Raphael of Urbino and his father Giovanni Santi

Preface

2 MAXNSO long ago as the year 1839 Herr Passavant, 4G Director of the Museum at Frankfort, published a aN yx work in two volumes entitled “ Rafael von Urbino und sein Vater Giovanni Santi,” which was without doubt the most comprehensive life of Raphael that had at that time appeared. A third volume, containing many additional particulars, was published in 1858.

For many years Passavant’s work was known only to German scholars ; till, in 1860, a new Edition, corrected and much enlarged by the author, was translated into French by M. Jules Lunteschutz, and, with many valuable annotations by M. Paul Lacroix, published in Paris in two closely printed volumes containing upwards of twelve hundred pages. To this elaborate book, on which it is evident that both Author and Editor must have bestowed much labour, Raphael’s admirers have turned whenever they have sought for information; and it will doubtless remain for many years the best book of reference on all questions pertaining to the great painter.

PREFACE.

The present work consists of a translation of those parts of Passavant’s volumes which are most likely to interest the general reader : occasionally a section has been abridged, reference, however, in most cases being made to the French edition. An Essay on the Genius of Raphael; a Dissertation on the Works of his Pupils; a History of the Family of Santi; as well as a Catalogue of Raphael's Sketches and Drawings, have been omitted ; but the valuable descriptions of all the known Paintings of Raphael, and the Chronological Index, which is of so much service to amateurs who wish to study the progressive character of his works, have been preserved.

The Illustrations, by one of the new permanent processes of photography (Mr. Woodbury’s), are from the finest engravings that could be procured, and have been chosen with the intention of giving examples of Raphael’s various styles of painting.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter I

>4 NCESTORS of Giovanni Santi— Federico, Count of Monte- )) feltro—Palaces built by him—Earliest Works of Giovanni— Marriage—Birth of Raphael—Pictures in the neighbourhood of Urbino—Death of Federico—Accession of Guidubaldo—

Public Rejoicings at his Marriage—Design of Giovanni in writing the Chronicle in Rhyme—Second Marriage— Last Works—Death of Giovanni—Remarks on his artistic merits .

Chapter II

Raphael's Guardians—Kindness of his Uncle, Simone di Battista Ciarla- Family dissensions—Placed under Perugino—Remarks on Perugino’s style— Raphael’s fellow Pupils’ earliest Paintings—Raphael visits Urbino— Pictures painted for Guidubaldo—Acquaintances made at Urbino—First visit to Florence

—Effect produced on Raphael by the Works of Masaccio and Leonardo da Vinci

—Return to Perugia—Second visit to Florence— Visit to Bologna—Friendship

formed with Francia—Return to Urbino—IIlustrious Men at the Court of Urbino Discourse of Bembo’s—Works belonging to this time—Friendship with Fra

Bartolomeo—Letter to Simone Ciarla-—Leaves Florence for Rome

Chapter III

Influence of Julius II. on Art—Stanza della Segnatura— Artistic merits of the Frescoes—Effect on Raphael of the Works of Michael Angelo—Letter to Francia —lInfluence of the Venetian School on Raphael’s Colouring—Portrait of the Fornarina—Agostino Chigi—Stanza di Eliodoro

Chapter IV

Characters of Julius II. and Leo X. contrasted—Count Baldassare Castiglione —Cardinal Bembo—Raphael’s other friends at Rome—Visit of Fra Bartolomeo to Rome—Leonardo da Vinci comes to Rome with Giuliano de Medici—Quarrel between Da Vinci and Michael Angelo—Intercourse of Raphael with Albert Diirer —-Raimondi comes to Rome—Engravings from Raphael’s Works—Sonnet by Raphael—His Mistress—Letter to Simone Ciarla—Proposed Marriage with the

Page

Go G2 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Niece of Cardinal Bibiena—“ Madonna del Pesce”—Letter to Count Castiglione —Raphael’s nomination as Architect of St. Peter’s—Remarks on his Architecture —Letter from Calcagnini to Ziegler—Brief of Leo X.—Several houses built by Raphael—Style of Raphael and Bramante contrasted—Stanza di Torre Borgia — Decoration of the Loggie— Raphael’s Bible”—Tapestries for the Sistine— Cartoons— Raphael summoned with other Architects to Florence to send in Designs for the facade of the Church of San Lorenzo—Houses built by him in Florence—Letter of Pietro Bembo’s—Anecdote relating to the Picture called “ Lo Spasimo”—“ Madonna della Sedia” — “ Madonna di San Sisto” — Letter of Raphael to Leo X.—Researches in Italy and Greece after old monuments— The “ Transfiguration ”—Last Illness and Death—Letter from Marc Antonio de Ser Vettar

CATALOGUE OF RAPHAEL’S PAINTINGS.

Paintings executed under Perugino’s superintendence

Paintings by Raphael in Perugino’s style

Raphael’s Paintings executed at Florence

Paintings executed at Rome under Pope Julius II,

Paintings of Raphael executed at Rome under Leo X.

The Loggie of the Vatican : 2 The Fifty-two Paintings in the Giqvolas of fie ee :

Twelve Subjects imitating Bas-reliefs on the Socles of the Loggie

Raphael’s Tapestries (First Series)

The Seven Cartoons

Raphael’s Tapestries (Sema Se By

The Sala di Constantino

The Socle Pictures in the Sala di ‘Coneentine

SUPPLEMENT TO THE CATALOGUE OF RAPHAEL’S PAINTINGS Holy Families and Madonnas Religious Subjects

Mythological and Allegorical: Subjects é Portraits 5 5 z

Page.

WN oo

THE ILLUSTRATIONS:

I. Page HRIST ON THE CROSS. Jn the possession of Earl Dudley 202

From the Engraving by L. Gruner,

2. THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN . ; ; ; : 42 From the Engraving by E. Stélzel. 3. THE VISION OF A KnicuT. Jn the National Gallery . 206 From the Engraving by L. Gruner.

4. THE MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN. Jn the Brera, Milan . 3 = ~. 46 From the Engraving by G. Longhi.

5. THE MADONNA WITH THE GOLDFINCH. Jy the Gallery at Florence . eS From the Engraving by Achille Martinet.

6. SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA. Jn the National Gallery . ; Pye From the Engraving by A. B. Desnoyers.

7. THEOLOGY (LA DispuTa). J the Vatican . 2 . : 7 : =! ae From the Engraving by Volpato.

8. THE Parnassus. Jn the Vatican. . : 2 : ; : : RSE From the Engraving by Volpato.

9g. THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS. Jz the Vatican . ; ; e 4 : . 94 From the Engraving by Volpato.

10, POPE JULIUS II. Jn the Pittd Palace, Florence . : . ; : . 106 From the Engraving by J. Delfini.

11. PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN. Jn the Louvre . : : - 5 “220 From the Engraving by F. Forster.

12, MADONNA OF THE ALBA FaMILy. Jn the Hermitage, St. Petersburg . Hors} From the Engraving by A. B. Desnoyers.

13. THE MADONNA WITH THE D1ADEM. Jn the Louvre . . Frontispiece. 230 From the Engraving by Frédéric Weber.

14. THE MADONNA Di FULIGNO. Jn the Vatican . ; : = : - IIo From the Engraving by A. B. Desnoyers.

- HELIODORUS DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE. Jn the Vatican From the Engraving by Volpato. . “FEED MY SHEEP.” Jy South Kensington Museum From the Engraving by Nicolaus Dorigny. 7. THE MADONNA WITH THE CANDELABRA. Jn the Munro Collection . From the Engraving by Gustave Lévy. . THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL. Jn the Louvre

From the Engraving by A. Tardieu.

. SAINT MARGARET. Jn the Louvre 5 ; From the Engraving by A. B. Desnoyers.

. THE MADONNA DI SAN Sisto. Jn the Dresden Gallery From the Engraving by F. Miiller.

Preface To The German Edition

APHAEL is now universally acknowledged to be the greatest genius of modern painting, and the history of his life is important even to the history of art.

And yet, the numerous biographies of Raphael that have been written since the time of Vasari, are far from satisfying the wants of the present time. They bear no trace of profound study or of that judicious and independent criticism which alone are able to make us realise the past. There have been no deep researches, no fresh discoveries, and a complete and truthful biography of this extraordinary man is still wanting.

A rapid examination of the works published on Raphael will show how insufficient they are.

The most ancient of these is that written in Latin by Paolo Giovio. It appeared for the first time in the “ Storia della Letteratura Italiana,” of Girolamo Tiraboschi. It contains but few facts, and the author, for want of artistic knowledge, has fallen into many errors.’ Paolo Giovio deserves, however, the gratitude of all friends of art, for it was he who induced Vasari to write his “ Lives of Italian Artists.”

Giorgio Vasari, in his important work (“ Vite de’ pit eccellenti Archi-

1 “ Rafael von Urbino und sein Vater Giovanni Santi.” Leipzig, 1839, in 8vo, with atlas in fol. 2 This was no doubt intended to be included in the work of P. Giovio, entitled “ T1lustrium virorum vite,” published at Florence in 1549. (Note by Lacroix.) B

tetti, Pittori e Scultori,”! &c.) has treated the life of Raphael with peculiar care; but there were several circumstances in the early life of the painter which he was not acquainted with ; he had only confused notions as to the works in the first “Camera” of the Vatican, and he has entirely omitted notices of many easel-pictures, which had been already dispersed.

It must be acknowledged, however, that he indicates with sufficient clearness the chronological order of paintings; that his opinions are generally very correct, although rather too uniformly enthusiastic, and that he foresaw the great influence Raphael would exercise on the history of art. Without the treasures of information to be found in his work, our present task would be almost impossible.

In 1790, there appeared at Rome the “Vita inedita di Raffaello da Urbino,” illustrated with notes by Angelo Comolli? An endeavour has been made to prove that this biography was anterior to all the other biographies of Raphael. Comolli even believes that it was drawn up almost immediately after the death of Raphael by Giovanni della Casa. And yet it is merely a meagre extract from Vasari, with the addition of a few fresh documents. This was perceived by Lanzi. And indeed the anonymous authors and Vasari are so much alike that one must certainly have copied from the other. This other must be Vasari, for the anonymous writer gives information about the portraits of Tibaldeo and Carondelet, and of the “Child” in marble, works which were unknown in the time of Vasari, and were only discovered in the last century. The anonymous writer commits certain errors, which a contemporary of Raphael could not have done. For example, he states (p. 22) that Raphael painted the Holy Family, for Dom. Canigiani, in 1516; (p. 24) that on his arrival at Rome he met Pietro della Francesca and Bramante da Milano (both having been long dead) ; (p. 53) that he had painted the portrait of Donna Beatrice d’Este (although there was at that time no

princess of that name in the family of Este; Vasari merely names Beatrice Ferrarese) ; (p. 63) that he had been named, by Leo X., superintendent of the works of art at the Vatican (whilst the brief of the 27th

’ Firenze, 1550, 2nd edition, enlarged and improved, in 1568, The life of Raphael also appeared Separately, under the title “Vita di Raffaelle da Urbino, Pittore ed

Architetto, tratta da quelle de’ Pittori, Scultori ed Architetti, di Giorgio Vasari. In Roma, 1751.”

Fi ay ; Second edition, corrected, in 1791,

GERMAN EDITION. 3

August, 1515, had merely authorized him to collect stone and antique marbles for the building at St. Peter’s, and to prevent the destruction of the ancient inscriptions).

But what is sufficient proof that the “ Vita inedita,” is quite fallacious and of modern composition, is the passage in which the statue of Jonah is spoken of as being in the Church of Santa Maria del Popola. The “ Jonah” was only placed in this church in 1554. It was still inthe studio of Lorenzetto when the first edition of Vasari was published, in 1550, and it is only the edition of 1568 which mentions its having been removed to the Chigi Chapel.

According to appearances, the learned editor Comolli, the author of the notes, was the first to be deceived by this fraud.

For more than two centuries it has been considered sufficient to make compilations from Vasari’s “Life of Raphael,” or else to reprint Vasari himself, adding, either indications drawn from ancient authors, or modern discoveries.1. Amongst the biographies taken from Vasari, we must place those contained in the works of Carl van Mander, Joachim von Sandrart, Filippo Baldinucci, Isaac Bullard, d’Argenville, Lairesse, Gault de Saint Germain, Andrea Lazzari, Pellegrino Orlandi and others; several separate lives, as “Abrégé de la Vie de Raphaél Sanzio d’Urbin,” by Pierre Daret, Paris, 1607, in 12mo, and 1651, in 16mo; “ Recherche curieuse de la Vie de Sanzio d’Urbin, de des ceuvres, peintures et stampes (sic), gravées par Marc Antoine,” &c., by Jean de Bombourg ;* Lyons, 1675, in 12mo, and 1709, in 12mo; and even the English work of Duppa, “Life of Raffaello Sanzio,” London, 1816.

A number of other authors have written on the life and works of Raphael, for example—Dolce, Armenini, Lomazzo, Borghini, Scanelli, Boschini, Malvasia (the anonymous writer of Morelli), Francesconi, Bellori, Montagnani, Fea, Conca, Lanzi, Orsini, Reynolds, Richardson, Webb, Father Dan, Félibien, Lépici¢é, Mariette, Seroux d’Agincourt,

1 Such, in particular, as the editions of Geo. Bottari, Roma, 1759; of Guglielmo della Valle, Siena, 1791-94; and the German edition of Ludwig, Schorn, Stuttgart, 1832.

2 This work, which is only a free translation of Vasari’s “ Life of Raphael,” is in reality merely a reproduction, under another title, of the translation, published by P. Daret in 1651. J. de Bombourg has only suppressed the dedication, enlarged the preface, and added at the close one page with a description of the pictures at Lyons, This little volume is extremely rare. (Note by Lacroix.)

A PREEACE LiOe TE

Mengs, Goethe, Fernow, Fiorillo, von Quandt, Platner, &c. Whatever they may have said of any importance will be found in the course of this work.

Some original biographies, the result of particular views on Raphael or of long researches on his works, deserve, however, a special examination.

H, H. Fuessli, in the appendix to his work entitled “Allgemeines Kiinstlerlexicon” (General Dictionary of Artists), Zurich, 1814, has given, in twenty-four sheets, a life of Raphael, published separately in 1815, in 4to. This indefatigable compiler, although taking the greater part of his work from Vasari, has added much information on the pictures not described by the Italian author, and even engravings of his works. But the councillor Meyer and the other amateurs and artists of Weimar, who, at that time, blindly followed the opinions and tastes of Mengs, have frequently misled him in his judgments. Fuessli’s work then was not equal to its subject, and is only remarkable as a compilation.

“Raphel Sanzio’s Leben und Werke,” by G. Chr. Braun (Wiesbaden, 1815; second edition, 1819, in 8vo.) is also a compilation in which there is not much artistic knowledge or enlightened judgment. It contains fewer facts, too, than that of Fuessli,

“Rafael aus Urbino,” by Friedrich Rehberg, Munich, 1824, 2 vols., with thirty-eight lithographed plates, in 4to, The author, who was a painter, brings forward his own ideas on the progress of art in Italy from Cimabue to Raphael, the highest representative of that glorious epoch. His ideas have nothing very remarkable in them, and the fresh documents he produces have either very little foundation, or else are completely erroneous.

Quatremére de Quincy: “Histoire de la vie et des ouvrages de Raphaél,” Paris, 1814, in 8vo. ; second edition, 1835. This is the first really important work on the subject. Drawn up with great skill and rich in ingenious observations, it had great and legitimate success at its first appearance. But yet it contains nothing really new, and even presents known facts in a very incomplete and almost superficial manner.

He wrote besides, under the influence of the school of Louis David, which was unfavourable for a healthy appreciation of the works of the great [talian master.

“Tstoria della vita e delle opere di R ignor Quatremére de Quincy, affaello Sanzio da Urbino,” del &c., Milano, 1829, in 8vo. Francesco

GERMAN EDITION. 5

Longhena, in the enlarged and annotated edition, endeavours to complete the French work with fresh information ; but the dupe of picture-dealers, interested in falsifying facts, he received and accepted on every side numbers of apocryphal stories. The number of notes render the reading of the text difficult, and interrupt the historical series of the works of Raphael, which M. Quatremére de Quincy himself had not grouped in strict chronological order.

But yet, in spite of all its faults, the book of Longhena contains nearly all the information which was then possessed about Raphael, and even throws some fresh light on his works.

There is also a German translation of Quatremére de Quincy from the second edition. Quedlinburg, 1836, in 8vo.

The celebrated engraver, Baron Boucher Desnoyers, published in 1852 an Appendix to Quatremére de Quincy. This Appendix, which was afterwards enlarged, has goné through’ a second edition.

“Elogio Storico di Giovanni Santi, pittore e poeta, padre del gran Raffaello da Urbino,” 1822; a pamphlet in 8vo. “Elogio storico di Raffaello Santi da Urbino.” Urbino, 1829 and 1831 ; two pamphlets in 8vo., by Luigi Pungileoni. We owe to him our knowledge of the ancestors of Raphael, and of his early life, as well as of the works of his father, Giovanni Santi; for Pungileoni examined all the archives of Urbino, where he made some valuable discoveries. He gives also several documents of greater or less antiquity which had never before been published.

C. F. von Rumohr, “Uber Raphael von Urbino und dessen Nahere Zeitgenossen” (on Raphael and his nearest contemporaries), Berlin, 1831, in 8vo. First published in the third part of the “ Italienischen Forschungen,” and afterwards separately. The learned author studies the development of the genius of Raphael, and the exterior circumstances which influenced it. His book is very attractive, and even instructive, although he produces but few fresh facts. The two first volumes of the “ Researches on Italy” promised more. But if the views of the writer are sometimes very abstract, his style is always serious, and worthy of history: his facts are well supported ; he is well acquainted with the works of which he speaks; he usually judges with great clearness, and draws delicately defined deductions. Nevertheless, he too frequently accepts statements which are not quite exact, especially about the earlier paintings of Raphael. In the catalogue of his works we have

drawn attention to some of these errors, passing over others in silence when the facts themselves suffice to point them out.

G. K. Nagler, “Raphael als Mensch und Kiinstler” (Raphael as a Man and as an Artist), Munich, 1836, in 8vo. A large compilation of all that was then known of Raphael, but without any enlightened criticism, without original views or novelty in the facts—a mixture of false and true which the author, having none of the special knowledge required for such a publication, has too frequently confounded together.

Dr. Franz Kugler, “ Handbuch der Geschichte der Malerei in Italien” (Handbook of the History of Painting in Italy). Berlin, 1837, in 8vo. The documents relating to the life of Raphael are intelligently chosen, but they are not sufficient to form a biography. The description of the works is tolerably complete.

It results clearly, from this rapid examination, that no reliable critical work on the life of Raphael yet exists. A singular circumstance has led us to undertake this difficult task.

The late Professor Braun, of Mainz, wishing to remodel his little work on Raphael, asked our advice. He soon acquired the conviction that, to attain a satisfactory result, it would be indispensable to have an intimate knowledge of the works of Raphael, of his country, and of his times. He then endeavoured to persuade us to write a biography of the great Italian master. We did not then feel capable of undertaking it, but different circumstances afterwards contributed to decide us.

In order to see for ourselves as many as possible of the works of Raphael, we passed another year in Italy, where we had already resided for seven consecutive years ; we took a journey to England, and another to Paris, where in our youth we had admired the treasures of the Napoleon Museum: and, in 1816, in the house of M. Bonnemaison, the Raphaels which now adorn the Museum of Madrid.

All the collections in Germany were already familiar to us, with the exception, however, of those in Vienna, which we went to examine,

We may say, then, that we have examined for ourselves nearly the whole of the works of Raphael.

We have visited Urbino, the birthplace of Raphael, and all the places where he lived and worked. We have searched through all the libraries of Italy, Germany, England, and France, to collect materials, The archives of Rome, and those of the Medici at Florence, are the only ones that have remained closed to us, as to so many others,

GERMAN EDITION. uf

These persevering researches have not merely given us a succinct understanding of the subject in general, but have brought out such precise and numerous documents that they enable us to bring the whole of the life of Raphael into full daylight.

As the social position and personal surroundings are very important, especially in the biography of an artist, we have carefully collected all that relates to the family of Raphael: his father, Giovanni Santi, whose artistic qualities have unjustly fallen into forgetfulness ; the Court of Urbino, then celebrated among all the courts of Italy for its military glory, its private virtues, and the protection it accorded to learned men.

Raphael’s father, received with benevolence and sympathy at that court, has left us a “Chronicle in Rhyme,” in honour of Federico de Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. This chronicle, far from brilliant in a poetical point of view, reveals, at all events, the noble sentiments of Giovanni Santi, and contains some valuable details about the artists of the time. This is the reason why we shall give fragments from it which refer to art.

All the earlier histories have been far from exact as to the early life of Raphael. Our researches have enabled us to fix with exactness the dates of the arrival of Raphael at the house of Perugino, of his relations with him and with other painters of Umbria and Florence, and of his different journeys to Urbino, Florence, and elsewhere, during this first period.

On his existence and labours at Rome there were, indeed, few omissions to make up; but yet we have cleared up many facts that were confused or ill interpreted.

The most difficult part of our task has been the catalogue of pictures. Such an undertaking required a thorough examination of everything that has been attributed to Raphael. We have devoted six years to verifying the pictures of Raphael to be found in different countries. The difficulty with the drawings was much greater. However, our technical knowledge as a painter, and our long habit of looking at works of art from a critical and historical point of view, lead us to hope that we have not committed any serious errors. We have corrected many in the earlier catalogues ; we have set aside many drawings falsely ascribed to Raphael, and have added a number of others after having proved their authenticity.

The same difficulty was felt with the engravings of the works of Raphael. The enumeration of these engravings is very incomplete and

8 PREFACE TO THE GERMAN EDITION.

faulty in the otherwise good works of Carl Heinr. von Heinecken, “Nachrichten von Kiinstlern und Kunstsachen,” Leipzig, 1769, 2 vols. in 8vo. ; of Landon, “Vie et CEuvres de Raphaél,” Paris, 1805-9, 8 vols. in 4to.; and of the Count von Lepel, “ Catalogue des Estampes gravées d’aprés Rafael,” by Tauriscus Eubceus, Frankfort-on-the-Maine, 1819, in 8vo.

These writers attribute to Raphael many works which are not his; Lepel frequently confuses into one article several different subjects, or else, he divides one subject into several articles.

Had the work of Zani, “Enciclopedia metodica critico-ragionata delle Belle Arti,” Parma, 1820, been terminated, it would have contained, perhaps, the most exact information on the engravings from Raphael.

But, except in some rare exceptions, which we shall take care to mention, our statements all rest on the results of our own examinations. We have enumerated the second-class engravings as well as the rest, excluding, however, the worst productions of our own time.

Frankfort on the Maine.

Chapter I, The Father Of Raphael

We mes IOVANNI SANTI was born at Colbordolo, a small town, formerly fortified, on the summit of a mountain, in the ancient duchy of Urbino. The remains of a castle may still be seen there. From this height there is a

1 magnificent view over hills, planted with vines and olives, between which the rivers Pisauro and Apsa flow down towards the plain of Pescara and the Adriatic Sea.

At Colbordolo there lived, in the beginning of the fourteenth century, aman named Sante. His descendants received from him the surname of Sante or Santi. At a later period, in the time of Vasari, the Latin name Santi or Sanctius was translated according to the Italian custom into Sanzio, as we usually find it written now.

Of this elder Sante, we merely know that he had a son—Piero or Pietro. The sons of Pietro were named Luca—who died about 1436, and Peruzzolo—who married, about 1418, Gentilina, the daughter of Antonio Urbinelli.

Peruzzolo had, by this marriage, one son, to whom he gave the name of Sante, and two daughters, Jacopa and Francesca. He was not without a fortuné, for there are documents still in existence which prove that he purchased, in 1438, a house in the Castle square, and that he also possessed some fields. But he suffered great losses, in 1446, when

1 The baptismal name Sante is still used in that part of the country.

fe) GIOVANNI SANTI.

Sigismondo Malatesta, passing through the duchy of Urbino with the troops of the pope, laid waste Urbino with fire and sword.1. Troubled by these disasters, and knowing they would probably be renewed,? he made up his mind, in 1450, to leave his home, although his house was still standing, and to go with his wife and children to settle in the town of Urbino, which offered at the same time greater security and greater resources. He died there in 1457, and his wife Gentilina eight years later.

His son Sante had married Elisabetta, and had two sons and two daughters, Giovanni and Bartolomeo, Margherita and Santa. He lived in a house in the Market-place,* belonging for a long time to the brotherhood of Santa Maria della Misericordia, which had let it to him for the sum of thirteen ducats a year.

By engaging in business and trading in corn, Sante had improved his fortune. On the 28th October, 1457, he was able, conjointly with one of his nephews, to pay two hundred and forty ducats for some property belonging to Pierantonio Paltroni, secretary and councillor in the duchy of Urbino. On the 30th April, 1461, he acquired more land and a good meadow, with a stream of water flowing through it. Two years after he bought for the sum of two hundred and forty ducats, in the street named the Contrada del Monte, two adjacent houses, which still form one of the most remarkable constructions of that quarter. It was there that Raphael was to be born.

The new residence of the Santi family produced the happiest effect on the intelligent nature of the young Giovanni.

The town of Urbino is very healthy, and in a beautiful situation, near the highest point of the Apennine which separates the Marches of Ancona from Tuscany and Umbria. The cones and zigzags of the mountains which surround it stand out in sharp relief against the

‘ This is the reason why Giovanni Santi, the grandson of Peruzzolo, exclaims dolefully in the dedication to the Duke Guidubaldo of the Chronicle in rhyme, of which we shall speak hereafter—* Fate has reduced my paternal roof to ashes, and destroyed all our goods. Much time would be required to relate one after another all the miseries and afflictions of my existence !”

* We read in Clementini (Storia di Rimino, lib. ix. p. 343—“ 1462. October Le Colbordolo, having dared to resist, was abandoned to pillage and the flames ; the men were made prisoners... .. Belenzone, the general of the infantry of Count Federico, and Commandant of Talacchio (the fortress of Colbordolo), surrendered by capitulation, but only after the destruction of half of its walls.”

* This house may still be seen at Urbino.

GIOVANNI SANTI. I sky as far as the Adriatic, looking like the upheaving waves of a tempestuous sea, From the south to the west these peaks crown the horizon. First comes the Furlo, a barrier which seems to close in the view ; then the magnificent masses of the Monte Nerone; to the east the picturesque rocks of the Monte San Simone, which overlook the whole country, and further on the rock from whence the Tiber flows out, hastening onwards to the Mediterranean. To the north, on a steep point, rises the little republic of San Marino, which is protected by its poverty from the covetousness of wealthy neighbours. To the right of San Marino the Adriatic may be seen, between the cuttings of wooded hills richly stored with game, whilst the plain and small hills are covered with rich cereals, vines, and olives.

The mountaineers of this part of the country, an active and courageous race, were at this time governed by Count Federico, of the family of Montefeltro, bearing the title of duke, which he had only obtained from the Pope Sixtus IV. in 1474. Federico, who was the favourite pupil of Vittorino da Feltro, a statesman and warrior, well skilled in military statistics and in the science of fortification, as well as in Greek and Latin literature, was also the friend and protector of artists and learned men. He possessed a valuable collection of paintings and antiquities, and a library, in which the manuscripts, well bound and furnished with gold and silver clasps, showed his esteem for the works of genius. One of his treasures in painting was the Jan van Eyck, representing a “Bath for Women,” a picture which Facius, in 1456, described as a marvel, and which Vasari was also able to admire at Urbino.