LI'BERI, PIETRO, Cavaliere, was a celebrated painter of Padua, where he was born in 1605. He was the pupil of Padovaniuo, and is considered by some the bast draftsman of the Venetian school of painters. He atudiel in Rome, at Parma, and in Venice, and his works are not distinguished by the peculiar characteristics of any particular school, but are equally conspicuous to a certain degree for the qualities of all. There are several great works by him, as the 'Slaughter of the Innocents,' at Venice ; 'Noah leaving the Ark,' at Vicenza; and the 'Deluge,' at Bergamo : he executed also many works in Germany. He was very fond of painting the nude, and particularly naked Venuaes, which from their character acquired him the name of Libertino. Liberi had two manners ; at one time he was bold and careless, and at another minute and laborious. This variety he explained to be intentional : be said that for the expert and intelligent he painted freely, but for the ignorant he finished highly. He died in 1687. (Zanetti, Della Patera Veneziana; Lanzi, Stoma Pittorica, etc.) LIBE'RlUS was elected to succeed Julius I. in the see of Rome in 353. The Semi-Arians, oountenaoced by the Emperor Constantius, had then the ascendant; and both the council of Arles (353), and that of Milan (355), condemned Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria. As Liberius, together with some other western bishops, refused to aub scribe to this condemnation, he was arrested by order of the emperor, and taken to Milan, where he held a conference with The questions and answers in this conference are still extant in Constant's Epistolm Romanorum Pontificum: The conference ter minated in a sentence from the emperor deposing Liberius from his office, and banishing him to Bercea in Macedonia. The emperor caused
Felix, a deacon at Rome, to be consecrated bishop. A petition was presented to the emperor by the principal ladies of Rome in favour of Liberius, but it was not till 358 that Liberius was restored to his see, and not without having first approved in several letters of the depo sition of Athanasiva, and subscribed to the confession of faith drawn up by the court party at the council of Sirmium. The weakness of Liberius had a mischievous influence upon many of the Italian bishops, and the council of Rimini openly countenanced Arianism ; but it is not true, as asserted by some, that Liberius subscribed the Rimini confession of faith. He ended his career in orthodoxy, and died in 366. Ho was succeeded by Damasua I. Liberius is said to have built the Basilica on the Esquiline Mount, which has been called Liberiana, from his name, and is now known by the name of Santa Maria Maggiore.