Carracci.

right are feveral perfons bufily employed gathering up linen, and other relics that had touched her body. These two are by Louigi Carracci, Louigi As to the first, that by Camillo Procaccino is in bad preservation: thofe on each fide of it bear the distinguishing marks of a great master. The figures appear Coloffal, the picture being placed too low they are executed in a great manner for the design and the folds of the drapery, but you must pass over the want of precision in the colouring, and certain neglects in the proportions, keeping, &c. Over these, and by way of frize, are two very wide pictures by Louigi Carracci; each represents a Prophet extremely foreshortened, and fo spread out that they are quite extravagant; like one's face feen in a spoon the broad way. The centrical part of the vaulted roof over these pictures is painted in fresco by the fame hand, and represents an affemblage of angels, forefhortened on a blue ground, intended, as I suppose, for the fky. The cupola is painted in fresco by Guercino, Guercino. in compartments forming various pictures; eight in the centre reprefent prophets and angels; under these, as in a frize, more angels; lower ftill are fybils, and fome fubjects taken from the New Teftament. The outlines of all these figures are too strong and hard, the colouring fo forcible, and the shadows fo diftinct, that all foftnefs is loft in them. The colouring upon the whole is too much of a lead-colour: the flying figures appear heavy.

R 4

heavy. In a chapel to the left of the Nef is a picture by Lanfranco *; the subject a Hermit holding a Death's-head, and a glory of little angels above him; the drapery is tolerable; the hands natural; the colour clear and good; and the angels heads particularly well drawn. A picture, the author unknown, representing a St. Alexis dead, a bishop reading a letter, the Saint's wife deploring his death on her knees, leaning on his coffin, his mother wringing her hands, and his old father feems transfixed by the violence of his affliction. The Chanoine told us the piece was taken from the real history of this Saint: that he was born at Rome, and married there; but having a fudden call to a religious, austere, and chaste life, the very day of his marriage, he quitted his wife and family, and fet out upon a pilgrimage; after wandering about seventeen years, during which time he fuffered all forts of mortifications and hardships, he returned home almost naked, and in extreme poverty, to his father's house; where, not making himself known, the fervants fuffered him to take fhelter upon a staircase; there an illness feizing him, (the effect of the hardships he had undergone) foon terminated his wretched life. When dead, a letter was found in his hand,

Lanfranco was born in this town; he was a page in the family of Scotti (a noble house of Piacenza), and has diftinguished himself in the art of painting. Two of his pictures are remarkably famous; the fubject of one of them is the Rape of Helen; of the other, the facking of Troy.

which no force could wreft from him, till, at the approach of a holy bishop, the hand opened fpontaneously, and I need not add the letter was read. This is the moment the painter has taken; the letter was to inform his family who he was, &c. The Chanoine perceiving by his countenance what paffed in M's mind, handed down an old book from a fhelf just by, intitled The Lives of the Saints, and turning to that of St. Alexis, fhewed him that it agreed, as far as he read, with the above relation. After fuch a proof, who can doubt? This picture has great merit; the Saint appears evidently to have died from extreme want and fickness. It has all that ftrength of expreffion peculiar to Efpagniolette. In the fame church is an old Monument to the memory of Philippus Sega Bonon, Cardinal of Piacenza, with a Latin infcription, in which is noticed his having left an annual fund for fome yearly offices to be performed for the repofe of himself and his wife. [The Chanoine fuppofed he was a widower when he entered into holy orders.] There is another monument raised to the memory of one Barmus, Bishop of Piacenza, who died 1731, aged 82; his Latin infcription, according to M, imports, "that he had been bishop of that town forty-four years; during which time he had "never quarrelled, either with the Holy See or "with his Prince. His nephew caufed this monu"ment to be, &c. to perpetuate his memory."

The

Church of

The Church of St. Agostino, the Architecture St. Agof by Vignola, decorated with a Doric order. There Vignola. are five nefs; double arches fuftained by columns,

tino.

Sculpture

feparated by arcades, and as many small cupolas or domes as arcades in the fide-ifles. It is a beautiful building. The convent belonging to this church confifts of two large courts built round. In the late war the King of Sardinia turned the Monks into the streets, converting the church, and one of the courts, into an hofpital for his troops, and the other fquare into a magazine for forage; but twenty-five of thefe Fathers at prefent inhabit this vast building, thought it might afford ample accommodations for four hundred. They are extremely rich, and are reputed to live in luxury. Being at dinner while we were viewing their church, M- offered a confiderable bribe to our conductor, to let us have a peep at them through a door or window privately; but he could not be prevailed upon.

In the Sacrifty is a Crucifixion on Mount Calcurious. vary, fculptured in wood: composed of about an hundred and twenty figures; fome old, fome young, fome on foot, fome on horfeback. It is the work of a German, about two hundred years fince. The two crucified thieves have a priest ftanding by each of their croffes. It is furprisingly well carved. Great variety of character and expreffion in the figures, both the near and thofe in the perspective of Mount Calvary. They

Lay

fay it confifts of only three pieces of wood, and though we carefully examined it as far as its height allowed, we could not perceive any joining.

Madona

Pictures.

The Church called La Madona de la Campagna Church is vifited for its painting. In a fmall chapel near delaCam the entrance is a picture by Parmegianino; in but pagna. indifferent preservation, yet what remains perfect Parmegiis very fine. The subject is a Saint who lays his anino. hands upon the books of the Old and New Teftament. The drawing in a great ftyle; but the colours are faint, and too much inclining to a general red tint. In the fame church are about twenty small pictures by Pardenone, the fubjects Pardetaken from the New Teftament, but not extraordinarily well done. The fresco-painting, of which there is a great quantity in this church, is attributed to Paul Veronefe, though without fufficient Paul Vemerit in my opinion to justify the fuppofition.

none.

ronefe.

church.

In the Church of St. Jean ftrangers are fhewn St. Jean two ftatues of children who adorn the tomb of Statues. Lucretia, daughter to Philip Alziati, a noble Genoefe. They pretend at Piacenza that these ftatues are examples of perfection in fculpture; we thought them indifferent and ill compofed, particularly the legs, which bear no true proportion to the hips *. Lalande is mistaken, in faying

* We obferved a wooden crucifix faftened to the pulpit, in such a manner as that the preacher might turn it about at pleasure on all fides; a practice much in use amongst all the

preaching