DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66024#0193
LAST DAYS
109
Virginia finely expressed, there are some other artists of great merit, but in
present times little encouragement. The death of Lord Hervey the Bishop
of Derry has been a great loss to many artists, especially in present times.
Now all that collection of ancient and modern paintings are to be sold, with a
great number of fine columns, statues and other things of that kind, he had
destined for a great building in Ireland. I have now only room left on this
paper to beg you to continue to keep me in your remembrance. I will not
despair to see you once more on the Banks of the Tiber which your
presence rendered very interesting and memorable to me.—I remain with
unalterable esteem most sincerely your friend and most obliged servant,
“ Angelica Kauffman.1
“ P.S.—My cousin is truly sensible of your kind remembrance of him; and
all my friends who had the honour of seeing you, often inquire after you, they
rejoice to know that I had heard from you and desired me to give their respects
to you. Cavalier Venuti in particular, and all none excepted. May every
happiness attend you.”
In the year following this letter, Angelica was able to get from Rome to
Albano, and Rossi gives, a letter which she addressed, in September, 1806,
to Mr. Bowles of Wanstead. It tells us something of her state of mind,
and also makes allusion to Joseph Bonomi, to whom we refer a little later
on. Thus she writes :—
“ Albano, 20th Sept., 1806.
“ Much respected Friend,
“ Before this reaches you Mr. Bonomi, to whom I wrote this month,
I hope, according to my request, has informed you that I have in due time
received your obliging favour.
“I find myself in this delightful place since August 20th last. This change
of air was necessary for the better restoration of my health, which has suffered
so much by the long, lasting rheumatic pains suffered in my breast, but now,
thank God, the air has been so beneficial to me that all my complaints are
vanished and my spirits recovered.
“ I hope this will find you and all those dear to you in good health. Re-
member me to them most affectionately. All hopes of peace are, I fear,
vanished. I am sorry for it, for many reasons. The picture was and is ready
for exportation. I shall remain in this place all this month, if the weather
continues good, and perhaps part of the next. The situation is beautiful, but
we are now and then visited with some shocks of an earthquake, which have
done considerable damage in most of the neighbouring places. Here they
were not very sensible, thank God ! I should have been much alarmed.
1 There are many odd and quaint misspellings in this letter. To make it more easily
readable and to do away with a constant use of the word sic we have corrected almost all of
them.
109
Virginia finely expressed, there are some other artists of great merit, but in
present times little encouragement. The death of Lord Hervey the Bishop
of Derry has been a great loss to many artists, especially in present times.
Now all that collection of ancient and modern paintings are to be sold, with a
great number of fine columns, statues and other things of that kind, he had
destined for a great building in Ireland. I have now only room left on this
paper to beg you to continue to keep me in your remembrance. I will not
despair to see you once more on the Banks of the Tiber which your
presence rendered very interesting and memorable to me.—I remain with
unalterable esteem most sincerely your friend and most obliged servant,
“ Angelica Kauffman.1
“ P.S.—My cousin is truly sensible of your kind remembrance of him; and
all my friends who had the honour of seeing you, often inquire after you, they
rejoice to know that I had heard from you and desired me to give their respects
to you. Cavalier Venuti in particular, and all none excepted. May every
happiness attend you.”
In the year following this letter, Angelica was able to get from Rome to
Albano, and Rossi gives, a letter which she addressed, in September, 1806,
to Mr. Bowles of Wanstead. It tells us something of her state of mind,
and also makes allusion to Joseph Bonomi, to whom we refer a little later
on. Thus she writes :—
“ Albano, 20th Sept., 1806.
“ Much respected Friend,
“ Before this reaches you Mr. Bonomi, to whom I wrote this month,
I hope, according to my request, has informed you that I have in due time
received your obliging favour.
“I find myself in this delightful place since August 20th last. This change
of air was necessary for the better restoration of my health, which has suffered
so much by the long, lasting rheumatic pains suffered in my breast, but now,
thank God, the air has been so beneficial to me that all my complaints are
vanished and my spirits recovered.
“ I hope this will find you and all those dear to you in good health. Re-
member me to them most affectionately. All hopes of peace are, I fear,
vanished. I am sorry for it, for many reasons. The picture was and is ready
for exportation. I shall remain in this place all this month, if the weather
continues good, and perhaps part of the next. The situation is beautiful, but
we are now and then visited with some shocks of an earthquake, which have
done considerable damage in most of the neighbouring places. Here they
were not very sensible, thank God ! I should have been much alarmed.
1 There are many odd and quaint misspellings in this letter. To make it more easily
readable and to do away with a constant use of the word sic we have corrected almost all of
them.