New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-18

and prelates eager rivals for their works. YET as
Muntz well remarks. though some OF these rules
NAV seem to us now strange and even Illuminating
OTHERS which have since become obsolete were very
we'll calculated to protect tie independence ana
dignity of the artist.
Pursuing ms study OF Raphacps career in Umbria
after the return of Perugino 10 Florence MI Muntz
gives an analysis no less sympathetic IMAM skllui
of the works Of his early time itaphacl COM
enced of course with pictures OF small dimensions
and with subjects that did not require very high
degree of knowledge His earliest efforts were Il
series Of Madonnas drawn at half length and in
tiuid attitudes for on most Of them the Virgin who
is seen full face is standing with her eyes looking
doyyn uDou her child. What is most noteworthy
in these pictures is the sincerity of the
efforts made by the young ARTIST TO
strike ont a line for himself instead OF adhenng
TO scrvile imitation of his MASTER after the manner
of TOO many Of ms pupils II he still adhered to the
types peculiar To the Umbrian school especially III
his Madonnas. il was because UmbIia itself supplied
him with number of these soft and penSive conn
tcnances in which the depth Of religious content
ment stood instead of beauty. There Is already a
good deal of landscape in these pictures. ana IN the
BACKGROUND of the Constable Madonna the chain
of mountains was painted from nature in the neigh
borhOod of Perugia."
But these early works. delicate as they are IN iee
inc and in execution, cannot detan us IN THIS Drict
review. which has no other object than to give the
reader a notion Of the scope and con-
rents of Mr.. Muntzs work. In his account
of several of these pictures, such as the CoFo-
nation of the Virgin" now in the Vatican. and OF
tl,o q" sn,saI,io - or "Bctrothal of the Virgin" in
the Brcra Gallery at Milan, Mr. Muntz VIII be fouhH
f. have substituted for the dry bones of the ordi-
4 .,ly--i lut shn
grace and resources of the accomplished scholars
We yyIsh we had spac, to quote his description OF
tlc former pctur, and OF the drawings made for 1t
nv RanhacI and The comparison between both the
Coronation and the BeTohal and the pictures OF
thc same subjects and with nearly the same COM
position made by Perneino.
ItIs IN connection with his account of RaphaePs
visit to Siona aud his dravingof the marble group
Of the Three Gfdaes,' chat Mr. Muntz
sncoks of the exquisite masterpiece, the
Aporlo aud Narsyas owned by Mr.. Morris Moore,
picture which i, destined a some iuture day 10 DE
one of the chief ornaments ot some. hatioht
gallery but which j. doomed during the lifetime Oh
its high-hcartcd and now venerable owner ana as
cOycrnr 10 give ont ITS luslrr alhl'd Dn 'hc collH
of nriy9te rlncor and political strife. The story OF
tLs picture has been told 10y the present writer IN
N,rIuc's HdgasiHc, where viii be iound an en-,
craving both of the pic urc ii>oil ana oi me onshhl
drawing for il now IN the Academy OF Htnlct-en-
cravings which will give the reader much better
notion of the picture chan the very had outline Of
if shown in Mr.. Muutzs book. But no
engraving nor any copy, could give an
oTigiuaL Ii will some day be the glory
of a museum one of The very few specimens OF IA
phacl'. hand out.id" The limits OF l9y and "c out
EXPRESS the wish Of every cultivated American who
has seen it when we say would that 10 might md
Tbe p,rioI of Raphael, stay in Florence is lc-
scrlb.d with great fullucss by Mr., huntz aud X
abundautly lln'!rated6y wood cIi. "l hr n'rr im-
portaut pictures painted by him while thcr,. When
we survey The work q me we ma ~ diil'uil u" ne
licvc that 50 much was accomplished ln the short
space OF three years, ioI though a. arrived IN Tor
rucc IN October 1904, and lett that city Tor Rome
in September 1905, yet out Of that tune
must be- subtract" ID year spent at Jrhno.
lie came To Florence O.tlhcl by a most
kindly letter Of intro luctOn from the Duchess Clio
wanna della RDycrr 20 the Goulahonc ficIo
SoIcTIni, and with such al opening aided by ms
own talent aud the beauty OF has person and the
greater beauty of MS character hhpudci cOuld not
be long in finding welcome 10 all that IloTeucc
held in intellect, wit, wealth and beauty. Mr..
Mimi ,s account OF the city at the pcuod when Ri-
phacl resided there. and OF its splendid society OF
artists scholars, philosophers and poets, ~ very
brI liant But he points out tEc fact thai the letter
eft 10 Raphacls fortunes. All the large works
which Raphael painted between 1905 ana i1oS were
with one exception, that of the Madonna del B1lda
chino, ord, red, not by TUSCANY, mt b} lmOIla.
Sill thrle wer, among the FlOTouiIuc pltIiclaus
few who helped Raphael 10 make himself known.
Among these TaddcO IaddeO deserves the first
DlaCr. lie look 8Itdl lkillI " t iiillg altlNt
that he proposed to give lIlm board ana lodging.
Raphael readily accepted the oiier, but gave his
host in return two pictures one Ol winch, the
Madonna OF the Meadow, now ia the BclScdcrc
Gallery i'm Vienna, is counted among his most lean
tiul works" .
Another Florentine counoi,seur, Lorenzo Nasi,
also showed Raphael much kmduess,aud here again
thc painter showed much dchcaCy Of feeling for
though he was anything but rch, he res lived
when Nasi married to make hum q present
which would stand comparison with any oi the
gitts received from Weather hands, and Accord
ingly be gave him that Madonna OF the GOiuch.
which il among the richest treasures oi tht ItlIi.
Angelo DOM, another rich man, tOT whom Michel
angelo had executed the Holy Family now IN the
Iilizii and TO whom the great ar I-t administered
20 sharp a lesson, commissioned Raphael 10 paint
the portraits oi himself ami OF his wife, Maddalcna
StTOZH. These portraits are now IN the Pitu Pal
ace, and apart from Its intrinsic mcr!i-uOt uu-
mixed with the, faults due 80 IN" young painters
iurXprricnce in portrait painting = HELD IN which
lac was yet to do some splendid thIng,-thc picture
of the lady has great interest a showing Raphael
striving TO follow in the footsteps OF Leonardo and
% emulate the perfection OF the Mona Liza. The
result, however II not favorable 10 Raphael, nor
does lac show himself at all match for Leonardo
in any oil the pictures belonging - this period, al
most all Of hem MadOnna,, no which the influence
Ol LcOnarLOs style and methods Is apparent. All
lac could do. says MIR. MuutI, Wac to translate into
his own harmonious and InOrouS, though as yet
less scientific language tn" impressions produced on
him by the study OF the Da Vinci Madonnas.
Space fails Us to follow Raphacl- career after his
arrival In Rome, whittier he went by the III ritItion
of Pope Julius H., TO whom he had been recon-
mended by his compatrot Bramantc, who was also
very probably, his relative. Bramautc, who was
then engaged in building 81. Peters, was az the
head Of the clique opposed to hIchcidUgClO, and he
welcomed the assistance of Raphael as one most
able to strengthen his cause with the Paral Court
Raphael at once put In charge OF the decorations
of the Vatican, and during the twelve years that
followed from 1908 to 1920, when be died ne
executed an amount Of work that seems incredible,
even when we consider the assistance rendered him
by his numerous pupils. Even a list of these works
would take up more space than we havcat command.
We can on Is mention to give at least idea OF what
one man could accomplish, the twelve great fres-
Goes of the Vatican in the Chambers Camera or
Stance of the SegnaturI, the HceOdOrus, and the
lnccndO; the designs for the Tapestries OF the Six
tine Chapel the Ambcsques OF the lOggc, and the
beautiful "Bible" which they frame; the portraits
Of Julius II. and Of OF Leo X. the Galatca of the
Farncsina Palace with the frescoeS in the same
building If the Story OF Psyche the portraits OF
n,.L.. AILuu.Li uml ~ I-.-.L.u NJ Ar,..-..