The study and criticism of Italian art Author:Bernard Berenson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE BRITISH MUSEUM "RAPHAEL" CARTOON A Few years ago the British Museum acquired a Cartoon in black chalk, attributed to Raphael, which bore marks indicating ... more »that it had been used for transfer to panel or canvas. It contains the Virgin seated, and holding the Child, who half stands, half kneels, leaning his little head against his mother's neck, and stretching his right arm over her left breast. The composition is exquisite, with great dignity of style and a penetrating charm. The sentiment is undeniably Raphaelesque, and both the types and the poses recall that great master. It is a free translation of Raphael's " Vierge avec 1'Enfant debout,"and it is rather curious that no contemporary critic (of the old school, I mean) has jumped to the conclusion that this drawing was the actual one Raphael made use of for the picture. However that may be, I have not heard of anyone attributing it to Raphael, at least since its acquisition by the British Museum drew a certain amount of attention to it. Almost unanimous opinion has assigned it to one of the followers of Fra Bartolommeo and Andrea del Sarto, a follower who, at need, inspired himself from Raphael as well. The names put forward have been those of Puligo and Sogliani; Granacci and Franciabigio have also been suggested. None of these names is entirely satisfactory to the discriminating eye. Franciabigio and Granacci were never quite so Raphaelesque; Puligo and Sogliani never show such charm and grace. It is true that the great cleverness of the draughtsman, with the powerful contrasts of light and shade, recall the followers of Fra Bartolommeo, and the Child's face suggests the same master; nevertheless there is something about the Cartoon, an impression as hard to define as to banish, that prevents one's thinking of it as...« less