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Page 59
By and by they turned their attention to the _Madonna di Foligno_, and
were especially interested in it as being a votive picture. Margery, who
was very fond of this Madonna, with the exquisite background of angels'
heads, had a photograph of it in her own room at home, and knew the
whole story of the origin of the picture. So she told it at Malcom's
request, her delicate fingers clasping and unclasping each other,
according to her habit, as she talked.
"How true it is that one ought to know the reason why a picture is
painted, all about its painter, and a thousand other things, in order to
appreciate it properly," said Malcom, as they turned to leave the room.
"That is so," replied his uncle. "I really feel," with an apologetic
smile, "that I can do nothing with Raphael. There is so much of him
scattered about everywhere. We will regard this morning's study as only
preliminary, and you must study his pictures by yourselves, wherever you
find them. By the way," and he turned to look back through the doorway,
"you must not forget to come here again to see Domenichino's great
picture. How striking it is! But we must not mix his work with
Raphael's."
They passed through the first room of the gallery, stopping but a moment
to see two or three comparatively unimportant pictures painted by
Raphael, and went out into the Loggia.
"I brought you through this without a word, when we first came," said
Mr. Sumner. "But now I wish you to look up at the roof-paintings. They
were designed by Raphael, but painted by his pupils. You see they all
have Bible subjects. For this reason this Loggia is sometimes called
'Raphael's Bible.' The composition of every picture is simple, and in
the master's happiest style."
As they left the Loggia and entered "Raphael's Stanze," a series of
rooms whose walls are covered with his frescoes, Mr. Sumner said:--
"We will to-day only give a glance at the paintings in this first room.
They are, as you see, illustrative of great events in the history of
Rome. They were executed wholly by Raphael's pupils, after his designs."
"I shall come here again," said Malcom, in a positive tone. "This is
more in my line than Madonnas," and he made a bit of a wry face.
"And better still is to come for you," returned his uncle with a smile,
as they passed on. "Here in this next room are scenes in the religious
history of the city, and here," as they entered the third room, "is the
famous Camera della Segnatura."
"Room of the Signatures! Why so called?" asked Barbara.
"Because the Papal indulgences used to be signed here; and here,"
continued Mr. Sumner, turning for a moment toward Malcom, "are the
greatest of all Raphael's frescoes. We will now stop here for a few
minutes, and you must come again for real study. The subjects are the
representations of the most lofty occupations that engage the minds of
men--Philosophy, Justice, Theology, and Poetry. This is the first
painting done by Raphael in the Vatican, and it is all his own work,
both design and execution.
"Here on this side," pointing at a large fresco which covered the entire
wall, "is _La Disputa_, or _Theology_. Above, on the ceiling, you see a
symbolic figure representing Religion, with the Bible in one hand and
pointing down at the great picture with the other. Opposite is the
_School of Athens_. Above this is a figure emblematic of Philosophy,
wearing a diadem and holding two books. On the two end walls, broken, as
you see, by the windows, are _Parnassus_, peopled with Apollo and the
Muses, together with figures of celebrated poets,--above which is the
crowned figure with a lyre which represents Poetry,--and," turning, "the
_Administration of Law_, with ceiling-figure with crown, sword, and
balance, symbolizing Justice. In this room the painter had much to
contend against. These opposite windows at the ends, which fill the
space with cross-lights, and around which he must place two of his
pictures, must have been discouraging. But the compositions are
consummately fine, and the whole is so admirably managed that one does
not even think of that which, if the work were less magnificent, would
be harassing.
"I advise you to come here early some morning and bring with you some
full description of the pictures, which tells whom the figures are
intended to represent. Study first each painting as a whole; see the
fine distribution of masses; the general arrangement; the symmetry of
groups which balance each other; the harmony of line and color. Then
study individual figures for form, attitude, and expression. I think you
will wish to give several mornings to this one room.
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