exist of some of these designs, which are among the most beautiful things in Italian art; as full of grandeur and grace as they are exquisitely fanciful and luxuriant. The large cartoons of this series which are lost are, the Stoning of Stephen; the Conversion of St. Paul; Paul in his Dungeon at Philippi; and the Crowning of the Virgin. The seven which remain to us are arranged at Hampton Court without any regard either to their original arrangement or to chronological order. Beginning at the door by which we enter, they succeed each other thus :— 1. THE DEATH OF ANANIAS. “Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”—Acts v. Nine of the Apostles stand together on a raised platform; St. Peter in the midst, with uplifted hands, is in the act of speaking; on the right Ananias lies prostrate on the earth, while a young man and woman, on the left, are starting back, with ghastly horror and wonder in every feature; in the background, to the left, is seen Sapphira, who, unaware of the catastrophe of her husband and the terrible fate impending over her, is paying some money with one hand, while she withholds some in the other; St. John and another Apostle are on the left, distributing alms. The figures are altogether twenty-four in number. Size, seventeen feet six inches by eleven feet four inches. and dignity of his style, which are only another name for truth and nature under impressive and momentous circumstances." We have here an instance of that truly Shaksperian art by which Raphael always softens and heightens the effect of tragic terror. St. John, at the very instant when this awful judgment has fallen on the hypocrite and unbeliever, has benignly turned to bestow alms and a blessing on the poor good man before him.* 2. ELYMAS THE SORCERER BLINDNESS. STRUCK WITH "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." Acts xiii. 11. The Proconsul Sergius, seated on his throne, beholds with astonishment Elymas struck blind by the word of the Apostle Paul, who stands on the *"It has been questioned whether the woman who is advancing from behind was meant for Sapphira, as it is stated in the sacred record that three hours had elapsed after the death of Ananias before she entered the place. Notwithstanding this objection, it is most probable that Raphael intended this figure for the wife of Ananias; and the slight inaccuracy is more than atoned for by the sublime moral, which shows the woman approaching the spot where her husband had met his doom, and where her own death awaits her, but wholly unconscious of those judgments, and absorbed in counting that gold by which both she and her partner had been betrayed to their fate." left; an attendant is gazing with wonder in his face, while eight persons behind him are all occupied with the miraculous event which is passing before their eyes; two lictors are on the left; in all fourteen figures. Size, fourteen feet seven inches by eleven feet four inches. This cartoon, as a composition, is particularly remarkable for the concentration of the effect and interest in the one action. The figure of St. Paul is magnificent; while the crouching abject form of Elymas, groping his way, and blind even to his finger-ends, stands in the midst, and on him all eyes are bent.* The manner in which the impression is graduated from terror down to indifferent curiosity, while one person explains the event to another by means of gesture, are among the most spirited dramatic effects Raphael ever produced. 3. THE HEALING OF THE LAME MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE OF THE Temple. "Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give unto thee. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up."-Acts iii. 6, 7. Under the portico of the Temple of Jerusalem stand the two Apostles Peter and John; the former * A story is told of Garrick objecting to the truth of this action in the hearing of Benjamin West, who, in vindication of the painter, desired Garrick to shut his eyes and walk across the room, when he instantly stretched out his hand, and began to feel his way with the exact attitude and expression here represented. |