TheWorksofCharlesandMaryLamb—Volume5LETTER150

letter150

charleslambtowilliamhazlitt

march15,1806.

dearh.—iamalittlesurprisedatnoletterfromyou.thisdayweek,towit,saturday,the8thofmarch,1806,ibookedoffbythewemcoach,bullandmouthinn,directedtoyou,attherev.mr.hazlitt's,wem,shropshire,aparcelcontaining,besidesabook,&c.,arareprint,whichitaketobeatitian;ingthesaidw.h.toacknowledgethereceiptthereof;whichhenothavingdone,iconcludethesaidparceltobelyingattheinn,andmaybelost;forwhichreason,lestyoumaybeawales-huntingatthisinstant,ihaveauthorisedanyofyourfamily,whosoeverfirstgetsthis,toopenit,thatsopreciousaparcelmaynotmoulderawayforwantoflookingafter.whatdoyouinshropshirewhensomanyfinepicturesarea-going,a-goingeverydayinlondon?mondayivisitthemarquisoflansdowne's,inberkeleysquare.catalogue2s.6d.leonardosinplenty.someotherdaythisweekigotoseesirwm.young's,instratfordplace.hulse's,ofblackheath,arealsotobesoldthismonth;andinmay,thefirstprivatecollectionineurope,welboreellisagar's.andthereareyou,pervertingnatureinlyinglandscapes,filchedfromoldrustytitians,suchasicanscrapeupheretosendyou,withanadditamentfromshropshirenaturethrownintomakethewholelookunnatural.iamafraidofyourmouthwateringwhenitellyouthatmanningandigotintoangerstein'sonwednesday.mondieu!suchclaudes!fourclaudesboughtformorethan£10,000(thosewhotalkofwilsonbeingequaltoclaudeareeithermainlyignorantorstupid);oneofthesewasperfectlymiraculous.whatcoloursshortofbonâfidesunbeamsitcouldbepaintedin,iamnotearthlycolourmanenoughtosay;butididnotthinkithadbeeninthepossibilityofthings.then,amusic-piecebytitian—athousand-poundpicture—fivefiguresstandingbehindapiano,thesixthplaying;noneoftheheads,asm.observed,indicatinggreatmen,oraffectingit,butsosweetlydisposed;allleaningseparateways,butsoeasy—likeaflockofsomedivineshepherd;thecolouring,liketheeconomyofthepicture,sosweetandharmonious—asgoodasshakspeare's"twelfthnight,"—almost,thatis.itwillgiveyoualoveoforder,andcureyouofrestless,fidgettypassionsforaweekafter—moremusicalthanthemusicwhichitwould,butcannot,yetinamannerdoes,show.ihavenoroomfortherest.letmesay,angersteinsitsinaroom—hisstudy(onlythatandthelibraryareshown)—whenhewritesacommonletter,asiamdoing,surroundedwithtwentypicturesworth£60,000.whataluxury!apiciusandheliogabalus,hideyourdiminishedheads!

yours,mydearpainter,

c.lamb.

[angerstein'swasthehouseofjohnjuliusangerstein(1735-1823)thefinancier,inpallmall.hehadamagnificentcollectionofpictures,£60,000worthofwhichwereboughtonhisdeathbythenation,toformthenucleusofournationalgallery.aportraitofangersteinbylawrencehangsthere.thetitianofwhichlambspeaksisnowattributedtotheschooloftitian.itiscalled"aconcert."angerstein'sclaudesarealsointhenationalgallery.]