COPIER (n.)
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Quotation
{To distinguish Principall from Copies.} Generally, in Originalls, the Colours become often vaded, and, in many, much changed ; the Piece in time grown crusty, and often peeles by ill usage. Yet you shall find the Lightnings bold strong, and high ; the shadowes deep and gracefull.
Their Copies ; if well counterfeit, the workeman must alter the manner of his Colours by a mixt tempering ; otherwayes then the Modern Naturall way of Painting admits. To do this well, he may be lesse excellent in the Precepts of Painting, and yet in this way of working, out Master, a better Artizan ; […].
{How to judge of them} To judge of them with facility ; Originalls have a Natural force of Grace Rising ; Copies seems to have, only an imperfect, and borrowed comlinesse ; and if you stay to judge of them, thought they seem so, to the sight of Imitation, yet it proceeds not out of a Naturall Genius in the Workeman.
{By distinction} An Imitator, does never come neer the first Author, (unless by excellent modern Masters own working) a similitude ever more, comes short of that truth, which is in the Things themselves : The Copier being forced to accomodate himself, to another mans intent.
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Quotation
To know whether a Picture, or Drawing be of the Hand of such a Master, or After him One must be so well acquainted with the Hand of that Master as to be able to distinguish what is Genuine, from what is not so ; The Best Counterfeiter of Hands cannot do it so well as to deceive a good Connoisseur ; the Handling, the Colouring, the Drawing the Airs of Heads, Some, nay All of these discover the Author ; More, or Less Easily however as the Manner of the Master happens to be ; What is highly Finished (for Example) is more easily Imitated than what is Loose, and Free.
‘tis impossible for any one to transform himself imediatly, and become exactly Another Man ; a hand that has been always moving in a certain manner cannot at Once, or by a few Occasional Essays get into a different kind of motion, and be as Perfect at it as he that practices it continually : ‘tis the same in Colouring, and Drawing ; they are as impossible to be Counterfeited as the Handling : Every Man will Naturally, and Unavoidably mix Somthing of Himself in all he does if he Coppies with any degree of Liberty : If he attemps to follow his Original Servilely, and Exactly, That cannot but have a Stiffness which will easily distinguish what is So done from what is perform’d Naturaly, Easily, and without Restraint.
I have perhaps one of the greatest Curiosities of This kind that can be seen, because I have both the Coppy, and the Original ; both are of Great Masters, the Coppier was moreover the Disciple of him he endeavour’d to Imitate, and had Accustom’d himself to do so, for I have several Instances of it, which I am very certain of tho’ I have not seen the Originals.