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This Group is of white marble much larger than the life and exicuted by Coustoux the Elder; in 1723. In this Church is the Royal Vault.1 There is many Paintings by Cheron,2 Ant. Coypal, etc., as large or larger than life. but I do not mean to give catalogues of the Pictures, for it would be an endless thing, and tend but little to your profit. my intention is to give you as just an Idea of the Works of the first Master[s] as I possably can without giving the Carracter of those that are inferior. nor shall I labour to Discribe perticular Pictures even of the first Masters, unless it is some of exalted Merrit, such as the Transfiguration. for this reason I shall not say any thing of Coypal or his works, nor shall I observe on Lebrun till my return to France for his Capital Works are at Versails which I shall not Vissit till my return from Italy. But I will endeavour to convey to you a just Idea of Raphael from the body of his best works taken collectively. the same of M. Angelo, Corregio, etc. I have now inform'd you of my plan and shall proceed without more preface. there is Building in this City a Colledge for Surgions. I think this will be a very beautifull building. there is a fine Corinthian Portico Wonderfully beautifull. in the Pidiment is a fine Bass releif of Sergery joining hands with learning cross an Alter, on one side some boys bringing forward Books, etc., on the other another group of boys inspecting a Dead body. the whole is built of free Stone.

Sepr. 3d. Vissited the Luxemberg. this Gallery is intirely Painted by Rubens, but I think the Pictures very unequel in Rubens merrit. you have seen the prints; they give you the design, so I shall not enlarge on that; only observe, that it is of a great car

1 Erased: "In it will be depossited in a few Days the body of the late King." 2 Chéron.

Rubers ractor. you must take notice how he combines his objects, with

what an easey flowing out line he Draws his figures, smooth and easey as the flow of Homer's Verse. all this you have before you, but you have not the colouring. it is very brilliant, rich and tender. when you vew Poussins Sippeo you must have observed one general tint runing over the whole Picture, as if the Painter when his work was done had immersed it in a brown Varnish. but when you see one of Rubens's you cannot say his Picture is of any one Colour, so happily has he divided his Colours over his Picture, that it is neither read, blue, yellow, or Green, but one agreable whole, pertakeing of many tints so well proportioned to each other that none predominates.] The head at Mrs. Hancocks give[s] you a tolerable Idea of his men's flesh, only I think it a little too Raw. When he paints a River God, or Satire, Or an old man, such as Lot in the Picture you have, he colours the flesh very yellow and makes the half tints very green. these carractors I think he makes a litt[l]e of the Gumbouge copperry Colour. in the Dark shadows of those complections he puts almost pure Vermillon, expecially if a Read Drape[ry] should come in contact with it. I think the Shoulders and back of Pan in the Pan and Sirinks at Mr. Chardon's comes neigher the mark than any I can think of; only if I remember right the tints in that are more Grey and broken than Rubens's and darker. I beleive those figures in the Deluge at Mr. Chardon, I mean the Group that is most principal, that is clambering up the bank, may come nearer the mark than pan, especially if a little yellow is added to the tints. Rubens is very <carefull not to let any part of his Pictures look sad or heavy, nor does he make them gaudy, but brilliant Clear and harmonious. his Weoman are very clear, but I know not what to refer you to by which you will form to yourself the Idea I wish

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to convey to you. I think the head of Bentavoglios comes the Rubens nearest to it. he seems to me to have mixt his tints first very clean and Rich in colour, than to have lay'd on his lights as they were mixed on his pallet, than the next pure tint in like manner and all the little musseling in the light parts of the body is only express'd by tints somthing reader, avoiding the gray tints. he only darkens with read those soft mussels and lines that fall in the mass of Light. even the extremitys next the back ground ar[e] carried off as much as possable by those clear Readish tints. I mean on the light side of his figures, for when he carrys his flesh into the shade, his first tint, after he leaves the pure carnation or the second tint above menshoned, he lays on one that pertakes of the blew, than follows his warm shade. ? but observe, the Demi or blew tint must be so far rendered harmonious by pertakeing of the Read and yellow that it makes an agreable whole. I think when he comes to the feet and hands he seems loath to Dray the fingers or Toes but scumbles them as much as possable in to a readish mass. this management is esspecially in his feet, tho somewhat so in his hands or rather fingers. the head of the Nimph in your Picture of Dianna has a great deal of this management, I mean her in the fore Ground. he never divides the Toes by any Dark lines so that when you are near the Picture you can scarcely make them out. The tone of his flesh, take an whole figure together, of one of his Weomen, and it is full and rich, about as much so as the head of Vandyck at Mrs. Hancocks.

I think it would be worth your while to paint a Picture from one of his prints to try the effect from this Acct. of his Colours. I would further add that when the musling is so deep that read would Appear too flaming and make the flesh look fleed, he puts between the read in the bottum of the

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hollows and the Second tint above menshoned the blewish tint. this keeps the mass of flesh soft and harmonious in its Whole body.

Sepr. 4. Vissited the Church of St. Roch, Hospital for Invalids, Place Victoire, the Collisee, etc., etc. I saw many paintings and much Sculptor, but shall pass them without any perticular remarks, as I can say nothing that I think will be important to you. only that the Chappel in the above Hospital is a most Magnificent peace of Architector. the Richness as well as purity of Stile is amasing. I shall now end my Letter to you - I beleive you think it a pretty long one-unless somthing should occur to fill the paper before I send it off.

Sepr. 7. I have just returned from takeing a second Vew of the Luxembourg where I and my friend spent the afternoon, and I find my above observations all confirmed with respect to Rubens's colouring. only that somtimes, he has thrown some little dashes of blewish tint (to take off a rawness that might otherwise arrise). I mean in the Light masses of his flesh. he has been however very sparing of all but the pure Carnation. Mr. Carter thinks this Account I have given you is so just that it is equel to your seeing the Pictures, and that you cannot mistake his Colouring. the Day after tomorrow we set out for Lions. you cannot imagine the pleasure that this Tour affoards me, but I miss the Language extreemly. I find was my stay here any length of time, I mean 2 or 3 Months, I should possess a great Deal of it. but Adieu, Dear Harry, and believe me

yours,

J. S. COPLEY.

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I did not think it would have been so long be[fore] I should have wrote you, but I know you will excuse me in this when I inform you I have found it dificult to write those letters to Brother Harry, it being necessary they should be the result of great attention and Study, and that although I painted nothing in England, being resolved on making the tour first, yet I had a great deal to do in attending to the Art. by which means on my return to London I shall not have this to do, knowing at the same time you received every inteligence by the Letters to Harry and My Dear Sukey relating to me, for I have been very perticular to them, and have let no oppertunity of Wrighting to them for your Sake as well as theirs. for I consider'd my letter[s] wrote for you as well as them though addressed to them. I arrived in this City the first of Sepr. and shall leave it Tomorrow. We had a very fine tour to this City. we left Bright Helmstone on monday afternoon, and reached this place the Thursday following. Mr. Carter [is] well versed in traveling, has the languages, boath Italian and French. this makes [it] very convenient and agreable. he is a very polite and sensable man, who has seen much of the World. it is most probable one house will hold us boath at Rome, and the same Coach bring us back to England in a twelve month from Our leaving England. I desire to bless God I never had my health better in my [life], and I am really grown fatter than you ever saw me. I find this a great City containing many Superb Buildings. altho I do not like the Architecture in General in their Old buildings, yet there is a Chappel in the Hospital for Invalids, beautifull,

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