Pietro Vannucci, called Perugino

ecially named by Crowe and Cavalcaselle, whic

when the master was in Rome, and 1491, when he produced on his second journey to the Eternal City the magnificent altar-piece now in the Villa A

give place so speedily to far more breadth. At the same time, thus early, if my surmise as to date is correct, can be seen the characteristics of Perugino. All three pictures are full of plein-air effect, the one

rk the beginning of quite a new movement in Italian art. It will be noticed that both in Paris and Verona the under draperies are regular and hard in their pleating, that the head-dresses are merely conventional and stiffly angular and that ornaments, decorat

ical as they are of the new school of work just unfolding, it will be well to pass on

f Perugia desired to have an important altar-piece for their Capella dell' Magistrato, and in the predella o

Perugia and he had struck work and absented himself; but in May 1483 Galeotto died, whether from this plague or not is not recorded, but when inquiry was made of his heirs as to the picture nothing could be found of it but the frame. Shortly after this time Perugino visited Perugia, and to him the Magistrates turned for help; and, bringing much pressure to bear upon him, prevailed upon the artist to sign a contract dated 28th November 1483 binding himself to produce the picture in four months for 100 florins. The details of the picture are all given in the

men. In despair the Priori turned to a third artist, Santi di Polonio del Celandro, and in a contract dated 31st December 1483 they bound him to supply the

her heed of the contract, and the Priori having obtained their desire, troubled no further as to the Madonna and saints, or were powerless to force Celandro to complete the work. Twelve years actually passed away, and the chapel still lacked its altar-piece, and Celandro, like Galeotto, died.[G] In 1495 Perugino was again at Perugia, full of honour and fame; and once more the decoration of the Capella was resolved on. The Priori-quite a new body to the one which had originally planned the picture, entered into another contract with Perugino, dated 6th March 1495-for him to paint the altar-piece on the same scheme as before, but wi

hoto] [Va

NTHRONED, WIT

the four great saints. The picture is exquisitely beautiful, full of Perugino's special charm, and bearing marks of the Piero della Francesca influence in the arc

E CHASTRO PL

chronological survey up to 1495, it will be desirable for us t

s so perplexing that it is difficult to say whether they were all exe

as destroyed in the siege of Florence in 1529, were early works, inasmuch as the panel pictures

ty is that, while much of the picture is distinctly Peruginesque, three of the figures might have been painted by Luca Signorelli, so great a resemblance in general characteristics do they bear to his work. Crowe and Cavalcaselle hesitate to ascribe it to either master, inclining more to the view that Raffaelino del Garbo may have painted it, but with this last ascription I cannot at all agree. The composition is that of Perugino, the open air effect and the distance, the single detached trees and the high rocks are all Umbrian. The draperies of the four standing figures and of the Christ have the distinctive folds that are so thoroughly characteristic of our painter, and the borders to the garments are equally noteworthy. The attitude of St. Francis and of S. Giovanni Columbini are thoroughly in accordance with Perugino's methods, but when we turn to St. Jerome and St. John Baptist the case is very different. In th

to] [La Cal

RUCIF

ne of the earliest, if not the very first of

full. The receding arches in the "Pietà," bespeaking the influence of Piero della Francesca, the exquisite landscape in the background, the curious aloofness of each figure, and the de

to] [Accade

EAD C

t convince you of heavy slumber. In the centre of the picture is Our Lord kneeling on a hillock deeply engaged in prayer, and above is an angel flying toward Him bearing the chalice of sorrow. Below and still further removed from the eye of the spectator are groups of soldiers on the one hand and of priests and people on the other rapidly moving toward the central figure. Their prop

to] [Accade

HE GARDEN O

n some of the faces, there are more figures, there is a purer and more exquisitely sunny c

convent, and in the interval between painting the frescoes for the Gesuati and the La Calza picture and these two Accademia pictures, Per

our steps and tell the sto

e a price for its decoration. He did so; at 1500 gold ducats for the whole chapel, provided that scaffolding, lime, gold, and ultramarine were furnished to him. He agreed to use such subjects as were submitted to him, and to personally execute the hands and faces of all the figures. His offer was not accepted in its entirety; but a contract was made for him to do the ceilings and spaces above the capitals for 20

went on again to Rome. Here he commenced the work for his patron Cardinal Giuliano de

o should demand his presence in their cathedral, and it is

cancel the contract, he wrote to the Priori an exceedingly strong letter, telling them to await the convenience of the artist and hims

oto] [Villa

I ALTAR-P

to substitute for him another painter who shall do your work. This is indeed truly remarkable conduct. We laboured under the impression that you were to be compliant as best suits the love we have ever borne to

fearing to offend so great a dignitary as the Cardinal, they retained the chapel o

urned to the Priori of Orvieto, the ten ducats they had advanced him, and eventuall

e Cardinal at Rome. This is the wonderful altar-piece, dated 1491, no

ivity," represented as having taken place beneath a sort of temple with open sides, its roof resting on a se

in the La Calza picture the difference will be apparent. There is a beauty and nobility of face and a grace of posture wholly lacking in the La Calza picture, and the draperies, so sure a mark of Perugino's hand, are here as true to his metho

charm of open air and composition in depth that is so marked in the best works of our Umbrian master. The lunette gives Perugino at his best in this period, and the distance, with its rocks, pools of water, cities, plains, and hills, is of fascinating beauty, and fills the spectator with amazement. The wh

PERVSIA PI

orence, picking up the threads

] [Uffizi Pal

LE ALTAR-

, according to Mariotti, had a botega in that city and accepted many commissions. To this period belong two notable pictures, one in Florence and the other in Vienna. The face of the Virgin in each picture is identical, and the

reference will be made later on) and on the other, St. John the Baptist. The group stands under the vaulted arching res

VSINVS PIN

an inscription denoting the name of the

t. Paul, on the other, St. Jerome and St. Peter. The St. Jerome is the same face as appears in the Albani altar-piece of 1491, and the curious long white beard which he