Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/638

This page needs to be proofread.

608 Painting there that, by a happy accident, be became acquainted with the Italian artist Zuccarelli, who advised him to study landscape painting. In this he was very successful, as far as art was concerned, but as the taste for nature was at that time but slowly growing, he did not find it a lucrative employment for a man of his limited means. His chief works are full of classic feeling ; among them may be named the Death of Niobe's children (in the National Gallery) ; Morning ; View of Rome ; Phaeton ; Celadon and Amelia; the Tiber, near Rome; Adrian's Villa, ; the Temple of Venus at Baice ; and Nymphs Bathing ; from which it is easy to see that he did not care to paint a scene simply for its own loveliness, but only when it was invested with historic or mythologic interest. Many of these works were engraved by the celebrated William Woollett. A pupil of Wilson, Sir George Howland Beaumont (1753 — 1827), an amateur landscape painter, is better known for his patronage of the fine arts than for his work. He was one of the principal promoters of the National Gallery. Allan Ramsay (1713 — 1784), one of the best portrait- painters of the period, was born at Edinburgh. After receiving education in art in London, he went to Italy, and on his return to London, established himself as a painter. Ramsay subsequently paid three more visits to Italy, and in 1767 was appointed painter to George III., whose portrait he frequently took. He died at Dover, where he had landed on his return from his last journey. His portraits are noteworthy for truth to nature. Besides being a painter, he was a man of great attainments. George Smith (1714 — 1776), who was born at Chichester,