THE MADONNA OF THE CHAIR RAPHAEL SANZIO (1483-1520) We like to believe that Raphael, in one of his daily walks in the country, really did see this mother and her two little boys sitting in a doorway. Of course he must paint them, and having no paper with him he rolled up a barrel and made a sketch on the head of it. The story says that this barrel was once a part of a great oak-tree that stood by the hut of an old man, a hermit up in the mountains. And the mother of the two boys, when a little girl, used to go to see the old man. He loved these two--the little girl and the big oak-tree--and called them his daughters. He used to say that some day they would both be famous. That was more than four hundred years ago, and to-day this picture of "The Madonna of the Chair" is one of the most famous Madonna pictures. It is found in almost every home in America and is a treasure that belongs to all of us though it hangs in a gallery at Florence, Italy. We know, too, that Raphael did not let any of his helpers work on "The Madonna of the Chair"--in Italian, "Madonna della Sedia." He painted every brush stroke himself, which makes it still more dear to us. [Illustration: Courtesy of Pratt Institute FIG. 13. MADONNA OF THE CHAIR. RAPHAEL. PITTI PALACE, FLORENCE] THE WOLF AND FOX HUNT PETER PAUL RUBENS (1577-1640) The stables of Peter Paul Rubens were known the country over. No prince in the land had more magnificent horses, and no cavalier could ride with more grace and ease than Rubens. When Van Dyck, the artist who painted "Baby Stuart," was ready to leave the studio of Rubens to travel in Italy, the master gave him a beautiful horse from his own stables. Van Dyck probably used this horse as a model in his picture of "Charles I and his Horse." Now look at Rubens on the splendid dappled white horse in "The Fox and Wolf Hunt." His first wife, Isabel Brant, is on his right hand. She carries her falcon balanced on her wrist, his wings spread out in excitement. We feel that Rubens and his horse together are directing every movement in the hunt. That horse has all the alertness of the trained dogs and is just as eager in overcoming brute force as men are. In fact we are so fascinated with his beauty and intelligence that the cruel sport is almost forgotten in our interest in him and his master. Rubens painted a number of hunting scenes, and always he manages the hunt with the skill of a master. The confusion of the rough-and-tumble fight between the wild beasts and the horses, dogs, and men in Rubens' pictures seems to untangle itself under his glorious color and skilful arrangement. This is a picture you must see. When you go to New York City never fail to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. [Illustration: FIG. 14. WOLF AND FOX HUNT. RUBENS. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City] THE NIGHT WATCH REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1607?-1669)