Mengs, Anton Raphael; Nibiano, José Nicolás de Azara de [Hrsg.]; Mengs, Anton Raphael [Mitarb.]: The works of Anthony Raphael Mengs: first painter to His Catholic Majesty Charles III. (Band 1) (London: Faulder, 1796)

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PREFACE

will therefore be done away, as my only
views in the following translation were those
of amusement, and the desire of makingthe
author better known to the English; and
at the same time I lament, that no one of
superior abilities has attempted it before
me, to have done him all the justice he
deserves: however, I trust the following tran-
ssation will be found to contain the ori-
ginal ideas of the author, and that it will
convince every one of his abilities as a wri-
ter; and his famous piece in All-souls Col-
lege Oxford will ever be a sufficient speci-
men to give an idea of him as an artiit.*

The Translator.

* The subjectof this piQure is our Saviour in the gar-
den : it consists of two sigures in the soreground, highly
sinished, and beautifully painted. Jt was ordered by a
gentleman of that College whilst on his travels through
Spain; but being limited to the price, he was obliged to
choose a subject os few figures. ' This gentleman relates
a singular anecdote of Mengs, which will further show
the profundity of his knowledge and discernment in things
of antiquity. Whilst an esteemed Author, well known
and valued in the Musical World, was abroad collecting
materials for his History of Music, he fouhd at Florence
an ancient statue of'Apollo, with a bow 'and fiddle
in his hand; this, he considered, would be sufficient to
decide the long contested point, whether or not the
ancients had known the use os the bow. He consulted
many people to ascertain the certainty is this statue
were really of antiquity; and at last Mengs was de-
sired to give his opinion, who, directly as he had ex-
amined it, without knowing the cause of the inquiry,