PRACTICAL HINTS ON COMPOSITION IN PAINTING. ILLUSTRATED BY EXAMPLES FROM THE GREAT MASTERS OF THE ITALIAN, FLEMISH, AND DUTCH SCHOOLS.

The stated first American edition, from the fourth London edition, of Scottish painter John Burnet's Practical Hints on Composition in Painting, first published in London in 1822. The title was the first in a three-part series of "practical hints" by Burnet, with the other two addressing the subjects of light and shade (1826) and color (1827) in painting. The two-page publisher's prospectus at front of the present volume promises that the American edition "will be published in Parts, as it originally appeared in London," but we find no evidence that Parts II and III ever made it to print. This American edition includes a dedication from the publishers to "the president and members of the National Academy of Design.for the generous exertions manifested by them in disseminating a knowledge of the Art of Painting." Founded in New York in 1825, the National Academy of Design promoted "the cultivation and extension of the arts of design" through its twofold program of art instruction and exhibition (Constitution). The dedication is accompanied by a preface from New York painter Henry Inman (1801–1846), best known perhaps for his "involvement in the most extensive project of his career, the publication of Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America (1836–1844), for which he painted engraver's copies of Charles Bird King's portraits of American Indians" (ANB). Inman was one of the founders of the National Academy of Design and served as the organization's first vice president. Inman here speaks to "the great excellence and value of Burnet's Treatise," describing it as "an indispensable hand-book for the student." "It has long been a standard book with artists in England," he notes, before going on to suggest that "the work has peculiar merit for the rising artists of our own land, few of whom can hope, while studying their profession, to enjoy the advantage and delight of examining those famous originals, which in Europe are treasured with such care and regarded with such reverence. By means of Burnet's work, in which many of these celebrated productions are copied with such fidelity as almost entitles them, for the purposes of the student, to the appellation of fac similes, the very greatest want of the young artists in this country is in a good measure supplied; and he is enabled to profit by the examples of the masters without incurring the expense of a pilgrimage to foreign lands, which so often interposes an insurmountable obstacle to his dearest ambition and his fondest hope." The engravings for this American edition, following those of Burnet, were executed by Lewis P. Clover, Jr., after works by Benjamin West, James Burnet, David Wilkie, Peter Paul Rubens, and others. Clover (1819–1896) was a student of Asher B. Durand and attended classes at the National Academy's school. In his preface, Inman praises "the very laudable undertaking of Mr. Clover, in preparing an American edition of a work so valuable; and that too at an expense so moderate, as compared with the price of the English copy"—the printed paper label affixed to the front board advertises the American edition at a price of three dollars—"and with a degree of mechanical excellence, which, as between it and the English copy, leaves nothing to be desired." The publisher's prospectus at front prints testimonials from Samuel F.B. Morse, the Academy's first president; Henry Inman; Charles C. Ingham; Asher B. Durand; and others. Born in Scotland, John Burnet (1784–1868) was not only a noted painter and engraver, but "a highly respected writer on art. His best-known works includePractical Hints on Composition(1822),Practical Hints on Light and Shade(1826), andPractical Hints on Colour(1827). These were published together asA Practical Treatise on Painting, in three parts, in 1827" (DNB). These and other works by Burnet were frequently reprinted throughout the 19th century. Not in AMERICAN IMPRINTS. OCLC locates copies at only six insti.…