A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF
ing over the Dead Body of Christ,' in the National
Gallery, and a ' St. Peter raising Tahitha,' in the
Pitti Palace. On the death of his patron, Gregory
XV., in 1623, Guercino left Rome, and removed to
Cento, where he spent nearly 20 years. In 1626
he undertook his immense work of the Duomo at
Piacenza, where he has carried fresco-painting to
the highest perfection, in the beauty and force of
his colouring, the boldness of his foreshortening,
and the magic of his relief. The cupola is divided
into eight compartments, in the upper part of
which he has represented the Prophets, accompanied by Angels ; and in the lower, the Sibyls,
and subjects from the New Testament. These
admirable performances caused Guercino's powers
to rank among those of the greatest artists of
his time. In 1642, after the death of Guide, he
went to Bologna. Towards the latter part of his
life, the celebrity which that painter had acquired
by the beauty and suavity of his style, induced
Guercino once more to alter his manner. He endeavoured to imitate the grace and elegance of
Guido's forms, and the silvery sweetness of his
colouring; but in attempting delicacy, he fell into
feebleness and languor, and lost sight of the energy
and vigour by which his best works are distinguished. Of the pictures painted in his last and
weakest manner, are most of those in the churches
at Bologna, the ' Prodigal Son,' in the Turin
Gallery, the ' Hagar and Ishmael,' in the Milan
Gallery, and several paintings in the Louvre,
which gallery contains no less than twelve works
by Guercino. He died at Bologna in 1666. lie
was the head of a numerous school of painters,
amongst whom we may notice Benedetto Gennari
the younger, and G. Bonatti. In Guercino's best
works even, we look in vain for the graces of ideal
beauty, or the purest choice of selected nature.
His figures are distinguished neither by dignity of
form nor nobleness of air ; and there is generally
something to be wished for in the expression of
his heads ; but he subdues us by the vigour of his
colouring: he is brilliant in his lights, tender in
his demi-tints, and always energetic in his shadows.
His drawing is bold, and often correct, and his
execution is of the most prompt and daring facility.
Of this we have a convincing proof in the surprising number of important works he accomplished. Malvasia gives a list of them, by which
it appears that he painted 106 altar-pieces for
churches, 144 large historical pictures, besides his
great fresco works, and his numerous Madonnas,
portraits, and landscapes, in private collections.
The following is a list of several of his best
works:
Birmingham Bologna. Finacoteca. St. Lawrence. Brussels. Museam. Dresden. Gallery. The Duke of Aquitaine receiving the cloak of St. Felix. St. Bruno and his companion in the desert. Apollo and Marsyas. A young man placed under the protection of the Virgin by his patron Saints, Nicholas, Fraucis, and Joseph. Venus finding the body of Adonis. 1647. Cephalus and the body of Trocris. 1844. Diana. Semiramis. St. Francis. The Four Evangelists. Dulwich. College. Florence. Pitti Pal. ." Vffizi. Genoa. Pal. Briynoli »» *» Loudon. A^at. Gall. Madrid. Museum. " ** Jtilan. Brera. Naples. Museum. Paris. Louvre. i'etersburg. Htrmitage. The Woman taken in Adultery. St. Sebastian. Madonna della Kondinella. St. Peter. His own Portrait. The Samiau Sibyl. Endymion Asleep. . Cleopatra. Death of Cato. Angels weeping over the dead body of Christ. Susannah at the Bath. Diana. Abraham dismissing Hagar Magdalene. Lot and his Daughters. Virgin and Child. The Resurrection of Lazarus. Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. The Patron Saints of Modena. Circe. His own Portrait. St. Cecilia. St. Anne, the Virgin, and the Infant Christ. Assumption of the Virgin. Martyrdom of St. Catharine. St. Jerome. Samson and the Honey. Return of the Prodigal Son. St. Petronilla raised from the tomb. Ecce Homo. Christ at the "Well. Aurora driving away Night (/rMco). Fame with Force and Virtue (fresco). St. John the Baptist. The Magdalen. St. Margaret of Cortona. Return of the Prodigal Son. Rome. Sorghese. „ Capitol Mus. „ Corsini Pal. " " . . ,, V, Ludovisi. It »» „ Vatican. »' *» »» »» Vienna. Gallery.
This laborious artist left an incredible number of admirable drawings, which are highly esteemed ; many of them were engraved by Bartolozzi. We have a few etchings by Guercino, executed with great freedom and spirit; they are as follow: St. Anthony of Padua ; half-length ; Joan Fr. Cent St. Jolm ; the same mark. St. Peter ; Joan F. Barbieri,/. St. Jerome, with a Crucifix ; the same mark. Bust of a Man with a cap and a beard. Bust of a Woman. Bust of a Man, in an Oriental costume. A life of Guercino, by J. A. Calvi, was published at Bologna in 1808.
BARBIERI, LncA. According to Malvasia, this painter was a native of Bologna, and a scholar of AlessandroTiarini. He painted architectural views and landscapes, and, in conjunction with Francesco Carbone (who painted the figures), executed some extensive works for the palaces and public edifices at Bologna. He flourished at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century. He is not to be confused with LoDOVico Barbieri, a painter of Bologna of the same period.
BARBIERI, Paolo Antonio. This painter was the brother of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino. He was born at Cento, a TJlage near Bologna, in 1603. The subjects of his pictures are flowers, fruit, and game, but he particularly excelled in painting fish, which he represented with astonishing fidelity. He died in 1649.
BARBOR, Lucius, a miniature painter, worked chiefly in enamel, and exhibited at the exhibitions in Soring Gardens, London. He died in 1767.
BAliBUDO, El. See Vermeijen.
BARCA, Cavaliere Giambattista, (or Barchi,)
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