head towards a most beautiful angel, in the form of a boj, who appears to be commanding him to hold his hand.
I will not attempt further to describe the attitudes, the vestments, and other particulars relating to this figure of the Patriarch, since it would not be possible to do justice to the subject; I will therefore only remark that the tender and beautiful child, Isaac, wholly naked, is seen to be trembling with fear of the death prepared for him, and almost dead from terror, even without having received any blow. The neck of the boy is somewhat coloured by the effects of the sun’s heat; but all those parts which during the journey of three days may be supposed to have been covered with his clothing, are represented as of the most delicate fairness. The ram, which is caught in the thorn, is exceedingly natural, and the vestments of Isaac, which are lying on the ground, seem rather to be real than merely painted. There are certain servants also, undraped figures, who are guarding an ass, which is browsing near; with a landscape, which is so admirably depicted, that the very scene wherein the event took place could scarcely have been more beautiful, or in any way different from what is there beheld. This picture having been purchased on the death of Andrea, and when Battista Palla was made prisoner by Filippo Strozzi, was presented by the latter to the Signor Alphonso Davalos, Marchese del Vasto, who carried it to the island of Ischia, which is near Naples, and where he placed it in one of his apartments, together with other valuable paintings.[1]
In the second picture, painted, as has been related, by command of Battista Palla, with intent to send it into France, was depicted a singularly beautiful figure of Charity, with three Children. This was bought from the wife of Andrea, after his death, by the painter Domenico Conti, who ulti-
- ↑ The praises bestowed on this work by Vasari, are declared by all competent authorities to be fully merited. There is a slight error in the description, there being but one servant, and not several, in charge of the ass. The picture, after many wanderings, had found its way once more to Florence, but was exchanged for a Correggio with the Duke of Modena. It was finally sold to Augustus II., King of Saxony, and is now at Dresden. Andrea made more than one replica of this work. Of these, Lyons possesses one, which is held by many to be the original work. Bottaxi tells us that it was engraved by Louis Surugue the elder.
