f / 
I/ „ 
7557 
7 1 F 
* 1556 
I, 
il 
1 
I! | [ 


Wh 


i [ 
J lh j 
10000 ll ih 


All 140 


22 


A GEM 


73 / 7 s ' 

"HF 5 g : Ry / hh 
; Ts / SHO 4 71 „- if . COLOEOST ON, 
a 


. ice 


5 * 
$9 1 BEE Lp EN 4 7 ROY : 
144 1/1 Val 772 8 e , VS 0 A. 7 tr, 42 4 1 
1 / 

C- 


. 


FER. x rr 


P 


f / 
I/ „ 
7557 
7 1 F 
* 1556 
I, 
il 
1 
I! | [ 


Wh 


i [ 
J lh j 
10000 ll ih 


All 140 


22 


A GEM 


73 / 7 s ' 

"HF 5 g : Ry / hh 
; Ts / SHO 4 71 „- if . COLOEOST ON, 
a 


. ice 


5 * 
$9 1 BEE Lp EN 4 7 ROY : 
144 1/1 Val 772 8 e , VS 0 A. 7 tr, 42 4 1 
1 / 

C- 


. 


FER. x rr 


P 


DESCRIPTION 


PAINTED FOR THE 


CURTAIN 


PAN 


OF THE 


A L LE G 


OF THE 


' KING'S THEATRE, 


———— a Te I 


THE ON. 


5 —— Att woo_ 
- * 


O Muſic ! Sphere - deſcerded Maid, 
Friend of Pleaſure, Wiſdom's aid. 


LONDON: 
PRINTED BY T. BENSLEY, BOLT COURT, FLEET STREET. 


1791. 


Col Ixs. 


— 2 


+ 


* 


DESCRIPTION 


OF IRE 


ALLEGORY, &c. 


Tux cleareſt efforts of the Pencil require Elucidation ; 
it is for this reaſon that Catalogues, deſcriptive, or em- 


belliſhed with apt quotations, have been introduced, and 
approved. 


If the dire& path of Hiſtorical Painting demands a 
Beacon for a guide, a Clue is more immediately required 
to conduct us through the maze of Allegory. 


14 
To many lovers of the polite Arts the mere mention 
of an Allegory, is alarming ; they dread a facrifice of 
Intellect at the ſhrine of Imagination, and ſuppreſs cu- 
rioſity, rather than embark with the Painter in a paſſage 
through Chaos. | 


The abuſe of an Art cannot be defended, and that 
| Allegory has been abuſed may be proved from very high 
authority: the accuſations are, that Profeſſors, by miſtak- 
ing the fount of information, have been either frivolous 
or extravagant, and almoſt always obſcure. * Mr. Spence 
is of opinion, that the Allegories of the Antients, where 
they are well ſettled, might be of very great ſervice to 
Artiſts ;”--— Propriety, and Simplicity, are their diſtinguiſh- 

ing characters :” materials ſelected from this Source, with 
an attempt to combine them on theſe Principles, gave 
birth to the compoſition of this Curtain, the ſubject of 
which is, an EULOGIUM on MusIc, dedicated to the mann, 
of that great Lyrick Poet MET AST ASIO. 


The Harmony of the Univerſe is an HAntient, and a 
received, opinion; an idea ſo ſublime could not fail of 


* Polymeti. + Pliny, Lib. 2. Cap. 22. 


633 


warming the imagination of Poets and Sculptors: the 


Mundi Harmonia has been handed down to us on Gems *; 


and our enthuſiaſtic Bard, whom no theme of ſublimity 
has eſcaped, bids us | 


40 Look, how the floor of heaven 


Is thick inlay'd with pattens of bright gold; 

« There's not the ſmalleſt orb, which thou behold'ſt, 
„ But in his motion like an angel ſings, 

« Still quiring to the young-ey'd cherubims.“ 


To expreſs the Muſic of the Spheres, the ſeven Planets 


are perſonified; this Groupe, in full concert, occupies the 


upper region of the Picture: to each figure has been given 
a muſical Inſtrument of claſſical deſcription; the whole 
„ enveloped 


— With the majeſty of darkneſs round,” 


except where. from breaks in the maſſes, a part of the 
Zodiac is viſible. 


Beneath, on gayer Clouds, are the Profeſſors who have 
enriched the Science of Muſic; Pergole/e, Handel, Bach and 
Sacchini; theſe diſtinguiſhed Compoſers are ſeated with 


* See the Frontiſpiece. 


(6) 
F ®AroLLo and the Mvsxs, by whoſe inſpiration they have 


imparted to Mortals a portion of Celeſtial — the 
influence of which is ſo univerſal, that | 


Nought ſo ſtockiſh, hard, and full of rage, 
6 . Muſic for the time doth e his nature.“ 


Near to APoLLo, and min by his Rays, ſtands our 
own immortal SHAKSPEAR: with the dignity of a Prophet, 
he points to a Scroll, where (in letters of gold) are in- 
ſcribed his appoſite lines 

„% THE MAN THAT HATH NO Music IN HIMSELF, 


«© NoR IS NOT Mov'p WITH CONCORD OF SWEET SOUNDS, 
Is FIT FOR TREASONS, STRATAGEMS, AND spolLs.“ 


Two Genii, floating in the Air, ſuſtain this inſcription. 
Deſcending to the lower arrangement of the piece, the 
foreground diſplays the effects of Music exemplified ON 
the Pass10Ns. The Sombre group is compoſed of Melancholy, 

P Apollo Lyriſtes, the proper companion of the Muſes, always repreſonted 
draped. | 


i | Deinde inter matrem deus ipſe interque ſororem | Fa 
Pythius in * carmina veſte Jemat. Pop ERTIVs. 


See a Medal of Auguſtus, ha one of Nero, at a fine Statue in the Sal 
: Muſeum, and another at Stockholm in the King of Sweden's Gallery. 


("3 
Fear, Deſpair, Anger, Revenge, dejected Pity at his ſide,” 
and Fealouſy tormented between Afeczion and Hatred: Hope 
points to the contraſted ſcene, where 
% [ove fn with Mrth a gay fantaſtic round,“ 
1 and Liberty, and Laughter, with a ſprightly train, exult in 
; the rapture of exhilerating Melody. 


L'Allegro of MILTON has been conſulted ; but, for the 
general Idea of this ſelection, the Painter is indebted to 
COLLINS” inimitable Ode on the Paſſions, varyin g from, or 
adhering to, his Imagery, as it ſuited the Subject, or co- 
incided with the perſonifications of the Antients. 


* IS) 3 =": * Sg * n * mn eapg,fo e Dm. 
EP SS PRE Et PE IS 226 !!. ea EY He Ee 


* A writer, who has inveſtigated the hiſtory of the 
Italian Stage, declares, that a ſerious Opera properly ar- 


4 = ranged, and perfect in ALL its combinations, is“ Sensa 
x dubbio il maggiore sfor20 delle belle Arti congiunte.” To give 
$ perfection to a dignified portion of this combined excel- 


| lence, remained for the Muſe of METASTASIO: his Scenes 
diſplay a ſyſtem of morals put into action; and the 
* happy Bard, in his eaſy enchanting Numbers, borrows 


* Le Revoluzione del Teatro Muſicale Italiano, by STEFANo ARTEAGA. 


* 
$467 
— 
. 


DR 2 
che made of the Heart to enforce the precepts of 
| Reafon. . 


Tis the pride of En gliſhmen't to unite the 20 * 
Patriotiſm with that impartial Philoſophy which teaches to 
| gence the Sentiments. With us, Stranger and Bar- 
barian are not ſynonimous. The diſtinction of Foreigner 
is loſt in the blaze of extraordinary abilities: warmed by 
cis pervading principle, we conſecrate our Labour to the 


5 o Manes of a Roman Bard, and name the Curtain 
1 iin 


APOTHEOSIS OF ME TAS TAS 10. 


His portrait is in the centre of the Picture, looking up, and | 
dee with admiration to the Music of the SrHERESs: he 
Bears with him that LyRE to which he ſo pathetically has 

bang, and whoſe power he ſo juſtly deſcribes! | 


" Qualts Cain! par d , 


W403 RS. * 
o Che addolci gli affanni miei, 
3 | | , 
=. ES Che d'ogni alma a ſuo talento * mY 
—_— 1 | 5 NN 
X ER D i cor la via S aprt | | of \ BT In \ 
2 * 95 : 1 * 1 $4 . , ? 
a — * * * ; ** * ; A? os * 1 ID 
1 \ s > KEY, LS ; 44 
n 
eren / 
— nas 
— 
. * 4 
; ND Ira 
4 0 5 
ym! we” | 4 


* 


