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Page 70
"Guido Reni and Domenichino merit that honor, I think. Domenichino died
young, but painted some excellent pictures, notably the _St. Jerome_.
Guido Reni lived long enough to outlive his good painting, but among
his early works are some that may really be called the masterpieces of
this school; such as the _Aurora_ and the _St. Michael_ which you saw in
Rome."
"What do you mean by his outliving his good painting?" asked Margery.
"He grew most careless in his ways of living,--was dissipated we should
call it,--squandered his money, and finally, in order to gain the
wherewithal for daily life, used to paint by order of those who stood
waiting to take his pictures with paint still wet, lest the artist
should cheat them. To this we owe the great number of his worthless
Madonna and Magdalen heads that have found their way into the
galleries."
"How perfectly dreadful," chorused all.
"I am afraid we shall never see one of his pictures without thinking of
this," said Bettina; "shall we, Barbara?" and she turned to her sister,
who had been silent hitherto, as if longing to hear her talk.
"Try to forget it now as you look at these paintings, for this room
contains many of his," continued Mr. Sumner, after waiting a moment as
if to hear Barbara's answer, "and they are examples of his early work,
and so stronger than many others. Notice the powerful action of this
_Samson_ and the St. John in that _Crucifixion_.
"Here are good examples of the work of the three Carracci," continued
he, as after a time they entered the adjoining hall.
"But what does this mean?" cried Malcom, in an astonished voice, pausing
before a large picture, the _Communion of St. Jerome_, which bore the
name, Agostino Carracci. "How like it is to Domenichino's great picture
in the Vatican! Do you suppose Domenichino borrowed so much from his
master?"
"I fear so. Yet his picture is infinitely superior to this. And, look,
here is Domenichino's _Death of St. Peter, Martyr_, which was borrowed
largely from Titian's famous picture of the same subject, which has
unfortunately been destroyed."
"But don't you call that a species of plagiarism?" queried Malcom.
"Undoubtedly it is. I must confess I am always sorry for Domenichino
when I come into this hall. But we will pass on to better things. I wish
you to study particularly these pictures by Francia," said he, as they
entered a third hall.--"Yes, Betty, you are excusable. You all may look
first at Raphael's _St. Cecilia_, for here it is."
All gathered about the beautiful, famous picture.
"How much larger than I have ever thought!" said Margery. "For what was
it painted, uncle?"
"As an altar-piece for one of the oldest churches in Bologna. Do you
recollect the story about Raphael's writing to Francia to oversee its
proper and safe placing?"
"Oh, I do!" exclaimed Barbara, as Margery shook her head. "It was said
that Francia never painted again, so overcome was he by the surpassing
loveliness of Raphael's picture, and that he died from the effect of
this feeling,--but," she went on impetuously, "I do not believe it; for
see there!" pointing to Francia's _Madonna with Sts. John and Jerome_,
"do you think that the artist who painted this picture is so very far
behind even Raphael as to die of vexation at the difference between
them?"
Barbara was so carried away by the picture that she had forgotten
herself entirely, and spoke with her old-time frank eagerness, thereby
thoroughly delighting Bettina and Mr. Sumner.
"I am glad you feel so," said the latter, very quietly, and with a
strictly impersonal manner. "Francia, who belonged to the old Bolognese
masters of the sixteenth century, was one of the most devout of
painters, and everybody who studies his work must love it. See how pure
and sweet are his expressions! How simple his composition! What harmony
is in his coloring! How beyond those who painted after him!"
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