and elegance of his defign: While thofe who are of a contrary opinion, grounded on imperfect relations of his life, or the lapfes and unfteadiness of his pencil, are forced to impute that beauty and elegance to a pure ftrength of genius. Certainly, his manner feems to have in it all the warmth of invention, as it has a certain boldness, fuperior to imitation, and productive of uncommon graces. Upon the whole, I think, we may af firm of his defign, where it is not facrificed to his more favourite aims, that it is often masterly, and always pleafing; a quality, rarely met with in those fervile and unideal painters, who think they have attained every perfection, if they keep within the rules of drawing; "[s] with thefe, leannefs paffes for [s] Macies illis pro fanitate, et judicii loco infirmitas eft; et dum fatis putant vitio carere, in ❝ health, "health, and weakness for judgment; "and, while they think it fufficient "to be free from faults, they fall in"to that capital fault, the want of "beauties." id ipfum incidunt vitium, quod virtutibus carent. Quint. xi. 4. DIALOGUE V. Of COLOURING. HOULD the most able master in 4. SHOU! defign, attempt to reprefent, by that alone, a rofe or grape, we should have but a faint and imperfect image; let him add to each its proper colours, we no longer doubt; we fmell the rofe, we touch the grape; hence the poet [1]: So glow'd the grape, fo perfect the deceit, It seems then, that the first gives a generaf idea; the second a particular existence. It was this, no doubt, that induced Plutarch [2] Μικρα καλεσχον τον βόρυν τοις δακίύλοις, Υπεραπαληθείς τη θεα των χρωμάτων. to to affirm, "[u] that in painting, 'we are "more ftruck by colouring than drawing, σε by reafon of its fimilitude and decep tion:" And another obferves, " [x] That "the painter may defign the outlines and "proportions of a man, but it is by co fouring, that he brings it to represent a "Socrates or Plato." The ancients were not contented with attributing to colours the power of realizing objects; they make them to be their chief ornament, the very foul of beauty: [y] Thus Tully, "There "is in the body a certain harmony of pro"portions, united to the charm of colour"ing, and this is called beauty. An au [u] Εν γραφαις κινητικώτερον εστο χρωμα γραμμής, δια το ανδρείκελον και απαληλον. De Poetis aud. [*] ο ζωγράφος ποιει πρώτον κοινον ανθρωπον εν σκιαγρα φια, ελα χρωματοςγων αγει εις το οποιησαι Σωκράτην, η Πλα Ammonius in x. Categ. Ariftot. τωνα. [y] Corporis eft quædam apta figura membrorum, cum coloris quadam fuavitate, eaque dicitur pulchri tudo. F4 "thor, "thor, of no lefs authority, obferves; [z] "that fuch a body may be deemed truly "beautiful, in which a temperate and pure blood fills the limbs, and fwells "the muscles, spreading through the whole "a ruddy tinge and glow of beauty." Hence it was, that a Grecian lady of admired tafte, being afked, which was the finest colour in nature, answered, the blush of an ingenuous and beautiful youth. B. You need not draw all your examples from antiquity: Whatever rank our painters may hold, we have Titians in our poets. -Obferve how Shakespear pencils : 'Tis beauty truly blent, whofe red and white Natures own fweet and cunning hand laid on. [x] In quo temperatus ac bonus fanguis implet membra, et exfurgit toris; ipfos quoque nervos rubore tegit, ac decore commendat. De cauf. corrupt. eloq. c. 21. And |