“I wish I were able to pay in better value the debt
which I have contracted with your Lordship, by being the unconscious means of
depriving you of Mr Greenshields sooner
than had been meant. It is a complicated obligation, since I owe a much greater
debt to Greenshields for depriving him of an invaluable
op-
| LETTER TO LORD ELGIN. | 163 |
“My own acquaintance with art is so very small, that I almost hesitate to obey your Lordship in giving an opinion. But I think I never saw a more successful exertion of a young artist than the King’s statue, which, though the sculptor had only an indifferent print to work by, seems to me a very happy likeness. The position (as if in act of receiving some person whom his majesty delighted to honour) has equal ease and felicity, and conveys an idea of grace and courtesy, and even kindness, mixed with dignity, which, as he never saw the original, I was surprised to find mingled in such judicious proportions. The difficulties of a modern military or court dress, are manfully combated; and I think the whole thing purely conceived. In a word, it is a work of great promise.
“I may speak with more confidence of the artist than
of the figure. Mr Greenshields seems to
me to be one of those remarkable men who must be distinguished in one way or
other. He showed during my conversation with him sound sense on all subjects,
and considerable information on such as occupied his mind. His habits, I
understand, are perfectly steady and regular. His manners are modest and plain,
without being clownish or rude, and he has all the good-breeding which nature
can teach. Above all, I had occasion to remark that he had a generous and manly
disposition above feeling little slights, or acts of illiberality. Having to
mention some very reasonable request of his which had been refused by an
individual, he immediately, as if to obliterate the unfavourable impression,
hastened to mention
| 164 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“The important question of how he is to direct his efforts, must depend on the advice of his friends, and I know no one so capable of directing him as your Lordship. At the same time, I obey your commands, by throwing together in haste the observations which follow.
“Like all heaven-born geniuses, he is ignorant of
the rules which have been adopted by artists before him, and has never seen the
chefs-d’œuvre of
classical time. Such men having done so much without education, are sometimes
apt either to despise it, or to feel so much mortification at seeing how far
short their efforts fall of excellence, that they resign their art in despair.
I do think and hope, however, that the sanguine and the modest are so well
mixed in this man’s temper, that he will study the best models with the
hope of improvement, and will be bold, as Spencer says, without being too bold. But opportunity of such
study is wanting, and that can only be had in London. To London, therefore, he
should be sent if possible. In addition to the above, I must remark, that
Mr G. is not master of the art of tempering his clay,
and other mechanical matters relating to his profession. These he should apply
to without delay, and it would probably be best, having little time to lose,
that he should for a while lay the chisel aside, and employ himself in making
models almost exclusively. The transference of the figure from the clay to the
marble is, I am informed by Chantrey, a
mere mechanical art, excepting that some finishing touches are required. Now it
follows that
| LETTER TO LORD ELGIN. | 165 |
| 166 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
‘I saw grim Nature’s visage hoar, Strike thy young eye.’ |
“Upon the moment I did not like to mention to Mr G. my objections against a scheme which was obviously a favourite one, but I felt as I did when my poor friend John Kemble threatened to play Falstaff. In short, the perdurable character of sculpture, the grimly and stern severity of its productions, their size too, and their consequence, confine the art to what is either dignified and noble, or beautiful and graceful: it is, I think, inapplicable to situations of broad humour. A painting of Teniers is very well it is of a moderate size, and only looked at when we choose; but a group of his drunken boors dancing in stone, as large as life, to a grinning fiddler at the bottom of a drawing-room would, I think, be soon found intolerable bad company.
“I think, therefore, since Mr Greenshields has a decided call to the higher and nobler department of his art, he should not be desirous of procuring immediate attention by attempting a less legitimate object. I desired Mr Lockhart of Milton to state to Mr G. what I felt on the above subject, and I repeat it to you, that, if I am so fortunate as to agree in opinion with your Lordship, you may exert your powerful influence on the occasion.
“I have only to add that I am quite willing to
contribute my mite to put Mr
Greenshields in the way of the best instruction, which seems to
me the best thing which can be done for him. I think your Lordship will
| JOHN GREENSHIELDS—JANUARY, 1829. | 167 |
“P. S.—I ought to mention, that I saw a good deal of Mr Greenshields, for he walked with us, while we went over the grounds at Milton to look out a situation for a new house.”
