It was painted on a panel and was in bad condition, and Bonnemaison was commissioned to transfer it to canvas. This work was not completed in 1815, when other pictures which had been taken from Spain were returned, and this Madonna remained in France until 1822. Naturally, it must have lost something of its original excellence, but it still holds a place of honor in the wonderful Italian Gallery of the Madrid Museum; it is a rival of the famous Dresden Madonna--di San Sisto--in the regard of many connoisseurs in art. The various scenes from the story of Raphael and Tobias have been represented in the works of artists of all nations. Rembrandt four times painted the parting of Tobias from his father and mother, and several other incidents in the story. His picture in the Louvre, of the departure of the Archangel, is remarkable for its spirited action. As the angel ascends, flying through the air, he seems to part the clouds as a strong swimmer passes through the breakers of the sea. There have been many curious conceits introduced into some of the early religious pictures, and I have seen two instances in which little seraphim and angels are perched on trees, near the Virgin and Holy Child. The idea seems to be that these “Birds of God”--as Dante calls the angels--are making music and singing for the Divine Infant, some of them also praying for his solace. Occasionally a series of pictures called the Acts of the Holy Angels has been painted. It consists of eleven strictly Scriptural subjects, usually as follows, but varied in some instances by the introduction of other motives of the same character, as, for example, the angel appearing to Hagar and to Elijah: I. The Fall of Lucifer. II. The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. III. The Visit of Three Angels to Abraham. IV. The Angel Preventing the Sacrifice of Isaac. V. The Angel Wrestling with Jacob. VI. Jacob’s Dream. VII. The Deliverance of the Three Children from the Fiery Furnace. VIII. The Angel Slays the Host of Sennacherib. IX. The Angel Protects Tobias. X. The Punishment of Heliodorus. XI. The Annunciation to the Virgin. I have already said that of the seven archangels to whom Milton refers, when he says: “The Seven Who in God’s presence, nearest to his throne, Stand ready at command,” but three are recognized by the Christian Church; and when three archangels are seen together, they are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. In the Greek Church this representation is regarded as typical of the military, civil, and religious power, and, accordingly, the costumes indicate a soldier, a prince, and a priest.