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WINTER CABINET EXHTBITIO.N.
Another small collection of pictures is opened at the French Gallery in Pall Mall, of Cabinet Pictures by British Artists ; and a pleasing collection it is, of works by Millais, Holman Hunt, Stanfield, Roberts, Faed, Davidson, !Mediae, Thomas, Poole, Phillip, Ward, and many others, including the tribe of Solomons. Here are many landscapes more or less of the naturalistic school, but Stanfield's scene-painting of "the Goodwin Sands," with a hulk lying there, and "the Land's End," with a shipwreck in progress, tell their story with a vividness and power that pale most of the other efforts. Davidson's moonlight scene of the sea is beautiful ; but, speaking generally, the works that happen to have met here this year are either too much of the sketchy school, where until you go to a distance at which you lose sight of the objects, you do not lose sight of the paper and materials with which they are painted; or they are in the old style of superior teaboard, the sublimest of views smoothed to a pattern ; or they are in the cruder aspect of the natural- istic style, with harsh foregrounds, and ostentatious twigs. Of this class we might point out not a few where the artist has failed to catch the fortuitous variety of form and direction in natural objects, the vegetation especially. Roberts's Views of Roman remains, Cooke's Venetian scenes, and Cropsey's road-side scene are portraitures of grand or beautiful effects.
Few of the figure pictures challenge lengthened notice. Mr. Gale's "Young Cardinal "--a child in that princely costume—is cleverly painted, both as to character and texture. Philip's "Thing of beauty is a joy for ever" is a misnomer: it is a splendid Spanish woman, but with so little sentiment in her that the material tenure of her "joy "-giving privileges is mocked by the "for ever." Maclise's "Lear and Cordelia" looks like a portrait of Mr. Macready A.D. 1859, in costume long since abandoned. And it is eclipsed by Alexander Johnstone's Cordelia re- solving to "love and be silent," which, school-girlish as it is in a certain
trimness of toilette, is graceful, most fair, brilliant in the fall of light, and morally lighted up with a certain resolute cheerfulness in the affec- tion which is very happy. Sweet, too is Mrs. Gillies's girl looking out to see for those who are afloat, and loved. Ward's pictures are vigorous, but not up to his mark. Mrs. Ward's "Bed time" contains a beau- tiful portrait of a child reluctantly yielding to the suasive maid's induc- tion to the evening bath. A picture by Mrs. Wells—" No joy the blowing season gives,"—a woman and child plodding home against the boring wind along a lane side under the close of evening,—is striking for the effect of natural gloom : it is a painted thought,—and very simply painted. .
The pictures which will attract most notice for the dramatic character are very few. One is Mr. Eyre Crowe's clever pictirre of " Boswell's Introduction to the Literary Club," by Johnson, with portraits of Burke, Goldsmith, Reynolds, Beauclerk, &Lc., more or less verisimilitudinous. The others are Miss Rebecca Solomon's very clever "Studying for Honours,"—a young divinity student turning from his book to win a smile from his future bride; "Studying for Pluck,"—a fast young gen- tleman reading Life by the light of a bottle of soda-water, and letting a pretty flower-girl win a laugh ; and "Love's Labour lost,"--a tender little shoe-black polishing the boot of a very pretty little girl, to whose countenance he is turning up his eyes, while hers are turned to a pretty little tiger hanging behind a cabriolet : all well told, well com- posed, well drawn, and well finished. Nor must we omit Abraham Solomon's " Study,"—a study from a young and handsome woman, pensively leaning on her hand, while she looks up thoughtfiilly towards the spectator—a light from the window falling across and behind her, thrown on the side of her arm, and on the muslin which covers her shoulders, while her face is in shade : it is a powerful study of light and shade, pleasingly finished and happy in its subject.
Millais's single picture is a portrait of a relative —one of the groupe of his "Apple Blossoms" of last year. Holman Hunt's is a rustic school girl, robust, gentle, and fair, chaunting "the evening hymn" as she comes towards you, returning home. It contains a mistake literally tran- scribed, perhaps, from nature the girl sings with the corners of her mouth closed. This is a good example of one evil springing from the error of the Prte-Raphaelite school : the girl could have been taught better in a week ; but who can teach the painted girl, transfixed for ever in an awkward act which mars the very subject-matter of the story to be told? Mr. Hunt has a companion student in R. B. Martineau, who portrays the same subject, profile wise, looking down upon ." the pet of the brood,"—a little dove in her hand. SuNce it to say that Mr. Martineau looks as if he might be, in this exact, somewhat exaggerated photography, the very double of Holman Hunt, from the sentiment of the countenance or the moulding of the features, to the cross threads of the net kerchief round the neck—objects, apparently, of equal import- ance and of equally pions study.
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