No. 27. Ecce Agnus Dei. Filippo Lauri. Born 1623. Died 1693. "And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, 'Behold the lamb of God.' And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus."--John, 1st chap. 36, 37 v. Filippo Lauri was a native of Rome, where his father and brother were also artists. Without instruction, he took portraits of all his school-mates--an evidence of talent, which was hailed by his father with delight. He was placed in the studio of his brother, and subsequently in that of his brother-in-law, both of whom he soon surpassed. Although not a painter of the first rank, Filippo Lauri succeeded admirably in easel pictures to which a landscape was attached. His design is good, and the landscapes graceful, and in the fine taste, but the coloring is varied, and often feeble. it has been remarked, that he often sacrificed the unity of the figure in order to display his knowledge of anatomy. The extended arm of St. John corroborates this criticism, for the muscular development is that of an old man, while the face is still young. [P. 33.]
A Catalogue of Paintings in the Gallery of John C. Henderson, Linden Lawn, Staten Island. New-York: W.C. Bryant & Co., Printers, 41 Nassau Street, corner Liberty. 1860.
