The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-06-25

1
to it; the appafition of those departed
and renown; the overwhelming emo
tions of the apostles; the distant yet ap
preaching thunder-cloud and above all
the divine head and countenance Of
Christ, reveling in an exstacy which
seems even to satiate the Godhead with
in him, and which appears ftly to rep
resent the visible and eztatic counter
ance of the King of kings; all these cir
cumstances render this work probably,
the grandest and noblest achievement ot
the pencil. Upon this picture Raphael
bestowed great care. He labored upon
it with una batting interest; and threw
into it all his resources and all his skill.
1t was, indeed, theme very favorably
adapted to exhibit his excellencies But
the picture possesses, in a high degree,
one merit which was more generally dis
played by Angelo; we mean powerful
| representation of the sublime and the
grand, combined, at the same time, with
that exquisite grace and sweetnes, in
which Raphael had no rival, even among
the most illustrious artists of ancient or
modern times.
The personal incidents of his life are
fewer than those which have been pre-
served respecting any other great artist.
/ This arose from the fact that his career
was short, that he was cut off when he
had just completed his thirty y-seventh
year, that his time was, for the most
Part, occupied in the quiet prosecution
of his profession, and that he took no
part in the ecclesiastical or political
events of his era. For several years be-
fore his death, he had formed and cher
ished the expectation that Leo X would
confer upon him the dignity of cardinal,
This hope resulted from the fact that lie
had advanced large sums of money to
Leo, which he could repay in this mex
peus;ve manner. lie was also a great
f,voritc with the pontif, who took great
lcasure in granting every request which
could reasonably be-made of him. Nor
were characters of painter and car
dinal so Incompatible in that age, as it
might seem to be in this. Many cardi
nals were not even priests. They took
40 share Ia any =Eeligic1s
They were mere princes of the church
who added TO the spleudor Of their he
reditary wealth, that dignity which, il
the roman court, belonged to the rank
of cardinal. Besides this, nearly all
Rarhael's best paintings were on reii-
gious and scriptaral themes; they adorn
ed the ecclesiastical edifcos of Rome;
and thus even his art may be said to
have outEardiy bound him to the service
and glory Of the church.
I was this hope that induced Rapha-
el to decline several splendid offers of
marriage which we're made him. The
Cardinal Bibiena, his friend, offered
him his accomplished niece, Maria Bi-
biena; but Raphael postponed accept
ing the offer, till at length the lady died
deeply mortified, it has been said by his
delay Whether Leo would have con-
ferred the hat of cardinal upon him,
it is impossible to determine. Rapha-
els wealth, the splendor of his mode of
life. and his celebrity as all artist, would
have recommended him E; but there were
other circumstances which might have
effectually hindred the conspmmation
his wishes which even the voluptuos Leo
might have respected. Unfortunately
the private character of Raphael was
blemished by a fault, too common, in
deed, to men of genius, and to that age
and country; but which the celebrity of |
his name and the romance Of his attach |
ment, had rendered him too widely no.
torious to be overlooked. His favorite |
was the most beautiful female in Rome. |
She was the daughter of baker, but |
under Raphael's fostering care, she be-
came one Of the most accomplished wo
men of her time. So violent was the |
attachment of the painter for her, that
when he had been engaged to execute
some paintings for his patron Agostino
Chigi, he constantly neglected his work,
until that nobleman had his mistress re-
moved to his own palace, so that Ra-
phael might enjoy her society without
interruption; after which the work rap
idly progressed to its completion. Sew
eral portraits of her remain, execu-
ted by Raphael and his pupils, which
amply justify the praises bestowed upon
ner charms by her contemporaries and
Ter lover. 1t was the society of this
emale which he preferred to the claims
If lawful and honorable connection
,ut, at the same time, it was the unto
yard circumstance which seems to have
mpeded his promotion to the cardinal
hip, or at least, to have CT used the post
,onement of his elevations
It was, hqgeYer, in the midst of these
lopes and uncert ainties, and his splen-
lid undertakings and achievements;
Then surrounded by the admiration of
he world, when favored with the socie-
y of the most distinguished men of {
Come, when in the very heighth of his
.outhful career, with the enjoyment of
long and illustrious life spreading out ,