ANECDOTES 
 
 O F 
 
 EMINENT PAINTERS 
 
 IN SPAIN, 
 During the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries j 
 WITH 
 
 CURSORY REMARKS 
 
 V P O N THE 
 
 PRESENT STATE OF ARTS 
 
 IN THAT KINGDOM. 
 
 By RICHARD CUMBERLAND, 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. WALTER, CHARING - CRO'SS* 
 
 M.DCCLXXXIL 
 
ANECDOTES 
 
 O F 
 
 EMINENT PAINTERS 
 IN SPAIN, &c. 
 
 gPAIN has given birth to &> 
 many eminent Painters, of 
 whom there is no memorial in the 
 reft of Europe, and abounds with 
 fo many admirable examples of 
 their art, difperfed in churches, 
 convents and palaces, where the 
 curiolity of modern travellers rare- 
 ly carries them, that I perfuade 
 You I, B myfelf 
 
C * ] 
 
 myfelf it will not be unacceptable 
 to the public to have fome ac- 
 count of men and works fo little 
 known and yet fo highly worthy 
 to be recorded. I am not aware 
 that this has been profefTedly at- 
 tempted by any Spanifh writer, 
 except by Palomino ; who in an 
 elaborate treatife on the Art of 
 Painting, in two folio volumes, 
 has inferted the lives of two hun- 
 dred and thirty-three Painters and 
 Sculptors, who florifhed in Spain 
 from the time of Ferdinand the 
 Catholic to the conclufion of the 
 reign of Philip the Fourth ; of thefe 
 materials I have principally availed 
 myfelf in the following fheets, but 
 not without due attention to other 
 authorities, that interpofe accounts 
 
 .differing 
 
t 3 I 
 
 •differing from his, or extend tr> 
 particulars, which he has failed to 
 enumerate. He is laid to have 
 written with a competent know- 
 ledge of his fubjeft, as an art, of 
 which he was himfelf a profeflbr ; 
 and in rules for the praftice of 
 painting he is very diffufive : If 
 he had been more communicative 
 or entertaining in thofe matters, 
 for which I chiefly confulted him, 
 I might have needed lefs apology 
 for the prefent publication : Many 
 particulars however have been 
 furnifhed to me from tradition, 
 which help out the fterility and 
 drynefs of his catalogue ; and I 
 muft not omit to acknowledge the 
 affiftance I drew from the treatife 
 of Pacbeco, a book now become 
 B 2 extremely 
 
[ 4 ] 
 
 extremely rare and hardly to bt 
 obtained. I know there was an 
 Englifh abridgement of Palomi- 
 no's Painters publifhed in the year 
 1739, but the original is in very 
 few hands ; fo that, unlefs fome 
 Spanifh biographer fhall fpeedily 
 be found with public fpirit to en- 
 gage in the talk of refcuing the 
 fame of his ingenious country- 
 men from approaching extinction;, 
 their hiftories at leaft will foon be 
 loft, whatever may be the fate of 
 their works. The world is in pof- 
 feffion of many memoirs of the ar- 
 tifts of Italy, France and Flan- 
 ders and the Painters, who dif- 
 tinguifhed themfelves in England, 
 have by happy fortune found a 
 biographer, whofe entertaining ta- 
 lent* 
 
C 5 1 
 
 knts will fecure to them a recep- 
 tion with pofterity ; whilft of all 
 the Painters, to whofe memory I 
 have dedicated this flight at- 
 tempt, fcarce a name is heard 
 without the limits of Spain, ex- 
 cept thofe of VelajqusZy Murillo^ 
 and Ribeira: The paintings of the 
 latter it is true are very gene- 
 rally known, many excellent per- 
 formances of his being difperfed 
 through Europe : Some refpecta- 
 ble remains of Velafquez are to be 
 found in Italy, but the principal 
 exertions of his pencil were refer- 
 ved for his own country, and the 
 Sovereign, who entertained him in 
 his fervice ; thefe, we may natu- 
 rally fuppofe, can never be ex- 
 traded: And as for Murillo, al- 
 B 3 though 
 
[ 6 1 
 
 though fome pieces of his have in 
 time paft been extra&ed from Se- 
 ville, yet I think I may venture to 
 fay, that not many of them, which 
 pafs under his name, are legiti- 
 mate ^ and in a Jefs proportion 
 can we find amongft fuch, as are 
 irue pi£tiires, any of fo capital a 
 rank, as to impart a competent 
 idea of his extraordinary merit. 
 
 The candid reader will obferve^ 
 that I do not profefs to give the 
 Lives of the Painters, who are 
 treated of in this catalogue, for 
 which my materials do not fuffice; 
 nor fhall I hazard many criticifms 
 upon their refpedtive works, for 
 which more fcience would be re- 
 quifite than I can pretend to ; ftill 
 I hope there will be found fuffi- 
 
 cient 
 
C 7 ] 
 
 cient novelty to amufe fuch of 
 my readers, as can endure to hear 
 of paintings, as they ftrike the 
 feelings of an ordinary obferver, 
 without prefnming to diffeft them 
 in the learned jargon of a Virtuofo : 
 It will be remembered therefore 
 that I offer nothing more to the 
 public than Anecdotes of the 
 Eminent Painters, who have flo- 
 rifhed in Spain during the two 
 centuries laft paft ; and in this de- 
 scription I include all fuch illuf- 
 trious foreigners, as have reforted 
 to Spain for the difplay of their 
 talents under proteftion of the 
 Princes or Nobles of that king- 
 dom ; thefe are a pretty numerous 
 clafs, and in treating of them I 
 fhall iludy to avoid repeating 
 B 4 what 
 
i .8 3 
 
 what may have been better told 
 by others; but even of thefe per- 
 haps fome local anecdotes will 
 occur, which may at lead be fup- 
 plementary to the accounts al- 
 ready in exiftence. My refidence 
 in Spain, and fome advantages in- 
 cident to my peculiar fituation 
 there, gave me repeated accefs to 
 every thing I wifhed to fee ; al- 
 moft every religious foundation 
 throughout the kingdom contains 
 a magazine of art; in reforting to 
 thefe nothing will be found, of 
 which a ftranger can complain, 
 unlefs of the gloominefs of fome 
 of the edifices, and the unfavour- 
 able lights, in which many capi- 
 tal paintings are difpofed : In pri- 
 vate houfes it is not unufual to 
 
 difcover 
 
[ 9 3 
 
 difcover very fine pi&ures in neg- 
 left and decay ; thrown afide 
 amongft the rubbilh of caft-off 
 furniture ; whether it be, that the 
 pofleffor has no knowledge of 
 .their excellence, or thinks it be- 
 low his notice to attend to their 
 prefervation ; but how much fo- 
 ever the Spaniards have declined 
 from their former tafte and paf- 
 fion for the elegant arts, I am 
 perfuaded they have in no degree 
 fallen off from their national cha- 
 racter for generofity, which is ftill 
 fo prevalent amongft them, that 
 a ftranger, who is intereftedly dif- 
 pofed to avail himfelf of their 
 munificence, may in a great 
 meafure obtain whatever is the 
 0bjeft of his praife and admira- 
 tion : 
 
C 10 ] 
 
 tion : As for the royal collections 
 at Madrid, the Efcorial and elfe- 
 where, he will meet a condefcen- 
 fion fo accommodated to his cu- 
 riofity, that the one is as little 
 likely to be exhaufted as the 
 other; the facility of accefs to 
 every palace in pofleffion of His 
 Catholic Majefty is only to be 
 equalled by the gratification it 
 produces. 
 
 The Arts, which revived in 
 Italy during the 14th century, 
 did not reach Spain till the time 
 of Ferdinand the Catholic ; Antonio 
 Del Rincon> a native of Guadalax- 
 
 ara> 
 
E » 1 
 
 ara, may be confidered as the fav 
 ther of the Spanifh fchoolj he 
 ftudied in Rome, and, returning 
 to his native country, was taken 
 into the fervice of Ferdinand, who 
 beftowed on him the Order of 
 Santiago, and made him Groom of 
 his Chamber. There are two por- 
 traits of Ferdinand and Ifabella y 
 painted by him, ftiil to be feen at 
 Toledo, in the church of San Juan 
 de los Reyes, and feveral pictures 
 by his hand periihed in the fire, 
 that deftroyed the palace of the 
 Pardom the year 1608. This ar- 
 tift died in the year 1500. 
 
 The unhappy cataftrophe of 
 Torrigiano, the Florentine, follow- 
 ed in the year 1522 : After having 
 enriched the cities of Andalufta 
 
 with 
 
[ I* ] 
 
 with feveral pieces of fculpture* 
 not unworthy the difciple and ri- 
 val of Michael Angelo^ he was 
 condemned to death by the In- 
 quifition, and expired in the pri- 
 fon of Seville under the horrors of 
 an approaching execution : Th@ 
 ftory is as follows \ T orrigiano had 
 undertaken to carve a Madona 
 and child of the natural fize, at the 
 order of a certain Spanilh Gran- 
 dee; it was to be made after the 
 model of one, which he had al- 
 ready executed y and promife was 
 given him of a reward propor- 
 tioned to the merit of his work. 
 His employer was one of the firfl 
 Grandees of Spain, and Tcrrigi- 
 ano, who conceived highly of his 
 generofity, and well knew what 
 
 his 
 
[ *9 ] 
 
 his own talents could perform, 
 was determined to outdo his for- 
 mer v/ork ; he had pafled great 
 part of his life in travelling from 
 kingdom to kingdom in fearch of 
 employment, and, flattering him- 
 felf with the hope, that he had 
 now at lail found a refting-place 
 after all his labours, the ingenious 
 artift with much pains and appli- 
 cation compleated the work, and 
 prefented ta his employer a 
 matchlefs piece of fculpture, the 
 utmoft effort of his art; the Gran- 
 dee furveyed the finking perfor- 
 mance with great delight and re- 
 verence ; applauded 'Torrigiano to 
 the fkies ; and, impatient to pof- 
 fefs himfelf of the enchanting 
 idol, forthwith fent to demand it 5 
 
 at 
 
t 14 j 
 at the fame time, to fet off his 
 generofity with a better difplay, 
 he loaded two lacqueys with the 
 money, that was to defray the 
 purchafe ; the bulk at leaft was 
 promifing, but when Torrigiano 
 turned out the bags, and found 
 the fpecie nothing better than a 
 parcel of brafs maravedi, amount- 
 ing only to the paltry fam of thir- 
 ty ducats, vexation at this Hidden 
 difappointment of his hopes, and 
 juft refentment for what he con- 
 fidercd as an infult to his merit, 
 fo tranfported him, that, {hatch- 
 ing up his mallet in a rage, and 
 not regarding the perfeftion, or 
 (what to him was of mere fatal 
 -confequence) the facred character 
 of the image he had made ; he 
 a broke 
 
[ || 3 
 
 broke it fuddenly in pieces, and 
 difmiffed the lacqueys with their 
 load of farthings to tell the tale : 
 They executed their errand too 
 well. The Grandee in his turn 
 fired with fhame, vexation and 
 revenge, and affuming, or per- 
 haps conceiving, horror for the 
 facrilegious nature of the aft, pre- 
 fented himfelf before the Court 
 of Inquifition, and impeached the 
 unhappy artift at that terrible tri- 
 bunal ; it was in vain that poor 
 Torrigiano urged the right of an 
 author over his own creation; 
 Reafon pleaded on his fide, but 
 Superftition fate in judgement the 
 decree was death with torture. 
 The Holy Office loft its vidtim; for 
 torrigiano expired under the hor- 
 rors, 
 
I 16 ] 
 
 rors, not under the hands of the 
 executioner: That he was of a 
 fierce impatient fpirit we may- 
 well believe from what is related 
 of his maiming the great Michael 
 Angelo by a violent blow on the 
 face ; the heretical reader perhaps 
 will think this blow a more in- 
 excufable, offence, than that, for 
 which he fuffered ; and an enthu- 
 fiaft in the arts will fcarce lament 
 the punifhment, which by a juft 
 tranfition fell upon him ; for my 
 part, I lament both his offence 
 and his punifhment ; the man, 
 who could be fo frantic with paf- 
 fion, as in the perfon of Michael 
 Angelo to deface one of the di- 
 vineft works of heaven, might 
 cafity be tempted to demolifli his 
 
 own > 
 
[ *7 1 
 
 otons and it has been generally 
 obferved, that hearts, fo prone to 
 anger, have on occafion been as 
 fufceptible of apprehenfion and 
 fear; it is to be fuppofed, that 
 ^orrigiano's cafe was not better in 
 the eyes of the Holy Office for his 
 having been refident in England 
 and employed by King Henry the 
 Eighth : Whether they confidered 
 him as tin&ured with the herefy 
 of that Royal apoftate does not ap- 
 pear ; I am inclined to believe he 
 more refembled Henry in temper 
 than in opinion : At leaft, if we 
 are to credit his affault on Michael 
 Angelo and try him on that ac- 
 tion ; fmce the days of Diomed 
 few mortals ever launched a more 
 impious blow* 
 Vol, I. C The 
 
I H ] 
 
 The arts, being thus tranf- 
 planted from Italy into Spain, 
 Found a ready naturalization in a 
 country, then abounding with ge- 
 nius : The province of Andalu- 
 fia took the lead on this occafion, 
 and has in all times been produc- 
 tive of extraordinary talents it 
 was the cradle of moft of the Spa- 
 nifti painters ; it's natives conti- 
 nue to be remarked for quick and 
 volatile parts, differing much in 
 manners and difpolition from the 
 Caftilians. Certain it is that Spain 
 has many local qualifications for 
 becoming a nurfery of Painters, 
 which other countries are in want 
 of : It enjoys a clear and vivid Iky, 
 with a dry and healthy air, fa- 
 vourable to the preformation if not 
 
 3 t0 
 
I 19 i 
 
 to the production of works of art ; 
 the human countenance there is in 
 general of a grave hiftorical caft$ 
 the intermixture of the Jewifh and 
 Moorifh tribes have marked the 
 lower claffes with a ftrong peculi- 
 arity of features the forms of the 
 children, till they attain the age 
 of eight or ten, are good, and of- 
 tentimes their faces beautiful ; 
 the eyes of the women black and 
 piercing, and, as they ufe much 
 a&ion when they converfe, and are 
 Univerfally addidted to the Moor- 
 ifh modes of dancing, which al- 
 moft every peafant can accom- 
 pany with his voice and inftru- 
 ment, their groupes become ex- 
 tremely pifturefque: To thefe may 
 be added the character of their 
 C 2 drefs, 
 
[ *0 3 
 
 drefs, particularly that of Anda- 
 lufia, which both in male and fe- 
 male is uncommonly antique and 
 graceful ; the cloak alone may be 
 folded twenty different ways for 
 different applications, and each 
 attitude prefents a fpecimen of 
 drapery worthy the ftudy of an 
 academy. The Painters have a- 
 vailed themfelves of this, Italians 
 as well as natives, and the Capa 
 will be found frequently upon 
 their canvafies, even where the 
 fcene does not lie in Spain. In 
 fpeaking of Spain, as a country 
 favourable to Painters, I think it 
 is juft to except painters of land- 
 fcapes ; in thefe it has neither ex- 
 celled nor abounded ; and the e;e- 
 neral want of trees and verdure 
 
 readily 
 
[ 3 
 
 readily fupplies a reafon : Groves 
 and rivers and fcattered habita- 
 tions, emblematic of rural tranquil- 
 lity^ which furnifti the moft pleaf- 
 ing fubjedts to the imagination of 
 the fcenift, are there but thinly 
 fpread ; the face of Nature is 
 aduft and frowning. 
 
 The Emperor Charles, though 
 not very cordially attached to his 
 Spanifli fubjedts, nor over partial 
 to their country, cultivated not- 
 withftanding the genius of their 
 Painters ; and this he effefted not 
 only by fending them to ftudy 
 under the Italian -matters, but alfo 
 by inviting the Italian matters in- 
 to Spain ; the fertile genius of 
 ^itiano might have been alone 
 fufjicient to illuminate a kingdom, 
 C 3 and 
 
[ ^ ] 
 
 and there were many others in the 
 like employ ; Julio and Alexan- 
 dra) Italians of the fchool of 
 Juan de Udine, a difciple of Ra- 
 fael, were artifts of great emi- 
 nence ; Charles employed them in 
 a royal work, the beautifying the 
 Alhambra of Grenada ; they en- 
 riched the Hofpital of Santiago, in 
 the city of Ubeda^ with many no- 
 ble paintings/ and the famous 
 Duke of Alva' found employment 
 for their talents. 
 
 Alonfo Berruguete, a Caftilian, 
 educated in the fchool of the great 
 Michael Angelo, the friend and 
 contemporary of Andrea del Sarto, 
 Bdchio Bandinello and others, re- 
 turned into Spain an eminent 
 proficient in painting, fculpture 
 
 and 
 
 f 
 
[ n ] 
 
 and archite&ure ; deeply fkilled 
 in the theory of his art, he exhi- 
 bited to the world a new fyftem 
 of human fymmetry and propor- 
 tion, differing at once from the 
 rules of Pomponio Gaurico y Philip® 
 de Borgona and Alberto Durero> 
 over whom he finally triumphed 
 both in principle and praftice ; 
 leaving many illuftrious monu- 
 ments of his excellence in all the 
 branches of his ftudy, both at 
 Madrid* the Pardo and the Al- 
 hambra of Grenada j for which he 
 was fuitably honoured and re- 
 warded by the Emperor Charles^, 
 and died full of years and replete 
 with fame and fortune, in 1545 >, 
 in the city of Madrid. I fhould 
 obferve in this place^ that in the 
 C 4 choir 
 
C 24 ] 
 
 choir of the cathedral in Toledo* 
 there are, an innumerable number 
 
 l -jLiI'lw/\5 4VX* *** '"''^ 
 
 of beautiful < carvings by Berru- 
 guete i Philip : de Borgona executed 
 one fide of the choir, and Berru- 
 guete the other. 
 
 The fuccefs of this artift was 
 an encouragement to others, and 
 the fcfyppli of Michael Angelo was 
 eagerly, reforted to by Baptifta 
 Bergamo #nd Go/par Becerra, of 
 Baiza $n Andalufia ; thefe illuftri- 
 ous ftudents returned together to 
 Spain, and were immediately tak- 
 en into the protection of the Em- 
 peron The arts, which Rincon 
 had tranfplanted into Spain, 
 which Berruguete had fo profper- 
 oufly advanced, they (but efpe- 
 cially Becerra ) puftied into matu-- 
 
 rity ; 
 
[ *5 3 
 rity ; this man, who even in Rome 
 (at that period in her zenith) had 
 attradled general admiration, ex- 
 celled in fculpture, equally as in 
 paintings in the latter art his 
 mode of colouring, and his ma- 
 nagement in the relief of his fi- 
 gures, greatly improved the prac- 
 tice of the Spanifti fchool, and 
 taught his countrymen to look 
 upon their firft manner with con- 
 tempt : As a ftatuary, he feems 
 to have found ample field for the 
 exercife of his talents ; the altars 
 now began to wear a different 
 form; inftead of the di Sorted bar- 
 barous fhapes of Gothic rnafonry, 
 crucifixes, faints and virgins now 
 took place,, in all the grande 
 gufto of Michael' Angelo. Hie 
 
 churches 
 
[ ** ] 
 churches of AJlorga, Zamora> 
 Burgos and Salamanca contended 
 which flhould firft engage him in 
 their fervice ; he executed all 
 thefe commiiTions to the fatisfac- 
 tion of the Fathers, and, when 
 they had equipped his images in 
 wide hoops and furbelowed petti- 
 coats, they applauded the artift, 
 and adored his manufacture. It 
 was not fo eafy to fatisfy the ca- 
 price of Ifabella of Valois ; fhe 
 comrniffioned him to carve a 
 wooden image of our Lady of the 
 Solidady for the convent of San 
 Francifco de Paulo; Becerra re- 
 ceived her Majefty's commands,, 
 and addreffed himfelf with dili- 
 gence to the work ; after the la- 
 bour of a year he compleated an 
 
 image 
 
[ V ] 
 image to his intire fatisfadtion he 
 prefented it to the Queen with an 
 aflurance of fuccefs, but in vain ; 
 his image did not reach the ideas 
 of the Queen; the expreflion did 
 not pleafe her ; and he was com- 
 manded not only to make a bet- 
 ter, but to take lefs time in mak- 
 ing it : He executed his order a 
 fecond time, and produced an 
 image to the admiration of all 
 beholders even the Fathers of 
 the Convent acknowledged it to 
 be a perfed: and exa6t reprefenta- 
 tion of nature ; it was again fub- 
 mitted to the Queen, and again 
 condemned for falling lhort of 
 her Majefty's conceptions of our 
 Lady of the Solidad the unhappy 
 artift was threatened to be fuper- 
 
 feded 
 
Ej »P I! 
 
 feded in the commiflion by fome 
 abler mafter; but, anxious to pre- 
 ferve his pre-eminence, and ful- 
 fil her Majefty's ideas, he again 
 applied himfelf with ardour to the 
 tafk ; he racked his imagination 
 without ceafing to frame fome vi- 
 fage, and devife fome form, that 
 IJabella might confefs bore a re- 
 femblance to the image in her 
 mind; Wearied out with the tor- 
 menting inveftigation, the ex- 
 haufted artift one day fell into a 
 profound fleep ; whilft this was 
 palling, he faw, or thought he faw, 
 a female figure prefenting herfelf 
 at the feet of his bed > he looked, 
 in hopes perhaps to have ob- 
 tained a model for his image; but 
 the lady unluckily concealed her 
 
 face > 
 
[ *9 ] 
 face ; at length, addreffing him In 
 the mod courteous ftile, fhe de- 
 fired him to open his eyes, get 
 out of bed, and take the log, that 
 he would find burning on his 
 hearth, and fet to work upon it, 
 and he would find an image to his 
 mind ; Becerra, overjoyed, loft no 
 time in following her advice ; he 
 found the log, quenched it; 'twas 
 a convenient piece of timber; and 
 with this fupernatural aid com- 
 pleated a figure to the heart's 
 content of Ifabella ; the Monks, 
 whofe prayers aflifted the execu- 
 tion, received the miraculous 
 image with joy ; it was ereftcd 
 on the high altar of the convent 
 in Valladolid) with all proper cere- 
 monials fitting the folemnity ; it 
 
 was 
 
t 30 3 
 
 was habited in the weeds of 
 Queen Joanna^ widow of Philip 
 the HandJome> and remains to this 
 day, not indeed a monument of 
 Becerra's art (for no part of that 
 is to be feen) but of his pa- 
 tience; and proves, that, however 
 eminent might be his talent for 
 fculpture, if it had not been 
 for his faculty of dreaming, he 
 would have made a lhameful 
 fliip wreck of his fame. Happy 
 had it been for poor Torrigiano^ 
 if he had had BeceYra'% difcretion, 
 or Becerras dreams. 
 
 Antonio Flores> and Fernanda 
 Gal legos (the one of Seville and 
 the other of Salamanca) were 
 Painters of great merits and much 
 in the favour of the Emperor, 
 
 particularly 
 
C 31 ] 
 
 particularly the latter ; they for- 
 med themfelves in the fchool of 
 Alberto Durero y and Gallegos co- 
 pied the manner of his matter fo 
 clofely, that many of his pictures 
 cannot be diftinguifhed from Du- 
 rero's : Some of his works remain 
 at Salamanca, but moft of them 
 fo impaired by time, and by the 
 cloifter where they hang, that 
 they are become fcarce vifible* 
 Charles the Vth alio brought with 
 him into Spain, out of Italy, the 
 celebrated Pedro Campana, a Fle- 
 ming by birth, who had fludied 
 twenty years in the fchool of Ra- 
 fael Urbin : When Charles made 
 his entry into Bologna, in the year 
 1530, Pedro Campana devifed the 
 grand triumphal arch, tinder 
 
 which 
 
[ 3* 1 
 which he paffed : Campana foon 
 after came into Spain, refid- 
 ing chiefly at Seville. In the 
 chapel of the Purification in that 
 city there is ftill to be feen a ca- 
 pital painting by this mafter on 
 the fubjeft of the ceremony, to 
 which the chapel is dedicated \ a 
 Defcent from the Crofs and a Nati- 
 vity, both celebrated pictures, are 
 yet to be feen in the church of 
 San Lorenzo and in the convent 
 of San Pablo > in a fmall chapel 
 adjoining to the Chapter-houfe, 
 there is a pifture by Campana on 
 the fubje£t of the Circumcifion; 
 ail which are much extolled by 
 Pachece in his treatife on the, Art 
 of Painting. Campana died in the 
 year 1570 at Bruffelsj where his 
 
 portrait 
 
[ 33 ] 
 
 portrait is ftill to be feen in the 
 Confiftory. 
 
 It was this vifit made by the Em- 
 peror Charles to Bologna in 1530, 
 which brought about an event of 
 the firft importance in the hiftory 
 of the aYts in Spain ; I mean the 
 introduction of the works of 277/- 
 anOj and fome time after of Titiano 
 himfelf 5 that great m after was in 
 Bologna, when Charles made his 
 entry, and like Charles was then 
 in the full luftre of his fame; 
 fcarce a charadter of eminence in 
 Europe, but was to be found on 
 the canvafs of Titiano ; to be de*- 
 livered to pofterity in the glowing 
 colours of his pencil feemed an 
 objed of general ambition, and 
 in fome degree an anticipation 
 
 Vol. I. D of 
 
I 34 ] 
 of immortality ; Alonfo de Ferra- 
 ra, Federico Gonzaga (Duke of 
 Mantua) Francifco Maria, (Duke 
 of Urbino) the Marquis del Bafto* 
 Pefcara, Alva, Francifco Sforza., 
 Antonio de Leyva, Diego de Men- 
 dcza, ArretinOy Bembo, Fracajlorio? 
 Ferdinand (King of the Romans) 
 and his fon Maximilian, both af- 
 terwards Emperors, the Popes Six- 
 tus IV, Julius II, and Paulus III, 
 the great Emperor Salman and 
 the Sultanefs Rofa were amongft 
 the illuftrious perfonages, -who had 
 been painted by c Titiano : The Em- 
 peror fate to him at Bologna, as 
 he palled through that city in the 
 year above mentioned - y he was in 
 the meridian of life and, though 
 he could not be faid to inherit the 
 
 beauty 
 
t 35 ] 
 beauty of Philip the Hand/owe, he 
 was neverthelefs of a majeftic 
 comely afpeft; the portrait pleafed 
 him well and, though fo weak an 
 ingredient as vanity was not to be 
 found in Charles's compofition, 
 yet he was not infenfible to im- 
 preffions, and henceforward deter- 
 mined never to commit his perfon 
 to any other limner than Titiano. 
 He was a lover of arts, not an en- 
 thufiaft; he knew the force of 
 their effects, and reverenced them 
 for their power, without being 
 captivated by their charms ; to 
 men of eminence he was liberal 
 without familiarity % in fhort, his 
 affections in this particular, as in 
 every other, were dire&ed regu- 
 larly to their objeft by reafon, not 
 -driven impetuoufiy by conftitution 
 
 D 2 or 
 
I # ] 
 
 or paffion : Upon this principle he 
 rewarded Titiano for his portrait 
 with a thoufand golden fcudi> 
 confulting thereby no lefs his own 
 magnificence, than the artift's 
 merit; he paid him 200 ducats 
 for a fmall piece ; and, upon Titi- 
 an? $ prefenting him with a pic- 
 tureof the Annunciation, forwhich 
 his countrymen the Venetians 
 had refufed to pay him more than 
 aco fcudi, Charles rewarded him 
 for the prefent with a thoufand. He 
 invited 'Titiano into Spain, and 
 preffed him to comply, ufing many 
 promifes and fome intreaties ; anx- 
 ious to wreft the palm of glory 
 from the brows of his rival Fran- 
 cis in arts, as well as arms, he 
 perceived there was no other living 
 
 merit 
 
[ 37 3 
 merit but Titiano'sy which he could 
 oppofe to that of Leonardo da Vinci. 
 Carlos Rodolfiy the biographer of 
 tfitiano, fays he never came into 
 Spain, but he is miftaken ; it was 
 not however till the year 1548 
 that he complied with the Empe- 
 ror's invitation ; from that period 
 till 1553 he refided in Spain; dur- 
 ing this refidence he compofed 
 many admirable works, and re- 
 ceived many princely rewards.?. 
 Charles gave him the key, the 
 order of Santiago at Brufiels, and 
 in 1553 conftituted him a Count; 
 Palatine of the empire at Barcelona 
 by an inftrument worthy to be re- 
 corded; viz. Carolus V. divina fa- 
 vente dementia Romano-rum Im~ 
 perator auguftus ac Rex Geima- 
 D 3 niaa* 
 
[ 38 ] 
 t\m, Hifpaniarumque fpe&abili 
 noftro et imperii facri fideli dile&o 
 Titiano de Vecellis> five equiti au- 
 rato, et facri Lateranenfis palatii, 
 aulasque nras et imperialis confifto- 
 rii comiti gratiam Casfaream et 
 omne bonurn. 
 
 Cum nobis femper mos fuerit, 
 poftquam ad hujus Caefari^e digni- 
 tatis celfitudinem divis aufpiciis 
 evecli fuerimus, vos potiflimum, 
 qui lingular! fide et obfervantia 
 erga nos et facrum Romanum im- 
 perium prsediti egregiis moribus, 
 eximiis virtutibus et ingenuis ar- 
 tibus induftriaq; clari et excel- 
 lentes habiti funt prse ceteris be- 
 nevolentia, favore et gratia noftra 
 profequi. Attendentes igitur fingu- 
 larem tuam erga nos, et facrum 
 
 Romanum 
 
L 39 ] 
 
 Romanum imperium fidem et ob~ 
 fervantiam, ac prater illas egre- 
 gias virtutes tuas et ingenii 
 dotes, exquifitam illam pingendi 
 et ad vivum effigiendarum ima~ 
 ginum fcientiam, qua quidem arte 
 talis nobis vifus es, ut merito hujus 
 feculi Apelles dici merearis, &c. 
 Motu igitur proprio et certa 
 noftra fcientia, animo deliberate, 
 fano quoquePrincipum, Comitum, 
 Baronum, Procerum et aliorum 
 noftrorum et Imperii facri dileo 
 torum accidente confilio, et de 
 noftrse Csefarese poteftatis plenitu- 
 dine te prsenominatum Titianum- 
 facri Lateranenfis palatii, aulseq; 
 nrse, et Imperial^ • confiftorii co~ 
 mitem fecimus, creavimus, erex- 
 imus, et comitatus Palatini ti- 
 D 4 fculo 
 
[ 40 ] 
 titulo clementer infignivimus : 
 Prout tenore praefentium faci- 
 mus, creamus, erigimus, attoli- 
 mus et infignimus ac aliorum 
 Comitum Palatinorum numero 
 et confortu gratanter aggregamus 
 et adfcribimus, &c. 
 
 Thefe favours alarmed thejealou -i 
 fy of the nobies both of Germ any and 
 Spain> but their envy drew no other 
 anfwer from Charles, than that he 
 had many nobles in his empire and 
 but one Titiano the artift, who was 
 at fome diftance, employed upon 
 z picture, overheard the retort 
 with confcious fatisfaftion and, 
 as he made his reverence to the 
 Emperor, dropt a pencil on the 
 floor j the courteous monarch 
 took it up and, delivering it to 
 
 him 
 
[ 41 ] 
 
 him confounded by this fecond 
 mark of his condefcenfion, added, 
 that to wait on Titiano was a fer- 
 vice for an Emperor. Charles did 
 not only grace this eminent ar- 
 tift with the fplendid ornaments 
 and titles above mentioned, he 
 gave him more folid marks of 
 his favour, appointing him rents 
 in Naples of two hundred ducats 
 annually each, befides a munifi- 
 cent compenfation for every pic- 
 ture he executed : Palomino fays, 
 that Charles regarded the poffef- 
 fion of a capital piece of 'Titiano 
 more than he did the acquifition 
 of a new province to his domi- 
 nion ; but Palomino was a painter, 
 and more familiar with the pic- 
 tures of TitianO) than with the po- 
 litics 
 
[ 42 ] 
 
 ijLtics of the Emperor : This would 
 have been a caprice unworthy of 
 any prince ; but Charles's charac- 
 ter was not the fport of caprice ; 
 whilft to the very moment of his 
 life, when he refigned his domi- 
 nions, it was evident that ambi- 
 tion was his ruling paffion ; had 
 he been capable of that preference, 
 which Palomino afcribes to him, he 
 would hardly have taken fuch pains 
 to the laft hour of his reign to 
 perfuade his brother Ferdinand to. 
 make a facrifice of his fucceffion 
 of the empire, nor have retired 
 into the unfurnilhed cell of his 
 convent with his puppets and his 
 birds without one confolatory re- 
 membrance of his favourite author 
 to cheer his folitude, or to enflame 
 
 his 
 
[ 43 
 his devotion : I can hardly be 
 perfuaded, that Charles's abdica- 
 tion of his empire was any proof 
 of caprice; he plainly enough 
 perceived his health was gone, and 
 he was not willing that his fame 
 Ihould follow it. 
 
 Titiano had quitted Spain, be- 
 fore Philip took pofleflion of the 
 throne ; the arts however had 
 rapidly advanced : Charles had 
 made fome improvement to the 
 royal edifices, but all with a view 
 to accommodation rather than 
 magnificence he had fronted the 
 old palace of Madrid, beautified 
 and repaired the venerable Al~ 
 hambra of Grenada, planted and 
 difpofed the walks and avenues of 
 . Aranjuez in the Flemiih. tafte, 
 
 and 
 
[ 44 ] 
 and built the Pardo at two leagues 
 diflance from- the capital in a 
 retired fituation and in a ftile by- 
 no means imperial ; it is a fquare 
 building of moderate dimenfions, 
 flanked with four fmall towers at 
 the angles, and environed with a 
 fofs exaftly on the fcale of a no- 
 bleman's feat in his native toun- 
 try : Superftition foon engaged 
 Philip in a more important un- 
 dertaking and, having made a 
 vow upon the viftory of St. Quin- 
 tin to dedicate a church and mo- 
 jiaftery to San Lorenzo^ he began 
 in the midft of a folitary and 
 frightful defart to difplace the 
 rocks and compel them to take 
 the fhape of an edifice : on the 
 feaft-day of St. George with much 
 
 temporal 
 
[ 45 ] 
 temporal and fpiritual pomp he 
 laid the foundation-ftone of the 
 monaftery of San Lorenzo, called 
 the Efcorial, with the following 
 infcription : 
 
 Deus 0. M. operi Afpiciat t 
 Philippics II. Hifpaniarum Rex 
 a fundamentis erexit 
 MDLXIIL 
 Joan Baptifta ArchiteStus 
 IX Ka. MAIL 
 
 So much has been faid on the 
 lubje6t of this extraordinary edi- 
 fice, and the Spaniih writers make 
 fuch a pompous difplay of its 
 magnificence, that I might appear 
 to affed a Angularity of opinion, 
 if I was to offer freely what my 
 
 imperfedt 
 
[ 46 ] 
 imperfeft judgment fuggefts on 
 the matter ; to fuch of my readers, 
 as have feen the Efcorial, what 
 I fhould have to fay would have 
 little novelty ; and in their opinions, 
 who have not feen it, and been 
 taught to refpeft it, it might have 
 too much. The fcale undoubtedly 
 is magnificent, though the mafs 
 is gracelefs j'as a monaftery it is 
 vaft and aweful, fitly calculated 
 to entomb the living and the 
 dead ; as a palace, it is juftly em- 
 blematic of its founder, who on 
 the fummit of the fuperincum- 
 bent mountain was accufcomed 
 to fit and furvey his rifing fabric 
 in filent contemplation and de- 
 light. Francifco de los Santos, 
 the monk, who wrote a pompous 
 « 3 defcription 
 
I 47 ] 
 defcription of the Efcorial, ob~ 
 ferves that the fenfation, which a 
 fpe&ator feels upon entering the 
 great court, is the fame as at fud- 
 denly hearing a delightful concert; 
 the /only fays he, in both cafes is 
 abforbed in extafy — what then muft 
 have been the fenfations of Phi- 
 lip, as he fate upon the top of the 
 mountain, where atone glance -he 
 took in the whole birds-eye of the 
 edifice ? Certainly, if the good Fa- 
 ther heard a concert upon his en- 
 tering only one of the courts of 
 the monaftery, His Catholic Ma- 
 jefty, when ftationed on the moun- 
 tain, muft have enjoyed a full cho- 
 rus of mufical extafy : For my 
 part, taking into confideration the 
 •fcrupulous performance of his vow, 
 
 I am 
 
C 43 1 
 I am inclined to believe his chief 
 pleafure confifted in obferving how 
 exaftly he had made the building 
 correfpond to the gridiron of S an Lo- 
 renzo ; this he did in honourable 
 commemoration of the martyrdom 
 of the Saint above mentioned : He 
 alfo took the pious precaution of 
 diipofing a number of relics in 
 the balls of the cupolas, crofles 
 and different parts of the building, 
 to preferve it from fire, ftorm, or 
 any other injury : Thefe holy pre- 
 fervatives have not been very fuc- 
 cefsful in their office, for great part 
 of the edifice, with not a few of 
 the relics in charge, were con- 
 fumed by a dreadful conflagration: 
 Nor is this the only element at war 
 with the Efcorial, the furious gufts 
 9 of 
 
I 49 ] 
 ©f wind, that occafionally fweep 
 from the impending mountains, 
 furpafs- defcription : The Efcorial 
 is placed in the very eddy of thefe 
 furious gufts ; as neither man, nor 
 beaft, nor carriages can ftand be- 
 fore them, a fubterranean pafiage 
 is cut through the rock, under the 
 area of the court, for a communi- 
 cation with the town, which is 
 better flieltered from the blaft : 
 The mafly walls of the building are 
 proof againft the violence of the 
 ftorms, but the covering of the 
 roof, though fortified with all pof- 
 lible care againft the attack, con- 
 tinually exhibits melancholy proofs 
 of its infufficiency ; whilft the ar- 
 chitect; by difpofing the windows' 
 to refift the wind, feems to have 
 Vol. L E forgot, 
 
£ 50 ] 
 
 forgot, that one part of their office 
 was to admit the light. 
 
 If the architect however finds 
 fomething to condemn, the paint- 
 er will find much to admire : It is 
 undoubtedly a repofitory of noble 
 arts. As foon as Philip had con- 
 ceived the idea of enriching the 
 royal convent with every thing 
 fuitable to the magnificence of its 
 fcale, and which the mines of 
 America, that flowed in upon his 
 treafury, could procure, he call his 
 eyes towards his father's favourite 
 painter tttianoy then returned in- 
 to his own country : Whether he 
 folicited him to come again into 
 Spain does not appear ; but he had 
 certainly given him feveral com- 
 iniffions for pidtures : In a letter, 
 
 which 
 
which Philip writes to Titian* of 
 the . 1 3 th of July 1558 from 
 Ghent, he acknowledges the re- 
 ceipt of one frorri Titiano of the 
 1 9th of the preceding month, and 
 exprefles the fatisfaftion it gave 
 him to hear, that he had com- 
 pleated his pi&ure of Calixtus and 
 .one alfo of Diana bathing : He 
 tells him that he had wrote to Gar- 
 cias Fernandez at Genoa to forward 
 thefe pictures for Spain, and defires 
 rfitiano Mmfelf to faperintend the 
 packing and to direct the cafes, thai 
 .no other of his valuable productions 
 might be again expofed to the like 
 pits for tune, as had bej alien, his paint- 
 ing of the Chrijl^ which .had been 
 ruined by the way : He earneftly 
 re quells of tfitiano to reft ore that 
 E 1 hfs 
 
I ** t 
 
 lofs by another of the fame compofi^ 
 Hon, which he Jhall highly prize, as 
 coming from the hand of fo great a 
 majler: In conclufion he expreffes 
 his regret to hear that the rents, 
 fettled upon him in Milan and* 
 Naples, had fallen into arrear, and 
 tells him that he will put thofe pay- 
 ments infuch train, that there Jhall 
 he no caufe of complaint in future. 
 This in effeft he performed by & 
 peremptory mandate to his gover- 
 nor of Milan, direfting him to fa- 
 tisfy the arrears due to Titiano from 
 the date of the grants in 154,1 and 
 1548, and put the fame in regular 
 courfe of payment for the future, 
 either from the Ducal chamber, or 
 fuch other funds as might be more 
 €onveniently applied to that purpofe* 
 
 This 
 
t S3 I 
 
 This mandate bears date the 25th 
 of December 1558, and at the 
 foot of it the King writes thefe 
 lines ^ith his own hand: You know 
 how I am interefted in this order ^ 
 as it affeffs Titiano comply with it 
 therefore in Juch a manner > as to 
 give me no oceafion to repeat it. The 
 King had the further attention to 
 continue to him the grant of his 
 Key, and nominated him Firffc 
 Painter of the chamber. 
 
 The pi&ures, which Tttiano 
 made in Spain, and thofe he fent 
 into Spain, form of themfelves a 
 large and magnificent collection ; 
 the catalogues of the Efcorial and 
 Madrid give fome idea of them, 
 but do not nearly reach the 
 •amount 5 to particularize their re- 
 E 3 fpe&ive 
 
[ 54 3 
 
 fpcftive merit is not the objedt of 
 this work, and would; be an un- 
 dertaking far above my hands : 
 jfn a pofthumous publication of 
 Antonio- Rafael Mengs y printed at 
 MadrM in 1780., there are fome 
 obfervations on Titiano^s pidtures 
 in the palace at Madrid ; I could 
 wifli, for the reader's better gra- 
 tification, that more had been faid ! 
 by Mengs upon the fubjeft and 
 in general it is to be regretted, 
 that he had not entered into a 
 fuller defcription of the Madrid 1 
 collection,, of which he profelfes 
 to give an account : But it is not 
 in thefe colle&ions of the Efcorial 
 and palace of Madrid, as I before 
 obferved, that we can find the 
 fum of Titiana's works in Spain ; 
 
 many 
 
[ 55 I 
 many capital pi&ures are difperf- 
 ed, many perifhed in the deplorable 
 fire, that defcroyed the Pardo, 
 fome have been by late decree 
 exiled for their diftionefty, and 
 fome condemned and executed 
 in the flames : Amongft the 
 pi&ures, that perifhed at the 
 Pardo, many portraits of the 
 Auftrian family were loft, toge- 
 ther with one of Titiano himfelf, 
 painted by order of Charles V. 
 a celebrated work, in which the 
 painter is reprefented, holding in 
 his hand the portrait of Charles ; 
 transferring by this courtly device 
 die honour of the representation 
 from himfelf to the Emperor, On 
 the fubjeft of the exiles and mar- 
 tyrs, above mentioned I am un~ 
 E 4 willing 
 
I 56 1 
 
 Willing to -enlarge, it will fuffice 
 to fay, that being mod: in the 
 nude. y their crime will in fome 
 people's judgment appear their 
 recommendation ; certain it is that 
 the unparalleled and ineftimable 
 figure of the fleeping Venus, which 
 was given by Philip the I Vth to 
 our Charles the Firft, when Prince 
 of Wales, upon the vifit he made 
 in Spain, and which, after the 
 death of that unhappy monarch, 
 was purchafed by the Spanifh am- 
 baflador in England, has been res- 
 cued from execution by the ad- 
 drefs of Mengs* I frequently vi- 
 fited this matchlefs deity in her 
 hiding-place, where I found hef 
 miferably lodged, though refpec- 
 tably attended by an Atalanta in 
 
 the 
 
[ 57 1 
 
 the race by Guido, divinely ex- 
 ecuted, a Helen and Paris by 
 Rubens,, and three Graces of the 
 fame mafter, coloured to a mira- 
 cle, but much more embonpoint 
 than their principal. To attempt 
 any defcription of this fleeping 
 Venus appears to me as impofli- 
 ble, as it would be to condemn 
 fuch perfect and withal fuch modeft 
 beauties to the fiames ; a graceful 
 turn of the neck gives the full 
 countenance to the fpe£tator, in 
 which tHe mafter-artift has dif- 
 played beauty and fweetnefs of 
 the divineft fort, with the mod 
 perfe£l innocence of charafter ; 
 the limbs are elegantly and de- 
 cently difpofed, the hues are glow- 
 ing and transparent, the outline 
 
 tound 
 
[ 58 I 
 round and glittering, and the lo- 
 cal lights and fhades produced by 
 thofe tender and imperceptible- 
 touches, that form the magic of 
 Corregio ; in fliort it is a miracle 
 of art, and was fo decidedly the 
 chef d'oeuvre of the m after, that,, 
 after feveral efforts to rival his 
 own matchlefs work, he quitted 
 this felf - emulation in defpair. 
 It is to the honour of Bon Anto- 
 nio MengSy that he faved it from 
 deftru&ion : It had another efcape 
 from the flames of the Pardo, 
 which fatal accident being re- 
 ported to Philip die IVth, then on 
 the throne,, he inftantly demanded, 
 if the Titian-Venus had efcaped the 
 conflagration y the meflenger af- 
 fured him. that it was faved, then. 
 
 replied 
 
E 59 J 
 replied the King all other loffes 
 may be fupported : I cannot dif- 
 mifs this enchanting objeft with- 
 out obferving, that, by teftimony 
 of all the beft judges of its merit, 
 it yields in no particular to the 
 Venus of Medicis, but in the 
 weaker nature of it's material : 
 twice refcued from the flames, it 
 ftill exifts in perfeft condition : 
 May no future age of the world 
 produce a hand to raife an ax 
 againft the one, or to conftruft 
 a funeral pile for the other ! 
 
 There are feveral paintings of 
 Fitiano in the Madrid colle&ion* 
 upon fabulous fubjefts, and in par- 
 ticular a Tarquin and Lucretia fo 
 naturally executed, that, what be- 
 tween the excefs of chaftity in' one 
 
 prince^ 
 
I 60 ] 
 
 •prince, and the notorious abufe of 
 it in the other, it muft be owned 
 the lady has had an efcape. But 
 of all his pictures upon fubjefts 
 of this defcription, the moft beau- 
 tiful are two celebrated compa- 
 nions, the one a groupe of Bac- 
 chanals, the other of Cupids, in 
 the apartments of the Princefs ; 
 the figures in each are of the third 
 part of the natural fize. In the 
 fore ground of the groupe of Bac- 
 chanals there is a young female 
 votarift afleep, of which Don An- 
 tonio Mengs in his critique above 
 mentioned fpeaks with rapture $ 
 he fays that he never faw it with- 
 out that ftriking novelty of de- 
 light as if he had never difcovered 
 It before ; The colouring of this 
 
 figure 
 
f 61 J 
 
 figure he obferves is in Titiano % s 
 cleareft manner, and the degrada- 
 tion of tints through the whole 
 groupe, (which is all in the nude, 
 and which with an infinite variety 
 of nice discriminations compofes 
 one uniform tone) is wonderfully 
 contrived ; and conftitutes fuch £ 
 model in the art of colouring, as 
 he never met with in any other 
 example he concludes his re- 
 marks on this pifture by obferv- 
 ing r that all the harmonious ac- 
 companiments of Iky, variegated 
 foil, with deep and tender ihades 
 of the trees, form fuch an affem- 
 blage of beautiful objedte in na- 
 ture perfectly imitated, that a bet- 
 ter pifture in this ftile he does 
 not think the world can produce t 
 
 The 
 
[ 6 2 3 
 
 The other pi&ure reprefents a very 
 numerous troupe of beautiful Cu- 
 pids, difpofed in a wonderful vari- 
 ety of attitudes, -employed in pu- 
 erile fports, under a grove of ap- 
 ple-trees, the fruit of which they 
 have fcattered abo\it the ground, 
 and are playing with in the moft 
 gay and natural manner : The fame 
 curious degradation of hues in 
 the carnations of the flefh and 
 colours of the hair obtains in this 
 pifture, as in the former, and to 
 an equal degree of excellence; 
 the fame remarks therefore, as I 
 have quoted in that cafe, are ap- 
 plicable to this : Don Antonio . 
 Mengs adds, that thefe piftures 
 were formerly in the Ludovici 
 palace at Rome, and were a pre- 
 
 fent 
 
[ % ] 
 
 lent to the king of Spain : Sand- 
 raft reports of this groupe of Cu- 
 pids, that it ferved for a ftudy to 
 DominiquinOy Pmjin and Flamenco ; 
 Albano has tranfcribed a part of 
 this groupe into a compoiition of 
 his painting, and there are two 
 copies made by Rubens of thefe 
 pidtures to be feen in the palace ; 
 the ingenious author above quot- 
 ed adds with rather too much cri- 
 tical fe verity, that thefe copies of 
 Rubens are like an elegant author 
 tranflated into Dutch, where the 
 fentiments of the original may be 
 guefi at, but ail the grace is va- 
 nijhed. 
 
 Of fcriptural fuhje&s, treated 
 .by the hand of this great mafter $ 
 the Efcorial prefeats a hoft of va- 
 7 luable 
 
[ 6 4 ] 
 Itrable examples ; not a few are 
 alfo to be found in the palace 
 at Madrid ; the celebrated pic- 
 ture of the Lafl Supper in the re- 
 fectory at the Efcorial has been 
 repeatedly defcribed, and is known , 
 to all Europe as a miracle of art : 
 In a letter cf Titiano to Philip, 
 which is preferved, he informs 
 the King, that he had been feven 
 years employed in painting it ; 
 this muft furely be underftood 
 with latitude as to other inter- 
 mediate compofitions ; for, al- 
 though the artifl, as it is well 
 known, lived to a very uncommon 
 age, yet the life of a Patriarch 
 would fcarce fuffice to warrant 
 undertakings of fuch labour, nor 
 would the reward of 2000 golden 
 I feudi^ 
 
[ 65 1 
 fcudi, which the King fent him by 
 way of Genoa, and which was in 
 fad a magnificent price in thofc 
 times, be a proportionable com- 
 penfation for the dedication of fo 
 great a portion of his time. 
 
 The compofition, which is call- 
 ed la gloria de Titiano, that of Chrift 
 in the garden and the Santa Mar- 
 garita with the Dragon, would 
 claim fome defcription, if much 
 more capable judges had not al- 
 ready paffed the due encomiums 
 on thefe excellent performances ; 
 the fcrupulous fan&ity of the 
 monks was offended at fome li- 
 berties taken by Santa Margarita 
 in tucking up her robe and dif- 
 covering part of a very graceful 
 leg ; a thing not feerrvly to be 
 
 Vol. L F done, 
 
C 66 J 
 
 done, when in company with <t 
 Dragon efpecially as all Dragons 
 have not the prudence and good 
 faith of that, which was in keep- 
 ing by the Hefperides 2 But Jor- 
 dan's rapid pencil pieced the petti- 
 coat, which now, like Raphael's 
 wings f 
 
 Her feet 
 Shadows from either heeL 
 
 *Titiano was born in 1480, and 
 confequently was 68 years old 
 when he came into Spain ; he 
 ftaid there five years and, after 
 Charles's abdication, painted many 
 pieces for Philip ; it is to' be ex- 
 pected therefore, that there will 
 be found fome tokens of natural 
 
 decay* 
 
£ « 7 1 
 decay in his later works, and cer- 
 tain it is, that though his colour- 
 ing is always good, fome pictures 
 there are in the royal colledtion 
 of another pencil from his Venus, 
 and far lefs bright than his Hum- 
 bring Bacchant: He prattles fome- 
 times with the privilege of old 
 age ; but ftill it is the prattle of 
 Neftor. 
 
 It is not to be underftood that 
 all the pi&ures of Titiano, that are 
 in the royal collection, were paint- 
 ed by him, whilft he was King's 
 painter to Charles and to Philip : 
 Many are of his earlier and better 
 age, and were either pre-fented to 
 the Crown, or purchafed in Italy 
 •after the death of Titiano : An in-^ 
 ftanfiC of this occurred in the c&fe 
 F 2 of 
 
[ 68 ] 
 
 of the famous pictures above- 
 mentioned extra&ed from the Lu~ 
 •dovice palace, which were a pre- 
 fent to Philip : There is alfo in 
 the facrifty of the Efcorial a San 
 Sebaftian in his beft manner, which 
 was given by the Cende de Bena- 
 wnte y and feveral pieces of Titiano 
 were colle&ed by the great paint- 
 er Velazquez in his excurfion to 
 Italy by order of Philip the IVth. 
 Whilft Philip the lid. was thus 
 folicitous to enrich his royal con- 
 vent of San Lorenzo with the va- 
 luable works of Titiano, extracted 
 out of Italy, his own kingdom of 
 Spain offered to his choice many 
 eminent profeflfors and .difciples in 
 the art ; the refidence of that great 
 rnafter in Spain, and the emulation 
 
r 6 9 j 
 
 of contemporary genius, roufed 
 into adtion by the ftudy of his 
 brilliant compofitions, as well as 
 by the introduction of other dif- 
 tinguifhed foreigners, engaged in 
 compleating and adorning that 
 vafl fabric, operated to produce 
 an Auguftan age in Spain, I fhall 
 proceed to name fome of the prin- 
 cipal painters, as well foreigners 
 as natives, who were employed in 
 furnifhing and adorning the Efco- 
 rial. 
 
 Juan Fernandez Ximenez of Na- 
 varre, commonly called El Mudo 
 or the Dumb, and generally acknow- 
 ledged as the Titiano of Spain, was 
 born at Logrono> of a refpe&able 
 family the defefts of nature (for 
 he was deaf as well as dumb) 
 F 3 were 
 
r 7 c ] 
 
 were in fome degree compensated 
 to him by moft quick and brilliant 
 fenfe in the remaining faculties. 
 He was firft inftru6ted in the art 
 of painting by Fray Vicente de 
 Santo DomingOy a monk of Santa 
 Catalina in a convent at Talavera 
 in Caftile, of the order of Geroni- 
 mytes ; his early marks of genius 
 were fuch, that Fray Vicente pro- 
 pofed to the parents of El Mudo> 
 to fend him into Italy, which be- 
 ing accordingly done., he travelled 
 to Florence, Venice, Milan and 
 N aples, vifiting many of the moft 
 famous academies ; but princi- 
 pally forming himfelf in the fchool* 
 of Titiano : He foon eftablifhed fo 
 general a reputation in Italy, that 
 Philip, being apprizedof his fame, 
 
 recalled 
 
'[ 7i ] 
 
 recalled him into Spain and ap- 
 pointed him one of his painters at 
 the Efcorial; after having given 
 fome (ketches of Prophets in black 
 and white, in the adornments of 
 the facrifly, as famples of his 
 art, he proceeded to compofitions 
 of greater confequence, and paint- 
 .ed the Baptifm of our Saviour in 
 the Prior's cell j he was after that 
 employed in feveral paintings for 
 a chapel, which King Philip caufed 
 to be erefted in the wood' of Se- 
 govia; thefe paintings were re- 
 moved to the upper cloyfter of the 
 Efccrial, and in one of thefe, 
 which reprefents the beheading of 
 Santiago, El Mudo has inferted 
 the portrait of Santoyo in the cha~ 
 .rafter of the Executioner, in re- 
 F 4 venge 
 
[ 7* ] 
 voige for fome ill offices, which 
 that minifter had done him. San- 
 toyo complained to the King, 
 making fuit that the figure might 
 be expunged, and his perfon not 
 delivered to poflerity in the dif- 
 graceful occupation of a hangman ; 
 the King, who probably knew the 
 caufe of the offence, did not dis- 
 approve of the nature of the re- 
 venge, and, excufing himfelf to 
 Santoyo on account of the excel- 
 lence of the performance, would 
 not allow the pi£ture to be defaced. 
 The Twelve Apoftles on the great 
 pillars of the church next to the 
 high altar are alfo painted by El 
 Mudo. When tfitiano's famous 
 painting of the Laft Supper arrived 
 At the Efcorial, El Mudo was em- 
 ployed, 
 
[ 73 3 
 ployed, and upon Philip's propof- 
 ing to cut the canvafs to the fize of 
 the pannel in the refe&ory, where 
 it was deftined to hang, El Mudo 
 to prevent the mutilation of fo ca- 
 pital a work made earneft figns 
 of interceflion with the King to be 
 permitted to copy it, and reduce 
 it to the fize of the place allotted, 
 offering to do it in the fpace of fix 
 months - y upon the King's expref- 
 fing a hefitation on account of 
 the length of the time required by 
 El Mudo for the work, and pro- 
 ceeding to put his defign in exe- 
 cution, El Mudo repeated his fup- 
 plications in behalf of his favour- 
 ite mafter with more fervency than 
 ever, offering to compleat his copy 
 in lefs time, than he at firft de- 
 manded^ 
 
E 74 J 
 manded, tendering at the fame 
 time his head* as the pun^flament 
 of non-compliance* laying his 
 hand on his breaft as a fign, that 
 he claimed the order of Santiago 
 as his reward if he fihould fucceed 
 the offer was not accepted and 
 execution was performed upon TV - 
 tiano.y accompanied with the moft 
 diftrefsful attitudes and diftortions. 
 <yf El Mudo. He died foon after 
 at the Efcorial to the great regret 
 of Philip, at the age of 40, in the 
 year 1572, generally intitled the 
 tfitiano of Spain, and was honour- 
 ed with an epitaph by Fra. Lope 
 Felix de Vega Carpio. 
 
 El Divhio Morales was born ar 
 Badajoz in the province of Eftre- 
 madura, in the beginning of the 
 
 Gxteenth 
 
C 75 1 
 
 Sixteenth century. He was in- 
 ftrufted at Seville in: the academy 
 of Pedro Camfana^ a difciple of 
 Raphael ; from his conftant choice 
 of divine fubje&s and the ex- 
 treme delicacy of his pencil he 
 acquired the appellation of El Di- 
 vinOy and is known to the prefent 
 age by no other name than that of 
 El Divino Morales. All his paint- 
 ings are upon board or copper, 
 and almoft generally heads of the 
 crucified Saviour no inftance oc- 
 curring of his having executed 
 any compofition or figure at full 
 length. His heads are finiihed off 
 with infinite care and laboured to 
 the utmoft; yet not fo as to dimi- 
 nifli the force of the expreffion ; 
 for I have feen fome examples of 
 7 his 
 
[ 76 ] 
 his Ecce Homo of a moft exquifife 
 and touching chara&er ; alfo fome 
 heads of the Chrift bearing the 
 crofs approaching very near to the 
 Saviour in the famous Pafmo de 
 Sicilia. Though Morales never fails 
 to imprefs the countenance with 
 the deepeft tints of human agony, 
 I never met with any inftance of 
 his doing violence to our ideas of 
 the divinity of the objeft he re- 
 prefents : His conception of the 
 countenance feems to be original 
 and his own, more refembling 
 however the face of the Chrift in 
 Raphael's pidture above-mention- 
 ed, than any other \ and worked, 
 as it appears to me, after the man- 
 ner of the highly-finilhed heads of 
 Leonardo da Vinci. He was un- 
 doubtedly 
 
[ 77 ] 
 doubtedly an artift of a very li- 
 mited invention and delign ; in 
 aerial perfpe&ive and the clear- 
 sobfcure I have fometimes found 
 him evidently deficient, no!" has 
 <he any tincture of art or academy 
 in grouping *kis figures and dif- 
 pofinghis attitudes ; every thing 
 is left to a fimple expreffion of af- 
 fefting nature : His Mater dolorofa 
 is the very extreme of forrowj nor 
 is he anxious to maintain any trace 
 of beauty amidft his expreflions of 
 affliction : I am of opinion that no 
 imagination, which had not been 
 aided by the fpeftacles of exhauft- 
 cd nature, which a nunnery ex- 
 hibits, could have devifed an ob- 
 ject fo extremely woe-begone ; It 
 is in Ihoxt the aggravated por~ 
 5 trait 
 
[ 7* 3 
 trait of an emaciated devotee ex- 
 piring in her vigils. It may rea- 
 dily be believed in a country, 
 where paintings of this fort are 
 amongft the objefts of devotion, 
 and where every private houfe is 
 furniflied with its oratory and its 
 altar, that the pictures of Morales 
 muft have been in general requefl ; 
 it has been for the fame reafon 
 extremely difficult for travellers to 
 extraft out of Spain any piece of 
 this author; and as he worked very 
 (lowly and was not very induftri- 
 ous or interefled in his art, his 
 pi£tures are both very rare and ve- 
 ry permanent in their ftations *. 
 
 Enough 
 
 * Since this book went to the prefs, I 
 have received cut of Spain an Ec<e Horn?) 
 
 by 
 
t 79 3 
 Enough may be had of illegiti- 
 mate or fufpicious pretentions, but 
 in general they are eafily to be dif- 
 tinguifhed. One would expeft to 
 find in Morales'* private life a 
 chara&er in unifon with his ftu- 
 •dies ; but the contrary of this ap- 
 pears from his hiftory. When 
 Morales was fummoned to the Ef- 
 corial by Philip, he left Badajoz 
 at the King's command, and put- 
 ting himfelf in the beft array, that 
 his whole fubftance could procure, 
 prefented himfelf to the fovereigh 
 more like an Ambaflador upon the 
 
 by Morales y painted upon ftone, which was 
 affixed to a private oratory in the houfe of 
 the Duque de Ofuna, and tranfmitted to 
 me by the favour of that diftinguifhed 
 GrandeCo 
 
 delivery 
 
C 80 3 
 
 delivery of his credentials, than a 
 rural artift, called to labour at his 
 profeflion for hire : Upon the 
 King's remarking on the unex- 
 pected fplendor of his appear- 
 ance, he anfwered with an air of 
 national gallantry that, being re- 
 folved to dedicate every thing he 
 pofleft by nature, or by fortune, 
 to the fervice of his fovereign, he 
 had prefented himfelf in the beft 
 condition and attire, that his means 
 admitted in obedience to his fum- 
 mons. It does not appear, that 
 his reply difpleafed, neither was 
 the King diffatisfi^d with his per- 
 formances, for which he liberally 
 rewarded him: However, when 
 .upon completion of his undertak- 
 ings he returned to Badajoz, he 
 
 feems 
 
[ «i ] 
 
 feems to have carried home the fame 
 fpirit of extravagance ; for, when 
 Philip paffed through that place 
 in 158 1 on his way to take pof- 
 feffion of the kingdom of Portu- 
 gal, Morales prefented himfelf in 
 a far different condition, reduced 
 by poverty and age, for he was 
 then 7 2 years old ; Morales, fays 
 the King, methinks you are grown 
 very old, fmce laft I Jaw you. 'True, 
 Senor, replied he, and aljo very 
 poor. Philip, (of whom the arts 
 at lead have nothing to complain) 
 directly turning to the city trea- 
 furer ordered him 200 ducats, 
 telling him it was to purchafe him 
 a dinner — and a /upper too ? faid 
 Morales -> No, anfwered the King, 
 give him a hundred ducats more : a 
 Vol, I. G for- 
 
•I ] 
 
 fortunate rencounter for poor Mo* 
 rales : He furvived this event fome 
 years and died in 1586. Some of 
 his paintings are preferved at Cor- 
 dova and Seville ; and at Madrid 
 in the chapel of our Lady of t%4 
 Seledad, belonging to the convent 
 of the Trinitarians, I have beefr 
 fhewn a Santa Veronica by his 
 hand : There is alfo an Ecce Homo 
 in the convent of the nuns of 
 Corpus Chrifti, which with other 
 fpecimens I have met in private 
 cabinets, confirm to me his title 
 to the appellation of El Divino. 
 
 Miguel Barrojoy (a difciple of 
 Becerra ) and Domingo Beltran the 
 Jefuit, a native of Vidtoria, were 
 men of eminent talents they were 
 both excellent architects and of 
 
 i?reat 
 
C «3 I 
 
 great erudition.: The former was 
 employed at the Efcorial in paint- 
 ing part of the principal cloyfter, 
 the latter, who had formed him- 
 felf in Italy, executed fome ffot- 
 tues in the great church of admi- 
 rable workmanlhip, and in the 
 grande gufto of Michael Angelo. 
 Beltran alfo carved a crucifix for 
 the high altar at the Imperial col- 
 lege, lately occupied by the Je- 
 fuits at Madrid, a work of infinite 
 merit and expreffionj there is 
 another on the high altar of the 
 college at Alcala de Henares, 
 which I have not feen, but which 
 is no lefs celebrated : Both thefe 
 ingenious artifts died in the year 
 1590, both were men of amiable 
 G 2 manners, 
 
[ U ] 
 
 manners, great candour and re- 
 markable modefty. 
 
 The fame year was alfo fatal to 
 Teodofio Mingot the Catalan, (a dif- 
 ciple of Michael Angelo) and Luis 
 de Carvajal of Toledo, both emi- 
 nent painters, and both employed 
 at the Efcorial : Part of the prin- 
 cipal cloyfter is painted by Carva- 
 jai, and amongft the paintings in 
 the church fpecimens of a refpect- 
 able fort are to be found of both 
 thefe mailers. 
 
 But amongft the principal ar- 
 tifts, employed by Philip in the 
 paintings of the Efcorial, 1 the 
 Elder Coello v/as one in the chief 
 favour and efteem of that fove- 
 reign, who in his letters ftiles him 
 Titiano s Portugues (for he was of 
 
 that 
 
[ 85 ] 
 
 that nation) and acldre fifes him by 
 the affedtionate appellation of my 
 beloved fon Alonjo Sanchez Ccello. 
 He ftudied at Rome in the fchool 
 of Rafael de Urbino, and compleat- 
 ed himfelf in his art under the in- 
 ftruftion of Antonio More in Spain; 
 he pafifed from Spain into Portu- 
 gal, and was in the fervice of Don 
 Juan, and afterwards of his widow 
 Donna Juana, filter of Philip the 
 fecond : Upon the retirement of 
 Antonio Moro, the King of Spain 
 folicited his filler to fupply the 
 lofs of that great artift by fend- 
 ing him Coello ; upon his arrival 
 at the court Philip lodged him in 
 an apartment near at hand, with 
 which he had a private communi- 
 cation, for the purpofe of vifiting 
 G 3 him, 
 
[ 86 ] 
 
 Kim, whilfl he was at work : On 
 thefe occafions he treated Coelh 
 with great familiarity and conde- 
 fcenfion ; he was in fuch favour 
 with all the Royal family, that his 
 apartment became at times their 
 general rendezvous ; and in thefe 
 vifits Coello made feveral portraits 
 of Philip on foot and horfeback, 
 and of all the Royal or diftin- 
 guilhed perfonages, that compofed 
 the court : In fliort he became 
 eonfidered as a man in fuch high 
 degree of favour, that his protec- 
 tion was lookt up to by the Cour- 
 tiers and Grandees and his houfe 
 and table frequented by the firft 
 perfons in the nation, not except- 
 ing Cardinal Grambela, Don Gaf- 
 par de Zueroga, archbilhopof To- 
 ledo, 
 
[ *7 ] 
 letfo, and Don Rodrigo de Caftro/ 
 archbifhop of Seville : Coello was, 
 no lefs in favour with Pope Gre- 
 gory the Xlllth and Sixtus Quin- 
 tus, w r ith the Dukes of Florence 
 and Savoy, Cardinal Farnefe and 
 many other illuftrious characters of 
 that time. After endowing a cha- 
 ritable foundation for the reception 
 of poor orphans at Valladolid, Co- 
 ello died in the fixty-fifth year of 
 his age in 1590 ; an sera fatal to 
 the arts in Spain. 
 
 If Coello cannot properly be 
 confidered as a native of Spain, 
 he muft be acknowledged to rank 
 high amongft the chief artifts, 
 who have flourilhed in that king;- 
 dom: His paintings in the Efco- 
 rial, which are chiefly of Saints af- 
 G 4 fixed 
 
[ 88 ] 
 
 fixed to the refpe&ive altars, do 
 great honour to his memory ; the 
 portrait, that he made of the great 
 patriarch San Ignacio, drawn from 
 an impreflion of his face, taken in 
 wax after his death, is much ce- 
 lebrated y and his original figures 
 of Sifiphus and Titius, as well as 
 his copies from Titiano of Tanta- 
 lus and Ixion, now in the palace 
 of Madrid, are noble fpecimens. 
 His portraits -of many royal and 
 noble perfons, which are fpoken 
 of as excellent, perifhed with 
 many other of his capital woncs 
 in the unfortunate fire of the Par- 
 do ; of all which furvive, the prin- 
 cipal in point of compofition is 
 preferred in the church of San 
 Geronimo in Madrid, reprefent- 
 
 ing 
 
[ §9 ] 
 
 ing the martyrdom of San Sebaf- 
 tian ; on the right hand of the Saint 
 (lands the figure of Chrift, on the 
 left the Virgin Mary, and lower 
 in the front San Bernardo and San 
 Francifco ; above a glory and a fi- 
 gure reprefenting El Padre Eter- 
 no y the whole is executed with 
 great majefty of defign, a bold re - 
 lief and a ftrong and matterly ex- 
 preffion : He colours in the ftile 
 of Titiano and feems to draw with 
 great facility and freedom. He 
 died univerfally regretted by the 
 artifts, lamented by Philip, who 
 regarded him highly, and cele- 
 brated by the famous Lopez de 
 Vega who wrote his epitaph. 
 
 Philip in the decline of fortune 
 and life, by the death of Coello loft 
 
 his 
 
[ 9° ] 
 his befl and perhaps only refource 
 againft the vexations of ftate and 
 the intrufions of remorfe : Haugh- 
 ty by nature and harfh through 
 difappointment, there were ftill 
 fome moments, when his pride 
 fought the relief of familiarity, 
 and when his temper for a while 
 relaxed into complacency.: In 
 thpfe moments he would mount 
 the ladder, (the only one he ever 
 climbed without ambition or dif- 
 grace) that privately communi- 
 cated with the painting-room of 
 Ccello. Philip had deferved well 
 of the arts, and in company with 
 them he found himfelf for once 
 amongft his friends : Coello haddif- 
 cretion, good manners and much 
 acquaintance with the world; if 
 
 the 
 
C 9* ] 
 
 the King encouraged Converfa- 
 tion, Coello knew every body and 
 every thing, and out of thofe could 
 chufe his topics fuitably and treat 
 them agreeably ; if the King was 
 difpofed to filence during his vilit, 
 as was frequently the cafe, Coello 
 purfued his work with fixt atten- 
 tion, he prefTed his canvafs into 
 life with all the energy and fpirit 
 of his genius: The king fate by, 
 contemplating the new creation, 
 which the hand of art was forming 
 in his fight, and for a while per- 
 haps forgot the breaches he had 
 caufed in that of nature's produ- 
 cing : By the eafel of Coello, if he 
 was not defended from the cares, 
 he was at lead fecure from the in- 
 trufions of Royalty.* Whoever has 
 
 been 
 
[ 9* ] 
 been accuftomed to look on du - 
 ring the operations of induftry or 
 art, muft have experienced a re- 
 pofe of thought, an interval from 
 worldly inquietude, that fteals in- 
 fenfibly and gradually upon the 
 mind, as Deep does on the body : 
 If fuch are our fenfations, whilft 
 contemplating the labourer at his 
 talk, or the mechanic at his trade, 
 how much do we improve the avo- 
 cation, when the eye is called off 
 from every other obje£t and fixed 
 upon one of the mod pleafing and 
 furprizing in the whole circle of 
 human arts and inventions ! We 
 may naturally believe that Philip 
 felt the benefits of this refource : 
 In his council-chamber the defec- 
 tion of provinces galled his pride, 
 2 and 
 
[ 93 ] 
 
 and the difperfion of armadas 
 thwarted his ambition : In his 
 clofet the injured Perez ftung his 
 confcience and the unhappy Don 
 Carlos haunted his imagination ; 
 but in the academy of Coello he faw 
 himfelf in his mod favourable 
 light, and perhaps the only one, 
 which can refleft a luftre on his 
 memory. 
 
 The great works, which Philip 
 was carrying on at the Efcorial, 
 and the magnificent collection of 
 paintings he was there amaffing, at- 
 tracted the attention of all the ar- 
 tifts in Europe, whilft the wealth 
 and munificence of the King held 
 out ample encouragement to ad- 
 venturers of merit. Spain at that 
 brilliant asra was in poffeffion of 
 
 many 
 
[ 94 ] 
 many native painters, who had 
 they been happy enough to have 
 found an hifcorian to have done 
 juftice to their fame, would at this 
 day have ranked with the moft dif- 
 tinguifhed mailers of the age in 
 Italy i but their names are buried 
 in the obfcurity of time, and their 
 works in that of cloyfters and con- 
 vents, 
 
 Philip preffed his favourite un- 
 dertaking with fuch ardour, and 
 the immeafurable walls of the con- 
 vent of San Lorenzo offered fuch 
 a field for emulation, that the har- 
 veft could not be reaped by natives 
 only, however numerous ; fo that 
 to conclude the work within the 
 period of his reign it was neceffa- 
 ry to call in the afTiftance of more 
 i labourers. 
 
I 95 3 
 
 labourers, and a great body of in- 
 genious emigrants accepted the 
 invitation : My defign is to pre- 
 fent the reader with a few local 
 anecdotes relative to the principal 
 charafters of this defcription, the 
 gleanings of their better hiftory, 
 which in general is fo well known, 
 as to make any more diffufive re- 
 lation fuperfluous and imperti- 
 nent. 
 
 In felecting thefe I fhall princi- 
 pally follow the order of time, in 
 ich they flourifhed, for the pre- 
 nt however confining myfelf to 
 he reign of Philip the lid. 
 
 Antonio Moro (Sir Antony 
 More) the predeceffor and pre- 
 eptor of the elder Coello above 
 entioned, was born at Utrecht, 
 
 where 
 
[ 96 ] 
 
 where in the early years of his life 
 he ftudied in the fchool of Juan 
 Efcorelio ; from thence he pafted 
 into Italy, where he ultimately 
 formed himfelf upon the models 
 of the great mafters Michael An- 
 gelo and Rafael de Urbino. He 
 came into Spain 1552, Charles V. 
 being then on the throne, under 
 the pioteftion of his countryman 
 Cardinal Grambeli ; he made a 
 portrait of Prince Philip, and, 
 being recommended by the Cardi- 
 nal to the fe: ce of the Emperor, 
 he was fent by him into Portugal 
 to take the portrait of the Prin- 
 cefs Donna Maria, then contract- 
 ed to Philip : At the fame time 
 he painred John III. of Portugal 
 and his queen Donna Catalina* 
 
 Charles's 
 
[ 97 ] 
 
 Charles's voungeft fifter; by all 
 which portraits he gave entire fa- 
 tisfa&ion, and was magnificently- 
 rewarded both by Charles and the 
 Royal perfonages above-mention- 
 ed. Having fucceeded fo well in 
 this commiffion, he was next dif- 
 patcht by the Emperor into Eng- 
 land to the court of Mary, to 
 take the portrait of that princefs, 
 previous to her efpoufals with Phi- 
 lip : Moro employed all the flat- 
 tering aids of his art in this por- 
 trait, and fo captivated the cour- 
 tiers of Spain with the charms 
 of Mary's perfon, that he was em- 
 ployed by his patron the Cardinal 
 and many of the Grandees to make 
 copies of his picture, one of which 
 I have feen in poffeffion of a noble 
 Vol. I. H family, 
 
[ 9» 1 
 
 family, and by which it fliould 
 appear that Moro was not only a 
 very good painter, but an excel- 
 lent courtier. Having enriched 
 himfelf by his embaffy to Eng- 
 land, he returned into Spain upon 
 the conclufion of peace between 
 that kingdom and France* and 
 was eagerly received into the fer- 
 vice of Philip II. then on the 
 throne. His excellence in the 
 painting of portraits fuppiied him 
 with ample employ in this court, 
 Philip, who made flaves of his 
 friends and friends of his painters, 
 treated Moro with extraordinary 
 familiarity. This great artift had 
 not all the courtly difcretion <s>f 
 his fcholar Coello> and met the 
 King's advances with the fame eafe 
 9 that 
 
[ 99 I 
 that they were made ; fo that one 
 day, whilft he was at his work 
 and Philip looking on, Mora 
 dipt his pencil in carmine, and 
 with it fmeared the hand of the 
 King, who was refting his arm on 
 his ftioulder : The jeft was rafh, 
 and the charafter, to which it was 
 applied, not to be played upon 
 with impunity; the hand of tho 
 Sovereign of Spain (which even 
 the fair fex kneel down to falute) 
 was never fo treated fince the 
 foundation of the monarchy ; the 
 King furveyed it ferioufly a while, 
 and in that perilous moment of 
 fufpence the fate of Moro balan- 
 ced on a hair j the courtiers, who 
 were in awful attendance, revolt- 
 ed from the fight with horror and 
 H 2 amaze- 
 
[ 100 ] 
 
 ama2ement (could Luca Jordano 
 have feized the groupe in that mo- 
 ment and daftied it off with his 
 rapid facility, what a fubje£t for a 
 painter!) caprice, or I would ra- 
 ther fay pity, turned the fcale, and 
 Philip pa{Ted the filly aftion off 
 with a fmile of complacency : The 
 painter, dropping on his knees> 
 eagerly feized thofe of the King, 
 and luffed his feet in humble a- 
 tonement for the offence, and all 
 was well, or feemed at leaft fo to 
 be; but the perfon of the King 
 was too facred in the confideration 
 of thofe times, and the aft too 
 daring to efcape the notice of the 
 awful office of the Inquifition > 
 thefe holy and enlightened Fathers* 
 maturely weighing all the cir- 
 
 cumftances 
 
I IOI J 
 
 cumftances of the cafe, learnedly 
 concluded that Antonio Moro> be- 
 ing a foreigner and a traveller, 
 had either learnt the art magic, or 
 obtained in England fome fpell or 
 charm, wherewith he had bewicht 
 the Kins; : Nor let the heretical 
 reader treat this ftory as a fiftion, 
 or think that the Fathers accord- 
 ing to the premifes, on which their 
 judgments then were and ftill are 
 formed, reafoned much amifs ; 
 for a difbellef in witches is a fpe- 
 cies of criminal infidelity to the 
 prefent moment condemnable at 
 that facred tribunal, of which I 
 could give a late very notable ex- 
 ample, if it was proper to make 
 public a gentleman's difgrace, for 
 which he has fufferedpuniihment, 
 PI 3 and 
 
t 1 02 ] 
 
 and of which it is hoped he has 
 duly repented. If Antonio had 
 contended that he pra&ifed no 
 other charms upon Philip, than 
 thofe of his art, which over fome 
 minds has a kind of bewitching 
 influence, fuch a plea would fcarce 
 have paffed with his judges, whofe 
 hearts were far out of reach of 
 fuch mechanical fafcination ; and 
 as little would it have ferved his 
 caufe to plead the natural gaiety 
 and good-humour of the Monarch, 
 fuch an argument would have been 
 fairly fet down amongft thofe quit 
 ncn admit tuntur ; fo that his con- 
 demnation would have been ine- 
 vitable; for as it is hard to fup- 
 pofe how any man could daub the 
 fingers of a King of Spain with 
 
 carmine, 
 
[ *°3 ] 
 carmine, unlefs by the correfpon- 
 dence and confpiracy of the De- 
 vil, or fome of his agents in 
 witchcraft, no doubt the tragedy 
 of poor Torregiano would have 
 been revived on this occafion, had 
 not the fame Devil, in the fhape of 
 one of Philip's miniflers, luckily 
 fnatcht Antonio from his fate, 
 whilft the tortures were preparing 
 to force out the impious fecrets of 
 his black and diabolic art : This 
 fame minifter of Philip, or I 
 fhould rather fay of the Devil, 
 fpirited away his brother imp of 
 darknefs to Bruffels without lofs 
 of time, upon the feigned pre- 
 tence (which on fuch occafions is 
 readily enough fupplied to the 
 wicked) of an immediate and pref- 
 H 4 ling 
 
 9 
 
i 104 3 
 
 ling avocation. It was in vain 
 that Philip moved him to revoke 
 his refolution, in vain that he fo- 
 iicited him by letters under his 
 own hand, expreflfed in terms the 
 moll kind and condefcending, 
 and declarations even of affe£lion 
 to his perfon, as well as of efteem 
 for his talents ; the terrors of a 
 tribunal, from which even the 
 Royal hand, that he had fo fami- 
 liarly treated, could not fnatch 
 him, weighed down all the ca- 
 refles, all the folicitations of the 
 King, and he departed, loaded 
 with the rewards of Philip's muni- 
 ficence, and penetrated with the 
 proofs of his complacency and in- 
 dulgence. He left many por- 
 traits and fome hiftorical pieces in_ 
 
 the 
 
[ ™$ ] 
 'the Royal collection, but molt of 
 them periflied at the Pardo. 
 
 As the elder Coello fupplied the 
 lofs of Antonio Moro in the lift of 
 Philip's painters, fo that of El 
 Mudo was filled by Luqueto y of 
 Lucas Cambiafo^ or according to 
 Spanifh orthography Cangiafo, of 
 Genoa, one of the moft celebrated 
 painters of his time : His principal 
 work at the Efcorial is the* roof 
 of the choir, for which it is re- 
 corded that he received the fum of 
 12,000 ducats ; a work of infinite 
 labour, conlifting of a vaft multi- 
 tude of the bleft, received into 
 heaven, with a great hoft of angels 
 -furrounding the holy Trinity, plac- 
 ed in the center of the groupe : 
 The difpofition of thefe figures is 
 
 void 
 
 ■3 
 
[ 106 ] 
 
 Yoid of ail grace or art as to ' 
 pidturefque effeft, being feated re- 
 gularly upon benches one behind 
 the other, a dire£t counterpart of 
 the reverend Fathers below : The 
 whole compofition prefents to the 
 fpe&ator's eye one living range of 
 heads, amongft thefe the painter 
 has taken the liberty of introduc- 
 ing his own and that of his friend 
 Fra. Antonio de Villacartin. Con- 
 fidering it as a pavement of faces, 
 worked by the fquare yard, Lucas 
 Cangiajo has executed his com- 
 million like an able and honeft 
 mechanic j the honour of the dc- 
 fign is due to certain Theologians 
 of the time, who, regarding the 
 beauty of effect with pious con- 
 tempt, confidered only how to 
 
 difpofe 
 
[ i<>7 ] 
 
 difpofe the affembly in decent form 
 and order, moft refembling, as I 
 before obferved, the congregation 
 of the monks in the choir. King 
 Charles the lid would have en- 
 gaged Luc a de Jordano to under- 
 take the re-painting it to difpofe it 
 after his own fancy and defign ; 
 but that painter excufed himfelf 
 from the talk, probably for other 
 reafons than the refpedt he pre- 
 tended to entertain for the merit 
 and fuperior excellence of the ori- 
 ginal. Lucas Cangiajo was accom- 
 panied out of Italy by Lazaro ^a- 
 baron and his brother Horatio Can- 
 giafo, on whom Philip fettled pro- 
 portionable appointments. Lucas 
 died at the Efcorial much enrich- 
 ed 
 
t »o8 ] 
 til by the munificence of the King* 
 by whom he was highly favoured* 
 Mateo Perez de Alefio> a Roman 
 by birth, was amongft the many 
 eminent foreigners, that migrated 
 into Spain during the reign of 
 Philip, though I do not find 
 that he came thither by invita- 
 tion of the King, or that he exe- 
 cuted any thing at the Efcorial : 
 His great work was a magnificent 
 frefco on the iubjedt of St. Chrif- 
 topher in the cathedral of Seville,^ 
 which thofe, w r ho have vifited that 
 church, fpe?k of with rapture. 
 It will be fufficient for me to ob- 
 serve of this artift (whofe hiftory 
 authors of better information have 
 already recorded) that after abid- 
 ing 
 
[ io 9 ] 
 ing fome time in Spain, where he 
 was held in univerfal eftimation, 
 he departed for Italy, candidly de- 
 claring, that a country in poflef- 
 fion of fo great a living mailer as 
 Luis de VargaSy then refiding at 
 Seville, of which place he was na- 
 tive, could not be benefited by 
 his talents, nor needed his affift- 
 ance ; and fo high was the opi- 
 nion he conceived of Vargas's fu- 
 perior merits, that one day, whilft 
 he was contemplating a pi£lure by 
 that artift of Adam and Eve, and 
 obferving upon the mafterly fore- 
 fliortening of fome of the parts, 
 that Jingle limb, faid he, pointing^ 
 to the leg of Adam, is more worth 
 than my whole Saint Chrijlopher ; 
 alluding to the great frefco paint- 
 ing 
 
[ no ] 
 
 ing above-mentioned: On which 
 artift of the two this teftimony 
 reflects moft honour I leave with 
 the reader to determine. 
 
 Federico Zucaro is well known 
 to all, who are c'onverfant in the 
 hiftories of the Italian matters the 
 diffatisfaftioii that his perform- 
 ances in Spain gave to Philip is no 
 lefs notorious ; infomuch that 
 his works were removed out of 
 the Efcorial by order of that 
 King, and his frefco paintings in the 
 cloyfter replaced by others of Pe- 
 regrine Tihaldi. Whether Philip's 
 expectations were raifed too high 
 by the report his emififaries in 
 Italy had made of Zucaro' % ta- 
 lents, or whether the vanity of the 
 man difgvifted him, which might 
 
 well 
 
[ III ] 
 
 well be the cafe, fo it was, that of 
 all the artifts employed at the Ef- 
 corial, he alone fell fhort in exe- 
 cution and failed of .fuccefs- At 
 the fame time, that Philip dif- 
 mifled him from his fervice, he 
 compenfated him in fo princely a 
 manner for his undertaking, that X, 
 am inclined to think upon the evi- 
 dence of fome letters, which pair- 
 ed between the King and his am- 
 baffador at Rome Don Juan de 
 Zuniga and the Conde de Qlivare,s> 
 that the payments made to Zucaro 
 were larger, than to any other 
 painter, whith came into Spain 
 but however he might profit in 
 refpeft of in bereft, he certainly was 
 a considerable lofer in point of re- 
 putation, by iiis adventure: Senor y 
 
 fays 
 
[ "2 ] 
 
 fdys Zucaro, as he was difplaying 
 a painting of the Nativity for the 
 great altar at the Efcorial, you now 
 behold all that art can execute ; be* 
 yond this, which I have done y the 
 powers of painting cannot go : The 
 King was filent for a time, and fo» 
 unmoved, that neither approba- 
 tion nor contempt could be deter- 
 mined from the expreflion of his 
 countenance; at laft, preferving 
 ftill the fame indifference, he afk- 
 ed if thofe were eggs, which one 
 of the Ihepherds, in the aft of 
 running, carried in his bafket; 
 the painter anfwered him they 
 were : 9< Tis well he did not break them, , 
 faid the King, and turned away ; 
 the pidhire was difmiffed. Upon 
 another occaiion, when Philip ex- 
 
 prefled 
 
[ "3 1 
 preffed his diffatisfaction with a 
 compofition Zucaro had made up- 
 on the fubjedt of the Vifitation, he 
 excufed himfeif by faying it was 
 painted by his fchoiars ; Philip 
 defired him to paint the fame fub- 
 je£t with his own hand; he did fo, 
 and the fecond work fell fhort of 
 the firft, and Philip remained ftill 
 more difiatisfied than before. At 
 length he gave him his difmiflion, 
 paying him, as I before obferved, 
 with an extraordinary munificence. 
 Antonio El Obrero, who had been 
 iriftrumental in recommending 
 him to the King, kifled his Ma- 
 jefty's hand on the oecafion, and re- 
 turned him thanks for his extraor- 
 dinary bounty to Zucaro : It is not 
 Zucaro y replied the King, thai is in 
 Vol.. L I fault % 
 
E "4 ] 
 
 faulty the blame is their* s, who re- 
 commended him. Peregrin tfihaldi, 
 or Peregrin of Bologna 3 was a co- 
 py ift of the grand ftile of ' Michael 
 Angehy and, as Palomino informs 
 us, his fcholar $ but according to 
 the teftimony of Zanoti, whofe au- 
 thority is to be preferred, he ftu- 
 died under Bagnacabalo. Philip 
 fent for him to paint the lower 
 cloyfter of the Efcorial in frefco, 
 having expunged the unfuccefsful 
 attempts of Zucaro ; Peregrino ac- 
 quitted himfelf of this invidious 
 talk to the entire fatisfadtion of 
 his royal employer; the figures 
 are models of corre&nefs, and 
 drawn in a free and mafterly ftile, 
 with great attention to truth and 
 nature: In thefe paintings he has 
 
 treated 
 
C "5 ] 
 
 treated the fubjefts of the Purifi- 
 cation, the Flight into Egypt, the 
 Slaughter of the Innocents, Chrift 
 in the Temple, the Temptations in 
 theWildernefs, the Election of the 
 Apoftles, the Refurreftion of La- 
 zarus, the Expulfion of the Mo- 
 ney-changers out of the Temple 
 and the various paffages of the 
 Paffion and Refurrection of the 
 Saviour, with other fubjedts of fa- 
 ded hiftory. The cloyfter is of the 
 conventual fort, fad and gloomy, 
 and neither very fpacious nor lof- 
 ty \ it was, when I faw it, very un- 
 cleanly, and I found it in the fame 
 condition upon repeated vifits : 
 The frefcos have received great 
 injury, not only from time and 
 climate, but from aftual violence 
 I 2 and 
 
[ »6 ] 
 
 and notorious want of care ; their 
 effedb in my opinion is by no 
 means pleafing, whether owing to 
 the caufe above-mentioned, or the 
 dry harfti uniformity of the co- 
 louring, of a red and bricky hue, 
 unrelieved by any accompaniment, 
 or compartment, and the fizes dis- 
 proportionate to the cloyfter, which 
 as I before obferved is neither lofty 
 nor wide : I have no doubt they 
 would make a ccnfpicuous fi- 
 gure as engravings, and the date 
 of their exiftence might be there- 
 by prolonged; but that I conceive 
 will reach its final period without 
 reprieve of this, or any other fort. 
 Several paintings of Peregrino are 
 to be feen in the great church, 
 particularly a St, Michael with the 
 
 Fall 
 
[ m ] 
 
 Fall of the Angels, a Martyrdom 
 of San Lorenzo and two very 
 grand compofitions of the Nati- 
 vity and Adoration, which he exe- 
 cuted to replace thofe of Zucaro 
 on the fame fubjects, which Philip 
 had rejedced : The paintings in 
 the Sagrario are by Peregrino on 
 the fubjeft of Abraham and Mel- 
 chifedech ; but what above all 
 things elfe eftablifhes his reptita* 
 tion in Spain is the cieling of the 
 Library : In this compofition the 
 painter has peribnified the Arts 
 and Sciences in different compart- 
 ments ; the four Doctors of the 
 church, with feveral eminent an- 
 tient philofophers, Socrates, Plato^ 
 Ariftotle and Seneca, accompanied 
 with all their proper attributes and 
 I 3 infignia„ 
 
[ nS ] 
 
 infignia, interfperfed with many 
 beautiful groupes of children and 
 figures in the nude, fupporting the 
 cornice and fefloons, in various 
 poftures and forelhortenings of 
 grand force and expreflion in the 
 ftile of Michael Angelo> in perfedt 
 drawing and admirable perfpeftive. 
 Peregrino was liberally rewarded by 
 Philip and returning to Italy died 
 at Milan in 1600, aged 73 years. 
 
 In the fame year died Romulo 
 Cincinnato the Florentine he alfo 
 was one of Philip's painters, and 
 contributed to illuminate this sera 
 of arts and fciences by a refidence 
 of many years in Spain, during 
 which he made many excellent 
 paintings, particularly in frefco, 
 not only in the Efcorial, but alfo 
 
 at 
 
t "9 ] 
 
 at Guadalaxara in the palace of 
 the Duque del Infantado, a gran- 
 dee of an illuftrious family. In 
 the Efcorial part of the great cloy- 
 fter is painted by Romulo Cincin- 
 nati* - y in the church there are feve- 
 ral of his paintings, particularly 
 one of San Geronimo reading, 
 and another of the fame Saint, dic- 
 tating to his difciples, and in the 
 choir two frefco paintings, taken 
 from paffages in the life of San 
 ""Lorenzo ; alfo a pi<5hire in the 
 chapel of San Mauricio, apper- 
 taining to that church : In the Je- 
 fuits' church at Cuenca there is a 
 Circumcifion of his painting great- 
 ly celebrated, particularly for the 
 admirable elTeft in the foreshorten- 
 ing of one of the figures* which 
 I 4 is 
 
[ "O ] 
 
 1$ reprefented with his back tu ru- 
 ed to the fpeftator > of this he was 
 fo confeious, that he is reported 
 to have declared that he prized one 
 limb of this figure above all his 
 paintings in the Efcorial. He 
 died in the year 1600 in an ad- 
 vanced age univerfally efteemed 
 and lamented. 
 
 In this year Cafar Arbafia came 
 into Spain upon the invitation of 
 Pablo de Cefpedes canon of Cordo- 
 va, with whom he had formed 
 an intimacy at Rome: He re- 
 mained in Cordova long enough 
 to paint the cieling of the cathe- 
 dral and returned into Italy. 
 
 Bart ohms de Carducho accompa- 
 nied his mafter Zucaro into Spain 
 and was employed in the Efcori- 
 
 n] . 
 
C 121 ] 
 
 ai : He was a native of Florence 
 and of great eminence in his art ; 
 lie was concerned with Peregrin 
 de Bolonia in painting the famous 
 cieling of the library ; the figures 
 of Ariftotle, Euclid, Archimedes 
 and Cicero are his, and do him 
 high honour both for their execu- 
 tion and defign : Part of the frefco 
 in the cioyfters is of his painting, 
 and gave entire fatisfaftion to Phi- 
 lip, who rewarded him with two- 
 hundred ducats over and above his, 
 falary, and when Carducho was in- 
 vited into France by order of his 
 mod Chriftian Majefty, Philip ex- 
 preit fuch regret at the propofal 
 of his departure, that he excufed 
 himfelf to the French Ambaffador 
 inthehandfomeft manner he could, 
 
 and 
 
[ 122 ] 
 
 and continued in Spain. There is 
 no doubt but Carducbo paffed fome 
 time at Valladolid, where feveral 
 of his piftures are remaining ; he 
 painted alfo fome pidtures for the 
 palace of Madrid, particularly one 
 of the Lafl Supper, and another on 
 the fubjeft of the Circumcilion* 
 which is an excellent performance ; 
 but thepi&ure, which of all others 
 eftablifhes his reputation in Spain, 
 is/aDefcent from the Crofs, which 
 now hangs in a fmall chapel near 
 the fide door of the church of San 
 JPhelipe el Real in Madrid ; a piece 
 of fuch fuperior execution, that it 
 may well be taken for one of Ra- 
 phael's. In the church of San Ge~ 
 ronimo in the fecond chapel on the 
 right hand there is an excellent 
 
 figure 
 
% m ] 
 
 •figure of San Francifco, the fera- 
 •phic Patriarch, in which accord* 
 ing to cuftom he is reprefented 
 wounded; there is alio in the 
 chapel of the old palace at Segovia 
 a very refpeftable compofition of 
 this painter on the fubjeft of the 
 Adoration of the Magi, and ano- 
 therover it with the fuppofed re- 
 prefentation of the Padre Eterno* 
 Carducho continued m Spain feve- 
 ml years after the death of Philip 
 the fecond, and was appointed by 
 the fucceeding King Philip the 
 third to paint a gallery in the pa- 
 lace of the Pardo ; the fubjeft was 
 to be taken from the life and ac- 
 tions of the Emperor Charles: Car- 
 ducho begun the work, but died at 
 the Pardo, aged 50 years, before 
 
 he 
 
[ I2 4 ] 
 
 lie had made any great progrefs 
 in the completion of ir. His 
 brother Vicencio^ who had ftudied 
 with him, undertook to finifh the 
 gallery, which he did, but took 
 the hiftory of Achilles inftead of 
 that of Charles the Vth. Barto- 
 lome Carducho was not only an 
 eminent painter, but a ilatuary and 
 architedt ; he was alfo a man of 
 an exemplary character, patient 
 and content with a little, a hard 
 ftudent and exceedingly induftri- 
 ous in his profeffion : He was- 
 much in favour with Philip the 
 lid and his fon i but he does not 
 appear to have fhared much of 
 their liberality, though we hear 
 of a gratuity from Philip the 
 lid, of which I have already 
 
 taken 
 
t MS 1 
 taken, notice. He died in the 
 year 1610. 
 
 I have now enumerated the 
 tnoft eminent painters employed 
 by Philip the lid in the Royal 
 monaftery of San Lorenzo it re- 
 mains to fay fomething of the con- 
 temporary artifts, who were not 
 engaged in his fervice at the Efco- 
 rial ; and of thefe one of the firft 
 in time and of the moft diftin- 
 guiftied in point of merit was the 
 celebrated Bias de Prado, a -Cafld- 
 lian, born in the neighbourhood 
 of Toledo, and educated in the 
 academy of Berruguete. Some of 
 his paintings are to be found in 
 the city of Toledo, particularly 
 in the chapel dedicated to San 
 Bias, but in general they have 
 
 fuffered 
 
C 126 ] 
 
 fuffcred great injury by length of 
 time and unfavourable expofures ; 
 in the churches and convents at 
 Madrid I have been fhewn fome 
 compofitions of Bias de Prado, 
 particularly in the parifli church 
 of San Pedro a Defcent from the 
 Grafs, which is evidently the work 
 of a great mafter. In the early 
 part of his life, he paffed into 
 Africa upon the felicitation of the 
 Emperor of Morocco to take a 
 portrait of his daughter, and paf- 
 fed fome time at that court in high 
 favour •> returning into Spain much 
 enriched by his expedition Bias de 
 Prado died at the age of 60 in the. 
 year 1557 in the city of Madrid. 
 
 Sofonisba Angujciola of Cremona a 
 with her three fillers, paffed fome 
 3 years 
 
[ 12 7 ] 
 years in Spain in the houlhold of 
 Queen Ifabeila: I havefeen a let- 
 ter written by Sofonisba to Pope 
 Pius the fourth, dated from Ma- 
 drid the 17th of September 1561, 
 tranfmitting a portrait of the Queen 
 above mentioned, the receipt of 
 which his Holinefs acknowledges 
 by an anfwer from Rome of the 
 15th day of the fucceeding month, 
 highly extolling her performance, 
 and affuring her that he has placed 
 it amongft his moft fele£t piftures, 
 expreffing at the fame time much 
 paternal affection for the illuftri- 
 ous lady, which it fo exaftly re- 
 prefents. Palomino thinks, that 
 Sofonisba died at Madrid in 1575, 
 aged fomewhat more than fifty 
 years 5 this circumftance he men- 
 tions 
 
[ ia8 } 
 
 tions doubtfully, but perhaps it is 
 cleared up by Vafari> whofe ac- 
 count ef her I have not read. 
 Thefe examples will ferve to fliew 
 that the fair fex had their ihare of 
 fame at this illuftrious aera of the 
 arts ; the religious orders alfo fub- 
 fcribed to the national ftock of 
 genius many eminent names ; in 
 particular Father Nicolas Fat tor, a 
 Francifcan monk, born in the city 
 of Valencia ; Pablo de Cefpedes of 
 Cordova,a dignitary in that church, 
 Father Francifco Galeas, of the or- 
 der of Carthufians, a native of 
 Seville, and Father Juan de la Mi- 
 feria, a Carmelite friar, by birth 
 z Neapolitan ; of thefe Cefpedes 
 was the moft eminent, a man of 
 fuch diffufive talents, that there is 
 4 fcarce 
 
[ 3 
 
 fcarce a branch of literature in 
 which he was not profoundly 
 verfed: He had a deep knowledge 
 of the oriental and claflic lan- 
 guages, and fpoke feveral of the 
 living ones : He cornpofed many 
 works, which his rnodefty with- 
 held from the world, and fome, 
 that he publiihed : Amongft the 
 latter is a treatife on the antiquities 
 of his church, proving it to have 
 been a temple of Janus, and ex- 
 plaining many emblems and in- 
 fcriptions in proof of his pofition. 
 In the art of painting, whether in 
 refpeft of theofy or praftice, Cef- 
 pedes holds his rank with the very 
 firfl names Spain has to boaft of ; 
 in pnrfuit of this fludy he went 
 twice to Rome, and formed his 
 Vol.. I. K ftile 
 
I *30 ] 
 
 Itiie upon the model of the great 
 Michael Angela > not In painting 
 only, but in architecture and fcuip- 
 ture alfo ; in both which, by the 
 happy fertility of his genius, he 
 acquired great fame. It was his 
 pra&ice to model the heads of his 
 principal figures, when he was en- 
 gaged in any great hiftorical com- 
 pofition, and feveral of thefe are 
 yet to be found in his native city 
 of Cordova. When he was at 
 Rome he fupplied a head to a fa- 
 mous antique trunk of his country- 
 man Seneca in white marble, and 
 acquitted himfelf fo happily in 
 this arduous undertaking, that he 
 was generally thought to have ex- 
 celled the original, and, in tefti- 
 mony of his triumph, the Romans 
 
t 13' ] 
 
 . caufed to be engraved upon it the 
 following words— Viffor il Spag- 
 nuolo. He compofed a treatife, in 
 which he compares the antient and 
 modern art and practice of paint- 
 ing : His contemporaries fpeak of 
 this work in high (trains, but it is 
 unfortunately loft to the world, 
 together with one in verfe on the 
 general fubjedt of painting ; for 
 the talents of this extraordinary 
 man, amidft the circle of arts and 
 fciences, which they embraced, 
 are reported to have excelled in 
 that of poetry. Cefpedes compofed 
 feveral pictures during his refi- 
 dence at Rome, and in the church 
 of the Holy Trinity he was em- 
 ployed amongft the principal art- 
 ills of the time, and left there 
 K 2 fome 
 
C 13* ] 
 
 fome paintings in frefco of diftin- 
 guilhed excellence : Amongftthefe 
 artifts Federico Zucaro was engaged, 
 with whom Cejpedes formed an in- 
 timate and lafting friendfhip; as 
 I have been led to give fome in- 
 ftances of Zucaro* s vanity on a 
 former occafion, I am more happy 
 in recording, to the credit of his 
 candour and modefty, that, when 
 he was applied to by the Bifhop 
 and Chapter of Cordova for a 
 painting of Santa Margarita, to 
 be affixed to the high altar of the 
 cathedral, he peremptorily de- 
 clined the commiflion, giving for 
 anfwer, that while Pablo de CeJ- 
 pedes was in Spain, there would be 
 ho occafion to fend into Italy for 
 pictures : Though the works of 
 
 Cejpedes 
 
[ *33 I 
 
 Cefpedes are difperfed in Seville 
 and the cities of Andalufia, it is 
 in Cordova, that we muft expecb 
 to find his principal performances, 
 particularly his famous compofi- 
 tion of the Laft Supper in the 
 high church : Palomino gives this 
 pidture great commendation for 
 the nice discrimination of charac- 
 ters in Chrift and his difciples, and 
 relates a circumftance of the dif- 
 guft, which Cefpedes conceived 
 from the filly adoration of fome of 
 his countrymen, v/ho were fo en- 
 chanted with the execution of fome 
 vafes and ja,rs of porcelain intro- 
 duced into the piece, that they to- 
 tally overlooked the fuperior parts 
 of the compofition, and, this be- 
 ing repeated upon feveral vifits by 
 K 3 the 
 
t m 3 
 
 the mob of fpe&ators, which the 
 fame of fo great a work drew to- 
 gether, it angered him to that de- 
 gree, that he would have pro- 
 ceeded to ftrike out all thefe fub- 
 fervient ornaments from his piece, 
 if he had not been diverted from 
 his purpofe by the intreaties of his 
 friends and the fubmiffion of thefe 
 falfe and contemptible admirers. 
 As a colourift, Spain never pro- 
 duced a painter fuperior to Cef- 
 pedes : In anatomy, drawing and 
 perfpeftive he was peculiarly cor- 
 rect : His angels in the Martyr- 
 dom of Santa Catalina, a pifture 
 which he painted for the late Je- 
 fuits'college atCordova,are touch- 
 ed with all the colouring and ef- 
 fect of Ccregio, whom he much 
 
 refembled 
 
I 135 1 
 
 refembled in thofe particulars. 
 This great man is no lefs cele- 
 brated for his extraordinary virtue, 
 modefty and humility, than for 
 the variety and extent of his ge- 
 nius ; he died at Cordova in i6o3, 
 being turned of feventy, and is 
 interred in the cathedral under a 
 ftone, on which the following words 
 are engraved, viz. Paulus de Cef~ 
 pedes-, hujus alm<e ecclefi<e Porcio- 
 nanus. Pi£lur<e, Jculptur<e, arcbi- 
 tefiurtf, omniumque bonarum artium, 
 variarumque linguarum peritijfimus, 
 hie fit us eft, obiit anno Dom. 
 MDCVIIL feptimo Kalendas Sex- 
 tills. Of the other religious art- 
 ifts before mentioned Father Ni- 
 colas Fattor died in the year 1588, 
 after being admitted to a conver- 
 K 4 fatten 
 
I } 
 fation in perfon with our Lady of 
 Atocha : Francifco Galeas died in 
 1614, and Juan de la Miferia two 
 years after him : This laft-men- 
 tioned perfon travelled into Spain, 
 as a hermit, to vifit the tomb of 
 the holy apoftle Saint James, and, 
 cominer afterwards to Madrid, was 
 taken into protection of the court, 
 and received into the houfe of 
 Alonfo Sanchez Coelhy painter and 
 favourite of Philip the lid, with 
 whom he ftudied feveral years, and 
 painted many excellent pictures, 
 chiefly portraits ; amongft thefe 
 one, which he was admitted to 
 draw of the perfon of Santa Te~ 
 refa the nun, by which he gained 
 great reputation ; and another of 
 the moft bleffcd Virgin, with which. 
 
 he 
 
I 137 ] 
 
 he is faid to have performed many 
 miracles. 
 
 Luis de Vargas was one of the 
 greateft painters of the fixteenth 
 century \ he was born in Seville, 
 and ftudied painting in Italy, as 
 well as in his own country; he 
 returned to Seville, after feven 
 years refidence at Rome, and, find- 
 ing himfelf excelled in his art by 
 Antonio Florez and Pedro Campana y 
 he returned without delay back to 
 Rome, and, after ferving another 
 apprenticefhip of feven years to 
 his art, returned fo compleat a 
 mailer, that the famous Perez de 
 AlefiOj contemplating his pifture 
 of our Firft Parents in the cathe- 
 dral of Seville, exclaimed in rap- 
 ture at the performance, that one 
 
 limb 
 
[ i3* ] 
 limb of the Adam of de Vargas 
 was worth more than the whole 
 compofition of his coloffal Saint 
 Chriflopher > and, returning into 
 Italy foon after, gave that remark- 
 able teftimony of his own candour 
 and the merit of de Vargas , of. 
 which we have before taken no- 
 tice. 
 
 There are feveral paintings by 
 de Vargas in thq famous cathedral 
 of Seville, particularly in. the tow- 
 er, which was his laft work. Luis 
 de Vargas was not lefs remark- 
 able for his devotion, than for his 
 talents, and, following the exam- 
 ple of the great emperor Charles, 
 he ufed at his private hours to 
 depofit himfelf in a coffin, which 
 he kept in his clpfet, and in. that 
 
 pofture 
 
C 139 ] 
 
 pofture purfue his meditation up- 
 on death : This event, for which 
 he ufed fuch edifying preparation, 
 took place in the year 1590. 
 
 In endeavouring to apportion 
 their due degrees of merit to the 
 feverai Spanifh painters of this 
 sera, fo fruitful in arts, I fenfibly 
 feel the infufSciency of descrip- 
 tion, and have, more than once 
 defifted from my work in defpair 
 of giving any thing to the world 
 worth its notice and acceptance* 
 The defcription of a picture, like 
 that of a battle, rarely brings its 
 objeft before the reader, though 
 it be ever fo fcientifically exe- 
 cuted: I know no method of 
 "Ipeaking intelligibly on the fub - 
 jeft of any particular Spaniih 
 
 ' painter, 
 
C I 4° 3 
 
 painter, wfiofe name and character 
 are unknown to the reft of Eu- 
 rope, except by comparing him 
 with fome artift. of general noto- 
 riety ; and yet Spain has produced 
 fome, whofe manner is fo much 
 their own, that it will not be il~ 
 luftrated by any known compari- 
 fon ; of this fort was the great 
 artift whom I am next to men- 
 tion, Juan Bau a 4 Juanes y a na- 
 tive of Valencia; a man, whofe ce- 
 lebrity would rank with that of 
 the firft artifts of the age of Leo X, 
 if his works laid in the track of 
 travellers, or by happy emanci- 
 pation could be fet at liberty, and 
 made to circulate through the ca- 
 binets of Europe, Juams, like 
 Morales, fele&ed his fubjefts, 
 
 without 
 
[ m ] 
 
 without an inftance to the contrary^ 
 from the molt facred pafiages of 
 revelation ; but his life, unlike 
 that of Morales-, was in unifon 
 with the purity and aufterity of his 
 tafte ; prepared by confefnon and 
 fafting, he firft approached the al- 
 tar before he vifited the eafel ; 
 painting with him was an aft of 
 piety and devotion : The charac- 
 ters, which filled his canvafs, were 
 of the holieft fort, and, as he gave 
 them life, he gave them adoration : 
 As the exercife of his art was in 
 him an office of devotion, fo his 
 moderation kept him from en- 
 gaging in any private commifiions 
 with a view to gain and I am 
 inclined to doubt if any pifture of 
 Juanes is at this hour in lay pof- 
 6 feffion : 
 
[ 142 ] 
 fefiion : Both Pacbeco and Lauren- 
 tio Surio give him. high encomi- 
 ums \ thefe he moft iinqueftionably 
 merits, but credulity will never 
 go fuch lengths upon their autho- 
 rity., or that of Palomino, as to 
 rank him not only before Morales, 
 but above Rafael himfeif : A s there 
 is much to be afcribed to national 
 prejudice, fo there is fomething to 
 be excufed in it : Certain it is, the 
 piftures of Juanes are finifhed with 
 aftonifhing truth, colouring and 
 beauty; though they are laboured 
 to a mi-nutenefsy that lets not even 
 a hair efcape, ftill their force is 
 unimpaired, and the fublimity of 
 delign fufFers no prejudice by the 
 delicacy of its execution ; as every 
 work is the work of the heart, 
 . ; nothing 
 
[ 143 ] 
 nothing is negle&ed or left, every 
 figure is laboured into life 3 and 
 the labour is the labour of love > 
 not the tafk of the hireling : It is 
 greatly to be lamented., that tftefe 
 precious remains are fh'ut in tht 
 convents of Valencia^ without any 
 hope of delivery and that free dis- 
 play, of which the mortmain of 
 fuperftition feems for ever to de- 
 prive them. In the facrifly of the 
 church of San Pedro in Valencia 
 there will be found a Chrift by 
 Juanes, a San Sebafcian and a San 
 Francifco de Paula in the convent 
 of the laft-named order : In the 
 chapel of San Francifco de Borja 
 there is a Santa fries} and in the 
 chapel of Santo Thomas de Villa- 
 nueva/ belonging to the Auguf- 
 
 tine 
 
[ 144 ] 
 tine monks of San Julian, there 
 are three grand compofitions by 
 this mafter ; that in the middle 
 on the fa bj eft of the Nativity, 
 with th, vlartyrdom of Santa Ines 
 on one fide and the Burial of a de- 
 vout prieft of that chapel, named 
 Mqfes Baut a . Agnefio on the other 
 fide. As foon as you enter the 
 cathedral of Valencia, on your 
 left hand hangs a pidfcure of the 
 Baptifm of Chrift in the river Jor- 
 dan by this artift; he has intro- 
 duced the perfons of fome Saints, 
 prefent at this fcene, by privileged 
 anachronifm \ as Rafael has done 
 in his famous Madona del Pez in 
 the Efcorial : This compofition of 
 Juanes is entirely in the ftile of the 
 great mafter above - mentioned ; 
 
 the 
 
[ 145 ] 
 
 the heads are excellent, the ex- 
 preffion juft and natural, and the 
 execution delicate in the higheft 
 degree the glory above, with the 
 Padre eterno and the groupe of 
 Seraphim is managed with infinite 
 art and effedh That Juanes was 
 a copyift of Rafael appears from 
 the example of a Holy Family, 
 painted by him, now in the ca- 
 thedral of Valencia, in which the 
 Nino Jefus is an exaft tranfcript of 
 that in Rafael's Madona del Pez, 
 but touched with all the fpirit of 
 an original 3 many other paintings 
 of Juanes will be found in Valen- 
 cia; but care mufl be taken to 
 diftinguilh his true pi&ures,. as 
 feveral of his fcholars have pafled 
 their works under his name > that, 
 Vol. L L for 
 
t H6 ] 
 
 for which he is chiefly celebrated, 
 is his compofition on the fubject 
 of the Immaculate Conception in 
 the late college of the Jefuits in 
 than city ; this picture is the ob- 
 ject of general veneration, and by 
 the devout and credulous confi- 
 dered as an actual original, or 
 very little removed from an ori- 
 ginal; for the tradition runs, that 
 it was painted by the order of 
 Father Martin Alberto, to whom 
 the blefled Virgin condefcended to 
 appear on the eve of the Affump- 
 tion, and required the holy Father 
 to caufe her portrait to be taken in 
 the drefs fhe then wore, which was 
 a white frock, or tunic, with a 
 blue cloak, together with the fol- 
 lowing accompaniments, viz. at 
 
 hef 
 
r H7 i 
 
 her feet the moon, over head the 
 Padre eterno and her moft bleffed 
 Son, in the act of placing a crown 
 on her head, with the Holy Ghoft, 
 in the form of a dove, hovering 
 over the groupe. Alberto, who 
 was all obedience to the facred vi- 
 fitor, communicated to Juanes the 
 honourable office of fulfilling the 
 commands, which he himfelf wan 
 unable to execute : the devout 
 painter fate to work with extraor- 
 dinary preparations for the talk, 
 and, having fketched a groupe af- 
 ter the dcfcription of Alberto, pre- 
 fented it to the Father for his opi- 
 nion ; the firft defign being found 
 imperfect and unlike, Juanes was 
 incited to addrcfs himfelf to the 
 undertaking with frefn and more 
 L 2 elaborate 
 
t H3 ] 
 
 elaborate a£ts of penitence and 
 contrition ; no aufterities deterred 
 Juanes ; whilft the Father aflifted 
 him with his prayers the work 
 fucceeded, for every touch was 
 fan&ified, and his pencil, like a 
 fword bleft and made invincible 
 by the Pope, never miffed its 
 ftroke. Some intervals there were, 
 in which the work flood ftill, and 
 then the painter would fit looking 
 and pondering on his canvafs, tiH : 
 the happy infpiration feized him 
 and the prayers of Father Alberta 
 gave him fortitude and vigour to 
 refume the tafk. Pacheco relates 
 an anecdote fo much to the credit 
 of the parties concerned, that it 
 would be wrong to omit it ; which 
 is* that the pious Juanes > being 
 
 one 
 
[ *49 ] 
 
 one day feated on a fcaffold at 
 work upon the upper parts of this 
 pi&ure, the frame gave way, and 
 the painter, being in the a6t of 
 falling, the holy perfonage, whofe 
 portrait he had finifhed, ftept fud- 
 denly forward out of \he canvafs, 
 and, feizing his hand, preferred 
 him from the fall: This being 
 clone, and Juanes fafe landed on 
 the floor, the gracious Lady with 
 all poffible compofure returned to 
 her poft, and has continued there 
 ever fince y difpenfing her favours 
 to her Applicants and worlhippers, 
 and is univerfally believed, upon 
 the teftimony of Alberto^ to be an 
 exact counterpart of the original; 
 and indeed, if we admit the cir- 
 cumftance of the refcue, I do not 
 L 3 fee 
 
[ W 3 
 
 fee how we can difpute the like- 
 nefs, which I Ihould guefs, from 
 the feme circumftance, had not 
 erred on the unfavourable fide : 
 With legends of this fort Pacbeco's 
 book is filled - y a fpecimen or two 
 will ferve to ftiew the credulity and 
 fuperftition of the time : I fhall 
 give this very fparingly, and I 
 hope without offence to the opi- 
 nions of any reafonable man. 
 This great artift died in 1579, in 
 the town of Bocairente in Valen- 
 cia, after having painted the great 
 altar of that church, which was 
 his laft: work. In the year 1581 
 his body was removed agreeable 
 to his laft will and teftament to the 
 parilh church of Santa Cruz in 
 Valencia from that of Bocairente, 
 
 attended 
 
C J 
 
 attended by a confiderable train 
 of fecular priefts and others. Re- 
 duced by religious aufterities and 
 mortifications, he died at the age 
 of fifty-fix years : By his piety he 
 merited a place in the calendar 
 of Saints, by his genius a name 
 amongft the firft: clafs of his art ; 
 high in the fchool of Rafael at 
 leaft, if not on a level with the 
 great mafter himfelf. 
 
 Juan Labrador a Spaniard, was 
 a fcholar of the Divino Morales 
 arid the beft painter of fruits and 
 flowers and of ftill-life in general, 
 that Spain ever produced 3 he died 
 in 1600 at Madrid at a very ad- 
 vanced age. 
 
 Juan Pantoia de la Cruz was born 
 in Madrid, andftudied under the 
 L 4 celebrated 
 
E; L5* ] 
 celebrated Alonfo Sanchez Coelfo, 
 whom he fucceeded as painter of 
 the chamber to Philip the lid ; 
 he chiefly excelled in portraits and 
 died in 16 10. 
 
 I have now nearly enumerated 
 the principal artifts, who flourifh- 
 ed in Spain during the reign of 
 Philip the fecond ; that prince 
 died in September 1598, athisfa- 
 vourite monafteryof San Lorenzo 
 in the moft deplorable and loath- 
 fome flate of mifery, to which hu- 
 man nature can be reduced before 
 its a&ual diflblution : It muft be 
 acknowledged he was a liberal pro- 
 tedtor of the arts ; the great work 
 of the Efeorial, in which his pride 
 and fuperftition engaged him, gave 
 occupation and difplay to many 
 
 -.eminent 
 
[ HZ ] 
 eminent men : The genius, which 
 this encouragement called up, ap- 
 pears to have loft none of its force 
 during the reign of his fon -and fuc- 
 ceffor Philip the Hid. Artiftsof dif- 
 tinguiihed abilities will be found 
 in this period. Bartolome Gonzalez? 
 a native of Valladolid and a dif- 
 'ciple- of Patricio Caxes^ came to 
 Madrid in 1606, and was made 
 King's painter upon his arrival ; 
 
 ! he made many portraits of the 
 Auftrian family for the palace of 
 the Pardoin a very excellent ftilc; 
 though he was of an advanced age, 
 when he entered into the Service 
 of King Philip the Hid. for he died 
 
 I at the age of fixty-three, in the 
 year 161 1, in the city of Madrid. 
 Juan de Solo and Juande Chiftnos. 
 
 were 
 
C *5+ J 
 
 were natives of Madrid, both emi- 
 nent artifts and both died in the 
 year 1620. In the fame year died 
 El Dottor Pablo de las Roellas of 
 Seville, and the Cartufian monk 
 Padre Luis Pafqual Gaudin, born 
 at Villafranca in Bifcay ; the for- 
 mer of thefe was a fcholar of 27- 
 fiano's, and left many refpectable 
 monuments of his art at Cordova 
 and Seville. Phelipe de Llano was 
 born at Madrid, was a fcholar of 
 Alonfa Sanchez Ccello, and became 
 io famous for portraits of a final! 
 fize, which he executed with fuch 
 fpirit, that he got the name of El 
 "Ticiano Pequino ; he died in 1625: 
 This year was alfo fatal to the fa- 
 mous Patricio Caxes, a noble Flo- 
 rentine, in the fervice^ of Philip 
 
C 155 ] 
 
 the Hid. who engaged him to paint 
 the Queen's gallery at the Pardo in 
 frefco. The ftory which Caxes 
 chofe was that of Jofeph and the 
 wife of Potiphar, a fubjeft not 
 very flattering to female delicacy, 
 but it perifhed with many other 
 works of art in the lamentable fire, 
 which confumed that palace. 
 
 Dominico Teotocopoli, commonly 
 called El Greco, flourished in this 
 sera; there are many remains of his 
 art, both as painter, ftatuary and 
 architect in the cities of New Caf- 
 tile. He came fo near the manner 
 of his mailer Titiano, that many of 
 his pi&ures have palled upon the 
 world under that character ; this it 
 feems was not fame fufficient for 
 the vanity of Dominico y but in his 
 
 efforts 
 
[ i# ] 
 
 efforts at originality he has expofed 
 ■himfelf to the ridicule of all good 
 judges : When he departs from 
 Titiano, he departs from nature 
 and fubftitutes in her fhead an ex- 
 travagance of defign, with fo faulty 
 a mode both of colouring and 
 drawing", that he is no longer the 
 fame mafter : Of this fort are his 
 paintings in the convent of Donna 
 Maria de Aragon at Madrid, and 
 the pidture which he drew for the 
 Efcorial by order of Philip the lid. 
 on the fubje£l of the martyrdom 
 of San Mauricio and his compa- 
 nions : Philip was too good a judge 
 not to feq the extravagance of his 
 compofrciolv and refufed it a place 
 in his collection ; Domini co Greco 
 made humble fuit to lave the credit 
 
[ *57 ] 
 of his work, and it is likely was 
 convinced of the errors, into which 
 he had been led by an affe&ation 
 of Angularity, for he made fome 
 correitions ; after which his pic- 
 ture was, with fome degree of dif- 
 ficulty, admitted to a place, though- 
 not very confpicuous in the Sala 
 de Capitulo y whillt Romulo Cin- 
 cinnato was deputed in his ftead to 
 the more honourable taflc of paint- 
 ing an. altar-piece for the chapel of 
 the Saint above mentioned. In 
 the cathedral of Toledo there are- 
 fome pi&ures by Dominica in his 
 beft manner, which are admirable 
 performances; particularly a grand 
 compofition on the parting of the 
 raiment of our Saviour before his 
 crucifixion, which hangs in the fa- 
 
[ i5« ] 
 crifty, and is fo entirely in the ftile 
 and manner of TitianOy that his re- 
 putation could have fuffered no in- 
 jury byits adoption .In the fame place 
 are the twelve Apoftles by the fame 
 mafter, but in an inferior ftile. In 
 the parifh church of Santo Tome is 
 a very capital pifture of Dominico** 
 on the interment of Don Gonzalo 
 Ruiz of Toledo ; this illuftrious 
 perfon, who was Conde de Orgaz y 
 founded an Auguftine convent un- 
 der the title of San Eftevan in the 
 city of Toledo, in commemoration 
 of which pious a£t Dominico has re- 
 prefented San Auguftin and San 
 Eftevan in the a£t of placing his 
 body in the tomb: This pifture cofb 
 the Cardinal Archbiftiop of Toledo/ 
 Bon Gafpar de^uiroga, two thoufand 
 
 ducats, 
 
 i 
 
C 159 3 
 
 ducats, a great fum in the year 
 1584, when it was executed at the 
 fuit of the parifti prieft of Santo 
 Tome and put up in that church, 
 which, as well as the convent he- 
 ■ fore mentioned, was founded by 
 -this noble and devout perfon : 
 This pi&ure, and that on the part- 
 ing of our Saviour's raiment are 
 the moft capital performances of 
 this author in Spain ; there are va- 
 rious others however both at To^ 
 ledo and Madrid, but chiefly 
 at the former city, which would 
 well .repay the curiofity of a tra- 
 veller: At Illefcas, which is half 
 way between the faid cities, the 
 church of the Hofpital de la 
 Caiidad was defigned by Dominica, 
 and is.j with its altai^ carvings 
 
 and 
 
[ t6o J 
 
 and paintings, a very refpe&ablc* 
 proof of his merit, in the feveral 
 elegant arts which he profefled :•: 
 He was near eighty years old, 
 when he died at Toledo in 1635,., 
 and was interred in the parifti 
 church of San Bartolbme. Domi- 
 nico Greco was the firft painter in 
 Spain, who had the fpirit to oppofe 
 the exaftion of a royal tax upon 
 the pictures painted and fold by 
 living matters,- which he litigated 5 
 and obtained a favourable decree. 
 
 Diego de Romulo Cincinnato was 
 fon and fcholar of the elder Ro- 
 mulo y painter to Philip the lid ; 
 he entered into the fervice of Don 
 Fernando Enriquez de Ribera^ third 
 Duke of Alcala, and went with 
 him to Rome^ when he was ap- 
 pointed; 
 
[ ET 
 
 pointed ambaffador extraordinary 
 from Philip the IVth, for the pur- 
 pofe of doing homage to Pope 
 Urban the VHIth; he painted his 
 Holinefs three feveral times, and 
 fo much to his fatisfa&ion, with 
 Rich applaufe from ail the artifts 
 at Rome, that he was rewarded 
 with many handforne prefents and 
 made a Knight of Ghrift in Por- 
 tugal, where the ceremony was 
 performed by Cardinal Trexo Par- 
 riagua, a Spaniard : This was done 
 in prefence of the Duke of Alcala, 
 his patron, in the houfe of the 
 Cardinal before-mentioned, who 
 gave him a gold chain and the 
 medal of the order This paffed 
 in December of the year 1625, 
 and in the year following this in- 
 Vou L M genious. 
 
[ i6 2 ] 
 
 genious artift died in the city of 
 Rome, and was buried in the church 
 of San Lorenzo, with all the cere- 
 monials due to a Knight of the 
 order and a man of fo diftinguifhed 
 a genius. Philip the IVth of 
 Spain had the conlideration to fo - 
 licit his Holinefs to transfer the 
 ^dignity of Knight of Chrift to 
 Francifco the brother of Biego y 
 which was accordingly done. 
 
 Francifco and Juan Ribalta were 
 father and fon, born in Valencia, 
 and painters of fuch equal emi- 
 nence, that it is exceedingly dif- 
 ficult to diftinguifli their refpec- 
 tive hands; the fathers pictures 
 are however rather more finifhed 
 than thofe of the fon's, which, on 
 their part, have the: advantage in 
 
 force 
 
[ i«3 1 
 force and zffdk : In many of his 
 pictures he appears to have pro 7 
 pofed his countryman Juanes for 
 his model, and fometimes paints 
 ib like his contemporary Vicencio 
 Carducbo the Florentine, as fcarce 
 to be riiftinguiftied from him ; of 
 this fort is his pifture of the Laft 
 Supper on the high altar of the 
 college of the Patriarch in Valen- 
 cia, which, if compared with that 
 of Carducbo on the fame fubjedt 
 upon the high altar of the church 
 of the nuns of Corpus Chrifti in 
 Madrid, will be found fo exactly 
 correfponding in ftile and manner, 
 that both might pafs for the work 
 of either mafter. One of the bell 
 works of Ribalta in Valencia is a 
 dead (Thrift in the hall of the chap- 
 M 2 ter- 
 
t 164 J 
 
 ter-houfe ©f the Carmelitifh eon- 
 vent, copied from Sebafiian del 
 PiombOy the original of which is 
 in the Royal collection : In this 
 faifte place are two other copies, 
 from Pkmbo of admirable exe- 
 cution. It is related of Fran- 
 xijco Ribalia y that 3 having painted 
 a 'crucifixion for the Pope's nuncio 
 in Spain, the picture was carried 
 to Rome, and, upon being fhewn 
 to an eminent painter in that city, 
 he immediately exclaimed — O Di- 
 vine Rafaelo ! judging it to be a 
 tapital performance of that mafter ; 
 upon being told of his miftake by 
 the nuncio, he proceeded to exa- 
 mine it afrefh with great attention, 
 and concluded with a common 
 Spanifh proverb, §>ue verdadera- 
 % wente- 
 
f i6 5 J 
 mznte donde yeguas hay patros naam 
 viz. Where there are mares there 
 will be colts ; importing, that all 
 countries may .at times produce 
 extraordinary men. Francifco Ri~ 
 balta died in V alencia in 1600, and 
 his fon in 1630; he had the ho- 
 nour of being the firft mailer of 
 Ribera called SpanoleU 
 
 Adriano of Cordova was a lay 
 brother of the barefooted Carme- 
 lites ; his works are few and con- 
 fined to the city abovementioned ; 
 the chief competition is a cruci- 
 fixion, in which he has introduced 
 the mother of Chrift, San Juan 
 and la Magdalena, with other fi- 
 gures of half length, in the man.- 
 ner of Rafael Sadeler> to whom hef 
 was greatly attached.;- this pidure 
 M 3 is 
 
t 166 ] 
 is in the antichainber to the fa~ 
 crifty of the Carmelitifh convent 
 at Cordova, in which city Adriano 
 died in the year 1630. This artift 
 was fo diffident of himfelf, that he 
 ufed to deface or deftroy his pic- 
 tures, as foon as he had executed 
 them; and fo general was this 
 pradtice with him, that his friends 
 took occafion to intercede with 
 him for the prefervation of his va- 
 luable productions in the name of 
 the fouls in purgatory, knowing 
 his attachment to the holy offices 
 in their behalf : By this mode of 
 exorcifm, the deftroying fpirit, 
 which his felf-difTatisfa&ion had 
 conjured up, was kept in check, 
 and thanks to the fouls in purga- 
 tory ! fome very valuable pidtures 
 
 were 
 
C 167 ] 
 
 were , refcued from extindtion by 
 their influence and authority. 
 
 Vicencio Carducho, a Florentine, 
 the brother and fcholar of Bartho- 
 lome Carducho, was King's painter 
 in the reigns of Philip the Hid and 
 IVth : He was in Angular efteein 
 and favour with thofe princes and 
 employed in many eminent works 
 at the palace of the Pardo ; the 
 works of this matter are to be 
 found in all the cities of Caftile, 
 in Toledo, Salamanca, Segovia, 
 Alcala and Valladolid, as well as 
 in Madrid, where he died in 1638 > 
 this date is afcertained by the fol- 
 lowing memorandum, infcribed on 
 a picture of San Geronimo, in the 
 great church of Alcala de He- 
 nares — Vinccntius Carduchi Floreit- 
 M 4 tinus, 
 
I 168 ] 
 
 iinuSy hie vitam ncn opus finlit 
 anno 1638. He died ai r,e age of 
 70 years : He infti . he fa- 
 mous who was painter to 
 Philip the IVth and Charles the 
 lid, and formed many other dif- 
 xiples in his academy. 
 
 Fliilip the Hid died -:nd was 
 fucceeded in 16 21 by his ion Phi- 
 lip the IVth, a great patron of 
 the arts, in whofe time floi.ir.lhed 
 men of very illuftrious iateits. 
 In 1623 Charles Prince of V ; a!es 
 -came to Madrid, upon a yoir ul 
 ially of gallantry, to throw i ~> 
 felf at the feet of the Infanta, : tit 
 of Philip, and conclude, as h 
 lieved, a treaty of marriage, ic& 
 jiad been long in depended :c and 
 dobltructed by many difficul and 
 
 .delays s 
 
E 169 ] 
 
 delays : In this expedition he was 
 accompanied by Pedro Pablo Ru- 
 bens of Antwerp : This great m af- 
 ter was then in his forty- fixth year; 
 had concluded a long courfe of 
 iludy in Italy, being in high efti- 
 mation, upon his return to Flan- 
 ders, and greatly in favour with 
 the Archduke Albert and the In- 
 fanta Donna Ifabel Clara Eugenia 
 his fpoufe ; he had painted feveral 
 ■piftures by order of the Emperor 
 and of the King of England, and 
 had vifited Paris, where^ by order 
 of Mary of Medicis, he had exe- 
 cuted his famous paintings for the 
 Luxembourg palace with great 
 credit and fuccefs* Charles had 
 an early paffion for the arts, and 
 was greatly attached to his fellow 
 
 traveller 3 
 
[ *7° J 
 traveller ; the honours, which the 
 King of Spain lavilhed upon his 
 Royal vifitor with all the profufe 
 magnificence, that Spanilh gal- 
 lantry could devife, extended 
 themfelves to the perfon of his in- 
 genious companion. Olivares, 
 then the minifter of Spain, had 
 fplendor, and Philip was in pof- 
 feflion of tafte: Rubens was in 
 turns carefled by both ; the Royal 
 colleftions of the Efcorial, Pardo 
 and Madrid opened to his view an 
 inexhauftible magazine of arts. 
 Mr. Horace Walpole is miftaken 
 in thinking Rubens was in Spain, 
 during the adminiftration of the 
 Duke of Lerma: This was not 
 fo. Rubens had ftudied Titiano 
 and Pablo Verones at Venice with 
 6 diftinguiftiing 
 
[ Hf ] 
 
 diftinguifhing attention ; the cabi- 
 nets of Philip now difplayed fuch 
 fuperb compofitions of thefe maf- 
 ters, particularly of Titian o, as 
 equally captivated both the painter 
 and the Prince •> Rubens, by order 
 of the Catholic King, copied the 
 Europa, the Baths of Diana, and 
 feveral other pictures of Titiano, 
 which Charles had particularly ad- 
 mired; when thefe copies were 
 finiihed, it was expedted, that 
 Philip lhould prefent them to* the 
 Prince of Wales, and the compli- 
 ment would furely have been a 
 worthy one both to Charles and to 
 his favourite adrift; but the ge- 
 nerofity of Philip meditated greater 
 lengths, and in truth it fcarce 
 knew any bounds towards his 
 
 princely 
 
I 172 ] 
 
 •princely gueft: He retained to 
 himfelf the copies and fent to 
 Charles the originals. It is pro- 
 per in this place to obferve, that 
 thefe valuable originals returned 
 again to the pofleffion of the King 
 of Spain, when Charles, by the 
 inftigation of Buckingham, made 
 occafion to diflblve his engage- 
 ments with the Infanta : to rejeft 
 the filler and yet to retain the pre- 
 fents of the Catholic monarch 
 would have been a condu6t irre- 
 concileable to the fpirit and prin- 
 ciples of Charles •> though his at- 
 tachment to the arts was as ardent 
 as any man's, he had the fenti- 
 ments of a gentleman and pride 
 of honour fuperior even to his 
 love of the art painting. In 
 
 the 
 
[ 173 ] 
 
 tire event of things it has come to 
 pafs, that Charles, inftead of tak- 
 ing from the Royal ftock in Spain, 
 has been the means of fome addi- 
 tions to it of the higheft value. 
 Charles, having taken his depar- 
 ture for England, and the high 
 pun&ilio of the Spanifh monarch 
 having fupported itfelf to the lateft 
 moment of his abode, by erefting 
 a pillar on the fpot, where they 
 parted, Rubens at tire fame time 
 returned to Flanders > and Philip,, 
 kaving new compleated his hunt- 
 kg-feat of the Torre de la Prada^ 
 in the neighbourhood of Madrid, 
 applied to that artift for feveral: 
 pictures in character with the pa- 
 lace, with exadt defcriptions of 
 the fizes of the canvaflTes and the 
 
 rooms 
 
[ »74 ] 
 
 rooms and pofitions in which they 
 were to be hung; all thefe were 
 executed by Rubens^ and trans- 
 mitted to the King, who highly 
 approved of them : many of the 
 dogs and other animals in thefe 
 hunting-pieces were put in by his 
 Scholars Azneira and Pedro de Fos> 
 who excelled in that branch of the 
 art. About this time the Conde 
 Duque de Olivares, Philip's mini- 
 fies had compleated his founda- 
 tion of a convent of barefooted 
 Carmelites, at the little town of 
 Loeches, in the neighbourhood of 
 Madrid, now belonging to his 
 Excellency the Duque de Alba. 
 Philip, to do a grace to his fa- 
 vourite and to make a merit with 
 the religious of that order, com- 
 
 miffioned 
 
X *75 1 
 miffioned Rubens for fome pic- 
 tures, which he executed in his 
 grandeft ftile, and richeft glow of 
 colours : Two of thefe, which 
 flank the altar, are of confiderable 
 dimenfions, and, in point, of exe- 
 cution, not to be exceeded by any 
 of the mailer ; the firft is an alle- 
 gorical compofition on the Tri- 
 umph of Religion, which he has 
 perfonified and habited very grace- 
 fully : This figure is feated in a fu- 
 .perb triumphal carr, drawn by 
 four angels, with others in alten- 
 dance, bearing the crofs and other 
 fymbols, properly in chara&er ; 
 four figures, that exprefs the va- 
 rious charafters of Infidelity 3 or 
 Ignorance, over which Religion 
 is fuppofed to triumph^ foilowthe 
 
 carr, 
 
[ 176 J 
 
 earr, like flaves or captives, bound 
 with chains ; whilft the piece is 
 crowned with beautiful cheru- 
 bims, that hover over the groupe, 
 with chaplets of various defcrip- 
 tions in their hands, difpofed with 
 lingular art and aftonifhing effect: 
 The other, which companions it 
 in fize, is the Interview of Abra- 
 ham and Melchifedech, who of- 
 fers him bread and the tenth of 
 the fpoils ^ rn the drapery of the 
 priefts, and the armour of the fol- 
 diers, Rubens has exhaufted every 
 refource, that his fund of colour- 
 ing could fupply y there are two 
 other pi&ures in this fmall but 
 precious collection of the fame 
 author, and of equal fize and ex- 
 cellence with the above^ that can- 
 not 
 
I i?7 ] 
 
 not be pafled over in filence they 
 hang in the choir, that on the left- 
 hand reprefents the four Doctors of 
 rhe church with Santo Thomas, 
 San Buenaventura and Santa Clara ; 
 its companion on the oppofite fide 
 reprefents the Four Evangelifts, 
 with their proper emblems, com- 
 pofitions of unfpeakable majcfly 
 andexpreffion: The original (ketch 
 of this latter piece is preferred in 
 the Sitio of the Buen Retiro, that 
 of the Doftors in the palace of 
 Madrid. It is painful to obferve, 
 that thefe magnificent perform- 
 ances are fuffering daily for want 
 of new draining and the obvious 
 repairs, which, if not fpeedily ap- 
 plied, thefe monuments of art 
 Vol, I. N will 
 
[ 17* ] 
 will be m ruin : In the nave of the 
 church there are two other large 
 compofitions by Rubens, the one 
 of Elias and the Angel comfort- 
 ing him in the dcfart, the other 
 of the Israelites gathering manna ; 
 the fcenery in both thefe pictures 
 is uncommonly beautiful, fo is 
 the fky in the latter : The drapery 
 of Elias is finely difpofed 5 but, as 
 the painter has neglefted to drefs 
 the Prophet in the habit of a Car- 
 melite, the holy Fathers, who 
 claim him as the founder of their 
 order, are not a little fcandalized 
 by the omiffion. I cannot inform 
 myfelf upon what proofs thefe rigid 
 devotees carry up the pedigree of 
 their order to the aforefaid pro- 
 phet 5 but, whatever fiaws a fcru- 
 
 pulous 
 
[ . *79 1 
 pulous enquirer might find ht- 
 their title, this l am fure of, that 
 the ftrength of their faith Can make 
 up for the weaknefs of the autho- 
 rity : The Angel in this piece is 
 coloured to a miracle, and, as the 
 Fathers do not claim to derive 
 from him, there is no exception 
 to the habit, which the painter has 
 thought fit to give him. The fi- 
 gures in thefe pieces are above na- 
 tural nze. 
 
 The three great kingdoms of 
 Europe (Spain, France and Eng- 
 land) were at this time governed 
 by the minifters Olivares, Richelieu 
 and Buckingham ; it was the reign 
 of favourites: Buckingham, who 
 had more caprice and lefs genius 
 than either of his contemporaries, 
 N 2 had 
 
[ i8o ] 
 
 had neverthelefs contracted a great 
 efteem for Rubens, during their 
 expedition to Madrid ; this was 
 not direfted to his profeffional ta- 
 lents, but to thofe qualities and 
 good condudl, which undoubtedly 
 he had, and which Buckingham 
 fagacioufly enough determined to 
 call forth, when any great occafion 
 fhould prefent itfelf: Such was 
 now in view ; Buckingham was at 
 Paris, negociating a marriage be- 
 tween Charles, who had lately fuc- 
 ceeded to the throne, and the prin- 
 cefs Mary, whom that prince had 
 feen.at Paris in his way to Spain, 
 and of whofe beauty and attractions 
 we have fuch ftriking teftimo- 
 nials under the hand of Vandyke. 
 Though Buckingham at Madrid 
 
 had 
 
[ i8i ] 
 
 had wantonly avowed eternal en- 
 mity to the minifter of Spain, he 
 now entered upon a correfpondencc 
 with Rubens on the means of recon- 
 ciling the kingdoms, and this pro- 
 duced the fecond vifit, which that 
 artift paid to Madrid in quality of 
 ambauador extraordinary from the 
 court of Bruffels in the year 1628. 
 He ftaid nine months in Madrid 
 on this negociation, and, being at 
 times confined to his chamber by 
 the gout in his feet, he took the 
 opportunity of working at his eafel ; 
 in which time he compleated eight; 
 grand pictures for the great faloon 
 of the palace, of which his famous 
 Rape of the Sabines was one, and 
 alfo his Battle of the Romans and 
 the Sabines. In this period, fuch 
 N 7 was 
 
[ 182 ] 
 
 was the rapidity of his pencil, that 
 he took five feveral portraits of 
 King Philip, one of which is 
 equeftrian and grouped with fe- 
 veral other figures ; a magnificent 
 performance, and for which he re- 
 ceived a magnificent reward, with 
 the honour of knighthood* of 
 naturalization and the golden key, 
 as gentleman of the chamber. He 
 painted the Infanta a half-length, 
 and the King of the fame fize by 
 commiflion from the Arch-duchels 
 Ifabella he made five or fix other 
 portraits of illuftrious perfons. 
 
 Superior to the little vain punc- 
 tilios of his art, he returned with 
 ardour to his tafk of copying the 
 moft capital works of Titiano in 
 the royal poffeffion> fuch as the 
 
 Venus 
 
[ H«3 1 
 Venus and Adonis, the Venus and 
 Cupid, the Adam and Eve and 
 many others, with feveral por- 
 traits, particularly of the Land- 
 grave, the Duke of Saxony and 
 the great Alva > he made a con- 
 fiderable addition to his grand 
 compofition on the Adoration of 
 the Magi, which now holds fo con- 
 fpicuous a place in the Madrid col- 
 lection ; of all the crown of Spain 
 poffeffes of the works of this emi- 
 nent mafter, this picture of the 
 Adoration appears to me the moft 
 fuperb and brilliant; and his dead 
 Chrift in the Sala del Capitulo of 
 the Efcorial the moft touching and 
 expreflive : I have never yet found 
 any pifture, that fpeaks fo ftrong- 
 ly to the paffions as this laft : 
 N 4 Amongft 
 
[ xB 4 ] 
 
 Amongft the capital performances 
 of Rafael, Titiano and others, this 
 compofition has attracted, and will 
 probably continue to attraft little 
 notice or applaufe, but I am bold 
 to believe every fpe£tator, who 
 fhall review this wonderful collec- 
 tion with independent tafte and de-. 
 termination not to be told what he 
 is to feel, and where he is to ad- 
 mire, and will ftop awhile to con- 
 template the tragic fpe&acle of a 
 mangled Saviour, furrounded by a 
 groupe of fuch mourners, as feem 
 to feel a forrow, like the objeft^ 
 which creates it, more than hu- 
 man, will own with me that Ru- 
 bens in this affeding- piece has. 
 touched the paffions with feme- . 
 thing more than a painter's, with a 
 
 poet's 
 
poet's hand. Contemplating this 
 picture, I could not help calling 
 to mind the bitternefs of Mengs' 
 criticifm, when he is comparing 
 Rubens' copy of Titiano to a Dutch 
 translation of an elegant author 3 and 
 in this train of thinking I could 
 not avoid drawing a comparifon 
 in my mind between the piece 
 before me and that, which Mengs 
 himfelf has compofed on the like 
 fubjeft: Thefceneis the fame, the. 
 actors the fame, and the cataftro- 
 phe not to be diverfified : But with 
 Mengs all is lifelefs, cold and flat; 
 methodized by art and meafured 
 by rule; the groupeof an academy, 
 fitters for attitudes and hirelings 
 for forrow ; the dead body of the 
 Chrift is laid out and in like-man- 
 ner 
 
C m ] 
 
 ner expofed to view in the one 
 cafe as in the other, but what a 
 contrail ! Mengs has indeed labour- 
 ed hard to makea beautiful corpfe ; 
 he has rounded. the mufdes, and 
 polifhed the fkin, and given it 
 fuch a hue, that it ceafes to be 
 flefh, and is a fhining waxen figure 
 with no trace of pain or fufferings 
 paft y look upon the other, and 
 you contemplate, as itfhould feem, 
 the very perfon, who hlmjelf bore 
 our forrows on the tree, by whofe 
 ftripes we are healed : Yet Mengs 
 is the author, whom courtly pre- 
 judice has put above comparifon 
 in Spain, whom not to admire is 
 treafon againft ftate, and whofe 
 worfhip is become canonical, a 
 part almoft of the orthodox ido- 
 io iatry 
 
[ m i 
 
 latry of their religion : Mengs is 
 rhe critic, .who, profefiedly treat- 
 ing of the colle&ion of piftures in 
 the palace at Madrid, can afford 
 no commendation or description 
 of Reubens's capital pidfcure of the 
 Adoration and records his name 
 apparently with no other view but 
 to make a needlefs facrifice of it 
 to that of "Titiano, whom it feems 
 he had had the temerity to copy. 
 
 It is hardly to be believed, that 
 Rubens during thefe nine months 
 finifhed feveral other confiderable 
 pictures, particularly his Martyr- 
 dom of the apoftle San Andres, 
 which now makes the altar-piece of 
 the Flemifh chapel, an enchant- 
 ing compofition. I have related 
 that he arrived in Spain in the year 
 
 1628 i 
 
[ 188 } 
 
 1 6 2.8 ; on the 26 th of April in the 
 year following he took his de- 
 parture, not without many dif- 
 tinguifhing tokens of favour from 
 his Catholic Majefty, by whofe 
 order the Conde Duque de Qli- 
 vares prefented Rubens with a ring 
 worth two thoufand ducats ; he 
 was alfo made fecretary to the 
 privy council at the court of Bruf- 
 fels for his life, with the fucceffion 
 to his fon Alberto, a very consider- 
 able benefice. Having now attend- 
 ed him to the time of his leaving 
 Spain, I fhall commit him for the 
 remainder of his career to his more 
 profefifed biographers, obferving 
 only, that he formed a friendfliip 
 in Madrid with the great Spanifh 
 painter Diego Velazquez de Silva 3 
 
 which 
 
t J 
 
 which friendfliip was continued by 
 a correspondence, that lafled many 
 years. 
 
 Juan del Cafiillo of Seville was a 
 painter of eminence and in great 
 repute as a mafter and inftruftor 
 in the art ; he had the double ho- 
 nour of being difciple of Luis de 
 Vargas, and teacher of Bartolome 
 Murillo ; the famous Alonfo Cano, 
 and Pedro de Moya were likewife 
 his fcholars : He died at Cadiz, 
 aged 56, in the year 1640. 
 
 At this period of time, under 
 thefoftering aufpices of Philip the 
 fourth, fuch a hoft of artifts pre- 
 fent themfelves to my view, that, 
 whilft I perceive the impracticabi- 
 lity of recording all, I feel repug- 
 nance at omitting any; as I would 
 
 not 
 
1 *9° 1 
 not willingly prefent to the public 
 a mere catalogue of painters and 
 their works, fo neither would I 
 ftrain the truth of circumftances 
 by endeavouring at variety. In 
 this dilemma therefore I have 
 judged it beft to felett fome of 
 the moft eminent, and pafs over 
 the lefs interefting in filenc'c ; 
 amongft the former Eugenio Caxes 
 undoubtedly deferves a place, if 
 it were only that he was found 
 worthy to be of the lift of King's 
 painters, and to enter into com- 
 petition with the celebrated Velaz- 
 quez in the branches both of hif - 
 torical and portrait painting : 
 Though he was a native of Madrid, 
 yet his father Patrido> by whom 
 he was educated in his art, was a 
 
 Florentine : 
 
[ m 1 
 
 Florentine : Philip the fourth fate 
 in perfon to Engen;o y but what 
 became of the pidture, or whether 
 it is in exiftence, I have not beert 
 able to difcover ; it was his fate* 
 with many others, to be eclipfed by 
 the fuperior luftre of Velazquez's 
 talents, and from the time that 
 artift entered into the royal fervice 
 and employ, Eugenio principally 
 employed his talents in painting 
 for the convents and churches, 
 who, in emulation of the court, 
 held forth a very liberal encourage-* 
 ment to the arts : The convent of 
 San Phelipe in the city of Madrid 
 contained the chief collection of 
 this mafter's works, where they 
 perifhed by fire together with the 
 convent itfelf in 1718: He was 
 
 jointly 
 
L ] 
 jointly engaged with Vicencio Car- 
 ducho in the frefcos of the Pardo^, 
 where the like fatal accident again 
 ■confumed his labours with many- 
 others equally to be lamented: 
 He died in 16423 at the age of 
 fixty-five* 
 
 In the fame year died Pedro 
 Orrente, by others called Pedro 
 Rente y born in Murcia, and Fa- 
 miliar of the Inquifition in that 
 city, a difciple of Bajfan> and pro- 
 tefted by the minifter Glivares, 
 who employed him in the paint- 
 ings, then collecting- at the palace 
 of the Ruen Retiro : Many of his 
 works are to be found in Valencia 
 and Cordova, andfome at Toledo, 
 particularly a Santa Leocadia com- 
 ing out of the feoulchre, over the 
 
 door 
 
[ l 92 ] 
 
 door of the faofifty of the catiie- 
 dralj, and in the chapei de ios 
 Reyes nuevos belonging to the faid 
 church a Nativity, which compa- 
 nions an Adoration of the Magi 
 by Caxes before-mentioned ; both 
 which are excellent compofitions 
 and finely executed : He coloured 
 in the ftile of his mailer, but in 
 his choice of nature did not imi- 
 tate his vulgarity of tafte ; in cor- 
 re6lnefs of drawing he has been 
 rarely exceeded : He was buried 
 in the parifh church of San Barto- 
 lome at Toledo, in. which he died 
 tar advanced in years, and is de- 
 fervedly to be numbered amongfi 
 the moft eminent Spaniards of his 
 profeflipn. « 
 
 Frmcijco Fernandez and Alonjo 
 Vol, L O Vazquez, 
 
I *94 ] 
 Vazquez, were the favourite difci- 
 pies, the one of Carducho and the 
 other of the celebrated Luis at 
 Vargas : Vazquez was a native of 
 Ronda, and praftifed his art in 
 the city of Seville : His figures in 
 the nude are drawn with great 
 truth and anatomical fkill they 
 are flight and fketch-like, but 
 executed with effeft and force -> 
 whilft he was painting in Seville, 
 Francijco Pacheco (from whofe 
 treatife fome of thefe anecdotes 
 are drawn) was keeping an acade- 
 my in that city, with great repu- 
 tation and fuccefs ; Velazquez, who 
 afterwards rofe to fuch high ho- 
 nours and favour with his King, 
 •was a difciple of Pacbeco's at this 
 time, Vazquez and Pacheco were 
 
 tfival 
 
t 195 ] 
 
 rival artifts and painted fomc pic- 
 tures profefledly in competition 
 for the cathedral of the convent 
 of barefooted Carmelites, and 
 other places ; the manner of Pa- 
 checo> though learned and cor- 
 re6t, was harfh and dry in the ex- 
 treme, fo that Vazquez was much 
 the more popular painter of the 
 two ; and young Velazquez, who 
 about this time married Pacheco's 
 daughter, did not think fit to ef- 
 poMlc his *aftc and formed him- 
 firlf upon other models. There is 
 a little couplet upon a crucifix of 
 Pacheco\ y which iatyrizes this 
 harlhnefs of manner, with-fo much 
 fmartnefs,. and fuch neatnefs of 
 verification, that I prefent it in 
 the original to the reader : 
 
 O 2 £hiien 
 
C W 3 
 
 Quien os pufo afft> Selcr, 
 Tan dejabrtdo y tan jeco^ 
 Vos me direis que el amor. 
 Mas yo digo, que Pacheco. 
 
 Nothing can be more mulical 
 than the chime of the words, but 
 the idea cannot be we!] conveyed 
 in Englifh. It feems natural for 
 academicians like Pacheco> who 
 are fo much concerned in the 
 grammar of their art, to contract 
 a ftiff pedantic ftile, as was the 
 cafe, but his pictures are faid to 
 be good ftudies, and, if he was 
 not a painter of the fir ft: manner, 
 he appears to have been a great 
 mailer and author in his art. He 
 was a man of liberal fentiments, 
 ftri£t morals and uncommon mo 
 
 defty ; ; 
 
[ 197 J 
 
 defty: He died in Seville in 16*54, 
 having furvived his ■ competitor 
 Vazquez, four years. As to Franctfco 
 Fernandez? who was u.nqueftion- 
 ably one of the firft artifts of his 
 time, he died in 1646 at Madrid, 
 of which place he was a native, 
 being killed by Francifco de Earns 
 in a fudden fit of pafiion, at the 
 age of forty-two years, imiverfally 
 regretted. 
 
 Jojef de Ribera^ known to Eu- 
 rope by the name of II Spagnoleto, 
 was a native of Xativa in the 
 kingdom of Valencia ; a' country 
 rich in natural productions and 
 of a melt happy temperature, in 
 point of climate : In this particu- 
 lar it has been frequently com- 
 pared to Greece, and, like Greece, 
 O 3 has 
 
[ 193 J 
 has been found uncommonly pro 
 lifk in giving birth to men of 
 genius and talents. How far the 
 growth and culture of the human 
 mind may, like vegetable nature, 
 depend upon the fkiey influences,, 
 there is no need at prefent to en- 
 quire - y the feeds of genius, like 
 thofe of any other tender plant, 
 may well be fjppofed fufceptible 
 of nutrition, advancement or re- 
 preffion, by the operations of the 
 atmofphere - y and if this obtains in 
 the general, I think we may con- 
 clude for it more ftrongly in fa- 
 vour of the particular art how un- 
 der confideration, than of any 
 other perhaps in the whole cata- 
 logue of human ftudy or inven- 
 tion ; Painting, which is an ope- 
 
 ratioi* 
 
[ 199 I 
 ration manual as well as mental, 
 demands the joint vigour and ex- 
 ertion of body and mind ; it fhould 
 feem that there is in demand a 
 force of atmofphere to brace the 
 corporeal fyftem and at the fame 
 time fuch a degree of genial 
 warmth, and relaxation of climate, 
 as fhall- give imagination its full 
 play and fcope ; thefe can only be 
 obtained in thofe happy latitudes, 
 where our fcene is now laid. R 
 is needlefs perhaps ro obierve, 
 that there muft be proper lights fai 
 the creation of the art and there 
 Ihould be a commodious tempera- 
 ture for their prefervation and 
 continuance : Thefe arc to be had- 
 in their higheft perfection in Spain, 
 as well as Greece. Ik the . Ice ♦> 
 O 4, hndev- 
 
[ 200 ] 
 
 lander in his native climate ever 
 fhould experience the impulfe of 
 a painter's genius, the year itfelf 
 would not fupply many hours in 
 which his fingers could obey its 
 fummons ; and in the other extre- 
 mity of climate, where every fibre 
 is unftrung by relaxation, all, who 
 have experienced, know the inap- 
 titude both of mind and body to- 
 wards any a£tion or employ of ei- 
 ther ; unfit alike for arts and arms, 
 the emafculate and foft inhabitant 
 links into floth and {lumbers away 
 a life, that fcarce deferves a better 
 name than vegetation. Upon the 
 whole I think we may admit, that 
 there are fome portions of the ha- 
 bitable earth, where nature has 
 declared herfelf agamfhthe pror 
 
 du&ioji 
 
C 3 
 
 dii6tion of painters, and no por- 
 tion yet difcovered where an af- 
 femblage of more happy requifites 
 ever centered, than in the climate 
 and country, in which the artift 
 now before us had his birth. 
 
 It may be proper to obferve, 
 that, although there cannot be 
 found amongft the Spanifh pain- 
 ters a greater inftanoe of poverty 
 in the extreme, than what Ri- 
 bera experienced, yet his preten- 
 fions in refpeft of family were as 
 high and his blood as pure as 
 mod in Spain : This pride of pe- 
 digree is there to the full as much 
 at heart, and as ceremonioufly 
 maintained amongft men in the 
 laft degree of worldly mifery, 
 as it is with the rich and great. 
 
 To 
 
L *>* J 
 To enumerate a line of anceitors, 
 unadulterated with Moorifh or 
 Jevvifh blood, and not made vile 
 fey any ignoble and diihonourable 
 trades, is the glory of an old Caf~ 
 tilian, though in rags and wretch- 
 ed'nefs : The houfe of Ribera,. tho v 
 it had branched into. Valencia,, 
 was in its original rooted -in the 
 pure terra firma of Old Caftile ; 
 and I dare fay his parents would 
 as foon have brought up their fen 
 to the occupation of a hangman,, 
 as apprenticed him to the trade of 
 a fhoemaker : This is amongft the 
 occupations, which an old Spaniard 
 calls difionejly and by which he 
 would as effeftually pollute his 
 blood, as an Indian would forfeit 
 his caft by eating hogVflefti out 
 
 of 
 
[ *®3 ] 
 <A the unclean platter of a Portu- 
 r'-efe: To be a mender of fhoes,. 
 or in vulgar phrafe a cobler, is no 
 degradation to a Spaniard's dig- 
 nity ; but to be a maker of them 
 in the firft inftance is corrupt and 
 vile, and fuch an artifan cannot 
 confbrt or intermarry with the 
 perfons, that are uncontaminated 
 with any thing but poverty and 
 vermin. 
 
 With thefe principles,, and no 
 other earthly poffeffion for his inhe- 
 ritance young Ribera entered him- 
 fel f a d i fc i pie at Franc if :o de R ibalta y 
 as I have already related ; how long 
 he continued, or how far he pro- 
 ceeded to form the peculiarities of 
 his tafte under the tuition of this 
 mafter, I cannot precifely. afcer- 
 
 tain j 
 
L ] 
 tain; he was certainly very young, 
 when he firft went to Rome, be- 
 caufe it was there he firit received 
 the puerile appellation of 77 Spag- 
 noleto, or the Little Spaniard ; and 
 that this was in early time is alfo 
 manifeft from other reafons : As 
 for his Angularity in chufing fub- 
 je6ls of terror and exprefiions of 
 pain, that was not owing to the 
 infufions of precept, or the effetlof 
 imitation, but was in him at once 
 characterise and original. He 
 had a ftrong mind hardened by ad- 
 verfity and naturally fuperior to 
 thofe paflions, which, though foft 
 and enervating, have operated to 
 produce the beautiful in art. In 
 the fublime and terrific Ribera 
 ilands forth as a great matter : In 
 
[ m i 
 
 tragic compolitions, the distortions 
 of agonized nature, and in the 
 ilrong and horrible reliefs of the 
 deepeft lights and fhades he is emi - 
 nently diftinguifhed : England is 
 in pofieffion of fo many examples 
 in this cafe of the author, that I 
 fhall not enter into a minute de- 
 fcription cf his works in Spain \ 
 but I cannot difpenfe with myfelf 
 from obfervingj that he is capable 
 of expreffing his ideas with uncom- 
 mon elegance and delicacy : Some 
 of die characters of his Baptiil, 
 fome Magdalens and Madonas, 
 whicji I have met, are equal in 
 grace and tendernefs of expreflion 
 to the beft heads of Guido and 
 Guercino : I confefs my furprizc 
 was great in difcovering him in a 
 
 character. 
 
[ 206 ] 
 
 character, which was new and un- 
 known to me before I went to 
 Spain ; at the fame time in a pri- 
 vate clofet at the Efcorial, where 
 there is an altar belonging to the 
 Prior, and to which admittance is 
 rarely allowed, I felt equal fur- 
 prize and delight at being fhewn 
 afmall Holy Family by Michael An- 
 geloBonarota, finifhedand coloured 
 to a miracle. In this ineftimable 
 little piece the face of the Madona 
 is of a moft lingular call, fuch as 
 I had never before feen - r extreme.lv 
 beautiful, but not by the refult of 
 the corre&eft fymmetry of fea- 
 tures; for the face is lengthened 
 beyond its proportion, by which 
 and other means, with a peculiar 
 .action of the eves .and mufcles an 
 i expreflioh 
 
E 2 °7 ] 
 •exprefiion is obtained, which at 
 'the fame time that it exceeds na- 
 ture, does not violate it ; appear- 
 ing to be at once above, and yet 
 within it. 
 
 Young Ribera, though fuffering 
 the extreme of poverty, felt within 
 himfelf fuch powers of genius, as 
 were fuperior to depreflion, and in 
 the fchool of Ribalta meditated an 
 ■excurfion to Rome, there to receive 
 the laft finifhi'ngs of education in 
 his- art : Thither he repaired, and, 
 enlifcing himfelf in the academy, 
 purfued his iludieswlth an induftry, 
 which knew no remiffion, but whilft 
 he was in purfuit of the fcanty 
 neceffaries for the demands of life ; 
 thefe he obtained by the fale of 
 •fome of his ffcetches and drawings 
 
 in 
 
[ 2C>8 ] 
 
 in the academy. Without friends 
 and at times almoll without food 
 or raiment, he perfilted in his 
 courfe with a ftubborn virtuous 
 perfeverance, which nothing could 
 divert from its objeft ; if fuch a 
 mind and imagination are found to 
 delight in images of favage great- 
 nefs and terrific fublimity, it is 
 little to be wondered at, and a 
 greater proof of his excellence 
 cannot be given, than the high 
 estimation, in which his pieces of 
 the character above - mentioned 
 continue to be held, notwith- 
 standing the falfe effeminate deli- 
 cacy of modern tafte and fafhion 
 in pictures, now prevailing in Eng- 
 land, which difcourages all at- 
 tempts at tragedy in painting and 
 
 fhrinks 
 
[ 1 
 
 ihrinks from an Ugolino and Pro- 
 metheus with as much dread and 
 horror, as a modern petite maitrefle 
 would from the fpeftacle of a bull- 
 fight. Such an academician as 
 young Ribera could not long re- 
 main undiftinguiihed in the mafs 
 of common ftudents j Rome was 
 not a place, where merit could be 
 long hidden, nor was his merit of 
 a fort, that could be concealed any 
 where; his fellow - ftudents and 
 teachers foon discovered the fupe- 
 riority of his talents, and far ex- 
 cellence gave him the name of 77 
 Spagnoieto; and a certain Cardinal, 
 one day paffing in his coach, ob~ 
 ferved a tattered figure employed 
 in painting a board, affixed to the 
 outfide of one of the ordinary 
 Vol. L P houfes 
 
[ 2IO 1 
 
 houfes in the ftreets of Rome ; the 
 youth and wretchednefs of the 
 jpeftacle engaged his pity, and 
 the fmgular attention, with which 
 he purfued his work, attrafted his 
 curiofity. It was II Spagncleto in 
 the aft of earning his bread, of 
 which his appearance made evi- 
 dent he \tas abfolutely in want. 
 The Cardinal called him to his 
 coach-Ude and, ordering him to 
 his palace, immediately domici- 
 liated the lucky youth, Here he 
 lived in eafe and affluence ; but 
 that virtue, which the frowns of 
 fortune could not fhake, was no 
 proof againft her careffes : Young 
 Ribera became a pave to plea- 
 fores, of which he had not before 
 even fpeculative enjoyment > but 
 
 his 
 
[ 211 3 
 
 his virtue, though repulfed, wai 
 not fubdued; his apoflacy from the 
 purity of his native principles pref- 
 fed upon his confcience, and the 
 ruin, which his genius was now me- 
 naced with, alarmed his pride of 
 nature with one gallant effort he 
 burft the fhackles of temptation, 
 and, fallying out of the palace of 
 the Cardinal, reaffumed his dig- 
 nity of foul, and poverty at once : 
 Perhaps the hiftory of human na- 
 ture will afford fe ( w examples of fo 
 ftrong an aft. 
 
 He had now all his former mi- 
 feries to encounter with the aggra- 
 vating contrail of experienced de- 
 lights : In addition to all thefe he 
 was to fuffer the reproaches of his 
 protector, who, occafionally meet- 
 P 2.. ing- 
 
[ 212 ] 
 
 ing him, upbraided his ingrati- 
 tude in the fevereft terms : The 
 virtuous Spaniard made a fuitable 
 reply, and, cheering himfelf with 
 the refources of his art and the ap- 
 plaufes of his confcience, perfifted 
 in his poverty. The clear obfcure 
 of Caravagto became his favourite 
 manner, and in the language, tho' 
 not with the motives, of Doftor 
 Young's Zanga he might have 
 faid that horrors now were not dif- 
 pleafing to him. The meagre en- 
 couragement he found in Rome 
 determined him to feck his better 
 fortune at Naples : For this place 
 he fet out in a ragged jacket, hav- 
 ing pledged his capafor a viaticum. 
 In Naples he let himfelf out to a 
 common painter for hire: This man 
 10 however 
 
[ "3 ] 
 however had great humanity and 
 forne fcience ; the abilities of // 
 Spagnoleto furpvizcd him; he clear- 
 ly law how fuperior his talents 
 were to the low occupation he had 
 engaged in ; a further acquaintance 
 opened to him the lingular virtues 
 and good qualities he was poflcfled 
 of, and he foon conceived the de~ 
 fign of converting his fervant into 
 his fon-in-law : He had an only 
 child, a daughter; the girl being 
 exceedingly handfome, and the fa- 
 ther very rich, an abundance of 
 iuitors prefented themfelves to the 
 choice of her parents, but, the mo- 
 ment which Providence had de- 
 creed for rewarding the virtues of 
 poor Ribera being now arrived, all 
 their pretentions availed nothing 
 P 3 with 
 
[ 214 ] 
 with the father, who had determined 
 upon his part and, calling Ribera 
 afide, propofed at once to beftow 
 his daughter with the better part 
 of his means immediately upon 
 him; a propofition fo totally above 
 expectation or hope flaggered his 
 belief, and he entreated his maf- 
 ter not to make his mifery and ill 
 fortune the objeft of his raillery 
 and ridicule ; he was at a lofs to 
 think what prefumption could 
 have efcaped him to merit this re- 
 buke ; he was not confcious of 
 having conceived or entertained a 
 thought, that afpired to a match 
 
 To totally above his reach.; with 
 fome difficulty the father con- 
 quered his incredulity, when young 
 
 Ribera, tranfported with j©y and 
 
 gratitude,. 
 
gratitude, was in one mom6n£ 
 from being the pooreft made the 
 happieft of beings. Behold him 
 now occupying a whole floor 
 the palace of the Viceroy, with 
 all the comforts of life and the 
 conveniences of his art in abun- 
 dance around him ; at the height 
 of his fame, in rcqueft of all the 
 great and eminent in Europe, and 
 honoured by his Holinefs the Pope 
 with the knighthood of Chrift. A 
 new choice of fubjetls now prefent- 
 ed themfelves to the world, and 
 people faw, with a terror partaking 
 of delight, martyrdoms, executions 
 and torments expreifed to the truth, 
 nay in fome cafes even aggra- 
 vated beyond it : He felefted. all 
 that facred or clafllc hiftory afford- 
 P 4 ed 
 
C ] 
 
 eci in the terrible ; all that the pa- 
 gan theology or the poetical hell 
 had reprcfented to appall the guilty 
 \v y as to be found on the canvaffes of 
 Ribera-, a martyred San Bartolome, 
 itript to the mufcles, became a 
 fludy for anatomifts : Cato of Utica 
 in the aft of tearing out his bowels 
 brought the horror of felf-murder 
 to the eyes and hearts of men : 
 Hercules ftniggling in the throes 
 of death and all the tortured in the 
 fabulous realm of Pluto were now 
 exhibited, like Efchylus's furies 
 on theftage of Athens, and in fome 
 inftances with the fame effefts ; for 
 it is- related, that a certain lady of 
 Amfterdam named Jacoba de Uffel 
 having mifcarried upon feeing fome 
 paintings of Sifyphus, Tantalus 
 and Ixion by Ribera, her huf- 
 
 band's 
 
[ &7 ] 
 
 band's gallantry induced him to 
 difpofe of them, and being carried 
 into Italy they were purchafed on 
 the part of His Catholic Majefty 
 and tranfported into Spain, where 
 they are now preferved in the pa- 
 lace of the Buen Retiro. Many 
 other pi&ures of this mafter were 
 collefted by the Viceroys of Naples 
 for the King and alfo for particu- 
 lar Grandees and brought into 
 Spain : In the royal collections of 
 Madrid and the Efcorial there are 
 many; the great altar-piece of the 
 church of Santa Ifabel on the fub~ 
 jeft of the Conception is by Ribera y 
 and the head of the Virgin is the 
 portrait of his daughter. He died 
 at Naples in 1656, aged 67 years, 
 leaving only one child above men- 
 tioned^ 
 
I ai8 ] 
 
 tioned, whom he married to a mm 
 of diftin&ion in Naples. He left be- 
 hind him a traft in manufcript on 
 the principles of the art of painting, 
 which is reported to have been a 
 moft elaborate and excellent com- 
 pofition. 
 
 Luis Trijian, a difciple of Domi- 
 nico Greco, was bora in a fmall vil- 
 lage near the city of Toledo : He 
 certainly exceeded his mafter in 
 correftnefs of drawing and purity 
 of tafte. It does not appear that 
 Domini co had any of the jealoufies 
 of his art about him in his treat-* 
 ment of ^riftan, whilft he was 
 under his tuition; on the contrary 
 he took early notice of his talents, 
 and brought them into praftice and 
 difplay with all the advantages in 
 his power to give s the monafteries 
 
 ft of 
 
[ ] 
 
 of Spain, as I have elfewhere ob- 
 ferved, were in that period con- 
 fiderable patrons of the elegant 
 arts of painting and fculpture; 
 moft of thefe religious Societies are 
 rich, and thofe, whofe funds did 
 not enable them to fet the artifts 
 at work, found benefactors amongft 
 the great, whofe devotion or va- 
 nity difpofed them to beautify and 
 enrich the churches and altars, 
 which they frequented, and where 
 fuch donations would be accepted 
 in the way of atonement, or re- 
 corded as afts of voluntary piety 
 and meritorious munificence: The 
 monks of La Sifla in the neighbour- 
 -liood of Toledo had applied to 
 - Dotninico Greco for a pidure of our 
 Lord's laftfupperto be painted for 
 
 their 
 
[ 220 ] 
 
 their refe&ory, in the manner that 
 Fitiano had adorned that in the 
 monaftery of San Lorenzo. Dominico 
 being obliged to decline the com- 
 miffion on account of indifpofition, 
 recommended his young pupil Luis 
 Friftan to the undertaking; the 
 monks accepted his fervices, and 
 upon delivery of the pifture were 
 with reafon fatisfied with the per- 
 formance ; nothing remained to be 
 adjufted but the price, and the de- 
 mand of the artift being for 200 
 ducats was deemed exorbitant; the 
 Fathers referred themfelves to Do- 
 minico, who being then in a fit of 
 the gout was put into a coach and 
 conveyed to the convent ; as foon 
 as he arrived there and had deli- 
 berately furveyed the piece, he 
 
 turned 
 
[ 221 ] 
 
 turned fuddenly to his dilciple and 
 with a menacing tone and air, lift- 
 ing uphis crutch, exclaimed againit 
 c TriJian for difgracing his art and all 
 whoprofeffedit, by demanding 200 
 ducats for the pifture in queftion. 
 The triumph of the Fathers upon 
 this teftimony of their umpire, fo 
 decidedly as it feemed in their fa- 
 vour, was however foon reverfed, 
 when Dominico direfled his dif- 
 ciple to roll up the picture and 
 take it away with him to Toledo, 
 for that he fhould not leave it there 
 for five hundred ducats ; then, 
 launching out into rapturous en- 
 comiums on the performance, he 
 began to put his decifion into exe- 
 cution : Vexation and furprize now 
 took poffeffion of the convi&ed 
 
 monks. 
 
[ 222 ] 
 
 monks, their murmuring and com- 
 plaints were changed to inter- 
 cefiions, and, after fufficient a- 
 tenement on their part, the mo- 
 ney was paid and the pifture fur- 
 rendered to the refedtory and obli- 
 vion : Certainly it is a capital com- 
 pofition, and whenever the Fathers 
 ftiall repent of the bargain made by 
 their predeceffors, there is not a 
 colleftor in Europe but will give 
 them their principal with ample 
 intereit upon their purchafe. Trif- 
 tan died at Toledo in the year 
 1649, at the age of fifty-four, with 
 the honour of being imitated by 
 the celebrated Velazquez , who 
 declared himfelf his admirer and, 
 quitting the precepts of Pacheco, 
 profcffedly modelled himfelf after 
 
 the 
 
I 223 ] 
 
 the ftile and manner of Luis Trif- 
 tan. 
 
 Juan Baptijia May no, a monk 
 of the order of the Predicadores,> 
 was a contemporary of ^rijlan and 
 a difciple alfo of Dominico Greco : 
 In the convent of San Pedro the 
 Martyr at Toledo there is an altar- 
 piece in four compartments repre- 
 fenting the fubje&s of the four 
 Pafquas, viz. the Nativity, the Re- 
 furre&ion, the Defcent of the Holy 
 Ghoft and the Myftery of the Holy 
 Trinity: There is in the fame 
 church a Saint Peter weeping, of 
 which many copies are difperfed 
 through Spain; an affe&ing na- 
 tural idea of that zealous- yet of- 
 fending difciple in the moment of 
 recolle&ion and remorfe. The 
 
 college 
 
[ i2 4* j 
 
 college of San Eftevan at Sala- 
 manca contains fome works of this 
 rnafter, whofe excellence as an art- 
 ift and whofe irreproachable fe,no« 
 tity gained him univerfal efteem 
 and promoted him to the honour 
 of being drawing-mafter to Philip 
 the IV th.. v/ho was not only a lover 
 of the arts but a proficient. Mayno 
 was employed by the King at the 
 palace of the Buen Retiro, where 
 he painted a fine battle-piece, in 
 which the Conde Duque de Oli- 
 vares is introduced animating the 
 troops to action by prefenting to 
 their view a portrait of King Phi- 
 lip, a brilliant thought and a 
 courtly compliment to both par- 
 ties, Mayno died in his fiftieth 
 
 year, 
 
[ m 3 
 
 year, in the city of Toledo, in 
 1654. 
 
 In the fame year died Pedro 
 Nunez a native of Madrid, of whofe 
 celebrity there needs no better tef- 
 timony, than his being one in the 
 following groupie of artifts, re- 
 corded by the famous Lope de la 
 Vega in the following lines : 
 
 Pero p or que es razon que participt 
 Uel Laurel la pintura generofa 
 Juntos llegaron a la cumbre hermofa 
 Sulcando varios mares. 
 Vincencio, Eugenio > Nunez y Lan* 
 (hares* 
 
 Vol. L Ct INDEX 
 
INDEX 
 
 TO THE 
 
 FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 Page 
 
 NTO'NIO del Rlncon 10 
 
 Torrigiano - - - u 
 
 Julio and Alexandra - 22 
 
 Alonjo Berruguete - - ib. 
 
 Baptifla Bergamo - - 24 
 
 Go/par Becerra - - - ib. 
 
 Antonio Florei - - - 30 
 
 Fernando Gallegos - - ib. 
 Pedro Campana ---31 
 
 Tit i a no ----- 33 
 Fernandez Ximenes $ 
 commonly calhd El Mu- 
 
 do y the Dumb - - 69 
 
 Morales, El Divino - 74 
 
 Miguel Barrofo - - - 8*. 
 
 Domingo Beltran - - lb. 
 
 Teodojio Mingo t - - - 84 
 
 Xjw de Carvajal - - ib» 
 ■3 
 
 Page 
 
 Alonjo Sanchez Coello, the 
 
 Elder, 84 
 
 Antonio More, (Sir An- 
 tony More ) 95 
 Lucas Catr,b ; aJo } or Luqueto 105 
 Mateo Per ex. dt AUJio - 1 08 
 Federico Zucaro - - II€> 
 Peregrin Tbaldi, or Pere- 
 grin cf Bologna - - 114 
 Romulo Clncinnato - - 118 
 Cajar Arbafia - - - 120 
 Bartolome de Carducbo - ib. 
 Vxcencio dc Carducbo - 124 
 Bias de Prado - - - 125 
 S forifba Angujciola - 126 
 Nicolas Fat tor - - - 128 
 Pablo de Cejpedes - - ib. 
 Francifco Galeas - - ib, 
 Juan 
 
 A 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Juan de la Mlferia - 128 
 Luis de Vargas - - 137 
 yuan Bautifta jfuanes 140 
 yuan Labrador - - 151 
 yuan Pantoia de la Cruz ib. 
 Bartolome Gonzalez. - 153 
 yuan de Solo - - - ib. 
 yuan deChiJinos - - ib. 
 El DoBer Pablo de las 
 
 Roellas - - - - 154 
 Padre Luis Pafqual Gau- 
 
 dm - - - - - ib. 
 Phellpe de Llano, (or. El 
 
 Tlttano pequeno) - - ib . 
 Patricio Caxes - - - ib. 
 g)omlnlco Teotocopoli, or El 
 
 Greco - - - - 355 
 
 Pag* 
 
 Diego de Romulo Cinclnnato 160 
 Francifco and Juan Ribalta 162 
 Adriano of Cordova - 165 
 VicencioCarducho - - 167 
 Pedro Pablo Rubens - 169 
 Juan del Caftlllo - - 189 
 Eugenlo Caxes - - - 190 
 Pedro Orrente - - - 192 
 Francljco Fernandez - 193 
 Alonfo Vajquez - - ib. 
 Franctfco Pacheco - - 194 
 ^y>y A Ribera, or II 
 
 Spagmletto - - - 197 
 Luis Triftan - - - 218 
 Juan Baptifta'Mayno - 223 
 Pedro Nuhez, - - - 225 
 
 END OP- THE FIRST VOLUME* 
 
v. / 
 
 THE GZT7Y CENTER 
 LIBRARY