WORKS OF ART IN GHENT.

GHENT possesses many monuments of ancient magnificence in art, for which it is indebted chiefly to the partiality of the Emperor Charles the Fifth, who gloried in having been born here, and to the impulse given by his example. Part of the townhall is modern, and consists of the three orders, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, placed over one another in due proportions. The old part of it, as well as the cathedral, and three other churches with towers unfinished (perhaps from scarcity of stones), are fine specimens of the Moorish Gothic introduced here by the Spaniards. These, however, are more to be admired for the paintings and sculpture which they contain, than for their architecture. The statues, altar and mausoleums of beautiful white marble found near Namur, are the works of Delveaux and Du Quesnoy. The principal paintings-some of which had been taken to France by Bonaparte, and afterwards restored-are the Pascal Lamb, by Van Eyck, who is said to be the first painter in oil colours; the Death of Christ, by Van Houthurn; the Resurrection of Lazarus, by Van Veer; the Descent from the Cross, by Rubens; the Crucifixion, by Van Dyck; with the Assumption of the Virgin, by Franco; and the Annunciation, by Leus. There is also in this town a public gallery of paintings by the most celebrated native artists, besides many private collections.

THE BOLD AND SPIRITED STUDENT.

REYNOLDS and Burke being one evening at the Royal Academy, a student shewed his drawing to Sir Joshua, accompanied with the observation that he hoped it was bold and spirited: Reynolds in his usually mild manner, answered "very spirited," and handed it to Mr. Burke, who made no other remark, in returning the drawing, but "very bold indeed."

PARMEGIANO AND CHARLES V.

PARMEGIANO entertained a high opinion of his profession, and was extremely jealous of his reputation; for he never permitted any picture to go out of his hands, till quite finished. An instance of his punctilious delicacy is recorded by his biographer at this period. The Emperor Charles V. being crowned at Bologna by Pope Clement VII. Parmegiano, after witnessing the ceremony, drew from memory his portrait crowned by fame, with a boy in the character of an infant Hercules, offering him the globe. The pope, who was much delighted with the sketch, sent it to the emperor, who was not less pleased, and desired to retain it; but the artist excused himself, because it was unfinished. In a short time Charles departed from Bologne, and Parmegiano thus lost the patronage which he otherwise might have obtained from the emperor. The portrait when finished, was presented to the Pope,

inherited by his nephew, Cardinal de Medici, and afterwards transferred to the gallery of Mantua, where it probably perished in the memorable sacking of that city, in 1630.,

SALVATOR ROSA AND HIS COTEMPORARIES.

SOME of Salvator Rosa's old opponents in the Conclave, who fancied that they had found a place in "La Fortuna," were dead: and time and accident had done their usual work of devastation, and removed other impediments to his return. From the great masters then resident at Rome, Rosa may have supposed that he had little to apprehend. Claude Lorraine was declining into the vale of years, though not declining in vogue. Gaspar Poussin was prematurely wearing out by phy sical infirmities, brought on by his immoderate passion for field sports, and Nicholas Poussin was becoming old and infirm. Even Bernini, who had found like other despots, that the abuse of power eventually turns against itself, had "fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf," and becoming, as one of his biographers styles it," the victim of a terrible conspiracy," was reduced to inventing gew gaw carriages for the eccentric Queen Christina of Sweden, whose restless, wandering spirit had then led her to the court of Rome. Pietro da Cartona and Carlo Maratti were indeed still in their prime;

but they were friends whom Salvator was glad to meet, and rivals he had no cause to fear.

PRINCELY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORENTINE GALLERY.

AMONG the precious contributions of Ferdinand and Leopold to the gallery of Florence, are the fine heads of Cicero, the bronze idol, supposed to be one of the finest specimens of ancient art in the world, Titian's Venus, most of the valuable portraits, and the works of Salvator Rosa.

REMARKABLE HISTORY OF TWO PICTURES. FREDERIC II. Duke of Mantua, being desirous of presenting the Emperor Charles V. with two excellent pictures, selected Correggio to paint them. The subjects, according to Vasari, were Leda and Venus; but according to Mengs and Ratti, with more probability, Leda and Danaë. They were said to be so well executed, that Julio Romano, who was at the court of Mantua, declared he never saw such excellent colouring. A curious anecdote is recorded of their subsequent fate. Being sent by the emperor to Prague, they were afterwards taken by the Swedes at the sacking of the city, and conveyed to Stockholm, by the order of Gustavus Adolphus. On his death, being neglected, they were discovered in the reign of Christina, degraded to the purpose of window-shutters in the stable, by Bourdon, a French painter, whom she

patronized. They were repaired by her order, conveyed to Rome, and after her decease, came into the possession of Don Livio Odescalchi, Duke of Bracciano, by whose heirs they were sold to the Regent, Duke of Orleans; but by the order of his son, who was shocked at the nudity of the figures, the pictures were cut in pieces. A similar fate, according to Mengs, happened to the Io, ascribed also to Correggio, which was in the same collection, and probably obtained in the same manner from the heirs of the Duke of Bracciano; for the Duke of Orleans himself cut out the head, and burnt it. Coypel, a French painter, afterwards collected the remnants of the piece which were not destroyed, and to which a new head was added by another artist; and the picture sold to the King of Prussia, for a great price, and placed in the gallery of Sans Souci. A Danaë, supposed to be painted by Correggio, was preserved in the Orleans collection, as acquired from the heirs of Christina. It was purchased by Mr. Hope, and is said to be now at Paris.

CORREGGIO'S SKETCH FOR THE DUOMO OF

PARMA.

From Mr. Ford's printed description of this curious production.

MR. FORD of Gloucester Place, possesses a sketch which he purchased at Naples, and which is said