room; the dark colour of the dresses, throw over the whole scene a something sad and solemn, which takes possession of our minds and forces us to identify ourselves with the action represented. The light which enters at the opposite window, deadened by the sombre colour of the walls, in a manner detaches the figures from the canvas, and makes them seem as if done in relief. In fine, all that the art and philosophy of Leonardo da Vinci had not forestalled on this subject, all that could still give nobleness and interest to the action, was not neglected by Titian. And if in some parts, compelled to follow the story, he imitated Leonardo, he did it freely, and made the work his own and original. For this picture he received from Philip two thousand crowns, and the payment of his pensions that had been kept back.

Vasari praises the picture which he did at this time for the church of St Dominic of Ancona; in which he painted Christ on the Cross, at the foot of which, in the most dejected attitudes, are the desolate mother and the wellbeloved disciple John; to these, according to the wishes of the person who ordered the picture, he added St Dominic.

And for the

Wooden-shoed Friars of the same city, he also

painted another picture, not mentioned by Vasari, as it was probably done after 1566, but recorded by Barry and the editor of the Lives of Vasari published at Rome. But where do we not find works by Titian, or works attributed to him? Not only in different collections we are shown the works of the pupils as those of the master; but the works of others are even engraved and published as his. I will give a well-known instance of this. Four Triumphs of Petrarch were engraved at Rome about the middle of the last century, as excellent works of Titian; whereas it has been proved that they were, on the contrary, by Bonifazio, who in colouring and style often came near our artist.

To these works done for Ancona I will add another he did for the altar of the church of St Nicholas at Venice, in the year 1563. In this he represented the Saint seated on a piece of marble which appears real; near whom is a most beautiful Angel holding his mitre: a wonderful work done by slight dashes, but with extreme skill. Ridolfi and Vasari place it among the finest productions of his extreme old age. Nor is it to be wondered at; for as he used to say, he gave his whole soul to works entrusted to him by his friends; and this was

for one of his dearest associates, Signor Nicolo Crasso, a celebrated Venetian lawyer, whose portrait he had drawn some years before, and for whom he had also done a Magdalen, and a Venus looking at herself in the glass, near whom are two extremely handsome Cupids. But the most valuable thing he did for his friend Crasso was the picture of a beautiful girl having in her hand two small baskets of fruit, which is, it is said, a portrait of his own daughter Cornelia. Another lawyer also, Francesco Assonica, had of Titian, besides his own portrait, a duplicate of the Flight into Egypt, and a woman of the size of life, near whom is seen a girl playing on an organ. Ridolfi observes that in his time this latter picture had passed into England.

CHAPTER XLII.

SKETCHES

DONE FOR THE MOSAIC-WORKS

IN THE

CHURCH OF ST MARK-JUDGMENT ON THE WORKS

OF THE

BROTHERS

ZUCCATI-IN 1565, BEING AT

CADORE, HE CREATES A NOTARY PICTURES IN FRESCO IN THE CHURCH OF CADORE, DONE FROM THE SKETCHES OF TITIAN-ACT OF LEGITIMATION OF TWO NATURAL SONS, IN FAVOUR OF P. COSTANTINI DEATH OF GIACOMO SANSOVINO — ARRIVAL AT VENICE OF THE ENGRAVER, CORNELIO CORT— TITIAN'S LAST WORKS-RECEIVES HENRY THE SECOND KING OF FRANCE AND HIS SUITE-HIS WORKS LEFT UNFINISHED HIS DEATH.

I HAVE delayed till this period to speak of what Titian did to promote and perfect the mosaicworks which were were repairing in the ducal church of St Mark, in order not to give scattered notices of it in several places. He did then for the brothers, Valerio and Francesco Zuccato (sons of that Sebastian, from whom he

had learnt the first rudiments of design) the sketches of that beautiful St Mark, dressed for performing mass, which is an object of admiration on the external front of the church over the great entrance; and those of the other figures within the porch, which are the finest things that are to be seen of the sort; and also the sketch of the Angel on the right of the great altar, who is in the act of sheathing his sword. Nor was the care of Titian limited to this; but availing himself of the great esteem in which he was held by the procurators of St Mark and the Serene Senate, he did not fail to represent to them, that they ought not to let slip the present opportunity, which the number of excellent artists in Venice offered, for adorning by their skill that Queen of the Ocean; and especially for repairing the mutilated and spoilt works in mosaic; promising the assistance of the greatest painters to provide excellent sketches for the mosaic masters. The advice of Titian was not neglected; and after his Cartoons, those of his son Horatio, of Tintoret, of Salviati, of Paul Veronese, &c. they executed in that church the finest mosaics in the world.

At length it happened that Bozza and other masters, envying the glory of the brothers