DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61252#0164
120
THE BRIDGEWATER GALLERY.
animated action and simple grace with intense devotional
feeling, which belongs, among painters, to Raphael only.
The gold borders on the crimson vest and blue mantle of
the Madonna are vestiges of the ancient school of painting,
from which he had not yet emancipated himself; but we
have also that depth of religious feeling which he had ac-
quired in the school of his master, Perugino, and never
afterwards lost. This picture is supposed to be one of two
Madonnas which Raphael painted at Florence (in 1506) for
his friend Taddeo Taddei, in gratitude for the kindly offices
of that noble Florentine. The other picture, Passavant
identifies with the beautiful Madonna at Vienna, which, by
the order of Maria Theresa, (as I was there informed,) was
brought from the castle of Ambras, in the Tyrol, where it
had remained for about a century. It had been purchased
from the Taddei family at Florence. The picture before us
has, unfortunately suffered much injury, not only in the ope-
ration of being transferred from panel to a rather coarse can-
vas, but by injudicious cleaning and repairing. It was a
tradition in the Orleans family (communicated by the present
King of France to the late Duke of Sutherland), that this
celebrated picture descended, in the course of inheritance,
to two old maids, who, not being able to agree about the
possession of it, actually rent it in two.* It survived this
verdict a la Solomon, and fell next into the possession of the
Count de Chiverni, then into that of the Marquise d’Aumont,
who sold it to M. de la None, for 5000 francs, and stipu-
lated for a copy by Philippe de Champagne, for the church
of her convent (Port Royal); the original then passed into
the gallery of Tambonneau, and into that of M. de Vanolles,
from which it was purchased by the Duke of Orleans. The
Duke of Bridgewater purchased it at the valuation of 1200Z.
C. 3 ft. 4 in. diameter.
A sketch in pencil for the Madonna and Child, with the
head only of Joseph, was in the Lawrence collection.
The picture has been engraved many times. (1.) By
* Some lover of the marvellous added, that one half of the picture was after-
wards found in an inn in Switzerland, used in the kitchen as a board for chop-
ping1 herbs; and some lovers of the marvellous have been found to credit and
repeat the manifest absurdity.
THE BRIDGEWATER GALLERY.
animated action and simple grace with intense devotional
feeling, which belongs, among painters, to Raphael only.
The gold borders on the crimson vest and blue mantle of
the Madonna are vestiges of the ancient school of painting,
from which he had not yet emancipated himself; but we
have also that depth of religious feeling which he had ac-
quired in the school of his master, Perugino, and never
afterwards lost. This picture is supposed to be one of two
Madonnas which Raphael painted at Florence (in 1506) for
his friend Taddeo Taddei, in gratitude for the kindly offices
of that noble Florentine. The other picture, Passavant
identifies with the beautiful Madonna at Vienna, which, by
the order of Maria Theresa, (as I was there informed,) was
brought from the castle of Ambras, in the Tyrol, where it
had remained for about a century. It had been purchased
from the Taddei family at Florence. The picture before us
has, unfortunately suffered much injury, not only in the ope-
ration of being transferred from panel to a rather coarse can-
vas, but by injudicious cleaning and repairing. It was a
tradition in the Orleans family (communicated by the present
King of France to the late Duke of Sutherland), that this
celebrated picture descended, in the course of inheritance,
to two old maids, who, not being able to agree about the
possession of it, actually rent it in two.* It survived this
verdict a la Solomon, and fell next into the possession of the
Count de Chiverni, then into that of the Marquise d’Aumont,
who sold it to M. de la None, for 5000 francs, and stipu-
lated for a copy by Philippe de Champagne, for the church
of her convent (Port Royal); the original then passed into
the gallery of Tambonneau, and into that of M. de Vanolles,
from which it was purchased by the Duke of Orleans. The
Duke of Bridgewater purchased it at the valuation of 1200Z.
C. 3 ft. 4 in. diameter.
A sketch in pencil for the Madonna and Child, with the
head only of Joseph, was in the Lawrence collection.
The picture has been engraved many times. (1.) By
* Some lover of the marvellous added, that one half of the picture was after-
wards found in an inn in Switzerland, used in the kitchen as a board for chop-
ping1 herbs; and some lovers of the marvellous have been found to credit and
repeat the manifest absurdity.