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THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. Chap. VIII. 264 right hand, and a golden ball in its left, with a head reminiscent of those in the Hague Madonna at the Louvre. In front are children and adults; amongst the latter one bearded and draped in the flowing folds of a mantle after the fashion of Vanucci. Music is of a re fined form, enthroned and playing the violin, whilst two angels in rear supporting a tapestry, two boys playing on the steps, and others around similarly occupied, are handsome Poruginesque con ceptions. This fresco alone might prove that Pinturiccliio was the assistant of Perugino in the Moses and Zipporah at the Sixtine chapel. The sacred and profane subjects in the vaulting of the arch, the parting of Jacob and Laban, Lot’s departure from Sodom, an allegory of Justice, Trajan and the widow, and another episode, are not in Pinturicehio’s manner and if originally by him, have been altered by a painte'r of the close of the sixteenth century. 1 Fourth room. The frescos here have hitherto been omitted without just cause from the catalogue of Pinturicehio’s works in the Apar- tamento Borgia. They consist of twenty four half lengths. In the centre of the ceiling are the words: “Alexander Borgia p. p. VI. fundavit”, and on a “cartello” in the ornament are the ciphers: “MCCCCLXXXXIIII”. Fifth room. The walls are divided into three lunettes, each containing a male and female couple in converse seen to the knees. Most of these are repainted. In the spandrils of the springing curve of the ceiling are the planets with small allusive incidents beneath them; as, people fishing below the Luna, per sons reading and talking under the Mercury, and (severally, accompanying the Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jove and Saturn) a wedd ing, a pope and a king seated, a fight for the possession of a female, a hunt with falcons, and a massacre. As compositions, these subjects, where uninjured by restoring, rival the beauty of those in the Cambio of Perugia, and are adorned with equal taste. In small rounds are the papal arms and other pictorial illustrations. The spirit of these pieces differs but immaterially from that of the rest of the series. The name of the Borgia: “A. P. M. VI.” on a “car tello” in one of the curves shows that they date from the same period; and they may be assigned to Pinturicchio. Vast as these decorations are, they were completed be tween the close of 1492 and the middle of 1494, an interval 1 Between the lunettes, two to I the most injured, the head and each wall, are the papal arms in the spandrils. The figure of Geo metry is the best preserved fresco of tliis series, that of Astrology is hands being covered by restoring. All the figures, however, have suf fered from repainting, and are on | blue grounds painted with gold.
