And obliged humble servant,
JOHN KNOWLES.
4, Osnaburgh Street, Regent's Park,
24th March, 1830.
ADVERTISEMENT.
In offering to the public the Life and a complete edition of the
literary Works of Henry Fuseli, I feel myself called upon to state the
sources whence the former has been drawn.
The daily intercourse and sincere friendship which subsisted for many
years between this great artist and myself, afforded me the opportunity
of witnessing his domestic habits, hearing many of the incidents of his
life, and watching his career as an artist; and, being executor to his
will, his professional as well as private papers came into my
possession. Independently of these advantages, I have been in
correspondence with the nearest branches of his family, (at Zurich, in
Switzerland,) and from their kindness have obtained many particulars of
his early life, together with the correction of some previously
inaccurate dates. Whatever estimate, therefore, may be formed of my
work, as a literary production, the particulars have been gathered from
the most authentic and unquestionable sources.
With respect to his works, it may be necessary to state that the first
Six Lectures were published in a quarto volume under Mr. Fuseli's own
superintendence, and were printed in a more extended form than that in
which they were delivered; additional observations having been inserted
for the press, and notes added to indicate the authorities whence his
opinions were derived. They are now reprinted from a copy in my
possession, in which are noted some corrections by the author.
The remaining Six Lectures are published from the manuscripts in his own
hand-writing, without any addition, omission, or alteration.
The Aphorisms were collated, and re-copied fairly some years before the
death of the author: these are printed _verbatim_ as he intended they
should come before the public.
The History of the Italian Schools of Art will be found to contain the
professional lives of Michael Angelo, Raffaelle, Titian, Correggio, and
other great masters, with the author's criticisms on their works. Most
of the observations on Art were made by Fuseli while in Italy and
France, after a close inspection of the frescoes, pictures, or works in
sculpture, which he describes or criticises; and the particulars of the
lives of the artists were deduced from a careful perusal and comparison
of the most elaborate and esteemed works in which they have been
recorded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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