BRIDGE OF ST. ANGELO AND TOMB OF HADRIAN, Rome, Italy.—This bridge is of most ancient construction. It was built by Hadrian in 136 A. D., to connect his tomb with the city. Ten colossal angels, formerly much admired, and executed in 1688, testify to the low ebb of plastic art at that period. The tomb was built by Emperor Hadrian for himself and his successors. The massive circular tower stands on a square basement on the banks of the Tiber. The bronze statue of St. Michael, the Archangel, which is seen on the summit, gives the tower its present name, Castello S. Angelo.
ST. PETER'S AND VATICAN, Rome, Italy.—St. Peter's is fronted by an elliptical piazza, enclosed by imposing colonnades, and is the largest and most beautiful Catholic Cathedral in the world; it was founded by Constantine and erected where St. Peter is said to have suffered martyrdom. Its erection and improvements cost over $50,000,000. The great Obelisk in the centre of the piazza, having no hieroglyphics, was brought from Heliopolis. The Vatican on the right is the Pope's residence, and is elegantly fitted up, being adorned with paintings and statues by the world's greatest masters.
INTERIOR OF ST. PETER'S, Rome, Italy.—This most marvellous church in the world was built on the place where stood the temple of Jupiter Vaticanus. The first church here is said to have been built A. D., 90. It was a memorial chapel to St. Peter, and was, according to tradition, erected on the spot where the saint was buried. Constantine built a Basilica on the site. The present structure, the glory of Michael Angelo, was begun about 1503. The picture shows the high altar with the statue of St. Peter to the very right.
ROMULUS AND REMUS SUCKING THE WOLF, Capitol Museum, Rome, Italy.—Thus wrote Virgil ("AEN." VIII-630):
"By the wolf were laid the martial twins,
Intrepid on her swelling dugs they hung;
The foster dam lolled out her fawning tongue;
She sucked secure; while bending back her head,
She licked their tender limbs, and formed them as they fed."
TRANSFIGURATION (By Raphael), Vatican Gallery, Rome, Italy.—The last great work and masterpiece of this celebrated artist, unfinished at his death and completed by Clement VIII., was preserved in St. Peter's until 1797. The upper part is by Raphael's own hand; Christ hovers between Moses and Elias; Peter, James and John are prostrate on the ground, and dazzled by the light. The figures to the left, in an attitude of adoration, are St. Lawrence and St. Stephen. The lower half, where the other disciples are requested to heal the possessed boy, was partly executed by Raphael's pupils.
LA BALLERINA (By Canova), Rome, Italy.—Here is another of the masterpieces of this famous master-sculptor. It is hewn out of a solid block of marble, and comes under the head of "grace and elegance," one of the divisions of Canova's works. This subject is a most striking one. Like all his other subjects of grace, it is in all its details, an expression of attitude, delicacy of finish and elegance. The profile is charming, the twist of the hair natural, and the lines and curves of the arms perfect, while the drapery is next to real.
LAOCOONTE, Vatican Gallery, Rome, Italy.—This famous group represents Laocoon and his two sons, who were strangled by serpents at the command of Apollo. According to Pliny, it was executed by three Rhodians, and placed in the Palace of Titus. It was discovered under Julius II., in 1506, near Sette Sale, and was termed by Michael Angelo a "marvel of art." The work is admirably preserved, with the exception of the three uplifted arms, which have been incorrectly restored. The dramatic suspense of the moment, and the profoundly expressive attitude of the heads, denote the perfection of the Rhodian school of art.
TOLEDO STREET, Naples, Italy.—This famous city is beautifully situated on the Bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Its charming position has given rise to the phrase "See Naples and die." It was founded by the Greeks, and here Virgil spent his time in study, his tomb being one of the points of interest for travelers. The city is still surrounded by a wall. It has often suffered from earthquakes and eruptions. The manufactures are numerous, of which macaroni and vermicelli are of first importance. The photograph represents Toledo Street, which intersects the city from south to north, and with its immense amount of well-conducted business, presents a very interesting sight.
CRATER OF MOUNT VESUVIUS, Italy.—This volcano, with a crater of nearly a quarter of a mile in circumference, rises in lonely majesty from the Bay of Naples, and varies in height from 3900 to 4900 feet, according to the varied eruptions. Vesuvius in the time of Nero manifested itself by a fearful earthquake, damaging Herculaneum and Pompeii. An eruption occurred in 79 A.D. by which the two cities named, were lost to the world for seventeen centuries. Another most terrific eruption occurred in 1631, by which a stone weighing twenty-five tons was thrown a distance of fifteen miles, and streams of lava poured from the summit, destroying over three thousand people.
STREET OF TOMBS, Pompeii, Italy.—This photograph exhibits a suburb of Pompeii named Pagus Augustus Felix, in honor of Augustus; it lay outside the city walls. It consisted chiefly of one main street, which has been partly excavated. This is the so-called Street of Tombs. The ancient custom of burying the dead by the side of a high road is well known. It has been ascertained that rows of graves, similar to those discovered here, exist beyond other gates of Pompeii. The Street of Tombs is, in point of situation, the most beautiful part of the town.