Phillipps, Evelyn March: The frescoes in the Sixtine chapel (London: John Murray, 1901)

PEEUGINO’S INFLUENCE

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acknowledged by all competent critics to be
mainly, if not entirely, responsible for the
Circumcision and its companion picture.
Fresco II.—He Baptism of Christ.—
PlNTORICCHIO.
It has been suggested that Perugino is the
author of the two principal figures in this
fresco. However this may be, they are un-
doubtedly copied from his Baptism (at
Rouen), but it was common at that day
for pupils to copy their master’s work, and,
indeed, only esteemed a proper compliment,
so that this really proves nothing, indeed the
angels above and those holding the garments
behind are taken, though not quite so ex-
actly, from the same source,1 and the figure
of St. John, in the background on the right,
will recall Perugino very strongly.
In the far distance we see a little town
with its towers and campanile. In the
middle distance is a Roman building,
apparently meant for the Colosseum, a
1 Perugino, in the first instance, had borrowed his com-
position from Verrocchio’s Baptism (Acad.. Florence).