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THE PICTURE GALLERY OF THE VATICAN 



Is, perhaps, the only remarkable object in Rome which has not been 

 over and over again described by modern tourists ; and as we are not 

 aware that any Guide to it is extant in our language, the " Monthly 

 Magazine" may claim some credit for being the first to give a com- 

 plete and entire description of it to the English public. Even in 

 Rome the only Guide to be purchased is written in technical and 

 not very easy Italian. Not even a French translation is to be ob- 

 tained ; and any tourist, who is fond of the arts, will not regret hav- 

 ing given this number of our periodical a corner in his portmanteau, 

 when he finds himself lounging in the room which is the subject of 

 the present article.* 



This collection was first formed by Pius VI., who thought it a great 

 defect that a palace which contained a museum of statues so numer- 

 ous, that if animated they would form a vast crowd, which was 

 adorned with the frescoes of Raffael, Michael Angelo, and a host of 

 other great artists, should yet be without a gallery of oil paintings of 

 corresponding merit. Accordingly, he got together several cele- 

 brated pictures, which afterwards, however, were all carried to the 

 other side of the Alps in consequence of the troubles which came 

 upon Italy towards the close of the last century. As soon as Europe 

 was again at rest these sublime works of art returned to their original 

 possessors. The succeeding pontiffs, Leo XII. and Pius VIII., in- 

 creased their number, and embellished and enlarged the apartment in 

 which they had been deposited ; and the present Pope, GregoryXVL, 

 completed the project of his predecessors, and brought the Gallery'to 

 its present state of elegance and magnificence. 



In the accomplishment of this design the Roman sovereigns were 

 particularly favoured by circumstances ; and, indeed, no other con- 

 juncture than that in which they successively reigned could have 

 placed so many chefs d'ceuvres at their disposal. The substance, in 

 fact, of the collection consists of those pictures, which were sent back 

 to their respective owners on the downfall of Bonaparte. Many of 

 them belonged to churches, which were induced to relinquish their 

 claims upon the restored booty by the influence of the Papal court, 

 and in some instances by the enjoyment of a pension. Others, as we 

 have seen, had originally been carried off from the Vatican itself, and 

 were thus again placed in the hands of their rightful owner ; and the 

 removal of a few paintings from the summer palace on Monte Ca- 

 vallo, and the addition, by purchase, of two or three others, have 

 formed a gallery which is unrivalled and unique; for the whole num- 

 ber of the pictures is only thirty-two, and nearly every one of them 

 is the chef d'reuvre of the master of such masters too as Raffaelle and 

 Domenichino. 



Before admitting the visitor to take a closer view of these glories 



* The writer begs to acknowledge that he is indebted to the " Indicazione Antiqua- 

 ria," published in Rome, 1834, for the greater part of his materials, although he has 

 superadded the results of his own personal observation. 



