ANTONIO, an industrious and useful writer on art, was born at Bexix, near Segorbe in Valencia, in 1725. He was educated for the church; but a strong bias turned his mind from his professional studies to the fine arts and kindred subjects. While finishing his theological course at Valencia, he took lessons in painting from Richtarte. After he had gained the degree of Doctor of Divinity, he placed himself as a pupil at the provisional academy at Madrid, and studied there from 1746 to 1761. His predilection for the antique then led him to Italy; and the next nine years were spent in imitating the great masters at Rome. On his return to his native country he was still continuing to improve himself in art, and was copying Raphael, Paul Veronese, and Guido, in the Escorial, when a new sphere of labour was opened up to him. Commissioned by government to visit the colleges of the ejected Jesuits, and to collect whatever valuable works of art might be found there, Ponzo began to write an account of his observations and travels. It soon appeared that he was even better fitted for this task than for painting. His style, it is true, was sluggish, dull, and prolix. His mind also observed no method, loitered over every object that chanced to fall in its way, and was allured by every accidental circumstance into the most irrelevant digressions. Yet he was an inquisitive, indefatigable, and candid investigator. Especially were his zeal and his fidelity commendable in describing works of art, and in rescuing the names of many artists from oblivion. The book accordingly met with a very favourable reception. The first seventeen volumes, which appeared during the author's lifetime, were the means of securing for him much patronage and honour till his death in 1792. The entire work, published after his death in a complete form, under the title of Viage de España, 18 vols., 1772–94, took the first place as a guide-book to Spain. It is only within recent years that it has been superseded by the English hand-book of the late Richard Ford.