Samuel Rogers and his Contemporaries
Sir George Beaumont to Samuel Rogers, 13 November 1826
‘Coleorton Hall: 13 Nov., 1826.
‘My dear Rogers,—By the time, or perhaps before, you receive this,
Lord Hastings’s library will be
in the hands of Mr. Robins for sale.
This was privately communicated to me, and as I thought there might be some
things in it which you might wish to possess, I thought it not amiss to give
you this hint in case you might choose to negotiate before the sale.
‘I confess your observation upon parapets seems at
first sight a “palpable hit, egad,” but you mistake. I am no enemy
to reasonable parapets, but I do not like to see a bridge overloaded; the
guards, for instance, of the Simplon are not more than half a yard in height,
and I never heard them complained of as insufficient—indeed, when a horse
is alarmed nothing can protect you, and I rather think a moderate fence better
than a very high one, because the animal can see his danger. Now, I hope I have
parried this severe thrust, but whatever sentence you may pass upon me I shall
not cease to do justice to your quick philanthropy, and should I survive you,
which is not very likely, it shall not be my fault if you are not placed side
by side with Howard (not him of Corby,
though a very humane man) in the cathedral-church of St. Paul’s. In the
meantime I recommend for safety Westminster Bridge in preference to Waterloo.
‘I have just received Ottley’s catalogue, which I like very much on the whole.
I hope you approve of it. The N. Poussin
is well done, although I cannot agree ![]()
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with him in
supposing the trees are intended for evergreen oaks, they are far more like the
chestnut; but, in fact, his general practice is only to make the grand
distinctions and not enter into the detail of ashes, elms, &c., which I,
who am passionately fond of the heroic style of landscape, cannot but approve;
to have given the beautiful variety of Claude would have been inconsistent with his plan, it would be
like introducing silks and satins into the cartoons. I think he might have said
a little more of the Rubens; he should,
for instance, have introduced the fowler and his dog, both glowing with congenial instinct, and as
animals much upon a par. Have you Bowles’s poem? I wish you would show it to him. Am I
giving you too much trouble in requesting you to talk with him on the subject?
It would save him the trouble of a letter. Only assure him I am highly pleased
with his work on the whole. I could almost wish he had said nothing derogatory
of Rembrandt. Fuseli adored him, and thought the sublimity of his light and
shadow made ample amends for his occasional vulgarities, the unlucky prejudices
of his country. On the whole I have heard him say:
Rembrandt’s genius was equal to any, and that by
his magic power he could make a dunghill “subloim.” We expect
Mrs. Siddons to-day!! and Lord and Lady
Lonsdale in the course of the week. Now, if you were man enough
to join the party, how I should admire you. Lady
B. is flattered by your remembrance, and I must thank you again
and again for our delightful tour.
‘But I am afraid I have bored you so much with ![]()
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this long letter you will never
forgive me. Come and set my mind at ease.
‘Ever truly yours,
‘Do you know anything of Charles Mills, the editor of the travels of Ducas. We have
been much entertained by the book, although it would have been more
agreeable, I think, if he had given it more of the tone of the times.
Excuse repetitions, &c. I write in haste.’
Lady Margaret Beaumont [née Willes] (1756-1829)
The daughter of John Willes of Astrop; in 1778 she married Sir George Howland Beaumont,
seventh baronet; she is mentioned by Byron in “The Blues.”
William Lisle Bowles (1762-1850)
English poet and critic; author of
Fourteen Sonnets, elegiac and
descriptive, written during a Tour (1789), editor of the
Works
of Alexander Pope, 10 vols (1806), and writer of pamphlets contributing to the
subsequent Pope controversy.
Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)
French painter whose idealized landscapes were much admired in Britain.
Henry Fuseli (1741-1825)
Anglo-Swiss painter who settled in England in 1764 and became the friend of William
Blake.
John Howard (1726 c.-1790)
Philanthropist and associate of John Aikin; he published
The State of
the Prisons in England and Wales (1777).
Charles Mills (1788-1826)
English historian who corresponded with Walter Scott; he published
The
History of Chivalry, or, Knighthood and its Times (1825).
William Young Ottley (1771-1836)
Art collector and connoisseur; he was keeper of prints and drawings at the British Museum
(1833).
Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665)
French landscape and historical painter whose neoclassical compositions were much admired
in Britain.
Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Dutch painter and etcher.
George Henry Robins (1777-1847)
Flamboyant auctioneer who aroused controversy in selling the contents of Walpole's
Strawberry Hill in 1842. He served with Byron on the Drury-Lane steering committee.
Samuel Rogers (1763-1855)
English poet, banker, and aesthete, author of the ever-popular
Pleasures of Memory (1792),
Columbus (1810),
Jaqueline (1814), and
Italy (1822-28).
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Flemish baroque painter and diplomat notable for his allegorical depictions of the life
of Marie de Medici.
Sarah Siddons [née Kemble] (1755-1831)
English tragic actress, sister of John Philip Kemble, famous roles as Desdemona, Lady
Macbeth, and Ophelia. She retired from the stage in 1812.
