FRANCISCO, a distinguished Spanish painter, was born at Castellon de la Plana in 1551, and studied at Valencia. His rise to eminence is connected with the following romantic anecdote.—Having succeeded in winning the heart of his master's beautiful daughter, he sought her hand from her father. The cruel reply was, that he was too great a novice in his art for such an honour. Determined to remove this objection, he set out to study in Italy, the great school of painting. Love stimulated his genius; he caught some of the finest graces of Raphael and the Caracci; and at the end of three or four years he appeared at his old master's door in Valencia, eager to show his improved artistic skill. Finding the studio empty, and seeing an unfinished picture on the easel, he quickly completed the piece, and withdrew. The old artist, on his return, was astonished to find that a master-hand had been at his painting; and still more astonished when he was told that the hand was Ribalta's and of course was but too glad to have such a promising painter for his son-in-law. Ribalta now commenced to practise his profession with great success. His composition was tasteful and spirited, his drawing free and grand, and his colour often admirable. He combined the beauties of Domenichino and Sebastian del Piombo; and sometimes imitated Raphael so exquisitely that a picture of his was once mistaken by an Italian connoisseur for a work of the great prince of painting. The excellence of his pieces was soon recognised. Orders for religious pictures came pouring in upon him. During the rest of his life he was busily engaged in adorning the churches and convents throughout the country; and in 1628 he died, with the reputation of being one of the greatest historical painters of Spain. Many of Ribalta's works still remain to preserve his reputation. Among others, there are his masterpieces in the Collegio de Corpus at Valencia, consisting of "San Vicente de Ferrer visited on his sick-bed by our Saviour and Saints," a "Last Supper," a "Holy Family," and a "Beata." There are also "The Descent of Christ into Hades" at Segorbe, and a "Purgatory" at Castellon de la Plana. The picture of "Christ bearing the Cross," in Magdalen College, Oxford, which has been ascribed to different great artists, was identified by Mr Ford to be a Ribalta.

JUAN, the son of the preceding, was born in 1597, and studied painting under his father. His artistic powers were remarkable. He was only eighteen when he executed a "Crucifixion," which is now one of the gems of the Valencian Museum. There was no kind of subject which he did not try with success. His pictures, both of low life and of sacred story, all possessed such excellence that it was difficult to distinguish them from those of his father. In fact, he was promising to be one of the greatest of Spanish painters, when he was cut off prematurely in 1628. (See Stirling's Artists of Spain.)

RIEBAUVILLE (Germ. Rappoltsweiler), a town of France, in the department of Haut-Rhin, at the foot of a beautiful valley in the Vosges, 7 miles N. of Colmar. On a hill to the west of the town stand the ruins of Riebauville or Rappolstein, surrounded by a beautiful garden; and on the heights above is the Heidenmauer, or Pagan Wall, a fortification of unknown origin, consisting of unhewn and uncut stones. The chief buildings in the town are a handsome church and a town-hall. It has manufactures of cotton goods of various descriptions. Pop. 6525.