Itat Lrt.
SIR JAMES CARNEGIE'S " GIORGIONE."
Last week we started an inquiry as to the authenticity of a remarkable picture now exhibited at the British Institution. The owner, Sir James Carnegie, has favoured us with an answer. The work was bought by Sir James from a Scottish gentleman of rank, whose father had brought it, about thirty-five years ago, from the Barberigo Palace in Venice, "having purchased it under the advice of the late Mr. Irvine of Drum, a well- known connoisseur." In Venice it was always ascribed to Giorgione, and was rumoured to be a portrait of Lucretia Borgia. (The motto will be remembered : " Nec ulla impudica Lucretiaa exemplo rivet.") Sir James adds-" Giorgione did not always paint in that glowing sunny manner by which he is commonly known. Both in Florence and Venice I have seen pictures by him resembling mine in tone ; one especially in the Ilffizj Gallery at Florence-a portrait of a young man with long hair, and wearing a gold chain round his neck. Most of the pictures that are ascribed to Giorgione are really by Pietro Vecchio, a poor imitator, of later days, who exaggerated the peculiarities of his great master. If my picture is not by Giorgione, by whom is it, I would ask ?"-A pertinent question: to which we can only reply, that the work is dearly of the Venetian school, "fine in style," as we said from the first, and is what is ordinarily called a Giorgione. If not by an imitator, such as the Pietro Vecchio above named, a Giorgione it is : and, as we infer from the tone of Sir James Carnegie's letter that he is not the man to have an inferior picture foisted upon him under a big name, we are quite disposed to thank him for treating the public to a genuine Giorgione, whose merits are ob- scured by unworthy hanging.
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