rated, but the painting upon the whole has too yellow a caft. werf. A Notte di Natale; the clair obfcur finely contrafted; the finishing admirable. This picture, whether confidered all together or in detail, is equally pleasing. The Virgin's hat, which lies on the ground, is fo well done, and the brightness of the straw (of which it is made) joined to the weaving it together, is fo correctly imitated, that it is almost a deception. Need I fay that this exquifitely finished picture is by Wanderwerf, Wanderthat prince of Flemish painters, unless this dignity may be difputed by Gherar-Dow, his rival, Gherarwho has exerted himself in the representation of an Old Woman, of whom a girl is purchasing fruit : the avaricious caution of the old woman, who doubts the goodness of the money, is incomparably well expreffed: the girl's character is as natural and as well done. This picture is highly finifhed.-I now come to two moft famous and most remarkable pictures, and which are the last Dow. I fhall mention of thofe that adorn the Tribune. The Wife of Titian, by himself, large as the life. Titian. This woman appears very handsome; and one cannot avoid obferving on her beauty and the glowing warmth of the colours, when, lo! a curtain rises and discovers another beauty, placed below the first, who is in truth transcendently handfome. All mankind feel with filent admiration the beauty of this lady, called Titian's Miftrefs, but is more probably the portrait of a mif trefs Wanderwerf. trefs of one of the Medici family. She is reclined upon a fofa, supported by pillows, covered with white linen in one hand fhe grafps a mat of flowers, and has no other ornament than a ring on her fourth finger and a bracelet on her arm. She is in that ftyle of beauty the French call a claire brun, and appears languid, as if exhausted by the heat of the weather: the colouring is as near that of the most beautiful nature as can be imagined. The declinations of the fhading, the paffing from the fhadows to the demi-tints, which are united in a manner imperceptible with the chiaro, can never be fufficiently admired. A little dog fleeps at her feet; and in the back-ground are two figures who appear to be waiting-women; one is on her knees, fearching for fomething in a large coffre; the other appears to be indefatigable in the purfuit of a flea on her own arm. These figures are too small in proportion to their distance from the fore-ground; and, upon a strict scrutiny, it must appear that Titian has neglected the rules of perspective in the back-ground of this picture. I forgot to mention a very fine picture of Wanderwerf; the fubject, the Adoration of the Magi. Tribune, and come to Finding that I cannot, 1 now take leave of the Gabinet- the Gabinetto of Antiques. to of An- without perplexing you and myself, conform pre tiques. cifely to the method I had intended to have obferved, left it fhould occafion confufion if I take notice of fome of the antique gems, buftos, &c. in the remaining apartments, and return back again to those rooms to mention the pictures, I shall particularize them now as they happen to occur in their different pofitions. Amongst the antiques with which this gabinetto abounds, those that appear to us the most valuable and curious are as follows: A goddess Cibylle, in bronze; the attitude, Antiques. drapery, and expreffion admirable. Goddefs Cibylle. Sofpita. A Juno Sofpita, very antique and curious. A Juno Roman Eagle in bronze, large as a sparrow- A Roman hawk, appears evidently to have been used as a Eagle. military standard; it is numbered, XXIIIIO, which figures must have divifion it belonged to. Roman standard, called alluded to the legion or An open hand; another manipulus, being the en fign of a company, as M informs me. Several Etrufcan implements of facrifice, used Etrufcan. for the pouring out of libations, with figures and characters engraved upon them. A Mural Crown in bronze, fo fmall that it Mural would fcarcely fit upon my head. Crown. The Emperor Tiberius, large as life, of bronze, Tiberius and much efteemed. Emp. Tickets of bronze, with inscriptions and num- Tickets. bers, for the most part not legible, but fuppofed to have been for the admiffion of spectators into thetheatres and other public amusements. A Collar to wear about the neck, probably as a mark of ignominy, or difgrace for foldiers, &c.; the inscription is very legible, and runs thus: Weights. Sybil. Cafque. Antoninus, two heads of. Minervinusa fuga Mila Tesa Coka XII Urba: A great variety of antique weights, representing bufts of warriors, with crested helmets, which have perforations in them to hook them upon steelyards. A Sybil in bronze, with a moft magical face; fhe is only half-length, but is a fine antique. A Votive Cafque, as green and smooth as the darkest green jafper. This kind of varnish can be acquired by no other means than that of remaining very long in the ground. The Abbé afferted that no chemical preparation can produce this effect; nor is it by any means universal amongst the antique bronzes, depending as he supposes entirely upon a quality peculiar to the kind of earth with which they have been covered; the bronze must be of the very best and hardest kind to gain this appearance. Two ftriking heads of Antoninus. A beautiful twisted Column of oriental alabaf Column. ter; it is confiderably above seven feet high, and one entire piece, the bafe and capital of African Four an- marble. Four antique buftos, reprefenting Titique buftos, berius, Antinous, Fauftina, and Homer: they Tiberius, are of bronze of Greek sculpture, and were found Fauftina, in the fea near Leghorn by fome failors, endea Homer. vouring to recover certain bales of goods, part the lading of a floop wrecked upon that coaft. Antinous, Velta. Two Mipervas. Vefta, a fine antique. of Two Minervas: Minerva Salutare and Minerva Ergane, with their infignia.. A Vestal A Vestal bearing the vafe acerra, which con- A Vestal, tained the incenfe for facrifice. &c. hold Di. Several Household Divinities. A great variety Houseof Jupiters and Venufes, amongst which, one who vinities. is adorning herself with her ceftus, is worthy the attention of the curious vifitor. A beautiful head of Juno. A fmall head of Vespañian. A Tiberius, his Wife and Daughter; both cameos, large and fine. Head of fian. Daughter, Etrufcan figure. An Etrufcan athletic figure with horns on his head. A figure of a woman, fuppofed to be an cameos. Amazon; fhe is wounded under the left breast, extends her right arm towards heaven, and feems Amazon. to fuffer great agony of mind and body from her defeat and from her wound. Two figures reprefenting Victory and Reputa- victory. tion, the first draped, the laft naked. A little Skeleton in bronze: as there is no Skeleton, doubt of its originality, it is highly efteemed, bronze. being an evident demonftration of the knowledge of the ancients in anatomy. A very rare and curious figure, conjectured by fome to reprefent one of the Lamias of Africa; her hair is dishevel- Lamia. led, her body naked to the wafte; the whole of. her afpect breathes ferocity, though her features are foft; the left arm wanting. Here are a prodigious number of Egyptian Divinities in bronze, Fgyptian Serapis, Ifis, Ofiris, Anubis, Canopus, &c. and Idols. many of Greece and Rome, alfo talifmans, lamps, Grecian tripods, feveral pateras, on one of which is en- Roman. graved the Rape of Proferpine, inftruments of VOL. I. Dd facri. and |