ound her dark-green cherubs' heads. She is the
powerful type of woman, from which in his Virgins Signorelli never
departed, but in this case with a rather cow-like expression, which gave
place later to a tender or noble dignity. The face of the Child has lost
its original character through repainting, but the cherubs' heads
surrounding the throne, have the overweighted, half-animal expression of
which I have already spoken as characteristic of his children.

Next in order, as far as can be judged by the internal evidence of the
painting, come the frescoes in the sacristy of the church of the Santa
Casa at Loreto. They were finished some time before 1484, and bear very
marked traces of Florentine impressions. Of these Vasari writes: "In
Santa Maria di Loreto, he painted in the sacristy in fresco, the four
Evangelists, the four Doctors, and other Saints, which are very
beautiful; and for this work he was liberally rewarded by Pope
Sixtus."[43] This is a mistake, for the patron of the church was
Cardinal Girolamo Basso della Rovere, and the presence of his
coat-of-arms in the centre of the cupola is evidence that the work was
executed at his expense.

In each of the eight compartments of this roof is painted a standing
angel, playing or tuning musical instruments--most graceful and
beautiful figures. Below are seated the four Evangelists and four
Fathers of the Church, against a gold background, who seem, in their
impressive grandeur to be prototypes of the prophets and sybils of
Michelangelo's Sistine frescoes. I do not agree with Vischer in seeing
the hand of Bartolommeo della Gatta in the angels. They show much of the
influence of Pollaiuolo, and seem to me to be Signorelli's unassisted
work. The face and gesture of one of them especially--the angel in the
flowered robe playing a lute--is almost a duplicate of the child on the
_gradino_ of the throne in the Perugia altar-piece. The bishop in the
compartment next this angel is repeated in the Volterra "Madonna and
Saints," and in that of the Florence Academy.

[Illustration: [_Santa Casa, Loreto_

APOSTLES]

In the divisions of the walls under the roof are painted the twelve
Apostles, grand and stately figures, standing two in each compartment,
divided by imitation pilasters, and forming a magnificent frieze round
the walls. The draperies are exceedingly broadly painted and this
breadth of treatment and the boldness of the design gives importance to
the figures. Th