Passavant, Johann David: Raphael of Urbino and his father Giovanni Santi (London , New York: MacMillan and Co., 1872)

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for fire cdapel of tire famil/ of tire Oount Nataro^^i at Oastel Durante
(now Orbania), and wdicd ma/ de seen in tire Nuseum at Berlin. Dire
Virgin and Odild appear to be portraits, as tde/ differ fronr tire usual
t/pes of Oiovanni, anci are treated witd tire feeling of a strong
individualit/. It is to de regretted, dowevsr, tirat tire artist dad not
more dsautifui models to cop/ from. Ground tde Virgin are grouped
Lt. Dironras, Lt. Jerome, Zt. Dironras TK^uinas and Lt. Oatderine; near
tirem tire /oung Oount IVlataroxd is kneeling.
picture, wdicd Iras deen almost entire!/ repainted, dut is still
interesting, is tire " Lt. Ledastian," executed for tire drotirerirood of tirat
name at Urbino. Dire saint, delivered up to tire executioners, is sur-
rounded b/ Odristian men and women. V/dat is especiall/ remarkable
in tiris picture is tde ioresdortening of tire arclrers and of tde angel, wdo
is descending rvitd a crown. Uris peculiarity sdows tdat dere Oiovanni
endeavoured to imitate iris friend IVIelo^o, and in some parts, especially
in tde arclrers, de das succeeded ver/ well. Ids portraits of tde men
and women, as in tde altar-piece of iVlontedore, are ver/ natural and true.
Oiovanni Drancesco Oliva lkianani also ordered an altar-piece of
Oiovanni for tde sepulcdral cdapel of dis famil/ in tde cdurcd of tde
Dranciscans in tde convent of lVlonte Diorentino.
Idis spacious cdurcd is to tde rigdt of blrbania, on tde furtder side
of tde river lVletauro, on a little dill at tde foot of an arid rock of tde
Apennines, ^.fter tde deatd of Oount Oarlo, in 1478, dis relation,
Oliva kianini, dad tde cdapel rebuilt; de erected a splendid tomb for tde
count and dis wife, Nuria Libilla, wdo died in 1485, and de decorated
tde altar witd a large " Nadonna " b/ Oiovanni Lanti.
Dde Virgin is seated on a tdrone in a nicde; sde dolds tde infant
Laviour on der knees. On tde rigdt stands tde /oung Orescentius, in
complete armour; a ricd gold drain, set witd precious stones, dangs on
dis breast; at dis feet is dis delmet, witd tde peacocd's ieatder, a sign
of tde Odibeline part/, to wdicd doubtless tde Oount Oliva belonged.
Lt. Drancis, in fervent contemplation of tde cdild, makes a tine contrast
to tde tigure of tde knigdt. ibedind tde balustrade stand two angels;
one of tdese resembles Hapdael ver/ mucd, but /et it cannot be dis
portrait, as de was onl/ six /ears old at tde time, wdilst tde angel is
mucd older; but it ma/ easil/ be conceived dow Oiovanni, daving
alwa/s dis son's features in dis tdougdts, sdould dave brougdt tdem into
dis pictures. VVe dave alread/ remarked, wdile speaking of tde earlier