ted excellence it has--facility, without
much neatness or ultra-cleverness in the execution, which is greatly
like that of Paul Veronese; and the colour may mature in future works to
the same resemblance, I fancy. There is much feeling for beauty, too, in
the women. As for purely intellectual qualities, expression, intention,
etc., there is little as yet of them; but I think that in art richness
of arrangement is so nearly allied to these, that where it exists (in an
earnest man) they will probably supervene. However, the choice of
subject, though interesting in a certain way, leaves one quite in the
dark as to what faculty the man may have for representing incident or
passionate emotion. But I believe, as far as this showing goes, that he
possesses qualities which the mass of our artists aim at chiefly, and
only seem to possess. Whether he have those of which neither they nor he
give sign, I cannot tell; but he is said to be only twenty-four years
old. There is something very French in his work, at present, which is
the most disagreeable thing about it; but this I dare say would leave
him if he came to England."[12]

In the year following Leighton's academical _debut_, he exhibited a
picture entitled _The Triumph of Music_, which the "Athenaeum," hereafter
so sympathetic towards his work, described as "anything but a triumph of
art."

Partly, perhaps, because of the general tone of discouragement in all
the criticisms of this year, the artist did not send in anything to the
Academy of 1857. In 1858 his two pictures--_The Fisherman and the
Syren_, and _Count Paris_, although admirably conceived, and extremely
interesting to us now, received no word of friendly criticism that is
worth recording.

At the Academy of 1859 were exhibited two pictures by him, which served
to reassure at last those critics who had been shaking their heads over
his supposed inability to follow up his first success. We turn to the
"Athenaeum" again, to study its gradual conversion from an attitude of
critical distrust to one of critical sympathy:

"Mr. Leighton," says the "Athenaeum," "after a temporary eclipse,
struggles again to light. His heads of Italian women this year are
worthy of a young old master: anything more feeling, commanding, or
coldly beautiful, we have not seen for many a day.... This is real
painting, and we cannot but think that a painter who can paint so
powerfully will soon be able to surpass that processional picture o