with a design of harpies, from which
the picture is often known as the Madonna of the Harpies. The
pedestal throne is also seen in two of Correggio's Dresden
pictures, but here the Virgin is seated, with the child on her lap. An
exceedingly simple throne Madonna is that of Luini, in the Brera at
Milan, where the Virgin sits on a plain coping not at all high.

[Illustration: PERUGINO.--MADONNA AND SAINTS.
(DETAIL.)]

A beautiful Madonna enthroned is by Perugino, in the Vatican Gallery
at Rome; one of the artist's best works in power and vivacity of
color. The throne is an architectural structure of elegant simplicity
of design, apparently of carved and inlaid marble. The Virgin sits in
quiet dignity, her face bent towards the bishops at her right, St.
Costantius and St. Herculanus. On the other side stand the youthful
St. Laurence and St. Louis of Toulouse. Although Perugino was an
exceedingly prolific artist, he did not often choose this particular
subject. On this account the picture is especially interesting, and
also because it is the original model of well known works by two of
the Umbrian painter's most illustrious pupils.

Many, indeed, were the apprentices trained in the famous _bottega_ at
Perugia, but, among them all, Raphael and Pinturicchio took the lead.
These were the two who honored their master by repeating, with
modifications of their own, the beautiful composition of the Vatican.
Pinturicchio's picture is in the Church of St. Andrea, at Perugia. A
charming feature, which he introduced, is a little St. John, standing
at the foot of the throne. Raphael's picture is the so-called Ansidei
Madonna, of the National Gallery, London, purchased by the English
government, in 1885, for the fabulous price of L72,000. The
composition is here reduced to its simplest possible form, with only
one saint on each side,--St. Nicholas on the right, St. John the
Baptist on the left. The Virgin and child give no attention to these
personages, but are absorbed in a book which is open on the Mother's
knee.

Raphael had no great liking for this style of picture, which was
rather too formal for his taste. It is noticeable that, in the few
instances where he painted it, he took the suggestion, as here, from
some previous work. Thus his Madonna of St. Anthony, also in the
National Gallery (loaned by the King of Naples), was based upon an old
picture by Bernardino di Mariotto, according to the strict orders of
the nuns for who