Identified by the Knot.

Otago Witness, Issue 1916, 10 August 1888, Page 38

Identified by the Knot.

Artists are often very forgetful of their early works, possibly because fulfilled promise is so delightful that they have no time for backward glances. A gentleman once sent a picture to Poole, the painter, asking him to sign it, for although the purchaser had been assured that the work was Poole's own, no name could be found on it. The artist looked at the picture and said : " Tell the person who sent this thing for me to sign that it is not my work. I never saw it before, and I hope I shall never see it again." ' The irate owner then sought out the man who had sold it, and together they went to the artist. " Do you think you would know your own handwriting, sir ? " said the dealer. " I suppose I should," ansewered Poole. " Then do me the favour to cast your eyes on that " — showing a receipt. Poole lead it and paused. " Yes," said he, " that's my receipt, sure enough." Again he looked at the picture long and steadily. " I can't for the life of me recollect it," said he; "but I do remember painting a small picture of Lear and Cordelia in the y ear , I painted it on a piece, of panel, made from the wood oE an old worn-out piano,, and if that is the one, you will find a small knot in the wood at the back." The picture was reversed, and lo 1 there was the knot. In the days of Reynolds, that artist once expressed, at a dinner-table, his doubt if a man could forget the work of his own brain and hand. Soon after, a very early painting of his came into the possession of a friend, who at once sought the artist, saying that he wanted a candid opinion in regard to it. It was painted, he represented, by a young man who, if the great painter approved this specimen of his work, would like to adopt art as his profession. "Is this painter a friend of yours ?" asked Reynolds, after examining the picture. "Yes." " Well," said Sir Joshua, " I really don't feel able to give an opinion, one way or the other. It is a cleverish thing, but whether there is sufficient promise in it to justify my advising the young man to adopt art as his profession, I really cannot say."

"Rough on Rats." — Clears but rats, mice, roaches, flies, 1 ants, bed-bugs, beetles, insects, skunks, jack rabbits, sparrows, gophers. At chemists and druggists.