FINE ARTS.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ANNUALS.
Tire plates of the Book (...; Beano, are the only ones now before us. A fter looking at nearly a score of handsome fiiees, one half of them portraits of real living women, with rank gilding their loveliness as gems enrich their costume, and the ether half either the anonymous re- semblances of actual beauties or the ideal offspring of the painters' fancies, we are in no mood to find fault. CHALON'S elegant mannerism but seems like some new fashion, which the magnificent person of Lady AUGUSTA BARING, and the flashing looks of Lady a't G NES BYNG re- deem from the reproach of flintastiealness : we look upon it merely as "the mode" that ladies should appear seven feet high : and as we look at JOHN HAYTER'S sketch of the Countess Rossi—ci-devant the syren SONTAG—we conclude that it is fashionable for ladies to wear wisps of straw for veils, and dresses of shreds, and to have but one arm. How- ever, we have no such peculiarities to overcome in admiring the sweet- ness, sensibility, intelligence, and unaffected loveliness of Lady ASHLEY, in the miniature portrait by Ross. The dark eyes, raven hair, and fascinating gaze of Lady CAROLINE MANNSE, suit so well the gipsy garb in which Rocuann has presented her very effectively, that a little change in the coiffure is all that would be needful to com- plete the masquerade. Lady GREY EGERTON appears very intently looking and listening, as she sits resting her check on her hand ; and the fair and finely-formed features of the Countess of Ikea:is:Guam- SHIRE seem made for the sculptor, as she leans on a lyre like a modern Sappho. It is evident that the portrait of the Countess of COVENTRY, in a Persian costume, was painted in the last age.
We come DOW to the anonymous beauties; amongst which the one called " The Reverie," by LOVER, is the most real and interesting : the expression has character and meaning; and the form, though ample, is graceful and natural. We don't know which to admire most, Mr. LovEtt's ballads or his beauties—his painting or his music. But, luckily, we are not finci.d to choose between the two' for lie gives us both, and with no likelihood of surfeiting us with either. I FCt.isE'S " Mary," seated in a bower, feasting her eyes on the miniature she has just drawn out from her bosom, is our next favourite. We admire her tasteful costume ; and the well-filled bag and bunch of keys bespeak her housewifely duties, which we may venture to say will not be the less attended to for this sweet minute of meditation. We must pass over the rest of the painters' "fancy fair" ones : indeed it would be difficult to describe the attractions of the graphic creations of BOXALL, WYATT, STEPHANOFF, PARRIS, and Miss SHARPE.
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