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84 THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. Chap. III. and seen by Della Yalle in the Casa Sozzini at Sienna, but since withdrawn from ken. 1 A few years after (1479), when the enthroned S. Bar bara, with her attendant saints, was completed for the Dominicans of Sienna, Matteo might still be distin guished for giving comeliness to female saints, an unstrained deportment to ministering angels, and rich ness to the adornment of vestments. 2 Yet, he still lacked power; and his careful colour remained as before unrelieved by shadow. A Madonna amongst saints, in a chapel of the church for which the S. Barbara was de picted, offers similar qualities allied to greater precision of hand. 3 But, if we pass from these quiet holy scenes to others, in which movement is required, there Matteo is at fault. He repeated the Massacre of the Innocents several times; once in the altarpiece of a chapel at S.: Agostino of Sienna, dated 1482; 4 again in S. Maria de’ Servi of Si enna in 1491 ; 5 a third time in a picture at the Naples Museum. 0 In all these he combined incidents in a con- 1 Della Valle (Let. San. III. 58). The altarpiece without the pre- della is still in its original place, in good preservation , and in scribed: “Opus Matei de Senis MCCCCLXXVII.” The figures are life size. Sixteen angels are about the enthroned Virgin and child, some with flowers, others with snowballs, one of which the infant Saviour grasps. The attendant saints, kneeling and standing, are SS. Peter, Paul, Lawrence and Catherine, the two latter not with out feeling in pose or expression. 2 See the order for this work in Nov. 1478 in Doc. Sen. II. 364. This altarpiece represents S. Bar bara (lifesize), amongst angels (two of whom crown her) between SS. Mary Magdalen and Catherine .of Alexandria. It is in S. Dome nico; its lunette, the adoration of the Magi, on a picture by Ben venuto (see antea). The S. Bar bara is inscribed: “Opus Matei de Senis MCCCCLXXVIIII”. 3 This piece represents the Vir gin and child adored by the kneel ing SS. Jerom and Baptist. Three vertical splits are in the panel which is in the cappella Placidi of S. Domenico. The lunette is now on a picture by Girolamo di Ben venuto in the cappella S. Caterina of the same edifice. 4 This “massacre” is signed: “Opus Matei Johannis de Senis MCCCCLXXXII”. 5 Signed on a scroll: “Opus Mat- tei Joannis de Senis. 1491.” Here Herod sits in the centre of the pic ture; whereas in S. Agostino he sits at the left side. In a lunette is the adoration of the Magi. 0 It has been supposed from the presence of this picture at Naples (before it reached the Museum, it was in S. Caterina a Formello) that Matteo was at Naples. (See