For the German, Jacob Fugger, the same artist painted an exceedingly beautiful picture in oil, to be placed in a chapel of the church of Santa Maria dell’ Anima in Rome. The subject of the work is Our Lady with Sant’ Anna, San Giuseppe, San Jacopo, San Giovanni as a child, and San Marco Evangelista, kneeling with a lion at his feet: the animal is holding a book and the hair on his body is turned in accordance with the position he has taken, a very difficult and well-considered thing; he has besides wings on his shoulders, and the plumage of these wings is so downy and soft, that one scarcely comprehends how it is possible for the hand of the artist to produce so close an imitation of nature. There is likewise a building of a circular form and decorated in the manner of a theatre, with statues so beautiful in themselves and so well arranged, that nothing better could be seen. There is a woman moreover who is spinning, and is at the same time looking at a hen with her chickens; nothing can be more natural than this figure. Above Our Lady, are hovering, angels in the form of children, they hold a canopy over her head and are exceedingly graceful and beautiful. This picture also, having been too heavily loaded with dark tints has become excessively dark, but for which it would be indeed most admirable.[1] The black has however caused the labour of the master to be almost entirely lost, for although it has been covered with varnish, this black nevertheless destroys the best qualities of the work, having in it a consuming dryness, whether it be from charcoal, burnt ivory, lamp-black, or burnt paper.
- ↑ Now at the High Altar of the Church of Santa Maria dell’ Anima. Bottari tells us that the lower part of this picture was injured by an inundation of the Tiber, but that injuries still more cruel were inflicted on it by the cleaning and varnishes.
Giulio had many disciples during the time that he was employed in the labours above described, and among them were Bartolommeo da Castiglione, Tommaso Paparello of injury, but the painting was afterwards carefully restored. It is now in the Church of San Stefano at Genoa. The Cartoon for this picture, formerly in the Vallicella Library in Rome, but afterwards transferred to the Vatican, has been engraved in outline by Guattani, and will be found in the collection of the most celebrated pictures of that Palace, which was published at Rome in 1820. See Tav. xix.
