98. Cornelius le Brun.
Chief Painter in Ordinary to the present French King Lewis XIV. Rector and Chancellor to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in France: His way of Painting is ge∣nerally very pleasant, his Designs great and noble. Amongst the many glorious Ornaments of his Pencil with which France is at this day enriched; Constantines Triumph over Maxentius; The Stoning of St. Stephen; The Slaughter of the Innocents and the Battle betwixt Darius and Alexander, with Alexan∣ders Triumph, in several Peices, are most considerable; but above all, that of Alexanders going to Darius his Tent, seems to challenge the precedency, in which is an example on the one side, of the Instability of Fortune, in the Mother, Wise, Sister and Daughters of Darius, who from the heighth of happiness and honour, saw themselves in one days time reduced to the extremity of Misery, expecting nothing but Death, or what was worse, Captivity and Slavery; on the other side, of the great Clemency and Moderation of Alexander towards these unfortunate Princesses; the Conqueror, at his first entrance into the Tent, seems to be stopt both by Syfigambis the Mo∣ther of Datius, who throws her self at his Feet, and by a Melancholly Scene, that presents it self to his view, of several dazling Objects that seem in various postures to expect their Sentence; in each Face appears so much Majesty and exquisite Beauty, mingled with an intense Sorrow, so lively, and with such variety expressed, that it is hard to discern which is greatest; and he must be very insensible, that can forbear be∣ing moved by the one, or charmed with the other. Alexan∣der seems at first sight to have laid aside all the roughness of a Soldier, and by the gentleness of his behaviour, and the mildness of his looks, as it were, to promise not only security to their Persons, but all the respect that could be due to their high Birth and Quality; so that from henceforth the Vanquished may be said to be the Victors. In short, this rare Artist seems to have screwed up his Fancy to the highest pitch, to express a vast variety of Ornaments in one Groupe of Figures: The Drapery is all over magnificent and rich, suitable to the Persian Grandeur, and the Luxury that then reigned amongst them; the Colours strong, the Lights large and great upon the foremost Figures, and then by little and little falling softer and decreasing under the Tent, which at the end causes a dark ground, and altogether gives a fine harmony, and an amiable Grace and Lustre to the whole, which appears round as Corregio, elegant as Raphael, and soft as Vandyke used to do.