THE PITTI GALLERY. 
180 
Florentines, such as had never before been seen in Florence. 
Vasari speaks of the brilliancy of the general tones and of the 
backgrounds, which are still preserved in all the charm of fresh- 
ness, in spite of time and repairs. The Umbrian School 
directed their attention especially to landscape, and Perugino 
made the best of his opportunities in studying earlier and 
contemporary masters in the same line. The countenance of 
the women, varying in intensity of grief, from that of the Virgir 
to the other Maries, is full of touching truth to nature, without 
exaggeration. 
Beyond this is the Madonna del Baldacchino, by Raffaelle 
executed on his retur from Rome, after he had painted hi 
first large composition of the Entombment of Christ. He hac 
studied the grand treatment of drapery with Fra Bartolommec 
and in return he had imparted to Bartolommeo the knowledge o 
perspective, which he had acquired in the school of Perugino; i 
this picture, which Raffaelle painted for the Florentine family c 
Dei, to be placed in Santo Spirito, he endeavoured to imitat 
Fra Bartolommeo; and it may be compared with the Madonn 
by that great artist in the Academy. The Virgin, seated on 
throne, holds the Child on her knee, who looks back naïvely 
the Apostle Peter, standing beside St. Bruno ; St. James tl 
Less and St. Augustus are on the opposite side. Two ange 
support the canopy above the Virgin and Child, and two oth 
most lovely infants stand below, one having his arm round t 
other’s neck, and sing praises. The picture was left unfinishe 
which is evident from the weak face and figure of St. Jam 
and was sold by Raffaelle’s scholars, Giulio Romano and Giov. 
Francesco Penni, to Baldassare Turini, who conveyed it to 1 
city of Pescia, from whence it was afterwards brought to t 
Pitti. The head and figure of the Virgin is extremely lov 
and graceful, and quite in Raffaelle’s own style, and it is only 
the composition and draperies that we discover the influence 
Fra Bartolommeo.! 
See Passavant’s Rafael von Urbino, vol. i. p. 125 ; vol. ii., p. 89.