eBooks Base 2000

As church furniture and an external adornment, the mosaic copy
is preferable to the original, but no copy could ever reproduce all the
life and expression which we see here. Opposite to it hangs the
"Communion of St. Jerome," the aged, dying saint, half torpid with death
already, partaking of the sacrament, and a sunny garland of cherubs in
the upper part of the picture, looking down upon him, and quite
comforting the spectator with the idea that the old man needs only to be
quite dead in order to flit away with them. As for the other pictures I
did but glance at, and have forgotten them.
The "Transfiguration" is finished with great minuteness and detail, the
weeds and blades of grass in the foreground being as distinct as if they
were growing in a natural soil. A partly decayed stick of wood with the
bark is likewise given in close imitation of nature. The reflection of a
foot of one of the apostles is seen in a pool of water at the verge of
the picture. One or two heads and arms seem almost to project from the
canvas.


Pages:
251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275