GIRL WITH CHERRIES. By Ambrogio de Predis
Of the other Florentines, the pensive “Madonna” by Verrocchio (ver-roke´-kee-o) is very attractive, and the Fra Angelico panel and the circular composition by Mainardi should not be overlooked. Neither of the subjects by Botticelli (bot-tee-chel´-lee) conveys a fair conception of his artistic significance, although they are well authenticated. There is a highly finished portrait of Federigo Gonzaga (fed-er-ee-go gon-tha-ga) by Francia (fran´-cha), in perfect preservation. The “Girl with Cherries,” now assigned to Ambrogio de Predis, was for a long time thought to be by Leonardo da Vinci (vin´-chee).
ST. GEORGE. By Carlo Crivelli
There are several large and important altarpieces. One, by Correggio (kor-red´-jo), was painted early in his career. It is rich in coloring and is an important link in his artistic development. On the opposite wall there is an “Entombment” by Moretto of Brescia, a leader in the North Italian School. He is noted for the gray tone that pervades many of his canvases. A “Pieta” (pee-ay´-ta), by Crivelli (kree-vel´-lee), shows tragic power combined with great beauty of color and strength of drawing.
The late Venetian is the most satisfactorily represented of the Italian Schools. There is an early “Madonna” ascribed to Giovanni Bellini (jo-van´-nee bel-lee´-nee), firm in drawing and harmonious in color scheme, but failing to show the strength to which he attained later in his career. Titian’s (tish´-an) portrait of Filippo Archinto (fil-ee-po ar-keen´-to), Bishop of Milan, is fine as a study of character—we must hope that some of the more decorative pieces by Titian will some day be secured. Like most of the portraits painted by Giorgione (jor-jo´-nee), the one in the Altman Collection has suffered from restoration, but anything by this rare painter is priceless. Carpaccio’s (kar-patch´-o) mystic “Meditation on the Passion” is very important historically.
SCENE IN VENICE. By Antonio Canaletto
There are no less than three canvases by Tintoretto. “A Doge in Prayer Before the Redeemer” came from Ruskin’s collection. Though only a sketch, and therefore less finished than the pretentious “Miracle of the Loaves,” it is for that very reason the more convincingly Tintoretto’s own handling. Paolo Veronese’s (pah-o-lo vay-ro-naze´-ee) “Mars and Venus” shows what a late Venetian could do with a subject that gave full play to a love of color and gorgeous textiles. By Canaletto there is a “Scene in Venice” which is unsurpassed by anything that represents him elsewhere. The “Investiture of Bishop Harold” is the finest of several paintings by Tiepolo (tee-ay-po´-lo) in the Museum. There are excellent portraits by Torbido (tor-bee´-do) and Montagna (mon-tan´-yuh), who do not belong strictly to the Venetians. They are much finer in workmanship than pictures sometimes attributed to their more famous brethren.
Both of the great men of the German School are well represented. Dürer’s training as an engraver is very apparent in his “Madonna and Child with St. Anne”—the sleeping Christ-child is delightful. Of the three Holbeins, the early “Portrait of a Man” is perhaps the best. According to the inscription, it must have been painted when the artist was twenty years old. There are other fine portraits by Cranach (kran´-ack) the elder and Beham.