Renowned American painter (1778-1860) regarded as one of the finest portrait artists of his day, most famous for his paintings of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Fantastic AMS, signed and titled on the front cover, “The Fine Arts, by Rembrandt Peale,” 38 pages, 7.75 x 12.75, no date but circa 1839. Peale’s draft for a lecture to be given on the fine arts, consisting of 27 pages, followed by 11 pages of his notes, again titled and signed at the top of the first page, “Lecture on the Fine Arts by Rembrandt Peale.” In part: “The Fine Arts comprehend Painting, Sculpture, Engraving & Architecture; to which some persons add Music, the Drama & Gardening…A taste for architecture has been rapidly spreading in our country; & Latrobe’s Capitol, now being enlarged to an Imperial grandeur; Walter’s exquisite Girard College, and numerous examples of Gothic architecture, are differing principles of the purest taste, enslaved to no exclusive system, but leaving to architecture the same liberty of expression, that is allowed in the variations & Refinements of language…Painting is an art that demands many requirements. The artist must see all forms accurately in their boundaries and proportions, and be able readily to transfer them to his canvas. He must understand the laws which regulate their lights, shadows & reflexions [sic], and must learn to compound his tints with skill from the crude materials of his palette.”
Peale offers a wide-ranging discussion on art history and theory complete with a reference to his father's status as the first painter of George Washington. He broaches the subject in the context of a discussion of the fact that prior to the American Revolution, the British colonies had produced but a few artists (most notably John S. Copley and Benjamin West), all of whom found it necessary to travel to Europe to earn crucial training and patronage: "Here I may be indulged for mentioning a fact that worthy of Note in the History of our Arts; that my father, Charles Wilson Peale, after studying two years with Mr. West, in London, returned in 1771, and was during fifteen years the only Painter of any known standing in all this Western world—having sitters for Portraits from Canada & the West Indies—This continued till the year 1785, when the versatility of his genius tempted him into the fields of Natural History, making his name better known among Naturalists than it has been among Painters; Yet the Portraits of distinguished Men, begun during the War of the Revolution, many of which now decorate the Hall of Independence, will perpetuate both his patriotism & his name among the Artists of his Country. He was the friend of Washington, of whom he painted the first Portrait—and many others."
Throughout, Peale has amended the text by writing on separate slips and pasting them into the paragraphs to be revised. The manuscript is loosely bound in its original wraps. In very good to fine condition, with occasional smudges and stains; the cover is creased and somewhat heavily worn. Accompanied by an attractive custom-made leatherbound clamshell case. In addition to being a prominent artist in his own right, Peale was one of its greatest proponents—he played a central role in the development of institutions such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design, and the American Academy of Fine Arts. This thoughtfully prepared essay is especially significant, as it is not only a lengthy treatise by Peale but lends great insight into the status of the arts in America during the mid-19th century.
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