Copenhagen

T H E SIGH TS OF CO PENHAGEN.

collection of fo reign paintings. The Italian School of the fif­ teenth century is rep resented by tw o works of distinction — a Pieta by M antegna, and a picture by Filippino Lippi, rep resen ting the m eeting of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the V irgin. A m ost striking, powerful picture, show ing m ar­ vellous technical skill in its colouring, is said to be a portrait of Tintoretto, painted by himself. Of pictures b elon g in g to the decadent period of Italian art, those of Salvator Rosa are the m ost notew orthy. They w ere painted for the Danish King, Christian IV., and the largest of them , the m agnificent rep re sen ­ tation of Jonah anno u n c in g their doom to the inhabitants of N ineveh, form erly h u n g in the Chapel of F rederik sbo rg Castle. The picture of C adm us addressing M inerva after he has killed the dragon may be looked on as one of Salvator Rosa’s most characteristic and excellent works. The gallery ow ns two masterly paintings of ascetics by Salvator Rosa’s teacher, Ribera; bu t a m ore beautiful specimen of the best Spanish A rt is the g reat po rtrait of Queen Isabella of Bourbon, which came from the studio of Velasquez. The old Flem ish and G erm an Schools are m eagrely rep re ­ sented. An unknow n Flem ish master painted the excellent, cha­ racteristic little portrait of the Danish King, Christian II. There are some fine specim ens of Lucas Cranach; the simple little picture of Cupid com plaining to a charm ing Venus of the sting of a bee, is especially taking. By far the g reater n um b e r of the best pictures in the Foreign Section are Flem ish paintings of the seventeenth century. Rubens is represented by a couple of portrait-sketches and the splendidly painted, marvellously life­ like portrait of the A bbot M atthew Irselius. There is also th eg re a t Rubens picture of the Judgm en t of Solomon, which came to D enm ark as a gift from Field-M arshal Josias Rantzau to C h ri­ stian IV., and was originally intended for a town-hall. The collection contains three works of note by Jacob Jor- daens, viz., a finely com posed picture of Christ blessing the Children, a rather coarse jovial representation of Susannah and

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