Not every work by a man of genius has in the same degree that
brilliancy, that glory which is at once patent even to the most
ignoble beholder. Thus, certain pictures by Raphael, such as the
famous _Transfiguration_, the _Madonna di Foligno_, and the frescoes
of the _Stanze_ in the Vatican, do not at first captivate our
admiration, as do the _Violin-player_ in the Sciarra Palace, the
portraits of the Doria family, and the _Vision of Ezekiel_ in the
Pitti Gallery, the _Christ bearing His Cross_ in the Borghese
collection, and the _Marriage of the Virgin_ in the Brera at Milan.
The _Saint John the Baptist_ of the Tribuna, and _Saint Luke painting
the Virgin's portrait_ in the Accademia at Rome, have not the charm of
the _Portrait of Leo X._, and of the _Virgin_ at Dresden.
And yet they are all of equal merit. Nay, more. The _Stanze_, the
_Transfiguration_, the panels, and the three easel pictures in the
Vatican are in the highest degree perfect and sublime. But they demand
a stress of attention, even from the most accomplished beholder, and
serious study, to be fully understood; while the _Violin-player_, the
_Marriage of the Virgin_, and the _Vision of Ezekiel_ go straight to
the heart through the portal of sight, and make their home there.
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