COOPER, SAMUEL, a very distinguished English miniature painter of the 17th century, was born in London in 1609. lie was brought up together with his brother Alexander by his uncle John Hoskins, likewise a miniature painter, and much distinguished in the reign of Charles I. Having displayed remarkable ability his uncle took him into partnership with him, but almost immediately dissolved the part nership, in consequence it is said of the marked preference which was invariably displayed for the works of his nephew. Cooper was with out a rival in the time of the Commonwealth, and during the reign of Charles H. He painted the portrait of Cromwell which has been engraved by Yertue, but the head only was finished. The original is still in existence, but It has changed hands various times, and is at present, we believe, in one of the Royal collections. Walpole speaks in the highest terms of its merits; he says, that "if it could be enlarged to the size of one of Vandyck's portraits, the latter would lose by the comparison :" it is unquestionably a work of a very high order. Another of Cooper's masterpieces was a head of a person named Swingfleld, which he took with him to the court of Itrance, where it procured him the highest patronage : he remained some years in France and Holland. He was also much patronised by the court of Charles II. lie painted the miniature of Charles, as well as that of his queen ; the Duchess of Cleveland, the Duke of York, Monk duke of Albemarle, Archbishop Sheldon, the Chancellor Shaftesbury, and many others. Walpole possessed a drawing by Cooper of Pope's father lying dead in his bed; Cooper's wife was the sister of Pope's mother. Cooper died in London in 1672, iu his sixty-third year, and
was buried in old St. Pancras church, where a beautiful marble monu ment was raised to his memory, on which was inscribed a lung and highly commendatory epitaph, in Latin, commencing —"Samuel Cooper, Esquire, of England the Apollo, of his age, and of art the ornament," ezo. Samuel Cooper was an excellent musician, and also well versed in several foreign languages. His widow was pensioned by the crown. Cooper's excellence did not extend beyond the head, but so far he was without a rival ; and the following entry in one of the pocketbooks of Charles, the husband of Mary Beale, shows that in this respect be enjoyed the highest reputation among his contempo raries—" Sunday, May 5th, 1672, Mr. Samuel Cooper, the most famot limner of the world for a face, dyed." The writer of tho 'Essay towards an English school' (Loudon 1706), says that Cooper acquired this great excellence by copying tl pictures of Vandyck and imitating his style. "Our nation," he say " may be allowed to boast of him, having far exceeded all that wet before him in England in that way (miniature), and even equalled ti most famous Italians, insomuch that he was commonly styled th Vandyck in little, equalling that master in his beautiful colouritq and agreeable airs of the face, together with that strength, rilievi and noble spirit ; that soft and tender liveliness of the flesh which inimitable." One of the chief excellences of his works is their fre• dom of execution, and their vigorous style, for though executed i water-colours they have the power and effect of oil-paintings.