Take Raffaelle for example, whose delightful character is dwelt upon by all his biographers; his genuine nobleness of soul, which raised him far above interest, rivalship, or jealousy, the gentleness of his temper, the suavity of his manners, the sweetness of his disposition, the benevolence of his heart, which rendered him so deeply loved and admired, even by those who pined away at his success, and died of his superiority[V]—­are all attested by contemporary writers:  where but in his own harmonious character, need Raffaelle have looked for the prototypes of his half-celestial creations?

His Virgins alone combine every grace which the imagination can require—­repose, simplicity, meekness, purity, tenderness; blended without any admixture of earthly passion, yet so varied, that though all his Virgins have a general character, distinguishing them from those of every other master, no two are exactly alike.  In the Madonna del Seggiola, for instance, the prevailing expression is a serious and pensive tenderness; her eyes are turned from her infant, but she clasps him to her bosom, as if it were not necessary to see him, to feel him in her heart.  In another Holy Family in the Pitti Palace, the predominant expression is maternal rapture:  in the Madonna di Foligno, it is a saintly benignity becoming the Queen of Heaven:  in the Madonna del Cardellino, it is a meek and chaste simplicity:  it is the “Vergine dolce e pia” of Petrarch.  This last picture hangs close to the Fornarina in the Tribune,—­a strange contrast!  Raffaelle’s love for that haughty and voluptuous virago, had nothing to do with his conception of ideal beauty and chastity; and could one of his own Virgins have walked out of her frame, or if her prototype could have been found on earth, he would have felt, as others have felt—­that to look upon such a being with aught of unholy passion would be profanation indeed.

Next to Raffaelle, I would rank Correggio, as a painter of Virgins.  Correggio was remarkable for the humility and gentleness of his deportment, for his pensive and somewhat anxious disposition, and kindly domestic feelings:  these are the characteristics which have poured themselves forth upon his Madonnas.  They are distinguished generally by the utmost sweetness, delicacy, grace, and devotional feeling.  I remember reading somewhere that Correggio had a large family, and was a particularly fond father; and it is certain, that in the expression of maternal tenderness, he is superior to all but Raffaelle:  his Holy Family in the Studii at Naples, and his lovely Virgin in the gallery, are instances.