238 THE STONES OF VENICE

across picture. A fourth, their companion, is a copy, but these three are fine, and the Vestal I think the finest I have ever seen.¹

DOMENICHINO.-Christ appearing to the Magdalen. I don’t believe the picture. Abominable in every way, but chiefly in the action and the colour. A fine instance of exaggerated action on both sides, destroying all appearance of intense feeling.

TITIAN.-St. Catherine of Genoa. The genuine edition of this is in the Louvre. This looks like good, but uncompleted work.

GUERCINO.-Andromeda, very poor, but interesting as being an example of the same treatment as the Cleopatra, next noticed, purple drapery heightening flesh colour.

PALAZZO BRIGNOLE.²

On the right hand in the Strada Nuova. The effect, to me, imperfect, from its being stucco over bricks. Only doors and balconies of stone.

GUERCINO.-Cleopatra. A singular melody of two colours only, with warm white. The figure lying under curtains of pure purple or lilac, the flesh almost the same tint as the curtains, but paler, and the bed white. Very fine.

RUBENS.-Himself and his wife, a figure of Envy behind with a torch, and a Bacchus, apparently typical of the felicity which excited the former. The whole picture is in warm greys,³ yellow hinted in the golden brown dress of the woman, all brought into full value by a little piece of pure blue, which appears at the knee through the crimson slashed doublet.

VALERIO CASTELLO.-(Genoese) Rape of Sabines. Very wild and fine, but colours faded; probably never very good. The shades brown and heavy, as if worked on a dark ground.

PAUL VERONESE.-Judith. A very grand picture. The group would be pyramidal, but it is carried to the top of the picture by an enormous mass of dark green curtain, which comes against a bright lilac and blue sky. The figure of the negress who stoops and holds the bag to receive the head, is grand and broad in the highest degree, generally dark, but relieved by white high lights on crimson dress, and by a white fillet round the arm; the headdress, russet and green, connects the warm tones of the figure with the green curtain above.

VANDYKE.-Tribute money. Very bad in colour. Strained and vulgar in expression.

PALAZZO PALLAVICINI.⁴

RAFFAELLE.-Madonna della Colonna. Colour faded and picture hung too high to be seen, but seems very fine. Two green mountains in the

¹ [The diary here continues:-

“In another palace near this Durazzo, whose name I could not catch, there was a beautiful little picture given to A. Mantegna; Madonna, Child, and Angel, the latter ill-drawn but most tender and deep in feeling, and the Christ very lovely. The colours peculiarly brilliant; I suspect repainted.”]

² [This palace with its pictures was presented to the city in 1874.]

³ [The diary continues “heightened into red and black.”]

⁴ [The pictures formerly in this palace are now dispersed.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]