kind of any People, not without a competent number of thofe of the most excellent in every other part of Painting. And for Encouragement, the Wealth and Generofity of the English Nation affords that in fuch a degree, as Artifts have no reason to complain. C 3

AND

AND accordingly in Fact, FacePainting is no where fo well per formed as in England: I know not "whether it has lain in your way to • obferve it, but I have, and pretend to be a tolerable Judge. I have seen 'what is done abroad, and can affure C you, that the Honour of that Branch of Painting is juftly due to us. I ap peal to the judicious Obfervers for the Truth of what I affert. If Foreigners have oftentimes, or even for the moft part, excelled our Natives, it ought to be imputed to the Advanta ges they have met with here, join'd to their own Ingenuity and Industry; nor has any one Nation diftinguished themselves fo as to raise an Argument in favour of their Country: but 'tis to be observed, that neither French nor Italians, nor any one of either Nation, notwithstanding all our Prejudices in their Favour, have, or ever had, for any confiderable time, any Character among us as Face-Painters.

THIS Honour is due to our own • Country; and has been fo for near an Age: So that inftead of going to Italy, or elsewhere, one that defigns for Portrait-Painting ought to study in England.

England. Hither fuch fhould come from Holland, France, Italy, Germany, • &c. as he that intends to practife any other kind of Painting, fhould go to 'thofe Parts where 'tis in greatest Perfection. "Tis faid the Bleffed Virgin • defcended from Heaven, to fit to St. "Luke, I dare venture to affirm, that if fhe fhould defire another Madonna to be painted by the Life, fhe would come to England; and am of Opinion that your present Prefident, Sir Godfrey Kneller, from his Improvement fince he arrived in this Kingdom,. would perform that Office better than any Foreigner living. I am, with all poffible Respect,

SIR, Your moft Humble, and
Moft Obedient Servant, &c.

THE ingenious Letters fign'd the Weather-Glafs, with feveral others, were received, but came too late.

POSTSCRIPT.

IT had not come to my Knowledge, when I left off the Spectator, that I owe several excellent Sentiments and agreeable Pieces in this Work to Mr. Ince of Grey's-Iun.

R. STEELE.

C 4