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VANDYCK.

VANDYCK.

AMOROSO.

GERARD
Dow.

The Pieta is also finely coloured, (though not of that splendid kind,) correctly drawn, and finished with the utmost care and precision.

There are likewise three other pictures of Vandyck in this room; one of them is the Virgin and Child, and St. John; the Virgin looking down on the St. John, who is presenting his label to Christ. The two others are small pictures; the assumption of St. Rosalia, and the Virgin presenting St. Rosalia to the Trinity; both very indifferent performances.

The whole-length portraits of ladies. Of that in black the colours are flown; her face is whiter than her linen.

A girl sleeping on the ground, by Amoroso; simple, and natural.

But the picture which is most valued here, and which gives name to the room, is the Gerard Dow; a Mountebank haranguing from his stage to figures of

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different ages, but I cannot add-of DUSSELdifferent characters: for there is in truth no character in the picture. It is very highly finished, but has nothing interesting in it. Gerard Dow himself is looking from a window with his palette and pencils in his hand. The heads have no character, nor are any circumstances of humour introduced. The only incident is a very dirty one, which every one must wish had been omitted; that of a woman clouting a child. The rest of the figures are standing round, without invention or novelty of any kind. This is supposed to be the largest composition that he ever made, his other works being little more than single figures; and it plainly appears that this was too much for him, -more than he knew how to manage. Even the accessories in the back-ground are ill managed and disproportioned; a stump of a tree is too small, and the weeds are too large; and both are introduced with as much formality as if they were principal ob

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DUSSEL jects. Upon the whole the single figure of the woman holding a hare, in Mr. Hope's collection, is worth more than this large picture, in which perhaps there is ten times the quantity of work.

BAROCCI.

RAFFAELLE.

THIRD ROOM.

The

NOLI ME TANGERE, of Barocci. figures have not much grace; the Magdalen looks as if she was scratching her head; it is, however, finely coloured. There is a print of this picture.

A holy family, of Raffaelle: Christ and St. John attending to each other, the Virgin sitting on the ground looking at Elizabeth; St. Joseph behind with both hands on his staff; which all together make a very regular pyramid. The Virgin is beautiful, as are likewise the children: indeed the whole is to be admired; but the colouring has a disagreeable yellow cast: it is in his first manner.

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CARLO

An immense picture of the Ascension DUSSELof the Virgin, by Carlo Cignani; heavy, and in no point excellent: a proper com- CIONANI. panion for the large picture of Gaspard de Crayer.

CHINO.

Susanna and the two Elders, by DOMENIDomenichino. She is sitting at a fountain, the two elders are behind a balustrade; her head is fine, as are those of the old men; but it is upon the whole but a poor barren composition. There is as much expression in the Susanna as perhaps can be given, preserving at the same time beauty; but the colour is inclinable to chalk, at least it appears so after looking at the warm splendid colours of Rubens: his full and rich composition makes this look cold and scanty. She is awkwardly placed by herself in the corner of the picture, which appears too large for the subject, the canvas not being sufficiently filled.

GIORDANO.

Here are many Luca Giordanos, which LUCA are composed in a picturesque manner :

DUSSEL and some very ordinary pictures of Paolo

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PAOLO VE
RONESE.

LUCA GI-
ORDANO.

TINTORET.

Veronese.

At the further end are two picturesque compositions of Luca Giordano, the Feeding of the Multitude, and the Elevation of the Cross; where he has disposed of a vast mob of people with great skill, in Tintoret's manner; and if they had his, or rather Paul Veronese's colouring, these would be considered as very extraordinary pictures; but there is here a want of briskness and brilliancy of colour; a kind of clay colour seems to predominate in his pictures. When one looks at Luca Giordano, and sees a work well composed, well drawn, and with good keeping, one wonders how he has missed being a great name.

A Crucifixion of Tintoret, with a great number of figures, but ill composed, and full of small spots of light: parts of this picture, however, are not ill painted.