el to St. Peter,
and was, according to tradition, erected on the spot where the
saint was buried. Constantine built a Basilica on the site. The
present structure, the glory of Michael Angelo, was begun about
1503. The picture shows the high altar with the statue of St. Peter
to the very right.]

[Illustration: ROMULUS AND REMUS SUCKING THE WOLF, CAPITOL MUSEUM,
ROME, ITALY.--Thus wrote Virgil ("AEN." VIII-630):

"By the wolf were laid the martial twins,
Intrepid on her swelling dugs they hung;
The foster dam lolled out her fawning tongue;
She sucked secure; while bending back her head,
She licked their tender limbs, and formed them as they fed."]

[Illustration: TRANSFIGURATION (BY RAPHAEL), VATICAN GALLERY, ROME,
ITALY.--The last great work and masterpiece of this celebrated
artist, unfinished at his death and completed by Clement VIII., was
preserved in St. Peter's until 1797. The upper part is by Raphael's
own hand; Christ hovers between Moses and Elias; Peter, James and
John are prostrate on the ground, and dazzled by the light. The
figures to the left, in an attitude of adoration, are St. Lawrence
and St. Stephen. The lower half, where the other disciples are
requested to heal the possessed boy, was partly executed by Raphael's
pupils.]

[Illustration: LA BALLERINA (BY CANOVA), ROME, ITALY.--Here is
another of the masterpieces of this famous master-sculptor. It
is hewn out of a solid block of marble, and comes under the head
of "grace and elegance," one of the divisions of Canova's works.
This subject is a most striking one. Like all his other subjects
of grace, it is in all its details, an expression of attitude,
delicacy of finish and elegance. The profile is charming, the twist
of the hair natural, and the lines and curves of the arms perfect,
while the drapery is next to real.]

[Illustration: LAOCOONTE, VATICAN GALLERY, ROME, ITALY.--This famous
group represents Laocoon and his two sons, who were strangled by
serpents at the command of Apollo. According to Pliny, it was executed
by three Rhodians, and placed in the Palace of Titus. It was discovered
under Julius II., in 1506, near Sette Sale, and was termed by Michael
Angelo a "marvel of art." The work is admirably preserved, with the
exception of the three uplifted arms, which have been incorrectly
restored. The dramatic suspense of the moment, and the profoundly
expressive attitude of the heads, denote the perfection of the
Rhodian sch