upon the whole, the palaces of Bologna are not comparable in respect to architecture, furniture, and magnificence to thofe of Genoa: they are much out of repair, and contain a prodigious number of bad pictures, which ought to be banished their collections; for of what ufe can fuch miferable trash be to pofterity, unless merely to serve instead of filk, tapestry, or paper, to cover the walls; and I think any of the three preferable to old, rotten, ill-daubed canvas. I am now come to the churches. In the facriftie of La Madonna di Galiera is an Madonna di Galie old portrait of a monk of the order of St. Phillipe ra. de Neri, by himself, but fo well done, that there A Monk. is no antique painter except Raffaello who can excel it, in my opinion; it has all the merit a portrait can boaft, except that peculiarity of colouring I have so often mentioned in Raffaello's pictures. A very agreeable picture of a Holy Family, with a concert of angels; by Jeffi. Jeffi. Cava donne. A beautiful Madonna; by Guido. Several Guido. miniatures by Cavadonne and Albani, and two of the finest paintings of the Annunciation I have yet Albani. seen, by Annibal Carracci: it is wonderful how Annibal well and how ill this painter has worked. In the Carracci. first chapel to the left on entering the church, is a picture of St. Philip in extacy; by Guercino. In Guercino. the fecond, a good picture by Albani; the fub- Albani. ject an Infant Jefus ftanding between the Virgin VOL. I. Ꮓ and Moneta. and St. Jofeph, to whom the angel prefents Gli Strumenti della paffione in the prefence of God the Father; the heads are graceful: if there is any fault, the glory appears too confused, though well illuminated. Adam and Eve, and other fresco pictures in the fame chapel, are in fo bad a light, there is no forming any judgment of them. In the third chapel is a St. Thomas touching the wounds of our Saviour in prefence of the other Apoftles; the Therefa drawing fine, but the colouring is too grey; by Muratore Therefa Muratore Moneta. In a chapel detached Ludovico from the church is a painting on the wall, by LuCarracci. dovico Carracci; representing an Ecce Uomo, and Pilate, washing his hands: it is finely composed, and the colouring ftrong and vigorous. Giefu & The church of Giefu and Maria; in the first Church. chapel, a picture of St. William on his knees before a crucifix; above is a glory, with a Virgin, St. Magdalene, and feveral little children; in the back ground two little devils are creeping into the earth; the glory is the ftriking part of the picture; they are well grouped, and the heads graceful; but the St. William fails in character; Albani. by Albani. Over the great altar is a capital picGuercino. ture of the Circumcifion; by Guercino. This fubject is admirably executed, and worthy the inspection of all strangers, Guercino having exerted Bonefacio all his powers in its completion. The architect Socchi. of this church was Bonefacio Socchi; it is small, but but elegant; its decorations are of the Compofite Order. cants di dro Tia rini. The Mendicants di Dentro, a well-proportioned Mendichurch, contains feveral capital paintings. In the Dentro first chapel, to the right, is a most interesting Church. picture, by Aleffandro Tiarini; St. Jofeph Aleffanbrought by angels on his knees to the Virgin, to beg pardon for his unjuft fufpicions. The colouring is strong, and the drawing correct: the Vir gin is not as graceful as she should be, and the air of her head is ignoble. However, the pardons St. Jofeph with an air of great condefcenfion, raifing him up with one hand, and pointing to heaven with the other. In the fourth chapel, to the right, is a picture of Cavadone; here St. Alo Cavaand St. Petronio are on their knees, adoring the Infant Jefus, who appears in a Glory with the Virgin there is a variety in the compofition, clair obfcure, and the stuffs that form the drapery truly admirable, although that of the Virgin, by way of giving it relief, has been too much blackened in fome places. done. The large picture of Guido, placed over the Guido. great altar, is more efteemed at Bologna than I think it deferves. Another chapel contains fix small pictures of angels finely coloured, by Ber- Bertrozio. trozio, a scholar of Ludovico Carracci. In the chapel is a charming picture by Guido; the fub: Guido. ject St. Giobbe replaced on his throne, ceiving magnificent offerings. Amongst Z 2 and re many other other graceful figures is an elegant nymph, who bears a white difh full of jewels, and a boy carrying a precious vafe, of the last beauty: there is fomething wonderfully ftriking in his figure and face. We lament that the object of all this homage appears an infipid, stupid-looking personage, I mean St. Giobbe. Though there are feveral figures, they are free from confufion; the painting is thin and delicate to a great degree, the complexions transparent, the drapery light, and the plaits numerous and distinct; the clair obfcure is beautifully blended, and the out-lines melt into air, so as to produce a ftriking foftness and union as in nature. We gave a good half-hour to the confideration of this picture. The vault of the chapel is painted by Cavadone. There is a very extraordinary picture in this church, which neither Lalande nor Cochin have noticed; it reprefents our Saviour fitting in a carver's fhop, dreffed in a purple robe lined with blue fattin, and fcarlet filk stockings; he is carving a fort of TERM, which represents a woman's head with a bird's beak and wings a poor man who has bought a wooden goblet, offers to pay for it, but his money is refufed. Behind the man is an old woman, well done; in the back-ground St. Joseph is plaining a board; above all is a glory, in which appears the Virgin and two angels defcending, one bearing a Tiarini. mitre, the other a crofier; by Tiarini. Cavadone. Corpus Domini Corpus Domini, a church belonging to the con- Corpus vent of nuns of the order called in France Clariftes. Church. A very elegant church, and finely decorated with columns of the Compofite order: the vaulted roof is painted, and the ornaments are in a good tafte. Over the fourth altar, to the right, are two pictures, by Ludovico Carracci; one represents the Ludovico Carracci. Apparition of our Saviour; the other, an Affumption of the Virgin, and the Apostles seeking the body of Jefus in the tomb; they are both good pictures, but of a flat and lead-coloured tint. Over the fourth altar, to the left, is a fine painting, by Annibal Carracci, of the Refurrection: Annibal the forefhortening is ingenious, the drawing fine, Carracci. but fails in respect to colouring; a defect rarely found in this master. chini. St. Agnefe; in this church, over the great St. Agnefe altar, is a charming picture of the Martyrdom of Church. St. Agnefe; the appears about thirteen years old; Dominiand is expiring from the ftroke of a dagger juft plunged into her bofom. Imagination cannot paint a more innocent beauty, with fuch angelic dignity and meekness; she is robed in white, and her amiable figure is finely contrafted by an old wicked wretch, who having just stabbed her, seems transported with fuperftitious zeal and fanatic cruelty. Some young girls, apparently her acquaintance, exprefs their grief and terror in the most natural manner: on the fore-ground appear her mother and fifter; the former is fainted away, and Z 3 |
