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CLELIA.

It is presumable, that it was mademoiselle de Scudéri's famous romance of Clelia, which induced Stella to represent this subject, in which, Clelia, the daughter of a consul, and one of the ten, given as hostages to Porsenna, crosses the Tiber, in presence of the hostile army, to return to Rome.

The composition is insignificant: it is difficult to determine whether these young Roman females are fleeing from Porsenna's camp; or whether they are as liberty, returning to Rome. If they are fleeing; where is the precipitation which ought to characterize their flight? If they are at liberty; what obliges them to swim across the Tiber? The figure of Clelia and several others, appear imitated from Giulio Romano, who has treated the same subject; and the whole of them may be considered as models of grace, simplicity, and elegance.

The Clelia was formerly at St. Cloud : this palace belonging at the time to the Orleans' family, it is natural to suppose that this picture was painted for mademoiselle de Longueville, afterwards, Dutchess de Nemours, to whom, was dedicated the romance of Clelia, when it appeared, in 1654.

Height, 4 feet 9 inches; width, 3 feet 2 inches.