Part 7 (1/2)

The risen Lord is clad in but one garment, a heavyfro the torso bare The beauty of the forround beside hiarden tools, a hoe and a spade, and beyond these lies a straw hat These things explain why Mary, blinded and confused eeping, supposed that it was the gardener who spoke to her

The Master's attitude and gesture ehtly to one side, as if shrinking froht hand outstretched, as when he said ”Touchheavenward declares that he is about to ascend to his Father He seeently as to a child, and looks down into Mary's face with a s woman is richly arrayed in a brocade dress, cut so as to show her beautiful neck and arolden hair falls over her shoulders and upon her bosoentle blood, but her features are somewhat heavy, and the face would not attract us by its beauty The rapt expression of devotion is whatThe whole attitude expresses coure of Christ recalls the boyin a forypt We can see that this is the h full forehead over which the parted hair is brushed in curves Again, too, we see the seneral features resembles the Christ type which is illustrated in the picture of Ecce houre of the risen Christ, the old ive prominence to the nail prints in hands and feet, and the wound in his side Correggio has not done this Such signs of suffering were inconsistent with the joyous nature of his art The subject of the picture is entirely a happy one, and he has kept out of it all evidences of the crucifixion, e rather the idea of the ascension

In some artistic points our picture resembles the Madonna della Scodella The pose of Christ is similar to that of Joseph, with one ar down Thus is foronal line which is at the basis of the coht arm of Mary carries the line on to the lower corner of the picture

The landscape setting e tree behind Christ throws his figure into relief

XIV

THE MADONNA OF ST JEROME

(Il Giorno)

It is a bright clear day, and a baby boy is having a rare frolic out of doors, on his mother's knee It is the little Christ-child, and his visitors are St Jerodalene Overhead a red cloth drapery has been stretched fro a sort of canopy to protect the coht as an offering the books which represent the scholarly toil of dalene has her jar of oint of the Saviour's feet

The ht elevation in the centre, her bare foot resting on the ground St Jerome stands in front, a little at one side, where he can hold a book directly before the child's face Mary Magdalene, half kneeling on the other side, stoops to caress a little foot The sturdy old father seems to have come directly from his monastery in Bethlehe

The old legend relates that as he sat one evening at hisup a pahich was pierced with a thorn The good father rerateful beast became thenceforth the constant companion of his benefactor

The scroll in St Jeroht hand e open volume is undoubtedly his Latin version of the Bible One side of the book is supported on his left hand, while the other is held by an attendant angel, who turns the pages for the Christ-child There is soel points a slender finger to a particular passage The child is wrought up to the highest pitch of excites and ar in a treerness for the treasure just beyond his grasp Though not a pretty boy, he is so full of life that we find hi

Old St Jeroel playfellow is delighted with his success in ahs syence, and holds hidalene appears al is absorbed in loving devotion She has caught one little foot lightly by the heel, and, drawing it towards her, lays her cheek against the soft knee Her hair is unbound, and falls in long tresses over her neck In throwing out his arolden head, and here it rests as if he returned the caress In the mean time a dalene's jar of ointment He stands behind her like a small lackey, and sniffs curiously at the contents of the pot

[Illustration: THE MADONNA OF ST JEROME _Pare that St Jeroether, we io's time did not try to represent sacred scenes with historical accuracy It was custoether different periods and countries Theof such pictures was syes constitute a communion of the saints who meet at the Christ-child's feet

The two saints here rizzled old olden-haired ainst the radiant beauty of the other In a devotional sense also the contrast is reat powers of intellect; Mary Magdalene brings only a woreat books; the other could do nothing but anoint the Saviour's feet Yet the two kinds of service are equally iospel over the world, and it is written that ”Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her”[34]

[Footnote 34: St Matthew, chapter xxvi, verse 13]

The coonal plan similar to that which we have already noticed in his pictures[35] The structural line may be traced from the top of St Jerodalene The edge of the canopy overhead eeneral direction The child's figure behind the Magdalene balances the figure of the lion in the left corner

[Footnote 35: See chapters IX and XIII]

The landscape which lies beyond the canopy is an important and beautiful part of the picture Without this spacious distance in the background the large figures filling the foreground would crowd the composition unpleasantly It is a relief to the eye to traverse this stretch of sunny country

The picture io has been called a painter of ”light and space and motion” All three characteristics are adinal painting is very fine The Virgin wears the usual red robe and bluelove and constancy St Jerome has a blue drapery about the hips and a cridalene's olden atives it the Italian name of ”Il Giorno,” The Day

XV

CUPID SHARPENING HIS ARROWS