Strangely enough, the otherwise very complete collection of French pictures at the Louvre does not contain a single example of Poussin’s brother-in-law, Gaspard Dughet, better known as Gaspard Poussin (1613-1675), who devoted himself more exclusively to landscape than did his more illustrious relative. Nicolas Poussin’s influence also became decisive for the formation of the style of Claude Gellée, called Le Lorrain (1600-1682), who is represented at the Louvre by seventeen pictures (Nos. 310-326), most of which also have suffered considerably from discoloration and neglect. Claude, who was the child of poor parents, started life as a cook. In this capacity he went to Rome, where his talent for art was discovered by the landscape painter Agostino Tassi, to whom he served as cook and apprentice. Having learned all he could from his master, he returned to France in 1625, but, like Poussin, preferred to go back to Rome after two years spent in his native country. In the Papal city he lived the rest of his days, and rose to fame and affluence. He was essentially a landscape painter. The historical and legendary incidents introduced in such pictures as _The Disembarkation of Cleopatra at Tarsis_ (No. 314), or _Ulysses restoring Chryseis to her Father_ (No. 316), were to him a mere excuse for painting classic landscapes and imaginary buildings of noble proportion bathed in a golden atmosphere, which has hardly been rivalled by any contemporary or later painter. It is only on rare occasions, as in the _View of the Campo Vaccino at Rome_ (No. 311), that he applied his gifts to the portrayal of nature. As a rule, his views are carefully arranged combinations of architectural and landscape elements brought together arbitrarily, and generally disposed in the manner of the wings and backcloth of a stage scene, but connected by the unity of light and atmosphere. Considering this method, it is amazing that his memory enabled him to invent such imaginary scenes with so great a degree of truth. _The View of a Sea Port_ (No. 317, Plate XXXVIII.), in the subdued light of a misty day, is a magnificent instance of his masterly management of aerial perspective. It is signed and dated “CLAUDE IN ROMA, 1646.” It is generally known how much Turner in his first manner owed to the example of Claude. That even Watteau was indebted to him may be gathered from such pictures as _The Village Fête_ (No. 312), which, signed and dated, “CLAUDIO, inv. Romæ, 1639,” contains in germ the elements that constituted the greatness of the eighteenth-century master. LE SUEUR