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THE RETURN

OF THE PRODIGAL SON.

The pharisees, ever envious of the popularity that JesusChrist acquired, reproached him with gathering only sinners. around him. He rebuked their malignity with this parable. Forgetful of his duties, the son of a wealthy man, claimed his portion from his father. Having obtained it, he quitted the paternal roof, and delivered himself up to all kind of excesses; he dissipated his money and reduced himself to such misery that he was compelled to tend swine. In this extremity, feeling the greatness of his fault, but full of confidence in parental kindness, he resolved to return to his father and implore his forgiveness. The father, moved by his repentance, forgetting all the faults of his son, forgave him and greeted him with marks of the greatest tenderness.

This picture, painted at, Rome in 1775, is beautifully coloured, and the expression of the heads is remarkable. It has been engraved and appeared in the gallery of Vienna, published by Haas, in -8°. Pompeius-Hierome Batoni, the painter, a pupil of Sebastian Conca, was born at Lucca in 1708, and died at Rome in 1789. He is better known by his portraits than by his historical pictures, yet being a cotemporary of Raphael Mengs, he has been compared to him by the chevalier Boni, who considered Batoni as being better able to imitate nature than Mengs.

Height, 4 feet 7 inches, width, 3 feet 3 inches.

N. Y. PUBLIO LIBRARY

PRINTS DIVISION

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ÉCOLE FLAMANDE. ****.*** RUBENS. ****...* GALLERIE DE FLORENCE.

LES MALHEURS DE LA GUERRE.

Aucun peintre n'a traité autant de sujets allégoriques que Rubens, parce que son génie fécond et poétique ne se trouvait assez occupé que par de vastes compositions : celle-ci est une des plus belles. Le temple de Janus est ouvert; le dieu de la guerre vient d'en sortir. L'empire d'Allemagne, sous la figure d'une femme coiffée d'une tour crénelée, et suivie d'un génie qui porte le globe impérial, exprime son désespoir. Vénus et les Amours cherchent encore à le retenir; vains efforts, Mars est entraîné par la Discorde, que déjà précèdent la Crainte et l'Effroi. Tous les arts éplorés, la Musique, l'Architecture, la Peinture, sont renversés par ce dieu terrible; le commerce est détruit, les campagnes vont être incendiées.

Ce tableau a été gravé par Ferd. Gregori et par M. Duclos. Larg., 9 pieds 3 pouces; haut., 6 pieds 5 pouces.

THE DISASTERS OF WAR.

No painter has treated so many allegorical subjects as Rubens, because his fertile and poetical genius was only at ease in vast compositions; and this is one of the finest. The temple of Janus is open; the god of war has just left it. The german empire, under the features of a woman with an embattled tower on her head, and followed by a genius carrying the imperial globe, gives way to her despair, Venus and the Loves are still trying to detain the stern god, but in vain; Mars is > burried forth by Discord, already preceded by Fear and Terror. All the fine arts bathed in tears, Music, Architecture and Painting, are thrown down by this terrible deity; trade is ruined, and the fields are about to be ravaged by fire.] Width, 9 feet 10 inches; height, 6 feet 10 inches.

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