th."

"Were they of a noble family, these Borgias?"

"No, probably not. Though I believe some people suppose that they
were descended from the Aragonese family of Atares. Now that we know
Alexander VI, let us take a glance at his court. It has often been said,
and is no doubt taken from Vasari's book, that in the Borgia Apartment
Pinturicchio painted Pope Alexander VI adoring the Virgin represented
under the likeness of his beloved, Julia Farnese. The critic must have
been confused, because none of these madonnas recalls the face of
_Giulia la bella_, whom people used to call the Bride of Christ. The
picture that Vasari refers to must be one in the museum at Valencia."

_THE HALL OF THE SAINTS_

They went into another room, the Hall of the Saints, and Kennedy took
Caesar in front of the fresco called, _The Dispute of Saint Catherine
with the Emperor Maximian_.

"The place of this scene," said Kennedy, "Pinturicchio has set in front
of the Arch of Constantine. The artist has added the inscription _Pacis
Cultori_, and below he has embossed the Borgia bull. The subject is the
discussion between the Emperor and the saint. Maximian, seated on a
throne under a canopy, is listening to Saint Catherine, who counts on
her fingers the arguments she has been using in the dispute. Who was it
served as model for the figure of Maximian? At first they imagined it
was Caesar Borgia; but as you may observe, the appearance of the Emperor
is that of a man of twenty odd years, and when Pinturicchio painted
this, Caesar was about seventeen. So it is more logical to suppose that
the model must have been the Pope's eldest son, the Duke of Gandia. A
chronicler of the period says that this Duke of Gandia was good among
the great, as his brother Caesar was great among the wicked. Also,
legend or history, whichever it be, says that Caesar procured his
elder brother's murder in a corner of the Ghetto, and that the Pope on
learning of it, became as if crazy, and went into the full Consistory
with his garments torn and ashes on his head."

"What love for traditional symbolism!" said Caesar.

"Everybody is not so anti-traditional as you. I will go on with my
explanation," added Kennedy. "Saint Catherine has Lucrezia's features.
She is small and slender. She wears her hair down, a little cap with a
pearl cross which hangs on her forehead, and a collar also of pearls.
She has large eyes, a candid expression. Cagnolo da Parma will say of
her, whe