And over all this blackness and chaos the supernal
figure of the Christ was aerially poised,--one hand was extended and
to this a woman clung--a woman with a beautiful face made piteous in
its beauty by long grief and patient endurance. In her other arm she
held a sleeping child--and mother and child were linked together by
a garland of flowers partially broken and faded. Her entreating
attitude,--the sleeping child's helplessness--her worn face,--the
perishing roses of earth's hope and joy,--all expressed their
meaning simply yet tragically, and as the Divine Hand supported and
drew her up out of the universal chaos below, the hope of a new
world, a better world, a wiser world, a holier world, seemed to be
distantly conveyed. But the eyes of the Christ were full of
reproach, and were bent on the Representative of St. Peter binding
the laurel-crowned youth, and dragging him into darkness,--and the
words written across the golden mount of the picture, in clear black
letters, seemed to be actually spoken aloud from the vivid color and
movement of the painting. "Many in that day will call upon Me and
say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name
cast out devils, and done many wonderful works?"
"Then will I say to them, I never knew you! Depart from me all ye
that work iniquity!"
As an Allegory the picture was a daring yet sublime reproach to the
hypocrisy of the religious world,--as a picture it was consummate in
every detail, and would have been freely admitted as a masterpiece
of Raffaelle had Raffaelle been fortunate enough to paint it.
Pages:
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676