  History of the Vatican Quarter and of the Palace—Scala Regia—Pauline Chapel—Sistine Chapel—Sala Ducale—Court of St. Damasus—Galleria Lapidaria—Braccio Nuovo—Museo Chiaramonti—The Belvedere—Gallery of Statues—Hall of Busts—Sala delle Muse—Sala Rotonda—Sala a Croce Greca—Galleria dei Candelabri—Galleria degli Arazzi—Library—Appartamenti Borgia—Etruscan Museum—Egyptian Museum—Gardens—Villa Pia—Loggie—Stanze—Chapel of S. Lorenzo—Gallery of Pictures. THE hollow of the Janiculum between S. Onofrio and the Monte Mario is believed to have been a site of Etruscan divination. "Fauni vatesque canebant." Ennius. Hence the name, which is now only used in regard to the papal palace and the basilica of St. Peter, but which was once applied to the whole district between the foot of the hill and the Tiber near S. Angelo. " ... ut paterni Fluminis ripÆ, simul et jocosa Redderet laudes tibi Vaticani Montis imago." Horace, i. Od. 20. Tacitus speaks of the unwholesome air of this quarter. In this district was the Circus of Caligula, adjoining the gardens of his mother Agrippina, decorated by the obelisk which now stands in the front of St. Peter's. The first residence of the popes at the Vatican was erected by St. Symmachus (A.D. 498—514) near the forecourt of the old St. Peter's, and here Charlemagne is believed to have resided on the occasion of his several visits to Rome during the reigns of Adrian I. (772—795) and Leo III. (795—816). This ancient palace having fallen into decay during the twelfth century, it was rebuilt in the thirteenth by Innocent III. It was greatly enlarged by Nicholas III. (1277—1281), but the Lateran continued to be the papal residence, and the Vatican palace was only used on state occasions, and for the reception of any foreign sovereigns visiting Rome. After the return of the popes from Avignon, the Lateran palace had fallen into decay, and for the sake of the greater security afforded by the vicinity of S. Angelo, it was determined to make the pontifical residence at the Vatican, and the first conclave was held there in 1378. In order to increase its security, John XXIII. constructed the covered passage to The length of the Vatican palace is 1151 English feet; its breadth, 767. It has eight grand staircases, twenty courts, and is said to contain 11,000 chambers of different sizes. (The collections in the Vatican may be visited daily with an order The principal entrance of the Vatican is at the end of the right colonnade of St. Peter's. Hence a door on the right opens upon the staircase leading to the Cortile di S. Damaso, and is the nearest way to the collections of statues and pictures. Following the great corridor, and passing on the left the entrance to the portico of St. Peter's, we reach the Scala Regia, a magnificent work of Bernini, formerly guarded by the picturesque Swiss soldiers. Hence we enter the Sala Regia, built in the reign of Paul III. by Antonio di Sangallo, and used as a hall of audience for ambassadors. It is decorated with frescoes illustrative of the history of the popes. Entrance Wall: Right Wall: Left Wall: Opposite Wall, towards the Sala Regia: On the right is the entrance of the Pauline Chapel (Cappella Paolina), also built (1540) by Antonio di Sangallo for Paul III. Its decorations are chiefly the work of Sabbatini and F. Zucchero, but it contains two frescoes by Michael Angelo. "Two excellent frescoes, executed by Michael Angelo on the side walls of the Pauline Chapel, are little cared for, and are so much blackened by the smoke of lamps that they are seldom mentioned. The Crucifixion of St. Peter, under the large window, is in a most unfavourable light, but is distinguished for its grand, severe composition. That on the opposite wall—the Conversion of St. Paul—is still tolerably distinct. The long train of his soldiers is seen ascending in the background. Christ, surrounded by a host of angels, bursts upon his sight from the storm-flash. Paul lies stretched on the ground—a noble and finely-developed form. His followers fly on all sides, or are struck motionless by the thunder. The arrangement of the groups is excellent, and some of the single figures are very dignified; the composition has, moreover, a principle of order and repose, which, in comparison with the Last Judgment, places this picture in a very favourable light. If there are any traces of old age to be found in these works, they are at most discoverable in the execution of details."—Kugler, p. 308. On the left of the approach from the Scala Regia is the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina), built by Bacio Pintelli in 1473 for Sixtus IV. The lower part of the walls of this wonderful chapel was formerly hung on festivals with the tapestries executed from the cartoons of Raphael; the upper portion is decorated in fresco by the great Florentine masters of the fifteenth century. "It was intended to represent scenes from the life of Moses on one side of the chapel, and from the life of Christ on the other, so that the old law might be confronted by the new,—the type by the typified."—Lanzi. The following is the order of the frescoes, type and anti-type together: Over the altar—now destroyed to make way for the Last Judgment:
On the pillars between the windows are the figures of twenty-eight popes, by Sandro Botticelli. "Vasari says that the two works of Luca Signorelli surpass in beauty all those which surround them,—an assertion which is at least questionable as far as regards the frescoes of Perugino; but with respect to all the rest, the superiority of Signorelli is evident, even to the most inexperienced eye. The subject of the first picture is the journey of Moses and Zipporah into Egypt: the landscape is charming, although evidently ideal; there is great depth in the aËrial perspective; and in the various groups scattered over the different parts of the picture there are female forms of such beauty, that they may have afforded models to Raphael. The same graceful treatment is also perceptible in the representation of The avenue of pictures is a preparation for the surpassing grandeur of the ceiling: "The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel contains the most perfect works done by Michael Angelo in his long and active life. Here his great spirit appears in its noblest dignity, in its highest purity; here the attention is not disturbed by that arbitrary display to which his great power not unfrequently seduced him in other works. The ceiling forms a flattened arch in its section; the central portion, which is a plain surface, contains a series of large and small pictures, representing the most important events recorded in the book of Genesis—the Creation and Fall of Man, with its immediate consequences. In the large triangular compartments at the springing of the vault, are sitting figures of the prophets and sibyls, as the foretellers of the coming of the Saviour. In the soffits of the recesses between these compartments, and in the arches underneath, immediately above the windows, are the ancestors of the Virgin, the series leading the mind directly to the Saviour. The external connection of these numerous representations is formed by an architectural framework of peculiar composition, which encloses the single subjects, tends to make the principal masses conspicuous, and gives to the whole an appearance of that solidity and support so necessary, but so seldom attended to, in soffit decorations, which may be considered as if suspended. A great number of figures are also connected with the framework; those in unimportant situations are executed in the colour of stone or bronze; in the more important, in natural colours. These serve to support the architectural forms, to fill up and to connect the whole. They may be best described as the living and embodied genii of architecture. It required the unlimited power of an architect, sculptor, and painter, to conceive a structural whole of so much grandeur, to design the decorative figures with the significant repose The pictures from the Old Testament, beginning from the altar, are: 1. The Separation of Light and Darkness. "The scenes from Genesis are the most sublime representations of these subjects;—the Creating Spirit is unveiled before us. The peculiar type which the painter has here given of the form of the Almighty Father has been frequently imitated by his followers, and even by Raphael, but has been surpassed by none. Michael Angelo has represented him in majestic flight, sweeping through the air, surrounded by genii, partly supporting, partly borne along with him, covered by his floating drapery; they are the distinct syllables, the separate virtues of his creating word. In the first (large) compartment we see him with extended hands, assigning to the sun and moon their respective paths. In the second, he awakens the first man to life. Adam lies stretched on the verge of the earth, in the act of raising himself; the Creator touches him with the point of his finger, and appears thus to endow him with feeling and life. This picture displays a wonderful depth of thought in the composition, and the utmost elevation and majesty in the general treatment and execution. The third subject is not less important, representing the Fall of Man and his Expulsion from Paradise. The tree of knowledge stands in the midst, the serpent (the upper part of the body being that of a woman) is twined around the stem; she bends down towards the guilty pair, who are in the act of plucking the forbidden fruit. The figures are nobly graceful, particularly that of Eve. Close to the serpent hovers the angel with the sword, ready to drive the fallen beings out of Paradise. In this double action, this union of two separate moments, there is something peculiarly poetic and significant: it is guilt and punishment in one picture. The sudden and lightning-like appearance of the avenging "It was the seed of Eve that was to bruise the serpent's head. Hence it is that Michael Angelo made the Creation of Eve the central subject on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He had the good taste to suggest, and yet to avoid, that literal rendering of the biblical story which in the ruder representations borders on the grotesque, and which Milton, with all his pomp of words, could scarcely idealise."—Mrs. Jameson, Hist. of Our Lord. The lower portion of the ceiling is divided into triangles occupied by the Prophets and Sibyls in solemn contemplation, accompanied by angels and genii. Beginning from the left of the entrance, their order is,—
"The prophets and sibyls in the triangular compartments of the curved portion of the ceiling are the largest figures in the whole work; these, too, are among the most wonderful forms that modern art has called into life. They are all represented seated, employed with books or rolled manuscripts; genii stand near, or behind them. These mighty beings sit before us pensive, meditative, inquiring, or looking upwards with inspired countenances. Their forms and movements, indicated by the grand lines and masses of the drapery, are majestic and dignified. We see in them beings, who, while they feel and bear the sorrows of a corrupt and sinful world, have power to look for consolation into the secrets of the future. Yet the greatest variety prevails in the attitudes and expression—each figure is full of individuality. Zacharias is an aged man, busied in calm and circumspect investigation; Jeremiah is bowed down absorbed in thought—the thought of deep and bitter grief; Ezekiel turns with hasty movement to the genius next to him, who points upwards, with joyful expectation, &c. The sibyls are equally characteristic: the Persian—a lofty, majestic woman, very aged; the ErythrÆan—full of power, like the warrior goddess of wisdom; the Delphic—like Cassandra, "The belief of the Roman Catholic Church in the testimony of the Sibyl is shown by the well-known hymn, said to have been composed by Pope Innocent III. at the close of the thirteenth century, beginning with the verse:— 'Dies irÆ, dies illa, Solvet sÆclum in favilla, Teste David cum Sibylla.' It may be inferred that this hymn, admitted into the liturgy of the Roman Church, gave sanction to the adoption of the Sibyls into Christian art. They are seen from this time accompanying the prophets and apostles in the cyclical decorations of the church.... But the highest honour that art has rendered to the Sibyls has been by the hand of Michael Angelo, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Here, in the conception of a mysterious order of women, placed above and without all considerations of the graceful or the individual, the great master was peculiarly in his element. They exactly fitted his standard of art, not always sympathetic, nor comprehensible to the average human mind, of which the grand in form and the abstract in expression, were the first and last conditions. In this respect, the Sibyls on the Sistine Chapel ceiling are more Michael Angelesque than their companions the Prophets. For these, while types of the highest monumental treatment, are yet men, while the Sibyls belong to a distinct class of beings, who convey the impression of the very obscurity in which their history is wrapt—creatures who have lived far from the abodes of men, who are alike devoid of the expression of feminine sweetness, human sympathy, or sacramental beauty; who are neither Christians nor Jewesses, Witches nor Graces, yet living, grand, beautiful, and true, according to laws revealed to the great Florentine genius only. Thus their figures may be said to be unique, as the offspring of a peculiar sympathy between the master's mind and his subject. To this sympathy may be ascribed the prominence and size given them—both Prophets and Sibyls—as compared to their usual relation to the subjects they environ. They sit here in twelve throne-like niches, more like presiding deities, each wrapt in self-contemplation, than as tributary witnesses to the truth and omnipotence of Him they are intended to announce. Thus they form a gigantic framework round the subjects of the Creation, of which the birth of Eve, as the type of the Nativity, is the intentional centre. For some reason, the twelve figures are not Prophets and Sibyls alternately—there being only five Sibyls to seven "The Sibylla Persica, supposed to be the oldest of the sisterhood, holds the book close to her eyes, as if from dimness of sight, which fact, contradicted as it is by a frame of obviously Herculean strength, gives a mysterious intentness to the action. "The Sibylla Libyca, of equally powerful proportions, but less closely draped, is grandly wringing herself to lift a massive volume from a height above her head on to her knees. "The Sibylla Cumana, also aged, and with her head covered, is reading with her volume at a distance from her eyes. "The Sibylla Delphica, with waving hair escaping from her turban, is a beautiful young being—the most human of all—gazing into vacancy or futurity. She holds a scroll. "The Sibylla ErythrÆa, grand bare-headed creature, sits reading intently with crossed legs, about to turn over her book. "The Prophets are equally grand in structure, and though, as we have said, not more than men, yet they are the only men that could well bear the juxtaposition with their stupendous female colleagues. Ezekiel, between ErythrÆa and Persica, has a scroll in his hand that hangs by his side, just cast down, as he turns eagerly to listen to some voice. "Jeremiah, a magnificent figure, sits with elbow on knee, and head on hand, wrapt in the meditation appropriate to one called to utter lamentation and woe. He has neither book nor scroll. "Jonah is also without either. His position is strained and ungraceful—looking upwards, and apparently remonstrating with the Almighty upon the destruction of the gourd, a few leaves of which are seen above him. His hands are placed together with a strange and trivial action, supposed to denote the counting on his fingers the number of days he was in the fish's belly. A formless marine monster is seen at his side. "Daniel has a book on his lap, with one hand on it. He is young, and a piece of lion's skin seems to allude to his history."—Lady Eastlake, Hist. of Our Lord, i. 248. In the recesses between the prophets and sibyls are a series of lovely family groups representing the Genealogy of the Virgin, and expressive of calm expectation of the future. The four corners of the ceiling contain groups illustrative of the power of the Lord displayed in the especial deliverances of his chosen people. Near the altar are: Right.—The deliverance of the Israelites by the brazen serpent. Near the entrance are: Right.—Judith and Holofernes. It was when Michael Angelo was already in his sixtieth year that Clement VII. formed the idea of effacing the three pictures of Perugino at the end of the chapel, and employing him to paint the vast fresco of The Last Judgment in their place. It occupied the artist for seven years, and was finished in 1541 when Paul III. was on the throne. To induce him to pursue his work with application, Paul III. went himself to his house attended by ten cardinals; "an honour," says Lanzi, "unique in the annals of art." The pope wished that the picture should be painted in oil, to which he was persuaded by Sebastian del Piombo, but Michael Angelo refused to employ anything but fresco, saying that oil-painting was work for women and for idle and lazy persons. "In the upper half of the picture we see the Judge of the world, surrounded by the apostles and patriarchs; beyond these, on one side, are the martyrs; on the other, the saints, and a numerous host of the blessed. Above, under the two arches of the vault, two groups of angels bear the instruments of the passion. Below the Saviour another group of angels holding the book of life sound the trumpets to awaken the dead. On the right is represented the resurrection; and higher, the ascension of the blessed. On the left, hell, and the fall of the condemned, who audaciously strive to press to heaven. "The day of wrath ('dies irÆ') is before us—the day, of which the old hymn says,— 'Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando judex est venturus Cuncta stricte discussurus.' The Judge turns in wrath towards the condemned and raises his right hand, with an expression of rejection and condemnation; beside him the Virgin veils herself with her drapery, and turns, with a countenance full of anguish, toward the blessed. The martyrs, on the left, hold up the instruments and proofs of their martyrdom, in accusation of those who had occasioned their temporal death: these the avenging angels drive from the gates of heaven, and fulfil the sentence pronounced against them. Trembling and anxious, the dead rise slowly, as if still fettered by the weight of an earthly nature; the pardoned ascend to the blessed; a mysterious horror pervades even their hosts—no joy, nor peace, nor blessedness, are to be found here. "It must be admitted that the artist has laid a stress on this view of his subject, and this has produced an unfavourable effect upon the upper half of his picture. We look in vain for the glory of heaven, for beings who bear the stamp of divine holiness, and renunciation of human weakness; everywhere we meet with the expression of human passion, of human efforts. We see no choir of solemn, tranquil forms, no harmonious unity of clear, grand lines, produced by ideal draperies; instead of these, we find a confused crowd of the most varied movements, naked bodies in violent attitudes, unaccompanied by any of the characteristics made sacred by holy tradition. Christ, the principal figure of the whole, wants every attribute but that of the Judge: no expression of divine majesty reminds us that it is the Saviour who exercises this office. The upper part of the composition is in many parts heavy, notwithstanding the masterly boldness of the drawing; confused, in spite of the separation of the principal and accessory groups; capricious, notwithstanding a grand arrangement of the whole. But, granting for a moment that these defects exist, still this upper portion, as a whole, has a very impressive effect, and, at the great distance from which it is seen, some of the defects alluded to are less offensive to the eye. The lower half deserves the highest praise. In these groups, from the languid resuscitation and upraising of the pardoned, to the despair of the condemned, every variety of expression, anxiety, anguish, rage, and despair, is powerfully delineated. In the convulsive struggles of the condemned with the evil demons, the most passionate energy displays itself, and the extraordinary skill of the artist here finds its most appropriate exercise. A peculiar tragic grandeur pervades alike the beings who are given up to despair and their hellish tormentors. The representation of all that is fearful, far from being repulsive, is thus invested with that true moral dignity which is so essential a condition in the higher aims of art."—Kugler, p. 308. "The Last Judgment is now more valuable as a school of design "It may be fanciful, but it seems to me that in this, and in every other of Michael Angelo's works, you may see that the ideas, beauties, and peculiar excellences of statuary, were ever present to his mind; that they are the conceptions of a sculptor embodied in painting. " ...St. Catharine, in a green gown, and somebody else in a blue one, are supremely hideous. Paul IV., in an unfortunate fit of prudery, was seized with the resolution of whitewashing over the whole of the Last Judgment, in order to cover the scandal of a few naked female figures. With difficulty was he prevented from utterly destroying the grandest painting in the world, but he could not be dissuaded from ordering these poor women to be clothed in this unbecoming drapery. Daniele da Volterra, whom he employed in this office (in the lifetime of Michael Angelo), received, in consequence, the name of Il Braghettone (the breeches-maker)."—Eaton's Rome. Michael Angelo avenged himself upon Messer Biagio da Cesena, master of the ceremonies, who first suggested the indelicacy of the naked figures to the pope, by introducing him in hell, as Midas, with ass's ears. When Cesena begged "Michel-Ange est extraordinaire, tandis qu'Orcagna "The Apostles in Michael Angelo's Last Judgment stand on each side of the Saviour, who is not, here, Saviour and Redeemer, but inexorable Judge. They are grandly and artificially grouped, all without any drapery whatever, with forms and attitudes which recall an assemblage of Titans holding a council of war, rather than the glorified companions of Christ."—Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, i. 179. The Sistine Chapel is associated in the minds of all Roman sojourners with the great ceremonies of the Church, but especially with the Miserere of Passion Week. "On Wednesday afternoon began the Miserere in the Sistine Chapel.... The old cardinals entered in their magnificent violet-coloured velvet cloaks, with their white ermine capes; and seated themselves side by side, in a great half-circle, within the barrier, whilst the priests who had carried their trains seated themselves at their feet. By the little side door of the altar the holy father now entered in his purple mantle and silver tiara. He ascended his throne. Bishops swung the vessels of incense around him, whilst young priests, in scarlet vestments, knelt, with lighted torches in their hands, before him and the high altar. "The reading of the lessons began. "The bold foreshortenings, the determinate force with which every figure steps forward, is amazing, and carries one quite away! It is a spiritual Sermon on the Mount in colour and form. Like Raphael, we stand in astonishment before the power of Michael Angelo. Every prophet is a Moses like that which he formed in marble. What giant forms are those which seize upon our eye and our thoughts as we enter! But, when intoxicated with this view, let us turn our eyes to the background of the chapel, whose whole wall is a high altar of art and thought. The great chaotic picture, from the floor to the roof, shows itself there like a jewel, of which all the rest is only the setting. We see there the Last Judgment. "Christ stands in judgment upon the clouds, and the apostles and his mother stretch forth their hands beseeching for the poor human race. The dead raise the gravestones under which they have lain; blessed spirits float upwards, adoring, to God, whilst the abyss seizes its victims. Here one of the ascending spirits seeks to save his condemned brother, whom the abyss already embraces in its snaky folds. The children of despair strike their clenched fists upon their brows and sink into the depths! In bold foreshortening, float and tumble whole legions between heaven and earth. The sympathy of the angels; the expression of lovers who meet; the child that, at the sound of the trumpet, clings to the mother's breast, is so natural and beautiful, that one believes oneself to be among those who are waiting for judgment. Michael Angelo has expressed in colours what Dante saw and has sung to the generations of the earth. "The descending sun, at that moment, threw his last beams in through the uppermost windows. Christ, and the blessed around him, were strongly lighted up; whilst the lower part, where the dead arose, and the demons thrust their boat, laden with damned, from shore, were almost in darkness. "Just as the sun went down the last Psalm was ended, and the last light which now remained was extinguished, and the whole picture-world vanished in the gloom from before me; but, in that same moment, burst forth music and singing. That which colour had "The father of the Church, stripped of his papal pomp, stood before the altar, and prayed to the holy cross; and upon the wings of the trumpet resounded the trembling quire, 'Populus meus, quid feci tibi!' Soft angel notes rose above the deep song, tones which ascended not from a human breast: it was not a man's nor a woman's: it belonged to the world of spirits: it was like the weeping of angels dissolved in melody."'—Anderson's Improvisatore. "Le Miserere, c'est-À-dire, ayez pitiÉ de nous, est un psaume composÉ de versets qui se chantent alternativement d'une maniÈre trÈs-diffÉrente. Tour-À-tour une musique cÉleste se fait entendre, et le verset suivant, dit en rÉcitatif, et murmurÉ d'un ton sourd et presque rauque, on dirait que c'est la rÉponse des caractÈres durs aux coeurs sensibles, que c'est le rÉel de la vie qui vient flÉtrir et repousser les voeux des Âmes gÉnÉreuses; et quand le choeur si doux reprend, on renaÎt À l'espÉrance; mais lorsque le verset rÉcitÉ recommence, une sensation de froid saisit de nouveau; ce n'est pas la terreur qui la cause, mais le dÉcouragement de l'enthousiasme. Enfin le dernier morceau, plus noble et plus touchant encore que tous les autres, laisse au fond de l'Âme une impression douce et pure: Dieu nous accorde cette mÊme impression avant de mourir. "On Éteint les flambeaux; la nuit s'avance; les figures des prophÈtes et des sibylles apparaissent comme des fantÔmes enveloppÉs du crÉpuscule. Le silence est profond, la parole ferait un mal insupportable dans cet État de l'Âme, oÙ tout est intime et intÉrieur; et quand le dernier son s'Éteint, chacun s'en va lentement et sans bruit; chacun semble craindre de rentrer dans les intÉrÊts vulgaires de ce monde."—Mad. de StaËl. Opposite the Sistine Chapel is the entrance of the Sala Ducale, in which the popes formerly gave audience to foreign princes, and which is now used for the consistories for the admission of cardinals to the sacred college. Its decorations were chiefly executed by Bernini for Alexander VII. The landscapes are by Brill. This hall is used as a passage to the Loggie of Bramante. The small portion of the Vatican inhabited by the pope is never seen except by those who are admitted to a special "Je la vois cette Rome, oÙ d'augustes vieillards, HÉritiers d'un apÔtre et vainqueurs des CÉsars, Souverains sans armÉe et conquÉrants sans guerre, A leur triple couronne ont asservi la terre." Racine. Two hundred and fifty-five popes are reckoned from St Peter to Pio IX. inclusive. A famous prophecy of S. Malachi, first printed in 1595, is contained in a series of mottoes, one for each of the whole line of pontiffs until the end of time. Following this it will be seen that only eleven more popes are needed to exhaust the mottoes, and to close the destinies of Rome, and of the world. The later ones run thus:—
The Cardinal Secretary of State has rooms above the pontifical apartments. His collection of antique gems is of European celebrity. "Antonelli loge au Vatican, sur la tÊte du pape. Les Romains demandent, en maniÈre du calembour, lequel est le plus haut, du pape ou d'Antonelli."—About, Question Romaine. The entrance to the Museum of Statues (for those who do not come from the Sala Regia) is by the central door on the left of the Cortile S. Damaso, whence you ascend a staircase and follow the loggia on the first floor, covered with stuccoes and arabesques by Giovanni da Udine, to the door of The Galleria Lapidaria, a corridor 2131 feet in length. Its sides are covered on the right with Pagan, on the left with Early Christian inscriptions. Ranged along the walls are a series of sarcophagi, cippi, and funeral altars, some of them very fine. The last door on the left of this gallery is the entrance to the Library. Separated from this by an iron gate, which is locked, except on Mondays, but opened by a custode (fee 50 c.), is the Museo Chiaramonti; but the visitors should first enter, on the left, The Braccio-Nuovo, built under Pius VII. in 1817, by Raphael Stern, a fine hall, 250 feet long, filled with gems of sculpture. Perhaps most worth attention are (the chefs d'oeuvre being marked with an asterisk): Right.— 5. *Caryatide. This statue was admirably restored by Thorwaldsen. Its Greek origin is undoubted, and it is supposed to be the missing figure from the Erechtheum at Athens. "Quand une fille des premiÈres familles n'avait pour vÊtement, 8. Commodus. "La statue de Commode est trÈs curieuse par le costume. Il tient À la main une lance, il a des espÈces de bottes: tout cela est du chasseur, enfin il porte la tunique À manches dont parle Dion Cassius, et qui Était son costume d'amphithÉÂtre."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii. 246. 9. Colossal head of a Dacian, from the Forum of Trajan. 11. Silenus and the infant Bacchus. This is a copy from the Greek, of which there were several replicas. One, formerly in the Villa Borghese, is now at Paris. The original group is described by Pliny, who says that the name of the sculptor was lost even in his time. The greater portion of the child, the left arm and hand of Silenus, and the ivy-leaves, are restorations. "Je pense que ce chef-d'oeuvre est une imitation modifiÉe du Mercure nourricier de Bacchus, par CÉphisodote, fils de PraxitÈle."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 332. 14. *Augustus, found 1863, in the villa of Livia at Prima-Porta. "This is, without exception, the finest portrait statue of this class in the whole collection.... The cuirass is covered with small figures, in basso-relievo, which, as works of art, are even finer than the statue itself, and merit the most careful examination. These small figures are, in their way, marvels of art, for the wonderful boldness of execution and minuteness of detail shown in them. They are almost like cameos, and yet, with all the delicacy of finish displayed, there is no mere smoothness of surface. The central group is supposed to represent the restoration to Augustus by King Phraates of the eagles taken from 17. Æsculapius. 20. Nerva? Head modern. 23. *Pudicitia. From the Villa Mattei. Head modern. "The portrait of a noble Roman lady, much disfigured by restorations. This statue shows the neglect, by a sculptor of great ability, of that thoroughness of execution which was such a characteristic of Greek art. Compare the great beauty of the lower portion of the drapery, seen from the front, with the poverty of execution at the back."—Shakspere Wood. "Qu'on regarde une statue toute voilÉe, par exemple celle de la PudicitÉ: il est evident que le vÊtement antique n'altÈre pas la forme du corps, que les plis collants ou mouvants reÇoivent du corps leurs formes et leurs changements, qu'on suit sans peine À travers les plis l'Équilibre de toute la charpente, la rondeur de l'Épaule ou de la hanche, le creux du dos."—Taine. 26. Titus. Found 1828, near the Lateran (with his daughter Julia). 27, 40, 92. Colossal busts of Medusa, from the temple of Venus at Rome. 32, 33. Fauns, sitting, from the villa of Quintilius at Tivoli. 38. Ganymede, found at Ostia; on the tree against which he leans is engraved the name of PhÆdimus. 39. Vase of black basalt, found on the Quirinal. It stands on a mosaic, from the Tor Marancia. 41. Faun playing on a flute, from the villa of Lucullus. 44. Wounded Amazon (both arms and legs are restorations). "Les trois Amazones blessÉes de Rome ne peuvent Être que des copies de la cÉlÈbre Amazone de CrÉsilas.... Ce CrÉsilas fut l'auteur du guerrier grec mourant qui selon toute apparence a inspirÉ le prÉtendu Gladiateur mourant auquel s'applique merveilleusement bien ce que dit Pline du premier."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 263. 47. Caryatide. 48. Bust of Trajan. 50. *Diana contemplating the sleeping Endymion. 53. Euripides. "Le plus remarquable portrait d'Euripide est une belle statue au Vatican. Cette statue donne une haute idÉe de la sublimitÉ de l'art tragique en GrÈce.... Regardez ce poËte, combien toute sa personne a 62. *Demosthenes, found near Frescati. "Both hands were wanting, and the restorer has replaced them holding a roll.... They were originally placed with the fingers clasped together, and the proofs are these. An anecdote is related of an Athenian soldier, who had hidden some stolen money in the clasped hands of a statue of Demosthenes; and if you observe the lines formed by the fore-arms, from the elbows to half-way down the wrists, where the restoration commences, you will find that, continued on, they would bring the wrists very much nearer to each other than they now are in the restoration. It is possible that this is the identical statue spoken of."—Shakspere Wood. 67. *Apoxyomenos. An Athlete scraping his arm with a strigil; found 1849 in the Vicolo delle Palure in the Trastevere. This is a replica of the celebrated bronze statue of Lysippus, and is described by Pliny, who narrates that it was brought from Greece by Agrippa to adorn the baths which he built for the people, and that Tiberius so admired it, that he carried it off to his palace, but was forced to restore it by the outcries of the populace, the next time he appeared in public. Left.— 71. Amazon. (Arms and feet restorations by Thorwaldsen.) 77. Antonia, from Tusculum. 81. Bust of Hadrian. 83. Juno? (head, a restoration) from Hadrian's villa. 86. Fortune with a cornucopia, from Ostia. 92. Venus Anadyomena. "La gracieuse VÉnus AnadyomÈne, que chacun connaÎt, a le mÉrite de nous rendre une peinture perdue d'Apelles; elle en a un autre encore, c'est de nous conserver dans ce portrait—qui n'est point en buste—quelques traits de la beautÉ de Campaspe, d'aprÈs laquelle Apelles, dit-on, peignit sa Venus AnadyomÈne."—AmpÈre, iii. 324. 96. Bust of Marc Antony, from the Tor Sapienza. 109. *Colossal group of the Nile, found, temp. Leo X., near Sta. Maria sopra Minerva. A Greek statue. The sixteen children clambering over it are restorations, and allude to the sixteen cubits' depth with which the river annually irrigates the country. On the plinth, the accompaniments of the river,—the ibis, crocodile, hippopotamus, &c., are represented. 111. Julia, daughter of Titus, found near the Lateran. "Cette princesse, de la nouvelle et bourgeoise race des Flaviens, n'offre rien du noble profil et de la fiÈre beautÉ des Agrippines: elle a un nez ÉcrasÉ et l'air commun. La coiffure de Julie achÈve de la rendre disgracieuse: c'est une maniÈre de pouf assez semblable À une Éponge. ComparÉ aux coiffures du siÈcle d'Auguste, le tour de cheveux ridicule de Julie montre la dÉcadence du goÛt, plus rapide dans la toilette que dans l'art."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii. 120. 112. Bust of Juno, called the Juno Pentini. 114. *Minerva Medica, found in the temple so called; formerly in the Giustiniani collection. A most beautiful Greek statue, much injured by restoration. "In the Giustiniani palace is a statue of Minerva which fills me with admiration. Winckelmann scarcely thinks anything of it, or at any rate does not give it its proper position; but I cannot praise it sufficiently. While we were gazing upon the statue, and standing a long time beside it, the wife of the custode told us that it was once a sacred image, and that the English, who are of that religion, still held it in veneration, being in the habit of kissing one of its hands, which was certainly quite white, while the rest of the statue was of a brownish colour. She added, that a lady of this religion had been there a short time before, had thrown herself on her knees, and worshipped the statue. Such a wonderful action she, as a Christian, could not behold without laughter, and fled from the room, for fear of exploding."—Goethe. 117. Claudius. 120. A replica of the Faun of Praxiteles, inferior to that at the Capitol. "Le jeune Satyre qui tient une flÛte est trop semblable À celui du Capitole pour n'Être pas de mÊme une reproduction de l'un des deux Satyres isolÉs de PraxitÈle, son Satyre d'AthÈnes ou son Satyre de MÉgare; on pourrait croire aussi que le Satyre À la flÛte a eu pour original le Satyre de ProtogÈne qui, bien que peint dans Rhodes assiÉgÉe, exprimait le calme le plus profond et qu'on appelait celui qui se repose (anapauomenos); on pourrait le croire, car la statue a toujours une jambe croisÉe sur l'autre, attitude qui, dans le langage de la sculpture antique, dÉsigne le repos. Il ne serait pas impossible non plus que ProtogÈne 123. L. Verus. Naked statue. 126. Athlete; the discus a restoration. 129. Domitian, from the Giustiniani collection. 132. Mercury (the head a restoration by Canova), from the Villa Negroni. Here we re-enter the Museo Chiaramonti, lined with sculptures, chiefly of inferior interest. They are arranged in thirty compartments. We may notice:
At the end of this gallery is the entrance to the Giardino della Pigna (described under the Vatican Gardens). Admittance may probably be obtained from hence for a fee of 50 c. At the top of the short staircase, on the left, is the entrance of the Egyptian Museum. Here we enter the Museo Pio-Clementino, founded under Clement XIV., but chiefly due to the liberality and taste of Pius VI., in whose In the centre of 1st Vestibule is the *Torso Belvidere, found in the baths of Caracalla, and sculptured, as is told by a Greek inscription on its base, by Apollonius, son of Nestor of Athens. It was to this statue that Michael-Angelo declared that he owed his power of representing the human form, and in his blind old age he used to be led up to it, that he might pass his hands over it, and still enjoy, through touch, the grandeur of its lines. "And dost thou still, thou mass of breathing stone (Thy giant limbs to night and chaos hurled), Still sit as on the fragment of a world, Surviving all, majestic and alone? What tho' the Spirits of the North, that swept Rome from the earth when in her pomp she slept, Smote thee with fury, and thy headless trunk Deep in the dust 'mid tower and temple sunk; Soon to subdue mankind 'twas thine to rise, Still, still unquelled thy glorious energies! Aspiring minds, with thee conversing, caught Bright revelations of the good they sought; By thee that long-lost spell in secret given, To draw down gods, and lift the soul to Heaven." Rogers. "Quelle a ÉtÉ l'original du torse d'Hercule, ce chef-d'oeuvre que palpait de ses mains intelligentes Michel-Ange aveugle et rÉduit À ne plus voir que par elles? Heyne a pensÉ que ce pouvait Être une copie en grand de l'Hercule Epitrapezios de Lysippe, mais par le style cette statue me semble antÉrieure À Lysippe. Cependant on lit sur le torse le nom d'Apollonios d'AthÈnes, fils de Nestor, et la forme des lettres ne permet pas de placer cette inscription plus haut que le dernier siÈcle de la RÉpublique. "Comment admettre que cette statue, aussi admirÉe par Winckelmann que par Michel-Ange, ce dÉbris auquel on revient aprÈs l'Éblouissement de l'Apollon du BelvidÈre, pour retrouver une sculpture plus mÂle et plus simple, un style plus fort et plus grand; comment admettre qu'une " ... Pourquoi le torse du Vatican ne serait-il pas d'AlcamÈne, ou, si l'on veut, d'aprÈs AlcamÈne, par Apollonius?"—AmpÈre, Hist. Rome, iii. p. 360, 363. Close by, in a niche, is the celebrated peperino *Tomb of L. Cornelius Scipio Barbatus, consul B.C. 297. It supports a bust, supposed, upon slight foundation, to be that of the poet Ennius. Inscriptions from other tombs of the Scipios are inserted in the neighbouring wall. "L'Épitaphe de Scipion le Barbu semble le rÉsumÉ d'une oraison funÈbre; elle s'adresse aux spectateurs: 'CornÉlius Scipion Barbatus, nÉ d'un pÈre vaillant, homme courageux et prudent, dont la beautÉ Égalait la vertu. Il a ÉtÉ parmi vous consul, censeur, Édile; il a pris Taurasia, Cisauna, le Samnium. Ayant soumis toute la Lucanie, il en a emmenÉ des otages.' "Y a-t-il rien de plus grand? Il a pris le Samnium et la Lucanie. VoilÀ tout. "Ce sarcophage est un des plus curieux monuments de Rome. Par la matiÈre, par la forme des lettres et le style de l'inscription, il vous reprÉsente la rudesse des Romains au sixiÈme siÈcle. Le goÛt trÈs-pur de l'architecture et des ornements vous montre l'avÈnement de l'art grec tombant, pour ainsi dire, en pleine sauvagerie romaine. Le tombeau de Scipion le Barbu est en pÉpÉrin, ce tuf rugueux, grisÂtre, semÉ de taches noires. Les caractÈres sont irrÉguliers, les lignes sont loin d'Être droites, le latin est antique et barbare, mais la forme et les ornements du tombeau sont grecs. Il y a lÀ des volutes, des triglyphes, des denticules; on ne saurait rien imaginer qui fasse mieux voir la culture grecque venant surprendre et saisir la rudesse latine."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 132. The Round Vestibule contains a fine vase of pavonazzetto. The adjoining balcony contains a curious Wind Indicator, found (1779) near the Coliseum. Hence there is a lovely view over the city. In the garden beneath is a fountain At the end of the 3rd Vestibule stands the *Statue of Meleager, with a boar's head and a dog, supposed to have been begun in Greece by some famous sculptor, and finished in Rome (the dog, &c.) by an inferior workman. "Meleager is represented in a position of repose, leaning on his spear, the mark of the junction of which, with the plinth, is still to be seen. The want of the spear gives the statue the appearance of leaning too much to one side, but if you can imagine it replaced, you will see that the pose is perfectly and truthfully rendered. This statue was found at the commencement of the sixteenth century, outside the Porta Portese, in a vineyard close to the Tiber."—Shakspere Wood. "Ce MÉlÉagre du Vatican respire une grÂce tranquille, et, placÉ entre le sublime Torse et les merveilles du BelvÉdÈre, semble Être lÀ pour attendre et pour accueillir de son air aimable et un peu mÉlancolique, oÙ l'on a cru voir le signe d'une destinÉe qui devait Être courte, l'enthousiasme du voyageur."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 515. From the central vestibule we enter the Cortile del Belvidere, an octagonal court built by Bramante, having a fountain in the centre, and decorated with fine sarcophagi and vases, &c. From this opens, beginning from the right, the— First Cabinet, containing the Perseus, and the two Boxers—Kreugas and Damoxenus, by Canova. The Second Cabinet, containing *the Antinous (now called Mercury), perhaps the most beautiful statue in the world. It was found on the Esquiline near S. Martino al Monte. It has never been injured by restoration, but was broken across the ankles when found, and has been unskilfully put together. "Je suis bien tentÉ de rapporter À un original de PolyclÈte, qui aimait les formes carrÉes, le Mercure du BelvÉdÈre, qui n'est pas trÈs-svelte Third Cabinet, of *the Laocoon. This wonderful group was discovered near the Sette Sale on the Esquiline in 1506, while Michael-Angelo was at Rome. The right arm of the father is a terra-cotta restoration, and is said by Winckelmann to be the work of Bernini; the arms of the sons are additions by Agostino Cornacchini of Pistoia. There is now no doubt that the Laocoon is the group described by Pliny. "The fame of many sculptors is less diffused, because the number employed upon great works prevented their celebrity; for there is no one artist to receive the honour of the work, and where there are more than one they cannot all obtain an equal fame. Of this the Laocoon is an example, which stands in the palace of the emperor Titus,—a work which may be considered superior to all others both in painting and statuary. The whole group,—the father, the boys, and the awful folds of the serpents,—were formed out of a single block, in accordance with a vote of the senate, by Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus, Rhodian sculptors of the highest merit."—Pliny, lib. xxxvi. c. 4. "Les trois sculpteurs rhodiens qui travaillÈrent ensemble au Laocoon Étaient probablement un pÈre et ses deux fils, qui exÉcutÈrent l'un la statue du pÈre, et les autres celles des deux fils, touchante analogie entre les auteurs et l'ouvrage. "Les auteurs du Laocoon Étaient Rhodiens, ce peuple auquel, dit Pindare, Minerve a donnÉ de l'emporter sur tous les mortels par le travail habile de leurs mains, et dont les rues Étaient garnies de figures vivantes qui semblaient marcher. Or, le grand Éclat, la grande puissance de Rhodes, appartiennent surtout À l'Époque qui suivit la mort d'Alexandre. AprÈs qu'elle se fÛt dÉlivrÉe du joug macÉdonien, presque toujours alliÉe de Rome, Rhodes fut florissante par le commerce, "C'est avant cette fatale Époque, dans l'Époque de la prospÉritÉ rhodienne, entre Alexandre et CÉsar, que se place le grand dÉveloppement de l'art comme de la puissance des Rhodiens, et qu'on est conduit naturellement À placer la crÉation d'un chef-d'oeuvre tel que le Laocoon. "Pline dit que les trois statues dont se compose le groupe Étaient d'un seul morceau, et ce groupe est formÉ de plusieurs, on en a comptÉ jusqu'À six. Ceci semblerait faire croire que nous n'avons qu'une copie, mais j'avoue ne pas attacher une grande importance À cette indication de Pline, compilateur plus Érudit qu'observateur attentif. Michel-Ange, dit-on, remarqua le premier que le Laocoon n'Était pas d'un seul morceau; Pline a trÈs-bien pu ne pas s'en apercevoir plus que nous et rÉpÉter de confiance une assertion inexacte."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 382, 385, 387. ... "Turning to the Vatican, go see Laocoon's torture dignifying pain— A father's love and mortal's agony With an immortal's patience blending, vain The struggle; vain against the coiling strain And gripe, and deepening of the dragon's grasp, The old man's clench; the long envenom'd chain Rivets the living links,—the enormous asp Enforces pang on pang, and stifles gasp on gasp." Childe Harold. "The circumstance of the two sons being so much smaller than the father, has been criticised by some, but this seems to have been necessary to the harmony of the composition. The same apparent disproportion exists between Niobe and her children, in the celebrated group at Florence, supposed to be by Scopas. The raised arms of the three figures are all restorations, as are some portions of the serpents. Originally, the raised hands of the old man rested on his head, and the traces of the junction are clearly discernible. For this we have also the evidence of an antique gem, on which it is thus engraved. This work was found in the baths (?) of Titus, in the reign of Julius II., by a certain Felix de Fredis, who received half the revenue of the gabella of the Porta San Giovanni as a reward, and whose epitaph, in the church of Ara Coeli, records the fact."—Shakspere Wood. "Il y avait dans la vie, au seiziÈme siÈcle, je ne sais qu'elle excitation fÉbrile, quelle aspiration vers le beau, vers l'inconnu, qui disposait les esprits À l'enthousiasme.... FÉlix de FrÉdis fut gratifiÉ d'une part dans les revenus de la porte de Saint Jean de Latran, pour avoir trouvÉ le groupe du Laocoon, et, lorsque l'ordre fut donnÉ de transporter au BelvÉdÈre le Laocoon, l'Apollon, la VÉnus, Rome entiÈre s'Émut, on jetait des fleurs au marbre, on battait des mains; depuis les thermes de Titus jusqu'au Vatican, le Laocoon fut portÉ en triomphe; et Sadolet chantait sur le mode virgilien que durent reconnaÎtre les Échos de l'Esquilin et du palais d'Auguste."—Gournerie, Rome ChrÉtienne. "I felt the Laocoon very powerfully, though very quietly; an immortal agony, with a strange calmness diffused through it, so that it resembles the vast rage of the sea, calm on account of its immensity; or the tumult of Niagara, which does not seem to be tumult, because it keeps pouring on for ever and ever." "It is a type of human beings, struggling with an inexplicable trouble, and entangled in a complication which they cannot free themselves from by their own efforts, and out of which Heaven alone can help them."—Hawthorne, Notes on Italy. The Fourth Cabinet contains *the Apollo Belvedere, found in the sixteenth century at Porto d'Anzio (Antium), and purchased by Julius II. for the Belvedere Palace, which was at that time a garden pavilion separated from the rest of the Vatican, and used as a museum of sculpture. It is now decided that this statue, beautiful as it is, is not the original work of a Greek sculptor, but a copy, probably from the bronze of Calamides, which represented Apollo, as the defender of the city, and which was erected at Athens after the cessation of a great plague. Four famous statues of Apollo are mentioned by Pliny as existing at Rome in his time, but this is not one of them. "Or view the Lord of the unerring bow, The God of life, and poesy, and light— The Sun in human limbs array'd, and brow All radiant from his triumph in the fight; The shaft hath just been shot—the arrow bright With an immortal's vengeance; in his eye And nostril beautiful disdain, and might, And majesty flash their full lightnings by, Developing in that one glance the Deity." Childe Harold. "Bright kindling with a conqueror's stem delight, His keen eye tracks the arrow's fateful flight: Burns his indignant cheek with vengeful fire, And his lip quivers with insulting ire: Firm fix'd his tread, yet light, as when on high He walks th' impalpable and pathless sky: The rich luxuriance of his hair, confined In graceful ringlets, wantons on the wind, That lifts in sport his mantle's drooping fold, Proud to display that form of faultless mould. Mighty Ephesian! with an eagle's flight Thy proud soul mounted through the fields of light, View'd the bright conclave of Heaven's blest abode, And the cold marble leapt to life a god: Contagious awe through breathless myriads ran, And nations bow'd before the work of man. For mild he seem'd, as in Elysian bowers, Wasting in careless ease the joyous hours; Haughty, as bards have sung, with princely sway Curbing the fierce flame-breathing steeds of day; Beauteous as vision seen in dreamy sleep By holy maid on Delphi's haunted steep, Mid the dim twilight of the laurel grove, Too fair to worship, too divine to love." Henry Hart Milman. In the second portico, between Canova's statues and the Antinous, is (No. 43) a Venus and Cupid,—interesting because the Venus is a portrait of Sallustia Barbia Orbiana, wife of Alexander Severus. It was discovered in the fifteenth century, in the ruin near Sta. Croce in Gerusalemme, to which it has given a name. In the third portico, between the Antinous and the Laocoon, are two beautiful dogs. Between these we enter: The Sala degli Animali, containing a number of representations of animals in marble and alabaster. Perhaps the best is No. 116—two greyhounds playing. The statue of Commodus on horseback (No. 139) served as a model to Bernini for his figure of Constantine in the portico of St. Peter's. "La Salle des Animaux au Vatican est comme un musÉe de l'École de Myron; le naturel parfait qu'il donna À ses reprÉsentations d'animaux y Éclate partout. C'est une sorte de mÉnagerie de l'art, et elle mÉrite de s'appeler, comme celle du Jardin des Plantes, une mÉnagerie d'animaux vivants. "Ces animaux sont pourtant d'un mÉrite inÉgal: parmi les meilleurs morceaux on compte des chiens qui jouent ensemble avec beaucoup de vÉritÉ, un cygne dont le duvet, un mouton tuÉ dont la toison sont trÈs-bien rendus, une tÊte d'Âne trÈs-vraie et portant une couronne de lierre, allusion au rÔle de l'Âne de SilÈne dans les mystÈres bacchiques."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 276. On the right we enter: The Galleria delle Statue, once a summer-house of Innocent VIII., but arranged as a statue-gallery under Pius VI. In its lunettes are remains of frescoes by Pinturicchio. Beginning on the right, are: 248. An armed statue of Claudius Albinus standing on a cippus which marked the spot where the body of Caius CÆsar was burnt, inscribed C. CÆSAR GERMANICI CÆSARIS HIC CREMATUS EST. 250. The *Statue called "The Genius of the Vatican," supposed to be a copy from a Cupid of Praxiteles which existed in the Portico of Octavia in the time of Pliny. On the back are the holes for the metal pins which supported the wings. 251. Athlete. 253. Triton, from Tivoli. 255. Paris. Le Vatican possÈde une statue de PÂris jugeant les dÉesses. Cette statue est-elle, comme on le pense gÉnÉralement, une copie du PÂris d'Euphranor? "Euphranor avait-il choisi le moment oÙ PÂris juge les dÉesses? Les expressions de Pline pourraient en faire douter: il ne l'affirme point; il dit que dans la statue d'Euphranor on eÛt pu reconnaÎtre le juge des trois dÉesses, l'amant d'HÉlÈne et le vainqueur d'Achille. * * * * * * * * "La statue du Vatican est de beaucoup la plus remarquable des statues de PÂris. On y sent, malgrÉ ses imperfections, la prÉsence d'un original fameux; de plus, son attitude est celle de PÂris sur plusieurs vases peints et sur plusieurs bas-reliefs, et nous verrons que les bas-reliefs reproduisaient trÈs-souvent une statue cÉlÈbre. Il m'est impossible, il est vrai, de voir dans le PÂris du Vatican tout ce que Pline dit du PÂris d'Euphranor. Je ne puis y voir que le juge des dÉesses. L'expression de son visage montre qu'il a contemplÉ la beautÉ de VÉnus, et que le prix va Être donnÉ. Rien n'annonce l'amant d'HÉlÈne, ni surtout le vainqueur d'Achille; mais ce qui Était dans l'original aurait pu disparaÎtre de la copie."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 300. 256. Young Hercules. 259. Figure probably intended for Apollo, restored as Minerva. 260. A Greek relief, from a tomb. 261. Penelope, on a pedestal, with a relief of Bacchus and Ariadne. "L'attente de PÉnÉlope nous est prÉsente, et, pour ainsi dire, dure encore pour nous dans cette expressive PÉnÉlope, dont le torse nous a montrÉ un spÉcimen de l'art grec sous la forme la plus ancienne."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rome, iii. p. 452. 264. *Apollo Sauroctonos (killing a lizard), found on the Palatine in 1777—a copy of a work of Praxiteles. Several other copies are in existence, one in bronze, in the Villa Albani, inferior to this. The right arm and the legs above the knees are restorations, well executed. "Apollon presque enfant Épie un lÉzard qui se glisse le long d'un arbre. On sait, À n'en pouvoir douter, d'aprÈs la description de Pline et de Martial, que cet Apollon, souvent rÉpÉtÉ, est une imitation de celui de PraxitÈle, et quand on ne le saurait pas, on l'eÛt devinÉ."—AmpÈre, iii. 313. 265. Amazon, found in thÉ Villa Mattei, the finest of the three Amazons in the Vatican, which are all supposed to be copies from the fifty statues of Amazons, which decorated the temple of Diana at Ephesus. 267. Drunken Satyr. 268. Juno, from Otricoli. 271, 390. Posidippus and Menander, very fine statues, perfectly preserved, owing to their having been kept through the middle ages in the church of S. Lorenzo Pane e Perna, where they were worshipped under the belief that they were statues of saints, a belief which arose from their having metal discs over their heads, a practice which prevailed with many Greek statues intended for the open air. The marks of the metal pins for these discs may still be seen, as well as those for a bronze protection for the feet, to prevent their being worn away by the kisses of the faithful,—as on the statue of St. Peter at St Peter's. Between these statues we enter: The Hall of Busts. Perhaps the best are: 278. Augustus, with a wreath of corn. 289. Julia MammÆa, mother of Alexander Severus. 299. Jupiter-Serapis, in basalt. 325. Jupiter. 357. Antinous. 388. *Roman Senator and his wife, from a tomb. (These busts, having been much admired by the great historian, were copied for the monument of Niebuhr at Bonn, erected, by his former pupil the King of Prussia, to his memory—with that of his loving wife Gretchen, who only survived him nine days.) "Les tÊtes de deux Époux, reprÉsentÉs au devant de leur tombeau d'oÙ ils semblent sortir À mi-corps et se tenant par le main, sont surtout d'une simplicitÉ et d'une vÉritÉ inexprimable. La femme est assez jeune et assez belle, l'Époux est vieux et trÈs-laid; mais ce groupe a un air honnÊte et digne qui rÉpond pour tous deux d'une vie de sÉrÉnitÉ et de vertu. Nul rÉcit ne pourrait aussi bien que ces deux figures transporter au sein des moeurs domestiques de Rome; en leur prÉsence on se sent pÉnÉtrÉ soi-mÊme d'honnÊtetÉ, de pudeur et de respect, comme si on Était assis au chaste foyer de LucrÈce."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iv. 103. Re-entering the Gallery of Statues, and following the left wall, are: 392. Septimius Severus. 393. Girl at a spring? 394. Neptune. 395. Apollo Citharoedus. 396. Wounded Adonis. 397. Bacchus, from Hadrian's Villa. 398. Macrinus (Imp. 217). 399. Æsculapius and Hygeia, from Palestrina. 400. Euterpe. 401. Mutilated group from the Niobides, found near Porta San Paolo. 405. Danaide. 406. Copy of the Faun of Praxiteles, very beautiful, but inferior to that at the Capitol. 422. Head of a fountain, with Bacchanalian Procession. (Here is the entrance of the Gabinetto delle Maschere, which contains works of small importance. It is named from the mosaic upon the floor, of masks from Hadrian's Villa. It is seldom shown, probably because it contains a chair of rosso-antico, called "Sedia forata," found near the Lateran, and supposed to be the famous "Sella Stercoraria" used at the installation of the mediÆval popes, and associated with the legend of Pope Joan. "Le Pape Élu (CÉlestine III. 1191) se prosterne devant l'autel pendant que l'on chante le Te Deum: puis les Cardinaux EvÊques le conduisent À son siÉge derriÈre l'autel: lÀ ils viennent À ses pieds, et il leur donne le baiser de paix. On le mÈne ensuite À une chaise posÉe devant la portique de la Basilique du Sauveur de Latran. Cette chaise Était nommÉe dÈs lors 'Stercoraria,' parceque elle est percÉe au fond: mais l'ouverture est petite, et les antiquaires jugent que c'Étoit pour Égouter l'eau, et que cette chaise servait À quelque bain."—Fleury, Histoire EcclÉsiastique, xv. p. 525.) 462. Cinerary Urn of Alabaster. 414. *Sleeping Ariadne, found c. 1503—formerly supposed to represent Cleopatra. "The effect of sleep, so remarkable in this statue, and which could not have been rendered by merely closing the lids over the eyes, is produced by giving positive form to the eyelashes; a distinct ridge, "La figure est certainement idÉale et n'est point un portrait; mais ce qui ne laisse aucun doute sur le nom À lui donner, c'est un bas-relief, un peu refait, il est vrai, qu'on a eu la trÈs-heureuse idÉe de placer auprÈs d'elle. "On y voit une femme endormie dont l'attitude est tout À fait pareille À celle de la statue, ThÉsÉe qui va s'embarquer pendant le sommeil d'Ariane, et Bacchus qui arrive pour la consoler. C'est exactement ce que l'on voyait peint dans le temple de Bacchus À AthÈnes. "Cette statue, belle sans doute, mais peut-Être trop vantÉe, doit Être postÉrieure À l'Époque d'Alexandre. Sa pose gracieuse est presque maniÉrÉe: on dirait qu'elle se regarde dormir. La disposition de la draperie est compliquÉe et un peu embrouillÉe, À tel point que les uns prennent pour une couverture ce que d'autres regardent comme un manteau."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 534. Beneath this figure is a fine sarcophagus, representing the Battle of the Giants. 412, 413. "The Barberini Candelabra" from Hadrian's Villa. 416. Ariadne. 417. Mercury. 420. Lucius Verus—on a pedestal which supported the ashes of Drusus in the Mausoleum of Augustus. From the centre of the Sala degli Animali we now enter: The Sala delle Muse, adorned with sixteen Corinthian columns from Hadrian's Villa. It is chiefly filled with statues and busts from the villa of Cassius at Tivoli. The statues of the Muses and that called Apollo Musagetes (No. 516) are generally attributed to the time of the Antonines. "Nous savons que l'Apollon CitharÈde de Scopas Était dans le temple d'Apollon Palatin, ÉlevÉ par Auguste; les mÉdailles, Properce et Tibulle, nous apprennent que le dieu s'y voyait revÊtu d'une longue robe. 'Ima videbatur talis illudere palla.' Tib. iii. 4, 35. 'Pythius in longa carmina veste sonat.' Prop. ii. 31, 16. "Nous ne pouvons donc hÉsiter À admettre que l'Apollon de la salle des Muses au Vatican a eu pour premier original l'Apollon de Scopas. "Nous savons aussi qu'un Apollon de Philiscus et un Apollon de Timarchide (celui-ci tenant la lyre), sculpteurs grecs moins anciens que Scopas, Étaient dans un autre temple d'Apollon, prÈs du portique d'Octavie, en compagnie des Muses, comme l'Apollon CitharÈde du Vatican a ÉtÉ trouvÉ avec celles qui l'entourent aujourd'hui dans la salle des Muses. Il est donc vraisemblable que cet Apollon est d'aprÈs Philiscus ou Timarchide, qui eux-mÊmes avaient sans doute copiÉ l'Apollon À la lyre de Scopas et l'avaient placÉ au milieu des Muses. "Apollon est lÀ, ainsi que plus anciennement il avait ÉtÉ reprÉsentÉ sur le coffre de CypsÉlus, avec cette inscription qui conviendrait À la statue du Vatican: 'Alentour est le choeur gracieux des Muses, auquel il prÉside;' et, comme dit Pindare, 'au milieu du beau choeur des Muses, Apollon frappe du plectrum d'or la lyre aux sept voix."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 292. Here we reach the Sala Rotonda, built by Pius VI., paved with a mosaic found in 1780 in the baths of Otricoli, and containing in its centre a grand porphyry vase from the baths of Titus. On either side of the entrance are colossal heads of Tragedy and Comedy, from Hadrian's Villa. Beginning from the right are: 539. *Bust of Jupiter from Otricoli—the finest extant. 540. Antinous, from Hadrian's Villa. All the drapery (probably once of bronze) is a restoration. "Antinous was drowned in the Nile, A.D. 131. Some accounts assert that he drowned himself in obedience to an oracle, which demanded for the life of the emperor Hadrian the sacrifice of the object dearest to him. However this may be, Hadrian lamented his death with extravagant weakness, proclaimed his divinity to the jeering Egyptians, and consecrated a temple in his honour. He gave the name of Besantinopolis to a city in which he was worshipped in conjunction with an obscure divinity named Besa."—Merivale, lxvi. 541. Faustina the elder, wife of Antoninus Pius. 542. Augustus, veiled. 543. *Hadrian, found in his mausoleum. 544. *Colossal Hercules, in gilt bronze, found (1864) near the 546. *Bust of Antinous. 547. Sea-god, from Pozzuoli. 548. *Nerva. "Among the treasures of antiquity preserved in modern Rome, none surpasses,—none perhaps equals,—in force and dignity, the sitting statue of Nerva, which draws all eyes in the rotunda of the Vatican, embodying the highest ideal of the Roman magnate, the finished warrior, statesman, and gentleman of an age of varied training and wide practical experience."—Merivale, ch. xliii. 549. Jupiter Serapis. 550. *The Barberini Juno. 551. Claudius. 552. Juno Sospita, from Lanuvium. This is the only statue in the Vatican of which we can be certain that it was a worshipped idol; the sandals of the Tyrrhenian Juno turn up at the end,—no other Juno wears these sandals. 553. Plotina, wife of Trajan. 554. Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus. 556. Pertinax. The Sala a Croce Greca contains: On the right.—The porphyry sarcophagus of Sta. Constantia, daughter of Constantine the Great, adorned with sculptures of a vintage, brought hither most inappropriately, from her church near St'Agnese. On the left.—The porphyry sarcophagus of Sta. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, carried off from her tomb (now called Torre Pignatarra) by Anastasius IV., and placed in the Lateran, whence it was brought hither by Pius VI. The restoration of its reliefs, representing battle scenes of the time of Constantine, cost £20,000. At the end of the hall on the right is a recumbent river-god, said to have been restored by Michael Angelo. The stairs, adorned with twenty ancient columns from Palestrina, lead to: The Sala della Biga, so called from a white marble chariot, drawn by two horses. Only the body of the chariot (which long served as an episcopal throne in the 608. Bearded Bacchus. 609. An interesting sarcophagus representing a chariot-race. The chariots are driven by Amorini, who are not attending to what they are about, and drive over one another. The eggs and dolphins on the winning-posts indicated the number of times they had gone round; each time they passed another egg and dolphin were put up. 610. Bacchus, as a woman. 611. Alcibiades? 612. Veiled priest, from the Giustiniani collection. 614. Apollo CitharÆdus. 615. Discobolus, copy of a bronze statue by Naubides. 616. *Phocion, very remarkable and beautiful from the extreme simplicity of the drapery. 618. Discobolus, copy of the bronze statue of Myron—inferior to that at the Palazzo Massimo. "Il n'y a pas une statue dont l'original soit connu avec plus de certitude que le Discobole. Cet original fut l'athlÈte lanÇant le disque de Myron. "C'est bien la statue se contournant avec effort dont parle Quintilien; en effet, la statue, penchÉe en avant et dans l'attitude du jet, porte le corps sur une jambe, tandis que l'autre est traÎnante derriÈre lui. Ce n'est pas la main, c'est la personne tout entiÈre qui va lancer le disque."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 270. 619. Charioteer. Proceeding in a straight line from the top of the stairs, we enter: The Galleria dei Candelabri, 300 feet long, filled with small pieces of sculpture. Among these we may notice in the centre, on the right, Bacchus and Silenus, found near the Sancta-Sanctorum, also: 194. Boy with a goose. 224. Nemesis. 'Une petite statue da Vatican rappelle une curieuse anecdote dont le hÉros est Agoracrite. AlcamÈne et lui avaient fait chacun une statue de VÉnus. Celle d'AlcamÈne fut jugÉe la meilleure par les AthÉniens. Agoracrite, indignÉ de ce qui lui semblait une injustice, transforma la sienne en NÉmÉsis, dÉesse vengeresse de l'ÉquitÉ violÉe, et le rendit aux habitants du bourg de Rhamnus, À condition qu'elle ne serait jamais exposÉe À AthÈnes. Ceci montre combien sa VÉnus avait gardÉ la sÉvÉritÉ du type primitif. Ce n'est pas de la VÉnus du Capitole ou de la VÉnus de MÉdicis, qu'on aurait pu faire une NÉmÉsis. NÉmÉsis avait pour emblÈme la coudÉe, signe de la mesure que NÉmÉsis ne permet point de dÉpasser, et l'avant-bras Était la figure de la coudÉe, par suite, de la mesure. C'est pourquoi quand on reprÉsentait NÉmÉsis on plaÇait toujours l'avant-bras de maniÈre d'attirer sur lui l'attention. Dans la NÉmÉsis du Vatican la donnÉe sÉvÈre est devenue un motif aimable. Cet avant-bras, qu'il fallait montrer pour rappeller une loi terrible, NÉmÉsis le montre en effet, mais elle s'en sert avec grÂce pour rattacher son vÊtement."—AmpÈre, Hist. Rom. iii. 260. 253. Statuette of Ceres, the head from some other statue. Hence we enter: The Galleria degli Arazzi (open gratis on Mondays), hung with tapestries from the New Testament History, executed for the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel, in 1515—16, for Leo X., from the cartoons of Raphael, of which seven were purchased in Flanders by Charles I., and are now at Hampton Court. The tapestries are ill arranged. According to their present order, beginning on the left wall, they are: 1. St. Peter receiving the keys. (On the border, the flight of Cardinal de' Medici from Florence in 1494, disguised as a Franciscan Monk.) 2. The Miraculous draught of Fishes. 3. The Sacrifice at Lystra. 4. St. Paul preaching at Athens. 5. The Saviour and Mary Magdalene. 6. The Supper at Emmaus. 7. The Presentation in the Temple. 8. The Adoration of the Shepherds. 9. The Ascension. 10. The Adoration of the Magi. 11. The Resurrection. 12. The Day of Pentecost. Returning, on the right wall, are: 1. An Allegorical Composition of the Triumph of Religion (by Van Orley and other pupils of Raphael). 2. The Stoning of Stephen (on the border the return of the Cardinal de' Medici to Florence as Legate). 3. Elymas the Sorcerer (?—removed 1869—70). 4, 5, 6. Massacre of the Innocents. 7. (Smaller than the others.) Christ falling under the Cross. 8. Christ appearing to his disciples on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. 9. Peter and John healing the lame man. 10. The Conversion of St. Paul. The Arazzi were long used as church decorations on high festivals. "On Corpus-Christi Day I learnt the true destination of the Tapestries, when they transformed colonnades and open spaces into handsome halls and corridors: and while they placed before us the power of the most gifted of men, they gave us at the same time the happiest example of art and handicraft, each in its highest perfection, meeting for mutual completion."—Goethe. The Library of the Vatican is shown from 12 to 3, except on Sundays and festivals, but the visitor is hurried through in a crowd by a custode, and there is no time for examination of the individual objects. The entrance is by a door on the left at the end of the Galleria Lapidaria, which leads to the museum of statues. The Papal Library was founded by the early popes at the Lateran. The Public Library was begun by Nicholas V., and greatly increased under Sixtus IV. (1475) and Sixtus V. (1588), who built the present halls for the collection. In 1623 the library was The ante-chambers are hung with portraits of the Librarians;—among them, in the first room, is that of Cardinal Mezzofanti. In this room are facsimiles of the columns found in the Triopium of Herodes Atticus (see the account of the Valle Caffarelli), of which the originals are at Naples. From the second ante-chamber we enter the Great Hall, 220 feet long, decorated with frescoes by Scipione Gaetani, Cesare Nebbia, and others,—unimportant in themselves, but producing a rich general effect of colour. No books or MSS. are visible; they are all enclosed in painted cupboards, so that of a library there is no appearance whatever, and it is only disappointing to be told that in one cupboard are the MSS. of the Greek Testament of the fifth century, Virgil of the fifth, and Terence of the fourth centuries, and that another contains a Dante, with miniatures by Giulio Clovio, At the end of this room, not generally shown, is the Chapel of St. Pius V. The Appartamenti Borgia, which are reached from hence, are only shown by a special permission, difficult to obtain. They consist of four rooms, which were built by Alexander VI., though their beautiful decorations were chiefly added by Leo X. The first room is painted by Giovanni da Udine and Pierino del Vaga, and represents the course of the planets,—Jupiter drawn by eagles, Venus by doves, Diana (the moon) by nymphs, Mars by wolves, Mercury by cocks, Apollo (the sun) by horses, Saturn by dragons. These frescoes, executed at the time Michael Angelo was painting the Last Judgment, are interesting The second room, painted by Pinturicchio, has beautiful lunettes of the Annunciation, Adoration of the Magi, Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Ghost, and Assumption of the Virgin. The ceiling of the third room has paintings by Pinturicchio of the Martyrdom of St Sebastian; the Visitation of St Elizabeth; the Meeting of St Anthony with St. Paul, the first hermit; St. Catherine before Maximian; the Flight of St. Barbara; St. Julian of Nicomedia; and, over the door, the Virgin and Child. This last picture is of curious historical interest, as a relic of the libertinism of the court of Alexander VI. (Rodrigo Borgia), the "figure of the Virgin being a faithful representation of Giulia Farnese, the too celebrated Vanozza," mistress of the pope, and mother of his children, CÆsar and Lucrezia. "She held upon her knees the infant Jesus, and Alexander knelt at her feet." The fourth room, also painted by Pinturicchio, is adorned with allegorical figures of the Arts and Sciences, and of the Cardinal Virtues. "On the accession of the infamous Alexander VI., Pinturicchio was employed by him to paint the Appartamento Borgia, and a great number of rooms, both in the castle of S. Angelo and in the pontifical palace. The patronage of this pope was still more fatal to the arts than that of the Medici at Florence. The subjects represented in the castle of S. Angelo were drawn from the life of Alexander himself, and the portraits of his relations and friends were introduced there,—amongst others, those of his brothers, sisters, and that of the infamous CÆsar Borgia. To all acquainted with the scandalous history of this family, this representation appeared a commemoration of their various crimes, and it was impossible to regard it in any other light, when, in addition to the publicity they affected to give to these scandalous excesses, they appeared desirous of making art itself their accomplice; and by an "At the sight of that Appartamento Borgia, which is entirely painted by Pinturicchio, we shall experience a sort of satisfaction in discovering the inferiority of this purely mercenary work, as compared with the other productions of the same artist, and we cannot but rejoice that it is so unworthy of him. Such an ignoble task was not adapted to an artist of the Umbrian school, and there is good reason to believe that, after this act of servility, Pinturicchio became disgusted with Rome, and returned to the mountains of Umbria, in search of nobler inspirations."—Rio. Poetry of Christian Art. A door on the right of the room with the old pictures opens into a room containing a very interesting collection of ancient frescoes. On the right wall is the celebrated "Nozze Aldobrandini," found in 1606 "S'il fait allusion À un sujet mythologique, le rÉel y est À cÔtÉ de l'idÉal, et la mythologie y est appliquÉe À la reprÉsentation d'un mariage ordinaire. Tout porte À y voir une peinture romaine, mais l'auteur s'Était inspirÉ des Grecs, comme on s'en inspirait presque toujours À Rome. La nouvelle mariÉe, assise sur le lit nuptial et attendant son Époux, a cette expression de pudeur virginale, d'embarras modeste, qui Opposite to this is a Race of the Cupids, from Ostia. The other frescoes in this room were found in the ruins on the Esquiline and at the Torre di Marancia. The Etruscan Museum can be visited on application to the custode, every day except Monday, from 10 to 2. It is reached by the staircase which passes the entrance to the Gallery of Candelabra: after which one must ring at a closed door on the right. "This magnificent collection is principally the fruit of the excavating partnership established, some twelve or fifteen years since, between the Papal government and the Campanari of Toscanella; and will render the memory of Gregory XVI., who forwarded its formation with more zeal than he ordinarily displayed, ever honoured by all interested in antiquarian science. As the excavations were made in the neighbourhood of Vulci, most of the articles are from that necropolis; yet the collection has been considerably enlarged by the addition of others previously in the possession of the government, and still more by recent acquisitions from the Etruscan cemeteries of Cervetri, Corneto, Bomarzo, Orte, Toscanella, and other sites within the Papal dominions."—Dennis. The 1st Room— Contains three sarcophagi of terra-cotta from Toscanella, with three life-size figures reposing upon them. Their extreme length is remarkable. The figure on the left wears a fillet, indicating priesthood. The head of the family was almost always priest or priestess. Most of the objects in terra-cotta, which have been discovered, come from Toscanella. The two horses' heads in this room, in nenfro, i.e. volcanic tufa, were found at the entrance of a tomb at Vulci. The 2nd Room— Is a corridor filled with cinerary urns, chiefly from Volterra, bearing recumbent figures, ludicrously stunted. The large sarcophagus on the left supports the bearded figure of a man, and is adorned with reliefs The 3rd Room— Has in the centre a large sarcophagus of nenfro, found at Tarquinii, in 1834, supporting a reclining figure of a Lucumo, with a scroll in his hand, "recalling the monuments of the middle ages." At the sides are reliefs representing the story of Clytemnestra and Ægisthus,—the Theban brothers,—the sacrifice of Clytemnestra,—and Pyrrhus slaying the infant Astyanax. In this room is a slab with a bilingual inscription, in Latin and Umbrian, from Todi. In the comers are some curious cinerary urns shaped like houses. The 4th Room— Is the Chamber of Terra-cottas. In the centre is a most beautiful statue of Mercury found at Tivoli. At the sides are fragments of female figures from Vulci,—and an interesting terra-cotta urn from Toscanella, with a youth lying on a couch. "From the gash in his thigh, and the hound at his bed-side, he is usually called Adonis; but it may be merely the effigy of some young Etruscan, who met his death in the wild-boar chase." The 5th Room— This and the three following rooms are occupied by Vases. The vases in the 5th room are mostly small amphorÆ, in the second or Archaic style, with black figures on the ground of the clay. On a column, near the window, is a Crater, or mixing-vase, from Vulci, with parti-coloured figures on a very pale ground, and in the most beautiful style of Greek art. It represents Mercury presenting the infant Bacchus to Silenus. To the left of the window is a humorous representation of the visit of Jupiter and Mercury to Alcmena, who is looking at them out of a window. In the cabinets are objects in crystal from Palestrina. The 6th Room— In the centre of this room are five magnificent vases. The central, from Cervetri, "is of the rare form called Holmos—a large globe-shaped bowl on a tall stand, like an enormous cup and ball;" its paintings are of wild animals. Nearest the entrance is, with three handles, "a Calpis, of the third or perfect style," from Vulci, with paintings of Apollo and six Muses. Behind this, from Vulci, is "a large Amphora of the second or Archaic style," in which hardness and severity of design are combined The 6th vase on the shelf of the entrance wall is the kind of amphora called a Pelice, from CÆre. "Two men are represented sitting under an olive-tree, each with an amphora at his feet," and one who is measuring the oil exclaims, "O father Jupiter, would that I were rich!" On the reverse of the vase is the same pair, at a subsequent period, when the prayer has been heard, and the oil-dealer cries, "Verily, yea, verily, it hath been filled to overflowing." By the window is a Calpis, representing a boy with a hoop in one hand, and a stolen cock in the other, for which his tutor is reproving him. The 7th Room— Is an arched corridor. In the second niche, is a Hydria with Minerva and Hercules, from Vulci. Sixth on the line, is an Amphora from Vulci; "'Ekabe' (Hecuba) presents a goblet to her son, 'the brave Hector,'—and regards him with such intense interest, that she spills the wine as she pours it out to him. 'Priamos' stands by, leaning on his staff, looking mournfully at his son, as if presaging his fate." Many other vases in this room are of great beauty. The 8th Room— "Contains Cylices or PaterÆ, which are more rare than the upright vases, and not inferior in beauty." The 9th Room— Entered from the 6th room, is the jewel room. Among the bronzes on the right, is a warrior in armour found at Todi in 1835 and a bronze couch with a raised place for the head, found in the Regulini Galassi tomb at Cervetri, where it bore the corpse of a high priest. A boy with a bulla, sitting, from Tarquinii, is "supposed to represent Tages, the mysterious boy-god, who sprung from the furrows of that site." At the opposite end of the room is a biga or war-chariot, not Etruscan, but Roman, found in the villa of the Quintilii, near the Via In the centre of the room is the jewel-case of glass. The whole of the upper division and one compartment of the lower are devoted to Cervetri (CÆre). All these objects are from the Regulini Galassi tomb, for all the other tombs had been rifled at an early period, except one, whence the objects were taken by Campana. The magnificent oak-wreath with the small ornaments and the large ear-rings were worn by a lady, over whom was written in Etruscan characters, "Me Larthia,"—I, the Great Lady,—evidently because at the time of her death, 3000 years ago, it was supposed that she was so very great that the memory of her name could never by any possibility perish, and that therefore it was quite unnecessary to record it. The tomb was divided, and she was walled up with precious spices (showing what the commerce of Etruria must have been) in one half of it. It was several hundred years before any one was found of sufficient dignity to occupy the other half of the great lady's tomb. Then the high priest of Etruria died, and was buried there with all his ornaments. His were the large bracelets, the fillets for the head, with the plate of gold covering the head, and a second plate of gold which covered the forehead—worn only on the most solemn occasions. This may be considered to have been the headdress of Aaron. His also was the broad plate of gold, covering the breast, reminding of the Urim and Thummim. The bronze bed on which he lay (and on which the ornaments were found lying where the body had mouldered) is preserved in another part of the room, and the great incense burner filled with precious spices which was found by his side. The three large bollas on his breast were filled with incense, whose perfume was still so strong when the tomb was opened, that those who burnt it could not remain in the room. The ivy leaves on the ornaments denote the worship of Bacchus, a late period in Etruria: laurel denotes a victor in battle or the games. The 10th Room— (Entrance on right of the jewel-room), is a passage containing a The 11th Room— Is hung with paintings on canvas copied from the principal tombs of Vulci and Tarquinii. Beginning from the right, on entering, they take the following order: From the Camera del Morto: Tarquinii. "All the paintings from Tarquinii are still to be seen on that site, though not in so perfect a state as they are here represented. But the tomb at Vulci is utterly destroyed." Each of the paintings is most interesting. That of the death-bed scene proves that the Etruscans believed in the immortality of the soul. In the upper division a daughter is mounting on a stool to reach the high bed and give a last kiss to her dying father, while the son is wailing and lamenting in the background. Below, is the rejoicing spirit, freed from the trammels of the flesh. In the scenes representing the games, the horses are painted bright red and bright blue, or black and red. These may be considered to have been the different colours of the rival parties. A number of jars for oil and wine are arranged in this room. All the black pottery is from Northern Etruria. The 12th Room (entered from the left of the jewel room) is a very meagre and most inefficient facsimile of an ordinary Etruscan tomb. It is guarded by two lions in nenfro, found at Vulci. The Egyptian Museum is entered by a door on the left of the entrance of the Museo Pio-Clementino. It is open The 6th Room contains eight statues of the goddess Pasht from Carnac. The 8th Room is occupied by Roman imitations of Egyptian statues, from the Villa Adriana. "Ces statues sont toutes des traductions de l'art Égyptien en art grec. L'alliance, la fusion de la sculpture Égyptienne et de la sculpture grÉco-romaine est un des traits les plus saillantes de cosmopolitisme si Étranger À d'anciennes traditions nationales, et dont Adrien, par ses voyages, ses goÛts, ces monuments, fut la plus Éclatante manifestation. "Sauf l'AntinoÜs, les produits de cette sculpture d'imitation bien que datant d'une Époque encore brillante de l'art romain, ne sauraient le disputer À leurs modÈles. Pour s'en convaincre, il suffit de les comparer aux statues vraiment Égyptiennes qui remplissent une salle voisine. Dans celles-ci, la rÉalitÉ du dÉtail est mÉprisÉe et sacrifiÉe; mais les traits fondamentaux, les linÉaments essentiels de la forme sont rendus admirablement. De lÀ un grand style, car employer l'expression la plus gÉnÉrale, c'est le secret de la grandeur du style, comme a dit Buffon. Cette ÉlÉvation, cette sobriÉtÉ du gÉnie Égyptien ne se retrouvent plus dans les imitations bÂtardes du temps d'Adrien."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii. 197, 202. On the right is the Nile in black marble; opposite the entrance is a colossal statue of Antinous, the favourite of Hadrian, in white marble. "Il est naturel qu'AntinoÜs, qui s'Était, disait-on, prÉcipitÉ dans le Nil, ait ÉtÉ reprÉsentÉ sous les traits d'un dieu Égyptien ... La physiognomie triste d'AntinoÜs sied bien À un dieu d'Egypte, et le style grec emprunte au reflet du style Égyptien une grandeur sombre."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii 196. The 9th Room contains colossal Egyptian statues. On the right is the figure of the mother of Rhamses II. (Sesostris) between two lions of basalt, which were found in the Baths of Agrippa, and which long decorated the Fontana "Dans cette sculpture bien Égyptienne, on sent dÉjÀ le souffle de l'art grec. La pose de ces lions est la pose roide et monumentale des lions À tÊte humaine de Louqsor; la criniÈre est encore de convention, mais la vie est exprimÉe, les muscles sont accusÉs avec un soin et un relief que la sculpture purement Égyptienne n'a pas connus."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii. 198. "Ces lions ont une expression remarquable de force et de repos; il y a quelque chose dans leur physiognomie qui n'appartient ni À l'animal ni À l'homme: ils semblent une puissance de la nature, et l'on conÇoit, en les voyant, comment les dieux du paganisme pouvaient Être reprÉsentÉs sous cet emblÈme."—Mad. de StaËl. In the centre of the entrance-wall are, Ptolemy-Philadelphus, and, on his left, his queen ArsinoË, of red granite. These were found in the gardens of Sallust, and were formerly preserved in the Senator's Palace. "There is a fine collection of Egyptian antiquities in the Vatican; and the ceilings of the rooms in which they are arranged, are painted to represent a starlight sky in the desert. It may seem an odd idea, but it is very effective. The grim, half-human monsters from the temples, look more grim and monstrous underneath the deep dark blue; it sheds a strange uncertain gloomy air on everything—a mystery adapted to the objects; and you leave them, as you find them, shrouded in a solemn night."—Dickens. The Egyptian Gallery has an egress into the Sala a Croce Greca. The windows of the Egyptian Museum look upon the inner Garden of the Vatican, which may be reached by a door at the end of the long gallery of the Museo Chiaramonti, before ascending to the Torso. The garden which is thus entered, called Giardino della Pigna, is in fact merely the second great quadrangle of the Vatican, planted with shrubs and flowers. Several interesting relics are preserved here. On either side of the pigna are two bronze peacocks, which are said to have stood on either side the entrance of Hadrian's Mausoleum. "Je pense qu'ils y avaient ÉtÉ placÉs en l'honneur des impÉratrices dont les cendres devaient s'y trouver. La paon consacrÉ À Junon Était le symbole de l'apothÉose des impÉratrices, comme l'oiseau dÉdiÉ À Jupiter celui de l'apothÉose des empereurs, car le mausolÉe d'Adrien n'Était pas pour lui seul, mais, comme avaient ÉtÉ le mausolÉe d'Auguste et le temple des Flaviens, pour toute la famille impÉriale."—AmpÈre, Emp. ii. 212. A flight of steps leads from this court to the narrow Terrace of the Navicella, in front of the palace, so called from a bronze ship with which its fountain is decorated. The Beyond the courtyard is the entrance to the larger garden, which may be reached in a carriage by those who do not wish to visit the palace on the way, by driving round through the courts at the back of St. Peter's. Formerly it was always open till 2 P.M., after which hour the pope went there to walk, or to ride upon his white mule. It is a most delightful retreat for the hot days of May and June, and before that time its woods are carpeted with wild violets and anemones. No one who has not visited them can form any idea of the beauty of these ancient groves, interspersed with fountains and statues, but otherwise left to nature, and forming a fragment of sylvan scenery quite unassociated with the English idea of a garden. They are backed by the walls of the Borgo, and a fine old tower of the time of Leo IV. The Casino del Papa, or Villa Pia, During the hours which he spent daily in this villa, its founder Pius IV. enjoyed that easy and simple life for which he was far better fitted by nature than for the affairs of government; but here also he received the counsels of his nephew S. Carlo Borromeo, who, summoned to Rome in 1560, became for several succeeding years the real ruler of the state. Here he assembled around him all those who were distinguished by their virtue or talents, and held many The sixteenth century was the golden age for the Vatican. Then the splendid court of Leo X. was the centre of artistic and literary life, and the witty and pleasure-loving pope made these gardens the scene of his banquets and concerts; and, in a circle to which ladies were admitted, as in a secular court, listened to the recitations of the poets who sprang up under his protection, beneath the shadow of its woods. "Le Vatican Était encombrÉ, sous Leon X., d'historiens, de savants, de poËtes surtout. 'La tourbe importune des poËtes,' s'Écrie ValÉrianus, 'le poursuit de porte en porte, tantÔt sous les portiques, tantÔt À la promenade, tantÔt au palais, tantÔt À la chambre, penetralibus in imis; elle ne respecte ni son repos, ni les graves affaires qui l'occupent aujourd'hui que l'incendie ravage le monde.' On remarquait dans cette foule: Berni, le poËte burlesque; Flaminio, le poËte ÉlÉgiaque; Molza, l'enfant de PÉtrarque, et Postumo, Maroni, Carteromachus, Fedra Inghirami, le savant bibliothÉcaire, et la grande lumiÈre d'Arezzo, comme dit l'Arioste, l'unique Accolti. Accolti jouit pendant toute la durÉe du seiziÈme siÈcle d'une rÉputation que la postÉritÉ n'a pas confirmÉe. On l'appelait le cÉleste. Lorsqu'il devait rÉciter ses vers, les magasins Étaient fermÉs comme en un jour de fÊte, et chacun accourait pour l'entendre. Il Était entourÉ de prÉlats de la premiÈre distinction; un corps de troupes suisses l'accompagnait, et l'auditoire Était ÉclairÉ par des flambeaux. Un jour qu'Accolti entrait chez le pape:—Ouvrez toutes les portes, s'Écria LÉon, et laissez entrer la foule. Accolti rÉcita un ternale À la Vierge, et, quand il eut fini, mille acclamations retentirent: Vive le poËte divin, vive l'incomparable Accolti! LÉon Était le premier À applaudir, et le duchÉ de Nessi devenait la rÉcompense du poËte. "Une autre fois, c'Était Paul Jove, l'homme aux ouÏ-dires, comme l'appelle Rabelais, qui venait lire des fragments de son histoire, et que LÉon X. saluait du titre de Tite-Live italien. Il y avait dans ces Éloges, dans ces encouragements donnÉs avec entraÎnement, mais avec tact, je ne sais quel souffle de vie pour l'intelligence, qui l'activait et qui lui faisait rendre au centuple les dons qu'elle avait reÇus du ciel. Rome entiÈre Était devenue un musÉe, une acadÉmie; partout des chants, partout la science, la poÉsie, les beaux-arts, une sorte de voluptÉ dans l'Étude. Ici, c'est Calcagnini, qui a dÉjÀ dÉvinÉ la rotation de la terre; lÀ, Ambrogio de Pise, qui parle chaldÉen et arabe; plus loin, ValÉrianus, que la philologie, l'archÉologie, la jurisprudence revendiquent À la fois, et qui se distrait de ses doctes travaux par des poÉsies dignes d'Horace."—Gournerie, Rome ChrÉtienne, ii. 114. The Loggie of Raphael are reached, except on Mondays, by the staircase on the left of the fountain in the Cortile S. Damaso. Two sides of the corridors on the second floor (formerly open) are decorated in stucco by Marco da Faenza and Paul Schnorr and painted by Sicciolante da Sermoneta, Tempesta, Sabbatini, and others. The third corridor, entered on the right (opened by a custode), contains the celebrated frescoes, executed by Raphael, or from the designs of Raphael, by Giulio Romano, Pierino del Vaga, Pellegrino da Modena, Francesco Penni, and Rafaello da Colle. Of the fifty-two subjects represented, forty-eight are from the Old Testament, only the four last being from the Gospel History, as an appropriate introduction to the pictures which celebrate the foundation and triumphs of the Church, in the adjoining stanze. The stucco decorations of the gallery are of exquisite beauty; especially remarkable, perhaps, are those of the windows in the first arcade, where Raphael is represented drawing,—his pupils working from his designs,—and Fame celebrating his work. The frescoes are arranged in the following order:
"From the Sistine Chapel we went to Raphael's Loggie, and I hardly venture to say that we could scarcely bear to look at them. The eye was so educated and so enlarged by those grand forms and the glorious completeness of all their parts, that it could take no pleasure in the imaginative play of arabesques, and the scenes from Scripture, beautiful as they are, had lost their charm. To see these works often alternately and to compare them at leisure and without prejudice, must be a great pleasure, but all sympathy is at first one-sided."—Goethe, Romische Briefe. Close to the entrance of the Loggie is that of The Stanze, three rooms decorated under Julius II. and Leo X. with frescoes by Raphael, for each of which he received 1200 ducats. These rooms are approached through,— The Sala di Constantino, decorated under Clement VII. (Giulio di Medici) in 1523—34, after the death of Raphael, who however had prepared drawings for the frescoes, and had already executed in oil the two figures of Justice and Urbanity. The rest of the compositions, completed by his pupils, are in fresco. "RaphaËl se multiplie, il se prodigue, avec une fÉconditÉ de toutes les heures. De jeunes disciples, admirateurs de son beau gÉnie, le servent avec amour, et sont dÉjÀ admis À l'honneur d'attacher leurs noms À quelques parties de ses magnifiques travaux. Le maÎtre leur distribue leur tÂche: À Jules Romain, le brillant coloris des vÊtements et peut-Être mÊme le dessin de quelques figures; au Fattore, À Jean d'Udine, les arabesques; À frÈre Jean de VÉrone les clairs-obscurs des portes et des lambris qui doivent complÉter la dÉcoration de ces spendides appartements. Et lui, que se rÉserve-t-il?—la pensÉe qui anime tout, le gÉnie qui enfante et qui dirige."—Gournerie, Rome ChrÉtienne. Entrance Wall.—The Address of Constantine to his troops and the vision of the Fiery Cross: Giulio Romano. On the left, St Peter between the Church and Eternity,—on the right, Clement I. (the martyr) between Moderation and Gentleness. Right Wall.—The Battle of the Ponte Molle and the Defeat of Maxentius by Constantine, designed by Raphael, and executed by Giulio Romano. On the left is Sylvester I. between Faith and Religion, on the right Urban I. (the friend of Cecilia) between Justice and Charity. Left Wall.—The donation of Rome by Constantine to Sylvester I. (A.D. 325), Raffaello da Colle. (The head of Sylvester was a portrait of Clement VII., the reigning pope; Count Castiglione the friend of Raphael, and Giulio Romano, are introduced amongst the attendants.) On the left, Sylvester I. with Fortitude; on the right, Gregory VII. with Strength. Wall of Egress.—The supposititious Baptism of Constantine, interesting as pourtraying the interior of the Lateran baptistery in the 15th century, by Francesco Penni, who has introduced his own portrait in a black dress and velvet cap. On left, is Damasus I. (A.D. 366—384), The Stanza d'Eliodoro, painted in 1511—1514, shows the Church triumphant over her enemies, and the miracles by which its power has been attested. On the roof are four subjects from the Old Testament,—the Covenant with Abraham; the Sacrifice of Isaac; Jacob's dream; Moses at the burning bush. Entrance Wall.—Heliodorus driven out of the Temple (Maccabees iii.). In the background Onias the priest is represented praying for divine interposition;—in the foreground Heliodorus, pursued by two avenging angels, is endeavouring to bear away the treasures of the Temple. Amid the group on the left is seen Julius II. in his chair of state, attended by his secretaries. One of the bearers in front is Marc-Antonio Raimondi, the engraver of Raphael's designs. The man with the inscription, 'Jo. Petro de Folicariis Cremonen,' was secretary of briefs to Pope Julius. "Here you may almost fancy you hear the thundering approach of the heavenly warrior and the neighing of his steed; while in the different groups who are plundering the treasures of the Temple, and in those who gaze intently on the sudden consternation of Heliodorus, without being able to divine its cause, we see the expression of terror, amazement, joy, humility, and every passion to which human nature is exposed."—Lanzi. Left Wall.—The Miracle of Bolsena. A priest at Bolsena, who refused to believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation, is convinced by the bleeding of the host. On the right kneels Julius II., with Cardinal Riario, founder of the Cancelleria. This was the last fresco executed by Raphael under Julius II. Right Wall.—Peter delivered from prison. A fresco by Pietro della Francesca was destroyed to make room for this picture, which is said to have allusion to the liberation of Leo X., while Legate in Spain, after his capture at the battle of Ravenna. This fresco is considered especially remarkable for its four lights, those from the double representation of the angel, from the torch of the soldier, and from the moon. Wall of Egress.—The Flight of Attila. Leo I. (with the features of Leo X.) is represented on his white mule, with his cardinals, calling The Stanza della Segnatura is so called from a judicial assembly once held here. The frescoes in this chamber are illustrative of the Virtues of Theology, Philosophy, Poetry, and Jurisprudence, who are represented on the ceiling by Raphael, in the midst of arabesques by Sodoma. The square pictures by Raphael refer:—the Fall of Man to Theology; the Study of the Globe to Philosophy; the Flaying of Marsyas to Poetry; and the Judgment of Solomon to Jurisprudence. Entrance Wall.—"The School of Athens." Raphael consulted Ariosto as to the arrangement of its 52 figures. In the centre, on the steps of a portico, are seen Plato and Aristotle, Plato pointing to heaven, and Aristotle to earth. On the left is Socrates conversing with his pupils, amongst whom is a young warrior, probably Alcibiades. Lying upon the steps in front is Diogenes. To his left Pythagoras is writing on his knee, and near him, with ink and pen, is Empedocles. The youth in the white mantle is Francesco Maria della Rovere, nephew of Julius II. On the right, is Archimedes, drawing a geometrical problem upon the floor. The young man near him with uplifted hands is Federigo II., Duke of Mantua. Behind these are Zoroaster and Ptolemy, one with a terrestrial, the other with a celestial globe, addressing two figures which represent Raphael and his master Perugino. The drawing in brown upon the socle beneath this fresco, is by Pierino del Vaga, and represents the death of Archimedes. Right Wall.—"Parnassus," Apollo surrounded by the Muses, on his right Homer, Virgil, and Dante. Below, on the right, Sappho, supposed to be addressing Corinna, Petrarch, Propertius, and Anacreon; on the left, Pindar and Horace, Sannazzaro, Boccaccio, and others. Beneath this, in grisaille, are,—Alexander placing the poems of Homer in the tomb of Achilles,—and Augustus preventing the burning of Virgil's Eneid. Left Wall.—Above the window are Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance. On the left, Justinian delivers the Pandects to Tribonian. On the right, Gregory IX. (with the features of Julius II.) delivers the Decretals to a jurist;—Cardinal de' Medici, afterwards Leo X., Cardinal Wall of Egress.—"The Disputa," so called from an impression that it represents a Dispute upon the Sacrament. In the upper part of the composition the heavenly host are present;—Christ between the Virgin and St. John Baptist;—On the left, St. Peter, Adam, St. John, David, St. Stephen, and another;—On the right, St. Paul, Abraham, St. James, Moses, St. Laurence, and St. George. Below is an altar surrounded by the Latin fathers, Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine. Near St. Augustine stand St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anacletus with the palm of a martyr, and Cardinal Buonaventura reading. Those in front are Innocent III., and in the background Dante, near whom a monk in a black hood is pointed out as Savonarola. The Dominican on the extreme left is supposed to be Fra Angelico. The other figures are uncertain. "RaphaËl a bien jugÉ Dante en plaÇant parmi les ThÉologiens, dans la Dispute du Saint Sacrement, celui pour la tombe duquel a ÉtÉ Écrit ce vers, aussi vrai qu'il est plat: 'Theologus Dantes, nullius dogmatis expers.'" AmpÈre, Voyage Dantesque. The chiaro-scuros on the socle beneath this fresco are by Pierino del Vaga (added under Paul III.) and represent, 1, A heathen sacrifice; 2, St. Augustine finding a child attempting to drain the sea; 3, The CumÆ Sibyl and Augustus. "Raphael commenced his work in the Vatican by painting the ceiling and the four walls of the room called della Segnatura, on the surface of which he had to represent four great compositions, which embraced the principal divisions of the encyclopÆdia of that period; namely, Theology, Philosophy, Poetry, and Jurisprudence. "It will be conceived, that to an artist imbued with the traditions of the Umbrian school, the first of these subjects was an unparalleled piece of good fortune; and Raphael, long familiar with the allegorical treatment of religious compositions, turned it here to the most admirable account; and, not content with the suggestions of his own genius, he availed himself of all the instruction he could derive from the intelligence of others. From these combined inspirations resulted, to the eternal glory of the Catholic faith and of Christian art, a composition without a rival in the history of painting, and we may also add without a name; for to call it lyric or epic is not enough, unless, indeed, we mean, by using these expressions, to compare it with the allegorical epic of "And let no one consider this praise as idle and groundless, for it is Raphael himself who forces the comparison upon us, by placing the figure of Dante among the favourite sons of the Muses; and, what is still more striking, by draping the allegorical figure of Theology in the very colours in which Dante has represented Beatrice; namely, the white veil, the red tunic, and the green mantle, while on her head he has placed the olive crown. "Of the four allegorical figures which occupy the compartments of the ceiling, and which were all painted immediately after Raphael's arrival in Rome, Theology and Poetry are incontestably the most remarkable. The latter would be easily distinguished by the calm inspiration of her glance, even were she without her wings, her starry crown, and her azure robe, all having allusion to the elevated region towards which it is her privilege to soar. The figure of Theology is quite as admirably suited to the subject she personifies; she points to the upper part of the grand composition, which takes its name from her, and in which the artist has provided inexhaustible food for the sagacity and enthusiasm of the spectator. "This work consists of two grand divisions,—Heaven and Earth,—which are united to one another by that mystical bond, the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The personages whom the Church has most honoured for learning and holiness are ranged in picturesque and animated groups on either side of the altar, on which the consecrated wafer is exposed. St. Augustine dictates his thoughts to one of his disciples; St. Gregory, in his pontifical robes, seems absorbed in the contemplation of celestial glory; St. Ambrose, in a slightly different attitude, appears to be chaunting the Te Deum; while St. Jerome, seated, rests his hands on a large book, which he holds on his knees. Pietro Lombardo, Duns Scotus, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Anacletus, St. Buonaventura, and Innocent III. are no less happily characterised; while, behind all these illustrious men, whom the Church and succeeding generations have agreed to honour, Raphael has ventured to introduce Dante with his laurel crown, and, with still greater boldness, the monk Savonarola, publicly burnt ten years before as a heretic. "In the glory, which forms the upper part of the picture, the Three Persons of the Trinity are represented, surrounded by patriarchs, apostles, and saints: it may, in fact, be considered in some sort as a resumÉ of all the favourite compositions produced during the last hundred years by the Umbrian school. A great number of the types, and particularly those of Christ and the Virgin, are to be found in the earlier The Stanza of the Incendio del Borgo is decorated with frescoes illustrative of the triumphs of the Church from events in the reigns of Leo III. and Leo IV. The roof has four frescoes by Perugino illustrative of the Saviour in glory. Entrance Wall.—The Victory of Leo IV. over the Saracens at Ostia, by Giovanni da Udine, from designs of Raphael. The pope is represented with the features of Leo X.; behind him are Cardinal Giulio de' Medici (Clement VII.), Cardinal Bibbiena, and others. The castle of Ostia is seen in the background. Beneath are Ferdinand the Catholic and the Emperor Lothaire, by Polidoro da Caravaggio. Left Wall.—The "Incendio del Borgo," a fire in the Leonine City in 847. In the background Leo IV. is seen in the portico of the old St. Peter's arresting with a cross the progress of the flames, on their approach to the basilica. In the foreground is a group of fugitives, by Giulio Romano, resembling Æneas escaping from Troy with Anchises, followed by Ascanius and Creusa. Beneath are Godfrey de Bouillon and Astulf (Ethelwolf), the latter with the inscription: "Astulphus Rex sub Leone IV. Pont. Britanniam Beato Petro vectigalem fecit." Right Wall.—The Justification of Leo III. before Charlemagne, by Pierino del Vaga. The pope is a portrait of Leo X., the emperor of Francis I. Wall of Egress.—The Coronation of Charlemagne in the old St. Peter's. Leo X. is again represented as Leo III., and Francis I. as Charlemagne. This fresco is partly by Raphael, partly by Pierino del Vaga. On the socle is Charlemagne, by Polidoro da Caravaggio. A Fifth Chamber has been decorated under Pius IX. with frescoes by Fracassini, in honour of the recent dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The Proclamation of the Dogma; From the corner of the Sala del Constantino, a custode, if requested, will give access to the Cappella di San Lorenzo, a tiny chapel covered with frescoes executed by Fra Angelico for Nicholas V. in 1447. The upper series represents events in the life of St. Stephen. 1. His Ordination by St. Peter. "Angelico has represented St. Stephen as a young man, beardless, and with a most mild and candid expression. His dress is the deacon's habit, of a vivid blue."—Mrs. Jameson. The lower series represents the life of St Laurence. 1. He is ordained by Sixtus II. (with the features of Nicholas V.). Introduced in the side arches, are the figures of St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. John Chrysostom, St. Athanasius, St. Leo—as the protector of Rome, and St. Thomas Aquinas—as painted by the Dominican Angelico, and for a Dominican pope Nicholas V. "The Consecration of St. Stephen, the Distribution of Alms, and, above all, his Preaching, are three pictures as perfect of their kind as any that have been produced by the greatest masters, and it would be "The soul of Angelico lives in perpetual peace. Not seclusion from the world. No shutting out of the world is needful for him. There is nothing to shut out. Envy, lust, contention, discourtesy, are to him as though they were not; and the cloister walls of Fiesole no penitential solitude, barred from the stir and joy of life, but a possessed land of tender blessing, guarded from the entrance of all but holiest sorrow. The little cell was as one of the houses of heaven prepared for him by his Master. What need had it to be elsewhere? Was not the Val d'Arno, with its olive woods in white blossom, paradise enough for a poor monk? Or could Christ be indeed in heaven more than here? Was He not always with him? Could he breathe or see, but that Christ breathed beside him, or looked into his eyes? Under every cypress avenue the angels walked; he had seen their white robes,—whiter than the dawn,—at his bedside, as he woke in early summer. They had sung with him, one on each side, when his voice failed for joy at sweet vesper and matin time; his eyes were blinded by their wings in the sunset, when it sank behind the hills of Luni."—Ruskin's Modern Painters. The same staircase which is usually ascended to reach the Stanze (that on the left of the fountain in the Cortile S. Damaso) will also lead, by turning to the left in the loggia of the third floor, to: The Gallery of Pictures, founded by Pius VII., who acted on the advice of Cardinal Gonsalvi and of Canova, and formed the present collection from the pictures which had been carried off by the French from the Roman churches, upon their restoration. The pictures have, to a great extent, been recently rearranged and are not all numbered. Each 1st Room.— Entrance Wall: Right Wall: Part of a large predella in the church of S. Pietro Casinensi at Perugia. Several saints from this predella still remain in the sacristy of S. Pietro; two are at Lyons. "In the centre is St. Benedict, with his black cowl over his head and long parted beard, the book in one hand, and the asperge in the other. On one side, St. Placidus, young, and with a mild, candid expression, black habit and shaven crown. On the other side is St. Flavia (or St. Catherine?), crowned as a martyr, holding her palm, and gazing upward with a divine expression."—Mrs. Jameson. (Above this) The Holy Family and Saints: Bonifasio. Left Wall.—The Dead Christ, with the Virgin, St. John, and the Magdalen lamenting: Carlo Crivelli. Wall of Egress.—Faith, Hope, and Charity, Raphael:—circular 2nd Room.— Entrance Wall.—The Communion of St. Jerome: Domenichino. This is the master-piece of the master, and perhaps second only to the Transfiguration. It was painted for the monks of Ara Coeli, who quarrelled with the artist, and shut up the picture. Afterwards they commissioned Poussin to paint an altar-piece for their church, and, instead of supplying him with fresh canvas, produced the picture of Domenichino, and desired him to paint over it. Poussin indignantly threw up his engagement, and made known the existence of the picture, which was afterwards preserved in the church of S. Girolamo della CaritÀ, whence it was carried off by the French. St. Jerome, dying at Bethlehem, is represented receiving the Last Sacraments from St. Ephraim of Syria, while St. Paula kneels by his side. "The Last Communion of St. Jerome is the subject of one of the most celebrated pictures in the world,—the St. Jerome of Domenichino, which has been thought worthy of being placed opposite to the Transfiguration of Raphael, in the Vatican. The aged saint,—feeble, emaciated, dying,—is borne in the arms of his disciples to the chapel of his monastery, and placed within the porch. "And Jerome's death (A.D. 420) drawing near, he commanded that he should be laid on the bare ground and covered with sackcloth, and calling the brethren around him, he spake sweetly to them, and exhorted them in many holy words, and appointed Eusebius to be their abbot in his room. And then, with tears, he received the blessed Eucharist, and sinking backwards again on the earth, his hands crossed on his heart, he sung the 'Nunc Dimittis,' which being finished, it being the Right Wall.—"The Madonna di Foligno," Raphael, ordered in 1511 by Sigismondo Conti for the church of Ara Coeli (where he is buried), and removed in 1565 to Foligno, when his great-niece, Anna Conti, took the veil there at the convent of St' Anna. The angel in the foreground bears a tablet, with the names of the painter and donor, and the date 1512. The city of Foligno is seen in the background, with a falling bomb, from which one may believe that the picture was a votive offering from Sigismondo for an escape during a siege. The picture was originally on panel, and was transferred to canvas at Paris. "The Madonna di Foligno, however beautiful in the whole arrangement, however excellent in the execution of separate parts, appears to belong to a transition state of development. There is something of the ecstatic enthusiasm which has produced such peculiar conceptions and treatment of religious subjects in other artists—Correggio, for example—and which, so far from harmonizing with the unaffected serene grace of Raphael, has in this instance led to some serious defects. This remark is particularly applicable to the figures of St. John and St. Francis: the former looks out of the picture with a fantastic action, and the drawing of his arm is even considerably mannered. St. Francis has an expression of fanatical ecstasy, and his countenance is strikingly weak in the painting (composed of reddish, yellowish, and grey tones, which cannot be wholly ascribed to their restorer). Again, St. Jerome looks up with a sort of fretful expression, in which it is difficult to recognise, as some do, a mournful resignation; there is also an exaggerated style of drawing in the eyes, which sometimes gives a sharpness to the expression of Raphael's figures, and appears very marked in some of his other pictures. Lastly, the Madonna and the Child, who turn to the donor, are in attitudes which, however graceful, are not perhaps sufficiently tranquil for the majesty of the queen of heaven. The expression of the Madonna's countenance is extremely sweet, but with more of the character of a mere woman than of a glorified being. The figure of the donor, on the other hand, is excellent, with an expression of sincerity and truth; the angel with the tablet is of unspeakable intensity and exquisite beauty—one of the most marvellous figures that Raphael has created."—Kugler. "In the upper part of the composition sits the Virgin in heavenly glory; by her side is the Infant Christ, partly sustained by his mother's veil, which is drawn round his body: both look down benignly on the votary, Sigismund Conti, who, kneeling below, gazes up with an expression of the most intense gratitude and devotion. It is a portrait from the life, and certainly one of the finest and most life-like that exist in painting. Behind him stands St. Jerome, who, placing his hand upon the head of the votary, seems to present him to his celestial protectress. On the other side, John the Baptist, the meagre wild-looking prophet of the desert, points upward to the Redeemer. More in front kneels St. Francis, who, while he looks up to heaven with trusting and imploring love, extends his right hand towards the worshippers supposed to be assembled in the church, recommending them also to the protecting grace of the Virgin. In the centre of the picture, dividing these two groups, stands a lovely angel-boy, holding in his hand a tablet, one of the most charming figures of this kind Raphael ever painted; the head, looking up, has that sublime, yet perfectly childish grace, which strikes one in those awful angel-boys in the 'Madonna di San Sisto.' The background is a landscape, in which appears the city of Foligno at a distance; it is overshadowed by a storm-cloud, and a meteor is seen falling; but above these bends a rainbow, pledge of peace and safety. The whole picture glows throughout with life and beauty, hallowed by that profound religious sentiment which suggested the offering, and which the sympathetic artist seems to have caught from the grateful donor. It was dedicated in the church of the Ara Coeli at Rome, which belongs to the Franciscans, hence St. Francis is one of the principal figures. When I was asked, at Rome, why St. Jerome had been introduced into the picture, I thought it might be thus accounted for:—The patron saint of the donor, St. Sigismund, was a king and warrior, and Conti might possibly think it did not accord with his profession, as a humble ecclesiastic, to introduce him here. The most celebrated convent of the Jeronymites in Italy is that of St. Sigismund, near Cremona, placed under the special protection of St. Jerome, who is also in a general sense the patron of all ecclesiastics; hence, perhaps, he figures here as the protector of Sigismund Conti."—Jameson's Legends of the Madonna, p. 103. Wall of Egress.—"The Transfiguration:" Raphael. The grandest picture in the world. It was originally painted by order of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici (afterwards Clement VII.) Archbishop of Narbonne, for that provincial cathedral. But it was scarcely finished when Raphael died, and it hung over his death-bed as he lay in state, and was carried in his funeral procession. "And when all beheld Him where he lay, how changed from yesterday— Him in that hour cut off, and at his head His last great work; when, entering in, they look'd, Now on the dead, then on that masterpiece— Now on his face, lifeless and colourless, Then on those forms divine that lived and breathed, And would live on for ages—all were moved, And sighs burst forth and loudest lamentations." Rogers. The three following quotations may perhaps represent the practical, Æsthetical, and spiritual aspects of the picture. "It is somewhat strange to see the whole picture of the Transfiguration—including the three apostles, prostrate on the mount, shading their dazzled senses from the insufferable brightness—occupying only a small part of the top of the canvas, and the principal field filled with a totally distinct and certainly unequalled picture—that of the demoniac boy, whom our Saviour cured on coming down from the mount, after his transfiguration. This was done in compliance with the orders of the monks of S. Pietro in Montorio, for which church it was painted. It was the universal custom of the age—the yet unbanished taste of Gothic days—to have two pictures, a celestial and a terrestrial one, wholly unconnected with each other; accordingly, we see few, even of the finest paintings, in which there is not a heavenly subject above and an earthly below—for the great masters of that day, like our own Shakspeare, were compelled to suit their works to the taste of their employers."—Eaton's Rome. "It must ever be matter of wonder that any one can have doubted of the grand unity of such a conception as this. In the absence of the Lord, the disconsolate parents bring a possessed boy to the disciples of the Holy One. They seem to have been making attempts to cast out the Evil Spirit; one has opened a book, to see whether by chance any spell were contained in it which might be successful against this plague, but in vain. At this moment appears He who alone has the power, and appears transfigured in glory. They remember His former mighty deeds; they instantly point aloft to the vision as the only source of healing. How can the upper and lower parts be separated? Both are one; beneath is Suffering craving for Aid; above is active Power and helpful Grace. Both refer to one another; both work in one another. Those who, in our dispute over the picture, thought with me, confirmed their view by this consideration: Raffaelle, they said, was ever distinguished "In looking at the Transfiguration we must bear in mind that it is not an historical but a devotional picture,—that the intention of the painter was not to represent a scene, but to excite religious feelings by expressing, so far as painting might do it, a very sublime idea. "If we remove to a certain distance from the picture, so that the forms shall become vague, indistinct, and only the masses of colour and the light and shade perfectly distinguishable, we shall see that the picture is indeed divided as if horizontally, the upper half being all light, and the lower half comparatively all dark. As we approach nearer, step by step, we behold above, the radiant figure of the Saviour floating in mid-air, with arms outspread, garments of transparent light, glorified visage upturned as if in rapture, and the hair lifted and scattered as I have seen it in persons under the influence of electricity. On the right, Moses; on the left, Elijah; representing respectively the old Law and the old Prophecies, which both testified of Him. The three disciples lie on the ground, terror-struck, dazzled. There is a sort of eminence or platform, but no perspective, no attempt at real locality, for the scene is revealed as in a vision, and the same soft transparent light envelopes the whole. This is the spiritual life, raised far above the earth, but not yet in heaven. Below is seen the earthly light, poor humanity struggling helplessly with pain, infirmity, and death. The father brings his son, the possessed, or as we should now say, the epileptic boy, who oftentimes falls into the water, or into the fire, or lies grovelling on the earth, foaming and gnashing his teeth; the boy struggles in his arms,—the rolling eyes, the distorted features, the spasmodic limbs, are at once terrible and pitiful to look on. "Such is the profound, the heart-moving significance of this wonderful picture. It is, in truth, a fearful approximation of the most opposite things; the mournful helplessness, suffering, and degradation of human nature, the unavailing pity, are placed in immediate contrast with spiritual light, life, hope,—nay, the very fruition of heavenly rapture. "It has been asked, who are the two figures, the two saintly deacons, who stand on each side of the upper group, and what have they to do with the mystery above, or the sorrow below? Their presence shows that the whole was conceived as a vision, or a poem. The two saints are St. Laurence and St. Julian, placed there at the request of the Cardinal "In the Gospel, the Transfiguration of Our Lord is first described, then the gathering of the people and the appeal of the father in behalf of his afflicted son. They appear to have been simultaneous; but painting only could have placed them before our eyes, at the same moment, in all their suggestive contrast. It will be said that in the brief record of the Evangelist, this contrast is nowhere indicated, but the painter found it there and was right to use it,—just the same as if a man should choose a text from which to preach a sermon, and, in doing so, should evolve from the inspired words many teachings, many deep reasonings, besides those most obvious and apparent. "But, after we have prepared ourselves to understand and to take into our heads all that this wonderful picture can suggest, considered as an emanation of the mind, we find that it has other interests for us, considered merely as a work of art. It was the last picture which came from Raphael's hand; he was painting on it when he was seized with his last illness. He had completed all the upper part of the composition, all the ethereal vision, but the lower part of it was still unfinished, and in this state the picture was hung over his bier; when, after his death, he was laid out in his painting-room, and all his pupils and friends, and the people of Rome, came to look upon him for the last time; and when those who stood round raised their eyes to the Transfiguration, and then bent them on the lifeless form extended beneath it, 'every heart was like to burst with grief (faceva scoppiare l'anima di dolore a ognuno che quivi guardava), as, indeed, well it might. "Two-thirds of the price of the picture, 655 'ducati di camera,' had already been paid by the Cardinal de' Medici, and, in the following year, that part of the picture which Raphael had left unfinished was completed by his pupil Giulio Romano, a powerful and gifted, but not a refined or elevated, genius. He supplied what was wanting in the colours and chiaroscuro according to Raphael's design, but not certainly as Raphael himself would have done it. The sum which Giulio received he bestowed as a dowry on his sister, when he gave her in marriage to Lorenzetto the sculptor, who had been a friend and pupil of Raphael. 3rd Room.— Entrance Wall.—Madonna and Saints: Titian. "Titian's altar-piece is a specimen of his pictures of this class. St. Nicholas, in full episcopal costume, is gazing upwards with an air of inspiration. St. Peter is looking over his shoulder at a book, and a beautiful St. Catherine is on the other side. Farther behind, are St. Francis and St. Anthony of Padua; on the left St. Sebastian, whose figure recurs in almost all of these pictures. Above, in the clouds, with angels, is the Madonna, who looks cheerfully on, while the lovely Child holds a wreath, as if ready to crown a votary."—Kugler. "In this picture there are three stages, or whatever they are called, the same as in the Transfiguration. Below, saints and martyrs are represented in suffering and abasement; on every face is depicted sadness, nay, almost impatience; one figure in rich episcopal robes looks upwards, with the most eager and agonized longing, as if weeping, but he cannot see all that is floating above his head, but which we see, standing in front of the picture. Above, Mary and her Child are in a cloud, radiant with joy, and surrounded by angels, who have woven many garlands; the Holy Child holds one of these, and seems as if about to crown the saints beneath, but his Mother withholds his hand for the moment(?). The contrast between the pain and suffering below, whence St. Sebastian looks forth out of the picture with gloom and almost apathy, and the lofty unalloyed exultation in the clouds above, where crowns and palms are already awaiting him, is truly admirable. High above the group of Mary hovers the Holy Spirit, from whom emanates a bright streaming light, thus forming the apex of the whole composition. I have just remembered that Goethe, at the beginning of his first visit to Rome, describes and admires this picture; and he speaks of it in considerable detail. It was at that time in the Quirinal."—Mendelssohn's Letters. Sta. Margherita da Cortona: Guercino. She is represented kneeling,—angels hovering above,—in the background is the Convent of Cortona. Right Wall: Martyrdom of St. Laurence: Spagnoletto. 22. The Magdalen, with angels bearing the instruments of the Passion: Guercino. 23. The Coronation of the Virgin: Pinturicchio. 24. The Resurrection: Perugino. The figures are sharply relieved against a bright green landscape and a perfectly green sky. The figure of the risen Saviour is in a raised gold nimbus surrounded by cherubs' heads, as in the fresco of Pinturicchio at the Ara Coeli. The escaping soldier is said to be a portrait of Perugino, introduced by Raphael,—the sleeping soldier that of Raphael, by Perugino. 25. "La Madonna di Monte Luco," designed by Raphael: the upper part painted by Giulio Romano, the lower by Francesco Penni (Il Fattore). The apostles looking into the tomb of the Virgin, find it blooming with heartsease and ixias. Above, the Virgin is crowned amid the angels. There is a lovely landscape seen through a dark cave, which ends awkwardly in the black clouds. This picture was painted for the convent of Monte Luco near Spoleto. 26. The Nativity: Giovanni Spagna. 27. The Coronation of the Virgin: Raphael. The predella in the first room belonged to this picture, which was painted for the Benedictines of Perugia. 28. The Virgin and Child enthroned under an arcade—with S. Lorenzo, St. Louis, S. Ercolano, and S. Costanzo, standing: On the step of the throne is inscribed 'Hoc Petrus de Chastro Plebis Pinxit.' 29. Virgin and Child: Sassoferrato. A fat mundane Infant and a coarse Virgin seated on a crescent moon. The Child holds a rosary. End Wall: The Entombment: Caravaggio. "Caravaggio's entombment of Christ is a picture wanting in all the characteristics of holy sublimity; but is nevertheless full of solemnity, only perhaps too like the funeral solemnity of a gipsy chief. A figure of such natural sorrow as the Virgin, who is represented as exhausted with weeping, with her trembling outstretched hands, has seldom been painted. Even as mother of a gipsy chief, she is dignified and touching."—Kugler. Left Wall (returning): 31. Doge A. Gritti (Titian), half-length, in a yellow robe. Two very large pictures in many compartments, by Niccolo Alunno, of the Crucifixion and Saints. (Between them.) Sixtus IV. and his Court: Melozzo da ForlÌ. A fresco, removed from the Vatican library by Leo XII., which is a most interesting memorial of an important historical family. Near the figure of the pope, Sixtus IV., who is known to Roman travellers from his magnificent bronze tomb in the Chapel of the Sacrament at St. Peter's, stand two of his nephews, of whom one is Giuliano della Rovere, afterwards Julius II., and the other Pietro Riario, who, from the position of a humble Franciscan monk, was raised, in a few months, by his uncle, to be Bishop of Treviso, Cardinal-Archbishop of Seville, Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop of Valentia, and Archbishop of Florence, when his life changed, and he lived with such extravagance, and gave banquets so magnificent, that "never had pagan antiquity seen anything like it;" "Templa domum expositis fora moenia pontes: Virgineam Trivii quod repararis aquam Prisca licet nautis statuas dare commoda portus: Et Vaticanum cingere Sixte jugum: Plus tamen urbs debet: nam quÆ squalore latebet. Germitur in celebri bibliotheca loco." 4th Room.— Entrance Wall: 32. The Martyrdom of SS. Processus and Martinianus, the gaolers of St Peter: Valentin. It is stigmatised by Kugler as "an unimportant and bad picture," but, perhaps from the connection "This picture is terrible for dark and effective expression; it is just one of those subjects in which the Caravaggio school delighted."—Jameson's Sacred Art. 33. Martyrdom of St. Peter: Guido Reni. "This has the heavy powerful forms of Caravaggio, but wants the passionate feeling which sustains such subjects,—it is a martyrdom and nothing more,—it might pass for an enormous and horrible genre picture."—Kugler. 34. Martyrdom of St. Erasmus: N. Poussin. A most horrible picture of the disembowelment of the saint upon a wheel. It was copied in mosaic in St Peter's when the picture was removed from thence. Left Wall: 35. The Annunciation: Baroccio. From Sta. Maria di Loreto, detained in the Vatican in exchange for a mosaic, after it was sent back by the French. 36. St. Gregory the Great—the miracle of the Brandeum: Andrea Sacchi. "The Empress Constantia sent to St. Gregory requesting some of the relics of St. Peter and St. Paul. He excused himself, saying that he dared not disturb their sacred remains for such a purpose,—but he sent her part of a consecrated cloth (Brandeum) which had enfolded the body of St. John the Evangelist. The empress rejected this gift with contempt: whereupon Gregory, to show that such things are hallowed not so much in themselves as by the faith of believers, laid the Brandeum on the altar, and after praying he took up a knife and pierced it, and blood flowed as from a living body."—Jameson's Sacred Art, p. 321. 37. The Ecstasy of Sta. Michelina: Baroccio. This picture is mentioned by Lanzi as "Sta. Michelina estatica sul Calvario." The story appears to be lost. Between the Windows: The Madonna and Child with St. Jerome and St. Bartholomew: Moretto da Brescia (Buonvicino). 38. The Dream of Sta. Helena (of the finding of the true Cross): Paolo Veronese. Once in the Capitol collection. Right Wall (returning): 39. Madonna with St. Thomas and St. Jerome: Guido. The St. Thomas is very grand. 40. Madonna della Cintola with St. John and St. Augustin. Signed 1521: Cesare da Sesto. 41. Salvator Mundi. Christ seated on the rainbow: Correggio? 42. St. Romualdo: Andrea Sacchi. The saint sees the vision of a ladder by which the friars of his Order ascend to heaven. The monks in white drapery are grand and noble figures. "It is recorded in the legend of St. Romualdo, that, a short time before his death, he fell asleep beside a fountain near his cell; and he dreamed, and in his dream he saw a ladder like that which the patriarch Jacob beheld in his vision, resting on the earth, and the top of it reaching to heaven; and he saw the brethren of his Order ascending by twos and by threes, all clothed in white. When Romualdo awoke from his dream, he changed the habit of his monks from black to white, which they have ever since worn in remembrance of this vision."—Jameson's Monastic Orders, p. 117. A door on the ground-floor of the Cortile di S. Damaso will admit visitors (with an order) to visit the Papal Manufactory of Mosaics, whence so many beautiful works have issued, and where others are always in progress. "Ghirlandajo, who felt the utmost enthusiasm for the august remains of Roman grandeur, was still more deeply impressed by the sight of the ancient mosaics of the Christian basilicas, the image of which was still present to his mind when he said, at a more advanced age, that 'mosaic was the true painting for eternity.'"—Rio. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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