o was then a
beardless boy, to be treated as a rival by so able an artist."

TORRES' IMITATIONS OF CARAVAGGIO.

Matias de Torres, a Spanish painter, affected the style of Caravaggio.
His compositions were half veiled in thick impenetrable shadows, which
concealed the design, and sometimes left the subject a mystery.
Francisco de Solis was standing before one of them, in the church of
Victory at Madrid, representing a scene from the life of St. Diego, and
was asked to explain the subject depicted. "It represents," said the
witty painter, "_San Brazo_," St. Arm, nothing being distinguished but
the arm of a mendicant in the background.

PANTOJA AND THE EAGLE.

Palomino relates that a superb eagle, of the bearded kind, having been
captured in the royal chase, near the Prado, the king (Philip III.) gave
orders to Pantoja to paint its likeness, which he did with such
truthfulness that the royal bird, on seeing it, mistook it for a real
eagle, and attacked the picture with such impetuosity that he tore it in
pieces with his beak and talons before they could secure him. The
indignant bird was then tied more carefully, and the portrait painted
over again.

THE PAINTER METHODIUS AND THE KING OF BULGARIA.

Pacheco relates a remarkable effect produced by a picture from the
pencil of Methodius, who resided at Constantinople about 854. He was
invited to Nicopolis by Bogoris, king of the Bulgarians, to decorate a
banqueting-hall in his palace. That prince left the choice of his
subject to the artist, limiting him to those of a tragic or terrible
character. The sister of Bogoris, during a long captivity at
Constantinople, had become a convert to the Greek church, and greatly
desired that her brother should renounce paganism; therefore it was
probably at her instance, in this case, that Methodius painted the Last
Judgment. He succeeded in depicting the glories of the blessed and the
pains of the damned in such a fearful manner, that the heathen king was
induced in his terror to send for a Bishop, and signify his willingness
to unite with the Greek church; and the whole Bulgarian nation soon
followed his example.

JOHN C. VERMEYEN AND CHARLES V.

This Dutch painter was invited to Spain by Charles V., and accompanied
that monarch on his expedition to Tunis, of which he preserved some
scenes that were afterwards transferred to Brussels tapestries. He
followed the court for many years, and exercised