GASPAR DE CRAYER.-Here is an immense picture of Gaspar de Crayer, mentioned not on account of its excellence in my own opinion, but from its being in such high estimation in this country; and it is certainly one of his largest works. Though it cannot be said to be defective in drawing or colouring, yet it is far from being a striking picture. There is no union between his figures and the ground; the outline is every where seen, which takes away the softness and richness of effect: the men are insipid characters, and the women want beauty. The composition is something on the plan of the great picture of Rubens in the St. Augustins at Antwerp: that is, the subject is of the same kind, but there is a great difference indeed in their degree of merit. The dead and cold effect of this picture, as well as many others of modern masters in this gallery, sets off those of Rubens to great advantage. It would be a profitable study for a young painter to look from those pictures to Rubens, and compare them again and again, till he has investigated and fixed in his mind the cause and principles of such brilliant effects in one instance, and of failure (when there is a failure) in the other.

SNYDERS. - DE VOS.-FYTT.-WEENINX. - Dead game, boar and stag-hunting, by Snyders, De Vos, Fytt, and Weeninx: the Weeninx is the most remarkably excellent.

VANDYCK." Take up thy bed and walk," by Vandyck, in the manner of Rubens. This picture appears to be painted about the time when he did that of the four penitents; it has the same defects and the same beauties.-A print by Pontius.

VALENTINE.-Soldiers playing at Moro; a duplicate of one in the gallery of the Duke of Rutland.

VANDYCK.-A Pieta, by Vandyck, in the manner of

Rubens. Mr. Kraye is of opinion that it is painted by Rubens: this difference of opinion among connoisseurs shows sufficiently how much the first manner of Vandyck was like that of Rubens. He is almost the only instance of a successful imitation: however, he afterwards had a manner of his own.

St. John is blubbering in a very ungracious manner. The attitude of the Christ would be admirable, if the head had not so squalid an appearance. The whole figure of Christ is equally light; which, with the help of the white linen on the Virgin's knee, makes a large mass of light: her head and the head of Mary Magdalen make the lesser lights. St. John's drapery, which is a light red, makes the light lose itself by degrees in the ground.

Second Room.

VANDYCK.-In the next room are these admirable pictures by Vandyck; St. Sebastian, Susanna, and a Pieta. The first two were done when he was very young, highly coloured, in the same manner as the Jupiter and Antiope at Mr. Dasch's at Antwerp, a picture on the same subject in the possession of Lord Coventry, his own portrait at the Duke of Grafton's, and the portrait of Rubens in my possession: he never afterwards had so brilliant a manner of colouring; it kills every thing near it. Behind are figures on horseback, touched with great spirit. This is Vandyck's first manner, when he imitated Rubens and Titian, which supposes the sun in the room: in his pictures afterwards, he represented the effects of common daylight both were equally true to nature; but his first manner carries a superiority with it, and seizes our attention, whilst the pictures painted in his latter manner run a risk of being overlooked.

The Pieta is also finely coloured (though not of that splendid kind), correctly drawn, and finished with the utmost care and precision.

There are likewise three other pictures of Vandyck in this room; one of them is the Virgin and Child, and St. John; the Virgin looking down on the St. John, who is presenting his label to Christ. The two others are small pictures; the assumption of St. Rosalia, and the Virgin presenting St. Rosalia to the Trinity; both very indifferent performances.

The whole-length portraits of ladies. Of that in black the colours are flown; her face is whiter than her linen.

AMOROSO. A girl sleeping on the ground, by Amoroso; simple, and natural.

GERARD Dow.-But the picture which is most valued here, and which gives name to the room, is the Gerard Dow; a Mountebank haranguing from his stage to figures of different ages, but I cannot add-of different characters for there is in truth no character in the picture. It is very highly finished, but has nothing interesting in it. Gerard Dow himself is looking from a window with his palette and pencils in his hand. The heads have no character, nor are any circumstances of humour introduced. The only incident is a very dirty one, which every one must wish had been omitted; that of a woman clouting a child. The rest of the figures are standing round, without invention or novelty of any kind. This is supposed to be the largest composition that he ever made, his other works being little more than single figures; and it plainly appears that this was too much for him,-more than he knew how to manage. Even the accessories in the back-ground are ill managed and disproportioned; a stump of a tree is too small, and the weeds are too large; and both

are introduced with as much formality as if they were principal objects. Upon the whole, the single figure of the woman holding a hare, in Mr. Hope's collection, is worth more than this large picture, in which, perhaps, there is ten times the quantity of work.

Third Room.

BAROCCI.-Noli me tangere, of Barocci. The figures have not much grace; the Magdalen looks as if she was scratching her head; it is, however, finely coloured. There is a print of this picture.

RAFFAELLE.-A holy family, of Raffaelle: Christ and St. John attending to each other, the Virgin sitting on the ground looking at Elizabeth; St. Joseph behind with both hands on his staff; which all together make a very regular pyramid. The Virgin is beautiful, as are likewise the children: indeed the whole is to be admired; but the colouring has a disagreeable yellow cast: it is in his first manner.

CARLO CIGNANI. An immense picture of the Ascension of the Virgin, by Carlo Cignani; heavy, and in no point excellent: a proper companion for the large picture of Gaspard de Crayer.

DOMENICHINO. Susanna and the two Elders, by Domenichino. She is sitting at a fountain, the two elders are behind a balustrade; her head is fine, as are those of the old men; but it is upon the whole but a poor barren composition. There is as much expression in the Susanna as perhaps can be given, preserving at the same time beauty; but the colour is inclinable to chalk, at least it appears so after looking at the warm splendid colours of Rubens: his full and rich composition makes this look cold and scanty. She is awkwardly placed by herself in the corner of the pic

ture, which appears too large for the subject, the canvass not being sufficiently filled.

LUCA GIORDANO. - PAOLO Veronese.

Here are

many Luca Giordanos, which are composed in a picturesque manner; and some very ordinary pictures of Paolo Veronese.

LUCA GIORDANO. At the further end are two picturesque compositions of Luca Giordano, the Feeding of the Multitude, and the Elevation of the Cross; where he has disposed of a vast mob of people with great skill, in Tintoret's manner; and if they had his, or rather Paul Veronese's colouring, these would be considered as very extraordinary pictures; but there is here a want of briskness and brilliancy of colour; a kind of clay colour seems to predominate in his pictures. When one looks at Luca Giordano, and sees a work well composed, well drawn, and with good keeping, one wonders how he has missed being a great name.

TINTORET. A Crucifixion of Tintoret, with a great number of figures, but ill composed, and full of small spots of light: parts of this picture, however, are not ill painted.

A fine portrait of Vesalius the anatomist when young, by Tintoret. He has a skirrous bone in his left hand, the other holds a compass: he looks at the spectator with a most penetrating eye. It is apparently the same countenance as the engraved portrait prefixed to his works, but much younger.

A. CARACCI.-Christ putting in the Sepulchre, by Annibal Caracci. This appears to have been one of his best works it is finely drawn and composed; and the Christ is in graceful attitudes.

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DOMENICO FETI.

Under this picture is an ECCE HOмO, a head only; said to be of Correggio; but appa

rently of Domenico Feti. It should seem by this mis