The early work of Raphael . h a differenttitle and dedication, but it is doubtful whether it was illustrated byClaudes etchings. The festivities in honour of the accession ofFerdinand III. to the crown of the Empire and to the title of King of theRomans lasted the better part of a week and were on a very magnificentscale. There were Te Deums in the churches, comedies and ballets inthe Piazza di Spagna, and on several evenings grand displays of fireworkswith set pieces symbolical of the glories of the Empire. Claudes four-teen etchings show us these fireworks in various phases. After the execut
The early work of Raphael . h a differenttitle and dedication, but it is doubtful whether it was illustrated byClaudes etchings. The festivities in honour of the accession ofFerdinand III. to the crown of the Empire and to the title of King of theRomans lasted the better part of a week and were on a very magnificentscale. There were Te Deums in the churches, comedies and ballets inthe Piazza di Spagna, and on several evenings grand displays of fireworkswith set pieces symbolical of the glories of the Empire. Claudes four-teen etchings show us these fireworks in various phases. After the execution of these plates the artist apparently laid aside theetching needle for many years. It has been pointed out by Lady Dilke asa significant fact that Claudes interest in etching seems to have ceased inthe very year that his friend Sandrart left Rome. The next date which occurs is that of 1651. The etching whichbears this date is known as The Flock in Stormy Weather (R. D. 18).1 P. G. Hamerton, Etching and Etchers, p. ft * (n 82 CLAUDE LORRAIN Claude was, as we have already seen in considering his pictures, a fair-weather artist. We need scarcely be surprised, therefore, if in thisplate he has failed to make the most of a sky heavy with a just-burstingstorm. There is, however, an interesting effect of wind and rain inthe rendering of the trees and foliage. The three columns on the right,supporting a broken architrave, are etched with a firmer touch andin a more picturesque way than any other piece of architecture treatedby Claude. Between 1651 and 1662 comes another gap. It is of course possiblethat some of the undated plates may have been executed in theseintervals. Two etchings—the largest which Claude produced—bear the date1662—Mercury and Argus (R. D. 17)—a variant of the picture paintedin 1659 pour M. Bosout (L. V. 150)—and Time with Apollo and theSeasons (R. D. 20). The following year saw the production of TheGoatherd (R. D. 19). It has been suggested tha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookde, booksubjectraphael14831520, bookyear1895
