622 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1749. 



These are the 4 capital pieces : and they are so extremely well executed, that 

 Don Francesco de la Vega, a painter, whom the king of Naples sent for from 

 Rome, as one of the best hands, to take draughts of these paintings, said, that 

 if Raphael was now alive, he would be glad to study the drawings, and perhaps 

 take lessons from them. Nothing can be more just and correct: the muscles 

 are most exactly and softly marked, every one in its own place, without any of 

 that preternatural swelling, which is so much over-done in some of the best Ita- 

 lian masters, that all their men are made to appear like Hercules. It is sur- 

 prising how fresh all the colours of these pictures are, considering that they have 

 been under-ground above 1050 years; besides the years they stood, before they 

 were covered by the eruption, which cannot be exactly determined. 



Theseus in the first, and the naked figures in the second piece, are a good 

 deal on the red colour; but the women and children are of as soft and mellow 

 flesh-colours as if painted in oil. The third and fourth are so highly finished, 

 that you can scarcely discern whether they are done in water or oil colours. The 

 last pleased him most; the composition is good; the attitudes natural, and of 

 fine kinds; the different characters justly expressed; the drawing and drapery 

 exquisite; and, though done in water, with only 2 or 3 colours at most, yet the 

 light and shade are so artfiiUy managed, that the figures are quite out of the sur- 

 face. The connoisseurs prefer the third, or the centaur. 



We now come to those of the 2d class, which are as follow: 



1. A piece of 4 feet by 3, supposed to be the judgment of Paris. Three 

 goddesses, with rays like circles of glory about their heads, which are very fine: 

 the first sitting inclined: two standing naked; good drawing and natural attitudes. 

 A figure of a shepherd at a distance above them, with a crooked stafl^ in his 

 hand, a garland on his head, his right hand grasping something, which is not 

 distinctly seen, has not being so much finished as the rest. 



2. A piece of 4 feet square, representing Hercules, when a child, tearing the 

 serpent in pieces, with great vigour and fierceness in his eyes; an old man draw- 

 ing a dagger, being startled at the danger, in order to kill the snake; a woman 

 holding up her hands to heaven , an old woman holding a child in her arms. 

 The whole natural and well drawn. 



3. A piece of 4 feet by 3, an old man naked, sitting; a naked boy standing 

 by his side, with a piece of a rod or twig in each hand: the old man is pointing 

 with his finger, and teaching the boy something. Fine drawing, somewhat defaced. 



" '4. A piece of 6 feet by 3, a half length of Jove with thunder in his hand; a 

 little Cupid looking over his shoulder; a rainbow, an eagle; a bald old head; a 

 figure like Venus coming from bathing, naked down to the thighs. Beautiful 

 contour, great softness, and fine flesh-colours; seems to have the privy parts of 

 a man, an hermaphrodite. 



