Part 14

Moses receiving the tables of The Sermon on the Mount. By the law. Destruction of the Cosimo Rosselli. Golden Calf. By Cosimo Rosselli.

Destruction of Korah, Dathan, Christ giving unto Peter "the and Abiram, and the sons keys of the kingdom of heaven" of Aaron. By Sandro Botticelli. (Matt. xvi. 19). By Perugino.

Death of Moses. Reading of the The Last Supper. By Cosimo law. By Luca Signorelli. Rosselli.

The Archangel contending about Christ's Resurrection. By Dom the body of Moses.[7] By Ghirlandajo. Francesco Salviati.

_Apply to the custodi of the Sistine Chapel to visit the Pauline Chapel, which is entered from the_

SALA REGIA,

built as an audience hall for the ambassadors to the Papal Court. It is decorated with frescoes representing different important events in Papal history.

THE PAULINE CHAPEL

was erected by Paul III. Its walls are painted in fresco, the conversion of S. Paul and the execution of S. Peter being by Michael Angelo. The painted roof and the portraits of twenty-eight Popes are by Lorenzo Sabatini and Frederigo Zucchero.

_Retracing our steps through the Sistine Chapel, and going up a narrow stair, we enter, through a small white door, two rooms containing_

GALLERY OF MODERN PAINTINGS.

(_First Room, right._)

1. Beatitude of Benedict of Urbino (Capuchin).--Guido Guidi, 1865. He is being presented, with other missionaries, to Clement VIII.

2. Beatitude of John Sarcander, who is led to the torture by the Dutch Calvinists.--By F. Grandi. 3. S. Chiara of Mount Falconi visits Cardinal Colonna, who is kneeling.--Raffaele Gagliardi. 4. Alfonso Rodosko's Vision of the Virgin.--By G. Sereni. 5. John Berchmans' Vision of the Virgin.--Gagliardi. 6. Peter of Arbues, Grand Inquisitor of Spain, murdered at the altar.--G. Mauretta. _At the end_ of this hall is a piece of tapestry designed by Raphael. It represents S. Paul striking Bar-jesus (Elymas) blind before the pro-consul Sergius Paulus at Paphos in Cyprus.--Acts xiii. 6. _Returning up the hall._ 7. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionist Order.--Coghetti. 8. Declaration of the Dogma of Immaculate Conception by C. de Paris. 9. The Virgin with the Infant Jesus appearing to Maria degli Angeli, a Carmelite nun.--De Rohden.

The entry and the connection between the first and second hall were once the chapel of Pius V. The richly-painted window, by Ludovic Gesta of Toulouse, represents Germana Cousin, the Shepherdess of Pibrac, crossing a stream, and portraits of Pius IX. and French ecclesiastics. The cupola is the work of Federico Zuccheri; the subjects are the Fall of Satan and scenes from the Life of Tobit. In the lunettes below are the four doctors of the Latin Church, by Paoletti.

(_Second Room, left._) 10. Saints Martyred in Gorcum in the Netherlands.--Cæsar Fracassini. His masterpiece; a very fine work of art. 11. A fine large painting, the gift of the Polish Roman Catholics. It represents John Sobieski, King of Poland, relieving Vienna from the Turks: the work of Matejko, 1883. 12. S. Lorenzo da Brindisi leading the Imperial troops against the Turks at the Battle of Alba-Reale in Hungary.--By F. Grandi. 13. S. Michael de' Sanctis.--Jojetti. 14. Beatitude of the Canon John de' Rossi.--Dies. _Passing from these we go into the_ SALOON OF PODESTI, containing frescoes relating to the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. _On the end wall_ is represented the supposed Vision of the Virgin to Pius IX.; _opposite_, the Discussion of the Dogma; _on the right wall_, Proclamation of the Dogma. They were done in 1870, in commemoration of the Vatican Decrees. _Thence we pass into the_

STANZE OR CAMERE OF RAPHAEL,

consisting of four rooms designed by Raphael, and completed by his pupils after his death, to illustrate the triumphs and establishment of the Catholic Church. The principal frescoes are:--

IN THE FIRST ROOM.--_On the right_, the Incendio del Borgo, A.D. 847; _over the window_, Justification of Leo III.; _in front_, Victory of Leo IV. over the Saracens at Ostia; and _opposite_, Coronation of Charlemagne. The chiaro-oscuro portraits, _below_, by Caravaggio, represent the princes who first gave tribute to the Church. The roof is by Perugino, Raphael's master.

SECOND ROOM.--Illustrative of Theology, _on the entry wall_; Poetry, _over the window_; Philosophy, _in front_; and Jurisprudence, _on the right_. Representations of the Fall of Man, the Flaying of Marsyas, the Study of the Globe, the Judgment of Solomon, _on the ceiling_. _On the walls_ corresponding--the Dispute on the Sacrament, Mount Parnassus, the School of Athens (a portico crowded with philosophers, which gives its name to the room), Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance.

THIRD ROOM.--_In front_, the Miraculous Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple; _on the right_, the Mass of Bolsena; _on the entry wall_, Attila driven back from Rome by Leo I.; _over the left window_, S. Peter's Release from Prison (notice the four different lights here). _The ceiling_ represents subjects from the Old Testament.

FOURTH ROOM.--_On the right_, Battle between Constantine and Maxentius at the Ponte Molle; _entry wall_, Baptism of Constantine; _left wall_, Rome presented by Constantine to Silvester; _in front_, the Cross appearing to Constantine (the dwarf is Gradasso da Norcia, from Berni's Poetry); _on the vault_, the pagan statue thrown down represents the Triumph of Faith, by Lauretti (notice the wonderful bit of perspective here); _on the right-hand corner, a door leads into the_ ANTICAMERA OF THE STANZE, originally painted by Raphael, restored by Carlo Maratta. _Out of this room is_

THE CHAPEL OF S. LORENZO.

The frescoes are by Fra Angelico, representing events in the lives of SS. Stephen and Laurence. _On the ceiling_ are the four Evangelists. It was built as the private chapel of Nicholas V., and is the oldest decorated portion of the Vatican. _We now pass into_

THE LOGGIE OF RAPHAEL,

_to the right on entering_.

"It is impossible either to execute or imagine a more beautiful work" (Vasari). It is called Raphael's Bible. It is divided into thirteen arcades, each containing four subjects of Scripture history--1. The Creation of the World, by Raphael; 2. History of Adam and Eve; 3. The History of Noah, by Giulio Romano; 4. Abraham and Lot; 5. History of Isaac, by Penni; 6. Jacob, by Pellegrino; 7. Joseph; 8. Moses, by Giulio Romano; 9. Moses, by Raffaello del Colle; 10. Joshua; 11. David, by Pierino del Vaga; 12. Solomon, by Pellegrino; 13. From the New Testament, by Giulio Romano. The stucco ornaments and arabesque work are by Giovanni da Udine, from Raphael's designs, who took the idea from the Golden House of Nero. The weather has very much damaged them. Pius IX. put the glass windows in.

_The other sides_ were built by Gregory XIII., and executed by Giovanni da Udine; they have recently been restored by Mantovani. _The farther one_, parallel with the Papal apartments, is where his holiness gives audience.

_A flight of stairs on the left leads to the_ Upper Loggia, painted with maps and landscapes. _Entrance to the Picture Gallery--ring the bell at the second door on the left of the Central Loggia._

THE PICTURE GALLERY.

(_The Pinacotheca._)

Formed by Pius VII. As the artist's name and the subject are painted on the frame of each picture (a hint some of the other galleries might adopt), it will be only necessary to mention the most important.

FIRST ROOM.--The Christian Mysteries, one of Raphael's earliest paintings; Faith, Hope, and Charity, three medallions, by Raphael; Doubting Thomas, by Guercino; Marriage of S. Catherine of Alexandria with the Infant Christ, by Murillo; Adoration of the Shepherds, by Murillo.

SECOND ROOM.--The Last Communion of S. Jerome, by Domenichino; Madonna di Foligno, by Raphael; The Transfiguration, Raphael's masterpiece.

THIRD ROOM.--S. Sebastian, by Titian; The Assumption of the Virgin, in two parts--the Crowning, by Giulio Romano, and the Apostles round the Tomb, by Francesco Penni; Virgin and Child, by Sassoferrato; The Entombment, by Caravaggio.

FOURTH ROOM.--S. Peter's Crucifixion, by Guido; Annunciation, by Baroccio; Christ Enthroned, by Correggio.

THE MOSAIC MANUFACTORY.

_Orders must be obtained from the Rev. Monsignor Fiorani, at the Sacristy._

_It is entered by a corridor from the ground floor at the left-hand corner of the Court of S. Damaso._ The mosaics in S. Peter's, S. Paul's, and other churches, were manufactured here. Some mosaics take a long time to execute, as great patience and art are required in blending the shades, &c., upwards of 27,000 different shades of the coloured _vetri_ being kept in stock.

A plate, generally of metal, of the required size, is first surrounded by a margin rising about three-quarters of an inch above the surface. A mastic cement, composed of powdered stone, lime, and linseed oil, is then spread over as a coating, perhaps a quarter of an inch in thickness. When set, this is again covered with plaster-of-Paris rising to a level with the margin, upon which is traced a very careful outline of the picture to be copied, and just so much as will admit of the insertion of the small pieces of smalto or glass is removed from time to time with a fine chisel. The workman then selects from the trays, in which are kept thousands of varieties of colour, a piece of the tint which he wants, and carefully brings it to the necessary shape. The piece is then moistened with a little cement, and bedded in a proper situation, the process being repeated until the picture is finished, when the whole, being ground down to an even face and polished, becomes an imperishable work of art. The process is the same for making the small mosaics so much employed at the present day for boxes, covers, or articles of jewellery, and this work is sometimes upon almost a microscopic scale. The Florentine mosaic, which is chiefly used for the decoration of altars and tombs, or for cabinets, tops of tables, coffers, and the like, is composed of precious materials, in small slices or veneers, and by taking advantage of the natural tints which characterize the marble, the agate, or the jasper, very admirable effects may be produced in imitation of fruits, flowers, or ornaments. The use of this kind of mosaic is extremely restricted, on account of the great value and expense, not only of the materials, but of the labour employed upon them. None but the hardest stones are used; every separate piece must be backed by thicker slices of slate or marble to obtain additional strength; and every minute portion must be ground until it exactly corresponds with the pattern previously cut.

THE VATICAN MUSEUM.

_Open every day from 9 till 3, except on Thursday and Saturday, when it is closed. Permission must be obtained of Monsignor Macchi, at his office in the Vatican, from 10 till 1. Each permit admits a party of five, and can only be used once._

_Entrance_ is obtained by going round to the back of S. Peter's, thus enabling us on our way to admire the vast proportions of the latter. The Vatican Museum was founded by Julius II., and consists of those objects of art that have been discovered, and which once graced the principal buildings of ancient Rome. At the entrance the new official English catalogue by Signor Massi, the conservator of the galleries, can be purchased; it gives a full account of the objects of art. In so vast a collection, we call attention to the principal works only.

_Entering on the left by the iron gates, filled in with glass, and ascending the marble stairs, we enter_

THE HALL OF THE GREEK CROSS.

In the centre of the floor is a splendid mosaic, found at the Villa of Cicero. A bust of Minerva forms the centre, around which are twelve planets and various phases of the moon. The outer circle (modern) is composed of masks and figures. The principal statues are 559 and 597, Augustus; 564, Lucius Verus; 565, Hercules; 574, Venus of Cnidos; 566, _left_, red porphyry Sarcophagus, which contained the remains of Constantia, the daughter of Constantine the Great; 589, _opposite_, generally attributed to Helena, the mother of the Christian emperor. (See page 327.) Before the door is a fine mosaic representing a faun watering a flower. At the foot of the stairs, by two sphinxes, is a beautiful basket of flowers in mosaic. _We now enter_

THE ROTUNDA.

Erected by Simonetti, by order of Pius VI. In the centre is a magnificent vase of red porphyry, 46 feet in circumference, found in the House of Nero. The large mosaic represents combats between Centaurs and Lapithæ, and nymphs carried on the backs of monsters; in the centre, under the vase, is the head of Medusa. The border represents the adventures of Ulysses, Neptune, and monsters. The principal statues are 537, 538, Tragedy and Comedy; 539, Bust of Jupiter; 540, Colossal statue of Antinoüs; 546, Statue of Ceres; 545, Bust of Antinoüs; 544, Hercules, in gilt bronze, found in 1864 during the restoration of the foundations of the Biscioni Palace, which occupies the site of the Theatre of Pompey, in the middle of which stood the Temple of Venus Victrix, which this statue adorned; 542, Colossal Juno; 547, Bust of Ocean; 548, Nerva, a seated statue crowned with bronze oak wreath; 550, The Emperor Claudius; 552, Juno; 553, The Genius of Augustus. _We now pass into_

THE HALL OF THE MUSES.

It contains statues of muses, busts of Greek philosophers, poets, and statesmen, all of which deserve special attention. _Left._ 525, Bust of Pericles; 524, Seated Statue of Sappho; 523, Bust of Aspasia. _Right._ 535, Mnemosyne, the mother of the muses; 511, Erato, muse of love song; 514, Bust of Socrates; 515, Calliope, muse of epic poetry; 516, Apollo, as leader of the muses; 517, Terpsichore, muse of dancing; 520, Euterpe, muse of melody. _Left._ 508, Polyhymnia, muse of sacred poetry; 505, Clio, muse of history; 506, Bust of Demosthenes; 504, Urania, muse of astronomy; 503, Thalia, comic and pastoral muse; 499, Melpomene, muse of tragedy. _Beyond, left._ 492, Sophocles; 491, Silenus; 490, Diogenes. _Right._ 498, Epicurus; 496, Homer. _Now pass into_

THE HALL OF THE ANIMALS.

The principal objects of interest are--124, Mithraic Sacrifice found at Ostia, in the temple dedicated to the worship of the Persian deity; 139, Commodus on Horseback; 143, Sleeping Shepherd; 228, Triton carrying off a Nereid. _We next enter_

THE GALLERY OF STATUES.

In the centre of the gallery is a magnificent bath of the finest Oriental alabaster. _Right-hand side on entering._ 248, Clodius Albinus, governor of Britain under Commodus; 250, Cupid, by Praxiteles, the "Genius of the Vatican;" 255, Paris; 259, Minerva as the Peace-bearer; 261, Penelope; 262, Caligula; 264, Apollo with the Lizard; 267, Drunken Faun; 270, Urania; 271, Posidippus, the master of Greek comedy. _Entrance to Hall of Busts_ (_see below_). 390, Menander; 391, Nero as Apollo; 392, Septimius Severus; 393, Dido; 394, Neptune; 396, Narcissus; 398, Macrinus; 399, Æsculapius and Hygeia; 401, Fragment of Hæmon and Antigone; 402, Seneca; 405, One of the fifty daughters of Danaus drawing water from Lethe; 406, Faun, repetition of Praxiteles. _Entrance on left to Cabinet of Masks._ 414, Sleeping Ariadne; 417, Mercury, by Ingenui; 420, Lucius Verus.

THE HALL OF BUSTS.

280, Augustus; 282, Cæsar; 285, Caracalla; 307, Saturn, colossal veiled head; 311, Menelaus; 326, Jupiter seated; 333, Crispina; 352, Livia as Piety, or Diana, or Surprise; 366, Scipio.

CABINET OF MASKS.

So called from the mosaic pavement found in Hadrian's Villa. The ceiling is by Domenico de Angelis, representing the marriage of Bacchus and Ariadne, Diana contemplating Endymion, Paris refusing Minerva the apple, Adonis and Venus. 427, Replica of the Venus of Cos, by Praxiteles. The head does not belong to this statue. 428, the Crouching Venus, a copy after Heliodorus, by Bupalus; 429, the Empress Sabina, Hadrian's wife, as Venus Genetrix, after Arcesilaus. The head and arms have been inserted in an older statue; 432, Faun in _rosso antico_; 433, Venus rising from the Sea, after Alcamenes; 436, Venus anointing herself, after Polycharmes; 441, Ganymedes; 442, Adonis.

_We now proceed to the Court of the Belvedere_, which is supported by sixteen columns, having a fountain in the centre. The court is adorned with baths, urns, sarcophagi, statues, columns, bas-reliefs, and medallions. The four corners of the court are occupied by cabinets _in the following order, commencing on the left_:--

MERCURY OF THE BELVEDERE.

A most valuable piece of antique Greek sculpture, found near the Baths of Titus in 1779. On the walls are bas-reliefs representing a combat between Amazons and Athenians, and a sacred procession; 56, Priapus, the god of orchards; 57, Hercules.

CANOVA'S CABINET.

It contains three splendid works by this great modern master: Perseus with the Head of Medusa; the Two Boxers, Kreugas (defence), Damoxenus (attack).

APOLLO BELVEDERE.

One of the finest masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture, discovered at Porto d'Anzio towards the close of the fifteenth century--Apollo in the attitude of turning the army of the Gauls into stone, with the head of Medusa, B.C. 278, as we are informed by the inscription in bronze; it was restored erroneously. It is beautifully described by Byron in "Childe Harold."

CABINET OF THE LAOCOON.

Found in the Baths of Titus in 1506. Pliny (xxxvi. 4) thus describes it:--"A work which may be considered superior to all others both in painting and statuary. The whole group--the father, the boys, and the awful folds of the serpents--were formed out of a single block by Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus, natives of Rhodes. Michael Angelo said, however, and it has since been proved, that it is in three pieces."

"Two serpents ... their destined way they take, And to Laocoön and his children make: And first around the tender boys they wind, Then with their sharpened fangs their limbs and bodies grind. The wretched father, running to their aid With pious haste, but vain, they next invade; Twice round his waist their winding volumes rolled, And twice about his gasping throat they fold. The priest thus doubly choked, their crests divide, And towering o'er his head in triumph ride." VIRGIL, "Æn.," ii. 209: DRYDEN.

_We now enter the_

ROOM OF THE MELEAGER,

the hero sung of by Greek and Latin poets. Found in the year 1500 outside the Porta Portese. 20, The Loves of Æneas and Dido; 17, Inscription relating to the foundation of the temple of Hercules Victor by the consul Mummius.

THE ROUND VESTIBULE.

In the centre is a basin of pavonazzetto; on the balcony a very rare ancient sun-dial, found in 1770 near the Colosseum. The view from here has given to this balcony the name

BELVEDERE.

It commands a beautiful panoramic scene of Rome and the Campagna, bounded by the distant Alban and Sabine Hills.

VESTIBULE.

The gray peperino sarcophagus was discovered in the tomb of the Scipios on the Via Appia in 1780. It contained the remains of Scipio Barbatus. When it was opened, two thousand years after his death, the skeleton was found entire, with a ring upon one of the fingers. The ring passed into the hands of the Earl of Beverley, and the bones were removed to Padua by the Venetian senator, Angelo Quirini. On the wall are inscriptions found in the tomb. A bust of the poet Ennius surmounts the sarcophagus.

THE TORSO

of Hercules. The work of Apollonius, son of Nestor of Athens. Found near the Theatre of Pompey. It is considered to be the most perfect resemblance to human flesh, and was greatly admired by Raphael and Michael Angelo, the latter declaring that he was its pupil. _Descending the stairs we reach_

THE CHIARAMONTI CORRIDOR,

containing numerous monuments of Greek and Roman art. _On the left going down._ 733, Recumbent Statue of Hercules; 683, Hygeia; 682, Antoninus Pius; 681, Minerva; 635, Hercules with Ajax, found near Pompey's Theatre; 589, Mercury; 588, Group of Bacchus and Ampelus; 544, Silenus; 495, A Cupid, by Praxiteles; 494, Tiberius; 493, Diadumenianus; 450, Mercury; 422, Bust of Demosthenes; 419-417, Busts of Caius and Lucius, nephews of Augustus; 418, Julia, his daughter; 416, Augustus as a Youth; 401, Colossal Head of Augustus; 400, Tiberius; 399, Head of Tiberius; 353, Nymph on a Rock; 294, Hercules Resting; 262, A Smiling Child; 242, Apollo Citharœdus; 241, Juno suckling Mars; 240, Britannicus; 197, Minerva, with modern helmet and enamelled eyes; 177, Polyhymnia; 175, Niobe in Flight from Diana; 122, Diana; 121, Clio, the historical muse and guardian of truth; 120, Priestess of Vesta; 85, The God of Sleep; 62, Hygeia, the goddess of health; 61, Urania; 15, A consular statue; 6, Autumn.--_Gates to Corridor of Inscriptions._--_Returning._ 13, Winter; 19, Paris; 18, Apollo; 17, A Faun. _Entrance to the Nuovo Braccio._ 112, Venus of Cnidos; 124, Drusus; 181, Hecate; 179, Myth of Alcestis; 245, Polyhymnia; 244, Ocean; 287, Sleeping Fisher Boy; 298, Bacchus; 297, Athlete; 343_a_, Brutus who stabbed Cæsar; 355-357, Figures found at Tusculum; 358, Captive; 453, Meleager; 498, Clotho; 497, Sarcophagus, with Corn-mills; 484, Diana; 547, Isis; 548, a Vestal; 580, Præfica; 591, Claudius; 627, Venus and Mars; 639, Julia Lœmia; 686, Tuccia, the vestal virgin, carrying water in a sieve from the Tiber to the Forum. (See Dionysius, ii. 69.) On the border is S. K. Pello, "By this proof a sepulchre and a calumny are removed from me." 685, Sarcophagus, representing the manufacture of oil; 684, Æsculapius.

THE NUOVO BRACCIO.

Built by Pius VII., in 1817, from the designs of Stern. The floor is composed of ancient mosaics, and is worthy of notice. The chief objects of interest are--5, Caryatide, supposed to be one of those which supported the portico of the Pandrosium at Athens, by Phidias; 8, Commodus; 9, Captive Dacian King; 11, Silenus; 14, Augustus, found in 1863 in the ruins of the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta; 17, Æsculapius; 20, Nerva; 23, Pudicitia, the goddess of modesty; 26, Titus; 92, Ganymedes, the cup-bearer of Jupiter; 44, Wounded Amazon; 47, Caryatide; 50, Diana; 53, Euripides; 56, Julia, daughter of Titus; 59, Plenty; 62, Demosthenes; 67, Athlete in the act of cleaning his arm with a strigil--the die, which he holds in his other hand, is an erroneous modern addition; 71, Amazon; 74, Clemency; 77, Antonia, the wife of Drusus the elder; 80, Plotina, wife of Trajan; 83, Ceres; 86, Fortune; 96, A. Marcus Antonius; 109, The Nile--the sixteen children are allegorical of the sixteen cubits at which the rise of the river begins to irrigate the land--one of the finest works of art in the Vatican, found near the Church of Minerva; 111, Julia, daughter of Titus; 114, Minerva; 117, Claudius; 120, Faun; 123, Lucius Verus; 126, Athlete; 129, Domitian; 132, Mercury. _Passing through the iron gates, we enter_

THE CORRIDOR OF INSCRIPTIONS,

the walls of which are adorned with three thousand pagan and eleven hundred Christian inscriptions brought from various catacombs and cemeteries. _Retracing our way through the Museum, a glass door on the right at the entrance of the Museum conducts us to_

THE LIBRARY.

_Ask the Custodian; fee, 50 cents each._

It was founded by Sixtus V., and contains 120,000 volumes, of which 25,000 are manuscripts. The magnificent great hall is 220 feet long, and contains many objects of interest, notably two fine candelabra of Sèvres china presented to Pius VII. by Napoleon I.; a vase of malachite and another of immense size, presented by Prince Demidoff; two vases of Meissen porcelain, presented by the Emperor of Germany; a large vase of porcelain china, presented by Napoleon III. to Pius IX. after it had been used as the font in the baptism of the Prince Imperial; a beautiful basin of Aberdeen granite, presented by the Duke of Northumberland.

THE CHRISTIAN MUSEUM.

The contents comprise a collection of lamps, glass vessels, gems, &c., found in the Catacombs. In the room beyond is a very interesting collection of Byzantine and medieval Italian paintings, a Russian calendar, and other interesting objects. At the end of this vista of rooms is a full-length seated portrait of Pius IX., painted on glass at Aix-la-Chapelle.

_N.B.--The following collections at the Vatican are open only on Thursdays from nine till three; special permission is required._