Page images
PDF
EPUB

for 'tis of Annibale Caracci : Here (as it is for my present purpose) I will only observe in short upon what is moft Remarkable in this Surprizing Picture; which has not been long out of my Mind fince the firft Moment that I faw

it.

The Subject of it is The Bleffed Virgin as Protectress of Bologna; As appears by the Profpect of that City at the bottom of the Picture under the Clouds on which she is feated in Glory, encompass'd with Cherubims, Boy-Angels, and others as ufually defcrib'd: But oh! the Sublimity of Expreffion! What Dignity, and Devotion appears in the Virgin! What Awful Regard! What Love! What Delight, and Complacency is in these Angelick Beings towards the VirginMother

Mother of the Son of God! The Afpect of the Chrift is proper to the Character he here fuftains; He is now only to denote the Virgin, as St. Jerome's Lyon, St. John's Eagle, and the like, He is not here as the Second Perfon in the Adorable Trinity; The Virgin is the Only Principal Figure; This is as it were a Part of Her, Whole Character is Alone to be confider'd in This Cafe; And accordingly every thing contributes to raise It as much as poffible; And That is done prodigiously. But as every thing else in the Picture is Addrefs'd towards Her, She in the Humbleft, and moft Devour Manner lifts up her Eyes towards the Invisible, Supream Being, Directing our Thoughts thither alfo, with like Humble, Pious,

and

and Devout Sentiments. If She to whom the Angels appear fo vaftly Inferiour is in His Prefence but a poor Suppliant, What an Exalted Idea muft this give us of Him!

Angelick Minds the nearest to thy Self, Those who conceive of Thee as far beyond Our low conceptions as the Eagles flight, Transcends Our utmoft Stretch, Thefe See

Thee not,

Nor canft Thou be difcern'd but by Thy felf;
What art Thou then as by Thy felf bebeld.
Just as Thou art! Unclouded! Undiminish'd!
In full Perfection! O the Joy Divine !
Ineffable! of that Enlightmed Mind
Where this Idea Shines Eternally!

The Nobleft, Lovelieft, and moft Excellent
The Mind Divine can poffibly conceive!

of

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

IN all the Works of Art there is to be confider'd, the Thought, and the Workmanship, or Man

ner of Expreffing, or Executing that Thought. What Ideas the Artist had we can only Guess at by what we fee, and confequently cannot tell how far he has fallen short, or perhaps by Accident

Exceeded them, But the Work like the Corporeal, and Material part of Man is apparent, and to be feen to the utmost. Thus in the Art I am difcourfing upon, Every thing that is done is in purfuance of fomé Ideas the Master has, whether he can reach with his Hand, what his Mind has conceiv'd, or no; and this is true in every Part of Painting. As for Invention, Expreffion, Difpofition, and Grace, Greatness. These every body must see direct us plainly to the Manner of Thinking, to the Idea the Painter had; but even in Drawing, Colouring, and Handling, in These alfo are feen his Manner of Thinking upon those Subjects, One may by These guess at his Ideas of what is in Nature, or what was to be wifh'd for, or 02 Cho

and

« PreviousContinue »