. Nicolas Poussin, his life and work. to be confirmed in the first; wreaths,garlands, and decorative features are omitted inthe second ; while in the third picture, the grouparound the bed is limited to the priest, doctor,near relatives, and necessary servants, but, ineach case, this restriction of the subject appears tobe a decided gain. Roland de Chambray, whosaw both sets soon after their completion, says :* The Roman pictures have defective colourand harsh execution, but they surpass those inFrance in delicacy of conception and beauty ofexpression.^ With the two great paintings ofthe Extre
. Nicolas Poussin, his life and work. to be confirmed in the first; wreaths,garlands, and decorative features are omitted inthe second ; while in the third picture, the grouparound the bed is limited to the priest, doctor,near relatives, and necessary servants, but, ineach case, this restriction of the subject appears tobe a decided gain. Roland de Chambray, whosaw both sets soon after their completion, says :* The Roman pictures have defective colourand harsh execution, but they surpass those inFrance in delicacy of conception and beauty ofexpression.^ With the two great paintings ofthe Extreme Unction should be connected athird still greater work— The Testament ofEudamidas (Count Moltke, Copenhagen). Pous-sin found his theme in Lucians dialogue onFriendship.^ Eudamidas of Corinth is poor, buthe has two friends to whom, when dying, hebequeaths his mother and daughter. Aretes is tocare for his mother, Charixenes is to marry off and ^ Roland de Chambray, Ussais sur la vie du Poimin. Rome, 1783- ^ Lucian, Toxaris, 22, THE TESTAMENT OF EU DAM IDAS ount .Moltke at Coficnha^ei/. LIFE IN ROME 107 dowry his daughter Caritzene. Charixenes diedfive days later, but the surviving friend faithfullycarried out the testament. Five figures are seen,of which two, the doctor and the woman in grief atthe foot of the bed, correspond to two, the priestand woman, in the Extreme Unction fewer persons, greater simplicity of arrange-ment, and the same strong horizontal lines, nothinghere diverts our attention from the chief fieure anddeep meaning of the scene. Extreme Unction pourtrays the need of religion in a dying hour, theChurch as offering consolation, and the heartsgrief of those closely related when parted. InEudamidas, we see the hand of an historicalpainter, faithful to the narrative which he treatswith insight, like a page from real life.^ To exclude Nicolas Poussins sacred composi-tions from religious art, because they contain mani-fold evidence of intimate
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublishe, booksubjectartists
