Smith, John: A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French painters: in which is included a short biographical notice of the artists, with a copious description of their principal pictures : a statement of the prices at which such pictures have been sold at public sales on the continent and in England; a reference the the galleries and private collections in which a large portion are at present; and the names of the artists by whom they have been engraved; to which is added, a brief notice of the scholars & imitators of the great masters of the above schools (Part 1) (London: Smith and Son, 1829)

xxviii

OBSERVATIONS.

the sizes and descriptions are so nearly similar, and in others
so defective and unintelligible, that when the pictures were not
known by the writer, he had no remedy but the one he has
adopted, which is, to note them several times, rather than
determine upon an uncertainty. This re-duplication of entries
principally occurs in extracts from English catalogues.
The reader is also informed, that where the size of Pictures
have the guess word about added, those descriptions are some-
times written from recollection, and consequently may be im-
perfect. Again, many defects must unavoidably occur from
the inaccuracies of the measurements, and the variations of the
scale of measures according to the country in which the cata-
logue has been made, whether French, Dutch, or German ;
these vary from each other, and all of them from the English.
The old French foot is 12s inches English.
The old Dutch or Rynland foot is 12| inches full English.
The Amsterdam foot is 12| inches English.
The Bavarian and Saxon foot is about 12| inches English.
The Vienna foot is about 12s inches English.
The French have occasionally used the metre of 240 parts
to a foot, and the Dutch have recently given their measures in
palms and fractional parts, the foot being divided into 320
metres; the inch being s full English ; the palm 3| A, and
the aune or elle, 3 feet 3s inches.
Discrepancies of sizes will also occur from accidents, and
the caprice of the owners of Pictures, in having them enlarged
or diminished; these alterations very frequently happen, as
well to those on panel as on canvas.
With reference to prices:—the sums for which each Picture
has been sold, is entered in the currency of the country where
the sale took place, and the reduction into English value made
upon a general scale: for instance, the rate of exchange in
France is calculated at 25 francs for a pound sterling; this is
probably too high for a general scale, as it has been as low as
20, and even 16 j upon England.
The rate of exchange in Holland, is calculated on an average