The Picture Gallery of the Vatican. 165 



by Camuccini when it was removed from the Pope's summer palace 

 on Monte Cavallo to grace the Gallery of the Vatican. It originally 

 belonged to the suppressed church delle Convertite in the Corso, for 

 which it was painted by Guercino. 



No. 11. Bologna School. The Incredulity of St. Thomas, by Guer- 

 cino. If we are to believe the biographers of Guercino, he has painted 

 this same subject a hundred and six different times. The point of 

 time here chosen is when the Saviour shows his wounds to St. Thomas 

 in order to assure him of his resurrection. With the truest and most 

 natural expression of curiosity, the Apostle is reaching out his hand 

 to the side of Jesus, who gives his disciple a free opportunity of ex- 

 amining at his ease the marks of the lance, and of the nails, and 

 whatever else his obstinate doubt requires. This picture is executed 

 in his second and best manner, after he had abandoned the terrible 

 style of Caravaggio, and before he had adopted the delicate and 

 harmonious method of Guido. It belonged to the old Gallery of 

 the Vatican till it was taken to France in 1797. 



No. 12. Bologna School. The Crucifixion of St. Peter, by Guido. 



Here we have really and entirely the first manner of Guido, when 

 he painted in the forcible style of Caravaggio. Two executioners 

 are intently occupied about the martyrdom of the Apostle. One of 

 them supports his body and fastens it to the cross, which is fixed in 

 the ground with its top downwards; another, by means of a rope, is 

 raising him by the feet; and a third is preparing to fix the nails. It 

 is said that the Saint, from motives of humility, begged as a favour 

 that he might be put to death in a different position from his Divine 

 Master : although such a death would be less painful and more 

 speedy, on account of the accumulation of blood in the head. The 

 whole figure of the Saint, particularly the head, is so masterly 

 that nothing better can be desired. The character of the exe- 

 cutioners and their different attitudes are as admirable for gran- 

 deur of composition as for vigour of colouring and correctness 

 of drawing. This subject had at first been destined for Cara- 

 vaggio by Cardinal Scipio Borghese, nephew of Paul V. But 

 the Chevalier d'Arphino, a most bitter enemy of that painter, 

 succeeded in obtaining it for Guido ; at the same time secretly advis- 

 ing him to avoid criticism by adopting in some measure the style of 

 Caravaggio, which was then triumphant. When the picture was 

 finished, it was pronounced to be as good as if it had been executed 

 by Caravaggio himself; artists in our day say better. From bis 

 success in this work, Guido obtained the order to paint in fresco his 

 celebrated Aurora in the Rospigliosi palace. This celebrated picture 

 also belonged to the present Gallery at the time when it was trans- 

 ported to Paris together with several others before mentioned. 



No. 13. Roman School. The Coronation of the Virgin, by Pin- 

 turicchio. 



It is generally believed that this picture is one of the many which 

 Pietro Perugino painted for the Church della Fratta at Perugia, 

 because it is suspected of having been executed in his youth, before 

 he went to study at Florence. But on account of a certain crucleness 

 in the colouring, and the little grace displayed in the attitudes of the 

 figures, it has been more frequently attributed to one of his scholars, 



