THE GREAT WORKS OF RAPHAEL Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/greatworksofraphOOcund RAPHAEL D'URBINO AT FIFTEEN. IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS. THE GREAT WORKS OF RAPHAEL SANZIO OF URBINO; A SERIES OF THIRTY PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BEST ENGRAVINGS OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED PAINTINGS ; WITH DESCRIPTIONS, TRANSLATED FROM PASSAV ANT'S "RAFAEL VON URBINO UND SEIN VATER : " VASARI'S LIFE OF RAPHAEL, TRANSLATED BY MRS. JONATHAN FOSTER: AND AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING A CLASSIFIED LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL PAINTINGS OF THE ARTIST. EDITED BY JOSEPH CUNDALL. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: BELL AND DALDY, 186, FLEET STREET. CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL, and CO. 1866. PREFACE. 'HE world never tires of its best work. For more tnan three centuries the paintings of Raphael have been the admiration of mankind ; they have been reproduced in every country and in every variety of style, and they are ever welcome. The famous engravings from his most celebrated works, by Raphael Morghen, Longhi, Desnoyers, Garavaglia, Miiller, Toschi, and other eminent men, delighted connoisseurs for many years, and are reckoned among the foremost achievements of the engraver's art ; but now they have become very rare, and can only be seen in the portfolios of the wealthy. Luckily for all lovers of art a new aid has lately sprung up which offers the present generation a wonderful advantage. The marvellous power of Photography has rarely been more beautifully shown than in the reproduction of these magnificent engravings. Line for line the miniature copy reproduces the work of the original ; and though the grandeur and brilliancy of the first proofs cannot be obtained, a vi PREFACE. delicate and thoroughly accurate transcript is secured, which charms and satisfies the eye. The Editor has selected thirty of the most justly celebrated of Raphael's works to form the illustrations of the present work. To the well-known Life of Raphael by Giorgio Vasari, (which is fully annotated by the translator, Mrs. Foster,) he has added, from Pas- savant's " Rafael von Urbino," further descriptions of those pictures which are here represented ; and at the end of the volume he has given, from the same authority, a complete list of the authenticated works of the "divine artist." LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS. ^ 'ff^SfcS *THE Marriage of the Virgin (Lo Sposdlizio.) In the Brera, at *W§@$[ ])£t§8$\3 Milan. From the engraving by Longhj .... 4 fw^hjt ^£^hJ*s ^' '^ HE Madonna with the Goldfinch {del Cardellino). In the ^^T^W% Florence Gallery. From the engraving by Raphael Morghen 6 fi§^rS>l ^* '^ HE "^■ 0LY Family, with the Palm-Tree. In the Bridge- ^^jS^^sfci*"^ water Gallery. From the engraving by Mabtinet . . 8 •4. Saint Catherine of Alexandria. In the National Gallery. From the engraving by Desnoters ............ 10 5. The Entombment. In the Borghese Palace, at Rome. From the engraving by Amsler ............. 12 6. The Madonna, La Belle Jardiniere. In the Louvre, at Paris. From the engraving by Desnoyers ............. 14 7. The School of Athens. In the Chamber of the " Sc\ Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angclo, in competition with each other, were not completed till the year 1500. Sec, for more minute details respecting this period of the life of Raphael, Longhcna. Istoria della Vita, &c, Munich, 1824; Rehberg, Rafael Sanzio ; Platner and Bimsen, Beschreibuix/ picture was returned to Italy, not to the Church at Fuligno, but to the Vatican, where it now is. — Passavant. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 27 kneeling on the earth, with one arm extended, and the head raised as he turns his gaze aloft, towards the Madonna; he is depicted with a glow of pious affection in his countenance, every line of which is beaming with the holiest emotion. The features and complexion show that the saint is consuming away in pious resignation, but is receiving comfort and life from the most gentle and beautiful looks of the Mother, as well as from the sovereign loveliness of the divine Child. 1 In the centre of the picture and immediately beneath the Virgin, is a boy ; his head is raised towards Our Lady, and he bears a tablet in his hands. It is not possible to imagine anything more graceful or more beautiful than this child, whether as regards the head or the rest of the person. There is besides a landscape of singular beauty, and which is executed to the highest perfection in every part. Raphael then continued his work in the chambers of the Vatican, where he depicted the Miracle of the Sacrament, or the Corporas of Bolsena, whichever it may be called. In this story, the Priest who is reading the Mass is seen to have his face glowing with the shame which he felt, when, in consequence of his own unbelief, he beheld the Host bleeding on the Corporas, as a reproof for his want of faith ; terrified at the looks of his hearers, he has lost all self- possession, and is as a man beside himself ; he has the aspect of one utterly confounded, the dismay that has seized him is manifest in his attitude, and the spectator almost perceives the trembling of his hands ; so well are the emotions inevitable from such a circumstance expressed in the work. 2 Around the priest are many figures of varied character ; some are serving the Mass, others kneel, in beautiful attitudes, on a flight of steps, and moved by the novelty of 1 This picture is called the Madonna of Fuligno, having been removed from the Church of the Ara Cceli, to that city, at the request of a niece of Conti's, who was a nun at the convent of Sant Anna, called Le Contesse. The work here in question was among those taken to Paris, where it was transferred from panel to canvas: it is now in the Vatican. 2 This miracle is said to have taken place in the year 1264, and under the pontificate of Urban IV, who instituted the festival of the Corpus Domini in consequence thereof. — Bottari. The festival so called was nevertheless not universally celebrated until fifty years later. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. 28 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. the occurrence, exhibit their .astonishment and emotion in divers gestures, some giving evidence of a desire to acknowledge themselves guilty of error, and this is perceived in men as well as in women. Among the latter is one at the lower part of the picture, seated on the earth and holding a child in her arms ; she is listening while another relates the circumstance that has just happened to the priest ; full of wonder she turns towards the speaker with a feminine grace and animation that is truly characteristic and life-like. 1 On the other side is the Pope, Julius II, who is hearing the Mass, an admirable part of the work, and here Raphael has depicted the portrait of the Cardinal di San Giorgio, 2 with a vast number of other personages, also from the life. The break caused by the window was turned to account by the master, who having there represented an ascent in the form of a flight of stairs, thus makes the paintings on each side into one sole picture, hay, he has even made it appear that if this opening caused by the window had not been there, the scene could not have been so well arranged. It may indeed with truth be said of Raphael here, as elsewhere, that as respects invention and the graces of composition, whatever the story may be, no artist has ever shown more skill, more readiness of resource, or a more admirable judgment than himself; a fact of which he has given further proof in this same place, where in the opposite picture he has represented San Pietro thrown into a prison by Herod, 3 and guarded by soldiers. The architectural details here depicted and the simple delineation of the prison, are treated with so much ingenuity that the works of other artists, when compared with those of Raphael, seem to exhibit as much of confusion as do that master's of grace and beauty. Raphael constantly endeavoured to represent the circumstances which he depicted as they are described or written, and to assemble only the most appropriate and 1 "The Miracle of Bolsena" was painted in 1512.— M. Flor. 1832-8. 2 Raffacllo Iliario, who made himself conspicuous hy his hatred to the House of Medici, against which he twice organized a conspiracy. — Schom. 3 Called " La Scarccrazionc di San Pietro." — Note to Oie German Edition of Vasari. THE MADONNA WITH THE DIADEM. IN THE LOUVRE, AT PARIS. HE Virgin, her head adorned with a blue diadem, is crouching before the Infant J esus, who is lying asleep on some drapery spread upon the ground. She raises the veil which covers him to show him to the little St. John, who is kneeling beside her with his little reed cross in his hands. In the mid-distance is a ruin peopled with figures, and beyond, a town. This picture is often called « Le Sommeil de Jesus.*' There is a remarkable story told concerning this picture. It is said that, divided in halves, it formed the covering of two casks in a cellar at Pescia, where it was found by an amateur, who had it restored by such a skilful artist that no trace of the joining can now be seen. It is one of the gems of the Louvre.— Passavant. V LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 29 characteristic objects in his works, as for example in the picture before us, where he reveals to us the wretchedness of the prison. Bound with chains, that aged man is seen extended between two soldiers; the deep and heavy sleep of the guards is rendered fully manifest, as the resplendent light proceeding from the Angel illumines the darkness of night, and causes the most minute particulars of the prison to be clearly discerned ; the arms of the sleepers shine so brilliantly, that their burnished lustre seems rather to belong to things real and palpable, than to the merely painted surface of a picture. No less remarkable are the art and ingenuity displayed in another part of the same picture ; that namely where, freed from his chains, the Apostle walks forth from his prison, accompanied by the Angel. In the countenance of St. Peter there is evidence that he is a man who feels himself to be acting in a dream, and not as one awake. Equally well expressed are the terror and dismay of those among the guards, who, being outside the prison, hear the clang of the iron door ; a sentinel with a torch in his hand, awakens his sleeping companions ; the light he holds is reflected from their armour, and all that lies within the place which the torch has not reached is lighted by the Moon. This admirably conceived picture Raphael has placed over the window, at the darkest part of the room ; it thus happens that when the spectator regards the painting, the light of day strikes on his eyes and the beams of the natural light mingle and contend with the different lights of the night as seen in the picture, the observer fancies himself really to behold the smoke of the torch, and the splendour of the Angel, all which, with the dark shadows of the night, are so natural and so true, that no one would ever affirm it to be painted, but must believe it to be real, so powerfully has our artist rendered this most difficult subject. 1 The play of the shadows on the arms, the flickering 1 This is 'one of the earliest night-pieces painted by the Italian artists, and its masterly treatment has secured the author the lasting admiration of the world. It was the first painted after the accession of Leo X, and doubtless refers to his remarkable liberation from the French after the battle of Ravenna. It was finished in 1514. See Passavant, vol. i. p. 198, vol. ii. p. 160. 30 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. reflections of the light, the vaporous haloes thrown around the torches, the dim uncertain shade prevailing in certain parts ; all arc painted in such a manner, that contemplating this work one cannot but declare Raphael to be indeed the master of all masters. Never has painting which purports to counterfeit the night been more truly similar to the reality than is this, which is of a truth a most divine work, and is indeed admitted by common consent to be the most extraordinary and most beautiful of its kind. On one of the unbroken walls of the chamber, Raphael then depicted the worship of God as practised among the Hebrews, with the Ark and golden Candlesticks ; here also is the figure of Pope Julius, who is driving the avaricious intruders from the Temple. 1 In this work, which is of similar beauty and excellence to the night-piece described above, several portraits of persons then living are preserved to us in the persons of the bearers 2 who support the chair wherein Pope Julius is borne along ; the figure of the Pontiff is most life-like. While the populace, among whom are many women, make way for his Holiness to pass, they give to view the furious approach of an armed man on horseback; he is accompanied by two others who are on foot, and together they smite and overthrow the haughty Heliodorus, who, by the command of Antiochus, is about to despoil the Temple of all the treasures deposited for the widows and orphans. 3 The wares and treasures are alreadv in process of being borne away, but the terror awakened by the new occurrence of Heliodorus, struck down and scourged by the three figures above-mentioned, who are seen and heard by himself alone, being only a vision, 1 On this picture, which represents the miraculous expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple, Giulio Romano is said to have worked to a considerahle extent. It was completed in 1512. consequently heforc that previously so much extolled by Vasari. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. . 2 The foremost of these bearers is the portrait of the copper-plate engraver, Marc Antonio Raimondi : his opposite companion is said to be that of Giulio Romano. Behind the Pope, stands the Secretary of Memorials, who holds a paper in bis band, with the inscription. Io Pciro de Falcariis Cremonens. — Bottari. See also Passavant, vol. i. p. 194, vol. ii. p. 156. 3 See the second book of .Maccabees, chap. iii. HELIODORUS DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE. IN THE CHAMBER OF " HELIOHOKUS, IN THE VATICAN. ( | E LIODORUS, who attempted to seize the guarded treasure in the Temple of ^g-^^g-S^" Jerusalem, is being driven out by an apparition sent by God. (See Maccabees, book ii. chap. iii. v. 25). In the interior of the temple is the chief-priest Onias, and persons in prayer before the tabernacle and the candlestick with seven branches. Hcli- odorus has fallen on the ground, and his soldiers have taken flight, pursued by a celestial horseman and two angels with scourges. On the left hand the people are collected, amongst whom there are several women, who show great enthusiasm at the sight of the divine help. In the foreground, Pope Julius II, seated on his chair borne by four men, contemplates the scene. The first of the four bearers is the celebrated engraver, Marc Antonio Raimondi. The second is perhaps Giulio Romano. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 31 causes those who are bearing the spoils away to let all drop from their hands, while they themselves fall stumbling over each other, possessed as they are by a sudden affright and horror which had fallen on all the followers of Heliodorus. Apart from these stands the High Priest, Onias, in his pontifical robes, his hands and eyes are raised to heaven, and he is praying most fervently, being moved to compassion for the poor, whom he has beheld on the point of being despoiled of their possessions, but is yet rejoiced at the succour which he feels that Heaven has sent to them. With felicitous invention Raphael has placed various figures about the different parts of the building, some of whom climb on the socles of the columns, and clasping the shaft, thus stand, maintaining themselves with difficulty in their inconvenient position, to obtain a better view of the scene passing before them ; the mass of the people meanwhile, astounded at what they behold, remain in divers attitudes awaiting the result of the wondrous event. The whole of this work was so admirably executed in every part that even the Cartoons were very highly estimated. Messer Francesco Masini, 1 a gentleman of Cesena, who, without any master, but impelled from childhood by the love of art, has produced many paintings and works in design, has certain pieces of the Cartoon which Raphael prepared for this story of Heliodorus still in his possession; they are treasured, with all the esteem which they so truly merit, among the various antiquities in marble, relievi and others, which he has collected; his own pictures and designs are also of such merit, that many, well acquainted with art, have bestowed on them the highest commendations. Nor will I omit to mention that Messer Nicolo Massini, from whom it is that I have received intelligence of these things, is himself a sincere lover of our arts, as he is the friend of all other good and praiseworthy endeavours. But to return to Raphael. In the ceiling above these works he delineated 1 The Roman Edition has Massini, as the Cremonese family still write the name. The fragments here alluded to are still in their possession. 32 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. four pictures : the subject of the first being the appearance of the Almighty Father to Abraham, to whom he promises the continuation of his race ; that of the second, the sacrifice of Isaac; and of the third, Jacob's dream; while the fourth represents Moses standing before the burning bush. In this work, the knowledge of art, rich power of invention, correct design, and exquisite grace which distinguish our artist, are no less manifest than in the others u hereof we have made mention. And now, when the happy genius of the master was effecting such wonders, the envy of fortune deprived of life that pontiff* who was the especial protector and support of such talent, while he was the zealous promoter of every other good and useful work. Julius II. died, 1 but was succeeded by Leo X, who forthwith commanded that the labours commenced should be continued. The genius of Raphael was now exalted to heaven, and he received innumerable proofs of favour from the new pontiff, fortunate in having encountered a prince so great, and one on whom the love of art had devolved by hereditary descent. 2 Thus encouraged, Raphael devoted himself with all his heart to the work, and on another wall of the same apartment, he represented the Approach of Attila towards Rome, and his encounter with Pope Leo III, by whom he is met at the foot of Monte Mario, and who repulses him by the power of his word alone. In this picture, Raphael has shown San Pietro and San Paolo appearing in the air with swords in their hands, with which they come to defend the church. It is true that the History of Leo III. says nothing of such an occurrence, but so Raphael has chosen to represent it, perhaps as a mere fancy; for we know that painters and poets frequently permit themselves a certain degree of freedom for the more effectual decoration of their works, and this they may do without any undue departure from the 1 On the 13th February, 1513. s For the services to art performed by Julius II, and Leo X, and for the connection of Raphael with both these Pontiffs, sec 1'assavant, as above cited, vol. i. p. 205, et scq. THE MADONNA DEL PESCE. IN THE ESCURIAL, MADRID. !§||p$HE Virgin, seated on a throne, is holding on her knee the Infant Jesus, who is lllsi^ bending towards Tobias, who has a fish in his hand. The angel Raphael is pre- senting Tobias to the Holy Infant. On the right St. J erome, his lion at his feet, is standing near the throne, reading a large book. A large curtain forms the background. This picture, bright in tone as the " Madonna di San Sisto," perhaps surpasses that masterpiece in expression. It would be impossible to render with better effect the majesty of the Virgin, the goodness and serenity of the Infant Jesus, the timid expression of Tobias, or the manly dignity of St. Jerome. — Passava/i/, LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 33 propriety of the original thought. In the two apostles thus depicted, there is all that holy zeal and dignity which the Divine Justice frequently imparts to the countenances of those among God's servants, whom it has commissioned to become the defenders of the most holy faith. The effect of this expression on Attila is manifest in his face. He is riding on a fiery black horse, having a star on the forehead, and beautiful as it is possible that a horse could be ; the attitude of the animal also betrays the utmost terror, its head is thrown aloft, and the body is turning in the act of flight. 1 There are other magnificent horses in the same work, among them a Spanish jennet, ridden by a figure which has all the parts usually left nude covered with scales in the manner of a fish ; this is copied from the column of Trajan, the figures of the people around that column being armed in this fashion ; such defences being made, as is conjectured, from the skins of cro- codiles. Monte Mario is seen burning, as an intimation that on the departure of soldiery, the dwellings are constantly given as a prey to the flames. Certain mace-bearers belonging to the papal retinue are painted with extraordinary animation, as are the horses which they are riding : the same may be said of the court of Cardinals, and of the grooms who bear the canopy over the head of the pontiff. 2 The latter, Pope Leo X, is on horseback, in full pontificals, and is no less truthfully portrayed than are the figures beforementioned. He is followed by numerous courtiers, the whole scene presenting an extremely beautiful spectacle, in which all is finely appropriate to its place, and these details are exceedingly useful to those who practise our art, more particularly to such as are unprovided with the objects here represented. About the same time a picture was executed by Raphael for Naples, and 1 The numerous errors into which Vasari lias hero fallen, are in part attributable to the Florentine historian, Villani, (see lib. ii. cap. 3). The meeting with Attila took place on the river Mincio, near Mantua, and the Pontiff was not Leo III. but Leo the Great, the first of the name. 2 The choice of subject in this picture is sometimes said to have been intended as an allusion to the expulsion of the French from Italy, and the figure of Attila has been called a portrait of Louis XII, King of France, but these assertions do not appear to be well-founded. See Passavant. F 34 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. this was placed in the church of San Domenico, and in that chapel wherein is the crucifix which spoke to St. Thomas Aquinas. In this work, Raphael depicted Our Lady, San Girolamo, clothed in the vestments of a cardinal, and the angel Raphael, who is serving as the guide of the youthful Tobias. 1 For Leonello da Carpi, Lord of Meldola, who is still living, and has attained the age of more than ninety years, he painted a picture, the colouring of which is most admirable, and the beauty of the whole work very remarkable ; it is indeed executed with so much force, and in a manner so exquisitely graceful withal, that I do not think the art could possibly produce or exhibit a finer work. There is a divinity in the countenance of Our Lady, and a modest humility in her attitude, than which it would not be possible to conceive anything more beautiful. The master has depicted her with folded hands, in adoration of the divine Child, who is seated on her lap, and is caressing a little St. John; the latter is also adoring the Redeemer: the figures of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth complete the group. This picture was formerly in the possession of the most reverend Cardinal di Carpi, 2 son of the above-named Signor Leonello, a very zealous admirer of our arts ; it must now be in that of his heirs. 3 When Lorenzo Pucci, Cardinal of Santi Quattro, was created High Peni- tentiary, he caused Raphael, who was in great favour with him, to paint a 1 This is the picture known as the Madomui del Pesce (of the Fish), and is now in the Eseurial. The Chapel in which it was originally placed was one much resorted to by persons afflicted with diseases of the eyes ; Tobias, with his fish, is therefore highly appropriate. St. Jerome, who holds a book in his hand, is also much in his place on this occasion, as being the translator of the book of Tobit. This is one of the works taken to Paris, where it was transferred from the panel to canvas ; it is entirely by Raphael himself, and is considered to be one of his best works. 8 The Cardinal Kidolfo Pio da Carpi, a great protector of learned men, and the possessor of the celebrated Mcdicean Virgil. He died in 1564. — Bottari. 1 Passavant considers this picture to be that in the Museo Borbonico. at Naples, but equally important authorities declare the Madonna of the Borbonico to be a fine copy, by Giulio Komano, or at best, but a replica of the original, which they affirm to have been taken to Paris, whence, after having adorned the gallery at Malmaiflon, it was transferred to St. ■ Petersburg. ST. CECILIA. IN THE MUSEUM, AT BOLOGNA. |||t. CECILIA, her eyes turned towards heaven, is listening to the celestial songs of six angels. Her hands are lightly holding a little organ, and musical instru- ments are lying half broken at her feet. On the right is the apostle Paul leaning on his sword, and behind him St. John the Evangelist. On the opposite side is St. Mary Magdalen holding a vase of perfume in her left hand, and behind her is St. Augustine. This picture, one of the most magnificent which the genius of Raphael has produced, is, with regard to colour, an inimitable masterpiece, although it has lost some of its brilliancy by successive restorations. — Passavant. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 35 picture for San Giovanni-in-Monte, at Bologna. This is now placed in that chapel wherein are deposited the relics of the Beata Elena dall' Olio, 1 and serves to show what grace united with art could effect, when acting by the most accomplished and most delicate hand of Raphael. The subject of the work is Santa Cecilia, 2 listening in ecstacy to the songs of the angelic choir, as their voices reach her ear from heaven itself : wholly given up to the celestial harmony, the countenance of the saint affords full evidence of her abstraction from the things of this earth, and wears that rapt expression which is wont to be seen on the faces of those who are in ecstacy. 3 Musical instruments lie scattered around her, and these do not seem to be merely painted, but might be taken for the real objects represented. 4 The same thing may be affirmed of the veil and vestments, formed of cloth of gold and silver, with which Santa Cecilia is clothed, and beneath which is a garment of hair-cloth, also most admirably painted. In the figure of St. Paul likewise, the power and thought of the master are equally obvious : the saint is resting his right arm on his naked sword, the head is supported by the left hand, and the pride of his aspect has changed to a dignified gravity ; the vestments of St. Paul consist of a simple cloth mantle, the colour of which is red, with a green tunic beneath, after the manner of the apostles ; his feet are bare. St. Mary Magdalen also forms part of the group, and holds a vase, made of a very fine marble, in her hand. The attitude of this figure is singularly graceful, as is the turn of her head ; she seems to rejoice in her conversion, and I do not think it would be 1 Elena Duglioli dall' Olio, who was inspired to build the chapel to St. Cecilia, which is that here alluded to, was a noble lady of Bologna, and kinswoman to the Cardinal of Santi Quattro, who under- took to erect the same. Elena was afterwards declared a Beata. 2 This picture is the celebrated St. Cecilia, now in the gallery of the Academy at Bologna. 3 The visitor of Italian galleries and churches will remember many an eloquent exposition of what is here meant, in the pictures of Santa Theresa, St. Francis, and others. To the Protestant Church the exhibition of " Saints in ecstacy" is not yet become matter of frequent occurrence, nor is there now perhaps any very high probability of its doing so. 4 These instruments are said to have been painted by Giovanni da Udine, as is remarked by Vasari himself in another place. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. 30 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. possible that any work of the kind could be more perfectly executed. The heads of St. Augustine and of St. John the Evangelist, which arc both in this picture, are of equal excellence. It may indeed with truth be declared that the paintings of other masters are properly to be called paintings, but those of Raphael may well be designated the life itself, for the flesh trembles, the breathing is made obvious to sight, the pulses in his figures are beating, and life is in its utmost animation through all his works. This picture secured the author many commendations and a great increase of fame, insomuch that numerous verses, both in Latin and the vulgar tongue, were composed to his honour ; of these 1 will but insert the following, that I may not make a longer story than is needful : — " Pingunt sola alii, referantque colorifais ora ; Caxll'up os Raphael atque animum explicuit." At a later period our artist painted a small picture, which is now at Bologna, in the possession of the Count Vicenzio Ercolani. The subject of this work is Christ, 1 enthroned amid the clouds, after the manner in which .Jupiter is so frequently depicted, but the Saviour is surrounded by the four Evangelists, as described in the book of Ezekicl. One in the form of a man, that is to say ; another in that of a lion ; the third as an eagle ; and the fourth as an ox. The earth beneath exhibits a small landscape, and this work, in its minuteness — all the figures being very small — is no less beautiful than are the others in their grandeur of extent.' 2 To Verona, Raphael sent a large picture of no less excellence, for the Counts of Canossa. The subject is the Nativity of Our Lord, admirably 1 Quatrcmere tie Quiucy declares this figure to represent not Christ, but Ezekicl himself ; this opinion has, however, uot found advocates among such of the later writers as are considered the best authority. 2 This picture was doubtless painted after the St. Cecilia, as Vasari affirms; the assertion of Malvasia to the contrary is by no means well-founded, or adequately supported by evidence. The work is now in the Ktti Palace. THE VISION OF EZEKIEL. [N T HE PITT! PALACE, FLORENCE. HE Divine Majesty is represented, seated in glory, two little angels supporting his extended arms, and surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists. The glory is formed of countless heads of cherubim, scarcely visible in the radiancy of the Divine Light. In the landscape below are several figures, who are awestruck at the heavenly vision. Raphael painted this little picture for the Count Vincenzo Ercolani, of Bologna, who paid him eight gold ducats for it. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 37 treated : the day-break in particular, as here portrayed, has been highly com- mended, and the same may be said of the figure of Sant' Anna, and indeed of the whole work, which one could not extol more effectually than by the simple assertion, that it is by the hand of Raphael da Urbino. The Counts hold this picture in the highest estimation, as it well deserves, very great sums have been offered to them for it by different princes, but they have never been prevailed on to part with it. 1 For Bindo Altoviti, Raphael executed a picture of himself when he (Bindo) was still young, and this work also has obtained, as it merits, the highest admiration. 2 He also painted a picture of the Madonna for the same person, who despatched it to Florence : this is now preserved in the Palace of the Duke Cosimo : it has been placed in the Chapel of the new apartments, which have been built and painted by myself, where it serves as the Altar-piece : the subject is Sant' Anna, 3 a woman much advanced in years, who is seated with the infant Christ in her arms ; she is holding him out to the Virgin, and the beauty of his nude figure, with the exquisite loveliness of the countenance which the master has given to the divine Child, is such, that his smile rejoices the heart of all who behold him. To Our Lady also, Raphael has imparted all the beauty which can be imagined in the expression of a virgin ; in the eyes there is modesty, on the brow there shines honour, the nose is one of very graceful character, and the mouth betokens sweetness and excellence. In the vestments also, there is an indescribable simplicity with an attractive modesty, which I do not think could possibly be surpassed ; there cannot indeed be anything better of its kind than is this whole work : there is a beautiful figure 1 This picture was for some time supposed to have disappeared, it was then believed by certain writers to have been discovered in the Palace of the Belvedere at Vienna, and is now generally affirmed to be in that city; but " in the palace of the Prince of Thurm and Vaklassina." 2 The portrait of Bindo Altoviti is now in the Pinacoteca at Munich. ;! This is not St. Anna, but St. Elizabeth, whose countenance, Kichardson, Account of Paintings, Statues, &c, declares to be very like that of a Sybil painted by Raphael in the Chiesa della Pace (Church of Peace). 3* LIFE OF RAPHAEL. of the little San Giovanni undraped, in this picture, with that of another saint, a female, which is likewise very beautiful. 1 The background represents a dwelling, in which there is a window partially shaded, through which light is given to the chamber wherein the figures are seated. In Rome, Raphael likewise painted a picture of good size, in which he represented Pope Leo, the Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, and the Cardinal de' Rossi. The figures in this work seem rather to be in full relief, and living, than merely feigned, and on a plane surface. The velvet softness of the skin is rendered with the utmost fidelity ; the vestments in which the Pope is clothed are also most faithfully depicted, the damask shines with a glossy lustre ; the furs which form the linings of his robes are soft and natural, while the gold and silk are copied in such a manner that they do not seem to be painted, but really appear to be silk and gold. There is also a book in parchment decorated with miniatures, a most vivid imitation of the object represented, with a silver bell, finely chased, of which it would not be possible adequately to describe the beauty. Among other accessories, there is, moreover, a ball of burnished gold on the seat of the Pope, and in this — such is its clearness — the divisions of the opposite window, the shoulders of the Pope, and the walls of the room, are faithfully reflected; all these things are executed with so much care, that I fully believe no master ever has done, or ever can do anything better.' 2 For this work, Raphael was richly rewarded by Pope Leo. It is now in Florence, in the Guardaroba of the Duke. 3 He also painted the portraits of the Duke Lorenzo and of the Duke Giuliano, whom he depicted with that 1 Tin's picture, called the Madonna dell' Impannata, is now in the Pitti Palace. Longhena speak? of an engraving from it by the Spanish engraver, Enianuele Ivsquivcl, and it has also been engraved by Cornelius Cort, and others. 2 This picture, remarks Bottari, must have been painted between the years 1517 and 1519, since the Cardinal de' Ros.-i received the purple in the first -mentioned year, and died in the last. — Roman Edition, 1759. 3 Now in the Pitti Palace. Of the fine copy made from this work by Andrea del Sarto, some mention is made by our author in his life of Andrea. POPE LEO THE TENTH, t WITH THE CARDINALS GIULIO DE' MEDICI AND LODOVICO DE' ROSSI. EN THE PITT1 PALACE, FLORENCE. HE Pope is seated in an arm-chair at a table covered with red cloth, upon which are placed a richly -chased silver hand-bell and an illuminated breviary. He is holding a magnifying-glass, with which he appears to have been examining the miniatures in the book. Upon the left stands the Cardinal de' Medici (afterwards Clement VII), and on the right is the Cardinal de' Rossi, who rests his hands on the back of the arm-chair. The Pope wears a cap of red velvet, and beneath his red cape a garment of white damask with large sleeves trimmed with fur. — Passavant. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 39 perfection and that grace of colouring which is to be seen in no other than himself. These works belong to the heirs of Ottaviano de' Medici, and are now in Florence. 1 The fame of Raphael continued to increase largely, as did the rewards conferred on him ; wherefore, desiring to leave a memorial of himself in Rome, he caused a palace to be erected in the Borgo Nuovo, which was decorated with stucco work by Bramante. 2 The renown of this most noble artist having been carried, by the fame of these and other works, into France and Flanders, Albert Diirer, a most admirable German painter, and the engraver of most beautiful copperplates, sent a tribute of respect to Raphael from his own works, a head, namely, which was his own portrait, executed on exceedingly fine linen, which permitted the picture to appear equally on both sides, the lights not produced by the use of whites, but transparent, and the whole painted in water colours. This work was much admired by Raphael, who sent a number of his own drawings to Albert Diirer, 3 by whom they were very highly estimated. The head sent by the German artist, Albert Diirer, to Raphael, was subsequently taken to Mantua, among the other possessions inherited from the last named master, by Giulio Romano. 4 Raphael having been thus made acquainted with the mode of proceeding adopted in his engravings by Albert Diirer, was desirous of seeing his own 1 Of these portraits nothing absolutely certain is now known. There is a copy of that of Giuliano in the Florentine Gallery, which was once believed to be by Vasari himself, but it is now attributed to Alessandro Allori. 2 Kaphael's house was destroyed to make way for the Colonnade of St. Peter's. See Ferrario, and Giacomo de' Rossi, Palazzi di Roma. See also Fea, Notizie intorno a Raffaello Sanzio. 3 One of these, containing two undraped figures of men, is now in the collection of the Archduke Charles, at Vienna. The drawing is addressed to Albert Diirer by the hand of Raphael himself, who has also inscribed the date 1515. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. The German Commentator, Ludwig Schom. adds, that the following inscription, written by Albert Diirer, is also to be found thereon. " 1515, Rafael of Urbino, who is so highly esteemed by the Pope, has made this naked figure, and has sent it to Nuremberg to Albert Diirer, as a specimen of work from his hand.'' 4 This portrait is now believed to be lost. 40 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. works treated after that manner; he therefore caused Marco Antonio of Bologna, who was well practised in that branch of art, to prepare numerous studies from them ; and in this Antonio succeeded so well, that Raphael commissioned him to engrave many of his earliest works, namely, the Slaughter of the Innocents, a Last Supper, the Neptune, and the Santa Cecilia, when she is being boiled in oil. 1 Marco Antonio subsequently executed a number of engravings, which were afterward given by Raphael to II Baviera, his disciple, who was the guardian of a certain lady, to whom Raphael was attached till the day of his death, and of whom he painted a most beautiful portrait, which might be supposed alive. This is now at Florence, in the possession of the good and worthy Botti, a Florentine merchant of that city, 2 who is the friend and favourer of all distinguished men, but more especially of painters ; by him the work is treasured as if it were a relic, for the love which he bears to the art, but more especially to Raphael. Nor less friendly to artists than himself is his brother Simon Botti, who, to say nothing of the fact, that he is held by us all to be one of the most friendly among those who benefit our arts, is to myself in particular, the best and truest friend that ever the long experience of many years made dear to man : he has besides given proof of very good judgment in all things relating to our own art. But to return to the copperplate engravings. The favour which Raphael had shown to II Baviera was afterwards the cause which induced Marco of Ravenna, and many others, to labour in that branch of art ; insomuch, that what was formerly the great dearth of engravings on copper, became eventually that large supply of them which we now find. Hugo da Carpi, moreover, whose fine pow crs of invention were turned to the discovery of many ingenious 1 Tliis is not St. Cecilia boiled in oil, but the martyrdom of Santa Felicitas and her sons. — Bottari. For the legend of this saint, the leader is referred to Mrs. Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art, vol. ii. p. 2(i(>. . It is found in Rome, near St. Peter's, and at Monte Spcrtoli, thirteen miles from Florence, and appears to resemble what in England is called ' China clay.' " — From a note to the Ancient Treatises on the Arts of Painting, admirably translated, with valuable notes, by Mrs. Merritield. Sbe the Volpato Manuscript. 4 Christ and the twelve apostles rather. — L. Schorn. 3 These works were nearly destroyed by Pope Pius IV. who changed the Hall into a series of smaller chambers, but when its original form was restored to the apartment by Gregory XIII, that pontiff caused all then remaining to be restored by Taddeo Zucchero. The figures of Christ and his Apostles are best known to us through the engravings of Marco Antonio. THE MADONNA DELLA TEN DA. IN THK PINACOTHECA, MUNICH . HE Virgin is seated with her face in profile, and embraces with her right arm the Infant Jesus, who is seated on her lap. He is turning his head and seems to be listening to the words of little St. John'who is standing in an attitude of adoration. The Virgin's head is covered with a richly-ornamented cloth. The curtain { tenda) which forms the background gives the name to the picture. — Passavant LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 47 elephants, 1 and other animals from distant lands. He also adorned many of the floors and other parts of the palace with grottesche and other embellish- ments ; and gave the design for certain of the staircases, as well as for the loggie commenced by the architect Bramante, but which remained incomplete at the death of that master, when they were continued after a new design, and with many changes in the architecture, by Raphael himself, who prepared a model in wood, the arrangement and decoration of which were richer and more beautiful than that proposed by Bramante. Pope Leo, desiring to show the greatness of his magnificence and generosity, caused Raphael to make designs for the ornaments in stucco, which he had resolved to have placed between the paintings 2 executed in the loggie, as well as for those in other parts ; and as superintendent of all these grottesche in stucco, he appointed Giovanni da Udine, Giulio Romano being commissioned to prepare the figures ; but the latter did not work at them to any great extent. The Pontiff also commissioned Giovanni Francesco, 3 II Bologna, 4 Perino del Vaga, Pellegrino da Modena, Vincenzio of San Gimignano, and Polidoro da Caravaggio, with many other artists, to execute historical pictures, separate figures, and many other portions of the works, all which Raphael caused to be completed with so much care, that he even suffered the pavement to be procured in Florence from Luca della Robbia, 5 inasmuch that, whether for the paintings, the stucco work, the architecture or other beautiful 1 Leo X. had received the present of an elephant from the King of Portugal, and had its portrait taken, in compliment to the Roman people, to whom the animal had furnished much amuse- ment.— Ed. Flor. 1832-8. 2 Forty-eight subjects from the Old Testament namely, and four from the New, known as " The Bible of Raphael." He surrounded them with mythological representations, giving the designs of all himself. See Passavant, vols. i. and ii. 3 Giovanni Francesco Penni, called U Fattore. * Bartolommeo Ramenghi, called, from his birthplace, II Bagnacavello. 5 Not from Luca della Robbia, who was then dead, but from his nephew Andrea. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. ♦ 4 # LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 49 France, but more particularly one for the king, St. Michael namely, in combat with the Arch-fiend ; this also is considered singularly beautiful, a rock, whence flames are issuing, represents the centre of the earth, and from the clefts of this rock fires and sulphurous flames are proceeding, while Lucifer, whose limbs, scorched and burning, are depicted of various tints, exhibits every emotion of rage that pride, envenomed and inflated, can awaken against the Oppressor of his greatness, by whom he is deprived of his kingdom, and at whose hands he may never hope for peace, but is certain to receive heavy and perpetually enduring punishment. In direct contrast with this figure is that of the Archangel San Michele ; his countenance is adorned with celestial beauty, he wears armour formed of iron and gold, fearlessness, force, and terror are in his aspect, he has cast Lucifer to the earth, and compels him to lie prone beneath his uplifted spear ; the work was performed in so admirable a manner at all points, that Raphael obtained, as he had well merited, a large and honourable reward for it from the king. 1 This master also painted the portrait of Beatrice of Ferrara, 2 with those of other ladies ; that of his own inamorata is more particularly to be specified, but he also executed many others. 3 He was much disposed to the gentler affections and delighted in the society of woman, for whom he was ever ready to perform acts of service. But he also permitted himself to be devoted somewhat too earnestly to the pleasures of life, and in this respect was perhaps more than duly considered and indulged by his friends and admirers. We find it related that his piece, but to be borne in procession, since it is not on panel, as Vasari's " tavola " migbt imply, but on canvas. Tbe work has been engraved by Miiller. 1 Now in the Louvre. Engraved by Edelinck and others. 2 Passavant is of opinion that the well-known picture in the Tribune of the Uffizj, hitherto called the Fornarina, is the portrait of Beatrice of Ferrara, who was not, as he further informs us, a royal personage, but may rather be conjectured to have been an improvisatrice. 3 Among these portraits was that of the celebrated beauty, Joanna of Aragon, now also in the Louvre, and engraved by Morghen. Eespecting these and other female portraits by Eaphael, see Passavant, ut supra. H 50 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. intimate friend, Agostino Chigi, had commissioned him to paint the first floor of his palace, 1 but Raphael was at that time so much occupied with the love which he bore to the lady of his choice, that he could not give sufficient attention to the work. Agostino, therefore, falling at length into despair of seeing it finished, made so many efforts by means of friends and by his own care, that after much difficulty he at length prevailed on the lady to take up her abode in his house, where she was accordingly installed in apartments near those which Raphael was painting ; in this manner the work was ultimately brought to a conclusion. 2 For these pictures Raphael prepared all the cartoons, painting many of the figures also with his own hand in fresco. 3 On the ceiling he represented the council of the Gods in heaven, and in the forms of these deities many of the outlines and lineaments may be perceived to be from the antique, as are various portions of the draperies and vestments, the whole admirably drawn and exhibiting the most perfect grace. In a manner equally beautiful, Raphael further depicted the Marriage of Psyche, with the attendants ministering to Jupiter, and the Graces scattering flowers. In the angles of the ceiling also he executed other stories, representing in one of them a figure of Mercury with his flute ; the god in his graceful movements appears really to be descending from heaven : in a second is the figure of Jupiter depicted with an aspect of the most sublime dignity, near him is Ganymede, whom with celestial gravity he is caressing, and on the remaining angles are other mythological representations. Lower down is the chariot of Venus, wherein Psyche is borne to heaven in a car which is drawn by the Graces, who are aided by Mercury. In those compartments of the vaulting which are above 1 That on the Lungara namely, now called the Farncsiiia, and which has for many years been the property of the King of Naples. 1 Longhena, Storiu, Szc. will not admit the truth of this anecdote, which is denied by Passavant also. For details respecting the paintings see the last named writer, with Pungilconi, Elogio Storico. See also Fca, Notizie, &c. 3 According to the hest authorities hut little of these works was executed by Raphael himself. See Passavant. See also llumohr, Longhena, and PiuigUeoni. THE ARCHANGEL ST. MICHAEL. IN THE LOUVRE, PARIS. T. MICHAEL, who lias descended from heaven in rapid flight, has alighted upon Satan, who, crushed to the earth, dares no longer oppose his diabolical fury to the Divine Omnipotence. The Archangel, with outspread wings, holds with both his hands a spear, which he is raising to strike his adversary : he has on a tunic and a cuirass covered with golden scales : his sword hangs from a belt, his legs are bare, and his feet shod with sandals. Red and blue fire escape from the crevices of the ground. Rocky scenery, with the sea in the distance form the background. In the figure of St. Michael, Raphael seems to have wished to express the idea of strength and youth. On the edge of the blue garment of the Archangel is written, " Raphael . vkbinas . pingebat . M.D.XVII." Raphael painted this picture for Lorenzo de' Medici, who gave it to Francis I. of France. - Passavunt. 1 A LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 51 the arches and between the angles, are figures of boys most beautifully fore- shortened, they are hovering in the air and bear the various attributes proper to the different deities ; one has the thunderbolts of Jove for example, others bear the helmet, sword, and shield of Mars, or the hammers of Vulcan, some are laden with the club and lion-skin of Hercules, one carries the caduceus of Mercury, another the pipe of Pan, while others again have the agricultural implements of Vertumnus : all are accompanied by the animals appropriate to their various offices, and the whole work, whether as painting or poetry, is of a truth eminently beautiful. 1 All these representations Raphael further caused Giovanni da Udine to surround with a bordering of flowers, fruits, and foliage in the richest variety, disposed in festoons, and all as beautiful as it is possible that works of the kind can be. This master likewise gave a design for the stables of the Chigi Palace, with that for the chapel belonging to the same Agostino Chigi in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, this he painted also, 2 and furthermore made prepa- rations for the construction of a magnificent sepulchral monument, for which he caused the Florentine sculptor Lorenzetto to execute two figures, 3 these are still in his house situate in the Macello de Corvi in Rome. 4 But the death of Raphael, and afterwards that of Agostino, 5 caused the execution of the sepulchre to be made over to Sebastiano Viniziano. 6 1 The pictures of the Farnesina were restored by Carlo Maratti. — Ed. Flor. 1832-8. See Bellori, Delia Reparazione, &c. 2 According to the Italian commentators, Raphael made the cartoons for this chapel, but did not execute them. The Mosaic is said to be by the Venetian, Luigi da Pace, called Maestro Luisaccio. The whole work has been finely engraved by Gruner, Rome, 1840. 3 They represent the Prophets Elisha and Jonas : the last said to have been modelled by Raphael himself. * They are now placed in the Chapel, with two other figures by Bernini, the latter representing the Prophets Daniel and Habakkuk. 5 Agostino Chigi died a few days after the death of Raphael himself, on the 10th of April namely, 1520. 6 Sebastiano Luciani, better known among ourselves as Sebastiano del Piombo, so called from the office of signet (piombo) bearer, which he held under Clement VII. 52 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. Raphael had now attained to such high repute, that Leo X. commanded him to commence the painting of the great hall on the upper floor of the Papal Palace, that namely wherein the victories of Constantine are delineated, and this work he accordingly began. 1 The Pope also desired to have certain very rich tapestries in silk and gold prepared, whereupon Raphael made ready the Cartoons, which he coloured also with his own hand, giving them the exact form and size required for the tapestries. These were then despatched to Flanders to be woven, and when the cloths were finished they were sent to Rome. 2 This work was so admirably executed that it awakened astonishment in all who beheld it, as it still continues to do; for the spectator finds it difficult to conceive how it has been found possible to have produced such hair and beards by weaving, or to have given so much softness to the flesh by means of thread, a work which certainly seems rather to have been performed by miracle than by the art of man, seeing that we have here animals, buildings, water, and innumerable objects of various kinds, all so well done that they do not look like a mere texture woven in the loom, but like paintings executed with the pencil.' This work cost 70,000 crowns, and is still preserved in the Papal chapel. 4 For the Cardinal Colonna, Raphael painted a San Giovanni on canvas, 1 He made the design for the general arrangement, that is to say, with the cartoons for the Speech of Constantine to his soldiers, that, for the hattle, and those for the allegorical figures of Justice and Clemency. These last he caused Giulio Romano and Francesco Penni to paint in oil, on the wall, by way of specimen ; the remainder were executed by his disciples after his death. For details respecting these works, see Passavant, and the many other authorities above cited. - The tapestries were sent to Rome, but the cartoons were not returned. Seven of the latter, of which there were originally ten, are now. as our readers are aware, at the South Kensington Museum : of the remaining three, certain fragments otdy now exist. , 3 These tapestries, ten in number, were designed by Pope Leo X. for the lower part of the wall of the Sistine chapel, and there Raphael a short time before his death, on the 26th December, 1519, that is to say, had the happiness of seeing them suspended, and of beholding all Rome regarding them with delight and admiration. * The tapestries made after Raphael's designs were carried off in the sack of Rome by the I 'mi-table Bourbon, but were restored during the pontificate of Julius III. PORTRAIT OF A LADY. BEATRICE OF FERRARA (?) IN THE TRIBUNE, FLORENCE. Hjil§iHIS is a nearly full-face portrait of a handsome young lady, who wears a wreath ^tMsk °f goUj enamelled with green leaves, around her head. She holds in one hand a cloak trimmed with fur, which covers her 'deep-blue velvet bodice. In this picture the decorations of the bodice and of the wreath, the filagree which glitters round her neck, the ring which ornaments one of the fingers of her hand, and also the light on the hair, are heightened with gold, which adds a magical richness to the painting. — Passavant. This picture has been engraved as " La Fornarina," but it is more probably the portrait of a celebrated poetess and improvisatrice, Beatrice of Ferrara. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 53 which was an admirable work and greatly prized for its beauty by the cardinal, but the latter being attacked by a dangerous illness, and having been cured of his infirmity by the physician Messer Jacopo da Carpi, the latter desired to be presented with the picture of Raphael as his reward ; the cardinal, therefore, seeing his great wish for the same, and believing himself to be under infinite obligation to his physician, deprived himself of the work, and gave it to Messer Jacopo. It is now at Florence in the possession of Francesco Benintendi. 1 Raphael also painted a picture for the Cardinal and Vice-chancellor Giulio de' Medici, 2 a Transfiguration namely, which was destined to be sent into France. This he executed with his own hand, and labouring at it continually he brought it to the highest perfection, depicting the Saviour transfigured on Mount Tabor, with eleven of the disciples awaiting him at the foot of the Mount. To these is meanwhile brought a youth possessed of a spirit, who is also awaiting the descent of Christ, by whom he is to be liberated from the demon. 3 The possessed youth is shown in a distorted attitude stretching forth his limbs, crying, rolling his eyes, and exhibiting in every movement the suffering he endures; the flesh, the veins, the pulses, are all seen to be contaminated by the malignity of the spirit, the terror and pain of the possessed being rendered further manifest by his pallid colour and writhing gestures. The figure is supported by an old man in whose widely open eyes the light is reflected, he is embracing and seeking to comfort the afflicted boy, his knitted brow and the expression of his face show at once the apprehension he feels, and the force with which he is labouring to combat his fears ; he looks fixedly at the apostles as if hoping to derive courage and consolation 1 This work has long adorned the Tribune of the Florentine Gallery of the Uffizj. In the collec- tion of the same gallery is the sketch for it in red chalk. For details respecting the numerous copies made from this picture, see Passavant, vol. ii. p. 355. 2 Afterwards Pope Clement VII. 3 For this work Eaphael was to receive 655 ducats ; 224 of which remaining unpaid at his death, were then made over to his heir, Giulio Romano, who probably worked with him at this picture.— Ed. Flor. 1832-8. 54 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. from their aspect. There is one woman among others in this picture who is the principal figure therein, and who, kneeling before the two just described, turns her head towards the apostles, and seems by the movement of her arms in the direction of the possessed youth, to be pointing out his misery to their attention. The Apostles also, some of whom are standing, some seated, and others kneeling, give evidence of the deep compassion they feel for that great misfortune. In this work the master has of a truth produced figures and heads of such extraordinary beauty, so new, so varied, and at all points so admirable, that among the many works executed by his hand, this, by the common consent of all artists, is declared to be the most worthily renowned, the most excellent, the most divine. Whoever shall desire to see in what manner Christ transformed into the Godhead should be represented, let him come and behold it in this picture. The Saviour is shown floating over the mount in the clear air ; the figure, foreshortened, is between those of Moses and Elias, who, illumined by his radiance, awaken into life beneath the splendour of the light. Prostrate on the earth are Peter, James, and John, in attitudes of great and varied beauty, one has his head bent entirely to the ground, another defends himself with his hands from the brightness of that immense light, which proceeds from the splendour of Christ, who is clothed in vestments of snowy whiteness, his arms thrown open, and the head raised towards heaven, while the essence and Godhead of all the three persons united in himself, are made apparent in their utmost perfection by the divine art of Raphael. Hut as if that sublime genius had gathered all the force of his powers into one effort, whereby the glory and the majesty of art should be made manifest in the countenance of Christ ; having completed that, as one who had finished the great work which he had to accomplish, he touched the pencils no more, being shortly afterwards overtaken by death. 1 1 Few readers will require to be reminded that the glorious Transfiguration of Raphael is now in the Vatican. It was taken, with other works, to Paris in 1797, and was there cleaned, having become THE TRANSFIGURATION. IN THE VATICAN. fjllllll ^ e ^ ower P art . '" 1S I» cture J on the right hand, a father has brought his son, ^ils&i possessed of the devil, and implores the assistance of the Apostles who are waiting upon Jesus at the foot of Mount Tabor: accompanying the lad are eight members of his family. The Apostles, not having the power to cast out devils, point to their Heavenly Master, who, surrounded by celestial radiancy, appears floating in the air between Moses and Elias. The three Apostles, St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, who have followed Jesus to the mountain, have thrown themselves upon the earth, dazzled with the bright- ness of the Transfiguration. On their left are two priests worshipping. These, it is believed, were introduced by Raphael at the request of the Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. — Passavant. This was the last picture painted by Raphael, who left it partly unfinished at his death. It was hung above his coffin in the great hall in which he lay in state, and was borne before him in his funeral procession. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 55 Having now described the works of this most excellent artist, I will not permit myself* to consider it a labour to say somewhat for the benefit of those who practise our calling, respecting the manner of Raphael, before proceeding to the relation of such particulars as remain to be specified in regard to other circumstances of his life, and to those which relate to his death. In his childhood he had imitated the manner of his master, Pietro Perugino, but had greatly ameliorated the same, whether as regarded design, colouring, or invention : having done this, it then appeared to him that he had done enough, but when he had attained to a riper age he perceived clearly that he was still too far from the truth of nature. On becoming acquainted with the works of Leonardo da Vinci, who in the expression which he gave to his heads, whether male or female, had no equal, and who surpassed all other painters in the grace and movement which he imparted to his figures ; seeing these works, I say, Raphael stood confounded in astonishment and admiration : the manner of Leonardo pleased him more than any other that he had ever seen, and he set himself zealously to the study thereof with the utmost zeal ; by degrees therefore, abandoning, though not without great difficulty, the manner of Pietro Perugino, he endeavoured as much as was possible to imitate that of Leonardo. But whatever pains he took, and in spite of all his most careful almost indistinguishable. " The painter," remarks the German annotator, Schorn, " had succeeded in expressing the light emanating from the person of Christ, and illuminating those beneath, by a masterly use of chiaro-scuro, but the lamp-black having been affected by the lapse of time, much of the original beauty of the work is lost. The head of the Apostle Andrew, the figure of the kneeling maiden, and other parts, still remain, nevertheless, to give a fair idea of what the whole has been." For minute details respecting this work, see Fiorillo, Geschichte cler Mahrei in Italien. Marco di Figuera, Examen Analitico del Quadro de la Transfiguration. Constantin, Idees Italiennes sur quelques Tableaux celebres, Florence, 1840 ; and Kumohr, Italienesche Forschungen. See also Richardson, Account of Statues, Paintings, &o. London, 1722 ; Duppa, London, 1816; with many other writers, who have treated this subject with more or less ability. A very fine drawing made for the engraving of this work is now at South Kensington, removed from Hampton Court. See the Catalogue of the South Kensington Museum, and an article in a recent number of the Athenazum on the Cartoons, &c. 56 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. endeavours, there were some points and certain difficulties of art in which he could never surpass the last named master. 1 Many are without doubt of opinion that Raphael surpassed Leonardo in tenderness and in a certain natural facility, but he was assuredly by no means superior in respect of that force of conception and grandeur which is so noble a foundation in art, and in which few masters have proved themselves equal to Leonardo : Raphael has nevertheless approached him more nearly than any other painter, more particularly in the graces of colouring. But to speak more exclusively of Raphael himself ; in the course of time he found a very serious impediment, in that manner which he had acquired from Pietro in his youth, 2 and which he had at the first so readily adopted : dry, minute, and defective in design, he could not completely divest himself of all recollection thereof, and this caused him to find the utmost difficulty in learning to treat worthily the beauties of the nude form, and to master the methods of those difficult foreshortcnings which Michael Angelo Buonarroti executed in his Cartoon, for the Hall of the Council in Florence. Now any artist, who might have lost courage from believing that he had been previously throwing away his time, would never, however fine his genius, have accom- plished what Raphael afterwards effected : for the latter having, so to speak, cured and altogether divested himself of the manner of Pietro, the better to acquire that of Michael Angelo, which was full of difficulties in every part ; may be said, from a master to have almost become again a disciple, and 1 An Italian commentator here remarks, that, notwithstanding the marvellous genius of Leonardo, he was exceedingly whimsical, and frequently sought the difficult as well as the good. Raphael looked only to the perfection of his work, and if simple means sufficed to produce that, with these means he contented himself. " It may, therefore, he fairly inquired," continues our writer, " whether in these 'difficulties' of Vasari, Raphael could not, or whether it was that he would not, surpass Leonardo." This is a question which we leave oar readers to determine. 8 The Cavalier Tommaso Puccini, in a MS. note to Vasari, remarks, that on this point he " cannot agree with the hiographcr, since it is certain that to Pietro we owe half the success of Raphael Sanzio."— Ed. Flor. 1832-8. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 57 compelled himself by incredible labours to effect that in a few months, now that he was become a man, which even in his youthful days, and at the time when all things are most easily acquired, would have demanded a period of many years for its attainment. 1 It is by no means to be denied, that he who is not early imbued with just principles, or who has not entered from the first on that manner which he can be content to pursue, and who does not gradually obtain facility in the difficulties of the art, by means of experience (seeking fully to comprehend every part and to confirm himself by practice in the knowledge of all), will scarcely ever attain to perfection ; or if he do attain it, must do so at the cost of much longer time and greatly increased labour. At the time when Raphael determined to change and ameliorate his manner, he had never given his attention to the nude form, with that degree of care and study which the subject demands, having drawn it from the life only after the manner which he had seen practised by Pietro his master, adding nevertheless to all that he did, that grace which had been imparted to him by nature. But he thenceforth devoted himself to the anatomical study of the nude figure, and to the investigation of the muscles in dead and excoriated bodies as well as in those of the living ; for in the latter they are not so readily to be distinguished, because of the impediment presented by the covering of the skin, as in those from which the outer integuments have been removed ; but thus examined, the master learnt from them in what manner they acquire fulness and softness by their union, each in its due proportion, and all in their respective places, and how by the due management of certain flexures, the perfection of grace may be imparted to various attitudes as seen in different aspects. Thus also he became aware of the effects produced by the inflation of 1 " The works of Eaphael in Florence," remarks the German annotator, Ludwig Schorn, " bear no trace of influence exercised on his manner by the cartoons of Michael Angelo, whde they show many of that exercised by the works of Fra Bartolommeo, and by the earnest manner of Leonardo da Vinci." I 58 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. parts, and by the elevation or depression of any given portion or separate member of the body or of the whole frame. The same researches also made him acquainted with the articulations of the bones, with the distribution of the nerves, the course of the veins, &c, by the study of all which he rendered himself excellent in every point required to perfect the painter who aspires to be of the best : knowing, nevertheless, that in this respect he could never attain to the eminence of Michael Angelo ; like a man of great judgment as he was, he considered that painting does not consist wholly in the delineation of the nude form, but has a much wider field ; he perceived that those who possess the power of expressing their thoughts well and with facility, and of giving effective form to their conceptions, likewise deserve to be enumerated among the perfect painters; and that he, who in the composition of his pictures shall neither confuse them by too much, nor render them poor by too little, but gives to all its due arrangement and just distribution, may also be reputed a judicious and able master. But in addition to this, as Raphael rightly judged, the art should bo further enriched by new and varied inventions in perspective, by views of buildings, by landscapes, by a graceful manner of clothing the figures, and by causing the latter sometimes to be lost in the obscurity of shadows, sometimes to come prominently forward into the clear light; nor did he fail to perceive the importance of giving beauty and animation to the heads of women and children, or of imparting to all, whether male or female, young or old, such an amount of spirit and movement as may be suited to the occasion. He gave its due value, likewise, to the attitudes of horses in battle scenes, to their movements in flight, and to the bold bearing of the warriors : the due representation of animals in all their varied forms, did not escape his con- sideration, still less did that of so portraying the likenesses of men that they may appear to be alive, and may be known for those whom they are intended to represent. Raphael perceived in like manner that innumerable accessories of other kinds and of all sorts were equally to be taken into account, as for JOAN OF ARE AGON. IN THE LOUVKE, PARIS. OAN was the daughter of Ferdinand of Arragon, Duke of Moutalto, third natural son of Ferdinand I. King of Naples. She married Ascanio Colonna, Prince of Tagliacozzo and Duke of Pagliano, Constable of Naples. Her beauty and her wit rendered her one of the most distinguished women of the sixteenth century, and she retained this double celebrity to a very advanced age ; she was named " the divine," and more than three hundred poets sang her praises. This portrait is supposed to have been painted for Lorenzo de Medici, and by him presented to Francis I. It is now in the Gallery of the Louvre. — Passavant. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 59 example the ornament of the work by well arranged and beautiful draperies, and vestments of every kind ; by due attention to the helmets and other parts of armour, to the appropriate clothing of the feet, and to the head-dresses of women : he saw that equal care should be accorded to the hair and head of figures, to vases, trees, grottoes, rocks, fires, the air, either turbid or serene, clouds, rains, tempests, lightnings, dews, the darkness of night, the moonlight, the sunshine, and an infinite variety of objects beside, to every one of which attention is demanded by the requirements of painting : all these things, I say, being well considered by Raphael, he resolved, since he could not attain to the eminence occupied by Michael Angelo on the point after which he was then labouring, to equal, or perhaps to surpass him in those other qualities that we have just enumerated, and thus he devoted himself, not to the imitation of Buonarroti, lest he should waste his time in useless efforts, but to the attainment of perfection in those parts generally of which we have here made mention.' And well would it have been for many artists of our day if they had done the same, instead of pursuing the study of Michael Angelo's works alone, wherein they have not been able to imitate that master, nor found power to approach his perfection, they would not then have exhausted themselves by so much vain effort, nor acquired a manner so hard, so laboured, so entirely destitute of beauty, being, as it is, without any merit of colouring, and exceed- ingly poor in conception; but instead of this, might very possibly, by the adoption of more extended views and the endeavour to attain perfection in other departments of the art, have done credit to themselves as well as rendered service to the world. 2 1 " We need scarcely remark," observes Schorn, " that in bis partiality for Michael Angelo, Vasari here attributes that which was indeed the effect of Kaphael's universality of genius, to his supposed rivalry with the first-named master." Puccini has an observation to the same effect. 2 The remarks which Vasari here makes in regard to his fellow-students, are declared with reason, by all writers who have noted the passage, to be more especially applicable to himself and his own works. 60 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. Having made the resolution above referred to, therefore, and learning that Fra Bartolommeo had a very good manner in painting, drew very correctly, and had a pleasing mode of colouring, although, with the intention of giving more relief to his figures, he sometimes made his shadows too dark : knowing all this, Raphael determined to adopt so much of the Monk's manner as he should find needful or agreeable to him ; to take a medium course that is, as regarded design and colouring, and mingling with what he obtained from the manner of Fra Bartolommeo, other qualities selected from the best that he could find in other masters, of many manners, he thus formed one, which was afterwards considered his own, 1 and which ever has been, and ever will be highly esteemed by all artists. Thus his manner was afterwards seen perfected in the Sybils and Prophets of the work, executed, as we have said, for the Church of Santa Maria della Pace, and in the conduct of which he was greatly assisted by the circumstance of his having seen the work of Michael Angclo in the Chapel of the Pope. Nay, had Raphael remained constant to the manner as there seen, had he not endeavoured to enlarge and vary it, for the purpose of showing that he under- stood the nude form as well as Michael Angelo, he would not have lost ap- portion of the good name he had acquired; but the nude figures in that apartment of the Torre Borgia, wherein is depicted the Conflagration of the Borgo Nuovo, although certainly good, are not by any means all excellent, or perfect in every part.' 2 In like manner, those painted by this master on the 1 The art of Raphael would indeed have remained most inert and lifeless, had it consisted in the mere imitation and mingling of different manners. That he accepted the good wherever he found it, is indeed most true, nor did he fail to profit by whatever progress was made in art, hut his guide at every step, and the cause of his greatness, was the ever ready eye of this master for nature, and his ceaseless study of her beauties, as seen from the point of view presented by lus own artistic idea and feeling. 4 " An opinion which may have been formed by Yasari, from the fact of his having regarded art from a false point of view,'" remarks an Italian annotator. " No one denies that in drawing the nude figure, Michael Angelo attained to the ne plus ultra. liut what Raphael had in mind was the ne quid nimis ; nor did he forget the further warning, sunt certi (Unique Jines, »fec ; there were consequently limits which he did not desire to pass." BIN DO ALTOVITI. IN THE I'INACOTHECA, MUNICH. (^pv|f HIS portrait remained, until the year 1808, in the ancient mansion of the Altoviti family at Florence,, when it was purchased for 3,500 sequins by Louis, Crown Prince of Bavaria. His agent, Metzger, concealed it for several years during the French occupation of Italy. It is now one of the chief ornaments of the Pinacotheca, at Munich, where it is in an excellent state of preservation. — Passavant. In the Munich Catalogue this portrait is described as that of Raphael himself. This mistake is to be attributed to Bottari, who evidently misunderstood Vasari's words. » • .1 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 61 ceiling of Agostino Chigi's Palace in the Trastevere, are not altogether satis- factory, since they want that grace and softness which were peculiar to Raphael ; but the cause of this was, in great part, his having suffered them to be painted after his designs by other artists, 1 an error which, judicious as he was, he soon became aware of, and resolved to execute the picture of the Transfiguration in San Pietro-a-Montorio, entirely with his own hand, and without any assistance from others. In this work, therefore, will be found, all those qualities which, as we have said, a good picture demands, and should exhibit : nay, had Raphael not used in this picture, almost as it were from caprice, the lamp-black, or printer's black, which, as we have more than once remarked, does of its nature become evermore darker with time, and is thus injurious to the other colours used with it, had he not done this, I believe that the work would now be as fresh as when he painted it ; whereas, it is, on the contrary, not a little darkened. I have thought proper to make these remarks at the close of this life, to the end, that all may discern the labour, study, and care to which this honoured artist constantly subjected himself, and with a view, more parti- cularly, to the benefit of other painters, who may learn from what has been said, to avoid those impediments, from the influence of which the genius and judgment of Raphael availed to secure him. I will also add the further observation, that every man should content himself with performing such works as he may reasonably be supposed to be capable of and equal to, by his inclination and the gifts bestowed on him by nature, without seeking to contend for that which she has not qualified him to attain, and this let him do, that he. may not uselessly spend his time, fatiguing himself vainly, nay, not unfrequently, to his own injury as well as discredit. 2 Let it be observed, moreover, that when what has been accomplished suffices, it is not good to 1 He is then not to be reproved for their defects of execution. — Schorn, and others. 2 " A piece of advice of such value," remarks a compatriot of our author, " that it might be usefully written over the entrance of every academy of the fine arts throughout Europe." 62 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. make further efforts, merely in the hope of surpassing those who by some special gift of nature, or by the particular favour accorded to them by the Almighty, have performed, or are performing, miracles in the art ; for it is certain, that the man who has not the needful endowments, let him labour as he may, can never effect those things to which another, having received the gift from nature, has attained without difficulty ; and of this we have an example among the old masters in Paolo Uccello, who, struggling against the natural bent of his faculties to make progress on a given path, went ever backwards instead. The same thing has been done in our own days, and but a short time since, by Jacopo da Pontormo ; nay, examples have been seen in the experience of many others, as we have said before, and as will often be said again. And this is permitted to occur, perhaps, in order that when Heaven has distributed its favours to mankind, each one may be content with the portion which has fallen to his lot. But I have now discoursed respecting these questions of art at more length perhaps than was needful, and will return to the life and death of Raphael. This master lived in the strictest intimacy with Bernardo Divizio, Cardinal of Bibbiena, who had for many years importuned him to take a wife of his selection, nor had Raphael directly refused compliance with the wishes of the Cardinal, but had put the matter off, by saying that he would wait some three or four years longer. The term which he had thus set approached before Raphael had thought of it, when he was reminded by the Cardinal of his promise, and being as he ever was just and upright, he would not depart from his word, and therefore accepted a niece of the Cardinal himself for his wife. But as this engagement was nevertheless a heavy restraint to him, he put off the marriage from time to time, insomuch that several months passed and the ceremony had not yet taken place. 1 Yet this was not done without a very 1 The intended bride of Raphael was Maria Bibbiena, but this lady died before he did, as we learn from the inscription placed in the Pantheon by the testamentary injunction of Raphael himself. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 63 honourable motive, for Raphael having been for many years in the service of the Court, and being the creditor of Leo X. for a large sum of money, had received an intimation to the effect, that when the Hall with which he was then occupied was completed, the Pontiff intended to reward him for his labours as well as to do honour to his talents by bestowing on him the red hat, 1 of which he meant to distribute a considerable number, many of them being designed for persons whose merits were greatly inferior to those of Raphael. 2 The painter meanwhile did not abandon the light attachment by which he was enchained, and one day on returning to his house from one of these secret visits, he was seized with a violent fever, 3 which being mistaken for a cold, the physicians inconsiderately caused him to be bled, whereby he found himself exhausted, when he had rather required to be strengthened. Thereupon he made his will, and, as a good Christian, he sent the object of his attachment from the house, but left her a sufficient provision wherewith she might live in decency; having done so much, he divided his property among his disciples ; Giulio Romano, that is to say, whom he always loved greatly, and Giovanni Francesco, 4 with whom was joined a certain priest of It is, therefore, not improbable, that the true cause of the mairiage being deferred was the illness of the lady. — Schorn, Masselli, and others. 1 No reader will now require to be reminded that the red hat is that of a cardinal, and that to receive the red hat is equivalent to being raised to the dignity of a cardinal of the Roman Church. 2 The father Pungileoni, and the advocate C. Fea, deny that there was any intention of this kind on the part of Leo, but Longhena, in a note to the Istoria, makes certain observations, from which it seems probable that what we here read is nevertheless true. We leave our readers to decide between these authorities ; but it is to be remarked that no instance of the cardinal's hat having been bestowed in recompense of artistic talent has yet been known. 3 Longhena, Pungileoni, Passavant, and all whose researches entitle them to attention, agree to attribute the fever which deprived the world of this great painter, to the too earnest zeal of his labours in the examination of the Koman antiquities, labours which rendered a frame prematurely weakened by mental exertions, an easy prey to the malaria so fatally prevalent in the localities to which his researches must of necessity have led him. 4 To these disciples he left his artistic possessions only ; to Cardinal Bibbiena he bequeathed the palace built for him by Bramante. 64 LIFE OF RAPHAEL. Urbino, who was his kinsman, but whose name I do not know. 1 He further- more commanded that a certain portion of his property should be employed in the restoration of one of the ancient tabernacles in Santa Maria Ritonda,'* which he had selected as his burial place, 3 and for which he had ordered that an altar, with the figure of Our Lady in marble, should be prepared; 4 all that he possessed besides he bequeathed to Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco, naming Messer Baldassare da Pescia, who was then Datary 5 to the Pope, as his executor. He then confessed, and in much contrition completed the course of his Hfe, on the day whereon it had commenced, which was Good Friday. 6 The master was then in the thirty-seventh year of his age, and as he embellished the world by his talents while on earth, so is it to be believed that his soul is now adorning heaven. After his death the body of Raphael was placed at the upper end of the hall wherein he had last worked, with the picture of the Transfiguration, which he had executed for Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, at the head of the corpse. He who, regarding that riving picture, afterwards turned to consider that dead body, felt his heart bursting with grief as he beheld them. The loss of Raphael caused the Cardinal to command that this work should be placed on the High Altar of San Pietro-a-Montorio, where it has ever since been held in the utmost veneration for its own great value, as well as for the excellence of its author. 7 The remains of this divine artist received that honourable 1 The priest of Urbino. his kinsman, and the Brotherhood of the Misericordia in that city, dividing a certain portion of the master's property between them, and the remainder going to his kinsmen on the mother's side, (lie sons of Giovanni Battista Ciarla. 2 The Pantheon is popularly so called. 3 Raphael also left funds for a mass to be performed yearly for the repose of his soul in Santa .Maria ad Martyres, so is the Pantheon also called. 4 This was done by Lorenzo Lotti. called Lorenzetto. 5 President of the Chancery. 6 In the year 1520. 7 Considered, as our readers are aware, the first picture in the world, and now in the Vatican. liAPHAEL D'URBINO. IN THE GALLERY OF PA 1 N TE US' PORTRAITS, FLORENCE. T is believed that Raphael made this portrait in 1506 in-order that he mighf leave it as a souvenir to his parents in his native town. At all events it remained at Urbino until it was transferred to the Academy of Saint Luke, at Rome. The Academy sold this portrait, with some other pictures, to Cardinal Leopold de Medici, since which time it has remained in the collection of portraits of painters, all painted by themselves, in the Gallery at Florence. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 65 sepulture which the noble spirit whereby they had been informed had so well deserved, nor was there any artist in Rome who did not deeply bewail the loss sustained by the departure of the Master, or who failed to accompany his remains to their repose. The death of Raphael was in like manner bitterly deplored by all the papal court, not only because he had formed part thereof, since he had held the office of chamberlain to the Pontiff, but also because Leo X. had esteemed him so highly, that his loss occasioned that sovereign the bitterest grief. 1 Oh most happy and thrice blessed spirit, of whom all are proud to speak, whose actions are celebrated with praise by all men, and the least of whose works left behind thee, is admired and prized ! When this noble artist died, well might Painting have departed also, for when he closed his eyes, she too was left as it were blind. 2 But now to us, whose lot it is to come after him, there remains to imitate the good, or rather the excellent, of which he has left us the example, and as our obligations to him and his great merits well deserve to retain the most grateful remembrance of him in our hearts, while we ever maintain his memory in the highest honour with our lips. To him of a truth it is that we owe the possession of invention, colouring, and execution, brought alike and altogether to that point of perfection for which few could have dared to hope ; nor has any man ever aspired to pass before him. 3 1 During his illness, which lasted a fortnight, Eaphael is said to have received proofs of the most affectionate interest from all quarters, not excepting the Pope himself. • His place of burial was in the Pantheon, immediately beneath the figure of the Madonna, executed, as above said, by Lorenzetto. The tomb was opened in October 1833, when the skeleton was found remaining, with the skull entire, proving that a skull previously preserved as that of Eaphael in the Academy of St. Luke, in Rome, was not that of the painter. This opening of the tomb of Raphael is described in Italian by the Prince Pietro Odescalchi, and in German by the painter Overbeck. 3 Vasari has omitted here to mention the circumstance that Raphael was architect of St. Peter's, nor does he here allude to the fact, that he was much occupied towards the close of his life with K 6G LIFE OF RAPHAEL. And in addition to the benefits which this great master conferred on art, being as he was its best friend, we have the further obligation to him of having taught us by his life in what manner we should comport ourselves towards great men, as well as towards those of lower degree, and even towards the lowest ; nay there was among his many extraordinary gifts one of such value and importance, that I can never sufficiently admire it, and always think thereof with astonishment. This was the power accorded to him by Heaven, of bringing all who approached his presence into harmony; an effect inconceivably surprising in our calling, and contrary to the nature of our artists, yet all, I do not say of the inferior grades only, but even those who lay claim to be great personages (and of this humour our art produces immense numbers), became as of one mind, once they began to labour in the society of Raphael, continuing in such unity and concord, that all harsh feelings and evil dispositions became subdued and disappeared at the sight of him ; every vile and base thought departing from the mind before his influence. Such harmony prevailed at no other time than his own. And this happened because all were surpassed by him in friendly courtesy as well as in art ; all confessed the influence of his sweet and gracious nature, which was so replete with excellence, and so perfect in all the charities, that not only was he honoured by men, but even by the very animals, who would constantly follow his steps and always loved him. 1 We find it related, that whenever any other painter, whether known to Raphael or not, requested any design or assistance, of whatever kind, at his measures for the restoration of ancient Rome, but near the end of his work, and when speaking of his obligations to the writings of Lorenzo Ghibcrti and Ghirlandajo, he remarks, that the annotations of Raphael were also of the most essential sen-ice to him. 1 " Who," inquires a zealous annotator of our author, " who, among the most affectionate disciples of the great painter, could eulogize him with more enthusiasm and cordiality than docs our poor Yasari ?" (he alludes to the bitter reproach of partiality so often and so unjustly brought against the biographer) " he too who was the follower, not only of another master, but of that one precisely who was the most powerful and most untired antagonist of the object of his praise." LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 67 hands, he would invariably leave his work to do him service ; he continually kept a large number of artists employed, all of whom he assisted and instructed with an affection which was rather as that of a father to his children, than merely as of an artist to artists. From these things it followed, that he was never seen to go to Court but surrounded and accompanied, as he left his house, by some fifty painters, all men of ability and distinction, who attended him thus to give evidence of the honour in which they held him. He did not, in short, live the life of a painter, but that of a prince. Wherefore, oh art of Painting ! well mightest thou for thy part, then esteem thyself most happy, having, as thou hadst, one artist among thy sons, by whose virtues and talents thou wert thyself exalted to heaven. Thrice blessed indeed mayest thou declare thyself, since thou hast seen thy disciples, by pursuing the footsteps of a man so exalted, acquire the knowledge of how life should be employed, and become impressed with the importance of uniting the practice of virtue to that of art. Conjoined as these were in the person of Raphael, their force availed to constrain the greatness of Julius II. and to awaken the generosity of Leo X, both of whom, high as they were in dignity, selected him for their most intimate friend, and treated him with every kind of familiarity ; insomuch that by means of the favour he enjoyed with them and the powers with which they invested him, he was enabled to do the utmost honour to himself and to art. Most happy also may well be called those who, being in his service, worked under his own eye ; since it has been found that all who took pains to imitate this master have arrived at a safe haven, and attained to a respectable position. In like manner, all who do their best to emulate his labours in art, will be honoured on earth, as it is certain that all who resemble him in the rectitude of his life will receive their reward in heaven. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. The following epitaph was written on Raphael by the Cardinal Bembo. d. o. M. RAPHAELI. SANCTO. JOAN. F. VRBINATL PICTORI EMINENTISS. VETERVMQ AEMVLO, CVIVS SPIRANTEIS PROPE IMAGINEIS SI CONTEMPLERE, NATVRAE. ATQVE ARTIS FOEDVS FACILE INSPEXERIS, IVLII II. ET LEONIS X. PONT. MAX. PICTVRAE ET ARCHITECT. OPERIBVS GLORIAM AVXIT. VIXIT. AN. XXXVII. INTEGER. INTEGROS.' QVO. DIE NATVS EST, EO ESSE DESIIT. VII. ID. APRIL. MDXX. ILLE HIC. EST. RAPHAEL, TIMVIT. QUO. SOSPITE. VINCI RERUM. MAGNA. PARENS, ET MORIENTE. MORI. The Count Baldassare Castiglione also wrote respecting the death of this master in the manner following : — Quod lacerum corjius medica sanaverit arte, Hippolytum, Sti/giis et revocarit aquis ; 1 " For the greater exactness," remarks Pungileoni, " we might here add, dies vm." And in bo short a life did Raphael find time to execute all the pictures enumerated by Yasari, with many others, which he has omitted : to render himself accomplished in architecture to such an extent, that he was found capable of succeeding Bramante in the direction of the building of St. Peter's; to study the works of antiquity, and to pursue the most rigid and minute inquiry into those found in and around Rome. Nay, so passionate a lover, and so zealous a student was Raphael of these antiquities, that he wrote to Leo X. concerning them, in these mcmorahle words : " But with what justice can we complain i.l' the (iotlis and Vandals, and other perfidious enemies, if those who should defend these few relic- of old Rome, as fathers or guardians, have themselves hecn long found engaged in efforts to destroy them?" «kc. It is even believed that Raphael collected materials for the history of the artist.s who had preceded him, since Yasari, as wc have before said, admits himself to have profited by the writings of Raphael among those of other authors. LIFE OF RAPHAEL. 69 Ad Stggias ipse est raptus Epidaurius undas ; Sic precium vitae mors fait artijici. Ta quoque dum toto Janiatam corpore liomam Componis miro, Raphael, ingenio ; Atque Urbis lacerum f&rro, igni, annisque cadaver. Ad vitam, antiquum jam revocasque decus. Movisti superum invidiam, indignataque mors est, Te dudum extinctis reddere posse animam. Et quod longa dies paidlatim aboleverat, hoc te Mortali spreta lege parare iterum. Sic miser heu, prima cadis intercepte juventa ; Deberi et morti nostraque, nosque mones. APPENDIX. A CATALOGUE OF THE PRINCIPAL PAINTINGS BY RAPHAEL, CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR SUBJECTS. TRANSLATED FROM THE APPENDIX TO " RAFAEL VON URBINO UND SEIN VATER GIOVANNI SANTI," BY J. D. PASSAVANT, FORMERLY DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM AT FRANKFORT. Tlie figures at the beginning of each line show the chronological order in which the subjects were painted. Nos. 1 to 20 were painted between a.d. 1500 and 1504, in the manner of Perugino. Nos. 21 to 55 „ from 1504 to 1510, at Florence. Nos. 56 to 103 „ from 1508 to 1513, at Home, in the time of Pope Julius II. Nos. 104 to 248 „ from 1513 to 1520, at Home, in the time of Pope Leo X. SUBJECTS TAKEN FROM THE BIBLE. Nos. 121 to 172. IFTY-TWO FRESCOES in the cupolas of the Loggie of the Vatican. Forty- eight subjects from the Old Testament and four from the New Testament, executed by the pupils of Raphael, after his small sepia sketches, under the direction of Giulio Romano. 4. A Church Banner, on which are painted the Holy Trinity, and on the reverse, the Creation of Eve, at Citta di Castello. 67. The First Sin, on the ceiling of the Chamber of the " Segnatura" in the Vatican. 74. Moses with the Tables of the Law, on the dado of the Chamber of the " Segnatura." 70. The Judgment of Solomon, on the ceiling of the Chamber of the " Segnatura." 94. God appearing to Noah. Fresco on the ceiling of the Chamber of Hcliodorus in the Vatican. 95. The Sacrifice of Abraham. Fresco on the ceiling of the Chamber of Hcliodorus; 9G. The Dream of Jacob. Fresco on the ceiling of the Chamber of Hcliodorus in the Vatican. 97. God appeabing to Moses in the Burning Bush. Fresco on the ceiling of the Chamber of Hcliodorus in the Vatican. 103. Joseph before Pharaoh ; The Red Sea ; Moses Receiving the Tables of the Law. Small paintings in the embrasures of the windows in the Chamber of Hcliodorus. 105. The Prophets. Frescoes in S. Maria dclla Pace, at Rome. Daniel and David, Jonah and Hosea. 85. The Prophet Isaiah. Fresco iu the Church of S. Agostino, at Rome. 110. Vision of Ezekiel. Pitti Palace, Florence. 72 CLASSIFIED LIST OF SUBJECTS RELATING TO CHRIST. No. 111. Birth of Christ. Lost. 36. A doration of the Shepherds. Formerly at Bologna. 1 . The Infant Jesus Caressed by St. John. At Perugia. 107 to 207. Tapestries by Raphael, in the Vatican, second series. Twelve subjects taken from the Life of Christ, and a thirteenth representing allegorical figures (for the most part by Giulio Romano and other pupils of Raphael). 186 to 195. Tapestries by Raphael, in the Vatican ; first series, taken from the History of the Apostles. Ten subjects. The Seven Cartoons of Raphael for the tapestries; three are lost. Formerly at Hampton Court, now at the South Kensington Museum. 120. Christ and the Apostles. Fresco in the " Sala Vecchia de Palafrenieri " at Rome. ( Re- painted by Taddeo Zucehero). 73. Christ and his Apostles ; in the embrasure of a window in the Chamber of the " Segnatura." 17. Christ upon the Mount of Olives ; in Mr. Fuller Maitland's Collection, England. 224. Christ bearing the Cross. (Lo Spasimo di Sicilia). Madrid Museum. 0. Christ on the Cross and Four Saints, (from the Fesch Gallery). Now in Earl Dudley's Collection. 48. The Entombment. Borghcse Palace, Rome. 20. Three Small Circular Pictures. Christ seated upon a sarcophagus : Saint Louis ; and Saint Herculanus. Berlin Museum. 2. The Resurrection. In the Vatican. 27. Peace be with you. (Pa.v vobi.s). In the Tosi Collection, at Brescia. 241. The Transfiguration. In the Vatican. ll!». Subjects relating to Christ, in the embrasures of the windows of the Chamber of the " Inccndio del Borgo" in the Vatican. HOLY FAMILIES AND MADONNAS. 91. The Holy Family, Of Naples. Naples Museum. 227. The Holy Family, The Pearl. Madrid Museum. 22(3. The Holy Family, Beneath the Oak. Madrid Museum. 4 ST WHITTIXGHAM AM) W] I. KINS, TOOKS COCRT, CH.VKCEKT I.ANE. THE