,transcribed from the #ahij ,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co4 edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org ,picture3 ,book cover ,picture3 8,il ,vecchietto40 ,by ,tabachetti ,,ex ,,voto3 ,,an ,,account ,,of ,the ,sacro ,monte or ,new ,jerusalem at ,varallo-,sesia ,,with ,,some ,,notice ,,of ,,tabachetti',s ,,remaining ,,work ,,at ,,the ,,sanctuary ,,of ,,crea4 ,,by ,,samuel ,,butler1 ,,author ,,of 8,,alps ,,and ,,sanctuaries10 8,,erewhon10 ,,etc4 8,il n'a a que deux ennemis de la religion--le trop peu1 et le trop2 et des deux le trop est mille fois le plus dangereux40--,l',,abb ,,mabillon1 #afih4 ,,op4 #i4 ,,london ,,longmans1 ,,green1 ,,and ,,co4 ,,and ,,new ,,york3 #ae ,,east #afth ,,street4 #ahij4 ,all rights reserved4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ai ,,varallesi ,e ,,valsesiani ,l',,autore ,,riconoscente4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preface4 ,,the illustrations to this book are mainly collotype photographs by ,messrs4 ,maclure1 ,macdonald ,co41 of ,glasgow4 ,notwithstanding all their care1 it cannot be pretended that the result is equal to what would have been obtained from photogravure2 ,i found1 however1 that to give anything like an adequate number of photogravures would have made the book so expensive that ,i was reluctantly compelled to abandon the idea4 ,as these sheets leave my hands1 my attention is called to a pleasant article by ,miss ,alice ,greene about ,varallo1 that appeared in ,the ,queen for ,saturday1 ,april #ba1 #ahhh4 ,the article is very nicely illustrated1 and gives a good idea of the place4 ,of the ,sacro ,monte ,miss ,greene says3--8,on the ,sacro ,monte the tableaux are produced in perpetuity1 only the figures are not living1 they are terra-cotta statues painted and moulded in so life-like a way that you feel that1 were a man of flesh and blood to get mixed up with the crowd behind the grating1 you would have hard work to distinguish him from the figures that have never had life40 ,i should wish to modify in some respects the conclusion arrived at on pp4 #adh1 #adi1 about ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti's having been the principal sculptor of the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel4 ,there can be no doubt that ,rossetti did the figure which he has signed1 and several others in the chapel4 ,one of those which are probably by him 7the soldier with outstretched arm to the left of the composition7 appears in the view of the chapel that ,i have given to face page #add1 but on consideration ,i incline against the supposition of my text1 i4e41 that the signature should be taken as governing the whole work1 or at any rate the greater part of it1 and lean towards accepting the external authority1 which1 quantum valeat1 is all in favour of ,paracca4 ,i have changed my mind through an increasing inability to resist the opinion of those who hold that the figures fall into two main groups1 one by the man who did the signed figure1 i4e41 ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti2 and another1 comprising all the most vigorous1 interesting1 and best placed figures1 that certainly appears to be by a much more powerful hand4 ,probably1 then1 ,rossetti finished ,paracca's work and signed one figure as he did1 without any idea of claiming the whole1 and believing that ,paracca's predominant share was too well known to make mistake about the authorship of the work possible4 ,i have therefore in the title to the illustration given the work to ,paracca1 but it must be admitted that the question is one of great difficulty1 and ,i can only hope that some other work of ,paracca's may be found which will tend to settle it4 ,i will thankfully receive information about any other such work4 ,may #a1 #ahhh4 ,,contents4 ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,,introduction #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,,king--,,lanzi ,,and ,,lomazzo #aj ,,iii4 ,,varallo1 ,,past ,,and ,,present #bd ,,iv4 ,,bernardino ,,caimi1 ,,and ,,fassola #ch ,v4 ,,early ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte #di ,,vi4 ,,preliminary ,,considerations #fi ,,vii4 ,,aim ,,and ,,scope ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte #hj ,,viii4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari1 ,,tabachetti1 ,,and ,,giovanni #ij ,d',,enrico ,,ix4 ,,the ,,ascent ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,montre1 ,,and ,,chapel ,,no4 #aad #a1 ,,adam ,,and ,,eve2 ,,no4 #b1 ,,the ,,annunciation2 ,,no4 #c1 ,,the ,,salutation ,,of ,,mary ,,by ,,elizabeth2 ,,no4 #d1 ,,first ,,vision ,,of ,,st4 ,,joseph ,x4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #e1 ,,visit ,,of ,,the ,,magi2 ,,no4 #f1 ,,il #acb ,,presepio2 ,,no4 #g1 ,,visit ,,of ,,the ,,shepherds2 ,,no4 #h1 ,,circumcision2 ,,no4 #i1 ,,joseph ,,warned ,,to ,,fly2 ,,no4 #aj1 ,,flight ,,into ,,egypt2 ,,no4 #aa1 ,,massacre ,,of ,,the ,,innocents ,,xi4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ab1 ,,baptism2 ,,no4 #ac1 ,,temptation2 ,,no4 #aec #ad1 ,,woman ,,of ,,samaria2 ,,no4 #ae1 ,,the ,,paralytic2 ,,no4 #af1 ,,widow',s ,,son ,,at ,,nain2 ,,no4 #ag1 ,,transfiguration2 ,,no4 #ah1 ,,raising ,,of ,,lazarus2 ,,no4 #ai1 ,,entry ,,into ,,jerusalem2 ,,no4 #bj1 ,,last ,,supper2 ,,no4 #ba1 ,,agony ,,in ,,the ,,garden2 ,,no4 #bb1 ,,sleeping ,,apostles ,,xii4 ,,the ,,palace ,,of ,,pilate2 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bc1 ,,the ,,capture #aff ,,of ,,christ2 ,,no4 #bd1 ,,christ ,,taken ,,to ,,annas2 ,,no4 #be1 ,,christ ,,before ,,caiaphas2 ,,no4 #bf1 ,,repentance ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter2 ,,no4 #bg1 ,,christ ,,before ,,pilate2 ,,no4 #bh1 ,,christ ,,before ,,herod2 ,,no4 #bi1 ,,christ ,,taken ,,back ,,to ,,pilate2 ,,no4 #cj1 ,,flagellation2 ,,no4 #ca1 ,,crowning ,,with ,,thorns2 ,,no4 #cb1 ,,christ ,,at ,,the ,,steps ,,of ,,the ,,pretorium2 ,,no4 #cc1 ,,ecce ,,homo2 ,,no4 #cd1 ,,pilate ,,washing ,,his ,,hands2 ,,no4 #ce1 ,,christ ,,condemned ,,to ,,death ,,xiii4 ,,mysteries ,,of ,,the ,,passion ,,and ,,death2 ,,chapel ,,no4 #aie #cf1 ,,the ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary2 ,,no4 #cg1 ,,nailing ,,of ,,christ ,,to ,,the ,,cross2 ,,no4 #ch1 ,,the ,,crucifixion ,,xiv4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ci1 ,,the ,,descent ,,from ,,the ,,cross #bad ,,xv4 ,,the ,,piet ,,and ,,remaining ,,chapels4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #dj1 #bbe ,,the ,,piet2 ,,no4 #da1 ,,the ,,entombment2 ,,remaining ,,chapels ,,and ,,chiesa ,,maggiore ,,xvi4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,work ,,at ,,crea #bci ,,xvii4 ,,conclusion #bei ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,for explanation of the ,asterisk see ,advertisement of ,photographs at the end of the book4 8,,ii ,,vecchietto10 ,,from ,,the ,,descent ,,from ,,the ,,cross ,frontispiece 7,,chapel ,,no4 #ci7 ,,plate ,i4 ,,plan ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte ,,in #afga #fh ,,ii4 ,,the ,,old ,,adam ,,and ,,eve #aba ,,iii4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,adam ,,and ,,eve #abb ,,iv4 ,,first ,,vision ,,of ,,st4 ,,joseph #acj ,v4 ,,the ,,massacre ,,of ,,the ,,innocents #add ,,vi4 ,,the ,,temptation ,,in ,,the ,,wilderness #aed ,,vii4 ,,caiaphas #agj ,,viii4 ,,herod #agf ,,ix4 ,,two ,,laughing ,,boys #agg ,x4 ,,man ,,in ,,background ,,of ,,the ,,flagellation #ahb ,,chapel ,,xi4 ,,stefano ,,scotto1 ,,and ,,mr4 ,s4 ,,butler #ahi ,,xii4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary #aie ,,general ,,view ,,to ,,the ,,right4 ,,xiii4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary #aif ,,st4 ,,john ,,and ,,the ,,madonna ,,with ,,the ,,other ,,maries4 ,,xiv4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary #aih ,,sta4 ,,veronica ,,and ,,man ,,with ,,goitre4 ,,xv4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary #bjj ,,the ,,two ,,thieves ,,and ,,their ,,driver4 ,,xvi4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari',s ,,crucifixion #bjc ,,general ,,view ,,looking ,,towards ,,the ,,bad ,,thief4 ,,xvii4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari',s ,,crucifixion #bjd ,,general ,,view ,,looking ,,towards ,,the ,,good ,,thief4 ,,xviii4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari',s ,,portraits ,,of #bjf ,,stefano ,,scotto ,,and ,,leonardo ,,da ,,vinci ,,xix4 ,,bernardino ,,de ,,conti',s ,,drawing ,,of #bjg ,,stefano ,,scotto1 ,,and ,,profile ,,of ,,leonardo ,,da ,,vinci ,,by ,,himself 7,,reversed7 ,,xx4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari',s ,,crucifixion #baj ,,the ,,bad ,,thief4 ,,additions ,,and ,,corrections4 ,,unable to go to ,dinant before ,i published 8,ex ,voto10 ,i have since been there1 and have found out a good deal about ,tabachetti's family4 ,his real name was de ,wespin1 and he tame of a family who had been ,copper-beaters1 and hence sculptors--for the ,flemish copper-beaters made their own models--for many generations4 ,the family seems to have been the most numerous and important in ,dinant4 ,the sculptor's grandfather1 ,perpte de ,wespin1 was the first to take the sobriquet of ,tabaguet1 and though in the deeds which ,i have seen at ,namur the name is always given as 8de ,wespin10 yet the addition of 8dit ,tabaguet0 shows that this last was the name in current use4 ,his father and mother1 and a sister ,jacquelinne1 under age1 appear to have all died in #aehg4 ,jean de ,wespin1 the sculptor1 is mentioned in a deed of that date as 8expatri10 and he has a 8gardien0 or 8tuteur10 who is to take charge of his inheritance1 appointed by the ,court1 as though he were for some reason unable to appoint one for himself4 ,this lends colour to ,fassola's and ,torrotti's statement that he lost his reason about #aehf or #aehg4 ,i think it more likely1 however1 considering that he was alive and doing admirable work some fifty years after #aeij1 that he was the victim of some intrigue than that he was ever really mad4 ,at any rate1 about #aehg he appears to have been unable to act for himself4 ,if his sister ,jacquelinne died under age in #aehg1 ,jean is not likely to have been then much more than thirty1 so we may conclude that he was born about #aefj4 ,there is some six or eight years' work by him remaining at ,varallo1 and described as finished in the #aehf edition of ,caccia4 ,tabachetti1 therefore1 must have left home very young1 and probably went straight to ,varallo4 ,in #aehf or #aehg we lose sight of him till #aeij or #aeia1 when he went to ,crea1 where he did about forty chapels--almost all of which have perished4 ,on again visiting ,milan ,i found in the ,biblioteca ,nazionale a guide-book to the ,sacro ,monte1 which was not in the ,biblioteca ,ambrosiana1 and of whose existence ,i had never heard4 ,this guide-book was published in #afjf and reissued in #afaj2 it mentions all changes since #aeij1 and even describes chapels not yet in existence1 but it says nothing about ,tabachetti's ,first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph chapel--the only one of his chapels not given as completed in the #aeij edition of ,caccia4 ,i had assumed too hastily that this chapel was done just after the #aeij edition of ,caccia had been published1 and just before ,tabachetti left for ,crea in #aeij or #aeia1 whereas it now appears that it was done about #afaj1 during a short visit paid by the sculptor to ,varallo some twenty years after he had left it4 ,finding that ,tabachetti returned to ,varallo about #afaj1 ,i was able to understand two or three figures in the ,ecce ,homo chapel which ,i had long thought must be by ,tabachetti1 but had not ventured to ascribe to him1 inasmuch as ,i believed him to have finally left ,varallo some twenty years before the ,ecce ,homo chapel was made4 ,i have now no doubt that he lent a hand to ,giovanni ,d',enrico with this chapel1 in which he has happily left us his portrait signed with a ,v 7doubtless standing for ,w1 a letter which the ,italians have not got71 cut on the hat before baking1 and invisible from outside the chapel4 ,picture3 ,seal ,signor ,arienta had told me there was a seal on the back of a figure in the ,journey to ,calvary chapel2 on examining this ,i found it to show a ,w1 with some kind of armorial bearings underneath4 ,i have not been able to find anything like these arms1 of which ,i give a sketch herewith3 they have no affinity with those of the de ,wespin family1 unless the cups with crosses under them are taken as modifications of the three-footed caldrons which were never absent from the arms of ,dinant copper-beaters4 ,tabachetti 7for ,i shall assume that the seal was placed by him7 perhaps sealed this figure as an afterthought in #afaj1 being unable to cut easily into the hard-baked clay1 and if he could have ,italianised the ,w he would probably have done so4 ,i should say that ,i arrived at the ,ecce ,homo figure as a portrait of ,tabachetti before ,i found the ,v cut upon the hat2 ,i found the ,v on examining the portrait to see if ,i could find any signature4 ,it stands next to a second portrait of ,leonardo da ,vinci by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 taken into the ,ecce ,homo chapel1 doubtless1 on the demolition of some earlier work by ,gaudenzio on or near the same site4 ,i knew of this second portrait of ,leonardo da ,vinci when ,i published my first edition1 but did not venture to say anything about it1 as thinking that one life-sized portrait of a ,leonardo da ,vinci by a ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was as much of a find at one time as my readers would put up with4 ,i had also known of the ,v on ,tabachetti's hat1 but1 having no idea that his name was de ,wespin1 had not seen why this should help it to be a portrait of ,tabachetti1 and had allowed the fact to escape me4 ,the figure next to ,scotto in the ,ecce ,homo chapel is1 ,i do not doubt1 a portrait of ,giovanni ,d',enrico4 ,this may explain the tradition at ,varallo that ,scotto is ,antonio ,d',enrico1 which cannot be4 ,next to ,giovanni ,d',enrico stands the second ,leonardo da ,vinci1 and next to ,leonardo1 as ,i have said1 ,tabachetti4 ,in the chapel by ,gaudenzio1 from which they were taken1 the figures of ,leonardo and ,scotto probably stood side by side as they still do in the ,crucifixion chapel4 ,i supposed that ,tabachetti and ,d',enrico1 who must have perfectly well known who they were1 separated them in order to get ,giovanni ,d',enrico nearer the grating4 ,it was the presumption that we had ,d',enrico's portrait between ,scotto and ,leonardo1 and the conviction that ,tabachetti also had worked in the chapel1 that led me to examine the very beautiful figure on the father side of ,leonardo to see if ,i could find anything to confirm my suspicion that it was a portrait of ,tabachetti himself4 ,i do not think there can be much doubt that the ,vecchietto is also a portrait of ,tabachetti done some thirty years later than #afaj1 nor yet do ,i doubt1 now ,i know that he returned to ,varallo in #afaj1 that the figures of ,herod and of ,caiaphas are by him4 ,i believe he also at this time paid a short visit to ,orta1 and did three or four figures in the left hand part of the foreground of the ,canonisation of ,st4 ,francis chapel4 ,at ,montrigone1 a mile or so below ,borgo-,sesia station1 ,i believe him to have done at least two or three figures1 which are very much in his manner1 and not at all like either ,giacomo ,ferro or ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 to whom they are usually assigned4 ,these figures are some twenty-five years later than #afaj1 and tend to show that ,tabachetti1 as an old man of over seventy1 paid a third visit to the ,val-,sesia4 ,the substance of the foregoing paragraphs is published at greater length1 and with illustrations1 in the number of the ,universal ,review for ,november #ahhh1 and to which ,i must refer my readers4 ,i have1 however1 here given the pith of all that ,i have yet been able to find out about ,tabachetti since 8,ex ,voto0 was published4 ,i should like to add the following in regard to other chapels4 ,picture3 ,monogram ,signor ,arienta has found a #aebc scrawled on the frescoes of the ,crucifixion chapel4 ,i do not think this shows necessarily that the work was more than begun at that date4 ,he has also found a monogram1 which we believe to be ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's1 on the central shield with a lion on it1 given in the illustration facing p4 #baj4 ,on further consideration1 ,i feel more and more inclined to think that the frescoes in this chapel have been a good deal retouched4 ,i hardly question that the ,second ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph chapel is by ,tabachetti1 as also the ,woman of ,samaria4 ,the ,christ in this last chapel is a restoration4 ,in a woodcut of #afdj the position of the figures is reversed1 but nothing more than the positions4 ,lastly1 the ,virgin's mother does not have eggs east of ,milan4 ,it is a ,valsesian custom to give eggs beaten up with wine and sugar to women immediately on their confinement1 and ,i am told that the eggs do no harm though not according to the rules4 ,i am told that ,valsesian influence must always be suspected when the ,virgin's mother is having eggs4 ,november #cj1 #ahhh4 99 99 99 99 99 ,note4--,a copy of this postscript can be easily inserted into a bound copy1 and will be forwarded by ,messrs4 ,,tr,,bner ,,co4 on receipt of stamped and addressed envelope4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,introduction4 ,,in the preface to 8,alps and ,sanctuaries0 ,i apologised for passing over ,varallo-,sesia1 the most important of ,north ,italian sanctuaries1 on the ground that it required a book to itself4 ,this book ,i will now endeavour to supply1 though well aware that ,i can only imperfectly and unworthily do so4 ,to treat the subject in the detail it merits would be a task beyond my opportunities2 for1 in spite of every endeavour1 ,i have not been able to see several works and documents1 without which it is useless to try and unravel the earlier history of the sanctuary4 ,the book by ,caccia1 for example1 published by ,sessali at ,novara in #aefe1 and reprinted at ,brescia in #aegf1 is sure to turn up some day1 but ,i have failed to find it at ,varallo1 ,novara 7where it appears in the catalogue1 but not on the shelves71 ,milan1 the ,louvre1 the ,british ,museum1 and the ,bodleian ,library4 ,through the kindness of ,sac4 ,ant4 ,ceriani1 ,i was able to learn that the ,biblioteca ,ambrosiana possessed what there can be little doubt is a later edition of this book1 dated #aehg1 but really published at the end of #aehf1 and another dated #aeia1 to which ,signor ,galloni in his 8,uomini e fatti celebri di ,valle-,sesia0 7p4 #aaj7 has called attention as the first work ever printed at ,varallo4 ,but the last eight of the twenty-one years between #aefe and #aehf were eventful1 and much could be at once seen by a comparison of the #aefe1 #aegf1 and #aehf #aehg editions1 about which speculation is a waste of time while the earlier works are wanting4 ,i have been able to gather two or three interesting facts by a comparison of the #aehf and #aeia editions1 and do not doubt that the date1 for example1 of ,tabachetti's advent to ,varallo and of his great ,calvary ,chapel would be settled within a very few years if the missing books were available4 ,another document which ,i have in vain tried to see is the plan of the ,sacro ,monte as it stood towards the close of the sixteenth century1 made by ,pellegrino ,tibaldi with a view to his own proposed alterations4 ,he who is fortunate enough to gain access to this plan--which ,i saw for a few minutes in #ahhd1 but which is now no longer at ,varallo--will find a great deal made clear to him which he will otherwise be hardly able to find out4 ,over and above the foregoing1 there is the inventory drawn up by order of ,giambattista ,albertino in #afad1 and a number of other documents1 to which reference will be found in the pages of ,bordiga1 ,galloni1 ,tonetti1 and of the many others who have written upon the ,val ,sesia and its history4 ,a twelve months' stay in the ,val ,sesia would not suffice to do justice to all the interesting and important questions which arise wholesale as soon as the chapels on the ,sacro ,monte are examined with any care4 ,i shall confine myself1 therefore1 to a consideration of the most remarkable features of the ,sacro ,monte as it exists at present1 and to doing what ,i can to stimulate further study on the part of others4 ,i cannot understand how a field so interesting1 and containing treasures in so many respects unrivalled1 can have remained almost wholly untilled by the numerous ,english lovers of art who yearly flock to ,italy2 but the fact is one on which ,i may perhaps be congratulated1 inasmuch as more shortcomings and errors of judgment may be forgiven in my own book1 in virtue of its being the first to bring ,varallo with any prominence before ,english readers4 ,that little is known about the ,sacro ,monte1 even by the latest and best reputed authorities on art1 may be seen by turning to ,sir ,henry ,layard's recent edition of ,kugler's 8,handbook of ,painting10--a work which our leading journals of culture have received with acclamation4 ,sir ,henry ,layard has evidently either never been at ,varallo1 or has so completely forgotten what he saw there that his visit no longer counts4 ,he thinks1 for example1 that the chapels1 or1 as he also calls them1 8stations0 7which in itself should show that he has not seen them71 are on the way up to the ,sacro ,monte1 whereas all that need be considered are on the top4 ,he thinks that the statues generally in these supposed chapels 8on the ascent of the ,sacro ,monte0 are attributed to ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 whereas it is only in two or three out of some five-and-forty that any statues are believed to be by ,gaudenzio4 ,he thinks the famous sculptor ,tabachetti--for famous he is in ,north ,italy1 where he is known--was a painter1 and speaks of him as 8a local imitator0 of ,gaudenzio1 who 8decorated0 other chapels1 and 8whose works only show how rapidly ,gaudenzio's influence declined and his school deteriorated40 ,as a matter of fact1 ,tabachetti was a ,fleming and his name was ,tabaquet2 but this is a detail4 ,sir ,henry ,layard thinks that 8,miel0 was also 8a local imitator0 of ,gaudenzio4 ,it is not likely that this painter ever worked on the ,sacro ,monte at all2 but if he did1 ,sir ,henry ,layard should surely know that he came from ,antwerp4 ,sir ,henry ,layard does not appear to know that there are any figures in the ,crucifixion ,chapel of ,gaudenzio1 or indeed in any of the chapels for which ,gaudenzio painted frescoes1 and falls into a trap which seems almost laid on purpose for those who would write about ,varallo without having been there1 in supposing that ,gaudenzio painted a ,piet on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,having thus displayed the ripeness of his knowledge as regards facts1 he says that though the chapels 8on the ascent of the ,sacro ,monte0 are 8objects of wonder and admiration to the innumerable pilgrims who frequent this sacred spot10 yet 8the bad taste of the colour and clothing make them highly repugnant to a cultivated eye40 ,i begin to understand now how we came to buy the ,blenheim ,raffaelle4 ,finally1 ,sir ,henry ,layard says it is 8very doubtful0 whether any of the statues were modelled or executed by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari at all4 ,it is a pity he has not thought it necessary give a single reason or authority in support of a statement so surprising4 ,some of these blunders appear in the edition of #ahgd edited by ,lady ,eastlake4 ,in that edition the writer evidently knows nothing of any figures in the ,crucifixion ,chapel1 and ,sir ,henry ,layard was unable to supply the omission4 ,the writer in the #ahgd edition says that 8,gaudenzio is seen as a modeller of painted terra-cotta in the stations ascending to the chapel 7sic7 on the ,sacro ,monte40 ,it is from this source that ,sir ,henry ,layard got his idea that the chapels are on the way up to the ,sacro ,monte1 and that they are distinct from those for which ,gaudenzio painted frescoes on the top of the mountain4 ,having perhaps seen photographs of the ,sacro ,monte at ,varese1 where the chapels climb the hill along with the road1 or having perhaps actually seen the ,madonna del ,sasso at ,locarno1 where small oratories with frescoes of the ,stations of the ,cross are placed on the ascent1 he thought those at ,varallo might as well remain on the ascent also1 and that it would be safe to call them 8stations40 ,it is the writer in the #ahgd edition who first gave him or her self airs about a cultivated eye2 but he or she had the grace to put in a saving clause to the effect that the designs in some instances were 8full of grace40 ,true1 ,sir ,henry ,layard has never seen the designs2 nevertheless his eye is too highly cultivated to put up with this clause2 so it has disappeared1 to make room1 ,i suppose1 for the sentence in which so much accurate knowledge is displayed in respect to ,tabachetti and ,miel d',anvers4 ,sir ,henry ,layard should keep to the good old plan of saying that the picture would have been better if the artist had taken more pains1 and praising the works of ,pietro ,perugino4 ,personally1 ,i confess ,i am sorry he has never seen the ,sacro ,monte4 ,if he has trod on so many ploughshares without having seen ,varallo1 what might he not have achieved in the plenitude of a taste which has been cultivated in every respect save that of not pretending to know more than one does know1 if he had actually been there1 and seen some one or two of the statues themselves8 ,i have only sampled ,sir ,henry ,layard's work in respect of two other painters1 but have found no less reason to differ from him there than here4 ,i refer to his remarks about ,giovanni and ,gentile ,bellini4 ,i must reserve the counter-statement of my own opinion for another work1 in which ,i shall hope to deal with the real and supposed portraits of those two great men4 ,i will1 however1 take the present opportunity of protesting against a sentence which caught my eye in passing1 and which ,i believe to be as fundamentally unsound as any ,i ever saw written1 even by a professional art critic or by a director of a national collection4 ,sir ,henry ,layard1 in his chapter on ,leonardo da ,vinci1 says-- 8,one thing prominently taught us by the works of ,leonardo and ,raffaelle1 of ,michael ,angelo and ,titian1 is distinctly this--that purity of morals1 freedom of institutions1 and sincerity of faith have nothing to do with excellence in art40 ,i should prefer to say1 that if the works of the four artists above mentioned show one thing more clearly than another1 it is that neither power over line1 nor knowledge of form1 nor fine sense of colour1 nor facility of invention1 nor any of the marvellous gifts which three out of the four undoubtedly possessed1 will make any man's work live permanently in our affections unless it is rooted in sincerity of faith and in love towards ,god and man4 ,more briefly1 it is 1 or the spirit1 and not 1 or the letter1 which is the soul of all true art4 ,this1 it should go without saying1 applies to music1 literature1 and to whatever can be done at all4 ,if it has been done 8to the ,lord0--that is to say1 with sincerity and freedom from affectation--whether with conscious effusion1 as by ,gaudenzio1 or with perhaps robuster unconsciousness1 as by ,tabachetti1 a halo will gather round it that will illumine it though it pass through the valley of the shadow of death itself4 ,if it has been done in self-seeking1 as1 exceptis excipiendis1 by ,leonardo1 ,titian1 ,michael ,angelo1 and ,raffaelle1 it will in due course lose hold and power in proportion to the insincerity with which it was tainted4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,,king--,,lanzi ,,and ,,lomazzo4 ,,leaving ,sir ,henry ,layard1 let us turn to one of the few ,english writers who have given some attention to ,varallo--,i mean to the ,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,king's delightful work 8,the ,italian ,valleys of the ,pennine ,alps40 ,this author says-- 8,when we first visited ,varallo1 it was comparatively little known to travellers1 but we now found that of late years many more had frequented it1 and its beautiful scenery and great attractions were becoming more generally and deservedly appreciated4 ,independently of its own picturesque situation1 and its advantages as head-quarters for exploring the neighbouring ,vals and their romantic scenery1 the works which it possesses of the ancient and famous ,val ,sesian school of painters and modellers are most interesting4 ,at the head of them stands first and foremost ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 whose original and masterly productions ought to be far more widely known and studied than they as yet are2 and some of the finest of them are to be found in the churches and ,sacro ,monte of ,varallo0 7p4 #dih74 ,of the ,sacro ,monte the same writer says-- 8,no situation could have been more happily chosen for the purpose intended than the little mountain rising on the north of ,varallo to a height of about #bgj feet0--this is an error2 the floor of the church on the ,sacro ,monte is just #ejj feet above the bridge over the ,mastallone--8on which the chapels1 oratories1 and convents of that extraordinary creation the ,new ,jerusalem are grouped together4 ,besides the beauty of the site and its convenient proximity to a town like ,varallo of some #cjjj inhabitants1 the character of the mountain is exactly adapted for the effective disposition of the various #8stations' of which it consists0--it does not consist of 8stations0--8and on this account chiefly it was selected by the founder1 the #8,blessed ,bernardino ,caimo4' ,a ,milanese of noble family1 and ,vicar of the ,convent of the ,minorites in ,milan1 and also in connection with that of ,varallo1 he was specially commissioned by ,pope ,sixtus ,,iv4 to visit the ,sepulchre and other holy places in ,palestine1 and while there took the opportunity of making copies and drawings1 with the intention of erecting a facsimile of them in his native country4 ,on his return to ,italy in #adia1 after examining all the likely sites within reasonable distance of ,milan1 he found the conical hills of the ,val ,sesia the best adapted for his design1 and fixed upon ,varallo as the spot2 being probably specially attracted to it from the fact of the convent and church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 already described1 having been conveyed through him to the #8,minori ,osservanti1' as appears from a brief of ,innocent ,,viii41 dated ,december #ba1 #adhf40 ,mr4 ,king does not give the source from which he derived his knowledge of the existence of this act1 and ,i have not come across a notice of it elsewhere1 except a brief one in ,signor ,galloni's work 7p4 #ga71 and a reference to it in the conveyance of ,april #ad1 #adic4 ,but ,signor ,arienta of ,varallo1 whose industry in collecting materials for a history of the ,sacro ,monte cannot be surpassed1 showed me a transcript from an old plan of the church of ,s4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 in which the inscription on ,bernardino ,caimi's grave was given--an inscription which 7so at least ,i understood ,signor ,arienta to say7 is now covered by an altar which had been erected on the site of the grave4 ,the inscription ran3-- 8,hic quiescunt ossa ,b4 ,bernardini ,caimis ,mediolan4 ,s4 ,montis ,varalli ,fundatoris ,an4 #adhf4 ,pontif4 ,dipl sub die #ba ,xbris4 ,mortuus est autem in hoc coenobio ,an4 ,vulg4 r #adii40 ,it would thus appear that the ,sacro ,monte was founded four years earlier than the received date4 ,the formal deed of conveyance of the site on the mountain from the town to ,bernardino ,caimi was not signed till the #adth of ,april #adic2 but the work had been already commenced1 as is shown by the inscription still remaining over the reproduction of the ,holy ,sepulchre1 which is dated the #agth of ,october #adia4 ,probably the work was contemplated in #adhf1 and interrupted by ,b4 ,caimi's return to ,jerusalem in #adhg1 not to be actively resumed till #adij4 8,the first stone10 says ,mr4 ,king1 8was laid by ,scarognini1 a ,milanese #8magnifico1' who cordially entered into the scheme2 and at his expense the ,holy ,sepulchre was completed1 and a hospice attached1 where the founder and a number of ,franciscan brothers came to reside in #adic4 ,caimo had planned a vast extension of this commencement1 but died within three years1 leaving his designs to be carried out by his successors40 4 4 4 4 4 8,each oratory contains a group--in some very numerous--of figures modelled in terra-cotta the size of life or larger2 many of them of great merit as works of art1 others very inferior and mere rubbish4 ,the figures are coloured and occasionally draped with appropriate clothing1 the resemblance to life being heightened by the addition of human hair0--which1 by the way1 is always horse-hair--8and the effect is often very startling4 ,each chapel represents a different #8mystery1' and1 beside the modelled figures1 the walls are decorated with frescoes4 ,the front of each is open to the air1 all but a wire grating1 through apertures in which the subject may be perfectly seen in the position intended by the designer0 7pp4 #eaj-eab74 ,mr4 ,king says1 correctly1 that ,gaudenzio's earliest remaining work on the ,sacro ,monte is the ,chapel of the ,piet1 that originally contained the figures of ,christ bearing the cross1 but from which the modelled figures were removed1 others being substituted that had no connection with the background4 ,i do not know1 however1 that ,christ was actually carrying the cross in the chapel as it originally stood4 ,the words of the #aehg edition of ,caccia 787 stand1 8,come il ,n4,s4 fu spogliato de suoi panni1 e condotto sopra il ,monte ,calvario1 ch' e fatto di bellissimo e ben inteso relievo40 8,the frescoes on the wall10 he continues1 8are particularly interesting1 as having been painted by him at the early age of nineteen0--,mr4 ,king supposes ,gaudenzio ,ferrari to have been born in #adhd--8when his ambition to share in the glory and renown of the great work was gratified by this chapel being intrusted to him2 a proof of his early talent and the just appreciation of it4 ,the frescoes are much injured1 but of the chief one there is enough to show its excellence4 ,on one side is ,st4 ,john1 with clasped hands gazing upwards in grief1 and the two ,marys sorrowing1 as a soldier in the centre seems to forbid their following further2 his helmet is embossed and gilt as in the instances in the ,franciscan church1 while the two thieves are led bound by a figure on horseback40 ,these frescoes appear to me to have been not so much restored as repainted--that is to say1 where they are not almost entirely gone4 ,the green colour that now prevails in the shadows and half-tones is alien to ,gaudenzio1 and cannot be accepted as his4 ,i should say1 however1 that my friend ,signor ,arienta of ,varallo differs from me on this point4 ,at any rate1 the work is now little more than a ruin1 and the terra-cotta ,piet is among the least satisfactory groups on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,mr4 ,king continues3-- 8,in the ,chapel of the ,adoration of the ,magi we have a work of higher merit1 giving evidence of his studies under ,raphael40 ,here ,mr4 ,king is in some measure mistaken4 ,the frescoes in the ,magi ,chapel are indeed greatly finer than those in the present ,piet1 but they were painted from thirty to forty years later1 when ,gaudenzio was in his prime1 and it is to years of intervening incessant effort and practice1 not to any study under ,raphael1 that the enlargement of style and greater freedom of design is due4 ,gaudenzio never studied under ,raphael2 he may have painted for him1 and perhaps did so--no one knows whether he did or did not--but in every branch of his art he was incomparably ,raphael's superior1 and must have known it perfectly well4 ,returning to ,mr4 ,king1 with whom1 in the main1 ,i am in cordial sympathy1 we read3-- 8,the group of ten figures in terra-cotta represents the three kings just arrived with their immediate attendants1 and alighting at the door of an inner recess1 where a light burns over the manger of ,bethlehem1 and in which is a simple but exquisite group of ,st4 ,joseph1 the ,virgin1 and ,child4 ,on the walls of the chapel are painted in fresco a crowd of followers1 the varieties of whose costumes1 attitudes1 and figures are most cleverly portrayed4 ,in modelling the horses which form part of the central group1 ,ferrari was assisted by his pupil ,fermo ,stella40--,fermo ,stella is not known to have been a pupil of ,gaudenzio's1 and was probably established as a painter before ,gaudenzio began to work at all4--8,but the greatest of all ,gaudenzio's achievements is the large chapel of the ,crucifixion1 a work of the most extraordinary character and masterly execution4 ,his first design for the subject1 on the screen of the ,minorite ,church1 he has here carried out in life-like figures in terra-cotta2 twenty-six of which form the centre group1 embodying the events of the ,passion2 while round the walls are depicted with wonderful power a crowd of spectators1 numbering some #aej1 most of whom are gazing at the central figure of the ,saviour on the cross4 ,the variety of expression1 costume1 and character is almost infinite4 ,round the roof are twenty angels in the most varied and graceful attitudes1 deserving of special attention2 and also a hideous figure of ,lucifer40 ,gaudenzio's devils are never quite satisfactory4 ,his angels are divine1 and no one can make them cry as he does4 ,when my friend ,mr4 ,h4 ,festing ,jones met a lovely child crying in the streets of ,varallo last summer1 he said it was crying like one of ,gaudenzio's angels2 and so it was4 ,gaudenzio was at home with everything human1 and even superhuman1 if beautiful2 if it was only a case of dealing with ugly1 wicked1 and disagreeable people1 he knew all about this1 and could paint them if the occasion required it2 but when it came to a downright unmitigated devil1 he was powerless4 ,he could never have done ,tabachetti's serpent in the ,adam and ,eve ,chapel1 nor yet the plausible fair-spoken devil1 as in the ,temptation ,chapel1 also by ,tabachetti4 ,to conclude my extracts from ,mr4 ,king4 ,speaking of the ,crucifixion ,chapel1 he says3-- 8,though this combination of terra-cotta and fresco may not be as highly esteemed in the present day as in the times when this extraordinary sanctuary sprang into existence1 yet this composition must always be admired as one of the greatest of ,ferrari's works1 and undoubtedly that on which he lavished the full force of his genius and the collected studies and experience of his previous artist life40 ,it is noteworthy1 but not perhaps surprising1 that this observant1 intelligent1 and sympathetic writer1 probably through inability to at once understand and enter into the conventions rendered necessary by the conditions under which works so unfamiliar to him must be both executed and looked at1 has failed to notice the existence of ,tabachetti1 never mentioning his name nor referring to one of his works--not even to the ,madonna and ,child in the church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio1 which one would have thought could hardly fail to strike him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,king has elsewhere in his work referred both to ,lanzi and to ,lomazzo in support of his very high opinion of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari2 it may1 therefore1 be as well to give extracts from each of these writers4 ,lanzi says3-- 8,if we examine into further particulars of his style1 we shall find ,ferrari's warm and lively colouring so superior to that of the ,milanese artists of his day1 that we shall have no difficulty in recognising it in the churches where he painted2 the eye of the spectator is directly attracted towards it2 his carnations are natural and varied according to his subjects2 his draperies display much fancy and originality1 with middle tints blended so skilfully as to equal the most beautiful produced by any other artist4 ,and1 if we may say so1--he succeeded in representing the minds even better than the forms of his subjects4 ,he particularly studied this branch of the art1 and we seldom observe more marked attitudes or more expressive 4 4 4 ,as ,lomazzo1 however1 has dwelt so much at length on his admirable skill both in painting and modelling1 it would be idle to insist on it further4 ,but ,i ought to add that it is a great reflection upon ,vasari that he did not better know or better estimate such an artist2 so that foreigners who form their opinions only from history are left unacquainted with his merit1 and have uniformly neglected to do him justice in their writings40 ,lomazzo says3-- 8,now amongst the worthy painters who excelled herein1 ,raph4 ,urbine was not the least who performed his workes with a divine kind of maiesty2 neither was ,polidore0--,polidoro ,caldara da ,caravaggio--8much behind him in his kinde1 whose pictures seemed as it were passing furious2 nor yet ,andreas ,mantegna1 whose vaine showed a very laborious curiositie2 nor yet ,leonard ,vincent0--,leonardo da ,vinci--8in whose doings there was never any error found in this point4 ,wherof amongst all other of his works1 that admirable last supper of ,christ in ,refect4 ,s4 ,maria de ,gratia in ,milane maketh most evident proofe1 in which he hath so lively expressed the passions of the ,apostles mindes in their countenances and the rest of their bodies1 that a man may boldly say the truth was nothing superior to his representation1 and neede not be afraide to reckon it among the best works of oyle-painting 7of which kind of painting ,john de ,bruges was the first inventor74 ,for in those ,apostles you might distinctly perceive admiration1 feare1 griefe1 suspition1 love1 c42 all which were sometimes to be seen together in one of them1 and finally in ,judas a treason-plotting countenance1 as it were the very true counterfiet of a traitor4 ,so that therein he has left a sufficient argument of his rare perfection1 in the true understanding of the passions of the mind exemplified outwardly in the bodie4 ,which because it is the most necessary part of painting1 ,i purpose 7as ,i say7 to handle in this present booke4 ,i may not omit ,mi4 ,angelo in any case1 whose skill and painfulnesse in this point was so greate1 that his pictures carry with them more hard motions expressed after an unusual manner1 but all of them tending to a certaine bould stoutnesse4 ,and as for ,titian1 he hath worthely purchased the name of a great painter in this matter1 as his pictures do sufficiently witness2 in each whereof there shineth a certain mooving vertue1 seeming to incite the beholder unto the imitation thereof4 ,of whom this saying may well be verified1 that he was beloved of the world and envied of nature4 8,finally1 mine old ,master ,gaudentius 7though he be not much knowne7 was inferior unto fewe1 in giving the apt motions to the ,saintes and ,angels2 who was not onely a very witty painter 7as ,i have elsewhere showed71 but also a most profound philosopher and mathematician4 ,amongst all whose all-praiseworthy workes 7which are almost infinite1 especially in this point of motion7 there are divers mysteries of ,christe's passion1 of his doing1 but chiefly a crucifix called ,mount ,calvary at the ,sepulchre of ,varallo2 where he hath made admirable horses and strange angels1 not only in painting1 but also in plasticke1 of a kinde of earth wrought most curiously with his own hand cleane rounde0--di tutto rilievo--8through all the figures4 8,besides in the vault of the ,chappell of ,s4 ,mary de ,gratia in ,milane he hath wrought most naturall angels1 ,i meane especially for their actions2 there is also that mighty cube of ,st4 ,mary de ,serono1 the ,cupola of ,s4 ,maria at ,saronno1 full of thrones of angells set out with actions and habites of all sortes1 carrying diversity of most strange instruments in their hands4 ,i may not conceal that goodly chapel which he made in his latter time1 in the ,church of ,peace in ,milan1 where you shall find small histories of our ,lady and ,joachime showing such superexcellent motions that they seem much to revive and animate the spectators4 8,moreover1 the story of ,s4 ,roccho done by him in ,vercelli1 with divers workes in that city2 although indeede almost all ,lombardy be adorned with his most rare workes1 ,i will not conceal one saying1 which was that all painters delight to steale other men's inventions1 but that he himself was in no great danger of being detected of theft hereafter4 ,now this great painter1 although in reason he might for his discretion1 wisedome1 and worth be compared with the above named in the first booke1 cap4 #bi1 yet notwithstanding is he omitted by ,george ,vasary in his lives of the famous painters1 carvers1 and architects4 ,an argument1 to say no worse of him1 that he intended to eternise only his own ,tuscanes4 ,but ,i proceede to the unfoulding of the originall causes of these motions4 ,and first for our better understanding ,i will beginne with those passions of the mind whereby the body is mooved to the performance of his particular effects0 7,id41 ,book ii4 pp4 #g1 #h74 ,what ,gaudenzio said was that all painters were fond of stealing1 but that they were pretty sure to be found out sooner or later4 ,for my own part1 ,i should like to say that ,i prefer ,giovanni ,bellini to ,gaudenzio2 but unless ,giotto and ,giorgione1 ,i really do not know who the ,italian painters should stand before him4 ,bernardino ,luini runs him close1 but great as ,bernardino ,luini was1 ,gaudenzio1 in spite of not a little mannerism1 was greater4 ,the passage above referred to by ,lomazzo as from his twenty-ninth chapter runs3-- 8,now if any man be desirous to learne the most exact and smallest parts of these proportions1 together with the way how to transfer them from one body to another1 ,i refer him to the works of ,le4 ,vincent1 ,bramante1 ,vincentius ,foppa1 ,barnard ,zenale2 and for prints to ,albert ,durer1 ,hispill ,peum1 c4 ,and out of mine owne workes he may gather that ,i have endeavoured if not performed these proportions1 done according to these rules2 which all the best and famous painters of our time have likewise observed2 who have also attained to the exquisite proportions of the seven planets4 ,amongst whom ,mi4 ,angelo hath merited the chiefest commendation2 next him ,raph4 ,urbine was famous for making of delicate and ,venereall bodies2 ,leon4 ,vincent for expressing of solary bodies2 ,polidore ,caldara of ,caravaggio for ,martiall bodies2 ,titianus ,vecellino for ,lunaryes2 and ,gaudentius ,ferrato da ,valdugia a ,milaner for ,jovialistes0 7#ee ,bk4 i4 p4 #aag74 ,having been compelled to look through the greater part of ,lomazzo's work1 inasmuch as not one of the several writers who have referred to his high opinion of ,gaudenzio has given chapter and page1 ,i would fain allow myself to linger somewhat in the fascinating paths into which my subject has led me4 ,i should like to call further attention to this forgotten work as 8,englished0 by one ,richard ,haydocke1 8,student in ,physik10 and dedicated to no less a person than 8to the ,right ,worshipful ,thomas ,bodley1 ,esq410 whose foundation of the library that bears his name is referred to in the preface4 ,gladly would ,i tell him about ,alexander the ,great1 who1 being overmatched by his enemies in ,india1 8was seen to reake forth from his bodie fier and light20 and of the father of ,theodoricus1 who1 8by the like vehement effect1 breathed out of his heart1 as from a burning furnace1 fierce sparkels2 which flying forth1 shone1 and made a sound in the aire40 ,i should like to explain to him about the motions of the seven planets which are the seven governours of the world1 and how ,saturn 8causeth a complexion of colour between blacke and yeallowe1 meager1 distorted1 of an harde skinne1 eminent vaines1 an hairie bodie1 small eies1 eie brows joyned together c410 and how 8he maketh a man subtle1 wittie1 a way-layer1 and murtherer20 how1 again1 ,jupiter is 8magnipotent1 good natured1 fortunate1 sweete1 pleasant1 the best wel-willer1 honest1 neate1 of a good gate1 honorable1 the author of mirth and judgement1 wise1 true1 the revealer of truth1 the chiefe judge1 exceeding all the planets in goodnesse1 the bestower of riches and wisedome20 how ,mars 8broaches bould spirites1 bloud1 brawles and all disordered1 inconsiderate1 and headdy actions20 how 8his gestures are terrible1 cruell1 fierce1 angry1 proude1 hasty and violent10 and how also 8he is reputed hoat and drie in the highest degree1 bearing sway over redde choler40 ,i should like to tell him about the passions1 actions1 and the gestures they occasion1 described as they are with a sweet and silly unreasonableness that is very charming to read1 and makes no demand whatever upon the understanding4 ,but charming as are the pages of ,lomazzo1 those of ,torrotti are more charming still1 and they have a connection with our subject which ,lomazzo's have not4 ,enough1 therefore1 that ,mr4 ,haydocke did not get through more than half ,lomazzo's treatise1 and that1 glancing over the untranslated pages1 ,i see frequent allusions to ,gaudenzio in the warmest terms1 but no passage so important as the longer of the two quoted above4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,varallo1 ,,past ,,and ,,present4 ,,now that ,varallo can be easily reached by the new railway from ,novara1 it is not likely to remain so little known much longer4 ,the town is agreeable to stay in2 it contains three excellent inns4 ,i name them in geographical order4 ,they are the ,italia1 the ,croce ,bianca1 and the ,posta1 while there is another not less excellent on the ,sacro ,monte itself4 ,i have stayed at all these inns1 and have received so much kindness in each of them1 that ,i must decline the invidious task of recommending any one of them especially4 ,my book is intended for ,varallo1 and not for this or that hotel4 ,the neighbourhood affords numberless excursions1 all of them full of interest and beauty2 the town itself1 though no exception to the rule that the eastern cities of ,north ,italy are more beautiful than the western1 is still full of admirable subjects for those who are fond of sketching4 ,the people are hospitable to a fault2 personally1 ,i owe them the greatest honour that has ever been conferred upon me--an honour far greater than any ,i have ever received among those who know me better1 and are probably better judges of my deserts4 ,the climate is healthy1 the nights being cool even in the height of summer1 and the days almost invariably sunny and free from fog in winter4 ,with all these advantages1 therefore1 it is not easy to understand the neglect that has befallen it1 except on the ground that until lately it has been singularly difficult of access4 ,two hundred years ago it must have been much as it is at present4 ,turning to the work of the excellent ,canon ,torrotti1 published in #afhf1 ,i find he writes as follows3-- 8,oh1 what fannings is there not here10 he exclaims1 8of the assiduous ,zephyrs2 what warmth in winter1 what gelidness of the air in summer2 and what freaks are there not of ,nature by way of caves1 grottoes1 and delicious chambers hewn by her own hand4 ,here can be enjoyed wines of the very finest flavour1 trout as dainty as can be caught in any waters1 game of the most singular excellence2 in short1 there is here a great commodity of everything most sensual and pleasing to the palate4 ,and of those who come here1 above all ,i must praise the ,piedmontese1 who arrive in frequent cavalcades of from twenty to five-and-twenty people1 to an edification which is beyond all praise2 and they are munificent in the gifts they leave behind them to the ,holy ,place--not resembling those who are mean towards ,god though they will spend freely enough upon their hotel-bill4 ,carriages of all sorts can be had here easily2 it is the ,milanese who for the most part make use of these carriages and equipages1 for they are pompous and splendid in their carryings on4 ,from elsewhither processions arrive daily1 even from ,switzerland1 and there are sometimes as many as ten thousand visitors extraordinary come here in a single day1 yet is there no hindrance but they find comfortable lodging1 and at very reasonable prices4 8,as for the distance1 it is about sixty miles1 or two easy days' journey from ,milan2 it is much the same from ,turin2 it is one day from ,novara1 and one from ,vercelli2 but the most delightful thing about this journey is that you can combine so many other devotions along with it4 ,in the ,milanese district1 for example1 there is the mountain of ,varese1 and that of ,s4 ,carlo of ,arona on the ,lago ,maggiore2 and there are ,s4 ,francesco and ,s4 ,giulio on the ,lago d',orta2 then there is the ,madonna of ,oropa in the mountains of ,biella1 which sanctuary is in the diocese of ,vercelli1 as is also ,s4 ,giovanni di ,campiglio1 the ,madonna di ,crevacore1 and ,gattinara2 there is also the ,mount ,calvary of ,domo d',ossola1 on the road towards ,switzerland1 and ,montrigone below ,borgosesia4 ,these1 indeed1 are but chapels in imitation of our own ,holy ,sepulchre1 and cannot compare with it neither in opulence nor in importance2 still those of ,varese and ,oropa are of some note and wealth4 ,moreover1 the neighbourhood of this our own ,jerusalem is the exact counterpart of that which is in the ,holy ,land1 having the ,mastallone on the one side for the brook ,kedron1 and the ,sesia for the ,jordan1 and the lake of ,orta for that of ,csara2 while for the ,levites there are the fathers of ,st4 ,bernard of ,mentone in the ,graian and ,pennine ,alps of ,aosta1 where there are so many ,roman antiquities that they may be contemplated not only as monuments of empire1 but as also of the vanity of all human greatness0 7pp4 #ai-ba74 ,a little later the ,canon tells us of the antiquity of the councils that have been held in the neighbourhood1 and of one especially3-- 8,which was held secretly by five bishops on the summit of one of the mountains of ,sorba in the ,val ,rassa1 which is still hence called the bishops' seat2 for they came thither as to the place where the five dioceses adjoined1 and each one sat on a stone within the boundary of his own diocese2 and they are those of ,novara1 ,vercelli1 ,ivrea1 ,orta1 and ,sion4 ,nor must we forget the signal service rendered to the universal church in these same mountains of ,rassa by the discomfiture of the heretic monks ,gazzari to which end ,pope ,clement ,v4 in #acjg issued several bulls1 and among them one bearing date on the third day of the ides of ,august1 given at ,pottieri1 in which he confirmed the liberty of our people1 and acknowledged the ,capi as ,counts of the ,church 4 4 4 ,for the ,valsesian people have been ever free1 and by ,god's grace have shaken off the yoke of usurpers while continuing faithful and profitable subjects of those who have equitably protected them40 ,torrotti goes on to tell us about the ,blessed shepherdess ,panesia1 a virgin of the most exquisite beauty1 and only fifteen years old1 who was martyred on the #ast of ,may #achc on the mountain of ,s4 ,giovanni of ,quarona1 with three wounds on her head and two on her throat1 inflicted by a wicked stepmother who had a devil1 and whose behests she had obeyed with such consummate sweetness that she had attained perfection2 on which1 so invariably do extremes meet1 she had to be put to death and made a martyr2 and if we want to know more about her1 we can find it in the work that has been so elegantly written about her by the most illustrious ,father ,castiglione ,sommasco4 ,again1 there was the famous miracle in #accc of ,s4 ,maiolo in ,val ,rassa1 which is celebrated every year1 and in virtue of which ,pietro1 only child of ,viscount ,emiliano1 one of the three brothers who fought against the heretics1 was saved after having been carried off by a ravenous wolf into the woods of ,val ,sorba as far as the fountain named after the rout which this same ,count1 when he afterwards grew up1 inflicted upon the enemies of the valley in #acgg2 wherefore he is seen in an old picture of those times as a child in swaddling-clothes in the mouth of a wolf1 and he gave the name of ,fassola di ,s4 ,maiolo to his descendants4 ,nor1 as in private duty bound1 can the worthy ,canon forget-- 8,my own beloved chapel of ,st4 ,mary of the ,snow1 for whose honour and glory ,i have done my utmost1 at the entrance of the ,val ,mastallone2 for here on a fragment of ruined wall there grow at all times sundry flowers1 even in the ice and snows of winter2 wherefore ,i had the distich set up where it may be now seen40 ,i have never seen it1 but must search for it next time ,i go to ,varallo4 ,torrotti presently says that the country being sterile1 the people are hard pressed for food during two-thirds of the year2 hence they have betaken themselves to commerce and to sundry arts1 with which they overrun the world1 returning home but once or twice a year1 with their hands well filled with that which they have garnered1 to sustain and comfort themselves with their families2 and their toil and the gains that they have made redound no little to the advantage of the states of ,milan and ,piedmont4 ,he again declares that they maintain their liberty1 neither will they brook the least infringement thereon4 ,and their neighbours1 he continues1 as well as the dwellers in the valley itself1 are interested in this2 for here1 as in some desert or peaceful wilderness1 the noble families of ,italy and neighbouring provinces have been ever prone to harbour in times of war and trouble4 ,then1 later1 there comes an account of a battle1 which ,i cannot very well understand1 but it seems to have been fought on the #bfth of ,july #afee4 ,the ,savoyards were on their way to assist at a siege of ,pavia1 and were determined to punish the ,valsesians en route2 they had come up from ,romagnano to ,borgosesia1 when the ,valsesians attacked them as they were at dinner1 and shot off the finger of a general officer who was eating an egg2 on this the battle became general1 and the ,savoyards were caught every way2 for the waters of the ,sesia had come down in flood during the night4 ,the ,germans of ,alagna1 ,rima1 and ,rimella were in it1 somehow1 and those of ,pregemella in the ,val ,dobbia4 ,i cannot make out whether the ,pregemella people were ,germans or merely people2 either way1 the ,german-speaking villages in the ,val ,sesia appear to have been the same two hundred years ago as now4 ,i mean1 it does not seem that the ,german-speaking race extended lower down the valley then than now4 ,but at any rate1 the queen1 or whoever 8,madama ,reale0 may be1 was very angry about the battle4 8,it is the custom10 concludes our author1 8in token of holy cheerfulness 7allegria spirituale7 to wear a sprig of pine in the hat on leaving the holy place1 to show that the visitor has been there2 for it has some fine pine trees4 ,this custom was introduced in royal merriment by ,carlo ,emmanuele ,i4 ,he put a sprig in his hat1 and was imitated by all his court1 and the ladies wore the same in their bosom or in their hair4 ,assuredly it is one of the wonders of the world to see here1 amid the amenities and allurements of the country1 especially during the summer season1 what a continuous festa or holy fair is maintained4 ,for there come and go torrents of men and women of every nation under heaven4 ,here you shall see pilgrims and persons in religion of every description1 processions1 prelates1 and often princes and princesses1 carriages1 litters1 calches1 equipages1 cavalcades accompanied by trumpeters1 gay troops of cavaliers1 and ladies with plumes in their hats and rich apparel wherewithal to make themselves attractive2 and at intervals you shall hear all manner of songs1 concerts1 and musical instruments1 both civil and military1 all done with a modest and devout cheerfulness of demeanour1 by which ,i am reminded of nothing so strongly as of the words of the ,psalmist in the which he saith #8,come and see the works of the ,lord1 for ,he hath done wonders upon earth4'0 ,it must have been something like our own ,tunbridge ,wells or ,bath in the last century4 ,indeed1 one is tempted to think that if the sea had come up to ,varallo1 it must have been almost more like ,margate than ,jerusalem4 ,nor can we forget the gentle rebuke administered on an earlier page to those who came neither on business nor for devotion's sake1 but out of mere idle curiosity1 and bringing with them company which the good ,canon designates as scandalous4 ,mais nous avons chang tout cela4 ,i have allowed myself to quote so freely from ,torrotti1 as thinking that the reader will glean more incidentally from these fragments about the genius of ,varallo and its antecedents than he would get from pages of disquisition on my own part4 ,returning to the ,varallo of modern times1 ,i would say that even now that the railway has been opened1 the pleasantest way of getting there is still over the ,colma from ,pella opposite ,orta4 ,i always call this road 8the root10 for ,i once saw it thus described1 obviously in good faith1 in the visitors' book at one of the inns in ,varallo4 ,the gentleman said he had found 8the root0 without any difficulty at ,pella1 had taken it all the way to ,varallo1 and it was delicious4 ,he said it was one of the finest 8roots0 he had ever seen1 and it was only nine or ten miles long4 ,there were one or two other things in that book1 of which1 while ,i am about it1 ,i should like to deliver my mind4 ,a certain man who wrote a bold round hand signed his name 8,tom ,taylor0--doubtless not the late well-known art critic and dramatic writer1 but some other person of the same name--in the visitors' book of the ,hotel ,leone d',oro at ,orta1 and added the word 8disgusted40 ,i saw this entry1 then comparatively recent1 in #ahga1 and on going on to the ,hotel d',italia at ,varallo1 found it repeated--8,tom ,taylor disgusted40 ,the entries in each case were probably aimed at the ,sacro ,monte1 and not at the inn2 but they grated on me1 as they must have done on many other ,english visitors2 and ,i saw with pleasure that some one had written against the second of them the following epigram1 which is too neat not to be preserved4 ,it ran3-- 8,oh wretched ,tom ,taylor1 disgusted at ,orta1 ,at ,varallo we find him disgusted again2 ,the feeling's contagious1 ,i really have caught a ,disgust for ,tom ,taylor--he travels in vain40 ,who1 ,i wonder1 was it who could fling off such an apt impromptu1 and how many more mute inglorious writers have we not who might do anything they chose if they would only choose to do anything at all8 ,some one else had written on an earlier page2-- #a4 8,while you've that which makes the mare go ,you should stay at this albergo1 ,bona in esse and in posse ,are dispensed by ,joseph ,rossi4 #b4 8,ask him and he'll set before ye ,vino birra e liquori1 ,asti1 ,grignolino1 ,sherry ,prezzi moderati--very40 ,there was more1 but ,i have forgotten it4 ,joseph ,rossi was a famous old waiter long since retired1 something like ,pietro at the ,hotel ,rosa ,rossa at ,casale1 whom all that country side knew perfectly well4 ,this last entry reminds me of a somewhat similar one which ,i saw some five and thirty years ago at the inn at ,harlech2-- #a4 ' 4 ,by this 'ere ,i mean to testi- fy how very well they feed you4 #b4 8,quam superba sit ruina1 ,ipsa sua semper laus1 ,and the castle--nothing finer1 ,with its ivy and jackdaws40 ,it is a pity the art of writing such pleasing little poems should be now so generally neglected in favour of more ambitious compositions4 ,whatever brevity may be as regards wit it is certainly the soul of all agreeable poetry4 ,but again to return to ,varallo1 or rather to the way of reaching it by the ,colma4 ,there is nothing in ,north ,italy more beautiful than this walk1 with its park-like chestnut-covered slopes of undulating pasture land dotted about with the finest thatched barns to be found outside ,titian4 ,we might almost fancy that ,handel had it in his mind when he wrote his divine air 8,verdi ,prati40 ,certainly no country can be better fitted either to the words or music4 ,it continues in full beauty all the way to ,civiasco1 where the carriage road begins that now goes down into the main road between ,varallo and ,novara1 joining it a mile and a half or so below ,varallo4 ,close to the point of juncture there is a chapel of singularly graceful elegant design1 called the ,madonna di ,loreto4 ,to this chapel ,i will again return3 it is covered with frescoes4 ,near it there is an open triangular piece of grass land on which a murderer was beheaded within the memory of persons still living4 ,a wild old man1 who looked like an executioner broken loose from the flagellation chapel on the ,sacro ,monte1 but who was quite tame and kind to us when we came to know him1 told ,jones and myself this last summer that he remembered seeing the murderer brought here and beheaded1 this being as close as might be to the place where the murder had been committed4 ,we were at first rather sceptical1 but on inquiry at ,varallo found that there had been an execution here1 the last in the open country1 somewhere about the year #ahce4 ,from this spot two roads lead to ,varallo2 one somewhat circuitous by ,mantegna1 a village notable for a remarkable fresco outside the church1 in which the ,virgin is appearing to a lady and gentleman as they are lying both of them fast asleep in a large bed1 with their two dear little round heads on a couple of comfortable pillows4 ,the three ,magi in the very interesting frescoes behind the choir in the church of ,s4 ,abbondio at ,como are1 if ,i remember1 all in one bed when the angel comes to tell them about the star1 and ,i fancy they have a striped counterpane1 but it is some time since ,i saw the frescoes2 at any rate the angel was not a lady4 ,we had often before seen the ,virgin appear to a lady in bed1 and even to a gentleman in bed1 but never before to a lady and a gentleman both in the same bed4 ,she is not1 however1 so much appearing to them as sitting upon them1 and ,i should say she was pretty heavy4 ,the fresco is dated #afda4 ,the other road is the direct one1 and passes the old church of ,st4 ,mark1 outside which there are some charming fifteenth-century frescoes by nobody in particular1 and among them a cow who1 at the instance of ,st4 ,mark1 is pinning a bear or wolf to a tree in a most resolute determined manner4 ,there are other frescoes on this church by the ,varallese painter ,luini 7not to be confounded with ,bernardino71 but ,i do not remember them as remarkable4 ,up to this point the two highest peaks of ,monte ,rosa are still visible when clouds permit2 here they disappear behind nearer mountains1 and in a few more hundred yards ,varallo is entered4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,bernardino ,,caimi1 ,,and ,,fassola4 ,,in geographical position ,varallo is the most western city of ,north ,italy in which painting and sculpture were endemic4 ,turin1 ,novara1 ,vercelli1 ,casale1 ,ivrea1 ,biella1 ,alessandria1 and ,aosta have no endemic art comparable to that of the cities east of ,milan4 ,bergamo1 ,brescia1 ,verona1 ,vicenza1 ,padua1 not to mention ,venice and the cities of the ,friuli1 not only produced artists who have made themselves permanently famous1 but are themselves1 in their architecture and external features generally1 works of art as impressive as any they contain2 they are stamped with the widely-spread instinctive feeling for beauty with which the age and people that reared them must assuredly have been inspired4 ,the eastern cities have perhaps suffered more from war1 nevertheless it is hard to think that the beauty so characteristic of the eastern ,lombardic cities should fail so conspicuously1 at least by comparison1 in the western1 if the genius of the places had been the same4 ,all cities are symptomatic of the men who built them1 towns no less than bodily organisation being that unknown something which we call mind or spirit made manifest in material form4 ,englishmen1 ,frenchmen1 ,germans1 and ,italians--to name them in alphabetical order1 are not more distinct in their several faults and virtues than are ,london1 ,paris1 ,berlin1 and ,rome1 in the impression they leave on those who see them4 ,how closely in each case does the appearance of the city correspond with the genius of the nation of which it is the capital4 ,the same holds good more or less with the provincial cities of any country4 ,they have each in a minor degree their distinctive evidences of character1 and it will hardly be denied that while the ,north ,italian genius is indebted to the cities of ,piedmont for perhaps its more robust and vigorous elements1 it owes its command of beauty whether of form or colour to ,lombardy rather than to ,piedmont4 ,it seems to have been ordained that an endemic interest in art should not cross the ,po northward to the west of the ,ticino1 and to this rule ,varallo is only partially an exception2 the reasons which led to its being an exception at all will be considered presently4 ,i know1 of course1 that ,novara1 and still more ,vercelli1 contain masterpieces by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 but in each case the art was exotic1 and with the not very noteworthy exceptions of ,lanini1 ,difendente ,ferrari di ,chivasso1 and ,macrino d',alba1 ,i do not at the moment call to mind the name of a single even high second-class painter or sculptor who has hailed from west of the ,valsesia4 ,the exceptional position of ,varallo as regards ,north ,italian art must be referred mainly to its selection by ,bernardino ,caimi as the site for the ,new ,jerusalem which he founded there at the end of the fifteenth century2 a few words1 therefore1 concerning him will not be out of place here2 ,i learn from ,torrotti that he was a 8,frate ,minore ,osservante di ,s4 ,francesco10 and came of the noble and illustrious ,milanese family of the ,counts ,caimi4 ,he had been ,patriarch of the ,holy ,land1 and1 as ,i find stated in ,signor ,galloni's excellent work already referred to1 #dj had been employed on important missions in the island of ,cyprus1 chiefly in connection with the reformation of abuses4 ,full of zeal and devotion he returned to his native country1 and ere long conceived the design of reproducing in ,italy a copy of the most important sites in the ,holy ,land1 for the comfort and greater commodity of so many ,christians who1 being unable to commit themselves to long and weary voyages by land and sea1 and among infidels1 might gather thence some portion of that spiritual fruit which were otherwise beyond their reach4 ,old and mendicant as he was1 he was nothing daunted by the magnitude of the task before him1 and searched ,lombardy from one end to the other in his desire to provide ,providence with a suitable abode4 ,for a long while he sought in vain1 and could find no place that was really like ,jerusalem1 but at last1 towards the end of #adia1 he came to ,varallo alone1 and had hardly got there before he felt himself rapt into an ecstasy1 in the which he was drawn towards the ,sacro ,monte2 when he got up to the plain on the top of the mountain which was then called 8,la ,parete10 perceiving at once its marvellous resemblance to ,jerusalem1 even to the existence of another mountain hard by which was like ,calvary1 he threw himself on the ground and thanked ,god in a transport of delight4 ,it is said that for some time previously the shepherds who watched their flocks on this solitary height had been talking of nothing but of heavenly harmonies that had been heard coming from the sky2 that ,caimi himself while yet in the ,holy ,land had been shown this place in a vision2 and that on reaching an eminence called ,sceletta he had been conducted to the site itself by the song of a bird which sang with such extraordinary sweetness that he had been constrained to follow it4 ,i should have set this bird down as a blue rock thrush or passero solitario1 for ,i know these birds breed yearly on the ,sacro ,monte1 and no bird sings so sweetly as they do1 but we are expressly told that ,caimi did not reach ,varallo till the end of the year1 and the passeri solitarii have all migrated by the end of ,august4 ,we have seen1 however1 that ,milano ,scarrognini actually founded a chapel in ,october #adia1 so ,torrotti is wrong in his date1 and ,caimi may have come in #adij1 and perhaps in ,august1 before the passeri were gone4 ,there can be little doubt in fact that he came1 or at any rate chose his site1 before #adhf4 ,whatever the bird may have been1 ,caimi now communicated his design to the ,consiglio della ,vicinanza at ,varallo1 through ,milano de' ,scarrognini1 who was a member of the body1 and who also gave support in money2 negotiations were not finally concluded until the #adth of ,april #adic1 on which day1 as we have already seen1 the site of the monastery of ,s4 ,maria della ,grazie was conveyed to the ,padri dell' ,osservanza with the concession of a right to build their ,new ,jerusalem on the adjoining mountain--which they had already begun to do for some time past4 ,divine assistance was manifest in the ease with which everything had been arranged1 but ,torrotti goes on to assure us that it was presently made still clearer4 ,the design had been to begin with a reproduction of the ,holy ,sepulchre1 and hardly had the workmen begun to dig for the foundation of this first work1 when a stone was found1 not only resembling the one which covered the actual ,holy ,sepulchre itself1 but an absolute facsimile of it in all respects--as like it1 in fact1 or even more so1 than ,varallo was to ,jerusalem4 ,the testimony to this was so notorious1 and the fact was so soon and widely known1 that pilgrims flocked in crowds and brought gifts enough to bring the first abode of the ,fathers with the chapel beside it to a speedy and successful completion4 ,everything having been now started auspiciously1 and the ,blessed ,bernardino having been allowed to look1 as it were1 into the promised land1 ,god took him to ,himself on the #eth day of the ,ides of ,february #adif1 or--as ,i have above said that the inscription on ,caimi's tomb declares--in #adii4 ,the churches1 both the one below the mountain in which ,gaudenzio's great series of frescoes may be still seen1 and the one on the top1 which stood on the site now occupied by the large house that stands to the right of the present church1 and is called the ,casino1 were consecrated between the #eth and #gth days of ,september #aeja1 and by this time several of the chapels with figures in them had been taken in hand1 and were well advanced if not completed4 ,fassola's version of ,bernardino ,caimi's visit is more guarded than ,torrotti's is4 ,before going on to it ,i will say here the little that need be said about ,fassola himself4 ,i find from ,signor ,galloni's 8,uomini e fatti0 7p4 #bjh7 that he was born at ,rassa above ,bucioleto in the ,val ,grande1 on the #aith of ,september #afdh4 ,his family had one house at ,rassa1 and another at ,varallo1 which last is believed to have been what is now the hotel ,croce ,bianca1 at which ,i always myself stay4 ,torrotti1 in his preface1 claims to have been one of his masters2 he also says that ,fassola was only eighteen when he wrote his work on the ,sacro ,monte1 and that he had published a work when he was only fourteen4 ,the note given by ,signor ,galloni p4 #bcc settles it that ,fassola was born 8anno ,d4 #afdh die #ai septembris hora #bb min4 #cj10 so that either the book lay some years unpublished1 or he was over twenty when he wrote it4 ,like the edition of ,caccia already referred to1 it is dated a year later than the one in which it actually appeared1 so that the present custom of post-dating late autumn books is not a new one4 ,in the preface the writer speaks of his pen as being 8tenera non tanto per talento quanto per l'et40 ,in the same preface he speaks of himself as having a double capacity1 one as a ,delegate to the governing body of the valley1 and the other as a canon2 but he must mean some kind of lay canon1 for ,i cannot find that he was ever ordained4 ,in #afgb he published his work 8,la ,valsesia descritta10 which according to ,signor ,galloni is more hastily written than his earlier work4 ,on the #adth of ,december1 the same year1 he left the ,valsesia and travelled to ,france1 keeping a journal for some time1 which ,signor ,galloni tells us still existed in #ahgc in the possession of ,abate ,cav4 ,carestia of ,riva ,valdobbia4 ,he went to ,paris1 and appears to have stayed there till #afhc1 when he returned to ,varallo1 and the ,valsesia4 ,he found his country torn by faction1 and was immediately hailed by all parties as the one man whom all could agree to elect as ,regent ,general of the ,valley4 ,he was elected1 and on the #eth of ,october convened his first general council of the ,valsesia4 ,he seems to have been indefatigable as an administrator during the short time he held office1 but in the year #afhd was deposed by the ,milanese1 who on the #crd of ,december sent a body of armed men to seize him and take him to ,milan4 ,he was warned in time to fly1 and escaped to ,france1 where according to some he died1 while others say that he settled in ,poland and there attained high distinction4 ,nothing1 however1 is known for certain about him later than the year #afhd or the beginning of #afhe4 ,in #afhf ,torrotti published his book4 ,he says that ,fassola during his regency repeatedly desired him 8ripigliare questa relatione per commodit dei ,pelegrini1 ,divoti1 visitanti10 and that so much new matter had come to light since ,fassola's time that a new work was called for4 ,fassola1 he says1 even in the midst of his terrible misfortunes1 continued to take the warmest interest in his native city1 and in the ,sacro ,monte1 where it appears he had been saluted by a very memorable and well-known miracle1 which was so well known in ,torrotti's time that it was not necessary to tell us what it was4 ,fassola may or may not have urged ,torrotti to write a second work upon the ,sacro ,monte1 but he can hardly have intended him to make it little more than a transcript of his own book4 ,if new facts had come to light they do not appear in ,torrotti's pages4 ,he very rarely adds to ,fassola1 and never corrects him2 when ,fassola is wrong ,torrotti is wrong also2 even when something is added ,i have a strong suspicion that it comes from ,fassola's second book4 ,on the whole ,i am afraid ,i regard ,torrotti as somewhat of a plagiarist--at least as regards his matter1 for his manner is his own and is very quaint1 garrulous1 and pleasing4 ,fassola's work is full of inaccuracies1 and of such inaccuracies as can only be explained on the supposition that the writer resided mainly at ,rassa1 wrote his book there1 and relied too much upon notes which he did not verify after his work was written4 ,nevertheless1 as ,signor ,galloni justly says1 8he must be allowed the merit of having preserved an immense mass of matter from otherwise almost certain destruction1 and his pages when subjected to rigid examination and criticism furnish abundant material to the writer of genuine history40 ,he leans generally much less towards the miraculous than ,torrotti does4 ,after saying1 for example1 that ,bernardino ,caimi had returned from ,jerusalem in #adha full of devotion and with the fixed intention of reproducing the ,holy ,city on ,italian soil1 he continues3-- 8,with this holy intent the good ecclesiastic journeyed to the mountains of ,biella1 and thence to the ,val d',ossola1 and thence to several places in the ,valsesia1 which of all others was the valley in which he was most inclined to unburden his mind of the treasure of his heroic design4 ,finally1 arriving at ,varallo1 as the place of most resort1 where most of those would come whose means and goodwill would incline them to works of piety1 he resolved to choose the most suitable site that he could here find4 ,according to some1 while taking counsel with himself and with all who could help him1 the site which we now adore was shown him in a vision2 others say that on walking without the town he was seduced by the angelic warbling of a bird1 and thus ravished to a spot where he found all things in such order for his design that he settled upon it then and there4 ,many hold as true the story of certain shepherds who about a fortnight earlier than the coming of the father1 heard songs of more than earthly sweetness as they were keeping watch over their flocks by night40 8,but10 concludes ,fassola1 with some naivet considering the reserve he has shown in accepting any of the foregoing stories1 8take it in whatever way you will1 the inception of the place was obviously miraculous40 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,early ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte4 ,,whether miraculous or not1 the early history of the ,sacro ,monte is undoubtedly obscure1 and the reader will probably have ere this perceived that the accounts given by ,fassola and ,torrotti stand in some need of reconstruction4 ,the resemblance between ,varallo and ,jerusalem is too far fetched to have had any bon fide effect upon a man of travel and of affairs1 such as ,caimi certainly was2 it is hardly greater than the famous one between ,monmouth and ,macedon2 there is1 indeed1 a river--not to say two--at ,varallo1 and there is a river also only twenty-five miles off ,jerusalem2 doubtless at one time or another there have been crucifixions in both1 but some other reason must be sought for the establishment of a great spiritual stronghold at the foot of the ,alps1 than a mere desire to find the place which should most remind its founder of the ,holy ,city4 ,why this great effort in a remote and then almost inaccessible province of the ,church1 far from any of the religious centres towards which one would have expected it to gravitate8 ,the answer suggests itself as readily as the question2 namely1 that it was an attempt to stem the torrent of reformed doctrines already surging over many an ,alpine pass1 and threatening a moral invasion as fatal to the spiritual power of ,rome as earlier physical invasions of ,northmen had been to her material power4 ,those who see the ,italian sub-alpine valleys of to-day as devoted to the ,church of ,rome are apt to forget how nearly they fell away from her in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries1 and what efforts1 both by way of punishment and allurement1 she was compelled to make before she could retain them in her grasp4 ,in most of them the ferment caused by the introduction of the reformed doctrines was in the end stamped out2 but in some1 as in the ,valle di ,poschiavo1 and the ,val ,bregaglia1 ,protestantism is still either the predominant creed or not uncommon4 ,i do not mention the ,vaudois valleys of ,piedmont1 for ,i am told these were ,protestant before either ,huss or ,luther preached4 ,the ,valsesians had ere now given proof of a tendency towards heresy1 but they were a people whom it was worth while making every effort to retain4 ,they have ever been1 as we have seen it said already1 a vigorous1 sturdy1 independent race1 imbued1 in virtue perhaps of their mixed descent1 with a large share of the good points both of ,southern and ,northern nations4 ,they are ,italians2 but ,italians of the most robust and ,roman type1 combining in a remarkable degree ,southern grace and versatility with ,northern enterprise and power of endurance4 ,it is no great stretch of imagination to suppose that ,bernardino ,caimi was alive to dangers that were sufficiently obvious1 and that he began with the ,val ,sesia1 partly as of all the sub-alpine valleys the one most imbued with ,german blood--the one in which to this day the ,german language has lingered longest1 and in which1 therefore1 ideas derived from ,germany would most easily be established--and partly because of the quasi-independence of the ,val ,sesia1 and of its lying out of the path of those wars from which the plains of ,lombardy have been rarely long exempt4 ,it may be noted that the movement set on foot by ,caimi extended afterwards to other places1 always1 with the exception of ,crea1 on the last slopes of the ,alps before the plains of ,lombardy and ,piedmont begin4 ,varese1 ,locarno1 ,orta1 ,varallo1 ,oropa1 ,graglia1 ,st4 ,ignazio1 not to mention ,st4 ,giovanni di ,andorno1 have all of them something of the spiritual frontier fortress about them1 and1 ,i imagine1 are all more or less directly indebted to the reformation for their inception4 ,confining our attention to ,varallo1 the history of the ,sacro ,monte divides itself into two main periods2 the first1 from the foundation to the visit of ,s4 ,carlo ,borromeo in #afgh2 the second1 from the visit of ,s4 ,carlo to the present day4 ,the first of these periods begins with #adhf1 in which year the present ,sacro ,monte was no doubt formally contemplated1 if not actually commenced4 ,that it was contemplated is shown by the inscription on ,caimi's grave already given1 and also by the first of the two deeds given in ,signor ,galloni's notes1 from which it appears #eb that under the brief of ,december #ba1 #adhf1 ,caimi had powers to take over the land now covered by the chapels1 even though he should be absent--it being evidently intended that the land should be conveyed at once1 and before he could return from ,jerusalem1 for which place he started in #adhg4 ,moreover1 there remains one small chapel with frescoes that can hardly be later than #adhe-adij4 ,this is now numbered #de1 and is supposed by many to be older even than ,caimi's first visit4 ,it may be so1 but there is nothing to show that it actually was4 ,i have seen a date scratched on it which it is said is #adcg1 but the four is really a five1 which in old writing is often taken for a four1 and the frescoes1 which in their own way are of considerable merit1 would be most naturally assigned to about the date #adhe-adij4 ,i do not think there can be a doubt that we have in this chapel the earliest existing building on the ,sacro ,monte1 but find it impossible to form any opinion as to whether it was in existence before ,bernardino ,caimi's time1 or no4 ,in the second of the two deeds given by ,signor ,galloni 7p4 #he71 the following passage occurs3-- 8,et similiter fecerunt ipsi ,sindici1 et ,procuratores1 ut supr introducendo ipsum ,patrem ,vicarium ut supr in ,eremitorium sancti ,sepulchri existent4 in loco ubi dicebatur super pariete1 aperiendo eidem ostia dicti ,eremitorij1 et dando eidem claues ,ostiorum dicti eremitorij1 et eum deambulari faciendo in eo1 et similiter in ,hortis dicti ,eremitorij1 dando eidem in gremium ut supr de terris1 herbis1 et frondibus1 et lapidibus existen4 in locis prdictis1 et similiter in ,capella existente subtus crucem1 et in ,capellam ,ascensionis dificatam super ,monte prdicto4 ,qui locus est de membris dicti ,monasterii suprascripti40 ,neither ,signor ,galloni1 who pointed out this passage to me1 nor ,i1 though we have more than once discussed the matter on the ground itself1 can arrive at any conclusion as to what was intended by 8the chapel now in existence under the cross10 nor yet what chapel is intended by 8the chapel of the ,ascension on the said mountain40 ,it is probable that there was an early chapel of the ,ascension1 and the wooden figure of ,christ on the fountain in the piazza before the church was very likely taken from it1 but there is no evidence to show where it stood4 ,signor ,arienta tells me that the chapel now occupied by the ,temptation in the ,wilderness was formerly a chapel of the ,ascension4 ,he told me to go round to the back of this chapel1 and ,i should find it was earlier than appeared from the front4 ,i did so1 and saw it had formerly fronted the other way to what it does now1 but among the many dates scrawled on it could find none earlier than #aejf1 and it is not likely to have been built thirteen years before it got scrawled on4 ,some hold the chapels referred to in the deed above quoted from to have included the present ,annunciation1 ,salutation1 and sleeping ,st4 ,joseph block--or part of it4 ,others hold them to have referred to the chapels now filled by the ,piet and the ,entombment 7,nos4 #dj and #da72 but it should not be forgotten that by #adic the chapels of ,s4 ,francis and the ,holy ,sepulchre were already in existence1 though no mention is made of them2 and there may have been other chapels also already built of which no mention is made4 ,thus immediately outside the ,st4 ,francis chapel and towards the door leading to the ,holy ,sepulchre1 there is a small recess in which is placed an urn of iron that contains the head of ,bernardino ,caimi with a ,latin inscription2 and hard by there is another inscription which runs as follows3-- 8,magnificus ,d4 ,milanus ,scarrogninus hoc ,sepulcrum cum fabrica sibi contigua ,christo posuit die septimo ,octobris ,,mcccclxxxxi4 ,r4 ,p4 ,frater ,bernardinus de ,mediolano ,ordinis ,minorum de ,observ4 sacra hujus montis excogitavit loca1 ut hic ,hierusalem videat qui peragrare nequit40 ,we may say with some confidence that the present chapel ,no4 #de1 those numbered #dj and #da1 the block containing the ,st4 ,francis and ,holy ,sepulchre chapels1 and probably the ,presepio1 ,adoration of the ,shepherds1 and ,circumcision chapels--though it may be doubted whether these last contained the figures that they now do--were in existence before the year #aejj4 ,part if not all of the block containing the ,sta4 ,casa di ,loreto1 in which the ,annunciation is now found1 is also probably earlier than #aejj1 as also an early ,agony in the ,garden now long destroyed1 but of which we are told that the figures were originally made of wood4 ,over and above these there was a ,cena1 ,capture1 ,flagellation1 and an ,ascension chapel1 all of which contained wooden figures1 and cannot be dated later than the three or four earliest years of the sixteenth century4 ,no wooden figure is to be dated later than this1 for when once an oven for baking clay had been made 7and this must have been done soon after ,gaudenzio took the works on the ,sacro ,monte in hand7 the use of wood was discarded never to be resumed4 ,according to both ,fassola and ,torrotti1 the first chapel erected on the ,sacro ,monte was that of ,s4 ,francesco1 with its adjacent reproduction of the ,holy ,sepulchre4 ,according to ,bordiga the first was the entombment1 containing nine figures of wood1 or1 as the earlier writers say1 eight4 ,bordiga probably means that the ,entombment was the earliest chapel with figures in it1 and the other writers that the ,st4 ,francis chapel was the first in which mass was said4 ,these last speak very highly of the wooden figures in the ,entombment chapel1 and so more guardedly does ,bordiga4 ,i will return to them when ,i come to the present group of nine by ,luigi ,marchesi1 a sculptor of ,saltrio1 which were substituted for the old ones in #ahbf4 ,the early writers say that there was no fresco background to this chapel1 and this suggests that the attempt to combine sculpture and painting was not part of the initial scheme1 though soon engrafted on to it1 inasmuch as this is the only chapel about which ,i find it expressly stated by early writers that it was without a fresco background 78senza pittura alcuna074 #eg ,though there was no fresco background1 ,bordiga says there was a fresco painted1 doubtless done very early in his career1 by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 outside the chapel just above the iron grating through which the visitor must look4 ,probably the original scheme was to have sculptured figures inside the chapels1 and frescoes outside2 by an easy modification these last were transferred from the outside to the inside1 and so designed as to form an integral part of the composition3 the daring scheme of combining the utmost resources of both painting and sculpture in a single work was thus gradually evolved rather than arrived at per saltum4 ,assuming1 however1 the currently received date of #aejc or #aejd as correct for ,gaudenzio's frescoes in the present ,piet chapel1 the conception as carried out in the greater number of the existing chapels had then attained the shape from which no subsequent departure was made4 ,returning to ,gaudenzio's fresco outside the ,s4 ,francesco chapel1 ,bordiga says that ,caccia gave the following lines on this work3-- 8,sotto un vicino portico di fuore ,portato a sepelir di pittura ,un ,cristo2 che non mai ,zeuxi pittore ,di questo finse piu bella figura1 ,che un ,san ,francesco possa pareggiare1 ,pinto pi inanzi sopra d'un altare40 ,the reader will note that the fresco is here expressly stated to be 8di fuore0 or outside and not inside the chapel4 ,both ,fassola and ,torrotti place this fresco on the outside wall of the chapel of ,st4 ,francis1 but ,bordiga is probably right in saying it was on the ,entombment chapel4 ,no trace of it remains1 nor yet of the other works by ,gaudenzio1 which all three writers agree were in the ,s4 ,francesco chapel1 though they must all have been some few years later than the chapel itself4 ,these consisted of portraits of ,milano ,scarrognini with ,father ,beato ,candido ,ranzo ,bernardino ,caimi upon the gospel1 or right1 side of the altar1 and of ,scarrognini's wife and son with ,bernardino ,caimi1 on the epistle side4 ,according to ,bordiga1 ,gaudenzio also painted a ,st4 ,anthony of ,padua1 and a ,st4 ,helena1 one on either side the grating4 ,inside the chapel over the altar was a painting of ,st4 ,francis receiving the stigmata1 also by ,gaudenzio4 ,this is the only one of his works in or about the ,s4 ,francesco chapel which still exists2 it is now in the pinacoteca of the ,museum at ,varallo1 but is not1 so far as ,i could judge of it1 one of his best pictures4 ,the other works were in a decayed condition in #agjc1 when they were removed1 and the chapel was redecorated by ,francesco ,leva1 a painter of ,milan4 ,the ,crucifixion chapel of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was begun and finished between #aebj and #aecj4 ,i have found three excellently written dates of #aebi scrawled upon the fresco background4 ,one of them1 8#aebi ,die #bf ,octobre ,johannes ,antoninus10 is especially clear1 and the other two leave no doubt what year was intended4 ,i have found no earlier date1 but should not be surprised if further search were more successful4 ,i may say in passing that it seemed to me as though some parts of the scar made by the inscription had been filled with paint1 while others had certainly not--as though the work had been in parts retouched1 not so very long ago4 ,i think this is so1 but two or three to whom ,i showed what ,i took to be the new colour were not convinced1 so ,i must leave others to decide the point4 ,the ,magi chapel must be assigned to some date between the years #aecj and #aeci--;,i should say probably to about #aech1 but ,i will return to this later on4 ,torrotti says that some of the figures on the ,christ taken for the last time before ,pilate 7chapel ,no4 #cb7 are by ,gaudenzio1 as also some paintings that were preserved when the ,palazzo di ,pilato was built1 but ,i can see no sign of either one or the other now2 nevertheless it is likely enough that several figures--transformed as we shall presently see that d',enrico or his assistants knew very well how to transform them--are doing duty in the ,caiaphas1 ,herod1 ,pilate1 and ,ecce ,homo chapels4 ,so cunningly did the workmen of that time disguise a figure when they wanted to alter its character and action that it would be no easy matter to find out exactly what was done2 if they could turn an ,eve1 as they did1 into a very passable ,roman soldier assisting at the capture of ,christ1 they could make anything out of anything4 ,a figure was a figure1 and was not to be thrown away lightly4 ,soon after the completion of the ,magi chapel the work flagged in consequence of the wars then devastating the provinces of ,north ,italy2 nevertheless by the middle of the sixteenth century we learn from ,torrotti that some nineteen chapels had been completed4 ,it is idle to spend much time in guessing which these chapels were1 when ,caccia's work1 published in #aefe1 is sure to be found some day and will settle the matter authoritatively1 but the reader will not be far wrong if he sees the ,sacro ,monte by the year #aeej as consisting of the following chapels3 ,adam and ,eve1 ,annunciation1 ,salutation 7871 ,magi1 ,adoration of the ,infant ,jesus by the ,shepherds1 ,adoration by ,joseph and ,mary1 ,circumcision1 7but not the present figures nor fresco background71 ,last ,supper1 ,agony in the ,garden1 ,capture1 ,flagellation1 ,crowning with thorns 7871 ,christ taken for the last time before ,pilate1 the ,original journey to ,calvary1 ,fainting ,madonna1 ,crucifixion1 ,entombment1 ,ascension1 and the old church of the ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary now removed4 ,there were probably one or two others1 but there cannot have been many4 ,in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 a ,,ms4 copy of which ,i have before me1 the chapels are given as follows3 ,adam and ,eve1 ,annunciation1 and ,santa ,casa di ,loreto1 ,visit of ,mary to ,elizabeth1 ,magi1 ,joseph and ,mary worshipping the ,infant ,christ1 and the ,adoration of ,shepherds1 #fb ,circumcision1 ,joseph warned to fly1 the chapel 7but not the figures7 of the ,massacre of the ,innocents1 ,flight into ,egypt ,baptism1 ,temptation in the ,wilderness1 ,woman of ,samaria1 the chapel 7but not the figures7 of the ,healing of the ,paralytic1 and the ,raising of the ,widow's son at ,nain1 the ,raising of ,lazarus1 ,entry of ,christ into ,jerusalem1 the ,last ,supper1 ,agony in the ,garden1 ,capture1 ,flagellation1 ,crowning with ,thorns1 ,christ carrying ,his cross to ,calvary 7doubtless ,tabachetti's chapel71 the ,fainting of the ,virgin1 the earlier ,journey to ,calvary by ,gaudenzio 7now dispersed or destroyed71 ,crucifixion1 ,piet1 ,holy ,sepulchre1 ,appearance to ,mary ,magdalene 7now no longer existing74 ,i should say1 however1 that ,i find it impossible to reconcile the two accounts of the journeys to ,calvary1 given in the prose introduction to this work1 and in the poetical description that follows it1 or rather to understand the topography of the poetical version at all1 for the prose account is plain enough4 ,i shall place a ,,ms4 copy of the #aehf edition of ,caccia's book in the ,british ,museum1 before this present volume is published1 and will leave other students of ,valsesian history to be more fortunate if they can4 ,poetical descriptions are so far better than prose1 inasmuch as there is generally less of them in a page1 but on the whole prose has the advantage4 ,it would be interesting to see the #aefe and #aegf editions of ,caccia1 and note the changes and additions that can be found in them4 ,the differences between the #aehf and #aeij editions 7dated #aehg and #aeia--the preface to the second being dated ,september #be1 #aehi71 are enough to throw considerable additional light upon the history of the place1 and if1 as ,i believe likely1 we find no mention of ,tabachetti's ,calvary chapel in the edition of #aegf1 nor of his other chapels1 we should be able to date his arrival at ,varallo within a very few years1 and settle a question which1 until these two editions of ,caccia are found1 appears insoluble4 ,i must be myself content with pointing out these libri desiderati to the future historian4 ,some say that the work on the ,sacro ,monte was almost discontinued between the years #aedj and #aehj4 ,i cannot1 however1 find that this was so1 though it appears to have somewhat flagged4 ,i cannot tell whether ,tabachetti came to ,varallo before ,s4 ,carlo or after him4 ,if before1 then a good deal of the second impetus may be due to the sculptor rather than to the saint2 if after1 and as a consequence of ,s4 ,carlo's visit1 then indeed ,s4 ,carlo must be considered as the second founder of the place2 but whatever view is taken about this1 ,s4 ,carlo's visit in #aegh is convenient as marking a new departure in the history of the ,sacro ,monte1 and he may be fairly called its second founder4 ,giussano gives the following account of his first visit1 which makes us better understand the austere expression that reigns on ,s4 ,carlo's face1 as we see it represented in his portraits3-- 8,it was two o'clock in the day before ,st4 ,charles arrived at this place1 and he had not broken his fast1 but before taking anything he visited the different chapels for meditation1 of which ,father ,adorno gave him the points4 ,as evening drew on1 he withdrew to take his refection of bread and water1 and then returned again to the chapels till after midnight though the weather was very cold0 end of ,october or beginning of ,november4 8,he then took two hours' rest on a chair1 and at five o'clock in the morning resumed his devotions2 then1 after having said his ,mass1 he again allowed himself a small portion of bread and water1 and continued his journey to ,milan1 renewed in fervour of spirit1 and with a firm determination to begin again to serve ,god with greater energy than ever40 #fe ,surely one may add 8according to his lights0 after the words 8to serve ,god40 ,the second visit of ,st4 ,charles to ,varallo1 a few days before his death1 is even more painful reading1 and the reader may be referred for an account of it to chapter xi4 of the second volume of the work last quoted from4 ,he had a cell in the cloister1 where he slept on a wooden bed1 which is still shown and venerated1 and used to spend hours in contemplating the various sacred mysteries1 but most especially the ,agony in the ,garden1 near which a little shelter was made for him1 and in which he was praying when his impending death was announced to him by an angel4 ,but this chapel1 which was near the present ,transfiguration ,chapel1 was destroyed and rebuilt on its present site after his death1 as also the ,cena ,chapel1 which originally contained frescoes by ,bernardino ,lanini4 ,it was on the ,sacro ,monte that ,s4 ,carlo discharged his last public functions1 after which1 feeling that he had taken a chill1 he left ,varallo on the #bith of ,october #aehd1 and died at ,milan six days afterwards4 ,at ,s4 ,carlo's instance ,pellegrino ,pellegrini1 called ,tibaldi1 made a new design for the ,sacro ,monte1 which was happily never carried out1 but which ,i am told involved the destruction of many of the earlier chapels4 ,he made the plan of the ,sacro ,monte as it stood in his time1 which ,i have already referred to1 and designed the many chapels mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia as about to be built4 ,prominent among these was the ,temple of ,solomon1 which was to involve 8una spesa grandissima10 and was to be as like the real temple as it could be made4 ,inside it were to be groups of figures representing ,christ driving out those that bought and sold1 and it was to have a magnificent marble portico4 ,the ,palazzo di ,pilato1 which1 as the name denotes1 is devoted to the sufferings of ,christ under ,pontius ,pilate1 was actually carried out1 though not till some years after ,s4 ,carlo's death1 and not according to ,pellegrini's design4 ,it is most probable that the designer of the ,palazzo di ,pilato1 and of the ,caiaphas and ,herod chapels as we now see them1 was ,giovanni d',enrico4 8,it was in #afjh10 says ,bordiga1 #ff writing of the ,santa ,scala1 which leads from the ,crowning with ,thorns to the ,ecce ,homo chapels1 and which1 one would say1 must have been one of the first things done when the ,palazzo di ,pilato was made1 8that this work with its steps1 exactly twenty-eight in number1 was begun1 according to the design obtained from ,rome by ,francesco ,testa1 who was then ,fabbriciere4 ,this is for the information of those who think it is the work of ,pellegrini40 ,between this year and #afde the four ,pilate chapels1 the ,ecce ,homo1 ,caiaphas1 ,herod1 present ,piet1 ,sleeping ,apostles1 ,agony in the ,garden1 and ,christ ,nailed to the ,cross chapels were either created or reconstructed4 ,these works bear d',enrico's name in the guide-books1 and he no doubt presided over the work that was done in them2 but ,i should say that by far the greater number of the figures in them are by ,giacomo ,ferro1 his assistant1 to whom ,i will return presently1 or by other pupils and assistants4 ,only one chapel1 the ,transfiguration1 belongs to the second half of the seventeenth century1 and one1 the ,christ before ,annas1 to the eighteenth 7#agfe72 one--the present ,entombment--belongs to the nineteenth1 and one or two have been destroyed1 as has been unfortunately the case with the ,chiesa ,vecchia2 but the plan of the ,sacro ,monte in #afga1 which ,i here give1 will show that it was not much different then from what it is at present4 ,the numbers on the chapels are explained as follows3-- #a4 ,gate4 #b4 ,creation of the world and ,adam and ,eve4 #c4 ,annunciation4 #d4 ,salutation4 #e4 ,first vision of ,st4 ,joseph4 #f4 ,magi4 #g4 ,nativity4 #h4 ,circumcision4 #i4 ,second vision of ,st4 ,joseph4 #aj4 ,flight into ,egypt4 #aa4 ,massacre of the ,innocents4 #ab4 ,baptism4 #ac4 ,temptation4 #ad4 ,woman of ,samaria4 #ae4 ,healing the ,paralytic4 #af4 ,widow's son at ,nain4 #ag4 ,transfiguration4 #ah4 ,raising of ,lazarus4 #ai4 ,entry into ,jerusalem4 #bj4 ,last ,supper4 #ba4 ,agony in the ,garden4 #bb4 ,sleeping ,apostles4 #bc4 ,capture4 #bd4 ,caiaphas1 and ,penitence of ,st4 ,peter4 #be4 ,christ before ,pilate4 #bf4 ,christ before ,herod4 #bg4 ,christ sent again to ,pilate4 #bh4 ,flagellation4 #bi4 ,crowning with thorns4 #cj4 ,christ about to ascend the ,santa ,scala 7not shown on plan74 #ca4 ,ecce ,homo4 #cb4 ,pilate washes his hands4 #cc4 ,christ condemned to death4 #cd4 ,christ carrying the ,cross4 #ce4 ,nailing to the ,cross4 #cf4 ,passion4 #cg4 ,deposition from the ,cross4 #ch4 ,piet4 #ci4 ,entombment 7not shown on plan74 #dj4 ,chapel of ,st4 ,francis4 #da4 ,holy ,sepulchre4 #db4 ,appearance to ,mary ,magdalene4 #dc4 ,infancy of the ,virgin4 #dd4 ,sepulchre of the ,virgin4 #de4 ,sepulchre of ,st4 ,anne4 #df4 ,ascended ,christ over the fountain4 #dg4 ,chiesa ,vecchia4 #dh4 ,chiesa ,maggiore4 ,the view is a bird's-eye one1 and there is hardly any hill in reality4 ,picture3 ,plate ,i3 ,plan of the ,sacro ,monte in #afga ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,preliminary ,,considerations4 ,,the foregoing outline of the history of the work must suffice for the present4 ,i will reserve further remarks for the space which ,i will devote to each individual chapel4 ,as regards the particular form the work took1 ,i own that ,i have been at times inclined to wonder whether ,leonardo da ,vinci may not have had something to do with it4 ,between #adha and the end of #adii he was in ,milan1 and during the later years of this period was the chief authority on all art matters4 ,it is not easy to think that ,caimi1 who was a ,milanese1 would not consult him before embarking upon an art enterprise of the first magnitude2 and certainly there is a something in the idea of turning the full strength of both painting and sculpture at once on to a single subject1 which harmonises well with the magnificent rashness of which we know ,leonardo to have been capable1 and with the fact that he was both a painter and a sculptor himself4 ,there is1 however1 not one scrap of evidence in support of this view1 which is based solely on the fact that both the scheme and ,leonardo were audacious1 and that the first is little likely to have been undertaken without counsel from the second4 ,the actual evidence points rather1 as already indicated1 in the direction of thinking that the frescoes began outside the chapels1 got inside them for shelter1 and ere long claimed the premises as belonging no less to themselves than to the statues4 ,the idea of treating full-relief sculptured figures with a view to a pictorial rather than sculpturesque effect was in itself1 as undertaken when ,gaudenzio was too young to have had a voice in the matter1 a daring innovation1 even without the adjunct of a fresco background2 and the idea of taking a mountain as though it were a book1 and illustrating it with a number of such groups1 was more daring still4 ,to this extent we may perhaps suppose ,caimi to have been indebted to ,leonardo da ,vinci3 the rest is probably due to ,gaudenzio1 who evolved it in the course of those unforeseen developments of which design and judgment are never slow to take advantage4 ,to whomsoever the conception may be due1 if it had only been carried out by such artists as ,tabachetti and ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 or even ,giovanni d',enrico1 to say nothing of ,bargnola or ,rossetti1 7to whichever of the two the ,massacre of the ,innocents must be assigned17 works like those at ,varallo might have been repeated1 as indeed they sometimes were1 thenceforward to the present day4 ,unfortunately the same thing was attempted at ,orta1 and later on at ,varese1 by greatly inferior men4 ,it is true that some of the groups at ,varese1 especially the one in the ,disputa ,chapel1 are exceedingly fine1 and that there are few chapels even there in which no good or even admirable figures may be found4 ,still the prevailing spirit at ,varese is stagey2 the work belongs to an age when art of all kinds was held to consist mainly in exaggeration1 and when freedom from affectation had fallen into a disrepute from which it has taken centuries to emerge4 ,nevertheless the work at ,varese is for the most part able2 if at times somewhat boisterous and ranting1 it is incomparably above the feeble1 silly cant of ,orta2 but unfortunately it is by ,orta that ,english people for the most part judge the attempt to combine sculpture and painting4 ,it is indeed some years since ,i was at this last-named place1 and remembering how long ,i knew the ,sacro ,monte at ,varallo without observing the ,vecchietto in the ,descent from the ,cross ,chapel1 ,i cannot be sure that there is not some more interesting work at ,orta than ,i now know4 ,i do not think1 however1 ,i am far wrong in saying that the chapels at ,orta are for the most part exceedingly bad4 ,so are some even at ,varallo itself1 but assuredly not most of them4 ,one--,i mean1 of course1 ,tabachetti's ,journey to ,calvary1 which contains about forty figures rather larger than life1 and nine horses1--is of such superlative excellence as regards composition and dramatic power1 to say nothing of the many admirable individual figures comprised in it1 that it is not too much to call it the most astounding work that has ever been achieved in sculpture4 ,i know that this is strong language1 but have considered my words as much as ,i care to do4 ,as ,michael ,angelo's ,medicean ,chapel errs on the side of over-subtlety1 refinement1 and the exaggerated idealism from which indeed there is but one step to the barocco1 so does ,tabachetti's on that of over-downrightness1 or1 as a critic with a cultivated eye might say1 with perhaps a show of reason at a first glance1 even of vulgarity4 ,nevertheless1 if ,i could have my choice whether to have created ,michael ,angelo's chapel or ,tabachetti's1 ,i should not for a moment hesitate about choosing ,tabachetti's1 though it drove its unhappy creator mad1 which the ,medicean chapel never did by ,michael ,angelo4 ,three other chapels by ,tabachetti are also admirable works4 ,two chapels contain very extensive frescoes by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 than which it is safe to say that no finer works of their kind have been preserved to us4 ,the statues by ,gaudenzio in the same chapels are all interesting1 and some remarkably good4 ,their arrangement in the ,crucifixion ,chapel1 if not marked by the superlative dramatic power of ,tabachetti1 is still solemn1 dignified1 and impressive4 ,the frescoes by ,morazzone in ,tabachetti's great chapel belong to the decline of art1 but there is still much in them that is excellent4 ,so there is in some of those by ,tanzio and ,melchiorre1 ,giovanni d',enrico's brothers4 ,giovanni d',enrico's ,nailing of ,christ to the ,cross1 with its sixty figures all rather larger than life1 challenges a comparison with ,tabachetti's1 which it will not bear2 still it is a great work4 ,so are several of his other chapels4 ,i am not so thoroughly in sympathy with the work of any of the three brothers d',enrico as ,i should like to be1 but they cannot be ignored or spoken of without respect4 ,there are excellent figures in some of the chapels by less well-known men2 and lastly1 there is the ,vecchietto1 perhaps the finest figure of all1 who looks as if he had dropped straight from the heavens towards which he is steadfastly regarding1 and of whom nothing is known except that1 if not by ,tabachetti1 he must be by a genius in some respects even more commanding1 who has left us nothing save this ,melchizedek of a figure1 without father1 mother1 or descent4 ,i have glanced at some of the wealth in store for those who will explore it1 but at the same time ,i cannot pretend that even the greater number of the chapels on the ,sacro ,monte are above criticism2 and unfortunately some of the best do not come till the visitor1 if he takes them in the prescribed order1 has already seen a good many1 and is beginning to be tired4 ,there is not a little to be said in favour of taking them in the reverse order4 ,as when one has sampled several figures in a chapel and found them commonplace1 one is apt to overlook a good one which may have got in by accident of shifting in some one of the several rearrangements made in the course of more than three centuries1 so when sampling the chapels themselves1 after finding half a dozen running which are of inferior merit1 we approach the others with a bias against them4 ,moreover1 all of them have suffered more or less severely from decay4 ,rain and snow1 indeed1 can hardly get right inside the chapels1 or1 at any rate1 not inside most of them1 but they are all open to the air1 and1 at a height of over two thousand feet1 ages of winter damp have dimmed the glory even of the best-preserved4 ,in many cases the hair and beards1 with excess of realism1 were made of horse hair glued on1 and the glue now shows unpleasantly2 while the paint on many of the faces and dresses has blistered or peeled1 leaving the figures with a diseased and mangy look4 ,in other cases1 they have been scraped and repainted1 and this process has probably been repeated many times over1 with inevitable loss of character2 for the paint1 unless very carefully removed1 must soon clog up and conceal delicate modelling in many parts of the face and hands4 ,the new paint has often been of a shiny1 oleaginous character1 and this will go far to vulgarise even a finely modelled figure1 giving it something of the look of a ,highlander outside a tobacconist's shop4 ,i am glad to see that ,professor ,burlazzi1 in repainting the ,adam and ,eve in the first chapel1 has used dead colour1 as was done by ,tabachetti in his ,journey to ,calvary4 ,as the figures have often become mangy1 so the frescoes are with few exceptions injured by damp and mould4 ,the expense of keeping up so many chapels must be very heavy2 it is surprising1 therefore1 that the general state of repair should be as good as it is4 ,nevertheless1 there is not a chapel which does not require some effort of the imagination before the mind's eye can see it as it was when left by those who made it4 ,unless the reader feels equal to this effort1--and enough remains to make it a very possible one--he had better stick to the ,royal ,academy and ,grosvenor ,exhibitions4 ,it should go without saying that a work of art1 if considered at all1 must be held to be as it was when first completed4 ,if we could see ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's ,crucifixion ,chapel with its marvellous frescoes as strong and fresh in colour as they were three centuries and a half ago1 and with its nearly thirty life-sized human figures and horses in good condition--not forgetting that1 whatever ,sir ,henry ,layard may say to the contrary1 they are all by one hand2 if1 again1 ,tabachetti's great work was seen by us as it was seen by ,tabachetti1 and ,morazzone's really fine background were not disfigured by damp and mildew1 it can hardly be doubted that even 8a cultivated eye0 would find little difficulty in seeing these two chapels as among the very finest triumphs that have been vouchsafed to human genius2 and surely1 if this be so1 it follows that we should rate them no lower even now4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's ,crucifixion ,chapel1 regarded as a single work1 conceived and executed by a single artist1 who aimed with one intention at the highest points ever attained both by painting and sculpture1 and who wielded on a very large scale1 in connection with what was then held to be the sublimest and most solemn of conceivable subjects1 the fullest range of all the resources available by either1 must stand as perhaps the most daringly ambitious attempt that has been made in the history of art4 ,as regards the frescoes1 the success was as signal as the daring2 and even as regards the sculpture1 the work cannot be said to have failed4 ,gaudenzio the sculptor will not indeed compare with ,gaudenzio the painter2 still less will he compare with ,tabachetti either as a modeller or composer of full-relief figures2 but ,tabachetti did not paint his own background as well as make his figures1 and something must always be allowed to those who are carrying double4 ,moreover1 ,tabachetti followed1 whereas ,gaudenzio led as pioneer in a realm of art never hitherto attempted4 ,nevertheless1 ,i may be allowed to say that1 notwithstanding all ,gaudenzio's greatness1 ,i find ,tabachetti the strongest and most robust of all the great men who have left their mark on the ,sacro ,monte at ,varallo4 ,we cannot dismiss such works with cheap commonplaces about ,madame ,tussaud's--and for aught ,i know there may be some very good stuff at ,madame ,tussaud's--or sneer at them as though they must be all much of a muchness1 and because the ,orta chapels are bad1 therefore those at ,varallo must be so also4 ,those who confine themselves to retailing what they take to be art-tips gathered from our leading journals of culture1 will probably continue to trade on this not very hardly earned capital1 whatever may be urged upon the other side2 but those who will take the trouble involved in forming an independent judgment may be encouraged to make investment of their effort here by remembering that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari ranks as among the few purest and most accomplished artists of the very culminating period of ,italian art1 and that what he thought good enough to do may be well worth our while to consider with the best attention we can give to it4 ,another point should not be forgotten by those who would form their opinion intelligently4 ,i mean1 that they are approaching a class of work with which they are unfamiliar1 and must not1 therefore1 expect to be able to make up their minds about it as they might if the question were one either of painting or sculpture only4 ,sculpture and painting are here integral parts of a single design1 and it is some little time before we grasp this conception so fully to be able to balance duly the merits and demerits of different compositions1 even though we eventually get to see that there is an immeasurable distance between the best and worst4 ,i now know1 for example1 that ,tabachetti's ,journey to ,calvary is greatly finer than ,giovanni d',enrico's ,nailing to the ,cross4 ,i see this so clearly that ,i find it difficult to conceive how ,i can have doubted about it4 ,at the same time1 ,i can remember thinking that one was nearly as good as the other1 and this long after ,i should have found little difficulty in making up my mind about less complex works4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,aim ,,and ,,scope ,,of ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte4 ,,the difficulty referred to at the close of the last chapter is the same as that which those who rarely go to a theatre have to get over before they can appreciate an actor4 ,they go to 8,macbeth0 or 8,othello10 expecting to find players speaking and acting on the stage much as they would in actual life2 and not finding this1 are apt to think the acting coarse and unnatural4 ,they forget that the physical conditions of the stage involve compliance with conventions from which there is no escape1 and expect the players to play a game which the players themselves know to be impossible1 and are not even trying to play4 ,so important is it to understand the standpoint from which the artists at ,varallo worked1 that ,i shall venture some further remarks upon their aim and scope before going on to the works themselves4 ,their object1 or the object of those who commissioned them1 was to bring the scene with which they were engaged home to the spectator in all its fulness1 short of actual life and motion2 but in this 8short of actual life and motion0 what a cutting-out of the part of ,hamlet is there not involved4 ,we can spare a good deal of ,hamlet2 but if the part is totally excised1--even though the ,hamlet be ,mr4 ,irving himself1--the play must suffer4 ,to try to represent action without the immediate changes of position and expression which are its most essential features1 seems like courting defeat1 and to a certain extent defeat does invariably follow the attempt to treat very violent rapid action except loosely and sketchily4 ,violent action carried to high degree of finish is hardly ever successful in painting or sculpture2 a crowd done in ,michael ,angelo's ,medici chapel manner must inevitably fail1 and if a crowd is to be treated in sculpture at all1 ,tabachetti's broad1 large-brushed1 and somewhat sketchy treatment is the one most to be preferred4 ,in spite1 however1 of the incomparable success of ,tabachetti's work1 ,i am tempted to question whether quiet and reposeful sculpture is not always most permanently pleasing1 as not involving so peremptory a demand for the change that cannot1 of course1 ensue4 ,at any rate1 as one lie generally leads to others1 so with the attempt to render action without action's most essential characteristic1 there is a departure from realism which involves a host of other departures if the error is to be distributed so as to avoid offence4 ,in other words1 convention1 or a composition between artist and spectator1 whereby1 in view of admitted bankruptcy and failure of possible payment in full1 a less thing shall be taken as a greater1 has superseded nature at a very early point in the proceedings4 ,nevertheless1 within the limits of the composition we expect to be paid in full2 whatever the dividend is we are to have all of it1 and we sometimes take a different view of the terms of the settlement to that taken by those with whom we are dealing4 ,it being admitted that the object of the ,sacro ,monte workmen was to bring a scene home to the spectator in all possible fulness1 we expect to have a quotum of our own ideas of the scene1 whatever they may be1 put before us1 and are more or less offended when we find a composition which we consider to be unreal even within its own covenanted limitations4 ,the fault1 however1 rests greatly with ourselves1 in forgetting that it must be the ideal of medieval ,italians and not our own that we should look for1 and that their ideas concerning the chief actors in the sacred dramas were not as ours are4 ,for us1 the view of history has been gathered to its fathers1 and is reigning in its stead4 ,we believe that we have advanced upon1 not degenerated from our ancestors1 except here and there as by way of back eddy1 but ,italians in the ,middle ,ages may be excused for having been overawed by the remains of the old splendour which met them everywhere2 and even if this had not been so1 to children and half-educated people that which happened long ago is always grander and larger than any like thing that happened recently4 ,as regards the sacred dramas this grandioseness of conception extended even to the villains of the piece1 who must be greater1 more muscular1 thorough-going1 unredeemed villains than any now existing4 ,the realism which would have proved so touching and grateful now--for we should have found it turned into idealism through the impress of that seal which it is time's glory to set upon aged things--would in the ,middle ,ages have seemed as unworthy1 and as much below the dignity of the subject as modern treatment of the same subjects1 with modern costumes1 would seem to ourselves4 ,ages thwart and play at cross purposes with one another1 as parents do with children2 and our forefathers have been at infinite trouble and expense to give us what we do not want1 and have withheld what they might have given with very little trouble1 and we should have held as priceless4 ,we cannot help it2 it always has been and always will be so4 ,omne ignotum pro magnifico is a condition of existence or at any rate of progress1 and the unknown of the past takes a splendour reflected from that of the future4 ,the artists and public of the sixteenth century could no more find what they deemed a worthy ideal in their own familiar1 and as it seemed to them prosaic age than we in ours1 and every age must make its art work to its own liking and not to that of other people4 ,caimi was thinking mainly of his own generation2 he could not wait a couple of hundred years or so till the work should become touching and quaint through age2 he wanted it to be effective then and there1 which if the ,apostles were shown as mere common peasants and fishermen of the then present day1 it would not and could not be--not at any rate with the pit1 and it was to the pit as well as to the boxes that these pieces were being played4 ,let the ablest sculptors of the present time be asked to treat sacred subjects as was attempted at ,varallo1 with the condition that they must keep closely to the costume of to-day1 and they would probably one and all of them decline the task4 ,we know very well that1 laugh at it as we may1 our costume will three hundred years hence be as interesting as that of any other age1 but that is not to the point3 it has got to be effective now1 whereas our familiarity with it has bred contempt4 ,in the earlier ages both of painting and sculpture these considerations1 obvious as they are1 were not taken into account4 ,the first artists during the medieval revival of art rose as little to theory as children do4 ,they found the mere doing at all so difficult that they were at the mercy in great measure of what they could get4 ,the real was as much as1 and more than1 they could manage1 and they would have idealised long before they did1 if they had not felt the task too much for them4 ,they could1 with infinite trouble1 they hardly knew how1 save themselves yet so as by fire and get a head or figure of some sort that was not quite unlike what it was meant for1 but they could only do this by helping their unpractised memories to the facts morsel by morsel1 treating nature as though she were a stuffed set piece1 getting her to sit as still for as long a time as she could be persuaded to do1 and then going all over her touch for touch with a brush like the point of a pin4 ,if the early masters had been able to do all they would have liked to have done1 no doubt they would most of them have been as vulgar as we are2 fortunately their incompetence stood them in good stead and saved them from becoming the ,guidos1 ,domenichinos1 and ,guercinos1 that so many of their more competent successors took so much trouble to become4 ,incompetence1 if amiable and painstaking1 will have with it an unconscious involuntary idealism of its own which is perhaps more charming than any that can be attained by aiming at it deliberately2 at any rate it will take the thing portrayed apart from the everyday familiar routine of life which is the great enemy of fancy and the ideal2 but the artists of the ,sacro ,monte had got far beyond the point at which incompetence could be of much use to them1 and had to find some other means whereby to steer clear of the everyday life which to the public for whom they had to play1 would have appeared so vulgar1 and to us so infinitely more delightful than much that they have actually left us4 ,these means they could only find in much the same quarters as dramatic writers and players find them on the stage1 and to a certain extent no doubt the ,varallo chapels1 like all other attempts to place a scene upon a stage1 must submit to the charge of being more or less stagey1 but--more especially considering that they are seen by daylight1--it is surprising how little stagey they are4 ,also1 like all other attempts to place a scene upon the stage1 they will be found to consist of a few stars1 several players of secondary importance1 and a certain number of supers4 ,it is a mistake to attempt1 as ,i am told is attempted at the ,comdie ,franaise1 to have all the actors of first-class merit4 ,they kill one another even in a picture1 and on the whole in any work of art it is better to concentrate the main interest on a sufficient number of the most important figures1 and to let the setting off of these be the chief business of the remainder4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari hardly understood this at all1 and has no figures which can be considered as mere stage accessories4 ,tabachetti understood it1 but could hardly bring himself down to the level of his supers4 ,d',enrico understood it perhaps a shade too well2 he was a man of business as well as of very considerable genius1 and turned his supers over to ,giacomo ,ferro1 who might be trusted to keep them sufficiently commonplace to show his own work to advantage4 ,it must be owned1 however1 that the greater number of ,d',enrico's chapels would be better if there had been a little more ,d',enrico in them and less ,giacomo ,ferro1 and if the ,d',enrico had been always taking pains4 ,we1 of course1 should have preferred the figures in the ,varallo chapels to be all of them as realistic as the artist could make them1 provided he chose good types1 as a good man may be very well trusted to do4 ,whenever we get a bit of realism as in the ,eve1 and ,sleeping ,st4 ,joseph of ,tabachetti1 in the ,herod1 laughing boys1 and ,caiaphas of ,d',enrico1 and still more in the ,vecchietto1 or in the three or four of the figures in the ,st4 ,eusebius ,chapel at ,crea1 we accept it with avidity1 and we may be sure that the masters who gave us the figures above-named could have given us any number equally realistic if they had been inclined to do so4 ,tabachetti's instinct was certainly towards realism as far as he dared1 but even he is not in most cases realistic--not1 ,i mean1 in the sense of making his personages actual life-like portraits4 ,that he was not more so than he is is probably due to some of the considerations on which ,i have above imperfectly dwelt1 and to others that have escaped myself1 but were patent enough to him4 ,one other practical consideration would make against realism in such works as those at ,varallo1 ,i mean the fact that if the figures were to be portraits of the ,varallo celebrities of the time1 the whole place would have been set by the ears in the competition as to who was to be represented and with what precedence4 ,it was only by passing a kind of self-denying ordinance and forbidding portraiture at all that the work could be carried out4 ,here and there1 as in the case of ,tabachetti's portrait of the ,countess ,solomoni of ,serravalle in his ,journey to ,calvary1 or as in that of the ,vecchietto 7in each case a supposed benefactress and benefactor7 an exception was made2 in most others it seems to have been understood that whatever else the figures were to be1 they must not be portraits4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari1 ,,tabachetti1 ,,and ,,giovanni ,d',,enrico4 ,,before going through the various chapels seriatim1 it may be well to give a short account of three out of the four most interesting figures among the numerous artists who worked on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,by these ,i mean1 of course1 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 ,tabachetti1 ,giovanni d',enrico1 and the sculptor1 whoever he may have been1 of the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel4 ,i take my account of ,gaudenzio chiefly from ,colombo's admirable work1 and from the not less excellent notice by ,signor ,tonetti1 that appeared in the 8,museo ,storico ed ,artistico ,valsesiano0 for ,july and ,august #ahhe4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was born1 according to the general belief1 in #adhd1 but ,colombo shows reasons for thinking that this date is some four or five years too late4 ,his father was named ,antonio ,lanfranco or ,franchino4 #ij ,he too was a painter1 but nothing is known of him or his works beyond the fact that he lived at ,valduggia1 where his son ,gaudenzio was born1 married a woman whose surname was ,vinzio1 and was dead by #aeaj4 ,gaudenzio in his early years several times signed his pictures with his mother's name1 calling himself ,vincius1 ,de ,vincio1 or ,de ,vince4 ,he is generally said to have studied first under ,gerolamo ,giovenone of ,vercelli1 but this painter was not born till #adia1 and we have the authority of ,lomazzo for saying that ,gaudenzio's chief instructor was ,stefano ,scotto1 a painter of ,milan1 who kept a school that was more or less a rival to that of ,leonardo da ,vinci4 ,i have myself no doubt that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari has given ,scotto's portrait in at least three of the works he has left behind him at ,varallo1 but will return to this subject when ,i come to deal with the various places in which these portraits appear4 ,his first works of importance1 or at least the earliest that remain to us1 are probably in or in the immediate vicinity of ,varallo2 but little is known of his early years and work1 beyond what is comprised in the three pages that form the second chapter of ,colombo's book4 ,there is an early ancona at ,la ,rocca1 near ,varallo1 another in the parocchia of ,gattinara1 and possibly a greatly damaged ,piet in the cloisters of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie at ,varallo may be1 as it is said to be1 an early work by ,gaudenzio4 ,besides these1 the wreck of the frescoes on the ,piet chapel on the ,sacro ,monte1 and other works on the same site1 now lost1 belong to his earlier years4 ,some believe that about the year #aejf he travelled to ,perugia1 ,florence1 and ,rome1 where he made the acquaintance of ,raphael1 and perhaps studied under ,perugino1 but ,colombo has shown on what very slender1 if any1 grounds this belief is based1 and evidently inclines to the belief that ,gaudenzio never went to ,rome1 nor indeed1 probably1 outside ,lombardy at all4 ,the only one of ,gaudenzio's works in which ,i can myself see anything that may perhaps be called a trace of ,umbrian influence1 is in the fresco of ,christ disputing with the ,doctors1 in the chapel of ,sta4 ,margherita1 in the ,church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie at ,varallo4 ,this fresco1 as ,signor ,arienta has pointed out to me1 contains a strong reminiscence of the architectural background in ,raphael's school of ,athens2 it was painted--so far as an illegible hieroglyphic signature can be taken as read1 and so far as internal evidence of style may be relied upon1 somewhere about the year4 ,if ,gaudenzio was for the moment influenced by ,raphael1 he soon shook off the influence and formed a style of his own1 from which he did not depart1 except as enriching and enlarging his manner with advancing experience4 ,moreover1 ,colombo 7p4 #ge7 points out that the works by ,raphael to which ,gaudenzio's ,disputa is supposed to present an analogy1 were not finished till #aeaa1 and are hence probably later than ,gaudenzio's fresco4 ,perhaps both painters drew from some common source4 ,in #aejh he was at ,vercelli1 and on the #bfth of ,july signed a contract to paint a picture for the church of ,s4 ,anna4 ,he is described in the deed as 8,gaudentius de ,varali40 ,he had by this time married his first wife1 by whom he had two children1 ,gerolamo and ,margherita1 born in #aejh and #aeab4 ,in #aeaj he undertook to paint an altarpiece for the main church at ,arona1 and completed it in #aeaa1 signing the work 8,magister ,gaudentius de ,vince1 filius quondam magistri ,lanfranchi habitator vallis ,siccid40 ,in #aeac he painted the magnificent series of frescoes in the church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie at ,varallo1 signing the work and dating it1 this time more legibly than he had done his earlier work in the chapel of ,st4 ,margaret4 ,in ,july #aead he signed a contract to paint an altarpiece for the ,basilica of ,s4 ,gaudenzio at ,novara4 ,it was to be completed within eighteen months from the date of the contract and doubtless was so1 but ,gaudenzio found a good deal of difficulty in getting his money1 which was not paid in full till #aeba4 ,he is occasionally met with at ,novara and ,vercelli between the years #aeae and #aebd1 but his main place of abode was ,varallo4 ,no date can be positively assigned for his great ,crucifixion chapel on the ,sacro ,monte1 but it belongs probably to the years #aebd-aebh4 ,i have already said that ,i can find no dates scrawled on the walls earlier than #aebi4 ,such dates may be found yet1 but if they are not found1 it may be assumed that the chapel was not thrown open to the public much before that year4 ,there is still a little relievo employed in the fresco background1 but not nearly so much as in the church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 and the increase of freedom is so evident that it is difficult not to suppose an interval of a good many years between the two works4 ,i gather that by the year #aebj ,gaudenzio had abandoned the use of gold and of relievo in painting1 but he may have made an exception in the case of a work which was to consist both of sculpture and painting2 and there is indeed a good deal to be said in favour of relievo in such a case1 as helping to unite the sculptured and painted portions of the work4 ,even in the ,magi chapel1 the frescoes of which are several years later than those in the ,crucifixion chapel1 there are still a few bosses of relievo in the horses' trappings4 ,the date usually assigned to the ,crucifixion chapel is #aebd1 and1 in default of more precise knowledge1 we shall do well to adhere to the date #aebd-aebh already suggested4 ,about #aebd ,gaudenzio painted a picture for the ,sacristy of the ,cathedral of ,novara1 and ,signor ,tonetti says that the very beautiful picture behind the high altar in the church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio at ,varallo is generally assigned to about the same period4 ,he goes on to say that in #aebf ,gaudenzio was certainly working at his native village of ,valduggia1 where1 in #aebd or #aebe1 a chapel had been erected in honour of ,s4 ,rocco1 who it was supposed had kept the ,valsesia free from the plague that had devastated other parts of ,italy4 ,this chapel ,gaudenzio decorated with frescoes that have now disappeared1 but whose former existence is recorded in an inscription placed in #agic1 when the chapel was restored4 ,the inscription runs3 8,quod populus peste denfensori erigebat an ,,mdxxvi ,gaudentius ,ferrarius patritius ex voto pictur decorabat10 c4 ,in #aebh he transferred his abode to ,vercelli1 and about the same year married again4 ,his second wife was a widow who had a boy of ten years old by ,giovanni ,antonio del ,olmo1 of ,bergamo4 ,her name was ,maria ,mattia della ,foppa2 she came from ,morbegno in the ,valtellina1 and was of the same family as ,vincenzo ,foppa1 the reputed founder of the ,milanese school of painting4 ,in #aecb he married his daughter ,margherita to ,domenico ,pertegalle1 surnamed ,festa1 of ,crevola near ,varallo--he and his son ,gerolamo undertaking to give her a dowry of #ejj lire imperiale1 payable in four years1 and secured by mortgage on ,gaudenzio's house in ,varallo4 ,in #aecf he painted the cupola of the church of the ,madonna dei ,miracoli at ,saronno2 he then returned to ,vercelli1 but his abode and movements are somewhat obscure till #aeci1 when it is certain that he left ,varallo for ever1 settled in ,milan1 and died there between the years #aedf and #aedi4 ,he does not appear to have continued to reside in ,vercelli after #aecf2 we may perhaps1 therefore1 think that he returned for a time to ,varallo1 and that the frescoes on the ,magi chapel should be given to some date between #aecf and #aeci4 ,they are certainly several years later than those in the ,crucifixion chapel2 but ,i will return to these frescoes when ,i come to the ,magi chapel itself4 ,in #aeci he lost his son ,gerolamo1 and ,colombo ascribes his departure from ,varallo to grief2 but we cannot forget that in the year #aech there broke out a violent quarrel between the ecclesiastics of the ,sacro ,monte and the lay governors of ,varallo4 ,fassola says that in #aecj ,gio4 ,ant4 ,scarrognini1 grandson of ,milano ,scarrognini1 and some time afterwards ,gio4 ,angiolo ,draghetti1 were made ,fabbricieri4 ,the election of this last was opposed by the ecclesiastics1 who wished to see certain persons elected who were already proctors of the convent1 but the ,vicini held out1 and carried the day4 ,party feeling ran so high1 and the ,fathers wished to have such absolute control over the keys of the various money boxes attached to the chapels1 and over all other matters1 that it may well have been difficult for ,gaudenzio to avoid coming into collision with one or both of these contending parties2 matters came to a head in the year #aech1 and his leaving ,varallo for ever about this time may1 perhaps1 be referred to his finding himself in an intolerable position1 as well as to the death of his son2 but1 however this may be1 he sold his house on the #eth of ,august1 #aeci1 for seven hundred lire imperiali1 and for the rest of his life resided in ,milan1 where he executed several important works1 for which ,i must refer my readers to the pages of ,colombo4 ,the foregoing meagre notice is all that my space allows me to give concerning the life of this great master4 ,i will conclude it with a quotation from ,signor ,morelli which ,i take from ,sir ,henry ,layard's recent edition of ,kugler's ,handbook of ,painting 7vol4 ii4 p4 #dbd74 ,signor ,morelli is quoted as saying-- 8,gaudenzio ,ferrari is inferior to very few of his contemporaries1 and occasionally1 as in some of those groups of men and women in the great ,crucifixion at ,varallo1 he might challenge comparison with ,raphael himself40 ,it would be a bad business for ,raphael if he did4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was what ,raphael is commonly believed to have been4 ,i do not mean1 that he was the prince of painters--such expressions are always hyperbolical2 there has been no prince of painters2 ,i mean that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's feeling was profound1 whereas ,raphael's was at best only skin deep4 ,nevertheless ,signor ,morelli is impressed with ,ferrari's greatness1 and places him1 8for all in all1 as regards inventive genius1 dramatic life1 and picturesqueness 99 99 far above ,luini40 ,bernardino ,luini must stand so very high that no one can be placed far above him2 nevertheless1 it is hard not to think that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was upon the whole the stronger man4 ,,tabachetti4 ,great and fascinating as ,gaudenzio was1 ,i have already said that ,i find ,tabachetti a still more interesting figure4 ,he had all ,gaudenzio's love of beauty1 coupled with a robustness1 and freedom from mannerism and self-repetition1 that are not always observable in ,gaudenzio's work4 ,if ,gaudenzio has never received anything approaching to his due meed of praise1 ,tabachetti may be almost said never to have been praised at all4 ,in ,varallo1 indeed1 and its neighbourhood he is justly regarded as a giant1 but the art world generally knows not so much as his name4 ,cicognara1 ,lbke1 and ,perkins know not of his existence1 nor of that of ,varallo itself1 nor of any ,valsesian school of sculpture4 ,i have shown that so admirable a writer as ,mr4 ,king never even alludes to him1 while the most recent authority of any reputed eminence on ,italian art thinks that the ,titan of terra-cotta was a painter and a pupil of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari4 ,zani1 indeed1 in his 8,enciclopedia ,metodica10 #ajj;a and ,nagler in his 8,knstler ,lexicon10 #ajj;b to which works my attention was directed by ,mr4 ,donoghue of the ,british ,museum1 both mention ,tabachetti4 ,the first calls him 8bravissimo10 but makes him a ,novarese1 and calls him 8,scultore1 plasticalore1 ,pittore10 and 8,incisore di stampe bulino40 ,the second says that ,bartoli 7,opp4 mor4 ,i4 #b71 calls him a ,flemish sculptor2 that he made forty small chapels and several hermitages at ,crea in the ,monferrato district2 and that he also worked much at ,varallo4 ,i have in vain tried to find the passage in ,bartoli to which ,nagler refers1 and should be much obliged to any one who is more fortunate if he will give me a fuller reference4 ,the 8,opp4 mor40 referred to appears to be a translation of the 8,opuscoli morali0 of ,l4 ,b4 ,alberti1 published at ,venice in #aefh1 which is too early for ,tabachetti4 ,i have had ,bartoli's translation before me1 but could discover nothing4 ,nagler's words run3-- 8,tabachetti ,johann ,baptist1 nennt ,bartoli 7,opp4 mor4 ,i4 #b71 einen ,niederlindischen ,bildhauer1 ohne seine ,lebenzeit zu bestimmen4 ,in der ,kirche ,u4,l4,f4 ,tu ,creo 7sic7 7,montferrat7 stellte er in vierzig kleinen capellen die ,geschichte der heil4 ,jungfrau1 des ,heilandes und einiger ,einsidler dar4 ,auch in ,varallo arbeitete er vieles40 ,if little is known about ,gaudenzio we know still less about ,tabachetti4 ,i do not believe that more is yet ascertained than ,i can give in the next few pages4 ,his name was ,jean ,baptiste ,tabaquet1 and he came from ,dinant in ,belgium4 ,this fact has only come to my knowledge within the last few weeks1 and ,i have been unable to go to ,dinant and see whether anything can be there made out about him4 ,i will thankfully receive any information which any one is good enough to send me upon this subject4 ,it is not known when he came to ,varallo1 but by the year #aehf his great ,calvary chapel was undoubtedly finished1 as also1 ,i imagine1 the ,adam and ,eve1 and ,temptation chapels1 all three of which are mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia4 ,in the #aeij edition1 the abbreviated word 8bellissi40 has been added to the description of the ,calvary chapel1 as though it were an oversight in the earlier edition to take no note of the remarkable excellence of the work3 there can be no doubt1 therefore1 that ,bordiga and the other principal authorities are wrong in dating this chapel #afjf4 ,how much earlier it may be than #aehf ,i cannot determine till the missing editions of ,caccia are found1 but there is not enough other work of ,tabachetti's on the ,sacro ,monte to let us suppose that he had worked there for very many years4 ,both ,fassola and ,torrotti say that he began the ,visit of ,mary to ,elizabeth1 but went mad1 leaving the work to be completed by another artist4 ,it was generally supposed that this was the end of him1 but there can be no doubt that1 if ever he went mad at all1 it was only for a short time1 as a consequence of over-fatigue1 and perhaps worry1 over his gigantic work1 the ,journey to ,calvary chapel4 ,that he was either absent from ,varallo1 or at ,varallo but unable to work1 between the years #aehf and #aeij1 is certain1 for1 in the first place1 there is no work on the ,sacro ,monte that can possibly be given to him during these years1 and in the second1 if he had been available1 considering the brilliant success of his ,calvary chapel1 the ,massacre of the ,innocents1 which dates from #aehf-aeij1 would surely have been entrusted to him1 instead of to ,rossetti or ,bargnola--whichever of these two is the rightful sculptor4 ,nevertheless it is certain that after the end of #aehi1 to which date the edition of ,caccia appears by its preface to belong1 ,tabachetti reappeared in full force1 did one chapel of extreme beauty--the first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph--and nothing more--unless indeed the ,vecchietto be assigned to this date4 ,we know this1 inasmuch as the ,first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph chapel is not mentioned at all in either the #aehf or #aeij editions of ,caccia1 and was evidently not yet even contemplated1 whereas the ,visit of ,mary to ,elizabeth1 over which he is supposed to have gone mad1 is given in both as completed4 ,tabachetti was summoned to ,crea in #aeia1 and was buying land and other property in #afjj1 #afjb1 #afjd1 #afje1 #afjf1 and #afjh1 at ,serralunga1 close to ,crea1 where deeds which still exist say that he resided4 ,there are many families named ,tabachetti still living in the immediate neighbourhood of ,serralunga1 who are doubtless descended from the sculptor4 ,after #afjh nothing more is known of him4 ,at ,varallo1 over and above his work on the ,sacro ,monte1 there is an exceedingly beautiful ,madonna by him1 in the parish church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio1 and one head of a man with a ruff--a mere fragment--which ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini showed me in the ,museum1 and assured me was by ,tabachetti4 ,i know of no other work by him except what remains at ,crea1 about which ,i will presently write more fully4 ,i am not1 however1 without hope that search about ,liege and ,dinant may lead to the discovery of some work at present overlooked1 and1 as ,i have said1 will thankfully receive information4 ,i will conclude with a note taken from p4 #dg of ,part ,i4 of ,cav4 ,alessandro ,godio's admirable 8,cronaca di ,crea40 #ajd ,the note runs3-- 8,the present writer found himself involved in a long dispute1 through having entered the lists against the ,valsesian writers1 who reckon ,tabachetti among the distinguished sons of the ,val ,sesia1 and for having said that he was born in ,flanders4 ,after a more successful search in the above-named ,vercelli8 archive1 under the letter ,b ,no4 #f1 over and above the deeds of #afjj and #afjf1 already referred to in the #8,vesillo della libert1' ,no4 #ci1 ,sept4 #e1 #ahfc1 ,i found1 under numbers #cjh1 #dag1 #dih1 #fbb1 of the unarranged papers of ,notary ,teodoro ,caligaris1 four more deeds dated #afjb1 #afjd1 #afje1 #afjh1 in which the ,sculptor ,gio4 ,battista ,tabachetti is not only described as a ,fleming1 but his birthplace is given as follows3 8,vendidit1 tradidit nobili ,joanni ,tabacheta filio quondam nobili ,gulielmi de ,dinante de ,liesa ,lige nunc incola ,serralung40 ,since1 then1 he was buying considerable property at ,serralunga during the above-named year1 it is plain that he did not work continuously at ,varallo from #aeij to #afjf1 as contended by the ,valsesian writers quoted by ,an4 ,cav4 ,carlo ,dionisotti1 the distinguished author of the ,valle ,sesia4 ,moreover1 from the year #aeij and onward the chapels of ,crea were begun1 and of these1 by advice of ,monsignor ,tullio del ,carretto1 ,bishop of ,casale1 at the bidding of ,michel ,angelo da ,liverno1 who was ,vicar of ,crea1 ,tabachetti designed not fifteen but forty1 and found himself at the head of the direction of the great work that was then engaging the attention of the foremost ,italian artists of the day40 ,,giovanni ,d',,enrico4 ,for my account of ,giovanni ,d',enrico ,i turn to ,signor ,galloni's 8,uomini e fatti celebri di ,valle ,sesia40 ,he was second of three brothers1 ,melchiorre1 ,giovanni1 and ,antonio1 commonly called ,tanzio1 who were born at the ,german-speaking village of ,alagna1 that stands at the head of the ,val ,sesia4 ,signor ,galloni says that the elder brother1 ,melchiorre1 painted the frescoes in the ,temptation chapel in #aeid1 and the ,last ,judgment on the facciata of the parish church at ,riva in #aeig4 ,the house occupied by the family of ,d',enrico was1 as ,i gather from a note communicated to ,signor ,galloni by ,cav4 ,don ,farinetti of ,alagna1 in the fraction of ,alagna called ,giacomolo1 where a few years ago a last descendant of the family was still residing4 ,the house is of wood1 old and black with smoke2 on the wooden gallery or lobby that runs in front of it1 and above the low and narrow doorways1 there is an inscription or verse of the ,bible1 8,allein ,gott ,ehere10 dated #afji4 ,the small oratory hard by is said to have been also the property of the ,d',enrico family1 and in the ancona of the little altar there is a picture representing the ,virgin of not inconsiderable merit1 with a beautiful gilded frame in excellent preservation4 ,on the background of this picture there is the stemma of the ,d',enrico family1 and an inscription in ,latin bearing the names of ,john and ,eva ,d',enrico4 ,the exact dates of the births of the three brothers are unknown1 but the eldest and youngest were described in a certificate of good character1 dated ,february #aa1 #afjj1 as 8juvenes bon vocis1 conditionis et fam10 so that if we assume ,melchiorre to have been born in #aege1 #ajf ,giovanni in #aehj1 and ,antonio in #aehe1 we shall1 in no case1 be more than five years or so in error4 ,i own to being able to see little merit in any of ,melchiorre's work1 of which the reader will find a sample in the frescoes behind the old ,adam and ,eve1 which is given to face p4 #aba1 but it is believed that he for the most part painted the terra-cotta figures1 rather than backgrounds4 ,nor do ,i like the work of ,tanzio--which may be seen1 perhaps1 to the best advantage in the ,herod chapel4 ,tanzio1 however1 was a stronger man than ,melchiorre4 ,giovanni was incomparably the ablest of the three brothers1 and it is to him alone that ,i will ask the reader to devote attention4 ,signor ,galloni calls ,giovanni ,d',enrico a pupil of ,tabachetti1 probably following ,bordiga1 but ,i have not seen the evidence on which this generally received opinion is based2 ,tabachetti had finally left ,varallo by #aeia1 when ,giovanni ,d',enrico was little more than a child1 and though he may have been sent to work under ,tabachetti at ,crea1 ,i have not come across anything to show this was so4 ,he was an architect as well as sculptor1 and is believed to have made the modification of ,pellegrino ,tibaldi's designs that was ultimately adopted for the ,palazzo di ,pilato1 ,caiaphas1 and ,herod chapels4 ,he was also architect of the ,chiesa ,maggiore on the ,sacro ,monte1 his design having been approved ,april #a1 #afad4 ,he is believed to have done a ,madonna and child1 a ,st4 ,rocco1 and a ,st4 ,sebastian in the parish church at ,alagna2 he also sent many figures away1 some of which may possibly be found in the disused chapels of ,graglia1 if indeed these contain anything at all4 ,he died at ,montrigone near ,borgosesia in #afdd1 while superintending the work of his pupil and collaborateur ,giacomo ,ferro1 who1 it is said1 has placed his master's portrait near the bed of ,s4 ,anna in his chapel of the ,birth of the ,virgin 787 at ,montrigone4 ,others say that the figure in question does not represent ,d',enrico1 and that his portrait is found in a niche in the chapel itself1 but ,signor ,galloni assures us that there is nothing but tradition in favour of either view4 ,giacomo ,ferro appears to have been his only pupil and his only collaborateur4 ,there can1 ,i think1 be little doubt that the greater part of the work generally ascribed to ,d',enrico is really by ,giacomo ,ferro1 and the uncertainty as to what figures are actually by ,d',enrico himself makes it very difficult to form a just opinion about his genius4 ,some chapels are given to him1 as for example the ,flagellation and ,crowning with ,thorns1 which are mentioned as completed in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 when ,d',enrico was at most a child4 ,true1 he may have remodelled these chapels1 but ,i have not yet met with evidence that he actually did so1 though ,i dare say such evidence may exist without my knowing it4 ,in those in which he was undoubtedly assisted by ,giacomo ,ferro1 as for example the ,caiaphas1 ,herod1 four ,pilate1 and ,nailing to the ,cross chapels1 with possibly the ,ecce ,homo1 perhaps the safest rule will be to give the few really excellent figures that are to be found in each of them to ,d',enrico himself and to ascribe all the inferior work1 of which unfortunately there is too much1 to ,giacomo ,ferro4 ,that the assistance rendered by him was on a very large scale may be gathered from the fact that there was a deed drawn up between him and his master whereby he was to receive half the money that was paid to ,d',enrico1--a quasi partnership indeed seems to have existed between the two sculptors4 ,this deed is referred to by ,signor ,galloni on page #agh of his 8,uomini e ,fatti10 and on the same page he gives us an extract from a lawsuit between ,giacomo ,ferro and the town of ,varallo which gives us a curious insight into the manner in which the artists of the ,sacro ,monte were paid4 ,from a procs-verbal in connection with this suit ,signor ,galloni quotes the following extract3-- 8,and further the said deputies allege that in the accounts rendered by the said master ,giovanni ,d',enrico in respect of the pontifical thrones in the ,caiaphas and ,nailing to the ,cross chapels1 these have been valued at the rate of four statues for each several throne and horse1 whereas it appears from old accounts rendered by other statuaries that they have been hitherto charged only at the rate of three statues for each throne and horse4 ,wherefore the said deputies claim to deduct the overcharge of one statue for each horse and throne1 which being thirteen at the rate of #aj and a quarter scudi for each figure1 would give a total deduction of #acb and a half scudi40 ,it appears in another part of the same procs-verbal that ,giovanni ,d',enrico had been paid in #afdj the sum of #dbdj lire and #h soldi4 ,giacomo ,ferro and his brother ,antonio were ,giovanni ,d',enrico's heirs1 from which it would appear that he either died unmarried1 or left no children4 ,to say that ,d',enrico will compare with ,tabachetti would be an obvious exaggeration1 and1 indeed1 there are only very few figures on the ,sacro ,monte about which we can feel certain that they are by him at all4 ,the ,caiaphas1 ,herod1 ,laughing ,boys in the ,herod chapel1 and the ,man with the ,two ,children in the ,ecce ,homo chapel cannot1 ,i think1 be given to any one else1 but at this moment ,i do not call to mind more than some fourteen or fifteen figures out of the three hundred or so that are ascribed to him1 about which we can be as certain that they are by ,d',enrico as we can be that most of those given to ,tabachetti and ,gaudenzio are actually by them4 ,for not only have we to reckon with ,giacomo ,ferro1 who1 if he had half the pay1 we may be sure did not less than half the figures1 and probably very much more1 but we must reckon with the figures taken from older chapels when reconstructed1 as in ,d',enrico's time was the case with several4 ,what became of the figures in ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's original ,journey to ,calvary chapel1 and in other works by him that were cancelled when the ,palazzo di ,pilato chapel was built8 ,it is not likely they were destroyed if by any hook or crook they could be made to do duty in some other shape2 more probably they are most of them still existing up and down ,d',enrico's various chapels1 but so doctored1 if the expression may be pardoned1 that ,gaudenzio himself would not know them4 ,in the ,ecce ,homo chapel we can say with confidence that the extreme figure to the left is by ,gaudenzio1 and has been taken from some one of his chapels now lost2 we are able to detect this by an accident1 but there are other figures in the same chapel and not a few elsewhere1 about which we can have no confidence that they have not been taken from some earlier chapel either by ,gaudenzio or some one else4 ,what1 then1 with these figures1 and what with ,giacomo ,ferro1 it is not easy to say what ,d',enrico did or did not do4 ,the intercalated figures have been fitted into the work with admirable skill1 nevertheless they do not form part of design1 and make it want the unity observable in the work of ,tabachetti and ,gaudenzio4 ,they have been lugged into the composition1 and no matter how skilful their introduction1 are soon felt1 as in the case of the ,vecchietto1 to have no business where they are4 ,moreover1 ,d',enrico shows his figures off1 which ,tabachetti never does3 the result is that in his chapels each figure has its attention a good deal drawn to the desirableness of neither being itself lost sight of1 nor impeding the view of its neighbours4 ,this is fatal1 and though ,giacomo ,ferro is doubtless more practically guilty in the matter than ,d',enrico1 yet ,d',enrico is the responsible author of the work1 and must bear the blame accordingly4 ,standing once with ,signor ,pizetta of ,varallo1 before ,d',enrico's great ,nailing of ,christ to the ,cross chapel1 ,i asked him casually how he thought it compared with ,tabachetti's ,journey to ,calvary4 ,he replied 8,questo non sacrifica niente10 meaning that ,tabachetti thought of the action much and but little of whether or no the actors got in each other's way1 whereas ,d',enrico was mainly bent on making his figures steer clear of one another4 ,thus his chapels want the concert and unity of action that give such life to ,tabachetti's4 ,nevertheless1 in spite of the defect above referred to1 it is impossible to deny that the sculptor of the ,herod and ,caiaphas figures was a man of very rare ability1 nor can the general verdict which assigns him the third place among the workers on the ,sacro ,monte be reasonably disputed4 ,but this third place must be given rather in respect of quantity than quality1 for in dramatic power and highly-wrought tragic action he is inferior to the sculptor1 whoever he may be1 of the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel1 to which ,i will return when ,i come to the chapel in question4 ,i may say in passing that ,cicognara1 ,lbke1 and ,perkins have all omitted to mention ,giovanni ,d',enrico as a sculptor1 though ,nagler mentions his two brothers as painters4 ,nagler gives the two brothers ,d',enrico as all bearing the patronymic ,tanzio1 which ,i am told is in reality only a corruption of the ,christian name of the third brother4 ,zani mentions ,giovanni ,d',enrico as well as his two brothers1 and calls him 8celebre10 but he calls all the three brothers 8,tanzii1 ,tanzi1 ,tanzio1 or ,tanzo40 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,ascent1 ,,and ,,the ,,first ,,four ,,chapels4 ,,the ascent to the ,sacro ,monte begins immediately after the church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie has been passed1 and is made by a large broad road paved with rounded stones1 and beautifully shaded by the chestnuts that grow on the steep side of the mountain4 ,the old road up the mountain was below the present1 and remains of it may yet be seen4 ,ere long a steeper narrower road branches off to the right hand1 which makes rather a shorter cut1 and is commonly called the 8,strada della ,madonna40 ,from this name it has become generally believed that the ,madonna once actually came to ,varallo to see the ,sacro ,monte1 and took this shorter road4 ,there is no genuine tradition1 however1 to this effect1 and the belief may be traced to misapprehension of a passage in ,fassola and ,torrotti1 who say that the main road represents the path taken by ,christ himself on his journey to ,calvary1 while the other symbolises the short cut taken by the ,virgin when she went to rejoin him after his resurrection4 ,when he was ,assistente1 which ,i gather to have been much what the ,director of the ,sacro ,monte is now1 ,torrotti had some poetry put up to say this4 ,at the point where the two roads again meet there is a large wooden cross1 from which the faithful may help themselves to a chip4 ,that they do get chips is evident by the state of the cross1 but the wood is hard1 and none but the very faithful will get so much but that plenty will be left for those who may come after them4 ,i saw a stout elderly lady trying to get a chip last summer2 she was baffled1 puzzled1 frowned a good deal1 and was perspiring freely4 ,she tried here1 and she tried there1 but could get no chip2 and presently began to cry4 ,jones and ,i had been watching her perplexity1 as we came up the ,strada della ,madonna1 and having a stouter knife than hers offered to help her4 ,she was most grateful1 when1 not without difficulty1 ,jones succeeded in whittling for her a piece about an inch long1 and as thick as the wood of a match box4 8,per ,bacco10 she exclaimed1 still agitated1 and not without asperity1 8,i never saw such a cross in my life40 ,the old cross1 considered to be now past further whittling1 was lying by the roadside ready to be taken away4 ,i had wanted to get the lady a chip from this1 thinking it looked as if it would lend itself more easily to the design1 but she said it would not do4 ,they have a new cross every year1 and they always select a hard knotty uncompromising piece of wood for the purpose4 ,the old is then taken away and burnt for firewood4 ,of this cross ,fassola says it was here 78e qu f dove07 the ,virgin met her son1 and that for this reason a small chapel was placed rather higher up1 which represents the place where she took a little rest1 and was hence called the ,capella del ,riposo4 ,it was decorated with frescoes by ,gaudenzio1 which have long since disappeared2 these were early works1 and among the first undertaken by him on the ,sacro ,monte2 the chapel remains1 but may1 and probably will1 be passed without notice4 ,a little higher still1 there is another very small and unimportant chapel containing a decayed ,st4 ,jerome by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 and above this1 facing the visitor at the last turn of the road1 is the chapel erected in memory of ,cesare ,maio1 or ,maggi1 a ,neapolitan1 ,marquis of ,moncrivelli1 and one of ,charles the ,fifth's generals4 ,he died in #aefh4 ,many years before his death he had commanded an armed force against the ,valsesians1 but when his horse1 on approaching ,varallo1 caught sight of the ,sacro ,monte1 it genuflected three times and pawed a great cross on the road with its feet4 ,this had such an effect upon the rider that he had thenceforward to become a munificent benefactor of the ,sacro ,monte1 and expressly desired to be buried there4 ,i do not know where the horse was buried4 ,his chapel contains nothing of importance1 nor yet does the small oratory with a crucifix in memory of a benefactor1 one ,giovanni ,pschel ,alemanno2 this is at the top of the ascent and close to the smaller entrance to the ,sacro ,monte4 ,at this smaller entrance the visitor will be inclined to enter1 but he should not do so if he wishes to take the chapels in the order in which they are numbered4 ,he should continue the broad road until he reaches the excellent inn kept by ,signor ,topini1 and the shops where 8corone0 and pilgrims' beads are sold4 ,the inn and shops are mentioned by ,fassola and by ,torrotti4 ,fassola in #afga says of the inn that it will afford accommodation for people of all ranks1 and that though any one with other curiosity may stay in the town1 those who would enjoy their devotion quietly and diffusively can do so more at their ease here4 ,of the shops he says that they sell 8corone1 ,storie della ,fabrica10 8and other like instruments of devotion0 78ed altri instromenti simili di divozione0 p4 #hj74 ,torrotti says they sell his book there1 with images1 and various devout curiosities 7e varie cose curiose di divozione1 p4 #ff74 ,the shutters are strong and probably the original ones4 ,at ,varese there is a very beautiful lady1 one among many others hardly if at all less beautiful on the same mountain1 of whom ,i once asked what people did with these ,corone4 ,she said1 8,le adoperano per pregare10 8,they make use of them to pray with40 ,she then asked whether the ,english ever prayed4 ,i said of course they did2 that all nations1 even the ,turks1 prayed4 8 ,turco lei80 she said1 with a singularly sweet1 kind1 and beneficent expression4 ,i said ,i was not1 but ,i do not think she believed me4 ,passing now under the handsome arch which forms the main entrance to the sacred precincts we come to ,,chapel ,,no4 #a4 ,,adam ,,and ,,eve4 ,this chapel is perhaps the only one in the case of which ,pellegrino ,tibaldi's design was carried out2 and even here it has been in many respects modified4 ,the figures are by ,tabachetti2 and the original internal frescoes were by ,domenico ,alfani ,perugino1 but they have perished and have lately been replaced by some pieces from the life of ,adam and ,eve by ,professor ,burlazzi of ,varallo4 ,the outer frescoes are said by ,bordiga to be by ,giovanni ,miel of ,antwerp1 but they are probably in reality by one of the brothers ,battista and ,gio4 ,mauro ,rovere4 ,i will1 however1 reserve remarks on this subject until ,i come to the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel4 ,the original frescoes do not appear to have been executed till #aeid-afjj1 but the terra-cotta work is described as complete in the #aehf edition of ,caccia in terms that leave no doubt but that the present group is intended2 it is probably among the first works executed by ,tabachetti on the ,sacro ,monte1 but how much earlier it is than #aehf cannot be known till the missing editions of ,caccia are found4 ,that he did the ,adam and ,eve is not doubted4 ,if he also did the animals1 he had made great progress by the time he came to the ,temptation chapel1 for the animals in this last chapel are far finer than those in the ,adam and ,eve chapel4 ,the present chapel superseded an earlier one with the same subject1 which was probably on the site now occupied by the ,crowning with ,thorns1 inasmuch as in this chapel the fresco on one wall still represents ,adam and ,eve being dismissed from ,paradise4 ,signor ,arienta pointed this out to me1 and ,i think it sufficiently determines the position of the original ,adam and ,eve chapel4 ,the evidence for the existence of the earlier chapel throws so much light upon the way in which figures have been shifted about and whole chapels have disappeared1 leaving only an incidental trace or two behind them in some other of those now existing1 that ,i shall not hesitate to reproduce it here4 ,we were told in the town that there had been an old ,adam and an old ,eve1 and that these two figures were now doing duty as ,roman soldiers in chapel ,no4 #bc1 which represents the ,capture of ,christ4 ,on investigation1 we found1 against the wall1 two figures dressed as ,roman soldiers that evidently had something wrong with them4 ,the draperies of all the other figures are painted1 either terra-cotta or wood1 but with these two they are real1 being painted linen or calico1 dipped in thin mortar or plaster of ,paris1 and real drapery always means that the figure has had something done to it4 ,the armour1 where armour shows1 is not quite of the same pattern as that painted on the other figures1 nor is it of the same make2 in the case of the remoter figure it does not go down far enough1 and leaves a lucid interval of what was evidently once bare stomach1 but has now been painted the brightest blue that could be found1 so that it does not catch the eye as flesh2 a little further examination was enough to make us strongly suspect that the figures had both been originally nude1 and in this case the story current in ,varallo was probably true4 ,picture3 ,plate ,no4 ,,ii4 ,the ,old ,adam and ,eve ,then the question arose1 which was ,adam1 and which ,eve8 ,the farther figure was the larger and therefore ought to have been ,adam1 but it had long hair1 and looked a good deal more like a woman than the other did4 ,the nearer figure had a beard and moustaches1 and was quite unlike a woman2 true1 we could see no sign of bosom with the farther figure1 but neither could we with the nearer4 ,on the whole1 therefore1 we settled it that the nearer and moustached soldier was ,adam1 and the more distant long-haired beardless one1 ,eve4 ,in the evening1 however1 ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini and several of the other best ,varallo authorities were on the ,sacro ,monte1 and had the grating removed so that we could get inside the chapel1 which we were not slow to do4 ,the state of the drapery showed that curiosity had been already rife upon the subject1 and1 observing this1 ,jones and ,i gently lifted as much of it as was necessary1 and put the matter for ever beyond future power of question that the farther1 long-haired1 beardless figure was ,adam1 and the nearer1 moustached one1 ,eve4 ,they are now looking in the same direction1 as joining in the hue and cry against ,christ1 but were originally turned towards one another2 the one offering1 and the other taking1 the apple4 ,tabachetti's ,eve1 in the ,creation or ,adam and ,eve chapel1 is a figure of remarkable beauty1 and a very great improvement on her predecessor4 ,the left arm is a restoration by ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini1 but no one who was not told of the fact would suspect it4 ,the heads both of the ,adam and the ,eve have been less successfully repainted than the rest of the figures1 and have suffered somewhat in consequence1 but the reader will note the freedom from any approach to barocco maintained throughout the work4 ,the serpent is exceedingly fine1 and the animals are by no means unpleasing4 ,speaking for myself1 ,i have found the work continually grow upon me during the many years ,i have known it4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,iii4 ,tabachetti's ,adam and ,eve ,the walls of this1 and1 indeed1 of all the chapels1 were once covered with votive pictures recording the ,grazie with which each several chapel should be credited1 but these generally pleasing1 though perhaps sometimes superstitious1 minor satellites of the larger artistic luminaries have long since disappeared4 ,it is plain that either the chapels are losing their powers of bringing the ,grazie about1 or that we moderns care less about saying 8thank you0 when we have been helped out of a scrape than our forefathers did4 ,fassola says3-- 8,molti oltre questa non mancano di lasciar qualche insigne memoria1 cio li dinari per incominciar1 finire qualche ,capella1 per qualche pittura ,statua1 altro non essendouene pur' vno di questi ,benefattori1 che non habbino ottenute le grazie desiderate di ,dio1 e dalla ,beata ,vergine1 del che piene ne sono le carte1 le mura delle ,capelle1 e ,chiese con voti d'argento1 ed altre infinite ,tauolette1 antichissime1 e moderne1 voti di cera ed altro1 oltre tanto da esprimersi grazie1 che per pouert1 per mancanza1 per altri pensieri de' graziati restano celate40 ,for my own part ,i am sorry that these humble chronicles of three centuries or so of hairbreadth escapes are gone4 ,votive pictures have always fascinated me4 ,everything does go so dreadfully wrong in them1 and yet we know it will all be set so perfectly right again directly1 and that nobody will be really hurt4 ,besides1 they are so nave1 and free from 8high-falutin20 they give themselves no airs1 are not review-puffed1 and the people who paint them do not call one another geniuses4 ,they are business-like1 direct1 and sensible2 not unfrequently they acquire considerable historical interest1 and every now and then there is one by an old master born out of due time--who probably wist not so much as even that there were old masters4 ,here1 if anywhere1 may be found smouldering1 but still living1 embers of the old art-fire of ,italy1 and from these1 more readily than from the hot-bed atmosphere of the academies1 may the flame be yet rekindled4 ,lastly1 if allowed to come as they like1 and put themselves where they will1 they grow into a pretty1 quilt-like1 artlessly-arranged decoration1 that will beat any mere pattern contrived of set purpose4 ,some half-dozen or so of the old votive pictures are still preserved in the ,museum at ,varallo1 and are worthy of notice1 one or two of them dating from the fifteenth century1 and a few late autumn leaves1 as it were1 of images in wax still hang outside the ,crowning with ,thorns chapel1 but the chapels are1 for the most part1 now without them4 ,each chapel was supposed to be beneficial in the case of some particular bodily or mental affliction1 and ,fassola often winds up his notice with a list of the ,graces which are most especially to be hoped for from devotion at the chapel he is describing2 he does not1 however1 ascribe any especial and particular ,grace to the first few chapels4 ,a few centesimi and perhaps a soldo or two still lie on the floor1 thrown through the grating by pilgrims1 and the number of these which any chapel can attract may be supposed to be a fair test of its popularity4 ,these centesimi are a source of temptation to the small boys of ,varallo1 who are continually getting into trouble for extracting them by the help of willow wands and birdlime4 ,i understand that when the centesimi are picked up by the authorities1 some few are always left1 on the same principle as that on which we leave a nest egg in a hen's nest for the hen to lay a new one to2 a very little will do1 but even the boys know that there must be a germ of increment left1 and when they stole the coppers from the ,ecce ,homo chapel not long since1 they still left one centesimo and a waistcoat button on the floor4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #b4 ,,the ,,annunciation4 ,this was one of the earliest chapels1 and is dated by ,fassola as from #adij to #aejj4 ,there is no record of any contemporary fresco background4 ,bordiga says that these figures were originally in the chapel now occupied by the ,salutation of ,mary by ,elizabeth1 but that having been long objects of popular veneration they were preserved at the time when ,tabachetti took this block of buildings in hand4 ,it does not appear from any source what figures were in this chapel before the ,annunciation figures were brought here2 possibly1 as it is supposed to be a reproduction of the ,santa ,casa di ,loreto1 this was considered enough and it was untenanted4 ,bordiga says1 8,the faces and extremities have a divine expression and are ancient10 but both ,fassola and ,torrotti say that ,tabachetti gave the figures new heads4 ,these last are probably right2 the ,virgin has real drapery1 which1 as ,i have said1 always means that the figure has been cut about4 ,whatever the change was1 it had been effected before the publication of the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 where the chapel is described1 in immediate sequence to the ,adam and ,eve chapel1 and in the following terms3-- 8,si vede poi un poco discosto1 un altro ,tempio1 fatto ad imitatione della ,cappella di ,loreto1 ben adornato1 dove l',angelo che annontia l' incarnatione 4 4 4 4 di relievo40 ,in the poetical part of the same book the figures are very warmly praised1 as1 indeed1 they deserve to be4 ,fassola and ,torrotti both say that the ,virgin was a very favourite figure--so much so that pilgrims had loaded her with jewels4 ,one night1 a thief tried to draw a valuable ring from her finger1 when she dealt him a stunning box on the ear that stretched him senseless until he was apprehended and punished4 ,fassola says of the affair3-- 8,fr gl' altri degna di racconto la mortificazione hauuta da vn peruerso1 che fatto ardito1 non s da quale spirito diabolico1 volendo rubbare alcune di dette gioie1 e forsi tutte1 dalle mani della ,beata ,vergine f reso immobile da vna guanciata della ,vergine fin' tanto1 che la giustizia l' hebbe nella sua braccia2 contempli ogn' vno questa ,statua1 che ne riporter mosso il cuore40 ,under the circumstances ,i should say he had better contemplate her at a respectful distance4 ,i can believe that the thief was very much mortified1 but the ,virgin seems to have been a good deal mortified too1 for ,i suspect her new head was after this occurrence and not before it4 ,such miracles are still of occasional if not frequent occurrence in connection with the ,sacro ,monte4 ,i have a broadside printed at ,milan in #ahhb in which a full account is given of a recent miracle worked by the ,blessed ,virgin of the ,sacro ,monte of ,varallo4 ,it is about a young man who had been miraculously cured of a lingering illness that had baffled the skill of all the most eminent professors2 so his father sent him with a lamp of gold and a large sum of money which he was to offer to the ,madonna4 ,as he was on his way he felt tired it must be remembered that the railway was not opened till #ahhf1 so he sat down under a tree and began to amuse himself by counting the treasure4 ,hardly had he begun to count when he was attacked by four desperate assassins1 who with pistols and poignards did their very utmost to despoil him1 but it was not the smallest use4 ,one of the assassins was killed1 and the others were so cowed that they promised1 if he would only fetch them some 8devotions0 from the ,sacro ,monte1 to abandon their evil courses and thenceforth lead virtuous lives4 ,we do not pitch our tracts quite so strongly1 but need give ourselves no airs in this matter4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #c4 ,,the ,,salutation ,,of ,,mary ,,by ,,elizabeth4 ,the walls of this chapel according to ,fassola are old1 but the figures all new4 ,both ,fassola and ,torrotti say that ,tabachetti had just begun to work on this chapel when he lost his reason1 but as the work is described as complete in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 it is evident1 as ,i have already shown1 that his insanity was only temporary1 inasmuch as he did another chapel after #aeij4 ,both writers are very brief in their statement of the fact1 ,fassola only saying 8quando era diuenuto pazzo10 and ,torrotti 8impazzitosi40 ,the fresco background is meagre and forms no integral part of the design2 this does not go for much1 but suggests that in the original state of the chapel1 which we know was an early one1 there may have been but little background1 the fresco background not having yet attained its full development4 ,the figures would doubtless look better than they do if they had not been loaded with many coats of shiny paint1 which has clogged some of the modelling2 they are not very remarkable1 but improve upon examination1 and it must be remembered that the subject is one of exceeding difficulty4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #d4 ,,first ,,vision ,,of ,,st4 ,,joseph4 ,fassola and ,torrotti say that this chapel was originally a servant's lodge 78ospizio delli serui della ,fabrica071 and part of the building is still used as a store-room4 ,the servants were subsequently shifted to what was then the chapel of the ,capture of ,christ1 the figures in that chapel being moved to the one in which they are now4 ,the original ,capture chapel was on the ground floor of the large house that stands on the right hand as one enters the small entrance to the ,sacro ,monte which a visitor will be tempted to take1 opposite ,giovanni ,pschel's chapel1 and a little below the ,temptation chapel4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,iv4 ,first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph ,the ,first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph is not mentioned in either the #aehf or #aeij editions of ,caccia2 we may therefore be certain that it did not exist1 and may also be sure that it was ,tabachetti's last work upon the ,sacro ,monte--for that it is by him has never been disputed4 ,it should probably be dated early in #aeia1 by which time ,tabachetti must have recovered his reason and was on the point of leaving ,varallo for ever4 ,i give a photograph of the very beautiful figure of ,st4 ,joseph1 which must rank among the finest on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,i grant that a sleeping figure is the easiest of all subjects1 except a dead one1 inasmuch as ,nature does not here play against the artist with loaded dice1 by being able to give the immediate change of position which the artist cannot4 ,with sleep and death there is no change required1 so that the hardest sleeping figure is easier than the easiest waking one2 moreover1 sleep is so touching and beautiful that it is one of the most taking of all subjects2 nevertheless there are sleeping figures and sleeping figures1 and the ,st4 ,joseph in the chapel we are considering is greatly better than the second sleeping ,st4 ,joseph in chapel ,no4 #i1 by whomsoever this figure may be--or than the sleeping ,apostles by ,d',enrico in chapel ,no4 #bb4 ,cusa says that the ,madonna is taken from a small figure modelled by ,gaudenzio still existing at ,valduggia in the possession of the ,rivaroli family4 ,she is a very pretty and graceful figure1 and is sewing on a pillow in the middle of the composition--of course unmoved by the presence of the angel1 who is only visible to her husband4 ,the angel is also a remarkably fine figure4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,seven ,,chapels ,,numbered #e-aa4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #e4 ,,visit ,,of ,,the ,,magi4 ,,fassola says that this chapel was begun about the year #aejj1 and completed about #aebj1 at the expense of certain wealthy ,milanese2 ,torrotti repeats this4 ,bordiga gives it a later date1 making ,gaudenzio begin to work in it in #aeca2 he supposes that ,gaudenzio left ,varallo suddenly in that year to undertake work for the church of ,st4 ,cristoforo at ,vercelli without quite completing the ,magi frescoes2 and it is indeed true that the frescoes appear to be unfinished1 some parts at first sight seeming only sketched in outline1 as though the work had been interrupted2 but ,colombo1 whose industry is only equalled by his fine instinct and good sense1 refers both the frescoes and their interruption to a later date4 ,still1 ,fassola may have only intended1 and indeed probably did intend1 that the shell of the building was completed by #aebj1 the figures and frescoes being deferred for want of funds1 though the building was ready for occupation4 ,colombo1 on page #aae of his 8,life and ,work of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari10 says that ,bordiga remarked the obvious difference in style between the frescoes in the ,magi and the ,crucifixion chapels1 which he held to have been completed in #aebd1 but nevertheless thought seven years the utmost that passed between the two works4 ,colombo shows that by #aebh ,gaudenzio was already established at ,vercelli1 and ascribes the frescoes in the ,magi chapel to a date some time between #aecf and #aeci1 during which time he believes that ,gaudenzio returned to ,varallo1 finding no trace of him elsewhere4 ,the internal evidence in support of this opinion is strong1 for the ,crucifixion chapel is not a greater advance upon the frescoes in the church of ,st4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 painted in #aeac1 magnificent as these last are1 than the ,magi frescoes are upon the ,crucifixion1 and an interval of ten years or so is not too much to allow between the two4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was like ,giovanni ,bellini1 a slow but steady grower from first to last2 with no two painters can we be more sure that as long as they lived they were taking pains1 and going on from good to better2 nevertheless1 it takes many years before so wide a difference can be brought about1 as that between the frescoes in the ,magi and ,crucifixion chapels4 ,the ,magi frescoes have1 however1 unfortunately suffered from damp much more than the ,crucifixion ones1 and ,i should say they had been a good deal retouched1 but by a very capable artist4 ,colombo thinks that in these frescoes ,gaudenzio was assisted by his son ,gerolamo1 who died in #aeci1 and1 as ,i have said1 holds that it was the death of this son which made him leave ,varallo1 without even finishing the frescoes on which he was engaged4 ,but ,signor ,arienta assures me that the frescoes were not in reality left incomplete3 he holds that the wall on the parts where the outline shows was too dry when the colour was laid on1 and that it has gradually gone1 leaving the outline only4 ,this1 he tells me1 not unfrequently happens1 and has occurred in one or two places even in the ,crucifixion chapel1 where an arm here and there appears unfinished4 ,the parts in the ,magi chapel that show the outline only are not likely to have been left to the last2 they come in a very random haphazard way1 and ,i have little hesitation in accepting ,signor ,arienta's opinion4 ,if1 however1 this is wrong and the work was really unfinished1 ,i should ascribe this fact to the violent dissensions that broke out in #aech1 and should incline towards using it as an argument for assigning this date to the frescoes themselves1 more especially as it fits in with whatever other meagre evidence we have4 ,something went wrong with the funds destined for the erection of this chapel1 and this may account for the length of time taken to erect the chapel itself1 as well as for subsequent delay in painting it and filling it with statues4 ,in the earlier half of his work ,fassola says that certain ,milanese gentlemen1 8,signori della ,castellanza10 subscribed two hundred gold scudi with which to found the chapel1 but that the money was in part diverted to other uses--8a matter10 he says1 8about which ,i am compelled to silence by a passage in my preface20 this passage is the expression of a desire to avoid giving offence2 but ,fassola says the interception of the funds involved the chapel's 8remaining incomplete for some time40 ,there seems1 in fact1 to have been some serious scandal in connection with the money1 about which1 even after #aej years1 ,fassola was unwilling to speak4 ,i would ask the reader to note in passing that in this work1 high up on the spectator's right1 ,gaudenzio has painted some rocks with a truth which was in his time rare4 ,in the earliest painting1 rocks seem to have been considered hopeless1 and were represented by a something like a mould for a jelly or blanc-mange2 yet rocks on a grey day are steady sitters1 and one would have thought the early masters would have found them among the first things that they could do1 whereas on the contrary they were about the last to be rendered with truth and freedom by the greatest painters4 ,this was probably because rocks bored them2 they thought they could do them at any time1 and were more interested with the figures1 draperies1 and action4 ,leonardo da ,vinci's rocks1 for example1 are of no use to any one1 nor yet for the matter of that is any part of his landscape--what little there is of it4 ,holbein's strong hand falls nerveless before a rock or mountain side1 and even ,marco ,basaiti1 whose landscape has hardly been surpassed by ,giovanni ,bellini himself1 could not treat a rock as he treated other natural objects4 ,as for ,giovanni ,bellini1 ,i do not at this moment remember to have seen him ever attempt a bit of slate1 or hard grey gritty sandstone rock4 ,this is not so with ,gaudenzio1 his rocks in the ,magi chapel1 and again in the ,piet compartment of his fresco in the church of ,st4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 at the foot of the mountain1 are as good as rocks need ever be4 ,the earliest really good rocks ,i know are in the small entombment by ,roger ,van der ,weyden in our own ,national ,gallery4 ,returning to the terra-cotta figures in the ,magi chapel1 there is nothing about them to find fault with1 but they do not arouse the same enthusiasm as the frescoes4 ,they too are sufferers by damp and lapse of time1 and a painted terra-cotta figure does not lend itself to a dignified decay4 ,the disjecti membra poet are hard to recognise if painted terra-cotta is the medium through which inspiration has been communicated to the outer world4 ,outside the ,magi chapel1 invisible by the ,magi1 and under a small glazed lantern which lights the ,st4 ,joseph with the ,virgin adoring the ,infant ,saviour1 and the ,presepio1 hangs the star4 ,it is very pretty where it is1 but its absence from the chapel itself is1 ,i think1 on the whole1 regrettable4 ,i have been sometimes tempted to think that it originally hung on the wall by a hook which still remains near the door through which the figures must pass1 but think it more probable that this hook was used to fasten the string of a curtain that was hung over the window4 ,in conclusion1 ,i should say that ,colombo says that the figures being short of the prescribed number were completed by ,fermo ,stella4 ,bordiga gives the horses only to this artist4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #f4 ,,il ,,presepio4 ,this is more a grotto than a chapel1 and is declared in an inscription set up by ,bernardino ,caimi in letters of gold to be 8the exact counterpart of the one at ,bethlehem in which the ,virgin gave birth to her ,divine ,son40 ,bordiga writes of this inscription as still visible1 but ,i have repeatedly looked for it without success4 ,if ,caimi1 as ,fassola distinctly says1 had the above inscription set up1 it is plain that this1 and perhaps the ,shepherd's chapel hard by1 were among the very earliest chapels undertaken4 ,this is rendered probable by the statement of ,fassola that the shell of the ,circumcision chapel which adjoins the ones we are now considering was built 8dalli principij del ,sacro ,monte40 ,he says that this fact is known by the testimony of certain contemporaneous painters 78il che s' argumenta dalli ,pittori che furono di que' tempi074 ,clearly1 then1 the ,presepio1 ,shepherds1 and ,circumcision chapels were in existence some years before the ,magi chapel was begun4 ,gaudenzio was too young to have done the figures before ,bernardino died4 ,originally1 doubtless1 the grotto was shown without figures1 which were added by ,gaudenzio1 later on2 they were probably among his first works4 ,the place is so dark that they cannot be well seen1 but about noon the sun comes down a narrow staircase and they can be made out very well for a quarter of an hour or so2 they are then seen to be very good4 ,they have no fresco background1 nor yet is there any to the ,shepherd's chapel1 which confirms me in thinking these to have been among the earliest works undertaken4 ,colombo says that the infant ,christ in the ,presepio is not by ,gaudenzio1 the original figure having been stolen by some foreigner not many years ago1 and ,battista1 the excellent ,custode of the ,sacro ,monte1 assures me that this was the second time the infant had been stolen4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #g4 ,,visit ,,of ,,the ,,shepherds4 ,some of the figures--the ,virgin1 one shepherd1 and four little angels--in this chapel are believed to be by ,gaudenzio1 and if they are1 they are probably among his first essays1 but they are lighted from above1 and the spectator looks down on them1 so that the dust shows1 and they can hardly be fairly judged4 ,the hindmost shepherd--the one with his hand to his heart and looking up1 is the finest figure2 the ,virgin herself is also very good1 but she wants washing4 ,if ,fassola and ,torrotti are to be believed1 #adj and ,i am afraid ,i must own that1 much as ,i like them1 ,i find them a little credulous1 the ,virgin in this chapel is more remarkable than she appears at first sight2 she used originally to have her face turned in admiration towards the infant ,christ1 but at the very first moment that she heard the bells begin to ring for the elevation of ,pope ,innocent the ,tenth to the popedom1 she turned round to the pilgrims visiting the place1 in token of approbation2 the authorities1 not knowing what to make of such behaviour1 had her set right1 but she turned round a second time with a most gracious smile and assumed the position which the elevation of no later ,pope has been ever able to disturb4 ,pope ,innocent ,x4 was not exactly the kind of ,pope whom one would have expected the ,virgin to greet with such extraordinary condescension4 ,if it had been the present amiable and venerable ,pontiff there would have been less to wonder at4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #h4 ,,called ,,by ,,fassola ,,and ,,torrotti ,,the ,,circumcision1 ,,and ,,by ,,bordiga ,,the ,,purification4 ,the chapel itself is1 as ,i have already said1 one of the very oldest on the ,sacro ,monte2 it is doubtless much older than either the frescoes or the terra-cotta figures which it contains1 both of which are given by ,fassola1 ,torrotti1 and ,bordiga to ,fermo ,stella1 but ,i cannot think they are right in either case4 ,the frescoes remind me more of ,lanini1 and are much too modern for ,fermo ,stella2 they are1 however1 in but poor preservation1 and no very definite opinion can be formed concerning them4 ,the terra-cotta work is1 ,i think1 also too free for ,fermo ,stella4 ,the infant ,jesus is very pretty1 and the ,virgin would also be a fine figure if she was not spoiled by the wig and over-much paint which restorers have doubtless got to answer for4 ,the work is mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia as completed1 but there is nothing to show whether or no it was a restoration4 ,i have long thought ,i detected a certain sub-,flemish feeling in both the ,virgin and ,child1 and though aware that ,i have very little grounds for doing so1 am half inclined to think that ,tabachetti must have had something to do with them4 ,bordiga is clearly wrong in calling the chapel a ,purification4 ,there are no doves1 and there must always be doves for a ,purification4 ,besides1 there was till lately a knife ready for use lying on the table1 as shown in ,guidetti's illustration of the chapel4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #i4 ,,joseph ,,warned ,,to ,,fly4 ,this chapel is described as completed in both the #aehf and #aeij editions of ,caccia4 ,the figures are again given to ,fermo ,stella by ,bordiga1 but not by either ,fassola or ,torrotti4 ,i am again unable to think that ,bordiga is right4 ,there is again1 also1 a sub-,flemish feeling which is difficult to account for4 ,the angel is a fine figure1 and the heads of the ,virgin and ,child are also excellent1 but the folds of the drapery are not so good4 ,if there were any evidence1 which there is not1 to show that these figures were early works of ,tabachetti1 and that the sleeping ,st4 ,joseph is a first attempt at the figure which he succeeded later so admirably in rendering1 ,i should be inclined to accept it2 as it is1 ,i can form no opinion about the authorship of the terra-cotta work4 ,the fresco background is worthless4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #aj4 ,,the ,,flight ,,into ,,egypt4 ,this chapel is of no great interest4 ,the authors and the date are uncertain4 ,it is mentioned in the #aehf and #aeij editions of ,caccia1 but we may be tolerably sure that ,tabachetti had nothing to do with it4 ,bordiga says 8the figures seem to be by ,stella10 which may be right or may be wrong4 ,though the figures are not very good1 yet this chapel has1 or had in ,fassola's time1 other merits perhaps even of greater than artistic value1 for he says it is particularly useful to those who have lost anything4 8,perditori di qualche cosa0 are more especial recipients of grace in consequence of devotion at this particular chapel4 ,the flight is conducted as leisurely as flights into ,egypt invariably are1 but has with it a something1 ,i know not what--perhaps it is the donkey--which always reminds me of ,hampstead ,heath on a bank holiday4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #aa4 ,,massacre ,,of ,,the ,,innocents4 ,this is one of the most remarkable chapels on the ,sacro ,monte1 and also one of the most abounding in difficult problems4 ,it was built with funds provided by ,carlo ,emanuele ,i41 ,duke of ,savoy1 about the year #aehf1 and took four years to complete4 ,in the #aehf-g edition of ,caccia the chapel itself is alone given as completed4 ,in the #aeij-a edition1 it is said that both the sculptures and the frescoes were now finished1 and that they are all 8bellissime e ben fatti 7sic740 ,this is confirmed by an inscription on the collar of a soldier who stands near ,herod's right hand1 and which1 ,i do not doubt1 is intended to govern the whole of the terra-cotta work4 ,the inscription runs-- 8,michel ,ang4 ,,rsti0 7,rossetti7 8,scul3 ,da ,claino ,,mdxc ,etate an4 ,,viil0 ,this exactly tallies with the dates given in the two editions of ,caccia4 ,picture3 ,the ,massacre of the ,innocents4 ,chiefly by ,giannantonio 7or ,giacomo7 ,paracca1 otherwise called ,bargnola2 but finished by ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti ,the date is thus satisfactorily established1 but the authorship of the work is less easily settled4 ,all the authorities without exception say that the sculptor was a certain ,giacomo ,bargnola of ,valsolda1 who was also called ,bologna4 ,fassola describes him as a 8statuario virtuosissimo e glorioso per tutta l' ,europa10 and ,torrotti calls him 8il famoso ,giacomo ,bargnola di ,valsoldo sic sopranominato ,bologna40 ,all subsequent writers have repeated this4 ,at ,varallo itself ,i found nothing known about either ,bargnola or ,valsolda1 but turning to ,zani find ,bargnola under the name ,paracca4 ,zani says1 8,paracca1 non ,peracca1 n ,perracca1 n ,perrazza1 ,giannantonio1 o ,giacomo1 detto il ,valsoldo1 ,valsolino1 e il ,valsoldino1 non ,valfondino1 ed anche il ,bargnola1 e malamente ,antonio ,valsado ,parravalda40 ,he says that he was a 8plastico0 and restorer of statues1 came from the neighbourhood of ,como1 was 8bravissimo10 and lived about from #aeeg-aehg4 ,there was a ,luigi ,paracca from the same place who was also called 8,il ,valsoldino0 and a ,giacomo1 and an ,andrea1 but of these last three he does not say that they were noteworthy4 ,nagler mentions only a ,giovanni ,antonio ,parracca1 who he says was called ,valsolda4 ,he says that he was a sculptor of ,milan1 who made a reputation at ,rome about #aehj as a restorer of antique statues2 that he only worked in order to get money to spend on debauchery1 and died1 according to ,baglione1 young1 and in a hospital4 ,his words are-- 8,paracca1 ,gio4 ,antonio gennant ,valsoldo1 ,bildhauer von ,mailand1 machte sich um #aehj in ,rom als ,restaurator antiker ,werke einen ,namen1 arbeitete aber nur1 um ,geld zur ,schwelgerei zu bekommen4 ,starb jung im ,hospital wie ,baglione versichert40 ,i have had ,baglione before me1 but can find no life of ,paracca either under that name or under that of ,bargnola1 and suppose the reference to him must be incidental in the life of some other artist4 ,i will again gratefully accept a fuller reference4 ,i do not believe a word about ,paracca's alleged debauchery4 ,who ever yet worked as ,nagler says8 ,we have1 then1 to face on the one hand the authority of all writers about the ,sacro ,monte1 and on the other1 the exceedingly explicit claim made by ,rossetti himself in the inscription given above4 ,probably ,bargnola began the work and ,rossetti finished it4 ,it is not likely that the extremely circumstantial statement of ,fassola should be without any foundation1 but again it is not likely that ,rossetti would have claimed the work if he had not done at any rate the greater part of it4 ,if ,bargnola died about #aehg1 he could not have done much1 for in the #aehf-aehg edition of ,caccia it is expressly stated that the chapel alone was done 8,di questa fatta solamente la chiesa40 ,and if he had lived to finish the work1 he1 and not ,rossetti1 would have signed it4 ,we may conclude1 then1 with some certainty1 that he died before the chapel was finished1 but may think it nevertheless probable that he was originally commissioned to do it4 ,the question resolves itself1 therefore1 into how much he did1 and how soon ,rossetti took the work over4 ,it must be remembered that ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti is a name absolutely unknown to us4 ,zani1 ,nagler1 ,cicognara1 ,lbke1 ,perkins1 and all the authorities ,i have consulted omit to mention him4 ,i find abundant reference to three1 and indeed five1 painters who were called ,rossetti1 two of whom--doubtless nephews of ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti1--did the frescoes in this very chapel we are considering1 but no one says one syllable about any ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti1 and it is a bold thing to suppose that an unknown man should have succeeded so admirably with such a very important work as the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel1 and have lived as the inscription shows to the age at least of fifty-seven without leaving a single trace in any other quarter whatever4 ,the work1 at any rate in many parts1 is that of one who has been working in clay all his life1 and was a thorough master of his craft1 and this makes it all the more difficult to suppose it to be a single tour de force4 ,on the other hand1 such tours de force were not uncommon among medieval ,italian workmen4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's work in sculpture is little else than a succession of tours de force1 and in other parts of the work we are now considering1 there is a certain archaism which suggests growing rather than matured power4 ,we should not forget1 however1 that an inscription in terra-cotta cannot be surreptitiously scrawled on like a false signature on a fresco or painting4 ,here the signature was made with pomp and circumstance while the clay was still wet1 and was baked with the figure on which it appears4 ,too many people in this case would have to know about it for a false inscription to be probable4 ,as for the evidence of ,fassola1 we must bear in mind that he is a notoriously inaccurate writer2 that he did not write till nearly a hundred years after the work was completed2 that ,torrotti is only an echo of ,fassola1 and all subsequent writers little more than echoes of ,fassola and ,torrotti4 ,on the whole1 therefore1 the more ,i have considered the matter the more ,i incline towards accepting the signature1 and giving the greater part of the terra-cotta work to the man who claims it--that is to say1 to ,michael ,angelo ,rossetti1 sculptor1 of ,claino4 ,signor ,arienta tells me he has found a ,castel ,claino mentioned in an old document1 as formerly existing near ,milan4 ,he is himself inclined 7though knowing nothing of ,paracca when ,i last saw him71 to see two hands in the work--and here he is probably right1 but ,i hardly think ,rossetti would have signed as he did if ,bargnola or ,paracca had done the greater part or even half of it4 ,proceeding to a consideration of the frescoes1 we find that two of ,herod's body-guard1 standing on his left hand1 and corresponding to the one on his right1 on whose collar the sculptor signed his name1 have also signatures on their collars1 obviously done in concert with the sculptor4 ,the signatures are as follows3-- 8,battista ,roveri ,pictor ,milane ta ,,xxxv0 and 8,io ,mauro ,rover ,pictor40 ,fassola says that the painter of the chapel was 8il ,fiamenghino40 ,if he had said the painters were 8i ,fiamenghini0 he would have been right1 for ,signor ,arienta called my attention to a passage in ,lanzi1 in which he has dealt with three painters bearing the name of ,rovere1 two of whom1 if not all three1 were called 8i ,fiamenghini40 ,the three were ,giovanni ,mauro1 ,giambattista1 and ,marco1 which last painter does not seem to have had anything to do with the ,massacre of the ,innocents4 ,lanzi calls ,gio4 ,mauro a follower1 first of ,camillo1 and then of ,giulio ,cesare ,procaccini4 ,he describes them as painters of great facility and invention1 but as seldom taking pains to do what they very well might have done1 if they had chosen1 and his verdict is1 ,i should say1 about right4 ,he adds3-- 8,i find them also called ,rossetti1 and they are still more often described as #8i ,fiamenghini1' their father1 ,richard1 having come from ,flanders1 and settled in ,milan40 ,signor ,arienta explained to me that it was through this surname of ,fiamenghini1 by which the brothers ,rovere were known1 that ,giovanni ,miel ,d',anvers was supposed to have had any hand in the frescoes on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,this last-named painter was court painter to ,carlo ,emanuelle ,i4 ,bordiga knew this1 and seeing he came from ,antwerp1 concluded that he must be 8il ,fiamenghino0 mentioned1 and all subsequent writers have followed him4 ,signor ,arienta also tells me that some twenty years or so later these same two painters signed some frescoes at ,orta as follows3-- 8,io ,battista1 et ,io ,maurus ,aruberius1 dicti ,fiamenghini1 pinxerunt anno #afjh die #i ,octobris40 ,doubtless their mother's name was ,rossetti1 and the ,michael ,angelo ,,rsti who claims the sculptured work1 and was some twenty years their senior1 was their uncle4 ,he also told me that one of the figures in the frescoes of the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel is wearing a collar with a clasp on which there is an oak-tree1 for which 8,rovere0 is the ,italian1 and that he holds this to have been a portrait of the painter4 ,fassola says that under the glazed aperture which is in front of the piece there is placed a small terra-cotta car drawn by a child and loaded with a head1 or ear1 of maize1 a goose1 and a clown2 he explains that the maize means #ajjj1 the car #djj1 the clown #ij1 and the goose 8per il suo verso0--whatever this may mean--#d1 which numbers taken together make the number of infants that were killed4 ,he adds that there is another like hieroglyphic1 which1 as it is not very important1 he will pass over4 ,i find no mention of this in ,torrotti1 nor yet in ,bordiga1 but when people call attention to a thing and then say nothing about it1 ,i generally find they have a reason4 ,on a recent visit to ,varallo ,i examined the two hieroglyphs2 the second is also a small terra-cotta car or cart drawn by a child1 and containing the bust of a monk1 a die1 and two or three other things that ,i could not make out4 ,the treatment of these two hieroglyphics alone is enough to show that they were done by a thorough master of his craft4 ,no doubt the import of the whole was known by ,fassola to be sinister1 but ,i must leave its interpretation to others4 ,he adds that the graces vouchsafed at this chapel are chiefly on behalf of sick children4 ,i may conclude by saying that though nothing has been taken directly from ,tabachetti's ,journey to ,calvary chapel1 the sculptor1 whoever he was1 has nevertheless plainly felt the influence1 and been animated by the spirit of that great work1 then just completed4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,chapels ,no4 #ab-,no4 #bb4 ,,we now begin the series of chapels that deal with ,christ's ,manhood1 ,ministry1 and ,passion4 ,the first of these is ,,chapel ,,no4 #ab4 ,,the ,,baptism ,,of ,,christ ,,by ,,john4 ,the statues are of no great interest1 and of unknown authorship4 ,the frescoes are by ,orazio ,gallinone di ,treviglio1 but they are not striking4 ,the date of the chapel is about #aehe4 ,it is mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 and it is added that the water of the fountain would be brought there shortly so as to imitate the ,jordan4 ,this was done1 but the water made the chapel so damp that it was turned off again4 ,the graces1 according to ,fassola1 are chiefly for married ladies4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ac4 ,,temptation4 ,this chapel is given as completed in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 and had probably been by this time reconstructed by ,tabachetti1 to whom the work is universally and no doubt justly ascribed4 ,picture3 ,plate ,no4 ,,vi4 ,the ,temptation in the ,wilderness4 ,by ,tabchetti ,that the figures of ,christ and of the devil have both been cut about may be conjectured from their draperies being in part real linen or calico1 and not terra-cotta2 ,christ's red shirt front is real1 as also is a great part of the devil's dress4 ,this last personage is a most respectable-looking patriarchal old ,jewish ,rabbi4 ,i should say he was the leading solicitor in some such town as ,samaria1 and that he gave an annual tea to the choir4 ,he is offering ,christ some stones just as any other respectable person might do1 and if it were not for his formidable two clawed feet there would be nothing to betray his real nature4 ,the beasts with their young are excellent4 ,the porcupine has real quills4 ,the fresco background is by ,melchior ,d',enrico1 and here the fall of the devil when the whole is over is treated with a realistic unreserve little likely to be repeated4 ,he is dreadfully unwell4 ,the graces in this chapel are more especially for those tempted by the world1 the flesh1 and the devil1 for people who are bewitched1 and for those who are in any wise troubled in mind1 body1 and estate1 8as the varying views of the pilgrims themselves will best determine40 ,bordiga says that the chapel was begun about #aehj1 and completed in #aeid1 but he refers probably to ,tabachetti's reconstruction1 for in the portico there is an inscription painted by order of the ,bishop1 and forbidding visitors to deface the walls1 that is dated #aebd1 and the back of the chapel has many early #afth century scratches4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ad4 ,,the ,,woman ,,of ,,samaria4 ,this chapel is given as completed in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 so that ,bordiga and ,cusa are wrong in dating it #aeih4 ,in the poetical part of ,caccia it is described as recently made and 8ben ritratto40 ,the woman of ,samaria is a fine buxom figure1 but the paint has peeled off so badly both from her and from the ,christ that it is hardly fair to judge the work at all4 ,i should think it was very possibly an early work by ,tabachetti1 but should be sorry to hazard a decided opinion4 ,the frescoes are without interest4 ,the graces at this chapel were chiefly for women who wanted to abandon some evil practice1 and for rain when the country was suffering from long drought4 ,this last is because ,christ said to the woman of ,samaria 8,give me to drink40 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ae4 ,,the ,,paralytic4 ,the chapel alone was completed by #aehf and #aeij1 so that we may be certain ,tabachetti had no hand in it4 ,the statues are said to be by ,d',enrico1 whom we meet here for the first time4 ,bordiga praises them very highly1 but neither ,jones nor ,i liked the composition as much as we should have wished to have done4 ,some of the individual figures are good1 especially a man with his arm in a sling1 and two men conversing on the left of the composition1 but there is too little concerted and united action1 and too much attempt to show off every figure to the best advantage1 to the sacrifice of more important considerations4 ,they probably date from #afbj-afbd1 in which last year ,bordiga says that the frescoes were completed4 ,these are chiefly1 if not entirely1 by ,cristoforo ,martinolo1 a ,valsesian artist and pupil of ,morazzone1 who1 according to ,bordiga1 though little known1 has here shown himself no common artist4 ,again neither ,jones nor ,i admired them as much as we should have been glad to do4 8,all infirmities of fever1 and paralysis10 says ,fassola1 8if recommended to the ,great ,saviour at this place will be dissipated1 as may be gathered from the many voti here exhibited40 ,,chapel ,,no4 #af4 ,,the ,,widow',s ,,son ,,at ,,nain4 ,of this chapel the walls are alone mentioned as completed in #aeij4 ,so that ,bordiga and ,cusa are again wrong in saying that the frescoes were painted about #aehj4 ,it is not good4 ,the walls were probably raised soon after #aehj4 ,donna ,mathilde di ,savoia1 ,marchesa di ,pianezza1 a natural daughter of ,carlo ,emmanuele ,i41 was among the principal contributors4 ,the graces were 8for those who had had bad falls or any accidents whereby they had been rendered speechless1 stupid1 senseless1 and apparently dead40 ,it will be observed on referring to the plan facing p4 #fh1 that this chapel is given as on the ground now occupied by ,christ taken before ,annas1 and faces the ,herod chapel on the ,piazza dei ,tribunali4 ,this may be a mere error in the plan1 but the plan is generally accurate1 and it is very likely that a change was made in the middle of the last century when the ,annas chapel was built4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ag4 ,,the ,,transfiguration4 ,this is on the highest ground of the ,sacro ,monte1 the ,transfiguration being supposed to have happened on ,mount ,sinai4 ,inside the chapel they have made ,mount ,sinai1 but ,fassola says that it was originally quite too high1 and the ,fabbricieri had ordered it to be made lower1 8so as to render it more enjoyable by the eye40 ,it was begun at the end of the sixteenth century1 but is mentioned as being only 8founded0 in the #aehf and #aeij editions of ,caccia1 and the work seems to have got little further than the foundations1 until in #affj it was resumed2 ,fassola1 writing in #afga1 says that the chapel was 8levata in alto da terra l'anno del mille1 sei cento e sessanta10 or about ten years before his book appeared2 it was still in great part unpainted1 and he makes an appeal to his readers to contribute towards its completion4 ,from both ,fassola and ,torrotti it would appear that only the group of figures on the mountain was in existence when they wrote4 ,they both of them make the extraordinary statement that these figures are by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 whom they must have perfectly well known to have been dead more than a quarter of a century before ,fassola wrote1 and many years before the figures could possibly have been placed where they now are4 ,it is much as though ,i1 writing now1 were to ascribe ,boehm's statue of ,mr4 ,darwin1 in the ,natural ,history ,museum at ,south ,kensington1 to ,chantrey4 ,the figures on the mountain are among the worst on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,i see that ,cusa ascribes the figures of ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john only to ,d',enrico1 but the ascription is very difficult to understand4 ,bordiga does not say who did the figures of ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 but he gives the ,christ1 ,moses1 and ,elias to ,pietro ,francesco ,petera of ,varallo4 ,the fourteen figures at the foot of the mountain he assigns to ,gaudenzio ,soldo of ,camasco1 a pupil of the sculptor ,dionigi ,bussola4 ,in #affe ,giuseppe and ,stefano ,danedi1 called ,montalti1 and pupils of ,morazzone1 8painted the cupola of the chapel with innumerable angels great and small exhibiting the most varied movements40 ,giuseppe had the greater share in this work1 in which may be seen1 according to ,bordiga1 signs of the influence of ,guido1 under whom ,giuseppe had studied4 ,among the figures below the mountain there is a blind man1 and a boy with a bad foot leading him--both good--and a contemptuous father telling the ,apostles that they cannot cure his son1 and that he had told them so from the first1 but the paint is peeling off the figures so much that the work can hardly be judged fairly4 ,when photographed they look much better1 and ,signor ,pizetta tells me he was last year commissioned to photograph the boy1 who is in a fit of hystero-epilepsy1 for a medical work that was being published in ,france1 so it is probably very true to nature4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ah4 ,,raising ,,of ,,lazarus4 ,fassola says that this chapel was erected at the expense of ,pomponio ,bosso1 a noble ,milanese1 between the years #aefj and #aehj4 ,it is mentioned as finished in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 and was probably completed before ,tabachetti came4 ,bordiga only says that it was finished in #aehb4 ,the statues are of little or no merit1 nor yet the frescoes4 ,i observe that in ,caccia the 8tempio0 is praised but not apparently the work that it contained4 ,the terra-cotta figures are ascribed by ,bordiga to ,ravello1 and the frescoes to ,testa1 whose brother1 ,lorenzo ,testa1 was ,fabbriciere at the time the chapel was erected4 ,there is one rather nice little man in the left-hand corner1 but there is nothing else4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ai4 ,,entry ,,into ,,jerusalem4 ,the figures in this chapel are ascribed to ,giovanni ,d',enrico by both ,fassola and ,torrotti1 an ascription very properly set aside by ,bordiga1 without assigned reason1 but probably because #aeij is considerably too early for ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 and there is a document dated ,may #bc1 #aeij1 showing that the fresco background was then contracted for4 ,the sculptured figures are mentioned as finished in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 so that ,d',enrico could not have done them4 ,they are better than those in the preceding chapels1 but they do not arouse enthusiasm1 and have suffered so much from decay1 and from repainting1 that it is hardly fair to form any opinion about them4 ,they probably looked much better when new4 ,the landscape part of the background is by one of the brothers ,rovere1 named1 as ,i have said1 ,fiamenghini1 and he has introduced a house with a stepped gable like those at ,antwerp4 ,some of the figures in the background appear to be by the painter ,testa1 who is named in the document above referred to4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bj4 ,,the ,,last ,,supper4 ,this was one of the earliest chapels1 and is mentioned as completed in the #aehf edition of ,caccia4 ,the figures are of wood1 stiff1 and lifeless1 the supper is profuse and of much later date than the figures1 but the whole scene is among the least successful on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,originally1 but not till many years after the figures had been made and placed1 ,lanini painted a fresco background for this chapel4 ,perhaps ,gaudenzio brought him from ,vercelli on the occasion of the temporary return to ,varallo supposed by ,colombo to have taken place between #aecf and #aeci4 ,if we could know when ,lanini was on the ,sacro ,monte doing this background1 we might suspect that ,gaudenzio was not far off4 ,lanini's work has unfortunately perished in a second reconstruction of the chapel4 ,torrotti in #afhf says that a reconstruction of the ,cena chapel was then contemplated1 but that ,lanini's frescoes were not to be touched4 ,the original ,cena chapel may or may not have been on its present site1 but the first restoration certainly was so1 as appears from the plan dated #afga already given4 ,the apostles have real napkins round their shoulders4 ,the graces are for people who feel themselves deficient in faith1 and intercession may be made here for obstinate sinners4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ba4 ,,the ,,agony ,,in ,,the ,,garden4 ,this chapel1 again1 has been reconstructed1 but the old figures have not been preserved as in the case of the ,cena1 nor yet has the original site4 ,the original site1 according to ,bordiga1 was apart from the other chapels at the foot of the neighbouring monticello1 meaning1 presumably1 the height on which the ,transfiguration chapel now stands4 ,it was at this old chapel that ,s4 ,carlo used to spend hours in prayer4 ,it was one of the earliest1 and the figures were of wood4 ,fassola says that it was the angel who was offering the cup to ,christ in the old chapel who announced his approaching end to ,s4 ,carlo1 but the figures had been removed in his time as they were perishing1 and the terra-cotta ones by ,giovanni ,d',enrico had been substituted1 with a fresco background by his brother ,melchiorre4 ,these in their turn perished during a reconstruction some twenty years or so ago4 ,the graces at this chapel are thus described by ,fassola4 8,il moderno e ,christo ed ,angiolo nel medemo stato rinouati non sono meno miraculosi1 perche tutti li concorrenti1 bisognosi di pazienza di soffrire trauagli1 malattie1 ed ogni sorte d' infermit tanto dell' anima1 quanto del corpo caldamente racomandandosi al piacere di questo sudante ,christo riportano ci che meglio per lo stato di questo1 ed altro ,mondo f di necessit alle loro persone40 ,i find no mention of any original fresco background1 though ,i do of the one added afterwards by ,melchiorre ,d',enrico1 now no longer in existence4 ,as this was one of the earliest chapels1 ,i incline to think that there was no fresco background in the first instance4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bb4 ,,the ,,sleeping ,,apostles4 ,fassola says that this chapel was decorated about fifty years 7really fifty-nine7 before the date at which he was writing1 by ,melchiorre ,d',enrico4 ,it was then on its present site1 but the end of the ,cena block was rebuilt some twenty years ago4 ,the present ,custode1 ,battista1 tells me he worked at the rebuilding1 and taking me upstairs showed me a trace or two of ,melchiorre's background4 ,the sleeping ,apostles are said to be by ,giovanni ,d',enrico2 they will not bear comparison with ,tabachetti's ,st4 ,joseph4 ,the benefactor was ,count ,pio ,giacomo ,fassola di ,rassa1 a collateral ancestor of the historian4 ,people who have become lethargic in their self-indulgence1 or who are blinded through some bad habit1 will find relief at this chapel4 ,i have met with nothing to show that there was any earlier chapel with the same subject1 and in the #aehf edition of ,caccia it is expressly mentioned as one of those that as yet were merely contemplated1 though the ,agony in the ,garden itself is described as completed4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,the ,,palace ,,of ,,pilate4 ,,we now come to the block of several chapels comprised in a building originally designed by ,pellegrini at the instance of ,s4 ,carlo ,borromeo1 but not carried out according to his design1 and called 8,the ,palace of ,pilate40 ,this work was begun about #aeij1 and according to ,fassola was not completed till #affj4 ,the figures1 however1 must have been most of them placed by #afdd1 for they are mainly by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 who is believed to have died in that year4 ,the first of these chapels--the ,capture of ,christ--and probably several others1 comprise some figures taken from earlier chapels4 ,fassola says that before this building was erected1 the old portico built by ,milano ,scarrognini stood in the ,piazza in front of the ,holy ,sepulchre1 that 8in its circuit of three hundred paces it comprised several mysteries of the passion40 ,among these were probably the present ,flagellation1 ,crowning with ,thorns1 and final ,taking of ,christ before ,pilate chapels4 ,each of these1 however1 has undergone some modification4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bc4 ,,the ,,capture ,,of ,,christ4 ,this chapel is in the ,palazzo di ,pilato block1 though not strictly a suffering under ,pontius ,pilate4 ,the greater number of the sixteen figures that it contains are old1 and of wood1 and among these are the figures of ,christ1 ,judas1 and ,malchus1 who is lying on the ground4 ,to show how dust and dirt accumulate in the course of centuries1 ,i may say that ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini told me he had himself unburied the figure of ,malchus1 which he found more than half covered with earth4 ,we have seen that there are also two figures introduced here which had no connection with the original chapel1 ,i mean of course the old ,adam and ,eve1 who are now doing duty as ,roman soldiers4 ,the few remaining figures that are not of wood are given to ,d',enrico1 and the frescoes are by his brother ,melchiorre4 ,neither figures nor frescoes can be highly praised4 ,the present chapel is not on the site of the old1 which ,i have already explained was on the ground floor of the large house on the visitor's left as he enters the smaller entrance to the ,sacro ,monte4 ,the servants were put to lodge above this old and now derelict ,capture chapel when the present one was made4 ,the date of the removal is given by ,cusa as #aegj1 who says that the ,marchese del ,guasto contributed largely to the expense4 ,if the figures were then completed and arranged as we now see them1 ,giovanni ,d',enrico can have had no hand in them1 but it is quite possible that somewhere about #afae-afai1 they were again rearranged and perhaps added to4 ,melchiorre ,d',enrico has signed the frescoes in a quasi-cipher and dated them #afai4 ,the old chapel1 though1 ,i think1 originally larger than it now is1 could not have contained all or nearly all the present figures4 ,any second rearrangement of the chapel may have been due to its incorporation in the ,palazzo di ,pilato block1 which we know was not begun till after #aeij4 ,that the removal from the original chapel had been effected before #aehf is shown by the fact that the chapel is given in its present geographical sequence in the edition of ,caccia published at the end of that year4 ,the work contains no trace of ,tabachetti's hand1 and this should make us incline towards thinking that4 ,tabachetti had not yet come to ,varallo by #aegj4 ,of the former chapel ,fassola says3-- 8,on again descending where formerly was the ,capture of ,christ1 and near the exit from the ,sacro ,monte we came to the porter's lodge4 ,it should be noted that under the porter's room1 in the place where the ,capture used to be1 there are most admirable frescoes by ,gaudenzio0 7p4 #bb74 ,with his accustomed reticence where he fears to give offence1 he does not say that the frescoes are going to rack and ruin1 but this is what he means2 ,torrotti expresses himself more freely1 saying that a chapel1 although derelict1 containing paintings by ,gaudenzio and his pupils1 should not be left to the neglect of servants4 ,these frescoes were removed a year or so ago to the ,pinacoteca in the ,museum4 ,they are not by ,gaudenzio1 and are now rightly given to ,lanini4 ,they are mere fragments1 and of no great importance4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bd4 ,,christ ,,taken ,,to ,,annas4 ,this is the one chapel that belongs to the #ahth century1 having been finished about #agfe at the expense of certain ,valsesians residing in ,turin4 ,it does not belong to the ,palazzo di ,pilato block1 but ,i deal with it here to avoid departure from the prescribed order4 ,the design of the chapel is by ,morondi1 and the figures by ,carlantonio ,tandarini1 except that of ,annas1 which is by ,giambattista ,bernesi of ,turin4 ,the frescoes are of the usual drop scene1 barocco1 academic kind1 but where the damp has spared them they form an effective background4 ,the figures want concert1 and are too much spotted about so as each one to be seen to the best advantage4 ,this1 as ,tabachetti very well knew1 is not in the manner of living action1 and the attempt to render it on these principles is doomed to failure2 nevertheless many of ,tandarini's individual figures are very clever1 and have a good deal of a certain somewhat exaggerated force and character4 ,i have already said that from the plan of #afga 8,the ,widow's ,son0 would seem to have been formerly on the site of the present ,annas chapel4 ,picture3 ,plate ,no4 ,,vii4 8,ciaphas40 ,by ,giovanni ,d',enrico ,,chapel ,,no4 #be4 ,,christ ,,taken ,,before ,,caiaphas4 ,cusa says that this chapel1 which again is not in the ,palazzo di ,pilato block1 adheres very closely to the design of ,pellegrino ,tibaldi4 ,the figures1 thirty-three in number1 are by ,giovanni ,d',enrico and ,giacomo ,ferro1 and the frescoes being dated #afdb1 we may think the terra-cotta work to be among the last done by ,d',enrico on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,the figure of ,caiaphas must be given to him1 and it is hard to see how it could have been more dramatically treated4 ,caiaphas has stepped down from his throne1 which is left vacant behind him1 and is adjuring ,jesus to say whether he is the ,christ the ,son of ,god4 ,if it were not for the cobweb between the arm and the body1 the photograph which is here given might almost pass as having been taken from life1 and the character is so priest-like that it is hard to understand how priests could have tolerated it as they did4 ,indeed1 the figure is so far finer than the general run of ,giovanni ,d',enrico's work1 and so infinitely superior to the four figures of ,pilate in the four ,pilate chapels1 that we should be tempted to give it to some other sculptor if1 happily1 the ,herod did not also show how great ,d',enrico could be when he was doing his best1 and if the evidence for its having been by him were not so strong4 ,to the left of ,caiaphas's empty throne are two standing figures1 which look as if they had been begun for figures of ,christ1 but were condemned as not good enough4 ,they may perhaps be intended for ,joseph and ,nicodemus4 ,some few of the other figures1 which in all number thirty-three1 are also full of character1 but the greater part of them do not rise above the level of ,giacomo ,ferro's supers1 and suffer from having lost much paint2 nevertheless the chapel is effective1 chiefly1 doubtless1 through the excellence of the ,caiaphas himself1 and if we could see the work as it was when ,d',enrico left it we should doubtless find it more effective still4 ,the frescoes are by ,cristoforo ,martinolo1 also named ,rocca4 ,they are not of remarkable excellence1 but form an efficient background1 and are among the best preserved on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,they have also the great merit of being legibly signed and dated4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bf4 ,,the ,,repentance ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter4 ,hard by under a portico there is a statue of ,st4 ,peter1 repentant1 and over him there is a cock still crowing4 ,the figure of ,st4 ,peter1 and presumably that of the cock also1 are by ,d',enrico4 ,i can find nothing about the date in any author4 ,this cock is said to have been the chief instrument in a miracle not less noteworthy than any recorded in connection with the ,sacro ,monte4 ,it seems that on the #crd of ,july #afec a certain ,lorenzo ,togni from ,buccioleto1 who had been a martyr to intemperance for many years1 came to the ,sacro ,monte in that state in which martyrs to intemperance must be expected generally to be4 ,it was very early in the morning1 but nevertheless the man was drunk1 though still just able to go the round of the chapels4 ,nothing noticeable occurred till he got to the ,caiaphas chapel1 but here all on a sudden1 to the amazement of the man himself1 and of others who were standing near1 a noise was heard to come from up aloft in the ,st4 ,peter chapel1 and it was seen that the cock had turned round and was flapping his wings with an expression of great severity4 ,before they had recovered from their surprise1 the bird exclaimed in a loud voice1 and with the utmost distinctness1 8,ciocc' anch' anc'uei10 running the first two words somewhat together1 and dwelling long on the last syllable1 which is sounded like a long ,french 8eu0 and a ,french 8i40 ,these words ,i am told mean1 8,drunk again to-day also80 the 8anc'uei0 being a ,piedmontese patois for 8ancora oggi40 ,the bird repeated these words three or four times over1 and then turned round on its perch1 to all appearance terra cotta again4 ,the effect produced upon the drunkard was such that he could never again be prevailed upon to touch wine1 and ever since this chapel has been the one most resorted to by people who wish to give up drinking to excess4 ,the foregoing story is not given either in ,fassola or ,torrotti1 but my informant1 a most intelligent person1 assured me that to this day the cocks about ,varallo do not unfrequently say 8,ciocc' anch' anc'uei0--indeed1 ,i have repeatedly heard them do so with the most admirable distinctness4 ,i am told that cocks sometimes challenge1 and wish to fight1 well-done cocks on crucifixes1 but it is some way from this to the cock on the crucifix beginning to crow too4 ,one does not see where this sort of thing is to end1 and once terra-cotta always terra-cotta1 is a maxim that a respectable figure would on the whole do well to lay to heart and abide by4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bg4 ,,christ ,,before ,,pilate4 ,the ,pilate is not nearly so good as the ,caiaphas in the preceding chapel1 but though there is not one single figure of superlative excellence1 this is still one of ,d',enrico's best works1 and the ,pilate is the best of the four ,pilates4 ,the nineteen figures are generally ascribed to him2 and1 ,i should say there was less ,giacomo ,ferro in this chapel than in most of ,d',enrico's4 ,possibly ,giacomo ,ferro was not yet ,d',enrico's assistant4 ,the frescoes are by ,antonio1 or ,tanzio1 ,d',enrico1 but ,i cannot see much in them to admire4 ,the date is given by ,bordiga as about #afbj1 but no date is given either by ,fassola or ,torrotti4 ,the nude figure to the left1 seated and holding a spear near the spectator1 is said to be a portrait of ,tanzio1 but ,bordiga thinks that if we are to look for the portrait anywhere in this composition1 we should do so in the open gallery above the gate of the ,pretorium1 where we shall find a figure that has nothing to do with the story1 and represents a 8jocund-looking0 but venerable old man1 wearing a hat with a white feather in it1 and like the portrait of ,melchiorre painted by himself in his ,last ,judgment--presumably the one outside the church at ,riva ,valdobbia4 ,bordiga adds that ,melchiorre was still living in #afbj1 when ,tanzio was at work on these frescoes4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #bh4 ,,christ ,,before ,,herod4 ,bordiga says that this chapel was begun in #afjf1 as shown by a letter from ,monsignor ,bescap1 ,bishop of ,novara1 authorising the ,fabbricieri to appropriate three hundred scudi from the ,mass chest for the purpose of erecting it1 but it was not finished until #afch4 ,the statues1 thirty-five in number1 are by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 and the frescoes by ,tanzio1 but we have no means of dating either the one or the other accurately4 ,picture3 ,plate ,no4 ,,viii4 8,herod40 ,by ,giovanni ,d',enrico ,the figure of ,herod is incomparably finer than any others in the chapel1 if we except those of two laughing boys on ,herod's left that are hardly seen till one is inside the chapel itself4 ,take each of the figures separately and few are good4 ,as usual in ,d',enrico's chapels1 there is a deficiency of the ensemble and concert which no one except ,tabachetti seems to have been able to give in sculptured groups containing many figures2 nevertheless1 the ,herod and the laughing boys atone almost for any deficiency4 ,bordiga speaks of the frescoes in the highest terms1 but ,i do not admire them as ,i should wish to do4 ,they are generally considered as ,antonio ,d',enrico's finest work on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,the figures behind the two boys' heads coming very awkwardly in my photograph1 my friend ,mr4 ,gogin has kindly painted them out for me1 so as to bring the boys' heads out better4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,ix4 8,laughing ,boys in the ,herod ,chapel40 ,by ,giovanni ,d',enrico ,,chapel ,,no4 #bi4 ,,christ ,,taken ,,back ,,to ,,pilate4 ,this is supposed to be the last work of ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 who1 according to ,durandi1 died in #afdd4 ,the scene comprises twenty-three terra-cotta figures1 few of them individually good1 but nevertheless effective as a whole4 ,one man1 the nearest but one to the spectator1 must be given to ,d',enrico1 and perhaps one or two more1 but the greater number must have been done by ,giacomo ,ferro4 ,the frescoes were begun both by ,morazzone and ,antonio ,d',enrico1 but ,fassola and ,torrotti say that neither the one nor the other was able to complete the work1 which in their time was still unfinished2 but ,doctor ,morosini was going to get a really good man to finish them without further delay4 ,eventually the brothers ,grandi of ,milan came and did the ,doric architecture1 while ,pietro ,gianoli did some sibyls1 and on the facciata 8il casto ,giuseppe portato da due ,angioli40 ,gianoli signed his work and dated it #afgi4 ,we know1 then1 that in this case the sculptured figures were placed some years before the background1 as probably also with several other chapels2 and it may be assumed that generally the terra-cotta figures preceded the background--which was designed for them1 and not they for it1 except in the case of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari--who probably conceived both the round and flat work together as part of the same design1 and was thus the only artist on the ,sacro ,monte who carried out the design of uniting painting and sculpture in a single design1 under the conditions which strictly it involves4 ,in connection with this chapel both ,fassola and ,torrotti say that ,d',enrico has intentionally made ,christ's face become smaller and smaller during each of these last scenes1 as becoming contracted through increase of suffering4 ,i have been unable to see that this is more than fancy on their parts4 ,it is also in connection with this chapel that we discover the true date of ,fassola's book4 ,he says that they had been on the lookout 8during the whole of last year0--which he gives as #affi--;for some one to finish the frescoes4 8,now1 however10 he continues1 8when this book is seeing light10 c4 ,the book therefore should be seeing light in #afgj4 ,it is dated #afga4 ,true1 ,fassola may have been writing at the very end of #afgj1 and the book may have been published at the beginning of #afga1 but perhaps the more natural conclusion is that the same reasons which make publishers wish to misdate their books by a year now1 made them wish to do so then1 and that though ,fassola's book appeared at the end of #afgj1 as would appear from his own words1 it was nevertheless dated #afga4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #cj4 ,,the ,,flagellation4 ,torrotti and ,fassola say that the ,christ in this chapel1 as well as in all the others1 is an actual portrait--and no doubt an admirable one--communicated by ,divine inspiration to the many workmen and artists who worked on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,this1 they say1 may be known from two documents contemporaneous with ,christ ,himself1 in which ,his personal appearance is fully set forth1 and which seem almost to have been written from the statues now existing at ,varallo4 ,the worthy artists who made these statues were by no means given to historical investigations1 and were little likely to know anything about the letters in question2 besides1 these had only just been discovered1 so that there can have been no deception or illusion4 ,both ,fassola and ,torrotti give the letters in full1 and to their pages the reader who wishes to see them may be referred4 ,fassola writes3-- 8,hora vegga ogni diuoto se rassomigliando queste statue al vero ,christo essendo lauorate accidentalmente1 parendo da ,dio sia dato alli ,statuarij1 e ,pittori il lume della sua ,diuina ,persona non si h se non per mera sua disposizione e diachiarazione d'hauer quiui quasi come rinouata1 e resa pi commoda alla ,christianit la sua ,redenzione0 7p4 #ajc74 ,the work is mentioned as completed in the #aehf edition of ,caccia--this1 and the ,crowning with ,thorns1 being the only two that are described as completed of those that now form part of the ,palazzo di ,pilato block4 ,these two chapels do not in reality1 however1 belong to the ,palazzo di ,pilato at all2 they existed long before it1 and the new work was added on to them4 ,bordiga says that 8an order of ,monsignor ,bescap relating to this chapel1 and dated ,february #a1 #afje1 shows that there was as yet no plan of this part of the ,palace of ,pilate40 ,i have not seen this order1 and can only speak with diffidence1 but ,i do not think the chapel has been much modified since #aehf1 beyond the fact that ,rocca1 whom we have already met with as painting in the ,caiaphas chapel in #afdb1 at some time or another painted a new background1 which is now much injured by damp4 ,not only does the author of the #aehf ,caccia mention the chapel1 but he does it with more effusion than is usual with him4 ,he rarely says anything in praise of any but the best work4 ,i do not1 therefore1 think it likely that his words refer to the original wooden figures1 two of which were preserved when the work was remodelled2 these two mar the chapel now1 and when all the work was of the same calibre it cannot have kindled any enthusiasm in a writer who appears to have known very fairly well which were the best chapels4 ,he says3-- 8,da manigoldi1 in atto acerbo e fiero1 ,alla colonna ,christo flagellato ,da scultor dotto assimigliato al vero ,di questo #aha in un de i lati dimostrato1 ,e come fusse macerato e nero1 ,d'aspri flagelli percosso1 e vergato1 ,di ,christo il sacro corpo in ogni parte1 ,vi ha sculto dotto mastro in sottil arte40 ,i think the reconstruction of the chapel1 then1 and its assumption of its present state1 except that a fresco background was added1 should be assigned to some year about #aehj-aehe1 and am disposed to ascribe1 at any rate1 the figure of the man who is binding ,christ to the column to ,tabachetti1 who was then working on the ,sacro ,monte1 and whose style the work seems to me to resemble more nearly than it does that of ,d',enrico4 ,whoever the chapel is by1 it was evidently in its present place and much admired in #aehf2 there could hardly1 therefore1 have been any occasion to reconstruct it1 especially when so much other work was crying to be done1 and when it had1 in all probability1 been once reconstructed already4 ,picture3 ,plate ,x4 8,man in background in the ,flagellation ,chapel0 ,on the whole1 until external evidence shows ,d',enrico to have done the figures1 ,i shall continue to think that at least one of them1 and very possibly all except the two old wooden ones1 are by ,tabachetti4 ,the foot of the man binding ,christ to the column has crumbled away1 either because the clay was bad1 or from insufficient baking4 ,this is why the figure is propped up with a piece of wood4 ,the damp has made the rope slack1 so that the pulling action of the figure is in great measure destroyed1 its effect being cancelled by its ineffectualness2 but for this the reader will easily make due allowance4 ,the same man reappears presently in the balcony of the ,ecce ,homo chapel1 but he is there evidently done by another and much less vigorous hand4 ,the man in the foreground1 who is stooping down and binding his rods1 is the same as the one who is kicking ,christ in ,tabachetti's ,journey to ,calvary1 and is one of those adopted by ,tabachetti from ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's ,crucifixion chapel2 this figure may perhaps have been an addition by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 or have been done by an assistant1 for it is hardly up to ,tabachetti's mark4 ,the two nearest scourgers are fine powerful figures1 but ,i should admit that they remind me rather of ,d',enrico than of ,tabachetti1 though they might also be very well by him1 and probably are so4 ,fassola says that the graces obtainable by the faithful here have relation to every kind of need2 they are in a high degree unspecialised1 and that this freedom from specialisation is characteristic of all the chapels of the ,passion4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ca4 ,,the ,,crowning ,,with ,,thorns4 ,much that was said about the preceding chapel applies also to this4 ,it is mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia as done 8sottilmente in natural ritratto10 and as being one of the few works that would form part of the ,palazzo di ,pilato block that were as yet completed4 ,that this chapel had undergone one reconstruction before #aehf1 we may gather from the fact that the left-hand wall is still covered with a fresco of the ,expulsion of ,adam and ,eve from ,paradise2 this has no connection with the ,crowning with ,thorns1 and doubtless formed the background to the original ,adam and ,eve4 ,i have already said that ,i am indebted to ,signor ,arienta for this suggestion4 ,bordiga calls this subject ,christ being ,led to be ,crowned1 and gives it to ,crespi da ,cerano1 but ,i cannot understand how he can see in the work anything but an ,expulsion from ,paradise4 ,the chapel having been reconstructed before #aehf on its present site--as it evidently had been--and being admired1 is not likely to have been reconstructed a second time1 and ,i am again1 therefore1 inclined to give the whole work1 or at any rate the greater part of it1 to ,tabachetti1 and to reject the statements of ,fassola1 ,torrotti1 ,bordiga1 and ,cusa1 who all ascribe the figures to ,d',enrico4 ,the two men standing up behind ,christ1 one taunting ,him1 and the other laughing1 are among the finest on the ,sacro ,monte1 and are much more in ,tabachetti's manner than in ,d',enrico's4 ,the other figures are1 as they were doubtless intended to be1 of minor interest4 ,some of the frescoes other than those above referred to1 were added at a later date1 and are said by ,bordiga1 on the authority of a covenant1 dated ,september #bgth1 #afjh1 to have been done by ,antonio ,rantio1 who undertook to paint them for a sum of ten ducatoons4 ,they are without interest4 ,it was here the ,flemish dancer was healed4 ,his name was ,bartholomew ,jacob1 and he came from ,graveling in ,flanders4 ,it seems there was a ball going on at the house of one of this man's ancestors1 and that the ,last ,sacraments were being carried through the street under the windows of the ball-room4 ,the dancing ought by rights to have been stopped1 but the host refused to stop it1 and presently the priest who was carrying the ,sacrament found a paper under the chalice1 written in a handwriting of almost superhuman neatness1 presumably that of the ,madonna herself and bearing the words1 8,dancer1 thou wouldst not stay thy dance3 ,i curse thee1 therefore1 that thou dance for nine generations40 ,and so he did1 he and all his descendants all their lives1 till it came to ,bartholomew ,jacob1 who was the ninth in descent4 ,he too began life dancing1 and was still dancing when he started on a pilgrimage to ,rome2 when1 however1 he got to the ,sacro ,monte at ,varallo on the #gth of ,january #afdf1 he began to feel tired1 tremulous1 and languid from so much incessant movement4 ,this strange feeling attacked him first at the ,nativity ,chapel1 but by the time he got to the ,crowning with ,thorns he could stand it no longer1 and fell as one dead1 to rise again presently perfectly whole1 and relieved of his distressing complaint4 ,personally ,i find this story interesting as giving high support to the theory ,i have been trying to insist upon for some years past1 and according to which in a certain sense a man is personally identical with all the generations in the direct line both of his ancestry and his descendants1 as well as with himself4 ,the words 8,thou shalt dance for nine generations0 involve one of the most important points contended for in my earlier book1 8,life and ,habit40 ,fassola and ,torrotti both say that more pilgrims left alms at this chapel than at any other4 ,in fact they both seem to consider that this chapel did very well4 8,qu10 says ,torrotti1 8si colgano elemosine assai10 and1 as ,i have said already1 it is here that a few autumn leaves of waxen images still linger4 ,a few weeks ago ,i saw the original document in which the story above given was attested4 ,it was dated #afga1 and signed1 stamped1 and sealed as a document of the highest importance4 ,i noticed that in this manuscript1 it was a voice that was heard1 and not as in ,fassola a letter that was found4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #cb4 ,,christ ,,at ,,the ,,steps ,,of ,,the ,,pretorium4 ,this is not mentioned in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 perhaps as being a poor and unimportant work4 ,fassola says that some of the frescoes1 as well as of the statues1 which1 he says1 are of wood1 were by ,gaudenzio4 ,the other statues are given both by ,fassola and ,torrotti to ,d',enrico1 and the paintings to ,gianoli1 a wealthy ,valsesian amateur who lived at ,campertogno4 ,bordiga gives the statues to ,ferro1 already mentioned as a pupil of ,d',enrico1 but whoever did them1 they are about as bad as they can be--too bad1 ,i should say1 for ,giacomo ,ferro1 and ,i am not sure that they are not of wood even now4 ,no traces of ,gaudenzio's frescoes remain4 ,the chapel seems to have been reconstructed in connection with the replica of the ,scala ,santa up which ,christ is going to be conducted4 ,we have seen that the design for these stairs was procured from ,rome in #afjh by ,francesco ,testa1 who was then ,fabbriciere4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #cc4 ,,ecce ,,homo4 ,this is one of the finest chapels1 the concert between the figures being better than in most of ,d',enrico's other work1 notwithstanding the fact that more than one1 and probably several1 are old figures taken from chapels that were displaced when the ,palazzo di ,pilato block was made4 ,the figures are thirty-seven in number1 and are disposed in a spacious hall not wholly unlike the vestibule of the ,reform ,club1 ,christ and ,his immediate persecutors appearing in a balustraded balcony above a spacious portico that supports it4 ,this must have been one of ,d',enrico's first works on the ,sacro ,monte1 the frescoes having been paid for on ,dec4 #g1 #afab1 as shown by ,morazzone's receipt which is still in existence1 and which is for the sum of #bdjj imperiali4 ,of these frescoes it is impossible to speak highly2 they look clever at first and from a distance1 but do not bear closer attention4 ,morazzone took pains with the ,journey to ,calvary chapel1 which was his first work on the ,sacro ,monte1 but never did anything so good again4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xi4 8,stefano ,scotto and ,mr4 ,s4 ,butler0 ,of the terra-cotta figures1 the one to the extreme left is certainly by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 being another portrait1 in nearly the same attitude1 of the extreme figure to the left in the ,crucifixion chapel4 ,for reasons into which ,i will enter more fully when ,i come to this last-named work1 ,i do not doubt that ,stefano ,scotto1 ,gaudenzio's master1 is the person represented4 ,i had to go inside the chapel to hold a sheet behind the figure in order to detach it from the background1 so had myself taken along with it to show how it compares with a living figure4 ,it is generally said at ,varallo to be a portrait of ,giovanno ,d',enrico's brother ,tanzio1 but this is obviously impossible1 for not only does the same person reappear in the ,crucifixion chapel1 but he is also found in ,gaudenzio's early fresco of the ,disputa in the ,sta4 ,margherita chapel already referred to1 and elsewhere1 as ,i will presently show4 ,i should be sorry to say that any other figure in the ,ecce ,homo chapel except this is certainly by ,gaudenzio1 but am inclined to think that two or three others are also by him1 the rest being probably all of them by ,d',enrico or some assistant4 ,some--more especially two children1 on the head of one of whom a man has laid his hand--are of extreme beauty4 ,the child that is looking up is among the most beautiful in the whole range of sculpture2 the other is not so good1 but has suffered in re-painting1 the eyelid being made too red2 if this were remedied1 as it easily might be1 the figure would gain greatly4 ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini has very successfully substituted plaster hair for the horsehair1 which had in great measure fallen off4 ,the motive of this incidental group is repeated1 but with less success1 in ,giovanni ,d',enrico's ,nailing to the ,cross4 ,there is another child to the extreme right of the composition so commonly and poorly done that it is hard to believe it can be by the same hand1 but it is not likely that ,giacomo ,ferro had as yet become ,d',enrico's assistant4 ,the man who is pointing out ,christ to this last-named child is far more seriously treated1 and might even be an importation from an earlier work4 ,among other very fine figures is a man who is looking up and holding a staff in his hand2 he stands against the wall to the spectator's right among the figures nearest to the grating4 ,there is also an admirable figure of a man on one knee tying his cross garter and at the same time looking up4 ,this figure is in the background rather hidden away1 and is not very well seen from the grating4 ,i should add that the floor of the chapel slopes a little up from the spectator like the stage in a theatre4 ,the dog in the middle foreground is hollow1 as are all the figures1 or at any rate many of them1 and shows a great hole on the side away from the spectator2 it is not fixed to the ground1 but stands on its own legs2 it was as much as ,i could do to lift it4 ,i am told the figures were baked down below in the town1 and though they are most of them in several pieces it must have been no light work carrying them up the mountain4 ,i have been shown the remains of a furnace near the present church on the ,sacro ,monte1 but believe it was only used for the figures made by ,luigi ,marchesi in #ahbf4 ,i should1 however1 have thought that the figures would have been baked upon the ,sacro ,monte itself and not in the town4 ,of this chapel ,fassola says3-- 8,all the pilgrims of every description come here1 because it is at the top of the ,scala ,santa up which they go upon their knees1 and there is plenty of room for pilgrims1 as the chapel extends the whole width of the staircase4 ,those who are oppressed with travail1 or fevers1 or lawsuits1 or unjust persecutions of any description1 are comforted on being commended to this ,christ40 8,vi sono qu10 says ,torrotti1 8pascoli deliziosi per i curiosi e pi dotti40 ,i daresay that on the great festivals of the ,church1 some pilgrims may still go up the ,scala ,santa kneeling1 but they do not commonly do so4 ,often as ,i have been at the ,sacro ,monte1 ,i never yet saw a pilgrim mount the staircase except on his feet in the usual way4 ,it must be a very painful difficult thing to go up twenty-eight consecutive high steps on one's knees2 ,i tried it1 but gave it up after a very few steps1 and do not recommend any of my readers to even do as much as this4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #cd4 ,,pilate ,,washing ,,his ,,hands4 ,fassola1 ,torrotti1 and ,bordiga all call this one of the best chapels1 but neither ,jones nor ,i could see that it was nearly so successful as the preceding4 ,the seventeen modelled figures are by ,giovanni ,d',enrico1 and the frescoes by his brother ,antonio or ,tanzio4 ,one or two of the figures--especially a man putting his finger to his mouth derisively1 are excellent1 but the ,pilate is a complete failure2 and it is hard to think it can have been done1 as it probably nevertheless was1 by the sculptor of the ,caiaphas and ,herod figures4 ,bordiga says that a contract was made with ,caccia 7not the historian71 called ,moncalvo1 for the frescoes4 ,this was the painter who did the backgrounds for the ,crea chapels1 but the contract was never carried out1 probably because ,antonio ,d',enrico returned from ,rome4 ,it was dated ,november #afaf1 so that the terra-cotta figures probably belong to this year or to those that immediately preceded it4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ce4 ,,christ ,,condemned ,,to ,,death4 ,this is better than the preceding chapel1 and contains some good individual figures4 ,the statues are twenty-seven in number1 and were modelled by ,d',enrico prior to the year #afad1 in which year ,morazzone was paid twelve hundred imperiali for having painted the frescoes1 so that it was one of his earlier works1 but the ,pilate is again a failure4 ,people who have been badly treated1 and who have suffered from some injustice1 are more especially recommended by ,fassola 8to try this ,christ1 who moves the pity of all who look upon ,him40 ,he continues that it was the intention to add some other chapels at the end of the portico of the ,palazzo di ,pilato1 but this intention was not carried out4 ,bordiga calls attention to the view on the right1 looking over ,varallo and the ,mastallone1 as soon as the portico is passed4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,mysteries ,,of ,,the ,,passion ,,and ,,death4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xii4 ,tabachetti's 8,journey to ,calvary40 ,general view to the right ,,the ,palazzo di ,pilato is now ended1 and we begin with the mysteries of the ,passion and ,death of the ,redeemer1 the first of which is set forth in ,,chapel ,,no4 #cf4 ,,the ,,journey ,,to ,,calvary4 ,this1 having regard to the terra-cotta figures alone1 is by far the finest work on the ,sacro ,monte1 and it is hardly too much to say that no one who has not seen it knows what sculpture can do4 ,i have sufficiently shown that all the authorities1 not one of whom has ever so much as seen a page of ,caccia1 are wrong by at least twenty years1 when they say that ,tabachetti completed the work in #afjf4 ,bordiga refers1 and this time ,i have no doubt accurately1 to a deed drawn up in #afjb1 in accordance with which the fresco background was begun by ,antonio ,gandino1 a painter of ,brescia2 this alone should have made ,bordiga suspect that the terra-cotta work had been already completed1 but he does not appear to have noted the fact1 and goes on to say that the agreement with ,gandino was cancelled by ,bishop ,bescap in #afjd1 and that his work was destroyed1 the chapel being handed over to ,morazzone1 who painted it in #afje1 and was paid #adjj lire1 besides twenty gold scudi4 ,morazzone has followed ,gaudenzio boldly1 repeating several of his fresco figures1 as ,tabachetti1 with admirable good taste1 had repeated several of his terra-cotta ones1 while completely varying the action4 ,the right-hand frescoes1 and part of those on the wall opposite the spectator1 have been recently cut away in squares1 and relined1 as the wall was perishing from damp4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xiii4 ,tabachetti's 8,journey to ,calvary40 ,st4 ,john1 the ,madonna1 with the other ,maries ,the statues consist of about forty figures of men1 women1 and children1 and nine horses1 all rather larger than life4 ,they too have suffered from the effect of damp upon the paint2 nevertheless1 a more permanent and satisfactory kind of pigment has been used here than in most of the chapels2 the work does not seem to have been much1 if at all repainted1 since ,tabachetti left it4 ,one figure of a child in the foreground has disappeared1 the marks of its feet and two little bits of rusty iron alone show where it was2 the woman who was holding it also remains without an arm4 ,i am tempted to think that some disturbing cause has affected a girl who is holding a puppy1 a little to the right of this last figure1 and doubt whether something that accompanied her may not have perished2 at any rate1 it does not group with the other figures as well as these do with one another2 this1 however1 is a very small blemish4 ,the work is one that will grow upon the reader the more he studies it1 and should rank as the most successfully ambitious of medieval compositions in sculpture1 no less surely than ,gaudenzio's ,crucifixion chapel1 having regard to grandeur of scheme as well as execution1 should rank as the most daring among ,italian works of art in general4 ,i am aware that this must strike many of my readers as in all probability a very exaggerated estimate1 but can only repeat that ,i have studied these works for the last twenty years with every desire not to let a false impression run away with me1 and that each successive visit to ,varallo1 while tending somewhat to lower my estimate of ,giovanni ,d',enrico--unless when he is at his very best--has increased my admiration for both ,gaudenzio ,ferrari and ,tabachetti1 as also1 ,i would add1 for the sculptor of the ,massacre of the ,innocents chapel4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xiv4 ,tabachetti's 8,sta4 ,veronica10 and ,man with ,goitre ,it cannot1 indeed1 be pretended that ,tabachetti's style is as pure as that of his great predecessor1 but what it has lost in purity it has gained in freedom and vigour4 ,it is not possible that an artist working in the years #aehj-aehe should present to us traces of the archaism which even the most advanced sculptors of half a century earlier had not wholly lost4 ,the stronger a man is the more certainly will he be modified by his own times as well as modify them1 and in an age of barocco we must not look for ,donatellos4 ,still1 the more ,tabachetti's work is examined the more will it be observed that he took no harm from the barocco1 but kept its freedom while avoiding its coarseness and exaggeration4 ,for reasons explained in an earlier chapter his figures are not generally portraits1 but he is eminently realistic1 and if he did the ,vecchietto1 of which ,i have given a photograph at the beginning of this book1 he must be credited with one of the most living figures that have ever been made--a figure which rides on the very highest crest of the wave1 and neither admits possibility of further advance towards realism without defeating its own purpose1 nor shows even the slightest sign of decadence4 ,of the figure of the ,countess of ,serravalle1 to which ,i have already referred1 ,torrotti said it was so much admired in his day that certain ,venetian cavaliers offered to buy it for its weight in gold1 but that the mere consideration of such an offer would be high treason 7lesa ,maest7 to the ,sacro ,monte4 ,fassola and ,torrotti1 as well as ,bordiga and ,cusa1 are evidently alive to the fact that as far as sculpture goes we have here the highest triumph attained on the ,sacro ,monte of ,varallo4 ,i had better perhaps give the words in which ,caccia describes the work4 ,in the #aehf edition1 we read1 in the preliminary prose part1 as follows3-- 8,come ,n4 ,s4 condotto alla morte con la croce alle spalle1 qual si vede tutto di rilievo40 ,the poetical account runs thus3-- 8,si trova poi in una ,chiesa nera ,con spettacolo fiero accompagnato ,da soldati1 e da gente molto fiera1 ,con la ,croce alle spalle incaminato ,christo ,giesu in mezzo l'empia schiera1 ,seguendolo ,giovanni addolorato1 ,che di ,giesu sostien la sconsolata ,madre1 da ,maddalena accompagnata40 ,in the #aeia edition1 the prose description of the work runs2-- 8,come ,n4 ,s4 condotto alla morte con la ,croce sopra delle spalle1 quali si vedeno tutto di rilieuo bellissi40 ,i have no copy of the poetical part of this edition before me1 but believe it to be identical with the version already given4 ,the impression left upon me is that the work in #aehf was only just finished enough to allow it to be called finished1 and that its full excellence was not yet displayed to the public1 though it was about to be so very shortly4 ,signor ,arienta tells me that ,tabachetti has adhered rather closely to a design for the same subject by ,albert ,durer1 but ,i have failed to find the design to which he is referring4 ,bordiga again calls attention to the extreme beauty of the view of ,varallo that is to be had on leaving this chapel4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xv4 ,tabachetti's 8,journey to ,calvary40 ,the ,two ,thieves and their ,driver ,,chapel ,,no4 #cg4 ,,the ,,nailing ,,of ,,christ ,,to ,,the ,,cross4 ,this and the two following chapels are on the top of the small rise of some fifteen or twenty feet in which ,bernardino ,caimi is said to have seen a resemblance to ,mount ,calvary2 they are approached by a staircase which leads directly to ,giovanni ,d',enrico's largest work4 ,bordiga says that the chapel was begun in #aehi at the expense of ,marchese ,giacomo d',adda2 he probably1 however1 refers only to the building itself4 ,it is not mentioned as even contemplated in the #aehf edition of ,caccia1 nor yet1 unless my memory fails me1 in that of #aeij4 ,it is not known when the terra-cotta work was begun1 but it was not yet quite finished in #afdd1 when1 as ,i have said1 ,d',enrico died4 ,the frescoes are by ,melchiorre ,gilardini1 and have been sufficiently praised by other writers2 they are fairly well preserved1 and show1 as in the preceding chapel and in ,gaudenzio's ,crucifixion1 how much more is to be said for the union of painting and sculpture when both are in the hands of capable men1 than we are apt to think4 ,if the reader will divest the sculpture of its colour and background1 how cold and uninteresting will it not seem in comparison even with its present somewhat impaired splendour4 ,looking at the really marvellous results that have been achieved1 we cannot refrain from a passing regret at the spite that threw ,tabachetti half a century off ,gaudenzio1 instead of letting them come together1 but we must take these things as we find them4 ,on first seeing ,giovanni ,d',enrico's ,nailing to the ,cross we are tempted to think it even finer than the ,journey to ,calvary4 ,the work is larger1 comprising some twenty or so more terra-cotta figures--making about sixty in all--and ten horses1 all rather larger than life1 but the first impression soon wears off and the arrangement is then felt to be artificial as compared with ,tabachetti's4 ,tabachetti made a great point when1 instead of keeping his floor flat or sloping it evenly up to any one side1 he threw his stage up towards one corner1 which is much higher than any other4 ,the unevenness1 and irregular unevenness1 of the ground is of the greatest assistance to him1 by giving him variety of plane1 and hence a way of escaping monotony without further effort on his part4 ,if ,d',enrico had taken his ground down from the corner up to which ,tabachetti had led it1 he would have secured both continuity with ,tabachetti's scene1 and an irregularly uneven surface1 without repeating his predecessor's arrangement4 ,true1 the procession was supposed to be at the top of ,mount ,calvary1 but that is a detail4 ,as it is1 ,d',enrico has copied ,tabachetti in making his ground slope1 but1 unless my memory fails me1 has made it slope evenly along the whole width of the chapel1 from the foreground to the wall at the back--with the exception of a small mound in the middle background4 ,the horses are arranged all round the walls1 and the soldiers are all alongside of the horses1 and every figure is so placed as to show itself to the greatest advantage4 ,this perhaps is exaggeration1 but there is enough truth in it to help the reader who is unfamiliar with this class of work to apprehend ,tabachetti's superiority more readily than he might otherwise do in the short time that tourists commonly have at their disposal4 ,the general impression left upon myself and ,jones was that it contains much more of ,giacomo ,ferro than of ,d',enrico2 but in spite of this it is impossible to deny that the work is important and on the whole impressive4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xvi4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's 8,crucifixion40 ,general ,view1 looking towards the ,bad ,thief ,,chapel ,,no4 #ch4 ,,the ,,crucifixion4 ,neither ,fassola nor ,torrotti date this work1 but ,i have already shown reasons for believing that it should be given to the years #aebd-aebh4 ,fassola says that the figure of ,christ on the ,cross is not the original one1 which was stolen1 and somehow or other found its way to the ,church of ,s4 ,andrea at ,vercelli1 where1 according to ,colombo 7p4 #bcg71 a crucifix1 traditionally said to be this one1 was preserved until the close of the last century4 ,bordiga says that there is no reason to believe this story4 ,the present crucifix is of wood1 and is probably an old one long venerated1 and embodied in his work by ,gaudenzio himself1 partly out of respect to public feeling1 and partly1 perhaps1 as an unexceptionable excuse for avoiding a great difficulty4 ,the thieves also1 according to ,bordiga and ,cusa1 are of wood1 not terra-cotta1 being done from models in clay by ,gaudenzio as though the wood were marble4 ,we may be sure there was an excellent reason for this solitary instance of a return to wood1 but it is not immediately apparent to a layman4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xvii4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's 8,crucifixion40 ,general ,view1 looking towards the ,good ,thief ,we have met with the extreme figure to the spectator's left in the ,ecce ,homo chapel4 ,he is also1 as ,i have said1 found in the ,disputa fresco1 done some twenty years or so before the work we are now considering1 and we might be tempted to think that the person who was so powerfully impressed on ,gaudenzio's mind during so many years was some ,varallo notable1 or failing this that he was some model whom he was in the habit of employing4 ,this1 however1 is not so2 for in the first place the supposed model was an old man in1 say1 #aejg1 and he is not a day older in #aebg1 so that in #aebg ,gaudenzio was working from a strong residuary impression of a figure with which he had been familiar many years previously and not from life2 and in the second1 we find the head repeated in the works of ,milanese artists who in all probability never came near ,varallo4 ,we certainly find it in a drawing1 of which ,i give a reduced reproduction1 and which the ,british ,museum authorities ascribe1 no doubt correctly1 to ,bernardino de' ,conti4 ,i also recognise it unquestionably in a drawing in the ,windsor collection ascribed to ,leonardo da ,vinci--a drawing1 however1 which it is not easy to think is actually by him4 ,i have no doubt that a reminiscence of the same head is intended in a drawing ascribed to ,leonardo da ,vinci in the ,biblioteca ,ambrosiana1 only that the artist1 whoever he may be1 has added hair 7which is obviously not drawn from nature71 and has not produced so good a likeness as ,gaudenzio and ,bernardino de' ,conti have done1 but about this last ,i am less certain4 ,at any rate there can be no doubt that the figure represents a ,milanese character who in the time of ,gaudenzio's youth was familiar to ,milanese artists1 and who made a deep impression upon more than one of them4 ,this will be even more apparent to those who are familiar with the terra-cotta figures at ,varallo1 for these can be seen from several points of view1 and a fuller knowledge of the head is thus obtained than a flat impression from a single point can give4 ,it is not likely that the figure is that of a mere model1 for it has no1 or very little connection with the action of the piece1 and is evidently placed where it is--the extreme figure to the left1 which is always a place of honour--for the sake of introducing the portrait into the composition4 ,gaudenzio would not have been so impressed1 say1 with old ,christie #bjf as to give his portrait from memory twenty years after he had seen him last1 to put this portrait in the place of honour1 and to make the work much more emphatic as a portrait than as the figure of an actor in his drama1 inasmuch as he has turned the head towards the spectator and away from the central incident4 ,it is more probable1 then1 that we must look for some well-known ,milanese art-world character as the original for which the figure was intended4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xviii4 8,stefano ,scotto and ,leonardo da ,vinci0 ,we know that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari studied under ,stefano ,scotto1 and have every reason to think that ,bernardino de' ,conti--who1 ,i see1 studied in the school of ,foppa1 one of ,scotto's predecessors1 if not under ,scotto himself1 must have known him perfectly well4 ,leonardo da ,vinci kept the rival school at ,milan1 and the two schools were to one another much what those kept by the late ,mr4 ,f4 ,s4 ,cary and ,mr4 ,lee were some thirty years ago in ,london4 ,leonardo1 therefore1 also doubtless knew ,scotto by sight if not personally4 ,i incline to think1 then1 that we have here the original we are looking for1 and that ,gaudenzio when working at what he probably regarded as the most important work of his life determined to introduce his master1 just as ,i1 if ,i were writing a novel1 might be tempted to introduce a reminiscence of my own old schoolmaster1 and to make the portrait as faithful as ,i could4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xix4 ,fig4 #a4 ,profile of ,leonardo da ,vinci by ,himself 7reversed7 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xix4 ,fig4 #b4 ,stafano ,scotto 7874 ,from a ,drawing by ,bernardino de' ,conti ,i am confirmed in this opinion by noting1 as ,i have done for many years past1 that the figure next to that of ,scotto is not unlike the portraits of ,leonardo da ,vinci1 of which ,i give the one 7whether by himself or no ,i do not know7 that ,i believe to be the best4 ,i had been reminded of ,leonardo da ,vinci by this figure long before ,i knew of ,scotto's existence1 and had often wondered why he was not made the outside and most prominent figure2 now1 then1 that ,i see reason to think the outside figure intended for ,gaudenzio's own master1 ,i understand why the preference has been given him1 and have little doubt that next to his own master ,gaudenzio has placed the other great contemporary art-teacher at ,milan whose pupil he never actually was1 but whose influence he must have felt profoundly4 ,i also derive an impression that ,gaudenzio liked and respected ,scotto though he may have laughed at him1 but that he did not like ,leonardo1 who by the way had been dead about ten years when this figure was placed where it now is4 ,i see1 therefore1 the two figures as those of ,scotto and of ,leonardo da ,vinci1 and think it likely that in the one portrait we have by far the most characteristic likeness of ,leonardo that has come down to us4 ,in his own drawings of himself he made himself out such as he wanted others to think him2 here1 if ,i mistake not1 he has been rendered as others saw him4 ,the portrait of ,scotto is beyond question an admirable likeness2 it is not likely that the ,leonardo is less successful1 and we find in the searching1 eager1 harassed1 and harassing unquiet of the figure here given a more acceptable rendering of ,leonardo's character and appearance than any among the likenesses of himself which are more or less plausibly ascribed to him4 ,the question is one of so much interest that ,i must defer its fuller treatment for another work1 in which ,i hope to deal with the portraits of ,giovanni and ,gentile ,bellini1 and with ,holbein's 8,danse des ,paysans40 ,i have1 however1 given above the greater part of the information of which ,i am as yet possessed upon the subject4 ,in conclusion1 ,i may say that ,i mentioned the matter to ,signor ,boccioloni the ,sindaco of ,varallo1 and to other friends with whom ,i have discussed the question on the spot1 and found that people generally seemed to consider the case as rather a strong one4 ,as regards the portraits supposed to be found on the frescoes1 they are all so doubtful that ,i will refrain from discussing them1 but will refer my readers to ,colombo4 ,the only exception is a portrait of one of the ,scarrognini family which is seen on the right-hand wall above the door1 the fact of the portraiture being attested by a barbarous scrawl upon the fresco itself4 ,caccia says of the work with more enthusiasm than even ,i can command1 but in a style of poetry which ,i find it fairly easy to render1 that we may see among the spectators 8 4 4 4 maraviglia1 ,vi son pi donne con la sua famiglia20 which means in ,english-- 8,and here you may behold with wondering eyes1 ,several ladies with their families40 ,he continues that 8,gli ,angeli star nel ciel tutti dolenti ,si veggon per piet del suo ,signore1 ,e turbati mostrarsi gli elementi1 ,privi del sole1 e d' ogni suo splendore1 ,e farsi terremoti1 e nascer venti1 ,par che si veda1 d' estremo dolore1 ,e il tutto esser non pinto ne in scultura1 ,ma dell' istesso parto di ,natura4 8,e se a pieno volessi ricontare ,di questo tempio la bellezza1 e l' arte1 ,le statue1 le pitture1 e l' opre rare1 ,saria 787 un vergar in infinite carte ,che non han queste in tutto il mondo pare1 ,cerchisi pur in qual si voglia parte1 ,che di ,fidia1 ,prasitele1 e d' ,apelle1 ,ne di ,zeuxi non fur l' opre si belle40 8,search the world through in whatsoever part1 ,and scan each best known masterpiece of art1 ,in ,phidias or ,praxiteles or ,apelles1 ,you will find nothing that done half so well is40 ,in this translation ,i have again attempted to preserve--not to say pickle--the spirit of the original4 ,picture3 ,plate ,,xx4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari's 8,crucifixion40 ,the ,bad ,thief ,returning to the work as a whole1 if the modelled figures fail anywhere it is in respect of action--more especially as regards the figures to the spectator's right1 which want the concert and connection without which a scene ceases to be dramatic1 and becomes a mere assemblage of figures placed in juxtaposition4 ,it would be going too far to say that complaint on this score can be justly insisted on in respect even of these figures2 nevertheless it will be felt that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari the painter could harmonise his figures and give them a unity of action which was denied to him as a sculptor4 ,it must not be forgotten that his modelled work derives an adventitious merit from the splendour of the frescoes with which it is surrounded1 and from our admiration of the astounding range of power manifested by their author4 ,as a painter1 it must be admitted that ,gaudenzio ,ferrari was second to very few that had gone before him1 but as a sculptor1 he did not do enough to attain perfect mastery over his art4 ,if he had done as much in sculpture as in painting he would doubtless have been as great a master of the one as the other2 as it was1 in sculpture he never got beyond the stage of being an exceedingly able and interesting scholar2--this1 however1 is just the kind of person whose work in spite of imperfection is most permanently delightful4 ,among the defects which he might have overcome is one that is visible in his earlier painting as well as in his sculpture1 and which in painting he got rid of1 though evidently not without difficulty--,i mean1 a tendency to get some of his figures unduly below life size4 ,i have often seen in his paintings that he has got his figures rather below life size1 when apparently intending that they should be full-sized1 and worse than this1 that some are smaller in proportion than others4 ,nevertheless1 when we bear in mind that the ,crucifixion chapel was the first work of its kind1 that it consists of four large walls and a ceiling covered with magnificent frescoes1 comprising about #aej figures2 that it contains twenty-six life-sized statues1 two of them on horseback1 and much detail by way of accessory1 all done with the utmost care1 and all coloured up to nature1--when we bear this in mind and realise what it all means1 it is not easy to refrain from saying1 as ,i have earlier done1 that the ,crucifixion chapel is the most daringly ambitious work of art that any one man was ever yet known to undertake2 and if we could see it as ,gaudenzio left it1 we should probably own that in the skill with which the conception was carried out1 no less than in its initial daring1 it should rank as perhaps the most remarkable work of art that even ,italy has produced4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #ci4 ,,the ,,descent ,,from ,,the ,,cross4 ,,fassola and ,torrotti both say that the terra-cotta figures here are by a pupil of ,giovanni ,d',enrico4 ,bordiga says that the three figures forming the group upon the cross were done contemporaneously with the ,nailing of ,christ to the ,cross1 which we have already considered1 and are in the style of ,d',enrico4 ,if so1 they are not in his best style1 while the others are among the worst on the ,sacro ,monte1 with the exception of one1 which ,i never even observed until last summer1 so completely is it overpowered by the worse than mediocrity with which it is surrounded4 ,this figure is perhaps1 take it all round1 the finest on the ,sacro ,monte1 and is generally known as 8,il ,vecchietto0 or 8the little old man40 ,it is given as the frontispiece of this book4 ,i was led to observe it by a casual remark made by my old and valued friend ,signor ,dionigi ,negri of ,varallo1 to whom ,i am indebted for invaluable assistance in writing this book1 and indeed at whose instigation it was undertaken4 ,he told me there was a portrait of the man who gave this part of the ground to the founders of the ,sanctuary2 he was believed to be a small peasant proprietor--one of the 8alcuni particolari poueri0 mentioned by ,fassola as owning the site--who1 having been asked to sell the land1 gave it instead4 ,this was the story1 but ,i knew that the land was given not later than #adij-adic1 whereas the chapel in question is not earlier than #afcj1 when no portrait of the peasant benefactor was possible4 ,i therefore went to the chapel1 and finding the figure1 saw what must be obvious to any one who looks at it with attention1 ,i mean1 firstly1 how fine it was1 and secondly1 that it had not been designed for its present place4 ,this last is clear from the hand1 which from outside at first appears to be holding a pair of pincers and a hammer1 as though to assist at the ,deposition1 but which proves to have been originally designed to hold a stick--or something round1 the hammer and pincers being at present tied on with a piece of string1 to a hand that is not holding them4 ,i asked the opinion of ,cav4 ,prof ,antonini of ,varallo and his son1 both of them admirable sculptors1 and found them as decided as myself in their admiration of the figure4 ,both of them1 at different times1 were good enough to go inside the chapel with me1 and both agreed with me that the figure was no part of the design of the group in which it now is4 ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini thought the whole right arm had been restored1 but it was getting dusk when he suggested this1 and ,i could not see clearly enough to form an opinion2 ,i have the greatest diffidence in differing from so excellent an authority1 but so far as ,i could see1 ,i did not think there had been any restoration4 ,i thought nothing had been done except to put a piece of string through the hole in the hand where a stick or roll had been1 and to hang the hammer and pincers with it4 ,leaving ,varallo early on the following morning1 ,i was unable to see the figure again by day-light1 and must allow the question of restoration or non-restoration to remain unsettled4 ,there is a large well-defined patch of mended ground covering the space occupied by the figure itself4 ,there is no other such patch under any other figure1 and the most reasonable inference is that some alteration has been made here4 ,the expression1 moreover1 of the face is not suitable for a ,deposition4 ,there is a holy tranquil smile of joy1 thankfulness1 and satisfaction1 which perfectly well befits one who is looking up into the heavens1 as he might at an ,assumption of the ,virgin1 or an ,ascension1 but is not the expression which so consummate an artist as the man who made this figure1 would give to a bystander at a ,deposition from the ,cross4 ,grief and horror1 would be still too recent to admit of the sweet serene air of ineffable contentment which is here given4 ,lastly1 the style of the work is so different from that of all the other figures in the chapel1 that no solidarity can be seen between it and them4 ,it would be too much to say that the others are as bad as this is good1 but the difference between ,rembrandt's old woman in our ,national ,gallery and an average ,royal ,academy portrait of fifty years ago1 is not more striking than that between the ,vecchietto and his immediate neighbours4 ,i can find no mention of the figure in ,fassola1 or ,torrotti4 ,bordiga says1 8,on the left there is a man in peasant's costume1 holding his hat in reverence of ,jesus1 and said to be a benefactor of the chapel40 ,he does not say anything about the excellence of the workmanship1 nor1 indeed1 have ,i heard any one1 except the two sculptors1 ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini and his son1 speak of the work in terms which showed a perception of its merit4 ,if the world knows little of its greatest men it seems to know not much more about its greatest works of art1 nor1 if it continues to look for guidance in this matter to professional critics and society art-dabblers1 is it likely to improve its knowledge4 ,cusa says of it3-- 8 fra essi un vecchietto naturale assai pel rozzo costume che veste1 e per la semplicit del atto2 egli guarda ,ges in atto di levarsi il cappello1 mentre con l'altra mano tiene le tenaglie ed il martello4 ,lo si dice ritratto di un ,rimellese1 benefattore della cappella40 ,i asked the two sculptors ,antonini if they could help me in settling the question to whom the work should be assigned1 and they agreed with me that it could not be given to ,gaudenzio4 ,it is too masterly1 easy1 and too like the work of ,velasquez in painting1 to be by one who is not known to have done more in sculpture than some two score or so of figures on the ,sacro ,monte now remaining1 and a few others that have been lost4 ,the ,vecchietto is the work of one to whom modelling in clay was like breathing1 walking1 or eating and drinking1 and ,gaudenzio never reached such freedom and proficiency as this4 ,with few exceptions even the best art-work falls into one of two classes1 and offers signs either of immaturity or decline4 ,take ,donatello1 and ,luca della ,robbia1 or1 in painting1 ,giovanni ,bellini1 ,john ,van ,eyck1 ,holbein1 ,giotto1 and even ,gaudenzio ,ferarri in his earlier work2 take again1 in music1 ,purcell and ,corelli2 no words of affectionate admiration are good enough for any one of these great men1 but they none of them say the last word that is to be said in their respective arts4 ,michael ,angelo said the last word2 but then he said just a word or two over4 ,so with ,titian and ,leonardo ,da ,vinci1 and in music with ,haydn1 ,mozart1 and ,beethoven4 ,we admire them1 and know that each in many respects surpassed everything that has been done either before or since1 but in each case 7and more especially with the three last named7 we feel the presence of an autumnal tint over all the luxuriance of development1 which1 while hardly detracting from the pleasure we receive1 still tells of an art that has taken not an upward but a downward path4 ,i know that ,i am apt to take fancies to works of art and artists2 ,i hold1 for example1 that my friend ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,jones's songs1 of which ,i have given the titles at the end of this volume1 are finer than an equal number of any written by any other living composer--and ,i believe that people will one day agree with me1 though they will doubtless take their time in doing so--but with all this tendency towards extravagance ,i endeavour to preserve a method in my madness1 and with most works find that they fall readily into the growing or the decaying4 ,it is only with very few1 as with ,homer and ,shakespeare at their best1 the ,venus of ,milo1 the ,ilyssus1 the finest work of ,rembrandt1 ,giorgione1 and ,velasquez1 and in music with ,handel1 that ,i can see no step left unclimbed1 yet none taken on the downward path4 ,assuredly the ,vecchietto must be classed with the very few works which1 being of the kind of fruit that they are1 are dead ripe1 without one trace either of immaturity or decay4 ,difficult1 however1 as the problem who made this statue is1 it is simplified by the reflection that it can only be given either to ,gaudenzio or ,tabachetti4 ,i suggested ,d',enrico's name to ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini to see how he received it1 but--thinking doubtless more of ,giacomo ,ferro than of ,d',enrico--he said 8,e-whew10 and tossed his thumb over his shoulder1 as only an ,italian can1 as much as to say that ,d',enrico set about his figures with too light a heart to get a ,vecchietto out of them2 ,gaudenzio1 then1 being impossible and ,d',enrico ordered out of court1 it only remains to give the work to ,tabachetti1 with whose sleeping ,st4 ,joseph and with not a little else of whose work it presents much analogy2 for the notion that a stranger of name unknown came to ,varallo1 did this single figure1 and then went away without doing any more either there or anywhere else in the least like it1 is as incredible as that it is the work of ,d',enrico4 ,as for the question of the source from which the figure came we should remember that the ,chiesa ,vecchia dell' ,assunta was pulled down at the end of the last century2 and this1 considering the excellent preservation in which the ,vecchietto is still found1 and the comparatively recent appearance of the disturbance of the ground under his feet1 seems the most likely place for him to have come from4 ,there were two opportunities in this church1 one of which certainly was1 while the other very well might have been1 made the occasion for a group of figures with upturned heads4 ,the first of these1 of course1 is the ,assumption of the ,madonna1 of which ,caccia says there was a representation of her 8,come ascese in ,cielo1 con le statue delli dodeci ,apostoli intorno di rilievo10 and there may very well have been a benefactor or so in addition4 ,the second was the impress of our ,saviour's last footprint on the ,mount of ,olives before ,he ascended into heaven4 ,this is mentioned by ,fassola as a feature of special importance1 and as having had an indulgence conceded to it by the ,pope in #adhh while it was on its road from ,jerusalem4 ,this relic was held in great veneration1 and it is easy to imagine that its effect may have been enhanced by surrounding it with figures looking upwards into the heavens towards the clouds that had already received the body of the ,redeemer4 ,all this1 however1 is mere conjecture1 for there is not a tittle of evidence in support of it1 and we are left practically with nothing more than we can still see within the limits of the figure itself to give a clue either to its maker1 or the source from which it came1 but we may incline to think that it is the portrait of a benefactor1 for no one but a benefactor would have been treated with so much realism4 ,the man is not a mere peasant2 his clothes are homely1 but they are good1 and there is that about him which harmonises well enough with his having been in a position of comfort4 ,common peasants may be seen in the ,shepherd's chapel1 and the ,vecchietto is clearly of higher social status than these4 ,he looks like a ,valsesian yeoman or peasant proprietor1 of some substance2 and he was doubtless a benefactor1 not of this1 but some other chapel4 ,i have said there are analogies between this figure and others by ,tabachetti which after all make it not very difficult to decide the question to whom it should be given4 ,we do not1 indeed1 find another ,vecchietto1 but we shall find more than one figure that exhibits equal truth to nature1 and equal freedom from exaggeration4 ,it is not possible1 for example1 to have greater truth to nature than we find in the figures of ,adam and ,eve in the first chapel4 ,there is not one trace either of too much or too little1 of exaggeration or of shortcoming2 the nude figure of a man and of a woman were wanted1 and the nude figure of a man and of a woman are given1 with neither more or less modelling than what would be most naturally seen in a young and comely couple4 ,so again with the charming figure of the ,virgin sewing in the ,first ,vision of ,st4 ,joseph chapel4 ,the ,virgin and the ,vecchietto are as unlike each other as two figures can be1 but they are both stamped with the same freedom from affectation1 and the same absolute and easy mastery over the means employed4 ,the same applies to the sleeping ,st4 ,joseph1 in which case there is a closer analogy between the two figures themselves4 ,it applies also to a not inconsiderable extent to the man with a goitre who is leading ,christ in the ,calvary chapel4 ,this figure is not done from life1 being a repetition of one by ,gaudenzio1 but it is so living that we feel sure it would have been more living still if ,tabachetti had had the model before him from which ,gaudenzio in all probability actually worked4 ,at ,crea1 there are other figures by ,tabachetti to which ,i will call attention presently1 and which present not inconsiderable analogies to the ,vecchietto4 ,i explain the fact that the analogies are not closer1 by reflecting that this is the one of the few cases in which ,tabachetti has left us a piece of portrait work1 pure and simple1 and that his treatment of the head and figure in pure portraiture1 would naturally differ from that adopted in an ideal and imaginative work4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,piet ,,and ,,remaining ,,chapels4 ,,the remaining chapels are few in number1 and1 whatever they may once have been1 unimportant in character4 ,the first is ,,chapel ,,no4 #dj4 ,,the ,,piet4 ,the three preceding chapels are supposed to be on ,mount ,calvary1 and from them we descend by a flight of stone steps to the level of the piazza4 ,immediately on reaching this we come upon the ,piet4 ,we have seen that this chapel originally contained ,gaudenzio's ,journey to ,calvary1 and that the fresco background still1 in so far as it is not destroyed1 treats this subject1 while the modelled figures represent the ,piet4 ,of ,gaudenzio's original work ,caccia says3-- 8,come fu ,christo de' panni spogliato1 ,montando il ,monte poi ,calvario detto1 ,nel mezzo a manigoldi mal trattato1 ,contemplar possi con pietoso affetto1 ,seguito da ,maria e da l'amato ,discepolo di lui1 et l'effetto ,sculto si bene e doitamente fatto ,che sembra vero e non del ver ritratto40 8,per una scala asceso al ,sacro ,monte ,si entra nel pi d'ogn' altro sacro tempio10 c4 ,the words 8montando il monte poi10 c41 must refer to a supposed ascent on the part of ,christ ,himself1 for ,gaudenzio's work was on a level with ,tabachetti's present ,journey to ,calvary which ,caccia has just described1 and ,caccia goes on to say that from ,gaudenzio's chapel 7the present ,piet7 one 8ascends by a staircase to0 the most sacred chapel of all--the ,crucifixion--as one does at present4 ,that the present ,piet and the adjacent ,entombment chapels were once one chapel1 may be seen by any one who examines the vaulting inside the first-named chapel4 ,signor ,arienta pointed this out to me1 and at the same time called my attention to the fact that ,gaudenzio's fresco on the wall facing the spectator does not turn the corner and join on with the subject that fills the left-hand wall4 ,a flag and a horse are cut off1 and the rest of them is not seen4 ,i sometimes question whether the original wooden-figured entombment was in the chapel in which the present modern figures are seen1 but it probably was so4 ,there was also a fainting ,madonna mentioned in the prose part of ,caccia as a work by itself and described as follows3-- 8,come la ,madonna tramortita vedendo ,n4,s4 condotto morte40 ,this is not referred to in the poetical part1 and must have been a mere cell occupied by a single figure4 ,no doubt it was seen through the window that is still approached by two steps on the south side of the present ,piet1 and the space it occupied has been thrown into the present work4 ,i do not know when ,gaudenzio's ,journey to ,calvary was dispersed1 but it was some time1 doubtless1 between #afjj and #afdd4 ,it is puzzling to note that the ,piet appears in the plan of #afga as situated rather in the part of the building now occupied by the ,entombment than by the ,piet1 while the #ci that should mark the site of the ,entombment does not appear2 but this is perhaps only an error in the plan itself4 ,i find1 however1 the attempt to understand the changes that have taken place here so difficult that ,i shall abandon it and will return to the present aspect of the work4 ,torrotti says that some of the statues in the present chapel are by ,gaudenzio1 which they are not4 ,fassola gives them all to ,giovanni ,d',enrico2 ,bordiga speaks of the work in the highest terms1 but for my own part ,i do not admire it1 nor1 ,i am afraid1 can ,i accept the more fresh-looking parts of the fresco background as by ,gaudenzio4 ,i do not doubt that his work has been in these parts repainted1 and that the outlines alone are really his4 ,it is not likely we have lost much by the repainting1 for where the work has not been touched it has so perished as to be hardly worth preserving1 and we may think that what has been repainted was in much the same state4 ,this is the only chapel in which ,gaudenzio's frescoes at ,varallo have been much repainted4 ,if those in the ,crucifixion and ,magi chapels have been retouched they have taken little harm2 the frescoes in the church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie have certainly not been touched1 and are in such good preservation that it may be questioned whether they ever looked much better than they do now4 ,the fine oil picture in the church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio has gone a little yellow through the darkening of the oil1 but is in a good state1 and generally1 though no painter of the highest rank has been so much neglected1 or suffered more from the actual destruction of his works1 yet for the most part ,gaudenzio has been spared the reckless restoration which is the most cruel ill that can befall an artist4 ,,chapel ,,no4 #da4 ,,the ,,entombment4 ,we have already seen that this was the first chapel with figures in it on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,of the old eight wooden figures that it contained1 two are still on the mountain in a sort of vault adjacent to1 or under1 the main church1 and near the furnace in which those that superseded them were baked4 ,six are in the ,museum at ,varallo4 ,i saw them a few weeks ago1 not yet arranged1 leaning up against the wall with very battered and dilapidated glories2 the recumbent ,christ was standing more or less on end1 and the whole group was in a pathetic state of dismemberment that will doubtless soon make way for a return to their earlier arrangement4 ,the figures are interesting1 but it cannot be pretended that they are of great value4 ,they look very much as if they had been out somewhere the night before4 ,of the figures in the present chapel the less said the better4 ,,remaining ,,chapels ,,and ,,chiesa ,,maggiore4 ,the chapel of ,st4 ,francis is open to the air1 and contains nothing but an altar1 and a modern fresco of the death of the saint4 ,near it is the ,holy ,sepulchre1 which is entered from a small cell in which there is a figure of the ,magdalene1 and from which the visitor must creep on hands and knees into the ,sepulchre itself4 ,the figure of ,christ is not actually in the ,sepulchre1 but can be seen through a window opening into the contiguous chapel1 where it is over the altar4 ,the early writers say that there were also two angels by ,gaudenzio 7statue di ,gaudenzio divoissime71 but ,bordiga says nothing of this4 ,the upper part of this building was the abode of ,bernardino ,caimi and his successors until the year #aegg4 ,as for the ,holy ,sepulchre itself it is low and dark1 which ,i have no doubt is the reason why ,i have neglected it on the occasions of each of my two latest visits to ,varallo1 and thus failed to reach the adjacent ,oratory1 which ,bordiga says was erected about the year #agjb4 ,fassola and ,torrotti wrote before this date1 so that the angels mentioned by them as by ,gaudenzio may have been removed when the present fabric was erected4 ,at any rate ,bordiga speaks as though they were paintings by one ,tarquinio ,grassi and not sculptured figures at all4 ,torrotti says that visitors to the ,holy ,sepulchre used to burn candles1 tapers1 and torches1 each one according to his purse or piety1 and that they did this not so much to see with as to pray4 8,here10 he continues1 8the great ,s4 ,carlo spent his evenings agreeably0 7spendeva gradevolmente le notti74 8,few10 he concludes drily1 and perhaps with a shade of the same quiet irony that led the ,psalmist to say what he did about 8one0 day in certain courts1 8can leave it without feeling devoutly thankful40 ,about the candles ,fassola says that there was a kind of automatic arrangement for getting them like that whereby we can now buy butter-scotch or matches at the railway stations1 by dropping a penny into a slot4 ,he says3-- 8,and as the figure of ,christ can only be seen by the help of candles 7for which reason all pilgrims whose means permit are accustomed to burn them1 being naturally prompted thereto each one according to his faith7--by throwing money into a hole wherein the same candles lie1 each pilgrim can be made quite comfortable1 and contented40 8,gettando il denaro per un buco dove stanno le medesime candelette1 commodamente pu restar ogni divoto contento40 8,the mercies vouchsafed here10 continues the same writer2 8are innumerable--in all parts may be seen votive pictures both old and recent40 ,in the open cloister hard by is shown the wooden bed on which ,s4 ,carlo lay when he came to visit the ,sacro ,monte1 and the stone which is said to be a facsimile of the one rolled in front of the ,holy ,sepulchre itself4 ,many years ago ,i spent several weeks at ,varallo sketching and painting on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,a most excellent and lovable old priest1 now doubtless long since dead1 took rather a fancy to me1 and used to implore me to become a ,catholic4 ,one day he took me up to this stone and spoke long and earnestly about it4 ,what a marvellous miracle it was4 ,there was the stone2 ,i could see it for myself4 ,what a dumb but eloquent testimony was it not offering2 how could ,i account for such things8 and more to the same effect1 all said obviously in good faith1 and with no idea save that of guiding me to the truth4 ,i was powerless4 ,i could not go into facts or arguments--,i could not be obstinate without getting something like his consent--and he was instant in season and out of season in endeavouring to get mine4 ,at last ,i could stand it no longer1 and said1 8,my dearest sir1 ,i am the son of an ,english clergyman who is himself the son of another ,english clergyman2 my father and mother are living4 ,if you will tell me that ,i am to hold my father born in more than common sin1 to have committed a crime in marrying my mother1 and that ,i am to hold myself as one who ought never to have been born1 then ,i will accept what you have said about that stone4 ,till then let me go my way1 and you yours40 ,he said not a word more1 and never again approached the subject2 the nearest he ever went to it was to say that he liked to see me sketching about the ,sacro ,monte1 for it could do me nothing but good4 ,i trust that ,i have done it no harm4 ,the chapel representing the ,magdalene at the feet of the risen ,christ has disappeared4 ,it contained two statues only1 and two prophets by ,gaudenzio were painted outside on the wall4 ,it stood 8,sotto un auanzo dei ,portici antichi seguentemente al ,sepolcro40 ,it was probably a very early work4 ,through an arch under the raised portico or arcaded gallery are three small ruined cells called now 8,il ,paradiso10 and numbered #dc1 #dd1 and #de2 of one of these ,fassola tells us that it contained 8many modern statues0 by ,gaudenzio ,sceti1 and frescoes by ,gianoli2 they are all now mere wrecks4 ,there is no important work by ,gaudenzio ,sceti remaining on the ,sacro ,monte1 but there is a terra-cotta crucifix with a ,virgin and a ,st4 ,john by him1 of no great value1 in the church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio4 ,what remains of his work on the ,sacro ,monte itself consists of statues of ,sta4 ,anna and the ,virgin as a child upon her lap in the chapel or cell numbered #dc4 ,chapel #dd need not detain us4 ,what few remains of figures it contains are uninteresting and ruined4 ,i have already spoken of chapel ,no4 #de1 which once represented an entombment of the ,madonna1 as in all probability the oldest building1 and as certainly containing the oldest1 and by no means least interesting frescoes on the ,sacro ,monte4 ,there is nothing inside the chapel except these frescoes1 but outside it there are many scrawls1 of which the earliest ,i have noticed is #aebj--the supposed #adcg being certainly #aecg4 ,the writer of one of these scrawls has added the words 8fuit hic0 to his signature as ,john ,van ,eyck has done to the signature of his portrait of ,john ,arnolfini and his wife4 ,i have found this addition of 8fuit hic0 in a signature of a certain 8,cardinalis de al 4 4 4 0 who scratched his name 8#achi die #ai ,mag0 on a fresco to the left of the statue of ,s4 ,zenone in the church ,s4 ,zenone at ,verona4 ,on a fresco in the very interesting castle of ,fnis in the valley of ,aosta1 to which ,i hope to return in another work1 there is scratched 8,hic sponsus cum spons fuit #agij #be ,may10 the 8,may0 being an ,english ,may2 ,jones and ,i thought the writer had begun to add 8,london0 but had stopped4 ,the 8fuit hic10 therefore1 of ,john ,van ,eyck's signature should not be translated as we might be tempted to wish to translate it1 8,this was ,john ,van ,eyck40 ,returning to the ,sacro ,monte1 there remains only the ,chiesa ,vecchia1 removed at the end of the last century to make room for the building that was till lately the 8casa degli esercizi10 or house in which the priests on the mountain performed their spiritual exercises4 ,this is now let out in apartments during the summer1 and is called the ,casino4 ,the old sacristy1 now used as the archivio of the ,sacro ,monte1 still remains1 and contains a fresco by ,lanini1 that bears strong traces of the influence of his master ,gaudenzio4 ,besides the impress of ,christ's foot and the ,assumption of the ,virgin1 the church contained an ,annunciation by ,gaudenzio and frescoes of ,st4 ,catherine and ,st4 ,cecilia2 the ,cupola was also decorated by him4 ,this work was undertaken in #aecj1 the greater angels being by ,gaudenzio and the smaller by ,lanini and ,fermo ,stella4 ,these frescoes all perished when the church was pulled down4 ,the present ,chiesa ,maggiore was begun on the #ith of ,june #afad--;,d',enrico's design having1 so ,bordiga says1 been approved on the #ast of ,april in that year4 ,fassola says that in #afga the only parts completed were the ,choir and ,cupola1 the whole body of the church being left unfinished4 ,bordiga speaks of the church as having been finished in #afdi1 in which year1 on the feast of the ,birth of the ,virgin1 her image was taken from the old church and placed in the new1 so when ,fassola says 8unfinished0 he must refer to decoration only4 ,the steps leading up to the church and the unfinished columns were erected in #ahbe from designs by ,marchese ,don ,luigi ,cagnola1 the architect of the ,arco della ,pace at ,milan4 ,it was ere long found that the stone selected was unreliable1 so that all must be done over again2 the work has1 therefore1 been suspended4 ,the ,cupola is covered with about #adj modelled figures of angels1 by ,dionigi ,bussola and ,giambattista ,volpino1 ,milanese sculptors1 who worked from designs made by ,antonio ,tempesta1 a ,florentine4 ,they did this work about the year #affj4 ,the brothers ,montalti painted the frescoes1 some more highly coloured groups being added by ,antonio ,cucchi of ,milan in #agej4 ,in the crypt there is a sumptuous shrine containing the statue of the ,madonna1 said to have been made by ,st4 ,luke4 ,this was erected in #ahed1 but on the night between the #dth and #eth of ,october in the same year the crown was stolen from the ,virgin's head1 and in the following year there was a solemn expiatory function1 with festivities extending over three days1 in order to celebrate the replacing of the stolen crown by a new one4 ,it cannot be said that any of the works of art now in the church are of considerable interest1 but an important work of art was nevertheless produced in it at the celebration of the fourth centenary of the birth of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 which was held in #ahhe4 ,i refer to the ,mass by ,cagnoni1 which was here performed for the first time1 and which showed that the best traditions of old ,italian ecclesiastical music are still occasionally adhered to4 ,i was present at the production of the work1 and have heard no modern ,italian music that has pleased me nearly as much4 ,i ventured to ask the ,maestro for the baton he had used in conducting it1 and am proud to keep it as a memorial of a fine performance of a very fine work4 ,the baton is several old newspapers neatly folded up and covered with silk4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,tabachetti',s ,,work ,,at ,,crea4 ,i ,,have now to add a short account of what remains of ,tabachetti's work at ,crea1 to the very inadequate description of his work at ,varallo that has been given in some earlier chapters4 ,crea is most easily approached from ,casale1 a large opulent commercial town upon the ,po1 that has already received the waters of the ,dora ,baltea1 and though not yet swelled by the influx of the ,ticino and ,adda1 has become a noble river4 ,the town is built entirely on the plain1 but the rich colline of the ,monferrato district begin to rise immediately outside it1 and continue in an endless series of vineclad slopes and village-capped hill-tops as far as the eye can reach4 ,these colline are of exquisite beauty in themselves1 and from their sides the most magnificent views of ,piedmont and the ,alps extend themselves in every direction4 ,the people are a well-grown comely race1 kind and easy to get on with4 ,nothing could exceed the civility and comfort of the ,hotel ,rosa ,rossa1 the principal inn of the city4 ,the town contains many picturesque bits1 but in our short stay we did not see any very remarkable architectural features1 and it does not form an exception to the rule that the eastern cities of ,northern ,italy are far more beautiful than the western4 ,the churches1 never one would imagine very striking1 have been modernised and restored2 nor were we told that there is any collection of pictures in the town which is likely to prove of interest4 ,the visitor should leave ,casale by the #g4eh ,a4,m4 train on the line for ,asti1 and get out at ,serralunga1 the third station on the road4 ,here the sanctuary of ,crea can be seen crowning a neighbouring collina with a chapel that has an arcaded gallery running round it1 like some of those at ,varese4 ,many other chapels testify to the former importance of the place2 on the whole1 however1 the effect of the buildings cannot compare with that of the sanctuaries of ,varallo and ,varese4 ,taking a small carriage1 which can always be had at the station 7fare1 to the sanctuary and back1 eight francs71 my friend1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,jones1 and myself ascended to ,serralunga1 finding the views continually become more and more bewitching as we did so2 soon after passing through ,serralunga we reached the first chapel1 and after another zigzag or two of road found ourselves in the large open court in front of the church4 ,here there is an inn1 where any one who is inclined to do so could very well sleep4 ,the piazza of the sanctuary is some two thousand feet above the sea1 and the views are in some respects finer even than those from the ,sacro ,monte of ,varese itself1 inasmuch as we are looking towards the chain of the ,alps1 instead of away from them4 ,we have already seen that the sanctuary at ,crea was begun about #aeij1 a hundred years or so later than the ,sacro ,monte of ,varallo1 and a dozen years earlier than that of ,varese4 ,the church attached to the convent1 in which a few monks still remain1 contains a chapel with good frescoes by ,macrino ,d',alba2 they are somewhat damaged1 and the light is so bad that if the guardiano of the sanctuary had not kindly lent us a candle we could not have seen them4 ,it is not easy to understand how they can have been painted in such darkness2 they are1 however1 the most important work of this painter that ,i have yet seen1 and give a more favourable impression of him than is likely to be formed elsewhere4 ,behind the high altar there is an oil picture also by ,macrino d',alba1 signed as by the following couplet1 which they may scan who can3 8,hoc tibi1 diva parens1 posuit faciente ,macrino ,bladratensis opus ,johes ille ,jacobus4#aejc40 ,the 8,macrino10 and 8#aejc10 are in red paint1 the rest in black4 ,the picture is so dark1 and the view of it so much obstructed by the high altar1 that it is impossible to see it well1 but it seemed good4 ,there is nothing else in the church1 nor need the frescoes in the chapels containing the terra-cotta figures be considered2 we were told they were painted by ,caccia1 better known as ,moncalvo1 but we could see nothing in them to admire4 ,the sole interest of the sanctuary--except1 of course1 the surpassing beauty of its position--is vested in what few remains of ,tabachetti's work may be found there1 and in the light that these may throw upon what he has left at ,varallo4 ,all the work by ,tabachetti now remaining at ,crea consists of the ,martyrdom of ,st4 ,eusebius chapel1 almost all of which is by him1 perhaps a figure or two in the ,sposalizio chapel1 but certainly not the figures of ,st4 ,joseph and the ,virgin1 which are not even ascribed to him1 the ,virgin in the ,annunciation chapel1 some parts of the ,judith and ,holofernes1 with which this subject is strangely backed2 some few of the figures in the ,marriage ,feast at ,cana chapel1 and lastly1 the wreck1 which is all that remains1 of the ,assumption of the ,virgin--commonly called 8,il ,paradiso40 ,all the other chapels are either in a ruined state or have been renewed with modern figures during the last thirty years1 and more especially during the last ten1 at the instance1 and1 as we understood1 at the expense1 of the present ,archbishop of ,milan1 who does his campagna here every summer4 ,the most important chapel is the ,martyrdom of ,st4 ,eusebius1 below the sanctuary itself4 ,the saint is supposed to have been martyred in front of the church of ,st4 ,andrea at ,vercelli4 ,some four or so of the figures to the spectator's right are modern restorations2 among them1 however1 there is a child of extreme sweetness and beauty1 which must certainly be by ,tabachetti1 looking up and clinging to the dress of its mother1 who has been restored1 and is as commonplace as the child is the reverse4 ,there are two restored or rather entirely new priests close by the mother and child1 and near these is another new figure--a girl immediately to the child's right2 this is so absurdly bad and out of proportion that it is not easy to understand how even the restorer can have allowed himself to make it4 ,all the rest of the figures are by ,tabachetti4 ,a little behind the mother and child1 but more to the spectator's right1 and near to the wall of the chapel1 there stands a boy one of whose lower eyelids is paralysed1 and whose expression is one of fear and pain4 ,this figure is so free alike from exaggeration or shortcoming1 that it is hard to praise it too highly4 ,another figure in the background to the spectator's left--that of a goitred crtin who is handing stones to one of the stoners1 has some of the same remarkably living look as is observable in the two already referred to2 so also has another man in a green skull-cap1 who is holding a small battle-axe and looking over the stoner's shoulders4 ,two of the stoners are very powerful figures4 ,the man on horseback1 in the background1 appears to be a portrait probably of a benefactor4 ,in spite of restoration1 the work is still exceedingly impressive4 ,the figures behind the saint act well together1 the crowd is a crowd--a one in many1 and a many in one--not1 as with every one except ,tabachetti who has tried to do a crowd in sculpture1 a mere collection of units1 that1 whatever else they may be1 are certainly not crowding one another4 ,the main drawback of the work is that the chapel is too small for the subject--a matter over which ,tabachetti probably had no control4 ,it is with very great regret that ,i have been unable to photograph the work1 but ,i was flatly refused permission to do so1 though ,i applied through influential people to the ,archbishop himself4 ,no one need be at the trouble of going to see it who is not already impressed with a sense of ,tabachetti's in some respects unrivalled genius1 and who does not know how to take into consideration the evil influences of all sorts with which he was surrounded2 those1 however1 who realise the magnitude of the task attempted1 who will be at the pains of putting themselves1 as far as may be1 in the artist's place and judging of the work from the stand-point intended by him1 and who will also in their imagination restore the damage which three centuries of exposure and restoration must assuredly have involved1 will find themselves rewarded by a fuller comprehension of the work of a sculptor of the foremost rank than they can attain elsewhere except at ,varallo itself4 ,i have said that some of the figures in the ,sposalizio chapel1 except ,joseph and ,mary1 are ascribed to ,tabachetti4 ,i do not know on what grounds the ascription rests2 they have been restored1--clogged with shiny paint1 and suffered every ill that could well befall them short of being broken up and carted away4 ,any one who sampled ,tabachetti by these figures might well be disappointed2 two or three may be by him1 but hardly more4 ,in spite1 however1 of all that may be justly urged against them1 they are marked by the same attempt at concert and unity of purpose which goes so far to redeem individual comparative want of interest4 ,in the background is a coloured bas-relief of ,rachel and ,jacob at the well and five camels4 ,in the ,annunciation chapel the ,virgin may well be1 as she is said to be1 by ,tabachetti2 she is a very beautiful figure1 though not so fine as his ,madonna and ,child in the church of ,st4 ,gaudenzio at ,varallo2 she has been badly painted1 and it is hard to say how much she has not suffered in consequence4 ,some parts of the story of ,judith and ,holofernes in the background are also good1 but ,i do not think ,i should have seen ,tabachetti in them unless ,i had been told that he was there4 ,the wreck of the chapel commonly called 8,il ,paradiso0 crowns the hill1 conspicuous for many a mile in every direction1 but on reaching the grating we found no trace of the figures that doubtless once covered the floor of the chapel4 ,all that remained was a huge pendant of angels1 cherubs1 and saints1 swarming as it were to the ceiling in an inextricable knot of arms1 legs1 wings1 faces1 and flowing drapery2 two circles of saints1 bishops1 and others1 who might be fitly placed in ,paradise1 rising one above the other high up the walls of the chapel--the lower circle full-length figures1 and the other half-length2 and above this a higher and richly coloured crown of musical saints and angels in good preservation4 ,in passing ,i may say that this is the place where the ,vecchietto ought to have come from1 though it is not likely that he did so4 ,the pendant retains much of its original colour1 and must once have been a gorgeous and fitting climax4 ,still1 no one can do much with such a subject4 ,to attempt it is to fly in the face of every canon by the observance of which art can alone give lasting pleasure4 ,it is to crib1 cabin1 and confine1 within the limits of well-defined sensation and perception1 ideas that are only tolerable when left in the utmost indefiniteness consistent with thought at all4 ,it is depressing to think that he who could have left us portrait after portrait of all that was noblest and loveliest in the men and women of his age--who could give a life such as no one but himself1 at any rate at that time1 could give--should have had to spend months if not years upon a work that even when new can have been nothing better than a magnificent piece of stage decoration4 ,but of such miscarriages the kingdom of art is full4 ,in the kingdom of art not only are many called and few chosen1 but the few that do get chosen are for the most part chosen amiss1 or are lavished in the infinite prodigality of nature4 ,we flatter ourselves that among the kings and queens of art1 music1 and literature1 or at any rate in the kingdom of the great dead1 all wrongs shall be redressed1 and patient merit shall take no more quips and scorns from the unworthy3 there1 if an able artist1 as1 we will say1 ,f4 ,h4 ,potter just dead1 dies poor1 neglected1 and unable to fight his way through the ranks of men with not a tenth part of his genius1 there1 at any rate1 shall right be done2 there the mighty shall be put down from his seat1 and the lowly and meek1 if clever as well as good1 shall meet his just reward4 ,it is not so4 ,there is no circle so exalted but the devil has got the run of it4 ,as for the reputations of the great dead1 they are governed in the main by the chicane that obtains among the living2 it is only after generations of flourishing imposture1 that even approximate right gets done4 ,look at ,raphael1 see how he still reigns supreme over those who have the people's ears and purses at command4 ,true1 ,guido1 ,guercino1 and ,domenichino have at last tumbled into the abyss1 and we know very well that ,raphael will ere long fall too1 but ,guido1 ,guercino1 and ,domenichino had a triumph of some two hundred years1 during which none dared lift hand against them4 ,look again at that grossest of impostors--,bacon4 ,look at by far the greater number of the standard classical authors1 painters1 and musicians4 ,all that can be said is that there is a nisus in the right direction which is not wholly in vain1 and that though tens of thousands of men and women of genius are as dandelion seeds borne upon the air and perishing without visible result1 yet there is here and there a seed that really does take root and spring upwards to be a plant on the whole more vigorous than that from which it sprung4 ,right and truth and justice1 in their relation to human affairs1 are as asymptotes which1 though continually drawing nearer and nearer to the curve1 can never reach it but by a violation of all on which their own existence is founded4 ,as for the ,assumption chapel1 those who would see it even as a wreck should lose no time2 it is in full process of restoration2 it is swept and garnished for immediate possession by a gentleman whom we met on the road down1 and whose facility of execution in making crucified ,christs out of plaster of ,paris is something almost incredible4 ,his type of face was ,jewish1 and it struck both ,jones and me that his proficiency must be in some degree due to hereditary practice4 ,he showed us one crucifix which he had only begun at eight o'clock that morning1 and by eleven was as good as finished4 ,he told us he had done the brand new ,disputa chapel and the ,agony in the ,garden with the beautiful blue light thrown all over ,christ through deep ,french ultramarine glass1 and he was now going on with the other chapels as fast as he could4 ,he said they had no oven for baking terra-cotta figures2 besides1 terra-cotta was such a much slower material to work in2 he could make a gross of apostles in plaster more quickly than a single set of twelve in terra-cotta1 and the effect was just as good when painted2 so plaster of ,paris and unrivalled facility of execution are to have everything their own way4 ,already what ,i can only call a shoddy bishop or pope or two1 ,i forget which1 have got in among the circle of ,tabachetti's saints and angels that still remains4 ,these are many of them portraits full of serious dignity and unspotted by the world of barocco with which ,tabachetti was surrounded4 ,at the present moment they have been partly scraped and show as terra-cotta2 no doubt they have suffered not a little in the scraping and will do so still further when they are repainted1 but there is no help for it4 ,great works of art have got to die like everything else4 ,and1 after all1 it is as well they should1 lest they come to weigh us down too heavily4 ,why should a man live too long after he is dead8 ,for a while1 yes1 if he has done good service in his generation1 give him a new lease of life in the hearts and memories of his successors1 but do not let even the most eminent be too exacting2 do not let them linger on as nonagenarians when their strength is now become but labour and sorrow4 ,we have statutes of mortmain to restrain the dead hand from entering in among the living--why not a statute of limitations or 8a fixed period0 as against reputations and works of art--say a thousand years or so--behind which time we will resolutely refuse to go1 except in rare cases by acclamation of the civilised world8 ,how is it to end if we go on at our present rate1 with huge geological formations of art and book middens accreting in every city of ,europe8 ,who is to see them1 who even to catalogue them8 ,remember the ,malthusian doctrine1 and that the mind breeds in even more rapid geometrical ratio than the body4 ,with such a surfeit of art and science the mind pails and longs to be relieved from both4 ,as the true life which a man lives is not in that consciousness in the midst of which the thing he calls 8himself0 sits and the din and roar of which confuse and deafen him1 but in the life he lives in others1 so the true life a man's work should live after his death is not in the mouths but in the lives of those that follow him2 in these it may live while the world lasts1 as his lives who invented the wheel or arch1 but let it live in the use which passeth all praise or thanks or even understanding1 and let the story die after a certain time as all things else must do4 ,perhaps2 but at any rate let us give them decent burial4 ,crush the wounded beetle if you will1 but do not try to mend it4 ,i am glad to have seen the remains of the ,assumption chapel while they are in their present state1 but am not sure whether ,i would not rather see them destroyed at once1 than meet the fate of restoration that is in store for them4 ,at the same time ,i am confident that no more competent restorer than the able and eminent sculptor who has the work in hand is at all likely to be found4 ,my complaint is not against him1 but against the utter hopelessness of the task4 ,i would again urge those who may be induced to take an interest in ,tabachetti's work to lose no time in going to see what still remains of it at ,crea4 ,last ,january ,i paid a second visit to ,crea2 and finding a scaffolding up1 was able to get on a level with the circle of full-length figures4 ,they were still unpainted1 the terra-cotta figures showing as terra-cotta and the plaster of ,paris white4 ,when they are all repainted the visitor will find it less easy to say which are new figures and which old4 ,i will therefore say that of the lower circle of twenty full-length figures the only two entirely new figures are the sixth to the left of the door on entering1 which represents a man holding an open book by his left hand and resting it on his thigh1 and the sixth figure to the right of the door on entering4 ,there are several unimportant restorations of details of dress1 feet1 and clouds2 the rest of the work in this circle is all by ,tabachetti4 ,in the circle of busts and half-length figures1 the first new work to the left of the door on entering is a figure that holds a lamb1 the two half-length figures that come next in sequence are also new--the second of these is a nun holding a little temple4 ,the second upper choir of angels and saints is still in its original 8 colour and seems to have been little touched1 as also the pendant4 ,the chapel containing the ,marriage ,feast at ,cana has been much restored and badly repainted4 ,most of the figures are very poor1 but some1 and especially a waiter with his hair parted down the middle1 who is offering a hare 7not cut up7 to a guest who seems to have had too much already1 are very good indeed4 ,i find it difficult to think that this waiter can be by any one but ,tabachetti4 ,the guitar-player is good1 or rather was good before he was repainted--so is a lady near him1 so are some of the waiters at the other end1 and so are the bride and bridegroom2 at any rate they are life-like and effective as seen from outside1 but the chapel has suffered much from restoration4 ,there is one other chapel at ,crea which may be by ,tabachetti though ,i do not know that it is ascribed to him1 ,i mean the one containing figures of the founder and his wife1 a little below the main piazza4 ,the shepherds and sheep to the left are probably not by ,tabachetti1 but the lady is a well-modelled figure4 ,both she1 however1 and her husband have been so cruelly clogged with new paint that it is hard to form an opinion about them4 ,on the piazza itself is a chapel representing the ,birth of the ,virgin which is also pleasing4 ,it is not always easy for us ,english to tell the ,birth of the ,virgin from the ,nativity1 and it may help the reader to distinguish these subjects readily if he will bear in mind1 that at the ,birth of the ,virgin the baby is always going to be washed--which never happens at the ,nativity2 this1 and that the ,virgin's mother is almost invariably to have an egg1 and generally a good deal more1 whereas the ,virgin never has anything to eat or drink4 ,the ,virgin's mother always wants keeping up4 ,gaudenzio ,ferrari has a ,birth of the ,virgin in the ,church of ,s4 ,cristoforo at ,vercelli4 ,the ,virgin's mother is eating one egg with a spoon1 and there is another coming in on a tray1 which ,i think is to be beaten up in wine4 ,something more substantial to follow is coming in on a hot plate with a cover over it and a napkin4 ,the baby is to be washed of course1 and the kind old head nurse is putting her hand in the bath1 while the under nurse pours in the hot water1 to make sure that the temperature is exactly right4 ,it is to be just nicely loo-warm4 ,the bath itself is certainly a very little one2 it will hold about a pint and a half1 but medieval washing apparatus did run rather small1 and ,gaudenzio was not going to waste more of his precious space than he could help upon so uninteresting an object as a bath2 in actual life the bath was doubtless larger4 ,the under-under nurse is warming a towel1 which will be nicely ready when the bath is over4 ,joachim appears to have been in very easy circumstances1 and the arrangements could hardly be more commodious even though the event had taken place at a certain well-known establishment in the ,marylebone ,road4 ,at ,milan1 in a work that ,i only know by ,pianazzi's engraving1 there are two eggs coming in on a tray1 and they too1 ,i should say1 are to be beaten up in wine4 ,the under nurse is again filling a very little bath with warm water1 and the head nurse is trying the temperature with her hand4 ,there is no room for the warming of the towel1 but there is no question that the towel is being warmed just out of the picture on the left hand4 ,here1 at ,crea1 the attendant is giving the ,virgin's mother a plain boiled egg1 and has a spoon in her hand with which she is going to crack it4 ,the ,virgin's mother is frowning and motioning it away2 she is quite as well as can be expected2 still she does not feel equal to taking solid food1 and the nurse is saying1 8,do try1 ma'am1 just one little spoonful1 the doctor said you was to have it1 ma'am40 ,in the smaller picture by ,carpaccio at ,bergamo she is again to have an egg2 in the larger she is to have some broth now1 but a servant can be seen in the kitchen plucking a fowl for dear life1 so probably the larger picture refers to a day or two later than the earlier4 ,the only other thing that struck us at ,crea was the ,virgin in the ,presentation chapel4 ,she is so much too small that one feels as though there must be some explanation that is not obvious4 ,she is not more than #b ft4 #f in4 high1 while the ,high ,priest1 and ,joachim and ,st4 ,anne are all life-sized4 ,the ,chief ,priest is holding up his hands1 and seems a good deal surprised1 as though he were saying--8,well1 ,st4 ,anne my dear1 ,i must say you are the very smallest ,virgin that ,i ever had presented to me during the whole course of my incumbency40 ,joachim and ,st4 ,anne seem very much distressed1 and ,joachim appears to be saying1 8,it is not our fault2 ,i assure you1 sir1 we have done everything in our power4 ,she has had plenty of nourishment40 ,there must be some explanation of the diminutive size of the figure that is not apparent4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,conclusion4 ,,returning to ,varallo1 in the town itself the most important work is the fresco by ,gaudenzio ,ferrari in the church of ,sta4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 already several times referred to4 ,the reader will find it fully described in the pages of ,colombo2 moreover1 in ,january last ,signor ,pizetta took excellent negatives of all the compartments into which the work is divided1 and ,i learn that he has sent impressions--put together so as to give a very good idea of the work--to the ,italian ,exhibition that will open as these pages leave my hands4 ,i have myself also sent to the same ,exhibition a few unreduced impressions from the negatives used in the illustrations that face earlier pages3 these will give the reader a more correct impression of the works from which they are taken than he can get from the reduction4 ,i do not yet know whether they will be hung4 ,the fresco of ,sta4 ,petronilla painted by ,gaudenzio by moonlight on a chapel just outside the town1 is now little more than a wreck4 ,there are a few works by ,gaudenzio of no great importance in the ,pinacoteca of the ,museum2 a few frescoes by ,lanini1 one or two drawings by ,tanzio ,d',enrico1 which show that he was a well-trained draughtsman2 two pictures by him1 barocco in character1 but not without power1 and other works of more or less interest1 are also in the ,pinacoteca4 ,in the parish church of ,s4 ,gaudenzio1 behind the altar1 there is an exceedingly fine ,ancona by ,gaudenzio1 to which ,i have already referred4 ,over an altar in the north transept1 but for the most part hidden behind a painted tela1 is ,tabachetti's very beautiful ,madonna del ,rosario1 which the visitor should ask the ,sacristan to show him2 and last1 but hardly least1 there is a ,madonna by ,dedomenici of ,rossa--a village higher up the ,valsesia--painted on linen1 in the chapel dedicated to ,st4 ,joseph4 ,i referred to this last-named work in my book 8,alps and ,sanctuaries0 7pp4 #agg1 c471 and have seen no reason to modify the opinion ,i then expressed4 ,i may repeat that about twenty years ago ,i was much struck with the painting and could not make out its strong and evidently unaffected medieval feeling1 yet modernness at the same time4 ,on consulting the ,sacristan ,i learned that ,dedomenici had died about #ahdj4 ,he added that the extraordinary thing was that ,dedomenici had never studied painting1 and had never travelled out of the ,valsesia2 that he had1 in fact1 acquired his art by doing rather than by learning how to do4 ,this1 as it appeared to me1 explained his excellence4 ,as a general rule the more people study how to do things the more hopelessly academic they become4 ,learning how to say ends soon in having nothing to say4 ,learning how to paint1 in having nothing that one so longs to paint as to be unable to keep one's hands off it4 ,it gratifies the lust of doing sufficiently to appease it1 and then kills it4 ,learning how to write music1 ends in the dreary symphonies1 operas1 cantatas1 and oratorios which it seems are all that modern composers can give us4 ,the only way to study an art is to begin at once with doing something that one wants very badly to do1 and doing it--even though it be only very badly4 ,study1 of course1 but synchronously--letting the work be its own exercises4 ,if a man defers doing till he knows how to do1 when is the hunting the ignis fatuus of a perfect manner to end1 and the actual work that he is to leave behind him to begin8 ,i know nothing so deadening1 as a long course of preliminary study in any art1 and nothing so living as work plunged into at once by one who is studying hard--over it1 rather than in preparation for it4 ,jones talking with me once on this subject1 and about agape as against gnosis in art1 said1 8,oh that men should put an enemy into their brains to steal away their hearts40 ,at any rate he and ,i have written 8,narcissus0 on these principles1 and are not without hope that what it has lost in erudition it may have gained in freshness4 ,i have1 however1 dealt with the question of how to study painting more at length in the chapter on the ,decline of ,italian art in 8,alps and ,sanctuaries40 ,i said ,i would return to the chapel of ,loreto a little way out of ,varallo on the road to ,novara4 ,this work has a lunette which is generally1 and ,i suppose correctly1 ascribed to ,gaudenzio4 ,it is covered with frescoes not of extraordinary merit1 but still interesting1 and the chapel itself is extremely beautiful4 ,i had intended dwelling upon it at greater length1 but find that my space will not allow me to do so1 though ,i shall hope to describe it more fully in another work on ,italy1 for which ,i have many notes that ,i have been unable to use here4 ,and now to conclude4 ,a friend once said to me on the ,sacro ,monte1 8,how is it that they have no chapel of the ,descent of the ,holy ,spirit80 ,i answered that the work of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 ,tabachetti1 ,d',enrico1 and ,paracca was a more potent witness to1 and fitter temple for1 the ,holy ,spirit1 than any that the hands even of these men could have made for it expressly4 ,for that there is a ,holy ,spirit1 and that it does descend on those that diligently seek it1 who can for a moment question8 ,a man may speak lightly of the ,father and it shall be forgiven him2 he may speak lightly of the ,son and it shall be forgiven him2 but woe to him if he speak lightly of that ,divine ,spirit1 inspiration of which alone it is that makes a work of art either true or permanently desirable4 ,of the letter in which the ,sacro ,monte is written1 ,i have at times in the preceding pages spoken lightly enough4 ,who in these days but the advocates whose paid profession it is to maintain the existing order1 and those whom custom and vested interests hold enthralled1 accepts the letter of ,christianity more than he accepts the letter of ,oriental exaggerated phraseology8 ,if three days and three nights means in reality only thirty-six hours1 so should full fifty per cent4 be deducted wherever else seems necessary1 and 8dead0 be read as 8very nearly dead10 and 8the ,son of ,god0 as 8rarely perfect man40 ,who1 on the other hand1 that need be reckoned with1 denies the eternal underlying verity that there is an omnipresent unknown something for which ,mind1 ,spirit1 or ,god1 is1 as ,professor ,mivart has well said1 8the least misleading0 expression8 ,who doubts that this ,mind or ,god is immanent throughout the whole universe1 sustaining it1 guiding it1 living in it1 he in it and it in him8 ,i heard of one not long since who said he had been an atheist this ten years--and added1 8thank ,god40 ,who1 again1 doubts that the spirit of self-sacrifice for a noble end is lovelier and brings more peace at the last than one of self-seeking and self-indulgence8 ,and who doubts that of the two great enemies both to religion and science referred to in the passage ,i have taken for my motto1 8the too much0 is even more dangerous than 8the too little08 ,i1 and those who think as ,i do1 would see the letter whether of science or of ,christianity made less of1 and the spirit more4 ,slowly1 but very slowly--far1 as it seems to our impatience1 too slowly--things move in this direction4 ,see how even the ,church of ,rome1 and indeed all churches1 are dropping miracles that they once held proper objects of faith and adoration4 ,the ,sacro ,monte is now singularly free from all that we ,protestants are apt to call superstition4 ,the miracles and graces so freely dealt in by ,fassola and ,torrotti find no place in the more recent handbooks4 ,the ,ex ,votos and images in wax and silver with which each chapel formerly abounded have long disappeared1 and the sacred drama is told with almost as close an adherence to the facts recorded in the ,gospels1 as though the whole had been done by ,protestant workmen4 ,where is the impress of ,christ's footprint now8 carted away or thrown into a lumber room as a child's toy that has been outgrown--so surely as has been often said do the famous words 8,e pur si muove0 apply to the ,church herself1 as well as to that world whose movement she so strenuously denied4 ,the same thing is happening here among ourselves4 ,as the good churchmen at ,varallo have thrown away their ,flemish dancer1 their footprint of the ,saviour1 and their ,virgins that box thieves' ears and persist in turning round and smiling even after they have been asked not to do so1 so we1 by the mouths of our ,bishops1 are flinging away our ,genesis1 our ,exodus1 and ,i know not how much more4 ,in the ,nineteenth ,century for last ,december the ,bishop of ,carlisle says that the account of ,creation given in the ,book of ,genesis 8does not pretend to be historical in any ordinary sense0--or1 in other words1 that it does not pretend to be historical1 or true1 at all4 ,surely this is rather a startling jettison4 ,the ,bishop goes on to say that 8the account of the flood is a very precious tradition full of valuable teaching10 and is1 he doubts not1 a record of some great event that actually occurred2 8but10 he continues1 8,i confess that until ,bishop ,colenso brought his arithmetic to bear upon it and some other portions of ,old ,testament history1 ,i was quite why 8quite80 under the impression that the common sense of ,christians abstained from criticising this ancient record by the canons applicable to ordinary history40 ,this was not my own impression1 but the ,bishop's is doubtless more accurate4 ,if things1 however1 go on at this rate1 a hundred years hence we shall have a ,bishop writing to the ,twentieth ,century that till ,x1 ,y or ,z brought their canons of historical criticism to bear on the ,resurrection itself1 he was 8quite0 under the impression that the common sense of ,christians abstained from criticising this ancient record by the canons applicable to ordinary history4 ,the ,bishop appeals1 and rightly1 to common sense4 ,this is of all courts the safest and rightest to abide by1 but it must not be forgotten that the common sense of one generation is not that of the next1 and that the modification with which common sense descends cannot be effected1 however gently we may try to do so1 without some disturbance of the pre-existing common sense1 and some reversal of its decrees4 ,that the letter of the coming faith will be greatly truer than that of the many that have preceded it ,i for one do not believe4 ,let us have no more 8,lo heres0 and 8,lo theres0 in this respect4 ,i would as soon have a winking ,madonna or a forged decretal1 as the doubtful experiments or garbled articles which the high priests of modern science are applauded with one voice for trying to palm off upon their devotees2 and ,i should look as hopefully for good result from a new monastery1 as from a new school of art1 college of music1 or scientific institution4 ,whatever faith or science the world at large bows down to will in its letter be tainted with the world that worships it4 ,whoever clings to the spirit that underlies all the science obtaining among civilised peoples will assuredly find that he cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4 ,the true ,christ ever brings a sword on earth as well as peace1 and if he maketh men to be of one mind in an house1 he divideth a house no less surely4 ,the way will be straight in the future as in the past4 ,all that can be hoped for is that it may perhaps become a trifle more easy through the work of the just men made perfect through suffering that have gone before1 and that he who in bygone ages would have been burnt will now be only scouted4 ,i have in the last few foregoing pages been trenching on somewhat dangerous ground1 but who can leave such a work as the ,sacro ,monte without being led to trench on this ground1 and who that trenches upon it can fail to better understand the lesson of the ,sacro ,monte itself8 ,i am aware1 however1 that ,i have said enough if not too much1 and will return to the note struck at the beginning of my work--namely1 that ,i have endeavoured to stimulate study of the great works on the ,sacro ,monte rather than to write the full account of them which their importance merits4 ,at the same time ,i must admit that ,i have had great advantages4 ,not one single previous writer had ever seen an earlier work than that of ,fassola1 published in #afgj #a1 whereas ,i have had before me one that appeared in #aehf #g4 ,i had written the greater part of my book before last ,christmas1 and going out to ,varallo at the end of ,december to verify and reconsider it on the spot1 found myself forced over and over again to alter what ,i had written1 in consequence of the new light given me by the #aehf #g and #aeij #a editions of ,caccia4 ,it is with profound regret that though ,i have continued to search for the #aefe and #aegf editions up to the very last moment that these sheets leave my hands1 my search has been fruitless4 ,over and above the advantage of having had even the later ,caccia before me1 ,i have seen ,cav4 ,aless4 ,godio's 8,cronaca di ,crea10 which no previous writer had done1 inasmuch as this work has been only very lately published4 ,moreover1 when ,i was at ,varallo1 it being known that ,i was writing on the ,sacro ,monte1 every one helped me1 and so many gave me such important and interesting information that ,i found my labour a very light and pleasant one4 ,especially must ,i acknowledge my profound obligations to ,signor ,dionigi ,negri1 town clerk of ,varallo1 to ,signor ,galloni the present director of the ,sacro ,monte1 to ,cav4 ,prof4 ,antonini and his son1 ,signori ,arienta and ,tonetti1 and to many other kind friends whom if ,i were to begin to name ,i must name half the town of ,varallo4 ,with such advantages ,i am well aware that the work should be greatly better than it is2 if1 however1 it shall prove that ,i have succeeded in calling the attention of abler writers to ,varallo1 and if these find the present work of any1 however small1 assistance to them1 ,i shall hold that ,i have been justified in publishing it4 ,in the full hope that this may turn out to be the case1 ,i now leave the book to the generous consideration and forbearance of the reader4 99 99 99 99 99 ,photographs of ,subjects ,,on ,,the ,,sacro ,,monte4 ,unreduced ,prints from the ,negatives used for the ,illustrations given in the foregoing pages1 and from about twenty additional ,negatives also taken on the ,sacro ,monte at ,varallo1 can be had of ,mr4 ,,george ,,sallnow ,,martin1 ,optician1 ,birkbeck ,institution1 ,bream's ,buildings1 ,chancery ,lane1 at the following prices3-- ,,whole ,,plates 7about #h in4 x #f in47-- ,silver ,prints1 unmounted1 #as4 #i;d4 each4 ,do4 in permanent ,bromide ,process1 resembling an ,engraving1 #bs4 #f;d4 each4 ,mounting on plain board1 #f;d41 and on ,india tinted board1 #i;d4 extra4 ,,half ,,plates 7about #f in4 #d in47-- ,silver ,prints1 unmounted1 #as4 each4 ,do4 in permanent ,bromide ,process1 resembling an ,engraving1 #as4 #f;d4 ,mounting on plain board1 #d;d41 and on ,india tinted board1 #f;d4 extra4 ,some few of the ,negatives are unsuited for ,bromide ,process1 and these will only be printed in ,silver4 ,the original photographs used for this book that are from ,whole ,plate negatives are marked with an asterisk in the ,list of ,illustrations at the beginning of the volume4 ,those not so marked are ,half ,plates4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,footnotes4 #dj 8,uomini e ,fatti10 c41 p4 #fe1 c4 #eb 8,uomini e fatti10 p4 #hc4 #eg ,fassola1 p4 #aab4 #fb ,these chapels are grouped together in the #aehf edition as 8la nativit di ,n4,s4 nel ,presepio10 but they are separated1 as they doubtless should have been earlier1 in the edition of #aeij #aeia4 #fe ,english translation of the 8,life of ,st4 ,charles ,borromeo10 with preface by ,cardinal ,manning4 ,burns ,oates1 ,london and ,new ,york1 #ahhd1 vol4 ii4 p4 #dg4 #ff 8,storia a ,guida10 ed4 #aheg1 ,varallo1 p4 #fh4 #ij ,in the register of the houses in ,varallo1 taken in #aecf1 his house is thus described--8,magister ,gaudentius pictor fqm ,magistri ,franchini ,vallis ,ugi habitator ,varalli1 tabet sedimen unum cum domo una magna plodata et alia contigua peleis1 et curte ante1 et curteto ad plateam putei1 cui cohoeret ,franciscus ,draghettus sive de ,boglia et strata1 et soror ,catarina de ,pioldo40 7,see ,signor ,tonetti's ,memoir47 #ajj;a ,parma1 #ahbc4 #ajj;b ,munich1 #ahda4 #ajd ,torino-,tipografia ,s4 ,giuseppe--,collegio degli ,artigianelli ,corso ,palestro1 ,no4 #ad4 #ahhg4 #ajf ,see ,signor ,galloni's first and tenth notes1 pp4 #age and #ahj4 #adj ,their words run thus2--8,il volto di quella ,vergine ,maria mirava altre volte al ,bambino ,gies1 m dall' anno1 il giorno1 ed hora1 che f creato ,pontefice ,innocenzo ,x4 al suono di ,campane miracolosamente si volt alli ,visitanti4 ,dicono alcuni1 che prima ancora staua riuoltata al ,popolo1 e che accommodata1 non accorgendosi del miracolo in detto giorno1 poi lo diede a conoscere40 ,fassola1 p4 #hf4 8,si dice che la ,vergine mirava il ,bambino1 e quando si sonarono le campane per l'esaltazione d',innocenzio ,x4 torn il volto ai ,visitanti1 che racconciata nuovamente voltollo al popolo come invitante40 ,torrotti1 p4 #gj4 #aha ,the projected ,palazzo di ,pilato blocks4 #bjf ,a famous model of some five-and-twenty years ago4