Augustus J. C. Hare

Walks in Rome


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altars, one serves as the pedestal of a bearded Dionysus. The pictures are chiefly landscapes, of the school of Poussin and Salvator Rosa—that of the Deluge is by Ippolito Scarsellino.

      2nd Room.—In the centre a Centaur (restored), of basalt and rosso-antico. On either side groups of boys playing.

      Pictures:— 4. Caritas Romana: Valentin. 5. Circumcision: Giov. Bellini? 7. Madonna and Saints: Basaiti. 15. Temptations of St. Anthony: Scuola di Mantegna. 19. St. John in the Desert: Guercino? 35. Birth of St. John: Vittore Pisanello. 21. Spozalizio: V. Pisanello. 23. St. Sylvester before Maximin II.: Pesellino. 24. Madonna and Child: F. Francia? 28. Annunciation: Fil. Lippi. 29. St. Sylvester and the Dragon: Pesellino (see the account of Sta. Maria Liberatrice). 33. St. Agnes on the burning pile: Guercino. 37. Magdalen: Copy of the Titian in the Pitti Palace.

      4th Room.— A bust of Innocent X. (with whose ill-acquired wealth this palace was built) in rosso-antico, with a bronze head: Bernini.

      5th Room.— 17. The Money-changers: Quentin Matsys.

      25. St. Joseph: Guercino. In the centre, a group of Jacob wrestling with the Angel: School of Bernini.

      6th Room.— 8. Portrait of Olympia Maldacchini, the sister-in-law of Innocent X., who ruled Rome in his time. 13. Madonna: Carlo Maratta. 30. Sketch of a Boy: Incognito.

      From this room we enter a small cabinet, hung with pictures of Breughel and Fiammingo, and containing a bust by Algardi, of Olympia Maldacchini-Pamfili, who built the Villa Doria Pamfili for her son.

      7th Room.— 8. Belisarius in the desert: Salvator Rosa. 19. Slaughter of the Innocents: Mazzolino.

      We now enter the Galleries—which begin towards the left—

      1st Gallery.— 2. Holy Family in glory, and two Franciscan Saints adoring: Garofalo. 3. Magdalen: Annibale Caracci. 8. Two Heads: Quentin Matsys. 9. Holy Family: Sassoferrato. 10. Story of the conversion of S. Eustachio (see the description of his church): School of Albert Durer. 14. A Portrait: Titian. 15. Holy Family: Andrea del Sarto. 20. The Three Ages of Man: Titian.* 21. Return of the Prodigal Son: Guercino. 25. Landscape with the Flight into Egypt: Claude Lorraine. 26. The meeting of Mary and Elizabeth: Garofalo. 38. Copy of the "Nozze Aldobrandini:" Poussin. 45. Madonna: Guido Reni. 50. Holy Family: Giulio Romano, from Raphael.

      2nd Gallery.— 6. Madonna: Fran. Francia. 14. "Bartolo and Baldo:" Raphael.* 17. Portrait: Titian. 21. Portrait of a Widow: Vandyke. 24. Three Heads, called Calvin, Luther, and Catherine: Giorgione. 26. Sacrifice of Isaac: Titian. 33. Portrait of a Pamfili: Vandyke. 40. Herodias with the Head of John the Baptist: Pordenone. A grand bust of Andrew Doria. 50. "The Confessor:" Rubens. 53. Joanna of Arragon: School of Leonardo da Vinci.* 56. Magdalene: School of Titian. 61. Adoration of the Infant Jesus: Gio. Batt. Benvenuti ('l'Ortolano'). 66. Holy Family: Garofalo. 69. Glory crowning Virtue (a sketch): Correggio. 80. Portrait of Titian and his Wife: Titian. Also a number of pictures of the Creation: Breughel.

      3rd Gallery.— 1, 6, 28, 34. Landscapes (with figures introduced): Ann. Caracci. 5. Landscape, with Mercury stealing cattle: Claude Lorraine. 10. Titian's Wife: Titian. 11. "Niccolaus Macchiavellus Historiar. Scriptor:" Bronzino. 12. "The Mill:" Claude Lorraine.*

      "The foreground of the picture of 'the Mill' is a piece of very lovely and perfect forest scenery, with a dance of peasants by a brook-side; quite enough subject to form, in the hands of a master, an impressive and complete picture. On the other side of the brook, however, we have a piece of pastoral life; a man with some bulls and goats tumbling head foremost into the water, owing to some sudden paralytic affection of all their legs. Even this group is one too many; the shepherd had no business to drive his flock so near the dancers, and the dancers will certainly frighten the cattle. But when we look farther into the picture, our feelings receive a sudden and violent shock, by the unexpected appearance, amidst things pastoral and musical, of the military; a number of Roman soldiers riding in on hobby-horses, with a leader on foot, apparently encouraging them to make an immediate and decisive charge on the musicians. Beyond the soldiers is a circular temple, in exceedingly bad repair; and close beside it, built against its very walls, a neat water-mill in full work; by the mill flows a large river with a weir across it. … At an inconvenient distance from the water-side stands a city, composed of twenty-five round towers and a pyramid. Beyond the city is a handsome bridge; beyond the bridge, part of the Campagna, with fragments of aqueducts; beyond the Campagna the chain of the Alps; on the left, the cascades of Tivoli.

      "This is a fair example of what is commonly called an 'ideal' landscape; i.e. a group of the artist's studies from nature, individually spoiled, selected with such opposition of character as may insure their neutralizing each other's effect, and united with sufficient unnaturalness and violence of association to insure their producing a general sensation of the impossible."—Ruskin's Modern Painters.

      "Many painters take a particular spot, and sketch it to perfection; but Claude was convinced that taking nature as he found it, seldom produced beauty. Neither did he like exhibiting in his pictures accidents of nature. He professed to pourtray the style of general nature, and so his pictures were a composition of the various draughts which he had previously made from beautiful scenes and prospects."—Sir J. Reynolds.

       18. Pietà: Ann. Caracci. 23. Landscape, with the Temple of Apollo: Claude Lorraine. 26. Portrait: Mazzolino. 27. Portrait: Giorgione. 33. Landscape, with Diana hunting: Claude Lorraine.

      At the end of this gallery is a small cabinet, containing the gems of the collection:—

       1. Portrait of a "Letterato:" Lucas V. Leyden?* 2. Portrait of Andrea Doria: Sebastian del Piombo.* 3. Portrait of Giannetto Doria: Bronzino.* 4. Portrait of S. Filippo Neri, as a boy: Barocci. 5. Portrait of Innocent X.; Gio. Battista Pamfili (1644—55): Velasquez.* 6. Entombment: John Emelingk.*

      Here, also, is the bust of the late beloved Princess Doria (Lady Mary Talbot), which has always been veiled in crape since her death.

      The 4th Gallery is decorated with mirrors, and with statues of no especial merit.

      "In the whole immense range of rooms of the Palazzo Doria, I saw but a single fire-place, and that so deep in the wall that no amount of blaze would raise the atmosphere of the room ten degrees. If the builder of the palace, or any of his successors, have committed crimes worthy of Tophet, it would be a still worse punishment to him to wander perpetually through this suite of rooms, on the cold floors of polished brick tiles, or marble, or mosaic, growing a little chiller and chiller through every moment of eternity—or at least, till the palace crumbles down upon him."—Hawthorne, Notes on Italy.

      Opposite the Palazzo Doria is the Palazzo Salviati. The next two streets on the left lead into the long narrow square called Piazza Santi Apostoli, containing several handsome palaces. That on the right is the Palazzo Odescalchi, built by Bernini, in 1660, for Cardinal Fabio Chigi, to whose family it formerly belonged. It has some fine painted and carved wooden ceilings. This palace is supposed to be the scene of the latest miracle of the Roman Catholic Church. The present Princess Odescalchi had long been bedridden, and was apparently dying of a hopeless disease, when, while her family were watching what they considered her last moments, the pope (Pius IX.) sent, by the hands of a nun, a little loaf (panetello), which he desired her to swallow. With terrible effort, the sick woman obeyed, and was immediately healed, and on the following day the astonished Romans saw her go in person to the pope, at the Vatican, to return thanks for her restoration!

      The building at the end of the square is the Palazzo Valentini, which once contained a collection of antiquities.

      Near this, on the left, but separated