ression made
among you in Rome by the death of Sir Thomas Lawrence; here, it
engrossed for a time every other pursuit. One of the last remarks he
made to me indicated his extreme admiration of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who,
he thought, had, with Rembrandt, carried the imitation of nature, in
regard to colours, further than any of the old masters." In many of the
higher qualities of colour and chiaro-scuro, Reynolds comes nearer to
Rembrandt than any other artist who has succeeded him.

Reynolds, in his lectures, speaking of Gainsborough, observes--"We
must not forget, whilst we are on this subject, to make some remarks
on his custom of painting by night, which confirms what I have already
mentioned--his great affection to his art, since he could not amuse
himself in the evening by any other means so agreeable to himself. I am,
indeed, much inclined to believe that it is a practice very advantageous
and improving to an artist, for by this means he will acquire a new
and higher perception of what is great and beautiful in nature. By
candlelight, not only objects appear more beautiful, but from their
being in a greater breadth of light and shadow, as well as having a
greater breadth and uniformity of colour, nature appears in a higher
style, and even the flesh seems to take a higher and richer tone of
colour. Judgment is to direct us in the use to be made of this method of
study; but the method itself is, I am very sure, advantageous. I have
often imagined that the two great colourists, Titian and Coreggio,
though I do not know that they painted by night, formed their high
ideas of colouring from the effects of objects by this artificial light.
But I am more assured that whoever attentively studies the first and
best manner of Guercino will be convinced that he either painted by this
light, or formed his manner on this conception."

How far Coreggio may have formed his principles upon the effects of
lamplight it is impossible to decide, seeing that, though his shadows
have great breadth, yet his lights have more of a phosphorescent
character, tinged, as it were, with the coolness of moonlight; but
Titian has all the glow of this property, or, as Reynolds remarks, "as
if he painted with the sun shining into the room." The Italian pictures
of Vandyke have much of this phosphorescent character--whereas many of
those he painted in England have more of a daylight appearance. With
regard to Rembrandt, he seems to have regulated the