Interior View of the Colonna Gallery, Rome, by Giovanni Pannini
There are angels flying in the sky, amid pale filagree,
And a smiling virgin Mary with a child upon her knee, next to
Women draped in folds of velvet, linen, and lace,
But look a little closer and you’ll see your sweet face.
In the corner is a cupid with an arrow poised for flight, into
A group of dancing maidens, in a shaft of dreamy light,
You’ll see over here a Spanish fan, and over there a vase,
But come a little closer and you’ll see your sweet face.
I painted it myself! (She’s right! That’s me, that’s really me!)
I painted it myself! (She’s right! That’s who it be/What should I do?)
Though the color and the composition clearly are of Titian,
The face here shows the painter was American, not Venitian!
At the gate are Eve and Adam, holding one another’s leaf (Oh!),
And forty prostrate sinners, dying tragically of grief (Ah!),
Four men on ragged horses watching
Satan’s fall from grace,
But squint and focus clearly and you’ll see your sweet face.
I painted it myself! (She’s right! That’s me, that’s really me!)
I painted it myself! (She’s right! That’s who it be/What should I do?)
Though the scale and composition are unflawed, it clearly is a fraud,
Though the scale and composition are unflawed, this painting is a fraud!
© 2012 Ajemian and Newcomb
