1

Virgin and child.

Christ washing the difciples feet. This picture

is 7 feet broad, and 19 feet long: bought by

Titian.

the Spanish ambajador out of Charles I's col- Tintoret. lection; as well as the next, which fold for

Tintoret.

Magdalen (5 feet long, 3 broad)

Holy family, bought out of Charles I's collection,

and fold for 20001. This picture was called Raphael.

the pearl of Philip IV.

Chrift before Pilate.

St. Jerom.

Christ on the crofs.

Mary Magdalen before her repentanee.

Titian..
Van Dyke.
Titian.

Paul Veronefe.

In

Over the door upon the stair-cafe into the church.

Chrift, St. John, Virgin Mary, and St. Anne. Raphael.
In a small room near the King's apartment.

Holy family.
Raphael.
This picture is called Nueftra fenora del los pifcayo, or, Our lady of
the fish. It is the fineft in the whole collection, and of immenfe
value. The Virgin is feated with the infant in her lap; Jofeph
flands by, holding a book. A boy prefents fome fish in his hand,
behind whom ftands an angel. Ufari fays of it, in his life of
Raphael, that it was painted for a church at Naples. See The
biftory of the Efcurial, page 224.

THERE are, in this convent, 51 ftatues, 1622 paintings in oil; 10 cielings by Luca Giordano, with the battle of St. Quintin, by the fame hand.

Marriage of Cana

Paul Veronefe:

This picture was certainly bought out of Charles I's collection, but where placed, I cannot say.

WHETHER the pictures that came from England, were bought by Don LEWIS MENDEZ DE HARO, as the Spaniards fay, or by Don ALONZO DE CARDINAS, as Lord CLARENDON affirms, is a controverfy of no moment.. The fact is certain that we have loft

1

the pictures; and the fale of them in CROMWELL was mean and infamous. Lord CLARENDON and Lord CoTTINGTON were fent away from the Spanish court, left they should see them. This fufficiently shows, that that court itself thought it to be a base tranfaction.

THERE are many fine collections of paintings in SPAIN befides this; the churches and convents abound with them. There is a moft magnificent one at the palace of SAN ILDEFONSO ; where there is likewise an amazing collection of antique ftatues, of the Muses, Cleopatra, Venus Medici, and of Egyptian and Roman Deities and River-gods: fome at the BUEN-RETIRO, fome at ARANJUEZ. Many pictures in the poffeffion of the Marquis DONIATI, at Madrid: Great numbers in the king's new palace in that city, which the famous painter MINX is juft come from ROME to decorate. Their great painters, befides SPAGNOLETT, have been MURILLO, Don DIEGO VELASQUEZ, and Don FERNANDES MUDO. The moft numerous works of the firft are at SEVILLE, where he died. The fecond was a most astonishing master of the art, great in design and expreffion, as may be feen in that picture of his in the ESCURIAL, where JOSEPH's bloody coat is brought to JACOB. The third was chiefly a ceiling-painter, and worked in frefco. It seems to me to be a great error, in imagining ITALY to be the only school for painters: SPAIN, if vifited by fome of our artifts, would, I am perfuaded, open new, aftonishing, and unexamined treasures to their view. The fculptor would return back with improved models, and the painter with a fancy enriched from the works of great mafters, that have been little ftudied. And I recommend it to the gentlemen patrons of the arts and Sciences, as an object worthy their attention, to fend fome perfon thither for that purpose.

LETTER

LETTER VIII. PART II.

Catalogus MANUSCRIPTORUM LIBRORUM in Bibliothecâ SCORIALENSI Cœnobii Sancti LAURENTII in Hifpaniá.