down in
short hand, the beauties of the sky and the accidental effects of
nature, he returned to his studio, and endeavored to make stationary on
canvass the moving picture he had just been contemplating. Effects which
had long disappeared were thus recomposed in all their charming harmony
to delight the eye of every lover of painting.

VERNET AND THE CONNOISSEUR.

Vernet relates, that he was once employed to paint a landscape, with a
cave, and St. Jerome in it; he accordingly painted the landscape, with
St. Jerome at the entrance of the cave. When he delivered the picture,
the purchaser, who understood nothing of perspective, said, "the
landscape and the cave are well made, but St. Jerome is not _in_ the
cave." "I understand you, Sir," replied Vernet, "I will alter it." He
therefore took the painting, and made the shade darker, so that the
saint seemed to sit farther in. The gentleman took the painting; but it
again appeared to him that the saint was not in the cave. Vernet then
wiped out the figure, and gave it to the gentleman, who seemed perfectly
satisfied. Whenever he saw strangers to whom he shewed the picture, he
said, "Here you see a picture by Vernet, with St. Jerome in the cave."
"But we cannot see the saint," replied the visitors. "Excuse me,
gentlemen," answered the possessor, "he is there; for _I_ have seen him
standing at the entrance, and afterwards farther back; and am therefore
quite sure that he is in it."

VERNET'S WORKS.

Far from confining himself within the narrow limits of one branch of his
profession, Vernet determined to take as wide a range as possible. At
Rome, he made the acquaintance of Lucatelli, Pannini, and Solimene. Like
them, he studied the splendid ruins of the architecture of ancient Rome,
and the noble landscapes of its environs, together with every
interesting scene and object, especially the celebrated cascades of
Tivoli. He paid particular attention to the proportions and attitudes of
his figures, which were mostly those of fishermen and lazzaroni, as well
as to the picturesque appearance of their costume. Such love of nature
and of art, such assiduous study of nature at different hours of the
day, of the phenomena of light, and such profound study of the numerous
accessories essential to beauty and effect, made an excellent landscape
painter of Vernet, though his fame rests chiefly on the unrivalled
excellence of his marine subjects. Diderot remarks, that "though he was