152 14. NATIONAL GALLERY.
'This manly and spirited study, so skilful and so simple in its beauty
that it passed for a Raphael .... A masterly imitation of the reality,
of grand freedom in pose and winning softness in colour, marvellously
faithful in the rendering of glitter and reflections, but not without
damaging repaints'. — C. & C.
*213. Raphael, Vision of a knight (a youthful work, as fine in
its execution as it is tender in its conception).
'I am inclined to assign the origin of this little gem to the year
1504, when Raphael paid his first visit to Florence'. — W.
'Two allegorical female figures, representing respectively the noble
ambitions and the joys of life, appear to a young knight lying asleep
beneath a laurel, and offer him his choice of glory or pleasure'. — Passavant.
*270. Titian, Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene after his
Resurrection.
'There may be some affectedness in the form of the Saviour, who
stands slightly covered with a hip-cloth and gathering with his left hand
the folds of his blue mantle, whilst he grasps the hoe with his right. But
his shape is fair, and the flesh is surprisingly modelled in silver tones
broken with tender grays. We may feel disappointed by sketchy ex¬
tremities and neglected drawing; but there is rare beauty in the mild
and regular features .... One cannot look without transport on the
mysterious calm of this beautiful scene, which Titian has painted with
such loving care yet with such clever freedom'. — C. & C.
*35. Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne.
'This is one of the pictures which once seen can never he forgotten
.... Rich harmony of drapery tints and soft modelling, depth of shade
and warm flesh all combine to produce a highly coloured glow; yet in
the midst of this glow the form of Ariadne seems incomparably fair.
Nature was never reproduced more kindly or with greater exuberance
than it is in every part of this picture. What splendour in the contrasts
of colour, what wealth and diversity of scale in air and vegetation; how
infinite is the space — how varied yet mellow the gradations of light
and shade !' — C. & C.
277. Bassano, The Good Samaritan; 638. Francesco Francia,
Madonna and Child. — *290. Jan van Eyck (founder and chief of
the Flemish school of painting; d. 1440), Portrait of a man, dated
1432.
'The drawing is careful, the painting blended to a fault1. — C. & C.
*222. Jan van Eyck, Portrait of a man.
'This is a panel in which minute finish is combined with delicate
modelling and strong relief, and a brown depth of colour1. — C. & C.
*186. Jan van Eyck, Portraits of Jean Arnolflni and Jeanne de
Chenany, bis wife.
'Harder outlines and clearer general tones distinguish this from the
painter's previous works; yet in no single instance has John van Eyck
expressed with more perfection, by the aid of colour, the sense of depth
and atmosphere; he nowhere blended colours more carefully, nowhere
produced more transparent shadows..... The finish of the parts is
marvellous, and the preservation of the picture perfect'. — C. & C.
■•Without a prolonged examination of this picture, it is impossible
to form an idea of the art with which it has been executed. One feels
tempted to think that in this little panel Van Eyck has set himself to
accumulate all manner of difficulties, or rather of impossibilities, for the
mere pleasure of overcoming them. The perspective, both lineal and
aerial, is so ably treated, and the truthfulness of colouring is so great,
that all the details, even those reflected in the mirror, seem perspicuous
and easy; and instead of the fatigue which the examination of so laborious
and complicated a work might well occasion, we feel nothing save pleasure
and admiration1. — lieiset, '"Gazette des Beaux Arts\ 187S (p. 7).
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