Art and Science 



but should perhaps repeat here, that the dis- 

 tinguishing characteristic of the Birth of the 

 Virgin, as rendered by Valsesian artists, is 

 that St. Anne always has eggs immediately 

 after the infant is born, and usually a good 

 deal more, whereas the Madonna never has 

 anything to eat or drink. The eggs are in 

 accordance with a custom that still prevails 

 among the peasant classes in the Valsesia, 

 where women on giving birth to a child gene- 

 rally are given a sabaglione an egg beaten 

 up with a little wine, or rum, and sugar. 

 East of Milan the Virgin's mother does not 

 have eggs, and I suppose, from the absence of 

 the eggs at Oropa, that the custom above re- 

 ferred to does not prevail in the Biellese dis- 

 trict. The Virgin also is invariably washed. 

 St. John the Baptist, when he is born at all, 

 which is not very often, is also washed ; but I 

 have not observed that St. Elizabeth has any- 

 thing like the attention paid her that is given 

 to St. Anne. What, however, is wanting 

 here at Oropa in meat and drink is made up 

 in Cupids ; they swarm like flies on the walls, 

 clouds, cornices, and capitals of columns. 



"3 H 



