e general approbation his works receive, is not to be
wondered at. But, as owing to the false notions of the public, not
thoroughly acquainted with the true art of painting, he has been often
called a _caricaturer_; when, in reality, _caricatura_ was no part of
his profession, he being a true copier of Nature; to set this matter
right, and give the world a just definition of the words, _character_,
_caricatura_, and _outre_, in which humorous painting principally
consists, and to show their difference of meaning, he, in the year 1758,
published this print; but, as it did not quite answer his purpose,
giving an illustration of the word _character_ only, he added, in the
year 1764, the group of heads above, which he never lived to finish,
though he worked upon it the day before his death. The lines between
inverted commas are our author's own words, and are engraved at the
bottom of the plate.

"There are hardly any two things more essentially different than
_character_ and _caricatura_; nevertheless, they are usually confounded,
and mistaken for each other; on which account this explanation is
attempted.

"It has ever been allowed, that when a _character_ is strongly marked in
the living face, it may be considered as an index of the mind, to
express which, with any degree of justness, in painting, requires the
utmost efforts of a great master. Now that, which has of late years got
the name of _caricatura_, is, or ought to be, totally divested of every
stroke that hath a tendency to good drawing; it may be said to be a
species of lines that are produced, rather by the hand of chance, than
of skill; for the early scrawlings of a child, which do but barely hint
the idea of a human face, will always be found to be like some person or
other, and will often form such a comical resemblance, as, in all
probability, the most eminent _caricaturers_ of these times will not be
able to equal, with design; because their ideas of objects are so much
more perfect than children's, that they will, unavoidably, introduce
some kind of drawing; for all the humorous effects of the fashionable
manner of _caricaturing_, chiefly depend on the surprise we are under,
at finding ourselves caught with any sort of similitude in objects
absolutely remote in their kind. Let it be observed, the more remote in
their nature, the greater is the excellence of these pieces. As a proof
of this, I remember a famous _caricatura_ of a certain Italian singer,
t