On the Old Road, Vol. 2 | Page 7

as to which the function of the nation was, chiefly, to take care of those things, not for itself merely, but for all its descendants, and setting the example of taking care of them for ever.
You do not think, then, that there would be any danger in the studying or the copying of works which notoriously were not the best works?--On the contrary, I think it would be better that works not altogether the best should be first submitted. I never should think of giving the best work myself to a student to copy--it is hopeless; he would not feel its beauties--he would merely blunder over it. I am perfectly certain that that cannot be serviceable in the particular branch of art which I profess, namely, landscape-painting; I know that I must give more or less of bad examples.
Mr. Richmond. But you would admit nothing into this second gallery which was not good or true of its kind?--Nothing which was not good or true of its kind, but only inferior in value to the others.
And if there were any other works which might be deposited there with perfect safety, say precious drawings, which might be protected by glass, you would not object to exhibit those to the unselected multitude?--Not in the least; I should be very glad to do so, provided I could spare them from the grand chronological arrangement.
Do you think that a very interesting supplementary exhibition might be got up, say at Trafalgar Square, and retained there?--Yes, and all the more useful because you would put few works, and you could make it complete in series--and because, on a small scale, you would have the entire series. By selecting a few works, you would have an epitome of the Grand Gallery, the divisions of the chronology being all within the compartment of a wall, which in the great Gallery would be in a separate division of the building.
131. Mr. Cockerell. Do you contemplate the possibility of excellent copies being exhibited of the most excellent works both of sculpture and of painting?--I have not contemplated that possibility. I have a great horror of copies of any kind, except only of sculpture. I have great fear of copies of painting; I think people generally catch the worst parts of the painting and leave the best.
But you would select the artist who should make the copy. There are persons whose whole talent is concentrated in the power of imitation of a given picture, and a great talent it is.--I have never in my life seen a good copy of a good picture.
Chairman. Have you not seen any of the German copies of some of the great Italian masters, which are generally esteemed very admirable works?--I have not much studied the works of the copyists; I have not observed them much, never having yet found an exception to that rule which I have mentioned. When I came across a copyist in the Gallery of the Vatican, or in the Gallery at Florence, I had a horror of the mischief, and the scandal and the libel upon the master, from the supposition that such a thing as that in any way resembled his work, and the harm that it would do to the populace among whom it was shown.
Mr. Richmond. You look upon it as you would upon coining bad money and circulating it, doing mischief?--Yes, it is mischievous.
Mr. Cockerell. But you admit engravings--you admit photographs of these works, which are imitations in another language?--Yes; in abstract terms, they are rather descriptions of the paintings than copies--they are rather measures and definitions of them--they are hints and tables of the pictures, rather than copies of them; they do not pretend to the same excellence in any way.
You speak as a connoisseur; how would the common eye of the public agree with you in that opinion?--I think it would not agree with me. Nevertheless, if I were taking some of my workmen into the National Gallery, I should soon have some hope of making them understand in what excellence consisted, if I could point to a genuine work; but I should have no such hope if I had only copies of these pictures.
132. Do you hold much to the arch?ological, chronological, and historical series and teaching of pictures?--Yes.
Are you of opinion that that is essential to the creative teaching, with reference to our future schools?--No. I should think not essential at all. The teaching of the future artist, I should think, might be accomplished by very few pictures of the class which that particular artist wished to study. I think that the chronological arrangement is in no-wise connected with the general efficiency of the gallery as a matter of study for the artist, but very much so as a means of study, not for