[75] I do not mean necessarily to imply inferiority of rank in
saying that this second class of painters have questionable
qualities. The greatest men have often many faults, and sometimes
their faults are a part of their greatness; but such men are not, of
course, to be looked upon by the student with absolute implicitness
of faith.
[76] Including, under this term, John Lewis, and William Hunt of the
Old Water-color, who, take him all in all, is the best painter of
still life, I believe, that ever existed.
[77] The order in which I place these masters does not in the least
imply superiority or inferiority. I wrote their names down as they
occurred to me; putting Rossetti's last because what I had to say of
him was connected with other subjects; and one or another will
appear to you great, or be found by you useful, according to the
kind of subjects you are studying.
[78] This is especially the case in the St. Cecily, Rossetti's first
illustration to the "Palace of Art," which would have been the best
in the book had it been well engraved. The whole work should be
taken up again, and done by line engraving, perfectly; and wholly
from Pre-Raphaelite designs, with which no other modern work can
bear the least comparison.
[79] The praise I have given incidentally to Flaxman's sculpture in
the "Seven Lamps," and elsewhere, refers wholly to his studies from
Nature, and simple groups in marble, which were always good and
interesting. Still, I have overrated him, even in this respect; and
it is generally to be remembered that, in speaking of artists whose
works I cannot be supposed to have specially studied, the errors I
fall into will always be on the side of praise. For, of course,
praise is most likely to be given when the thing praised is above
one's knowledge; and, therefore, as our knowledge increases, such
things may be found less praiseworthy than we thought. But blame can
only be justly given when the thing blamed is below one's level of
sight; and, practically, I never do blame anything until I have got
well past it, and am certain that there is demonstrable falsehood in
it. I believe, therefore, all my blame to be wholly trust-worthy,
having never yet had occasion to repent of one depreciatory word
that I have ever written, while I have often found that, with
respect to things I had not time to study closely, I was led too far
by sudden admiration, helped, perhaps, by peculiar associations, or
other deceptive accidents; and this the more, because I never care
to check an expression of delight, thinking the chances are, that,
even if mistaken, it will do more good than harm; but I weigh every
word of blame with scrupulous caution. I have sometimes erased a
strong passage of blame from second editions of my books; but this
was only when I found it offended the reader without convincing him,
never because I repented of it myself.
[80] Large line engravings, I mean, in which the lines, as such, are
conspicuous. Small vignettes in line are often beautiful in figures
no less than landscape; as, for instance, those from Stothard's
drawings in Rogers's Italy; and, therefore, I have just recommended
the vignettes to Tennyson to be done by line engraving.
[81] Chapman's, if not the original.
[82] Gary's or Cayley's, if not the original. I do not know which
are the best translations of Plato. Herodotus and Æschylus can only
be read in the original. It may seem strange that I name books like
these for "beginners:" but all the greatest books contain food for
all ages; and an intelligent and rightly bred youth or girl ought to
enjoy much, even in Plato, by the time they are fifteen or sixteen.
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