29 JUNE 1907, Page 6

Sir William Beechey. By W. Roberts. (Duckworth and Co. 7s..6d.)—Beechey

was a far stronger man than Downman, but he too had the fatal inclination towards prettiness rather than beauty. Occasionally in his earlier work, especially in groups of figures, he showed considerable power. Too often Beechey contented himself with being a poor reflection of Sir Joshua. The story of the painter's life is told in the volume before us with a large amount of insignificant detail. Much of the information would have been better conveyed in a tabular, form, and some space might then have been available for a serious discussion of the art of the painter.