Page:Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers, volume 1.djvu/42

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A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF


manner of Raphael, which had much influence on the style of art in Andalusia.

ALESSON. See Ekemann-Alesson.

ALEWIJN, Jan, an amateur painter, who made many drawings after the pictures of the old masters. He resided at Amsterdam and at Utrecht, where he died in 1839. He had a son named DiRK, a landscape painter, who was born at Amsterdam in 1800, and died there in 1842.

ALEXANDER, John. This painter and etcher, a descendant of George Jamesone, was a native of Scotland. He went to Italy and studied in Florence ; he practised engraving at Rome about the year 1718. His prints are slight etchings, prin- cipally after Raphael, not very correctly drawn, and but very indiiferently executed. He returned to Scotland in 1720, and painted several historical pictures. On the staircase of Gordon Castle is the ' Rape of Proserpine ' by him. Alexander died about the middle of the 18th century. He en- graved a portrait of George Jamesone, and sis plates after the frescoes of Raphael in the Vatican.

ALEXANDER, William, an English water- colour draughtsman, was born at Maidstone in 1767. He accompanied Lord Macartney to China, and made drawings of the scenery and customs of that country to illustrate Sir George Staunton's ' Historical Account of the Embassy.' He also published a work on the Costume of China, and another on the Punishments of China. In 1802 he was made teacher of drawing at the Royal Military College at Great Marlow ; and afterwards, in 1808, assistant-keeper of the antiquities in the British Museum, in which capacity he had charge of the collection of prints and drawings. He like- wise made the drawings for the earlier volumes of the ' Descriptions of Ancient Marbles and Terra- cottas in the British Museum.' His designs for Britton's 'Architectural Antiquities,' and other publications, show considerable talent. Several of his water-colour drawings may be seen in the South Kensington Museum. He died in 1816.

ALEXEIEFF. See Aleksyeev.

ALFANI, DoMENico (di Paris), a native of Pe- rugia, and scholar of Perugino, was bom, according to Pascoli, in 1483 ; but all we know for certain is that his birth took place in the last quarter of the 15th century. The earliest work known by him is a ' Madonna and Child with SS. Gregory and Nicholas,' dated 1518, in the Collegio Gregoriano, at Perugia. His works bear a great resemblance to those of Raphael, and, were it not for the delicacy of the colouring, they might be assigned to his school. His reputation has been somewhat in- jured by that of his son Orazio ; and even in Pe- rugia some fine paintings were long considered to be by Orazio, which have since been restored to Domenico. The difficulty of discriminating their works is increased by their having painted several altar-pieces in conjunction ; particularly that at the church of the Conventuals at Perugia, which is mentioned by Mariotti. ' A Holy Family' in the tribune of the Utfizi is attributed by some to the father, by others to the son. Domenico painted — in conjunction with his son — a ' Crucifixion' for San Francesco at Perugfia, in 1553, in which year he is supposed to have died.

ALFANI, Orazio (di Paris, or more properly, DI Domenico), was born at Perugia about the year 1510. He was a scholar of his father, and studied the works of Raphael, whose graceful manner he imitated with such success, that Bome of his best pictures have been mistaken for the early pro- ductions of that master. Orazio is celebrated as having been the first president of the Academy of Perugia, which was founded in 1573. He died in Rome in 1583. A 'Holy Family,' said to be by him, is in the Uffizi, and there is in the Louvre a 'Marriage of St. Catherine,' dated 1548, which is attributed to him.

ALFARO, Arteaga y. See Arteaga.

ALFARO Y GOMEZ, Juan dr, a Spanish painter, was bom at Cordova, in 1640. He was first a scholar of Antonio del Castillo, but finished his studies at Madrid under Velazquez, whose manner he followed, particularly in his portraits. He knew very little of design, but was a good colour- ist, having been employed by Velazquez in copy- ing the works of Titian, Rubens, and Van Dijck In the church of the Carmelites is a fine picture, byAlfaro, of the 'Incarnation ;' and in the church of the Imperial College at Madrid is his celebrated picture of the ' Guardian Angel.' Palomino relates a story which proves that he possessed more vanity than skill. Being employed to paint subjects from the life of St. Francis for the cloister of the convent of that name, he took them from prints, but had the folly to put to each of them Alfaro pinxit. His first master, Castillo, to chastise his vanity, obtained permission to paint one, and placed at the bottom non 2nnxit j1 //a?'0, which passed into a proverb. He was fond of travelling, was well versed in literature, wrote poetry, and some inter- esting notes on the lives of Becerra, Cespedes, and Velazquez. He painted the portrait of Calderon, which was placed over the tomb of the poet in the church of San Salvador at Madrid. His conduct towards his patron, the Admiral of Castille, has left a greater stain on his memory than even his vanity. He forsook the admiral when he was banished, and meanly solicited his patronage when recalled : the repulse he received produced melan- choly, and caused his death, which took place in Madrid in 1680.

ALFIANO, EriPANio d', a monk of San Salvi, at Vallombroso in Tuscany, is mentioned by Heinecken as a lover of the arts, who amused him- self with engraving. He engraved a set of plates of festivals and decorations, dated 1592 ; and in 1607 a book of writing, in which he styles himself ' Priore dello Spirito Santo di Firenze.'

ALFON, JnAN, born at Toledo, painted, in 1418, several altar-screens for the cathedral of that city, which are still preserved.

ALFOR^E, Niccol6 Gdglielmo. This engraver, of whom little is known, was a native of Lorraine, but resided at Rome. There is a set of twelve small upright prints of flowers by him, which, although not very delicately executed, are done in a masterly style and willi great spirit. They are inscribed Nicholaus Gidielmus Alforce Lotharingiis fecit, Boniae.

ALGARDI, Alessandro. Tliis eminent artist distinguished himself as an architect, sculptor, and engraver. He was bom at Bologna in 1602, and was educated under Giulio Cesare Conventi. As an engraver the few plates we have by him are executed in a free, bold, and open manner, in the style of Agostino Carracci. He died /jj in 1654. He generally marked his plates Vow with this monogram :

The following are attributed to him : The Crucifixion ; a large upright; plate. The Souls delivered from Purgatory ; oval.

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