The Picture Gallery of the Vatican. 1 69 



No. 17. Roman School. The Coronation of the Virgin Mary, 

 painted by Raffaelle in his youth. 



The graceful style adopted by Raffaelle while still young is particu- 

 larly striking in this picture, which is full of delicacy and elegance in 

 every one of its parts. The Virgin, crowned by her Son, is sitting in 

 the serene heavens, surrounded by angels, who are playing various 

 musical instruments. Beneath are drawn the Apostles ; some in the 

 act of examining the sepulchre which had contained her remains, and 

 which now, according to the Roman Catholic tradition, is filled with 

 flowers, and some raising their countenances to contemplate the glory 

 above. Crispolti says that one of these figures is the portrait of Raf- 

 faelle at the age of nineteen. Perhaps it may be the first figure on 

 the left hand side. It was formerly in the church of the Bene- 

 dictines at Perugia. In 1797 it was taken to Paris, where it was in- 

 geniously transferred to canvass from the pannel on which it had been 

 originally painted. 



No. 1 8. The Madonna of Monte Luce ; or the Coronation of the 

 Virgin by Giulio Romano and Fattore. 



This beautiful painting, the subject of which is the Assumption of 

 the Virgin and her Coronation by the Saviour, belongs entirely to 

 Raffaelle, as far as the'invention and drawing are concerned, but was 

 executed partly by Giulio Romano and partly by Francesco Penni, 

 another of his pupils surnamed // Fattore because he transacted all 

 Raffaelle's business. It was divided into two parts at their desire, in 

 order that they might both work at the same time, and not as some 

 say, that it might be carried with greater ease from Rome to Peru- 

 gia. The upper part of the painting is attributed to Fattore, al- 

 though some assert that they can recognise in it the strength and ele- 

 gance of Raffaelle, so exquisitely coloured are the figures of the Vir- 

 gin and the Saviour, and so noble are the angels around them, who 

 are scattering flowers from the sky. This first portion may be af- 

 firmed to be finished to perfection ; but in the lower part, which is 

 the work of Giulio Romano, where the apostles are grouped around 

 the tomb, which is filled with full-blown roses up to its very top, the 

 admirable variety of character and the harmony of so many and such 

 different figures, only make us the more desirous of softer and more 

 flowing outlines for the heads and the folds of the drapery. Hence 

 it seems probable that the lower part of the painting was left unfi- 

 nished by the artist, we would not dare to say from any want of skill, 

 but in consequence of some accidental circumstance. This most 

 beautiful painting adorned the High Altar of the church of Santa 

 Maria di Monte Luce near Perugia, till it was sent to Paris in 1797. 

 No. 19. Lombard School. Christ seated on the Rainbow, by Cor- 

 regio. After long controversies among the most celebrated acade- 

 mies of Italy whether this painting were a copy executed by Caracci, 

 or an original work of Antonio Allegri commonly called Corregio 

 from the place of his birth, the academy of St. Luke observing in the 

 arm of the Saviour certain corrections which would scarcely be found 

 in a copy by a first-rate artist, declared for its originality ; giving 

 greater weight to historical testimony than to pictorial merit, which 



