in the transfiguration by Raphael; a Chrift uplifted by a divine energy, dilating in glo

ry, and growing into divinity, was a fubject truly fublime; it is eafy to fee, on this occafion, that the painter had not that enthufiaftic fpirit, or thofe ideas of majefty, which the fubject required: Accordingly, his pencil is timid and unequal: It is not fo, when he drops to the bottom of the mount, to exprefs the various feelings and fentiments of the diciples, diftreffed at their inability to work a miracle in their masters abfence. The truth was, his calm, though fertile ge* nius, could better delineate the fine and delicate movements of the mind, which have in them more of fentiment than paffion. This was his true fphere, and it is here, that we must study, and admire Raphael.

B. YOUR obfervations on the character of Raphael, show, how effential to painting is that, which you call the third part of the drama,

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drama, namely, the characters or man

ners.

A. THE ancients thought them so much fo, that they exprefsly term picture [s] an art defcriptive of the manners. Ariftotle in his poetics, fays of Polygnotus, that he was a [] painter of the manners; and objects to Zeuxis his weakness in this part. We have in Philoftratus the following description of a picture; "[u] We may in"stantly (fays he) diftinguifh Ulyffes, by "his severity and vigilance; Menelaus, by

[s] Hoomanos TeXm. Calliftratus in Defcrip. ftat. Afcul. [2] Ηθογραφος.

Ariftides Thebanus animum pinxit, et fenfus omnes expreffit, quos vocant Græci non; id eft, perturbationes. Plin. lib. xxxv. 10.

[4] Επίδηλος ὁ μεν Ιθακήσιος, απο του τρυφνου και εγρη Αγορδιος, ὁ δὲ Αγαμέμνων, απο του ενθεου, τον δε του Τυδέως ελευθερια γραφει, γνωρίζοις δ' αν και τον Τελαμώνιον, από του βλοσήρου, και τον Λοκρον απο του έτοιμου, Philoftrat. in Antilocho.

L 3

his

"his mildness; and Agamemnon, by a "kind of divine majefty; in the fon of

Tydeus, is expreffed an air of freedom;

Ajax is known by his fullen fierceness; "and Antilochus by his alertnefs." To give to these fuch fentinents and actions, as are confequential from their peculiar characters, is [x] the ethic of painting. We may judge from hence, how advantageous it muft be to painters in general, to be versed in claffical fubjects; for, they find themselves under a neceffity of expreffing the manners as they flow naturally from characters predetermined. The [y] Greek painters caught their ideas from hiftorians and poets, and tranflated the beauties of eloquence into paint.

B. How wonderful muft have been that genius, which, without thefe advantages,

[x] Howv iswgia. Callift. in Defcrip. ftat. Narciffi.

y Apelles pinxit Dianam facrificantium virginum choro miftam; quibus viciffe Homeri verfus videtur, id ipfum defcribentis. Plin. lib. xxxv. c. 10.

has

has all their effects? Such was our divine Raphael: He treats new fubjects, he invents new characters: The most unpicturefque action, compofed by him, seems to have been destined for paint: Chrift gives the keys to Peter; how barren the incident! yet his pencil, like the rod of Mofes, ftrikes a fpring out of this rock.

A. You have defcribed that facility, which is the gift of genius, and the image of truth: This does not confift wholly, as may be imagined, in the ready execution of a conceived idea; but in the immediate perception of the justness of that idea; in a confummate knowledge of the human heart, its various affections, and the just measure of their influence on our looks and geftures; eafy in promife, but difficult of execution; unknown, unattainable by the herd of painters, it drops from the pencil of a Raphael, Correggio, or Leonardo da Vinci. This

quality was confidered by the ancients as the fureft teft of genius; thus Plutarch praises the paintings of [z] Nicomachus, comparing them, in happiness and facility, to the poetry of Homer. Apelles affirmed himfelf inferior in fome points to other painters ; but in this unrivalled. If we except the three, I just now mentioned, we should in vain look for this knowledge, in the crowd of modern painters. Contented with tolerable drawing, fome air of beauty, and a good caft of drapery, they abandon character to the accident of features; their dramatis perfonæ, if we can call them fuch, are like the followers of Æneas, many actors with one face, fortemque Gyam, fortemque Cloantbum; the different echoes of one poor idea: Such characters are fo far from grow

[2] Ταις δε Νικομαχου γραφαις και τοις Όμηρου σίχους, μέλα της αλλης δυναμεως και χαρίλος, πρόσεςι το δοκειν ενα Xews xai gading attɣadai. In Tim. Oleonte, p. 253. Ed. Paris.