From Bells Weekly Messenger
The original text:[1][edit]
From Bells Weekly Messenger Augst 4. 1811.
Salisbury July 29
A Bill of Indictment was preferred against Peter Le Cave for Felony but returnd Ignoramus by the Grand jury. It appeard that he was in extreme indigence but was an Artist of very superior Merit[.] while he was in Wilton [Jail]<Goal> he painted many Pieces in the Style of Morland some of which are stated to be even superior to the performances of that Artist. with whom Le Cave lived many years as a Professional Assistant & he states that many Paintings of his were only Varnished over by Morland & sold by that Artist as his own. Many of the Principal Gentlemen of the County have visited Le Cave in the Goal & declared his drawings & Paintings in many instances to excel Morlands. The Writer of this Article has seen many of Le Caves Works& tho he does not pretend to the knowledge of an artist yet he considers them as Chaste delineations of Rural Objects.
Such is the Paragraph It confirms the Suspition I entertained concerning those two [Prints] I Engraved From for J. R. Smith. That Morland could not have Painted them as they were the works of a Correct Mind & no Blurrer
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Notes[edit]
- ↑ "The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake", ed. by David V. Erdman, Anchor Books, 1988, p. 694-5. [Memoranda from the Notebook] From Bells Weekly Messenger The paragraph from Salisbury occurs in the 8th page, under the heading SUMMER ASSIZES. In the Notebook Blake copied it beside and below his emblematic drawing of Ugolino in prison. In his comment Blake refers to two prints he engraved, from paintings by Morland, i.e. Le Cave. The deleted word is confusing, though legible enough, because he began by writing about “two Prints” but concluded by turning the focus on those two (paintings) he engraved from.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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