Here he soon rendered himself conspicuous for the boldness of his designs, in daring to shake off the trammels of the art so far as to paint modern history in modern dress. He had already staggered the connoisseurs in Italy while he was there, by his picture of _The Savage Chief taking leave of his family on going to war_. This extraordinary effort of the American pencil on an American subject excited great admiration at Venice. The picture was engraved in that city by Bartolozzi, before either he or West went to England. The artists were surprised to find that the expression of the passions of men did not depend on the robes they wore. And his early works in London, _The Death of Wolfe_, _The Battles of the Boyne_, _Lahogue_, &c., engraved by Woollett and others, not only established his reputation, but produced a revolution in the Art. So that modern dress has now become as familiar in fictitious as in real life; it being justly considered essential in painting modern history. The engraving from his Wolfe has been often copied in France, Italy and Germany; and it may be said that in this picture the revolution in painting really originated. It would now be reckoned as preposterous in an artist to dress modern personages in Grecian or Roman habits, as it was before to give them the garb of the age and country to which they belonged. The merit of Mr. West was early noticed and encouraged by the king; who took him into pay with a convenient salary, and the title of historical painter to his majesty. In this situation he has decorated the king's palaces, chapels and churches with most of those great pictures from the English history and from the Old and New Testament, which compose so considerable a portion of his works. The following catalogue of his pictures was furnished me by Mr. West himself in the year 1802. It comprises only his principal productions in _historical_ painting, and only his _finished_ pictures; without mentioning his numerous portraits, or his more numerous sketches and drawings. The pictures marked thus * have been engraved. The ciphers express the size of the pictures. When the same subject is mentioned more than once, there is more than one picture on that subject. IN THE QUEEN'S HOUSE. * Regulus departing from Rome. * Hannibal sworn when a child. * Death of Wolfe. Damsel accusing Peter. * Death of Epaminondas. Apotheosis of the two young princes. * Death of chevalier Bayard. Germanicus, with Segestus and his daughter prisoners. * Cyrus, with a king and family captives. IN THE KING'S APARTMENTS AT WINDSOR.