NOTE XX. VERSE 295. Young Zampieri ow'd his nobler name.] Domenico Zampieri, born at Bologna 1518, died at Naples, not without fufpicion of poison, 1640. He entered early in life into the school of the Caracci, and was there honoured with the affectionate appellation of Domenichino, from his extreme youth. His Communion of St. Jerome was compared by the judicious Pouffin to the Transfiguration of Raphael: yet Du Fresnoy has paffed a fevere cenfure on Domenichino, and affirms that he has lefs noblenefs in his works than any other artist who ftudied in the fchool of the Caracci. So contradictory are the opinions of the two moft enlightened judges in this delicate art! NOTE XXI. VERSE 297. The learned Lanfranc in their school arose.] Giovanni Lanfranco, born at Parma 1581, was knighted by Pope Urban the VIIIth, and died at Rome 1647. ΝΟΤΕ XXII. VERSE 299. The tender Guido caught his graceful air.] Guido Reni was born in Bologna 1595: exquifite in grace, though deficient in expreffion, he was held during his life in the highest eftimation. A fatal paffion for gaming involved him in continued scenes of diftrefs. His perfonal beauty was so great, that his mafter Lodovico Caracci is faid to have drawn his angels from the head of Guido. NOTE XXIII. VERSE 305. Titian's mute fcholar, rival of his fame.] Titian is faid to have refided in Spain from the year 1548 to 1553, and feems to have raised a strong paffion for Art in that country.-His moft eminent disciple was Juan Fernandez Ximenes de Navarrete, who is called by his Spanish Biographer, The Titian of Spain. Though born deaf and dumb, from whence he derives his common title el Mudo, he rose to great reputation as a Painter; and was warmly patronized by his Sovereign, as appears from the following incident-In painting the martyrdom of a Saint, he had introduced the figure of his perfonal enemy, who happened to be the King's Secretary, in the character of the Executioner: the Secretary complained to his master, and petitioned that his features might be effaced; but his Majesty defended the Painter, and ordered the figure to remain.-In praifing this fingular genius, I have ventured to borrow fomething like a conceit from the famous Spanish Poet Lope de Vega, who has celebrated his talents in the following verfes : . Del Mudo Pintor famofiffimo. Y tanta The Poet alfo honoured this favourite Artift, who died in 1572, with an Epitaph, which turns on the fame idea, and which the curious reader may find in the Work, from whence I have taken this fhort account of him. Vidas de los Pittores Efpanoles, por Palamino Velasco, Octavo, London 1744. NOTE XXIV. VERSE 310. And thou, Velasquez, share the honour due.] Don Diego Velafquez de Silva, the most accomplished of the Spanish Painters, was born at Seville, 1594, and clos'd his honourable and fplendid life at Madrid in 1660. His mafter was Pacheco, a Spaniard, who united the fifter arts of Painting and Poetry.-Velasquez was patronized by the famous Olivarez, and had the honour of painting our Charles the Firft, during his vifit at Madrid: perhaps he contributed not a little to form the taste and paffion for art, by which that Prince was fo eminently diftinguifhed. The Spanish Painter rose to great honours in his own country, and had, like Rubens, the fingular fortune to unite the character of an Ambassador with that of an Artist, being fent on an extraordinary commiffion, in 1648, to Pope Innocent X, One of his most striking historical pictures, was the expulfion of the Moors from Spain; a noble, national fubject, which he painted for Philip the Third, in comF 6 VOL. I. petition petition with three Artists of reputation, and obtained the preference. But he is particularly celebrated for the spirit and energy of his Portraits; concerning which there are two fingular ancedotes related by his Spanish Biographer; and the following may poffibly amuse the reader: ture; In 1639, he executed a portrait of Don Adrian Pulido Pareja, Commander in chief of an armament appointed to New Spain; and pleased himself so well in the execution, that he affixed his name to the pica circumstance not ufual with him. He had painted with pencils of uncommon length, for the fake of working at a greater diftance, and with peculiar force; fo that the picture (says my Spanish author) when near, is not to be distinguished, and at a distance, is a miracle. As Velafquez, after this portrait was finished, was at work in the palace, the King, as ufual, went privately to his apartment to see him paint; when obferving the figure of Pareja, and taking it for the real perfon, he exclaimed with furprize, "What! are you still here? have you not your dispatches? and why are you not gone?" But foon perceiving his mistake, he turn'd to Velasquez (who modeftly doubted the reality of the deception) and faid, "I proteft to you it deceived me."-For this ftory, fuch as it is, I am indebted to the author whom I have quoted in the preceding Note. The celebrated Murillo, whose pictures are much better known in England than those of his mafter, was a difciple of Velasquez. NOTE XXV. VERSE 316. Thy care the foft, the rich Murillo form'd.] Dọn Bartolome Eftevan Murillo was born in the neighbour hood Hood of Seville, in 1613. His first master was Juan de Caftillo; but he foon settled in Madrid, under the protection of Velasquez, who contributed to his improvement in the most generous manner. The Spaniards boast that Murillo became a great Painter, without ever travelling out of Spain. He is faid to have refused the offer of an establishment in England from Charles the Second, and to have pleaded his age as an excuse for not quitting his own country; where he died, and was buried with great marks of honour, in 1685. Those who wish for more information on the Artists of Spain, may be amply gratified by the amusing work which Mr. Cumberland has lately published on the Painters of that country :-they will find in it a very fpirited account of the famous Mengs, who died in the fervice of the Spanish court, at the age of fifty-one, in 1779.-If we could truft to the praises bestowed on this celebrated Artist, by his friend and biographer Azara, we might revere him as the restorer of perfect art; but the elegant writer of our country, who has furveyed his capital productions with an impartial eye, gives us to understand, that they all betray a great poverty of genius. Indeed the perfonal history of Mengs may tend to confirm this idea. He was originally made a painter and a drudge, by the tyranny of a cruel father; and though he applied himself intensely through life to the practice and theory of his art, he seems never to have attained that felicity of performance, which can perhaps belong only to thofe, who devote themselves to a favorite art in the happy ardour of unconstrained affection. The profeffional writings of Mengs will |