ture Landseer was learning the rudiments of his art, but he was learning them well. He continued his self-training until full freedom of hand was developed, such freedom as is shown in the astonishing sketches of Paganini; and this was retained by him until the failure of his faculties. He became a consummate master of his craft, and took delight in displays of rapid skill. Once he was kept for a few minutes at some door in Windsor Palace, waiting the convenience of the queen. To pass the time he seized a pen and dashed off two sketches of little dogs. And what little dogs! Not only as like as life, but full of quiet, racy humour. One of them, seated on its haunches, has a suppliant look, and holds

sion and feature, except when he was with severely accurate, closely realistic painting by command. In landscape we work. The "White Horse in Stable." hardly know what he might not have painted when he was sixteen, is a hard, done in the treatment of strictly natural honest, unaspiring record of what the effect, that is to say in all but the highest Hon. H. Pierrepoint's white horse was imaginative walk of landscape-painting, if like. Landseer's pictures of horses at he had made it the ambition of his life to this period fetched ten guineas, and the excel in landscape. The landscape in price was not too little for works unthe "Challenge "is very grand in the lighted by a ray of imagination. The solemnity of the mountains beyond the painstaking lad paints every stone on the lake. His conception of the scenery of stable-floor, every mark and stain on the the Scottish Highlands is original, horse. He puts in a cat. Something unique, and in some respects masterly. must have suggested to Landseer that There is sturdy realism in it; there is there was an indissoluble connection true imagination. We have in mind those between cats and horses, for he painted solitudes, on the tops of the highest them as associates all his life. But the Scottish mountains, to which Turner cat of the stripling sits demure on the never cared to penetrate, where the deer stall in the background, the cat of the congregate in the summer months, shel-painter of sixty is much improved in tered from the heat of the sun by the colour, and rubs herself against the dim, trailing curtains of the mist. Land- horse's legs. When he painted this picseer, sportsman as well as artist, loved to track them there, watching the wild, shy, beautiful creatures as they retreated behind the semi-translucent veil. With a true imaginative instinct, he felt the importance of the mist as an element in the weird sublimity of the gray Cairns and Bens of Scotland. The bursts of sunlight through the fog, which kindle here and there, amid the gloom, broad white flames of spectral illumination,one of the most striking phenomena of Highland scenery,- have not been rendered by any artist so well as by Landseer. The massive, blunt-edged crags, also, either heaped and splintered in picturesque disorder, or breaking through the sward like the skeleton of the hill, are given with boldness of line and solid-in its mouth a card inscribed with the ity of substance. There is true imagi- name "E. Landseer." The other looks nation in wavering wreath and filmy cloud, to the door, listening eagerly for some in rugged strength of rock and force of footstep to assure him that he has not torrent; there is no merely imitative or been quite forgotten. We don't know photographic work; but we are spared, whether Sir Edwin was kept waiting at on the other hand, all childish ideal of doors in Windsor Palace after he exegiddy precipice and impossible peak. cuted these symbolical works! The crags are big stones; the hills are other occasion her Majesty asks him to swells of earth, boned with rock and give her some idea of the hippopotamus, mantled with sward or shaggy with which had just arrived in the Zoological heather, rather than mountains. All this Gardens. He scrawls and blots on a is true to the character of the Scottish piece of paper for five or ten minutes, Highlands. We shall form no just idea and hands to the queen what he has of the genius of Landseer if we fancy produced. There are no fewer than four that he was capable only of becoming an vividly characteristic sketch-portraits of expert in one field of art. But the main the creature, swimming in its bath, channel of his energy that to which standing knee-deep in water, or lying everything else was secondary or episod-becalmed upon its side ashore. In one ical was without question animal-morning, working from memory, he painting. dashes off full-length likenesses of the Duke of Devonshire and Lady Constance Grosvenor, giving the entire outline of

He began, as seems to have been universally the case with important men,

On an

both figures, and putting in many of the | by Sir Edwin Landseer. The series of details of dress and feature. He never studies exhibited by Mr. Wells is another finished the picture, but it possesses astonishing demonstration of his techgreat interest as exhibiting his velocity and audacity of hand. In twelve hours, working without intermission, he painted a full-sized portrait of Odin, a mastiff bloodhound; and if, by protracted manipulation, he might have thrown more of atmosphere round the dog and mel-shaggy hide; sleek marmot, brindled lowed into softer beauty its somewhat hard and arid colour, he could not have added to the vitality of the beast.

nical skill. We cannot understand how any one can look at these studies and yet affirm that he was not a colourist in the sense of being able to transfer to canvas any hue of beast or bird. Every variety of animal texture; fur and feather, and lion, downy softness of white rabbit and harsh splendour of tiger, iridescent glow of pheasant's breast, delicious mottling of woodcock's wing and cool grey of teal and ptarmigan, green glistening flame of drake's neck and dark stippled russet of the grouse, roguish sparkle of fox's eye, crisp hair of skye terrier, and gloss and curl and tuft of hound and retriever; these, with every touch and tint that goes to body forth the deer from hoof to horn, were within the grasp of Landseer. On a purely technical matter we would not speak dogmatically, but to our thinking Landseer's sleight-of-hand in the management of colour reached its climax, first in the reclining tiger in the Van Amburgh picture (the one with the lamb in it), and again in the Brazilian monkeys in her Majesty's possession. The light in both of these instances seems not so much to rest on the fur as to shimmer over it and through it, and in the monkeys particularly, as a kind of electric quality — as if it would sparkle when you rubbed it

There are, we suppose, few capable of deriving any considerable pleasure from art, who do not delight to trace the line, subtle, swift, and sure, of a masterly draughtsman. Many, therefore, must have derived enjoyment from the mere technical skill displayed in the works we have mentioned, and from such simple, but admirable drawings as those of the Geneva series. They were executed in line, with a few pen-touches here and there, and slightly tinted. We call them the Geneva series because several of the most delightful of them were done at Geneva, but we include all those of the same style drawn, apparently in a single tour, in 1840. They are curiously, not altogether pleasantly suggestive in connection with Landseer's latter work. They afford us something like a line of demarcation between his early style and what may be called his fashionable and drawing-room period. They go far to which, to us at least, is very wonderful. prove that he might have been greater The monkey-picture is exquisite also in still if fashion had not cast her enchant- its humour. The startled yet fascinated ment over him. In these Belgian and and scientific curiosity with which the Swiss sketches he reveals a sympathetic little creatures, perched upon the pineperception of the picturesque in peasant-apple, eye the wasp among the leaves, life, a feeling of the mournful grace and regged kindliness which a seeing eye can detect in the association of man with his brute fellow-labourers of the furrowed field and the rugged road. In those rough-coated, raw-boned horses hanging their heads in the stall after their day's work, in those sturdy peasants, too brave to be down-hearted, too heavy-laden to be gay, which rest their tired limbs in the cart or venture on a little clownish lovemaking at the well, in those broad muzzled draught-oxen, those knowing mules, those serviceable-looking dogs, there is a depth of interest, a hold on human life, that make us recall with a very mixed feeling the winners of the Derby, the favourite hunters of Dukes of Woodenhead, the spaniels much admired by this or that Royal Highness, which were elaborately painted in subsequent years

they would like excessively to investigate the mystery, but cannot make up their minds that it would be safe, -is very amusing; and if Mr. Darwin, in his book on the relation between man and the lower animals is no fabulist, their expression is so true to monkey-nature, that we almost wonder the picture escaped the great naturalist as an illustration and confirmation of his remarks on the dawning of curiosity upon the simian brain.

We cannot agree with those who hold that Landseer's technical skill deteriorated in his later period. His eye retained its keenness, his hand its delicacy and strength, until the first approach of decay in physical power. In the "Piper and Nutcrackers," a late picture, the touches on the neck of the bullfinch, and on the fur of the squirrels, and the whiskers of

passed on to nobler subjects, leaving it to others to paint the ferocity, terror, pain, and rage of the animal creation.

one of them, are as firm and fine as he ever laid. Landseer, in the second half of his career, painted many subjects unworthy of his powers, but his hand did But we have said enough of Landseer's not lose its cunning. It is the blunder of command of his implements. Painting hasty thoughtlessness to fancy that power- is, after all, but a language, with more ful painting means painting of strong and vivid and beautiful vocables than ordinary violent gesture. The contrary is nearer speech. Mastery in painting can no the fact. It is the painting of softness more constitute a man a great artist that requires consummate strength. It than mastery in grammar can constitute demands less mastery to paint fighting a man a great author. This is an eledogs, and hunted bears, and snarling mentary truth, yet people are constantly lions, than to realize on canvas the ten-forgetting it; and even Mr. Ruskin who, derness and trustfulness of animal life. within the first twenty pages he ever Talking, however, of snarling lions, we gave to the world on art, laid it down may say that, in an "early study" of a lion with exquisite lucidity and precision, and by Landseer, numbered 238 in the recent who has never in terms abandoned it, exhibition of his works, we noticed a has talked in successive books, more and promise of imaginative strength which he more as a drawing-master and less and less did not fulfil. The lion, large as life, as an art-critic. The fact is that, generalsnarls fiercely, and in the angry and an- ly, perhaps invariably, consummate powgular zigzags of the cliff beside there is a er of hand in painting has been the pledge, quite Turneresque sympathy with the ex- and therefore might be made the test, of pression and aspect of the jaws. This is higher power. Between the touch of perhaps not the solitary indication to be Titian and of Holbein, of Gainsborough found in Landseer's early works of pure- and of Turner, and the feeling, imaginaly abstract imagination; but, on the tion, invention of those painters, there whole, his later minner was an improve-has been a connection. But is it not ment upon his earlier one. He could true, also, that there is a connection — a give the photograph of a horse or cow pre-established and absolute harmony about as well at twenty as he could at between Shakespeare's language and fifty; but at fifty he could paint air, he Shakespeare's thought? Yet do we not could give a sweet, mellowing ripeness recognize a distinction, a deep and just to all his lines, he could paint, not only distinction, between mere grammatical the anatomy of animals, but their souls. criticism of his dramas, mere discussions This he could not do at twenty. It is to of his spelling, punctuation, and words, the earlier period of Landseer's art that and criticism of his ideas, his characters, the pictures which we must pronounce and the general articulation and modulaunworthy of him chiefly belong. In these tion of his mighty works?"Commas and he seems to have vied with Snyders, points they set exactly right," says Pope whose coarse hand did not deserve such of the grammatical critic. Goethe did homage from Edwin Landseer. He was not concern himself with Shakespeare's betrayed into painting one or two such commas and points; many could have subjects as the "Otter Hunt." Work- spoken of these things better than he; manship more masterly can hardly be but he was a better Shakespearian critic conceived. Not only are the dogs mar- than any of the ninety and nine gramvellously lifelike, and, crowd of them as matical pedants who have left their there is, sharply individualized, but the names on the walls of Shakespeare's palhuntsman, who holds the writhing otter aces. The studies of good painters — aloft on the spear, is most dramatically their exercises in the grammar of their rendered. His thickset form and stal-art-are so difficult to execute and so wart limbs, and rude strong face, suit his interesting to look at, that critics concalling; and, as he bids the dogs keep stantly talk as if studies could be works down, you seem to hear his hoarse ac- of art. Lindseer's studies are so mascents amid the yelling of the hounds and terly and look so like pictures, displaythe rush of the stream. No right human ing, in fact, as much power of mere touch interest or enjoyment, however, can be as his works of art, strictly so called, that associated with the agonized writhings they afford the critic an excellent opporof a small animal that has no chance tunity of discriminating between the artiagainst its enemies; and Landseer ap-san's power of hand and the artist's powpears to have lost liking for the picture, er of creation.

never finishing the companion work. He The principle of the distinction is sim

ple. A drawing or a painting becomes

:

The

Of Landseer's show-pictures, illustra a work of art in proportion as the spirit tive of regal and aristocratic life in the of man is breathed into it,-in propor- nineteenth century, "Windsor Castle in tion as it is charged with feeling, thought, Modern Times" is the most striking. or imagination. The stamp of humanity This was the centre of, perhaps, the may be slightly impressed; it may in densest crowd in the exhibition, and is, landscape-art be little more than choice without question, one of the most popular of subject with the faintest irradiation of and, in its way, imposing pictures he feeling but the image and superscrip- ever painted. A century hence it will tion of man every work of art must wear. possess historical interest, for it is a Classifying the pictures of Landseer by felicitious illustration, one might say eluthis test we find that, putting aside cidation, of that species of sovereignty studies, we have to consider, in ascend- which won the hearts of Queen Victoria's ing order, first, his animal-portraits and subjects, that sovereignty which is a grashow-pictures; secondly, his works of cious and home-bred idealization of Enghumour; and thirdly, his works of pure lish domestic life. The palace is a patand great art. tern of what the great body of EnglishIf it is but seldom that the portrait men, not the specially cultured, not the even of a man or woman becomes a true pre-eminently gifted, but the great body picture, valuable to the world as well as of well-to-do people, ordinarily educated, to relatives and friends, still more rarely would like their houses to be. can we look for a work of art in the like- Prince Consort, good-looking, highly ness of a dog or a horse. When a dog dressed, is seated; his costume is fancihas been a friend, however, and when the ful, his features are what many ladies painter has so felicitously suggested the would call charming, but are not suggestsimplicity and sincerity, the limited but ive of brains. Her Majesty stands; the faithful sympathy of doggish friendship, eye would possibly fail to be rivetted on that every observer can comprehend in her features, but could not miss her white some measure what it was to its master, satin gown. Sir Edwin was incapable of a dog-portrait may be admitted to a place, satire on such an occasion, otherwise we though but a lowly place, within the might have thought that he meant to temple of art. It is almost cruel to tell eclipse royalty in the glories of royalty's the hundreds of proud possessors of por- satin gown. Her Majesty has a nosegay traits of horses and hounds by Landseer, in her hand. A prattling princess, pet that their treasures can with difficulty be dogs, a dead pheasant and other dead admitted to be pictures at all; but when game, are near the exalted pair. A flood we call to mind the time and energy of sunlight pours in through the open squandered by this consummate painter window; beyond we see the lawn with in perpetuating the features of nags and flower-beds cut in the trim English fashlap-dogs our sensibilities become steeled ion; an invalid is being rolled round the upon the subject. The court and the walks in a chair. On the whole, one candrawing-room had too much, as we have not but wonder that there is so little already hinted, of Edwin Landseer. feeling in the picture; everything is eviPrinces and nobles petted him, and so dently there for show; the prince in parthey might for with unapproached ticular, whom we know to have been a grace and brilliancy, he realized for them solidly able, thoughtful man, is done inall that is piquant, sportive, and fasci-justice to in that coxcomb dress, in those nating, in the companionship of the dancing-master legs. The little princess wealthy and high-born with the unrea- is much the best of the human figures, soning creatures. Dogs nestling beside but she is slightly painted in comparison infant princesses; tiny horses snuffing at flowers in hands of royal children; courtier-like hounds casting a languid eye upward for the touch or glance of a queen; minute spaniels with glossy fur and gem-like eyes, making themselves cosy on silken cushions; ducal children on dainty ponies; pretty horse-breakers with the horses they have broken, à la Rarey, lying vanquished on the straw; it is a curious phase of our modern life, and has been realized to perfection. LIVING AGE. VOL. VIII. 416

with the dogs and game. Not thus did Velasquez and Titian work upon princes and princesses, but could Titian and Velasquez have improved the dogs on the floor or added to the intense yet softened glow of the pheasant on the table? Granting that the fondness of Queen Victoria for animals has some importance as one among a thousand proofs of that affectionate nature, that good heart, that capacity to enjoy the simplest pleasures, which have contributed to make her be

loved, we are, nevertheless, compelled to old man beside whom, in carrier's wagmaintain that this is but a furniture-pic-gon or farmer's cart, it has trudged for

ture.

many a weary year. How well could we And so the regret which we formerly have spared a few of Landseer's drawingexpressed returns upon us. If Sir Edwin room dogs, if he had shown us one good Landseer has shown us all that the dog watchdog baying his master deepand the horse contribute to relieve the mouthed welcome as he drew near tedium, or to lend picturesqueness to the home! How well could we have dispageantry of aristocratic and princely pensed with cover hacks and glancing existence, we cannot forget that the com-race-horses, if he had painted for us but panionship and service of the lower ani- one old English farmyard; — a pair of mals are more to the poor man than to well-boned, work-stained teamsters being the rich, and that the element of earnest-unyoked in the warm evening light, the ness thus obtained is of essential impor- cows in act of being turned out after tance in lending interest and true dignity milking, shiftless calves getting into to art. Devoting himself during a great everything's way, vivacious young pigs portion of his life to horse-painting and nuzzling in the litter, the barn-door cock dog-painting for the upper ten thousand, strutting about among reverential hens Landseer inevitably subjected himself to with those airs which caught the eye of some extent to the evanescence, the glit- Milton, and the pigeons on the glorious tering superficiality, in one word, the brown thatch, the iris on their burnished frivolity of fashion. Why do not critics, necks and bosoms sparkling in the westinstead of impertinently lecturing paint-ering sun. Let us not forget, however, ers on the methods of their craft, or ex- that if Landseer painted too many fashtolling the perverse ugliness of conceited ionable pictures he did not paint these singularity as if it were a revelation of alone. beauty, say something to emancipate artists from the bondage of fashion? It is a base and joyless bondage, depriving the artist of that consciousness of honest devotion to the beautiful, which is to him, if he be a true artist, what courage is to a soldier, honour to a gentleman, and faith in God to a minister of religion. Wherever life is in earnest, art can thrive. Immortal pictures have been painted from street-beggars. Send an artist to the steppes of Russia, where half-tamed, half-starved horses, driven by half-savage peasants, struggle through the stream that crosses the moorland track, and he will paint memorable pictures. But where fashion smirks and ogles, struts and chatters and shows off, killing the sense of beauty with her patches and hoops, her bustles, chignons, dress-coats, there is art's Sahara. There the artist must be either a palsied slave or a revolutionist, he has no further choice. Fashion did as little evil to Landseer as, under the circumstances, was to be expected, but we cannot think without bitterness of the extent to which it actually prevailed against him. It lay in him to be a Morland with ten times Morland's mastery of hand and delicacy of feeling, a Morland without Morland's clownish bluntness and torpid incapacity of thought. It lay in Landseer more than in any man to have made us feel all that his cow is to the cottager, all that the staggering old horse is to the staggering

By his pictures of humour, we mean such works as "The Travelled Monkey," "Laying Down the Law," "High and Low Life," "Dignity and Impudence," "Jack in Office," "The Catspaw," and many others. All the world has seen and enjoyed these, and they are too frequently regarded not only as eminently characteristic of Landseer, which they are, but as exhibiting his highest power as an artist, which they do not. We have heard it remarked by an epigrammatic critic that Landseer's power consists in putting human eyes into dog's heads. Even Mr. Ruskin, who has on more than one occasion done frank justice to Landseer, seems to fall into the mistake of founding a general estimate of his art upon his works of humour.

In our modern treatment of the dog [says Mr. Ruskin] of which the prevailing tendency is marked by Landseer, the interest taken in him is disproportionate to that taken in man, and leads to a somewhat trivial mingling of sentiment, or warping by caricature; giving up the true nature of the animal for the sake of a pretty thought or pleasant jest. Neither Titian nor Velasquez ever jest; and though Veronese jests gracefully and tenderly, he never for an instant oversteps the absolute But the English painter facts of nature. looks for sentiment or jest primarily, and reaches both by a feebly romantic taint of fallacy, except in one or two simple and touching pictures, such as "The Shepherd's Chief Mourner."