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Gallery of Great Britain, was destined to contain his own infant St. John, and this Cupid from the pencil of Coreggio, which it so strongly resembles. As Coreggio's picture was in the royal cabinet at Madrid, during the life-time of Sir Joshua, he never could have seen it, because he never was in Spain: but there exists a small copy, or duplicate, of it, somewhere, painted by Coreggio himself, which it is probable the English painter did see in the course of his foreign travels, and could not forget. Upon many occasions our distinguished countryman has shown by his works, that he had an eye and a mind of much sensibility toward the innocent and unpretending graces of children of all gracefulness the most genuine, the most touching, the most picturesque.

If we are correctly informed, the Marquis of Londonderry brought this picture from Spain about fifteen years ago. It is, therefore, not improbably, one of the very pictures to which we have before alluded, as having been presented to the Emperor Charles V., with the liberal concurrence of Julio Romano, by the contemporaneous Duke of Milan.

THE ECCE HOMO!

ANTONIO DA COREGGIO.

THE Composition of this capital work is simple, pertinent, and completely divested of all extraneous and unessential matter. The Roman proconsul, having led, or sent, forth the Saviour, stands just within the pretorium, (or judgment-hall,) or appears through an aperture thereof; and seems withdrawing from fur

ther communion with the Hebrew populace, as he pronounces the emphatic words which give name to the present picture.

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The assemblage is entirely divested of the brutal rabble, who, as the evangelists inform us, were waiting without during the examination of Jesus Christ; and who, when their victim reappeared, vociferated, Crucify him!" They are supposed to be behind the spectator; a supposition which may assist him toward conceiving how he should feel if he was actually present at this important act of the sacred tragedy—this crisis of human redemption. But, of the holy women, who had been waiting the issue of the trial without the judgment-hall, two are introduced. The Madonna has fainted, or sunk into a death-like swoon, at the sight of her son, brought forth in regal mockery, and in the bondage of a criminal: the other, though obviously under much concern, is supporting the Holy Mary, and is but little seen; and, still less seen, because somewhat obscured by shadow, is a helmed Roman soldier, robust, and rugged in character, but yet with a touch of pity in his look, as if, notwithstanding his military occupation, he was not without compunctious visitings:-but the brave are generally humane. These, with the figure of Christ, which is of course central and principal, make up the whole of the depicted group.

The air and look of Pilate, and the action of his hand, are sufficiently dignified and expressive; unpretending, magisterial, and in strict accordance with the sacred text; which says, he went forth and said, "Behold, I bring him to you that you may know that I find no fault in him." Then came Jesus forth,

wearing the crowns of thorns, and the purple robe, and Pilate saith unto them-" Ecce Homo!"

This is the important and profoundly pathetic point of time, wisely selected by the painter. His Christ is brought forth ignominiously bound by the wrists, wearing his thorny crown, which has pierced and lacerated his divine forehead, and distained his neck and visage with blood. He wears also the robe of royal purple, which, in mockery, has been cast over his shoulders. This head of the Saviour has much of that fine godlike character dimly suffused, as it were, with human suffering, which was afterward adopted by the Caraccii and their school, as elementary and canonical, in the sacred subjects which they took from the New Testament, as may be seen in their works wherever the Saviour is introduced. Their head of Christ, is this of Coreggio, so modified by concomitant circumstances, as to be suited to the several occasions of its introduction. Almost without a metaphor, we might say, this divine character was created by Coreggio, and pictorially propagated by the patriarchs of the school of Bologna.

In expression, the countenance of Jesus is here resigned. That is its broad, general, designation. In describing the expression of Coreggio's "Christ on the Mount of Olives," we remember to have used the words, "Human anguish subsiding into divine resignation:" but between that moment and the time of his exhibition by Pontius Pilate, his trial, or examination, had taken place-wherefore he is here represented as more perfectly resigned,—a little regretful perhaps, but yet so abounding in benevolence,

or rather philanthropy, that we cannot-as fellow mortals existing under the same dispensation of Providence with the Hebrew nation, but gratefully recognise the regret which it discovers, as being felt on the score of those mistaken Jews, who are brutally vociferating, "Away with him! Crucify him! Crucify him!"

The pious Hervey, whose popular Meditations have proved so influential in the cause of Christianity, exhorts his religious readers to incite their minds to dwell on the immeasurable superiority of him who died pro Inimicis, over those who have heroically died pro Patria. Coreggio's head of Christ has, virtually speaking, the very same sublime moral; or illustrates, exemplifies, and recommends, rather than enforces, that moral, with all the charm of the most persuasive of the Arts, added to the force of truth. Here is, moreover, a godlike innocence untarnished in its suffering by human transgression: here is wisdom, sanctitude, purity, without severity; and withal a sustaining, imperturbable, equanimity; an approach toward the ineffable, which only painting could have displayed,—that is transcendental in Art, and should be irresistible in its effects on human gratitude. The divine hope and prayer for forgiveness of the tremendous, though indispensable, trespass, which was soon afterward vocally uttered on the cross, seems here tacitly existing in the mind of the Mediator. Coreggio has anticipated the Evangelists.

When our divine artist came to paint this headrendered aware that it must not only be the climax of the present composition, but the acmé of all the possible aims of a Christian painter's art-his facul

ties appear to have dilated with the demands of the important occasion, and he seems to have felt at length, what his previous experience had not taught him-namely, that the blandishments of chiar-oscuro and colour, however expanded, refined, and enforced, would not, without his expanding and refining upon the human countenance also, enable him to reach

"the height of his great argument;

Or to assert Eternal Providence,

And justify the ways of God to man."

He seems to have been convinced that the imitation of the forms of human nature alone, would not carry him through the task of depicting the spiritual victory of the agonized Son of God, and Saviour of mankind; and to have been stimulated by the greatness of the occasion, to elevate his imagination, and aim at an ideal perfection (which it may be that he had previously sought for, and not found, in Nature) upon the principle of the great sculptors of antiquity; and for once-exalted to sublimity by his religious, combined with his artistical, aspirations-to incorporate a "brain-born image," or ideal form, with his ideal breadths of chiar-oscuro and colour: nor will artist or critic, presume to controvert, but on the contrary they will admire, the wisdom of his reserving this effort for his "Ecce Homo," and entwining the crowning garland of his professional fame, as far as that fame depended on his easel works,—with the Saviour's coronet of thorns.

The naked arms, hands, and body, of Jesus Christ, are drawn with exemplary academic power. His breast receives the principal breadth of bright light; which, after gloriously illustrating his expressive

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