A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF
Russia. On leaving her Grace he entered the ser-
vice of the Russian Court, and afterwards went
to Berlin, where he found full employment as
a portrait painter. Unhappily his improvident
habits continued, and he finally came to London,
where he died in great poverty in 1795. As a
portrait painter he achieved a deserved success,
and some of his portraits have been engraved. He
also painted a few historical subjects.
CUQUET, Pepro, a Spanish painter, was bom at Barcelona in 159G. According to Palomino, his works were confined to the churches and convents of his native city, the principal being some pictures of the life of St. Francis of Paola, in the cloister of the convent of that name. He died at Barce- lona in 1666. The industrious restorers, who for some time overran Spain, have destroyed the greater part of his works.
CUREAU, GniLLAUME, a native of Bordeaux, was principally employed in the early half of the 17th century in painting the portraits of the Mayors and Jurats of Bordeaux. A collection of his works was sold by the city in 1793, but Bordeaux still retains in its Museum a portrait of Messire de Mullet, Seigneur de Latour, by Cureau, who died in his native city in 1647.
CURIA, Francesco, was born at Naples in 1538. He was instructed in painting by Leonardo di Pistoja, but afterwards visited Rome, where he studied the works of Raphael, and other dis- tinguished masters. On his return to Naples, he painted many pictures for the public edifices. He distinguished himself by the grandeur of his compositions, the fine expression of his heads, and a vagueness of colouring that approaches to nature, but was not free from the mannered style, which was also adopted by Vasari and Zuccaro. His most admired work is that in the Chiesa della Pieta, representing the 'Circumcision.' It is an admirable composition of many figures, painted in a fine style, and is considered by Lanzi as one of the finest pictures at Naples. He was the founder of a prosperous school in that city, and died there in IGIO.
CURRADO, Francesco, was born near Florence in 1570, and was brought up in the school of Bnttista Naldini. He painted first for the churches at Florence, and afterwards visited Rome, where he stayed some time and painted several works for the King of Portugal, who gave him the Order of Christ. After his return to Florence, he was unremittingly occupied during a long life, until he reached his 91st year, in painting, and in the instruction of his numerous pupils. He painted historical subjects, and some of his large works are in the churches of Florence : the altar-piece of 'St. Francis Xavier preaching in India,' in the church of San Giovannino, is esteemed one of the best. But he chiefly excelled in historical pictures of an easel size, of which two of the finest, representing the 'Magdalen' and the 'Martyrdom of St. Thecla,' are in the gallery at Florence. His works are composed with taste and judgment, his drawing is correct, and his heads are full of ex- pression. In his colouring, like most of the Tuscan painters, he is more to be admired for sobriety than vivacity. He died in 1661. We find of his works:
Florence. Uffizt. His own Portrait. „ „ The Magdalen. „ ., Mart.yrilora of St. Thecla. „ Fitti Pal. Narcissus. „ „ St. Catharine. Vienna. GaUerj/. Abrahom receiving the Angels. 362
PlETRO and CosiMO, his brothers and pupils, became his faithful followers.
CURRAN, Amelia, who was the daughter of the famous Irish advocate and orator, the Right Hon. John Philpot Curran, practised painting only as an amateur. She died at Rome in 1847. A portrait of Percy Bysshe Shelley by her was exhibited at the National Portrait Exhibition in 1868.
CURTI, Bernardino, was a native of Bologna, who flourished about the year 1645. He engraved some portraits, among which is that of Lodovico Carracci. We have also by him a middle-sized plate, representing an emblematical subject after Luca Ferrari.
CURTI, Francesco, an Italian engraver, was born at Bologna about the year 1603, and died there about 1670. He worked principally with the graver, in a neat, clear style, resembling the manner of Cherubino Alberti, but very unequal to that artist in drawing. Besides some portraits, we have the following hy him :
Two Busts of the Virgin and St. Catliurine, on the same plate. The Virgin teacliing the Infant Jesus to read; after Guercino. The Marriage of St. Catharine ; after D. Cahaert. Venus directing Vulcan to forge Arms for jEneas ; after Carracci. Hercules combating the Hydra ; after Gvercino. The Infant Christ sleeping; after Giiido ; etched and finished with the graver.
CURTI, GiROLAMo, called II Dentone, was born at Bologna in 1570, and was first a disciple of Lionello Spada, and of Baglioni, a painter of decor- ations, but he afterwards applied himself to study from the noble edifices erected from the plana of Giacomo Barozzi, called Vignola. He next went to Rome, where he improved his taste by contemplating the magnificent vestiges of ancient architecture in that capitah He was a perfect master of chiaroscuro, and gave to his works so surprising a relief, that they have the appear- ance of perfect illusion. There are many of his works in the palaces and public edifices at Bologna, in which the figures are painted by the most distin- guished of his contemporaries. He died in that city in 1631.
CURTIS, Charles M., wag bom in London in 1795, and practised chiefly on natural history subjects, which he drew with much accuracy and spirit. His brother was the author of ' British Entomology.' His death occurred in 1839.
CURTIS, John, was a land.scape painter, and the pupil of William Marlow. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1790 to 1797, his first painting being a ' View of Netley Abbey,' and his last a sea-piece, called ' Sir Edward Pellew's Action with the French Seventy-Four, " Les Droits de I'Homme." '
CURTIS, Sarah, was born in the latter part of the 17th century, and was a pupil of Mrs. Beale. On her marriage with Dr. Hoadly, after- wards Bishop of Winchester, she quitted her pro- fession, and died in 1743. Her productions are mediocre, and wanting in both life and colour. She painted the portraits of Winston, Bishop Burnet, and her own husband. Bishop Burnet's portrait was engraved by William Faithorne.
CUSENS. See Monteman y Cusens.
CUSIGHE, SiMONE DA, also known as Simone DAL Peron, both being the names of villages near Belluno, was living in portions of the 14th and 15th centuries, and is thought to have died close
