Ringgli, Gotthard

, an excellent Swiss artist, wa born at Zuric, January 27th, 1575, but of his master, his travels, or the progress of his younger years, his biographer has not informed us. He must have enjoyed some celebrity, as he was chosen by the magistracy of Berne to decorate with paintings of large dimensions the senate-house and minster of that metropolis, and had the freedom of their city conferred on him. These pictures, which represented facts relative to the foundations of Berne, or allegories alluding to the peculiarities of its situation and customs, were equally distinguished by picturesque con* ception, boldness of style, and correct execution. In the senate-house especially, the third picture, whose subject was the building of the town, shewed great intelligence of foreshortening, and of what is by the Italians termed “di sotto in su.” For the public library of Zuric he painted the arms of the state and of its dependencies, supported by Religion and Liberty; Death lies at the feet of Religion, but to the usual allegoric implements in her hands he added a bridle, to distinguish her from Fanaticism and Superstition.

His easel-pictures were either few, or the greater part must have perished one of the most remarkable, in the | house of Werdmiiller, is Job emaciated and diseased, listening patiently to the invectives of his wife; a picture which, even on close inspection, differs little in handling and tone from the best works of Spaguoletto. But perhaps the most valuable remains of Ririggli are his designs, generally drawn with the pen, and washed with bister or India ink; these are sometimes of considerable size, and chiefly biblical or allegorical subjects. That of our Saviour’s burial, Susannah with the Elders, the royal Father shot at by his Sons from the “Gesta Romanorum,Faith sheltered from the storms of Persecution, and many more of mystic content, are remarkable for beauties of composition, light, shade, and outline, but perhaps obscure in their meaning: they were in Fuessli’s possession once, but now are probably dispersed in different collections. He etched several things in an easy picturesque manner, generally marked by a monogram of the letters G. and R, He died in 1635. 1

1

Pilkington by Fuseli.