T RAV

APPENDJX.with only one foot rested on his mother's lap, preserving thus the exact equi­:libril.lfrrjand addingat the same time beauty to the picture. H;aving thus explainedRafa.el1s:plan for this picture, l proceed to describe to the lovers of the art the mannerin :which' he has executed Ît.This will be done by investigating the different parts ofwhichiti:scomposed; thatis tosay, drawing, colouring, and expression.As to thedrawing, dl' ou~line,itis the inost beautiful by a greatdeal that ever 1 saw.AlFthe heaûsMedignified and ma:jestic, except that of Tobias:; which the painter has.htiinbled purposely, and fora l'eason which we will mention in its properplace. TheVil'gin's .head is'perfectly Greek; :that of the angel a .mixture of antique and natural,whichthe painter has brought tothe highest degree of perfection. The oval of theVirgin's face, &nd the outlines ofthe neck of St. Geronimus, are exquisitely beautiful,anddifliclilt beyonû what dan be conceived in point of execution; the drawing of theinfant Jesus, correct and delicate : in one word, the whole of the del'igning of this pic.ture'lll~ybe;pronouneed.per:feetion itself: for, as to the rightleg of Tobias, whichis theonlytlling 1 everheard.objec~edtojn this pictme, ifthe forced position in wrnch he isbe not a sufficient answer, '1 saythat it is no more' than a slight inadvertence ofthepainter's, which .basa ç1aim tobeoverlooked, according to the rule of Horace, as ap-. plicable to painting as· to poetry.Ai to thecolouring, it isjn the lastandbest sryleof Rafael, with this singular ex­.cellence, that there is not in thewhole painting one simple or truc colour strictly so'called :as for instance, of t11.ree different greens whic11. ,ve see in it, two in the dressof the Virgin, and one in the cm'tain be11.ind her, none is perfectly grass- 1101' true sea­:green. The white of her dress, as well as that of the wings of the ange!, are butwhiteisit; the clothing of St. Gerouirnus 18 l'ed, but not pure scarlet; and final1y, asobserved, there is not throughout the picture one primitive colour: notwithstanding.whic11., •.••~~.~ ..• ~~i~~X11.~~~xerci~ed~is art ,yi~h snch. exquisite taste andjudgement, thatwhat wOlll(1havebeensuflicien~jJlthe h&nds .. of any other to have ruin(:?d, or at l(lasty.ery materially irijured the picture, hasproduced, in those of Rafael, a softness~nddelicacy. alroostequalling those 'of Correggio. If my reader wishes to be convinced~p.on thit> hl1ad, let11.iQ} cast hiseyes lipon the picture to the right, the Apotheosis ofCharles the Fifth, by Titian; a very fine thing certainly, but w11.ich, by reason of theinnumerablel~ure tù~ts w11.id~ it contains, a})pears harsh and crude by the side of La1\1à:dmma.As to w11.at regards expression, the subject of this picture admits of very littIe,. asshow heraafter. The angel speaking is, in strictness, the only persan'ondevolves to show muèh; and, in consequence, he is the most expressive figuresaw: not even excepting the father of the lunatic at the foot of the mÛlintain,ln famous picture of the Transfiguration. True it is, Tobias expresses a reverentialVO.L. II.2 L