We must not omit the name of his daughter, Chiara Dario, a lady extolled by Ridolfi for the beauty of her portraits, and fully deserving of the honour conferred upon her by the grand dukes of Tuscany, who placed one of herself in their noble series of painters, where it is still to be seen. Boschini seems to be of opinion that she gave public instructions in the same manner as the fair Sirani of Bologna; and that she initiated in the art Caterina Taraboti and Lucia Scaligeri, a niece of Bartolommeo. Yet the passage referring to this, (p. 526) in the Venetian poet, is somewhat ambiguous, and he perhaps only meant to assert that these two young women pursued the same career. But the chief honour and crown of Dario's reputation, was his own son and pupil, named Alessandro, who, though left an orphan at an early age, shortly after set out for Venice, where he soon began to distinguish himself. He there received the name of Padovanino, which he retained at an advanced age, and by which he is now generally known. He first studied Titian's works in fresco, such as he found in Padua, and his copies still continue to attract the admiration of the greatest professors. In Venice he persevered in his assiduous attention to the same incomparable master, penetrating so far by degrees into his peculiar character, as to be preferred by many to any of Titian's other disciples. But comparison is invariably disagreeable, and I am inclined to think that those who personally received from the lips of great artists a few brief and sound rules, as to what ought to be avoided or achieved in order best to resemble them, are entitled to a high degree of respect: all the speculations of the finest genius upon their works are not half so valuable; for the second century is fast passing away, since the oral tradition of the best colourists wholly ceased, and we have been attempting to attain their method, in which we cannot succeed. Padovanino was always equal to the task of handling any subject that had before been treated by Titian; his softer ones with grace, his more powerful with strength, his heroic pieces with dignity; in which last, if I mistake not, he surpassed every other disciple of this master. "Le donne, i cavalier, l'armi, e gli Amori," these, and let us add to them his boys, were the favourite subjects of his pencil, which he exhibited to most advantage, and which he most frequently introduced into his compositions. And he knew how to treat landscape as well; which, in some of his small pictures, he has succeeded in admirably. He was familiar with the science of the sotto in sù,[80] of which he gave the most favourable specimen in the church of San Andrea di Bergamo, in three admirable histories of that saint. It is a work embellished with beautiful architecture, and replete with graces in every part. He has approached equally near his model in the sobriety of his composition, in the very difficult use of his middle tints, in his contrasts, in the